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sarah-writes-stories · 5 years

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Chapter 5: Bleeding Love

A Post-Canon Inuyasha Romance/Adventure Epic

Find it on: Fanfiction.net / AO3 / Wattpad

Words: 3,248

Full Chapter List & Description is here.

Prologue • Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13

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As they'd approached the village, Inuyasha and Kagome were noticed by several villagers who'd all bowed and called out joyful greetings to Lady Kagome and Lord Inuyasha as the two had walked by.

"Whelp, that's it," grumbled Inuyasha, "I bet by morning the entire village will be buzzin' with the news that you've returned. I betcha the Headman himself will come looking for you before you're even done breakfast." The thought made Inuyasha miserable. Just more people he had to share Kagome with. Keh!

"Why would the Headman come looking for me?" Kagome wondered aloud.

"Because you're a walkin', talkin' legend, that's why!"

"Excuse me?!"

Inuyasha explained, "Damned Shippō and Miroku couldn't keep their traps shut after Naraku had been defeated. They'd tell anyone and everyone who'd listen all about our final battle. As though it was anybody else's business!" He was getting worked up all over again at the memory.

"Everyone… and I mean everyone… knows who you are now, Kagome. I've been stopped at least once in every town we've ever gone to for an extermination, just so that someone or another could ask me if I was THE Lord InuYasha and where they could find the great and powerful Shikon Miko!" Inuyasha was practically fuming.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" As he'd spoke, Kagome's face had taken on a progressively more flabbergasted look.

"Afraid not." He grumbled some more.

"But why do they keep calling you Lord Inuyasha?" She questioned.

"It's the bastard's fault." He growled out the words. "Everyone knows who bloody Lord Sesshōmaru is. Lord of the fuckin' Western Lands." He rolled his eyes at that before continuing, "Kaede must have cornered him and convinced him to leave Rin here in the village after the final battle, but he still visits her every couple months or so… And well, people started putting two and two together that we were related…" He said the word with a gag. "And the next thing I know everybody's whisperin' about how Lord Inuyasha is the second son of the Inu No Taishō! Not like I can't hear their damned whispers." He pointed gruffly at the ears that stood at attention atop his white-haired head.

"I can't believe that Sesshōmaru would leave Rin here!" Kagome said with surprise, latching onto the most shocking part of his diatribe. "Those two always seemed so… close."

"I think Kaede said something about it being in Rin's best interest to grow up with her own kind. There's an understatement for ya! I think they're figuring that when she gets older she'll be able to make up her own mind about whether or not she wants to stay here or go back with him. Either way, Miroku's been enjoying the situation way too much – that baka – because no matter how many times I tell everybody to stop callin' me that, they just keep on doin' it anyway!" He flung his arms up in the air in a helpless gesture at his last words.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I know your… relationship… with Sesshōmaru is a sore spot for you." She half-smiled, half-frowned at him in commiseration.

"Let's just stop talking about it, already." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Of course." Kagome was contrite, having obviously hit a nerve. Inuyasha could see the regret on her face and immediately his foul mood was replaced with a desire to ease her burden.

He put his arm around her shoulders, giving her a light, reassuring squeeze before releasing her. "It's okay, Kagome. I've learned to just ignore it."

Kagome smiled up at him, but before she could say anything else her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. She reddened in embarrassment immediately. "Err… Um…. This walking, talking legend may have missed lunch." She smiled up at Inuyasha weakly.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Well then, whatcha waitin' for, wench? Let's go get you some dinner."

And in the fading light, the two of them continued on toward Sango and Miroku's home.

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Kaede had held back her tears when she'd finally laid eyes on Kagome's face.

In the midst of treating a sprained ankle earlier that day, Shippō had barged into her hut and squealed at the top of his Kitsune lungs that Kagome was back.

And as astonished as she'd been to be proven wrong – that the well had, indeed, opened up again – she was even more relieved and overjoyed for Inuyasha. Perhaps more than most, Kaede knew how much the hanyou had suffered without Kagome by his side.

Kaede smiled at the young girl from where she sat around the fire in Sango and Miroku's home. She cared deeply for Kagome – as one would a daughter – no less because she was the reincarnation of her beloved sister… But as the evening's celebrations wore on, she began to watch the young Miko carefully.

