Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sweet Temptation ❯ Broken ( Chapter 1 )

Sweet Temptation

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho… Unfortunately

 

Chapter 1: Broken

 

Kagome closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She was determined to convince the stubborn hanyou to let her go home without the need for drastic measures. Ever since the miko had secretly learned to control her powers, Kagome understood how degrading it felt to be controlled by someone that seemed weaker than her. She knew what it did to Inuyasha's ego whenever she embarrassed him by forcefully forcing him face first into the ground without even touching him.

 

With this understanding, Kagome slowly reduced the use of the prayer beads. With this change came several others. The others realized the miko didn't use the `word' as much anymore and in result, Inuyasha didn't seem to be in terribly grouchy moods as often. This was a great relief because with the hanyou in better moods, he didn't push them as hard during travels. No one knew the reason for the miko's odd behavior but didn't question her actions. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Kagome and Inuyasha were much closer than before, he still made a big deal of her going home.

 

“I don't care, I said you ain't goin, so you ain't goin!” he growled as he blocked the miko's path.

 

She glared up at him furiously. His dark golden eyes glared back with equal fierceness. Kagome had come to terms with her feelings toward Inuyasha and realized that she couldn't handle waiting for him. Her heart wasn't capable of any further pain that he may cause in the future. She couldn't stand on the side and wait to see who he chose, her or Kikyou, so therefore she closed off her affection toward the hanyou. Of course she still loved him, but more as a brother than a lover. What she couldn't understand though was why he was still so over protective of her. It was near impossible for any male to get within a ten foot radius of her before Inuyasha would intervene and scare the suitor off. Was she destined to never find love? Because her irritating over protective best friend wouldn't let anyone close enough? He wouldn't even let her go home to visit her family. After having to deal with this for so long, she knew she would snap someday. Apparently, this was that particular day…

 

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?! You don't own me! I haven't seen my family for almost two months! Thanks to you they probably think I'm dead! I am going home and if you don't get out of my way I will sit you so deep into the ground Kikyou won't have to drag you to hell!” Kagome snapped, shouting in his face.

 

Inuyasha was frozen where he stood. Kagome had never been very aggressive and she hardly lost control of her emotions. What he had just witnessed was a once in a lifetime experience, and he sure as hell didn't want to go through it again. He could feel the anger rolling off her petite form in waves as she stood on her tip toes and screamed her complaints into his fragile ears. Never before had the little miko scared him with mere words, but for the first time since he met her, he was tempted to hide in a tree to escape her wrath.

 

Once she was finished with her ranting, she glared up at him, daring him to argue with her further. Inuyasha merely stepped aside without a word. He was surprised that he couldn't come up with some smart ass remark to piss her off further. He made to walk her to the well when she turned that deadly glare toward him once more.

 

“I am very capable of walking myself to the well.” She spat, her voice dripping with her anger. Inuyasha just nodded before disappearing back toward Kaede's hut. Letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, Kagome turned on her heel and began her short trek to the Bone Eater's well. As she walked, she found she was very satisfied with herself. She was able to get through that argument without having to sit Inuyasha and was proud. Though she had to admit the hanyou looked quite traumatized. She shrugged her shoulders as she continued walking. He would get over it. Hell, he should be glad she didn't sit him, so he better be in a better mood when she returned.

 

With a smile on her face that made it look as if she weren't in a bad mood at all, she took a deep breath of the feudal era's fresh air. The well finally came into view and her smile immediately fell. Moving with the skill and speed of a professional, Kagome fluidly removed her bow from her left shoulder and notched an arrow that was ready to be fired at any moment. There, by the base of the well lay a demon. It was a small demon but the miko had come to realize that size didn't matter.

 

Moving carefully, Kagome slowly made her way closer to the demon that was settled next to her only way home. As she got closer, she could see the demon had soft looking silver fur. The beautiful color was doused in splats of crimson around the stomach area. The tiny demon looked quite familiar as she approached and once she was close enough, she knew why. It was a kitsune… a kit. Now that she was closer, she could see why the demon wasn't moving either. It was unconscious. Its wound was deep and still bleeding profusely. It must have passed out from blood lose.

