Friendly Persuasion

style='color:red'>Chapter Eighteen:

Wind Talk

This couldn’t be happening.
It should not be happening.

But it was.

Everything seemed to be all right, upon first glance,
but upon fifth or sixth glance, one noticed the tension and minor disorder that
seemed to tinge the air.

Walking towards Kaede’s hut, Kagome peered inside, Leota
looking through her eyes to find….

That the hut was empty.

“Kagome,” Leota began, “where is he?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> You said he was in here, now where
is he?!”

“Calm down, Ota-chan!
Inu-Yasha and the others are missing, too. Even Kaede’s missing!”

“Who would want to kidnap all of them?” Leota asked,
looking around through Kagome’s eyes, “Hey, turn your head to the left.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I think I see something.”

Doing as Leota requested, Kagome looked to the left, “Well?”

“Look down, K-chan, do you see it?”

Kagome did look down, “See what?”

“The feather, that’s what!style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I remember that feather, K-chan, I remember
it as though I saw it yesterday! That’s
one of the feathers that wind witch has in her hair!”

“Easy, easy! You
don’t need to be talking to me at eighty miles an hour!style="mso-spacerun: yes"> How are we supposed to find her, huh?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> And anyway, what would Kagura want with
Inu-Yasha and the others?”

“Your guess is as good as mind, K-chan, but the wind says
that she kidnapped Kouga-kun earlier today, whilst Kaede was out.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Then, once everyone else was together, she
returned to kidnap them as well. Thind ind says that she was muttering to herself.”

“And how exactly do you know what the wind says?”

“I’m a fire demon, and have placed all elements under my
control! Earth, lightning, wind, ice,
water, light, fire, and darkness are mine to control with a few words and blink
of my eye. I also have a knack for
mental and spiritual energy, meaning I could manipulate the minds of demons
weaker than myself, and I could manipulate the spirit, too.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Hell, I could change your mind patterns to
that of a chicken!”

Kagome cringed as her friend listed the things she could do,
“So why haven’t you done it before?”

“Who says I haven’t?”

“Pardon me?”

“Who are you to say that I haven’t used it before?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I’ve used it a couple times while in this
era.”

“Like when?”

“Being a controller of earth energy, I heard you while you
were talking with Tora,” Leota said, sighing as she did so, “when he
brought up the point of being a serial killer, and not denying it and all that,
well, I manipulated your mind to just kind of ‘overlook’ that fact.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I didn’t want you knowing just yet.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I wanted you to get over my being a girl
first. Please, Kagome-san, will you
forgive me for that?”

“So you could have done anything to me, and I wouldn’t
have known, or wouldn’t have remembered?”

“That’s right. I
could have made you forget all about me.
Or I could have made you forget the entassaassassin issue, at anytime I
wanted. I could have forced your mouth
to recite the counter banishment spell, but I didn’t. It’s all because I didn’t want you to get hurt, because people
have been known to regress to odd stages of life. A man that Tora fooled around with thought he was an amoeba.”

Kagome couldn’t help but laugh, “And why was Tora doing
this?”

“Because the man was a heroin dealer and was about to die
anyway.”

“I see.”

“So, what? That’s
it? You’re gonna forgive me just like
that?”

“What choice do I have?
Our deal was that if I let you in my body and bring you here, you would
have to tell me everything about yourself and I couldn’t get mad with you.”

Kagome felt Leota’s smile, “Thank you, K-chan.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> I’m glad I can tell you things and not have
you get angry, however, you should do that anyway. Not just because of a bargain.”

“I know,” Kagome sighed, “I’ll try, though,
Ota-chan. I promise.”

“Good, at least you’ll try. We’ve all got things we feel we have to hide, and you’re no
exception. No one is.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Some of us just have to learn to accept it,”
Leota said, the smile still in her voice, “now are you gonna pick up that
damn feather or just stand and stare at it?
The villagers are starting to whisper.”

Blinking a few times, Kagome noticed that the villagers that
had once been minding their own business were now whispering about hers.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She bent down, picked up Kagura’s feather,
and twirled it before her eyes.

