InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taisho's Darling ❯ Heart's Desire ( Chapter 25 )

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Disclaimer:  I don't own these marvelous characters; they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.  I merely torture them at will and put them in uncomfortable situations whenever possible.

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Chapter 25

Heart's Desire

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Something awakened Taisho from his slumber, and it took him a few minutes to figure out what it was.  Ah yes, the sound of water running from the faucet.  He watched as tendrils of steam escaped from beneath the closed door of the adjoining bathroom.  Kaede was certainly awake at an early hour of the morning…amber eyes once again closed in an effort to return to the land of sleep.

Kaede was taking a bath.  Taisho's eyes popped open, all traces of fatigue vanishing with the realization that the woman who haunted his dreams was but a few steps away, soaking wet and utterly naked.  A flimsy door was the only thing between them, and it would be so easy, so ridiculously simple, to join her in the bath…

A growl escaped his throat at the thought of Kaede wearing nothing but a blush, and Taisho buried his face in the pillows with a frustrated sigh.  The entire situation bordered on the ridiculous, and he had no one but himself to blame.  It had been his decision to climb into the slave's bed, his decision to surround himself with her scent.  Even now, his nose picked up the lingering traces of her natural aroma, a gentle perfume of crushed violets laced with the undertone of herbs from her garden.

It was pure hell to love her so much when she could never be his.  Crossly, Taisho forced his eyes to close and willed his body, particularly the lower half, to go back to sleep.  Toto-sai had better appreciate the gift he was being handed, the inuyoukai vowed, or he'd personally return from the grave and rip the metal-smith's heart from his chest.

……

Kaede didn't allow her tears to fall until her face was underwater, leaving just enough of her mouth exposed in order to breathe.  To do otherwise would be to risk Taisho-sama discovering just how upset she really was, and she didn't feel like answering her master's questions right now.  Kaede knew in her heart that Taisho would feel guilt over her sorrow, and in return, the pain she would see in his eyes would cut her to the core.

She didn't want him to feel guilty.  After all, Kaede reasoned, it wasn't Taisho-sama's fault that she had spent her precious few hours of sleep dreaming of his touch.  And he was hardly to blame for her body's treacherous reaction to the feel of his warmth lying next to her.  Certainly, the inuyoukai had not invited her to wrap herself against him as she slept, only to awaken with a mixture of dismay and delight when she found her fingers entwined in his long hair…

Determined to close her mind to all such temptations, Kaede sank further into the water until she was completely submerged.  Idly, she wondered if it were possible to die of frustration.  She would be so much better off if she could just accept Toto-sai and move on with her life - why couldn't she give the metal-smith her heart?  Why did she waste her love on a stubborn inuyoukai who refused her at every turn?

She frowned as her ears picked up a thumping sound.  The noise was coming from outside the bathroom.  As she sat up in the water, the pounding grew louder, now accompanied by the muffled voice of Jakotsu.  Worried, Kaede jumped from the bath, pausing only to cover her wet body with her master's shirt.

The slave reached the bedroom door at the same time as Taisho-sama, who had been awakened by the noise.  As one, they opened the heavy door and stared at Jakotsu, who had his fist raised in mid-knock.  "What is it?" Kaede gasped, noticing the guard's panicked expression.

"Sesshomaru - " Jakotsu began, but he was cut off by the most horrifying, unearthly howl Kaede had ever heard.  The sound had a surreal, otherworldly ring, a desperate cry for help.  Kaede took off in a sprint towards the noise, knowing without having to look that Taisho-sama was on her heels, moving as fast as his weakened body was able.

The scene that greeted her in the kitchen justified the terror emanating from her master's son.  Sesshomaru was kneeling in the center of the floor, his arms cradling Kagome's limp form.  And Kagome - Kaede felt her throat constrict in fear - Kagome looked as if she were dead, were it not for her labored breathing.

"Careful," Taisho-sama stopped Kaede's forward movement with a hand to her shoulder.  Her master was gasping from the effort of moving so quickly, and he leaned upon Kaede to steady himself.  "He's dangerously near transformation."

