InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ripples ❯ I Can Love You Like That ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10: I Can Love You Like That

Their two days of grace passed faster than either wanted to think about. Kagome had just finished packing everything that she would need when Sesshoumaru walked into their room. Softly padding over to her preoccupied form, he wrapped his arms around her and earned a tiny squeak from his mate.

"Sesshou! Don't scare me like that!"

He nuzzled her neck and kissed his mark there. Melting into him and sighing, Kagome suddenly got an idea. Wiggling out of his arms, she brought out her CD player and popped in a CD. Soft music drifted into the room as she turned to a stunned youkai. He knew what the CD player was-she had explained it in detail-but it still amazed him that music could come out of a box. Slowly, Kagome walked over to him and embraced him.

"Dance with me?"

Smiling slightly, he took her right hand in his left and put his right on her waist. She put her left on his shoulder and rested her head there as he began to lead them in a slow dance. He made a vow never to forget this moment. He would remember over the next lonely centuries how it felt to have this magnificent woman in his arms, swaying with him to futuristic tunes. Her tiny hand in his, her slim waist, her sweet smell, and the cute way she snuggled into him would all remain carved into his memory forever.

All too soon, the song ended and Kagome pulled away to repack the stereo. The stillness in the room was broken by an exuberant inu youkai by the name of Rin. The little girl burst into the room and glomped Sesshoumaru's leg before giving the same treatment to Kagome.

"Okaa-san! Are you really leaving to go fight the bad man with Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hai, Rin, I am." Kneeling down to make eye contact with the child, Kagome tried to smooth down the girl's wild hair. "Rin, I want you to remember something for me, can you do that?"

The child's eyes brightened and she nodded her head.

"I want you to remember that no matter what happens, I will always love you very much, and we will see each other again. Here, I have something for you to keep for me while I'm gone."

Rummaging through her pack, Kagome pulled out a gold heart-shaped locket. It had an orchid on the front with diamonds as the petals. Rin took it with a sense of reverence.

"Open it, Rin."

The girl did and was amazed to find a picture of her, Kagome, and Sesshoumaru. She looked back at Kagome with wide eyes. Gently, the Guardian took the necklace and turned Rin around. She clasped the locket around Rin's neck and the little girl clutched the locket like it would disappear.

"Rin promises to take very good care of it, Okaa-san. Sesshoumaru-sama, look at what Rin is guarding."

The taiyoukai leaned down and examined the locket and the picture inside. Gently clasping the heart, he gave Rin a strained smile.

"Hai, you will have to take very good care of it so you can give it back to Kagome in perfect condition."

Rin nodded enthusiastically and hugged them back. At the front gate, Kagome gave her one last kiss and then handed her to Jaken.

"Jaken, please take care of them," she asked when Sesshoumaru was giving orders to other servants.

The green toad's eyes bugged with responsibility and he bowed low. "Hai, mistress. This Jaken will watch over them until you are reunited."

Kagome gave him a small smile before Sesshoumaru swept her into the sky. Not until the castle was completely out of sight did she turn her eyes forward. Tail was stroking her arm and she buried her face in it. It puffed up happily and she giggled. Her mate looked down at her and his heart swelled. He would think about losing her later. Right now, he was determined to remember every detail of their time together. Kaede's village came into view and the demon lord descended carefully. After the miko was on her feet, she led him into the old priestess' home.

Kaede was stirring rice when the door opened and Kagome walked in.

"Oi, bout time you showed up, wench. We had almost decided that Sesshoumaru did kill you." Inuyasha stopped and sniffed the air about the time Sesshoumaru walked into the hut.

The two brothers stared at one another until Kagome coughed. Inuyasha snapped out of it and flopped down with his usual `feh.' Sango was just about to hug her friend when she noticed Kagome's appearance. Miroku had a suspicious hand print on his face and was unconscious on the floor.

"Kagome-chan, what happened to you?"

"This is my true form as a Guardian. Sesshoumaru is going to help us destroy Naraku."

"Huh?" Inuyasha started and took a good whiff of the air. Staring suspiciously at his brother, he sniffed around Kagome. "Kami, Kagome, tell me you didn't."

She grinned and sat down, pulling her mate down next to her. "Hai. I would like you all to meet Sesshoumaru, the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands and my mate."

Miroku, who had just come to, stared in shock at the goddess sitting across from him. She was gorgeous and the only thing keeping him from asking her to bear his child was the slight growl coming from the scary demon beside her. Shaking his head, the previous conversation became clear to him and he gathered that this was Kagome. Sigh, another chance lost.

"So, how many shards did you guys get?"

