A/N and reviewer responses after the chapter!
Interruptions
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"Hiei! Do not!"
"Why not?" Hiei flexed his bandaged arm, fingering he wrappings.
"Koenma told us before, 'be discreet.' The Dragon of Darkness is not discreet."
"Fine. But it would be faster."
"I thought that you would savor a good fight."
"There are other things to think about this time."
"Such as?" Kurama pulled a seed from his hair and prepared to meet the demons they were sent to destroy.
"Kagome."
Kurama looked around them quickly. "She promised to stay back!"
"She will."
Kurama blinked his green eyes at Hiei. "Are you saying she's still in danger?" he growled. "That I made the wrong decision?"
Hiei said nothing. If the fox couldn't see...
"Hiei!" Kurama barked impatiently.
"It comes."
Something large cut through the water with great speed, it's ability to swim unhampered by the weed choked water of the living realm. For a dragon, it greatly resembled a fish. It's wedge shaped head was attached to various fins and whiskers that lashed out like long bull whips. It roared and flung itself to shore, using its stubby legs to close the distance between it and the intruders. It's ungainly hop and waddle was in complete opposition to the grace that it had in the water.
"I'll destroy this one," Hiei announced. "You get the other."
"Is that wise, Hiei?"
"I do not need your help."
"No, I don't suppose you do." Kurama waited for the second head to break from the water and transformed his whip to lash back at the gaping maw that the creature presented.
His whip snapped out in perfect precision and danced around the creature's head twice before the beast could dodge.
Snap!
Snap!
It roared in pain and dunked under the water, now murky from the churning bodies and legs of the demon monsters. It was quickly followed by the male, dripping blood from numerous sword strikes.
"Here they come."
"Hn."
Snap!
Shing!
Roar!
The process repeated itself several more times before Hiei snarled, "Enough! I have better things to do then this." He threw his sword down and glared at the deceptively still water. It began to boil along with Hiei's temper and sure enough, the beasts sprang up from the water, escaping the heat.
They slashed and hissed, their escape finally cut off from them. Hiei quickly removed the head from the smaller male and was satisfied when the beast gave its final twitch.
Kurama snapped his whip twice more, taking the second dragon down, though a bit more elegantly then his friend. He sighed and retracted his energy from the whip, holding instead, a blood red rose. "We can't leave the bodies here to be found."
Hiei flicked the blood from his sword and gave the carcasses one long look before they burst into flames. "They won't be found."
"No." Kurama agreed. "They won't at that. Let us retrieve Kagome, then."
"You really messed up again, you know," Hiei muttered.
"What?" Kurama's voice was sharp.
"With the girl." That was the extent of Hiei's clarification skills. "You are dooming this relationship before it even starts."
Kurama felt a muscle in his jaw twitch. "Explain," he demanded.
"Honesty, Kurama. And honor." Hiei said. "You are using neither when it comes to her."
"Stay out of it, Hiei. I'll tell her when the time is right," Kurama growled.
"Like you told your mother?" Hiei's crimson eyes never wavered from Kurama's tense back. "Don't wait too long, Kurama. The girl is under no obligation to either forgive you or love you back."
"I know..." Kurama whispered. "I know."
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Kagome saw the sudden flames far below her and wiped her eyes. Strangely enough, their victory seemed hollow...meaningless. Stupid girl...you are the one projecting that... she said to herself. Am I really so useless? She ran a finger over the pointed end of one of her arrows, deep in thought. No. I am not! "I will be stronger. I won't despair. There is always hope..."
Kagome pricked her finger absently on the sharp weapon. She tucked her finger in her mouth and glared at the object as if it had willed her to do it. "Stupid arrow."
She pulled herself up, gathered her things, and slowly made her way down the path she had walked. I'll be whole again some day. Kikyo won't hold a part of me forever. Kagome reached the end of the path and calmly waited for Hiei and Kurama to join her. She could feel them coming, both energies were strong and unwavering...neither was hurt.
When her friends came around the brush and into open view, she couldn't stop her hungry eyes from checking them for wounds anyway.
Kurama immediately smiled at the beautiful girl standing in the path. It took a moment for it to sink in that she was not smiling back. Nor would she meet his eyes. She simply turned, and began the long walk back to the open road, where she could then find her way back home. Kurama stood in the middle of the path, haunted by Hiei's words and Kagome's silent retreat.
