InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Night Both Would Remember ❯ The Unfolding of Hakudoushi's Process ( Chapter 15 )

Disclaimer:

Turtlequeen2: Woohoo! We are back!

Vbollman: -sighs- Did you have to say “woohoo”?

Turtlequeen2: Yes I had to!

Inuyasha: Keh! This conversation is stupid. -crosses arms and rolls eyes-

Vbollman: -mutters- Oh great…3...2...1...

Turtlequeen2: INUYASHA! YOU’RE HERE! -runs to tackle him-

Inuyasha: -eye twitches as he backs away in fear- Get this wench away from me!

Vbollman: And she says my obsession with Sesshoumaru is bad…-rolls eyes-

-drags out broom and hits Turtlequeen2 on the head with it-

Turtlequeen2: -glares at vbollman and rubs bump on her head- What the hell was that for?!

Vbollman: You’re scaring the poor guy! -points at scared hanyou backed up against wall-

Now I’ll say this while Turtlequeen2 suppresses her urge to kill me and comfort Inuyasha. -clears throat- We thank the following reviewers this week: Inuyashalovergyal and Lady Orange a.k.a lasagna~_~gurl!

Turtlequeen2: -takes deep breath and continues to glare at vbollman- I do not own Inuyasha as much as I wish I did. Only Rumiko Takahashi does.

Note: Thanks to Kagura615 for helping us with our grammar once again!

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Chapter 16

The Unfolding of Hakudoushi's Process

When Kagome opened her eyes once again, she found herself on the ground with Sesshoumaru’s Mokomoko-sama wrapped around her.

“W...what happened?” the miko asked.

Sango answered as Sesshoumaru was busy holding Inuyasha back from trying to reach Naraku’s “family,” who had a force field around them. “You passed out, Kagome-chan and no one would tell us why,” she said.

Miroku looked at the miko in concern. “Are you alright?” he questioned.

“I’m fine. I saw the meeting they had with Naraku. The plan they have will work,” was all she said. Her attention focused on Inuyasha, whose eyes were starting to go red.

“Inuyasha...OSUWARI!”

Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, he was standing in front of Inuyasha at the time, and was trapped beneath his brother when the spell hit him. Identical growls greeted her, while both groups watched in amusement.

“Hanyou, get off of me,” Sesshoumaru commanded.

“Keh! You think I forced myself into the ground? As soon as the spell wears off, I will. I can’t exactly move at the moment,” Inuyasha snarled back at him.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru locked gazes until the spell released them. Moving faster then Kouga’s jewel shards could ever carry the wolf’s legs, Inuyasha quickly moved away from his brother. The hanyou’s glare fixed onto Kagome for causing his humiliation.

Kagura couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at her future mate’s expense. She felt it was safe and stepped out of the barrier.

Sesshoumaru started to snarl at Kagome. “Miko, next time you feel the need to subdue the pup, kindly make sure I’m not in the way.” His head snapped up and he transferred his gaze to his mate. “Laughing Kagura? Are you sure you should be outside of your baby brother’s barrier?” he smirked.

Kagura didn’t even try to suppress the roll of her eyes at his remark. She returned his smirk with one of her own. “You would want to harm me? How loving of you my lord…” She mocked his title at her last words.

Before Sesshoumaru could retort, Inuyasha replied,” Keh! You can save your lover’s spat AFTER Naraku is dead!”

The Wind User threw a glare at her future brother-in-law. “Oh, like the ones you and the miko seem to have so often?” she taunted.

Inuyasha huffed and turned away, trying to suppress the blush that started to form.

Kagome tried even more so, to cool down the crimson that heated her cheeks. She watched Sesshoumaru’s eyes turn slightly red, allowing for her embarrassment to drift away quickly. Sighing to herself, she wondered why it was always her that ended up controlling those three demons. 'I better do something about this before it gets nasty,' she thought to herself. “Sesshoumaru, why does it feel like Tenseiga is talking to me?” she asked the Taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes cleared,“ Explain Miko. Tenseiga does not talk.”

Miroku also took this time to step in. “Kagome-sama, tell us what you witnessed with this link,” he requested.

