InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Walk of Destiny ❯ Stitches ( Chapter 10 )

~ Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

I do own Walk of Destiny & Choice of Destiny.

Get over it!

Walk of Destiny

By angelwings1

Edited by Kelli G

Chapter 10 ~ Stitches

The end of the day had been hard to accept. Even with the dead burned and buried in the shadow of the hillside, it was foolish to believe it was all over. Returning to her empty rooms they had shared shook Kagome's comfortable calm, and she was forced to accept she no longer had a grandmother. Faking a smile had been easy, but making her family believe it had been impossible. "Go ahead, I'll be fine."

[888]

The heavy casualties of the battle had been hard on all of them, but it was Kagome they watched during the day. Since Kaede's passing that morning, the time traveler had said little, and nothing regarding her teacher. She had diligently set to work on cleaning up her village.

'What do I do?'

Her first decision as leader had been to defend her people from further attacks. If they were going to lick their wounds, they needed to make sure they could let down their guard. She decided it was best to follow Kaede's plan, and create a surrounding barrier out of prayer scrolls. Still inexperienced, Kagome left the chore to Miroku, believing he could raise a more effective wall than she.

Next, Kagome turned several of the dead families' houses into organized hospitals, mats stretching across every inch of floor. With the men carrying in the injured, the beds were swamped in minutes, and more houses had to be opened for the overwhelming number of patients.

Of course, Kagome settled in as head doctor, filtering through the women for skilled nurses. She did, after all, know the most about healing.

Once she had found all of her nurses, the miko rushed them towards their patients, giving them strict instructions to send for her if they were floundered by a surgical problem. All other women were ordered to assist the nurses, doing what they could, or else bring water to the hard-working men who carried the wounded under the slayers' supervision, or those who dug graves with Inuyasha's help.

After she had set order to the wild mess, Kagome began to do rounds through the hospitals with Rin and Shippo as her personal assistants.

Of course it wasn't long before the new leader was called upon again.

The men had stumbled upon their first traveler from the caravan, and were at a loss as to what to do. It had not been decided whether these were friends or enemies. And, being people of this era, the villagers were suspicious of anything they didn't understand.

Besides, with their village as it was, it would be wise to heed their leader. Hard as it was to make heads or tails of the situation, everyone was desperately afraid of the demons returning. Were these people a bad omen?

Coming to stand over the stranger, Kagome had hesitated only a short moment before making her decision. Maybe there was room to be wary of these strangers, but the miko refused to turn away the wounded just because of unfounded fear. She would not let this mangled, unconscious priestess be ignored.

These were human beings.

Shortly after the injured priestess had been settled into the hospital, Rashu had appeared to her, quite a mess himself. The time traveler was bent over a screaming child, setting a broken arm into a splint, when he called to her from the door. "Lady Kagome?"

Taking a chance to see who was speaking, the miko glanced up from her work. "Lord Rashu?"

On the other side of the room, Sango turned from her own patient and eyed the man skeptically as he strode towards her sister. As the priest worked his way through the maze of mats and workers, Kagome pulled the last knot on the boy's bindings. The miko smiled at the teary face. "Now I want you to try and get some sleep. If the pain gets too bad, send someone for me and I'll give you some medicine to help numb your arm. Okay?"

"Okay," the child sobbed from behind a curled fist. Leaning over him as he laid down, Shippo and Rin dragged a small blanket over the sniffling child. Kagome stood and faced the bowed priest, leaving the rest of the boy's care to his lucky, unscratched mother.

Waiting patiently for him to rise and speak, the priestess noted that the man favored only a few scratches on his body. He had been another lucky one.

"I wanted to share my thanks for taking in our wounded," he replied, his weariness evident as he stood. He offered a soft smile of gratitude. "You did not have to."

She shook her head. "I did what I thought was right."

Signaling for her father's look-alike to follow, the miko grabbed a basket of supplies next to the front door and hurried out into the bustling street, Shippo and Rin flanking either side of her. If there was something she didn't want to do at the moment, it was talking. More than anything she wanted to just sit down in a quiet corner and cry out every tear she was swallowing. It was taking every last shred of her willpower just to hold back a faint whimper.

Talking to anyone at this point would blow her cover. Hence, why she kept her back to the man as she walked to the next house of waiting patients.

"Lady Kagome, please, can't you stop for a moment and speak to me?"

His plea caused her to grip the basket tighter, his words tugging on the strings of her heart. Carefully, she turned around to face him, forcing down the lump in her throat. "Well, yes, Lord Rashu, I would be happy to talk, but as you may have heard, I have some new responsibilities to see to."

"As do I," the man persisted, coming up beside her. He stared at her intently, his eyes conveying how worn he was. "But I still need to speak with you."

