InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twins Travel Together ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 9 

 

Thankfully, the smells coming from the kitchen are enough to rouse the hungry family members without having to wake them with other means. 

 

“I can’t remember the last time we had Katsudon.” Kinuki cheers gleefully as she digs into the pork cutlet rice bowl. 

 

“And it tastes REALLY good Mama.” Kagome compliments wholeheartedly. 

 

Watching the young ones enjoy their meal in their school uniforms, the mother and grandfather hold their tears at bay and sear the memory into their minds. 

Knowing that this norm likely won’t come to pass again for quite some time. 

 

After dinner and washing up together, Jii-chan hands Hikari 2 shopping bags and the three Higurashi women ascend the staircase to the twin’s room. 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to head back tomorrow?” Hikari asks again. 

 

“We’re sure Mama.” Kagome answers with a soft smile. 

 

“We’re going to have to get used to living in the past most of the time anyway.” Kinuki points out happily. 

 

“Well, make sure you take everything you need with you, and wear clothes that are appropriate for the weather, and look out for one another, and…” 

 

“and check in every once in a while. We KNOW Mama.” Kinuki interrupts her mother gently. 

 

“We’ll be fine, we promise.” Kagome tacks on. 

 

“Ok. Ok. I’ll leave these with you then, before I get another protective surge.” The girls look at the two shopping bags curiously. 

 

“I asked Ji-chan to pick up a few things I put on hold last night, so they should fit. You just have to decide who gets what one.” Hikari explains vaguely, before waving one more time and closing the door behind her. 

 

“Ah.” Kinuki heaves a relieved sigh as she falls back on her bed. 

 

‘Tell me about it.’ Kagome chuckles. 

 

‘I love her, and I know she means well, but her worry is almost contagious when she’s like that.’ Kinuki thinks through her sibling link. 

 

‘I know. But we wouldn’t have her any other way.’ Kagome says fondly. 

 

‘Duh. It’s one of her strongest traits as a good mum.’ Kinuki points out. 

 

‘Speaking of good mums…’ Kagome starts. 

 

‘Want to see what she bought us?’ Kinuki finishes, sitting up to share a knowing look with her sister. 

 

‘So… left, or right?’ Kagome asks when the two stand in front of the two shopping bags contemplatively. 

 

‘Which ever one you feel most drawn to, I’d say.’ Kinuki suggests. 

 

‘That’s right for me.’ Kagome admits, reaching out to take the bag, just as Kinuki does the same for the one on the left, leading to the two girls knocking their hands together as a result. 

 

They giggle quietly as Kinuki crouches down to get to the left bag underneath Kagome’s arm and they move to plop the bags on their beds. 

 

‘Ready?’ Kinuki asks. 

 

‘Go!’ Kagome replies, and both girls open their bags and spill the contents onto their beds simultaneously, smiling when they pull out the clothes their mother had organised for them. 

 

Kagome had blue jeggings in light denim, a white shirt, and a forest green hoodie, as well as a new pair of white trainers. 

 

Kinuki had dark blue jeggings in a darker blue denim, a white shirt, and a light lavender hoodie, as well as a new pair of black trainers. 

 

‘It’s perfect.’ 

‘It’s perfect.’

They synchronise mentally. 

 

Practically humming in delight when they see that they each have four jeggings, four shirts and two hoodies. 

 

‘So… wearing one, taking the other and leaving the rest?’ Kagome suggests. 

 

‘Sounds like a plan.’ Kinuki agrees, already neatly folding everything together, Kagome smiles and follows her example. 

 

‘Are we packing our school bags, or rucksacks?’ Kagome asks, once everything is neatly stacked in a pile on her bed. 

 

‘I think the rucksacks are a better call. There’s more room and less likelihood of us accidentally switching them.’ Kinuki comments, already pulling her warm green one out from under her bed, Kagome doing the same with her yellow one, moments later. 

 

And so, the evening progresses. 

 

The girls think back and forth and gather clothes from their closets, snacks, and water bottles from the kitchen, and other things they think they might need from around the house. 

 

An hour and a triple check later, the twins call everyone down to the receiving foyer for a final farewell. 

 

Hikari’s eyes mist when she sees her girls wearing their new outfits, each wearing their favourite colours, exactly as she’d predicted. 

