InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unbridled, Unvoiced Passions ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

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Unbridled, Unvoiced Passions

A bittersweet love story

In the depths of a hidden room, a library aged with the written works and family trinkets of a long forgotten tale. Scrolls, held captive from the brutal maturity of paper, told the secrets of lost time, of forgotten battles, of legends and myths, but mostly of his unbridled, unvoiced passions.

The room, sealed by an ancient magic, is opened after nearly three centuries of dormancy. A girl's curiosity and utmost respect for all things lost to time discovers the secrets of the hidden chambers; a secret she was unknowingly a part of. However, opening the chamber just might have been the biggest mistake of her life.

The silence was pleasant, a companionable air that cushioned the small space between them. Since she had slept through a good portion of the previous afternoon, as well as the following night, Sesshoumaru decided to let Kagome ride outside the circle of his protective arm. It was more for his peace of mind than her own, but she would remain in front of him from now on.

Kagome, for all her complaining and clumsiness the day before, was quiet and complacent today. She was more or less meditating at the foot of Sesshoumaru, or so she seemed. In all actuality, Kagome was fixed with traitorous thoughts about the demon behind her.

She had been going over the plans for Naraku and what she would say to Sesshoumaru, when every other thought or so would betray a certainly heated vision. In her mind he looked, well, hot!

She wanted to banish the thoughts, chase them away and lock the door, but every time she tried to she would sneak a peek again at the vision with a reluctant desire. Now not only were her thoughts betraying her, but her will was as well.

It was confusing to say the least, and she was so caught up in her thoughts and not so PG-13 visions that she failed to notice the descent of her current mode of transportation. That is until Sesshoumaru yanked her up by the back of her shirt, which of course caused said material to ride higher than was modest, thereby eliciting a sharp protest of embarrassment from her lips parted slightly in surprise.

He dropped her none-too-gently to the unforgiving earth and paused any further protests from her with a cold stare. She stood and watched him incredulously; how could she have thought he would look good with, or rather without…

At that Kagome found herself once more a slave to the sublime mental pictures and nearly blushed. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she control even a few lustful thoughts? Sure she was untouched and well past the raging hormonal period without release, and she would be the first to admit that sexual frustration had built over the years from her tense dealings with a few men that would remain nameless right now.

But still…she felt like a deviant, sticking her hand in the proverbial cookie jar while the parent watched on, seemingly unaware.

"You daydream too much"

Kagome jolted in surprise while her eyes widened from the subtle observation. Her body was strung tight because she felt caught, as though he knew what she was thinking…imagining all along. She laughed lightly then, looking a bit out of a safe mental capacity to some, and closed her eyes.

There was no doubt about it; if she stayed around the gorgeous demon much more, Kagome was going to lose all sanity and jump him! Sure it might mean her death if she did, but what a way to die.

"Um, why did we stop?"

She waited for someone to say something, but when there was no answer she took the time to look around. It was only then that she realized with a foreboding fear for her chastity that she was alone with her…friend? What the hell was he to her anyhow?

Sure, she thought of him as a friend, but what did he think of her? Wanting to know, and to get her mind off the entirely too enticing daydreams, she decided to ask him.

Thinking and acting are two very different things, a well-learned lesson that Kagome was forcing herself to remember quite quickly. When she had approached his sitting form, thinking all along that he looked a bit bored under that tree by himself, she had intended to actually talk to him.

As natural order of clumsiness would have it, she was standing in front of him nervously switching from one foot to the other and twisting her fingers together. She felt like a toddler that was asking for something she was already told she couldn't have. Oh man but she felt stupid.

Of course, it didn't help that he sat there with one perfectly sculpted, unwrinkled, finely drawn brow raised, poised and completely calm in the face of her childishness. Who cares that he had no idea what she was doing and that he was just waiting for her to speak; it was making her that much more nervous.

Suddenly feeling very lame and even angrier with him then she should, Kagome fisted her hands and looked to the ground while muttering firmly.

"Whatever. Mr. Perfect"

With that she turned on her heel and stormed over to a tree across the small clearing from him and plopped down with an audible 'humph'.

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He knew the girl was a bit crazy, but this was beyond anything he'd expected. She was just standing there playing with her hands, jumping from one foot to the other, and tossing with wave after wave of nervousness. What was her problem now?

