InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What A Girl Needs ❯ What A Girl Learns ( Chapter 9 )

NOTE: I made a minor correction to Chapter 8 for clarity. Miroku and Sango have NOT consummated their relationship yet and I’m sorry if the ‘rutting’ comments made it sound like they had. I altered that comment slightly in order to remove ambiguity.

This story won Best Inuyasha/Kagome Romance and placed 3rd in the Best Inuyasha Drama category in the recent Inuyasha Fanguild Awards (2nd Quarter 2005). I can’t tell you how amazed and excited I am about it. It has put me in a daze…

I owe a huge ‘Thank-you!’ to Angelica Pierce, my ‘quasi beta,’ for all her help in improving my ideas and offering some of her own. She’s been very generous with her time and my story is better because of her input. (Her story, “Something Real,” is wonderful and if you haven’t read it you should! It won two IY Fanguild awards!) Thanks again, Angelica! You’re the best!

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns everything and I humbly bow to her genius.
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What a Girl Needs

by Souta’s Sister

Chapter 9 -- What A Girl Learns
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Kagome sat in the Well House on the steps that lead down to the well. She huddled into herself, rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms trying to warm them up a little. For such a warm day, it was surprising how cool the interior of the Well House remained. She supposed it didn’t help that she was clad only in her bra, skirt, and underwear.

She drew her knees up and crossed her arms on top of them, dropping her head to rest on her forearms with a mortified groan. Gods! She’d never be able to face Sesshoumaru again! How could she have just stood there and argued with him like that? And that jerk! He didn’t say anything about it until she was leaving. She sighed. At least he’d showed absolutely no interest in her as a woman except to complain that he thought she was immodest. Her face was still red from it!

And Shippou! How could she leave without making sure Shippou was okay? She looked up at the well, contemplating whether or not she should go check on the kitsune. She really didn’t think that Sesshoumaru would intentionally harm a child. After all, he’d let Kohaku go without injuring him even after Kohaku, under Naraku’s control, had tried to hurt Rin. Shippou was safe, she was sure, but maybe she should just go back for a minute and just peek over the lip of the well, just to see.… After a moment, she sighed and decided she just couldn’t, not without more clothes on and she couldn’t get more clothes until later.

She let her head fall down onto her arms again with another miserable moan. She never thought she’d ever be trapped half-naked in the Well House, but here she was, waiting for night to fall so she could sneak across the Shrine to her house.

How could it still be so early? She judged the time to be around two o’clock, give or take thirty minutes. There were only a few people roaming around the Shrine grounds at the moment, but still, she thought they might notice a barefoot, shirtless girl among them, not to mention what would happen if she ran into her grandfather in this state of undress.

So she sat where she was, chilled, tired, hungry, frustrated, angry, and trying to ignore the pain from the cuts on her arm while waiting for the cover of darkness.

She sighed and stared at Inuyasha’s red baseball cap that was hanging on the railing post at the bottom of the steps and idly wondered if he wore it while he broke things in her room.

Arrghhh! It was all Inuyasha’s fault! What possessed him to just grab her and take her away without letting her at least put shoes on her feet? And then to throw her shirt so far that she couldn’t find it? And what possessed her to let him take it off her body in the first place?

She huffed an angry sigh. She knew what possessed her and just thinking about it made her tingle all over and sent a little shiver through her body that had nothing to do with the chill in the air.

Gods, she’d been such a baka! And the baka dog brothers were both domineering jerks!

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“Get off me, runt, and quit bawlin’,” Inuyasha gruffly told Shippou after a couple of minutes. He was extremely uncomfortable with the boy’s tears because he knew the kid wasn’t faking this time. Since he didn’t know how to fix the tears, he decided to make Shippou angry. He could deal with anger much better than tears. “It’s not like you got anything permanent wrong with you anyway, baka. Your butt’s gonna be good as new by tomorrow and you know it, so shut it up already and stop acting like a baby.”

“I’m not a baby!” Shippou yelled, pushing away from Inuyasha and roughly wiping his face on his sleeve. He knew what the hanyou was trying to do and was completely willing to go along with it. Bickering with Inuyasha was comfortable…it was normal, and Shippou wanted everything to be normal. He didn’t want anything to change.

“Could’ve fooled me, little baby. You don’t ever see me crying my eyes out after I scrap with Sesshoumaru, do you, baka?” Inuyasha taunted.

“No, because you’re usually either too busy puking up blood from a hole in your gut or you’re knocked out! At least I stayed conscious, baka!”

“Keh! He went easy on you because you’re a baby, baka!”

They glared at each other fiercely, both feeling much better.

“You’re the baka, baka! You made Kagome run away!” Shippou screamed changing the argument from the one he wasn’t winning.

“I did not! You made her leave by interrupting us! I could have convinced her to stay if you and the other two idiots didn’t come spying on us!” Inuyasha yelled right back.

“She was already mad at you when we got there, baka! Even I know you don’t tell a girl she’s just like your sword and I’m just a kid!”

“That’s not what I said! I said Sesshoumaru was only taking her because he knows I need her – just like when he tried to take Tessaiga! Why the fuck does everyone twist what I say?!” Inuyasha fumed.

Both of them had leaned forward as they argued and were almost forehead-to-forehead. Inuyasha was still sitting with his legs out in front of him, and Shippou stood between them with his hands on his hips.

“Why don’t you just say what you mean, baka?! All you had to do is tell her you love her and she’d follow you to hell with Kikyou just to be near you! But noooooo! You just had to make a mess of it! And now she’s gone, baka!”

Inuyasha blushed. “Damn it! I’m not going to hell with Kikyou! Why does everyone think that?!”

“Because you’re a baka and because you told Kaede that you would!” Shippou yelled.

“I said that shit over three years ago, damn it! And what makes you think I love Kagome or that I’d tell her something mushy like that anyway?!” Inuyasha challenged, red-faced.

Shippou lowered his brows and snarled, “Why were you both half-naked if you don’t love her?”

Inuyasha stilled. He swallowed hard and stared fiercely at the runt, knowing he was caught, and feeling his face heat even more. Of course he’d never do that with Kagome unless he loved her. The fucking kitsune knew it too. After a few moments he broke eye contact and turned his head. “Keh,” was all he could think to say.

Shippou let out his breath and let his shoulders slump, not really feeling good about winning this argument. He knew Inuyasha loved Kagome but the baka just couldn’t admit it. Shippou sighed again and turned to limp away from Inuyasha.

“You really are a baka, Inuyasha. You should just tell her. It would make everyone happy,” he told the hanyou as he moved toward the well, stopping before he reached the barrier. He heard a little frustrated growl come from Inuyasha but nothing else.

Shippou realized he’d just been calling Inuyasha an idiot for five minutes and Sesshoumaru hadn’t shown up to kill him yet. He let out a sigh of relief. Calling Inuyasha a baka was an ingrained habit that he may never be able to break.

They were silent for a few minutes before Inuyasha finally asked, “Hey, runt, why was Kagome bleeding?”

Inuyasha thought Shippou would have told him immediately if it was anything serious. And knowing Kagome, he decided she probably nicked her fingers on that dagger she used to make the barrier.

Shippou wasn’t sure what he could say. He looked around nervously, wondering if Sesshoumaru really was out there listening again. He was also unsure of Inuyasha’s reaction to hearing that Sesshoumaru was involved in Kagome’s injury.

After a moment he said, “She’s okay, I think. She pulled away from Sesshoumaru and his claws cut her arm…but I don’t think he did it on purpose.”

Inuyasha started cussing even before Shippou finished talking. He stood up, gripping the hilt of Tessaiga in one hand and clinching his other fist.

“The fucking bastard shouldn’t be touching her in the first place, damn it!” He looked out into the trees that surrounded the clearing and Shippou thought he might be looking for Sesshoumaru too.

After a moment of searching, Inuyasha turned back to the well. He sheathed Tessaiga and flexed his claws, still mumbling about ‘the fucking bastard’ under his breath.

“What are you gonna do, Inuyasha?” Shippou asked with apprehension.

“Keh! I’m gonna go get Kagome. She’s never made a barrier like that before, so it can’t be that strong,” he declared before leaping at the well.

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“You let him get away, Houshi-sama, and now he’s going to go upset Kagome-chan again,” Sango complained.

Miroku ignored the unfairness of the accusation knowing that Sango was hung over and that she was trying to pick a fight.

“Kagome-sama can handle Inuyasha far better than you or I, my dear Sango. Perhaps you should lie down and rest while we wait for Kirara to return. Your face is still pale,” he said in a soothing manner.

