InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Raven Moon ❯ River Styx ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, plot, settings, etc. The storyline used here, however, is mine. *glares possessively*

~*~

The shakijou jangled with each step, accompanied by a soft rustling of grass and fabric. Here, the sun was high and bright, blinding those who were unfortunate enough to be without shade. A robed monk traveled cautiously, cutting through a field that stretched parallel to the main road, occasionally picking his way through bunches of trees when they cropped up. He chose the more difficult, uneven terrain out of fear for his goods - machina, packed close together on a wooden cart with one squeaky wheel, with a thick mat spread over the top for good measure. After all, thieves often plagued the roads, and the wares he dragged behind him were the sole support and source of income for the traveling houshi.

Or, rather, a raccoon demon dragged the wagon while he daintily picked his way through the shrubbery up ahead.

"Miroku-sama… why… can't we take… the road?" the raccoon huffed.

"Quiet, Tanuki. No complaints," Miroku replied, readjusting his grip on the staff.

"But… you're not the one… dragging all this junk…"

Miroku stopped and faced the tanuki, brushing off a few brambles. "When life gives us burdens, we must bear them with grace and dignity," he quipped, after assuming a sage and holy pose. The raccoon sighed.

Satisfied, the monk swept aside some leaning stalks of grass and continued on his way, looking forward to arriving at the next village. He could easily make out a few wisps of smoke, which worried him slightly. They were dark and numerous, whereas a regular cooking fire let off only curling white puffs, but he couldn't hear any cries of battle or sense any youki, so whatever storm had blown in must have passed away already. Nothing to do but push forward, see if he could help, and try to sell to (swindle) the wealthier villagers.

His fingers curled around the beads that were wrapped about his right hand. It was a subconscious habit.

This day was cool and calm, a nice day for traveling. After a few weeks of rougher mountainous terrain and heavy rains, it was almost pleasant to cut through the lush woods and walk dappled in shade from the trees. They had been on the road for weeks now, however, so their tired feet and sore muscles welcomed the rest and relaxation that would come with their upcoming arrival in the next village.

It was in a large, fairly weedy field that Miroku first noticed something was definitely off. He could hear the river somewhere ahead through the trees, spot the main pathway to the village, yet faint wisps of youki tugged at his senses and set him slightly on edge. The raccoon noticed the shift in his demeanor, stopping immediately.

"Miroku-sama…?"

"Hush, Tanuki."

The grass rustled in the soft breeze, the sun was low and warm in the morning air - there didn't seem to be any great danger or disturbance whatsoever. However… he could still feel that electric tingle raising the hairs on his arms, and past experience taught him to trust instinct in matters of self-preservation. That, and something else… a biting edge to the air, a shuddering in the life energies of surrounding plants…

…oh!

With a tighter grip on the shakijoku, the monk leapt forward, ignoring a pile of rotting youkai remains.

It looked like it had been there for weeks.

In the center of the field a young maiden sprawled with frost on her breath, her lips and complexion brushed blue. It almost looked as if she was suffocating, but Miroku knew better. He kneeled by her side and turned her onto her side, pulling back her long black hair. He rested a hand on her forehead and bowed his head, whispering a few charms and prayers and pouring a little of his own holy energy into his work - energy which he found was quite substantially smaller than her own generous gifts, unsurprisingly. A miko.

"Hey…"

She moaned softly, head jerking to the side and eyelids fluttering.

"So your soul made its way back after all, huh?" he mused, relaxing slightly.

Her pale fingers twitched then buried in the grass, subconsciously seeking warmth. It was cold… so very cold, but she could feel the sun on her face and the heat in the earth. She sucked in a deep breath, then another, relishing the feeling of air in her lungs.

And Miroku watched over her, admiring her… assets. Namely, admiring her ass. With his hand.

"Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiii!"

The raccoon winced as the sound of a slap cracked the trees and surrounding lands, and heaved a deep sigh. Really. Just after the poor girl woke up?

