InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ When a door closes... ❯ The Revelation ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Namiyo11 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.20.2008 | Updated On: 04.20.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 259 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.20.2008 | Updated On: 04.20.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 259 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3- The Revelation
Recap: Folks are mending, no one’s dying, camp’s been made, and Kaede’s been felt up. Good times. : )
Dawn. Rosy gold sunlight poured over the distant mountains, pooling in the glades and burning off the last of the thin fog of night. Inuyasha stretched and gulped nervously as he realized he had fallen asleep.
‘Damn. How tired was I?’ he thought, feeling his strength grow as he transformed for another month, his senses returning to normal. Reaching out to check on Kagome, he froze. There was a youkai nearby, strong, and odd smelling. Almost familiar. He drew Tetsusaiga as his eyes opened to protect...Kagome...? She was gone.
“INUYASHA!!”
“KAGOME!” He bolted out of the hut.
***
The miko had had the strangest dream. First she was floating in a sea of fire, it burned her, made her want to scream, but she couldn‘t. She couldn’t move as she felt herself burning away. She saw flashes of images, of home, school, her life, but again and again, Inuyasha. Inuyasha...crying?
Until a beautiful woman appeared beside her, dressed as a warrior and a priestess, who took her hand and pulled her out of the fires onto a stone shaped like stairs leading upward. Her face was drawn with weariness, but she looked oddly radiant in spite of that.
“Thank you. Tell them all thank you,” she murmured, smiling.
“I cannot restore you as you were, miko. Stories get overblown with time, and we have little of it left. You gave much to save me, too much to repair you now. I can only work with what is available. The heart is a combination of balanced forces, but you will have to learn to balance anew,” Midoriko, Kagome somehow knew this was Mirdoriko, the soul of the jewel, as the woman touched her cheek and seemed to read her heart and mind. Kagome wanted to speak, but found she could not. Everything was already known to the ancient warrior priestess, and nothing could be said that hadn‘t already been shared, with cool fingers lightly touching her face.
“Such love...he loves you truly, you know. I was wise to draw him to me with you all, the spirits of the four souls made whole. I can grant this request, and a single boon of gratitude. When you are yourself fully again, the way will open to the place that birthed you and home again. Remember, and ready yourself,” At that, Midoriko took her face in both hands, and seemed to press something inside, sending power into Kagome. There was a rushing sensation, and she found herself opening her eyes to pre-dawn light glowing through the door to the hut, feeling wonderful down to her toes, but needing to relieve herself. She rose, and carefully picked her way through the sleepers outside, blinking at Kaede and Shippo asleep.
‘How did they get here?’ Kagome thought, puzzled as she stepped outside. The dream was vivid in her mind, and she was deeply confused. She remembered...it had hurt, something had bitten her, and then...the dream. Was that really Midoriko? Unsure what was going on, she headed to the bushes, seeing Kirara faithfully on watch.
“Good morning, Kirara. You look well,” Kagome greeted the delighted neko with a scruffle behind her ears as she passed her. Everyone would be tired, she’d fill the water bottles and stir up the fire when she was done.
Meanwhile, the sun rose. As Inuyasha awoke and smelled youkai...Kagome felt like she’d lost her mind.
A sudden wave of smell washed over her. Burning wood, blood, dried wood, thatch, the myriad scents of the woods and an odd series of musky scents made her head spin. She heard a bird fluttering, and instinctively tuned her ears, it was far away, off to the left.
OFF TO THE LEFT?
Every sense seemed to have sharpened almost painfully, she could make out individual leaves on a treetop across the clearing, she felt strong enough to break rocks with her bare hands, and her hands flew to her ears as the sounds of the woods intensified.
They weren’t there.
“INUYASHA!”
***
“KAGOME!” Terrified for her, he bounded straight for the strange smell, shivering when he couldn’t clearly define Kagome’s scent.
Kagome smelled something strong and musky, and a bright, metallic scent, coming right for her, and threw up her hands, now clawed, in terror. She felt something stir.
