Praying For A Feather

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Kagome scanned the sky above her trying to search out any movement in the dark sky. A great distance from the shrine she noticed a flock of something circling. She ducked back behind the door calming her nerves. Things had gone very quiet a couple hours after the broadcast from the red eyed demon. The bombs had stopped and the screaming in the streets had come to a halt.

She locked the door she had just peeked from back through the dark home into the lightly lite living room finding her brother and Yuka asleep on the couch like she had left them. They snuggled together clinging to each other. She couldn’t stop herself from looking over at the lumps in the far corner of the room covered in shadows, and her heart wrenched.

They would leave in the early in search of something and Kagome could feel the full force of responsibility. She was responsible for her brother and unlike the rest of the world she was aware that they all were doomed. She was aware the best weapon against a demon was another demon and it seemed every demon had no idea of helping humans.

Kagome flopped beside the coffee table turning the lamp lower. If the house was dark and appeared empty it would be no reason for the demons to enter. Removing her bows she counted them obsessively each time only coming up with five. Giving up she curled by the couch and escaped into a light sleep.

Soft voices had Kagome up and seconds standing on her feet peering from the living room window and into the dark. She saw nothing but could hear the sounds of clumsily foots coming towards the door.

“Kagome,” She heard her brother ask from behind her. Sitting up he rubbed his eyes watching his sister in the dim light crouch by the window bow and arrow ready. His movements had woken the girl beside him who sat up eyes wide in fear.

Kagome ignored Souta and the boy quickly fell silent. Kagome pushed the Curtin back further catching site of figures moving towards the door. Human. Kagome thought with a sigh of relief but she didn’t let her guard down.

A soft voice called through the door, “hello? Is anyone here?” The voice was shaky, and harsh, and male. “Come on Grandma no one is here. We have to keep moving before those things attack again.”
“No Ito, a friend of mine lives here, and he works here at this shrine.” This voice was older and female.

“That’s grandpa’s friend, Miss Idokona.” Kagome heard Souta whisper. “She used to come here every weekend for Grandpa’s charms.”

Kagome glanced at Souta and inched her way towards the door. She just hoped that she wasn’t making a mistake by letting them in.

When Kagome inched the door open the bickering between them stopped and they watched the door with wide eyes, as Kagome silently beckoned them in.

The male voice turned out to be a man Kagome had once went to school with before she had dropped out of high school. She didn’t remember his name, nor did she care what it was. She also remembered the elderly women with him a few times on her way to job hunts she would spot her talking to her mother.

“Ah, Kagome,” She was surprised the man remembered her name and felt bad that she couldn’t recall his. “What are you doing here?”


Kagome closed the door peeking out of before catching the empty sky. Souta came running in the room Yuka close on his heels.

“Miss Idokona,” He greeted.

“Ah, Souta boy,” The women limped towards him. “Your Grandfather I need to speak to him now.”

Kagome could see Souta’s face pale even in the darkness of the room and his eyes focus on the lumps on the other side of the room.

The woman was old, but still caught on quickly to the silence. “Your mother also then,” She was met with silence.

A loud monstrous roar from the sky outside had me pushing everyone into the living room and turning the lamp all the way out. Kagome rushed towards the curtains drawing them back a little watching as a swarm of demon birds flew over. Some dropped from the pack and began circling around the yard for what felt forever before leaving.

Kagome remained still watching the sky for any more before moving back towards the lamp flipping it on. The light revealed four pairs of horrified eyes all eyes on Kagome.

Kagome ignored Souta and the others as he began to explain her unique standing on things. The shocked stares from Miss Idokona and her grandson didn’t bother her. She felt rude for not answering any of their questions, but her mind was on other things. It seemed like the group had a few more people added on which Kagome was aware would make her job much more difficult.

Ito was the next to say something, “The army can control them right these,” he paused, “These demons?”

Kagome honestly didn’t think so. A demon could create with its hands what would take at least five machines. Also demons had the strength and will humans didn’t, and plus she was sure even though humans maybe still outnumbered demons that demons could camouflage.

“I work for a man,” Idokona said quietly scaring everyone in the room. “As a maid, it’s the strangest thing I deliver him food every other week. I’ve always felt there was something strange about him I hadn’t seen him once except this one time I returned to the house after leaving my keys.” Idokona paused.