 

“We’ll be back in a week at the latest.” Kinuki promises. 

 

“And you’d better not blab to anyone, ok?” Kagome threatens teasingly as she ruffles Souta’s hair. 

 

“I won’t, I won’t!” The youngest Higurashi promises while struggling out of his sister’s hold. 

 

“And if anyone asks?” Kinuki questions. 

 

“I say you’re taking a Futoku for private reasons and would appreciate them not prying any further.” He answers after a short sigh. 

 

“Exactly.” Kinuko praises with a hug. 

 

“And don’t forget your homework, you hear!” Ji-chan reminds his granddaughters sternly.

 

“We wouldn’t dream of it.” Kagome says placatingly. 

 

“I packed all the textbooks and worksheets right here.” Kinuki grins, pulling the aforementioned books out of her bag for a moment, before zipping and buckling it back up and hefting it over her shoulder. 

 

Ji-chan gives a satisfied huff and accepts a goodbye kiss to each of his cheeks from the twins. 

 

“Take care of yourselves.” Hikari implores them, wrapping two silk scarves around each of their necks. 

 

A dark blue one with yellow accents for Kinuki, and a cool green one with bright light blue accents for Kagome. 

 

“We will Mama.”

“We will Mama.”

The twins say, giving their mother a final hug, before clicking on Kagome’s flashlight and headed for the well house. 

 

‘You ready?’ Kagome asks. 

 

‘Define “ready”.’ Kinuki laughs. 

 

‘Yeah, me too.’ Kagome agrees. 

 

‘But hey, even if we’re not. We’re as prepared as we’re ever going to be, and we have each other, so we’ll be just fine.’ Kinuki reassures her older sister. 

 

‘Are you sure you’re not older than me?’ Kagome asks with a chuckle. 

 

‘I always said you only came out first ‘cause you’re faster than me when it comes to sprints.’ Kinuki replies coolly. 

 

Kagome rolls her eyes and jabs her sister’s side playfully. 

 

‘Not nice.’ She chastens her younger twin. 

 

‘But possibly true.’ Kinuki sing-songs in her mind. 

 

‘Come on, Inuyasha’s probably waiting.’ Kagome says as she stops in front of the well and lifts her weight over the edge to sit on its lip. 

 

‘Yea-no, he’s DEFINITELY waiting.’ Kinuki rephrases. 

 

‘True.’ Kagome sighs, though she smiles afterwards.

 

‘You think he’ll be at Kaede’s or in front of the well?’ Kinuki questions as she too takes a seat on the lip of the well before swinging around so that her legs dangle into it. 

 

‘There’s no way he’s waiting at Kaede’s.’ Kagome snorts. 

 

‘Well, we can’t bet if we both think so.’ Kinuki sighs, causing Kagome to burst out laughing. 

 

“Let’s go.” Kinuki says aloud this time, offering her sister her hand. 

 

Kagome looks at her younger half, smiling when she sees that she’s completely foregone her contact tonight, and places her hand in hers. 

 

‘Count down?’ Kagome suggests once they’ve linked their hands. 

 

‘What for?’ Kinuki asks. 

 

‘So that we don’t end up injuring each other if we mistime the jump?’ Kagome reasons obviously. 

 

‘Spoilsport, but fine.’ Kinuki pouts. 

 

‘Good, then…’ 

‘Three two one go!’ 

Kinuki suddenly interrupts, pushing off the edge and into the well as soon as she finishes her fast-tracked count down. 

 

‘Kinuki!’ Kagome screams, getting pulled along before she can really grasp what her sister just did, streams of colour and stars surround the sisters once again, and they make it to the past without incident.

 

‘I hate you.’ Kagome thinks darkly once they’ve landed at the bottom of the well. 

 

‘You’re welcome.’ Kinuki replies, easily shrugging off her sister’s lie with an all-knowing grin as she helps her up off the ground. 

 

“Step ladder?” Kagome asks. 

 

“Did you bring one?” Kinuki teases. 

 

“No. You were there when I packed, remember?” Kagome replies bluntly. 

 

“I know.” Kinuki chuckles. 

 

“Need a hand?” 

 

The girls spring into each other’s arms at the sudden intrusion of a third voice in their conversation. Slowly pulling apart, but keeping their arms wrapped around each other, and turning their heads to look up, when those rare, familiar chuckles register in their ears. 

