InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth About Cats and Dogs ❯ Inuyasha's Joke ( Chapter 25 )

Recap: Sesshomaru was happy to hear that Kirara would not refuse him if he asked her to be his again, and started planning to kill Inuyasha, take the Tetsusaiga and take Kirara. Meanwhile, Inuyasha hired the help of Shippo, Soten and Koru to play a nasty trick on Kirara.

 

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Chapter 25 - Inuyasha's Joke

 

Inuyasha, Shippo, Soten and Koru leaned closer to Kirara, who was lying flat on her back between them, her mouth hanging open and her arms and legs spread apart. Inuyasha reached one clawed finger forwards, poking at her top lip.

 

“Is she still alive, Inuyasha?” Shippo asked.

 

“Of course she is, stupid!” Inuyasha replied. “She's just sleeping, that's all!”

 

“Shouldn't she have woken up by now?” Soten asked.

 

Inuyasha pondered Soten's question for a moment before reaching back behind himself to retrieve a canister of water.

 

“Wake up, Kirara!” he yelled, chucking the contents of the canister over her face.

 

Kirara groaned, screwing up her face and squirming in response to his actions.

 

“She's fine,” Inuyasha concluded, standing up.

 

“I don't think we should do that again, just in case,” Shippo whispered.

 

“I'll get rid of the rest of the catnip,” Soten offered.

 

“Here, give it to me,” Inuyasha said. “I'll take care of it.”

 

Shippo, Soten and Koru glanced around each other nervously, but Inuyasha began snatching the remaining catnip from them before they could argue the point.

 

“Can we trust him?” Soten whispered to Shippo as Inuyasha walked off.

 

“I don't know…” Shippo replied honestly.

 

“What happened to me?” Kirara groaned sitting up between them.

 

“You sniffed the fire and then you started acting all weird and then you slept for a real long time and then you started talking in your sleep and then you went quiet and then we woke you up because we thought you might be dead,” Koru explained.

 

“I sniffed the fire?” Kirara echoed, touching a hand to the top of her head as she found a strange, painful sensation of something tightening across her scalp.

 

“There was catnip on the fire,” Koru added.

 

“Catnip?” Kirara repeated.

 

She then groaned, flopping back down to lie on her back again. Even though she closed her eyes, she could still make out a shadow falling over her. Opening her eyes again, Kirara saw Koru hovering mere inches above her nose, staring down into her eyes.

 

“What are you looking at?” she growled.

 

“What were you dreaming about?” Koru asked.

 

Kirara glanced around herself, marginally relieved to see that Shippo and Soten had walked off, leaving her alone with the dragon.

 

“Nothing,” she lied smoothly.

 

“Are you sure?” Koru asked. “You were talking an awful lot.”

 

“What did I say?” Kirara asked.

 

“You were asking for help,” Koru replied.

 

“Oh…” Kirara sighed, relief washing over her.

 

“You said something about being trapped, and you wanted out.”

 

Kirara paused as she tried to remember what she had been dreaming about that would have inspired her to say such things. Although she failed to recall the exact content of her dreams, Kirara was aware that she had been thinking about Midoriko's message again. She had been trying to figure out if there was a link between fighting Naraku and her being robbed of her human form again, but the rest of her thoughts had become a blur.

 

“Food,” she said, sitting up slowly. “I'm starving, I need food.”

 

“Here you go, Kirara.”

 

Kirara moved her eyes upward, narrowing them suspiciously as she saw Inuyasha crouched by her side, holding out a bowl of warm ramen towards her. It was uncharacteristically kind of him to make her such an offer, and she more than a little sceptical.

 

“You're not much use to us if you can't even stand up!” he barked impatiently. “So hurry up and eat already!”

 

Kirara, finding Inuyasha even more aggressive than usual, accepted his offer without any further questions, and began eating. Inuyasha stood from her side, turning and walking over to where Sango was sitting with Miroku.

 

“Take care of Kirara,” he said as he approached them.

 

“What?” Sango echoed, turning to face him. “Why? What's wrong?”

 

Sango peered past Inuyasha, frowning when she found that Kirara seemed to be perfectly fine, keenly munching her way through a bowl of ramen, eating with enough vigour to rival even Inuyasha himself.

 

“Something's coming this way, I have to go,” Inuyasha said darkly.

 

“I can feel it,” Miroku agreed, standing up.

 

“A strong demonic aura,” Sango agreed, standing up.

