InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Remnants of the Spider ❯ Into the North ( Chapter 44 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Lady Sianna 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 11.11.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 270 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 11.11.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 270 | Status: Work In Progress
Remnants of the Spider
Into the North __________________________________________________________________ ______
Tension in the expansive chamber was nearly suffocating and even though she refused to acknowledge it, opting instead to hide her nervousness and guilt beneath feigned excitement over their find, Kagome suspected she knew why.
‘This has to be the most embarrassing thing ever!’ she thought as she tried to keep signs of nervousness from her face. Stealing a glance at Inuyasha, who was currently fixing Sesshoumaru with a look that would shatter a pane of bullet proof glass; she forced a smile and showed off the key to her remaining friends.
As she had predicted, they arrived a short time after she had sensed her little shikigami. She was grateful that the previously missing portion of their traveling party had not caught her and Sesshoumaru in an awkward moment, though they had just barely missed her finishing the elaborate tie of the demon lord’s obi.
‘That would have been… difficult to explain.’
It was bad enough that she had to tell them that the key was hidden under water. Miroku, good ol’ Miroku was gracious enough to point out the fact that they both were wearing dry clothes while their hair was obviously damp. Stupid, monk with his stupid mind in the stupid gutter all the time! Sango, the one who should have saved her was little help. All she did was playfully slap him on the arm before placing a finger to her lips as if everyone hadn’t already heard.
Not wanting to answer any of the questions she could see shining in their eyes, Kagome quickly changed the subject to inquire about Sango’s injury. She had recalled seeing the slayer fall, but their separation had kept her in the dark as to how badly she was hurt.
The dull drone of their conversation fading into the background of his mind, Inuyasha stood staring intently at his only sibling, his eyes carrying an eerie glow that stood out against the increasing darkness of the cave. The thin wisps of light that had been filtering through the high ceiling were dwindling down to their last few strands, signaling that night would soon fall.
That didn’t matter to him right now though. The gears of his mind turned slowly, methodically and the disinterested glance the elder inu had just sent him was doing nothing to dispel the unpleasant images that sailed unbidden into his mind.
“What,” he began very slowly, his voice low and his eyes trained on the ever composed visage of Sesshoumaru. “The hell… were you two doing in here?”
His question did not escape Kagome’s ears nor did the responding hint of a smirk on Sesshoumaru’s lips go unseen by her swift surreptitious glance. Hoping to prevent a fight and more embarrassment to herself, the miko immediately moved into the hanyou’s line of sight and placed a placating hand on his shoulder. “Please Inuyasha,” she began earnestly; “there’s no need to pick a fight. It wasn’t…” her eyes convulsively shifted, guilt eating away at her stomach. She knew that if she lied about everything that happened he would call her on it . So, she settled for a vague and edited version of the truth even though she knew his sense of smell had already revealed more than she would be willing to admit verbally.
“Look, I wasn’t able to get to the key on my own and Sesshoumaru… just helped me get it. You don’t need to make a big deal out of nothing.”
“Nothing?” he questioned, his face contorting in mild disgust. “You call Sesshoumaru seeing you naked nothing?”
The miko’s eyes rounded with incredulity, her cheeks flaming red seconds later. “Not,” she barked, her voice cracking slightly due to a whirlwind of rising emotions. “That it’s any of your business, but I wasn’t naked! Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to…” her eyes darted back and forth as she attempted to decide what she should do. Her fisted right hand tightened spasmodically and she recalled the object that was still clasped within. “…I’m going to go put this key away and I don’t want to hear anything more on this subject!”
With that, she whirled away from him intent on following through on her words. Not quite stomping, her steps were swift and purposeful as she made her way to her bag.
The hanyou watched her go, a roiling combination of anger, confusion and teeth gnashing jealousy clawing its way through his tumultuous heart. He had been hoping to slacken his covetous grip upon her, but the fading scent of her arousal mixed together with Sesshoumaru’s disturbed him on so many levels he could hardly breathe.
‘This is… it just seems all wrong! I don’t know if I can deal with this!’ the hanyou thought desperately, ‘at the rate things are going, Sesshoumaru is gonna ask Kagome to become his mate.’He exhaled softly. ‘Am I really prepared to see that happen?’ __________________________________________________________________ ______
It was decided that they would spend the night inside the cave.
