InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Spellbound Destiny ❯ Chapter 4: The First Journey ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lady Elviria 
Revised. Fixed grammatical errors and a few spelling errors. Also tweak some paragraphs to better express what I had wanted.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.29.2011 | Updated On: 12.12.2011 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.7K | Visits: 495 | Status: Work In Progress
Revised. Fixed grammatical errors and a few spelling errors. Also tweak some paragraphs to better express what I had wanted.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Hentai / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.29.2011 | Updated On: 12.12.2011 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.7K | Visits: 495 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. It's all thanks to Takahashi Rumiko. ^_^
Author's Note: Thanks once again for all the reviews.
Definitions:
Sugegasa – a sedge hat, the same type of hat that Sango wore in episode 78?Aiming for Sango, Only You?while it rained.
Torii – a Shinto shrine gate that sits at the entrance. I've placed one at the entrance to Aniri to denote it's sacredness.
Pronunciations:
Aniri - Ah*near*ree
Spellbound Destiny
Chapter 4: The First Journey
Kagome sat in a daze. She watched her mother look over the betrothal documents with glazed eyes. After she had left the study last night, Kagome had found it hard to fall asleep. She instead got up from her futon and walked to the gardens that connected with their room two hours after they had settled down for bed.
She went through so many emotional tirades while alone, it was shocking that she could function today. A tree that sat in the middle beckoned her and, while she kept her voice no more than a whisper, took out her anger and frustration and sadness on it. She was a bit embarrassed that anyone passing by the tree this morning would see several furrows in the bark where she had run the edge of a hair pin across it.
Kagome cradled her hand in her lap. Her kimono sleeve and the ivory paint her mother used on her face hid a few red spots from anyone else's view. The hair pin scratching had helped but it wasn't enough. She then added to the tree's problem by hitting it a few times. She paid more for that than the poor tree and Kagome felt even worse for taking her emotions out on another living thing, even if it was a plant. She was usually very good at keeping herself in check but too much was happening too fast.
Coming back to the present, Kagome watched her mother produced the Higurashi seal. Mitsuko placed it in the ink pan and stamped it where Inutaisho indicated. It was done, her fate sealed with that damning mark. Kagome was officially betrothed to Inuyasha.
She chanced a quick look at Inuyasha--who sat across and to her right. His ears twitched at the littlest thing--the sound of the parchment rattling, a servant walking beyond their room, leaves rustling outside from a gust of wind. His claws tapped impatiently on his arms, then his legs and the ground. His hair shown a bright silver in the early morning light and his deep golden eyes gleamed with annoyance.
He didn't seem to be any happier about it than she. While Kagome kept her deeper feelings hidden within herself, allowing only small outbursts when no one could see her, Inuyasha seemed to share them to the world. He wore his anger and grumpiness like a badge on his sleeve. Could the reason be because he wanted to keep people away? It was at once intimidating and saddening.
Kagome never seemed to dwell too much on the fact he was a hanyou but that would have made his early life hard. This was his way of coping with the view the world held against hanyou born children. She could see that clearly all of a sudden, like a veil had been lifted from her eyes. The rumors that abounded from her tutors' mouths all bespoke of his grumpiness and gruff nature. He distanced himself from others and didn't trust so easily. But to her, the fact he was a hanyou didn't bother her one bit. She like it, actually.
It also made his and Kikyou's story all the more tragic. Though Kagome didn't know the specific details, history had written about his love for Kikyou and how it was betrayed. Inuyasha's adamant refusal to marry her was because he couldn't trust her yet. Maybe he didn't want to trust her like he had with Kikyou. The one person who he had opened up to betrayed him and that must have hurt him dearly. Hurt enough to push him back into the tough guy shell he wore.
Maybe she could get him to tell her about Kikyou? It would help her to understand his true feelings. She didn't want to become angry every time they were together. She wanted to see beyond his mask to the man he was underneath. She knew there had to be more to him than what he currently portrayed and she wanted what her mother had had with her father--love. If it was possible, she had to know what was going on in that head of his. And maybe the first step would be to control her own anger? It was worth a shot. She would try to call a truce of sorts with him.
The thought warmed her in a strange way. The things she had felt last night upon first seeing him came back to her and she steadfastly refused to dwell on them. Not yet. First, she wanted to get to know him. Then she would shift to herself.
Lost in her thoughts, Kagome didn't notice that Inuyasha and herself were the only ones left in the room. Inuyasha took the opportunity--while she was distracted--to look at her again. She was quite striking against the rays of early morning light that shone through an open shoji door. The kimono she wore only enhanced her beauty: the rich royal plum purple and white patterned with pink sakura blossoms and golden dragons played to her paler skin tone and rich blue-black hair.
Her emotions danced across her face like an open book, eyes so expressive they exposed the very essence of her soul if one just bothered to look. She didn't hide anything when she believed no one watched her. She was so unlike Kikyou, it was actually refreshing.
Inuyasha's thoughts turned back to Kikyou. It had taken a long time for him to get Kikyou to open up to him. It grew tiring to guess constantly what the woman he loved felt. With Kagome, there wasn't any need to guess. Yet he still didn't feel comfortable letting her in on his secrets. He couldn't give her that power.
Unable to stand the silence any longer, or his own thoughts, Inuyasha made the first move. “Oi, wench, if we don't leave now, we're going to be late for breakfast.” The words were thrown over his shoulder as he moved to the doors.
Kagome shook her head. She watched his figure move almost out of sight beyond the other side of the door. “Breakfast?” Kagome asked dumbly. She hadn't realized that they were done with the betrothal contract. She must appear really stupid to Inuyasha, always staring off into nothing and inhabiting her own thoughts. She stood up with a blush and followed Inuyasha down the hallways. Though Kagome had just made up her mind to talk to him, ask him about himself, for the life of her, she couldn't get her voice to work nor think of a suitable question to ask. So instead, she stayed silent.
They arrived at the dinning hall, sat themselves upon the dais's mats and watched as Inutaisho greeted the other guests. He silenced the crowd once they were all seated and announced Inuyasha's and Kagome's engagement.
Amid the thunderous applause and congratulations, Kouga balled his hands on his legs. His claws dug painfully into his fur but he didn't care. He watched from his position in the back of the room with narrowed eyes. His anger was hidden from their view by some of the guests but he saw them perfectly and threw them hostile stares. That mutt had stolen his woman. He couldn't make a move now, not within Inutaisho's palace under a temporary peace agreement, but once this week's festival was over, he was going to prove that Kagome belonged to him and no other would have her.
Several feet away, hidden behind a servant's door, a monk dressed in black and purple robes watched the breakfast feast through a slight crack. Spying wasn't his best area of expertise but, upon occasion, it served him well.
