InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sleeping with the Enemy ❯ Accusation ( Chapter 19 )

A/N: During the scene when it goes to Kagome and Kohana, there are a few dashes to signify a scene that had happened earlier in the day, before coming back to the two of them again, just incase anyone gets confused. And later in the story you'll see a couple of ~ these are just in there when the point of view changes, so it's not quite so confusing.

 

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Chapter Seventeen:

Accusation

 

 

InuYasha glared out at the world from the tree he was perched in. He couldn't pinpoint who or what had put him in a bad mood but he just couldn't stay in the village with the others today. Kagome had been distracted and distant since he had returned and he knew not to bother her. It would only lead to her getting irritated and sitting him until he learned to leave her alone, or went unconscious…most likely the latter.

 

He, Sango and Kirara had returned late in the evening the day earlier, finding that Miroku had still not returned. The half demon chose not to say anything, for when they had left him, he hadn't been in the best condition. He knew that Miroku wouldn't waste too much time with Mushin unless his health was at stake, so they would simply go back to check on him if he didn't return on his own soon.

 

However, earlier this morning the monk showed up and hadn't been alone. InuYasha always did his best to ignore Miroku's lecherous ways, not like it affected him at all. But as soon as Miroku walked up smiling with Kohana at his side, he felt himself bristle. It wasn't that he had anything against the girl, he barely knew her. It was the look of devastation that briefly played on Sango's face before she covered it with a cold and indifferent one; that made InuYasha grow irritated.

 

`Feh, stupid monk,' he grumbled inwardly as he continued to keep watch over the village from his tree. He hadn't really paid much attention to Sango before, but now that he had gotten to know her a little better; he didn't like seeing her hurt by Miroku and his constant lechery. InuYasha knew he was hardly the person to be giving women advice. He still found himself torn between his past love for Kikyo and being with Kagome. But Miroku didn't even care about the women he so willingly chased after.

 

Maybe it had been seeing Sango laugh and joke openly that was causing InuYasha so much turmoil. Normally, he couldn't care less about humans and their stupid emotions. But ever since he had met Sango she had been serious, intense in her mission to kill Naraku. It was very rare that she seemed truly happy. The half demon could certainly relate to those feelings and found that Sango seemed almost like a different person when she smiled and laughed. It was like a reflection of him self in some strange way. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, he didn't respect the way Miroku behaved around women and he definitely didn't like seeing Sango upset about it.

 

He continued his silent brooding for nearly half the day before a familiar scent caught his attention.

 

`What the hell is he doing here?' InuYasha leapt from the tree, unsheathing his sword in one fluid movement. Quickly he was in a fighting stance. If he had come all this way, he was obviously looking for a fight and InuYasha wasn't about to let him get to the village.

 

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Kagome sat digging through her bag, pulling out things that might be of interest to Kohana. She had been a bit surprised when Miroku had shown up with another woman that morning and her first thoughts were that the monk had finally found someone foolish enough to bare him a child. But after meeting Kohana and spending time with her, she learned that she was just a child hood friend of the Miroku's.

 

The morning had actually been pretty busy which, was oddly a welcome relief for the school girl. Nearly the moment Miroku, Kohana and Hachi showed up, InuYasha had gone into an irritable mood and left the village. No one paid him much mind, however, because it was hardly a shock to see him in such a mood. But after getting settled in and speaking to Kaede in private, Miroku had asked everyone to join him in the hut.

 

----

 

“I have a couple of things I would like to discuss with you, my friends,” the serious look on his face had further fed Kagome's belief that Kohana was more than just a friend. However the next words that he uttered caused Kagome to grow nervous.

 

“It's about my curse,” he had started speaking tentatively. “Something has caused a change in the void; it has not spread as I have feared. It has grown quite small, actually. I fear it won't do any good in battle now.”

 

Sango let her thoughts move away from Kohana after hearing Miroku's words.

 

“It's probably a trap of Naraku's. There must be a reason he's made your wind tunnel unusable.”

 

Miroku nodded slowly, “That is what I fear as well, Sango. If he is planning something we need to be prepared. I cannot understand why he would do this; his poisonous insects keep me from using the wind tunnel during battle.”

 

Kagome sat silently as they continued to discuss the possible reasons for the change in Miroku's curse.

 

`When I purified Naraku, it must have had an affect on Miroku's curse. But how can I tell them, that? They'll want to know why I was with him,' again guilt was filling Kagome's entire being. She could hear the concern and worry in her friend's voices. How badly she wanted to tell them the truth and put their minds at ease. Finally, she heard the monk give a heavy sigh and she turned her attention back to their discussion.

