InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Knight Errant ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the other inhabitants of the fine story of Rumiko's that we all know and love. Yourouzoku - demon wolves. This chapter is dedicated to Amarathine, who gave me my thirtieth review! Thank you all so much.

“It's so good to be home.”

For not the first time since they'd left their newfound home at the Yourouzoku den Kagome found herself reflecting on those words that Shippou had spoken so happily. She'd almost left him there, her new friend Sashiko had offered to take care of him for her while she was away but Kagome just didn't feel right leaving him behind. She had discovered herself having a deep almost maternal affection for the Kitsune and she knew that she would have worried about him if he hadn't been within sensing distance from her. Perhaps next time she might let him stay and deepen his own bonds with the pack, which was something she was thinking about now that they were out on their search once more. Shippou deserved time with his new family and she … her thoughts took her in the direction that they often followed, the path that led her to think of him. Kouga. There wasn't a breath that she took that didn't have her missing him.

Her chocolate gaze took on a melancholy cast and she sighed softly, nearly missing the antics of InuYasha and Shippou. It was good for the hanyou to be in their company, he had opened up a little and while still gruff he was always ready to talk to Kagome if she had questions. Even if he seemed a little uncomfortable, she was able to tell that he was making an effort. That meant a lot to her, that her best friend would talk to her about the difficult things as well as those that were simple. She recalled quite clearly the conversation she'd had with him soon after they had left the den as a warm memory that she would never forget.

The fire had been burning low yet was still warm enough to keep the chill out of the late evening air and Kagome had finally decided to tell InuYasha the little speech that she'd been practicing inwardly all day. She took a breath and her sharp gaze had caught how InuYasha's ears had swiveled to catch the sound. She'd noticed that about him, that he seemed almost hyper aware of her moods whether it be by sound or body language and she wondered if it were a skill he learned from living at that village he protected in Kikyou's name or if it were more a matter of his youkai side's instinct. Regardless she knew that he was aware of her, and so she looked up at him and gave him an almost tremulous smile.

Almost overwhelmed again by the power of her emotions, it was that swiveling of ears that let her know that he was aware of her distress even as he tried to keep his expression neutral. Tears swam in her eyes a moment and she swallowed as she heard his soft vocalization of her name, said so gently, questioningly.

“I wanted to thank you, InuYasha. I saw what you did during the fight with the Birds of Paradise, when you saved Kouga. You ran across the whole battlefield, I saw you do it.”

She held up her hand as he began to protest, she'd known he'd do that and that she'd been able to predict that made her smile just a little, the tears vanishing with that smile.

“Please don't deny you did it, and I promise I'll never tell Kouga. I know you did it for me, and I want you to know that you are my best friend. I've never trusted a friend the way I do you, InuYasha. And I'll never forget what you did for me.”

He'd sputtered a bit, made a half-hearted protest, but in the end it had been a simple “Keh.” She knew he knew what she'd meant, and the look in those golden eyes made her smile at him again. It meant so much to her that he had done what he had done, and she meant what she had told him. She would never forget it, nor would her loyalty to him as a friend ever come into question in her heart.

Shippou's wail of protest caught her attention then and she looked up to see InuYasha chasing him around the campfire in a fashion that made her think for a second that he meant serious harm to the kit. Then she saw the gleam of humor hidden in his eyes and the half-hearted way he was actually chasing Shippou, letting him stay just ahead of his swiping hands. They were doing this to bring her out of her thoughts and focused on the now, rather than the past, and she loved them both for it. She berated InuYasha for chasing him and then Shippou for teasing InuYasha and then they all had a laugh about it before settling down to rest. They'd been traveling for days without a sign of a Shard and Kagome would wish each day that there would be a turn of their luck in the search.

Her dreams were filled with visions that night of how she hoped things would be, and they would leave her in a good mood upon awakening. She dreamed of a traditional Shinto wedding at first, her wedding kimono glorious and the crystals sparkling in her traditional hairstyle shining like diamonds and Kouga handsome in his black formal kimono with a wolf pelt belt and his sword at his side. Then her mind dreamed up a ceremony that youkai might participate in, with her in snow white pelts and polished silver armor and Kouga in black pelts and armor as a Yourouzoku elder bound their hands together with a cord that gleamed with youki power twined with the soft pink of her own priestess energy. The howls of the pack mingled with the applause of her family in that one, though she knew that wasn't possible. It was a dream though and so her mother was at both ceremonies, her grandfather standing in her father's place looking smug and proud despite his grandson-in-law being a full blooded demon.

From there her dreams moved through her first pregnancy and a series of nearly comedic scenes where she made Kouga, Shippou, InuYasha and any male within voice distance get her strange foods at weird hours of the night, Kouga of course being volunteered to go through the well for things like ice cream and pickled radish from her family's pantry. The dream ended just after she'd given birth to a son with a soft crop of ebon hair and eyes that were startling blue like his father's, just before she'd heard what his name was to be. Her heart ached a bit because she found she really wanted to know what Kouga would name their son, even though it was just a dream! But it made her smile for the rest of the morning and put a bounce in her step as they packed up the camp and began to get ready to move. She had gotten over missing her own clothes for now, though she had plans to get more the next time she was close enough to the well go home for a bit, and had become rather adept at fastening her own armor. Well, with Shippou's help at least she could get together in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes she wondered if she should try the fur footwraps that went with her outfit, but her shoes were probably a better idea at least for now, even though they were starting to look a bit worn.

