Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Paradox ❯ Boys, Boys, Boys ( Chapter 12 )

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer:
I don't own either
Inuyasha or YuYu;
Somebody else does.

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Chapter 12: Boys, Boys, Boys

Souta pressed his back against the wall in an attempt to get as far away from Naraku as possible.

"You'd better not do anything to me, or my sister will kill you!"

Naraku chuckled darkly. "I doubt that your sister even notices that you're gone."

Souta glared at him. "What do you mean? Of course she knows I'm gone. She's on her way here right now, so you'd better let me go."

Naraku stepped aside, and for the first time, Souta noticed the little white-haired girl that was standing behind him. She held a round mirror in her hands, and her eyes were completely blank.

"Would you like to see what your sister was doing while I captured you?" Naraku's voice was full of amusement. The little girl held up her mirror, and Souta could see an image of Kagome and a man with long hair kissing in the front seat of a car, parked in front of the shrine. Then, Hiei came and pulled her out of the car and kissed her even more. Souta wrinkled up his nose.

"That's pretty gross, but I'm sure she didn't know I was in trouble," he said confidently. "Besides, you probably made that all up. Hiei would have killed a saimyoushou before it could see anything for you."

Naraku gave him a look full of mock pity. "Oh, she knew, all right. Her little youkai friend knew too. They were just too preoccupied to care. And I made sure to leave a strong trail leading here, so she'd bring me the rest of the jewel. Why do you suppose she hasn't arrived yet?"

Souta was starting to have his doubts. Why wasn't she there yet? Kagome was his sister, his ultra-cool, youkai-ass-kicking sister. She had to come and get him. She just had to.

"I can tell you why she hasn't come," Naraku said. "It's because the Shikon no Tama is more important to her than you are. All this time, she's been planning to use it herself, to make herself more powerful. I thought that perhaps she loved you enough to give that dream up, but I see now that I was mistaken."

Souta wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what Naraku was doing. He's trying to turn me against her, but why? He felt that some of what Naraku said was true, but he was sure that most of it was a lie. But which part? His sister really did love him. Right?

Souta slumped against the wall and sighed in feigned defeat. "Then you might as well let me go, if she's not going to hand over the jewel shards for me."

Naraku gave him a twisted smile. "In time, perhaps. I may have some use for you yet. In the meantime, you will remain as a guest of mine." He turned his back and went back up the stairs, satisfied that he'd planted the first seeds of doubt in the boy's mind. By the time that damned miko found him, Souta's soul would be twisted and dark enough to fully corrupt the completed Shikon no Tama.

Killing people was a nice pasttime, but destroying their souls was so much more fun.

*****************************************

"K-Kouga?"

He certainly had changed since Kagome had last seen him, earlier that morning...or five hundred years ago. His hair was longer, reaching down to his waist now, and he looked a bit older too. There was a wisdom in his eyes that she hadn't seen there before, and a certain hardness too. Of course, there was also the fact that he had traded in those animal skins for a pair of well-fitting jeans, black boots, and a white t-shirt, topped by a black leather jacket.

"Kagome," he said, stepping forward around Inuyasha to clasp her hands, "I'm so sorry. I only just found out that you're still alive, that you were from the future. If only I had known--"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in the first place. We just had to be so careful. More people knowing that I was from the future meant that it was more likely for Naraku to find out. And then when we knew that he had, you were injured, and I didn't want to-- Hey, what happened to your leg?" Kagome stared down at his left leg, which appeared to be intact.

Kouga grinned. "Grew back, of course. Only took about a hundred years. Itched like hell."

"Oh, I'm so glad," Kagome said, her eyes brimming over with tears. "It was all my fault! If I hadn't broken the jewel in the first place--"

"Nah, don't worry about it. Turned out for the best anyway. While my leg was growing back, I had to learn how to lead the pack with my brains instead of my brawn. It was a very useful lesson."

"Thank you for saying that, Kouga, but--"

"Ahem. If you're through with the reunion, maybe we could find out exactly what the mangy wolf and my bastard brother are doing here?" Inuyasha said, glaring at Kagome. She blushed when she realized that they had an audience: all her friends from the Sengoku Jidai, the detectives, Koenma, Botan, the ogre, and Sesshoumaru. She pulled her hands away from Kouga and looked over at Hiei, only to find him glaring at her.

"Still as foolish as I remember, little brother," said Sesshoumaru. "And yet, you manage to surprise me. I thought that it would be obvious why we are here."

Inuyasha stepped forward with his hand on the hilt of the Tessaiga. "Listen up, you sonofa--"

"That is quite enough, thank you very much," interrupted Koenma, narrowing his eyes at the two brothers. "We are all here to work toward one purpose, and that is to defeat Naraku. If you two can't control yourselves enough to end this useless squabbling, at least until the mission is over, then I'm not going to include either of you in the plans. Got it?"

Sesshoumaru nodded, and Inuyasha crossed his arms and said, "Feh!" which everyone took to mean that he'd stop trying to kill his brother for the time being.

"Sesshoumaru is here to witness the signing of your debt papers. He informed Kouga of the recent events concerning Naraku's reappearance, who expressed a desire to take part in the mission," explained Koenma.

"You still want revenge after all these years?" asked Kagome.

Kouga leaned back against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. "Of course. I can't allow Naraku to get away with what he did to my tribe, five years later or five hundred years."

"Oi! Save it for when you've got a private room, you two! In case you've forgotten, I'm about to sign my life away to Reikai because of Kagome's stupid little deal." Inuyasha was fuming. First, his stupid brother was here. Second, he got knocked over the head by the stupid wolf. And to top it all off, Kagome was chatting with him. He'd had enough. Inuyasha wanted to see how she liked it when he stopped protecting her from Kouga's advances.

Koenma cleared his throat. "Actually, I think you'll find the debt more than acceptable." He handed Inuyasha a slip of paper, which the hanyou glanced over quickly.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Probation?"

Koenma nodded. "Your sentence is to check in with Botan once every decade."

"What about living in Kagome's world?"

