Monday, October 11, 2004

Inuyasha 16
'This is less than encouraging,' Kagome glared darkly at the unblemished skin on her wrists. 'They were bruised last night, I'm positive of it! My face still has some from that battle, so why are these gone?'

"Kagome, aren't you glad to be back?" Shippo took a flying leap off Miroku's shoulder to hers when they came into view of the Kaede's village and Kagome showed absolutely no sign of noticing whatsoever. Confused at the uncharacteristic lack of response, he decided it was his job to figure out what was going on, giving her cheek a light pat in favor of the faded bruises to get her attention. "We're home and you haven't said anything," he responded to the confused look on her face when she turned her attention to him.

"Already?" Kagome blinked, refocusing on the scenery in surprise. 'Wow, I've been walking all morning and didn't even realize it...'

"Oi, you're not getting sick, are you?" Inuyasha turned to look back at her suspiciously, his tone both worried and warning that he wouldn't appreciate her trying to hide that either.

"No, no, I'm fine," her voice trailed off a bit absently, a slight frown setting on her face as she tried to collect her wayward thoughts. "I've just been thinking is all," she shook her head, seeming to shake off the distraction before smiling at Inuyasha. "I hadn't realized we'd made it back."

He gave her an odd look, but nodded, reaching back to take her hand before he continued down the path. Shippo made a face at Inuyasha's head and turned his attention back to Kagome to poke at the little bruise on her neck, "How'd you get that?"

Kagome turned bright red while Inuyasha whipped around to see what had caught the kitsune's attention. Seeing the blush on her cheeks, he followed the pointed finger to her neck and snorted, "Keh, that's nothing."

"Oh dear God," she smacked her hand over her eyes, her cheeks even darker when she saw the arrogant smile on Inuyasha's lips before he'd fully averted his face.

Miroku leaned over to whisper softly to Sango, "Inuyasha was being affectionate in his sleep."

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome glanced back at him in irritation, a bit satisfied when they broke apart guiltily. "Do you mind?"

Miroku's face filled with surprise and chagrin, "Ahh, Kagome-sama, you heard me?"

"Of course I did," she shrugged and frowned at him. "Were you trying to be quiet?"

Kagome was starting to get nervous when they just stared at her, even Inuyasha turning his head to give her a narrowed glance full of speculation, "Is something wrong?"

Shippo just blinked at them with the same curiosity in Kagome's gaze, not understanding what was so bad about her hearing Miroku. "I heard him too, Kagome," Shippo whispered to her, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

She gave him a loving smile, turning her head to give him a kiss on the nose, 'My little champion.'

Inuyasha gave her hand a squeeze and released it, motioning for her to keep moving with his head when she gave him a questioning look, "Go on. I just want to check something."

Kagome shrugged and kept walking, idly scratching Shippo's head as Inuyasha fell behind, letting even the confused Miroku and Sango pass him. He'd heard Miroku just fine, but the level of his voice had been quiet enough that normal human hearing shouldn't have been able to pick up. But Kagome had heard it, and from what she said, it hadn't even sounded like she realized it was a whisper. Now that he thought about it, Kagome had been hearing things he had thought would escape her attention for almost two weeks. He wanted to test out if her hearing really had improved or if it was just some strange coincidence.

Waiting until they were a fair distance ahead, Inuyasha dropped his chin and let out nearly silent bark. It was a sound common among dog demons, an unmistakable call for attention that only demon hearing could pick up. It was a call that only Shippo should be able to hear...

Shippo and Kagome glanced back at him at the same time, their brows raised in identical expressions of inquiry.

"Sonofabitch," Inuyasha whispered in surprise, coming to a complete stop as he gaped at the two of them, or more correctly, at Kagome.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome turned back to him in alarm when she saw how pale he'd become.

Inuyasha shook his head and rejoined her quickly, lifting her chin as he studied her face intently, "Why did you turn around just then, Kagome?"

She reached up, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead, her brow creased with worry, "You said something, but I couldn't make it out. Why?"

"I think I need to talk with Kaede-baba," he took her hand again, pulling her onto his back and bounding off towards town.

***

Kaede stared down at the mark on Kagome's hip with a thoughtful expression, her gaze moving from it, up to Inuyasha, and back down to Kagome, "This is becoming a rather disturbing tale."

"Can you think of any reasons for someone to do this, Kaede-sama?" Miroku hadn't taken his own appreciative gaze off the skin revealed from showing off the tattoo, his fingers flexing in his lap habitually.

Inuyasha growled a warning when he noted the direction of the monk's gaze, wrapping an arm around Kagome's chest and pulling her back into him protectively, "What do you think, baba?"

Kaede's brows arched at what seemed an almost instinctive motion on the hanyou's part, a faint smile gracing her lips, "There are any number of creatures that I can see attempting to enchant Kagome, however, one that would tattoo your name on her? That suggests the caster would know you and your relationship with her, but... I confess, I can't see what purpose they might have had."