After the slight commotion of Inuyasha and Kagome’s brief exchange they settled down for dinner. Dinner unfortunately consisted of a few pieces of dried meat provided by Kagome. It wasn’t very satisfying, but without readily available firewood, she wasn’t able to cook any rice to go with it.
Afterwards, Kagome, Miroku and Sango engaged in light conversation while attempting to ignore the oppressive waves of tension that could be felt between the silent brothers. When she could stand it no longer, Kagome yawned widely claiming that she was sleepy and retrieved her sleeping bag and cocooned herself inside. Miroku, Sango and Kirara were soon to follow while Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, who had each propped themselves against a stone wall several feet from one another, drifted just on the surface of sleep.
Drawing a deep breath into her lungs, the miko’s eyes slowly opened. With Kirara back in her smaller size the cave was darker than ever. It was only the thin wisps of moonlight that shone in through the ceiling which kept the ravenous shadows at bay. Bringing her right arm up, the miko inspected the string of beads that encircled her wrist. After retrieving it from her shikigami, she had reclaimed her power from the small paper doll upon which she had bestowed it. A part of her was kinda sad to see the shikigami go, but it was a part of her after all, she could bring it back whenever she wanted to.
Smiling sadly to herself, Kagome ran a thumb over the smooth round surface of one of the beads. Swallowing dryly, she allowed her mind to drift over the events of the day. If there had been any doubt about Sesshoumaru’s attraction to her, those doubts could no longer stand in the face of what had occurred between them this past day. She felt her heart skip a beat when she remembered the warm, lean press of his very scantily clad, masculine body against hers. Barely repressing a shiver, she pressed the cool palm of her hand against her warming cheek.
‘I can’t believe I let him… touch me like that!’she thought, and her heart skipped another beat. It felt nice… really, really nice, but was it… right?
The reality of just how close she had come to losing her virginity to him caused a feeling in her that she could not identify. Sharing a friendship with Sesshoumaru was one thing, but obviously he wanted something more substantial, though she could not say specifically what that was. Whatever the case, he clearly wanted to share an intimacy with her that stretched beyond the boundaries of simple friendship. But… he was Inuyasha’s brother. Didn’t he know that she was once in love with the hanyou? Wouldn’t it be wrong on her part to go from one brother to the other? Did it work that way with youkai? For humans, it was a definite no-no and Kagome couldn’t help but feel that she was, in some way, betraying Inuyasha.
She had felt horrible all those times he had run off to see Kikyou. How much worse would he feel if she were to get involved with his own brother?!
‘I don’t know what to do!’ the miko thought sadly. She wanted to remain friends with the daiyoukai, but was that even possible after what had happened between them today? The way he had touchedher… people who were friends did not touch each other that way. She had brushed her blossoming attraction to the demon lord off as inconsequential, but what had happened today was not just some impossible schoolgirl fantasy. It was real, very, very REAL! And with his obvious reluctance to stop, it seemed entirely likely that if they ended up alone together, he would likely attempt something like that again!
It was all so confusing! It had happened so unexpectedly and afterwards they hadn’t had a chance to talk. What were his real motives? What had driven him to behave the way he had toward her in the first place? Giving herself a slight shake, the miko cautiously rolled over in her bag, careful not to make too much noise. Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she looked over to where she knew Sesshoumaru was sleeping. Much of his form was obscured, the murky darkness allowing her to see only a vague, grayish silhouette of his form. Still, she could imagine what he must look like at this exact moment. His head would be reclined against the wall as he sat with one leg bent at the knee while the other lay stretched out across the floor. His hands were probably folded in his sleeves.
Though her eyes were fully adjusted to the darkness, his face remained hidden from her so she allowed her mind to conjure it instead. He was so gorgeous, she realized with a longing sigh.
‘I wish…’ she began regretfully, ‘I wish things could be different, Sesshoumaru, but I don’t think… I don’t think it’d be right.’
Sighing, the miko snuggled back into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. __________________________________________________________________ ______
It was probably a few hours before dawn and Kagome had not rested well. She could sneak in a few more hours yet, if only it weren’t for the insistence of her bladder. ‘Crap!’ she thought as she squirmed uncomfortably, her eyes squeezed shut so tightly she dislodged a tear or two. Gritting her teeth, she held on a few moments longer until the pressure waned to something she could more easily manage. Wiggling quickly out of her bag, the miko looked around the room only to be met with more darkness. As her eyes adjusted, they landed on the red and silver form of Inuyasha and the miko immediately went to him.
