InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Lifetime Loving You Part 2; The Path to Osaka ❯ New Moon's Flames ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer! No! Not that! No! (Long pause) okay you talked me into it! Inu-yasha is not mine and nor are any of the other characters.

A Lifetime Loving You

Part 2; The Path to Osaka

NOTICE! After a long amount of time I have finally been able to make a site to post my pictures on.

http://inus-kitsumi.deviantart.com/

Currently I only have two pictures up and they are both illustrations for Part 3; The Star Dog. I am slowly working on illustrations for Parts 1 and 2, but I love the events in the 3rd part too much to want to stop doing drawings.

Anyway, with that known, let us continue.

Trust me you will love this chapter it sort of has a romantic sadness to it.

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Chapter 6; New Moon's Flames

(Kitsumi)

"I don't understand, Granny Kaede. Why is Sesshoumaru so different from Inu-yasha? I thought he would have been the same in some way," I asked as I sat down by the fire in the tiny hut and took the bowl of stew from the old woman's hands.

"Ye should not judge too quickly child. Your father has a pride in which he does not wish to let go. He will come around in time." Kaede's face, however, was turned to the side when she said this and for some reason, her words of hope didn't affect me in any way or sort.

"He's not my father," I said as I looked at the fire. "If he was my father he would have been sweeter and kinder…like Miroku is to Kara and Kohaku," I whimpered through tears as I threw my bowl into the fire and turned my back to the flames to curl up into a ball to weep.

Kaede looked at the burning mess and cleaned it for a moment before opening a creaking chest behind her and brushing away the cobwebs. She then pulled out a strip of cloth and came to my side.

"Stand up for a moment child," she asked sweetly. I sniffled and rubbed my nose for a moment before relaxing my balled up body and looking at the yellow, white, and blue cloth in her hand.

"What is that?"

"This is a sash that my sister, Kikyo, wore before she became a priestess. She hoped to save it for a daughter of her own before taking on the rights of a priestess's life."

She rolled out the cloth and showed the waved blue and yellow lines over a white stream. It was silk and soft to the touch.

"But why give it to me?" I asked.

Kaede smiled and pulled the sash over me and around my torso. It was so wide at that time that it went from my armpits to my waist. Kaede took the two strands of cloth in the back and tied them before tucking them into the sash itself.

She smiled. "It suits ye with that light pink nagajugan and the ivory hakama."

I ran my hands horizontally over the sash's pattern. "I feel kinda funny wearing this thing."

"Ye look like a young lady. Much older than an average five year old child."

I looked in the back and around the sash as my pink hair swirled in my face. Something about the sash made me feel odd, like that now I had to start acting like a girl and not be so adventurous anymore. Yet, at that same time, I felt like something warm hugged my body.

It just felt right to be wearing the sash.

"Kaede, who did you say owned this sash before?"

She sat down again with a struggle and looked at the herbal work that needed to be done for the morning runs my mother would do. "It belonged to my sister Kikyo."

My fingers began to play with the star charm on my neck as I repeated the word. "Kikyo?"

Kaede grinned weakly and sadness filled her eyes. "She died…at a very young age…long ago."

When I heard her say those words part of shuttered and a great deal of pain ran through my body…and somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear the sound of a high pitched scream.

~~~~

(???)

"The plan is in motion…Kagura, release the demonic flame from its jar. Once your opportunity comes, make sure you have the child secured. I won't tolerate any screw ups this time."

~~~~

(Inu-yasha)

I sat on the slightly frozen ground looking at the sun sinking behind the hills before finally getting to my feet and walking into Kagome's hut just as I felt my body drain of all strength. A breeze picked up a little and could feel my hearing start to become duller. My nose could only smell the scent of fish and rice cooking and my stomach was drawn to it more than anything.

I brushed the door aside and peered inside as Kagome pulled her white yukata around her body, and by the time had walked in I had only seen the soft curve in one of her shoulders. It was enough to make my heart begin pounding and instantly freeze and burn the image of the curves in her neck and shoulder into my memory.

Kagome tied the clothing as soft wisps of raven hair fell across her cheek. She sighed out of frustration and pulled the strands back into the messy clump of hair that sat at the back of her head.

