Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Changed Miko ❯ A Touching Reunion ( Chapter 16 )

Unfortunately for the fox, Hiei hadn't even come close to missing the look that entered Kagome's eyes and although she was content to purely tease the kitsune, Hiei knew the fox wouldn't want to let it go with that. Although he would love to see Youko squirm, and he truly did enjoy it, he wasn't ready to let the situation escalate to that level…yet. He knew just how…affectionate in nature the fox was and knowing Kagome's current emotional status, he put a stop to it before it even began. He decided to use the approaching youkai he had sensed for an discreet topic change.

 

“Fox now is not the time for your antics. We seem to have company fast approaching.”

 

Hearing the tone of warning that crept through Hiei's voice immediately put Youko and Kagome on guard and before the miko had a chance to say a word, she found herself facing the (rather muscular) back of one silver kitsune.

 

Youko pulled a rose from his hair, transforming it to his trademark whip while Hiei was already brandishing his katana and moving next to Youko.

Kagome peered between the two demons who had taken up residence in front of her as she felt an enormously powerful, and somewhat familiar, aura crest the hill and stop at the edge of the village. Narrowing her eyes she saw white…pristine white silk and liquid silver strands blowing in the wind and let a sigh of relief pass her lips before a small smile appeared.

 

Hearing Kagome's sigh and feeling the tension and anxiety melt away from her aura, Youko and Hiei turned to regard her. She had a small smile playing across her lips as she watched the figure approach and stepped out from behind their self-imposed barrier.

 

Youko, being the ever jealous kitsune, spoke first “Kagome…do you know him? He smells like dog.”

 

`Hn. Sounds as though you are jealous fox.' Hiei said with a smirk deciding to taunt the kitsune while he had the chance.

 

A soft growl escaped his throat and Youko glared at Hiei “Why would I, the Great Youko Kurama, be jealous of a dog? Besides, I made her blush.” At that, the fox stuck his tongue out at the hybrid in a purely childish manner.

 

Kagome remained oblivious to the goings on behind her as she was focused on the youkai that was now approaching. It had been quite some time since she had last seen The Lord of the West and she found herself grateful to see him now. They weren't friends by any means, because Sesshoumaru didn't really have friends, but they had developed a sort of camaraderie over the years and she always felt safe around the cold Taiyoukai.

 

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Letting the sweet scent of Kagome linger in his nose a moment longer, Sesshoumaru began the short trek that would take him to the heart of the village. He was inclining his head slightly from side to side, taking in his surroundings, when his golden gaze found the sources of the unknown scents he had caught earlier.

 

He studied them carefully as he neared the village. Both were youkai and powerful. He recognized the kitsune as one Youko Kurama. Although he had never made the fox's acquaintance, he knew him by reputation alone. There were so few silver kitsune left that it could only be him. `I thought he was dead. Interesting.'

 

His gaze next turned to the other, shorter youkai. Sesshoumaru could easily sense the conflict and unbridled rage that was tangled in his aura and although the demon's stature wasn't nearly as impressive as his own, and he looked rather diminutive standing next to the fox, he knew that he wasn't one to anger. Powerful things could come in small packages; Kagome was living proof of that.

 

And that thought brought him full circle back to the miko he was searching out. She was close he knew, for the nearer the village he got, the stronger her scent became. His delicate nose twitched slightly in the breeze as he tried to determine exactly where she was. It was obvious she was in or around the hut of the old miko and he could smell her on the youkai standing next to said hut…more so on the shorter one than the fox.

 

Sesshoumaru had just let his gaze fall once more to the newcomers when he saw Kagome peek out from between the two. It seemed she was sizing him up for a moment before she stepped out from behind the protective stances of the two to regard him.

 

He saw the recognition flash across her face even as a sort of happiness crossed her eyes. As soon as he saw the small smile touch her lips, he himself smiled and continued to close the gap between them at a greater pace.

