Trinity Blood Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows of Time ❯ Chapter 13

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: The Shadows of Time
Author: Ryukotsusei
Fandom: Inuyasha and Trinity Blood
Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Violence, torture, character deaths, language, lemons, spoilers for the entire series just to be safe, and the possibility of out of character characterizations. Read at your own risk.

Pairings: Tres Iqus x Kagome Higurashi x Abel Nightroad

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Trinity Blood. The series belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and the late Sunao Yoshido. I make no money off of this fan fiction.

Special thanks to KogasHentaiLuver for taking the time to beta this chapter.

Chapter Thirteen

“It's been over a week, why can't I get out of bed yet?” Kagome complained from the futon that she was confined to and gave a pleading look to Father Nightroad. It was a slim hope that the sad expression would sway his decision enough to give her a few minutes of freedom, but she had a better chance with him than anyone else. Tres had already told her in no uncertain terms that if he found her out of bed, he was going to tie her there. To make things worse, Inuyasha had been standing right beside him and told her that he would be happy to help.

Of course, that had gotten him forcibly reacquainted with the floor because of the way he'd said it. More often than not she contemplated the uses a rosary would be on Tres at the moment, but she couldn't justify giving him one no matter how tempting it was. She couldn't exactly fault the guy for looking out for her well being, but dammit, she wasn't an invalid either!

“I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Kagome,” Father Nightroad replied, not in the least apologetic. While he sympathized with her, he was also one of the ones that helped change her bandages regularly, so he was well aware of what the state her injury was in. Jinenji's medications had done wonders for it, but that didn't mean she was healing as quickly as they would all like.

“Just a few minutes? It's not like I'm going to go run around the village,” Kagome persisted, “Just long enough to let me stretch my legs. I promise I won't go far.”

Abel shook his head slightly and pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose before peering down at her, “That still won't stop people from seeing you. Forgive me, Kagome, but should Tres or Inuyasha see you up and about neither will be pleased.”

That was actually a bit of an understatement. Either one of them would likely have his head if he were to allow her to get up and he wouldn't blame them for it. He couldn't see risking the chance of reopening the wound just for a few minutes of freedom.

Although, Abel had to admit it was a bit hypocritical of his partner to require such strict observation of her remaining in bed when he himself should still be doing the same. However, attempting to tell the man that had fallen on deaf ears and at the first opportunity he'd left the hut to parts unknown.

“You're no fun,” Kagome huffed and tried to get comfortable against the pillows that had been propped up behind her. “Where is Tres anyway? I thought he wasn't supposed to get out of bed either.”

“I suspect that he's suffering from cabin fever, much like you are,” Father Nightroad said and examined the hem of his jacket critically. It wouldn't be long before he would need to do some mending to the material and it was times like this he mourned the loss of the seamstresses in his own time. Then at least he could hand the jacket off for repairs and not worry about it any further.

“In other words, you don't know where he went,” Kagome pressed, and crossed her arms over her chest although she was careful not to apply too much pressure to her burn, “Why does he get to leave and I don't? His wound was as bad as mine if you don't count the poison and that's been taken care of.”

“Jinenji didn't give specific instructions concerning his care,” Father Nightroad countered easily, not giving her a chance to insist that since Tres was up that she could be as well. He could just imagine how well that one would go over. No, he refused to be responsible for that one and he wasn't going to give her an opening to try.

Just outside the hut, Miroku was listening to the conversation with little interest. Instead, his mind turned towards the redhead they were discussing. It was rare to see the man away from Kagome's side, so it was indeed strange to hear that he'd up and left the girl in Father Nightroad's care.

Although he hadn't said anything to the others, there would be times that he'd awaken in the middle of the night and see the man lingering near her. More than once he'd observed the redhead caressing her face while looking confused. It was almost as if he wasn't sure of what he wanted. 'It would make sense if he'd never dealt with emotions before. He's probably unsure of what to do and if I'm reading the tension between him and Father Nightroad, it's unlikely that he'd approach him with his questions.'

If that was indeed the case, then Miroku knew that sooner or later someone would need to step in to help the poor man out. Somehow though, he doubted that Tres would ever approach someone on his own until the situation got so out of hand that it would be near impossible to straighten out. Unfortunately, there were few in the group that would have the patience in dealing with the explanations either. Sango was definitely out since she was of the opinion that this was a mistake in the making to begin with. Inuyasha wasn't likely to be much help either, especially seeing how much of a mess he'd made his own love life. No, if anyone was going to do it, then it was going to be up to him, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it.

But how does one bring that sort of conversation up? Miroku's brow furrowed as he started walking in search of the redhead. It was a delicate subject to be sure and he wasn't certain just how Tres would take to him inquiring about any... physical reactions he might get while around a certain miko. Then again, it was possible that the man would be grateful for someone to talk to; there was just no way to be certain until he asked the question.

It was best to tackle the first problem before worrying about the rest of it however, and that was finding the man to begin with. Only a few minutes prior to stumbling upon the conversation that was transpiring between Lady Kagome and Father Nightroad, he'd been wandering the village and hadn't seen a trace of him. The others were of course, tending to their own matters and, for the most part, had ignored his presence. The only one that had given him more than a cursory glance had been Sango, but she had been busy talking with Kohaku for the time being.

To Miroku's way of thinking, it was unlikely that Father Tres would be troubling himself to speak with any of the villagers. In spite of the fact that he was a holy man, he somehow didn't seem to be overly concerned with the welfare of the people around him. Instead, he stuck to Lady Kagome and Father Nightroad with a single minded determinedness that even Inuyasha would have envied. 'So where is the most likely place that he would seek for solitude?'

The answer came to him quickly and Miroku nearly smacked himself for not realizing it sooner. Had it been Inuyasha he'd been contemplating, the answer would have been self evident. 'The Goshinboku. It's the one constant between this world and the next. If Inuyasha enjoys the peace and solitude the holy tree provides, then Father Tres most likely would as well.'

Quickly Miroku changed his course and began the short trek towards the ancient tree, hoping that none of the others would choose to follow him out of the village. The talk that he was about to engage in certainly didn't need to be heard by anyone save the ones directly involved. Whether or not the priest chose to include Lady Kagome in on it at a later time was completely up to him.

People waved a greeting to him as he walked past the rice paddy fields, but fortunately no one saw the need to stop him. 'I suppose that it helps that I leave to meditate around this time; otherwise, I'd probably be delayed and it's unclear just when I would have an opportunity like this again.'