There was something… different… about the child. Kaede could tell that Miroku sensed it as well. She'd caught the monk giving Kagome assessing looks from over the rim of his rice bowl. Still, it hadn't stopped the Houshi from teasingly asking what exactly she and Inuyasha had been up to all afternoon.

Kagome took it all in stride. "Wouldn't you like to know." She winked, and Miroku wasn't sure what to do with this newly mature, unflappable Kagome.

Kaede smiled again. The sheer joy of their reunion celebration was undeniable, and though she may still have a twinge of concerned curiosity in the back of her mind, she did not let it show on her face.

The rest of dinner was spent in happy conversation, each adult taking turns to either feed, cuddle or play with the younger children. Rin, however, had been slowly inching towards Kagome with a guarded look in her eye. Kagome could tell that the girl wanted to ask her something, and she waited patiently for Rin to be ready to speak.

"Kagome-sama, this Rin hopes it's all right… But since you've been gone she's has been using your strange yellow bag sometimes." She bowed then. "I'm very sorry!"

"You mean my backpack is still here?!" Kagome was genuinely surprised by this.

Inuyasha piped up then, "Don't ya remember? You left it in the village when the final battle with Naraku began. Somehow, it survived all the destruction. Your bow is here too, you know." He added as an afterthought, "I found it at the bottom of the well after I…" He trailed off, not willing to finish his sentence out loud.

‘After I'd been ripped away from you without even the chance to say goodbye,’ he thought to himself morosely.

Rin seemed oblivious to the depressing turn of Inuyasha's thoughts, instead continuing with her apology. "Hai. This Rin hasn't been using your bow, but she has been using your bag, sometimes when she goes out to tend Lady Kaede's fields and gardens, and sometimes when Lord Sesshomaru comes for a visit and we go for a walk or a short trip." The child bowed her head again. "Gomen-nasai, Kagome-sama!"

"Oh, Rin! Please, there's no need to apologize. You're welcome to use my backpack any time you need it. And please, call me Kagome-chan. I'd like us to be friends, if that's all right with you…" She smiled warmly at the young girl whose entire face lit up with a wide grin and a strong nod in return.

"This Rin would like that very much, Kagome-sa—" She gulped sheepishly at her immediate mistake before continuing. "Kagome-chan, I mean."

"Honestly, I can't even remember what it was I left behind in that bag…" She trailed off, not really expecting an answer to her musings.

"A comb. Some books. Some of those matches you were always using to light fires. Extra clothes, that strange brush you cleaned your teeth with, the tiny looking glass – thought that got cracked – and a tube of that gooey ointment you'd always put on cuts and things." Inuyasha listed the items off without hesitation, as though he'd memorized them.

He had obviously. They'd been all he'd had left of Kagome after she'd gone.

Sometimes – when he'd known that both Kaede and Rin were away from their hut – he would sneak in and go to the chest that Kaede used to store all of Kagome's things. Reverently, he'd open the lid, looking at each of the items in turn, before picking up the shirt of her old school uniform, the extra one she'd always kept in her bag. He'd inhale her scent deeply. It was the last connection he had to her, the last thing that proved that she'd once been real. But her scent had finally begun to fully fade from the items in the chest in recent months and it was like he'd had to mourn her loss all over again.

But now, she was back! She was back and– He glanced up at her only to find that she was staring at him with a strange look in her eye, one he couldn't quite decipher.

"What?" He asked, suddenly deeply embarrassed. "So I know what you left behind, so what?" He tried to play it off casually.

It was Miroku who took pity on his friend, changing the subject quickly. "Well now, my friends, it is not truly a celebration without a celebratory drink! Sango, my dear, do you remember where I put that fine jug of sake I received as payment for the extermination of that tsukumogami a few months back?"

Sango looked up from where she sat nursing Ichiro to sleep, "I think it's up on the top shelf in the kitchen."

"Wonderful! Now, who would like a drink?"

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The sake had flowed and the conversation had relaxed, though Kaede had declined the offered drink.

Inuyasha sat sipping slowly on his first dish – sake had never been his favourite – but the other adults were at the bottom of their second sakazukis when the conversation had turned back to Kagome's time in the future world and what she'd been doing over the past three years.

