Sango wearily trailed behind her group with Miroku in tow. Inuyasha speed walked up ahead, sniffing around the bushes for any sign of the demon he had sensed a few hours earlier. They had all felt the surge of a strong aura in the middle of the day and been on edge ever since. Miroku spent the remainder of the day pleading with her to tell him the truth about Kagome's whereabouts, sensing that she was hiding something from him. Sango loved her husband, but wished that just this once he'd get distracted with his lecherous thoughts instead of grilling her.
"I told you, I don't know where she went Miroku."
Miroku furrowed his brows, matching her speed as Sango tried to walk past him.
"I don't believe you. Why else would you insist that we go this way right after Kagome disappears?" He pressed. "Normally you're the first to say we should wait for her."
Sango swatted her hand in the air, trying to think of excuses. "Who, me? No, I think you're thinking of Shippo."
The fox kit perked up at the sound of his name, turning his head around where he sat on Kirara's back.
"Huh? What did I do?" He asked, staring at the pair.
"Pipe down damnit! I'm getting close!" Inuyasha shouted, his nose against the ground like a true pup.
"What did I do!" Shippo whined at Inuyasha. Sango rushed to Shippo's side, cradling him in her arms.
"Aw, don't be sad Shippo, you're hurt because Inuyasha hit you?" She coo'd.
"No, he didn't hi- OW!" Shippo cried as Sango pinched him on the butt.
"Oh look Miroku, Shippo needs you to console him, here!" Sango smiled, launching Shippo into the air. By the time Miroku caught Shippo, Sango had run several metres ahead, past Inuyasha.
She sighed, frustrated by the position Kagome had forced her into. She promised her friend she wouldn't tell anyone where she had gone and intended to keep that promise. Then again, she did also promise to stay far behind, when she had actually led the group far closer, just beyond where she thought Sesshomaru could sense them.
Sango stopped in her tracks, feeling the sudden increase of magical pressure in the air. Her stomach churned, and her companions seemed to feel the same way.
"Do you guys feel that?" Inuyasha asked, the slightest hint of fear in his voice. Sango swallowed, knowing what he was thinking without the need for words; an aura as strong and as evil as Naraku.
"Yeah." She swallowed hard as they continued onwards through the forest. It was in only a few feet that Kirara began to growl and leapt forward, roaring as she came upon their prey. Sango gripped her hiraikotsu, readying for battle. Once the group turned the corner, the stench of wolf corpses burned their eyes, blinding them momentarily. Inuyasha was the first to clear his eyes and was filled with shock when he did.
"What the hell is going on here!" He shouted, unsheathing tessaiga. Sango blinked the tears out of her eyes to see Kagome, bloodied and beaten. She was unconscious in Sesshomaru's arms, equally drenched in blood. She gasped at Kagome's unmoving body, feeling suddenly like she had made a horrible mistake letting her friend leave her side.
"You bastard!" Inuyasha screamed, "What happened to Kagome?"
Sesshomaru frowned, still staring at Kagome's limp body. Her bow and arrows were sprawled on the ground beneath him, a single broken arrow coated in bloody fingerprints.
Inuyasha grew impatient of Sesshomaru's silence and lunged forward to snatch Kagome from the Daiyoukai's arms. Sesshomaru's eyes flashed bright red as he growled deeply, spurring the hanyou back. Sango surveyed their surroundings, seeing that Sesshomaru had clearly been engrossed in battle and sustained damage of his own.
"Wait," she intervened, putting her hand across Inuyasha's chest. "Sesshomaru sama, instead of fighting, may we instead stay with you until she awakens? We just want to know that she's okay." She plead shakily, trying to deescalate the situation.
"Sango, what the hell are you thinking? He tried to kill her!" Inuyasha roared, smacking Sango's hand away.
"Inuyasha. Relax. He isn't doing any harm to her now." Miroku interjected, putting his hand on Sango's shoulder.
"Sango, what is Kagome doing with this asshole!?" Inuyasha hissed as Sesshomaru stood and turned to return to his camp. Sango racked her brain for a suitable excuse, not wanting to make matters worse.
"Kagome sensed jewel shards in the east! She um, decided to go find them! I guess she met up with Sesshomaru along the way, I-I don't know!" Sango stammered, gesturing to Kirara and Shippo to follow.