 

“For now, we will simply wait and see what happens, I suppose.” Miroku glanced down at his hand then up at Kohana who was sitting silently.

 

“Ah yes, I also have something to ask of you both,” he turned his attention to Sango and Kagome who both gave him questioning looks.

 

“As you can see, Kohana has returned with me. She hopes to spend some time with Kaede and get to know some of the local villagers. I was hoping that perhaps the two of you would be so kind as to show her around and assist her,” the monk knew both of the girls were kind and would help Kohana settle into the village. He would offer his support as well, but realized that more than anything else, Kohana needed female companions.

 

“Uh…sure, Miroku, no problem. We'd love to,” Kagome spoke up quickly. `How stupid can a guy get anyway? Can't he tell how Sango feels about him?'

 

She smiled at Kohana then glanced at Sango who was also smiling but, to Kagome, it was obvious that she was not happy. Miroku had done some stupid things in the past but to actually bring a woman to the village with him? It then hit Kagome that not once had Miroku made a lecherous comment or said anything about this girl baring him a child.

 

`Wait a minute. Is she really just a friend?' the school girl decided she would talk to Kohana on her own to learn more. Before she could say anything else Sango stood up and walked towards the door.

 

“I'll be back soon. I need to check on Kirara,” without waiting for any reply the demon slayer disappeared from the hut. Kagome gave an apologizing smile and quickly explained to Miroku and Kohana what had happened to Kirara.

 

“Sango's still worried about her,” she said as an off handed excuse for Sango's behavior. Kagome understood how Sango felt. It hurt to watch someone you cared for with another woman; and she knew the feeling all too well.

 

“I see, well, perhaps you will show Kohana some of the things you have brought from your era. I'm sure she'll find it fascinating,” Miroku said as he stood. Kagome nodded and smiled at the new girl who was obviously shy and hadn't said but a few words since she arrived.

 

“I would like to check on Kirara myself and perhaps find out where InuYasha has gone. He should know about the change in my curse as well. He would not be pleased if he found out during battle,” Kagome simply nodded. That was certainly the truth. InuYasha didn't handle those kinds of surprises well.

 

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Kagome smiled at Kohana who was looking at all of the things she had taken from her bag. She really did seem to be very nice, once Kagome had gotten to know her. She had known Miroku as a child, and the school girl was almost shocked to learn that he hadn't once said or done anything inappropriate to her. After several not so subtle hints from Shippo, Kagome decided to open some pocky for him to snack on and was about to give her usual warning about getting a stomach ache, when Kaede stepped into the hut.

 

“Kagome, where is InuYasha?”

 

“I don't know…he went off this morning and hasn't come back. Why?”

 

The old priestess shook her head grimly.

 

“Ye should go find him, there is a powerful demon drawing near the village,”

 

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Sango heard the faint jingling of Miroku's staff and focused more intently on Kirara's wound. The demon had finally found the strength to transform and was now lounging in the sun, letting her master check over her. Honestly, the demon felt fine, albeit a little weak. But she did love to have Sango's full attention and this was definitely doing the job. Since joining the group, Sango's attention was often split between the others and Kirara found herself with the young kitsune more often than she cared to be. It wasn't that she wasn't fond of Shippo; the fox cub was sweet and Kirara would fight to the death to keep him safe. She just missed having Sango to herself.

 

“Sango?” The demon sighed inwardly as the monk approached them. He was the worst of the group. Her master's emotions clearly changed when he was around…not always for the good.

 

“Yes, Miroku?” Sango continued to pet Kirara and do her best to sound uninterested. Too many times the monk had shown interest in other women. Sango wasn't entirely sure how much more of it she could handle. And to make things worse, now he was bringing them back to the village with him.

 

“How is Kirara fairing?” Miroku asked quietly as he stood looking down at the two of them. Perhaps it had merely been the days apart from her but she seemed so much more beautiful to him. Then again it could have been the change in his curse. Was it a change for the better or worse? Was it merely a trick and his life would still end soon, or worse, sooner than even he expected? Or was this really something to be positive about? Had the change been a new lease on life granted to him by Kami himself? Could he dare to dream of having a semi-normal life and enjoy being married to a woman he loved?

 

“She's doing well. InuYasha was able to keep the other demon from doing too much harm to her,” she replied as she continued to pet Kirara. Miroku's grip on his staff tightened slightly when he realized that Sango was purposely avoiding looking at him.