When he had entered the throne room yesterday evening to preform the opening ceremonies, and spotted the honored guests, the monk had recognized the names as well as the house colors of the two women. They were of the Higurashi family. And now with Inuyasha awake again, he knew what would come. They would go after Naraku. And he would join them. Any information he could gather about the two would be useful for the future.
Miroku turned from the door and closed it silently behind him. He would reveal himself after all the guests left. For now, he would go back to the shrine and contemplate life's many ironic twists.
O o O o O o O o O
A beautiful giant white feather landed on the ground. Its sole passenger daintily stepped off before it transformed back into its normal two inch size. A delicate feminine hand tipped in manicured nails trapped the feather as it floated down to the earth between her index and middle finger. She placed it back in her coiffured ebony tresses alongside its twin.
Kagura walked towards the village with purpose. It had taken time to find but she had found it. The hidden village of the Taijiya. All Naraku had said was to take a horde of his youkai servants to the village and attack. He never lifted his own hand in the dirty work. Not in finding the places he sent her nor in their actual destruction.
Kagura scoffed. Naraku's orders to her were always like that: to the point with no extra detail. She was expected to do everything and she couldn't imagine what he had up his sleeves. But she had to obey him. Her hand moved to where her heart should have been, knowing the empty cavity ached with phantom pain. Her true heart sat in a locked chest among Naraku's many treasures in his private room. Where it would remain until he deigned to give it back to her. In sustained her through some force of power that was unimaginable to her and she never really understood how it was that she lived without it. Or how he could inflict pain on her while was so far away from him at times.
But that was a problem she couldn't solve just yet. Until the day arrived when she would be free, she had to follow out Naraku's orders. Turning back to her task, Kagura continued to walk to the village's sole entrance and lifted her right hand. Clasped between her fingers rested a closed fan--her weapon of choice. Without a word, she signaled the horde of youkai to attack by opening the fan and waving it across the air in the direction of the fence. It stirred up wind that quickly turned into gusts and gales. This was her power. And with it, she would gain her freedom. Someday.
The horde moved as if one being. Fire, water, wind and destruction hailed down across the landscape. Children screamed and ran in chaos to find a hiding spot. The women dropped their laundry baskets and food crates and tried to gather as many of the children as they could. But the horde came down too fierce. What few men where left in the village--the old, sick and young--could not protect them against the hundreds of youkai that bombarded the village.
The dirt became a river of blood. The bodies piled up, fleshless, where they fell from the mouths of the youkai. The houses burned bright red and orange and the once blue sky turned black from smoke. Kagura watched, emotionless. She felt nothing at the site of such senseless destruction. She could not afford to feel. Those emotions would make her job harder and make her vulnerable to Naraku, something she could never let happen if she wanted her freedom.
Kagura turned from the site of the village, took out her feather and jumped onto it. She make her way back “home.” Her job was done. And in the back of her mind, she wondered, why was it so easy? The Taijiya were youkai slayers after all. It should have been a much harder fight.
Once she landed on the grounds of the hidden castle, the answer became obvious to her. The entrance was littered with dead bodies. These were the warriors of the Taijiya, dressed in fine youkai bone armor and their weapons discarded and forgotten. Naraku's plan had been quite underhanded. He lured out the warriors and sent her to attack the weaker unprotected village.
Kagura squinted, trying to gain more focus. One spot lay empty, the blood pooled in the form of a body. She looked up to the castle entrance and spied Naraku with his arms cradling a human girl in his arms.
Naraku turned his head to her. “Good work, Kagura.” Then continued on his way with the limp body.
Kagura bit her lip, silencing her need to ask him what he was doing. It shouldn't be any of her business. But somehow, she felt it was. Angry with herself, Kagura turned and walked to a far corner of the castle estate--her own private sanctuary. If Naraku needed her again, all he had to do was send Kanna to get her. Whether she would go right away was debatable.
O o O o O o O o O
The rest of the week passed in a whirl for Kagome. She couldn't keep up with all the people who had congratulated her on her soon to be marriage. She avoided being alone with Inuyasha and only sat near him when she had to during meals. His grumpiness was getting on her nerves. She didn't know how she was going to live with the man. He had called her every foul word she knew of and some she didn't--called her by anything other than her name. She thought she had figured him out but now, Kagome was just confused. Maybe it wasn't going to be as easy as she had first thought.
The day after the guests had left found Kagome bored from the lack of activities. She sat on a rock in the front gardens, staring at nothing in particular and letting her thoughts wander. Inuyasha's face appeared before her and she wondered where he was and what he was doing. Was he having fun? Taking a nap? Maybe even getting reacquainted with the world?
The stray thoughts immediately had her fuming. She shouldn't want to know anything about him or what he did. He wasn't nice to her and acted more like a child than Souta. He wasn't worth her time but that didn't matter. Her anger cooled and she remembered how the sun glinted off his silver hair. How his ears were so cute, all she wanted to do was take her hands up to those oh so soft furry ears and rub them. Instead, she sighed and tamped down that crazy urge, going back to staring at the plants around her.
Inuyasha stood alone in his room, contemplating what he needed to do. His week had been spent doing his parents bidding while secretly forming his plan. The first stop he needed to make was the village on the border between Avaren and Haedai, called Aniri. It was the village Kikyou had often met with him in and, if his memory didn't fail him, Kaede also stopped by with her from time to time. The older villagers, if they were still alive, might know where he could find Kaede. And maybe Kaede had sought refuge there. It was worth a try.
Inuyasha made a final check of his room. He didn't need much for the trip. A little bit of money in case he had to sleep indoors and enough food to get him through until night fall when he could hunt. He wasn't one for sleeping in bed rolls or at inns, preferring to sleep up in the branches of trees where he could be semi-alert for enemies. His fire rat fur haori and hakama would be enough protection from any small threat that lurked out in the open and he had his claws for anything bigger.
Nodding his head in satisfaction, Inuyasha turned to the door and headed out. He knew he couldn't sneak off without alerting his father. Inutaisho's full youkai blood allowed him to smell anyone coming or going and his hearing was top notch. He heard things from all over the city and it was only intense training that allowed him to selectively dim sounds that were not a threat up to the household grounds. His father would be on him in as soon as his feet were off the palace grounds.
To prevent that from happening, he timed it perfectly to leave when his father took a quick trip after the festival to see to some business in a neighboring province. And with his father now gone for the next few hours, he only had to slip past his mother. His human mother. She did not have the same senses as his father so she would not know right away that he was missing.
And his plan was working perfectly. His mother sat in her usual garden, flower gazing, unable to see who moved through the palace. But a snag came when Inuyasha barely made it past the front doors. Kagome sat half way between him and the front gates, gazing into empty air. There was no way he could move to the front gates without her noticing him.
