InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Awaiting the Warmth ❯ Scarlet Letter ( Chapter 3 )
Angeltiger: Wow, it has been awhile. I'll save the excuses and say that I have just been busy, which is the truth. I haven't updated Silence since February, and I have two chapters of Real Roses Have Thorns lost in cyberspace that I haven't been able to post yet. So please bear with me, I am still having a rough time. I think I made up for my absence in this chapter though, it's rather long...
Disclaimer: I don't have time to own Inuyasha. And the only time I'm allowed to spare is 30min every Saturday night to watch it, then the TV goes off, and I'm back to work. Sound like fun to you? Me neither...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The thick summer air had begun to lighten a bit in the past few weeks, thus leading Miroku to believe that autumn would soon be upon them. He stirred the fire to keep it going, not that they really needed one, the nights really weren't all that cold. It was more out of habit than anything else.
Another habit of his was turning to Inuyasha, who always made sure to sit near him, and joke about sneaking a peek at the two women that had excused themselves for bathing. It would be five nights tonight since Inuyasha left, and for the fifth night in a row Miroku turned to greet the hanyou with his usual cheesy "I've gotta dirty plan" grin. And for the fifth night in a row he was met with the disappointment of nothing but air to greet him. He gave it a small scowl; nothing was supposed to take the place of his friend.
Sango noticed the exchange between monk and Mother Nature, and it looked like she was winning. Her heart felt heavy as he turned back to the fire and half-heartedly continued his work. The demon hunter had noticed this ritual for the past few days since Inuyasha had disappeared, how long had it been? She was sure it was no more than a few days, a week at most, but to her it felt like an eternity.
If she had been feeling so lost and irregular, she could only imagine what Kagome had been going through. The poor girl was obviously heartbroken, and it seemed she had no idea what way was up or down, let alone deciding upon her future. She and Miroku had been talking about that lately, that unpredictable thing called the future. Now that they had no Inuyasha at their front to protect them, would they alone be enough to stop Naraku?
Sango knew Miroku had no choice, he either had to die fighting or die doing nothing, and if the choice would have been hers, she would have chosen the former as well. But what of her choice now? Did she have to continue playing the never ending game of cat and mouse with Naraku? Or could she stop the hunt now, find a nice husband and settle down, forgetting about her past and living a normal life?
But that would be impossible, she knew she could never forget her past, the good times and the bad. And she already knew the only man she wanted in her life, if the lecher could keep his hands to himself for a while, but she would help him fight for his life none-the-less...even if it cost her her own. And her brother's life, or death, was counting on her, how could she just forget about that? Plus there was the whole revenge thing that had just been eating away at her, and when there's a nasty bug near your feet, what do you do? Annihilate it of course!
It was then that Sango made her decision, she would stand by Miroku's side, until the end...whether the end brought victory or defeat she was unsure, but she knew she would be there to see it. But what of Shippo? He had nothing to do with this fight other than practically being adopted by Inuyasha and Kagome. She rubbed the kit's hair on his sleeping head thoughtfully as she pondered. Now that his father figure was gone, would he stay with Kagome?
Actually, what about her? Kagome's only tie in all of this was Inuyasha. Sure there was her friendship with Miroku and herself, but nothing to risk her life over. Now that the hanyou was gone, what would the girl from the future do now? Continue fighting, or go home and forget?
Sango was sure that Kagome would be as unable to forget the past as she herself would be, probably more so. But she would hate to have her best friend put her life in danger when she got no personal gain out of it, save the jewel shards. She didn't think she could risk Kagome's life like that...
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"Ok, you've bored them long enough."
"Back from your cheese and watermelon? What took so long?"
"Yeah, well, it seems the combination didn't agree with me too well."
"Indeed."
"Don't give me that 'I know it all' smirk. It's my turn to write for them, so move over."
"'Them'? Who is 'them'?"
"Oh didn't you know? There are people already reading it."
"Since when!?"
"About a month ago, I sent it out to a few local villages. We're already getting some really good reviews."
"....."
"At least something can shut you up; I should have told you earlier. Now get out of my way, I want my turn. Besides, everyone likes my parts best."
"I bet."