It was true.  Sesshomaru's golden eyes were rimmed with a fiery red, his facial features slightly elongated.  The younger inuyoukai was very close to the edge, and Kaede knew enough to proceed with caution.  "Sesshomaru," she called softly, trying to draw his attention.  He snarled at her, but some of the red dissipated from his eyes.  "We're here to help," Kaede continued with a gentle urgency.  "What's wrong with Kagome?"

The inuyoukai snapped out of his trance.  "She's dying," Sesshomaru choked out as his features returned to normal.  "She's dying, and her body rejects my mark!"  He thrust the girl in his arms toward Kaede.  "Help her!"

Taking the young woman from Sesshomaru, Kaede examined the little miko.  There were no outward wounds on Kagome; what could be causing the girl so much pain?  Kaede turned to Taisho-sama for assistance, knowing the youkai's nose would detect what she could not.

Her master was kneeling beside her, pulling Kagome's bent arm away from her body.  "Renew the slave bite," Taisho-sama told his son, immediately assessing the problem.  "It disappeared when you placed your mark upon her."

Sesshomaru was looking at his father with a combination of horror and fury.  "Enslave my own mate?" he rasped incredulously.

"Enslave her or bury her," Taisho-sama barked.  "She's dying because Onigumo's slave bond has been removed, Sesshomaru!  Renew it!"  When the younger youkai hesitated, his father snarled.  "Dammit, Sesshomaru, if you don't renew the bite, I will do it myself!"

Kagome was unceremoniously snatched from Kaede's arms.  "She is mine!" Sesshomaru insisted, hauling the petite woman against his chest.  "You will not touch her!"  The distraught demon moved away from the two of them, as if he feared they would take Kagome away from him forever.

"Come on, Kaede," Taisho-sama stood and yanked the protesting woman to her feet.  "He knows what he must do; let him take care of it."  He tugged at Kaede's arm, guiding her out of the kitchen.

"But Master," Kaede protested, "what if he cannot bring himself to place the slave bite upon her?"  She sent a worried look back in the direction of the kitchen.  Even from the hallway, she could hear Sesshomaru whimpering.

"Kagome is his mate, Kaede, in spite of Sesshomaru's missing mark.  My Favorite Darling has claim upon the lad's heart; trust him to ensure that she lives."  As they reached the end of the hallway, Taisho-sama stopped to catch his breath.  "And if you cannot trust Sesshomaru," he added after a moment, "then at least trust in my own judgment - or have I disappointed you one time too many for that?"

She faced him squarely.  "I can think of only twice when your decisions have disappointed me, Taisho-sama," she said frankly to the youkai.  "So, yes, I will trust your judgment in this matter."

He was curious; she could tell by the way his nose twitched.  "Twice, hm?  And what two momentous occasions were those, dear Kaede?"

"The first was when you decided to withhold information from Inu-Yasha," Kaede answered.

"I've already lived to regret that," her master said ruefully.  "My youngest son has let me know in no uncertain terms what he thinks of my treatment of him.  I suppose it's too much to hope he'll forgive me."

"Inu-Yasha will come around eventually," Kaede said in an effort to comfort the youkai.  "He will soon be a father himself, and with parenthood comes a greater understanding of one's own upbringing.  It's all too easy to make mistakes where your children are concerned," she said, reflecting on her own errors while raising Sango and Kohaku.

"I suppose you're right, Kaede," Taisho-sama agreed reluctantly.  Having recovered sufficiently, he resumed walking down the corridor.  "So what was the second time?" he asked.

"Second time?" Kaede repeated, temporarily lost in thought.  "Oh, you mean the second time you disappointed me…" she stiffened.  "It was when you ordered me to participate in this ridiculous matchmaking scheme!  I believe thou - ugh!  You…you…" she corrected herself.  "And to think I was doing so well up to this point," she mumbled.

The youkai was watching the changing expressions on her face with open amusement.  "You must have chosen some strong imagery indeed, Kaede, to make the habit-spell so effective.  Perhaps you could share your reward-image with me?"

Kaede mentally cursed his superior sense of smell, knowing her sudden excitement had not been overlooked by the white-haired demon.  "Perhaps I should," she snapped, exasperation overriding her usual good sense.  "If a handsome male climbs out of my bath with no thought as to his manner of undress, then why shouldn't I enjoy the memory?"

