Hey guys! i'm really super sorry i haven't updated in a long long while, but my internet has been acting strange and not to mention the disappearance of this chapter from Microsoft. Idk i shouldn't have any excuses but yea that's why i took longer than i hoped. Um yea i honestly lost interest in this story because it's not coming out the way i wanted it to and not a lot of people are reading it. So just a head's up, i might not continue this story unless i hear from you otherwise. So tell me if you want me to continue and i will or this baby is gone. So i hope you enjoy and REVIEW!
Chapter 8
"Thanks, Botan. See you later?"
"Of course, Kagome. I'll see you real soon." She waved goodbye and disappeared through the portal. Just then Souta came out, dragging Kun-Loon behind him. "See mom, I told you they're…what?" Kun-Loon stared at the small group in the field in confusion. "I thought you said they disappeared?" Souta stuttered, not sure of what to say.
Kagome giggled, "Hi, momma. Is breakfast ready?" She saw Hiei push Kurama away from the corner of her eye.
"Yes, it is. Why don't you come in and eat. You all look so hungry." Yusuke and Kuwabara ran inside. Kurama walked inside beside Kun-Loon and Kagome ran up to catch up to them. Souta stayed; his mouth gaping open. Kagome stopped and scowled a little, "Souta, it's rude to stare at someone with your mouth open. Come on, let's go eat." Souta's shoulders slumped and went back inside mumbling about disappearing acts and pranks.
"Hiei," he stopped his walk to the front of the shrine and turned to her, "Aren't you going to eat with us?" she asked, pointing her thumb towards the kitchen. "I can tell my mom made pancakes."
He scowled and 'hned', not bothering to answer her. She watched him disappear in the corner, no doubt going to the Goshinboku. She shrugged and went inside.
Yusuke, Kuwabara and Souta played around with their food and Kagome told her mom about what was going on. When Grandpa heard Kurama was part demon, he threw salt and fake sutras yelling, "Demon be gone." repeatedly. "Kagome, you are forbidden from ever dating him again, do you hear me? No granddaughter of mine is going to be with a demon."
Kun-Loon managed to convince him that Kurama was a nice demon like Inuyasha. She whispered his name so Kagome wouldn't hear. Grandpa huffed and sat back down to finish his breakfast. He kept glaring at Kurama once in a while, not fully trusting him yet.
Kagome rolled her eyes and went back to telling her mom about Koenma and what he wants her to do. Kun-Loon's expression saddened a bit, "When do you plan on leaving?" Kagome looked down at her half eaten pancake. "This afternoon, he says its best to start soon. And I promised Sesshomaru that I wouldn't take long. He wants to continue my training before the attack."
Kun-Loon flashed one of her motherly, supporting smiles, "Just be careful. I want to see my baby back in good shape. If not then I guess I'll just go down that well and give those nasty demons a piece of my mind." Kagome laughed when her mom slammed her fist on the table.
"Well those demons better run for their lives. There's no way they stand a chance against Kun-Loon Higurashi." Kun-Loon pumped up her arms showing off her muscles, "That's right. Watch out I'm coming for you!" They both laughed as the others looked on in confusion.
"Lord Sesshomaru" Jaken fell to his knees out of breath. "Lord Sesshomaru, he's out of control we can't stop him! We need you now milord." Just as he finished a crash came from a few rooms down the hall along with a girl's scream, louder then whatever was broken. "Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin's small fists pounded on the walls. Sesshomaru growled and sprinted to the room.
He broke the doors in half and saw half his guards struggling to tame the beast in their arms. "Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin ran to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He picked her up swiftly, handing her to Jaken. "Leave" he said going back to the room.
Sesshomaru pushed his guards away, grabbing the beast by the collar. He growled at Sesshomaru, struggling to get out of his grasp. He raised his fist and attempted to punch Sesshomaru, but was met with a head butt. The beast fell to the floor, howling his head off. Sesshomaru stepped on his back, stopping the thing from rolling around.
"Bring the potion." He ordered the captain. He looked down at the mutt under his foot and met his deadly crimson eyes. Said mutt barked out a cry, clawing the wooden floor beneath him. Sesshomaru eyebrows knotted together in anger. He bent down, grabbed the mutt by the neck only to be bit on the arm. He flinched, but ignored the venom that entered his blood stream as the mutt laughed. Sesshomaru growled and tightened his grip.
The mutt stopped as his eyes watered, but smirked, "Go ahead and finish me off, Sesshomaru. After all, if I'm gone, so is your human girl." His voice was raspy and deep; deeper than the demon lord holding him by the neck.
Sesshomaru blinked indifferently, his arm shaking from uncontrollable anger. The mutt tilted his head up, a lone tear falling down the side of his cheek. "Please Sesshomaru, kill me." Shock ran through him at the sudden sound of his brother's voice.
The mutt looked at the inuyoukai before him, his red eyes showing a glimmer of amber. "Please, I beg you." Sesshomaru threw him to the wall and turned away. His claw glowed and turned back around as his whip was unleashed. 'No! What are you doing Lord Sesshomaru?' Just then, the captain ran in holding a blue vile. The mutt laughed uncontrollably, his raspy, deep voice returning, "Get on with it, Sesshomaru. Kill me! Kill me!"
Sesshomaru glared. He held up the whip. 'Lord Sesshomaru don't do it. Remember the plan' he ignored the voice in his head and thrust the whip to towards the mutt. 'NO!!!' The mutt laughed and spread his arms out. "Finally…" he gasped as the whip wrapped around his body instead, his arms wrapped tightly close to his body. He squirmed and bit the bright whip, howling as Sesshomaru's venom in the whip burned his mouth.
Sesshomaru gestured to the guard. The captain ran to the mutt, pouring the blue vile down his throat. The mutt howled louder, throwing his body to the wall, trying to stop the pain soaring through his inner being. Then all grew silent, the mutt stared at the ceiling above him. His eyes became heavy, returning to their normal color. "Why…Sesshomaru?" he choked out before falling to the floor.
The guards took charge then, walking over to the fallen figure and placing him back onto the futon he occupied before the disturbance occurred. Sesshomaru supervised as the captain approached him. The guard bowed respectfully, "Lord Sesshomaru, I apologize for my men's and I inability to handle the half demon. I hope you will forgive…"
"Double the guards outside the perimeter and the eastern wing. Trespassers will not be tolerated." He said not looking away from the sleeping figure.
"Trespassers, my lord?" Sesshomaru nodded and walked over to the sealed window. He pushed the curtains back and ran his hand over the broken hinges. 'How could they get passed unseen by my guards?' He turned back at the sound of flapping wings. A hawk youkai transformed to her humanized form and bowed to Sesshomaru before turning to the captain.
"Captain, we just received word that Kagura along with a white haired accomplice were reported near the palace earlier today. We have reason to believe that Naraku was behind this incident."
"Do you have any information on their whereabouts?" the Captain asked.
"No sir, none at the moment."
"Very well, report to me as soon as you hear anything else."
"Yes sir!" the hawk saluted before bowing and leaving the room.
"Captain Hayato, Lord Sesshomaru! Come quick."