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Kirara's growling drew her from her musings, and she glanced up at her fully transformed fire cat. "What is it Kirara?"
Miroku stood as well closing his eyes as though feeling the air he had previously disputed with, "Do you not feel it Lady Sango?"
"Feel what?"
"A demon approaches."
As soon as the words left his mouth, she felt an enormously strong demon aura nearby, the kind of aura that that belonged to one person, or demon, that she knew of. "Sesshomaru." She breathed.
The wind shifted from a lazy breeze to a stronger tug, and the demon of previous utterance stepped out from the shadows of the forest. The personified wind left the group of four and darted to the Lord, tussling his hair, clothes, and what could only be assumed as his tail.
Miroku stood defensively in front of Sango and the still sleeping Shippo, relived when Kirara took her stance beside him. "What do you need, Sesshomaru?"
The Taiyoukai of the Western Lands gazed down upon them over the bridge of his nose as though they were ants. Though, that's what they had become to expect from the stuck-up, arrogant, pompous ass of a-
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"Hold on now."
"Yes dear?"
"That's not really how you saw me, right?"
"Saw? Darling, I still do."
"....Stand aside."
"What? I just got on! Oomph-"
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"This Sesshomaru demands to see the priestess." He explained to them none-too-gently, his cool tone held a twinge of ice to it, and it was obvious that something was bothering him. Sango was the first to react, "She isn't here right now." She paused for a second, "What do you want with her?"
"This Sesshomaru needs not explain his actions to the likes of you." He snarled uncharacteristically.
The sight before him was beginning to confuse Miroku, never in all his encounters with the Taiyoukai had he ever seen him lose his cool as he was now. Sunlight caught his eye as it gleamed from something foreign from the demon lord's neck. Hello? What have we here?
"If I may ask, My Lord, how did you come to acquire your brother's subduing necklace around your own neck?"
Sango's vision snapped to the place of inquiry, and, sure enough, there lie Inuyasha's necklace; the beads as red as rotting blood, and the teeth just as eerily a shade of white. Her mind began to race a mile a minute. What the hell was going on?
Sesshomaru could feel his knuckles pop and the mention of his brother's burden. What the hell did that idiot hope to accomplish by throwing the damn spell on him? And why did those damn humans have to bring it up? He would kill them later, after he had gotten what he wanted from that damn priestess. Where the hell was she anyways? "You are trying this Sesshomaru's patience." He warned.
Miroku sighed, it wasn't as if he had expected him to answer, but it would have been nice. "We told you, we don't know where she is-"
"Where who is?"
Kagome stepped over the last of the viney obstacles that blocked her path back to her friends. At the last second, her toe skirted across the root she thought she'd stepped over, causing her to go off balance and fall, lucky to catch herself with her hands.
Sesshomaru's throat locked up, this was the great priestess he was supposed to remove this spell? He snorted silently in disgust. Certainly not, she would be nowhere near his person if he had any say about it.
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"Oh really?"
"Get off of me woman, I'm working."
"Yeah, working on a load of bullshit. You aren't all that high and mighty."
"I only allow for you to believe that."
"I'm sure. My turn."
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
After regaining her balance from her not so graceful fall, she smothered out the wrinkles in her skirt before shooting up straight. The aura of Inuyasha had hit her in waves, and she looked around excitedly to find him. Though what greeted her was not the sight of the hanyou, but the less welcome form of his brother. His eyes held something that she had not seen before, something like....helplessness, agitation? No not that Taiyoukai. "Sesshomaru?"
In a few steps he was upon her, fully aware of the fire cat immediately at his side, growling her warning. He decided to brush it by instead of answering her challenge, as he didn't want to be in his present company any longer than he had to. When he was only a foot away and towering over the small framed miko, he finally spoke. "What is your name priestess?"
The girl found herself in shock at his sudden advancement, and shocked a second time at their current proximity, she nearly collapsed when he spoke, his voice rolling out in waves that vibrated her body. "K-kagome?"
He sneered, so, she was so frightened she didn't even know if her name was correct, eh? He seemed to have that effect on humans. "Alright, Kagome. I want you to explain to me how to remove this...annoyance."