Frantically, she dodged his eyes. She was already having difficulty keeping her emotions together, but now, with this man before her perfectly resembling the image in her memories, she could feel her control slipping dangerously between her fingers.

'This isn't helping!'

Every excuse ran through her mind as she began to walk faster.

"Well, can't this wait till later?" the girl asked feebly. "Maybe you, your father, and I could talk this evening once everything is sorted out."

"My father's dead."

Kagome froze, and tears leaked out from between her lids. She didn't even hold them back as she swirled around.

"I'm so sorry!" She bowed quickly, throwing her hair between them like a black curtain, wanting to disappear.

Shaking his head, the man pulled the girl back up. "You need not apologize for something you couldn't possibly know. He was taken down by a cat demon."

She slowly rose, staring up at the man's distant eyes. He wasn't paying much attention to her, distracted by his own thoughts. Kagome winced when she saw his lips were stretched tight, twitching as if they would snap at any moment. He appeared enraged, built up with tension.

'What's up with him?' the miko wondered, waiting for him to explode. Her eyes dared not blink as she watched the twitch growing in his rigid jaw. Rashu's smoky aura swam through her skull and pressed into her temples like hot needles. Kagome lost the will to breath when she felt the heat stream through her blood, making her dizzy. Through the third eye of her miko powers, Kagome saw a blackness smoldering in the priest, curling rapidly over his aura in a consuming cloud.

Then she blinked and saw only his sad smile. The entire experience had evaporated, the memory escaping her. Now she saw only the cool, pink glow imprisoning the priest. Whatever threatening cloud had attacked his holy powers had left, with no evidence that it had been there.

What was going on? Who were these people?

The man took a bow, grinning wistfully up at the rigid miko. "In light of your caring gesture to take in our wounded, Lady Kagome, I offer our own healers to you."

She hadn't expected that. "W-Well, thank you. We'd appreciate the help.

"You're welcome." He bowed again. "I shall send them to you once I have gathered them together."

"Thank you again," she replied, turning away once more, the two kids following. There was still half a day left, and plenty to be done before they lost the light. "Now if you will excuse me, Lord Rashu."

"Stay one moment longer," he persisted. "I have but one breath to share with you."

Inwardly, she gave an exhausted sigh. All she wanted was to go to sleep. The time traveler turned halfway towards her stalker. "Yes?"

He smiled weakly. "With my father's death, I must take his place and begin where he left off. I require a time to speak with you."

The time traveler didn't reply immediately. Whatever he wanted to talk about had to be important. She doubted he would ignore his wounded for a trivial talk.

"We can talk later," she decided. "Let us spend this day tending to the wounded and burying the dead. If you wish, we can talk after sunset."

'Feels weird to order my father-I mean my father's ancestor-around.'

His eyes widened. "But my lady-"

The stern glare stopped his rebuttal. She didn't care if he did look like her father; she would not bend to his will. "All that's important is keeping these people safe, nothing else. With Miroku's spell scrolls, we are finally able to take the time to tend the wounds of this village and bury our dead."

The woman showed her back to him as a tremor ran up her spine. "Today has been a tragedy, and I'm trying to put everything back together. Give my people a break!"

'Just let me go.'

Eyes screwed shut, the miko exhaled slowly. The warm air soothingly tickled her lips. "Please, let me help my people first."

Kagome waited stonily for his answer.

"Excuse me for my bluntness, my lady, but what I have to speak to you about shall help your people a great deal."

His voice was heavy in her ears, and a feeling of dread pushed into her heart. Kagome was tempted to listen to him, to push aside the feeling, but she would not abandon the needs of her people.

Thankfully, he was willing to wait. "Of course, it is not vital at this moment. Tonight we can talk as you said."

Surprised, Kagome swung her head around and watched the man walk away. Moments ago, he had been insisting vehemently that he had to speak with her, and now he was shrugging it off as it was nothing. 'It's almost like he's baiting me to follow.'

[888]

As the belly of the red sun slowly disappeared behind the ocean of trees, a fiery glow blinked behind the hillside. Caught in the gold light of the bonfire, silent faces watched Lady Kaede's flesh smoldering within the newly risen crucifixes of small branches. The somber ring of spectators mingled softly beneath the green giants, the elder's burning monument in the open space below.

With a visible sigh, two figures broke from the circle and stepped with slow precision towards the foot of the burning pile. Kagome's head rose sluggishly, her brown eyes seeming to mystically catch the light of the yellow flames. Beside her, Miroku recited a funeral prayer, and a white bouquet arched through the air as she flung out her wrist.

"May this spirit find her way…"

Lifelessly, Kagome's hand dropped to her side as she followed the yellow spiral up through the empty air. She hardly moved as she listened.

