To Live Again
By Rurouni Star
Disturbed-demon-gurl: If you look more closely, he gives off little signs. Kagome just doesn't know what to do with them.
Suki: Yep, that's what it says.
INUGIRL: Once a day, I can't really do much better…sorry.
Sailor Panda: 'it' means: used to refer to that one previously mentioned. ^_~ I figure it's what would happen if you got weirdly attracted to a fluffy demon. O.o
Dumdeedum: Kukukuku…you really won't like this chapter…Kukukuku…
Mistress Fluffy: *frown* Surely her getting rescued and all counts…
Romm: I feel bad for Kagura myself. It's not like there's much she can do about her situation other than miss a little more often than usual and hope for the best.
X: As though I don't know who you are… ^_~ You can do either one. I'm not going to get mad at someone for not reviewing! Although… I might put fish in your bed… *ahem*
Moonwind: Continuing, continuing…
Tidus: You shouldn't say such things. I HOLD THE POWER! BWAHAHAHAHA! I mean… kukukukuku…
Evil Bunny: Jaken isn't as bad as everyone thinks he is. He's just a poor little toad, looking for some love and affection… ^_^
StDogbert: It was my intention to infer that in chapter 15. He's not really happy with Kouga overall, now is he? If you want to check out the DNRC, look on Dilbert.com.
Crimson-snow: *blinks and counts the chapters* Cool. It's pretty long, too.
Ladyofthedragons: YAY! I'm MALEVOLENT! *dances in a little circle, ku ku kuing all the way* Actually, I'm afraid it's a trade secret. The EPA (evil people anonymous) won't let me give it out.
Chenjen: This one's my fastest updating one so far. I'm really proud of it. I don't think I'll be discontinuing it either.
Chapter 16 – Foolish Hopes
Miroku stole a quick glance at the taijiya, who was looking very morose. She'd barely touched her food...well, he knew how to fix her spirit.
"Why Sango, you're looking rather lonely over here, may I sit?" The rest of the table (consisting of Inu Yasha, Shippo, and even a suspicious cat) shot him dirty looks, but Sango simply nodded apathetically. Miroku raised an eyebrow at the three others and took his seat.
The cry of 'HENTAI!' came up just as he'd suspected. He was rubbing a few bumps on his head, but Sango was looking angry instead of melancholy now. It was a change for the better, he decided as he blacked out.
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It's cold...I can't get warm...
I don't care.
I'm so cold...
I said I don't care.
Well you should...Inu Yasha...
Heat, where is it coming from? I'm not cold anymore, where is it coming from?
Why is my heart beating so fast?
"You smell good..."
"I thought you said you hated my scent!"
"That was...a lie..."
Kagome woke from the confused jumble of thoughts with a start. Inu Yasha? But Sesshoumaru had claimed he didn't care. Her breath was misting in the cold morning air. The sun wasn't there yet, and the world was filled with darkness. She felt for the blanket that covered her and nearly gasped. It was so warm! And it smelled the same as before...
The miko hugged it to her chest, closing her eyes and remembering the way Sesshoumaru had looked at her, just for that moment when he'd saved her. Something in her had responded, so different from when Kouga had done the same thing.
But she was sure she'd been imagining things! The demon lord hated humans. He hated her.
Kagome sighed, wishing she were brave enough to ask him right out. But it would sound so silly. She could see herself now, asking the demon lord if he felt something for her because he'd looked at her funny. And if he really did hate her, that wouldn't go over too well.
She let her face fall into the blanket, but she couldn't quite get back to sleep. Surrendering to the fact that she wasn't going to be able to sleep, the girl got up quietly, her eyes inevitably traveling to the demon above her. And for once… he was looking back at her. Kagome took an involuntary step back.
"I…I'm going to change," she told him meekly. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Again, the girl began to fall back from the demon's intense gaze, which hadn't abated in the least. She felt it on her back as she left her place beneath the tree, and sighed in relief as it stopped bothering her once she was out of seeing range. Kagome opened her pack gently and took out her gift from the villagers. She cast off the miko garments with an odd happiness and put on the silken blue hakama and gi the village had insisted on giving her. She had protested that the silk was not only expensive, but would probably get ruined. They insisted, and in the end she had taken the few outfits they'd given her. And she had to admit – it felt good against her skin. It didn't have the colors or the stitching of a priestess' clothing. It sent a fleeting thought across her mind – what would Inu Yasha think if he saw her now?
It doesn't matter what he thinks. He's dead to me. I have Sesshoumaru and Jaken to stare at me and Rin to smile and clap. I bet An and Un will even try to nuzzle it. They don't fool me, the sly foxes – they like the feel of silk. It's got absolutely nothing to do with affection for me… although I bet they wouldn't protest to me scratching behind their ears!
Suddenly feeling much better, the girl returned to her new family. Their reactions were almost as she's suspected… but there was still that something in the way that Sesshoumaru was looking at her. When he came closer to her and rubbed the silk of her sleeve between his fingers, her heart stopped. Their eyes met for the briefest moment before he spoke.