Taisho-sama halted mid-stride.  Grasping her by the shoulders, he turned her to face him, golden eyes flashing.  "Then I needn't feel guilty when you return the favor," he said with a wicked grin.  His eyes slowly traveled down her body.

Following the path of the amber orbs, Kaede realized that his shirt, thrown over her still-damp body, left little to the imagination.  It clung to her curves in all of the obvious places, the transparent wet fabric revealing the shadows of what was hidden beneath.  As she peeked up at her master's face, Kaede was shocked by the hunger unmasked within him.  Had she ever doubted before, she could doubt no longer - the youkai desired her, with a desperation that both frightened and thrilled her at the same time.

She tilted her head in silent invitation and found herself the recipient of a scorching kiss.  His mouth claimed her own in a passionate demand, nibbling and tasting as he molded her soft body against his lean, powerful frame.  She discovered her hands had a will of their own, tracing his high cheekbones and the tips of his pointed ears.  A shudder wracked through the youkai, so intense Kaede could feel the aftershocks.

Taisho-sama suddenly withdrew from her lips.  "What is it, Bankotsu?" he growled, looking at some point behind Kaede's shoulder.  "This had better be important, or you'll be suffering from more than a mild concussion."

"Forgive me, Taisho-sama," Bankotsu begged quietly, "but two of the city's finest are at our door and would like to ask you a few questions.  This has to do with Sakura's murder, no doubt."

"Tell them I'll be right down," the youkai relented.  As Bankotsu departed, Taisho-sama pulled Kaede against him, resisting the mortified woman's attempts to break free of his embrace.  "Kaede," he murmured into her hair, "I should not have taken such liberties with you.  I'm sorry, truly I am."

She kicked him in the shins with her bare foot, taking advantage of his surprise in order to remove herself from his arms.  "Don't you dare apologize, Taisho-sama!" Kaede stormed, emphasizing her words by stabbing a finger to his chest.  "You enjoyed that as much as I did, and if you ever try to deny it, I'll…I'll never forgive you!"

"Kaede, I - "

"Is this place always so noisy in the morning?" a voice broke into the conversation.  A young wolf demon was poking his sleep-fuzzy head out the door of Nazuna's bedroom.  He fastened a bleary look upon Taisho-sama and the underdressed Kaede.  "Oh, sorry, didn't know I was interrupting something."  He yawned and closed the door.

"Just how many visitors do we have?" Kaede asked.  "Oh, never mind," she continued before Taisho-sama could answer.  "I'm going to get dressed before someone else shows their face.  I'm getting rather tired of having my bath interrupted!"  She trounced off in a huff.

She had reached her quarters and drained the cold water from the bathtub before Bankotsu's words settled in her mind.  Sakura had been murdered?  Things were very bad indeed, if that was the case.

……

"I was going to get a glass of milk, but I guess it can wait."

Sesshomaru tore his stricken gaze from his mate's sleeping form long enough to acknowledge the presence of the former taijiya.  When he blinked in confusion at her words, Sango pointed to the puddle of milk on the floor next to where Sesshomaru was sitting.  With a nod of understanding, the youkai returned to studying Kagome.  Her breathing was regular, her heartbeat normal.  She would live, but at what cost?

Sango cleaned up the spilled milk in silence before kneeling in front of Sesshomaru.  The distracted part of his brain observed her submissive posture.  "Why does the mate of my brother fear me?" he asked aloud, scenting her unease, coupled with Inu-Yasha's mating mark.  So his brother had claimed the cook for his own, had he?  He was a bit surprised, but considering Inu-Yasha's endless appetite, it doubtless would be a perfect match.

"You're pretty scary right now," Sango answered him candidly.  "You have this look on your face like you want to kill someone.  I don't want to anger you while you're holding one of my best friends."  She reached out a gentle hand to stroke Kagome's cheek, only touching the miko after Sesshomaru gave his assent.

"I would never willingly harm my mate," Sesshomaru assured her.  He shifted Kagome in his arms, unable to continue speaking.  He'd done the unthinkable…

"Willingly?" Sango repeated, having picked up on the pivotal word of his last sentence.  "Sesshomaru, what have you done?  Why is Kagome unconscious?"

"She is asleep from exhaustion," Sesshomaru answered briefly.  He could not bring himself to look Sango in the eyes.  Feelings of shame were overwhelming him, threatening to snap his soul.  "I have enslaved her," he blurted out.

