"Doesn't this feel so familiar." Kagome remarked from Inuyasha's back, as she rested her head against his shoulder. She could have walked herself but preferred being close to him.
"Sure feels like our shard hunting days. Minus Sango and Shippo of course." Miroku remarked.
"You think Sango ever gets mad that she doesn't get to come on trips like this with us?" Inuyasha asked, not for the first time.
"Sango loves hunting. It's in her blood. But, she loves being at home and enjoying life. I know she misses this, but right now she would rather be with the girls." Miroku mused. It was clear he and his wife had had this conversation before. "I offered to stay home with them if she wanted to come. She insisted that it isn't what she wants to do."
The trio continued on in silence, enjoying the peace of the travel. It wasn't long before they came across another demonic aura.
"We're close." Kagome looked around, reaching out with her Reiryoku. "It feels like it's less than a quarter mile away. Keep heading straight." The path became more disheveled as they continued. Trees had been torn out of the ground leading up to a small village ahead of them.
"Look at the footprints. This has to be a reptile demon." Miroku lined his foot up with the print on the ground. Inuyasha nodded in agreement. It was then that they heard the screams.
As they ran into the town they saw a woman being held by a lizard demon, likely the one who had left the footprint behind. As he dangled the woman in the air and a root emerged from the ground and wrapped around her throat.
"Shit." Kagome was set down as Inuyasha ran toward the scene. She took a breath and raised her bow, using her Reiryoku instead of her eyes. From her position behind the trees she had to shoot through several obstacles. This wasn't a problem for her bow, as long as she could aim at her target.
She located the point where the root was disturbing the soil and aimed for that. With her power reaching out like this she could feel the root absorbing spiritual power from the woman who was looking more and more withered. The flow of energy was so palpable she could taste it. With renewed vigor she locked onto her target.
"Hit the mark." She whispered it and her arrow disappeared from her view, to reappear several yards ahead. It hit true and the vine dropped the woman who fell to the ground, choking. She tried to push herself up, but was too weak and tumbled back to the dirt.
Kagome started running for her, sending Lotus ahead to impart some energy on the woman laying on the ground. As she got closer she saw Inuyasha squaring off with the Lizard demon who was fortunately distracted.
"Backlash wave!" He yelled as he swung his sword. The demon dodged the blow and continued his assault on Inuyasha. There were several sacred sutras on its skin that had partially burned away. This was a very strong demon. Kagome felt some panic rising up in her at the scene and quickly grounded herself and her aura the way Kaede had been teaching her. Now was not the time for panic.
She reached the woman and helped her to her feet. The woman's arms flew up and desperately clung to Kagome's neck as she was raised from the gound. She was shaking and tears fell down her face, wetting the Mikos kosode. Kagome surveryed the area and they ducked behind a nearby building that looked safe and out of the way.
"Everything is going to be okay." She set the woman down and kneeled to her level to make eye contact with her. "Take a deep breath." She coached, and when the woman seemed to follow she gave her next instruction. She directed Lotus into the woman's awaiting lap.
"Hold onto Lotus. If someone tries to hurt you it will let me know and I will come right back. Okay?" The woman nodded, dazed, and clutched Lotus to her chest. Kagome ran back toward the men.
"Kagome? A little help over here?" Inuyasha called out as he parried another attack, unable to do enough damage on his own. Kagome joined him and extended her barrier to protect them all. "We got this. Together." He nodded as she nocked another arrow.
"Sacred Backlash Wave!" They called out the attack as Kagome released her arrow. Her lavender energy swirled around the arrow as it connected with the arc of power released by Inuyasha's blade. The combined attack flew at the demon and hit its flesh. Instantly the demon disintegrated before them, and something fell to the ground in its place.
"Inuyasha, that's a- computer mouse?" She said it as a question confused by the object in front of her. They slowly approached the mouse.
"This is from your time?"
"Most definitely. This is so strange." She reached out to touch the object, and she could feel power emanating from it the same way the first aid kit did. At that moment another root rose up out of the ground and wrapped around Kagome's wrist. She gasped and on instinct she let her power flow out around her. Just as Inuyasha was raising his sword the root jerked like it'd been shocked and quickly released her. It was gone as fast as it had come.
"Okay, this has to be Root Head right?" Miroku said it from behind them as Kagome cradled her wrist against her chest.
"I don't know much about Root Head, but that thing definitely tried to access my Reiryoku." She agreed. She reached back out and grabbed the item quickly.
Villagers slowly exited from their homes as the chaos died down. The woman holding Lotus made her way to them, holding out the Shikigami, who bounded up to Kagome's shoulders. The woman threw her arms around her.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Kagome hugged her back reassuringly. "I'm Kita." She said.
