InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Intertwined ❯ Here's the deal... ( Chapter 15 )

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

AN: Okay, okay *straightens parka* …lemme have it.  Yikes…this story has taken…what…3 years?  Ish? …and I still believe I have a little ways to go.  I think…It’s pointless trying to tell you how ashamed I am because there is no way to describe the level of “how-could-I-possibly-expect-anyone-to-still-be-reading-this” is unexplainable.  However, if you are still reading this story (and can honestly remember anything about it by now…^^;), then you surely must be super-human.  Still, I have recently begun to work at home and have resumed gnawing away at this story when I have a free half-hour here and there, so I do plan to continue updating…just not terribly regularly…  I can only plead with my oh-so fickle muse that the next chapter doesn’t take um…2 YEARS?!?!  Dear God… *face palm*



Chapter 15



The sky hadn’t yet begun brightening to signal dawn when the old miko had asked him in to finally wrap up Sango’s side.  After all was said and done, she‘d ended up taking some of that frightful concoction anyway.  She was none too happy, but couldn’t really put up much of a fight with sleep coaxing her from the day.  It would ultimately help flush her body of all the medicines she‘d been introduced to that night.  She quickly succumbed to her exhaustion even before he began smoothing poppy powders on her mottled skin.  Were she awake, she would certainly be a bit nonsensical at the moment.  

‘Truly, the powders will help to keep her asleep by staying any pain‘, Youko considered as his gold eyes inspected the angry bruising around her many puncture wounds.  He took note that there still seemed to be a green tinge to the area due to Sesshomaru‘s influence even after the area had been washed.  Interesting.  It certainly outlined the possible solution to their unique situation nicely.  She’d been marked twice now…once in the caves to solder their wounds, and now the leg.  It had been unavoidable, yet intentional.  He hoped they took it well.

After being wrapped up, she was left undisturbed where she lay since there was no place better to move her to.  Kagome continued to sleep with her head pillowed on Inuyasha’s leg, his haori serving as a blanket.  The wolves and the children had been placed in the tachi’s hut, and Sesshomaru still wandered around outside, likely keeping a perimeter.

It had been a couple of hours now,  and Youko reclined against the wall barely a foot behind Kagome’s sleeping body as he simply waited for the young dog demon to speak his words as he was certain to do eventually.  The hanyou rested an arm on Kagome’s shoulder as he stared unseeing into the dying fire in the center of the room.  The crackling of the barely burning charred logs only served to impress the atmosphere with finality in a way, causing Inuyasha to come to certain terms concerning Youko.

“She’s all I got, fox,” he finally said into the quiet room, sounding nearly defeated and clearly not wishing for their new member to see his rarely displayed feelings.  Looking over his shoulder, his eyes were seemingly staring at nothing and reflecting the fire some feet before him.  A few moments passed before he elaborated…still speaking softly for the sleeping women, “I mean… I got the others too, but if it hadn’t been for her I wouldn’t even have that.” He didn’t make this kind of admission often…especially to someone who was seen as a rival, but it was one that had to be made.  After all that had happened, it was clear that the fox wasn’t going to just go away.  

Inuyasha turned back to the fire after a moment, his dark brows pinched over his thoughts.  He wasn’t really feeling defeated so much as…insufficient.  What killed him the most was that he knew they’d needed the fox’s power more than ever with the women as they were since recent events.  His pride had taken a beating of late, and the women still found themselves harmed…even with his brother around.  And there you had it…THAT scared him more than the thought of letting in Youko…Kagome and Sango being so harmed because his pride wouldn’t allow for another’s help, solely based on the fact that he was competition. Looking back from this, it seemed so puerile. With the kitsune’s added strength among them, he knew they were better prepared concerning Naraku and any further malice he had planned based on the new threats.  Having such a necessary acquaintance for their sake if nothing else, he found, overshadowed his need to keep Kagome to himself.  

