Disclaimer - Once again, I do not own InuYasha and company . . . for which they are extremely grateful, trust me.
Author's Note - Slightly longer chapter, and I have no idea where it came from. It just dawned on me that maybe Sesshoumaru would decide to take an interest in the relationship (and the mess his brother was making of it) and maybe step in . . . both to annoy his brother some more, and to assist Kagome. I mean, come on, she's the only human who's ever really stood up to him . . . he's gotta respect her for that somewhere, right? So, here it is . . . Sess steps in to smack Inu over the head and give Kagome a hand . . . he's probably gonna show up some more in the story from here on out . . . he's just to arrogant to ignore : )
Chapter 12 - Unexpected Assistance
Kagome returned to the Sengoku Judai late that evening, InuYasha fire-rat clothing in her bag, Tetsusiaga strapped onto her belt. He did not meet her at the well, as she had hoped he would, and she sighed. She trudged back to the village slowly, hoping he was nearby, and worried over the fact that he was still in clothing from her time and without his sword. At the edge of the village, she paused, looking back into the forest, silently willing him to show up . . . but there was nothing but the shadows underneath the forest canopy.
"InuYasha . . . where are you?" she murmured, before turning to continue her walk to her hut. All she could do now was hope he was okay . . . and wait for him to come back on his own.
*----------*----------*-----------*----------*
Tree after tree fell with a resounding crash to the forest floor, bearing with them tiny pieces of the rage burning inside him. The guilt, however, was ever present, and refused to go away, shadowing his heart and mind like an ever-present cloud.
He had hurt her . . . he had hurt his mate, and no amount of tree killing could assuage the utter horror and fear of himself that he felt. He stood, his breathing harsh, hands clenched into fists at his side, and tried not to weep in sheer frustration.
"What ever it is, decimating entire forests is not going to help, InuYasha," a cold, yet oh-so-familiar voice said from behind him. InuYasha jerked in surprise and spun about to face his brother, who stood calmly regarding him from a few feet away, lounging against one of the few still-standing trees. InuYasha could only glare at him as Sesshoumaru stood upright, brushing tiny bits of bark from his armor with a graceful hand. "Walk with me, little brother," he called over his shoulder. Hesitantly, wondering what his older half-brother was up to, InuYasha followed.
Sesshoumaru led him through the remainder of the forest, to a cliff overlooking the village. Once there, he gracefully sank to the ground, motioning for InuYasha to sit nearby. Together, they sat silently looking over the village below as the sun began to set and shadows grew to encompass the world below them.
"Care to tell me what it is that has you cutting swath's through 'your' forest?" Sesshoumaru asked after a time, his golden gaze still locked on the village far below.
"Why do you care?" The youkai lord sighed at InuYasha's belligerent tone, and absently flipped his tail off his shoulder.
"InuYasha . . . you may find this hard to believe, but I've come to certain . . . realizations lately. You . . . and your mate . . . are the only family that I have left . . . and Rin has forced me to realize that family can be important. This will not change the past between us . . . I would not wish it to . . . but it does, however, reflect on the path we can take in the future. Now, will you tell me why you are out here pretending to be some human wood cutter instead of down there with your mate . . . or should I go speak to her about it?"
InuYasha sighed, and stared down into the village, his eyes dark. He was unsure of how to respond to that rather . . . surprising admission by his elder brother. After all, the youkai lord had been trying to kill him for gods only knew how long. But, he remembered something Kagome had said, not too long ago.
*FLASHBACK*
"Maybe Sesshoumaru hates you because he was jealous, InuYasha. All the same, he has to have a heart in there somewhere . . . and his treatment of Rin proves that. Maybe someday he'll realize that the Tetsusiaga isn't as important to him as his only living relative is . . . although I doubt he'll ever tell you that."
*END FLASHBACK*
He glanced over at his brother, and almost smiled. It seemed as if Kagome had been right . . . but that didn't help his current predicament.
"I lost control . . . I nearly killed a boy for touching Kagome . . . and she cut herself to bring me back from my youkai blood taking over again," he murmured, his voice dripping with disgust for himself.