"Let's go before he get's too far ahead."
Inuyasha's ears perked as he turned to face Kikyo, appearing from deep in the forest to join them. She slunk up beside him, a dark smirk on her face.
"I happened to be doing healing in the village when I sensed an unpure miko.." She breathed, cold eyes gazing at Inuyasha. "Clearly, I was right in my assumption."
Sango grit her teeth, trying to press forward without hearing the insults of Kagome's undead counterpart.
"Sango.. do you know what's going on?" Miroku asked wearily. For once, Sango's lie rang true.
"I really don't know."
88
At late midday, the sun began to creep towards the horizon. Cool winds blew through the treetops, tousling Kagome's hair as she laid unmoving in his arms. Sesshomaru walked carefully, sensing the others following close behind. Anger welled in his chest, his caws digging deeper into Kagome's skin than he had intended.
How dare that half breed neanderthal accuse this Sesshomaru of hurting her, after everything he's caused. Sesshomaru tried to temper his thoughts, but felt the same anger flash through his heart as he did during battle. His chest tightened, struggling to make sense of the events that had just unfolded. One minute he was slicing through a wall of mindless wolves, and the next, Kagome was pointing her bow to him, ready to shoot.
He gazed down at her, checking every few minutes for the pulsation of her heart in her chest. When she had collapsed, he was convinced she was dead. In that instant, he was reminded of the day he had found Rin, bite marks deep into her flesh. When he inspected her listless body, he saw she had reopened the wound on the back of her head and lost a lot of blood, which is what he assumed caused her to black out.
As Sesshomaru approached the camp, Kagome's eyes fluttered open slowly, and almost immediately filled with tears.
"Sesshomaru? Is this the afterlife?" She asked quietly.
"Is that where you were planning to send me?" He scoffed, quietly relieved that she had woken up so quickly.
"This Sesshomaru cannot be killed by any mortal being." He exclaimed proudly. Kagome smiled, tears streaming down her face. She nuzzled into his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"Thank kami I didn't kill you. Thank kami." Sesshomaru suppressed a blush as she cried into his haori, clearly more overwhelmed than he was.
"The hanyou and others are following close behind." He grumbled, looking down at Kagome's surprise.
"Do you know anything about this?" He asked, already knowing the answer. Kagome blushed bright red at his question, not wanting to admit she had told Sango where they were headed.
"Um, well, I.. Uh… Well, I just.. Um.." Kagome stammered, searching for something to say. Sesshomaru figured she had told them, and was rather pleased at himself for making the correct assumption instead of being angered at her slip up.
"I cannot guarantee the hanyou's safety." He smirked, relaxing Kagome's nerves. The miko laid her head against his chest, drenching his senses in cinnamon and sweet orange. He carried her in silence for several moments before Kagome spoke quietly.
"You really couldn't see her.." She whispered.
"No." He responded flatly, "I could not."
Kagome's eyes filled with fresh tears and her body began to tremble.
"It was.. horrible. I couldn't control my own body. I could hear, and I could see, but I couldn't move or speak. My body moved all on it's own, like it wasn't my body."
Kagome shook in his arms, traumatized by the possession. Sesshomaru gazed down at her silently, unsure of how to console her.
"I-I nearly killed you. She nearly used me to kill you. And I watched it. And I thought I succeeded, I thought I killed you, and that she killed me. I thought, I thought.."
Sesshomaru stopped walking to lean down and kiss Kagome on her open mouth, hard. He held her there, embraced by both the strength of his body and the warmth of his lips. When he pulled back and continued walking, Kagome stared up at him, stunned.
"Enough." He exclaimed, stepping through a bush to reach their camp. Rin and Jaken's calls seemed distant in that moment, as he returned her gaze.
"You are safe now."
88
The new and improved group sat in a large circle around a fire started by the obviously perturbed Jaken. Kagome and Rin sat on either side of Sesshomaru with Jaken and Ah Un sitting just behind them. Sango and Miroku sat beside Kagome, Shippo beside Rin, and Inuyasha directly across, close to Kikyo.
Jaken muttered spells in the background, chattering with the staff of two heads as Kagome finished explaining what had happened in battle. She could see the irritation in Sesshomaru's face as he began to grasp what was going on.
