InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Poison of Erised! ❯ Chapter Fifteen - A Brief Turning Point ( Chapter 15 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Vyncent 
"Do not give into the darkness, Miko,"
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.11.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 10.4K | Visits: 2.0K | Status: Completed
"Do not give into the darkness, Miko,"
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.11.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 10.4K | Visits: 2.0K | Status: Completed
The Poison of Erised!
by Vyncent
------------------------------
::This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content! You are WARNED::
Parts of this graphic, and of an adult nature, or violent, and will NOT be posted to FanFiction.net...
It is being posted to AdultFanFiction. net and MediaMiner. org
If you do not like such content, then please be advised that this fic may not be appealing to you. Please do not read this if such content is offensive to you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.
------------------------------
Chapter Fifteen - A Brief Turning Point
The dark of night still hugged the land and would for a few hours yet. The light of Sister Moon still shed her blessings upon the world below and did her best to reach even the darkest of places. She was not as strong, however, as her Brother, the Sun, and though she knew that there were many places that only he could reach, there was some small comfort in the knowledge that there were almost as many places that even his strong light could not penetrate.
Still, she gave it her all, as it would be dishonourable to do less. Besides, there was always that chance that she just might get even the briefest of moments to shine in one of those dark places that hid much and revealed little.
Currently, two of the places that she was unable to touch, was a large area that was so thickly forested and the foliage so dense that even her Brother could seldom reach these dark depths, except in the dead of winter. The other was a region that had once basked in the ethereal glow of Sister Moon and the life giving warmth of Brother Sun on many a night. Unfortunately, in more recent times, it seemed that a thick, caustic, death ridden miasma had grown to cover this particular region and not even the warmth of Brother Sun could penetrate it deep, dark depths.
At the moment it mattered not that the light of Nature didn't reach the area sheltered in the forest, because there seemed to be some glow that filled it instead. It was an ethereal glow and while it was not generated by artificial means, it was still not normal for this region of the land, and almost rivaled the brilliance of Brother Sun at the peak of day.
There were a number of witnesses to this light, and all were currently caught up in watching the scene that seemed locked within, and just out of their desperate and nearly despairing reach. Two ningen, one hanyou, and two youkai had just spent their energy and efforts for the past two hours in trying to get through the barrier. A barrier that seemed to surround this lighted area and make their way towards a small ningen onna that was not only at the center of this sphere of light, but seemed to be the one generating it.
Of the anguished group the hanyou, an Inu hanyou at that, seemed to be not only the most desperate and tormented, but at the same time the most injured of the group. He currently held burned and bleeding hands out while the female ningen, a Taijiya by trade, took the time to treat them and bandage them. In the mean time, the male ningen, a hentai houshi, was busy binding up the hanyou's ribs, while the two youkai, who had retrieved the pack's belongings, were busy trying to set up camp for the rest of what was left of the night.
For his part, the hanyou hardly noticed either his injuries, their treatment, or the pain that emanated from the various wounds. He had spent the majority of the last couple of hours trying to physical break his way through the barrier quite literally with his own body. All he gained by his actions, were several broken ribs, his burnt and bleeding hands, and almost no voice left with which to even speak. He also seemed to have gained a severe pain in the vicinity of his chest where his heart resided. A slowly beating organ that at the moment, he almost wished was not doing its job so effectively.
He found himself unable to take his eyes from the scene still unfolding before them within the barrier that none of them seemed able to breach. Try as he might, he could not pull himself away, nor just turn away from the sight. She was in there because of him. She was in there because of his habit of speaking before thinking. She was beyond his reach and beyond his ability to help her, because he had pushed too hard and not been willing to see the harm that he, himself was doing before it was too late.
What hurt most of all, was seeing someone else helping her and knowing that he had been the one that left open that option and quite literally had pushed her in that direction. It didn't matter whether she had made the conscious choice or whether it had been made for her. All that mattered was that it had been done. It had all been because he, Inuyasha, the one that she had more than once told that she liked him just as he was and that she loved him, who had almost willingly pushed the one person who meant the most to him into the arms of someone else.
In his mind, he now had no doubt that Sango and Miroku where right. Someone had given Kagome this Potion that they had spoke of. It almost didn't matter who had given it to her now, only that it had been done, and that it meant that he could no longer look forward to the day when he could claim her for his own. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had looked forward such a time, but now because of his own cowardice, he was never to see that day.
The pain in his chest was nothing like he recalled from before. Although many didn't know it, he remembered much about his experience with Kikyou from before he was pinned to the Goshinboku. He remembered the shock of her betrayal, and the pain that he felt in his chest, not because of the arrow that she had shot him with, but because of the broken heart that he had felt when he realized that she had done so. After he had been awakened and freed from his enforced imprisonment, he had deliberately distanced himself from anything that might put him back into that same situation again. He would not allow himself to get close to anyone ever again and risk the chance of feeling such pain once more.
It had worked for the most part, however, he had failed to take into account one major factor. He had failed to account for Kagome. She was something totally different and completely unique on so many levels that it was impossible to have even predicted that such a being would have come into his life. Sure, he had mistaken her for Kikyou and had many times found himself comparing her to his old love. The truth was, however, that he knew from the start that she was never truly Kikyou.
She might really be her re-incarnation, but there was nothing about Kagome that was anything like Kikyou except for the fact that they shared the same soul. Beyond that, Kagome was just Kagome. There was no other way to describe her. She was warm, caring, understanding, and daring. How often had she faced things that would have given Kikyou pause? How many times had she willingly sacrificed her own health and life for him, something that he knew Kikyou would never have done? At least, she would never have done so for a hanyou.
Hell, even now, Kikyou was known to help them out occasionally, but only with the least amount of effort on her part. Even then it was not because she cared what happened to them all, only that Inuyasha remain alive so that she could later take him to hell with her. That thought alone made him shudder with disgust. Even the dead miko knew that Naraku was responsible for their betrayal of each other more than fifty years ago. Still she held to her hatred and desire to take Inuyasha to hell with her. Why could she not let it go, and strive for other more important things to achieve; things like tracking down and destroying Naraku and his evil.
True she often did travel around seeking out the vile hanyou, however, after she had given him most of the jewel and literally handed him almost all of the power that he now wielded, it left one to wonder if she was working against Naraku or for him. It was because of Kikyou that Naraku gained the power to develop his detachments to do his bidding for him. Inuyasha often found himself wondering just what Kikyou's true purpose was. One moment it seemed so clear and made so much sense, and the next, it was so completely the opposite that he was almost left with his head spinning at a loss for the confusion that seemed to reign supreme.
One thing that he was positive of though, and that was that the Kikyou that walked the earth today, was definitely not the same as the one that he had come to love over fifty years ago. Even now, he often wondered if what they had shared was really love or not. Miroku had been right in so much of what he had said about Kikyou. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Naraku had been right, too. There had never really been any trust between him and Kikyou back then, and that was the weakness that the vile hanyou had used against the two of them. Had they truly loved, and trusted each other there would have been no room for deception and no way to force a wedge between the two as there had been.
But then what had they had together? If it was not truly love, then what was it? What had they had in common with each other that had brought the two of them together to begin with? They both killed youkai, but then Kikyou did that to protect the jewel, and Inuyasha did it out of a need to survive. Kikyou offered aid and assistance to the people of the village. Inuyasha tended to ignore them and shunned their company. Kikyou patrolled the nearby forest to protect the village and the jewel, while Inuyasha protected the nearby forest as the land that he had chosen as his domain. She was a priestess destine to guard a most precious, powerful, and dangerous jewel. He was a hanyou destine to be shunned by society for his very existence.
Both of them were lonely, though for completely different reasons, and that in the end was the one thing that brought them both together. Not a mutual interest in the same thing, not a liking for who each other was, not because they both liked to do things together, but simply because they were both in their own ways, lonely and almost desperate for companionship. Kikyou because her status left her the only one who could do what she was given the responsibility for, and Inuyasha because he was a hanyou that no one would want because of his mixed heritage.
For all of her sworn compassion towards him, the truth was that even Kikyou had in the end wanted Inuyasha to change from who he was, to someone he was not. She had wanted him to become ningen, and being the complete fool that he was, he had agreed. He loved her, he had reasoned, and what better way to show her how much he truly cared for her, than by becoming what she wanted him to be?
He knew now that had he completed her wish, it would have been the biggest mistake of his life. She would have had her deepest desire, which at the time was to be freed from her responsibilities as the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, so that she could live an ordinary life. Inuyasha, however, would not have lived a week, if that long. He was, after all, the son of the Greatest and most Powerful of all Youkai to ever walk the earth, and one who had in his life time made almost as many enemies, as he had friends. Any one of them would be elated to have taken down a son of Inu no Taisho, and spent the rest of their days boasting of how they had accomplished it.
Kagome was a completely different person though. Never had she asked him to be someone that he wasn't or didn't want to be. Yes, she had made use of the subjugation necklace that Kaede had put on the hanyou. For the most part it was originally to keep him from killing her, later to knock some sense into his thick head and show him that manners would get him farther than being rude, and still later on a fair number of occasions to save his life and his sanity. If anything she had helped him to try to get that much closer to what he wanted to be, which was a full fledged youkai. As time past however, he came more and more to realize that being a full youkai was not all that it was cracked up to be.
Oh sure, he was stronger, almost stronger that his brother, but what good was that when you had no sanity to go with it! His encounter with Sou'unga had only further proven that while he was stronger that he had been, he still had a long way to go, but with enough perseverance, he could become strong enough to be equal to almost any youkai alive, maybe even his brother. Perhaps he could even match his father.
This once again only brought his agonizing thoughts back to Kagome. Without her, he would have never even considered that being what he was, would be enough. He might never have learned that he could strive to be stronger and better as a hanyou and not have to wait to become a youkai. Thanks to both Kagome and his Father's Fang, he could be just as strong or even stronger than almost any youkai, and he didn't have to change who he was, only strive to be better, stronger, and to rely more on his own strengths, than the false ones that something like the jewel might bestow upon him.
She had taught him so much, many things that he had never even noticed that she had shown him, not until long after the fact. He even recalled how she was always trying to find little ways to do more for the group. Especially with helping to treat injuries and such. He had openly scoffed at her for taking the extra time to learn more about medicine in her own time, but she had proven him wrong in the value of those lessons when she had been able to put the learning to good use for all of them at one time or another.
