InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ Finding (Trouble) ( Chapter 40 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.09.2009 | Updated On: 02.06.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 8.5K | Visits: 3.1K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.09.2009 | Updated On: 02.06.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 8.5K | Visits: 3.1K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
Finding (Trouble)
Kagome rose with the sun and resumed her journey, periodically stopping to make sure she was still heading in the right direction. Viewing their bond had a therapeutic effect in addition to the practical one. It often produced the sole moments of peace in her day, when she would forcefully clear her mind of the stressful thoughts which otherwise swirled around inside. At those times when she could feel Inuyasha’s presence, she could almost forget about all their troubles. Then she would drop her focus, and reality would set in and make her want to find him more than ever.
It was mid-afternoon when a very distinctive odor reached her nose and stopped her in her tracks. Sniffing, she realized the smell was coming from up ahead, at about a forty-five degree angle from her current course. She debated with herself for a moment, but decided to investigate the scent. It was only a small detour, and she could not ignore such a strong stench of death and decay. But nothing could have prepared her for the carnage her eyes bore witness to when she entered the meadow. The once pristine stretch of grass was littered with body parts, the remains of some poor creature literally torn to pieces. Kagome wandered through the battlefield, wondering what could have done this, though a feeling of uneasiness settled in her belly at one possible answer. That this happened so close to the route Inuyasha must have taken…
She froze, unable to breathe as she recognized a piece of the carcass. The dark blue globular eye, once filled with predatory malice, stared lifelessly back at her. She would never forget those eyes as long as she lived; they still haunted her at night, bringing nightmarish memories of a fateful battle that always ended the same way. Now the array of colors on some of the other pieces made sense. There was no doubt; the remains belonged to the monster which had ruined her life. Resuming her march, she had just determined to leave this place at once when the faintest of scents caught her attention. She thought she was imagining things for a moment, but another inhale confirmed the smell of Inuyasha’s blood. It took several minutes of effort, but she eventually tracked the scent to a small stain on the grass. Fortunately it had not rained since he had passed through. Well, perhaps ‘passed through’ wasn’t the correct term; he had obviously been the one to vanquish the insect. And not only that, but he had completely mutilated the carcass. His blood did not smell normal, and she could only assume that he had transformed into a full-youkai in the process.
Gasping, she wondered briefly if his life had been in danger before realizing that not a half hour ago she had sensed his aura coming from many miles in the distance. No matter how much she scoured the area, she could only find a few more small bloodstains, suggesting that he had suffered only minor wounds. So then why had he become full-youkai? She shook her head, deciding it didn’t matter. She couldn’t fault him for tearing the beast to pieces; if it had been her, she would have been sorely tempted to do the same. She was only glad it was dead. Revenge was hollow and unsatisfying, but it was better than the thought of the creature still roaming the earth somewhere. Taking one last look at the desolate scene, Kagome finally left the meadow. She moved swiftly, wanting to get away from the awful stench and the unpleasant memories it conjured up as quickly as possible.
Several days passed, broken up by mostly sleepless nights. Her normal dreams of the first terrible battle with the insect were mixed with images of Inuyasha going berserk in his full-youkai form. She saw him as if she had been there, watching him shred his enemy and savor every cry of pain, every struggle, every drop of blood spilt. She felt a small sense of pity for the creature, then disgust at even that iota of sympathy for the beast that deserved whatever it got. Sometimes the image of a bloodthirsty Inuyasha would shift, becoming smaller, the jagged crimson markings on his cheeks changing to dull pink as his hair darkened to black. Then she would observe herself, reliving the thrill she had felt when she sliced through that poor villager’s arm. She too had savored her victim’s agonized shriek, the way he twitched on the ground as his life blood drained onto the dirt underneath him. It was that experience which enabled her to truly hold none of Inuyasha’s brutality against him. They would bury this, just as they tried to forget all the other painful memories they had gathered during their quest.
It was after one of those restless evenings that Kagome found a nice patch of rich greenery on which to take a power nap. With Inuyasha getting closer every day, there was no need to run herself into the ground. She would sleep when she needed it. She woke perhaps ten minutes later to a very disquieting sensation, a sudden chill washing over her. Something felt very wrong, and though she couldn’t figure out why, it felt oddly familiar somehow. Thinking back, she perused her memories until the relevant one came to her and caused her to gasp. Back when Takehiko and Sora attacked us, and Inuyasha and Sango got separated, I got a feeling that Inuyasha was in danger then too! (1) She later learned that her instincts had been correct; Inuyasha and Sango had been in mortal danger. She hadn’t thought about it since, but that strange sensation really meant something, that she shared a bond with Inuyasha even before they were mated. The changed nature of their relationship explained why the feeling of dread was much stronger now that it had been back then. Oh, no! Hang on, Inuyasha! After taking a few moments to confirm his direction, she took off as fast as her legs would carry her.
So why did her words hurt so much? “I did it because you said you loved her! How hollow is that love, Inuyasha, that you will forsake her now when she needs you the most?” He loved Kagome; he knew he did. It was because of that love that he had left her in her own time, where she would be safe. But in doing so, had he forsaken her? Did she really need him as much as Kikyou seemed to think? “Saying you love someone is not enough! You must prove it through your actions!” He frowned. Prove it through your actions, huh? If giving Kagome up wasn’t a selfless act of love, he didn’t know what was. Still, Kikyou’s words left a bad taste in his mouth. Did Kagome know he still loved her with all his heart? Were the reasons for his actions as clear to her as they were to him? Had he really done the right thing? He turned these questions over and over in his mind, but still no concrete answers would come to him.
The first shafts of sunlight broke over the horizon, and Inuyasha realized with a start that he had been up all night contemplating. Leaping down from the tree, he resumed his aimless trek, resolved to forget about the two miko in his life for awhile. He should have known that effort would prove fruitless, and by that afternoon he was ready to bash his skull against a rock just to get a few hours of peace. He wandered into an unfamiliar forest, wracked with indecisiveness. It seemed to him as if his very mind had turned against him, the long-buried doubts he harbored about his decision emerging to pester. His distraction dulled his reflexes, so that when the trap was sprung, he reacted too sluggishly to escape. A thin tripwire triggered the release of a cloud of noxious purple vapor from somewhere, and he took two breaths of the stuff before he gathered his wits about him and realized that might not have been such a good idea. By then it was too late; he staggered forward a few steps, coughing as his vision blurred. Then he collapsed to the dirt, and the world went black.
Looking closely, she spied the tripwire drawn taut across the path at shin height. Covering her mouth with her kosode, she crept low along the ground and tentatively plucked the wire, watching as a fresh puff of smoke was expelled from the tree to her right. She waited for the cloud to dissipate before standing and peering at the tree closely. There! Tied to the trunk at head level was a large gourd of some kind. A small string was tied to the cap, leading down toward the ground. It was the other end of the tripwire, she realized; the thing was rigged to open and expel some of its contents when someone using the path walked through here. The gas inside had probably been pressurized somehow, but she dared not release any more of the stuff to test that theory. But why would someone rig a trap like this in the first place? Who—or what—were they trying to catch? She realized with a sinking feeling that she probably had a pretty good idea why she had sensed that Inuyasha was in danger, especially since his scent mixed with a couple others as it moved deeper into the forest. Human scents. She already had her suspicions about the motives behind the trap, and the fact that whoever set it had taken Inuyasha did not bode well. Oh, boy, I have a bad feeling about this.
Her sense of foreboding only deepened as she continued along the path, ever watchful for more tripwires. She had to step over a few of them, and nearly walked into one at chest height, swaying on her tiptoes for an agonizing moment before falling backward instead of forward into the wire. Rubbing her sore rear end, she glared up at the offending wire. Her eyes widened as her attention was drawn higher. There were tripwires running between the branches of the trees as well, both above the path and on either side. She frowned in consternation, baffled by the seemingly unorganized patchwork of strings running at all sorts of angles. What purpose could they possibly have? They were spread too far apart to catch birds, and the only large creatures known to fly or climb trees were—
Kagome shook her head, vowing not to jump to conclusions. She would get to the bottom of this soon enough, hopefully without being captured herself. With that in mind, she slowed her pace to a crawl, shuffling along the path and making absolutely certain to avoid anything that looked manmade. It seemed like hours before she reached her first major obstacle, though it was probably closer to a half hour. Two eight-foot poles stuck out of the ground on either side of the trail, loosely connected by a rope that sloped gently downward between them. More rope lead off into the forest, almost certainly to other poles in what must surely be a long line of them. It almost looked like a huge clothesline except for the sutras hanging along the rope at regular intervals. And she had a feeling those sutras weren’t just for show.