Koenma sat down at his desk. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. It all depends on you, Inuyasha, and how you handle yourself. I can't very well give you a free pass to Ningenkai without knowing anything about you, but if you prove yourself to be a worthy ally and not a threat to humans, the possibility exists that I will allow you free access across the barrier."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. Not a threat to humans, eh? That meant he couldn't kill that stupid Houjou guy who was always tagging after Kagome. The weakling wasn't good enough for her. I guess she'll have to handle that idiot herself.

Inuyasha scrawled his name on the bottom of the paper and handed it back to Koenma, who showed it to Sesshoumaru.

"Is this to your satisfaction?" Koenma asked.

"Indeed. I will no longer be obligated to end his pathetic life."

A low growl started to rumble in Inuyasha's chest, and Kagome laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't let him get to you," she whispered. "He's just posturing."

Sesshoumaru, of course, could hear this, and he sent her a glare that promised a slow and painful death, which only increased the volume and intensity of Inuyasha's growl.

Koenma sank further into his chair and rubbed his temples. We'll be lucky if they don't all kill each other before we even find Naraku. He cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention back to himself.

"Kagome, I assume that you retrieved the last of the shards?" he asked.

Kagome reached under the neckline of the robes and pulled out the pendant that held the shards. "They're all here, every shard that Naraku doesn't have."

"Good. Yuusuke, what do you have to report?"

"Not much," Yuusuke said grimly. "We've checked and rechecked the stats on the barrier, and we still can't figure out how Naraku got through. It's the same as it was with Kagura. It's like they just appear and disappear without a trace."

Koenma frowned. "We're going to have to figure out a way to track him down." He turned to Kurama, who was standing quietly in the back of the room. "How are Kagome's family?"

"They are safe at Genkai's temple. She increased the protective wards around the grounds, and Kagome's mother and grandfather have settled in."

"What about Buyo? Did they take the cat?" Kagome asked.

Kurama smiled and nodded. "Your cat is safe. Yukina seemed to be particularly fond of him."

Yuusuke elbowed Kurabara, who was predictably drifting off into thoughts of Yukina and cats. "Pay attention."

"What? Hey, I am paying attention!"

Koenma cleared his throat again. "So Naraku has Kagome's brother, but we don't have a clue where they are. The rest of her family is safe for now. The last of the shards have been retrieved. Sesshoumaru's blood obligation has been superseded by Inuyasha's Reikai debt. We have added Kouga to the hunting party. Does that sum everything up?" He looked around the room, and nobody had anything to add. "Very well. Kagome, I'm sure you and your friends could use some rest. Botan will show you to some rooms you can use for the night. Tomorrow morning, we will discuss our strategy for locating Naraku. You're all dismissed."

Sesshoumaru immediately left for his lands in Makai, while Yuusuke and Kurabara went through a portal to Ningenkai.

"I'll show you guys to the rooms," Botan said to Kagome and her friends.

"I'm going to stay here for a minute to talk to Kouga, all right? You guys go ahead," Kagome said. Sango and Inuyasha didn't look too happy about that, but they followed Botan with Miroku and Kirara. Miroku carried Shippou, who had fallen asleep during the meeting. Hiei and Kurama hung back, waiting for Kagome to finish talking to the wolf.

Kagome stepped out into the waiting room, and Kouga strode up to her and clasped her hands.

"Kagome, I was trying to tell you earlier. When you vanished five hundred years ago, I searched for you, but after a few years we gave up hope. My position in the tribe demanded that I take a mate, and since you weren't there..." He trailed off.

"You took another?"

Kouga nodded. "A wolf from the mountains, Ayame. She seemed to be the next best choice, and she was more than willing. If I had known, I would have waited for you, Kagome. You'll always be my first love." He smiled at her. "As much as I'd love to take you as my fourth mate, you deserve to be someone's first."

Fourth mate? Kagome smiled back at him and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Kouga. I hope you're happy with Ayame and the others." I never thought that you'd be the one trying to let me down easy.

"Just promise me you won't end up with dog-shit. He's not good enough for you."

"Inuyasha is a good friend of mine, and I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from calling him names around me," Kagome said sternly. "Besides, Inuyasha and I have agreed we're not going to be together like that."

Kouga grinned. "Good. And any male who thinks he's good enough to be your mate is going to have to get past me first. I'm not just going to let anyone have you."

Kagome mentally groaned. As if I don't have enough overprotective father-types trying to run prospective suitors off. She hoped Houjou would steer clear of her from now on. If he so much as put his arm around her, he'd be lucky to end up with all four limbs intact.

"I've got to get back to the pack and let 'em know what's going on. I'll see you soon, Kagome." He kissed the back of her hand and left through a portal to Makai.

Kagome sighed after he left and looked over at Hiei and Kurama, neither of whom looked too happy. She rolled her eyes. Testosterone.

"Did you guys want to talk about something?" she asked.

"I wanted to see how you're holding up. Hiei is probably waiting for you to give him his clothes back," said Kurama, pointedly ignoring the glare the fire apparition turned on him.

"Oh, I'd forgotten I still had this on," she said. "Thank you again for letting me wear it, Hiei. It was an awfully cold day." She pulled the robes over her head and handed them to Hiei. He started to put them back on, but when he saw her looking wistfully at his bare arms, he changed his mind.

'See something you like, Kagome?'

Kagome blushed. The way he said her name, drawing out each syllable, sent shivers down her spine.

Kurama didn't know what was being said, but the fact that there was a silent conversation going on didn't escape his notice. 'It would seem that Hiei's been busy. A shame.'

Youko sniffed. 'She smells of him, but not that strongly. She's still untouched for the most part. He should have taken advantage of all that time he had alone with her. It's a mistake we won't be making, once she's alone in our company.'

'If Hiei actually likes her, and she returns the sentiment, I'd rather leave her to him,' Kurama, frowning. 'It's not everyday that a girl comes along who's willing to look past the Jagan.'

'And his lack of personality, and the fact that he can't hold a conversation, and his short stature, and his--'

'That's enough, Youko,' Kurama said firmly. 'Hiei is our friend, and I don't want this to come between us.'

'Fine. But we'll be there to pick up the pieces if he ruins it with her, and in the meantime, we can always look, can't we?' Youko asked.

'Indeed,' said Kurama, running his eyes appreciatively over Kagome's body, drinking in the curves that the taijiya outfit displayed so prominently.

