InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My beloved, my mate, my only ❯ Ch. 9 The not so well thought out plan ( Chapter 9 )

And here is your bonus chapter!! ENJOY!!

 

 

Last time…

 

Touga sighed. That last thought had come to him unbidden and without been scrutinized thoroughly, but upon further examination, he knew it to be true. He would eventually go back and look for her. He could not and would not abandon her; his `friend' the miko Kagome.

 

 

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000

 

 

Ch. 9 The not so well thought out plan

 

Kagome trudged on with determination, all the while tripping over rocks, getting scratched by crooked tree branches, and attacked by flying insects of all sizes. She was getting really tired and her leg muscles ached from the constant walking. The miko knew that to sit and rest would most likely call attention to herself. She had felt a demonic aura not far from where she was walking, though it was not strong and felt rather small -perhaps belonging to a small youkai-, she still felt the need to continue moving. The demon was much too close for comfort and she had the sensation that it was watching her, following her.

 

“I could really use Inuyasha right about now.” She said to herself. The worst part of this whole little adventure was the fact that she had no one to talk to. The hours dragged on with only her thoughts to keep her company. She desperately wished she had someone to converse with.

 

“So I guess the only thing left to do is for me to talk to myself. As I was saying earlier, I really wish Inuyasha was here carrying me on his back right now. I know that sometimes he's not too gentle and his back is not very comfortable…and well sometimes I really wish he would shower more often, but it still beats walking anyday.” She said while scrunching up her nose at the memories being of being carted around when he hadn't bothered to take a bath in days.

 

The sensation of being followed continued to plague her. The aura did not feel threatening or malicious and thankfully only seemed to be curious somehow. It still left her rather uneasy for the first few hours of her trek but after time passed by with no one for company but herself, she began to speak to him to keep her sanity. Unless that only made her crazier.

 

“You know, Inuyasha doesn't like to bathe very often. He thinks that its not very healthy to be in the water so much and that his skin is gonna fall off or something. That's ridiculous right?”

 

The miko thought for a second longer then continued.

 

“I know you're there you know. I can sense your youki. If you won't hurt me then I promise not to hurt you if you come out.” She paused wondering if he would take her up on the offer.

 

After several minutes with no response, she continued to speak to him. Well she was pretty sure it was a him anyway.

 

“I remember this one time that Inuyasha -he's my best friend now- though at first he did try to kill me…and I was actually in love with him…well now that I think about it, it was more of my first real crush and…” A branch slapped her arm pretty hard. “OWW!!”

 

“Oh, sorry I kinda got off track there, what was I saying again? Oh, that's right, well he was all full of dirt and grime, and who knows what else after traveling for days, and refusing to bathe. I tried to give him subtle hints that he didn't smell so great being out in the hot sun all day, but he just didn't get it. I guess none of my other friends could stand it either because we all suddenly decided that he was going to get one, whether he liked it or not. Well we came upon this little river that we had to pass and he was just going to jump us across while my friends flew over on our….er…a fire-cat. So just as we were going to jump up over it they all decided to bump him pretty hard and somehow I managed to let go of him before he went face first into the water!”

 

“Actually,” she admitted slowly,“ I kinda helped push him in from behind too.” She added guiltily.

 

“Oh you should have seen his face! I wish I had had a camera to capture that moment forever!! Well you probably don't know what a camera is so I guess you could just ignore that part.”

 

“At least we got him into the water though. We urged Miroku -the monk that travels with us- to get in there and force him to bathe. Inuyasha was sooo angry!” She laughed recalling how he ranted in near deafening shouts and threatened them with Tetsusaiga afterwards, though the sword never even transformed.

 

“So anyway, now he just keeps an eye on us anytime we get near a river.”

 

It was so strange how she was able to feel the aura of the demon shift from curious to amused. She wondered if she was only imagining that she was able to discern his mood. Maybe Kagome was just way too tired of being alone and talking to herself that she was beginning to hallucinate.

