InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Deceit ❯ Two ( Chapter 2 )

Two

 

“Pray with me, Kagome-san.”

 

It was a natural occurrence, and Kagome slipped into the role easily, preparing to ask what she knew Kikyo expected of her. Sliding down next to her superior, she asked, “What shall we pray for, Kikyo-sama?”

 

Kikyo's eyes lifted to the hard, stone face of Amaterasu gazing down upon her with a gentle superiority. She breathed deep, smiling, as she said, “Let us pray for the women of this village and the continued peace we have been offered. And that, at the turn of the year, Amaterasu gifts us with many new young girls from those that performed in last years breeding cycle.”

 

Hearing the slight change in Kikyo's voice, Kagome glanced at her from the corner of her eye. Did the other woman wish she could have performed in the breeding cycle? Did she wish that she could have felt a young girl growing inside her womb? Or, perhaps, was she making some small hint that she was aware of—

 

No! Kagome closed her eyes and began to pray alongside the superior holy woman. Both of her assumptions were simply ridiculous. Kikyo had been raised her entire life for the position she now held, she wanted for nothing. And the thought that she might be aware of Hiei, well, Kagome knew that was not so, because if it were, there was no doubt in her mind that Kikyo would make her pay for her sin with her life.

 

“Is there something on your mind, Kagome-san?”

 

Glancing up in surprise, Kagome blinked several times at the slight frown Kikyo was casting in her direction. “No, Kikyo-sama,” she replied. The narrowing of the other woman's eyes told her immediately that she did not believe her, and Kagome sighed. “I am merely worried about the upcoming offering to Amaterasu, is all.”

 

Kikyo nodded in understanding, saying, “You are nervous.”

 

“Yes.” It was true. She was nervous. All her life she had been told that Amaterasu punished those that committed a sin against her, and, yet, not performing the ceremony would surely give her away to the women surrounding her. Would Amaterasu forgive her, or would she strike her down as she had done to so many others that decided they were above the immortal's will?

 

“Then you are of no good to me at the moment.” Kikyo did not bother to glance in her direction, instead returning to her position of praying. “Go.”

 

“Kikyo-sama…” She felt like a small child being reprimanded in that moment, as she gazed upon the other holy woman. Yet, deep down, she was relieved to know that she was being cast away. That she would no longer have to sit beneath Amaterasu's altar, knowing that the Goddess's image was staring down upon her and judging her.

 

“Leave me, Kagome-san. Regain your strength, and prepare yourself for the duty you know you must perform.” Casting her dark gaze upon the young woman once more, Kikyo smiled a little. “I hope you will find, in your solitude, the will to stand before our Goddess with a grateful heart and steady mind. For all of us stray from the path every now and then, and return knowing that Amaterasu is the reason we live the way we do.”

 

Away from men. Away from Hiei, Kagome quietly added.

 

“Good day, Kagome-san.”

 

“Good day, Kikyo-sama,” Kagome replied. She watched her superior return to her morning prayer, and then rose to leave, her traditional robes swirling with the movement. Kikyo's word was almost law, and it would do her no good to argue the point.

 

Especially when, in her heart, she knew that she did not belong any longer.

 

Removing herself from Amaterasu's temple quickly, Kagome breathed in the crisp morning air. Then, lifting her head toward the sky, she frowned slightly as the thick, white clouds reminded her of the starburst in her lover's hair. If only he were with her, she would gladly push her fingers through those soft locks and beg him to teach her again that men could bring more than simply pain and suffering.

 

That he might show her another reason to adore and love him.

 

Wishing nothing more then to sigh his name, Kagome wandered down the worn down path. She watched the other women, holy and warrior alike, as they moved past her. All of them appeared happy, at peace, yet Kagome knew that, in a way, they were frozen on the inside.

 

They cared for nothing but themselves and the village. They wanted for nothing, except the thick, peaceful atmosphere created from the large, concentrated amount of holy women.

 

And, in truth, they were loveless and lost. They knew not what they were missing, and it made Kagome's heart ache to think that she had once been like them all. That she had once, what seemed so long ago, felt only the need to follow the way of Amaterasu.

 

She pitied them, she truly did. The love that she felt for Hiei was unlike anything they would ever experience, and only because they all felt the need to isolate themselves. Because they felt that men would only bring them pain and destruction, and had no wish to, perhaps, step away from the long seeded tradition and isolation.

