InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Vision ❯ Chapter 32 ( Chapter 31 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: knife thrower 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.16.2009 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 873 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.16.2009 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 873 | Status: Work In Progress
was watching for game trails that would be suitable for setting snares. He wanted Kagome to know how to feed herself in the wilderness, and a bow and arrow were not the best tool for bagging all kinds of game. He spotted an area where the snow appeared slightly disturbed, and saw that birds had been picking through the thin layer of snow to get at some short, woody plants, with flat, glossy green leaves and little bright red berries. Kohaku liked the fresh, almost minty taste of the berries, which remained tasty and edible during the fall and winter. He called Kagome, pointing out the plants.
“Are you familiar with this kind of berry?”
“Yes, Kohaku. I have eaten the berries, and made a tea from the leaves. Kaede says the tea acts as a mild pain reliever.” She stooped down to pick some berries,
“Don’t pick them, Kagome. I want you to try to spot the pathway that animals would use to get to these berries.” Kagome looked around carefully. She finally spotted a place where a fallen tree was laying on the ground, covered in a layer of snow like everything else. There was a spot where there was a bit less snow, as though something small had climbed over the log, making an almost unnoticeable trail. She walked closer, but could not see any tracks.
“That’s really good, Kagome. You won’t always find actual tracks when fresh snow has fallen, but you still managed to find the game trail. Now we need to set a snare, so that the next time an animal uses the same route, you have a chance of trapping it. He produced a tiny bundle of what looked like fine cord, seemingly out of nowhere. He showed the cords to Kagome. They appeared to be very thin cables, finer than kite string.
“Will they be strong enough to hold anything, Kohaku?”
“They are bespelled. They will hold anything that gets caught up in them.”
“Kind of like that chain you had around my ankle, right, Kohaku?” He didn’t reply, but took out a knife and cut a long, thin stake to anchor the snare. Then he showed her how to tie the snare and set it up.
“You could choose to pick a few of the berries to bait the snare, or you can choose to leave it unbaited, since the animal will be traveling this path, anyway.”
“Let’s not bait it. It seems more fair to the animal, that way.” Kohaku smiled at her. She noticed the way the corners of his eyes crinkled up a little when he smiled. He was really cute, she thought.
As they continued their journey to town, they set quite a few more snares. Kohaku explained that there was no guarantee that each snare would catch anything, so it was best to set many.
Though he enjoyed the sight of Kagome having fun, he made sure that she remained on the lookout for danger, as well as good sources of firewood, and signs of game. He was training her in the ways of the wilderness in a lot gentler manner than he himself had been trained. Both his father and Sango had had a hand in his own training, and while Sango was kinder than his father, she followed the harsh customs of their tribe. Not for the first time, Kohaku was amazed that no one had bothered to teach Kagome how to take care of herself or physically defend herself. He knew Inuyasha had deliberately neglected her training and ignored her potential, seeming to want her to be dependent on him, but Sango and Miroku could have intervened, in his opinion. Now he found himself glad. He felt bad about drugging her, and binding her with the bespelled anklet, and it felt good to be able to do something to help her for a change.
Eventually they came to the town. Kohaku pulled a very thin, silk scarf from inside his uniform. He reminded Kagome of a magician from the modern era, the way he produced items from his seemingly skin-tight outfit. For years, she had packed her trusty yellow backpack with huge amounts of gear, somehow never realizing that there was no way the bag could possibly hold so much stuff. Only much later did she realize that she had unconsciously placed a spell on the bag, allowing items such as a full-size propane lantern to fit in the same space occupied by her sleeping bag, textbooks, bathing supplies, water bottles, pocky, candy, and ramen, ramen, and more ramen. Could the slayer’s uniform be similarly bespelled?
She held still and allowed Kohaku to drape the scarf artfully around her neck, tying it loosely so it covered her mating mark. She jerked away, however, when Kohaku tried to rub his face against the curve of her shoulder. She looked at him, offended. Kohaku frowned at her, then sighed. “Kagome, we need to place my scent on you. It won’t completely hide Sesshomaru’s scent, but I’m hoping it will be good enough to make our story believable.” This time she allowed it when he rubbed his cheek against her neck and shoulder, first one side, then the other. They went to the armorer, who directed them to the village tailor. The tailor happily agreed to make a uniform for Kagome. He summoned his wife, who skillfully measured Kagome, using a length of string while he scribbled down the measurements. The tailor told them how much the outfit would cost, and that it would be ready in two days’ time. The pair stopped to buy a small basket of eggs from a peasant woman, and left town without experiencing any problems.