 

“Yeah, and Kirara still isn't fit to move, so just keep her here, no matter what, alright?” Inuyasha insisted.

 

Sango turned to frown at Miroku as Inuyasha took off, running at full speed away from the others.

 

“What was that about?” she asked.

 

“I don't know,” Miroku replied. “Strange though, that he should want to combat this threat on his own.”

 

“I think I'm going to go after him,” Sango said.

 

“No,” Miroku stopped her, holding up one hand. “I'll go. You stay here and make sure Kirara is alright.”

 

Sango nodded, and the two went their separate ways. As Sango approached Kirara, she began to frown, something seeming amiss somehow. Kirara tipped her head back, drinking down the last of her food before dropping the bowl and falling back onto her back. Sango stopped abruptly as Kirara began to slowly writhe around on the ground, looking as though she was trying to scratch her back against a rock beneath her.

 

“Kirara…” she said slowly. “What are you doing?”

 

Sango slowly glanced between Kirara, who was starting to smile lazily as she rubbed her back against the ground, and the empty bowl by her side. Fearing the worst and praying she was wrong, Sango slowly crouched down, gingerly lifting the bowl in one hand. Moving the bowl towards her face, Sango cautiously sniffed at it, starting in alarm at what she could smell mingled through the ramen.

 

“Kirara!” she yelped, throwing down the bowl.

 

“What is it, Sango?” Kagome asked, hurrying over to her side. “Is Kirara still acting weird?”

 

“Someone put catnip in her food,” Sango said, standing up at Kagome's side.

 

“Oh,” Kagome said, eying Kirara over. “That's bad.”

 

“Especially when such a powerful demonic aura is heading this way,” Sango pointed out.

 

“Where did Inuyasha go?” Kagome asked.

 

“He went to stop the demon,” Sango replied. “And Miroku has gone with him.”

 

“I'm going after them,” Kagome said decisively.

 

“You're right. Shippo!”

 

Shippo ran back over to Sango, followed by Soten and Koru.

 

“You three stay here and keep an eye on Kirara for me,” Sango said to them. “Come on Kagome, let's go.”

 

Without waiting a moment longer, Sango and Kagome ran off in the direction Inuyasha and Miroku had headed, soon catching up with both the monk and the half-demon, both of whom had stopped mysteriously. They were staring up at something in the sky, totally transfixed by what they saw. Sango and Kagome stopped a short distance behind them, looking up to see just what it was that they were looking at.

 

“What is he doing here?” Kagome muttered.

 

“I don't know,” Sango replied dully. “But his timing could not have been worse…”

 

“Huh?” Kagome echoed, turning questioningly to Sango.

 

But Sango ignored Kagome, her eyes fixed on the slowly descending form of Sesshomaru.

 

“What does he want?” Inuyasha grumbled, clutching one hand onto the hilt of his Tetsusaiga, and the other around the sheath.

 

“I think it's safe to say that he's come here looking for a fight, Inuyasha,” Miroku replied.

 

“That's fine by me,” Inuyasha replied, bending his legs a little and tightening his muscles defensively. “How do you know he wants to fight?”

 

“He's come here alone,” Miroku explained. “He never fights in the presence of the little girl. The fact that he's left her behind seems to indicate that he's here for a fight.”

 

Inuyasha nodded, stiffening as Sesshomaru landed gracefully in front of him. Without thinking, Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder, groaning at what he saw.

 

“Not you two as well!” he yelled back at Sango and Kagome. “Damn it!”

 

Inuyasha turned sharply back to Sesshomaru as he heard the clunk of his brother's hand against the hilt of his sword.

 

“Miroku, get them out of here, now!” Inuyasha yelled at Miroku, wincing slightly as Sesshomaru began to slowly drag the Tokijin from his belt.

 

“Right!” Miroku agreed, turning and running back towards Sango and Kagome.

 

“Your fight is with me, Sesshomaru, leave them out of it!” Inuyasha said, drawing his Tetsusaiga and clutching onto it with both hands.

 

Sesshomaru's eyes moved from Inuyasha's for the first time since his appearance, and to Inuyasha's amazement, Sesshomaru's face flickered slightly, and he released the Tokijin, allowing it to drop back down through his belt.

 

“Huh?” Inuyasha grunted, looking over his shoulder to see what had caused such a reaction in his brother.

 

Inuyasha frowned as he saw Sango staring at Sesshomaru, frozen to the spot where she stood. Turning back to his brother, Inuyasha saw that Sesshomaru was still looking right back at Sango. Inuyasha could not think why Sesshomaru would want to spare Sango, but decided that he should at least use his brother's distraction to his advantage.

