AN: Okay, finally finished editing this thing, hope it's as good as the first two sections. Please, please, please review I love hearing everybody's opinion on my story.
Second Chances
By Oniko
Created by Rumiko Takahashi
Kagome sat lost in thought as her fingers braided the flower garland deftly together. Rin sat next to her humming a rambling tune. She had been living with Sesshoumaru in the past for over four months, she missed her family, her friends, she even missed Hojo, and she missed a lot of school. She frowned at the flowers as if they were the cause of her frustration. Sesshoumaru wouldn't let her go back home through the well because that would take her through Inu Yasha's forest. He said that if she entered the forest Inu Yahsa might do something rash. He was only trying to protect her. She usually gave up the argument at that point, she was afraid to confront Inu Yasha again.
"Kagome? Who is that?" Rin whispered into her ear. Kagome jumped and looked around, she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed the approaching presence. He stood in front of them.
"Inu Yasha." She whispered in shock. She gathered the long garland and gave it to the little girl beside her. "Here, sweetie, take these and go back home. I'll be along in just a minute."
The little girl nodded wordlessly her eyes wide as she sensed Kagome's fear. Kagome watched the girl walk out of sight with flower petals trailing behind her. She stood and turned to face Inu Yasha. "What do you want?"
"Kagome. . . I . . ." He took a step forward but she stepped back just a quickly.
"Stay away from me."
"Kagome I'm sorry. I didn't . . ." He tried to explain.
"Didn't know what you were doing?" She finished and he nodded looking miserable. "I know what happened to you Inu Yasha. Myoga tried to warn me and Sesshoumaru explained all about it later. That doesn't excuse what you did, what you tried to do. Inu Yasha I trusted you."
"I'm still me. . ."
"Except when you're not. What if something happens to the Tetsusaiga again? You'll turn back into that thing."
"Kagome, I could never hurt you."
"But you did." She turned away "Now, please, leave me alone." please it hurts too much to see you.
"Kagome, I can't. . ." He grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him. "I need you."
"What?" She felt her resolve against him softening, he needed her.
"I need you. I need the jewel, Kagome. If we find all the pieces, I can use the Shikon no Tama to purge my human blood from my body and I'll be strong enough to control the demon. Strong enough to protect you."
"That's all it ever is isn't it. The damn jewel." She pulled that half completed jewel from around her neck and threw it at him "You want the damn thing so badly take it! But you can find the rest of it without me."
They stared at each other for a long moment in silence with the jewel lying between them. "Stay away from me Inu Yasha I already have a protector."
"My Brother?" He asked with distain thick in his voice. "You think he really cares for you? You think he'll really let that child inside you live? He hates all half demons, he may keep you but the child will die before it's first breath."
Kagome slapped him. "You bastard. You lying bastard, you'd say anything to make me leave him. Wouldn't you?"
"You can't stay with him, Kagome. Our destinies are bound together." Inu Yasha said softly. "Come with me, I will care for the child as if he were my own."
"Shut up!" She reached forward, grabbed the prayer beads in her fist and pulled. The silk cord snapped and they tiny red beads scattered across the field.
"Now nothing binds us." She said as she turned and walked away, with tears in her eyes. Inu Yahsa collapsed to the ground clawing at the grass and flowers trying to gather the fallen beads together. He had a small hand- full when two shoes entered his vision. He looked up, still on his hands and knees to see Sesshoumaru standing before him. Sesshoumaru grabbed Inu Yasha by the nape of his neck and hauled him to his feet.
"If you ever come near my mate again, mongrel." Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat, "I will kill you."
Inu Yasha hung dejectedly from his brother's grip "Why don't you just kill me now?"
"I could." Sesshoumaru said releasing him. "But you are not worth the effort, pitiful creature that you are."
Inu Yasha gripped the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, some of his anger returning Sesshoumaru stopped him with a look "I wouldn't test my generosity if I were you, brother."
... ... ...