Inuyasha walked up just in time to see Kurama appraising Kagome in a way that was more suited to a certain houshi. He frowned.

"Oi, Kagome, I think Sango's waiting up for you. You'd better go to bed."

Kagome yawned. "It has been a long day. I think I'll turn in. Goodnight, Kurama." She walked down the hall in the direction Inuyasha had come from, and Hiei followed silently. Kurama was about to go look for Botan, so he could get a portal back to his apartment when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see the inu-hanyou's disapproving frown.

"I don't like the way you were looking at Kagome," Inuyasha said. "If you know what's good for you, you'll back off, weasel."

'Weasel?' Kurama internally cringed at the cold calmness in Youko's voice, but he was bristling at the insult, too.

"From what I understand, you relinquished any claim on the girl a while ago. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot look at."

Inuyasha growled. "If you think I'm going to turn her over to the first pretty face that comes along, you've got another thing coming."

"I dislike repeating myself," Kurama said with a frown. "You have no say in the matter. Are those ears on top of your head just for show, or is that pathetic brain of yours just too slow to process what I'm saying?"

That was the last straw for Inuyasha. It was the second time in as many days that his intelligence had been insulted, and he'd had enough. Without warning, Inuyasha's fist connected with Kurama's face in a punch that sent the avatar flying into the wall behind him. Kurama recovered quickly with a sidekick that Inuyasha managed to only partially dodge. The hanyou stepped back and winced from the blow to his ribs.

The two circled each other, Inuyasha snarling, Kurama wiping the blood from his nose. Inuyasha made the next move, swiping at Kurama's arm with deadly claws. Kurama jumped back, but not quickly enough: Inuyasha's claws tore through his jacket and left shallow welts on his upper arm. He sighed heavily.

"I know I can't expect you to appreciate the quality of good clothing, but did you have to ruin my best jacket?" He reached into his hair and pulled out a rose. Kurama didn't have claws, but the rose whip was a more than adequate counterattack. With a flick of his wrist, the thorned whip extended in a shallow arc, striking Inuyasha twice before the hanyou managed to dodge.

Inuyasha's fire rat fur protected him from being cut, but that damn whip thing sure did hurt. When the whip lashed out at him for the fourth time, Inuyasha leapt over it and came down with a kick to Kurama's chest that sent him flying back into the chairs behind him with a rather loud crash. Kurama lashed out again, and this time the whip curled around Inuyasha, who snarled as he tried to cut the whip with his claws. But each time he slashed, the whip grew back as quickly as it was cut. Kurama fed his energy into the whip, and it grew, twisting further and further around Inuyasha until he was wrapped up from his neck to his knees.

Inuyasha still had one arm free, though, and in a last-ditch effort, he yanked on the whip. Kurama stumbled forward, and in a flash, Inuyasha had one clawed hand around his neck, holding him a few inches off the floor. The whip around the hanyou squeezed tighter, the thorns digging into his side painfully. Inuyasha's grip on Kurama's throat tightened as well, and soon the avatar and the hanyou both found themselves struggling to breathe.

"What do you two think you're doing?"

Inuyasha and Kurama both turned to see Kagome standing with her hands fisted at her sides, looking like she was going to explode at any minute. Kurama slackened the whip, and Inuyasha released him.

Kurama recovered first. "I apologize, Kagome, we were just--"

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you," Inuyasha interrupted bluntly. Then he shrugged. "He's stronger than I thought. I guess you have my permission to 'date' him."

Kurama looked pleasantly surprised, but Kagome, on the other hand...

"WHAT? You think I need your permission to date someone? Have you lost your mind?" Inuyasha and Kurama both stepped back from the verbal assault. "And you!" Kagome yelled, pointing at Kurama. "You think I'm some sort of prize that you can win, huh?"

"No, I--"

"Men!" Kagome threw her hands up in exasperation and stalked back down the hall.

Kurama looked at Inuyasha just in time to see the sly grin on his face.

'It seems that we underestimated his deviousness,' said Kurama.

'Yes, I think we did.'

Inuyasha rubbed his bruised side, and his grin widened as he followed her back to the room. Kagome was pissed at him now, but it was worth it.

Gods, how he loathed kitsune.

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Kagome couldn't sleep. Stupid insomnia. She tossed and turned on the futon, trying to find a comfortable position, but she couldn't stop thinking about Souta. She felt so guilty, having a soft place to sleep near her friends while her little brother was probably shackled up somewhere.

Finally, she peeked out from under the covers. Miroku and Sango both looked to be sound asleep. Inuyasha was sitting up in a corner with his eyes closed, the Tessaiga propped up in his lap. Hiei was sitting in the window, gazing out over the darkened landscape of Reikai. Kagome rolled on her side, carefully moving Shippou from her stomach onto the futon.

Silently, Kagome slipped out from underneath the covers, adjusting the sleeping yukata as she stood. She padded softly out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Hiei turned his head to watch her go; he'd give her a few moments alone before he followed her. He wasn't completely assured about her safety, even in Reikai; of course, he himself had proven exactly how inadequate Reikai's security was.

Kagome wandered through the empty halls until she came to a wide doorway that led out to a roofless porch. Night enshrouded the lands of the dead in darkness. Kagome sat down on the porch, tucking her knees up against her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and thought about Souta.

Was Naraku feeding him? Was he cold right now? Scared? Angry? Kagome sighed deeply. It hurt to the quick to know that Souta had been practicing the kata she'd taught him when he was captured. She hoped he didn't blame her for this, even as she blamed herself.

"All of this trouble, all of this pain. It's all because of me."

A single tear trickled down her cheek, but she didn't sob. Kagome hugged her knees tighter to her chest in an instinctive effort to protect herself from the pain. The knowledge that she was the cause of so much suffering made her feel more lonely than she'd ever felt before.

She didn't even flinch when she felt the touch of Hiei's hand on her shoulder. Kagome didn't say a word, but she was glad that he'd followed her. After a few moments of silence, she spoke in a whisper so low that human ears could not have heard her.

"How could you stand it, knowing that she was being held and tortured?"

Hiei didn't have to ask who she was talking about. He'd heard Yukina tell her about her ordeal with Tarukane.