 

Re-sheathing the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha turned and ran back to Kagome, grabbing her up into his arms and tearing off back towards their camp to deliver her to safety.

 

“Come on Sango, let's go!” Miroku said, tugging at Sango's arm as Inuyasha swept past them.

 

Sango ignored Miroku, a small frown creasing her features as she continued to stare at Sesshomaru. Curiosity eventually getting the better of him, Miroku paused, before turning to look as Sesshomaru for himself; but as he looked back, Sesshomaru lowered his head and began racing towards them.

 

“Sango!” Miroku yelled.

 

But before either Miroku or Sango could move, Sesshomaru had already sped past them in a blur of silver and white.

 

“That was close,” Miroku said with a sigh of relief.

 

“He's only after Inuyasha,” Sango replied.

 

“But why would he come after him now?” Miroku asked.

 

“I don't know,” Sango replied, shaking her head. “But we'd better follow them.”

 

“That's true. Inuyasha was taking Kagome back to where we camped last night, and Shippo, Soten and Kirara are still there.”

 

“Kirara?”

 

Sango finally snapped out of her trance and began to run back after the others. Miroku quickly followed after her, both running harder as they saw Sesshomaru leap into the air and then swoop down onto Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome was thrown to one side and Inuyasha the other, Sesshomaru landing in a crouch between them.

 

Kagome scrambled backwards on her back, but Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet, facing his brother who had already done the same.

 

“Draw your sword, Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said flatly.

 

“I don't have time for this right now, Sesshomaru!” Inuyasha rudely replied. “I'm trying to find Naraku.”

 

Sesshomaru grabbed his hand onto the hilt of the Tokijin, and Inuyasha responded by drawing the Tetsusaiga, holding it out in both hands as the blade began to turn red.

 

“Interesting,” Sesshomaru said quietly, pulling the Tokijin from his belt and holding it out in front of himself.

 

“My Tetsusaiga's a lot stronger now, you don't stand a chance, you stupid jackass!” Inuyasha growled confidently.

 

Sesshomaru lifted the Tokijin slightly, before grabbing onto the hilt with his left hand.

 

“What the hell?” Inuyasha yelped, his eyes widening at the sight of his brother's second hand. “Keh. I see you got yourself another stupid arm. You tried this before remember? It didn't work with the human arm and a jewel shard, and it didn't work with the dragon's claw, what the hell makes you think that dumb arm is gonna be any different?”

 

“Because this “dumb arm”, little brother, is my own,” Sesshomaru plainly replied, releasing his sword with his left hand and holding it up for Inuyasha to see.

 

Inuyasha moved his eyes to follow Sesshomaru's arm, a frown casting a shadow over his features as the sleeve of Sesshomaru's haori slid down to his elbow, revealing what looked to be the arm that Inuyasha had cut off. The arm was the same size, length and colour as Sesshomaru's, and it had the same two purple stripes over the outer edge of his wrist. This arm even had a set of claws on the end of it. Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles, the sinews in his arm twitching and flexing as he did so, causing Inuyasha's mouth to open slightly in wonder.

 

“Do you still doubt me, Inuyasha?” Sesshomaru asked.

 

Inuyasha gulped as Sesshomaru's left hand began to glow green, and a familiar sharp, slightly floral scent washed over him; Sesshomaru had his poison claws back on his left hand, meaning that the arm he had must be his own.

 

“That's not possible!” Inuyasha said, moving his eyes back to Sesshomaru's face.

 

“My arm was regenerated,” Sesshomaru replied.

 

“How?” Inuyasha demanded.

 

Sesshomaru paused, the green glow fading from his fingers. Inuyasha slowly straightened, lowering his sword.

 

“You mean you don't even know how it happened?” Inuyasha asked. “Arms don't just reappear after they've been cut off, you know!”

 

Sesshomaru looked down at his hand thoughtfully for a moment before locking his eyes back onto Inuyasha.

 

“It is not your concern,” he said smoothly.

 

“Ooh, pretty!”

 

“Huh?” Inuyasha grunted, turning at the sound of a voice by his side. “Ah!” he yelped as he saw Kirara walking past him. “What the…?”

