AN: First of all, I'm really sorry this has taken so long. I've been in New York, the Italy, then my grandpa died a few days ago, I'm heading back to New York, then I have to go to Japan. So, I've been really busy. Not to mention summer homework. A lot. How wrong is that?!
OK, to answer a few questions..
Kagome was crying for a number of reasons, one being that she isn't over Inu Yasha yet, and here his brother is, doin whatever you wanna call that...two being that she was just plain scared out of her wits. I mean, the murdering Sesshoumaru gettin all psycho on her..yeah..that's just two reasons.
As for Sesshoumaru, whether he was acting on emotions or instincts, well, that's for me to know and you to find out.*^^* But of course, he would say that is was a temporary loss in control of instincts, never to happen again. Don't worry, Sesshy, we won't tell anyone the truth. ^^
And yes, more characters will be making appearances. I got a surprise in store for you in oh, say, three chapters, perhaps.
I will try to answer more of your questions later. Once again, I have no clue what will really happen, but I have an idea of a couple of things. I think. Well, hope you enjoy! Also, again, rating may go up. May not. Be prepared for some more serious stuff. (Not that I would ever forget to add in a few funny things...) Tchao!! Oh yeah, sorry, the formats may be changing now.
This chapter is dedicated to my grandpa…
A TWIST OF FATE*~CHAPTER 15
Her eyes. Realization hit Sesshoumaru harder than anything ever had. Kagome saw the clouded look in his eyes fade away. He pulled his hand away from her face, glaring at it, as if it had performed some heinous crime, than glaring at her, the cause of it all. He turned away sharply, walking to the other side of the campfire with smooth strides.
"Go to sleep." He said, in a low but commanding voice. Kagome stepped, shakily, away from the tree and nodded, violently, silently, her eyes still shimmering.
Sesshoumaru watched her nervously move away from the tree and to her sleeping spot. She had lain down. He could still smell the fear on her. It was somewhat intoxicating, her soft clean smell, threaded with traces of anger.
He had gained control of himself, but only just in time. He wasn't even entirely sure what had happened. She had been yelling at him, he knew that. Somehow, in some completely nonsensical way, she had been beautiful. Something triggered something else and before he had known it, he was about to take her. How had he lost control so easily. He had never done so before in all of his years, so why now? What was it about this...human woman. She filled his mind, no matter how he tried to push her out of it. Hmph, stubborn even when she was just in his mind. Was it a spell. She was, after all, a miko, but no, he was not so easily controlled. But then again, he had never lost control before now. It was possible. No, it was his father's fault. A weakness for humans. It disgusted him. He would have none of it, he would not give in to such a weakness. No, no weakness. She was there for business purposes only. And Rin was there merely because she had no place else to be. They were not weaknesses, and never would be. He would make sure of it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kagome was ready to scream and cry at the same time. She hadn't asked for this. First one brother, than the other. She didn't want this. Want what? What had happened? Kagome couldn't look at Sesshoumaru's form. She desperately wanted to know what he was thinking, yet was terrified at the prospect.
What had happened? Had Sesshoumaru really done that? Had that emotionless, perfect, murdering demon done that? Kagome was more afraid then than she had ever been, facing him off in battle. He had been breathing down her neck, quite literally, looking like an animal ready to pounce. Yes, an animal ready to pounce, and she its prey. Now that beautiful animal sat across from her, a fire separating them. He sat as still as a statue, gazing off into the trees to his right.
Why had he done that? But more importantly, why hadn't she stopped him sooner? Kagome remembered the shivers that had ran up and down her spine. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. She had been scared to death, yet somewhat fixated on him and what he was doing, as if watching it from a window.
Kagome cautiously opened her eyes, only to shut them quickly again after catching a glance of him. He hadn't moved at all. She was so tired, but, she was..was she affraid?
"Go to sleep." He repeated in that calm but firm voice of his. She really did want to.
"I will not touch you. Go to sleep."
Kagome shifted her position, turning her back to the fire, and, finally, gave in to sleep, with a weary heart.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inu Yasha had made up his mind.
"Show yourself, Naraku!" Inu Yasha shouted into the clearing, jumping down from a tree where he had been waiting.
"Ah. Inu Yasha. I take it that you have been contemplating my offer?" The white baboon pelt appeared at the opposite end of the clearing but was easily heard by Inu Yasha. The white figure walked slowly toward the center of the clearing.
"Just tell me where she is, who she's with, and if she's ok, you bastard." Inu Yasha growled between his teeth.
"Calm yourself, Inu Yasha." The figure chuckled. " I will tell you, if.....you are prepared to pay the price....."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The solution was simple. Why hadn't he done it earlier? The idiotic pact. He could not be seen as becoming weak. It was simple.
Sesshoumaru stood from his resting spot. Kagome was sound asleep. It had been a harrowing day for her, and indeed, a questionable one for him. She was curled up, her back to him, raven hair catching the reflection of the fire in her tresses. The light illuminated her face nicely. All he had to do...
