Okay, So, It's been quite some time since I've updated this fiction. BUT NO LONGER! I'm really sorry, there was a lot lot lot! That happened here, and I didn't have the time. HOWEVER! I found this fiction and felt VERY guilty for having neglected it for so long.
Disclaimer: ….If you're this far into the story, and you are still questioning my ownership of Inu Yasha, then I begin to wonder if you're literate…
Ch.4 Old Friends
Her ribs ached terribly, and her skin still felt as if the fire were raging full strength around her as Kagome slowly came to in response to one of the heavier supports being thrust off of her.
"KAGOME!" The gruff voice called, lending its strength to an already inhuman migraine.
Said woman groaned as all of her aches and pains demanded attention, while her weary body and mind fought off consciousness. Slowly, Kagome managed to clear the woozy haze, resisting another blackout, determined to show no further weakness to her rescuer…though she couldn't quite place the panicked, gruff voice, it tugged at the corners of her mind with it's familiarity.
As Kagome worked hard to place the voice, piece by piece, the remains of the collapsed building were lifted from her, freeing her to once again move her legs. She suspected some bruising to the ribs, and some nasty burns, but miraculously, no bones were broken, though she could feel as the last of the boards was pulled away that it had made a nasty little puncture mid-calf.
"Thank you." She said woozily, carefully pushing herself off of the ground to shaky feet, while the familiar voice insisted that she not strain herself.
"Kagome…" As she latched eyes with her old admirer, she felt realization dawn upon her…it'd been so long since she'd heard the voice, it took a while to recognize it. Slowly, she felt a soft smile stretch across her soot covered, scratched up face. Her cheek was bleeding and she had some annoying splinters wedged nicely into the back of her neck, and she still presented him the lovely image he had missed for so long.
"Kouga. It's been a long time."
The wolf demon drug her into a tight hug, apologizing at her sharp intake of air when he realized her ribs were probably rather sore.
"Kagome…you really shouldn't be straining yourself too much, you were just trapped underneath a rather heavy pile of wood, at least for a human."
"I'm sure the Miko will inform you, as she is so instant with me, that she requires no looking after." Stating the irritatingly familiar stoic voice from behind Kagome, who could swear that, after grinding your teeth together for as long as she had, suffering the companionship of the sour lord, that they would have been reduced to nothing more than a pile of pearly white dust. Amazingly, her teeth remained in tact, but the small growl that escaped her throat did not go unnoticed by any of the people surrounding her.
"Sis is kind of scary when she's irritated.." Stated one of Kouga's underlings, which one she wasn't sure, as she heard him back up a few steps. It was with that comment that Kagome remembered why she needed to remove herself from the rather comfortable chest that she was currently lodged into.
As prompted by her thoughts, she pushed back and put an appropriate amount of distance between herself and the wolf prince.
"Sis?" The Taiyouki inquired, raising an elegant eyebrow "You are no demon, so how are you related to these wolves?"
Kouga's chest puffed up as he spoke with pride.
"Kagome is my woman, and thus, their sister."
Kagome faltered in her otherwise steady breathing, growing slightly exasperated with the arrogant prince, who insisted time and again that she was to be his mate.
"Kouga" she said, quiet yet stern "I've told you far too many times for you to still be under that misled assumption. I am not, and will not be, your woman. I'm sorry, but I just don't feel that way for you. I thank you for helping me, really, I do, but…" she stopped abruptly as she felt one of the wolves, the four legged silhouette that she had spotted earlier, softly lapped at the wound on her leg, as though trying to make it better.
Without further pretence, and an audacity that made even Kagome chuckle, Kouga swept her into his arms and brushed past her travel companion, towards his den.
"Thanks for watching her, but she doesn't need any more doggie's around her, so you can go home. I've got her from her." and then she heard him mutter. "One mutt's stench on her was enough. Damn flea ridden Inu Yasha."
Kagome paled. I don't mean, lightened a bit because was shocked, I mean, liquid paper had more pigment than she did, because she knew that the previously spoken to lord would not take well to being dismissed, and frankly, Kouga had a hard time holding up against Inu Yasha, and Sesshomaru was much stronger than his brother, his aura oozed with power, nearly suffocating if you let yourself get lost in it.
