InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sight Unseen ❯ First Impressions ( Chapter 14 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: SylverAngel 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.23.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 1.7K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.23.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 1.7K | Status: Completed
Sight Unseen
Chapter 14: First Impressions
"I see my daughter has returned to her training," Maruku commented as the last of the group entered the hut.
Miroku nodded absently, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer light inside the dwelling. Maruku was not the only windwalker present. Two light-haired and -winged demons stood on the far side, inspecting a map laid across the lone table in the hut. Their wings were folded against their backs, a few feathers fluttering here and there in the faint breeze blowing in through the window on the left wall. The monk assumed one of them must be Lady Tamaeri, though from the angle he watched, he could not tell which she could possibly be.
Other than the table, and some cushions on the floor, there was no real furniture in the room. The right-hand side was actually another walled off room, with a mat covering the doorway. 'Most likely the Lady's private quarters,' Miroku thought, wondering what type of valuables a winged demon could possibly be hiding.
One thought was running through Sango's mind as she stood next to the monk: was it possible that she was the only demon exterminator to ever meet the leader of a windwalker clan? Not only that, but she had been invited into the village of such reclusive demons... If she was not the first to manage either feat, she was definitely the last of her people to ever do so. No other demon exterminator from her village remained to hear the tale. Shoulders hunched, Sango stared at the slats in the floor with sorrow-filled eyes.
Kagome had felt Inuyasha's muscles grow tense as soon as they entered the hut. She knew he was worried they were just walking straight into some evil plot by the winged youkai, but she was beginning to doubt that could be possible. The windwalkers had apparently followed them for some time before showing themselves and escorting the group to their village. What demon would allow strangers to see its home? Well... unless they believed the strangers would never leave...
Kagome shook her head to ward off the dark thoughts. She wanted to believe the windwalkers truly wanted their help, until such a time when her theory might be proven wrong. She hoped it never would be.
"Kagome, are there any shards here?" Inuyasha asked her in a low voice.
"No. I haven't felt any since we arrived in the village," the girl replied, hoping to ease his mind and her own. The absence of Shikon shards hopefully meant the absence of any threats to the group as well.
Inuyasha seemed to relax slightly, though Kagome knew he was still ready to leap into battle should the need arise. The hanyou's gaze remained fixed on the two unfamiliar windwalkers, his ears cocked forward in the hopes of catching some of their conversation. Unfortunately, they were talking too quietly for even his keen demon senses to pick up.
"Shippo, what do you see?" she queried of the kitsune still perched on her shoulder.
Shippo had been eyeing the cushions on the floor, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. A nap sounded nice, now that he thought about it...
"Shippo?"
"Oh, sorry Kagome!" the kitsune cried when she finally got his attention. "What did you ask?"
The outburst caused the other windwalkers to look up from their perusal of the map. Both were female. Inuyasha thought the one on the left looked familiar, possibly one of the hunters that had
escorted them to the village. The green robe she wore seemed to confirm the fact that he was at least correct in guessing she was one of the patrolling warriors. The other was not one he recognized. Her garments were deep blue, the hem and belt trimmed with silver thread. A thin silver circlet adorned her head, though it was mostly hidden under her bangs.
Shippo blinked and huddled closer to Kagome, hoping he hadn't angered the youkai by disturbing their work.
The demon in blue merely raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the map, indicating something as the other followed suit.
The kitsune sighed in relief, sagging against Kagome's head. When the two windwalkers turned once more and began walking across the hut, he began to fear he'd been wrong in assuming he was in no danger from the demons. Wide-eyed, Shippo watched as the hunter female nodded to Maruku and left the hut. He nearly fell off Kagome's shoulder as he spun back to face the other windwalker, clutching at her shirt to keep himself from tumbling to the ground.
"Ow, Shippo! Your claws may be small, but they still hurt," Kagome muttered, reaching up to ease his hands away.
"I'm sorry, Kagome!" The kitsune let go of her shirt in favor of hugging her neck in apology. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"I know, Shippo, I know. Could you keep your voice down a bit? What's going on?"
Unbeknownst to Kagome, the remaining female windwalker was watching the pair, one corner of her mouth kicked up slightly in amusement.
Shippo, however, did notice the demon staring at him. "Kagome!" he cried, once again directly in the girl's ear. He hid his face in her hair and tightened his hold.
"Shippo, would you... please let go? I can't... breathe," Kagome got out, trying to pry the little fox demon's fingers away from her neck. Why had she bothered to ask him to let go of her shirt? That was preferable to his cutting off her air supply. "What is the problem?"
"Shippo, is it?" a new voice chimed in, startling both the girl and the kitsune into staying perfectly still.
