InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Something to Protect - Echoes ❯ Epiphany ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

*~*~Epiphany~*~*

 

 

 

Kaede lifted her head from her task as she heard slow footsteps on the path behind her. Her hearing wasn't what it used to be, but she recognized them as Kagome's before the young woman emerged into view.

 

The obviously annoyed young woman had been growling under her breath which had narrowed the choices considerably.

 

It either would have been her or the young demon slayer after dealing with the lecherous monk.

 

The girl stood there for a moment as if trying to figure something out, so Kaede returned to the job of trying to salvage as many of the destroyed crops as possible. Minutes later when it appeared Kagome would lose her nerve Kaede decided to try to ease the girl into a conversation to make it easier for her.

 

The old woman stood slowly, taking time to rub a particularly sore spot in her back with the palm of her hand.

 

“I see you're up and moving young one.” she started slowly, “Is everything alright?”

 

Kagome nodded weakly, shifting her weight back and forth as if staying in one spot was causing her to be uncomfortable.

 

“Your legs will probably be painful for a few days,” Kaede explained quietly.

 

“I know.” Kagome replied slightly irritated that the woman had brought up her injury. Her fragile condition was just another weakness she didn't want to face at the moment.

 

Kaede raised her eyebrows slightly at the girl's tone, but didn't remark upon it. She'd been through enough in the past weeks to warrant more than a little irritation.

 

Kaede watched the girl gather her courage for a third time then resign herself not to speak. The old milo though patient was not a mind reader and decided if she wanted to know what was going on with the girl she was going to have to force the conversation, but before she could confront the young woman about her mood, breathless words were hastily blurted from Kagome's mouth.

 

“Train me Kaede-sama!”

 

Kaede's shock must have shown on her face because Kagome's face was quickly turning red with embarrasment. She attempted to adjust her features to reflect mild surprise, but it was difficult given the circumstances.

 

“Train you?” Kaede started in confusion.

 

“I know it might be completely insensitive,” Kagome started her voice barely above a whisper, “but I don't know who else to ask.” She lowered her eyes, silently berating herself for even opening her mouth. Kaede though skilled, was probably the last person she should have attempted to recruit. But she should have thought of that before ambushing the poor woman.

 

“You mean train you in the ways of the priestess,” Kaede said finally understanding what the girl wanted. Kagome just nodded rather pitifully.

 

Kaede understood the girl's hesitation though she didn't agree with it. Kikyou had trained her, and by training Kagome Kaede would essentially be imparting the young miko with all the knowlege that her sister had given her. A daunting task indeed, but she doubted that this was the source of the girl's discomfort.

 

When Kikyou had been ressurected she'd made it perfectly clear what she'd thought of the novice miko. Nothing but a flawed imitation that could never replace what she had once been. If Kaede chose to do this it could be viewed by some as a betrayal. Not that Kaede in her advanced years cared much for what others thought of her. Though she had been prepared to aid Kagome in her training if finally requested, the memory of her sister's last moments made her hesitate unexpectedly.

 

“You already possess the powers of a miko,” the old woman reasoned.

 

 

Kagome snorted in disbelief. “The small amount of power that I possess is barely controlled. I can only infuse a small amount into my arrows and they are not always enough.”

 

Kaede nodded in reluctant agreement, but she could not help but be honest. “I do not know if you are ready for this task my child.”

 

Kagome's eyes darkened at her words, but she nodded in acceptance.

 

“Not because of the reason you believe,” Kaede corrected softly.

 

She did not want to compare Kagome to her sister anymore. She had made the mistake of doing this when the child had first arrived in this era, and it had done nothing but help Kagome confuse her identity with the undead priestess for the last few years.

 

“A miko is more than an occupation it is a way of life,” Kaede confided gently, “and there are things that you do that just aren't done as a priestess.”

 

A look of confusion overcame Kagome's face. Okay so I haven't been the most obedient of charges, and my temper doesn't exactly fall into the category of anybody's ideal priestess, but I don't think I've broken any sacred dictates. She cringed as she mentally recounted her percieved sins.

