InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Green Child ❯ Follow ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: Later in the chapter Chinatsu explains a bit about youkai politics. I made a map to correspond with this information. If you'd like to take a look, here's the link:

 

http :// violetcarson. deviantart. com/ art/ Youkai-Realms-of-Feudal-Japan- 96543795

 

Don't forget to remove the spaces. Lol

 

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Chapter Four: Follow

 

I'm losing sight
Don't count on me
I chase the sun
It chases me

You know my name
You know my face
You'd know my heart
If you knew my place
I'll walk straight down
As far as I can go

I'll follow you if you follow me
I don't know why you lie so clean
I'll break right through the irony

 

 

 

A sharp smack stopped the creeping progress of the fingers. They drew back to rest where they were supposed to be, on the thighs of a disgruntled young miko.

 

“But, Chinatsu, my nose itches!” Kagome burst out. It had been driving her crazy for five minutes. She was supposed to be just sitting quietly, meditating. Whatever. As if sitting quietly was even a possibility for Kagome.

 

Chinatsu shook her head sadly. “You are obviously far too keyed up to be able to meditate for any amount of time. Perhaps we should progress to the next level. Cho-chan, come here.” Chinatsu called. The girl was searching within the forest edge for any useful herbs. She looked up, and skipped happily over to Chinatsu, being careful not to spill any of the herbs in the basket.

 

“What did you find?” Chinatsu asked.

 

“There was some yarrow near those trees, and a patch of chamomile over around that boulder.” She pointed out the herbs in her basket.

 

“Very good, Cho-chan.” Chinatsu praised. The young girl grinned widely. “Now, we are going to teach Kagome how to summon her power in order to perform a purification on a demon. Would you like to explain to her about the process?”

 

Cho seemed delighted by the news. She nodded eagerly an turned, bouncing up and down with excitement, to Kagome.

 

The whole idea seemed simple enough. It was really just a matter of mind over matter. You had to feel the power within your body, feel its need to protect. That's why miko existed, to protect humanity from the dangers of youkai.

 

But somehow, Kagome just wasn't feeling it. She concentrated, and tried to feel the way she did when she shot an arrow. Then, there was a sort of rippling energy which tingled along her nerves. But it seemed unwilling to surface now.

 

With a groan of annoyance Kagome fell back heavily against the ground. “I don't think I can do this Chinatsu. I'm just not feeling it.”

 

The elder miko didn't answer. “Chinatsu?” Kagome sat up.

 

Chinatsu was ignoring her, staring fixedly at something behind Kagome. As she watched, the miko's hand reached behind, for a bow that wasn't there. She glanced at Kagome, and then jerked her head slightly. She folded her hands back on her lap. “It's your call Midori. You won't get a better opportunity to learn than this.” Chinatsu whispered, barely audible.

 

Understanding struck her. The hairs on the back of her neck quivered and a jolt raced up her spine. Her entire body was tingling.

 

She turned just enough that she could see the unknown enemy from the corner of her eye. Kagome faltered at the sight. It was disgusting, appearing similar to a giant cockroach, but with far too many legs.

 

Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling she'd been looking for was now present, and something told her that she could use it however she wished.

 

Her legs still crossed, she rocked forward onto her knees, then placed her legs behind her and rocked back onto her feet, standing up smoothly and easily. She was quivering, but she forced herself to appear calm as she turned entirely around.

 

In front of the youkai, Cho was standing, immobile. “Cho-chan?” The girl twitched slightly in response, but kept her eyes locked on the creature. “Cho-chan, it's okay. I can handle this. Come here.” Kagome said, fighting to keep her voice calm. The girl walked slowly backward, her eyes not leaving the youkai. When she had passed Kagome, she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. Cho finally tore her gaze away to stare pleadingly at Kagome. She smiled reassuringly and stepped entirely in front of the terrified Cho.

 

The ugly cockroach creature hissed angrily at her and shifted, attempting to get a better view of Cho. Her fists curled as a surge of protective anger ignited her veins. “I don't think so.” She growled, stressing each word. That creature was not going to touch the girl.

 

The tingling of her power was getting stronger. It rushed through her system, setting her skin shining with an eerie glow. Pressure was building up at her temples, throbbing in time with her heartbeats, which were steadily speeding up.

 

She allowed the pressure to build. Once it'd reached a nearly unbearable level, her hands shot up. With a rush of wind a streak of light, so bright a pink that it was practically white, shot toward the youkai. It reared back in a futile attempt to avoid the light, but the beam hit it dead-on.

 

Within a few seconds it was entirely disintegrated.