"How could it have happened in her time?" Sango asked in concern.

"I'm right here, you guys," Kagome grumbled, fidgeting in Inuyasha's hold.

Kaede was already back to mixing herbs over the fire, "The Shikon-no-Tama reappeared in Kagome's time, I believe that is proof enough that there is magic there as well. And as we are becoming aware, there are also dangers."

"Is there any way to reverse it?" Kagome gave up on getting the attention of her engrossed friends and directed her own questions to the old miko. "Something that you might not have thought of before without knowing everything?"

She shook her head, "I told you once before that when a spell is cast into something like a tattoo it cannot be undone. The symbol and the magic are etched deep into you."

"Hear that, Kagome, you're going to have that spell the rest of your life," Inuyasha couldn't resist laughing when she went stiff.

"Sit."

"Stay."

"It's worth it," she grumbled as she dropped into her seated position with Inuyasha slammed flat to the ground directly behind her. The arm on her chest had fallen around her waist, and she reached behind her to his prone form to flick one of his ears with her thumb and forefinger. She grinned when he gave a startled yelp of pain, "Don't be a jerk, Inuyasha."

"Fuck, bitch, that hurts, you know!" he snarled up at her, lifting a hand to rub the offended ear.

Kagome ignored him and made as grand a dismissal as she could while attached to the floor, turning her head and sweeping her hair over her shoulders to pointedly direct her attention back to Kaede, "Is there any way we can find out what it came from at least? Maybe we could figure out why it happened?"

"Possibly, but it will take time," the old woman nodded sagely. "Perhaps you should take Inuyasha back to your world and show him where this occured?"

"I would, except I don't know where I was," Kagome chewed on her lower lip and admitted nervously. She frowned, thinking for a moment before hesitantly offering, "I could ask my friends-"

"And have you end up drunk again?" Inuyasha cut her off, currently trying to pry himself up off the floor. "Absolutely not."

"If you came with me it wouldn't be a big deal, right? You said that if I go back you had to be with me," she glanced down at him, testing her legs to see how much mobility the hanyou had regained. "And you could see for yourself if there's anything that feels strange."

He scowled, but the uncertain expression on his face proved he was mulling over the idea before he nodded, "All right. We'll go back in the morning, but you're sticking close to me. I don't want anything else going wrong."

"Of course, oh great lord Inuyasha," she rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.

Inuyasha made a face and reached up to give her hair a tug, "And don't be disrespectful."

"Mou, now you sound like my mom," she gave him a dry look and grimaced as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'm going to take a bath."

"Not without me, you're not," he stood, arms folded and glared at her.

Inuyasha was on the ground before he could blink, Kagome leaning over him as she shouted, "You pervert!! How dare you say something like that!?"

He rubbed his jaw, a bit surprised at how proficient she was getting at throwing a punch, "Oi, I'll keep my back turned! But you're not going without me! Not Sango, me!"

Kagome's hands fisted on her hips and she opened her mouth to yell again when unbidden, the voice from the dream was in her head repeating it's warning to stay in his range of spirit. She looked around at her friends but they had found various portions of woodwork around the room to become intensely interested in at the moment, offering no help whatsoever.

She was feeling in the urge to stamp her foot like a five-year-old, but quelled it and instead gave a huff of irritation and grumbled, "Back turned."

"Well, fuck, Kagome, you CAN be reasonable," Inuyasha grinned as he got to his feet again.

"Don't push it," she set her jaw and stomped out of the hut.

"Wait outside for just a minute," he called after her, silently hoping she'd listen even as he turned his attention to Kaede. "Baba, I have one question for you."

"Only one?" she arched one brow dryly.

"I don't have time to be joking," Inuyasha growled in annoyance. "This is serious. The spell was obviously designed to bind Kagome to me, seeing how it's my name and all, but is there a chance that it could be trying to do more than that? Trying to make some sort of... connection between the two of us?"

Kaede let out a heavy sigh, "Inuyasha, there is no way I can tell what the creator of the spell was trying to accomplish. At this point there is a possibility for anything. I have no idea what's making you ask me that, but it is difficult with even Kagome being uncertain as to the exact details of that evening. We really can only wait and see what happens."

Inuyasha's brows lowered dangerously, "That's not good enough."

"I am sorry, but that's all I can do," she shrugged. "I will try to read into her this evening, but until then we must wait."

"I'm going without you, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled from outside, making the hanyou swear beneath his breath.

"Read into her tonight, baba," he instructed even as he chased after the young woman, leaving a taut, uncomfortable silence behind him.

***

"This is so embarrassing," Kagome grumbled beneath her breath, keeping her eyes fixed on Inuyasha's back to make sure he didn't try to take a peek. "Is this really necessary, Inuyasha?" she reached for her shampoo, trying to make this the fastest bath in known history.

