Ch7 Mystery of the Shards
Y/N POV
A few minutes later after my talk with Kagome I was half dressed when I heard some rustling in the nearby foliage. Considering that I knew that Kaede was still nearby the fire and watching the other jewel shard and Kagome was still in the water, there was only one person.
"How long have you been watching me Inuko?" I asked.
"I just got here." She replied.
Inuko POV
Actually I had been watching him since he first got out of the water, but he didnt need to know that. I had to keep reminding myself that Y/N is 14.
Once again, he is too good looking to be 14!
Why couldn't he be 15 that way it wouldn't be that awkward. The 185 year age difference not included.
Y/N POV
"Anyway since you are here, I guess that you are trying to steal the Shikon Jewel shards the me and Kagome have." I said, getting her to nod.
"You are half right." Inuko said. "While I'm perfectly okay with getting that girl's shard, after last night I'm not risking killing you for that shard until there is a way it could be removed safely."
Honestly I was not expecting that as a response. Before I could even respond, Inuko continued.
"The only reason I'm even saying that is because you are the only person in this village who has gone out of your way to see if I'm alright.
Besides if I'm to travel with you and that girl to look for the shards like the old hag said, then you will help to make sure that she will stop saying that accursed word! " She ranted, causing me to chuckle.
"I'll try, but only if you try to be nicer to Kagome. That way she will be less likely to say osuwari." I said, causing Inuko to flinch before sighing and fixing a glare at me. "My bad, but you get the point."
"Like I said 2 days ago, I'll think about it. Only I'll give it a lot more thought this time. I really would like to not taste dirt anytime soon." Inuko said before her ears perked up. "Speaking of which I better get away that is exactly going to happen. I advise that you fo the same."
As she disappeared back into the nearby shrubbery, I decided to follow her advice.
Thankfully it was just in the nick of time.
I had exited to see Kagome carrying the spare set that Kaede gave her, only that she had a towl to cover herself.
We both blushed at our current situation before splitting up and running in different directions.
Kagome ran into the bushes while I ran over to Kaede and a very amused looking Inuko.
As I sat next to the firepit, the drawstring pouch in Kaede's hands emitteda soft purple glow and lazily started to pull itself in my direction.
"It's still doing that?" Inuko questioned with her amusement now gone. "I thought that shard would have stopped doing that by now."
"Considering what happened last night, I think that if this happens everytime we find a jewel fragment then it's going to take a while to get used to." I said grimly while thinking about what happened last night.
(Flashback- Last Night)
After Kagome and Inuko came back, Kaede answered their questions about what had happened and had tasked all three of us to collect the shards before they fell into the wrong hands.
Considering that they were flung all over Japan there was a high chance that some of them were already in the wrong hands.
If not, then the shards will soon be sought be all kinds of people looking for their power.
Word of an event like the Shikon Jewel shattering will spread out throughout Japan and humans and yokai from all walks of life will do anything to gather them.
Including me and Kagome if the well doesn't work. If that fails our only hope is that the full power of the Shikon Jewel will be the only thing capable of sending us back home.
"Kagome, I believe it would be for the best if you placed the shard in this." Kaede said as she produced a small drawstring pouch and handed it to Kagome.
"Alright." Kagome replied tentatively as she dropped the fragment into the pouch.
However that was when as the Americans say, everything went to hell in a handbasket.
The shard let out a blinding glow and burned through the pouch and slammed straight into me. It burned through the bandages over my own fragment and all I knew was pain.
I think that either Kagome, Inuko, or both of them said something, but the pain was so unbearable that I could hardly feel anything.
Except for what I could describe as my soul being torn in two.
This lasted for several moments as I couldn't do anything but bare with it. I then felt like I was taking something from the shard and the pain quickly began to fade. But it still was quite draining.
However what was truly concerning was that what I felt was coming in through the shards.
Whatever it was, it had the presence of not one, but two living beings!
Before I can even think about it I blanked out.
When I came to I found myself sprawled out on a tatami mat in front of the fire place. I looked to see the reason was that I was generating frost non stop and the heat of the flames were keeping it in check. I tried to get up, but I was too exhausted to even move.
"So now you're awake." Kaede said as she appeared and threw some tinder into the fire. "Kagome and Inuko were so worried about your condition that they could barely sleep at all last night. Even after explaining that you were fine."
She gestured over to the collapsed heaps that were Kagome and Inuko. They looked so peaceful, however something caught my attention.
"Why is Inuko's hand bandaged?" I asked Kaede.
"She attempted to wake you up, but she stopped when her entire hand was frozen over. If she wasn't a hanyo, then I would have to amputate her hand. She should be able to remove it later today." Kaede answered.
Thankfully Inuko is alright.
"However there is something that I would like to know. What happened with the shards?" She questioned. "After we removed the shard from you, I could feel that something was missing from it but all of the power was still there. So what happened?"
I explained to Kaede the sensations before I blacked out in exact detail. It was something that I doubt I'll forget anytime soon.
As I finished Kaede sighed and adopted a grim look.
"This does not bode well." She sighed out. "What you described is similar to something my sister told my long ago."
"What was it?" I inquired.
"I'm sorry but it has faded from my memory.
However if you want to know there is a sacred cave on the edge of a village of yokai taijiya.
They gave the Shikon Jewel to Kikyo after they found it in the possession of Mukade J?r?.
If you wish to seek the answer to what happen and I still can not remember, then they are your only hope. " She said grimly.
Considering who I was, that is understandable.
Yokai Taijiya literally hunt down rouge yokai and hanyo for a living. From what my father told me they were really common during this time, with only a few clans active during modern times. He also described that some of them in all eras being especially eager to exterminate any yokai or hanyo.