The rings on his staff jingled with each step that he took, signaling his approach long before the clearing and the tree were in sight. To his relief, the priest was seated at the base of the Goshinboku, although, to his surprise, the redhead didn't look particularly shocked to see him coming.

“Ah, there you are, Father Tres,” Miroku said in greeting, nodding his head towards the other man, “I'm surprised to see you up and about. I trust that you're feeling better then?”

“The healing process is progressing at an adequate rate. There was no need for me to remain confined,” Tres replied automatically and arched a brow up at the monk. He'd been well aware that the man had been watching him since they'd arrived at the village and had known it was only a matter of time before Miroku came to speak with him. “What is it that you require?” he asked at last, “The chance that you're out here strictly for my company is highly improbable.”

“Direct as always,” Miroku said without amusement. Without bothering to ask if the redhead minded company, Miroku took a seat on the man's right side and looked over at him curiously, “Since you know I'm here for something, then you're probably aware of who it concerns and what, am I correct?”

“The direct approach is more conducive to gaining the information you require. I will ask you again, what is it that you wish to know?” Tres responded curtly. He wasn't about to play the game of dancing around the matter at hand. If he wanted to do that, he could return to the hut and play the game that had begun between him, Kagome and Father Nightroad.

“Fine, fine, if that's how it has to be,” Miroku said wistfully and then fell silent for a moment, trying to decide just how he wished to approach the question. For a while, neither spoke, and Miroku became acutely aware of just how little protection his robes were against the sharp blades of grass that insisted on poking through the material. “I've noticed that... perhaps you're looking at Lady Kagome in a different light then you were before.”

The statement had Tres raising an eyebrow in the monk's direction. Was it truly that obvious to everyone else when he hadn't even figured out how he felt yet? He was beginning to believe that he was the only one unsure about what the hell was going on, especially if Miroku was coming to him. Perhaps now was a good time to demand answers, especially since the monk seemed to be interested in talking. “Inuyasha has already explained the human emotion called love; however, I believe there was key information he neglected to mention. You will explain.”

“The idea of Inuyasha explaining anything when it comes to love is... rather difficult to imagine,” Miroku stated quietly. The hanyou seemed to be oblivious to almost everything around him when it came to matters of the heart and woefully inadequate when dealing with emotions when they involved him. However, the fact that he'd made the attempt was telling. 'Apparently, Inuyasha wants something more to develop between them. Is this his way of making up for the emotional trauma that he helped to put Lady Kagome through?'

The priest shifting impatiently beside him brought Miroku out of his musings and he realized the man wasn't going to wait on him forever. It was time to get down to business, although, he wasn't altogether certain just how in the hell he was supposed to proceed.

Finally he sighed and decided it would be best to see what stage Tres was at and work his way through the problem once he had a starting point, “You've admitted to yourself that you like her at least?”

“Positive,” Tres answered without hesitation. He'd come to that conclusion a long time ago, it was the other feelings he was uncertain about.

“And you've noticed that Father Nightroad seems to have some affection for her as well?” Miroku asked quietly, knowing that this would end up being one of the key problems that would have to be dealt with. With the strong bond that existed, there was no chance of one of them just walking away and forgetting about Kagome. It would be entirely too difficult and it would adversely affect all three of them until the separation became unbearable.

“I have insufficient information concerning Father Nightroad's feelings,” Tres said flatly. He had his suspicions, but the Crusnik had a lot of practice in hiding his own feelings and it made the man difficult to read when he didn't want to be. However, the thought that his partner might want the girl as well made him scowl slightly, he wasn't entirely happy with that thought. 'Feelings of jealousy towards Father Nightroad could compromise our working relationship. If that is indeed what this is, it must be resolved quickly before it begins to affect the mission.' Unfortunately, he hadn't the first clue on how to address the problem.

“Lying to oneself is never the wisest of choices,” Miroku advised the redhead quietly. “Whether you want to admit it or not, we've seen the way you both look at her. I suspect that his feelings are similar; however, he is attempting to fight them whereas you are not making a decision one way or another. That is why I am here, because eventually that indecision is going to affect Lady Kagome. You need to decide if you are going to progress your relationship to the next level or not.”

“Explain what you mean by the next level,” Tres said warily, wondering if perhaps he was venturing into dangerous territory. However, he wasn't about to back away now, not when his answers were within reach.

“I mean, when are you going to declare your feelings towards her and actually enter into a relationship? Surely you'd rather do more than just stare at her in the middle of the night,” Miroku wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis, “Shippo said you seemed to enjoy lying on top of her.”

“It was...” Tres paused, searching for the right words, “not an unpleasant experience.” That was putting it mildly and if he were to be honest with himself, there had been times since then that he'd dreamed of those few fleeting moments. On those nights he'd wake up painfully hard, but unsure how to relieve the ache in his body. Yet, it wasn't something that he felt comfortable with asking the girl either, especially since she had reacted so strongly when it had happened. So instead, he remained awake long into the night on most evenings and fell asleep only when he could keep his eyes open no longer. It tended to keep the dreams at bay, if nothing else.

The strange look on the redhead's face had Miroku staring at him curiously. Yet, for now he didn't ask any further questions, at least not out loud. Instead, he tried to remember if either he or Father Nightroad had ever made any mention of what Tres had been capable of experiencing while he was still a machine. However, all he could draw was a blank in that department. Was it possible that Tres had no knowledge of what his body was trying to tell him?

That particular thought was hard to imagine, but then he'd been born with the full range of emotions and feelings, something that Tres had done mostly without for many years. Finally, he decided to come right out and ask, “Is it something that you would enjoy if it were to happen again?”

Tres shifted uncomfortably and tried to ignore the way his body reacted to that particular question. “Positive; however, Kagome did not seem to appreciate the close proximity.” Even now, he could remember the way she flushed and how her breathing seemed to hitch as if she would have bolted out of the room had he not been lying on top of her.

'Oh, somehow I doubt that.' Miroku thought to himself and then chuckled. If the way Kagome seemed to bask in the attention was any indication, she was quite enjoying the way Tres seemed to be fixating himself on her. “Tell me, when you got off of her, did she scream or yell?” he asked, although he already knew the answer. In the brief conversation, Shippo had told them as much before Sango had put an end to it.

