Chapter 2
Disclaimer: (ahem) I don't own Inuyasha...or Sesshoumaru, but I do own this story :).
Kagome stopped only to look up at the now darkening sky. It had been another day of trekking through an unknown forest. They were following a rumor about a certain tanuki demon who possessed over 5 Shikon shards.
'Finally,' she thought, 'We'll get to rest. Baka Inuyasha made us walk all day without rest, exception for lunch.'
Miroku and Sango had been rather quiet throughout the course of the day, it was odd. Kagome turned to look at the two, Sango had Kirara perched on her shoulder, and Miroku had a furry ball on his head.
"Are you gonna stand there all day wench. We still have Shikon shards to gather from that fucking tanuki," came Inuyasha's gruff voice.
Kagome turned to look at the now pissed-off looking Inuyasha, her expression calm and serene.
"Osuwari," she muttered.
Her normally sweet voice laced with annoyance for her love. Inuyasha's plummeted face first onto the forest floor, along with it came a string of curses, something that was normal for this particular hanyou. Miroku and Sango sighed, their hanyou friend would never learn. Shippou pounced over to Inuyasha, putting one of his short stumpy feet on Inuyasha's head.
"All hail Shippou, I have defeated the Baka hanyou Inuyasha!"
Unfortunately, Inuyasha was still subdued by the spell.
"Ah but Shippou, you are not the only one to defeat the annoying Inuyasha," Miroku stated resting his foot on Inuyasha's back, one of his handsome smiles gracing his face.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk Houshi-sama, you men can't get all the glory," Sango chimed, placing her Hiraikotsu strategically on top of Inuyasha.
With three of his companions now successfully pinning him down Inuyasha let out a low growl trying to push them of him.
"Get the fuck off me Shippou."
Inuyasha made a grab for Shippou but was interrupted by Miroku's staff pushing his head down into the forest floor.
"Miroku you fucking bastard!" Inuyasha fumed.
All the while Kagome watched the scene before her, whipping her camera out, she took a picture of the fleeing Shippou with a raging Inuyasha being held down by a Taijiya and a monk. Everyone surrounding Inuyasha was temporarily blinded by the flash of light.
"Kagome you fucking bitch, what the hell was that?" Inuyasha finally broke free from Miroku and Sango's grasp, both of whom were now exhausted from holding Inuyasha down.
Shippou had scampered away to Kirara's side hoping the little neko would help defend him against Inuyasha. Kagome tucked the camera back into a safe place where it wouldn't be broken easily and turned her attention to the steaming hanyou in front of her.
"It's called a camera Inuyasha; it's like having your portrait painted...just a little faster."
She couldn't help but laugh at the whole ordeal, but at the back of her mind Kagome made a mental note to never forget all the good times she had with her friends, she would need these memories to get by when she returned to her own era. Inuyasha started laughing with Kagome, something no one expected. Everyone thought he would be angry like always when he was made a fool of. However Kagome stopped laughing when she averted her eyes to the shinidama-chuu flying not to far away from Inuyasha. Their eerie, long bodies made cascading motion signaling Inuyasha that their mistress was nearby. Sango and Miroku walked over to Shippou and Kirara, they all knew that it wasn't their place to intervene in affairs between Kagome, Inuyasha and Kikyou. All they could do was watch. Kagome looked down at her shoes, not wanting to see the look on Inuyasha's face. An uncomfortable silence rained on the group's parade, but it was soon broken by Kagome's soft, broken voice.
"Go to her Inuyasha... please."
Kagome's eyes were being hidden by her bangs so no one could see the sorrow that was so plainly mirrored in her beautiful brown eyes. Inuyasha looked at Kagome, as if asking her permission, but her permission had already been granted. Without another word Inuyasha leapt off in the direction that the pale soul-stealers were guiding him. Kagome stood frozen in her spot until Sango made her way over to her and urged her to a nearby boulder. Miroku and Shippou refrained from speaking as they hustled and bustled about the small clearing near Kagome's boulder. As the two males made camp Sango remained at Kagome's side trying to cheer her little sister up, even if it were just a small bit.
"Kagome-chan, let's go take a bath. Houshi-sama located a hot spring not too far from here while he was searching for fire wood."
Kagome looked over to Miroku then at Shippou who was playing with Kirara.
"Hai, hai Sango-chan, a bath sounds nice after all that walking we did."
Sango smiled down at the younger girl, helping her off the large rock. Kagome winced slightly.
"Daijobou Kagome-chan?"
