InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Remnants of the Spider ❯ Decision ( Chapter 35 )
[ 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: 12.12.2009 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 243 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 12.12.2009 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.9K | Visits: 243 | Status: Work In Progress
Remnants of the Spider
Decision
______________________________________________ __________________________
Amber eyes stared aimlessly trough a small window as the endless night finally began to relinquish its hold on the land. High above, the inky star-speckled canopy gradually transformed into brilliant blue, before finally fading into the powder blue skies of a new of day.
As he had anticipated, sleep eluded him for much of the night. The miko’s proximity, together with her enchanting aroma had proven even more distracting than he had expected. Only deep meditation had finally saved him from the perilous allure of warm soft miko flesh, and allowed him to doze into the safety of unconsciousness.
Regretfully, good fortune was not to be his as the daiyoukai was only able to sleep for a short time before the miko had inadvertently awakened him. In her sleep she had snuggled more closely against him sighing contently and wrapping an arm around his waist. Her behavior was entirely innocent, as she was not even conscious of her actions, but for his part, the inu lord again found himself bombarded with unchaste thoughts, these more persistent. The quiet sigh that had escaped her caused him to wonder what other sounds she was capable of producing. She had sounded almost… blissful. It was a dangerously delicious sound and the desire to hear it again had plagued his mind for no less than an hour before he finally managed to push it to the back of his mind.
It was no easy task, and even now he was unsure how he had summoned the willpower suppress his body’s natural reaction to the innocent stimulus the miko unwittingly provided.
He, Sesshoumaru, was not well-versed in the ways of interpersonal relationships but, chancily arousing thoughts aside, the waking hours of this past night had given him the opportunity to consider things he had previously sought to avoid. During this time he realized that his… attachment to the miko had changed. He was not sure when or why the change had occurred, but until fairly recently, his thoughts of her had been mostly platonic. This had not been the case since he, in a rare display of impulse, had wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against hers.
It was an act which was probably fraught with erroneousness, but he could not honestly say that he regretted it. Truthfully, he did not. He was however forced to consider the implications of not only his actions, but his feelings about said actions.
It occurred to him that “friendship” probably did not encompass a sudden, almost irrepressible desire to hear one’s friend crying out in the throes of passion. He was not certain he liked the direction in which their relationship was going, but he had already given his word that he would not fight it. If he was honest with himself, he knew that a part of him didn’t actually want to anyway.
The demon lord looked down on Kagome’s peacefully sleeping face which was partially obscured by a messy bang. It was then that he was struck with the notion that perhaps it was not his newly discovered desire which was the source of his disconcertion. It could just as easily be the unanswered question of whether or not the miko would welcome such advances should he decide to pursue her in that way.
As he began to consider this, Kagome began to stir and Sesshoumaru immediately averted his gaze back to the window.
Behind the cup of her hand, the miko yawned languidly as she stretched the muscles of her legs and back. Dark lashes gradually lifted, fluttering several times to rid of the hazy white with which her slowly focusing eyes had been met.
As her body roused from its slumber, Kagome realized, with a level of resentment, that left side of her neck hurt. It probably had something to do with the hard silk covered cushion; (if one could call it such a thing) she was lying on.
Wait a minute! Something was not adding up here. She didn’t own a hard cushion, and she certainly didn’t own one which was covered in silk… and capable of rhythmically beating!
Kagome shot straight up, her sleep induced stupefaction melting away with the newly resurfaced memory of the previous night.
“Oh!” she cried as her rounded eyes were met with the side of Sesshoumaru’s pristine face. “That’s right! I slept with you!” hearing her hastily spoken words aloud, Kagome’s cheeks reddened with mortification. “I-I mean we slept togeth-- I-I mean…!”
His expression carefully blank, the demon lord looked over to the rambling miko. Very absently, he wondered why she seemed so embarrassed. She had done nothing but make a statement which they both knew to be factual.
Covering her face with both hands, Kagome focused very deliberately on calming down. Yes she had slept with Sesshoumaru but she hadn’t SLEPT with him! Why did people even call it that anyway? Nineteen year old virgin that she was, she was not uninformed to the fact that usually when someone said they slept with someone, there was usually little if any sleeping involved!
Deciding that this was not a productive train of thought to pursue, Kagome took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her lips.