Inuyasha blew through the brush to see...a hanyou in Kagome’s clothes??? Her hair, her face hadn’t changed, but two ebony dog ears now sat above her bangs, her eyes had lightened, and claws now graced her fingers. Her scent, once soft and light, soothing, had grown deeper, richer, intoxicating. She was magnificent.
It was rather unfortunate she also was showing every sign of going full youkai in fear as green stripes were faintly marking her cheeks and her eyes were tingeing with red.
“Kagome! It’s me!!” he yelled, sheathing Tetsusaiga and diving on top of her.
“HEY!” Kagome yelped as he plowed into her, arms wrapped tightly around her.
“You’re safe! Kagome!” Inuyasha held her, eyes huge as nearness only wrapped her scent around him. His body reacted strongly to the presence of a female, one-kami help him, who was not far off her heat and untouched. It had been easy enough to shrug it off before, but now...
Kagome gasped under him, unsure what was going on, the impact, and the feeling of safety she’d always had with him saved her. His scent was strong, woodsy, with a sudden musk that sent shivers down her spine as it washed out everything else. She took a deep breath and stared at him in wonder, seeing him with youkai senses. Part of her wanted to sit him, the rest...what was she thinking?? Her youkai side was, without her knowing it, sizing him up, and finding him pleasing.
“I-Inuyasha...what?” she managed.
“Kagome!” Sango yelled, she and Kirara were only steps behind, and they gaped. “What did you do, Inuyasha?” she asked in shock, saying the worst possible thing, yes. But it was all that came to mind.
“Get Kaede!” Inuyasha barked, letting Kagome go as her stripes faded and getting off her fast. He was shaking.
“What’s wrong with me?” Kagome pleaded.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Inuyasha snapped, he automatically drew up, touchy as ever about his mixed blood.
“This!” she stared at her own hands, thrusting them out for inspection, and reached up with mounting horror, feeling her own ears. Kagome started to cry, only making him angrier. He growled softly, forgetting she’d hear it.
“Baka! OSUWARI!” she snapped, sending him down face first as Kaede arrived, having been slowed by sleep and age.
“Child, what is-Kagome,” she breathed, staring at her.
“Come, let’s have a look at you,” the priestess took Kagome’s arm, and led her back to the hut, where Miroku was trying to get up, still injured and sleepy.
“Kagome??” he stammered, eyes popping out as his spiritual powers confirmed what his eyes were telling him.
“Miroku, it’s me, I-” Kagome began as Shippo pounced.
“Kagome, I-what did you do?” Shippo demanded of Inuyasha, looking horrified as he settled in her arms and glared at the hanyou.
“Brat! I didn’t do anything, so shut it!” Inuyasha’s blood ran cold as her own friends looked at her like a stranger. Memory was making his ears droop as Kaede fussed over her, while Miroku added his two cents when the woman came over to confer. Even without his Kazanna, the monk was skilled and knowledgeable in youkai and the jewel. He kept glancing at his right palm as they spoke though, even Kagome’s plight wasn’t enough to dampen his happiness at the end of his curse.
Inuyasha, however, kept replaying past events in his mind, and was starting to sweat.
‘Filthy Hanyou! Ought to never have been born...Mama, what’s wrong with him?...look at him...what is that?...it’s unnatural...a monster...’ what the hell had he done to her?? ‘They’ll reject her, I know it, I’ll have to take her somewhere safe, no one’s ever talking to her like that!’ his heart beat faster as he kept a scowl on his face, but the mask of indifference was hard to keep. He wanted to shred the lot of them for what he was sure they were thinking.
“Calm down!” Kagome suddenly snapped at him, her nostrils flaring as his scent changed, she could hear his heart beat rapidly, and his breathing sped up. Shippo looked over in surprise and cuddled closer to Kagome as Inuyasha’s fear was clear to his nose as well. She comforted the kit, and asked quietly, “well?”
