Chapter 8: On the road again

Two months had passed, two entire months, and Kagome could not get either the kiss or his proclamation out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes she felt him there, a soft but insisting pressure against her lips, a forbidden pleasure that she had barely tasted she had gotten only enough to become addicted and the knowledge of the addiction was terrifying, and exciting, but his words were just as haunting. What worried her more that Hiei though she had once had the jewel? Or that he might try to use her to find it again? Or, and this was a dangerous possibility, that he knew were the jewel was now and intended to use it? That questions kept her up at nights almost as much as the memory of that brief touch of lips, it had lasted only a moment and could hardly be termed a kiss but damned if she could get it out of her mind. It was a mystery to her as to why the kiss seemed to bother her more than his words and the threat it implied but, she supposed, it was because he hadn't taken any actions. After that night was over and they had all parted ways her life had changed, in as much as it could. They were not in the feudal age and, so, their actions were restricted but the magic was back, not the same magic but a good one all the same.

Yusuke had, once again, taken up the mantle of cousin and, because he sensed her vulnerability and her deep depression even behind her smiles, he was a fierce protector. No one, absolutely NO ONE, dared go near his cousin lest he beat them to a pulp…Or she did. The boys had been quick to find out that, as kind and charming and innocent and Kagome may appear she had no problem standing up for herself in and out of battle. Ironically she and Yusuke were on a constant competition on who was the leader, and Kagome was wining. Kuwabara reminded her so much of Kouga that part of her wondered if they were, somehow, related. Every morning was the same he'd walk to her, try and take her in his arms, and offer his love which she knew he did for show because Kurama had told her all about the beautiful ice maiden that Kuwabara was desperately in love with) and that earned him a slap on the face and good-humored chuckles all around. Kurama, on the other hand, had had her worried for a bit. The look in his eyes every time he saw Shippo screamed ENEMY but only because the two foxes were of rival clans, regardless that one of them was now almost extinct. Kurama was patient with her son, giving him private lessons on Shippo's orders because her son wanted to impress her. Kilala, of course, remained with the boy constantly and both were doing well in school. Hiei, on the other hand, was a completely different story. They never spoke anymore, not unless absolutely necessary, but he had take to haunting her at every turn, his physical self just as much present in her mind as their kiss had been. She should have been worried, instead she felt calmed. Relieved.

During school hours she stayed with them, eating her lunch with them and more often then not feeding them all in the process. She had visited her mother, twice, and had seen the relief in her eyes. Kagome Higurashi had not passed out of the depression that had claimed her entire existence but she was, at least, no longer alone. Yusuke's mother had insisted on a visit every week, she had yet to touch a single drop of alcohol, and all around things in the city were calming. Crime was at its lowest in years, people were being civil with each other, even the demon attacks lessened at least the normal variety of demon attacks. In the last few months another huge demon had come to the city, dispatched easily enough, but more were coming. Or so Botan had informed her, the two young women becoming fast friends. Ironically Botan reminded her a bit of Sango, they were both tough but kind women. Through it all, though, they trained. Every single day wherever they could they trained and trained. After being introduced to Koenma (boy had that been amazing especially since a few discreet questions informed her that there was no record of her existence in the past, or much information on the jewel or any of her friends.) the boy king had agreed to her being the fifth and final member of the team. It had taken little convincing but he had warned her with a strange look in his infant eyes that the demons she would be facing were much much stronger than the ones she might have faced in the feudal era. These would be demons who had survived all those years without once stepping foot in the demon realm unless it was to make mince-meat out of the class A demons, they were few but they spanned the entire world and they were laws unto themselves. Naraku popped into her mind so quickly that she could barely restrain the instinct to flinch but Naraku was dead and gone, never to return.

But through it all Kagome's mind was on that kiss. It was Friday now, the last day of school before a two week vacation and she dreaded it. At least when school was in she could do her assignments all night, to keep her mind off of that kiss but without that sanctuary she didn't know what to do. Grumbling to herself Kagome dressed, quickly, and rushed to the kitchen were Shippo was already dressed and ready, looking at her with a soft, pathetic, puppy dog look that indicated he was starving. She dropped and kissed his cheek before turning to the stove and starting up some fresh pancakes, biscuits, eggs and huge slabs of bacon. Right on cue Hiei walked through the door and sat down next to Shippo. His eyes studying her as possessively as he did every morning. The first time he came through her door she had nearly had a heart attack but it didn't take a brain surgeon to realize that Hiei found peace when he was near her, whether he wanted it or not, and that she took peace from him. Even if her body was burning and her emotions were so jumbled she could barely think straight, he brought her peace. He had seen her cry perhaps more times than even Inuyasha but she had, definitely, seen the depths of his own sadness more than his companions ever had.