Since they would be returning to town using the same route soon, Kohaku decided to leave the snares which had not trapped game in place. The first three snares they checked were not tripped. The fourth snare held a pheasant. It had been strangled by the snare. Kohaku was pleased with their success. The next few snares were empty. They were shocked when they came to the next snare, only to find they had trapped a young red fox. When the fox saw his captors, he let out an angry yip. “Stay back, Kagome.” Kohaku advanced toward the fox, saying “Shippou, is that you?” He gingerly grabbed the stake holding the snare in place, pulling it from the ground. The fox, its leg freed, suddenly transformed into an adolescent male fox demon. “Shippou!” Kagome cried out, throwing herself into his arms. She hadn’t seen Shippou in a few months, and he had grown several inches. The top of his head now reached her chin. He had changed so much from the little baby kit she had treated like her own child. She often wondered if he spent so much time away from Edo to avoid the unpleasantness between herself and Inuyasha. It was a very happy little group that made its way back toward their campsite. There was much talking and laughing, Shippou showing off the tricks and spells he had learned since they last saw him. Kagome decided she wanted to wait until dinner was over before she told him all that had happened in his absence.
They found a hare in the next snare. Kohaku took a few minutes to gut the pheasant and the hare and ready them for roasting, away from camp. He disposed of the offal a good ways away from the snare, which he re-set. If they had been planning on fishing soon, he would have saved it for bait. They were getting close to the cave, and Kohaku began gathering wood for the fire. He handed a few chunks to Kagome, carrying a much heavier load himself. Shippou managed to carry as much as the taller boy. As a demon, he was naturally stronger. When they got back to the cave, it was time for dinner. They got the fire going, using the embers that still glowed red beneath the ashes of this morning’s fire. Once the flames subsided they spitted the meat and roasted it, and ate it with some of the delicacies Kohaku had bought with Sesshomaru’s money as side dishes. They were all full, warm, and content. Kagome decided it was time to fill Shippou in on their recent adventures. She was concerned that he would be angry at her for leaving Inuyasha and mating with Sesshomaru. Shippou and Inuyasha had fought a lot, but Inuyasha was the closest thing the little fox had to a father. “Shippou, you know that Inuyasha and I haven’t been getting along very well for a long time, right?”
Shippou gave her a look that spoke volumes. “Well, duh.”
“He’s been spending a lot of time with Rin, and he’s decided he wants to be with her.” Kagome was trying to be as bland and noncommittal as possible.
“What?” Yelled the little kit. “What in the hell are you talking about?” This was going about as well as Kagome had expected. She steeled herself for what came next.
“Lord Sesshomaru offered to make me his mate, to protect my honor, and I accepted.” Shippou fell over in a dead faint. Kagome did her best to make Shippou comfortable, hoping that he could get a good night’s rest. Her mother always said that things looked brighter in the morning, she reflected.
The day had been so eventful that Kagome didn’t have a chance to miss Sesshomaru until she was laying by the fire, trying to get to sleep. It was moko-moko that reminded her that she was actually mated to the demon lord, she hadn’t thought about him once all day. She stroked moko-moko remorsefully, as if that would make up for being a bad mate. Kagome was a modern girl, and though the dissolution of her marriage to Inuyasha saddened her, she didn’t question her decision to start a new life without him. But maybe, in the heat of the moment, she had rushed into things with Sesshomaru. Kagome had admired Sesshomaru for a long time. Who wouldn’t? He was beautiful, powerful, and charismatic. Those weren’t the qualities that had caused her to accept his proposal, however. She had watched him evolve from a cold and seemingly evil demon lord, becoming humane and caring. He had saved her life several times, kept her from being raped by Mukotsu. The way she felt whenever he was near… the little priestess had never felt that way before.
She had seen the heated looks he gave her from time to time, but she had never thought he would want to enter into a lifetime commitment with her. And the term “lifetime commitment” came with its own set of issues. Sure, she was attractive now. She wasn’t vain, but she knew how people talked about her, and how males, both human and demon, looked at her. She didn’t take any personal credit for her looks. After all, she had inherited them from Kikyo. How would Sesshomaru see her when she turned 50, and he continued to look 19? She had more than enough power to go the dark miko route, like Tsubaki, and extend her youth, but that just wasn’t her style. Kagome shuddered at the thought. She had always known that Inuyasha was immortal, he was, after all, over 200 years old and still looked about 15. But somehow with Inuyasha, it hadn’t mattered all that much. She had an uncomfortable feeling that was because, though she had dreamed of being his mate since she was 15 years old, she had always known in her heart that they wouldn’t be together when she was 50.
There were other issues, too. Though Sesshomaru seemed to lead a solitary and nomadic existence, he was still the Lord of the Western Lands. Kagome knew she could never be happy surrounded by the demon court, or live in a marble palace, like Sesshomaru’s mother.