"Kagome." She answered back with a small smile. "Do you have any idea why you were targeted today? It seemed like that root was trying to absorb your life force." Kita shook her head.
"The lizard said something about collecting spiritual energy before that thing grabbed me. He didn't really make much sense aside from that. It was like he was drunk or something. I am just a small time Nun. I've never had a great amount of spiritual power." The woman looked confused and terrified. Inuyasha and Miroku moved to ask further questions, but Kagome stopped them.
"Okay. Thank you for talking to us. That lizard demon is gone so you should be safe now." She turned to the two of them as the woman walked away. "She's been through enough. Let's see if anyone else here saw anything noteworthy."
The group talked with the townsfolk for a while, but didn't gain much more information. The lizard demon showed up rambling about collecting spiritual power and then grabbed Kita. It wasn't long before the trio showed up and took him out.
"Well, at least we got the mouse." Kagome said almost to herself.
"I'm confused. That thing doesn't look like a rodent." Miroku poked the object in Kagome's hand.
"Yeah. I think it's called that because it kind of looks like a mouse. It's used with computers." She explained.
"I've seen you use something like that I think. Definitely only in your time though." Inuyasha added. Kagome nodded in agreement.
"This is definitely not mine. Kaede and I will need to study it more I suppose." She sighed and tucked the item into her bag.
The group spoke with the village elders before leaving town and Miroku offered his sutras to ward off evil for the future. The elders graciously took him up on the offer and gave them ample coin in exchange for his services, and for saving Kita.
"This will sure come in handy." He said tossing the bag gently into the air. "I'm glad we made the trip."
"I'm just glad we were able to save Kita." Kagome glared at him a bit.
"M-me too." He agreed hastily, "I just have a lot of mouths to feed these days is all." The monk laughed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.
When they made their way back into town Kin'u and Gyokuto clung to Miroku's legs. He patted their heads and carried them home, taking large steps and using their momentum to propel them all forward. The girls laughed and held on tighter the longer he walked.
"Let's take this to Kaede." Kagome said to Inuyasha, who dutifully followed her to the old woman's house.
"How did it go?" She asked from her place by the hearth as they entered. Kagome pulled out the mouse and handed it to her. "Oh. It is much like the last object we found." The woman closed her eyes and meditated over the mouse.
"Aye, it feels the same but still different. Like a different kind of energy made this one than the last. Where did ye find it?"
"It came out of a raging demon in a town. Everyone there said he sounded vaguely drunk. He wandered in talking about harvesting spiritual power for himself, but no one knew what he meant until he grabbed a Nun. We think Root Head was there. A root came out of the ground and started trying to siphon her life force."
"Hmm." Kaede mused for a moment. "Root Head can absorb energy, this is one of the reasons that it was so dangerous and needed to be sealed away. If it is collecting spiritual energy then it must be using it for something. Let me show ye something." She beckoned Kagome over and handed the first aid kit and the mouse back to her.
"What do ye feel?" Kagome closed her eyes and meditated on both items.
"Its like-" She paused forming the words. "It's like these were made with spiritual energy, but from different spiritual energy." She gasped as the recognition hit her. "He is collecting energy to imbue these items. Oh I have even more questions than answers now." Kagome set both items down to press her fingers into her temples. Inuyasha came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders affectionately.
"I think ye are correct. What is strange is that there is not just spiritual energy here. I couldn't tell when it was just one item, but now that we have two I can tell there is also demonic energy here, though it is faint."
"Why would he be trying to mix demonic and spiritual energy?" Inuyasha questioned. Kagome's eyes widened at a memory.
"Inuyasha, do you remember when we met the half demon Izumo?" Kagome asked.
"Not as well as you. That guy basically just monologued at you for an hour." he scoffed at the memory.
"But do you remember what he was doing? He was making false sacred jewels by combining the energy of the 4 souls, courage, knowledge, love, and friendship. What if Root Head is doing the same thing? Combining demonic and spiritual energy to make powerful artifacts. Mixing that into items out of time would create a powerful vessel right?"
"That is incredibly clever." Inuyasha thought over her words. "Unfortunately doesn't explain how he is getting these items or what his plan is."
"It gets us somewhere at least." Kagome argued. "Just not as far as I'd like us to be." She laid back on Kaedes floor, exasperated. "Alright. I officially can't think about this anymore today. My brain is going to explode." Inuyasha laughed at her.
"Let's get you home. You need to rest." He picked her up as though she weighed nothing and started carrying her out the door. She squealed in protest.