Kagome grew increasingly restless as the months passed and the end of her pregnancy drew closer. Inu Yasha's words weighed heavily on her mind and often kept her up late at night, staring at the stars yet not seeing them. Sesshoumaru had noticed her odd behavior and watched her from the shadows. He was tired of watching her fret herself sick. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Love, what's wrong?"
She jumped slightly before relaxing in his embrace "Nothing."
"No, I know something is bothering you." He turned her around and looked into her blue eyes "tell me what."
"It's probably nothing." she trailed off but he waited patiently for her to continue. "Last time I saw him Inu Yasha knew I was pregnant."
She looked up at him, worry plain in her eyes and also fear. "He could probably smell by the change in your blood that you were carrying pups."
"And he said, he said that you'd kill it." She whispered so softly that he almost didn't hear it. Sesshoumaru felt a flash of anger at his brother but quickly calmed, he would deal with Inu Yasha later.
"Kagome," he said tilting her head back to look into her eyes. "My brother does not understand the facts, the reasons for such drastic measures. The pup cannot live-"
"No!" She stepped back covering her stomach protectively with her hands.
"Please, understand, most full demon children don't live past their first year." He tried to explain, but the look of increasing horror on her face just illustrated how futile any explanation would be "The instincts need to be controlled if the child cannot they become a danger to everything around them. I don't hate half-breeds Kagome, but they are dangerous. The human blood weakens them and they cannot control their instincts, like Inu Yasha. Do you want that for our child? Do you want them to be some unthinking creature?"
"But, he's not always like that. " she protested weakly.
"Because the Testusaiga controls the instincts for him, Kagome. Inu Yasha's mother begged Father to save the pup's life. Because of his love for her, he agreed and created the Tetsusaiga to protect everyone else from the pup's uncontrollable rages. Creating the Tetsusaiga took away Father's power, it weakened him and he died because he wasn't strong enough. He would still be alive if it weren't for the Tetsusaiga and Inu Yasha. I won't do that for you Kagome. I love you, don't doubt that, but I will not throw away both of our lives for this creature."
"But, it's our baby." She protested tears streaming down her face. He pulled her close as she wept.
"I know." He whispered, "If only there were some other way."
... ... ...
The labor was long and hard and in the end Kagome held a beautiful baby girl with soft silvery hair and ice blue eyes. Sesshoumaru had disappeared, called away on some business or other. Kagome found herself to be strangely relieved by his absence and angry that he wouldn't tell her where or why he was going. Whatever his reason it allowed her a little time to be with the child before she was taken away from her. Kagome dreaded Sesshoumaru's return but knew it would happen eventually. She was not surprised when she awoke late one night to see a silver head bending over her, taking the baby from her arms.
"Sesshmmr?"She slurred feeling sleep try and drag her back under. She felt a clawed finger brush across her lips and gave up trying to stay awake. She did not wake again until hours later when Rin's shrill scream cut through the morning air.
"Rin?" She sat up alone in her bed. She grabbed a yukata discarded last night and ran out into the courtyard to the upset child. Minako, Jaken and a few other household servants were already there trying to calm Rin. Minako noticed Kagome first, held up her hands as if to stop Kagome but she just walked through the ghost, and picked up the child.
"Hey, sweetie, what wrong?" Rin was incoherent through her tears so simply pointed behind her. Kagome looked up and Rin slipped through her arms to the ground as Kagome went numb with shock. Her baby lay on the cold ground in a pool of her own blood, her tiny body clawed open. Kagome choked on sobs rising in her throat she turned around, unable to look any longer. Instead, she found herself looking into Sesshoumaru's golden eyes. His presence was more then she could take at that moment.
Sesshoumaru watched her run past him into the main house. He was about to follow her when the smell of blood registered in his mind. He turned back to the huddled group of servants who backed away from him, the scent of fear thick among them. He stepped forward raking his cold gaze across them noting that even Rin had quieted and was huddling close to Jaken. Then he saw the small body on the ground and a powerful rage filled him.
"Jaken." His voice was flat and cold, showing none of the emotions he felt, such was the control required of a demon.
"Y-yes, my lord."
"Explain this."
