Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and Co. (But I do own Nika, Yukio, Katsuga, and Hana ^_~.)

'…' Indicates thoughts.

"…" Indicates words.

"Overcoming the Past"

Chapter 12: Dance of the Cherry Blossom Petals

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Inuyasha trudged along sadly as his comrades silently followed a few paces behind him.

We'll meet again… as friends…

"Feh… stupid Kagome. She doesn't get it does she? I don't want to live anymore. I promised Kikyou I would go back to Hell with her, but I can't do that anymore. I betrayed her again. And Kagome… and Sesshoumaru, they…" He mumbled to himself. Miroku raised his eyebrow curiously and exchanged looks with an equally curious Sango.

"He's losing it," commented the monk thoughtfully.

"He lost it the moment Kagome started talking to him about kami knows what… and that's another thing. Why couldn't we hear what was said at Sesshoumaru's castle between Inuyasha and Kagome?" Miroku shook his head, not knowing the answer to the question that had also been plaguing his mind since they left the castle. "And why did Shippou want to stay there instead of with us? I thought that we would finally be able to go back to how things used to be between us."

"I don't know, Sango-sama. All we can do is wait until Inuyasha is ready to share that with us. Kagome must have said something pretty big to get such arise out of Inuyasha," Miroku explained, and Sango silently agreed and reflected on what had transpired three days ago.

*^*^*^*^Flashback*^*^*^*^

Miroku and Sango watched in awe after Kagome defeated Inuyasha and gave a long speech that their ears could not hear. Inuyasha nodded and a few seconds later looked at Sesshoumaru as if he had grown a second head, then began to growl furiously. The taiyoukai responded by mimicking his half brother's movements. Kagome watched with fearful eyes as Inuyasha dove at Sesshoumaru in a fit of rage and as Sesshoumaru, in turn, countered the hanyou's attack, sending him into dark unconsciousness.

Miroku tried to protect Inuyasha, but found that he couldn't get close to the battle. The houshi sighed in defeat and waited for Sesshoumaru to steal Inuyasha's blade Tetsusaiga. The demon lord's actions brought shock and confusion to the minds of the onlookers as he stalked over to Kagome and wrapped his arms possessively around her waist with little resistance from said priestess, growling so feral and deep that his chest visibly vibrated. When Inuyasha came to, Sesshoumaru had already taken Kagome away and left him to the care of his friends.

*^*^*^*^End Flashback*^*^*^*^

"Hey, inu-koro, where's my woman?" Sango snapped back into reality and paled as she looked up to see Kouga standing in front of the group. She shook her head. Of all the demons that they could have run into…

'Bad timing wolf boy…'

"She's not your woman Kouga. She wasn't to begin with, but now she most certainly never will be," Inuyasha drawled out in a deadly calm tone. "Sesshoumaru has her now. She isn't ever going to travel with me anymore. Kagome and I aren't… on very good terms right now." Kouga smirked arrogantly.

"Let me get this straight… Kagome finally realized how worthless you are and ran away, only to be kidnapped by your half brother Sesshoumaru? Well, I guess I should be the one to rescue her; she is my woman after all." Inuyasha scowled. The wolf demon's arrogant stupidity made him sick.

"I already said she was Sesshoumaru's! I told you what you wanted to know, so leave me the hell alone, you mangy wolf!" Kouga growled at the hanyou in response.

"I am surprised that you wouldn't at least attempt to retrieve your shard detector, Inuyasha. I know that she was important to you. Why would you just abandon her simply because that dead miko comes along and agrees to be your mate? Don't you even care what happens to Kagome when she is in the hands of a human-hating taiyoukai?! Well, I do! I'm gonna rescue Kagome!" With that, Kouga sped off, not bothering to wait for the half demon's faint reply.

"I did try to rescue her… I did… But when I finally found her, she didn't want to be rescued…" Inuyasha collapsed to his knees and wept bitterly. The Sango and Miroku simply watched with unspoken sympathy.

<^>^<^>^<^>^<^>

Kagome sat in her room, overlooking the garden in which her surrogate children were playing hide and seek. Sesshoumaru stood behind her protectively, as if someone was going to steal her away from him. In fact, he hadn't left her side since the incident with Inuyasha, and it was getting on Kagome's nerves.

"Kagome-okaasan! Come play with Rin and me!" Shippou exclaimed cheerfully, bursting into her room without so much as a warning. Kagome smiled and nodded at the kit, eager to get away from Sesshoumaru's piercing stare.

"Okay Shippou!" As Kagome stepped toward the child, she heard a low warning growl and turned to see Sesshoumaru glaring at her disapprovingly. Not willing to disappoint the kit and the child waiting in the field, she glared back. "Look, Sesshoumaru, I don't really understand what happened between you and Inuyasha yesterday, but I know he won't come and steal me away while I'm playing games with the children. Besides, I can always subdue him if he does show up." The dog demon's growl softened slightly, but it was clear he still didn't approve. Kagome sighed in defeat.

"If you're so worried, why don't you come too? I know that Rin would love for you to play with her," she offered, earning a scowl from the Demon Lord of the West.

"This Sesshoumaru does not play children's games," he scoffed arrogantly.

"Then I guess I'm going out all alone and unprotected…"

"…"

<^>^<^>

"YAY! Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome-chan are going to play with Rin and Shippou-kun! Yay!!!" came the ecstatic cry of the young girl as she clung to Sesshoumaru's leg. "This will be the bestest game of hide and seek ever! Rin will get to play with Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome-chan both together!!!!" When Rin finished screaming for joy, Shippou began to decide the teams.

