InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ She Who the Prophecy Foretold ❯ A Miko Belt or 'Damn it! Put Me Down!' ( Chapter 37 )

Chapter 37 - A Miko Belt or `Damn it! Put me down!'

 

 

Kagome had been walking and picking the herbs on her list for a while now. She had all but one, but she couldn't find it. As she walked deeper into the forest she began to get a bad feeling. Glancing down at her companions she saw that they both appeared to be scanning the area. Just when she was about to decide to turn back she saw it. The last herb she needed. She forgot all about the increasingly oppressive feeling of danger and rushed over to pick it. As she knelt she heard a growl. Turning to see why Kazue or Kirara were growling she came face to face with a seriously ugly boar demon. It looked at her in a way that made her skin crawl and she began backing away slowly. Kazue and Kirara had both transformed and stood on either side of her snarling dangerously.

 

`Stay back, Kagome. Let us handle this.' Kagome nodded slightly while still backing up, trying to put as much distance between the hideous demon and herself as possible.

 

“Quite a lot of protection for one human woman. Something special, are you?”

 

“I would go away if I were you. Just go away, leave me alone, and you won't have to die today.”

 

The demon merely laughed. “You think these little demon guard dogs of yours are going to stop me? Nothing can stop me. Not with this.” He held out a rather hideous hoofed hand that held a tiny shard glowing black.

 

`Kazue, he has a jewel shard. Be careful!' `How did I manage to miss that? Why didn't I feel the jewel shard before?' Deciding now was not the time for contemplation she began to slowly reach for her bow, hoping he wouldn't notice until it was too late.

 

“I wouldn't suggest going for the bow and arrows woman. Then I'll have to hurt you before all the fun. While I would still enjoy it, it is much more pleasurable when you can still move.” A shudder ran down her spine as she realized what he intended to do.

 

“You don't want to do this. You really don't want to do this.”

 

“Oh, I can assure you I most definitely want to do this.” He took a step forward and the growling on either side of her increased in volume. Kagome watched as both Kazue and Kirara readied themselves to pounce and attack the threat. She was worried, though. She didn't want either of them to get hurt and this demon held a jewel shard, making it much more powerful than it would be otherwise.

 

`Damnit Sesshoumaru! Where are you when I need you?' She had barely finished the thought when she felt a strong youki approaching. It had to be him. No one else felt quite so powerful.

 

Within seconds the boar was hanging in the air by its throat. “You dare attack one who has been marked by this Sesshoumaru?” The demon's eyes widened slightly before he remembered.

 

“I dare. You cannot defeat me. Not now.” He grabbed the clawed hand that held him with both of his hoofed ones and tried to pry his fingers loose.

 

“Is that so?” Sesshoumaru looked the boar straight in the eyes while allowing his poison to enter the boar's throat. He attempted to say something but all that came out was a hissing gurgle as his body dropped to the ground, fully separated from its head by the corrosive poison. Sesshoumaru dropped the head in distaste and turned to look at the miko. He scanned her from head to toe, checking for any possible injuries. He had just started to take a step forward when he was caught off guard by something that pulled him backwards. The demon he had just beheaded had somehow reached up and grabbed a handful of his hair!

 

“Sesshoumaru! He has a jewel shard! He's going to keep fighting no matter how many times you kill him until you get the shard away!”

 

The inu taiyoukai moved so quickly the now only semi-beheaded boar didn't have a chance. His arms, legs, and once again head hit the ground, sliced off by his youki whip. One hand still clung to his hair, cut off at the wrist and he watched as the pieces moved towards the torso once more. “Where is the shard?”

 

Kagome looked carefully. She had lost sight of it during the struggle. “I think it's still in his hand! Stay still.” Sesshoumaru did as he was told and Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver, charging it slightly with her powers before she stabbed it into the hand wrapped around silver locks. The hand dissolved, purified, and the rest of the body followed. The black, tainted jewel shard fell to the forest floor and Kagome knelt to pick it up. It turned a pure pink as she touched it and she let out a sigh of relief before slipping it in the little bottle that hung around her neck, hidden under her shirt. “I can't believe he thought he could take you.” She was startled when she found herself pulled into his arm and held to his chest.

