InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ She Who the Prophecy Foretold ❯ Reunited and Secret Gifts ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha & co. belong to the illustrious Rumiko Takahashi. I do, however, own all my original characters and this plotline.

 

Chapter 10 - Reunited and Secret Gifts

 

 

As the sun rose over head, Inuyasha managed to drag himself out of his self pity and stand. He finally realized that he had forgotten all about Kagome, all about everyone but Kikyo. The things Sesshoumaru had shown him changed everything. He had to make it up to her. Kikyo had not only caused Kagome mental pain through her constant taunts and put downs, but had also attacked her multiple times and Inuyasha had not believed Kagome once. He'd basically agreed with every mean thing Kikyo had ever said to the girl, all without ever thinking about how she might feel. On top of that, the fact that Kagome had suffered through agonizing pain ever since Kikyo had been reanimated made Inuyasha feel lower than dirt. He knew why she had kept the pain a secret from him. He knew that Kagome loved him enough to allow him to be with someone else, as long as it made him happy; which was why she never tried to make him choose. She suffered with the pain so Kikyo could remain alive; all for him. He was a horrible friend. He didn't even deserve to be called her friend. He deserved for her to `sit' him until he could no longer climb out of the hole. Never once did it dawn on Inuyasha to wonder how his brother had access to Kagome's experiences or why he had cared to share them.

 

He eventually gave up on berating himself and took off in the direction of the village. He hoped that nothing had happened to her or the others in his absence. She was set to return days ago, a whole week really. He felt guilty. She was sure to be worried about him. He raced through the trees as fast as possible and was surprised when he caught the scent of his group; or rather most of his group, far from the village where he had expected to find them. The sweet scent of strawberries and cream was missing and instead there was the scent of the kits misery and tears. “Where is Kagome?”

 

Miroku and Sango were once again trying to convince the kit to eat something. They refused to continue looking until he did so, hoping that his desire to find Kagome would make him give in and finally eat. They all jumped a few feet into the air when their red-clad hanyou friend landed in the middle of their camp.

 

“Where is she? Where is Kagome?” Inuyasha sounded desperate which made the others even more worried.

 

“We do not know, Inuyasha. She did not return to the village. We awaited her at the well but she never arrived. We waited two days before we decided to come looking for you in hopes that you could go through the well and check on her well-being.” Miroku sounded calm but the look in his eyes clearly displayed his concern for the miko.

 

“Where have you been, Inuyasha?” Sango nearly yelled at the half-demon in front of her. “You said you would be back before Kagome and it has been a week since she should have returned.”

 

Inuyasha looked guilty for a moment before he relayed the story of his last few days, starting with Sesshoumaru's first attack on Kikyo and ending with her death days later. He did however choose to leave out the special parting gift Sesshoumaru had left him with. After his tale was relayed the group decided to return to Inuyasha's Forest so that the hanyou could travel through the well to Kagome's time and make sure she was okay. Inuyasha even managed to convince Shippo to eat a little. He tried to reassure the kit that Kagome was fine and she must have been held up for some reason. She could even be waiting for them at the village right now. Although Shippo really didn't buy it, the little glimmer of hope was better than none. They decided to start back immediately. The sooner they knew the situation, the better.

 

Along the way Miroku found himself in deep thought. Inuyasha had told them of the vision Sesshoumaru had shown him about Kikyo and Naraku. How did Sesshoumaru do it? How had he seen the event himself? Surely if he had been present he would have stopped it, which meant the vision had come to him sometime after, but how? He was pretty sure that the demon lord did not have mental powers before, but then again, none of them really knew too much about him. Still, something about the whole situation bothered him. It was clear as to why Sesshoumaru desired Kikyo's death, as she had attacked what apparently were his pups. That was another thing. None of them had even known that he had taken a mate, let alone had pups. According to Inuyasha there were quite a few, but he wasn't sure how many. Apparently there was more to the great demon lord than any of them had seen.