"That girl is braver and far stronger that I thought to have done such a thing. The scent of her blood could very well have sent you over the edge, instead of bringing you back from it," Sesshoumaru commented solemnly. "The young miko is a good match for you."
"Not if I lose control again and kill her. I would rather die myself than to hurt her."
"So . . . is that why you are out here, rather then with her, claiming your mate? You're afraid of hurting her if you lose control?" Sesshoumaru snorted and shook his head. "You are an even bigger fool than I had thought you to be, hanyou." InuYasha stood abruptly, anger humming in his tensed muscles and clenched fists.
"I didn't follow you out here just to be insulted, you arrogant bastard. You don't understand a damn thing, you heartless prick." He turned to walk away, only to find himself suddenly lifted off the ground with his brother's hand wrapped firmly around his throat, Sesshoumaru's snarling face inches from his own.
"Listen to me, and listen well, you stubborn, obtuse, half-breed!" Sesshoumaru snarled angrily, shaking him. "We may never get along, but we are of the same blood-line, and I will not allow our father's blood to be tainted with shame for such a foolish mistake. You severely underestimate that girl . . . do you think she didn't know what she was getting into when she mated with you? She has accepted you . . . all of you, you baka, both human and demon sides. She obviously has great faith in you, that you will never harm her intentionally, no matter what your form." He shook the hanyou again before flinging him to the ground to tower over him.
"That girl . . . while I still have no regard for humans what so ever, I respect her, for she is far much more than human. She is powerful, brave, strong, and kind . . . and much more than you deserve, it seems." He clenched a fist at his side, drawing blood from his claws as he fought to get control of himself. InuYasha could only stare up at him in shock. His brother . . . respected Kagome? Enough that he was willing to speak kindly of her?
"You're a fool to deny her the right to choose her own path, InuYasha . . . and an even greater fool if you think that just by taking her to bed with you, she is yours and no other demon will come for her. There is at least one out there that desire's her as his mate, and now that her powers have matured and come forward, he will be drawn to her. I suggest that you get over this . . . idiocy you have, and return to your mate quickly. Or you may lose her before she was ever truly yours." With that, he turned and walked off, leaving InuYasha to stare at him in shock and puzzle over what he had said.
*-----------*-----------*-----------*----------*
Kagome raised her head slowly, the nearness of a familiar and all too powerful youkai aura drawing her attention from her diary. 'Now, what could he be doing here? He called a truce, didn't he?' she wondered, even as she stood to go out to meet him. Grabbing up the Tetsusiaga as she exited the hut, she strapped it carefully across her back as she headed for the nearby's forest edge, where she could sense him waiting.
She paused uncertainly as she spied the youkai lord standing beneath the trees, but strengthened her resolve and stepped forward. Once she reached him, she inclined her head respectfully.
"Hello, Sesshoumaru," she murmured.
"I must say . . . I never would have expected to be greeted so kindly, by a human," he murmured, turning to walk along the forest's edge. Kagome solemnly walked beside him, keeping her distance, but not as much as she usually would have.
"Well . . . you did call a truce, which would make us allies . . . at least until Naraku is defeated. I would think that the great Lord of the Western Lands would be sure to hold to his word, so why should I continue to treat you as an enemy?" She sighed, and smiled up at him when she caught his golden eyes regarding her speculatively.
"You are wise beyond your years, girl . . . much more so then my brother, it seems." Kagome froze suddenly, and turned to face him completely.
"You've seen InuYasha?" she asked quietly. "Is he alright?"
"He is as well as can be expected. Taking his anger out of innocent trees, it seems, and holding to idiotic ideas and doubts, but alive," Sesshoumaru replied, his eyes unreadable.
"He told you what happened, I take it." Sesshoumaru nodded once.
"You were brave . . . to do as you did. You must have a great amount of faith in the hanyou."
"He is my mate. I know he would never intentionally harm me . . . I just wish . . ."
"That he would trust himself as you trust him?" Kagome tried not to show her shock when he actually smiled slightly, albeit mockingly. "He will . . . or he will lose you." He was slightly surprised when Kagome rounded on him, her tiny frame shaking in anger.