"It is of good quality. It should stand up to your traveling better than some other silks." He turned away, and she breathed again. "By the way…" he added almost casually. "I have caught Naraku's scent at last. We are gaining on him."
What a bomb to drop on someone. Oh by the way, we finally found the guy we've been searching for after weeks, maybe months of scouring the countryside. But that's not important.
Oddly enough, however, Naraku was not foremost on her mind. Neither was Kikyo's warning, though she thought on that too.
She kept darting glances at Sesshoumaru, wondering what was going on in his head. His face showed no sign of excitement of finally catching wind of the thing they had been hunting for so long. She knew, somewhere inside of him, he felt something.
His hand...it had been warm. It wasn't right to think of him as ice anymore when she'd felt his warmth.
The miko rubbed her arm where he'd grabbed it so long ago underneath the tree. She could still feel his fingers closed around it, his claws lightly touching her skin through the fabric of her gi. It had been both unsettling and comforting.
She looked back to the ground. It wouldn't do for him to catch her staring at him.
They walked for what seemed like hours, and the speed made her rather uneasy. Shouldn't they be running to follow the hanyou that had plagued them for so long? What if they lost him?
The thought became moot as the man in front of her stopped. She bumped into his back for the second time in their travels, and jumped back, embarrassed. But the demon lord caught her hand and that odd warmth suffused it again.
"You should watch where you're going," he murmured quietly, no hostility in his voice. His next statement was louder. "We've found the end of the trail. It was a decoy. He is elsewhere." The demon spoke without looking at her, and she looked up at him in amazement. It couldn't be. Not after they'd followed him for so long...
"That's...impossible. I swear I even felt his shards in this direction..." Sesshoumaru shook his head. Her hand tightened on his.
"He may be in the area, but there is no way to tell as it is saturated in his scent. He is probably as far from here as possible." Kagome let out her breath in disappointment. How much longer would it be before Naraku got what was coming to him? Would Miroku die before then? "There is a hot spring in the area."
Where did that come from? Hadn't they just been talking about Naraku?
"Wh-what?" she stammered.
"There is a hot spring very near us. We can camp near it if you prefer," Sesshoumaru repeated. His hand finally pulled away from hers, leaving behind a gentle heat that slowly dissipated. Kagome tilted her head in confusion, trying to mentally control the slight blush that had appeared in her cheeks.
"Thank you..." she said uncertainly. "I suppose I'll have to hurry, though. It's already pretty dark." They'd been hoping to find Naraku that day, and had continued long into the night.
"It is of no importance to me," the demon lord replied. Kagome rolled her eyes. If he so much as muttered about her slowness in the morning, she was going to kill him.
"Okay then. I'll be back," she said sarcastically. Jaken, too, seemed confused, and kept looking questioningly at his master. Rin gazed longingly after Kagome, obviously thinking about following her.
"You can go to the springs after her," Sesshoumaru said quietly to the little girl. He knew she hadn't relaxed in quite a while. Though it shouldn't have really mattered to him.
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"Thank Kami, I thought I was cursed to never again find myself a hot spring..." Kagome sighed, as she stepped in. "Ever since there was no Miroku to peek, the world didn't see fit to provide me with one."
She let her muscles loosen and inhaled deeply of the steam. The air blew across her face, making her shiver beneath the hot water. She closed her eyes.
This was nice.
Of course, the law of the world stated that something would interrupt her first peace in a while. It had always happened like that, and she wasn't expecting any different this time. And, of course, she wasn't disappointed. The sound of bushes moving made her gasp and open her eyes. She might not have worried but that they were not the bushes on the side of their camp.
Kagome let out a cry as she saw a figure in red, looking at her disbelievingly. "Ka-Kagome..." That voice. It was the voice she'd longed to hear for so long...
"Inu Yasha?" she asked.
"Yeah. It's me." Just as she'd pictured him before, there was Inu Yasha, looking run and ragged and as though he was a thirsty man whom had just found water.
"Inu Yasha," she choked. "I- I thought I'd never see you again." He bit his lip.
"I thought so too. But I – I couldn't do it, Kagome. Everyday I thought of you… I couldn't do it alone. I'm sorry." The miko's lip trembled, and she got up from her place on the rock, pulling on her outer robe and running through the water to him. She embraced the hanyou with tears in her eyes.
"I'm so glad you're back, Inu Yasha...I missed you so much." Who was she kidding, forgetting about him? It was impossible. He'd been a part of her life that she just couldn't cut away ruthlessly like that.
"Good," was the cold response.
That wasn't Inu Yasha's voice. Kagome's eyes widened. His scent wasn't right.
She looked up slowly, feeling the claws in her back beginning to dig painfully into her skin. Naraku's mocking face looked back at her.
A/N: The clue is at the beginning, people. You should've guessed off the bat that it wasn't really our favorite dog hanyou (just our evil hanyou).