InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Something Entirely Different ❯ Part 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Something Entirely Different

Just A Starving Writer/JustAnotherGirl

Disclaimer: nope, not mine.

Part 3: Denial of Death

The next day dawned brightly and the shard hunters resumed their journey. The contemplative miko lagged behind, solely inhabiting the rear of their progression. When it came time to stop for lunch, a sudden revelation was made. The girl from the future was missing. Backtracking, they soon found a clue to her disappearance.

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha stated furiously. As if it wasn't bad enough that the bastard regularly visited the miko, he was now apparently kidnapping her.

The miko, however, was perfectly fine. So caught up in her mind was she that she failed to notice her companions disappear behind a bend in the road. Stopping suddenly in awareness, she discovered she was not alone. Standing behind her in all his glory was the demon lord she had grown acquainted with.

"Come," he commanded coolly. Turning into the bordering forest, he disappeared and she was compelled to follow him. Once clear of the road, she found herself on his shoulder, traveling at an impossible speed through a green blur.

She tensed and closed her eyes, fighting the nausea that naturally came from moving so fast. Eventually she instinctively felt the world stop moving. The ground beneath her feet was incredibly welcome. Opening her eyes, she saw they were in a small grove and he had already seated himself at the base of a large tree. Plopping to the ground in front of him, she studied him curiously.

"What now?" she questioned.

"We talk."

"About?"

"Kill me."

"No." Her defiance only seemed to be amplified by the broad smile that graced her features.

"Why?"

"I don't want to," she exclaimed with a fake pout.

"Why?"

She paused in consideration. Finally she found words.

"You've killed me 237 times. Do you like to watch me die?"

"At first."

"And now?"

"To watch you live."

She was silent in the face of this declaration. Thinking back, she recalled easily the green glow that had illuminated her companion's pale features and how happy she had been when he opened his golden eyes.

"That is why I don't want to kill you," she stated cryptically, her grin confusing him further.

"Explain."

"If one of these times I stay dead, you have the power to bring me back, if you so choose." She paused. "I don't have that power. If you stay dead, I cannot bring you back."

He stared at her, features unreadable.

"I won't risk you dying for real." Her statement was as truthful as it was strange, but she couldn't stop. "I want to watch you live."

Kagome laughed. She couldn't help it. The situation was so strange. After her mirth had somewhat abated, she smiled brightly at her host.

He silently contemplated her for a long time and she merely sat and studied the surroundings grinning. After awhile, she rose and drank from the nearby spring before splashing the cool water on her face. His eyes followed her through the task.

Before long, seeing as the demon lord had no intentions of leaving, she stretched onto the soft grass and fell into a peaceful slumber. He never ceased his watching. Noticing her descent into unconsciousness, he approached her still form. She was such an interesting creature, smiling in the face of death. Even back before she knew of the strange bond they shared, she had been brave before him. And now, knowing that she wished him no harm, he couldn't help but wonder what her dreams entailed, what thoughts progressed behind that determinedly bright smile.

His fingers were absently stroking her cheek before he even realized what he was doing. At first he was content to continue the action, allowing himself to revel in the soft pliancy of her skin. However, he was more than shocked when her sleeping body turned into his caress.

Not quite sure what to make of the situation, he left. After all, the grove was safe and Inuyasha was bound to locate the girl eventually. He tried to tell himself he was merely leaving to seek more information concerning his inability to kill the odd miko, but he knew he was lying to himself. He was running, running away from the girl. Running away because she had surprised him yet again by simply making him feel. Fear was not something he dealt well with, considering how rare he felt it. But it plagued him now. He feared what he would do if he stayed beside her, what next strange action she would compel him to do.

~*~

Kagome was laughing again.

"What is it this time, wench?" Inuyasha asked with annoyance.

"Nothing..it's nothing."

He looked at her suspiciously as her eyes danced merrily. Ever since finding her at that grove the week before she had been in an unusually good mood. It was almost sickening really. And what was worse, she had been with his brother again. How could that sick bastard make her so happy? It just didn't make any sense.

Before he could retort, a familiar sensation came and after smelling the air, he growled lowly. Reaching for his sword, he pushed Kagome behind him.

"What is it?" she questioned, her mirth dying to a soft cheerfulness.

"Sesshoumaru," he said furiously. She relaxed and he noticed with increasing anger.

"Just because he can't kill YOU doesn't mean he can't kill the rest of us, you know!" he criticized her. She merely shook her head and grinned.

"Then I'll just have to distract him," she said lightly, pushing him aside and stepping before the group protectively. Before long, their would-be attacker walked up.

"Back for another round?" she questioned flippantly. He smirked. It was one of the first blatant signs of emotion she had seen from him in quite awhile and she smiled brighter.

"Apparently," he spoke coolly. Without preamble, he was upon her and she jumped at the invitation. The shard hunters stood in shock. Inuyasha was the first to wake and moved to stop the altercation, but Miroku held him back.

