InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The New Student and Kagome's Secret ❯ Chapter 30: Surprises in Nomad's Land ( Chapter 30 )

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry again for the long wait! This semester just has me really busy! But I promise I will continue to write it! Good news too! Next week is Spring Break and I decided not to go anywhere this year! So I will completely finish the story next week!!! YAY! THANKS TO ALL MY LOYAL READERS!

Chapter 30

Myouga sat with his back straight against the wall. He stared at Kagome and waited until she was sound asleep. When he was certain she was asleep, he crept over to where Sango and Miroku slept. He knelt next to Miroku and shook him gently.

"Miroku," he whispered. "Wake up." Miroku opened his eyes slowly to find Myouga kneeling next to him.

"Myouga?" Miroku said. "What is it?"

"Lord Inuyasha would like to see you and Sango," he replied as he stood up. "Meet us outside, but try not to wake up Kagome or Shippo." Miroku nodded and stood up. He walked over to Sango and knelt beside her.

"Sango," he said shaking her gently. "Sango, wake up." Sango yawned and looked up. When she saw Miroku standing over her, she jumped up and slapped him.

"What are you doing, Mi…" Sango said but was cut off by Miroku clamping his hand over her mouth.

"Shhh!" he said. "We don't want to wake up Kagome or Shippo." Sango frowned.

"What's going on?" she asked. Miroku shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know, but did you have to slap me?" he asked rubbing his cheek. Sango folded her arms and looked away from him.

"Why not? I though you were being your usual perverted self!" she said tooting her nose up in the air.

"Myouga woke me up and told me that Inuyasha wanted to see the two of us outside," Miroku explained. Sango nodded and stood up.

The two of them walked outside to find Myouga and Inuyasha standing next to each other and staring at them. Sango and Miroku looked around as if there was something they were hiding.

"Okay, what's going on?" Sango demanded. "Why did you pull us out here in the middle of the night?"

"It's time," Inuyasha said turning his back to them. "It's time the two of you knew everything that is going on." Miroku and Sango exchanged glances. They walked over to a couple of big rocks and sat on them while they awaited Inuyasha to begin his story.

"Miroku," Inuyasha began. "You already know a lot of this, but there are some things that even you don't know about. Basically, here is the gist of it. I am the heir of the Western Lands. Right now, I am Lord of the Western Lands whether I would like to accept that responsibility or not. My father left that responsibility to me before he died."

"Wait," Sango said. "I thought Sesshoumaru was the Lord of the Western Lands."

"He took over the position, yes," Myouga said. "But the true Leader of the Western Lands has always been Inuyasha. Sesshomaru dethroned his father, therefore, he took over the position. Now, Sesshomaru may be alive. He may not be. However, Inuyasha defeated him in battle whether he is alive or not. By demon rules, Sesshomaru is dethroned and Inuyasha is the new leader."

"So you are the leader right now?" Miroku asked. "I just always thought that you were going to have to make that decision once we got there."

"And I thought we were just going to look at a castle!" Sango exclaimed. "I had no idea Inuyasha was the Lord of the Western Lands!" Inuyasha nodded.

"I can decide to give up my position once I arrive," Inuyasha said. "But the only way I can do that is to find a replacement and to go through a formal ceremony when I will bestow rights to the Western Lands upon that person. That is something I felt you should know. Another reason I brought you out here, however, is because of Kagome. Kouga and Sesshomaru will be after her."

"Kouga?" Sango said. "Why him? Miroku told me that he was going to allow us to pass through the mountains safely."

"He is," Inuyasha said. "But he is looking to make Kagome his wife." Inuyasha clenched his fists and Sango gasped.

"But Kagome would never do that!" Sango said. Inuyasha looked at her, a look of relief on his face.

"It doesn't matter to him," Inuyasha said. "He will take her by force if he has to. So, we need to be on the lookout for her. Kouga could appear at any time and try to take her from us. We just need to be cautious and ever aware of our surroundings." Sango, Miroku, and Myouga nodded.