She gave him an angry, suspicious look and snorted. “It looked to me like Inuyasha was doing the handling and she didn’t like it. And I’m not drunk today so I won’t just lie down and fall for your tricks!”

Miroku held his hands up in front of him in a placating gesture and patiently said, “You know very well she would have used the word on him before he removed her clothing if she didn’t want to be with him, Sango. It is obvious that Inuyasha just ruined their moment by saying the wrong thing again.” He tried to keep his voice neutral and calm. He didn’t comment on her statement about his ‘tricks’.

She snorted again and turned from him, stalking toward the grassy shade near a tree.

He knew she didn’t feel well, and that she was embarrassed about last night and the kisses they shared. He wanted to hold her and kiss her again, but he knew that would not be a good idea at the moment. He sighed and followed her.

“Sango, truly I am only concerned for you. Please sit down and rest…and was our time together last night so bad? I won’t regret our closeness….”

Sango blushed and refused to look at him as she dropped her weapon and sat with her back against the tree. She knew she was being unreasonable and she was ashamed of herself, but she just couldn’t help being embarrassed.

Last night she had enjoyed kissing Miroku, more than she would have thought possible. She had also let him grope her a little without hitting him because that had felt good too. But today, her willing participation shocked her and made it uncomfortable to be near Miroku, especially when he was being so nice to her in the face of her aggression. She felt so self-conscious around him now because she kept thinking about the kisses she’d enjoyed…and he knew she enjoyed them too.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miroku step closer and sit down a few feet away from her. He seemed cautious and she didn’t blame him given her mood all day. It occurred to her that he must really love her to endure her temper for the last several years. She acknowledged the fact that she could really be a bitch at times and today was one of those times…and still he stayed by her side.

But then again, she thought sardonically, she’d put up with a whole lot from him too…and still she stayed by his side.

She sighed and glanced at him. He was right. She wouldn’t regret their closeness either, no matter how discomfited she was about it now. She needed to get used to it anyway since they would be husband and wife soon. That was a scary thought too. She still had so many insecurities and doubts about giving herself to Miroku…but she loved him and despite her hesitation, she wanted him too.

“I don’t regret it…Miroku,” she told him softly after a moment.

He’d sat down and become lost in his thoughts for a few minutes until her quiet voice reached his ears. He looked at her, unsure if he should move closer or remain cautious.

“I’m glad, my Sango,” he finally said. “And I hope you won’t regret our closeness in the decades to come…if the fates allow us that long.”

She turned her head toward him sharply at the reminder that they might not survive the fight with Naraku. He smiled at her and she looked away again because she felt guilty for making him miserable all day when they might not have a long life ahead of them. She realized that she had wasted a day with him by taking out her embarrassment and anger at herself on him.

All her anger evaporated and she was left with only fatigue and regret. He seemed to sense it because he scooted closer to her and draped his arm around her shoulders.

“Rest,” was all he said.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him, whispering his name again. He smiled, hearing the sound of his name on her lips and knowing she was not angry with him any longer. They remained still and silent until Kirara came for them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inuyasha sat on his butt where he once again landed and looked angrily at the well. He’d ‘tested’ the barrier several more times and was suitably impressed by its strength. He was finally convinced that it wasn’t going to let him through no matter how many times he barreled into it. Damn it! He couldn’t help the little growl that escaped.

He was much calmer now than when he’d grabbed Kagome earlier in the day, even though he was frustrated at the moment. She was mad at him right now, but he was feeling more confident that she had some feelings for him beyond friendship. Kagome wouldn’t have let him touch her like that otherwise, and Miroku, Sango, and Shippou seemed to think that she loved him. He’d thought she did too before he heard what she said to Sango that night. It had really shaken him more than he wanted to admit, even to himself. But…maybe it would be okay now since she knew he wanted her as his mate. And she had let him…

He shied away from thinking too much about what she had let him do and what they’d shared before the idiots interrupted them. He shifted a little when his pants became a little tight across his groin. He growled again due to a different kind of frustration. She wouldn’t do that with someone else right after letting him touch her. He was sure of it…mostly sure anyway….

Fuck! He needed to get to Kagome before some other bastard did.

He wasn’t worried about Sesshoumaru at the moment, although the bastard was very high on his ‘Shove Tessaiga Up Their Ass’ list. No, right now, Inuyasha was more worried about a human on that list: Houjou. That bastard was on the other side of the well with Kagome for the next three days, and he’d already demonstrated his ability to gain access to the Holiest of Holies – Kagome’s bedroom. Inuyasha growled again low in his throat at the thought.

He didn’t like other people, even girls, going into Kagome’s room. Their scents lingered and mixed in the air for a few days and contaminated the fresh, pureness of Kagome’s scent in the room. Inuyasha thought his own scent should be the only one to mix with Kagome’s, even in the air around her, and he let out another growl thinking again about Houjou’s scent in Kagome’s room.

Apparently, Shippou didn’t like the sound of all those growls coming from the hanyou, because in the next breath he asked, “Inuyasha, you’re not going to try anything stup--, uh, I mean, uh…you’re not going to try to use Red Tessaiga again, are you?”

The kit looked around worriedly, wondering if Sesshoumaru heard him almost accuse Inuyasha of being stupid again. He’d had to bite his tongue every time the hanyou ran head first into the barrier during the last twenty or so minutes. Inuyasha really did have a hard head…the baka.

Inuyasha didn’t answer right away. He was considering using Red Tessaiga again but he didn’t want to alarm the runt. He was also concerned about damaging the well now that he’d calmed down a little, but how else could he break the barrier if he didn’t use Red Tessaiga?

“Go ask Kaede about it, Inuyasha. She’ll know what to do,” Shippou coaxed.

“Keh,” was all Inuyasha said and Shippou knew that meant, ‘Shit, why didn’t I think of that! Maybe the old woman will be able to help!’ in Inuyasha-speak.

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“So she’s gone home again?” Kaede asked.

“It would seem so. Kirara brought her to the well. I’m sure Inuyasha has followed Kagome-sama to her home, but I’m surprised Shippou has not come back here yet,” Miroku replied.

Sango and he had arrived on Kirara a short time ago. After eating only a few mouthfuls of Kaede’s stew and drinking a cup of water, Sango had settled down onto her sleeping mat with Kirara. Kaede and Miroku remained sitting and talking in low voices as Miroku finished his meal. He had only told Kaede that Inuyasha and Kagome had another argument without elaborating on the details.

“Hmmm. I felt a surge of power coming from the area around the well not long ago and I have been waiting for ye to go with me to take a look. Perhaps we should go now in case Shippou is still near there. It did not feel threatening; however it would be wise not to take any chances,” the old miko told him.

Miroku sat still and closed his eyes. After a moment he said, “I sense a strong barrier in that direction. I think you’re right and we should go investigate it now.”

Before they had a chance to stand, the sound of Shippou’s hushed but insistent voice came to their ears from outside.

“No, Inuyasha, I said I don’t want to go in there! Just put me down and I’ll go hide until tomorrow!”

“Keh, you’re not sleeping outside by yourself and you know it. And Kaede-babaa can fix you up until you’re healed so shut up about it.”

“No put me down! I don’t want them to know!”

“You think I won’t tell them, baka? This is too fuckin’ funny to pass up! You might as well get it over with because they’re all gonna know.”

“Damn it! Let me go, you big fucking shit!” hissed Shippou, frantic to get away and hide.

“What the fuck did you say?! You better not let Kagome hear you talk like that! She might just follow Sesshoumaru’s example, baka!” Inuyasha told him while bopping him lightly on the head.

“Oh, yeah? I’ll just tell her you taught me the words and watch her subdue you into the ground!”

“I didn’t teach you shit! You’re not as fuckin’ innocent as you pretend to be and we both know it!”

“Kagome will still use the word on you, baka!”

“What the fuck are you doing?! If you try one of your tricks on me, runt, I’ll follow Sesshoumaru’s example!”

Kaede and Miroku interrupted the pair by coming through the door of her hut.

“What is going on with you two?” Kaede asked.

Shippou, who was dangling from Inuyasha’s clawed hand by the back of his clothes, had his toy snake in one hand and an acorn in his other. He froze at the sound of her voice. He then screamed and tried harder to squirm out of the hanyou’s grip.

“Keh, Sesshoumaru flayed the runt’s butt. Here. Fix it,” Inuyasha said as he shoved the squirming kitsune, butt first, in the old miko’s direction.

