InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ She Who the Prophecy Foretold ❯ One’s Miko Lost is Another’s Miko Gained ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter 19 - One's Miko Lost is Another's Miko Gained

 

 

Kouga had arrived at the village, but with no good news. He did not tell them about his encounter with Sesshoumaru. It would not do well for his rival to know that he feared his older brother, even if the brother's were not on speaking terms. After giving them the news he decided to return to his den and check in with his pack. Maybe they had found her and the messenger just hadn't found him yet. He promised to return later and disappeared in his normal cloud of dust.

 

The group was more than depressed now. All that searching and still, no one had found her. At least they hoped no one had found her, since the only one left who as looking was Naraku, and they most definitely did not want him to find her. And if he had, who knows how long it would be until he let them know, surely in some horrific way, too.

 

“Miroku, why can't we find her?” Sango then burst into tears and threw herself at the monk's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and for once managed to keep his hands to himself.

 

“I do not know Lady Sango, I do not know.” Miroku sounded as if he was not far from tears himself.

 

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. His level of self-loathing had been on the rise every minute she was not found. He was sitting in the corner of Kaede's hut, eyes closed, trying his best to figure out what to do now. He refused to think that she might be dead. He could not believe it. His ears were plastered to his head, trying to block out Sango's cries. He had never seen the demon slayer so upset, not even when faced with her brother in Naraku's control. Sango was a strong woman. She did not break down. But there she was, being limply held in the monk's arms as she cried her very soul out over her missing sister, and it was all his fault.

 

Kaede still sat silent, drinking her tea. No one could understand why she was not more upset. When she spoke she startled everyone. “Ye should not yet give up hope for the girl. She is stronger than ye know.” Inuyasha was about to start yelling. He had even opened his mouth, but it snapped shut and his head whipped to the door, just as Miroku's head popped up and his eyes opened.

 

“She's here,” they said simultaneously. Sango jumped up and shoved her way past the men and out the door, nearly knocking both to the floor. Once they regained their balance, they too went outside, followed calmly by Kaede holding Kirara. They all stood, faces staring into the sky as they watched the approach of what appeared to be a large flying inu youkai. They sensed no danger, and merely stared, dazed as the dog landed and Kagome slid down, holding Shippo in her arms. All but Kaede that is. She held a small, knowing smile on her face. They then watched as the large black dog transformed in a blue cloud to a tiny puppy that then jumped to rest on Kagome's shoulder. As she approached them, they all were doing their best impressions of fish out of water, as no one knew what to say. Finally, Kirara jumped out of Kaede's arms and leapt onto Kagome's unoccupied shoulder and began nuzzling her neck in hello while adding her scent back to the miko and checking for any stray ones.

 

Kagome wasn't quite sure what to say either. She knew they had been worried sick, and she felt so guilty about it. She walked up quietly and handed Shippo to Kaede, who merely nodded her welcome and held the sleeping kit. Kagome then stood in front of her friends and smiled.

 

“Hi guys.” Before Kagome could say more, she was nearly tackled by a once again sobbing Sango. Kirara and Kazue jumped down to avoid getting squashed, and walked a ways away where they proceeded to meow and bark, purr and whine softly to each other in conversation. Kagome burst in to tears as well, as she held Sango close to her. “Oh, Sango, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to worry you!” She pulled her head back and looked at Miroku who suddenly snapped out of it and instantly had his arms around the two most important women in his life. Kagome then locked eyes with Inuyasha, who quickly looked down, his ears flat to the top of his head. “I missed you all so much! I didn't know I was going to be gone so long. I'm sorry! Shippo told me how worried you all were when I found him.” Slowly her friends released her and backed away. She was surprised when Inuyasha, who had not spoken or moved towards her at all, leapt into a nearby tree, his back facing her. Kagome blinked, trying to hold back tears. Why was he angry with her? Did he resent her because Kikyo was dead? “Um… what's with…?”

 

Miroku cut her off. “Lady Kagome, please come inside and tell us where you have been.” He shook his head gently, silently communicating with the girl that he would try to explain later. She let out a deep sigh, and then turned and entered the hut, where everyone sat around the fire pit and watched Kaede prepare tea for them all. She had laid the still sleeping Shippo on Kagome's pillow. Kagome sat as well, and then, after glancing at the door one last time, began her tale. They all sat, listening intently as Kagome told her lie. She wished she didn't have to lie, but she was just not ready to deal with a pissed off hanyou who would take everything the wrong way. She would tell them the truth later, when emotions weren't running quite so high. When Kirara reentered the hut followed by Kazue, Kagome introduced her to the group, along with the prepared story as well. While no one questioned her, Kagome could feel the question in Miroku's gaze, and knew she would have some explaining to do later. When Kagome looked at Kaede, she knew the old woman did not believe her one bit. She also knew that she would not call her on it. It seemed Kaede knew something, as she still held a small knowing smile on her face.