"But she's already…" Sango began, confused as to why this was such a big deal.  She stopped speaking as Sesshomaru finally met her gaze with his own.  "You took her as your mate," Sango stated, finally understanding what had happened.  "Oh no - the mating mark didn't overcome her slave bond?"  The cook unconsciously touched Inu-Yasha's mark on her own neck as she spoke.

He shook his head in sorrow.  "Her body rejects my mark.  This morning…" his voice broke, "this morning, I almost lost her."

His brother entered the kitchen, his usual exuberance tempered by his obvious lack of rest.  Shippo was curled against his chest, snoring softly.  "Oi, Sesshomaru," Inu-Yasha said to his brother as he held out his free hand in order to help Sango to her feet, "I found your brat wandering the hallway in his sleep.  Does he do this all the time?"

"This is the first I've heard of it," Sesshomaru admitted with concern.  He'd grown rather attached to the little kitsune, something else he could undoubtedly blame on Kagome.  She had a way of softening his heart…the miko in his arms shifted slightly, as if she knew what he was thinking.  "Hold the pup for a moment longer, Inu-Yasha, while I return Kagome to her bed."

He returned a few minutes later to find his brother in the living room, stretched out on the couch.  Sango was nowhere to be found.  "She got a whiff of that calamari in the fridge and ran for the toilet," Inu-Yasha explained with a shrug.  "I can't wait until she gets past this part of the pregnancy; every odd smell sets her off."

Sesshomaru removed Shippo from his spot on Inu-Yasha's chest and shoved his brother's legs aside in order to sit down.  The kitsune sighed at the disturbance and nuzzled up against Sesshomaru's neck.  "Their mother's emotional upheaval has upset both of the pups," he commented, giving Shippo's head an affectionate rub.  "When I went to place Kagome in the bed, I found Rin curled up against her pillow."

"Pups need their mother," was his brother's off-hand reply.  They were quiet for a while, the silence punctuated by Shippo's tiny snores.  "Aniki," Inu-Yasha started, peering at Sesshomaru from beneath his half-closed eyelids, "I heard you telling Sango what happened.  You did the right thing, you know."

"How can it be right to enslave the woman I love?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice tight.

"How can it be wrong to save Kagome's life, stupid?"  Inu-Yasha sat up.  "And by the way, I've been thinking..."

"That must have been difficult.  No wonder you look so tired," Sesshomaru said automatically, unable to resist taking a poke at his brother.  He was feeling incredibly frustrated, and Inu-Yasha was usually good for a fight.

The hanyou disappointed him by ignoring the jibe.  "You and Father seem to be hell-bent on finding Onigumo and wiping him from the face of the earth," he continued.  "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"My mark should have freed Kagome," Sesshomaru replied angrily, unconsciously tightening his hold on Shippo.  "I have no doubt whatsoever that this atrocity is Onigumo's doing.  He used the slave bite to bind her to him permanently, to prevent her from ever gaining her freedom!"

"Exactly," Inu-Yasha agreed.  "And if his object was to bind her to him permanently, what makes you think his death will free her?  Onigumo has already done what no one else could do, Sesshomaru," his brother noted.  "No one, especially a human, has ever created a slave bond that couldn't be overcome by a mating mark!  Who's to say that killing this asshole won't result in Kagome's death as well?"

"What do you want me to do, then?" Sesshomaru demanded.  "Shall I let this monster roam in freedom, enslaving anyone he chooses?  How many other young girls has he defiled?"

"I ain't saying we should let him off the hook, Sesshomaru," Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.  "I'm just repeating what you've always said to me: think before you lunge in for the death blow!  You could wind up getting Kagome killed!"

A teary sniff from Shippo alerted the demon to the kitsune's awakened state.  "Is Okaa-san gonna die?" Shippo whimpered.  Tiny paws clutched at Sesshomaru's shirt front.

"Thanks a lot, otouto," Sesshomaru grumbled as he searched for words to comfort the young fox demon.  Fortunately, his father's immediate arrival took care of the matter.

"Taisho-jiisan!" the kitsune wailed, spotting the elder demon.  "Where have you been?  Okaa-san's in trouble!  You won't let anything happen to her, will you?" he cried in distress, launching himself from Sesshomaru's shoulder.