At that thought, Inuyasha's ears, already nearly flat to his skull in heartbreak, sadness, and remorse, only drooped lower. It only served to further bring home how cruel he had been to Kagome for so long. He remembered all too well, how she had tried to explain to him how useful the skills she was learning would be. Not only had he yelled at her for wasting time better spent on searching for jewel shards, but had informed her of just how worthless she was because she kept wasting so much time in her own era. He had not even thanked her for the many times her newly acquired knowledge had helped them when they had been in sore need of the new treatments that she had learned.
One thing in all of this that Inuyasha knew for sure, and that was that she deserved better. Kagome deserve far better than anything he could ever give her, and it was only further proven at the moment in that she was out of his reach, not only because there was a barrier that prevented him from helping her, but because someone else who seemed to care more was actually helping her in his stead.
By now, Sango and Miroku had finished treating his injuries, but it was as though he had not even noticed. The only indication that anything had changed was that he had tucked his hands into his sleeves and he continued to sit and watch the scene within the barrier. Every now and then a wayward tear could be seen to trickle down his face, but even those were left to themselves unnoticed by the saddened and heartbroken hanyou.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Unable to stand the sorrow of his friend, Shippou quietly crawled into the hanyou's lap. As he seemed to go unnoticed, the small kitsune curled up and just as Inuyasha, he watched through the barrier as the strange Inu soul continued to help Kagome. She had quieted now, and it was more than apparent that she was no longer in pain.
Although he was mad at his hanyou friend, he was also sad for him, too. Inuyasha had lived such a cruel life and suffered so much. It was no wonder that he had such a difficult time expressing himself, and he often wondered if the hanyou had ever really noticed just how much he meant to everyone. Inuyasha had spent so much of his life hiding the way he felt about those around him, and trying to never show any weakness. As it was, the one time when he had given into his heart, he had been betrayed because of Naraku's scheming and he had lost fifty years of his life because of it.
Still, Shippou found much of the Inu hanyou's behavior so confusing. Why did he treat Kagome so mean? What purpose did it serve? Was it only because Inuyasha was afraid to tell her how he really felt, or because he was not sure how to say it? Shippou was sure that on some level, Inuyasha didn't hate Kagome. In fact, he was sure that the hanyou loved the onna who had come to be like a mother to the young kitsune.
Unfortunately, just a Miroku had tried to tell him, it looked like Inuyasha had lost his chance. If the scene before them was anything to go by, the stories that Sango and Miroku had been theorizing about were true and someone else had already laid claim to the young Miko. What scare Shippou the most about that, was if someone else had laid claim to Kagome, there was every chance that she would eventually be taken away and he would once again be without anyone that he could secretly consider his mother.
In sad reflection of the possibilities that the future might hold, the young kit lay curled in the hanyou's lap and continued to watch the scene within the barrier unfold. He was not sure what the future held, but he was going to do his best to make sure that he could see and spend as much time as possible with the young Miko as he could. He didn't want to lose another mother, but he was not going to let even a moment pass when he could not at least be nearby for her, just as she had always been there for him. He wanted every moment that he might have left with her to be as full and memorable as possible.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Sango and Miroku had both tried their best to help their friend and companion. They had used every trick, spell, and chant that they knew, but just as for Inuyasha, it was all to no avail. Not having the endurance or stamina of the hanyou, they had not continued their own efforts as long or as hard as he had. It didn't mean that they were any less determined, only that they ended up far less injured than Inuyasha.
Even Shippou and Kirara had suffered a few injuries, but they were already quite healed of the few minor burns that they had obtained from their own efforts to help. In the end, however, it only left a very sore and exhausted group.
After the sudden appearance of the ghost-like Inu youkai, they had all stopped trying to break through the barrier. In part, because they were just to exhausted to keep trying, but even more so because they were all too stunned at the sight before them to do anything other than stare. Being the one who was more often than not, the most centered and collected of the group, Miroku had suggested that they relocate their camp and treat their injuries.
"But what if something worse is happening to Kagome?" asked a some what tearful and scare Shippou.
"From the looks of things, Shippou," reassured the houshi, "I doubt that anything will be even able to get near her, let alone hurt her. Whatever, or whoever that Inu is, they are very powerful and from the sense of their aura, I feel nothing but good intentions towards Kagome."
"But we don't even know who that is with her?" Shippou reasoned, "How can we trust whoever that is, not to hurt Kagome?"
Sango reached out to the little kitsune, and took a moment to just hug him. She knew he was scared, as were they all, but at the moment there really was nothing that they could do. The barrier prevented anyone from getting inside to help the young onna. Just as Shippou was scare for the little Miko, Sango was antsy and wanted nothing more than do tear the barrier down and go to her 'sister'.
She knew, however that it was just not possible to do that right now. So as Miroku had suggested, right now they needed to relocate their camp to be close to the barrier for when it did finally come down, and try to be as prepared as possible for almost anything.
"Shippou," she said to the small kit, "we are all scared for her, just as you are. None of us want to lose her and we will do our best to keep that from happening. Miroku and I will keep guard over everything here for now. Why don't you and Kirara go fetch our belongings from the campsite and bring them here? We could all use Kagome's medical kit and some tea would most definitely be a good thing right now."
Kirara understanding what Sango was trying to do, immediately transformed into her battle ready form, and picked up the disgruntled kitsune and headed off into the night to get their supplies and such from the other camp. She had a few injuries herself, but they were almost totally healed already and besides, keeping busy was better than just sitting around.
With the brilliance of the light from within the barrier, Sango and Miroku were quickly able to gather more than enough firewood, especially thanks to the newly feld trees from Inuyasha's efforts to get to Kagome. They were also lucky enough to find a nearby brook that seemed to run tangent to the mountain fed stream that they had been near before. This provided plenty of water, and soon they had a small fire going, and once their camping supplies arrived, they would have hot water for tea and other uses.
It didn't take long for Kirara and Shippou to return with their meager belongings and Kagome's pack, and soon tea was ready and they were treating their injuries. Sango and Miroku worked together to treat Inuyasha's broken ribs and burnt hands. While it made it easier to take care of his wounds, it was most disheartening to see Inuyasha just sit there and not even flinch or respond to them as the bandaged him up.
Throughout the entire past 45 minutes or so, he had not moved from where he had last fallen. While his last attack on the barrier had not thrown him back that was only because he had no longer had the strength to continue his near mindless efforts of flinging his own body at the barrier as he had done to begin with. The best that he had been able to do at the end, was to continually try to pound, claw, and scratch at the barrier with his bare hands.
He was as stunned into immobility as the others when the apparition appeared and was readily able to enter the barrier and surround Kagome. About all that the grief stricken hanyou could do from there was to let the barrier push him back and landing on his rear, he just sat and watch in awe, and horror at the scene before him. The tracks if his tears still more than apparent on his face, and the occasional tear still falling, Inuyasha had really not been able to do much more than sit and gaze at the events unfolding before him.
"Do you think he will be alright?" asked a worried Sango, as she was finishing with his hands, and took a moment to wipe his face with a damp cloth. She wondered if he would even respond enough to drink some of the herbal tea that she had made to ease the pain in his throat from all of his screaming. Yes, she was mad at his behavior and knew that he was wrong for the way that he treated Kagome, but he was still a dear friend and one that she was proud to stand beside whether in battle or not. It hurt almost as much to see Inuyasha like this, as it did to see the pain that Kagome had been suffering.
"Physically," Miroku sighed, concern for his friends written clearly all over his face, "he will be find in a couple of days. Mentally! That is something that only time will tell, Sango-chan. It is more than apparent that we were right about the Potion. Someone did give it to Kagome-sama and she has been claimed. From the looks of things and the feel of the aura coming from the soul that now is surrounding her, whoever it is must be extremely powerful. He is definitely more powerful than Naraku."
"For once, I wish we had been wrong," returned the Taijiya, as she poured the tea and brought it over to the others, "At least that narrows down the possibilities of who could have done this to her. Do you still think that it was Sesshoumaru?"
Finished with binding up Inuyasha's ribs, Miroku sat beside the hanyou and continued to watch the going's on within the barrier, just as Inuyasha was. Shippou had by now curled up in the hanyou's lap, and this left Miroku and Sango to speculate on their theories of the past few days.
Accepting his tea from Sango, and watching as she held a cup up for Inuyasha to sip from, Miroku replied as he continued to speculate, "Hai! While there are quite a few Inu youkai in existence, many of them with considerable intelligence and power, very few have crossed our path, or even know of our group and our quest. Besides, with the amount of power that I sense from this youkai, there are not even a handful that could come close to this much youki. Of those that I have heard of, or know in some form, none would have been able to separate their soul from their body, especially for this amount of time, and been able to withstand the immense power of Kagome-sama's purification powers that currently make up more than half of this barrier."
"You know, although I do not agree with his reasons," Sango replied thoughtfully, "are you sure that Sesshoumaru would be the one to do this to Kagome? What reasons might the Taiyoukai have in taking an interest in a ningen? I realize that I am the one to first suggest that he might have done this to her, but at the time I gave it little thought. It doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who has such a strong aversion to ningens."
"True, but even you suggested that he might not feel so strongly about ningens," was the houshi's reply, "as he used to. Remember, Toutousai and Saya mentioned that he had made use of Tetsusaiga when Inuyasha was being possessed by Sou'unga, and there is the matter that you also mentioned of his allowing that little girl, Rin to follow him. In truth, is it that he permits her to follow him, or that he has found having someone who obviously cares for him and believes in him as Rin does, as something that fills some need in his soul that he had never had before."
After a brief thoughtful pause he continued, "Of all the ningen to ever cross Sesshoumaru's path, Kagome is the first to stand up to him, even when he was angry. While she might have been afraid, she was more afraid of what he might do to Inuyasha or one of us, than what he might do to her. That in itself has to be something totally unique for the Taiyoukai."
"Hm! I see your point," Sango said, "and if what Totousai said about Tenseiga is true, then Sesshoumaru could not wield it if he didn't have at least some compassion in that cold heart of his. When you think about it, he didn't have a jewel shard or a ningen arm when he used Tetsusaiga against Inuyasha and Sou'unga. Yet he was still able to use the power of the sword even though the barrier was burning his hand. He could not have done that if he had not been trying to protect a ningen, and the only ningen around was Rin."