Swearing softly, Inuyasha searched the rest of the front entrance. He could go left, towards a corner, and hope she didn't catch him from her periphery vision. Human eye sight was worse than a youkai but could still be clear enough to catch his blur as he ran past. But it was the best plan if he didn't want to talk to her.
Inuyasha ran in a wide half circle. His heart pounded a little harder and he felt the blood rush to his ears as they flicked back and forth every few seconds to check on her. But at the last minute, Kagome turned her head a bit more to the left and caught sight of his running red blur.
She stood from her spot and made to move toward him. “Where are you going?”
His ears flattened to his skull as he came to a halt and gazed at her with guilty eyes. “Out,” he said nonchalantly. He tried to act like it didn't matter.
Kagome scrutinized him. Somehow she didn't believe he was just leaving for no reason. “Where?”
“It's none of your business!” Inuyasha answered defensively.
µ³It is my business when it concerns you. You'll be my husband soon and we can't keep secrets from each other.”
“Look, I'm just going to see if I can find out where the Shikon no Tama is. It doesn't concern you.”
“I can help.”
“No.”
Kagome moved to stand in front of him, her hands on her hips and her chocolate brown eyes staring daggers into his golden ones. “You can't do everything by yourself. You've been sealed away for fifty years. Things have changed.”
“No. This is about Kikyou and the Shikon no Tama. It has nothing to do with you. I will not have some silly human girl following me everywhere, getting in my way.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he said the wrong thing. But he would not feel guilty about it.
For some reason Kagome didn't understand, his words hurt deep. She knew he had only just met her a week ago and they could not be the best of friends in so little time but it still hurt--his complete disregard of her. He wasn't even trying to make her feel like a part of his life. What would happen when they married finally? She knew she had been avoiding him but it was because she didn't know how to act around him. He made her feel so many different emotions, she felt as if she had no control around him.
Kagome masked the tears that threatened to fall with anger. “Baka!” she yelled. “Baka, baka, baka!” Kagome turned and walked a few steps away from him--the better to hide her face. Why was she so emotional around him? Why couldn't he understand she just wanted to be a part of his life, to understand him and what motivated him? To help him as a wife should? It wasn't the perfect marriage she had dreamed of but they could make it work if they tried. He just had to let her in.
Inuyasha smelled the saltiness of her tears and stared helplessly at her back. He hadn't meant to hurt her but it wasn't her problem. He had to deal with Kikyou himself. Inuyasha sighed. Maybe she could be of use to him. She had made a good point. Fifty years could change a lot and the quiet village of Aniri he remembered may not be as it once was.
“Fine, you can come,” he relented grudgingly. “But I will be moving fast and plan to sleep outside,” he added to try to detour her.
Kagome turned back to him with a smile. Her eyes shone with gratitude and glistened slightly with unshed tears. Inuyasha's heart gave a slight tug. It felt good to have her smile turned to him. And to see her happy. She felt deep emotions that amazed him. Her face was so expressive, it was like a breath of fresh air to him. Usually people showed hate, disgust or dislike of him--except his mother and father--that it was hard to remember that people felt other things too. She made it easier to see those other emotions.
To distract himself, he opened his mouth to tell her that she would have to ride on his back when a throat cleared and took their attention away from each other. Inuyasha and Kagome turned to see the monk in purple and black robes from the ceremonies approach them. He walked steadily toward them, in no hurry. What the hell is it now? Inuyasha's stealthy escape was ruined. He was just impatient to leave now and not run into his father.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the monk said after he reached them. “I'm Miroku.”
Miroku's hand moved without their notice to caress Kagome's behind. She yelped and jumped away from him. Inuyasha moved without thought to protected her and raised a hand to the monk in clear warning.
“Forgive me, it's a curse,” Miroku said on a laugh.
Inuyasha looked at him warily. “What do you want, bozu?”
Miroku became serious. He lifted his right hand and gazed at the cloth and pray beads that covered it. He then turned back to the couple who stood before him. “I know about your alliance. I know that you will be going after Naraku soon. I would like to offer my services. I--”
“Your services?” Inuyasha interrupted. He made sure he could see the monk's hands at all times.
Miroku lifted his hand to show them. “Underneath this sealing cloth and pray beads, there's a hole in my hand. It was a curse that Naraku placed on my grandfather that is passed from father to son. It allows me to suck anything into it. I also seek Naraku's death. It is the only way to get rid of the curse before the curse kills me. I thought I could be of some help to you since we are all after the same thing.”
“No. I don't need any more help!” Kami-sama, he was so sick of everyone offering to help him. He did not need any more help. He was old enough to do things on his own and his private affairs about Kikyou and the Shikon no Tama were just that: private.
Kagome tugged at his bawled fist. He hadn't even realized he clenched his hands. He allowed Kagome to take hold of his hand and tried to relax. Even still, his eyebrow twitched and he couldn't keep his anger from showing just a little bit.
“Inuyasha, you haven't met Naraku. You don't know how evil he is. The more people who are against him, the better. We should take him up on his offer. “ Kagome, the ever voice of reason, pleaded with him.
“Fine!” Inuyasha wrenched his hand out of hers and stormed off out of the palace. He didn't even blink an eye at the odd looks the guards gave him or look back to see if he had hurt Kagome's hand. He just needed to leave, get his answers and be done with it. And fight this Naraku. But he'd deal with that after he found the Shikon no Tama.
Kagome smiled slightly up at Miroku, her hand resting by her side unhurt--she had anticipated his move and loosened her hold enough so the force wouldn't hurt her. “Just keep your hands to yourself. Inuyasha has a bad temper.” She turned and ran out of the palace, following Inuyasha's fuming figure.
Miroku blinked in amazement then followed after them. He hadn't expected it to be that easy, to have Inuyasha agree without much of an argument.
They were entering the market place, which led to the outside gates, when Miroku caught up with them. By then, they had slowed to a fast walk. “So, where are we going?”
“Oi, who said you could come? We aren't going to attack Naraku right now.” Inuyasha was still mad. His father would likely be returning soon and he wasn't far enough away from home as he would have liked. The ruckus at the front gates probably alerted his mother, and if not her, then some of the servants. His father might be close on their heels soon.
“Inuyasha! He offered to help so let him help!”
“Keh.” Inuyasha folded his hands into his sleeves, closed his eyes and continued walking.
Miroku looked to Kagome. Kagome shook her head. “All I know is that we're going to a village Inuyasha thinks holds information on the Shikon no Tama.”
“Aniri. The place is called Aniri.”
Miroku placed a hand on his chin in thought. “Aniri is a border village. It might not be wise to go there right now.” Inuyasha looked at him with a glare. “What I mean is that because it sits on the edge of Avaren, Naraku may have it watched.”
“We're going.” Inuyasha didn't say more, just kept on walking to the gates. Kagome and Miroku kept pace beside him and stayed silent. Neither were sure of what they could talk about--either to themselves or with Inuyasha--in Inuyasha's current mood.
