InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of Freedom ❯ Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

In her dreams, it always begins the same. Her old home has come back from the ashes. Somehow, she’s not surprised by this and she walks up the long stretch of stairs to where she hears her grandfather praying in the temple. 

She could hear and feel that voice again. Yet how many years has it been since her grandfather passed?  She remembers him in his prime before the accident. Her favorite times would be when he would take her along with him on his walks through the redwoods and regal her with stories from the past.

On the eve of her fifteenth birthday, grandfather had been adamant about keeping up with their morning ritual and he exuded an air of nervousness as he looked far into the horizon as if something would come riding out of the hills. 

 “Remember granddaughter, there is no such thing as good or evil. Once courage, friendship, wisdom and love are balanced within the soul, it is your will that determines how you live.”

He looked down on her and she could not understand the urgency in his voice, he had been giving her impromptu lessons all summer and she hid her displeasure with a mask of acquiescence.

If he only knew how lonely she felt. She did not want anything to do with the past and did not understand his preoccupation with things long dead and gone.

 Her grandfather had always said that the future was not a straight line. There were many different pathways. An errant breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, as her grandfather’s voice faded into a whisper. You must try to decide the future for yourself.

She decided secretly that she would listen to her heart, and her heart wanted an ordinary life. She could still imagine her grandfather’s sorrowful countenance as he tried to warn her about the future. After the accident, nothing was the same. When he left the world of the living, she learned quickly that she no longer had the freedom to determine her own destiny.

She knows that it is a dream because she could not feel the threads of fate ensnaring her, those tangled threads that cannot be undone.

In the distance, she could hear the thundering of hooves. A handsome lord from neighboring lands has come to seek her grandfather’s assistance on a pressing spiritual matter and the whole village is caught up in fearful speculation. She remembers grandfathers hushed angry voice, as he stands his ground.

“Lord Kagewaki, it simply cannot be done! The shikon jewel is a myth, a fairy tale to get the children to behave. Why, it’s been years since the jewel disappeared and we’ve all been better off without it.” Grandfather slams his fist on the table and causes the decorative crystal pot to shatter, as he shoos away a servant who bends to clean up the mess.

Lord Kagewaki doesn’t react right away. Instead he takes his time savoring his tea, and peering outside into the stone garden. From her post behind the aged sycamores, she is taken back by the handsome lord, who has asked grandfather for a terrible thing.

When he returns his attentive gaze to the stubborn old priest, something in his eyes have shifted and deadened. He is no longer the amicable lord who has come seeking spiritual assistance or obligations of fidelity.

“I have traveled far, through perilous lands and have sacrificed a great deal to extend my protection to your people. You and your granddaughter are the last of your line, are you not? Your lineage has had the most contact with the jewel for centuries and from acquired knowledge, I know what can and cannot be done. Don’t play me for a fool old priest. In exchange for my protection, I require something in return.” His voice left no room for negotiation, and grandfather began to sweat at the mention of his granddaughter.  

“Leave these grounds at once!” In the dream, grandfathers voice is full of terror and taut with the fear of some unnameable thing that has summoned the flames that begin as a spark of shimmering light.

Kagewaki chuckles darkly as he rises, using his height to his advantage.

“You leave me no choice, I will take it by force and then I will take everything you know and cherish away from you. Starting with your people’s trust. You will rue the day you defied me.” The lord is impervious to the flames as they grow and feed off his malicious intent.

 

Kagome awakened clutching her chest, as she felt the jarring sensation of having ice water running through her veins. Slowly coming out of her dream state, she rubbed the weariness from her eyes and looked down at the clean sleeping robe as she inhaled the pungent smell of witch hazel applied liberally to her wounds.

“God, that smells awful.” She pinched her nose and tried to lie back down to get some more rest, and suddenly without warning she remembers as her eyes snap wide open. This time she looks at her hands, she revels in the freedom of movement and winces at the angry red welts on her wrist.

“I’m…alive?” Her heart begins to thunder loudly in her chest, as the flash of the handsome lord’s face from her dreams caused her to shudder involuntarily. She notices that someone has placed a variety of pelts of fur by her side for extra warmth and she brings it to her cheek and shivers despite the warmth.

Slowly she remembered, the memories clamored for attention one by one and she let out a pitiful sound that morphed into a pained high-pitched laugh, ending in dry heaved sobs. She was happy to be alive, but at the same time the loneliness returned twice fold and she wondered if she was better off as a sacrifice.

She had not dreamed of her grandfather in a very long time. After the house burned down, Lord Kagewaki had delivered on his promises. He razed the village in search of something that her grandfather had died protecting and when he couldn’t find it he set his energy on twisting the hearts and minds of her people, and planted a seed of doubt and fear in their minds.

