InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Allies I: How to Train a Taiyoukai ❯ Missing You/Training Days Part II ( Chapter 4 )

{Disclaimer: See Chapter One.}

Chapter Four: Missing You/Training Days Part II

(As Sesshoumaru and Kagome look over the miko village)

Inuyasha sat in his tree, grumbling. Sango and Miroku stared at him from the ground below as Shippou and Kirara sat on the edge of the well.

"Go get her, Inuyasha," Miroku called to him. For his trouble, he got a "Mind your own damned business, bonzo!" Miroku sighed.

"I don't see why he doesn't go get her," Sango wondered out loud. Miroku stepped closer to her. "He doesn't want to admit he needs her."

"I don't need the stupid bitch!" Inuyasha hollered. He jumped down, landing in front of Miroku. Miroku took a step back. "She's late and she knows it! She probably thinks I'm going to go get her! I'm not! She can stay! She's worthless anyway."

"But what if the jewel shards are in danger?" Shippou asked, displaying more wisdom than Sango and Miroku thought possible. 'Why didn't we think of that?' they wondered. 'Tell him the shards are in danger, and he'll break his neck to get to that well.'

Sure enough, Inuyasha paled and dived down the well and into Kagome's world in a flash of light. A few minutes later, the well flashed again. Inuyasha was grumbling at the bottom.

"Well, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

"She's not there. From what her brother says, she hasn't been there for three days." As his nose passed the edge of the well, he stopped. He sniffed again and growled.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango wondered as he bounded out. He sniffed around, then leapt to the nearest branch. Sniffing again, he grabbed Shippou and ran off. Shippou squawked in indignation as Inuyasha ran faster.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" he asked. Inuyasha growled. "Sesshoumaru has Kagome."

Shippou wailed, causing Inuyasha's ears to flatten against his skull. "WHAT?! What are we gonna do?"

Kirara appeared behind them, with Sango and Miroku riding on her back. "What's going on, Inuyasha?" Miroku demanded. Shippou told them what Inuyasha said. Sango gasped as Miroku paled.

"We must get to her then."

Two days later, they reached a clearing. Inuyasha sniffed around angrily. "It seemed like there was a struggle."

"Oh no!" Shippou cried. "Kagome's hurt!"

"No, stupid," Inuyasha scowled. "She's not hurt. They stayed here for a while, then left."

"Which way did they go?" Sango asked.

"What do I look like to you people, a dog?!" he demanded.

"Yes, you do," Shippou muttered. Inuyasha was on him in an instant, chasing the frightened child around the clearing. Shippou dived behind Miroku, who quickly stepped out of the way. Thunder peeled across the sky, ceasing their argument. Everyone looked up as large raindrops fell from the sky.

"Oh great!" Inuyasha groaned. "It's not like the scent isn't weak as it is. Now it wants to rain."

They found a nearby cave in a cliff and stayed until the rain stopped. Three days later, they were back at Kaede's. Kaede greeted each of them in turn.

"Where is yon Kagome?" she asked. Shippou started to cry for the sixth time in five days. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as Miroku told her what happened. When he finished , Inuyasha interrupted whatever Kaede might have said.

"What I don't understand, is that before the rain washed their scents away, they were heading north. What the fuck is up north?"

"Let me think," Kaede asked him. She closed her eyes as she did so. "The Northwestern border is that way, and before that is little else. There is a badger that's a slave trader."

"Yes, I know about him." Miroku interrupted. "He's Tanuki's cousin. I fear he's quite the lecher."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe he just said that," Sango breathed. Inuyasha started to laugh.

"Boy, that's funny coming from you, Miroku."

Miroku smiled good-naturedly and sat back against the wall. Sango shook her head. "What else, Kaede-baba?"

"The only other thing before the slave trader's is Mi Sum Nu Rai, a miko village. Kagome wouldn't fit in there, and they have a youkai protection shield."

"Why wouldn't Kagome fit in?" Shippou asked. "If she escapes, then that's the best place to go."

"Wrong, Shippou," Miroku said. "Mi Sum Nu Rai is a dark miko village. This time next week is their annual cleansing ritual."

"So?"

"So that's when they sacrifice any children in the village."

++++++++

(Back to Kagome and Sesshoumaru, the day after lesson two)

Kagome sighed as she closed her door. Another day of training passed without a hitch. She was starting to feel bad about subduing Sesshoumaru, but knew she should so they could get into the miko village. She tugged off her jeans, leaving them in a ball on the floor to pick up later. She yanked her pajamas out of her bag, smoothing the indigo silk pants before slipping them on.

