InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Within ❯ To Befriend ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I almost passed my two-week limit! I'm sorry for the delay. I have been dealing with everything from dentist appointments to course selections for school next year. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

 

I planned to explain everything in this chapter, but I didn't want to rush it. Next chapter, I promise that I'll explain everything.

 

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The Soul Within

Chapter Three

 

Kagome's eyes widened. He was going to kill her? Why? Kagome knew that youkai killed humans for stupid reasons, like testing their power and getting a quick bite to eat. Regardless, this youkai seemed to be angry with her and she had never laid eyes on him before.

 

The youkai snarled and threw Kagome roughly against the wall.

 

Kagome groaned as she heard a crack. A crack that indicated that one of her bones was broken. She looked at her left wrist before immediately closing her eyes in disgust. It was bent at an odd angle that no wrist should be turned at. A white bone poked through her skin and her hand was numb.

 

But she couldn't worry about that now.

 

The youkai stalked closer to her, an evil smirk spreading across his lips. Kagome felt her arrow pouch on her shoulder, but with her wrist in its current condition, she couldn't even begin to hope that she could take him down. Kagome closed her eyes wearily and braced herself for the inevitable.

 

Five seconds passed and Kagome heard another angry snarl. Only this time it seemed farther away. Kagome opened her eyes to see a man struggling to force the youkai back. The man was dressed in flowing robes of black and purple and he was fighting with…a golden staff.

 

He was a monk.

 

Kagome gazed at the scene wide-eyed before she felt something poke her shoulder. She turned to see a woman with panicked, brown eyes.

 

“We have to get out of here,” she said urgently. “Miroku can't hold him off for long.”

 

Kagome looked at her savior with a stunned expression. Nevertheless, she nodded and got to her feet, cradling her injured wrist with her good hand.

 

“This way,” the woman said, tugging Kagome gently down a nearby hallway. Kagome didn't protest as the woman marched her into a room with a thick, heavy, wooden door. The female closed the door but didn't lock it.

 

A few minutes later, Kagome saw why. The monk that she had seen earlier rushed inside and bolted the door with about ten locks. Kagome could hear angry growls and scratches on the other side of the door. The young miko let out a sigh of relief.

 

The woman rushed toward the monk. “Are you okay, Miroku?” she asked worriedly.

 

Miroku flashed her a smile. “I'm fine, Sango. Though I must admit, having you worried about me almost makes me wish that I could bleed more often,” he said with a light laugh.

 

Kagome looked around the room. It looked like an entertainment room. There was a large dining room table with ten chairs, three cots in the corner, one window, and a few other things. It was about twice the size of Kaede's hut.

 

Just then, Miroku turned his head to look at her and she could clearly see a deep gash on the right side of his face. It ran from underneath his hair to the base of his neck. It was frighteningly close to his right eye. Kagome's eyes widened.

 

He could have gone blind! All because of me…

 

But then Miroku spoke. “It seems like our new house guest is much worse off then I am,” he said, turning his gaze to Kagome's damaged wrist.

 

Kagome had almost forgotten about her injury. At Miroku's words, though, the pain spread across her wrist with the intensity of fire. Kagome looked up to see Miroku looking at her white shirt…that was still wet from the rain…

 

Miroku knelt down in front of Kagome and took her uninjured hand into both of his. “Beautiful maiden, your aura glows with the purity and grace of an angel. Being tied to this castle, I wish to produce an heir so that my family line will not die when I do. Would you do me the honour of bearing my children?”

 

Kagome blinked in shock and Sango's eyes held fire. “You pervert! The poor girl is injured! Honestly, you have no class and I'd slap you if you weren't wounded,” she muttered. She turned to look at Kagome. “My name is Sango and that, unfortunately, is Miroku. Your wrist needs medical attention,” she said matter-of-factly.

 

“I…my name is Kagome. I'm a miko…I can heal my wrist,” she said, still unable to take her mind off the strange youkai.

 

Miroku raised an eyebrow. “A miko, hmm? Well, that break looks pretty bad. You must be really advanced to be able to heal it.”