That theory was confirmed when she edged close enough to move her finger toward the boundary line. She received a nasty jolt even before she could cross the invisible barrier. She recoiled, swearing under her breath and shaking her hand to lessen the sting. Damn, that hurt! But it had not been a useless exercise; she now knew that the barrier only reacted to her youkai side. She could still feel her inner demon’s agitation over getting shocked. If she were human the barrier would probably let her stroll right through. Jumping and probing the area above the line proved just as futile—and painful; it seemed the barrier extended up past the trees. But she was a miko as well as a hanyou, so perhaps there was another way. Summoning her miko powers, she approached the barrier again, reaching toward a sutra with a hand that glowed a healthy pink. She was able to get closer this time, as if the barrier was hesitating, but in the end it still shocked her and she pulled away with another stinging rejection. Snarling, she glared at the offending obstruction. It was clear that someone powerful and skilled in the pure arts had erected this barrier to keep youkai out. But whoever it was had also taken Inuyasha inside, and that scared her to death. Who knew what kind of trouble he was in on the other side? Narrowing her eyes, she decided to find out. That’s it! I’ll force my way through!
Concentrating, she called on the full force of her miko energy, and soon she was standing amidst a swirling pink vortex. Her body glowed, and when she opened her eyes they shone with an ethereal light. Striding up to the barrier, she put both hands forward and pushed toward the sutra. She faced heavy resistance; it was almost like trying to stand in the middle of a hurricane. Crackles of power passed back and forth, and she wasn’t sure if they came from herself or the barrier. She gritted her teeth and pressed harder, her limbs shaking with the effort. She was so close! Just another inch or two and her fingers would touch the sutra. Almost…almost…
With a sudden surge of power she was thrown back, flying through the air straight into the trunk of a large tree. The impact knocked her breath away and cracked her head against the wood, and she collapsed bonelessly in a heap. When her dizziness finally cleared she rose onto her knees and then fell back into a sitting position. She rested her forehead on her raised knees, groaning miserably as her whole skull throbbed. Her back was quite sore as well, though it didn’t feel like she had suffered any major injuries. Still, it was quite humbling to get her ass kicked by a piece of paper.
“Ugh. Shit,” she swore aloud, “what am I going to do now?”
Whoever set up the barrier was indeed very powerful. As long as she had youkai blood, she wasn’t getting in, end of story. But she was still dying to know what had happened to Inuyasha, and maybe there was another method to gather that information. Looking up into the canopy, she picked the tallest tree she could see and, careful to avoid any tripwires, began climbing. It was slow progress because of her achy head and body, but she eventually settled on a thin but sturdy branch near the top. Then she gazed out over the forest, and her jaw dropped. There, not a hundred yards beyond the barrier, sat a large village, with dozens of huts laid out in a more or less organized fashion. But her attention was drawn to the clearing in the center of the village, where a horrifying spectacle was unfolding. Wooden cages of several sizes were laid out in the grass, ranging from about waist-height to large ones big enough to hold several men comfortably. Most were occupied, and Kagome gasped aloud as she identified the prisoners. They’re all youkai, every one of them! Some were low-level youkai, moving around their cages hissing and snapping at passersby. Others were more or less humanoid and probably intelligent, sitting stoically cross-legged or weeping quietly. But why? Why didn’t they just break out of their flimsy wooden cages? All of them appeared hastily-constructed, and nothing made from trees should have been able to hold some of these youkai. A spark from one such enclosure provided her answer—sutras attached to the exterior of each cage. The youkai literally couldn’t touch the walls or ceilings of the cages, not even for the split second it would take to smash them. They would get thrown back, much like she had been repulsed by the rope barrier.
One captive in particular drew her attention, a red-clad figure with silver hair. “Inuyasha,” she whispered, barely remembering to breathe. He was sitting motionless in one of the larger cages, though with his eyes closed she couldn’t tell whether he was conscious. At any rate, the sutra attached to his forehead explained why he the only movement he made was the slow rise and fall of his chest. Kagome sighed in relief; he was alive. She had finally found him. That thought brought a few rogue tears to her eyes, which she blinked away. She would cry when he was in her arms, but that was looking less and less likely to happen with their current predicaments. She was stuck outside the barrier, and he was locked in a cage on the inside. Villagers moved to and fro, hurrying about various tasks. A large platform was under construction, nearly completed in the center of the clearing. Atop it stood a man dressed in the robes of a monk, barking orders occasionally but for the most part simply overseeing the activity below him. He must be the one behind all this.
All of this was useful information to have, but only if she could gain entrance to the village. It did her no good if she couldn’t pass through the barrier, and that damn monk had set it up so only humans could get in without permission. Oh, why couldn’t my youkai side have receded tonight instead of a few days ago? Wait… It was a crazy idea, wasn’t it? Her youkai side wasn’t going to just up and vanish because she wanted it to. But what if she forced it to recede? Could I really…purify myself? Inuyasha had been purified on several occasions, including once by her own hand. She shuddered at the memory, but he had never shown any long-term ill effects. He would have to put up with being human for awhile, but that was it. She couldn’t imagine any reason why it would be different for her. Still, it remained to be seen whether she could actually purify herself. Her miko and youkai sides had been living together in harmony for months now, so the latter might be immune from the attacks of the former. But she had to try, because what other option did she have? Sit in this tree and let whatever the villagers had planned for her mate happen? What if they were planning to kill him and all the other youkai in those cages? That didn’t seem like such an outlandish idea from where she was sitting.
If she was human, she could pass herself off as a traveling miko and get to the bottom of this. At least then she would have a chance to defuse the situation or find a way to help Inuyasha escape. Decision made, she leapt down from the tree, grunting as the landing sent fresh jolts through her sore back. This is gonna hurt even worse if I become human. But there was no cure for it; she would just have to deal with the pain. She settled on the ground, crossing her legs in front of her, and took a deep breath. She called upon her miko and youkai auras at once, feeling them rise about her. Then, mentally apologizing to her youkai half, she focused everything on her goal. Her miko energy hesitated at first, as if questioning her judgment, before finally surging against the resistance of her youki as her body exploded in agony. She gritted her teeth and bore it, refusing to allow her concentration to waver. Every assault by her miko energy sent a fresh wave of pain through her, but she was winning the battle. Her youki was receding, and it became a race as to which would break first—her youki or her determination. Finally, just when she was reaching the limit of her pain tolerance, something inside her snapped, and her youki abruptly vanished. Her breath left her in a rush, and she swayed dizzily for a moment before collapsing on her back and losing consciousness.
Most of the villagers were busy working, so no one noticed her immediately. Kagome walked right into the village, but none of the inhabitants looked up and several walked right past without acknowledging her. Not knowing what else to do, she crept up to the nearest stranger, who was building another one of the smaller cages.
“Um, excuse me.”
“What do you wa—” he snapped, cutting himself off as he turned to glare at her. “Who are you?!”
It seemed the entire village went silent at his exclamation; Kagome suddenly found hundreds of eyes staring directly at her. She gulped. It’s okay; you’re just a wandering miko. What would Kikyou say in this situation? Steeling her nerves, she tried to channel the stoic, confident persona of the dead miko.
“I am a traveling miko seeking a place to stay for the night,” she stated, inwardly thrilled that there was no tremble in her voice. Heh, eat your heart out, Kikyou!