"See you tomorrow morning, Kaede." She said from her place over his should. She nodded and brought her focus back to the strange items in front of her.
As they walked into their shared hut Inuyasha set Kagome back onto her feet.
"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, you know?" He said as he helped her change out of her kosode and under wrappings.
"I know, I know. I always over do it. There's just so much to do." She shimmied out of her hakama and stretched her sore muscles. "How do you fight so often? I'm so sore." He took her hand and led her to their mat.
"Lay down." She obeyed and laid down on her stomach as he started working his fingers into the tight muscles of her shoulders. She moaned quietly as she felt the tension build and relax away at his touch. His fingers found their way to her shoulder blades next and she tensed a bit at the intense pressure there. "You carry all of your stress here." He said it very softly as he pushed his fingers firmly against her muscles.
Once he was done with her shoulders he moved his fingers up and down her spine, chuckling at the goose bumps that raised under his fingers. She shivered at the sensation, and he relented moving down to massage her legs. Her thighs carried almost as much tension as her shoulders, so he pressed in with small circles around them.
When he got to the insides of her thighs she subconsciously spread her legs open for him, and he could smell what this massage was doing to her. She felt his fingers sink into the flesh and creep closer to her core before relenting a bit and moving back down. He was teasing her.
He moved back to the outsides of her thighs and she tried to press them together to ease the ache. He laughed ominously and pushed them apart again as he continued moving his fingers in a pattern. Each time he moved to the insides of her thighs he moved slightly closer to her core. And each time he elicited a hitch in her breathing.
Finally, she let out a frustrated groan and he pushed into the soft spot between her legs. His fingers brushed her clit and applied firm steady pressure against it. His free hand raked his claws against her skin and she squirmed under the dual sensations.
She shifted and squirmed as the sensations jolted through her body, finding it very difficult not to. His hand that was drawing circles on her skin moved to the back of her neck and held her firmly in place as he continued his ministrations against her quickening his pace. At the contact she felt her body go slack, submitting to the hold. He leaned down and growled against her ear,
"Such a good girl. Always doing exactly what I want." She let out a moan at the praise and he nipped at her earlobe. Her hips bucked toward the ground as best they could as he increased his pace again. Her breathing came in ragged pants as she climbed higher toward her release, her legs now twitching as it felt like lightning bolts were running up and down her spine.
"Cum for me." He whispered against her ear and she fell apart completely. With a cry her body spasmed and her jaw went slack, his hand still firmly holding her in place. He slowed his pace as her spasms came farther and farther apart. Her breathing slowly returned to normal as she took several deep breaths.
"I think you needed that." He smirked at her from her place on the floor. His hand still held her neck and his eyes were dark with lust. Her eyes fell to his tented hakama.
"I think you might also need something." She felt him reposition to hover above her, and his hand shifted to take hold of her throat from behind her. He put some pressure against her throat so that her head was tilted back toward him.
"I want to take you like this one day." He said as he slipped himself between her thighs and against her slick skin. He didn't enter her like she wished he would, but he pressed his head against her clit. She wasn't sure when he had freed himself of his clothes. "For now this will do." He thrusted himself between her thighs and made sure to make contact with her still sensitive clit with each stroke.
His hand tightened around her throat and she could hear the blood rushing behind her ears. Her breathing was constricted this way but she enjoyed the slight high that the decreased oxygen gave her. It heightened every movement he made against her.
His weight pressed against her back possessively as his free hand came around her to her chest. He rolled her sensitive nipple between his fingers. Her heart rate was rapid now and she could feel it thundering in her chest. He purred against her ear.
"I love hearing what I do to you." Her back arched into him as his speed increased and with the slight change in angle they both took a sharp intake of breath as the release crashed over them. She felt the warmth flood between her thighs as his hips stilled.
He rested some of his weight on top of her and nuzzled himself into her neck, leaving kisses and nips in his wake. After their breathing returned to normal he stood and took to cleaning her off some.
"It's a nice night. Wanna go bathe in the hot spring?"
"Yes please!" She agreed enthusiastically, piling her hair on top of her head and securing it with a hairpin.
He grabbed her bathing kimono and draped it over her before picking her up and running from their hut. When they made it to the nearby spring the steaming water called out to her still sore body. There was a light breeze on the air and the moon was high and full.
She breathed a sigh as her bare legs hit the water. She quickly sunk in until she was up to her neck and wadded around for a moment as she adjusted to the temperature. The warm water swirled around her as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He spun them gently in circles, and she rested her head back against the crook of his neck.