Sango followed the monk’s actions and stepped forward as well. “Are you feeling any better? Is the link gone?” she asked in worry.

Shippou would’ve added onto the questions if he wasn’t so busy hiding with Rin behind Kirara and Ah-Un…Jaken on the other hand, cowered in worry as well as the children.

Kagome looked at the group in confusion for a moment. There was no way she would be able to answer those questions in order, so Sesshoumaru would have to wait for his answers.

Turning to Sango, she decided to answer these questions first. “I feel fine Sango-chan. And yes the link is gone. It seems that Tenseiga was able to heal the connection. At the same time, I think Tenseiga was able to add shields to defend my mind from other youkai,” Kagome said with a shudder, thinking back to the first time Inuyasha turned into a full demon and when the incarnate, Goshinki, used telepathy on them all.

“So what of their plan?” Miroku inquired, casting a side glance at the Naraku-Tachi.

Still ignoring Sesshoumaru’s question, Kagome looked up at Miroku. “To tell you the truth, everything is pretty much exactly what they said,” She told him. Pausing in thought for a moment, she looked away from them all. Shaking her head, she came back to the present. “There’s something bugging me about this whole thing and I know it has something to do with my grandfather, but I really can’t remember…” she said quietly before trailing off. “I’m sure it will come back to me when I need it,” she finished.

Inuyasha’s ears perked up at that. Being the only one who knew about Kagome’s grandfather besides her, he was confused at what she meant. He turned back to them and demanded,” What the hell does he have to do with this?”

Kagome tried to put her thoughts back in line, while ignoring the hanyou. Finally looking at Sesshoumaru, Kagome tried to put her thoughts back in order. “I really don’t know how to explain what I mean to you Sesshoumaru. I can feel and hear Tenseiga in the back of my mind.” Giving the Taiyoukai a small smile, she continued. “Would you believe me if I told you that your Father says ‘Hi’ to both you and Inuyasha and that the two of you shouldn’t fight all the time?”

Kagome let her mind wander as she thought about Inuyasha’s question. Every time she started getting somewhere with remembering what her grandfather told her about a scroll, she would get distracted.

“Inuyasha, Do you remember what Jii-chan said about that bonding ritual the last time we where home?” she asked her hanyou.

His face gained a thoughtful look as he nodded. “Yea, I think. Does this bonding thing relate to the one your jii-chan was talking about?”

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha,“ I’m pretty sure that this bonding is almost the same as the one that Jii-chan told us about. Do you remember who wrote the scroll?”

“I think the old man said that it was a monk who was friends with a hanyou that last witnessed the ritual…” he trailed off in concentration.

Sesshoumaru looked between his brother and the Miko. Apparently whatever it was that the miko was trying to remember, was important enough to force even Inuyasha’s mind to work.

Kagome looked up and met Inuyasha’s eyes. “The ritual that Hakudoushi told us about doesn’t work the way they thought it did. I guess this would be one of those time loops. If Jii-chan hadn’t told us about that scroll, we would never had known and Miroku-sama would never be able to write the scroll.”

Sango and Miroku’s eyes widened at the same time. “You mean that H…houshi-sama wrote it?!” the taijiya exclaimed, looking at the monk.

Miroku regained his composure after a few seconds of shock. “So…you are to say that this doesn’t work out as planned…” he trailed off in thought. He looked at Sango and then at Kagome again. “If I did indeed write it, then what does that mean?”

“Did you need to go home to check the scroll?” Inuyasha asked in concern.

Kagome ignored Miroku. In a corner of her mind she was actually surprised that Sesshoumaru had not started to demand answers also. Concentrating in thought, a smile slowly formed on her face. “No Inuyasha. I think that I actually remember what the scroll says,” Kagome said in delight.

The siblings all looked at Kagome and Miroku with confusion.

Hakudoushi’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by my plan not working?” he demanded coldly.

Kagome glared at Hakudoushi. Not really feeling up to arguing with Naraku’s goons, she did her best to control her urge to purify the lot of them.