 

For more than a minute there was silence. Kagome was in shock at what she'd just done. Nothing like that had ever happened before. When she'd first been pulled into the Feudal Era by the centipede demon, she'd been able to use a purifying energy on her, but it had had nothing of this strength.

 

A small hand tugged on her arm. “Midori-chan?” Cho's voice was quiet.

 

Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. Then she faced the young girl.

 

“You, saved me. Again.” Cho's eyes sparkled with tears. “Thank you Midori-chan!” She flung her arms around Kagome's midsection, turning her face against Kagome's chest. Kagome stood motionless for a moment, stunned by the girl's actions. Her eyes drifted closed. Even though Cho was shorter, it almost felt like Souta was wrapped around her. Kagome's arms crept around the girl's back, and she squeezed her tightly, laying her head on top of Cho's.

 

“Of course I saved you Cho. I wouldn't have ever let that creature get you.” Kagome smiled at her, the girl meeting her gaze with a timid smile as well.

 

Kagome glanced at Chinatsu. The miko was smiling proudly.

 

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“This is feverfew. It's one of my personal favorites. It can be used for many ailments, including colds, arthritis and fever, as the name suggests. The infusion can also be taken as a mild sedative. It's found mainly on rocky slopes, usually more open than this one. You should try to harvest it…”

 

Honestly. Listening to Chinatsu talk about herbs was like listening to an obsessive-fangirl rant about her favorite actor. (A/N: Robert Pattinson!!!! -faints-) She absolutely loved the things. Her in-depth knowledge was fascinating though, and her exuberance just made the subject matter more exciting. She'd make a good biology teacher, Kagome mused to herself, marveling slightly as the miko grinned widely as she spotted another herb that she'd yet to find, yelling its unique properties over her shoulder as she nearly danced up to it in excitement. It was definitely the most animated Kagome had ever seen her. She was never really what you'd call reserved, but she was also never this excited. Kagome grinned a bit and ran after her.

 

The two miko wandered throughout the countryside, the elder occasionally stopping to point out a new herb and possibly harvest some, to be wrapped carefully and placed in her basket. The younger would then faithfully parrot them back, trying to ingrain them into her brain.

 

They stopped for lunch eventually. Kagome set out the food and started a fire while Chinatsu fetched water from a river that was burbling nearby. While she was waiting for Chinatsu, Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back, enjoying the sounds of nature around her.

 

It never ceased to amaze her, how alive the Feudal Era's wilderness was. The sheer beauty of the untamed wild was simply amazing. All around, if you listened carefully, there were the sounds of nature. Birds called back and forth, a squirrel loudly scolded something that had disturbed it. A mouse squeaked loudly for some unseen reason.

 

There were youkai presences around as well. Chinatsu had worked with her on expanding her senses to be able to detect the signature essences of youkai before her normal senses could detect it. It felt sort of like someone whispering in the back of her skull, the stronger and closer the youkai, the louder the whispering. But it wasn't really a sound. That was just the easiest way to describe it. In the forest around her, there were several quiet whispers.

 

Chinatsu soon returned. The small kettle was put on to boil, and Chinatsu came to sit beside Kagome, who finally sat up as she was handed some food.

 

“Chinatsu?” Kagome asked, staring at the dancing flames of their fire.

 

“Yes Midori?” Chinatsu said, also watching the flames.

 

“I've been wondering. There are different levels to youkai. I've noticed this time enough. Some of them seem to be much less strong than others. Some of them look like animals, and others can take a form similar to ours. How does that all work?” Kagome asked.

 

Chinatsu sighed. “This is a very in-depth subject. I do not know as much on it as I would

like. Most miko do not concern themselves with what it is they kill, they just kill. Those are generally the ones that die first. I prefer to know more about my enemies. Easier to kill them that way.” She laughed grimly.

 

Kagome frowned. “Not all youkai are evil Chinatsu. I have known many youkai who were good and kind. You can't just clump them all into one category and label them that way. They are just as diverse in their intentions as we are.” Her voice was rather affronted.

 

Chinatsu gave a grin. “I never said that Kagome. I've known several nice enough youkai myself,” she said amicably. “You seem to have been very attached to some youkai to defend them so vehemently.” Her voice was curious.

 

Kagome's face heated, but she refused to speak. After a minute of watching her face intently, Chinatsu returned to the subject.

 

“Youkai are creatures that are firmly entrenched in Nature. They reflect the different creatures of the world. Most of them are similar to different animal species. Essentially they are a stronger, smarter, and generally larger version of their animal counterparts. Their animalistic tendencies are what lead to so many conflicts with humans. There are three basic levels of youkai. Level One youkai are almost exactly like their animals, only stronger and a bit more intelligent. They are the most common, and generally the ones that we miko have to go around killing when they bother humans. Level Two youkai are much more powerful and intelligent. They can form strategies, have as coherent thought as we do, and some can learn to mimic our speech. Some of them can assume multiple versions of their particular form. But they cannot assume our form.

