InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ So Crazy in Love ❯ An Unlikely Alliance ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three

An Unlikely Alliance

Sesshoumaru whisked off to bring down the demon that was challenging him. It was not a terribly strong demon, but it was particularly fast. It kept lunging at him and then backing off so he had to follow him for an attack. After many minutes of this, he pulled his Tokijin and made quick work of him. Only then did Sesshoumaru realize the actual distance that he had been drawn away. Quickly sensing something awry, he headed back to his companions.

When he arrived he smelled the blood of Ah and Un. He quickly searched around for signs of either Jaken or Rin and was quick to find a slightly wounded Jaken crawling out of the woods. He could not smell, hear, or sense Rin anywhere around. Sesshoumaru turned icy eyes towards Jaken and asked him what had happened.

"W- Well, milord. Do you r- remember that d-demon that lent you the human arm?" `Naraku.' "Well, he showed up and t-took Rin, m-milord. I tried to stop him, but I was w-wounded, milord." Jaken kept his head lowered during their exchange and Sesshoumaru could tell from his nervousness and his simply being alive that he had had something to do with this. He grabbed Jaken around the throat, `and even if he didn't, I told him to protect her, and he didn't.' His hand clenched and he released poison from his claws.

Naraku had covered his and Rin's scent. He would not be able to merely follow them. He dropped the lifeless body of his traitorous cohort and walked to the lifeless body of Ah and Un. Rin had enjoyed the company of Ah and Un. He unsheathed his Tenseiga and quickly brought them back to life. He then turned and walked towards the only person who would be able to help him find Naraku.

*****

Miroku looked at InuYasha when he arrived back to the village. He looked oddly sad. Knowing that InuYasha didn't like to see himself like that, mixed with Kagome's odd behavior, he realized that something really bad must have happened on their outing.

"InuYasha, Kagome has returned home. She left not too long ago. While she didn't exactly seem enraged, she definitely didn't seem normal. Did something happen when you were out today?" InuYasha looked at Miroku, and felt no need, nor desire, to keep the truth from him.

"Yes, Miroku, something happened. We were attacked by Sesshoumaru. And then Kikyo." InuYasha looked away when he saw Miroku's eyes widen in understanding. "Something very bad happened. How could I be so stupid?! I trusted Kikyo and turned my back on Kagome. She killed her, Miroku. I have always vowed to protect Kagome, and in the end, it was my fault she was killed."

InuYasha sat on the ground with a thud, and looked up at the monk, who was now looking at him as though he were crazy. "Ummm, InuYasha, Kagome's not dead. I just told you, she headed home not too long ago."

"I know!" InuYasha yelled in his frustration. "That's because, in the end, it had been my creep of a brother who saved her. And it pisses me off to feel indebted to that bastard! It confuses me too, that he would have even bothered." Miroku lowered himself to the ground beside InuYasha. Although he was angered that InuYasha had done something as foolish as trusted Kikyo again, he felt bad for his friend who had obviously just realized that his Kikyo was truly dead, and that in her place was a shell of a person filled with hatred and malice.

His biggest surprise was held in the fact that Sesshoumaru had brought Kagome back to life. He had been there for a couple of battles in which he had tried to kill her, and yet he brought her back to life. He wasn't sure but he thought that the great demon's reasoning may have lie in InuYasha and not Kagome herself. It was the only thing that he could think of that could make sense. Sesshoumaru has no use for humans, so he wouldn't take pity on one, of that Miroku was sure.

*****

Kagome lugged her bag to the well, her brain and senses numbed from the extensive events of the day. There were no tears now, only a stony expression that spoke itself of her mood. There were no thoughts going through her head except that she just needed to get home. Once she got home everything would make sense, even though she knew that she was just kidding herself. Things like this were not supposed to make sense. It was a cruel irony of life. The things you most desperately need to understand are the things that are unfathomable.

She reached the clearing with the well in it, and was halfway there when a voice permeated her trance like stupor. She brought herself around to see who had spoken as she hadn't really registered the intrusion. She grew pale and dropped her bag when she looked into the amber eyes. Tears formed in her eyes and she began to shake with sobs as all of today's events happened again in her mind.

Sesshoumaru stood, eyes coldly assessing the human before him. Her fear of him was so complete that the mere appearance of him here caused her to cry and tremble. "You will come with me wench, and assist me." He stated this plainly as he contemplated the many reactions that she could have. Her mere "why" through him off a bit, and angered him as well. She was so terrified that she couldn't even look up at him, and yet she was brave enough to question him? "You need not know why, merely that you are to come with me."

"No, why did you bring me back?" She looked up at him with such an enormous amount of pain and, some other emotion, in her eyes that he was taken aback. Most humans would be groveling had they been given a second chance at their pathetic lives, and though she was hurt from his brother, he was sure that the other emotion was gratitude towards him. "You may show your gratitude by assisting me."

Kagome felt a surge of anger at his arrogance. She began advancing slowly, as she said in a low voice, "How dare you assume that I am grateful. I owe you nothing, Sesshoumaru. If you recall right, I asked you not to bring me back!" By the end of her talking she was yelling and couldn't help it. Her anger was so strong that she couldn't contain it. She also felt an odd tension beginning in her chest.

Sesshoumaru was dumbfounded by the fact that this human girl had raised her voice at him and advanced warningly without any weapons for attack, or especially defense. And yet, he could feel a power building inside her as she grew angrier. `Maybe it is her wish to die again. I will be happy to grant it, but only after she has assisted me.' "Human, regardless of your state of graciousness, you will assist me in finding that pathetic half-demon who goes by the name of Naraku."

He saw confusion pass over her face and was appalled to see her turn her back on him and begin walking away. He merely stood in shock momentarily, and then anger took hold. He lunged at her and grabbed her shoulder, roughly turning her to face him. "I will not stand for someone turning away from me, wench. You will come with me, it is not optional."

"I'm getting my bag, stupid! If you want me to come with you, I'm not leaving it!" Again she turned away from him, knowing that when her skills were no longer required, he would kill her for such words. And he would enjoy it.