InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Colors of Life ❯ Quiet Moments and a Deadly Confrontation ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer- I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Translation notes- Hai = yes/ok……Ne = hey……itarashai = I'm home

Chapter 4: Quiet Moments and a Deadly Confrontation

The stars shone brilliantly overhead and crickets played their night-song as Kagome stepped though the flap of Kaede's hut, stretching the kinks out from sitting for so long in discussion with the others…minus InuYasha. She didn't blame him, not the way she had screamed at him earlier at the well. She hung her head in shame and pulled her sweater closer around her neck. `I wouldn't want to talk to me if I were him.' Noticing her pack lying next to the doorway, she turned to look on the roof…no sulking hanyou. `Hmm…'

She looked around at the darkness, much darker than back home at night. She breathed in the silence, appreciating the lack of streetlights and the never-ending noise of traffic. Kagome stared at the breathtaking blanket of stars wheeling overhead and listened to the sounds of evening; wind rustling the leaves and grass, echoing chirps of night-flyers, the crickets and other insects adding to the symphony. `I never get tired of this…this simple beauty.' The small breeze shifted her hair and made her shiver a bit.

`Now…I wonder where…?' She looked in the direction of the well…and the God Tree, where she first met InuYasha. `No, he really doesn't like to be reminded of…' An image of a pale face, much like her own but different, drifted through her mind. A person who shouldn't exist, but then… `…Like my being here is a normal thing either,' she scoffed to herself. Banishing the resurrected Miko from her thoughts, she concluded, `Most likely, he's in his tree waiting for the moon to rise.'

She turned to walk in her chosen direction, wandering past other dark village huts, smoke from cook-fires drifting from ventilation holes and broken bits of conversation coming from inside made only minor distractions. `The place might be different, but the people are basically the same. They just want to safely live their lives.'

Moving past the last of the dwellings Kagome headed for a single line of trees near the edge of the village, more specifically the last one. It had nicely placed branches but none near the ground, perfect for a capable hanyou to find solitude. It had an unobstructed view of the nearby hills and surrounding fields.

She stopped a few feet from the trunk and peered up through the sparse foliage. `…There…' She could just make out his form on the uppermost limb, his silvery hair reflecting the starlight. Nervousness struck and her mouth wouldn't open, so she decided to sit down at the base of the tree and wait. `What am I so afraid of?' She hugged her knees to her chest and shivered again. `We're friends…aren't…' a noise from above drew her head up, and something dropped down in front of her, crouched low. `…we?'

InuYasha stared at her in the shifting shadows under the tree, his eyes glimmering gold. He waited silently, abnormally patient and featureless in the dark.

Kagome hugged her knees tighter, "InuYasha…" She paused, looking for the right words. "I…" She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." It came out in a rush, her sudden relief making her shiver again and she dropped her eyes in embarrassment. She waited for a response from him…dreading another argument. The silence stretched and the playful breeze fluttered strands of silver-white at the edge of her vision, followed by a rustling movement. Sudden warmth enveloped her and he dropped to sit beside her on the grass. She grabbed the edges of his robe, draped over her shoulders, and pulled it in closer, its warmth from his body and his scent making her head spin. He leaned back on his hands, legs outstretched and tilted his head back to look up at the sky, his white shirt ghostly pale in the darkness. "Keh --" it was softer than usual and Kagome buried her nose in the strangely comforting material to hide her small smile, knowing his vision would easily make-out her amusement. They sat silently for quite a while, listening to the night together until the half moon peeked over the distant ridge.

"Kagome…" He sat forward and crossed both legs and arms and breathed deeply. Her head turned, the curves of her face so clear to him, so dear…and her earlier words still echoing in his mind. "I would never ignore you, I don't know why…I didn't…I couldn't…" His rushed words tripped over themselves and stopped. He dared not look at her or he might loose his courage to continue. "I'm sorry you were worried."

