InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Be Cursed ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Inuyasha jumped to consume the space between the miko and Taiyoukai, his hand sliding the Tetsusaiga just the barest amount away from its sheath. “Why the fuck are you-”

 

“Inuyasha, sit boy!” Kagome said angered at ignoring her and the thoughts she knew were in his mind. She wasn't his; she wasn't anybody's. In fact, no one really wanted her except for Kouga - whom was only a very dear friend in her eyes - and Hojou, who was sweet and thoughtful but far too dull a character for her.

 

Walking around the prostrate and incensed hanyou, Kagome stopped facing the Demon Lord. “Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama,” she started, bowing to the Taiyoukai “Kikyou isn't here right now and I am sure you weren't looking to partake in her more…special services. Do you require one with such power or will a not-so-good miko suffice?”

 

Kagome's eyes were transfixed on the golden gaze of the Lord of the West and if it weren't for that, she would have missed something monumental. Well, to her it was noteworthy anyway, the reaction to her words. His eyes widened only slightly and the corner of his lips twitched just a touch. Could he be amused? Or is he getting ready to kill me thinking I was insinuating he wanted a tryst with a corpse?

 

`Clever girl,' Sesshoumaru thought, `she insulted the hanyou in perfect form and made it sound like a genuine question. I never thought humans could be so crafty.'

 

She was gazing at him expectantly, wide blue eyes locked on his own golden orbs. `Wait, blue? I have never seen a human with eyes that color. How intriguing.' “You are correct miko. I have no need for the corpse or her services nor do I need a powerful priestess, however I am sure you could more than fit the bill, were that the case.”

 

He smirked internally as those brilliant eyes seemed to lighten to an even more enchanting shade of blue. `What? What?! Why would I ever think anything about a human was enchanting? Rin must be making me soft.' He took a step closer to her and noticed the monk and slayer stepping closer to flank the young miko, grips on their weapons tightening. `They are more protective of her than the half-breed is. Why does she not think herself powerful? Or is there something else at work?'

 

All these thoughts and more filtered through his mind and he wanted to give in to the childish urge to shake his head in an effort to do away with such offending thoughts. Why did he care if those ningens were being protective of another? Why did he know that there was something happening between his half-brother and the miko and why, above all, did he care? It made no sense to him, so he shoved all those errant thoughts into a closet and locked it. He would think on those things another time; he had business to attend to.

 

Try as she might, Kagome couldn't get over his words or his voice. He had complimented her in a roundabout way and seemed to be paying no attention to anything else. Why was he here at all? Had something gone wrong with the barrier she set up around his entourage? Was he upset with her for having even been there? No, she decided, that didn't make sense. If something was wrong, wouldn't he have just stormed in here and killed her?

 

She looked back to her friends and noticed that they weren't paying any mind to her or the Taiyoukai; they were focused completely on the snarling and cursing form of Inuyasha at her back. “What can I do for you then, Sesshoumaru-sama? I doubt you came here to listen to Inuyasha growl and swear.” She said, a nuance of amusement lacing her voice.

 

Inuyasha sprung up from his prone position and jumped next to Kagome. “What are talking about Kagome? This is Sesshoumaru, remember? My cold-hearted, murdering bastard of a half-brother?” He snarled at her before turning his attention to the Demon Lord. “And you! What the fuck do you want with Kagome?”

 

“Inuyasha, sit boy!” Came the magic words that sent the hanyou plummeting back to his most familiar position. He growled and muttered something about `stupid bitches' before his face was pressed further into the dirt by a well placed Shakouju.

 

Miroku and Sango had stepped up next to the young miko upon hearing that the Taiyoukai's business was with her. They were well aware that should he choose to kill their friend, he would succeed; that didn't mean they would go down without a fight. Now, they were watching the Demon Lord expectantly, wondering what he could want with the gentle miko.

 

All of Sesshoumaru's attention was on Kagome. It was only the second month of his curse and he had learned well the first time it came to fruition that he needed to take it seriously.

 

He had been patrolling the area just outside the border to his lands when he was stopped by a runner from his palace saying that a scroll had been delivered by an invisible being proclaiming it as urgent. The scroll was produced and the messenger had been sent back to the Western Territories.

 

There had been no scent detectable on the parchment which was odd in itself and once it was unrolled, he found the contents just as odd. It had read that he had been placed under a curse by one that he had once held dear to him. Every month, on the night of the full moon, he would be forced into his true form until the sun arose in the east. It made no mention of a cure and only stated that there was only one being in the world that could lift it.

