InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Journey ❯ 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

When they got back to the others, everyone was extremely happy to see
Kagome. One face was missing.
"Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.
"Oh!" Kohaku said. "He went looking for you! He must still be outside!"
"Kagura! can you take me out to look for him?" Kagome asked, very
worried that Inuyasha might drown out there.
"Sure." kagura said, and immediantly readied her feather to go out
flying again.
When they got out, Kagome kept calling for Inuyasha. She couldn't see
him anywhere. The visibility was lousy, the rain didn't permit anyone to
see more then 5 feet in front of them. Kagura was scanning the water
that ran a few feet beneath her feather. There! Her eyes caught a flash
of red beneath the murky water.
"Kagome! He's beneath the feather!" Kagura said, bringing their
transportation to a halt. "Help me drag him up!" Working together, they just
managed to pull him up. Having done so, they sped back to the hut. Once
there, Kagome noticed that he wasn't breathing. Kagura noticed it to.
"He -he's not?" Kagura asked.
"Dead?" kagome asked hollowely. She wracked her brain, trying to think
of any way to save him. Her mind hit on CPR. She grabbed him, yelling
at Kagura to keep the others away. She pressed down on his chest, trying
to get the heart beating again. It took a while, but it started up. He
would die soon, even if the heart was working, if she didn't start
clearing his airway. She started CPR, breathing oxygen into his mouth by
using her own. Inuyasha sputtered, then coughed. He opened his eyes
slightly, the opened them all the way and sat up.
"Where were you?" he demanded. "I was worried!" Kagome hugged him,
apologizing over and over, tears leaking from her eyes, tears of happiness.
She was unaware that she had an audience, and had had one since she
started CPR. Miroku whistled.
"Hey, Lady Kagome? Could you teach that to Sango so that she may save
my life when I start to drown?" Miroku asked jokingly. Kagome gave hima
withering look, then went back to hugging Inuyasha.
"Come on, we have to get back inside." Sango said. Kagome nodded, and
she and Inuyasha went back inside to get warm and dry by the fire.
The next day dawned bright and clear. The groud was still muddy, but
the group had to get moving. They still had six talismens to find. Kagome
suggested that they should go back to The Mikos home, they were running
low on supplies. (Kagome had forgotten to restock.) Everyone agreed. By
the time they got there, it was dark out. Nari suggested that she be
the first to approach the place, since the guards would recognize her.
Nari came within five feet of the place before someone called out: "Who's
there?"
"Nari. Is that you Eray?" Nari asked, delighted that she knew the
guards that were stationed here tonight.
"Yes." Eray said, just as happy to see Nari again. "Who are your
guests?"
"My mother's successors. Could you let us in?"
"Sure." Eray opened the gate, and the group got their first look at
her. She was very pretty, and Miroku's hand came up on a reflex, but he
put it down quickly. Sango smailed at him, taking his hand and squeezing
it slightly. He squeezed back.
"Let's go inside then!" Nari said, leading the group inside the house
for the second time that week.
They saw the Miko the next morning, and asked if it was okay if they
restocked. She replied that it was okay, and that she had something she
had forgotten to tell them. there were 8 talimens, and they would only
be able to find two per domain. (They were in the Northern Domain at the
moment.) Since they had found the two in this domain, they didn't need
to stay here anymore. She also pointed out that it would get harder to
find the talismens. The clues would be less obvious, but the basics
would stay the same. When she mentioned the Domain part, everyone in the
original group gulped.
"Why? What's wrong with having to go through the domains?" the Miko
wanted to know. Nari was interested in this as well.
"Sesshomaru is the Lord of the Westren Lands, and he's Lord Inuyasha's
half-brother." Myoga explained when it was clear that no one else would
do so. "Sesshomaru hates half-breeds, and has tried to kill Lord
Inuyasha almost everytime they met. No one knows what would happen if Lord
Inuyasha went into the Western Lands."
"Oh." the Miko and Nari said quietly. "We'll have to take care of that
when we come to it. Meanwhile, why don't you tell me what you've
collected so far? Then you may go into the Eastern Domain. the Southern
Domain might be a good one to do after that." They explained how they had
gotten the talismens that they had collected so far, and the Miko didn't
seem surprised, even when they told her that Koga guarded fire, and
Kagome, water. They were a little confused at her lack of confusion. She
explained to them that Koga was the perfect guardian for fire because it
matched his personality. He could be very dangerous, and he could run
fast, just like fire could be spread fast. Kagome was the ideal chioce
for water, since her personality was normally peaceful, but she could
also be dangerous when she wanted, like a flash flood. Understanding that
the elements were suited to their masters personality, the group
nodded.
"Be ready to leave for the next Domain tomorrow." the Miko said. "The
sooner you finish this, the better." The group nodded once more.
solemnly this time.
Later that day, Kagome was restocking her pack so that they'd have
enough food. If they ran out, they could always hunt, and Kagome knew a
little about what forest plants were edible. She had just finished packing
the last this when something caught her eye. There was a little door,
made completely out of wood, even the handle, in the wall. Kagome opened
it, wand was surprised to see a small passageway. She crawled into the
small space and decided to see where it led. After a few minutes of
crawling, she came upon another door. She opened it and was surprised to
find herself in the kitchen. She heard someone come in, and she hid
behind a crate. To her surprise, it was Kohaku that she'd heard, followed
by Nari. They were talking about something.
"So...... Why did you want to see me?" Koahku asked politely.