 

Not that they can see anything except for a rough silhouette surrounded by a dark blue sky splattered with stars. 

 

But, if his voice hadn’t given his away, the silhouetted ears atop his head certainly did. 

 

“You’d be dead by now if I’d been anyone else you know?” He chastens as he jumps down into the well, separates and picks them both up with an arm each, before jumping back out into the starlit clearing. 

 

“We’ll start scanning the area whenever we use the well to come here.” Kinuki promises, finding value in the experience, and very glad that Inuyasha had waited for them at the well. She had no desire for a repeat Uroko experience at night. Or, at all, really.  

 

“Thanks for the tip though.” Kagome chimes in. Her tone just the slightest bit dry. 

 

Inuyasha quirks a brow at the twins but decides to let the snideness go. 

 

“I’m guessing you don’t plan to leave ‘til tomorrow?” He supplies, setting off at a somewhat brisk pace for Kaede’s village. 

 

“I mean, we could, but I think one more talk with Kaede would do all of us some good, especially considering Kagome and I both don’t yet fully understand how to conceal our auras and the three of us still need to hash out how who travels where, you know?” Kinuki explains, leaving both Kagome and Inuyasha with wide eyes and slightly loose jaws. 

 

“…Good point.” Kagome murmurs quietly. 

 

“We try and leave around lunch then.” Inuyasha decides. 

 

“Sounds good.” Kinuki and Kagome both agree. 

 

“Did we miss anything interesting while we were home?” Kagome asks curiously. 

 

“Keh, no.” Inuyasha rolls his eyes as he answers. 

 

“Hm… why do you sound disappointed by that?” Kinuki questions cheekily. 

 

“You try spending 50 years pinned to a tree and waking up to find your forest infested with low ranked demons that don’t last longer than a second against you.” He growls.

 

“Uh, no thanks. But you could’ve saved a few demons for us to practise on.” Kinuki murmurs thoughtfully. 

 

Inuyasha blinks as that option fully takes root in his head. 

 

“I’ll keep it in mind as a training exercise for later.” He says with a fully fanged grin. 

 

Kinuki mirrors it. 

 

Kagome shudders and sighs. 

 

They make it back to the village a few minutes later, and Kaede is only too happy to help Kagome settle back into her bed and postpone any discussion till tomorrow. 

 

“Not sleeping in a tree tonight?” Inuyasha asks, grass and clothes rustling as he takes a seat next to the younger miko twin. 

 

“Oh, no, I’ll climb up in a bit, but I just felt like it’d be a waste not to enjoy the view for a but before going to sleep.” Kinuki explains from her position laying on her back and looking up at the stars. 

 

Inuyasha hums and lays down next to her with a sigh. 

 

“…How’d all that home-stuff go?” He asks after a few moments, still looking at the sky. 

 

“Pretty well, all things considered. We have an official 6 months and an unofficial year to try and complete the jewel before any more serious repercussions would await us.” Kinuki answers. 

 

Inuyasha hums in reply, confused at the relief and the lightness in his chest; now that he knew they were staying longer. 

 

“I’ve been thinking it’ll be faster to travel around with just two people, so I’m going to suggest we cover the closer areas together and then set up a base here, where I’ll stay back while you and Kagome head out further.” Kinuki suddenly suggests. 

 

Inuyasha feels his eyes widen as his head falls to the side to look at the young miko lying next to him. 

 

“Why?” He manages to ask. 

 

She lifts her shoulders in a semi-shrug.

 

“Lots of reasons. Even though we have a year, it’s still a time-limit that we should try to stay under. We have responsibilities aside from the jewel hunt that we can better split between us than if we both have to multitask them. Staying here means being able to learn more about my miko powers and position from Kaede and I can help protect he village, keep an eye on the well, and draw weaker demons to my share of the jewel shards, because hey, I’d say it’s riskier to keep them all together and basically be a moving target for every demon ever.” Kinuki explains, having clearly taken some time to think about this already. 

 

“Keh, why you gotta make it sound so reasonable?” He grumbles. 

 

Kinuki bursts out laughing at that, realising that he’s actually pouting a little. 

 

“Because it IS. And you’ll come back when you need more supplies anyway, and if you really need my help, Kagome can send me flying to your side in less than a minute.” She points out with a grin. 