 

He had scoffed at it before promptly eradicating it with the poison from his claws. Honestly, who did this person think they were? Who thought they were powerful enough to curse him without his knowledge and succeed? He had thought it impossible and most likely a ruse and had therefore ignored it.

 

What a mistake that had been.

 

Sesshoumaru had left the palace and gone to the dojo to train after the evening meal and no sooner had the sun dipped below the horizon and he felt his jaws separate and reshape. His entire body soon followed and once the change was complete, he was exhausted and dropped to the floor in a heap. He had slept until sunrise and as his body began to shift back into its humanoid form, he remembered what had happened…he was cursed.

 

His entire body felt like it was being burned away by acid and he could do nothing but continue to lay on the floor until he slipped into a deep, healing sleep. He still hadn't been up to par for the next two days.

 

Last night had been the second time he experienced the curse and since he knew it was real, he was able to take precautions. His entourage hadn't made it far outside of his borders before the sun began to dangle dangerously close the horizon. They were on the move, looking around for someone who could possibly have the knowledge and power to lift the spell.

 

They had stopped in a clearing and he had returned to the castle to spend the evening in the dojo. It was big enough to accommodate him without problem and no one would enter once he gave the word to be left alone. He had settled down to meditate and once the sun was gone and the change began, he was thankful for it. It wasn't as painful as it had been the first time and he had felt well enough upon waking.

 

When he returned to the area where he left his ward and retainer, he felt the power of a barrier drop and sped towards the clearing. Upon entering, he found a dead bear youkai that had been dragged into the tree line and the entire area smelled of blood. Sifting through the scent of the bear, he found both Rin and Jaken's blood present as well as the aroma of spiced vanilla and roses. Rin had spotted him as he took a step into the meadow and was soon clinging to his leg and explaining away the youkai and the blood.

 

Now, he was watching the young miko who had risked her life to save the ones under his care. Sesshoumaru was sure he wouldn't be well received by his half-brother's pack but he was hoping to at least present the miko with his thanks.

 

He watched as she took a tentative step towards him, ignoring the protests of her friends and his sibling, and spoke to him. “Lord Sesshoumaru?” She said, her head tilting to the side in a curious movement that reminded him of Rin.

 

A step closer to her was her answer and he slid his hand into his haori. The miko stilled her next step and watched his eyes closely. He shook off the urge to lose himself in those questioning midnight depths and pulled a small pouch free from his clothing.

 

Kagome was genuinely curious what the Demon Lord would want with her. He wasn't acting avenging or aggressive and she couldn't help but notice how beautiful he was when he wasn't angry. Even if his face didn't change with his emotions, she noticed his eyes did and when he was angry, it was hard to even make eye contact with him. Now though, now his eyes were entrancing. They seemed to have changed to warm honey and almost looked as if he was pleading her to not be afraid of him.

 

As his hand retracted from his haori, Kagome felt a wave of power wash around her and a small gasp escaped her lips. Sango and Miroku were promptly by her side once more. “Kagome? What's wrong?” the slayer said, worried about the change in her friend's mood.

 

Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder, “Kagome-sama, what is it? Is something amiss?”

 

Kagome licked her lips and took a quick glance at Miroku. “Shards, Miroku. He has shards. A lot of them from what I can tell.” Her eyes were wide as she took another step towards him and widened slightly more when he took an answering step in her direction. Soon, the space between the two had been closed and Kagome had to tilt her head back just a little to keep eye contact with him.

 

She jumped when she felt his clawed hand wrap around her wrist but she calmed immediately when she realized his touch was gentle and he was still staring at her. Slowly, he brought her small hand up towards him, palm up, and stopped when it was close to his stomach. When he let go of her wrist, her hand remained and he nodded before pressing the bag into her hand.

 

Blinking, she tore her gaze from those molten eyes to her hand and then back, only to find that Sesshoumaru was nowhere in site. She turned then and looked to her friends. While Miroku and Sango were giving her a rather odd look, Inuyasha was sitting on the ground in his customary pouting pose.

 

Sango and Miroku had been watching the entire scene play out with wide eyes. Miroku leaned over to Sango and whispered, “Is it just me or does this look more like a seduction than a casual exchange?” The slayer could only nod her head in acceptance, too caught up in the goings on of her friend and the Taiyoukai. They were broken from their stupor when Kagome walked up to them.

 

“I can't believe he had shards!” She exclaimed, a bright smile lighting her face. She knew why he had come now; he had come to thank her. Although she was almost certain he would never give thanks in a vocal way, it was enough for her to know that he knew the importance of it. Kagome hadn't realized how important her decision to save his group would be to him until now and with his silent thanks, she had no regrets. Maybe, Sesshoumaru could learn to love…or at least care.

