InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dear Life, I Quit ❯ The Heart of a Cripple Child ( Chapter 5 )

Kaori: ooooh my, another chapter ^-^ I must really love you guys…actually I'm just as interested in how this is going to turn out as you guys are because I have no sweet clue yet! -.-; lol, well enjoy people! And arigatou again for the wonderful reviews!

 

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

 

Dear Life, I Quit

 

Chapter 5 {The Heart of a Cripple Child}

 

 

“Ahh!!” Inuyasha roared as he broke to the surface of the carnage and rubble that had fallen on him and the others. “Is everybody else alright?”

 

“Fine here…” Sango said as she hauled her Hiraikotsu out from under a large rock with the help of Kirara and Shippo.

 

“Same over this way,” Miroku said has he resealed his wind tunnel after using it to suck up the rocks that had been covering him. “What made the mountain collapse?”

 

“Don't know…” Inuyasha said as he looked around. “But I hope Kagome wasn't here when it fell.”

 

“She probably wasn't…” Sango answered as she climbed on Kirara's back. “But just incase she was lets take a look around.”

 

“Hai.” Inuyasha nodded.

 

~*~*~

 

Kagome was sat just outside one of the villagers huts, she had a colorful blanket draped across her shoulders, and there was a small crackling fire in front of her. All the villagers had gathered around to see her, but it was the village elder that did most of the talking.

 

“You were a brave yet baka miko to take on the mountain youkai like you did,” the elder whose name was Ishikibo bowed her head slightly. “But in all cases, arigatou Kagome-sama, for you have destroyed one of the monsters that have been terrorizing our village for quiet some time…it was probably one of the stronger ones we've ever had to deal with.”

 

“One of them?” Kagome asked.

 

“Hai, this village has been terrorized by many youkai over the past few decades.” Ishikibo nodded sadly. “We cannot fend for ourselves or we were always royally helpless against the beats when they decided to attack.”

 

“Why do they attack your village?” Kagome asked. “It seems awful strange.”

 

“We think it's because of the closeness it is to the mountain. There is real fertile soil here and the youkai that attack are usually ground dwellers who wish to nest here. That large dragon like youkai you killed in the mountain was one of them.” Ishikibo smiled. “Again, arigatou miko.”

 

“Miss?” a young girl emerged from the crowd of people and quietly walked up to Kagome. She was a pretty little girl, with short brown hair and bright blue eyes, she wore an old brown kimono that was tattered at the bottom, she also crippled on a small walking stick. “Are you going to stay and help kill the rest of the monsters?”

 

Kagome's eyes trembled as she watched the little girl, she then smiled. “Hai, if you all wish for me to.”

 

“That is wonderful.” Ishikibo exclaimed.

 

Kagome sighed. “You never found another person in the river after for before you found me did you?” she directed the question to everyone who stood around her.

 

“Shetin, was there anyone else recovered?” Ishikibo asked a large muscular man that was standing just to one side of Kagome.

 

“No, ma'am, we kept a scout near the river for almost an hour and no one else floated down the stream.” Shetin answered.

 

“You had a friend with you? Gomen Kagome-sama, kami only knows where he is now.” Ishikibo sighed.

 

Kagome sighed and stared back at the river. `Tusaka-kun…' she felt tears welling in her eyes, she closed them then lowered her head. `Please be alright…I can't go through this without you…'

 

After all the people went back to their respective houses, Kagome went to the rivers edge and watched the sun set behind the hills. She could see what was left of the mountain; it was so far away from the village though. `I can't believe I was carried that far down the river.' She thought as she allowed her gaze to return to the sky.

 

“No moon tonight…” she sighed as the sun completely disappeared. “Inuyasha's feeble hours are here…he won't be searching tonight.”

 

The sound of footsteps made Kagome swing around in the grass, the little cripple girl was waling up behind her. When they girl saw that she was caught, she dropped to her knees and bowed her head. “Gomen, I shouldn't have been snooping Kagome-sama.”

 

Kagome smiled. “Don't bow to me, kid.” She said. “And just call me Kagome, I'm no one that special.” She rubbed the grass near her. “You can come and sit with me if you like.”

 

The girl smiled and crawled over to the miko, sitting herself close. “I'm Chitata.” The girl said with a perky smile.

 

“Chitata? What a pretty name.” Kagome smiled. “Where are you parents? Shouldn't you be in bed right now?”

