InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pack Law ❯ Writing Home ( Chapter 19 )

Pack Law

 

Chapter 19: Writing Home

 

Dear Mama,

I was so relieved to hear you're feeling stronger. Your voice sounds better and it was a relief to talk to you again. I'll have to thank Miroku for the cell phone.

I'm so, so sorry you and Souta and Jii-chan got involved in this whole mess. It makes me wish I had never come home. I'm still so frustrated with InuYasha for not talking to me about the talismans when he had the chance! It would have been so hard to live without you for so long, but I would have done it to know you were safe.

Like I said last night, being in America is strange, but at least I'm surrounded by people who are friendly. I feel like I'm a part of some weird youkai-miko boot camp, though, and it's very tiring. It's hard to focus when I know you and Souta are still in the hospital. I think about you and him constantly, when I know that it's distracting me from my lessons. I know I need to focus, but I just can't! I'm so afraid I'm going to disappoint everybody.

 

 

“Now, breathe in through your nose,” Hitomu broke to inhale, eyes narrowed to slits as he watched Kagome try and relax. She rolled her shoulders, rolled her head slowly and shifted uncomfortably on the ground. Small puffs of dust rose as she fidgeted, trying to get comfortable. Meditation had never come easy to the easily-distracted, emotional girl. After a moment, he saw her brea-… shoulders rise as she did as she was told.

 

“Hold… and out through your mouth,” the teen said on the exhale. The girl's aura calmed as she continued the deep breathing exercise, visualizing her anger, frustration and stress exiting her body, leaving her calm and collected… as much as it could be, under the circumstances.

 

Kagome had a lot of stress. Hitomu found one of his hardest jobs was helping rid her of it. But really… he didn't think he'd be coping nearly as remarkably as she was. The fate of the world seemed to rest on her shoulders, on her ability to learn and adapt and grow…

 

“Kagome's greatest strength lies in her ability to care for others,” Miroku had told his son as they made to enter the airport. “But she must be able to collect her power when she's not in danger, when she's not working to protect others. You must help Kagome build her stamina and extend her range of skills beyond that of simple abilities.” Hitomu nodded solemnly, aware he was being given a major responsibility.

 

Thinking about his father, Hitomu flexed his right hand. The leather, fingerless glove was still stiff on his hand. He'd unwillingly accepted Dai's assistance in working oil into the leather; it was work he'd never done before. It had helped a bit, but it would take several nights of work for the leather to become comfortably pliable. `Better to be safe than dead,' he admitted, gazing at the stitched seal adorning the palm. Somewhat like a wrist brace, the strap of leather curved over his palm before velcroing on the back of his hand, providing easy access to the black hole that would appear should Naraku grow in strength.

 

Kagome sighed softly, drawing his attention upward. Hitomu took a brief moment to savor the sight of the beautiful young woman, sitting quietly with the sun rising behind her. She had adjusted the easiest to waking at the break of dawn; even the time change had done little to daunt her once she had laid down for a major recharge following their cross-ocean flight. `Then again,' he mused, `it's not that surprising. I hear Uncle had them up and moving as much as possible the few weeks before she came back. She's used to being on her feet constantly, as long as she gets breaks.'

 

Kagome was unaware of Hitomu's appraisal, enjoying the feeling of the sun rising on her back, warming her from the chill in the air that seemed to cut through her sweater. Youki from the various ookami and wolves around the tingled at her senses and drew out her miko's aura on protective instinct. On one level, she was aware that a veritable wall of friendly, helpful youkai stood between her and anything that could harm her. On the other hand, Naraku's treachery knew no bounds and was sure to play on some her greatest fears, given the chance.

 

After a week, she had begun to settle in to her new training schedule. Miko training, archery practice, Pack Law lessons and more… and of course, time set aside to work on her homework without fail. It was, she had decided, sort of like going to a concentrated school. Far away from where she was most familiar, of course, but as that was not necessarily a new experience, she was able to slip into a routine. Still… she'd be a bit more comfortable if InuYasha were there with her…

 

`Not thinking about InuYasha… not thinking about InuYasha…' She couldn't convince her mind that, of course, and that familiar feeling of hurt, anger, betrayal all laced with a general acceptance and love began to break through her calm. The feelings leeched into her aura, catching Hitomu's attention.

