InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix ❯ Move Along (Part I) ( Chapter 9 )

A/N:  I figured you would really like it if you got a chapter.  This was supposed to be longer, but then it would be too long, so it's broken into parts (the next one comes whenever I finish it).

Thanks to everyone who reviewed (though I did expect more of a reaction to the whole "Kikyo died" thing...I'll shut up now.)

 

//The Phoenix\\

§Move Along (Part 1)§

 

 

“Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do”

--The All-American Rejects, `Move Along'

 

 

For a while he just sat there, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness in the bedroom. The only illumination came from the rays of the full moon seeping from the window, casting a silver glow over the carpet and some of the bed, consequently revealing the miko resting between its sheets. The navy highlights had been embossed more boldly into the inky waves of hair, the bangs falling over the closed, delicate eyelids hiding two beautiful lakes of blue-gray from the moonlight. Faint color was shown returning to her cheeks, but it was still a far cry from when he had seen her yesterday.

 

The digital clock on the desk told Hiei that it was twenty-eight past three in the morning. The room smelled of Kagome, soothing and distracting him with the curious scent of fallen rain and wild flowers, rebirth and passion. It was befitting; Hiei decided that he liked it.

 

From his vantage point in the adjacent corner from the bed, his eyes were able to make out vague details of small mementoes from Kagome's past about the room, but nothing too conclusive. There was a definite outline of a stuffed bear toy on one of the shelves, and, unbidden, an image of a child Kagome came to his mind, smiling, holding out the bear to him as though it were an offering of peace and friendship, both of which were very foreign to him.

 

Why did Mukuro call Kagome `Kagome-sama'? he asked himself, redirecting his gaze once again to the owner of the room and the occupier of his thoughts. Why would Mukuro be willing to lie for a human? She's never shown much compassion for ningens before.

 

A small groan from Kagome made him jump slightly. His gaze immediately shot to Kagome's eyes, watching intently as they wavered and slowly opened.

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

“…and that's pretty much the three worlds in a nutshell,” Botan concluded in a mixture of happiness and solemnity, not that much of a feat for the ferry girl.

 

“I see,” Shiori whispered, running a hand through the red locks of her son's hair absently. “So Shuuichi is an…avatar?”

 

“Yup!” Botan set her gaze to Kurama's relaxed face. A small cut on his cheek was already healing on its own, but she wondered how exactly he got it. According to Shiori, Kurama had been moved before the core of whatever battle it was that took place happened. In fact, only a dead Hiei and a nearly dead Kagome—whoever that was—were actually on the battlefield when Shiori was awoken, with the exception of Kikyo, the Harvester of Souls.

 

Shiori sighed. They were in Kagome's grandfather's room, apparently, and Kurama was resting on the bed. When that imp demon had found him, he had minor injuries consistent with being thrown around—all of them had. “I wish I understood more about what happened today,” the mother said.

 

“I do, too,” Botan murmured in agreement. “It's not everyday someone comes around and nearly kills me, much less make it so my wounds won't heal. I wonder how I woke up completely fine.”

 

Shiori looked up from her son's face. “Probably Kagome, since she's a miko, too, I think. If she can give life by swinging a sword, she could probably heal you,” she suggested.

 

Botan shook her head at the odd humor she felt. “A miko, a relatively powerful miko, who can revive the dead, is friends with two of the Makai rulers—the two most secretive at that. How in the worlds did the Reikai miss this?”

 

A male voice chuckled groggily. “The Reikai tends to miss a lot of things, Botan.” The two women immediately turned to face Kurama's closed eyes and tired smile. They observed as reality finally settled in and he seemed to have just realized whose name he had said. Emerald eyes opened quickly, gasping at the faces of the two women he cared for the most, both perfectly alive and well. “Botan? Mother? But…”

 

Shiori quickly pulled her son into a hug, running her hands through his red hair. “I know about…Youko Kurama.” She felt him immediately tense. In response, she hugged him tighter. “I want you to know that the only thing this changes is that…is that I know more about you. You're still my son, and I love you just the same.”

 

Kurama noticeably relaxed. “I thought you were dead. How…? Did Koenma…?”

 

“The Reikai hasn't been able to re-establish communications yet,” Botan interjected quietly. The mother and son pulled apart.

