InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Three Oaths ❯ The Protector Part II ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: this is a fictional story written only for my personal amusement. I own nothing, Rumiko Takahashi owns all.

 

~The Protector Part II~

 

In the end, things nearly got physical before she could convince them that she wanted to be left alone.

 

“But why?” Yuka scrunched up her face, her ever annoying whine back in full force. “We're your friends. We're supposed to be around when you're upset!”

 

“Yeah,” Eri also decided to put her two cents in. “We want to help you, Kagome, can't you see that?”

 

She sighed. “Like I said before, you guys, I've got a lot of things on my mind right now and I really need to sort it all out. Besides, life at home has become a bit…difficult for me.” It was the only way she could think of describing the current situation in her household, without mentioning Midoriko or the truth about her current depression. The less she told them, the better. “Please, don't take it personally.”

 

Yuka rolled her eyes. “Sure. Like we could take it any other way.” But she smiled when she said it.

 

After that, it didn't take long to shake the two of them off; both girls lived a lot closer to the central districts than she did, and only Hojo could ever stay long enough to walk her home. She tried, once again, to persuade him otherwise, but once again, he refused to be swayed. Either he had gotten more stubborn recently or she just didn't want to get rid of him as much as she liked to think. Now there's a disturbing thought, she grimaced mentally at the prospect of having a Hojo-type male friend tailing her around for the rest of her days, sending get-well cards and buying fruit. She snorted. Because that's exactly how I want to spend the rest of my life…

 

But thinking about what she wanted and what she couldn't and could never have would only make her distressed again. She smiled sadly and abruptly switched from that painful train of thought, instead she concentrated on the stroll, focusing her body and mind on the scenery around her.

They walked in comfortable silence down the roads, completely isolated save for the odd couple passing by. Evidence of the changing season was everywhere; the sudden heat that caused her body to long for months of wintry ice, drops of cool sweat lingering at her lower back. The way her skin grew warmer in the ever present sunlight and would darken slightly, to a not-quite-tan that made her look younger and fresh. Multitudes of colourful flowers littered the stray patches of grass they passed like small rainbows in a sea of dry grey. And then from behind the dried-up white clouds the real rainbows appeared, scattered across the sky as if they'd always been there - beauty incarnate. And yet despite all of this goodness, she still hated summer.

 

A small sigh escaped her, and she found herself wanting very much to just go home and curl up in bed. At least her house wasn't much farther now, only two more streets to cross and then she'd be there.

 

Unbidden, her stomach lurched at the thought and she shivered slightly. She'd almost forgotten the potential terror that waited for her at her house. Hojo reached over and grasped her small hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She blinked and looked up at him in surprise, only then realising that she'd made unconscious steps towards him in the time that they'd been walking together. Now she was close enough to feel the warmth of his body gently brushing against hers as she moved; the cool silk of his palm beneath her own roughened one. No boy should have palms that smooth, she thought crossly, and then relaxed into his grip when his thumb traced over the sensitive inner skin of her wrist. It was unbelievable soothing.

 

He smiled and glanced at her, his cheeks a faint pink. “Does that feel better?” he asked, alternating his movements to rhythmic circular motions.

 

“Oh yes,” She purred with contentment, and then blushed a bright red. What the hell. Did I just purr…?!

 

He didn't seem to have noticed her embarrassment. “That's good. I did a little research yesterday and I found out that certain massages act as treatment for many external injuries, and also as pain relief for people who've suffered from loads of diseases like you have,” her left eye twitched but he carried on. “Anyway, I just thought it would be a good idea for me to try it on you and see if it helped at all.” Suddenly he beamed at her, and without thinking, she smiled back. “You look so pretty when you smile, Kagome. No, not just pretty - stunning. I wish you'd smile more often.”

 

“Hahaha…” She laughed nervously waving her hand in the air. “Oh, stop Hojo. You know I don't like all that flattery stuff.”

 

“But it's true!” He protested, his eyes widening a fraction. “You know I wouldn't lie to you about something like this. You are beautiful, Kagome, I swear!”

