Author's note: Hello again, sorry this chapter took so long to get up! Once again thanks to Turtlequeen2 for all of her help with this chapter.
A little while later, Kagome looked a lot better when she returned to camp with Sango. Seeing Lynnette's empty sleeping bag rolled up neatly next to hers, the young miko swallowed hard but she did not cry as she walked over and carefully picked it up. "Did everyone have enough to eat?"
Kikyou offered a smile but said nothing as the others nodded their heads.
Miroku then frowned. "...Did you manage to see Inuyasha while you were talking?" he pondered out loud. "...He went out to get you two a while ago because he was worried about how long you were taking."
She frowned. "I didn't see him, did you Sango?"
Sango also shook her head. "I caught no sign of him either," she answered.
"He hasn't been back since he left," Shippou added with another frown. "...I wonder if he's okay."
Muttering a few dark words under her breath, Kagome frowned. "You guys turn in, I'll go look for him."
Everyone else nodded, all worried about Inuyasha.
Starting off back the way she had came, Kagome sighed as she calmed her temper. She knew without a doubt that the hanyou must have overheard their conversation. Still, it was annoying to her. Kagome made up her mind that she was not going to apologize to him. Finally finding the tree that he was sitting in, she stood with her back against the tree.
Inuyasha had been brooding in a tree by himself until he caught Kagome's scent. Looking down at her, he found himself surprised. "K-Kagome you're here...!" he gasped before averting his head from her. He knew that she had found out about him overhearing.
"The others were worried about you." Kagome answered
He crossed his arms in his haori sleeves. "Keh! I don't see why they would be. I can take care of myself," he snorted as he usually did when others were concerned about him. He paused when he realized that Kagome didn't include herself. Glancing down at her again, he stifled a groan and hopped down from the tree so that he could stare at her directly.
"If you want an apology, you aren't going to get one." The black haired woman wouldn't look at him.
Inuyasha frowned. "Who said that I wanted one?" he retorted.
"Why else would you have run away?" She replied, as she spoke she put her hands behind her back and made herself comfortable. "You let your impatience get the better of you, and then you eavesdropped on a private conversation in which you heard more than you wanted to."
Inuyasha averted his head again, suppressing a growl. "So I guess you have very little faith in me now," he began, starting to get into what really bothered him aside from her lack of caring.
"Not so much that as I grew up." Kagome admitted. "I finally realized that I can't live my life waiting on the sidelines."
The hanyou nearly took a step back, feeling as if she had just slapped him. "...I see..."
Kagome sighed. "Even though I loved you, and I still love you, I can't just let you treat me like a ping-pong ball anymore."
"Kagome...I..." Inuyasha murmured, not sure of where to even start.
"It's odd, because I finally understand now what it's like to love two people at once, but..." Kagome let out a breath. "I have to be fair, I'm not going to hurt the ones I love that way- not ever again."
After falling silent for a few minutes, he decided to speak again. "...So why do you love Lynnette?"
"Her patience." Kagome replied. "And her strength." She took a deep breath. "Even when I'm climbing the walls or spitting mad, she's been the rock."
Inuyasha nodded his head slowly. "...So...why did you decide to put me aside now?"
"I'm not going to let her die feeling like I'm doing this out of pity. You have a longer lifespan Inuyasha. I'll get old, and my body will fail long before yours." Kagome kept her eyes on the moon. "You love Kikyou, and I understand that. She's good for you and has a prior claim no matter how I tried to deny it."
Inuyasha shook his head. "Kagome ...I..." he sucked in a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself. "...I love you, too... It's just that...you already know about how I just don't want her to be killed by Naraku again..." There. He said it. He loved her and now she finally heard it directly from his mouth.
Turning to look at Inuyasha, tears of joy filled her eyes. "I understand that better now, but do you understand where I'm coming from too?" She was thinking back to when Inuyasha had gone ballistic when Kagome let her friend sleep in her arms.
The hanyou was honestly surprised to see her look so happy at his confession. Just how long had she been waiting for him to say it? How long had he been so blind to her suffering? Letting out another breath, he nodded his head. "...I do..."
Kagome nodded, blinking back her tears. "Good."
Inuyasha's ears impulsively drooped down against his head. He idly wondered how long Lynnette had been waiting to hear Kagome say such words to her. Pressing the thoughts from his mind, prepared to say something else. "...I'm sorry for... hurting you like I have," he murmured. "I was too stupid not to notice your feelings for me sooner..."
Kagome smiled. "I'll agree with that." Quietly the young miko got control over herself again. "I think it was all the 'sits' I gave you."
The hanyou sighed again, knowing she would say something like that. "...So, have you told Lynnette that you loved her yet?" he questioned.
Slowly Kagome shook her head. "No. I'm not going to say it, but she knows it anyway. She doesn't want to step on your toes."
