Guardian Ang...err...Youkai?!
Co-written by Angel and Glitter Dust
Disclaimer: We do not own Inuyasha or the cast from both the manga and anime. We do own our own characters and as such you'll know them when you see them.
She was a normal girl with a normal life. Then the oddest "accidents" started to happen and she didn't seem so normal anymore. On top of that five mysterious men come into her life, demanding she choose one to marry, and claiming to be able to protect her. All she wanted was to be normal, how much more of this madness can she stand?
Chapter 4- I Choose You! (Pikachu!)
They didn't go clubbing that night, to Inuyasha's joy, but Kagome did dread being home when she once more realized they were all staying...with her... Yuki and Sango were staying at her request; Kagome didn't honestly know how she was going to handle living with five strangers. Yuki and Sango were more than happy to help, as they understood and didn't know how Kagome was going to do it either.
"So, how long does everyone have to live with me?" Kagome asked warily.
"Until you choose and mate," Yuki informed her as the three relaxed in the bathroom.
"So, they move out after my wedding night?" Kagome asked stunned. Yuki and Sango shrugged and nodded in agreement.
"Essentially," Sango said as she thought about it. "But not everyone waits until they're married to mate." Kagome blushed violently at what they were telling her. "And mating ceremonies are quite nice, nicer than some weddings I've been to." Yuki sighed and nodded in agreement. "Speaking of mating ceremonies…"
"What?" Kagome asked confused.
"Yuki, when will we be attending your and Sesshomaru's?" Sango asked with a big grin on her face.
"Sango, what are you talking about?" Yuki asked confused.
"He refused to become guardian unless she chose Inuyasha, he's been doting on you since you both got here, and you're vaguely confused as to what I'm asking you?" Sango said amused. "When is the mating ceremony?"
"When you mate, I'll mate," Yuki said chuckling amused. Sango just laughed a little as the three dried and got dressed, none realizing they were heard beyond the door by the very youkai in question. Sesshomaru silently went off to his own room, mainly to avoid their wrath, as he thought about what he had heard.
The night went by quietly and really there were no issues, Yuki and Sango kept the guys all away from Kagome's room and she rested peacefully knowing that her two personal body guards were still on the case.
"Good morning," Yuki said as Kagome wandered out. She was almost stunned to see everyone still there, but then the events of the day before hit her.
"We still have to go to work, don't we?" Kagome asked with a sigh.
"Of course!" Sango said cheerfully. "We have to clean up after that attack on you yesterday. I'm sure Daren is there overseeing the final reassembling of the shelving units and is eagerly awaiting us." Kagome sighed again as she thought about it.
"So, now that I've met them, you still can't give me any more information?" Kagome asked the two.
"No," Sesshomaru answered as he looked up from his newspaper. "Inuyasha and Shinta said they would escort you three to the library, Kouga and I will meet up with you after work." Yuki rolled her eyes with a smile as Sango chuckled a little.
"Am I in such danger?" Kagome asked confused.
"Possibly," Yuki answered as she sipped some tea, "youkai of all kinds desire that power that you possess, it's not out of the question for them to be after you at this point. The shrine is protected by Myoga's barriers so that they don't come up here, the library will also be protected at this point. Daren is making sure nothing else will happen there."
"You'll be escorted around for a while, we'll all take turns," Sango said as Kagome nodded, "then when you pick a guardian, he'll primarily escort you round. Though we can still run out on them and have girl time on shopping trips and such."
"Not likely," Kouga chuckled, "like Sesshomaru is going to allow Yuki to run away for a few minutes, let alone hours, except for work." Sesshomaru remained quiet as Yuki just sipped her tea.
"Don't worry, if we need it, we can get away," Yuki said confidently. "But go get ready, we don't have to wear our usual work clothes, but we need to get ready for work." Kagome sighed and nodded in agreement before going off to prepare. Yuki looked at the two youkai with her as Sango prepared to head off as well. "This is a lot on her; I can't imagine having this much of my life decided for me."
"Wouldn't being mated to him be just as bad?" Kouga asked pointing his finger at Sesshomaru.