 

He looked so sincere, in his barely rumpled school uniform and his squeaky clean shoes. It almost hurt to try and rebuff the absolute honesty in his gaze. You see! She screamed at herself. This is the problem with spending too much time with nice boys and their innocent brown eyes. You can't let them get close because you carry secrets - but they're already close enough to get hurt. Which, when you really got down to it, was the real problem in the situation. Of them all, she hated stringing Hojo along the most simply because he was so damn nice. She didn't want to hurt him, and inevitably, him getting hurt would be the result of any attempts he made at a relationship between them.

 

Not to mention that when he looked at her like that, the guilt clogged up inside her throat like viscous tar and she just wanted to die.

 

Thankfully the awkward moment was broken when she flicked her eyes down and her head away, the taut skin there suddenly tormented by the bruising she'd acquired earlier that day. She winced. “Urgh! Jeez, Hojo, I think my head is bust!”

 

“Not likely.” He laughed good-naturedly and then reached forward, cupping her chin and rubbing soft patterns into her forehead with the points of his knuckles. It should have felt intimate with the way things were between them, but she was grateful to find that it was not. “This shouldn't hurt, but tell me if it does, okay? The book that I got it from said that massaging like this can soothe the pain in almost any headache, but that at times it can be very painful. I also found out that doing a certain movement with your hand can directly affect the pain receptors in another area of your body. Like rubbing your fingers together to stop muscle cramp in your thigh or something. Did you know that? It's cool, right?”

 

“Uh-huh.” She wasn't listening, but she knew that as long as she nodded in the right places and pretended like she was then he would be all right with it.

 

He blabbered on for several more minutes, and Kagome found that she was just content to listen to his steady voice in the background, much as she had done some days ago on the phone. They held hands - once he had finished showing her his massage therapy, of course - and then all too soon she was at the shrine steps. She climbed a few of them and then turned around to say goodbye.

 

To her surprise she found that Hojo was still beside her, looking not in the least like he was about to leave.

 

Unsurprisingly, she snapped.

 

“Hojo what is your problem?!” She scolded impatiently, exasperation evident in her tone. “You know you don't have to walk me into the house - we're already in the compound, for goodness' sake! It's not like I'm in any danger here.”

 

He coloured darkly and ducked his head. “I know, but I was sort of, er, I was kind of hoping that um…well, I really wanted you to invite me in today.” The last bit was said in a frenzied rush, and although she only managed to catch the tail end of his words, it was enough.

 

He sneaked a peek up at her face to gauge her reaction. “Kagome?” he asked nervously.

 

She let out a harsh breath through her nose. Why was he so determined to be difficult? Kagome opened her mouth to tell him kindly but firmly that no, he couldn't come in, when a silky voice interrupted her.

 

“Kagome, my dear, you simply must let that boy in. He's too delicious for words!”

 

She stiffened, and not just from hearing her name called in a voice that she barely recognised, but more so from the touch of the pale hand that graced her shoulder. Midoriko.

 

She turned her head slowly, but was still unprepared for the sight she saw.

 

Midoriko had always been beautiful. Even when she'd lain on the dirt ground, wounded and dying it had been one of the first things she'd noted about her. But in the afternoon sunlight, with the clouds parting overhead to reveal her gloriously smooth skin and lustrous dark hair curving naturally against her oval face, her eyes looked the brightest of blues, with the faultlessly aligned features of her face complimenting each other perfectly. And her smile…! God!

 

Kagome had never hated her more.

 

“So Kagome, dear,” Midoriko's eyes swept over her carelessly and then returned to their fixture of Hojo. “Won't you introduce me to this gorgeous young man of yours? I won't be very pleased if you don't.” She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously.

 

Kagome was tempted to spit in her stupid perfect face and see how pleased she was then, but the fingers at her shoulder tightened their grip just slightly and she quickly rethought her actions. Hojo was staring at her, blissfully unaware of his open mouth, and for once Kagome felt a sharp pang of jealously for his lost attentions. I bet his ideas of what's beautiful and what isn't will change soon enough, she reflected resentfully.

 

She raised an arm, pointing between the two of them. “This is Hojo,” she said, her voice dull.

 

It was only when Midoriko's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, that Kagome realised she was supposed to introduce her as well.

 

Shit! Shit! Er, think…

 

“Oh! And, er, Hojo,” Stress had caused her voice to sound higher, sounding squeaky in comparison to Midoriko's sultry tones. “This is my aunt…Kikyo.”

