InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Something to Protect - Echoes ❯ Aftermath ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One

*~*~Aftermath~*~*

 

 

 

Kagome Higurashi released a tired groan and shifted onto her side on top of the rough futon. She opened her eyes slowly, hoping her vision would cooperate this time. Being this was her third attempt at "waking up" she was hoping that she finally got it right.

 

Her lashes fluttered weakly, but didn't close. Good start. When the light hit her eyes the world was still spinning, but that was expected. She didn't fall unconscious again. Another mark in my favor. The blurring figures finally materialized . . . into a set of mischieveous green eyes about two inches away from her face.

 

She let out a startled shriek as she tumbled backwards rather inelegantly, struggling to free herself from the blankets that had become entangled between her legs.

 

“Kagome!” a voice squealed from beneath the mountain of blankets.

 

Kagome stopped her losing battle with the bedding as the small kitsune launched himself into her arms. She smiled down at him softly. The little fox cub was gripping her between his small fingers as if afraid she would fade away.

 

She had to admit that that was exactly how she'd felt the last few days.

 

After helping Inuyasha control the power of the Shikon shards, she'd felt as if her very essence had drained away. The last thing she remembered was the look of utter devastation on Inuyasha's face as she'd collapsed.

 

After traveling with the hanyou for the past two years she had thought she'd fully covered Inuyasha's small range of emotions. She'd been wrong. That look had never crossed his features before. And hopefully it never would again.

 

They'd brought her back to Kaede's village days ago, and she'd been recuperating ever since. At least she thought it had been days. No telling. She had spent most of the time fading in and out of consciousness.

 

She gave Shippou a reassuring pat, returning to her reclining position on the disheveled futon. Inuyasha was probably furious, she thought with a heavy sigh. They'd harnessed the power of the Shikon shards, finally drawn Naraku out of hiding, and she'd fainted!

 

He'd probably complained about stupid humans and their weak constitutions all the way back to the village!

 

And poor Miroku and Sango, she thought guiltily.

 

They'd sacrificed everything to get close enough to defeat Naraku. Vengeance for both of their families had been so close, and she'd screwed it up.

 

Again.

 

Everyone seemed to have an ability to use against Naraku, everyone but her. Technically she was a miko, but she could barely control her power the majority of the times. The small amount of power she possessed, she admitted glumly.

 

She didn't have nearly as much spiritual power as Miroku. But that was to be expected as he had been doing this most of his life, and she had been haphazardly training between geometry exams. But she was supposed to be the reincarnation of the great priestess Kikyou, and it had taken her all this time just to hit targets with her arrows consistently. Not very encouraging.

 

And as for spiritual power, the undead miko had more power than she could ever possess. Sometimes she wondered if being the unofficial jewel detector was the extent of her abilities. . .

 

Kagome jerked upright as Sango and Miroku collided in their haste to enter the small hut.

 

They must have heard Shippou, Kagome thought with a sigh.

 

“Houshi-sama!” Sango stammered blushing slightly.

 

“My apologies,” Miroku said with the politest of smiles maneuvering the unsuspecting girl ahead of him.

 

Sango's smile turned into a glare as she heard Kirara's warning hiss from behind them. “Houshi-sama,” she growled, her tone dangerously low.

 

She peered over her shoulder and sent him a piercing glare. He retracted the hand that was inches away from her butt with a sigh. The monk sent her his best sheepish smile.

 

“Not working,” Sango said sweetly, taking a hold of his wrist in a grip that made even Kagome wince.

 

Ignoring his protests she dragged the lecherous houshi over to the futon, positioning him so his hands were in clear view of both girls. Kagome rolled her eyes at the pair, then noticed their attire.

 

“Why are you in your battle gear?” she asked, motioning to Sango's black and dark pink uniform.

 

Sango rushed to calm her friend before she became alarmed. “Just a small youkai problem.”

 

“Was it bad?” Kagome asked concerned.

 

“Just a few low level forest youkai,” Sango said dismissively. Kagome glanced at Miroku for reassurance.

 

“Inuyasha didn't even get to use Tetsusaiga,” Miroku said giving an amused smirk.

 

Kagome smothered a laugh. She knew how much Inuyasha hated it when Miroku and Sango gave him what he referred to as the “leftovers”.

 

She watched the monk's gaze shift from mischievous to concerned. “Are you feeling any better Kagome-sama?” he asked.

 

Her gaze caught Kirara as she hopped nimbly onto Sango's shoulder and nuzzled her neck. Sango let out a giggle as the neko youkai's fur tickled her skin. Kagome released a small sigh. Kirara's antics reminded her of Buyo.

 

Granted her pudgy cat had a couple pounds on Kirara, and he didn't do much hopping, but the sentiment was still the same.

