25. AU (Forest Spirit AU)
A/N: For my amazing Forest Spirit readers and commeters on both FFnet and AO3 I decided to write a short thing in Forest Spirit AU - but only for today, the one for Sunday will be in Modern AU because I want to try it.
This one was going to be in one of the future chapters of the story, but since it will take at least 2 months in plot to go to that point... yeah...
Enjoy and don't forget sharing your opinions - feedback is always welcome.
Kagome and Kaede were standing near the village gate. Both mikos were holding bags with supplies, both had bows and quivers. Kagome was looking longingly at the forest while Kaede was turned to face the village, patiently waiting for a group of men and boys who was already approaching.
As soon as Ken, the leader of the village huntsmen, reached the pair of priestesses, Kagome started to walk, knowing that the rest would follow her. She quickly left the path leading to the Sacred Tree and turned left, following a much wider path, one created this winter. It led her to a small glade. The walk wasn't long, but she enjoyed every second of it. While people following her were stumbling over tree roots and trying to move branches away from their faces the young miko was quite easily evading the obstacles. The men behind her were skilled hunters, silent while walking through the woods, but she had months spent with the forest spirit and learning how to move like him - as much as a human could. She knew she had to adjust to the forest instead of trying to go straight to it and hope it would move aside.
She reached the meadow faster than the rest of the group and couldn't stop a smile from appearing on her lips. Fresh grass was covering the ground, delicate leaves shaking on branches of trees encircling the glade.
There were four dogs running to welcome her, tails wagging, ears perked, eyes shining. Kagome petted them all fondly and was assaulted by a fox youkai.
"Kagome!" Shippou landed on her shoulder and hugged her. She stroked his orange hair.
"Hi there, Shippou," she said and stepped on the meadow, Quickly she spotted red and white - the forest spirit was sitting under one of the trees, his legs and arms crossed, hs back against the rought bark of the tree. The miko walked in his direction when the rest of her group walked from behind the trees, looking at the dogs and the youkai with some amount of fear, but also respect.
Before Kagome reached the place where the hanyou was sitting Kaede and Ken joined her. The man bowed before the forest spirit who simply stared at him.
"Forest spirit," the head huntsman greeted.
"Ken, am I right?" Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and Kaede who busied themselves with emptying their bags. The rest of the humans stood nearby, observing him like a herd or roe deers a potential predator. Kagome noticed a small smirk tug on one corner of his mouth.
"Yes," Ken nodded. "This year we brought five boys to introduce to you, but since the last fifty years you were asleep I thought I'd be best to bring all the huntsmen..."
"I know the smell of your men, Ken," Inuyasha interrupted him, one ear swiveling to whre Kaede took out of her bag a jug. "They were hunting in my forest this winter," he elaborated upon seeing the surprised expression on Ken's face. "Did you think I didn't know who is hunting in my forest?"
Kagome bowed her head to hide her smile. She was the one who had shown him all the hunters. She focused on preparing everything with her mother - they put out five sake cups, five plates and a bigger container with small pieces of meat and other things. Kaede murmured a short prayer and knelt nearby, but where she wouldn't disturb the flow of the event. Kagome was about to follow her lead and settle beside her, but Shippou came to her side and pulled her to follow him.
Inuyasha was sitting under his tree, his dogs laying in relaxed, but alert positions a few paces behind and to both sides of the tree trunk. Ken was sitting on his heels to Inuyasha's right, good two meters before the youkai. The huntsmen were gathered further to Inuyasha's right, trying to act calm and relaxed while stealing glances at the inu hanyou and the fox youkai who was running around in the fresh spring grass, chasing butterflies. Now Shippou led Kagome to sit on Inuyasha;s left, facing Ken. The head huntsman gave her a surprised look and turned to gaze at the foest spirit.
"Feh," Inuyasha didn't even open his eyes. "Now the brats can stop reeking of fear, there is a miko to protect them."
Shippou sat beside Kagome, who gave the group of five boys a reassuring smile. The forest spirit was often seen in the village or at her side, they villagers were used to see him now, but to approach him was still something many feared.
In days of Inuyasha's sleep Kaede and the head huntsman had been performing the ritual of introducing new hunters under the Sacred Tree, even if the seal had been preventing people from seeing the sleeping forest spirit. Still, the ritual had been done, the hunters were the only people who were often entering the forest - the introduction to its guardian had been a part of their lives. In days before Inuyasha's sealing a person who had hunted without being introducced had often faced the wrath pf the forest spirit. There were laws to follow - like not killing carrying females or not hunting for certain animals during certain parts of the year. Inuyasha had been - and still was - very protective of his domain, not letting people take too much without giving something in return.
Ken waved a hand at the boys and they approached, one by one walking in the shadow of the tree and kneeling before the forest spirit in a straight line. Each had a sapling in his hands. Kagome felt a little sorry for them, they all were sweating and were paler than usual, growing even sweatier and paler when the silence was growing longer. She turned her head to say something, but Inuyasha opened his eyes and spoke before she could
"What do you want?" he asked, his voice rough, his eyes glowing as he looked at the boys. Shippou at her side rested his little hand on top of hers and smiled - he probably thought it funny that the boys were scared. Kagome could easily see that more than one sapling's leaves were shaking. She smiled softly, hoping that it would ease some of their fear.