 

“Find your anchor,” he said calmly, “And re-center yourself. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by unrelated thoughts.” Kagome bristled for a moment, `Unrelated, my butt! This whole thing started with InuYasha!' She took another deep breath, trying to anchor herself away… her anchor… her anchor… what had anchored her? A pair of golden eyes sparkled in her mind, a flash of silver and red… `Not thinking about InuYasha!' It was fruitless, though… for a moment she let herself drift, wondering to herself how an otherworldly being could be the one most likely to bring her back to Earth…

 

Of course, that wasn't really true at all, was it? He'd helped her to fly… gripping her legs, her arms around his neck as they maneuvered through the trees so easily… He'd taken her from her normal, everyday world of school and boys and fashion to a mystical time filled with youkai and magic jewels and battles between good and evil…

 

Kagome snickered, `To be fair… I was the one grounding him with those “osuwari” commands…' Hearing a frustrated chuckle, the miko quirked open an eye. Hitomu had an eyebrow raised as he stared at her.

 

“Having trouble concentrating?”

 

Shaking her head quickly, Kagome schooled her expression to one of calm focus. “I'm okay. Let's try again.” `Not thinking about InuYasha!'

 

 

I'm glad to hear you're making friends with Tomomi. Poor Jii-chan, though. I shouldn't laugh but I kind of wish I had been there to see him try and slap a sutra on Lord Sesshomaru. He really must have mellowed in the centuries… the Sesshomaru I know would have killed him! I guess we're lucky so much time has passed.

Tomomi's son Tsukiyoshi is helping me train my powers. You remember Tsuki, right? He was with Tomomi and me when we visited you before we left. The one you said was “so kind and respectful.” He is, I can't deny it, but he can also be really intimidating! I suspect he's only acting that way under his father's orders, though.

Still, his training is really coming in handy. Maybe I'll be of more help to you and Souta when all is said and done.

 

 

Kagome stared at the growing puddle of sludge a few feet away. “Wait, what?”

 

Tsukiyoshi crossed his arms, raising his head and looking oh-so-much like his father for a moment that the miko was thrown for a loop. “Purify it.”

 

A bubble popped ominously from the disgusting puddle. Kagome tried to marshal her thoughts, wondering how she got into this mess in the first place. They'd just finished eating lunch when the inu-youkai had shown up and dragged her out back to a field. Extending his arm, he let five carefully measured, silver-blue drops of poison drip to the ground. With a hiss, the poison began dissolving the earth.

 

Kagome let her gaze drift back up to Tsukiyoshi, who looked like he could stand there all day. “I… I can do that?”

 

With a small sigh, Tsukiyoshi let his head drop to his chest. “You should be able to. You can purify miasma, yes?” At Kagome's hesitant nod, he continued, “What is poison if not a more concentrated form of miasma?”

 

Kagome blinked, focusing her eyes back on the bubbling goo the ground had become.

 

“You'll want to be doin' something about that mess, doll… `Afore we have to turn the horses out here.” Dai's youki was so familiar to the miko that she didn't even start at his unexpected arrival.

 

“A- all right…” Kagome held out her hands, drawing her power first to the ring, then letting it spread to her fingertips. The two youkai flinched and stepped back as the purity in her aura heightened. `Purify it… okay, I can do this.' Closing her eyes, she visualized her power clearing away the poison. The hissing earth sputtered, then was still. Kagome's eyes opened to see the scarred earth clear.

 

She turned back to Tsukiyoshi. “Why isn't it healed? I can still see where your poison dripped and ate into the soil.”

 

Dai pushed back his hat, staring at Kagome with his too-intelligent eyes. “Yer not Wonder Woman, Kags. Don't expect so much from yourself. `Ski's poison nibbled away at the dirt… ya' can't heal what ain't there.”

 

 

Colorado is beautiful. I find myself wandering, like I used to in the Sengoku Jidai, and just taking some time to enjoy the natural beauty around me. It's so different from Tokyo. People in Japan are friendly, but they aren't so outgoing. It was really difficult to get used to at first, but now I wonder if I'll be able to adjust to being back home. Well, at least I'll have some friends with me.

Speaking of friends, and how this trip is like my visits to the past, I find myself again at the center of a group of four. Tsukiyoshi is the warrior, Hitomu is our group's monk, and Sarah is like Sango in that she's my best friend. As a kitsune, she doesn't fight as much, so I guess she's kind of like Sango mixed with Shippou.

And Dai, Kouga's son? He's something all his own…

 

 

Sarah giggled from Kagome's right as they wandered along the ranch's open trails. A few of Kouga's wolves followed at a discreet pace behind them, simply keeping watch. `Like guard dogs, though I guess they wouldn't appreciate the comparison,' Kagome giggled to herself.