InuYasha would sometimes carry her when she got too tired but she tried not to make a habit of it despite how thrilling it was to feel the wind in her face and her hair streaming behind her, Shippou clinging to her armor strap and laughing too. Another day or two should put them back in visiting distance of the den and Kagome found herself becoming more excited by the minute by that thought. It was that which had occupied her time when they were attacked, disrupting her thoughts of Kouga and wondering how her friend Sashiko and Shippou's little friend Aikiko were doing. One moment they were walking along a road and the next a shadow loomed out of the woods just as she felt that tingle in her mind that signaled the presence of a Shard.

“InuYasha!”

He'd sensed something as well, something that had masked itself nearly until it sprang up which worried him. Youkai obviously and strong to have that talent, but what need would a youkai so powerful need with a Shard of the Sacred Jewel? Greed perhaps was the motivator, as some creatures or humans for that matter were never satisfied by what they had and only wanted more. Either way Kagome moved aside as InuYasha sprang forward, her gaze almost unfocused as she took in the tall form of the sleek youkai in front of them. Her blank look amused the youkai, as if he felt assured that it was fear that made her so, his nostrils working as he took in her scent. Wolf, definitely wolf, but layered with kitsune and Inu-demon, and surprisingly human as well. She was dressed like a Yourouzoku female with full pelts and armor though her hair was loose and she wore strange foot coverings. She appeared to his other senses as a human girl despite her strange mixed scent and there was a hint of hidden power about her. It intrigued him enough that he held up a hand to the snarling half-demon before him who was brandishing a rather large sword.

“What are you, little one? You smell strongly of Yourouzoku, Kitsune, Inu, and ningen.”

InuYasha snarled at him, protective instincts rising to the fore even stronger as the youkai before him spoke to Kagome.

“Your fight is with me, leave her out of this.”

He stepped out of the shadow, though it was almost as if the shadow he stepped out of was his though that was impossible since it was so much larger than his form. Part of Kagome's mind made a connection between him and InuYasha's brother Sesshoumaru, knowing that this was not his true form and she knew that he was not using a Shard to increase his power. Her eyes widened a bit at this and she had turned to tell InuYasha that new information when the true attack began. Not that the powerful youkai had come to serve as a distraction, but rather another had used his appearance as an opportunity to attack. The smell heralded their arrival, hog like demons that bled pestilent flies when struck though they were not much of a match one on one to InuYasha, let alone the mysterious visitor. Blades of light danced from the tips of his claws and he hissed when one of them got too close to him, stepping back lest the creature bleed out on his scarlet robes. Corpses littered the forest path once the fight was finished, a few of the bloated pig demons burning from Shippou's fox fire or purified to ash by one of Kagome's arrows.

Kagome was the first to speak as silence descended on the scene, bowing slightly to the youkai which had first confronted and then aided them in thanks.

“Thank you for helping us. My name is Higurashi Kagome. May I ask why you are carrying a Shard of the Sacred Jewel?”

Shippou had crept up and bravely stood in front of her while she talked, puffing his chest out to make himself look larger. That brought an almost gentle smile to the youkai's lips, his emotions easily read. Evidently he made no effort to hide what he was feeling to them because he was obviously not viewing them as a threat. That made Kagome wonder if Sesshoumaru hid his emotions because he viewed his brother as a threat, or if he was simply that cold and emotionless for no reason. InuYasha sheathed Tessaiga, but crossed his arms to show his displeasure as he stood protectively near Kagome.

“You may call me Kiyoshi. I took this from someone that felt the need to attack me, I assure you he has no more use for it. I take it that you and your companions are seeking these Shards?”

Kagome nodded, blushing suddenly as she heard InuYasha mutter that their visitor `reeked of cats'. Her elbow met his ribs as she embarrassedly smiled at Kiyoshi who almost disinterestedly examined his retractable claws after the comment. His expression neutral he tossed the Shard to Kagome who caught it in surprise. It instantly purified, which made him raise a single dark brow. His now empty hands lifted to draw back his chestnut hair and tie it with a crimson ribbon that matched his robes, revealing the single dark magenta stripe that rode each cheekbone. Settling his robes once more he gave a minute nod to Kagome, ignoring InuYasha's almost subliminal growls for the moment.

“I like your manners, girl. So I will warn you that your group is not the only such seekers of the Sacred Shards. Others that may be less pure in their motives, others that will seek to hurt you, your kit, and your protector.”

Then in the capricious manner of all cats he grinned just slightly before stalking right up to Kagome and rubbing his cheek quickly against her own. Shippou bristled a bit at this and InuYasha's growl grew louder but Kiyoshi had already stepped back into his shadow by that point. Shippou sneezed and exclaimed loudly.

“Ugh! Now you smell like a neko!”