 

~

 

In a dark, crumbling castle to the south, that was hidden by a powerful barrier and surrounded by a low hanging cloud of toxic purple miasma, even Kanna, who usually showed no signed of life, flinched away from the sound of the frustrated roar that had just emerged from the evil hanyou.

 

He had decided, after checking in with his saimyosho spies who had still not located the miko, to check in on her group. He had figured their despair would be at least slightly entertaining for a time. But when the mirror had cleared, the sight that greeted him was definitely not of a group in despair. No, instead it appeared to be a group rejoicing, and in their midst, wrapped in the arms of her companions, was the very miko he had been searching for!

 

It wasn't right! It couldn't be right! How could she have simply returned to them? And why had the mirror not shown her location earlier when asked? He could see her there, in the village of Kikyo, surrounded by those he was planning on torturing with her captivity. How was it possible??? Watching her smile as tears of happiness ran down her cheeks, he couldn't take it anymore. Without thinking, he ripped the mirror from Kanna's hands before throwing it like a Frisbee into a solid stone wall, shattering the glass so completely that all that remained was dust, the orbs of light, souls that had been trapped behind the mirror's surface which floated away, and the outer decorative ring that had once surrounded the magical surface. Within moments, that too disappeared, seeming to simply dissolve and float away, more dust on the breeze.

 

Kanna backed away slowly, fearing what would result when Naraku finally realized just what he had done. Kohaku sat motionless in the corner, his back against the cool stone, his eyes blank and empty. Kagura had to hide her face behind her fan as she fought laughter. Really, how was it that no one had defeated him yet? He obviously wasn't quite as bright as he let on. When he finally realized what he had done, however, the look in his eyes was so dark and menacing that it wiped the smile right off her face. This wasn't going to turn out well.

 

He stood, looking towards the white haired girl dressed in all white with white flowers in her hair. She was no good to him now. She had been `born' with that mirror, and he wouldn't be able to get her another. He wanted to be kicking himself for his rash behavior, but rather than take it out on himself, he shot a mass of tentacles out towards the little girl whose eyes, for the first time, showed true and obvious fear. She made no attempt to move, however, and as Kagura watched on in horror, Kanna's small body was pierced through by the tentacles and dragged back towards their origins. She had to look away, however, as she couldn't watch the one she considered her sister being reabsorbed into Naraku's body, disappearing completely, forever, as if she had never existed at all.

 

~

 

The group ate lunch together, with Inuyasha still refusing to look at Kagome, and Sango refusing to let her out of her sight. She didn't know what she had done to make the hanyou so angry he would not look at her, but she and Miroku had not yet had a chance to talk. Whatever the problem was, it had to be a big one, as Inuyasha had never before refused ramen.

 

As he sat in his tree, he had listened to her explanation, relishing in the sound of her voice and her scent, which he had never realized were both quite so wonderful before. When he had been called for lunch he refused to come down. He didn't deserve her kindness, and he definitely did not deserve ramen. Instead, he stayed above them smelling the food, hearing them talk, and missing their companionship more than he had ever thought possible. After having spent so much time on his own, he had somehow become used to the presence of the others now. He was sure that it was Kagome's doing. But he would not allow himself to join them. He didn't deserve it, and he intended on punishing himself as much as possible, never thinking that his avoidance was punishing Kagome just as much.

 

Kagome agreed to stay the night with them and then return home to visit her family in the morning. When it came time to sleep, Inuyasha had still not come down from the tree, and she was really starting to get worried. She had not gotten a chance to talk to either Miroku or Kaede, though, as the others would not leave her alone. Oh well. She found her thoughts drifting to silver hair, golden eyes, and a blue crescent moon. She dreamt of Sesshoumaru, Rin, and the pups, of playing in the gardens, of eating and talking in the dining room, of bedtime stories and quiet conversations. She even dreamt of the feel of his arm wrapped around her, holding her close, of how it felt as his hot breath swept across her skin, and the memory of his lips on her own, even if it had only been a dream. When she woke in the morning, she found there was an ache deep in her heart, as well as a more private ache somewhere further south. She missed the pups, she missed Rin, but what was most unexpected was … she missed Sesshoumaru. A lot.

