::runs in:: Okay! A quick note: Kagome is Not pregnant. Sesshomaru has put together the evidence and that's the conclusion he made- he has a better nose but remember the perfume Inu Yasha sprayed himself with? It altered the hanyou's nose- overloading his sense of smell so it became ineffective- Sesshomaru is feeling something similar but on a subtler level. He smells something and could feel Kagome's bruise and put together the... err obvious conclusion that that would mean to him.
Anyway! Enjoy the new chapter… I'll check in on reviews later in the week. Grrr.. I have a bio exam that is really irritating. But everyone is clear, right? Kagome is not pregnant.
I slipped into a dream, hiding from the shouting that my nodding off had caused. I wanted nothing to do with them. I wanted to just tell them all to go to hell because I was going home. There was no point in traveling with people that didn't trust me, that would turn on and attack me after some stupid rumor or misconception. So I slid into my dream without guilt, stewing in my anger and feelings of betrayal.
I sat with my knees to my forehead. I was on a large king sized bed. The comforter was soft and downy and some of my anger slipped away. I felt someone sit beside me and hug me. The moment the person touched me, I knew who it was. I snuggled against Taomaru and still felt alone.
"What happened?" His voice was soothing and gentle, quietly coaxing me into telling the youkai my woes. I opened my mouth to answer and sobbed instead. Before I knew it, I was crying and telling him what had happened, clutching tightly to his warm frame the entire time. When I was done I laid down, resting my head in his lap. He ran his fingers through my hair, radiating comfort and concern, none of which reached me. I felt empty, depressed, and wanted to sleep but if I did that I'd probably wake up in reality and I didn't want to face anyone right now.
"I am honored that you said you would help protect the Western Lands, deeply honored." Taomaru said as he petted my hair. "And I am extremely sorry that you endured such a horrible ordeal."
"But?" I scrubbed at my eyes, wiping the tears away. I still wore my shredded overalls and crumpled t-shirt. I looked woefully underdressed as I lay on Taomaru's lap, creasing his blue and gold dress robe.
"But, perhaps it would be best if you went home for a while, until the war is over. Sesshomaru was correct in that you should rest before tackling any other problems, be they physical or emotional." When he said 'physical,' he put his hand over the boot imprint. The ache I had been ignoring eased and faded. When he said 'emotional,' he touched the area over my heart, which was an empty place right now; that feeling did not fade as the other injury had.
I turned until I lay on my back, looking up at him. "I can't." And I watched his eyes change from orange bronze to pale gray. "As much as I don't like them right now, I can't abandon them to a fight against a threat so dangerous." I rolled my head and looked out at the immaculate room. "I'm angry but not cruel."
"Even though you have every right to be." The wolf youkai murmured and began inspecting the bandages on my arms. I let him poke and prod me- hell, everyone else had, what was one more time- without complaint. His hands felt warm and any hurt in his path eased away.
I sighed, content. "Taomaru, where exactly are you? I mean, where are you sleeping?"
"I actually was sealed many centuries ago." I was surprised he was answering me. "I sleep under a castle, Sesshomaru's actually." And I could hear him smile and I looked up at him.
"You mean, you're right under Sesshomaru's nose, hidden somewhere in his castle." I laughed. "That's funny. Why were you sealed?" Hmm… This story sounded familiar…
"There is actually a dark side to the power of the Dog clans. Other clan leaders oversee all with in their kingdom; they are the absolute authority. That is not the case with our clan. Many, many centuries ago the Dog clan of the Western Lands acquired a reputation for being weak- and we were in a way. We were disorganized, small in number with crappy leadership." Taomaru looked disgusted with his ancestors. He shook his head and motioned for me to get off his lap. I complied, watching as he lay down on the bed beside me. He lay on his back and pointed at the ceiling. I followed suit and looked where he pointed.
The lights in the room dimmed, the ceiling darkening. Little pin pricks of light appeared, and I realized that it was imitating the night sky. I grinned at Taomaru and he grinned back. "I always enjoyed a story with a visual." He laughed and when he opened his eyes they were pure green. "Anyway," he began again and the ceiling began to flow until it pictured a scene that changed with his words. It displayed the story like a movie and it was better than any movie I had ever seen.