"…and Ayumi even convinced me to join the English-language Glee Club during our last year of school." Kagome finished.

"Glee Club?" asked Sango, getting up to take a sleeping Ichiro into the other room.

"Yeah, it was a club, a… group of students. We'd get together during the lunch hour twice a week to sing popular English songs. Ayumi convinced me to join with her. She thought it'd be a good way for us to improve our English language skills before grades had to be submitted for our University applications."

"So it was a… singing group?" Asked Miroku. "What did you sing?"

"Well, mostly popular English songs. Things you'd hear on English radio stations 'n stuff."

Miroku could tell that Kagome was feeling the effects of her sake with the way her cheeks were flushed and her words were slightly slurred. A wicked glint came into his eye then. Here was his chance! If she wouldn't rise to the bait before… He wondered how far he could tease her with this.

"Well, Kagome. If you can sing as you say, then you simply must sing for us!"

"Whaaaatttt?"

"But of course! Sing one of these English songs of yours. We have lived all these years in such a humble village, after all. Few singers or musicians ever pass through. I insist. You must sing us a song. Consider it my boon for hosting tonight's festivities."

Kagome grumbled under her breath then – something about having to 'sing for her supper' – but she considered his request.

The songs she'd sung in Glee Club had mostly been ballads and love songs. Sometimes while singing, she'd let her mind wander, imagining she was singing the lyrics to Inuyasha. And now, suddenly, she had the chance to do just that. Surely it wouldn't hurt to sing him a love song. None of them understood English, after all. It wasn't as though they would understand the words she was singing.

Her slightly inebriated mind latched onto the idea with all the bravery that the sake had provided. "Okaaaay…. But it'll be in English. Those were the songs we sang. It's not like you'll be able to understand what I'm singing about."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Miroku assured her. "I'm sure hearing your lovely voice will be more than enough for us to enjoy." He couldn't wait to tease her mercilessly about this in the morning.

Sango returned from putting Ichiro down then. Settling back down beside Miroku, she asked, "What's going on?"

"Kagome has just agreed to sing us a song, my dear!" His smile was filled with amusement and mischief.

"Miroku! Did you trick Kagome into singing? Kagome, you do not have to do that if you don't want to!"

But now, suddenly, the idea of being able to sing a love song to Inuyasha seemed too good to resist. She spoke up quickly. "No, I'll do it. I'll do it. But, like I told the others, it'll be in a different language."

Sango gave her friend a side-eye. She, too, could tell that Kagome was slightly inebriated. "Okay, Kagome, if that's what you really want."

Kagome sat for a moment, gathering her courage, willing herself to hear the notes of the invisible music she would sing along to inside her head. Slowly, she began…

Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain. Once or twice was enough, but it was all in vain.

As she sang, her voice grew in strength and sureness.

Time starts to pass, before you know it, you're frozen.

Everyone watched Kagome as she sang, her words laced with emotion, though none could understand what she was saying.

But something happened, for the very first time with you. My heart melts into the ground, found something true.

Then, slowly, the air around the Miko seemed to gain in density and weight, and as the group listened, it was almost as though they could hear the slight sound of instruments accompanying Kagome's voice.

And everyone's looking round, thinking I'm going crazy.

Sango looked at Miroku, curious to know if what she thought she was hearing was just a trick of her imagination, but the look on his face told her it wasn't. Kaede sat silently, studying Kagome as well.

But I don't care what they say, I'm in love with you. They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein, that I keep on closing.

As they all watched, a faint pink glow began emanating from Kagome, becoming brighter and stronger the longer she sang. It seemed to pulse with the beat of her words.

Shippō, who was sitting in Rin's lap, gasped. Both children exchanged a look with jaws gaping open. Even Aki and Yuki had stopped to listen and watch from the corner of the room where they'd been quietly playing.

You cut me open and I keep bleeding. Keep, keep bleeding love. I keep bleeding. I keep, keep bleeding love. Keep bleeding. Keep, keep bleeding love You cut me open

As she reached the chorus, the power seemed to flow out from Kagome in waves that filled the room with a pink haze. None of them could speak, shocked into silence at what the were witnessing.

Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud. Their piercing sounds fill my ears, try to fill me with doubt. Yet I know that the goal is to keep me from falling.