Shippo was nearly cowering in fright on Kagome's shoulder. He refused to look up, wishing himself invisible. He almost thought he'd succeeded when someone tapping him on the back shattered his hopes. The kitsune slowly peeked out from under the girl's hair, only to be greeted by the same blue eyes that had been fixed on him earlier.
"I do not bite," the windwalker coaxed.
Shippo just stared back.
The youkai shook her head, stepping back to ease the kitsune's nerves. She rolled her shoulders back, wings shifting and resettling with the motion. "Forgive me for not introducing myself right away. I am Tamaeri," she addressed the rest of the group, inclining her head in greeting.
Miroku took that as his cue. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady," he responded with a bow and a charming smile. "I am called Miroku."
Tamaeri nodded. "The monk with the air void in his hand."
Miroku cocked his head to the side at her observation. "Yes, unfortunately that is my curse, my lady," he sighed. "Rumors seem to spread far."
The windwalker gave him a small grin in return. "Of course. The forest is always listening." She paused a moment before adding, "They say other things about you as well, which I am certain do not need to be mentioned in present company."
The monk looked away, rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "It goes with the curse," he muttered defensively.
Sango snorted at his comment, keeping her own opinion otherwise to herself.
Tamaeri then turned to the demon exterminator. "And you are?"
"Sango, Lady Tamaeri," she told the demon, giving a small bow of respect as Miroku had done. "Thank you for inviting us into your village."
"You are all welcome." As with Miroku, the windwalker paused a moment. She inclined her head respectfully to Sango, her expression growing more serious. "I have heard what happened to your people. I am very sorry for your loss."
The demon exterminator's voice was quiet. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Thank you."
"I, too, know the need to avenge members of my family, though my pain does not run as deep as yours."
Sango opened her eyes, nodding to acknowledge Tamaeri's statement.
The winged youkai's lips quirked in the same tiny smile she'd given earlier. "Would you like to know how many of us there are in the two clans residing here?"
The demon exterminator's brows lowered in confusion, before she caught onto the teasing note in the windwalker's voice. "Oh dear," she murmured with a small giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. With all the other things the windwalker seemed to know, was it really so amazing that she'd heard how legendary her race had been among the youkai hunters? "It is truly an honor to meet you, Lady," Sango blurted out, hoping the lower light inside the hut would hide the pinkness of her cheeks.
"As it is for me," Tamaeri told her, before turning her gaze to Shippo once more.
The kitsune had finally released Kagome's neck, moving to perch on Inuyasha's shoulder. He felt less threatened staying between the girl and the hanyou, and had ignored Inuyasha's small growl of protest. Now that the windwalker's eyes were focused on him again, he wasn't sure moving had been such a good idea. "Um... I-I'm Shippo," he squeaked out, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
"Hold still, brat," Inuyasha barked out quietly, reaching up a hand to put a halt the little fox demon's movement.
Tamaeri smiled at Shippo, ignoring Inuyasha for the moment. "Am I really so frightening?"
The kitsune slowly shook his head. "Sorry," he muttered, quickly adding "Lady Tamaeri" before anyone could scold him for forgetting his manners.
She nodded, then patted him on the head.
Shippo almost ducked, but stopped himself just in time. Before he could say anything more, the windwalker had moved on to Kagome.
Inuyasha took the lead on the introductions for once, drawing Tamaeri's attention away from the girl standing beside him. "She's Kagome, and--"
"You are Inuyasha."
The interruption did not surprise the hanyou. Marieko had known who he was, and this youkai seemed to know even more about their small band. He nodded to Tamaeri, golden eyes narrowing slightly when the winged demon turned back to Kagome.
She said nothing for a moment, merely inspected the girl who was unaware of the close scrutiny. "Forgive me, I had not heard the young priestess who can detect the Shikon no Tama was blind," she murmured quietly.
Kagome gasped, the grip she still had on Inuyasha's arm growing tighter. "I--"
"It is not my place to ask of such things," Tamaeri informed them, steadily meeting Inuyasha's ominous glare.
Kagome shifted closer to the hanyou, raising her free hand to cover the frantic beating of her heart.
Maruku broke the uncomfortable silence that followed in his leader's wake. "My lady, the festival will begin soon."
Tamaeri turned to the hunter and nodded. "I know. The others have returned, and I must hear their reports." She sighed and looked past the group to the few windwalkers that had entered the hut as she spoke. "Maruku, please show our guests where they may rest. Please, make yourselves at home here. Unfortunately, I have other duties calling and can not show you around myself. I will see you again later this evening." With the last addressed to the group, she strode to the other side of the room, following another winged demon towards the map she had been studying earlier.
"This way," Maruku called, leading the way out through the doorway.
