InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of Freedom ❯ Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )
Kagome rushed to the edge of the field and vomited up the contents of her last meal, as she groaned miserably. Nostalgia warred with her growing melancholy as her stomach churned, and a violent spasm sent her reeling again on her hands and knees.
Her feet ached from the pebbles and rocks that had gotten into her worn sandals, and she felt sore in unmentionable places. Kagome kept her eyes straight as she regained her balance, her mind began to race ahead of her without her permission and she felt her insides squeeze. Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think.
It was her silent mantra ever since she snuck out of the warm hut and felt her way through the darkness. She had washed up the best she could in the predawn light, and headed south, praying to whatever gods that was listening that she would be able to maneuver through the dense redwoods and across the river without having to face any foes.
Memory seeped like a dense fog through the trees. The silver mist took root in the earth, shrouding the overgrown fields as it rolled out to meet the sky
It was short of a miracle when she pushed herself through the narrow gate, that wound into a manmade tunnel leading to the village stronghold. She moved through the debris of scattered arrows, forgotten rations, and she paused to bend down to pick up a broken bow. She ran her fingers across the crudely made weapon, frowning to herself as she closed her eyes.
She imagined the warning bells going off into the night, as men and women shot out of their beds and a swarm of yokai surrounded the stronghold. She could still feel their fear, lingering in the tunnels, as shadows of men leapt up from the debris and rushed past her, and up the wooden ladders to their battle stations.
This time, she was sure that the war had been brought home. There was nowhere to run and the only thing that was left was the stronghold walls. Kagome slowly opened her eyes, as she suddenly felt burdened down by the flood of memories.
Nostalgia won in the end. She had the strangest feeling that she had been left behind as she stumbled into a golden wheat field, drooping from the weight of unharvested grain. There was nothing here but remnants, and relics from the past.
This was home. Yet the last thing that she remembered was the dread, dredged up by the fear of dying at the stake. She remembered the fresh taste of betrayal, as the memory coiled in her gut, and sprang like a snake.
Home. Kagome let the word rattle around inside of her, as she breathed in the scent of pine and earth around her. She brushed against a forgotten plow, abandoned in the fields. Up ahead, something glinted in the sunlight, and her insides squeezed as she bent to pick up a faded rosary bead.
It looked like a beautiful jewel. She rolled the ruby bead between her fingers, reveling in the feel of something solid and familiar. It reminded her of the rosary beads that the old widows would carry into the temple, as they knelt and prayed in front of stiff statues that never talked back. Without thinking, she stuck the bead in the front of her robes as she went about retrieving the things she thought she no longer needed.
Kagome drifted through the few huts that were still standing, until she had collected a handful of mementos; children’s laundered clothes, gone stiff from too much starch, farmers scythes, and broken weapons. She dimly wondered where the bodies lay, and she imagined that someone had gotten here before her and took it upon themselves to clear away the carnage. She found a stray shovel and began to dig a single grave until her fingers ached and her back groaned in protest.
Methodically, she placed each item in the waiting earth, and when the last of the items thudded in the silent grave, she conjured their faces in her mind’s eye. She remembered the young boys that used to chase her with lizard skins, until they eventually caught up with her, and the farmers and widows who looked down at her with pity after her grandfather’s passing.
Kagome swallowed her prayers thickly around a lump in her throat. She was truly alone, and no one would be coming. She waded through the emptiness she kept waiting, in hopes that she would return to some sense of normalcy. There were no beloved ghosts, no homecoming.
“What am I supposed to do now? Where am I supposed to go?” She asked the mound of dirt, as she wiped away the stray tears with the back of her hand.
She heard a flurry of whispers slice tersely into her consciousness, and she whirled until she was facing the shore. Kagome threw the shovel down and grabbed a sturdy looking bow and a quiver of arrows, as she followed the rustling until she was back to where it all began.
Kagome stood in a grave littered with bones, carcasses, and skulls still tufted with hair. She had to cover her mouth with her sleeve, as the smell of decay wafted up her nose, causing her to gag. The surf crashed against the rocky cliffs, drenching her in a salty spray as she peered over the edge and into the watery depths.
She wondered lightly what would happen if she slipped beneath the torrents. She thought she heard the ocean whisper back, urging her in a devilish whisper.
“You wish for freedom? Do you not? Join with me, and everything that you wish for will be yours.”