 

More and more things were reminding her of home.

 

When she first fell into the well the longest she'd ever stayed in the feudal era was a day or so. Now she was lucky if she made it home once a week. This was the longest she'd ever stayed away. She hadn't seen her era in weeks. Kagome never thought she'd miss the congested city as much as she did, but she was beginning to think that was the case. Everything she encountered just reminded her that there was somewhere else she'd rather be.

 

She hadn't wanted to slow down the search for Naraku when he seemed so close, so she'd said nothing.

 

The longer the search went on for the Shikon no Tama the less going back to her era felt like going home and more like going to visit. Somewhere over the years this place had become just as much of her home as the era she had been born into. And that revelation was truly frightening.

 

All she could do was hope, probably in vain, that her family wasn't worried. Her mother would welcome her with open arms, then those same loving arms would probably try to forcibly restrain her when she went anywhere near the well. Definitely not looking forward to that conversation.

 

“Kagome?” Miroku asked, worry etching his voice.

 

“Huh?” she said snapping out of her rather disturbing daydream.

 

“I asked if you were alright,” Miroku said his eyebrows knitting in concern.

 

“I-I feel great now,” Kagome stammered. “I think all I needed was a good rest.” Technically it's not a lie. Granted "great" might be the overstatement of the year. But being conscious is a big plus.

 

“We've been worried about you,” Sango stated quietly.

 

Kagome smiled up at the young woman who'd become like a sister to her. “I'm fine.” It almost didn't even feel like a lie that time. Maybe with a little practice she'd be able to pretend her head didn't feel as though it were splitting in two. Until then she'd concentrate really hard on not scaring her friends to death by passing out again.

 

“We knew that controlling the Shikon no Tama had to be no small feat,” Miroku allowed, “and your miko energy would be drained, but we were worried most about. . .”

 

He searched his vocabulary for the correct word. When he couldn't recall it, he turned to Sango with a questioning glance.

 

“In. . .Infec. . . In-fec-shy-oon,” she said pronouncing each syllable.

 

“Infection,” Kagome provided with a geniune smile.

 

“Yes,” Miroku said relieved.

 

When Kagome looked confused Sango motioned to Kagome's injured legs. “Oh that,” Kagome said trailing off lightly.

 

“Kagome-sama those burns were quite substantial!” Miroku lectured, “Without proper care there could be lasting difficulties.”

 

Kagome nodded obediently, though she'd nearly forgotten about her burned feet and ankles. The corrosive acid inside the demon had eaten through her thin socks seconds after she'd stepped from inside Miroku's barrier. She gave her toes an experimental wiggle and winced. They obviously weren't fully healed yet.

 

“We applied the medicine for burns that was in your kit,” Sango added helpfully, motioning to Kagome's first aid kit lying in the far corner of the hut.

 

“They should heal quickly then,” Kagome reassured the worried taijiya.

 

Kagome knew that Sango didn't really feel comfortable with her medicinal skills. Sango kicked youkai ass and Kagome bandaged up their companions when they inadvertently got their own asses kicked. If Kagome wasn't present then it was usually a mad dash back to Kaede's village for the old miko's help. It must have worried them that she had not been conscious to tell them the proper way to use her medicines.

 

“Now that you're better you can take care of the big baby,” Miroku grumbled.

 

“Houshi-sama!” Sango scolded, elbowing the monk lightly in the ribs.

 

“Big baby?” Kagome mumbled a little confused. The abrupt change in topic threw her a bit. Baby? Shippou? She figured Shippou had been glued to her side ever since she'd collapsed. He'd probably annoyed the others with his incessant whining while I slept, she thought with a sigh.

 

She felt for the kit. Kagome had taken responsibility of the child's care when he'd decided to follow them. Somebody had to! It had been between her and Inuyasha, who'd had a habit of thumping the poor thing on the head when he irritated him. So she'd gained a baby brother of sorts.

 

The fox cub in question was still snuggling into her shirt. He'd lost both of his parents without any warning, and he'd probably been terrified that he was going to lose her too.

 

“You weren't that bad were you Shippou?” Kagome asked, watching as his innocent eyes appeared cautiously from beneath the hem of her shirt.

 

He shook his head, and Kagome laughed at the serious look on his little face. She took the small window of time that he'd emerged from beneath her clothing to rub his belly playfully.

 

Both girls burst into laughter as Shippou flipped onto his back with a giggle, legs shaking madly.

 

Miroku mumbled something about "cute kids having all the luck" when Kirara leaped from her perch on Sango's shoulder next to the wiggling kitsune. Sango laughed as Kirara rolled onto her back in invitation, with a happy mew. Kagome reached her other hand over to give Kirara the same attention she was giving Shippou.

 

“See Shippou's been a good boy,” Kagome said defensively. Shippou attempted to agree between snorts and giggles.

