InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of Freedom ❯ Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

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

Hyoga stilled and momentarily forgot his rage.

“Yes, it’s finally happening!” The moth demon exclaimed to himself in unmasked glee. He began to let lose a sickening chuckle, that set Inuyasha’s teeth on edge. Inuyasha felt the hairs raise on the back of his neck from the oncoming spike of yoki. Soon, the whole place would be swarming with demons.

 Hyoga leveled a gloating sneer at the wretched half demon that tried to stop him. He looked down his nose at his foe, as a spike of mercy caused him to feel unusually generous. Hyoga stroked his chin as his eyes slid to the priestess curled in fetal position by the hanyou’s feet. Hyoga involuntarily licked his lips, remembering the taste of her.

 “Your wench has proved useful after all, dog. I won’t be needing her from this point and you can have whatever’s left of her. Send your father my regards in the afterlife.” He snapped his fingers and released the young woman from his spell.

At Hyoga’s command, a tremor shot through Kagome’s body, she mumbled something that sounded like the half demon lord’s name, and Inuyasha quickly kneeled to her side. Suddenly, the cave began to rumble violently as Hyoga triumphantly chortled and turned to the hell gates awaiting his glory.

“Damn it all. Just a little while longer.” Inuyasha murmured as he quickly tore off his robe and swaddled the unconscious woman in it. She twitched sporadically, as a pained groan gave him hope that she was still on the side of the living. He strained all his senses on her vitals, and her sluggish heartbeat was his only reassurance and strengthened his conviction that he would get them out of here alive.

“You’ll pay for this.” Inuyasha promised darkly as he gritted his teeth in frustration. Deep down he knew that there was no way that he could protect Kagome, slay Hyoga, and deal with an oncoming horde of the undead.  Shit, I wish there was an easy way out of this. He worried to himself.

On its own accord, tessaiga began to pulse and Inuyasha stared down at the sword in confusion. The blade began to glow the same deep red nearly a fortnight ago when he nearly fried himself on Kagome’s barrier. Tessaiga, what’s the meaning of this? He froze in fear as he scrutinized his sword, but the only answer he received was a deep thrum that did little to reassure him.

A piercing howl boomed through the cave, and Inuyasha knew that his time was up.

When the first wave of demons crashed through the gates, a red barrier bloomed around the pair, as Inuyasha’s jaw slackened and he could only stare in amazement. He furrowed his brows as he regarded the woman’s profile. Is this somehow her doing? Damn it, just when I think that I figured her out, more weird shit keeps happening. He wondered as he narrowed his eyes and frowned in displeasure.

Inuyasha wanted to distrust his instincts. There was something about the priestess that still didn’t sit right with him and he had promised himself that he would get to the bottom of it, especially if she was the one behind his swords strange behavior. He stored that theory in the back of his mind as he rolled his shoulders back and forth, and nonchalantly placed tessaiga on his shoulder.

“Come and get it, ugly shits!” He goaded as the first wave of the undead crashed into tessaiga’s barrier and disintegrated into fine dust as he smirked and jammed the blade in the earth, sending five fingers of light racing towards a large swarth of advancing demons while the barrier stood strong.

Inuyasha didn’t have time to dwell on the sudden change and dropped into a low crouch as demons began pouring into the cave at an alarming rate, falling over each other and their hungry eyes looking for anything moving to sink their teeth into.

He grunted in satisfaction, when the swarm succumbed to tessaiga’s might and flicked the blood from his blade, as beads of sweat began to form on his brow.

Hyoga was ecstatic. The woman and the half breed were no longer any concern to him, and he stood to greet his children.

 “Come my children, it is time that you rise. We will take this world first and mark a new chapter of history. Come look upon your new ruler, and you will all taste the power of glory.” Hyoga began as he spread out his arms, and they came. Hulking and gaunt. They came armored and reeking of the grave, some still carrying scars from age old battles long forgotten, others mangled and no longer recognizable.

They were ghosts of their former selves. Cloudy eyed and hungry.