With the old priest gone they had become as desperate as a pack of hungry wolves, and deep down she couldn’t blame them.

The war had reached home, and she could only stand idly by as the threat of annihilation brought the worst out of her people.  

When she refused to take on the responsibilities of the shrine, they had turned on her as well. Her mind began racing ahead of her, and she tried to convince herself in earnest that she could not blame them even as a familiar stab of resentment coiled in her gut.

If only grandfather was alive… She stopped herself from thinking the thought by forcibly pinching herself. It had been three years since that time and she could not afford to allow old ghosts to haunt her, not now.  

“Okay, so this dream is solid.” She uncurled from herself, and used the wall for support as her knees shook from misuse. From the looks of it there were several more hours until dawn. She winced, clutching her side as a stab of pain made her vision swim and she tried to quietly exit the room.

 She was free. Someone or something had managed to get through the barrier. She remembered a flash of red, and a curtain of silver. When she tried to prod further, she came up against the blackness of her mind. Someone or something had tended to her wounds and she wondered if they had intended to keep her alive.

“Demons tending to your wounds? Come on girl, don’t be so stupid” She mumbled roughly to herself as she limped and paused by the firepit that was dying down. She found an empty satchel, and with a small stab of guilt, she stealthily scouted for supplies as quickly as possible. The young woman found some dried rations and a cooking knife which she stuffed hastily into the sack.

With a small smile of gratitude, she found her priestess robe freshly washed and drying by the dim fire. She quickly shimmied out of the sleeping robe and into the familiar garments which were still slightly damp.  

Kagome made it as far as the veranda when a shadow twice her size intercepted her, and she whirled with the cooking knife as a strange demon stood blocking her path.

“Miss, are you sure that you’re well enough to be up? Ma said that it would take at least a week for you to fully recover.” She regarded the demon with solemn eyes, and noticed his nervousness. For some reason he averted his eyes away from her and looked down at the ground.

He smelled of the earth and sweetgrass, and strangely the demon reminded her of home. With a deep breath she lowered her guard and put the knife away.

“How did you break the barrier, demon? Do you know who I am?” Her voice was deadly quite as she congratulated herself on her composure. The demon simply shook his head as he held his hands in a symbol of peace, and she sighed in exasperation and changed her tactics. Interrogation will be useless on this oaf, I don’t have time for this.

“I only know that you are Lord Inuyasha’s charge, and that he saved you from a terrible fate.” Jinenji drawled out, and something about the slow measured pace of his voice set her on edge.

“Look, I should be fine. I’m afraid that I’m a long way from home and I’d like to go back.” He seemed surprised by her mention of home and she sensed that he wanted to ask her more, but for whatever reason he remained silent. She sighed, and mentally chided herself for being hostile to the person who saved her life.

“Forgive my manners, I’m Kagome. You must’ve been the one to tend to my injuries and for that I’m indebted. But I’m afraid that I must be going now.” She said curtly, and she didn’t wait for a response.

 Kagome limped away from the small house and grit her teeth as the pain became a consistent throb. But the pain was a motivator, it made her realize that she was alive. That despite everything that she had survived.

She had survived and Lord Kagewaki didn’t get his wish in the end. For so long she had dreamed that she could start over, that she could finally be free to choose. She would never become a sacrificial lamb ever again.

The young woman stopped in her tracks as the past threatened to catch up with her. She was so consumed by her thoughts that she had wandered into the dead woods with only a cooking knife.

“Damn it.” She pressed a hand against her temple, and searched the area for yoki. It took her longer than usual to stretch her senses, but she found nothing out of the ordinary. Only a few low-level yokai that were circling the outskirts of the territory.

She felt the same gentle brush of yoki against her senses, and when she whirled she realized that the lumbering yokai had been following her. Kagome frowned in annoyance and disapproval, as he seemed to shrink under her gaze.

“What do you want?”

“I’m sorry m-miss. I was told by Lord Inuyasha to watch over you and you’re heading in unmarked lands. It’s dangerous in these woods, we’ve had quite a few accidents”

“The last time I checked, I was nobody’s charge.” Kagome let the bitterness seep into her voice as she regarded the strange demon with her hands on her hips. She didn’t know who this Lord Inuyasha was, and she didn’t care. No one would hold her against her will ever again.

“L-lord Inuyasha is the one who s-saved you from being s-sacrificed to the terrible Orochi, who is notorious in these parts for enslaving and destroying entire villages.” Jinenji managed to stutter out as he was not accustomed to having such a long conversation with another human outside of his mother.

He really hoped that the girl would listen to reason, she had managed to reopen her wounds and her scent would attract the low-level demons that lord Inuyasha hadn’t managed to drive out.

Kagome held her head as her vision swam. Her mind flashed back to the village, Lord Kagewaki had condemned them to suffer and after he razed the village his soldiers retreated.