Her mood switched drastically fast to anger and so he listened with interested confusion as she muttered something about him being perfect. Well that's a nice thought and all, but even he wasn't that presumptuous. Really, the girl had finally lost the rest of her limited mind to insanity…that's all.

As she stalked away, he couldn't help the slight smirk that snaked its way into existence at his amusement. Her small grunt from the impact with which she chose to 'sit' beneath the tree was, well…amusing.

He lightly shook his head and closed his eyes to wait for the rest of the group to catch up to them. Inuyasha and the others had fallen behind when he decided to speed up in an attempt to get away from the constant swirl of activity they created. They were all aggravatingly cheerful and had a tendency to switch emotions nearly as fast as Kagome.

However, after her small emotional and thoroughly confusing display not a minute ago, Sesshoumaru had to wonder if she wasn't the one he needed to get away from all along. It wouldn't surprise him because when it came to Kagome, he nearly always came to the wrong conclusions, so why would now be any different? That's not to say he was ever wrong per say, only misguided.

Thinking back on the reason he secluded his world to just the two of them, Sesshoumaru decided that she was far too entertaining for him to want to leave her side right now, so it must have been her traveling companions. Her friends were annoying to say the least; he just had to get away from them all.

Of course he was actually courteous enough to send Inuyasha a look that clearly said he would be waiting for them somewhere up ahead later…much later. Honestly he did it because he didn't want the whelp jumping to conclusions and attacking him for kidnapping his precious little friend.

As engaging as it might have been to see that display, Sesshoumaru was losing his patience with the whole situation and decided wisely not to place any more stress on them than was necessary. Why the brat would think he would want to kidnap the priestess after all the trouble he had already gone through was beyond him; such idiocy was to be expected though and so he did his best to avoid it.

Strategy, it was all strategy.

He firmly trapped the bridge between his eyes in a futile attempt to relieve the growing headache and nearly sighed in frustration. Whatever he had hoped to accomplish by seeking out Kagome, it was not forthcoming any time soon and he was more than ready to leave it be to the winds of uncertainty.

There was only one real problem with that plan now. Sesshoumaru had given his word that he would fight alongside his brother to bring down the half-breed and he did not go back on his word; it would be dishonorable.

He mentally cursed himself for not realizing the obvious flaws in his proposed pursuit of knowledge earlier and chanced a look from beneath his hand at the source of his irritation. Kagome was, for all intents and purposes, growing on him.

He was loathe to admit that not only was she attaching herself to him, whether it was a subconscious act or not, but that he was not completely willing to stop her. Perhaps he was looking for something else when he had sought her out then?

It was possible that where he had thought he was looking for reason, he was truly seeking diversion, or perhaps even a source of time expenditure. Sesshoumaru had always felt a bit of discontentment with his life, anger at his weaknesses, and a sort of emptiness in the face of his solitude. Not only that, but he had been restless for a while now, as though he were waiting for something, he just didn't know what.

Perhaps then what he was really searching for was a way to rid him of one of those negative aspects. His tyranny was grand and lush in its own cultured path, but he still was not what he aimed for; he was not as strong as his father was yet. And it was all to be blamed on his weaknesses.

How that tied in with the small woman was still a bit of a mystery, but he knew that whatever he needed in order to take the next step in his journey would be found here…with her. He failed to realize his actual reasoning, the lifelong protection he had sworn to when he was no more than a century and a half old.

Sesshoumaru breathed in a calming air and released it with a bit more stir than he had intended. It seemed that his brother and the misfit crew he kept would be arriving soon.

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Kagome glanced over to Sesshoumaru and had just gotten the nerve to speak to him after her emotional trip. Her mouth simply hung open, however, as a familiar red blur materialized in front of her and let down his cargo.

The precious Kikyou walked calmly out of the circle of friends and into the surrounding forest without so much as a word to anyone, leaving a scowling Inuyasha behind. Where was Kikyou going?

"Troubles with the misses Inuyasha?"

The half-demon turned a glare on her and seethed with pent up frustrations to which Kagome merely smiled. Whatever their problem was, it would be worked out during their next 'work out' anyhow.

"Shut it Kagome"

A low growl brought both of them out of their silent fight. To her credit, Kagome merely looked amused while Inuyasha looked down right shocked. Kagome had no idea what the growl meant, but she was thankful for the reprieve; she seemed to be getting herself into a lot of trouble lately.

