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The Red Thread Ch. 2 Abandonment

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Chapter 2: Abandonment

“Kagome, where have you been?” asked Shippo with a worried voice and jumped to the woman’s shoulder.

She smiled barely and caressed the red head of the little fox to soothe him. Sango and Miroku also looked at her dubiously, but they preferred to remain silent waiting for their friend’s answer.

“I just wanted to go for a walk,” she lied trying to belittle the issue with a quick movement of her hand “I found a wounded animal in the way so I got caught up in trying to help him.”

“And could you help him?” asked Sango with a little smile.

She nodded.

“Only a bit, he seemed reluctant to receive help.”

“You should be really careful with those kinds of wild creatures from the forest, miss Kagome” stated Miroku concerned “some out there are really dangerous, and helping one of them could be risky, without mentioning that if the creature is wounded, it could attack you to defend itself.”

She nodded again remembering the guttural growl Sesshmaru had let out when he realized she was getting closer. She then smiled again at the memory of the slowly soothing demon that later accepted her help, at least a bit.

“Luckily, he calmed down when he noticed I had good intentions.”

“What kind of creature was it?” asked Shippo feeling worried about the animal they were talking about.

“A… a dog” she answered, well, she was not lying completely, she thought.

“How strange, a dog in these woods…” Miroku scratched his chin, thoughtful “It may have been a wolf.”

“Why didn’t you bring him with you, Kagome?” asked Shippo sadly.

“Ohh…” she blushed a bit, she was sinking under all those questions and was slowly growing anxious, she was not sure for how long her lie would be held if they kept on asking questions about it “well it’s that… he was… kind of fierce,” she said, “having tried to bring him with me wouldn’t have ended up well.”

“Poor creature” murmured Sango distracted while petting Kirara.

 Kagome sighed and sat by the fire near her friends, she then removed the big yellow bag from her back and started to take out food. She gave each one of them a package of ramen, as well as some dog food for Kirara.

“I bought all this yesterday so it’s fresh,” she said, then took out a fifth ramen package and stared at it for a while before speaking again. “This one… is Inuyasha’s.”

Her voice trembled when she pronounced the name of the hanyou. She had forgotten it for a second: he had left without saying anything after catching a glimpse of one of Kikyo’s soul collectors flying at the distance. She began to lower the package of ramen to put it back into the bag without saying a word. The rest seemed to notice it and Shippo snatched the ramen out of Kagome’s hand before she could drop it inside the bag.

“If he doesn’t come back, I’ll eat it!”

“You can’t, eating so much will be bad for your stomach,” Miroku told him off.

“Let him eat it, Inuyasha doesn’t deserve it,” said Sango bitterly.

Kagome smiled sadly again trying to hide the incoming tears from her friends’ view. They were always there for her, keeping her company and supporting her in the moments she needed the most, like this one, in which she felt so lonely. Their company eased the pain. However, when everyone began to get ready to sleep, late at night, she stared at Miroku getting closer than normal to Sango to rest as close to her as possible; Kirara made itself a ball near the fire next to Shippo; and she got into her own sleeping bag a bit further from the rest. Her eyes wandered through the horizon, to where the darkness did not allow her to see what was hiding behind the trees; but she was certain about what could be happening in that place where her eyes could not see. She lied down and stared at the crackling fire until the flame turned small and extinguished into ashes. She could not sleep, the feeling of abandonment she felt was stronger than any other thing, the warmth of friendship the rest had given had blew out as the same fire in the air once everything had turned silent, silent as the noisy silence of the night.

A sound from not far away dragged her back to reality and she sharpened her ear. She thought to be certain about what it was and, once she caught a glimpse of a red aori strolling around the camp searching for food scraps, she clenched her fists furiously. She heard Inuyasha growling when he noticed they had eaten all the ramen, however, his growl was not like Sesshomaru’s, but softer, it did not show that killing instinct.

“Kagome” whispered Inuyasha and placed one of his hands on her shoulder and began to shake her softly so as to, according to what he believed, wake her up “Kagome, is there any ramen left?”

