InuYasha Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Through your Heart ❯ New friends ( Chapter 7 )

Through your Heart

Chapter 7: New friends

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"InuYasha, stop your grumbling and help me a little would you?" The man who spoke got up from his kneeling position, the rings of his staff clinging softly with the movement. Miroku eyed the hanyou who was still sniffing the carcass of the dead youkai.

"Feh! I told you before, I'm not a gravedigger! If you want to bury so many people that's your problem, bouzu." The hanyou felt a hand on his shoulder and Kagome spoke up.

"InuYasha, those people deserve a proper burial and you know it. There are even small children here! It's horrible!" The black haired miko covered her eyes with her hands to cut out the vision of all those poor people just lying there.

Without saying a word, InuYasha snorted but patted her on the shoulder in reassurance. Kagome's breath hitched at the touch, but when she looked up the hanyou was walking to Sango already, all proofs of gentleness gone to make place to seriousness.

The miko sighed softly and decided to join them. "So Sango, do you have any clues about what happened here?"

Shippou and Kirara just gazed with curious eyes as the Taijiya eyed the ground and seemed to follow a trail of some sort. The kitsune turned as he heard InuYasha and Kagome join them, soon to be followed by Miroku.

Sango narrowed her eyes a little and got up, observing the dead carcass in her turn. "Well, the dead youkai is surely the cause of the destruction here, seen as he is one of Naraku's newest creations. He looks botched a little and it's probable that Naraku rejected him because of it. I don't know what or who killed it. When you look at his wound, it looks as if it was some sort of disk that pierced him right through the stomach."

Sango was about to continue when Kagome voiced her thoughts. "But I've never seen one of Naraku's creations fall so easily! Normally, even with wounds such as this one, the youkai should still be alive."

Miroku nodded, a hand on his chin. "Kagome is right. InuYasha has been through worst ordeals and still lives to tell the tale."

InuYasha just humphed. "Feh! I'm just stronger than this baka's creations, if you ask me."

Kagome rolled her eyes at the arrogant hanyou and whispered; "maybe the weapon used was laced with strong magic?"

Sango shrugged. "Well, whatever happened here happened about 3 days ago. There's a trail leading to the forest at the end of the village. We should bury the dead and take a look afterwards. And anyway, it's on our way." The others nodded and they soon started to dig the graves for the poor villagers.

Hours later, when they arrived at the clearing, they shook their heads when they saw the burned house, or what remained of it anyway. The area was totally abandoned and they suspected that the demon had gotten to this house too. Upon finding no bodies to bury, they decided to continue their route and when the sun set, they finally made camp to stop for the night.

InuYasha perched himself on a nearby tree as usual but his ears perked up as the others conversed below, sitting around a fire. Shippou and Kirara were long gone asleep, the little Kitsune cuddling the neko youkai near his body.

"I really wonder what happened here…I was sure I felt the presence of a shard near the destroyed village…" Kagome said, deep in thought. She was sure she had felt a corrupt piece of the shard until the signal had softened and vanished.

Miroku put another piece of wood in the fire to keep it alive and spoke up. "Well, maybe the one who killed that youkai took it or at least knows what happened to it. I just hope it isn't Naraku. We all know how he likes to toy with us."

Sango leaned in her small futon and closed her eyes in tiredness. "Well, whatever or whoever took it must be around 2 days in advance from us. Let's just go to sleep already, I'm tired."

Kagome yawned and followed the Taijiya's example and called out; "Goodnight InuYasha!" before she leaned into her futon. InuYasha Feh'ed but said a small goodnight afterwards.

Miroku stayed silently contemplative until…

"MIROKU YOU HENTAI!"

SLAP!

InuYasha growled slightly when Sango's angry cry resonated through his sensitive ears. "Damnit bouzu! Keep your hands to yourself or I'll have to cut them off myself!"

*~*

Kagome's eyes widened as another youkai tried to get to her friends. She had long gone run out of arrows and was being protected by the now transformed and very angry Kirara. Shippou was on her shoulder, half hiding in her hair and looking at the battle with apprehension. "InuYasha! Watch out!"

