InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Shines Brightest ❯ 08: Echoes of the Past, Shadows of the Future ( Chapter 8 )

 

 

That Which Shines Brightest

 

 

 

 

Chapter Eight

 

 

 

“Kagome!” Shippou's piercing voice overflowed with joy as he exploded through the doorway of the little hut. His little face was wreathed in an enormous smile, but it dimmed when he saw Inuyasha standing close to his beloved Kagome. “Inuyasha,” he muttered darkly, his diminutive brow clouding over, “how did you get here before me?” he sulked, creeping towards Kagome, warily eyeing Inuyasha who glared heavily at him for his unwanted intrusion.

“I was here all night, you little brat,” Inuyasha thoughtlessly retorted, and then could have cheerfully bitten out his own tongue when he felt Kagome's startled gaze on him. Feeling mortified, he hunched his shoulders, and the desire to throttle Shippou until his face turned blue made him clench his knuckles. “I just wanted to make sure Kagome was going to be okay,” he hastily explained. “--and besides, this IS my house, so I'm allowed to be here! --Who exactly gave you permission to come inside? I don't remember hearing you ask!” he snidely remarked and watched as Shippou's face screwed into an even tighter pout while he scooted across the floor, making a mad leap for Kagome, who opened her arms, easily catching him to snuggle him close, a glow of happiness lighting her face at the nostalgic feel of the familiar banter between these two companions.

“Oh come off it, Inuyasha,” Shippou grumbled, his wide, green eyes shooting sparks, “everyone knows who this house really belongs to—“

The scowl on Inuyasha's face melted into panic as the warm glow in Kagome's eyes sputtered and died out and her countenance assumed a numb expression..

“Shut up, Shippou!” he hissed through his teeth, his knuckles cracking as he raised his fist in front of the little kitsune and tightened it threateningly.

Shippou's mouth quivered in terror and he turned his face into Kagome's shoulder.

“K-kagome!” he wailed, clutching convulsively at her blouse, feeling her arms tighten protectively around him, and to everyone's surprise he started snuffling and snorting, and then he burst into tears.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome softly chided, surprised that Shippou would be so terrified at such a paltry threat as she quietly patted him on the back.

It used to take more than that to really scare him, she mused in consternation, but aloud all she said was, “You shouldn't be so rough!”

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes but inwardly he felt slightly relieved. Kagome's face had lost that frozen look when Shippou had started crying and for that, Inuyasha was extremely grateful.

“Don't try to lay this at my door!” he intoned glacially, his eyes moving shrewdly from Kagome back to the small fox cub. “Come here Shippou, and let me show her what really makes you cry.” He beckoned, his lips tweaking into a feral half-smile as one of Shippou's tearful eyes peeked away from Kagome's shoulder to direct a bright-green glare at him. “Heh,” Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms together in front of him, “that's what I thought. I'm not the one making him cry, Kagome,” he informed her unceremoniously. “You are.”

Kagome's mouth fell open and her dark eyes looked down at the top of Shippou's head. “That's not true, Inuyasha!” she protested, shocked.

“Sure it is!” he replied airily, turning away, his nose in the air. “The little turd is crying because he hasn't seen you in so long,” he threw over his shoulder as he took several steps away, “he just wants to try and make me look bad, that's all,” he concluded moodily as he collapsed into a cross-legged position onto the floor in front of the irori. “--by letting you think the tears are because he's afraid of me. - not to mention he gets a free hug --” he grumbled under his breath, too low for either Shippou or Kagome to hear.

Not that Shippou could have heard him anyway, he thought resentfully, considering the fact that he was shrieking like one of those irritating little mushrooms he always carried around with him.

“That's not true, Inuyasha! ” Shippou hotly denied, turning to direct a basilisk stare at the back of Inuyasha's head. Still snorting and whuffling he used his sleeve to hastily mop at his eyes and nose. “Besides, who'd be afraid of wimpy ol' you!” he spat, his expression losing some of its bravado when Inuyasha swiveled around and slowly stood back up, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he swiftly approached Kagome and grabbed Shippou by the ponytail, ignoring Kagome's indrawn breath of surprise.

“Anyone with half a brain knows it's wise to fear me, you little brat!” he hissed softly leaning towards Shippou, his fist coming up and landing on top of the kitsune's head to begin grinding unmercifully against it in a rotating motion, “but I guess that leaves you out in the cold, doesn't it, since you're COMPLETELY brainless!”

“Uwah!!! - Ka- go-me!” Shippou choked, tears of pain starting in his eyes, while he put his hands up to his head, trying to push Inuyasha's fist away.

Kagome too felt Inuyasha's bullying had gone far enough, despite the slight euphoric feeling inside of her that reveled in the familiarity of being caught between these two. Inuyasha should really learn to exercise a little more control when it came to Shippou. He was just a child after all, and he needed more patience and understanding, and Inuyasha was - well, that was the whole problem right there, Kagome realized with chagrin.

Inuyasha was Inuyasha, which is why he would always be the way he was - short on patience and quick to act. It was up to her to step in and act as his patience now; to become the buffer between him and Shippou, and Kagome wondered who had fulfilled that onerous task while she'd been gone.

“Inuyasha, stop!” she raised her voice in protest, trying to be firm, not surprised when the hard-headed fool completely ignored her. “Inuyasha!” she exclaimed, a thread of exacerbation lacing through her words as he continued to mutter at Shippou, and Shippou continued to scream insults at him, the situation beginning to escalate out of control.

In the old days, she could have just yelled Osuwari!, but now Inuyasha no longer wore the Kotodama*** prayer beads that bound him to that word, and so she would have to find another way of effectively curbing his more aggressive tendencies.

“Inuyasha, please!” she cried, finally reaching out and wrapping her fingers around his wrist, and giving it a tug.

That didn't work either, so she leaned forward, attempting to catch his eye, unprepared for the dizzying sensation that flooded through her. Her fingers reflexively tightened around his wrist, her eyes momentarily losing their focus as she leaned a little too far forward and almost smacked into Inuyasha's head before he caught her, their faces very close together.

“K-kagome? Are you all right?” Inuyasha's voice was full of concern, his eyes searching her countenance, noting that despite her loss of balance, her cheeks were tinged with pink.

“Yes, I just got a little light-headed for a moment, but I think I'm okay now,” she assured him with a ghost of a smile, her heart galloping away at his closeness.

That smile: it was such a fragile thing, hardly her brightest or her best, but because she was so close, Inuyasha suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, and instead of trying to move away from her, he somehow wanted to get closer. His eyes dropped to her lips, magnetically drawn to their alluring fullness. He wondered what they tasted like, and without conscious thought, his head dipped towards her until there was a squeak of a sound resembling a protest, and he felt an uncomfortable wriggling sensation followed by several sharp jabs against his ribs.