 

~

When Sesshoumaru had returned to the palace he immediately closed himself up in his study. He tried to concentrate on getting through all the scrolls he had to read, but found he couldn't focus. Instead, his thoughts drifted to wavy ebony locks and shining blue eyes. He missed her already. He had been surprised at how easy it had been to talk with her about things he had never told another living soul. He really had not intended to tell her so much, but the words came so easily, his thoughts seemed to flow straight from his memory to his mouth, and he seemed to get no opinion or say in the matter. It felt good, though, to tell someone. Especially to tell her. She really listened to him, and she seemed to understand. She did not judge. Even after everything she had heard him say and seen him do, she still had an open mind. He found himself even more drawn to her. With her he could have a confidant. He wouldn't have to be alone with his thoughts, and he knew she would never think less of him for them, no matter what they were.

 

He sat daydreaming about the girl and listening to the sounds of the palace. It was quiet. He could not hear his pups playing or running through the halls. There was no laughter. Instead, there was a heavy aura surrounding the whole palace, one of sadness, loneliness. His pups and even the always happy Rin were depressed at their loss of the miko's presence, just as he was. The quiet stretched through the rest of the day as he stayed hidden in his study, letting his mind wander, wondering what she was doing, how she was. He wanted to look at her again, if only for a second. He craved her scent, just one little sniff, anything. Once he was sure that everyone had gone to bed, he silently exited his self-imposed prison and followed his feet. He found himself in the room he had given her, the room that had once been his mother's. The room meant for the Lady of the Western Lands. He lay down on the bed and buried his face in the pillows, breathing in what remained of her scent, and drifted off to sleep. One by one his pups found their way to the room as well, all searching for what little remained of her soothing presence. Soon the bed once again held eight dog demons, but it was missing one very important miko.

 

~

 

When she awoke, it was much later in the morning than she had expected. Sitting up slowly, she looked around the room and found Miroku and Sango were still asleep as well. Apparently they were still exhausted from their searching. She felt a stab of guilt at the thought. She stood up and walked out of the hut quietly. An odd sight greeted her outside.

 

Inuyasha was sitting on his heels, crouched down in front of Kazue. He was letting out a series of growls, barks, and whines, while Kazue just looked at him.

 

`What is he doing?' Kagome silently asked the inu.

 

`He is trying to talk to me. It really is quite funny. He is asking where I came from. I don't think he believes your story of just finding me.'

 

`So you understand all that noise?'

 

`Yes, my lady, I mean, Kagome. He is speaking in inu. He seems to be getting frustrated because I refuse to answer him.' Kagome let out a little laugh at this, causing Inuyasha to jump up and spin around.

 

“Oh… hey Kagome. I think there's something wrong with your mutt.” Inuyasha had not intended to be caught, especially not by the girl he was currently avoiding like the plague.

 

“Oh? And why is that? And Kazue is not a mutt. Be nice, Inuyasha.” Kagome watched as his ears lowered once again.

 

“The thing won't answer me. She's either deaf, or mute, or just plain stupid.”

 

“Did you ever think that maybe she's just stubborn like you?” Kagome giggled at her own joke, and walked past him to take a seat on a log nearby. Kazue immediately leapt into her lap and made herself at home.

 

“Kagome,” Inuyasha started, his voice soft and questioning. “We need to talk.” He figured it would be better to get it over with quick. At least at the moment he didn't have much of an audience. No one needed to witness his words.

 

“Okay, sure Inuyasha. What is it?” Her voice gave away her nervousness, but at least he was talking to her, which was a start.

 

He let out a huge sigh, took a deep breath, and began. “While you were gone, I was with Kikyo. I should have been here, waiting for you, and I wasn't. And then Sesshoumaru tried to attack her and she escaped. I searched and searched for her, and when I found her she told me that Sesshoumaru was after her, that she had healed some villagers that had been attacked by his guards, and he had taken offense. I bought it and promised to protect her. When he showed up again, we fought, and then he touched my head, and I saw… you will not believe what I saw.”

 

`You might be surprised,' Kagome thought to herself while petting Kazue once again. “What did you see, Inuyasha? You should know by now that I'll believe you. I always do.” `I just wish I didn't have to lie to you. If only you would understand.'

 

Inuyasha felt a pang of guilt at her words. How many times had he lied to her to go see Kikyo? “I watched Naraku and Kikyo curse who I guess was Sesshoumaru's pups, basically sentenced them to death. And then they kissed, and oh, it was awful. At first I didn't believe it, but then from the way Kikyo looked, I knew it was true. And I begged him to kill her.” Inuyasha looked up into Kagome's eyes, his filled with pain. “I begged him to kill her…and he did. And then, before he left, he touched me again, and I saw everything. I saw everything Kikyo every said or did to you, all the times I refused to believe you, all the horrible things I have said to you, all the times I put you in danger and let you get hurt because I had abandoned you to run to her. And then there was the pain. You never told me about the pain. You told Miroku, I saw him helping you, but you never told me. I want to say you should have told me, but I probably wouldn't have believed you then either. I was blinded by her. I'm so sorry. I failed you so many times. I don't know how you can even stand to look at me, let alone stay my friend. I don't deserve you. I have never deserved you.”