She barely opened her eyes and glared at him in a way that caused a shiver along the half-demon’s spine. He withdrew his hand from her shoulder. The woman’s glare had trespassed him like an arrow, he could even swear the impact had hurt him. He squinted his amber eyes and tried to smile a bit to soothe the tense atmosphere between them.

“Come on, Kagome, I haven’t eaten anything since midday. Please? I won’t let you be ‘till you tell me where is the rest of th-

“Sit”

There is no need to state what happened after that. Kagome turned her back to Inuyasha still  inside her sleeping bag. The hanyou had been smashed down into the ground under their companion’s curious, startled and dozing eyes. 

He smiled when he felt his body being invaded by a pleasant warmth. He could not believe that thing had worked out efficiently. Not much time had passed since dawn and the incoming sunlight began to illuminate each object in its way, even the small book lying a few meters away from him. His amber eyes lied again on the little object he had tossed aside and his thoughts wandered to the owner’s direction. And in that moment in which his mind could think clearly, he asked himself what was the meaning of that thing he had read previously, he did not care, of course, but the curiosity slowly began to invade him. She had written she was in a situation she could not bear and she surely should live with it for a lifetime. What or who caused her such pain? He had noticed the way in which she had smiled at him the day before only showed she was invaded by a deep sorrow, maybe a recent one. He clicked his tongue and, without thinking about it, he stretched out his arm to grab the book again. He held it in his hand again, opened it and read the first page he found written.

“It’s happened again today, I already feel each time it’s harder to show what I feel each time I hear that sound, the buzzing of the soul collectors in my ears. It’s like an announcement that something bad is going to happen. It’s not the case for him, of course, for him it’s a symbol of hope and I could swear his heart starts pounding anxiously into his chest. But for me, for me is like some invisible hands pulled a black curtain over me as an old piece of furniture no one wants to use anymore.”

He heard, from not too far away, some approaching steps. He quicky got up. He was not allowing her getting near him again, even less now that he had allowed her to help him so much without even asking her for it. He did not want to continue being involved in uncomfortable situations with her. He felt a sharpening pain in his chest where the corrupted shard had been, he may not have given the potion enough time to alleviate every pain inside him. However, he quickly got away from that place and hid between the tallest three tops just before he saw that woman’s black head appearing from between the green bushes. He hid a bit more without sticking his eyes away from her, he saw her looking around searching for him and finally, sighing with a little smile. 

“Has he gone already?” she asked herself and smiled again “what a man, he is impossible.” She then stared at the three where the demon had been lying against and then took notice of the empty recipient of the medicine she had given him the day before, she picked it up with a hand and examined it still smiling. “How stubborn, he drank it after all.”

Feeling offended, Sesshomaru frowned at her. Who did she think she was to say such thing of him? Actually, he could not deny his pride was bigger than any other thing. That is the reason why he could not hear those kinds of statements towards himself without feeling annoyed. For some seconds he forgot the debt he had towards her and wished to teach her a lesson.

Kagome spun the jar in her hands. For a second she had held hopes of finding the demon still there. She did not think Sesshomaru wished to see her, that was beyond obvious, but she did not imagine he would be gone so quickly as if he wished to evade her. She sighed sadly: she had rose with the first sunbeams to see him and check everything was ok. She had left the camp almost tiptoeing so as not to awake anyone, specially Inuyasha who she knew had a sharp ear. A rebel tear rolled down her cheek. She was a fool; did she feel so desperate as to find a distraction for her stifling emotions in someone as unpredictable as Sesshomaru? She wished he was still there. She wished to take care of something or someone for some minutes and forget about the agony she was feeling each time more repeatedly in her everyday life.

The dog demon sniffed the air when he felt the smell of something salad in his nose. He squinted, that human was peculiar. For only a second he felt the impulse of jumping down and asking her what was the thing that tormented her so much and what was that book he had found and which he still held in his hand. He looked down at it and decided to hide it in his clothes. However, he did not jump down since he felt the presence of another being not too far away, it smelled of mixed blood.

It was Inuyasha.