“Inuyasha!” she whispered urgently, her eyes wide as she strained to see his face.
Stirring, the hanyou immediately opened his eyes, his brow furrowing in confusion when he saw her. “What the hell--”
“Shhh!” she hissed quietly. “Don’t wake everyone up! I need to… I need to go to the bathroom!” she told him with a light blush.
The hanyou’s frown deepened. Years of travel with the young priestess told him what she was referring to, but why she was telling him this now was not quite sinking into his sleep addled mind. “Yeah, well what do you want me to do about it?” he whispered back.
“Take me outside!” she shot back, her finger pointing to the opening in the ceiling. “I can’t climb up there by myself you know!”
Though he made a grumbling noise in the back of his throat, the hanyou rose to his feet. “Come on.” he said impatiently before he kneeled and offered her his back. Resisting the urge to do the universal “pee-pee” dance, Kagome clenched her teeth and quickly climbed aboard. Without another word, he took off. Coiling the powerful muscles of his legs, he launched them up and out of the cave in a single bound, completely unaware of the narrow golden eyes that surveyed their departure in the dark.
Outside, the comfortably warm air was surprisingly clean, especially after having spent so much time inside the stifling cave. Briefly scanning their surroundings, the hanyou saw that they were now near the top of what was not quite a mountain, and not quite a hill. It was a large, grass and moss covered prominence which seemed to be comprised mostly of stone and dirt. Finding the nearest wooded area, he leapt forward, taking the agonized miko along with him.
Several moments later, Kagome was feeling worlds better. She sighed in relief as she made her way back to where Inuyasha was waiting for her. It was still dark, but she could tell that the night was past its zenith and the sun would soon spread its bright fingers across the sky to begin a new day; a day of long, tedious travel no doubt.
She made her way to the hanyou’s side noting the thoughtful look he was wearing. Gazing into the sky in replication of his serenely pensive facade, she tried to think of what to say to him. There were so many things floating through her mind and she could hardly think of where to begin. She wanted to apologize for yelling at him earlier, but at the same time she didn’t really want to bring it up for fear that he’d try and give her the third degree again.
“Ready to go back?” the hanyou asked shortly.
Starting a little, the miko turned to look up at him. He wasn’t looking at her, his head still inclined toward the fading stars.
“I’m so--” she began before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier.” she said, attempting to gage his reaction. There was a slight twist to his lips, but aside from that his expression was nearly blank.
Just when she thought to turn away from him she heard him ask, “So you gonna tell me what you and Sesshoumaru were doing before we found you?”
Through her guilt, Kagome was struck with mild annoyance. “You gonna tell me what you and Kikyou do when you’re alone together?”
At this, the hanyou silenced and looked away from her and to her surprise, Kagome felt a twinge of discomfort. What DID they do when they were alone together? Quickly deciding that she didn’t want to know the miko took a deep breath and moved around him so that they were facing one another again. “Look Inuyasha, I know you worry about me, but I’m fine. I don’t… I don’t really think you need to worry about me and Sesshoumaru. Whatever we might feel for each other,” she trailed off with a sigh. “It doesn’t really matter. Don’t tell anyone else, but the fact is… well, once this mission is over, I plan on going home anyway.”
His eyes widening at her last statement, Inuyasha was about to say something when Kagome raised a hand to cut him off. “The well’s magic is fading. I think maybe I was meant to finish this one last mission before I go home. Hopefully the well’s power will last that long.”
Inuyasha frowned down on her, though she was no longer looking at him. He wanted to tell her that she couldn’t leave, that even if the well closed she should stay here, but what grounds did he have to do so? What argument could he possibly use to convince her to stay?
“Anyway,” she said suddenly, “You don’t need to worry about me anymore. You’re engaged to Kikyou now,” she smiled softly up at him. “She’s going to be your wife soon, so you should be happy.”
“But what… what about you?” the hanyou asked in spite of her words. “I don’t… I don’t want you to leave.”