Up until that moment, he had completely forgotten about Shippou. But Shippou hadn't forgotten. He was being unmercifully squished as Inuyasha tried to close the distance between himself and Kagome, and Shippou resented it immensely.

“Inuyasha!” he fumed, “stop trying to hog Kagome! You've been with her all night!” he cried indignantly.

Inuyasha took a step back, suddenly very aware that he'd been about to make a fool of himself in front of Shippou by kissing Kagome.

“It's my turn to spend some time with her!” the kitsune declared vehemently, a little surprised when Inuyasha didn't offer any argument, unaware of the turbulent thoughts preoccupying Inuyasha's mind as he sought to get his emotions back under control. “You should just go off and find Kaede!” Shippou recommended, waving his hand dismissively, shooing Inuyasha towards the door, “while I stay and keep Kagome company for while.”

Inuyasha slanted a narrow look at Shippou. “Why would I need to go find, Kaede-baba, Shippou?”

Shippou gave a careless shrug. “I dunno, but she was looking for you before I came here. She mentioned that if I happened to see to say that she needed you.”

Inuyasha's lips quirked derisively. Of course the old hag would give Shippou that message, he thought peevishly. Kaede knew perfectly well where Inuyasha was, and if she had needed him or wanted to find him, she could have crossed the street this morning and gotten him. The only reason she'd had Shippou deliver that message was so that the little kitsune would be granted his wish of being allowed to spend time alone with Kagome. Feeling out-manned and outmaneuvered, Inuyasha ears flattened, his face a mirror for his disgruntled feelings.

“Fine,” he muttered ungraciously, “I'll go find out what she wants. You two have fun.”

He turned on his heel, his eye catching Kagome's as he did so and saw her apologetic look. So she knew it was an excuse too, he thought, fuming even more as he stalked towards the door.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome's soft voice called as he threw wide the bamboo shade, and he hesitated, turning his head, but not looking directly at her as she awkwardly murmured, “thank you for being so concerned for me last night and for… s-staying with me -“

Inuyasha just waved his hand dismissively at her and let the shade fall back in place behind him, feeling frustrated.

Of course he would stay with her! She didn't have to be grateful to him for that! he thought acidly. He didn't want her to feel grateful. Let her feel happiness, when she was with him. Affection, most definitely. Desire…hell yes, he thought, his blood beginning to burn at the memory of just being near her, and the smell of her scent. But forget gratefulness! That was too much like obligation, and he'd be damned if he'd let her feel obliged to him for anything! It was too much like taking charity!

“Inuyasha, stop scowling at me like that, it's too early in the morning,” Kaede-baba admonished as she shuffled her way down the narrow lane towards him and her own little hut, and Inuyasha turned and fell into step beside her.

As usual she was dressed in her red and white miko robes, and she walked with her hands behind her back at a slow, measured pace, as if she had all the time in the world, which made Inuyasha all the more impatient to know what she wanted with him.

“Okay, spit it out, baba,” Inuyasha huffed, looking down at her, “Shippou said you were looking for me.”

“And good morning to you too, Inuyasha,” Kaede replied with a note of wry humor.

Inuyasha growled impatiently, his mood not improved by her light banter.

“Enough with the idle chit chat already,” he complained, gesticulating, “whaddya want?”

Kaede shot him a long, considering and then softly murmured, “You'll have plenty of opportunity to spend time alone with her, Inuyasha, time that Shippou won't be able to butt in on. Don't be so greedy.”

Inuyasha turned his head and looked away, hoping that she was right, at the same time too afraid to say that he thought she might be wrong, afraid that if he said it, it just might come true…

“Baba, how the hell long is `a little while'?” he asked her instead.

“That's a strange question,” she observed with a tilt of an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know?”

“That's how long Kagome said she would stay.” he informed her heavily, looking askance at the old miko when she just chuckled.

“If you're that worried, then why don't you just ask her to stay permanently?” she queried in amusement.

Inuyasha grimaced. “Because I can't!”

There was a heavy moment of silence broken only by the sound of Kaede's zori sandals crunching through the dirt as they moved down the lane.

“Because of onee-sama?” Kaede peered knowingly up into Inuyasha's profile, watching it twist into a conflicted expression, caught somewhere between misery, anger and frustration. “Inuyasha, how long are you going to continue to hang onto your attachment to my sister?” Kaede asked him with a sigh, “she has been dead for more than fifty years, and it is time for you to put aside all your feelings for her -“

“You think I don't know that, baba!” Inuyasha exclaimed harshly, “Kagome left once before because of this, didn't she!?”

He dragged his hand across his face, a defeated look welling up in his eyes at how entangled he felt. “It's not so simple, as you make it sound!” he declared bitterly. “I do not want Kagome to leave me - but I cannot ask her to stay knowing that I must always honor the feelings that I had for Kikyou!”

“Why must you always honor them, Inuyasha?” Kaede wanted to know, stopping and turning to him, “I know you don't love her the way you once did. That is plain to see. Even onee-sama should know that, despite the fact she still comes here from time to time,- oh yes,” Kaede affirmed softly when Inuyasha, shamefaced, suddenly looked away, “I know that she comes, and I know why she comes, Inuyasha, but have you realized why she comes, I wonder?”

“She never speaks to me,” he admitted haltingly, “and I never try to speak to her - after Kagome left, I didn't care anymore, baba. The only thing that mattered was… not having Kagome.”

“Then why do you still let nee-sama haunt you?” Kaede again gently probed.

He closed his eyes a look of sadness flitting across his countenance as he replied in a tortured way, “Because it is the only way to make amends for the sins I've committed against her, for betraying the love she had for me!”

Kaede laid a gnarled hand against his arm. “And what about the sins she's committed against you?” Inuyasha's eyes shot open, surprise lighting their depths and Kaede stepped back, her mouth set in a grim line. “She was a beautiful, kind person, with a great capacity for sacrifice, Inuyasha,” she commented, her eye shrewd as she gave him a searching look, “but no one knows better than I that she was not a perfect person. Death has magnified those things in her that were the best and worst and in some ways twisted them. What happened between you two was a tragedy that no one can change. But she is no longer capable of sacrifice when it comes to you and she will not willingly set you free if that's what you're hoping for.” Kaede turned and started walking again, and Inuyasha, bemused by what she'd said, turned and automatically fell into step alongside her. “Kagome loves you, you fool, and she can make the decision to stay, but you are the one that must take a stand and reach out and tell her how you feel, otherwise nee-sama will make sure that you have nothing left to hold but the cold, dead past.”