"That's right! I remember Saya and Totousai telling us about that incident," Miroku said with a note of surprise in his voice. "They both had said that Sesshoumaru had grabbed onto Tetsusaiga drawing it from its sheath and completely ignored the burning of his own hand, as he used it to fend off Sou'unga. Despite the injury actually bringing him to his knees, Sesshoumaru still raced after Inuyasha when Sou'unga sent him after Rin and Jaken with the intent of killing them."
"Even Kagome told me," Sango added, "that when Takemaru was about to kill both of them with Sou'unga, Rin held fiercely to Tenseiga and her faith that Sesshoumaru would save them. It was in fact, Sesshoumaru then wielding Toukijin that blocked the blow that would have killed them both if it had not been for the Youkai Lord's intervention."
"Kagome-sama," the houshi continued, "has never truly been afraid of the Taiyoukai, only what he might do to others. Even Inuyasha stated that she was the one who actually thanked Sesshoumaru for sparing Kohaku's life after that first incident where Rin was kidnapped. Perhaps in letting Rin follow him, something in his heart changed towards ningens."
"If that soul in there with Kagome is Sesshoumaru," Sango said with some speculation in her voice, "then it is one very different youkai than we have ever seen before."
At that, Miroku took a moment to look more closely at the Inu Youkai Soul and Kagome. Whoever it was seemed to be very attentive to the young onna's needs. No, that was not quite right, for the Inu was more than just tending to the pain and any injuries that she might have suffered. He was in fact, reacting to almost every nuance of the onna that he lay protectively around. Every sigh, every whimper, every tear that fell from her eyes, all seemed to cause a reaction of some kind in the Inu form.
"You are right Sango-chan," he replied after a few moments of closely watching the pair, "he is definitely more attentive to Kagome-sama than one would expect from someone like Sesshoumaru. Could it be that he started out with one plan, and ended up finding himself in a completely different situation?"
"You mean like he originally started out with the idea of getting back at Inuyasha," Sango spoke hesitantly, "but perhaps he has ended up truly falling for Kagome?"
"Hai! Either that, or he is falling for her," was Miroku's confident reply. The more they watched the two within the barrier, it became more and more apparent that whoever the Inu soul was, and Miroku was now sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was Sesshoumaru, he obviously truly cared for Kagome. Had the Great Taiyoukai of the Western Lands fallen to his own scheme?
That thought hung foremost in the minds of four of the five beings as they all sat and continued to watch the spectacle still playing out within the barrier. The fifth was still too lost in his own thoughts of guilt and remorse to even have heard the conversation that had taken place. All that he saw was the Inu with his Kagome, and all that the hanyou could think of was 'why had he pushed her away?'.
-------------------------------------------------------
As the darkness started to reclaim the already tortured young Miko, along with her despair, she felt fear take root and begin to add itself to her already overwhelming turmoil. Of all of the golden eyed people to be holding her, the last one that she expected to see was Sesshoumaru. Although for some strange reason a part of herself kept insisting that all was as it should be, she could not help the rising fear that kept saying that it was all wrong. He was the enemy. He was the one that had almost always tried to kill Inuyasha and herself on several occasions. Why was he here? For that matter where was here, and where was everyone else? Had they all abandoned her?
Much to her surprise, however, was that even as she seemed to once more succumb to the encroaching darkness, Sesshoumaru pulled her back to him once more and lowered his head to her neck, where he once more nuzzled the area where it joined her shoulder. Oddly, she found the action soothing, but to her already overly stressed soul, it was not soothing enough.
The rumbling vibration that she could feel against her body, increased still more in both tone and intensity. The feeling of Sesshoumaru's tail, already warm and welcoming, tightened further and seemed to wrap itself even more around her body, blanketing her in it silky fur. The strong arms that were holding her to an equally strong and well muscled chest, only pulled her closer and continued to rub soothing patterns along her back.
Once more that same warm and comforting feeling seemed to rush through her entire being and the darkness was pushed back along with the fear and the despair. The world around her came more into focus and she found herself once more audience to long silvery white locks of hair, coupled with a remarkably welcome strong shoulder and the feeling of being desired. A warm breath caressed her ear and a soft, but deep voiced whisper only further pushed back the darkness, while at the same time adding confusion to the already strange happenings.
"Do not give into the darkness, Miko," Sesshoumaru said, "You are too strong and spirited a being to give into something like this so easily."
At his words, Kagome found herself pulled even further back towards the light, but found herself unable to hold back the tears that now coursed down her face. Spirited she might be, but she knew that she was not strong. If she were, she would not now be crying, nor have just given up as she had started to do. She was just so tired of the pain, torment, and heartache.
"But I can't stand the pain any more," she cried in a voice barely above a whisper, but more than enough for the Great Youkai holding her to hear. "I just want the pain to go away, to make it stop. I can't take this hurt any more."
Sesshoumaru was surprised at her words, and confused by them as well. It was more than obvious she was hurting, but he could not be sure what was causing the pain. All he knew for sure, is that it was slowly tearing her apart. He had to find the cause of the pain, and soon, or the changes that he had learned about from the fujo, would gradually override her ningen soul and leave her more mindless than Inuyasha when he turned youkai.
"You are stronger than this," he spoke with authority, and assurance. "What has caused this pain, and why do you give in to it so?"
Kagome realized that Sesshoumaru seemed to be trying to both help her and to offer some kind of comfort. This only added more to her confusion. Here was a Youkai, who had spent most of his encounters with the group either trying to kill one or more of them, or hurling degrading insults at Inuyasha, or the group as a whole.
Now he seemed, in his own way to be showing some kind of concern for her well-being, and there was no doubt that his touch and the way he was holding her was more than just a simple act of kindness. She could not help but feel that this was exactly how it was meant to be. She felt nothing evil in him, and something from that darker side of herself seemed to be urging her to not only give in to him, but to trust him.
It was an urge that was steadily growing, and even that lighter part of her soul was accepting of the idea and pushed her to lean on the offered shoulder. Why? What was it about him that both sides of her soul felt comfortable with, and why were they both urging her to trust him?
That was when it dawned on her, and suddenly she was certain that not only was Sango and Miroku's theory true, but that this was the Youkai that had used the Potion on her and claimed her. As this realization hit her, she could feel her anger rising. It had been Sesshoumaru who had taken that part of her that she had deep in her heart hoped to give to Inuyasha. He had not given her any kind of choice in the matter. He had not taken the time to ask her, or even to let her know that he had any kind of interest in her besides trying to kill her if for no other reason than that she was a ningen, a miko, and had interfered with his efforts to kill Inuyasha.
Before her anger could completely take hold, however, her thoughts once more turned back to the hanyou and his words once more rang through her mind.
'Kikyou is far more beautiful that Kagome could ever hope to be.....'
'.....if Sesshoumaru desired someone of great power, then he would be chasing after Kikyou not Kagome.'
'.....you are just a weak and useless ningen.'
Once again, she found herself giving in to the darkness. Not only had that hope been crushed, it had been shattered beyond any possibility of ever becoming true. Not only because she was no longer a virgin, but also because Inuyasha had made it more than apparent that their ever being together was something that could never happen no matter what the outcome of their quest.
Sesshoumaru could see the play of emotions running across Kagome's face. She read very much like an open book. He could see the confusion as to why he was there and why he seemed to care what she going through, but then that part of this whole thing confused him as well.
It was odd that the priorities that he had originally carefully laid out for his plans, seemed to be rearranging themselves. Yes, he had intended on claiming the little Miko. Claiming her as his, while his brother suffered the knowledge that he could not have something that he held dear to him. After that, what happened to her meant nothing. She was just to be a tool in his efforts to get back at his hated half breed, half brother, a foul taint to the family bloodline that should have never been born to begin with.
His plans had changed with the passage of time, once he realized that his Inu wanted to keep the young onna beyond his original intent. His more logical side was not, at first willing to agree to his Inu's demands and firmly clamped down on these sudden intense desires. Sesshoumaru knew that much of it was his Beast trying to find ways to change his mind. He had never been one to let his Blood Beast rule his desires, much less let his emotions have full reign over what his choices were.
About the time that he had come upon the knowledge of the Potion of Erised, his Inu apparently had taken a turn in his own tactics to find a way to reason with the stoic and every reserved Youkai Lord. Instead of playing on just the heat of driven desires, he had started findings some logic of his own to show that having the little Miko on a more permanent basis was a far more beneficial and worthy focus.
Just as himself, his Inu was nothing if not patient when it counted the most and when the Blood Beast of the Great Taiyoukai truly wanted something badly enough, nothing, not even the stoic Lord himself could beat him for patience. This was especially true when his Inu had a plan in mind and was busy putting it into action. That was one thing that they both shared in common. When either one wanted something badly enough, patience was their greatest weapon.
Be that as it may, from that point forward the Great Taiyoukai found himself essentially losing a winning battle. Yes, it was odd, but when you found yourself in battle with yourself, even if it was another side of you, you were always bound to win at least 50% of your encounters. Sesshoumaru's Inu was the only one that truly knew him both inside and out. One thing that the Beast knew over anyone else was where the Great Lord's weaknesses were. The main one being a love of power and being willing to go to extremes to obtain it.
So along with the daily assault of sensual images that had been plaguing Sesshoumaru's every waking moment for so long that he had lost count of when it all began, he was also teased with images of her defiance in the face of danger. Even as she stood up to him, the flare of her power surrounding her, as she was angered because her friends were in danger, the strength of her abilities as his Inu imagined her taking out Naraku's body with the purifying power of her arrows. That and more the Beast had thrown at him, and at the same time showing her gentler moments when taking care of the kitsune, or treating the injuries of those in his brother's pack.
She had remarkable skill in treating wounds and poisons, even with setting broken limbs and healing larger wounds. She seemed to find ways to fill in those small places that so many took for granted and yet when there was no one to do them, they were missed. No, she was not a warrior, however, she was powerful, intelligent, knowledgeable, and enduring. She often found ways to be useful that others never noticed. Apparently in the unflagging efforts to see more of her, and learn more about her, Sesshoumaru's Inu had noticed all of the things that everyone else overlooked.
Still, the determine Lord of the Western Lands continued to convince himself that his original goal was the only reason for taking the onna. Bringing some kind of vengeance to bare on his brother, was first and foremost his goal. Once the search for the ingredients to the Potion had begun, however, that seemed to fade to the background. As the idea of having her became closer to reality, and seemed to wet his appetite for achieving his goal, he hardly noticed when his Inu had succeeded and his own perspectives had changed.
