I own Tao, Momiji, and whatever other original characters I introduce into this madhouse- everyone else belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 12: Forgiveness
"Momiji!" I gasped. "You scared me!" I looked over the woman who I had seen moments before in my dreams. She looked the same, her once beautiful kimono splattered with spots of blood, torn and tattered. The woman herself wasn't the worst for wear- if it hadn't been for her clothes, I would never have guessed she had been fighting a loosing war with the Dark Army centuries before. Yup; change her clothes and she would be the ideal image of a queen. If the woman hadn't tried to kill me almost two weeks ago, I'd have stepped aside and let her take my place in this adventure.
"Many apologies, my lady." She ducked her head and I wondered where the hell the fierce warrior woman I had just been talking too had gone. She was vibrating with fear and it only made the room colder. I pulled the blanket tight and touched her hand on my shoulder, only to have it go through her hand. I groaned- I hated dealing with ghosts. I heard a scuffle outside the door and turned to pull the door open and see what was going on. Momiji grabbed my hair, a small tug that got my attention and I looked at her, annoyed.
"Please don't go out there!" She pleaded. "The princes are fighting. We can protect you, just as we did Sesshomaru when he was younger." This conversation was moving way too fast for me.
"Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha are fighting?" I wanted to scream! I couldn't leave any body alone because they kept trying to kill one another! If things were as bad as I thought, I may take up Momiji's offer for protection. Wait. I blinked. "'Just like you protected Sesshomaru when he was younger.' Protect him how and from what?" Her tail twitched nervously.
"I am just one of many ghosts that haunt this castle. When we wish to help someone and work together, we can make rooms change position." Momiji looked tragic. "We protected Sesshomaru this way from his father." Ah; that didn't help much. I really needed to talk to Taomaru and Sesshomaru; find out what the hell was going on. I rubbed my forehead, hugged my strangely aching sides and went back to the door, tugging at the large handle. I looked back at Momiji but she had disappeared. I shrugged and, after a lot of tugging, pulled the door wide. At last the heavy door swung toward me and I could see into the hallway.
"Oh, my God."
Sesshomaru felt a chunk taken out of his side, ignoring the fire of pain from the wound. He grabbed the red eyed Inu Yasha by the throat and hurled him into a wall with enough force that the youkai could hear multiple bones snap and break. If Inu Yasha had been human, he would have died from the damage, suffering from the broken bones, not being able to breathe with two punctured lungs, and a brain hemorrhage. Sesshomaru should have been a pitcher on a baseball team.
The demon Inu Yasha hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thud, ignoring his injuries and standing again. He panted, not from exertion but from the anticipation of fighting again. There was hot blood on his claws, all over his body, the liquid soaking into his already red yukata and staining it further. The only thing that mattered was that he had some one to fight, to tear apart and coat the slick floor with more blood. The sweet scent permeated the hall, adding fuel to the blood lust burning in Inu Yasha's blood. His blood pounded in his ears, full of adrenaline and that sweet song that only full demons heard, the dark nature inside them all that was excited by violence and carnage. Inu Yasha bared his fangs at his brother feeling no remorse whatsoever. Sesshomaru was just another opponent, another threat to Kagome, just another kill that would be one of many if they threatened his mate.
The pale youkai looked at his brother and stood himself, wishing that he had brought his swords with him. How had Kagome changed Inu Yasha back before? Sesshomaru wondered and tried to gain the information through the link they shared. He did not have time to find the answer, however, because Inu Yasha had recovered and was attacking again. There was nothing to be done about it; Sesshomaru would just have to kill the hanyou and deal with the aftermath. With the decision made, Sesshomaru faced Inu Yasha just as the latter lunged, claws out. With a quick kick to the hanyou's ribs, the attack was deflected enough that Sesshomaru moved out of Inu Yasha's way. As his brother passed by, Sesshomaru slashed his side and added momentum to the flying hanyou. At that moment, the door to Sesshomaru's den opened a bit and Kagome could be seen, her eyes and mouth wide in horror as she saw the scene. "Oh, my God." She said, horrified.