 

“Sango, is something the matter-” his words were cut short when Kirara suddenly stood and let out a low growl. Sango quickly followed suit, not taking her eyes off the cat who was in a defensive stance.

 

“What is it, Kirara?” The nervousness in the slayer's voice was apparent. Both from Kirara's actions and the fact that the demon hadn't fully healed yet, the last thing she wanted was for her to take more injury in some sort of fight.

 

“She must sense something nearby. Come, we should go find InuYasha.” Miroku was about to take off when Kirara stepped closer, a motion they both recognized as her offering them a ride. Sango hesitated momentarily then got onto her pet. Whatever she had sensed must have been serious because she was anxious to get to it.

 

 

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Sesshoumaru swiftly made his way across the lands, lost deep in his thoughts. There were few things he despised more than his brother but the Demon Lord knew very little about the Shikon Jewel. He, like all demons, knew of its power of course. That power was something he held no desire for. He would never stoop to obtaining a jewel to strengthen him self. He hardly needed such a thing, he was one of the strongest and most feared demon's alive. However, he knew of InuYasha's quest for the jewel.

 

A strong demon had gained possession of a large part of it and Sesshoumaru could sense the threat. Recently many demons and villages had been slaughtered in the western lands by this demon and the only connection to each of these slayings had been this demon. Sesshoumaru would simply find his brother and get the information he needed, so that he could be adequately prepared for any attempt to harm him or those that belonged to him.

 

The last that he had known it had been Naraku that had been in possession of most of the jewel and while he despised Naraku and everything he stood for, he held little fear of the half breed even with the Shikon jewel. Naraku refused to dirty his own hands and Sesshoumaru had no trouble fighting the incarnations, puppets and lowly demons he enlisted to do his bidding.

 

The demon lord landed gracefully not far from the village where the priestess Kikyo had lived. He had been here before though he didn't make it a habit. He held less than no desire to be near humans, particularly those that held such hatred of demons. His brother's scent was all over the area and he could smell him getting closer.

 

`So, you know I'm here, InuYasha. I'm impressed. I would have thought your half-breed senses would have failed you.' Sesshoumaru let a subtle smirk grace his delicate face. He had other reasons for coming, though they were purely personal. He had finally come to accept that he would not gain the Tetsusaiga; his father had seen to that. No demons would touch it and for now, he wanted to see if his brother had improved with the sword.

 

If the sword were to be in the hands of someone that shared at least half his blood, he wanted to be sure it was being wielded with honor. Though InuYasha was only half demon, he still shared their father's blood. The demon lord would not have InuYasha sullying that dignity with his tainted human half. If the half demon were to truly be the Tetsusaiga's master, then he would need to do the sword and their father justice.

 

It took only a moment for the half demon in question to burst through the trees, the sword already brandished, prepared to head into battle recklessly.

 

`So rash, InuYasha, if you followed your demon instincts rather than your human emotions you might make a worthy adversary for me.'

 

“What the hell are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?”

 

“You don't seem pleased to see me, little brother,” an arrogant smirk spread across the demon lord's face. He truly found amusement in taunting his younger brother. The half demon's temper was short and he rarely thought things through before he said or acted upon them.

 

“If you came to try to take the Tetsusaiga again, you've got another thing comin'! Or do I need to cut off your other arm before you'll learn your lesson?”

 

“I am not here for the sword or you life, though the latter holds little value. Today, I am here for information.”

 

“Huh?” InuYasha gave Sesshoumaru a suspicious look, not daring to let his guard down.

 

`He's not here for the Tetsusaiga? What kind of information could he possibly want from me?'

 

“Why is Sesshoumaru here?” The monk's voice drew both demons' attention to the sky. Quickly the cat demon lowered to the ground and both the monk and slayer were standing beside InuYasha, ready to offer him aide if he needed it.

 

“How endearing,” Sesshoumaru mused sarcastically. He could easily kill the three of them if he so chose but right now he had other things on his mind.

 

“Hold on guys,” InuYasha said quietly. It wasn't often his brother came to him without the intention to kill him. Unlike Naraku, Sesshoumaru didn't resort to trickery. If he said he came here to talk, that must be why he actually came. The half demon stared at his older brother for another moment then sheathed his sword. As much as he despised Sesshoumaru, he knew there must be something important if he was here looking for information.

 

`So, you trust that I won't kill you? Interesting,' Sesshoumaru had not expected his brother to put away the weapon so easily.

 

“You are foolish enough to abandon your weapon in the presence of an enemy?”