 

She was about to ask her new invisible friend another one-sided question when she felt an overwhelming power of demonic auras hit her full force. She stumbled on her own feet and almost fell to her knees with the sensation it was invoking in her.

 

The miko knew that she had probably just arrived at the youkai village even if she was unable to see it with all of the trees and shrubbery in her way.

 

The sun was much lower in the sky and would be setting in an hour or two. Thankfully there was still enough light; and once she went into a clearing she would be able to see what she was dealing with. Hopefully they wouldn't kill her on site or anything.

 

The miko's thoughts came a mile a minute. She was very nervous, now that she had actually made it all this way without getting killed, she decided that coming by herself really hadn't been the greatest plan after all.

 

`I wonder if it will help if I say I know Touga. And I really don't look like a priestess so maybe they'll just be curious and let me find this kitsune…humm…I wonder if any of them eat humans?' She pondered anxiously bouncing from one thought to another.

 

“Well nothing to do now but be brave and hope someone knows how I can find my way home.” She said gathering her courage and deciding to continue.

 

Kagome kept walking until the trees began to thin and finally mark a clear path. She continued on the small stretch of road until the demonic auras began to grow so strong that the miko felt light-headed with their immense numbers. She had never been around so many youkai's of this power before and it was rather unsettling.

 

Thankfully, the village came into view within moments. Kagome was rather surprised at the size of it; it was much larger than Edo and still larger than many of the other villages she had visited while searching for Naraku.

 

The hustle and bustle of the village residents could somehow be likened to that of a human one. There were demons that sold jewelry and hawked wares on the corners and the bends of the roads. Others that sold food in carts and stands. Still there were large huts that made up the homes, shops, eateries and trades of each youkai.

 

There were demons of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Only a few of them actually had humanistic bodies and faces while a majority had the form of beasts and animals, -and other oddities that the miko had never seen. There was even one that looked like a giant oni wearing nothing but a simple loincloth, hammering away on a weapon of some sort. `Must be a blacksmith.' She thought with increasing confidence

 

`And it kinda just looks like any other town.' She tried to convince herself. `Nothing too different. I can deal with this.'

 

Her already surprised state increased significantly as she saw a group of youkai children running down the roads playing and laughing with abandon. Her heart clenched in that moment. They reminded her so much of her own little kitsune Shippou. How she missed him. She wondered how he was holding up without her. All she could think of at the moment was that Inuyasha better not have been mistreating her little kit while she was gone, or else she would sit him for each blow he had given the poor little fox kit.

 

She stood on the top of a grassed filled hill that inclined just outside the village. She was still contemplating all the ways she would catch Inuyasha off guard and hurl him to the ground with her `osuwari' command, when she instantly became aware of the first few youkai spotting her.

 

The miko wasn't really trying to hide -even though she still felt very apprehensive about the whole situation- but also didn't want anyone to panic and attack her if she just strolled right in, so she gave them time to take in her presence. She tried to mask her aura, but was not having any success. Kaede had only began to teach her that process so she wasn't getting very far with it.

 

Those that had noticed her didn't seem too intent on harming her but that's probably only because they were more in a sort of quiet shock. Kagome felt silly just standing there like some sort of fountain statue decorating the edge of their village, so she decided she had given them enough time to adjust to her and made her way into the main dirt road.

 

The priestess was desperately trying to act normal -as if she were not the only human in a village full of youkai- and casually strolled down the road stopping every few feet to look at a small trinket or admire the commodities one of the vendors was trying to sell. Most of the youkai she came too close to though just gaped or flinched at her nearness. Some even went as far as to give her warning growls, or shrieks and hisses in a few cases, and demanded she put down their wares and leave their stand immediately.

 

She passed by many who now stopped to stare at her openly forgetting what they had been doing in exchange for watching her closely. She felt like a leper that was being shunned as many, if not all, moved away from her cautiously giving her a wide berth. The younger ones even going as far as to run away from her.