 

She wasn't sure why she said it, or why it was the only name that had popped to mind. All she knew was that the moment she'd spoken Midoriko had whipped her head round in shock, and the fingers that were latched onto her school shirt dug like talons into flesh.

 

Uh, oh…

 

“It's an honour to meet you, Kikyo-san,” Hojo stammered, finally recovered from being the sole focus of Midoriko's stare. His smile was uncertain, but he regained his confidence as he went on. “Kagome didn't mention that she had family visiting,” he said politely. “Did you come alone or are there others with you?”

 

“No, it's just me.” She replied curtly, blue eyes still trained on Kagome's motionless form.

 

She fidgeted nervously, a growing feeling of upcoming dread seeping into her stomach. It was like that moment when they had first met more than five days ago when Kagome had known, almost instinctively, that something she'd said had angered the priestess greatly. Now her reaction seemed more alarmed than pissed off, but she still couldn't be sure. She could only hope that the end result wouldn't force her into another five-day depression, feeling sad and cut off from the world.

 

“Um, are we going into the house anytime soon?” She said breaking the spell.

 

“Of course! How rude of me!” Midoriko giggled. “Come on in sweetie, I'll make some tea shall I? You like herbal tea don't you, Hojo dear? ” The false cheeriness was back, all fluttery lashes and pink lipped smiles. Hojo looked entranced, a slight sheen taking over the dark surface of his pupils.

 

What kind of game was she playing? Kagome wondered, following them up the many stone steps into the inner shrine compound. Midoriko's hand was curled around Hojo's elbow, and she was leading him towards the house, both of them fully immersed in their conversation. From what she'd seen of Midoriko over the past few days - and admittedly it hadn't been much - this was slightly out of character behaviour for the woman. In fact, it seemed out of character for anyone. Hojo wasn't delicious - he was nowhere near it! She'd met delicious in the feudal era and most human men would never be able to compare. Not that he wasn't attractive, she thought. But he was a bit too normal for her tastes. And really, shouldn't Midoriko feel the same way?

 

But then again what did she know? Wasn't she the weird one in the situation? Maybe it was normal for very old women to fawn over average teenage boys like they'd never seen drop-dead gorgeous demons before. Kagome shook her head, repulsed.

 

The trek was always more stressful going up than down and when they finally reached the top, her eyes instantly fixed on the old rusty wood and iron signpost introducing all visitors to the memorable `Higrashi Shrin'. She grimaced, mentally noting to fix the words on the signboard when she had the time.

The Higurashis were fortunate in that their shrine was less popular than other shrines that were centred nearer the hearts of the big city, which meant that it was more traditional and less commercialised. Enough people came to allow them a certain source of income, but their fees for charms and protection wards were so moderately priced that they would never be rolling in money. Which wasn't a problem really, not for her or anyone else in the family. Anything she needed she'd always gotten, and when she hadn't got what she wanted it had generally been with things she'd forget about after a week, and wouldn't have made any lasting commitment to. Like a puppy, she thought. After all I only got Bouyo because the old lady down the road had had too many kittens and she didn't know what to do with them al-

 

Gah! She tripped over a rock, scuffing the edge of her shoe, and only just managed not to fall flat on her face. She praised whatever God there was in existence for that small mercy; it was embarrassing enough with just Hojo there to see, but it would be infinitely worse for the great miko to be a witness to her shame as well.

 

Thinking of her current position caused her to become abruptly aware of the conversation going on beside her, and when she heard her name meshed in with some other meaningless words, instinct caused her ears to sharpen, and she leaned closer towards them, hoping to catch the rest of the sentence.

 

A sweet voice drifted over. “So Hojo, how do you and Kagome know each other?”

 

“We've being going to the same school for a few years now, and I've got several classes with her too.”

 

“I take it you two must be very good friends.”

 

Yes, I - er,” she didn't need to see him to know that once again Hojo was blushing. “I think we're very close. Close friends, I mean.”

 

“How lovely,” the voice cooed. “So are you two betrothed?”

 

“What??!”

 

Both she and Hojo spoke at the same time, the strength of her indignant cry drowning out his small squeak of surprise.