It wasn't until the sun started to set that Inuyasha became aware of the impending night fall and the two humans with him. He realized that neither had brought bed rolls, clothes or food. His food was already gone since they had eaten it for lunch. And of course, Inuyasha was too angry about his messed up plans to stop at the markets for more food and supplies before they left Kisashi.
“Oi, bozu, do you know where we can stay the night?”
“On this path?” Miroku answered absentmindedly. He thought for a few minutes, mentally routing their path against the places he knew on the northern route to Avaren. “At the next fork, if we go right, we'll come to a good sized village called Chiso. It wasn't there the last time you were awake.” Inuyasha nodded and they fell silent again.
It was sometime before the fork in the road came up. Inuyasha took the right path as Miroku had directed and soon after, they entered the village of Chiso. It was one of the few all human villages in Haedai, housing mainly farmers. There were four taverns, two of which had space for guests to spend the night, it's own small market place and one stately manor house--which housed the village elder.
Miroku took the lead and passed the taverns to make a straight line for the manor house. He ignored Inuyasha's attempts to stop him, not bothering to explain.
Once at the manor house, Miroku knocked lightly. Inuyasha and Kagome stood slightly behind him to give him enough room to talk semi-privately. An old wizened man slid open the plain but still elegant shoji door. After a few words, the old man waved them in. Kagome and Inuyasha caught the last bit of the man's sentence. “---and after what you have done for this village, it's an honor to have you back.”
The old man showed them to a fairly large room. “You can stay here for the night. I'll get a partition to give the young lady some privacy.” The old man headed out and was back in a few minutes, cloth and a wooden stand in hand. He set up the partition quickly then left again.
“So, how come we can stay here?” Kagome directed at Miroku.
“As one of my many duties as a monk, I've traveled to several of the villages within a two to three day walking distance from Kisashi. I go to help the villages with minor youkai or spirit problems or just to give guidance. I saved the elder's granddaughter when she was possessed by a spirit. Since then, whenever I need to find a place to rest for a night, he has always offered it.”
Kagome looked to Inuyasha as a young girl no more than thirteen walked in with a tray of steaming food. “See, he's not all bad.”
The young girl blushed as she set the tray down in front of Miroku. She looked up quickly to get a glimpse of his face then rushed out shyly with a giggle.
“Was that the granddaughter?” Kagome was curious to lean more about the monk. The life of a monk was one aspect of the religious life she knew next to nothing about.
“Hai. Her name is Yukiko. She is a refugee from Avaren. When her parents died on the border, she was lucky enough to find someone who knew her grandfather doing business close by. Since she arrived here, she's been a very quiet, shy and somewhat distant girl. When I saved her that day a year ago, she spoke for the first time, telling me thank you.” Miroku spoke softly, fondly, as he served the food to his two companions. Those were happier days for him. In the last year, his Kazana--the curse in his hand--had started to grow, becoming an inch in diameter instead of the half inch size it used to be. He wasn't sure how long he had left but he knew it was only a matter of a few years. Maybe five if he was lucky but he guessed more like three. It was the driving force behind his insistence of joining his current companions.
Kagome looked to the door, where the girl had left moments ago, feeling for her. “How sad. I'm glad she had a relative here though. She was close to Souta's age when she left.”
“Souta?” Miroku asked. He wasn't familiar with the name. He knew of the Higurashi house but not the names of all the members.
“My younger brother. He was six when Naraku attacked. The girl must have been close to seven.”
“I didn't know you had a brother.”
“My mother decided to leave Souta and Jii-chan at home but Inutaisho has offered to relocate them to the palace until we get our own home back. You'll probably meet them soon.”
Inuyasha sat in silence and listened to the small talk Miroku and Kagome made while they ate. It was...comforting...to have them there. It was a strange feeling for him. He wasn't used to having people around him. Most people outside his home thought him an evil youkai and left him alone. Or they knew who he was and tended to him, as befitting his station, but did so cautiously with fear in their hearts and eyes. Not many people had become friends with him. In fact, Kikyou and her sister, Kaede, had been his first true friends.
Done with dinner, Inuyasha stood up to position himself by the shoji door. He sat crossed legged with his hands in his sleeves and closed his eyes, ready for sleep. “Oi, cut the chatter. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” he said without looking up at Kagome and Miroku.
His two companions stared at him. They said their good nights and moved to ready their futons. Yukiko came back to clear away the empty plates, still not able to look straight at Miroku, without a sound other than her quiet foot steps. Once the oil lamps were blown out, they fell asleep.
The next morning dawned with heavy gray clouds the blotted out the sun. They ate breakfast with the village elder and his granddaughter and set out again with gifts from their hosts. The old man was kind enough to give them some extra food and three wide sugegasa to protect them from the inevitable rain.
They spent the next four days in much the same routine. They would walk until the sun began to set. Then Miroku would tell Inuyasha where the next village was located. Upon entering the villages, Miroku always took them to the grandest house with tales of how he saved the village or the village leader's family.
In the early afternoon of the fifth day, they made it to Aniri. It was much as Inuyasha remembered. A bit bigger with some new houses but still a small border village. The people that worked in the fields planting rice looked at them strangely. Some even ran away, afraid of Inuyasha. Just before they came to the torii, a group of villagers led an old woman towards them. She had the proud bearing of a miko with the long robes to match. Her long bow was clasped in one hand and an arrow in the other ready for use. An eye patch covered her right eye.
Inuyasha stopped. The old woman walked slowly to them, wheezing from the exertion and used her long bow as a make-shift cane every few steps. She stared first at Inuyasha then at Kagome, her one good eye widening. She waved off the group of villagers behind her.
“It's okay. They aren't here to harm us.” The villagers hesitated but the old woman became more adamant. “Do not worry yourselves. I still have some power left in my old bones if they try anything. I doubt they will, though.”
The villagers left, going back to their work, after a few grumbled words and dark glances. The old woman turned back to the three travelers. “I wondered when you would come, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha looked at the woman with narrowed eyes. She didn't look like anyone he might have known. “Oi, do I know you?”
“It's been many years but, yes, you do. My name is Kaede. I'm Kikyou's younger sister.”
Inuyasha openly stared at her. She looked so different from the girl she had been. Granted, she was only seven when he met her last but he should have been able to see some resemblance in her face of that young girl.
“Come, let us move to my hut to talk.” Kaede motioned to the path behind her as she spoke.
The group moved up the long winding stairs that led to the village proper. Inuyasha remembered that Aniri held a small miko school, the place Kikyou had taught while she was alive, and housed a shrine to a miner god. Kaede's hut sat between the school and the shrine.
Upon entering, Kaede's small hut held a profusion of medicinal herbs and the scents that assaulted their noses were strong with hints of mint. Kaede motioned for them to sit around a cooking fire in the middle of her hut. A rabbit and vegetable stew was roasting for lunch.
