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Journey to the Future – Chapter 11
Unfortunately, Kagome's hopes were dashed. As the two girls hurried out of the village, the sounds of fighting became increasingly audible. Kagome and Rin stopped at the edge of a meadow along the coastline. Inuyasha was growling at his half-brother, sword brandished and was sporting a few slashes in his clothing.
Sesshomaru stood opposite, his right hand raised aggressively. His claws dripped with a noxious green fluid that sizzled as it touched the ground. In the back of her mind, Kagome noticed that the sword on his hip was still sheathed.
She watched in horror as Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles menacingly and expertly flung blades of glowing green youki at the hanyou. Inuyasha knocked it away and swung his sword back behind his head and down again in a slash.
"Kaze no kizu!"
Golden energy erupted from the tip of the sword and sped toward the inu-youkai. Sesshomaru stood still, looking extremely unconcerned. At the last second, he batted it away with the back of his hand.
"Stop it!" Kagome shouted. Her heart was pounding erratically and she clutched at the fabric over her breast. She felt that at any moment, another wave of power would erupt from her body. She didn't want to hurt the brothers in front of her or draw the attention of the youkai in the village or any nearby wild creatures.
Both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru froze at the sound of her voice and turned to look at her. The hanyou grimaced, the expression on his face clearly showing that he hadn't wanted her to see him fighting. Sesshomaru looked as impassive as usual, but Kagome thought she could detect a little chagrin in her eyes.
As the volatile youki dissipated from the air, the pressure eased in Kagome's chest. She straightened and placed her hands on her hips angrily. "What do you two think you are doing?" she demanded.
"See that you do not harm her again," Sesshomaru said quietly to his brother. Then, he turned on his heel and started to leave.
Kagome's jaw dropped slightly. This was because of her fight with Inuyasha? She had to know what was going on here. Setting her jaw stubbornly, she jogged to catch up to the tall youkai. She caught his sleeve and jerked on it impatiently. "Just what do you want with me?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "Why is it any of your business what I do? Do you know me or something?"
Sesshomaru stopped and looked down at her. His eyes were a slightly lighter color than Inuyasha's and even more intense. Kagome sucked in a breath at their fierceness.
"I believe you to be the key to claiming something which belongs to me. It would be forever lost were you killed," he said evenly.
Kagome gaped at him, her lax fingers falling from his sleeve. She was completely flabbergasted. What on earth could he possibly mean? Before she could ask any more questions, Sesshomaru turned away and vanished into the trees.
She watched as Rin hurried after him and barely registered the clawed hand that gently grasped her elbow.
"Kagome, let's go back to town," Inuyasha's voice was low as he tugged at her.
"Yeah," she said faintly, turning around and pulling her arm free. "What in the world is going on?"
"I have no fucking idea," the hanyou growled, sheathing his sword. "That bastard never tells me anything important."
Kagome frowned, thinking wildly about what the youkai could possibly want from her. She shivered slightly at the memory of the intense emotion in his eyes. At least he needed her to be alive for it. She hoped that he wasn't planning to travel through the well when it was reopened. Kagome had the feeling that it would be disastrous to allow that and she had no desire to try to fight the intimidating inu-youkai.
If she was being honest, part of Kagome's unease around Sesshomaru stemmed from the way her heart pulled when he was near. It was similar to how she had reacted around the jewel, so she was justifiably suspicious. She couldn't forget the little mote of light that had absorbed into her body after the jewel had vanished. Kagome hoped that Hitomiko would be able to give her some answers for the endless questions she had.
As soon as they returned to the inn, Kagome dug a light sleeping yukata out from the bottom of her bag and shook it out a few times. It had been sitting unused in her bag since she had left Kaede's village. While on the road, Kagome had discovered that it was too much of a hassle to change clothes every night and the material of the yukata was too thin for sleeping outdoors anyway. She draped the clothing over her arm and grabbed her new hair oil.