He walked silently over to her slender, sleeping form. He stood over her, observing her face. She really wasn't too bad looking for a human. He could see how the weak Inu Yasha could be taken with her. But Sesshoumaru, the lord of the western lands? Impossible. Sesshoumaru deftly unsheathed toukijin. There was one way to solve this dilemma and ease his mind. He raised toukijin above her and prepared to make his attack. He would make it fast, clean. She wouldn't know what had happened. Somehow, this thought, his skill with the sword, made it easier for him to do. He made is slash but-
"Yes, Rin-chan."
Damn her. If he had been Inu Yasha he would have continued on with colorful vocabulary. Damn the whore. Why did she have to mention Rin? Why couldn't he have just been able to kill her and be rid of her? Rin. Rin was taken with the woman. Then there was the fox child. He could easily kill the brat, but Rin had taken to him also and the fox would no doubt leave without its adopted mother. Tetsusaiga. His sweet revenge on Inu Yasha. To kill her would to be going against his word, his honor. All of these things depended on the detestable creature lying before him, muttering his Rin's name.
Sesshoumaru sheathed the toukijin with disgust. How had this woman become such a large factor in his life in such a short amount of time?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yet again, their journey took on a very silent character. Kagome had woken up the next morning and Sesshoumaru had insisted that they continue on immediately. She was more than willing to forget about the whole ordeal, in fact, she had already made up her mind to do just that. It would have been easy, except for the fact that he hadn't said a word since. Not that it was a new thing for him. But...going on three days? That was a little much. Kagome had gotten upset at him for some reason or another, probably his refusal to acknowledge that she was even there, and had walked passed him all huffy-like. She could feel eyes on her back. She could feel them bore into her, watching her every move, she could feel...
"A shikon shard! I can sense it!" Kagome stopped in her tracks and spun around to look at the demon lord expectantly.
"What."
"Well...."
"Well what."
"Aren't we going to go look for it?"
Sesshoumaru analyzed the space to the left of Kagome's face as if it were the most terribly fascinating thing he had ever seen.
"Get on Ah-Un. Where is it coming from." His eyes narrowed slightly.
"To our right." Kagome pointed through the trees hesitantly. Without a word, Sesshoumaru turned in the direction Kagome had shown him and continued onward. Kagome followed, on the back of Ah-Un, in close pursuit.
Kagome could feel presences. Human presences.
"Sesshoumaru, is there a village nearby?" Kagome asked the demon lord, but he did not reply. Instead, he narrowed his gaze once again and turned stopped walking, just as a human man came bursting through the foliage off to the side of the path. His clothes were stained and ripped and his chest was heaving as he struggled for breath. To Kagome, he looked as if someone had given him a good beating with a two by four, then he had run through some very thorny bushes.
"Praise Kami..." he said, his eyes wide with fear. "..Help us..you have to help us..."
Kagome looked at him, worriedly.
"What's wrong, sir?" she asked.
"A demon...a demon in the village....hideous...horrid...please..your companion is strong...please..help us!!"
Kagome looked to Sesshoumaru who was glaring at the man as if disgusted. The man gasped, as if just now realizing what he was looking at. "Another one! Another demon! Please don't kill me!!" Kagome was sure that the man was going to break down right then and there.
"It's all right. He won't hurt you." Kagome walked over to the man, placing an arm around him to help support, seeing as he was swaggering on his feet.
"Tell me what happened. How can we help? Tell me what you need." Kagome looked from the man's face to Sesshoumaru, who was looking royally annoyed. Kagome pleaded to him silently, but Sesshoumaru just stared at her and the man she was holding up, even harder.
The man had succeeded in blurbing out the details of his ordeal through jumpy breaths, just enough to give Kagome a good idea of what had happened. A demon had apparently inhabited an area very close to his village, a cave to be exact, and when a group of village men had gone to kill it, they had fled with their eyes closed, too terrified to look back. It sounded like the perfect situation for a shard to have a hand in, to Kagome. Definitely.
"Sesshoumaru..." Kagome looked up at him once again, but without pleading or anger.
"Are you planning on sitting there all day." Sesshoumaru growled taking off casually in the direction of the village. Kagome looked back at the man and waved as he stared after them with a look on his face that seemed to say: I am shocked and sorry for your stupidity. Good luck.
Sometimes, Sesshoumaru couldn't help doing the right thing, no matter how much he despised it. Kagome was learning this quickly. It made her happy. It made Sesshoumaru more approachable. She admired this from his side. Someday, she'd point this out to him. Just, not any time soon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sango sat, petting Kirara by a fire she had made to cook dinner on. Miroku sat a respectable distance away from her, the glow of the fire accentuating the outline of a handprint on his cheek.
"Lady Sango..."
"I don't want to hear it, houshi-sama."
"Really, Lady Sango! I wasn't about to say anything to that degree..."
Sango looked at the monk doubtfully, continuing to pet her neko youkai. "Really...."