"It'd be no different than if you were my mate, I'd imagine," Yuki said as Sango smirked. "I'm sure whatever female you get as your alpha, the plans for her are already laid." Kouga chuckled and shrugged.
"I wouldn't know, the only plans I have for my mate involve our own den," Kouga said confidently as Sango and Yuki rolled their eyes and shook their heads. "It's the same for any youkai here; the only thing we plan for our mates now is the mating." Sesshomaru remained silent as Miroku and Shinta chuckled amused, confirmation for both females as they sighed.
Kagome walked out after half an hour and was fully ready for work as Inuyasha and Shinta were ready to go. Yuki and Sango joined them before they all left the house and then the property. As they walked down the stairs Kagome looked back hesitantly.
"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked confused.
"I just...I don't know," Kagome said softly as the two fell behind the others, "I feel like something bad is going on somewhere..."
"Something bad is always happening somewhere," Inuyasha told her as they walked, "the issue with it is that you can't allow it to control you. You need to continue on as if it weren't there, because there isn't really anything you can do for it." Kagome nodded as she thought. "It's just taking the day as it comes."
"I don't want anyone hurt because of me," Kagome said softly. "Yuki and Sango are my best friends, and I know they take this job seriously. I don't want them hurt in a fight to protect me."
"That's what we're here for," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "We're here to make sure all three of you survive this."
"Kagome," Yuki called from ahead of them, "I almost forgot. We have a treat planned for you in two weeks, on our day off." Kagome looked ahead curiously.
"A treat?" Kagome asked confused.
"We'll take you to the village," Yuki said happily.
"Village?" Kagome repeated confused.
"Yeah, the demon village," Inuyasha said with a smirk, "judging by the shrine, you'll like it. There you'll meet the heads of the clans."
"Really?" Kagome said excitedly. "So like your parents and such as well?" Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "What if they all don't like me? Or it's discovered I'm not actually the person you're all looking for?" Inuyasha chuckled.
"I'm sure that will not be a problem," Inuyasha said amused. "I'm sure they'll love you. You may even get to watch Kouga and Sesshomaru get yelled at." Kagome looked at him confused.
"Who and why would they yell at them? What did they do wrong?" Kagome asked confused.
"They are guarding you to take other females as their mates," Shinta said as if it were obvious. Kagome thought about it before looking at Sango and Yuki surprised.
"You mean Kouga and Sango? How didn't I notice?" Kagome said surprised.
"Well, they were keeping it secret," Inuyasha said as he thought about it. "Kouga wasn't sure if he was going to give up; he's still really on the fence. His family expects him to guard you and compete as a possible mate. He cares greatly for Sango, so he can't just give up. Same for Sesshomaru, this is why he remains despite Yuki. Really it's Shinta, Miroku, and I competing to court you." Kagome nodded as she thought about it.
They approached the library as the street crawled with people going to and from their daily errands and jobs. They walked in to see carts of books lined up in front of the wall leading to the bookshelves that were knocked down. They noticed a cow curled up no far from the entrance, his three eyes closed as he slept.
"I see Totosai is still here," Yuki said as she headed towards the door way. "I wonder how the shelves look." Sango and Kagome followed as Shinta headed off to check out the rest of the library. Inuyasha headed off as well, the two males checking to make sure no one else was in the building that could harm anyone.
"Ladies, it's good to see you," Daren said pleased as the older youkai that owned the cow walked up to them all. "The bookshelves are completely back together again. Isn't that wonderful?"
"Yeah, great," Sango said with a sigh. "Totosai, did you improve on the brackets holding the shelving units?"
"Of course I did!" He snapped at her. "What broke them to begin with confuses me. They should have withstood another millennium when I originally made them." Sango nodded as she listened.
"Well, what is strong enough to bend your good works?" Yuki asked as she picked up an older bracket that was ruined. Totosai shook his head as he thought about it.
"I don't know there is no demon within the archives of the village strong enough to my knowledge, outside the great lords." he answered sternly. "You need to keep her as under wraps as possible, whatever it was is strong and I'd hate to find out that your mission was a complete failure because you didn't expect an attack."