 “Rise my children, rise! I have bought you an offering, feast and bring me their heads! “Hyoga ordered, which made Inuyasha still as he began to growl in warning. Hyoga was surrounded by his kin, but something that he said did not register. 

They hesitated, and this made the moth demon angry. He had spent the last several decades for this very purpose, and he would not accept anything other than complete obedience.

“What are you waiting for? You miserable scoundrels! When I tell you to do something, you will do it.” Hyoga snarled, he was slowly unraveling, and he felt his temper begin to rise.  His kin did not even blink a glassy eye before the mass let lose a terrible moan and turned on their lord and Hyoga barely had time to react as they lunged for him in a starved frenzy and his infuriated screams shook the cavern walls.

Hyoga saw his dream rise, and he stretched his arm to the sky. He saw his army restored, marching through the trenches to restore his honor. Hyoga smiled faintly as he was consumed by blood hungry ghouls and in the end, his wish to be reunited with his fallen kin was granted.

“So much for that. That asshole got what he deserved.” Inuyasha snorted without humor as he sent another blast of energy to an upcoming swarm.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he barely registered that Kagome gave a pained groan before she got to her knees. Like a woman swept up in her own thoughts, she slowly touched her face, she turned her hands, scrutinized her palms, and with baited breath her eyes landed on Inuyasha’s back as her vision blurred with unshed tears. I made it out alive.

Kagome felt disoriented, it was as if she had awoken from a deep sleep and her body groaned in protest as she settled in. She couldn’t tell him how close Hyoga was to succeeding and extracting her power, and now she was running on empty.

She gingerly fingered the bright robe mysteriously draped over her shoulders and held it to her cheek as her thoughts raced.

“Thank you.” She whispered into the familiar robe.

“Kagome? Are you hurt?” He didn’t turn is back, but his ears strained towards her.

“No. Just really tired and weak. Where’s Hyoga?” She felt a new awareness, a lightness that made her hyper aware that something had changed. She shook her head, as if trying to dislodge the thought from her head.

“Dead, the idiot was so wrapped up in his fantasy, he never checked to see if these bastards was cool with his shitty plan.” He grunted as he hefted his blade above his head and beheaded an ugly three headed beast who fell easily under his blade. Inuyasha turned around for a split second, in that moment Kagome felt a thrill of electricity shoot through her, as their eyes met, and he offered her a small smile.

“Thank God.” That was all she managed to say, as she fought with the lump lodged in her throat. Without her permission, she saw those decapitated heads of the village women and knew that they could at least have some peace.

Kagome felt the full extent of her fear, as the dull ache for home rattled around inside her. The cave faded away and the imminent danger receded from her mind. She wasn’t aware that she was rocking back and forth until his voice broke through her fortress walls.

“Shit come on Kagome don’t cry.” Inuyasha felt the usual stab of guilt as he smelled her tears before he saw them, and she managed to pull herself back to the present. She surprised him when she let out a watery chuckle.

“You’re so bad at this.” Kagome wiped the stray tears with the back of her hand and mentally chided herself.

“Feh.” Inuyasha grunted and rolled his eyes. “It’s either I’m saving your hide from disaster, or you get all teary on me.” He muttered under his breath.

Their reunion was cut short when a swarm of demons tried to overwhelm the barrier, half of them disintegrated into fine dust, as Inuyasha turned his attention away from the woman and turned his full attention on the battle.

Kagome struggled to her full height and got a handle on the situation.  Kagome could tell from Inuyasha’s jerky movements that he was reaching his point of exhaustion. Her intuition churned in her gut, and she inhaled sharply as she knew what needed to be done, and Inuyasha wouldn’t like it.

 “Inuyasha, we need to close the gates. They’ll keep coming no matter what and it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be completely overwhelmed.”

Inuyasha was so accustomed to her bombastic ideas, that he only sighed in frustration as he lightly evaded an eel like demon with a gaping maw of sharp teeth and used the momentum to slice the creature in half.

“Just tell me how, and I’ll do my best.” He grunted out, already disliking where ever this was heading. He heard her take several deep breaths, before continuing and instinctively knew that he wasn’t going to like whatever she had to say.