She forced another delicate smile. “I know. I’ll miss you guys too, but I’ll be fine. Oh,” she said almost as an afterthought, “And just for the record, Sesshoumaru’s not as bad as you think.” She smiled at his predicted scoff. “I’ll let you in on a secret,” she whispered conspiratorially. “Did you know that Sesshoumaru left Tsunjin to watch over Kaede’s and Kikyou’s villages?”
“Tsunjin?” the hanyou asked confused.
“His sentry.” the miko supplied helpfully. “I think you met him before.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “Why the hell would he do that?” Inuyasha wondered aloud.
Kagome just shrugged. “I don’t know what he might have told himself as an excuse, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Whatever his reasoning behind it, he is, in a very real way, protecting your future wife. You should try to be a little nicer to him.” __________________________________________________________________ ______
Back inside the cave, Inuyasha watched as Kagome snuggled back down into her sleeping bag. It was amazing that in such a brief time she had given him so much to think about.
In spite of how short he had been with her when she‘d asked him to take her outside, a big part of him had been pleased that Kagome had asked for his help. In spite of whatever was going on between her and Sesshoumaru, it was him that she came to. He had known the miko for a long time and she tended to be, for some odd reason, shy about such matters. So, the fact that she still felt comfortable making that kind of request of him was… comforting in a strange way. She still held a lot of trust in him. But obviously… trust wasn’t enough.
She seemed to trust Sesshoumaru too, yet she was planning on leaving. The fact that she asked him not to tell anyone seemed to suggest that she hadn’t told the elder inu yet. Was she planning on just leaving without saying anything?
He didn’t know for sure whether or not that was her plan, but oddly he hoped it wasn’t. Even though he still wasn’t all that fond of his elder sibling, the idea that she would leave without telling him didn’t seem fair. If Sesshoumaru wanted her to stay, as he suspected he did, the daiyoukai should at least be given a chance to state his argument before she went home for good. Inuyasha felt his lip twist at the blatant irony of it all.
He and Kagome could never be together now, though it was still difficult at times, he was coming to accept that. Still, he really didn’t want her to leave. Maybe he was being selfish again, but even if she couldn’t be his mate, he knew he wanted to be able to see her; he wanted her to stay in this time rather that go home and remain in the future. Now that he was engaged to Kikyou, his only chance at keeping her here was through Sesshoumaru.
A small humorless chuckle escaped his lips.
__________________________________________________________________ ______
Daybreak found the travelers outside of the cave just on the edge of the woods. After a quick breakfast and a sponge bath in cold water, Kagome packed her things back inside her bag. Gazing ruefully inside, she sighed at the dwindling supplies from her era.
‘Well,’ she decided, ‘I’ve gone without before. Besides, I’ll be going home in a few weeks anyway.’ The thought made her a little sad and she shot a glance at Sesshoumaru who was standing a few paces behind her.
At that exact moment he turned from his aimless sky gazing to look down at her. She appeared startled at his perusal. Her cheeks flushed and she offered a weak smile before turning away.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Her behavior was off today and though he was uncertain as to why, the demon lord found that he did not like it. It was as if she was keeping something from him, or… perhaps she was, in some way attempting to distance herself from him. Whatever the case, he could feel a sort of barrier between them that had not existed since the first time he had kissed her.
Standing, the miko situated her bag on her back, her bow and arrows strategically positioned around it for easy access. She smiled up at him, a real one this time, and if it hadn’t been for the slight fragrance of uncertainty that danced off her skin, he might have dismissed his previous train of thought.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked instead of the many other questions that plagued his mind.
She glanced over to see Sango, who seemed to be feeling much better today, and Miroku climbing aboard Kirara’s back, their traveling provisions gathered together in a large pack that hung from the monk’s shoulder. She exchanged a quick smile with the pair before seeking out her hanyou friend.
Appearing unusually thoughtful, Inuyasha glanced over at her, then Sesshoumaru and back again. She smiled at him as well, but he just gave a petulant harrumph and shoved his hands into his sleeves. Kagome just shook her head before turning back to the daiyoukai. “I guess so.” she finally answered.
“Good.” he returned shortly, and before another word could be uttered, his demonic cloud formed beneath his feet and though she appeared on the verge of protest, Kagome was captured in a sidelong embrace and swept into the sky.