"The Dog Clan fought long and hard against enemies and allies when the latter turned against the Clan. In one massive battle, they attacked at once, swamping our forces and easily slaughtering anything in their path. It seemed all was lost and the Dog Clan would die that day when the land began to shake. It was an earthquake with a mind of its own; the earth cracked and disappeared beneath the enemy forces, leaving ours alone. Trees sprang to life and beat the enemy soldiers. Avalanches demolished their troops, their encampments- everything- while our forces were left untouched.
"The Dog Clan escaped death due to one person, the daughter of the king. Her power guided nature and forced it to defend us. It was awesome to say the least. After that, the Western Lands prospered and new alliances were formed. Breeding became extremely important; successors had to be stronger, faster, and more intelligent. Mates were carefully selected from that day forward. And for many years everyone was happy. They were, at least until my father took the throne."
Taomaru paused and the picture on the ceiling formed the image of a man, a youkai in humanoid form. The guy did not look friendly; he had an arrogant lift to his head, a scowl that he must have been born with gracing his lips. His eyes were narrowed beneath upswept brows, three stripes across each cheek and white hair flowing over his shoulders. His body looked heavily muscled even with his cloths blocking the flesh from view. The youkai must have had the personality of a pissed off pit bull, and since he was a dog youkai, I probably wasn't far off. "That's your father?" I asked Taomaru incredulously.
"Was, yes." He replied with mild amusement. "Don't let his looks fool you though- he had a gentle streak a mile wide and the intelligence of a pigeon." I burst out laughing. "Seriously though, no one could understand how he could turn out how he did when his parents were so smart! I think that if he didn't look so fearsome, he would have been dethroned! Since it was peacetime, it didn't really matter much… until he had to choose a mate." Taomaru shook his head again. "Here's where everything went to hell."
On either side of the image of Taomaru's father, two portraits appeared. Each was of a woman, each as different as night and day. Both women were youkai- I could see the tails wrapped around their feet. One woman had short dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, her tail the same color. Her hair was pinned with matching pink flower barrettes. She was dressed in a white, pink, and red Kimono, the colors blending into each other flawlessly in that order. A pale blue obi was tied around her waist, completing the outfit.
I liked the woman as soon as I saw her face- she looked as if she was trying mot to smile, a poor imitation of being serious. Her eyes were bright but each one had hints of other colors; they weren't just blue, they had hints of green and purple. They were vibrant and kind. On her forehead was a teardrop mark and each cheek had one stripe on it. Instead of her hands resting meekly in front of her, she had them on her hips, as if saying 'This is how I am, take it or leave it.' If I had only had a second to see her I would have known immediately that this woman was Taomaru's mother. "Can I take her at face value?" I asked and Taomaru nodded, smiling happily.
The other woman was smaller, with pale, pale, blond hair done up in a complicated style that involved a lot of loops. She smiled but it looked wrong on her face somehow, as if her lips weren't used to the form; maybe she only rarely smiled. Her eyes were kind but had a calculating look in them, as if she were quietly looking for your weakness and was already making a plan to exploit it. She had two stripes on each cheek. This woman was dressed in a jade green kimono with gold piping and leaf designs. Her hands were folded in front of her, her attitude deceptively submissive. "That woman was trouble, I bet." I commented and out of the corner of my eye I saw the wolf dog nod.
"What the pictures don't show is what kind of youkai they were. If you look close you can probably see the differences in breeds but you have to know what you're looking for. The dark haired one is my mother and she is a full blooded wolf youkai. The blond woman is my brother's mother and a full blooded dog demon."
"So you're a half breed. Spiffy." And I heard him laugh.
"My father somehow managed to get roped into two engagements when the new alliances were made. To insure that they would not turn against us, the other clans' blood was mixed with ours- family does not turn against family. It is one of our strictest taboos, one of only a few, so it was sacred. Well, to have the alliance, he had to marry both women in order to keep his hold over his Kingdom and unite it."
"That couldn't have gone over well." I said. Considering that tradition played a much larger part in life way back then, this situation had to really drive all involved up a wall.
