(Navi, Kalika, Aliri, and Kagome watch as Shayril shoves Yue, Inuyasha,
Sesshoumaru, Dragonwing, and all other males out of the room.)
Shayril: I don't really care where you go or what you do, but stay out of
my sight!
(Shayril slams the door.)
Kagome: What was that about?
Shayril: I don't want to see any men right now. At all!!!
Kalika: Awwww, but they can be so fun!
Shayril: (Glares) No men!
Aliri: What happened?
Shayril: I don't want to talk about it. All I'll say is that right now I
hate any and all men that are not members of my family or gay.
Navi: Hey!! You can't leave me to take care of these three without my
husband's help.
Shayril: I can and I will. It's not like there aren't plenty of people in
here to help. If you want your husband so bad then you can join him
elsewhere. NO MEN!!!
Kagome: (Whispers to Aliri) This is really bad. She's usually such a
romantic. I wonder what happened.
Aliri: We'll probably never know.
Shayril: Okay, readers. Go ahead with the chapter while I plot ways to rid
the world of all men.
Chapter Twenty-Five – Don't Go
The morning after Kouga and Yasahiro's arrival Kagome and Yue were awakened by some sort of commotion in the courtyard. Kagome rushed out onto the balcony to see thousands of winged men and women standing in the courtyard, on the walls, and in trees. There were even a bunch hovering in the air.
"Yue, come out here!" She cried excitedly.
She felt her love come up behind her. His hands came up to rest on her shoulders. For many minutes they stood looking over their people. Many of them they recognized, others were new, born after their time. After a few moments someone noticed them on the balcony.
"Kagome-sama! Yue-sama!" the person shouted.
Everyone looked at them, tears filling some eyes as they cheered wildly. Kagome smiled a dazzling smile and lifted her hand to wave.
* * *
Kouga stepped out into the courtyard, drawn by the noise. His jaw dropped at the sight of tens of thousands of angelic looking people praising someone standing on one of the balconies. Once he was over the shock he turned to see whom they were staring at. He froze at the sight of Kagome and the silver haired man he had met the day he gave her his jewel shards. Fear clamped on his heart when Kagome stepped up onto the railing and jumped over the side. Before he could think, he was racing to catch her. Why would her baka mate let her do that? Then, Kouga skidded to a stop as wings burst from her back, shining with multi-colors. An awed murmur ran through the crowd as she swept overhead. Hands reached up to clasp hers briefly as she greeted each and every one of them warmly. For the first time since hearing Kagome's story the ookami leader truly understood who she was.
* * *
Kagome said a few words to her people before they went about setting up camp. She laughed and talked with many of them as she saw to their needs. Old friendships and acquaintances were renewed. Children and grandchildren of people she once knew were introduced and praised for their looks. Exclamations were made of those who were just children the last time she saw them. Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much.
Yue made his own rounds through the camp, smiling, chatting, and joking. His eyes, however, hardly left Kagome. His heart was gladdened by the sight of her so happy and animated. Happy memories of life in the Sky Kingdom flashed through his mind. It was all tinged with sorrow, though. One memory, not so happy as the others, continually lurked beneath it all.
Eventually, Kagome and Yue met up in the middle. At which point they realized that they still wore their nightclothes. They laughingly excused themselves to go change before going down to the kitchens for a late breakfast. They had just settled down to eat when Akemi walked in followed by one of their closest advisors.
"My Lady, my Lord, I'm happy to see you again!"
"Tobikuma! You old wind bag," Kagome cried. "Where've you been? We've seen everyone out there and you were nowhere to be found."
"We had to take care of some troublesome youkai," he replied, giving her a hug.
"They were no doubt sent by Naraku," Akemi added.
"Easily taken care of. If that's the extent of the strength Naraku's army has than it will be an easy task to destroy them."
"Unfortunately, he has stronger forces than that," Yue told him.
"I'm sure we can handle it," Tobikuma said cheerfully. "I'll leave you to eat."
* * *
Sakura stood in the conservatory. She found that this room was the only one that brought her peace in the whole of Clow Reed's castle. It was the only place she could think without trouble. Her mind was on the next day's battle and a certain inu youkai. She had mixed feelings about him fighting. Not only that, but she was thinking about after the battle when she would have to return to her own time. She wanted to build on the relationship with Sesshoumaru, but she didn't know how to do that while in her own time. Sure, she could use the well, but that would be a hassle considering she lived a couple hours away from it. The young sorceress chewed her lip thoughtfully. She was so lost in her contemplations that she didn't know anyone else was in the room until he stepped into the light in front of her. It just figured that the person would be the object of her turmoil.