"It sounds like the demon, whatever it was, was in supply of dark magic." Miroku rubbed his forehead with the back of his thumb. "In which case, the possibilities are endless."
"But how could a demon get control of so much power? Where do they even get dark magic?" Sango asked.
Miroku considered the question, staring sullenly into the fire.
"Like I said, the possibilities are endless. If darkness truly resides in someone's heart.. well, they'll find a way. The real question is, what is Ayame seeking, and why is she trying to attack you?"
Kagome bit her lip, remembering the dead stare of the wolf demon that stood before her.
"It.. couldn't have been Ayame. She wasn't like that, her heart was warm with good intentions."
"No demon has good intentions." Sesshomaru exclaimed, bluntly. Kagome felt small, her heart willing her to believe that not all demons were bad.
"Look, at the end of the day, none of this matters. What about the shards, Kagome?" Inuyasha shouted, opening his mouth for the first time in hours.
"It.. It wasn't interested in the shards. It told me it didn't need them." She mumbled, those haunting words reverberating in her skull. Inuyasha slapped his hand on the ground, angrily yelling at Kagome.
"So then this entire trip was pointless! If the shards aren't involved, we have no reason to be here!"
Kagome hung her head as Inuyasha brow beat her, having long ago gotten used to his insults.
"Maybe if you weren't such a goddamn moron you wouldn't have dragged the rest of us into this mess in the first place!" He snorted, crossing his arms in distaste. Kikyo smirked at Inuyasha's words, her glower like ice against Kagome's skin.
She felt Sesshomaru shift with irritation, glaring back at Inuyasha intently.
"Perhaps if you were not such a brat she wouldn't have needed to seek the aid of others for her safety…" Sesshomaru spat. Inuyasha's eyes widened with rage at the sound of his elder brother's voice.
"You.. bastard! Who the hell do you think you are? Oh you just wait until I get you alone I am going to-"
"Stop, please just hold on!" Kagome cried, throwing her hands up. "I was going to say that although she may not have the shards, I have a feeling someone in the army may! Remember, Koga still has two shards in his legs.."
"She may be right, it would definitely make it easier for them to control the entire army like that, especially if Koga has been defeated." Miroku added. Kagome smiled at Miroku's aid in calming the tides between the two brothers.
"Oh, Sesshomaru sama!" Rin piped in, calling the groups attention.
"If we follow the Shizukuishi river, we could reach Kitakami before morning! Then from there, we could get to the wolves cave in three days!" Rin beamed at Sesshomaru, proud of her realization.
"Yes." He replied, pushing himself up to stand. Unwilling to waste any more time, Sesshomaru gestured to Ah Un and Jaken to begin along the route mentioned by Rin. Once the small girl had scrambled onto the dragon's back, Sesshomaru turned to face Kagome.
"You may follow, if you should choose to do so."
Kagome smiled brightly, thankful for his cryptic invitation.
"Uhn! You guys should also follow, it's better to travel in numbers after all!" Kagome cheered as she stood.
"Keh. I suppose you were right about her Kikyo." Inuyasha scoffed, leaning back on his palms. "He really must have stolen her purity if she's willing to follow my scum of a brother."
Kagome frowned, whipping around to retort.
"Inuyasha, Sesshomaru is more of a man than you've ever ben, and I don't need to have sex with him to know that."
Kagome stuck out her tongue before skipping off to Sesshomaru's side as the others stood, ready to follow close behind. Miroku leaned over to Inuyasha before standing, a silly grin plastered on his face.
"She got ya that time, Inuyasha." He joked.
As they began together, Sango held her husbands hand tightly, looking up at him with doe eyes.
"This is going to be the longest four day journey we've ever embarked on, isn't it?" Miroku smiled warmly at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Yes my love, it shall."
88
As the moon hung in the dark night sky, the group continued onwards. Kagome could tell Sesshomaru wanted to make up for time lost, but the others were exhausted. They had faced far fewer demons than they had before the appearance of Ayame, but some stragglers remained. Shippo and Rin slept on Ah Un's back while Kirara was cradled in Sango's arms. Kagome knew the others wanted to stop to sleep, but was also painfully aware of the fact that everyone was too afraid to address Sesshomaru except for Kagome.
As they reached a fork in the road, Sesshomaru stopped walking and frowned. Kagome tried not to bump into him as he stopped, and noticed something rustling in the tall grass before them.