“A miko, you say?” came a male voice, not overly deep but not effeminate either. It was somewhere in the middle of the range, a very pleasant-sounding voice. The villagers parted to let the owner through, and Kagome was met with none other than the monk she had spied earlier. At first glance he seemed the typical feudal era man, though perhaps in better shape than most because of his occupation. His slim form was neither stout with youth nor withered with old age. His hair was tied back like Miroku’s, but his receding hairline and slightly wrinkled cheeks revealed that he was much older, probably in his late thirties. He carried a metal staff, bronze in color and with only a small black globe on the top end. He wore an easy, amiable smile, but there was something about it that made a small chill run down Kagome’s spine. Perhaps it was the hint of menace glowing in his otherwise friendly eyes. She somehow managed to keep from shivering as those same eyes looked her up and down.
“You do not wear the typical colors of a miko,” he observed skeptically. It was true; she was currently dressed in her forest green hakama and white kosode. A fortunate choice, for it was her outfit that most resembled miko garb. The only difference was the coloring of the hakama, and perhaps the precise style of the kosode, but that detail was too insignificant to matter.
“True,” she replied, raising her fist and allowing some of her miko energy to bleed onto it. “But I assure you my powers are genuine.”
At this, the monk’s grin grew even wider, and he seemed almost giddy with excitement. “Ah, I thought I sensed a burst of spiritual energy a short while ago. That was you, was it not?”
“Y-yes, it was. I, uh, purified a youkai.”
“Well, I thank you for that. One less youkai in the world is always a good thing,” he quipped, his tone indicating that he saw absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. Kagome gritted her teeth and nodded, deciding that maintaining her deception was more important than smacking sense into this bigoted houshi.
“May I ask your name?” she inquired, changing the subject.
“Oh, how rude of me! Please forgive my impoliteness. You may call me Noburu. Would you give me your name, or do you prefer miko-sama?”
“My name is Kagome,” she answered, deciding there was no point in making up a fake name. She would probably just forget it and mess something up later.
“Kagome,” he repeated, weighing the syllables on his tongue. “I have not heard that name before, but I like it. It is very beautiful,” he said, though Kagome didn’t feel the slightest bit flattered. That foreboding feeling returned, telling her this wasn’t a man she wanted to make friends with. She didn’t think that would be a problem, considering that Inuyasha was currently sitting in a cage under his direction. She narrowed her eyes at that thought, not trusting herself to speak. Fortunately, Noburu didn’t take her silence as evidence of hostility; instead, he just continued on speaking.
“Well, Kagome-sama, it is very fortuitous that you showed up here tonight, because we are in the final stages of preparing for our grand celebration! Tonight, when the full moon is high in the sky, all of the vile, wicked youkai we have gathered will be executed!”
At this, most of the village erupted into cheers, though Kagome did notice a handful of villagers angrily shaking their heads. Apparently even this charismatic monk had his dissenters, but they were the minority, and a small one at that. As for her, it was incredibly difficult to mask her horror, but somehow she managed. Unless she did something, and fast, Inuyasha only had a few hours left to live!
“What is the matter, Kagome-sama?” Noburu asked, this time noticing her lack of response. “Surely you do not object?”
“N-no…of course not,” she answered, thinking quickly. “I am merely tired from my journey, and I feel it will be difficult for me to stay awake to watch the proceedings. Might I persuade you to delay the, um, execution until morning? I really would like to see it,” she ground out, feeling sick to her stomach at the words. Noburu appeared crestfallen for a moment, then brightened once more.
“Certainly, my dear Kagome-sama! I understand completely that you would wish to witness this historic event. Satomi!” he called, and when a woman answered he told her to prepare Kagome a meal and a room for the night. Satomi scurried off, and the villagers began drifting back to their previous occupations, eventually leaving Kagome and Noboru alone.
“Well, Kagome-sama, would you like a tour of the village before you retire for the night?”
“That would be wonderful,” she replied sincerely. She really did want a tour; she couldn’t very well help Inuyasha escape unless she saw him first. That thought sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but she tamped them down. The time for rejoicing at their reunion would come when he was safe and sound.
“Excellent! Then please follow me.” Noburu led her to the center of the village and down the first of several rows of cages. He talked constantly, telling her about how the cages were designed, how difficult some of the youkai had been, how his training in the taijiya arts allowed him to create smoke traps, and a dozen other topics she had no real interest in. Kagome got the distinct impression that the monk was trying to impress her. She largely ignored him, her attention drawn instead to the plight of the captive youkai. Some of them were savage beasts which Kagome would not shed a single tear over, but others appeared to be peaceful, the type that didn’t bother with humans unless provoked. Entire families were present, children sobbing alone and parents trying to hold it together in separate cages. It was absolutely heartrending, and she saw at least one young kitsune, which added to her repugnance for this entire situation. She had already learned that Noburu hated all youkai, and his indiscriminate detestation had placed many innocents on death row. If she had her way, they would all receive pardons. She would free every one of them or die trying.
“So what do you think?” Noburu asked suddenly, startling her out of her musings.
“It’s, um, very…interesting,” she answered, unable to bring herself to offer a true compliment, but equally unwilling to blow cover and tell him what she really thought.
“Interesting,” he repeated with a frown, then he sighed. “I get the distinct impression that you oppose what we’re doing here, Kagome-sama.”
The miko hid a grimace. Damn! I guess I’m not a very good actress.
“No, it’s not that. I support what you’re trying to do, it’s just some of the children… I find it hard to believe they have done anything to warrant an execution.”
“Please! Having youkai blood is enough of a crime. They all grow up to be bloodthirsty killers anyway, so why not just nip it in the bud and get rid of them now?”
Kagome almost started to point out how warped and perverse that logic was, but she bit her tongue. That’s the single most racist, ignorant, and downright stupid thing I’ve ever heard! But it told her something about Noburu; he was a fanatic, ready with a quick justification for every one of his actions. And she could tell there would be no talking him out of his way of thinking. Freeing the youkai would only solve the problem temporarily; Noburu would be at it again unless he was dealt with. She would try to think of a way to do that besides killing him, but if it came to that, then so be it. She felt no sympathy for a man who would summarily execute a collection of innocent beings just because they were youkai.
“I suppose,” she forced herself to reply.
“There, you see! It’s sometimes hard for young people these days to understand how the youkai menace needs to be dealt with, but you’re starting to come around. I’m sure you will soon comprehend it completely.”
Kagome snorted under her breath, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. Oh, I already understand everything that’s going on here, you psychopath! She blinked, turning her head to focus on Noburu’s stomach, where a telltale glow shone from inside his robes.
“You have a shard of the Shikon no Tama?!” she blurted out, mentally kicking herself afterwards. Stupid! The object here is NOT to do or say anything suspicious! Noburu recoiled in shock for a moment, but seemed to take her question in stride.
“I did not realize you could sense it, Kagome-sama. You are more skilled than I realized. Yes, as a matter of fact I do have a jewel shard in my possession.”
“Have you come across any more recently?” she asked, trying to be casual about it. She knew for a fact that the piece she and Inuyasha had collected was much bigger than the small sliver Noburu had on him.
“Unfortunately, no. None of the youkai we caught had shards.”
This both relieved and disturbed Kagome at the same time. Inuyasha, what the hell did you do with our piece of the jewel? But that was a minor concern at the moment, so she pushed it aside. The top priority was still breaking him and the rest of the youkai out of their makeshift prison. Finally, she and Noburu turned into the last row of cages, and she stopped cold, gasping as her eyes widened. There he was. Inuyasha, her mate, looking just the way she remembered him. It was hard to believe they had only been apart for less than two weeks. He sat immobile, unable to move because of the sutra stuck to his forehead, but he was awake. His golden eyes stared right back at her, emotion overflowing from the shimmering pools. His gaze was not the conflicted mess she feared it might be; his feelings in that moment were completely bared to her, and his soul had never been more open. She felt honored, and the stubborn joy she had been trying to suppress since entering the village finally burst forth. She was quite certain her eyes twinkled, and she barely managed to keep her face neutral. Not going to him in that moment was one of the hardest things she had ever done.
“Kagome-sama?” Noburu inquired, wondering why she had stopped. He followed her gaze, and broke into a smirk. “Ah, so you’ve never seen a hanyou before. He was a handful, that one, which is why I had to restrain him. He looks almost human, but don’t be fooled. He’s just as vicious and dangerous as the rest of the—”
“No! He—” Kagome exclaimed, literally choking on the rest of it to give herself an opportunity to reign in her temper. Calm down, Kagome! You can’t do any good if Noburu decides you’re a youkai-lover and locks you up. “N-never mind,” she said, waving her hands. Noburu favored her with a wary look, but then shrugged.
