They hadn't found anything in the village, not even a whisper, so they'd quickly restocked their supplies and turned north toward Sakidou. Kohaku was adamant that Sango would be able to shed some light on the situation or at least have messengers that would be able to ask the right questions.
Sesshoumaru hadn't liked that, stating that spilling blood was the only way to gain the answers they sought, but Kagome had convinced him they needed people alive in order to find Rin.
Once they did, all bets would be off, but she was less inclined to stop him at that point. She doubted anything she said would stop him at that point. Rin had been taken, and she was sure Sesshoumaru was taking it as a personal insult.
Rin was far from the innocent child who'd offered him a simple meal when he'd been hurt, but the western lord took his duties as her guardian very seriously. And considering how she'd flourished under his care, Kagome doubted it would end anytime soon.
Darting a look at him from across the campsite, she paused in her studying. She'd thought he'd put up more of a fight when she'd suggested walking instead of flying, especially since Inuyasha had sided with him, but Kohaku had once again been the voice of reason, stating that it would help them gather information.
If it helped them find Rin, it seemed Sesshoumaru wasn't above allowing others to lead.
For now, at least.
A seed hit her book, and she sighed. Daylight was fading, and she needed to brush up on the various types of stitches. She rotated her hands, a few tendons popping as a result, then went back to her notes.
Even though they'd defeated Naraku, having to use all her spare time to keep her grades up hadn't changed. Finding Rin was their top priority, but even getting an hour of studying in before being forced into her sleeping bag by Inuyasha helped.
The issue with the well hadn't been fixed, and as nonchalant as Miroku had been, she was still worried that one day it would close without notice, and she'd be left scrambling.
A twinge in her hand interrupted her thoughts, another one following between her shoulder blades, and Kagome straightened her posture, realizing she'd been hunched over since she sat down. She rolled her shoulders to alleviate as much tension as possible, then went back to her book, jotting down a few more notes before the sun completely disappeared from the sky.
The mountain pass had yielded no clues, but the caravan they'd intercepted didn't take kindly to being interrogated by youkai, and a barrage of arrows forced them into the trees.
"I told you not to push them!" Kagome scolded, yanking her bow from around her neck.
"The bastards had it coming!" Inuyasha yelled back, darting between branches above them.
"I have to agree with him this time, Kagome-san," Kohaku said, an arrow bouncing off his scythe. "They were one step away from calling you a whore." He wasn't wrong, but now they were wasting precious time that could've been spent looking for Rin.
The familiar rush of power of Tessaiga being pulled from its sheath wafted by her, and she pressed herself harder against the tree. She knew Inuyasha would only use its power as a last resort, but that wouldn't stop him from turning their weapons into a pile of splinters.
"Be careful," Kohaku advised, hand tightening around the chain of his scythe. "There's another group on the other side of the path."
"I ain't stupid," Inuyasha groused from overhead. "I smelled them even before their leader started spoutin' lies." He waited for the next round of arrows to die down, then leaped from his hiding spot, slicing through one of the wagons. Kohaku followed quickly behind, deflecting attacks as Inuyasha tried to persuade the bandits to surrender.
Their shouts of "half-breed scum" proved nothing would come of it.
"It would be best to separate their tongues from their mouths," Sesshoumaru said, inspecting his claws. "Or their heads from their shoulders." He'd yet to step in to actually help, though he'd stiffened all the same when the bandits had insinuated there was only one reason a woman would be travelling with so many males at once.
"Only as a last resort," Kagome bit out. "They haven't done anything extreme—"
"Aside from shower you in arrows."
"—and we've seen enough bloodshed from Naraku's interference." She wasn't above defending herself, but she was tired of the fighting. It had grown old very quickly when collecting the shards.
"And if they are found to be withholding information about Rin's whereabouts?" Sesshoumaru pressed, still leaning against the tree.
"Then you can go trigger-happy and cut them up all you want," she conceded, trying to placate him but knowing he'd do it anyway. "Just warn me first, so I don't have to watch." She held his gaze, unrelenting, and he eventually shrugged a shoulder, still uncaring as to their circumstances.