“Get me as near to the portal as possible. I think I can undo the spell that Hyoga cast, but you’ll have to remove the barrier for it to work.” Kagome said in a faraway voice, as her mind raced to piece together information, retrieving bits and pieces of her former education that blended with a deep sense of inner knowing, and an inexplicable call to do what seemed like the impossible.

To his credit, Inuyasha didn’t outright balk at her bold suggestion but he discreetly tried to search her scent for clues. He wondered if she had some secret power to test him and push him past his limits, and for one moment he heavily debated whether Hyoga’s magic trick had broken her brain.

“So, you’re telling me, that’s the only option?” Inuyasha slowly bit out in a deathly tone of voice.

 “I wish that I could make you understand, but I’m afraid that I don’t have the words right now. All I’m asking is that you trust me.” Kagome finally relented and hugged herself to combat the chill of foreboding that swept under her skin, lingering between them.

Inuyasha mentally sighed and wondered if the woman was finally getting under his skin. So that’s how it’s going to be huh? Trust? Feh. He mentally scowled and let loose his aggression on the swathe of demons that tried to latch on this sword.

“Fine, but after this is all good and done, I want answers.” He spat, his voice full of menace, if he would’ve turned around he would’ve caught the sorrowful look and the darkness clouding her eyes.  She made a small sound of agreeance.  When the flow slowed down, and a considerable number of carcasses lay between them, Inuyasha lowered his blade, and he was sweating profusely.

“I hope this works.” She whispered, as Inuyasha stealthily led them to as close as he could to the gaping doorways and tensed as another wave was traveling at lightning speed towards them.

“Here. Lower the barrier when I say so.” He quirked an eyebrow at the authority in her voice, and he was curious about how she knew such magic but could not take his eyes off the oncoming horde to fully take in what she was doing.

He would just have to trust her.

Kagome closed her eyes, as she felt the wave of her magic rise in her like before when she was in the netherworld. She felt it flare up inside her and answer to her call as a slow warmth spread through her. Somehow it felt natural, she felt that this was the way it should be.

“Now.” Kagome uttered firmly. And the barrier dropped, as Inuyasha launched himself between her turned back and screeching masses that seemed to lunge for her at once. She felt their breath over her head, snuffling and salivating, but she focused on closing the hell gates.

Kagome opened herself up to the power inside of her and felt the full extent of it.  She could feel it rushing through her, and something whispered to her, goading her, promising her the universe. The same voice promised her a new fate.

 She could leave this world if she wanted to, with this power she could be a ruler among men, travel a fresh path and create a new godly destiny. She would be free of suffering, free of fear, and she would never have to want for anything ever again.

Kagome trembled, as she leaned closer to the brim, something inside of her deeply twisting, leaping, as if possessing a life of its own.

“Are you alright back there?” Inuyasha’s gruff voice brought her back, and she was somehow able to shut out the seductive whispers. He caught her eye for a moment and she mutely nodded and held the image of the sealed gates in her mind’s eye.

The hell gates slowly hissed closed as the yellow light dimmed, and then completely faded casting the cave in darkness.

“Thank the Gods.” Kagome whispered faintly, as she felt her knees knocking and knew that if something else decided to surprise them that she would be of no use to anyone.

With all the demons slain, Inuyasha slowly turned to her. Kagome wondered dimly if she was trembling, or if it was him. She leaned into him now that the threat of destruction was gone, and he caught her as she half collapsed from the exhaustion settling in her bones. She shivered as she felt his mouth ghost over her temple.

“You never fail to surprise me priestess.” He pulled her more securely into the cradle of his body, and he brushed his lips against hers causing her to still, her breath hitching in her throat. Kagome was too tired to even speak, as she was leaning on him for support, and the only thing that she could do was listen.