"I would NEVER leave him!" she snarled, her hands clenching into fists at her side. Sesshoumaru got the nagging suspicion she was restraining herself from hitting him. 'Good . . . that means she is already protective of him . . . as a mate should be . . . even when outmatched.'
"I was not implying that you would, girl. But you may not have a choice in that matter. Your powers have manifested now, and your aura is much stronger. That will make you very . . . attractive, as a mate, even to youkai who have no interest in humans."
"But . . . InuYasha and I . . ."
"He has not fully completed the ritual that will make you his mate. He has marked you with his scent and seed . . . but those traces can easily be overwhelmed by another. He must claim you with his blood, and complete the bond between the two of you," he murmured, his golden eyes staring down into her blue/grey orbs.
"What do you mean, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked quietly. Sesshoumaru sighed, and leaned back against a nearby tree. Kagome stood facing him, her face grave as she began to understand what Sesshoumaru was implying.
"I never thought to be explaining this to a human . . .," he began, shaking his head slightly as the irony of the situation. "However, as my brother's chosen, you have a right to know . . . besides which, you are far more than a mere human. Under the light of the full moon, you must share your blood with each other . . . he must take some of your blood into himself, and you must take some of his into you. Not much . . . too much will change both of you irrevocably . . . just enough to make the bond between you unbreakable. It will bind your spirits together . . . in essence, two will become one. In the case of a human to youkai or hanyou bond . . . you will gain his life span, and perhaps some of his abilities. He, in turn, may gain an immunity to your powers . . . although I can not be certain. No miko has ever mated to a youkai or a hanyou before."
"Does . . . does InuYasha know about this bond?" She couldn't help but wonder if he had kept it from her in an attempt to protect her, as his mate, from being used against him.
"I would assume so . . . the knowledge is passed down at maturity . . . he can't possibly be that ignorant of his heritage," Sesshoumaru said, shaking his head again. Kagome turned to glare at him.
"Well, considering certain individuals whose names we will not mention have denied him that heritage for his whole life . . ." she commented, pointedly directing her words at the youkai lord.
"If he doesn't," Sesshoumaru continued, ignoring the obvious remark against his former behavior towards his brother, "then it is a good thing that I prepared this." He pulled from beneath his armor a tightly rolled scroll, sealed with an impression of a dog demon in his demon form in black wax. He handed it to Kagome, who examined the seal curiously before looking back at Sesshoumaru. "There is valuable information in there . . . a good deal of it on inu-youkai, and most of it known only to youkai. I only request that you not allow it to fall into the exterminator's hands."
Kagome nodded solemnly and tucked the scroll into a back pocket, studying Sesshoumaru calmly. She held up a hand as he turned to go, halting him where he stood as she stepped closer.
"One last question, Sesshoumaru . . . Why? Why are you doing this . . . I mean, helping me?" He shrugged elegantly, his expression thoughtful as he ran one hand absently over his tail.
"I suppose . . . because you are unlike any human I have ever met, girl. You have a great deal of potential power . . . and even though you have been frightened of me in the past, you do not cower, but stand firm. I respect that. Besides . . . InuYasha needs all the help he can get if he is to be worthy of our father's name . . . and he definitely needs you." He began to walk away when her voice stopped him once again.
"My name . . . it's Kagome, Sesshoumaru. Not girl, not young miko . . . just Kagome. It took me forever to get your brother to realize that . . . I wouldn't like to think that he mastered something you couldn't." Sesshoumaru barely controlled the smile that her comment brought to his lips. The girl . . . Kagome, had guts, there was no mistaking that.
"Very well then . . . Kagome. I'm sure we will meet again," he replied.
"Yes . . . and, umm . . . thank you. For everything." She watched as the enigmatic youkai lord faded into the shadows of the forest, and suddenly grinned.
"Rin must really be getting to him."
To Be Continued (still)
AN - Poor Sess . . . now I've added him to the list of tormented characters in my fic. Ah well, he deserves it almost as much as Inu does, the arrogant baka. Anyway . . . don't forget to review and let me know you still love my fic, and if you haven't yet, go read my others . . . I've been amazing myself with the ideas I'm coming up with lately. Some scary stuff in this head of mine. Later all : )