 

Dropping her bow, she kneed at the kit's side and rolled it onto its back. The kit wore a silky shirt and matching pants that were torn in various places. She looked about maybe a few years older than Shippo and was about a couple feet taller. It was obvious she had been attacked and she needed to be healed quickly or there was the possibility that she wouldn't make it. Thinking quickly, Kagome slug her bow over her shoulder and gently lifted the kit into her arms. Moving quickly but carefully as to not agitate the wounded demon, she made her way to her secret cave.

 

She couldn't return to the village because she knew Inuyasha would just throw a fit and once the kit was healed, he would demand that it left. They would most likely get into a fight then because she would not allow the kitsune to go off on her own. She could easily get injured again, or perhaps worst. She wouldn't be able to look at Shippo and not think if the little kit was still alive, or if it had found its family. It would haunt her every thought and she just couldn't bare that, nor did she want to get into yet another argument with Inuyasha.

 

This was the location she would hide when she secretly trained her powers. Midoriko had taught her the basics but unfortunately informed the miko that in order to master her powers, she had to train herself. She didn't want the other's knowing that she could control her miko abilities because she knew they would only become even more protective of her. Not to mention that if they were to be attacked by Naraku and he somehow found out that she was more powerful, he would target her first, before Inuyasha. A powerful miko was far more of a threat to the vile hanyou than Inuyasha.

 

Her secret cave was located behind the well, in the opposite direction of the village. She had found it several days after she began secretly training her powers because she knew she needed a secluded area where she would be in private with no interruptions or threats. And of course it had to be hidden so that no one could find her. Once she entered the cave, Kagome threw a barrier around the mouth of the cave. If she was going to be using her healing powers on the kit, she needed to make sure that she was safe within her cave first. Healing used up a lot of energy, more than purification did surprisingly, and from how severe the kit's wounds looked Kagome knew she would be using quite a lot of her energy to keep the little demon alive.

 

Dropping her pack to the ground and setting down her bow and arrows. Kagome gently place the kit on the ground before sitting beside her. Placing her hands above the child's wounds, the miko closed her eyes in concentration. She could feel her powers flowing through her veins, spreading down to her fingers and seeping into the kitsune's small body. Her energy was gradually deteriorating but with a quick peek at her patient, she could see the kit wasn't healed yet.

 

Forcing more of her healing energy into the child, she fought to stay conscious. Once she heard the kitsune's quick pain filled breathing even out, she withdrew her power and sat back to admire her work. Leaning her back against the wall of the cave, she took deep, even breaths as she checked the demon over once more to see if she missed anything. Once she was satisfied, she crawled over to her bag and pulled out a blanket. She draped it over the kit before collapsing from exhaustion. Thankfully, she saved enough energy to keep the barrier intact.

 

The tingling feeling of a demon approaching jolted Kagome from her sleep. Quickly sitting up, she took a quick glance over to the kit to see she was still sound asleep in the exact same position as she was before. Concentrating on the aura that was now directly outside her barrier, she realized it was only a weak demon that she could easily dispose of herself. Grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows, she slowly made her way to the mouth of the cave.

 

Upon reaching the entrance, Kagome easily spotted the oversized rodent demon that was sniffing at the edge of her barrier. Once it spotted her, it began growling, its beady red eyes glaring at her from the other side of the barrier.

 

“You have the kitsune kit hidden in that cave don't you? Hand her over human.” It snarled in warning.

 

“You're the one who inflicted those injuries on her aren't you?” Kagome glared with pure disgust at the demon that was still growling at her. “How much of a coward can you be? Hunting down a demon child that cannot defend herself.”

 

“That little runt is the last of Youko's family. Once I kill the kit, I will have my revenge.” He growled, preparing to ram into Kagome's barrier.

 

Deciding she wanted to drain more information from this demon about the kitsune she was watching over, she attempted to lengthen their talk before the demon stupidly touched her barrier and turned to ash. “What has this Youko done to you that resulted in the need to hunt down and kill an innocent child?”

 

“He took everything from me. He came to take the shard of the sacred jewel I had but my mate interfered and attacked him. He killed her without even having to move from where he was standing. He told me that since I handed it over so willingly without any trouble, he would spare my life.” He snared at the memory and Kagome almost felt pity for the demon. Almost.

 

“I am sorry for your loss, but revenge is not the answer. Would your mate want you to kill a child in order to avenge her death?” Kagome tried to reason, if she could, she wanted this demon to leave without being killed. She just hoped he wasn't lost in his need for revenge.