 

Inuyasha watched on in silent horror as Kirara walked up to Sesshomaru smoothing both her hands over Sesshomaru's left forearm. Inuyasha hurriedly turned back to look at Sesshomaru's face to gauge his reaction, startled by what he saw. For the first time in his life, Inuyasha saw the whites of Sesshomaru's eyes all around his golden irises as his eyes widened in an expression of his surprise.

 

“Wow, Priestess Momiji did such an excellent job with your arm!” Kirara said lazily, looking up at Sesshomaru, her hands still pressed against his bared forearm.

 

“Priestess Momiji?” Inuyasha echoed, his eyes lowering in thought. “Wait a minute…”

 

As Inuyasha tried to piece together what was happening inside his head, Kirara began to rub her cheek against Sesshomaru's hand, the soft, light sound of a purr reverberating in her throat. Inuyasha again shifted his back to Sesshomaru, his head tilting as he saw Sesshomaru chest expand as he inhaled deeply through his nostrils.

 

“Kirara!” Sango yelled, running towards them.

 

“Wait, Sango!” Miroku called, running after her.

 

Miroku managed to catch Sango, grabbing his arms around her waist to halt her advance. Inuyasha watched them until he was sure that Miroku had successfully stopped Sango before turning back to the scene directly in front of him, his jaw dropping as Kirara spun around and pressed her back flush against Sesshomaru's armoured chest, pulling his arm over her chest.

 

“She doesn't know what she's doing, please don't hurt her!” Sango cried.

 

Inuyasha knew that, especially since he had been the one to put Kirara into the situation she was now in, he should really say something - anything - to diffuse the situation, but words escaped him. Under normal circumstances, he knew only too well that his brother would have swiftly disposed of Kirara as if she were nothing, and yet Sesshomaru had not only allowed Kirara to touch him, but he was also doing nothing to stop her from continuing.

 

This, Inuyasha decided, could only be the result of one of two things: either Sesshomaru really was in love with Kirara, or he was simply so shocked that a demon as weak as Kirara was daring to touch him that he had temporarily been disabled by his disbelief.

 

Deciding that, since Sesshomaru had sworn to kill them all the next time he saw them, Sesshomaru must be only delaying his inevitable slaughter of Kirara, Inuyasha tightened his hold on Tetsusaiga, once more lowering himself into a defensive stance.

 

“Please!” Sango wailed, before swinging an elbow into Miroku's gut and slipping from his grasp as he moved his hands instinctively upon the blow. “Please, she's been exposed to catnip, she's doesn't know what she's doing!”

 

Sango began to run towards Sesshomaru, stopping as she neared his right side. Sesshomaru moved his eyes from Kirara for the first time since she had approached him, turning his head towards Sango. As their eyes locked, Sango took a wary step back from him, her determination faltering.

 

“You smell good,” Kirara purred, turning around, pulling Sesshomaru's arm around her back, enclosing herself into a one-armed embrace.

 

Sesshomaru turned sharply back to her, and Inuyasha was as surprised as the first time to see the white of his brother's eyes, the one feature of his face that dared to betray his emotions, which he normally guarded and reserved so diligently.

 

“Do you taste as good as you smell?” Kirara asked.

 

Sesshomaru opened his mouth ever so slightly, and Inuyasha was certain his brother was finally about to say something; but before any words could pass his lips, Kirara leaned towards him and pressed her lips against one side of his mouth. Sesshomaru visibly stiffened at first, his eyes widening further as Kirara softly sucked his top lip into her mouth.

 

Sango and Kagome yelped and even Inuyasha grunted in shock as Sesshomaru's right hand opened out, the Tokijin falling to the ground by his feet with a clatter. Kirara broke her contact with him at the sound, turning her head to look down at the sword.

 

“Oh…” she said softly, before turning to look up at Sesshomaru again, a lazy smile spreading across her features.

 

Sesshomaru looked down into her eyes, slowly lifting his now free right hand towards her face.

 

“Stop!” Sango yelled, pointing the tip of her katana at Sesshomaru's throat.

 

Sesshomaru paused, his hand hovering a short distance from Kirara's head, his eyes watching Sango.

 

“She doesn't know what's she doing, it wouldn't be fair to hurt her now,” Sango said, her voice shaking despite her best attempts to sound strong.

 

Sesshomaru lowered his right hand to his side.

 

“Thank you,” Sango said, her voice breaking and her sword quivering as she gave into her emotions. “Surely you can see that she's not herself.”

 

“Yeah,” Inuyasha said, a smirk spreading across his face. “Because if she wasn't so ill, there's no way she'd ever have kissed you, jackass.”