Kagome gasped, and gaped down at the watery depths, but something alien brushed her awareness as she turned to the graveyard of bones. A severed ogre-like skeletal head rattled on the ground, and while its maw did not move, she felt its malicious desire, as an ominous aura made her feel sick.
“Join with me priestess, and leave your weak, mortal body. Or do you wish to continue to suffer?”
The remnants of yokai, withered as they joined the skeletal head, until they formed a chorus of promises, a litany of grand wishes, and Kagome balked as she slowly backed away.
“No way, I’d rather eat graveyard dirt!” Kagome tried to call up her power, but instead of purifying the demons, she felt pain spiral up into her lungs, and a gripping spasm rippled through her.
Kagome gritted her teeth and pulled an arrow from her quiver. With shaky hands she fired in neat succession at the ghastly skulls, until bones shattered, and the madness goading her on died down
She stood still, as the coldness seeped into her skin, and the weariness settled in her bones and she looked down at her hands in fright.
Kagome circled around her old hut, it was just as she remembered. There was a small table with a basin, a chest for her clothes, and a rolled up sleeping cot. A large iron pot was suspended over a small hearth that had kept her through many winters.
Her mind went on auto pilot, as she searched for wood to keep the fire going, and she grunted as she dragged the sleeping mat outside so that it could be properly dusted. Kagome did not allow herself to get too comfortable, now that she could not call upon her powers of purification, she would have to get back to the basics.
She was lucky to find a few tins of salted meat, and preserved vegetables, and she rummaged in her tiny storage cabinet for some herbs for seasoning. In no time, the hearth blazed, filling her small hut with warmth. Kagome smiled faintly to herself as she felt some semblance of control return to her. It almost felt like her wilderness training all over again, when she was left to fend for herself to prove to the elders that she was competent and capable.
Kagome imagined that she could stay in this place. She could resurrect her grandfather’s dream and create a haven from the war. She would heal the sick and do what naturally came to her. Her tiny smile blossomed into a whimsical grin, before reality sunk its teeth into her pipe dream.
“Don’t be so stupid.” She softly reprimanded herself, and she froze, grimacing when the admonition reminded her of the half demon lord. She felt the weight of not knowing settle on her shoulders, as she rubbed her arms to combat the chill of her loneliness, and a faraway expression settled on her countenance. She had resolved to harden her heart. Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think. She begun her silent mantra, and after several seconds, it did the trick.
Kagome stretched, and got up to retrieve some water for the cooking pit before it got too dark outside, when something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She frowned when she saw something half sticking out of her medicine cabinet. She snatched up a scroll that was sticking out from the corner. Kagome didn’t recognize the seal, but it had been broken, and she squinted at the slanted characters, as she gasped softly, recognizing her grandfathers handwriting.
Dearest Granddaughter, if you’re reading this I fear it already may be too late. I was a fool to keep you in the dark for so long, and my wish has always been to protect you. But I fear that this old fool has done more harm than good, and you are in grave danger. There isn’t much time, and I won’t be long for this world, but strange men have been seen on the edge of the border. I suspect there might be a spy amongst the council of elders and I’m afraid that you can’t trust the villagers. I have sent word to some of our cousins in Shikoku to come and help protect you, and in due time I will explain everything. But you must leave this place at once.
Kagome read the letter twice and she flipped the page over, but someone had spilled ink over the second page distorting the message. Her heart congealed in its cage and she rushed to the cabinet, pulling out jar after jar of medicine until her cabinet was cleared. But there were no more scrolls.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” Kagome asked the ghost of her grandfather, “It’s already too late.” She sunk to her knees as she felt the first wave of trepidation.
“What am I not getting?” She massaged her head and tried to talk herself out of an oncoming panic attack.
Kagome was no longer exhausted, instead she allowed the restless energy to goad her, as she felt a renewed rage settle at the pit of her stomach. The only thing that she was sure of was the strange changes that had been happening inside of her.
She tried to call up on her powers again, and there was a flicker, then nothing.
“Please, just let me have one reliable thing.” Kagome begged, feeling ridiculous as her power deserted her. It was the last straw that broke the dam as her shoulders began shaking and tiny sobs racked her body. Kagome could no longer pretend that she was fine, or that she could brave this storm with gusto. She could never go back to the way things were before. There would be no going back. She wanted to tell her grandfather that he could keep all his secrets, and now all she wanted was to be left the hell alone.
