InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Promises of Forever ❯ Chapter 7

Promises of Forever

 

Wow! 2 weeks went by fast! A little ahead of schedule, so this is the rough copy! I will refine it later (say about 3 days) and repost it with 10% less errors.

 

Please read and review

 

Chapter 7

 

 

Running her fingers through her hair, she tried to calm herself. `What a spectacle I must be making of myself! I must look like such a fool' Kagome almost hated to look up to see what kind of look she was getting from the taiyoukai. `He must think I am some deluded child, and he's probably right. OK, just pull yourself together. He doesn't know that I was dreaming about Inuyasha and Kikyo. It could have been anything. ANYTHING else.'

 

Kagome slowly brought her eyes up to find the taiyoukai. `He's not even here! At least, I don't have to worry about another explanation. But why would he bring me out here just to leave me?' Worry began to creep back in to Kagome's mind. Kagome stood up searching for any sign of where the demon lord could have wandered off.

 

It was still too dark to be able to look for him. Kagome let out a sigh and was about to walk back to the camp when the sound of falling water could be heard in the distance. Turning, she decided to follow it.

 

`What am I doing? It could easily be a bear hunting for food, and I don't have any weapons.' She chastised herself, but still kept following the sound. Slowly making her way closer to the noise, she crouched behind a bush as the image came into view. `Sesshoumaru.'

 

Kagome's cheeks reddened as she realized she had come upon Sesshoumaru bathing. It was only logical that he had to bath sometime. After all, he did always seem to be so clean. She felt even more embarrassed as she stared at his bare chest. `OK, Kagome, just turn back around and go back to where you were.' Nothing happened. `OK, just turn around and walk away NOW.' Still nothing happened.

 

She was sure that she had the best of intentions, but her body was refusing to cooperate. `Why HAS he gotten so interesting all of the sudden? It isn't like I need another silvery haired, nasty tempered, sexy as hell youkai in my life. I already have one.'

 

`But where is he now? He isn't here.' Sesshoumaru's words rang in her head.

 

Raising his head from the water to rinse his long, silky hair one last time the feint scent of sakura blossoms filled Sesshoumaru. Kagome? She's here watching. A smug grin formed on the taiyoukai's face. She is interested, after all.

 

The great lord walked gracefully to the bank where he had left his clothes. Inch by inch leaving the water behind that had hid his body.

 

Kagome froze as every minute detail of his lean, muscular form came into sight. A mixture of excitement and fear rushed over her. With one last forceful effort of will she turned her back to the moonlit form, but not before taking in how well endowed the youkai was.

 

`Oh Kamis, what am I doing? By all rights, I am a married woman now, and here I am hiding in the bushes like some hentai watching my mate's brother bathe. What is wrong with me?' Kagome fled as quickly and quietly as she could to avoid being detected.

 

 

 

~*~

 

Inuyasha sank down against a tree lifeless. He felt drained of all hope for finding the girl that could grant his first love more time. At the rate Kikyo had been deteriorating he was sure that she couldn't last more than another day at best.

 

Kikyo's face kept playing through his mind time and time again. The one he could never have. She was always just out of reach. Death seemed to always be calling for her. Maybe it was pointless. She truly wasn't of this world anymore. But to just let her go wasn't an alternative, either.

 

A single tear rolled down his cheek. “Kikyo…”

 

He had never been one to just accept what faith had dealt to him. If he had, he would have lay down and died with his mother. No, he was a fighter, and as long as Kikyo remained in this world he would fight for her to remain no matter how pointless it seemed to be. She had come back from much worst, and this would be no exception.

 

Inuyasha suddenly felt a pull coming from deep inside. He didn't know what was causing it, but he was sure that it calling for him to follow.

 

He was close, very close. He could feel it now. A village lay just past the next group of trees, and the scent of grave yard soil was heavy in the air. Why hadn't he sensed it before?

 

Following it to the hut on the outskirts of the village, he called for the girl. “Enju?”

 

The girl had already been awakened by a shimmering light. She knew that someone was coming for her and seemed to be relieved when she saw Inuyasha's face.

 

“How can I help you?” The girl asked.

 

“It's Kikyo. Can you help her?” Inuyasha answered.

 

After a little conversation Enju readied herself, and they were on their way.

 

Enju clutched tightly around the hanyou's shoulders as he jumped higher and further each time.

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru chuckled to himself as his youkai ears listened to every frantic step she made fleeing. But why? He couldn't help but to be distracted once again to that one question. Why was he craving this human girl? He hated ALL humans except for Rin.

 

The only thing that gave him solace against his desires was that she had been claimed, and he refused to touch any female that had been claimed.

 

`But why?' That word was becoming almost as exasperating as the girl herself. Every feeling he had these days was ending with that one word. `Why?'