"F-forest spirit, l-let us h-hunt in y-your f-forest," the boys said more or less in one voice. "We br-brought these as o-offerings!" They added and presented the saplings. Inuyasha snorted.
"Plant them, brats, I have no use of them," Kagome frowned at his unkind words, but it seemed it was a part of the ritual because no one said a word - the boys jumped to their feet and ran away to plant the young trees in various spots across the meadow. To her surprise Inuyasha was observing them dig holes and plant new trees. Then the boys returned and resumed their spots before the youkai. Each one held a bowl of sake Ken had poured while they were busy planting trees and had gave them when they were passing him by. The huntsmen were observing in silence, pride shining in eyes of the fathers, curiousity in other males' faces. This was the first time any of them had a chance to witness the introduction with the forest spirit present and awake. For many it was the first time they saw him from so close.
"I am Hiroshi," Kagome looked at the first boy as he spoke his name and bowed to show respect. Then he offered the cup of sake to the forest spirit - or at least he was planning to do just that. Suddenly something moved under his kimono, his hand shook and dropped the cup, spilling the liquid on the lap of the forest spirit. Everyone froze in shock as the boy's face turned green while he wrapped his arms around himself in panic. The silence fell on the meadow like a thick blanket. The atmosphere before had ben serious, but now Kagome could feel the tension fill the small glade.
Kagome was torn between feeling sorry for the boy and fighting a fit of giggles which wanted to escape from her upon seeing Inuyasha's disgusted and annoyed expression, and ears laid back. Shippou had no such problems, he fell on his back, giggling at the sighr of Inuyasha's damp hakama.
The next second Inuyasha moved.
Hiroshi screamed in fear when a clawed hand grabbed him by the front of his kimono and dragged him forward. His father exclaimed and made two whole steps before the rest of the men grabbed him and held in place, afraid he would enrage the forest spirit even more. Ken's usually calm face was as sweaty and white as faces of the rest of the boys, frozen in place and afraid to draw the hanyou's attention by moving even an inch away. Inuyasha quickly tore the robe of the unlucky boy and reached in, snarling Kaede's way when she moved as if to stop him, her words dying on her lips.
"Inuyas-" Kagom started, knowing that she had to do something, fast. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't hurt the boy, but the men didn't have such faith in him. Before she could finish his name Inuyasha pulled his hand back and let the boy go. Kagome's jaw dropped when she saw what he was holding.
"Meow!" a small ball of white and brown fur was wiggling in Inuyasha's grasp, trying to escape his hold. The hanyou eyed the little cat he was holding and then looked down at the boy, who was looking at him and the animal with fear and desperation.
"Hiroshi..." Ken breathed out. Inuyasha finished inspecting the cat and the boy and glared at the rest of the villagers. Some of them took a step back.
"Tell me, kid. What should I do? Gut the cat? Gut you? Shippou, stop laughing, or you're on the gutting list too."
"Inuyasha, don't scare them!" Kagome scolded the forest spirit - a thing she'd never do before meeting him. Shippou fleed behind Kagome, still giggling, but much quieter. Hiroshi turned his tear filled eyes at the cat in Inuyasha's hand. The hanyou tugged one of the cat's paws and smirked when the animal swept its other paw at him. Kagome saw a spark of oleasure deep in his golden eyes - he loved to play with cats. "It was just an accident," she said, her voice soft. She knew that everyone was looking at her, the villagers were still amazed such a petite, weak miko had any influence on thr forest spirit. In their minds it was against all they knew - it should be Kaede, who was much stronger than Kagome, who would stand up to Inuyasha. Yet Kaede was rarely confronting him, it was always Kagome who would handle things like this.
"Keh!" Inuyasha practically threw the cat at the boy, who grabbed it and hugged. "Next time you bring an animal better know hw to keep it in check."
Kagome smiled and gave a small nod, relaxing at that sight. The forest spirit was in a good mood and was willing to forget about the accident, at least for now. She could see relief in many faces - as could Inuyasha. He smirked nd then turned his yellow eyes at the boys in front of him. Hiroshi was kneeling with the kitten in his arms, stroking it's back and seemingly obvious to the fact he was much closer to Inuyasha's deadly claws than the rest. Inuyasha was quiet for a minute, as if waiting for the tension to seep away from the humans.
"Bunch of idiots, all of you," he finally growled. "Like I've ever killed a brat." Then he glared at the rest of the boys and his eyes narrowed. "Put those cups down, I can change my mind about gutting someone today if someone pours more sake on me."
The boys almost dropped their cups in their haste to follow his directions. Kagome couldn't helo it, she giggled - partially because of their haste and partially because of the rush of adrenaline she had felt.
"Wench, you're asking for trouble!"