 

As they flew on, Miroku went over every incident he could remember involving the demon Lord of the West in his mind, trying to discover any insight into the odd occurrence Inuyasha had told them of. He was still deep in thought when Kirara tilted a bit more downward, causing him to slide closer to Sango. The feel of her back against his chest caused a shift in his line of thought. Sesshoumaru was no longer forefront in his mind. Instead he found himself imagining Sango pressed against him in a similar fashion but with a lot less clothing, and preferably on the ground, but that wasn't a deal breaker.

 

 

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Naraku was throwing an absolute hissy fit. Kanna had shown him Kikyo's fate and Naraku wasn't taking it very well. He had finally had Kikyo in his grasp after over fifty years of scheming and now she was gone. They would pay for this. He had barely even had a chance to enjoy her. He did at least relish in the fact that Sesshoumaru's pups were now surely dead, so at least she had been somewhat useful during her time with him. Still, no one wanted to be in the presence of the once human hanyou, at least not unless they enjoyed pain. He was yelling and throwing things, sending tentacles crashing through walls. It would not be long before the dilapidated castle they were currently hiding out in completely disintegrated under his childish attack.

 

Kagura had left the area shortly after the temper tantrum had begun, floating away on her large white feather, hiding her smirk behind her fan. She loved it when his plans backfired. She decided to use the time to herself to fly high, communing with the wind and feeling for a short while the freedom she desired. If only she could find a way to kill Naraku. Perhaps now that Naraku had directly attacked Sesshoumaru's pack, killing his pups, the demon Lord would be more willing to listen to her and help her defeat the evil creature that held her heart. While flying high over the land she spotted some familiar targets and decided to have a little fun. She flew down low, staying silent and manipulating the wind to carry her scent away from the group she now followed.

 

 

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Sesshoumaru woke once again to the most enticing scent he had ever experienced. He buried his nose deeper into her hair, lightly nuzzling her neck and breathing her in deeply, his body responding to her delicious scent and the warmth and closeness of her tempting form. The scent of strawberries and cream was strong, but back now was the scent of purity and power. She was recovering her strength and he was sure she would soon be ready to leave him. The thought did not sit well with him. His brother could not be trusted with her care. He had let harm come to her too many times. The thought of her leaving him to be with his brother worked as effectively as a cold bath would, if not better, to squash his desire.

 

While trying to decide what to do, if there was anything he could do, Sesshoumaru carefully rolled the miko on her back and went to press his lips to hers once again, this time to remove his youki from her. She no longer needed it and he was surprised that she had not purified it from her body simply on instinct. He hesitated for a moment, gazing at her closed eyes, her long dark lashes laid gently over her cheeks. She looked so peaceful. Inside he could feel his beast purr, content to be in her presence, drowning in her scent. So was he, to be honest, but he knew it couldn't last. With a small sigh he leaned in the last few inches and kissed her. This time her lips were warm. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling. He could feel his power flowing out of her but it stopped before all of it returned. He tried again but the small bit of youki remaining would not return to him. He was perplexed but decided to dwell on it later. He didn't really need that little bit anyways. He allowed a smile to cross his face at the sight of a literal dog pile around the miko. It seems his pups had become attached to the miko, even though they have never been conscious in each others presence.

 

An idea suddenly occurred to him and he rose from the bed to go see to arranging the details. He would ensure the girl was safe and protected, even if he could not be the one to protect her.

 

After their father had left the room, the pups began to stir. Slowly they shifted back to their humanoid forms and looked over the girl. They knew what had happened, what this human had done for them. They had heard the servants' whispers, and could feel the difference themselves. They quietly whispered to each other about her, all the while standing guard over her. They had been surprised when their father had come into the room last night and snuggled up to the miko, but it also had been somewhat expected. They had noticed that their father had been distracted at times when he was home with them and they listened to tales of their travels from Rin and Jaken, so they knew of the many times their father had approached her group. They had decided a while ago that he did in fact have an interest in the girl, despite their never having seen her before now.

 

They could all feel their new strength and power. It wasn't fair really. She had given them such a great gift and they had nothing they could do for her in return. She was a human woman, frail and breakable, and she was too beautiful of a soul to be lost to the world. They eventually came to a consensus. This woman had done what only a true mother would have and risked her entire existence for them, and she had never even met them. They never had a mother and what she had done for them was something they had never expected. They wanted to keep her. They would make her pack, family under their protection. They would give her a gift similar to that given to them and would do so immediately. Once it was done, it could not be undone and they would let no one stop them from thanking their savior.