As she did she turned to look at her cooking and jumped with a soft scream when she saw me in the doorway looking at her. Kagome exhaled a moment later and put her hand over her heart to sooth it startled thumping…or what not.

"Inu-yasha…why didn't you knock?" she said slightly aggravated.

I glared at her a little before shrugging it off. "I didn't see anything if that's what you're worried about." I sat down and looked at the two pots of food in the orange flame.

Kagome stared at me for a moment before turning her back to me again and grabbing a brown skirt to tie around her waist and appear a bit more decent. She finally sat down and rubbed out the wrinkles in her skirt before turning her attention to the fire again. Kagome then looked at her chest for a moment and blushed in the light.

"Umm," she began, "could you turn around again for a moment?"

I did so and looked at my feet as I heard Kagome shuffling around clothing. I peeked over my shoulder to see what she was doing, and she let out a small cry of triumph when she found a small piece of cloth that looked like only the top half of those tank tops she used to wear. Only, this tiny piece of clothing had a crudely sewn drawstring at the bottom hem and a crisscross of string that went halfway down the bust of the cloth.

Kagome began to pull the white cloth off her shoulder and I turned with a warm blush running into my face, and the strong feeling of blood slightly starting to collect in my groin. I turned again when I believed it was safe to and saw the tiny cloth cover the top of her back before the hem pulled and hugged her ribs. Kagome turned toward the fire and began to work the crossing strings at the top until the constricting string that pulled the two sides of the cloth together now covered the shadow of the valley between her soft breasts.

I turned away as she pulled her sleeves up and fixed the front of her top. "Okay, you can turn around now," she whispered for no reason and I turned around to look at the cooking food.

Kagome sat down still adjusting the front and I smirked. "There used to be a time when you didn't mind me looking at those."

Kagome blushed brightly when she looked at me and pulled the stray strand of hair away from her face again. "Yeah, well…that was when I was breast feeding until Kitsumi could drink on her own. What I wouldn't have done for a bottle."

I didn't bother to ask what a bottle was and continued to watch her as she adjusted her hair again. I rolled my eyes and finally got up and pulled the string in her hair letting the raven locks fall over her shoulders. She turned and looked at me as her hands pulled away.

I sat down behind her with my knees at her ribs and I ran my fingers through her hair to pull it up for her again. "Is it just me or did you hair get more wavy?" I asked.

Kagome sighed, "No, it's always been this way. I just don't have my shampoo and hairspray anymore to tame it."

I remembered her hair being wavy in her youth, but now the waves seemed to have doubled a little since the birth. It had gotten longer too, but it was clear that she had kept it to a certain length. Her hair was soft though, like it had always been. The herb she used in her hair must have done that, and left the soft scent I could smell now.

"Cherry blossoms?"

Kagome nodded as she brought her arms around her legs to hug them to her chest and rest her chin on top of her knees.

My fingers continued to comb back her hair, but I couldn't stop running my fingers through her hair so that I could help her pull it out of her face. I wanted her hair to be down like it used to be. I wanted to see it move in a passing breeze again. I wanted to have and excuse to brush a lose strand of hair out of her face with my fingers.

"Is something wrong?" she asked and turned her head slightly to the right to look at me through the corner of her eye.

I built up my courage to speak my mind, and say the one thing I wanted to tell her. "I like it better when it's down."

Kagome's body shifted and she looked at me for a moment, and I pulled my hands away from her hair. We looked at each other for a long period of time before she looked away and swallowed hard for a moment and pulled her hair together and wrapped it around before tying it back again. "I should keep it up for now though. You wouldn't want to eating my hair."

She shifted away from me and began to kneel to look at the cooking rice and the fish.

I shifted my legs and got to my feet to look out the window as the stars began to appear in the sky. I shivered for a moment as a cold breeze picked up by the window and hugged myself to rub the warmth back into my arms.

Why was it that the new moon nights seemed to be the coldest now? I would be alone all the time in the past when the moon wasn't in the sky, and then Kagome discovered my secret. Suddenly, the new moon didn't seem so lonely anymore. I wasn't scared anymore knowing that she was near.

Above all…I was warm.

Now, it seemed the new moon night air never felt colder…it was the coldest night of the month now, no matter the season. In that one brief moment I wanted to run my hands through her hair again, and feel the warmth of her body.

