Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Changed Miko ❯ The New Kitsune ( Chapter 18 )

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The night had been a long and trying one. After everyone had eaten their fill and what was left had been stored away, the expanded group had begun settling in for sleep. Sango and Miroku had curled up alongside one another in a corner of Kaede's hut with Kirara close by, her twin tails fanned across her nose, and Shippou was snuggled into her soft fur. Yusuke and Kuwabara were in the opposite corner, both in nearly impossible sleeping positions and snoring. Hiei and Youko were out amidst the forest, scouting the surrounding land while Lord Sesshoumaru was sitting against a tree not far from the old miko's hut. He appeared to be sleeping, though his senses were trained on the miko in the hut who was tossing fitfully in her sleep.

 

Kagome had been distraught to know that the façade of being almost normal again hadn't been nearly as effective as she had hoped it would be. Hiei had been able to pick up on her thoughts and had relayed them to her friends. While she should have been furious at such an invasion on her privacy, she no longer had the energy to care. She was far too worn and wrung out to even think of scolding him; besides, it wasn't as if he truly deserved it anyway. She had spent a good portion of the subsequent hour trying to convince her youkai companions that she was better than they thought; only, it hadn't worked. They had easily seen through her deception and had taken it upon themselves to stay around her as a guard detail.

 

Not even two hours earlier, she had fallen sound asleep, her body and mind too exhausted to stay in the world of the living any longer. For the past hour, she had begun dreaming and for three-quarters of the time, she had only been mumbling incoherently and slightly shifting her weight. Now though, now her heart beat had quickened, hammering madly against her ribcage; her breathing had become harsh and labored; small whimpers and moans of pain sounded from her fragile throat and the scent of absolute terror and tears rushed towards the lounging Taiyoukai.

 

In one fluid and graceful movement, Sesshoumaru propelled himself from the ground and made his way towards Kagome. Easily pushing aside the mat that hung in the doorway, the Demon Lord stepped inside the hut and quietly walked towards the sleeping miko. Once there, he knelt down to her side and gingerly touched her forehead. Sweat beaded across her brow and she whimpered again before brokenly speaking a name: Inuyasha.

 

For a fraction of a second, The Lord of the Western Lands was outraged. How could she be dreaming of him after what he had done? Would she spare his life? He hoped not. He didn't deserve to live after the crime he had committed. Another whimper and the scent of tears startled him from his thoughts and Sesshoumaru looked down to see rivers of tears staining Kagome's porcelain cheeks. Even in her sleep she looked so broken and lost and it snapped him back to reality quickly.

 

She was reliving her own personal hell.

 

As if experiencing it once wasn't enough torment.

 

Without a thought to anything else, Sesshoumaru lifted Kagome easily from her sleeping place and turned towards the door, cradling her in his embrace. His tail came up to wrap around her body and she stilled; the scent of insane terror and unending sadness dulled and soon faded. Kagome sighed and snuggled further into the Demon Lords chest.

 

He stood still for a moment, astonished at how well his touch had calmed her. An odd warm feeling spread through his chest at the thought of her trusting him enough to find comfort in his embrace. His arms tightened around her a fraction - thankful more than ever that he had two with which to hold her - and left the hut.

 

No hesitation was present in his step as he strode purposefully back to the tree he had deigned his own and moved like liquid to sit upon the ground. Leaning his strong back against the comforting trunk of the aged tree, Sesshoumaru maneuvered Kagome until she was sitting across his lap with her cheek pressed against his and her head tucked under his chin.

 

His arms constricted around her for a fraction of a second in silent comfort before she sighed softly and melted into him; at which point, he felt gentle warmth blossom from his chest and caress the length of his tall frame in a smooth wave. The Demon Lord wasn't sure what exactly he felt for the tiny miko but he did know that she made him feel calm and she stirred and poked at his heart in the most endearing of ways.

 

She felt like…home.

 

Certainly, his great and terrible father was laughing it up in the afterlife, toasting to his friends with warm sake. Of course, Sesshoumaru could deny it all vehemently. It wasn't as if he loved Kagome or anything…not yet. Don't. Think. That. But she was unbelievably kind and soft hearted and she made him feel and she loved his ward and she was just so different from anyone he had ever met.

 

A hopeless sigh escaped his chiseled lips when his mind drifted to a certain hybrid and one particular kitsune. Oh yes, he knew their intentions for the miko and while he had briefly entertained many such notions, he wasn't too sure he could act on them. Even had he wanted to. But part of him did want to; some small piece of himself wanted to be childish and tell the both of them to forget their intentions with the miko because he had met her first. Had just caring for the insufferably defiant and beautifully stubborn woman made him so petulant?