"Next thing," Inuyasha said. "We also need to be on the lookout for Sesshomaru. He could be anywhere. I don't know if he is trying to contact Kagome or not and it doesn't really matter. She opposed him and almost killed him. That is reason enough for him to kill her. Just be careful. I want someone with Kagome at all times. Sango, I will leave that mostly to you. Take baths with her, never allow her to go to the river alone, etc. I, of course, will keep watch over her, but I have limitations, and I don't want Kagome getting suspicious." They all nodded their heads.

"Inuyasha," Sango said. "Are you going to accept the responsibility of Lord of the Western Lands?" Inuyasha acted shocked by the question.

"I…don't know," Inuyasha said. "I can't truly tell you that until I get to the castle. I think I will be able to tell a lot of things once we get there. We will need to use extreme caution once we arrive. Sesshomaru may be dead, but it doesn't mean he hasn't left any traps behind. Be careful and look out for each other!"

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. Was this the same Inuyasha they met a few months ago? No. The Inuyasha back then would have said every man for himself. Kagome had had an affect on Inuyasha…whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Okay," Miroku said nodding. "Then it is settled. Kagome is never let out of sight and we all should now use extreme caution."

"Sire," Myouga asked Inuyasha. "What about Lady Kagome? Is she to know any of this?"

"No!" Inuyasha said. "She is to know nothing." Miroku and Sango exchanged glances, but then looked at Inuyasha and nodded. Sango and Miroku knew that if Kagome ever found out that Inuyasha was hiding something from her, she would kill him.

`This is not going to be pretty,' Sango thought.

* * *

The next morning, the group got an early start. Myouga led the way, followed by Inuyasha and Kagome with Shippo in her arms, then Kirara, Sango, and Miroku. Kagome looked out in front of her and saw that they would soon be leaving the mountains. The scenery was beautifully decorated with small mountains, crystal clear rivers, and an array of wildflowers. Kagome took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

"Ah!" she said with a smile. "It's kind of nice to be away from the city and get some fresh air. I could get used to a place like this." Inuyasha glanced at her but said nothing. He just frowned. Kagome's smile faded as she examined Inuyasha's countenance looking for a reason that would have caused him to give her such a cold stare. Kagome glanced back at Miroku and Sango who both quickly looked away.

`Was it something I said?' Kagome thought as she turned back around. She looked up ahead. It looked as if there was one giant hill and then that was it. It all of a sudden turned into long plains and meadows scattered with trees and woods, but that was a long way away. She couldn't tell what lie just beneath the hill on the other side. The group continued their track up the hill. Sango and Miroku meanwhile squabbled and quarreled the entire way up the hill.

*SMACK*

"Stop touching me, Miroku!" Sango said.

"I didn't do anything!" Miroku said.

"Yes, you did!" she exclaimed. "Your hands have been wandering since we left!"

"Don't make me come back there!" Inuyasha warned.

"He started it!" Sango said pointing to Miroku.

"What? My hands have a mind of their own!" Miroku argued. Sango flamed red.

"That's it! I am tired of this!!!" Sango yelled so loud that it caused Myouga, Inuyasha, and Kagome to stop in their tracks and look at them. Sango stood with her hands balled into fists at her side. Her face was flaming a hot red and she began poking Miroku in the chest as she began to speak.

"You have no respect for me! You never pay attention to me in any way other than being a pervert! You only care about yourself and I don't know why I ever went out with you in the first place! Miroku, I could kill you sometimes, just kill you! That's it! I have had it!!! Just leave me alone!!! I don't ever want you to see, touch, or talk to me again!!!!! Pretend I don't exist because as far as I am concerned YOU don't exist!" Sango screamed. Miroku had been back up against a nearby tree when Sango yelled at him and poked him. Sango swung herself around and marched right by Inuyasha, Kagome, Myouga, and Shippo. They all looked at her.

"WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?" she retorted causing Inuyasha to jump behind Kagome. Kirara meowed and ran after Sango.

"You fight demons of all kinds and an enraged woman scares you, a half-demon?" Kagome said sarcastically as she looked over her shoulder at Inuyasha. He straightened himself up and walked in front of her.

"Speak for yourself!" Shippo said. "I am full demon and she gave me the creeps!"

"Come on, Myouga," Inuyasha said. "We don't want to lose sight of Sango. She's on a mission and there is no telling what kind of trouble she might get herself into." Myouga nodded and walked ahead of Inuyasha who quickly followed. Kagome let Shippo down on the ground.