“Negative,” Tres replied, but he'd seen the different particular moods of many women in various situations at the Vatican. They didn't need to scream or yell in order to be displeased about something.

“And she didn't attempt to slap you?” Miroku asked, pressing onwards. If there were two women that he could count on for giving a predictable reaction when something inappropriate happened, it was Sango and Kagome. If she hadn't yelled or lashed out, it meant she hadn't minded the way he'd touched her.

The question had Tres shaking his head, “Negative; however, her skin flushed red and her heart rate increased.”

“I'd say you have your answer right there,” Miroku said, his voice colored with amusement. “She wasn't upset. Far from it; in fact, I'd say that she enjoyed what you were doing and perhaps, she was waiting to see if you'd go any farther.” He'd seen the girl kiss Inuyasha on more than one occasion in the past and saw the way her face had flushed with excitement. In his mind, there was a good chance that she was hoping that he would do the same or at least show some sort of interest in her.

For a moment, Tres said nothing and merely assimilated what the monk had said. Was it possible that he'd gauged her reactions wrongly? 'It's possible; the body's response for both reactions is similar.' The question then became, if Kagome was hoping for something more, just what was she expecting him to do? Again he was forced to concede his lack of knowledge and experience and look to Miroku for advice, “Then the next course of action would be to approach her in the manner that you have in the past when dealing with Sango?”

A chuckle escaped Miroku's lips at the image of Tres plunging ahead in expressing his interest and groping the miko's posterior. The reaction might not be quite as favorable as he was hoping for, especially if he managed to surprise her. “Not quite,” he said at last and held up a hand to forestall the irritated question he knew was coming. “I'd advise you to start out slow and allow her to dictate the pace. A kiss or two will show that you are interested in her. If she is receptive, she'll initiate more contact and then, if you wish, you can take further liberties. If you proceed too quickly however, you might gain an unfavorable reaction.” Of course, he himself hadn't had the time to take the slow and careful approach with Sango since he'd had the threat of the wind tunnel to deal with, but Tres had no such limitations.

“And how will she respond if she wishes further contact?” Tres asked curiously. The few time he'd seen Sango accept the monk's advances the touching had still been rather limited. But the thought of even touching Kagome that much reminded him of the painful state his body liked to revert to, and he had yet to figure out how to resolve that issue either.

“You've already seen it once, you'll recognize it again. You know you've got her though when she pulls you closer and begins running her hands over your body,” Miroku replied thoughtfully. “Of course, I'd advise only doing this when the two of you are alone. If things get rather heated, I doubt you'll want an audience, if you know what I mean.”

“Heated?” Tres repeated and raised a brow in the monk's direction. He had no idea what heated meant, but he was sure that it was something important if he wasn't supposed to attempt it with any of the others around.

“Well, yes. I don't think you want to claim her for your own with anyone watching and I can't imagine you would enjoy walking around in a constant state of arousal. Sooner or later you'll want to take her and for that, you need privacy,” Miroku stated, thoroughly enjoying the priest's confusion. He could only hope that Kagome at least knew the basics of what was supposed to happen or the poor girl might end up remaining a virgin forever for all the experience Tres had.

The cryptic wording had Tres frowning in irritation. First they were talking about touching and now the monk was telling him to take her somewhere? Now he was beginning to believe he'd asked the wrong person for advice. “Clarify, Miroku, where am I supposed to take her? Your change in topic is not appreciated.”

Hearing this, Miroku did laugh out loud, “It wasn't a change of topic. Perhaps the wording was wrong. Let me ask you a question; are you aware of the basic principle of human procreation?” By now he was praying to Buddha that he wouldn't have to explain just how sex worked, but with the way his luck was running at the moment he wouldn't be surprised. If that was the case, then he was likely going to send Inuyasha to Kagome's time to get the books that explained the basics. The miko had mentioned them on a few different occasions and he'd found them to be rather... enlightening.

“I am aware of the principles behind human reproduction. What does this have to do with taking Kagome anywhere?” Tres asked, his irritation lessening now that he knew that the monk wasn't trying to distract him with another topic.

“It was a figure of speech. The practice of sex is not just for procreation. Many find it enjoyable and I expect that if Kagome is receptive and you are so inclined, eventually it will lead to such an act. That is what I meant by needing privacy. Becoming intimate with one another is not meant to be witnessed by others,” Miroku advised him. He could only imagine the reactions of the others if they were to walk in on the redhead touching Kagome in such a personal way. Miroku raised a brow upon seeing the man shifting uncomfortably again and it was becoming more and more obvious what his problem was. “Physical gratification also takes care of that... problem you seem to be experiencing. Even if she's not willing to take that step yet, you can always do it yourself until she's ready.”

When Tres looked at him blankly, Miroku sighed, “You have no idea what I mean by that, do you?” It was then that he knew that he was in for a long conversation and there didn't seem to be any way out of it.

From a short distance away, Sango braced her back against the tree she'd been hiding behind. Several times she was almost certain she'd given her position away and had ended up pressing her hand to her mouth to keep the horrified gasp of surprise from being heard. 'I can't believe him! He's encouraging Tres to go after Kagome like she's nothing more than one of those loose women who will bed any man who's got an ounce of seduction skills!' Had she had less control she would have marched over there and knocked the monk silly for encouraging the priest to act in such a fashion. However, that wouldn't necessarily stop Tres from putting that ill given advice to use. She had to warn Kagome!

Her years of training in the ways of stealth were put to use as she snuck away from the two men who were deeply engrossed in their conversation. Once she was out of earshot she picked up speed, striding quickly back towards the village. Her expression had to be of dark anger because every person she crossed paths with backed away quickly and no one made the mistake of attempting to detain her. It seemed to take forever to reach the hut that Kagome was staying in, but when she did she was irritated to find that Father Nightroad was sitting with her while the miko repaired his jacket.

“I need to talk to Kagome, alone,” she said curtly and gave Abel a look that could freeze water. Right now she wasn't happy with any of the males in the group and her temper was on the verge of snapping, it would be for the best if the man moved immediately.

“Is something wrong, Miss Sango?” Father Nightroad asked cautiously, but got to his feet anyway. Something had obviously riled the exterminator and she wasn't about to calm down until she got what she wanted.