“He's so cute, don't you think?” Sarah had been waxing eloquently about Dai's many, many charms. Kagome was well-inclined to retreat mentally to the safety of silver hair and golden eyes… but she was loyal, not dead! Dai's eyes glittered when he talked, a western drawl that sometimes sent shivers up the girls' spines. With his father's undeniable charm and a body any woman with eyes would swoon over, even Kagome had to admit he was a keeper.

 

Sarah's ears flickered forward at a shouted “Ho!” and a scuffle. Exchanging confused looks, the two picked up the pace, following the trail around a copse of trees to find the very ookami they'd been talking about on horseback. The freckled gray, nearly white Arabian mare tossed her head as he loped her across the meadow. With another “Ho,” Dai sat back in his seat, pulling softly on the reins. The mare slid to a halt, almost sitting on the ground. After a moment, Dai released his hold and the mare stood tall.

 

“Good girl,” He leaned down, patting the horse on her shoulder as he looked up at the girls. “C'mere, ladies. Let me intraduce ya' to mah baby.”

 

Shyly, Kagome stepped forward, Sarah not half a step behind her. The mare snuffled at their hands, lipping at them and shaking her head when she discovered they did not have the treats she was looking for.

 

“Is she yours?” Sarah asked with a bit of awe in her voice. The mare truly was a beauty, with a deeply dished face and a powerfully crested neck.

 

“Yep, ma'am, she is. This `ere's Ginger. We rescued her from a farm went broke down the way. Damn bastards left all `em animals in pasture when they left, only food and water bein' what they had runnin' free. Fuckin' assholes…” Kagome blinked, this was the closest she'd ever seen Dai to anger. His ice-colored eyes took a cold shine as he recalled the mare's pathetically thin body upon discovery. “ASPCA came out to take `em… but ain't had the money to feed `em all. So we took on a bunch. Money ain't ever been an issue with us. This girl's done a lot o' fillin' out and now is one o' our best wranglin' mares.”

 

Sarah nodded appreciatively, hanging onto the ookami's every word. Kagome forced a smile. “So, I've always wanted to ride a horse… are you going to give us a chance to try?” She grinned as, unbidden, she wondered, `How is riding a horse different from riding an inu-hanyou?' Other images came to mind as she snickered, and then grew flushed. `That hentai Hitomu is rubbing off on me!'

 

 

To think… for a full year now, I've wondered what happened to all the youkai in the world. I never even guessed that they were just sitting around, living life and waiting to find out what had happened with me and the well!

It's so confusing… youkai culture and law is simple, and yet very complex. I guess it's similar to comparing different countries - everybody has their own laws and rules, but there's a representative for each group making sure overall rules are being followed. I'm supposed to learn everything very quickly, but it's hard for me to keep up. I wish you were here with me to help me make sense of everything!

 

 

“So, she's considered the head of his guard. She's kind of like the Secret Service for our President… I mean, Sesshomaru can and will destroy anybody who threatens him and his. But it looks bad, you know? So she's there to keep the order and protect the Inu no Taisho's pack.” Ayame finished her description with an air of `Finally!' behind it.

 

Kagome's head spun. “I guess it's just hard to think that Lord Sesshomaru lets other people do his dirty work for him. He was always a loner, I thought. I-I mean… sure, his imp Jaken was always with him, and later on there was Rin… but… he still seemed so aloof.”

 

Tsukiyoshi stifled a chuckle. “Oh, I'm sure he was. When you get him in a talkative mood, father always blames Rin for making him more personable.”

 

Kagome lifted an eyebrow. “You say that like it's a bad thing!”

 

Ayame's eyes sparkled. “Oh, not a bad thing for us, but definitely something different and new for him. Can you imagine how weird it was when he came to us proposing a youkai council?”

 

Kouga snorted from the corner where he was rough-housing with one of the wolves. “Even weirder… he came to us, telling us it was sorta mutt-face's idea. He'd always hated InuYasha for being a half-breed… suddenly he takes the mutt as beta?” Kouga shook his head. “So incredibly weird.” As Kagome's suddenly cold gaze landed on him, Kouga back-tracked a bit. “N-n-not bad! Just different, that's all!”

 

Ayame tilted her head, eyes blanking as she recalled memories from long, long ago. “It took a long time for InuYasha to trust us… he wouldn't tell us how he knew, but he mentioned that we'd have to hide ourselves, eventually. `Our normal ways of attacking and killing each other aren't going to cut it in a world full of humans,' he said…” Ayame trailed off, eyes narrowing as she studied Kagome.