"My lord?" Jaken asked stupidly.
"I said that no harm was to come to the pup until I returned, did I not?"
"Y-yes, my lord."
"Explain this!" Sesshoumaru roared at the toad demon.
"My lord if I may speak." Minako's soft voice had a calming effect on all in the courtyard, Sesshoumaru nodded at the girl. "My lord, I saw you myself, last night with the child."
He froze, looked at her, and spoke carefully, "I had not returned until just now, I hurried my pace when Rin's screaming reached my ears."
Relief and anger spread through the small crowd at his words. Someone murmured, "What fool would do such a thing?"
Sesshoumaru stepped forward and picked up the small body, he caught the faintest traces of a familiar smell. "What fool indeed?"
... ... ...
Shippou perched on Inu Yasha's shoulder. "C'mon dog-boy you can't sulk for the rest of your life."
Miroku, Sango and Shippou were all worried about Inu Yasha. He hadn't been the same since he came back with the broken prayer beads. He refused to speak to anyone on the matter and had become even more sullen and withdrawn. All of their recent attempts at retrieving shards had been spectacular failures. At last, the unspeakable happened, they lost Kagome's shard to Naraku. Now they were trying to coax Inu Yasha out of his depression to go find him.
Miroku stood and looked around "Be wary Sango I sense a demon approaching."
She readied her boomerang bone "Why? We have nothing left of interest to them."
Her question was soon answered when Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared standing in front of his brother.
"Inu Yasha." He growled, "I warned you to stay away from my mate. I never thought you'd be so foolish as to do this."
Sesshoumaru picked up Inu Yasha and threw him to the ground far below. Inu Yasha did nothing to break his fall and hit hard. Sesshoumaru dropped to the ground; standing over his brother, he drew his hand back fingers curling slightly to extend his claws.
"Sesshoumaru, stop!" Sango cried whipping her boomerang bone at him. With a quick slash, his corrosive acid claws destroyed the weapon. He turned back to his brother, still lying on the ground.
Shippou threw himself across Inu Yasha's chest sobbing uncontrollably "Why are you doing this?"
"Why?" he snarled at the little kitsune "Why? Because that mongrel dared to enter my home, kill my pup and hurt my mate."
"I didn't, but why do you care, Sesshoumaru?" Inu Yasha asked the first words he had spoken to anyone in weeks. "You were going to kill Kagome's baby anyway. So someone did you a favor, now you don't have to sully your claws with its blood."
"Because she didn't have to die." Sesshoumaru said. Inu Yasha looked up at him in shock.
"What?"
"She didn't have to die." He said "I left to chase a rumor of another half demon far to the north. He could control his instincts. We have been wrong for centuries human blood does not weaken the will. A half demon has the same chances as a full demon of controlling their instincts. She didn't have to die and you don't need the Tetsusaiga."
"But I do need it. I was insane without the sword."
"Because you wanted to be. Don't you understand your will was not strong enough, because you had finally achieved what you always wanted, to become a full demon. You had no reason to regain control of yourself. And now, we'll never know if the pup was strong enough because you killed her before she had a chance to learn." Sesshoumaru drew his hand back again to attack.
"No!" Miroku yelled, "I do not believe Inu Yasha could do such a thing."
"I didn't." Inu Yasha said from the ground, "I'd have never hurt Kagome or her baby."
"Who else then?" Sesshoumaru demanded, "Who else would hate us as much as you?"
"I don't hate you, brother." Inu Yasha said looking up into Sesshoumaru's eyes "I love her too much to hate you. I want her to be happy. I just wish it could be with me."
"Then who?" Sesshoumaru growled in frustration. He paused thinking back to earlier that morning, what was it the ghost girl said? "A shape shifter?"
"Naraku." Miroku said. "He has the shards, it must be completed by now, and wants the priestess, Kikyou"
"No." Said Inu Yasha, standing "Not Kikyou, not any more. Kagome. She's inherited all of Kikyou's powers with her soul and that's what he wants. Kagome is in danger."
"Damn." Sesshoumaru snarled and turned away to go back to his palace "I will kill him."