"What's wrong?" Captain Hayato said. A young fox youkai pushed the collar of the hanyou away, revealing a sickly purple, reddish bruise like mark on the left shoulder. Sesshomaru glared, "Take his shirt off." He ordered. The young fox youkai did as ordered and removed the silver, royal blue cloth off him. The mark ran down to the middle of his back.
Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly before glaring at the disgusting spider mark on the hanyou. Captain Hayato gasped along with the other guards. "Hayato" Sesshomaru said in his emotionless voice.
"Sir" he saluted.
"See to it my demands are made. Report any of what the hawk has said directly to me."
"Yes my lord." Captain Hayato bowed and Sesshomaru walked out the room to check on Rin. Sesshomaru stopped outside her door and growled lowly, uncurling his fingers from a fist he didn't know of. He watched a drop of blood fall and hit the floor before his hand was completely healed. He placed his cold mask on and walked into her room.
"Damn you Hiei!" Kagome shouted out to a tree in front of her. She heard a small chuckle slowly fading away. She huffed and walked back to Kaede's hut with the Reikai Tentai behind her. 'We haven't even been here for a minute and he's already off killing demons!'
Yusuke chuckled, "She really is scary when she's mad." Kuwabara nodded. Kurama stared at his surroundings. Kuwabara touched a tree close to him, "I've never seen so many trees at once." he said, "Wow, this place is better than the city."
Two yellow eyes stared from the top of the tree, watching the hopeless fool who dared touch his territory. Kuwabara shivered and stepped back from the tree. The pair of eyes followed, whipping its tail, hitting the fool on the back. Kuwabara screamed.
The eyes laughed and disappeared from their view. "What the hell was that?!" Yusuke said in a fighting position. The laughter came back, louder than before as a black lump jumped out of its hiding place. "It's a snake demon." Kagome shouted grabbing her bow. "Kazuma get back!"
The snake demon laughed, "You think you ssscare me, little girl? Why don't you go home and bake sssome cookiesss." He said lunging towards her. Kagome jumped out the snake's reach and grabbed an arrow. She aimed it to its head and released it. The snake shrieked in pain.
"Way to go, Kagome!" Yusuke said running to her side. Kagome smiled, "Thanks, but it's not over yet." She notched another arrow and concentrated. 'His tongue' she smiled and aimed.
"Kagome look out!" Yusuke shouted as another snake demon attacked her from behind. She dodged a little late and in the process dropping her bow. Yusuke cursed and ran forward, punching the snake out of his way and grabbed her bow.
"Yusuke!" he turned to Kurama and nodded. He turned back to Kagome, "Kagome get down!"
"Why?"
"Just do it!" he shouted before running to Kuwabara, bow in hand. Kagome was about to ask again but shut up when she saw one of the snakes coming towards her. "Yusuke, my bow!" she shouted. The snake slithered closer and she looked on hopelessly.
"Yusuke! Stop playing around and give me my bow!" the snake jumped at her, its open mouth dripping with venom.
Her eyes watered with anger. 'Why won't they help me? She closed her eyes and reached her hand out. It started to glow a light blue hue. "Yusuke!" she shouted opening her eyes. "Rose Whip!" Kagome blinked as a thorny whip slashed in front of her.
The snake demon cried in pain as it was open from the stomach, killing it instantly. Yusuke and Kuwabara ran over to Kagome. "You ok?" Kuwabara asked.
"Yea, I didn't mean to scare ya." Yusuke said rubbing his forearm.
Kagome growled, "Yusuke you idiot!" she punched him on the head. She huffed and crossed her arms; Kuwabara chuckled. Yusuke groaned in pain and rubbed his head.
"Kagome," Kurama jumped to a kneeling position in front of her, "Tell me, will that second demon by any chance have a jewel shard?"
Kagome smiled, "As a matter fact it does, the tongue." Kurama smiled at her and went back to the snake demon. A few seconds later a screech was heard in the forest. The remains from both snake demons disintegrated, leaving no evidence of a fight behind. Kurama bent down to the ground and picked the fallen jewel only to drop it again.
Kagome went over and instantly the shard returned to its glowing pink color. She put it in her small bottle with the other shards when she was attacked by a flying orange fluff ball. She laughed as they fell to the ground.
"Momma, you're back!"
"Hey there, Shippo. I missed you." She hugged him close to her and stood up.
"It's nice to see you back, Kagome." Sango said walking down the path. Miroku walked behind her with a red handprint occupying his cheek. Kagome looked at Shippo and he sighed. She giggled softly.
"It's nice to be back, Sango. I see nothing's changed since I left." Sango blushed lightly. Kirara jumped out a bush and jumped on Kagome's shoulder. "Hey Kirara." She purred as Kagome's hand rubbed her ears.
"Kitty!" Kuwabara shouted, running over to Kagome and grabbing the fire cat. Kirara blinked confused and Kuwabara sat on the ground and started making her dance. Kirara hissed but stopped when Kuwabara cooed her and complimented her. A light blush spread on her cream fur and meowed happily.
Kagome, Sango Kurama laughed. Yusuke was busy playing with Shippo's tail. Miroku cleared his throat and everyone, except Kuwabara, turned their attention to him.
"Kagome, why don't you introduce us to your new friends?"
"Oh right. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, this is Yusuke, Kurama, and the one playing with Kirara is my brother, Kuwabara."
Yusuke smirked, "Yo."
"Hey" Kuwabara said raising one hand to them before going back to playing with Kirara.
Kurama bowed to Miroku and kissed Sango on the back on her hand. She blushed; Kagome snickered. "It's nice to meet you both." He said before walking back to his spot next to Yusuke. Miroku glared at him, but Kagome kicked him, unseen by anyone.
Shippo swiped his tail out of Yusuke's grasp and jumped on Kurama's shoulder. He sniffed him for a while and scratched his head. Kurama blinked, "Is something the matter with the way I smell?"
"No, you smell like roses." He sniffed again. "You're a kitsune. But…" he sniffed again. "You're human too. Are you a half demon?" Kurama chuckled.
"My you have quite a nose for a little one." He patted Shippo's head earning a laugh in return. He looked at Kagome, "Please do not get mad."
Kagome blinked twice, "Mad for what?" He didn't respond but instead pointed a finger to a tree behind her. Her eyes burned with fury. Her arms shook uncontrollable. "No…"
"Kagome, I said please." Kagome breathed in and out slowly. "I won't Kurama. But it doesn't mean I have to be nice to him!"
Kurama smiled, "Fair enough." He looked at Shippo's curious face. He mouthed something and Shippo nodded. Sango and Miroku glanced at each other, confusion clearly written on their faces.
"Kagome, what's going on? Why are you mad?" Sango asked putting her hand on Kagome's shoulder.
"I'm not mad! Who said I was mad? Do I look mad to you?!" Sango jerked her hand back and shivered. "What was that about?" Miroku asked. Sango shrugged.
"There's someone else in our little group." Yusuke said walking over to them. He whispered in their ears, "Our last member got on her bad side earlier today and it'd be better if you don't get involved. Kig-tails can get pretty scary if you interfere when she's dealing with bastards like him."
Sango and Miroku stared at him strangely at the name. Yusuke smiled sheepishly, "Oh right, um Kig-tails is Kagome." They nodded and watched Kagome doing her breathing exercise.