Kagome's eyes followed his hand, the hand that had a finger looped around a very familiar-looking necklace, a very familiar feeling necklace. "How did you-"
"It would seem my little brother is dead." He interrupted. His speaking of Inuyasha's death so easily disturbed her, and another layer of ice formed around her heart. "How do you know this?"
For a moment he considered ignoring the wench's question and shaking her until she removed the necklace, but he figure otherwise. After all, it wouldn't do for her to just refuse, then where would he be? "He visited me two nights ago, seemingly in a specter form. Otherwise I would have surely known of his arrival."
Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes and say 'of course', but her not wishing to meet death and all; she decided to keep it to herself. She instead decided to inquire further, "He visited you?"
Any one that knew him knew Sesshomaru hated repeating himself, and he rarely did, choosing instead to slay the idiot that didn't understand him on the spot. But today he had to make a blasted exception. "Yes..." Now came the hard part, admition, "He slipped his charm over me without my knowing, until it was too late." He growled and grabbed the necklace, jerking it up to his nose before a purplish light refused to let it go any higher. With a final snarl he threw the beads back into place and glared at the woman, "He told me you were the only one who could remove it."
Kagome was lost, why would Inuyasha send his brother to her. His cold hearted, human hating brother. Did he really hate her that much that he wanted her dead, by the hands of his enemy no less. Surprisingly no tears sprang to her eyes, only a flame and another layer of ice adding to her already frozen heart.
Unaware of her musings, Sesshomaru dove inside his shirt and snared the letter his brother had given him. The word "Kagome" was written in a rough Kanji on the front of the fold. "Here." He demanded unused to giving anyone anything but a swift death, "He told me to give this to you."
Fingers brushed the ink in fascination; she never knew he could write. She just assumed since he lived in the wild he never learned. Carefully she opened the paper and sat down with her knees folded. She took a deep breath before she began to read.
"Read it aloud, woman."
"What?"
The Taiyoukai's temper pulsed, that was the second time in less than five minutes that someone asked him to repeat himself, and he could do nothing about it. "I did not read it, I focused my time on finding you instead."
"Oh." Kagome smiled, it would seem the Taiyoukai respected privacy, she wouldn't have expected that. "Well here," she patted the ground next to her, "have a seat." Kirara took her place on the girl's other side, while Miroku and Sango sat down as well, their minds having different evaluations of the situation. Sesshomaru however, gave the girl a blank stare. Did she really believe he would follow her orders? "I think not."
"Just have a seat, Sesshomaru. It looks long."
"Do not make me repeat myself."
"Just sit do-"
The earth around them vibrated as the demon lord hit the ground with such force Kagome flew an inch into the air. Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes bulged, and the single thought going in a roundelay through her head was 'ohmygod-ohmygod-ohmygod'. She knew her life was over. "Oh my god, Sesshomaru, I didn't mean to..." Wait a minute, did the sit command just work on Sesshomaru!?
Said demon carefully lifted his person from the rather large hole in the earth, his blood red eyes locking directly on Kagome's own. Her heart raced and she knew her death was imminent, but she had to try. As soon as the spell was lifted, Sesshomaru lunged, when get got nearly inches away Kagome stood and screamed, "SIT!"
The group was greeted with another loud thud, and they held their breath while waiting for movement. The instant his elbow twitched she let out a string of five sits, each one more devastating than the last. When the dust finally settled, and Sango and Miroku hand both respectively collected their jaws from the ground and popped them back in place, Kagome knelt in front of the dangerous demon nearly three feet from her. "Sesshomaru, I swear if you make a move at me I'll say it until I pass out, and I know from experience that will take a while."
The demon lord lifted his head slowly from the ground and fixed his eyes on hers with a glare that promised death soon enough. A few seconds passed and when his eyes returned to normal, he pushed himself off the ground and sat up Indian style, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Read the damn letter woman." He would never admit it to anyone, but that damn spell hurt, and he believed her when she said she could go a long time.
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"That is not true."
"Oh really? I knew that look in your eyes."
"That was raw anger."
"And pain."
"You are mistaken."
"Uh huh."
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Grabbing the forgotten letter, she settled down near him, now feeling a little bit braver now that she had a means to control him. She re-unfolded the paper and cleared her throat to read aloud to her audience, minus Shippo who was silently snoring.