Ever since he had first lay claim to the little Miko, it seemed that whether or not his brother suffered was no longer important, or at least not as important now as it was originally. If he were totally honest with himself, what happened to her counted a great deal to him, not just to his Blood Beast. Where before he fought his Beast for wanting the Miko, now they both found common ground to agree on something that they both wanted. The result of this common ground allowed the Great Taiyoukai for the first time in centuries, to not have to fight to restrain the primal side of himself as he once had.
This current situation had given the Great Lord a new perspective on himself. Without the encumbrance of his Inu's primal drives, he had often wondered if his feelings for the little Miko were his own, or the drives of the primitive and less refined Beast he had locked away for so many years. Now he had a most remarkable opportunity to examine his own motives without interference, but found himself most surprised by what he discovered.
Even now, when his Blood Beast was still back with his body maintaining the barrier of protection on it, leaving the more rational and logical minded Sesshoumaru as a free soul unencumbered by the primordial drives of his more primitive self, he could not fully make himself not care for the young onna that he was now trying to help. Whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not, the facts showed that she was a far more important part of his life than he had first desired, or believed possible. Right now whether she lived or died was of extreme importance not just to his Blood Beast, but to him as well. Besides, if what the fujo had told him about the Potion was totally true, then in some small way, their attraction to each other and the joining of their souls was not entirely the work of the Potion alone.
He continued to watch her face, hoping to see signs that she was not falling back to the darkness that threatened to engulf her. The confusion was rapidly replaced with a look of surprise on her face that let him know immediately that she was not only aware of the Potion of Erised, but that he was the one that gave it to her. She was a most discerning and intelligent creature, so it did not surprise him that she would be able to figure out what had occurred.
She was not an uneducated onna, something that had puzzled the Taiyoukai greatly when he was first learned of her existence, and started trying to learn more about her. He had seen her often sitting late into the night, with nothing more than the light of the campfire, pouring over some odd looking manuscripts and seeming to not only be able to read, but write and work complex problems, as well. If anything, it only further impressed him. He just wished that it was under better circumstances.
He knew that anger would be hard on the heels of her realization, and when he saw that on her face, he fully expected for her to unleash her anger at him for not having given her any choice in his decision. So when seconds later, he saw pain and sorrow once more take over her expressive face, and felt her aura darken as she once again started to give in to the pain, he was confused as to what led to that sudden change.
When she started to black out again, he pulled her back up once more to his shoulder so that he could nuzzle his mark on her neck. He had to use whatever means he could to keep her from letting go, or he would lose her and right now that was just not an acceptable option.
Suddenly, he felt the presence of his Blood Beast fast approaching. This puzzled him, he had left the Beast to stay with his body to keep the protective shield up. He knew that there must be a reason for this, but would have to take this matter up with him later, because right now he could not take his attention away from the little Miko in his arms.
Even as he held her and she continued to give into the engulfing darkness, he continued to nuzzle at his mark and trying to pour as much comfort as he could into the contact. He was making progress, but it was too slow. Why was she still slipping away? What had caused this to begin with? What more could he do to help her?
For once in his life, the Youkai Lord found himself frightened. He was not frightened for himself, not really even frightened for the possibility that his mate might die, but frightened because he could not figure out what more to do to help her. There had to be something more, something that he was overlooking that would help to carry her back to the Land of the Living. What could it be?
Just as he had thought she would slip away, a red glow surrounded them both and he could feel the change as his Blood Beast seemed to pour some of his own strength into the onna. As it did, the rate at which she was slipping away lessened greatly and in fact, she slowly began to turn around. It was still too slow, and he was still trying to figure out what more could be done.
::It is her soul! It has split into two parts, one youki and one Miko ki. Whatever trauma she has suffered has caused a part of her to want to give up and just die. The other part is trying to fight to live, but they both have to work together or she will not make it!::
**If what you say is true, it could be even worse that we had thought. Because of the exchange of blood, our combined powers, the very size of her soul, and the Potion, she could completely lose her ningen soul. If that happens, she will not be any better that my half breed brother when he loses himself to his youkai blood. She has not completed the transformations yet, and until then she is at risk. This kind of instability could kill her.**
One of the things that had puzzled Sesshoumaru when he went to visit the fujo, was why Kagome was showing so many of the traits of a pure blood Inu youkai, but that they didn't seem to last. Yet, some parts of the changes seemed to stick with her, such as her hearing. Were there more traits that he didn't yet know of? Would these changes continue? What had caused them, and what were the dangers to her?
As it had turned out, one of the few bits of information that he had failed to reveal to the fujo when he first approached her for the Potion, was that Kagome was not just a ningen, but a Miko. She was a very powerful Miko, with a soul so large that it could not be contained. Although she was not trained, and had no direct control over her powers, she had power enough to rival his own, and a soul that almost made his own look small.
According to the fujo, the changes that where manifesting were due to a combination of factors. The first being his own great power which was directly linked to his blood, coupled with the purity and dominance of his heritage. When he had first approached the fujo, she had not known anything other than that he wanted the Potion for a ningen. She had assumed that she was a simple, if perhaps beautiful, ordinary ningen.
She had been quite upset to hear that he had not been more forthcoming with the information about the onna he intended to use the Potion on. As it was, he had to threaten her life to get her to calm down enough to give him the details he now found were needed so badly. Until the changes were complete, and the Potion had fully run its course, Kagome was in a great deal of danger.
Now she was in one of these unstable periods that the fujo had warned him about. Unless he could help to ground her and find a way to pull her back from the darkness, she would be lost forever to either death or total, mindless, blood thirsty insanity.
::There is only so much that you can do while you are with her. You might need to re-affirm our claim on her to help pull her back. I can take a bit more time away from our body to encourage her souls to remerge back into one, but I won't have time for more than that.::
**Do as much as you can! I will take care of the rest from here, but keep in mind that one of us must be with our body, as it can't remain as it is for long with both of us here.**
The barrier that currently protected his body, needed the support of at least one part of his soul to be maintained. It could not last long without the backing of either a conscious or unconscious entity being housed within. Because both is Youkai soul and his more Rational soul were currently trying to help their mate, the barrier around his body would not last long, so his Inu had to hurry and return before something untowards occurred.
::Are you going to tell her what we have done, and what we know?::
**She has already figured out what we have done, but I am not sure that she is ready to be told all of what we know. It might yet be too much for her to take all at once. Right now, I am more concerned with what triggered this current situation! Something set this crisis in motion, and I will find out what. If it was my brother, he will pay dearly for this, as will that dead bitch of his!**
At the moment, all that really matter to Sesshoumaru's Blood Beast, was that their mate survive. To him, any risk was worth keeping the little Miko safe, so that one day she could be with them always, instead of with the incompetent half breed. Twice now the hanyou had been the cause of her pain and nearly losing her life, and the Inu swore that a price would be paid for his carelessness, blindness, and stupidity.
::Just bring our mate back. I will take care of her souls and our body!::
With that, he felt his Beast pull back, and his own youki rise.
--------------------------------------------
Dictionary
Baka - Idiot
Chikushou - Beast, Brute, Damn
Doushite - Why
Fujo - Witch
Hanyou - Half Demon
Hiraikotsu - actually translates as 'Come Flying Skills' and is the name of Sango's boomerang
Houshi - Monk
Inu - Dog
Kazaana - Wind Void/Tunnel - Miroku's curse from Naraku
Kitsune - Fox Demon
Miko - Shrine Maiden
Mononoke - Animal Spirit - Kirara would be considered an mononoke as she has no human form
Neko - Cat
Okaa-san - Mother
Onee - Older Sister
Onna - Woman
Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively
Shakoju - Staff - the one that Miroku carries and wields
Shimatta - Damn it
Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards
Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls
Shishi - Lion
Taijiya - Demon Exterminator
Taiyoukai - Demon Lord
Tenshi - Angel
Tenseiga - Sacred Life Fang
Tetsusaiga - Iron Pulverizing Fang
Youkai - Demon
===============================
A/N - Please accept my most humble apologies for being so long in posting. Between the over long recovery from my knee injury, followed almost immediately by tons of overtime at work, and then to top in all off, my computer needed to be wiped and restored (Thank the Kami for such a super son-in-law) and now the pending holiday, it has taken some time to just get back to a stage where I could actually work on my fic's. I have revised all of the prior chapters, making corrections and in some cases modifying the story just a tad. In the meantime, I have managed to add another chapter and will have more to follow in the weeks to come.
In the mean time, I hope that one and all of you and your families are looking forward to a very Happy Holiday Season, regardless of what holiday it is that you hold to your heart.
On with the continuing hunt for answers to the many questions that seem to only continue to abound. Although this time, at least some answers seem to be leaking their little hearts out for those of us who are just dying to know. Exactly what answers and information has Sesshoumaru found from the old fujo about the Potion? Will his Inu truly be able to help him to save Kagome? What will happen to the Great Lord's body in the absence of both sides of his soul? Will his Inu's efforts to help Kagome's soul have side effects of its own?
How will Kagome react now that she realizes with certainty that it is Sesshoumaru that gave her the Potion and claimed her? Will she forgive him and accept that he gave her no choice in the matter? Will she recall enough of their past encounters to realize that his original intents have changed towards her? Will she remember that this is not the first time that he has saved her?
What of Inuyasha? How will he cope with things as they are now? Will continue to meet with Kikyou and exactly what has been happening between the two of them? Will he find sympathy in Kikyou's arms, or something more? How will he change towards Kagome? Will this tear them further apart or bring them closer together? If so, what kind of relationship will develop between them?
Exactly how will this affect the group? Will Naraku find out what has happened and turn this matter to his advantage? How will Kikyou see this new development? What news and answers will the group find when the make it back to the village and are able to speak to both Kaede and Myouga? How will Kagome's mother see what has happened and is happening to her daughter?
So many questions and still so few answers. Will they be forthcoming soon? HEH! HEH! HEH!