"I'm going to go bathe, Inuyasha," she said to the hanyou already sprawled out over the floor. "I won't be too long."
He grunted in reply, waving her away.
Kagome rolled her eyes and headed down to the baths. She hadn't had a proper bath since Inuyasha had found that natural hot spring for her as an apology for hurting her arm. And even then, it wasn't quite the same as a normal bath since it was out in the middle of nowhere and all she had was a handful of soapweed and harsh skin-stinging soap to wash with. It was all she could do to keep herself from sprinting to the baths.
Fortunately, the facilities were empty when she arrived and Kagome took her time washing with the nice-smelling soap that had been provided by the innkeeper. She sighed with pleasure as she was finally able to scrub the dirt and grime properly from her skin without worrying about a certain hanyou bursting in to hurry her up.
Kagome washed her hair twice to get rid of the accumulated oils and dirt on her scalp. The conditioning oil smelled vaguely herbal as she poured a small amount on her palm. The merchant had said that to let it sit in her hair for a while before rinsing it out and that a very little went a long way. She combed it through her long tresses, paying special attention to the slightly frayed edges.
After just a few minutes of massaging the oil through her hair, Kagome could already feel a difference. She knew that it would likely poof up when dry, but for now it felt silk running through her fingers. Coiling her hair into a twist and piling it atop her head, she used a wooden hair stick given to her for free by the vendor to secure it. Kagome thought that she must have taken pity on her because of the poor condition her hair had been in.
She eyed the large bath longingly, but was reluctant to leave the troublesome hanyou alone for too long. After a moment's debate, she shrugged and decided that he could entertain himself for another half hour. Besides, he had lived nearly two hundred years without her; Kagome was pretty sure that he would survive.
She moaned appreciatively as she eased into the hot water. It was extremely soothing to her sore limbs and it was all she could do not to fall asleep as her body relaxed properly for the first time since she had been stuck on this side of the well. Kagome really hoped that her family hadn't given her up for dead. She had left them with the knowledge that she going to a village that was under attack, so it wouldn't be too out of the question for them to assume she had been killed after this much time. Kagome could only hope that her message worked.
Fighting back exhausted tears again, she cupped the steamy water in her hands and pressed it to her face. The heat drew the puffiness out of her eyes and soothed her skin. She sat back, sliding down as far as she could without getting her oiled hair in the water.
As she soaked, she wondered what Hitomiko would be like. Kagome hoped that she wasn't intolerant of youkai. She couldn't imagine that Kaede would have sent them to Hokkaido without warning them otherwise. The image that came to mind was that of an elderly woman, like Kaede, but maybe not quite as weathered. Kagome grinned, wondering if they were lifelong friends.
She glanced around for a clock and then felt like smacking her forehead when she remembered that clocks as she knew them hadn't been invented yet. Instead, Kagome peered at her fingers. They were starting to prune.
"Time to get out, I guess," she muttered.
Kagome climbed reluctantly out of the bath and back toward the washing area. She thoroughly rinsed her hair, taking her time to make sure that no trace of the oil remained, and then wrung it out. Kagome used her towel to soak up some of the water from her hair and then patted her body dry. She shuffled back into the changing room and dressed in the clean yukata that she had brought with her, bundling her dirty clothing under her arm. After dropped her used towel in a bin in the corner, she headed back to her room.
She smelled food when she opened the door. Inuyasha had evidently ordered room service. He was sitting at the table with several empty dishes in front of him. A covered tray was opposite him and Kagome was glad to see that he had thought of her.
"You should go take advantage of the baths too, Inuyasha," she said, settling on a cushion at the table. "It really was quite relaxing."
The hanyou scoffed and opened his mouth, most likely to argue that he didn't need such things, but he paused thoughtfully. "You may be right," he conceded, sounding reluctant to admit it.
"There's a clean yukata there for you to change into," Kagome said, pointing her chopsticks at the small pile of clothing that had been moved by the wall. "The blue one. I'll wash your clothing with mine tomorrow, if you like."