"Do you need something, Sesshoumaru-san?" she asked.
He was silent a moment. "I have come to ask something of you."
"What is it?"
"I ask that you do not participate in tomorrow's battle."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Why not? I thought Kagome-chan wanted all of us to fight."
"I have already spoken to Kagome-sama and she has agreed to let you stay if you want."
"Why would I want to? I'm as eager to destroy Naraku and the Dark Mistress as everyone else."
Sesshoumaru sighed. "Because I want you to." He took a step closer. "I'm not sure whether or not I'll survive this. If not, I want someone I trust to take care of Rin. Kagome-sama says that you would be able to take her through the well."
"Sesshoumaru-san, I highly doubt that Naraku's youkai would be a match for you."
"Enough of them could be, even with all our allies. Rin is not the only reason that I want you to stay behind."
She arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"
He hesitated a moment. "I have developed feelings for you. I am not exactly certain how strong or what they are. I am certain, however, that I do not wish to see you harmed, as I know you will be in the battle. I am also certain that I want to see where these feelings lead me... us."
Sakura stared at him. It wasn't exactly a proclamation of love. It was more of a proclamation that he would love her given time. She knew he probably wouldn't say anything more on the subject until he did love her. She also knew that he honestly wanted to see her protected within the castle walls. An idea sparked in her.
"Couldn't you just revive me with Tensaiga if anything were to happen to me?"
Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. This wasn't how he expected things to go. He had expected her to agree to staying behind once she knew exactly why. To his knowledge, such a ploy usually always worked. Then, he saw something in her eyes and it dawned on him. She wasn't sure of his feelings and this was her way of testing him. He smirked inwardly. Conniving little sorceress.
He nodded. "I could and I would without hesitation. However, I would prefer that there be no need for me to. The idea of seeing you in such a state even for a short while is not a pleasant one. Therefore, I ask once more that you stay behind and look after Rin rather than participate in tomorrow's battle."
The back of Sakura's hand gently brushed the taiyoukai's cheek. "I have no desire to cause you any such pain. I'll stay."
She wasn't prepared to see such relief in his gold eyes. He felt more for her than he let on or realized.
"In return for staying behind, I wish to ask something of you, as well." He arched an eyebrow. "I wish to extract a promise that you will fight tooth and nail to return from this battle alive. I also want to see where these feelings lead us and I can't very well do that if you die."
His face softened from its usual cold mask. "I promise that I will avoid death at all costs."
* * *
Kagome growled. "Alright, what's wrong?"
Yue looked up, startled at her outburst. "What do you mean?"
"For days now you've been looking at me with the same sad look you had in your eyes when you thought I was in love with Inuyasha," she answered. "You know I hate seeing you like that, so tell me what's wrong."
He sighed. He should have known she would notice. From the beginning she could always read him like a book. She was the only on that ever could. She sat staring at him expectantly. He knew she wouldn't give up until she knew.
"I don't want you to go tomorrow," he told her finally.
"I don't really have a choice. You know that, Yue. I have to fight Naraku and Sonya."
"But if you do, you'll die. I don't want to lose you," he said.
Kagome's face softened. "You don't know that. I'm stronger than I was before."
Yue shook his head. "I do. I saw it happen and I don't want to again."
She crossed over and sat on his lap on the settee. "What happened in the Sky Kingdom..."
He cut her off. "I'm not talking about the Sky Kingdom. I didn't actually see you die then because I died too."
She frowned in confusion. "Then what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about now. You told me not to let myself go cold until I experienced a pain so profoundly heart wrenching that I have no other choice than to or go insane. I thought it was because of what Clow did, but it wasn't. This all happened to me before, when I was here as my past self."
Kagome's eyes widened in understanding. "You mean..."
"It isn't exactly like it happened then, but it's enough like it that I know the same thing will happen. When I originally went through this only Sakura-san was able to come through the well with you, not my future self and Keroberos. Everything else was exactly the same. We were planning to get married and return to the Sky Kingdom after the final battle.