“Then let’s continue with the tour, shall we?”
Kagome nodded and the two of them set off again. They continued down the row, and had almost reached the end when one of the villagers ran up to them and asked Noburu to help with something. Turning to her, the monk managed a mostly sincere smile. But there was something darker there, something Kagome didn’t like.
“Well, that’s pretty much all there is to see,” he said. “I imagine you’ll want to retire soon. I’m sure Satomi has your meal ready by now.”
“Thank you,” Kagome replied, issuing a slight bow. Noburu nodded his head in acknowledgment.
“Sleep well, Kagome-sama,” he told her as he turned to leave. Kagome scoffed inwardly. I doubt I’ll be getting any sleep tonight. She heaved a sigh, letting the tension in her shoulders subside.
“Relieved to get away from Noburu?”
Kagome jolted at the sudden voice, turning toward the source and spying a man grinning amusedly at her. He was short, stooped, and heavily wrinkled, probably in his fifties or sixties. He leaned on a walking stick, but spoke clearly and seemed quite sure of himself, so apparently his mental state was not in question. Kagome stuttered, not knowing which answer this man wanted to hear. He chuckled at her discomfiture.
“Relax, sweetheart. I don’t blame you. That damn monk has been nothing but trouble since he got here.” Pausing, he seemed to rethink himself. “Well, I shouldn’t say that. He did help us quite a bit in the beginning, but then he took things way too far.”
Kagome smiled in relief; apparently this was one of the dissenters she had noticed earlier. Maybe he can help me. She would make sure to breach that subject cautiously, however. She only got one shot at this escape attempt, and the consequences for a screw up were dire indeed. No, she would start with a safer question.
“Has Noburu been here long?”
“Goodness, no! He’s hasn’t even been here for a full lunar cycle, and already most of the villagers would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked them to. These same people used to listen to me. I’ve lived here my whole life, and they suddenly turn away because of some sweet-talking bouzu who thinks he knows everything about the world. Why, back in my day—”
“Um, excuse me.”
“Huh? Oh, my apologies. I was rambling again. Anyway, you said your name was Kagome-sama, right?”
“Just Kagome is fine.”
The old man did a double take, gazing at her thoughtfully. “You really aren’t the typical miko, are you?”
Kagome smiled wryly. “You have no idea.”
He grinned back at her. “Well, that’s probably a good thing. My name is Ryuunosuke, by the way. Like I said, I’ve resided in this village since my birth. For most of that time we lived peacefully, rarely having any problems with youkai. Then, a number of days ago, young Kenta found a mysterious pink shard out in the forest, and brought it to us. Now, we didn’t know what it was at the time, but it was immediately clear that it was something special. We had more youkai activity in a few days than we had in the previous several years. We were able to defend ourselves, but even so a few unfortunate ones were killed. We wanted to get rid of the shard, but we were afraid. If the lower youkai that normally didn’t bother us wanted it so badly, then what would happen if one of them actually got a hold of it?
“The situation was becoming drastic. A couple more villagers were killed on the forest trails, and we knew it was only a matter of time before something big showed up, something we couldn’t handle. Then Noburu arrived, seemingly a savior sent straight from the Kami, and took care of all our youkai problems. He has incredible power, and when a couple big youkai did show up he vanquished them easily. But it soon became clear to some of us that Noburu had an agenda, that exterminating youkai wasn’t just a profession for him; it was an obsession. It also became clear that most of the simpletons in this village were willing to go along with it out of fear. We are afraid to disobey Noburu because we don’t want to be left alone to fend for ourselves. People like me think that selling our souls and becoming mass murderers is worse than death, but unfortunately there are too few of us around.” Here, Ryuunosuke paused, his tired eyes closing for a moment. “I heard what you said to him before, and I’m with you. Not all of these youkai are innocent, but the ones that have done us no harm don’t deserve to die, especially the young ones.”
Kagome studied the older man as he was speaking, deciding he was entirely genuine with his words. While not as open-minded as Kaede, for example, Ryuunosuke was at least willing to make the distinction between good and bad youkai, something that many people in this era refused to do. It gave her courage to breach a dangerous and potentially fatal subject with him.
“Ryuunosuke-san, what would you say if I told you I wanted to help these youkai escape?”
“I would say I cannot let you do that.”
Kagome gaped in shock, and was about to attempt a rescission when Ryuunosuke continued. “Unless you promise to take the Shikon jewel shard from Noburu and carry it far away from here. Once the villagers see that the danger has passed, I am confident they will stop laboring for Noburu’s genocide and go back to their daily lives. Do we have an understanding, Kagome-sama?”
“Yes, we do,” Kagome replied, delighted at the arrangement. If they pulled this off, it looked like everything else would fall into place. Of course, that was still a pretty big ‘if’ at this point.
“Excellent,” Ryuunosuke said solemnly. “Retire for the night, Kagome-sama. I will send one of my men to retrieve you when it is time. We are few in number, but I think we can finagle it so no one loyal to Noburu is on guard duty tonight. And with you there, we will be protected if any of the youkai decide to turn on us.”
Nodding, Kagome turned to depart before Ryuunosuke’s voice stopped her. “Oh, one more thing, Kagome-sama.”
“Yes?”
“That hanyou…he is the real reason you are here, is he not?”
“Yes,” Kagome hedged, unsure how much to reveal. “He is…important to me.”
“I see,” Ryuunosuke replied neutrally before bowing. “Well, goodnight, Kagome-sama.”
“G-goodnight, Ryuunosuke-san.”
With that, the old man turned and walked away, leaving Kagome wondering just what information he had gleaned from her vague statement. Shrugging, she decided to put that aside for now. Her stomach growled at her; it was time to find Satomi. She couldn’t very well play the heroine on an empty stomach, now could she?
A contemplative grin sprouted on Ryuunosuke’s face as he strolled through the village he knew so well. A miko and a hanyou. In all my years I’ve never seen or heard anything like it. They must truly love each other. If not, it would be impossible for two fundamentally different beings to be together. Heh, no matter how old you get there are always new things to see.
Name Translations (behindthename.com)
Noburu = “expand”
Ryuunosuke = “dragon” or “noble, prosperous” combined with “of” and “forerunner, herald”
(1) See chapter 15.
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Finding (Trouble)
Kagome rose with the sun and resumed her journey, periodically stopping to make sure she was still heading in the right direction. Viewing their bond had a therapeutic effect in addition to the practical one. It often produced the sole moments of peace in her day, when she would forcefully clear her mind of the stressful thoughts which otherwise swirled around inside. At those times when she could feel Inuyasha’s presence, she could almost forget about all their troubles. Then she would drop her focus, and reality would set in and make her want to find him more than ever.
It was mid-afternoon when a very distinctive odor reached her nose and stopped her in her tracks. Sniffing, she realized the smell was coming from up ahead, at about a forty-five degree angle from her current course. She debated with herself for a moment, but decided to investigate the scent. It was only a small detour, and she could not ignore such a strong stench of death and decay. But nothing could have prepared her for the carnage her eyes bore witness to when she entered the meadow. The once pristine stretch of grass was littered with body parts, the remains of some poor creature literally torn to pieces. Kagome wandered through the battlefield, wondering what could have done this, though a feeling of uneasiness settled in her belly at one possible answer. That this happened so close to the route Inuyasha must have taken…
She froze, unable to breathe as she recognized a piece of the carcass. The dark blue globular eye, once filled with predatory malice, stared lifelessly back at her. She would never forget those eyes as long as she lived; they still haunted her at night, bringing nightmarish memories of a fateful battle that always ended the same way. Now the array of colors on some of the other pieces made sense. There was no doubt; the remains belonged to the monster which had ruined her life. Resuming her march, she had just determined to leave this place at once when the faintest of scents caught her attention. She thought she was imagining things for a moment, but another inhale confirmed the smell of Inuyasha’s blood. It took several minutes of effort, but she eventually tracked the scent to a small stain on the grass. Fortunately it had not rained since he had passed through. Well, perhaps ‘passed through’ wasn’t the correct term; he had obviously been the one to vanquish the insect. And not only that, but he had completely mutilated the carcass. His blood did not smell normal, and she could only assume that he had transformed into a full-youkai in the process.