 

The demon snorted as it prepared to attack again. “Of course revenge is the answer. He took my mate from me, so it is only fair that I take the last member of his family from him.” He growled before charging toward the barrier. Kagome sighed and closed her eyes in defeat as the demon collided with the barrier. All she could hear was a soft zapping sound followed by the sound of dirt slowly piling on the ground.

 

Shaking her head and turning away, Kagome returned to the deeper part of the cave and slumped down onto the ground. With another exasperated sigh, she leaned down to rest her back against the cool ground before pulling one of her extra blankets over her body. Letting out a yawn, she closed her eyes and slowly fell back asleep, hoping no more demons would interrupt her rest.

 

Kagome woke several hours later to the sound of soft whimpers. Opening her eyes and sitting up slowly, she turned to check on the kit that was supposed to be resting under the warm blanket she had covered her with. What she found instead was along the lines of what she expected when the kit woke. She had managed to make her way across to the other side of the cave and was pressing her back against the wall firmly. Tears were trailing down from her beautiful silver eyes as she hugged her black colored tail tightly to her chest. Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion and her body tense, ready to bolt at any moment.

 

Kagome smiled softly and moved very slowly, so she wouldn't frighten the kit. Moving carefully, she changed her position so that she was sitting on her calves, her hands visible to the kit in a non threatening manner as they rested in her lap. “I won't hurt you, I promise. I just wanted to help heal you.” The miko said softly, still smiling.

 

What happened next was nothing like what Kagome expected. After letting out a loud sob, the kit ran toward Kagome and leapt into her arms. She buried her face in the miko's stomach and continued crying, even harder now. After recovering from her shock, Kagome slowly wrapped her arms around the small demon, hugging her to comfort her as much as she possibly could. Soon her sobs died down to soft sniffles and her tight grip on the miko's shirt slowly loosened. The kit slowly climbed out of Kagome's lap and bowed her head as she stood in front of her.

 

“I am sorry…” she said softly, her voice cracking slightly.

 

Kagome smiled and shook her head. “Don't apologize, it's perfectly fine.”

 

The little kit looked up at her through beautiful thick lashes, her eyes puffy and red from crying. “Thank you…” she whispered.

 

“You're welcome… so where are your parents? Why were you out there all by yourself?” Kagome asked slowly, watching the many emotions that flashed across the kitsune's face. She dropped her gaze to the ground once more and Kagome regretted asking in the first place.

 

“They're dead… they were killed several weeks ago and I've been on the run ever since. I've been trying to find my uncle… he's all I have left and I knew he could keep me safe.” She explained quietly, her gaze remaining on the ground at her feet.

 

Kagome slowly reached out and pulled the kit into her arms once more. She hugged her tightly, dragging her fingers through the soft fur of her tail as she tried her best to comfort the kit. She seemed so fragile in her arms… so breakable. Then again, if she thought about it, it was almost like she was already broken. Her heart was broken. Her family was gone and all she had left was her uncle and she had almost failed in finding him. She was broken and Kagome was determined to help fix and mend her together.

 

“What's your name?” Kagome asked softly.

 

“Alexis…” she answered quietly, fear laced into her smooth voice.

 

“My name is Kagome… you don't have to be scared Alexis, I promised I wouldn't hurt you and I won't. In a village not far from here, all of my friends are waiting there for me to return. One of those happens to be a kitsune kit…about the same age as you, maybe a few years younger.” Kagome smiled when Alexis stared up at her in disbelief.

 

“Is he an orphan too?” she asked.

 

Kagome nodded, “Unfortunately yes. I took him in when we found him and discovered his parents had been killed by the Thunder Brothers. He's been traveling with my group ever since.”

 

“He's so lucky that he found you… I'm so lucky I found you.” She said with a small smile, wrapping her arms around Kagome's waist once more in a hug.

 

“Well I actually found both of you, but it's the same concept.” Kagome laughed.

 

“Ok then we're lucky that you found us.” The kit grinned up at the miko and Kagome rolled her eyes and ruffled her hair.

 

“I hate to ruin the good mood but a demon came by here earlier looking for you…”

 

Alexis buried her face into Kagome's stomach as if she could hide from the world if she couldn't see it. Kagome rubbed her back soothingly before continuing. “He said that he was after you because of a demon named Youko that was related to you.”