"...She also loves two people, right?" Inuyasha then asked. "...You and... Kikyou." He was still confused as what to do about Kikyou. Since their relationship ended with Naraku's interference, he really had no more say in what the miko did with her life.
She nodded. "I don't think that she's been able to work it out though, it's not like she has anyone to talk to..." The miko sighed. "I know she's going to die barring a miracle... but how can I blame her for taking comfort when Kikyou visits her? Better Kikyou than Naraku!"
Inuyasha nearly shuddered at the thought. If Lynnette ever fell for Naraku, there would be definite problems.
"My thoughts exactly. That's why I'm not jealous. Kikyou and I aren't competing with each other- We are a team and together we are doing what we can to make her smile. It's about doing your best with everything you have without worrying about how it looks to other people." Kagome said this slowly, as though she was showing Inuyasha something that the miko was just starting to learn herself.
The hanyou was beginning to realize that he had to grow up more. It was childish of him to continue treating Lynnette like she was interrupting his life since she most likely wouldn't live for much longer. He cared about her a lot even though he didn't show it. Nearly to the point of thinking of her as a sister of some sort. "...Kagome," he suddenly spoke. "...If it will make you happy, I'll... try harder to make Lynnette happy."
"That's all we ask Inuyasha. She cares about you too you know." Kagome smiled. "She already told Kikyou and I what to do with you after she died."
The hanyou's eyes widened. "...What did she say?"
"Lynn told us to drag you off and beat your stubborn head in with a frying pan until you do the right thing and marry us both if you still couldn't make up your mind- unless we just wanted to tie you up and marry you without ceremony." Kagome paused. "We are still not sure if that was a joke or not."
Inuyasha paled. While he didn't know what a "frying pan" was, he was sure it was something that would be painful if hit against his head. "...Marry?" he echoed. His head tilted slightly. "...What is that?"
"A ritual that claims you as a mate." Kagome only blushed a little. "Lynnette wants to be sure that our relationship will be an honorable one. Maybe its out of place all things considered, but she wants to be sure that you aren't going to get me pregnant then run off."
Inuyasha couldn't help the blush that lined his cheeks at that thought. Claim Kagome as mate? And... making her have a baby with him? "W-why would I run off if you were having our kid?" he stuttered out.
Kagome just looked at him. "That's what she wants to know."
"...I-If you were my mate, I'd never abandon you..." Though he was embarrassed, anyone could hear the seriousness in his tone. The hanyou was not known to ever lie.
Kagome nodded. "I believe you, but I'm not the one you have to convince."
"...So... you want me to actually tell her that myself?" Inuyasha asked.
"That's up to you, but I would do it just to give her peace of mind." She replied. "It's very hard for her to let me go."
The hanyou nodded, beginning to see just how protective Lynnette was of Kagome. "...Then I'll talk to her when we get her away from Naraku..."
"I hope it's soon..." Kagome said.
Stepping forward, Inuyasha pulled Kagome into his arms. Getting a sincere expression on his face, he murmured, "I will not let Lynnette die by Naraku's hands. I'm willing to stake my life on that."
Kagome trembled in the hanyou's arms in an effort to hide the tears that always threatened to fall. "He's stealing her life from her, when Lynnette's trying so hard to give us all more time!" She finally sobbed. "She's trying so hard to hide the pain that Naraku puts her through on top of everything else, it isn't fair and she never did anything to deserve it!"
"I know, Kagome..." Inuyasha murmured in a quiet voice, rubbing his hand over her back in a comforting manner.
After a few minutes, Kagome pulled back and sniffed, wiping her dark chocolate eyes. "We should get back."
The hanyou nodded his head slowly, almost not wanting to end the moment with her. "Yeah...we should," he finally said after a few minutes of silence. Letting her start off first, he walked beside her. "Kagome..." he began. "I promise that I'll treat her better from now on... and I'll try not to pick fights over Lynnette's feelings for you two."
Her thoughts were sluggish and fogged with sleep, but the feeling of the heated water from the indoor spring Naraku had created in his lair revived her somewhat. As she fought for awareness, she felt her son's banked fury touch her mind. As she woke up by degrees, the horrified redhead realized two things: One, she was naked, and two Naraku was sitting calmly next to her giving her support so that she wouldn't fall over. "Wha-?" She murmured, reaching up to clear the sleep out of her eyes. 'What's going on?' She asked her child. 'Are you okay?'
The baby pulsed with anger, nearly hitting against her stomach but didn't do enough to make her physically ill. 'I'm fine, but I'm not sure if you are...' he growled within her mind.
Lynnette sighed softly, straightening as best she could as she woke up. "Did you get bored Naraku?"
"Oh, you're finally awake," Naraku murmured with a smile. "I suppose you could say it's part of that..."
His mate scooted slightly away from his hold. "This isn't proper." Lynnette pointed out, her cheeks going bright red, as she hoped that he was clothed.
