Beta: Fawn Eyed Girl
The Miko Leaves Her Shrine
"I'm so sorry we got here too late to assist you." Sango hung her head. "And when you were up against a daiyoukai, too."
"Don't worry; you had no way of knowing," Kagome said with a smile. He suspected Lady Kaede had sent them; she was pretty sure regular people couldn't sense something was wrong in the other world. Shwe appreciated them showing up to help, but right now she was somewhat sour because she had been wanting that kiss.
"Come to think of it, how come you two are still in one piece?" Miroku asked. "And what did you do to piss off a daiyoukai?"
His tone was jovial, but Kagome noticed the concerned glance he sent Inuyasha's way. The hanyou didn't look as much like he had been run over by a truck anymore, but his clothes were a mess of blood and dirt.
It's not your business; it's a family thing," Inuyasha grumbled, looking away.
The two newcomers blinked at him, but Inuyasha decided not to elaborate; instead, he started to walk away, towards the dense forest. Kagome got to her feet and shook her head.
"Come with us to the house." she said to Miroku and Sango. "We can talk while I make Inuyasha ramen and tend to his wounds."
The hanyou scoffed, but changed the direction of his steps from towards the forest to the house at the reminder of the treat she had promised him.
Kagome watched him go, listening intently to his presence in her mind. He was so tired and in pain, but he tried to act like normal. She glanced at Sango, who watched him as well. She was frowning and biting on her bottom lip, clearly upset. She balled her fists for a moment, as if she wanted to hit something. Kagome knew her enough to suspect Sango felt bad because she hadn't been there for Inuyasha when he had been fighting an uneven battle and had gotten hurt, while the hanyou had aided her in protecting the village in the hidden realm numerous times. She knew Inuyasha didn't see it that way, but Sango was an honorable person, wanting to repay debts. Luckily, the miko had an idea on how to make Sango feel a bit better, and at the same time, help her shrine guardian get his ramen and his treatment.
Help me?" she whispered, as to not alert the hanyou. The slayer nodded and they both followed him at a fast pace. Before he could retreat, they flanked him and grabbed his arms to put them over their shoulders.
"Wha-?" he tensed up, as if expecting a sudden attack or something. .
"Let us help." Sango was looking at the ground. "We should have been here to aid you two."
"As if you could do anything against my asshole brother." He tried to pull away, but Kagome patted his side with her free hand.
"Sango feels guilty, and she'll feel better if she can help us a bit," she soothed. 'It's okay to lean on friends."
"Feh," was his reply, but he relaxed somewhat. She sensed a wave of embarrassment and something akin to gratitude from him. A sense of wonder underlined it. Kagome thought that it was because he was either still not used to having friends he could rely on, or the fact that he wasn't expected at that moment to be strong. She was happy for him; he deserved friends and he didn't have to be strong all the time. He could rely on them.
"I envy you, dear friend,," Miroku grinned and went to pick up Tessaiga, walking behind the trio. One of Inuyasha's ears swiveled back towards him. "I wish I was assisted by two lovely ladies."
"Shut up," Inuyasha grumbled, and when Kagome glanced at him, she saw his cheeks dusted with pink. Warmth filled Kagome's heart at that - Inuyasha had friends, there were other people who cared for him like she did.
"I am also very glad to see that our Lady Kagome is unharmed. You did splendidly in your duty of protecting the noble priestess," Miroku continued.
"Oh, shut up, Miroku!" It was her time to blush. His words were cheeky, but there was no mistaking the relief and genuine concern in his voice. He truly thought that.
Together they walked to the house, only to find Kagome's grandpa already preparing tea and having the medical kit opened on the kitchen table. He looked relieved to see them all in one piece, and added two more cups for Miroku and Sango.
The gang sat down around a table in the living room, because it had more space than the kitchen. Sango and Miroku offered their assistance in tending to Inuyasha's wounds, but the hanyou refused, saying that he wouldn't have had anyone 'wasting bandages' on him, but couldn't oppose Kagome if she wanted to do so. Kagome pinched his ear for talking nonsense and got to work. She got his hair out of the way and coaxed him into removing his top layers so she could wipe off the dry blood and took out the contents of the first aid kit, which Sango had brought from the kitchen.
"So, can we get the story now?" Miroku asked as he sat down with a cup of freshly made tea, Tessaiga laid across his lap. Hiro and Sango sat on his sides, the latter sitting more than an arm's length away from the exorcist.
"There is not much of a story." The hanyou winced when Kagome wrapped his bicep, the last of a host of wounds inflicted by fangs, partially healed, but still bleeding sluggishly.