"Kouga…you may want to put me down…and…leave. I'll be okay, really I can take care of myself. Sesshomaru only happened to be going the same direction, he himself told you that I don't need someone looking after me." Kouga looked at her, raising an eyebrow .
"Kagome, for not needing to be looked after, you manage to get yourself in some pretty big binds. Trapped under a burning mass of wood is kind of a big thing, especially if you pass out before you can get it off of you."
Kagome heard a low growl from the dismissed dog demon, and wriggled a bit, launching herself out of Kouga's grasp, before the wolf was being held off the ground, much in the same manner that Sesshomaru had once held Inu Yasha the first time she'd met him. Back at the time, he'd had…oh, there it went. Poison claws…she should have known it was coming.
"You would do well not to associate me with that pathetic hanyou. As you can surely tell, he and I are completely different, and secondly, I would not advise coming into this Sesshomaru's lands and behaving so brashly." The claws closed tighter every second, and it was obvious that, even though he was struggling intensely, Kouga would not escape. So, deciding that, if she was going to be making stupid, life threatening decisions today, she may as well go all out, she launched a kick into the Taiyoukai's wrist, ignoring the screaming pain in her ribs.
The good news was that she managed to set Kouga free, and signal for his companions to get him a safe distance away. "You'll have to draw the poison out, but don't swallow it. Count to three when sucking the wound, then spit. Any longer, and you'll probably loose your tongue."
"Thank you, sis." And with that, the wolves sped away, their injured leader in hand.
The bad news, was that she wasn't at her peak level of ability when she turned to face the enraged Sesshomaru. She promised to whichever deity was listening, that if she managed to survive this encounter without any more damage then what she already had, then she would never lock her brother in the bathroom while their grandpa was taking a shower again. (it was a brilliant form of revenge Kagome had developed when Souta had decided to tell Inu Yasha that Kagome was in love with him.)
No words were spoken as she refused to break eye contact or seem in any way intimidated by her unwilling companion. Her eyes narrowed in response to his own, and she quickly dodged, as she felt the energy of his poison whip screaming towards her. She jumped into the air, and used some of her expended power to summon a wind-shield as she landed on the ground.
"Miko, you have defied me and interfered in a dealing that did not pertain to you. This Sesshomaru will not tolerate such insolence from one so lowly."
"Then maybe 'this Sesshomaru' should curl up his pretty little boa and go prancing back to his castle, since he obviously doesn't care about the tenants upon his land, and leave that part of your job to people who are willing to pick up your slack, which would be me, and leave me the hell alone!"
Kagome was aware that she had made three fatal mistakes in that last sentence, but at the moment, she was far too angry to care. She'd been attacked by a care bear reject, crushed by a house, and touched by spider man's evil twin. She'd reached and surpassed the breaking point of her calm façade. And she'd be damned if she'd spend the rest of her time traveling with a boa wearing ice prince who seemed to have trouble stringing her name together. So, since she was on a roll, she brushed past him.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to picking up your slack, before something else happens to those villagers."
Without another word, she marched up the hill to the gathering of homeless men and women, who stared upon the charred miko, unaware of the argument that had just taken place between her and their lord.
OoOoOoOoOoO
"Lady…Kagome?" Miroku repeated slowly in obvious disbelief. And oh he was not the only one who stopped dead at the mention of that name. Kikyo blinked a lot in the next thirty seconds, while trading confused glances with Inu Yasha and Sango.
"Yes. She was here only a week ago." Reina's eyes seemed to soften as she poured the tea for her guests, the memory of her teacher warming her heart. "She was a savior. If not for her, we would all be dead, and I would have never finished my miko training."
"What do you mean by savior?" Sango asked, gratefully accepting the cup from their hostess.
