InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ An Inseparable Bond ❯ Long Awaited Return ( Chapter 4 )

An Inseparable Bond

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

 

Summary: What is a miko to do when fate thrusts two troubled demons directly in her path? With her responsibility of reforming the jewel looming over her head, Kagome takes on the nearly impossible challenge that appear in the forms of a silver kitsune and forbidden child. Will the miko be enough to melt the ice around these demons' hearts or will their darkness over cloud her purity?

 

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Chapter 4: Long Awaited Return

 

“Well now Kagome, caught you at an inconvenient moment? And I thought you were only Inuyasha's whore.” Naraku smirked at the anger that engulfed Kagome's face.

 

“Why don't you grow some balls and face us yourself for once instead of sending your puppet to do your dirty work!” Kagome snapped, stomping forward in her rage. Youko grabbed her forearm before she could get very far and gently pushed her back behind them.

 

“You are in no condition to fight.” Youko stated, pinning her with his stern gaze. Kagome felt a blush heat up her face as she watched Youko's eyes linger down her body before averting his attention back to Naraku. She'd almost forgotten that she was only wearing a towel. She was going to kill Naraku slowly and painfully when she got the chance. Making sure her towel was tight around her body; she pulled Shippo into her arms and formed a barrier around them so they wouldn't be harmed.

 

“Enough of this, Dance of Blades!” Kagura growled impatiently, throwing her attack directly at the three demons standing in front of Kagome's barrier. Kagome watched in amazement as Youko and Hiei easily dodged the attack while Kuronue spread his wings and took to the skies. Without hesitation, both Youko and Hiei darted straight toward the Naraku puppet while Kuronue took on Kagura. Within minutes, the fight was over and Kagura was disappearing in the distance on her trademark feather. Kagome dropped her barrier as she continued to stare at the three in shock. She'd never actually seen them in battle before.

 

“That was so cool Youko!” Shippo suddenly cheered leaping out of Kagome's arms and racing toward the silver kitsune that was putting away his rose whip. He smirked down at the excited kit and shrugged before turning his gaze to Kagome, who was still staring at them in stunned silence.

 

“You know Youko, I always knew she was attracted to you but I think you shocked her into silence this time.” Kuronue chuckled.

 

Kagome snapped out of her daze and regained her composure as she tried not to blush. “Shut up Kuronue, I was just surprised you guys finished that so quickly.”

 

“Hn just because it takes your pathetic group more than ten minutes to dispose of those irritating creatures doesn't mean it's that challenging for us as well.” Hiei snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and averting his gaze from her. He wasn't sure why but the sight of her at the moment was causing his head to spin.

 

“Those puppets had jewel shards, they were stronger than that one.” Kagome argued.

 

“How'd you know they had shards?” Kuronue questioned.

 

“She can see and sense them.” Youko answered for her. “How do you think she followed us here in the first place?”

 

The bat shrugged before turning back to Kagome. “No wonder that hanyou wants you dead so badly.”

 

Kagome sighed in frustration as she crossed her arms over her chest, not aware of the fact that when she did this, her arms pushed her breast up slightly. She also didn't notice Hiei and Youko's eyes widen a bit before the hybrid once again averted his gaze. “He doesn't only try to kill me. He tries convincing me to change sides, taking control of me to make me work for him, or attempts to steal my sight.” She explained.

 

“For a human, it seems that you've gotten lucky on more than one occasion.” Kuronue mused.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“From the stories Shippo tells and the brief explanations you sometimes share, you've been in life threatening situations quite often.” Youko stated, averting his gaze from her perfect body to her eyes.

 

Shippo told them stories? She hadn't been aware of that… She hoped he hadn't said anything about the well. “I guess…” she murmured.

 

“Kagome… if Naraku is attacking again so soon does that mean that…” Shippo asked softly, fearing her answer.

 

Kagome nodded slightly, her eyes hard. “Yes Shippo… the final battle is approaching.”

 

“Final battle?” Kuronue asked.

 

“Can we find me some clothing? I'll explain everything to you guys after I get out of this towel.” she stated.