Inuyasha watched the windwalker leader through narrowed eyes before he was forced to turn away and guide Kagome out of the hut.
Chapter 14: First Impressions
"I see my daughter has returned to her training," Maruku commented as the last of the group entered the hut.
Miroku nodded absently, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer light inside the dwelling. Maruku was not the only windwalker present. Two light-haired and -winged demons stood on the far side, inspecting a map laid across the lone table in the hut. Their wings were folded against their backs, a few feathers fluttering here and there in the faint breeze blowing in through the window on the left wall. The monk assumed one of them must be Lady Tamaeri, though from the angle he watched, he could not tell which she could possibly be.
Other than the table, and some cushions on the floor, there was no real furniture in the room. The right-hand side was actually another walled off room, with a mat covering the doorway. 'Most likely the Lady's private quarters,' Miroku thought, wondering what type of valuables a winged demon could possibly be hiding.
One thought was running through Sango's mind as she stood next to the monk: was it possible that she was the only demon exterminator to ever meet the leader of a windwalker clan? Not only that, but she had been invited into the village of such reclusive demons... If she was not the first to manage either feat, she was definitely the last of her people to ever do so. No other demon exterminator from her village remained to hear the tale. Shoulders hunched, Sango stared at the slats in the floor with sorrow-filled eyes.
Kagome had felt Inuyasha's muscles grow tense as soon as they entered the hut. She knew he was worried they were just walking straight into some evil plot by the winged youkai, but she was beginning to doubt that could be possible. The windwalkers had apparently followed them for some time before showing themselves and escorting the group to their village. What demon would allow strangers to see its home? Well... unless they believed the strangers would never leave...
Kagome shook her head to ward off the dark thoughts. She wanted to believe the windwalkers truly wanted their help, until such a time when her theory might be proven wrong. She hoped it never would be.
"Kagome, are there any shards here?" Inuyasha asked her in a low voice.
"No. I haven't felt any since we arrived in the village," the girl replied, hoping to ease his mind and her own. The absence of Shikon shards hopefully meant the absence of any threats to the group as well.
Inuyasha seemed to relax slightly, though Kagome knew he was still ready to leap into battle should the need arise. The hanyou's gaze remained fixed on the two unfamiliar windwalkers, his ears cocked forward in the hopes of catching some of their conversation. Unfortunately, they were talking too quietly for even his keen demon senses to pick up.
"Shippo, what do you see?" she queried of the kitsune still perched on her shoulder.
Shippo had been eyeing the cushions on the floor, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. A nap sounded nice, now that he thought about it...
"Shippo?"
"Oh, sorry Kagome!" the kitsune cried when she finally got his attention. "What did you ask?"
The outburst caused the other windwalkers to look up from their perusal of the map. Both were female. Inuyasha thought the one on the left looked familiar, possibly one of the hunters that had
escorted them to the village. The green robe she wore seemed to confirm the fact that he was at least correct in guessing she was one of the patrolling warriors. The other was not one he recognized. Her garments were deep blue, the hem and belt trimmed with silver thread. A thin silver circlet adorned her head, though it was mostly hidden under her bangs.
Shippo blinked and huddled closer to Kagome, hoping he hadn't angered the youkai by disturbing their work.
The demon in blue merely raised an eyebrow, then turned back to the map, indicating something as the other followed suit.
The kitsune sighed in relief, sagging against Kagome's head. When the two windwalkers turned once more and began walking across the hut, he began to fear he'd been wrong in assuming he was in no danger from the demons. Wide-eyed, Shippo watched as the hunter female nodded to Maruku and left the hut. He nearly fell off Kagome's shoulder as he spun back to face the other windwalker, clutching at her shirt to keep himself from tumbling to the ground.
"Ow, Shippo! Your claws may be small, but they still hurt," Kagome muttered, reaching up to ease his hands away.
"I'm sorry, Kagome!" The kitsune let go of her shirt in favor of hugging her neck in apology. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"I know, Shippo, I know. Could you keep your voice down a bit? What's going on?"
Unbeknownst to Kagome, the remaining female windwalker was watching the pair, one corner of her mouth kicked up slightly in amusement.
Shippo, however, did notice the demon staring at him. "Kagome!" he cried, once again directly in the girl's ear. He hid his face in her hair and tightened his hold.
"Shippo, would you... please let go? I can't... breathe," Kagome got out, trying to pry the little fox demon's fingers away from her neck. Why had she bothered to ask him to let go of her shirt? That was preferable to his cutting off her air supply. "What is the problem?"
"Shippo, is it?" a new voice chimed in, startling both the girl and the kitsune into staying perfectly still.