At that moment, a flurry of whispers sprung up from the flames, the voices all speaking at once. She recognized the dead voices of the villagers, their voices equally full of accusation, and remorse. In that moment, Kagome knew now that she was finally losing it. She couldn’t blame fatigue, or her pain, or her power. The past rose from the firepit, bathing the tiny hut in equal parts shadow and light and she shuddered in revulsion.
The whispers swirled around her, as Kagome squeezed her eyes shut.
“Stop it! I can’t help any of you. So just leave me alone and shut up!” She ordered, and on her command the voices died down to a flicker and crackle. She felt the first signs of a headache, and she wondered if she would get any sleep.
That night, Kagome feared that the dead would return to haunt her in her dreams.
Inuyasha had the most blissful dream.
He folded his arms under his head and stared up at the ceiling and smiled to himself as he recalled a familiar pair of brown eyes and the curve of a dainty mouth. Inuyasha unconsciously licked his lips as he became uncomfortably aware of the last time he’d been with a woman. He could still almost smell her heady scent surrounding him, and he closed his eyes to a slit as he savored this moment.
His muscles ached in protest as he was so unaccustomed to sleeping on the floor, and it was much more comfortable standing watch or resting in the tree tops. He dimly wondered how he ended up on the sleeping cot, when he had adamantly insisted that he would stand watch while letting Kagome catch up on sleep.
Inuyasha allowed his eyes to drift shut again as the first morning rays warmed him, and the smell of Kagome’s blood slowly drifted into his nose and it had the effect of dousing a cold bucket of water over his head. What in the entire fuck?
Inuyasha shot awake, as his pulse hammered in his chest. He remembered the touch of her skin and the weight of her body in his arms, when he licked his lips, he swore that he could even taste the salt of her tears. The line between what was real and what was unreal was dangerously blurred in his mind, and he was beginning to panic that he did something incredibly stupid.
Inuyasha tried in vain to think back to the last thing that he remembered. He had come back from his perimeter check, and he had been angry at being deceived by a damn yokai. He was disturbed by his ghoulish encounter with his mother and was dead set on standing watch the whole night to burn off some of his anger.
When he tried to recall past that point, shadows flickered in and out of focus as he remembered the curve of her back, the silk of her hair, and the saltiness of her mouth. Fuck! Don’t tell me that wasn’t a dream, you’ve got to be shitting me.
Inuyasha cursed himself internally as the evidence lay scattered around him. Kagome’s blood stained the sheets and seeped into the cot and she was nowhere to be found. Inuyasha gingerly tugged on his clothes, feeling disgusted and repulsed with himself all at once as he tried in vain to penetrate the fog of confusion and lust clouding his mind. He scrubbed his face with a rough hand and tried to quell his panic.
Inuyasha rationalized that she probably went out to relieve herself or to get breakfast from the kitchens and he mentally sought out different ways to apologize to her without completely making a total jackass of himself. I think you’ve already accomplished that, pal. But what if I scared her off? Inuyasha felt a wave of fear surge above him, threatening to sweep him off his feet.
A sudden desperation seized him, as he strained all his senses outside the confines of the hut. He could hear the birds clearly, but something felt terribly wrong. He shook the thought from his head, but a niggling feeling wouldn’t let him alone.
Inuyasha weighed the possibility in his heart and mind that she didn’t want to see him, but when several moments passed by, he threw all caution to the wind and nearly ripped the screen doors off its hinges as his heart pounded in his chest.
There were a few villagers milling about, and he hounded them down, but they stared up at him quizzically. No one had caught sight of her. Inuyasha felt his gut clench as his nose told him what his heart could not possibly bear. He raced through the red woods and followed her trail to the edge of the river. In the water he found a strip of her robe where it must’ve torn on the tree branches. Kagome’s scent was stale, and it told him that she had left hours ago.
“Idiot girl.” Inuyasha balled his fist as he glowered at the depths of the river. He had secretly hoped that after everything that they had gone through, that she would come to trust him.
“Just when I think I’ve figured you out, you go and pull something like this.” He tucked away the strip of clothing and swiveled back towards the hut. He would have to tell the old man to cancel breakfast.
When he returned to his quarters, the scent of their lovemaking nearly overpowered him, and the lingering scent of her arousal made his lions stir. Inuyasha hissed underneath his breath as he dug his claws into the fleshy part of his palm, drawing blood. Now is not the time, asshole. He allowed the scent of his blood and the dull ache of pain to distract him, while he dimly wondered if he accidently hurt without knowing and she rightly fled.