As the pink haze swirled around them, the music that accompanied Kagome's words became louder. It seemed to fill the air, pulsing in time with the vibration of power that flowed out of her seated form.

But nothing's greater, than the rush that comes with your embrace. And in this world of loneliness, I see your face. Yet everyone around me thinks that I'm going crazy, Maybe, maybe.

Inuyasha sat bolt upright. 'I- I- I understood that!' He thought in shock. It was as though a translation of the foreign words his ears were hearing was echoing around inside his skull.

But I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you. They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing.

It felt as though the music was penetrating his skin, settling right down deep into his soul, into a place where words weren't really necessary but meaning was always understood. Inuyasha looked around the room. The matching shocked looks on the faces of the others in the room confirmed that they were hearing the same thing that he was.

Kagome was mindless to what was going on around her. She'd kept her eyes closed after she'd begun to sing and had yet to open them, not wanting to falter with embarrassment under their stares. Instead, she'd focused solely on the words, on how she felt about Inuyasha, and on how the words made her feel. She sang as though it was just for him, with all the confidence of knowing that he'd never understand her passionate lyrical confession.

And if she hadn't known better, she'd have almost thought that she could hear the music she was singing along to inside her head. Almost.

You cut me open and I Keep bleeding, Keep, keep bleeding love I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love Keep bleeding, Keep, keep bleeding love

The music swirled around them, pulsing with its foreign, future rhythm, the echoed meaning of her words settling into everyone's minds.

Inuyasha's heart clenched tightly in his chest, the powerful meaning of the words she was singing was not lost on him. He felt like he couldn't move, couldn't breathe, as Kagome's body swayed in time with the beat of the song that came pouring out of her very soul. Her hands moving expressively, punctuating the lyrics of the song.

You cut me open and I Keep bleeding. Keep, keep bleeding love…

She held the note of the last word of the song for a long time, and as she did, the music seemed to fade away, as the rolling waves of power that had filled the room retreat back into her small body.

Kagome finally opened her eyes then, blinking a bit after having held them so tightly closed for so long.

When she finally focused on the faces of her friends around the room she was not prepared for the looks of utter shock that were etched across each of their faces.

Kagome blushed furiously, looking down at her lap. "What? It wasn't that bad, was it?" ⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ A/N: I do not own Inuyasha nor any of the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.

I LOVE it when readers leave me a comment and let me know what they think! ❤︎

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fictionalxlifexreality · 6 years

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Inuyasha x Saiyuki

Trekking through the forest for quite sometime, Kagome could determine a couple of things.

One: She was officially lost. And this time, it wasn’t her lack of sense of direction that got her lost for once, more like she doesn’t know where or when she was. The forest she was currently lost in did not look one bit like Inuyasha’s Forest, and she knows that forest like the back of her hand.

Two: The fact that she does not even remotely recognize anything was a big indicator that she could possibly be in a whole, different world altogether.

Forget about being displaced through time, a different world is a whole different matter and an even bigger problem besides time!

The feel of this world was just too different from what she was used to, which told her all that she needed to know: She wasn’t in her own world anymore, not even the feudal era of Japan.

In fact, this new world felt like a mesh of the feudal era of Japan with a healthy dose of her present time. It didn’t feel as polluted as her time and as far as she could tell, nature is as abundant as it was back in the feudal era.

Kagome winced at the oncoming headache and rubbed at her temples to stave it off. Contemplating about time and different worlds only made her head spin, so Kagome decided to make the best of the situation and just wing it.

After all, ever since Naraku’s defeat and the completion of the Shikon no Tama, she has been restless.

Her time in the future was brought to a halt ever since she fell down that damn well on her fifteenth birthday, and was evidently pulled through time by Mistress Centipede, but she did managed to finish her education. It was the least she could do for her mother who wanted her to graduate high school, however, math was still her worst enemy.

She sighed heavily at the mess her life has become. It was too depressing to even think about it, but she didn’t regret a thing. She couldn’t even think of a life without all this craziness, otherwise she would have lived a dull and boring existence, probably as Hojo’s wife, or something...

She shuddered at the mere thought of being Hojo’s wife. It took three, long years for his infatuation to fade and move on to some other poor girl. She was finally freed of Hojo’s attention during her last year of high school!