 

“Feel free to lose the towel, no one here will complain.” Youko smirked, causing the miko to blush beet red. Before anyone could say anything more, Hiei took his long black cloak off and tossed it toward Kagome. She smiled her thanks before pulling it on and tying it closed before letting the towel drop to the floor. Youko and Kuronue sent Hiei a knowing smirk. They knew the only reason Hiei gave the miko his cloak was because he wanted his scent all over her, even if the hybrid didn't understand his actions himself. Youko understood Hiei's actions because he felt the same. Over the week and a half Kagome had spent in their presence, he'd fallen for the miko and he knew that the same had happened to Hiei.

 

Kagome moved to sit on the ground and held the cloak closed around her as she thought of how to start. “I'm the Shikon's guardian and I'm the reason it's in pieces. I accidentally shattered the jewel while trying to save a little boy in our village from a crow demon that swallowed the jewel. I met Inuyasha around that time and after the jewel was shattered, he and I set out to gather the shards so we could put the sacred jewel back together. About a month after we started gathering the shards, Naraku appeared. Because of him and the destruction he's caused, we met Sango and Miroku.

 

“Sango is the last of the taijiya because Naraku killed her entire village. Miroku is a monk cursed with a void in his hand and because of our strong emotions against Naraku; we formed our traveling group and we're in a race against time to gather more shards than him. After a year, I started training because I was sick of just getting in the way and not being anymore help to the group aside from being able to see the shards. It would now seem that all the remaining shards are collected and all that's left is for the battle between my group and Naraku… the final battle that will determine who gets the Shikon No Tama.” she explained.

 

The three demons remained silent for several minutes until Kuronue stood from where he'd sat during her explanation and dusted himself off. Kagome turned her gaze to the three in question. They were digging through the rubble of the cave and gathering supplies.

 

“What are you guys doing?” She asked as Shippo leapt up onto her shoulder.

 

“Preparing to leave.” Youko answered briefly.

 

“For where?” Now she was confused.

 

“To find your pathetic group.” Hiei stated, shaking another black cloak clean before pulling it on.

 

Kagome felt hopeful as she waited for them to elaborate. Kuronue turned to her with a grin. “Can't let you go off into battle without us.”

 

She sensed her excitement growing as Youko and Hiei made their way over to her, their faces unreadable. She stared up at them as Kuronue joined them as well. A smirk spread across Youko's handsome face. “We'll have to get you some clothes before locating your group.”

 

Kuronue chuckled as the miko grinned happily with the confirmation that they would be helping in the battle against Naraku. “Why do you say that Youko? Don't trust you can behave with her wearing Hiei's cloak and nothing more?” he mocked.

 

Youko, who had began walking toward the nearest village he knew of, turned his mischief gaze directly to Kagome. “No.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Half an hour later~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I'm surprised she doesn't mind that we just stole these.” Kuronue chuckled, his gaze lingering on the material she had actually requested that they gather for her. She had been so dismayed by all the treasures in Youko's den that they'd expected her to get angry for stealing from a village. The miko was currently hiding behind a tree so she could put some clothes on.

 

Kagome shrugged. “As long as you didn't harm anyone then I'm alright with it. You didn't take enough to hurt the village's profit, it will barely effect the total amount of money they collect.” she explained

 

Youko shrugged and accepted her answer. It made sense, though her intelligence never failed to impress him. She was far too clever to only be an 18 year old human. She was hiding something and he was determined to learn what her secret was. The miko then reappeared from behind the trees with a half hearted glare directed toward them. Youko and Kuronue knew she would be irritated with them while Hiei didn't have a clue until he saw the kimono the two demons had stolen for her. Hiei rolled his eyes and averted his gaze. How was this any better than the towel she was wearing earlier?

 

“You two are not allowed to pick my outfits anymore.” Kagome stated, crossing her arms over her chest. The outfit they'd stolen left no room for the mind to wonder. It was black with blue swirling around the material in random patterns. It was tight around her body, especially around her bust and hips. The kimono definitely complimented her every perfect curve. The material of her outfit stretched to the floor but there were long slits up the sides that stopped just below her hip, showing her long toned legs. The towel made her look a lot less attractive than this kimono did; at least the towel didn't cling to her like a second skin.