 

“Mommy left when I was two to get some potato flowers from the garden, she never came back.” Chitata sighed then smiled. “Daddy went with three other men to the mountain to fight the evil youkai there. He made a special bow to help protect him; he said that if it didn't work for him it would help someone else in the future.”

 

Kagome felt a chill as she remembered the smiling skull that was poking its way out of the rotting corpse she took the bow away from. “Chitata…”

 

“He died up there, I know that.” Chitata said. “But Ishikibo-sama said he died with a great honor of trying to protect the village…so I'm happy for that.”

 

“You're a brave little girl, Chitata-chan.” Kagome said with a smile.

 

“Chan?” Chitata looked at Kagome with a spark of hope in her eyes. “Does this mean we are friends now, Kagome?”

 

Kagome laughed a little. “You bet we are.”

 

“And you think I'm brave?” Chitata asked, her blue eyes growing wider.

 

“Well you a lot braver than me that's for sure.” Kagome said as she looked back at the water.

 

“No way! You've slain that youkai! I could never do that.” Chitata exclaimed.

 

“But you've went on this long without someone to help your through,” Kagome said as she felt her eyes on the river. “I lost a friend after I left the mountain…and I'm not sure if I can go on without him with me.”

 

“He was that good of a friend was he?” Chitata asked.

 

“I ran off from my group of other friends because of trouble I had with one of them, then I met Tusaka and…well lets just say my troubles where completely gone.” Kagome smiled and looked at Chitata.

 

“The person you ran away from…was he really that bad?” the little girl asked wearily. “What did he do?”

 

“Do you know anything about ai, Chitata?” Kagome asked. “True ai?”

 

“Ishikibo-sama told me about it one time in a story.” Chitata said. “About this princess you was in ai with a peasant boy. She ended up dying for him in the end. Why do you ask, Kagome-chan?” the girl took great pride in calling the miko that, she had never had a real friend before.

 

“That's what I felt over the person I ran from…” Kagome sighed and lowered her head. “But the feeling wasn't returned.”

 

“But what about your new friend, was the feeling returned there?” Chitata started to sound aggravated about the whole subject.

 

Kagome, startled, looked up at the river again. `Tusaka…' she sighed. “I loved him yes, but it wasn't that kind of love.”

 

“Well what kind was it?” Chitata asked. “I'm confused, Kagome-chan.”

 

Kagome giggled. “Your only young but you'll understand someday, Chitata-chan. But now I think its getting a little too late for you to be up.” The light from the outside torches in the village was the only thing that up the side of the river. “You can sleep in the hut Ishikibo has given me to stay in.”

 

“Oh arigatou!” Chitata stood up and leaned on her walking stick. “Will you me coming as well?”

 

“Not yet…but don't stay up. I'll be there when you wake up though.” Kagome smiled.

 

“Goodnight, Kagome-chan.”

 

“Goodnight, Chitata-chan…” Kagome watched as the little girl crippled back to the village. “I hope she never understands…she looks to have had a hard enough life as it is…let alone to have one where she suffers through ai…” she sighed. “Hopefully she won't fall in ai with a complete cumquat like Inuyasha.”

 

`If I cannot help this village I will never be able to forgive myself…that poor girl…these poor people. Ridden by war with a force much more powerful than them all combined. It's not fair.' Kagome stood up and walked along the river bank, away from the village fire light. `Chitata has more guts than what I do…I'd never be able to put up with any of this.'

 

Kagome stopped and listened to the river beat its way past rocks and other obstacles that lay in its path. A hand wrapped itself around her mouth, and an arm took the two of hers and held them to her back, the miko tried to scream but it was muffled by the palm of the freezing hand.

 

Kagome's heart raced, for awhile nothing happened, she and her attacker just stood there silently for a few moments. `Think Kagome! Think!' Kagome's mind raced, she wasn't at all prepared for this attack. She tried o say osuwari, just incase it was Inuyasha, but she couldn't form her words under the pressure of the hand. On reflex Kagome tried to kick her attacker in the shin, with succession the attacker let her go.

 

Kagome was ready to run but was grabbed again and spun around, she miko let out a cry and closed her eyes. When nothing happened and her attacker never did anything but hold her shoulders still, Kagome opened her eyes. She found herself staring into a pair of familiar pair of piercing blue orbs.

 

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

 

Kaori: Okey dokey I'm done. ^-^ Can you guess who it is? My sister brought up that this person should be put in here somewhere so I had to do it XD yah man! hehe. Review.