 

“How long has it been since I've fallen unconscious?”

 

“Only a few hours. Knowing Reikai, it'll probably be around midday tomorrow before Koenma can contact us again,” the ferry girl answered.

 

Kurama looked to his mother, then back at Botan, uncharacteristically confused. “But then…how is my mother alive?”

 

“That friend of yours,” Shiori said softly, “Kagome did it. I saw her disintegrate the arrow that was imbedded in Yukina, then take out this sword and swing it down. I was horrified for a moment, but then I saw that Yukina wasn't injured, and she actually woke up. After Kagome killed the kuromiko, she crawled over to Hiei and swung the sword again before passing out.”

 

Kurama immediately tried to jump out of bed. “Hiei's alive? He's okay?” With the combined efforts of Shiori and Botan, he was pushed back into the bed.

 

“He's alive, but he still has his wounds. He's resting right now. That's all Mukuro-sama would tell us,” Botan said, blushing slightly and letting go of him as soon as she realized her hands were against his chest.

 

“Mukuro's here?”

 

“And Sesshoumaru-sama, if you'll believe me,” the ferry girl added, trying to hide her amusement at the completely floored expression Kurama was giving him. “Yeah, that's what I thought, too. They aren't being very talkative, so I wouldn't bother asking questions. Just do what all the other people who are awake are doing and accept it.” Botan gave Kurama a hug, decidedly ecstatic when he returned it. She only stayed for a moment longer before heading to the door. “Why don't the two of you get some rest? I'm going to go see if anyone else woke up since the last time I checked.”

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

Yusuke smiled in relief, his arms wrapped around Keiko's sleeping body. He shifted against the headboard, wincing as he soon discovered he had been sitting on his too-long hair. Pulling it out from beneath him, he carefully moved more of the blanket around them.

 

He had awoken to Keiko crying over his chest, his mother trying to offer the girl comfort. As soon as Atsuko saw that Yusuke would be able to take things over, she left the room to look for some food and aspirin, leaving Yusuke to deal with a hysterical Keiko.

 

Now that everything was settled and Keiko was resting easy, he was torn between wanting to stay and wanting to get information. Who was still alive? Who was still unconscious? What about…was Hiei even alive? And Kagome, what about Kagome?

 

The door opened and Botan's head stuck in. “Good, you're awake.”

 

Yusuke smirked. “Hey, Botan, nice to see you up and about. I take it you feel better.”

 

Botan smiled and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. “Much,” she whispered as she took a seat on the corner of the bed. “What about you?”

 

“Ah, I'm fine. Keiko had one hell of a cry, though. Can't really blame her for it,” Yusuke said.

 

The ferry girl nodded. “I know what you mean. It's been one heck of a day, huh? It's hard to believe it all happened in less than twenty hours. And if I feel blindsided I can only imagine how Hatanaka-san feels—she actually died!”

 

The detective looked instantly confused. “Wha?”

 

“Oh, that's right! You don't know,” Botan whispered with something akin to enlightenment on her face. “Hatanaka-san is alive, and so is Yukina. That girl—Kagome, right?—did something with a sword and was able to revive them. Hiei, too, but he still has his injuries.”

 

Relief, sweet, tasty, thank-the-gods-for-it relief was brought into his body and the tension was exhaled in a long sigh. “That's good. No deaths?”

 

“Not on our side, in the least,” Botan smiled. “Though, the opposition has been thoroughly decimated, according to Hatanaka-san.”

 

“By who?”

 

“By the other miko, apparently.”

 

“Kagome?!” Yusuke nearly screamed. His short-lived thank-the-gods-for-it relief was unfairly traded with what-the-fuck astonishment.

 

“So that is her name,” the ferry girl mused. “I had been worried I got it wrong. Hate to have to mispronounce the name of the person who saved the day.”

 

“Botan, focus!” He wanted answers, dammit, and he wanted them now! “Kagome?”

 

“Yup. Hatanaka-san said that when she woke up it looked as though something cleaved into the ground in all different directions. The only ones standing there were Kagome and the kuromiko…until Kagome shot an arrow and purified her, that is. Poor girl. Hatanaka-san said that she looked to be dead herself, with how pale she was and all the blood.”

 

“Blood?!”

