InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Brothers After All ❯ Chapter Two: Doll-Like Eyes ( Chapter 2 )

"Brothers After All"

Chapter Two: Doll-like Eyes

Sesshomaru lowered his paint brush and cocked his head slightly to the left at Kagome. "You're thinking again," he stated. He could always tell, because when she thought, she got unusually quiet.

Kagome blushed. It was embarrassing that he could still make her blush so easily, even after almost a year and a half of being together, but she HAD been thinking. She'd been thinking a lot lately. Maybe they both had.

"Y-yeah. I was," she answered.

Sesshomaru smirked. Her face had gotten all red again. It was one of those things about her that he considered "cute", and endeared her further to him every time she did it. His human. His Kagome. The truth was, he'd been thinking a lot lately too. But that was not unusual; he was always thinking about something. Though, lately, ALL of his thoughts were about her.

He put his painting aside and moved the few feet to sit beside her on the bench. Spring had come again, and the scent of wild lilies mixed well with her scent. He could drown in it, really, and he wouldn't have minded it all, if that was the last moment of his life. As long as he was with her, nothing else mattered.

He frowned internally, remembering his own thoughts as of late. He had been thinking about how he wouldn't get to keep her, how he couldn't have her forever, how she would age, and die. Sesshomaru had watched her over this past year and a half; she had grown from the young girl he fell in love with. Her shape became more womanly-hips fuller, waist slightly more narrow, and her scent had shifted slightly, hardly perceptibly, but he'd noticed it. She was still. . . quite young, but no longer a girl. A young woman. And young women became old women, and old women died. He hated to think of it, because he loved her. . . so much. He'd decided, he didn't care how old she got, he would keep her with him to the very end, if he could.

"Go ahead and talk about it. I know you want to," he said softly. "It's not in your nature to keep things in." He said it as if it was fact, but it was there, just the barest hint of humor. He was teasing her again.

Kagome turned her face up to him to look in his eyes and crinkled her nose slightly, as if to say the joke was not appreciated.

Sesshomaru couldn't suppress a small chuckle, and kissed her wrinkled nose. Amusement and affection on his voice, he said, "Talk."

"Tomorrow is Tuesday," Kagome told him with a frown as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Tuesday. . . ?" he asked, prodding her to get to the point.

"Well. . . I have a test on Thursday. . ." she said biting her lower lip. "So I. . ."

Sesshomaru sighed. "You have to go back to that other place again," he frowned at her. This was the other thing he hated. He loved her, wanted to be with her all the time, but she always had to go to some other place that he'd never heard of, and she insisted he would hate, and he was never allowed to go with her there, which meant stretches of time with no Kagome. He could hardly stand it. She had this whole other life that had nothing to do with him.

"I don't like when you leave," he said flatly, and she knew he was pouting. She looked up at him again and had to suppress a small chuckle. `A pouting Sess is an adorable Sess,' she thought to herself before resting her head on his shoulder again.

"I don't like being away from you either, you know, but. . . this is important. I have a family, and school. . ."

"But you won't let me meet your family either, or go with you when you go away. And you say they can't come here. . . You know I love you Kagome, and I won't stop you if it's what you wish to do. . . but I don't understand and I won't pretend to."

`I don't get to have you forever,' he thought. `And every time you go away, even if it's only for a little while, that's a little less of the stolen time I have with you.'

"I know, Sess, but. . . it's complicated."

He was silent for a little while before saying, "how long? When can I expect you back?"

"Four days. I'll be back in Inuyasha's Forest in three days, so I'll be here again in four."

"Inuyasha."

"Yeah," Kagome nodded. "I wonder if he's okay."

A long silence extended between them, not particularly uncomfortable, just. . . sad. Sesshomaru used to get very jealous when Kagome would mention Inuyasha-he would worry that he would come along and steal her back-that she still loved Inuyasha more-but he understood now. Inuyasha was someone Kagome cared about, worried about, and that would always be true. A great friend who she had hurt and who she wished very badly would forgive her one day. No, he wasn't jealous any longer. He knew Kagome loved him most. And though their relationship had some obvious complications. . . they were happy. Being with Kagome, no matter what, was all that Sesshomaru desired. To be near her, to hold her. . . he'd never known such happiness, and sometimes, he felt that he was drowning in her love.

"Four days," Sesshomaru whispered.

"Yeah. It feels like forever, doesn't it?" Kagome replied, nuzzling deeper into his warmth.

"Promise me, Kagome. That you'll let me meet them one day. . . your family. It doesn't have to be today, or even a month from now, but. . . eventually. I want to know them, the people who I share your heart with. You talk about them so much that I've gotten curious, after all."

A few tears welled up in Kagome's eyes. "I promise, Sess, someday. . . if you really want to, then, I'll think of something," she told him.

`He wants to meet my family,' she thought. `God! Every time I think I can't possibly love him any more. . . every time he does something that. . . but there's so much I haven't told him. So much that he doesn't know. . .' Kagome thought. `I feel guilty, but. . . how would he take it, knowing I'm from a different time. . . the future even? Would he think I was crazy, or what? And. . . can I really take him through the well with me? Do I have any right to do that? I want to. . . god do I ever want to! But how weird would that be? Mom, Sota, I'd like you to meet Sesshomaru, my boyfriend, he's a demon and Lord of the Western Lands in the feudal era. Yeah, right. They thought Inuyasha was cute, but if mom started petting Sess's tail I think he'd have a fit!' Kagome chuckled at that last thought. And then she thought about it some more and started giggling.

"Hm?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her sudden fit of giggles. "What in the world is so amusing?" he asked.

"Oh. . .uh. . .hehe. . . well, I was just. . . haha. . .thinking. . . hahaha." Kagome crinkled her nose and shook off the silly thought, but couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she ran her fingers through the soft fur of her love's tail, sending shivers up Sesshomaru's spine.

"Don't DO that," he told her.

She smirked up at him and pet his tail again, deliberately this time. "How're you gonna stop me?" she teased. `I'll tell them soon,' she thought. `That I've decided to live in the feudal era with Sess, forever. . . I'll tell them soon. . . that I won't be coming back again. . . and maybe someday, I'll have the courage to take him there, to meet them, to show him once and for all, the life I had, before there was him.'

A soft, somewhat playful growl came out of the back of his throat as he ran clawed fingers along her jaw line, gently, giving her shivers of her own, and, looking lustily into her eyes, asked, "when do you have to leave?"

"A-after lunch," she breathed as he wrapped his tail around her waist, and smiling softly at her reply, he kissed her. . .

`Even if Inuyasha's brother really scares me, I've gotta warn Kagome. She deserves to know what Inuyasha did!' Shippo panted, making his way back to where he'd last seen Inuyasha and finding that, as he had thought, the tetsusaiga had been left behind.

Shippo cringed. `This is sooooooo bad! What if Inuyasha gets all creepy and red-eyed again! He's a big monster when he gets like that! And really dangerous! I'll take the sword to Kagome, she'll know what to do!' he decided as he used every bit of muscle to lift the tetsusaiga before heading in the direction of the Western Lands. "Inuyasha, if you hurt Kagome, I'll never ever forgive you, you bastard!" he huffed.

"Sess, I really have to go now if you don't want me wandering around by myself in the middle of the night, and we both know you don't," Kagome said, Sesshomaru embracing her in the doorway to his estate.

"I know," he replied. "One more kiss? I'm not going to see you for almost a week, you know."

Kagome blushed. Sesshomaru really didn't embarrass very easily, even with Jaken standing a few feet off to his right, trying to suppress the urge to gag. "O-okay," she replied, and they kissed again, gently, affectionately.

"I can meet you in Inuyasha's forest, you know," he told her.

"I know, but. . . it's okay. It's only one more day."

"Yes. Exactly. An entire day," he replied calmly.

Kagome giggled. "You're so impatient. But you have to let me go, because I have to go now," she said.

"And I'M the impatient one," he teased in his usual flat tone, but flipped his tail back up over his shoulder. "If you aren't back by dusk on the fourth day, I WILL start looking for you."

"I'll see you soon," Kagome said and started to leave before he stopped her again.

"W-what?" she asked.

"Jaken, the package," Sesshomaru called.

"Y-yes, Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken hurried with a small brown-wrapped package over to the pair, trying his best to not look disgusted by the displays of affection his master had a habit of these days.

"What's this?" Kagome asked.

"Your lunch," he answered as if it were obvious.

"My. . . " Kagome blushed, remember just what they'd been doing when she was supposed to be eating lunch.

"I didn't give you much time to eat, so I had it packed for you. Now get going if you're going."

"Ah, thanks! I'll see you soon!" she called behind her as she started to run off. But when she reached the tree line, she turned as if she'd forgotten something and turned, calling back, "Love you!" before turning and starting off again.

Sesshomaru couldn't help a small smile and lifted his hand to wave, "Love you more," he called back and watched until she was out of sight before returning inside.

Inuyasha sniffed the air. He would never forget that scent, and he growled low in his throat. It was Kagome, and HIS smell was all over her, and something else, faint now, but unmistakable. The betrayal stabbed deep in his chest, leaving a deep wound and strengthening his resolve for the task at hand. He had mated with her. She had mated with him. The two people he loved and hated the most had. . . he growled again, louder this time, rage filling him, making his blood boil.

Kagome gasped and jumped slightly, looking around. "W-who's there?" she asked, fearing that it may be more of a what. She'd definitely heard it that time, a growl, deep, guttural, like an animal in pain. She gulped. "H-hello?"

"Aiiiiiieeeeeeee!!!!" she screamed, the claws coming into her vision first and it was. . . too late. She saw flashes of her own blood as she fell to the ground, eyes widened in horror at what she saw looming over her.

"I. . . Inu---ya-sha? W----why?" she asked, finding it very hard to speak, or even move, her quickly blurring vision focused on his blood-covered claws, knowing, this was her blood. Inuyasha had not forgiven her, and maybe he never would.

He struck before he had the chance to look at her, to see her, because he knew he might not be able to go through with it if he'd thought, even for a second. And now, seeing her lying there, dying, it was all he could do to not vomit. Why? She asked. Why indeed.

"Because I loved you!!!" he hollered at her, falling to his knees limply beside her as the life quickly drained from her eyes, his words stinging tears down both of their cheeks.

"I-nu. . ." it was more of a gurgle than an attempt at speech, before her heart stopped and her body stared at him with doll-like eyes. Dead, just a body now, a corpse.

"Because I love you," he whispered. "And because he has to pay."

And, burying his head in his hands, for the first time since the day she'd left, Inuyasha allowed himself to cry, strangled sobs escaping his lips, and one long and mournful howl, before he composed himself. Before he took one last look at her lifeless, doll-like eyes, and walked away.

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*ducks flying objects* gyah!

In the next chappy, Sesshy finds Kags, Shippo finds Sesshy, and Kikyo finds Inuyasha!!! Angst abounds, in this sad sad sequel to "Not that He Cared". *frowns and sniffles* poor kags, poor sesshy, poor inuyasha! Anybody got a tissue?