"May she find rest…"

Her chest heaved for a frantic moment as a star flickered above. 'I wish you didn't have to go…'

"Life…"

'But even my powers cannot bring you back...'

"Death…"

'I am no god…'

"Passes…"

She squeezed her eyes shut. 'But I still wish it!'

Her ears unconsciously heard his words end, and somehow she found her way back beside her friends. The crowd drifted apart, many ending up in front of the shadowy graves nearby. Two small hands took hers as the girl continued walking. Though she was watching her sandals, she was aware that she had several individuals trailing her.

'As soon as this is over, we'll build a fence around this graveyard, and put an arch at the foot of the hill. A slab will be placed in the center, with the story of this battle engraved in its surface, in memory of those who died today.'

Lord Rashu waited patiently at the edge of the trees, a couple of his own clan behind him. Kagome leveled her gaze on the dark trio as they stood standing against the burning sun. The time for tears was over.

Inuyasha ruffled behind her. He was tired of this priest pushing Kagome around. This human had no right to come here and demand things.

The more he learned about the man, the more Inuyasha wanted to run him out. Whereas Kagome had given a proper ritual for the dead, the priest gave no rite. Instead, Rashu had ordered the corpses of his people to be piled at the front of the village like rotted meat, and had simply thrown a torch onto their oily bodies. He hadn't even gathered their remains, leaving the ashy fuzz to float away. There was, Inuyasha reflected, less human blood pumping through his own veins, and he had more compassion than this man.

Whatever was holy in this man, Inuyasha could not see it. This man was a threat, and he didn't want Kagome anywhere near him. Yet, she had agreed to speak with the priest, going against his wishes.

Now he was forced to watch her open her arms to the danger he smelt, unable to stop her stubborn will. The only way to protect her was to keep his gold eyes fixed on the priest. Let him make a move against her, and he would pull Rashu's innards out through his nose.

Kagome strode firmly towards the priest, the foreboding feeling in her breast growing until she could not ignore it. 'Let's just get this over with so I can go to bed.'

All she wanted was to sleep away the tears she couldn't cry.

[888]

Shippo rolled onto his back and yawned loudly as Kagome pulled the blanket over himself and Rin. When space was stretched out between them, the little girl frowned in her sleep and wiggled closer to her playmate. Kilala mewed softly as she hopped into the blankets folds and snuggled up between the two.

Kagome stared at the children for several moments. 'She didn't even react to the bodies today. Shippo has seen countless bloody corpses, so it's no wonder he barely flinched at the sight... but Rin?...'

That probably meant she had seen a large sum of death before.

'Did Sesshoumaru destroy your village?'

The miko shook her head. 'No, Rin wouldn't be so devoted to him if she saw him kill her kin. She loves him.'

This girl would do anything for him. 'He did something for her.'

Kagome forced her eyes away, knowing they were waiting. Still, she couldn't help but stop and wonder. Rin had a mystery surrounding her, and curiosity drove her to solve it.

The miko shook her head violently. 'Darn it! Stop wondering about pointless stuff right now.'

How could she possibly be thinking of such things at a time like this?!

Sometimes she was disgusted with how absentminded she was.

The young priestess hastily pushed to her feet and ducked out of the room. 'Time's up, Kagome.'

Rashu impatiently glanced up from his seat, shifting the weight out of his sleepy limbs. Kagome bowed before taking a position across from him. "Thank you for waiting. Shall we begin?"

The man pointedly eyed the four sitting to the left of the pit fire. "This meeting is private."

Kagome heard the soft growl behind her, but she ignored it and kept focused on the man who so resembled her father. "There are no secrets between us. Whatever you tell me, they will find out later."

The priest shifted again, glaring at the tense group. He had shoved away his own two vassals, and now she perished the thought of dismissing her own.

Sango leveled her chin with his, refusing to be intimidated by anyone. Personally, she would rather be in bed. Dealing with all that had happened had burned up all the energy she possessed. Miroku and Kohaku were just as irritated at being called at such an indecent hour.

Defeated, the holy man swiveled back to the miko. "I shall respect that."

Pulling her legs out into Indian style, Kagome prepared for the long talk. Rashu waited for her to get comfortable before starting. "My people are known as the Sei Kora [the Holy Children].

"When Kami first shaped the world, demons crawled out of Hell and overran the land, seeking claim to every corner of green. Refusing to see the devil's armies take over, Kami blessed a house of humans. This house held the first priests and priestesses, holy children of Kami. As his blessing, Kami graced each individual with amazing powers to protect this world. Sadly, these powers were given a price: if a priest, or priestess, strayed from his or her ideal, then their powers would weaken, and they would one day face a terrible end.