 

The door opened again. “Yes, dimwit, she said blood. Stop asking one word questions!” Genkai said as she walked into the room and sat on the futon Keiko had occupied earlier. “I think you'll both be satisfied to know that Kuwabara and Shizuru are both awake; Yukina's with them. Yukina said that Hiei woke up a short while ago and is to be left completely alone, especially since Kagome's in that room and she hasn't woken up yet. Don't really expect her to soon, either. That girl's lost a lot of blood.”

 

“Blood?!” A pillow quickly met Yusuke's face.

 

“What are you, a parrot? And what did I say about one word questions!”

 

“Kagome's my friend, and I want to know what the fuck happened to her!” Yusuke exclaimed before immediately looking down to Keiko. Exhaustion kept her utterly asleep. The detective looked to Genkai again, a sort of desperation in his eyes. “Kagome is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She already died once today because we couldn't do anything to stop it; I need to know if she's gonna make it this time.”

 

Genkai sighed, her hard features softening in tell-tale signs of giving in. “The fact of the matter is that no one really knows what happened from the time Hiei's dragon threw us into the trees and knocked us out to the time Kagome somehow managed to revive Shiori and Yukina with a sword, of all things. The only one who could shed some light on what happened would be Kagome, but I talked to Yukina and she said that Kagome's wounds were very odd, like a great clawed hand shredded the front of her body. Mukuro—yes, dimwit, Mukuro's here, with none other than Sesshoumaru, too—Mukuro suspects that Kagome purposefully injured herself to draw the kuromiko out of hiding. I'm more curious about what kind of attack it was that did that to her. In any case, Yukina said that if Kagome doesn't get an infection or her head cut off or something, she should make it. Can you take comfort in that, Yusuke?”

 

Keiko moved slightly in her sleep before settling again. Yusuke pulled her closer. “Yeah, I'm good.”

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

A pillow swiftly hit him in the face…hard. It hadn't been the most comfortable pillow in the world.

 

“Snap out of it, bro. I got over my shock five minutes ago, and your staring is making Yukina uneasy,” Shizuru said, rolling her eyes.

 

“Leave me alone! It's not every day I see someone come back from the dead, okay? Much less my sweet Yukina!” Kuwabara snapped back.

 

“Yusuke's died twice, Kazuma. How can this be surprising?” Shizuru asked.

 

This time it was Kuwabara to roll his eyes. “Come on, sis, we both know Yusuke doesn't count. He's got the physical endurance of a…of…he's got an insane physical endurance, and he's used to fighting all the time.” To his chagrin, Shizuru had already returned to her previous conversation with the Koorime.

 

“So what happened, Yukina? How did you revive?” Shizuru asked, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag. Her exhale was long and languished.

 

“It was quite odd really,” Yukina confessed, “but I'm pretty sure it was a sword swung by Kagome.”

 

“Our Kagome?!” He was hit in the face with another pillow, thankfully softer than the last.

 

“Do we know any other Kagomes?” Shizuru said, though even she seemed to be rather surprised. Kuwabara was starting to think she just liked to throw things at him. “But it was definitely Kagome?”

 

Yukina nodded. “It was a really pretty sword, too, not like one you would expect to be a sword at all. The blade looked like it held dancing, violet flames. She used it to revive Hatanaka-san and Aniki as well.”

 

“Shorty's alive?!” This time it was a small cardboard box filled with playing cards. It seemed Shizuru ran out of pillows. “Would you stop doing that!”

 

“Stop shouting, Kazuma. You'll wake up the whole house,” Shizuru said before turning to Yukina again. “How's everyone now?”

 

“Everyone's alive, at least. The only one who hasn't woken up yet is Kagome, but I was assured that she would be fine by Mukuro-sama.” Yukina looked down at her hands, which were folded comfortably in her lap. “It's rather strange. From what I've heard from the Elders and other demons, Mukuro-sama is one of the most tyrannical of the four Makai lords, but from what I've seen of her around Hiei she's actually really nice.”

 

“Wait, you really mean the Mukuro?” Kuwabara asked, quickly holding up a pillow to protect himself from whatever ammunition with which Shizuru decided to bombard his face. When nothing came, he lowered the pillow and saw his older sister's amused grin. “That's who I'm sensing? What about the other youkai?”