~*~

Raven Moon: Ch. 2, River Styx

Author: Cyan I'd

Betas: Special thanks to Alex and Sashi! I love you guys…

~*~

Higurashi sighed heavily, curling her fingers delicately around the handle of her teacup. She knelt calmly in the center of the room, a small living area near the back of the shrine with the family's bedrooms, and tried her best to maintain some semblance of peace. This was a temple, after all.

On one end of the wooden floor her daughter waited, glaring heatedly towards the young man who was seated at the other end - a monk, judging by his clothes and demeanor. A traveling monk… and Higurashi wasn't entirely sure that she trusted them. She'd heard far too many stories of theft and deceit… but it was unfair to judge.

Outside, the sun beamed from high above, warming the small and crowded temple to almost unbearable temperatures. The fires were needed for the early morning cool, but since that time was past they were extinguished and the windows and doors flung wide open to the breeze. Maybe, just maybe, the daylight would raise the spirits of the wounded inside. From over the hill, they could hear the sounds of the village bustling, repairing and strengthening. The men boasted loudly of courage and strength. Higurashi had smiled very softly when the young man from the Takinawa household told of his feats the night before, and how he would personally slay any approaching demon that dared to breathe upon these lands. It was funny… how different daylight could make things.

It chases the nightmares away.

"Kagome," Higurashi sighed, "what was this you said about a youkai attack?" she asked, drawing her shoulders up straight and trying to smile the weariness away. Kagome looked apprehensively at her mother, one hand fisted in the material of her skirt in a way that reminded Higurashi of the young girl as a baby - how she used to always cling to her mother's clothes whenever she was picked up.

"Mama… you shouldn't worry about it…" Kagome started, but her mother shook her head.

"Nonsense, Kagome, I need to hear. The village counts on me,"

"You'll get wrinkles, mama," Kagome replied softly, teasing. There was a sadder, more solemn inflection to the words though.

"Nonsense. Your mother is still a fine-looking woman, any man would-"

"If you value your life, you won't finish that sentence, `houshi'," Kagome growled with a withering glare. The monk assumed a holy and aloof expression.

"I don't know what you're implying…" he responded loftily.

"Please, just-stop…" Higurashi sighed, her weathered tone and sigh instantly quieting her daughter. As soon as Kagome had (reluctantly) abandoned her efforts to threaten their guest, Higurashi brightened considerably, leaving Kagome to wonder how manipulative her mother really was…

"Higurashi-sama, as I've already told you, I found your daughter in the fields just beyond your village with the remains of a youkai. The rest is her story to tell," Miroku offered, taking an enlightened sip of his tea.

"Just what were your intentions with our village?"

"I am a traveling monk. I offer my services where needed, and as a way to support my endeavors, I sell and trade machina. For example, I see that you still burn your bandages. Purchasing a machina that can wash them instead is much less wasteful," Miroku explained.

"Uh… call me old-fashioned, houshi-sama, but I prefer the traditional ways," Higurashi smiled, trying to be as gentle as possible. "But your help would be greatly appreciated - especially now. It seems we've had… a very busy time with the youkai."

"Yes, I've noticed. Times are dangerous, miko-sama. It's best to be prepared."

Higurashi nodded in agreement, lowering her head. She seemed to pause for a moment, trying to gather herself. Kagome fidgeted, feeling an oddly misplaced sense of guilt about the youkai she'd fought. Not that she regretted `killing' it - not in the least - but some part of her shied away from the knowledge that she'd upset her mother. Mama Higurashi had always been so adamant about the protection the forest gave to the village… and it had betrayed her.

"So, Kagome. Tell me about this youkai, then."

"I just went to find those herbs, mama, and I sensed it. It was heading towards the village, so I used the path down by the river and cut it off. It was a snake-youkai," Kagome briefly explained. And odd expression crossed the monk's face, an almost smirk, and he straightened where he sat.

"But there's more to it than that, isn't there? After all… the remains I saw had to have been dead for at least a few weeks," he finished softly, staring intensely at the young miko. For a moment, it crossed her mind that maybe there was more to this monk than just a shallow obsession with the opposite sex. He knew more than he let on.

"I… yes. The snake-youkai was… sort of… dead. But still moving."