"What is it? More wolves?" She asked.
"No." He frowned, watching them approach. "Worse."
Kagome watched as three fox demons jumped out of the grass, landing in unison in front of Sesshomaru.
"Sesshomaru sama!" they shouted, bowing before him. "Welcome to Kitakami palace!"
Kagome tried to size up the tiny foxes, each wearing it's own little uniform of gold and purple robes. Dark red fur covered their bodies with specks of white dotting their bellies. Kagome glanced back at Shippo, thinking he would be excited to meet other fox children.
"Riko." Sesshomaru exclaimed. Kagome turned around to see a beautiful kitsune mistress with one hand cupping Sesshomaru's face. She had long, slender legs covered only slightly by the short red and gold kimono she wore. Her hair glimmered in the moonlight, silver locks draped over her shoulders with a red rose nestled beside her right ear. She gazed at the daiyoukai with bright fuchsia eyes, a harsh contrast to her creamy, porcelain skin. Kagome blushed, feeling inadequate in the presence of such a gorgeous kitsune.
"Sesshomaru, my love. It has been so long since you've come to visit." The fox demon leaned in and enveloped Sesshomaru in a kiss, wrapping her willowy arms around his neck. Kagome sucked in air, watching as he accepted her kiss without a fight. Suddenly, she felt too close to the intimate moment being had before her, and took steps backwards, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful woman.
"Inuyasha.." She whispered, "do you know who this is?" Kagome turned to look at the hanyou with panicked eyes, feeling her heart race as she spoke.
"Yeah." Inuyasha scratched his head, looking away. "That's his mate."
The miko stared back wide eyed, nodding slowly. Thats.. his mate.. The words rang in her head, but lacked meaning. His.. mate? Kagome felt a sharp stab in her chest, realizing that perhaps he was truly only using her for fun. She fought back tears as Riko pulled away from Sesshomaru with a smile, scanning the others quickly.
"You are travelling heavy this time." She smirked, gesturing to the group behind him.
"They are friends of Inuyasha." Riko smiled and peeked her head past Sesshomaru to acknowledge Inuyasha, waving briefly.
"Hm, I guess you two can get along after all, can't you!" Riko tapped Sesshomaru on the shoulder, laughing at her own joke.
"Come, you and your humans can spend the night in my palace. We were about to sit for a late dinner, you may join us." Riko put her arm around Sesshomaru, ushering him down one of the paths of the fork.
"Banninko! Show the others to the guest's quarters to dress for dinner." Riko waved her hand nonchalantly, turning to chat to Sesshomaru as they walked.
Kagome's heart ached in her chest, feeling the sink of dejection. He was using me.. She thought to herself, absently following along with the others as they walked behind the small fox demons. I was a passtime..
Miroku nudged her, ready to make a lecherous joke about the roundness of Riko's behind when he noticed the tears in Kagome's eyes. Instead, he slung his arm around her tenderly, walking along in silence.
Once they reached the palace, they were each ushered into their own large, grandeur rooms. Kagome's room was decked with sheer drapery covering the floor to ceiling windows, tall wooden furniture and an oversized canopy bed smack dab in the middle. Everything about the palace was very grand, similar to the way Riko seemed to present herself. Kagome tossed her yellow knapsack on the bed and laid there for what felt like hours. She didn't want to have to face Riko or Sesshomaru again, feeling dejected enough as it was. Her eyes stung from crying, and she didn't want him to see. The miko fished in her bag for what was left of her makeup bag and dusted her face quickly before throwing on the pink and white dinner robes left on her bed by the attendants.
As she reached the dinner table, she noticed that Sesshomaru was seated right next to Riko, wearing a fresh set of clothing. So he leaves his clothes here, too.. She thought to herself, trying to bite back the bitter taste on her tongue.
Sango smiled, gesturing to Kagome to sit next to her. Kagome glanced around the dinning room as she did, noting that while it was very extravagant, Riko did indeed have a beautiful palace. White marble wall encompassed them, with gold and purple drapery covering the windows and doors, coating the room in decadent royalty. Even the seating seemed to be fit for a queen, sturdy wooden chairs painted white with the fox emblem carved into the back brace. Kagome sat, suddenly lacking the energy to eat.