"We were lucky Kouga and Sesshomaru were here," Sango said in agreement, "if they hadn't pulled Kagome out of the way she'd have been crushed under all of this."
"And sucked dry before her death," Yuki said in agreement, "but we didn't sense any other demons beyond them. Everyone who came in and out was being watched, that's why I was at the desk that day. We knew the attacks would start, we anticipated something happening here."
"Then we are in bigger trouble than we thought," Daren said softly as he looked at the old bracket in Yuki's hand. "An undetectable youkai is the most dangerous of all." Yuki nodded as she thought. "Maybe moving up your trip is in order."
"No, two weeks is still fine on that front, but we will have to keep the guys with us at all times while we're here," Sango said shaking her head.
"And I'm afraid, Kagome, you will need to pick a guardian sooner than later," Yuki said softly. "We are now wandering into uncharted territory. While Inuyasha's parents are the last set of special human and guardian, that was well over a thousand years ago." Kagome looked at her stunned.
"A thousand years?! How old are you all?" she choked out. Yuki smiled bashfully as Sango chuckled.
"In all honesty, Yuki and I are three hundred a piece. Sesshomaru's about thirteen hundred; Inuyasha I think is older than us. I don't know about Shinta or Miroku. Kouga is about a thousand years old." Sango said as she rapidly thought about everyone's ages. Kagome looked pale as she comprehended what they were telling her.
"So, I'm the youngest one by a few hundred years?" Kagome asked surprised. Yuki nodded as she handed Totosai the bracket. "What happens now?"
"While here, the amount of us guarding you increases," Sango said as Inuyasha and Shinta joined them.
"The place is clear," Inuyasha said as they nodded. "The new brackets in place old man?"
"You will show more respect, insolent runt!" Totosai snapped back. "The brackets have been replaced, the shelves put back, and they have been repaired of damage. I'll be reporting back to your father when I'm done here." Inuyasha nodded.
"Well, report to him all you wish," Inuyasha said as he thought about it. "There's nothing you need to report for me, I already wrote to him." Totosai nodded in agreement. "I'll be here for the remainder of the day, though Sesshomaru and Kouga will be showing up later."
"Alright, I'll inform the lords that the security of the special girl has been increased until we understand the nature of these attacks." Totosai said as Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "This is probably best for now. Are all of you moved into the shrine?"
"Yes, they are," Kagome said sourly as Totosai laughed a little.
"I'm sure that was quite the surprise to you, young miss," Totosai said laughing. "Unfortunately, that is part of the job of protecting you. The guardians move in and guarantee your safety all the time. They need to be there specifically to keep you safe incase Myoga fails." Kagome nodded as she listened. "But they should all leave once you're mated."
"Yes, I was informed of that," Kagome said nodding in agreement.
"What they probably didn't tell you is that they will be waiting for your choice upon your visit in two weeks," Totosai informed her as Kagome looked to Sango and Yuki. Yuki sighed and nodded as she looked to Totosai annoyed.
"I was getting to that part," Yuki informed him annoyed. "Think it's not enough to be told that she has to move in five strange males and pick one to be her mate for eternity. Do you really think a timeline is fair?" Totosai looked at her curiously.
"I guess you're right, but she needs to know," Totosai told her. Yuki nodded as she sighed, he was right. "You can't keep protecting her from everything, you are not a superwoman."
"You're right," Yuki said softly as everyone looked at her, "but that doesn't mean I won't stop trying." She shook her head as she turned to a cart. "Let's get this done and go back, I hate spending my day off at work." Sango followed in unison and they all started their clean up as the two guardsmen watched over everything. Totosai headed out to inform the lords of everything going on.
They got back later on in the afternoon, Sesshomaru and Kouga relieving Inuyasha and Shinta about halfway through. Inuyasha stayed behind with them, Shinta had errands he wanted to run first. They all headed back to the shrine as Kagome seemed to be eerily quiet.
"You okay?" Inuyasha asked her as she jumped, as if guilty of her thoughts, before smiling and nodding.