<><><><><><><><> ;<><><>
Dear Kagome,
If you are receiving this letter than Sesshomaru must have met up with you, at least you are still alive enough to read it. Though I doubt he would try anything with the power you have over him, as I'm sure you've figured out, the subduing spell works just as well on him as it ever did on me. Give him a few good ones for me, you know he needs it, I only wish I was there to see it all. But please don't let your guard down, I would never actually try to kill you. He, on the other hand, will. And without another thought too. So please be careful, you have to live.
I know you probably hate me for what I have done, and I can't blame you, I would hate me too. But you have to believe me when I tell you it's for your own good. There are a few things going on with Kikyo that I'm sure you would like to know about, but you can't at the moment. I'll have to explain things to you in my own way, and without the knowledge of Naraku and Kikyo's spies. That's right, spies. I knew Kikyo didn't really love me after her death, but she doesn't know that I know. Ya know? She thinks I'm just blindly following her into death. Well, I hate to disappoint all of you who think otherwise, but I'm really not that stupid.
Kagome, I need your help. I figured out how to get to Naraku without getting to him, if that makes any sense. I am not dead, but I'm not alive either. I'm not real, but I'm not unreal like the body of Kikyo. I exist, and yet I don't. I guess hell will do that to you. I'll have to tell you all about it later, but for now, let's just say the legends and tales of it pale in comparison to the real thing. I need your help, but it must be in secret. Why else would I have my brother deliver this letter for me? Who in their right mind would think to check with him?
And I bet you're wondering why he has on my necklace. Simple, if he has it on than you'll be able to semi-control him the way you have done with me. And believe me, Kagome, you will need him. Naraku is planning on coming after you, so be on you're damn guard, I can't be there to save you're ass this time. And Sesshomaru, I know you're reading this with her, so get this: If you want the spell to come off, protect her. Let nothing happen to her, cuz she's the only one that can get it off of you, and I know you want it off.
You see Kagome, he can't transform with that necklace on, unless you will it. But I know you aren't stupid enough to give him his full demon power when he's in the middle of hunting you down. And you can always subdue him to drain it again. Though even I don't know how you're supposed to free his powers, but I believe you'll find a way, you're good at that...
See, Sesshomaru? You're stuck with a leash to this human girl, sucks ass doesn't it? And guess what? There's nothing you can do about it. If she dies, you're power goes with her. How's that for motivation?
But back to the important things. I'll be leaving a few goodies as an apology for my brother, as well as another letter for you at the spot where we met. I can't tell you exactly where in case someone gets a hold of this letter first, but I trust you can figure it out. Until then, watch your back. Tell Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and the brat I said 'hi', and...I miss you guys. Hopefully I'll get to see you before this is all over with.
'Till later,
Inuyasha
<><><><><><><><> ;<><><>
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
"Are you done yet?"
"Do you remember what the entire letter said?"
"No."
"Exactly, I do."
"You memorized the thing?"
"....yeah? Why?"
"How come you never memorize how to pick up after yourself?"
"Don't sass, now I'm hungry again."
"Not for more cheese and watermelons..."
"Eew no! What would make you think of something so disgusting?"
"But you just-"
"I want ramen! Go! Now!"
"Jesus..."
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Angeltiger: Ok, phone's ringing off the hook, time to get back to work. Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner, but I am dead serious when I say I have 'no' time left. And I'm also sorry to end it here, but think it's been long enough. Well? What do you think? Anyone like how this story's going? Or does it just suck?
Inuyasha: I vote for the suck!
Angeltiger: Shut up, for once I'm allowing you to be a good guy instead of bad. You'd think you'd be happy.
Inuyasha: I am. I'll thank you for it later. {evil grin}
Angeltiger: That's what I'm afraid of. Ah well, read and review all, pweeeze!? {puppy eyes} Oh yeah, and Tessa3, thank you sooo much for the praise. I hold SF in high regard, so you saying that means oodles to me! ^_^ And for all those that haven't figured it out yet, yes, the two oh-so-happy couple is indeed Kagome and Sesshomaru. One last thing: akuma_river, you are an f-in genius. How the hell did you get that so quickly? You spoiled all my fun. Oh well, just don't tell anyone. Shhh...