 

“I mean the company you keep child.”

 

“You mean traveling with Shippou, Inuyasha and Kirara,” Kagome replied coldly.

 

“I love them as well,” Kaede reassured her, “and that is not what I meant. I was referring to your. . um. . feelings towards Inuyasha.”

 

Kagome turned her face away quickly.

 

Everyone seemed to know about her 'feelings' towards the short tempered hanyou, but no one had ever dared to mention them out loud. For reasons she didn't want to begin to guess at. But mainly because they had barely even admitted it to themselves.

 

“But your sister. . .” Kagome hedged.

 

“Wanted him to be human”, Kaede stated quietly. Irrevocably.

 

“But if he didn't she still would have. . .” Kagome started in disbelief.

 

Kaede shrugged. “I honestly don't know Kagome. I just wanted you to know that your feelings might not be accepted.”

 

Kagome finally looked the woman straight in the eye. “I don't need anyone's acceptance.”

 

“Don't you?” Kaede whispered.

 

Kagome shut her eyes thinking briefly of the silver haired hanyou that constantly underestimated her.

 

“I don't need Inuyasha's acceptance!” Kagome lied openly.

 

Kaede smiled indulgently. “It is not Inuyasha's acceptance I was referring to child, but your own.”

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Inuyasha rubbed the bridge of his nose gingerly as he reclined on one of Goshinboku's long branches. Kagome hadn't hit him hard enough to leave a bruise, but it had still hurt like hell.

 

He hadn't meant to say what he'd been about to say.

 

Well ok he had meant it.

 

Just not the way that Kagome had thought he meant it. He'd been an idiot to use Kikyou as an example for anything involving Kagome, but he wasn't about to admit it.

 

And had it really deserved her surprisingly solid left hook to the face?!

 

Probably, he thought, surprised at the small smile that crossed his face at her violent response. It was a hell of a lot better than the one she'd given when she'd finally gotten outside.

 

The look in her eyes had worried him. Not that her being pissed off with him was anything new. But the way she'd reacted had been strange. She hadn't called him a baka and she hadn't sat his face into the ground until he couldn't breathe, which was what he'd expected.

 

She'd just gotten that hurt look in her eyes and left.

 

He didn't know how to deal with that. Kagome yelling he could deal with.

 

Keh! . . .Just yell louder than the wench.

 

But he had no idea what to do when she looked as if he'd just completely crushed her.

 

Inuyasha winced as a pebble smacked him in the temple.

 

“I know you know I'm here Inuyasha,” a voice said from the forest floor.

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. For a girl who took forever learning how to aim an arrow, she sure seemed to get accurate at pelting him with objects fairly quickly.

 

He'd subconsciously heard her sluggish approach moments before, but had struggled to ignore her. If she was going to continue to hold a stupid comment that he hadn't even gotten a chance to say against him then he wasn't going to be responsible for his response.

 

He was almost afraid to look at her. When he finally did he soon realized that he shouldn't have given his worry a second thought. Gone was the wounded woman he barely recognized. Here was the stubborn young miko that he knew and . . . tolerated. She stood below in the shade of the waving branches with escaping rays of sunlight bathing her in twinkling light. Inuyasha had an eerie sense of dejavu.

 

Her stands, hands perched impatiently on her full hips. The disgruntled pout. Even the way her stormy eyes glared up at him, as though trying to put together a puzzle that was missing more than a few pieces.

 

It all reminded him of the day over two years before when she'd stood exactly as she had now, exasperatedly telling him that her name was not Kikyou, but Kagome.

 

Ka-go-me.

 

The memory brought out a faint smirk, that he didn't dare let her see. He'd known from that moment that the feisty girl would prove to be trouble.

 

And she'd yet to prove him wrong.

 

The foreign emotions she'd shown earlier were a thing of the past. All he could sense from her now was a mild irritation. Strange. Maybe I should test that theory, before she decides to give the right hook a try.

 

“Damnit, Kagome!” he said launching the pebble in her direction, smiling slightly when she almost fell on her ass trying to dodge it.