 

Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha, his face once more an emotionless void.

 

“She hates you, Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha said, speaking each word slowly and deliberately to savour the effect he could only hope they would have on his older brother. “She's always hated you, even when she was still a little cat. The only reason she hasn't tried to kill you again is because I made her promise me that I would be the one to take your sorry life.”

 

Sesshomaru blinked at Inuyasha, before turning back to look down at Kirara, who was still smiling dreamily up at him.

 

“Keh,” Inuyasha snorted. “Who'd have thought it? The mighty Lord Sesshomaru has fallen in love with a worthless little cat demon!”

 

There was a brief pause following Inuyasha's words, during which Miroku and Kagome exchanged confused glances and Sango lowered her sword, glaring at Inuyasha in disbelief. A second later Sesshomaru let out a vicious snarl, his eyes turning red and his hair rising up around him. He yanked his left arm back, causing Kirara to spin away from him and fall to the ground a short distance in front of him. Inuyasha made another snort of amusement, but before he could comment on what had just transpired, Sesshomaru grabbed up the Tokijin, swinging it around at his younger brother.

 

Inuyasha barely managed to catch the Tokijin against his Tetsusaiga, groaning with the strain of holding back Sesshomaru's sword.

 

“Die!” Sesshomaru snarled, grabbing his left hand onto the hilt.

 

At the contact of his second hand, a sudden surge of power shot through the blade, the force of the blast throwing Inuyasha back. Sesshomaru growled, his eyes still glowing, his teeth bared, the sword pulsing between his hands.

 

“Get Kirara and the kids out of here!” Kagome yelled.

 

Sesshomaru grunted, turning his head sharply to watch as Sango tried to round up three mini demons and Kirara. She stopped as she saw Sesshomaru's scarlet eyes staring at her, her face turning blue with fear. Sesshomaru turned back to Inuyasha, then looked over at Sango once more before snarling and leaping into the air, a swirl of clouds gathering around his feet and carrying him back off in the direction from whence he had come.

 

“What the hell?” Inuyasha muttered, getting to his feet.

 

“He-he left?” Sango stammered in disbelief.

 

“Damn!” Inuyasha cursed, turning to Sango as she supported Kirara at her side. “He left because he couldn't fight me here.”

 

“Couldn't fight you here?” Kagome repeated. “What do you mean, Inuyasha?”

 

“You saw how powerful his sword is now that he's got two arms again!” Inuyasha explained. “Those blasts were powerful enough to kill us all. If he missed with one blow, he might have killed Kirara.”

 

“Kirara?” Kagome echoed, quirking an eyebrow as she cast a glance at the still weakened fire-cat demon.

 

“Yeah, he's in love with her, didn't you know?” Inuyasha asked bluntly, returning the Tetsusaiga to its scabbard.

 

“In love with her?” Miroku repeated, unable to hide his disbelief. “I didn't think your brother was capable of loving anything, Inuyasha. And how could he possibly be in love with Kirara? He doesn't even know her!”

 

“I dunno,” Inuyasha grumbled. “Sesshomaru does a lot of strange things that don't make any sense to me.”

 

“I guess it could be true,” Kagome said slowly. “I mean, look at how Sesshomaru reacted when Inuyasha accused him of being in love with Kirara! And he didn't try to stop her when she was touching him or kissing him.”

 

“How did you find this out?” Miroku asked Inuyasha.

 

“That little worm told me,” Inuyasha replied, pointing at Koru.

 

“Alright…” Miroku said slowly. “And how did you find out?” he asked Koru.

 

“I followed Kirara when she went away with Jaken,” Koru honestly replied.

 

“I knew there was something else going on there,” Miroku said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “And what did Jaken say, Koru?”

 

“He said Lord Sesshomaru was going to ask Kirara to be his mate again, and Jaken wanted Kirara to say no again,” Koru replied.

 

“Sesshomaru came here to ask Kirara to be his wife?” Kagome yelped.

 

“Again?” Miroku echoed. “You mean he has asked her before?”

 

“Yes,” Sango replied miserably. “The day we were crossing the border of the Western Lands and Sesshomaru took Kirara away. We thought they were going to fight, but he took her away to ask her to be his mate.”

 

“I don't understand,” Miroku confessed. “Sesshomaru despises the weak, and by comparison to his own strength, Kirara is almost as weak as a mortal. Besides, I thought dog demons and cat demons disliked each other. Why would such a proud demon like Sesshomaru want to break so many of his own standards for no apparent good reason?”