 

“That's my uncle! He's a thief so I bet he probably stole something from the demon.” She explained proudly. Kagome smiled down at the kit. She must really look up to her uncle to speak so highly of him.

 

“Yes, the demon said your uncle stole a shard of the sacred jewel from him. Your uncle must be powerful because that weak pathetic excuse for a demon was obviously too scared to go after Youko himself so instead settled for hunting you down.” Kagome said sourly, glaring at the opposite wall angrily. Just the thought of a demon preying on a child made her blood boil.

 

“Oh he is. He's very strong. That's why I was trying to look for him…he could easily keep me safe.” Alexis said quickly, bouncing up and down in Kagome's lap as she explained her uncle. Kagome laughed. This was how the kit should be acting. Like a hyper active energizer bunny. She was beginning to act somewhat like Shippo did on a daily basis and it was easing her worry. Kagome didn't know much about the kitsune breed but she did know how a kit should act. She also knew that handling two kits was going to be a handful…Shippo was already almost too much for her to handle sometimes.

 

Maybe if she helped find Alexis's uncle then she would be happy. Not to mention Kagome would then only have to deal with one kit. She wouldn't mind if Alexis stayed with them but she just figured it may be easier for the kit if she was with her uncle. He was a kitsune and could teach her things that she could not. Things that kitsune's should know, things that Shippo may not ever learn… Kagome stared down at the hyper kit that was still talking about her all powerful uncle and Kagome smiled. It was obvious that she wanted to find Youko, so she would help her.

 

“Alexis, how about I help you find your uncle?” Kagome said, interrupting the kit's banter.

 

Her golden eyes widened with excitement before she leapt up and wrapped her arms around Kagome's neck in a tight hug. “Really? You would help me? Oh thank you Kagome… thank you soooo much.”

 

Kagome laughed. “It's no problem at all, I'm a little curious to meet your uncle anyway, he seems interesting. Not to mention I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you went off on your own to look for him.” Kagome shivered at the mere thought of it. She highly doubted that if the kit was attacked again and was put in the same condition or worst as when she had found her, that someone would come along and rescue her again. It was rare that humans cared for demons, and another demon would most likely feed on her dying corpse.

 

“So when do we leave??” she asked in excitement.

 

Kagome thought of Inuyasha and how pissed he would be if Kagome returned with Alexis and said they were going to find her uncle for her. He would refuse and throw a fit, saying it was a waste of time that they didn't have and that they needed to find the last of the shards before Naraku did. Kagome groaned at the thought. She sure didn't want to get into another fight with the hanyou. Maybe she could return without Alexis and say that she had finals to study for and take and her mother wouldn't let her return until they were over.

 

Kagome smirked. That would definitely work. Inuyasha wasn't scared of anything she could think of except for her mother. She wasn't sure why, but her mother scared the living day lights out of Inuyasha. He was very polite when he talked to her and would do anything she asked of him. Maybe it was because he was afraid of what her mother would do to him if she was ever hurt. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that if her mother said she was to stay home for tests, then Inuyasha wouldn't complain.

 

“Alexis, I want you to stay here ok? Don't leave the cave. I'm going to talk to my friends. When I get back, we'll leave.” Kagome smiled when the kit nodded obediently. Ruffling her hair once more, Kagome stood and slug her bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder. She left her pack behind so it seemed like she had only brought back her weapons because she didn't plan to stay long. She was going to explain that her mother only allowed her to return for a few hours so she could explain to them that she had to stay home for at least a month for finals then she was allowed to return.

 

It was a perfect plan…there was no way it could fail.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“She says I'm not allowed to come back until finals are over.” Kagome sighed in irritation, pretending to be disappointed that she couldn't come back for a month.

 

“Well if your mother says you can't, then there is nothing we can do.” Miroku shrugged.

 

“You need to keep a passing grade in school anyway Kagome, so just do your best. It must be hard to juggle school work and coming back here to collect the jewel shards. Don't worry about us; we can manage without you for a month.” Sango grinned, hugging her friend tightly.

 

“Yea, and there's no way I'm going to argue with your mother…so I guess we'll see you when you get back.” Inuyasha said quietly.