"Then the day of the battle came and we followed the plans exactly as they are laid out now. But when we all returned to the castle afterwards you weren't there. You were gone." His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist as if he were afraid that she would suddenly disappear. "It hurt too much to just be called profoundly heart wrenching. I was close to going insane. I would have if Sakura-san and Clow Reed hadn't used their magic to bury the memory. Even after the memory was gone I still knew I'd lost something more important to me than my own life so I just shut off my emotions."
Kagome's heart was close to breaking at the pain in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face in her hair. She hadn't known just how right she was when she said his pain was soul deep. Why wouldn't it be after losing his soul mate? More than anything she wanted to stay behind and spare him the pain, but she knew she couldn't. It was her destiny to fight Naraku and Sonya, even if it meant her death.
Yue held her close, trying to soak in enough of her warmth and love to last for eternity. As much as he wanted to beg and plead for her to stay out of the battle, he knew he couldn't. The needs of many outweighed the needs of one. He couldn't sacrifice thousands upon thousands of lives just because he would suffer. It was wrong and it would always weigh heavily on his mind. So, he would soak in her presence as much as possible to keep it with him for what comfort he could gain from it.
After many minutes of just sitting holding each other, they slowly broke apart and went to bed. They held each other close, never wanting to let go.
Shayril: Well, there ya go. If you're surprised by this chapter considering my attitude right now, don't be. I wrote this before I got into my mood. All I had to do was edit type it. Kalika: I shudder to think what it would have been like if you had written while in this mood. Aliri: It'd probably be something like what Navi would write. Navi: Yeah. Too bad. Shayril: Okay, well, I'm not in the mood for any of your banter now so go do it someplace else while I wrap things up with the readers. Kagome: Okay, but we'll be close if you need us. Shayril: Thanks. (Kagome and other girls go off to the other side of the room.) Shayril: Okay, first of all, just so you know I have all of the remaining chapters for this fic written. It's just a matter of editing and typing them up. Please do not rush me because I'm not really in a good mood and I'm swamped with work and testing. I will post each chapter as I finish typing them. Hopefully this story will be finished in a week or so. It all depends on how fast I can edit and when I have a chance to get on the computer. Second, being as I'm not really in a very inspired mood when it comes to things romantic I will be putting 'Of Youkai and Gypsies' on hold for a while. However, chapter six is done and will be posted before then. I fully intend to finish that story eventually. Third, 'Tarnished Armor' will be updated, at least for a few more chapters since the next few chapters will be full of the angst that goes along with getting your betrothed to trust you again and realizing that not everyone is untrustworthy. I apologize if any of this inconveniences you, but trust me when I say it's better this way. My work would suffer if I tried to do anything different. Please review this chapter and bear with me through this phase. Thank you and bye.
Chapter Twenty-Five – Don't Go
The morning after Kouga and Yasahiro's arrival Kagome and Yue were awakened by some sort of commotion in the courtyard. Kagome rushed out onto the balcony to see thousands of winged men and women standing in the courtyard, on the walls, and in trees. There were even a bunch hovering in the air.
"Yue, come out here!" She cried excitedly.
She felt her love come up behind her. His hands came up to rest on her shoulders. For many minutes they stood looking over their people. Many of them they recognized, others were new, born after their time. After a few moments someone noticed them on the balcony.
"Kagome-sama! Yue-sama!" the person shouted.
Everyone looked at them, tears filling some eyes as they cheered wildly. Kagome smiled a dazzling smile and lifted her hand to wave.
* * *
Kouga stepped out into the courtyard, drawn by the noise. His jaw dropped at the sight of tens of thousands of angelic looking people praising someone standing on one of the balconies. Once he was over the shock he turned to see whom they were staring at. He froze at the sight of Kagome and the silver haired man he had met the day he gave her his jewel shards. Fear clamped on his heart when Kagome stepped up onto the railing and jumped over the side. Before he could think, he was racing to catch her. Why would her baka mate let her do that? Then, Kouga skidded to a stop as wings burst from her back, shining with multi-colors. An awed murmur ran through the crowd as she swept overhead. Hands reached up to clasp hers briefly as she greeted each and every one of them warmly. For the first time since hearing Kagome's story the ookami leader truly understood who she was.
* * *
Kagome said a few words to her people before they went about setting up camp. She laughed and talked with many of them as she saw to their needs. Old friendships and acquaintances were renewed. Children and grandchildren of people she once knew were introduced and praised for their looks. Exclamations were made of those who were just children the last time she saw them. Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much.