"Kagome" Kurama said. She nodded and balled her hand into a fist. Just then a black shadow jumped out a tree and landed in front of her. She sucked in air and unleashed her fist. The figure barely had time to react as the fist made contact on his cheek.
Kagome huffed satisfied and crossed her arms. "That's what you get for calling me something that's not my name AND for running off when you don't even know where you are!"
Hiei growled and wiped away the small blood at the corner of his mouth. "Onna, I did not run off!" He vanished and reappeared next to Kurama. Shippo yelped and hid behind Kurama's other shoulder. He peeked over at him and squirmed at the glare he shot at him.
Kagome huffed again and turned her attention to her friends. "The guy in black is Hiei, or better known as the black bastard!"
Hiei growled again, but let it go when Kurama put his hand up. Hiei glared at Kagome before picking up the peeking Shippo by the tail. Shippo whimpered, "Ka-Kagome" She gasped and walked over to them. "Hiei leave Shippo alone. He's just a kid!"
"Hn" he said. Kagome growled and everything went red, "Hiei, I'm warning you." He ignored her again. Yusuke and Kuwabara, who stopped playing with Kirara to watch, fidgeted. "Now Kagome, don't be too hasty." Kuwabara said getting up with Kirara in his hands.
A pair of beads in Kagome's bag glowed. Sango nudged Miroku and pointed at it. "Those look like Inuyasha's subjugation necklace. You don't think she'll…"
"I don't even think she knows she's doing it." Sango replied. Miroku smiled, "This will be very interesting." Sango smiled, too and nodded.
"Hiei, put Shippo down." Hiei raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Why should I listen to you, onna?"
Kagome growled, the angrier she got the more red she saw. "Hiei" he smirked, "What are you going to do about it, onna?"
Her fists clenched and unclenched, "Hiei, DOWN!" The beads in her bag glowed brighter and flew out to Hiei. The beads encircled on his neck and down Hiei fell to the ground below." Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama stared amazed.
"Kiggy-tails, what just happened?" Kuwabara asked as Hiei jumped out of the carter. His blade glinted in the sunlight. "Onna, what type of witch craft is this? What did you do to me?"
Kagome smirked, "I warned you, Hiei. If you would've listened to me in the first place this wouldn't have happened. Now you're under my mercy."
"You get what's going on?" Yusuke asked an amused Miroku. He nodded and pointed to the black subjugation necklace, "Kagome placed a miko spell on it, subduing Hiei using that necklace. One word and he's under her command."
Yusuke smirked, "Like a trained dog."
"Exactly" Miroku said, smiling at the last word. The first time he'd seen the power of the necklace was when he met Inuyasha. 'He sure was trained. Thanks to Kagome'
Hiei reached up and tried taking the beads off. He growled, "Onna, take these off at once!"
"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that. What did you call me?"
"Don't test my patience, onna." A tick on her head grew and grew.
She slowly walked to him, "Call me onna one more time." She said too sweetly. Yusuke's and Kuwabara's eyes widened, "Oh no…" they said in unison.
Sango and Miroku glanced at them and shrugged. "Kagome, you said you wouldn't get mad."
"Don't worry, Kurama. I'm perfectly fine. I'm just doing something I should've done the day I met him." Kurama sighed in frustration. Shippo crawled up to his shoulder. Kurama gave him a tired, soft smile and patted his head. Shippo smiled.
Hiei frowned. 'What is she planning? The idiots wouldn't say oh no for nothing.' He smirked, 'No matter. She has a death wish and I'll grant it for her' he walked the remaining space left between them, his smirk growing. He stopped a few feet away. Kagome's eyebrow twitched. He opened his mouth,
"Onn-"
"DOWN!" Hiei fell to the ground face first. His sword clinked on the side of the hard carter. "Down, down, down, down, down, down!" Kagome said again with a triumph smile. Yusuke and Kuwabara cringed and Kurama sighed.
"Poor shrimp." Kuwabara said looking down at the black figure lying in the brown carter. Yusuke shrugged, "He deserved it. You know how Kig hates guys like him." Kuwabara nodded.
"Well," Miroku said, "That certainly was entertaining." Sango smiled, nodding her agreement.
"But I think we should head to Kaede's village. It's getting late and I bet Sesshomaru is back from his trip." Sango said walking over to Kuwabara. Her hands extended and watched Kirara jump into her awaiting arms. Sango giggled at the feel of Kirara's tongue on her cheek.
"That's right! Sesshomaru is coming!" Kagome said jumping happily. She stopped and hissed in pain.
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Kurama asked walking over to her.
"Leg" was all she said. Kagome's head spun with dizziness and Hiei's sudden appearance didn't help clear her vision. 'Damn speed of his…making me dizzier!'
Kagome closed her eyes as beads of sweat formed on her forehead. "Is momma gonna be ok?" Shippo asked from Kurama's shoulder. He nodded, "She has some venom in her blood stream, but she'll be fine."
"Was it from one of those snake demons?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama nodded.
"Snake demons?" Miroku asked in horror. "Tell you later." Yusuke said.
Kurama looked over to Sango, "How far is this village?"
A light blush rose to her cheeks, "Not that far." He smiled and thanked her. "We need to get her there quick. The venom is spreading and it could get messy."
"Got it. Kirara!" She meowed, but the meow turned to a roar as flames engulfed her, revealing a larger version of Kirara.
Kuwabara's mouth hanged open, "Ki-Kirara!" Yusuke whistled, "That's a big cat." Kurama was caught off guard and from the looks of it, so was Hiei.
Sango smiled at their reactions and grabbed Kagome. Miroku helped her up, "Miroku show them the way. I'll see you guys there. Kirara." Another roar came from her and took off into the skies.
Miroku turned to the small group of males. "This way, gentlemen," He blinked, "Are we missing somebody?"
"Just Hiei. He's following the cat." Yusuke replied, walking pass Miroku. Kurama and Kuwabara followed, leaving Miroku alone in the clearing. He sighed, "I suppose they don't need a guide after all." He sighed again before following.
"I don't see what the problem is, Sango. There is no venom in Kagome's blood."
"But that's impossible! She had a bite right here on her leg. How could it just disappear like that?" Sango said in frustration.
"Ye should rest, Sango. It's not good for ye health to fail ye at such a young age."
Sango sighed, "I'm fine, Lady Kaede. But I don't understand how it went away in just two minutes."
"Her healing powers are kicking in, I see." Sesshomaru said, walking into the small hut. Rin ran in behind him to Sango and hugged her tight. Sango giggled, "Hello, Rin."
"Lord Sesshomaru, you've returned. I see ye brought Rin with you again." Kaede said. Sesshomaru nodded at her in acknowledgement.
"Hello, Priestess Kaede." Rin said hugging her as well. Kaede laughed, "Now, now ye can call me Kaede." Rin smiled and nodded running over to Kagome's side.
Sango stared at Kagome in disbelief. "So that's how." She said, mainly to herself.
"Kagome has the ability to heal, but she does it unconsciously."
"You mean she doesn't even know she's healing herself." Sango asked. Sesshomaru nodded.