Sighing while the fox in question remained silent behind him, Inuyasha looked down to Kagome’s black hair and tucked an errant strand behind her ear.  Not only did it seem that Youko was staying with them indefinitely, but it had become quite obvious some time ago that he was interested in her.  Sango too, to some extent…and himself as well, if he hadn’t missed his guess…

The silver fox watched as the young dog demon sorted through his emotions and the accompanying thoughts.  When Inuyasha seemed to shudder and then shook his head, Youko suppressed a grin as he filled in for himself what could be running through the hanyou’s head to produce such an external reaction.  He ran his tongue lightly over his fangs as he shifted to stand up, and walked around the pair on the floor.

“Inuyasha…” Placing himself in a direct line of vision near Inuyasha, Youko crouched to the side of the fire, resting his arms on his knees and leaning forward, “I can and do respect the feelings you have for Kagome, “ he said, eyes on the girl, “Even the feelings you have for Sango.  If you didn’t have such feelings for them after so much time, I would certainly think differently of you,” Youko pointed out, almost to himself.  

A few more moments passed this way, but when he next looked back to Inuyasha all form of amusement had abruptly been killed from his eyes, “What I can’t and don’t respect is the amount of time and pain you expended while trying to figure yourself out.”

Inuyasha’s line of vision rose sharply from the girl’s hair at that, and Youko sneered evilly, “I do know of the so called ‘love triangle’ between the two of you and some dead miko.  Before I go any farther, what I feel I must ask you is why you continued to chase a woman who -- though resurrected from the woman you loved -- had been dead for half a century, proclaimed to hate you, betrayed you countless times, and tried to kill your only friends just as often,” Youko’s eyes had turned hard as he spoke, and Inuyasha was looking straight into them with something akin to angry fear as he listened, “A resurrected shell of such malice and malcontent is NOT of any comparison to a living, breathing, bleeding woman of such outer and inner beauty that she would stay with you during your shame.”

Intense gold eyes stared into molten amber for a moment longer before Inuyasha relented, breaking away to lay his eyes on Kagome’s sleeping face again.

Youko had just struck a chord that had somehow not quite finished ringing to begin with.  Kagome forgave him, of course.  She always forgave him…yet Inuyasha had never afforded himself the same courtesy ever since Kikyo’s final death. He had tried, but he was now sure that he didn’t have that kind of skill.  As such, the fox’s true words saw Inuyasha’s considerable temper take a sudden vacation and left room for those inadequacies to spill into the vacated caverns.

Taking several shallow breaths, he started to say something several times before he finally succeeded, “I know, Youko,” he answered in a thick voice, “It’s because of that…because of the way I’ve treated her in the past over so many stupid things,” he shook his head and took another breath, “that I respect your feelings for her…for them…for…the way you were able to admit and commit to them the way I couldn’t for so long,” Inuyasha switched his nearly brimming gaze from Kagome back to burning gold, hating the way his voice was shaking, and gritted his teeth for what he was about to say.

He knew he was loosing paradise.

“…And so I’m forever gonna do what I can to be sure she always stays as safe and happy as possible.  Even if it means I can’t have her for myself as penance…even,” Inuyasha ground his fangs once more in a painful grimace, “…even if I had to step aside for her happiness…I would.  I love her.  I do love them both, but Kagome…” he tried, his voice nearly failing him, “Kagome is my purpose.”

Youko stared intently at the hanyou, shifting his eyes to take in the silver dog’s countenance for some moments of silence.  Finally, he nodded, “Okay, Inuyasha…we have an understanding.  I won’t lie, I want her…I won’t settle for any less than that,” still holding back those damnably human tears, Inuyasha nodded gravely and looked down to the floor in resolve before the fox continued, “Thing is I want her happy just the same as you, but I’ve come to see that such is not possible without your own happiness,” Youko stood, softly taking a step closer to Inuyasha and crouching to his haunches again, silhouetted by the low light of the dying fire and casting a shadow over the pair on the floor.