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Sango pulled her weapon out of the tree trunk it had been imbedded in. I'm getting slow. She straightened and swung the massive boomerang at another tree. This one fell with a satisfying thud. Better...but not good enough.
"Sango?"
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"Preparing, Houshi."
"..."
Sango wiped a hand across er damp forehead and rubbed her eyes. "I can feel Naraku watching us."
"I know."
"You know?!" she became angry. "How can you stay so calm? With all the things he's done to us, how can you?"
Miroku clenched his teeth but kept his outward calm. Sango needed his strength, not his panic. "We'll defeat him, Sango. We'll win because we have to. There is no other choice for us. I'm calm because I know this."
Sango hung her head, dark hair curtaining her features. "Do you really believe that?"
"Completely."
"Miroku?"
Sango hardly ever called him by his name. It made his stare at her hard before he answered. "Yes?"
"What will you do? When this is all over, I mean?" Sango held her breath, waiting for his answer. She knew Kagome had another life, Shippo with her if possible. And Inuyasha...his plan was plain enough. Sango was afraid she'd be alone. If she lost her brother, she would have no one but Kirara...and she did not want to be alone.
"I'll move on." Miroku answered. "I'll live the rest of my life with what gladness I can. When Naraku is gone, I want him to be gone; from my mind, from my future. I won't have his shadow over my family."
"Family? You would start a family?"
"Of course! Isn't that what you would want to do as well?" he asked carefully.
"No. I couldn't hope for so much. I'm too old."
"What!?" Miroku laughed.
Sango smacked him in the back of the head with her boomerang. "Quit laughing, Houshi. Most women my age already have three or four kids. No man will be wanting a new wife my age." Sango stalked away with Miroku hot on her heels.
"I want you, Sango." he reached out and-
SMACK!
"Hentai!"
Sango left him in the dirt and followed the path back to the well. She was angry on the outside, but inside, the outrage was false, to cover for the deepening bond she felt for the monk. She was secretly pleased that he found her attractive, and displayed his amorous nature so openly. She just had to keep reminding herself that he was that way with any reasonably attractive female of the right age...I'd be foolish to place my hopes on him. But his words, though not spoken seriously, ran through her mind. 'I want you, Sango.'
What she didn't know, was that Miroku had been serious. With Sango, he had always been serious.
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Kurama left Kagome alone the next day at school. It was the last day of finals and he knew she had enough distractions. It didn't keep his mind from replaying the past events, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong.
What did I do? What pushed her away? Why is she so distant? Kurama easily finished his tests and used the left over time to think about, or watch over the dark haired girl that had captured all of him so effortlessly. She is right here, but it feels like she's so far away from me...and it hurts...Kagome, come back to me.
He found himself remembering something that she had told him before. She had been talking about Inuyasha and love. She had said "I would give my own life to keep him safe. Turn my back on everything I strive for to see him genuinely smile." Didn't she realize that he felt the same way for her? Have I lost your smile Kagome, with my dishonesty?
Kurama played with the ends of his hair, waiting patiently for the bell to ring, and school to end for the term. He would be finished, graduation was in three more days. And he didn't know what he would do, or where he would go. College? Too far away from her. The Makai? No. She wouldn't be there either. He had lost his desire to go anywhere. "Turn y back on everything I strive for..."
Kurama felt a soft tug on his hair and looked behind him. Kagome had slid into the desk, forfeiting her usual spot next to him. She gave him a soft sad smile and ran her hands almost lovingly over the long silky strands of hair.
The heavy weight in his chest instantly vanished and he leaned into her touch. School was almost out, and then they could talk. Another quote filtered through his jumbled thoughts...This time it was a fraction of the poem that Kagome had once recited to them...can you risk looking like a fool for love? Kurama finally decided he had things to tell her. Important things that had been secret too long.
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Kagome sighed and twisted her fingers in Kurama's long hair. I can't stay angry with him. She felt him lean back, into her hands. She couldn't keep the sad smile from touching her face. She leaned forward, to whisper in his ear. "Shuuichi," she said, mindful that they were still in school. "I'm sorry."
Kurama couldn't stop himself. He turned around in his seat so he could look at her. "Sorry? For what, Kagome?"
"I-"
"Minamino-san," the teacher's voice was properly shocked. Never had he, or any other teacher had to reprimand the quiet student.