He could feel her gaze on him but still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"InuYasha, the others told me what happened earlier…and that you don't know what had happened today any more then they do." She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, strong and warm beneath its sleeve. "I should have paid more attention. You weren't acting like yourself…I mean you do brag," he turned at that, a frown squinting across his face, "and do reckless things…" His frown deepened. "But even if I hadn't noticed that horrible silliness coming out of your mouth…" The object of that statement fell open, "…The way you disappeared should have made me realize there was more going on." She patted his arm before pulling back into her warm shelter.

He stared at her for a few more seconds, speechless. She rose up clutching the fire-rat's robe closed at her throat and smiled down at him, "Shall we go back to Kaede's and get some sleep, InuYasha?"

He sat looking up at her, watching the breeze playfully arrange her black hair over his garment with a sudden longing. Thankful that the darkness hid his flushed face from her human eyes, he jumped up and turned towards the village, "Hai, Kagome. We should get an early start tomorrow."

He had taken only a few steps before her voice stopped him. "Tomorrow?" He looked back over his shoulder at her puzzled tone. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

He half-turned towards her, his left hand gripping Tessusaiga hanging in his belt and a scowl forming as he answered. "We're going to find the Bastard who's screwing with me," his right hand closed into a tight fist, "and end his Meddling!"

She followed him silently back through the village, each lost in their own thoughts.

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The next morning they were gathering their things before heading out.

They had just finished eating and InuYasha was standing impatiently, holding the door flap to the side and assessing the weather. The early morning mist had vanished except for a patch or two floating in shady areas. Otherwise it looked to be a sunny day.

"Ne, InuYasha…" Kagome spoke up while stuffing things in her bag. He turns to look over his shoulder at her.

"Do you know which way we should go?" The others turned at this to look his way.

"Keh!" He turned his back to the interior and all the questioning faces.

Sango and Kagome share a knowing glance as Miroku voices the same thought.

"I guess we'll just follow InuYasha's nose…" InuYasha's ears twitch with every other word. "…As usual," the Monk adds drolly.

InuYasha's ears went flat and he spun around to issue a scathing comment at that mocking Houshi. He paused with his mouth open and closed it to take a deeper sniff of something…infernally familiar. His irritation turns to deep anger as adrenaline rushes and his heart starts to pound in anticipation.

Kagome, always acutely aware of him, notices first, "InuYasha?"

His eyes, burning gold, meet hers and he says one word, "Naraku!" He spins around and is out the door before the others can register the meaning.

Within seconds they had all grabbed their various weaponry and dashed outside to try to catch up to the pursuing Hanyou, following him through the village and into the forest.

They enter the woods and before long they stop when confronted with several youkai of various types and leading them…Kagura!

InuYasha skids to a stop and snarls, "Bitch! What do you want now?" He flexes his claws and sizes up the band of opposing demons. `Heh! They're all wimps!'

Kagura tilts her head arrogantly, "Fool! Why bother asking?" She waves her closed fan in front of her contemptuous face, "Besides, it's not what `I' want!" She points with the fan with a bored look, "Kill them!"

The motley band of youkai surge forward with murderous intent, snarling and snapping they spread out to meet each in battle.

Miroku reaches for the beads wrapped around his right hand, but hesitates when he spots several of Naraku's deadly bees emerge from the nearby foliage to hover, here and there, around the clearing. He quickly stoops to pick up his recently dropped staff and swings it in one motion up from the ground at the face of an approaching beast.

Sango steps forward with her huge boomerang and begins a series of sweeping blows to fend off her attackers with a transformed Kirara at her side. Slashing and rending, leaping and growling, the twin-tailed cat-youkai was more than a match for these lesser demons. The two made a lethal team, leaving corpses in their wake.

Kaede hangs back, out of breath from the run and watches, impressed at the ease the companions worked together and watched each other's backs in the thick of the fighting; proof to her of the strong ties of friendship that had grown over the months of searching. She can feel Shippo shaking as he clung to her shoulder and didn't blame him for being afraid.

Kagome stands next to Kaede with an arrow ready if any should get through to come at the elderly Miko, her eyes fixed on a whirling figure in red dealing death with every action. His silvery-white hair flashing in the sunlight as he slashed with his claws to dispatch yet another of the clueless demons, before spinning to leap for another…and another…and another. `Oh, InuYasha…will it ever end?'

