InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ There I Was ❯ Reactions ( Chapter 23 )

There I Was

Chapter Twenty-three: Reactions

{Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, just as I do not own many things, my life being one of them.}

Authors Note: This chapter is in Sessh's POV and it will most likely start alternating between Sessh and Kagome's POVs again. Neways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Ja.

-Flame

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I sighed and relaxed as my favorite set of fingers ran through my hair. My head lay in my mate's lap while she sat against the wall. We were laying on her futon and I listened to what happened since I left that fateful day.

"After you left I walked over to Senkako's and ran into a monk named Miroku." She laughed and stifled it by covering her mouth. Toshi had gone to bed a few minutes ago and she didn't want to waken him or keep him up. "Miroku went with Kikyou and Inuyasha to help a village not too far from here. He's very funny, he reminds me of a few people I use to know." She sighed and continued running her fingers through my silver tresses.

"Anyway, as I was coming back a few minion things attacked me and took me away. I escaped and ended up meeting with Sango. She's a-"

"Where did the minions take you?" I didn't like the fact she skipped over that. Kagome usually won't keep something from me unless she knows I'll do something drastic and end up causing more harm than good.

"Oh, you know, to their boss."

"Who?" I felt her shrug and I bet you she had some look on her face that looked like she didn't know. "Kagome, I know you know, so don't even try it."

"Try what?" I sighed and sat up. I looked her dead in the eyes and I was right. She did have a look on her face that made her look like she didn't know anything.

"Kagome, I'm your mate. I need to know this in case they come back for you." The look faltered and she looked away.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, Sessh. It's just…" She sighed and looked back at me. "I'll tell you if you promise not to do anything for at least two months."

"I can't promise you that."

"Then I guess I won't tell you." She stood up and walked over to a table across from the bed.

"Kagome." I stood and followed her. She picked up a brush and started brushing her hair. Her vibrant red streaks were gone, but I wasn't going to say anything about that right now. "You know I'm not very insistent on you telling me things when you think I shouldn't know them, but this is where I'm putting my foot down. Tell me who kidnapped you."

"A bunch of minions."

"Who sent the minions?" She started humming to herself and braiding her hair. She was trying to distract me and it was almost working. As much as I wanted to pull her close to me and inhale that wonderful scent of hers, I needed to know this. "Kagome, I will not ask you again."

"Then I guess you should promise then." God she can be so stubborn!

"I shouldn't have to promise things to keep you safe." I was starting to get angry, I mean truly angry. This has to be the first time in a long time that I've been truly angry.

"Meh." She shrugged and tied the end of her braid off. She started walking over to the door and I narrowed my eyes.

"We're not done talking yet." She ignored me and continued walking. I don't believe I've been so openly defied by her before. She left the room with me closely at her heels and took a peek in Toshi's room. Satisfied, she continued down the hall. I grabbed her wrist and opened my mouth to speak but she covered it before I could.

"Toshi's asleep and unless you want to wake him up, stay quiet." I narrowed my eyes even further at her and she tried to pry my hand off her. Soon she sighed and jerked it toward my thumb. I felt my hand give way and her flesh under my nails. Blood filled my senses and my eyes widened. She started walking away before I could check to see how badly she was hurt.

I quickly followed her and by the time she was out the door I was able to run in front of her. The house was too small to run in, but outside was a different scenario entirely. I appeared before her and grabbed her shoulders. "Let me see your wrist." Priorities, I have to have priorities. She rolled her eyes and lifted her wrist to me.

There were five cuts along her wrists, not too deep to scar, but deep enough to draw blood. I took her wrist and brought it up to my mouth. I kissed the cuts and looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to hurt you." She smiled at me.

"I know you didn't, and besides, I made you do it."

"Now will you please tell me what I need to know?" She shook her head and I sighed. "Kagome…"

"Trust me Sessh. I need to show you something first. The reason I need to you promise me." I nodded and allowed her to lead me through the forest. We ended up near a hot spring and she turned to face me. She looked almost sad, forlorn, and afraid even. "After you see this I won't tell you another thing until you promise me." I nodded my understanding and she turned around. "If you don't like what you see and want to take Toshi and leave me here, I can understand that."

I took her in my arms and held her tightly. "Nothing would ever make me want to do something like that. I know what life's like without you, Kagome; I don't want to re-live it." She nodded and pushed away from me. I watched her as she slowly untied her sleeping kimono and lowered it enough for me to see her back.

In the pale moonlight I could see the slash scars she had gotten from Naraku, but that wasn't all. There were new scars, scars that were made from a whip. I felt my anger rise as I walked towards her. I traced one of the scars and tried to keep my eyes from bleeding red. She shuttered under my touch and quietly spoke. "That's not all." She turned and I nearly lost it.

Across her body, starting from her right shoulder and ending at her left hip was a long scar from a hot object. There was another burn scar that resembled a puncture wound on her right side. I traced my finger across the scar that ran the diagonal of her body. I curled my hands into fists as I retracted them from her body. At this point I knew I had lost it. There was no doubt in my mind that my eyes were bleeding red. If I had known who did this to her, I would kill them right now. I would take off and slay them so mercilessly that the devil himself would be green with envy.

I took a deep breath and inhaled her calming scent. I could feel my eyes return to normal and looked at her. She knew I'd go off and slay who ever did this. I needed to know, and it was a good thing she was going to make me promise, I need the time to rationally think about this. "I promise to wait, now tell me."