 Orochi was the name of the sea kami that convinced her people that if they offered him a sacrifice, he would spear the villagers. They found out too late that he was only a blood thirsty demon pretending to be a false god. She didn’t even know if her sacrifice had been in vain, and now she was even robbed of revenge.  I have nothing, not even anger.  She clenched her fist and didn’t realized that the demon was still talking to her, trying to convince her to turn back.

 “Miss?”

“I’ll go back with you.” The least she could do was thank this Lord Inuyasha. And then I’ll go back to Hokkaido and see what has become of my people. “But first, can you help me find a river, I could really use a bath.” She added with false chipper and it was Jinenji’s turn to give the woman a strange look.

“Ma actually discovered some hot springs not too far back from the garden.” Jinenji offered, and he flushed at the brilliant smile he received from the young woman that made her look much younger. He decided that he liked her smile, and that he would give anything to keep her happy.

 

Inuyasha had barely been able to get any sleep. Instead his transformation had taken him by surprise as he awoke feeling restless. He had found a nearby stream and decided to give himself a quick bath, or risk stinking like sea worm for the rest of the day.

 He was anxious about today, mostly about facing the woman whose life he had save, but he would be damned if he ever admitted it out loud.

He blamed it on his stupid human emotions as memories of her pained filled face flooded his vision and his instincts roared to protect her. Don’t be stupid. I barely even know the wench and the quicker I get rid of her the better.

His ears flickered at the sound of human footfalls, and he growled in warning. His sword was on the river bank with his robes, but he could take whatever decided to ambush him while he was bathing.

“Boy? Where are you boy!” It was the old woman, who came out from the bright rhododendron bushes, looking more haggard than usual.

“Oh, thank god it’s you.” She rushed to the stream and Inuyasha sunk lower and scowled at the invasion of privacy. “Jinenji is missing and so is the young woman you brought in last night. I thought that he was just getting kindle for breakfast, but it’s almost time to open at the market and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the boy.” 

He gave her a pointed glare, before she got the message and slowly turned away as the half demon made his way back to the shore and pulled on his clothing and jammed tessaiga in his belt.

His nose told him that the old woman was right. He had been so wrapped in his thoughts that he didn’t realize that both Jinenji’s and the woman’s scent were at least several hours old.

“That’s not all.” Ma began once the young lord was fully clothed and she turned around.

“There’s been an accident at the headman’s manor, there was a landslide and the headman’s boy might still be buried underneath. One of the servants came huffing and puffing at my door this morning asking for Jinenji’s assistance.”

“They sure have a lot of nerve, come on then old woman, climb on.” He lowered on his haunches as he allowed the old woman to climb on his back, and he took a moment to track the pair. He easily detected Jinenji’s scent, and paused as he took in the second scent of the woman free of illness and death.

“Found them.” He bounded up in the canopy of trees in one great spring, and headed to the heart of the dead woods.

 

Kagome’s laughter flooded the swampy meadow as the morning chill caused her cheeks to redden. After her luxuriating bath, Jinenji had offered to show her one of his favorite spots and she had agreed after she had her fill of dry rations that she had swiped from the old hut. Her chilly persona had melted away, and she felt for the first time a lightness of spirit.

“What’s that one over there called?” She pointed above their heads, where a yellow brown bird was searching for insects in a white ash tree. Jinenji followed her line of vision and paused in thought.

He quietly pulled out his satchel and retrieved a heavy stack of waxed rice papers that was bound together with a woman’s hair tie, and shuffled through a variety of ink paintings where he had been keeping track of all the new species he stumbled upon.

“I don’t think I have that one.” Jinenji admitted easily, “But we can come up with something.” He sat down and begin to make careful strokes on the delicate paper and she watched in rapt fascination.

She had never in her life known a demon to be an avid birdwatcher, and found it even more strange a demon who painted and gardened on his free time. She smiled to herself and stretched her limbs and was content to watch him create his masterpiece.

“When did you find this place?”

“I was being chased by some human’s a while back and needed a place to hide and I found this place by accident. The low-lying swamps make it dangerous for humans traveling on foot, so it became my secret hideout.” Something about what Jinenji had said had made her curious, she studied him as he painted and took in the bulbous unblinking blue eyes and her eyes trailed down to the array of scars lining his tanned arms.

“You’re a half demon.”  She said as an afterthought and Jinenji froze at his companion’s admission as she looked like she had finally solved a puzzle.

“Does that bother you?”

She shrugged. She had lived her life in fear of demons, but once her grandfather passed she was treated like a lesser being. The villagers feared and revered her because she was the last of her line, and their fear had led them to do terrible things. She looked down at her wrist, which were still red from where she was bound by ropes.