 

“What did you just ask?” her throat was dry.

 

Midoriko appeared unruffled. “I asked if you were betrothed, dear. But from your unseemly reaction I can safely assume that you are not.” She raised a delicate brow.

 

“No, we aren't,” she asserted forcefully, suddenly impatient for Hojo to leave so they could just have this imminent `talk' already. The tension was already building up again at an astounding pace and she wanted to know what the hell was going on before she exploded with rage.

 

Eurgh! She and Inuyasha would never have been able to cope with each other if they'd been fighting like this every day. She stilled, shocked to realise that she had just compared her relationship with Inuyasha to the one she had with Midoriko, a woman she practically hated. And I didn't even flinch at his name! She realised proudly. It was a small victory, but in her state she was willing to take all she could get.

 

Midoriko's eyes shifted as if she too was eager to bring on their confrontation. “Hojo darling,” her voice trickled down like liquid velvet, commanding his obedience to her whims. “Young Kagome and I need to go inside and discuss something rather urgently. You won't mind terribly if I ask you to come back tomorrow?”

 

The way he looked, she could have asked him to fly and he would have run to the nearest skyscraper to give it a go, so it wasn't too great a shock when he complied easily, giving a hasty goodbye to Kagome with the promise to return the next day.

 

“And I'll bring that massage book for you to read!” he called back, halfway down the white stairs.

 

She waved after him, feeling a lonely pang thrumming in her chest. Despite her earlier urges, she was already wishing that he hadn't left her so quickly, leaving her to fend for herself against the older, more experienced priestess. As it was, Kagome was now alone with her, and in response, mind-numbing fear curled up in her belly.

 

“Well that was interesting, wasn't it, Kagome?” Midoriko said softly.

 

Her voice was still charming but it had returned to its original tone the way she remembered it being, no longer lathered in layers of feminine charm and saccharine sweetness. It now carried an edgier feel to it, revealing a surface of steel beneath the sugary weight.

 

“If you say so,” she replied, feigning nonchalance. “To be honest, I was a bit surprised to see you paying so much interest in my friend.”

 

Midoriko smiled. “Jealous, Kagome?”

 

“No!” she snapped angrily. For God's sake, what was this woman's problem?!! “Not in the least. Hojo and I aren't like that.”

 

“Aren't you? That's not the way it looked to me.”

 

“Well maybe you looked wrong!” Kagome huffed. She was so tired of all this dancing around each other business. Why couldn't they just get down to the real reason they needed to talk?

Unfortunately, Midoriko only seemed amused by her unexpected bout of temper. “Are you always this feisty, child? I was under the impression that you were a bit passive after all those days locked up in your room. I had no idea you could be this entertaining.”

Oh that was it!

 

“For your information, Miko-sama, I enjoy spending time in my room! I do it quite a lot actually.” Okay. She was lying through her teeth, but she knew she would rather die than admit the truth. “And it's really not any of your business what I do in my free time anyway. Why do you care? It's not like we're friends,” she snorted.

 

“Maybe not,” the older woman was abruptly serious. “But admittedly there is some sort of connection between us. Something far more powerful.” Her eyes gleamed intensely and then narrowed into a hard stare. “You have a lot of explaining to do, girl.”

 

Immediately Kagome's heart began to pound loudly, heavy thumps ricocheting off the wall of her ribcage in an increasing rhythm. “Explain?” She shrilled. “I don't know what you're talking about! If anything, you're the one that needs to explain.” Her cheeks were cherry red with exertion; her body tensed for sudden flight.

 

Midoriko stepped forward so fast it seemed as if she'd barely moved. Whoa, she has demon speed! Kagome thought randomly, before all current thought went flying out the window.

 

Hot air curled around the sensitive skin at her neck, heating it briefly before a strong hand gripped her throat. “Oh, I think you know very well, what I mean,” she hissed into her ear, gripping even tighter. “Guardian of the Shikon No Tama? That's not something you can claim lightly, my girl. Even if you do possess some sort of imitation jewel.”