 

As he jerked up his clothes in annoyance with himself, he reminded himself of everything he hated about her. `She's HUMAN, fragile, childish, brazen, and human. Human should be enough. It was the downfall of my father. A mighty and ferocious taiyoukai would have never fallen if he hadn't had to protect such a weak human.'

 

 

Kagome fell breathlessly to the ground in the place where he had left her earlier. `That was too close.'

 

“Miko, it seems you've become separated from your group,” a breathy voice hissed.

Kagome swirled around quickly to meet her attackers. Before she could let out a yell, she felt another youkai behind her forcing a cloth into her mouth.

 

“I don't think so, not yet, little miko.” The leader whispered into her ear.

 

 

As the Great Lord of the West reached for his armor, a brilliant flash of fear coursed through his body. “Miko.”

 

“Now where do you think you're going?” In a flash the taiyoukai's armor and toukijin had been flung out of his reach.

 

Sesshoumaru gave a disgusted snort and smiled broadly at the hatred the youkai had triggered. Fighting was at least one thing he could control and win at. And he was about to unleash every bit of frustration on this lesser youkai.

 

The taiyoukai casually let a bit of the poison drip from his claws as he sized up his prey. What was the most curious thing about this particular demon is that there wasn't a single trace of youki surrounding him. Something was definitely off, but it was of little concern. He was going to make these intruders pay for insolence.

 

Bringing his acid whip up to his chest, he gave the youkai one last sinister smile before he brought it quickly across his victim's chest slicing him in two.

 

Another wave of terror rushed through the great lord making him forget about his discarded armor. Dashing back into the clearing, he found the rest of the group of youkai.

 

Five panther youkai in human form surrounded the bloodied girl. Her face was battered and bruised. Parts had already started to swell. Much of her clothes had been torn to shreds and lay as rags at her sides.

 

Sesshoumaru felt sickened as he saw the youkai kneeling between the young girl's thighs while the others were holding her down.

 

A horrified shriek escaped the girl's lips as the cloth fell from her bruised mouth. Panicking as a clawed hand ripped her flesh as it made its way up her thigh, she anticipated what was about to happen to her.

 

Sango and Miroku jumped up at the same time hearing the scream of their friend.

 

“This way…” Miroku hollered for Sango.

 

“What's going on?” Shippo asked wiping the sleep from his eyes.

 

“You stay here with Rin and ...” Sango looked quickly around to see a missing Jaken as well. “…Rin and Kirara,” Sango said as she grabbed hiraikotsu and ran to catch up with the monk.

 

“It definitely came from over here.” Sango and Miroku bolted through the wooded trail barefoot with the debris tearing at their flesh.

 

Quickly the leader grabbed Kagome up by the hair of the head, bringing her in front of him as the Great Dog Demon moved to attack.

 

She could feel the cold steel of the blade poised to dig deep into her throat. She had finally given Naraku the advantage he had been hoping for, and all in stupidity. If she had only stayed at the campsite, perhaps this wouldn't be happening. Or if she was only a stronger fighter.

 

Footsteps barreled closer as she sensed her friend's presence. “Miroku…Sango” she called out.

 

“I see everyone has come to join in,” the leader yelled to them.

 

Sesshoumaru maintained his distance calculating his enemy's every move as not to put the miko in any further danger. Although his demeanor remained emotionless, his eyes shone red with the blood demon raging to break free.

 

Sango gasped as she looked onto the bloodied, half-naked girl. Her clothes were only half clinging to her body leaving most of her breasts exposed and showing a trail of thick, blackened blood than flowed freely between her breasts.

 

She clutched hiraikotsu firmly getting ready to take out as many as she could. Miroku's hand fell in front of her before she could release the enormaous weapon.

 

Sango looked questioningly to the monk before noticing that their youki was hidden. It was obviusly a well planned out trap of sorts.

 

Rain began to fall from the sky as the taiyoukai waited ever still.

 

“Even though she isn't quite pure, she does excite you, doesn't she, Lord Sesshoumaru?” The leader called out. Holding the knife still firmly to her throat, he ran his fowl tongue the length of her face making her whimper. Taking in an audible breath, “Just sniff the air dog demon, her arousal from earlier is still on her, mixed with fear and blood. That's enough to have any demon around so hard he'd come running. Are you still hard for her? Or are you capable of getting it up twice?”

 

Sango clutched her giant boomerang harder as if to dig her nails into it while Miroku held her forcefully back.

 

“He is baiting Sesshoumaru. That is all. Don't pay any heed to what he says.” Miroku warned.

 

Sesshoumaru refused to let anyone see that he had been unnerved by their observations. Instead he looked as callous as ever to the situation.

