Author Note: Thank you very much to kimbop for her critiques on this chapter! She helped correct my comma problem, one comma, at a time, cool right? She did a great job. Thank you again!
Kagome may seem too powerful. I promise she's not! Sesshoumaru may seem too weak, I promise he's not! There's some information you'll get later which will clear this up.
Warnings: There are probably going to be spoilers in relation to the anime/movies. I don't keep up with the manga but I've seen all of the anime and all the movies. "My"characters will not suddenly fall in love. It will develop, I hope. That said, this will be a Kagome and Sesshoumaru pairing focus. Don't like it? Give it a change or don't read it. Currently there is mild cursing and little if no sexual situations. Later, it may get worse but it won't reach lemon levels.
Disclaimer: Original characters by !Rumiko Takahashi. This is the only disclaimer you're getting so keep it in mind.
!Worship
Comments, Critiques, Suggestions are all welcome!
Please and Thank You.
Enjoy! (Hopefully!)
Chapter 1 – Problems at the Well
A young woman bustled about a home early in the morning, seemingly gathering whatever she found and stuffing it in a huge yellow pack. She made stops in the bathroom and stops in a room which one could only presume was hers, but where she focused most of her pillaging efforts was the kitchen. She spent a short period of time robbing gloriously full cabinets of their contents, only to leave them barren. The intruder smirked silently to herself as she packed away the the rewards from the bountiful search.
'It's so quiet. I wonder why Mama isn't up yet. Usually she makes me breakfast when I come home from the Feudal Era... Hmn. She probably didn't hear me come in last night. It was pretty late. I'll let her sleep in.'
Kagome nodded silently at her decision and proceeded to survey her house one last time, searching for anything she meant to take back to the Feudal Era. She hated forgetting things. It was always so simple to return to the Feudal Era-- Inuyasha never stood in her way when she was coming back, but returning to the present day... Well, that was another story. Whenever she brought up the idea of going home for awhile, Inuyasha was quick to put up a fight to prevent her from jumping back into the well, even if it was just to grab something she forgot.
'Another one of his disorders,' Kagome snorted to herself.
'He's so overprotective. My mother isn't even half as bad as he is. I can't really blame him though, he's had a tough life… I'll just have to sit his disorders out of him.' She couldn't help but smirk at that mental image of last weeks Sitting lesson for calling her a 'Bitch'- Inuyasha dazedly sticking his claw out of a 5 foot hanyou shaped hole in the ground, grass stick out of various crevices. 'Serves him right.'
'I've gotta go before Inuyasha comes to get me.'
Kagome let her lashes fall, 'Inuyasha...' How would have things been if they had their relationship in the present day? Wouldn't things be easier? A girl could dream, right?
Kagome stopped herself from her dazed thoughts and sucked in some sweet morning air, resolving that it was time to go. Using her newly revived determination, Kagome went through a checklist of what she wanted to bring back to the Feudal Era, while squatting down to get her massive, yellow, and waaaaay overpacked bag.
'I can see it now. "Young girl found dead beneath massive yellow blob." What a way to go!'
She chuckled silently at her private joke, slid the yellow straps over her shoulders, and prayed for the strength to carry the bag to the well and actually survive the trip. She headed for the front door, trying to be as quiet as possible. She knew the terrible tragedy of having her sleep disrupted all too well and she would never wish that upon her family. No way in hell she'd be the one to ruin somebody's perfect dream wonderland.
Kagome made it to the well house with a short bit of huffing and puffing. With eager hands she flung open the doors and eyed the oh-so-familiar well. She crept down the creaky old stairs and slid over the edge of the well as best she could with the massive 'blob' on her back, and flung herself down into the well. Her heart skipped a beat, as a blue light slowly devoured her form.
Kagome landed in the dirt and was somewhat glad to be inhaling the fresh feudal air again, well, at least this fresh patch of air.
'No sign of Inuyasha.. Hmn. I wonder what he's up to.'