 

Guardian? Oh! Oh…Her mother must have told her, she realised faintly, only half-aware of the fingers curled around her throat. Mikoumi always had enjoyed talking to people about the achievements of her two children, her `pride and joys' as she called them, so it must have been a real disappointment when Kagome had sworn her to absolute secrecy about the whole time-travelling affair. She'd understood of course - no sane mother would want to see her child carted off to a mental hospital - but Midoriko's sudden presence in the household must have been an opportunity for her to finally let out the urge to talk to someone about it, about everything. Kagome sighed. She couldn't blame her mom; she didn't even know who Midoriko was anyway, or how dangerous she could be. Besides, Kagome knew that if she'd had the chance she would have spilled her tale in a heartbeat, no matter the consequences.

 

Belatedly she found herself wondering what other information Midoriko might have gleaned about her, from her mother or from Kaede. It put her at a slight disadvantage - okay, she reassessed, much more than a `slight disadvantage'. She's a great miko and she has her hand around my neck for crying out loud! - But it wasn't like she couldn't fight back if she had too. She did have some skills…just not very many.

 

By this time her air supply was rapidly fading and it was only the fact that she was quite familiar with this form of death, having experienced it many times before, that she hadn't passed out altogether. Nevertheless she did want to breath eventually and she began scratching and raking her nails against the other woman's flesh, hoping to drive her off.

 

“You want me to stop do you?” Midoriko asked disinterestedly, making no move to lessen her grip.

 

What do you think? Kagome sniped mentally, wishing she could say it out loud. Though she had a feeling it wouldn't have helped her case much.

 

As if she could read her mind Midoriko smiled darkly.

 

“I could kill you right now.” She murmured. “In fact I should kill you. You're far more trouble than you're worth, not to mention that I really could do without another meaningless distraction in my life.” She pressed harder and Kagome felt the darkness coming on, seeping into her line of vision. “But-” her hand loosened save for three fingers still remaining encircled round her neck. Midoriko sighed. “I suppose I'm not that kind.”

 

Suddenly she tossed Kagome to the side in a flash movement that had her crashing into the brick wall next to the inner shrine doors. Her head lolled on in its side while she gasped for breath. “I'm afraid you'll have to answer my questions first before I can even consider killing you.” She said, before turning swiftly and disappearing from sight.

 

Kagome barely heard her; she was too busy claiming life from the air, her lungs soaking in every precious breath of oxygen she could take. She coughed and sputtered while her hands still clutched desperately at her throat. Thank, th-thank, thank g-goodness, she wanted to say, but her muscles were incapacitated and her tongue was like a dead thing in her mouth.

 

Eventually she calmed down enough to recover, but her mind was still reeling, dizzy from shock and pain. It hurts so much! She groaned loudly, slowly sitting up into a low crouch. She wasn't quite sure what had even happened to her. All she remembered was the dreadful inner burning she felt and a painful need for air. And after that, nothing. No, she frowned, that wasn't it. Someone had been hurting her! Someone…someone, and then she remembered.

 

Midoriko.

 

Kagome wanted to scream. It seemed like the Great Miko was at the heart of every problem in her life. First with the reuse of the well-portal, then the accusations about her `fake jewel' - Kagome had to suppress a wince at that, it still hurt when she thought of it - then the return of her depression and her almost near-fatal death experience. Jeez, why the hell does she hate me so much??! What did I do to her?

 

Because obviously she had some kind of grudge against her. She knew who Kagome was, she had information about her, and she'd specifically gone looking for her even to her house in the future. If that wasn't dedication then she didn't know what was.

 

But still…Midoriko had said that she wouldn't kill her yet. Even though she had nearly done just that, without a second's thought of remorse. And how did she do that anyway? No human was naturally that strong or fast. She'd practically thrown her about like a weightless doll! As if she and the other woman weren't of an equal height and build, like she weighed nothing.

 

Like she was nothing.

 

Kagome could feel the depression returning, like the tide rolling into the shore at high speeds, crashing into the sodden bank. Everything was so horrible, she decided irritably. She was miserable and her life sucked. She wasn't sure why she even bothered anymore. Nobody cared. The world was just one big fat shithole.

 

She sighed, frustrated. Couldn't she get a break - just once?

 

“Kagooome! Come inside, I need your help in the kitchen!” her mother's high pitched trill called out to her.

 

Urgh. Life was so not worth living.

 

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