Higurashi gasped, and the light ambiance of the room at once vanished. They all remained silent, letting the older woman digest this new information - the monk had somehow already suspected it, seemingly.

Kagome fixed her gaze on the ground, picking out the jagged pattern in the mat. She'd heard stories as a child about the dead rising once more, but she'd never really believed them. What's dead is dead, and that's final. Then again, a definitely rotting and deceased snake-youkai had nearly killed her not too long ago… so perhaps it wasn't as farfetched as she'd always thought.

"That… is not good," her mother murmured. She turned worried eyes on her daughter. "How was it destroyed?"

Kagome swallowed, debating on what to tell her mother exactly.

"Well… I guess… I don't know, it was going to crush me, and all I could feel was that horrible empty aura and the clammy scales…" she shuddered, trying to banish the remembered feel of decaying flesh against her exposed skin.

"You destroyed it…" Higurashi whispered, a soft wonder in her voice.

"There was this pull, and I just… added my own energy to it," Kagome tried to explain, not sure how to describe that insistent pressure on the undead soul of the youkai.

"You sent it into death," Miroku supplied for her. Kagome nodded.

"…what?" her mother asked flatly, sending her daughter a hard look. Kagome stared with wide eyes at her mother, not exactly sure what brought the sudden shift in mood on.

"Death… Kagome, don't you dare do that again. That power… dealing with death… it's so dangerous, do you understand?" her mother's voice was laced with tears, and Kagome was afraid she would start crying at any moment. The older woman shuffled across the floor, her guest forgotten, and brought her daughter into a tight embrace.

"You could have been pulled in yourself! I could have lost you!" she cried, at which point Kagome decided it was best not to tell her mother that she had, in fact, been pulled into death.

That boy… I'd better not mention him, either..

"It is rare that anyone can see the dead, much less interact with and step into death itself," Miroku supplied. "Almost unheard of."

"Yes… I know," Higurashi allowed, pulling away from Kagome slightly.

"Such ability," Miroku continued, "is very dangerous if not trained properly. Not only that, but once word gets out that Kagome-sama is capable of such things, she will be marked by all youkai."

"I know this," Higurashi said, her voice noticeably chillier than before.

"Oh! That reminds me! There was something else - before I sensed the youkai, I found a body… I think the youkai may have killed her. It was a woman, from some far away village, I think," Kagome broke in, wondering how she had managed to forget about something as notable as a rotting corpse. Then again, snake youkai, death, and that boy… well, they drove it from her mind. Understandable.

"I will take care of this matter, if you would wish, miko-sama," Miroku offered as he rose, giving a little humble bow.

"Yes… Kagome, show this monk where you found the body. The forest should be safe. I'm sure the dead youkai frightened off anything else troublesome, but in any case - be on your guard. We'll discuss the other matter at length later."

"Hai, miko-sama."

~*~

"Where… am I?" she wondered aloud.

"Well," a voice replied, "that's a stupid question."

Kagome started, glancing wildly around until her panicked gaze fell on a lone boy, dark and surreal and standing with limp arms and blank eyes just to her left. His lips twisted into a humorless smirk, but his eyes remained flat and lifeless.

"Stupid bitch. You're in death."

"I'm…" she muttered faintly, feeling a little ill. Her eyes flitted desperately around the desolate surroundings before settling on the boy, dark and solid and starkly contrasting with the hazy grey.

"I'm… dead?" she asked weakly. "Oh, no no… I can't be… I'm just… I'm only fifteen, damnit! That's not fair, I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

She crumbled into hysterics, pulling her hands out of the shallow water and desperately shaking the cool little droplets every direction.

"Oh, would you just shut the fuck up," he hissed, rolling his eyes at her. She staggered to her feet and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to drag some much-needed air into her lungs. She felt like she was being crushed, like this place was closing in... while in reality, it was the most wide open space she'd ever seen.

"But I'm dead! I died! I can't be dead, I'm only fifteen... no... nononono..."

"Cut the hysterics, you stupid girl. You're not dead."