Inuyasha didn't say anything. What could he say when he knew that she was right? Inuyasha wanted to make Kagome his, wanted to make sure that Shirogane had no right to claim her, but in order to do that, he was going to have to take a stand. If Kikyou would not let go of him, could he let go of her enough to do what was right? To do what he wanted to do? Perhaps that was why he'd never gone back to get Kagome in the first place - because he knew in his heart that until he was ready to put aside the guilt he felt over Kikyou's death, he could never ask Kagome to stay.

“We're here,” Kaede informed him, cutting across his somber thoughts as they stopped in front of one of the huts and she turned an expectant eye towards him. “I knew I could count on you not to let me down,” she told him, patting his shoulder.

Inuyasha felt his brows soar, a wariness beginning to creep over him as he eyed her hand with suspicion. “Count on me for what, baba?”

“To play escort, of course,” she replied with a smile, removing her hand, where it joined the other behind her back before calling softly, “Yukino-chan, I've brought Inuyasha just as I've promised.”

There was no answer at first, and Inuyasha's mouth fell open in dismay. “Hey, baba!” he hissed, “You should ask first before you volunteer me for something! --Just what is it you've told her I would do?”

“Nothing you can't handle,” Kaede grunted, “she needs you to take her to the stream where the falls are so she can purify herself before handling her Tama. She can't go that far alone and her brother is still asleep, so I told her you would take her -“

“Half the whole damned world is still asleep, old woman!” Inuyasha snarled, “why can't she wait until her brother is awake and let him take her!? I don't want to play baby sitter!”

“Have you forgotten that he has a wound in his leg that prohibits him from walking long distances?” she asked him, and then adding dryly at his martyred expression, “I see that you have. Well, you'll just have to make do, Inuyasha. She needs to do this in order to perform the purification for the Kinmotsu no Tama, so as protector to Rin and the Shikon no Tama, I charge you with the responsibility of making sure that this gets done. Otherwise should the barrier around the jewel fail, then the two jewels would end up interacting again. We can't afford that.”

Inuyasha heaved a longsuffering sigh and nodded dully. He could see any hopes he might have had of getting to spend time with Kagome this morning slipping away.

“Fine,” came his toneless reply. “Let's get it over and done with then.”

And he turned and took several aimless steps away, looking up at the pale blue sky still tinged with the receding grey of night, the sun having just barely risen.

Inuyasha silently condemned anyone who arose at this hour of the day to a long, torturous death of being eaten by a hungry Tengu**, and then he remembered that he'd arisen long before the sun ever had - not that any Tengu could pick the flesh from his bones. It would find itself completely featherless and running in the opposite direction long before that would ever happen. A fleeting smile crossed his face at the thought but it disappeared the instant he heard Yukino's voice from behind him.

With her quiet good morning, his pique instantly returned. Frowning, Inuyasha turned his head, preparing to scowl at her, but was instead completely abashed to see the heavy, purple shadows beneath the young woman's eyes. Hell, she wasn't up early, he realized. She just hadn't slept at all, and then he wondered why.

Yukino had dressed in some of Rin's borrowed clothes, wearing a white kimono and light blue hakama and she carried a small wooden pail clutched tightly in her hand. Her hair had been carefully combed, falling in soft copper waves around her shoulders, framing her face, its vibrant color intensifying her unnatural pallor and calling attention to the jagged tear at the corner of her mouth which was beginning to blossom into brutal colors of red, purple and yellow at the periphery. She'd had a very rough time of it, and if anyone needed sleep it had been she. So why hadn't she slept? he mused, moving forward when he saw her crystal blue eyes flicker uncertainly towards him, his irritation dulling slightly in the face of her shy hesitancy.

“Inuyasha has volunteered to take you down to the stream,” Kaede informed her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder, a gimlet eye directed toward him when he opened his mouth to dispute her choice of words. “Inuyasha, please do not treat her like you do the rest of us,” Kaede requested austerely, “she is a guest and therefore should receive only your kindest words and gestures…” Kaede broke off, staring at him for a moment, and then she mumbled to herself, “what am I saying… you don't have any kind words or gestures,” at which Inuyasha glowered fiercely, and Kaede then motioned towards him, her voice louder as she added, “don't let him scare you with his scowls and dark looks, Yukino-chan. I assure you, he is all bark and no bite,” The glower then stretched into outrage, and with a chuckle Kaede waved them away.

An awkward silence fell between them, one that Yukino was terrified of breaking. Despite the old miko's words, she found Inuyasha's scowls and insolent eyes extremely intimidating - not to mention the way he stomped around when he walked, she reflected, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he all but swaggered down the small country lane .

They managed to make it all the way to the edge of the village walking in silence with nothing but the sound of the early morning birds and Yukino's zori sandals crunching along the ground, until Inuyasha sighed.

Then he put his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky, saying casually, “It's going to be an awfully boring trip if you don't say anything the whole way there.”

Yukino slid a watchful sideways glance up into his face.

“I thought you preferred it that way,” she equivocated, her fingers tightening convulsively around the handle of her pail as Inuyasha swiveled his head and peered lazily down at her, his hands remaining pillowed behind his head.

“Why would you think that?” he queried with a quizzically raised brow, and it struck Yukino for the first time just how much her brother truly resembled this hanyou - except for the ears, of course.

Inuyasha's ears looked much… softer, and she felt a sudden desire to reach up and stroke one, thinking how it must feel like velvet. Suddenly one of them twitched, and she blinked, jerking her eyes back down to his stiff features, aware that she'd been caught staring, and he wasn't happy with her, still waiting for her to answer his question.

“Oh, well, you seemed rather - “ Snitty? Hostile? Unapproachable? Yukino inwardly cringed as each of these descriptions popped into her head, and she paused, searching for a word that wouldn't inflame his temper, finding it impossible to come up with one that characterized his mood this morning that she wasn't terrified to use. “Well, you seemed to be… er… I thought maybe…”

“Yes?” he prodded, his eyebrows soaring as he waited expectantly and impatiently, watching her shrink before his very eyes, intimidated by his manner.

“Well what would you like to talk about?” she offered with a weak laugh instead, relieved when he didn't pursue his question.

Dropping his hands back down to his sides, Inuyasha barely had to think before he came up with something.

“Why don't you tell me how it is you came to know my name,” he suggested bluntly and watched her eyes widen as she stumbled over her own feet.

Yukino hid her grimace, wishing now that she'd decided to wait until later in the morning after some of the others had risen for the day and could have taken her to the stream. But she'd wanted to be out of the hut when her brother had woken up, thinking that would be best, considering all that had happened last night. It would give her time and space away from him to compose herself, and it would also give him the opportunity he needed to recover his own sense composure which she knew would be badly shaken.

