InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ After the Storm ❯ The Miko Without Powers ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

 

 

Kagome woke the next morning to find the hut empty. Outside she could hear voices, not all of them familiar.

 

"Please, sir, we need to see the priestess Kagome," said the voice of a young man.

 

"She's recovering inside," said Inuyasha's voice. "Until she's better, no one's going to see her."

 

Kagome frowned as she stood up, shaking her head at Inuyasha's rudeness. Under her breath, she uttered the word "sit." She heard him crash to the ground outside and grinned. Then she walked outside. Inuyasha was half-buried in the ground, and some villagers were staring at him with widened eyes.

 

"Priestess?" asked a young boy.

 

Kagome realized then that it was easy to see what she was; she was still in her Shinto hakama. She smiled softly and looked at the villagers. "What is it?" she asked them at large.

 

"Priestess, there is a demon possessing my daughter," said a young woman. "Please, won't you save her?"

 

Kagome stared, then noticed something smooth in her hand. She glanced down to see the Shikon no Tama, glinting innocently in the sun. She frowned slightly, remembering Midoriko's warning.

 

"I don't know how much I can do for her," she said. "Kaede may be of more help."

 

"Please, Miss Kagome," begged the woman. "Kaede is nowhere to be found right now, and we are desperate. Please, please try!"

 

Inuyasha watched from where he sat on the ground. If he knew Kagome, she'd give in, whether or not she could help the girl. And sure enough, after a moment, she nodded. Inuyasha stood with a sigh. Kagome glanced at him.

 

"I'm going with you, Kagome," he said quietly. "In this state, you may need help."

 

She nodded and asked the woman to lead her to the girl. As they walked down the path in the village, Inuyasha asked, "Are you sure you can do this? Without your powers…"

 

Kagome blinked. "How did you--?"

 

He snorted. "You kept saying things in your sleep, Kagome. I'm not deaf, you know. And I sure as hell ain't stupid, either."

 

Kagome decided not to say anything to him about that.

 

"I know she's using your powers, Kagome," he said. "Until that Jewel is purified, you're not going to be able to use them, are you?"

 

She shook her head, and he scowled. She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why he was so grumpy all of a sudden. She supposed it was a relief, though; having a sensitive, caring Inuyasha had been the oddest experience she had had in a while.

 

Not that she was complaining, as she remembered how glad she had been when he had opened up to her, or how happy she was when he had held her all those times…but still, he hadn't been himself for the last few days. It was a relief to have the old Inuyasha back.

 

Their guide stopped in front of a house, and Kagome walked inside, Inuyasha following closely. The house was dark, and on a small futon, a little girl no older than eight lay, unmoving. She looked as though she was asleep, but Kagome, despite not having most of her powers, could sense the demonic aura emanating from her. She held out her arm, stopping Inuyasha.

 

"What is it, Kagome?" asked Inuyasha.

 

"Can't you sense it?" she asked softly. He looked puzzled and shook his head. He couldn't sense things like she and Miroku could. He relied on his demonic senses most of the time. Kagome indicated he stay where he was, and slowly approached the girl. After a few steps, the girl suddenly opened her eyes and leapt up, but her eyes were wide, empty, devoid of either pupil or emotion. Inuyasha was reminded of the time when they fought against Yura and she had used her hair to control the bodies of the villagers.

 

Kagome stepped back a couple steps, her face screwed up into a look of intense concentration. She had to get rid of the demon without hurting the girl. How on earth did Miroku do it?

 

She blinked. Miroku! Of course! He used those seals when it came to dealing with possessed humans. She reached into her top and drew out a couple of seals the monk had given her last night, in case a demon had attacked while she was without her weapons.

 

"Youkai nurikomeru!" she cried, focusing on the paper. She threw it the way Miroku usually did, and to her surprise, it landed right on target and stuck to the girl's forehead. To her even greater surprise, it turned out that her powers weren't totally gone--she still had enough to use the seals effectively. The girl reared back, letting out an inhumane wail, and she fell back. From her body came a ghostly blue light, and a demon flew out of the girl, yelling horribly. It circled in the air once, then noticed Kagome and sped toward her. Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and stepped in front of her.

 

"Sankon Tessou!" he yelled, swiping at the demon. It shrieked one last time, then fell apart and vanished. Inuyasha grinned triumphantly, and Kagome approached the girl. She picked her up gently and shook her. The girl opened her eyes slowly, then saw Kagome.

 

"Lady Kagome?" she asked softly.

 

Kagome smiled. "Are you okay?" she asked.

 

The girl nodded, and Kagome helped her to stand up. She hopped around a couple times and grinned widely. "I feel great! Thank you, Lady Kagome!"

 

Kagome nodded, and the three of them walked outside together. The girl's mother scooped up the girl in her arms and thanked Kagome over and over. Kagome nodded and motioned to Inuyasha, and together they began to walk back to Kaede's.