I continued to rub my arms and turned to her finally. "Where's Squirt?"

Kagome stirred the rice in its pot and looked at the fish. "She wanted to see Kaede," she stated simply and then put the cover on the rice while the wooden spoon was still in it and put her hands over her face. The instant I heard the first gasps of sadness, I came to her side.

"She must hate me so much for hiding this from her for so long. She must hate me so much from bringing her to see her father. Why didn't I just tell her that she didn't have to know him, that she didn't have to see or heard him say those things?

"I thought I could do this alone. I thought I could do this alone like your mother did with you, but I can't. I don't want to make her so unhappy anymore. I can't give her what she needs anymore and what she needs is her father to help her understand."

Kagome wept bitterly and her hand thrusted into her hair and the tears ran down her face. I took a deep breath and held it as I took her chin and made her look at me. "You've done what you can, and to face this alone…you're not alone in this. I'm right here, beside you…like always."

Kagome looked at me and looked back to the fire. "She doesn't have a father…she wants one though…I can see it in her eyes. I see it in the way she watches Miroku with his twins…but when I try to give her her father, he turns her down."

I leaned in closer to her and wiped a tear from her eye and her eyes looked at me again. I felt my heart want to break out and kiss the pain in her eyes away. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and sooth her. I wanted to hold her until the stress was gone.

I wanted to ask her again. I wanted tell her what I wanted. But, the fear of rejection and the stonewall Kagome had put between us made the words choke in my throat.

"Kitsumi knows what she wants in a father. Leave it up to her to decide. Squirt's more like you in more ways than one…that's for sure," I said remembering how hard it was to get her to eat something that morning.

Kagome grinned a little and touched my hand before looking at the rice as it began to spill over the top of its pot. "Oh damn!" Kagome moaned as she picked up her skirt to pick the container out of the flame before gasping in pain and spilling it on the wood floor.

Forgetting the pot of spilt rice I took hold of Kagome's hands and looked at the pads of her fingers as they began to swell and turn red. "I'm alright! I was just being stupid."

I looked them over and then at her filled with concern like the burn was a stab wound through the belly. "Do you have a tub of cool water near?"

Kagome sucked a little air through her teeth and spoke softly in pain, "Over there in the corner near the bath and laundry tub."

I took her by the wrists and knelt down and put her hands in with mine into the cool water. She gasped a little at the sudden sting when the burns hit the cold water. I snorted out of humor when she groaned from the slight pain, "Don't start telling me you're like your daughter, too?"

"It just hurts," she whimpered

I felt slightly bold as I ran my fingers over the backs of her hands and then into her palms. Her skin was still soft, and the surprise came when her fingers began to move to touch mine. Our hands began to play in the water with each other and I remembered the feeling of her tiny hands; how they fit perfectly into my large palm.

I finally pulled our wriggling fingers and hands out of the water and looked at the pads of her fingertips. "See, you're just fine."

Then, I looked up just she did and caught her eyes in my glance. Her eyes looked down at her hands and then back at me before I turned to look at her hands. "Do…do they still hurt?"

"Not as much…your hands are cold so it kind of helps," she said with and small smile before looking down again.

It was just as she did that my eye caught an odd glow coming from the window. My brow narrowed and I stood up letting Kagome's fingers slip out of my hands. Kagome looked at me in concern. "Inu-yasha, what is it?"

I took a step to the window and saw the glow was an odd purplish color. "It can't be sunrise."

I turned to the door and grabbed Kagome's hand and ripped the reeds out of the door before running outside and starting at the old tree beside the house.

Kagome gasped in fear as my eyes widened in fear at the sight of a lavender flame engulfing the orangey glowing tree. "Inu-yasha, your tree! But how--" Kagome then screamed when she saw a flame sprout out in the shape of a dragon that growled as it hit the forest trees.

The wind began to blow around the tree and around Kagome and me. I held her close to me to keep her steady. I looked out to the forest and watched as the flame spread. "This is Kagura's wind," Kagome cried.