"I was to teach Kagome how to use her healing powers, but she left for her home before I could. Maybe now I can, with your permission, Lord Sesshomaru." Kaede said mixing some herbs into a bowl.
"Permission granted."
"You don't have to ask him, Kaede. You can teach me whatever you want, whenever you want." Kagome said sitting up on her sleeping bag.
"Kagome!" Rin shouted, hugging her neck. Kagome smiled and hugged her back. She yawned and stood up, stretching her arms. "So what did I miss?" she said walking over to Sesshomaru. She looked at the empty hut, "Where is everybody?"
"Five seconds." Sesshomaru said, sitting her in his lap. Kagome nodded and counted in her head. "Hey Rin, Shippo's coming."
"Yay, Rin gets to play with Shippo again!" Kagome pointed her finger to the door. As if on cue, Miroku poked his head in along with Shippo.
"Shippo!" Rin shouted.
"Rin!" Kagome giggled at the two and told them to play outside with Kirara.
Miroku smiled, "I see you're better, Kagome. You had us all worried." He slightly bowed, "Nice to see you again, Lord Sesshomaru." He nodded.
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei walked in awkwardly. When they saw Kagome sitting on Sesshomaru's lap their mouth's gaped open.
Kagome blushed, her cheeks turning bright red and stood. "Um Yusuke, Kazuma, Kurama, Hiei, this is Lady Kaede and this is her hut. She's the miko and protector of this village. She is highly honored by her people and others nearby so don't disrespect her."
Kaede laughed when her eye landed on Hiei, "I see ye have found ye someone new to subdue next, Kagome."
"Yea, Sparky there needed a collar for his misbehavior earlier today."
"As long as ye do not danger him as ye did before." Kagome giggled, "I won't…much" she whispered the last part lowly and only the demons in the room heard her.
She turned back to Sesshomaru, "And this is Lord Sesshomaru, ruler of the Western Lands." Her blush deepened at the look Sango and Miroku gave her. Yusuke and Kuwabara were not happy at the scene they witnessed when they walked in.
"Kagome, you have to tell them. They'll figure it out sooner or later." Miroku said, smirking. Sango couldn't help but chuckle softly at her friend's situation. Sesshomaru didn't seem to understand what was funny to them.
"Tell us what, Kagome?" Yusuke said threateningly. Kagome gulped and gasped lightly when she felt a pull in her mind. She closed her eyes and struggled to build a barrier. The pull was unbelievably strong. She opened her eyes and with a push, set the barrier around her mind, forcing the intruder out with her miko powers. She smiled mentally. 'Wow, thanks for teaching me Keitaro'
She sighed, "Sesshomaru is my teacher in my training and not only that, but he's also…my future mate." She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand on the last words making them come out muffled. Her feudal friends laughed as the present friends were confused.
"What?" Kuwabara said. Kagome blushed harder than before. She rubbed her mouth again and the same muffled words came out. Yusuke glared angrily, "Kig, you better tell us now or I'll 'accidently' shout one of your blond moments from grade school."
Kagome gasped, "You wouldn't dare!"
Yusuke smirked, "Try me…potato fries." Kagome blushed ten different shades of red and opened her mouth to reply, but the stoic lord stopped her.
"This Sesshomaru, is not only Lord of the Western Lands but also Kagome's soon to be mate." Silence filled the hut, except for the occasional snickers coming from Sango and Miroku.
Kuwabara crossed his arms, "We already knew that, Kagome. Koenma told us." Kagome stared at them in disbelief. Yusuke chuckled softly, "Yea, I mean what's the big deal? Why were you so ashamed of saying it out loud?"
"I'm not ashamed of saying it aloud. It's just that you two over react when it comes to a guy thing." Kuwabara and Yusuke laughed, "Yea we do, but believe me when I say we blew the whole thing off. I used Kuwabara to blow some steam I had at the news."
"Yea, but I beat him!"
"No, you didn't you idiot!"
"Yes, I did! You can even ask Kurama, he was there!" they turned to Kurama but he raised his hands up, wanting no part and continued his conversation he started with Kaede. Yusuke and Kuwabara kept yelling until Kuwabara punched Yusuke.
Hiei concentrated on Kagome and Sesshomaru who had his arms wrapped around her waist. He clenched his fists, trying to control the anger rising deep in his chest. Sesshomaru noticed but said nor did anything. "Kagome" he said. She turned to him and nodded.
They left the hut and on their way to the Goshinboku, told Shippo and Rin to go back to the hut. The sun was already down by the time they got there and both sat on the same root as before. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm and she looked up into the sky.
The stars twinkled like the other night she was here with him and smiled brilliantly. "Ses, why didn't you tell me you talked to Keitaro?" she waited, but he remained silent. She turned around in his arms to face him. He looked asleep but his eyes weren't closed. She started to freak out, "Ses? Are you ok?"
She raised her hand to touch his cheek. She yelped when his hand crushed her wrist. She winced, "Sesshomaru?" she tried prying his hand off her wrist. It was beginning to hurt and his grip tightened by the second. "Sesshomaru wake up!"
He stood up, dragging Kagome with him. She balled her hand into a fist and punched him in the gut, but to no avail. She yelled when he popped her wrist. 'Damn it, what's wrong with him?'
He stared down at her emotionless, flinching a little from the punch, but tightened his grip until it popped. He pushed her up against a tree and grabbed her by the neck. She cried out in pain, "Se-Sesshomaru! Snap out of it! Let me help you, please." He started crushing her with his body and she screamed. "Sesshomaru! Stop!"
A sword aimed at Sesshomaru's head glinted in the moonlight as Sesshomaru jumped out of harm's way. Kagome fell to the tree's roots and gasped for air. She held her abused hand to her chest, cradling it as she looked at her savior. 'Hiei?'
Sesshomaru inwardly smiled. He walked calmly to the hybrid, his hand extended in front of him. "Sesshomaru," he stopped and looked at Kagome, "Please stop. Don't hurt him." He ignored her and proceeded towards Hiei.
Hiei held his katana out in front of him, spreading his legs apart, preparing to charge if necessary. Sesshomaru stopped walking and smiled evilly. He vanished and reappeared behind Hiei, applying some pressure; Hiei gasped and fell to the ground.
"Hiei!" Kagome shouted running over to him. Sesshomaru grabbed her before she reached the fallen hybrid. "Let me go, Sesshomaru." He didn't budge. She glared. "The hybrid is sleeping." He replied in his usual careless voice.
She pulled her hand free and kneeled beside him. She checked his pulse and sure enough, he was asleep. She sighed in relief, but then sadness filled her. She turned to Sesshomaru, "Why did you do that, Ses?"
"He is the one." He said simply, grabbing her arm again. She struggled to get free; a few tears of sadness and betrayal fell from her eyes. "Let me go, Sesshomaru!"
Sesshomaru's heart ached seeing her this way. He tightened his grip and pulled her to him. He hugged her fiercely, resting his head on top hers. She blinked the tears away; struggling to get away before stopping and hugging him back. "Why did you do it, Ses?" he hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead.
He stayed silent. "To prove a point." He said after a while, stroking her hair. "You are not willing to neither betray nor neglect a friend so close and dear to you even at the cost of your life. I'm sorry, but it was part of your training." Kagome grabbed a fistful of his shirt and sobbed.