She pretended she hadn’t heard everything they’d said in whispers, and Inuyasha looked at her, his fear turning to frustration.
“You know what they said as well as I do!” he barked.
“Stop it!” she yelled back.
“It seems the jewel did this, Kagome. Somehow, it changed you into a hanyou. Your aura is very similar to Inuyasha’s, and it’s likely you have the same abilities, hearing, for example,” Kaede noted pointedly, eyeing the distressed hanyou. His angry act wasn’t fooling her.
“But it also means you may have the same problem he does keeping your youkai side in check. We think you need to see Totosai. He may be able to craft something like the Tetsusaiga for you. We don‘t know what transforming into a full youkai might do to you, you weren‘t born one, I don‘t know how exactly you became one,” Miroku added as Sango helped him get comfortable. He tactfully acted as though she hadn’t heard them, respecting Kagome’s feelings. Treating her differently than before wouldn’t help her adjust to this, as there was probably no way to reverse it. No one said it, but it was weighing on all of them.
“She changed. Outside, I had to tackle her,” Inuyasha said slowly, looking, if possible, more worried, in other words, angrier.
“You did? Why was that, child?” Kaede asked.
“I was scared. I never...smelled so much before,” Kagome temporized, not wanting to say it was Inuyasha that scared her, but her ears drooped and she avoided his gaze. He glared at her, inwardly cringing at what happened, and left, stomping out as she bit her lip, a shiver running down her spine as she felt her own fangs. She ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth and swallowed hard. It was so much at once!
“We should rest, and take Kagome to Totosai as soon as we can then,” Sango decided, moving to Kagome to give her a hug. “It’ll be ok, we’re all together,” she said kindly, as Kagome hugged her back with gratitude. Sango saw her friend in the now luminous golden brown eyes that looked back at her, and wasn’t afraid. It was still Kagome.
“Thanks, Sango! I know, it’ll be alright, I just need to find my bal...” she trailed off, eyes wide as she remembered.
“Kagome? Child, what is it?” Kaede asked.
“Well, last night,” Kagome told them hesitantly about her dream, leaving out the part about Inuyasha. That was something she wasn’t up to dealing with yet.
“It’s possible, Midoriko was trapped in the jewel. Was the jewel, more precisely. It took a great deal of energy to purify the shards, correct?” Miroku waited for her to nod, “and the serpent was poisonous. You may have been too weakened to save as a mortal.”
“But how did Kagome become an inu hanyou? That I don’t understand,” Sango admitted.
“Inuyasha made the wish, perhaps she was able to use him to power the magic. It would explain your appearance not changing last night, child. Like Inuyasha, you will probably become human on the night of the new moon,” Kaede noted.
“But, if the dream was true, then the well’s probably closed to me now,” Kagome looked like she was going to cry again. It was a lot to take in.
“But she said when you were yourself the way would open. Perhaps that means it will open when you have your human night,” Miroku guessed, trying to comfort her.
“One night a month?? I can’t live there like this! I can’t!!” Kagome looked panicked.
“Easy, child. One thing at a time. Rest, and then go to the sword-maker. You’re a danger to yourself and everyone else right now, and you must take some time and work through this,” the old priestess said soothingly, patting her shoulder before rising and stepping outside as Sango and Shippo comforted her.
***
“Inuyasha! I know you’re here,” Kaede said as she made her way to the tree nearest to where Kikyou fell and looked up with an internal sigh. It was just as well they were both out here, better the rest not hear this yet.
“So? Come to blame me like everyone else?” Inuyasha snapped, looking down at her through the leaves. He’d been gazing at the ground, lost in his own confused thoughts.
“No, Inuyasha. You seem to be doing a fine job of that yourself. But Kagome will need you more now than ever,” Kaede answered. Her words brought him out of the tree fast, jumping down to face her.
“What do you mean, old hag?” he asked, intently staring at her. He flushed, she was right, damn her, but he tried to focus on what she said.