 

“He must really be in love with her!” Kagome gasped. “I never thought Sesshomaru could be so romantic!”

 

“Don't be stupid, Kagome!” Inuyasha snapped. “Sesshomaru isn't romantic! I have to admit, I didn't honestly think that he had feelings for her until I saw how he reacted just now, and although I still don't understand it, it sure does look like he likes her somehow. But I wouldn't go so far as saying that he's romantic! Besides, he wouldn't ever actually take Kirara as his mate. He's taking the princess, remember?”

 

“It would make a lot more sense for Sesshomaru to marry a princess,” Miroku agreed.

 

“Demons don't get married, Miroku,” Inuyasha corrected him. “They just bond.”

 

“Yes,” Miroku said. “Whatever the case may be, Sesshomaru always thinks with his head, not his heart. I believe that, even if he did somehow develop feelings for another, he would still “bond” with the princess.”

 

“Okay, so then why did he come here today?” Kagome asked.

 

“To kill me? Isn't it obvious?” Inuyasha sneered.

 

“But he didn't kill you!” Kagome argued back.

 

“Can we just drop this already?” Inuyasha yelled irritably. “There's no way Sesshomaru would ever seriously want to take Kirara as his mate, so let's just forget about it and concentrate on finding Naraku and the jewel shards, got it?”

 

“But Sesshomaru does look after that little girl,” Kagome began. “And-”

 

“Spare me!” Inuyasha snapped, turning his back on her.

 

Kagome growled in irritation, turning her back on Inuyasha too. Miroku sighed, shaking his head at them both before turning to Sango.

 

“How's Kirara?” he asked.

 

“I think she'll be alright,” Sango replied.

 

“She was supposed to stay away!” Inuyasha said moodily.

 

“She doesn't know what she's doing,” Sango pointed out.

 

“I only put that stuff in her food because I thought it would stop her from following me,” Inuyasha said. “I didn't think it would make her act that way around Sesshomaru.”

 

“You did this?” Sango echoed.

 

“Inuyasha, what were you thinking?” Miroku asked.

 

“I was trying to stop her from following me!” Inuyasha repeated. “And I thought it might be funny if she stayed that way a little longer. I'm tired of listening to her argue and talk to herself all the time.”

 

“Inuyasha!” Sango yelled.

 

“We've got bigger things to worry about right now,” Inuyasha pointed out. “Like finding Naraku, finding jewel shards, and trying to figure out how the hell Sesshomaru got his arm back. He's twice as strong now, and I don't know if the Tetsusaiga is strong enough to defeat him the way he is now.”

 

“It was my doing,” Kirara said.

 

“What?” Inuyasha echoed, turning to face her.

 

“I asked Priestess Momiji and Priestess Botan to restore Sesshomaru's arm,” Kirara confessed. “Because I was indebted to him, and I needed to repay my debt.”

 

“Priestesses Momiji and Botan?” Inuyasha repeated, frowning questioningly.

 

“The red and the white priestess!” Kagome said.

 

“Those two?” Inuyasha said. “What the hell did you do that for, Kirara? You've just made him strong enough to kill us all! What the hell were you thinking?”

 

“But it looks so pretty!” Kirara said, her fangs glistening in the sun as she smiled widely.

 

Inuyasha growled, but before he could react, Kagome hurried over to his side and Miroku hurried over to Sango and Kirara.

 

“Probably best if she goes back to sleep until the effects of the catnip have worn off,” Miroku said gently.

 

“Hello,” Kirara said, smiling at Miroku.

 

“Good night,” he replied, before smacking her over the head with his staff.

 

Sango gasped at his action, but Miroku caught Kirara before she hit the ground.

 

“It's for the best,” he assured Sango.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Sesshomaru landed a little harder than he had intended, his eyes fading back to their usual amber hues as his feet touched the ground. He mechanically slid the Tokijin back through his belt, standing perfectly still as he waited for the surges of adrenaline his demon spirit had sent pumping through his veins to slow.

 

Just as Sesshomaru was beginning to regain full control of both his demon spirit and his emotions, a demonic aura appeared behind him, lingering there in a way that made his demon spirit begin to stir once more. Spinning around, his claws at the ready, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as he sighted the form of a female demon standing in the shadow of a tree.

 

“Lord Sesshomaru,” she greeted him, slowly walking out of her hiding place to approach him. “I've been looking all over for you, I hope you haven't been hiding from me.”