"That vile cursed creature Naraku sent a large bear demon with some manner of jewel in his forehead. Normally, these demons meander through and leave us be, but this one was worked into a fine rage, and tore apart the village. Lady Meyuna tried her best to defeat the bear, but was killed as well. All seemed lost, and even Miomoto-sama, our leader had given up hope. Then Lady Kagome rushed in, even though she was quite obviously exhausted and organized everyone to take shelter, and quickly dispatched of the demon…she was amazing!" The girls eyes lit up as she remembered watching the battle from a hut nearby, one that the demon had not gotten to yet. " At first I was sure she would fail, but she was very adept at fighting, and her spiritual power was amazing…but then, with that kind of training, how could it not be. Oh..sorry. Eh-hem. In any case, after killing the demon, still exhausted, she tended to the injured and dying. After her care, all those whom we were certain would not make it, crawled back from the edge of death and were healed." Reina laughed "I think she was scared I'd mess up when Miomoto insisted that she allow me to take her place while she rested. Anyway, she led us in rebuilding and not only completed the training that Lady Meyuna started, but went farther. She taught me to speak properly, read, and to write…in fact, it's a skill she's shared with any of the villagers interested in learning."
The group was at obvious ends with this news…so many of those descriptions were hard for them to conceive…like…her fighting…or…fighting…and the immense power…Inu Yasha was skeptical they were speaking of the same girl the longer he listened, but listened as his love asked a question that he'd briefly wondered.
"You said that with the kind of training she'd received it was inevitable that she would have immense spiritual power. Who trained her?" Kikyo asked solemnly.
Reina laughed. "You mean you don't know? Can't you tell by the robes that she wears, since you too are obviously a miko?…She was trained by the great Genzo Sanzo himself. What's more, when she was arguing -arguing- with Sesshomaru-sama, I heard her say that she'd been trained by Cho Hakkai in physical combat! I was amazed, I mean, she put that Wind Witch away like it was nothing…she told me to run to the village, but I had to see what was going on. I've never seen anyone stand up to our lord the way she did!" In her excitement, Reina forgot all that Kagome had taught her about how a miko was supposed to compose herself around others.
"She argued with Sesshomaru?!" Miroku's voice seemed constricted.
Reina nodded.
"She fought with him outside of the village too…again, I wasn't supposed to, but when she left, I followed her for a bit…she was like a big sister, it was sad to see her leave…I thought it peculiar, though, as much as she obviously dislikes the lord…that she agreed to travel with him.
OoOoOoOoOoO
She should be dead. He could see now, in his minds eye, as he threw the woman into a tree and tore out her throat, silencing her audacious words forever as he slowly pulled the vocal cords out like straws…but for one reason or another that he couldn't determine, he did not kill her.
That, perhaps, was the root of his bad mood. She had openly challenged him, and yet she still lived. He tried to command his body, time and again, to slaughter her in front of the lowly humans she'd nearly died trying to save, and yet, as he watched the twin brother and sister, who looked so much like Rin, he was unable to follow through.
Picking up his slack indeed. He was a Lord! His place was overseeing the lands, not playing nursemaid to such pathetic beings. They lived such short lives anyway, what difference did fifty or so years matter? But this miko, strong and (though he would never say it) brave as she was, set herself apart from these beings.
It was something he was having the most difficult time accepting, and finally decided that, rather than being better than the rest, she must be the lowest that human society could reach. Far more brash, far more daring, far louder and foolish than the rest. She challenged demons much stronger than herself (Sesshomaru refused to acknowledge that she had, indeed, dodged and deflected his whip. He had merely had no strong intent to kill her just then) and she continued to insist on traveling alone with that damned trinket hanging in a vial around her neck. No, she was nothing special…just another brash human, that he, unfortunately, had to watch carefully…as it was obvious that the wretched hanyou Naraku held her in interest, he would reappear on Sesshomaru's lands once again to claim the miko, and assuredly cause more damage upon the western lands.
"Lady Kagome…" Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the group that now lay strewn about in reunited family units. The wench had quickly separated the sick and injured, as to see to their immediate care. And now, as she was tending to the burns of one of the elder women, those twins walked up to the miko, timidly, touching her shoulder. Turning, the addressed woman smiled up at the children, continuing her ministrations.
"Hello…Kieske, right?" she asked carefully.
The young boy smiled at his name.
"yes…Thank you for helping me and my sister."
Finally, the timid young girl spoke.