“Not anymore there isn't, but let me give you some advice,” she said, her tone lowering dangerously, “If you're having any perverse fantasies about Kagome like your partner is, you'd be wise to keep them and your hands to yourself. Otherwise, I'll be happy to remove them for you. Now, out.”

Kagome watched in horror as Sango didn't give Father Nightroad a chance to ask just what brought that on before he was physically pushed out the door. Only once it was closed and the slayer had turned to look at her did she speak, “Sango, what on Earth brought that on?”

Taking a deep breath, Sango closed her eyes and tried to get a hold on her temper. She had no idea what Kagome was going to think about what she'd overheard but the girl wasn't likely to take it too well. “Kagome,” she began, “you need to be careful around Father Tres and Father Nightroad as well. In fact, you probably shouldn't be alone with either one of them.”

Kagome blinked slowly and looked at her friend as if she'd lost her mind for several long seconds before setting the jacket on the floor next to her. “Perhaps you should start at the beginning Sango,” she said. She'd known since the beginning that Sango wasn't exactly thrilled with the way things had gone between her and the two males, but to tell her not to be alone with them? That was going a bit too far.

“Alright, I'll tell you what I overheard,” Sango said and moved to sit across from the girl. “It seems we've got more than one pervert in the group and Miroku's schooling Tres to follow in his footsteps.

No matter what, Kagome couldn't picture Tres becoming another Miroku, “Sango, I don't think I've got anything to worry about from Father Tres. Believe me; he doesn't even know how to be a pervert.” That much was the truth at least, the poor man didn't even realize what was happening with his own body the one time he'd touched her and the fact that she'd compromised a priest had weighed heavily on her mind since then. What was worse was she found herself wishing that he would consider her as something more than someone to protect, and the fact that he'd been so attentive to her had been rather nice. She didn't want to push him away just because of something Sango thought she'd overheard.

“That's what I'm trying to tell you,” Sango persisted, not swayed by Kagome's attempts at soothing her temper, “I heard the two of them talking and Miroku told him that he needs to take you off to someplace private. Believe me when I say he wasn't talking about the two of you chatting over a cup of tea!” She really didn't want to have to tell the poor girl the detail the two men had begun to go into. The very idea of telling the miko that Miroku was describing how a male could physically pleasure himself filled her with mortification.

“Really?” Kagome asked and leaned forward, curiosity getting to her, “What did Father Tres say?” The idea of Tres pulling her off to a secluded area was a rather nice thought, but she was still of the opinion that Sango was blowing things out of proportion. With the way that Miroku tended to throw innuendos into almost every conversation, it would be rather easy to do but it was still giving her butterflies of excitement in her stomach.

The eager look on Kagome's face didn't sit well with Sango, not in the least. “Kagome, you need to take this more seriously. Tres wanted to know just what he should do once he got you alone. I'm telling you that eventually he's going to try something. You need to be careful. Until Naraku's dead, you can't afford to take the chance of lying with a man. If you were to be blessed with a child, it could be disastrous.” Not to mention the damage that would be done to the girl's reputation. Sango wasn't even convinced that destroying Naraku wouldn't alter the future so drastically that both Tres and Father Nightroad would cease to exist. Where would that leave Kagome then?

“I can see where you'd be worried but,” Kagome trailed off and looked towards the door wistfully, “I... I like him, Sango. And if he likes me, is there anything really wrong with that? It's not wrong to be wanted, is it?” To be honest, she really hadn't thought ahead to the future and what it contained beyond Naraku's destruction. She knew Tres well enough that if he decided that he wanted to be with a person, he wouldn't leave them on a whim. For that matter, neither would Father Nightroad. Each of them was loyal to a fault and she couldn't see either of them just disappearing once the quest was over.

“Oh, Kagome. No, there's nothing wrong with being wanted, but I'm afraid you're getting in over your head. You don't know how much of it is that damned bond and how much of it is your own feelings. Doesn't that bother you?” Sango asked and leaned back against the wall. She could easily see where Kagome was coming from, but that didn't change the fact that there was a good chance she was setting herself up to get hurt and if it could be prevented, she'd do everything in her power to make sure it didn't happen.

“Honestly? Not really. I mean, think about it, Sango. Nothing in my life has really been normal. If it were, I wouldn't be here right now. I never would have come here in the first place and I certainly wouldn't have died and then been reborn in a cloned body,” Kagome said quietly. “I've accepted that things will always be different with me, and you heard Miroku. If we didn't like each other without the bond, there would be nothing there anyway. The bond is just supposed to make things a little easier for us to figure out.” Of course, with these two males in particular she was beginning to doubt that anything would make it easier.

With a sigh, Sango shook her head in resignation, “Just be careful, Kagome. We don't know what's going to happen. And it's not just Tres that you have to worry about, it's Father Nightroad as well, although, he seems to have a handle on things. Still, it doesn't hurt to stay on the safe side.” All she could do was pray that Kagome would think with her head before jumping into anything with either of them and be there to pick up the pieces if things went horribly wrong. In the meantime, she would be forced to pray and watch as Kagome chose her own path.

“He hides it a little too well then,” Kagome muttered beneath her breath. She really didn't know if what Sango said was the truth, but if it was, it would certainly explain some of the conflict she'd felt coming from him. At times, it seemed as if he wanted to get closer, but at others he became almost unreachable. It was infuriating to say the least.

“Kagome?” Sango looked at her friend sharply upon hearing that, “What did you mean by that?”

The question had Kagome staring at Sango with wide eyes. 'Oh crap, I said that out loud?' The narrowed eyes staring straight through her answered that question though. “Oh it was nothing,” Kagome said, trying to wave off the question and hoping that Sango would let the slipped out statement go.

“Try again, Kagome,” Sango said, unwilling to let it go now that Kagome had opened her mouth. The thought that came to mind seemed too incredible to believe, especially with what the miko had gone through with Inuyasha. “Don't tell me you want him to show more interest!”

“I didn't say that,” Kagome protested weakly, but she knew that Sango wasn't buying a word of it. Not that she blamed her any, if her friend had come up one day and said she was interested in two different men, she'd have a fit too. 'Maybe the bond is messing with my head too much. It's wrong and we all know it, so why can't I just step back and walk away?'

“Kagome,” Sango whispered, unsure of just what to say. The guilty look on her friend's face said more than words ever could. 'How could it have come to this? No matter what happens, Kagome's going to end up getting hurt in the end.' Now more than ever she wanted to string Miroku up for his part in strengthening the bond. While he might not have been the one to put it in place, she didn't want to believe that this would have happened without his help.