"You go ahead with them," Kagome said.

"But Kagome…." Shippo protested.

"No buts! Just follow Inuyasha!" Kagome said. Shippo nodded and scurried after his hanyou friend. Kagome turned around to look at Miroku who was still pressed against the tree. He hadn't known how to react to Sango berating him so. He just stood there in utter shock. Kagome walked over to him.

"Hey," she said. "You okay?" Miroku didn't say anything. He just erased the shocked look from his face, brushed himself off, and stood up straight.

"I'm fine," he lied as he walked past her. "She's just a little upset. She'll get over it." Kagome joined him at his side and walked with him to catch up with the others.

"You know," Kagome said. "Sango can get really mad sometimes. You needn't worry about her." Miroku looked straight ahead and didn't respond. Kagome sighed and continued walking with him.

"This time was different," Miroku said suddenly, startling Kagome. She looked at him. He now hung his head as he walked and a look of pain was on his face. "She had a right to be mad. I really don't treat her with respect."

Kagome looked up at Miroku. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could the perverted monk actually deeply love Sango? She always knew he did, but he just never seemed to act like it or show it. Could he finally be willing to change his perverted ways for her? `He may lose her if he doesn't,' Kagome thought. She looked up ahead. The others had slowed down so she and Miroku could catch up to them.

"It's about damn time!" Inuyasha barked when they finally arrived. "I thought I was about to have to hold Sango down!"

"Hmph!" Sango said folding her arms and turning her head. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Let's just go," he said giving Myouga the nod to lead the way. Shippo ran behind Inuyasha and jumped on his shoulder.

"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted picking up the young kitsune by the tail. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not fast enough!" Shippo argued struggling in his grasp. "I'll only slow you down and I decided Kagome needed a break from carrying me!" Inuyasha contemplated what the kitsune had just said for a couple of seconds.

"Hmph! Whatever!" Inuyasha said as he placed the kitsune back on his shoulder. "But I am only doing this because you are too slow and pathetic to keep up!" Shippo seemed satisfied with that as he perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. He had grown accustomed to his insults. Kagome smiled.

`At least someone is getting along,' Kagome thought. `Well, better stick by my girl.' Kagome walked next to Sango and Miroku walked behind them. Kagome dared not say a word to her friend until she said something first. Sango had a quick temper and could easily lash out at Kagome for taking up for Miroku if she wasn't ready to talk about it.

The group soon arrived at the top of the hill. They stopped for a minute and stared out into the distance. In the distance lay a small village.

"Myouga, do you know of this village?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes, my Lord," Myouga said. "I am not sure of its real name, but its nickname is Nomad's Land. Very few people ever reside here for long. For some reason, they always seem to leave within a few months to a year. People just seem to randomly show up out of no where. There are a few who have lived here their entire lives, but not many.

I would assume it is mostly due to the nearby demons that would invade the village. Your father did his best to protect this village, but he would rarely arrive in time to save everyone. This village has no leader and no protector. It was an ideal place for the demons to feed."

Inuyasha looked around at the nearby forests. The scent of demons clung to the air. Though they were all killed by Kagome's purification, their scent still remained. Inuyasha also smelt something else. It was the scent of human blood. The scent had buried itself in the ground.

"The scent of former demons and old human blood is about to make my stomach turn!" Inuyasha said. "Let's move on."

"Perhaps we could get something to eat in the village," Kagome suggested.

"What?" Inuyasha said. "We don't have time for that!"

"Please, Inuyasha!" Kagome pleaded. "It's afternoon already and we've been going all day with hardly anything in our stomachs. We need to keep up our energy."

"Fine!" Inuyasha said. "But make it quick! We get something to eat and then we move on!" Kagome smiled and hugged Inuyasha's arm.

"Thank you!" she said.

"Yeah, yeah," he retorted as they began walking towards the village.

When the group arrived at the village, they noticed that everyone seemed to be extremely happy. All of the villagers greeted each other cheerfully and seemed so willing to help one another. Inuyasha and the others looked around warily. They weren't sure whether to accept it or be suspicious. These people were way to happy…and way too friendly.