Sango looked worriedly at Kagome wanting to know that reason for her little sister's pain. Miroku just as Kagome was telling Sango what happened.
"Ow," Kagome groaned, "My butt hurts from sitting to long on that rock."
"Ah, Kagome-sama then allow me to plea..." Miroku never got to complete his perverted statement, for he was immediately silenced by Sango's Hiraikotsu plummeting down onto his head.
Kagome sweat dropped as Sango continued to bonk Miroku on the head with her large boomerang.
"Hopeless," Shippou said then went back to playing with an energetic Kirara.
Kagome gathered her bathing items, and then made her way over to Shippou and Kirara. Kagome kneeled beside the little kitsune ruffling his hair,
"Shippou-chan, I need your help."
Shippou puffed out his little chest proudly revealing in the fact that for once his big sister Kagome needed his help.
"Kagome, you can count on me."
Kagome looked down at the little fuzz ball, "Shippou-chan, I need you to watch Miroku-sama while Sango-chan and I bath."
"Hai, Kagome, I'll watch over that pervert," Shippou smirked.
He was just given power over Miroku. Kagome ruffled Shippou's hair once more before she stood up dusting off her green uniform.
"Remember Shippou-chan; don't let Miroku-sama out of your sight."
Kagome winked at the little kit starting toward an annoyed Sango,
"Ready Sango-chan?" Kagome chirped.
Sango gave another disgusted look at Miroku's now unconscious body then nodded taking some of the items from Kagome. Shippou watched as the two girls disappeared into the foliage ahead, walking toward the monk he picked up a stick and poked him on the shoulder,
"Oi, Miroku."
Miroku turned over and put his 'cursed' hand on Shippou's head.
"Hime-sama, will you bear my child?" Shippou screamed scampering over to the other side of the camp and up a nearby tree, his orange tail shaking with fright.
Kirara cracked open her eyes huffing slightly at being awakened so suddenly. Miroku had somewhat gained some of his senses after Shippou's scream. He looked around scanning the clearing for any signs of life, besides a sleeping Kirara, he spotted an orange tail high up on a treetop.
"Shippou, why are you up there?" Shippou blushed, and then stood up jumping down next to Miroku.
"No." Shippou huffed. Miroku looked at the little kit confused at his response, then decided to pursue another matter at hand.
"Shippou, where is Kagome-sama and Sango?" Shippou scowled at the lecherous monk.
"They went to take their baths."
At this Miroku set of in a westerly direction. The little kit raced to block Miroku's path, holding his little hands out.
"You can't go this way. Kagome told me to keep an eye on you incase you try to peek on her and Sango while they bath."
Miroku sighed, he wasn't about to fight with a kit barely even half his size.
"In that case, we should get dinner started," Miroku stated a matter-of-a-factly. Shippou suddenly became excited.
"Yeah, maybe Kagome and Sango will be proud when they see us making our own dinner."
Miroku nodded, he knew how much Shippou tried to impress Kagome and Kagome was always impressed by him. Both males rummaged through Kagome's trademark yellow back-pack finding her 'ninja' food, they started to prepare it carefully reading all the directions twice.
The hot spring hadn't been too far away from camp, so they got there relatively fast. Kagome started to undo her green uniform, while Sango undid her kimono. Both women sank into the hot spring, allowing all of their worries to melt away with its heat. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Sango finally spoke up.
"Kagome-chan, do you still love Inuyasha?"
Kagome looked at the older girl nodding slightly. She pulled Sango to the edge of the hot spring, to where there was an arrangement of rocks on which to rest your head against while you soaked.
"Sango-chan," Kagome said thoughtfully, "When I first met Inuyasha, I promised I would stay by his side. Back then I thought that maybe we would eventually fall in love," Kagome sighed.
"But then, Kikyou hadn't been in the picture. After that Urasue had created that clay version of Kikyou, I knew I didn't have a chance with Inuyasha. But my mind wouldn't let me just give up on him."
Sango felt bad for making her sister speak of her emotions in suck a way, she felt as if she was making Kagome hurt even more. She moved to comfort the young miko but was stopped by Kagome.
"Kikyou had given her life for Inuyasha, how could I ever compete with that? I knew Inuyasha still held an obligation to Kikyou, but still I persisted. I thought that Kikyou would eventually disappear and Inuyasha and I would finally be together, demo…Kikyou didn't disappear."