With their departure, the rest quickly followed. The group, having made the decision during breakfast prepared for the unknown as this portion of the journey would take them into the north. __________________________________________________________________ ______
Into the North __________________________________________________________________ ______
Tension in the expansive chamber was nearly suffocating and even though she refused to acknowledge it, opting instead to hide her nervousness and guilt beneath feigned excitement over their find, Kagome suspected she knew why.
‘This has to be the most embarrassing thing ever!’ she thought as she tried to keep signs of nervousness from her face. Stealing a glance at Inuyasha, who was currently fixing Sesshoumaru with a look that would shatter a pane of bullet proof glass; she forced a smile and showed off the key to her remaining friends.
As she had predicted, they arrived a short time after she had sensed her little shikigami. She was grateful that the previously missing portion of their traveling party had not caught her and Sesshoumaru in an awkward moment, though they had just barely missed her finishing the elaborate tie of the demon lord’s obi.
‘That would have been… difficult to explain.’
It was bad enough that she had to tell them that the key was hidden under water. Miroku, good ol’ Miroku was gracious enough to point out the fact that they both were wearing dry clothes while their hair was obviously damp. Stupid, monk with his stupid mind in the stupid gutter all the time! Sango, the one who should have saved her was little help. All she did was playfully slap him on the arm before placing a finger to her lips as if everyone hadn’t already heard.
Not wanting to answer any of the questions she could see shining in their eyes, Kagome quickly changed the subject to inquire about Sango’s injury. She had recalled seeing the slayer fall, but their separation had kept her in the dark as to how badly she was hurt.
The dull drone of their conversation fading into the background of his mind, Inuyasha stood staring intently at his only sibling, his eyes carrying an eerie glow that stood out against the increasing darkness of the cave. The thin wisps of light that had been filtering through the high ceiling were dwindling down to their last few strands, signaling that night would soon fall.
That didn’t matter to him right now though. The gears of his mind turned slowly, methodically and the disinterested glance the elder inu had just sent him was doing nothing to dispel the unpleasant images that sailed unbidden into his mind.
“What,” he began very slowly, his voice low and his eyes trained on the ever composed visage of Sesshoumaru. “The hell… were you two doing in here?”
His question did not escape Kagome’s ears nor did the responding hint of a smirk on Sesshoumaru’s lips go unseen by her swift surreptitious glance. Hoping to prevent a fight and more embarrassment to herself, the miko immediately moved into the hanyou’s line of sight and placed a placating hand on his shoulder. “Please Inuyasha,” she began earnestly; “there’s no need to pick a fight. It wasn’t…” her eyes convulsively shifted, guilt eating away at her stomach. She knew that if she lied about everything that happened he would call her on it . So, she settled for a vague and edited version of the truth even though she knew his sense of smell had already revealed more than she would be willing to admit verbally.
“Look, I wasn’t able to get to the key on my own and Sesshoumaru… just helped me get it. You don’t need to make a big deal out of nothing.”
“Nothing?” he questioned, his face contorting in mild disgust. “You call Sesshoumaru seeing you naked nothing?”
The miko’s eyes rounded with incredulity, her cheeks flaming red seconds later. “Not,” she barked, her voice cracking slightly due to a whirlwind of rising emotions. “That it’s any of your business, but I wasn’t naked! Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to…” her eyes darted back and forth as she attempted to decide what she should do. Her fisted right hand tightened spasmodically and she recalled the object that was still clasped within. “…I’m going to go put this key away and I don’t want to hear anything more on this subject!”
With that, she whirled away from him intent on following through on her words. Not quite stomping, her steps were swift and purposeful as she made her way to her bag.
The hanyou watched her go, a roiling combination of anger, confusion and teeth gnashing jealousy clawing its way through his tumultuous heart. He had been hoping to slacken his covetous grip upon her, but the fading scent of her arousal mixed together with Sesshoumaru’s disturbed him on so many levels he could hardly breathe.
‘This is… it just seems all wrong! I don’t know if I can deal with this!’ the hanyou thought desperately, ‘at the rate things are going, Sesshoumaru is gonna ask Kagome to become his mate.’He exhaled softly. ‘Am I really prepared to see that happen?’ __________________________________________________________________ ______
It was decided that they would spend the night inside the cave.