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Inuyasha blinked and stared at his brother incredulously. His growl was possessive and filled with an underlying warning. Usually the only time he heard something like that was when someone had offended a mate.

He had been suspicious of the relations between Kagome and his brother from the beginning, but he never thought it would bleed into something so personal. However, when he looked over to Kagome she was poised and calm as though Sesshoumaru weren't growling. She appeared to be relaxed and detached from the situation, if a bit amused.

It confirmed his suspicions about the nature of their relationship, but he was still pressed to find just how deep the river flowed. Looking from one to the other, he realized that they might not even know it yet. If they did, they were either in denial of it, or just didn't want the other one to know about it. Either way they weren't aware of each other and that was something to be happy for.

Inuyasha may have turned over protection rights to his brother, but never did he give him permission to fall for the girl. Sure it wasn't his place to say who his brother fancied, and he knew that Kagome would purify him to hell and back if he so much as tried to mention her love life, but still.

Of course, Inuyasha had known all along that the temptress had wound her illustrious spell about the demon lord and that she didn't do it consciously. Kagome didn't just have a charm…she was a charm; the charm of beauty and grace tied up in a clumsy knot with future intelligence simply was Kagome. Honestly he couldn't blame Sesshoumaru, but that still didn't mean he would ever approve or let anything happen.

With a firm resolution to keep them apart, or at least tie down their private moments, Inuyasha walked over to a nearby tree and leapt up. With the grace born of his ancestors and a habit born of distrust, Inuyasha settled atop a high tree branch and closed his eyes to await the return of his supercilious mate.

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The branches swayed above her in a mocking dance of feigned peace. She knew better than to believe that nature was so at rest with the events that were playing out on her course.

Wind rustled slightly heavier than was custom to the deeper sanctions of the area as her visitor arrived. They had prearranged this meeting, taking careful measures to mark it perfect in order to fit the plans of their conflicting masters.

Kikyou watched on patiently as Kagura stepped out from the thick foliage around them. She wasn't exactly what you would call a friend or even an acquaintance to the ex-priestess…more of a means to an end. But she was sure that the same held true for her in the sorceress' eyes, so it weighed little for the price of achievement.

She waited until the wind witch graced her with enough manners as to give her full attention before beginning. This would have to be quick, as neither of their masters was very trusting and hers was already upset with her for not letting him join her on her elusive mission.

"He doesn't know"

As was her signature, Kikyou stated the facts more than asked the questions. What she said was what she expected to be done already and so she needed not to inquire, rather to inform sidelong for confirmation. She smiled mockingly at the scowl Kagura sent her; she didn't like being controlled or told what to do and that was pretty much what Kikyou did.

"He doesn't. Though he is wary of me and will most likely be sending a spy to report my whereabouts soon"

Kikyou scowled one of the few emotions that marred her otherwise smooth skin, and bit out to the wind bitch.

"You would have done better to listen to me and not draw attention to your own plots until the time was right. This is your price to pay."

"I realize that, but the past cannot be undone"

"It can. That is why we are here, after all"

Kagura nodded her agreement and waited for Kikyou to continue. When she didn't, Kagura knit her brows and asked a question that had been bothering her for quite a while now.

"How is it that you get away from Inuyasha without suspicion?"

"I do not. He is very inquisitive"

"You've told him then?"

"Do not take me for a fool. I merely tell him enough to appease his curiosity until the next meeting"

Kagura nodded in approval and leaned against the tree behind her, seemingly at comfort within the presence of her soon-to-be savior.

"We will reach the clearing of the bone-eater's well by mid day today. We will be waiting by sunrise tomorrow."

"He will be there. I doubt he will sully his hands personally, but I'm sure Hakudoushi will have no qualms over that matter. They are one and the same, with simple separations. Be careful what you think and say there."

"I know of the boy and his connections. They will be ready"

Kagura nodded and pushed herself from the tree to stand at full length again.

"He will not let it end tomorrow; he only wants the precious stone shards."

"I know of his desire to have us all suffer by his power with the completed Jewel."

Kikyou, having been satisfied that the conversation was had and the alliance still stood, turned to leave with a parting message.

"Your life may be forfeit before this is over, as might mine, but our duties must keep our course…mine for the jewel, you for his demise"

"One more thing priestess…what is the relationship between the Western Prince and your reincarnation?"