"Yes…thank you. My name is Yume…"
Sesshomaru's lips curled as the orphans hovered near his unfortunate travel partner. He could see her heart in her eyes as she spoke with them…how foolish to allow her feelings to show so plainly like that. It would be too easy for someone to take advantage of that. Stupid girl. Sesshomaru scoffed and moved out into the forest to hunt for his dinner…he'd seen more than enough of that gathering of humans…but what he didn't understand in his arrogance, was the strength that shone through in that thoroughly defeated and ravaged group of humans, and it would be longer until he learned to stop underestimating the resilience of these beings.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
A Weeks time passed as she helped the village recover, much to the displeasure of the Western lord, not that Kagome cared in the least about the mans opinion. She wasn't even slightly deflated that he only cast her looks of disdain, it wasn't like was her favorite person either! And the fact he wouldn't even acknowledge her didn't hurt at all, she just got worked up because she happened to prefer it to 'wench' or 'miko'.
No, Kagome cared not one whit of the demon's opinion, and so continued in her miko duties, until she deemed the group well enough to travel.
"Sesshomaru." Kagome approached him carefully, purposefully forgetting to add the 'sama'. When the man refused to spare her so much as a glance, she rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, casually tossing her words over her shoulder. "I'm escorting the villagers to the previous village, then continuing on my way. There's no need for you to continue following me. Thank you for sparing so much of your precious time with me, but it's no longer necessary." The last of her sentences was thick with sarcasm and irritation.
Not another word was spoken to the stoic lord as she walked back to the waiting group, packed and ready to travel.
"You will not order This Sesshomaru, wench, do not forget your place." The voice rumbled directly behind her back, causing her to miss a small step in her otherwise graceful stride. Grumbling, she regained her footing, and gave him not so much as a single syllable in reply, unexpectedly (and unwelcome) relieved to know that, though he hadn't said it, the demon would continue to travel with her…
"Alright guys. Stay in a tight nit group. We will lead you to the village, and to Reina and Miomoto, the miko and the head of the village. They will see you settled in…" she settled soft eyes on the twins that held on to her pant legs, Kieske on the left and Yume on the right. "And I'll leave you two in Miomoto and Reina's specific care. They'll take good care of you…" the set smiled up at Kagome.
OoOoOoOoOoO
Thankfully, the trip was uneventful. No demons. No Naraku. No fires. No, the only thing making this trip so unpleasant was the heavy gaze of a certain Taiyoukai, who, for reasons Kagome was ignorant of, was keeping a close eye on the girl…did he think she was going to make a break for it? Not that the idea didn't have it's appeal, but he of all…people (for lack of a better term) should have known that, with this group under her care, she couldn't just run off…literally, the twins had grown tired and Kagome was carrying one on each side of her back as they slept.
Now, with the day fading and their trek reaching it's end, Kagome could spot the village up ahead, and with it in her sites, she could feel a mass of familiar energy. Oh, Kami, she wasn't ready to see them again. If they saw her…it didn't matter! She could stand up to Sesshomaru with her decision to travel alone, and so too would she make her position clear to them.
She saw Reina's soft brown hair poking out of her hut, and a soft smile crossed her face…Reina had made good on her promise…however, such thoughts were softly nudged aside as she felt Yume and Kieske began to stir and sit up slightly.
"Is this the village Lady Kagome?" Yume asked, her voice still slurred by sleep as she rubbed her eyes.
Kagome smiled softly.
"Yes, this is the village. And if you can see the girl standing outside of the hut over there, she's one of the people who'll be looking after you. She's very strong. I trained her myself."
"Then she'll like you?"
Kagome chuckled as they breached the edge of the village, and came to stand in front of Reina..
"You should probably call Miomoto san…we may need to construct a few extra huts for these guys. Their village was burnt to the ground last week…"
Reina nodded and rushed down the way, and came back a few moments later with Miomoto.
"Lady Kagome! You've returned!"
Kagome cringed inwardly, as the loud proclamation reached through the village. It took less than a minute for a crowd to draw around them, including her old caravan, who pushed hastily out of the hut. All who gathered, of course, spared multiple wary glances to the western lord, who stood testily outside the village perimeters. The bundles on her back wriggled down, clasping once more onto her pant legs.
"Yes…I've returned…Naraku managed to take down yet another village…I was hoping you'd be able to find room for these souls…and should extra huts be needed, I will stay to assist in their construction."
Miomoto chuckled as he saw the two twins staring warily around them, and the group of villagers muttering amongst themselves in fear the may remain homeless.