 

The eldest boy decided to start. Yoshikazu uncovered her slightly to find her wearing a long white sleeping gown which was thankfully sleeveless. He held onto her left arm and using a claw, cut a thin line starting on the inner arm and curving around to the outer arm at a slight downward slope. He then cut open the tip of his thumb and traced over the line, mixing their blood. As his thumb passed the cut healed and was replaced by a magenta line, the same as their markings, about half an inch thick along the path of the cut. The second, Shinji repeated the actions of his twin, slightly lower so there was a half inch gap between the magenta markings. Each pup followed, one by one blending their blood with that of their savior, forever giving her a part of them just as she had given them each a part of herself. The youngest two Yuudai and Isamu had to be assisted to ensure their lines were straight. When they were finished Kagome was left with a striped area on her upper arm, about seven inches in height. It was actually quite pretty, resembling a tribal tattoo.

 

Once they had completed their task they decided that they were hungry. It had been several days since they had eaten, over a week. The older twins accompanied the younger twins to the dining hall while the triplets Hisoka, Hitoshi, and Akihiro remained by Kagome's side. They once again transformed into their true forms and curled around her. They would rest until their brothers returned and then they would go and eat.

 

 

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Kagura had followed closely, listening as the group spoke. She had been quite surprised to discover that the miko who usually traveled with them, the one who could purify her winds, was missing. They had apparently lost her over a week ago, and had been searching since. Or rather, the monk, slayer, fire cat, and kit had been searching. They all seemed rather angry at the hanyou, who had been missing from their group as well and had only returned that morning. Kagura knew where he had been and apparently so did they, because the slayer both looked and sounded as if she wanted to cause Inuyasha some serious damage.

 

She found herself wondering where the miko had disappeared to. This was interesting news and would surely be appreciated by Naraku. Now that he had lost Kikyo she was fairly certain his interest would turn to her reincarnation. Having decided to share her newly found knowledge, she turned her feather around and raced back to the hidden `abandoned' castle where her master resided, riding high on the wind.

 

 

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Sesshoumaru was seated at his desk which was absolutely covered in paperwork. He had always been one to see to things immediately so his absence had caused a bit of a back up. He sat and stared for a moment at all the messages he would have to read through, most of which he was sure were pointless as always. Then he swept them all to the side and cleared a space for writing. He quickly wrote his message and handed it to the messenger who was already waiting. Once that task was finished and the messenger was out of sight, he rested his head on his arm in a rather undignified manner and let out a long sigh.

 

He really didn't want her to go but she would be waking soon and then she would want to return to his brother. He felt the jealousy rise up and burn in his chest for a minute before he forced it back down where it belonged. He didn't understand how it was that the girl could be so loyal to one that had hurt her repeatedly. She held his brother on a pedestal, which he felt was truly undeserved. Just once he wanted to have something that his brother did not. He knew it was childish and petty but Inuyasha had his fathers love, he had his mother, at least for longer than himself, he had the Tetsusaiga, and he had the complete and utter love and devotion of the girl that Sesshoumaru was now finally admitting to himself that he wanted.

 

Finally, after much back and forth with his beast, having decided to stop blocking him completely, they came to the agreement that despite her being human she was perfect for them. He no longer cared that she was human for she seemed so much more. She was strong, perhaps the strongest miko ever known since Midoriko herself, if not more so. She was beautiful. He had never seen eyes so deep and blue in a human. All the humans that he had ever seen had brown eyes. Even Kikyo, the girls incarnate, had brown eyes. No, she was special somehow, even more than just being the Shikon Miko.