“I was afraid, that I wouldn’t make it this time. I don’t even want to know how you managed to do that, how you manage to do any of the things that you do.” Inuyasha spoke quietly, as he stared down at her solemnly in the darkness. Looking like he was trying to figure her out, his eyes roving over her downcast expression as he was taken aback by her.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”  She wanted to say more, but felt the words warring for control, and finally sticking to the roof her mouth. She looked down at her feet, and suddenly became self-conscious about the mud covering her feet and the bottom of her robe.

 “Don’t apologize, it’s been a one hell of a day.  I can’t wait until this is all over.”

“Right, me too. The sooner the better.” Kagome replied too quickly, in a strained falsetto, and he looked down at her quizzically and finally released her when she started to pull away. “We should probably get going.” She continued with false cheer while she internally berated herself.

Inuyasha didn’t have time to ask her what was wrong, because the cavern grounds began to shake violently.

“Shit, come on. I’m afraid this hellhole is about to cave in.” He offered her his back, and she gingerly climbed up as she resolved to harden her heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she buried her feelings and resolved to let them go for good. The sooner this is over, the better it’ll be for both of us.

Kagome silently tried to convince herself as Inuyasha bounded through the tunnels and they found their way to the surface. 

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

 

They were nearing the southern border.

Kagome felt knots forming in her throat and chest, as she tried in vain to conceal her melancholy. She sighed deeply as she briefly glanced at the sky, contemplating the setting sun with a crinkled brow.

Inuyasha was lost in his own thoughts. He knew that he was good on his word and that soon he would return to his own affairs. There was a trading village right before the next checkpoint. He mentally calculated how many hours of sunlight they had and refused to think about anything else as he clenched his fist in his robe and trained his eyes straight forward.

“There’s a trading village right before yours. I know an old man who’d be willing to take us in for the night.” Inuyasha glanced at her from the corner of his eye, as he regarded her, “I mean if you want to keep going, that’s fine too.”

She settled her full attention on him.

“That’s alight with me.” She said simply, keeping up with his even pace. Kagome had promised herself that she would not make any more selfish demand, and she tried to convince her treacherous heart that this was for the best.

They had settled into an easy routine, and Inuyasha had adapted to her silence, no longer prodding her or trying to goad her to respond in the ways that he wanted. He had stopped questioning her after she had snapped on him.

They arrived at the village close to dusk, and there was a surprising handful of people milling about. Kagome tensed as Inuyasha strode confidently among a throng of humans, who bowed in reverence at the presence of the half demon lord, while shooting her mixed glances full of suspicion and disdain.

Kagome stared at the ground as a familiar sickness washed over her.

“Hey, watch where you’re going.” She stumbled into Inuyasha’s back, and he softly caught her around her waist, and she flushed in embarrassment as the only thing that she could do was nod dumbly. She felt a familiar charge of electricity shoot up her where he touched her, and she quickly moved away from him. 

“Lord Inuyasha!” A wizened voice called from a distance, and Inuyasha’s nose wrinkled in disgust as he smelled the old man before he saw him. A scrawny man with bulbous eye straddled a portly cow plodded directly towards them. He was accompanied by a handsome young monk, whose golden staff jingled noisily as he kept pace with the beast.

“Totosai, you’re still alive? I was half expecting that you’d keel over by now.”

“Master, you’re as rash as ever. Who’s this young lady?” Totosai stroked his beard in appraisal, and Kagome shrunk back as her personal space was suddenly violated. “So, you finally managed to get yourself a wife, eh? Not bad young master.” Totosai chortled and patted Inuyasha on the back.

“Not a chance old man. She’s not my wife so shut your yap.” Inuyasha replied brusquely, as his arm spasmed from the suppressed need to let loose his aggression.

“Can’t you see that your making our weary travelers uncomfortable?” The monk chastised the old man and turned to Kagome with a twinkle in his eye.

“Forgive him for his manners, my lady. The old goat has forgotten how to behave in the presence of beautiful women and my, what a beautiful flower you are. I’m sure you have many suitors across these lands.” The monk grasped her hands, caressing her knuckles with the pad of his thumb, before placing a kiss on the back of her hand. Kagome felt three pairs of eyes on her, as she gritted her teeth and her ears began to grow hot.