“It's awful of me, isn't it?” Kagome asked quietly, avoiding the pitying look that Sango was directing towards her. “For years I held it against Inuyasha for wanting both Kikyo and me, and now here I am doing the same thing with Abel and Tres.”

Sango moved closer to the miko and leaned back against the wall, “Are you sure it's gotten that far?” Perhaps there was a hope that it hadn't reached that point yet, or at least the feelings that Kagome were having were weak enough that they could be ignored, and eventually forgotten.

“I'm not sure yet, the fact that it's even possible is wrong,” Kagome stated quietly, “I shouldn't be thinking of the both of them like that, yet, I can't say that I haven't wondered about them both.” In fact, the strength of her reaction to the words Father Nightroad had spoken in her dreams left her wondering. Why had she reacted so strongly to them, especially when they hadn't known each other for long? It would have been one thing coming from Inuyasha, but to hear the Crusnik saying it occasionally returned to haunt her. On those nights it felt as if there was a great weight crushing her chest and it was all that she could do not to wake up in tears.

It hadn't helped matters that on those nights, Father Nightroad seemed to be more attentive to her than usual. It was almost as if he knew what she was thinking and was going out of his way to reassure her that those words would never be true. 'But how do I reconcile this? I can't just tell them that I've got feelings for them both and expect them to accept it.'

The very idea of her attempting such a thing had her cheeks burning with shame. A thought struck her then, making her long to bury her head in her hands. 'The bond. What if they both know already and that's why Father Nightroad has been so distant? Oh God, this is such a mess!'

“Kagome, whatever it is that you're thinking, just stop. You're not to blame for this; we all know that you'd never consider having two lovers on your own. I think you need to do some serious thinking though,” Sango said with a sigh. Her head was starting to ache with the strain of trying to figure out how to get her friend out of this mess, but she wasn't coming up with much. 'I only hope she doesn't let her heart and mind fall prey to what this bond is trying to do.'

“You're right. I mean, we could just be overreacting right? Tres could have been asking Miroku questions, just to gain more knowledge on what it is to be human and for Father Nightroad, well, we haven't heard anything about him. We could be wrong and overreacting, right?” Kagome asked, ignoring the hollow feeling that formed in her stomach at the thought of one, or both of them not being interested in her in the slightest. She couldn't even be sure of her own feelings, so how could she begin to speculate about theirs?

While Sango knew that there was no chance in hell of her mistaking what Tres and Miroku had been talking about, she was beginning to have second thoughts of stressing the point she'd been trying to make. All she'd wanted to do was make the girl take a step back and be careful of what she was getting into, but now it seemed like she'd thrown Kagome into emotional turmoil. One thing was for sure; she didn't want to make it any worse than she already had.

“I suppose you're right,” Sango said at last, her expression that of someone who had just bitten into something rather unpleasant. “If Tres was looking for answers it would make sense that it would be Miroku that he would go to.”

“Yeah,” Kagome said, “Miroku is the pervert after all. Tres could ask him whatever he wanted and not worry about being embarrassed.” She couldn't help but laugh weakly at the thought that it could be true. Sango's sudden change in stands was troubling, but she supposed it was possible that the woman had overreacted. After all, she'd been against the bonding from the moment that she'd found out about it, so it would make sense that at the first possible sign of either being interested she'd assume the worst.

'I guess, until either of them say anything I really won't know what they're thinking. But what do I do in the meantime? Pretend that nothing happened?' As appealing as that sounded, Kagome knew that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to do once she considered the way Sango had thrown Father Nightroad out. Even now, she could picture the man pondering just what in the hell happened and what he'd done to deserve such treatment. 'I suppose I'll have to apologize to him later.'

“So,” Sango began uneasily, looking for a change of conversation, “You've decided to start mending their clothing for them?” She gestured towards the rather large lump of material on the floor.”

“Yeah, I figure while I'm not allowed to do anything else, I might as well make myself useful. I'm not sure why they insist on running around in these heavy things when we could get something lighter for them but they like them so I want to help them.” Kagome giggled as a sudden thought struck her "We can't have them running around naked, can we?"

“Kagome!” Sango exclaimed in surprise, but the miko was picking up the garment she'd discarded and avoiding any eye contact. With a sigh she gave up, hoping that the girl was just playing, “You know, I don't see how they can fight in them, but I guess they manage well enough.” That was another thing that grated on her nerves. The fact was that each time Father Nightroad had changed into his more powerful form, she hadn't really gotten the opportunity to gage his fighting skills, and it bothered her to no end not knowing his capabilities.

“I guess if you're going to have to fight in uniform, you might as well do it with style,” Kagome remarked and began examining the hem line again. Sooner or later minor stitching wasn't going to be enough to mend the clothing. Major repairs were going to need to be done and it was sad to say, but most of the materials accessible in the feudal area were nowhere near as fine a quality unless you were dealing with silk. Unfortunately, that particular fabric was completely unsuitable to fighting in. 'I still don't know how Sesshoumaru manages. I guess his has some special qualities which enables it to repair itself like Inuyasha's haori.'

“Here, let me help with that,” Sango remarked upon seeing yet another garment beneath the heavy jacket, “I know you want to keep busy, but at the rate your going the guys might well be naked by the time you get finished.”

With a laugh, Kagome nudged the other woman with her elbow and smirked, “Now who's being the pervert? Here, you take the shirt Tres gave me while I work on this one. If we're lucky, we'll get them done by dinner time.”

~Out in the village~

Inuyasha watched the Crusnik approach from a distance, but something told him that the man wasn't even paying attention to where he was heading, much less whom he might encounter. Now, that wasn't exactly an unusual occurrence; however, the slightly irritated expression that the priest wore was out of the ordinary. Usually it seemed that the man had the patience of a Saint, yet something had definitely irritated him more than usual.

That combined with the fact that the priest was supposed to be keeping Kagome company at the moment was more than enough to arouse Inuyasha's curiosity. So when Abel was just about to pass beneath the tree he was lounging on, he decided it was time to find out just what was going on.

“Hey, Nightroad, is there something you need out in the woods or did Kagome get fed up with you telling her to stay in bed and kicked you out?” Inuyasha asked, quirking a brow in amusement when the scowl on the priest's face darkened further.