Shippou, having been literally exposed, went limp with shame in the hanyou’s hand and burst into tears again.

Since it was obvious the kit wasn’t seriously injured – for a youkai anyway – Miroku was having difficulty controlling his urge to laugh at the nature of the injuries.

Kaede took the crying boy, grunting a little from his weight, and gently lifted his tail to get a look at the raw, bleeding flesh underneath. She ‘tsk’ed a few times and turned to carry Shippou toward the hut.

“My, this is an …interesting…development,” Miroku commented in a choked voice. “Might I ask how this…injury…came about?”

Shippou glared at Miroku, slowing his tears, as Kaede carried him past the houshi and through the doorway. He knew that Miroku was really laughing at him.

“I’m not sure what he said, but whatever it was, Sesshoumaru didn’t like it and that’s what happened,” Inuyasha told the monk.

Miroku sobered a little. “You know, my friend, I believe your brother has changed since allowing Rin to accompany him. I remember a time when Shippou may not have survived crossing words with him.”

“Well, I don’t like the changes since it made him think he can have Kagome. And he made her put up a barrier around the well so I can’t go get her,” Inuyasha told him angrily.

He stepped toward the door and stuck his head in, “Hey, Kaede-babaa. After you fix Shippou’s ass, can you come look at the well? Kagome put a barrier around it and I can’t break it.”

“That was Kagome? Yes, I would like to see her barrier.” She was opening Kagome’s first-aid kit that was still in the hut along with Kagome’s backpack and sleeping bag. Shippou was lying on his stomach on the sleeping bag with his head resting on his forearm and facing away from the door.

“Well, hurry up. I ain’t got all day,” Inuyasha said as he went back outside to wait.

Kaede just shook her head, used to the hanyou’s rudeness.

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Kagome had been sitting on the interior steps of the well house for more than an hour when she heard her grandfather’s voice coming closer to the sliding doors.

“And this shrine houses the legendary Bone Eating Well, said to consume the remains of slain youkai. It has consumed the bodies and souls of countless monsters for hundreds of years.”

She jumped to her feet and spun around to face the entry, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. ‘Please, please, please, don’t come inside! Don’t come inside!’ she begged in her head.

“I want to see it, Mommy! Can we look inside? Can we?” a high-pitched voice asked.

Her grandfather answered, “Why certainly, young lady, you can look inside, but we can’t get too close to the well; the souls of the consumed youkai are still trapped within it, waiting to grab unsuspecting little girls.” His tone dripped with drama and mystery.

Kagome stood frozen. ‘No, no, no, no…’ repeated over and over in her mind. What should she do? There was no place to hide except in the well. Yes! The well!

She turned and ran the few feet to the well and slipped over the side, hanging onto the ladder a few rungs down and out of sight.

She heard the doors slide open just as she settled in her hiding space, breathing rapidly but quietly. She was mortified at the thought of being seen in her bra by her grandfather and strangers.

“You can see from here that the well is an ancient structure, over five hundred years old, and still retaining its magic aura,” her grandfather continued.

“I want to look down the well, Mommy.”

“No, wait!” Kagome heard her grandfather and a woman’s voice call in unison, closely followed by the pounding of little feet on the interior steps.

In a panic, Kagome jumped. She could hear the fading voices as she left her time. Her grandfather’s triumphant shout, “See! I told you it still holds magic!” and the child’s, “Mommy, it feels creepy in here!” followed by the woman’s, “Come away from there!”

She landed on the other side with a slight, “Oomph,” and sat where she was, trying to calm her breathing and remain quiet. She didn’t know if anyone was near the well on this side and she didn’t want to have to explain herself or expose herself again if she could avoid it. And, she especially didn’t want to see Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru again.

After about five long minutes of complete silence, except for normal bird sounds, she began to relax. She drew her knees up and again rested her head on her crossed arms, not wanting to lean against the rough stone that lined the well. She decided to wait a while before going back to her time since she couldn’t be sure how long her grandfather would brag about the well and its magic. She sighed deeply. Could anything else happen to her in one darn day?!

Apparently it could. Her head came up again in a panic.

Kagome heard Miroku’s faint voice, “My, I must say this is quite a strong barrier. Kagome-sama is learning to use her powers well, I see.”

“Yes, this is most impressive,” Kaede’s voice reached Kagome’s ears.

“Yeah, yeah, but how do we break it?” she heard Inuyasha ask.

She heard him grunt a little and some rustling of fabric, followed by Kaede’s soft ‘thank-you’, and realized that Inuyasha must have been carrying Kaede on his back.

“Ye want to break the barrier, Inuyasha?” Kaede asked.

Kagome caught her breath and silently moved closer to the wall of the well, more in the shadows, even though logically she knew they could not get closer because of the barrier. She realized that it blocked them from seeing down the well and also blocked her scent and most sounds from reaching them. She was practically invisible, but still, their voices were near the well now and it was unnerving.

“Of course, I want to break it! How else can I go get Kagome?”

“Inuyasha…perhaps Kagome does not wish for ye to go to her yet. She has never blocked passage through the well before. What did ye argue about this time?” Kaede asked.

“It ain’t nobody’s business, Babaa! She just doesn’t understand yet, that’s all,” he told the old miko heatedly. “Now, can you break it or not?”

Kagome felt panicked again and pressed against the wall.

After a moment, Kaede answered, “I don’t think I can, Inuyasha. This is a powerful barrier and Kagome has anchored it well with the dagger. I have on occasion been able to anchor a barrier with an arrow, however they have never been as strong as this one. It may even be more powerful than my sister’s barriers.”

Kagome was both irritated and shocked. She hated being compared to Kikyou, and even hearing that she did something better than Kikyou left a bittersweet feeling within her.

“Damn it! What about you, bouzu? Can you break it?”

“Inuyasha, perhaps you should just let Kagome-sama come back when she is ready–”

“Can you break it or not?!”

“No, Inuyasha, if I couldn’t break Kikyou-sama’s, I certainly cannot break this one.”

“Fuck!”

Miroku continued as if Inuyasha did not just shout profanity, “I am most impressed that Kagome-sama could use an anchor like this. The barrier retains its power even while she is away. I have never been able to create a barrier of this type, myself.”

“It is difficult, I agree, but I have always sensed great power within Kagome. I have often wished she would allow me to train her more, but I don’t think she has faith in her own abilities,” Kaede replied.

“Yes, she tends to tap into her power only during a very stressful or emotional situation. If she ever learned control, she would be a most formidable foe indeed. It would -- Inuyasha, what are you doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing, bouzu? I’m going to break the barrier!”

Kagome heard the sounds of a scuffle, followed by more cursing from Inuyasha.

“Inuyasha, do not be foolish! If ye damage the well, Kagome cannot return!” Kaede said.

“Get this fucking thing off me, bouzu!”

“I understand your impatience, Inuyasha, but I cannot allow you to use Red Tessaiga. Would you rather wait a few days to see her, or damage the well and never see her again?” Miroku asked.

Kagome caught her breath and looked up. ‘Red Tessaiga?!’ she thought. ‘He must be desperate!’

She heard Kaede sigh and say, “Inuyasha, that temper of yours has cost ye much in the past. Trust Kagome to return when she is ready and do not do anything ye will regret.”

“Keh.”

“I’m returning to the village, Miroku. Please keep an eye on him.”

“Keh.”

“Of course, Kaede-sama. Are you sure you don’t want Inuyasha to carry you?”

“Keh.”

“No, I will enjoy the walk,” Kagome heard Kaede say, her voice already moving away from the well.

She heard some rustling and the clinking of Miroku’s staff. It seemed he was sitting down. Darn it! Why couldn’t they leave with Kaede?

“Get this thing off me, bouzu.”

She heard Miroku sigh. “Will you promise not to try and break the barrier if I remove the ofuda?”

“Keh.”

“I’m waiting.”

“All right. I won’t fucking try and break the barrier…yet. Now get this fucking thing off me!”

Kagome heard Miroku moving around and then Inuyasha’s, “Heh!” and then the loud jingling of Miroku’s staff hitting something followed by Inuyasha’s, “What the fuck was that for?”

“Sit back down, Inuyasha. I wish to talk with you away from Sango and Shippou.”

Inuyasha grumbled but Kagome knew he was sitting back down. She felt panicky again, not wanting to hear their conversation. She thought of climbing a little up the wall and jumping back into the well to pass back to her time. She wanted to avoid hearing anything, but if she activated the time slip, they would know she was there or they would think something was wrong with the well. Inuyasha would panic if he thought something was wrong with the well and he might really use Red Tessaiga. She was trapped! Darn it! Why her? She sighed again as Miroku began to speak.