 “I-I beg your pardon?” She managed to stammer out, as she tried in vain to pull her hand away. Inuyasha quirked a brow at the amorous stranger and narrowed his eyes in immediate dislike.

“Hands off, bozo, don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Ah, my apologies my lord, I have a weakness for beautiful women and could not help myself. Forgive my manners for keeping you and your charge.” The monk bowed stiffly, before catching Kagome’s eye and winking. She had the good grace to blush, while looking slightly appalled.

The young monk’s eyes lingered longer on the Kagome’s face, this time his mind trying to place her in his memory. He took in her ragged priestess robes. She has the bearings of a woman of stature, that’s for sure. But what business does this priestess have with that pompous scoundrel?

“Now, now, that’s enough teasing for tonight.” Totosai stepped in, sensing that his Lord’s patience was wearing thin. “Lord Inuyasha, this is Miroku of the Kazaana clan. He is a good customer of mine and was just on his way.” Miroku held up a peaceful gesture, while clenching his staff in his other hand.

“You’re right, Master.” Miroku addressed Totosai. He regarded Inuyasha with an amicable smile, as the half demon lord scowled blackly while Kagome gently pressed a hand on his arm to stop him from acting rashly.

Miroku tried to place the feeling in his gut that he had learned to rely on. That girl…where have I seen her before? Instead of an immediate answer, he felt a spike of pain lance through his left arm and he winced inwardly.

“Well I must be getting along now, enjoy your stay Lord Inuyasha.” He strode towards the stables and made his way to his horse, as the young monk prepared to head towards the southern border. He would leave the mysteries for another day.

Totosai shook his head in a bemused fashion as he chuckled softly and stroked his beard.

“That young man sure is piece of work. Come, I was just preparing supper and the young lady must want a bath.”

“A piece of garbage if you ask me.” Inuyasha muttered under his breath.
 

Kagome caught Inuyasha’s gaze from the corner of her eye, Inuyasha shrugged, not knowing what to make of the strange encounter.

They travelled deeper into the heart of the village, until they came upon a separate compound with several huts and Kagome felt a faint brush of yoki that caused her to shudder.

“Inuyasha.” She whispered in a warning, and he read the worried expression creasing her brows.

“It’s fine, we’re in safe territory. This is where I grew up.” Inuyasha offered lightly and she was so taken aback by the casual admission that she stopped in her tracks. Kagome swallowed her words of warning, as his words had the effect of pouring ice water over her head.

She heard the faint sound of children’s laughter and could see black plumes of smoke rising in the air from a nearby hearth.

 “Lord Inuyasha’s back!” A squeal of delight caught them both off guard, as a flurry of children came from around the bend, waving sticks and crudely made toys, as they disturbed a flock of feeding hens in their wake.

Their high-pitched voices were eager, full of excitement, and reverence. Kagome was pushed to the side as they rushed to latch themselves onto the half demon lord, who tried in vain to remain unaffected by the children’s enthusiasm.

Something unsettled her about the rag tag bunch, as she felt the same wave of yoki wash over her, this time she was sure of its source. She spotted horns so tiny that they looked like bumps, and a boy with scales and an unusual tail.

Oh my, half demon children? She began to put two and two together as she smiled sadly to herself as she took in the compound with a new found understanding. Of course, he grew up in an orphanage.

“Watch the ears, runt.” Inuyasha, snatched a fox child with brimming emerald eyes, and a mischievous smile non-too gently from his head who pulled at his ears.

“Inuyasha did you bring anything back for us?” A sweet little girl pulled at his sleeve, but she was overpowered by a boisterous young boy, who pushed her out of the way so that he could be the center of attention.

“Inuyasha, you promised that you’d teach me how to fight when you returned, let’s spare!”

“Are you going to stay this time?” Another voice piqued up.

“Look, look, I lost a tooth.” One little girl with small horns protruding from her temples opened her mouth wide enough to reveal a gap tooth smile and she watched Inuyasha’s whole demeanor change as he crouched low and allowed the children to bombard him.