'I didn't know it was her until we went to rescue her. She'd come to Ningenkai searching for her brother, and that's when she was captured.'

"How long did it take before you stopped blaming yourself?"

'I still do,' he said truthfully. 'But taking responsibility for her, keeping her safe...that eases the guilt.'

Kagome nodded. "Maybe I can do something like that for Souta. Maybe then he'll forgive me." She absently fingered the pendant at her throat. She'd have to tell Koenma and Sesshoumaru about her 'Plan B' tomorrow, away from the rest of the group. She hoped that it would work, for everyone's sake. Of course, with my recent track record, that's not too likely.

She leaned back against Hiei's legs, and he placed his hand on top of her head. At this proximity, he could feel the Jagan nudging him forward, pushing him closer to the girl. The eye's continued interest in her worried Hiei. He still wasn't sure what it wanted, but at times he could feel it searching her mental barriers on its own, seeking out some weakness that would allow it access. The only time she'd completely opened her mind to him, when she was overcome with the grief of Souta's disappearance, it had taken all of his strength to rein in the Jagan.

But as long as Kagome's mental defenses remained intact, Hiei supposed it wouldn't hurt to give into the eye's desire to be closer to her. He knelt down behind her and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply and reveling in the scent. But after that momentary indulgence, he stood and held his hand out to Kagome.

"You should sleep."

Without a word, Kagome took his hand and allowed him to lead her back to the room. She laid down on the futon and curled herself around Shippou, pulling up the blanket to cover them both. The last thing she saw before she drifted off to sleep was Hiei's eyes glowing in the darkness, a gaze filled with a longing that she found both frightening and exhilarating.

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Early the next morning, after a light breakfast of pastries and tea provided by Botan, everyone was gathered in Koenma's office again. Inuyasha couldn't seem to decide if he should scowl at Sesshoumaru, Kouga, or Kurama, so he settled on alternating between the three. Hiei found it amusing that Kurama had been added to the hanyou's list of People to Glare At. He'd heard the whole scuffle last night and had been impressed with Inuyasha's cunning. Too bad he was fighting the wrong youkai.

Kagome sat in a chair with Shippou in her lap, absently stroking his tail as she waited for the meeting to begin. Yuusuke and Kurabara were the last to arrive, and Koenma stood up, signalling that he was ready to start.

"I suppose we all agree that we're going to have to take preemptive action and hunt for Naraku in Makai. We can't risk him making the first move in Ningenkai, especially since he appears to have the ability to cross the barrier without detection. Now, we have to decide who is going to join the hunting party and how we're going to proceed. If anyone wants to back out, now is the time to do it."

The room was entirely silent. Kagome looked down at Shippou in her lap.

"Shippou, I'd like you to stay behind," she said.

"What? No way! I'm coming with you!"

Kagome sighed and scratched behind his ears. "This isn't going to be like the Sengoku Jidai. Makai is a dangerous place, and I'd never forgive myself if I lost you, too." Shippou started to protest, but Kagome held up her hand. "I want you to go to Genkai's temple and stay with Mama and Grandpa. You'll be safe there, and I'll sleep a whole lot easier knowing that you're there to protect them."

Shippou was conflicted. He knew that Kagome had added that 'protection' part just to appease him, to make him feel like he was doing something important. But that didn't mean that he could refuse the request. Even if it was a ruse, his honor wouldn't allow him to deny her. He lowered his eyes and grasped his tail in his hands, plucking at a few stray hairs.

"I guess so," he said in a voice full of dejection. He looked up at Kagome. "But you have to promise me that you'll come back. You can't leave me all alone."

Kagome smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "I promise I'll come back for you." She hoped it was a promise she could keep.

"Then that's settled," said Koenma. "Our next problem is the risk we're taking by sending two human females into Makai. Even if Sango and Kagome have the protection of the rest of the group, their presence is sure to draw unwanted attention. We have no idea how long this mission will take, and it's possible that they might become separated from the rest of the group."

"Genkai said she had some ideas about that," said Kagome.

Kurama stepped forward and placed a scroll on Koenma's desk. "She gave this to me when I took Kagome's family to the temple," he explained. "She said that the houshi should look it over, that it might help mask the girls' humanity."

Miroku raised an eyebrow and unrolled the scroll, quickly scanning the contents. He chuckled. "This is quite clever. I've never seen anything like it." He pulled a scrap of paper out of his robes and took a brush off of Koenma's desk. Dipping the brush into an inkwell, he painted some characters on the paper, murmuring something under his breath. When he was finished, he straightened and admired his handiwork.

Miroku motioned for Sango to come closer. She gave him a wary look. "You'd better not try anything funny, houshi," she said, but she walked forward to stand in front of him. Miroku moved to stand behind her and pulled down the collar of her kosode, pasting the ofuda to the back of her neck. He then stood back and looked at Inuyasha.

"Well? Notice anything?" he asked. Inuyasha leaned forward and sniffed. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I can't smell her," Inuyasha said. Miroku smiled and looked over at Hiei.

"What about you? What do you sense?" While the houshi didn't know the exact nature of Hiei's powers, he could sense that the youkai had strong telekinetic abilities.

"I can still sense her ki, but it is masked. Lower level youkai wouldn't be able to detect it."

Miroku gave a satisfied smirk. "That's what I hoped. As long as they're not bleeding, most youkai won't be able to tell that they're human."

Yuusuke snorted. "Yeah, but they still don't look anything like youkai," he said. "Have you seen what youkai females look like?"

"I've got that covered!" said Botan, raising her hand. "We'll take care of it this afternoon." Kagome and Sango both felt a twinge of dread at that, especially considering the eagerness in the ferry girl's voice and the glint in her eyes.

"We still have to gather supplies and get some different clothes for the houshi," said Yuusuke. "It's probably not a good idea to wander around Makai dressed like a holy man."

"You can consult with everyone after the meeting and compile a list," said Koenma. "You can go back to Ningenkai and purchase anything we don't have here. And you'll take Shippou to Genkai's while you're there." Yuusuke groaned at that, but the prospect of having access to Reikai's platinum card more than made up for the trouble.

"Now then," said Koenma, "does anyone have any idea where to start looking for Naraku?"

