Beyond the Darkness
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A/N: Yo peeps. Here's chapter twenty-four. Uhmm... I don't know what to say now. |: Blah. Mmmmmkles. R&R por favor. ^-^ Ciaozies. Chanku!! -Michele
::Chapter Twenty-Four::
Kagome trailed over to InuYasha, who was still sitting and handling his sword. She would never understand why men loved their weapons so much, even in her time. Swords, guns, knives… what was so great about them? They were dangerous. Sure, they were perfect for self-defense, but if nobody used them, there wouldn't be any need for self-defense.
"Hey InuYasha," she called when she approached him. She knelt down beside him, watching him place his sword delicately on the ground, as if it were the most precious thing in the world to him. His gaze lifted up and he immediately spotted Sesshomaru and Nikala, engrossed in each other. The sight made him both sick to his stomach and utterly confused.
"I just don't get it," muttered InuYasha with agitation. Kagome followed his gaze and spotted the half-demon's half-brother and their fellow fox demon's mother.
Kagome sighed. "InuYasha, I know it's hard for you to understand, but you know, anyone can fall in love," she explained.
"Not Sesshomaru," he retorted.
"Even Sesshomaru," she retorted back. He crossed his arms and exhaled sharply.
"Sesshomaru's never been in love. Why start now, and why with Shippo's mom?"
Kagome sucked in her breath, crossing her arms and looking slightly annoyed. InuYasha was being so difficult. Just like she would never understand the love for his sword, InuYasha would never understand the true meaning of love. She knew it was hard for him to believe it, but couldn't he just accept that his brother had fallen in love now? Shouldn't he be happy for him? Sesshomaru's been in the darkness, posing as the evil one, and now he's been shown beyond that. He's been helped.
"Why would it matter when he fell love? Jeez, InuYasha, why can't you just be happy for him? He is your brother, nonetheless. And what does it matter that he's falling in love with Nikala. Obviously she's the right one for him and they make the cutest couple anyway," Kagome said, smiling widely over at Sesshomaru's and Nikala's direction. They'd now let go of each other and were laying down. Nikala had cuddled closer to Shippo and Rin, and Sesshomaru was right there behind her, her tail wrapped securely around his leg.
InuYasha grumbled and turned away, holding his chin up high. Kagome rolled her eyes and sighed, standing up.
"Well, I'm off to bed, then," she announced. "You'd better start making friends with Sesshomaru because they may be staying with us for a while. I offered Nikala for her and her companions to stay with us for as long as they want."
InuYasha widened his golden eyes. "What?! You can't be serious! Why would you offer something like that?" he cried.
"Shush! You'll wake Shippo and Rin! And I offered because I want them to stay. Shippo needs to be with his mother," Kagome replied.
"So let his mother stay. You didn't have to invite the rest of the motley crew. What about Sango and Miroku? What if they don't agree with you and you're decisions?"
"Oh they do. I talked it over with them before I made the offer with Nikala. Honestly InuYasha, you think I'd do something like that without talking it over with my friends first?" She rolled her eyes again. "Again, I'm going to get some sleep. Make friends with Sesshomaru, and fast. None of us want a bloodbath between you two, especially after he's just mated."
With that, Kagome walked off towards her own blanket next to Sango and Miroku, who were having their own conversation, Miroku still sneaking glances over at Nikala. InuYasha watched her leave in disbelief. How could she just so calmly and so easily accept this mating thing between Nikala and Sesshomaru? And then, how could she invite Sesshomaru to stay with InuYasha's affiliation when she's knew that the two brothers didn't get along?
Damn, Kagome! he thought angrily. Couldn't you consult with me at least?
Why couldn't she let him know what she was going to do before she'd actually done it? Perhaps he could have talked her out of it, or at least of keeping Sesshomaru along.
"They're mated, InuYasha! How could I just ask one of them to stay, and the other to leave?" he could already hear her saying. He sighed and hastily picked up Tetsusaiga and crossed his arms and legs tightly. His eyes landed on Sesshomaru again, cuddled up against Nikala's back. Since when did Sesshomaru ever cuddle? He sneered at his older half-brother. It was disgusting.
* * *
Dawn had just approached and Nikala opened her topaz eyes to see everyone, including Sesshomaru, sleeping soundly. She noticed across the campsite that the three humans— Kagome, Sango, and Miroku— were sleeping next to each other and InuYasha off to the distance from everyone, his arms and legs crossed and his head bowed down, locks of thick, white hair covering his face.
She turned her gaze back down to Shippo. She remembered how he would curl his arms and legs up to his chest, almost like a fetal position, but much more adorable. As it turns out, he still kept his habits even with his new friends and slept so soundlessly in his fetal position. She smiled down at her son, thinking it had been much too long since she'd seen him. Many months without seeing your son and worrying whether he was alive or not should have been illegal.
Tenderly, she stroked the side of his face, running her fingers gently over the side of his forehead, his pointed ear, and cheek.
"Shippo," she whispered and nuzzled her nose against his neck. "Shippo."
Shippo blinked a couple of times and turned on his back to face his mother. The sight of her smiling face in the morning brought back memories to when they lived back at the fox tribe with his father.
"Mama," he whispered even softer.
"Come with me," Nikala said and she sat up from the ground, her tail untying itself from Sesshomaru's leg. Suddenly, Nikala was no longer the humanoid fox-demon woman, but the majestic auburn fox she truly was. Shippo knew where she was going with this and he eagerly agreed.
He climbed on top of his mother's back and silently they left the camp grounds and sprinted out for a run.
The cool wind slapped Shippo's face as he clung to his mother's soft fur. It had been so long since they'd been out on a morning run, a morning run that had become their routine before the Thunder Brothers attacked. How he'd missed these runs, runs that were peaceful and serene yet exciting and fast.
Ma…
They ran for miles and miles on end, curving through trees and plains, not caring where they were and not knowing for sure how they'd get back. But the run was wonderful. Shippo loved to hear the soft pats Nikala's paws made each time they hit the ground.
Finally, they stop to take a break near a lake so Nikala could rest and catch her breath from the running. Shippo trotted over to the lake so he could splash his face, Nikala following him so she could get a drink.
However, neither of them knew the dangers of what crept behind them as they obliviously kept at their leisure.