“I thought I was perfectly clear. The ritual as you described will not work. You almost have it right, but the balance of power is wrong. I know how to correct it,” Kagome told them. “I’m sure if you need proof, I can convince Inuyasha to retrieve the scroll for me. Of course I will not be responsible for what happens to you while he’s gone,” She finished with a small smile.

Kagura took this scene in and couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes. “Geez, Tenseiga tells you things and now you think you’re the queen of the world…” she said out loud in dripping sarcasm.

Kagome just smiled. “Remember Kagura: the only thing truly standing between you and death is that fang. I’m going to need that power to do the ritual.”

Kagura only smirked. “And you seem to forget that I am to be mated to the man who wields that very same blade…”

“Ah, but Kagura. It’s his father you need to impress at the moment. I am borrowing the power from the former Taiyoukai of the Western Lands. Not the currant one. Therefore it really doesn’t matter if he’s your mate or not,” Kagome was quick to point out.

Kagura’s calm gaze broke at that. “Since when are you are so supercilious?” she asked bluntly. “If I remember correctly, you used to be the girl on the sidelines screaming for help…”

Kagome lost it. Raising her bow, she aimed directly at the Wind Witch. The power flowing form the arrow surprised everyone. “Kagura. I like you, really I do. At the moment, I have Toga, The Inu no Taisho, sitting in my head waiting for this ritual. If I seem different at the moment, you can blame it on certain inuyoukai. I am helping you out of respect for Sesshoumaru. Don’t make me regret it,” She all but snarled.

Kagura narrowed her eyes, taking out her fan. She was not to back down from anything, even if she knew that the miko was currently of formidable power.

Inuyasha was getting irritated at the two women. They were wasting time when Naraku could be plotting something devious! Being the stubborn, impulsive hanyou that everyone knew him as, he stepped into Kagome’s way.

“Are you a baka? While you two are having this stupid argument, Naraku could be plotting more sadistic shit!” he all but shouted in between the feuding women, though more directed at Kagome.

Kagura gripped her fan even tighter as she now glared at her future brother-in-law. “I do not need a hanyou to defend my actions,” she ground out. She was too pissed to think her words through clearly, therefore saying whatever happened to pop into her head at the moment.

Inuyasha nearly cringed at her glare, making mental note that as Sesshoumaru’s future mate, she was more frightening. Still, at her mention of what he was, he narrowed his eyes back, unable to contain himself.

“Well I’m sorry if you’d rather die than to have this bond created,” Inuyasha growled out at Kagura.

Kagura now concentrated her rage at the hanyou before her. “Naraku may be a bastard but he’s not stupid enough to kill us all for the time being. Maybe you should just worry about taking your head out from between your ass.”

If it wasn’t for Sesshoumaru’s cold gaze upon his brother, he would’ve decapitated the witch by now. He only gritted his teeth and snarled out,” Keh! Speak for yourself, bitch!”

Before Inuyasha could get out more, Kagura’s fan flicked open in a flourish and a sudden gust of wind erupted from it. This caused the hanyou to be swept up and slammed into the nearest tree beside them.

With Inuyasha out of the way, Kagura turned her anger onto the miko once more. “I don’t understand why you even think you’re of power when you are only that dead miko’s replacement…” she trailed off coldly.

Kagome’s eyes flared with anger. “Replacement... I Am No One’s Replacement!” as she growled out the last word, she released her hold on the arrow, the power super charged even before it left the bow.

Sesshoumaru had been waiting for this. He was extremely amused at Kagura’s tirade against both Inuyasha and Kagome, but he understood where Kagome was coming from. He recognized his father’s speech patterns when she corrected Hakudoushi earlier. Though, there was no way he was getting involved unless Kagome lost total control.

When she released the arrow, Sesshoumaru had been waiting. Using all of his speed, he caught the arrow before it reached his future mate. He dropped the arrow quickly as the purifying energy crackled against his skin. He made fast haste to cover up the grimace he made as he felt the pain. A glance at Kagura confirmed that she had not really believed that the miko would fire at her. With a mild glare that warned her off, he turned to the miko and his father.

Kagome was the only one that noticed hiss of pain that Sesshoumaru made. “Sesshoumaru, I’m sorry. Your father’s emotions took over. It was worse then when I was controlled by the Black Miko…” she apologized as she dropped her bow.