Kurama turned back around and resisted the urge to glare at the human for interrupting him. He relaxed only when he felt Kagome's soft touch on his hair again, and heard her soft giggle.
The rhythmic tug and pull of her fingers had him relaxing to the point that even the tension in his mind melted away. There was no Youko, no Shuuichi, just Kurama who, for once, felt complete. But, the calm couldn't last.
The bell rang loudly, signaling the end of school and the beginning of summer break, and Shuuichi Minamino's completion of public school.
Damn, Youko and Shuuichi's voices were oddly overlapped, in that moment that he faced the end of an entire period of his life.
Kagome stopped her petting, and rose to her feet. She was going back to the past today, and she didn't want to leave things so stressed between her and Kurama.
She didn't know how he felt about her, but she couldn't stand letting things continue the way they had been these last two days. The classroom emptied around them, and strangely enough, the teacher was the first one out of the door.
Blue eyes connected with green and everything else seemed to fall away from them. It was as if time had stopped and was giving them this moment to truly communicate to one another.
"Kagome, I-"
RING! RING! RING!
Two pairs of confused eyes looked down to the source of the blaring noise. Kurama pulled Yusuke's communicator from his back pocket and blinked at it. It's insistent tone's conveyed a sense of urgency that Kurama found himself automatically opening it.
"Yusuke! Oh, Kurama, I need you guys, here! Now!" Koenma roared. Then he was gone.
"Hmm. Sounds important," Kagome said.
"Indeed." he glared at the object before turning his attention back to the beautiful girl. "Kagome, I..." he searched for just the right words and found that they were not there this time.
Damn it, Shuuichi! This is your department. Quit slacking! Youko mouthed off.
Before he could say anything more, kagome took his hand and led him out of the room. "I understand," she said. "You have to go...and so do I." I don't know how long I'll be gone, this time...."
Kurama frowned at the ground.
Kagome stopped and took a moment to try to memorize his features. They stood in the deserted hallway like that for what seemed like forever, both trying to find just the right way to express what they felt to the other.
"But, I just..." Kagome swallowed and gathered her courage. "Just be careful, while I'm gone."
A soft smile touched his lips. "You too..." Though I don't want you to go..How can I protect you if you are so far away?
RING! RING! RING!
Kurama clenched his fist over the devise, ignoring it for the moment. Kagome suddenly gave him a brilliant smile, leaned up and brushed her lips over his. Kurama didn't move. He couldn't move.
"Bye..." she let go of his other hand and with her face burning, ran from the building. She passed Yusuke and Kuwabara at the gate and yelled as she ran. "Bye guys! I'll see you when I get back! Oh, you have a mission!"
"How would she know that?" Yusuke wondered. Kurama suddenly appeared beside them and handed the ringing contraption to Yusuke. "Oh."
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On to AN and reviews!
I know. I know. Only two chapters this time...sorry. I'll do better! Notes...um...Yes, Kagome finds out about Youko..but not yet! MWHahahahaha...sorry. Yes..Kagome and the barrier are linked...but I'm not telling how! When do the characters get together?...soon...hehehe. Boton and Inu was pure inspiration from Kami knows where...Sesshoumaru waits because he knows what he wants, He is not one to be distracted when he's after something. At the moment, he want's Naraku dead. Kagome is his best weapon and the best bait. Is Inu a closet Hentai? He's male. Of course he is! I still have 21 more chapters to write and post. I'm on the third notebook now...I'm catching up quickly to what's written. Expect things to slow!
I had some new reviewers...*blushes* very enthusiastic ones. Makes me happy!
Thank you every one for the encouragement. I'll definitely keep writing.
Thank you to
Katzztar, ladyofthedragons1, tarah, BookwormRose296, deathlycrimson, BabbleQueen, Kinky Usagi, The Beauty of night, Artemis the Goddess, InuBabe, Dark Topaz, Sekera, heavenlyAnimeAngel-Amaterasu, DemonLady1, Hikari, ixi, hiei is mine forever, ANAme-Chan, Inu Youkai-Hime, Elyndewen Startree, Helen, Hinoke, Diaphanous, LadyArilyia, Dee-Chan, Adrelliehs, ChildlikeMoonTenchi, tessa3, Hebi Youkai, and the following that I caught on my stats page but I did not get an alert for in my e-mail Shinigami Clara, Lost Anime Angel, SoulofSaturn, badgerwolf, and BlackTora (for all 7 of your reviews lol)