They remained embraced like that for a while in the moonlight, enjoying each other's company and the warm cocoon of the water around them. With his arms around her and the warmth sinking into her muscles she let her eyes close and relaxed completely. This was all she needed in the world. And these moments with him assured her that she made the right choice coming back here. That this was where she was meant to be. She tilted her head toward his lips and kissed him with all of that passion and love. Hoping he could understand what she was thinking when the words failed her.
As if in reply he smiled, kissed her forehead, and continued propelling them gently around the spring.
A couple of weeks passed in relative ease as the group sunk into a comfortable routine. Rin had finally returned to them from a short stay with Kohaku. He had occasionally been taking her with him to the demon hunter's village so that she could meet some other humans and learn more skills to protect herself. Kaede had been training her in the way of Reiryoku, as the young girl showed some talent in working with healing magic and medicine. Kagome suspected that Rin's connection to the underworld may be the reason for her proficiency, but she couldn't be sure one way or the other.
Rin and Kohaku had taken a strong liking to each other after their time spent together during the battle with Naraku. Sango was able to convince him to stick around for a little bit and spend time with his nieces when he came. Rin was overjoyed for the additional company and they suspected that was why Kohaku didn't put up much of a fight.
Kaede and Kagome trained together most mornings, and continued studying the effects of the items they had discovered. They now included Rin during their training so that she could watch and learn. Kagome, Miroku, and Inuyasha continued looking for Root Head and followed multiple demonic auras that led them nowhere. It seemed it had retreated for now and they were all thankful for the break so close to the marriage ceremony.
Sango had been working tirelessly to get a plan in place for the marriage ceremony, and she had finally finished all of the preparations she wanted to make for the day. They had all decided that the day of the next full moon would be the best day for the ceremony since it was the Autumn moon. This was considered good luck for the couple since the Autumn moon brings with it prosperity. Unfortunately for Kagome's nerves that meant that in two days time she would be marrying Inuyasha in front of all of their friends. Fortunately for Kagome's heart, that also meant that soon she would finally be officially married to Inuyasha!
She currently sat in a meditative stance in Kaedes training area with Rin by her side as the two worked to center themselves. Today was solely dedicated to meditation, which Kaede stressed the importance of to maintain one's spiritual powers.
"Kagome?" Rin whispered to her.
"Yes, Rin?" Neither opened their eyes.
"Do you think Kaede is still here?" Rin giggled at the question. Kagome reached out with her Reiryoku and did not find the old woman's energy. She popped an eye open.
"Actually, no. I don't think she is."
"Then why are we still doing this?" Rin said exasperated and fell back into the grass with a light thud.
"Because it will only make ye better. Now sit up girl." Kaede appeared from nowhere and tsked at Rin's impatience. Kagome laughed at her and re-centered herself. The world fell away as she fell into the meditation. Any thought or anxiety that came to her was quickly stored away in another corner of her mind while she focused on becoming a blank slate.
Meditation came easier and easier to Kagome the longer she practiced. Though, she did admit that when she started she felt much like Rin did now. After some time passed she felt a gentle prod against her senses as Kaede reached out to rouse her.
"I think that is enough for today. Poor Rin is going to lose her mind." She said with a roll of her eyes. "And no training tomorrow or on the day of your ceremony. Ye should be relaxing and celebrating." Kaede smiled at her widely, clearly excited by the upcoming event. Kagome's heart skipped a beat in her chest as the excitement rose.
"I am truly so happy for ye both." She added as Kagome rose to leave.
"Thank you Kaede. And thank you for officiating for us! I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else." She paused. "And believe me Miroku did ask." Kaede laughed.
"I can't imagine that a wedding ceremony held by Miroku would be very-" She paused thinking, "Wholesome." She finally settled on the word. Kagome agreed with a nod.
"We will see you tomorrow evening for dinner right?" Kagome and Inuyasha were having a pre-wedding dinner to thank all of their friends for their hard work and support. The day of the ceremony would be rather short, and they were expecting to only spend the ceremony time with their friends before they would go off on their own to celebrate and complete the mating ritual.
"Yes I will be there." Kaede looked at her expectantly at the pregnant pause she let hang in the air. "Kagome. Was there something ye wanted to ask me?" Kagome seemed very interested in the ground at that moment, but spoke up anyway.
"Sango may have mentioned that you might be the person to ask about… mating marks?" Kaede nodded and thought it over for a moment.