Sesshomaru caught him mid-air before the little fox landed on his father.  "Use care, pup," he scolded Shippo.  "You have youkai senses; can you not tell he has been injured?"

"I'm never too wounded to hold my favorite kitsune," Taisho chastised his son gently, taking the fox from Sesshomaru.  "Now cease this fussing about your mother; she'll be just fine," he assured Shippo.  "Your father and I will take care of her."

The small body relaxed within Taisho's embrace, bringing to the front of Sesshomaru's mind a distant memory of a time when he, too, had sought out his father's assurance that everything would be all right.  The occupants of the mansion were no different, he realized.  All of them, from the tiny Shippo to the wise Kaede, looked to Taisho for their strength and protection.  It was an incredible weight to carry such trust, but his father had never flinched at the burden.  Sesshomaru felt his respect for Taisho increase tenfold and resolved to follow the demon's example.

"It's still a bit early, but I've already been paid a visit by the local law enforcement," Taisho continued speaking to the others as he patted the kitsune.  "They left with very little information, but they'll be back.  I need the two of you to awaken the rest of the household and tell them to meet in the main hall after breakfast.  We have a lot to discuss."

"I'm hungry," Shippo announced, focusing on the older demon's reference to breakfast.

"I'm hungry too, pup," Taisho told him.  "Let's go and see if Sango has any of that pudding left.  I'm in the mood for something sweet."

"You're feeding my son pudding for breakfast?"  Sesshomaru was flabbergasted.  "Whatever happened to 'growing pups need proper nutrition'?  Or was that just a big lie you told me so I'd eat my dinner without complaining?"

His father pretended not to hear him as he headed toward the kitchen with Shippo in tow.

"Don't worry - Sango won't let either of them get away with it," Inu-Yasha laughed.  "Not that there's any pudding left, considering most of it wound up on the kitchen walls after that fight the other night."

"That is not the same demon who raised us," Sesshomaru huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.  "And speaking of Sango, I suppose congratulations are in order.  But taking a youkai exterminator for a mate?  I'm sure our ancestors are spinning in their graves."

"At least I don't have to worry about her purifying me in her sleep," his brother shot back.

……

Sesshomaru entered the bedroom to find Kagome awake.  In her arms was Rin, wrapped in what he immediately recognized as his mokomoko-sama.  His daughter was chewing on a tiny finger and staring at Kagome as if she'd disappear when she blinked.

"How are you feeling?  Are you up to joining the rest of the household for breakfast?" Sesshomaru asked Kagome as he sat down on the bed and gathered the two into his embrace.  A surge of protective feelings flooded his heart.  He had become like his father, the youkai realized with a growing sense of awe, willing to give up everything for the sake of a human woman, including his very life if the fates demanded it.

"I feel fine," Kagome told him.  She laid her head against his shoulder.  "I guess the slave bite put me back to normal," she whispered quietly.

The absolute shame he felt flooded to the surface once again.  He loathed this situation; to be forced to enslave one's own mate defied every code of honor he'd ever held himself up against.  A mate was to be cherished and protected, not robbed of freedom's privileges.  A wave of bitterness threatened to engulf him.

Her soft hand cupped the side of his face and gently pulled his head down to meet her own.  "Sesshomaru," Kagome murmured, her forehead resting against his as she traced the crimson markings on his cheek, "he won't win.  He can't win this."

She was referring to Onigumo.  "I will destroy him for what he has done," the inuyoukai vowed between clenched teeth, his eyes reddening.  "He will pay for every bit of pain he has inflicted upon you."

"Don't let him win this round, Sesshomaru," Kagome urged.  "This," she held out her arm to display the slave bite, "this was meant to completely demoralize me and anyone who dared to help me.  I refuse to allow that to happen, Sesshomaru!"

She was right - they could not afford to allow Onigumo his victory.  He gave her a rare smile, intensely proud of her courageous spirit.  "I've missed you," Sesshomaru confessed as he threaded his claws through Kagome's silky black locks.  "The feisty little woman who shreds my brother's ties and shrieks at me for destroying her house plants - I believe I fell in love with that side of you immediately."

"Okaa-san."