‘Grow up!’ she told herself sternly, ‘Even If we had done something, which we never would because Sesshoumaru would never think of me in that way. Not that I would want him to thing of me in that way, but, it might be kinda nice cause he is really handsome and strong and brave and a much better person than I originally thought, and this is probably not what I should be thinking about right now! Get it together!’ she ordered herself mentally. ‘I’m an adult! I shouldn’t get all flustered about these things anymore. Besides, it’s not like we actually did anything other than sleep.’
Feeling slightly calmer now, the miko removed her hands from her face and looked up. She was only slightly surprised to see that the demon lord was looking right at her, one of his brows slightly raised. She forced a smile to her lips and said, “Good morning! Did you sleep well?”
The demon lord put aside his suspicions that the miko had probably just gone through a short mental episode in favor of answering her question.
“No.” he said after a brief pause. He did not miss the disquieted expression that took over her face at his admission.
‘Oh crap!!’ Kagome thought uneasily, ‘I hope I wasn’t snoring!! Or worse, talking in my sleep!!!’ She almost didn’t want to ask for fear of what his answer might me. She hesitated for only a moment before curiosity got the better of her.
“I didn’t keep you up did I?”
Sesshoumaru considered this. In a way she had, but he was finding himself reluctant to share that particular information with her.
“I mean I didn’t… I wasn’t snoring or anything was I?”
The demon lord felt a small weight lift from his mind. This question was much easier to answer!
“No.” he told her, his lips tilting in a tiny smile.
She looked relieved then. “Good, cause that would have been really embarrassing!” she said with a bright smile.
Before he could ask why, the miko unraveled herself from her coverlet and slid to the edge of the bed. She stood and stretched again before she turned to look down at him.
“I’m gonna go and get washed up. There’s a small lake not far from here.” she informed as she made her way to the other room. Sesshoumaru said nothing to this and was faintly disappointed with his lack of discipline when his mind conjured an image of what the miko might look like wet and without her clothing. Said disappointment was only tempered by the welcoming sight of the image itself.
‘It seems…’ the demon lord mused as he watched the miko walk out the door with an armful of what must have been her bathing supplies, ‘that this fixation has the very real potential to become an ongoing and potentially unavoidable preoccupation.’
________________________________________________________________________
Kagome made quick work of bathing in the cool water of her selected basing before returning to the hut without incident. She was again forced to dress in the storage room of her hut, but this time she was not quite as nervous.
Once she was finished making herself presentable for the day, she went about packing her things for what would undoubtedly be a long, LONG journey. She withheld a sigh as she tied her bag closed.
Well, she decided, it was better to make this ridiculously long trip than to sit around and wait to be attacked by Kami only knows what!
With her preparations completed, the miko turned to Sesshoumaru, who, by all appearances had forgotten she was even in the room. His armor back in place, he sat against the wall on the opposite side of the room. He was staring blankly at a nearby wall as if he was either deep in thought or bored out of his mind; she couldn’t really tell the difference.
Deciding that it was okay to interrupt him either way, the miko cleared her throat before asking, “Would you like something to eat? I have rice and dried meat.”
The daiyoukai’s face stayed as it was but his eyes shifted in her direction. It made him appear slightly menacing.
“No thank you.” was his curt response.
Kagome stared at him for a moment. He really did seem to have something on his mind, she decided after a moment. She wasn’t quite sure how she could tell, because he usually always gave short simple answers like that. Normally she would attempt to engage him further, but, this time she felt it was probably best to leave him to his thoughts.
“Okay,” she said at last, “well I’m going to make some for myself if you don’t mind.”
Sesshoumaru remained silent, and Kagome collected her only remaining pot, (the other one having been buried deep in her old yellow bag) rice, water, and the few pieces of dried meat that she had not packed for the trip.
‘I am sooooo tired of rice and dried meat!’ she used her dwindling supply of matches to create a small fire. It was then that she was struck with the best idea she had had in weeks. She could go home! She hadn’t gone in all this time because she didn’t want to leave Rin, but she wasn’t here anymore. She could go home and get some real food!!!
“You know what!” the miko blurted out suddenly, her eyes shining with some unknown happiness. “I think I’m gonna go home!”
That seemed to have got his full attention. He turned away from the wall, the full weight of his gaze landing squarely on her.
“Why?” he asked, his eyes slightly more narrow than usual. Something about his demeanor left Kagome with the impression that she’d better have a good answer or he wasn’t going to let her leave.