 

“Come to think of it… how are you still alive?” Kouga blinked a few times before suddenly making the connection.

 

“He-e-e-ey… that's right. I didn't think much of it, but you disappeared for a damn long time. We couldn't even find a trace of your scent once it faded from the old miko's village near InuYasha's forest. InuYasha never said anything,” Kouga looked almost chagrined to admit, “Actually, he got pretty vicious anytime anybody mentioned you. At all.”

 

Kagome bit her lip, looking down. It pained her to think of InuYasha alone… upset, lost, confused… and at the same time it stirred what felt like smoldering coals of anger deep in the pit of her stomach. `How could he have believed that I left him?'

 

Seeing Kagome was lost in her own world of thought, Hitomu picked up his father's role of spokesman for the group. “There's no harm in telling you now, as you're already a part of this. This is Kagome's real era.” Kouga and Ayame gaped at the girl, who turned pink under the scrutiny.

 

Silence was thick in the room before any of the youkai found their tongues.

 

“How did you-… But you were…” Kouga had quite obviously found his tongue, but not his wits.

 

Taking a deep breath, Kagome shared her story, from beginning to end, no omissions, for the first time ever. In a way, it was cathartic. Several hours later, she felt as though a weight had lifted off her shoulders. In just a few minutes, though, it returned full force as she recalled the need now to train, to learn to utilize her powers. Sinking into despair, the miko gazed at the Shikon no Tama on the chain on her neck.

 

Letting out twin sighs, Ayame and Kouga rose to their feet. “It's late, and we haven't told you nearly a quarter of what you need to know. You'll be presented to the Taisho Council for approval, you know, so we'll have to get cracking,” Ayame sighed. Kagome's story was a confusing one and it seemed as though the worst was not over for the little miko.

 

“Ya'll want to be horizontal for a little while, tho,” Dai called from the room over, where he'd been tending to a saddle and Hitomu's glove. Taking a final, appreciative whiff of warm, oiled leather, he strolled in to the room everybody was sitting around.

 

“'To, let Kags sleep in a bit tomorrow. She'll do her meditatin' later. We'll do some Pack Law shit and then have some rest `n' relaxin'. There may be a need to get a fire lit under yer asses, but it ain't gon' be much use if ya'll `re falling over yerselves `cuz yer overtired.” With a tired and yet sparkling grin at the girls, Dai motioned with his thumb over his shoulder. “Get ta bunkin', ya'll. I'll wake ya up when it's time.”

 

**********

 

“You'd be wise not to indulge yourself too much. The power drain nearly cost you.” The clicking of a keyboard echoed in the empty room.

 

“I did not create you to mother me. You must learn to watch your tongue.”

 

The golden-haired woman spun in her seat, pinning the man with a look somehow combining frustration, irritation, and… concern? Compassion? No matter… she was an incarnation and had no right to feel such emotions toward him.

 

Naraku smirked. The look didn't last long, however, shifting into a dark glare of rage. “The shards are gone. They are not within my reach. The miko Kagome has taken them somewhere, and I am sure it is InuYasha's doing.” He clenched his fist angrily, “She's eluded me for centuries… I will have those shards from her!”

 

“It will not be difficult to track such a large chunk of the Shikon no Tama. Kagome is a powerful miko in her own right. She is also under the protection of the Inu youkai packs… she will not have been sent anywhere without suitable protection. Billions of humans may be on this Earth, but they are all traceable to us.”

 

Fingers flew across the keyboard, monitors flickering with changing windows. “It will not take much to find them, master, but you should conserve your power until that moment.”

 

Red eyes narrowing, Naraku's body flickered before disappearing in a puff of miasma. Blowing the noxious fumes away from her face with no more reaction than one who's long lived with a smoker, the woman bent back over her computer.

 

**********

 

“InuYasha?” Miroku knocked on the door to his alpha's office hesitantly. The hanyou's angry youki had receded in the past few days, letting everybody know he was once again safe to approach. Miroku grimaced; InuYasha hadn't been so intimidating in years.

 

“We're in here, monk.”

 

`We?' Pushing open the door, Miroku nearly ran into a beautiful youkai woman. The captain of Sesshomaru's private guard smirked at his fumbled apologies. Though Miroku was above her in rank, everybody knew she could tear the human in half with a flick of the wrist, and he'd always been very cautious of that fact.