 

“Are you alright, Kagome?” His heart was beating like crazy and his beast was still fighting for freedom. His intended had been attacked and could have been killed.

 

“I'm fine, Sesshoumaru. Just a little shaken up. It's been a while since I've been attacked like that. Sesshoumaru? I'm fine, really.” She had barely finished talking before his lips were on hers, much more aggressively than the last time. The intensity surprised her but was quickly forgotten as she surrendered to the feelings he was creating. She felt his tongue slide across her lips and she opened without a seconds thought, feeling as it touched her own before continuing on, touching every part of her now open mouth.

 

He had never been so frightened in his life as when he had felt her fear. Even with Kirara and Kazue with her she could still be hurt or worse yet killed. Though the fight had been short he had been unable to help himself. He needed reassurance that she really was okay and she gave it to him willingly. The taste of her, the feel of her still present power, her scent, everything about her surrounded him as he continued to kiss her passionately. The kiss slowed as he calmed and he coaxed her tongue to join in. It was gentle now, deep and loving while still full of passion. He pulled back to allow her to breathe, only to continue to kiss her jaw line and down her throat, never loosening his hold on her.

 

Her hands had come up on their own and were wrapped in his hair. She had never experienced something so amazing before and once she had finally caught her breath she spoke again. “Sesshoumaru? I'm alright. I promise.”

 

He paused in kissing her throat to answer. “This Sesshoumaru is sorry. I should never have allowed you to go into the forest without me.”

 

She tugged gently at his hair, pulling his face back until she could see him. “It's not your fault. It's no ones fault. I seem to attract trouble. I'm sure Kazue and Kirara could have handled things if you hadn't gotten here so quickly. Everything is fine.” She let go of his hair with one hand to touch his cheek gently. “Oh, and by the way, wow!”

 

He smirked at her. “Wow?”

 

“Yeah, wow. That was just, wow. That's the only way I can describe it at the moment. Wow.”

 

“The children are coming.” Within seconds the clearing was filled with the cries of eight young demons, each asking if she was alright, what had happened, and so on.

 

The demon lord that held her in his arm refused to let her go so she had to answer from where she stood. “I'm fine. Just an obnoxious demon with a shard. Your father took care of him.”

 

Shippo jumped onto her shoulder. “Are you sure you're okay, mama? You felt scared.”

 

“I was scared for a minute. I almost forgot what it felt like to be a demon magnet. But everything is fine. I promise.”

 

“Sorry it took us so long to get to you. You were a lot further away then we had thought. I thought you were going to the village.”

 

“I did go to the village, Shippo. Kaede needed me to gather some herbs for her and Sesshoumaru wanted to talk to her so I took Kirara and Kazue with me. He just caught me off guard is all. I don't know why I didn't feel the shard coming.” Shippo snuggled into the crook of her neck that was not being occupied by a very tall inu. She reached her arm up and stroked his red hair gently. She was rather startled when Sesshoumaru lowered his hand to her ass and lifted her off the ground. Her legs wrapped automatically around his waist. Mokomoko wrapped around her waist for further support. “Shit, Sesshoumaru!” When he did not respond and instead began to walk away she called back to the pups. “Will one of you grab that basket? And my bow and arrows? I don't think he's planning on letting me go anytime soon.”

 

Hitoshi grinned and Akihiro picked up the bow and quiver of arrows while Yuudai and Isamu knelt and picked up all the herbs that had spilled from the basket when she had dropped it before they all rushed to follow after her, still being carried by their father. He had been heading back towards the camp but she had ordered him to allow her to give the herbs to Kaede first, so he turned and headed back towards the village. It was a rather amusing procession, a miko wrapped around an inu taiyoukai who was further wrapped around her, a small kitsune still sitting on her shoulder. A large inu and a large fire neko trotted along on either side of said demon lord, and seven younger inus followed, one holding a bow nearly as tall as he was and a quiver of arrows and one of the smallest carrying a basket full of herbs.