“I still wannow wow what Kagura would want with them.”

“Why don’t we go and ask her?”

“But we don’t know where she is!”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Kagome protested.

“Maybe you don’t, but I do.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Perchance if you let show your feelings for
a certain hanyou, you would be able to find them.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“I’m saying that not only is the wind telling me which direction
to go in, but my heart tells me that Kouga-kun is in that same direction.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> You see?
If we find him, we’ll probably find Kagura and everyone else, too.”

“And what’s that got to do with me?”

“You love Inu-Yasha, don’t you?”

Kagome faltered here, “Of course I do.”

“Have you ever shown him that?”

“I come back to him, don’t I? I care for him, I…”

“Do you ever give him compliments just because?”

“Like what?”
Kagome asked, walking in the direction the wind was blowing.

“Like maybe tell him his eyes are like warm honey?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Or that his eyes have captured the
sunshine? Have you ever said you liked
the way he smiles at you, even though he thinks you’re not looking?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Because it’s all up here in your head,
Kagome. You have caught him
looking at you with a dreamy look on his face.”

“He doesn’t give me any compliments.”

“Then why don’t you take the first step, huh?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> What’s stopping you from taking a risk,
K-chan? You’ve always been the one to
dive into things, heedless of what the consequences might have been.”

“So are you.”

“Uh-uh, K-chan.
Not I. I’m an assassin,
trained to be cautious in all aspects of life.
I’m not supposed to take risks, because certain risks may get me
killed. I’m only ever supposed to take
risks if they’re absolutely necessary.
I surprised myself when I agreed to place my spirit in your body and
give you my body in a gem to wear around your neck. That’s the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, but then I remembered
just who I was doing this for, and it seems that love is indeed the biggest risk.”

“I’m not ready for a risk like that.”style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Kagome thought, walking alongside a river.

“But you’re ready to go to Kagura of the Wind with someone
else’s spirit in your body and fight her for Inu-Yasha’s safety?” Leota
questioned, “Face it, Kagome, you love Inu-Yasha, and you would be willing
to do anything for him. Love is a leap
of faith, you don’t know if you’re gonna fall and break your neck, or soar
above the clouds on wings newly grown.
C’mon, I’m on the freakin’ moon, Kagome, and I want you to join me in my
bliss.”

Kagome thought about this, about everything Leota had ever
said to her, and even thought about what she truly felt for Inu-Yasha.

“I guess...”

“Love isn’t about guessing, Kagome,” Leota
snapped, “either you love him, or you don’t. Either you’re gonna jump and soar, or you’re gonna fall and hurt
your wings. What’s it gonna be,
Kagome? When we go to talk to Kagura of
the Wind, why are you gonna do it?
Are you gonna do it because you feel obligated to?style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Or because you’ve taken that miraculous leap
and flown?”

Once again thinking, Kagome put a determined look on her
face, “Dammit, Ota-chan, I’m going to fly.”

“Good for you, K-chan!
Now come on! I’ve already given you
all you need to fly, so if you’d just move your consciousness aside, I’ll get
you to Kagura and we shall talk with the wielder of the wind.”

Elated that she had chosen to fly, Kagome happily moved aside
for Leota to activate the spell she had constructed.yes"> At once, a current of wind lifted her up and carried her towards
a small mountain range.

At the mountain range...

“I’m ready for you, Boy,” Kagura thought, running her
hand along the edge of her fan, “once you realize your fri are are here,
that girl Kagome will convince you to come and save them.style="mso-spacerun: yes"> And then, Boy, then you shall fight with
me. You and Kagome both shall have a
chance to fight for their freedom. If
you win, you’ll get them back; but if you lose, all of your powers shall be
mine to control.”

A/N: Hehehe! Another chapter! Just wanted
you all to know the following:

-I don't know what's gonna happen in the next chapter

-I love all of your reviews

site by fanfiction! It's fictionpress!  I'm Koinu-chan! Please read some
of my original work! o.o    Please?

There's three, and they are:

Moonlight's Fire

Standing Still

Wolf Song