 

Kagome was jumping with joy inside. She was so thrilled this plan was working out so perfectly. She was tempted to skip out the hut with a huge grin on her face, but she had to keep up her sad face so it seemed that she didn't want to be stuck in her time for that long and just to study for another boring test. She nodded her head slowly, her eyes dropping to the ground as she moved to hug everyone goodbye for the time being.

 

“Don't worry Kagome, everything will be ok. I'll forgive you as long as you bring me back some more candy.” Shippo grinned as he hugged his adoptive mother tightly before kissing her on the cheek and leaping into Sango's arms.

 

Kagome smiled slightly, though she didn't let it reach her eyes. “Yea…I'll miss you all. See you in a month.” She sighed before dragging herself out of the hut and back toward the well.

 

“Poor Kagome, I'm glad I don't have to do those tests. From how she acts, she seems to really hate them.” The miko heard Sango say before she was out of earshot. Once the village was no longer in sight, she grinned. She did it! She had successfully got herself a month of free time. Kagome wasn't completely sure if they would find Youko in that time span but that's the most she could ask for without raising any suspicions.

 

If they didn't find Youko within the next month, then Kagome decided she would go through the argument with Inuyasha so that Alexis could travel with them. They were bound to run into the kitsune thief sooner or later if he really was stealing shards from other demons. When they did find him, she would make sure Inuyasha didn't kill him and would reunite Alexis with her long lost uncle. Eventually everything would work out. It had to.

 

She brushed those thoughts aside as she came to the cave entrance. Her barrier was still intact, untouched. Walking through, she immediately heard soft whimpering and sobs. Sighing to herself, she made her way deeper into the cave to see Alexis curled up in a ball surrounded by the blankets the miko had left with her to keep her warm. Her tiny body was shaking with her sobs and she could easily see the wetness that was slowly growing as she continued crying into the soft blankets.

 

Slowly kneeling down beside her, the kit lifted her tear filled eyes up to Kagome before flinging herself into the miko's open arms. “I miss my mommy…” she cried, hiccupping from trying to speak while she was sobbing. Her breathing was coming out in sharp shallow bursts as she tried to stop crying. Kagome hugged the shaking kit to her tightly, rubbing her back soothingly.

 

“It's alright… shhh.” She whispered.

 

“I miss her… I'll never see her again… she left me all alone…” the kit cried, fisting her hands into the fabric of Kagome's shirt.

 

“She hasn't left you Alexis. She is always with you…in your heart. She will always be there for you. She lives in your dreams and memories.” Kagome said softly.

 

Alexis, her breaths coming out in hiccups, looked up at Kagome with teary eyes. “Is she really?”

 

“Of course. She will always be with you. Right here.” The miko smile as she placed her finger on the kit's heart. “As long as you never forget her and only think of all the good times you had with her, she will remain with you in your heart. She will keep you safe.”

 

“S…so mommy is the one who led you t…to me?” she sniffled.

 

Kagome nodded. “Most likely, your mommy saved you by leading me in your direction because she knew I would help.”

 

The kit gave the miko a teary smile before hugging her again. “Mommy knew you would keep me safe… she was always a good judge of character.” The kit giggled slightly through her tears.

 

“I bet she was. Did you know that the dead can hear your thoughts?” Kagome asked softly, almost laughing at the shock and disbelief that was splashed across the kits face when she looked up at her again.

 

“How? Can they really?”

 

“Yes, they can. If you think really hard about your mother, you can tell her how much you love and miss her.” Kagome explained and watched as Alexis closed her eyes really tight for several minutes. When she opened them again she was looking up to Kagome with hopeful eyes.

 

“Do you think she heard me?”

 

Kagome smiled softly and pulled the kit into another tight hug. “Yes sweetie… I think she heard you loud and clear.”

 

“Thank you Kagome.” Alexis smiled as she pulled away.

 

“Of course, and anytime you feel you miss her a lot again, just close your eyes and think about her really hard. Tell her how you feel. Tell her what you did that day. I'm sure she would enjoy hearing what adventures you're experiencing even though she can see them because she is watching over you.” Kagome smiled as she began packing the blankets in her pack. “Life is pain… get used to it. That's what my mother would always tell me during troubling times.” Kagome smiled slightly.

 

“Ok, I'll keep that in mind… are we leaving now?” she asked as she moved to help Kagome pack up.