After the slight commotion of Inuyasha and Kagome’s brief exchange they settled down for dinner. Dinner unfortunately consisted of a few pieces of dried meat provided by Kagome. It wasn’t very satisfying, but without readily available firewood, she wasn’t able to cook any rice to go with it.
Afterwards, Kagome, Miroku and Sango engaged in light conversation while attempting to ignore the oppressive waves of tension that could be felt between the silent brothers. When she could stand it no longer, Kagome yawned widely claiming that she was sleepy and retrieved her sleeping bag and cocooned herself inside. Miroku, Sango and Kirara were soon to follow while Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, who had each propped themselves against a stone wall several feet from one another, drifted just on the surface of sleep.
Drawing a deep breath into her lungs, the miko’s eyes slowly opened. With Kirara back in her smaller size the cave was darker than ever. It was only the thin wisps of moonlight that shone in through the ceiling which kept the ravenous shadows at bay. Bringing her right arm up, the miko inspected the string of beads that encircled her wrist. After retrieving it from her shikigami, she had reclaimed her power from the small paper doll upon which she had bestowed it. A part of her was kinda sad to see the shikigami go, but it was a part of her after all, she could bring it back whenever she wanted to.
Smiling sadly to herself, Kagome ran a thumb over the smooth round surface of one of the beads. Swallowing dryly, she allowed her mind to drift over the events of the day. If there had been any doubt about Sesshoumaru’s attraction to her, those doubts could no longer stand in the face of what had occurred between them this past day. She felt her heart skip a beat when she remembered the warm, lean press of his very scantily clad, masculine body against hers. Barely repressing a shiver, she pressed the cool palm of her hand against her warming cheek.
‘I can’t believe I let him… touch me like that!’she thought, and her heart skipped another beat. It felt nice… really, really nice, but was it… right?
The reality of just how close she had come to losing her virginity to him caused a feeling in her that she could not identify. Sharing a friendship with Sesshoumaru was one thing, but obviously he wanted something more substantial, though she could not say specifically what that was. Whatever the case, he clearly wanted to share an intimacy with her that stretched beyond the boundaries of simple friendship. But… he was Inuyasha’s brother. Didn’t he know that she was once in love with the hanyou? Wouldn’t it be wrong on her part to go from one brother to the other? Did it work that way with youkai? For humans, it was a definite no-no and Kagome couldn’t help but feel that she was, in some way, betraying Inuyasha.
She had felt horrible all those times he had run off to see Kikyou. How much worse would he feel if she were to get involved with his own brother?!
‘I don’t know what to do!’ the miko thought sadly. She wanted to remain friends with the daiyoukai, but was that even possible after what had happened between them today? The way he had touchedher… people who were friends did not touch each other that way. She had brushed her blossoming attraction to the demon lord off as inconsequential, but what had happened today was not just some impossible schoolgirl fantasy. It was real, very, very REAL! And with his obvious reluctance to stop, it seemed entirely likely that if they ended up alone together, he would likely attempt something like that again!
It was all so confusing! It had happened so unexpectedly and afterwards they hadn’t had a chance to talk. What were his real motives? What had driven him to behave the way he had toward her in the first place? Giving herself a slight shake, the miko cautiously rolled over in her bag, careful not to make too much noise. Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she looked over to where she knew Sesshoumaru was sleeping. Much of his form was obscured, the murky darkness allowing her to see only a vague, grayish silhouette of his form. Still, she could imagine what he must look like at this exact moment. His head would be reclined against the wall as he sat with one leg bent at the knee while the other lay stretched out across the floor. His hands were probably folded in his sleeves.
Though her eyes were fully adjusted to the darkness, his face remained hidden from her so she allowed her mind to conjure it instead. He was so gorgeous, she realized with a longing sigh.
‘I wish…’ she began regretfully, ‘I wish things could be different, Sesshoumaru, but I don’t think… I don’t think it’d be right.’
Sighing, the miko snuggled back into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes. __________________________________________________________________ ______
It was probably a few hours before dawn and Kagome had not rested well. She could sneak in a few more hours yet, if only it weren’t for the insistence of her bladder. ‘Crap!’ she thought as she squirmed uncomfortably, her eyes squeezed shut so tightly she dislodged a tear or two. Gritting her teeth, she held on a few moments longer until the pressure waned to something she could more easily manage. Wiggling quickly out of her bag, the miko looked around the room only to be met with more darkness. As her eyes adjusted, they landed on the red and silver form of Inuyasha and the miko immediately went to him.