The girl was not stupid, something that Sesshomaru had worried about at times, and she ducked as the hanyou sailed over her head. A large thud could be heard, followed immediately by an angry growl, from the depths of Sesshomaru's room. "Inu Yasha!" Kagome cried and followed after him. Sesshomaru nearly slapped his head in disbelief. Honestly; what idiot follows an enraged demon into a dark room? Sesshomaru wondered darkly and hurried after her. As the youkai proceeded, he felt a bit hurt that she hadn't gushed over his injuries as she had his brother's. He quickly pushed it aside, mystified that he wasn't leaving her to the fate she had earned. Stupid girl! He raged as he crossed into his den and heard a small voice inside himself echo with a slightly different phrase. Stupid Sesshomaru! The pale prince knew that the voice wasn't Kagome's or anyone else's- the voice was his own and it made him grit his teeth that he couldn't silence it.
Foot steps sounded behind him and noise came from in front. Sesshomaru snarled to himself in frustration and moved to one side, pausing to keep both areas in sight. The monk and exterminator slid to a stop, skidding on the blood covered floor. Sango grabbed Tetsusaiga from the floor and both she and Miroku warily stepped into the room as well. Sesshomaru sneered at them; they posed no threat to one such as him, couldn't hurt him without the hanyou distracting him. He heard Kagome and whipped his head toward her. He picked up Tenseiga as he passed by his swords and armor, venturing silently into the room. His wounds gave him no problem as he moved, his now shorted tail flicking the air behind him. He heard Inu Yasha growl quietly followed by Kagome squeaking, and then giggling.
Giggling? What in all the hells? Sesshomaru made a gesture and all the lights in the room brightened, shedding ample light for all to see. His frown deepened when he finally saw who he was looking for. At least he didn't land on the bed. Sesshomaru thought absently, his eyes on Inu Yasha as the hanyou proceeded to suck on Kagome's earlobe. The girl was squirming and trying to get him off, her lips tightly shut as she tried to stop giggling. She failed and giggled uncontrollably as Inu Yasha kissed down her neck, his arms securely around her waist and keeping her in his lap. The blood that had coated Inu Yasha- Sesshomaru's- was now over Kagome and even as she giggled at the attention she still looked slightly disgusted.
"Inu Yasha, no. No, stop!" Kagome said, pushing at his head. "I want to get up now." He held her tighter. "Your getting blood all over me!" she said, a note of whining entering her voice. "Please, Inu Yasha? Pretty please?" Kagome asked softly, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper, her hand fondling his furry ears. Sesshomaru let his sword hand fall to his side, wishing that he had picked up Toukijin instead. Watching the couple and listening to Kagome made him want to stab out his eardrums- more so when Inu Yasha began purring.
Sesshomaru growled, annoyed, and Inu Yasha spared him a glance before continuing to inch his way down Kagome's shirt, the girl protesting all the while. Kagome glared at Sesshomaru and sent him a mental command to shut the hell up. Beside the youkai, Sango and Miroku stood, the monk crouching on the ground with Tetsusaiga firmly in his hand. Ignoring the blush to Sango's cheeks, the exterminator was still ready for battle, her sharp eyes on Kagome, not Inu Yasha. Miroku was also watching Kagome, waiting for some signal Sesshomaru could not guess. He frowned, looking from the two humans to Kagome and Inu Yasha.
Kagome gasped as the hanyou's hands slipped under the hem of her nightgown. Anger flashed over her face, but she turned her upper body toward him for attention. Inu Yasha purred louder and kissed his way to the valley between her breasts as Kagome flushed as red as a tomato. As soon as his head was hidden and his hands busy, Kagome gestured to Miroku to give her the sword. The monk obeyed, sliding the sheathed blade over the smooth floor. The handle bumped against Kagome's leg and she picked it up, forcing it into Inu Yasha's hands. Sesshomaru watched Inu Yasha start then slump into Kagome's arms, Tetsusaiga still in his hands.