His expression once again lost all personality, deadpanning into that blank look he'd initially worn. Kagome bowed her head, letting her dark hair fall over her face as she tried to slow her panicked breathing.

Not... dead?

"How... is this possible?" she wondered, dazed. Suddenly, she felt like she was spinning... or maybe it was the ground that was spinning? Yes, that must be it... the thin, cold and intrusive water, the grey ice beneath, the dark shapes drifting in the leagues of existence below that -- and abruptly she jerked her gaze elsewhere.

"I wouldn't look down there," came the dark chuckle, "unless you want to bring a lot of shit down on your head."

Kagome stared hard at the boy again, noting little details she'd missed before. He was dark, in both clothing and features, but he was also strangely faded -- sort of like something old and worn. He looked human, his aura sort of felt that way too, but there was a light fizz of youki along her senses as well. He was also very… pretty. She wasn't sure if that was the right word for it - after all, with rippling muscles and a built frame (from what she could tell; he was dressed, after all) he was far from effeminate. But there was something ethereal, and it drew her like a magnet.

"I... don't understand," she said slowly, careful to keep her sights on his face. He gave her a hollow little smirk.

"It's simple. You're in death. This," he gestured at the endless plain of grey and ice, "is death."

"But I'm still alive."

"Exactly."

Now that her shock was ebbing, she could feel the cold seeping in, a sort of shiver that clothing did little to ward off. Probably because this wasn't cold in the way she was used to thinking of it... this was the icy grip of death, and it made her incredibly nervous.

"What is that down there?" she asked. He swiped the back of his hand across his eyes and stretched his back, giving her the impression of some one who had been sleeping up until recently, but was still tired.

"That down there is true death. Up here, we're in between; neither in the plain of the living nor the land of the dead. Don't look at them. You might make them remember life, and memories make them yearn to breathe again. Unless you'd like a little more company up here, of course."

Kagome swallowed thickly, lifting one foot off the ice below. She most certainly did not want to bring those things up here. She stepped back and leveled her gaze at her companion, concentrating now to read his aura.

"And what does that make you?" she asked suspiciously.

"It makes me real," he shrugged. Kagome frowned in confusion, not any clearer on where this strange boy stood in the whole dead/living scene. It occurred to her that she was someplace very dangerous to the living, and he could be just as detrimental to her health as the cold and endless murk below.

He didn't feel the same as that youkai had. He didn't feel undead. There was something, though… a strange energy, far away…

Before she could think further on it, though, she was slipping again, feeling that pull -- only this time, it was considerably warmer.

~*~

And he watched her go with a faraway gaze, still feeling numb and distant. There were memories... many things... but he'd let them all slip away, so now they were barely within his reach.

'She looks just like Kikyo, doesn't she?'

His fists clenched, lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes darkened while his skin seemed paler. Before, he'd stood out. Now he fit in with the grey and ghostly surroundings.

"Yes, she does."

~*~

Miroku insisted on stopping to check up on the youkai he'd brought with him, the short and portly raccoon. The Tanuki was ordered to remain outside with the cart, to which he eagerly obliged - he wasn't very interested in venturing onto the holy grounds of the temple. His hair stood on end just waiting in its shadow. Once the monk was assured that everything was in order, they continued on their way, this time skirting around the village and taking the `scenic' river route. Kagome only hoped to keep peace in the village by doing this - after all, their young miko armed to the teeth with arrows and a strange monk carrying purifying scrolls heading into the forest might worry a few people.

"You. In front," Kagome ordered sharply, jabbing an arrow in the monk's general direction.

"But… I don't know where we're going…" he replied, honestly dismayed. Kagome ignored the fumbled slip in his usual calm demeanor, raising an eyebrow. There was no way in hell that she was walking with this man behind her. She could practically feel his eyes raking up her backside. So, with a resigned sigh, he shuffled ahead.

The first time she was here, the woods were calm and friendly. Now, they seemed to hold a secret edge of threat. The shadows were darker, the sunlight scarcer, and the trees twisted, reaching over her head and bearing down on her. She suppressed a shudder, thinking of the snake youkai and the decrepit body of the woman they were going to find. Whether the monk intended to give her a burial right then and there, drag her back to town himself, or just learn the whereabouts so he could bring help later, she wasn't sure - but her job ended with pointing out the body to the houshi.