 

He sighed again and - quite unexpectedly - got the shock of his life. A soft, tiny little hand fisted in the front of his haori and tugged him closer - if that was possible - to an equally soft and tiny body. Once she apparently had him settled where she wanted him, her grip loosened and said appendage inched upward towards his face, only to stop near his cheek and perfectly trace the maroon stripes there in a feather light touch.

 

Was she awake? He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the sudden dizzy spell that had enveloped his brain the moment she touched him in an attempt to define her state of awareness. She. Was. Still. Asleep. Huh. That was…new. Briefly, he thought her more graceful in her sleep than during waking hours.

 

Kagome shifted her weight against him and his amusement abruptly stopped when he caught the soft murmuring of her voice. “Sssh…it's okay…Sesshou-kun. Everything…will be…fine.”

 

He wanted to shake her awake then; ask her how she knew he was upset about anything but he knew he couldn't. She had hardly gotten any sleep at all due to her nightmares and if she could rest peacefully in his arms, then he would not disturb her. A clawed hand reached up and brushed a dark lock of hair from her face and a smile threatened to curl on his lips when she nuzzled against his hand. Kami but she made it hard for him to not want her!

 

All thoughts of the tiny miko were suddenly derailed when a voice shook him from his quiet reverie.

 

“Why is Kagome not sleeping in the hut where I left her?” Hiei questioned the Taiyoukai. He and Youko had just returned to the old miko's hut to check on Kagome after their scouting, only to find her gone. After a momentary bout of panic, they followed her scent outside only to find her snuggled up and sound asleep in the arms of Lord Sesshoumaru. While Hiei fully trusted the Demon Lord with Kagome, for a reason unknown to him, it irked him to see her so content in a place that wasn't with him.

 

It also didn't help that he was faced with the possible necessity of having to share her with Youko and the fact that it was obvious Sesshoumaru cared for her. The attentions of the two male youkai sent his protective - and possessive - instincts into overdrive and he found himself curling his hands into fists at his sides to avoid lashing out and stealing the young miko away from the inu.

 

Sesshoumaru lifted a delicate eyebrow while stating coolly, “She was having nightmares while you two were absent. I felt it best to assure her comfort. She is content here.”

 

Youko stepped up next to his partner and looked down at the woman that was slowly winning his heart wrapped in the arms of the inu youkai. The scene had much the same effect on him as it did on Hiei; however he was also a little relieved. To see Kagome so content in the arms of the demon who was the half-brother of the one who had so wronged her lightened the worry he held in his heart of whether or not she could ever look at him and not see Inuyasha. All three had silver hair and golden eyes but Youko fancied himself closely similar to the Taiyoukai and not even remotely alike to the hanyou.

 

Catching the golden gaze of the Demon Lord, Youko spoke in soft tones. “I believe we will be staying in your tree tonight if you don't mind. Three of us to watch over her doesn't seem like too much as far as I am concerned.” At the slight nod of the demon's regal head, Youko leaped up into the branches and settled himself down.

 

Hiei however wasn't quite done yet. Fixing a hard glare on the Taiyoukai, he said “Do not think that just because she is spending one night in your arms means that you have rights to her.” That said, he joined the kitsune in the boughs of the tree to await the morning.

 

~*~

 

Kagome awoke to feeling incredibly warm and she nuzzled her cheek against the soft fur her head rested upon. Wait…fur? Cracking her eyes open slightly, she realized it was the early hours of the morning, the sun was just creeping over the edge of the horizon, bathing the entire area in soft hues of purple and blue. Turning her eyes back to what was previously defined as fur, her blue orbs widened at seeing a peacefully sleeping Sesshoumaru cradling her against his chest. She had been sleeping on his tail!

 

Shifting her weight in an attempt to extricate herself from his embrace, Kagome felt his arms tighten around her and a soft growl issue forth from his throat. Quirking an eyebrow at the dog demon's odd behavior, Kagome settled back down and lifted her hands to his tail. Seeing that he still appeared to be sleeping, she decided to take advantage of the situation and was soon running her fingers through the silky depths of the furry appendage.

 

While Kagome was completely lost in combing through his tail with her fingers, Sesshoumaru was wide awake, losing himself in the comfort such a simple action brought. Aside from being relaxing, the motion had the rather odd side effect of sending tingling jolts of pleasure straight up his spine. He didn't really know whether to purr in contentment or growl in pleasure so he settled for simply sitting there and enjoying the miko's attentions.