Soon, Inuyasha would get his answers. He was happy that Kaede still lived and he had found her without much trouble. He accepted a bowl of the stew and sat comfortably, ready to begin questioning her.
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Author's Note: Thanks once again for all the reviews.
Definitions:
Sugegasa – a sedge hat, the same type of hat that Sango wore in episode 78?Aiming for Sango, Only You?while it rained.
Torii – a Shinto shrine gate that sits at the entrance. I've placed one at the entrance to Aniri to denote it's sacredness.
Pronunciations:
Aniri - Ah*near*ree
Spellbound Destiny
Chapter 4: The First Journey
Kagome sat in a daze. She watched her mother look over the betrothal documents with glazed eyes. After she had left the study last night, Kagome had found it hard to fall asleep. She instead got up from her futon and walked to the gardens that connected with their room two hours after they had settled down for bed.
She went through so many emotional tirades while alone, it was shocking that she could function today. A tree that sat in the middle beckoned her and, while she kept her voice no more than a whisper, took out her anger and frustration and sadness on it. She was a bit embarrassed that anyone passing by the tree this morning would see several furrows in the bark where she had run the edge of a hair pin across it.
Kagome cradled her hand in her lap. Her kimono sleeve and the ivory paint her mother used on her face hid a few red spots from anyone else's view. The hair pin scratching had helped but it wasn't enough. She then added to the tree's problem by hitting it a few times. She paid more for that than the poor tree and Kagome felt even worse for taking her emotions out on another living thing, even if it was a plant. She was usually very good at keeping herself in check but too much was happening too fast.
Coming back to the present, Kagome watched her mother produced the Higurashi seal. Mitsuko placed it in the ink pan and stamped it where Inutaisho indicated. It was done, her fate sealed with that damning mark. Kagome was officially betrothed to Inuyasha.
She chanced a quick look at Inuyasha--who sat across and to her right. His ears twitched at the littlest thing--the sound of the parchment rattling, a servant walking beyond their room, leaves rustling outside from a gust of wind. His claws tapped impatiently on his arms, then his legs and the ground. His hair shown a bright silver in the early morning light and his deep golden eyes gleamed with annoyance.
He didn't seem to be any happier about it than she. While Kagome kept her deeper feelings hidden within herself, allowing only small outbursts when no one could see her, Inuyasha seemed to share them to the world. He wore his anger and grumpiness like a badge on his sleeve. Could the reason be because he wanted to keep people away? It was at once intimidating and saddening.
Kagome never seemed to dwell too much on the fact he was a hanyou but that would have made his early life hard. This was his way of coping with the view the world held against hanyou born children. She could see that clearly all of a sudden, like a veil had been lifted from her eyes. The rumors that abounded from her tutors' mouths all bespoke of his grumpiness and gruff nature. He distanced himself from others and didn't trust so easily. But to her, the fact he was a hanyou didn't bother her one bit. She like it, actually.
It also made his and Kikyou's story all the more tragic. Though Kagome didn't know the specific details, history had written about his love for Kikyou and how it was betrayed. Inuyasha's adamant refusal to marry her was because he couldn't trust her yet. Maybe he didn't want to trust her like he had with Kikyou. The one person who he had opened up to betrayed him and that must have hurt him dearly. Hurt enough to push him back into the tough guy shell he wore.
Maybe she could get him to tell her about Kikyou? It would help her to understand his true feelings. She didn't want to become angry every time they were together. She wanted to see beyond his mask to the man he was underneath. She knew there had to be more to him than what he currently portrayed and she wanted what her mother had had with her father--love. If it was possible, she had to know what was going on in that head of his. And maybe the first step would be to control her own anger? It was worth a shot. She would try to call a truce of sorts with him.
The thought warmed her in a strange way. The things she had felt last night upon first seeing him came back to her and she steadfastly refused to dwell on them. Not yet. First, she wanted to get to know him. Then she would shift to herself.
Lost in her thoughts, Kagome didn't notice that Inuyasha and herself were the only ones left in the room. Inuyasha took the opportunity--while she was distracted--to look at her again. She was quite striking against the rays of early morning light that shone through an open shoji door. The kimono she wore only enhanced her beauty: the rich royal plum purple and white patterned with pink sakura blossoms and golden dragons played to her paler skin tone and rich blue-black hair.
Her emotions danced across her face like an open book, eyes so expressive they exposed the very essence of her soul if one just bothered to look. She didn't hide anything when she believed no one watched her. She was so unlike Kikyou, it was actually refreshing.
Inuyasha's thoughts turned back to Kikyou. It had taken a long time for him to get Kikyou to open up to him. It grew tiring to guess constantly what the woman he loved felt. With Kagome, there wasn't any need to guess. Yet he still didn't feel comfortable letting her in on his secrets. He couldn't give her that power.
Unable to stand the silence any longer, or his own thoughts, Inuyasha made the first move. “Oi, wench, if we don't leave now, we're going to be late for breakfast.” The words were thrown over his shoulder as he moved to the doors.
Kagome shook her head. She watched his figure move almost out of sight beyond the other side of the door. “Breakfast?” Kagome asked dumbly. She hadn't realized that they were done with the betrothal contract. She must appear really stupid to Inuyasha, always staring off into nothing and inhabiting her own thoughts. She stood up with a blush and followed Inuyasha down the hallways. Though Kagome had just made up her mind to talk to him, ask him about himself, for the life of her, she couldn't get her voice to work nor think of a suitable question to ask. So instead, she stayed silent.
They arrived at the dinning hall, sat themselves upon the dais's mats and watched as Inutaisho greeted the other guests. He silenced the crowd once they were all seated and announced Inuyasha's and Kagome's engagement.
Amid the thunderous applause and congratulations, Kouga balled his hands on his legs. His claws dug painfully into his fur but he didn't care. He watched from his position in the back of the room with narrowed eyes. His anger was hidden from their view by some of the guests but he saw them perfectly and threw them hostile stares. That mutt had stolen his woman. He couldn't make a move now, not within Inutaisho's palace under a temporary peace agreement, but once this week's festival was over, he was going to prove that Kagome belonged to him and no other would have her.
Several feet away, hidden behind a servant's door, a monk dressed in black and purple robes watched the breakfast feast through a slight crack. Spying wasn't his best area of expertise but, upon occasion, it served him well.
When he had entered the throne room yesterday evening to preform the opening ceremonies, and spotted the honored guests, the monk had recognized the names as well as the house colors of the two women. They were of the Higurashi family. And now with Inuyasha awake again, he knew what would come. They would go after Naraku. And he would join them. Any information he could gather about the two would be useful for the future.