 

Miroku rolled his eyes. “I wasn't talking about the kit, I was referring to the pup.”

 

“The pup?” Kagome repeated confused.

 

Sango nodded toward the door with a venomous glance.

 

They've got to be kidding. “Inuyasha was being a big baby?” Kagome mumbled, saying the words out loud, not quite sure she believed them.

 

“More than normal,” Shippou agreed, scrambling up onto Kagome's shoulder.

 

“He usually saves his moods for when you go home,” Sango added, “but he's been acting like somebody killed his best friend.”

 

Kagome snorted in disbelief. Like Inuyasha would ever admit that he had any friends at all, let alone that she might be his closest.

 

She let out an exasperated sigh. Shippou could be pretty annoying when he was upset, but he had nothing on Inuyasha's temper tantrums. He could do some real damage if he gave into the urge to. And knowing Inuyasha that was pretty much imminent.

 

“When he wasn't sulking he was terrifying the villagers and Shippou,” Sango said relating his transgressions.

 

“He annoyed Kaede-sama until she ordered him to go occupy himself,” Miroku added, “then he proceeded to destroy two barns minutes later while he was `practicing' with Tetsusaiga.”

 

Shaking her head knowingly, Kagome resigned herself to hear the rest. 'Practice' sessions with the legendary sword almost always ended in collateral damage. And that was when Inuyasha was in good mood, she thought wryly.

 

“Don't forget about the field!” Shippou piped up, not wanting to be left out.

 

“Do I even want to know?” Kagome asked Sango quietly.

 

“Probably not,” Sango admitted, but Shippou continued anyway, obvlious to the miko's tenous hold on her temper.

 

“He destroyed a field full of crops!”

 

“He did what!” Kagome yelled attempting to rise to her feet. She winced in pain and sat back on the futon, rubbing her ankles gingerly.

 

“He swore he smelled Naraku in the field,” Miroku said skeptically.

 

“Naraku!” Kagome cried her voice rising in fear as she jumped to her feet again, this time staying upright, despite the pain.

 

“Kagome-sama!” Miroku cried grabbing her arms to steady her.

 

“Naraku was here?” Kagome asked frantically. When had this happened? They would have found a way to wake me up right? How can they be so calm about this?

 

“No, no” Sango said reassuringly, “Inuyasha claims that he senses Naraku every couple of hours.”

 

That didn't sound right. “But he's always been right before,” Kagome defended.

 

“While that might be true,” Miroku agreed, "I assure you that Naraku was not in the forest, the stables, the barn, or in the abandoned hut near the edge of the village.”

 

“Don't forget the chicken coop," Sango reminded sighing heavily with the memory.

 

“ Oh yes, how could I forget the chicken coop?”

 

“Feathers everywhere!” Sango said shaking her head.

 

“The villagers have been eating chicken for days,” Miroku said lightly. “Which is why they weren't so happy with his latest `mishap'.”

 

“The field,” Kagome guessed quietly.

 

“He was so sure he could smell Naraku in the field!” Sango declared.

 

“And when he couldn't see him because the crops had grown too high. . .” Miroku let his voice trail off as if daring her to guess.

 

Oh no. “He didn't!” Kagome said with shock.

 

“He did,” Miroku reassured her, as Shippou proceeded to do an exaggerated demonstration of Inuyasha using Kaze no Kizu on the village's crops.

 

Kagome let out a frustrated growl.

 

“He's been hiding ever since,” Shippou explained eagerly.

 

Kagome raised an eyebrow in question. Hiding did not sound like Inuyasha at all.

 

“Oh he's around,” Miroku admitted. “He appears long enough to annoy everyone and then leaves.”

 

“He's avoiding the villagers,” Sango explained, “but he's always lurking somewhere close.”

 

“Right, Inuyasha?” Miroku yelled, rolling his eyes.

 

“Keh!” a voice mumbled from the other side of the mat over the doorway.

 

Miroku rested his face in his hands in exasperation. “Kagome-chan you've got to help us,” Sango pleaded, “it's like he knew that since you were injured he couldn't be punished.” Kagome knew she referred to the subjugation spell.

 

“You guys know I can hear you!” Inuyasha growled.

 

“We are quite aware,” Miroku said eyes narrowing in irritation.

 

Kagome's eyes widened at the anger in the mild tempered monk's voice, and felt anger of her own slowly building within her.

 

Does he care so little for me? She had to admit that she knew the thought was somewhat selfish, but once it crossed her mind it refused to leave.

 

She'd been hurt, and he'd been running off after every small thing that could lead him to Naraku. She'd always stood by his side when he was injured. No matter how much he insisted that she leave him alone. Would it have been too much for him to wait and see if she would ever wake up, before continuing on with the 'mission'?