"Let me go, damn monk!"

"Inuyasha, stop. They cannot hurt each other. Let her deal with this matter," the monk said reproachfully. The hanyou didn't like it, but knowing Kagome couldn't die at his brother's hands was enough to make him relax slightly and resign himself to watching the fight.

This, he found, was quite the sight. Though she was nothing but a fly in the face of the youkai lord, she was holding her own. If anything, the demon was allowing her to get in a few shots.

The hunters watched the scene in awe until they saw their friend pinned to the ground, her opponent crouched over her, hand clasped to her neck. Still, the girl was not frightened. Instead, she was practically glowing from excitement. However surprising that matter was, the next action prompted the strong demon slayer to positively faint and the hanyou to yell in indignation.

The demon lord slid his hand from its dangerous position on her neck to cradle her head and bring her up to meet his face. Lowering his nose to her hair, he took a deep breath before resting his forehead on hers. The smile had been wiped clean off the girl's face, replaced by wonder and shock. Touching his nose to hers, he then carefully lowered her head to the ground before rising and leaving without a word.

The stunned miko stayed on the ground before slowly gaining her feet and staring after the demon.

"Hey!" she cried in righteous anger. Running after him, she grabbed hold of his arm and yanked until he turned to face her.

"You can't just do whatever it was you just did and leave!"

He remained silent, but somehow managed to disengage her hand from his arm.

"What was that?" she questioned with a huff, her hands forming fists at her sides. He brought his hand lightly to her cheek before letting it slide off and turning once more to walk away. Kagome, shocked from the content feeling of the caress, quickly became angry once more when he ignored her calls for answers. Finally, before she was quite aware of what she was doing, her hand found its way to his cheek in a loud slap. Sango, who had just regained consciousness from her faint, was hard pressed to stay on her feet.

The demon lord merely regarded her with cool interest before turning and walking away once again. That just about broke the miko. Drawing the dagger from its hidden place beneath her shirt, she ran after him and plunged it deep into his back. Stepping away as he fell to the ground, tears streamed down her face as she realized just what she had done. Luckily enough for her, the green glow returned and pushed the dagger from its place. He rolled over onto his back as she ran to his side.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed while happy tears ran down her cheeks. Lifting his weary hand to her face, he wiped under her eyes, flicking the tears away. She merely cried more at the gesture and flung herself to his chest, barely avoiding impaling herself on his armor.

"What the hell…" Inuyasha muttered as he helplessly watched the strange scene.

As for the recently revived demon lord with his back to the ground and a sobbing miko on top of him…well, he seemed dumbstruck for a few minutes before finally lifting his hand and imbedding it into the girl's hair. Soon the girl's sorrow and joy had abated and she realized her position. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, she hopped up and averted her eyes. The lord simply rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Returning to the unwelcome scandalized faces of her comrades, Kagome could only paste a fake grin on her face and, wringing her hands together fiercely, stumble about to make lunch.

As she was readying the fire for a pot of water, the hanyou approached, holding her discarded dagger.

"What's this?" he asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

"A dagger," she responded cryptically while retrieving the dagger and returning it to the scabbard in her waistband, all without meeting his accusing gaze.

"I know it's a dagger, stupid. Where did you get it?"

"Eh…I found it?" she answered while the silly grin threatened to fail her.

"Hmph," he mumbled while stalking away in obvious irritation. Her shoulders slumped in relief. The other hunters avoided mentioning the encounter until camp that night.

"Kagome, it seems you are getting along well with Sesshoumaru," Miroku began, his intentions questionable as she spotted that lecherous sparkle in his eyes.

"It's not like that," she mumbled as her cheeks brightened.

"Then what is it like?" the hanyou attacked.

"Like I know," she yelled in annoyance. If he wasn't accusing of her impure actions with Kouga, he was making assumptions regarding her strange relationship with his brother. Truly, the hanyou needed to think things out before talking.

"What exactly are you accusing me of anyways?" she questioned as her temper flared. His ears immediately fell back as he squirmed away from her in obvious fear of being sat. However, he was one statement too late.

"OH, you jerk! Osuwari!" A dull thud eased her anger a bit and she was calm enough to resume her seat on the log before the fire.

"But really, Kagome, you have to admit something odd is happening between you two," Sango continued with concern.

"I don't know what's going on!" the miko insisted as she crossed her arms defiantly. "He's never done that before! At least, not while I'm alive…"

"Does he still kill you?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But he's all but stopped. Now he merely attacks me then either leaves or lies down with me for awhile."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, shock clearly written on her face.

"He'll stop right before killing me, roll over and we'll just watch the sky for awhile. Then he'll leave as if nothing happened."

"What the HELL!" the hanyou yelled as he finally picked himself off the ground.

"This is so weird," the fox child stated from the security of the miko's arms. Everyone nodded in agreement.