Miroku turned from the door and closed it silently behind him. He would reveal himself after all the guests left. For now, he would go back to the shrine and contemplate life's many ironic twists.
O o O o O o O o O
A beautiful giant white feather landed on the ground. Its sole passenger daintily stepped off before it transformed back into its normal two inch size. A delicate feminine hand tipped in manicured nails trapped the feather as it floated down to the earth between her index and middle finger. She placed it back in her coiffured ebony tresses alongside its twin.
Kagura walked towards the village with purpose. It had taken time to find but she had found it. The hidden village of the Taijiya. All Naraku had said was to take a horde of his youkai servants to the village and attack. He never lifted his own hand in the dirty work. Not in finding the places he sent her nor in their actual destruction.
Kagura scoffed. Naraku's orders to her were always like that: to the point with no extra detail. She was expected to do everything and she couldn't imagine what he had up his sleeves. But she had to obey him. Her hand moved to where her heart should have been, knowing the empty cavity ached with phantom pain. Her true heart sat in a locked chest among Naraku's many treasures in his private room. Where it would remain until he deigned to give it back to her. In sustained her through some force of power that was unimaginable to her and she never really understood how it was that she lived without it. Or how he could inflict pain on her while was so far away from him at times.
But that was a problem she couldn't solve just yet. Until the day arrived when she would be free, she had to follow out Naraku's orders. Turning back to her task, Kagura continued to walk to the village's sole entrance and lifted her right hand. Clasped between her fingers rested a closed fan--her weapon of choice. Without a word, she signaled the horde of youkai to attack by opening the fan and waving it across the air in the direction of the fence. It stirred up wind that quickly turned into gusts and gales. This was her power. And with it, she would gain her freedom. Someday.
The horde moved as if one being. Fire, water, wind and destruction hailed down across the landscape. Children screamed and ran in chaos to find a hiding spot. The women dropped their laundry baskets and food crates and tried to gather as many of the children as they could. But the horde came down too fierce. What few men where left in the village--the old, sick and young--could not protect them against the hundreds of youkai that bombarded the village.
The dirt became a river of blood. The bodies piled up, fleshless, where they fell from the mouths of the youkai. The houses burned bright red and orange and the once blue sky turned black from smoke. Kagura watched, emotionless. She felt nothing at the site of such senseless destruction. She could not afford to feel. Those emotions would make her job harder and make her vulnerable to Naraku, something she could never let happen if she wanted her freedom.
Kagura turned from the site of the village, took out her feather and jumped onto it. She make her way back “home.” Her job was done. And in the back of her mind, she wondered, why was it so easy? The Taijiya were youkai slayers after all. It should have been a much harder fight.
Once she landed on the grounds of the hidden castle, the answer became obvious to her. The entrance was littered with dead bodies. These were the warriors of the Taijiya, dressed in fine youkai bone armor and their weapons discarded and forgotten. Naraku's plan had been quite underhanded. He lured out the warriors and sent her to attack the weaker unprotected village.
Kagura squinted, trying to gain more focus. One spot lay empty, the blood pooled in the form of a body. She looked up to the castle entrance and spied Naraku with his arms cradling a human girl in his arms.
Naraku turned his head to her. “Good work, Kagura.” Then continued on his way with the limp body.
Kagura bit her lip, silencing her need to ask him what he was doing. It shouldn't be any of her business. But somehow, she felt it was. Angry with herself, Kagura turned and walked to a far corner of the castle estate--her own private sanctuary. If Naraku needed her again, all he had to do was send Kanna to get her. Whether she would go right away was debatable.
O o O o O o O o O
The rest of the week passed in a whirl for Kagome. She couldn't keep up with all the people who had congratulated her on her soon to be marriage. She avoided being alone with Inuyasha and only sat near him when she had to during meals. His grumpiness was getting on her nerves. She didn't know how she was going to live with the man. He had called her every foul word she knew of and some she didn't--called her by anything other than her name. She thought she had figured him out but now, Kagome was just confused. Maybe it wasn't going to be as easy as she had first thought.
The day after the guests had left found Kagome bored from the lack of activities. She sat on a rock in the front gardens, staring at nothing in particular and letting her thoughts wander. Inuyasha's face appeared before her and she wondered where he was and what he was doing. Was he having fun? Taking a nap? Maybe even getting reacquainted with the world?
The stray thoughts immediately had her fuming. She shouldn't want to know anything about him or what he did. He wasn't nice to her and acted more like a child than Souta. He wasn't worth her time but that didn't matter. Her anger cooled and she remembered how the sun glinted off his silver hair. How his ears were so cute, all she wanted to do was take her hands up to those oh so soft furry ears and rub them. Instead, she sighed and tamped down that crazy urge, going back to staring at the plants around her.
Inuyasha stood alone in his room, contemplating what he needed to do. His week had been spent doing his parents bidding while secretly forming his plan. The first stop he needed to make was the village on the border between Avaren and Haedai, called Aniri. It was the village Kikyou had often met with him in and, if his memory didn't fail him, Kaede also stopped by with her from time to time. The older villagers, if they were still alive, might know where he could find Kaede. And maybe Kaede had sought refuge there. It was worth a try.
Inuyasha made a final check of his room. He didn't need much for the trip. A little bit of money in case he had to sleep indoors and enough food to get him through until night fall when he could hunt. He wasn't one for sleeping in bed rolls or at inns, preferring to sleep up in the branches of trees where he could be semi-alert for enemies. His fire rat fur haori and hakama would be enough protection from any small threat that lurked out in the open and he had his claws for anything bigger.
Nodding his head in satisfaction, Inuyasha turned to the door and headed out. He knew he couldn't sneak off without alerting his father. Inutaisho's full youkai blood allowed him to smell anyone coming or going and his hearing was top notch. He heard things from all over the city and it was only intense training that allowed him to selectively dim sounds that were not a threat up to the household grounds. His father would be on him in as soon as his feet were off the palace grounds.
To prevent that from happening, he timed it perfectly to leave when his father took a quick trip after the festival to see to some business in a neighboring province. And with his father now gone for the next few hours, he only had to slip past his mother. His human mother. She did not have the same senses as his father so she would not know right away that he was missing.
And his plan was working perfectly. His mother sat in her usual garden, flower gazing, unable to see who moved through the palace. But a snag came when Inuyasha barely made it past the front doors. Kagome sat half way between him and the front gates, gazing into empty air. There was no way he could move to the front gates without her noticing him.
Swearing softly, Inuyasha searched the rest of the front entrance. He could go left, towards a corner, and hope she didn't catch him from her periphery vision. Human eye sight was worse than a youkai but could still be clear enough to catch his blur as he ran past. But it was the best plan if he didn't want to talk to her.
Inuyasha ran in a wide half circle. His heart pounded a little harder and he felt the blood rush to his ears as they flicked back and forth every few seconds to check on her. But at the last minute, Kagome turned her head a bit more to the left and caught sight of his running red blur.