And she definitely wanted Shirogane to have a chance to mull over in his mind what he wanted to say to her without her being there, because she knew that this would, in the long run, play to her advantage. She knew how her brother's mind worked: and the more prepared and in control he was, the better chance she had of making him rationalize that everything he thought had happened had, in reality, been a dream. Or at least, that was her plan…

“Well,” Yukino nervously hedged as she pushed all thoughts of the previous night aside to concentrate on Inuyasha's question, wondering if her brother would be angry at her for embellishing the truth a bit. She almost wished he was here to deal with this issue, but since he wasn't, she could only do her best. “--As you know, our shrine is almost as old as the Higurashi shrine, and many stories have been passed down since the Age of Legends when the Era of Man was dawning and the Time of the Oni was beginning to wan -- which would be your time, Inuyasha. There were many, many stories about you and your friends - and the heroic deeds you performed concerning the Shikon no Tama - ” she almost stumbled over the lie, and it was an effort to keep her face bland, but from Inuyasha's expression, she assumed that she'd managed it fairly well, for he was evincing only mild curiosity and no suspicion.

“Well how come you know so much about the Shikon no Tama?” he asked curiously, “and yet I've never heard of your Tama - If they are both from this era, then I should have heard of the one that your family has passed down.” he asserted, his interest becoming too pointed for her to feel comfortable.

Yukino drew in a deep breath, switching the pail from one hand to the other before she answered him, trying to give herself a little more time. She even adjusted the front of her kimono, and still she couldn't come up with a suitable half-truth. “Well Inuyasha, a jewel of power is not something that you go around advertising.” was all she could come up with. “I don't know why Shirogane's descendants kept the jewel a secret. You could ask my brother, but I don't know if he really knows the answer to that either.”

“Well then, where did it come from?”

Yet another blunt question to make her squirm, and Yukino gave him a helpless look. “D-don't you think these are th-things you should b-be asking my brother?” she stammered.

Inuyasha shrugged indifferently, and replied, “I was just trying to make conversation.”

“It feels much more like an interrogation than conversation,” Yukino informed him stiltedly.

“Okay, fine, I'll pick something else then” he sighed and paused looking at the trees, trying to think of something that wouldn't put her on the defensive.

“If you don't want to talk about the Kinmotsu no Tama, then why don't we talk about you?” he suggested, feeling slightly irritated as he watched her face turn red.

What was it about girls and conversation? Couldn't they even talk without getting embarrassed?

“Me?” she squeaked. “What do you want to know about me?”

“Well,” he paused reflecting heavily for a minute, and his next question made her laugh, “how long have you known Kagome?”

Inuyasha's irritation increased at her laughter, and he broke out into a scowl when Yukino wouldn't stop laughing. He even stopped walking so that she had to stop too, and then she apologized, still giggling because his face was so crunched up that it somehow reminded her of the grumpy-faced teddy bear wearing a hat and a bow tie her brother once won for her at a spring festival.

“You know that's not really about me at all, Inuyasha,” she pointed out, “that's about Kagome,” and she watched his face go red.

“All right, then,” he muttered in clipped accents, “why don't you answer this then: you're not related to Shirogane are you?” That sharp observation came out of nowhere, and Yukino felt a moment of panic.

“Wh-what do you mean?” she stammered, all traces of humor gone, her hand fluttering to her throat. Surely Inuyasha didn't think she and Shirogane had lied about being siblings? “Shirogane is my brother,” she asserted firmly.

“Then why don't you smell like him?” he asked almost belligerently, his probing eyes not missing any detail as they raked her up and down.

“W-well, that's because his father married my mother after his real mother passed away,” she explained. “So we are only related by marriage…”

Another moment of awkward silence, while Inuyasha digested this piece of information, and Yukino shifted uncomfortably, wishing desperately for this inquisition to be over.

“That explains why you're in love with him…”

Yukino was stunned and humiliated at how transparent she was, and she looked away from him, knowing her face was on fire.

“H-how did you know that?” she asked quietly.

“It was easy enough to figure out,” he admitted. “You were so protective of him yesterday, yet you could barely even stand on your own. Why else would you put him first if not because you loved him?”

Yukino swallowed convulsively and didn't say anything for a moment, her heart lodged firmly in her throat.

“I thought that's what siblings did… they protect each other,” she mumbled through numb lips.

“Heh, I wouldn't know,” Inuyasha snorted a little derisively, “I harbor no affection whatsoever for the only sibling I have, and I think it's safe to say that he'd like to see me dead - he'd probably be more than happy to commit the act himself if he didn't think it would get his delicate kimono so dirty…”

“But…you don't understand…I only did it because he's my brother,” Yukino repeated in a choked voice almost to herself, afraid that if Inuyasha saw right through her then the others would too.

Inuyasha gave her a sharp look, and saw the glazed look in her eyes, belatedly aware that he'd said something that he probably shouldn't have.

“Don't worry,” Inuyasha assured in a gruff way. If he'd known it would scare her, he would never have said it. “I don't think your brother knows, or at least I don't think he's quite figured it out yet so you're safe, but--” Inuyasha's voice petered to a halt, wondering if he really wanted to know the answer to his next question. “Can you tell me, have he and Kagome?... “ he broke off and changed his wording to, “--How long has your brother known Kagome?”

“Not very long, Inuyasha, but Shiro is very interested in her,” Yukino admitted with a note of sympathy in her voice.

Inuyasha didn't say anything for a long minute, staring at the dew covered grass, the wind blowing errant wisps of hair across his face, and at that moment, Yukino felt a bond with him, realizing that they shared something in common: he was against a match between Kagome and her brother as much if not more than she was.

“If there's anything I can do…” she blurted out the offer before she could stop herself, and his amber eyes slid to her in surprise, a genuine smile lighting his face when he saw her understanding, but he shook his head all the same. “I didn't think so,” she sighed, “I'm really sorry. I've tried to talk him out of it… but he won't be dissuaded…”

“It doesn't matter,” Inuyasha told her laconically as he started walking again, and she followed suit. “He isn't going to win.”

Yukino stared up into his inscrutable profile, her crystalline blue eyes wide with anxiety. “I hope you're right,” she murmured, biting her lip.

 

 

With a contented smile on her face, Kagome sat beneath a tree at the edge of the village looking out over the bridge spanning the small, meandering brook and listened intently to the animated voice of the kitsune by her side. Across her lap and on the ground in front of her lay pieces of paper, all brightly colored with crayons in Shippou's childish hand, depicting scenes of heroic deeds and ghastly monsters, and with each one came a new story, slightly embellished no doubt, as to how each battle was won with the help of the young kitsune and how bravely he had withstood against the hordes of evil.