She threw up her hands and had to laugh. Wasn't that what brought Kiyoshi out in the first place, her strange mixed scent? Scooping up Shippou she walked away from the scene of the fight with the pig demons with a sense of urgency. The new shard was added to those around her neck with a silent thank you to their randomly encountered youkai and Kagome felt a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes it seemed that talking might gain them more than fighting, though she was wondering now just who else might be in search of the Jewel that warranted a more than usual warning. It was obvious that Kiyoshi had left out more than he revealed with his motives as unclear as that of any cat. But it must be something bad, Kagome figured, since he'd actually gone out of his way to mention it. Something bad, that was worse than the usual run of lesser youkai that sought the shards in order to increase their own power. She sighed, and glanced over at InuYasha and something about the grumpy expression on his face made her smile. He glanced over at her to see her smiling at him and his expression got confused and then annoyed.

“Oi wench, what are you starin' at?”

Kagome just laughed. Her amusement made him growl and with a huff he crossed his arms and walked ahead of her and Shippou. They continued to travel on and surprisingly later in the day they came across a snake youkai with a pair of shards embedded in its forehead. This fight took considerably longer than the fight with the pig demons had, and left Kagome thankful for the armor she wore. The snake had barreled past InuYasha as he swung his sword down to cleave it in two, the head ramming into her chest and sending her flying. She merely had the wind knocked out of her, but she knew if she'd been wearing her customary clothing she might have had a broken rib or two. She had heard both InuYasha and Shippou cry out her name as the snake demon crashed into the ground in pieces and InuYasha quickly dug out the shards from the snake's head before it could regenerate. She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes a moment.

In retrospect, she shouldn't have done that. With a startled cry her eyes went open again when she found herself in InuYasha's arms as he picked her up, Shippou worriedly running around them in a big circle. Despite her protests and wanting to move on InuYasha set up camp and made her rest. She watched him from across the fire as he sat brooding on a log, looking at anything but her. Surely he was upset that they'd had to stop before he was ready, and not wanting to hear how useless that made her she turned over on her blanket and closed her eyes. If only she knew what he was really thinking.

I almost lost her.

The half demon sat across from her at the camp, her impatience to move on was almost tangible but he'd refused to hear her protests. Deep down he knew she wanted to move on because they were almost back into the territory of the demon Wolves and he wasn't quite ready yet to face Kouga. But still the thought came back to him, he had almost lost Kagome because he wasn't fast enough. He'd thought that he could stop that snake before it struck her and he was wrong. Sure, he'd killed it in the end and collected its shards, but what difference would that have made if she'd really have been injured? She lay there quietly on her blanket looking so innocent and fragile, her armor removed and set aside, the warmth of her furs and the fire enough for now. She should be dressed in the finest silk kimonos, just like his mother had been. She was like a princess, despite her occasional bouts with klutziness, and there was just something about her that made him want to protect her and pamper her a little too.

Not that he'd ever admit it, no more than he would ever admit that he really had saved Kouga during that fight because he knew that if the Wolf Prince had died that Kagome would have been grief stricken and her tears were a powerful motivator for the half demon. What she had said to him had moved him deeply as well. Her friend, her best friend for that matter, and he turned over the feelings in his mind that those words inspired. He had many acquaintances from his time guarding the village it was true, people that he knew at least vaguely by name and on sight, but none that he had spent this sort of sustained contact with. Kagome. She was so very important to him, to everyone that she came into contact with, and he only wondered if she knew, if she could understand how much she meant to them, to him. She was his first real friend. He wondered as he looked over at her if that would be enough. If her happiness meant more to him than his own, and if he could just let her be with Kouga. Could he?

It was that thought which had him brooding as he watched over the camp while she finally slept, Shippou trying to help him guard but soon the young Kitsune was yawning widely before creeping over to snuggle at Kagome's back, curling up and soon he was deeply asleep. Golden eyes burned in the darkness as InuYasha let his melancholy take him for a few hours, by morning he'd be back to his normal gruff self. He loved Kagome and that would not change though he had not truly sat down and thought out just why he loved her. He still as well wasn't certain that he'd be able to let her be with Kouga without telling her the truth, but again he did not want to lose her friendship. That friendship was the most precious thing in his life, more precious than the dreams of what he would do once he held the completed Sacred Jewel in his hands at last. It made him moody and confused and that kept him silent as they continued on after breaking camp once the sun was up.

One ear swiveled to catch her sunny laughter, Shippou had brought her a flower and presented it to her with a flourish. She'd tucked it in her armor and picked the kit up and swung him around, and InuYasha let the ghost of a smile touch his mouth. Somehow she'd seen it and she smiled at him with one of those heartbreakingly warm smiles, the ones that he knew were just for him. By tonight or tomorrow at the latest they'd be within Kouga's territory and the wolf would be at her side, but for now he could pretend that the three of them were alone in the world. She was grinning at him now, and he had to keep up appearances, didn't he?

“Keh.”

AN: Next chapter, Kouga's surprise, and The Spider Heads! Thank you for all the reviews, it makes me smile to know you like my story so much!