She stood from her spot and made to move toward him. “Where are you going?”
His ears flattened to his skull as he came to a halt and gazed at her with guilty eyes. “Out,” he said nonchalantly. He tried to act like it didn't matter.
Kagome scrutinized him. Somehow she didn't believe he was just leaving for no reason. “Where?”
“It's none of your business!” Inuyasha answered defensively.
µ³It is my business when it concerns you. You'll be my husband soon and we can't keep secrets from each other.”
“Look, I'm just going to see if I can find out where the Shikon no Tama is. It doesn't concern you.”
“I can help.”
“No.”
Kagome moved to stand in front of him, her hands on her hips and her chocolate brown eyes staring daggers into his golden ones. “You can't do everything by yourself. You've been sealed away for fifty years. Things have changed.”
“No. This is about Kikyou and the Shikon no Tama. It has nothing to do with you. I will not have some silly human girl following me everywhere, getting in my way.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he said the wrong thing. But he would not feel guilty about it.
For some reason Kagome didn't understand, his words hurt deep. She knew he had only just met her a week ago and they could not be the best of friends in so little time but it still hurt--his complete disregard of her. He wasn't even trying to make her feel like a part of his life. What would happen when they married finally? She knew she had been avoiding him but it was because she didn't know how to act around him. He made her feel so many different emotions, she felt as if she had no control around him.
Kagome masked the tears that threatened to fall with anger. “Baka!” she yelled. “Baka, baka, baka!” Kagome turned and walked a few steps away from him--the better to hide her face. Why was she so emotional around him? Why couldn't he understand she just wanted to be a part of his life, to understand him and what motivated him? To help him as a wife should? It wasn't the perfect marriage she had dreamed of but they could make it work if they tried. He just had to let her in.
Inuyasha smelled the saltiness of her tears and stared helplessly at her back. He hadn't meant to hurt her but it wasn't her problem. He had to deal with Kikyou himself. Inuyasha sighed. Maybe she could be of use to him. She had made a good point. Fifty years could change a lot and the quiet village of Aniri he remembered may not be as it once was.
“Fine, you can come,” he relented grudgingly. “But I will be moving fast and plan to sleep outside,” he added to try to detour her.
Kagome turned back to him with a smile. Her eyes shone with gratitude and glistened slightly with unshed tears. Inuyasha's heart gave a slight tug. It felt good to have her smile turned to him. And to see her happy. She felt deep emotions that amazed him. Her face was so expressive, it was like a breath of fresh air to him. Usually people showed hate, disgust or dislike of him--except his mother and father--that it was hard to remember that people felt other things too. She made it easier to see those other emotions.
To distract himself, he opened his mouth to tell her that she would have to ride on his back when a throat cleared and took their attention away from each other. Inuyasha and Kagome turned to see the monk in purple and black robes from the ceremonies approach them. He walked steadily toward them, in no hurry. What the hell is it now? Inuyasha's stealthy escape was ruined. He was just impatient to leave now and not run into his father.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the monk said after he reached them. “I'm Miroku.”
Miroku's hand moved without their notice to caress Kagome's behind. She yelped and jumped away from him. Inuyasha moved without thought to protected her and raised a hand to the monk in clear warning.
“Forgive me, it's a curse,” Miroku said on a laugh.
Inuyasha looked at him warily. “What do you want, bozu?”
Miroku became serious. He lifted his right hand and gazed at the cloth and pray beads that covered it. He then turned back to the couple who stood before him. “I know about your alliance. I know that you will be going after Naraku soon. I would like to offer my services. I--”
“Your services?” Inuyasha interrupted. He made sure he could see the monk's hands at all times.
Miroku lifted his hand to show them. “Underneath this sealing cloth and pray beads, there's a hole in my hand. It was a curse that Naraku placed on my grandfather that is passed from father to son. It allows me to suck anything into it. I also seek Naraku's death. It is the only way to get rid of the curse before the curse kills me. I thought I could be of some help to you since we are all after the same thing.”
“No. I don't need any more help!” Kami-sama, he was so sick of everyone offering to help him. He did not need any more help. He was old enough to do things on his own and his private affairs about Kikyou and the Shikon no Tama were just that: private.
Kagome tugged at his bawled fist. He hadn't even realized he clenched his hands. He allowed Kagome to take hold of his hand and tried to relax. Even still, his eyebrow twitched and he couldn't keep his anger from showing just a little bit.
“Inuyasha, you haven't met Naraku. You don't know how evil he is. The more people who are against him, the better. We should take him up on his offer. “ Kagome, the ever voice of reason, pleaded with him.
“Fine!” Inuyasha wrenched his hand out of hers and stormed off out of the palace. He didn't even blink an eye at the odd looks the guards gave him or look back to see if he had hurt Kagome's hand. He just needed to leave, get his answers and be done with it. And fight this Naraku. But he'd deal with that after he found the Shikon no Tama.
Kagome smiled slightly up at Miroku, her hand resting by her side unhurt--she had anticipated his move and loosened her hold enough so the force wouldn't hurt her. “Just keep your hands to yourself. Inuyasha has a bad temper.” She turned and ran out of the palace, following Inuyasha's fuming figure.
Miroku blinked in amazement then followed after them. He hadn't expected it to be that easy, to have Inuyasha agree without much of an argument.
They were entering the market place, which led to the outside gates, when Miroku caught up with them. By then, they had slowed to a fast walk. “So, where are we going?”
“Oi, who said you could come? We aren't going to attack Naraku right now.” Inuyasha was still mad. His father would likely be returning soon and he wasn't far enough away from home as he would have liked. The ruckus at the front gates probably alerted his mother, and if not her, then some of the servants. His father might be close on their heels soon.
“Inuyasha! He offered to help so let him help!”
“Keh.” Inuyasha folded his hands into his sleeves, closed his eyes and continued walking.
Miroku looked to Kagome. Kagome shook her head. “All I know is that we're going to a village Inuyasha thinks holds information on the Shikon no Tama.”
“Aniri. The place is called Aniri.”
Miroku placed a hand on his chin in thought. “Aniri is a border village. It might not be wise to go there right now.” Inuyasha looked at him with a glare. “What I mean is that because it sits on the edge of Avaren, Naraku may have it watched.”
“We're going.” Inuyasha didn't say more, just kept on walking to the gates. Kagome and Miroku kept pace beside him and stayed silent. Neither were sure of what they could talk about--either to themselves or with Inuyasha--in Inuyasha's current mood.
It wasn't until the sun started to set that Inuyasha became aware of the impending night fall and the two humans with him. He realized that neither had brought bed rolls, clothes or food. His food was already gone since they had eaten it for lunch. And of course, Inuyasha was too angry about his messed up plans to stop at the markets for more food and supplies before they left Kisashi.