On and on the stories went, as the sun slowly rose into the morning sky, and as the stories became more lavish, Shippou's deeds became more outrageous, but Kagome didn't mind. How she'd missed hearing his voice and seeing his face, she thought as she picked up the piece of paper lying against her lap, a fond smile curling her lips as she looked at what seemed to be a giant fire breathing fish head chasing a terrified Inuyasha whilst Rin and Shippou worked together to bring the monster's mischief to an end.

How she missed being by Inuyasha's side too, she realized. And Sango, and Kirara and Miroku… but wait, Kagome thought, picking up several more of the pictures and looking at them. Miroku was not in any or them. How…strange! She would have to ask Sango about it later, she mused, wondering why Shippou would have left him out of all of the pictures.

“Good morning!” Rin's voice called, breaking into Shippou's exuberant story-telling and they both looked up to see Rin standing a few feet away along the path, a small bird perched on her shoulder and a bow slung across her back. Standing behind her was a tall, handsome young youkai that Kagome didn't recognize at all. His long, aqua color hair was pulled back loosely with a cord and his lithe, elegant, frame looked awkward as he stood one or two steps behind Rin, juggling his hold an a reed basket full of what looked to be laundry.

Kagome was amazed at the beautiful young woman Rin had become. She was so proud of the job that Sango, Kaede and even Inuyasha had done in teaching her all the things she needed to know to become the amazingly graceful and composed miko that she appeared to be.

“I know you've never met Atsuji, Kagome,” Rin said by way of introduction with a polite gesture of her hand, “but he was here last night, and he helped to defeat the Ijin that spawned when the energy from the two Tamas clashed together.”

Kagome gathered up Shippou's pictures before clambering to her feet, careful not to move too quickly lest she upset her balance, and then offered the youkai a smile and a slight bow. Atsuji, in turn, gave her a smile that made her blink at its serene beauty, and then she blinked again when he bowed and ended up dumping half the laundry into the dirt, his expression falling from the heights of the sublime to the depths of comical despair.

“Oh no!” he stammered, standing up straight, his creamy complexion becoming stained with color as Rin bent down, unflustered, and began gathering up the pieces and putting them back in the basket. “L-look at your kimono! I've broken your beautiful kimono!” he cried in horror fingering one of the sleeves that Rin had placed in the basket and Kagome felt her mouth drop open at his histrionics. “I'm so terribly sorry!”

“You didn't break it,” Rin assured him in amusement over the loud chattering of the bird on her shoulder which was eyeing Atsuji with what could only be called disdain. “It's not easy to break laundry, Atsuji. It's not like a pot.”

“But, but look at it!” he cried, getting all worked up, “it's all in pieces!!! And it's, it's, -- well, it's dirty!!” a look of distaste rippled across his face. “And it's entirely my fault!'

Rin just looked up at him and laughed softly, “Well it's in pieces because I took it apart so it could be washed, so you didn't break it, Atsuji - that's how all kimonos get washed,” she patiently explained. “—and as for being dirty - well it was already dirty, which is why it was in the basket in the first place. You just helped to make sure that no one mistakes it for being clean, that's all,” she teased. “I think it's time for us to go, before it gets any later,” she chirped, looking up at the sun. “Say goodbye, Suzu,” She cheerfully instructed the little bird on her shoulder as she turned away, waving to Shippou and Kagome, missing the besotted look on Atsuji's face as the little bird laughed obediently.

Kagome waved back, her eyes not missing Atsuji's expression, and she wondered if she should warn Sango to keep an eye out. Kagome watched them walk across the small bridge, her eyes on Atsuji's back. He seemed nice enough, but still, it probably wouldn't hurt to say something to Sango about it, she decided.

Kagome felt a tug on her skirt and she looked down.

“Can I finish telling you my story now?” Shippou demanded plaintively, “I was just getting to the good part—“ he declared, clenching his fists in frustration when he was yet again interrupted, this time by Sango.

“Good morning,” Sango's soft, cultured voice called, and Kagome eagerly turned to greet her old friend and her faithful companion, Kirara who was pertly perched atop her shoulder and mewled happily when she saw Kagome.

“Sango-chan! Kirara!” Kagome exclaimed joyously.

She threw her arms around Sango and gently hugged her, and then softly stroked the small cat before stepping back. Even though ten years had gone by, Sango's mode of dress for when she wasn't working hadn't changed at all. Today she wore a simple pink and green kimono and her hair hung down around her shoulders, much in the same way that Kagome always remembered it.

But there was something different about Sango too, something that Kagome couldn't put her finger on as they stood talking to each that troubled Kagome. It was a certain stillness that felt almost like a vague sadness and Kagome wondered what could have brought about such a change in her friend's demeanor. Before she could really probe into the issue, however, they were joined by Shirogane, who seemed drawn and restrained. His greeting was flawlessly polite however, after which his eyes searched the area.

“Have you seen my sister?” he asked after a long moment, as he looked off in the distance, towards the rice fields as if he might spot the bright top of her head in that direction.

“I have not,” Kagome replied, “but Kaede-bachan told me earlier this morning that Inuyasha took her to the falls so she could prepare herself for the purification ritual of your Tama.”

Shirogane's head snapped towards Kagome as she spoke, his face darkening unexpectedly. “Inuyasha?! Why wouldn't she wait for me to take her?!”

It was a rhetorical question, and he could see from Kagome's expression that she was startled by the sharpness of it. He ran a distracted hand through the hair along his brow, pushing it out of his eyes and apologized for his lack of manners.

Damn, damn, damn! he growled silently. Why did she have to run away from him! Surely she hadn't been that horrified at what had happened between them? He tried to dredge up her responses to him from his memory, but other than how his own body had been inflamed by her soft, silken curves and the taste of her flesh, all he could recall was the sound of her voice telling him to stop on several occasions.

Dear god… what kind of brother was he? He felt like the world's worst bastard, his conscience heavily smiting him for not listening to her and he knew he needed to apologize to her as soon as possible for all the terrible things he'd done last night!

“Are you feeling all right?” Kagome asked him, peering with concern into his ashen colored countenance.

“I seem to be having difficulties recovering from Rin's tea this morning,” he murmured quietly, leaning heavily upon his bo and stretching the stiff muscles of his leg.

“Well, I'm surprised you're up at all,” Sango admitted with a slight smile, “much less able to speak coherently. Her teas are quite strong. Shippou and Rin usually have to resuscitate me with food around noon before I can move at all.”

They spoke for a few minutes more, after which, Shirogane's eye was caught by the stack of drawings underneath the tree. He limped over and peered down at them. “What are these,” he asked with interest.

“Those are mine,” Shippou declared proudly, picking them up, and then, “Wanna see?”