 

Kaede had felt them coming and stepped out of her hut, nearly laughing aloud at the sight that greeted her. Kagome tried to explain to her the awkward position she was in as Isamu handed the elder miko the basket. She had barely finished when her tall demon captor turned again and walked directly into the camp. Sango, Miroku, and Rin had a much harder time holding in their laughter at the sight that came marching into the clearing. Shippo jumped from her shoulder to Miroku and launched into an explanation while Kirara and Kazue finally transformed into their smaller sizes.

 

Kagome had expected him to let her down once they had arrived but he didn't. Instead he walked straight through the clearing leaving the rest of the procession behind. Kagome merely sighed her frustration as he continued to walk. Apparently he had finally arrived at his destination as she was once again startled, this time because he had leapt from the ground straight into a tree. He arranged himself on a wide branch high off the ground before his hold loosened slightly.

 

It was quiet for a while before Kagome got tired of it. “Sesshoumaru? What in the world are we doing in a tree?”

 

He pulled back, having had his face buried once more in her neck, to look at her. “This Sesshoumaru needed a moment.”

 

Kagome started to giggle. She could barely talk as her laughter grew with every second as she took in her surroundings. “You needed…(gasp) a moment? You needed a moment…in a tree?”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her now near hysterical laughter. “Perhaps you cannot handle the altitude?”

 

She smacked his shoulder softly. “Jerk. Now can you please tell me why we are in a tree?”

 

He looked at her while contemplating his answer. To be honest he wasn't really sure why they were in a tree, only that he had needed some time alone with her to get over the scare he had just suffered. Apparently a tree had seemed rather fitting at the moment, but how could he explain that to her? “I am not certain. I needed to be with you, to make sure you were safe, and this is where we ended up.” The look on her face caused him to chuckle softly, which launched her into a whole new set of the giggles.

 

She had her face buried in his shoulder as she attempted to stop laughing and catch her breath. When she was fairly sure she could open her mouth without laughing again she decided to give talking a try. “So… I take it you were worried, then?” He merely looked at her. “Okay, okay. I know, thank you Captain Obvious.” The strange look he gave her then made her lose her battle with the giggles again.

 

She had been laughing so long and so hard that she ended up with the hiccups. Sesshoumaru watched with interest, then, as she attempted to get rid of them by holding her breath. It was cute. Her cheeks puffed out and she closed her eyes tightly. He couldn't help himself and after removing his hand from its very comfortable location on her ass he, careful of the claws, poked her cheek causing the air to rush out. She opened her eyes and attempted to scold him, except that it was rather hard as her hiccups had not yet surrendered their hold on her esophagus. She gave up trying to talk out loud and instead decided to scold him mentally. It was easier anyway.

 

`Sesshoumaru! I was trying to get rid of these damn hiccups! What in the world possessed you to poke me?' She watched as he smiled at her as she hiccupped once again. `Oh, you!' She leaned in and before she knew what she was doing she was kissing him. It was slow and passionate, long and deep, and by the time she pulled back for air she noticed that her hiccups were gone! “Huh. Never knew kissing was a cure for the hiccups. Or maybe it's just you. So…how long are we going to spend in the tree?”

 

“Until I am ready to let you go, so it may be a long wait. Maybe you should have brought a book.”

 

“Keep it up mister, and I might just have to kiss you again.”

 

“As if this Sesshoumaru would want you to stop? I am sorry to disappoint you but that is a very poor threat.”

 

She let out a sigh and settled her head back on his shoulder, his hand now moving gently up and down her back. “You do know that Miroku and Sango will never let me hear the end of this, right? Especially Miroku. The longer we're gone the more hentai thoughts he'll come up with.”

 

“This Sesshoumaru does not care and neither should you.” They fell silent then and he sat listening to her heart beat and her breathing until she had fallen asleep. He still didn't want to let her go but he knew the others would get worried if they stayed gone much longer. He grudgingly dropped to the ground, doing so without jostling the precious package in his hold a bit. His hand once again held her ass to keep her from sliding down and he walked back into the camp. Miroku went to open his mouth but was stopped by the slayer who put her hand over it before shushing him. No one else attempted to speak as they all knew she was asleep. He leapt into the tree his brother had earlier occupied and merely held her, watching as everyone down below ate a silent dinner and settled in to sleep.