 

“If ya try anything, I'll just have to sharpen my claws on you,” InuYasha scoffed then waited for his brother to get to his reason for being there.

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly as a faint, yet familiar scent, caught his attention. It quickly faded and he turned to his brother again.

 

“A demon has gained possession of the Shikon Jewel,” he said nothing more. He wanted to see the reaction of InuYasha and his comrades before he went on. It was as he expected. All three of them looked stunned, thoroughly clueless about what he was speaking of.

 

“What the hell are you talking about, Sesshoumaru? Naraku has most of the jewel, we already knew that,” the demon lord's eyes narrowed further. Few followed the shards as closely as this group and yet they appeared to know nothing about it.

 

“A demon other than Naraku possesses a large part of the Shikon Jewel,” Sesshoumaru quickly realized this was pointless and he would gain no knowledge from his brother or the humans. He was prepared to leave when again that familiar scent caught his attention. Seconds later the young priestess, Kagome, came running into the clearing through the thick forest of trees.

 

The demon lord hardly paid attention to the scent of such a creature but the moment she was near, his eyes darkened. Though it was very faint, he recognized the smell of miasma; Naraku's scent was on this human. Why would she hold Naraku's scent yet her comrades claimed to know nothing of the whereabouts of the jewel shards? Why was she the only one to have this scent on her?

 

Without a second thought, Sesshoumaru moved with blinding speed, catching the human around the waist and then taking her into the air. He would speak to her away from his brother. She would tell him what he wanted to know. She held no real defense when away from InuYasha, so he held little doubt she would comply. He heard his brother call to him to stop and the girl let out a shrill scream that for now, he chose to ignore.

 

Mere moments later, he landed again, nearly dropping the human onto the ground.

 

“Stand,” he ordered while not taking his eyes off of her. There was no doubt in his mind that the faint scent on her was that of Naraku.

 

Kagome stared up at Sesshoumaru not having any idea what to do. She feared him more than just about anyone else she'd ever met. She had run out of the hut to find InuYasha in such haste that she hadn't even picked up her arrows.

 

`Just brilliant Kagome! Kaede tells you there's a demon near and you run off without your weapon.'

 

She realized that her weapon probably wouldn't do her much good anyway, not against Sesshoumaru. He would strike her down before she could even get her hands on an arrow, let alone shoot him with one. Finally, she got to her feet, still shaking from fear.

 

“Why do you reek of Naraku?” Sesshoumaru watched her closely. She held a look of fear until he uttered those words. The girl nearly paled and took on a stunned look as soon as the words touched her ears.

 

“You are consorting with your enemy?” He nearly sneered. Humans were such lowly creatures. This girl traveled with his brother on his quest to stop Naraku and this girl was fraternizing with him?

 

Sesshoumaru stood eerily silent, watching the girl. He had encountered her in the past and knew that she made up for her seeming lack of intelligence with outright boldness. She had been the one that had countered the Tetsusaiga's transformation and hadn't shown proper fear when addressing him. Her lack of an indignant denial spoke much louder than any of her words could have. She had been with Naraku recently, of that he was now sure.

 

Kagome stood nearly trembling before Sesshoumaru. Not so much from fear of him but from the information he knew.

 

~

 

`How did he know? How could he smell Naraku when InuYasha couldn't?' She then realized that while InuYasha's senses were quite sharp he was still only half demon, whereas, Sesshoumaru was a very powerful full demon. His senses had to be much keener than his brothers.

 

`But Shippo and Kirara didn't smell Naraku,' she then realized that Kirara had been injured and she hadn't really seen her since she returned and Shippo was young and naïve. He would never suspect Kagome would betray them like that, especially with Naraku. Besides, he was usually too concerned with what she had brought him to pay attention to such things. She had made sure to bathe before returning and was certain that any smell on her had to be quite faint. Shippo wasn't nearly as powerful or strong as Sesshoumaru.

 

Kagome took an uncertain step backwards, knowing any movements were pointless. She could never escape Sesshoumaru if he chose to kill her. Luckily, the familiar voice of InuYasha broke the overwhelming silence, taking Sesshoumaru's attention away from her.

 

~

 

“KAGOME!” InuYasha's voice held a frantic tone as he followed his brother's scent. All logical thought shut down in his mind. There was no reason for Sesshoumaru to take Kagome and he feared that if he did catch up to them, it would be too late. He couldn't lose Kagome, not like he had lost Kikyo. He couldn't bear to see another woman dead, another woman that he cared for.