"I should be the one who's sorry. I'm still too weak to protect you guys let alone myself." Sesshomaru shook his head. "No, you have gotten stronger. You've mastered everything there is to know but healing and mind reading."
"You forgot betraying friends."
"Have I? Or have you already neglected a friend?"
She stayed quiet for a minute before responding, "Yea, Keitaro, but that was for a reason. He was an enemy at the time. He lied to me."
"Did he?"
"Yea, Ses. He did. I couldn't save Inuyasha like he said. If I did then where is he now? Why isn't he here protecting me and being here with me like before? Where did you take him?"
"Time will give you these unanswered questions, Kagome. But you must work harder on your visions. They will give us the answer we need in protecting Inuyasha and defeating Naraku."
"Who does Inuyasha have to be protected from?"
"You tell me, Kagome."
"Can I do it now?" he nodded and she closed her eyes. The image of Hiei lying on the ground made it hard for her to concentrate, but she managed to get through. When she couldn't get anything she sighed, "It's not working Ses. I can't see anything."
She opened her eyes and gasped in horror. Shippo lay in front of her with the same flesh wound from her nightmares. Sango and Miroku were a few feet away only they were dying from blood loss. Kuwabara, Rin and Kirara laid sprawled on the bloody field, their bodies shredded to pieces. Yusuke and Kurama lost an arm or leg, but they didn't stop fighting the enemy who caused this bloody scene. Hiei and Sesshomaru were in the middle of the field, still battling the great monstrosity.
Yusuke fell to the ground. His left leg was half way cut, blood oozing out uncontrollably. His missing arm was tied around his shoulder with his shoelace. Kurama fell next to him, dead with a missing leg and his throat slit. Kagome ran to them and picked Kurama up. His eyes were wide and dazed. She reached up and closed his eyes. Yusuke was breathing hard and shallow. His hand grabbed onto the side of his stomach where more blood leaked out his body. She gently laid Kurama on the ground and crawled over to Yusuke's side. "Kagome" he choked. She smiled sadly, "I'm right here, Yu-Yu. Everything's ok."
"Kagome…where…are…you?" he coughed. Her eyes widened. She set him on her lap and turned his head to her. "Yu-Yu, I'm right here. Can't you see me?" her eyes watered from unshed tears. Yusuke looked up, but not at her. Kagome wiped the sweat away from his forehead.
"Kiggy-tails… take care…wherever you…are…" and just like that, he died. Kagome cried softly and laid him next to Kurama. It bothered her knowing that even in death they weren't comfortable or at peace. She could easily tell from the looks of regret, pain, and defeat written on their faces. She stood and looked back onto the field. She could tell her friends were struggling to even stand. And what's worse, they were losing. Her eyes widened with shock and loss at the figure next to fall.
Sesshomaru fell dead to the ground, joining all her other friends. Kagome yelled his name out, but no sound came out. She tried and tried again but nothing was said or heard. She tried moving to him only to be paralyzed by fear. 'Sesshomaru! No, Sesshomaru!' she lifted a shaky leg and took a step forward. A few more until she was finally running to his fallen form.
She dropped to her knees and lowered her hands to his cheeks. She gasped when they went right through him. She tried and tried but she couldn't hold him. 'Sesshomaru' his golden eyes were frosted and wide eyed, staring off in the direction of the battle. His armor completely destroyed along with the divided katana beside him. His mouth was slightly open and his clothes were shredded, showing some of his stomach, legs and chest. 'Why can't I touch you?'
Kagome cried silent tears and a cry of pain turned her attention back to the field. Hiei stood on shaky, burned legs. His cloak was gone and his hair was chopped from the top. His chest was bleeding from many claw marks and a wound on his right shoulder left it useless. His bandages on his arm and forehead were gone and she saw a vapor dragon. The vapor looked like it was coming from his arm. The dragon turned to her and roared. Hiei turned as well and panic stroke through him. He turned to the enemy and blocked an attack, managing to strike him before he ran to her.
"Kagome, get out of here!" he yelled. The dragon came off his arm and battled the monster that destroyed her friends. Kagome couldn't believe it. Hiei reached her and grabbed the wrist Sesshomaru injured earlier. 'He can touch me' she thought as he hid her behind what was left of a tree. "Get out of here. Protect yourself."
She wasn't listening; she reached out and rubbed his cheek. Her other hand played with his chopped hair and the wounds covering his body. "I can touch you…you can see me..." she whispered. Hiei grabbed her hand, "Stop messing around and get away. Inuyasha will kill you next if you don't leave now!"
Her hands fell to her sides, her fingertips dripping with Hiei's blood. She looked back to the battlefield and noticed something she didn't when she arrived. This was Inuyasha's forest, she was hiding behind the Goshinboku, and Inuyasha's fire rat streaked across the field blocking every attack the dragon threw at him.
"Inuyasha" she choked out. She took a step forward but Hiei stopped her. "Kagome, Naraku has control of him. It's no use, you have to get away or he'll kill you." He let her go and jumped out from behind the tree. "I'll buy you some time. Hurry and escape." He ran to his dragon's side and blocked an attack Inuyasha threw to it.
Kagome looked down and cried. A cry of pure horror from the field ran cold in her blood. "Hiei!" she shouted. She looked up and saw Hiei torn in two. Inuyasha stood licking the blood off his claws; Naraku was behind him, his tentacles thrashing wildly at the remains of the forest. He spotted Kagome and chuckled. He lunged towards her, his tentacles all coming at her in every direction. She screamed, "Inuyasha!!!"
Kagome opened her eyes and gasped out a cry. She fell to her knees and cried into her hands. Sesshomaru cradled her in his arms. "Naraku, Inuyasha." She kept repeating it over and over, making Sesshomaru's heart ache more and more. 'So it is true'
"Rest, Kagome. You've done well." Seeing Sango do it to Rin, he rubbed her back comforting. "How long?" she asked. He didn't answer, not knowing what she was asking.
"How long was I gone?" she asked. He sat her in his lap and hugged her tight. "You were here the whole time. You close your eyes one second and the next you fall to your knees and weep." She nodded and hugged him closely. "Sesshomaru, it was awful."
He nodded, "Now you know who he has to be protected by. He is not dead, Kagome. Inuyasha lives and he is safe. He will stay safe no matter what it will take until he awakens again."
"So he's in a coma?" she felt him nod. "I promise I'll work harder." She felt him nod again. "The next ruler of the Ring of Hell shall be your protector once he is found, but only if he is worthy of it and if he accepts." She nodded and hugged him closer.
He wrapped her in his warm embrace and watched the crescent moon that shone on them. He heard her even breathing indicating her asleep and walked her back to Kaede's hut. He went back and picked Hiei up from the ground. He set him up against a corner of the hut and went to Kagome's side. He stared at Hiei and focused on the strength he had and his continuous struggle to keep his different auras from destroying the other. He looked down on Kagome and back to Hiei.