"Welcome!" someone suddenly said from behind them, scaring Inuyasha and causes him to lose his balance. Shippo fell to the ground with a thud as Inuyasha glared at the young boy in front of him.

"What?!" Inuyasha asked.

"I would like to welcome you newcomers to our village!" he said with a huge smile. "Please come and enjoy yourselves!" The group looked around. The village had been set up like an old marketplace. Kagome smiled as she saw fruit and vegetable stands, a florist, and even a butcher. The stands were scattered all along the street providing an array of groceries and supplies to meet any shopper's needs.

"This is all really so cool!" Kagome squealed in excitement. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"My name is Sotoru," he said with a smile. "May ask your names?" Kagome smiled.

"Of course, this is Miroku and this is…" Kagome began but was cut off when Sango emerged from behind Inuyasha.

"Sango?" Sotoru asked.

"Sotoru?" Sango asked but then smiled.

"Sango!" he said as he ran up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. Sango hugged him back and laughed excitedly. Kagome gulped and looked at Inuyasha who blinked a couple of times at them.

"Sango, how have you been?" he said backing away and holding her hands.

"Good, and you?" Sango asked with a bright smile.

"Oh, I have been fine," he said. "I thought I would never see you again. Wow! This is so great! Turn around! Let me take a look at you!" Sango giggled and turned around for him. "Wow, girl! Those years have obviously treated you well! You look amazing!" Sango blushed.

"Oh, stop it, Sotoru!" Sango said stepping away.

"Well, obviously they knew each other rather well," Inuyasha whispered to Kagome. Kagome gulped.

"They did," Kagome said. "That's Sango's ex-boyfriend!"

"What?!" Inuyasha said. Kagome nodded.

"Sango used to date him a while back, but they broke up because his family was moving away. They promised each other they would meet again one day and get back together. This is not good timing at all!" she said, but then gasped when she realized Miroku was standing right next to her and had heard everything she said. Miroku had a solemn expression on his face, and said nothing.

"Oh, boy," Inuyasha said under his breath as he stared at Miroku. Sotoru suddenly came over and shook Kagome's hand.

"You two must be the famous Kagome and Inuyasha!" Sotoru said, but then covered his mouth immediately. They all looked at him skeptically, but soon realized why he covered his mouth. The sound of cheerful shoppers and hustle and bustle in the streets had stopped. The group looked up to see the eyes of all of the villagers on Kagome and Inuyasha. They moved in closer to them. The sound of cheerful shoppers had been replaced with whispering and staring. Sotoru turned around to the crowd.

"Um, it's okay everyone!" he said waving his hands in a protesting manner, but then everyone stormed past them and towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha growled and jumped in front of Kagome. Kagome gasped and clung to back of Inuyasha's haori.

However, instead of attacking them, they stopped in front of them and started speaking all at once in awe and admiration of the two.

"Geeze!" Inuyasha retorted. "This is even giving me the creeps! What the hell do you people want?" Sotoru then suddenly pushed his way up to the front of the crowd.

"Okay, okay," Sotoru said. "One at a time! Yes, this is Kagome and Inuyasha!" Suddenly the crowd burst into joyous shouts.

"Wow! Really?"

"Are you sure?"

"Oh thank you, Kagome and Inuyasha!"

"You have no idea how much we appreciate what you did!"

"We are free now!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

Inuyasha looked this way and that in a confused manner. The shouts were beginning to hurt his demon ears. He laid his ears flat against his head and began quickly losing his patience. Sotoru glanced back at Inuyasha and Kagome's panic-stricken faces. He wrapped his arm around Sango much to Miroku's disgust.

"Come on," Sotoru yelled and started running. Miroku scooped up Shippo and followed Kagome and Inuyasha as they ran after Sotoru and Sango. The crowd was hot on their heels as Sotoru and the others soon scrambled into a nearby house. Sotoru locked the door and then turned and looked at the others gasping for breath.

"Sorry about that!" Sotoru said placing a hand behind his head. Inuyasha growled and stepped forward.

"Do you mind telling us just what the hell all of that was about?" Inuyasha demanded angrily. "What's going on around here? First, you all are annoyingly happy and then people start bombarding us with questions and shouting!" Sotoru winced then smiled.