“Not exactly,” Father Nightroad said, casting a suspicious look up at the hanyou, “Might you be able to explain why I was just threatened for being in the same room with Kagome?” Try as he might, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for Sango's hostility, but so help him if Inuyasha was responsible for it, he would take great pleasure in demonstrating just how proficient of a fighter he could be. 'Perhaps I've been remiss on my training. I'll have to see about correcting that in the near future.'

For a moment, Inuyasha merely stared at him blankly before he started laughing, “Let me guess, Sango threatened to remove something from you, didn't she?”

“Not to put too fine of a point on it, yes. Do you happen to know why or must I remain in the dark until someone chooses to enlighten me?” Father Nightroad asked sourly, although he struggled to keep his irritation in check. He was far from enthused about being called a pervert, much less the insinuation that he would compromise Kagome's honor. While he could admit to himself that he liked the girl, perhaps more than he should, he was quite capable of controlling himself regardless of what anyone else thought.

“I have my guesses,” Inuyasha muttered and looked off into the distance of the hut he knew Kagome happened to be in, “I saw her storming back to the hut acting like something had pissed her off, so I went to check it out.”

Hearing this, Father Nightroad raised an eyebrow and looked at the hanyou speculatively, “And? Was there anything of importance that I should know about or should I just go ask her myself?” The idea was tempting, very tempting, but he didn't want to go confront the woman without knowing exactly what it was that had set her off.

“Miroku was... giving your partner advice,” Inuyasha stated, hedging around just what he'd overheard. Really, he hadn't been terribly enthused when he'd heard the monk explaining the various methods that could be used to please a woman, but he supposed that if the man was going out of his way to find out now, he couldn't exactly fault him. Of course, that brought about unwanted mental images and Inuyasha shook his head to clear them. Picturing Tres touching Kagome in intimate areas wasn't exactly something he wanted to do.

“What sort of advice?” Father Nightroad asked suspiciously. While the monk was a fountain of information, most of it wouldn't interest Tres in the least and, with Sango's comment to him; he had a sneaking suspicion of just what they were talking about.

“Do I really gotta spell this out for you? Let's just say that Tres is tired of walking around with a tent in his pants, even if you aren't and, by the looks of it, he wasn't comfortable talking to you about it,” Inuyasha replied blandly and crossed his arms, waiting to see just what the priest's reaction was going to be.

“You... can't be serious,” Father Nightroad trailed off, his eyes widening in disbelief. That would certainly explain the venomous look that Sango had given him, but would Tres really do such a thing? 'Of course he would, he's feeling the attraction just as strongly as I am, perhaps even worse.'

“The hell I'm not,” Inuyasha said with a snort, “I've been telling you that the two of you need to pull your heads out of your asses. It looks like he's finally figuring things out, so what about you?”

The statement had Abel turning to look at the hanyou incredulously, “Are you even listening to yourself, Inuyasha? You can't possibly think that it's right to be discussing sharing Kagome. She deserves better than that and personally I'm shocked that you would even suggest such a thing.”

Inuyasha shrugged and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, “For once I agree with you. Personally, I think that Kagome could do a hell of a lot better than either one of you, but I'm not the one making the decisions here and I get the feeling neither is Kagome. Midoriko took that out of all our hands when she played God and bonded the three of you, so you better figure out what you're going to do about it.”

The statement had Abel's eyes narrowing in suspicion, “If you feel that strongly about the two of us, why bother involving yourself? I daresay Kagome would get along fine as she is now and without your interference, it's doubtful that Tres would have considered going to Miroku for advice.” Of course, this was complete speculation on his part, but it was a good guess at any rate. Without having prior experience in these types of situations, the man would have likely held back to see what developed and wouldn't be seeking sexual advice from Japan's greatest pervert right now.

“Why?” Inuyasha snorted in disbelief, “Because I don't want her getting hurt, that's why. You think she's uncomfortable with what's going on now? Imagine what it would be like when the bond gets stronger and the two of you are still trying to pretend she doesn't exist as anything but a means to save your precious future. I made that mistake once when hunting the jewel shards, I won't watch it happen a second time.” There were a lot of things that he'd go back and change if he could, but it just wasn't possible. The most he could do now was give this idiot a much needed kick in the ass. It looked like his partner was well on his way, now it was just a matter of getting it through the Crusnik's thick skull.

“And you don't think that asking Kagome to accept such an unconventional relationship wouldn't hurt her?” Father Nightroad asked in irritation. None of the women he'd ever worked with would have tolerated such a thing and he didn't blame them. While he was far from being without sin, this was just something he was having a difficult time accepting. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't just walk away either, no matter how much he tried, and it was tying his guts up in knots.

“Lemme ask you something,” Inuyasha said, ready to counter the Crusnik's question with one of his own, “Have you ever lost control? Doesn't matter when. It could be in a fight, when you've wanted something, or you lost your temper.”

“What's happened in the past has no bearing on the present situation,” Father Nightroad countered, his eyes glowing red in a clear warning. Inuyasha was treading upon dangerous ground, digging around secrets that were dead and buried, meant to be forgotten by everyone but himself.

“Like hell it doesn't. You wanted to know if this would hurt Kagome, answer the damned question,” Inuyasha demanded. He knew that he was pushing the priest's buttons, but one way or another he was going to make the man face the real issue at hand.

“The instances of my loss in control have been few and far between,” Father Nightroad stated coldly, leaving it at that with no explanation. Just because the hanyou wanted answers didn't mean he deserved to know specific details. Only he would decide just who would know such personal information, if anyone at all. "Now, you will explain how this information relates to Kagome. If you're insinuating I'd intentionally harm her...”

“You're not in any position to be issuing threats. I'm trying to make a point here and it's called instincts. If you're smart you'll pay attention, I'm the only one on your side in this.” Inuyasha said curtly, not in the least intimidated by the smoldering anger he saw lurking in the Crusnik's eyes. “When you've lost control, have you killed anyone?”

The sullen look in Father Nightroad's eyes was all the confirmation that he needed. “Thought so,” Inuyasha stated calmly, “Look, I'm not saying you'd go after Kagome, but think of it another way. What's going to happen when the day comes that you lose control and go after someone because of her? It might be Tres or hell; it could be Miroku because he decides he's going to grab her ass.”