A gentle breeze blew in through the window causing Kagome to shiver. Sesshomaru set her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He laid his head on top of hers and rested his eyes. The small breeze came again, playing and twisting Kagome's hair. "Goodnight teddy"
Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open, the last of the breeze joining the night air. He blinked believing his mind was playing tricks on him. "Goodnight papa." He looked down at Kagome. She cuddled closer to his chest and a small smile caressed her lips. He pushed a lock of hair away from her face and rested his head back on hers. He stared at the wall for a while before closing his eyes and falling into a light sleep.
His head hurt. He couldn't see anything. His throat ached, his arm was numb and his left shoulder burned. He tried sitting up, but the pain made it impossible. A young fox guard came in and handed him a fresh set of clothes and a tray of food. The guard helped him sit up and fed him.
"I'm glad to see you well. My name is Akimitsu by the way." He gave him one more scoop of his soup, "If you're well enough, maybe Lord Sesshomaru will give you permission to roam the palace, with an assistant of course."
"Ses…sho…maru" Akimitsu smiled, "That's right, you remember him right?" he nodded. Akimitsu placed the bowl beside the futon and helped him stand. "Would you like some help changing?" he asked. The hanyou gave him a curt nod. Akimitsu smiled and took the bloody silver, royal blue clothes and gave him a fresh, clean haori and hakama.
"Good as new." The fox youkai said throwing the bloody clothes to a corner. "You know you look a lot like Lord Sesshomaru dressed that way. I can really see the resemblance now."
It was true. He was wearing a white kimono similar to Sesshomaru's only instead of red flowers, his were light blue, but he didn't have any shoes. His hair grew longer the past month; it reached two to three inches below the knees. Close to the length of Sesshomaru's hair. He looked at the clothing and nodded.
"Thank you, Akimitsu." He said sitting down on the futon. A small smile crept to his lips and he looked at the floor. "That actually means a lot to me. I don't know why, but it does."
The fox youkai smile brightened and bowed slightly, "My great pleasure. I'm glad to see I made you happy."
The hanyou nodded; his smile grew a little. "You're really good at it. You know, you remind me of someone. Someone I met before, a girl I think it was. I don't remember."
Akimitsu's smile dropped a little. 'Lady Kagome'
"And your appearance, it looks so familiar, like I knew someone who had the same features as you. You're a fox youkai, right?"
He nodded. The hanyou laughed dryly, looking down at the floor. "I knew it." Akimitsu blinked sadly. 'Brother... He doesn't remember them'
"Your red hair and green eyes, they scream out a name to me. But I can't hear the name. It's so blurry and muffled! I wish I could hear it. It hurts not knowing who it is. And it's the same for your personality. I mean making me happy and comforting me when everyone else is ignoring me. It's so familiar…"
He sighed, "Maybe it is better that way. It hurts too much even trying to remember. I don't think I'll be able to handle the pain if I ever manage to remember." He looked up at Akimitsu's blank face. He smiled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bare this all on you."
Akimitsu blinked, "N-no, not at all. I'm glad to remind you of close friends. It's quite an honor actually."
The hanyou blinked, "Friends?" Akimitsu nodded. The hanyou looked down at his hands. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through his head. His hands rushed up and clutched his ears.
Akimitsu was alert and rushed forward. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
"I- I think I…AH!" beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Akimitsu panicked. He rushed towards the door, "Captain Hayato! Come quickly!" he went back to the hanyou's side and laid him down on the bed.
Hayato ran in along with some other guards. "What's the situation, Akimitsu?"
"I'm not sure. He was fine a minute ago and than he was in pain!" the hanyou screamed. He rolled around in the futon, thrashing on the pillows, his legs tangled in the blankets. His eyes grew wide, his claws flexed and inflexed, digging deep into the futon.
"Hold him down, quick." Captain Hayato said, calling for Jaken. The hanyou didn't resist. He let the guards grab him, anything to help to stop what the voice was telling him to do. He looked around and spotted Akimitsu holding him from the chest. "St-stop th-them…pl-please!" he gasped out, "He-help me…"
"I'll try. Please hold on, Lord Inuyasha!" Jaken ran in with a vile. Only this one was different; instead of it blue it was dark purple, some foam on top spilled over, burning the wooden floors. "Captain Hayato!" he shouted running toward the falcon youkai. "Over here, Master Jaken."
Jaken walked over to the hanyou and opened the vile. Before he could make him drink the liquid, Akimitsu stopped him. "What do you think you're doing? Get your paws off me!" Jaken tried to jerk his hand away, but Akimitsu's grip tightened.
"Captain Hayato! Control your men!" Jaken yelled, frightened by the blank stare Akimitsu was giving him.
"Minor Captain Akimitsu; take your hands off him!"
"I apologize, Captain Hayato, but I cannot allow Master Jaken to give him this vile. It will only make Lord Inuyasha worse." Hayato stepped back and looked down at the young guard. "You dare disobey orders?"
Akimitsu shut his eyes tight, "If it means causing pain to one who was ordered by a higher rank to protect, than yes sir, I am." He looked at Inuyasha's pained expression, and smirked softly. The hanyou opened his eyes; gratitude shined through the pain. He closed his eyes again as another scream escaped from his mouth.
Hayato looked down, "Are you sure it is making him worse?"
"Yes sir, I am." Akimitsu pressed down harder on Inuyasha when he jerked up. "Please, Lord Inuyasha, fight it!" Hayato watched on and ordered his men to leave the room at once.
Jaken was beyond angry. "Captain Hayato! How dare you disobey Lord Sesshomaru's orders! He said the hanyou had to take this if he ever-"
"My orders were to protect Lord Inuyasha from any potential threat, not cause him any chance of danger. I will explain everything to Lord Sesshomaru when he returns and take full blame for it. But for now I suggest you leave this to Minor Captain Akimitsu."
Jaken walked out the room, his two-headed staff swinging at every guard to get out of the way. Hayato turned back to Akimitsu who was still holding down the hanyou to the futon. "Akimitsu, report to me after Lord Inuyasha calms. I leave you as his caretaker for the remainder of his time here. Do not fail me or Lord Sesshomaru."
Akimitsu reached a hand up and saluted, "Sir" Inuyasha screamed once again and Akimitsu went back to holding him down. Hayato nodded and left.
Half an hour passed before Inuyasha's pain subsided. His breathing was heavy and his sweat cooled his hot face. Akimitsu wiped his own sweat away with the sleeve of his haori. He smiled sheepishly, "Wow that was a work out! I guess I had my share of fun on fighting for the week."
The hanyou laughed airily. Akimitsu's smile grew, happy to hear the sound of his voice. He stood and grabbed a new blanket since the other was shredded to pieces. He laid it on top of Inuyasha and sat next to him until he fell asleep. His eyes grew heavy from exhaustion.
"Akimitsu," his eyes opened fully at the sound of his name and looked down at the smiling hanyou, "Thank you. For stopping them, I mean. That stuff really burns my system. I don't get why Sesshomaru makes them give me that crap."
"It was my pleasure, Lord Inuyasha."
He smirked, "Now none of that Lord junk. Inuyasha is fine."
"As much as I would like to, I cannot. It's hard to explain and I ask for your permission to allow me to keep calling you Lord Inuyasha."
He smiled, "Do what you want, kid. It doesn't bother me much."