 

Sesshoumaru was more comfortable than he had been in a long time. Kagome lay still, breathing deeply with her head on his right shoulder, her nose touching his neck. Her legs were still wrapped tightly around his waist and right arm hung around his neck, her left wrapping around his back. His hand rested on her lower back, his legs stretched out in front of him along the branch. Her scent and aura completely surrounded his entire being and he felt amazingly whole, complete, and perfect. She made him feel perfect. He was definitely not looking forward to dawn, but knowing it would eventually come he spent every moment just reveling in the feeling. About halfway through the night he felt her stir and looked down, watching and waiting for her to speak.

 

“Sesshoumaru?” she whispered.

 

“Yes, Kagome?”

 

“Are we still in the tree?”

 

“Yes, Kagome.”

 

“Just don't drop me, okay?” she said before a yawn took over. She snuggled back into him and drifted off, leaving a smiling demon lord to hold her close.

 

“I wouldn't dream of it,” he whispered back, knowing she couldn't hear him. She trusted him so much that she had already gone back to sleep.

 

Dawn came much too quickly and Sesshoumaru found himself wishing he could pause time to stay like this for just a little longer. The run rose slowly over the horizon and despite his best attempts to shield her eyes from the light she once again stirred in his hold.

 

When Kagome woke she found herself feeling warm and safe. She turned her head on her pillow, which was rather furrier than she had remembered. When she opened her eyes all she could see was leaves, leaves everywhere. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to the same thing as before. Slowly she began to take in her surroundings, realizing her arms and legs were wrapped around something solid and warm. Then she felt the hand on her lower back. Suddenly it all came back to her. “I'm still in a tree, aren't I?” She felt him nod. “You need to let me down.” When he didn't move she leaned back and looked him in the eyes. “You need to let me down, now.”

 

“I would rather not.”

 

She smiled slightly. “Well, that's just too bad because I have to go to the bathroom.” She watched confusion begin to cloud his eyes. “Ugh, damn. I need to teach you more about my time. I have to pee, alright?” She watched with suspicion as he smiled.

 

“What if I refuse to let you down?”

 

“I promise, you're not gonna like it. Now put me down!” He grudgingly obeyed, dropping to the forest floor. Her legs unwound and he lowered her until her feet touched the ground. He released her with both his hand and his fur and watched with a grin as she ran off into the bushes.

 

“Where is she going, father?” Shinji asked, now standing beside his father.

 

“The miko apparently had a great need for privacy.” Shinji looked up at him with confusion. “Never mind. She will be back in a moment.” He turned and watched as the rest of the current residents of the clearing woke slowly. A moment later he felt an arm slip around his waist from behind.

 

“You're not very nice, you know,” she whispered into his back. He smiled as she slipped around to rest her face on his chest, her other arm wrapping around him as well.

 

“If I am so terrible then why are you holding me?”

 

“I don't know,” she whispered again. “I just don't know. I'm hungry. Why don't you make yourself useful and go find us some breakfast.”

 

“Am I to understand that I am not being `useful' at the moment?”

 

“Eh, it's debatable. I'm hungry. Take the boys with you.” She released him then before plopping down next to Sango, who was sitting by the fire, and resting her head on her sister's shoulder. They watched as Sesshoumaru summoned the pups and kit and led them away.

 

“Where are they going?” Sango asked with a yawn.

 

“To find us something good for breakfast.” Kagome opened her arms as Rin approached, still rubbing the sandman crusties from her eyes with one hand as the other held a small black dog. Apparently Kazue had made another friend. Kagome smiled at the sight of the tiny inu cradled in the little girl's arm. Rin settled in her arms and immediately fell back to sleep, Kazue taking her place at Kagome's feet.

 

Miroku managed to sit up and looked at them. “Why, good morning, ladies. It is nice to see you back on the ground Lady Kagome.”