Now, don’t get her wrong, Hojo’s a nice boy, but he’s just too nice and boring. Plainly attractive with a bright future ahead of him, but after being exposed to the unearthly beauty of the past, Hojo just couldn’t compare.

Sometimes she wondered why all the men she met in the past are so beautiful without undermining their masculinity. The men of her time just looked so plastic, like they’re trying too hard to look perfect. Even her enemies looked very attractive minus a few.

Naraku, Bankotsu, heck even Jakotsu, to name a few.

Muso... Well, technically he didn’t have a face, but he was a creep like Mukotsu... Now Mukotsu, he was just one nasty piece of work, and Kagome still hasn’t thanked Sesshoumaru, a reluctant ally, for stopping Mukotsu from marrying her right then and there, despite it not being his intention.

She probably wouldn’t see the Western Lord if ever again, much less thank him for what he’s done for her, now that she’s in this new world.

Coming to a stop before a large tree, Kagome sat down on its roots, and brought out an old antique. It was a beautiful, golden pocket watch that belonged to her late-father. She always had it with her and for as long as she could remember, it was always accurate when it comes to telling time.

It also doubled as a compass. It was something her father had taught her when she was younger, and it helped her a lot when she got lost.

“It’s as old as time itself,” her father had once told her when she was younger. She didn’t it believe it at first, but then her adventures through time happened. Back when she was a little girl, she always thought the watch to be a little creepy because she always got a weird feeling from it.

Now that she was older, Kagome could understand what her father had said about the watch. Although she couldn’t actually prove it, she could feel an aura surrounding the watch, very ancient and powerful. She could hazard a guess that it was related to time since she always felt it resonate when she passed through the time portal in the well.

There’s also a bit of sentience, how much? She doesn’t know. After all, with enough time, even an inanimate object can obtain a soul, almost like a tsukumogami.

Kyuu~

A high, keening sound pulled her out of her thoughts and Kagome snapped her watch close before putting it away. She stood up and carefully scanned her surroundings. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but she was sure that she heard something.

Kyuu~

There! Looking towards the direction of the sound, Kagome slowly made her way through the green foliage before spotting something small and white under a bush. Looking closer, she could tell right away that it was injured from the blood splotches on its body.

Kagome didn’t know what it was, but she wasn’t going to leave it to suffer from its pain, so she carefully extracted the creature from underneath the bush, mindful of its injuries. Once she held the creature in her arms, Kagome was mildly surprised to see that it was a small, white dragon.

It didn’t feel like a youkai, but it was definitely a magical creature of some sort. Though she wondered at the golden aura surrounding the dragon, almost outlining its predominant white aura.

The dragon was about the size of a house-cat, but it’s body was almost bird-like with a long serpentine neck and two legs. It’s wings more mammalian, like a bat instead of a bird.

He, assuming the dragon’s a ‘he,’ since Kagome didn’t want to keep calling the dragon ‘it,’ had a mane of white hair that ran from his head all the way down to his tail with equally white scales. His eyes are a ruby red and he also had a pair of horns protruding from in between his ears.

Hearing the painful keening from the dragon, Kagome shook her head from her distracting thoughts and focused her attention back to the situation at hand. She carefully looked over the dragon’s injuries and noticed that one of its wings appeared to be broken. Other than a few minor injuries, the dragon will be fine.

“Alright there little guy, let’s get you fixed up.” Kagome said, as she carefully maneuvered the little dragon more comfortably in her arms.

“Kyuu~?” Looking down at the questioning sound, Kagome was met with red orbs staring into her own blue eyes. She could see the intelligence in the dragon’s wary eyes and knew that he could understand her.

“Yes, I may not look like it, but I’m an accomplished healer, if I do say so myself,” she said to the little dragon with a little grin. “But first, let’s go find a body of water. I’m sure there’s a lake or a river somewhere in this forest.”

“Kyu, kyuu~?”

“Hmm? You doubt me, don’t you, Ryu-chan? Just you wait, you’ll be healed in no time!”

“Kyuu~?”

“Yes, it’s a cute name right? I don’t know your name yet, so I’ll call you Ryu-chan for the time being.” Kagome couldn’t help but smile at the adorable dragon she dubbed, Ryu-chan. If he wasn’t as injured as he is, she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself from hugging him to death.