There was no way she'd make it out of the well with that kind of luggage by herself. No. Way. In. Hell. She would have to return with Inuyasha later to get her obnoxious pack out of the well. Kagome let her bag fall off her shoulders and relaxed a minute, procrastinating and hoping for Inuyasha to come make this easier. With a heaved sigh, Kagome gave up hope. She knew how to take care of herself! She's a 21st century woman! With that, she grabbed onto the sturdiest vine and began her climb.
As she neared the top, the clash of metal began filling the air and it was getting louder and louder the higher she climbed. Why had she not heard this before? Were her thoughts to focused on Inuyasha? 'Inuyasha!' Fearing the worst, she quickened her climbing pace. When she neared the opening, Kagome braced herself for a moment and tried to prepare herself for the battle that was obviously occurring dangerously close. She swallowed her nerves, she couldn't hold onto those vines forever. Kagome quietly slid her nervous palms onto the edge of the wooden well, getting two nasty splinters in the process. Raising her head cautiously, so as to not get it chopped off, she peered over the edge of the well.
Not too far off, she discovered a tall white form, standing between her and Inuyasha. She quickly tried to figure out who this problem was. She quickly took in the person's clothing. 'I've seen that before… Sesshoumaru!' Farther away, Inuyasha fell to his knees, Tetsuaiga still in his grip. The blood on the ground confirmed that he had been badly wounded, but she wasn't sure where... It had been spread in such vast amounts, Kagome couldn't tell where the source or sources were. Her eyes widened and glazed with worry.
"I grow tired of you, hanyou." Sesshoumaru said staring down at his half-brother in his typical, 'you-do-not-interest-me' voice. Sesshoumaru raised his chin upwards to exaggerate his lovely arrogance. Still focusing on his target, Sesshoumaru let a tiny lethal grin appear and he readied his sword.
"Sesshoumaru… You bastard!" Inuyasha shouted with a hint of hatred then mumbled an unpleasant, "Shit."
"Do not speak in such a way to this Sesshoumaru. You have lived a long enough life, hanyou."
Sesshoumaru ran towards the weak hanyou with Toukijin ready to slash away his brother.
Meanwhile, Kagome had climbed out of the well. Kagome's eyes widened as Inuyasha struggled to move and the brothers' final words were exchanged. She didn't know why this battle in particular felt so deadly, but she could feel the hatred seething from Sesshoumaru's voice. It really seemed like it was the battle to end all battles this time. 'Sesshoumaru is really going to kill him this time! NO! I won't let you kill him! Inuyasha! Inu-ya-shhaa!' Blue light appeared between her fingers and a bow formed in her grasp. She glared at her target intently and reached for her newly formed pack of arrows, unaware of how powerful they were.
Sesshoumaru paused as he realized a new, strong presence. His mind quickly processed the new threat he sensed, 'It's coming from the well.' His eyes darted over his shoulder to the well just in time to see a blue arrow flying towards him. He effectively dodged the first arrow and was almost scratched by a second arrow, as it whizzed by his shoulder.
Sesshoumaru snarled at the woman, his demon had not liked the close call and it especially did not like this miko's aura. His fury halted, as a searing warm pain crept through his shoulder. 'This Sesshoumaru does not remember this miko's arrows to be this strong as to harm without hitting.' Sesshoumaru glaringly returned his attention to his attacker, finally taking time to assess the new enemy. He nearly gasped when he realized his new enemy was Inuyasha's wench. The inappropriately dressed human stood hollowly, glowing with a blue miko aura. Her eyes a bitter hollow grey, her face nearly as expressionless as his own. She slowly notched another arrow and pulled back on the bow string. 'Interesting.'
This time, he was aware of the miko's arrow and easily dodge the troublesome arrow. He, however, was not prepared for a certain 'worthless hanyou' to jump at him, Tetsusaiga arched above his head, ready to split Sesshoumaru in two. The situation was not looking bright for the now outnumbered taiyouki. With practiced killer's grace, Sesshoumaru saved himself from Inuyasha's murderous slice with an elegant sidestep to the right. Sesshoumaru offered a small victorious, murderous smirk to the poor hanyou's mistake; Inuyasha was totally open! 'Pathetic!'
Splish.