Kagome looked with surprise at the small child who was tugging at her sleeve.  With an inward smile, Sesshomaru noted that this was the first time the girl had ever referred to Kagome as her mother.  "What is it, Rin-chan?" the miko asked.

"I'm hungry."

"A common litany this morning," Sesshomaru groaned, rolling his eyes.  "I suppose it's time to join Shippo and my father in a breakfast most likely consisting of pudding.  Come, Rin."  He hoisted the girl into his arms.  "But you have to leave mokomoko-sama behind.  It's difficult to clean pudding out of the fluff."

……

He really needed to get more sleep, Miroku decided after nearly breaking his jaw with a huge yawn.  He cast an envious look at Kagura, who was stretched out on his bed and snoring softly.  At least she had gotten some rest.  Last night, he'd been forced to administer a rather heavy sedative in order to quell her hysteria over her mother's murder.  The result was a soundly sleeping wind youkai and a human male who was too worried about her to even consider sleeping.

He pondered the message Sesshomaru had delivered.  Taisho-sama wanted them to meet after breakfast?  Miroku tried not to snort aloud.  Kagura would be there, but he couldn't guarantee she'd be coherent…

Maybe he should speak with Taisho-sama beforehand.  With a frown of concentration, Miroku left the bedroom in search of his master.  Now where did the youkai spend the night?  Scratching his head, Miroku decided to try Kagome's bedroom, as that was where Taisho-sama had last been.

The barrier to the bedroom gave him more resistance than he was expecting, but in the end he managed to open it.  Truthfully, he was a bit surprised he hadn't encountered the guards or Kaede by this point; one of them was usually lurking around his master.  All three of them were ferociously protective of Taisho-sama...he stopped cold.

The curved figure lying in the bed was most decidedly not Taisho-sama.  The covers were bunched around her head, a bare leg and delicate ankle exposed.  With a grin, Miroku tossed a mental salute to his master; the youkai's taste in women was impeccable as always.  Curious to see the face of Taisho-sama's companion, Miroku pulled the blanket away from her face and leaned in for a closer look.

……

After hours of staring at the back of her eyelids, Kikyo had finally fallen asleep.  Her rest, however, was fitful.  She was haunted by dreams of the Shikon no Tama, nightmares of pain and regret.  An endless parade of faces swept past her eyes, all of them belonging to humans and youkai the original Kikyo had encountered.  With each visage came a memory, a shared memory of who this individual was and why he or she was important.

What followed next could be considered a predictable turn of events.  After forcing herself to awaken from her disturbing dreams, Kikyo found herself staring into a set of violet eyes.  With an outraged screech, she drew back her arm and gave the owner of those purple orbs a ringing slap.

……

"It sounds like Kikyo-sama has awakened," Bankotsu commented.

"Good," Jakotsu grunted.  "That means we don't have to speak to her this morning.  Remind me again why we can't just kill her?"

"She's under Taisho-sama's protection," his companion reminded him.  "Really, Jakotsu, try to have a little compassion.  The situation isn't of her making."

"Every time I look at her, I see the other Kikyo," Jakotsu spat, his tall frame taut with anger.  "Stupid woman is the cause of all of our problems.  We should have done the world a favor and sent her and Suikotsu both straight to hell."

……

Inu-Yasha jumped at the sound of the yelling coming from the other end of the house.  Miroku's plaintive voice rose above the din, begging for mercy.  The pervert was off to an early start this morning.  The hanyou returned his attention to his breakfast.

Sango cocked her head, trying to make sense of the argument.  "Sounds like the monk has done it again," she sighed.  "Taisho-sama, can't you do something with him?"

"If you know of a cure, I'd be willing to try it," Taisho volunteered, not bothering to raise his head from his bowl.  "The habit-stones never worked for him.  Short of emasculation, I don't think there's any help for the lad.  I'm a bit surprised he chose this particular target, however."

This caught Inu-Yasha's attention.  "Who'd he try to grope this time?" he asked his father.  The female voice threatening to turn Miroku from a rooster to a hen had a familiar sound.  A recognizable scent traveling toward the kitchen crossed the hanyou's nose, giving him a start.  "Father," he growled, leaning forward to catch a better whiff, "why do I smell her?"  The last word came out as little more than a snarl.