“Oi, bozu, do you know where we can stay the night?”
“On this path?” Miroku answered absentmindedly. He thought for a few minutes, mentally routing their path against the places he knew on the northern route to Avaren. “At the next fork, if we go right, we'll come to a good sized village called Chiso. It wasn't there the last time you were awake.” Inuyasha nodded and they fell silent again.
It was sometime before the fork in the road came up. Inuyasha took the right path as Miroku had directed and soon after, they entered the village of Chiso. It was one of the few all human villages in Haedai, housing mainly farmers. There were four taverns, two of which had space for guests to spend the night, it's own small market place and one stately manor house--which housed the village elder.
Miroku took the lead and passed the taverns to make a straight line for the manor house. He ignored Inuyasha's attempts to stop him, not bothering to explain.
Once at the manor house, Miroku knocked lightly. Inuyasha and Kagome stood slightly behind him to give him enough room to talk semi-privately. An old wizened man slid open the plain but still elegant shoji door. After a few words, the old man waved them in. Kagome and Inuyasha caught the last bit of the man's sentence. “---and after what you have done for this village, it's an honor to have you back.”
The old man showed them to a fairly large room. “You can stay here for the night. I'll get a partition to give the young lady some privacy.” The old man headed out and was back in a few minutes, cloth and a wooden stand in hand. He set up the partition quickly then left again.
“So, how come we can stay here?” Kagome directed at Miroku.
“As one of my many duties as a monk, I've traveled to several of the villages within a two to three day walking distance from Kisashi. I go to help the villages with minor youkai or spirit problems or just to give guidance. I saved the elder's granddaughter when she was possessed by a spirit. Since then, whenever I need to find a place to rest for a night, he has always offered it.”
Kagome looked to Inuyasha as a young girl no more than thirteen walked in with a tray of steaming food. “See, he's not all bad.”
The young girl blushed as she set the tray down in front of Miroku. She looked up quickly to get a glimpse of his face then rushed out shyly with a giggle.
“Was that the granddaughter?” Kagome was curious to lean more about the monk. The life of a monk was one aspect of the religious life she knew next to nothing about.
“Hai. Her name is Yukiko. She is a refugee from Avaren. When her parents died on the border, she was lucky enough to find someone who knew her grandfather doing business close by. Since she arrived here, she's been a very quiet, shy and somewhat distant girl. When I saved her that day a year ago, she spoke for the first time, telling me thank you.” Miroku spoke softly, fondly, as he served the food to his two companions. Those were happier days for him. In the last year, his Kazana--the curse in his hand--had started to grow, becoming an inch in diameter instead of the half inch size it used to be. He wasn't sure how long he had left but he knew it was only a matter of a few years. Maybe five if he was lucky but he guessed more like three. It was the driving force behind his insistence of joining his current companions.
Kagome looked to the door, where the girl had left moments ago, feeling for her. “How sad. I'm glad she had a relative here though. She was close to Souta's age when she left.”
“Souta?” Miroku asked. He wasn't familiar with the name. He knew of the Higurashi house but not the names of all the members.
“My younger brother. He was six when Naraku attacked. The girl must have been close to seven.”
“I didn't know you had a brother.”
“My mother decided to leave Souta and Jii-chan at home but Inutaisho has offered to relocate them to the palace until we get our own home back. You'll probably meet them soon.”
Inuyasha sat in silence and listened to the small talk Miroku and Kagome made while they ate. It was...comforting...to have them there. It was a strange feeling for him. He wasn't used to having people around him. Most people outside his home thought him an evil youkai and left him alone. Or they knew who he was and tended to him, as befitting his station, but did so cautiously with fear in their hearts and eyes. Not many people had become friends with him. In fact, Kikyou and her sister, Kaede, had been his first true friends.
Done with dinner, Inuyasha stood up to position himself by the shoji door. He sat crossed legged with his hands in his sleeves and closed his eyes, ready for sleep. “Oi, cut the chatter. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” he said without looking up at Kagome and Miroku.
His two companions stared at him. They said their good nights and moved to ready their futons. Yukiko came back to clear away the empty plates, still not able to look straight at Miroku, without a sound other than her quiet foot steps. Once the oil lamps were blown out, they fell asleep.
The next morning dawned with heavy gray clouds the blotted out the sun. They ate breakfast with the village elder and his granddaughter and set out again with gifts from their hosts. The old man was kind enough to give them some extra food and three wide sugegasa to protect them from the inevitable rain.
They spent the next four days in much the same routine. They would walk until the sun began to set. Then Miroku would tell Inuyasha where the next village was located. Upon entering the villages, Miroku always took them to the grandest house with tales of how he saved the village or the village leader's family.
In the early afternoon of the fifth day, they made it to Aniri. It was much as Inuyasha remembered. A bit bigger with some new houses but still a small border village. The people that worked in the fields planting rice looked at them strangely. Some even ran away, afraid of Inuyasha. Just before they came to the torii, a group of villagers led an old woman towards them. She had the proud bearing of a miko with the long robes to match. Her long bow was clasped in one hand and an arrow in the other ready for use. An eye patch covered her right eye.
Inuyasha stopped. The old woman walked slowly to them, wheezing from the exertion and used her long bow as a make-shift cane every few steps. She stared first at Inuyasha then at Kagome, her one good eye widening. She waved off the group of villagers behind her.
“It's okay. They aren't here to harm us.” The villagers hesitated but the old woman became more adamant. “Do not worry yourselves. I still have some power left in my old bones if they try anything. I doubt they will, though.”
The villagers left, going back to their work, after a few grumbled words and dark glances. The old woman turned back to the three travelers. “I wondered when you would come, Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha looked at the woman with narrowed eyes. She didn't look like anyone he might have known. “Oi, do I know you?”
“It's been many years but, yes, you do. My name is Kaede. I'm Kikyou's younger sister.”
Inuyasha openly stared at her. She looked so different from the girl she had been. Granted, she was only seven when he met her last but he should have been able to see some resemblance in her face of that young girl.
“Come, let us move to my hut to talk.” Kaede motioned to the path behind her as she spoke.
The group moved up the long winding stairs that led to the village proper. Inuyasha remembered that Aniri held a small miko school, the place Kikyou had taught while she was alive, and housed a shrine to a miner god. Kaede's hut sat between the school and the shrine.
Upon entering, Kaede's small hut held a profusion of medicinal herbs and the scents that assaulted their noses were strong with hints of mint. Kaede motioned for them to sit around a cooking fire in the middle of her hut. A rabbit and vegetable stew was roasting for lunch.
Soon, Inuyasha would get his answers. He was happy that Kaede still lived and he had found her without much trouble. He accepted a bowl of the stew and sat comfortably, ready to begin questioning her.
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