"So, you travel with a monk, a demon slayer, a fire fox and two mikos? Why do you need two mikos?" Riko asked Inuyasha, swinging a piece of meat around with her chopsticks as she did.
"It's uh.. a long story." Inuyasha admitted, his ears flattened against his head.
"I guess two are better than one, huh!" Riko laughed heartily, a sing songish sound compared to Kagome's girlish giggles. The miko felt jealousy surge through her body every time Riko opened her mouth or batted a lash. One minute she was feeling confident in the progression of her relationship with Sesshomaru, and the next, she felt like a crumpled piece of paper.
"Riko. Why were you out this late into the night? You were not expecting our arrival." Sesshomaru muttered. Riko's face darkened, staring down at his untouched plate.
"I suppose some things never change, always so keen, Sesshomaru sama." Riko smiled sadly, setting her chopsticks down on the table.
"One of my strongest men has disappeared. Several weeks ago he travelled West for training. He was supposed to return within a couple of days, but no one has seen him or his disciples since." Riko paused, glancing down at her half eaten dinner.
"Ever since then, there has been an overwhelming number of wolves crossing through here to get to the West.
"I have gone out every night in search of answers, but none of Koga's men seem to know what's going on. It's almost as though they're lacking a soul."
Sesshomaru remained silent as Riko pressed on.
"I thought it was simply odd at first, but now that I see you're here I'm convinced something serious must be going on. Torikku is an asset to my army, and we have all been uneasy about his disappearance." Riko glanced around the table, solemn faces staring back.
"Do you think that your general could have gone rogue?" Miroku asked, breaking the silence. Riko waved her hand in the air, dismissing the idea.
"I strongly doubt that Torikku would do such a thing. He is held to the highest regard in my palace, he has everything he could want here." The fox mistress replied.
"We did feel a very strong magical presence earlier in the day, if not Torikku, do you know anyone else that would be in supply of such strong magic?" Sango asked. Riko seemed to consider for a moment, then shook her head.
"No. Other than mikos or monks, but I'm sure you all have considered that." The group nodded as Riko continued.
"Besides, my thought is that it has to do with the shikon no tama. It's powers are incredible, I've seen it's powers of corruption first hand. Most demons thought it was destroyed with Naraku, but I happen to know one little wolf prince that still has two shards in his legs.."
Kagome touched her hand to her chest, surprised that Riko couldn't sense the jewel around her neck. Years ago, they had sealed the nearly complete jewel with a sacred sutra that suppressed it's aura. Kagome had thought that a demon as strong as Riko would be able to notice it. Not so perfect after all, stupid fox.
"You're travelling to see Koga, aren't you." Riko sighed, putting her hand on Sesshomaru's lap.
"I guess that means this will be a short visit then, hm Sesshomaru sama? Better make the most of it." Riko smiled seductively at the Daiyoukai, who remained cold in return.
The sting in Kagome's chest felt more and more like the stab of a knife as the dinner continued on. She wanted to focus on the importance of the information being provided to them, but her mind was overcome with negative thoughts. Riko was clearly infatuated with Sesshomaru, and he didn't seem to mind her advances. Kagome watched as Riko whispered to Sesshomaru, quiet giggles emitting from her chest. The miko lifted her napkin from her lap and placed it on top of her plate, having had enough of this show of affection.
It's not like it could have worked between us, anyway. Kagome thought to herself as she walked away from the table, ignoring Sango's calls behind her. He's a demon, and I'm a human. A demon that deserves a powerful, gorgeous fox demon of a wife.
Kagome wiped tears away from her face as she turned the corner towards her room.
Besides.. I've gotten really good at being everyone's second choice.
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WOOP! I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written for you guys, and originally it was even longer LOL! I had to split it into to two chapters because fan fiction was literally having a melt down each time I tried to upload it! Lots going on in the chapter, and ENTER RIKO! Goddamn sexy fox mistress! I hope her image was well portrayed, please feel free to ask me any questions about her if you are confused or want more info :) The story is really starting to shape out, and as always, I'd love to hear your predictions! Although, id say this story is fairly unpredicable, even for me!
I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed the story and given me your thoughts! It puts a big, silly smile on my face when I'm about to start a 10 hour shift and I see someone reviewed my story! So please continue to review, review, review and tell me what you think will happen next! See you next friday! Love always, omyouji :3