“If she’ll have it, I propose that we go into this as a group…the lot of us,” he said, motioning the three of them with his hand and the serious connotations painting his flawless face. Inuyasha’s jaw worked with no words as he digested what the fox was saying.  Youko elaborated, “By the lot of us I do not only mean you, Kagome, and myself,” he turned, looking over his left shoulder to regard the pair asleep around the fire, “Kagome is forever tied to Sango, who is desired by the monk and marked by Lord Sesshomaru.  Therefore, it would never merely be us and them…it would be all six of us in two set matings.”

“Sesshomaru?” Inuyasha clarified, his mind trying to focus that his earlier thoughts on the matter of Kohaku’s matchmaking plans seemed to be much of the truth, “You’re sure?” he questioned dubiously, receiving that infernal raised brow in answer with an accompanying leer.  Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and sighed sharply at that, wondering how Youko really did desire such a permanent bond with them.  He knew that he’d wanted Kagome…even cared for her.  However, he’d been of the mind that the fox only wanted one thing from them…certainly not this kind of permanence.

Youko shifted on his haunches, gaining Inuyasha’s attention again, “You should realize that such a relationship where a female carries two marks is not unheard of.  Even if both marks are generally from males that are closer in some way than we are, this bears no reason why it could not be done in this case.  It would certainly offer more protection,” he said, carefully watching the emotions chase each other over the younger demon’s eyes, “Whatever is proposed between those three is for them to decide. Given the relationship between the two women, some form of permanence will be necessary among us all considering their connection and their…unique gift of drawing trouble at every turn.”

Sitting gracefully beside Inuyasha with Sango and Miroku to his right, Youko broke eye contact and looked over to the sleeping pair in the nearest corner once again, “I’ll be fully honest…I do expect them to come to much the same arrangement that I am proposing if they have not already.  These two women will need all the protection we four can provide them as a whole,” he said, turning back to his counterpart.

Inuyasha’s black brows remained pinched over his expressive amber eyes as he listened.  He had to admit that what the kitsune had been explaining sounded right.  Just…right.  Except…

Inuyasha snuck a look toward the ethereal fox out of the corner of his eye, watching the larger ears on Youko twitch toward the sound of the charred logs groaning under the weight of the heat.  He cleared his throat and looked back at the fire as a blush threatened his nose, “So…this kind of pack structure leaves less possibility for separation between them and us, right?” he asked, indicating the girl in his lap.

Youko tilted his head to the side to see that Inuyasha seemed to be squirming, “Yeeees.”

The side of his mouth turned up as the dog continued, “But…y…um…I..,” he growled at himself for being unable to work the words right, not seeing that his companion’s eyes began to spark with amusement when he’d caught on to the boy’s concern, “I-I don’t wanna…We gotta do this with no…we…I-I…” Youko sighed, giving in …Poor kid.

“Inuyasha…” Youko broke in generously as he grabbed the fire stick and tested its weight, the hanyou’s amber eyes giving him attention again, “You and I would not see relation in that manner unless you wished there to be.  I am biased toward females…though I do enjoy the attentions of any who are enjoyable,” he said, poking at the fire to awaken the heat, “…and willing,” the elder canine then glanced at him pointedly, a sobered look lining his features.  Standing, Youko set the stick back in place by the renewed fire, “I’m going to go for a wash…I will return soon,” he said, brushing his hands off against each other as he walked toward the entrance of the hut.

The young hanyou was left in the warm hut with a treasure on his lap and a lot on his mind.