So she put a plate down for him, and a cup of orange juice which he always sneered at but always drank, and continued cooking.

"Hiya Hiei." Shippo offered. The boy had simple needs: Kagome and Kilala he loved without question, Kuwabara he found hilarious, Yusuke was like a big brother (More like Inuyasha then everything but no brother is perfect) and Kurama was something like a mentor/brother to him now but Hiei was the one that made his mother smile and, that alone, would have made him love the fire demon for eternity. It also helped that he was almost as cool as Sesshomaru, he was so fast and his flame attacks would have sent the great Western Lord running for cover at least once. For his part Hiei enjoyed the boy. He was a bit too curios and constantly getting into mischief but Hiei thought he was a good boy despite those few annoyances. He was a young demon, a baby really, but he was strong and intelligent and devoted. So much more than his few years should be able to speak for. He would have protected the child with his life, and Kagome even more so. What feelings he had for the priestess were strange, complicated, allusive things tempered by suspicions. He was waiting, biding his time, he knew she had had the jewel of four souls. What else could incite so much pain? What else could drag her through time? What else could demand her banishment from a place that had been as much a part of her as her very soul? But did she still have the jewel? No, he would have felt it but perhaps she hid it and if she did hide it he had to hide it better or destroy it. Its very existence disgusted him because what kind of a fool would use power outside of oneself for victory? What honor lay in that?

His eyes tracked her, a hunter after its prey, because the kiss haunted him aswell. The need to plunder her, to find every little secret about her, to touch her soft skin and to make her eyes light up with life was his only goal. It was the very focus of his being, he hungered for her like a starved man invited to a banquet but not allowed to eat anything, not even the scraps. He had never meant to kiss her but he had understood her pain, once, and understood how much it had cost her to reveal her past. He had done it because her lips had been slightly parted, her eyes wide, her hair tumbled as if she had just gotten out of bed and her body was so soft against his. It had been impossible to stop even though he knew her secret, or at least part of it. Since then he had come, every spare moment of his day was spent here with or around her. Demons had come calling more than once but he had dispatched them before she could ever sense them. Kurama had been right about the demons not liking their urges to kill stopped, they wanted her dead, but he was with her for as long as she continued to intrigue him. For as long as she pulled him to her, like a gravitational pull even stronger than the sun. It also didn't help that her cooking was absolutely delicious.

Once breakfast was over and her men fed, along with Kilala of course, Hiei and Kagome dropped Shippo off at school of course Hiei was hiding, using his speed to jump from one tree to another in such a way that she should never have noticed him, wouldn't have if she weren't already so in tune with him, so blatantly aware of him. It was something she was coming to get use to, this need, in any case they were more than half way to school when the boys showed up. Unlike normal, however, they weren't dressed in their uniforms, come to think of it neither had Hiei been. Frowning she stopped, waiting for them to come to her. Yusuke got to her first and offered a cocky half-grin.

"We're ditching school today Kags."

"Oh WE are?"

"Yep. Look Genkai invited us over to her place so we better get moving, that old bat hates waiting."

"Who's Genkai?"

"The toughest old broad in the world. Come on, go get Shippo and get packed. We'll meet you at the train station in an hour." And off they went, each boy speeding buy her with a casual hello and a smile before chasing after her cousin. Still frowning Kagome glared over at Hiei who, of course, had come out of hiding and leaned casually against a tree.

"You knew this was going to happen?"

"Hmph."

"Well you could've told me you know? Now we gotta do twice as much work. Sometimes Hiei you make me sooooo mad." But she was smiling, and so was he even though his mouth hadn't moved. It was his eyes. Eyes that should have scared her (Narake had had equally red eyes there at the end) but they had such depths. Sighing Kagome shook her head and planted her hands on her hips, sniffing angrily she marched past him.