 

“Keh… It’s getting late.” Inuyasha says evasively, suddenly swinging up to sit and then stand, before turning to give her a hand up. 

 

Kinuki accepts the drop of topic without mention. 

 

“Thanks.” She says instead, as she takes his hand and he hefts her to her feet, before pulling her a little higher, securing her to his front with an arm, and ignoring here curious glance as he jumps into a nearby tree. 

 

“Should I be thankful or worried now?” Kinuki teases with a smile. 

 

A smile twitches at his lips for a second, but he rolls his eyes and leaps away without a word, his red haori fluttering down over her torso in a final, wordless good night. 

 

“A bit of both then.” She murmurs as she snuggles into the warm material and quickly drifts off to sleep. 

 

The night remains uneventful, but, in the early morning hours, just as Kinuki rouses from her sleep and stretches in the fork of the tree Inuyasha dropped her off in, she feels a mosquito-like sting on her neck. 

 

Carefully folding pulling the haori over her head and climbing down the tree to land on the ground with a graceful thud, Kinuki voices a quiet sigh. 

 

“I didn’t realise mosquitoes were such a hungry bunch.” She murmurs to herself. 

 

“Mwah. My apologies young priestess, but your blood was much like a siren to a sailor and I couldn’t resist a slightly larger sampling.” The little bug suddenly speaks up on her shoulder, causing Kinuki to jump a good six feet into the air with a cut off shriek of surprise. 

 

“JEEZ! Why would you DO that?” Kinuki asks between deep breaths. 

 

“I didn’t realise speaking to a demon was so shocking for a young miko. I apologise for startling you. My name is Myoga, and I would be much obliged if you could point me in young master Inuyasha’s direction.” The little bloodsucker asks politely. 

 

“Depends what you want him for?” Kinuki asks aloofly. 

 

“It is a matter of great urgency and concerning the young master’s brother and mother! Surely you must know where he is, that fire rat you’re wearing is one of a kind and belongs to him.” Myoga continues. 

 

“Inuyasha has a br-”

 

“The fuck are you doing here, you old geezer?” Inuyasha interrupts her, jumping down from a different tree that was obviously nearby. 

 

“Oh, master Inuyasha! How wonderful to see you again. I’ve come to warn you. Your brother is on his way here!” Myoga exclaims fearfully, jumping onto Inuyasha’s shoulder as he speaks. 

 

“Inuyasha has a brother?!” The trio all turn at the surprised exclamation that just came from Kagome who, by some unknown miracle, was awake before sunrise and making her way toward them. 

 

‘I had the same reaction, but Inuyasha cut me off before I could ask anything.’ Kinuki fills her sister in quickly. 

 

“Why yes, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands. He’s a dangerous demon though. You should leave now if you want to avoid him today.” Myoga urges. 

 

“Keh. That bastard is my HALF-brother, and I ain’t scared of him.” Inuyasha says, his vortex volatile and dark as he flexes his claws. 

 

Kagome and Kinuki shuffle closer together. The tangible hatred they could hear in their new friend’s voice making their skins crawl and skeletons shiver. 

 

“He is a royal taiyoukai who shares your father’s blood, and he’s strong enough to warrant the fear of these villagers, at least.” Myoga points out. 

 

“Should we start an evacuation?” Kinuki suggests worriedly. 

 

“Humans are too slow for demons, high tier ones like Lord Sesshomaru could blow them away with his presence alone.” Myoga explains while shaking his head. 

 

“So, fight or flight Inuyasha?” Kagome asks. 

 

“I would never run from that bastard.” Inuyasha answers on a growl. 

 

“Alright. I’ll inform Kaede and try to get a barrier up around the village.” Kinuki states, running off without another word. 

 

“The WHOLE village?” Myoga questions, fear and awe warring in his voice. 

 

“It’s Kinuki. She’ll make it work.” Kagome replies with a shrug. 

 

“As for us, we should spare as much of the village as possible and see if we can’t intercept your brother in the forest.” She continues as she turns to Inuyasha. 

 

“That’s what I’LL do. You follow your sister.” Inuyasha replies without waiting for a response. Immediately running off towards the forest, as he can already make out a flying carriage on the horizon. 

 

They were closer than expected. 

 

‘Is that a FLYING CARRIAGE?!’ Kagome asks in disbelief, as she looks up at the sky outside of Kaede’s hut. 