Kagome sighed loudly, letting herself fall on the floor, Inu Yasha coming with her. Sesshomaru took an alarmed step forward, ready to throw Inu Yasha off her. "God!" Kagome said, looking at the three in the door way. "That was too close. What set him off this time?" She lifted her head, looking over the hanyou's shoulder. She looked at Sesshomaru and motioned him over while she frowned and wiggled out from under her unconscious companion. She stood and stretched, unharmed and fine. Her wiggling had awakened the hanyou and Inu Yasha sat up, blinking sleepily. Disgusted with the whole scene but mostly with himself Sesshomaru sneered at her and walked off to his bathroom to clean up.
"Get out of my room!" He snarled and disappeared into his bath room.
I sighed irritably and shrugged at Sango and Miroku. Inu Yasha climbed to his feet, looking around the room, at me and the blood on my body, and then looked that the red hallway. "I changed, didn't I?" he asked quietly, looking at the floor. I walked closer and rubbed his back soothingly.
"Yah." I said. "But everyone seems to be okay." Inu Yasha jumped at my touch but stayed close. I could sense he was battling with himself but I kept my shields up because it would have been rude to eavesdrop. Finally he came to a decision.
"Kagome," He began unsure but hurried on to complete his thought. "I'm sorry about what happened, about everything. The thought of you with someone else drove me crazy and I know that's not fair but it's true." He looked up from the floor and looked at me with those beautiful golden eyes of his. He hugged me too him roughly, his face burrowing under my hair and resting against my neck. I was so surprised I gasped, unmoving in his arms.
"I love you!" Inu Yasha whispered fiercely, the moment ruined by a mental snort in my head from Sesshomaru in his bath. On this one, I was with the disgusted youkai; Inu Yasha had jerked me around like a yo-yo and every time I had come back to him, quietly taking the emotional abuse. Somewhere in my head, I had drawn a line, a mark where I would not cross to take anymore. I stood in Inu Yasha's loving arms, the place I had wanted to be for so long and felt… empty. No emotion came out screaming for me to hug him back, to scream that I loved him too, or that I hated him after what had happened a little while ago. I waited, detached, and still felt nothing for him after several minutes.
"Kagome?" the hanyou asked, pulling back to look me in the face. He shook me lightly when I still didn't respond. "Kagome, answer me."
I felt bad as I spoke, him having laid his heart on his sleeve and all, but I had to be honest with him. "Inu Yasha, I can't answer you right now. I forgive you-all-" I looked at Sango and Miroku and gave them a bright smile which they warily returned. "For what happened and want to put it behind us. There is a war ridding down on the Western Lands that will run us over if we don't prepare for it. Relationships will have to wait."
Inu Yasha stared at me, his mouth moving for several seconds before he actually formed words. "Kagome…" He had a pleading look in his eyes and now I did feel like I owed him something. I gave him a pathetic smile and hugged him gently; this time he was the stiff one. I let myself just be- no emotional conflicts, no worries, just being in that moment and feeling his warm body against mine. After a moment, he hugged me back, doing the same thing I was doing. We win the war first, and then we'll continue discussing this, okay? I asked mentally.
Okay. He agreed. Can I still touch you? It was a strange question but appropriate after what had happened and all before we came to Sesshomaru's castle. I thought about it then answered.
Yes, I said. You can touch me like this but if you push it, or show me violence in any way, I will sit you so hard you will never get up again. I said meaning every word and making sure he knew I meant what I was telling him. If he attacked me, scratched me or bit me, I would sit him within an inch of his life and make sure he didn't get up anytime soon even after the spell ended. His arms tightened around me, picking me up briefly before setting me back on the ground. Inu Yasha understood his boundaries now and would hold to them like a gentleman.