"What was it like?" he asked suddenly, shifting his grip on his staff.

"What?"

"Death. I know you were lying to your mother. When I found you, your spirit felt very far away… and you were ice cold," Miroku explained softly, but with a tone that brooked no argument. Kagome adjusted the bow slung over her shoulder and sighed, giving the shivering canopy of leaves a wary look. What if there was another dead creature lurking in the brush?

Don't be silly… talking about death can't bring the dead… can it?

"It was… cold," she shrugged indifferently. Miroku raised an eyebrow.

"Cold?"

"Well… yeah. It made something deep inside cold," Kagome explained, suppressing a shiver at the memory. "And completely wide open, lifeless. I don't really think I can describe it…"

"That's fine."

They moved forward in silence, retracing her steps not even a day old. Kagome tried to remember exactly what the trees looked like where the body waited. Every time she thought of that time, though, she could only recall the way the shadows fell and maggots wriggling in white, bloated flesh.

"What's wrong? You look pale."

Kagome jumped, nearly running into the inquisitive monk. Apparently, he had noted her silence and cast her a backward glance - only to find her far away and sickly. He was stopped in the path just in front of her, giving her a worried once-over.

"Why… does it matter?"

"What?" he asked, honestly confused. Kagome swallowed back tears, bile and rotting memories, focusing on the man before her.

"Why are you so interested in the fact that I… was in death?" she pressed. If it concerned her, she really had a right to know, didn't she?

Miroku sighed and stabbed his shakijoku into the moist earth, cocking half an ear to the rustling of the leaves.

"Kagome-sama, do you know about necromancers? Ghouls? Mortlings? Those sorts of things?" he asked, folding his hands into his sleeves. Kagome shifted uncomfortably.

"I've heard all the stories…" she murmured, to which he shook his head.

"But they're not just stories, are they? They're facts, truths, and you should realize that. You fought an undead youkai."

Kagome turned to the side, suddenly bitterly angry with the monk. So what, so she had fought an undead youkai and won. So there were ghouls that haunted graveyards and stole the souls of children. So what if there were mortlings? Creatures so long in death yet so stubbornly drawn to life that they came back without a physical body of their own, procuring the dead meat and flesh of corpses they found along their way. And necromancers… well, if she could take something into death, who's to say that there were none that could draw something out of death to control and use?

What did that have to do with her? She was a miko, a priestess charged with facing the living enemies of her people. The dead were well beyond her league.

"Kagome-sama, these things are not nearly as common as the living evil we must face from day to day, but they still exist. And they're growing in number. Do you understand? With all these wars and youkai uprisings, there are more restless and wicked souls than ever before. And, of course, there's the problem of something stirring them up."

Miroku's expression softened in its severity, even smoothing into a comforting smile. Kagome swallowed thickly, not liking where this was going at all. She was her mother's daughter, the next priestess charged with protecting her village - and she had yet to master that role. No way would she fight the dead. No. She couldn't handle another one of those undead youkai, let alone the horrors that legend told of.

"Rarest of all, Kagome-sama, are those that can fight on the same level as these things. Like yourself, it seems. And that makes you a very, very dangerous threat to some," Miroku said. He straightened and curled his fingers around the staff once more, watching her for any reaction.

"We're nearly there," she answered tersely, resolving to abandon the matter for now. She brushed past the monk, forgetting about her demand for him to remain in front, and rustled down the path. Miroku sighed softly and followed, silently cursing the day he had decided that this village would be ripe for the picking in terms of his machina sales. Then, he wouldn't be involved in such a growing mess. Then again, if he hadn't come along, who knew how long the girl would last… it probably wouldn't take long for word to get out that the miko finished off a long-dead snake.

Kagome stepped resolutely over the fallen log she cleared not long ago in her mad dash to head off the youkai threat, pushing aside a low-lying branch hung with spider webs. There, just in front of her, was that shallow indentation in the earth.