“Inuyasha!” she whispered urgently, her eyes wide as she strained to see his face.
Stirring, the hanyou immediately opened his eyes, his brow furrowing in confusion when he saw her. “What the hell--”
“Shhh!” she hissed quietly. “Don’t wake everyone up! I need to… I need to go to the bathroom!” she told him with a light blush.
The hanyou’s frown deepened. Years of travel with the young priestess told him what she was referring to, but why she was telling him this now was not quite sinking into his sleep addled mind. “Yeah, well what do you want me to do about it?” he whispered back.
“Take me outside!” she shot back, her finger pointing to the opening in the ceiling. “I can’t climb up there by myself you know!”
Though he made a grumbling noise in the back of his throat, the hanyou rose to his feet. “Come on.” he said impatiently before he kneeled and offered her his back. Resisting the urge to do the universal “pee-pee” dance, Kagome clenched her teeth and quickly climbed aboard. Without another word, he took off. Coiling the powerful muscles of his legs, he launched them up and out of the cave in a single bound, completely unaware of the narrow golden eyes that surveyed their departure in the dark.
Outside, the comfortably warm air was surprisingly clean, especially after having spent so much time inside the stifling cave. Briefly scanning their surroundings, the hanyou saw that they were now near the top of what was not quite a mountain, and not quite a hill. It was a large, grass and moss covered prominence which seemed to be comprised mostly of stone and dirt. Finding the nearest wooded area, he leapt forward, taking the agonized miko along with him.
Several moments later, Kagome was feeling worlds better. She sighed in relief as she made her way back to where Inuyasha was waiting for her. It was still dark, but she could tell that the night was past its zenith and the sun would soon spread its bright fingers across the sky to begin a new day; a day of long, tedious travel no doubt.
She made her way to the hanyou’s side noting the thoughtful look he was wearing. Gazing into the sky in replication of his serenely pensive facade, she tried to think of what to say to him. There were so many things floating through her mind and she could hardly think of where to begin. She wanted to apologize for yelling at him earlier, but at the same time she didn’t really want to bring it up for fear that he’d try and give her the third degree again.
“Ready to go back?” the hanyou asked shortly.
Starting a little, the miko turned to look up at him. He wasn’t looking at her, his head still inclined toward the fading stars.
“I’m so--” she began before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier.” she said, attempting to gage his reaction. There was a slight twist to his lips, but aside from that his expression was nearly blank.
Just when she thought to turn away from him she heard him ask, “So you gonna tell me what you and Sesshoumaru were doing before we found you?”
Through her guilt, Kagome was struck with mild annoyance. “You gonna tell me what you and Kikyou do when you’re alone together?”
At this, the hanyou silenced and looked away from her and to her surprise, Kagome felt a twinge of discomfort. What DID they do when they were alone together? Quickly deciding that she didn’t want to know the miko took a deep breath and moved around him so that they were facing one another again. “Look Inuyasha, I know you worry about me, but I’m fine. I don’t… I don’t really think you need to worry about me and Sesshoumaru. Whatever we might feel for each other,” she trailed off with a sigh. “It doesn’t really matter. Don’t tell anyone else, but the fact is… well, once this mission is over, I plan on going home anyway.”
His eyes widening at her last statement, Inuyasha was about to say something when Kagome raised a hand to cut him off. “The well’s magic is fading. I think maybe I was meant to finish this one last mission before I go home. Hopefully the well’s power will last that long.”
Inuyasha frowned down on her, though she was no longer looking at him. He wanted to tell her that she couldn’t leave, that even if the well closed she should stay here, but what grounds did he have to do so? What argument could he possibly use to convince her to stay?
“Anyway,” she said suddenly, “You don’t need to worry about me anymore. You’re engaged to Kikyou now,” she smiled softly up at him. “She’s going to be your wife soon, so you should be happy.”
“But what… what about you?” the hanyou asked in spite of her words. “I don’t… I don’t want you to leave.”