We separated and spared each other a sad smile. A thought occurred to me and I looked at him seriously. "You are going to have to chill out while we are here. There have been, and undoubtedly will be more, times when I will have to exert some authority. Most of them will be scare tactics like the one with the bear; it wasn't really a youkai being blown apart, it just looked like it. As icy as Sesshomaru is-" again I heard an angry mental snort from the pale youkai. "He does have that point right: if we scare them enough, threats to us and any one else will back down- we just have to prove we're badder than they are."
The hanyou nodded and the monk and exterminator looked thoughtful. They too nodded and both came over, giving me a hug each. I returned the gesture happily; I was being honest when I said I wanted to put the past behind us and work together again. The two excused themselves, saying that they had better check on things upstairs before we were all hunted down. I grinned and walked them out, Inu Yasha right beside me. I closed the doors to Sesshomaru's den behind us and watched Sango and Miroku turn the corner, walking out of sight. When they were gone, I led Inu Yasha back to the room I had been in earlier, pushing him into the bathroom and ordering him not to emerge until he was blood stain free. He balked, clearly unhappy with the command but I fondled his ears from behind, walking forward and pushing him with my body into the room.
I set out shampoo, conditioner, and soap and told him he had to use all three before he could come out. I left, waiting until I heard him slip into the water, then raced inside and stole his clothes while he yelled at me to bring them back. I grinned and took the bloody clothing with me as I left the room completely, my bathing supplies piled on top of his yukata. In my head, Inu Yasha still grumbled unhappily but continued with his bath, unwilling to admit that the warm water felt so good against his skin. I sent him a mental reminder about the things I had left out; he grumbled some more but picked up the soap and began scrubbing. I put up a shield to give him privacy and headed back to Sesshomaru's den- I wanted to check on him before I joined everyone upstairs.
I went back up the hallway, did the tiptoe-through-the-blood dance and made it to the doorway with no blood on my feet. I'm so talented. I thought as I shut the giant doors behind me-getting in and out of here was becoming easier all the time- and left Inu Yasha's clothing near them. As quiet as I could I crossed the room and tiptoed into the bathroom.
The bathroom was large, larger than the one in the room I had vacated. There were two pools in this one and a separate clean up area –like a half bath, I guess. The place was decorated with plants, their pots well hidden behind tile and brick flower beds. The plants screened parts of the bathing pools from each other, adding that element of privacy that would, in this case, prevent a fight and unnecessary embarrassment. Sesshomaru was lounging in the hot water, his back to me. I couldn't see what he was doing, if anything, but I wasn't worried- I'd spare him his modesty and look at the ceiling. I kneeled behind him and he didn't react, too absorbed in his own thoughts. In fact, I don't think he knew I was there at all; there was a faint scent of something clean in the steaming air that had to be masking me from his nose. It was puzzling as he sat there and continued to act as if I didn't exist- I mean, this was Sesshomaru; he should have heard me coming a mile away or at least sensed me long before now. I set my bathing supplies quietly on the floor and peered around his body to look at his face. I managed to stifle a gasp when I finally saw him but it took more effort than was pretty.
He was asleep, at last pausing enough to relax from his hectic day. He looked so innocent, so peaceful, so freaking different from when he was awake that thinking this was the same man was difficult. My eyes strayed lower and now I could see the damage he had taken when Inu Yasha, Sango and Miroku had all attacked him when they thought he had raped me- nope, that little bit of info had not escaped me when I was in Inu Yasha's head. Sesshomaru's side had been slashed open- enough so that I could see an internal organ that I had no desire to identify. His shoulder had been ripped to pieces, jagged red lines marking where claws and teeth had torn into him. He had deep parallel lines running down his well defined abdominal muscles; Inu Yasha must have made a lucky swipe. I didn't want to look any lower than that but my eyes strayed down before I could stop them- looking for wounds, honest. I blushed when I saw how endowed he was, traced his long legs and then I saw his shortened tail. I winced visibly because I was sure that that injury had had to hurt the most. An animal's tail was, after all, an extension of their spinal cord, complete with all the nerves that implied; in a youkai it was probably the same way.