He grabbed his sword where it was propped up on the wall and jammed it in his belt.
He wouldn’t torture himself with the details, all he knew was that Kagome was out there alone and he couldn’t allow himself to leave her astray. Stupid girl, what’s the use in making things more difficult than they must be? Inuyasha was just about to take off after her when someone lightly rapped at the screen door.
“Damnit, now what?” He sighed, and barked for his unwelcomed guest to come in.
Inuyasha glowered at Totosai, as the old man greeted the young lord cheerfully as he sauntered inside the hut casually carrying a warm pot of food. Totosai set the clay pot down by the hearth, before eyeing Inuyasha and wondered what crawled up the young lords butt so early in the morning.
The old man wrinkled his nose, and cast a bulbous eye at the soiled bedsheets, and finally got the message as he flashed he four brown teeth.
“Well, well, young master. I didn’t know you had it in you. All the servant girls were hoping that you and the young lady were less than amicable, but it looks like they were wrong. I was right placing my bet on you after all.” Totosai began to chortle. He internally counted all the bets that he would have to collect before the day was over, but Inuyasha’s deathly growl caused him to stop dead in his tracks.
“Err…where has the young lady run off to? I asked one of the girls to show her to the baths, figured she might want one before you both hit the road.” Totosai scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze as he tried to change the subject. The old man idly wondered if the new lovers had a spat already, which accounted for the young master’s bad mood. Kids, Totosai thought sourly, they don’t know much about anything.
“You have eyes, don’t you? She ain’t here.” Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, hoping that the old git would get the message, so that he could go on about his business. Just then, someone began to frantically knock at the door and before he could answer, a young servant girl came tumbling in, out of breath.
“I’m sorry to interrupt lord Inuyasha, but I just got message from your Lord brother. He wants you back at the castle. There’s some trouble.”
“What did you say?”
The servant girl lowered her eyes while clutching a scroll to her chest. She shakily handed him the message and he snatched it from her hands.
It was Sesshomaru’s writing all right, detached and to the point. Inuyasha inhaled sharply as he reread the last sentence. There was an attack at the castle and his brother had been injured. And the asshole suspects the work of a spy? His brows furrowed in concentration as he crumbled up the piece of paper into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder.
“You’ve got to be joking, He wants me back now, of all times? The timing couldn’t have been worse.” Inuyasha said in a deathly quiet tone, as he began pacing in agitation. He couldn’t possibly imagine his brother injured, and Inuyasha knew that this was serious.
“Well master,” Totosai began as he helped himself to a portion of rice porridge, “There has been rumor of a coup d’état while you were away, and since the passing of your sovereign father, your brother has come to rely on you as his steady beta.” The old man stroked his beard as he offered his own wisdom, while the servant girl quickly bowed her head and slunk out of the hut.
“I know all of that, you don’t have to give me a lecture.” Inuyasha sighed and wondered what the hell he was doing. He debated disobeying his brothers’ orders, but his ears drooped slightly as he warmed at the memory of his actions. In the spaces where the line blurred between what was real and what was not, Inuyasha imagined her fear, disgust and loathing which made him falter in his rebellion. Shit, the old man is more than right. What the hell do I think I’m doing, chasing after woman who has every right to be afraid of me?
Shame humbled him, as he felt the first wave of rejection and doubt. Kagome’s face flashed through his head, and he tried to dismiss all those things that he was too afraid to name. If this is what she wants, who the hell am I to impose on her wishes? Maybe it’s better this way. He solemnly declared to harden his heart, and he hoped that in time that he could forgive himself.
Inuyasha slowly, but surely detached himself from his feelings, and slipped into a familiar role that he had learned to master.
“Send word to the asshole that I’m a couple days away.” He ordered, before taking a deep breath and prepared himself mentally to traverse back to his father’s lands.
“Will the young lady be joining you?” Totosai asked innocently.
“No, not this time.” Inuyasha replied lightly as his expression closed.
Kagome rolled up her sleeves and plunged her spear in the shallow end of the ocean, as she grunted in satisfaction when she managed to catch several fish. She had often watched the men from the village, perfect their technique from days till end, and she smiled faintly at the pile of fish as her stomach rumbled.