Yue made his own rounds through the camp, smiling, chatting, and joking. His eyes, however, hardly left Kagome. His heart was gladdened by the sight of her so happy and animated. Happy memories of life in the Sky Kingdom flashed through his mind. It was all tinged with sorrow, though. One memory, not so happy as the others, continually lurked beneath it all.
Eventually, Kagome and Yue met up in the middle. At which point they realized that they still wore their nightclothes. They laughingly excused themselves to go change before going down to the kitchens for a late breakfast. They had just settled down to eat when Akemi walked in followed by one of their closest advisors.
"My Lady, my Lord, I'm happy to see you again!"
"Tobikuma! You old wind bag," Kagome cried. "Where've you been? We've seen everyone out there and you were nowhere to be found."
"We had to take care of some troublesome youkai," he replied, giving her a hug.
"They were no doubt sent by Naraku," Akemi added.
"Easily taken care of. If that's the extent of the strength Naraku's army has than it will be an easy task to destroy them."
"Unfortunately, he has stronger forces than that," Yue told him.
"I'm sure we can handle it," Tobikuma said cheerfully. "I'll leave you to eat."
* * *
Sakura stood in the conservatory. She found that this room was the only one that brought her peace in the whole of Clow Reed's castle. It was the only place she could think without trouble. Her mind was on the next day's battle and a certain inu youkai. She had mixed feelings about him fighting. Not only that, but she was thinking about after the battle when she would have to return to her own time. She wanted to build on the relationship with Sesshoumaru, but she didn't know how to do that while in her own time. Sure, she could use the well, but that would be a hassle considering she lived a couple hours away from it. The young sorceress chewed her lip thoughtfully. She was so lost in her contemplations that she didn't know anyone else was in the room until he stepped into the light in front of her. It just figured that the person would be the object of her turmoil.
"Do you need something, Sesshoumaru-san?" she asked.
He was silent a moment. "I have come to ask something of you."
"What is it?"
"I ask that you do not participate in tomorrow's battle."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Why not? I thought Kagome-chan wanted all of us to fight."
"I have already spoken to Kagome-sama and she has agreed to let you stay if you want."
"Why would I want to? I'm as eager to destroy Naraku and the Dark Mistress as everyone else."
Sesshoumaru sighed. "Because I want you to." He took a step closer. "I'm not sure whether or not I'll survive this. If not, I want someone I trust to take care of Rin. Kagome-sama says that you would be able to take her through the well."
"Sesshoumaru-san, I highly doubt that Naraku's youkai would be a match for you."
"Enough of them could be, even with all our allies. Rin is not the only reason that I want you to stay behind."
She arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"
He hesitated a moment. "I have developed feelings for you. I am not exactly certain how strong or what they are. I am certain, however, that I do not wish to see you harmed, as I know you will be in the battle. I am also certain that I want to see where these feelings lead me... us."
Sakura stared at him. It wasn't exactly a proclamation of love. It was more of a proclamation that he would love her given time. She knew he probably wouldn't say anything more on the subject until he did love her. She also knew that he honestly wanted to see her protected within the castle walls. An idea sparked in her.
"Couldn't you just revive me with Tensaiga if anything were to happen to me?"
Sesshoumaru frowned slightly. This wasn't how he expected things to go. He had expected her to agree to staying behind once she knew exactly why. To his knowledge, such a ploy usually always worked. Then, he saw something in her eyes and it dawned on him. She wasn't sure of his feelings and this was her way of testing him. He smirked inwardly. Conniving little sorceress.
He nodded. "I could and I would without hesitation. However, I would prefer that there be no need for me to. The idea of seeing you in such a state even for a short while is not a pleasant one. Therefore, I ask once more that you stay behind and look after Rin rather than participate in tomorrow's battle."
The back of Sakura's hand gently brushed the taiyoukai's cheek. "I have no desire to cause you any such pain. I'll stay."
She wasn't prepared to see such relief in his gold eyes. He felt more for her than he let on or realized.
"In return for staying behind, I wish to ask something of you, as well." He arched an eyebrow. "I wish to extract a promise that you will fight tooth and nail to return from this battle alive. I also want to see where these feelings lead us and I can't very well do that if you die."
His face softened from its usual cold mask. "I promise that I will avoid death at all costs."