The situation was confusing, but even in her anxious state, Kagome had to admit that it was not all bad. She knew Sesshomaru cared about her. His tender, almost desperate words when he declared his love for her practically broke her heart, and the physical attraction they shared was so intense it almost scared her. She promised herself that, no matter how complicated the relationship got, that she would do anything it took to make things work out. Somewhat comforted by her resolution, she finally managed to drift off to sleep.
“Are you familiar with this kind of berry?”
“Yes, Kohaku. I have eaten the berries, and made a tea from the leaves. Kaede says the tea acts as a mild pain reliever.” She stooped down to pick some berries,
“Don’t pick them, Kagome. I want you to try to spot the pathway that animals would use to get to these berries.” Kagome looked around carefully. She finally spotted a place where a fallen tree was laying on the ground, covered in a layer of snow like everything else. There was a spot where there was a bit less snow, as though something small had climbed over the log, making an almost unnoticeable trail. She walked closer, but could not see any tracks.
“That’s really good, Kagome. You won’t always find actual tracks when fresh snow has fallen, but you still managed to find the game trail. Now we need to set a snare, so that the next time an animal uses the same route, you have a chance of trapping it. He produced a tiny bundle of what looked like fine cord, seemingly out of nowhere. He showed the cords to Kagome. They appeared to be very thin cables, finer than kite string.
“Will they be strong enough to hold anything, Kohaku?”
“They are bespelled. They will hold anything that gets caught up in them.”
“Kind of like that chain you had around my ankle, right, Kohaku?” He didn’t reply, but took out a knife and cut a long, thin stake to anchor the snare. Then he showed her how to tie the snare and set it up.
“You could choose to pick a few of the berries to bait the snare, or you can choose to leave it unbaited, since the animal will be traveling this path, anyway.”
“Let’s not bait it. It seems more fair to the animal, that way.” Kohaku smiled at her. She noticed the way the corners of his eyes crinkled up a little when he smiled. He was really cute, she thought.
As they continued their journey to town, they set quite a few more snares. Kohaku explained that there was no guarantee that each snare would catch anything, so it was best to set many.
Though he enjoyed the sight of Kagome having fun, he made sure that she remained on the lookout for danger, as well as good sources of firewood, and signs of game. He was training her in the ways of the wilderness in a lot gentler manner than he himself had been trained. Both his father and Sango had had a hand in his own training, and while Sango was kinder than his father, she followed the harsh customs of their tribe. Not for the first time, Kohaku was amazed that no one had bothered to teach Kagome how to take care of herself or physically defend herself. He knew Inuyasha had deliberately neglected her training and ignored her potential, seeming to want her to be dependent on him, but Sango and Miroku could have intervened, in his opinion. Now he found himself glad. He felt bad about drugging her, and binding her with the bespelled anklet, and it felt good to be able to do something to help her for a change.
Eventually they came to the town. Kohaku pulled a very thin, silk scarf from inside his uniform. He reminded Kagome of a magician from the modern era, the way he produced items from his seemingly skin-tight outfit. For years, she had packed her trusty yellow backpack with huge amounts of gear, somehow never realizing that there was no way the bag could possibly hold so much stuff. Only much later did she realize that she had unconsciously placed a spell on the bag, allowing items such as a full-size propane lantern to fit in the same space occupied by her sleeping bag, textbooks, bathing supplies, water bottles, pocky, candy, and ramen, ramen, and more ramen. Could the slayer’s uniform be similarly bespelled?
She held still and allowed Kohaku to drape the scarf artfully around her neck, tying it loosely so it covered her mating mark. She jerked away, however, when Kohaku tried to rub his face against the curve of her shoulder. She looked at him, offended. Kohaku frowned at her, then sighed. “Kagome, we need to place my scent on you. It won’t completely hide Sesshomaru’s scent, but I’m hoping it will be good enough to make our story believable.” This time she allowed it when he rubbed his cheek against her neck and shoulder, first one side, then the other. They went to the armorer, who directed them to the village tailor. The tailor happily agreed to make a uniform for Kagome. He summoned his wife, who skillfully measured Kagome, using a length of string while he scribbled down the measurements. The tailor told them how much the outfit would cost, and that it would be ready in two days’ time. The pair stopped to buy a small basket of eggs from a peasant woman, and left town without experiencing any problems.