 

‘Where?!’ Kinuki asks, bursting out of the hut and looking around excitedly. 

 

‘You realise that’s likely the transport of the most powerful demon we’ve ever seen here?’ Kagome points out. 

 

‘Exactly, Kaede herself said a barrier against him with our current calibre would be like trying to cage an adult in walls made of woven straw and hay.’ Kinuki replies, her eyes sparkling as she keeps her gaze trained on the flying carriage. 

 

‘So, if we can’t make a barrier, what do we do?’ Kagome asks, immediately regretting her question when she sees the shift in her sister’s expression. 

 

‘Please don’t say-’ 

‘Let’s go talk to Inuyasha’s brother then!’ Kinuki finishes her sister’s thought with a grin as Kagome groans. 

 

‘He’s a DEMON.’ Kagome reminds her little sister futilely. 

 

‘Yeah, and Inuyasha’s HALF, what’s the issue?’ Kinuki reminds her older sister as she starts walking toward the approaching carriage, away from the village. 

 

‘Demons aren’t exactly very miko-friendly here.’ Kagome prompts, keeping pace with her sister. 

 

‘So? There’s plenty of sick, idiotic, twisted humans back home. They’re just a different species.’ Kinuki argues. 

 

‘So, what? Judge the person and not the rumour?’ Kagome rolls her eyes and sighs. 

 

‘Exactly.’ Kinuki agrees, stopping in a clearing a little ways outside of the village boarder. 

 

‘You bring any binoculars?’ Kagome asks, squinting her eyes to try and make out more than just the speck that was the flying carriage approaching overhead.

 

‘Of course… Though it doesn’t look like it’s looking to land anytime soon.’ Kinuki pips up with a grin, as she lifts said binoculars from around her neck and peers through them into the sky. 

 

“Why fly all the way here then?” Kagome asks quietly. 

 

“Probably some stupid display of power or something.” Inuyasha growls from behind them. 

 

They flinch. 

 

“Ok seriously, what IS it with demons and sneaking up on people?!” Kinuki complains. 

 

“We do need to be able to stalk our prey, you know.” Inuyasha answers with a raised brow. 

 

“Right… and your stalking makes you good at taking note of the little things?” Kagome questions. 

 

“I can stay undetected well enough.” He replies, though his eyes have yet to leave the flying carriage. 

 

“But you can’t detect the fact that we’re on some kind of foggy, alternate plain where it’s still night?” Kinuki says with a nervous laugh, scanning the area and taking note of the blurry edges of the landscape and the scraps of fog slowly thickening at their feet. 

 

“We’re WHAT?” Kagome asks, her head snapping to the side to look at her sister and take in the truth of her words. 

 

“It’s starting to reek of death here.” Inuyasha mutters, eyes narrowing as he steps between and in front of the two miko. 

 

All three of them looking back up to the sky and having their eyes widen at how much closer the carriage suddenly is. 

 

“We should split up.” Kinuki suggests, and Inuyasha doesn’t even give Kagome a chance to concur, before grabbing Kinuki and jumping over to the forest fringe on their left, jumping back and pulling Kagome behind a tree as he stands next to the tree and then keeps watching the carriage. 

 

‘I think that was faster than some of the rollercoasters we’ve been on.’ Kinuki thinks, impressed. 

 

‘Just make sure you stay out of sight and keep a few trees between you and the carriage.’ Kagome replies worriedly. 

 

‘You feel it too?’ Kinuki asks. 

 

‘Like an icy blade tracing my back.’ Kagome confirms with a shiver that reaches every part of her body. 

 

‘Yeah, something’s definitely not right here…’ Kinuki thinks, before cutting the connection when she sees that the carriage has again, quite quickly, gotten much closer, so that it’s almost overhead now. 

 

Something rumbles. 

She hears Kagome swear in the back of her mind. 

And then she sees a MASSIVE claw of a hand descend through the cloud cover and crush the carriage between four deadly-looking fingers! 

 

‘What the frick is THAT?’ Kinuki exclaims, wide-eyed. 

 

‘Another demon.’ Kagome wails and then groans. 

 

‘Well, that’s quite a big one, you ok?’ Kinuki gulps. 