“I remember entering the house quickly hoping to find my keys. I had just spotted them on the end table by the stairs when noise from the kitchen caught my attention. I should have left right then and there understanding that the owner of the house did not want to be seen, yet my curiosity got the best of me. As I rounded the corner I spotted him tall, lean, pale, and the more handsome then any man I had seen before. I only saw a little of his face mind you. Something about the way he looked was strange and it wasn’t just the long silver hair and the one golden eye turned in my direction. Before I could figure it out he had roared at me making the whole house shake, and I ran from the house faster than I had in years. One thing I do understand for certain is he wasn’t human he couldn’t have been.”

Kagome who had moved to the window once again half way through the story had now turned towards the women eyes wide with hope.

“What good does that do us Grandma?” Ito said frustrated.

Kagome quickly moved over to Idokona taking the women’s hand into hers, and staring into the women’s brown eyes with her own. “Did this man have markings on his face? Puppy ears on his head?” Kagome heart filled with hope.

Idokona surprised by the sudden change in the sullen girl racked her brain, “No,” She answered and watched as the girl hope deflated.

Kagome let go of Idokona’s hands realizing she had no other choice but to take this little bit of hope, “His name?”

Idokona was silent realizing she had only heard his name once at the beginning of her employment over twenty-five years ago, “Sesshomaru.”

Kagome could hardly hold in her smile as it spread across her face it became contagious as Idokona smiled also even though having no idea why.

“How far is it?” Kagome asked unable to sit still as she began tugging her bag on.

“About an hour’s car drive,” Idokona said.
=


Kagome waited until it was light outside before moving her group of four out of the shrine. The fact that it was raining heavy icy rain drops didn’t stop her only fueled her understanding with the rain it would be hard for demons to take scent. The bombs had begun again and the sounds of fighting. The streets were deserted only half eaten bodies and abandoned cars remained.

Kagome was heading west on pure hope alone. She had no idea if Sesshomaru would help them, but she didn’t have any other choice.

Kagome ducked from inside an alley scanning the sky and the alleys for any signs of demons. Catching sight of what looked like a wolf demon about five yard from them Kagome ducked deeper pointing her arrow at it. She pushed her wet hair from her face then paused watching as at least seven more wolf demons joined the first. They started down the street slowly and Kagome cursed backing up into the alley.

A brick wall on the other end of the alley was their only escape route and Kagome pointed to it. Her brother caught on quickly motioning for the others to follow him.

All was going well until Ito was scaling the wall and slipped crashing into a pile of trash cans.

“Run!” Kagome shouted as the demon rounded the corner growling moving slowly.

Ito made a dash for his grandmother and with the help from Souta and Yuka got her over the wall. Kagome pointed her arrow at the closest demon not taking her eyes away from the pack. “Souta, are you guys over the wall yet?” She called.
“Yeah Kagome,” He started to say more but was interrupted.
“Good, now go ahead I’ll catch up later.” She said her eyes focusing on the drenched growling wolf.
Silence meant he wanted to argue, but soon the sound of feet pounding on the other side of the wall told Kagome he had gone. She let her arrow fly and it took out three of the eight demons leaving five stunned. They weren’t expecting that and it gave Kagome time enough to notch another and let it fly destroying four more.

The last one didn’t let surprise take over him again as he dashed towards Kagome hitting her to the ground. Her bow went one way and the arrow another, and Kagome cursed as she landed on arm wrong. Kagome hit the demon with her other arm as it tried to bit her letting out enough spiritual energy to hit it back into the street. Moving to her feet quickly she scooped up her bow and frantically started searched for her arrows, as the demon got back to its feet. Stunned and wounded it limped towards her wanting to avenge its fallen pack.

Spotting her arrow she notched it and pointed it at the demon it froze. She let it fly.

Kagome quickly ran towards the wall climbing it the best she could with a hurt arm. Only a block away she found her companions hunched over a small tent that belonged to a dark bakery.

“A old women can only go so far in the icy rain.” Idokona said her.

Kagome nodded she still had the energy to go further, but one look at the tried cold faces told her they didn’t. Peeking inside the dark bakery she found the door unlocked its owner maybe too afraid to make sure he locked it. She ushered everyone in and they settled into the break room covering themselves with blankets they brought they feasted on the day old bread.