Gasping, she wondered briefly if his life had been in danger before realizing that not a half hour ago she had sensed his aura coming from many miles in the distance. No matter how much she scoured the area, she could only find a few more small bloodstains, suggesting that he had suffered only minor wounds. So then why had he become full-youkai? She shook her head, deciding it didn’t matter. She couldn’t fault him for tearing the beast to pieces; if it had been her, she would have been sorely tempted to do the same. She was only glad it was dead. Revenge was hollow and unsatisfying, but it was better than the thought of the creature still roaming the earth somewhere. Taking one last look at the desolate scene, Kagome finally left the meadow. She moved swiftly, wanting to get away from the awful stench and the unpleasant memories it conjured up as quickly as possible.
Several days passed, broken up by mostly sleepless nights. Her normal dreams of the first terrible battle with the insect were mixed with images of Inuyasha going berserk in his full-youkai form. She saw him as if she had been there, watching him shred his enemy and savor every cry of pain, every struggle, every drop of blood spilt. She felt a small sense of pity for the creature, then disgust at even that iota of sympathy for the beast that deserved whatever it got. Sometimes the image of a bloodthirsty Inuyasha would shift, becoming smaller, the jagged crimson markings on his cheeks changing to dull pink as his hair darkened to black. Then she would observe herself, reliving the thrill she had felt when she sliced through that poor villager’s arm. She too had savored her victim’s agonized shriek, the way he twitched on the ground as his life blood drained onto the dirt underneath him. It was that experience which enabled her to truly hold none of Inuyasha’s brutality against him. They would bury this, just as they tried to forget all the other painful memories they had gathered during their quest.
It was after one of those restless evenings that Kagome found a nice patch of rich greenery on which to take a power nap. With Inuyasha getting closer every day, there was no need to run herself into the ground. She would sleep when she needed it. She woke perhaps ten minutes later to a very disquieting sensation, a sudden chill washing over her. Something felt very wrong, and though she couldn’t figure out why, it felt oddly familiar somehow. Thinking back, she perused her memories until the relevant one came to her and caused her to gasp. Back when Takehiko and Sora attacked us, and Inuyasha and Sango got separated, I got a feeling that Inuyasha was in danger then too! (1) She later learned that her instincts had been correct; Inuyasha and Sango had been in mortal danger. She hadn’t thought about it since, but that strange sensation really meant something, that she shared a bond with Inuyasha even before they were mated. The changed nature of their relationship explained why the feeling of dread was much stronger now that it had been back then. Oh, no! Hang on, Inuyasha! After taking a few moments to confirm his direction, she took off as fast as her legs would carry her.
* * *
Inuyasha sat in the branches of a tree, listening to the crickets chirp in what seemed a mournful manner. Or maybe that was just him, his sour mood understandable given the direction of his thoughts. “Damn you, Inuyasha! I did not release you so you could abandon your soul mate and wallow in self-pity!” Kikyou had surprised him by so insistently urging him to go back to Kagome, but she ultimately had no say in the matter. She had released him, and therefore he was free to do what he wished with his life. Besides, she was the one who rejected his offer to help her collect the jewel shards and then join her in hell. Her opinion should have meant little to him. So why did her words hurt so much? “I did it because you said you loved her! How hollow is that love, Inuyasha, that you will forsake her now when she needs you the most?” He loved Kagome; he knew he did. It was because of that love that he had left her in her own time, where she would be safe. But in doing so, had he forsaken her? Did she really need him as much as Kikyou seemed to think? “Saying you love someone is not enough! You must prove it through your actions!” He frowned. Prove it through your actions, huh? If giving Kagome up wasn’t a selfless act of love, he didn’t know what was. Still, Kikyou’s words left a bad taste in his mouth. Did Kagome know he still loved her with all his heart? Were the reasons for his actions as clear to her as they were to him? Had he really done the right thing? He turned these questions over and over in his mind, but still no concrete answers would come to him.
The first shafts of sunlight broke over the horizon, and Inuyasha realized with a start that he had been up all night contemplating. Leaping down from the tree, he resumed his aimless trek, resolved to forget about the two miko in his life for awhile. He should have known that effort would prove fruitless, and by that afternoon he was ready to bash his skull against a rock just to get a few hours of peace. He wandered into an unfamiliar forest, wracked with indecisiveness. It seemed to him as if his very mind had turned against him, the long-buried doubts he harbored about his decision emerging to pester. His distraction dulled his reflexes, so that when the trap was sprung, he reacted too sluggishly to escape. A thin tripwire triggered the release of a cloud of noxious purple vapor from somewhere, and he took two breaths of the stuff before he gathered his wits about him and realized that might not have been such a good idea. By then it was too late; he staggered forward a few steps, coughing as his vision blurred. Then he collapsed to the dirt, and the world went black.
* * *
It was late afternoon by the time Kagome stopped running. She had tasted Inuyasha’s scent on one of her furious inhales, and literally tripped over herself in a frantic effort to halt. Crawling back, she quickly located his scent and drew deeply a few times, just for the pleasure of smelling it again. His scent had become a normal part of her daily life, and she missed it. Tracking him proved relatively easy now, as she moved along the trail in the general direction from which she had last sensed his aura. Inuyasha had been traveling along a fairly well-trodden game path, about four feet wide. She was tempted to speed up, but she knew his scent could veer off the trail at any moment and she didn’t want to lose it. So attuned to her surroundings was she that when the purple fog suddenly sprang up out of nowhere, she was able to plow through and emerge out the other side with only a half-lungful of the stuff. She sank down on hands and knees, coughing and sputtering. For awhile she thought she was going to pass out, but eventually the dizziness wore off and she climbed cautiously to her feet. What in the hell was that? Looking closely, she spied the tripwire drawn taut across the path at shin height. Covering her mouth with her kosode, she crept low along the ground and tentatively plucked the wire, watching as a fresh puff of smoke was expelled from the tree to her right. She waited for the cloud to dissipate before standing and peering at the tree closely. There! Tied to the trunk at head level was a large gourd of some kind. A small string was tied to the cap, leading down toward the ground. It was the other end of the tripwire, she realized; the thing was rigged to open and expel some of its contents when someone using the path walked through here. The gas inside had probably been pressurized somehow, but she dared not release any more of the stuff to test that theory. But why would someone rig a trap like this in the first place? Who—or what—were they trying to catch? She realized with a sinking feeling that she probably had a pretty good idea why she had sensed that Inuyasha was in danger, especially since his scent mixed with a couple others as it moved deeper into the forest. Human scents. She already had her suspicions about the motives behind the trap, and the fact that whoever set it had taken Inuyasha did not bode well. Oh, boy, I have a bad feeling about this.
Her sense of foreboding only deepened as she continued along the path, ever watchful for more tripwires. She had to step over a few of them, and nearly walked into one at chest height, swaying on her tiptoes for an agonizing moment before falling backward instead of forward into the wire. Rubbing her sore rear end, she glared up at the offending wire. Her eyes widened as her attention was drawn higher. There were tripwires running between the branches of the trees as well, both above the path and on either side. She frowned in consternation, baffled by the seemingly unorganized patchwork of strings running at all sorts of angles. What purpose could they possibly have? They were spread too far apart to catch birds, and the only large creatures known to fly or climb trees were—
Kagome shook her head, vowing not to jump to conclusions. She would get to the bottom of this soon enough, hopefully without being captured herself. With that in mind, she slowed her pace to a crawl, shuffling along the path and making absolutely certain to avoid anything that looked manmade. It seemed like hours before she reached her first major obstacle, though it was probably closer to a half hour. Two eight-foot poles stuck out of the ground on either side of the trail, loosely connected by a rope that sloped gently downward between them. More rope lead off into the forest, almost certainly to other poles in what must surely be a long line of them. It almost looked like a huge clothesline except for the sutras hanging along the rope at regular intervals. And she had a feeling those sutras weren’t just for show.