"Sesshoumaru-sama and Rin can be together as seekers and Kagome-okaasan and I will hide, 'kay?" Rin and Kagome nodded happily and Sesshoumaru simply stared, his face indifferent. Rin took Sesshoumaru's hand and lead him over to a tree.

"Close your eyes, Sesshoumaru-sama, so Rin can count!" the chipper girl laughed. Sesshoumaru complied and Rin began to count, closing her eyes, too. Shippou snickered, earning a curious stare from his partner.

"I've got the best plan, okaasan! Now that Sesshoumaru's playing I am actually going to have to try. I've got a spell that will disguise or scents." Kagome watched the kit uncertainly and was about to object, but realized it was too late. "Okay, now let's split up. Remember, don't leave clear tracks!"

Kagome shrugged and wandered through the forested gardens, replaying the recent events with her old friends over and over in her minds, bringing bittersweet tears to trickle down her delicate face.

"Kagome!" Kagome stiffened when she heard her name being called. She hesitantly turned to see Kouga staring down at her in relief. "I'm so glad you're okay! I saw Inu-koro and he told me you had been kidnapped. I'm so glad that he was wrong." He pulled Kagome to him and embraced her possessively.

"Dame…" she mumbled, pushing the wolf demon away. Kouga was slightly hurt, but allowed it anyway. "I… Sesshoumaru didn't kidnap me; he rescued me. I was lost…he found me. I was running blindly away from life and Sesshoumaru stopped me and helped me see… see my true self. I owe everything to him…"

"Nonsense, Kagome. You're my woman and I won't lose you to anyone. I don't care if he is the taiyoukai of the west! I-"

"I am not yours! I am my own person. You all talk about me like I'm some kind of thing, a possession. That is exactly what Sesshoumaru rescued me from: believing that I am merely a toy that people enjoy playing with for a while before disposing of me; from people like you. I won't listen to it anymore. I am my own self. I am Kagome…" Kouga stared at her in disbelief.

"Kagome, I…"

"I don't care if you want me to be your mate, Kouga. I will only be the mate of someone who loves and respects me as a person. That person will be the one who knows the real me, the one I keep hidden from the world. Now, leave… before Sesshoumaru arrives and takes your life." Kouga frowned deeply before departing. Kagome sighed the moment he was gone, turning to a shadowed part of the forest with a smile.

"Thank you for letting him leave. He's a good friend that I would hate to lose, even if he is a little pig-headed at times. I appreciate it, Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru nodded, but remained hidden from her. Kagome sat down on the soft grass and patted the spot next to her. Sesshoumaru watched her warily. "Won't you please join me here?" The dog demon hesitated before stalking over and taking a seat next to the young miko. Kagome began to hum softly to herself as she fidgeted with the sleeve of her kimono. Sesshoumaru watched her intensely for a moment before she met his gaze with her own. Both quickly averted their eyes, a slight blush staining cheeks. The taiyoukai found himself enjoying the gentle caress of Kagome's sweet voice in his ears as she hummed a melody as foreign to him as she was. Kagome picked up a single cherry blossom petal and held it in the palm of her hand before blowing on it. She smiled sadly as she watched it spin toward the ground beside her.

"I remember when I was little, my mother would take my brother and I to my grandparents' house to see the spring sakura and for the spring festivals. I would always love to dance under the falling cherry petals… I would spin until I was so dizzy I would fall, and each time I fell, I wanted to cry because no one was there to catch me. I always danced alone. When I met Inuyasha, I saw in him a piece of myself. I think that because I understood his pain I wanted to help him… to heal him of the pain I felt so keenly within my own heart. I think that's what I mistook for love." Sesshoumaru gazed at Kagome intently before turning away and nodding for her to continue.

"It arouses such a bittersweet feeling in my heart…I-" Kagome froze in mid sentence as she felt Sesshoumaru's soft lips press gently against her own. Sesshoumaru slowly pulled away, dreading the reaction he would receive for his thoughtless actions. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Kagome's wide sapphire orbs.

'Kirei.' He blushed and looked away.

"Gomen ne…" he mumbled, nearly inaudible to Kagome's human ears. Kagome frowned and her lips were pursed into a thin line when she heard that.

"Don't," Her tone was stern, leaving no room for opposition. Sesshoumaru lifted his gaze to her questioningly. Her eyes softened at the sadness he was shrouded in. "Please don't apologize." His piercing gaze remained on her so intensely that she had to fight the urge to turn away. Hesitantly, she drifted closer to the taiyoukai before mimicking his previous actions and placing a chaste kiss on his lips before moving away to sit as if nothing had happened.

"I don't feel that pain when I'm near you…" she whispered and moved to lean against his chest. Sesshoumaru fought to suppress the blush that was threatening to spread across his cheeks as he draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Kagome snuggled into him and they watched sakura petals dance their way to the soft forest floor… together.

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-sama: honorific similar to milady/milord

taiyoukai: full-blooded demon, usually one of royal status

hanyou: half-breed (half demon and half human)

houshi: Buddhist monk

inu-koro: dog-turd, dog-breath, etc. (inu means dog and koro is an insulting suffix)

okaasan: mother (Shippou adds it to Kagome's name because she is like a mother to him)

-kun: a suffix that is used after one's name to emphasize familiarity (usually added to a boy's name)
dame: don't/bad

kirei: beautiful

gomen: I'm sorry/forgive me