Sesshoumaru, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. "The most recent rumors of the Consumption place it to the north two days ago. My scouts picked up traces of Naraku's shouki in the area."

"Do you have any idea what direction he left in?" asked Koenma.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Again, the coward has covered his trail well."

Koenma frowned. "I guess that's as good a place to start as any. If there's nothing else, then we can get started on--"

"Koenma-sama?" Kagome interrupted. "I'd like to speak with you and Sesshoumaru-sama alone, please." There were more than a few raised eyebrows at that request.

"What the hell for, wench?" asked Inuyasha. His right eye was starting to twitch.

"There's something I have to speak with them about, and I can't have anyone else listening in. Please, just trust me."

Inuyasha growled. "I don't think I'm the one who has a problem with trust."

"I'm sorry. I do trust you, but you can't hear this. Nobody can. It's important that as few people know about this as possible," she said.

Inuyasha folded his arms and clenched his teeth together. "I'm not moving."

"Very well, then, little brother," said Sesshoumaru. He motioned toward the door, and Koenma walked out into the waiting room. Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome by the shirt collar and hauled her out through the door before Inuyasha could protest. The door slammed shut, and no amount of pounding on Inuyasha's part could get it to open.

When Kagome's private meeting with Sesshoumaru and Koenma was over, the Reikai prince opened the door to his office to find a sulking hanyou on the other side.

"You finished with your little talk?" asked Inuyasha sarcastically. Truth be told, none of Kagome's friends liked the fact that she appeared to be planning things behind her back, but Inuyasha was the only one who felt truly betrayed.

Before Kagome could retort, Sango grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall, stopping when she felt she was far enough away for no one to hear her.

"Sango? What's the matter?" asked Kagome.

Sango blushed. "How long are we going to be in Makai?" she whispered.

"To be honest, I have no idea. It could be weeks, if we don't find Naraku and he doesn't come after us."

Sango's blush deepened. "Ah, remember what Miroku said about the ofuda not working if we're bleeding?" Kagome nodded. "Well, you see, in a couple of weeks..." She trailed off, knowing that Kagome would pick up on what she was hinting at.

"Oh? Oh! That would be a problem," Kagome said. She thought about it for a bit, and then she snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Botan, could you please come over here?" she shouted.

Botan walked up to them. "What's up?"

"Botan, is there any way we can get a prescription for something, without going through a doctor?" Kagome asked.

Botan nodded and grinned. "Of course. I work in a bureaucracy. Forgery is a way of life around here, so a doctor's prescription shouldn't be a problem. What do you need?"

Kagome leaned forward and whispered, "Sango and I will need prescriptions for birth control pills."

"BIRTH CONTR--" Kagome clamped a hand over Botan's mouth.

"Shh! It's just to keep us from having our periods while we're in Makai!"

"Pills? You want us to take medicine?" asked Sango.

"A friend of mine uses them that way. If you skip the placebos at the end of the month and go straight to the next pack, you won't have your period." Sango had no idea what she was talking about, but she nodded anyway. "I figure we'll need to take five or six packs each, just in case."

Botan handed Kagome a slip of paper and a pen. "Write down exactly what you want, and I'll get someone on it." She grinned. "Looks like Yuusuke's going to have an interesting visit to the pharmacy."

Kagome wrote down the name of the brand her friend used and asked for twelve packs. When the three girls walked back into the waiting room, Inuyasha was scowling at Kagome again.

"More secrets?" he sneered.

"Nothing you need to worry about," said Kagome. She started to walk back down the hall toward the room they'd slept in, but Inuyasha grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. Hiei felt a low growl start to rumble in his chest, but he quickly pushed it down.

"I think I'll be the judge of that," Inuyasha snapped. "You've kept enough secrets from us lately. First that Hiei business, and then Sesshoumaru, and now you're plotting with Sango and Botan! Out with it, wench!" His voice rose to a shout, and Kagome twisted out of his grip and put her hands on her hips.

"Fine!" she yelled. "You really want to know what Sango and I were talking about? We were discussing our monthly menstrual cycles! Happy now?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he took a step back. Then Kagome seemed to finally notice that everyone else was still in the room, and she scowled and spun on her heel, stalking back down the hallway.

"Come on, Sango," she yelled over her shoulder. "Let's put together a list of what we need. That is, unless Inuyasha wants to supervise that, too!"

Sango shook herself out of her shock and trotted down the hall after Kagome. The guys watched them until Kagome slammed the door behind her, and then Yuusuke and Kouga burst out laughing.

"You really did it that time, dog-breath," said Shippou, shaking his head disapprovingly. Inuyasha just flattened his ears to his head and slunk off in the opposite direction from Kagome.

*****************************************

"Goodness, Kagome, what's come over you?" asked Sango, once they were alone in the room.

Kagome sighed heavily and sat down on a futon. "I don't know. I thought that my relationship with Inuyasha had improved after we agreed to just be friends, but now it seems like all we do is fight."

"Well, he is used to being the leader of the group. It seems like you've been doing all the planning lately, and you're leaving him out of it. Maybe that's what's bothering him."

Kagome frowned. "I wish he would just trust me. I'm not the same little girl I was when I fell down the well for the first time. Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Do you think it was a mistake to ally ourselves with Reikai, and Sesshoumaru and Kouga?"

Sango sat down next to Kagome on the futon. "You've gathered the strongest allies we could hope for. We don't know anything about Makai, and without someone to guide us, we'd have no chance to find and defeat Naraku. I was angry with you at first, when I learned that you'd brought Hiei through the well without telling anyone, but if you hadn't done that, who knows whether we would have trusted them enough to let them join us?"

Kagome nodded. "If I hadn't known Hiei, and seen that he knew Yuusuke and Kurama, I probably would have let Inuyasha blast his way out of the dojo that night. I would have missed Kagura's visit, and we still might not know that Naraku is here in the future."

"But why did you want to talk to Sesshoumaru and Koenma without us? I think that's what really got under Inuyasha's skin. You're plotting something with his brother."

"I've got a backup plan, but it's something I really can't tell anyone else. It's not that I don't trust you guys, it's just that it's...complicated. What I'm going to do is dangerous, and it will be a whole lot simpler if nobody knows what it is."