Shippo was nearly cowering in fright on Kagome's shoulder. He refused to look up, wishing himself invisible. He almost thought he'd succeeded when someone tapping him on the back shattered his hopes. The kitsune slowly peeked out from under the girl's hair, only to be greeted by the same blue eyes that had been fixed on him earlier.
"I do not bite," the windwalker coaxed.
Shippo just stared back.
The youkai shook her head, stepping back to ease the kitsune's nerves. She rolled her shoulders back, wings shifting and resettling with the motion. "Forgive me for not introducing myself right away. I am Tamaeri," she addressed the rest of the group, inclining her head in greeting.
Miroku took that as his cue. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady," he responded with a bow and a charming smile. "I am called Miroku."
Tamaeri nodded. "The monk with the air void in his hand."
Miroku cocked his head to the side at her observation. "Yes, unfortunately that is my curse, my lady," he sighed. "Rumors seem to spread far."
The windwalker gave him a small grin in return. "Of course. The forest is always listening." She paused a moment before adding, "They say other things about you as well, which I am certain do not need to be mentioned in present company."
The monk looked away, rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "It goes with the curse," he muttered defensively.
Sango snorted at his comment, keeping her own opinion otherwise to herself.
Tamaeri then turned to the demon exterminator. "And you are?"
"Sango, Lady Tamaeri," she told the demon, giving a small bow of respect as Miroku had done. "Thank you for inviting us into your village."
"You are all welcome." As with Miroku, the windwalker paused a moment. She inclined her head respectfully to Sango, her expression growing more serious. "I have heard what happened to your people. I am very sorry for your loss."
The demon exterminator's voice was quiet. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Thank you."
"I, too, know the need to avenge members of my family, though my pain does not run as deep as yours."
Sango opened her eyes, nodding to acknowledge Tamaeri's statement.
The winged youkai's lips quirked in the same tiny smile she'd given earlier. "Would you like to know how many of us there are in the two clans residing here?"
The demon exterminator's brows lowered in confusion, before she caught onto the teasing note in the windwalker's voice. "Oh dear," she murmured with a small giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. With all the other things the windwalker seemed to know, was it really so amazing that she'd heard how legendary her race had been among the youkai hunters? "It is truly an honor to meet you, Lady," Sango blurted out, hoping the lower light inside the hut would hide the pinkness of her cheeks.
"As it is for me," Tamaeri told her, before turning her gaze to Shippo once more.
The kitsune had finally released Kagome's neck, moving to perch on Inuyasha's shoulder. He felt less threatened staying between the girl and the hanyou, and had ignored Inuyasha's small growl of protest. Now that the windwalker's eyes were focused on him again, he wasn't sure moving had been such a good idea. "Um... I-I'm Shippo," he squeaked out, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
"Hold still, brat," Inuyasha barked out quietly, reaching up a hand to put a halt the little fox demon's movement.
Tamaeri smiled at Shippo, ignoring Inuyasha for the moment. "Am I really so frightening?"
The kitsune slowly shook his head. "Sorry," he muttered, quickly adding "Lady Tamaeri" before anyone could scold him for forgetting his manners.
She nodded, then patted him on the head.
Shippo almost ducked, but stopped himself just in time. Before he could say anything more, the windwalker had moved on to Kagome.
Inuyasha took the lead on the introductions for once, drawing Tamaeri's attention away from the girl standing beside him. "She's Kagome, and--"
"You are Inuyasha."
The interruption did not surprise the hanyou. Marieko had known who he was, and this youkai seemed to know even more about their small band. He nodded to Tamaeri, golden eyes narrowing slightly when the winged demon turned back to Kagome.
She said nothing for a moment, merely inspected the girl who was unaware of the close scrutiny. "Forgive me, I had not heard the young priestess who can detect the Shikon no Tama was blind," she murmured quietly.
Kagome gasped, the grip she still had on Inuyasha's arm growing tighter. "I--"
"It is not my place to ask of such things," Tamaeri informed them, steadily meeting Inuyasha's ominous glare.
Kagome shifted closer to the hanyou, raising her free hand to cover the frantic beating of her heart.
Maruku broke the uncomfortable silence that followed in his leader's wake. "My lady, the festival will begin soon."
Tamaeri turned to the hunter and nodded. "I know. The others have returned, and I must hear their reports." She sighed and looked past the group to the few windwalkers that had entered the hut as she spoke. "Maruku, please show our guests where they may rest. Please, make yourselves at home here. Unfortunately, I have other duties calling and can not show you around myself. I will see you again later this evening." With the last addressed to the group, she strode to the other side of the room, following another winged demon towards the map she had been studying earlier.
"This way," Maruku called, leading the way out through the doorway.
Inuyasha watched the windwalker leader through narrowed eyes before he was forced to turn away and guide Kagome out of the hut.