“To get some more supplies.” she answered somewhat vaguely, deliberately leaving out the part about her plan to run to the refrigerator and gorge herself stupid before she came back. “And besides that,” she went on, padding her case as she had done so many times with Inuyasha, “I haven’t seen my family in a while. I miss them and I’m sure they miss me. I won’t be gone very long.”
His gaze shifted to the already overstuffed yellow bag at her side, before his eyes locked with hers again. “That is not advisable.” the demon lord informed her, his tone colored with a hint of disapproval.
Kagome was hit with a wave of déjà vu. “Oh yeah? And why is that?” she wanted to know. Folding her arms over he chest, she prepared herself for an argument.
Sesshoumaru stared at her and even though he still was unused to such audacity, he was not surprised in the least that the miko simply stared right back at him.
“The others will be here soon.” he finally said and before she could fit in a rebuttal, he added, “It is unlikely that you will return in a timely manner.”
Kagome felt her impulse to argue fade under the truth of his words; though how he could have guessed that she usually did come back later than she intended, she would probably never know. With a quiet sigh she banished her ideas of gorging on home cooked leftovers and prepared her rice.
“Fine!” she said with a light huff, “But don’t blame me if I’m cranky for the rest of the day!”
The demon lord did not answer. Oddly, he realized he didn’t like the sound of that.
_________________________________________________________________ _______
A thunderous scowl marring his otherwise handsome face, Inuyasha was unable to bite back another low growl as he broached the border of Kagome’s village. He couldn’t put into words how tired he was of smelling Sesshoumaru’s rotten stench nearly every time he came around here!
Having heard and felt the evidence of the hanyou’s displeasure from her position on his back, Kikyou suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. She had long ago detected the demonic aura of his elder sibling so it was no mental leap for her to understand why he kept growling.
“Will you at least attempt to be civil?” she asked, the timbre of her voice suggesting that her words were more of a request than an actual question.
The hanyou growled again. “I just… I just don’t like him hanging around her.” he said instead of answering her question.
Kikyou frowned. “What exactly is it about their relationship that bothers you so?”
The directness of her question nearly faltered his steps but the surefooted half-demon managed to recover quickly. He knew what she was getting at, but they would be getting married soon. He couldn’t tell her he still had feelings for Kagome too.
“It’s just…” he began haltingly, “It’s just that Kagome’s my friend. She’s a nice person, and someone like Sesshoumaru… he doesn’t deserve a friend like her.”
The priestess took this in, digesting also the words he did not say. She was by no means oblivious to his feelings for Kagome. She did not know how deeply rooted they were, but his jealousy and possessiveness toward the younger miko stated rather clearly that they were beyond the boundaries of simple friendship. She knew that Inuyasha was not happy with the blossoming relationship between his brother and Kagome. Admittedly, it hurt her to know that his feelings for her were incomplete because they were divided between the two of them.
The sad thing was, that she really couldn’t blame him. Kagome was a wonderful person. She had done so much, sacrificed so much for all of them and never asked for anything in return, even when she obviously needed their help. Kikyou sighed quietly. She loved Inuyasha, and if for no reason other than her unwillingness to discard Kagome’s hard work and sacrifice, leaving him again was not an option. Not that she wished to do so anyway. She would simply have to endure his divided affections for now and hope that his feelings for the younger miko would wane with the passage of time.
The priestess was forced to relinquish her train of thought when Inuyasha skidded to a halt near the hut which used to belong to her own sister. Her lovely brown eyes dimmed slightly when she recalled that her only sibling had departed this world. It was still rather heartbreaking to remember that she was gone, but after a lifetime of serving and protecting this village, Kaede deserved her peace.
Kikyou slid from Inuyasha’s back and looked up at the old building. She would be residing here for a time. A part of her wondered what it would be like. Would she constantly be reminded of her sister? In a way, she hoped so. The time they should have spent together had been stolen from them. It could never be retrieved, but Kikyou wanted to remember whatever she could of the woman who had been her younger sister. Memory, after all, was all she had left of her.
Behind the priestess and hanyou a large fire-cat landed in the sparse sun scorched grass, its two passengers slipping from its back. Kikyou was about to turn to greet them but was forced to forgo the polite gesture when Inuyasha stormed into the hut. Hoping to prevent a fight between the inu siblings, the priestess quickly followed him inside.