 

The peaceful state he had found himself in was not meant to last however for soon he heard the quiet rustle of leaves and heard the `thump' of two sets of feet landing next to him. The ruckus caused Kagome to jump in his lap and her fingers tangled into the fur of his tail.

 

Kagome looked up from her self-appointed job of finger-combing the silky fur of Sesshoumaru's tail to see two sets of burning gold eyes and one pair of searing red focused solely on her. Blushing to the roots of her raven tresses at being caught playing with the Taiyoukai's tail, she scrambled from his lap to stand. Noticing that the various jewel-colored orbs had only continued their quiet scrutiny of her, Kagome looked at each in turn before looking at herself, assuming she had horrible bed-head.

 

Upon her self-inspection, Kagome easily identified the reason for stares she was receiving when she looked at what she was wearing. How could she have forgotten that she was sleeping in nothing more than her favorite pair of cotton panties - which just so happened to be black - and an over-sized t-shirt? Stormy blue eyes widened in horror and a small squeak escaped her rosy lips before she turned tail and hurried back to the hut as fast as possible, leaving a trio of amused - and aroused - demons in her wake.

 

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After waking Sango and Shippou, Kagome took her best friend and kit along with her for a bath while Miroku, Yusuke and Kuwabara slept. Once they were all refreshed and clothed, the three found themselves back in camp. Sango went to polish her Hiraikotsu, Shippou promptly ran off to play with the village children and Kagome started on breakfast. Soon, the rest of the camp was awake and everyone met around the fire to eat.

 

Kuwabara had volunteered to go to the nearby water source to clean everything that was used for breakfast and no sooner had he returned than a short, green imp burst into the campsite squawking for his `Sesshoumaru-sama'. Said Taiyoukai glared at his retainer before biting out an ice-filled, “Jaken. Why are you here and where is Rin?”

 

“Me Lord!” The retainer squawked as he bowed low, his forehead resting against the ground several feet from his master. Springing from his prostrate position, he grinned widely and pulled what looked like a katana from the folds of his brown robes. “Me Lord! Look what I have! I have found the Tetsusaiga and it is all yours!”

 

A collective gasp left the accumulated group of companions at his proclamation and Kagome's eyes widened. If Jaken had Tetsusaiga…did that mean Inuyasha was dead?

 

“Jaken. Where is Rin?” The Taiyoukai growled, not even concerned with the damnable fang. The fact was that he had long ago quit of his obsession with the blade after finding out how vital it was to his half-brother's sanity.

 

The toad turned from green to sheet white in the span of a breath. “I-I left her…at t-the clearing we w-were camped at.”

 

A horror-filled gasp left Kagome's throat when she eyed the path Jaken had taken to arrive at the village. “Rin.” The single word left her mouth in a whisper before she was darting across the clearing and plunging into the forest. Vaguely, the miko was aware of the pounding footsteps behind her and the rustle of leaves above her that signified Hiei darting through the treetops.

 

She slid to a stop at the edge of the clearing that still held dried puddles of her blood and she shivered before an ear-piercing scream rent the air. Behind her, the rest of her companions stopped; only Sesshoumaru coming to stand directly next to her, though she could feel Youko and Hiei at her back. Never taking her eyes from the scene in front of her, Kagome reached her hand sideways to grasp tightly to the Taiyoukai's hand, a torn whisper of his ward's name leaving his lips.

 

“Hanyou.” He growled as his eyes flashed red with the unwavering emotion of rage. “You will take your hands off of her, lest I remove you of their burden.” He flexed and cracked his fingers, the pale green glow of his Dokkasou readily forming at his claws.

 

Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he took a sidelong glance at who had spoken, the hand wrapped around the child's throat still gripping her tightly and keeping her pinned against a tree. A snarl left his throat at the sight of so many people gathered around him and the jagged purple stripes on his cheeks became even more ragged.

 

Rin had followed after Jaken when he mentioned finding their Lord. He had been missing for over a day and she was anxious to see Kagome. Jaken had taken off running and she had followed until they entered a clearing where Inuyasha still hung from a tree. Jaken had crossed to him quickly and taken his sword from his side before dashing off again. Rin had walked cautiously around the edge of the meadow, uneasy with the fact that one of Kagome's friends was restrained in such a way. She had almost made it out of the area when a dangerous growl sounded behind her and shook fear straight into her bones.

 

Now, she hung limply from the hanyou-turned-demon's grasp, small pinpricks marring the smooth skin of her neck and her beautiful brown eyes watered down with tears. She didn't understand why someone she had thought to be her friend would hurt her and Rin was delighted and oh-so hopeful to see Lord Sesshoumaru and Kagome.