 Kagome was so engrossed with the strange scene that she did not register her robes being tugged gently by a forlorn child, while silver tresses and unsettling eyes the color of lilacs.

“Lady priestess, will you come with me? It’s my mother, she is ill.” Kagome had to bend her head to catch everything the child said, as the girls voice was barely a whisper.

“I’m afraid that I won’t be of much help, it’s been such a long time since I have been much help to anyone.” Kagome did not mean for the bitterness to seep into her voice. The pleading in the child eyes made her hyper conscious of her raggedy robes and she rolled her eyes skyward as she felt herself caving in. “But I suppose I can take a look.” She offered, and the child perked up and clasped her hand in a strong grip.

Inuyasha’s ears perked up in that moment and he gave her an inquisitive look. She shrugged, not sure what to make of the request and gave a heartening smile as she acquiesced to the child.

“Come then, show me to where she’s being kept.” Kagome allowed the little child to lead her to a separate compound, with poorly thatched huts. Her imagination got the better of her as she imagined a younger version of the half demon lord bounding through these same walls, and she smiled to herself. She wondered what his parents looked like, and if he got his dapper looks from his father or mother.

“Shiori, is that you?” A weak, tired voice called from a makeshift bed, as the smell of decay wafted through the room.

 “Yes mommy, and I brought a healer to help you.” Shiori knelt by her mother and brushed a tangle of knotted black hair from her mother’s eyes, revealing a sunken, painfully sallow face, and dull brown eyes. With a groan, the woman pushed herself up to a sitting position so that she met eye level with Kagome and a thrill of recognition passed through both women.

Kagome felt a familiar fear leap in the pit of her stomach. She was staring down one of the villagers from her home, and she was at lost for words.

"You." Kagome uttered lowly.

“Shiori, leave us. Go and fetch some water from the well and bring Daisuke with you since it’s getting late.”

Shiori did not protest, and simply bowed while secretly smiling triumphantly to herself. She was sure that mama would be well again, and she couldn’t wait to tell Daisuke and the others.

An uncomfortable silence passed between the two, before the woman let out a pained groan and had to settle on her side. She broke into a sweat and Kagome kneeled to her side. She was not surprised when the sickly woman recoiled from her touch.

“You live? How can that be?” The woman rasped, as Kagome methodically changed her dressings, taking in the pallor of the woman’s skin, she brushed a hand to her forehead and wasn’t surprised that she was burning up. Every now and again a violent tremor shot through her, and Kagome could tell that speaking was difficult. Widows sickness, and it’s in the 3rd stage. Kagome sighed inwardly, and her suspicion and apprehension wilted as she looked on with pity.  

 A gentle expression effused Kagome’s expression, as she moved to boil some water, and began to prepare a poultice from the herbs that she found through rummaging through the sparse hut.

“Yes. I’m not easy to take out, after all.” Kagome offered lightly and was surprised that the woman let out a breathy chuckle.

“I’m glad. I never believed half of that looney crock that the headmen whipped up, we were all scared and we needed someone to blame. I never expected to see you again, for you to meet me this way.” The woman trailed off, her voice full of regret and shame.

“You were an outsider, a widow from neighboring lands. What could you possibly know? How could you possibly know what I went through?” Kagome spoke in a deathly whisper, on its own accord, she felt an old rage twist in her heart.

 She remembered the ghostly faces, smudged in her memory. She felt her rage goading her as she looked down on the sickly woman, the teapot clutched in her hands. In the deepest pits of her memory she heard the thundering hoofs, felt the pain of being dragged through the mud, crucified and left to die like a scoundrel.

“Peace, priestess. I am not the one who crucified you. You forget that I am a mother of a half demon child. I was exiled from my own home after the midwife found out Shiori’s heritage. If I would’ve stayed, they would’ve crucified me as well.”

“What happened to the others?” Kagome composed herself and reeled in her rage. She began grinding the herbs in mortar. Her remedy would at least help ease the tremors and alleviate some of the pain.