His fingers hovering restlessly near the hilt of his sword, the hanyou focused his attention on his brother. The demon was casually sitting on the floor, one leg outstretched while the other was bent, his elbow propped leisurely atop his knee. He looked disturbingly comfortable, like he lived here or something. He wasn’t even wearing his pelt, the hanyou noted with a level of alarm. What was worse, was the heaviness of his scent in the room. It suggested that he had been here for quite some time.
A light gasp escaped his lips as horrifying, dreadful realization set in. Inuyasha’s eyes rounded with incredulity.
“Did you… did you spend the night here??!!” his voice cracking, and his clawed finger pointing in accusation, Inuyasha’s brow twitched erratically with the recent shattering of his nerves.
Kagome did not get a chance to reprimand the half demon for his rude entrance and bold question before Sesshoumaru rose from his place and stepped forward. “Your manners are lacking as usual Inuyasha.” he stated blandly, but the hanyou did not miss the slight tilting of the demon’s lips. “Is that any way to greet your elder brother?”
A rumbling growl shook Inuyasha’s chest, but Kikyou’s staying hand on his shoulder kept him from advancing forward. “You haven’t answered my question.” he growled through tightly gritted teeth.
“Now, now,” said Miroku, who together with Sango had just entered the room. His hands uplifted in a placating gesture, he slowly made his way toward Kagome. “There is no need to argue.” he continued as he wrapped an arm around the miko’s shoulder drawing her into a sidelong embrace. “I am certain that Lady Kagome would be more than willing to explain, in great detail,” he added almost as an afterthought, “why Lord Sesshoumaru spent the night here.”
A sly sort of smile tilting his lips, he leaned toward the miko expectantly. Unfortunately for him, his wandering violet eyes drifted from her face to land on the light, but distinctly menacing scowl the daiyoukai had leveled upon him. Mid waggle, Miroku’s brow dropped into its normal position and he nervously cleared his throat. “Or perhaps not.” he amended as he retracted his arm from her and deliberately avoided the no doubt disapproving look of his wife.
Having already reached the end of her patience, the demon slayer spoke up. “Kagome is our friend, and an honorable woman. None of us,” she sent a poignant glare at Inuyasha, “have the right to question her.”
Kagome smiled not only because of her appreciation of her friend’s words, but also because she knew that as soon as they were alone together those same words would fly out the window with a flurry of questions posed by the slayer herself.
“Thanks Sango.” she said anyway. The huntress smiled and nodded while the hanyou huffed in annoyance. “When are we leaving?” he asked in an effort to change the subject.
“Good morning to you too Inuyasha.” Kagome said with mock cheeriness.
“Keh!” He turned away from her and shoved his hands into his sleeves.
Kagome ignored her petulant friend in favor of addressing them all. “Thank you all for coming. I can’t thank you guys enough for helping me with this.”
Miroku smiled at her warmly. “It is not necessary for you to thank us Lady Kagome. We are more than happy to help.” Sango and Kikyou nodded their agreement while Inuyasha just huffed again.
Kagome paid the hanyou no mind as she returned the monk’s smile. “We should be leaving pretty soon.” she said. “I just have to wait for Daisuke; he should be here any minute now.”
As if on cue, a light tapping on the doorframe followed the miko’s words. “Come in!” she announced and the old fox and fire demon filed into the already crowded room. Tsunjin’s still distrustful eyes trailed the fox’s every movement.
A buoyant smile on his lips, Daisuke bowed to the room’s occupants. “Good day.” he stated courteously. Turning toward Sesshoumaru he said. “Your sentry was so gracious as to act as my escort once more. The gesture is most appreciated.”
As predicted, the demon lord’s only response was an unwavering glare. Sensing that the great inu still did not trust him, Daisuke thought nothing of it and turned his attention to Kagome. “Have you come to a decision Kagome-sama?”
The young miko looked around the room taking in the individual faces of her friends. Finally she looked back to the old kitsune and gave her response.
“Yes.” she breathed after a long pause. “We’re going to find the keys.”
__________________________________________________________ ______________
Alrighty then!!! The chapter is late, but I think it kinda moves things along. I must say that I am quite happy to get a chance to write Miroku again!!! I LOVE that guy!!! He is so fun to write! Hope you guys enjoyed!