Kikyou turned her head and glanced sideways at the demoness, considering her answer carefully.

"They have found an interest in one another"

Kagura sneered and growled a reply as though to make sure the plan was perfect and her Lord was hers.

"She will not have him"

Kikyou smirked knowingly and responded in a light, but deadly tone.

"Not if our plan succeeds. You cannot love when you do not exist. Remember your duty to yourself; do not shirk that responsibility"

With that she turned back to her path and left.

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Kagura watched the last of Kikyou's form fade into the forest from the opposite direction and turned herself to leave.

"Let's not forget my debt to you, oh dear Kikyou"

Just as she was about to enter the thicker foliage, Kagura turned her head up and scowled a deep hatred growing yet stronger. The poisoned insect did not try to hide itself, Naraku's secret message silently reaching the detachment's soul.

'I know of your betrayal'

A soft thud was swallowed in the dense forest as Kagura's knees hit the earth. She gasped in pain and grabbed for her chest while sending an obstinate glare at the vile half-breed as he watched her through the mirror.

Her breath caught as the vital organ screamed for room to move, to beat against the chest it yearned to serve. Naraku would kill her before her betrayal was complete, that much was certain already. Still, Kagura would not give up.

Her body hit the earth a moment later, her eyes unleashing a single, unsolicited tear each as she lost consciousness in the hands of her creator.

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Kagome turned her head in alarm at the abrupt emotions; Kikyou was suddenly filled with the same malice and greed, as she had felt so long ago when they had first allowed her to journey with them. Her fear grew when the woman emerged from the forest and locked eyes on her, a silent message being sent between them.

She knew then that her time was almost up, her predecessor was gambling with her life. A sudden chill of fear worked its way up her spine and settled in the pit of her stomach. Whatever Kikyou wanted to do with her, she had been planning it for a long time now.

Kagome stood and dusted herself off while straightening her clothes. She watched Kikyou walk over to Inuyasha, whom was now standing at the base of his tree, and place her hand in his.

She watched them as they walked away, seemingly continuing on the path to Kaede's. With them out of hearing range, she could talk to Sesshoumaru and try to figure out the problem she was presented with just now.

Kagome turned her head to see Sango and Miroku ride off with Shippou on Kirara's back, following suit with the two 'leaders'. She looked over to Sesshoumaru and noticed he was watching the now distant band of traveler's walk away as well.

He seemed to be lost in thought, but her deduction was proved wrong when he turned to her at the sound of her approach. His attention was a bit high strung for someone like him and she couldn't help wondering why. She sent him a curious gaze and locked eyes with him as she finally came close enough to talk.

"Something is wrong with her"

The words weren't as startling as they should have been, probably because that was exactly what she was thinking. But the fact that Sesshoumaru had noticed, taken the time to say something about it, and entrusted her with his wary thoughts was something different.

"Yes"

He looked at her strangely, almost as though trying to see through to her own thoughts. When that didn't work he simply began walking in the direction his younger brother went. Kagome walked next to him silently for a moment, trying to piece together the many puzzles that surrounded her, and looked up to her companion.

"She's planning something for me…and it's not good"

"I know"

Kagome was once again startled by his words; he obviously had put more thought into this entire situation than she had first calculated.

"I don't know what she's trying to do, but I know that it will be my life if I don't stop it"

He looked down at her then, a calm radiance beaming into her from his gaze, and spoke softly.

"She will try to take your life, just as she had before."

"Yes"

"She will not succeed"

He looked away then, as though it was a simple matter of saying so and so it was. Kagome, however, knew better but decided to let the events play out and pray for a little luck to be on her side.

"What about the half-breed"

Kagome looked up and noticed his gaze was resting on her once more. With a barely audible sigh, she decided to tell him the secret she suspected.

"There has always been a strange power that he possessed that none of us could figure out. He has always been…invincible, in a way. That's impossible, since he was born a human and collected the aura's and essence's of many lower demons to become the half-demon he is now."

"What I know is really only a guess, but it's the only plausible solution that I have come up with. We know that Kagura does not have control over her own heart because he holds it in his grasp, or rather the essence of it. Physically it is still inside her body, but he controls it. This makes her nearly as undefeatable as him because she can be recreated."