 

“That would be Sesshoumaru-sama,” Yukina said. “That's what makes it even odder. He's treating Kagome as Mukuro is to Hiei. He's never been known in all of his reign of Western Makai to show particular affection for anything. Why start with a human?”

 

Shizuru raised a brow. “Why start with Kagome?”

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

Those eyes…

 

Slowly, those eyes turned to him, pained, desolate, and so marred that they were perfect to him—an almost perfect copy of his, and yet so utterly different. He couldn't recall ever having such a dazed look in all his life.

 

Her arms moved back, bending, and Hiei realized too late that Kagome was trying to push herself up. He could practically hear her wounds reopening, even as she fell back onto the soft mattress. She whimpered, and the moonlight caught the vanguard tear as it broke free of the tightly closed lids before clearing a shining path down a pale cheek. Ignoring the pain in his chest, Hiei carefully swayed his way over to her bed and sat down on the edge.

 

The new shift of the bed convinced her to open her eyes. “H-Hiei…?”

 

“Yeah.” Her eyes seemed to lose some of the pain and desolation, and, while that caught his curiosity, he wanted some other answers. “Did you really think it was wise to move after being so badly wounded?”

 

A smile slowly bloomed on her face, illuminating her eyes even better than the moonlight, but there was something off about it. It was…distant. Is she delirious?

 

“I wanted…to see you better. Is that wise?” she asked him. Definitely delirious, he answered himself with wry assurance.

 

“You know,” she continued, “I like your red eyes…the color is…pure.”

 

“I'm not pure, Kagome.”

 

Kagome frowned slightly, but nodded. “No…but you're not evil. Your eyes…they aren't evil, just dark. That's okay. You can be dark.

 

“But I've seen eyes that…your eyes are pure red. Vivid. I like your eyes. Untainted blood… anger…passion…life.” She smiled again. “I see those things in that color, in your eyes. There are so many things your eyes can show with that untainted red. Not like his eyes…not like his…”

 

Hiei immediately noticed the change in her demeanor. The pain and desolation returned to haunt the perfectly marred blue-gray eyes, dimming them so that the only shine left was from the tears that want to follow the first one's example. Not caring that now would be an excellent time to call for Mukuro or what consequences would happen, Hiei asked, “Who is this `he'?”

 

Kagome's breathing began a quicker pace as she tried to hold back a sob. “He who took it all away with a smile on his face. Tainted red—that was his eyes, like blood and dirt, blood shed on the battlefield with no other purpose but to be shed, on the battlefield of a pointless war. His eyes had no life, no compassion, just greed. Such a coward, always tricking others into doing his dirty work. He killed them all; he took away the only thing I had left.” A mental image of the dead kit blindsided him, as well as indistinct faces of a violet-eyed man and a brown-eyed woman as their life was drained from them. “He took away my son, my little kit; my friends, my other family…” Even more blurry than the others before were amber eyes that had stared at Kagome with so much trust, so much care, and so much concern as they, too, faded away from life that Hiei nearly lost his breath. “He took away the best friend I had ever had, my first love…and he was smiling when he did it…that bastard dared to smile as he tore up my life. I'll never forget…I'll never forget his smile as he ripped me apart.”

 

Right before his eyes, Kagome was cracking. Everything about her seemed to be falling apart, an angel in the break down. Even her mental barrier was sliding away, and before he could even begin to think of what to do, she screamed the agony she had been feeling for three weeks.

 

Hiei was so astounded by it all that he didn't notice the glamour on Kagome's markings begin to fall apart as well.

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

The scream had caused a great commotion to erupt in the shrine. Everyone was rushing out of whatever room they had been in to where they thought the source was, but rushing passed all of them were the two lords, Mukuro and Sesshoumaru, followed closely by Kirara.

 

Almost as if it had a mind of its own, the door to Kagome's room opened before the powerful demons could even lay a hand on it, perhaps in fear that it would be ripped off its hinges. They all stopped once inside the room, quickly making sense of what must have happened. None of them had been foolish enough to think that Kagome would be okay when she awoke.

 

Mukuro quickly picked up Hiei and carried him out of the room. It had been a tacit agreement that Sesshoumaru would see to Kagome first. She just hoped that Sesshoumaru would be able to calm the miko down before a complication arose.