“Nee, Ryu-chan, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find water, would you? I’m completely lost here.” she said, grinning sheepishly.

“Kyuu? Kyu, Kyuu! Kyu, kyuu, kyuu~!”

Kagome just laughed at Ryu-chan’s excited response. He was nodding and pointed his head towards her left and what looked to be beyond the treeline.

“Well, aren’t you just a smart dragon!” She could faintly hear rushing water, meaning a river was just beyond the treeline.

“Kyuu!”

It wasn’t long until Kagome found herself before a river with crystal clear waters. She walked a little closer to the river bank and noted that it was quite shallow, the deepest part would probably reach her waistline. Moving towards a tree still close to the water, she sat down and set to cleaning the dragon’s injuries first before moved on to his broken wing.

Sitting Ryu-chan on her lap, Kagome tore the bottom portion of her shirt into strips leaving her with a crop top. She was just thankful she was wearing wraps under her shirt and a tank top, so she wasn’t exposing anything indecent.

She dipped the cloth into the water when she spotted a couple medicinal herbs growing along the river bank and grabbed those as well. She ground the herbs into a green paste with water before she cleaned Ryu-chan’s injuries and carefully applied the herbal paste, it would help prevent scarring when she began healing the dragon.Then she moved onto the dragon’s broken wing.

“Ok, Ryu-chan, you might want to brace yourself. Since your wing is broken, I have to set the bones back into place before I start healing you.”

“Kyuu~?”

“Don’t worry, Ryu-chan. The pain will only be a moment. Are you ready?” Kagome looked at Ryu-chan and was glad to see that he was listening to her instructions.

“Alright, Ryu-chan. On my count. One, two, three–!” Kagome quickly snapped the bone back into place, gently cooing at the dragon whimpering in pain. She placed her hand a hair's breadth away from the broken wing and focused on her healing ki.

Her hand began glowing a soft lavender as opposed to the hard violet her miko-ki usually is, and began to mend the broken bone, then all the minor injuries. After she was finished with the healing, she suddenly had her hands full with a happy, fully healed dragon.

“Hahahaha~ That tickles, Ryu-chan~!”

“Kyuu~!”

“You’re very welcome, Ryu-chan! I’m glad to help!” Kagome giggled at the ticklish feeling as Ryu-chan, who was perched on her shoulders, rubbed against her cheek, emitting a purr-like sound.

Now that Kagome’s healed her new friend, she’s unsure of what to do next. She might be capable of surviving on her own, but she’s in completely unfamiliar lands. Even if she comes across civilization, she knows firsthand how untrusting people are of foreigners, no matter how kind they may seem.

Absentmindedly petting her dragon companion, Kagome contemplated on her next move. First things first, she has to get out of this forest. She’s been lost in this forest for quite awhile and she doesn’t even want to know what kind of danger will flock to her like bees to pollen when night falls. It’s like she has a bright, neon target painted on her back that says: “Easy prey, come get me!”

Looking up at the sky, she calculated that she has about five more hours until sunset, seeing that it’s probably high noon right now. She didn’t even have to look at her clock to check the time to see if she’s right because she knows she’s always correct when it concerns time.

Getting up from her sitting position, Kagome patted off any dirt and debris that might have gotten stuck on her backside. For a moment, she eyed the dragon who was perched on her shoulders, watching her curiously. She wondered whether or not there was someone looking for Ryu-chan. She didn’t mind a bit of company, but for such a well-behaved and intelligent creature, Kagome’s positive that Ryu-chan has friends looking for him.

“Kyuu~?”

Kagome looked towards the questioning sound and was met with Ryu-chan’s inquisitive red orbs. Just as she was about to reassure the dragon that there was nothing wrong, she was interrupted by a noise coming from a distance that was slowly getting closer.

—ryuu!

Hak— ryuu!!

Where— you— Hakuryuu?!

“Hakuryuu? Is that your name, Ryu-chan?” she asked Ryu-chan, who was looking towards the noise.

“Kyu, kyuu~!”

Hearing the positive response, Kagome couldn’t help but giggle, it seems that she was right in thinking that there was someone looking for Ryu-chan, or rather Hakuryuu.