 

There had always been something about her that called to him. Maybe it had something to do with her scent. Her scent brought up his instincts. Instincts, he knew, were nothing to snub your nose at. His father had once told him that a male would know its true mate by scent alone. If he had not completely ignored his beast for so long or if he had heeded his mother's words, he would have known that she was meant to be his mate from the start. Then maybe he would have done things a bit differently, but then, maybe not. He had held an unbendable hatred of humans when he first met her. This had changed bit by bit as he observed her strength and loyalty. Grudgingly he had admitted that she had earned his respect. After that, the real interest started. He had found himself following her group to learn more. When he tried to avoid them he found himself unable to rest. He felt almost physical pain if he did not enjoy her scent at least once a week. This near obsession had led him to challenge his brother on numerous occasions with the hope of getting a closer look at the girl. This had, in fact, nearly killed him when he had been so distracted he failed to get out of the way of the Windscar. That was the first time that he had seen some worth in the sword he had been left by his father. The Tenseiga had saved his life by transporting him away before he was killed.

 

 

~Flashback~

 

He groaned softly in pain. He could not remember feeling pain like this ever before. The closest he could recall would be the loss of his arm, but this, no this was far worse. His whole body screamed in agony.

 

`How did I get here? What happened to me?'

 

His beast howled inside of him. `You allowed our brother to hit us with the Windscar! Now what will she think of us? She will find us weak, to have been defeated by the half-breed.'

 

`The Windscar? How do I live then? And I care not for what a mere human wench thinks of this Sesshoumaru.'

 

`Yeah? Well, this Sesshoumaru does. After all, she is the one meant to…'

 

`Silence! I will not listen to such foolishness. She is nothing but a filthy human and my brothers wench on top of that! Now tell me, how did I survive the Windscar?'

 

`Fine, I'll stop for now, but you will see eventually and by then it will be too late. You will have ruined any and all chances for…'

 

Sesshoumaru let out a vicious snarl.

 

`Okay, okay. Tenseiga transported us away before we were killed.'

 

`Curious.'

 

While he had been lying against the base of a tree fighting internally, he had failed to notice the small girl approaching. A twig snapped and his head snapped up, eyes still blood red and markings jagged. The small girl did not flinch at the sight of him and once he saw her he immediately calmed, though he was unsure why. She approached slowly and placed a small container of water and some human food near his feet. He looked away, intent on ignoring her. He would have killed the girl for her insolence but there was something about her. After she left the area he allowed himself to think on the girl. She held no fear of him, just like another human girl with impossibly black hair and eyes full of emotion. Though this girl's eyes were brown, they held the same shape and her smile was the same, wide, bright, and true. That must be why he could not kill the girl, had no desire to. It was because she so closely resembled that girl, his brother's miko wench.

 

Several days passed as he recovered from his most serious injuries. Each day she returned and he had studied her closely. Once he had told her she was wasting her time as he did not eat human food, but she only giggled at him and went on her way. He had noticed that she was dirty, unkempt, skinny to an unhealthy degree, and covered with scrapes and bruises. He cursed the family of such a spirited and brave child; that they would care for her so poorly. The next time she had come, she was even worse in appearance. Her lip was cut and her left eye was swollen shut. He inquired as to who had injured her but she did not speak. He had been even angrier at her family then for abusing the poor girl in such a way. He had been tempted to teach them what getting a beating from someone stronger than you was really like but held back. She was just a human and he should not and did not care.

 

The next day he was finally well enough to travel back to the palace and he rose to begin his journey. He then caught a scent on the breeze. It was the scent of blood, lots of human blood mixed with the scent of wolves but it was not that scent that caused him pause. Within the scent of blood he recognized that of the little girl who had tried to help him. He turned in the direction of the scent and soon found her dead on the forest path. Her eyes were open, staring lifelessly up at him. It appeared that her village had been attacked and that she had been running in his direction; `foolish girl.' And yet he could not walk away. It pained him to see her eyes so empty. He then felt the tenseiga pulse at his side. The sword wanted to be drawn. Without hesitation he pulled the sword, trying to convince himself that this would be a test. He was merely testing the power of the sword and truly did not care for the girl, even though he knew that the sword would not work unless he felt true compassion for the one he wished to save. He never was good at lying to himself.

