#shippou

. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚏𝚜

my tomodachis //

chapter 51

chapter six

word count: 1617

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Awkward was one way to describe the tension as you, Shippo, Kagome, and Inuyasha walked further away from the battle you'd successfully triumphed over. Painful was another. The air was thick with words unspoken, the only things invading your senses being the crunch of leaves under your feet and the slight smell of blood that clung to your clothes. The light metallic sense was a reminder that you just majorly kicked ass. You totally have an amazing suck it story to tell anyone who may think you're lame. But that was a snippet for another time. Right now, the walk was quiet, too quiet. The silence was smothering any comfort you may have previously had. Perhaps the joke on Inuyasha was too cruel. You remembered the absolute terror in his face when he realized that you and Kagome weren't actually dead, and since then, not a word has been uttered. The walk back to Kaede's village was going to be a long one. You sighed exasperatedly. Inuyasha's hazel eyes were narrowed, brows pinched. He was like a bomb, constantly ready to blow the fuck up at any moment. You figured now was a time as good as any to say something. You were not putting up with silence for the whole trip, just the hour or so of had been killing you.

"So...what's got you so down, Inuyasha? I don't really get why you're so upset, I mean, it's not a bad thing to be compassionate--" before you could finish, Inuyasha's little flea friend cut your sentence short.

"I believe Master Inuyasha is simply embarrassed because he revealed too much of his feelings, and--"

"Can it, Myouga." Inuyasha said firmly. "And what I said doesn't even matter anyway, let's focus on the important things. Shippo, shouldn't you be scooting back off to your village by now? We did ya a favor already." The young boy looked gravely insulted, ouch. Insensitive to say the least, I mean, he's just lost his father, and everything that he experienced yesterday was nothing for a child to see. You felt awful for Shippo. Kagome saw the look on your face and quickly spoke before you could squabble with Inuyasha.

"It might be better for Shippo to stay with us, don't you think, Inuyasha? He sure did help us out a lot earlier."

"Yeah! I helped out a lot earlier!" He exclaimed, his chest puffed out with an intense pride. You could predict Inuyasha's reaction before he even opened his mouth. He was probably going to insult the seven year old (real classy), and then harp on about how he was the best and didn't need any help with anything, ever.

"Whatever. Scurry back to your village when you get too scared. It's not like you helped much anyway," Inuyasha said with his usual, cocky tone. You sighed. The thick tension of silence was better than the tension of anger and resentment that was steadily building currently

"You're so mean!!" Shippo cried out. This was significantly worse than the awkward silence. You mouthed to Shippo, "Don't mind him," and gave him a light squeeze on his shoulder. A hush fell over the group of you again. Thank God. Now you could just get lost in your thoughts and not worry about how your body felt like it was going to shut down. You'd really fought a demon and actually lived. And! You mostly did it by yourself. Even if you felt rusty, the hinges of your bones felt creaky. You slid your headphones into your ears and pressed play on your portable CD player. You desperately needed to get a new mixtape; everything on this CD had been overplayed to death during your time here. It was affecting your daydreaming prowess. You supposed you would just have to make do.

You breathed in the smell of the fresh grass as you forced your body to walk the bounds of pre-industrial Tokyo. You had so many dreams. You wanted a big whirlwind romance to come and sweep you far away, the way they talked about in movies. You wanted to study everything you could cram into your brain. You wanted to find the absolute beauty in every part of the world, you weren't the most positive person, but it was never too late to start trying to be. Even though life here was chaotic, it was legitimately the most exciting time you'd ever had in your life. You harped on the romance part, though. Almost everyone you know has experienced something that's for the storybooks, or exaggerated enough to make it seem that way. Whatever. You'd have your chance to shine one day, you were just a little bit of a late bloomer. There's not anything wrong with that? Right?

You looked into the endless blue of the morning...the endless walk back to the village. The amount of walking you'd done here is more than you'd ever walked in your life. You were going to be so snatched after the feudal excursion. You were five jewel shards closer to home after the battle with the Thunder Brothers. Five teeny steps to the warmth of your bed. To your mother's home cooking, to everything you've taken for granted. You sighed, your heart was aching, wishing that you'd appreciated more when you were home. It seemed like a distant memory right now. You snapped out of your thoughts when you felt three pairs of eyes on you.

"Y/N? I've been calling your name for a whole minute...that music sure is loud!" Kagome giggled. You took your headphones out of your ears. "We were ready to stop for lunch! So you can finally rest, and I can patch you up a bit with some of the first aid that I have," you smiled at her, following close behind as the group of you settled in a damp patch of grass. Kagome set down her yellow backpack and quickly assembled a lunch spread for the three of you. It was mostly food that campers would eat, and it felt like you were at a tiny sleep-away camp. The atmosphere was itching for cheesy guitar and terrible camp songs. You tilted your chin up to reveal the handprint-shaped bruises forming around your neck. Almost having your windpipe crushed was not fun to say the least.

You winced as Kagome began to dab at the angry bruises on your neck with a soft cloth damp with salve. "It's going to sting, I'm sorry," she murmured, her brow pinched with focus. You felt a slight sting as she cleaned the area, your fingers digging into the grass beneath you. Honestly, anything was better than the feeling of your windpipe being decimated by a demon. Her application was gentle, and by the time she was done, the ache in your neck had subsided to a dull throb. You let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled.

"Thank you, Kagome. That feels so much better," the corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled back at you.

"No problem, it's the least I could do after everything you did yesterday, you saved my life. So thank you," she said sincerely. You loved being around her; it gave you a warm, fuzzy feeling. You leaned your head on her shoulder, watching as she sparked the burner to life to finish cooking lunch. Before you knew it, you had fallen asleep, and your body finally had the chance to relax. You hadn't seen that strange figure in quite a while now. You didn't understand who or what that voice was. But since you'd completed your first quest, you figured it was time to get a visit again. But in your sleep, you were simply greeted with silence. Not that you minded or anything, your dreams being yours is what made them fun. But you wanted guidance, a compass to carry you through the rest of your journey.

When your eyes fluttered open, you were greeted by the sight of a fire and the comfort of thick blankets. You rubbed your eyes and looked around. You were back in the village. Inuyasha or someone must have carried you back after you'd fallen asleep. You didn't have a single idea what time it was, but you wanted to adventure. You slipped out of the warmth of the blankets surrounding your body and exited Kaede's cabin. The fresh air of the night enveloped you as you stepped out of the wooden structure. The sky was dark, the stars freckles of the sky. You sat down on the ledge of the cabin and just took in the beauty of everything.

You missed home. Very badly. It was going to take forever to finish your mission. But you made a deal. At least it had brought you some eye candy. Inuyasha was so dreamy...not that he gave two shits about you though. That was a lost cause. Maybe when you went back home, you could finally experience the whole "teenager in love thing". Heavy on the maybe. After swimming in your thoughts, you figured it was time to go to sleep, many adventures awaited you tomorrow. You returned to the warmth of Kaede's cabin and slipped under the warm blankets once again.

Your thoughts were your own, your dreams were your own. And you so deeply dreamed for love. You'd have a chance to obtain it eventually, but this time in your life was for adventure. Not love. That was something you could concern yourself with later, no matter how much you yearned for it. You sighed, your sleep taking your consciousness away from this world, and to a world of your own.

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hihihi, im finally getting into a more regular upload schedule, so expect to see chapters weekly! this chapter was short and sweet after the update from last week! i hope you guys enjoy :) thank you for reading!

-pluie :p

my ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsforpluuza