InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Her Choice ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AN: Wow, I didn't expect this story to be so popular. *Grins* Well, I'm happy this little pet project is turning out so well. Hope everyone enjoys!

BTW, thank you to all those who reviewed! It really means a lot to me! :-)

FLUFF WARNING! This chapter is has fluff! I assume no responsibility for intense reactions to cuteness. (Besides, this chapter ain't even as fluff filled as the next one!)

Chapter 4

Kagome rolled her eyes at the shocked faces of her friends.

“You're really a demon now? You're not gonna go crazy and start killing humans, right?” Sango asked, cautiously.

“No. I'm still me. I just want a chance to see my family again. It seems demons can travel through the well. And now, I can be an even better mother to Shippou,” Kagome insisted for the 12th time.

“Well, I must say, I did not believe you could be any prettier, Kagome. I am proved wrong by your shear majestic beauty!” Miroku said, holding his arms out, heading towards the youkai.

However, he stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the glare Sesshoumaru was giving him. He laughed nervously and backed up.

“You have to teach me how you do that…” Sango muttered.

Kagome shook her head and laughed.

Suddenly, Ah-Un dropped down from the sky.

“Sesshoumaru-sama! My lord!” the annoyingly squeaky voice of Jaken cried.

They all looked to see Jaken and an exhausted Rin on the back of the two-headed dragon.

“What has happened, Jaken?” Sesshoumaru demanded.

Kagome walked up to the dragon and picked up the human girl. Shippou, who was perched on her shoulder, looked at the girl curiously.

Jaken watched the new youkai warily.

“She will not harm her, Jaken. Answer my question,” Sesshoumaru's impatience was beginning to show in his voice.

“My lord! It appears an army of humans with powerful weapons has besieged your castle. Mouko-sama has attempted to rally the demons against them; there are so many humans. I've never seen an army like this before!” Jaken finally took a deep breath.

Sesshoumaru scowled. “There was probably a human behind Azatoi's attack. But I do not know of any humans with that much power… This is unsettling…”

“We could always lay low and wait it out in my time…” Kagome offered.

“But Rin is human. She won't be able to travel through the well, if your theory is correct,” the tai-youkai mentioned.

“Maybe if she's kept close between us, she can slip through. Demons who normally can't get through the well have slipped through by being close to Inu-Yasha. It's a risk, but staying here right now is far more dangerous,” Kagome's words were heavy with a hidden meaning.

“Then it is settled. We shall leave immediately,” Sesshoumaru said, heading in the direction of the Bone Eater's well.

“Sorry to cut this short guys. We'll be back though. Make sure Inu-Yasha stays out of trouble,” Kagome called, heading out holding Rin.

“Take care Kagome! It's good to know you're alright!” Sango called to her friend.

“Take care of Kagome, Shippou!” Miroku called to the Kitsune pup.

“I will Miroku! Don't be too much of a hentai!” he giggled.

The group of youkai stood at the edge of the bone eater's well, trying to figure out how to get Rin through.

“I'll hold her and climb down to a safe height, Sesshoumaru you follow on the other side. Then we'll hold her between us. Jaken, Shippou, you two jump when we tell you too. Ah-Un, hide somewhere till we return,” Kagome ordered. Everyone nodded and the two-headed dragon disappeared into the sky.

The two youkai began to climb down the well carefully. Rin tried to stay still as possible. Finally, a short distance from the bottom of the well, the two youkai froze. Kagome turned slightly, so that Rin was facing Sesshoumaru.

“Are you ready, Rin?” Sesshoumaru asked, looking at her. She nodded, giving him a small smile.

“Jaken, Shippou, jump!” Kagome called.

As soon as the two other youkai reached their level, Sesshoumaru and Kagome let got of the wall. All five slipped through the bottom of the well.

Kagome winced as her nose was assaulted by many different scents at once. She turned to see Sesshoumaru and Shippou both felt discomfort as well.

“Kagome? You back?” a young boy's voice called.

“Souta! Not so loud!” Kagome groaned.

“Sorry, sis. We've just been worried sick! You haven't shown up in over a month!” Souta said hurriedly. “Did you kill Naraku yet? What's been happening? Is Inu-Yasha with you?!?”

“Oi, one thing at a time. Yes, Naraku's dead, jewel's purified, and Inu-Yasha is not with me. However, I… um… brought some friends with me…” She laughed nervously, climbing over the edge of the well.

“Should I warn mom?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

“Probably… Ok, hand her to me,” Kagome called down.

She grabbed Rin from the tai-youkai. She pulled her up, and set her down on the ground. She smiled shyly at Kagome's brother.

“Souta, this is Rin, Rin this is my little brother Souta,” Kagome said, and then swished her tail awkwardly.

Souta's eyes suddenly widened. “YOU HAVE A TAIL!!!”

“Ow! Souta! Quiet already!” Kagome winced.

“Sorry sis. What in the world happened?” Souta asked.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru appeared over the edge of the well with Shippou on his shoulder and Jaken clinging desperately to him. Souta stared in wonder at the youkai in front of him.

“Wow… You're a youkai! A full youkai, right? Are you a dog youkai?” Souta immediately began questioning the newcomer.

“Easy Souta. This is Sesshoumaru, Inu-Yasha's older brother. He's been taking care of me for the last month… It's a long story, I'll tell ya inside. However, the little kitsune is Shippou. And that's Jaken,” Kagome pointed to the toad.

“This is sooooo cool! There's a bunch of youkai in my home! I gotta tell mom about this!” he cried, and ran out of the well house.

“He is certainly… enthusiastic…” Sesshoumaru said softly. “Your world is a bit overwhelming.”

“Yeah, I had no idea it hurt Inu-Yasha this much to come here. I can see why he'd complain…” Kagome said, holding the curtain open for everyone to get through.

“Kagome! You're alive!” a woman called, running towards the group of youkai.

Kagome smiled and hugged her mother. “I've missed you mom! I have so much to tell you…”

“I know, but first, who's this handsome man you've brought home? He reminds me a little of Inu-Yasha…” her mom asked, smiling.

Kagome blushed slightly. “Mom… This is Sesshoumaru, Inu-Yasha's older brother. He's saved my life. I've been staying with him for the past month.”

Sesshoumaru nodded respectfully to the woman. She smiled brightly at him. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know she can be a handful at times.”

He shook his head. “It is I who am grateful to her. She has saved my life first. And again, she offered to allow myself and those closest to me shelter in her time.”

“Of course, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like!” Kagome's mother said happily.

“And mom, this is Shippou. The one I always buy pocky for,” Kagome said, pointing to the kitsune who was sitting on her shoulder, looking a bit frightened.

“It's wonderful to finally meet you, Shippou. Kagome's told me many wonderful things about you,” she said kindly.

Shippou blushed, but smiled.

“And this is Rin, Sesshoumaru saved her when wolves killed her and her village…” Kagome explained.

“Killed?” her mother gasped.

“My sword is able to bring the dead back to life,” Sesshoumaru explained, holding onto Tenseiga.

“Oh my! You are quite the hero, Sesshoumaru. It's an honor to have you here!”

“And that's Jaken,” Kagome said, pointing to the toad.

“How dare you treat me so disrespectfully! I happen to be very important to Sesshoumaru-sama!” Jaken protested.

“Quiet Jaken, we are her guests in her time,” Sesshoumaru ordered.

“Y-Yes my lord…” Jaken muttered, quite deflated.

“Well, it's nice to meet you, Jaken. And be nice Kagome,” her mother scolded.

“Sorry mom,” she said, looking down. She grabbed her tail and started to pet it.

“K-Kagome…? Is that your tail?” her mother gasped.

Kagome blushed and nodded. “The only way I could get back through the well was if I took the body of a demon… It's a long story… Why don't we go inside, and I'll explain what happened…”

Kagome's mother could only nod, before she led them all into the house.

“And then he sealed my spirit to this body,” Kagome finished, leaning back and sighing.

“Wow. My sister is a youkai! This is AWESOME!” Souta cheered.

“But how will you be able to continue going to school, Kagome?” her mother asked.

“Well… I haven't completely figured out how to use my illusions yet, but Azatoi was able to look, sound, and even smell like Rin. I'm sure I could simply alter my appearance to look like a normal human,” Kagome suggested.

“You shall need to train immediately, if you wish to master your illusions,” Sesshoumaru added.

“I know. I sorta have a vague feeling as to how it should work. Like my body knows what it has to do…” Kagome trailed off thinking.

“I could help, mama!” Shippou shouted, happily.

“Mama?” Kagome's family shouted.

“Remember? I found him after his family was murdered. Part of why I choose this body was to be able to take better care of Shippou,” Kagome said quietly. “And taking care of a youkai child isn't nearly as difficult as a human child. Shippou's extremely intelligent for his age.”

“I see. I trust you Kagome. I know you wouldn't take on more then you can handle. I suppose that makes you my grandson then, Shippou,” Kagome's mother smiled kindly at the little kitsune.

“Then you're my nephew!” Souta shouted, happily. “I'm the uncle of a youkai! This day just keeps getting better and better!”

Kagome laughed at her brother's antics.

“So that means you and Inu-Yasha weren't going out? Does that mean you were really going out with Sesshoumaru?” Souta questioned his sister, curiously.

Kagome coughed and blushed.

“Going out?” Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the girl.

“Um… It's a courtship of sorts in my world…” Kagome said, blushing deeper.

“I see,” he replied.

“No, I wasn't going out with Inu-Yasha. He's always been in love with Kikyou. And Sesshoumaru and I weren't always friends. Him and Inu-Yasha really don't like each other…” Kagome trailed off.

“Ah, so you came and rescued Kagome from Inu-Yasha breaking her heart! That's so cool! So are you going to be my brother in law?” Souta asked cheerfully.

Kagome sweat-dropped. “My little brother is insane, don't mind him…”

Sesshoumaru simply raised an eyebrow at the question.

Rin and Shippou giggled before whispering conspiratorially. Jaken was sputtering in utter shock. Grandpa hid his laughter behind a few coughs.

“Souta, I think that's enough questions for now,” Kagome's mother said, trying to hide the amusement in her voice.

“I believe my brother has allowed his eternal stupidity and infernal bluntness to infect your own brother, Kagome. My sincerest apologies,” he said with a small smirk.

“Apology accepted, Sesshoumaru,” Kagome giggled.

The laughter in the room was interrupted by the doorbell.

“A lot of your friends have been coming by lately to see if you're alright, Kagome. Especially that boy, Hojo,” Kagome's mother said.

“Crap! I don't know how to use my illusions yet…” Kagome muttered.

“Go upstairs into your room, everyone else hide in Souta's room,” Kagome's mother ordered calmly.

“Good idea mom!” Kagome said, before dashing up the steps to her room.

“Follow me, guys!” Souta called before running up the steps after her. The youkai and Rin followed after him.

Kagome's mother smiled to herself, before opening the door.

“Oh, Hojo! It's so nice to see you again,” Kagome's mother said politely.

“Hi, I brought over some more of Kagome's schoolwork. I hope she's feeling better. We've all been very worried about her,” he said cheerfully.

“Oh yes, she's doing much better. She might be able to return to school soon. She's also able to speak again.” Kagome's mother lied smoothly.

“That's wonderful news! I hope to see her soon. Tell her I hope she continues to get well, and to make sure to eat those lizard tails!” Hojo said, walking to the temple steps.

“I will, take care Hojo!” Kagome's mother called before closing the door.

“All clear everyone!” she called.

“Thank goodness. It was Hojo, right?” Kagome sighed. “I feel bad. He's a nice guy and all, but…”

“But?” Sesshoumaru asked.

“My friends have been pushing me to go on a date with him, but I just don't like him like that. He's a little too… I dunno, weird yet normal,” she laughed.

“You never cease to confuse me, girl,” he shook his head. “And what is a date?”

“A date is when a guy and a girl who like each other go somewhere together to talk and have fun. People go on dates to find out if they could have a relationship with someone. And if they do like each other, they end up going out a lot. Then they're boyfriend and girlfriend. And if things go well for a while then, the guy asks the girl to marry him,” Kagome explained.

“That seems like a lot to do in order to take a mate,” Sesshoumaru noted.

“I guess it is in some ways. But it's important for humans to know they can trust and work well with their husband or wife. Love is important too,” she added, sitting down on the couch, and turning on the TV.

“What is this?” Sesshoumaru asked, watching in amusement as people filled the screen.

“It's television. People are recorded onto tape in one place, then the images on the tape are reduced to energy and sent to these boxes all over the world,” she began switching channels.

“Incredible. You can use this device to see things all over the world?” he asked, sitting down next to the girl.

“Yup. There's also telephones, which allow people to speak to each other all over the world. And computers, where you can access virtually all information in the world,” she smiled at him.

“Your time is amazing. My brother is a fool to hate a world with so many… conveniences,” he shook his head.

“I agree. In fact, I think I'll enjoy one of those conveniences right now. I'm gonna take a nice long, hot bath,” Kagome sighed in happiness at the thought.

Sesshoumaru nodded. “I shall continue to watch the television and learn more of your world.”

“Have fun, Sesshoumaru!” she called, bounding up the steps.

“Hey, Sesshoumaru, do you have any awesome attacks like Inu-Yasha?” Souta asked, jumping down the steps.

“His attacks are pathetic compared to mine,” he scoffed.

“Can you show me?” he asked excitedly.

Sesshoumaru watched the boy for a moment before nodding.

“Is there a large space where I may show you?” he questioned, standing.

“Yeah! Follow me!” Souta grinned, rushing out the door.

Sesshoumaru followed him, walking swiftly. He saw a large open yard with trees scattered about. He smirked and held up two fingers.

“Stay back,” he instructed.

He slashed off a branch of a nearby tree with his poison whip.

“Wow! What's that whip made of?” Souta asked, absolutely stunned.

“My claws are poisonous. I can summon a whip made of the same poison. I also breath out poison gas when in my true form,” he explained.

“True form?” Souta looked up at the youkai in adoration. “Can I see?”

“I do not believe it would be wise to transform here. However, I can transform into a large white dog,” he explained.

“You are SOOOOOOOO much cooler then Inu-Yasha! I want to be like you, Sesshoumaru!” he grinned brightly.

“Of course,” Sesshoumaru said before heading inside the house again.

“He's so mysterious too… I bet girls would fall all over themselves to go out with him…” Souta said, his voice dripping with admiration and respect. “I have to be like him!”

“Hey, where'd ya go, Sesshoumaru?” Kagome asked. She was in the kitchen helping her mom with Rin and Shippou.

“Souta wished to see some of my `cool attacks.' I showed him my poison whip. Apparently it doesn't take much to impress him,” He smirked, and leaned in the doorway.

“I told you he'd love you,” the demi-kitsune giggled.

“I wish to see more of your world,” he stated.

“If I can figure out these illusions, maybe I can extend them to make you look human as well. Then I could show you anything,” Kagome suggested.

The tai-youkai nodded.

“You should begin practicing then,” he suggested.

“I guess I should. Will you be ok from here, mom?” Kagome asked.

“Of course dear. Good luck,” she said, smiling.

“I'll help Kagome!” Shippou called.

“Me too!” Rin said, giggling.

The two grinned and ran after Kagome.

“Would you mind giving me a hand setting the table, Sesshoumaru?” Kagome's mother asked kindly.

“Not at all,” he replied. He took the pile of plates she handed him, and placed one at each seat. “Thank you again for allowing us to stay here. I'm afraid it's not very safe right now at my home.”

“I don't mind. You've been watching out for my daughter. I'd have been crushed if she never came home,” she said quietly.

“She spoke of you often. She missed you all very much,” he said, taking the chopsticks from her and placing them around the table.

“She's a good girl. I know she's going to live far longer then any of us now. I know you've done a lot, but it would put my heart at ease to know you'll be there, and protect her for her long life,” she said quietly, filling a bowl with miso soup.

“Inu-youkai take promises of protection very seriously. I have already promised her my protection, for life. No one will harm her so long as I live,” the tai-youkai explained solemnly.

“It's good to know she's in such good hands. I have a good feeling about you. You are to her what Inu-Yasha could never be,” she said, placing two bowls down at the table.

“And that is?” he raised an eyebrow.

“An equal. You clearly respect her. Inu-Yasha never gave her that. Not even after she killed Naraku. She knows she can be comfortable around you. She doesn't have to prove herself to you,” she smiled.

“No, she doesn't. Even as a mortal, she was stronger then most demons I had faced. She never feared me. I have always respected her for that,” Sesshoumaru said quietly.

“Sesshoumaru! Look! I can do it!” Kagome cried happily, running into the kitchen. She looked exactly as she did as a human.

“She even made me look human!” Shippou said, grinning. Then only thing that changed about him was his hands did not appear to have claws any longer, and his tail had disappeared.

“Impressive. You've even masked the youkai scent from both of you. I assume the knowledge of your powers were kept within the body?” he surmised.

“I guess so. It was really easy, actually. I don't know how to explain it though,” she said thoughtfully.

“Well, it's time for dinner now. Shippou, would you please find Souta and Grandpa and tell them dinner is ready?” Kagome's mother asked kindly.

“Sure!” he said and bounded off.

“Want me to see if I can do the illusion on you too?” Kagome asked cheerfully.

Sesshoumaru nodded his consent. He watched as Kagome closed her eyes and whispered something. He felt a light tingling, and watched, as his claws seemed to disappear.

“Impressive,” he said quietly.

“Yeah, but now I'm soooooooo hungry! Let's eat!” she grinned, and sat down at the table.

Shippou yawned loudly. “I'm tired. Can I stay in your room, Kagome?”

“Me too!” Rin added through her own yawn.

“You should get some rest, Kagome. You are not yet used to your body,” Sesshoumaru suggested.

“Does that mean you volunteer to watch over the lot of us?” she asked, grinning.

“I will always watch of all of you, tonight is no different,” he replied.

Kagome smiled softly, and yawned. “Well, then I can rest easy.”

The group walked up the stairs to Kagome's room. She laughed a bit, looking at her small bed.

“We're gonna be a bit squished on my bed…” she shook her head.

“Your bedroll is much smaller, and we fit fine!” Shippou insisted, afraid she'd make him sleep on the floor.

“Don't worry, I don't mind Shippou. I just don't know where Sesshoumaru will fit,” she explained.

Sesshoumaru then lifted Kagome's pillow, and pulled down her sheets. She watched him curiously as he sat down, leaning against the head of the bed.

“Come,” he beckoned, and Kagome blushed slightly, before sitting on her bed.

She let him pull her up against him, and leaned her head back against the pillow on his lap. Shippou and Rin lay down on either side of her, snuggling against her. Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around Kagome as she snuggled against him, already falling asleep.

He smiled softly as the demi-kitsune, her pup, and his Rin slept peacefully under his watch.