"Wait!" Sango said, "We'll come with you. She's our friend."
"And we want Naraku dead for our own reasons." Miroku added.
"Fine." Sesshoumaru snapped "But hurry."
... ... ...
Kagome awoke with a throbbing headache. She tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes only to find that she couldn't move. She cautiously opened her eyes, positive that she wasn't going to like what she'd find. Nope, didn't like it at all. She was tied spread-eagle to what appeared to be a hard wooden table her only covering a thin silk yukata. The room she was in was completely featureless, no window and only a single closed sliding door. Next to her Naraku sat weaving the completed Shikon no Tama between his fingers. He smiled at her "So you've finally decided to join me, Kikyou?"
She shook her head it was still difficult to think. "I'm not Kikyou."
"Of course you are." He placed the jewel on her chest and gently rolled the jewel across her bare shoulders. They watched the play of light and darkness over the jewel as her power attempted to purify it and his to corrupt it. "Only you, Kikyou could be so pure. Only you, will seal the bargain struck with the bandit and I will be complete."
"I'm not Kikyou!" Kagome protested frantically tugging at the bindings that held her fast. "She was resurrected, go to her and leave me alone!"
"That bag of bones and dirt? That wasn't you, Kikyou. I've already had her and she doesn't satisfy." Naraku smirked at her. Kagome pulled harder at the bindings.
"Inu Yasha!" She screamed in panic "Sesshoumaru!"
Naraku only chuckled softly and stroked her hair. "They won't come, Kikyou, they are too busy killing each other."
"What?" She cried, "What do you mean by that?"
Without pause, he placed another smaller bead next to the Shikon no Tama. "Interesting things these prayer beads, after being near him for so long they still smell of Inu Yasha. A few placed strategically in the corpse of the child and Sesshoumaru was convinced that his brother had done it."
"But he-"She stammered staring at Naraku "It was you!"
He smiled down at her and balance the Shikon no Tama carefully over her solar plexus. The red prayer bead rolled across her shoulder like a single drop of blood. "Yes Kikyou. I took your lover's form and killed the child. Now there is no one to come save you."
He leaned forward and took the Shikon no Tama into his mouth swallowing the gem. His lips brushed across the skin between her breasts and her flesh shuddered from his touch. She screamed and felt her power coalescing inside of her before releasing in a single massive blast that slammed Naraku against the far wall. However, it was too late, even her power could do nothing against the Shikon no Tama. Naraku stood unharmed from the blast. "You will regret that Kikyou."
He lunged at her when a second blast threw him to the ground. The second blast came not from Kagome but the doorway. Kagome almost cried in relief when she saw Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru standing in the open door. Sesshoumaru quickly made his way to her side to release her from her bonds while Inu Yasha held off Naraku with the Tetsusaiga. Naraku fought with all the augmented power of the Shikon no Tama. Inu Yasha knew from the first pass that this would be a losing battle unless the jewel was taken back. "Kagome, the Shikon no Tama, where is it?"
Kagome finally looked up from sobbing into Sesshoumaru's shoulder at Inu Yasha's words. "The jewel? Oh my God. He swallowed it!"
"But where is it, Kagome?" Inu Yasha yelled as Naraku slashed at him, opening a deep wound from elbow to shoulder with a blade of raw power.
Kagome stepped away from Sesshoumaru reluctantly to get a better look at the scene before her. She pointed and yelled "His throat, the base of his throat!"
Naraku dodged to the side narrowly avoiding the Tetsusaiga's Cutting Wind, but the glancing blow did shatter the power shield he constructed around himself. He rushed past Inu Yahsa to the girl. She was the key to completing his transformation. Naraku was so focused on reaching the girl that he didn't notice Sesshoumaru until his toxic claws slashed through Naraku's body, ripping him open from stomach to throat. The searing pain sent Naraku crashing to the floor, the power of the jewel warred with Sesshoumaru's poison in Naraku's body. It began to look like the jewel was winning; the deep wound was slowly closing when Kagome stepped forward and touched his throat. The Jewel came out of his body at her touch. She held up the completed Shikon no Tama and it glowed with the light of a thousand stars as Kagome's power purified it. The pure light from the jewel entranced Kagome; it grew so bright that it blinded her. When her eyes cleared, she found herself in her front yard standing beside the old god tree. A trembling voice called from behind her "Kagome?"
