InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Be Cursed ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

A week's time had passed since the situation with Inuyasha and Kouga and although things were mostly back to normal, Kagome could be caught staring off into space in deep thought more often than naught. While Inuyasha didn't seem to notice - or maybe he simply didn't care - Miroku, Shippou, Sango and Kirara had definitely seen how absentminded their miko had been. Since she was easily brought from her daze when one or the other would speak to her, those concerned assumed it was nothing serious.

 

How wrong they were.

 

The group had been trekking through miles of dense forest and all were somewhat thankful for the lush coverage from the glaring sun, even if the smothering of trees did encourage a sweltering amount of humidity.

 

It was early afternoon and the Shard Hunters had just come into a small clearing amidst the forest that was edged on one side by a beautiful brook when Inuyasha raised his nose to the air and disappeared with a mumbled “Gonna check the area.” Of course, this excuse succeeded in fooling absolutely no one since the hanyou had been deserting them at various times of the day just as an eerie silver glow would pass their peripheral vision.

 

Four pairs of saddened eyes turned towards the young priestess who stood still, staring at the last place their dog-eared companion had stood. None of them were fools and knew instinctively that Kagome was hurting inside. They had all been witness to how her heart had slowly been forcing Inuyasha out but the process was just that…slow. Miroku could easily feel the dampening of Kagome's immense spiritual power and his heart tugged. Violet eyes turned to the left to regard the Taijiya that stood next to him and her brown eyes were liquid with sorrow for her sister.

 

The monk sighed heavily as Kagome walked soundlessly towards the running water, pulling out canteens and her cooking pot as she went. “Someday soon he will lose her entirely. Her heart cannot keep being hurt by him and sooner or later, it will decide to save itself and shut down completely. Never before have I seen someone who needed to be saved as desperately as Kagome-sama.”

 

“Houshi-sama?” Sango questioned. Although she understood the first parts of his statement, the last confused her. How did Kagome need to be saved? Weren't they enough to protect her?

 

Slowly, the monk turned to face a confused slayer, kitsune and neko. Sighing once more, he spoke. “Let's gather some firewood while we speak. It seems as though we are making camp here for the night.” As the others nodded their acceptance of the plan and began collecting wood from the area around the meadow, Miroku started speaking once more.

 

“Kagome-sama's heart is too weak to continue being trod upon and I fear that if things keep going the way they have been, she will lose her ability to love and trust in people. She has so very much love in her heart and soul and her capacity to care about so many beings at once is something special. She doesn't question people because of their blood and accepts everyone with open arms and a warm smile. Kagome-sama needs someone that can love her the way she deserves; the way her heart needs.”

 

The stockpile of wood towards the center of the clearing had accumulated to more than they would probably need and Miroku arranged a good amount of the wood into a pile and after Shippou had summoned his foxfire, the wood caught and soon blazed merrily. The four friends dropped down to the ground around the fire and a collective sigh sounded out amongst them. Shippou was the first to break the silence.

 

“Miroku, do you think Kagome will still be able to love us? I don't want to lose another mother.” The kit said brokenly, the fear of losing the only person to love him as his parents had settling around his small heart. Kirara mewed softly and crawled into his lap, licking at the tears that ran down his cheeks.

 

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the monk spoke in a sad voice. “I don't really know Shippou. She wants to love us all so much but the one she most wants to give her heart to doesn't seem to care. How he can't see the love that shines in her eyes is beyond me. She has started moving on from him but I fear that unless someone can heal the damage done to her heart, she may never be the same. Kagome-sama has put so much trust in Inuyasha and every time he speaks so cruelly to her, it wears away.”

 

Sango could only nod her head sadly. She had noticed the way her sister had begun to close off slightly and how the fire in her abnormally blue eyes had dimmed. The huntress had tried to shrug it off as fatigue from the heat of summer and weariness from shard hunting. “What can we do to help her Miroku-sama? Surely as her friends there is something we can do.”

 

Pained violet met distraught chocolate and Miroku spoke once more. “I don't think so Sango. While we are her friends and family in this era, the love we give her isn't the love she needs. She badly wanted to give her heart to Inuyasha and we can be thankful that he only has a hold on it, not possession of it.”