Kagome smiled tentatively at Kagura and whispered a soft apology before turning to Inuyasha. Seeing that the poor hanyou was only now regaining consciousness, she looked at him in concern. “Inuyasha, I’m sorry for letting that happen to you…” she murmured as the hanyou began to stand on his feet.

Inuyasha threw a glare at everyone in the clearing. His ego took a big fall and he knew it. “Keh! Don’t be…” he grumbled, his arms crossed as he refused to meet Kagura’s gaze. Though, Kagome knew that he was lying when he said not to be worried about him, by the way his dog ears were drooping against his head. She had a feeling that more firewood would be made that night...

She made a mental note to talk to him later, alone. She knew that only she would be able to make him admit what was wrong with him. If not by asking, she’d force it out of him. Until then, she decided not to pester him further about the matter. Instead she turned her attention to Hakudoushi.

Pining Hakudoushi with a glare, she started walking forward, only to be pulled back by Sesshoumaru. The Taiyoukai decided to do the smart thing and keep a hold on the miko even though she could burn his bare flesh. Thinking quickly, he wrapped Mokomoko-sama around her waist, while keeping a hold on the ends. “Miko, you must control your temper and my father’s temper. The sooner the ritual is over, the sooner we can tell them to leave,” he whispered in her ear.

Instead of fighting the restrictions Sesshoumaru placed on her, she just nodded her head, her attention never leaving Hakudoushi. “Your plan has an unequal distribution of power. Everything needs to be equal if it works. It’s simple really.”

Hakudoushi smirked at the position that the two were in. “Odd, I thought that my sister was your future mate, not this miko…” he teased.

Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed at the miniature copy of Naraku. “Keh! What the hell is that supposed to mean whelp?” he demanded impulsively.

Hakudoushi kept his smirk in place as he taunted,” My, Inuyasha, I didn’t know that you were this dense.”

“You little brat…” Inuyasha snarled, his fist beginning to clench.

“Inuyasha, enough,” Sesshoumaru said calmly, effectively leashing Inuyasha’s impulses.

Kanna, remaining passive and silent during this whole event, decided to intervene. She stepped forward, in between the two and looked blankly at Hakudoushi.

Akago, still in her arms, snorted in contempt at his other half. “Hakudoushi, I think the rest of us would appreciate it if you would do less taunting and more work.”

Kanna kept her eerie stare fixed on her brother as she added,” Hakudoushi, proceed with the bonding,” in her breathless, emotionless tone.

Hakudoushi instantly took the time to listen to his siblings as much as he was annoyed by them. He stared at his original self, mentally stating,’ I was just setting the mood. You would think that the two wouldn’t be so confusing in their displays. It seemed to me as if they were asking to be ridiculed and what better person to do it than me?’

Akago mentally rolled his eyes at his immature counterpart, replying,’ Bother them later. We have more important things to do or have you forgotten about Naraku?’

Giving the miko a glare, Hakudoushi simply said,” Continue.”

Kagome returned the incarnation’s glare. “Actually, I’m not going to explain it first. It will be much easier if I explain the steps as we go,” She said. “If you would please place the emerald pieces on the ground there?” she asked pointing to a spot about halfway between where the two groups stood.

The albino incarnation nodded and walked up to the spot where the miko indicated. He pulled out the pieces from inside of his haori and dropped them on the grassy area.

Kagome tried to walk towards them, only to have Sesshoumaru tighten his hold on Mokomoko-sama. Sighing, she realized that she would have to explain a few things. “Sesshoumaru, I need to purify Naraku’s taint that is clinging to the emeralds. You need to let me go.”

Sesshoumaru thought about not letting her go, but knew that if he didn’t, both himself and the miko would be hurt. “Don’t do anything foolish Miko. I can stop you if I need too,” he growled low in his throat.

Kagura remained silent, watching the exchange between Sesshoumaru and Kagome. She was confused at why Sesshoumaru was more particular about protecting her over the rest. Not to mention why the two seemed so familiar about each other lately. Hakudoushi’s voice rang in her ears.