They all gave her their shards and watched as she purified them. It was a lot of shards. Kagome put the shards together and everyone saw them melt into a solid half. She glanced at Sesshoumaru and Tail wrapped around her soothingly.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "We figure we've got half and Naraku's got the rest. The only thing left to do is go get the bastard. Trouble is, we don't know where he's hiding."

Kagome looked up. "I do."

"What? How do you know this, Kagome-chan," Sango asked.

"I can sense his shards. His fortress is a day's journey from here. Perhaps we should get going."

Everyone looked at each other and then nodded. They were soon on their way. Miroku and Sango rode Kilala while Inuyasha ran and Sesshoumaru flew with Kagome. At dusk Kagome called for them to stop.

"I think we should get some sleep before we face him," she said as she and Sesshoumaru touched down.

The two humans looked at her gratefully and began setting up camp. Sesshoumaru went hunting and brought back deer meat while Inuyasha skinned it. Kagome cooked it and handed everyone a piece. While she was dipping out some rice, Inuyasha walked over and sat next to his brother. Sesshoumaru never took his eyes off of his mate.

"What?"

Inuyasha sighed. "You really love her, don't you?"

Finally, Sesshoumaru's golden eyes slid away from Kagome to meet his brother's.

"She is my heart."

The hanyou nodded and glanced at the miko in question, laughing at something Miroku had said. "She pulled me down from the God Tree, ya know?"

"Hai, she told me."

"Oi, do you dislike me because I'm a half breed or because Father gave me the Tetsusaiga?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes went back to Kagome. "I do not dislike you, Inuyasha. You are simply an annoying sibling."

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up and he glanced at the older demon. "Fancy that, and here I thought you had a grudge against me because of my mother."

"I had a grudge against your mother, not her son. The grudge also included Father. He took your mother while mine was still alive and your mother tried to poison me so you could be Father's heir."

Inuyasha's eyes got big. "Sh-she didn't."

Myoga jumped onto the hanyou's shoulder. "Alas, Lord Inuyasha, Lord Sesshoumaru speaks the truth. Your mother was devoted to you, but unfortunately, she hated your brother. She went out of her way to turn your father against Lord Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha sat there, trying to absorb the information. Bits and pieces of his childhood at his father's castle came flooding back. Yes, now he could remember the looks his mother shot Sesshoumaru and the stories she told Inuyasha. She had tried to set the brothers against each other, but after Sesshoumaru saved Inuyasha from a centipede youkai one day, his brother became his hero. So she tried to poison the elder brother, but she had forgotten about his sense of smell. Not long after that, Father was dead and his mother fled with him to a nearby village before she died.

Sesshoumaru had been watching as the memories seeped back into his brother. When at last the hanyou looked up, he spoke. "I did not collect you because I assumed that with your mother gone, you would come back on your own if you wished. When you didn't, I took it as a sign that you had renounced your heritage."

"Mother had fed me so many bad things about you that I didn't think I would be welcome at the castle. So I stayed with her family. What happened to your mother?"

The elder demon looked away. "She went to visit my grandmother when she was attacked not too far from the castle. It was three dragon youkai and they wanted revenge upon Father. Mother killed one, but couldn't defeat the other two. They had jewel shards in them. Father should have been able to sense her danger through their life-bond, but he was with your mother."

The dog ears on Inuyasha's head flattened back in sorrow and guilt. He couldn't blame his brother if he didn't like him after all that.

"Gomen, Sesshoumaru."

His attention reverted to his younger brother and he saw the guilty, sorrowful way he was sitting. Sesshoumaru awkwardly patted Inuyasha's shoulder.

"I have never blamed you. Besides, about the sword, Father gave me the Tensaiga, Tetsusaiga's twin."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. "So, you wouldn't mind if I came back to the castle after this is all over?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "You will have to learn how to behave at social functions. Besides, it is time for you to take a mate and a ball is the perfect way to introduce you to society."

The hanyou grimaced. "You're evil, Sesshoumaru."

"I prefer kind in creative ways."

Inuyasha snickered and Kagome took that moment to walk over. Tail jumped up and pulled her down into her mate's lap. She looked up to find an embarrassed Sesshoumaru glaring daggers at Tail. Inuyasha was laughing hysterically.

"Happy to see me, are you?"

He gave in and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and leaned back into him as he nuzzled her ear. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and joined the two ningens to give the mates some privacy. Her hum and his purr started and drew the attention of the other four.

Sango leaned over to Inuyasha. "What's that noise?"

He chuckled. "I think that's happiness."

"Is that your brother purring?" Miroku inquired.

A cold voice broke into their conversation. "You do realize that we can hear you, don't you?"

Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha sweat dropped and looked embarrassed. Kilala yawned and rolled her eyes.

"Get some sleep, guys. We've got a long day ahead of us," Kagome yawned.

Bedding down, the group said their goodnights and sent their prayers to Heaven.