Shirogane nodded with a smile and so as a group, they settled themselves back beneath the branches of the tree, sharing Shippou's drawings, listening with amused smiles as he expounded on his tales once more, with a comment or two added by Sango who left his dream weaving untouched for the most part.

It was only as the late morning wore on and Shippou was winding down that a puzzled frown creased Shirogane's brow.

He began paging through the drawings, his eyes resting thoughtfully on Sango for a moment before he inquired, “How come there are no depictions of the Houshi** here?”

Kagome, who had been leaning with her back against the tree, her eyes half-closed, lulled by the peaceful sounds of the countryside around her and the quiet voices of her friends, perked up at his question, since she had been meaning to ask Sango the same thing.

Sango went quite still and tried to hide behind a mask of neutrality. “How could you know about Houshi-sama?” she wanted to know, and then she looked at Kagome, “did you tell him about Miroku, Kagome?”

Kagome mutely shook her head, her eyes questioning as she too looked to Shirogane for answers.

“The Legend of the Shikon no Tama, and the warriors who defeated it has been passed down through my family. I am familiar with all of your names, including, Kagome-sama's,” he replied, his amber eyes swinging towards and lingering meaningfully on Kagome. “Which is why I am surprised to see the Houshi missing. He was such an integral part of who you were—“

He broke off at the small bitter laugh that escaped from Sango's lips, surprised by it. She looked surprised by it as well, putting her fingers to her mouth, a startled expression in her brown eyes.

“Sango-chan.” Kagome reached out and laid a comforting hand on her knee, and Sango lowered her head in a gesture of defeat. “What happened? When I left, you two were making plans to be married.”

Sango gave a small shrug of her shoulders, her hand covering Kagome's and she kept her eyes pinned to this sign of friendship, this warm bond of human comfort that had been absent for so long.

“He stayed for a while, Kagome, but when his kazaana did not disappear like he thought it would after we defeated Naraku, he began to distance himself. I think perhaps he gave himself a certain amount of time, hoping that it would eventually close, thinking that it was like a wound that needed to heal, and when it didn't… he decided to leave, instead of facing the possibility of leaving his accursed fate for another generation to bear…” she broke off, aware that the pain she still felt after all these years was beginning to leak into her voice, and she didn't seem capable of stopping it.

“I'm so sorry,” Kagome murmured, biting her lip, her heart hurting for Sango who had had so much taken from her by Naraku: her home, her family, her friends, and even the man she loved. It wasn't fair!

“Do you know where he is?” Shirogane asked in a level voice, aware that Kagome was giving him a strange look. He knew his voice sounded perfunctory and uncaring, but he could ill-afford to let sentiment get in the way of what needed to be done at this point.

“I don't,” Sango conceded after a long moment, her face going stark white at his next words.

“We need to find him and bring him here,” he informed them succinctly, “we're going to need his help.” Sango shook her head in urgent denial her eyes seeking support from Kagome and Shirogane's jaw tightened. “Sango, his abilities are essential because he is one of the few that can fight without spilling blood. He has strength that Inuyasha and Atsuji and the rest of us don't. We need him. You need him.” He paused a moment, giving her time to digest what he'd said and then carefully added as if it was an afterthought, “I don't know if you realize it or not, but his kazaana has not widened at all in these last ten years.”

He watched her face go slack in shock, thinking that now would be a good time to depart and give her an opportunity to think over the things he'd said. Struggling to his feet, he took several long, limping steps away, turning one more time to add before his final departure,

“According to our shrine's history, Houshi-sama lived to be a wizened old man, unlike his father and grandfather, and when he passed away, it was not the kazaana that claimed his life… It was never recorded whether or not he took a wife or had any children, but I feel certain, that his line lives on, without the curse that Naraku left…”

He offered her a kind smile and with a wave murmured, “I think perhaps I should go check on our Tama and make sure that the barrier is holding up. I hope you will seriously think on the things that I have said… Kagome,” he murmured, his eyes sliding to the silent figure still clutching tightly to Sango's hand, “I wish to return through the well at some point this afternoon to gather some necessary items - clothes and tools, for my sister and myself. Would you care to accompany me?”

After a small hesitation, she nodded and he smiled and waved again, and then he was gone.

“He can travel through the well by himself?” Shippou asked incredulously.

“Who is he, Kagome?” Sango asked in a shaken voice, as she watched the mysterious priest limp sedately back towards the village, his long silver braid standing out starkly against the dark fabric of his jacket and pants. “He seems kind enough in his own way, but all that he knows, and the power that he holds - it is intimidating…”

“I wish I knew for certain,” Kagome replied, knowing that as puzzled as they were by his presence, she doubted that any of them were as troubled by his resemblance to Inuyasha as she was. The shadow that Shirogane was perhaps Inuyasha's descendant lay heavy upon her heart, like an insidious poison, and Kagome couldn't stop herself from searching for the eyes of that descendant's mother in every face she saw.

 

Feeling a great deal of ennui, his cheek pressed against his palm, his elbow resting against the knee of his crossed legs, Inuyasha languidly drew a circle in the dirt, and he stared down at it. He paused for a moment and then drew another right beside it and then a bigger one around the first two, adding little sticks on the sides for arms, imagining that it was pink, and that its name was Shippou.

Fangs flashed white against the background of his flesh as his mouth curved into a snarl, “Shippou, you little…” he ground out, smashing his fist violently against his crude drawing, obliterating it, completely blaming the young kitsune for the total waste his entire morning had been. Somehow it failed to bring any satisfaction like he'd hoped it would.

Sitting back, he looked up at the sky, marking the sun's progress at the halfway point. They had to have been here at least three and half hours now. How long could it possibly take to purify yourself? Even Kikyou never took this long when she came here. She was in and out of here in no time, Inuyasha briefly recalled; at least in no more than an hour for certain. And this girl couldn't be any less pure than Kikyou. What the hell kind of thought or sin had she committed that required she be purified for over three whole freakin' hours? he mused in irritation.

Rising to his feet, he arched his back in a stretch, his long, thick hair almost touching the ground and then walked down the grassy bank. He padded softly towards the falls where Yukino knelt with her pail, her hair hanging in wet, rust colored clusters around her heaving shoulders, her head bent forward as if she had paused a moment to rest. Inuyasha wondered if her hands and feet had gone numb yet, as the icy cold mist filling the air prickled against his skin, nullifying any warmth the autumn sun might provide before he even got close to her.

“Oy!” he called over the sound of the rushing water crashing against the rocks, “aren't you finished yet?”

One blue eye peeked over her shoulder at him, and he frowned when he saw the resolute expression there.

Enough was enough already!