Inuyasha peered suspiciously at her, but didn't argue. He pulled the dark blue striped fabric from the pile and inspected it. "I guess that's fine," he agreed.
After he left, Kagome finished her meal in silence and then pulled her comb from her bag. She grinned triumphantly as the comb slid effortlessly through her hair. Leaving it down to dry, she hoped that it would stay moisturized and manageable.
She set out two futons, even though she knew that Inuyasha was unlikely to use one. Kagome was sure that he would once again sit up, curled around his sword, and stay awake and alert most of the night. But then again, she hadn't even spent the night with him indoors either, so she figured that it wouldn't hurt for him to have the option.
When Inuyasha returned from the baths, damp and vaguely smiling, she knew that persuading him to go had been a good idea.
"Just put your clothes over there," Kagome said, gesturing toward the small pile she had made by the closet. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, there's some kind of festival going on here tomorrow, so we can't leave for Hokkaido until the day after."
"What? What in the hell are we gonna do tomorrow?" Inuyasha protested, dropping his clothes on top of the pile Kagome had pointed out. He looked really different without his customary red outfit and Kagome wasn't sure that she liked it.
"I'm sure that there's going to be a lot of good food tomorrow," she said with a grin. "Also, I'll wash our clothes and take a short, much needed break."
"Keh! Humans," the hanyou scoffed, but he did look marginally excited about the prospect of festival food.
Kagome rolled her eyes and didn't take him too seriously. She was very aware that she couldn't keep up with Inuyasha physically and there was no way that she was going to apologize for something as silly as being human.
That night, as Kagome lay comfortably in the futon, she frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Inuyasha," she said quietly.
The hanyou was sitting exactly as she had predicted, with Tessaiga in his lap, but he was at least using the futon as a cushion. "What is it?" he asked, his voice a quiet rumble.
"Is it ever… difficult for you to be around me?"
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha replied, sounding confused.
Kagome rubbed her feet together under the covers. "Well, Kaede told me that I look a lot like… Kikyo," she whispered.
Inuyasha was silent for a moment and Kagome wondered if her question had been too personal. Just as she thought that he wasn't going to answer at all, the hanyou surprised her. "It was at first," he admitted. "But you aren't really much like her. I wanted the Shikon jewel to become fully youkai, but Kikyo… she wanted me to become human."
"That's really…" Kagome trailed off, not wanting to offend Inuyasha by insulting his dead lover. She hadn't known him for too long, but she knew him well enough to see that he would have been absolutely miserable as a human. Not to mention that any enemies he may have had would have been able to slaughter him with a thought.
"The old hag told me about that asshole Naraku," Inuyasha said, a soft snarl distorting his voice. "I wanted to go find him and fucking rip him apart, but…" his tone changed oddly and he trailed off.
"What happened?" Kagome prompted, craning her neck to peer through the darkness at the hanyou.
"The bastard… Sesshomaru told me that he killed him," Inuyasha said in a slightly strangled voice.
"Why do you think he would do that?" Kagome wondered. She had only seen the brothers interact with each other twice, but that combined with Inuyasha's… less than flattering description of him led her to believe that he wasn't the type to avenge his brother.
"Keh," he scoffed. "Jackass was probably just annoyed. He said that Naraku came cozying up to him for power after… after the jewel was gone. Wiped him out with one fucking hit," Inuyasha said, sounding slightly bitter.
After a moment, Kagome hummed thoughtfully. "You know, he probably did everyone a favor. That Naraku sounded like he could have hurt a lot of other people."
"I guess," the hanyou agreed unwillingly. He didn't sound like he wanted to attribute any sort of goodwill to his brother.
Kagome turned to lie on her side and yawned hugely. "Goodnight, Inuyasha," she said softly, letting her eyes finally close. She was asleep before she could hear if the hanyou responded.
"Kagomeeeee," Inuyasha whined. "I want my clothes back now."