 

Kagome was not even sure whom she could possibly ask about the kitsune Hira. It seemed nobody was willing to associate with her and of course its not like that came as a surprise, since any demon would have probably already been attacked if they would have walked into a human village.

 

Actually it was strange that not one of them had even asked her why she was here. Perhaps they sensed that she was not going to harm them.

 

Kagome continued to watch them silently contemplating each aura, seeking out a youkai whom she could ask without getting her head chewed off. But upon her close inspection, she wondered further into the edge of town where a couple of huts grouped together before the road veered off. She felt that same familiar aura that had been following her surrounded by several others.

 

Had this youkai tracked her? And was he waiting with others to attack her? She didn't think so, but the reiki of the other demons felt evil and hateful. Were they going to harm the smaller aura she felt instead?

 

She heard a whimper and knew immediately that she had guessed correctly. Apparently they were going to harm this small youkai that had accompanied her little journey and the miko couldn't allow that to happen.

 

She walked into the clustered and crowded area fearlessly, head held high, and with no obvious regard for her safety.

 

Kagome saw everything unfolding at once. Five violent demon reikis bombarded her senses and the youkais to whom they belonged to stood over what looked to be rather frightened and angry, small spiky red haired youkai. He looked to be only a child, perhaps eight or nine years old.

 

He was valiantly trying to defend himself, scratching anyone who came near him with his sharp claws and baring his fangs to them in warning.

 

Yet, all five demons who were somewhat humanoid, one of them actually having horns, another the nose of a wild boar, and still another a face that looked to be more bird like than the rest, paid him no mind. They would take turns advancing on him, striking out, hitting him where they could.

 

“Hey you!!” The young woman screamed at them with such fury it gained their immediate attention.

 

“Are you so weak that you have to pick on a small child? Hmm…you must stupid weaklings if it takes all of you to fight against an unarmed boy. I guess we'll just have to add a ningen girl to that as well.” She jeered.

 

“You better get away from him right now!!” Kagome was beyond upset. What a bunch of idiotic cowards -to pick on a small child.!

 

`What do they think they're doing? And why is no one stopping them?' She thought in frustration. `Were they planning to kill him? He's just a child for kami's sake, what could he have done to warrant such abuse? Or maybe -maybe they were going to eat him! They wouldn't do that to one of their own, and a child no less, would they?'

 

Kagome was furious with their treatment but suddenly apprehension and unease registered in her aura as their faces went from shocked -apparently having a small human woman in their village threatening them didn't go over to well with them- to amused, and finally to a hateful leer promising death and perhaps other unpleasant tortuous possibilities.

 

How was she going to fight them unarmed and in a village full of human hating, miko fearing, youkai? Apparently, she hadn't thought that far ahead and just ran into danger without thinking of a plan first. They would kill her for using her sacred powers here. The villagers wouldn't understand, for fear of their would-be-destroyer would rule their minds. Yet, she couldn't just stand by and let them kill the child.

 

“And what if we don't get away from him ningen? What are you going to do about it?” One of the more humanistic looking youkai asked arrogantly, breaking through her train of thought.

 

They began to advance on her quicker than she could think. Kagome wasted no time in trying to figure out a solution but instead rushed forward -as the child was not so far from her reach- and threw herself on the boy hoping he would understand that she was not trying to harm him, and placed a barrier around them both.

 

The miko didn't expect him to be so understanding and accept her protection so easily, yet he must have been so terrified that he allowed even her to protect him. Instead of fighting her off as she had assumed he would do in his frightened state, he curled into her body allowing her to place herself above him protectively.

 

The priestess tried not to use too much of her energy on the bright iridescent shield that surrounded them and made up their barrier in case it would be felt by the rest of the youkai villagers. Hopefully their combined aura's were too strong and noticeable to even detect hers. She didn't want to attract more attention to the situation after-all.

 

She held herself and the boy as still as possible -only running her hand down his back soothingly in an attempt to calm his whimpering- while the obviously infuriated youkai group attacked their meager protection.

 

Not only did they use their physical attributes to pound on her spiritual barrier but they began to use their reikis as well, making her temporary shelter waver with the force.

 

They were obviously stronger than she first thought.

 

The child must have felt her power flicker because he looked up at her, his eyes full of apprehension and concern, upon noting the sweat that began to trickle down her forehead.

 

Kagome wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to hold up her barrier. Something had to be done, she couldn't just stay there waiting for it to go down. Her mind went over several possibilities but only one seemed to be the most logical. The miko knew that she had to get them away from the child and have them follow her instead before her strength was completely sapped from her. And the only way to do that, was to catch them by surprise.

 

She turned her catch the eyes of the small boy and inhaled audibly as she saw what looked to be crimson fire dancing in their depths. She had never seen eyes like his. They were amazing and distinctive and she briefly wondered if he was a fire elemental or a dragon youkai.

 

Sapphire eyes clashed with blood red while she spoke to him in a gentle voice. “I need you to do something for me sweetie. I need you to be brave ok? I'm going to have to get them away from you but in order to do that I'm going to have to get them to chase me instead. I-”

 

“No!! I don't want them to hurt you too!!” The child cut her off on the verge of tears.

 

“No, its ok they wont hurt me. I'm going to be protected by my powers. I'm going to distract them and run from this place and once I do, I want you to run the other way as far, far, away as you can, understand?” Kagome asked even though she knew that her powers were too weak to create another barrier to protect herself. At least she would be able to protect him long enough for him to escape.

 

“I don't want to leave you, I want to stay with you!! Please!!” He pleaded with her while clinging even tighter to her slim body.

 

“Its going to be alright, you'll see. You'll be protected by another barrier just like this one, so they wont be able to hurt you. I'll loose them through the village and when I do I`ll come looking for you ok?”

 

“Promise?” He sniffed a bit less worriedly.

 

“Hai, I promise.”

 

Gathering her remaining strength, the priestess lifted herself into a squat -which was not an easy feat as she was wearing a very short skirt- found an opening between the five youkai, and dashed forward like a sprinter in the Olympics. She was careful to leave enough of her powers to continue to allow the barrier to remain around the child.

 

Kagome didn't look back afraid it would distract her from her course and slow her down. She could only hope that the boy did as he had been told and ran the other way, as far from her as he could.

 

The youkai were dumbfounded. Obviously they had not been expecting her to run off, but they soon gathered their wits about them quickly enough for four of them to chase after her while the fifth went after the young child.

 

The miko knew that they had the advantage over her as she didn't have demonic speed or stength. Yet she was sure that she could at least inflict them with some serious burns that would hurt them enough to allow her to escape. Unfortunately, she was still unarmed and seriously running out of steam, her adrenaline slowing down, just as her strength was depleting rapidly in an attempt to keep up the barrier around the little boy.

 

`Well at least he'll be safe.' She thought with a sense of gratification that she was at least able to save someone, even if she wasn't capable of saving herself.

 

They were upon her before she could even form another coherent thought. The beasts surrounded her, not waiting for her to create another barrier and charged at her viscously.

 

The miko was barely able to raise her hands, where she had channeled her power, to touch those she could feel and leave the imprint of her hands burned into their skin. She wouldn't kill them here in this village, for that would certainly guarantee her own death, but she could at least burn them enough for them to leave her alone. Well that and she probably wasn't even strong enough at the moment to purify them anyway.

 

She could feel their claws as they sank into her flesh and tore into her body. A thick, warm liquid began to run down her sides. The miko flared what little spiritual power remained within her, intent on getting them to back off for at least a few seconds. She knew that they could have killed her in one swipe of their deadly claws, yet they hadn't. The malevolent demons only seemed to be toying with her, purposely causing her pain, wanting her to die slowly and painfully by the feel of their attack.