 

When she closed the door behind her, she was met with the concerned faces of everyone else in the household. Mukuro wasn't surprised that Yusuke was standing in the forefront.

 

“What happened?” the detective asked through clenched teeth.

 

“Let's go down to the living room,” Mukuro answered, already proceeding down the stairs. Hiei's silence was starting to worry her, but to look down now would bring the others' attention to him, something she was sure he wouldn't like.

 

Yusuke seemed to teleport in front of her, blocking her way. “What happened?” he repeated in a slower, more threatening manner. Mukuro wasn't impressed. Before anyone could blink she was beyond Yusuke and walking through the threshold that led to the living room.

 

Mukuro turned back to Yusuke, glaring at him with her good eye. “We will talk in here,” she said tersely. Without bothering to wait and see if they actually listened to her, Mukuro strode into the living room. On the way to the love seat she kicked along the foot rest.

 

Carefully, Mukuro set Hiei up on one half of the small couch, putting his feet up on the foot rest before leaning on the wall close by him. Yukina immediately took the other half to the love seat, trying to pull a response from the distant apparition. Genkai took the rocking chair that was in the corner and dragged it over to the plush chair that Yusuke, with Keiko on his lap, had taken. Kurama had taken to the couch, Shiori and Botan sitting on each side of him. Atsuko sat on the arm of the couch nearest to Shiori. Shizuru and Kuwabara sat on the floor, leaning against the coffee table.

 

“Hiei? Aniki? Are you okay? Aniki?” Yukina asked, still unable to get Hiei, who seemed to be staring at something the others couldn't see, to answer. Desperately, she turned to face Mukuro. “What's wrong with him, Mukuro-sama? What happened in that room?”

 

Mukuro sighed. “Let him assimilate things, Yukina. Hiei's Jagan was just force-fed the pain Kagome's been feeling for the past couple weeks from the brutal murder of her closest friends and the child she informally adopted as a son.”

 

Hiei blinked but remained silent.

 

“Her…son?” Shiori asked, slightly hesitant at bringing such an obviously powerful demon's attention on her.

 

Mukuro glanced at her. “You were the first to die by Kikyo's hands, yes?” The other woman nodded. “Sesshoumaru could tell; the scent of death on you was older than the one on Yukina.” Mukuro sighed. “Do you know why in particular Kikyo chose to shoot you first?”

 

Shiori thought about it for a moment. “I spoke?”

 

Genkai snorted abruptly. “That can't be it. Shizuru didn't shut up for the better part of the entire thing and the worst that happened to her is that her bindings became tighter, and she was being insulting. Try thinking more on what you were arguing about.”

 

Shiori didn't even have to pause. “She was trying to make me disown Shuuichi, say I didn't love him.”

 

“Exactly,” Mukuro said. “Shippou was a kit, equivalent in age to a seven-year-old human child. It also doesn't help he bared a slight resemblance to Kurama's human body. Yukina was next to die because she had the purest heart.”

 

There was a sharp rise in ki that had Mukuro immediately swinging her head to the source. She watched with slight interest as Kurama's eyes flickered to gold and his nails began to form claws. So, the great Youko Kurama wants to have some control?

 

“A kit?” Youko asked through his human host's mouth, his voice significantly deeper. Mukuro could feel how enraged the fox was over the death of one of his own kind. Kitsune in general were very protective of others, especially the children.

 

In the very least, Mukuro was glad that she wasn't the only one angered over that death in particular. Shippou had always showed her and Kagome his latest trick before anyone else; he became rather dear to her. “He was a kit, Youko. It wasn't I who killed him, so you might as well not bother growling at me.”

 

“Then who did?” Hiei asked quietly. Everyone jumped, forgetting that he was even in the room. “I can't get the images out of my head. The dead kit, that man and woman, amber eyes…who killed them? I want his name.”

 

Mukuro sighed again, slumping against the wall as much as her dignity would let her. “A name would do you no good, Hiei. You can't kill the dead; Kagome avenged her companions so thoroughly that not even the grass on which he stood left ashes behind.”