 

Confusion reigned over sadness and despair in the slayer's eyes and the houshi was forced to expand on his thoughts. “Kagome-sama has never given her full heart to Inuyasha. She wants to love him because he loves her and since he doesn't, she still has control over her heart.”

 

Exasperated, Sango threw her hands in the air. “But how is that a good thing? Didn't you just say that the only way to save her soul is to have her love?”

 

A small, sardonic smile touched the monk's lips. “Indeed I said that. What I mean is that through these actions, it is obvious that Inuyasha is neither the one her heart wants nor the one her soul yearns for. He is not her soulmate and that means that there is still hope. She needs only to find the other half of her soul.”

 

Realization dawned in the pairs of eyes that had been watching Miroku intently and he said an internal prayer of thanks. “So,” Shippou started tentatively, “you're saying that momma needs to find her soulmate? How? Can she find him before she can't love anymore?” His poor little heart was aching with emotion for the woman that had treated him as her own. He loved her more than he remembered loving his parents and if there was anything he could do for her, it would be done without question.

 

Sango had been lost in thought about the realizations made about Kagome when she heard Shippou's questions. “I think she can, Shippou. Miroku-sama is right. Kagome-chan needs to be loved and only the person meant for her can heal her soul. Finding her soulmate is something only she can do, but I think we can help her a bit.”

 

Miroku turned questioning violet orbs to lock with the mahogany eyes he loved so much. “How do you propose we help her Sango?” He nearly questioned his sanity at asking such a thing when a mischievous gleam entered the slayer's eyes.

 

“That's simple. We just keep reminding her how much she means to us and tell her that Inuyasha is a complete baka for not returning her feelings. We can tell her that if he can't see past Kikyou and see her, then he isn't the one for her. Kagome never lets hope dwindle and if we can convince her that there is hope for her love to be returned, she won't give up on everything so easily. That and I think I need to make a visit to Totousai. Maybe having a sword of her own will help her confidence some. Besides, she is even better with a blade than I am.”

 

The monk's dark eyebrows rose significantly at this and Shippou's green eyes widened. Jumping onto her lap, the kit gazed at her intently. “Really Sango? Momma is that good?”

 

Laughing, Sango stroked his tail softly and answered. “Of course she is! Don't tell me you doubted it?” Looking from bright green to deep purple, she realized they didn't really know anything of her sister's progress with a sword. “Maybe I can convince her to spar with me after dinner, especially since Inuyasha isn't here to insult her. You guys are going to be surprised.”

 

“Be surprised about what?” Kagome said as she re-entered the campsite with a pot full of water and several full canteens peeking out from the flap on her yellow backpack. She smiled at her friends and moved to the fire, pulling ramen from her bag and placing water on to boil. As soon as she was seated, Shippou jumped into her lap and snuggled against her stomach.

 

The Taijiya could only smile at how happy Shippou looked and the flash of life that re-entered her friend's brilliant blue eyes when the kit was so close. `Kagome needs a family of her own to love. She needs a husband or a mate that will love Shippou as she does and give her what she needs the most.' “Kagome-chan, I was just discussing your sword training with Shippou and Houshi-sama and I was thinking that maybe after dinner, we could spar?”

Looks of self-doubt and worry crossed her features while the young miko looked at Sango. Shippou looked up into his mother's eyes and knew she was seriously considering declining. Without further ado, he stood on her lap and tugged on a single raven lock that had fallen over her shoulder. Once he had her attention, he begged. “Please momma? I want to see how good you are!”

 

After another twenty minutes of various degrees of convincing, begging and pleading Kagome agreed to spar with Sango once dinner was done. Eating was a quiet affair since there was no Inuyasha to fight with Shippou and Miroku seemed to have taken the seriousness of his friend's condition to heart because he remained conscious throughout the entire meal.

 

Kagome and Sango had moved to the other side of the clearing and took up their stances. An hour full of thrust, parry and block later found the two women smiling brightly and sweating profusely. Once they had rejoined the rest of their companions, Shippou was the first to congratulate Kagome on well she was able to handle a sword, followed closely by Miroku.

 

“Kagome-sama,” the young monk started, “it seems to me that you have gleaned all the teaching and information that you can from us. I think you may even have the lovely Sango beaten in your ability to handle a blade.”

