Other Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome's Trial ❯ Chapter 7

Not a very long chapter, but maybe I'll post another one before I leave. I found out today that my parents moved back the day we're leaving, so I have one more day than I thought I did. So, if y'all are good, then I'll post another one. And if anyone feels like it, you can thank Kalissa for giving me feedback; that's the only reason I put up the new chapter.

 

Kalissa: You're the first feedback I've gotten for this! You are one of my favorite people! If I could pass a cake through the computer I'd send you one. Since I can't, I will just say how much I appreciate the comment.

 

~*~

 

After that day, Felix and Kagome could hardly be found apart. They were the same age, but they were also close in age to the other three. However, that day a bond formed between the two and it was almost like they were each other's shadow. The other villagers grew used to seeing the pair together, and when they saw one, they automatically assumed the other was somewhere close by.

 

Jenna, Isaac, and Garet viewed this with amusement. They knew that Felix was naturally introverted and this was a very promising start. Of course, they thought that they fancied each other. What they didn't know was Kagome was already taken by a half-demon from another time. Felix knew this so he kept his distance. They were still close, but Kagome wouldn't bring herself to betray Inuyasha, and Felix was too well mannered to try and make her.

 

At the moment, Felix and Kagome were gazing longingly out over the fence by Kraden's cottage. This fence supposedly kept demons out of Vale and in a cave that was somewhere behind it, so no one was allowed on the other side.

 

“Do you think there are strong demons on the other side?” Felix asked her idly.

 

It depends on what you call “strong”, Kagome thought but didn't say. Out loud, she said, “Maybe. I don't know why the elders haven't eradicated them, though.”

 

Felix shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either. The two would've stayed longer, but Kraden called them up. Knowing they'd better go, they turned and walked up the steps to his home.

 

“Good, you're here,” he said when they came into view. “Today we're going out of Vale to look for these plants.” He showed them a small plant that had red and blue leaves as well as green ones. “We're running low on antidotes, so we need to find more. This is what it's mixed from, so we're to find and harvest as many as we can. Isaac, Jenna, and Garet are needed for something else, so it will be just the three of us. Let's get to work!” The energetic old man gave them baskets for the plants and led the way out of Vale to a place not far out of the small town.

 

The area had lots of trees, so it was difficult to see what they were looking for, but if they got closer to the ground it was much easier. As they worked, Kraden told them about the antidote plant.

 

“We crush it to get the antidote made,” he explained. “We could just eat the plant itself, but it wouldn't work as well. It's much stronger when the juices of the plants are mixed together. It's more potent this way. If you're badly poisoned, eating one plant won't cure you, it'll just slow down the poison. It would take three, maybe four, to cure a large dose of poison.”

 

Six hours later they were done. Of course, they didn't work the entire time; Kraden had brought lunch for them, and they had taken small breaks every hour. When they were done, none of their baskets were completely full, but they found enough to last them for a little while. Kraden took their baskets when they arrived back in Vale and told them that they would collect more at a later time.

 

The next day they were getting ready to go back to Kraden's cottage for their lessons with Jenna, Isaac, and Garet when Arianna stopped them. “You're not going out today,” she said tersely when they asked her. “Strangers have been spotted coming to Vale, and you aren't allowed out.”

 

This wasn't good news. Jenna now had nothing to do except bug Felix and Kagome, and they had to not explode with boredom. After only three hours Kagome was thinking longingly of her bag in her and Jenna's room. Maybe it's time I showed them what a CD player is, she thought to herself. I have to have something to do, and listening to music sure beats what I'm doing now. Excusing herself, she took the steps two at a time and got her bag out from under her bed. Reaching into it, she took out her CD player and her case of CDs and went back down the stairs.

 

“What's that?” Jenna asked when she saw what Kagome had in her hands.

 

“This is a CD player,” she explained, holding up the player, “and this is my CD case.” She held up the other hand with the case in it. “Since we have nothing better to do, I thought I'd bring it down and show you guys how to use it. It'll give us something to do, at any rate.” So she sat down and explained how it worked. Since she only had one set of headphones, they had to take turns listening. After a while, Kagome remembered the speakers in the front pocket of her bag. Usually she didn't have them so she didn't remember they were there. Once she plugged the speakers into the player they all listened. While she was getting the speakers, she also spotted a deck of cards, so she taught them how to play simple games, then, once they got the hang of it, moved on to more difficult games.

 

Since there was no light except for candles and the sunlight from the windows, they had put themselves down in front of a window. Looking outside, Kagome saw a group of people following one of the townspeople. She didn't recognize them, so she assumed they were the reason they couldn't go outside; Felix and Jenna had explained about the foreigner rules earlier. However, these people didn't look quite right. It took her a moment to figure it out, but then it hit her; their skin wasn't a normal color. The one in the lead had blue skin, and the ones following after him also had a varied skin color. As they came closer, the blue-skinned one seemed to look directly at them. Kagome froze, and by the way she could see Felix stiffen beside her, she knew that he saw the strange folk as well. Those burning red eyes seemed to pierce into her soul. Luckily it didn't last for very long; the blue-skinned thing had to keep following the Valean to wherever they were going.

 

The exchange was so short that Jenna missed it, but a feeling akin to being drenched in cold ice water in the middle of a snowstorm fell over both Kagome and Felix. They continued playing cards, but the image of that thing with burning red eyes stayed in their mind's eye.