"It didn't,but everyone finally had to shut up and take it- he could marry them both but they had to be equal; he could not pick a favorite and discard the other. So, all three were married and got along. To his credit, Father balanced both women very well; both could be exceptionally domineering when they wanted to be. Both woman were respected and were fierce warriors and strategists. They used their power and abilities to further my father's power and protect the kingdom. It surprised everyone when both women announced they were pregnant- mostly because youkai women don't go into season around each other. That and they weren't trying to kill the others child."
"It's wonderful that they didn't try to kill each other; that they got along." I murmured and rubbed at my eyes. A weariness had snuck up on me and it was very annoying. I yawned, failing miserably at hiding it. Taomaru looked at me, surprise evident on his face.
"I must be losing my touch," he said. "I used to be a great story teller." He blinked, the green draining from his eyes and orange replacing it. He propped himself up on one elbow, looking at me in concern. "Lady Kagome, are you all right?" He touched my forehead then caressed my face. He frowned and moved closer.
I gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I don't know why but I'm suddenly really tired." I blinked and it was hard to open my eyes after. "She isn't back is she?" I knew he'd figure out who she was without an explanation. Taomaru shook his head no. I rolled on my side toward him and winced, immediately regretting the action. I lay back down and tried not to move.
"Where did Inu Yasha ram you?" The wolf-dog demanded and I indicated the appropriate area. I told him the other side had hit a wall. "I'm such a dunce!" Taomaru muttered and began poking and prodding my side gently. Even though he was being tender, he still made me wince and grimace. "I think you got your lungs and kidneys compressed- I've possibly found a fracture among your ribs. Any or all of those could be making you bleed internally. Combined with the damage from your fight, I can guarantee something has been ruptured." He said when he was through. "And none of your moving about, etc. has helped the injuries you got from your fight." I heard him pause and realized I'd closed my eyes. "Kagome?"
"Would explain why I'm coughing blood." I sighed and coughed, studying the red liquid on my hand. "S'funny," I babbled and looked at him, smiling slightly. "After we got used to each other and began our quest, I always though Inu Yasha would protect me while I was in the Warring States. We got really close, even with Kikyo wandering around. I saw them kiss once, when I popped up out of the well early." And here I laughed, because right now, it was funny. It really was. I closed my eyes, absently wiping away the blood by my lips.
"Shh, Kagome." Taomaru said as he lifted me up and carried me off to where ever.
But now that I had started, I couldn't shut up- I simply had to share this joke, this wonderful joke that my life and decisions had become. "I caught them kissing after he had said he'd protect me, that he enjoyed my company. I forgave him and came back. It took me a week, but I came back to him and accepted him- his duty to Kikyo and all." I sighed, lying limply against Taomaru as he moved. "And now, in a fit of rage over nothing, my overbearing protector will be the one who kills me. I find that very, very funny."
"And sad." Taomaru added as we walked through another doorway.
"Very." I agreed. My eyes fluttered and the ceiling that I was looking up at blurred. My vision became spotty and then dimmed. Hell, I thought foggily as my eyes closed. I should never have gotten over being sick.
Sesshomaru watched the girl on the cot struggle to breath. His angry eyes flicked to his brother, who sat at Kagome's side, the hanyou's eyes never leaving her face. In one fell swoop, Inu Yasha had quite possibly killed any hope for saving the Western Lands. Sesshomaru had originally thought that the hanyou would be the one to help him. But after finding Kagome, Sesshomaru knew he was wrong. It was true that Inu Yasha was a dangerous opponent but it was all physical- what Sesshomaru needed was magical strength.
The thought to ask Kagome was born after news that the Dark Army was at the border had reached Sesshomaru, almost two weeks ago. He had been planning strategies in bed, completely comfortable and nude beneath his covers, over looking maps and making notes as well as making mental lists of supplies and soldiers. Shortly after he began, the youkai had fallen asleep -something highly unusual for him- and dreamed that he was with Kagome and his brother and a wolf-dog youkai that was familiar somehow. When Sesshomaru had seen Kagome's full power in action in the dream, flaring out and destroying the dream eater, he had seen the answer to his problems.
And now she was dying. Sesshomaru seethed, feeling his eyes change color. He rose, walked over and grabbed Inu Yasha by his shirt. Sesshomaru snarled. "I do hope you are satisfied, little brother. You have killed your mate and are taking us all with her!"