Fortunately for her, Naraku was clothed in his kimono and didn't fight her when she broke away. He frowned, looking over her fragile body. "You're not eating enough," he spoke as if it were a statement.
"I can't eat anymore." She replied, no bite in her voice as the water soothed her again.
The dark hanyou frowned even more. She's gotten to that point already? "Are you able to keep anything down?"
"Nothing, I haven't been able to eat since slightly before you put the child in me. If I eat anything now it is for the child, not for me. I think I've pretty much lost most my organs from belly down." She admitted. "When I eat, it's because the child wants food, not because I'm hungry myself."
Naraku let out a sigh. "That is unfortunate..." he murmured. If he had the ability, he probably would find some way to help her digest her food.
Closing her eyes, she let the chin touch the water, idly debating going back to sleep again.
The child inwardly frowned, noticing how out of it his mother was. 'Mother, are you all right? You're not too hot from the water, are you?'
'No, it feels good... I'm just tired. I don't hurt when I'm warm.' She replied quietly.
The infant pulsed in shock, realizing that her words weren't making sense. 'Mother... I don't think you're supposed to be in here for this long..' His thoughts sounded panicked.
He then channeled his thoughts into his father's head. 'Father... get mother out of the water! She's becoming feverish!'
Naraku's eyes widened in an instant. Now that he thought about it, she had slept in the water for over a few hours. It was no wonder that she was overheated! Rising to his feet, he went over to her body carefully pulled her out of the water, draping a cloth over her body to keep his eyes off of her nudity.
She whimpered in protest, shivering once she was out of the water. "It's cold, put me back in." She managed to say through chattering teeth.
To this, Naraku grabbed one of his furs and wrapped it around her body before lifting her up in his arms. "I'll take you to your room," he announced. "I wouldn't want you to faint in the water."
Lynnette was so out of it that she didn't fight in the hanyou's hold, she just snuggled in the fur.
Naraku wrapped the fur tightly around her body and held her close as he continued to walk slowly back towards her room.
'I'm okay.' She told the child. 'Stop squirming.'
'I'm just concerned about you...' the infant murmured.
Once in her room, she nestled in a pile of furs and sheets. The redhead said nothing as the dark Hanyou stretched out beside her and played with her hair.
Naraku leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, pulling her closer. He didn't like how her eyes were still hazed over and knew that he had to make sure her body calmed down before taking her anywhere near the bath again. He knew that his own negligence almost killed her. He cursed in his mind at his own stupidity.
Lynnette sighed and watched him, frowning slightly. "What?"
The dark hanyou then rolled her body so that she was resting against him. He raised his body heat slightly to both give the child more strength and keep her warm. He frowned again, realizing that the jewelry he was planning to give her would only hurt her skin. He thought about how he would make her his mate in such a fragile state. He had many plans for her but they all involved his assumption that she would live to see them come to fruition.
A few minutes later, Lynnette was fast asleep, her soft breath caressing his exposed skin.
After a few days of allowing her to recover, Naraku waited for Lynnette to arrive from within his study. He was inwardly eager to see her in the clothing he had picked out for her since it would be the first time she would have the chance to wear them.
When the redhead emerged, it was in a dark green kimono with flowering vines of pink flowers and a spring green obe with matching undergarment. "I hope I have this on right..."
Naraku's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the woman. Just as he predicted, she looked stunning in the clothing. She truly looked like the Empress he intended for her to become. "..You look very beautiful," he admitted.
Lynnette looked surprised at the compliment. "Thank you... I think... You wanted to see me?"
Naraku nodded and rose to his feet. "I want to show you something."
Looking confused, she laid a hand worriedly on her extended midsection as she waited.
Leading the way out of the door, he keep his pace slow so that she could keep up with him as he walked down the dark corridors and out into the backyard of the castle. Aside from the shouki-infested areas making up most of the property, a path of light lead out into the middle of the land that was completely free of any bad energy. It was almost like a barrier was keeping that one patch of land free from miasma.
A flicker of life sparked in her eyes as she looked at the pathway, experimentally reaching out her hand towards it, it was as though she was testing for a trap even as a flood of yearning washed through her.
"I made sure to put a protective barrier around this patch of land so that the shouki wouldn't effect you," Naraku explained. "...This area is yours to do what you wish with it."
Looking at the clean space, the spark of life grew even brighter, and she actually perked up. "You can't get into the area can you with the barrier up?"
The dark hanyou shook his head. "It's an area only for you."
Her interest increased. 'Would it hurt you?' She asked the child.
The child thought for a moment. 'I don't believe it will... so long as you don't stay inside it all day...'
Carefully Lynnette explored the area, the barrier humming as though in joy as she passed. "You moved the garden?" She sounded touched.
Naraku nodded his head. "I even added some new plants," he added. He inwardly smirked when he saw the expression on Lynnette's face. He knew that she was softening towards him.