 

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Sango had finished her errands in the village and, after finding a rather nice kimono for Kagome, had headed straight for the local tavern to round up the other men. Miroku might have made mention that he only had eyes for her, but he was still a lecher and Sango had decided long ago to let him keep his wandering ways for the time being.

 

None of them were sure how much time the houshi had left and she figured that if spending his remaining time amongst the living groping young females was how he wanted to spend it, she would let him.

 

The huntress had come to realize that she truly loved Miroku, and believed he loved her, but she knew that neither one of them could, or would, confess their mutual love at such a precarious stage in their lives. Naraku had to be defeated and that was what mattered the most at the moment; that and taking care of Kagome.

 

Upon entering the tavern, Sango had easily found the three sitting at a table in the corner. They all were wearing rather serious faces and, surprisingly, Miroku didn't have a female on his lap; or even the vicinity. As she approached the table, she heard that they were discussing the very things that had just been on her own mind; Naraku's defeat and Kagome's recovery.

 

The three turned to regard her and Miroku nodded to a chair next to him. She smiled softly and took a seat.

 

They had sat there for another hour, leisurely enjoying a drink and discussing the things that were throwing them all together before deciding it was time to head back to Kaede's. They left the tavern and gathered the piles of wood and buckets of water that had been left outside and started back towards the hut of the old miko.

 

Just before reaching it, Miroku stopped and tensed. Sango, knowing the houshi well enough to recognize that stance, also froze and easily slipped into a battle stance, slipping Hiraikotsu off her back. “What is it Miroku? A demon in the village?”

 

Miroku nodded his head but remained still, even as he felt Yusuke and Kuwabara follow suit and tense for action. `I know this aura. It is powerful but, we haven't seen him in over half a year. I wonder if Inuyasha still lives.' “It's Sesshoumaru. He is around Kagome I believe, though I don't sense any malicious intent.”

 

Initially hearing Sesshoumaru's name spoken, Sango was readying herself for a hard battle, but hearing Miroku's words stopped her. She hadn't been blind to the budding `relationship' between the young miko and the Demon Lord and she somehow knew that he wasn't there to harm her friend. Seeing the monk relax his stance and loosen his grip on his Shakujou, she relaxed and smiled.

 

“Shit. Are you sure this guy is ok? I mean, his aura feels even more powerful than Youko's. Are you sure Kagome will be alright?” Yusuke said, feeling the strength of this youkai's aura and already growing concerned for the young miko. He could feel Kuwabara still tense beside him and knew he was thinking the same thing.

 

Miroku let a smile touch his lips as he resumed his walk to the hut, “Of course she will be fine. She and Sesshoumaru have a relationship that we have never really questioned because we have never felt the need to. Kagome may be compassionate and loving almost to a fault, but she isn't stupid. She knows the power he holds and has never feared him. He respects her because of it. And yes, he is powerful and most likely more so than the fox. He is, after all, the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands.”

 

The detectives stood dumbfounded for a minute before they realized they were being left behind. Yusuke, of course, was the first to speak up once again. “He is the Sesshoumaru? Shit! Kagome certainly does make some powerful allies. I didn't know how old he was, but he is definitely known even to us. In our era, he is the ruler of Makai.”

 

Sango and Miroku shared a knowing smile, somehow not surprised in the least by that bit of information. They both knew the power the Demon Lord held and were glad to know that someone with his honor would be the one to rule the demon realm.

 

Deciding to waste no more time, the four sped up their pace to the hut. They were all curious to see what was transpiring between those left at camp. Yusuke knew that Hiei had become fiercely protective of Kagome and Youko was on his way there as well. The detective could already almost picture the reactions the Taiyoukai was sure to receive from his partners. He smirked `This should provide for some good entertainment.'

 

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When Sesshoumaru was no more than ten feet away, Kagome couldn't take it anymore and ran straight for him, throwing herself into his arms. It had been far too long since she had seen him and now, here he was in her greatest time of need. She let a small smile cross her face when she felt his own arm wrap around her in a half hug and buried her face in his chest.