InuYasha turned just in time as Kagome called out to him. He dodged the close attack clumsily as the snake youkai tried to slither his way around the hanyou and drew the Tetsusaiga swiftly. "Woah!"

Miroku sweatdropped as the hanyou almost fell backwards because of the transformed sword's weight, but InuYasha quickly found his balance again and with a heavy swing he cut the snake in 2. Everyone finally relaxed as any trace of danger left the area and the silver haired hanyou put back the Tetsusaiga in its sheath.

He was panting a little and Miroku and Sango weren't better themselves. The demons that had attacked them weren't controlled by Naraku, luckily, but that didn't mean that they didn't defend their territory with a vengeance. Miroku and Sango were bruised all over and InuYasha's ribs were probably broken when he got smashed by one of the serpent's tails into a tree. Kagome and Shippou only had small cuts and Kirara looked a little ruffled but okay nonetheless.

They had been traveling very fast non-stop for hours when they had fallen into the snakes' traps. Now they were exhausted and really needed to stop, even if they were in the middle of a well traveled path. "InuYasha we need to stop. We've been traveling for too long and you're too hurt to continue." Kagome said, knowing that her friend would probably say the contrary. She knew the Inu demon too well.

"Feh! I don't need to rest! I've already started to heal." He turned to continue walking and muttered; "Why humans are so weak I'll never understand."

Kagome clenched her fist and called out sweetly; "InuYasha, I heard you!" The hanyou stopped in his tracks while Shippou winced in sympathy for the silver haired boy. "OSUWARI!"

Strings of muffled curses were heard until InuYasha finally relented. When he was finally able to get up, he distanced himself a little from the others and sat down under a tree. Kagome sighed and started to treat the others' wounds.

Kirara was slumbering lightly when the neko's ears twitched. Surreptitiously, the small youkai got up and shot a look at the group whose attention was elsewhere, and ran away to where the light new smell was coming from.

*~*

A gust of wind pushed back her hood and her hand caught it as it flew backwards. Golden hair spilled slightly from the cloak and Usagi groaned, readjusting the cloak on her body and putting her hair back in its loose bun.

"Mew!"

She stopped dead in her tracks and blinked, turning around to see what had made that sound. What was her surprise when a tiny neko youkai came close to her and started to sniff her. It circled around her feet for a couple of minutes until it mewled again and nudged her legs. "Oh! You're so cute! Come here! Don't you have any master?"

Usagi took the neko in her arms and started to pet it gently. "You must be hungry, little one. I was going to stop to eat, why don't you stay with me?"

The neko youkai mewled and settled beside her. The blue eyed woman gave the neko a part of her lunch and both started to eat contentedly.

***

Not too far away, Kagome's eyes widened for just a moment in recognition. "I sensed I jewel shard!"

Hearing the magic phrase, InuYasha was suddenly beside her and Kagome had gathered all the attention of her friends.

"Where is it, wench?" The hanyou asked harshly in a haste to gather another shard.

Kagome got up and bonked him on the head. "InuYasha no baka! Don't call me that! And I said I SENSED a jewel shard. I can't feel it anymore. It's as if something kept me from sensing it but failed for a second…"

Miroku took his staff and gathered his things. "Well, do you at least know in which direction it was when you sensed it?"

Kagome nodded and pointed in the direction they were previously going. Sango took her bag and turned. "Well, let's go Kira…ra? Kirara? Where are you?" They all looked around, but the neko was nowhere in sight.

"Do you think Kirara smelled something and went ahead? What if there's someone dangerous!" Shippou started to panic but Kagome took him in her arms. "Don't worry Shippou, we'll find Kirara! Won't we InuYasha?"

The hanyou nodded with a glint in his eyes and he motioned for Kagome to get on his back. Miroku and Sango were rested enough to follow him without straining too much.

*~*

Usagi suddenly tensed and got up with the neko in her arms. Soon enough, a group of people came running in her direction and a woman dressed in tight black clothes was yelling something that resembled 'Kirara'.