“Ughhh…” Sango moaned against the overly cheery sunshine while Miroku acted as her crutch, “What in seven layers of a hime’s get-up did that evil old woman put in that awful medicine?” she groaned as Miroku helped her to gingerly sit on the bench just outside the hut

Miroku chuckled heartedly while helping, thankful that the hut itself blocked out the harshest of the morning‘s rays, “I personally tried not to pay special attention to the ingredients she was putting into it,” he grimaced at the memory of the smell, feeling now as though he had missed the single most drunken night of his life and was only now experiencing the aftermath.  Still, it had provided the blessed relief from the pain of Sango’s grip necessary to heal over a night’s sleep.  The woman had one hell of a hold on his hand, and her forearm wasn’t weak by any means. Look what she carries around all day…

Sango had woken shortly before with some of the worst soreness she had ever experienced, her mouth feeling like cotton.  Miroku had still been sitting in the same place he had been when he’d fallen asleep beside her hours ago, looking just as beat-up as she felt, his chin on his chest.  She’d poked him with her finger, successfully witnessing the fastest sleep-to-wake transition possible in a human being.  When he looked up to see her merely sitting there surrounded by demon fur and giggling at his antics while bathed in the particles swimming in the morning sun, he could have kissed the Gods themselves for the vision granted him upon waking.

Now after he’d helped her to the little bench outside the hut with townspeople stopping to wave their hellos, Sango wondered where everyone else in the team had run off to.  Returning yet another wave to a child from the hut next to the tachi‘s --where Ginta appeared to be gnawing on something questionable-- Sango voiced her concern, “Hey…Miroku, do you know where Kagome went?” she asked, partly afraid of what might happen were Kagome to cross the well connected as they were.  As if answering Sango‘s question, however, Kagome slid around the side of the hut carrying many logs with her eyes shining to match the sheen of exertion sprinkling her forehead.  

Kagome nearly dropped her armful as she spotted them unexpectedly sitting outside, “Sango!” she trotted up to the pair, seemingly forgetting about the logs in her arms and looked critically at Sango to ascertain whether she should be up yet, “How are you feeling?  I wouldn’t have thought you’d be up to moving around so soon,” she said pointedly, yet she bit her lip gently before mumbling, “I still feel run over from last night, so...”

Sango smiled softly at her counterpart when she felt a pang of remorse filter through her heart -- which she now realized had been beating strangely fast until now, “As far as my pain, I‘ve had worse,” her smile turned wry, “but the aftermath of that drou…”

“Oi, what are you doin’ on your leg already?!” Inuyasha cut her off in a slightly panicked manner as he dropped down from the roof, “You tryin to catch gangrene, woman?” he shrieked, looking at Miroku in accusation, the monk taking it all in stride, “Whadja bring her out here for, houshi?  Those bris…”

“Inuyasha…” Kagome deadpanned as Inuyasha continued his tirade as would a mother hen, Miroku still acting to be duly chastised and nodding where appropriate until Inuyasha was done.  Weird.

“…not to mention the shit in that medicine!  I know how bad raw oxen liver tastes, and you can’t be sure…” Inuyasha screamed at him, unfortunately making Sango privy to at least one of the vile ingredients to their pain drought.

“Oh God…” Sango mumbled, Kagome watching her literally turning pink with the effort of holding in the urge to heave.  Kagome studiously ignored the fact that she took the exact same mulch-y mustard crap herself…

“INUYASHA!!”  Kagome screamed, successfully gaining the ranting dog’s attention, “If it would please you to hush… you are making Sango unnecessarily sick.  She is doing much better, see?  What‘s with you this morning?” she muttered the last part quietly to herself as she set down her logs, but Inuyasha still heard, of course.

“Keh!  I try to look out for ya and I get yelled at…” he pouted, missing the point intentionally.  So he forgot that they didn’t know what was in that stuff…it happens.  

Truth was that he’d made his choice in the matter presented to him by Youko, but was not sure he knew what to do about it next.  Talking about it wasn’t his style, so he found himself unintentionally resorting to actions that he’d been guilty of when the group started out.  Unfortunately not his most shining moments… The “tough love” approach apparently was a fine art with fine lines, and he was a novice.  