There was no body.

Mikroku approached behind, stopping at her shoulder to peer over and see what was holding them up. Kagome turned.

"But… it was there," she murmured, and the way it was voiced, it sounded like she was asking him a question. Miroku guided her out of the way as her brow creased in confusion, stooping low to take a closer look at the place. The grass was flattened where the land dipped, and the soil was churned and disturbed near the edges, probably Kagome's own footprints.

"You think… something took off with her? A scavenger?" Kagome asked, standing on tiptoe to see over the monk's shoulder after he stood. He frowned.

"Maybe… but all these tracks look human," he mused, dusting off his hands. Something nagged at the back of his mind, a warning, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. Kagome stepped back and made her way towards the path once more, secretly relieved that the body had been dragged off - she'd had her fill of death today, thank you very much.

A cold, dead weight settled in her stomach, making it difficult to breath. She could feel the first prickles of real terror climbing her spine accompanied by a faint buzzing in her ears as she pushed past bushes and trees, conscious of the monk at her back. Was it just her, or were the trees a little deformed around these parts? Twisted into claws and fangs, closing in on her…

"Stupid…" she muttered, shaking her head. She was not a child. She shouldn't act like one. There was nothing out there…

"What is that?" Miroku asked softly, drawing his shakijoku closer to his body. The tense question made her realize that the buzzing in her ears was, in fact, coming from somewhere forward and to their left.

"I'm… I'm not…" she trailed off. With only a moment of hesitation, she pushed forward once more, steeling her resolve. She still couldn't swallow past that lump in her throat.

As they came closer, trying to be as quiet as possible, the sound became recognizable.

"…flies?" Kagome murmured, rounding one last tree and stepping out onto the path. She heard the crunch as Miroku followed her. The sound was coming from a little ways ahead, towards the village, but because of the density of the woods she couldn't make out the source. It was probably the body they were looking for, she figured, or something similar - something big enough to draw that many flies.

Between the trees, she finally glimpsed something - it was white and luminescent in the filtered daylight - and her blood ran so icy it numbed her fingers.

"Kagome…" Miroku murmured just as they stepped into view.

There, in the middle of the path, they found the missing body. When Kagome had first stumbled across the poor woman earlier that morning, only a few flies had caught wind of her death. Now they buzzed and flitted in a large swarm, a constant sound that never decreased nor increased in intensity, and it made her skin crawl.

"Kagome-sama…" Miroku tried again softly. Kagome blinked, realizing what felt so very wrong about the body in front of her: it was standing up. Limp hands, bloated and pale, eyeless sockets, lank and greasy hair, and maggots; woven in the cheeks, laced between the fingers, writhing, churning, and the flies buzzing and crawling.

"Kagome-sama… run. Now," Miroku said firmly. He grabbed her arm, tugging insistently. "Now."

The corpse took a lurching step forward, the feet landing with a wet plop. Its walk was awkward and jerky, `eyes' fixed firmly on the pair, lips frozen in a cross between a smile and a sneer.

Her hair snapped out as she turned and pounded the opposite way, hot on the monk's heels. Behind, an inhuman screech split the air, followed by loud and rapid rhythmic smacks and cracks down the leafy path.

"Oh god, oh god," Kagome panted, "it's running." She was close to tears, feeling as if her chest were about to burst from the strain. The urge to just sit down and sob was nearly overwhelming. It wasn't fair. The stupid thing was rotten, the ligaments snapped, muscles decayed… it should be shuffling, damn it! Shuffling and moaning, not sprinting after them and gaining ground.

"Off the path!" Miroku cried, grabbing her arm and yanking her through the trees. She stumbled and crashed through the underbrush, raising an arm to shield herself from snapping branches. She could hear the thing thundering up behind, screaming horribly. Fast, it was. Graceful, it was not. The ground the creature was steadily gaining tapered off, allowing the pair to remain ahead of their pursuer.

They broke out through the line of trees, sprinting across a trunk-scattered open ground, keen to the creature following them.