They stopped a couple of meters away from her and Usagi took in the view of 2 winded people, one girl dressed in…modern school clothes? with a small kitsune on her shoulder and a hanyou. She narrowed her eyes slightly as the silver haired demon gazed at her with mistrust and she clutched the neko in her arms protectively.

The woman who was dressed in tight clothes walked to her slowly and eyed the little neko, who mewled upon seeing its mistress. "Hum, hello. Can you give me back Kirara please?"

Under her hood, Usagi's eyebrow raised a little. "So your name's Kirara?" She seemed to ask the youkai, and then nodded at Sango and let the neko jump in the Taijiya's arms. The group visibly relaxed as the stranger gave back their companion without a fight.

Kagome wanted to thank the person but InuYasha growled audibly and restrained the miko from walking any further. "InuYasha? Is something the matter? I just wanted to thank the person for taking care of Kirara."

The hanyou glared at the cloaked girl and ordered the others to back up a little. "Stay away Kagome. I don't smell anything coming from this stranger. If that's another Kanna then God help me…" He let his phrase trail and put a hand on Tetsusaiga's rusty handle in an intimidating manner.

"Oh! How rude of me! I should present myself." The person bowed and let her hood fall. "I am Usagi. Tsukino Usagi. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

They gasped the moment the hood fell back as pure golden hair set in a loose bun shone in the sun. A set of piercing blue orbs gazed back at them happily. InuYasha couldn't believe it! The moment this girl had taken her hood off, his nose had been attacked by a more than pleasing scent.

Usagi smiled and took a step towards them, preparing to shake Kagome's hand but the miko stood rooted on the spot and as Miroku started his charade, Kagome gasped out; "I sense a jewel shard!"

Usagi blinked as the whole group tensed again and as the hanyou unsheathed his sword, which transformed into what looked like a gigantic fang. 'Hm, that girl can sense the Star Seed? How odd. It looks as if she's from the future…maybe she's the one causing a time paradox in this dimension. But I don't sense any evil intentions in this group.' Usagi eyed the girl's necklace when she felt more of the Star Seed's power and ignored their threats, instead coming to a decision.

She took her piece of Star Seed and tossed it to the girl from the future with a smile. InuYasha stopped in mid-step and blinked as they got what they wanted so easily. That, and the girl didn't seem frightened of him at all!

Kagome caught the shard and eyed the smiling golden haired girl in front of her. "Why?" Was all she could ask.

Usagi shrugged. "It seems you want that shard more than I do and I really don't think you want to use it to do bad things, so why not? It was with luck that I found it and I didn't really know what to make of it. You can keep it, I don't mind at all."

Kagome joined the new shard with the small part she already had and ran to her, shaking her hand enthusiastically. "Thank you so much! My name's Kagome! Do you want to travel with us?"

InuYasha sputtered as Kagome did what she wished and started to talk animatedly to the blue eyed girl. "We're searching for the remaining shards, you see, 'cause it's my fault the jewel got destroyed in the first place. Let me introduce you to my friends!"

Kagome took Usagi's hand and almost dragged her to the Inu-tachi. "The little neko is named Kirara though you must know this by now. The kitsune is Shippou, this is Sango; she's a Taijiya. This is Miroku, he's a monk-"

Usagi watched as said Miroku walked to her and took her hand, placing a kiss upon it. "It is a pleasure to meet someone as exquisite as you, my lady."

Usagi was blushing just a little and was about to take back her hand and thank him but he suddenly clutched it harder and kneeled in front of her. "Will you do the honor of bearing my children?"

Silence.

Until Sango's eye twitched and she took her boomerang. "HIRAIKOTSU!!!"

Usagi blinked at the monk who was now sporting a prune the size of Jupiter on the top of his head and Kagome told her to ignore him. "Hum, yeah, so that's Miroku. He's a *perverted* monk but he's not that bad once you know him. Don't worry, he asks every woman he sees that question. And that over here" she pointed at the scowling hanyou "is InuYasha. Don't mind him also. He has no manners whatsoever and he's always on his guard or grumbling about humans."