 

The taiyoukai looked to the heavens surveying the sky nonchalantly, and quirked an eyebrow. “Take her, I would not sulley myself by touching a human.” The taiyoukai turned and began to leave.

 

Sango tried to break free from Miroku, but was still held back. “Miroku, let me go. I told you we couldn't trust him.”

 

“Just wait,” Miroku whispered.

 

“Oi, so I guess it is true, you can't get it up twice in one night. No matter, you can still just watch me finish what I started.” The panther youkai jerked her back to the ground releasing the knife from her neck as she screamed in pain once more.

Within the second, Sesshoumaru lunged forward onto the leader knocking him from the miko.

 

The rest of the band of demons had already assembled as Sesshoumaru's attention was on the leader. Quickly they fired a cannon size weapon toward the dog demon blowing him into a raging fire that had ignited from the blast.

 

Everything seemed to be on fire in the area the weapon had fired into. Trees and rock had been blasted to bits. Kagome looked to the spot where Miroku and Sango had been only moments before to find nothing.

 

Kagome screamed as she looked for her friends while her captors rejoiced around the flames.

 

The sky continued to pour rain, but refused to drench the fire as time stood still.

 

Sango, Miroku, and Sesshoumaru had all been thrown from the blast. Only flames, smoke and falling debris were left in the distance.

 

Looking up into the rain and the smoke, and the flames, she could see a white, figure emerging undaunted from the explosion, but with a sincere determintaion in his eyes.

 

Sesshoumaru.

 

The panther demons moved abruptly to attack all at once. The taiyoukai stopped dead in his tracks letting the group surround him before unleashing his whip once more. With a spin of his wrist, each of the remaining members went sailing through the air cut to pieces.

 

His attention focused on the fragile miko sitting on the ground.

 

Tears fell freely down the girl's face as she looked away in shame trying to grip the remaining cloth to cover herself.

 

Sesshoumaru took off the kimono that was still hanging from his shoulders. He had yet to finish dressing when he had sensed that she was in danger. Covering her in the white, pristine kimono, he surveyed her wounds and was glad that they hadn't had time to do anymore damage.

 

“You will be fine.” His tone was just as cold as ever, making Kagome shudder a bit. She feared what he must be thinking of her.

 

Sango and Miroku emerged coughing from a pile rubble not 20 feet from where Kagome sat. Both quickly surveyed that the excitement was already over, and hurriedly freed themselves.

 

Sango rushed to her friend's side. “Are you ok?”

 

“Yes, I may not look like it. But I'm ok.” Kagome reassured her. “I was so worried about you two. I thought that you had been killed”

 

“Thank goodness for hiraikotsu. It shielded us.” Sango smiled.

 

Miroku looked around inspected the carnage. Pieces of youkai lay scattered. One small fragment got his attention. The houshi moved closer to get a better look.

 

“These seemed to be the brethren to the panther youkai we killed the other day.” Miroku gestured.

 

“Kagome, why are you all the way out here?” Sango asked.

 

“It was such a nice night out I wanted to take a walk, I guess it was a really bad idea,” Kagome said as she discreetly rubbed the tears from her face and gave a half-hearted smile.

 

“At this time of night?” Sango asked warily.

 

Miroku gave a brief glimpse to the taiyoukai standing above him giving substantial notice to the fact that his armor was nowhere near the scene of the violence and let out a sigh of concern. He reached down picking up the piece of fuyouheki which had drawn his attention.

 

“Perhaps this is what helped them attack without any warning.” Miroku held up the fragment for everyone to see.

 

“A piece of the fuyouheki?” Sango gasped.

 

“It seems as if Naraku has sent them directly here and with toys this time.”

 

 

Inuyasha waited outside silently with Kohaku as the undead pottery maker chanted her incantation. Inuyasha paced as what seemed to be taking forever. The sun was beginning to rise making him even edgier.

 

Stepping to the door, Enju asked them both to come inside.

 

“She is not fully healed. It is not possible to heal her body fully any longer with the miasma that is eating away at her. But she will regain much of her strength within the next day.” Enju said solemnly.

 

Inuyasha stepped closer to Kikyo knowing that regardless of how much time the girl had added to her right now, she would soon perish.

 

The undead miko sat up as to stop the hanyou from approaching any closer.

 

“Inuyasha, this is not your place anymore.” Kikyo gave a resolute tone.

 

“What the hell's that suppose to mean?” Inuyasha very seldom took a harsh tone with Kikyo, but he refused to be dismissed so easily.

 

Kohaku stood taking a defensive stance to the side of Kikyo's futon.

 

Noticing that Inuyasha had no desire to leave just yet, Kohaku stood between the two. “Lady Kikyo thinks that you would do best attending to other matters.”