She wiped the sweat from her brow. It had been two days since she returned home, and she had fallen into a quiet routine. For the first time in her life, she was completely alone. Kagome had reacquainted herself with the quiet, rolling hills. Each morning since she returned she would go to the temple and sit in quiet meditation until her knees groaned in protest. She would spend time weeding the garden and clearing the fields for the next harvest.
Kagome felt a certain numbness now as she hefted the spear above her head, studying the erratic movements beneath the water. She could hear echoes of the past, in the seagull’s cries and the waves that idly crashed to the shore. She remembered stories of old widows drowning in the waters, and those ghosts waiting for the living to pull down to join them
Kagome stood in front of the ocean ready to turn away, but suddenly she saw a hand shoot out of the water, before it sunk back beneath the surface. Someone is out there and they’re in trouble. Her mind began to race, as a strange compulsion rose up in her.
She rushed into the water, and she waded deeper until the seaweed caressed her feet. She plunged beneath the water and swam into a silvery school of fish as she hoped that she would make it in time to save the poor soul who was drowning.
But the deeper she swam the stranger she began to feel. Kagome felt like her head was splitting open as she felt her body become so light that she felt wispy. For a moment, she had forgotten her purpose and the dark waters churned and roiled around her.
Kagome felt the promise of peace egging her on, as seaweed gently caressed her feet, and when she glanced down the seaweed briefly morphed into spirits of light, living beneath the waters looking on, and they whispered. Come with us. Just a little way
Suddenly, something brushed against her awareness. Kagome was uncomfortably aware that her lungs were burning, and her limbs ached as her fingertips tingled. Kagome kicked her way to the surface, gasping for breath, heart pounding, as she coughed viciously. The sudden shock had worn off, and she was frightened at the distance that she had swam from the shore.
Kagome looked around wildly and wondered if had imagined the whole thing, as a different kind of fear settled in the pit of her stomach.
Spitting out water, she swam back to the shore, but the same niggling feeling caused her to whirl back around where the point of a long boat caught her eye, and she froze.
The boat was approaching swiftly, and she trudged out of the water, yanking her bow as she reprimanded herself for her stupidity. Kagome dimly wondered who she would be facing as scenarios flitted through her imagination. It had been such a long time since she had to put on social airs, she had a brief panic attack as she worried her lower lip between her teeth.
Her stomach tightened as she could see the boat clearly, and its single passenger. Kagome squinted as a scraggly looking man paddled to the shore.
“Land ho! Thank the Gods.” The stranger seemed to be in his own world, as he leaned over at the last moment and groaned, before succumbing to sickness. He muttered to himself, oblivious to his surrounding as a small creature scampered from inside his robes and wound itself around his neck. It began to screech, and patted the youth’s cheek, before pointing in Kagome’s direction.
“Ryo, what is it? I told you we’d make it in one piece.” He yawned and stretched his arms, before he craned his neck and finally got the message. He jumped when he caught sight of her, before he tried to look dignified and straightened to his full height.
“Stop right where you are.” Kagome drew her bow taut, and aimed right for the stranger’s head, as he tried to draw his sword.
She sent a warning shot, that nicked him on the ear as the arrow whistled passed him and plopped into the water.
“I mean it. Leave your weapons in the boat and come out with your hands up.” She ordered, and he sighed heavily before he slowly raised one hand while he attempted to make his way out of the boat. Somehow, he managed to trip himself up and he fell out from the side of his boat, landing in a pool of his own vomit
“Oh dear, this isn’t my day. This is not my day at all.” The young man sighed again, as the small chimp, gingerly bought a sodden handkerchief to his face.
What on earth… Kagome frowned, but she wasn’t about to drop her guard. She watched in a bemused fashion as he dusted himself off, before their eyes met. He took in her threadbare robes, and he paused at her chest as he openly gaped. She had foregone the traditional bandages for more ease and convenience, and now her soaking robes were translucent, leaving nothing to the imagination.
“My eyes are up here.” Kagome said dryly, as his ears burned red.
“P-priestess” He stammered out half ashamed, and half hesitant to use the title, “Can you tell me if I reached Kyushu? I think the map tells me I’m in the right place, but that can’t be right, can it?” The youth scratched the back of his head, as he pulled out a scroll from the front of his robes and studied it, before craning his head and turning it upside down.
“This is it. Now who are you and what do you want with this place?” Kagome tried to keep her voice as calm as possible, a tremor shot through her arm, but she would not let up just yet. A struggle broke out on his face, as he seemed to be piecing together information, before his chest puffed up with self-importance.