"Ito Kaguraya turned out to be a youkai under a spell," she said as she tied the ends of the bandage. As soon as she moved away, Inuyasha pulled his kimono up and over his torso. It looked a bit less torn and dirty than she'd remembered it to be. Her grandpa nodded. "And she didn't remember being a youkai. I guess seeing Inuyasha triggered some of her memories to return... And she mistook him for her husband."
"'Mate' would be a better word." Inuyasha looked away, scowling. Kagome shifted to sit closer to the table and pushed towards him both his tea cup and the covered ramen cup. He snatched the latter and a pair of chopsticks from the table, his eyes shining anew.
"My eager koinu," she teased.
"Shut up; I need nourishment to heal faster," he grumbled and she sent him a wave of fondness. His cheeks got a tad darker and she was sure it wasn't because of the steaming soup in his grasp.
"She came to confront Inuyasha about it," the miko told the rest. "And at the same time, her husband came searching for her."
"Ah, so you had to battle... who, exactly?" Sango tilted her head to the side, uncertain.
"The bastard," Inuyasha replied between mouthfuls of noodles. The looks of confusion on the faces of their three companions didn't change.
"When Kaguraya saw her husband, she remembered Inuyasha wasn't him," Kagome elaborated for him. "But I kinda don't blame her for confusing them; Inuyasha's brother is pretty similar..."
The esteemed shrine guardian almost choked on a mouthful of soup and noodles before exploding.
"What the hell?! I'm nothing like Sesshomaru!" he yelled, his scowl fierce as he looked at her. Kagome raised her hands in a soothing motion.
"I just meant you look kinda alike, you know," she hastily tried to placate him. "You know: white hair, and yellow eyes, and pretty handsome, too..."
"Keh!" Inuyasha turned away, crossing his arms in his sleeves. His cute ears were laid back, but not entirely hidden in his hair. Kagome patted his shoulder and pushed the bowl of cookies closer to him on the table, but he pretended not to notice anything. "Oh, don't be angry; you're brothers. And you're the cute one."
"I ain't cute! I'm ferocious!"
"Not when you're pouting," she snickered when she saw his ear twitch.
"So, the secret is up," Hiro sighed. "How did he take it?"
"Wait a minute; you mean Sesshomar,u as in Lord of the West Sesshomaru?" Miroku gasped.
Yeah. He fought Inuyasha... apparently to get Tessaiga," Kagome explained. The exorcist looked down at the katana still in his lap. Almost hurriedly, he grabbed it and put it on the table, as if the blade was about to explode or something.
"Hey, no swords on the tables!" Kagome reached out and snatched the weapon to lay it next to Inuyasha, where it belonged. The katana hummed with warm youki when she held onto it, and she patted it gently, as she would Inuyasha's hand. The shrine guardian's ears perked up, and he briefly touched Tessaiga, before relaxing in his seat and grabbing his tea.
"But he couldn't take it away." Sango smiled at their antics.
"Hell no!" Inyasha puffed out his chest as much as he could in his current state.
"And then he took his wife and went away, along with a human girl who called them parents," Kagome finished their story.
"Should we call you Lord Inuyasha or Prince Inuyasha, then?" Miroku asked with a big grin. He seemed to come to terms with the fact that he was friends with someone of royal bloodline on his own terms.
"It depends how much teeth you want to get knocked out out of your stupid mug." Inuyasha glared over the rim of his cup. "I ain't no nobility."
"Oh, why are you threatening me so? I just wanted to be respectful!" Miroku shifted closer to Sango, as if afraid. Kagome noticed that his hand rested on the mat next to him and started to move closer to the slayer's pillow.
"If Sesshomaru hears you speak nonsense he will whip your ass," the shrine guardian warned. Kagome noticed that Sango was aware of the way Miroku was leaning closer to her. The slayer seemed to be pondering, and reached out and gave his shoulder a shove.
"Sit properly," she grumbled.
"Oh, dear Sango, don't push me away so coolly when I seek solace in your proximity!" he exclaimed. Sango scowled and Kagome giggled.
"Are we to expect Lord Sesshoaru to come back?" Hiro asked, making Kagome's giggles fade. She didn't want the brothers to fight. She understood there was a lot of bad blood between them, past mistakes and years of dislike, but she hoped they could be cordial.
"Oh, I hope he won't be coming here to fight," she said, remembering how Sesshomaru had left, and his parting words to his younger brother. Inuyasha was thinking of them, too, because he shook his head.
"He said he doesn't want Tessaiga anymore," he said, his voice softer, as if he wasn't sure what to make of all that. She guessed it was only right; his brother had changed in the centuries they hadn't seen each other, and Inuyasha was also no longer the same. They had to give themselves a chance to be a family... even if they wouldn't be as affectionate towards each other as she and Souta were.