Kagome took a moment to let the words sink in, hoping he would make the same deduction and save her the embarrassment of being wrong. Like she said before, Sesshoumaru did not disappoint her.

"You believe he has taken his heart from his own body and therefor can not be defeated."

It wasn't a question, but the fact that he had realized her conclusion gave her enough courage to finish her thoughts.

"If we can accept that, then he is not as invincible as he thinks"

He didn't say anything, but she could see that he didn't understand what she was talking about, so she went on.

"If he believes that we don't know his secret, then he also believes himself invincible. And if we know the truth but accept it and pursue it, then we can defeat him. He doesn't know that I'm looking for his heart, so he thinks he can win"

"You don't want to fight him then"

"I don't have a choice, but I do have a plan"

Sesshoumaru watched her unsure gaze turn to the steel of determination, and the glint of excitement a warrior usually possess' before battle passed over her as well. She was planning something that was dangerous as well as complex and it excited her.

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The sweet smell of stew and herbs filled the air around the small village. Humans had a natural stench of decay about them that always made him cringe, but during meal times such as this, it wasn't so bad.

His mouth began to water at the thought of a slow cooked stew and his feet picked up in pace. The hand that was holding another's was tugged backwards, eliciting a slight growl from the hungry half-demon.

"Food isn't the only thing we need to worry about, Inuyasha"

He turned around and lifted his mate in his arms before sprinting towards the hut of the old priestess.

"Maybe not for you, but I'm hungry and I'm eating."

Kikyou shook her head slowly and waited for them to arrive so that she could move about on her own again. It's not that she didn't enjoy being in his arms, but it made her feel weak to rely on someone else like this, whether it was her choice or not.

When they arrived, Kikyou had a whole of two seconds to gain her bearings before Inuyasha yanked her by the hand into the hut. The aroma of such a wonderful meal made Kikyou wish again for the ability to taste and the need to eat.

There were times when the lack of daily needs was welcoming, but the memories of simple things such as taste made her yearn for those annoyances. She wanted to taste again, to eat and enjoy the food, to feel pain and bleed; Kikyou wanted nothing more than to live.

It used to be that she wanted to steal away with Inuyasha and rest forever in the pits of hell, but walking among the living for so long, dying again and being brought back made her realize what she was missing. She could not rest in peace any longer for she knew what it was that had been taken from her so early…so long ago.

Kikyou could almost taste the bittersweet scents that surrounded her, she could almost feel the pain of knowing what she didn't have, and she wanted to live all the more because of it. Her plans with Kagura weren't noble, they weren't good, and they weren't for anyone but herself; they were selfish plans to gain her life back, but it was the only way, wasn't it?

She had long learned to let go of her hate for Kagome, most likely after her second death and rising, for the girl really didn't have a choice in destiny's plan. The only reason she sought to forfeit the woman was for her own life to go on, as it should have so long ago.

Naraku took from her the life she deserved, the love she deserved, and the happiness she craved. With her plan she could gain all that back and rid the world of his foul existence once and for all. That was how things should be.

Kagome did not belong in this era, Kikyou did. The jewel was Kikyou's to protect and protect it she would. She would clear the world of Naraku while gaining her life back, and then she would terminate the existence of the Jewel of Four Souls…as she should have nearly sixty years ago.

She was torn from her thoughts by the familiar red and white of her sister moving into the hut. Kaede's gaze pierced her soul and if she could have, she would likely have felt guilty for the plans she was brewing. But alas, Kikyou was thankful for a few of the things she was deprived as an undead and did not feel guilty in the least.

"Hello Inuyasha, Kikyou, what brings you two here?"

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Kaede waited patiently as Inuyasha explained that they were coming back on Naraku's request of their presence. What caught her most though, was the fact that Inuyasha's brother Sesshoumaru was now traveling with them as well.

"Forgive me for prying into your business Inuyasha, but did ye not say before that Sesshoumaru was your sworn enemy?"

Inuyasha grunted in response and scowled as he answered.

"Yeah, but Kagome and him made some sort of deal. He wants to fight Naraku just as bad as we do…and I guess we could use the help"

The last part was muttered under his breath, but though Kaede was old, she was still able to hear it. She laughed lightly and turned to her sister.

"How have ye been fairing, sister?"

"I am fine. Is the village well?"