 

‘Oh yeah, sure, apart from the fact that the demon has a woman in its claws that Inuyasha just called “mother”, I’m perfectly fine.’ Kagome supplies with false cheeriness. 

 

‘Wha-!’ 

‘Oh, and his older brother is on the demon’s shoulder and they’re screaming at each other.’ Kagome cuts in to keep her sister updated. 

 

‘Great… Any other family members to add to that list?’ Kinuki asks sarcastically. 

 

‘Not really, but I’m going to focus more om staying hidden now.’ Kagome says before cutting the connection with her sister and leaving Kinuki in her little forest hideout without her added thoughts. 

 

‘Well… If he really is as strong and powerful as Myoga says, I should probably put a little more distance between us.’ Kinuki thinks to herself, slowly and carefully creeping away between the trees until she reaches the old bandit hideout. 

 

‘Oh! If I’m going to be staying here anyway, I may as well tidy up a place where I can stay.’ Kinuki realises. 

 

Happy for the beneficial excuse to busy her mind with something other than the faint sounds of battle she can still hear in the distance. 

 

Opening every door and window and finding a broom in a secluded storage closet, Kinuki gets right to work sweeping the worst of the dust out of the place. A sudden cut off cry, followed by Kagome’s scream of Inuyasha’s name freeze Kinuki in place for a moment, making her fingers fumble and drop the broom to the dusty floor. 

 

‘Kagome?’ She asks, trying to contact her sister. 

 

The connection is fickle and static-like, but she can catch a broken sentence. 

 

‘Can’t-you-everyth-kay? Some-else. -lk-later.’ 

 

Though it takes a little bit of deciphering, Kinuki doesn’t try to open their channel again. 

 

“Stay safe big sis.” She murmurs as she crouches down and picks up the broom to continue her cleaning. 

 

Her knuckles white with loathing at the helplessness of her position. As much as she wanted to go and help Kagome, she knew that such a connection meant that she was most likely somewhere where she couldn’t reach her. 

 

So, redirecting her thoughts, Kinuki focuses on keeping her breathing even and cleaning one segment of floor at a time. 

 

Halfway through cleaning the entire place, a sudden pressure at the front of Kinuki’s head forces her to her knees, her hand tingling with a strange power as she grimacing from those strange, strong sensations. 

 

‘What… the heck?!’ Kinuki thinks, gasping when the tingles in her hand start stinging with heat. 

 

Her eyes widening as she likens the strangely similar sensation to the arrow she’d disintegrated on her first day in the past. 

Concentrating her power into her hand, Kinuki bites back a scream as the action again sparks a much stronger burn in her hand. 

Hoping that it’s the same as when she had the arrow in her hand, Kinuki keeps sending her power into her hand, clenching her teeth as the burn gets hotter and hotter. 

 

“Stop.” A soft voice orders, causing Kinuki to scream aloud and lose grip of her power, the burning sensation quickly rescinding to the former, uncomfortable tingles. 

 

“Damnit, why do people keep…” Kinuki trails off as she turns around to address the person who gave her such a fright, only to see a glowing silvery gold apparition floating in front of her. 

 

“…You’re not a person.” She points out. 

 

The apparition chuckles. 

 

“Not as such.” He answers, his voice breezy and faint, but somehow warm. 

 

“Ok, well, I’m Kinuki, and you?” Kinuki introduces herself with a slight, polite bow. 

 

“Someone whose name you can’t know just yet.” He replies. 

 

“Ok, then, could you tell me why you stopped me?” Kinuki asks instead. 

 

“I’m surprised you’re not shocked to see me.” He deflects her question. 

 

“Believe it or not it’s not the first time I’ve seen you. Just the first time you’re gold AND silver.” Kinuki muses, drawing the apparition up short, before the gold slowly starts dispersing around him. 

 

“So, you can still see me now?” He asks, his voice suddenly much clearer. 

 

Kinuki nods. 

 

“Well, that both complicates and simplifies things.” The apparition sighs. 

 

“Sorry?” Kinuki laughs sheepishly. 

 

“Nothing you have to apologise for. Though I suppose I’ve gone and wasted a little too much time.” He muses. 

 

“That tingling in her hand will always come up when I’m close by. And, since my youkai is stronger than your reiki, you’d purify your hand to dust if you tried directing your energy into it like you just did.” Kinuki blanches a few shades at that realisation. 