Oh, and this chapter was edited with a light touch. Hehehe… in other words, I got kinda lazy. If there are a horrible amount of mistakes PLEASE let me know and I will go over it again! Thanks for reading and please take moment to review!
Decision
______________________________________________ __________________________
Amber eyes stared aimlessly trough a small window as the endless night finally began to relinquish its hold on the land. High above, the inky star-speckled canopy gradually transformed into brilliant blue, before finally fading into the powder blue skies of a new of day.
As he had anticipated, sleep eluded him for much of the night. The miko’s proximity, together with her enchanting aroma had proven even more distracting than he had expected. Only deep meditation had finally saved him from the perilous allure of warm soft miko flesh, and allowed him to doze into the safety of unconsciousness.
Regretfully, good fortune was not to be his as the daiyoukai was only able to sleep for a short time before the miko had inadvertently awakened him. In her sleep she had snuggled more closely against him sighing contently and wrapping an arm around his waist. Her behavior was entirely innocent, as she was not even conscious of her actions, but for his part, the inu lord again found himself bombarded with unchaste thoughts, these more persistent. The quiet sigh that had escaped her caused him to wonder what other sounds she was capable of producing. She had sounded almost… blissful. It was a dangerously delicious sound and the desire to hear it again had plagued his mind for no less than an hour before he finally managed to push it to the back of his mind.
It was no easy task, and even now he was unsure how he had summoned the willpower suppress his body’s natural reaction to the innocent stimulus the miko unwittingly provided.
He, Sesshoumaru, was not well-versed in the ways of interpersonal relationships but, chancily arousing thoughts aside, the waking hours of this past night had given him the opportunity to consider things he had previously sought to avoid. During this time he realized that his… attachment to the miko had changed. He was not sure when or why the change had occurred, but until fairly recently, his thoughts of her had been mostly platonic. This had not been the case since he, in a rare display of impulse, had wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against hers.
It was an act which was probably fraught with erroneousness, but he could not honestly say that he regretted it. Truthfully, he did not. He was however forced to consider the implications of not only his actions, but his feelings about said actions.
It occurred to him that “friendship” probably did not encompass a sudden, almost irrepressible desire to hear one’s friend crying out in the throes of passion. He was not certain he liked the direction in which their relationship was going, but he had already given his word that he would not fight it. If he was honest with himself, he knew that a part of him didn’t actually want to anyway.
The demon lord looked down on Kagome’s peacefully sleeping face which was partially obscured by a messy bang. It was then that he was struck with the notion that perhaps it was not his newly discovered desire which was the source of his disconcertion. It could just as easily be the unanswered question of whether or not the miko would welcome such advances should he decide to pursue her in that way.
As he began to consider this, Kagome began to stir and Sesshoumaru immediately averted his gaze back to the window.
Behind the cup of her hand, the miko yawned languidly as she stretched the muscles of her legs and back. Dark lashes gradually lifted, fluttering several times to rid of the hazy white with which her slowly focusing eyes had been met.
As her body roused from its slumber, Kagome realized, with a level of resentment, that left side of her neck hurt. It probably had something to do with the hard silk covered cushion; (if one could call it such a thing) she was lying on.
Wait a minute! Something was not adding up here. She didn’t own a hard cushion, and she certainly didn’t own one which was covered in silk… and capable of rhythmically beating!
Kagome shot straight up, her sleep induced stupefaction melting away with the newly resurfaced memory of the previous night.
“Oh!” she cried as her rounded eyes were met with the side of Sesshoumaru’s pristine face. “That’s right! I slept with you!” hearing her hastily spoken words aloud, Kagome’s cheeks reddened with mortification. “I-I mean we slept togeth-- I-I mean…!”
His expression carefully blank, the demon lord looked over to the rambling miko. Very absently, he wondered why she seemed so embarrassed. She had done nothing but make a statement which they both knew to be factual.
Covering her face with both hands, Kagome focused very deliberately on calming down. Yes she had slept with Sesshoumaru but she hadn’t SLEPT with him! Why did people even call it that anyway? Nineteen year old virgin that she was, she was not uninformed to the fact that usually when someone said they slept with someone, there was usually little if any sleeping involved!
Deciding that this was not a productive train of thought to pursue, Kagome took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her lips.