May the blessings of Inari stand watch over all of the survivors of both hurricanes in the south, and over the wonderful folks below who have taken the time to read, rate, and review:
_Inukame, Sam_Sama_Death, Teesha17, Crazydontcoverit, Dragoncountess98
MysticAngelDust - *Ouch* Hmmm! Strange! There doesn't seem to be anyone nearby, but I am sure that I felt something or someone just poke at me. Hmmm!
by Vyncent
------------------------------
::This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content! You are WARNED::
Parts of this graphic, and of an adult nature, or violent, and will NOT be posted to FanFiction.net...
It is being posted to AdultFanFiction. net and MediaMiner. org
If you do not like such content, then please be advised that this fic may not be appealing to you. Please do not read this if such content is offensive to you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.
------------------------------
Chapter Fifteen - A Brief Turning Point
The dark of night still hugged the land and would for a few hours yet. The light of Sister Moon still shed her blessings upon the world below and did her best to reach even the darkest of places. She was not as strong, however, as her Brother, the Sun, and though she knew that there were many places that only he could reach, there was some small comfort in the knowledge that there were almost as many places that even his strong light could not penetrate.
Still, she gave it her all, as it would be dishonourable to do less. Besides, there was always that chance that she just might get even the briefest of moments to shine in one of those dark places that hid much and revealed little.
Currently, two of the places that she was unable to touch, was a large area that was so thickly forested and the foliage so dense that even her Brother could seldom reach these dark depths, except in the dead of winter. The other was a region that had once basked in the ethereal glow of Sister Moon and the life giving warmth of Brother Sun on many a night. Unfortunately, in more recent times, it seemed that a thick, caustic, death ridden miasma had grown to cover this particular region and not even the warmth of Brother Sun could penetrate it deep, dark depths.
At the moment it mattered not that the light of Nature didn't reach the area sheltered in the forest, because there seemed to be some glow that filled it instead. It was an ethereal glow and while it was not generated by artificial means, it was still not normal for this region of the land, and almost rivaled the brilliance of Brother Sun at the peak of day.
There were a number of witnesses to this light, and all were currently caught up in watching the scene that seemed locked within, and just out of their desperate and nearly despairing reach. Two ningen, one hanyou, and two youkai had just spent their energy and efforts for the past two hours in trying to get through the barrier. A barrier that seemed to surround this lighted area and make their way towards a small ningen onna that was not only at the center of this sphere of light, but seemed to be the one generating it.
Of the anguished group the hanyou, an Inu hanyou at that, seemed to be not only the most desperate and tormented, but at the same time the most injured of the group. He currently held burned and bleeding hands out while the female ningen, a Taijiya by trade, took the time to treat them and bandage them. In the mean time, the male ningen, a hentai houshi, was busy binding up the hanyou's ribs, while the two youkai, who had retrieved the pack's belongings, were busy trying to set up camp for the rest of what was left of the night.
For his part, the hanyou hardly noticed either his injuries, their treatment, or the pain that emanated from the various wounds. He had spent the majority of the last couple of hours trying to physical break his way through the barrier quite literally with his own body. All he gained by his actions, were several broken ribs, his burnt and bleeding hands, and almost no voice left with which to even speak. He also seemed to have gained a severe pain in the vicinity of his chest where his heart resided. A slowly beating organ that at the moment, he almost wished was not doing its job so effectively.
He found himself unable to take his eyes from the scene still unfolding before them within the barrier that none of them seemed able to breach. Try as he might, he could not pull himself away, nor just turn away from the sight. She was in there because of him. She was in there because of his habit of speaking before thinking. She was beyond his reach and beyond his ability to help her, because he had pushed too hard and not been willing to see the harm that he, himself was doing before it was too late.
What hurt most of all, was seeing someone else helping her and knowing that he had been the one that left open that option and quite literally had pushed her in that direction. It didn't matter whether she had made the conscious choice or whether it had been made for her. All that mattered was that it had been done. It had all been because he, Inuyasha, the one that she had more than once told that she liked him just as he was and that she loved him, who had almost willingly pushed the one person who meant the most to him into the arms of someone else.
In his mind, he now had no doubt that Sango and Miroku where right. Someone had given Kagome this Potion that they had spoke of. It almost didn't matter who had given it to her now, only that it had been done, and that it meant that he could no longer look forward to the day when he could claim her for his own. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had looked forward such a time, but now because of his own cowardice, he was never to see that day.
The pain in his chest was nothing like he recalled from before. Although many didn't know it, he remembered much about his experience with Kikyou from before he was pinned to the Goshinboku. He remembered the shock of her betrayal, and the pain that he felt in his chest, not because of the arrow that she had shot him with, but because of the broken heart that he had felt when he realized that she had done so. After he had been awakened and freed from his enforced imprisonment, he had deliberately distanced himself from anything that might put him back into that same situation again. He would not allow himself to get close to anyone ever again and risk the chance of feeling such pain once more.
It had worked for the most part, however, he had failed to take into account one major factor. He had failed to account for Kagome. She was something totally different and completely unique on so many levels that it was impossible to have even predicted that such a being would have come into his life. Sure, he had mistaken her for Kikyou and had many times found himself comparing her to his old love. The truth was, however, that he knew from the start that she was never truly Kikyou.
She might really be her re-incarnation, but there was nothing about Kagome that was anything like Kikyou except for the fact that they shared the same soul. Beyond that, Kagome was just Kagome. There was no other way to describe her. She was warm, caring, understanding, and daring. How often had she faced things that would have given Kikyou pause? How many times had she willingly sacrificed her own health and life for him, something that he knew Kikyou would never have done? At least, she would never have done so for a hanyou.
Hell, even now, Kikyou was known to help them out occasionally, but only with the least amount of effort on her part. Even then it was not because she cared what happened to them all, only that Inuyasha remain alive so that she could later take him to hell with her. That thought alone made him shudder with disgust. Even the dead miko knew that Naraku was responsible for their betrayal of each other more than fifty years ago. Still she held to her hatred and desire to take Inuyasha to hell with her. Why could she not let it go, and strive for other more important things to achieve; things like tracking down and destroying Naraku and his evil.
True she often did travel around seeking out the vile hanyou, however, after she had given him most of the jewel and literally handed him almost all of the power that he now wielded, it left one to wonder if she was working against Naraku or for him. It was because of Kikyou that Naraku gained the power to develop his detachments to do his bidding for him. Inuyasha often found himself wondering just what Kikyou's true purpose was. One moment it seemed so clear and made so much sense, and the next, it was so completely the opposite that he was almost left with his head spinning at a loss for the confusion that seemed to reign supreme.
One thing that he was positive of though, and that was that the Kikyou that walked the earth today, was definitely not the same as the one that he had come to love over fifty years ago. Even now, he often wondered if what they had shared was really love or not. Miroku had been right in so much of what he had said about Kikyou. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Naraku had been right, too. There had never really been any trust between him and Kikyou back then, and that was the weakness that the vile hanyou had used against the two of them. Had they truly loved, and trusted each other there would have been no room for deception and no way to force a wedge between the two as there had been.
But then what had they had together? If it was not truly love, then what was it? What had they had in common with each other that had brought the two of them together to begin with? They both killed youkai, but then Kikyou did that to protect the jewel, and Inuyasha did it out of a need to survive. Kikyou offered aid and assistance to the people of the village. Inuyasha tended to ignore them and shunned their company. Kikyou patrolled the nearby forest to protect the village and the jewel, while Inuyasha protected the nearby forest as the land that he had chosen as his domain. She was a priestess destine to guard a most precious, powerful, and dangerous jewel. He was a hanyou destine to be shunned by society for his very existence.
Both of them were lonely, though for completely different reasons, and that in the end was the one thing that brought them both together. Not a mutual interest in the same thing, not a liking for who each other was, not because they both liked to do things together, but simply because they were both in their own ways, lonely and almost desperate for companionship. Kikyou because her status left her the only one who could do what she was given the responsibility for, and Inuyasha because he was a hanyou that no one would want because of his mixed heritage.
For all of her sworn compassion towards him, the truth was that even Kikyou had in the end wanted Inuyasha to change from who he was, to someone he was not. She had wanted him to become ningen, and being the complete fool that he was, he had agreed. He loved her, he had reasoned, and what better way to show her how much he truly cared for her, than by becoming what she wanted him to be?
He knew now that had he completed her wish, it would have been the biggest mistake of his life. She would have had her deepest desire, which at the time was to be freed from her responsibilities as the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, so that she could live an ordinary life. Inuyasha, however, would not have lived a week, if that long. He was, after all, the son of the Greatest and most Powerful of all Youkai to ever walk the earth, and one who had in his life time made almost as many enemies, as he had friends. Any one of them would be elated to have taken down a son of Inu no Taisho, and spent the rest of their days boasting of how they had accomplished it.
Kagome was a completely different person though. Never had she asked him to be someone that he wasn't or didn't want to be. Yes, she had made use of the subjugation necklace that Kaede had put on the hanyou. For the most part it was originally to keep him from killing her, later to knock some sense into his thick head and show him that manners would get him farther than being rude, and still later on a fair number of occasions to save his life and his sanity. If anything she had helped him to try to get that much closer to what he wanted to be, which was a full fledged youkai. As time past however, he came more and more to realize that being a full youkai was not all that it was cracked up to be.
Oh sure, he was stronger, almost stronger that his brother, but what good was that when you had no sanity to go with it! His encounter with Sou'unga had only further proven that while he was stronger that he had been, he still had a long way to go, but with enough perseverance, he could become strong enough to be equal to almost any youkai alive, maybe even his brother. Perhaps he could even match his father.
This once again only brought his agonizing thoughts back to Kagome. Without her, he would have never even considered that being what he was, would be enough. He might never have learned that he could strive to be stronger and better as a hanyou and not have to wait to become a youkai. Thanks to both Kagome and his Father's Fang, he could be just as strong or even stronger than almost any youkai, and he didn't have to change who he was, only strive to be better, stronger, and to rely more on his own strengths, than the false ones that something like the jewel might bestow upon him.
She had taught him so much, many things that he had never even noticed that she had shown him, not until long after the fact. He even recalled how she was always trying to find little ways to do more for the group. Especially with helping to treat injuries and such. He had openly scoffed at her for taking the extra time to learn more about medicine in her own time, but she had proven him wrong in the value of those lessons when she had been able to put the learning to good use for all of them at one time or another.