"Ok you go get Shippo and Kilala I've gotta go pack now. One hour don't those guys have any consideration I swear sometimes Yusuke can be worse than Inuyasha." That she could joke about such things now was comforting, even when it came with a small pang of pain. Hiei grunted again, shrugging his shoulders. Ever silent, Kagome had a mind to sit him until he spoke to her but she doubted he'd appreciate that at all and at the moment she had to get moving. A mischievous impulse struck her and she planted a kiss on Hiei's cheek before he could react and was well on her way. Hiei merely stood there stunned for a minute before his feet began moving in the general direction of Shippo's school.


Kagome was in a rush, a hell of a rush, trying to find everything and anything they might need. At first she was throwing things into a suitcase but she stopped in the middle of tossing a rather risqué nightgown when she spotted her yellow pack resting on the bed. For a moment sorrow etched her features before she glanced back at the suitcase.

"Ok. Fine, I wouldn't leave you behind."

Chuckling she found herself stuffing everything into her yellow pack, including spare clothes for herself and Shippo along with a mountain of food for all the boys so much that it would have lasted her almost a month in the past unfortunately in the past only Inuyasha had had a humongous appetite in the present she had both Kuwabara and Yusuke who ate like demons. It was ironic really. It took almost forty minutes to do it all but worried gnawed at her because neither Shippo nor Hiei had appeared. She could almost imagine the tactics he would use to get the boy out of school.

"Oh god Hiei don't burn the school down. Just get Shippo and get out. Simple right?" She asked the air around her, predictably there was no response.


"Do you have permission from his mother?"

"Yes."

"Written consent."

"No. But she told me to come pick up her son and the cat."

The elderly woman, with bright silver hair and distrusting green eyes, glared at him and sniffed disdainfully before shuffling the papers in front of her.

"Well then I'm sorry but without written consent you can't take the boy."

"Damn it woman I have consent."

"Young man I think you'd better leave."

The thought of burning the woman until only charred bones remained was so tempting that he almost gave into it, would have if he had not had the Jagan eye. With it he looked into the womans mind and forced her to acknowledge that he could pick up the boy and the cat and he did it none to gently either. If anyone had passed by them they would have thought he and the old lady were re-enacting a scene from Star wars.

"You will let me take the boy."

"You can take the boy."

"No one will get in the way."

"No one will bother you."

It was pathetic but it allowed him to go on his way in peace and pick up the child, who once he picked up chattered incessantly as if they were the greatest of friends which was odd in and of itself. Once he was done, got back to Kagome's and ignored her while she huffed and puffed at him for being so late (which he had found adorable beyond measure and had to physically restrain himself from catching her around the waist pulling her against him and ravishing her until nothing else in the world mattered) they had all four rushed to the train station, yellow pack on Kagome and suitcase full of weapons with Hiei and Shippo holding a lollipop while Kilala led the way like a queen. Within minutes they ahd met the others and they were on their way, on another adventure. She should have been overjoyed but something about meeting Genkai worried her, without knowing why.


"So then she is on her way to the Lady?"

"Yes Mistress."

"How nice. Kagome Higurashi must be watched, and protected send the children to watch her, send everyone we can spare to watch and guard her. I doubt the Lady will receive her kindly and I would not see her in more pain."

"As you wish, Mistress."

"Thank you."

The woman, ethereal and beautiful and as aching as a brilliant starry night, stood as still as a statue, her hands holding a delicate bouquet of flowers that shined like jewels in the afternoon sun. Her eyes were lost, her smile slightly crooked but infinitely kind. There was a sweetness, and innocence, about her that had never dissipated even after all the centuries of her life and all the heartache therein. Turning the woman looked past the other woman, her lieutenant, and the smile she bestowed upon the new arrivals made her even more beautiful.

"Father, Uncle, Aunt. It's almost time. She's gone to see the Lady."

"Finally, took her long enough."

"Yes, it has taken longer than anticipated."

"Are you sure, dear one?"

"Oh yes father, Kagome is on her way."

"Then send out the notices. The tournament begins in two months time, alert the village and all contestants. We need the priestess back here…before he returns."

"It doesn't seem fair, father, can't we just tell her everything. Tell her what has happened? What's been won…What's been lost? Why do we hide?"

"Because Kagome's in danger again, the whole world is in danger and if he finds her before we can test her…No worries dear one. You'll play with them again soon enough."

The girl, smiling the whole time, suddenly frowned and it was as if the sun had gone out because the sadness in her eyes seemed to make the whole room darken, "Not if he comes back. Not if he finds her first."