InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mahou no Hikage ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Mahou no Hikage

By Karete-chan

Chapter 1:

As usual, golden eyes stared forcefully into blue-grey, awaiting the only outcome that this method had achieved. The other members of their party sighed, rolled their eyes and sat down to watch. InuYasha smirked and braced himself. The blue-grey eyes narrowed and moved closer.

"Osawri!" hissed Kagome.

InuYasha hit the ground hard as Kagome spun around, grabbed her oversized backpack and stalked off between the trees.

"Wench! Get back here!" he growled into the dirt, shaking a fist in the opposite direction she had walked.

"No!" she yelled back over her shoulder. "I'm going home!" She marched away, nose in the air.

Picking himself up off the ground InuYasha took off after her. Sango absently batted Miroku on the head with her boomerang as his hand crept towards her, not taking her eyes off the afternoon show. Shippou giggled.

Kagome stopped short on the forest path as InuYasha jumped down from a tree in front of her.

"You're not going anywhere," he said, arms crossed.

She looked up at him. "Osawri." After he slammed to the ground she purposefully stepped on his back - knowing it wouldn't really hurt him, except his pride, which she wasn't really too fussed about at the moment - and continued walking down the path and out into the clearing, towards the Bone Eaters well. "I haven't seen my family in a week and not one shard has come anywhere near us in that time. I'm behind at school, I'm going home."

As she climbed up on the lip of the well she wondered why she always felt that she had to explain herself to him. It wasn't like he owned her and she knew very well that if he really wanted to find the other shards he could just go and find Kikyo. It was just that she felt…well, obligated to help him. Shattering the Shikon no Tama hadn't really been her fault; she'd only been trying to help after all. She frowned. But she was the one that woke him up and freed him from the god tree; (like Kikyo would've ever done that) he should feel obligated to help her. Yes, she thought, he should be helping her and that included letting her go back so that she didn't fail high school. She turned, wobbling under the weight of her pack, just as she was about to jump.

He was standing on the edge of the forest, watching her. His arms were crossed over his fire rat clothing again and he looked really pissed off. She sighed. He just didn't understand what it was like having to live almost two completely different lives. Her kaasan understood, thank goodness, and her grandfather tried to help (though she wished he wouldn't) but here in feudal Japan, InuYasha just couldn't or wouldn't see her life both ways. Kagome almost felt sorry for him. His ears twitched as they continued to stare at each other. Her face broke out into a smile; she loved it when they did that.

"Ja ne!" she called as she jumped into the well.

InuYasha stood there utterly confused. The corners of Sango's mouth twitched as she appeared from beneath the trees. She and Miroku moved to stand next to their clueless hanyou friend but unfortunately the monk didn't see the boomerang coming until it was too late.

~*~

Souta was waiting at the edge of the well when Kagome landed back in her time. She grinned up at him as he turned around from his perch on the old wood structure.

"Good timing!" she called. "Did kaasan send you?" she asked, knowing full well how much he disliked the old well house.

Crossing his arms he glared down at her. "Yes, I was sent to be lookout."

Kagome scrunched up her face in puzzlement.

"Hojo's here."

Kagome groaned and only just saved herself from whacking herself in the head. A large, glaring, red mark would be the last thing she needed. "Didn't gramps get rid of him?"

"He tried but kaasan caught him and invited Hojo in for lunch."

Her hand twitched and Kagome wondered if she could pass it off as a rash.

Souta's eyes did a quick sweep of the dark corners. "Can we leave now?" he asked.

Ducking out of the well house and around the back of the main part of the house, Kagome and Souta let themselves in through the back door.

"Hojo thinks you're upstairs sleeping off a fever and that I'm at a friend's house," Souta whispered. He ducked over and peeped through the kitchen door. "All clear. They must be in the front room."

Tiptoeing they reached the stairs and climbed up, remembering to skip the step that creaked. Below they could hear their mother talking animatedly to the older boy. Hojo's answer was drowned out as Kagome closed her bedroom door behind her.

"This is all I need," Kagome muttered, sinking down onto her bed.

"You? I'm the one having to pretend they're not here. At least you can make some noise," Souta pouted.

"Good point." Kagome dumped her oversized pack on the floor. "Go be quiet in your room. I need a shower."

Souta opened the door and slipped out. "I was wondering when you were going to realise that."

~*~

The staff of heads thudded into the dirt as Jaken trailed behind his master. Rin scrambled over rocks and old logs sometimes running ahead of the group, sometimes behind if she found something to occupy herself with. At the moment though she was jumping around Jaken trying, none too discreetly, to attach flowers to him.