"Not out of my sight, Kagome," he reminded, his ears flicking back in her direction even as she saw him shift his weight.

She could practically see the stubborn look on his face, nose in the air and arms folded like a high and mighty lord, "I don't see why you couldn't at least wait in the woods with your back turned. You'd still hear me scream if I needed you."

"Too far," Inuyasha shrugged. "If something happens I don't want to have to chase after you and maybe be too late to stop it."

Kagome let out a heavy sigh, "Just remember, if I say it, you have to wait until I'm out of the water or you'll drown me."

"I'm fully aware of that," she could definitely hear the laughter in his voice and had to bite her cheek to keep from giving in and letting him have it right then and there.

Deciding to ignore him as much as she could, she went about the rest of her bath almost mechanically, her thoughts wandering aimlessly about. 'Okay, so, I'm hearing weird voices telling me that the spell went wrong and Inuyasha being close is keeping it from being TOO wrong... But if it's so anxious to tell me what to do, why not tell me the rest of what's going on?'

She sighed, her gaze drifting over to Inuyasha in frustration, 'So how crazy would it sound to Inuyasha if I just spilled my guts about the whole thing? Would he even believe anything I said? Would I believe me if I were him?'

The tattoo rather suddenly warmed, but instead of the searing heat, this time it seemed more comfortable. The muted pulse hummed through her, strangely relaxing the tension in her limbs and bringing her gaze down to the crimson mark curiously. "Are you ever going to make up your mind?" she whispered down at it in irritation, gingerly sliding her fingers over the lines.

The pulse jumped beneath her fingertips just as Inuyasha called out, "What did you say?"

"Just talking to myself," Kagome shook her head and hurried through the rest of the bath with her face averted.

But with her face turned aside, she never noticed the way Inuyasha's head had turned... just enough so he could peek at her from beneath the shielding curtain of his hair.

He didn't turn away until Kagome had finished dressing.

***

Kagome glanced nervously at where Inuyasha had just nodded off against the wall of Kaede's hut, "He seems to be doing that an awful lot lately."

"Let him be for now, he could use the rest," Kaede shrugged, motioning for Kagome to sit in front of her. "We have more impotant things to deal with at the moment, do we not?"

She nodded, grateful to Miroku and Sango for removing themselves earlier in respect for their privacy. Shippo had absolutely refused to leave, once again running up her shirt to hide when Inuyasha made a grab for him. He'd climbed higher this time though, pressing his ear to her heart before snuggling close and falling asleep. She kept her arm wrapped under her breasts to support Shippo's slight weight, rubbing his back in soothing circles.

"You've become quite a mother to that little kit," Kaede remarked with a slight smile, laughing softly when a faint blush touched the young woman's cheeks.

"I don't know about mothering," Kagome shook her head, but couldn't help smiling down at Shippo's sleeping form. "It's hard not to love him though."

"Youkai take family very seriously, Kagome," she advised gently. There were many things the future girl didn't understand about this time, but she wasn't going to be able to ignore them forever, "As long as Shippo sees you as his mother, to him that's all that matters."

Kagome fell silent, her hand on the kitsune's head through her shirt, 'As long as Shippo sees me as his mother...'

"Give me your right arm, Kagome," Kaede broke through the girl's silent revere with the soft command.

Nodding, she shifted her grasp to keep from disturbing Shippo and held out her arm, "Do you really think we'll find out anything this way?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the old miko responded softly, her eye closed as she held her hand poised over the young woman's wrist.

Kagome watched, nervous and hopeful all at the same time as Kaede's brows twitched with concentration, her hand moving over the girl's palm and then up her arm and back down to her wrist. To Kagome's amazement, a tiny spark of fire leapt from her wrist up to the miko's hand. She let out a soft gasp and involuntarily tugged her hand away, "What was that?!"

Kaede frowned sharply, her good eye narrowed on the girl's wrist. Shaking her head, she rubbed at her palm absently before she answered in carefully measured tones, "A fox spirit."

Kagome's mouth fell open and she shook her head, "I...I don't understand..."

"There is a fox spirit covering the spell," she expounded on her first observation. "A very strong one. Whatever it is does not want anyone to see what it has done."

"But the monk-"

"May or may not have been real after all," she sighed wearily. "Kitsune's are changelings, as I'm sure you have seen from your time with Shippo. If the fox spirit is the creator of the spell, it could have made itself look like anything it wanted. If it is just a cover for the true creator, then again, it could have made you see what the caster wanted you to see and then used its magic to cover the tracks."

"You're telling me there might not even have been a monk?" Kagome put a hand to her head, fighting a sudden wave of dizziness. "Damn, this is getting more and more confusing."