 

The young miko quickly looked around and noticed that there was a large amount of underbrush and shrubbery directly behind her one-time friend and a plan formed in her mind. She knew that if she suddenly turned and walked away, none of her friends would think it odd. They would just assume that being face to face with the one who had so harmed her again was too much for her to handle.

 

All that coming to fruition in her mind, Kagome took several small, slow steps backwards, moving between Youko and Hiei until she was at the back of the group. Seeing their attention still focused on the hanyou and the child, Kagome began inching her way in painstaking slowness around the clearing. Soon, she was exactly at the copse of bushes she had pinpointed earlier.

 

Now, she was terrified. While it had been easy enough to accept Youko because he was so very different from Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru because they had been friends for quite some time, being so close to the hanyou that once held her heart only to nearly destroy her, was almost more than she could bear. But…Rin. Now, the half-demon had the little girl in a very compromising position and Kagome knew that he could easily kill her before anyone else had a chance to stop him.

 

Taking in a deep shuddering breath, Kagome closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to whatever Kami was listening before throwing herself from her hiding place to crash against the arm that held her friends' ward. She heard Rin yelp in pain as she was harshly let go and could just barely see her scramble into her father-figure's embrace before she once more felt Inuyasha's clawed hands wrap around her throat.

 

Before she could blink, she was smashed up against the tree where Rin had previously been held and she whimpered in pain as her head cracked against the sturdy trunk and claws gauged the tender flesh of her neck. Shaking her head to clear away the blotches of black, Kagome took a glance at her friends. Miroku, Sango - with a shaken Rin in her arms -, Yusuke and Kuwabara were staring at her with wide, tear-filled eyes; Youko, Hiei and Sesshoumaru were snarling and growling as their claws lengthened and red bled into their eyes. Shippou wasn't anywhere that she could see.

 

Gasping against the force that threatened to crush her windpipe, Kagome struggled for breath. “I-I'm…sorry…you guys. I…couldn't…let Rin…die.” Tears ran freely in crystalline streams down her cheeks as she accepted her death. The miko knew that she had literally traded places with Rin and although she really didn't want to die yet, she would rather it be her than that sweet little girl.

 

A growl, dark and promising death, bubbled up from the hybrid's throat as his hand closed tightly around the hilt of his katana. “Hanyou,” he spat, his voice laced with venom, “you must have a death wish.” Hiei could feel the dragon writhing with unprecedented malice along the skin of his arm and the wards that wrapped his arm burned and smoked under the assault. The Jagan Eye glowed a violent purple beneath his headband, begging to be released long enough to completely destroy the bastards mind.

 

The answering growl from Inuyasha was abruptly cut off by an entirely new growl; one that no one recognized. Even the hanyou seemed puzzled and the group of shard hunter's quickly scanned the area, always leaving one eye tuned to their miko friend. The growl sounded out again, louder this time, from the very back of the group. Everyone present turned slowly to look at what was lurking behind them only to encounter the faint image of Shippou being engulfed by silver fog.

 

All watched the site in puzzled fascination, all except Youko who had a grin curling his chiseled lips. In a bright flash of light, the fog dissipated and a surge of raw youki flowed outward from where the kit once stood, lapping at the edges of the group's senses. When the smoke finally cleared away to nothing, a kitsune looking much the same as Youko was revealed. The tiny paws had turned to feet; his elvish ears had transformed and how stood proudly atop his head; his auburn hair had lengthened and turned a deep red and the cream colored fluff that was his tail was now the same color as his hair, swishing angrily behind him in its length.

 

Emerald green eyes hardened and cooled as his claws lengthened and the new Shippou snarled and snapped at the hanyou who held the most precious thing in the world to him. Taking long, angry strides, the kitsune was soon standing no more than ten feet from the hanyou and his mother. Apparently Inuyasha had been too surprised, even in his demon form, at the abrupt change of the little runt to realize how close he had gotten.

 

“Give. Her. Back.” Shippou growled, his jaws grinding together as he heard Kagome whimper when the hanyou's claws dug further into her abused flesh.

 

The fox smirked, the action snide and deadly while whispering with quiet menace, “I warned you.”

 

With moves to fast to really comprehend Shippou flew at Inuyasha, his claws raised in an attack, before changing his direction at the last second. Catching the dog by surprise, Shippou wrapped his arms tightly around Kagome's waist and wrenched her free from his shock-slackened grip only to bring her directly to Hiei. Unloading his precious burden into the fire apparition's arms, he spoke quietly “Get her back to the village. The bastard is mine.”

 

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