“Inuyasha, I wish to apologize for following you today, however, you must understand that we were worried about both you and Kagome-sama. Do you realize that your face held the youkai stripes on it? It was…alarming.”

“Damn it, Miroku, you know I’d never hurt Kagome. If you guys would just leave us alone…” he trailed off. Kagome thought he sounded tired.

“I know, my friend, but she is hurt…by your words. You shouldn’t have brought up Tessaiga. It was demeaning to her.”

“Shit! Don’t you understand? I need Kagome just like I need Tessaiga! Fuck! I need her more because Tessaiga probably won’t work without her with me.”

What was he talking about, she wondered. She heard him sigh before he continued.

“A long time ago, when I told her to never come back and pushed her in the well without the shards…I got weaker each day she was gone…and it was harder and harder to transform Tessaiga. I need Tessaiga to protect Kagome and I need Kagome so Tessaiga will work…and Sesshoumaru knows it, and that’s why he wants to take her from me.”

She felt tears form in her eyes. He needed her so that Tessaiga would work? That’s why he wanted her? She didn’t think her heart could take much more…

“I think you’re wrong. I don’t think Sesshoumaru has considered you at all in this situation. Kagome-sama, you might have noticed, is a beautiful young woman, Inuyasha.”

“I’m not blind, bouzu! Of course I know that!”

Despite her tears, Kagome blushed to the roots of her hair and covered her mouth with her hands to keep from making a noise. She was both flattered and angry. He never acted like he thought she was pretty!

“Her beauty is only outshined by her kindness. She is also very powerful…beautiful, kind, and powerful enough to attract many admirers, both youkai and human. For me, there is no other woman but Sango.”

Kagome heard Inuyasha snort at that statement, but Miroku continued, “But I am fully aware of Kagome-sama’s, uh, shall we say ‘assets’. Although Sango has attracted some suitors, Kagome-sama has attracted many more for a reason. I imagine there are more men in her own country who admire her too.”

“Fuck! I know she attracts men everywhere we go. That fucking wolf -- at least I don’t have to worry about him anymore. Houjou – both of them! All those youkai, and, come to think of it, Sesshoumaru saved her from Mukotsu of the Shichinin-tai! That damn bastard must have been plotting to take her from me even back then!”

She heard him growl before he spoke again. “And then there are the countless villagers who want her. They might not approach her as boldly as a youkai, but I can smell their desire for her. It pisses me off and it’s another reason why I hate staying in villages. There’s been a lot of bastards who wanted her, but I ran them off or killed them before they could get to her. So what’s your point, bouzu? You think I don’t know that she’s too good for me? A hanyou? I know no one wants a hanyou and I know she could get someone better. You like rubbing it in?”

Kagome sat very still. Did he really think he wasn’t good enough for her? Why would he think that? She hoped he didn’t think she thought that too.

“No, Inuyasha, I did not mean to imply that you are beneath anyone or that you could not attract suitors as Kagome-sama does. As I recall, you were much admired by Jakotsu.”

Kagome could just imagine the look of horrified disgust and mild alarm that crossed the hanyou’s face every time Jakotsu was mentioned. She knew Miroku loved teasing him about it.

Inuyasha growled, “Shut up! That ain’t one bit funny! And, I’ve still got news for you, Miroku! Kagome is too good for anyone, but someone is gonna have her and it’s gonna be me!”

Kagome remained frozen, her hands over her mouth, breathing hard. Maybe…maybe…no, he still hadn’t said anything about love. She became slightly angry because he’d made it sound like she was a possession again. An object to be jealously guarded…

Miroku continued, “That remains to be seen, but whether Kagome-sama chooses you or not, I am glad that you understand that she is desirable to others for reasons that have nothing to do with you. Therefore I will tell you again that you should not have brought up Tessaiga. It hurt her feelings to be compared so. I doubt you or Tessaiga has anything to do with Sesshoumaru’s intentions for her.”

“I wasn’t comparing her, damn it! And it doesn’t fuckin’ matter why Sesshoumaru wants her. I won’t let him have her. She’s mine!”

Miroku sighed. Kagome wondered if he was trying to refrain from whacking the hanyou in the head with his staff, because it’s what she wanted to do. “Inuyasha, you will not win Kagome-sama’s heart by continuing to refer to her as a possession.”

Kagome almost cheered for Miroku, but then he started speaking again. “She is not yours yet and I must tell you that she does not think that you want her. You missed most of the conversation between she and Sango the other night, and you should know that you have much to explain to her before she will accept you.”

Kagome almost gave herself away because the urge to climb up and scream at Miroku was nearly overwhelming. Darn it! He was in the bushes listening! That jerk! No wonder he didn’t have any firewood when he came back to camp! And he heard Sango ask for the birth control! Kagome had to warn Sango as soon as possible! And wait! Did Miroku say that Inuyasha heard too? Oh gods! She closed her eyes and forcefully held her scream in while listening for what they would say next.

“What are you talking about? Kagome accepts me! She’s the only one that doesn’t care if I’m a hanyou!”

“No, no, my friend. I didn’t mean that she doesn’t accept you for who or what you are, because I know your origins do not matter to her. And you know she is not the only one who feels that way, Inuyasha. But, regardless of that, what I meant was that she would not accept you as her husband unless you make certain things clear to her. For instance, she believes that you intend to allow Kikyou to drag you to hell when our quest is over.”

“Damn it! I told you that wasn’t going to happen!”

Kagome’s heart skipped a beat. What? Did she hear him correctly?

“Inuyasha, the fact remains that Kagome-sama thinks it will happen and you must–”

Miroku stopped talking as a shadow passed over the well. Kagome looked up but saw nothing. She silently waited for Miroku to continue, her whole body tense.

“Ah, Kirara, you startled me. Did Kaede-sama send you? Is Shippou being troublesome?”

There was a mewing sound, and she realized that Kirara had landed and transformed into her smaller size.

“Come on, Inuyasha, sitting here alone will do you no good. Let us go see if we are needed in the village. We will continue this conversation later.”

“Keh. Whatever.”

Kagome heard them getting up and moving away from the well. She let out her breath slowly, realizing how tense she had been the whole time they had been talking. At least she knew Shippou was okay since he was apparently pestering Kaede. And Inuyasha had given her a lot to think about….

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She slowly opened her eyes, turning her head to look at her alarm clock…only it wasn’t there. Oh, yeah…Inuyasha broke it. She closed her eyes again and sighed as the events of the last two days came back to her.

Kagome had waited about thirty minutes after Inuyasha and Miroku left before she went back to her own time yesterday. She’d then waited in the well house for another five hours, compulsively going over everything Inuyasha had said and trying to decide if Sesshoumaru was right about her insecurities. She was past exhausted by the time she snuck across the shrine grounds, into the house, and up to her room undetected. She’d only taken the time to pull on a t-shirt before falling onto her bed, instantly asleep.

She looked out her window and decided it was about mid morning, so she’d been sleeping around eleven or twelve hours. Her stomach growled loudly reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in a day and a half. She sat up and rubbed her eyes for a moment before getting out of bed, grabbing some clothes, and heading toward the bathroom.

A half hour later, she was clean, the scratches on her arm were bandaged, and she was wearing fresh clothes as she foraged in the refrigerator for an early lunch. She could tell her mother had not been home in a few days because there was little to select from. She unwillingly settled for making ramen and vowed to go shopping as soon as she finished eating.

The ramen reminded her of Inuyasha and everything that had happened in the last few days. Kagome still didn’t know what to think. She really was confused about her own assumptions and what Inuyasha really felt for her. She thought again about what Sesshoumaru said and wondered if he was really right about her own insecurities interfering with her relationship with Inuyasha and everything else.

She didn’t want to think about Inuyasha yet, but thinking of Sesshoumaru made her think about that barrier…. She’d surprised herself with it. She remembered feeling Sesshoumaru’s youki pressing against her own aura, feeling her fear and nervousness flaring, and then the surge of her own power channeling into the dagger in reaction. Were Miroku and Kaede right? Was lack of confidence in own abilities keeping her from mastering her miko power? Could she only tap into her power if she felt threatened?

She closed her eyes and searched for the center of her power…and searched…and found nothing. She knew her power was there and she knew she could tap into it, but darn it, why couldn’t she do it anytime she wanted? She became angry with herself.

