InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Awakening ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

 

Chapter 6: Awakening

 

His legs refused to move. Miroku could not make himself walk past the guards and through the doorway. I am a monk, he chanted silently to himself. I can do this. Just walk through that door. It's no big deal. It's not like she's going to bite me or try to kill me or--

 

Inuyasha shoved him hard with a hand between his shoulder blades. “Get a move on, bouzou. We don't have all night.”

 

Miroku stumbled, caught himself, and directed a half-hearted glare at his youkai companion. When this was all over, he would have to have a long discussion with Inuyasha about the virtues of patience.

 

The old miko muttered something less than flattering under her breath and grabbed Miroku's wrist in her talon-like fingers, her nails digging into the soft skin. Miroku winced and followed her rather than take the risk that she might dislocate his arm by dragging him after her. The guards regarded the strangely mixed group dubiously, moving their weapons into a more battle-ready position.

 

“They're here to break the curse,” the old miko snapped. “Don't interfere.” Whatever the guards' orders might have been, they obviously knew better than to anger the woman. They resumed their posts on either side of the door, carefully ignoring the various youkai.

 

Shippou poked one of them in the leg and, when there was no reaction, grew bolder. “Hey, look at this! They're like statues.” He made a grotesque face and hopped on one foot. “Nyah, nyah! This is--ouch!” Inuyasha snatched him off the floor by his tail, and dropped him in Kagome's arms with one more bump on his head.

 

“What'd you do that for?” the kit wailed, hands clasped over his newest hanyou-inflicted bump. “That hurt! Kagome, Inuyasha's being mean to me again!” He turned large, tear-filled eyes up to the girl's face to find that she was actually frowning at him.

 

Miroku noticed a small smirk on Inuyasha's face. It was rare that the kitsune kit would get in trouble for anything he did--from chewing on Inuyasha's ears to over salting the stew when he tried to help with dinner. Even when Shippou deliberately goaded Inuyasha, Miroku wisely never interfered. Kagome fell for the tears and cute face every time, and refused to listen when her companions tried to explain the nature of a trickster.

 

“That wasn't very nice, Shippou.” The kit's eyes grew round in shock and the tears mysteriously disappeared. “Things are edgy enough with the hime being possessed. You don't need to make it worse with your teasing.”

 

“I'm sorry, Kagome.” More tears filled the kit's eyes, probably real this time. With the death of his father and his adoption into the group by Kagome and Inuyasha, he had come to rely on them to replace the parental figure he had lost. Kagome's good opinion meant more to him than anything.

 

“That's okay.” Kagome reassured him with a hug, and then turned her attention to the hanyou nearby. “But you didn't need to hit him, Inuyasha. Apologize.”

 

Inuyasha immediately bristled. “I am not apologizing to that brat! He deserved it!” He pointedly turned his back on her and stuck his nose in the air.

 

Kagome opened her mouth and Miroku was sure that the hanyou was in for a really painful sit. By the stiffness in his posture, Inuyasha probably expected it too.

 

“Fine.” Everyone in the room from the guards to the old miko (with the exception of the unconscious hime) flinched at the controlled coldness in Kagome's tone. “But until you apologize, I'm not fixing you any more ramen.”

 

“What?!” Inuyasha whipped around to stare at her. “You can't do that!” Kagome could have threatened to take away Tetsusaiga and gotten a less horrified response.

 

“You heard me.”

 

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I'm not apologizing.” Miroku rolled his eyes and prayed for patience. Why did Inuyasha and Kagome pick now to have a power struggle?

 

Kagome opened her mouth, but Sango stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I agree that Inuyasha was being rude, but maybe this isn't the best time or place to have this discussion.”

 

For a long moment, nobody moved. Then Kagome relaxed and directed a general smile at everyone except Inuyasha. “You're absolutely right, Sango. I'll get that apology from Inuyasha later.” The hanyou in question flattened his ears slightly, but didn't say anything.

 

Miroku sighed in relief. He wondered if his youkai companion was deliberately goading the girl. The “date” thing probably bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Of course, if Inuyasha was a little nicer, Kagome most likely wouldn't feel the urge to spend time with other boys.

 

Carefully composing himself, Miroku looked around the room for the first time. It was distressingly bare, with no windows or decorations and a plain shoji screen separating it from another room. There was only a simple futon with a bucket of water and a cloth sitting next to it. A soft cushion for sitting rested on the floor on the other side of the futon.

 

At first glance, the hime appeared to be asleep. She lay very still, covered by an intricately embroidered sheet. Only the slight rise and fall of her chest betrayed that she still lived. Then Miroku looked at her face.

 

His breath caught. She was beautiful with a gentleness of spirit that was apparent even though she slept. A few strands of soft black hair trailed across her brow from where they had escaped the confines of her veil. Miroku felt sure that if her eyes were to open in that instant, they would be as violet as his. For the first time since discovering the difference between boys and girls there was no stirring of lechery in his heart. All he wanted was to make everything better and then make sure nothing could harm his beloved sister ever again.