Inwardly, the child panicked. He could only hope that his mother wouldn't let him manipulate her.
"Oh really?" Lynnette shifted as though she wanted to get out of her wheelchair to better see her garden, but stopped when she remembered her new clothing.
The dark hanyou stepped forward. "Do you need any help?"
"No thank you... Just remembered I can't get dirty in these clothes." She sounded more awake, no longer in a sleepy compliant daze.
The older man couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face at her second sign of softening.
She circled the garden three times, feeding the seeds with a thimbleful of power each before returning. "Did you really burn my clothes?"
The smile remained in place. "Yes, I did," he replied. "It's better if you always wore clean clothes instead of dressing in those worn out clothes."
"I could put those on by myself!" She snapped. "Those were mine regardless of your opinions!"
Naraku's smile fell away, replaced with a frown.
Rolling backwards to re-enter the clean air she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I had my reasons for wearing those clothes Naraku. You've never tried to dress when your body won't do what you want it to."
Ignoring the pain he would feel, Naraku reached out, pulling her wheelchair closer towards him. He then picked her up from her chair and embraced her from behind. "If it will please you, I will listen to your requests when you tell me what type of clothing you'd like to wear."
"I can ask Kagome if I can barrow some of hers." She admitted. "I'm thin enough now anyway, so hers will be a little big on me."
Naraku's eyes narrowed at that thought. Why would Lynnette consider borrowing clothes that were clearly beneath her future stature? At least in a kimono, she looked the role befitting of an empress and it was harder to dirty.
The infant decided that it was time for him to step in. 'Father,' he began, channeling thoughts into Naraku's mind. 'Please remember that Mother is not used to being dressed or housed so lavishly. It's only natural for her to react this way.'
Lynnette was nervous, not wanting to wrinkle her clothes and not happy in his arms. "Please put me back in my chair." She shifted slightly as though trying to straighten her rich clothes.
"I want you to at least see if you can get used to your clothing first before insisting on getting other types of clothing," Naraku insisted before gently putting the young woman back into her chair.
"Was there anything else you wanted?" Lynnette asked politely, smoothing back her hair.
The dark hanyou stifled a sigh. "Not at the moment, but if something comes up, I'll be sure to send your saimyoushou to you," he murmured. It was the first time he regarded Buzzer as her own instead of one of his creations.
With a smile, she held up her hand to allow Buzzer a perch. "I think I have my own swarm, although Buzzer is the most loyal of the group. Am I allowed to travel?" She frowned. "Kagura isn't trustworthy and I would like to get a good view of the surrounding lands."
The older man nodded. "You're free to do so, but going beyond a few yards will put you in immediate danger due to the shouki and the youkai who are begging to get inside of my barrier," he then explained.
'You promised that you would give Mother lands of her own to rule Father.' The child reminded his sire. 'She can't remain dependant on us forever- providing she survives my birth.'
"I am still here you know." She poked her midsection as she addressed her son.
The baby twitched inside of Lynnette. 'I have a plan, Mother,' he assured the girl without alerting Naraku.
'All right son.' Lynnette replied, saying aloud. "He says I need another nap. Will you excuse us?"
Deciding that it was useless to argue, Naraku nodded his head and left the area.
Returning to her Quarters she nodded even as she yawned. "Are you making me tired again?" Lynnette looked longingly at the hot pool in the bathing room.
The child stiffened up within his mother. He was terrified of letting her into the hot spring due to the near death experience she had. 'Nothing of the sort,' the child assured her. 'But regarding the lands I've been insisting on... I want to know how you would be able to handle it all on your own.'
"I won't know until I see exactly what I have to work with Takeshi." She said absently as she started to remove her too-fine clothing, avoiding the mirror as she did so.
The baby fell silent quickly as the name registered in his mind. 'Takeshi? Is that my name?'
"Your name is Takeshi Morio. Takeshi means 'Warrior' or 'fierce' and Morio means 'Protector'. I wanted a name that suited you." She told her child quietly. "Names are very important because they have power too."
If it was possible, the infant's eyes would have widened in shock. It seemed like such an honorable name to give someone. '...Thank you, Mother.' He was too much of a mixture of happy and surprised to say much else.
"It is my hope that you will live up to your name and be a son I am proud of even if I'm not here now." His mother answered quietly, folding her clothes and carefully smoothing out wrinkles.
If the infant could have nodded his head, he would have done so. 'I'll...do my best...' he promised to his mother.
With a sigh, she began to riffle through her borrowed closet. "As much as I'd like to spend time in the garden, these clothes are far too fine for that... maybe a nap?"
'I don't mind it if you're tired...' came the reply.
"I'm not really, I guess you are protecting me from the miasma. What I am is cold more than anything." Against her will the redhead yawned. "The darkness of this place keeps messing up my clock! I hate sleeping all the time, I want things to do..."
'Perhaps you should bring that up with Naraku...' the infant suggested.