"We can't… keep this up…!" Kagome shrieked, pushing her body as hard as she could. Her muscles burned, her lungs were raw, and her eyes wild with the thought of the thing catching up to them. The river's steep banks stretched ahead of them, the safety of the village growing farther and farther away with each panicked leap. Miroku stopped short, grabbing her arm and using her own momentum to swing her behind him before raising his staff protectively in front. The creature lumbered to a halt as well, shaking and twitching with exertion.

"Kagome-sama, quickly, what do you sense?"

"What?"

Kagome stared wide-eyed, the monk's frantic question fueling her own terror. She hunched her shoulders and curled her hands into the earth, gaze trapped on the oozing form of flesh and stringy muscle before her.

"What do you sense?" Miroku pressed urgently, and she shook herself. She focused, pushing aside her fear and going into all-business miko mode.

It was dead. That was the first thing that hit her, that same sick and twisted curling of the aura that the snake youkai had shared. Cold, hungry, and wrong… but there was something… it felt…

"You… killed… my darling…" it rasped.

Miroku grimaced and tensed, ready as it stumbled forward, arms outstretched.

It feels… exactly the same. It's just the same! It's the same aura! How…?!

As soon as it lurched into range, Miroku swung the shakijoku, tearing through the undead flesh at about chest-level. It dipped to the side, thrown off-balance, before recovering and steadfastly heading forward again. Two more swings yielded the same results, but there was no other way to fight; no holy spell could take this thing down.

"M… Miroku-sama! Hang on, I'll kill it," Kagome said. She kept the tremor out of her voice, but not her hands. She concentrated on the aura, searching for that tug - the shot of cold and ice that signified death - but she couldn't find it. Desperate, she stood and moved closer, blinking back tears.

The body was within reach of the monk, so he took a desperate swing and lobbed off one of its legs. It screeched and toppled forward, curling nail-less fingers into his robes and bringing him down with it.

Ah… only she could stop it, but she couldn't find death's grip. With frenzied senses, she searched for something, anything - and she thought of that boy. His face, his eyes, the way his fingers curled at his sides, all of it - and she reached for him instead. She made sure to pull the corpse's aura along with hers as the world fell away and coldness washed over her soul.

~*~

There was hissing and spitting from behind and to her left, but all she knew was the feel of fabric beneath her fingers and something solid supporting her thin and shaking form. She looked up, catching bewildered dark eyes and long drifts of hair.

"You… girl…" he murmured, and Kagome leaned into the sound of his voice rippling over her.

"You're so stupid."

~*~

When the days grew longer and cooler the villagers began their harvest. It was a hard time. The drought had killed off most of their crops and game was scarce. The children were dropping like flies, her talents were in high demand in the temple, and the women had taken over the fields while the men widened their territory in growing desperation for meat. That left him alone to mull over his thoughts, which had been rather distressing of late.

Humans are dangerous! You idiot; untrustworthy, deceitful, foul - hateful! No matter how many times he recycled his bitter old memories and clawed at old scars, he couldn't deny his redirected goals. When was the last time he pursued the Shikon no Tama? He claimed to chase the jewel, but who was he kidding. The jewel wasn't out in the forest collecting herbs. The jewel wasn't bringing medicine to neighboring towns. The jewel wasn't taking wistful walks through the forest.

She was.

"Damn it!" he snarled, driving his fist into a tree. No way in hell was he falling for some human girl, foolish and weak. A miko, no less. How disgustingly ironic. If it wasn't so personal, he could almost laugh about it. He jumped up, scuffing at the grass, then bounded into a nearby tree and leapt from branch to branch. He dared her, silently, to come see, to watch him fly and be free when she could not. After all, isn't that what had stayed her arrow? Because, that is freedom.

~*~

A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. Another cliff-hanger… eh. They're fun ^.^

You might have noticed the rating jump - that's just because I'm playing it safe. My tendency towards horror and swearing might cause problems later on… and I'm sure you've all noticed the horror trend, no? Trust me, that's not all. We haven't even started to delve into Kag's abilities yet. It's going to be much harder on the poor girl ;)

Thanks for reading, and if you've got the time, please review!