 

“Will you need any assistance, Lord Monk?” The old woman's question reminded him that there was still work to do. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

 

“That won't be necessary,” he reassured her. “My companions are more than capable of providing me with anything I might need.”

 

She directed a sharp look at him and seemed about to say something. Instead, she nodded. “Very well. I will wait outside with the guards. You have until the sun sets tomorrow night to break the curse. You know what will happen should you fail.” With those last words of “comfort,” she bowed briefly to all of them and left the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

 

“Good riddance,” Inuyasha growled, glaring at the closed door. “We don't need some interfering dried up old prune hovering over us. Let's hurry up and get this over with.”

 

“What's wrong with you lately, Inuyasha?” Kagome demanded. “First your rough treatment of Shippou and now you're being inexcusably rude. Explain yourself.”

 

The hanyou flattened his ears and turned his glare on Kagome. “All right, Ka-go-me. There is something going on and I think you know what it is. You--“

 

“Tomorrow night's the new moon,” Miroku interrupted hastily. “You know how cranky he gets.” The last thing anybody needed right now was for those two to indulge in another pre-relationship fight. “Not now,” he whispered out of the side of his mouth, certain that the hanyou's sensitive hearing would pick up the words. Inuyasha grunted, but didn't say anything.

 

Kagome's face underwent a complete transformation. A mortified blush spread across her cheeks. “I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. With all that's happened recently, I guess I forgot.”

 

“Keh.”

 

“We're losing precious time,” Sango reminded them.

 

Miroku immediately crouched down beside Kimiko to examine her, this time looking for anything out of the ordinary. The dark barrier surrounding her had grown noticeably stronger within the small amount of time they had been in the room. Her skin, pale even beyond what could be considered normal, had a waxy look to it. Her breathing, too deep for mere sleep, remained unchanged. He reached down to touch her face. There was a large crackle of energy and the barrier pulsed wildly for a moment. Miroku snatched his hand back with a startled cry.

 

Kagome gasped. “I can sense the shard. I can't tell exactly where it is, but it's somewhere near her head.”

 

Miroku sat back on his heels. “Okay. I'm pretty sure this is a type of parasitic youkai that feeds on the energy created by living beings. Usually they are small and weak, unable to subdue anything larger than a dog. This one obviously found a shard and is using that to boost its power. With Kimiko as its host, it feeds off of anyone who comes too near.”

 

He stood up and walked in a circle around Kimiko, brow furrowed in concentration. “The priests and priestesses who tried to drive it out only succeeded in making it stronger. Look, you can see that the barrier has grown. Soon, it will be able to drain everyone in the castle and then it will be too powerful to stop.”

 

“How do we stop the blasted youkai without feeding it and making it even stronger?” Inuyasha moved his hand to grip the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Miroku didn't think the hanyou was stupid enough to use his sword in a confined space, but he hastened to outline his plan.

 

“We need to draw it out.”

 

“How?” Shippou edged closer to the barrier only to be snatched up by Kagome. The poor girl was shaking and looked deathly pale. As sensitive as she was to shards and tainted auras, this must be torture for her.

 

Sango shifted the weight of Hiraikotsu on her back. She had probably brought the weapon out of habit. In the limited space, she wouldn't be able to swing the huge bone without risk of hitting someone. “That's where you come in, Inuyasha.”

 

“Huh?” Surprise flitted across the hanyou's face.

 

“You are the strongest fighter here,” she explained. “I have never dealt with this type of youkai. My father mentioned them during lessons, but they were believed to be extinct. The only way to evict them from their chosen host is to offer them an even stronger one.”

 

Miroku nodded. “That's right. This particular youkai has grown strong enough that it is sure to be cocky. If it senses a stronger soul nearby that is suitable, it will abandon its current host. Of course, then we have only a limited amount of time to destroy it before it can move on to a new host or return to the old one.”

 

“Can't you destroy it without all of this useless dancing around?” Inuyasha loosened his grip on his sword, but, from the nervous twitching of his ears, didn't look too eager to be a part of this new plan.

 

Miroku sighed. “I probably could, with a lot of preparation and a lot of time--none of which we have--but it would kill Kimiko in the process.”

 

Inuyasha glanced slowly around the silent group, looking at Kagome last. She was holding the kit again who was nibbling nervously on one claw and staring at the hime. Her face held hope and complete trust in the hanyou and the rest of her companions. Miroku would have found it hard to refuse Kagome anything if she looked at him like that, and wasn't surprised when Inuyasha's ears drooped slightly, indicating his surrender.

 

“Let's get this over with. Where do you want me to stand, bouzou?”

 

Miroku relaxed the tiniest bit. One of the hardest parts was convincing Inuyasha to follow any kind of a plan. Attack until the enemy was destroyed seemed to be his favorite, no matter the damage inflicted on the surroundings.