 

How sad.

 

“Kagome-chan!”

 

Her train of thought broken, Kagome lifted her head and smiled at the sight of her friend moving in her direction. “Sango-chan,” she called back. The sight of her brightened her day, but not nearly as much as it used to, as a part of her knew that even the strong-willed warrior was as frozen as the rest of the village.

 

“Kagome-chan, have you heard?” Sango panted a bit, smiling.

 

The holy woman shook her head lightly, wondering what could have the warrior woman so excited.

 

“Saeko-san gave birth early this morning,” Sango explained. “It was a girl, Kagome-chan. The first of many, I'm sure!”

 

“That's wonderful.” The child would not be removed from the mother then. Silently, knowing that Amaterasu probably knew of the silent sin, Kagome prayed for each young boy that had ever been born within the village and sent away.

 

How cruel those women were, casting aside the child from their womb, the love they had felt throughout pregnancy, due to a single tradition. How cold they were, to simply give up the child and turn away as a part of them was taken far away from the safety of their arms!

 

“Saeko-san allowed me to see her. She is almost identical to her mother, thankfully.” Sango chuckled lightly, saying, “Saeko-san will not have to worry about those silly little questions that children ask.”

 

“No,” Kagome smiled, “I suppose she won't.”

 

In some way, Sango felt as if the holy woman was pushing her away. She frowned at the feeling, stepping closer to the other woman and watching as she cast up a questioning glance. “Kagome-chan, I do hope that Kikyo did not push you too hard in your morning duties.”

 

“Oh, no.” Kagome shook her head, not at the question, but at how little Sango knew. “Kikyo-sama actually asked that I return home and regain my strength for the offering to Amaterasu.”

 

“Oh?” Sango blinked.

 

“Indeed,” Kagome laughed.

 

“I suppose I should not stop you from doing thus,” Sango sighed. Could the holy woman not understand that she cared for her? That she only wanted her to be happy? That she—she—? “You would not mind if I stopped by in the morning, though, would you, Kagome-chan? I would like to watch the offering performed, as I have been unable to these last few years.”

 

“Of course I wouldn't mind, Sango-chan,” Kagome said. Her mind drifted away from the warrior woman in that moment, wondering when Hiei could come to her again. He always returned when it was safe enough for him, but when would that be? Tomorrow? The day after? A week? It almost pained her to think he might be away that long.

 

Touching the other woman's arm lightly, Sango whispered, “Kagome-chan?”

 

Shaking away the sudden ache, wishing that the touch had been Hiei's instead, she refocused her sight upon Sango. “I apologize, Sango-chan. I must have exhausted myself more than I originally thought worrying over tomorrow's ceremony.”

 

“Let me walk you home, won't you?” Sango asked.

 

“Thank you, but I will be fine,” Kagome replied.

 

Feeling that she was being pushed away again, Sango frowned at the rejection. “I will see you tomorrow then?”

 

“Yes, of course.” Kagome made sure to smile, recognizing the slight shift in Sango's stance. She was worrying again, like usual, and Kagome hoped that her smile would reassure her enough that she did not feel the need to come to her unexpectedly.

 

Especially if… if Hiei decided to come.

 

“Well,” Sango said slowly, “good day, Kagome-chan.”

 

“Good day, Sango-chan,” Kagome returned, just as the warrior woman swept past her and continued on her way. She smiled sadly, feeling the slight wind that Sango left in her wake, because once again, in her sudden, abrupt need to leave, Sango had showed how truly cold she was on the inside.

 

Then, giving a sigh, Kagome continued on her own way.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

A third eye opened, glowing malevolently in the dying light, as he easily slipped inside the usually thick barrier. The eye shifted only a little on the other side, and he immediately stilled, crouched behind a large tree root.

 

“What's the matter, Miki-chan?”

 

“I thought I heard something,” replied a second female voice. “Over there.”

 

“Are you certain?”

 

“Yes,” the woman, Miki, said. “Near the barrier.”

 

The first woman began to laugh, saying, “Now, Miki-chan, I doubt anyone managed to even find this village, let alone wander inside—” slowly, a smirk formed on his face from her idiocy, “—The holy women, while they cannot fight like us, have put up quite a few illusions to steer outsiders away. There's no reason to worry about it, since that means it was probably just an animal.”