 

“Level Three youkai can. They are the most intelligent and the strongest. Their animal forms are also the largest. The have two forms mostly, one reminiscent of their animal, and one a humanoid form similar to ours. They can control exactly how they appear when humanoid, so most choose to exhibit some animal traits as well. They will nearly always have fangs, and claws and such. Tails are also quite popular. But their humanoid form is not their true form, and they always revert back to their other form from time to time. Usually they stay in their humanoid form though, seeing as it is so much smaller and more convenient. The most powerful Level Three youkai are called Daiyoukai. Daiyoukai are usually predators, such as ookami or neko.”

 

“And inu,” Kagome muttered quietly.

 

Chinatsu looked slightly surprised. “Yes,” she said, “and inu.”

 

There was a pause in the conversation as the water started to boil.

 

“How does youkai government work?” Kagome asked after a couple minutes, being careful to keep her voice neutral. After all, she already knew at least a bit about this.

 

Chinatsu was thoughtful for a second. “Well, certain Level Three youkai, Daiyoukai specifically, govern the rest. It runs basically the way a human monarchy does. They settle disputes and also try to make sure there is as little fighting between humans and youkai as possible. In Japan there are four youkai lords. We live inside the Eastern Lord's territory, close to the border with the Western Lands. Most human lords don't like the youkai claiming their territory, but they usually don't try to pick fights with them. The

Youkai lords only claim control over the youkai living in their territory, after all. Although, some humans actually acknowledge the youkai lord over their location as their ruler, rather than any human. That's really all I know about it. To find out more you'd probably have to talk to a youkai.” Chinatsu finished speaking and took a long drink of her tea.

 

Kagome did the same. They finished their meal in silence. After it was done, they packed everything up. Kagome stood and stretched, her clothes fluttering in the breeze, curling around her legs. Kagome glanced down and smiled a bit. The traditional priestess robes in shades of green instead of red fit perfectly.

 

Something suddenly hit her senses so powerfully she actually staggered. It was an extremely powerful youkai presence. This was not the typical whisper of youki, it was a shout. The unexpected force caught her off guard, and she lost her balance and fell backwards between two bushes. Instead of falling through the thick mess of branches and colliding painfully with the ground, she kept falling. Right over the edge of a gulley which held the small river Chinatsu had got their water from.

 

The cold water sent a shock through her, combining with the overpowering youki to override her senses. There were black spots in her vision, and her arms couldn't seem to push with any force. Her limbs flailed ineffectually against the water. Her lungs burned. There was no hope of rescue. She could still remember how strange it had seemed to the villagers that she could swim, when she first arrived here. The robes dragged her down even more.

 

I think I'm going to die, she thought dazedly. What a depressing way to go. After surviving through so much crap in the last three years she was going to die by drowning. Ugh. That's just depressing.

 

She was nearly unconscious when she felt something wrap around her body. At first there was the delirious thought that death was holding her, but then her head broke the surface. Water gushed from her mouth as she coughed violently. Whoever had her set her down gently as she gasped, sucking air down her ravaged throat.

 

For several long moments all she could do was gasp. Someone said something unintelligible to her as she heaved, getting the rest of the water out of her lungs. With a groan she finally turned onto her side, lying weakly on the ground. In the background she could hear Chinatsu's voice, getting steadily closer. She must have drifted downstream for a bit.

 

Very weakly she pushed herself up to a kneeling position, shaking the hair out of her face. This caused the hand that she had not noticed to shift from its position on her back. The skin there felt warmer than normal. Startled, she finally tried to search out her rescuer.

 

When she found him, she very nearly fainted yet again, from sheer shock. Kneeling in front of her, looking concerned, was a very familiar figure. Deep golden eyes framed by long silver hair stared at her. Kagome stared back with wide eyes.

 

“Are you alright?” asked Sesshoumaru.

 

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A/N: Hello! Been FOREVER hasn't it? Sorry about that my peeps. I'm going to try to get another chap out before Christmas, but I'm not making any promises.

 

I do not own Robert Pattinson. -sob- it's so unfair. I do however, loooove Twilight, and that movie ruled! I went opening night. Boom shocka!

 

The song is by Breaking Benjamin. They're my favorite band, so be on the look out for more of their songs appearing here.

 

So, I finally pulled Sess into it. Now the fun really starts. And we get to find out exactly how well I can write romance. Hm, scary. Anywho. Hope you enjoyed it!! Please leave me a review before you go do something else. I would love you dearly if you did!!!

 

It's snowing!!