"Kindness received is kindness returned, Lady Kagome. We will make a place for them. Only a couple extra huts will be required…your quest is important, so we mustn't detain you. Those huts will be quick to build."
"Thank you, Miomoto-san. I'm sorry, but I have one last favor to ask of you and Reina…"
"Ask away, Lady Kagome, I'm sure it won't be much of a deal…"
Kagome ushered the twins together in front of her.
"This is Kieske and Yume…their mother passed in the fire…could you and Reina please keep an eye on them? Raise them…perhaps?"
Miomoto-san chuckled and got down on the children's level, his eyes warm.
"I suppose that wouldn't be a problem with me…if these two wouldn't mind spending some time with this old thing…what say you two? Kieske, Yume?"
Kagome nodded down to the wary siblings, who made their way to Miomoto.
"I am grateful for your kindness, Miomoto-san." Kagome spoke, then turned to the group behind her. "I will leave you here in Reina's hands. I know she will take good care of you all."
She turned a smile back to her former pupil.
"Right?"
"Of course, Lady Kagome." Reina then turned to the crowd that had gathered. "If any of you have room in your homes, please, accept them in for the time being until we can get the huts up. It should be a week at most.."
Slowly, the foreign villagers said their thanks to Kagome once more, before wandering over to those who were to oversee their lodgings. It was then that a small ball of energy pounced on her.
"Kagome!!" Shippo was all over the miko. "KagomeImissedyousomuchwhendidyougetbackwhydidyouleave…"
Kagome chuckled as the young fox tried to ask every question in one sentence.
"Hello Shippo, I missed you too. I got back about a month I go. I left because I needed some time…" She smiled at the young kit.
"I can't wait, it'll be so cool! I mean, Kikyo's great and all, but I miss you."
Kagome flushed at the young kit's assumption, carefully, wording her response.
"I…I won't be joining you all this time…sorry."
Kagome felt Shippo wilt on her shoulder.
"Do…do you not like us anymore?" the boy asked hesitantly. Kagome sighed and carefully plucked the young one from her back, and held him in front of her.
"I like you all just fine…but…well, for now it's just better if I don't. Besides, if we split, we can cover more ground, and do a better job of stopping Naraku…it…it just makes more since…"
Shippo looked at Kagome, tearfully.
"Can I go with you then, Kagome?"
This part ripped her heart in two. Oh, she loved that little boy like her own child…but with that, she knew that he would be safer where he was. No doubt traveling with the Ice lord back there would have it's explosions, and if Kagome traveled alone again with Shippo…she'd be too distracted to stay focused.
"I'm sorry Shippo…you'll be safer with Kikyo and the rest. I'd love to have you with me, but I'm pretty much going to be traveling alone after I get out of the western lands, and I'd be to distracted with keeping you safe in a fight, I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Besides, Kirara would get lonely, don't you think?"
"I suppose."
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TRAVELING WITH MY IDIOT BROTHER?!" Inu Yasha finally exploded.
Kagome sighed. She knew that he was merely worried, and happy to see her, but this was definitely one thing she would be able to live without.
"It wasn't really my option. I walked, he followed…kind of like a lost puppy…" Kagome's breath caught as she started to laugh at the mental image of chubby Sesshomaru on all fours wagging his tail. "eh hem. Sorry. Anyway, I'm mostly traveling alone."
"That is a lie, Miko. True, you have no choice in the matter, but This Sesshomaru knows where he is, and you will not, at any point, be traveling alone with that shard on your person."
She had no idea when he'd gotten that close, but she knew she did not appreciate feeling his voice rumble from his chest, mere inches from her back, or the way her pulse jumped slightly….in irritation. It had to be irritation, because he kept pissing her off.
She, however, didn't spare him so much as the snort she'd forced down.
Inu Yasha, however, did not.
"I really think you should go back to traveling with us. You shouldn't travel alone, and even more so, not with my asshole brother."
Kagome shook her head.
"I agree traveling alone may not be wise…but it really is better that I not go with you guys…at least for now. Sorry. I'll see you at the end of this road. Sango, Miroku, and Kikyo…don't let him do anything too stupid. Okay?"