Stomping forward, he entered the stream, the cold currents quickly saturating his hakama to brush against his legs. Gah! he didn't see how she could sit there and pour bucket load after bucket load of this frigid stuff over her body!

Reaching down he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, not surprised when she had trouble standing on her own. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” he exclaimed, trying to steady her as she stumbled to gain her footing. “I think you've had enough purification for one day, Yukino!”

“You don't understand,” she mumbled, her eyes lowered in an expression that bordered on shame, “I can't clear my thoughts, I can't keep them…pure. I don't know what to do!” she gasped, finally raising her eyes, and Inuyasha was taken aback to see the despair there.

“Surely it can't be that bad?” he awkwardly comforted, giving her a gruff pat on her shoulder.

“If I can't purify my thoughts, then how can I hope to purify the Tama?” she whispered miserably. She'd hoped that this time would also help to calm her down before she had to face her brother, and so far that had yet to happen. If anything, she felt more uncertain, as if she was in control of nothing - not even her own emotions.

Inuyasha was nonplussed as he stared at her. He knew nothing about shrine rituals. But this girl hardly seemed like a sin hardened soul. He couldn't see the gods seeking retribution for any small slight she'd committed just because she was having a little trouble letting it go.

“Well, I hate to say it, but if you haven't managed to wash out whatever is bothering you by now,” he told her taking the pail from her fingers and dragging her unceremoniously towards the bank, “then it isn't gonna get washed out. And besides - I'm sure the gods will at least smile on your efforts - I swear I've never seen anyone try so damn hard as you,” he grumbled sourly and then inwardly grimaced.

He hadn't meant it to sound so critical, but Yukino didn't seem to notice. Her face was creased with the thoughts troubling her and her body was shuddering, wracked by hard spasms as it tried to warm itself.

“Holy hell, girl,” Inuyasha castigated harshly, his eyes raking over her, taking in the excessively mottled hue of her face, the purple cast to her lips and the horrible waxy color of her hands and feet. “Can you feel your toes at all?” he demanded, a hiss of displeasure escaping his lips when she mutely shook her head. “What were you thinking?” he muttered as he viciously yanked his red kimono free from his hakama and shrugged it free from his shoulders, leaving him with his beige under kimono. “You gotta walk back to the village, you know - and you can't walk if you can't feel your feet, you stupid girl!” he continued to berate her. He stepped behind her, wrapping his fire rat kimono around her with surprising gentleness before coming back around in front of her to give her a measuring glance, and panic replaced his ill-temper when he saw what looked suspiciously like a tear glimmering in the corner of Yukino's eye.

“Hey! Don't do that!” Inuyasha exclaimed, extending his hand in a helpless gesture, “Look, I know as a miko, it's your job to be steadfast, respectful, pure, and all of that; and you seem to be doing a bang up job at it too. But if it's your brother that you're ultimately trying to please by being the perfect miko, and you think that this is how you can win his affections, then what you're doing is wrong. Protecting your Tama, purifying your Tama, that is important,” Inuyasha agreed, moving away from her, watching contemplatively the white water cascading down the bedrock, hitting the shallow pool lined with jagged rocks where it further spread out into deeper water. “But one or two small, insignificant thoughts that you might have had; are they really going to keep the gods from hearing your prayers and granting your request if your heart is sincere at the time you ask?” He turned his head, his eyebrow raised in serious inquiry.

“I suppose not,” Yukino conceded through chattering teeth, having never looked at it so simply before.

“Didn't think so,” be breathed in a relieved voice. “I'm glad you agree with me. Now we can go home.” He turned, stomped purposefully towards her, then stopped and spun around and surprised her by bending slightly forward as he said, “Climb on, I'll carry you.”

“C-carry me?” she squeaked. `B-but I'm all wet!” she protested.

“Yeah? So what?” he drawled, looking back over his shoulder, “Hurry up, I wanna get going.”

For some reason, the thought of wrapping her legs around a grown man's waist just seemed so horribly wrong.

“I can't” came her choked reply.

Inuyasha sighed heavily, shook his head, and rested his palms against his knees for a few seconds, muttering darkly under his breath before he again looked over his shoulder.

There was a slight frown between his brows and an edge to his voice as he asked, “Why not? Didn't your father ever give you a piggy back ride when you were little?”

“Well that was different,” she protested, her fingers clenching tightly to the folds of the fire rat kimono around her shoulders

Inuyasha's lips thinned, “No it's not.”

“Yes it is!” she argued hotly, suddenly realizing that she didn't feel quite as intimidated around Inuyasha as she had before.

“Is not!” he turned and growled, noticing that some of the color was finally returning to Yukino's face.

“It is!” she pugnaciously insisted her nose tilting in the air.

“Can you feel your feet! yet?” Inuyasha shouted at her, waving his fist in her face, aware that she was just as stubborn as Rin and Kagome were.

A surprised look flitted through Yukino's eyes, and she paused before replying, “A little, yes,” her voice milder.

“Fine! We'll walk then!” Inuyasha scowled, but he spoke in a mollified way.

Together they climbed the bank, Yukino's zori making a wet squishing noise, and began the walk back to the village, the silence this time a much more comfortable one, despite the cranky scowl Inuyasha was sporting. As they neared the outlying rice fields of the farmers of the village, Yukino turned her head, and pulled Inuyasha's kimono tighter around her.

“I feel something strange,” she observed aloud, and he shot her a curious glance, his hand dropping to his Tetsusaiga when he saw her uneasiness.

“What kind of `strange'?” he asked, his head snapping up, his eyes alert, as he scanned the area.

“I don't know,” Yukino admitted, “I've never felt anything like it - it's a lost feeling and yet - it's sad, and… lonely. It's not coming from just one direction but seems to be all around us”

And then out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw it - a pale flash of white and his jaw tightened. “Shinidama chu**,” he muttered grimly, his hand moving away from his Tetsusaiga and heard Yukino's soft indrawn breath of surprise.

Why was Kikyou here? She usually only came twice and year, and her visit wasn't due for at least another four whole months.

“Do you think Kikyou was drawn here by the power of the Kinmotsu no Tama?” Yukino looked around wide-eyed, hoping to see the legendary miko or one of her soul collectors for herself, unaware that she'd just given a possible solution to Inuyasha's silent questions.

“I suppose you know about Kikyou the same way you know about me and the others,” he muttered coldly.

Yukino started, her eyes flitting to Inuyasha's flinty profile before skittering away. “Well she was there at the final battle between you and Naraku,” she mumbled weakly, her voice trailing away.

Inuyasha refrained from saying anything further, but quickened his pace, as they approached the bridge to the village where he saw Kikyou's solitary figure standing on the outer banks. She was staring at Kagome who stood beneath the tree with Shippou and Sango on the other side. With a feeling of foreboding, Inuyasha watched Kikyou's Shinidama chu weave their way through the village, in and out of the huts, as if searching for something and he wondered how long, Kikyou had been here.