"I see," Sotoru said. "Your reputation precedes you. I had a feeling you might lose your temper out there so rather than getting someone hurt, I decided to take you all here and explain a few things."

"What the…" Inuyasha said as Kagome giggled in the background.

"Boy he's got you pegged!" Kagome said. Inuyasha growled and cracked his knuckles.

"You got a death wish, kid?" Inuyasha asked growling menacingly at him.

"Um…no…not at all," Sotoru stuttered in fear. Kagome walked up next to Inuyasha and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm, down, Inuyasha," she said sweetly. "He did at least get us away from those people." Inuyasha looked at Kagome then back at Sotoru and growled.

"Grrr…fine," he said as he walked over to the couch and sat down, constantly grumbling to himself. Kagome smiled and looked at Sotoru.

"So, was there something you needed to tell us?" Kagome asked politely. Sotoru smiled.

"Yes. I wanted to explain the villagers' behavior. You see, before you defeated Sesshomaru and rid the world of demons, we lived very hard lives. Very few people stayed here for long, and those who did were either killed or eaten by the nearby demons. My family and I haven't lived here for very long. We actually would have died too had it not been for your purification methods. You actually saved a lot of lives. Sesshomaru had released demons everywhere in the world to do as they please, only taking the stronger ones with him. We were attacked and there was no way we would have survived. You saved our village, and we lost very few lives in the battle. We can now live in peace," Sotoru said with a smile. "That's why everyone acted the way they did. You are famous here for saving our village. We lost numerous lives until you guys defeated Sesshomaru. There hasn't been a death or demon since. These villagers adore you for saving their lives."

"I get it," Sango said. "That explains why everyone seemed so happy. They are just happy to be alive." Kagome nodded.

"Yeah!" she said with a smile. "With the demons gone, they don't have to worry about being dinner." Sotoru looked confused.

"Dinner?" Sotoru asked.

"Yeah," Kagome said. "Dinner. They hunted you for food, right?"

"Well, they did, but…" Sotoru began.

"That doesn't sound like Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said suddenly. Myouga shook his head.

"That doesn't sound like him at all," Myouga said. Kagome gave them a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Think about it, Kagome," Inuyasha said shifting himself on the couch so he could look at her. "Sesshomaru knew of the prophecy. Why, then, would he send part of his demons to attack here? During a time of war, I don't exactly think the demons were stopping for a bite to eat. And why this town for that matter?" Inuyasha looked at Sotoru. Sotoru gulped.

"I was actually waiting until you two arrived," he said as he stood up. He walked over to the corner of the room and pulled a red tablecloth off of what appeared to be a table. What had appeared to be a table was actually an old, dust-covered chest with a huge lock on it. Talismans covered the chest. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key. He bent down and unlocked the chest, removing one large talisman from the lock. The chest flung open. Everyone stood up and walked towards the chest. Sotoru removed a small red box from the chest. It too was covered in talismans.

"Inside this box is something that all demons desire," Sotoru said. He then looked at Inuyasha. "It makes demons more powerful and basically unstoppable. It can even turn a half-demon into a full demon."

Kagome gasped and Inuyasha stepped forward. His ears twitched attentively. Kagome stared at Inuyasha. Did she really want him to become a full demon? His life would be easier. That's for sure. But she loved him the way he was. She didn't want him to do that.

`What if he changed?' she thought. `What if he wasn't the same person?' She thought back to the demons she had met before. With the exception of Shippo, she hadn't met any overly nice demons, and Shippo was just a cub. She looked at Inuyasha again.

Sotoru reached for the box's latch. He removed the talisman and opened the box.

"It can't be!" Myouga said in amazement. "I have heard of its existence, but never really knew it was real." The others looked at Myouga.

"What is it?" Miroku asked.

"It's…it's…" Myouga stuttered.

"The shikon no tama," Sotoru finished.

A/N: Long chappie, huh? Well, I am enjoying writing again so I decided I am going to go ahead and finished the next one. It might even be posted later on tonight. Woohoo! Again, sorry for the long wait! It wasn't like this last semester, but I have just been really busy lately. No more waits, though! I have a test on Friday and that's it for the next two weeks! All the free time in the world to write!

Read and review! Thanks guys! *blows hugs and kisses to loyal readers*