 

“I'm not awake enough to deal with you, monk. Start the fire back up, would ya?” she asked with a half smile that ended in another yawn.

 

“Still so tired, Kagome? I would have figured you would have slept like a baby.” Sango grinned. “Or did he keep you up all night?”

 

“Sango, you are getting just as bad as the monk! I slept just fine. Amazingly well, actually.”

 

“Hmm. And why was it that he refused to put you down?”

 

“Boar demon attacked me. Had a shard. Sesshoumaru killed it. Apparently he was worried.”

 

“So then I was right before?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. You were right. He likes me. Said he's drawn to me, that his beast is drawn to me. He makes a great pillow, let me tell ya.”

 

“So then you have feelings for him as well then Kagome?” Miroku asked while arranging kindling in the now barely smoldering fire pit.

 

“I wasn't sure before. I thought maybe I did. But when he kissed me yesterday I thought I had died and found my way to heaven. So yes, Miroku, I believe I do have feelings for him as well. And you can keep your hentai thoughts to yourself.”

 

“So did he ask you yet?”

 

“Ask me what? Oh, if he could court me? Nope, hasn't mentioned a thing. He was so sweet night before last when I had to heal his leg. He tore it open, you know, jumping into the well. I had to heal the whole thing. He tore out the stitches and made it so much worse than it was. Anyway, off topic. Blah. Oh, yeah. He was so sweet. He said he would give me as long as I needed. I said we needed to get to know each other better.” Miroku smiled at the girls before walking a bit away, also having a need for bushes. “Oh, Sango. I wanted to talk to you about something before Miroku gets back. Sesshoumaru told me that there is a way for you to bond with Kirara if you want, so you can understand her. She already agreed to it. You'd be able to hear her thoughts in your head and you could talk silently to her. Might come in handy in a battle situation.”

 

“Really? I've never heard of that.”

 

“I don't think many humans have. Demons don't bond with humans that often. And she couldn't tell you about it because she couldn't talk to you. She probably figured you wouldn't want to anyway, being a demon slayer.”

 

Sango nodded. “Father probably knew about it and never told me. We demon slayers never bonded with our demon partners. Not sure why, really. So do you know what I have to do?”

 

“Sure do. I did it with Kazue when Sesshoumaru gave her to me. That's how she got my mark. Don't tell anyone though. The less people who know the better. We can do it later today. She said she wanted to bond with me as well, but I wanted to wait. It's only right for you to do it first.”

 

They both fell silent as Miroku returned with some dried leaves and twigs and watched as he added them to the fire. “Would you mind doing the honors, Kirara?” he asked the small cat sitting near the girls. They all watched as Kirara transformed before placing one of her flaming feet next to the kindling. It caught immediately and was a nice warm blaze against the early morning chill in moments. Kirara returned to her tiny form and settled next to Kazue, both sitting near the huddle of girls. They all sat watching the flames, no one quite ready to move too much. Instead they waited for the hunting party to return with their morning meal.

 

Author's Notes -

 

First, thanks to everyone who took the time to review! I appreciate the support. If anyone wants to be added to my email updates list email me at cmk2cmm@aol.com with a note and I'll add you on to the list. I send an email out within minutes of posting the new chapter with a link.

 

Neoyoukai - Thanks! I'm glad you like the storyline. I try. :-)

 

Ginrei - Loved the pumpkins. I always print out patterns for the more complex ones but I've never thought to do anime characters before! Sounds like fun! Hopefully this year my daughter won't be afraid to touch pumpkin guts. And then the year before that she kept trying to put the guts back in instead of pulling them out. Kinda counterproductive.

 

Sandra - I know all about that. I'm pagan so we do a very similar type of thing to the day of the dead for Samhain. Basically the same thing. Put up pictures of dead family members, leave out a portion of the evening meal for them. Skull decorations everywhere. If only I had the time and patience to bake the special bread I did two years ago. Makes for an extra busy day to celebrate two holidays in one!

 

Syoze - Good guess. The box is indeed something special and important. Will the beads work? You'll have to wait and see. More on that in an upcoming chapter as Kaede works on it. And even if they don't work, I really doubt Sesshoumaru would give up. If he wants to get through he'll definitely find a way.