 

“But Kagome you look pretty.” Shippo smiled. He knew his adoptive mother was beautiful but it was hard to tell when she wore her baggy school uniform from the future. Her legs were the only part of her that her uniform complimented.

 

“I agree with the kit.” Kuronue chuckled. Youko merely smirked and nodded in agreement. Kuronue only laughed harder when Hiei scowled and refused to look toward the miko.

 

“Thank you Shippo but this isn't something appropriate for fighting.” she stated. In truth, Kagome couldn't really find a valid reason why she shouldn't be wearing the kimono. The slits up the sides provided her with plenty of room to maneuver and she couldn't deny that the material was comfortable. She was just irritated that Youko and Kuronue had dressed her in such a revealing outfit. Inuyasha was probably going to throw a fit.

 

“Why not? You can distract your enemy with seduction before easily taking it down.” Kuronue laughed even harder.

 

“Then maybe I should seduce you guys as a distraction before I beat the pervert out of you.” Kagome muttered under her breath.

 

“I would not object to that first part.” Youko commented, causing the miko to blush beet red.

 

They traveled a ways away from the village before Kagome stopped and kneeled to the ground. They watched curiously as the miko placed the large piece of fabric she'd asked for on the ground and placed the various foods and other clothing her new allies had gathered for her in the center. Picking up the rope they'd also snagged, she lifted the four corners of the fabric before tying the rope around the top of the four corners. After tying the fabric closed, she used the last of the rope to make straps so she could carry her makeshift pack on her back.

 

Since Kagome didn't know where her friends could possibly be, she decided it would be best to head toward Kaede's village. Even though they were probably worried sick, Kagome knew that her friends were confident that she was fine on her own. After all her training, there really wasn't any reason to worry. Her friends knew that she could create a barrier stronger than Naraku's and hold it around her for more than two straight days before running out of energy. They had probably searched all along the river for them and once they realized they weren't there, had most likely begun searching for them. Kagome was sure that after a few days of searching, they would start traveling back toward Kaede's because that would be the first place Kagome would return to.

 

Seeing as Kagome had no clue as to their current location, the miko settled for telling the guys where Kaede's village was. It didn't take them long to figure out the direction to begin traveling in and before long, they were on the move. Before setting off, everyone agreed that it would be much quicker if Kagome and Shippo were carried while they ran. The demons of the group, aside from Shippo, didn't have the patience to walk at a slow human pace when they could easily carry the only human with them. So with that said, Youko had lifted Kagome into his arms and for the first time since she'd been kidnapped by them, the miko wasn't thrown over a shoulder. Instead, Youko carried her on his back much like Inuyasha usually did.

 

As they traveled, Kagome and Shippo told them about the small details she'd left out when she explained herself to them. They talked about Kouga and how Kagura had wiped out a large portion of his tribe. She gave them the details about Miroku and Sango, including the whole situation with Kohaku. Kagome grudgingly told them about Kikyou and her resurrection. Shippo had gone on to explaining how the evil dead miko had half of Kagome's soul, which surprised them. How was Kagome walking around with only half her soul? Hiei and Youko silently vowed that this Kikyou priestess was going to die so that Kagome could possess her complete soul once more.

 

Kagome continued to tell them about the past year and a half and all the battles and adventures her and the group had experienced. She described the personalities of each of her friends, warning them that Inuyasha had a terrible temper and would probably attack them on sight. She also pleaded with them until they promised not to kill Inuyasha no matter how ridiculous he acted. After several hours of talking, Kagome fell asleep. Youko had secured his hold on her to be sure she wouldn't fall as she rested. The only reason she'd fallen asleep is because of how graceful Youko was, not to mention comfortable. The miko had rested her cheek against his shoulder for only a moment and was suddenly out cold.