 

Sesshomaru lowered his claws, his demon spirit resting.

 

“I hide from no-one,” he said frankly.

 

“And that has always been one of your most attractive qualities,” she replied, snapping open her fan and lifting it to cover her mouth from his view.

 

This, Sesshomaru had learned, was a tactic Kagura often used to hide the fact that she was smiling, the fact that something amused her, something about him. Sesshomaru lowered his chin slightly, clapping a hand onto the hilt of his Tokijin.

 

“Ah-ah-ah,” Kagura said, shaking her head at him. “You cannot harm me. You are indebted to me.”

 

Sesshomaru allowed his hand to fall away from his sword. Although he would never admit it, or even allow it to show in his face, Kagura had managed to gain his interest.

 

“It took a lot of hard work for me to convince those pesky priestesses to restore your arm for you, Lord Sesshomaru,” Kagura continued, sauntering closer to him. “And I know that you are a man of honour, and so you will repay your debt to me.”

 

Sesshomaru looked down at his arm, unsure of what to think. He still could not remember exactly how his arm had come back; all he could remember was following an unusual scent out of his own barrier, falling over, and then waking up half a day later with his arm suddenly returned to him. He had no way of knowing if Kagura was indeed telling the truth, but, given her determination to enlist his help to destroy Naraku, it was a possibility he could not rule out.

 

“You don't remember what happened, do you?” Kagura asked him.

 

Sesshomaru did not answer, mainly because he refused to admit that he had lost control of his body and lost a whole day without any apparent reason.

 

“The priestesses lured you out of your barrier and disabled you with the fumes of a fire. They then cast their spell on you to restore your arm, leaving you before you woke up again,” Kagura explained. “Very clever, wouldn't you say?”

 

Sesshomaru moved his fingers ever so slightly, thinking over what Kagura had just said. It seemed to make sense, and in the absence of any other explanation, he had no other choice but to believe her.

 

“What do you want from me?” he asked, lifting his eyes to her. “Do you wish for me to kill Naraku?”

 

“I know that you will kill Naraku regardless,” Kagura replied. “What I want is for you to take my heart back from Naraku.”

 

“You wish for me to return your heart to you,” Sesshomaru said.

 

“I didn't say that,” Kagura replied.

 

Kagura smirked, lifting her fan to cover her mouth once more.

 

“All I that want you to do is to take my heart from Naraku,” she said slowly.

 

Sesshomaru continued to stare blankly at Kagura. Even if she had been the one to somehow restore his arm to him, Sesshomaru was still in no mood to play any of her pointless games.

 

“I am to set you free in return?” he asked after a short silence.

 

“No, you are to take my heart for yourself,” Kagura replied. “You will take my heart from Naraku, and you will take me as your own.”

 

Kagura stepped closer to Sesshomaru, her smirk widening beneath her fan. Despite the fact that he disliked the incarnation before him, Sesshomaru found that he could not really argue with her. He would not be indebted to anyone, least of all Kagura, and, since finding a mate had proved to be a tiresome and unsatisfying task this at least presented him with an easy option.

 

“I understand,” he said with a nod of his head.

 

“Very well,” Kagura said, plucking a feather from her hair. “Until we meet again.”

 

Sesshomaru watched Kagura rise up into the sky and drift out of sight before looking down at his arm again. Although he was glad to have his arm back, and the increase in power he now had was pleasing, Sesshomaru found himself wondering if regaining his arm had been worth the consequences he now faced.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Kirara slowly opened one eye, peeking around at the others. Once she was certain that they were all asleep, she quietly stood up and began to creep away from the campfire.

 

“Where are you going?” Inuyasha and Koru asked her in unison.

 

`Damn their demon senses!' Kirara growled inwardly.

 

“I need water,” Kirara lied, looking back over her shoulder at Inuyasha. “I won't be long.”

 

Inuyasha nodded before closing his eyes again. Kirara quickly moved on before he changed his mind, passing through a clump of trees to the nearby river. She stood by the water's edge for a moment before dropping down onto her knees. She had spent most of the previous evening and most of that day under the influence of the catnip that had somehow appeared in both the campfire and her food; she was not even sure how far she had travelled that day, she was only vaguely aware that Inuyasha had carried her. But the effects had finally worn off as night had drawn in, and her memories of what had transpired had slowly come back to her.

 

`I was rubbing myself against trees and the ground,' Kirara thought to herself. `But at least if that was all I had done I would only be embarrassed now.'