Akimitsu smiled, "Thank you, Lord Inuyasha." The hanyou nodded and lay down on his disused pillow. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He could feel sleep waiting. A yawn escaped his mouth. "I'll leave you to rest, Lord Inuyasha. Call me when you need me for anything."
He nodded, letting sleep take him. Akimitsu smiled, stood and slid the door open. "Akimitsu," he turned curiously and almost laughed at the look on his face. "Yes, Lord Inuyasha?" he turned to the other side of the futon, his back to the door. "Thank you…for being my new friend." Akimitsu smiled.
He walked out the room and started closing the door when he heard soft snores coming from the sleeping figure. "You remind me…of…Shippo…my son." Akimitsu stopped and stared inside the room. The hanyou stirred and faced the ceiling. Akimitsu proceeded closing the door, "And" he stopped.
"And… that girl…what's her name? It hurts her…when I forget about her." He waited only to hear louder snores. He closed the remaining space and walked down the hall to the guard house.
"Ah" Kagome clutched her hand to her chest. Kurama noticed, "Is something the matter, Kagome? Everyone turned to her in concern. She let her hand drop to her side, "No, nothing's wrong. I just had a sudden pain in my chest, but it's gone now."
That morning, after everyone finished their breakfast, they packed their stuff and started to search for the jewel shards. Sesshomaru and Rin returned to the palace after a messenger came and said they needed him right away. He told her to train with the detectives in her free time. He warned her about the time left before Naraku's attack and didn't want her to waste any time.
Honestly she was nervous and scared. What if she wasn't strong enough? What if she fails to protect her friends and herself? What if Naraku decided to use Inuyasha in the attack? She wasn't ready to see him. Not that way. She was proud of herself for coming a long way since she's been in the feudal era. All she wanted to do was protect her son and friends.
And now that she has the chance to show how strong she is, she's afraid. Her appearance changed in the past month. Her hair reached her butt and she was lightly tanned. Her stomach was flat and her arms and legs were strong and firm. No jelly flabs. She believes it's because of Sesshomaru's excessive use of weights and making her run twenty laps around the village. Sometimes Hiei joined her running. But it was never a friendly run.
She became very skilled in swordsmanship and Sango, Hiei, and Sesshomaru sparred with her and Miroku showed her how to fight with a staff. Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama helped her on hand-to-hand combat. Kaede taught her which herbs were best for medicine and helped her on her miko powers. Keitaro's nightly visits also became a daily routine. He was very impressed at how quick she adapted to her new powers.
Kagome was grateful for their help and tried hard to not disappoint them. But she was nervous about the attack a month away. She wants to show her friends that she isn't the weak, untrained miko she was a year ago.
She looked at her friends and giggled softly at the thought of travelers staring at what a strange group they made. Four humans, a miko, a fox child, a fire kitten, a forbidden child, and a human with half of a human soul and half of a silver fox would make quite a scene. She was glad to see her friends get along with each other.
Sango and Miroku became good friends with Kuwabara and Yusuke. Kirara loved being around Kuwabara. Kurama speaks a lot to Sango and is warming up to Miroku and deeply respected Kaede. But he spent most of his time with Shippo. In fact, last week he made Shippo his adopted son as well. He's even teaching him how to use his fox magic properly event though they're both different breeds of foxes.
Shippo was overjoyed of having a father again. Kagome blushed madly when Shippo commented she and Kurama would make a good couple and if they did mate then his parents wouldn't be separated like they would be if they got different mates. That caused a lot of fights from Kuwabara and Yusuke. Even Hiei looked like he wanted to kill something. Thankfully though, Sesshomaru wasn't there when it happened. Sango and Miroku laughed and Shippo didn't get what just happened. Everyone got along great except for one person.
Hiei.
As time passed, Kagome's love for Sesshomaru grew and sometimes she questioned herself about the love she has for him. He seemed to be the only who got along with Hiei and maybe even liked him as a friend. She, on the other hand, absolutely hated him! He's always mean and rude to her when she tries to be nice to him and they fight almost all the time. 'He's a lot like Inuyasha' in a way, Hiei really did remind her of him, but Inuyasha was more passionate. Her feudal friends didn't talk to him. Shippo tried, but ever since the Reikai Tentai's first day in the feudal era, he didn't push his luck.
It turned out that Hiei only grabbed Shippo to explain that Kurama wasn't a hanyou or a youkai. Everyone got the chance to hear his story after everything was settled. When Hiei told them about it, he glared at a very embarrassed and very regretful Kagome. She apologized for sending him to the ground, but refused to take the subjugation beads off when he demanded her. Hiei snapped and insulted her, ending with him hitting the ground hard.
Since then, Kagome hated his guts and the only time they actually spoke to one another was when they sparred or ran laps around the village. But those talks were mostly insults and name calling. Sesshomaru even tried being a peacemaker in his own special way which was either get along or die. They called it truce until her training was complete and Naraku was dead.
Sometimes she wondered what set him off to be so cold hearted. Not even Sesshomaru was that cold and the only way she could prove it were by the rare smiles he gives her and an occasional thank you to someone. But never once has she seen Hiei smile out of happiness or hear him laugh from joy. The only smile she'd seen is the menacing smile he gives off, promising a slow, painful death to any demon who dare challenge him. She's seen the twinkle in his eye when a demon comes out of nowhere and Hiei attacks and kills it before anyone has the chance to react.
She knew nothing of him except for the fact that he was a forbidden, fire and ice. While the other Reikai Tentai members told their stories, Hiei kept quiet. He watched and listened to the others while standing in a corner alone. She tried asking Kurama since he was closer to Hiei, but all he said was that it was Hiei's choice to talk about his past because even he didn't know everything there was about him.
So now she was stuck figuring out the mystery of Hiei. One thing was for sure though; she felt sadness and anger after Kurama told her some of the stuff he knew. She wanted to beat the people who mistreated him as a child. Forbidden or not, he was still a child in need. That was another thing he had in common with Inuyasha; the isolation from others.
Later on she figured out that was another reason why Sango and Miroku stayed away from him. She became angrier and for the first time yelled at them. She felt awful and apologized to them later that day. They stopped her and told her she was right. It was wrong of them to judge a person without first knowing them. They said they will try to talk with him and become friends.
Kagome felt better and after that day, she tried mending her friendship with Hiei but all that was broken when he insulted her again. But every night when everyone was asleep, Kagome would walk over to the tree Hiei slept in and hummed a tune for him. He always seemed to have a nightmare at the exact same time every night and it calmed him when she hummed to him. Only during the night did Kagome feel sympathy for him, being an outcast for almost half his life. It must have been awful. But even through that, she still couldn't stand him! She wished he could go back to the way he was the day they met. At least then he was nice!
She sighed and looked up at a tree. A black blur appeared and vanished. She looked at another and the blur vanished. She kept following it until she got tired and looked down at her friends, "Hey guys, can we stop? My feet are starting to really hurt."
She sat on a boulder and took her shoes off. Sango sat next to her. "Sure Kagome. We could use the rest anyway." Kagome nodded happily and fell backwards off the boulder. She laughed and rubbed her head.
Shippo jumped over and smiled, "Owie that actually hurt." Kagome said dropping her hand. Shippo laughed and landed on her stomach. "You're still not balanced after all that training?"