"I don't want to push his buttons, do you want me to start throwing up again?" Lynnette sighed, not bothering to dress as she circled the room restlessly, her mind sharply awake and aware in a way that the child had never seen before. "There has to be..." Suddenly Lynnette grinned and wrestled her bag on the platform that served as her bed, She pulled one thing out after another before finding an unused binder and a mechanical pencil. Clicking it twice, the redhead began to write rapidly with an intensity that ignored everything else around her.
The infant's shifted in his mother's womb. 'What are you planning...?' he pondered, not seeing his mother as intense in a while.
Lynnette did not answer him as her handwriting filled page after page, hours flew by and the redhead didn't seem to notice the drop in temperature- or the amused hanyou standing in the door watching her. In fact, the only thing that snapped her out of the writing frenzy was when a pelt was draped around her bare shoulders. The mental thump back to earth was so sudden it was painful. "Huh? what?" She shook her head slightly. "Who's there?" She was still slightly confused as Lynnette tried to gather her wits.
Naraku watched Lynnette for several minutes while she wrote. She never once looked up to acknowledge his presence, giving him the impression that she had no clue he was even there. With her shoulders hunched over, he could see the frail skin that poked through the kimono, showing bone that shouldn't normally be able to be seen. He didn't like seeing her in such a condition at all. Even while she wrote, she shivered but didn't seen to even notice that she was cold. Having seen enough, the man moved forward and gave her his baboon pelt.
Shaking her head, she regained control of herself. "Whoa... the writing goddess got me good that time!" Taking a deep breath, she pulled the pelt tighter around her. She whistled sharply when she saw the blackness on the side of her hand. "Wow..."
'Mother... are you alright?' the baby asked, almost fearing that the woman got possessed by a demon.
Putting her pencil down, she flexed her hand to regain feeling in it. "I'm fine child."
The dark hanyou was immediately interested in what she had to write. "...Is it another letter?" he guessed with an arched eyebrow.
Shutting the notebook she shook her head, going over to the closet to find a thick robe to wear over her undergarments before speaking. "No, I was just brainstorming."
Naraku furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Brainstorming? As in she was writing for leisure purposes?
Finding a fine fur lined robe, she pulled off his pelt and wrapped herself on the robe, hiding her thinness again in a protective manner. "Did you want something?"
The dark hanyou paused. "...I wanted to check up on you since you said you were suddenly tired."
"I was thinking about going back into the spring... It's cold out today." Lynnette turned up the collar on her robe and looked at the notebook again. "but I'm not done yet either..." Clearly she was torn between wanting to get warm again and getting back to work on her project.
"Do you want anymore blankets?" Naraku then offered, hesitant on letting her go back into the spring after she nearly died under his watch.
"You keep adding to my bed and I'll be smothered in my sleep!" Lynnette pointed out, but her face looked amused.
Naraku frowned slightly, but didn't fail to notice her expression. "We wouldn't want that now, would we...?"
She picked up the notebook and thumbed through it, humming softly in approval. "It will not be long now." She said softly. Lynnette laid her hand on her swollen midsection as she spoke.
The older man nodded his head in agreement. "It will be very soon."
"I want to go back." Lynnette said firmly. "They need to be present."
Naraku blinked, caught off guard by this sudden revelation. He wasn't sure if he could go through with that with everything the two parties had done to each other lately.
"I deserve this time to say goodbye to them Naraku." Lynnette's voice was still firm.
The dark hanyou's eyes narrowed, immediately reaching out to pull her close against him. His eyes swirled with conflict but mostly heat from anger. The thought of her dead made his gut churn with disgust.
Lynnette stiffened and bit back a cry of pain from his hold. "Ow, that hurts!"
Naraku's grip loosened when he realized that he was hurting her. However, he still didn't release her. "The birth of that child will not make you die," he vowed.
His response seemed to sadden the redhead. "Death is a natural part of life Naraku. If it's my time to go then it's my time to go." She told him quietly. "I'm not worried about that anymore."
Naraku fell silent, realizing just how different they were in terms of mentality. She was actually accepting of her death without question while his human heart was desperate enough to have a working body that he sold his soul to demons.
"Are you finished grabbing me now?" Lynnette asked.
The older man didn't say anything to her question, continuing to hold her. "Why are you so accepting of your death?" he finally asked.
"I had a lot of time to think about it and to come to terms with it. I realized that I'll live on in the hearts of those I care about, and that they'll finish whatever tasks I'm leaving undone. Besides, I'll come back again in the next cycle. It's never really goodbye, it's just a see you later." She smiled sadly. "My faith is strong, and I'm not afraid of where I'll end up."
Naraku began to figure out that he honestly never thought about his own death. He was so sure of himself that he'd never die because of his lust for the jewel and the power he obtained. However, when it came down to it, he was just like any other normal human. He feared death. "...How insightful of you..." he murmured.