 

“But once you get stronger than me, you’ll be able to purify me instead of your hand, so you should probably just not do it.” He suggests sheepishly. 

 

“Anyway, if you head a little ways north, you’ll meet a young, stubborn demon lord soon, and though he doesn’t have the best relationship with humans, he’ll be injured, so…” 

 

Kinuki cuts the apparition off there. 

 

“Just north, or do you have more specific directions?” She asks, already headed for the door. 

 

“You would’ve gone to help him even if I hadn’t interfered, huh.” The apparition murmurs to himself with a small, sad smile. 

 

“Pardon?” Kinuki calls from the door, having not caught the apparition’s words. 

 

“Just north, you’ll hear and see the impact site pretty soon.” He answers a little louder. 

 

Kinuki gives him a smile and a nod, the silver of her left eye glinting in the flecks of moonlight dappling the ground beneath the forest trees as she disappears out the door and the apparition fades from sight with a worried though hopeful expression on his face. 

 

‘I wonder if I can get a lock somewhere?’ Kinuki thinks to herself as she climbs to the crown of a tree and feels her eyes widen when she sees the first colour taint the sky with dawn’s light. 

 

‘Well, I won’t be navigating north with the stars then.’ She thinks to herself, slipping down the branches and back to the ground to take a look around for some north-growing moss. 

 

Not that she needs the guidance, since, only a moment later, a white and purple light ignites in the sky and something big and bleeding falls out of it, onto the ground below, a couple hundred meters away. 

 

‘Well, it seems he forgot to mention that this demon lord would be a huge, angry dog.’ Kinuki puffs as she finally makes it to the crash site, running the remaining distance as quickly and safely as the dim light would allow. 

 

She steps onto the first swell of the impact site, a crater of overturned earth and dirt and trees with something that was once white at its centre. 

 

Fur ripples as he growls at her. 

 

The vibrations shaking her very bones as blood red eyes with turquoise pupils open and fixate on her. 

 

“Good morning to you too.” Kinuki says, plastering a smile on her face as she lets herself slide down the outer mound of the crater, closer to the defensive demon lord the apparition told her about. 

 

“I saw the crash from my home and was wondering if I could help you?” She asks, ignoring his unspoken threat to stay back as she climbs the next mound, moving closer still to the injured demon lord. 

 

The growl intensifies, though she sees the matted hackles at the back of his neck lower a little as he raises his head to get a better look at the clearly crazy little human. 

 

Kinuki meanwhile, continues to trek closer, until she stands right in front of the giant dog, eyes widening when she slides the rest of the way down into the central crater and finds herself ankle-deep in blood. 

 

“You’re clearly injured.” She points out, taking an involuntary step back when the dog demon brings his face down to her eye level and growls louder. 

 

“You shouldn’t be mad if it’s a fact.” Kinuki sighs as she crosses her arms and glares at the stubborn demon. 

 

“Come on, it’d be great if you were still strong enough to take on a humanoid form, but we need to get you someplace else to treat you either way or.” She continues, deliberately needling the demon lord’s pride as she moves closer still, takes a tuft of the fur on his paw, and starts incessantly tugging it to try and get him to follow her. 

 

She stiffens when she feels hot breath on her neck, and his jaws gently pluck her off the ground, but none-too-gently toss her back out of the crater he’d created when he’d fallen out of the sky. 

 

“Well, that was rude.” Kinuki grumbles as she rubs her sore side and gets up off the grass. A small smile tweaking her lips up when she sees that the demon deliberately aimed for a grass-covered clearing when he threw her away from him. 

 

“As were you human.” A smooth voice speaks up from behind Kinuki, causing the young miko to squeak and jump a few feet into the air. 

 

“WHY do demons seem to find ~so much joy in sneaking up on people?” She laments. 

 

He merely stares at her. 

 

Silent. 

 

Appraising. 

 

Kinuki puts a hand to her head as she sighs, knowing full well it was her own fault for constantly having her guard down. 

 

“You’re a miko.” The demon lord suddenly states. 

 

“And you’re a demon lord.” Kinuki states right back, raising a brow as she challenges him. 

 

An unspoken “so what?” hanging thick in the air. 

 

“And how would a miko treat the wound of this western lord?” He finally asks as he presents the stump that must have once been his left arm for her inspection. 