 

There was silence. None of them could think of something to say to that. At last, though, the silence was interrupted by Kuwabara. “There's something that's been on my mind since I woke up,” he said, looking up at Mukuro. “I can understand why you would be here for Hiei, but why are you and that other guy here for Kagome? Why would you care about a human?”

 

Mukuro closed her eyes, smiling slightly. “There are a lot of reasons why Sesshoumaru and I should care about Kagome. She is an extremely powerful miko, probably the strongest this century is likely to ever see. A purifying powerhouse, if you will. Put her talents in an army and you could be unbeatable.”

 

Yusuke jumped from his seat (Keiko fell indignantly to the floor). “So that's all she is to you?! A weapon?!”

 

Mukuro rolled her eye. “Don't be foolish. I said that was a reason why we should care about her, not why we do care about her. Honestly, if you couldn't even catch that then best of luck to you understanding what Kagome means when she says something important. I care about Kagome because she has kindness without falsity and strength without corruption; she has earned my respect.”

 

Hiei raised a brow in her direction. “What about Sesshoumaru?”

 

Mukuro smirked. I'm not surprised you'd notice that, Hiei. “Sesshoumaru has his reasons, and it is his prerogative whether or not he feels like sharing them.”

 

Another lull in discussion overcame them, broken only for a moment when Keiko slapped Yusuke for dumping her on the floor so suddenly.

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

Kagome stared blankly ahead of her, calm, and with a semblance of collectiveness that Sesshoumaru was sure didn't extend beyond the surface. She became like this almost immediately upon realizing it was he who held her against his chest, stroking a careful hand through her hair as he had seen her do for Rin once upon a time.

 

But no calm and false collectiveness could eradicate the tears from her eyes or the trails they left over her faintly reddened cheeks. The glistening streaks managed to bring emphasis to the similarly themed markings that had been bared under the strain of intense emotional upheaval.

 

He could hear the conversation in the other room as though only a small sheet of paper was between them. Kagome was reacting to it, or at least to the energies released in the trill of emotion. Whenever she felt anger like from Youko, then from Yusuke, she would bury her head into his chest in discomfort until it settled again. She would give an infinitesimal whimper, but he could hear that, too.

 

The soul is very different and yet very similar to the human body. It can be ripped apart and put back together in ways the human body only wishes it could, and it could survive those separations unattended for much longer than if you cut off a man's leg and take away all ways to get help. However, much like the human body, it can heal after it has been wounded, and for a time in the healing process it is sore.

 

Kagome's soul had been badly wounded, and now it was horribly sore.

 

Intense, abrasive emotions like anger and hatred was akin to rubbing salt into a stab wound. Happiness would be like replacing the salt with sugar, not as bad but pretty painful all the same.

 

Sesshoumaru did not feel hatred or anger right now, and he may never have felt downright happy, so he was safe to be around. He was feeling content, and Kagome wouldn't suffer from a non-intense feeling like contentedness. Kirara, at the foot of the bed, was content to be in the same room as her mistress; she was safe, too.

 

The others, though, they weren't safe right now. Yusuke was a strong feeler, and strong wasn't safe. Kuwabara for the same reason. On their own, humans were strong feelers, so even the ones down there that only heard Kagome's name might be moved to overly strong feelings just by seeing her—except maybe the old woman, she's been through enough to not get overly emotional over a wounded girl that saved her life.

 

Another barely heard whimper. The Youko was still steaming about the kit's death, and Yusuke and Kuwabara were becoming increasingly angered at something, probably the lack of control they have of the situation or the lack of information. Hiei wasn't content, but he wasn't really angry. He was doing the emotional equivalent of a frown. The mother, Shiori, was intensely confused. Pretty much everyone else was in the same boat as her, or on the other boat with Yusuke and Kuwabara. The only one not on any boat in that room was Mukuro, who was standing defiantly on the life preserver between calm and slightly unsettled—probably worried about Kagome's condition.

 

A small hand loosely gripped his white, silk top. “I was told you were dead,” Kagome murmured faintly. He looked down at her; her eyes were closed, tense—she was still in pain.

 

“Among a great many foul things, Naraku was arrogant. He left before ensuring that I was truly dead. The Tenseiga protected me, and I revived who I could, including Jaken, Kouga, and his pack,” Sesshoumaru said.

 

“…And Rin?”

 

“Was unable to be saved.”