"It's late," Kaede offered suddenly when she noticed the rising panic mingling with the confusion in Kagome's eyes and slowly coming to her feet. "I will ponder this tonight and we will speak in the morning. With Inuyasha."

Kagome made a face, "That doesn't exactly settle my mind, you know."

The old miko smiled gently, "I know, but he will need to know. As will your companions. Get some sleep, Kagome-sama."

Kagome watched the old woman move to her own rooms in the small hut, a thoughtful frown on her face as she again stroked her hand down Shippo's back. "A fox spirit," she whispered to herself. "God, I need some air..."

Carefully, she eased Shippo out from under her shirt, frowning when he whimpered and tried to reach for her in his sleep. She carried him to her nearby sleeping bag, settling him gently under the covering and sitting back. She frowned when he fidgeted, squirming around in search of her. Kagome reached for the hem of her shirt, casting the sleeping hanyou a quick glance to make sure he was still asleep before she pulled it up over her head and tucked it around the little kitsune.

She smiled when he sighed happily and snuggled into the shirt still warm from her body heat before turning to find her pack and dig out a replacement. As soon as she'd smoothed the light cotton shirt into place, she stood and silently crept to the doorway of the hut.

Kagome cast a quick look back at the two sleeping figures, biting her lip as her mind fought briefly with itself, 'Don't leave the hanyou's range of spirit.'

She shook her head in annoyance at her own hesitation, "This is stupid. What could possibly go wrong?"

Kagome turned and left the hut, inhaling the night air deeply as she stepped outside. 'The moon's bright tonight,' she thought, a bit surprised at how easy it was to see the forest in the moonlight. Curious, she stepped away from the hut and moved onto the familiar path from the village into the woods.

Something was wrong...

'No,' she corrected herself with a frown. 'Not wrong... different.'

As she reached the edge of the forest, the tattoo flared to life, sending a pulse through her so strong that she nearly stumbled. With her hand pressed to her side, her brows lowered and she became aware of the heat sweeping through her blood, chasing away the slight chill of the evening. The sounds of the night were loud, nearly too loud in her ears, insidious whispers drifting in the back of her mind.

Kagome frowned, a wave of restlessness moving through her, urging her to wander and clear the odd sounds from her thoughts. Confused, she shook her head and debated returning and waiting until morning. This couldn't be what the voice was talking about, could it? Was the tattoo causing her pain because she was away from Inuyasha?

'That can't be it. I'm right, if I keep going it'll go away, just like it has before,' she set her jaw resolutely and kept walking, moving deeper into the woods and trying to ignore the increased throb at her hip.

Once the village disappeared behind her, hidden by the trees, Kagome's attention was immediately ensnared by the feel of the forest. Her hand stayed at her hip, massaging lightly as she ambled along the path in wide-eyed curiosity. It was strange, but she could practically taste the life in the forest, heavy scents of earth and wild animals drifting though her senses. She could hear the leaves rustling as the animals of the night moved about, the sounds making it easier to ignore the whispers still running through her mind. It was as though the very essence of the forest was trying to wrap itself around her.

'It's so peaceful,' Kagome thought in amazement, twisting this way and that as she searched the vibrant darkness of the woods, briefly closing her eyes to soak up the feeling of the air around her.

She was so caught up in her observations, she was standing before the Bone Eater's well before she had even realized how far she'd come into the woods. Blinking in surprise, she stepped forward and set her hand on the rim of the well and peered down into the black void that carried her back and forth between times. Thoughtfully, she rested her other hip against the wood so she could continue to rub the painful throb at her tattoo. She was getting good at ignoring this kind of pain.

'It looks so harmless and ordinary to be what it really is,' Kagome tilted her head to one side, her hand fisting on the wood. 'But what if I'd never come here in the first place? Never met Shippo or Sango or Miroku or...or Inuyasha...'

Her heart clenched painfully in her chest at the thought and she shook off the thought quickly, 'No. I would never wish that. Whatever happens, I can't be sorry that I came through the well. I can't imagine what it'd be like if I'd never met them.'

Kagome smiled, the throb at the tattoo easing slightly as she straightened away from the well and started to turn back, finally taking her hand off the tattoo to brush her hair over her shoulder. She'd barely begun to turn when searing pain shot abruptly and unexpectedly through her side, just above the tattoo.

Shocked, she stumbled back, clamping her hand on her waist. Why above it?

Something warm and sticky met her palm and she pulled it away to stare down at the dark stain on her hand. Her nose twitched, an odd copper scent filling the air, "Blood? Oh hell..."

As soon as she saw the blood, the pain seemed to lance through her all over again, and with a soft cry, she stumbled back against the well. Her eyes searched the darkness frantically even as her other hand bumped into something foreign protruding from the side of the well.

Her hand closed around it as a tremor of fear went through her, her eyes leaving the woods to focus on what she had grasped.

An arrow...


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