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‘Odd, I thought that my sister was your future mate, not this miko…’

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Kagura shook that sudden thought out of her head, berating herself for her stupidity. It wasn’t as if Sesshoumaru would go back on his words at choosing her as his mate. She suppressed her thoughts and decided to dwell upon them later. Perhaps she was just imagining things?

Kagome nodded her head, as she waited to be was released from Mokomoko-sama. As the last of the warmth left her, she once more began to walk to the jewel pieces. She noticed that both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru followed her.

Reaching out to the pieces, Kagome was extremely careful not to allow herself to touch them. She didn’t want the taint to transfer to her skin in any way. She allowed her purifying energy to flow from her hands and wrap around each jewel piece. A pure pink light surrounded her and the emerald pieces for a few moments until the light slowly faded from view. A soft smile crossed Kagome’s face as her energy flowed back into her body, leaving behind four glittering green jewels that slightly shimmered pink.

Sitting back on her heels, Kagome motioned for the other three to join her. When they had gathered around her, she explained the next step. “The three of you need to add your blood to each piece. This will insure the balance of power. After each of you has added a drop of your blood to all four pieces, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru need to place their father’s fangs over the four slivers. This will allow the youki to absorb into the jewel. Kagura, you need to do the same thing with your fan. Sesshoumaru, you first, please.”

Kagome watched in silence as the two youkai and one hanyou did as she had told them. With each drop of blood added to the jewels, the power in the clearing intensified. As Kagura added her own blood and youki, the jewels flared with a bright light that surrounded the three of them.

As the light faded, Kagome brought forth one of her arrows and a Shikon Shard. After binding the shard to the arrow, she used the sharp, power charged arrowhead to prick her finger. Letting four drops of blood fall, she then smeared the blood on the shaft of the arrow. Taking a deep breath, she placed the arrow in the ground between the four emerald pieces and once more, allowed her power to flow through her. This time, she directed the energy through her arrow and used it to link the jewels together. When she was done doing that, she reached into her soul, and found the place where Tenseiga murmured to her constantly. ‘Toga?’ she called out. ‘Toga, I’m ready. I need to use your power now.’

‘Yes my daughter, the power is yours to call,’ Toga replied.

‘Thank you Sir.’ Setting aside all hate and prejudice, Kagome reached within her heart, and pulled out the power of the Inu no Taisho. Using the power, she bound the four of them together, protecting Kagura’s body, mind, and soul, as well as her heart. The extra power from Toga, would allow Kagome to protect Kagura’s heart while purifying her soul as well.

As the light faded once more, the jewel pieces where no more. Instead, three of the pieces found their way to the weapons of Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kagura. The forth piece glittered from a chain of braided gold and silver, held in place by a lacework cage of the same material. The emerald glittered a deep jade green, with flashes of red, blue, purple, and pink; the colors representing each of their auras. Taking a look, it was found that the three pieces attached to the weapons, glittered the same way.

The chain flew into Kagome’s hands and she stared at it in awe. She felt such immense power coming from it and flowing into her.

Sesshoumaru took the chain away from Kagome and looked it over, making sure that there was nothing attached to it that would harm the miko. Finally satisfied, he gave his brother a look that clearly said, ‘Say a word and you're dead‘. He then slipped the chain over Kagome’s head, moving her hair out of the way, and making sure that part of the chain was always touching the miko’s bare skin.

Kagome smiled up at Sesshoumaru, before trying to get to her feet. She was exhausted. This was the first time she could remember having that much power going through her body.

She was just about steady on her feet when a wave of dizziness raced through her body, causing her knees to give out.

Inuyasha raced forward and caught her before she reached the ground regardless of the fact that his brother was closer. Swinging Kagome up in his arms, he walked away, cursing her for being stubborn.

“Keh! You need to be more careful wench! You could’ve gotten yourself killed if you used too much of your strength and I wouldn’t have been able to save you.” Inuyasha said, his face scowling, but his eyes betraying his irritated façade. Kagome only smiled weakly, knowing fully well what Inuyasha really meant. He was worried about her.

The hanyou proceeded to jump into a nearby tree, her, still in his arms. If she was fully awake, she would’ve blushed at how close they were to each other, but she was fast asleep once his body stopped moving.