 

He looked down at her body and saw the imps of the spirit world pulling her soul from her body. He sliced through them all in one stroke and watched as the girl began to breathe again, her injuries healed. She rose and smiled at him and he turned and walked away, allowing her to follow after him.

 

~End Flashback~

 

 

He smirked slightly when he remembered how upset Jaken had been that the girl was allowed to follow his master. Jaken never did figure out why the girl was with them. She'd always stayed close and was obedient and eventually she spoke again and he heard her story. Her parents had been killed by bandits and she was left an orphan. The village did not care to help the girl so she had to steal to eat, which had led to beatings when caught. He could not bring himself to leave her in a human village. He did not find her troublesome, so he allowed her to remain. She was a nice distraction at times.

 

Now that he had finally admitted his feelings for Kagome, he could also admit what Rin meant to him. She was like a daughter. He protected her fiercely. She was also one of the contributing factors as to why he had not taken one of the mothers of his pups as a mate. No demon bitch would care for a human child and he would not give her up. The girl absolutely adored his pups and they seemed to like her as well, despite their jealousy at not being able to accompany him as she did on his travels. Kagome, he knew, would accept Rin. She had helped the little girl and kept her from danger on a few occasions. She also cared for the kit so he was convinced she would have made a wonderful mother for Rin, but he was also sure that he had no chance. She knew him only as a cold, heartless demon and now she surely saw him as weak. He had failed to protect his own pups and he had even allowed Kikyo to escape from him the first time. Besides, she loved his brother. His brother did not deserve a creature as wonderful as Kagome.

 

All of his introspection had allowed him to discover a few things. He found that he now believed that love did in fact exist and did not necessarily make you weak. He discovered that while loving her would indeed make him vulnerable to her, it was a risk he was willing to take, if he could even for a short time experience her love in return. He found himself feeling rather empty and eventually decided that despite being surrounded by others in his palace; he was very, very lonely. He found himself becoming more and more depressed at the thought of returning Kagome to her group and losing the peace her mere presence brought him. He really wished at a time like this that he was capable of kicking his own ass. All because he had blocked out all feelings and locked away his beast, mostly because the creature was much too passionate for his liking, as well as ignored the pleas of his own mother, he had on multiple occasions attempted to kill the girl he now wished to have as his mate. He had permanently ruined any chance for her to see him in any other light than the enemy.

 

He found himself now mentally listing off his crimes against her. On first sight he had insulted her entire species and then attempted to melt her! From there, her opinion of him had been set, he was sure. On each subsequent meeting she had watched him fight ruthlessly with his brother who she obviously loved. That couldn't have helped his case. She had even shot at him several times. Once he had caught her arrow, snapping it in two, while with another she had managed to shatter his armor. She had also shot an arrow at the Tetsusaiga to return it to its dormant state when he had stolen it to keep him from using the sword against Inuyasha. He had been an idiot! There was no possible way she could ever see beyond his actions in the past. He had surely cursed himself to a lonely, empty existence, as no other would ever do. He now knew she was the only one he would ever want.

 

A thought occurred to him, lessening slightly his current depression. She was a forgiving creature. She had, despite all his attacks, still saved his pups. Maybe, just maybe he could gain her attentions and eventually her love. Sure, he could always just refuse to return her and take her as his mate but he had given her his word and he was nothing without his honor. He could not force her to mate him. He found himself wanting Kagome's love given of her own free will. He wanted her to look at him as she now looked at Inuyasha, with awe and admiration as well as absolute trust. It was then he decided; he would find a way to show her a different side of himself. He would prove his worth. He would court her properly and he would earn her love. Now, if only he could find a way to be in her presence enough for him to succeed. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud commotion coming from the dining hall. He rose to go investigate.

 

 

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Author's Note:

I thought you all might like to know the meanings of the names I chose for the pups. They are listed below, from oldest to youngest. I spent quite a bit of time choosing the names, and each was selected for a reason.

 

1. Yoshikazu - righteous first son (nickname - Yoshi which means good)

2. Shinji - faithful second son

3. Hisoka - reserved

4. Hitoshi - even-tempered, level

5. Akihiro - bright scholar
6. Yuudai - great hero

7. Isamu - courageous warrior