There was a loud snap and both of us looked up and I shoved us both out of the way to the snowy ground as the branch hit. I looked back and jumped to my feet with Kagome still in my arms. "Get off the ground," I ordered and pulled Kagome into my arms as a stream of fire ran across the snow like it was wood to capture us.

It missed with an explosion of flame. I took Kagome into my arms hooking my arms around her shoulders and knees and held her close to my chest as I watched the flame grow and the hut burst into a lavender flame of its own.

I collected myself and ran down the path toward the village just as the flame spread into the trees even more and began to run down the trees beside us.

"What is this?" Kagome screamed as her hair came undone and spilled on my neck and shoulder.

"It's a demonic flame, created by some kind of sorcery. You can't put it out with water but it won't pass a large quantity of it."

Kagome watched as the flame gathered beside us and I tried to run faster, even though I knew I couldn't go as fast as I wanted to in this body, but Kagome's quickening pulse gave me enough of a reason to keep going.

When the village as inside I tripped over a rock and Kagome tumbled out of my arms and to the ground above me. I looked back and the flame rose up to take the dragon like shape again and snarl as heat that felt like it could pas for the heat of hell's fire swirled around me.

Kagome picked up her head and looked through her black hair at the flame as it formed two wings of flame and batted them in the wind, releasing sparks into the air.

I got to my feet when Kagome screamed when a spark fell on her skirt and I ripped the brown cloth that as tainted with the flame and threw it to the ground as the tiny flame turned into a snake and hissed.

It's eyes burned as it went to strike my arm and set the white cloth on fire as well. I took hold of Kagome and helped her to her feet as we ran down into the village. I took her hands and stopped her. "Get Miroku, Sango, everyone and anyone you can reach in the village and get them across the rice fields. Get to the other side of the river and make sure everyone in on the other side. The flame can't gather when there is not enough fuel to build on, the grass won't supply it the energy needed to grow."

I reached to my side and handed her Tetsuseiga, and she looked at me with her large brown eyes. "If the flame doesn't die on it's own, it will in time. Until then, stake Tetsuseiga into the ground on your side of the river. It will protect you and the villagers."

I looked into her eyes and kissed her wet forehead and held her close to me for a moment before pulling her away from me hand running through the village to wake everyone and get the people around us moving.

~~~

(Kagome)

I watched as Inu-yasha ran down to awake the huts around him. I ran to the other side and screamed "demon" as I knocked on the sides of houses and people began to stir and poke their heads outside. I reassured them as I ran along, telling them to get to get across the river.

Miroku ran into me calling my name, "Lady Kagome!"

I spun around, "Miroku!"

"Kagome," he said as he took hold of my arms, "the flame, where are we running to?"

I caught my breath. "Get to the other side of the river and wait for me there. Inu-yasha will be meeting up with us there."

Suddenly, there was a loud cry coming from the houses that were out of earshot. Families screamed as they ran from their huts. My eyes widened in fear as lender flamed demons poked through the roves of the houses and snarled and roared as the villagers ran.

I gripped hold of my bravery and squeezed Miroku's arm and he looked at me as I held Tetsuseiga in front of him. "It won't pass the barrier when I stake it into the ground, now tell everyone to get to the other side of the river."

Miroku's brow narrowed and he made his way through the crowd ordering everyone to follow him to the other side of the river.

I was grabbing arms, helping those off their feet and watching as the flame was getting closer and closer to me as I got closer and closer to it. It hissed Just as I ran into the last person, Sango.

"Kagome?"

I took hold of her arm and looked into her eyes. "Sango!"

She looked at the flame and then to me. "Take Kara into your arms, we'll be able to get to where we need to be faster if you can carry her."

I crouched down and lifted Kara into my arms as she whimpered in fear. "It's okay, Kara. We're getting out of here. Keep your head under my chin and just think about seeing Daddy by the river."

She nodded as I tucked and cradled her head in my neck and hand to cover it. Sango picked up Kohaku and we ran as fast as we could through the village as the flame like demons peered over the roofs of the houses and watched us.

The flame dragon roared and began to make its move over the village as Sango and I reached the rice fields. It stopped halfway though and the dragon like head turned to the side as I caught Inu-yasha moving villagers across the rice fields.

It snarled and turned its head to the houses before surrounding them in a violet flame. It hissed and growled as it spread through the houses.

Sango and I passed over the bridge with the twins in our arms and I let Sango and Miroku sooth their children as Inu-yasha and the last of the villagers brought up the rear.

I unsheathed Tetsuseiga and with all my might staked it into the ground with a grunt and fell to me knees before with my hands still around the handle. The flame hissed as it sat at the other end of the river. The heat was intense still and the river began to melt into water quickly before my eyes and the water began to run quickly.

Inu-yasha fell to his knees before me completely out of breath. "Did we get everyone?"