‘Grow up!’ she told herself sternly, ‘Even If we had done something, which we never would because Sesshoumaru would never think of me in that way. Not that I would want him to thing of me in that way, but, it might be kinda nice cause he is really handsome and strong and brave and a much better person than I originally thought, and this is probably not what I should be thinking about right now! Get it together!’ she ordered herself mentally. ‘I’m an adult! I shouldn’t get all flustered about these things anymore. Besides, it’s not like we actually did anything other than sleep.’
Feeling slightly calmer now, the miko removed her hands from her face and looked up. She was only slightly surprised to see that the demon lord was looking right at her, one of his brows slightly raised. She forced a smile to her lips and said, “Good morning! Did you sleep well?”
The demon lord put aside his suspicions that the miko had probably just gone through a short mental episode in favor of answering her question.
“No.” he said after a brief pause. He did not miss the disquieted expression that took over her face at his admission.
‘Oh crap!!’ Kagome thought uneasily, ‘I hope I wasn’t snoring!! Or worse, talking in my sleep!!!’ She almost didn’t want to ask for fear of what his answer might me. She hesitated for only a moment before curiosity got the better of her.
“I didn’t keep you up did I?”
Sesshoumaru considered this. In a way she had, but he was finding himself reluctant to share that particular information with her.
“I mean I didn’t… I wasn’t snoring or anything was I?”
The demon lord felt a small weight lift from his mind. This question was much easier to answer!
“No.” he told her, his lips tilting in a tiny smile.
She looked relieved then. “Good, cause that would have been really embarrassing!” she said with a bright smile.
Before he could ask why, the miko unraveled herself from her coverlet and slid to the edge of the bed. She stood and stretched again before she turned to look down at him.
“I’m gonna go and get washed up. There’s a small lake not far from here.” she informed as she made her way to the other room. Sesshoumaru said nothing to this and was faintly disappointed with his lack of discipline when his mind conjured an image of what the miko might look like wet and without her clothing. Said disappointment was only tempered by the welcoming sight of the image itself.
‘It seems…’ the demon lord mused as he watched the miko walk out the door with an armful of what must have been her bathing supplies, ‘that this fixation has the very real potential to become an ongoing and potentially unavoidable preoccupation.’
________________________________________________________________________
Kagome made quick work of bathing in the cool water of her selected basing before returning to the hut without incident. She was again forced to dress in the storage room of her hut, but this time she was not quite as nervous.
Once she was finished making herself presentable for the day, she went about packing her things for what would undoubtedly be a long, LONG journey. She withheld a sigh as she tied her bag closed.
Well, she decided, it was better to make this ridiculously long trip than to sit around and wait to be attacked by Kami only knows what!
With her preparations completed, the miko turned to Sesshoumaru, who, by all appearances had forgotten she was even in the room. His armor back in place, he sat against the wall on the opposite side of the room. He was staring blankly at a nearby wall as if he was either deep in thought or bored out of his mind; she couldn’t really tell the difference.
Deciding that it was okay to interrupt him either way, the miko cleared her throat before asking, “Would you like something to eat? I have rice and dried meat.”
The daiyoukai’s face stayed as it was but his eyes shifted in her direction. It made him appear slightly menacing.
“No thank you.” was his curt response.
Kagome stared at him for a moment. He really did seem to have something on his mind, she decided after a moment. She wasn’t quite sure how she could tell, because he usually always gave short simple answers like that. Normally she would attempt to engage him further, but, this time she felt it was probably best to leave him to his thoughts.
“Okay,” she said at last, “well I’m going to make some for myself if you don’t mind.”
Sesshoumaru remained silent, and Kagome collected her only remaining pot, (the other one having been buried deep in her old yellow bag) rice, water, and the few pieces of dried meat that she had not packed for the trip.
‘I am sooooo tired of rice and dried meat!’ she used her dwindling supply of matches to create a small fire. It was then that she was struck with the best idea she had had in weeks. She could go home! She hadn’t gone in all this time because she didn’t want to leave Rin, but she wasn’t here anymore. She could go home and get some real food!!!
“You know what!” the miko blurted out suddenly, her eyes shining with some unknown happiness. “I think I’m gonna go home!”
That seemed to have got his full attention. He turned away from the wall, the full weight of his gaze landing squarely on her.
“Why?” he asked, his eyes slightly more narrow than usual. Something about his demeanor left Kagome with the impression that she’d better have a good answer or he wasn’t going to let her leave.