 

Kirara closed her eyes and lowered her head as her mind replayed, with slow, painstaking effort, every detail of what she had done when Sesshomaru had appeared.

 

`If there was ever any doubt in his mind that I was nothing more than a filthy savage, today will have ensured that his opinion on me has been decided,' she thought miserably. `I can't believe I behaved that way, what must he think of me? After refusing to be his mate, how could I even think about kissing him? But… It was the catnip. I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't know what I was doing. I was acting out of my deep-rooted subconscious thoughts.'

 

Kirara leaned forwards, looking down at the water. With the light of the waning moon reflecting off the surface of the slow-moving water, it created a rather accurate mirror. Kirara sighed as she looked down at her own face, pausing for a moment before watching her eyes grow larger as an idea slowly worked its way up through her mind.

 

`I was acting out of my deep-rooted subconscious thoughts?' she thought to herself. `But that means that… Did I know what I was doing? Somewhere deep down inside of me, I must have wanted to kiss him! But then does that mean that…'

 

Kirara tilted her head slightly, studying her reflection carefully.

 

`I really must be stupid,' she thought. `I had a chance to be Lord Sesshomaru's mate, and I turned him down. I can't change my mind now. It's probably for the best. He didn't really know me back then when he made that offer. He knows me now, and he wants me dead. If I had accepted him, he probably would have killed me by now. At least this way I'm still alive.'

 

Kirara felt a strange sensation building inside of her that felt almost as though something had grabbed her throat and twisted it around. She touched a hand to the point of the discomfort on instinct, attempting to swallow, but finding it suddenly both very difficult and very sore to do.

 

`What's wrong with me?' Kirara thought silently. `My duty is to protect and guide those I love. These strange feelings never bothered me before I regained my human form and started talking to Lord Sesshomaru.'

 

“Then I must be…” Kirara said aloud, frowning down at her reflection.

 

Kirara let out a shuddered gasp as her eyes became hot and her vision blurred.

 

“I'm such a fool!” she cried, slapping a hand against the surface of the water.

 

Kirara sat back onto her legs, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes as she tried to deny the tears that were falling.

 

“I didn't think I would ever feel this way…” she whispered quietly. “I think I'm-”

 

Kirara yelped, almost falling into the river as a forceful gust of wind pushed against her forwards. Scrambling to her feet and inwardly cursing herself for not noticing the demonic aura behind her a lot sooner, Kirara turned to find Kagura standing by the edge of the trees, watching her with a smug smirk of satisfaction.

 

“Hello, Kirara,” she greeted her.

 

“What do you want, witch?” Kirara growled, angrily swiping away a tear that had slid down one side of her face.

 

“I didn't come at a bad time, did I?” Kagura asked, feigning innocence.

 

“There's never a good time when it involves you,” Kirara spat back.

 

“My, I see you're still as bad-tempered as ever,” Kagura sighed. “Or maybe you're just bitter because you were so helpless against me in battle. You, who calls herself a soldier, finished in a matter of seconds by me.”

 

Kirara tore her sword from its sheath, baring her teeth threateningly at Kagura.

 

“Put your sword away, I only came here to give you a little surprise,” Kagura said slowly.

 

Kirara slowly closed her lips together, covering her teeth; but she did not lessen her vice-like grip on her sword.

 

“I'm sure you remember this face,” Kagura continued, stepping to one side to reveal the person standing behind her.

 

“Kohaku!” Kirara gasped.

 

“That's right,” Kagura said, smiling maliciously. “And isn't it your duty to look after Kohaku and his family?”

 

Kirara slowly lowered her sword, a feeling of dread chilling her body.

 

“I might be willing to release this boy,” Kagura continued when Kirara did not answer her. “I might be willing to save his life and let him return to his sister. But I would need something in return, you understand.”

 

Kirara slowly returned her sword to its sheath, lowering her head slightly. She did not need to hear any more to know what Kagura was implying.

 

“I have no choice,” she said quietly. “I am at your mercy. But you must promise to return Kohaku to Sango, and you will not harm either of them.”

 

Kagura grinned darkly, her deep red lips peeling back over her fangs.

 

“I'm glad we understand each other,” she said.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Next Chapter: Inuyasha and the gang wake up to find that Kirara is missing without a trace. As they start their search for her, Kirara finds herself inside Naraku's castle, where Naraku has an offer for her. As the events unfold, Kirara finds them all too sickeningly familiar; could it be that her dream message from Midoriko is finally being realised?