 

It was then that she remembered he still only had one arm and she felt a heavy sort of sorrow and remorse settle on her heart. Not saying a word to the Taiyoukai, she moved one hand down from around his neck and slid it up the empty sleeve of his kimono to come to rest against the stub of his left arm.

 

Sesshoumaru let a small smile touch the corners of his lips when the miko ran to him but tensed for a fraction of a second when she hugged him. She had done so many times in the past and he had learned to expect it. Now, however, he tensed for reasons other than being uncomfortable; this was one thing that Kagome would not have done if she were truly broken by his brother.

 

The Demon Lord did tense when he felt her warm, soft hand touch the remains of his arm. The two had discussed this topic on more than one occasion during the times that they had met after dark, and unknown to her friends, simply to talk. He had been curious of the strangely dressed miko and had questions. Finding she had some of her own, they came to an understanding and met several times to discuss their thoughts.

 

He had told Kagome that his arm would eventually regenerate because he was a youkai. Any other questions on that topic had been quickly rebuffed and she had soon learned it was a very sore spot to him and wasn't to be discussed. Now, feeling her flesh touch the one blemish he had in his pride made his body grow rigid with hidden humiliation. As he opened his mouth to scold the woman for her brash actions against his person, he felt a tingling sense of warmth seep from her hand and spread up his arm and across his chest.

 

Kagome had focused all her attention on Sesshoumaru. She could faintly hear growls of disapproval at the `familiar' handling of the Taiyoukai from the over-protective fox and fire demon behind her, but pushed them from her thoughts. `I owe this to him. I was part of the reason he lost his arm in the first place. It is only right I fix it.' With that as the last thought lingering in her mind, she closed her eyes and focused solely on the power curling deep inside her soul.

 

She grasped a hold of the soft purple light that was housed in her soul and gently began to pull it apart, separating the blue of purification from the pink of healing. Letting the pink surround her, she brought it forth to her fingers and let it soak into the torn flesh below her hand. In her mind, she pictured his arm reforming; the muscles sliding protectively around bone and soft, pale flesh wrapping the appendage. The final touch was the graceful purple stripes that adorned his wrist and the deadly claws at his fingertips.

 

Sometime since Kagome had forcibly put herself in the embrace of the Taiyoukai, the four had returned from the village and were now, along with Hiei, Youko, Kaede and Shippou, standing around the two wearing various emotions of awe and shock on their faces. Even the normally indifferent fire apparition was letting his own sense of awe show on his face; as was Sesshoumaru.

 

Kagome had been so caught up in what she was doing that she was unaware she had an audience. Once her task was finished, she removed her hand from the newly formed arm and made to take a step back and survey her work. However, she had never used her powers in such a way before and was unprepared for the sudden drain on her body. Her steps faltered for a fraction of a second before she was once again wrapped in the embrace of Sesshoumaru.

 

The initial feeling of power from the miko against his chest had at first been unsettling. She was a priestess and although he was aware they had the ability to heal, they could also purify without a thought. He had never known whether or not a miko could heal a youkai, though he had thought it impossible. Such a feat would require iron control over their powers and seeing as how all mikos, with the exception of Kagome, lived their lives to destroy demons, he was sure that such a thing had never even been approached.

 

Soon, he felt that the warming sensation wasn't purifying him and before he had time to voice any concerns or questions, he found himself surrounded by the girls' friends. They all watched in wide-eyes fascination as his arm was slowly pieced back together. Even as they stood, he could feel the warmth of his demon blood flowing through his veins. He smirked when Kagome stepped away and noticed that she had even remembered his stripes. It was then that he saw her become unsteady and reached out for her.

 

A private thank you was what he had been intending on, but as soon as his arms went around Kagome, he lifted her up and crushed her to his chest. She had just given him the one thing that he had longed for without even a thought. She had restored his pride and he thought it only fitting that she get the first embrace he would give with both arms.