"Put me back in my chair please." His Empress didn't reply to his comment. As she spoke, she smoothed down her robe. "I want to keep moving while I have momentum before I crash again."
The older man didn't have any other excuse to keep her against him and so placed her back into her chair.
Once back in her chair, she tightened the belt of her robe, and picked up the notebook again, dismissing Naraku from her mind. Watching her write, it was like seeing who she'd once been. A person completely devoted to whatever project she bent her mind to. Once the redhead started on something, there was no stopping her until it was done. About then, Naraku's son spoke up, sounding afraid. 'Father, I'm not sure, but I think these are ideas for the territory you promised her.'
Naraku's eyebrow raised. 'Ideas? Like what?'
Takeshi was nervous. 'I could be wrong, because she'd shutting me out, and I can't tell what she's thinking now. The writing isn't in Japanese either. Your guess is as good as mine, but if you are going to give her a territory, do it soon.'
The evil hanyou frowned, hating that neither of them had any clue what she was planning to do. 'I'll look into it tomorrow.'
It was sunrise when Buzzer dropped the note in Kagome's lap as the younger miko finished her breakfast. Thanking the hell insect, Kagome opened it and laughed after a few minutes of reading. "Oh my, Lynn's mad now! Naraku burned all her usual clothes, and she asked me if she can borrow some of mine."
Still chuckling, Kagome shook her head. "Sango, I'll need to borrow Kiara again."
Sango raised her eyebrow. "...Are you going to get her more clothes?" she asked.
Without even being ordered, the nekomata walked towards Kagome before transforming into her larger form.
"Yes, my clothing won't fit her. I already know that so I have to go back to my time to get new ones for her. She says she isn't comfortable wearing the clothes Naraku gave her. They are too fancy and it makes her nervous."
Kikyou frowned. "He's not even letting her wear her own clothes anymore..."
Kagome frowned. "I know, and I don't like it either."
"Wait.. how are we even going to get her the clothes?" Inuyasha interrupted.
"She says that Kikyou could take them. Apparently Naraku gave permission for the visits to continue. He's working overtime trying to win her." Now Kagome swallowed. "Lynnette's been playing along so that he'll give her more freedom and stop making her pass out or get sick all the time. He can use his offspring to control her whenever he wants."
Inuyasha let a small growl escape. "That bastard..."
"For the record, Lynnette says that Takeshi doesn't like it either, and always apologizes afterwards." As Kagome spoke, she was busy rearranging her bag so that there would be room in it for the redhead's things.
"Takeshi?" Miroku echoed. "...So she gave the infant a name?"
"Yes, she says that it made him turn against Naraku more, since he never named him."
The monk nodded. "...Well, that's more in her favor then..."
Finished with her sorting, Kagome sighed. "I'll need to walk a bit back in case Naraku is watching. It won't take me long and I should be back by tomorrow night if not the morning after that. I don't sense any shards, and Lynn says she'll try to keep Naraku distracted-" She shuddered at this thought. "Until I come back. However Kikyou is here, so you won't need to worry about finding the shards... but..." She bit her lip uncertainly.
Kikyou withheld the urge to shiver at the thought. She hated knowing that Lynnette had to "play along" with Naraku's whims. Who knew what that sick bastard had in mind for her?
"When I send her the clothes, I want to give her the pair of jewel shards that she was wearing when she came here." Kagome finished in a rush.
Inuyasha bristled at those words. "...Wait, you want to hand jewel shards to her... who is staying with Naraku?" He growled. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I want her to have them for her own protection!" Kagome snapped as she stood up. "If they can make Koga-kun's legs move faster, then why can't their power make her legs work like a normal person's."
"And you think Naraku's really going to let her keep them?" Inuyasha argued back.
"Her power can fight Naraku's taint. Look at what happened when Takeshi tried to attack you!"
Kikyou let out a sigh and got in between the fighting pair. "If it will make you feel better, I will place my power into the shards so Naraku won't be able to touch them," she said.
Kagome threw Kikyou a grateful look. "Thank you."
Inuyasha growled, still looking skeptical but relented. "...Are you sure that Naraku couldn't just taint them by using the infant?"
Kikyou shook her head. "...If the infant tried to taint them, it would hurt him as well."
Satisfied that she had gotten her way, Kagome hoisted her bag on her shoulder as she patted Kirara's head. "I better get going, I'm going to backtrack for an hour before flying back with Kirara the rest of the way."
Shippou was prepared to jump into the conversation and ask Kagome to bring him back the usual treats, but felt that it was an inappropriate time to ask. He frowned, deciding to keep quiet.
"Be careful," Miroku advised.
"Always am." She smiled her winning smile at the group. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Still pouting, Inuyasha just nodded towards her. Usually he would have threatened to pull her back if she was gone for too long, but felt that she hadn't been back in her time in such a long time. After all of the stress she had been going through, it probably was best if she spent some break in her own time.