 

“I could've shot an arrow you know,” she reasoned.

 

"And missed!" Inuyasha shot back with a priceless smirk.

 

“I didn't come to argue with you,” Kagome said with a sigh.

 

“Keh!" Well that's new.

 

“Kaede's in the field you know,” Kagome hinted.

 

"I know."

 

“Cleaning up the mess you made,” she continued, hands returning to her hips.

 

Silence followed.

 

Kagome decided that hinting tactfully was definitely not going to work in this situation.

 

“Why don't you help her since you're the one that destroyed the village's main food supply?” Kagome growled.

 

"They've got chicken."

 

“Inuyasha stop being a baka!” Kagome snapped irritably.

 

“Naraku was in that field!” Inuyasha said seriously. It was about damn time someone started listening to what was important. Like the homicidal maniac lurking nearby that nobody seemed able to sense but him.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “What does that have to do with you cleaning up the mess you made?”

 

“I can't be bothered with that right now,” Inuyasha said quickly, “not when Naraku could attack at any moment.”

 

Kagome recognized the stubbornness in his voice and gave up for the moment.

 

“Fine I'll go help her!” she challenged.

 

He shrugged nonchalantly and positioned Tetsusaiga in his arms more securely, before closing his eyes.

 

She turned on her heel, though it hurt like hell, and strode back the way she came.

 

“Baka,” she mumbled.

 

“Annoying wench.”

 

“Idiot!” she yelled continuing her indignant march.

 

"Bitch!"

 

She turned back towards the tree anger evident in her eyes. Not good.

 

“Damnit!” Inuyasha murmured realizing his mistake a second too late. When will I learn to wait until I'm on solid ground to piss this girl off?

 

He dug his claws into the tree deeply. Actions he knew would prove futile. Flames leapt into her eyes as the miko disappeared into the forest.

 

"Osuwari!"

 

Inuyasha let out a panicked yelp as the force of the spell yanked his grip loose from the faithful tree and plummeted him face first through the branches into the unyielding ground below.

 

Inuyasha listened to make sure that she wasn't coming back for seconds before letting out a low groan. Damn that had hurt. He rubbed his nose again, this time more gently. He didn't know how much more abuse it could take. He lay there recovering his bearings for a second. How tall was that damn tree anyway?

 

He couldn't find it in himself to be angry at her. He'd deserved it. In fact he'd riled her up on purpose.

 

Anything to get that disappointed look off her face.

 

He smiled a bit as her remembered the fire that had been in her eyes. Now that was the Kagome he knew.

 

His ears perked up as he heard Kagome's startled shriek from deep in the forest.

 

“Stupid girl,” he mumbled. The girl was constantly tripping over things. I should probably check and make sure she hasn't killed herself, he thought rolling his eyes, as he tried to pry himself from the ground.

 

The spell hadn't worn off yet he realized with irritation. Kagome would just have to do without him for a few minutes. Serves her right, he thought annoyed. After that fall he figured he'd earned a well deserved rest anyways.

 

His senstive ears shot to attention at the second scream that echoed through the trees.

 

Fear etched its every note. Kami!

 

"Naraku!" Inuyasha mumbled struggling in vain to lift himself again.

 

"Inuyasha!"

 

The terrified scream seared him to the core. Refusing to acknowledge his momentary helplessness he scratched desperately at the ground until blood seeped from beneath his claws. But it was futile.

 

He knew from experience that the spell would last a few seconds, maybe a minute longer, but Kagome didn't sound as if she had a minute.

 

His prediction proved hauntingly accurate the next time he heard her voice.

 

"INUYA. . ." He listened in sickening horror as her last scream was cut off abruptly, and there was nothing but silence.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Author's Notes

 

I'm in the process of editing so I can clean up a few of the formatting and grammatical errors that were brought to my attention. A few new tidbits thrown in here and there. Not enough to shift the plot, but enough to make me feel a little better about posting it. 

 

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

 

 

 

What the heck do these words mean:

 

Goshinboku- Sacred time tree

Osuwari- Sit

Haori- Inuyasha's shirt/cloak