“She is hanyou now. You, more than anyone here, knows what that means. Youkai will despise her as will most humans, and she must learn how to use her new abilities. You must teach her and protect her.”
“She‘ll never be in danger! What do you think I’d do, leave her?” Inuyasha asked, he knew she was right, but he went on the defensive, hurt Kaede would suggest he’d ever let something happen to her. The prospect of teaching Kagome was daunting though...as visions of ‘Osuwari‘ danced in his head.
“Inuyasha, do not act the fool. You are the only one who can teach her before she endangers everyone,” Kaede said sharply. ‘You may love her, as she does you, but she must stand on her own or you will lose her,’ she thought.
“Heed my words, Inuyasha. Soon we’ll be holding service for the young boy and my sister,” she warned him as she turned.
Kaede looked sadly at the patch of ground for a moment before she left. Inuyasha didn’t seem to realize Kagome had put her sister Kikyou to rest. Kaede knew it as soon as she’d inspected the miko and tasted the currents of residual energy about. Power had been used in ways only Kikyou had known, but the aura was that of Kagome. She had to have done it. When he did...well, they would see.
***
After checking everyone over, and holding a simple burial for Kohaku and Kikyou, Kaede and Shippo, over his objections, headed back out. It had taken her claiming she needed ‘protection’ from the many youkai to get him to leave. In fact, no one wanted him around if Kagome became a full youkai, he was too young, too impressionable and dependent on the miko turned hanyou to see that if it happened. The old Priestess wished she could help them more, but her duty was very clear. She had an entire village dependent on her and they had to be protected.
Author’s notes-First off, thank you very much for reading! If you have a comment, praise or constructive criticism, feel free to review.
Now, at this point, I knew I was having Kagome become a hanyou, yes, and I figured you readers did too. So I chose to use Inuyasha’s eyes and her senses instead of just using an expository paragraph that boiled down to ‘Look! Kagome with doggy ears! Like we didn't know that was coming.’
This was more of a ‘clearing the decks’ chapter, setting the stage for the rest, the drama really gets started next time, so bear with me!-Namiyo
Recap: Folks are mending, no one’s dying, camp’s been made, and Kaede’s been felt up. Good times. : )
Dawn. Rosy gold sunlight poured over the distant mountains, pooling in the glades and burning off the last of the thin fog of night. Inuyasha stretched and gulped nervously as he realized he had fallen asleep.
‘Damn. How tired was I?’ he thought, feeling his strength grow as he transformed for another month, his senses returning to normal. Reaching out to check on Kagome, he froze. There was a youkai nearby, strong, and odd smelling. Almost familiar. He drew Tetsusaiga as his eyes opened to protect...Kagome...? She was gone.
“INUYASHA!!”
“KAGOME!” He bolted out of the hut.
***
The miko had had the strangest dream. First she was floating in a sea of fire, it burned her, made her want to scream, but she couldn‘t. She couldn’t move as she felt herself burning away. She saw flashes of images, of home, school, her life, but again and again, Inuyasha. Inuyasha...crying?
Until a beautiful woman appeared beside her, dressed as a warrior and a priestess, who took her hand and pulled her out of the fires onto a stone shaped like stairs leading upward. Her face was drawn with weariness, but she looked oddly radiant in spite of that.
“Thank you. Tell them all thank you,” she murmured, smiling.
“I cannot restore you as you were, miko. Stories get overblown with time, and we have little of it left. You gave much to save me, too much to repair you now. I can only work with what is available. The heart is a combination of balanced forces, but you will have to learn to balance anew,” Midoriko, Kagome somehow knew this was Mirdoriko, the soul of the jewel, as the woman touched her cheek and seemed to read her heart and mind. Kagome wanted to speak, but found she could not. Everything was already known to the ancient warrior priestess, and nothing could be said that hadn‘t already been shared, with cool fingers lightly touching her face.
