Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction / Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Mayakashi ❯ Chapter 40 ( Chapter 40 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Bleach, or YuYu Hakusho, or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: None

Advance

 

Kurama strode into the room, eyes narrowing at the scents on the air. The older youkai brushed past him, ignoring the tension and plopping down at the table across from Kagome.

The Shinigami were leaning against the wall behind Kagome, as though guarding her from something, though she appeared not to notice.

“Hey, Kurama. That was fast,” Kagome murmured, cooing at Tsuki with a strained smile.

“Yes. Five minutes, to be exact. And yet, it would appear something's happened in that timeframe that caused severe amounts of tension.”

“Oh, five minutes was enough for a real party,” she said, glaring at the table. “Found out father dearest isn't dead, that he can sneak in to Yomi's castle without being detected, at least not by me, and that the only reason my daughter's still alive is because he wanted to goad me into fighting and killing him… again… in the tournament. At least Shippo's roaming around and wasn't there,” she added with a painful-sounding sigh.

And then, her head came up, and she met Totosai's blank stare as she drew her Zanpakuto and slid it across the table to him. He simply grabbed it and gave it a frowning stare.

“Why was I brought here, Kagome?”

“There's a problem between my Zanpakuto and my youki.”

“I see… And what do you think I can do about that, exactly?” he asked, scratching his head in confusion.

“I was wondering if you'd be able to add one of my new fangs to it. To strengthen it and make it on a higher level of power, so that Kumori, the soul inside, can contact me again.”

“Hmm… Well, I've never tinkered with a Zanpakuto before, but it could work in theory. But, you do realize what could happen, right?” he added, blank eyes becoming incredibly clear in a second's time, focusing on the miko.

“I can guess,” she sighed.

“What can happen?” Urahara asked, his `scientific curiosity' tone creeping into his voice.

“Think about how much pain you felt when I just heated it enough to seal a small crack,” Totosai continued, seemingly oblivious to Urahara. “I don't think you realize how much of an unpleasant process it could be for you while I take apart, melt down, re-forge, and rebuild the blade. And then, we don't even know if it'll work at that.”

“I'm aware of that,” Kagome bit out. “But I'm willing to take that risk. Kumori's a part of me, and without being able to contact her… I don't know what'll happen longterm, but it won't be good. I can take pain.”

At that, Totosai launched across the table with unbelievable speed, a small tool appearing in his hand the same second it clamped onto a point in her open mouth and ripping out a long, ebony fang.

While the Shinigami stared in wide-eyes shock and Kurama flinched at the sound of the tooth ripping out, Kagome showed no signs that it had been her fang being brutally pulled out. She simply kept her eyes on Totosai's, not even blinking, as he pulled and returned to his seat, a bloody tooth hanging from a small pair of steel clamps.

“Hmm… Maybe you can take it. At any rate, you'll be a more pleasant customer than that idiot was… But pulling a tooth and reshaping an entire portion of a soul in solid form are two entirely different kinds of pain.”

“I understand that. I've already died, so what can it hurt to just wish I was dying for a while, right?” Kagome quipped, licking the hole where she felt the beginnings of a new fang.

“Alright, then. You've been warned. It'll take somewhere between 2 to 5 days, and I need to go get some tools. I'll be doing it here, since I don't feel comfortable working on this kind of weapon around youkai, but I assume that's no trouble?”

“Not my castle, but you can use my room, if you need it. It has a huge stone bench.”

With a nod, the hermit rose, tucking her Zanpakuto into his long sleeve.

“I'll be back shortly, then. And no matter how much pain you can handle, it's going to hurt, Kagome. So you should think up a way to distract yourself from the pain while I'm working on it.”

With that, the elder youkai vanished from the room, shouting that he'd be back in 10 minutes.

“Well, he's personable,” Yoruichi quipped. “Was he serious about the pain?”

At that, the other two occupants of the room also focused on the miko, who gave a sad smile.

“It's literally re-forging a piece of my soul. It's probably going to be as bad as, if not worse than, my death was… I probably should come up with some kind of numbing Kido, or something,” she added to herself.

A hand gently clutched her arm, and she turned to find Kurama staring at her, a concerned glow to his eyes and both human and youkai auras.

“I believe Youko and I can come up with some plants to that effect in a hurry, if you want.”

“Thanks, Kurama. I think that'll be a good idea.”

She then turned to the Shinigami, and her smile grew legitimate.

“Sorry that I won't be able to hang out for a few days, but I want to after this is over.”

The appearance of a now-familiar youki in the room made her jump slightly, and Yomi gave a chuckle.

“Jumpy. That's amusing. As for you two, I've been thinking. As you're friends with my guest here, and Kurama seems less than threatened by your presences, you may stay in my castle, if you like,” he added to the Shinigami.

“Really?”

“It's clear you're not mindless butchers. But I'd advise you stay away from my son, as he might not see this fact. There's an empty room across from Kagome's, if you don't mind sharing it.”

“Thank you very much,” they said together before vanishing from the room, a door overhead closing seconds later.

“Thank you so much, Yomi. You have no idea how much that means,” Kagome said, bowing her head to the smirking youkai.

“It's no trouble at all. I miss the days when my castle was this lively. But you've become a rather interesting specimen. I'd like to have a chat at some point during your stay, if possible.”

“Of course,” Kagome responded with a smile.

With that, the youkai disappeared, his energy simply disappearing the same way it had appeared.

“He's good at that whole ghost thing, huh?” Kagome mused.

“Ah, Yomi's always had a flare for the dramatic in understated ways,” Kurama stated with a smirk at her wonder.

“I see…”

“I shall make those plants, now,” Kurama said, beginning to rise.

He stopped when her hand gently pulled back on his sleeve, his eyes going to meet hers.

“I like the fact that you're pretending not to know what it is I'm going to go through, but as you also have two souls, I'm sure Youko can tell you. The pain from having a piece of your soul damaged is excruciating beyond words… I don't want to be weak, but will you stay with me?”

He sat back down, taking her hand not holding Tsuki and staring into her rapidly heating face, their eyes locking.

“I will stay with you until these trials are though, if that's your wish.”

“Th… Thank you, Kurama,” Kagome sighed.

“You know, you're still adorable when you're embarrassed,” he added, making her give a laugh, her face growing even hotter.

“Jerk,” she squeaked, lightly slapping his arm. “How'd you get so good at breaking tension?”

“A trait I believe I picked up from Kuwabara,” Kurama mused. “Still, the statement reins true.”

“You know, if I didn't know you were too subtle for it, I'd say you were trying to seduce me right now,” Kagome mused, trying and failing to will her face back to a normal color.

“Hmm… Perhaps,” he said, her breath hitching when his eyes met hers once again, pure heat flooding her.

As though a magnet were between them, they slowly began to lean towards each other, eyes sliding shut in anticipation of more of the sweet, nerve-tingling heat to engulf them…

…When a throat cleared, making them both literally jump. As one, they turned to the doorway to find Totosai, a massive hammer in one hand and her Zanpakuto in the other, a frown on his face.

“Let's get to work. I ain't gettin' any younger, lovebirds.”

With a burning face, Kagome led Totosai to her room, her free hand entwined in the equally blushing Kurama's…

 

A/N:

Going, going, FAIL! Sorry, but I find those moments to always be amusing in romantic moments, and had to get at least one in this story. Also, I'd really like to know how I'm handling the romance and drama; as I've said before, this is the first in-depth romance I've written, and I'd like to know whether it's going too slow, too fast, or if there are any other compliments or critiques of it. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and be sure to leave your opinions, be they positive or not. See you next time!