At that thought, Inuyasha's ears, already nearly flat to his skull in heartbreak, sadness, and remorse, only drooped lower. It only served to further bring home how cruel he had been to Kagome for so long. He remembered all too well, how she had tried to explain to him how useful the skills she was learning would be. Not only had he yelled at her for wasting time better spent on searching for jewel shards, but had informed her of just how worthless she was because she kept wasting so much time in her own era. He had not even thanked her for the many times her newly acquired knowledge had helped them when they had been in sore need of the new treatments that she had learned.
One thing in all of this that Inuyasha knew for sure, and that was that she deserved better. Kagome deserve far better than anything he could ever give her, and it was only further proven at the moment in that she was out of his reach, not only because there was a barrier that prevented him from helping her, but because someone else who seemed to care more was actually helping her in his stead.
By now, Sango and Miroku had finished treating his injuries, but it was as though he had not even noticed. The only indication that anything had changed was that he had tucked his hands into his sleeves and he continued to sit and watch the scene within the barrier. Every now and then a wayward tear could be seen to trickle down his face, but even those were left to themselves unnoticed by the saddened and heartbroken hanyou.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Unable to stand the sorrow of his friend, Shippou quietly crawled into the hanyou's lap. As he seemed to go unnoticed, the small kitsune curled up and just as Inuyasha, he watched through the barrier as the strange Inu soul continued to help Kagome. She had quieted now, and it was more than apparent that she was no longer in pain.
Although he was mad at his hanyou friend, he was also sad for him, too. Inuyasha had lived such a cruel life and suffered so much. It was no wonder that he had such a difficult time expressing himself, and he often wondered if the hanyou had ever really noticed just how much he meant to everyone. Inuyasha had spent so much of his life hiding the way he felt about those around him, and trying to never show any weakness. As it was, the one time when he had given into his heart, he had been betrayed because of Naraku's scheming and he had lost fifty years of his life because of it.
Still, Shippou found much of the Inu hanyou's behavior so confusing. Why did he treat Kagome so mean? What purpose did it serve? Was it only because Inuyasha was afraid to tell her how he really felt, or because he was not sure how to say it? Shippou was sure that on some level, Inuyasha didn't hate Kagome. In fact, he was sure that the hanyou loved the onna who had come to be like a mother to the young kitsune.
Unfortunately, just a Miroku had tried to tell him, it looked like Inuyasha had lost his chance. If the scene before them was anything to go by, the stories that Sango and Miroku had been theorizing about were true and someone else had already laid claim to the young Miko. What scare Shippou the most about that, was if someone else had laid claim to Kagome, there was every chance that she would eventually be taken away and he would once again be without anyone that he could secretly consider his mother.
In sad reflection of the possibilities that the future might hold, the young kit lay curled in the hanyou's lap and continued to watch the scene within the barrier unfold. He was not sure what the future held, but he was going to do his best to make sure that he could see and spend as much time as possible with the young Miko as he could. He didn't want to lose another mother, but he was not going to let even a moment pass when he could not at least be nearby for her, just as she had always been there for him. He wanted every moment that he might have left with her to be as full and memorable as possible.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Sango and Miroku had both tried their best to help their friend and companion. They had used every trick, spell, and chant that they knew, but just as for Inuyasha, it was all to no avail. Not having the endurance or stamina of the hanyou, they had not continued their own efforts as long or as hard as he had. It didn't mean that they were any less determined, only that they ended up far less injured than Inuyasha.
Even Shippou and Kirara had suffered a few injuries, but they were already quite healed of the few minor burns that they had obtained from their own efforts to help. In the end, however, it only left a very sore and exhausted group.
After the sudden appearance of the ghost-like Inu youkai, they had all stopped trying to break through the barrier. In part, because they were just to exhausted to keep trying, but even more so because they were all too stunned at the sight before them to do anything other than stare. Being the one who was more often than not, the most centered and collected of the group, Miroku had suggested that they relocate their camp and treat their injuries.
"But what if something worse is happening to Kagome?" asked a some what tearful and scare Shippou.
"From the looks of things, Shippou," reassured the houshi, "I doubt that anything will be even able to get near her, let alone hurt her. Whatever, or whoever that Inu is, they are very powerful and from the sense of their aura, I feel nothing but good intentions towards Kagome."
"But we don't even know who that is with her?" Shippou reasoned, "How can we trust whoever that is, not to hurt Kagome?"
Sango reached out to the little kitsune, and took a moment to just hug him. She knew he was scared, as were they all, but at the moment there really was nothing that they could do. The barrier prevented anyone from getting inside to help the young onna. Just as Shippou was scare for the little Miko, Sango was antsy and wanted nothing more than do tear the barrier down and go to her 'sister'.
She knew, however that it was just not possible to do that right now. So as Miroku had suggested, right now they needed to relocate their camp to be close to the barrier for when it did finally come down, and try to be as prepared as possible for almost anything.
"Shippou," she said to the small kit, "we are all scared for her, just as you are. None of us want to lose her and we will do our best to keep that from happening. Miroku and I will keep guard over everything here for now. Why don't you and Kirara go fetch our belongings from the campsite and bring them here? We could all use Kagome's medical kit and some tea would most definitely be a good thing right now."
Kirara understanding what Sango was trying to do, immediately transformed into her battle ready form, and picked up the disgruntled kitsune and headed off into the night to get their supplies and such from the other camp. She had a few injuries herself, but they were almost totally healed already and besides, keeping busy was better than just sitting around.
With the brilliance of the light from within the barrier, Sango and Miroku were quickly able to gather more than enough firewood, especially thanks to the newly feld trees from Inuyasha's efforts to get to Kagome. They were also lucky enough to find a nearby brook that seemed to run tangent to the mountain fed stream that they had been near before. This provided plenty of water, and soon they had a small fire going, and once their camping supplies arrived, they would have hot water for tea and other uses.
It didn't take long for Kirara and Shippou to return with their meager belongings and Kagome's pack, and soon tea was ready and they were treating their injuries. Sango and Miroku worked together to treat Inuyasha's broken ribs and burnt hands. While it made it easier to take care of his wounds, it was most disheartening to see Inuyasha just sit there and not even flinch or respond to them as the bandaged him up.
Throughout the entire past 45 minutes or so, he had not moved from where he had last fallen. While his last attack on the barrier had not thrown him back that was only because he had no longer had the strength to continue his near mindless efforts of flinging his own body at the barrier as he had done to begin with. The best that he had been able to do at the end, was to continually try to pound, claw, and scratch at the barrier with his bare hands.
He was as stunned into immobility as the others when the apparition appeared and was readily able to enter the barrier and surround Kagome. About all that the grief stricken hanyou could do from there was to let the barrier push him back and landing on his rear, he just sat and watch in awe, and horror at the scene before him. The tracks if his tears still more than apparent on his face, and the occasional tear still falling, Inuyasha had really not been able to do much more than sit and gaze at the events unfolding before him.
"Do you think he will be alright?" asked a worried Sango, as she was finishing with his hands, and took a moment to wipe his face with a damp cloth. She wondered if he would even respond enough to drink some of the herbal tea that she had made to ease the pain in his throat from all of his screaming. Yes, she was mad at his behavior and knew that he was wrong for the way that he treated Kagome, but he was still a dear friend and one that she was proud to stand beside whether in battle or not. It hurt almost as much to see Inuyasha like this, as it did to see the pain that Kagome had been suffering.
"Physically," Miroku sighed, concern for his friends written clearly all over his face, "he will be find in a couple of days. Mentally! That is something that only time will tell, Sango-chan. It is more than apparent that we were right about the Potion. Someone did give it to Kagome-sama and she has been claimed. From the looks of things and the feel of the aura coming from the soul that now is surrounding her, whoever it is must be extremely powerful. He is definitely more powerful than Naraku."
"For once, I wish we had been wrong," returned the Taijiya, as she poured the tea and brought it over to the others, "At least that narrows down the possibilities of who could have done this to her. Do you still think that it was Sesshoumaru?"
Finished with binding up Inuyasha's ribs, Miroku sat beside the hanyou and continued to watch the going's on within the barrier, just as Inuyasha was. Shippou had by now curled up in the hanyou's lap, and this left Miroku and Sango to speculate on their theories of the past few days.
Accepting his tea from Sango, and watching as she held a cup up for Inuyasha to sip from, Miroku replied as he continued to speculate, "Hai! While there are quite a few Inu youkai in existence, many of them with considerable intelligence and power, very few have crossed our path, or even know of our group and our quest. Besides, with the amount of power that I sense from this youkai, there are not even a handful that could come close to this much youki. Of those that I have heard of, or know in some form, none would have been able to separate their soul from their body, especially for this amount of time, and been able to withstand the immense power of Kagome-sama's purification powers that currently make up more than half of this barrier."
"You know, although I do not agree with his reasons," Sango replied thoughtfully, "are you sure that Sesshoumaru would be the one to do this to Kagome? What reasons might the Taiyoukai have in taking an interest in a ningen? I realize that I am the one to first suggest that he might have done this to her, but at the time I gave it little thought. It doesn't make a lot of sense for someone who has such a strong aversion to ningens."
"True, but even you suggested that he might not feel so strongly about ningens," was the houshi's reply, "as he used to. Remember, Toutousai and Saya mentioned that he had made use of Tetsusaiga when Inuyasha was being possessed by Sou'unga, and there is the matter that you also mentioned of his allowing that little girl, Rin to follow him. In truth, is it that he permits her to follow him, or that he has found having someone who obviously cares for him and believes in him as Rin does, as something that fills some need in his soul that he had never had before."
After a brief thoughtful pause he continued, "Of all the ningen to ever cross Sesshoumaru's path, Kagome is the first to stand up to him, even when he was angry. While she might have been afraid, she was more afraid of what he might do to Inuyasha or one of us, than what he might do to her. That in itself has to be something totally unique for the Taiyoukai."
"Hm! I see your point," Sango said, "and if what Totousai said about Tenseiga is true, then Sesshoumaru could not wield it if he didn't have at least some compassion in that cold heart of his. When you think about it, he didn't have a jewel shard or a ningen arm when he used Tetsusaiga against Inuyasha and Sou'unga. Yet he was still able to use the power of the sword even though the barrier was burning his hand. He could not have done that if he had not been trying to protect a ningen, and the only ningen around was Rin."