Finally, the last falls and silence returns as the victorious group turn, one by one, to face the only one remaining - Kagura. She crosses her arms and surveys the carnage, `Damn! That went too fast!'

InuYasha takes a step in her direction and draws Tessusaiga, it's transformation from rusty blade to a deadly fang commanding her gaze. He holds it aggressively and snaps out, "Is that the best you got, Bitch!"

She sighs, "How bothersome you are." Her fan opens and she waves it almost casually and a swirling vortex of wind whips through the air, flinging debris everywhere. She smiles and raises her arm high and sweeps it down forcefully, "Fuuijin no Mai!" Blades of air blast across the space between them to slam in rapid-fire jolts against InuYasha's blade, turned crosswise in defense. A few air-blades get past to push him back, grunting with each impact.

A blazing arrow tears though Kagura's hanging sleeve.

"Kagura!!" Kagome yells, and the wind-user stands motionless looking at the ragged edges of material flapping in the twisting air then turns to glare angrily at the young Miko located across the clearing with another arrow notched and ready to fly…aimed at her. Her glance takes in once more the singed material exposing her forearm before turning back towards the fiercely challenging girl whose power was frighteningly strong.

"My next arrow won't miss!" Kagome's anger filled every word and the arrow began to glow, yet she held it.

Shippo squeaks and grabs for a tighter hold on Kaede's neck in fear of the fury emanating from the girl. Kaede reaches up to comfort with one hand as she decides it would be prudent for them to back away from this confrontation as Kagome continues.

"Why have you come here?"

`Damn little Bitch! I can't compete with her…' Her eyes flicked to either side furtively, `Where is that Brat?' To Kagome she said contemptuously, "Mind your own business - Your lack of manners is showing!" She turned partially in the girl's direction. `Shit! This is getting too dangerous!' Kagura drops her arm and assumes an unconcerned stance. "This is between `Fido' and Me!"

InuYasha growls under his breath at this.

She looks right at Kagome, internally aware of the surrounding area, and sneered, "You weren't invited!"

"I'm not playing with you!" Kagome tightens her grip on her bow, feeling the tension across her shoulders as she maintained her aim. Thoughts of all the damage Kagura had caused and all that she could cause fixed her determination to stop this arrogant underling of Naraku…whatever the means. "Answer me! Why are you here?!"

Kagura stepped back in alarm, her eyes going wide as she searched for a delaying response. `Damnit!'

A slight movement at the corner of her vision…something flies out of the shadows…straight at Kagome and slices through the bowstring!

The tension snaps the string, making it recoil towards Kagome's face. She flinches and drops the arrow, it's glow fading as the thrown knife thuds into a tree.

Kagura suddenly waves her opened fan, sending a blast of air rushing at the distracted girl.

"Shit!" InuYasha leaps frantically into it's path to block it, barely catching it with a counter-swing from Tessusaiga. The deflected dust-filled wave still has enough force to knock most of them to the ground.

As the clashing energies dissipate and the air clears they see Kagura floating upwards on her giant feather-raft, a smaller figure seated next to her and the whole followed by swarming insects.

InuYasha sheathes Tessusaiga with a sound of frustration and disgust, and turns to help Kagome up. "Are you hurt, Kagome?" He examines her quickly and gently touches her cheek near a small red mark where the bowstring had flicked her.

She looked at him with similar concern, "I'm fine, you're the one…" She gulped and flung her arms around his neck and hugged him in relief.

Kaede and Shippo return from their refuge behind a tree just as Miroku picks himself up and brushes off his robes, his eyes on the retreating figures. He sighs and turns his sympathetic gaze to the young woman that, though she had just fought like a warrior, was now held captive by her own fragile emotions.

Kirara limps over to Sango sitting in the dirt, her Hiraikotsu lying next to her, forgotten. The big cat plops down and leans on her for comfort as they both watch the feather dwindle into the distance, carrying Kagura and Kohaku out of reach.

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