I dipped my hands in the hot spring, my eyes firmly on Sesshomaru's face. He didn't wake or stir when I pulled them out and touched his undamaged shoulder. I sat back, changing to sitting with my legs folded and crossed in front of me, and picked up the extra bar of soap I had brought with me. I wet it, soaped up my hands, and hesitantly set about washing Sesshomaru's shoulders. The muscles in his damaged shoulder were spasming madly under the skin. I watched them jump and twitch, realizing that they weren't reacting to my touch but to the healing process taking place out of sight. Sesshomaru's youkai healing powers were awake and doing their job but were doing it so fast the surrounding tissue couldn't keep up. I massaged the flesh gently, but firmly, and the muscles under my fingers calmed down. I continued to massage his skin, both damaged and undamaged alike, as I continued to wash him.
When I had finished with the exposed skin- I was not going any further- I turned to his hair. I scanned my supplies and found the travel sized container of shampoo and conditioner. Looking at the long strands, I doubted that either bottle would go as far as it was needed. Oh well; too late to go get more now. I shrugged to myself and began carefully pulling Sesshomaru's hair out from between his back and the wall of the hot spring. With a free hand I pulled up my nightgown enough to expose my legs. I slide one leg on either side of Sesshomaru, far enough away so my skin didn't bump his, and went back to pulling out his hair. I used hair clips to pin up the damp mass I did get free, holding my breath each time I did so because I was afraid the teeth of the clip would dig into his scalp and wake him. As I got closer to his back, to his skin, Sesshomaru grunted unhappily.
He shifted and I waited for him to resettle himself. I frowned and stopped blocking myself from him as much. I didn't interrupt his dream or intrude upon it. Instead I listened more to what his body was telling me. I could feel his injuries distantly; feel that he felt better with me touching him. I frowned, rolling my shoulders because they had begun to hurt. I stopped freeing Sesshomaru's long hair and instead began moving it until I could see his back clearly. There, right across one shoulder and diagonally downward to the opposite hip was a deep gash where I guess Sango must have used her boomerang against him. I winced, looking at the rawness of it.
It was amazing the amount of damage Sesshomaru had taken, not because he couldn't defend against it, but just to avoid having to kill Inu Yasha or seriously wounding Sango or Miroku. It was why he had thrown the latter two down the hall rather than attack them straight out. It was bizarre, in all honesty, that Sesshomaru had allowed them to get that close at all; it would have been much easier to kill them all and bury the bodies later than to put up with their antics. It was a merciless way of dealing with things, but then, Sesshomaru was merciless- or at least I thought he had been. Now, I was just plain confused by his new behavior.
Getting back to the situation at hand, I wondered if I could get Sesshomaru to turn at all. Just as I was thinking it, Sesshomaru shifted again, this time sinking lower in the water and resting his head on my thigh. I suppressed the urge to squeak in surprise and concentrated on what I was doing. I took out all the hair clips, setting them aside as I wet his hair as gently as I could. When the warm mass was wet enough I picked up the shampoo bottle and began washing his hair. Sesshomaru sighed – hopefully in contentment- and rubbed his cheek against my leg, purring quietly. The sound vibrated up my leg and made my scalp prickle as I worked. I ignored him as best possible and continued, pulling his hair away from those delicately pointed ears of his and away from his eyes; I doubted he would enjoy having soap in either area. I finished and began the arduous task of rinsing all the soap out.