"That's right! I remember Saya and Totousai telling us about that incident," Miroku said with a note of surprise in his voice. "They both had said that Sesshoumaru had grabbed onto Tetsusaiga drawing it from its sheath and completely ignored the burning of his own hand, as he used it to fend off Sou'unga. Despite the injury actually bringing him to his knees, Sesshoumaru still raced after Inuyasha when Sou'unga sent him after Rin and Jaken with the intent of killing them."
"Even Kagome told me," Sango added, "that when Takemaru was about to kill both of them with Sou'unga, Rin held fiercely to Tenseiga and her faith that Sesshoumaru would save them. It was in fact, Sesshoumaru then wielding Toukijin that blocked the blow that would have killed them both if it had not been for the Youkai Lord's intervention."
"Kagome-sama," the houshi continued, "has never truly been afraid of the Taiyoukai, only what he might do to others. Even Inuyasha stated that she was the one who actually thanked Sesshoumaru for sparing Kohaku's life after that first incident where Rin was kidnapped. Perhaps in letting Rin follow him, something in his heart changed towards ningens."
"If that soul in there with Kagome is Sesshoumaru," Sango said with some speculation in her voice, "then it is one very different youkai than we have ever seen before."
At that, Miroku took a moment to look more closely at the Inu Youkai Soul and Kagome. Whoever it was seemed to be very attentive to the young onna's needs. No, that was not quite right, for the Inu was more than just tending to the pain and any injuries that she might have suffered. He was in fact, reacting to almost every nuance of the onna that he lay protectively around. Every sigh, every whimper, every tear that fell from her eyes, all seemed to cause a reaction of some kind in the Inu form.
"You are right Sango-chan," he replied after a few moments of closely watching the pair, "he is definitely more attentive to Kagome-sama than one would expect from someone like Sesshoumaru. Could it be that he started out with one plan, and ended up finding himself in a completely different situation?"
"You mean like he originally started out with the idea of getting back at Inuyasha," Sango spoke hesitantly, "but perhaps he has ended up truly falling for Kagome?"
"Hai! Either that, or he is falling for her," was Miroku's confident reply. The more they watched the two within the barrier, it became more and more apparent that whoever the Inu soul was, and Miroku was now sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was Sesshoumaru, he obviously truly cared for Kagome. Had the Great Taiyoukai of the Western Lands fallen to his own scheme?
That thought hung foremost in the minds of four of the five beings as they all sat and continued to watch the spectacle still playing out within the barrier. The fifth was still too lost in his own thoughts of guilt and remorse to even have heard the conversation that had taken place. All that he saw was the Inu with his Kagome, and all that the hanyou could think of was 'why had he pushed her away?'.
-------------------------------------------------------
As the darkness started to reclaim the already tortured young Miko, along with her despair, she felt fear take root and begin to add itself to her already overwhelming turmoil. Of all of the golden eyed people to be holding her, the last one that she expected to see was Sesshoumaru. Although for some strange reason a part of herself kept insisting that all was as it should be, she could not help the rising fear that kept saying that it was all wrong. He was the enemy. He was the one that had almost always tried to kill Inuyasha and herself on several occasions. Why was he here? For that matter where was here, and where was everyone else? Had they all abandoned her?
Much to her surprise, however, was that even as she seemed to once more succumb to the encroaching darkness, Sesshoumaru pulled her back to him once more and lowered his head to her neck, where he once more nuzzled the area where it joined her shoulder. Oddly, she found the action soothing, but to her already overly stressed soul, it was not soothing enough.
The rumbling vibration that she could feel against her body, increased still more in both tone and intensity. The feeling of Sesshoumaru's tail, already warm and welcoming, tightened further and seemed to wrap itself even more around her body, blanketing her in it silky fur. The strong arms that were holding her to an equally strong and well muscled chest, only pulled her closer and continued to rub soothing patterns along her back.
Once more that same warm and comforting feeling seemed to rush through her entire being and the darkness was pushed back along with the fear and the despair. The world around her came more into focus and she found herself once more audience to long silvery white locks of hair, coupled with a remarkably welcome strong shoulder and the feeling of being desired. A warm breath caressed her ear and a soft, but deep voiced whisper only further pushed back the darkness, while at the same time adding confusion to the already strange happenings.
"Do not give into the darkness, Miko," Sesshoumaru said, "You are too strong and spirited a being to give into something like this so easily."
At his words, Kagome found herself pulled even further back towards the light, but found herself unable to hold back the tears that now coursed down her face. Spirited she might be, but she knew that she was not strong. If she were, she would not now be crying, nor have just given up as she had started to do. She was just so tired of the pain, torment, and heartache.
"But I can't stand the pain any more," she cried in a voice barely above a whisper, but more than enough for the Great Youkai holding her to hear. "I just want the pain to go away, to make it stop. I can't take this hurt any more."
Sesshoumaru was surprised at her words, and confused by them as well. It was more than obvious she was hurting, but he could not be sure what was causing the pain. All he knew for sure, is that it was slowly tearing her apart. He had to find the cause of the pain, and soon, or the changes that he had learned about from the fujo, would gradually override her ningen soul and leave her more mindless than Inuyasha when he turned youkai.
"You are stronger than this," he spoke with authority, and assurance. "What has caused this pain, and why do you give in to it so?"
Kagome realized that Sesshoumaru seemed to be trying to both help her and to offer some kind of comfort. This only added more to her confusion. Here was a Youkai, who had spent most of his encounters with the group either trying to kill one or more of them, or hurling degrading insults at Inuyasha, or the group as a whole.
Now he seemed, in his own way to be showing some kind of concern for her well-being, and there was no doubt that his touch and the way he was holding her was more than just a simple act of kindness. She could not help but feel that this was exactly how it was meant to be. She felt nothing evil in him, and something from that darker side of herself seemed to be urging her to not only give in to him, but to trust him.
It was an urge that was steadily growing, and even that lighter part of her soul was accepting of the idea and pushed her to lean on the offered shoulder. Why? What was it about him that both sides of her soul felt comfortable with, and why were they both urging her to trust him?
That was when it dawned on her, and suddenly she was certain that not only was Sango and Miroku's theory true, but that this was the Youkai that had used the Potion on her and claimed her. As this realization hit her, she could feel her anger rising. It had been Sesshoumaru who had taken that part of her that she had deep in her heart hoped to give to Inuyasha. He had not given her any kind of choice in the matter. He had not taken the time to ask her, or even to let her know that he had any kind of interest in her besides trying to kill her if for no other reason than that she was a ningen, a miko, and had interfered with his efforts to kill Inuyasha.
Before her anger could completely take hold, however, her thoughts once more turned back to the hanyou and his words once more rang through her mind.
'Kikyou is far more beautiful that Kagome could ever hope to be.....'
'.....if Sesshoumaru desired someone of great power, then he would be chasing after Kikyou not Kagome.'
'.....you are just a weak and useless ningen.'
Once again, she found herself giving in to the darkness. Not only had that hope been crushed, it had been shattered beyond any possibility of ever becoming true. Not only because she was no longer a virgin, but also because Inuyasha had made it more than apparent that their ever being together was something that could never happen no matter what the outcome of their quest.
Sesshoumaru could see the play of emotions running across Kagome's face. She read very much like an open book. He could see the confusion as to why he was there and why he seemed to care what she going through, but then that part of this whole thing confused him as well.
It was odd that the priorities that he had originally carefully laid out for his plans, seemed to be rearranging themselves. Yes, he had intended on claiming the little Miko. Claiming her as his, while his brother suffered the knowledge that he could not have something that he held dear to him. After that, what happened to her meant nothing. She was just to be a tool in his efforts to get back at his hated half breed, half brother, a foul taint to the family bloodline that should have never been born to begin with.
His plans had changed with the passage of time, once he realized that his Inu wanted to keep the young onna beyond his original intent. His more logical side was not, at first willing to agree to his Inu's demands and firmly clamped down on these sudden intense desires. Sesshoumaru knew that much of it was his Beast trying to find ways to change his mind. He had never been one to let his Blood Beast rule his desires, much less let his emotions have full reign over what his choices were.
About the time that he had come upon the knowledge of the Potion of Erised, his Inu apparently had taken a turn in his own tactics to find a way to reason with the stoic and every reserved Youkai Lord. Instead of playing on just the heat of driven desires, he had started findings some logic of his own to show that having the little Miko on a more permanent basis was a far more beneficial and worthy focus.
Just as himself, his Inu was nothing if not patient when it counted the most and when the Blood Beast of the Great Taiyoukai truly wanted something badly enough, nothing, not even the stoic Lord himself could beat him for patience. This was especially true when his Inu had a plan in mind and was busy putting it into action. That was one thing that they both shared in common. When either one wanted something badly enough, patience was their greatest weapon.
Be that as it may, from that point forward the Great Taiyoukai found himself essentially losing a winning battle. Yes, it was odd, but when you found yourself in battle with yourself, even if it was another side of you, you were always bound to win at least 50% of your encounters. Sesshoumaru's Inu was the only one that truly knew him both inside and out. One thing that the Beast knew over anyone else was where the Great Lord's weaknesses were. The main one being a love of power and being willing to go to extremes to obtain it.
So along with the daily assault of sensual images that had been plaguing Sesshoumaru's every waking moment for so long that he had lost count of when it all began, he was also teased with images of her defiance in the face of danger. Even as she stood up to him, the flare of her power surrounding her, as she was angered because her friends were in danger, the strength of her abilities as his Inu imagined her taking out Naraku's body with the purifying power of her arrows. That and more the Beast had thrown at him, and at the same time showing her gentler moments when taking care of the kitsune, or treating the injuries of those in his brother's pack.
She had remarkable skill in treating wounds and poisons, even with setting broken limbs and healing larger wounds. She seemed to find ways to fill in those small places that so many took for granted and yet when there was no one to do them, they were missed. No, she was not a warrior, however, she was powerful, intelligent, knowledgeable, and enduring. She often found ways to be useful that others never noticed. Apparently in the unflagging efforts to see more of her, and learn more about her, Sesshoumaru's Inu had noticed all of the things that everyone else overlooked.
Still, the determine Lord of the Western Lands continued to convince himself that his original goal was the only reason for taking the onna. Bringing some kind of vengeance to bare on his brother, was first and foremost his goal. Once the search for the ingredients to the Potion had begun, however, that seemed to fade to the background. As the idea of having her became closer to reality, and seemed to wet his appetite for achieving his goal, he hardly noticed when his Inu had succeeded and his own perspectives had changed.