That theory was confirmed when she edged close enough to move her finger toward the boundary line. She received a nasty jolt even before she could cross the invisible barrier. She recoiled, swearing under her breath and shaking her hand to lessen the sting. Damn, that hurt! But it had not been a useless exercise; she now knew that the barrier only reacted to her youkai side. She could still feel her inner demon’s agitation over getting shocked. If she were human the barrier would probably let her stroll right through. Jumping and probing the area above the line proved just as futile—and painful; it seemed the barrier extended up past the trees. But she was a miko as well as a hanyou, so perhaps there was another way. Summoning her miko powers, she approached the barrier again, reaching toward a sutra with a hand that glowed a healthy pink. She was able to get closer this time, as if the barrier was hesitating, but in the end it still shocked her and she pulled away with another stinging rejection. Snarling, she glared at the offending obstruction. It was clear that someone powerful and skilled in the pure arts had erected this barrier to keep youkai out. But whoever it was had also taken Inuyasha inside, and that scared her to death. Who knew what kind of trouble he was in on the other side? Narrowing her eyes, she decided to find out. That’s it! I’ll force my way through!
Concentrating, she called on the full force of her miko energy, and soon she was standing amidst a swirling pink vortex. Her body glowed, and when she opened her eyes they shone with an ethereal light. Striding up to the barrier, she put both hands forward and pushed toward the sutra. She faced heavy resistance; it was almost like trying to stand in the middle of a hurricane. Crackles of power passed back and forth, and she wasn’t sure if they came from herself or the barrier. She gritted her teeth and pressed harder, her limbs shaking with the effort. She was so close! Just another inch or two and her fingers would touch the sutra. Almost…almost…
With a sudden surge of power she was thrown back, flying through the air straight into the trunk of a large tree. The impact knocked her breath away and cracked her head against the wood, and she collapsed bonelessly in a heap. When her dizziness finally cleared she rose onto her knees and then fell back into a sitting position. She rested her forehead on her raised knees, groaning miserably as her whole skull throbbed. Her back was quite sore as well, though it didn’t feel like she had suffered any major injuries. Still, it was quite humbling to get her ass kicked by a piece of paper.
“Ugh. Shit,” she swore aloud, “what am I going to do now?”
Whoever set up the barrier was indeed very powerful. As long as she had youkai blood, she wasn’t getting in, end of story. But she was still dying to know what had happened to Inuyasha, and maybe there was another method to gather that information. Looking up into the canopy, she picked the tallest tree she could see and, careful to avoid any tripwires, began climbing. It was slow progress because of her achy head and body, but she eventually settled on a thin but sturdy branch near the top. Then she gazed out over the forest, and her jaw dropped. There, not a hundred yards beyond the barrier, sat a large village, with dozens of huts laid out in a more or less organized fashion. But her attention was drawn to the clearing in the center of the village, where a horrifying spectacle was unfolding. Wooden cages of several sizes were laid out in the grass, ranging from about waist-height to large ones big enough to hold several men comfortably. Most were occupied, and Kagome gasped aloud as she identified the prisoners. They’re all youkai, every one of them! Some were low-level youkai, moving around their cages hissing and snapping at passersby. Others were more or less humanoid and probably intelligent, sitting stoically cross-legged or weeping quietly. But why? Why didn’t they just break out of their flimsy wooden cages? All of them appeared hastily-constructed, and nothing made from trees should have been able to hold some of these youkai. A spark from one such enclosure provided her answer—sutras attached to the exterior of each cage. The youkai literally couldn’t touch the walls or ceilings of the cages, not even for the split second it would take to smash them. They would get thrown back, much like she had been repulsed by the rope barrier.
One captive in particular drew her attention, a red-clad figure with silver hair. “Inuyasha,” she whispered, barely remembering to breathe. He was sitting motionless in one of the larger cages, though with his eyes closed she couldn’t tell whether he was conscious. At any rate, the sutra attached to his forehead explained why he the only movement he made was the slow rise and fall of his chest. Kagome sighed in relief; he was alive. She had finally found him. That thought brought a few rogue tears to her eyes, which she blinked away. She would cry when he was in her arms, but that was looking less and less likely to happen with their current predicaments. She was stuck outside the barrier, and he was locked in a cage on the inside. Villagers moved to and fro, hurrying about various tasks. A large platform was under construction, nearly completed in the center of the clearing. Atop it stood a man dressed in the robes of a monk, barking orders occasionally but for the most part simply overseeing the activity below him. He must be the one behind all this.
All of this was useful information to have, but only if she could gain entrance to the village. It did her no good if she couldn’t pass through the barrier, and that damn monk had set it up so only humans could get in without permission. Oh, why couldn’t my youkai side have receded tonight instead of a few days ago? Wait… It was a crazy idea, wasn’t it? Her youkai side wasn’t going to just up and vanish because she wanted it to. But what if she forced it to recede? Could I really…purify myself? Inuyasha had been purified on several occasions, including once by her own hand. She shuddered at the memory, but he had never shown any long-term ill effects. He would have to put up with being human for awhile, but that was it. She couldn’t imagine any reason why it would be different for her. Still, it remained to be seen whether she could actually purify herself. Her miko and youkai sides had been living together in harmony for months now, so the latter might be immune from the attacks of the former. But she had to try, because what other option did she have? Sit in this tree and let whatever the villagers had planned for her mate happen? What if they were planning to kill him and all the other youkai in those cages? That didn’t seem like such an outlandish idea from where she was sitting.
If she was human, she could pass herself off as a traveling miko and get to the bottom of this. At least then she would have a chance to defuse the situation or find a way to help Inuyasha escape. Decision made, she leapt down from the tree, grunting as the landing sent fresh jolts through her sore back. This is gonna hurt even worse if I become human. But there was no cure for it; she would just have to deal with the pain. She settled on the ground, crossing her legs in front of her, and took a deep breath. She called upon her miko and youkai auras at once, feeling them rise about her. Then, mentally apologizing to her youkai half, she focused everything on her goal. Her miko energy hesitated at first, as if questioning her judgment, before finally surging against the resistance of her youki as her body exploded in agony. She gritted her teeth and bore it, refusing to allow her concentration to waver. Every assault by her miko energy sent a fresh wave of pain through her, but she was winning the battle. Her youki was receding, and it became a race as to which would break first—her youki or her determination. Finally, just when she was reaching the limit of her pain tolerance, something inside her snapped, and her youki abruptly vanished. Her breath left her in a rush, and she swayed dizzily for a moment before collapsing on her back and losing consciousness.
* * *
Kagome’s eyes fluttered open, and she moved a hand up to rest on her scalp. “Oh, my head,” she groaned, but then a victorious grin sprouted on her features. She had succeeded; there was no furry ear under her fingers and her senses were heavily dulled. Yep, I’m human alright. As for the question of whether or not she was right in believing that the change was not permanent…she would worry about that later. Right now she only had one thing on her mind, and that was taking her baka mate’s ass out of the fire. Then perhaps she would decide whether to kick that same ass, figuratively speaking, of course. Sitting up, she took a cursory look around, and was surprised at how little she could see. When did it get so dark? Either she had been out for a couple hours or she hadn’t noticed the setting of the sun because of her feline vision. Whatever the case, it was now definitely nighttime, and her human eyes could barely see ten feet in front of her. So it was with a slow pace and a good amount of caution that she moved through the trees toward the village. The once-impassable barrier let her pass without so much as a blip. She was tempted to tear it down out of spite, but she had better things to do with her time. Eventually, flickering light started to filter through the trees, and voices drifted to her ears. She paused at the edge of the forest a few minutes later, and taking a deep breath, stepped out into the torchlight. Most of the villagers were busy working, so no one noticed her immediately. Kagome walked right into the village, but none of the inhabitants looked up and several walked right past without acknowledging her. Not knowing what else to do, she crept up to the nearest stranger, who was building another one of the smaller cages.
“Um, excuse me.”
“What do you wa—” he snapped, cutting himself off as he turned to glare at her. “Who are you?!”