"Guess not. At least that's one thing that won't change about me."
Everyone else came and sat on the ground, surrounding Kagome. Yusuke rubbed his foot. "Man, who knew walking would be such a pain?"
"Ew, Urameshi! Your feet stink!" Kuwabara said pinching his nose and waving his hand in front of Yusuke's foot.
"They do not!"
Kurama smiled, "Look on the bright side Yusuke, at least you're not stuck at home doing nothing."
"I'd rather do nothing then walk around in circles in a place I don't even know."
"Kurama's right about that, Urameshi. This is way better than kicking your ass all the time."
"Look who's talking. You've never beaten me and you never will!"
"Now, now let's not fight." Kurama said separating the bickering two. Kagome giggled, "Yu-Yu if I recall correctly, Kazuma did beat you once at the toy store."
Yusuke knotted his eyebrows together, "What are you talking about? Kuwabara can't even lay a fin…" he stopped and looked at a smirking Kagome. "Kig"
"Don't worry, Yu-Yu, I will never say it out loud." She laughed and turned to Kuwabara who was chuckling evilly, "But I will!"
"No you don't!" Yusuke yelled punching Kuwabara. Kurama sat back and Shippo watched from his lap. Sango petted Kirara and occasionally giggled.
Miroku looked at Kagome curiously, "Kagome, what just happened?" she busted out laughing again. Miroku sighed and turned his attention back to the fighting delinquents.
Suddenly Kagome stopped and stood. "Kazu, Yu-Yu, quit it." Everyone stared at her in alert. Kurama's eyes flashed gold. "She's right. This is no time to be messing around." Hiei said jumping out a tree, katana at ready.
"Shippo take Kagome and hide." Kurama said standing. Kagome glared out into the distance. 'This aura…it seems so familiar.'
"Come on, momma. I'll protect you." Shippo said tugging on her leg.
"No, I'm fine, sweetie."
Kurama went to her side and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Kagome it's best if you let us handle him. You won't be able to beat him alone. He is much more dangerous than others we've encountered."
"No"
Hiei growled in annoyance, "Leave with the kit already. You'll only be in the way if you stay."
Kagome glared, "If you're so worried then maybe you should go with Shippo. I know whose coming, I know his every move, I know his name and face, and I know everything there is about this guy! So don't mess with me Sparky!"
Hiei growled louder and pressed his sword on her neck, "You will refrain yourself from calling me that name, onna."
Her glare turned icy, her hands raising and settling on the small apparition's chest, "And you will refrain yourself from calling me that name, Sparky!" her hands glowed blue, her eyes flashing a liquid red, 'So back off!' she yelled in his head.
Hiei gasped lightly; Kagome took his moment of surprise and blasted him with something similar to Yusuke's aura blast. Everyone stood frozen in their spots. A shiver passed through the males present while the only woman smiled darkly. 'Atta girl, Kagome'
Kagome smiled. She was glad she didn't have to put any of her miko powers in that attack. Her smile disappeared though when the figure got closer. Panic rose in her. "Kazuma, Yusuke take Shippo away from here. Stay with him no matter what."
"No way, Kig. We're staying." Yusuke said cracking his knuckles.
"Yea, we can beat him!" Kuwabara said. Kagome let out a shaky sigh and looked behind Hiei. The figure was getting closer and quick.
"Yusuke, Kazuma listen to me. This guy is no joke. He will not hesitate to kill you. Sango and Miroku couldn't even land a direct hit on him."
"Of course they couldn't. They're humans." Hiei said.
"Not now, Hiei." Kurama said. Kagome smiled his way in thanks before continuing, "He is nothing like we've seen before. He will easily manipulate you if you aren't focused or in high alert."
Sango and Miroku gasped in unison. "It can't be. Kagome?"
"Yes Sango, it's him. So please Yu-Yu, Kazu, please I beg you take Shippo away from here and hide. All three of you and don't come out until we come for you, alright?"
Yusuke clenched his fist in anger. "Alright, Kagome, we'll go." Kuwabara said resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Yusuke perched his lips in a thin line and nodded. Shippo jumped on Kuwabara's back, "Be careful." he said before they disappeared in the mass of trees.
Kagome smiled but turned serious when the demons were fifty feet away. "How many are there, Kurama?"
"One" He responded pulling out his rose. Miroku raised an eyebrow while Sango tried hard not to stare. Kurama noticed their reactions and forgot they haven't seen him fight with his rose whip in the past month. He's only been working on hand-to-hand combat with Kagome and never truly took out his whip during a battle. He smiled. 'This will be quite entertaining'
Kagome also noticed her friend's reactions and couldn't help but giggle softly. She turned to Hiei, "Hey Sparky," he glared at her, "Don't do anything until I'm sure he's a threat. Got it?" his glare only intensified before sheathing his katana.
He walked over to the boulder and sat cross-legged. Kagome ignored him. "Kagome, what do you mean if he is a threat? We already know he is. Don't you remember last time?" Miroku asked.
"How can I forget? I'll explain later."
"Why don't you explain now, Lady Kagome." A dark, masculine voice demanded more than questioned. Kagome froze and turned to Hiei. Kurama frowned. 'He's fast' his grip tightening on the rose. Sango and Miroku stared wide-eyed, memories from the last encounter flashing through their minds.
The smiling demon stood behind the apparition and wrapped his arms around his neck. "After all, they have the right to know what I am." Hiei's arm twitched towards the hilt of his katana. "Na uh uh, Hiei." A ripple ran through his body. Hiei's eyes widened a little as the last of the ripple reached his head, freezing him in place.
Kurama gasped looking at Hiei's unmoving body. 'I didn't know he could do that!' Kagome thought turning to her stunned friends; her eyes narrowed. She turned back to the demon and for the first time since he's arrived, she noticed his face…and his eyes. She gasped.
"Surprised, I see." The demon said moving away from Hiei. As his arms left him, Hiei fell to the ground gapping for air. Kurama ran to his side; dropping the rose on the ground. Sango gripped Hiraikotsu tightly, "Miroku" he nodded reaching into his robes for his sutras.
"No Sango." Kagome said raising a hand up to stop her. Sango glared hopelessly and Miroku grabbed her arm just in case. Kagome dropped her hand and ran to the demon. To everyone's surprise, her arms wrapped around his waist into a friendly hug.
"It's good to see you in person again, Lady Kagome." He said returning her hug. She nodded, "Same here."
She took a step back, clenching her hand into a fist, "Welcome back," her fist collided with his face. He stumbled back, cupping his bruised cheek. She glared, her fist still extended outward to the spot where he once stood, shaking in anger. "Keitaro." She spat his name with venom and ran towards him again.
Um, chapter 9 will be up either by sunday or next week. Depending what i'll be doing during my time. Honestly school is getting on my last nereves! So yea i hoped you enjoyed this chapter and i'm sorry if it wasn't interesting, but i'm really trying my best and it is my first fanfic. So give me a break. I know i'll get better in the future...i hope. Don't forget, i might not continue this story so review or PM me if you want me to continue! Well til then bye guys!
REVIEW!!!!!
-Moonlite