Sango frowned. "Did Sesshoumaru and Koenma approve of your plan?"

"Yeah. They were actually pretty impressed."

"I'll trust Sesshoumaru's opinion. I don't trust him, but his opinion on battle tactics... He hasn't survived for hundreds of years and ascended to the rank of a Lord without learning a lot about war. If he says it's a good plan, then I'm sure it is."

"I wish Inuyasha would trust me, too," Kagome said with a sigh.

"Maybe you should try to explain it to him like you did with me."

"I'd try, but it seems like every time I talk to him lately, he gets all defensive and snappy."

"Maybe you should try talking to him alone," suggested Sango. "When other people are around, it's too easy for his pride to get hurt."

"That's probably a good idea. He is easier to deal with when he's not posturing for an audience. I'll give it a shot later today. Now, we need to decide what to bring with us to Reikai."

"We'll need plenty of bandages and one of your first aid kits," said Sango. Kagome nodded.

"I'm sure that will come in handy. Knives, food, cooking supplies... That's all stuff I'm sure that the guys have thought of. What about clothes?" asked Kagome.

"If Makai is as dangerous as they say it is, I'm probably going to wear my armor at all times."

Kagome tapped her chin with her finger. "That's a good idea, but wouldn't we draw a lot of attention walking around dressed like taijiya?"

"Yes, the wrong kind of attention, too. I guess we can wear something over the armor," suggested Sango.

Kagome nodded. "If Makai seasons are the same as they are in Ningenkai, it'll probably be cool enough that we won't overheat."

Sango shrugged. "I'll probably just wear this over my armor," she said, indicating the kusode and mo-bakama that she used for daily wear.

"I'll ask Yuusuke to pick up a yukata for me," said Kagome. "That'll be easy enough for me to slip out of quickly if we're attacked. Can you think of anything else we'll need, besides the usual camping supplies?"

"Other than those pills you were talking about, no. We should probably go talk to the guys now," said Sango.

Sesshoumaru and Kouga had already left to prepare back in Makai, and Botan and Koenma were in Koenma's office, but the guys were still in the waiting room, making a list of what they needed.

"Don't forget to take some pocky," Shippou was saying when Kagome and Sango walked in.

Yuusuke looked up from the list he was making. "You girls have anything to add to this?" he asked. Kagome took the list from him and looked it over.

"It looks like you've got all the basics covered. You need to add shampoo and soap, though. I'll also need you to buy me a yukata to cover my taijiya uniform," said Kagome. "And I believe Botan will be giving you a prescription to get filled at the pharmacy," she added with a wicked grin.

"Why?" asked Yuusuke. "You sick or something?"

Kagome just laughed. "You'll see."

The door to Koenma's office opened, and Botan walked out. She handed a slip of paper to Kagome. "Does that look okay?" she asked. Kagome looked over the prescription and nodded, handing it to Yuusuke.

"Ortho Tri-Cyclen?" he asked, frowning. "What's that?"

Botan giggled. "It's--"

"Oh, he'll find out soon enough," Kagome said.

Yuusuke grumbled something under his breath about scheming women and pocketed the prescription sheet. "If there's nothing else to add, I'd better get going. I'll be lucky to get all this stuff before nightfall. You coming, Shippou?"

Shippou launched himself into Kagome's arms. "I'll miss you, Kagome," he said. Kagome ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.

"I'll miss you too, sweetie, but when this is all over, you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together, just playing, and we won't ever have to worry about the jewel or Naraku again."

"Playing? Just you and me? You promise?" Shippou asked eagerly.

Kagome laughed. "I promise. Make sure you keep an eye on my family for me, okay? And watch out for Grandpa's ofuda. They're not powerful enough to hurt even Myouga, but they'll stick to your hair."

"I'll protect them," said Shippou. "You can count on me!"

Kagome gave the kit one last hug. "I love you, Shippou."

"I love you too, Kagome," whispered Shippou. Fighting back the tears in her eyes, Kagome handed the Shippou to Yuusuke, and the kit quickly scrambled onto his shoulders. Botan opened a portal to Ningenkai, and Shippou turned to sadly wave at Kagome as Yuusuke stepped through and disappeared from sight.

Kagome took a deep breath and straightened herself. She looked over at Inuyasha, who had his arms folded over his chest and was avoiding her gaze.

"Inuyasha, I'd like to speak with you alone, please," Kagome said. Without waiting for his reply, she turned around and walked down the hallway to the porch that she'd found the night before. Inuyasha debated whether to follow her for a moment, but curiosity got the best of him.

She was standing off to the side of the porch with her hands clasped behind her back, facing away from the doorway, when Inuyasha found her. "I've been doing some thinking lately, and I don't want us to fight anymore," she said.

Inuyasha huffed. "If you would quit hiding things from me and making stupid decisions without asking me first, there wouldn't be anything to fight about."

"I know you're used to being the leader, Inuyasha, but I'm not a little girl anymore. Can't you see that?"

"How am I supposed to trust you if you keep plotting behind my back?"

Kagome sighed. "I'm really sorry about that, but you've got to trust me. What I discussed with Koenma and Sesshoumaru was a back-up plan that I hope I won't have to use, but it's something I had to plan for."

"If that's all it is, why can't you tell me? And why did you have to tell Sesshoumaru?"

"I told Sesshoumaru because the plan involves him. It hinges around his cooperation, so he had to know about it. And I can't tell you because if I do, you'll try to stop me."

"Then I was right! It is a stupid plan!" said Inuyasha smugly.

Kagome shook her head sadly. "No, it's not. Koenma and Sesshoumaru both said it was a great plan. But it's risky, and that's why I'm not telling anyone else about it. I don't want anyone to try and stop me from doing what I have to do."

"But that's crazy, Kagome! Why should you risk yourself? Why won't you let us help you?" Inuyasha's voice was raised, but Kagome could hear the pain behind his words.

"I have to take responsibility for the jewel. Naraku is as powerful as he is because of me. It's time I stepped up and took my role as protector of the jewel seriously. I thought that you, of all people, would understand that sometimes, honor and duty call for self-sacrifice." She turned around to look at him, and Inuyasha could see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Inuyasha didn't miss the veiled meaning of her words. Kikyo...my promise to her means that I'll follow her into hell. He suddenly wondered just how closely her life was going to parallel his own. "Wait a minute. Do you mean that your back-up plan will kill you?"