He wanted to get away from there as fast as possible, nevertheless, when he started to move, he felt that stab in his chest which caused him to bend down in pain. He growled under his breath touching the afflicted zone and cursing his luck.

“What are you doing here?”

Kagome gasped and turned to see Inuyasha landing behind her. He looked around the place curiously. She suddenly glared at him and did not answer his question, but she folded her arms and turned her back at him to return to the camp.

“Kagome, answer me!”

“What do you want?” she answered bitterly.

“I wanted to know why did you leave the camp alone.”

“It’s none of your business” she grumbled and kept on walking.

“It is!” said the other and held her arm to stop her “I got worried when I noticed you had left who knows where without no one’s protection.”

She looked at him in the eye feeling surprised, she then slowly began to clench her teeth. He was insolent and shameless. After he had left her alone during most of the previous day, now he came to tell her he was worried about her? When Kikyo showed up, Kagome was left aside, forgotten, as if she did not exist. He could not care less about what happened to herself when he left in search of Kikyo. She tried all she could so as not to answer to him and pulled her arm away from his grasp.

Accidently, the jar she was holding in her hand fell to the ground and called Inuyasha’s attention. She turned pale and tried to pick it up, but he was faster and picked it to his eyes level, then sniffed it.

Sesshomaru also looked like a ghost, his eyes narrowed and he tried to stand up again, but it was impossible, he could barely move his body, even less escape.

“What are you doing? Give that back!” yelled Kagome trying to snatch it away from his hand.

Inuyasha raised his hand to silence her, which worked. He then half-closed his eyes and looked around again. This time with a grin in his face. He placed a hand on Tessaiga and gave the jar back to Kagome with the other one. 

“I know you’re there…” mocked Inuyasha drawing the words and sniffing the air “…show up, don’t act like a coward, Sesshomaru.”

 The youkai clenched his teeth, but he did not answer his call, he was not going to.

“If you’re not going to show up by yourself, then I will help you do it!” he said energetically as he drew Tessaiga and, with rapid movement to evoke the Kaze no Kizu, he tore all the trees surrounding his brother’s hiding place to pieces. The youkai growled again because of the pain and, still covering his wounded chest, he landed on the ground, not too far away from them.

Kagome gaped at him, she could not believe he was still there; he had definitely tried to hide from her. She then looked at Inuyasha with the thought of reasoning with him before he could do something terrible towards his brother.

 

 

 

“He’s hurt, can’t you see?”

“I smell it, there’s poison in his blood… how did you end up in such a pathetic position, Sesshomaru?”

At first, he got no answer from the demon who just sighed heavily and stood up straight showing a posture of superiority which he did not feel in that moment since the pain was even harder to bear standing like that. However, he could not show weakness or pain in front of his half-brother, in front of the shame Inuyasha represented for the demons.

“I am not here to fight, Inuyasha” he answered finally, with a calmed, prudent voice, as if nothing had happened to him. He was doing all he could so as to not sound affected by the pain.

In that moment, the rest of their friends appeared behind them: Sango, Shippo, and Miroku. They were all still showing that sleepy but startled look due to all that fuss caused by Inuyasha.

“So why are you so near to us? What are you looking for?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Shippo climbed Kagome’s shoulder to cheer his friend Inuyasha. The woman was completely pale.

“COME ON, INUYASHA! BEAT HIM!”

She was shaking from head to toes. This time she did not fear for her friend’s wellbeing, for the one who was fighting there against a pure demon, but for the first time, it was the other brother who was in deep trouble. 

And both were there again. The brothers were glaring at each other wishing to tear the other into pieces as always. The resentment and rivalry towards the other was the only thing they could share. The rest of the people there, the ones who had been left aside, stared at the two men anxiously: they all supported the younger brother, of course, as always; they feared for his security since they knew the older one was much stronger. However, in that moment, they were not conscious of Sesshomaru’s delicate state.

“Then, if you’re not going to tell me, I’m going to force you to speak” growled the half-demon and sprang at his brother.  