It seemed the entire village went silent at his exclamation; Kagome suddenly found hundreds of eyes staring directly at her. She gulped. It’s okay; you’re just a wandering miko. What would Kikyou say in this situation? Steeling her nerves, she tried to channel the stoic, confident persona of the dead miko.
“I am a traveling miko seeking a place to stay for the night,” she stated, inwardly thrilled that there was no tremble in her voice. Heh, eat your heart out, Kikyou!
“A miko, you say?” came a male voice, not overly deep but not effeminate either. It was somewhere in the middle of the range, a very pleasant-sounding voice. The villagers parted to let the owner through, and Kagome was met with none other than the monk she had spied earlier. At first glance he seemed the typical feudal era man, though perhaps in better shape than most because of his occupation. His slim form was neither stout with youth nor withered with old age. His hair was tied back like Miroku’s, but his receding hairline and slightly wrinkled cheeks revealed that he was much older, probably in his late thirties. He carried a metal staff, bronze in color and with only a small black globe on the top end. He wore an easy, amiable smile, but there was something about it that made a small chill run down Kagome’s spine. Perhaps it was the hint of menace glowing in his otherwise friendly eyes. She somehow managed to keep from shivering as those same eyes looked her up and down.
“You do not wear the typical colors of a miko,” he observed skeptically. It was true; she was currently dressed in her forest green hakama and white kosode. A fortunate choice, for it was her outfit that most resembled miko garb. The only difference was the coloring of the hakama, and perhaps the precise style of the kosode, but that detail was too insignificant to matter.
“True,” she replied, raising her fist and allowing some of her miko energy to bleed onto it. “But I assure you my powers are genuine.”
At this, the monk’s grin grew even wider, and he seemed almost giddy with excitement. “Ah, I thought I sensed a burst of spiritual energy a short while ago. That was you, was it not?”
“Y-yes, it was. I, uh, purified a youkai.”
“Well, I thank you for that. One less youkai in the world is always a good thing,” he quipped, his tone indicating that he saw absolutely nothing wrong with that statement. Kagome gritted her teeth and nodded, deciding that maintaining her deception was more important than smacking sense into this bigoted houshi.
“May I ask your name?” she inquired, changing the subject.
“Oh, how rude of me! Please forgive my impoliteness. You may call me Noburu. Would you give me your name, or do you prefer miko-sama?”
“My name is Kagome,” she answered, deciding there was no point in making up a fake name. She would probably just forget it and mess something up later.
“Kagome,” he repeated, weighing the syllables on his tongue. “I have not heard that name before, but I like it. It is very beautiful,” he said, though Kagome didn’t feel the slightest bit flattered. That foreboding feeling returned, telling her this wasn’t a man she wanted to make friends with. She didn’t think that would be a problem, considering that Inuyasha was currently sitting in a cage under his direction. She narrowed her eyes at that thought, not trusting herself to speak. Fortunately, Noburu didn’t take her silence as evidence of hostility; instead, he just continued on speaking.
“Well, Kagome-sama, it is very fortuitous that you showed up here tonight, because we are in the final stages of preparing for our grand celebration! Tonight, when the full moon is high in the sky, all of the vile, wicked youkai we have gathered will be executed!”
At this, most of the village erupted into cheers, though Kagome did notice a handful of villagers angrily shaking their heads. Apparently even this charismatic monk had his dissenters, but they were the minority, and a small one at that. As for her, it was incredibly difficult to mask her horror, but somehow she managed. Unless she did something, and fast, Inuyasha only had a few hours left to live!
“What is the matter, Kagome-sama?” Noburu asked, this time noticing her lack of response. “Surely you do not object?”
“N-no…of course not,” she answered, thinking quickly. “I am merely tired from my journey, and I feel it will be difficult for me to stay awake to watch the proceedings. Might I persuade you to delay the, um, execution until morning? I really would like to see it,” she ground out, feeling sick to her stomach at the words. Noburu appeared crestfallen for a moment, then brightened once more.
“Certainly, my dear Kagome-sama! I understand completely that you would wish to witness this historic event. Satomi!” he called, and when a woman answered he told her to prepare Kagome a meal and a room for the night. Satomi scurried off, and the villagers began drifting back to their previous occupations, eventually leaving Kagome and Noboru alone.
“Well, Kagome-sama, would you like a tour of the village before you retire for the night?”
“That would be wonderful,” she replied sincerely. She really did want a tour; she couldn’t very well help Inuyasha escape unless she saw him first. That thought sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but she tamped them down. The time for rejoicing at their reunion would come when he was safe and sound.
“Excellent! Then please follow me.” Noburu led her to the center of the village and down the first of several rows of cages. He talked constantly, telling her about how the cages were designed, how difficult some of the youkai had been, how his training in the taijiya arts allowed him to create smoke traps, and a dozen other topics she had no real interest in. Kagome got the distinct impression that the monk was trying to impress her. She largely ignored him, her attention drawn instead to the plight of the captive youkai. Some of them were savage beasts which Kagome would not shed a single tear over, but others appeared to be peaceful, the type that didn’t bother with humans unless provoked. Entire families were present, children sobbing alone and parents trying to hold it together in separate cages. It was absolutely heartrending, and she saw at least one young kitsune, which added to her repugnance for this entire situation. She had already learned that Noburu hated all youkai, and his indiscriminate detestation had placed many innocents on death row. If she had her way, they would all receive pardons. She would free every one of them or die trying.
“So what do you think?” Noburu asked suddenly, startling her out of her musings.
“It’s, um, very…interesting,” she answered, unable to bring herself to offer a true compliment, but equally unwilling to blow cover and tell him what she really thought.
“Interesting,” he repeated with a frown, then he sighed. “I get the distinct impression that you oppose what we’re doing here, Kagome-sama.”
The miko hid a grimace. Damn! I guess I’m not a very good actress.
“No, it’s not that. I support what you’re trying to do, it’s just some of the children… I find it hard to believe they have done anything to warrant an execution.”
“Please! Having youkai blood is enough of a crime. They all grow up to be bloodthirsty killers anyway, so why not just nip it in the bud and get rid of them now?”
Kagome almost started to point out how warped and perverse that logic was, but she bit her tongue. That’s the single most racist, ignorant, and downright stupid thing I’ve ever heard! But it told her something about Noburu; he was a fanatic, ready with a quick justification for every one of his actions. And she could tell there would be no talking him out of his way of thinking. Freeing the youkai would only solve the problem temporarily; Noburu would be at it again unless he was dealt with. She would try to think of a way to do that besides killing him, but if it came to that, then so be it. She felt no sympathy for a man who would summarily execute a collection of innocent beings just because they were youkai.
“I suppose,” she forced herself to reply.
“There, you see! It’s sometimes hard for young people these days to understand how the youkai menace needs to be dealt with, but you’re starting to come around. I’m sure you will soon comprehend it completely.”
Kagome snorted under her breath, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. Oh, I already understand everything that’s going on here, you psychopath! She blinked, turning her head to focus on Noburu’s stomach, where a telltale glow shone from inside his robes.
“You have a shard of the Shikon no Tama?!” she blurted out, mentally kicking herself afterwards. Stupid! The object here is NOT to do or say anything suspicious! Noburu recoiled in shock for a moment, but seemed to take her question in stride.
“I did not realize you could sense it, Kagome-sama. You are more skilled than I realized. Yes, as a matter of fact I do have a jewel shard in my possession.”
“Have you come across any more recently?” she asked, trying to be casual about it. She knew for a fact that the piece she and Inuyasha had collected was much bigger than the small sliver Noburu had on him.
“Unfortunately, no. None of the youkai we caught had shards.”
This both relieved and disturbed Kagome at the same time. Inuyasha, what the hell did you do with our piece of the jewel? But that was a minor concern at the moment, so she pushed it aside. The top priority was still breaking him and the rest of the youkai out of their makeshift prison. Finally, she and Noburu turned into the last row of cages, and she stopped cold, gasping as her eyes widened. There he was. Inuyasha, her mate, looking just the way she remembered him. It was hard to believe they had only been apart for less than two weeks. He sat immobile, unable to move because of the sutra stuck to his forehead, but he was awake. His golden eyes stared right back at her, emotion overflowing from the shimmering pools. His gaze was not the conflicted mess she feared it might be; his feelings in that moment were completely bared to her, and his soul had never been more open. She felt honored, and the stubborn joy she had been trying to suppress since entering the village finally burst forth. She was quite certain her eyes twinkled, and she barely managed to keep her face neutral. Not going to him in that moment was one of the hardest things she had ever done.