She remembered a scene from some American movie that Souta had watched constantly on DVD a few years earlier. There was a little green creature that reminded her of Jaken trying to teach a human boy how to use something called ‘the force’. The boy watched what could be accomplished by using ‘the force’ and even felt ‘the force’ within himself. But even after witnessing such evidence of ‘the force’, he still said, “I don’t believe it.” And the green Jaken-like creature had replied, “And that is why you fail.”

Kagome thought about that for a moment and decided she must still be in need of sleep since she was finding life-lessons in some weird, old movie. But…isn’t that what Sesshoumaru had told her? He’d said her lack of confidence hindered her abilities. He said she needed to overcome it. She decided he was right.

She finished her ramen and put the dishes in the sink. Shopping would have to wait, she decided. Determinedly, she retrieved a large, sturdy knife from the kitchen drawer and looked at the wooden dining table. No, she decided, she better go outside to practice. Her mother might not appreciate marks in the furniture….

A few minutes later, she found an acceptable wooden fence post near one of the lesser shrine buildings and out of sight of most of the shrine grounds. The post was several inches in diameter and she felt that she could imbed the knife into it fairly easily, that is, if she managed to find her power and push it into the knife in the first place.

The fence post had several punctures from the tip of the knife fifteen minutes later, but Kagome had still not produced a barrier. She scowled at her hands and at the knife as if they were to blame, and huffed a little, impatient with herself.

Everyone believed in her. Everyone, even Naraku, thought she was powerful. Why couldn’t she do this? Did she really, deep down, lack faith in herself? Did she subconsciously not really believe that she had the powers people thought she did? Why couldn’t she control her power like Kaede and Kikyou? Well…those two had had years of training from an early age…but still….

She thought about her reaction yesterday when she had actually created the barrier. She’d been genuinely surprised, but Sesshoumaru had not. He had confidence that she could protect not only Rin, but Inuyasha too if the need arose. He needed and wanted her to master her power for that purpose. And she needed and wanted to protect not only Inuyasha, but also everyone else in her adopted family on the other side of the well. She had to do this. She would train and master her power like Kikyou and Kaede had.

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and released her breath slowly, easing the tension in her shoulders and standing a little straighter. She would try harder. She would get this right. ‘I need to do this,’ she thought. ‘I need to believe. I can do this. I will do this.’

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“I’m not sure if she’s still home, Yuka-chan. I’ve been at a friend’s house for a few days, but you’re welcome to come in and see if she’s here,” Souta told Kagome’s friend as they climbed the seemingly endless steps to the main shrine level in the late afternoon sun.

“I hope she’s home. I really want to talk to her,” she replied.

Souta thought she seemed really happy about something but didn’t ask about it. They had coincidentally met on the sidewalk below, both headed to the shrine.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She’d done it! It had taken hours but she had really done it! And this barrier spread out even wider than the one she’d made around the well yesterday! She was so excited and she felt an even stronger surge of confidence within herself.

She’d spent about an hour futilely stabbing the fence post this morning before she’d decided to try and meditate for a while as Miroku had shown her. She’d sat down and concentrated on relaxing for a while.

She’d never really spent more than a half hour or so really practicing meditation. She’d just never had the time or opportunity. If she were in the past, Inuyasha or Shippou would distract her almost constantly. If she’d been at home, she’d frantically tried to accomplish as many school-related tasks as possible before the hanyou came to drag her back to his time.

So since she’d had the opportunity today, and since just jabbing the fence post over and over again didn’t seem to accomplish anything, she’d relaxed and meditated, learning her body and feeling the boundaries of her own aura.

She’d concentrated on everything she felt within herself, one thing at a time. Her heart beat. Her breathing. The pulse in her veins. The random movement of her eyes beneath her eyelids. That tiny ball of warmth in the back of her mind….

That was it! It was the familiar entity that rose within her when threatening youkai were near. She concentrated on it. Examined it. Memorized it. Pulled on it to bring it out of it’s hiding place. For more than four hours she’d practiced connecting to that sphere and willing it to respond to her command. She wanted to be able to connect to that power at will, as reflexively and as automatically as she willed the physical movements of her body.

She’d practiced pulling the power into her hands and letting it recede back into its resting place again and again and again. Her amazement and surprise soon gave way to a sureness and confidence she had never felt before. She really could do this. She really was powerful enough to do more than just react to danger. She would control her power. She would protect her friends and family with her power. She finally believed.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

They continued to walk across the grounds toward the Higurashi home when Souta suddenly stopped and turned to look in the direction of one of the buildings near the corner of the grounds. Yuka watched his face show confusion and then fear. His mouth fell open a little and he actually took a step backwards, away from whatever he was looking at.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Don’t you feel that?” he said apprehensively.

“What?” She was confused.

“Something…powerful…” he replied, his voice a little shaky.

Yuka turned from the direction Souta was staring to look behind them when she heard someone rushing from the house.

“Souta! Can you see what it is, child?!” Souta’s grandfather called.

“What are you both talking about?” she asked as Souta shook his head to answer his grandfather.

“Someone or something of great spiritual power is on the shrine grounds! Come on, Souta, we must see what they are doing!” the old priest said, almost out of breath as he hurried past them.

Souta reluctantly followed and so did Yuka. The closer she got to their destination, the more agitated she felt. She didn’t understand what she was feeling, but the hair on the back of her neck was standing up and she felt her whole body break out in goose bumps.

Souta watched Jii-chan suddenly stop as he rounded the corner of the building. He caught up with him and stopped too, staring at his sister surrounded by a pink, glowing, transparent dome thing. She was facing away from them, standing in front of a fence post that had a kitchen knife stuck in it. The knife glowed pink too. The dome thing slightly distorted their view of her and he instinctively knew he should not approach it. The air around him was charged with static electricity and his skin tingled.

Yuka came to a stop next to Souta and silently stared just like he and his grandfather did…wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Was this Kagome? Gods, what was she learning when she went to study at the shrine she had vaguely talked about?

They all watched, still too stunned to speak or move, as Kagome pulled the knife from the fence post. She seemed to absorb the dome thing into her body and the pink glow went away. They glanced at each other, not sure what to do. Before anyone could speak, they felt the air charge again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Kagome pulled the knife from the fence post and drew the power back into herself, still smiling at her accomplishment. She took a deep breath and pushed the power back into the knife, but more forcefully this time. It glowed brighter than ever.

She raised the knife above her head and stabbed the tip back into the fence post. She let go of the knife and felt her own power rush past her creating an even larger barrier. The shocked yelps and scream behind her startled her.

She turned to see her grandfather, her brother, and Yuka frantically scrambling away from the expanding barrier. She ran toward them and exited the barrier, which seemed to radiate at least forty feet from the knife in all directions. The small shrine building she had been behind was fully encompassed by the barrier.

“Jii-chan! Souta! Are you alright? Yuka-chan! I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice you were there!” she called as she neared them. Souta was holding their grandfather upright. Her jii-chan was staring at her and breathing heavily through his mouth. Souta’s expression as he stared at her made her feel like she’d grown a second head. Yuka wasn’t looking at her at all, instead focusing on the barrier. Kagome stopped about six feet in front of them, not sure what to do.

“Nee-chan? What…” Souta began, but their grandfather cut him off.

“Kagome!” he shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at her. “You have just created a spiritual shield! And it’s still standing even though you are on the outside! No one has seen such a thing for hundreds of years!”

Yuka just kept staring at the barrier, then at Kagome, then at the barrier again. Kagome felt a strange mixture of embarrassment and pride. They made her nervous.

If she’d done this in Inuyasha’s time, she supposed Kaede and the others would have simply nodded and said, “Well done,” and then gone about their business since spiritual powers were not considered an oddity. But here in her own time she supposed doing something like this would seem…freaky…or something.

“Uh….” Kagome started. What should she say? They were looking at her like she’d just perpetrated some huge social taboo like appearing in public unclothed or something. Well, she had done that yesterday, but they didn’t know about it….

She laughed nervously. She should have never practiced this here in her own time she realized while watching Yuka. How was she going to explain this?

Souta startled her by suddenly lunging forward and hugging her. “This is so cool!” he shouted. “Can you teach me how to do it? Please!” he begged while yanking on her arm like a child.

Kagome wondered where the maturing young man of a couple of days ago had gone. She wasn’t sure what to say to him in any case. He was her brother after all and it was possible that he had some spiritual powers just like she did, but…

Souta’s actions seemed to break the tension in the air because her grandfather, who had still been pointing at her, snapped out of his shock and Yuka closed her mouth while eying each member of the Higurashi family with a faintly awed expression.