Since they would be returning to town using the same route soon, Kohaku decided to leave the snares which had not trapped game in place. The first three snares they checked were not tripped. The fourth snare held a pheasant. It had been strangled by the snare. Kohaku was pleased with their success. The next few snares were empty. They were shocked when they came to the next snare, only to find they had trapped a young red fox. When the fox saw his captors, he let out an angry yip. “Stay back, Kagome.” Kohaku advanced toward the fox, saying “Shippou, is that you?” He gingerly grabbed the stake holding the snare in place, pulling it from the ground. The fox, its leg freed, suddenly transformed into an adolescent male fox demon. “Shippou!” Kagome cried out, throwing herself into his arms. She hadn’t seen Shippou in a few months, and he had grown several inches. The top of his head now reached her chin. He had changed so much from the little baby kit she had treated like her own child. She often wondered if he spent so much time away from Edo to avoid the unpleasantness between herself and Inuyasha. It was a very happy little group that made its way back toward their campsite. There was much talking and laughing, Shippou showing off the tricks and spells he had learned since they last saw him. Kagome decided she wanted to wait until dinner was over before she told him all that had happened in his absence.
They found a hare in the next snare. Kohaku took a few minutes to gut the pheasant and the hare and ready them for roasting, away from camp. He disposed of the offal a good ways away from the snare, which he re-set. If they had been planning on fishing soon, he would have saved it for bait. They were getting close to the cave, and Kohaku began gathering wood for the fire. He handed a few chunks to Kagome, carrying a much heavier load himself. Shippou managed to carry as much as the taller boy. As a demon, he was naturally stronger. When they got back to the cave, it was time for dinner. They got the fire going, using the embers that still glowed red beneath the ashes of this morning’s fire. Once the flames subsided they spitted the meat and roasted it, and ate it with some of the delicacies Kohaku had bought with Sesshomaru’s money as side dishes. They were all full, warm, and content. Kagome decided it was time to fill Shippou in on their recent adventures. She was concerned that he would be angry at her for leaving Inuyasha and mating with Sesshomaru. Shippou and Inuyasha had fought a lot, but Inuyasha was the closest thing the little fox had to a father. “Shippou, you know that Inuyasha and I haven’t been getting along very well for a long time, right?”
Shippou gave her a look that spoke volumes. “Well, duh.”
“He’s been spending a lot of time with Rin, and he’s decided he wants to be with her.” Kagome was trying to be as bland and noncommittal as possible.
“What?” Yelled the little kit. “What in the hell are you talking about?” This was going about as well as Kagome had expected. She steeled herself for what came next.
“Lord Sesshomaru offered to make me his mate, to protect my honor, and I accepted.” Shippou fell over in a dead faint. Kagome did her best to make Shippou comfortable, hoping that he could get a good night’s rest. Her mother always said that things looked brighter in the morning, she reflected.
The day had been so eventful that Kagome didn’t have a chance to miss Sesshomaru until she was laying by the fire, trying to get to sleep. It was moko-moko that reminded her that she was actually mated to the demon lord, she hadn’t thought about him once all day. She stroked moko-moko remorsefully, as if that would make up for being a bad mate. Kagome was a modern girl, and though the dissolution of her marriage to Inuyasha saddened her, she didn’t question her decision to start a new life without him. But maybe, in the heat of the moment, she had rushed into things with Sesshomaru. Kagome had admired Sesshomaru for a long time. Who wouldn’t? He was beautiful, powerful, and charismatic. Those weren’t the qualities that had caused her to accept his proposal, however. She had watched him evolve from a cold and seemingly evil demon lord, becoming humane and caring. He had saved her life several times, kept her from being raped by Mukotsu. The way she felt whenever he was near… the little priestess had never felt that way before.
She had seen the heated looks he gave her from time to time, but she had never thought he would want to enter into a lifetime commitment with her. And the term “lifetime commitment” came with its own set of issues. Sure, she was attractive now. She wasn’t vain, but she knew how people talked about her, and how males, both human and demon, looked at her. She didn’t take any personal credit for her looks. After all, she had inherited them from Kikyo. How would Sesshomaru see her when she turned 50, and he continued to look 19? She had more than enough power to go the dark miko route, like Tsubaki, and extend her youth, but that just wasn’t her style. Kagome shuddered at the thought. She had always known that Inuyasha was immortal, he was, after all, over 200 years old and still looked about 15. But somehow with Inuyasha, it hadn’t mattered all that much. She had an uncomfortable feeling that was because, though she had dreamed of being his mate since she was 15 years old, she had always known in her heart that they wouldn’t be together when she was 50.
There were other issues, too. Though Sesshomaru seemed to lead a solitary and nomadic existence, he was still the Lord of the Western Lands. Kagome knew she could never be happy surrounded by the demon court, or live in a marble palace, like Sesshomaru’s mother.
The situation was confusing, but even in her anxious state, Kagome had to admit that it was not all bad. She knew Sesshomaru cared about her. His tender, almost desperate words when he declared his love for her practically broke her heart, and the physical attraction they shared was so intense it almost scared her. She promised herself that, no matter how complicated the relationship got, that she would do anything it took to make things work out. Somewhat comforted by her resolution, she finally managed to drift off to sleep.