"Why do you keep saying they are mates?" Shippo demanded.
"Still saying that trash?" Inu Yasha asked. In disgust, Sesshomaru tossed his brother to the ground and turned on the little fox youkai.
"Whether the idiot admits it or not, he has bound the girl to him- to our family. She can draw on power from Inu Yasha and now me, Sesshomaru, when she gets into trouble. All three of us are linked because the mongrel did a half assed job of the ceremony!" Sesshomaru roared.
"There's no proof!" Miroku stated angrily.
Sesshomaru touched the juncture between his shoulder and neck. "Kagome bears a mark in this area; it's the dog clan mark for their mates. Inu Yasha also shared blood with her. If the ceremony had been done properly and directed, he and the girl would be able to share power through their link. But the ceremony was not defined and because Kagome bit me and tasted my blood she and I are linked as well!"
"An unspecified link enables her to draw power from you both?" Sango asked.
The youkai sighed at his unfavorable luck to be surrounded by idiots. "In the Dog Clans, each member marks their mate with a specialty mark- a variated pattern that states who the mate belongs too. Neither Inu Yasha nor I have claimed mates and the only ones who could truly explain it are dead so there is no one else to ask." The youkai dipped the end of his tail in the fire ashes, dusting them in a small area across the floor. Still using his tail because he refused to kneel before these simpletons, Sesshomaru grabbed a long thin piece of unused firewood and began scratching out a pattern of lines in the ashes. When he was done he pointed at it. "That is the mark of the Dog Clan, our family. It is also the mark on Kagome's skin. If Inu Yasha had done it properly, a second mark would be next to it or joined to it. Like this." Sesshomaru traced his personal mark in the ashes, connecting the two by a well placed line. "When I choose my mate, she will bare that mark somewhere on her body. With the mark, general or specific, one can claim to be related or joined to our clan."
"So Kagome has been marked with this one," Shippo pointed at the family pattern. "But because it's general and unspecified, someone could think that she belongs to either you or Inu Yasha? Wow, you must be pissed."
"You're lying. I bit Kagome while she slept that's all. There's no pattern and she and I haven't shared blood." Inu Yasha growled, looking at the others for support. His confidence faltered however when he saw the looks on their faces. "You gotta be kidding."
"When we visited, you two were asleep and had your hands tied together." Sango said and Miroku nodded. Shippo joined them looking more and more upset.
"How do you know all this, Sesshomaru?" Kaede asked from her seat on the floor.
"I saw both when Inu Yasha had his hands up the girl's shirt." Sesshomaru stated flatly, ignoring the stuttering hanyou. The humans stared at the youkai then glared at the hanyou. It looked like violence would erupt until Sesshomaru got a kick in the head from his small conscience. The youkai cleared his throat, waited for silence and then began to tell them about the Dream Eater youkai. He did leave out some parts- like changing into a clinging child for one and guarding Kagome for another- but didn't swerve to far from the truth. With their jaws hanging in the wind, Sesshomaru began to tell them of the Dark Army that now threatened the Western Lands and his need of Kagome's and Inu Yasha's aid.
"Only someone with Kagome's talent and capacity can force the land to obey and protect the kingdom. With Kagome now dead, I must return to my castle and notify all the lords of the region." Sesshomaru's blank mask slipped away and everyone saw just how worried and angry the youkai was. "The Dark Army has already conquered the southern kingdom and that country's military was better. It is doubtful that we will win." And his expressionless mask slammed back into place as if it had never left.
"Kagome's not dead!" Inu Yasha said fiercely. "She's a fighter and she'll win!"
"And what will be her prize, little brother?" Sesshomaru lifted an elegant eyebrow. "Her friends turned on her and her mate attacked her. She is as good as dead and has no reason to come back." Inu Yasha, glared at his elder brother, hating that everything the youkai said was true. "You threw her away once too often Inu Yasha, even when she bared her soul to you. As you stand there hating me do something constructive and think about this: You two have been linked for over a week and have not been able to bond properly- that is your fault. Kagome forged a link with me not four hours ago and she has been able to link with me completely, someone she despises. Why do you think that is, Inu Yasha?"