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DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Inuyasha. You can quit asking. And keep your mitts of my Fluffy-sama too!
He stood there in all his glory while she trembled and stood as tall as she possibly could. She tried to hide her fear, but when he spoke there was little she could do. It took all her strength to keep from running to the nearest cliff and jumping off of it.
"The whelp is dead."
He stated this calmly. So calmly, in fact, that she had to wonder why he was there. He knew it already; it wasn't a question.
He seems so broken up about it, she thought with dry sarcasm.
"Uh… yeah. A few weeks ago. I uh… it was Naraku. We fought and he hurt him but not bad enough and Naraku got away but then Inuyasha died and…. Um…"
Argh! Stop rambling Kagome! He's beautiful sure, but he's INUYASHA'S BROTHER! CALM DOWN ALREADY!
Said brother smirked inwardly at the miko's unintelligible ramblings. He could smell the fear rolling off of her, though he had to admit she was hiding it better than usual.
Sesshoumaru studied the quivering Shikon miko for a long minute. There it was: that dark spot that hadn't been there the last time he had seen her. Her aura flared around her, roused by her fear, but it just wasn't right. How could this separate, yet wholly integrated darkness be there in her pure miko aura?
The silent appraisal of the Inu lord was making her nervous. Really nervous.
Now, where to find a cliff…
"You will tell me of my brother's death, miko. You will speak in a manner befitting your station: one that can be understood."
His sudden command had her surprised, but, always one to oblige, she told him the story and left nothing out. She spoke of how she had sensed the shard. They had followed it as fast as they could, rushing headlong into a sticky situation... because what they hadn't realized, was that Naraku sensed it too. Inuyasha easily killed the demon carrying the shard. Naraku revealed himself, injuring Inuyasha almost instantly. Inuyasha fought well, wounding Naraku to the point where everyone thought he was done for.
But Inuyasha had been hurt too badly to finish the job. He became slower in his movements and Naraku struck. He snapped Inuyasha's body like he was nothing and fled, for now was not the time to remove the hanyou's friends from the equation as well. He ran off to lick his wounds while the friends grieved for the loss of the hanyou.
She didn't tell him the real story; she spoke nothing of what came after. She knew now that she had spent an hour on her knees, as if wondering when her Inuyasha would get back up. She knew that she had been escorted back to Kaede's, seemingly mindless. The priestess couldn't remember those first couple of hours. Kagome couldn't help but think that they were in her head somewhere, hiding from her. Trying to keep the horror from spreading like the black plague through her mind.
She could feel it. The way Miroku and Sango looked at her said that they knew she wasn't right inside anymore. She had felt the innocence slip out of her in those first days. She hadn't eaten and she barely slept. The nightmares kept her awake. All she could see was the blood drenching the forest floor as she screamed for her friend.
And sometimes, they were better. Not good, because Inuyasha was still dead. In these dreams though, she was there standing over Naraku, broken and begging for mercy. She would deliver the final blow and that knot inside her stomach would ease, just a little bit.
What Kagome was unaware of, the demon lord did not miss. She didn't know that as she spoke of Inuyasha's death, a cold note came into her voice. Every time she spoke the dark hanyou's name, hatred filled her tone. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, a lost innocence that Sesshoumaru could see. But there was even more. He saw how much she despised Naraku for what he had done.
"So," she concluded, "I may… need your help."
That statement surprised him. He was curious about her request, but at the same time baffled by the audacity of this little human female. She thought that he would lower himself to assist her? How amusing.
"Hey, Kagome! Is dinner ready yet? We're starved!" Sango called, completely oblivious. Kagome could sense that Miroku was with her.
Not wanting to endure the presence of these additional humans, Sesshoumaru turned and left before they could get close enough to sense him. He stopped though, and said, "I will hear your request, but not now. Find me tonight and we shall speak of what 'help' you will be needing."