 

Kagome blushed. “…Actually, I don't think I can completely heal it, I know very little about using my energy to heal. I was trained for offence and defense against youkai. I think it is going to take a lot of my power just to reset the bone and heal the skin around it.”

 

Miroku nodded. “I'll help you reset the bone so that you can conserve energy. I have some training in healing with spiritual energy,” he said, gesturing to his face. Kagome looked on in amazement. A moment ago there had been a deep gash, but now there was only a thin white line. He must have healed himself when she was talking to Sango. He was fast!

 

Kagome nodded. “Okay. Thank you,” she said.

 

Miroku moved beside her and gently took her bad wrist in his hand. He laid his other hand on top of her injury and closed his eyes in meditation. The pain started to be replaced with a warm numbness.

 

“It's a really good thing that we heard you,” Sango commented lightly. “Inuyasha is a very powerful youkai.”

 

Kagome's gaze snapped up. “Who is Inuyasha? Why was he so intent on killing me? What are you two doing here if this is a youkai's house? Why did Miroku say he was tied to this castle? What are-?”

 

Sango interrupted her. “Slow down, Kagome.” She was about to say something when a new voice was heard.

 

“Sango, who is she?”

 

Kagome turned to see a little boy with fiery, red hair and bright, green eyes. Upon closer inspection, Kagome noticed that he also had paws for feet and a bushy fox tail.

 

He's a kitsune…but he's so adorable!

 

Sango smiled softly. “Go back to sleep, Shippo. I'll explain everything to you later.”

 

Shippo pouted. “Can't I stay up just this once? Everyone else in the world is awake right now! It's not normal to sleep during the day,” he said, pronouncing normal like it was a foreign word.

 

Sango sighed. “Well, we're not like other people in the world, are we? You know that Shippo.”

 

Shippo sighed and stuck out his lower lip. “I know.”

 

That was too much for Kagome. With a squeal, she scooped Shippo up one-handed and cuddled him. “You are so cute!”

 

Shippo looked surprised at first, but then he beamed and hugged Kagome back. “Hi!” he said. “I'm Shippo, who are you?”

 

Kagome smiled at him. “My name is Kagome.”

 

Shippo studied Kagome for a minute. “You look kind of like her,” he said seriously.

 

“Who's her?” Kagome asked curiously.

 

“Another question to add to your growing list, Kagome,” remarked Miroku. “I'm finished setting your bones into their proper places.”

 

Kagome took her hand and bent her wrist. A fraction of a second later, she suppressed a cry of pain.

 

Miroku shook his head. “Kagome, Kagome, Kagome. I told you that I just reset the bones. They still need to heal naturally and that will probably take about eight weeks.”

 

“I wish that you'd said that sooner,” Kagome said with a groan.

 

Miroku smiled. “Shippo, please get a spare piece of fabric for me. Kagome, I'll splint your wrist while Sango answers you questions. Sound good?”

 

Kagome nodded and Shippo ran toward the far side of the room. He returned a moment later with a piece of white cloth. Miroku nodded in approval as he pulled the arrowhead off one of Kagome's arrows. “If you put your mind to it, you can use any materials to make anything, even a splint,” he said with a smile.

 

Kagome smiled back at him. She turned to Sango, ready to ask her first question, but Sango was holding out a scroll. “You might want to read this,” she said tiredly.

 

Kagome carefully opened the scroll one-handed. It said:

 

Thy heart is filled,

With darkness and hate.

Thy two qualities,

Shall lead to this fate.

 

Thy purest of spheres,

With untainted light,

Blackens in evil,

Come fifty year's night.

 

Thy collar of beads,

Splits thou in this way.

A human by night,

A youkai by day.

 

Return to hanyou,

Purify thy jewel,

Before the last shard,

Becomes dark and cool.

 

To remove thy spell,

Listen to thy fact.

Remove thy collar,

With the purest act.

 

Kagome looked up. “That's a really well-written poem. I've always liked poetry,” she remarked.

 

Sango smiled sadly. “I wish I could just look at it as a poem…but I can't. Inuyasha's fate, mine, Miroku's and Shippo's…everything is tied to this poem.” Sango's eyes hardened. “It isn't just a poem…it's a spell.”