* * *
Kagome growled. "Alright, what's wrong?"
Yue looked up, startled at her outburst. "What do you mean?"
"For days now you've been looking at me with the same sad look you had in your eyes when you thought I was in love with Inuyasha," she answered. "You know I hate seeing you like that, so tell me what's wrong."
He sighed. He should have known she would notice. From the beginning she could always read him like a book. She was the only on that ever could. She sat staring at him expectantly. He knew she wouldn't give up until she knew.
"I don't want you to go tomorrow," he told her finally.
"I don't really have a choice. You know that, Yue. I have to fight Naraku and Sonya."
"But if you do, you'll die. I don't want to lose you," he said.
Kagome's face softened. "You don't know that. I'm stronger than I was before."
Yue shook his head. "I do. I saw it happen and I don't want to again."
She crossed over and sat on his lap on the settee. "What happened in the Sky Kingdom..."
He cut her off. "I'm not talking about the Sky Kingdom. I didn't actually see you die then because I died too."
She frowned in confusion. "Then what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about now. You told me not to let myself go cold until I experienced a pain so profoundly heart wrenching that I have no other choice than to or go insane. I thought it was because of what Clow did, but it wasn't. This all happened to me before, when I was here as my past self."
Kagome's eyes widened in understanding. "You mean..."
"It isn't exactly like it happened then, but it's enough like it that I know the same thing will happen. When I originally went through this only Sakura-san was able to come through the well with you, not my future self and Keroberos. Everything else was exactly the same. We were planning to get married and return to the Sky Kingdom after the final battle.
"Then the day of the battle came and we followed the plans exactly as they are laid out now. But when we all returned to the castle afterwards you weren't there. You were gone." His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist as if he were afraid that she would suddenly disappear. "It hurt too much to just be called profoundly heart wrenching. I was close to going insane. I would have if Sakura-san and Clow Reed hadn't used their magic to bury the memory. Even after the memory was gone I still knew I'd lost something more important to me than my own life so I just shut off my emotions."
Kagome's heart was close to breaking at the pain in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him as he buried his face in her hair. She hadn't known just how right she was when she said his pain was soul deep. Why wouldn't it be after losing his soul mate? More than anything she wanted to stay behind and spare him the pain, but she knew she couldn't. It was her destiny to fight Naraku and Sonya, even if it meant her death.
Yue held her close, trying to soak in enough of her warmth and love to last for eternity. As much as he wanted to beg and plead for her to stay out of the battle, he knew he couldn't. The needs of many outweighed the needs of one. He couldn't sacrifice thousands upon thousands of lives just because he would suffer. It was wrong and it would always weigh heavily on his mind. So, he would soak in her presence as much as possible to keep it with him for what comfort he could gain from it.
After many minutes of just sitting holding each other, they slowly broke apart and went to bed. They held each other close, never wanting to let go.
Shayril: Well, there ya go. If you're surprised by this chapter considering my attitude right now, don't be. I wrote this before I got into my mood. All I had to do was edit type it. Kalika: I shudder to think what it would have been like if you had written while in this mood. Aliri: It'd probably be something like what Navi would write. Navi: Yeah. Too bad. Shayril: Okay, well, I'm not in the mood for any of your banter now so go do it someplace else while I wrap things up with the readers. Kagome: Okay, but we'll be close if you need us. Shayril: Thanks. (Kagome and other girls go off to the other side of the room.) Shayril: Okay, first of all, just so you know I have all of the remaining chapters for this fic written. It's just a matter of editing and typing them up. Please do not rush me because I'm not really in a good mood and I'm swamped with work and testing. I will post each chapter as I finish typing them. Hopefully this story will be finished in a week or so. It all depends on how fast I can edit and when I have a chance to get on the computer. Second, being as I'm not really in a very inspired mood when it comes to things romantic I will be putting 'Of Youkai and Gypsies' on hold for a while. However, chapter six is done and will be posted before then. I fully intend to finish that story eventually. Third, 'Tarnished Armor' will be updated, at least for a few more chapters since the next few chapters will be full of the angst that goes along with getting your betrothed to trust you again and realizing that not everyone is untrustworthy. I apologize if any of this inconveniences you, but trust me when I say it's better this way. My work would suffer if I tried to do anything different. Please review this chapter and bear with me through this phase. Thank you and bye.