The warmth and maybe the food had changed the mood of the group in a way that surprised Kagome. They talked none stop about things that it wouldn’t even seem possible to talk about in times like these and they laughed and talked mostly Souta speaking of their grandpa and his silly antics.

The whole thing seemed depressing to Kagome which was a reason she didn’t join in. Instead she sat back silently watching them have fun instead her mind was already on ways to convince Sesshomaru to help them.

Soon her mind started to ware out with the worry and ideas of making Sesshomaru help them, and she soon began thinking of other things. About how this wasn’t her personality at all, and that she wasn’t ever one to sit back silently while others had fun. She remembered the days with Inuyasha when she would go out of her way to make a dark moment after a battle with Naraku happier, and Inuyasha’s refusal to even make a smile.

She finally understood him and why his body always seemed so tense and ready to move.

=


They had finally made it out of the city it had taken three days to leave the bakery once it stopped raining they left quickly. It was easy enough to leave the city all the activity seeming to be in the city.

Kagome pushed forward happy that Idokona had said the house was only about ten minutes away. The thought that Sesshomaru had been this close all along sent a shiver down Kagome’s back.

Soon enough a large home peeked over the trees made of stone and obviously very old. Something inside Kagome relaxed, and her pace slowed allowing the others to catch up.

“How is finding this man going to help us,” Ito asked white puffs of air came from his mouth as he breathed.

Kagome realized it had been the first time any of them had asked and they had fallowed her blindly without having a clue what her plan was. For some reason it sent a chill down her that she couldn’t shake.

A growl sprang from some place behind Kagome and she barely made it out of the way of the wolf. It slid on the ground and charged back at her again. Kagome not having enough time to prepare an arrow quickly took down the road in a dash throwing a shout over her shoulder telling the others to head towards the house.

Kagome continued running her breathing growing heavier with each step she took and her legs had grown heavy. She regretted not eating anything like the others.
Kagome jumped from the road the wolf right on her heels. She was running so hard and fast she didn’t notice the small jump until she tumbled down it.

Looking up she saw the wolf growl at her but it didn’t move an inch. It didn’t dare take the leap, and Kagome could tell it was afraid.

Sitting up Kagome turned eyeing the large structure that was a house. Pushing wet leaves from her she limped towards the doors searching around for her companions not seeing a sign of them panic filled her wondering had another wolf appeared.

Then she caught sight of Yuka’s bright pink running jacket and Souta’s lime green coat running towards her fallowed by Ito and Idokona.

“You’re alright.” Souta said once reaching his sister. He then frowned deeply looking at his sister’s limp arm. “Are you?”

Kagome nodded her eyes returning to the doors of the house. “You have a key Idokona?” Kagome asked watching as the old women pull out a small sliver key.

Kagome motioned for Idokona to open the door and the women quickly did and motioned them inside.

Kagome readied her bow and arrow and moved towards the house.

“I thought this was a friend of yours?” Ito commented eyeing Kagome’s bow.

“I didn’t say that,” she mumbled.

The home was dark and seemed unlived in, but Kagome could sense him. Light music reached their ears making them all jump in surprise.

“Creepy,” Souta mumbled.

“Sometimes he plays music,” Idokona said slowly.

“You all stay here,” Kagome said as she began making her way up the wooden stairs. No one argued and Kagome couldn’t blame them the house itself seemed angry.

Slowly the once time traveler made her way up the dark steps and down the hall fallowing the sound of music. It was a lovely tune, but really sad. Kagome didn’t imagine Sesshomaru playing the piano, but if she did she didn’t imagine him playing this. Kagome hadn’t felt fear since she saw her mother and grandfather lying on the living room floor. Only a worry and numbness crept into her mind now it came to her in piano keys as the song played.

She wasn’t afraid of Sesshomaru no it was the very song he was playing and how as she got closer she could still feel him but his whole presence felt caged. The thought that Sesshomaru couldn’t help them scared her so much that she found herself running to the door.

Her hand touched the door and it swung open a clawed hand was pressing her against the wall.

“Let go of me,” Kagome said trying to breath. “I’ll purify you now I can feel your power is gone.”

She stared blankly at the angry golden eyes
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