 

“I suppose you're right, Rai-chan.”

 

The eye watched them carefully, waiting, as the two warrior women moved on without a second glance. Once he was certain they were gone, he scoffed. How stupid they were, believing that no one from the outside would ever be able to penetrate their hidden little village.

 

They were too soft. It almost made him wonder whether or not they would be able to properly protect the village when someone with ill intentions did find the village. The attack would no doubt come too suddenly, since the constant atmosphere made them blind, and he gritted his teeth with the thought.

 

It was just another reason why he felt Kagome should remove herself from the place.

 

The eye shifted again, focusing on another patrol, and he flitted away from the area in that instant. The village had yet to even catch sight of him, and he planned on keeping it that way until his sweet little woman finally decided to willing fall into his embrace and beg him to take her away with him.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

A shadow crept across her bed, driving away the remaining light that had touched her skin. She lay panting beneath her twisted sheet, her chest rising rapidly and her eyes flickering behind her lids. Her dream realm was obvious in that moment, but made even more so as she gasped. “Hiei!”

 

Suddenly, her form was enclosed in thick, strong arms, and she awoke with her mind shrieking happily at her. How had she not—? She did not finish the thought, as his nose buried its way into her thick sea of hair. And a cry left her, while she practically flung herself the rest of the way into his embrace.

 

He pressed into the cradle of her thighs roughly, growling.

 

“I did not think that you would—!” she began happily.

 

His breath was hot against her ear, as he cut her off, saying, “I could not stay away.” Having been basically forced away from his female had unsettled him to the core, and remaining away from her any longer would no doubt have driven him to near insanity. “Kagome.”

 

“Hiei,” she whispered back. Her heart swelling with utter joy, she felt the faintest prickle of tears along her eyes. But, she refused to let them fall, even in happiness, because she knew it would only make him worry. “Hiei, I love you.”

 

The pleasure he felt rumbled in her ear through his quiet growl, and he felt her tighten her hold and push her nose into the hair behind his ear. She remained still, breathing in the very scent of him, and it only fueled his pride to know that his woman had ached for him as much as he had ached for her. Then, her nails biting into his back, his growl increased in volume.

 

“I love you so much,” she said.

 

Pulling away slightly, he allowed her a moment to gaze deep into his crimson eyes. Her hand retreated from his back to trace his jaw, and as a smile stretched across her face, he hissed beneath his breath and claimed her mouth. His tongue immediately forced its way between her lips, seeking to taste her, and she quickly pulled another hiss from him by rocking her hips upward.

 

Kagome felt her teeth clash with his for a moment, but she could not bring herself to care. She buried both of her hands in his hair, trying to keep his mouth upon her own as long as she possibly could. But, her wish was not granted, as he tore himself away and rested his forehead gently against hers.

 

“I don't want to hurt you.” A slight push against his hardened cock nearly did him in, but he managed to reign in the beast that wished to dominate his female and claim her fully. Deny her single wish, break the vow he kept, and merely drive into her body until only the sweet euphoria of release was his single worry.

 

Watching his jaw clench, she shook her head lightly. “You won't hurt me.”

 

“Stupid woman,” he smirked. “I will hurt you, but not in the way you're referring to.”

 

“Hiei,” she said, frowning. “I need you.”

 

“And I need you,” he replied sadly. “But, you do not understand. If I take you right now, I will not be able to control myself, and you will have no choice but to leave this little village you call home. You're mine, yet I cannot mate with you, and it—it—”

 

“I do understand.” She kissed him lightly, feeling him flinch back at the contact. Her heart nearly broke at the sight of him, the man she loved so much, crouched over her in pain. “Its okay.” The few tears she had tried to keep back finally slipped forth, and she smiled at him. Her decision was final and clear to her, and there was no reason to keep it from him. “Hiei, I want you to—!”

 

A heavy thud alerted Hiei to the danger, as his gaze snapped up to the warrior woman standing in the doorway. How long had she—? It did not matter! The only thing that mattered was that she was standing there, watching them, and he had been too focused on his female to even notice her arrival.

 

“K-Kagome…?”

 

The lack of the familiar suffix drove the situation home, as Kagome's wide eyes finally settled onto—“Sango-chan.”