“Not really. I don’t know enough about your kind to have that kind of opinion. Besides you’ve been nothing but kind to me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this free.” She admitted slowly, as she hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. Jinenji stared in a bewildered fashion, as he felt his heart thunder in his chest.

Gone was the tough woman who had pulled a knife on him and who reacted like a wounded animal. He raised his hand, wanting to comfort her but instead he trembled as he contrasted his unsightly lumbering hand to the delicate woman besides him and he stopped himself.

He wondered what or who could possibly bring harm to someone as lovely as Kagome. His curiosity got the best of him, and he forgot about his painting and turned to her.

“Miss Kagome? Why did those humans leave you like they did?”

She raised her head, as tears spiked her lashes and he recoiled from her, thinking that he did something wrong.

“Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to..” Jinenji begin to apologize in earnest as shame made his face heat up.

“No, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.” She wiped her tears and berated herself for being so weak, and for a long moment she didn’t speak. An errant wind tugged at her robes and she closed her eyes and reveled in the soft caress.

“My grandfather always use to say that fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of human cruelty. Have you seen anything viler than the things people do when their backs are against the wall?” She asked cryptically, and Jinenji shook his head.

He knew from firsthand experience what humans were capable of when they were afraid, what they did to each other, what they did to themselves.

She didn’t get to finish her thought, as a brush of yoki had her reaching for her knife.

“We have company.” She frowned as she got to her feet and she squinted at the treetops as a bright red blur was free falling from the sky. She mustered a scream as she covered her head, as the blur landed softly on the ground with a soft thud.

“Miss Kagome, it’s okay. It’s only Lord Inuyasha and Ma, probably come to check on us since we’ve been gone so long.” Jinenji offered as the woman slowly stood to her feet to regard the new visitors with suspicion and trepidation.

“Jinenji, where on earth have you been boy?” She watched as a stout old woman climbed down the demons back, and hobbled to Jinenji. “I was so worried; don’t you care about an old woman’s heart?” Ma berated him, as Jinenji scratched the back of his head.

“Aw, I’m sorry Ma. I lost track of the time. I wanted to take Miss Kagome to the bathhouse and one thing led to the next.” At the soft admission, Ma whirled around sizing up the girl and with a soft humph, she strode up to the silent young woman and pointed an accusing finger in her face.

“And you, what do you think you’re doing out of bed?” Ma saw that she had reopened her wounds and shook her head, clucking her tongue in disapproval. “Why, I reckon that you’re as stubborn as Lord Inuyasha.”

“E-excuse me?” Kagome felt her face grow hot as Inuyasha softly keh’d and crossed his arms over his chest, but otherwise he kept his mouth shut.

Kagome slowly connected the dots, as she looked to the old fussing woman to an embarrassed Jinenji, and back to the demon trying to look as uninvolved as possible.

“Forgive me for my manners, you must be Jinenji’s caretaker, and he has told me so much about you.” She thanked the woman humbly, and turned her attention to the demon lord and formally bowed.

“I am indebted to you, Lord Inuyasha.” She gritted her teeth as she forced herself to thank them. Truly she was grateful, but deep down she wished that they hadn’t involved themselves. The sooner she was away from this place the better and the safer that they would be.

“Stand up. You don’t have to grovel and it’s just Inuyasha.” Inuyasha ordered flippantly and she slowly complied and tried not to stare. She was held captive by his eyes that had the same startling clarity as molten fire and when he raised a brow at her, she was forced to tear her gaze away with an embarrassed flush.

“Now that we’re all acquainted, we need to get moving. There’s trouble at that foolish Lords manor and time is of the essence. Poor Daichi, I hope the lad holds up. Jinenji since Lord Inuyasha is here, go to the garden and bring me my tools. Those idiots are a prideful lot, but I’m not so cold hearted to leave them to their own devices.” Ma sighed, and looked pensive for a moment before turning her attention back on the young woman.

“Say girl, what did you say your name was?”

“Kagome.”

“No surname, eh? Well I suppose that’s not uncommon in these parts. Are those robes just for show or are you actually good for something?” Ma watched as the younger woman tried to keep her temper in check and clenched her fist.

“I grew up on a shrine. I was trained to fill in for my grandfather after he passed” She answered coolly, and Inuyasha snorted. He could smell that she was only telling half the truth. Whatever. Let the wench keep her secrets.

Ma clapped her hands in delight.

“It’s been so long since we’ve had a real priestess in the flesh. You sure you don’t want to resettle here, you’ll be compensated nicely.”

“No thank you. I’ll be glad to assist you, but I’m afraid that I have some unfinished business to attend to and won’t be settling down anytime soon.” She had to put some steel behind her voice, and the old woman backed down.

 

“What a shame, well, I guess it can’t be helped. Come now children, we’ve wasted enough time as it is.”