 

Kagome looked at him, taking in the sad, tear filled eyes, the lowered ears, the slumped shoulders. His entire appearance screamed defeated. “Inuyasha, I'm sorry she's gone, but I'm not sorry that you can finally see clearly. I have always understood how hard it was for you, for her to be alive but not, for her to hate you and love you at the same time. I know you were confused, and I forgive you. I had already forgiven you. I love you too much not too. You will always be my friend. Please, Inuyasha, don't beat yourself up over this. Move on, and find a way to be happy, please. It hurts me to see you so sad. Don't worry. I will never leave you. I will always be your friend. You know that, right? So please, I forgive you, so now you need to forgive yourself and move past it.” She held her arms open to the teary eyed hanyou and he flew into her, knocking her over the log she was seated on flat onto her back, Kazue having barely avoided being squished. She wrapped her arms around him and held him as he buried his face in her hair and cried, really cried.

 

“I don't deserve a tenshi like you. You are my angel, my savior, and you are my first and best real friend. Thank you, Kagome. Thank you,” he whispered in her hair as he cried. He had not really cried since he was a child, since his mother died, and it was well overdue. Kagome simply held him tightly, allowing him to get it all out, softly running her fingers through his hair and gently stroking his furry little puppy ears.

 

Finally he realized their position and moved off of her, pulling her to her feet. “I didn't hurt you, did I?” he asked as he checked her over, while swiping the tears from his face with his sleeve.

 

“No, you didn't hurt me. I'm fine.” She found herself once again swept into his arms.

 

“I promise I will never let you down again. I will protect you Kagome. I swear it.”

 

“Okay, Inuyasha. How about I make you some ramen?” She watched as his eyes lit up and his ears perked up, and smiled. “You are so easy to please sometimes.” He followed her into the hut and watched as she silently stoked the fire before placing water on to boil. While they waited, the others started to wake. She watched as Sango shifted slightly before bolting upright and searching the hut. When her eyes landed on Kagome she let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, Sango, I'm really here.”

 

“Thank Kami! I thought I had dreamed it all. Oh, Kagome, I was so scared! I don't know what I would do if I lost you!”

 

“Well, you don't have to worry about it. You are my sister and my friend, and I would never leave you, I promise.” Kagome added the dried noodles to the boiling water, while looking over at Miroku who had sat up and was looking at her oddly. “Are you okay, Miroku?” Kagome looked at him with pleading eyes.

 

Thankfully he got the message. “Yes, Lady Kagome, I am fine, thank you. I am just glad that you have returned to us safe and well. Ah, and Inuyasha, I see you have finally joined us.”

 

The only response from the hanyou was his usual “Keh.”

 

Shippo perked up at the smell of food as Kagome added the flavor packets and dished out the noodles for everyone. Inuyasha and Shippo both tore through their ramen like starving animals, while Kagome watched laughing quietly. “Where's Kaede, Inuyasha?”

 

“Went to check on a sick kid,” he replied through a mouth full of noodles.

 

“Will you be returning home then, Lady Kagome?” Miroku asked with a small smile.

 

“Yeah, I need to let them know I'm okay, and get some more ramen, apparently. You'd think I'm the only one who feeds those two!”

 

~

 

Hiromi was once again checking her gazing crystal. Kagome would be coming home today, but she had not yet met all three requirements. She could not give her the gifts until she had met all three. She wasn't quite sure what to do. She couldn't tell her what she needed to do. Kagome had to do it on her own. Until then, she would have to act like she would have been expected to if her daughter had been missing. She couldn't tell her that she knew Kagome had been fine and well, because then she would have to tell her how she knew, and Hiromi was pretty sure mother-instinct would not be an acceptable answer. She prayed to the Kamis that Kagome would meet the third requirement before returning home. She didn't think she was that good of an actress!

 

~

 

Sesshoumaru woke in a room not his own, and it took him a few moments to realize where he was and why. Then it all came flooding back. She was gone, and he had come here seeking her scent. Apparently he had not been the only one, he noticed, as he found all his pups in the bed with him. He needed to figure something out, and he needed to do it soon. If he couldn't function without her, how could he expect them to? No, he had to find a way for them to remain in her presence. If she couldn't stay here, then they would have to stay with her. Then it hit him, he would propose an alliance and a merging of the packs, with the excuse of wishing to assist in defeating Naraku. It would not be a lie, after all. Naraku did need to pay for his treachery against his pups.

 

He rose slowly from the bed, so as to not wake his sons, and went to the library. He had a few things he needed to look into before he could leave.