"Insufferable human," he grumbled, shaking off the latest bunch. "What is your obsession with these stupid plants?"

He was greeted with a gaped toothed smile. "Jaken smells bad so Rin is trying to help."

"I don't smell bad you stupid human," the toad youkai burst out, swinging his staff out at the young girl. He was stopped by a heavy weight on his head as Sesshomaru put his foot down.

"Rin, cease this foolish behaviour." The little girl's face fell. "But she is correct Jaken. You do smell."

Rin broke out into a brilliant smile as Sesshomaru turned, his long silver hair sweeping behind him, and continued on his way. As they entered the forest that bordered the edge of the southern and western lands Rin trotted happily after him, singing an old tune that the Taiyokai was surprised he recognised. He mused about how easy it was to keep her occupied. All the other human brats he had seen, and even some of the older ones, did not have the…the copious amounts of innocent curiosity that were found in his little dark haired ward. Nor did they have the bravery to approach him.

The trees were old in this part of the forest; they bent and swayed slightly in the breeze because of their great weight. AhUn had to walk with bowed heads to prevent them from getting tangled in the low hanging mossy vines. Sesshomaru idly cut them out of his way as he walked and Rin made a game of watching her step as they fell to the ground. Jaken grumbled as he went, clutching the staff of heads tighter in his small fists and complaining when the much taller staff caught in centuries old branches.

This was part of the western lands that Sesshoumaru hardly ever deemed worthy to patrol. The forest, being bordered by his strongest ally, or rather, one of the ruling youkai who happened to fear him the most, was considered to be safe passage to most. Both human and Youkai alike generally avoided the place because of the rumours of the creatures that lurked deep within the darkness. Things that magic had wronged. Yet no one who had ever passed through there had come to any harm. Sesshoumaru had seen to those creatures hundreds of years ago. It just went to show the strength of a good rumour.

~*~

Kagome spent the rest of her afternoon studying for her maths test. Notes were spread across her desk in a system that seemed only applicable to her. Every now and then her head would lift from the text she was reading to cross-reference with something written in her own hand writing. After two hours she slammed the book shut, muttering how she hated indices and went on with her science assignment.

An hour after that, Hojo finally left.

Kagome sighed as she heard the front door slide shut and ran from her room. Her mother looked up in surprise as she entered the kitchen and made a beeline straight for the fridge.

"You'll ruin your dinner."

The young girl looked up in surprise. "What? No hello?" she asked, from around a mouthful of apple.

"Sorry," her kassan replied, "mother reflexes. When did you get back?"

"Around lunch. Didn't you hear the shower come on?" Kagome stuck her head back in the fridge.

Her mother smiled softly and turned back to preparing dinner. "We, well, I thought it was Souta, trying to make your illness look authentic."

"Souta's ten, he doesn't think that far ahead." Kagome shut the fridge. "There's nothing to eat in here."

"Wait half an hour and you can eat dinner. In the meantime, set the table."

"Ah, the normalcy of not getting covered in youkai goo."

Her mother looked around in alarm. "When did that happen?"

~*~

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Why can't Rin hear any birds?"

Squashing the urge to correct her for talking in the third person he answered, "There are none."

"Why?"

He did not answer and the child fell silent, their footsteps once again the only sound in the age-old forest.

After awhile Sesshoumaru's thoughts turned down their usual path. Though he knew by now that his efforts to obtain his half-brother's sword would only serve to annoy the hanyou, his dream of having the insolent whelp die by his hand still featured highly on his things-to-do list. But he would have to wait. The other hanyou, Naraku, would come first. He, for the moment, was the far more dangerous threat. Sesshoumaru glanced down at the small girl on his heels. Naraku had taken her once. The Taiyoukai would not allow it to happen again. Nor would he allow himself to fall for the half-youkai's tricks.

More often too he had been hearing about the dead miko. It seemed her reputation was growing among the ningen in the area. Once again she had moved on, most likely because her cover as the caring priestess she used to be had been threatened in some way. It was still a mystery as to whose side she was actually on. Safe to say that he was sure it wasn't his.

Sesshoumaru stopped short as a distant sound broke the silence of the forest.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken enquired.

"Stay here," he instructed before veering from the forest path and disappearing between the trees.

It didn't take him long to find the source of the sound. He smelt them long before he happened upon the hidden hot spring. His golden eyes narrowed as he watched the female ningen splash awkwardly around in the heated water.