 

"It feels so odd," said Kagome. "I don't think anyone's called me 'Lady Kagome' since I first came here."

 

"You've barely been here since the day you shattered the Jewel," Inuyasha reminded her. "And when we do come here, it's usually while you're in your own time. To them, you're a priestess, and they've always called you Lady Kagome."

 

Kagome stared at the ground. Maybe, if she stayed here…

 

No, she told herself firmly. She had to go home. After the Jewel was purified, there'd be no need to stay. And besides, it'd be easier to keep safe if she kept it in her world, where there were no more demons.

 

Or at least, she hoped there weren't anymore, and she shuddered slightly as she remembered the Nikuzuki no Men and the Tatarimokke.

 

She sighed heavily, and Inuyasha glanced at her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

 

"Nothing," was her quick reply, smiling at him. "Race you back to the hut?"

 

Inuyasha snorted. "Kagome, you know you'd lose that. Why bother challenging me to a race?"

 

In reply, she immediately ran off, catching him by surprise.

 

"Hey, no fair!"

 

She looked back and laughed. "If you're so sure of yourself, you should be able to beat me, fair or not!"

 

Inuyasha frowned and jumped from where he was, landing right in front of the young girl. She stopped just before she crashed into him, and he steadied her.

 

"Kagome, you're real bad at hiding your feelings, especially from me," he said. "Tell me what's wrong. I hate it when you try to keep secrets from me."

 

She sighed. He was so goddamn persistent. She shrugged his hands off her shoulders.

 

"Inuyasha, just for once, let me keep my thoughts to myself," she said. "Is that too much to ask?"

 

He reared back as though she had slapped him. "What the--I was just worried, okay? Ya don't have to get mad!"

 

"Yeah, well, it wasn't any of your business in the first place!" she snapped.

 

He scowled. "Fine," he said angrily. "Have it your way. See if I ever worry about you again!" He turned and jumped, heading for the forest. She watched him go and sighed. Maybe she overdid it. Just because she was feeling like shit didn't mean she had to take it out on him.

 

She gazed up at the sky, the wind blowing her hair on her face and across her throat, the perfect image of the lonely soul. She sighed, remembering Kikyou, how they had never fought when she was alive until the very end, how they had always been keeping an eye out for the other, always able to sense when the other was near. She knew Inuyasha had said he hadn't really loved her, and Kikyou had admitted to the same, but still…it hurt that she and the hanyou couldn't get along like that.

 

Maybe Souta and Inuyasha had been right that one time, when they had both said that she overreacted and bit people's heads off at the tiniest things sometimes.

 

Yet the knowledge that in a few days, she'd have to say goodbye to them forever…

 

She wasn't ready. There were still so many things she wanted to do with them all. She wanted to watch Shippou grow older, wanted to learn secrets of the youkai taijiya from Sango, wanted Miroku to teach her to use his sacred sutras…

 

And she wanted to stay with Inuyasha. Plain and simple, she wanted to live forever with the hanyou she had long since fallen in love with. She had grown too used to his presence, his teasing, his protection, his friendship. She hadn't even realized until she had met him just how molded her days were, how boring and monotonous they were. Now…now she couldn't even imagine being happy with her old life. She couldn't imagine going back to it without picturing herself miserable and heartbroken.

 

Stop it, she told herself firmly. She was acting like a selfish kid or something. Her family in her world needed her, and they belonged here. She couldn't allow her feelings to get in her way. She had done that too many times before.

 

She swallowed back her tears, standing up from where she had been kneeling on the ground. She would have to be brave. She'd have to be the priestess Midoriko was expecting her to be, and ignore her feelings for now. They may have been what saved her and had given her such strength for her spiritual powers…but she didn't have her powers anymore. This wasn't about the strength of her spiritual powers.

 

This was about the strength of her spirit.

 

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Author's Note:

 

Yes this chapter is really short. I'm mad at my dad right now and it's affecting my writing. Plus I got no sleep last night and I have school tomorrow. Goddamn it I hate my life.

 

I think there'll be about 3 or 4 more chapters…I'm getting through this a lot faster than I thought I'd be.

 

Again, thanks for the reviews!

 

Japanese vocab:

 

Futon: Japanese-style bed

 

Youkai nurikomeru: demon-sealing spell

 

Sankon Tessou: literally, Iron-Shattering Claws: AKA Iron Reaver Soul Stealer.

 

Nikuzuki no Men: Flesh-eating Mask; see episode 11

 

Tatarimokke: This is a demon born from the souls of dead children, which plays with the souls of recently deceased children on their way to heaven. If a child's soul becomes evil due to anger or regret, it will begin to open its eyes as the evil becomes stronger. Though the demon is generally gentle, if the child becomes a completely vengeful spirit, the demon completely opens its eyes, and drags the child's soul to Hell. See episode 12.

 

Youkai taijiya: demon slayers