"Aye. But I know only a small amount. Mating marks are rather secretive and more instinctual on the part of the demon. I'm sure Inuyasha knows more than I do about the correct timing and those such details." Kagome blushed at that but Kaede continued. "What I do know is that it should not hurt ye, but it will likely make ye stronger. That shift may have some sensations ye aren't used to as his energy is bound to yours. Typically, between two demons the mark is is sign of territory, but it is also an exchange of power. A weaker demon is made stronger, and a stronger demon even stronger still. Matings, for that reason, are often used as political alliances in the demon world.
Matings between demon and human are very rare, and when they do happen we really don't know much about them. It is a pity that Inuyasha's parents aren't alive to tell ye more. I can almost guarantee that they would be able to tell ye much about the bond."
"You think Izayoi and Toga were mated even though he was with Inukimi before?" Kagome questioned, curious.
"Aye, I do. From what I know mating marks will bind two beings together forever, but they are not exclusive to one person. A demon could have a hundred wives and still bestow each with a mark. This would not weaken their bond with any of their mates. The choice that the demon must make in that situation is if their mate will mark them back. Sometimes demons view this as a weakness and do not allow it." Kaede paused for a moment and looked Kagome over.
"I have heard rumors that a human can mark a demon back. But these are old legends and I don't know how true they are. It is something to look out for."
"Wait, really? That would be fantastic. Do you know how?" Kagome was incredibly excited at the prospect.
"I wish I did, but that is all I know. I'm sorry I can't tell ye more." Kagome laughed and shook her head at the woman.
"Kaede, you've been so helpful. Thank you for sharing that with me." She clasped the woman's hand with both of hers. "I have to get going, but I am looking forward to tomorrow."
"I am as well. Enjoy your evening." And with that Kagome headed to her home to finish preparing for their celebratory dinner.
Fortunately, Inuyasha had recently been on a large-scale demon hunt with Miroku, and had walked away with a large amount of rice and vegetables. They would be cooking skewered fish and vegetables for their friends with rice and some special pickled vegetables. Kagome had started the brining process a full two weeks in advance to be ready.
Sango had already procured several tables for the group, and they were stored inside of Inuyasha and Kagome's hut. Kagome walked through the door to the smell of dinner already cooking and excitedly relayed her new information to Inuyasha.
"She really thinks you might be able to mark me too?" He questioned in disbelief. "I've never heard of that."
"She did say that it was a legend and she never had any concrete evidence. But it sounds promising at least." She tore some fish apart and brought the bite to her lips.
"Yeah. Is that something you would want Kagome?" He looked at her seriously.
"Undoubtedly." She nodded once annunciating the word. "If it is possible then that is what I want. If there is a way for us to be bound together equally…" She trailed off, and he could tell what she meant. It would make her feel closer to him. More like an equal. She shook from her thoughts then.
"Okay. Lets talk about tomorrow." She clapped her hands as if signaling the start of the task. She ran back through the list with Inuyasha to make sure they had all of their plans made.
"You will be collecting fish tomorrow so we don't have to worry about that. The rice has been stored well and I will just have to cook it in a few batches. The pickling has been going on for a while. We have some table cloths, and Kaede is loaning us all of her floor cushions. What else are we missing?" She tapped a finger to her temple thrumming with anxiety that he could feel coming off of her in waves.
"I think that's it, love." He said reassuringly. "It's going to be fine. There's no one here to impress. We have such a small group and it's all people we've known for years."
"You're right. I know. I really need to relax. There's just so much that goes into all of this and it feels so important." She took in a deep breath and let a single tear fall from her eye.
"What's really bothering you?" He asked as he came up behind her and wrapped her up in his arms. She took a deep shuddering breath. The dam was broken now and the tears fell freely.
"I wish my mom could be here. And Grandpa and Sota. I always pictured them around in moments like this. I let it go once I came back, the idea that they would always be around for the special moments. But it doesn't make it hurt less." She pressed her hands to her chest trying to hold off the tightening pressure. He squeezed her tightly to his chest as she shifted around to lay in his lap with her head against his shoulder. "I wouldn't trade this for anything." She sobbed as he rocked her. "But it really sucks, Inuyasha. There's so many things they will miss."
Not knowing what to say he continued the rocking and rubbing soothing circles against her skin. Her breathing became more regular and the smell of tears began to fade and she sniffled.
"I'm so sorry, Kagome." He kissed her forehead.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. I think that maybe for now I just have to be sad about it. Do you think we could be sad together?" She asked it in a quiet voice, almost scared to ask.
"Of course we can." They stayed like that for longer than either one of them could count. They shared memories of Kagome's family, and Inuyasha shared the handful of memories he had of his mom. They both cried, and laughed, and leaned on each other for support.
Even the good moments have some bad, in the same way that the bad moments have some good. As long as they had each other, though, they could get through it all and come out of the other side even stronger.