"Yes," she said as she chuckled at herself a little, "I guess it's just so much to take in. I really still can't wrap my mind around it all." Inuyasha nodded in agreement as they walked. "Like you guys are so much older than me, the idea that I have special powers, and just everything. It's like a really weird dream mixed with a nightmare."
"That is the most interesting way to hear it described," Kouga said from ahead of them.
"Mother always said it was weird as well," Inuyasha said in agreement.
"I know I haven't seemed as such, I am seriously considering this," Kagome said as they nodded. "It's just very overwhelming." They nodded in agreement as they continued to walk. They stopped by a store and picked up some groceries. Kagome remained silent through the journey from the library to the shrine. After they were behind the barriers she wandered away from them as she thought.
"Where's Kagome?" Shinta asked as the others came in.
"She's on the property, that's all anyone needs to know," Sango said as Yuki nodded in agreement. "Let her be, she's trying to figure everything out for herself. If she needs anything, she'll come find us." The guys all relaxed in the living room as the girls went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
Kagome relaxed in one of her favorite spots, the Goshinboku tree. It was one of the few spots she could relax and she hoped that the girls would keep everyone away from her so she could be alone for now. She needed to think; Inuyasha seemed understanding, Shinta was arrogant, and Miroku kept to himself except for when he didn't keep to himself. She wasn't a fan of Miroku, but she wanted to give them each fair consideration. She knew which path she was looking down, though it didn't make things easier because she didn't want to get married that quickly in life. She wanted to be romanced before just getting in bed with someone.
"Kagome, dinner!" Sango called out the door. Kagome remained silent as she heard the door close and sighed. She figured she'd corner the male in question and talk with him about everything. Getting up she headed inside for dinner with everyone else.
"Kagome! We were getting worried!" Miroku said happily. Kagome looked at him surprised as he came up to her and took her hand. "Are you feeling well? Shall I check you for injuries?" Kagome yelped as she felt him grab her.
"Hentai!" Sango yelled smacking him hard. Miroku whimpered as he ran off to the table. Inuyasha hit him in the head as well, thoroughly knocking him out. "Moron, does he insist on getting a daily concussion?"
"Obviously," Inuyasha snapped at the unconscious body. He kicked Miroku once more before sitting down besides Kagome. Everyone else sat and started to eat without Miroku, not that it was uncommon for them. "Did you have enough peace out there?" He asked Kagome.
"Yes, it was needed," Kagome said as she thought about it. "I was able to sit and think for a while; I needed that ability without disturbance." Inuyasha nodded as Shinta listened.
"Were you able to reach any decisions?" Yuki asked her softly.
"I think so," Kagome said as she nodded. "I think after dinner I'll grab a hot bath to think about it a little further." Yuki nodded as she ate peacefully.
"Good, the more you learn and think about, the better you'll be," Sango said as Yuki nodded in agreement.
"I just...I'm not ready to be married so quickly," Kagome told them.
"It's not about getting mated tomorrow," Yuki told her as Kagome listened, "the agreement is just to protect you. I'll keep any weaker youkai that are attracted by your power at bay. There is no mating or marriage until both parties are more than ready for it." Shinta rolled his eyes.
"We are here because we are to gain our agreement and have a child with her, you coddle her too much," he said shortly.
"Yes, you're right," Yuki said as Sango looked at her surprised. "But I am half human, I'm allowed to treat my friends and family as I see fit. I love them all to my death and if they are not happy, then I am not happy, and if I am not happy stupid youkai die." Kouga chuckled amused as Sango returned to her food as if the warning was for her. Shinta just glared at her, challenging her.
"I think you two are too emotionally involved in this," he spat out, "how do we know you didn't tell her anything about us?"
"Because I swore to protect her, not just to my clan head but to her mother," Yuki said coolly. "Her mother wanted her to have no information on any of it, the clan heads specifically told us not to tell her about you five, I've kept my word. If you think by questioning my honor..."
"He wouldn't do something so silly, mate," Sesshomaru said cutting her off. "Now we're going to finish eating quietly." No one questioned the tone in his voice, primarily that if they broke that rule he'd handle them himself. Sesshomaru was not a fan of those who upset his future bride.