Blood still freely pouring from the open wound. 

 

“Jesus! Staunch that blood flow first! 

Or do you want to fall unconscious in the next few seconds?” Kinuki exclaims, quickly pulling her jumper over her head, covering the wound with the material, and using the arms to tie a secure knot around the remaining arm. 

 

She takes no note of the demon lord’s tense body when she moves closer so quickly, without word of warning, or anything of the like. 

 

“Do you have a death wish miko?” He asks, flexing his claws as he considers her life. 

 

“Do you!?” Kinuki shoots back, taking his hand in hers as she moves to take him back to her semi-clean hideout. 

 

However, she barely makes it two steps, before she releases a yowl of pain and pulls her bleeding hand out of the demon’s grip, five perfect pricks of blood rising to the surface of her skin. 

 

“What was that for?” She asks, shaking and moving her hand a bit after that sudden, crushing grip. 

 

“You had no permission to touch me, human filth.” The demon lord replies coldly. 

 

“Well, I’m ~so sorry for prioritising your life over your sanitary preferences.” Kinuki bites back scathingly. 

 

The demon lord makes no move to speak or move. 

 

Kinuki sighs. 

 

“Look. Yes, I’m a miko, but I’ve healed people before, and I would really like to heal you. But I want to do it someplace safer than out here, which is why I wanted to lead you back to my temporary residence. I apologise for not asking your permission to do so beforehand.” She explains, praying for patience as she waits for the demon lord’s reaction. 

 

In his humanoid form, she could see that his eyes were gold as the sun and his hair a striking silver, though matted with blood and dirt. His clothes too had multiple cuts and frays, but his regal stature left no doubt of his noble heritage. 

 

“You may try to treat me here miko. And should you try anything else, I will personally send your soul to the afterlife.” He replies seriously. 

 

“I suppose that’s as much of a compromise as I can hope for.” Kinuki agrees, directing her power into her hand to heal the nail punctures he’d given her as a small demonstration. 

 

He watches without saying a word nor moving a muscle. 

 

When she finishes, she lifts her gaze to give him a questioning look, which he answers with a single, sure nod. 

 

“Ok, let’s try to stop the bleeding first.” Kinuki mumbles to herself, taking a firm grip of her power and imagining it binding the open wound. 

 

Cauterizing the blood vessels without pain and pulling new skin over the open muscles and bone.

 

The process is slow and draining for Kinuki, taking a lot of energy and concentration to work on such a serious wound, and such a strong being. 

 

She finishes after a few minutes. 

 

Panting but proud, despite the small stab of sympathy, since she doesn’t know if she can make the entire arm regrow, like she has the skin and muscle of the other injures she’s healed so far. However, even if she could regrow an appendage, she knows that she’s nowhere near strong enough to withstand the backlash of such a job yet.  

 

“I’m sorry I can’t do more than that.” Kinuki says as she takes her jumper back, takes a step back to lean against a nearby tree for support and drops her jumper at her feet. 

 

“Hm… For the first time you spared me, I shall negate the poison within you." The demon lord decrees, allowing a golden powder to shower over the young miko, and making Kinuki smile as the tingling that had moved from her hand all the way up to her shoulder, recedes. 

 

‘Figured that was some type of poison.’ Kinuki thinks to herself, pleased to see how her kindness was being repaid in kind. 

 

“And for the second time, I will allow you to address me as Lord Sesshomaru.” He continues, Kinuki’s brow furrowing in confusion as she clearly remembers no former incident where she ever met this demon lord. 

 

“Thank you for the honour, Lord Sesshomaru.” She replies, forcing herself to straighten to give a formal bow. 

 

When she straightens, she finds the demon lord gone and rolls her eyes at the predictability of THAT move. 

 

“Welp, I should probably get back to the hideout and finish that clean-up.” Kinuki murmurs as she stretches her arms overhead and starts headed back the way she came. 

 

Somehow missing the connection between the two same names she'd heard on the same morning. 

 

- - - - - 

 

Author's Note 

 

Welcome back my lovely TTT readers! 

 

I can't beleive this story has had more than 1,000 visits now! 

 

I'm currently working on my Bachelor now, but I'll try to get the next chapter up by September. 

 

As always, I look forward to reading your comments, thoughts or impressions.

 

And I'll see you all next chapter!