Kaede smiled knowingly; Kikyou may have been brought back to the living with more hate and malice to fill her soul than before, but she also carried a bit of the more tender side of her nature this time too. The village had been Kikyou's life, her entire world, so it was only natural that she would care for it in death…and beyond.

"Aye, they are prosperous in the fields and there have been few illnesses this past summer. With the winter approaching, we are well prepared. I have even taken an apprentice with me for this winter her name is Aisuki. She is young, but has been training as a traveling priestess from a nearby village for some years now. I believe she will do well in my place."

Kikyou seemed upset by the news and Kaede had to wonder why. She may be doing well for her old age, but that was just it, she was old. Kaede knew that she wouldn't last many more summers and so decided to find someone to take her place when she passed on.

Kikyou stood calmly but her eyes spoke of fire and hate that made the younger sister cringe in wariness.

"You would pass on the village to a child? A child not born of this village?"

Kaede understood now. Kikyou wasn't upset that she was going to step down as village priestess, she was upset that she was entrusting the care of their village to Aisuki.

"Calm yourself sister, she may be young but she has great powers. She might not be as good as ye were, but she will be stronger than even I. There were no others available to follow me, not even in this village."

"Do they not care about their home? Will none of them sacrifice even a little to defend their village?"

Kaede was taken aback by the sudden anger that filled her sister. The villagers did not have any training for a life as a priestess, though many could and should have, that is not to say that they didn't defend their village. Quite the contrary actually, many of them would give their very lives for the safety of their loved ones and their homes.

"Sister, please, ye are angered wrongly. The villagers are very noble in their fights to defend this village; I am not the only one. They have much more to worry over these days, and the needs of a priestess are becoming less and less every summer."

"How can a village not need a priestess?"

Kikyou spit the words at her sister with a new anger. Apparently she hadn't been privy to the evolutions of life inside a village lately.

"Every summer new healers arise and less illness wastes the villagers. New forms of crops are being brought up and stored better and there are even some women that learn the art of delivering a child in the case that a priestess is not available. There are less of us being trained because there is not such a need for us anymore. The only that still train are those that believe in the powers nature bestows upon a worthy priestess."

Kikyou was quiet for a moment as she thought about what her sister said. How could the village not need a priestess? They were always there and they were always needed. What was she to do when she returned to life if they did not need her?

Kikyou hadn't realized before how much she relied on others needing her. She had always wanted a life of freedom and now that she was being presented with it, she didn't know what to do with it.

She would remain a priestess of course, it was her chosen path in life, but she would not be so busy anymore as to not have time for herself. Kikyou realized then that it might be more of a blessing than she had originally thought.

When she returned to life completely, she could lend the village her life as a priestess while living her life as a mate, a wife, and possibly even a mother. She could have everything she ever dreamed of…once she got rid of Kagome.

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They walked calmly over the small hill just beyond the village near Inuyasha's forest. Both of them were content with the silence that had settled between them once more, both caught in the thoughts and problems that surrounded them.

He could smell the distant aromas of roasting meat and boiling herbs, some leek mixed in with other sorts of vegetables. It was barely mid-day and the village ahead was already bursting with odd, but pleasing scents of a daylong stew.

There were many things about humans that bothered him, one of them being their taste for food, but he couldn't deny that the mixture smelled nice. It overrode the natural smell of humans, the death that lingered about them stronger each day.

Humans were dying, every day their fate setting in more. The cells on their body died and gave way to new ones, but somehow the smell of death always lingered. It wasn't so horrible that they were intolerable; that part of the stench came from the scent of feces and urine they were constantly bathed in.

The human race was a disgusting and dirty one, mounds of sewage invading their natural scents. But there was one that made him wonder, one that didn't smell so bad…one that made him rethink his entire outlook on the human race.

Kagome Higurashi, his ephemeral ally and contemporary confidant, was someone that had walked into his brother's life, and turned his own upside down. She was a formidable warrior, an outspoken woman, a powerful priestess, and someone that had made him look at life just a bit differently.

He didn't like her, couldn't stand her actually, but there was something about her that he just couldn't get past. There was a grace in her that most demons, let alone humans, did not possess and a fire that most warriors could only dream of.

She wasn't anything spectacular, there was nothing terribly special about her at all, but still there was that little mystery that no one could figure out. He despised his own lack of control in the situation, but there was something about her that made him curious enough to seek her out.