 

She'd always been able to lift InuYasha's spirits, though, and for that, Miroku was grateful. At the moment, said hanyou was reclined gracefully in his plush chair, feet propped up on his desk and arms folded comfortably behind his head. “Need something?”

 

`He sounds way too innocent…' “Just checking to see if there's anything you needed me to do. I promised Sango we'd go out for dinner tonight.”

 

InuYasha quirked an eyebrow, a fang glinting as he smirked. “She still pissed at ya' for sending Kagome overseas?”

 

“You could say that.” Miroku slumped onto a seat, looking up at the inu-youkai woman with a bit of apprehension. “Perhaps I'm overstepping my bounds, my lady, but may I ask what you're doing here? I can't imagine InuYasha has any assignments for you at the moment. Sango's been on Naraku's trail all week.”

 

She smiled in response. “I simply wanted to see how my younger brother was handling the loss of his mate. The baka just got her back and Sesshomaru sends her away again. He certainly doesn't show much concern for his beta.”

 

Miroku gave a sigh. `Younger brother. She's only this polite when she's plotting something.' The inu-youkai had trained under InuYasha's father when she was just a pup. Though she was no blood relation, she had seen the man as a foster father. He had taught her to care for humans, and in turn, she had learned to care for InuYasha. There was no love lost between her and Sesshomaru, however, and the stories of her battles with the youkai lord were told in the guards-quarters only less often than the story of InuYasha hacking off his brother's arm.

 

Still, between the both of them, Miroku knew he was speaking to some of the most stubborn creatures in existence. It'd be easier to pull Sesshomaru's fangs than figure out what the two were planning… though he had an inkling of an idea.

 

“You understand that Kagome is perfectly safe, yes?” InuYasha glared daggers at his beta, who threw up his hands, palms out. “No need to get angry, I'm just… reminding you. She's learning important things… lessons that will be of use to us the next time we go up against Naraku.”

 

InuYasha inclined his head. “The next time we go up against Naraku? You know damn well she has the shards with her, which makes her a target. Just because my bastard of a brother has no interest in `em don't mean only Naraku's looking for `em. She's like a fucking youkai-magnet with those!”

 

Miroku nodded calmly, “Which is why we sent Hitomu, Sarah and Tsukiyoshi with her. That and the protection of the wolf-clan will guarantee she stays safe.”

 

Having said his piece, knowing it was futile but feeling better for putting forth the effort, Miroku stood to take his wife out. “If you must go… please, don't be seen. I can't handle all that paperwork right now…”

 

A/N:

 

Yes - I know, so many OCs to keep track of… sorry! Setting everybody up is kind of a pain, I'm trying ease into things.

 

Since many of the reviews said the same thing health-wise: I'm doing much better now, thanks for the concern and well-wishes! I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was in high school. Add that to a crappy immune system and a few heart problems and I'm just a load of fun (and a wad of cash for doctors… *grimace*) This was the first time I ever had a seizure while driving, though…

 

Remember - any questions, comments or concerns? I'd love to hear them!

 

You'll notice I use both “ookami” and “wolf”… the same with “inu” and “dog”. Animal-wise, I've decided I'll be using the Japanese term when discussing youkai, and the English term for discussing regular animals. This is just to clarify - hope ya'll understand!

 

And I want to pass on a reading suggestion: SplendentGoddess's “Alpha-Beta” amused me to absolutely NO end. It IS lemony, so make sure you're old enough (and if you're not… um, you probably shouldn't be reading THIS! There *will* be an increase in ruckus in the chapters ahead!)

 

And of course, a “Thank you” to everybody who's reviewed so far. Specifically -

Phalon (extra thanks, as always, for being a chatting buddy whilst I wade through the muck and gunk that is “real life”!)

Sovereignty (Dai is a personal favorite of mine… *grins*)

Snowfall (Yeah, being sick sends me to twitching… rather frustrating, isn't' it?)

somebody-not-logged-in

kodiaqkitten

Deathmvp (Oh, loopholes… they're fun to find, aren't they?)

wbk (*grins* You get a cookie… I was looking for the perfect title for the next chapter, and your review provided perfectly!)

Im a kitsune

CatLover260 (*rubs hands together* Oh, Naraku… what could you be planning?)

Brandospands

angel-up-above-heaven (I'm doing well now… I'm glad to hear you're doing better, too! Stay healthy!)

kokoronagomu (*drools* I could stand to see some IY men in leather chaps… mmmm…)

 

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

 

I do, however, own the original characters in this story. Please don't steal them! (I may let you borrow them if you ask politely.)