 

The young miko blushed furiously under praise she wasn't accustomed to getting and made to protest the grandeur of their words when Sango halted her progress. “Don't even say it Kagome. Miroku-sama is right; there isn't anything else I can teach you. You handle a katana far better than I do.” She smiled brightly at her sister as her blush deepened.

 

Just as Kagome was ready to start protesting once more, Sango changed the subject. “I think I need to go visit my village and see how they are doing. Maybe if Inuyasha isn't back by daybreak I could give you a ride to the well and then leave?”

 

Kagome nodded vigorously and grinned, thankful not to be talking about abilities she was sure her friends were making up to make her feel better. “I think that would be fine. Besides, if he really wanted to hunt for shards so badly he wouldn't keep disappearing at any given time. It has been weeks since I visited my parents and I need supplies anyway.”

 

Nods of acceptance went around the camp and soon everyone was tucked into bed and sleeping soundly.

 

~*~

 

Kagome sprung up into a sitting position from her sleeping bag and glanced around the camp. Was waking up because of something she couldn't yet identify going to become a regular occurrence? The miko prayed not. She had been getting little to no sleep as it was since her visit from the late Inu no Taisho.

 

At first, Kagome's brain had adamantly refused against even considering the idea but the more she thought it over, the more her heart joined in protest against her brain. For her mind's part, it kept repeating that Sesshoumaru was a cold-hearted killer who despised humans and had tried to kill her. When the miko had first met the Taiyoukai, her mind's argument would have been sound; now that she had spent years in contact with the inu, her heart was able to point out other things not noticed before.

 

Or at least things that had been ignored.

 

It was obvious to the priestess now that Sesshoumaru couldn't truly hate humans and wasn't a cold-hearted killer. Her talk with his father had pointed out her own doubts about the youkai lord in glaring reality and no longer could she pretend they didn't exist. Sure, he had tried to kill her once but she realized that it was only because she interfered with a fight between him and Inuyasha. And if she really, really thought about it, she realized that Inuyasha had tried to kill her when they first met too.

 

And Kouga and Miroku had both kidnapped her and she was friends with them all, save for Sesshoumaru.

 

The strongest argument for acquiescing to Sugimi-sama's request happened every time Kagome would look at Shippou. Her heart would switch places and soon she was Sugimi-sama and Shippou was Sesshoumaru. She thought about how she would feel if her dear kit was cursed and how painful it would be for her to know that only one person could save him; and that it would be like pulling teeth for it to happen.

 

That had made up her mind. She would help Sesshoumaru however she could, if only because she could sympathize with his father. But Kagome knew it wasn't just sympathy; she knew that Sesshoumaru was in very real danger by being placed under such a spell and she worried for him. He wasn't truly their enemy and had even been an ally at times, more so than Kikyou ever was and Inuyasha trusted her blindly.

 

Now that she was once more awake, all these thoughts and more threatened to overwhelm her and she had to forcibly shove them aside to focus on why she was awake now. There was another week left until she had to once more meet with the late Taiyoukai so it had to be something else.

 

Closing her eyes and relaxing her breathing, Kagome let her aura flare and stretched her senses. She could feel Inuyasha and Kikyou barely on the edge of her consciousness towards the south and she shied away from them. Bringing her focus back to center, she examined as far as she could east and north and found nothing. When she settled her mind towards the west, she felt it.

 

An aura of a human and three youkai could be felt and they were even closer than the hanyou and the undead miko. Quietly, Kagome stood from her sleeping bag, grabbed her backpack, bow and arrows and tip-toed out of camp. Once she was a safe distance away, her tip-toeing turned into a full on sprint and soon, she was sliding into another clearing.

 

On one side stood a tall, two-headed dragon youkai and on the other Kagome could make out something small and green lying on the ground unmoving behind a small body; a towering bear youkai stood between them. The dragon seemed familiar to Kagome somehow so she focused on what she assumed was a child. Then, it hit her. Her group had been traveling northwest and Kagome knew from past experience that they were close to the Western Territories. A quick glance at the sky greeted the miko with an eyeful of a brightly shining, full moon.

 

Sesshoumaru would be in his true form and had most likely returned to the castle, thinking his entourage safe so close to his lands. That meant that the child…

 

`Rin!'