 

“Yes, I talked to my friends and I got us a month to look for your uncle.” She explained.

 

The kit frowned slightly as she leapt onto Kagome shoulder after the miko strapped her bag to her back and slug her weapons over her shoulders. “Only a month? Will we be able to find him in that time?” she asked.

 

“I'm not sure, but if we can't then we'll move onto plan B.” Kagome grinned.

 

“What is plan B?”

 

“You join my traveling group. We're bound to run into your uncle at some point in time.” Kagome explained as she began walking toward the east.

 

“Why don't we just go straight to plan B then?”

 

“Because it's a little complicated…” Kagome sighed. She knew she would have to explain this to the kit sooner or later, but she had hoped it would have been later. She didn't want Alexis thinking that her friends didn't want her to come along.

 

“You never really told me anything about your friends or your travels Kagome.” She said innocently. “Or where you make these odd objects you have with you. That blanket was very soft, what is it made of?”

 

Kagome laughed sheepishly. This kit was even more observant than Shippo was. “I travel with five of friends that I have met over the past year and a half. Sango is a taijiya, Miroku is a monk, Shippo is the orphaned kit I told you about, Kirara is a Sango's neko companion, and Inuyasha is an inuhanyou.”

 

“A miko, monk, taijiya, orphan, neko, and hanyou? Your group is very odd. I would love to hear how you met them.” She smiled.

 

Kagome laughed. “Ok, who do you want to hear about first?”

 

“Shippo.” She cheered with a huge grin.

 

“Alright. So you know that Shippo's parents were killed by the Thunder Brothers. Well back then it was only Inuyasha and I. We had stopped to eat lunch in a bone yard, which I was not happy about one bit. Shippo appeared out of no where, using his illusions to trick Inuyasha and me while he dug through my pack to steal the shards I had.” Kagome laughed at the memory of the big pink bubble that was threatening Inuyasha.

 

“Well Inuyasha wasn't tricked and he caught Shippo. The kit then explained that he needed the shards so he could get stronger and avenge his parents' deaths. I promised Shippo that we would help him avenge his family and made Inuyasha promise not to hurt Shippo. I'm not sure why, but that stupid hanyou likes picking on Shippo all the time. He's always hitting him over the head or holding him midair by his tail. Oh it just gets me so angry to even think about it!” Kagome fumed.

 

“Anyway, I was kidnapped by the Thunder Brothers and Inuyasha and Shippo came to rescue me. Hiten was the older brother and was in charge. He looked human and was actually quite handsome. Too bad he was such a savage. The younger brother was Manten. He was the one that kidnapped me and had planned on eating me.” Kagome said in a story like tone, making Alexis gasp.

 

“Then what happened?! Did Inuyasha save you??” she asked, impatient for the miko to continue.

 

“I convinced the brothers that Inuyasha would give them his shards if they returned me to him safely and untouched. I don't know how, but the buffoons believed me and set out in search of Inuyasha. But he was already almost to their castle so we crossed paths in no time. Manten had me trapped on his cloud while Hiten approached Inuyasha. After arguing and some misunderstandings, Inuyasha attacked Hiten. I attacked Manten and the cloud we were on disappeared. We hit the ground but thankfully I landed on Manten so he broke my fall.

 

“I tried to climb out of the huge crater that was made from us falling but he grabbed me again, threatening to kill me if I didn't cooperate. Shippo saved me then by using his spinning top illusion. I was able to escape Manten while he was under the illusion but once it faded, he came after us. We didn't know before but Manten could throw fireballs from his mouth. I had grabbed Shippo and ran to hide because I couldn't possibly beat a demon as strong as he was and Inuyasha was still fighting Hiten.”

 

Kagome paused to take a breath and put the suspense sound back into her voice, finding entertainment in the facial expressions Alexis was making from her story.

 

“After burning down every place possible for us to hide, Manten finally go a hold of me again. Shippo attacked him to try and save me but he was thrown into a nearby tree and rendered unconscious for the time being. Manten was choking me and just as I thought I wasn't going to make it, his grip suddenly loosened. He dropped me and fell to the ground. I looked over to him after catching my breath to see Inuyasha's sword, the Tetsugia, was stabbed through Manten's chest.”

 

Alexis gasped in surprise. “Inuyasha saved you?! How did he possibly have the time to save you when he was stuck fighting Hiten??”