I sighed, loosing myself in the mindless task, starring at the ceiling. My neck got a crick in it and I closed my eyes, rotating my neck to ease the pain. I yawned a little too loudly and immediately regretted it, glancing down at Sesshomaru guiltily. He had stopped purring but remained passive as my hands worked. Most of the soap was gone but I still had to rinse off his head and the only way to do that was to either dunk him under the water or dump water on top of him. I rinsed off my hands and wondered how to proceed; I didn't want to wake Sesshomaru yet- if he didn't move on his own, I'd have to wake him to free my leg. I scratched my cheek absently and it pulled away with red flakes.
I looked at my hand, disgusted that I had forgotten about how dirty I was and touched my blood smeared body. "Ugh, gross." I muttered, looking around the room for a wash cloth or something to clean my hand on or in. I didn't want to use the same water Sesshomaru was bathing in and sure as hell didn't want to touch his hair again with my now red hand. I leaned back, trying to snag a towel or cloth behind me.
"Here." A soft voice whispered and I jumped as a wet cloth touched my hand. For a heart stopping moment I thought it was Sesshomaru, but then I saw Momiji's transparent image. I breathed again, sitting up and glaring at her.
"You have to stop sneaking up on me!" I whispered irritably. I used the washcloth and cleaned my hand, rubbing it against my cheek as well. I was going to need a bath after I was done here, there was no doubt about that; now all I had to do was finish Sesshomaru's hair. "Thank you." I said as an afterthought, watching her smile shyly.
"The hanyou has been given new robes and servants are taking care of the hallway." Momiji said, grimacing. She looked at Sesshomaru thoughtfully, kneeling on the damp floor without hesitation. A good thing about being dead, I guess, was that you never had to worry about your clothes getting dirty or wet. She smiled down at her descendent, touching him with a phantom hand. "He's so gentle inside and yet never shows it." She looked at me. "Except when you are around."
I shrugged, placing the cloth on the floor and started cupping water in my hands and dribbling it over Sesshomaru's head. What I needed was a cup or a bucket perhaps. Sesshomaru, can you dunk your head under for a moment? I nudged him mentally. It was worth a shot; after all, I wasn't ordering him to do anything, just asking him nicely. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, etc., etc. To my surprise, Sesshomaru took a deep breath and his head slid under the surface. After a few seconds of blinking, I scrubbed his hair under the water, getting all the soap out. I glanced over at Momiji and found that she had disappeared again. I couldn't use nails, but one day I was going to somehow pin her feet to the floor- did glue work on ghosts?
The youkai surfaced with his back to me, shaking his head and drenching me in the process. He blinked, turning around and looking at me puzzled. "What are you doing here Kagome?"
Notes:
Well, here's another chapter everyone and thank you for indulging my weirdness in reference to last chapter. The point of it all was to add a bit more depth to Kagome, Inu Yasha, Sesshomaru and Taomaru. As we all know, no person ever has one side; we all have many facets that we show to different people depending on how comfortable we feel with another individual. Most of this will pop up later so keep a look out on it and other clues.
Anyway! Moving back into the normal…if we can call it that… plot line, I'm betting that there are a few questions from people. I must warn you that it is important to keep things straight because otherwise you will be totally and utterly confused. For those of you who have written me and are cursing my name due to the slow response time, let me interrupt you and humbly apologize. Due to no phone line at home, I am having to constantly hunt for other computers with internet access to post. Once again, I am very, very sorry and please continue writing me- I will reply, I swear!
Hmm, so Kagome's gone and woken up Sesshou in the tub. Hm ::shakes her head and returns from her thoughts:: I know that it's very confusing as to who Kagome will end up with and, in truth, I'm not so sure anymore. Personally, I'm okay with any match up as long as there's ample evidence to support it- not just poof! Kagome and so-and-so are together. ::shrugs:; that's probably why this story swings back and forth so much, but hey, love is never a smooth road- if it was, I don't think it'd be as wonderful as it can be. But that's just what I think. Bear with me everyone because things are going to stay this way for a while- don't worry! Inu will get some Kagome time too very shortly. Be prepared to have the Inu world flipped inside out and upside down- remember your seat belts because this could get ugly and fast.