“Kagome is not performing circus tricks here, Souta! This is very serious and you will treat your sister with the respect she deserves!” Jii-chan insisted.

Souta, more excited than he’d been in years, wasn’t paying attention to him or Yuka, and in his euphoria dropped his guard in front of someone outside of the family.

“Inuyasha told me you were powerful but seeing it for myself is just…just…unbelievable! He said you could kill huge youkai---”

“SOUTA!” both Kagome and Jii-chan shouted while looking at Yuka.

Kagome recovered first and forced a laugh from her mouth. “Souta, don’t get carried away with those old legends Inuyasha tells you about.” She laughed nervously again and Souta joined her, following her lead.

“Yes, there are many legends about mikos destroying mighty youkai with the strength of their spiritual powers. Why, the Higurashi family has a long history of producing powerful priests and priestesses,” their jii-chan said, joining them in glossing over Souta’s slip.

Yuka looked at them one by one, still slightly stunned. They were relieved when she spoke a moment later.

“Higurashi-san, I’m so sorry I never believed you when you told us stories about the history of the shrine. I thought all that stuff about magic was…but Kagome-chan can….” Yuka looked at them one by one. “Wow, Kagome-chan! Souta-kun’s right! This is so cool!”

Kagome sighed and smiled at Yuka, relieved that her friend apparently hadn’t taken Souta’s remark about killing youkai seriously.

Kagome met Yuka’s eyes again and sobered. She quietly said, “Let me pull down the barrier before it attracts more attention.”

Yuka hesitantly nodded. She watched Kagome pass through the pinkish wall of energy and walk back toward the knife that was in the center of the barrier. She nervously glanced at Kagome’s grandfather who had a smug and proud expression on his face. She looked at Souta as he turned completely around to face Kagome’s retreating back.

Yuka watched as he hesitantly raised his hands and took a few steps forward as if trying to push through the barrier. The pinkness seemed to swirl around his hands and Yuka felt the air around them crackle with energy…her friend’s energy she thought in awe.

Kagome reached the fence post and stared at the knife for a moment. She closed her eyes and consciously felt the connection to her spiritual power. She once again memorized it and pulled it to her fingertips. Whatever else came of her practice today, she would never allow herself to doubt her own power again. She sighed and lifted her hand to retrieve the knife.

When Kagome pulled the knife from the fence post, Souta stumbled forward, almost falling, as the barrier seemed to rush away from them and disappear into Kagome. Yuka watched as Kagome glowed pink for a few seconds and then appeared perfectly normal again.

‘What else is there to see or hear after this?’ Yuka wondered in a daze. Mikos, and powers, and pink shields…oh, my.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inuyasha yawned lazily on his perch near the top of the God Tree. Only one full day had passed since Kagome left. Damn it! It felt like she’d been gone for a week at least. How could he wait two more days? He sighed. What choice did he have? The fucking barrier was as strong today as it had been yesterday when she made it. He’d personally ‘tested’ it several times during the last twenty-four hours. It had knocked him on his ass every time.

With a frustrated growl, he jumped out of the tree and walked toward the village. Kaede would have supper ready soon since the sun would set in an hour or so. Kaede had been giving him bullshit tasks to do all yesterday afternoon and today. He knew she was just trying to keep him busy so he wouldn’t use Red Tessaiga, but he wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t going to risk destroying the well.

He sighed and headed toward the old miko’s hut. He’d return to the God Tree after he ate, he thought, just in case Kagome came through the well early.

Miroku, Sango, and Kaede looked up as Inuyasha entered the hut. They acknowledged him with verbal or nonverbal greetings, although Sango was a little stiff with hers. Shippou on the other hand was still angry with Inuyasha for dragging him to the village yesterday and the embarrassment of having Kaede smear ointment on his butt and wrap it in bandages. He only sent a resentful glare Inuyasha’s way while making a show of handing Sango his latest drawing.

Sango smiled at the kit and then gave Inuyasha a challenging look, as if daring him to say something. Puzzled at first, he looked between her and Shippou before he understood.

Inuyasha noticed with irritation that the floor around Sango was littered with about a dozen of Shippou’s drawings and all had him as the subject. There were a couple of pictures of the hanyou lying spread-eagle on his back clutching Red Tessaiga and with a decidedly unintelligent look on his bruised face. A few showed him flying through the air in great pain it seemed, having just been forcefully repelled by the barrier around the well. One of them actually depicted Sesshoumaru hitting Inuyasha in the face with his fist and an almost identical one showed Sango doing the same thing. The others were equally insulting.

Inuyasha glared at the kit who just smirked at his ability to irritate the hanyou. Inuyasha growled at him and started to move toward him, but Kaede interceded by handing Inuyasha a cup of ramen that she had found in Kagome’s pack, and Sango made a move to stand up. After a last heated glance at Shippou that promised retaliation later, and an apprehensive look at Sango, Inuyasha settled down next to Miroku to eat.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“But, Kagome-chan, it’s amazing! You should tell people you can do that! Ayumi-chan and Eri-chan would be so…so…amazed!”

“No, really, Yuka-chan, I don’t want anyone to know. I mean, what can I really do with it anyway? Fight youkai?” Kagome gave a nervous laugh. “There aren’t any youkai to fight right now.” Since Inuyasha was on the other side of the well, she felt that was a true statement for the present time. “And people would think something like that is strange, you know? Like I was an alien or something, and I really don’t want to be autopsied by some secret government agency,” she laughed again, hoping Yuka would buy it.

Yuka laughed too, giddy from the day’s events and from her own news. “Kagome-chan, you watch too many movies! No one is going to autopsy you!” she giggled. “I think people would think it was just as amazing as I do! Wow, I just can’t believe I actually saw that and you won’t let me tell anyone! Can’t I at least tell Houjou? You can trust him to keep it secret.”

“I wish you wouldn’t, please. Really, I don’t want anyone to know. I shouldn’t have been practicing at home anyway. I should have waited until I was at the other shrine with Inuyasha. So, please promise me you won’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Alright, I promise, but I still think Houjou would keep it secret,” Yuka sighed. “Oh, well, if I can’t talk about you then let’s talk about me…and Houjou! He asked me to marry him!”

They both screamed happily at the announcement and Souta came into the kitchen to see what the noise was about. Once he found out, he put his dishes in the sink and escaped from the girl-talk about engagements. They had sent him earlier to pick up take-out for supper and he and Jii-chan had eaten in the living room while watching TV. Kagome and Yuka ate at the table in the kitchen and talked.

“Tell me everything!” Kagome commanded, still smiling widely.

“Well, first of all, you won’t believe how stupid I’ve been and what a mess I made of everything. Houjou was mad at me when he found out that I knew you had a boyfriend and I asked him to ask you out on dates anyway. It turns out that he hasn’t liked you as more than a friend since junior high school and he knew you didn’t like him like that either.”

“Then why did he keep asking me out? It was awkward trying to not hurt his feelings,” Kagome asked.

“He did it because he thought it would make me happy. Isn’t that stupid? I always asked him to ask you out because I thought you would make him happy and he asked you out because he thought it would make me happy. You know, he was always careful to tell me about each time he saw you, each time he asked your family about you, and each time he asked you out. Isn’t that crazy? We didn’t have a clue what the other was thinking! He’s actually liked me since high school but he didn’t think I liked him because I pushed him on you! I will never understand how we could be so wrong about what the other wanted,” Yuka emphasized again.

“I guess…I guess we really don’t know unless we ask and talk about it, do we?” Kagome replied, thinking about Inuyasha’s statement to Miroku about not going to hell with Kikyou. What else did she misunderstand about Inuyasha’s feelings? What made her think she could assume she knew what was in his head? She was just like Yuka, assuming things that may be incorrect. Was she afraid to believe he loved her just like she was afraid to believe in herself?

“That’s so right! We were never open with each other before. It turns out that we were both afraid to make a move because we each thought we would lose our friendship. Houjou loves me just like I love him! I can’t believe we didn’t see it in each other until you pushed us! Kagome-chan, I am so glad you went to that party with us because it changed our lives!” Yuka gushed.

“I’m very happy for you both, Yuka-chan. I think it’s wonderful and I’m glad I could help a little, but I think you should take credit since you’re the one that grabbed your chance when you had it,” Kagome smiled.