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“The fault lies not in you, but in Naraku and his greed.” He pulled her a bit closer to him and closed his eyes. “Don't blame yourself for his sins, Kagome; nobody else does.”

 

“…You miss her.”

 

“I miss her, like you miss them.”

 

“Yes…Sesshou?”

 

She was the only one who was allowed to call him that, who dared to call him that. “Yes?”

 

“Is that…Mukuro?”

 

“It is. Would you like to see her?”

 

Kagome shook her head. “I'm okay for now. I can see her later, when things don't hurt so much.”

 

“Your pain is great.” It wasn't a question; her physical wounds had reopened from before, and the sheer emotion from the others on her battered soul must have hurt even worse. “I'll get you something for the physical pain. Don't bother to argue; I will come back soon.”

 

Kagome gave a small grin as he laid her gently back on the bed. “Don't think you're getting off easy, Sesshoumaru. We'll find something else to argue about later, and I'll be up for it then.”

 

The corner of his lips lifted. “Agreed.”

 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

 

Sesshoumaru immediately noticed that any meager attempts at conversation by those uncomfortable with silences was immediately halted when he let the sounds of his footsteps on the stairs be heard. He paused in the threshold of the living room, noticing that he had the attention of all the people in the room, some of them—the women in particular—looking at him with an odd sense of admiration. He ignored them easily and instead looked at Mukuro, who looked faintly amused. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. That woman has the oddest sense of humor.

 

“How is she?” Mukuro asked, standing up straight. “Has she calmed down?”

 

“She is much more lucid than before, but in great pain. Is the water still hot?”

 

Mukuro leaned against the wall again. “It could stand to be reheated.”

 

Sesshoumaru nodded. “Jaken.” There was a crash of something in the kitchen and the sound of muffled cursing before the imp appeared before him, bowing lowly and giving praises. “Reheat the water and prepare some of the tea…and clean up whatever mess you made in there.”

 

“Right away, Lord Sesshoumaru!” Jaken said, bowing once more before quickly scurrying to the kitchen where he had sought refuge from the `lowly humans'.

 

Sesshoumaru turned to find that Yusuke and Kuwabara had decided to confront him face to faces, even though the obvious height difference caused that phrase to be less literal than originally intended. “We want to see Kagome,” Yusuke demanded.

 

The great lord blinked as the only indication of his annoyance at the brashness of the son of Raizen. “No.”

 

“What?”

 

Sesshoumaru's eye really wanted to twitch right now. Insolent little whelp. “This Sesshoumaru will not repeat himself to you. If you didn't hear what was said the first time, that is your own problem.”

 

Yusuke gripped his empty sleeve tightly when he turned to go back to Kagome's room. “If we can't go up, I don't see why you should—”

 

Sesshoumaru liked to think himself patient, or in the very least rational. However, some things just bugged him, and one of those things happened to be when someone unworthy touches his person in any way. It is therefore understandable that he swung a green-glowing fist at the detective's face in a manner so fast that even Hiei had trouble following the movement.

 

Yusuke and Kuwabara, on the other hand, happen to know that they are hardly patient, or in the very least rational, people. When one of them gets knocked to the ground so hard that it would have killed if it had been an ordinary human, they tend to show this rather unfavorable quality as well as the other unfavorable quality of being naturally pugnacious.

 

In other words, it was pretty much war.

 

And it caught Kagome's attention.

 

§§§§§

A/N: So there you have it:  part one.

I figure since you're not in a rush to go read the chapter that you'll actually listen here to my explanation as to why I took much much longer than I would have liked to have taken to upload this chapter:

I've pulled more all-nighters than I would care to admit and my sleep schedule is nuts.  By the time I have time to write, I either lack the inspiration or lack the energy.

My other reason is one that some of you might enjoy.  I'm currently working on a Fruits Basket/InuYasha story, but won't begin uploading it until have at least ten chapters down (so something like this won't happen again), as well as an FB/IY one-shot.  It's official:  I've fallen in love with the idea of a Kyo/Kagome story (but I can't find but a small handful of them...WHERE'S THE JUSTICE?!...sorry...).

Anyway, please review!!  (I'm kind of bummed.  I worked very hard on that last chapter and got the least amount of reviews for it.)