An arrow pierced through Sesshoumaru's skin and blood splattered out onto the forest floor. The bloodied arrow continued flying through the morning sky and into the nearest tree. Sesshoumaru jammed Toukijin into the ground and used it for support, as he gracefully fell behind his blade, blood generously leaking down his blade onto the grassy grounds from Sesshoumaru's only hand.
Inuyasha laughed crudely, "Look who's useless now, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha dashed to Sesshoumaru's side, realizing the rare and opportune moment, and lept to slash across Sesshoumaru's form. Sesshoumaru lept to his feet and haphazardly blocked the attack, Toukijin raised and fell just as quickly as it wind had blown. The hanyou hadn't got the killing blow he was hoping for, but the demon lord now bled from his abdomen. Using his last bit of energy, Inuyasha leapt away from the greatly weakened but still deadly demon.
The hanyou thrust his sword into the ground to help steady himself, mirroring his brother and cursed the situation. 'Dammit, I could kill Sesshoumaru if I could get Kagome to move out of the way of Bakuryuuha.' Inuyasha glanced past Sesshoumaru to Kagome's form. Inuyasha's breathing slowed, battle-wary and wounded Inuyasha was in a rough spot, 'Kagome...'
'This Sesshoumaru will not be defeated by a human nor this... hanyou disgrace!' He slowly slid down to his knees once again and saw blood gush out from his side. He pushed with his legs, or so he thought, but he couldn't rise. He tried to move, but he was finding it quite difficult to even breathe. Everything was numb, his body was finally giving out from the searing arrow shot by the cursed miko. 'This is not the end for this Sesshoumaru.'
Something wasn't right about Kagome. Inuyasha could feel the stares she was giving him. Her eyes were saying something and it was quite familiar. They were full of hatred. It was just like one of Kikyou's stares, and it burned him to see the same look coming from her normally warm and caring eyes.
The miko closed the distance between herself and the fallen taiyouki, sending a 'you're next' glance to the injured hanyou, complete with an uncharacteristic evil grin. It was no grin of Kagome's, but a grin of haughtiness and pure delight. The bow and arrows started to fade into a blue light between the miko's fingers and in the bow's place, a blue blade started to form.
"Expire demon," the miko spat in a monotone voice. "I care not for your kind." The miko raised her blade as the taiyouki prepared his slashed and beaten body for a final dodge and attack.
"NO!" The very same, yet different miko shouted. The white eyed miko dropped her sword as her eyes widened with worry. She fell to her knees and brought her hands to her head. She clutched her head and shook it back and forth viciously.
Sesshoumaru took notice of the inner battle Kagome was having. 'She seems to be regaining control… This is the perfect opportunity to kill this fragile human, without further injury to this Sesshoumaru.'
The girl stopped shaking her head and dropped her arms to her sides, like they were lifeless. "Demons are evil and wrong. They must die," the monotone voice said. Closely following the hollow voice came a voice of passion from the same human girl. "NO! You're wrong!"
Sesshoumaru tensed and hesitated at her words, or perhaps it was his own inner battle halting his actions. His youki was screaming to be released, he had to fight with all he had to maintain his control. Even his youki knew he was in a dire situation. Not that believed for a second that Sesshoumaru wouldn't win this battle, of course.
The miko looked into the eyes of the bloodied taiyouki. It was then he noticed that the battle for control was tied at the moment. One of the miko's eyes was a vibrant blue and the other was a dull grey. Her head once again returned to the whipping back and forth.
"KAGOOMEE!" Inuyasha shouted, no longer struggling with his breathing.
She looked over to Inuyasha, both eyes a humble blue again. "Inuyasha." She let a soft smile come to her lips and then it quickly disappeared. Kagome turned her soft, warm gaze to the bloody figure before her. "Inuyasha, your brother needs medical attention! I can't even sense his youki."
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "What the fuck Kagome! Are you insane? He just tried to kill me and then you! Not to mention, the numerous other times he's tried before! AND YOUR MIKO POWERS SUCK, I CAN SENSE HIS YOUKI JUST FINE." Inuyasha struggled to stand, using Tetsusaiga to help hold his weight, he managed, but he wasn't going to be walking anywhere soon. "Get away from him, Kagome!"