Kagome was allowed no moment of peace, however, when Inu Yasha brashly attacked his brother.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
Kagome knew before he finished his attack he'd be thrown to the ground…she just hadn't expected him to fly so far….
"What I do is no concern of yours, halfling."
"I won't let you hurt Kagome!"
"Inu Yasha. Sit." Kikyo's calm voice broke through the raging attacks. "I believe Kagome has a point that splitting up would yield better results when dealing with Naraku. " She turned her eyes on her reincarnation "I also believe it unwise for you to travel alone, however. For now, you should continue on with the western lord. I'm sure a new companion will present themselves in time, but for now, take what is offered. Blessings with you."
Kagome smiled at the ancient priestess, truly smiled.
"Wise words indeed. Thank you Kikyo. Now, I suppose that If you guys will take the Southern regions and the eastern, I will take the North and west. When all has been covered, I will meet you back at the god tree. Blessings with you."
And with that, the Future priestess turned her back to her friends, and left the village.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
"I can feel you, all around me…" Kagome filled the terse silence with a softly sung rendition of an American song she'd heard before coming back through…much to the irritation of the great lord accompanying her. She'd explained, already, the language was from a different country in the future, but to him it just sounded like a bunch of random sounds, and it was getting on his nerves.
"Miko…stop your talent less wailing."
He was satisfied to note that she had stopped 'singing' as she would like to call it…sounding closer to a lower youkai in pain. However, he noticed that she'd wandered to the side and begun pulling things out of that sack of hers.
"What are you doing, woman? We have much ground to cover."
The damned creature had the audacity to glare at him before letting her normal insolence slip out.
"It's dark. I need sleep. I'm setting up camp. You can keep walking, knock yourself out, but I'm not moving until morning."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as she, in further defiance, pulled a metal pot and stood once more, walking into the woods.
"I believe you are moving now, Miko."
"I'm getting water to make ramen."
What was this girl babbling about? As though in answer, she disappeared and reappeared, this time with water in the pot, set it down, and began gather wood and building a fire. Sesshomaru grunted and settled himself, leaning against a tree.
"Why are you following me personally? Don't you have some sort of servant or minion that could watch over me just fine?"
"This Sesshomaru owes no explanation to a human" In truth, Sesshomaru had wondered this same thing more than once. He seemed unable to part himself from the tiresome being. She challenged him in ways that no one dared. She spoke to him in a manor that would terrify his subjects. She defied him at every turn, and he was thoroughly unable to dismiss her…as much as it irritated, this was one human that had caught his interest, and he was determined to find out why.
"What is that you are cooking, girl?"
"Ramen. Instant noodles. I brought them from home…would you like some?"
"This Sesshomaru does not need your food. I am able to procure my own."
He clenched his teeth as he heard her snort.
"Suit yourself, I only offered."
Silence filled the air once more, and time slipped by with the smoke that rose to the sky. It was some time later, after she had eaten, he watched her in meditation…her posture was impeccable, and with her straightened back, he could clearly see her womanly figure against the firelight. Her even breathing drew notice to her chest…and Sesshomaru's eyes were drawn. If she wasn't so obnoxious she might be quite-
Sesshomaru stopped himself and thrust his eyes away from that human.
'human or not, she's attractive.'
Sesshomaru snorted. Perhaps to a human male, but he was a youkai. And a lord at that.
'doesn't mean she wouldn't be fun conquest…it's been a while..'
"Sesshomaru…are you okay? You look rather…pale…"
His head snapped to the woman who'd been preoccupying his thoughts, as though summoned from her daze. Pushing aside the disturbing trail his mind had been walking, he dawned his normal, stoic gaze.
"I have no need of your worries, human."
He didn't miss the dirty look she shot him before unrolling her sleeping mat and settling for the night, drawing his gaze to her calves when she stretched, her pant legs sliding away to reveal her long, slender legs.
'She's got potential…'
Sesshomaru shook his head, clearing the voice. She was merely a human, after all.
--
Butterfly: Well ya'll. Forever and a day later, here is the fourth chapter. Again, sorry for dragging my ass…this chapter isn't my favorite, I have to say. But, I'll be able to update more frequently now. my computer is alive, and with good interweb connection. Anyway, review. I have to figure out where to go with the story now, I lost my pre-draft, so I'll have to re-do it all.