Since turning seventeen, her sense of fashion had changed from fluffy cat pajamas to the more sophisticated feel of silk and satin. She yanked her sweater off and reached for the white cotton tank top with the words 'beautiful' in blue script with a small blue kitten on the front. As she was lowering it over her head, her room door slid open.

"Kagome-sama, I forgot to-oh." Aniki stopped in the doorway, staring at her naked back. Sesshoumaru waited patiently for him to move, then shoved him to the ground and entered the room. He wasn't expecting to see Kagome half dressed, so he wasn't ready for her wrath at being stared at.

"DOWN!" she screeched over her shoulder. She tossed her hairbrush at Aniki, who was slowly peeling himself off the ground at the time.

Aniki groaned. "Forgive me, my lady. We were not aware of your state of undress."

"It is not as if I wanted to look anyway," Sesshoumaru muttered. Kagome scowled at them as she tugged her tank top over her chest. Sesshoumaru noticed something on her lower back, but couldn't see it in the candlelight. Kagome tugged her shirt down and turned to them.

"What can I do for you peeping toms?" she asked sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru scowled. "I, Sesshoumaru, am not a peeping tom."

"That coming from the same youkai that tried to stare up my skirt unnoticed the other day!"

"Well, I'm not either," Aniki said as he moved to a chair closer to the door. "But I don't mind looking if it's there."

Kagome's shoe connected with his head. Aniki groaned again as another lump appeared on his head.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "He does have something important to say."

Kagome sighed. "Fine. Say it."

Aniki grinned, knowing that chaos was soon to follow. "Well, it's time for

Lesson Three: Sleeping Arrangements."

"Oh no." Kagome said, shaking her head. "No, no, no, no, no. He," pointing to Sesshoumaru "can NOT sleep with me!"

Aniki shook his head. "Not with you. Just in here."

"NO!"

Aniki ignored her and left the room. Sesshoumaru's tail twitched as the subdue spell wore off.

+++++++++

When Aniki returned, he dropped the blankets and pillows in his arms in astonishment. Sesshoumaru was struggling on the futon, and the only thing he could see of Kagome was her legs kicking at empty air. Sesshoumaru straddled her back, holding Kagome down as she screamed into the futon.

"Be quiet, girl!" he snarled.

"get off, then," came Kagome's muffled reply.

Aniki cleared his throat. "You move fast, my lord."

"aniki, get him off me," Kagome begged, struggling once again. Sesshoumaru glared at him.

"Come here. She has something on her back, and I want to know what it is."

Aniki sat down beside Kagome's head at Sesshoumaru's order.

"Hold her shirt back."

Aniki did this gladly, dragging his finger along Kagome's back as he pulled her shirt to the back of her head. Kagome started to scream again, but Sesshoumaru held her still. His fingers traced along the lines of kanji on the small of her back.

"What does it say?" Sesshoumaru asked her.

Kagome scowled against the futon. "Can't you read?"

Sesshoumaru dropped his full weight on her, leaving her breathless and dizzy.

"Last time, what does it say?" he asked. Kagome sighed and mumbled something.

"Say again."

"I said I'll tell you if you get off me!" she said. Aniki and Sesshoumaru stood up. Kagome stood up as well and turned on the flashlight beside her bed.

"It's a tattoo," she said as she directed the light to the kanji. Sesshoumaru nodded as Aniki drooled.

"Why is it there?"

"I lost a dare."

"What is a dare?" Aniki asked.

"It's like when a warrior challenges another warrior. Anyway I lost, and had to get this. The ink is made of henna. Henna is a plant dye. This'll wash off in about a month."

"What does it say?" Aniki asked her.

"'Protector.'"

"That's all?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Protector of what?" said Aniki

"The Shikon no Tama, of course. Duh."

Aniki stared at her. "You're the protector of the Shikon no Tama?"

Kagome shut off the flashlight and smiled. "Of course I am. What did you think my necklace was made of, glass?"

Aniki stared at her in new-found respect. "I cant' believe it. The keeper of the shikon no tama, in my home. Wow."

Kagome giggled. Sesshoumaru nudged Aniki roughly. "Lesson three, Aniki."

"Oh yes." Aniki arranged the blankets and pillows in a pallet beside Kagome's bed. "Sesshoumaru-sama is to sleep beside you, Kagome-sama. It is-"

"Yeah, yeah," she interrupted as she scooted under the covers on her futon. "It's all part of the protection slave training."

"That's right. Goodnight."

Aniki left, closing the door behind him. Kagome scowled at Sesshoumaru as he stretched out on the pallet.

"You'd better not sleep nude."

"Why? Would you like for me to, miko-sama?"

Kagome blushed five shades of red as Sesshoumaru chuckled. He rolled over and went to sleep.