The possibility of Miroku doing such a thing was high, but Abel didn't believe that would be enough to set him off. The idea of his anger becoming so overwhelming because of such a scenario seemed to be improbable. Slowly he shook his head, “I have more control than that, it wouldn't happen.”

“For now, but trust me when I say it's going to get worse. I've been watching over the three of you and its there. You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. Not when your scent changes every damned time you get within five feet of her,” Inuyasha countered swiftly. While he wasn't succumbing as quickly as Tres was, he was definitely well on his way. Sooner or later, it would come to a fight between the two if they didn't work it out soon, which in the long run, meant that it was falling on him to make them straighten the mess out before it got to that.

“I appreciate your concern, Inuyasha, but I'm still confident that I can control this. I'm not some lust crazed monster that cannot control myself,” Abel said sharply. He was tired of the assumptions that Inuyasha was making. Just because demons were creatures of instinct did not mean that he was going to follow suit, and he damned well wanted the hanyou to know it.

“If you're so sure then I guess it doesn't matter that Tres is done with his conversation then, does it?” Inuyasha asked, peering at the other male curiously. As expected, the priest turned to look towards the hut, although, to Inuyasha's surprise, he didn't make a move towards it. “I wonder,” he continued, “Miroku was quite detailed in what he should try. How long do you think it'll take him to actually make a move?”

“He won't, not while she's injured at least,” Father Nightroad stated, trying to keep his tone level and not voice any of the doubts that he was currently having. He knew all too well that there were many things that could be done physically that would have little to no bearing on Kagome's injuries. It was just a matter of how slow was Tres willing to take things and if could he handle the knowledge that his partner was taking something that he wanted, but dared not reach for.

“I guess we'll have to wait and see then, won't we?” Inuyasha asked and settled back once more, although, he was counting the minutes before the Crusnik gave in and returned to the hut to keep an eye on the two.

~Inside the hut~

The sound of the door hanging being pushed to the side had Kagome looking up from the row of tiny stitches she'd been working on. She'd almost managed to finish mending the garment, but the moment's distraction had her yelping in surprise when she pricked her finger with the needle. “Dammit,” she cursed and stuck her bleeding finger into her mouth.

Sango rolled her eyes and set the shirt off to the side, “You've got to be one of the most accident prone people on the Earth, Kagome.” Now she knew that her friend had it bad, all it took was seeing the man standing in the doorway, and Kagome's concentration went flying out the window. Well, she'd solve that soon enough, “Was there something you needed, Father Tres?”

Although there had been nothing outright hostile about Sango's words, Tres was immediately set on edge with the look that she was giving him. Of course he'd already known what it was, the woman needed lessons in stealth if she were to hope to avoid being detected in the future, and he was well aware of what she'd overheard. Not that it mattered to him, it wasn't her business as far as he was concerned and her opinion on the matter wouldn't sway him in his decision.

But to force a confrontation here and now would be counterproductive to what he hoped to accomplish, so he settled for diffusing the situation and getting her to leave. “Miroku is searching for you,” he said flatly. Of course, it wasn't true, but he wasn't above using dirty tactics to get the woman out of there.

“Oh he is, is he?"” Sango said slowly and put the shirt aside, “I'll just have to go see what he wants then.” She had a few choice words for him, that much was for sure and when she found him, he was going to wish he hadn't sent Tres for her. As she stood up, she gave Kagome a warning look, “Remember what I said okay? I'll be back in a little while.”

When Sango stormed out of the hut, Kagome couldn't help but think that Miroku was a dead man. `I hope he finds a place to hide before she catches him. He was only trying to help... I think.' The thought was brushed aside moments later when she pulled her abused finger out of her mouth and looked at Tres questioningly, “Shouldn't you be lying down as well? If I have to stay cooped up in here then you do too.”

“I had personal matters to attend to,” Tres said easily, although he went ahead and took a seat where Sango had been only moments before. It was difficult to make himself comfortable, however he managed after a few moments and took the opportunity to gage Kagome's reaction to him sitting so closely. As she'd done in prior times, a slight flush was creeping up into her cheeks.

“Speaking with Miroku?” Kagome asked quietly and snuck a glance at the priest out of the corner of her eye. He was... close. So very close that she could easily feel the heat radiating from his body and it reminded her of the time that she'd woken up pressed against his side when they were underground. Nervously she licked her lips, waiting for his answer while her mind raced with the possibilities of what might happen if he were to decide to take Miroku's advice.

The question had Tres raising an eyebrow in her direction, “Positive.” Had Sango told the miko about what she'd overheard? The probability was quite high now that he reflected on it and he knew that most likely she'd warned the girl. However, Kagome wasn't acting scared, far from it in fact. Even now she was leaning in closer towards him although he was positive it was a subconscious act on her part.

The abrupt answer had her releasing the breath that she'd been holding. `At least he's not going to try to deny that he went to talk to him.' Cautiously she looked up at him, “And did you find out what you needed to know?” A tremor wracked her body and she felt like kicking herself. `Oh God, what if he says no. What if Sango had it all wrong and he isn't interested in me. Dammit, he probably thinks I'm an idiot for asking.'

Before Kagome could look away, Tres reached out and tilted her head back so that she'd be forced to look him in the eyes. “Are you sure you wish to know?” he murmured, giving her plenty of opportunity to pull away if she wanted. Yet the only movement she made was to lean in closer to him and he knew that it was now or never. Ever so slowly he lowered his lips to hers and barely brushed against them, waiting to see if she would protest the action.

“I do,” Kagome breathed out gently, waiting to see if he'd continue any further. She knew that she should pull away and put some space between them, but she couldn't. Not when she'd been waiting for this for so long. Centuries of loneliness combined with the exquisite feeling of being wanted stopped her from withdrawing. Instead her hands came up to rest on his chest of their own accord and she could feel the muscles tensing beneath her fingertips. Slowly she began running her hands lightly up to his shoulders, encouraging him to continue. “I want... to know, Tres.”

It was all the invitation that he needed as he claimed her lips a second time. He kept the touch gentle, allowing her to set the pace. The feel of her hands caressing him so gently had him longing to hold her close, but he was loath to end the kiss so soon.

Kagome pulled back for a moment, breathing heavily and trying to regain her composure, but it was hopeless. She wanted this; she wanted him. When she brought their lips together a third time the touch was more insistent and needy. While neither of them was experienced, there was no doubting the feelings that were being poured into the act now. A low moan of pleasure escaped her and her hands fisted in his shirt when his tongue began a slow dance with her own. Nothing she'd experienced before came close to this and she found herself wanting more.