 

After Kagome fell asleep, Shippo took it upon himself to continue on with the stories. Kuronue was holding onto the kit while he explained further on what they had really wanted to hear about. Shippo talked about Kagome. It was obvious that the miko cared more about her friends than herself because she didn't talk about herself at all. She only spoke about how brave and powerful her teammates were. With the miko fast asleep, Shippo openly told them about all the brave acts that Kagome had done.

 

He explained how reckless Kagome could be and how she seemed to be a magnet for trouble. He told them that every member of their group had tried to kill or hurt Kagome the first time they met but she was always so forgiving that she ended up helping them before inviting them to join the group. He told them about the Thunder Brothers and how Kagome had risked her life to keep him out of harms way even though she barely knew him and he'd recently stolen from her.

 

He even explained the mixed emotions between Inuyasha and Kagome. Even though Shippo knew the miko no longer loved Inuyasha as she used to and only saw him as a brotherly figure now, he felt it was important to tell them of all the pain she'd experienced that was caused by Inuyasha. All the tears she'd shed over the hanyou that always went running back to his first love and leaving her with a shattered heart. Shippo felt that by telling them about this as well, it would help them understand and see Kagome as he did.

 

The sun was beginning to rise just as Shippo began recognizing their surroundings. He was about to ask Youko to wake Kagome up but there was no need because the miko was already slowly waking from the bright sun shining down on her. Kuronue laughed as Kagome groaned and buried her face in Youko's silky soft hair in an attempt to hide from the sun. It was no use though because she was already awake. Youko rolled his eyes when she pulled her face from his hair with another irritated groan and began looking around.

 

“We're almost there.” Kagome smiled.

 

“Good cause I'm getting hungry, and if I'm hungry then you're weak human body must be starving.” Kuronue stated.

 

Kagome pouted slightly at his comment but didn't argue. Demons could go for longer periods of time without food but skipping dinner was the most she could handle. She could feel her stomach rumbling from how hungry she was. She was relieved that she'd been able to fall asleep because before she passed out, she was already beginning to feel hungry. Since she slept for a good four hours, she was able to avoid the pain and irritation of an empty stomach. Now that they were only minutes away from the village, she could deal with it until she was able to get to Kaede's.

 

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, Kagome asked Youko to put her down. “Inuyasha is probably already pissed enough as it is. I don't want him throwing a fit over you carrying me around too.”

 

“This hanyou is going to grade on my nerves.” Hiei growled.

 

Kagome sighed. “I know he will but you promised not to hurt him. He means well, just… can be really idiotic and reckless sometimes.” she explained.

 

“If he harms you, I cannot assure that he will survive to see the next day.” Youko stated seriously, emotion completely gone from his face.

 

“He would never hurt me intentionally. Will you guys relax?” Kagome pleaded.

 

“What are you going to tell Inuyasha? He'd going to ask where we've been and who they are.” Shippo said, nodding toward Youko, Hiei, and Kuronue.

 

“I'm going to tell him the truth.” she shrugged.

 

“That they stole our shards and kidnapped us?” Shippo asked, not so sure that was something she should tell Inuyasha.

 

Kagome shook her head. “Of course, not. What are you talking about Shippo? These demons didn't kidnap us, they helped us get back our stolen shards and agreed to join the group and fight against Naraku.” Kagome said, winking at him.

 

Shippo grinned and nodded vigorously. “Ok good excuse!”

 

Kagome nodded and was about to make her way toward the village when a familiar growl reached her ears and she felt her heart sink into her stomach. She knew it was coming; only she thought she had more time to try and compose herself and think of an excuse… guess she wasn't so lucky.

 

“Wench, where the hell have you been!? And who the hell are they?!”

 

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A/N:

 

How was that? So I'm sorry to say that it might take me a while to update again… I've become distracted by a AMV that I'm working on and stupid Windows Movie Maker is pissing me off and being retarded once I try using it. So I'll probably be beating the stupid out of the program before returning to write chapter five. But no worries, it won't be too long.

 

~*Icyfire*~

 

Next Chapter - Chapter Five: Redundant Altercations