++++++++

Sesshoumaru woke up the next morning with the strange feeling someone was watching him. Something was in his arms as well. He looked down, staring into a sea of black hair.

"Did you have another nightmare, Rin?"

The girl in his arms shifted slightly, and a silk covered leg wrapped around his waist. 'Blue silk? This isn't Rin.' He leaned back slightly and stared in Kagome's face. He sighed in long-suffering and tugged her closer. 'What deity did I anger to end up like this?' Sesshoumaru asked himself. Kagome's fingers brushed along his side. She inhaled and sighed in contentment.

"Mmm…pine needles and fresh cut grass," she mumbled into his haori. Sesshoumaru's eyebrow arched in confusion. 'Is that…what I smell like?' He tucked her head under his chin, closing his eyes and smiling. 'I guess I can tolerate her presence then.' His eyes snapped open as a well-known giggle danced in his ears.

"My lord, you DO move fast," Aniki said in wonder.

Sesshoumaru glared at him. "She understands us, remember?"

"I do, but who cares? May I ask for a favor, my lord."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"I ask that you let her live after this."

"Why should I?"

Aniki sighed, his eyes shining with something Sesshoumaru normally didn't see in the old badger. "A soul as pure as hers should be appreciated, not slaughtered. I feel that there is a hardship in her future, so at least spare her life so she may endure it. You never know, you may come to need her assistance again. Besides, even you have a place in your heart for beauty."

"What time is it?" came a sleepy voice beside Sesshoumaru. Kagome blinked, staring into golden eyes.

'Well, if I could wake up to this every day, I just might become a morning person.'

Sesshoumaru waited for the screams, and this time she wouldn't cover his ears. Instead, she yawned and sat up. She stretched slightly, mindful of Sesshoumaru's nearness.

"Good morning," Kagome whispered. Aniki replied the same.

"How did you end up on the floor?" Sesshoumaru asked, not bothering with formalities.

"I don't know."

"I do," Aniki said. "After the two of you went to sleep, I went to my room. I woke up in the middle of the night to what sounded like whimpering coming from this room. You were having a nightmare, Kagome. I went to wake you up, but Sesshoumaru-sama heard you in his sleep. He pulled you off the bed to him. Once your head touched his shoulder, you calmed down. It was touching."

"I'll show you touching," Kagome growled as her shoe collided with Aniki's head. Aniki excused himself quickly, standing outside the door. Kagome dove for her pack, tossing out a pair of jeans and a green long sleeve blouse. She glared at the youkai.

"Get-Out," she growled. As Sesshoumaru was leaving, Aniki stopped him with a tug on his haori sleeve.

"Sesshoumaru-sama stays."

"WHAT?!"

"I am going to be deaf when this is over," Sesshoumaru mumbled. Kagome started to see red.

"I said, GET OUT!!!!"

Aniki stiffened under the verbal assault. "One of the many jobs of a protection slave is to stand guard. Sesshoumaru-sama must stay here while you dress."

"Can't he stand outside?"

Aniki shook his head. "What if someone comes in the window?"

"Not with the protection spell I put around the house."

Aniki stared at her in shock. "A protection shield?"

"No one can get in, human or youkai, unless I say so."

"Wow," Aniki whispered. Sesshoumaru admitted to himself that he was rather impressed with her ability.

"Nevertheless," Aniki said, regaining his speech. "Sesshoumaru-sama must stay here. There are youkai that specialize in breaking down shields."

Kagome grumbled, but nodded her head in defeat. Aniki stepped outside.

"Turn around," Kagome told Sesshoumaru.

"Why?"

Kagome started to blush. "Because I don't want you to watch me change."

"How can I protect you if I don't watch you?" he asked innocently, enjoying how much his presence embarrassed her.

"Turn around, please?" she asked, the blush spreading to her toes. Sesshoumaru sighed and turned his back.

"Thank you."

Sesshoumaru waited as she dressed, guessing what each whisper or rustle of fabric was. He could guess the heavy rustle was the things she called 'jeans' and he would know the whisper of silk anywhere, but the small snap before the rustle of her jeans puzzled him. When she finished and told him he could turn around, he asked her about it.

"What was the small click I heard?"

"What?" she asked as she brushed her hair.

"I heard a click. What was it?"

Kagome thought for a moment, then blushed. "It was my b-"

"Breakfast is ready!" Aniki shouted as he entered the room. 'Aniki, you're a life saver,' Kagome thought with relief as Aniki rattled off everything they would do today. As day turned to night, Kagome was in desperate need for a bath.

"Aniki, is there a stream around here?" she asked.

"Of course. It's a little past the house. Don't leave just yet."

Kagome turned around. "Why?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama, could you please wrap your tail around Kagome-sama's wrist?"