Without a word, Kagome started walking back down the road with Kirara following behind.
Wanting to say something else to the younger woman, Kikyou decided to go after her reincarnation without saying anything to the others before she left.
Kagome walked at Kirara's side, keeping one hand on the nekomata as she chatted companionably with the cat.
Picking up her pace, Kikyou finally called out, "Kagome!"
Looking surprised, Kagome stopped and turned slightly toward Kikyou. "Kikyou?"
The older woman caught up to Kagome and stopped in front of the miko. "...I feel like we haven't had the chance to properly discuss all that's happened between us over these past few weeks..." she began.
Kagome nodded. "I understand that, it's hard to find privacy in a group." She smiled. "You can walk with me now, Kirara won't tell."
Kikyou nodded her head, beginning to keep pace with Kagome's walking. "I can sense it from you... You're in love with those two, yes?" She wasn't going to beat around the bush.
"Yeah, It's weird because I've lost count of the times I've fought with Inuyasha about running after you but..." Kagome sighed. "All this time, she's been my rock and pretty much the reason I kept coming back after every fight. She reminds me a lot of you. You are like the older wiser version of me that I always wanted to be."
Kikyou almost laughed at Kagome's honesty. "...I suppose I should take that as a compliment.."
"There was a time when I wondered if maybe I only loved Inuyasha as a way to get to you." She admitted. "Even when you treated me like a bug to be stepped on, I still admired you." Kagome shrugged. "I never had the courage to even speak to you on my own before now."
The older miko raised her eyebrow. "Oh?" she commented. She shook her head. "...You know... to be honest... I've admired you also, Kagome."
Kagome smiled a touch sadly at Kikyou. "There's a saying in my time: 'You don't know what you have until it's not there anymore'. I never realized how true that was before now."
Kikyou nodded her head. "...That seems to be true for us," she agreed. "...I treated you coldly before... because I wanted to test your worth... but also..." She paused. "...I was envious of your bright spirit. I noticed that you were able to draw out a side of Inuyasha that I never had the honor of seeing."
"I envied the fact that you could inspire unquestioning loyalty. He'd drop everything to help you no matter what was going on or where we were. No questions asked just Zoom! a cloud of dust as he ran to your side."
Kikyou knew that Kagome had a point. "...But I always knew that part of that was also caused by his guilt of losing me the first time... I'm sure he's just as terrified of losing you too."
"He never showed it, not in a way that counted."
"But it was your voice he heard when I tried to drag him to Hell all those months ago, right?" Kikyou pointed out.
"How much of that was him just grabbing at an escape though? How come I'm always the one he leaves behind when we both know that you are a big girl and can take care of yourself!" Kagome exhaled sharply. "We both know he'd never do that for me."
The older miko shook her head, knowing that their conversation wouldn't be going anywhere beyond this subject if they continued. "...Well... in any case, regardless of Inuyasha's true feelings towards both of us... I want to call a truce between us."
"Agreed. We don't have time to argue anymore, not when Lynn needs us."
Kikyou nodded again. "I care deeply for Lynnette... and the less trauma she has to live through, the better..."
"I love her enough that I'll try to make her as happy as I can. I haven't exactly made things easy on her before now..." Her eyes darkened. "Sometimes I wish she would have lost her temper and gave me a good solid thump in the head when I was crying in her lap mooning over him!"
The older woman sighed. "...He's made you suffer a lot, it seems..."
"It seemed like every time I turned around I was jumping through the well in tears or sputtering in fury." She admitted wryly.
After a minute of companionable silence, Kagome groaned. "Uh oh, I'm sensing two jewel shards moving fast it must be Koga-kun heading our way... this is not what I need right now..."
Kikyou didn't even need to hear Kagome say those words, already sensing the jewel shards on her own. "...This is troublesome..."
Kagome was edging towards a bad mood. "We can't outrun him I'm afraid Kikyou, but you don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I suppose I'll stay and see what he wants to do..." Kikyou murmured.
Moments later, the familiar tornado was in view. Within seconds, the smoke cleared with Kouga grasping Kagome's hands in his out of habit. "Hey there, Kagome!" he greeted with a smirk.
Kagome quickly removed herself from his grasp. "Hello Koga-kun."
The wolf demon pouted slightly, but thought nothing of her actions. "I was just passing through and decided to pay you a visit."
"Thank you, but I was just leaving. I need to take care a few things back home." She patted Kirara's head. For the first time, the young miko sounded completely indifferent to Koga.
Kouga frowned. "...Is there something wrong?"
"Lynnette wrote me and asked me to get some things for her. I don't like keeping her waiting too long." Kagome replied.
"Is there any way I could help?" the wolf asked. "I wouldn't want my woman to be in a bind."
Kikyou inwardly shook her head, knowing Kouga just said the wrong words.