“I am Akitoki Hojo, and I sailed a great distance from Shikoku. I’m here because of the Higurashi clan. Someone has sent an urgent request, and I’ve come to retrieve and safeguard a highly valuable family heirloom.” Akitoki finished, and when the woman looked past him as if she had seen a ghost, he nervously continued.
“Miss would you be so kind as to lead me to the head priest of your village?”
Kagome’s heart pulsed, dread shot through her like a fiery arrow. Blood rushed to her ears, as her mind began racing, reaching backward in her memory.
“I’m afraid that you’re a little too late. I’m the only survivor, and I won’t be of much use to you. Get back on your both and leave this place at once. Nothing good will come of you staying.” She managed to say, she planted her bow in the sand, and she felt her knees buckle as she had the sudden compulsion to get away.
“M-Miss, I’m afraid you don’t know how grave these matters are. I nearly risked my life crossing through the wilderness, and I’m not allowed to return home unless I completed my mission.” Akitoki tried again gently, as he lowered his hands and inched closer. When he got a closer look at her, he inhaled sharply as recognition caused his brows to raise in shock.
“You’re a Higurashi. I can’t believe this.”
“You’re wrong, you have me mistaken for someone else.” Kagome shook her head, and tried to leave, but he raced in front of her, peering closer into her face, and blocking her path of escape.
“As my grandmother always said, you can’t fool a fool.” Akitoki chuckled and he was giddy at his discovery, his clan was on the lower echelons and it was always his secret hope that he would someday meet his admired cousins. He heard stories throughout his childhood about the many feats, and prophecies regaled through his boyhood.
Kagome’s head was spinning. Secrets, more secrets. Akitoki was still running his mouth but all she could hear was the rise and crash of the wave.
“Seeing that you’re the last surviving member,” Akitoki continued oblivious to her emotional state, “I’ll have to brief you on the new developments in Shikoku. But first, we must secure the shikon jewel and get it to a safe place. Do you know where it is?”
“No.” Kagome turned away from him. She was supposed to be safe here, and she felt a sudden fear come to light, as her head began to pound.
“My lady?” He was standing too close to her, and peering down into her face, and she slapped his hand off her shoulder.
“Everyone is dead, everyone! What do I care about a stupid jewel, or politics? Why didn’t you come when we were left to fend for ourselves?” Kagome heard her voice crack as she shouted in his face, shoving him hard as a murderous rage twisted in the pit of her belly. She wanted to make someone pay, she narrowed her eyes as Akitoki’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he tried to move away from her.
“I-I’m only doing what I was told. I had no idea…” He nervously stammered out, and she lunged for the scroll sticking out in the front of his robes and she whirled away from him.
“Ah! Miss, you can’t do that!” Akitoki watched in terror as she tore up the piece of paper and threw the remains in the ocean, as he sunk to his knees.
“My map was drawn on the back of those scrolls, how am I going to find my way back?” He pulled at his hair and sagged in defeat.
“Get back on your boat. There are no heirlooms here, and I won’t help you. All grandfather left was secrets encoded in scrolls and I don’t want any part of it. If you don’t believe me, then you can search for yourself.”
Kagome bent down in front of him and loaded a pile of cold fish in a wicker basket.
Akitoki scratched his head as he watched her retreating back, at a loss for words for the first time in his life.
Akitoki, could not stop staring at the silent woman as he nibbled on the skewered fish. She had a change of heart once her shock wore off and she offered him a place to stay the night in the temple.
They sat across from each other, as the flames cast shadows on Kagome’s face.
“Would you stop that?” Kagome glared at him from across the fire.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve heard stories about you growing up. You’re a legend where I’m from. I mean, I always wanted to meet your grandfather. What was he like?” Akitoki gushed, and Kagome looked mildly put off as she saw in his open expression a spark of excitement and a piece of joy. She turned away and massaged her temples.
“Is it true that you could shoot an arrow from 60 yards away?” He allowed his boyish enthusiasm to creep into his voice as he leaned towards her.
“Where’d they get that one from?” Kagome lightly mocked. But if she was honest with herself, she was secretly pleased with the praise. Akitoki’s presence reminded her of the life she once had, and she smiled ruefully as she remembered her early training in priestesshood.