Sesshoumaru's tail wound around her right wrist. Kagome blinked. "Now why am I leashed to Sesshoumaru?"

"Because of

Lesson Four: Protection Policies."

"Oh crap," Kagome mumbled. She knew where this was going.

"Sesshoumaru-sama must be with you everywhere. His tail wraps around your wrist to be sure of your safety at a short distance away."

"You said I have to follow her everywhere. Does that include the stream too?"

"It does."

Kagome turned red under the torchlight. "Sesshoumaru, could you bend over please?"

When his head reached her, she clasped her hands over his ears. Sesshoumaru smiled and waited for the storm.

"This is the WORST idea you've had to date, Aniki! You are such a pervert! If I didn't know better, I'd swear you and Miroku were brothers! If I catch you peeking, I'll-" she continued to rant as a couple of servants came out of the house to observe the scene. A few giggled at the sight of a teenage girl holding the great Taiyoukai of the west's ears as she hollered like a banshee at the master of the house.

Kagome continued until she was blue in the face and puffing. Sesshoumaru gently removed her hands from his head.

"Let's go. You know Aniki is only telling us proper procedure for his trade. You need a bath anyway. You stink."

Kagome giggled and lead the way to the stream, leaving Aniki cowering behind one of the statues in the courtyard. Sesshoumaru followed Kagome to the spring and turned his back. As she stripped and waded in,

he decided to learn more about her.

"Do not worry about Aniki. I will know if he tries to observe."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "How old are you, Kagome?"

A splash. "darn it. Oh, seventeen. How old are you?"

"345"

Instead of the shocked "REALLY?!" all she said was "What's that in human years?"

Sesshoumaru thought for a moment before responding. "Nineteen."

"How old is Inuyasha?"

"Nineteen as well."

Another splash. "Why can't I hold this thing? I thought you were older?"

"I am."

"Then how old is Inuyasha in youkai?"

"290"

"Oh."

Kagome stepped out of the water and dried off. Dressing in a pair of pink silk pants, another white tank top with a picture of pink ballet slippers on the front and a white terry robe, she walked to Sesshoumaru's side.

"You smell better," he said with a smirk. Kagome rolled her eyes and held out her hand for his tail to grasp. They went back to the house past Aniki, who jumped when he saw her and scurried out of the way.

"You know," Kagome said as she closed the door to her room. "He acts a lot like Jaken."

"I know."

Kagome smiled and went to sleep, her hand still wrapped in Sesshoumaru's tail. Sesshoumaru watched her silently, twirling a strand of her hair around his clawed finger. 'Looking at her reminds me of Rin. I guess I do miss the child. Sometimes, like in the meadow and when she first subdued me, I felt something warm toward her.' Sesshoumaru sighed and closed his eyes. 'I'll be glad to be rid of her. The fascination will be over as soon as she's away from me.' With this last thought, he went to sleep.

+++++

The next day went by smoothly, and since they were leaving the day after, Aniki agreed that Sesshoumaru should sleep in his own room again. Kagome looked around the room dejectedly. She was just starting to get used to Sesshoumaru being there, so now she missed him. 'Miss him? Ha! I can imagine what he'd say.'

+++++++++

'I can't sleep,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he turned to his side. If he were at home, he could focus on the mounds of paperwork on his desk until he found something else to do. Here, he could either go to the dojo or walk the halls. 'I know just where I'll end up.' Sesshoumaru sighed again. 'I can not believe I am saying this, but I kind of miss the Inuyasha's wench.'

'Kagome.' He corrected himself. 'I miss Kagome.'

++++++++

Aniki smiled as he heard the two toss again. 'They miss each other,' he thought with a smile. 'Maybe there's hope for that stubborn taiyoukai yet.'

---------

{::vase flies across the stage at the podium. SF, hiding behind podium, winces as it shatters against it.}

SF: {::peering from behind podium::} Jeez, Kagome! Calm down!

Kagome: Calm down? You have me sleeping in the same room as Sesshoumaru! If you were in the stuck with Sesshoumaru, what would you do?

SF: {::standing up::} What I would do is not fit for little children to hear.

{Kagome blushes and walks off the stage.}

SF: I knew that would get her to stop. Anyway, the preview and the responses are below

Chapter Five: Farewell Aniki

Kagome tapped again. "Now?" she asked.

"It's missing something."

Kagome tapped again, lighter than the last time. "Now?"

"Perfect. Now his tail and scent."

Kagome touched the end wrapped around her wrist ('When did he do that?'). Sesshoumaru watched as the white turned into a chestnut brown, the tip becoming a solid black. Kagome handed him her compact.

"What do you think?" she asked. Sesshoumaru stared at the glass in disbelief.