Kagome looked angry, and her voice turned cold. "No thank you Koga, I have it all under control. Unlike some women, I don't need a man to help me with my problems." She shrugged out of her backpack before testing it's weight and putting it on Kirara's back. "Thank you for waiting Kirara." Frowning slightly, she looked at Kikyou. "I should be back tomorrow, the day after at the latest. Buzzer should be stopping by tonight, so write her a short note letting her know I'm okay and that I've got her back as always."
The wolf demon was stunned. He stepped back as if she had just slapped him.
Turning back to Koga, she softened slightly. "I've grown up and I'm learning to stand up on my own two feet. I am not your property and I refuse to let you treat me as such!" Her voice hardened slightly. "I am not your woman. I never was your woman."
Kouga fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "...Does this have anything to do with Inuyasha?"
"No, he has nothing to do with this." She replied. "These are my choices, this is my life Koga, not his, and not yours!"
The wolf demon looked hurt. So she was rejecting him. "...I-I had... no idea you felt this way..."
"Neither did Inuyasha." Kagome grinned. "Lynnette said it was about time I put my foot down and spoke up for myself."
Kouga's eyes widened. "Y-you told the mutt the same thing?" he gasped.
"The exact same thing." Kagome replied, deciding that their discussion was none of Koga's business. "Right now I don't have the time or the patience for your fighting over me. Not now, not when my friend is dying in Naraku's lair!"
"Oh...I see..." Kouga trailed off, his tail drooping behind him.
"He turned the disease inside her into his offspring, Naraku ensured that my friend would die in agony." Kagome's voice was tight with fury. "I haven't seen her since she left after your visit."
The wolf youkai frowned even more. All this time, he barely knew about what was going on with Kagome and her group. "...I had no idea..."
Kikyou decided to step in. "...This isn't information that we give out to just anyone, youkai," she pointed out.
"When I let her come with me Koga, it was with the knowledge that she would die. Our only goal was to be together so that she wouldn't be alone. She didn't care that she was dying, she cared about leaving me alone. Every day she spent with me, she was in pain- but she stayed because she wanted me to smile, she wanted to watch me grow up and stand on my own!" Her voice was low and intense with emotion.
Kouga stood in silence, letting Kagome's words sink in. Slowly, he was beginning to realize that Kagome was more than close with Lynnette. The miko loved that woman. He had always thought that Inuyasha was his only rival for her affections but a woman had bested them both without them even noticing!
"I might not be able to save her life, but I can do the things that matter, the little things that make her comfortable. And I will pour out every drop of my blood before I let her die in Naraku's arms." Kagome looked up at the sky, judging the time. "I have to go, I want to get home before dark so I can be back first thing in the morning."
The wolf opened his mouth to say something but found that he was at a loss for words. What could he say to her?
"She named the child, Naraku's offspring does not acknowledge him. I'll raise Lynnette's son as my own after she passes." She told Koga.
The young man's eyes widened in shock. Even if he had gotten Kagome as his mate, he'd never be able to raise another man's child unless it was one of his own pack. And he sure as hell wouldn't raise a child that was created from Naraku! "...Did she put you up to that?" Kouga couldn't help but ask.
"No, she never asked me to do that. Love means you do things without being asked, knowing that your mate would do the same for you unasked." Kagome shook her head. "We never talked about it, but we don't really have to."
Kouga sighed. "...I see..." Knowing there wasn't really much else to talk about, he forced a smile. "Well... I hope you can get that girl back from Naraku," he murmured. "I hope I can see you around." Without waiting for either of them to speak, he turned around and ran off.
Kagome sighed and took a deep breath. "Kikyou..." She hesitated, wondering if the elder miko would fight with her over Takeshi.
Kikyou was mildly surprised by Kagome's declaration but thought fit to save the conversation for another time. "...It's up to Lynnette to decide what's best for her child," she only said in response.
"I know that- I said it to Koga to prove a point." She smiled. "I'm glad he won't bother me anymore."
Kikyou nodded her head, returning the smile. It was bothersome that the wolf never tried to learn Lynnette's name. It was a good thing he left since it saved him from target practice.
"I'd better go, Keep an eye on everyone while I'm gone?"
"Of course," the older miko replied.
Climbing on Kirara's back, she grinned at Kikyou. "I'll be back soon, then you can go visit her."
"I'll be looking forward to it," Kikyou added.
A few hours later, Kagome dismounted from Kirara's back and shouldered her bag. 'I hope I won't be gone for too long. Mother's going to nag me about going to school, but I honestly don't have time for it. Hopefully my friends won't see me either- not in the mood for chit-chat...' The young miko thought as she patted her friend goodbye. "I'll be back in a day or two Kirara, be good for Kaede." Watching Kirara go off, she jumped in the well without looking back. As the warm magenta light surrounded her, she allowed herself a private sigh. She had a feeling this reunion wouldn't be easy for her no matter what she did this time around.