“To get some more supplies.” she answered somewhat vaguely, deliberately leaving out the part about her plan to run to the refrigerator and gorge herself stupid before she came back. “And besides that,” she went on, padding her case as she had done so many times with Inuyasha, “I haven’t seen my family in a while. I miss them and I’m sure they miss me. I won’t be gone very long.”
His gaze shifted to the already overstuffed yellow bag at her side, before his eyes locked with hers again. “That is not advisable.” the demon lord informed her, his tone colored with a hint of disapproval.
Kagome was hit with a wave of déjà vu. “Oh yeah? And why is that?” she wanted to know. Folding her arms over he chest, she prepared herself for an argument.
Sesshoumaru stared at her and even though he still was unused to such audacity, he was not surprised in the least that the miko simply stared right back at him.
“The others will be here soon.” he finally said and before she could fit in a rebuttal, he added, “It is unlikely that you will return in a timely manner.”
Kagome felt her impulse to argue fade under the truth of his words; though how he could have guessed that she usually did come back later than she intended, she would probably never know. With a quiet sigh she banished her ideas of gorging on home cooked leftovers and prepared her rice.
“Fine!” she said with a light huff, “But don’t blame me if I’m cranky for the rest of the day!”
The demon lord did not answer. Oddly, he realized he didn’t like the sound of that.
_________________________________________________________________ _______
A thunderous scowl marring his otherwise handsome face, Inuyasha was unable to bite back another low growl as he broached the border of Kagome’s village. He couldn’t put into words how tired he was of smelling Sesshoumaru’s rotten stench nearly every time he came around here!
Having heard and felt the evidence of the hanyou’s displeasure from her position on his back, Kikyou suppressed the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. She had long ago detected the demonic aura of his elder sibling so it was no mental leap for her to understand why he kept growling.
“Will you at least attempt to be civil?” she asked, the timbre of her voice suggesting that her words were more of a request than an actual question.
The hanyou growled again. “I just… I just don’t like him hanging around her.” he said instead of answering her question.
Kikyou frowned. “What exactly is it about their relationship that bothers you so?”
The directness of her question nearly faltered his steps but the surefooted half-demon managed to recover quickly. He knew what she was getting at, but they would be getting married soon. He couldn’t tell her he still had feelings for Kagome too.
“It’s just…” he began haltingly, “It’s just that Kagome’s my friend. She’s a nice person, and someone like Sesshoumaru… he doesn’t deserve a friend like her.”
The priestess took this in, digesting also the words he did not say. She was by no means oblivious to his feelings for Kagome. She did not know how deeply rooted they were, but his jealousy and possessiveness toward the younger miko stated rather clearly that they were beyond the boundaries of simple friendship. She knew that Inuyasha was not happy with the blossoming relationship between his brother and Kagome. Admittedly, it hurt her to know that his feelings for her were incomplete because they were divided between the two of them.
The sad thing was, that she really couldn’t blame him. Kagome was a wonderful person. She had done so much, sacrificed so much for all of them and never asked for anything in return, even when she obviously needed their help. Kikyou sighed quietly. She loved Inuyasha, and if for no reason other than her unwillingness to discard Kagome’s hard work and sacrifice, leaving him again was not an option. Not that she wished to do so anyway. She would simply have to endure his divided affections for now and hope that his feelings for the younger miko would wane with the passage of time.
The priestess was forced to relinquish her train of thought when Inuyasha skidded to a halt near the hut which used to belong to her own sister. Her lovely brown eyes dimmed slightly when she recalled that her only sibling had departed this world. It was still rather heartbreaking to remember that she was gone, but after a lifetime of serving and protecting this village, Kaede deserved her peace.
Kikyou slid from Inuyasha’s back and looked up at the old building. She would be residing here for a time. A part of her wondered what it would be like. Would she constantly be reminded of her sister? In a way, she hoped so. The time they should have spent together had been stolen from them. It could never be retrieved, but Kikyou wanted to remember whatever she could of the woman who had been her younger sister. Memory, after all, was all she had left of her.
Behind the priestess and hanyou a large fire-cat landed in the sparse sun scorched grass, its two passengers slipping from its back. Kikyou was about to turn to greet them but was forced to forgo the polite gesture when Inuyasha stormed into the hut. Hoping to prevent a fight between the inu siblings, the priestess quickly followed him inside.