 

Arryelle - I have a feeling you liked this one. More kisses and some serious cuddling. Always fun. Oh, and the lime is completed! Took me all day yesterday but it's done and, if I do say so myself, it's absolutely awesome. Can't wait to see what everyone thinks since it is my first!

 

Jessi - Glad I can keep your attention. Hopefully you'll keep reading til the end, if that ever happens.

 

Thea - I'm thinking really hard about what the necklace would do to Sesshy and what the word would be. It has to be good and nothing has really popped out at me yet. When I find the right thing it will scream at me.

 

Babygirl - It really surprises me how many people are so eager about Kagome's father. Never expected that. Lots of pressure now, ya know?

 

Jean - Yeah, Sango should be very happy. I wish I could talk to my dogs like that. My Dana is a rottweiler (I have no idea how to spell that) and a big baby and the way she looks at me I just know she wants to say something. Then the basset hound Sadie has a serious attitude problem. And Jasmine, she's just too happy for words. I would give almost anything to know what goes on in their heads.

 

Lester - The pups and Shippo can't talk in their minds with anyone. Shippo can understand Kirara when she actually talks (meow). Although I agree, Inu and Miroku will probably get suspicious if their too obvious. I'm gonna try to get as many daily updates as usual. Today's is late because I spent a few hours with my hands covered in glue earlier. Destiny always wants to do crafts but she never wants to get glue on her. It's just not fair.

 

Cocoke5 - I only have the one, Destiny, who's four. But I have 5 neices and nephews now. (just got a new one!) Nick (13) Dustin (8) Ann (6) Mia (3) and baby David Jr. (about a month and a half). All from my husbands two sisters. I'm a spoiled only child.

 

Not needed - Glad you liked them. And I think I'd rather have a doughnut if you don't mind. Krispy Kreme chocolate covered crème filled. I'll be waiting. :-)

 

Calix - I put in a new link. This one should work. Mediaminer disabled it for a bit because I hadn't put your name in bold. Pain in my rear end. And you know, I wonder how many people are thinking “what amulet” when they look at the reviews. So much fun. And I'm not giving hints. You're the only one who knows, and I trust you. :-) Glad you like how it's going.

 

Kawaii Kirara - Yes, there will be lemons, eventually. Glad you like Kagome. She's somehow turned into me with the snarky little remarks. Yeah, Kazue hasn't been getting a whole lot of exposure. She and Kirara both pretty much hang in the background unless needed, but I am working on giving them more conversation time coming up. Inu will receive the images just like he did when Sesshoumaru gave the two when he killed kikyo, only this time Kagome's gonna do it. Just a touch. No kissing necessary. That kiss was only the first in a long line of kisses. I'm taking my time. I don't want to rush right into the lemons with no real plot leading up to it. Things get more and more fun from here.

 

Ethereal Siren - I think there's lots of things Sesshoumaru's never done even if he is old. He has been hiding behind that mask for a long time now. You are the second person this time to guess correctly about something. Yes the box is something important. I wouldn't have thrown it in there otherwise, but you are always so observant. And I couldn't forget Kohaku! There's going to be some back and forth and struggle with him. Can't make it too easy, after all! And there are still quite a few characters who have yet to show up but that doesn't mean I forgot them. I have a whole list of people and their roles. Glad you are still enjoying the story and I hope this chapter lived up to its title!

 

Little Rini - Yeah, stay at home mom / homeschooling mom too. I can never go to sleep early so a lot of the writing gets done after bed time until the wee hours of the morning. I don't know if I would ever write a book. It would be a lot harder to make the whole people and universe up completely. But then I always wanted to when I was younger. Maybe someday. Hmm. If I did it would definitely be a fantasy type thing. I'm big on the lord of the rings and harry potter. Love the whole elves and dragons and fairies stuff. I don't spend much time on this planet. Hope you liked the chapter.

 

 

And now I'm done. And damn I wrote a lot. Quite talkative today! See you all soon, hopefully tomorrow!

Christina