“Such love...he loves you truly, you know. I was wise to draw him to me with you all, the spirits of the four souls made whole. I can grant this request, and a single boon of gratitude. When you are yourself fully again, the way will open to the place that birthed you and home again. Remember, and ready yourself,” At that, Midoriko took her face in both hands, and seemed to press something inside, sending power into Kagome. There was a rushing sensation, and she found herself opening her eyes to pre-dawn light glowing through the door to the hut, feeling wonderful down to her toes, but needing to relieve herself. She rose, and carefully picked her way through the sleepers outside, blinking at Kaede and Shippo asleep.
‘How did they get here?’ Kagome thought, puzzled as she stepped outside. The dream was vivid in her mind, and she was deeply confused. She remembered...it had hurt, something had bitten her, and then...the dream. Was that really Midoriko? Unsure what was going on, she headed to the bushes, seeing Kirara faithfully on watch.
“Good morning, Kirara. You look well,” Kagome greeted the delighted neko with a scruffle behind her ears as she passed her. Everyone would be tired, she’d fill the water bottles and stir up the fire when she was done.
Meanwhile, the sun rose. As Inuyasha awoke and smelled youkai...Kagome felt like she’d lost her mind.
A sudden wave of smell washed over her. Burning wood, blood, dried wood, thatch, the myriad scents of the woods and an odd series of musky scents made her head spin. She heard a bird fluttering, and instinctively tuned her ears, it was far away, off to the left.
OFF TO THE LEFT?
Every sense seemed to have sharpened almost painfully, she could make out individual leaves on a treetop across the clearing, she felt strong enough to break rocks with her bare hands, and her hands flew to her ears as the sounds of the woods intensified.
They weren’t there.
“INUYASHA!”
***
“KAGOME!” Terrified for her, he bounded straight for the strange smell, shivering when he couldn’t clearly define Kagome’s scent.
Kagome smelled something strong and musky, and a bright, metallic scent, coming right for her, and threw up her hands, now clawed, in terror. She felt something stir.
Inuyasha blew through the brush to see...a hanyou in Kagome’s clothes??? Her hair, her face hadn’t changed, but two ebony dog ears now sat above her bangs, her eyes had lightened, and claws now graced her fingers. Her scent, once soft and light, soothing, had grown deeper, richer, intoxicating. She was magnificent.
It was rather unfortunate she also was showing every sign of going full youkai in fear as green stripes were faintly marking her cheeks and her eyes were tingeing with red.
“Kagome! It’s me!!” he yelled, sheathing Tetsusaiga and diving on top of her.
“HEY!” Kagome yelped as he plowed into her, arms wrapped tightly around her.
“You’re safe! Kagome!” Inuyasha held her, eyes huge as nearness only wrapped her scent around him. His body reacted strongly to the presence of a female, one-kami help him, who was not far off her heat and untouched. It had been easy enough to shrug it off before, but now...
Kagome gasped under him, unsure what was going on, the impact, and the feeling of safety she’d always had with him saved her. His scent was strong, woodsy, with a sudden musk that sent shivers down her spine as it washed out everything else. She took a deep breath and stared at him in wonder, seeing him with youkai senses. Part of her wanted to sit him, the rest...what was she thinking?? Her youkai side was, without her knowing it, sizing him up, and finding him pleasing.
“I-Inuyasha...what?” she managed.
“Kagome!” Sango yelled, she and Kirara were only steps behind, and they gaped. “What did you do, Inuyasha?” she asked in shock, saying the worst possible thing, yes. But it was all that came to mind.
“Get Kaede!” Inuyasha barked, letting Kagome go as her stripes faded and getting off her fast. He was shaking.
“What’s wrong with me?” Kagome pleaded.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Inuyasha snapped, he automatically drew up, touchy as ever about his mixed blood.
“This!” she stared at her own hands, thrusting them out for inspection, and reached up with mounting horror, feeling her own ears. Kagome started to cry, only making him angrier. He growled softly, forgetting she’d hear it.