Kagome felt like her heart was about to burst with that harsh reality that Inuyasha and her will never be together. She knew this ever since the beginning, but part of her just wanted to be with Inuyasha no matter what. The fact that Inuyasha now had Kikyou again made her sad but; all she ever wanted was Inuyasha's happiness. This she thought steamed from the fact that she was Kikyou's reincarnation, the same Kikyou who wanted nothing short of happiness for her Inuyasha. Sango looked at all the emotions playing across Kagome's beautiful face.
'How could anyone not like her?' Sango thought wistfully.
"Sango-chan, Inuyasha has Kikyou now, even though she is dead, Inuyasha's heart still belongs to her. His heart will always belong to her," Kagome said the last part rather softly, one by one tears streaked across her face, tainting her natural beauty.
Sango pulled Kagome into a tight embrace knowing that Kagome had just realized something she didn't want to. Sango rubbed Kagome's shoulder's gently hoping that it would help sooth some of the pain. They were still in the hot spring, a worried Sango holding a heart-broken Kagome. Sango let Kagome cry.
'She might as well let it out now instead of keeping it bottled up.'
Inuyasha was leaping from tree to tree hoping to find his Kikyou soon, the soul stealers still guiding him. The forest foliage flew pass him in a blur. Even though Inuyasha's face displayed determination and peace, his mind was in an utter state of turmoil.
'How could you leave Kagome like that, now she'll hate you for life. You stupid Baka, baka, baka!'
Inuyasha berated himself. He never told Kagome that he loved her, then why should she love him.
'"I love you just the way you are,"' she had said right before she got kidnapped by princess Kaguya.
Kikyou wanted him to become human, which would in turn rid her of her duty as the Protector of the Shikon no Tama.
'Was she using me, was she trying to kill two birds with one stone or did she really want to spend her life with me?' he mentally kicked himself for doubting his Kikyou.
Inuyasha hadn't realized he was being lead in a westerly direction. He stopped at the scene unfolding before him. Kikyou's broken corpse melting away to Sesshoumaru's poison. Inuyasha's heart missed a beat as Kikyou, with her last strength, extended her hand to him. He was about to ignore Sesshoumaru and go straight to Kikyou, but that thought was soon crushed when Sesshoumaru raised his youkai whip in a silent warning to Inuyasha.
"Sesshoumaru, what the fuck are you doing to Kikyou, you bastard!"
Inuyasha unsheathe his Tetsusaiga ready to defend his love.
Sesshoumaru smirked, "Did I anger you little brother?"
His last words dripping with venom.
"Don't fuck with me you sick ass freak. Why the hell did you kill Kikyou?" Inuyasha's voice was then filled with guilt and sorrow.
"Hmph, are you trying to tell me Inuyasha, that you LOVED this clay pot?"
At this Inuyasha charged at Sesshoumaru, slashing at him with Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru effortlessly dodged Inuyasha's futile attacks.
"You're slower than usual Inuyasha, is it because you don't have your other wench to help you?"
Sesshoumaru hadn't forgotten about his brother's other miko, the only person, besides his idiot brother, to rile against him. She was an annoyance. Sesshoumaru still pondered how Kagome had been able to penetrate HIS armor, certainly Inuyasha wouldn't mind if he, Sesshoumaru, BORROWED his precious miko. Inuyasha made a lunge for Sesshoumaru, which left his left side completely open to offending attacks. Sesshoumaru took this opportunity to attack Inuyasha, stabbing his right hand, coated with his deadly poison, through Inuyasha's fire-rat haori. Sesshoumaru leapt back gracefully watching as Inuyasha used Tetsusaiga to prop himself up. Inuyasha coughed up large quantities of blood.
"Now how would you feel, dear brother, if I were to kill your other wench," Sesshoumaru smirked.
Inuyasha let out a low deadly growl, but Sesshoumaru knew all to well that his poison would not allow any movements on his brother's part.
"Hmph, I thought so."
With that Sesshoumaru gathered his demonic cloud around his feet and made his way over to his brother's wench. Inuyasha stared off in the distance as his vile half brother disappeared, leaving him with his now dead lover. He crawled over to Kikyou's broken dead body, letting a sob out as he lowered her long raven hair head onto his now bloody chest.
"Kikyou," he whispered, "KIKYOU!"
Inuyasha could no longer control himself, he needed to avenge Kikyou's death, and he need to protect Kagome.
"Kagome," her sweet name graced his lips.
Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he had suffered a severe beating from Sesshoumaru which left him bloody and battered. His body could hold out no long as Inuyasha fell into an unconscious state all the while thinking that he had to protect Kagome.
A/N: Sorry about the late update but I do have school to go to. I'll try to update as soon as I can, how does that sound? Ja ne!