"She's a guest, and she's officially under my protection," Taisho growled back.  "I'll explain everything at the meeting, and not until then.  I'm in no mood to repeat myself this morning."

……

"Does everyone understand what is happening?" Taisho asked as he surveyed the occupants of the room, noting the surly guards and Kikyo's bitter glare.  Even his sweet little Koharu seemed unhappy with the present situation.  Could he blame any of them?  Things were a mess, and they were about to get even stickier.

The only serene face in the room belonged to Toto-sai.  The metal-smith ought to be happy; he was sitting next to Kaede, his hand practically in the woman's lap.  The inuyoukai briefly toyed with the idea of removing the offending appendage.  Yura, who was seated on the other side of Toto-sai, seemed to be contemplating the same move.

"I understand it, all right," Koga complained.  "You have a house full of slaves and the police are at your door investigating a murder.  In addition, Naraku, who has been stirring up trouble while disguised as Kagewaki, is about to come after you with all he's got.  Did I leave anything out?"

"How about the part where we're harboring the reincarnation of the miko who's partly responsible for this mess?" Jakotsu groused.  "If she'd just gotten rid of that damned jewel, Naraku wouldn't even be in the picture.  Instead, she had to use it for her own purposes and guarantee that we'd be stuck with it forever."

"So the first Kikyo made a selfish wish?  What was it?" Sango asked.  She was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, leaning against Inu-Yasha.  The hanyou held his arm around her protectively, growling at anyone who came too close to the couple.  Taisho sighed.  He supposed he understood his son's attitude; he was feeling a bit on the defensive himself. 

Bankotsu surprised everyone by stepping forward.  "If I may, Taisho-sama?"  At the youkai's nod, Bankotsu began his tale.  "You could say Kikyo's mistake was falling in love, for if she hadn't, she would never have made such a foolish wish upon the Shikon no Tama," he began.

"And she didn't fall in love with just anybody," Jakotsu added.  "She fell in love with a local mercenary.  His name was Suikotsu."

"A mercenary, hm?" Miroku tapped his chin thoughtfully.  He shifted in his place on the couch, allowing the still-drowsy Kagura to rest her head on his shoulder.  From the other side of her, her sister Kanna patted Kagura's hand in comfort.  "One of your group, I suppose?"

A wistful sigh from Jakotsu answered his question.  "Yes, and she completely ruined him for our line of work.  Instead of remaining with our group, he left and settled in a nearby village.  He learned the healing arts and dedicated himself to what he termed 'a better cause.'  Why, you should have seen his hut - filled to capacity with a bunch of old, sick people."  Jakotsu looked thoroughly disgusted.

"So if he reformed his ways, then what does this have to do with the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome asked, perplexed.  She stirred restlessly in her spot near the overstuffed chair currently occupied by Sesshomaru, finally coming to rest with her head against the youkai's knee.  Taisho suppressed a grin as he watched Rin change her position on her father's lap in order to start playing with Kagome's hair.  She'd already braided Sesshomaru's silver locks…where was his camera?

"Suikotsu became soft," Bankotsu answered, drawing Taisho's attention back to the matter at hand.  "His love for Kikyo caused him to lose his focus, to forget his training.  And in doing so, he fell victim to a group of bandits.  He was killed by common thieves, poorly-trained wretches whom he should have defeated!"

"To be fair, I should point out that by the time of his death, the rest of us were dead as well," Jakotsu interjected.  "We'd been caught and beheaded.  You know, as long as I remain alive, I don't think I'll ever forget the feel of that metal blade sliding through my neck…"

"You digress, Jakotsu," Taisho said, noting the green tinge creeping across Sango's face.  "This is the part of the story where the original Kikyo made her foul wish.  You see, she greatly mourned the loss of her love and sought to return him to life with the jewel."

"Needless to say, the affair ended badly," Kaede sighed, speaking up for the first time.  "My sister hoped that by wishing Suikotsu back to life, she would not only have her love returned to her, but also would see the Shikon no Tama laid to rest."  The corners of Kaede's mouth tightened with her effort to restrain her tears.  "I can't say that I blame her, really.  The burden of protecting the jewel was a heavy one, and losing the man she loved must have been unbearable."