 

Quickly, the companions took positions in a rough circle around the unconscious hime against the edges of the room. After only brief thought, Miroku told Hachi to stand in the corner where he would be least likely to get in the way. The raccoon-dog pressed himself against the wall, whimpering to himself.

 

Kirara transformed into her fighting form without being asked. She butted her head against Miroku in rough sympathy and took up a position watching the hime the same way she would watch a mouse. Shippou stood next to Kagome, biting his lip and trembling, though he did his best to look brave.

 

Miroku crouched next to Kimiko's head. Slowly, he extended one hand until it was almost touching the barrier. The hard part would be convincing the youkai to leave its nice, safe host and make a dash for Inuyasha. The hanyou in question flexed his claws from his spot near the hime's feet, his amber eyes fixed unwaveringly on her face.

 

Chanting the words taught to him long ago by Mushin, Miroku sensed the energy gathering. He allowed the spiritual energy to fill his body, letting it flow through his fingertips. He sensed, rather than saw, the dark barrier rippling as the energy made it faintly restless. By now, it should begin to realize that a stronger soul was nearby. With a little more nudging, the youkai wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity.

 

The dark barrier flared as the youkai made its move. Something shadowy and vaguely snake-like shot from the hime's mouth. Its strong jaws, filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth gaped wide in a fierce hiss. The hiss turned to a scream as Inuyasha's claws sliced into the tough hide.

 

Possession of a shard granted the creature greater power. By no means destroyed, it writhed and abruptly changed its target.

 

Kagome shouted something and fumbled with her bow and arrow. Shippou gave a high-pitched growl and leaped forward. Tripping over his own paws, he stumbled into Kagome's legs. They both crashed to the ground while the youkai continued to streak towards the girl.

 

Miroku's eyes widened as he watched helplessly. He, Sango, and Kirara were too far away to reach her in time. Hachi gave a muffled squeak and promptly fainted.

 

The dark lust on the youkai's face changed belatedly to surprise. Inuyasha stood protectively in front of Kagome--claws ready to slash again if needed--as the two halves of the creature hit the floor on either side of him. Kagome's chest heaved with relief (Miroku decided that she should do that more often) and reached down to pry the frightened kit off her leg. Shippou whimpered, eyes still tightly shut, and clung even tighter.

 

“You can let go now, Shippou,” Kagome said. “Inuyasha destroyed the youkai.”

 

Inuyasha hoisted the kit into the air by the back of his kimono, ignoring Kagome's pained yelp as sharp baby claws scratched her skin. “Kagome nearly got possessed because of you!”

 

Shippou twisted, trying to kick or bite the enraged hanyou. “It's your fault! You didn't kill it with the first blow!”

 

For a split second, Miroku saw guilt and fear on Inuyasha's face. Immediately he hid his feelings in normal Inuyasha fashion.

 

“What were you trying to do?” he sneered. “I thought you promised to protect Kagome, not knock her down and almost get her possessed!”

 

Shippou went limp, and then began to wail. “I didn't mean to! Kagome's going to hate me!” Inuyasha dropped him with a snort of disgust, and didn't quite restrain a growl of jealousy when Kagome immediately gathered the kit into her arms.

 

“Everything's fine, Shippou.” She stroked his soft red hair and wiped away his tears. “Inuyasha killed it and I wasn't hurt. I could never hate you.”

 

“Lord Monk.” Miroku jumped when he felt Sango's hand on his shoulder. “The youkai is gone, but your sister doesn't awaken.”

 

The dark barrier had vanished with the destruction of the youkai, but Kimiko still looked the same.

 

Could the tainted shard still be inside her? “Kagome-sama, have you located the shard?”

 

Kagome poked gingerly at the youkai remains. “It's right here.” With the young miko's touch, the dark glow of the shard turned to one of purity.

 

Kimiko had been under the control of the youkai for weeks. The dark energy wouldn't easily release her. Miroku felt a touch of desperation. Her body and soul would have to be purified.

 

Kirara, back in kitten form, wiggled in front of him to peer anxiously into Kimiko's face. She mewed before turning to look at him. Communication with the firecat wasn't always easy, but the plea in that cry was quite clear.

 

Spiritual power still sang through his body. If not used soon, it would dissipate. Following a prompting he wasn't entirely aware of; Miroku focused his energy and leaned over Kimiko.

 

Softly, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, the kind given by a parent to a child or a brother to a sister. Nothing mattered in that moment as the sense of his companions faded to the edge of his awareness. His lips tingled as they touched her chilled skin. Color returned to her cheeks, her heartbeat increased, and her breathing changed. Sitting back on his heels, Miroku waited.

 

With a breathy sigh, Kimiko's eyes opened.

 

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One more chapter should finish this fic. And then I will start work on `All of Me' again. As always: comments are welcome.

 

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Food for thought: Sometimes I make up my mind, other times my mind wanders, and every so often I lose track of it entirely.