When he had first approached her with the idea, she looked about to run but came to her senses only minutes later. She was afraid of him, he could nearly taste her fear as it rolled off her body, but then she decided to let her fear run away without her.

She was suddenly calm and covert in his presence, commanding and yet compliant with his wishes. He wanted to rip her to pieces then, to have her explain to him how it was that she could utilize so many emotions at one time and seemingly not be affected by it in the least.

But he had relented, pushed the instinct of his deadly beast back into the dark pits with which it resided, and made a deal with her. A deal with a human, a woman at that wasn't something he had ever aspired to doing, but then he can't say it was really a bad idea.

The deal was simple really. She would allow him to extricate the information he sought without complaint and he would protect her and her friends during that time. This included a side deal to stand as allies against their common enemy, Naraku.

The information he desired, however, seemed to be something that she wasn't so sure about sharing. When he had explained it to her, he felt small and unsure, and he hated every moment of it. But he also knew that if he didn't find a way to tamp down the curiosity that had built on the matter, then he would never be able to get it off his mind, and it was already beginning to affect his abilities in battle against his brother.

It could cost him very much in the end if he didn't eradicate the problem, and when it came to his brother, that was simply not an option. He had bit down on his pride that day, something he was sure she wasn't aware of, and asked someone for help, a human… a woman…Kagome.

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She always loved the way the village came alive during the afternoon hours. It was like something from a children's book when you looked on from the hill, with its small smoke stacks and people running about doing their daily chores; the village really did feel like home to her.

But something was wrong today, something that she just couldn't put her finger on. There was a sense of urgency working its way into the pit of her stomach, making her move with a little more haste, but why? What was wrong? Everything appeared to be going well, perfect actually.

Kagome looked out across the fields and into the place that held the well to carry her to the future. There was something there that didn't bode well with the young priestess and she now knew what.

She looked up into the sky to see the dark clouds of miasma forming in the mists of the suns rays. Just at the center was a small white childlike figure smiling down upon the earth. It turned its head and locked the dark and emotionless depths onto Kagome's.

Fear gripped at her from all sides, the pressing urgency suddenly leaping in strength. But when she tried to move, to warn someone, she noticed that she couldn't. Kagome felt paralyzed and helpless, and for some reason her voice was as far away as Sesshoumaru now seemed to be.

It was then that Kagome realized how very alone she was, and that the only person she could rely on was herself. Well fine then, if that's how it's going to be then she would just have to figure out another way to alert the group to the danger.

She tried again to yell but nothing came out, then she tried to move, again nothing happened. When she looked up, Hakudoushi was but a few meters from her and closing in fast. Then she noticed the scenery as it changed around her; he wasn't coming closer to her, she was flying to him.

It hit her then, she couldn't move because he had a hold on her. She concentrated all of her powers to her hands and willed them to move. Slowly, as though her hands were tied down with weight, Kagome lifted each and grabbed for her target.

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Her scent seemed feeble and small, but he figured she was just walking slowly. They were too close to the village for anything too drastic to happen, so he walked on. Of course he slowed down a bit so that she could catch up, but then her aura began to move.

It wouldn't have been so alarming if she was coming nearer, but she wasn't. In fact her scent was so far from him that he was having trouble picking it up.

Sesshoumaru turned his head towards the forest on his right, expecting to see Kagome wandering aimlessly in thought and traveling off of the trail. But what he saw was far from that.

Her scent and her aura were both faint but they were there except…she wasn't. All of his senses went into high when he couldn't place just exactly where she was.

Suddenly, a large blast of purifying energy shot out from the sky above the bone-eater's well. It was so strong that he had to turn away from the brilliance of it.

A few moments later the light cleared and he was able to look back. What he saw made a chill run down his spine and a deep roar began rumbling in his chest.

There she was, suspended in air and completely unconscious in the mental grip of Hakudoushi. Not only was she unconscious in her enemies grasp, but her body was bleeding profusely from several very large gashes.

But the worst of it all, the evidence that ripped his body into his demon form and let loose the earth-shattering roar, was the fact that she wasn't breathing and her aura was completely gone.

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I know you hate me and that you hate this cliff hanger, but I love you and I love this cliff hanger and I'm the authoress…so I win!

The faster you review, the faster I update…LOVE YA!

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~Mistress Hime