 

“He had seen Manten trying to suffocate me but couldn't get to me because Hiten was standing between him and me. So he leapt up and threw Tetsugia. Hiten had mocked him, saying that he missed but he didn't realize that the hanyou wasn't aiming for him but for his brother. Once Hiten realized his brother was killed, he went into a rage. I grabbed Shippo and ran to Inuyasha while Hiten mourned over his brother. Myoga, Inuyasha's somewhat guide, said that we were in big trouble now because Hiten had taken Manten's shards and combined them with the ones he already had. So now Hiten had 5 shards and was really powerful.

 

“Inuyasha had just gotten the Tetsugia recently so he didn't know how to use its power yet and without it, he couldn't defeat Hiten. Well Hiten and Inuyasha got into another fight and Inuyasha lost the Tetsugia. So he was using his sheath to defend himself. Shippo woke up by then and we ran to get Inuyasha's sword for him so he could beat Hiten. We got Tetsugia back to Inuyasha but he was still at a disadvantage because Hiten could fly. So Myoga told me that if I could take out the flying devices on his shoes that Inuyasha may have a chance of winning.”

 

“So what did you do? I thought you didn't have any strong powers back then Kagome.”

 

“I didn't, but I had been practicing with my bow and arrow so I could defend myself at least a little bit. I was able to fuse small bouts of purification into my arrows and I successfully shot one of Hiten's shoes. He couldn't fly anymore and now he and Inuyasha were even. I hadn't noticed when, but Shippo had grabbed his father's pelt that was wrapped around Manten's waist. He refused to part with it and dragged it everywhere we went.

 

“Hiten was angry that I had taken out his flying ability so he threw a thunder ball at us. We didn't have time to move and were hit with the attack. Inuyasha snapped then and somehow released one of Tetsugia's powerful attacks called the Wind Scar. The attack killed Hiten but Inuyasha didn't care about the shards anymore because he thought I was dead. Turned out that Shippo's father had some fox magic left in his pelt and the magic saved us from Hiten's attack that would have surely killed us.”

 

“Wow, it sounds so exciting. You tell stories very good Kagome.” She grinned.

 

“Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.”

 

They took a break at a river they came across to rest for an hour or two and have a late lunch. It wouldn't be long until it started getting dark but Kagome was sure she could get another two hours of walking done before stopping to make camp for the night. After eating and packing their things together, Alexis leapt back onto Kagome's shoulder and requested that she continue with her stories of her friends.

 

“Ok so that was how you met Shippo, so tell me about Sango and Kirara now.” The kit pleaded and Kagome smiled sadly.

 

“Sango's story is a little sad. I'm not going to go into complete details because I think that is for Sango to decide to share but I will explain the basics.”

 

Alexis nodded in understanding, respecting that fact that Sango wanted her privacy and that Kagome respected that privacy. It said a lot about how caring Kagome was of her friends.

 

“Sango lived with her father and little brother in the last remaining taijiya tribe. They were all called to a temple to dispose of a demon and were ambushed. One of the demons had planted a controlling bug on Sango's little brother Kohaku. The demon was controlling his actions and after their family killed all the demons, Kohaku was forced to turn on his family. He killed them all… even their father. Sango was the last one standing and she had found out who was controlling her brother.

 

“But it was too late. The guards of the castle attacked them, shooting them with dozens of arrows. All of their bodies were buried but somehow Sango survived and pulled herself out of the ground. She dragged herself to the nearest temple and was manipulated by Naraku that Inuyasha was the one who was in charge of the death of her entire family and tribe. Now before I continue with Sango's story and how we ended up meeting, I should explain to you who Naraku is and why he was targeting Inuyasha.”

 

“I know who Naraku is. My father had told me about him before. He is an evil hanyou that was once human but sold his soul to demons so he could be powerful. He used to be a bandit by the name of Onigumo but is now know as Naraku. He is in the process of collecting all the shards of the Shikon no Tama so he can become a full demon.” She explained.

 

Kagome smiled. “Yes, your father kept you well informed, that's good. Did he tell you about the story of the miko he fell in love with?”