Kagome let out the breath she must have been holding and put on her sleeping kimono back on. She looked away, almost as if she were ashamed to look at me now as she spoke. "Saiyako." I was angry again. Kouji told me she had been mated off, but apparently she hasn't forgiven Kagome for `stealing me away from her' yet.

"What made these?" I put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. Here eyes were looking into mine, but she wasn't seeing me. Her eyes looked far off and distant.

"A red-hot iron." I took a step closer to her and wrapped her in my arms. I should have been there. I could have just ignored Naraku; he met Kagome in the future, so I know we won't kill him anytime soon.

"I'm sorry. I should have been there. I should have protected you." She shook her head and looked at me.

"No, if you didn't go the other Lords might have though you were conspiring with Naraku." She was right again.

"I should have been able to do something." She shook her head again.

"If you think about it, this was a test for us. There's a saying that if you love someone enough you can let them go, and they'll come back to you. I came back Sessh." I held her tighter.

"And I came back as well." We stayed like that for a while until I picked her up and started taking her back to the house.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you back to the house."

"My legs aren't broken, I can walk." I shrugged.

"Humor me." I looked down and looked at her smiling face. I've missed her smile. I walked into the house and into the bedroom. I laid her down on the bed and curled around next to her. I nuzzled my nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled her sweet scent once again. "Sleep Kagome. We'll figure things out in the morning if need be."

"Alright. Sleep tight." She curled closer to me and I wrapped my arm around her waist and waited for her to fall asleep before I myself slipped into dreamland.

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My eyes snapped open at the sound of a scream and pottery breaking. I looked next to me and saw Kagome was gone. That was all it took, I jumped from bed and ran towards the commotion. I had to stop in the middle of the hallway before I ran into Toshi. He was leaning against the wall looking into the living room. He was laughing and I walked up next to him. "What happened?" I asked. Saiyako's people couldn't have come. If they had, there would be blood in the air.

He laughed and pointed towards the kitchen. "Watch." I walked up closer and looked inside. Kagome was glaring at a monk surrounded by broken dishes.

"Miroku…"

"You know I cannot control this hand, it is cursed." The monk said before she could finish.

"Yeah right, and I'm the Queen of Sheba. What do you want?"

"Kikyou sent me to get you. She needs to speak with you about the Shikon." His voice was suddenly serious and Kagome frowned.

"Alright, tell her I'll be there as soon as I finish cleaning up this mess." Miroku nodded and turned so I was able to see a dark hand print on his cheek.

"Hello." I glared at him. "You must be Sesshoumaru." He bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm afraid I must be on my way, I hope to see you again." He walked out of the house and I bent down to help Kagome pick up the broken dishes.

"Are you alright?" She sighed and I could feel her tension.

"Not really. I want to destroy a few things, kill a certain monk, and cook." I nodded and put the broken shards on the counter. "I'll be back." She sighed and left the house. Toshi came in and sat at the table.

"What did that monk do to get your mother to smack him?"

"Knowing Miroku, he probably groped her." I narrowed my eyes and glared at the door. "He only does it because mom reacts the way she does." I nodded and sat down across from him, my son. He looks wise beyond his years; I wonder how much Kagome had taught him. "So…How are you this morning?" He was trying to make small talk; I guess I could at least humor the boy.

"I would have been better if I wasn't woken by a scream. Does he do that often?"

"Who, Miroku? Yeah, every chance he gets. He's worse with Sango though."

"I don't believe I've heard of Sango."

"Mom will probably take us to see her soon. She's the lady who helped mom right after she escaped, I suppose. I know Sango helped bring mom here, so one can only suppose she helped her after she escaped."

"A logical deduction. Do you like them?"

"Sango's too old for me, but her brother is a little older than me and he's pretty cool." I shook my head at him.

"You've picked up your mother's slang."

"Yeah, it's kinda hard not too, I mean I've never heard anyone speak they way she does."

"I'm not surprised. You probably won't hear anyone else talk like her for a long time."

"Yeah, I know. She told me what it's like in the future." I froze and looked at him.

"She told you?"

"Yeah, I asked how she knew all the tings she knew, and she told me. It's almost scary the way the world's going to turn out." I nodded remembering the times Kagome had tried to explain a few things about the future to me long ago. I looked at my son and wondered how he would fell if I took him and Kagome back to the west with me. I had to know, had to ask. I don't want to do anything that he would feel uncomfortable doing. Kagome and I have eternity after all.

"How would you feel if I took you and your mother away from this place?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I took you to back to the west with me. How would you feel?" He shrugged and thought about it before he answered.

"Truthfully, I don't know. On one hand I've lived here all my life, my only friend is here, I know the people here, and I feel comfortable here. On the other hand Ryu tends to fear me at times, a lot of the people around here aren't very nice, either to mom or myself, also, how do I know I won't feel comfortable elsewhere? What does mom think?"

"I haven't asked her yet. I wanted to know what you thought first." He eyes shown with something along the lines of gratitude, but that wasn't the right word for it.

"I think it might be a good idea, lets see what mom thinks first." I nodded and sat back in my seat. I could feel the start of out bond grow and was glad. He was still uncomfortable around me, but that was fine. I didn't expect him to call me dad the first day, and I wasn't expecting him to feel comfortable around me just yet.

I just wonder how much longer it will take.