“Kagome-sama?” Noburu inquired, wondering why she had stopped. He followed her gaze, and broke into a smirk. “Ah, so you’ve never seen a hanyou before. He was a handful, that one, which is why I had to restrain him. He looks almost human, but don’t be fooled. He’s just as vicious and dangerous as the rest of the—”
“No! He—” Kagome exclaimed, literally choking on the rest of it to give herself an opportunity to reign in her temper. Calm down, Kagome! You can’t do any good if Noburu decides you’re a youkai-lover and locks you up. “N-never mind,” she said, waving her hands. Noburu favored her with a wary look, but then shrugged.
“Then let’s continue with the tour, shall we?”
Kagome nodded and the two of them set off again. They continued down the row, and had almost reached the end when one of the villagers ran up to them and asked Noburu to help with something. Turning to her, the monk managed a mostly sincere smile. But there was something darker there, something Kagome didn’t like.
“Well, that’s pretty much all there is to see,” he said. “I imagine you’ll want to retire soon. I’m sure Satomi has your meal ready by now.”
“Thank you,” Kagome replied, issuing a slight bow. Noburu nodded his head in acknowledgment.
“Sleep well, Kagome-sama,” he told her as he turned to leave. Kagome scoffed inwardly. I doubt I’ll be getting any sleep tonight. She heaved a sigh, letting the tension in her shoulders subside.
“Relieved to get away from Noburu?”
Kagome jolted at the sudden voice, turning toward the source and spying a man grinning amusedly at her. He was short, stooped, and heavily wrinkled, probably in his fifties or sixties. He leaned on a walking stick, but spoke clearly and seemed quite sure of himself, so apparently his mental state was not in question. Kagome stuttered, not knowing which answer this man wanted to hear. He chuckled at her discomfiture.
“Relax, sweetheart. I don’t blame you. That damn monk has been nothing but trouble since he got here.” Pausing, he seemed to rethink himself. “Well, I shouldn’t say that. He did help us quite a bit in the beginning, but then he took things way too far.”
Kagome smiled in relief; apparently this was one of the dissenters she had noticed earlier. Maybe he can help me. She would make sure to breach that subject cautiously, however. She only got one shot at this escape attempt, and the consequences for a screw up were dire indeed. No, she would start with a safer question.
“Has Noburu been here long?”
“Goodness, no! He’s hasn’t even been here for a full lunar cycle, and already most of the villagers would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked them to. These same people used to listen to me. I’ve lived here my whole life, and they suddenly turn away because of some sweet-talking bouzu who thinks he knows everything about the world. Why, back in my day—”
“Um, excuse me.”
“Huh? Oh, my apologies. I was rambling again. Anyway, you said your name was Kagome-sama, right?”
“Just Kagome is fine.”
The old man did a double take, gazing at her thoughtfully. “You really aren’t the typical miko, are you?”
Kagome smiled wryly. “You have no idea.”
He grinned back at her. “Well, that’s probably a good thing. My name is Ryuunosuke, by the way. Like I said, I’ve resided in this village since my birth. For most of that time we lived peacefully, rarely having any problems with youkai. Then, a number of days ago, young Kenta found a mysterious pink shard out in the forest, and brought it to us. Now, we didn’t know what it was at the time, but it was immediately clear that it was something special. We had more youkai activity in a few days than we had in the previous several years. We were able to defend ourselves, but even so a few unfortunate ones were killed. We wanted to get rid of the shard, but we were afraid. If the lower youkai that normally didn’t bother us wanted it so badly, then what would happen if one of them actually got a hold of it?
“The situation was becoming drastic. A couple more villagers were killed on the forest trails, and we knew it was only a matter of time before something big showed up, something we couldn’t handle. Then Noburu arrived, seemingly a savior sent straight from the Kami, and took care of all our youkai problems. He has incredible power, and when a couple big youkai did show up he vanquished them easily. But it soon became clear to some of us that Noburu had an agenda, that exterminating youkai wasn’t just a profession for him; it was an obsession. It also became clear that most of the simpletons in this village were willing to go along with it out of fear. We are afraid to disobey Noburu because we don’t want to be left alone to fend for ourselves. People like me think that selling our souls and becoming mass murderers is worse than death, but unfortunately there are too few of us around.” Here, Ryuunosuke paused, his tired eyes closing for a moment. “I heard what you said to him before, and I’m with you. Not all of these youkai are innocent, but the ones that have done us no harm don’t deserve to die, especially the young ones.”
Kagome studied the older man as he was speaking, deciding he was entirely genuine with his words. While not as open-minded as Kaede, for example, Ryuunosuke was at least willing to make the distinction between good and bad youkai, something that many people in this era refused to do. It gave her courage to breach a dangerous and potentially fatal subject with him.
“Ryuunosuke-san, what would you say if I told you I wanted to help these youkai escape?”
“I would say I cannot let you do that.”
Kagome gaped in shock, and was about to attempt a rescission when Ryuunosuke continued. “Unless you promise to take the Shikon jewel shard from Noburu and carry it far away from here. Once the villagers see that the danger has passed, I am confident they will stop laboring for Noburu’s genocide and go back to their daily lives. Do we have an understanding, Kagome-sama?”
“Yes, we do,” Kagome replied, delighted at the arrangement. If they pulled this off, it looked like everything else would fall into place. Of course, that was still a pretty big ‘if’ at this point.
“Excellent,” Ryuunosuke said solemnly. “Retire for the night, Kagome-sama. I will send one of my men to retrieve you when it is time. We are few in number, but I think we can finagle it so no one loyal to Noburu is on guard duty tonight. And with you there, we will be protected if any of the youkai decide to turn on us.”
Nodding, Kagome turned to depart before Ryuunosuke’s voice stopped her. “Oh, one more thing, Kagome-sama.”
“Yes?”
“That hanyou…he is the real reason you are here, is he not?”
“Yes,” Kagome hedged, unsure how much to reveal. “He is…important to me.”
“I see,” Ryuunosuke replied neutrally before bowing. “Well, goodnight, Kagome-sama.”
“G-goodnight, Ryuunosuke-san.”
With that, the old man turned and walked away, leaving Kagome wondering just what information he had gleaned from her vague statement. Shrugging, she decided to put that aside for now. Her stomach growled at her; it was time to find Satomi. She couldn’t very well play the heroine on an empty stomach, now could she?
A contemplative grin sprouted on Ryuunosuke’s face as he strolled through the village he knew so well. A miko and a hanyou. In all my years I’ve never seen or heard anything like it. They must truly love each other. If not, it would be impossible for two fundamentally different beings to be together. Heh, no matter how old you get there are always new things to see.
* * *
Noburu glowered at the scene from his position behind one of the nearby huts. What is she talking to that damn pest Ryuunosuke about? It can’t be anything good. At first, he had taken Kagome as a simple miko, if a bit nontraditional. But as the night went on, she started to arouse his suspicion. He wasn’t stupid, and her flimsy excuses couldn’t mask the fact that she didn’t like what he was doing. Then she revealed her ability to sense Shikon jewel shards, a skill that most people with spiritual powers did not possess. Her thinly-veiled interest in the jewel, combined with her hostile reaction at his description of the hanyou, provided more evidence against her. He had heard tales of a hanyou and a miko working together to collect the pieces of the Shikon no Tama, but had written them off as myth until now. But he would not jump to unwarranted conclusions; it was still possible that Kagome was simply a powerful miko with a misguided sense of mercy, bearing no relation to the miko from the stories. Nevertheless, he would do well to keep an eye on her, especially since she had been conversing with Ryuunosuke. Oh, yes, he would watch the little miko very closely, indeed. Name Translations (behindthename.com)
Noburu = “expand”
Ryuunosuke = “dragon” or “noble, prosperous” combined with “of” and “forerunner, herald”
(1) See chapter 15.
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