 

Alexis nodded before she gasped in realization. “He fell in love with the miko named Kikyou that was taking care of his wounds but he couldn't have her because she was in love with a hanyou named Inuyasha! Kikyou was the guardian of the sacred jewel at the time and he became a hanyou so he could pit Kikyou and Inuyasha against each other so they would kill each other and he could take the jewel. So your Inuyasha is the same Inuyasha from before! But I thought he was pinned to a tree for eternity?”

 

“He was supposed to be trapped there forever, but I will explain that later. That is part of my story.” Kagome grinned. “So Naraku sent Sango out to kill Inuyasha. He had already sent several demons to kill us but none were strong enough to get the job done. Naraku figured a taijiya would have the skills to kill us off though and she probably would have been able to if she wasn't near death from all the blood she had lost. Before she could really get anywhere close to killing Inuyasha, she passed out. Inuyasha carried her to safety and I cleaned and wrapped her wounds. When she woke up, she tried to kill Inuyasha again but I explained to her that Inuyasha would not kill her family and that it must have been Naraku. She had heard of Naraku and all of her anger was turned to him.”

 

“So her whole family was killed? Poor Sango…” Alexis sighed, understanding how the slayer must feel.

 

“That's what we thought, but somehow Naraku brought Kohaku back to life with a jewel shard. He erased all of his memories and uses Sango's poor brother to do his dirty work. It kills Sango every time we encounter Kohaku because he can't even remember his own sister.” Kagome explained sadly.

 

“Is there anyway to save Kohaku? To get him back to Sango and return his memories?” Alexis asked hopefully.

 

“We aren't sure, but we do know that the jewel shard in his back is what's keeping him alive…if that is removed, he will die.” Kagome said as she stopped for the day and set down her bag.

 

“So that's how you met Sango…and Kirara was just with her the entire time?”

 

“Well Kirara was a little complicated. We didn't find her until later because Sango had left her at the village when they all set out to the castle. So later when Sango went to bury her family properly, she found Kirara.”

 

“Kirara must have made her feel a lot better…not as lost as she must have first felt.” Alexis said quietly.

 

Kagome nodded slowly as she prepared to made dinner. “Yea, well that's all the stories for today!”

 

“Aww, why Kagome? Please tell me one more! Please?” she begged.

 

Kagome shook her head with a laugh. “No can do, we need to save some stories for the rest of our boring travel to occupy ourselves. Tomorrow I'll tell you Miroku and my story, seeing as you already seem to know Inuyasha's story. Then the next day I'll tell you about Kouga and some of the other demons we have met along our journeys. I have made quite a few friends here…” Kagome smiled to herself as she stared into the fire she had made to cook dinner. So many friends…and there was the possibility that she may never see them again after the final battle.

 

“I can't wait.” Alexis grinned as she stared at the odd metal object that Kagome was using to cook noodles in water. She wasn't sure what she was making but the fish they had for lunch was very good so she was sure she would like whatever Kagome was making now. Once dinner was ready, Kagome handed Alexis a bowl of ramen before serving herself. The kit found that she loved the flavored noodles very much and ate it even faster than she did with her fish.

 

After dinner was cleaned up, Kagome pulled out her sleeping bag and settled it near the fire so they could keep warm. She threw a barrier up around their little camp before sliding into her sleeping bag and motioning for Alexis to sleep next to her. The kit happily skipped over and dove under the cover. She cuddled up against Kagome's chest, her nose pressed into Kagome's neck as she inhaled Kagome's comforting scent of almond and peppermint.

 

The kitsune fell asleep quickly and Kagome smiled as she wrapped her arms around her tiny form lovingly. Kagome stared up at the stars in the sky above her. That was another reason she loved the feudal era so much more than her time. She couldn't see anything in the sky because of all the pollution and lights in her time. Here, everything was so clean and clear. The air smelt fresh and not like gasoline. Sighing to herself and closing her eyes, Kagome just hoped they would be able to find Alexis's uncle within the next month. But for the time being, she would watch over the kit as if she were her own.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

A/N:

 

There's chapter one of my newest fic! Hope you all enjoyed. I'm slowly becoming more descriptive in my writing the more I write. I often look back to my first fic and pick out the many differences between my writing when I first began and how much I have improved. Well enough of my babble. Chapter two will be up soon, so no worries ^_^ but I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your vacation with your families…I know I will.

 

Happy Holidays,

Icyfire

 

Next Chapter - Chapter two: Fairytale