Sesshomaru stepped from behind the bushes. The reaction he was hoping for wasn't immediate. The females were too preoccupied with having that ningen thing called `fun'. A breeze passed through the area causing his hair to shift slightly. The movement caught the eye of one. The other females in the water continued to giggle and splash around until they noticed their companion's pale and staring face.

"What's wrong?" asked one as she turned. Her eyes went wide and she gasped at the sight of the Taiyoukai. As she stepped away from him she slipped in the water.

Sesshomaru made no move but glared at them and then at their male companions as they appeared from the bushes on the other side of the spring, in answer to the sudden silence of their women.

"Youkai…" he heard one breathe.

He let the demon rise up inside him, making his eyes flash red. One of the females screamed before the whole group fled from the spring, back down the newly trodden path towards their village; he could smell the vile aroma from here.

"Hey! Hey, where are you going?" a voice called to the fleeing humans. There was a rustling in a gnarled tree across the river, and then a thump and Sesshoumaru watched as some leaves fluttered to the ground. "Hey!" Another human stepped out from behind the old tree. "What's the matter? Where are you going?" She turned around. "Oh!"

Sesshomaru glared at her.

The girl smiled. "I'm sorry, they scare easily." She pointed back towards her village. "If you are looking for the village, it's down that way. Just follow the trail of destruction my companions left."

Though his stoic mask didn't change, Sesshomaru was surprised. She didn't seem to be afraid. She was even being kind towards him. His eyes took in her appearance; she was tall, her long black hair was pulled into a lengthy plait and she wore a simple kimono with flowers on the sleeves. She didn't seem to be any different from her companions apart from the fact that he had never seen any villagers that wore embroidered kimonos for a trip to a spring.

"These are my lands," he growled at her.

Her eyes widened a fraction. "Oh, gomen ne," she said bowing. Her plait fell over her shoulder. "I did not realise. I…"

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin burst through the bushes. He glared at her and she quieted immediately.

"Kawaii," he heard the girl across the spring say. "Konbonwa, little one," she added, bowing again.

Rin noticed the girl and stepped so that she was half hidden by Sesshomaru's pants. The Taiyokai sighed inside, now that Rin was here he couldn't kill the insolent human.

"Get off my lands," he growled at her.

The girl's brow furrowed but she nodded nonetheless. "Hai, of course Lord. I will just gather my things."

"No," he growled. "Get off my lands. I do not want to see you within my boundaries by nightfall."

The girl stopped and now looked suitably worried. "Boundaries?"

Faster than she could follow he was across the spring, mere centimetres from her face. Her eyes flew wide in fear as she took in his markings and the red tint in his eyes.

"Past the village and beyond the large river. Be over it by nightfall or I will find and kill you." It was a lie, his boundaries lay quite a short distance away, but he found it annoying that she and her companions had broken the quiet of the forest, especially since their village lay in the southern lands.

She stumbled and fell as she backed away from him. "But…but my home…the others…"

"Had the intelligence to run." He extended his claws, dripping with poison. "Do you?"

She uttered a small cry as she turned and ran, stumbling as her foot caught on her kimono, before disappearing down the path, pushing branches out of her way as she went.

~*~

He didn't like it when Kagome-sama left. Though the tension in the group lessened slightly, the awkwardness always increased. Miroku sighed. There was only one topic that they could all carry a lengthy conversation on and lately they had all been trying their hardest not to bring it up at all.

When anyone did, InuYasha would spend hours muttering to himself about how much he hated Naraku, Sango would brush off any comments that surrounded her brother and they would all stare at his hand before looking away in embarrassment.

And it was only that way because it seemed that no matter what they tried, Naraku was always one step ahead of them.

Miroku looked at his companions. The flickering light from Kaede's hearth cast their faces in alternating dark and light. Sango was asleep already; Kirara curled up by her side. Kaede was visiting a neighbouring village and InuYasha just stared resolutely into the fire. Miroku knew he was biding his time until he could go and fetch Kagome-sama without the miko cursing him for being too early.

Kirara sat up suddenly and hissed, his small fire-cat eyes glinting in the light. InuYasha's ears perked up before he moved swiftly to the door.

"InuYasha?" he questioned.

The hanyou stood silently for a moment. "There's nothing there now. Must have been a lesser youkai passing by the village." He returned to his seat against the far wall.

Miroku watched him for a while before lying down and trying to sleep. Threat or no, he always felt better when Kagome-sama was there.