{The Path to the Heart}
{chapter 1 - as the path is begun}
Inuyasha stretched as he rose from his futon, wondering momentarily where Kagome had gone to. Somehow, he knew instantly that he was in the still-ruined garden, and that she was upset. He frowned slightly, then remembered the two days spent together after the ceremony. Well, most of the time had been spent being the typical sappy newlywed couple - cuddling and such.
There were few moments spent apart, and during those few, Inuyasha had felt a sense of knowing Kagome; where she was and how she felt at the moment. At the time, though, he had been blinded by his own happiness, and hadn't bother to wonder about the strange ceremony. But, hell, now he knew where she was and that she was unhappy. So now he could go and play white knight and save her. Heh. That was a pretty good idea, actually. A month ago, he could have comfortably stated that such "help" would have ended in the futon, no more words exchanged, but it was different. Now he simply held her. Inuyasha figured that after the little ordeal with Kouga, she'd had more than her fair share of being pawed over. Not that he would hurt or push her like that bastard did, but still. Kagome was well overdue for some simple TLC, no sex included, and her samurai in shining fire mouse fur was going to get her.
He found her like he knew he would, sitting dejectedly on the ground, watching the sakura petals flutter to the ground, a near-tears expression on her face.
"Kagome? What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked softly, sitting next to her and wrapping his arm around her slender form. Kagome sighed, then buried her face in his chest, clutching his shoulders.
"Nothing's wrong," she mumbled into the red fabric, wrapping her arms around him further.
"Don't lie," he ordered firmly. "I can tell. You're not happy."
"I'm fine." Kagome insisted.
"Don't you trust me?" Inuyasha whispered, hurt slightly by her unresponsiveness.
"Of course!" Kagome pulled her head from his chest quickly, her eyes tearing up. Shit, Inuyasha cursed inwardly. Smooth move, genius.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Inuyasha yelped hastily, panicking slightly.
Kagome giggled a softly, then reached up to stroke his ears gently. "I know...I'm just a bit lonely right now. I don't know why..."
Now that was a blatant lie, and both of them knew it. She might have been lonely, but she knew exactly why, she simply didn't want to tell him. It hurt, and was amusing at the same time; knowing something she didn't want him to. Hn... her hands felt good up there, massaging his ears so gently...she was the only person, his mother included who could touch his ears, much less rub them like she was, without pissing off to the point where he was more than a little dangerous. He grunted. "So what do you want me to do about it?" Inuyasha grunted out, his thoughts wandering slightly to her gentle hands - oo, that felt good...Wait, right, get your thoughts back on track, stupid... But her hands really did know what to do to make him turn into putty.
"Nothing, really," she answered, moving to play with his hair. He snorted.
"Yeah, and I'm a snake youkai named Bakamono." Another giggle. "Spill it, koishii," he murmured, his clawed hands stroking her back.
Kagome sighed. "Don't feel like talking," she muttered, snuggling deeper into his arms.
Inuyasha gave a low chuckle. "And what would you like to do instead?" he asked, amused.
"Guess," Kagome said slyly.
"I'm sure I will." Inuyasha smirked, lifting Kagome into his arms and carrying her to their room.
"Ridiculous!" Tsuraiuta growled. "That is so stupid I can't even believe you're considering it, houshi-sama!"
"But I am, Tsuraiuta, and that's the point. If the Shikon no Tama really has been split, then there's going to be trouble, and I'll need to be there. No matter what. I'll take Sango with me."
"But you could be hurt or killed!"
"Of course. But the Shikon no Tama needs to be collected and purified, and if I can get my hands on a decent ammount of shards, perhaps I can cure myself of the Air Rip curse."
Tsuraiuta's expression changed. "I can go with you, if you need...I mean, I'm a youkai. You could use my speed. Face it, if the Air Rip were ever disabled somehow, you'd be okay in a battle most of the time - but say you run into some of the taiyoukai's Generals or Prophets? Or, worse, a Dancer!? Only a youkai can handle them; even your Air Rip would not be strong enough to overcome a Dancer's magic, or even a Prophet's. You need somebody who can cast spells. Namely, an experienced youkai."
"But what of Shuuraishi's palace? You have an obligation, and in any case, you're a slave."
"Not really. I chose to remain here freely; I can leave if I wish. As for the Nishi Oukyuu staying orderly, we can leave that to either Kagome or Shirobou-sama."
"All right, if you insist. But what's to say that you can defeat a Dancer in combat?"
"I don't know, but I'll be better off than you." Tsuraiuta shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Miroku-sama, fooling around with the Shikon no Tama, but I'm here to help you."
"And I thank you for that. We'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow." Miroku smiled to himself.
"Oyasumi nasai, then, Miroku-sama." Tsuraiuta bowed, out of habit, and left the room - which Sango then entered.
"Since when did I agree to go out looking for shards of the Shikon no Tama with you?" Sango asked angrily.
Miroku turned to face her, his expression triumphant. "Haven't you forgotten? I own you, Sango. I've been nice to you since I bought you, but remember, you're my slave, and will remain so until I choose to set you free."
Sango's mouth dropped open. "I hate you," she hissed savagely.
"No you don't." Miroku said calmly.
"You own my body, you perverted idiot of a priest. Not my soul, or my feelings. You can tell me how to act, but you can't to tell me what I think of you." She spun, beginning to storm out of the room.
"You can't leave, Sango," Miroku said quietly. "I didn't say you could."
"I'll do whatever I want."
"No you won't. And you will sleep with me tonight."
"Like hell."
"You will, if I have to drag you."
"I will not be sleeping with you, unless you want to die in the middle of the night."
"You will." Miroku insisted. "And I believe I can take care of myself."
Sango spat. "You better hope you can."
Shirobou traced a pattern of blood in the bowl, watching the deep red liquid mix with the stark white of the magical poweder.
"Is it working?" Shuuraishi asked, peering over his mate's shoulder. "Do you need more blood?"
"No, dear, I have plenty. I'm going too need some more riwatsu soon, though. Could you send a messenger to one of the hanyou dealers on the Eastern lands for me tomorrow?"
"All right. But is the spell catching?"
"I'm not sure. I'm getting far too many signals to be sure which ones are the kugutsu, and which one is the real enemy."
"So he knows the kugutsu spell?"
"I suppose so." Shirobou sighed. "Look, I'm not sure if you need both human and youkai blood, or just youkai, so I'm not sure if this will even work. The paper it was written on was old and difficult to read, though I had a lot of help."
"That's all right. We'll deal with the problem when it comes."
"Which may be sooner that we thought," Shirobou said softly, her eyes becoming distant.
"I hope not..."
And here we are, at the end of another chapter 1. Ah, isn't life great?
Anyshit, I'm feeling tired right now, and I've gotta get up early tomorrow and bake Christmas cookies. Oh the joy.
If you don't review, I urge you to email me; I've got a new addy up on my bio page.
As always, input is welcomed gladly. Merry Xmas, minna-san, and to prove without an inch of doubt that I am a Catholic, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. And one more thing, this chapter is dedicated to my beloved little sister Cathy, who deals with me 24/7, no matter what. I love you, imotou.
-Katra Winner