“I heard that you could purify a demon with a single touch.” He sighed, eyes bright with admiration, and something in his expression made her squirm. She studied her hands in her lap, as she remembered that she was no longer able to wield such power.
“Now that just sounds dumb, don’t you lot have anything better to do than to gossip about trivial things?” She tried to cover her own vulnerability with dismissiveness.
Akitoki’s expression tightened, as he tried to search for the words that he wanted to say.
“Miss Kagome, how much do you know about your family history?” It was not an admonishment, but the more he talked with her, the more he wondered what she knew.
“Not much.” She shrugged nonchalantly, hoping that he would get the message. This was the last thing that she wanted to talk about.
“Hmm...” Akitoki stroked his chin thoughtfully and she mentally prayed that he would shut up about whatever he was so gun-ho about, “Back home, the prophecy predicted that the jewel would reappear in your clan. Some of the more powerful families have even begun fighting about who would get to claim such power. It troubles me that the jewel is nowhere to be found, it’s as if it disappeared. But how?” Akitoki, pulled a cracker from a tin can, and he reached inside of his robes where his pet companion was hiding. Ryo snatched the cracker from him, before hissing at Kagome in open dislike.
“You have to forgive Ryo, he’s a little shy around strangers.” Akitoki lied and smiled apologetically.
But Kagome was in her own world. She didn’t want anything to do with prophecies, or fables. She would be happy to return to a sedentary lifestyle, where she was safe an where no harm would befall the people around her. She didn’t care about the power-hungry lords. She had enough of that in one lifetime.
“It’s getting late, I’m going to head to bed.” Kagome averted her gaze from his crestfallen expression and excused herself from the conversation.
“Wait, Miss Kagome, can I ask you one more thing?”
She stared at him quizzically, before she nodded.
But before he could verbalize what was on his mind, thundering hooves could be heard in the distance and the bad feeling that persisted all morning, intensified.
“Now what?” Kagome sighed in exasperation.
They both rushed out of the temple, as she slung her bow across her shoulders, and Akitoki followed her to the village proper. Sure enough, a lone stranger rode through the night, and he was approaching the pair fast.
“Who do you think it could be at this time?” Akitoki whispered nervously, as he stuck close to her side.
But it was too late, the traveler was among them, as he yanked the bit of his horse, causing the beast to rear on its hindlegs before coming to a dead stop.
“You!” Kagome shouted in recognition, as the familiar face of the mysterious monk came into focus. They regarded each other, and he frowned as he quickly dismounted from his horse.
Akitoki looked puzzled, and he was secretly relieved that he wouldn’t have to fight.
“What a wonderful surprise, I never thought I would gaze upon that lovely face again.” Miroku said lightly, as he coolly nodded his head. He had not been expecting to see the woman again, and he was surprised to find that someone had gotten to the village before him. Miroku’s frown deepened as the eerie quiet settled around them. Miroku eyed the priestess and glanced around, before his eyes settled on the gangly teen. Hmm..so she replaced her guard dog? pity. He was starting to grow on me.
“I am Akitoki Hojo, pleased to make your acquaintance.” The young man bowed stiffly, and Miroku raised an eyebrow first at the household name, and then at the youth’s stifling propriety.
“Miroku.” He replied breezily, not one for lengthy introductions, especially when they did not involve beautiful women.
“Why are you here, monk. Did Inuyasha send you?” Kagome didn’t mean for the tremor to enter her voice, and she was ashamed of the raspy quality of longing that made her voice catch. She had cut herself off from feeling, for necessity and for her own sanity. Kagome was afraid that if she allowed herself to dwell, that her longing would rise like the waves of the ocean, swelling to a crescendo, before threatening to drag her underneath.
Miroku smiled gently and took her by the shoulders. Internally he filed away that piece of information about the young lord, so that he could use it later if the cards played in his favor. He briefly wondered about the nature of their relationship, but he had more pressing matters to attend to than his lively imagination.
“My dear, you have nothing to worry about. Lord Inuyasha is no where in sight, but if you need someone to take your mind off him, I’m always available.” He tilted her chin and smirked at her flustered expression. How cute. Miroku thought without humor.
“What are you insinuating?” Kagome felt her pulse speed up.
Akitoki felt his ears grow hot at the brusque display, and the forwardness of the monk. He never knew monks to behave in such a way, and he frowned in disapproval.
“Surely the lady is in need of some rest.” Akitoki cleared his throat, attempting to lighten the mood.