"Many have fallen to this fate. Others have shone 'til their old age."

"Wait," Sango interrupted. "What do you mean when you say strayed from his ideal?"

"If ever they use their powers for selfish gains, ever allowed a demon to live by choice, or fell in love," he answered easily.

Kagome couldn't breath. 'Love?! I'm not allowed to fall in love?!'

Beside her, the hanyou stiffened.

"But how is it possible to be a priest without love?" Miroku asked with a cocked brow. "You are the son of a priest. Didn't your father fall in love with your mother?"

The priest had not noticed the miko and hanyou's reaction; his eyes were looking towards the female slayer. "My father never married. I was adopted."

Kagome blinked, dazed. 'Adopted? So that man wasn't my grandfather's ancestor.'

His eyes found hers again. "As I was saying, these people were the first to become holy protectors of our world.

Kagome watched silently as he brought a dark red cloth into his lap. "A few years later, a holy war broke out between the two forces. To ensure the protection of this world, Kami bestowed upon the Head Priest a dagger called the Hasu Ly [Pure Blade]. With this weapon, the priest could defeat any demon, could bring down the most powerful, one by one."

The scarlet cloth slipped down, forming a puddle between his legs. There, throbbing in his big hand, was a curved dagger with a brown leather hilt. Though the blade was sleek and glassy, the weapon looked like nothing more than another discarded dagger. Yet, the time traveler could see the strong halo swirling over the blade. This was definitely an enchanted weapon, similar to Tessiaga and Tenseiga.

"After several years, the holy war came to an end when the demons retreated and scattered. The children separated, vowing to take down every demon they found, and so continue to protect the world."

Rashu covered his heart with the dagger as he closed his eyes. "The Head Priest continued to travel, sharing his story with all who would listen, and through that, he gathered disciples. As you know, he had no children, so when he died he left a chosen disciple to continue in his stead. Lord Neekal was the former Head Priest and I was his student, thus I am the new Head Priest. These last years we have spent our time gathering together to take down the demon king, Naraku. When we heard the demon had been killed, my father decided it was a sign, that it was time to challenge the houses of the Blood Four."

Sango leaned forward, her mouth hanging open in surprise. "He wanted to go against four of the strongest beings in the world?! I understand Naraku was powerful, but to go against all four houses at once is suicidal!"

"Not if they are separated," the man insisted confidently. "With the dagger in our hands, we will have victory. My father has already killed the late Kala, Lady of the East, and I shall finish where he left off."

"So you have come to seek new followers," Kagome whispered numbly, "to help you in this mission?"

"Not exactly," the man replied softly, the firelight fluttering over his face like butterfly wings. "I came for you, Lady Kagome."

He made it sound so simple, as if the entire room didn't freeze at his request.

"What are you saying?" she choked out.

His eyes refused to blink, intent on holding her gaze. "We heard you were the one who took Naraku down. You did what people believed only the legendary priestess, Midoriko, would be able to do. You took down a demon, stronger than any of the Four, and without so much as an enchanted blade. We came seeking your allegiance."

Inuyasha's triangular ears flattened against his skull as he frowned. He did not like the direction this was going. "What exactly do you want from her?"

There was a piece that wasn't fitting in her head, something he hadn't said.

Watching the priest study her behavior, the miko could see the heavy weight in his eyes. "I want you to take the place of Kaizoe [Second] Priestess."

Aghast, Kagome flinched back. "You can't be serious. I have a village to lead!"

"We need you," he persisted, leaning forward into the light. "This war will be brutal, but with your power, Lady Kagome, the scale will tip in our favor!"

The three-letter word was like a bomb in the silence.
Was this a cruel joke?! This era was an entire war between the states, and now they wanted to rage war against the demons?!

Sango reached over and clutched her brother's hand while Miroku wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. Inuyasha didn't respond with much more than a twitch of the brow.

"War?" The time traveler could only mumble the swollen word. "You're starting a war?"

Rashu let out a dry chuckle. "Too late. It's already begun."

The girl's eyes widened as the last piece fit. "Today… when the demons attacked… they did it because of this war. The Blood Four are defending themselves."

'People died because you started this.'

"Yes," he nodded, not realizing how his answer had discredited him. "I believe they attacked because they knew we would be unprepared; easy pickings, as it were. If I had known they would involve your village, I would never have allowed this to happen."

"Well, it did!" Inuyasha snapped, voicing the silent anger of the group.

Never losing sight of the Head Priest, Kagome waved the hanyou down. "Please don't, Inuyasha. Not now."

Rashu just ignored the lowly demon. "Fight for us, Lady Kagome. It would only be until this is over. Help us purge the world of this ancient danger!"