~~~~

(Inu-yasha)

"I think so," Kagome huffed as she tried to rest.

Miroku then grabbed my shoulder. "Inu-yasha, the bridge, we should cast it over the river before it tries to pass it."

I got to my feet as Miroku and I pulled as the stakes that mounted the bridge and let it break free into the swiftly moving river of ice melt.

I caught my breath again as I collapsed to my knees. "This is Naraku's doing, I know it. But he hasn't attacked us for years, and he's never attacked with a demonic fire."

Miroku and I looked at each other for a moment before looking at the flame at the other side. "Why has he chosen now of all times to try and attack us?" Miroku questioned to himself.

The flame hissed and then just as quickly as it has reached us, it receded in a flash back to the main flame engulfing the village. My eyes widened as I watched the flame roar and hiss from afar. "That's odd!"

Then, Miroku rose to hit feet with the aid of his staff. He leaned on it as he looked out at the lavender flame. His eyes slowly widened. "It's looking for something."

My eyes shot toward Miroku as Sango and Kagome joined us. Sango came to Miroku's side and placed her hands over his shoulders. "He's right," she said, "The flame would have tried to fight Tetsuseiga's barrier, but it returned to the main flame. It's not interested in us."

I looked out at the flame and held my breath. "Or it's interested in someone that hasn't made it across."

Kagome looked at me and then looked around at the villagers whispering among themselves. Children were weeping as their mother's tried to sooth them. Miroku turned to look around. "Share whatever you have salvaged and brought over. Keep the young and old warm with whatever you have."

Villagers moved to wrap as many children and elderly in blankets or jackets.

It was then that Kagome began to shiver and I removed my fire-rat vest and wrapped her in it to keep her warm and it was then that Kagome gasped in fear. She clutched the white cloth around my body.

She looked at the villagers, "Has anyone seen Kaede?"

Miroku picked up his head and looked around as the villagers looked around. "Kagome, I don't see her."

I looked out into the flame. "Can we still get to her if we try?"

Kagome gripped my nagajugan even more and pulled it a little. Her voice trembled as she whispered to me. "If Kaede is still in the flame…and the flame was sent by Naraku…then the flame must be looking for…"

I looked into Kagome's eyes as worry and panic filled them. It was then that my own eyes realized the last thing we would have forgotten-or for that matter, person.

Kagome's breath gasped as she looked out as the flame and rushed to the edge, Miroku ran out and grabbed her holding her back. "Kitsumi!"

"No, Kagome stay back!"

"Miroku let me go! I won't let them take my daughter. KITSUMI!" she wailed as tears streamed down her eyes and into the air.

My heart started pounding as I watched Kagome fall apart in front of me, and crying with no shame.

My breathing became heavier as moisture built around my lips when I began to breath through my mouth.

The Kitsumi's voice came into my head and her words echoed, `I wish you…could be…my father…'

I felt something deep inside of me snap and I turned to the flame and I narrowed my brow. I looked into the rushing icy water below me.

`…my father…'

I took a step and fisted my hands, before looking at the flame as it roared into the night sky.

`…father…'

I inhaled and bent my knee and I dove into the icy water bellow and let the current sweep me down some ways where the flame hadn't touched.

I could hear Miroku call out from above. "Inu-yasha, no!"

Kagome's eyes looked through the tears into the water as my figure was swept away. "Inu…yasha?"

~~~~

Well, let me see…I think that I could put a nice cliff right about here now.

(Ducks from flying computer mouses and keyboards)

Okay, I'll make you a deal then. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get 5 reviews. That's really not a lot to ask, but I want to know that I still have an audience or something out there.

See you soon! And check out the fan art at the site I mentioned above.

Major tearful fluff next chapter, promise

SDR