“Dead. Or sold into slavery. There was no one to stop those blood thirsty war mongers from their wicked ways. They came looking for a miserable jewel from a children’s fairy tale, and they were sure that we were hiding it. They slaughtered the elders, tortured the men, and sold the women and children into slavery. There’s nothing there left but ghost.” The woman finished bitterly, she didn’t notice the haunted expression on Kagome’s face.

A miserable jewel from a children’s fairy tale? Kagome’s hand began to shake violently, as Ayame’s deathly face sliced tersely into her consciousness as well as Koga's angry visage battling the birds of paradise. Then the power-hungry moth demon that nearly succeeded in his quest. I think I’m going to be sick…

“I bet you’re glad, aye priestess? To know that your wrongs have been righted by those band of savages? We deserved it in the end, didn’t we? We were no better than them in the end.” The woman began laughing darkly to herself, before she succumbed to a violent tremor that caused her to cry out in pain. Kagome grinded the herbs with more vigor and did not respond for several moments.

“If you think you’ll get any penitence from me, you’d better look elsewhere. In the end, nobody got what they wanted.” Kagome mused darkly as she propped the sickly woman up non-too gently. She wanted to be done with this already. “Here, drink this. It’s bitter but it should help you with the pain.” Bony hands clasped hers before she could pull away and she stared into the befuddled expression of her patient.

“How can you ever forgive us?” The woman rasped as she broke down in awful sobs and pressed her face into the front of Kagome’s robes. Kagome was suddenly tired, and she wished that she could trade places with the wretched woman confronting her past and her mortality as searched the ceiling for answers but could not find any.

She let the sick woman cry on her shoulders, wondering to herself if forgiveness was in her reach.

“Justice is only for the God’s to mete out and we’re just their shiny playthings. It’s been that way since the beginning and it’s not going to change now.” Kagome pulled herself from the sickly woman, as she did everything that she could. She wiped her hands on a dry piece of cloth and turned to leave, mentally chiding herself to keep it together.

“I’ve prepared enough medicine for the next couple days, take it in the morning and the evening to lessen the fever.” She said in a clipped tone.  Kagome knew that there was nothing else to be done, and she left the woman to wrestle with her own demons.

Kagome stood outside of the hut for several moments, the sun dipped over the hillside, casting the cluster of huts in an earthy, auburn light. She felt the weariness settle in her bones and she wondered if she was the same woman from nearly a fortnight ago.

She wandered through the compound aimlessly, ignoring the faint growl of her stomach and the ache in her feet from a full day of travel. Kagome knew that she had to leave here immediately. No matter where she went, destruction would always follow. She was a magnet for bad news. I’ll leave right before dawn. Her mind started racing ahead of her, as she began forming a plan. I’ll take a boat near Honshu province and once I cross the river, I won’t ever look back!

“Young lady, you’re going to catch a cold if you stay out here past dusk.” Totosai’s stern voice startled from her thoughts, and she locked eyes with the old man, who precariously held a jug of sake to his lips, as he sat cross legged on his cow.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it was. Can you please tell me where I’m sleeping tonight?” She forced herself to smile amicably. He blinked down blearily at her as if she had grown a second head and dug the wax out of his ear with his pinky before inspecting it.

“You know, you kind of remind me of someone I use to know,” He gripped her chin turning her face this way or that, trying to decipher a mystery. “Yes, it’s coming back to me now. Lady Izayoi use to wander the compound late at night, she wasn’t the same after Lord Inuyasha’s father passed.” Totosai sighed, and still wouldn’t release her face.

“Hey, watch it!” She pried his hands away from her face, as her skin began to crawl. She rubbed her arms and looked past the old man, “I can just find it on my own, thanks.”

 “Wait, forgive an old man for being sentimental.” Totosai relinquished his jug of sake and looked more serious as he studied her. “I saw you leave Setsuko’s hut just a while go. Inuyasha told me that you don’t have any family, and we could sure use a priestess in these parts.” Kagome visibly recoiled, as a stricken look contorted her face.

“I’m sorry, but I must get going now.” She hurried past the old man and hung her head, as Totosai looked after her, scratching the back of his head.