Ever since he had first lay claim to the little Miko, it seemed that whether or not his brother suffered was no longer important, or at least not as important now as it was originally. If he were totally honest with himself, what happened to her counted a great deal to him, not just to his Blood Beast. Where before he fought his Beast for wanting the Miko, now they both found common ground to agree on something that they both wanted. The result of this common ground allowed the Great Taiyoukai for the first time in centuries, to not have to fight to restrain the primal side of himself as he once had.
This current situation had given the Great Lord a new perspective on himself. Without the encumbrance of his Inu's primal drives, he had often wondered if his feelings for the little Miko were his own, or the drives of the primitive and less refined Beast he had locked away for so many years. Now he had a most remarkable opportunity to examine his own motives without interference, but found himself most surprised by what he discovered.
Even now, when his Blood Beast was still back with his body maintaining the barrier of protection on it, leaving the more rational and logical minded Sesshoumaru as a free soul unencumbered by the primordial drives of his more primitive self, he could not fully make himself not care for the young onna that he was now trying to help. Whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not, the facts showed that she was a far more important part of his life than he had first desired, or believed possible. Right now whether she lived or died was of extreme importance not just to his Blood Beast, but to him as well. Besides, if what the fujo had told him about the Potion was totally true, then in some small way, their attraction to each other and the joining of their souls was not entirely the work of the Potion alone.
He continued to watch her face, hoping to see signs that she was not falling back to the darkness that threatened to engulf her. The confusion was rapidly replaced with a look of surprise on her face that let him know immediately that she was not only aware of the Potion of Erised, but that he was the one that gave it to her. She was a most discerning and intelligent creature, so it did not surprise him that she would be able to figure out what had occurred.
She was not an uneducated onna, something that had puzzled the Taiyoukai greatly when he was first learned of her existence, and started trying to learn more about her. He had seen her often sitting late into the night, with nothing more than the light of the campfire, pouring over some odd looking manuscripts and seeming to not only be able to read, but write and work complex problems, as well. If anything, it only further impressed him. He just wished that it was under better circumstances.
He knew that anger would be hard on the heels of her realization, and when he saw that on her face, he fully expected for her to unleash her anger at him for not having given her any choice in his decision. So when seconds later, he saw pain and sorrow once more take over her expressive face, and felt her aura darken as she once again started to give in to the pain, he was confused as to what led to that sudden change.
When she started to black out again, he pulled her back up once more to his shoulder so that he could nuzzle his mark on her neck. He had to use whatever means he could to keep her from letting go, or he would lose her and right now that was just not an acceptable option.
Suddenly, he felt the presence of his Blood Beast fast approaching. This puzzled him, he had left the Beast to stay with his body to keep the protective shield up. He knew that there must be a reason for this, but would have to take this matter up with him later, because right now he could not take his attention away from the little Miko in his arms.
Even as he held her and she continued to give into the engulfing darkness, he continued to nuzzle at his mark and trying to pour as much comfort as he could into the contact. He was making progress, but it was too slow. Why was she still slipping away? What had caused this to begin with? What more could he do to help her?
For once in his life, the Youkai Lord found himself frightened. He was not frightened for himself, not really even frightened for the possibility that his mate might die, but frightened because he could not figure out what more to do to help her. There had to be something more, something that he was overlooking that would help to carry her back to the Land of the Living. What could it be?
Just as he had thought she would slip away, a red glow surrounded them both and he could feel the change as his Blood Beast seemed to pour some of his own strength into the onna. As it did, the rate at which she was slipping away lessened greatly and in fact, she slowly began to turn around. It was still too slow, and he was still trying to figure out what more could be done.
::It is her soul! It has split into two parts, one youki and one Miko ki. Whatever trauma she has suffered has caused a part of her to want to give up and just die. The other part is trying to fight to live, but they both have to work together or she will not make it!::
**If what you say is true, it could be even worse that we had thought. Because of the exchange of blood, our combined powers, the very size of her soul, and the Potion, she could completely lose her ningen soul. If that happens, she will not be any better that my half breed brother when he loses himself to his youkai blood. She has not completed the transformations yet, and until then she is at risk. This kind of instability could kill her.**
One of the things that had puzzled Sesshoumaru when he went to visit the fujo, was why Kagome was showing so many of the traits of a pure blood Inu youkai, but that they didn't seem to last. Yet, some parts of the changes seemed to stick with her, such as her hearing. Were there more traits that he didn't yet know of? Would these changes continue? What had caused them, and what were the dangers to her?
As it had turned out, one of the few bits of information that he had failed to reveal to the fujo when he first approached her for the Potion, was that Kagome was not just a ningen, but a Miko. She was a very powerful Miko, with a soul so large that it could not be contained. Although she was not trained, and had no direct control over her powers, she had power enough to rival his own, and a soul that almost made his own look small.
According to the fujo, the changes that where manifesting were due to a combination of factors. The first being his own great power which was directly linked to his blood, coupled with the purity and dominance of his heritage. When he had first approached the fujo, she had not known anything other than that he wanted the Potion for a ningen. She had assumed that she was a simple, if perhaps beautiful, ordinary ningen.
She had been quite upset to hear that he had not been more forthcoming with the information about the onna he intended to use the Potion on. As it was, he had to threaten her life to get her to calm down enough to give him the details he now found were needed so badly. Until the changes were complete, and the Potion had fully run its course, Kagome was in a great deal of danger.
Now she was in one of these unstable periods that the fujo had warned him about. Unless he could help to ground her and find a way to pull her back from the darkness, she would be lost forever to either death or total, mindless, blood thirsty insanity.
::There is only so much that you can do while you are with her. You might need to re-affirm our claim on her to help pull her back. I can take a bit more time away from our body to encourage her souls to remerge back into one, but I won't have time for more than that.::
**Do as much as you can! I will take care of the rest from here, but keep in mind that one of us must be with our body, as it can't remain as it is for long with both of us here.**
The barrier that currently protected his body, needed the support of at least one part of his soul to be maintained. It could not last long without the backing of either a conscious or unconscious entity being housed within. Because both is Youkai soul and his more Rational soul were currently trying to help their mate, the barrier around his body would not last long, so his Inu had to hurry and return before something untowards occurred.
::Are you going to tell her what we have done, and what we know?::
**She has already figured out what we have done, but I am not sure that she is ready to be told all of what we know. It might yet be too much for her to take all at once. Right now, I am more concerned with what triggered this current situation! Something set this crisis in motion, and I will find out what. If it was my brother, he will pay dearly for this, as will that dead bitch of his!**
At the moment, all that really matter to Sesshoumaru's Blood Beast, was that their mate survive. To him, any risk was worth keeping the little Miko safe, so that one day she could be with them always, instead of with the incompetent half breed. Twice now the hanyou had been the cause of her pain and nearly losing her life, and the Inu swore that a price would be paid for his carelessness, blindness, and stupidity.
::Just bring our mate back. I will take care of her souls and our body!::
With that, he felt his Beast pull back, and his own youki rise.
--------------------------------------------
Dictionary
Baka - Idiot
Chikushou - Beast, Brute, Damn
Doushite - Why
Fujo - Witch
Hanyou - Half Demon
Hiraikotsu - actually translates as 'Come Flying Skills' and is the name of Sango's boomerang
Houshi - Monk
Inu - Dog
Kazaana - Wind Void/Tunnel - Miroku's curse from Naraku
Kitsune - Fox Demon
Miko - Shrine Maiden
Mononoke - Animal Spirit - Kirara would be considered an mononoke as she has no human form
Neko - Cat
Okaa-san - Mother
Onee - Older Sister
Onna - Woman
Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively
Shakoju - Staff - the one that Miroku carries and wields
Shimatta - Damn it
Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards
Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls
Shishi - Lion
Taijiya - Demon Exterminator
Taiyoukai - Demon Lord
Tenshi - Angel
Tenseiga - Sacred Life Fang
Tetsusaiga - Iron Pulverizing Fang
Youkai - Demon
===============================
A/N - Please accept my most humble apologies for being so long in posting. Between the over long recovery from my knee injury, followed almost immediately by tons of overtime at work, and then to top in all off, my computer needed to be wiped and restored (Thank the Kami for such a super son-in-law) and now the pending holiday, it has taken some time to just get back to a stage where I could actually work on my fic's. I have revised all of the prior chapters, making corrections and in some cases modifying the story just a tad. In the meantime, I have managed to add another chapter and will have more to follow in the weeks to come.
In the mean time, I hope that one and all of you and your families are looking forward to a very Happy Holiday Season, regardless of what holiday it is that you hold to your heart.
On with the continuing hunt for answers to the many questions that seem to only continue to abound. Although this time, at least some answers seem to be leaking their little hearts out for those of us who are just dying to know. Exactly what answers and information has Sesshoumaru found from the old fujo about the Potion? Will his Inu truly be able to help him to save Kagome? What will happen to the Great Lord's body in the absence of both sides of his soul? Will his Inu's efforts to help Kagome's soul have side effects of its own?
How will Kagome react now that she realizes with certainty that it is Sesshoumaru that gave her the Potion and claimed her? Will she forgive him and accept that he gave her no choice in the matter? Will she recall enough of their past encounters to realize that his original intents have changed towards her? Will she remember that this is not the first time that he has saved her?
What of Inuyasha? How will he cope with things as they are now? Will continue to meet with Kikyou and exactly what has been happening between the two of them? Will he find sympathy in Kikyou's arms, or something more? How will he change towards Kagome? Will this tear them further apart or bring them closer together? If so, what kind of relationship will develop between them?
Exactly how will this affect the group? Will Naraku find out what has happened and turn this matter to his advantage? How will Kikyou see this new development? What news and answers will the group find when the make it back to the village and are able to speak to both Kaede and Myouga? How will Kagome's mother see what has happened and is happening to her daughter?
So many questions and still so few answers. Will they be forthcoming soon? HEH! HEH! HEH!
May the blessings of Inari stand watch over all of the survivors of both hurricanes in the south, and over the wonderful folks below who have taken the time to read, rate, and review:
_Inukame, Sam_Sama_Death, Teesha17, Crazydontcoverit, Dragoncountess98
MysticAngelDust - *Ouch* Hmmm! Strange! There doesn't seem to be anyone nearby, but I am sure that I felt something or someone just poke at me. Hmmm!