InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Present Company ❯ Chapter 5

After three days of walking and keeping the others out of trouble, Sango finally made it back to the village of Edo. She was wondering what Miroku was up to, when suddenly he came running out of Kaede's hut.

 

“Sango!” he called, and caught her up in a big hug.

 

Totally confused, Sango hardly noticed as Miroku very blatantly put his hand where it should not be. She realized the situation quickly though, and smacked him accordingly.

 

“Aw, come on. I've been waiting 3 days to do that!” He said, still smiling. He put his hands on either side of her face, growing serious. “I was worried about you. I'm so glad you're ok.”

 

“You were worried about me?” She asked, her own tone light. “I was half sick that you would be chatting up every maid in the village!”

 

“Actually, he has behaved exceptionally well, from what my sister tells me of his reputation.” Kikyo came out of the hut, looking significantly less gloomy than usual. She looked at the group, and then frowned a little. “Kagome is not with you?” she asked.

 

“No, I thought she was with you.”

 

“Where is Sesshomaru-sama?” Rin asked impatiently.

 

“He isn't with us either,” Miroku said apologetically. The adults all looked at each other, serious.

 

“I will go tell InuYasha. He will be upset.” Kikyo offered.

 

“That's an understatement,” Sango said under her breath as Kikyo walked away.

 

Rin looked confused. “Why would InuYasha be upset that Kagome was with Sesshomaru?” she asked naively.

 

Sango smiled a little, realizing she may have backed herself into a corner. “Well, InuYasha doesn't trust his brother, and may not think he would take care of her properly,” she answered honestly.

 

Rin thought about that a moment. “But he takes really good care of me. I bet Kagome's a lot easier to take care of, since she's a grownup and can fight.”

 

“Hmph. No kidding.” Jaken agreed.

 

“Yeah, well, Sesshomaru isn't exactly the nicest person around,” Shippo interjected, always the candid one.

 

“I don't know,” Kohaku said, still quiet. “He did spare my life, with little reason to.”

 

Sango nodded, “But InuYasha is very—”

 

SLAP.

 

“What is your problem, Monk?” Sango demanded of Miroku.

 

He laughed. “I'm sorry, I can't help myself. I'm just not used to feeling with this hand!” He thought Sango would smack him again, but instead she picked up his right arm.

 

“Oh, that's right, I totally forgot!” she turned his hand over, looking at the bare palm. She gasped. “It scarred!”

 

“Yeah,” Miroku said, “Kikyo says it's from the shouki. She's got one too.”

 

“Cool! Lemmy see!” Kohaku said, and Shippo rushed to poke it as well.

 

 

 

InuYasha was dragged out of his thoughts by a familiar-but-not-familiar scent. He looked up. “Oh hey, Kikyo. What's up?”

 

Kikyo smiled a little. “Sango and some of the others have returned.”

 

InuYasha made to stand up, but Kikyo held out a hand. “Kagome is not with them.”

 

“Oh.” InuYasha relaxed a little.

 

“Neither is Sesshomaru.”

 

“What?!” InuYasha stood up, but then sat back down when he realized there was nothing he could do. “Well, this is just great. If he so much as lays a claw on her I'll… I'll rip his other arm off! See how he likes that!”

 

Kikyo's eyebrows shot up. “You really care for her, don't you?”

 

“Well, yeah. She is my friend. I'd do the same for any of the others, and they'd do the same for me.”

 

Kikyo doubted they would pick that particular method, but was intrigued by what InuYasha had just said. “The others told me you had a special relation. They were convinced that the two of you had some feelings between you.”

 

InuYasha shifted uncomfortably. “I don't know. She always made me think of you, and well… you know. But she's so bossy! She gets real impatient with me and tells me to Sit all the time, and that really pisses me off.”

 

Kikyo smiled, and placed a hand on the well to sit next to him. As she sat, however, her hand slid, and she hissed as a sliver went into her thumb.

 

“Here.” InuYasha took her hand, and deftly plucked the sliver out. A little red drop formed, and InuYasha looked for something to bandage it before stopping suddenly.

 

“Kikyo…”

 

Kikyo yanked her hand back, as if trying to hide it.

 

“What did you wish when you purified the jewel?” he asked, a suspicious note in his voice.

 

Kikyo sighed, and stared at the small prick of blood on her finger. “I wished that everyone would have what was best for them. It was the most selfless thing I could think of. I never expected to survive the purification, and I had no idea it would make me… alive.”

 

InuYasha's eyes went wide, and he realized suddenly that she no longer smelled of graveyard dirt. However, she didn't smell the same as she had before. “So, you're human again??”

 

She shook her head. “I don't eat much and I hardly sleep. I'm not human… I'm … something else.”

 

“Like a yokai?” He asked.

 

She frowned. “Something like that. Except purer. I can still shoot sacred arrows and otherwise act as a priestess, but things are… different.”

 

InuYasha went silent, for once mulling things over in his head. Kikyo was alive, and more like a yokai than a human. Kagome was who knew where with Sesshomaru. Did this have to do with Kikyo's wish? What was best for him, he wondered? What was best for Kagome? And what about Kikyo? He stared at the once-dead girl, wondering what the Shikon no Tama had intended, and what the future held for all of them.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AN

 

Because I hate it when authors of Sess x Kag stories kill InuYasha to get him out of the way.