 

`Damn you, Sesshoumaru. You even think about hurting her and I'll rip you apart,' Mere moments later he burst into a small clearing and found the two of them standing, staring at one another.

 

`At least Kagome's alright,' he nearly sighed at the sight of her.

 

“Sesshoumaru, you bastard! You leave Kagome alone!” Without hesitation InuYasha rushed towards his brother, sword drawn and prepared to kill. The demon lord gave a slight smirk and moved to avoid the attack. He would enjoy fighting his brother to the death one day, but this was not it. He had other things to deal with at the moment. In a movement almost too fast to be seen, Sesshoumaru's whip struck the Tetsusaiga, knocking it from InuYasha hands.

 

“We can play another day, little brother, right now I have somewhere to be,” he let his eyes fall on Kagome one last time before taking to the air. He would find out about the demon that was threatening his lands and he suspected that the only way he would get the information he wanted was to go straight to the source of the problem and without the Shikon Jewel, Naraku would be little trouble to him.

 

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Once again Naraku found himself sitting alone on the floor, gazing out at the setting sun through the matchstick blinds that kept him hidden from the world. Dark thoughts were finding there way into his mind as the reality of his predicament became clearer with every passing moment. Everything he had worked so hard for was gone. The Shikon jewel that he had desired with every ounce of his being was in the possession of a demon that he could not defeat. He held no real power, something that was nearly driving him to the brink of madness. Power was what he lived for, what he desired and what he would and had killed to get.

Now there was nothing. He was nearly mortal; a weak, pathetic, vulnerable human.

 

“I will once again have the jewel and everyone that dared to defy me will suffer my wrath,” he could hear the bitter tone in his own voice and hated the emotion that laced it.

 

`Human emotions are nothing more than weakness for someone such as myself to exploit.'

 

More than once he had contemplated the feelings and emotions that humans and even many demons claimed to feel. Naraku understood anger, spite, rage, desire, lust and many other things that other had the ability to feel; but what of sympathy, remorse, guilt or even love. Love was one emotion that had always left the dark lord curious, despite himself. Many claimed that it was more powerful than hate. That love could bring about strength and power in people that surpassed even that of the Shikon Jewel.

 

`Nay, no emotion can cause such strength in a being. If anything the idea of love only makes a person weaker,' though as he sat there, thoughts of his enemies began to surface.

 

So many times he could have defeated them, yet they fought on when death should have claimed them. The slayer fought to save her brother. Was it love that pushed her? The monk put himself in danger more than once when the slayers blind emotions could have gotten her killed. Was it love that possessed him to do such a thing?

 

And then there was InuYasha. The fool had nearly died on numerous occasions for an undead woman that wished nothing more than to see him in hell. Was his love that strong that even now he would die for her? And the half breed had certainly risked his life for Kagome. Did he love her as well? What of Kagome? Did she love InuYasha, despite everything that had happened? Could someone such as her, give herself to one man while loving another?

 

As thoughts of Kagome settled into his mind he also began to wonder about himself. Would he too succumb to such emotions now that he was vulnerable? The very idea made him scoff.

 

The idea of him having love for another was beyond ridiculous. But even more so, was the idea of any woman holding such an emotion for him. What female could be foolish enough to allow herself such feelings for a twisted creature like him?

 

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Author's note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update guys! I did so well last month but this month has been crazy. My computer was down forever and I was lucky to just borrow my dad's so I could check e-mails. Anyway, this is definitely not one of my favorite chapters. It feels kinda rushed and thrown together, but I don't have a lot of time at the moment and it's been so long since I updated, I went ahead and put it up anyway. I'll most likely edit it more when I have the time.

 

And I just had to add Sesshoumaru…you can't have an InuYasha fanfic without Sesshoumaru in it! lol He won't be a main character but expect him to be around throughout the rest of the story.

 

Also, I've had a few people asking me about the “Sango pairing.” As you can tell in this chapter, I just don't know who she'll end up with yet. I get tired of Kagome being portrayed as irresistible while Sango is lucky to get Miroku. There will definitely be some tension between Miroku/Sango/InuYasha in upcoming chapters. Miroku has realized the error of his ways while InuYasha and Sango have become friends and InuYasha will be much more protective of her than he was before.

 

So to anyone out there that's a Sango fan, she's finally gonna get some attention here. And don't worry, we'll get back to Kagome and Naraku soon and their relationship will be growing more and have less of the “awkward talking” between them.

 

Thanks to everyone that has show support!