"Good." Hiro looked relieved, which was what Kagome felt as well. Facing Sesshomaru had been one of the scariest things she'd done in her life. "Because we got a letter and if Kagome decides to accept, you two will be away for a while."
"What?" Kagome blinked. Her grandpa gestured to the cabinet that housed some books and decorative pottery; on one of the shelves laid a roll of paper with a white ribbon weighted down with a wax seal.
Kagome rose from her pillow and went to retrieve it. The ribbon was cut under the seal; she guessed her grandpa had read it earlier. She wasn't annoyed by it; the scroll was addressed to 'Higurashi,' so he might have thought it was for him from a weird friend or someone. It was written on nice paper, by a steady hand. The characters looked a bit different, but not enough to be illegible.
"It says..." she scanned the contents of a pretty short letter. "That their sanctuary was attacked and an item was stolen. They want me... us... to retrieve it."
She looked up from the scroll to her grandpa. He gave a small nod and took a sip of his tea. "It's from Mt. Azusa. A sanctuary in the youkai world."
Miroku perked up. "I've heard about it!"
"Yes, it's not too far from Lady Kaede's village." Sango glanced at the scroll. "A famous place of purity and safety."
Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "I know the way."
"Do you think I'm ready to tackle this one?" she asked. She trusted his judgment; he'd worked with many priestesses in the past, so if there was someone who could discern whether or not she was ready, it was him. He shrugged.
"It ain't your first quest in there. And we will be with you," he said. Kagome smiled at his reassurance; he sounded gruff, but she knew him well enough to see past that. His ears were perked up and his eyes had a gleam of curiosity. She guessed that he wanted to check it out.
"Alright," she decided, straightening her back. "We will go and see what we can do."
"If you wish, we can assist you," Sango immediately offered.
"I hoped you would say that," the miko grinned.
"I can't wait to see the sanctuary." Miroku rubbed his hands together. "I heard they have a lot of priceless artifacts."
Kagome grinned at the excitement that seemed to fill the air. Her grandpa rose to his feet.
"That's great," he said. "I will hold down the fort."
"We can set out tomorrow?" Kagome voiced it as a question. "I'll prepare some dishes for you, Grandpa, to eat when we're away."
"No snacking on my ramen." Inuyasha pointed a finger at the old man, who scowled at him.
"I will eat what I want," he said, and walked out of the room. Kagome shook her head. Her grandpa had been living on instant food for way too long.
"Tomorrow," Sango nodded, and rose as well. "I will prepare and will be waiting for you by the well at dawn."
"Ah, lovely Sango, let me go with you!" Miroku hurriedly followed the woman. Kagome almost stood up as well, excited and starting a mental list of things she had to take. But a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She looked back and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Inuyasha's face mere centimeters away from hers.
"Inu...?" she started.
"Quick! Before they come back!"
And, as she realized his intent, he moved closer and pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss, so sweet and gentle. Immediately, she remembered the tree and the kiss that had been prevented by their friends. She smiled when he moved back after a minute. Somehow, whenever he kissed her, she felt as if the world spun, no matter how chaste the kiss was.
"We won't get much chance to do this with them around, huh?" she asked. He shook his head.
"No, and in the sanctuary I might not be allowed to accompany you. So, they have to go so they can protect you when I can't," he added, and squeezed her hand before letting go of it. "Go, pack. I'll make sure the old man calls someone to come over and check in on him when we're gone."
"Thanks," Kagome nodded, and went to her room to pack her big yellow backpack. It was just like him to make sure everything at the shrine went well. He'd started by doing things—fixing or replacing stuff when no one watched—but now he was helping out whenever he could. He pretended it wasn't anything special, but for her it was. Her friends were wonderful as well; they had offered to go with her on this quest. She couldn't wait to spend some time with them, travel across the hidden realm, and experience more of that amazing place.
It was going to be a wonderful adventure.
.
Inuyasha grumped as he adjusted the overstuffed backpack on his back. He glanced at the old man standing in the doorway of the kitchen, then walked out of the house in the drowsy dawn. Kagome rubbed her eyes and shook her head.
"Okay, you have the food in the fridge. Try to not overexert yourself," she said and drank the last of her tea before she put her cup in the sink. Her grandpa smiled.
"I used to live alone here, you know. Don't worry, it's just a few days," he soothed and waved a hand at her. "Go, child. Don't make the dog cranky."
"See you soon!" she giggled and ran out of the kitchen. As soon as she closed the coor, Hiro heard a crack from the sink. When he went to check it out he saw Kagome's cup cracked in two. It stood there, not yet falling apart, but Hiro could clearly see the web of tiny cracks across the porcelain. He looked worriedly towards the door.