 

Was it because while I was unconscious she could not locate the shards for him? So because she'd had no practical use at the moment, she'd had no value? Granted he wasn't the most emotional creature, but would it kill him to pretend a bit for her sake.

 

Kagome felt tears threaten to leak from her eyes. Her anger quickly overtook them as she shrugged off Sango and Miroku's hold on her arm.

 

“Inuyasha no baka!” she whispered furiously.

 

She knew he'd heard her when he launched into his usual tirade about how weak humans were. Not exactly the response she'd been hoping for.

 

Blocking out the familiar words, she felt unwanted resentment surface and manifest itself in her voice.

 

She resented him for his tendency to point out every flaw she possessed. But mostly she resented herself, because a lot of what he said had a ring of truth to it.

 

He was still talking, she realized in annoyance.

 

Normally he answered with grunts and small sentences, but this was a topic he seemed to have no trouble expanding upon. She gritted her teeth, and struggled to ignore him. She failed as he moved on to her spiritual abilities

 

“. . . . and you run in without thinking. I don't know if you ever think. You just notch an arrow and hope it hits something. It's not like you know what the hell your doing. It's not like you've actually had any kind of training. Damnit it's not like you're. . .”

 

He cut himself off abruptly, as the silence became more pronounced. It was deafening to Kagome. Full of all the things he wouldn't say and she would refuse to hear.

 

Sango took a step back as she glanced at the look on Kagome's face. It had gone from shock to embarassment to rage in the space of a heartbeat.

 

“Inuyasha. . .” Miroku warned.

 

“I'm not what?” Kagome whispered in disbelief.

 

Inuyasha was uncharacteristically silent.

 

Fueled by her anger alone Kagome snatched up her bow and arrows from where they were leaning in the corner. She strode to the door, pushing the mat out of the way with enough force to yank it from the frame. Inuyasha let out a startled yelp, and stumbled backwards, as her hand connected with his face through the mat.

 

Kagome ignored his plight and the pain throbbing in her legs, as she advanced on him. "It's not like I'm what?" she asked him again through clenched teeth.

 

He seemed to realize he'd made a mistake as his ears lowered slightly. She couldn't stop staring into his golden eyes, as he looked away guiltily.

 

She'd seen that look before.

 

Many times in fact.

 

It was then with a depressing pang Kagome realized her error. What she always knew was in his mind, but he could never bring himself to say. She didn't know if it was sheer rage at him or the beginnings of selfloathing but she was determined to make him say what he had been brave enough to almost blurt out moments before. It was as though on a deeper level she needed to hear the words more than he needed to say them.

 

“It's not like I'm who?” she asked correcting her mistake with a growl.

 

Sango's strangled gasp behind her back did nothing to soothe her wounded spirit.

 

Say the words. She implored him, with the damaged look in her eyes, to just get it done. Say the words. With every breath. With every fiber of her being she needed to know. Needed to know if this was how he really felt. Say them Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly in defiance. And she could literally see the moment he refused to answer. His silence told her nothing, but the fact that she needed to know so desperately told her something even more damning. She nodded slowly as if understanding something, then turned and began to limp away.

 

“Kagome. . . .”

 

“Don't,” Kagome snapped never turning to face him, struggling to ignore the repentence in his tone, “just don't.”

 

She continued her painful walk into the village, ignoring the sound of Miroku's staff as it collided with the dense hanyou's head.

 

She couldn't dredge up enough feeling to care.

 

She should have known he would eventually say it. As many times as he'd hedged around it in the past.

 

She'd always thought that she was prepared for it. But she hadn't been expecting it as soon as she'd recovered. She'd just almost died helping him find the stupid jewel shards.

 

But it hadn't been enough.

 

Her current ability would never be enough.

 

Kagome couldn't help the feeling of inadequacy that threatened to overwhelm her. The throbbing in her ankles increased and she decided to blame that for the tears that reappeared in her eyes.

 

Inuyasha was right she admitted in defeat, it's not like she was Kikyou.

 

What she didn't understand was why if Inuyasha knew this, did he continue to compare them?

 

 

 

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

 

 

Author's Notes

Just a few minor changes that no one probably even noticed, but were driving me crazy. Onward to chapter 2 revisions!

 

 

* * * Blanket Disclaimer: Inuyasha's mine? Keh! I wish! I'm just borrowing `em. * * *

 

 

 

What the heck do these words mean:

 

Baka- Idiot

Kitsune- Fox Demon

Miko- Priestess

Tetsusaiga: Inuyasha's sword

Neko- Cat

Shikon no Tama- Jewel of Four Souls

Kaze no Kizu- Wind Scar

Hanyou- Half Demon

- sama - Title of honor

- chan - Title of familiarity