She forced another delicate smile. “I know. I’ll miss you guys too, but I’ll be fine. Oh,” she said almost as an afterthought, “And just for the record, Sesshoumaru’s not as bad as you think.” She smiled at his predicted scoff. “I’ll let you in on a secret,” she whispered conspiratorially. “Did you know that Sesshoumaru left Tsunjin to watch over Kaede’s and Kikyou’s villages?”
“Tsunjin?” the hanyou asked confused.
“His sentry.” the miko supplied helpfully. “I think you met him before.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “Why the hell would he do that?” Inuyasha wondered aloud.
Kagome just shrugged. “I don’t know what he might have told himself as an excuse, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Whatever his reasoning behind it, he is, in a very real way, protecting your future wife. You should try to be a little nicer to him.” __________________________________________________________________ ______
Back inside the cave, Inuyasha watched as Kagome snuggled back down into her sleeping bag. It was amazing that in such a brief time she had given him so much to think about.
In spite of how short he had been with her when she‘d asked him to take her outside, a big part of him had been pleased that Kagome had asked for his help. In spite of whatever was going on between her and Sesshoumaru, it was him that she came to. He had known the miko for a long time and she tended to be, for some odd reason, shy about such matters. So, the fact that she still felt comfortable making that kind of request of him was… comforting in a strange way. She still held a lot of trust in him. But obviously… trust wasn’t enough.
She seemed to trust Sesshoumaru too, yet she was planning on leaving. The fact that she asked him not to tell anyone seemed to suggest that she hadn’t told the elder inu yet. Was she planning on just leaving without saying anything?
He didn’t know for sure whether or not that was her plan, but oddly he hoped it wasn’t. Even though he still wasn’t all that fond of his elder sibling, the idea that she would leave without telling him didn’t seem fair. If Sesshoumaru wanted her to stay, as he suspected he did, the daiyoukai should at least be given a chance to state his argument before she went home for good. Inuyasha felt his lip twist at the blatant irony of it all.
He and Kagome could never be together now, though it was still difficult at times, he was coming to accept that. Still, he really didn’t want her to leave. Maybe he was being selfish again, but even if she couldn’t be his mate, he knew he wanted to be able to see her; he wanted her to stay in this time rather that go home and remain in the future. Now that he was engaged to Kikyou, his only chance at keeping her here was through Sesshoumaru.
A small humorless chuckle escaped his lips.
__________________________________________________________________ ______
Daybreak found the travelers outside of the cave just on the edge of the woods. After a quick breakfast and a sponge bath in cold water, Kagome packed her things back inside her bag. Gazing ruefully inside, she sighed at the dwindling supplies from her era.
‘Well,’ she decided, ‘I’ve gone without before. Besides, I’ll be going home in a few weeks anyway.’ The thought made her a little sad and she shot a glance at Sesshoumaru who was standing a few paces behind her.
At that exact moment he turned from his aimless sky gazing to look down at her. She appeared startled at his perusal. Her cheeks flushed and she offered a weak smile before turning away.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Her behavior was off today and though he was uncertain as to why, the demon lord found that he did not like it. It was as if she was keeping something from him, or… perhaps she was, in some way attempting to distance herself from him. Whatever the case, he could feel a sort of barrier between them that had not existed since the first time he had kissed her.
Standing, the miko situated her bag on her back, her bow and arrows strategically positioned around it for easy access. She smiled up at him, a real one this time, and if it hadn’t been for the slight fragrance of uncertainty that danced off her skin, he might have dismissed his previous train of thought.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked instead of the many other questions that plagued his mind.
She glanced over to see Sango, who seemed to be feeling much better today, and Miroku climbing aboard Kirara’s back, their traveling provisions gathered together in a large pack that hung from the monk’s shoulder. She exchanged a quick smile with the pair before seeking out her hanyou friend.
Appearing unusually thoughtful, Inuyasha glanced over at her, then Sesshoumaru and back again. She smiled at him as well, but he just gave a petulant harrumph and shoved his hands into his sleeves. Kagome just shook her head before turning back to the daiyoukai. “I guess so.” she finally answered.
“Good.” he returned shortly, and before another word could be uttered, his demonic cloud formed beneath his feet and though she appeared on the verge of protest, Kagome was captured in a sidelong embrace and swept into the sky.
With their departure, the rest quickly followed. The group, having made the decision during breakfast prepared for the unknown as this portion of the journey would take them into the north. __________________________________________________________________ ______