The moment she started to move, Tres gently grabbed a handful of her long hair to hold her in place, but she wasn't attempting to pull away. Instead he was surprised when she straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. It was as if she was trying to melt into him and he wasn't about to stop her. Why would he when he now knew that her desire for him easily matched his own for her.

“What in the hell is going on in here?”

The incredulous outburst had Kagome scrambling out of Tres' lap, only to see both Inuyasha and Father Nightroad staring at the both of them in shock. “Uh,” she gave a weak laugh, trying to figure out just what to say to them. “Um, I... uh, didn't expect you back so soon. Is something wrong?”

“Obviously not, otherwise you wouldn't have been so caught up in... whatever it is you were doing that you didn't notice us,” Inuyasha stated blandly, taking in the girl's disheveled appearance. It had been pretty damned obvious what was going on, even if at the moment they'd walked in all hands were still in appropriate areas. But that didn't mean they would have stayed that way for long and even if he approved of Tres to a certain extent, he really didn't want to think the man would compromise Kagome's health like that.

The comment had Kagome blushing, but she didn't attempt to tear her eyes away from the hanyou, “Yeah well, it's not like we were doing anything... wrong. So, was there something you needed?”

Instead of answering right away, Inuyasha took a close look at Father Nightroad in an attempt to gage his reaction. It had been because of him that he'd even come back to the hut, and now he was glad that he had. One minute they were talking and the next, the Crusnik had walked quickly away, almost breaking into a run in order to get back to the hut. Now Inuyasha was sure why, the priest had to have felt what was going on somehow through the bond and it had drawn him like a moth to a flame.

“We were checking to make sure that you were doing alright,” Inuyasha said at last, turning his attention back to the girl. As much as he hated to see it come about this way, at least Abel was aware of what was going on now, whereas he'd been in denial before. There wasn't a chance in hell of him passing this off as something that could be ignored. If nothing else, he was going to be forced to confront his own emotions and figure out how he was going to deal with them.

“As you can see, I'm fine, Inuyasha,” Kagome said and tried to emphasize the point by getting comfortable on the futon. 'Maybe if I'm lucky he won't keep asking questions. I really don't want to have to explain to him how we got caught up in...'

“Like hell, I don't call walking in here to see you on his lap fine,” Inuyasha said curtly, and turned his attention to Tres, “What the hell were you thinking? If the two of you are gonna hook up that's one thing. But you damned well better be prepared to take care of her, and I don't think that pulling her in your lap while she's injured falls into that category!”

The accusation had Kagome bristling in anger and despite the fact that she was embarrassed over being caught; she wasn't going to let him put all the blame on Tres. “He didn't just pull me into his lap, as you so eloquently put it!” she contended hotly. All she needed was Inuyasha to get the impression that Tres was making her do something she didn't want and then all hell would break loose.

“What do you mean he didn't pull you into his lap? You can't possible mean to tell me that you climbed up there yourself,” Inuyasha shot back. While he understood her need to stand up for her new... whatever she wanted to call him, there were just certain things Inuyasha knew that she didn't do and throwing herself at men was one of them.

“Of course I did, stop treating me like I'm still fifteen years old, Inuyasha. Dammit, I'm older than you are now! I don't need your permission to get involved in a relationship and if I want to climb into his lap, I'm sure not going to wait to ask you!” Kagome countered, not in the least intimidated by the look that her friend was giving her. Of course, she knew that she was probably going to regret this later because the yelling had certainly drawn attention from those lingering outside, but for the moment she wasn't going to worry about it.

“But, Kagome!” Inuyasha protested, his eyes going wide with the admission she just gave, “use your common sense, neither one of you need to be doing that anytime soon! At least not until you're fully recovered!” Hell, the fact that she was moving so quickly left him stunned. How many years had they journeyed together? And all that happened from that was a few chaste kisses before they decided that they were better off as friends, nothing more. Now she was molesting a priest of all people because he showed a bit of interest in her? The entire idea was insane to his way of thinking.

“You must lack imagination if you think that there aren't ways of doing that without aggravating an injury,” Kagome muttered beneath her breath, but she knew that he'd heard her with the way his ears twitched. His eyes had also gone wider, something she hadn't thought was possible. Of course, she wasn't so desperate as to jump Tres without giving thought to his own injuries. “Dammit, I don't see what the big deal is here. We both had our clothes on and unless you know something I don't, it was going to stay that way.”

The argument continued to rage, but Abel had heard and seen enough. Heaven help him, he wanted to unsee what they'd managed to walk in on, however he knew that just wasn't possible. 'I should have realized. I knew what I was feeling through the bond and what had to have caused it. So why did I go anyway?' The answer was that he couldn't help himself. The lure was too strong and now, he was paying for it.

Wordlessly he turned from them all and walked back out the door, needing to get away and clear his head. Even when he walked past Sango and Miroku, he didn't bother to acknowledge their presence. Instead he continued on his way, concentrating on breathing and trying to control the emotions surging through him.

Jealousy was a feeling that he hated, but he couldn't help what he felt at the moment. A myriad of emotions bombarded him, some of which he knew were not his own and it was difficult to shield himself from them. Anger, worry, and desire all mixed together and threatened to overwhelm him. 'Breathe, just breathe. Nothing else matters, it'll pass soon enough.'

But it didn't pass and he knew that it was foolish to think that it would. Worried voices called to him, but he ignored them all, lost in a world of his own making. They were unimportant, unnecessary. None of them could help him through this. How could they when each time he closed his eyes he saw the mental image of Kagome in his partner's embrace? He couldn't hate either of them, but rather the sight being forced upon him opened an aching void that he'd hoped had closed forever.

Centuries ago, he'd lost his first love, the one he believed to be his only love, to a madman. Now it seemed as if it was happening all over again, but the difference was that Kagome wasn't dying, and the one taking her away from him was none other than someone he trusted with his own life. Regardless of what Inuyasha had said, he couldn't see asking her to share herself with the two of them, assuming that Tres would accept such a situation in the first place. No, he'd have to let her go and attempt to distance himself from Kagome. 'I was a fool and lost her before I ever had a chance to call her my own. She... deserves better.' All he could do was pray that eventually these feelings that he never wanted would end and he would be left in peace once more.