Kagome shot him a look and InuYasha whined at her. "Feh! You're all against me, I swear." He turned is back on them and sat on the ground. They could hear his grumbling from where they were and the group started to laugh at his behavior.

'They're nice! And I'll be able to directly protect the Star Seed if I travel with them. The attention will be diverted to them and not me, so I'll be able to strike when nobody suspects it.' Usagi thought, laughing happily like the rest of them.

*~*

"…And this is why we're after the shards now." Kagome finished.

Daytime had long since gone, replaced by the darkness of night. Usagi took in the long explanation cut short as they finally stopped for the day. They prepared their futon as Miroku started a fire to keep them warm. Kagome watched as Kirara mewled and jumped in Usagi's lap, which made the blonde giggle. The lovely bell like laugh caught the others' attention and they gazed at Kirara who was now purring faintly and sleeping on the rabbit's warm legs.

"So, Usagi-sama" Miroku started "where are you from? It is the first time I see someone with such an unusual hair color. And I was wondering how you defended yourself if you travel alone. The lands are dangerous by these times since the arrival of Naraku and his henchmen."

Usagi stopped giggling and gazed calmly at the monk. The stare somehow unnerved him while InuYasha just continued to glare. "I'm not from here, if that's what you're asking. I just use hand to hand combat to defend myself. As you can see, I carry no weapons. And you don't have to glare at me, InuYasha-san. I'll let you know I'm not a demon in disguise trying to kill you all."

InuYasha recoiled a little but didn't loose his glare. "Feh! How can we be sure you're not an enemy?"

Usagi rolled her eyes, got up with the neko in her arms and with the hanyou following her moves she put her hand right in front of his nose. "Sniff." She just said in a huff. 'Jeez! His trust is going to be hard to gain.'

InuYasha's eyes partially glazed over the moment she put her hand in front of him because of the strong scent but he somehow shook himself out of his daze and slapped her hand away. "Okay I believe you, that's enough already! I don't like to smell humans so near to me!" He then hurried up and jumped in the nearest tree, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Not very friendly, is he?" Usagi asked Kagome.

The young miko shrugged with a faraway look in her eyes until she just blinked and smiled at her new friend. "Don't worry. Remember I told you he wanted to kill me when we first met, so it's going to take a little while for him to get accustomed to you. But he's a very good f-friend once you get to know him."

Usagi noticed the little stumble over the word friend but didn't mention it. Sango and Miroku were already asleep so Kagome just leaned in the sleeping bag she had brought from the future. Usagi had of course acted as if she had been shocked to find out Kagome was from the future but she was also relieved that the miko did not force her way through time with evil intentions. The rabbit only hoped that leaving the well with its power intact was a good idea.

She noticed that Kagome was just watching the fire with glazed eyes and Usagi thought back at the time when the miko told her about Kikyou and InuYasha's past. She was supposedly her reincarnation but the rabbit could see clearly that Kagome was distressed over this matter. It was plain obvious to the blond hime that Kagome was in love with the hanyou but that he was too thickheaded to see it. He looked way too caught in the past to notice what he had now in front of him.

Usagi sighed and walked silently to Kagome, leaning down to embrace the girl softly in reassurance. Kagome's eyes snapped open and she startled slightly when she felt herself being hugged in such a friendly manner and she gazed at Usagi curiously.

The blue eyed girl merely smiled back at her serenely and whispered; "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

Kagome's eyes widened but she quickly nodded, smiled and hugged back, happy that someone had finally noticed her distress and was willing to talk about it. Usagi watched as the miko fell asleep with a more peaceful smile and just looked at the night sky.

She felt this need to help Kagome in any way she could, all of a sudden. Kagome gave her the impression of always being there for her friends, of sacrificing many important things for her just to help them AND without asking or receiving anything in return. Usagi snorted softly to herself. 'So she's a little like me, it seems.' She finally stumbled in the world of dreams on this last thought.

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R&R!!!

Eternal Cosmos ^_~