She turned around to see her mother standing before her with tears in her eyes. "Mama?" Kagome collapsed into her mother's arms sobbing uncontrollably.
... ... ...
Even after three months, the pain of the past year ached like an open wound in her heart. The well no longer took her back to the past and she suspected that no one else could come through it to the future. Because he never came. She wasn't sure if she was waiting for Inu Yahsa or Sesshoumaru. But neither of them came for her. She found herself indifferent to the schoolwork that kept bringing her back home when she was with Inu Yasha. Her grades plummeted with her despair and she simply didn't care.
She sat down on the park bench and stared up into the trees. She found that she missed things like the vast expanse of forests. She almost missed the approaching presence. She had become so accustomed to there being so few demons in her present time that she almost missed the chill for what it was. Someone was watching her. She stood and looked around. He had hidden himself well,
"Who's there?" She called. She gripped the Shikon no Tama that she carried with her and felt a twinge of fear. Would demons here try to take it away from her?
"Don't be afraid." A familiar voice spoke. "It's only me."
Inu Yasha stepped out from behind a large tree. He looked comfortable in his modern day clothing of jeans, tee shirt, and a high school uniform jacked. Around his neck hung a ragged black cord with a few red beads and a single white tooth. He didn't have the Tetsusaiga and his white hair hung in a tight braid down his back. He looked older somehow without seeming to age a day. His eyes had lost their sullen anger and instead looked only sad. Her hand clamped over her mouth and she sat back down on the bench, as her legs gave out from under her. "Inu Yasha?"
He smiled at her, a gentle smile that softened his features but did nothing to relieve the sadness in his eyes. "Kagome."
"What are you-? How-? Where's Sesshoumaru?" She gasped out, with a hundred more questions crowding her mind. The smile faded and Inu Yasha sat down beside her.
"Kagome, I- I don't know how to say this but he died, a long time ago, in the fight against Naraku."
"No!" She sobbed. He held her close as she cried into his jacket. When the tears subsided her voice was rough and low "What happened?"
"I'm not really sure. When you disappeared with the jewel, everything went crazy. The room was suddenly filled with a thousand demons. Apparently, the magic that formed Naraku faded and he degenerated back into the demons that made their pact with Onigumo. I was separated from Sesshoumaru in the press and had to fight using all of the powers of the Tetsusaiga just to stay alive. I remember the Tetsusaiga shattering in my hands and still these demons swarmed over me. I think I may have lost myself again to the demon instincts because the next thing I remember the room was destroyed. Bodies lay everywhere around me and Sesshoumaru lay dying at my feet with the broken Tensaiga clasped in his hands."
"No!" She tried to pull away from him but he held her tightly.
"Please, Kagome, listen. Sesshoumaru's last words were to say he loved you. Kagome, please know, I love you too, and I never intended for any of this to happen. I'm sorry." She stared up at him speechless. "Kagome, please forgive me. I've hated myself for what I've done to you. Please forgive me."
"Why? So you can hurt me again? What if you loose control again, what will you do then, try to rape me again? Or kill me? How can I trust that you wont lose it again, How can I trust you?"
"I can control my instincts now, Kagome. It took a hundred years of pain but I learned. Please, Kagome, I never meant to hurt you. All I ever wanted was to protect you. Just give me that chance."
"I don't know if I can, it hurts too much Inu Yasha. Just seeing you hurts so much." He started to turn away but she grabbed his chin and guided his face back to look at her. "But I also know it would hurt more to let you go, you are my only link to that past."
Inu Yasha pulled her into a tight embrace and buried his nose in her hair "I love you, Kagome. I know you cannot care for me after all I've done but I love you and will never let anyone or anything hurt you again."