“I’d pull your lip in handsome, you’re likely to get it nipped like that,” a dark - decidedly amused - and smooth voice interrupted his internally voiced excuses as it approached from the same direction where Kagome had appeared.  A matching stack of dry logs lay in the sculpted arms of this voice’s owner, and he predictably wore a certain amount of amusement on his face for the equally predictable reaction his statement earned him.

“Oh joy, the fox wants to add his perverted thoughts to the conversation,” he said, still pouting yet painfully aware of his childishness, “I‘m going now,” Inuyasha groused at Youko as he turned away, hoping it kept his thrice damned red cheeks from being seen.  Didn’t that stupid pervert say he wouldn’t pick on the unwilling?

Miroku watched with a suspiciously twitching cheek as the hanyou stomped away as usual, and then he turned to Youko, “I think I love you,” he managed to squeak out before allowing an oddly strangled giggle to escape as a cough. Sango half-heartedly swatted at his shoulder as he stayed turned over the other shoulder in a fit of what could only be explained as ‘male giggles’, mumbling, “I’m fine, it’s nothing,” and waving his hand in the air.

Kagome twisted to give Youko an admonishing look that was only slightly dampened by her own restrained smile, “Youko, that was intentionally baited.  Shame on you.”

Youko merely lifted a shoulder in a clear admission of guilt with a grin.


In the days of recovery, one tends to spend time reflecting on moments before the injury.  In this situation, however, the patient found herself unable to think of much else aside from her freedom.  At last…  The heart that was all hers beat within her chest once again, but not without selfish cause on her ex-captor’s part.  Her captivity back there had been altered from his physical possession of a part of her, to another’s physical possession within her.  For this, her body of being had to be whole.

He hadn’t liked the idea at first.  Without her heart in his hands she would be more difficult to control.  However, clearly thinking he had all of the wild cards in his hand, the Bastard decided it would be a fitting twist to finally have her heart…but not freedom.  For a while, it was indeed a far worse cage than the crippling pain of having her estranged heart crushed bare-handed.  Sesshoumaru had saved her after all, but not without the wiles of fate playing their part, for sure.  And here she was with both.  How poetically fortuitous.  Red eyes narrowed over an increasingly vengeful smile, knowing that her day had finally come for a little payback.

…And where had that damn cat gone?


Inuyasha wandered through the forest randomly once he cooled off enough to think of the situation.  This decision hadn‘t been tough to make…and certainly not regrettable in any sense.  No matter how awkward he found himself.  Being included in Kagome’s life was worth it all.  It’s just…he hadn’t really had a solid idea of how to treat a woman before, and he damn sure didn’t now.  That’s not to say he didn’t know, of course, but his experience with women did leave a lot to be desired.  That fox made him feel more and more upset at his lack of familiarity with affection that it made his head spin and his cheeks turn embarrassingly human shades of red.  He was almost 300 years old, dammit!!

Coming upon a tree that had grown into another tree, the size of the thing growing sideways as it was allowed him to cross his legs and prop his chin on his hand.  His ear twitched casually as he turned uncharacteristically thoughtful.

What he did know:  He loved those women with every breath he took.  Kagome held, for him, the very meaning of the feeling.  It was unconditional.

What had it been now, four years?  Five?  He knew he wasn’t good at advancing his intentions…it had been so long and he still blushed like a kid when the situation turned in that direction.  He knew he would be able to handle it… hell, he’d kissed Kagome once before - albeit it was largely forced in a way.  

Still, he knew he wasn’t always quick enough to think before talking, and that generally ticked her off.  His periodic conferences with the earth herself was proof of that.  If Youko just wasn’t so…suggestive…all the…

Inuyasha’s amber eyes rounded out as his head began to rise from his hand.  A nearby squirrel darted away when he suddenly spoke with realization, “That shady piece of…”




~~~MUAH!!~~~~
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