“Heh, I grabbed more than that! And he liked it!” she giggled.

“Yuka-chan!” Kagome laughed. She blushed thinking about when she had grabbed Inuyasha’s bare butt cheeks through the openings in the sides of his hakama. She mentally sighed and wished that she had remained calm and talked to him instead of running away. Maybe they could have understood each other better if she had….

“Well, it’s true! I didn’t mind him grabbing a few things either!” Yuka laughed. “I can’t describe how happy I am! I really hope you and Inuyasha work out your problems because I want you to be this happy too, Kagome-chan. And since Inuyasha knows about you having super powers and stuff, I can talk to him about it, right?”

Kagome laughed nervously, “They’re not ‘super powers’, Yuka-chan. Lots of priests and priestesses have spiritual powers---”

“Oh, please! Your grandfather was shocked and he’s a priest! It can’t be that common! And I think your brother wet his pants when he saw it. Thank the gods for feminine protection products because I almost did too!” she giggled again. “ I think Souta-kun’s ready to give up soccer and become a priest too, if you can teach him how to do that. Admit it, Kagome-chan. You’re just special!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that–”

“Agghh! You never change. But I think you’re special and I’m sure your family thinks so too. And I bet Inuyasha thinks you’re more than special,” she laughed.

Yuka took on a more mischievous expression and quietly asked, “And you didn’t tell me; did you catch Inuyasha looking at your breasts yet?”

Kagome blushed. Yuka giggled again.

“You did, didn’t you? I can tell by how red your face is! What happened? Tell me!” she demanded in a hushed voice, not wanting Kagome’s family to hear.

Kagome lowered her eyes and thought about it for a minute, blushing at Yuka’s scrutiny. She realized that she may have over reacted to Inuyasha’s clumsy words just like Sesshoumaru said. Was she letting her insecurities get in the way? Was she assuming things about Inuyasha’s feelings like Yuka had about Houjou’s? She was confused.

“I…he…” Kagome stuttered quietly, then took a breath to continue, trying not to cry. “It didn’t turn out how I thought it would. He…he said something while we were…getting into it and…it made me angry, because I felt that he was only with me to keep someone else from being with me. So I ended up pushing him away and leaving. He was mad at me when I was leaving and tried to stop me. He was trying to talk to me but I wouldn’t listen.”

“Oh, Kagome-chan, I’m so sorry. You and he…did you…”

Kagome blushed harder and shook her head. “No, we didn’t make it below the waist before…I got angry…. I think I made a mistake, Yuka. I think I should have listened to him and talked to him. He…he would never hurt me, at least not on purpose and now…after it’s over and I’m calm, I think he wouldn’t have gone that far unless he…had feelings for me beyond friendship. I’m not sure if he loves me, but I think I messed up by not giving him a chance to explain,” she finished with tears in her eyes.

“Don’t give up, Kagome-chan! It’s not too late. Talk to him first to make sure you absolutely understand each other and then take it from there. I’m sure he has feelings for you. You’ve been friends for years and I don’t think he’d risk that just to block some other guy’s move. And by the way, who else wants to be with you?”

“Well, Inuyasha thinks his half-brother wants to be with me, but he doesn’t. I’ve already talked to him about it,” Kagome explained.

“You’re kidding! How could Inuyasha think that about his own brother?”

Kagome sighed, not sure what to say. “Inuyasha and his brother don’t get along very well and they don’t talk to each other. But his brother thinks I would be good for Inuyasha and he said some things to Inuyasha to goad him into mat-- umm, marrying me. I won’t agree to it until I know Inuyasha loves me and so far…he hasn’t said that he does.”

“Soooo, his brother is being cruel to be kind…in a sort of matchmaking way?” Yuka asked.

“You could say that, I guess, but he’s being a total jerk about it. He said that…that Inuyasha didn’t know how to talk about his feelings and that I…should know that by now and just accept him. He says I’m too insecure. He basically said we were both being stupid….”

“And are you? Being stupid, I mean? Houjou and I were like that, you know. We didn’t know how to tell each other how we felt and we assumed things and it was just a big stupid misunderstanding.”

Kagome knew Yuka wasn’t insulting her. She looked at her earnest friend and answered as best she could. “I…don’t know. Maybe we are being stupid. I’m just…afraid.”

“I understand how that feels. I was scared too. But I was at a party once and a friend of mine told me to suck it up and grab my chance with both hands. I took her advice…and I think you should too,” Yuka smiled reassuringly.

Kagome smiled back and wiped her eyes with her napkin. “I’ll think about it,” she told her friend.

The phone rang just then and Souta ran into the kitchen to answer it before Kagome could get up. They heard Souta say, “Hi, Mama,” and Yuka stood up to say goodbye. Kagome walked her to the front door and hugged her before she left.

“Kagome! Mama wants to talk to you!”

She went back in the kitchen and took the phone from her brother.

“Mama?”

“Kagome, dear, I’m glad you’re home. I’m going to need your help, dear. I haven’t told your grandfather yet, but his older brother – your great-uncle – died this evening.”

“Oh, Mama, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize he was sick! Was that what you were helping him with this past week?”

“Yes, dear, he finally called us last week. He and your grandfather have never been close, you know, but we are his only family and he wanted us to know what was happening to him. At least your grandfather made peace with him before he had to go home to the shrine.”

“How did he die?” Kagome had only vague memories of her great-uncle. It had been years since she had seen him.

“He had cancer and he was eighty-two. I think it was a combination of old age and the disease. He died in his sleep and I don’t think he was in pain, so that was a blessing.”

“Where are you, Mama?”

“Sendai. I need you to take the train up here and help me make arrangements and close up his house. Souta and Jii-chan will come to the funeral later, but right now I need you to help me with everything. Can you do that, dear?”

Kagome only hesitated a second. Her mother never asked her for help and saying ‘no’ was not an option for Kagome. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru would just have to wait for her. How long could it take anyway? Two or three days? That would just make her one or two days late, right? And she could pop through the well and warn them that she would be gone a few more days before she left, so it should be alright.

“Of course, Mama.”

“Thank you, Kagome, and I’m sorry to tell you but I need you on the next train and it leaves in a little over an hour. You have time to make it to the Tokyo station if you leave in thirty minutes. Just pack a couple of changes of clothes and something to wear at the funeral. I’m going to call and pay for your ticket over the phone, so it will be waiting for you. I’ll pick you up at the station here when your train arrives, okay?”

“Uh, okay…” Kagome replied but her mind was racing. She wouldn’t have time to tell Inuyasha that she would be late!

“Let me talk to Jii-chan now and you go pack, dear. Have Souta call a taxi to take you to the train station since it will be faster than the bus.”

“Okay,” Kagome said again slightly panicking. She put the phone down on the kitchen counter and called her grandfather to answer it.

By midnight, Kagome found herself more than two hundred miles from her family’s shrine. She looked around the cluttered home of her late great-uncle and realized that she would be more than one or two days late returning to the other side of the well.

Her mother said they needed to go through everything in the house and decide what the family would keep, what should be thrown away, and what would be sold in an estate sale, before the house itself was sold. Her uncle must have been a pack rat because every nook and cranny was stuffed with an odd assortment of books, collectables, scrolls, and just plain junk.

She sighed and thought to herself, ‘It will just be a few more days…. They’ll be okay while I’m gone, right? It’s not like their lives revolve around me anyway, right?’

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inuyasha sat near the barrier around the well, impatiently tapping his foot against the ground. Why couldn’t that wench come back early for once? She didn’t have that much to do in her time that she needed three days. She didn’t even go to that school anymore.

He glanced at the horizon where the sun had just risen and judged it to be almost breakfast time. He sighed and got up to walk toward Kaede’s. One more day. That’s all he had to wait. One more day and Kagome would be back…and she’d be his.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sesshoumaru stood quietly surveying the clearing in the late morning sun. A small amount of miasma still clung to the area surrounding the bodies, ensuring that they had been undisturbed by animals and lesser youkai. They were still intact, bearing only the wounds from their last battle, which occurred about a week ago.

He had thought about the young miko’s reasoning and, though loath to admit it, she made perfect sense. If he revived these youkai, they would owe him their lives. They would be obligated to help him protect Rin. The situation did not please him, nor did he fail to see the irony of it. The very wolf-leader responsible for Rin’s death would now share the responsibility of protecting her life. He gritted his teeth at the thought.