Kagome shrugged. "It's risky, so it could. But not necessarily. I don't have to die in order for my plan to work."

Inuyasha chewed on his lower lip. She's serious about this. I haven't been happy about her decisions, but she hasn't steered us wrong yet. She's my best friend. I don't have to like it, but...

"I'll trust you, Kagome. But I'm going to be one step behind you the whole way, and the minute something goes wrong, I'm pulling you out of danger," he said firmly.

Kagome smiled. "I didn't expect anything else from you, Inuyasha." She stepped forward and gave him a heartfelt hug, and Inuyasha rested a hand on her head, gently stroking her hair. She stepped back and looked up at him.

"I'm glad we had this talk. I'm sorry we fought so much about this," she said.

"Feh. Let's go back inside and find something to eat. I'm starving."

Inuyasha followed his nose to a large room, where everyone else had already gathered around a table stacked high with pizza boxes. Sango was picking sun dried tomatoes off of hers, while Miroku munched thoughtfully on a slice with extra cheese.

Sango quickly looked up when Kagome walked in. Kagome gave her a smile, and Sango looked relieved. Kagome picked up a slice of pizza and sat down next to Hiei.

"Have I missed anything important?" she asked.

Hiei snorted. 'Just the idiots fighting over who got the last slice of something called "double-pepperoni."' Kagome giggled.

'Sorry I kind of skipped out on everyone. I had to talk to Inuyasha. We've been fighting a lot lately,' she confided.

'And did your talk clear things up?' Kagome thought she could hear a hint of jealousy in his words.

'I think so. He's still mad at me for planning things behind his back, but he says he trusts me.'

'Ch.'

Kagome finished the rest of her pizza in silence. Afterwards, she announced that she was going to take a nap, and everyone else went outside for some training. Two hours later, Kagome awoke refreshed and wandered out into the hall to find the rest of the group.

Yuusuke had just come back from Ningenkai, making three trips to bring all of the supplies through the portal. Kagome walked into the waiting room outside Koenma's office just in time to see him dump the last of the bags on the floor.

"That's the last time I play errand boy," Yuusuke said. "Aren't I supposed to be the leader here?" Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Surely you wouldn't trust the two thieves on your team with a credit card with no spending limit," said Kurama, "so Hiei and I couldn't go."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. And Kurabara is too stupid to follow a list," Yuusuke grumbled.

"Hey! I am not stupid!"

Yuusuke ignored Kurabara and tossed a small paper bag across the room to Kagome. He smirked at her. "There's your girly prescription. You must have something interesting planned for the trip."

Kagome blushed, but she quickly recovered. "Unless you want an extended lecture on the specifics of the human female reproductive cycle, I'd suggest you refrain from making any further snide remarks." She giggled at herself. I've been spending way too much time with Hiei and Kurama.

Yuusuke blanched. "Uh, never mind. I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent explanation that I really don't want to hear." He tossed her a larger bag, and Kagome reached inside and pulled out a beautiful dark green yukata with a simple pattern of bare tree branches in black. She gasped.

"Yuusuke, this is beautiful!" She slipped it on over her taijiya clothes and pulled it closed, admiring how well it fit her.

Yuusuke rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I picked out the one that looked like it would be the best camouflage," he said. "Wasn't really going for 'beautiful.'"

"Thank you anyway, Yuusuke. It's perfect!"

Botan walked in. "Yuusuke, did you get everything on the extra list I gave you?" she asked.

Yuusuke searched through the bags and picked up a large paper sack. "Here you are." He grinned wickedly at Kagome and Sango. "I can't wait to see how it turns out."

Botan grabbed the girls by the hand and dragged them down the hallway. "Come on! We've got a lot of work to do!" Sango and Kagome exchanged horrified looks. What on earth was the ferry girl planning?

*****************************************

Two hours later, Kagome and Sango stormed back into the room with Botan hot on their heels.

"But I'm not finished!" cried Botan. She was waving a couple of small plastic bottles at the girls.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll back off," Sango snarled, hefting the Hiraikotsu protectively in front of her. Miroku couldn't help but admire the way her amber eyes flashed in anger at--

Wait a minute...amber eyes?

Since Sango was protecting herself a little too carefully, Botan turned pleading eyes on Kagome. "Pretty please?"

"Absolutely not," Kagome said firmly. "We've fought plenty of youkai with black hair. There's no reason for us to go through this."

Botan looked positively devastated. "But...but you'd look so darned cute with purple hair!"

Kagome tried to duck behind Yuusuke, but he sidestepped her with an amused grin. Botan lunged for her with the bottle of hair coloring, but Kagome squealed and grabbed Hiei's arm, pulling him in front of her.

Botan stopped short with two pairs of crimson eyes glaring back at her. "Aw, Kagome, you're no fun!"

Kagome gave a derisive snort. "You've been playing way too many video games. All those characters with funny-colored hair."

Inuyasha coughed, cutting Botan's protest short. "Um...Kagome? Are your eyes red?"

Botan beamed proudly. "Aren't they great?"

"Indeed they are," said Miroku, gazing so intently at Sango's eyes that she blushed furiously. "Tell me, how did you do this?"

"Oh, the eye color isn't permanent. They're extended-wear colored contacts, little pieces of plastic that change your eye color. I had Yuusuke pick up a half-dozen pair for each of them, just in case they lose some during a battle or something."

Kurama's eyes twinkled mischevously as he looked over at Hiei and Kagome, now with coordinating eyes. Hiei could hear Youko clucking his tongue. 'You two look positively incestuous.'

'Fuck you.'

"I still don't see why this was necessary," said Sango.

"We're trying to pass you two off as youkai to the casual observer, right? How many youkai have you come across who have brown eyes?"

Sango huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "This is stupid."

Miroku stepped forward and took Sango's hand. "Sango, you are beautiful no matter what color your eyes are. As a matter of fact, I'd still be honored if you'd agree to bear my--" Stopping short, Miroku blinked and looked down at Sango's hand. "Are those claws?"