“I’m also capable of thinking and speaking for myself,” Kagome didn’t mean to snap, but she wanted to put more distance between herself and Miroku. She didn’t want to look weak, so she stood her ground, “Now what business do you have here, monk.” She finished, with one hand on her hip.
Miroku would have to give the woman credit, she was wiser than her companion, and if he was honest with himself, he was done playing games. Oh well, that was fun while it lasted, but back to business. Miroku thought, and frankly he didn’t like this part of his work.
“You wound me priestess, I’m afraid that you’re mistaking my intentions.” He lightly twirled his staff in his hands, “But I am here on some very important business and I think that you can help me. Would you happen to know where I can find this relic?” Miroku pulled out a scroll from his voluminous robes and showed the pair what he was looking for.
“Miss Kagome, that’s it! That’s a drawing of the shikon jewel! But how would a stranger know about the family heirloom?” Akitoki murmured a little too enthusiastically, and he looked to her for confirmation, as she felt her hunches raise. Quiet, you fool. She reprimanded him silently as Miroku took a keener interest in her, as he turned something around in his head, and suddenly a chilling smile quirked at the corner of his lips.
Bingo. Miroku thought with satisfaction.
“I never caught your name priestess. So, you are the infamous Higurashi? My, my, my, your reputation precedes you.” Miroku rolled up his scroll, and gently smacked it in the palm of his hand. “I am honored to formally meet you.” He finished cryptically, as he took a step towards her.
“And what if I am? What do you want with such a thing?” She asked in a deathly tone of voice, as she clutched her bow. For an instant his amicable mask faded away, and she saw the cold glint of steel in his eyes, and the imperceptible twitch in his jaw.
He was dangerous.
“It really depends on whose asking, but I think you already know the answer to that question, girl.” Miroku levelled her with a penetrating stare, and she felt her heart leap in her throat.
“Good monk,” Akitoki interjected, “I’m afraid you’re out of luck, there’s nothing of that nature here. I looked for it myself, searched the temple low and wide. I even came all the way from the backwoods on a boat.” Akitoki began, oversharing information in his happy go lucky manner, while missing out on all the cues that something deeper was going on.
“Oh? Is that so? Are you sure you looked everywhere?” Miroku addressed the fool, but he did not take his eyes off Kagome. “There are legends that have been passed down in my family, some religious scholars say that the jewel is a fable, while others claim that it was predetermined to return to the world of the living. A reincarnation of sorts. There have been some interesting stories in this region and I think I’m ready to test out my theory.”
Alarm bells went off in her head, and something inside of her twisted and leapt with fear.
“Akitoki, run.” Kagome ordered, but it was too late.
“Forgive me.” Miroku whispered, and with lightening reflexes, he used his staff and cracked it over Akitoki’s head, and she stumbled backwards. Kagome clumsily grasped her bow, and tried to fire an arrow to stop him, before he turned on her.
She fired, nearly catching him in the shoulder, and he used the delay to charge at her. Adrenaline rushed in her blood, as she lashed out with her bow, and she managed to knock his staff out of his hand.
Miroku cursed, as he produced a silver dagger out of his robes.
“Please, this is madness. I don’t have what you want. Are you willing to commit murder over a myth?” She panted heavily, as he circled her, searching for a weak spot.
Kagome knew that he was stronger than her, and that if she didn’t put some distance between them that he would easily overpower her.
“I may be many things, but I am no fool. You must forgive me, I don’t make a habit of hurting women, but you have something that I desperately need, and the Gods will have to forgive me.” Miroku lunged again, this time he was able to get past her defenses, and he swept under her feet and pinned her to the ground.
Before she could flinch back in surprise, he thrust his dagger into her gut, as a pained gasp swelled in her chest. She felt something hard and solid fly out of her body and caught a glimmer of it as her breath whistled in her throat.
Miroku briefly hovered over her, and he pressed something that glittered under her gaze. He began speaking in hushed tones. He was promising her something, but black dots swarmed her vision as his feverish eyes glinted like silver coals in the moonlight.
That thing, it was inside of me all along. In a sudden rush a madness, she wanted to laugh, and laugh, and laugh until she allowed the madness to take her.
Kagome saw herself in the spider’s web, this time she was falling, falling, into the darkness below where the snakes lay, and she was free of fear. In the wind tumbled the crashing waves of abandoned dreams and thwarted melodies, chilling her to the bone.