Sesshoumaru wondered at his own willingness to go to such lengths to keep Rin by his side. He had ridiculed his father’s foolishness in sacrificing his own life to protect his human mate, but now he understood. Sesshoumaru had found something worth protecting…and he silently hoped his father forgave him for the foolishness of his youth.

He stepped forward toward the bodies.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

He wasn’t breathing. Why was that? Something was terribly wrong. His body ached and he felt like his mind was being pulled from a void. What was happening? He remembered being ambushed by Naraku or maybe it was one of the bastard’s puppets. He remembered taking a blow to his head and feeling his legs being ripped open…. No! The jewel shards!

Kouga abruptly sat up, eyes wide, mouth open, gasping for air and filling his burning lungs. It felt like an infant’s first breath upon being suddenly expelled from the womb. He felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest and realized it had not been beating a moment before. What had happened to him?

He felt disoriented as he took in great gulps of air and stared up at the tall inu-youkai standing before him. Why was Inuyasha’s brother here? Why had he drawn his sword? Was Naraku still nearby? He glanced around and cried out at what he saw.

He rose to his knees, facing the sight before him and ignoring the tall lord for the moment.

“Ginta…Hakkaku….”

His voice was hoarse and his parched throat protested the effort it took to speak. He stared in horror at the bodies of his friends. Really, they were his family he realized. He felt numbness and unbearable pain in a perverse combination that left him wishing to go back to the dark void he’d been pulled from just a few minutes before. After everything he had lost, it would be too hard to face losing them too. He didn’t notice the tear slowly rolling down his dusty cheek.

“What are their lives worth to you?”

The voice, so lacking in emotion, jarred him from his stupor. He was confused. He slowly turned his eyes away from the painful sight before him and turned to look up at Sesshoumaru.

“What?” he asked, not understanding.

“What are their lives worth to you?” the youkai said again. “What would you give to save them?”

Kouga still could not comprehend what he was asking. His confusion must have been evident on his face because the voice went on.

“Would you pledge your allegiance to my clan? Not as a subordinate but as an ally, agreeing to reciprocal support and protection? No matter what the circumstances?”

Kouga stared dumbly, his mouth slightly open, still not understanding how that would save the lives of his friends.

Sesshoumaru grew impatient and gestured with Tenseiga toward the body of Ginta. “Do you value his life enough to agree to such a pact? Yes or no?”

Kouga nodded his head in affirmation, wondering how it could matter since his friends were already dead.

He watched, the same dumbfounded expression on his face, as Sesshoumaru stepped forward and swung his sword through the air just inches above Ginta’s body. He wondered if he was insane or if Inuyasha’s brother was the crazy one. Either way, he could make no sense of the situation.

But then he saw it….

The large gash across Ginta’s chest began to slowly close before Kouga’s astonished eyes. He forgot to breathe for a moment, overwhelmed by hope, confusion, and dread that whatever was happening was not real and his friends would remain dead.

He stared, fascinated by the way Ginta’s wounds closed and his skin seemed to gain color. Kouga nearly fell over when Ginta suddenly gulped in a huge breath of air and sat up, wide-eyed, heart pounding. He met his friend’s bewildered eyes and suddenly he understood. ‘I was dead,’ he thought. ‘We were all dead.’

“Kouga?” Ginta croaked. Another tear rolled down Kouga’s face at the sound of his friend’s voice.

He turned to Sesshoumaru, who seemed unmoved by the miracle. He wanted to ask so many questions. How? Why? But all he could say was, “Thank you,” and then he looked expectantly at the body of Hakkaku.

Sesshoumaru didn’t move to revive him. After a moment, Kouga turned questioning eyes to him.

“This one…. What is his life worth to you?”

Kouga narrowed his eyes in understanding. He was trapped but knew there was no choice but to agree to whatever the youkai demanded.

“Anything,” he said. He’d give his own life again for that of his friend. It still angered him that he was forced to negotiate for Hakkaku’s life, but he would not regret it.

“Do you agree to give up your pursuit of Kagome, the miko in my brother’s care? Do you agree to protect her and any other humans who join my clan? Do you agree to support my decision to take a human mate?”

Kouga caught his breath. Kagome! Sesshoumaru wanted his Kagome for himself? The fucking dog shit! Taking advantage of him like this! Damn it! What choice did he have? He couldn’t allow Hakkaku to remain dead or he’d never forgive himself.

“Kagome-nee-san? You want Nee-san?” Ginta asked, his voice gravelly.

Sesshoumaru ignored him.

“Do you agree to my terms?” Sesshoumaru asked.

Kouga stared into the cold eyes of the tall lord. He hoped the baka hanyou fully claimed Kagome just to spite the damned arrogant dog in front of him. At least his Kagome could control Dog-Breath with that necklace he wore. Damn! He never imagined he’d think of Inuyasha as the better man for Kagome, but this icy bastard in front of him would kill his Kagome’s spirit. Poor Kagome was doomed to end up with Dog Turd. She would have to sacrifice her happiness for Hakkaku’s life too….

“Yes,” he finally answered through gritted teeth.

Sesshoumaru immediately stepped toward Hakkaku and swung Tenseiga over the body.

Kouga again watched in awe, along with Ginta, as his friend slowly came back to life.

After a few moments, Hakkaku sat up breathing hard and in a state of total confusion. Satisfied, Kouga turned back to Sesshoumaru with questions on his tongue, but the youkai was gone.

Damn it! He hated being indebted to that dog, but he’d honor their agreement without hesitation. He could never repay Sesshoumaru. The lives of his friends were worth more than any sacrifice he could imagine.

An alliance would not be so bad if they united against Naraku. And Kouga had grown used to protecting Kagome so he had no fundamental problem with continuing to do so…no matter how painful it would be to see her with a dog.

No, he would not -- could not -- regret giving up his love for Kagome for Ginta and Hakkaku’s lives. He hoped she wouldn’t be too heartbroken. He hoped she would understand. Being a leader was a burden he would carry with pride. No sacrifice was too great and no hardship was too painful to bear for the good of his clan. He would learn to survive without her. He idly wondered where Ayame was….
…

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~~ End Chapter 9 ~~ oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

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Author’s Notes:

Well, one new grandson and one hurricane later, there you have my latest chapter. I’m sorry for the long delay in posting this. My daughter had pregnancy complications that took up my time and then we got visited by hurricane Katrina. My daughter, two-week-old grandson, and son-in-law are just fine now. And I’m glad I was in New Orleans on the Friday before Katrina hit, because I don’t think I’ll ever get to see those beautiful historic buildings again. Life is unpredictable, huh? Hopefully, the next chapter will be posted much faster. Thanks for your patience.

And I’ve been told to ‘shut the hell up already’ with my justifications concerning why I portray the characters the way I do. Yeah, I’m a little touchy and paranoid; I admit it. This is my first attempt at writing fiction of any kind and I’m just a tad nervous. ‘Sorry for compulsively explaining myself. I quite possibly might not do it again. ~_^

Well, I covered almost five days in eight chapters, and this chapter pushed us to ‘Post-Fireside-Sex-Chat: Day 7’. A lot has happened since Kagome’s revelations to Sango. It’s sometimes strange how one little conversation, one hour in the day, can have such a drastic affect on the people around you. Take Sango, for example. Imagine if you had several weeks to plan the loss of your virginity. You’d have time to think about when and where it would happen and with whom. And he knows too. And he’s always right there. Watching you. Touching your butt. Would you be nervous? Sango is. Will she go through with it in the end? Stay tuned, there’s more to come.

I also want to send a special ‘Thank-you!’ to Angelica Incarnate for listing me on her web page at Sueric’s Fanfictions (http://www.suericfanfictions.com/angelica.htm ). I’m so thrilled to get a link there! So, Angelica, thanks again for your kind words and I hope I don’t disappoint you with the rest of my story!

I’ve also had the incredible honor of having this story nominated for two Inuyasha Fanfiction Guild awards (Thank you, Midoriko-sama and YoukaiMusashi!!), which I won or placed in as I stated at the top of this chapter. I just can’t describe how proud I am to have my story recognized there. If you’d like to have access to a great list of wonderful Inuyasha stories in a variety of categories, then go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iyfanguild/ and join the group. The files listing titles and links to past awards are a great resource and make it worth your time to join.

And ‘Thank-you!’ to everyone who reviewed this story too! I even appreciate the nudges telling me to “finish the damn chapter and post it already!” If you’re impatient, it must mean you like it, right? This chapter was way too long so I split it and part of it is now Chapter 10, which I am working on now. So please let me know what you think about this chapter now that you have it. I’d really appreciate it!

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