So I am a little apprehensive about approaching any yokai taijiya just on the side of caution. But the question about what happened is something that I needs answered. Especially about the presences I felt. Both were ancient and powerful, but one felt radient and the other chaotic.
"Very well then, if that's what it takes then I'll try to find it while looking for the shards." I said, without mentioning if Kagome actually does wish to do go.
I saw her expression when Kaede mentioned that. If she wanted to go or not I will be backing her up on that decision. Our main goal is to return home to the modern era, but Kagome needs to understand that even if we head back nothing will be the same for us ever again.
I'll talk to her about it later.
"That is true." Kaede spoke up. "However you should begin it within a few days.
I believe the reason you passed out was because your body hasn't accepted the Shikon Jewel shard yet.
So it hasn't accepted your new power yet.
My best guess is that your power doubled with the first shard and since you asorbed something from the other one then your power has triplicated from yesterday.
If you find another shard soon enough and your body hasn't adapted yet, the backlash will most likely kill you. "
Well that's pretty reasonable. Besides the wait will give Kagome time for a descion and a chance to find our way back home. Also not dying the next time that happens is a huge benifet.
Still now I have to deal with the fact my yoki was now three times what it is supposed to be. My control was shot and if what happened to Inuko was an example then I needed to regain it before I accidentally killed someone.
Before I could speak more, I began to feel drowsy and sleep began to overtake me.
"Don't fight it otherwise you want recover properly." Kadeem advised as I collapsed back onto the mat and fell back asleep.
(Flashback end)
After that I woke up about mid mourning with Kaede standing over me. She explained that Kagome had already left to take a bath at a nearby lake and she had explained everything to them.
Except what I took from the shard was alive.
She said until we had a good idea what it was that it was probably for the best they don't know anything about it.
Although I was less then thrilled with that idea, it was possibly for the best.
After both Kagome and Inuko checked if I was alright, taking my first bath in days, talking with Kagome and Inuko, and here we are with Kagome coming out of the bushes.
Both me and Inuko were both taken aback by her beauty in the spare miko clothes. Although with Inuko it could be that she must look like Kikyo to her. Still she looked absolutely beautiful.
"Y/N, why are you looking at me like that?" Kagome questioned as she was drying her school uniform.
It took me about a minute to compose myself before I answered truthfully.
"I think that you look amazing in that Kagome." I replied earnestly, causing her to blush.
"Really?" She questioned.
"Of course. Even Inuko is left awestruck by you. Although that maybe be due to your resemblance to Kikiyo. Still it's the thought that counts right?" I said.
"Leave me out of this!" A clearly uncomfortable Inuko said as she began to scoot away.
Before I could even comment on that, I suddenly found myself hugged from behind by Kagome.
"Thank you for saying that, Y/N." She replied honestly.
"N-No problem Kagome, but can you please let me go." I replied a bit flustered at how close she was.
Kagome just laughed at that and let go of me.
"Kagome, Y/N. Have you decided on a day to begin your task?" Kaede questioned as she was finish cooking up some millet on the fire.
Me and Kagome shared a look before she answered.
"We have nothing at the moment, but I promise that we will have an answer to you by tomorrow." Kagome replied, causing the elder Miko to nod.
"Well it would be for the best to start today as more and more shards fall into the wrong hands time goes by, it is for the best for Y/N to survive finding the first shard." Kaede replied as she stopped cooking. "It is done."
"Well I would honestly like some millet, I have somewhere else to be." Inuko said as she got up. "I'll be back in a bit."
With that she jumped up to the nearest tree and vanished off into the trees.
I sighed as I figured that she needed some space from Kagome.
Her feelings of Kikyo were plain to see as much as the confusion caused by them.
With Kagome bear such a resemblance to her previous incarnation in miko clothing it only worsened them.
So by having some space away from Kagome will help her compose herself.
Besides I knew that she would be back. Inuko said so herself and at this point I knew that she meant it wholeheartedly.
"Hey Y/N aren't you going to eat this?" Kagome said while holding out a bowl of millet.
"Sure." I replied back as I took the bowl.
While I could have continued to think about Inuko or what was going on with the shards, I could focus on them when I had a full stomach.
So for now I will just enjoy this millet while sitting next to Kagome and enjoying the view of the glittering surface of the lake.
??? POV
So these are the current holders of the Shikon Jewel.
An old one-eyed miko, a young plain looking miko, a lowly hanyo that if I remember correctly came after the jewel while I was still very young, and an admittably handsome swordsman.
It's a shame that he isn't a yokai otherwise I wouldn't kill him.
Maybe I can give him the time of his life before I kill him. It's not the worst way to go and it was merciful to what I would do to the rest of them.
Either way I need to separate them and dispose the older miko and distract the hanyo. They are the biggest threats here despite the fact I can dispose of the, easily. Luckily I already have something in motion to do just that.
After that I will kill the young miko and take the Shikon Jewel from her corpse.
Then have my way with that handsome swordsman.
But what to do after that.
My thoughts were interrupted by someone walking underneath my vantage point. I looked down and saw it was a lowly bandit below me. From the looks of it he seems to have a good set of hair, a rarity among all the rabble of such lowlifes that I've killed over my lifetime.
I let a small smile grace my lips with what I was about to do.
With a few tugs of my hair, I had sliced up his throat without getting any blood in his hair. That would only ruin it.
With that I took away his ability to scream and was slowly killing him from the bloodloss.
The jewel and swordsman could wait, this was more of a pressing matter for myself.
I drew Benigasumi and proceeded to harvest the newest head to adorn my nest and all the wonderful hair with it.
(Chapter 7 end)