Ties to the World [Kagome]

Chapter 18 | The Coast

A school of small fish swam against the current of the flowing river as they ate the small insects and algae which were washed towards them.

Suddenly, something scooped them up and enveloped them in darkness.

Hiten watched Kanna as she held the small, thin cloth she decided to use as a net. She held the top shut as she brought it over to a large rock dipped in the middle, laying out the fabric. The small fish flopped around but stopped after a few minutes, having all died from not being able to breathe.

Kanna picked up a few in her hands and made her way over to the small nest she made in the grass near where she slept the night before. Tora was in his smaller form, watching the two ducklings as they huddled together. They gave out small squeaks almost constantly and were rather loud.

The girl bent down and held out her hand with the fish in it. At first, they didn't go for it but she whistled a few times and she seemed to hit the right note as they held up their beaks. She fed them and hopped up as they went back to sleep. She skipped over to him as he sat on a rock.

"Are we going to reach the ocean soon, Hiten-san?" she asked suddenly, stars in her eyes. He grinned.

"Dunno. What do you think?" She hummed as she climbed up onto the rock next to him, struggling a bit on a foothold before succeeding and situating herself next to him. She looked down at the river and took a deep breath through her nose.

"I think I can smell the ocean, but maybe it's just I wish to be able to," she mused. He let out a small laugh. "But I can hear the waves calling."

She leaned back on her arms, looking to the sky with her eyes closed.

"The river is getting wider and much slower, that means we're close to where it ends," he said, tossing a stone into the moving water. She hummed and kicked her legs as she looked over at the fish which were now quickly drying on the stone. It was the middle of summer and the days were long and warm.

"Are we still going to travel in the winter?" she asked.

"I don't know. I guess it all depends on what Kagome wants to do."

She gave a hum in acknowledgment. She wanted to tell him Enju would be removing the leaves on her arm just before they left, but anytime anyone would bring it up the man would shut himself off. She thought for something to talk about before coming up with something she wondered about for a while. Before she could even open her mouth, however, Kagome's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"That's actually very pretty..."

They both turned to see Enju had shed the leaves which were on her and pink fern-like scars fanned across her skin. Kanna gasped lightly and jumped off the rock she was on, running over to them.

"It's so pretty!"

"It's plant-like!" Kagome laughed. Enju smiled as she touched the skin to find it no longer hurt in any way and now was just a memory. They all glanced over at Hiten to find he him turned around.

"Hiten-san."

"I know you don't hold it against me but I still feel bad about it," he sighed. Enju sighed herself and fixed her haori, putting her obi back on and finally her gauntlet. Interestingly enough, there was no scar of where the metal plate burned her.

Kagome called Hiten down and they all packed their things, Kanna putting the ducks back in between her yukata. They walked for a while, coming across a wolf which growled at them but backed away as they made their way past.

Not much else happened for the next hour before Kanna let out a small gasp and began running ahead. Tora transformed and bounded after her. After another minute, the three of them broke through the trees to find a large expanse of fields before a sandbank and ocean. Their enjoyment of the view was short lived when they saw Kanna running back towards them, three wolves chasing after her. She ran behind Hiten and he formed some sparks in his hand, glaring at the animals. They halted in their running for a moment as they seemed to notice one of them before stopping completely and looking between one another. They turned tail and ran as fast as they could towards what looked to the three adults as a very specific direction before disappearing.

"Where is Tora?" Enju asked, on guard, her hand on her sword.

"I don't know! He just growled at something up ahead in the trees before making me run back this way! That's when the wolves saw me!"

"Kagome?" Hiten asked.

"Let's keep going. He could be in trouble."

"Actually, his aura is rather calm. Though he seems excited for some reason, he is not being aggressive," Enju said, her eyes closed. He was just on the edge of her senses but she could still tell as she was used to his presence.

"Alright then. Let's go relax at the beach and wait for him," Kagome smiled, holding out her hand to Kanna. The girl nodded and took it before they began walking again. It took them about thirty minutes before they reached the light yellow sands. There was a large collection of boulders in one location where the waters slowly wore them down over time. There were also many tide pools around them and Kanna took an immediate interest, while Kagome decided she wanted to wade in the waves. Enju followed Kagome, never having seen the ocean before. Hiten however, wanted to keep an eye on Kanna, not wanting her to be in danger of wolves again.

Kagome removed her shoes and pulled up her hakama as much as she could before wading into the waters. Enju decided to remove her boots and followed her in, leaving her shoes out of the water's reach.

"This is amazing..." she breathed, inhaling the salty air.

"Isn't it? There's nothing quite like going to an actual beach."

"You have been to a beach before, Kagome-san?"

Kagome hummed as she waded deeper so the waves were at her knees.

"I guess I have. I feel a fondness for it. I remember it being very fun."

"Did you come with your family?"

Kagome hummed again as she felt the grains of sand under her feet. There would be a sharp stone or shell which would poke at her every now and then.

"I think maybe I did... There's been a boy in my dreams lately."

"A boy?" Enju asked, suddenly paying attention to her, and her alone.

"He calls my name all the time and asks me about how things are going. But sometimes he calls me sister."

"Do you think that you know him?"

"Maybe... I'm not sure..." the priestess grumbled.

"It is okay, Kagome-san. You need not force yourself," Enju smiled. They were quiet for a while before Kagome spoke again.

"Enju?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for taking care of me..."

"I am happy I can help."

They both looked back at the beach as they heard Kanna calling for them.