 

The young woman fell on the hard, dirt-packed ground much too winded and hurt to remain standing. The demons immediately took the opportunity to kick and strike at her prone body. She tried to curl herself into a ball and covered her head and face with her arms to protect what she could from their brutish attack.

 

Kagome couldn't think of much as they continued to assault her relentlessly. Only her emotions warred within her giving her the knowledge that maybe she was meant to die here. That she wouldn't survive this. Touga had saved her once before, well twice actually, but he wasn't here to save her again. He had abandoned her and rejected the friendship she had so willingly offered.

 

Hopelessness filled her being. Sorrow wrapped itself around her heart. Tears began to flow down her pale cheeks, though she didn't know if they were from the pain her body was experiencing or the pain that tore at her heart. Maybe both. She really didn't care. All she wanted to do was end this torture.

 

She heard a sickening cracking sound and for a split second wondered how many broken bones she had. Her vision grew hazy as she struggled to see through the fog of tears and pain that covered her eyes like a blindfold. A sticky, rusty smelling substance pooled under her body and she knew instinctively that she was lying in a puddle of her own blood.

 

The young woman was too tired and hurt to even fight back anymore, her arms ached and burned under claw wounds and no longer obeyed her request to rise and push her miko powers into their flesh to burn them.

 

How had this gotten so out of control? She hadn't wanted to purify her attackers for fear of the youkai village not trusting her and even attempting to kill her if she did. Now…it seemed it was all for not as she was going to die anyway.

 

Well, at least she had gotten the opportunity to save the life of the small child.

 

Kagome unexpectedly felt the pull of another more powerful demonic aura closing in on them and briefly wondered if the fifth demon had returned. If he had, she fervently hoped he had come back with news that he had not been able to find the child and not that he had killed him. If the miko weren't so faint with the loss of blood, she would have realized that her priestess powers were still being drained from her to reinforce the strength of her precious barrier.

 

An edge of darkness was creeping into her senses. It began to tease her with the painless void of nothingness. Her body was shutting down, her previous erratic breathing now calm and slow. She just wished she could see the face of a friend or a loved one before she closed her eyes in eternal slumber. But she was alone…her only friend in this era had forsaken her and had not even bothered to look back. Could she forgive him for leaving her?

 

Hai, she could and would forgive him no matter what he had done. She did not resent him for not joining her on this suicide mission, she was the one that stupidly decided to continue on without him after all. And she would not fault him for he was not obligated to her in any way. If only she could see him one last time though. Maybe even ask him to stay with her, she would gladly throw her damn pride out the window this time if only he would agree.

 

If only.

 

Her eyes fluttered, her heart rate slowly decreased its thrumming, her senses dulled. Yet on the edge of her awareness, she suddenly heard Inuyasha. How had he gotten here? How had he known where to find her?

 

He was swearing so viciously, more so than she had ever heard him. The sound of his unearthly roar danced across her skin and made her ears bleed. Hmm or perhaps that blood was already there.

 

She felt his anger, it radiated off of him in waves and made her breathing even more difficult. It seemed though that he was beyond angry. She would say he was murderously enraged.

 

`Oh Inuyasha, I knew I can count on you. You've always saved me time and time again. I only wish that this time….you…were…not to…late.' She thought barely holding on to consciousness.

 

The miko closed her eyes, no longer worried for her safety. Inuyasha was here after all, he would find the boy she had sacrificed her life for and watch over him. Everything would be ok. She could finally let her mind and body have the rest it so desired.

 

She allowed her cloudy mind to slowly conjure up the image of the one person she longed to see again, of the one person who's face was now etched into her subconscious…even as her heart beat one last time.

 

Just for him.

 

“Touga…”

 

 

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000

 

Ok guys don't kill me now!! *says while she runs away and hides*

 

IT IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY OR ANYTHING SO KEEP THIS ON YOUR STORY ALERT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!

 

Somehow the story just progressed this way in my head though I had thought of several different scenarios. Not sure how that happened but I liked it this way!!

 

Alright DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!! Even if you decide to just threaten me ;0D