Just on the edge of her senses, she could subtly feel four distinct auras and a powerful object. Each individual was quite powerful if she could barely get a reading of their auras because she could tell that their auras are tightly concealed. If she wasn’t trained as she was she wouldn’t even be able to tell that there was four people out there, let alone how powerful they are.

“Should we wait here for your friends or should we meet up with them?”

“Kyu, Kyuu! Kyu, kyuu, kyuu~!” Seeing that Hakuryuu was all but ready to go, Kagome laughed as he floated right in front of her waiting in anticipation.

“Well then, lead the way Hakuryuu! No need for your friends to tear the forest apart in their search for you!”

“Kyuu~”

Kagome held back her laughter as Hakuryuu agreed with her statement and she couldn’t wait to see what kind of people Hakuryuu’s friends are for them to garner such respect from a dragon like Hakuryuu.

Dragons, no matter what type, are proud and highly intelligent creatures. To earn one’s loyalty is no easy feat unless one is raised from their egg like Ah-Un was to Seeshoumaru, but even then, to earn Ah-Un’s trust was to earn Sesshoumaru’s trust, which was already difficult as earning his respect.

It took Kagome four long years to earn the Western Lord’s respect and that was earned when she survived and completed his demonic training. Then it took her another two years to earn his trust, therefore his loyalty, when she risked her life for his ward Rin from danger, and he was otherwise preoccupied. She wouldn’t even dream of breaking his trust because that would mean her certain death.

As she followed Hakuryuu through the forest, she rubbed the purple crescent moon tattooed on her inner left wrist, she has a larger, more elaborate one tattooed over her heart. It was a mark that connected her to Sesshoumaru’s clan. Once she completed her training under the Western Lord, she was honored to accept his offer of joining his pack through a powerful pact of blood and soul.

The blood pact was so that others would recognize or acknowledge that she belongs to a powerful clan should they not know who Sesshoumaru was, and to ensure that she was not to be messed with.

The soul pact was a double-edged sword. The pact connects the soul to the Western Lands and ensures one’s loyalty to the clan, but Kagome would never in her life, ever compromise her loyalty because the pact actually saved her life in more ways than one.

It actually filled the void in her fractured soul that Kikyo left behind when the vengeful doll took with her a part of Kagome’s soul into the afterlife. Despite how abnormally large her soul is, Kagome still suffered from phantom pains that was caused be her incomplete soul, and due to that, she struggled with controlling her powers.

She was grateful for the pact because it helped complete her soul and stabilize her powers. If she should ever break her pact, the blood in her veins would burn her from the inside out and her soul would be destroyed and never have the chance to join the cycle of reincarnation.

As long as she was connected to Sesshoumaru and the House of Moon, the Western Clan, she would never have the reason to betray Sesshoumaru’s trust and loyalty.

Kagome was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Hakuryuu perch on her shoulders and nuzzle into her cheek. She smiled and indulgently gave the dragon her attention, gently scratching under his chin, earning a pleased chirp-like sound.

Seeing that Hakuryuu was making himself comfortable on her shoulder, she guessed that they were nearing his companions and by the voices she could hear getting closer, it wouldn’t take long for them to intercept one another.

Sedately walking towards the noise, she could tell that the voices are male. One of them sounded worried, two were arguing about something she couldn’t catch and the last one sounded angry and annoyed.

Just from their voices alone, Kagome could already tell they were a bunch of interesting characters. She stopped when the voices were getting louder and closer.

“Oh Hakuryuu, I hope you’re okay.”

“Uugh~ Nee, Gojyo, Hakkai~ I’m hungry~ Feed mee~!”

“Feed yourself, you bakazaru.”

“What was that you ero-kappa that can’t swim?!”

“Uruze!! Or I’ll put a bullet between both your eyes!”

Kagome raised a brow when she heard the cocking of a gun.

“Che, damn namagusa bouzo.”

“Sanzo~ I’m hungry~ Ack—!”

Kagome blinked at the sound of heavy paper whacking two heads and eyed her dragon friend who let out an amused snort. It seems like this happens all the time if Hakuryuu wasn’t even phased by it.

“You have such interesting friends, don’t you, Hakuryuu.”

“Kyuu~!”

#inuyasha #saiyuki #crossover #xover #kagome higurashi #hakuryuu

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