"Granted, wishing someone back to life just because she loved him was a bit selfish," Kagome said, defending the unhappy miko.  "But was it such a terrible thing to ask?  Kikyo wasn't trying to resurrect someone evil, and she didn't want power or money!"

"Unfortunately, that's not how the jewel operates," Taisho commented.  "The battle still rages inside the Shikon no Tama, and a selfish desire is acted upon by the evil spirits within.  Kikyo's wish was answered, but it was answered in a horrible manner."

"The jewel disappeared, only to reappear in the sword of a local warlord.  With this tainted blade he was able to raise the dead, and he hoped to bring to life a nearly invincible army," Bankotsu continued the story.  "Our little group of mercenaries was the first to be resurrected."

"And Suikotsu was brought back to life along with you," Kagome guessed.  "What happened after that?"

"The warlord was eventually assassinated," Jakotsu chirped, a twisted smile on his lips.  "You see, none of us were exactly overjoyed to discover we'd been raised from the dead for the sole purpose of furthering some despot's ambitions.  I, for one, dislike thinking of myself as nothing more than a puppet."

"I see," Sango shuddered.  "How did Suikotsu feel about this?"

"Oh, he ran right back to Kikyo," Jakotsu grimaced.

"But there was a problem," Bankotsu told them.  "Something went wrong when he was brought back to life.  Perhaps it happened because it was for him that Kikyo made her wish."  He shrugged.  "I don't suppose we'll ever know the answer.  Anyway, Suikotsu seemed normal - at first.  But after a short time, he began to act strangely.  We ran into him in the forest one day, and he didn't recognize a single one of us.  But during the course of our conversation, Suikotsu nicked his hand on his hunting knife, and when he saw the blood he went - "

"Over the edge," Jakotsu finished for him, a glint in his eyes as he recalled his former days.  "He was completely bloodthirsty.  At first we thought he just wanted to return to his old livelihood, so we allowed him to rejoin our group."

"But after our first assignment, later that night we found him cowering in some stream, whimpering and naked.  He asked if he could return to his village, and we let him go.  A few days passed, and he returned to us once again.  This went on for quite some time," Bankotsu said.  "Eventually, we realized that his mind was split in two.  One part of him was a mindless killer, and the other was the kind physician whom Kikyo loved."

"So what became of him?" Kagome asked, dreading the answer.  "It doesn't sound like there's a happy ending to this story.  The jewel gave such a horrible answer to her heart's desire."

"Just as we figured out what was happening, so did Kikyo.  She came upon Suikotsu in his murderous form.  He was intent upon slaughtering some nobleman's innocent child."  Bankotsu stopped speaking for a moment, and cleared his throat before continuing.  "I can't imagine what must have gone through her mind when she saw the beast her lover had become."

"So what did she do?" Sango whispered, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Realizing she had to stop him for good, Kikyo put one of her arrows through Suikotsu's throat," Bankotsu answered.  "A regular arrow might have only injured him, but a miko arrow…well, I think we're all aware of the power in one of those."

"And with his dying breath, Suikotsu thanked her for killing him," the younger Kikyo spoke from her darkened corner, causing the others to jump.  In her silence, they had forgotten she was in the room with them.  "Suikotsu hated what he had become, and he was glad she had stopped him from taking the life of the child."

The reincarnation stepped out into the light.  "I have her memories, all of them," she said with difficulty.  Her cold eyes seemed focused on someplace far away.  "I hear the things she heard, I see the things she saw, I feel the things she felt."  Kikyo blinked slowly as she looked at all of them.  "That jewel truly is cursed.  Do you understand now why we cannot allow Naraku to gain possession of it?"

No one, Taisho noticed, was willing to look the reincarnated miko in the eye.  Nor did any of them answer Kikyo's question, not that she seemed to be expecting a response.  Indeed, what could they possibly say?

……

A/N:  Hmm…the closer I get to the end of this story, the harder it is for me to write.  And it's not writer's block, because I know exactly where I'm going with this.  Perhaps I'm just distracted.  In between dealing with my normal year-end work load (someone remind me why I became an accountant?) and handling the repairs to my house, it's been hard to stay focused. *Lavender huggles her new roof, happily free of all fallen trees*

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your patience with the irregular updates, and thanks to the hardest working beta in the world, TitianWren! - Lavender