Sesshoumaru watched in concern as Inuyasha carried the miko off. Sighing, he knew that things had changed for good and there would be no going back to the cold heartless bastard he had always shown himself as. Turning back to the Naraku-Tachi, he gave a short nod of his head. “This Sesshoumaru would like to thank you for your help. But as of sunrise tomorrow, the truce is over,” he told them, and walked back to where the rest of his pack sat around a fire.

Pausing only long enough to hand Kagura Tenseiga, he picked up a warm blanket and a small basket with food and water within, and joined his brother in the tree. Being as careful as possible, he helped Inuyasha wrap Kagome in the blanket and settled down to keep watch over his family.

Kagura cast a look upon the scene. Sure she felt more protected, but was it worth it? She looked at Sesshoumaru and Kagome. They seemed so…content together. She tried her hardest to not think about it, but it still continued to nag at her no matter how much she tried to rid the thoughts from her mind.

“Kagura,” Akago’s voice called, snapping the Wind Witch out of her reverie.

“What is it?” Kagura snapped, whipping around to glare at her siblings. She clearly wasn’t in the best of moods.

Hakudoushi walked up to Kagura and didn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes. “You idiot. Heed my words and listen carefully,” he began, as his eyes narrowed in seriousness.

Kagura only raised her eyebrow in curiosity. “I’m listening,” she said.

“Your ‘supposed future mate’ isn’t acting as one should if you understand my terminology…” Hakudoushi trailed off.

“W…what are you talking about?!” Kagura demanded, her hand clutching tightly to her fan in defense. She wanted to deny that fact even if she wasn’t so sure about their relationship herself.

“You fool. Surely you are not that blind…” the incarnation nearly growled out.

“Blind? What are you implying little brother?” Kagura nearly snarled.

“I am only stating that if he is not certain of his bonding to you, then why waste your time living in a fantasy? I will not hesitate to decapitate the bastard if he dares to say that he does not need you anymore after all the trouble we went through for you…”

The Wind Witch’s eyes widened at that statement. “Wait, y…you’re worried about me?” Kagura stuttered out.

“Don’t take it in that manner. I only am worried about Naraku’s scheming if you are to be weakened by such an emotion,” Hakudoushi added nonchalantly, smirking for emphasis.

Kanna only stared blankly at Kagura, not caring to add anything more.

Akago, in their elder sister’s arms, added,” Be sure to be on your guard. Naraku will no doubt try to stand in your way…”

“You think I wouldn’t know that by now?” Kagura asked. “Let’s see…how many times have I been reprimanded again?” she mused in sarcasm.

“Too many to count,” Hakudoushi snorted. “In any case, don’t completely rely on Sesshoumaru’s strength. You still have your own fan.” He pointed at her weapon that was still clutched tightly in her hand.

“Thanks for caring…” Kagura said in more sarcasm, this time rolling her eyes.

With no more of a word, the siblings turned and walked off into the darkness of the woods. When she was sure that they were out of sight, she let out a deep sigh. For some reason, Hakudoushi’s words didn’t seem so far fetched as she once thought.

She silently turned back to the rest of the pack and walked towards it.

“Kagura-sama!” came the shout of Rin as the little girl ran towards her, a grin on her face. Kagura suppressed her thoughts once more as she looked down upon the child.

“What is it Rin?” Kagura asked, a small smile tugging the sides of her lips.

“Rin wants Kagura-sama and Sango-chan to help make dinner!” she shouted in happiness, not really noticing the sad look in the woman’s eyes.

“Alright, I’ll help,” Kagura relented. At least it would take her mind off of certain things. Or at least she hoped so…

Her eyes slightly widened as she looked over at the same tree and still saw the Inu Brothers sitting beside the miko, looking after her welfare. She suppressed her sudden urge to create a wind storm. As well as the sudden urge to break down and cry.

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Aww…poor Kagura. You really think that the drama would only stop at Naraku? You were wrong!

Well sorry for taking this long for updates. Our schedules were very busy.

Next time on A Night Both Would Remember: Kagura asks Sesshoumaru a serious question. What is his reply? Fluff ensues!

Please review!

Ja ne!