“Baka! OSUWARI!” she snapped, sending him down face first as Kaede arrived, having been slowed by sleep and age.
“Child, what is-Kagome,” she breathed, staring at her.
“Come, let’s have a look at you,” the priestess took Kagome’s arm, and led her back to the hut, where Miroku was trying to get up, still injured and sleepy.
“Kagome??” he stammered, eyes popping out as his spiritual powers confirmed what his eyes were telling him.
“Miroku, it’s me, I-” Kagome began as Shippo pounced.
“Kagome, I-what did you do?” Shippo demanded of Inuyasha, looking horrified as he settled in her arms and glared at the hanyou.
“Brat! I didn’t do anything, so shut it!” Inuyasha’s blood ran cold as her own friends looked at her like a stranger. Memory was making his ears droop as Kaede fussed over her, while Miroku added his two cents when the woman came over to confer. Even without his Kazanna, the monk was skilled and knowledgeable in youkai and the jewel. He kept glancing at his right palm as they spoke though, even Kagome’s plight wasn’t enough to dampen his happiness at the end of his curse.
Inuyasha, however, kept replaying past events in his mind, and was starting to sweat.
‘Filthy Hanyou! Ought to never have been born...Mama, what’s wrong with him?...look at him...what is that?...it’s unnatural...a monster...’ what the hell had he done to her?? ‘They’ll reject her, I know it, I’ll have to take her somewhere safe, no one’s ever talking to her like that!’ his heart beat faster as he kept a scowl on his face, but the mask of indifference was hard to keep. He wanted to shred the lot of them for what he was sure they were thinking.
“Calm down!” Kagome suddenly snapped at him, her nostrils flaring as his scent changed, she could hear his heart beat rapidly, and his breathing sped up. Shippo looked over in surprise and cuddled closer to Kagome as Inuyasha’s fear was clear to his nose as well. She comforted the kit, and asked quietly, “well?”
She pretended she hadn’t heard everything they’d said in whispers, and Inuyasha looked at her, his fear turning to frustration.
“You know what they said as well as I do!” he barked.
“Stop it!” she yelled back.
“It seems the jewel did this, Kagome. Somehow, it changed you into a hanyou. Your aura is very similar to Inuyasha’s, and it’s likely you have the same abilities, hearing, for example,” Kaede noted pointedly, eyeing the distressed hanyou. His angry act wasn’t fooling her.
“But it also means you may have the same problem he does keeping your youkai side in check. We think you need to see Totosai. He may be able to craft something like the Tetsusaiga for you. We don‘t know what transforming into a full youkai might do to you, you weren‘t born one, I don‘t know how exactly you became one,” Miroku added as Sango helped him get comfortable. He tactfully acted as though she hadn’t heard them, respecting Kagome’s feelings. Treating her differently than before wouldn’t help her adjust to this, as there was probably no way to reverse it. No one said it, but it was weighing on all of them.
“She changed. Outside, I had to tackle her,” Inuyasha said slowly, looking, if possible, more worried, in other words, angrier.
“You did? Why was that, child?” Kaede asked.
“I was scared. I never...smelled so much before,” Kagome temporized, not wanting to say it was Inuyasha that scared her, but her ears drooped and she avoided his gaze. He glared at her, inwardly cringing at what happened, and left, stomping out as she bit her lip, a shiver running down her spine as she felt her own fangs. She ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth and swallowed hard. It was so much at once!
“We should rest, and take Kagome to Totosai as soon as we can then,” Sango decided, moving to Kagome to give her a hug. “It’ll be ok, we’re all together,” she said kindly, as Kagome hugged her back with gratitude. Sango saw her friend in the now luminous golden brown eyes that looked back at her, and wasn’t afraid. It was still Kagome.
“Thanks, Sango! I know, it’ll be alright, I just need to find my bal...” she trailed off, eyes wide as she remembered.
“Kagome? Child, what is it?” Kaede asked.