An arrow hit the branch above her, and she peeked around the trunk, nocking one of her own before returning fire. Her first one skimmed the leg of her attacker, the next one landing in his arm and rendering him useless.
"Feel free to lend a hand," she said, sprinting to a closer tree.
"You have already stated you do not agree with my methods," he said in a bored tone.
"Meaning that's the only way you'll help?" She took out three more archers, Inuyasha calling out his thanks before destroying another wagon.
"It is the most efficient way."
Kagome rolled her eyes, ignoring him in favour of keeping the bandits at bay. "Remind me never to bother asking you for help ever."
She swore she heard him snort, but it was probably just blowback from the Wind Scar carving deep gauges into the ground. "Do as you please."
It hadn't taken long for the bandits to disperse once Inuyasha got fed up with playing nice, most of them forgetting their allegiance to their leader and choosing life over loyalty. Those who decided to stay met their end quickly, Kohaku apparently having fewer scruples about taking a life than the rest of them.
She wasn't sure whether he'd picked it up from Sesshoumaru or Naraku, but he brushed off Kagome's concern, merely cleaning the blood from his weapon and continuing on their path. Inuyasha quickly perused what remained of the caravan, restocking her quiver and their food supply.
As a teen, she may have argued that they were leaving such a mess behind, but Inuyasha shrugged as he sheathed his sword. "There are tons of lower youkai around that'll clean it up for us, K'gome. No point in worryin' about it." He stuffed his hands into his sleeves, then followed after Kohaku, chatting about nothing until the tension between the boy's shoulders eased.
They made up for lost time as best they could, Ah-Un joining them once they'd cleared the mountains. He nudged Kohaku, eventually giving up and doing the same to Kagome, looking for treats. They'd found a few bundles of grapes amongst the bandits' belongings, and she offered them up to the beast, both heads nuzzling her in thanks.
She'd barely opened her books after they'd found shelter in a shallow cave when Sesshoumaru stepped in between her and the fire, effectively blocking out the only light she had to study by. "Yes?" she asked, placing a hand on her book so she wouldn't lose her place.
"Your aim was off today," he stated.
Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Those who didn't participate don't get to critique." He wasn't perturbed, his gaze unblinking as he stared at her. "Look, we all made it out unscathed, so what does it matter if—"
He surprised her by kneeling in front of her and grabbing her right hand, forcing her to release her pencil. "If the first archer had had quicker reflexes, you would not have survived."
Kagome flushed. "Yeah, well, us measly humans have to sleep on the ground when we're travelling, so forgive me if my muscles protest a little when we're fighting."
"The snark is unnecessary."
So is holding my hand, she thought, watching as he turned it over and pressed his thumbs into her palm. Pain shot up her arm, and she tried to pull away, but he held fast, twisting the skin between the lines before sliding his thumbs up toward her wrist.
All at once, the pressure building between her shoulders dissipated, the twinge in her hand that had been bothering her since they'd begun their journey gone as well, and her mouth fell open. "How did you do that?" She flexed her fingers, the tendons loose and relaxed.
"Pressure points are common knowledge in youkai culture," he said, still holding her hand. "Summon your reiki." She was still in shock from the sudden lack of pain that she did so, gasping at how easily it sparked between her fingers.
Sesshoumaru gave her a smug look.
"Apparently, I need to add magician to your list of secrets," she muttered, offering up her other hand. He took it without complaint, giving it the same treatment, and Kagome sighed in relief when he was finished, putting on a small light display as reiki jumped from one hand to the other.
"You would do well not to let your power become blocked even at such a basic level, miko," he said, straightening without pause and taking his place on the opposite wall. "Doing so will put others' lives at risk."
Couldn't even help me out without turning it into an insult, she thought, wringing her hands. It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and if she'd had enough light, she would've done some target practice, knowing she'd hit the mark every time.
She looked at her hands, trying to mimic what he'd done, but it didn't feel anywhere close to what he'd done, so she eventually gave up and closed her book. Going to sleep early was probably a good idea, considering how much ground they had to cover to get to Sango's village.
Plus, it would stop her mind from lingering on how her skin still tingled in the places Sesshoumaru had touched her.