 

Miroku blinked and looked down at the small miko. Her eyes were glowing with happiness and he couldn't help the smile that curved his lips. Really, she was quite beautiful and even more so when she smiled. “Kagome, how many did he have? Why would he give them to us?”

 

A tint of pink crept on her cheeks and her smile turned sheepish. “I haven't looked yet.” Nimble fingers soon made quick work of the leather tie that held the bag closed and she dumped the contents into her open hand, purifying them on contact. Her eyes alighting on every piece, she gasped when she counted the total. “Ten! There are ten shards in here!” She bounced happily for a second - unknowingly giving a lecherous houshi a good view of her softly swaying breasts - before opening the vial around her neck and dumping the purified shards inside.

 

A growl behind her made Kagome turn around and look at Inuyasha. He was standing now, arms crossed over his chest and glowering at the ground as if it had committed a personal slight against him. “Inuyasha?” His eyes snapped to hers and he looked beyond irritated.

 

“Why the hell would that bastard give us jewel shards? I thought the pompous ass would've horded them, seeing as how he nearly drools at the thought of power.” Another growl followed his rather short rant and before he could start in on another tirade, the wind shifted and he lifted his nose to the air. Without a word, he was gone.

 

Kagome sighed and turned back to her companions. They were watching her intently, looks of concern and sorrow on their faces. “It's okay guys. I know where he went. His heart will always be Kikyou's and I will always be second best. I am just Kagome and that is all I can ever be and I am just not good enough for him.”

 

Sango was furious and wanted nothing more than to hunt the hanyou down and let him meet with the business end of Hiraikotsu. He had been bitching and moaning about not finding any shards and now that they had ten more in their possession, he was still in a foul mood. To top it all off, he deserted them in the same spot he had the day before! She stomped off angrily to polish her boomerang.

 

While Miroku was always one of the more level-headed in the group and was normally slow to anger, his rage at the way the half-demon treated the kind hearted miko surfaced. Violet eyes flashed angrily as they stared off in the direction he had left. Inuyasha always was quick to call Sesshoumaru cold-hearted but it was none other than the hanyou himself that constantly, and consciously, broke Kagome's heart.

 

“Miroku let it go. He has chosen his path with his heart. He loves her in a way I could never obtain. I have known this for awhile now but it still hurts when he doesn't trust us enough to even say where he is going.” Kagome spoke up from her place on the ground, sitting on her sleeping bag. His gaze turned to her and softened.

 

“Kagome,” he started walking up to the miko and settling on the ground next to her, “why did Sesshoumaru come here? And how can you be so forgiving to Inuyasha when he does nothing but hurt you?”

 

She sighed heavily, weighing the pros and cons of telling the rest of her group about what had happened. She knew she couldn't speak of his curse but she could talk around it. “He came because he wanted to I think.” Seeing the questioning faces of her friends, she continued. “I woke up in the middle of the night and had a bad feeling about something. When I sent my aura out, I found a human and three demons towards the west. I knew something was wrong so I followed my instincts.”

 

Shippou crawled up into her lap and she hugged him to her before speaking again. “Sesshoumaru's ward, retainer and dragon were in a clearing and a bear youkai was attacking them. I killed the demon and bandaged Rin and Jaken up. Then I set up a barrier with some ofudas so they would stay safe until he came back.”

 

Her friends were wide-eyed but only nodded at her. Miroku spoke up again, his voice soft and questioning, “What about the second question?”

 

Stormy blue eyes filled with tears turned towards him and Kagome whispered in a broken and defeated tone, “Because I can be. This era is so filled with people who kill without remorse and hold grudges without justification. I'm not that way; I can't hold a grudge against Inuyasha simply because he doesn't love me.”

 

Sango had rejoined her friends and reached over and gripped her hand firmly. “Kagome, it isn't just that. He doesn't even seem to care that he hurts you! He goes off with Kikyou all the time and every time Kouga is even in the area, he gets mad and starts trying to force him away from you. If he doesn't want you then he needs to back off and let you love someone else.”

 

A bitter, sardonic laugh filtered through soft, rosy lips. “And who would love me Sango? If I am not good enough for a hanyou, how could anyone else love me? It doesn't matter anymore, what my feelings are. I have a duty to restore the Shikon no Tama and I will continue to do it. It's all I am really good at anyway.”

 

She stood then and walked to the trees, stopping where they started and turning her head to the sky. “Once the jewel is finished, I'll go home and never come back. Inuyasha can have Kikyou and his stupid wish and I will have nothing.”

 

Unknown to her, a familiar pair of golden eyes watched her and had heard her broken words.