His fingers hovering restlessly near the hilt of his sword, the hanyou focused his attention on his brother. The demon was casually sitting on the floor, one leg outstretched while the other was bent, his elbow propped leisurely atop his knee. He looked disturbingly comfortable, like he lived here or something. He wasn’t even wearing his pelt, the hanyou noted with a level of alarm. What was worse, was the heaviness of his scent in the room. It suggested that he had been here for quite some time.
A light gasp escaped his lips as horrifying, dreadful realization set in. Inuyasha’s eyes rounded with incredulity.
“Did you… did you spend the night here??!!” his voice cracking, and his clawed finger pointing in accusation, Inuyasha’s brow twitched erratically with the recent shattering of his nerves.
Kagome did not get a chance to reprimand the half demon for his rude entrance and bold question before Sesshoumaru rose from his place and stepped forward. “Your manners are lacking as usual Inuyasha.” he stated blandly, but the hanyou did not miss the slight tilting of the demon’s lips. “Is that any way to greet your elder brother?”
A rumbling growl shook Inuyasha’s chest, but Kikyou’s staying hand on his shoulder kept him from advancing forward. “You haven’t answered my question.” he growled through tightly gritted teeth.
“Now, now,” said Miroku, who together with Sango had just entered the room. His hands uplifted in a placating gesture, he slowly made his way toward Kagome. “There is no need to argue.” he continued as he wrapped an arm around the miko’s shoulder drawing her into a sidelong embrace. “I am certain that Lady Kagome would be more than willing to explain, in great detail,” he added almost as an afterthought, “why Lord Sesshoumaru spent the night here.”
A sly sort of smile tilting his lips, he leaned toward the miko expectantly. Unfortunately for him, his wandering violet eyes drifted from her face to land on the light, but distinctly menacing scowl the daiyoukai had leveled upon him. Mid waggle, Miroku’s brow dropped into its normal position and he nervously cleared his throat. “Or perhaps not.” he amended as he retracted his arm from her and deliberately avoided the no doubt disapproving look of his wife.
Having already reached the end of her patience, the demon slayer spoke up. “Kagome is our friend, and an honorable woman. None of us,” she sent a poignant glare at Inuyasha, “have the right to question her.”
Kagome smiled not only because of her appreciation of her friend’s words, but also because she knew that as soon as they were alone together those same words would fly out the window with a flurry of questions posed by the slayer herself.
“Thanks Sango.” she said anyway. The huntress smiled and nodded while the hanyou huffed in annoyance. “When are we leaving?” he asked in an effort to change the subject.
“Good morning to you too Inuyasha.” Kagome said with mock cheeriness.
“Keh!” He turned away from her and shoved his hands into his sleeves.
Kagome ignored her petulant friend in favor of addressing them all. “Thank you all for coming. I can’t thank you guys enough for helping me with this.”
Miroku smiled at her warmly. “It is not necessary for you to thank us Lady Kagome. We are more than happy to help.” Sango and Kikyou nodded their agreement while Inuyasha just huffed again.
Kagome paid the hanyou no mind as she returned the monk’s smile. “We should be leaving pretty soon.” she said. “I just have to wait for Daisuke; he should be here any minute now.”
As if on cue, a light tapping on the doorframe followed the miko’s words. “Come in!” she announced and the old fox and fire demon filed into the already crowded room. Tsunjin’s still distrustful eyes trailed the fox’s every movement.
A buoyant smile on his lips, Daisuke bowed to the room’s occupants. “Good day.” he stated courteously. Turning toward Sesshoumaru he said. “Your sentry was so gracious as to act as my escort once more. The gesture is most appreciated.”
As predicted, the demon lord’s only response was an unwavering glare. Sensing that the great inu still did not trust him, Daisuke thought nothing of it and turned his attention to Kagome. “Have you come to a decision Kagome-sama?”
The young miko looked around the room taking in the individual faces of her friends. Finally she looked back to the old kitsune and gave her response.
“Yes.” she breathed after a long pause. “We’re going to find the keys.”
__________________________________________________________ ______________
Alrighty then!!! The chapter is late, but I think it kinda moves things along. I must say that I am quite happy to get a chance to write Miroku again!!! I LOVE that guy!!! He is so fun to write! Hope you guys enjoyed!
Oh, and this chapter was edited with a light touch. Hehehe… in other words, I got kinda lazy. If there are a horrible amount of mistakes PLEASE let me know and I will go over it again! Thanks for reading and please take moment to review!