In a quick trial to defend himself, Sesshomaru pulled out his sword Tokiyin, but his strength was extremely reduced and he could not compare it with Inuyasha’s and, in a struggle, Tokiyin flew away from the older brother’s grasp and the younger pounced over the unarmed one with Tessaiga held up. He was ready to deliver the hit that, only he and Kagome knew, would be the last one. Inuyasha smiled triumphally. He was going to win, he was finally going to put an end to that years-long rivalry. He was going to show who was the strongest.

The youkai took a step back and with a quick and desperate movement to protect himself, he rose his arm over his head.

“Say goodbye to your pathetic life!” yelled the hanyou and wielded Tessaiga to finish him.

“SIT!”

The youkai’s golden eyes lowered nervously to the necklace surrounding his brother’s neck. He saw it shining intensively before a powerful force sprout from it and mounted so much gravity as to smash his brother down into the ground. Tessaiga flew from his hands and stabbed the ground not too far away from its owner. 

Everyone gasped in a single sound. The one who had conjured the curse had taken a step forward decisively and observed the situation sharply. Sesshomaru quickly looked at his brother before taking advantage of the distraction and evoke all his remaining strength and, finally and hardly, he flew away from there on his stole. However, as he was getting away, his eyes landed again on that woman who had stopped the fight in the right moment, she was not looking at him, but her dark eyes were set on the half-demon now. The other humans behind her began to whisper things to each other. He frowned when he noticed Tokijin had been left behind, he could not go back for it, there was no time to do it if he wanted to remain alive. So he just flew away with greater speed.

He cursed under his breath when he noticed:

She had saved his life again.  

“Kagomeeee…” growled Inuyasha beginning to stand up from the hole his own body had just created in the ground “Why did you do that!?

The woman did not answer. Behind her, Miruku and Sango stared at her confused, also Shippo who asked in his innocent voice:

“Why did you stop Inuyasha, Kagome?”

“It’s because…” she started to say, her voice was shaking “…I could not bear it… I cannot bear seeing you two fight. Do you really need to fight every time you meet!?” this time she said it screaming furiously at him “Why can’t you have a conversation like civilized people!? You were about to kill him! And you knew he was badly wounded! That was a really dirty move, Inuyasha!

“So? How many times has he been about to kill ME without a second thought about my state!?” Inuyasha rose from the ground to confront her, his eyes shone also in anger.

“But he hasn’t done it, this time it was different!” she answered as mad as him.

“Enough” interrupted Miroku placing his sceptre on the ground decisively so both remained silent and stared at the monk attentively as he spoke. “Miss Kagome is right, Inuyasha, you were fighting with a huge advantage in terms of condition so there is no doubt you’d win. However, that wouldn’t have been fair if you’ve been wishing to surpass and defeat your brother, you must do it when both are in the same conditions and only then you’d know you’ve surpassed him.” When he said that Inuyasha rolled his eyes frustrated “Besides, Sesshomaru seemed to be seriously poisoned, isn’t it, Miss Kagome?”

She  gave a jump at his question, then blinked some times.

“W-why are you asking me?”

“Because that empty jar you have in your hands is the same that contained the potion to ease the effects of the most powerful poison.”

Shippo gasped.

“That’s true! I remember when both went in search of those herbs when Miroku had absorbed Naraku’s poisonous insects with his wind tunnel.”

“Then… the dog you helped… was Sesshomaru, Kagome?” asked Sango scared and incredulous.

“WHAT?” bellowed Inuyasha and then threw his head back, laughing out loud “Kagome would never help a wretch as Sesshomaru, right, Kagome?”

She lowered her head, in silence, and therefore, admitting the truth.

“Kagome?” he asked as he got no answer “You’re not a betrayer, are you?” then he laughed “it’d be so funny if all of the sudden I came to know you abandon me to reunite with my brother in secret.”

 There was an eerie silence.

“Inuyasha…” whispered Sango wishing for the hanyou to remain silent before he continued putting his foot in it.

“Sit.”

There was a purple shine followed by another bang as Kagome got into the forest in her way back to the camp. 

“He’ll never learn” commented the little fox shaking his head repeatedly.


TO BE CONTINUED

This translation issue is definitely not easy to do, so please forgive me if I commit some mistakes n.n'

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