Sango jerked her hands back and glared at Botan. "She made us put on fake nails, too."

"If we're finished showing off your handiwork, I'm going to go work on my archery before dinner," said Kagome. She left Sango to deal with Miroku's wandering hands and went back to the bedroom to retrieve her bow and arrows.

A piece of wood leaned up against the wall of the Reikai palace served as a makeshift target, and Kagome poured all of her frustration into shooting off hamaya as fast as she could draw the arrows from her quiver. In less than two minutes, she was out of arrows. She went to pull them out of the wood, and when she turned back around, she saw Hiei leaning against one of the pillars.

'You are unhappy with your appearance,' he observed.

Kagome sighed and rubbed her forehead. "It just feels so silly, like we're playing dress-up. We're supposed to be hunting down Naraku and rescuing Souta, but instead we're wasting time doing my nails and changing my eye color."

Hiei shrugged. 'A few hours will not make much of a difference. We do not even know Naraku's location.'

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Kagome snapped.

Hiei's eyes flashed dangerously. 'If you're looking for someone to coddle you and tell you everything will be all right, you should look elsewhere. I am certain the wolf or the hanyou would be happy to give you that kind of comfort.'

Kagome was confused. He didn't seem to have a problem comforting me in the past, she thought bitterly. She scowled at him. "Men! Gods help me, Hiei, but if I didn't like you, you'd find out just how dangerous it is to mess with a miko with hamaya in her hands!" She turned around and started back toward the palace, but Hiei grabbed her by the arm and turned her back around.

'You still smell of the hanyou,' he said accusingly, tightening his grip on both arms.

Kagome's brow wrinkled in confusion. "That's why you're mad? Because I gave Inuyasha a hug? I hug all of my friends!"

Hiei grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of her neck and pulled her into a short but bruising kiss. 'And that? Do you do that with your friends, too?'

"Of course not!" Kagome shouted. "You know better than that! Gods, Hiei, what do you want from me?"

He pushed her up against a pillar and pinned her there with a hand on each side of her head. 'You will refrain from being physically affectionate with the other males,' he said firmly.

"Who do you think you are, telling me I can't hug my friends?" Kagome asked, glaring at him. "You think that just because you've kissed me, you can tell me what to do?"

Hiei pushed himself against her, and Kagome gasped when she felt something hard pressing at her hip through the layers of fabric. When Hiei spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. 'I told you, miko. You don't know what you do to me.'

Kagome felt a shiver run down her spine. She'd started to think of him as just another boy, after all the kissing business started. But the deadly gleam in his crimson eyes, the growl she could feel in his chest, the white headband on his forehead covering the third eye... No, Hiei was so much more than just another boy. He was youkai, powerful and perilous, and what she was doing with him was probably awakening gods-only-knew what kind of instincts. She was playing with fire, and it was thrilling.

She reached up and traced her finger lightly down his cheek. "No, Hiei," she whispered, "I think I know exactly what I do to you."

Hiei was surprised at her response and was sorely tempted to take advantage of it then and there, but he could sense the hanyou coming nearer. So he dropped his hands to her waist and leaned forward to kiss her fiercely on the lips, pushing her back against the pillar in a display that would show the hanyou exactly what Hiei's intentions with the miko were.

By the time Inuyasha wandered onto the scene, Hiei was growling and nipping at Kagome's neck, while she whimpered and clutched at his shoulders.

In short, Inuyasha had the shock of his life.

His jaw dropped, and he stared in wide-eyed amazement at the scene before him. It took a while for his brain to process it. His sweet and innocent Kagome, on whom he'd given up any claim because he didn't think himself good enough for her, was panting and moaning in the embrace of the short, antisocial youkai. He turned away and coughed. Gods...at least they're fully clothed.

Kagome pushed away from Hiei when she realized they were no longer alone. Over Hiei's shoulder, she could see Inuyasha standing with his back turned to them.

"If you're finished with whatever it is you're doing, you might want to come in. Dinner's ready," Inuyasha said quietly.

Kagome blushed and gave Hiei an apologetic smile before she picked up her bow and quiver and trotted after Inuyasha, back into the palace. Satisfied that the hanyou now knew where Kagome's affections lay, Hiei followed her inside. Now he just had to get the wolf to back off.

*****************************************

In Makai...

Souta was only half-conscious when the sound of footsteps registered in his ears. He made up his mind not to bother looking up, but when the smell of hot food reached his nose, his hunger took over, and he lifted his eyes to see Naraku holding a bowl out to him.

"I did not realize that you weren't being fed properly," said Naraku. "Accept my sincere apologies."

Souta regarded the hanyou warily. He didn't trust him, not for a moment, but he took the bowl and lifted it to his lips. Vegetable soup? Despite his misgivings, Souta slurped it up greedily, savoring every last drop of the broth. When he was finished, Naraku took the bowl back from him.

"I will see to it that you receive regular meals from now on. After all, you will be my guest for some time, and we can't have you withering away."

Souta glared at him. "Don't count on it. My sister will be here any minute, you just wait and see!"

"You'll forgive me if I have my doubts. As I said before, your sister's only interest lies in completing the jewel for her own selfish gains. Besides, any so-called rescue attempt on her part would put you in danger. Is that what you really want?"

Souta tried to quash the rising uncertainty that Naraku's words instilled in him. My sister does love me. She will rescue me, he told himself firmly. But what would happen when she finally arrived? Souta shuddered. He wouldn't put it past Naraku to use him as a human shield.

Naraku tossed the boy a blanket. "You should get some sleep. If you like, perhaps tomorrow I will allow you a short walk in the gardens." Without waiting for a reply, Naraku turned his back and left the boy to his confusion.

Naraku smirked as he climbed up the stairs. He had covered his trail well, and after five hundred years, he was nothing if not patient. He knew that the miko would be hunting him soon, but the longer it took her to find him, the more complete his corruption of the boy's soul would be. He had already planted doubts in the boy's mind.

No, it would not take long for the boy to turn against his sister, and then the girl would be powerless to stop him.

A cold smile graced Naraku's lips. He could only imagine what she would be willing to do to gain her brother's freedom.

Edited 17 May 2005