“Well, last night,” Kagome told them hesitantly about her dream, leaving out the part about Inuyasha. That was something she wasn’t up to dealing with yet.
“It’s possible, Midoriko was trapped in the jewel. Was the jewel, more precisely. It took a great deal of energy to purify the shards, correct?” Miroku waited for her to nod, “and the serpent was poisonous. You may have been too weakened to save as a mortal.”
“But how did Kagome become an inu hanyou? That I don’t understand,” Sango admitted.
“Inuyasha made the wish, perhaps she was able to use him to power the magic. It would explain your appearance not changing last night, child. Like Inuyasha, you will probably become human on the night of the new moon,” Kaede noted.
“But, if the dream was true, then the well’s probably closed to me now,” Kagome looked like she was going to cry again. It was a lot to take in.
“But she said when you were yourself the way would open. Perhaps that means it will open when you have your human night,” Miroku guessed, trying to comfort her.
“One night a month?? I can’t live there like this! I can’t!!” Kagome looked panicked.
“Easy, child. One thing at a time. Rest, and then go to the sword-maker. You’re a danger to yourself and everyone else right now, and you must take some time and work through this,” the old priestess said soothingly, patting her shoulder before rising and stepping outside as Sango and Shippo comforted her.
***
“Inuyasha! I know you’re here,” Kaede said as she made her way to the tree nearest to where Kikyou fell and looked up with an internal sigh. It was just as well they were both out here, better the rest not hear this yet.
“So? Come to blame me like everyone else?” Inuyasha snapped, looking down at her through the leaves. He’d been gazing at the ground, lost in his own confused thoughts.
“No, Inuyasha. You seem to be doing a fine job of that yourself. But Kagome will need you more now than ever,” Kaede answered. Her words brought him out of the tree fast, jumping down to face her.
“What do you mean, old hag?” he asked, intently staring at her. He flushed, she was right, damn her, but he tried to focus on what she said.
“She is hanyou now. You, more than anyone here, knows what that means. Youkai will despise her as will most humans, and she must learn how to use her new abilities. You must teach her and protect her.”
“She‘ll never be in danger! What do you think I’d do, leave her?” Inuyasha asked, he knew she was right, but he went on the defensive, hurt Kaede would suggest he’d ever let something happen to her. The prospect of teaching Kagome was daunting though...as visions of ‘Osuwari‘ danced in his head.
“Inuyasha, do not act the fool. You are the only one who can teach her before she endangers everyone,” Kaede said sharply. ‘You may love her, as she does you, but she must stand on her own or you will lose her,’ she thought.
“Heed my words, Inuyasha. Soon we’ll be holding service for the young boy and my sister,” she warned him as she turned.
Kaede looked sadly at the patch of ground for a moment before she left. Inuyasha didn’t seem to realize Kagome had put her sister Kikyou to rest. Kaede knew it as soon as she’d inspected the miko and tasted the currents of residual energy about. Power had been used in ways only Kikyou had known, but the aura was that of Kagome. She had to have done it. When he did...well, they would see.
***
After checking everyone over, and holding a simple burial for Kohaku and Kikyou, Kaede and Shippo, over his objections, headed back out. It had taken her claiming she needed ‘protection’ from the many youkai to get him to leave. In fact, no one wanted him around if Kagome became a full youkai, he was too young, too impressionable and dependent on the miko turned hanyou to see that if it happened. The old Priestess wished she could help them more, but her duty was very clear. She had an entire village dependent on her and they had to be protected.
Author’s notes-First off, thank you very much for reading! If you have a comment, praise or constructive criticism, feel free to review.
Now, at this point, I knew I was having Kagome become a hanyou, yes, and I figured you readers did too. So I chose to use Inuyasha’s eyes and her senses instead of just using an expository paragraph that boiled down to ‘Look! Kagome with doggy ears! Like we didn't know that was coming.’
This was more of a ‘clearing the decks’ chapter, setting the stage for the rest, the drama really gets started next time, so bear with me!-Namiyo