Neither woman moved and as Inuyasha drew closer it seemed to him that Kikyou was waiting for something. Then she turned and saw him and her emotionless smile told him that she'd been waiting for him. Inuyasha's foreboding increased as he saw Kikyou turn and begin moving with slow, graceful steps in his direction.

Without looking at Yukino, Inuyasha murmured, “Go wait on the other side of the bridge with Kagome.”

Yukino didn't hesitate, but immediately broke away from Inuyasha, meekly eyeing Kikyou as they drew abreast of each other, feeling a strange chill creep up her spine at the impenetrable emptiness in the other woman's eyes. Yukino drew in her breath and jerked her head away, looking down at the ground, but in that one passing moment, she was left with the impression that this ghost of a woman's will was merciless.

“Inuyasha,” Kikyou greeted him, reaching up, her hand lightly caressing his cheek. Her lips tweaked into a slight, satisfied smile at the startled look her unexpected action drew. “You have no welcoming smile for me?” she asked, the smile disappearing when she watched his eyes slide away from her, back over her shoulder, towards the bridge, towards Kagome.

“I would welcome you Kikyou, if I truly thought your words were for me and not just for the eyes of another,” Inuyasha mumbled hollowly, his eyes never coming back to Kikyou, but staying trained on the strained countenance of the woman who was anxiously watching them on the opposite side of the bridge.

Kikyou didn't pretend to misunderstand, but neither did she turn to acknowledge Kagome. “In all sincerity, I was surprised to see she had returned, Inuyasha. I thought that when she left ten years ago that you had decided to honor your past commitments to me and never see her again.”

“I know what you thought,” Inuyasha retorted, the words wrung from him unwillingly, and his tempestuous gaze finally came back to the woman standing in front of him. “and I have done my best to honor you, Kikyou. But in the years that Kagome has been gone, my vigil to you has been a silent one by your own choosing, and yet if we had spoken, you would have known that I could never spend my entire life without seeing Kagome again.”

“She won't stay,” Kikyou coldly asserted, adding knowingly, `and you can't ask her to stay.”

“She will stay,” Inuyasha clenched his fists together in determination. “I'll find a way to make her stay so I won't have to ask.”

“Even now, her uncertainty drives a wedge between you.” Again Kikyou reached up and cupped Inuyasha's cheek as if to prove her point. He frowned but did nothing to stop her, his eyes going back to Kagome and watched as she looked away. “See?” Kikyou laughed coldly as Inuyasha growled. “You may love her, but as long as you are bound to me, Inuyasha, you will lose her.”

“I will not lose her!” Inuyasha furiously denied, his heart in turmoil inside his chest.

And then, he surprised both himself and Kikyou by pushing past her and walking off, towards the bridge, towards Kagome, leaving Kikyou standing there. He managed to get all the way to the other side to come to stand before Kagome, his heart in his mouth, and the vulnerable expression in Kagome's eyes dried up any excuse he might have sought to offer her.

“K-kagome,” was all he could manage, a sea of faces with wide-eyed stares surrounding the woman he loved, neatly tying his tongue up so that nothing more would come out.

“Inuyasha, last night, I felt a huge amount of youki energy being discharged. It was a disturbance like none that I have felt since the defeat of Naraku. What happened to the Shikon no Tama?”

It was Kikyou again, and Inuyasha quickly threw a resentful look over his shoulder to see her standing just a few feet behind him. Before Inuyasha could reply, Shirogane came limping into sight surrounded by a multitude of Shinidama chu, and Kikyou's eyes dilated in shock upon seeing him.

“That boy? That man? Who? Who is he?” she asked in a bemused way, and then before anyone could reply, she drifted in his direction, stopping just beyond the earshot of the rest of them as Shirogane dropped into a deep, reverent bow.

 

“Kikyou-sama,” Shirogane murmured respectfully, his eyes on the ground at her feet. “I am sorry… I have failed you…”

“What is your name?” Kikyou asked, a soft light in her eyes as she examined this boy, no - this man - in front of her.

“Suketsune Shirogane,” he murmured while still bent in his bow.

“You have not failed me, Shirogane,” Kikyou sighed wearily. “I believe this was inevitable from the very beginning.. Where is your Tama now?” she asked.

Shirogane finally rose, slightly surprised by her fatalistic acceptance of his appearance and what that could only mean, removing the Forbidden Soul from his pocket.

“It was pulled from the Prayer Beads that help to seal its power while still inside our temple,” Shirogane explained, “but I brought them with me and reattached them last night. Although it's a bit late now, considering the amount of power that's been unleashed”

“Tell me what happened,” Kikyou requested without touching the Tama.

But Shirogane hesitated to begin and said, “Kikyou-sama, I believe you are in danger. Last night, I witnessed a struggle between the Tama and another Force for possession of a human soul and the Tama lost. And now I believe that both these Forces will seek the Forbidden Soul and its power. With the consciousness the Soul possesses, I also believe that puts you in danger. They might come for you as one tries to subjugate the other,” Shirogane told her with unwavering certainty. “You, and the one you value above all others - you should go into hiding so that none can find you - not even Inuyasha.”

Kikyou digested his words, weighing them carefully and after a moment murmured, “I will consider it, if not for my sake then for the one whose heart is most dear to me. Now tell me what happened.”

 

Inuyasha watched, bemused, as Shirogane and Kikyou stood talking not really paying much attention until Shirogane reached into his pocket and pulled something from it that elicited a soft gasp from Kagome. Inuyasha's gaze sharpened then, his eyes fastened on the object. It was the Kinmotsu no Tama, but that's not why Kagome had gasped. Shirogane had attached it to a set of prayer beads that looked strikingly like…

“Hey, aren't those your old Kotodama beads, Inuyasha?” Shippou asked, pointing to the beads that Shirogane held between his fingers.

“N-no!” Inuyasha numbly denied in shock. They couldn't be, could they?

Where in the hell had he gotten those!? Inuyasha brooded while he gazed at the mirror image of himself holding those beads, feeling horribly shaken.

 

Tengu** -- Crow-like oni that lives in the forest and mountains and can shape shift into animal and human form.

Kotodama** beads -- the rosary beads that Kaede first used to subjugate Inuyasha and allowed Kagome to command Inuyasha to “SIT!”, slamming him face first into the dirt

Houshi** -- a Buddhist priest

Shinidama chu** - Soul collector - the nagi type creatures (snake or serpent) that gather the human souls for Kikyou so that she can nourish the clay body and remain in the mortal realm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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