"BAKA! He could have just killed me! There was plenty of opportunities while I was battling with… whoever that was…" her words drifted off, as her own thoughts took over. 'Who was that, anyway? And why were they controlling me? And HOW? Err... Thoughts for later Kagome! More important things...'
Kagome's voice broke the thick air, "I'm not having anybody die by my hands! You may be able to tolerate killing an innocent being, but I can't!"
Kagome looked down onto Sesshoumaru's form, who was giving her a death glare or possibly just looking at her. Now I just have to get him to let me help him.' She crouched down and glanced over his wounds, tilting her head and examining each one without getting too close.
'I did that to his hand?' She bit her lip with regret and concern. 'He's got a lot of minor scrapes.. His one leg has a pretty nasty scratch. Kami… I need to tend the wound across his stomach.'
Kagome frantically ran to the well and gently slid into the well, praying it wouldn't take her back and waste time. It didn't. She ripped open her bag and dug for the first aid kit. She felt around for the hard, cool metal kit and becoming more and more worried that she forgot it. 'Worthless brain.' Her fumbling hands suddenly felt the cool metal and Kagome couldn't help but sigh in relief. She tossed the kit out of the well non-too gently and began her climb back up.
When she reached the top, Inuyasha was wobbling towards the well. 'It won't be any good with Inuyasha here. It'll lead to their sibling rivalry crap and there's no way Sesshoumaru will let me treat him if Inuyasha is sitting around staring at us…' She grabbed the first aid kit and walked over to Sesshoumaru and crouched by his ear, keeping relatively safe distance of course - if you could call being an arms length away from a cold demon safe.
"Listen, Sesshoumaru. I know you probably don't trust me and don't want my help, but if we don't leave, Inuyasha is probably going to make your situation worse... Are you capable of moving somewhere else?" 'Dumb question Kagome... He's hurt bad.'
He wasn't listening. Sesshoumaru had passed out, probably from blood loss. 'Shit!' Kagome quickly dropped the first aid kit on the large lord's lap, moved behind Sesshoumaru and grabbed him under his arms and started dragging him away from the Inuyasha swaggering towards them. 'Oh Kami.. Don't make his wounds worse... and don't wake up!'
Inuyasha started to run towards her, "Are you nuts? WHAT ARE DONT HELP HIM KAGOME!" Kagome grabbed the kit and borrowed Sesshoumaru's favourite face and directed it at Inuyasha. Kagome's voice flattly barked out an "Owusari. Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari, Owusari."
"I have to do something Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, tightening her grip as she yelled her impassioned lines on valuing life and dragging her demon lord load further away ever more fiercely. She was fired up now and nothing would stop her! She'd get far away, to a safe haven away from Inuyasha and she'd be able to treat Sesshoumaru without disturbance! She'd save his life for sure! 'Kagome glorious saviour of a scary demon lord. Dun dun dun, make way! Maybe I am crazy...'
Grrr...
Kagome's eyes widened. 'What was that?' Her arms relaying small vibrations going on beneath them. 'Oh, it's just a growl... Thank goodness. A GROWL!?!" She released her captured subject and stumbled back, scrambling away, and onto her feet. Her brain throbbed, 'BAKA BAKA BAKA BAAAKKKAAA! THIS IS SESSHOUMARU! KAGOME, YOU'RE SO DEAD.' She had just been able to stand up and start to get a serious run going, when a white object claws outstretched flew into her form full force, knocking her off her feet.
The event was slow motion for Kagome, the moment she had lost footing on the ground, everything had slown down... They were slowly falling backwards towards what felt like a void. She saw Sesshoumaru's red eyes and elongated face. She saw his claws dug deep into her shoulders and a deep red beginning to stain her school uniform. 'Clunk' Kagome's head made contact with something.
Author Note: I hope I did alright with keeping characters decently IN character. I'm willing to take some more beta readers, too. I'm specifically looking for somebody to discuss chapters, wording, plots, etc on AIM or MSN with.
Send me a note/comment and I'll get back to you. I'll only be taking one or two. I will remove this once I get them. Not that I'll even get that :(...