"I wanted to ask if you wanted to be my friend. I haven't met another
boy my age since forever." Kagome could just imagine her blush as Nari
spoke.
Kohaku was touched. "Of course I'm your friend!" he exclaimed happily.
Kagome was a little surprised. She had no idea that Nari and Kohaku
were such great friends. It had been obvious to her that Nari liked him
more then just a little, but she never knew that Kohaku liked her. He
made it obvious though, his voice was so gentle when he spoke to her now.
Kagome slipped quietly away, deciding to help the two along with their
relationship. Sango could help too.
At dinner that night, Sango and Kagome left two seats open that were
right next to each other. They had a hard time convincing the others that
they should sit in certain places without telling them why, but they
managed. Kohaku and Nari were the last to arrive, so they had to sit next
to each other. They blushed terribly when they saw the seating
arrangements. Somehow *ahem* Kagome and Sango sat on either side of them. Sango
and Kagome just winked and nudged them into talking to the other. The
meal itself was pretty uneventful.
The next day the group took off to the Eastern Domain. They had to
travel for about a week to reach the border, and during that time almost
everyone found out that Kohaku and Nari liked each other. It all started
when Nari got sick with the flu. She had a small fever and was vomiting
a little, and Kohaku stayed by her side throughout the sickness. He
even helped her eat the canned chicken soup Kagome had brought from her
time (Cat claws come in handy opening cans!). Nari got better in two
days, but she still sniffled a little. Koahku was just like a mother hen,
fussing over her while she was sick, and then always offering to get her
a tissue-also from Kagome's time- for her. Nari enjoyed all the
attention. By the time they reached the Eastern Domain, Kohaku and Nari were
holding hands.
The Eastern Domain was a relatively warm place. Kagome wore her spring
school outfit so she wasn't as warm. Sango has started wearing a
lighter version of her exterminators clothes, Inuyasha even took off the red
top part of his outer kimono. Miroku shed his outer robe-the purple
one- and everyone else was happy with their clothes just the way they
were.
They rested at the first city they came to, about a mile from the
border. The only inn that had a room open also served as a tavern, but they
had no other choice. In human form, they walked up to their room, the
female memebers of the party getting catcalls from the men, and the male
members had women walk up to them and ask them to stay. The group
looked at the people with barely concealed disdain. The bargoers gave up
after a while, and they managed to get up to their room without being
waylaid at the stairs.
The next morning was a warm morning, even for the Eastern Domain.
Everyone was sweating in their clothes, but only a little, so no one
mentioned anything. They left the town quickly, before more bargoers could
come and hit on the memebers of the group. They practically ran all the
way to the next town, hoping it would be better then the last one. When
they got to the next town, Miroku went up to the nearest inn and
requested rooms for the night. The innkeeper agreed, and agve them a spare
room. They spent most of the day walking around the town, then they
settled down in their room.
"Lady Kagome, what is the next clue?" Miroku asked. They had thought
that it would be pointless to read it before entering the Eastern Domain,
and they hadn't had time at the last town. Kagome began reading the
riddle:
I am light as air, but more noticable. I am used to tickle and I cause
some to sneeze. What am I?"
No one had any idea, so they all slept little that night, trying to
think of the possibilites.
They left the town the next morning. It was obvious that they wouldn't
find anthing here. On the trip to the next town, a feather landed on
Miroku's shoulder. It was a peacocks feather, and very pretty, so Shippo
ran after it. He tried agin and again to pick it up, but it seemed like
glue had stuck it to the road. Shippo wondered why it wouldn't be
pulled up. Then, Shippo realized why it wouldn't come up.
"Hey, Miroku!"
"Yes, Shippo?"
"It's your feather!" Miroku looked at him strangly.
"I don't have a feather Shippo."
"Yes you do! This one!" Shippo pointed to the peacock's feather, lying
innocently in the dirt behind him. "Pick it up!" Miroku sighed, but did
as requested.
"There. I've picked it up. May we continue to find the talismens?"
"We have one!"
" What do you- oh! The feather is Miroku's talisman?" Sango asked,
running up to where the monk and the kitsune were. They had been stopped
for a few minutes, so Sango had decided to see what the holdup was.
Shippo nodded. "Try holding it." Miroku handed his feather to Sango, who
dropped it.
"Why did you drop it?" Miroku asked.
"It was slimy. Like someone had put glue on it or something. It also
felt like it moved." Shuddering, Sango said "That's a talisman alright."
Shippo looked pleased at having figured out a clue.
"Let us go tell the others, so that we may continue on." Miroku said,
keeping a hold on his feather. They ran and caught up to the others.
"Lady Kagome? What does a feather represent?" Miroku asked.
"The air element."
"Guess what? I figured out a clue Kagome! Miroku has a feather
talisman!" Shippo exclaimed, jumping into her arms. Everyone was surprised. If
anything, they had thought that Kagura would get the air element.
"I suspect that this is because of the monk's cursed hand, or the hand
that used to be cursed. The Wind Tunnel, remember?" Kagura asked. "It
makes sense." Everyone nodded, agreeing. Inuyasha looked at the setting
sun, and yelled.
"We have to set up camp tonight! The next town's doors will already be
closed!" Everyone groaned. They had gotten used to a roof over their
head, but they would have to do without for tonight.

A/N: Okay. That took a while. I'll update next chance I get, which'll
probably be next weekend. Provided I get reviews, which I will, right??