Kagome let out a sigh, trying to keep her patience. "I haven't washed them yet. Just keep wearing that yukata. Most people wear those to festivals anyway," she said persuasively.
Inuyasha pouted and wheedled a handful of pocket changed from her as compensation for being without his customary clothing. While Kagome certainly understood his attachment to the magical outfit from his father, which also happened to be better than most human armor, the red material had really begun to reek.
After the hanyou left, Kagome dressed in her last clean outfit and bundled the dirty clothing in her arms. She had gotten directions from the innkeeper to the washroom that morning when she had gone to get breakfast. Kagome had so far been surprised by this inn. She hadn't expected it to have such amenities as a laundry room and free breakfast, but she assumed that it had something to do with being run by youkai. Having the potential for such a long life provided the opportunity to save a great deal of money, she supposed.
Washing the clothes took longer than Kagome had expected and by the time she returned to her room after stringing up the damp clothing to dry, Inuyasha had returned with lunch for her. Kagome's stomach rumbled at the delicious smells of festival food.
"Thanks, Inuyasha," she said gratefully, digging into the various seafood dishes he had brought her.
The hanyou shrugged dismissively and drummed his fingers on the table. The claws made a soft clicking sound on the wooden surface. He shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the front of his yukata.
Kagome looked up at him from her lunch. Now that she had gotten used to it, the dark blue color was really flattering with his coloring. The rich hue made his eyes stand out even more.
"Not dry yet," she said when he opened his mouth to, presumably, ask about his clothing. "Unless they also dry super fast, that is." She paused thoughtfully. "I guess you could always chuck them in a fire to speed up the process, seeing how they're fireproof and all."
"Damn, woman!" Inuyasha roared. "That's not even funny!"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Kagome apologized, rolling her eyes when the hanyou looked away. Really, he was so sensitive sometimes. "What's got you so irritated anyway?"
"Ran into Sesshomaru's little human girl again," he said grumpily.
Kagome grinned, glad that he had finally learned to just tell her the truth up front rather than have it wheeled out of him. Although she thought he was being a little unfair calling Rin a little girl when she was probably more mature than him. "Did she touch your ears again?" she asked, trying and failing to conceal her amusement.
The ears in question flattened back for a moment before flicking forward irritably and Kagome correctly assumed that the answer to her question was "yes."
"She seems very sweet," she said when Inuyasha remained silent.
"Keh, I don't get what she's up to," the hanyou grumbled, cheeks tinted pink.
"Maybe she likes you," Kagome speculated with a delicate shrug. She doubted that Rin would care that Inuyasha wasn't human, unlike Kikyo, seeing how she had been mostly raised by a youkai. She did wonder why Rin seemed to like Inuyasha so much, considering exactly which youkai it was who had raised her.
Inuyasha spluttered indignantly and Kagome laughed at his red face. "Don't worry so much about it," she suggested. "Just don't'… yell at her, touch her, or even look at her for too long if you don't want Sesshomaru to gut you."
Kagome managed to keep her face straight for all of two seconds before she burst out laughing. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and at the extremely put-out expression on her friend's face, fell over on her side.
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" she said quickly as his embarrassment threatened to turn into depression. "I think that Rin has him wrapped firmly around her little finger. If she really wanted to do something, I doubt that he would stop her."
"K-keh! What makes you think I am even fucking interested?" Inuyasha asked, looking extremely flustered by the conversation. "Anyway," he said loudly, quickly getting to his feet." I'm gonna go check on my clothes."
Kagome smiled as she watched him nearly run from the room to get away from her. It really was too fun and too easy to embarrass him. She finished eating and flopped flat on her back, stretching her arms out over her head.
"Should I or shouldn't I?" she mumbled, trying to decide whether she wanted to venture out into the festival. The faint sound of music decided her and with a faint groan, she rolled to her feet. How many people could say that they had attended a mixed species festival in the Sengoku era? Well, how many people from home, anyway.