After dinner Kagome went and took a bath alone as she figured out whatever she needed left. She couldn't rely on Yuki and Sango, beyond not being fair to them with the vows they took to protect her; she needed to figure out what she was going to do on her own. She pretty much knew who she was going to pick, she just didn't know his thoughts on delaying potential mating and marriage. Coming from everything at dinner it was obvious it's all just for her power anyway.
"Come in," she said as she sat in her room about an hour later. Inuyasha stepped into the room.
"Hey," he said softly before closing the door behind himself. "Are you okay?" Kagome shrugged as she thought about it.
"I saw the aftermath of an attack, while no one was hurt and I'm grateful for that, so much work had to be done to reverse it." Kagome said as she looked at him. "I'm not worth half of this trouble." She looked down as she sighed and thought.
"Why not?" he asked confused as he sat down. Kagome looked at him surprised. "You're sweet, kind hearted, and quite beautiful," he said as he shrugged. "No one is here questioning if you're worth it all."
"Shinta seems to be," Kagome said softly. Inuyasha hid the flinch, he didn't' think it mattered what the tora thought but apparently to Kagome it did.
"He is an idiot," Inuyasha said sourly. "He came here figuring he was going to win you over knowing Sesshomaru and Kouga weren't going to try for your hand. He figured since Miroku was a human, and you've spent your whole life among them, you wouldn't pick him. Plus, Miroku really is a pervert." Kagome giggled a little and nodded. "And Shinta didn't figure I'd be competition because I am a hanyou, no one wants us." Kagome looked at him surprised.
"Why not? There's nothing wrong with you," Kagome said confused. Inuyasha smirked a little.
"Because half breeds are not always welcome," he said as he thought. "Yuki wasn't lying when she said there was a time, when we were born, that we should have been killed as soon as we took our first breath. Our parents fought to keep us alive and for it we are stronger than ever." Kagome looked at him sadly. "But finding potential mates is not easy for us; the fact that my brother is willing to take Yuki is stunning to me. He used to treat me like I was mud on his shoe."
"She is an unusual person," Kagome said with a chuckle. "She always kept me safe, even if it was from bullies in the school yard." Inuyasha nodded, he could see Yuki willing to die to keep Kagome safe. She was obviously the little sister of the group. "I had chosen who I was going to make the agreement with."
"Oh?" Inuyasha said surprised. Kagome nodded silently. "It wasn't me..." he said depressively when she didn't say anything.
"Well obviously it's not Sesshomaru or Kouga," Kagome said as she thought, "and I honestly can't choose Miroku." Inuyasha nodded as she listened. "Shinta is just too negative, you know? I can't be with someone who doesn't take my feelings into account." Inuyasha looked at her stunned as she blushed a little and looked away. "I didn't just choose you because you were the last option either, so don't go thinking it's because you're a hanyou that I wouldn't have chosen you. Stuff like that doesn't faze me because I didn't grow up with that kind of hatred. It's like I said at dinner, I don't want to get married right away. I want to love the person I am to spend the rest of my life with." Inuyasha nodded as he eyed her warily. He wasn't sure he was ready to be picked; he figured coming here before Kouga pulled his name from the list that he wasn't going to get it competing with two youkai.
"So, when they ask you in two weeks in the youkai village..." Inuyasha said softly.
"I will tell them I chose you," Kagome said softly, her smile gentle, "because you were my best option." Inuyasha blushed a little as he got up and offered her his hand. Confused Kagome took it, but was quite surprised when he hugged her.
"I promise, I will keep you safe," he said softly to her. He moved her hair a bit so he could see her neck. "I have to mark you; it'll help ward off the weaker youkai." Kagome nodded hesitantly and held her hair back. She closed her eyes, expecting to be hurt in the process, but was quite surprised instead when she felt him kiss her neck gently. A small prick feeling, like a set of needles on her skin, and he was done. She blushed brightly. "You should get some sleep."
"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said softly. He left the room as she sat on her bed, her hand over her neck where she knew the mark was. She had made the best choice, hadn't she?