"Yes. I was just going to inquire about the statement that Naraku's puppet made and Inu Yasha's strange behavior."
"Well?"
"It's been quite....strange."
Sango's calm expression seemed to state that she was heatedly debating whether or not he was the most idiotic thing on the world.
"Er. Yes. Well. We have reached a conclusion that the reason Kagome left us was because of Inu Yasha, correct?"
"Yes, houshi-sama."
"So why is it that we have not yet seen the deceased miko in our friend Inu Yasha's company."
"I do not understand what you are getting at, houshi."
"Well, if Kagome left because, say, she saw Inu Yasha with Kikyo again, that proves that Inu Yasha has finally, completely chosen Kikyo. Yet, he searches on for Kagome, and the past miko is of nowhere to be seen."
"Are you trying to say that Inu Yasha still wants Kagome?"
"Quite."
Sango looked pensively at the fire. "Has he told Kikyo-sama yet?"
"I am not sure, but I am inclined to believe not."
"The two-timer..." Sango muttered under her breath.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Refresh my memory. Why do you require my assistance?"
"I need you to do the fighting. I'm ok with a bow and arrow, but as you may be able to tell, I'm not too swell at the whole one on one combat thing."
"You held your own appropriately last time."
Was he complementing her? Did he actually have a bit of faith in her? Kagome almost laughed.
"Yeah, but I need your strength." as much as she hated to admit it... She wasn't about to tell him that he acted as her only protection as the moment.
Another village. If Kagome didn't say so herself, she was beginning to take on the attitude of the social butterfly, Sesshoumaru. Villages had meant nothing but trouble the past few days, and even though she was dying for some company other than his all-high-and-mighty's, she wasn't looking forward to entering the small village which they were now observing from a couple hundred yards away.
"Seems quiet enough to me..." Kagome stated, almost sounding disappointed.. but in a very good way. "Isn't there supposed to be this huge demon chasing people around and destroying the village?"
"Where is the shard?" Sesshoumaru asked, completely ignoring her previous remarks.
"It's...oh!" Kagome then realized that the shard was nowhere near the houses or village structures. She pointed to a trail leaving out of the village.
They had left Ah-Un at the village, taking only Sesshoumaru's swords and Kagome's arrows with them. The feeling of the shards was becoming stronger every step for Kagome, apparently they were on the right track.
This is too easy. There must be a catch. What if a trap is set up to capture us! What if it's Naraku! Kagome's mind kept repeating small, stupid 'what-ifs', but she could not help noticing that it was odd for shikon shards to be just laying around without a demon bearing it, planning for some type of world domination. It wasn't moving, she was sure of it. At least not moving enough to cause any alert. Definitely too easy...yes...
*~*
"No." Kagome stood at the entrance of a cave, hands on her hips. "No way in hell!" A very dark cave. "There's no way I'm going in there!" A very dark and scary cave.
"Are you saying that you will not enter." Sesshoumaru stood in front of her, facing towards the entrance of the cave.
"Well, gee.....YES!"
"And why this sudden change in decision?"
"It smells bad." Kagome stared straight at Sesshoumaru.
"You stink and I have put up with you for more than a week's time. If you were as good of an archer as you were a liar, you would be dead by now."
Kagome turned her head to the side, avoiding his eyes.
"Look, I've had bad experiences with caves…" What? It was true.
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow.
"So be it. I will collect the shard for myself." He entered the cave.
"WHAT?!" Kagome screeched, running after him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The demon lord smirked as he heard the girl trot up to his side.
"You were just kidding, right. You wouldn't ever do that! That was a big fat lie. Did you honestly think I would believe that you would take a shard?"
"You came, didn't you?"
"....." Kagome was seething so much she hadn't realized how dark it had gotten in the cave. Man, she hated caves.
"....Sesshoumaru...."
Sesshoumaru had taken it that she was maddened by his last remark, but her voice portrayed curiousity, not anger now.
Kagome took his silence as evidence that he was listening.
"...why don't you want the shards. You're a demon. I haven't met one that hasn't wanted the shards for one reason or another...why don't you want them?"
"I do not desire the shards, for I have no need of them. My brother wishes for them so that he can become more powerful..a full demon..." at this, Sesshoumaru gave a small, indignant snort. "..But I do not need this power.."
Right, 'cause you're the perfect killing machine... Kagome didn't know if she was being sarcastic to herself or not. Sesshoumaru could probably kill anything he damned near wanted to. But Kagome was very, very tempted to ask him why he wanted the tetsusaiga if he didn't need any power. The hypocrite.
"But, I thought all demons desired more power." It was more of a question than a statement.
"Only those who believe themselves to be weak, and therefore, are.. Now quiet."
Sesshoumaru had tensed slightly at her side as if straining to hear something.
"Sesshoumaru, the shard, we're getting really close." The cave had gotten even darker, just to the point where she could see about four feet in front of her. Water was dripping from a crevice somewhere, sending echoes through their surroundings. It was definitely up there on the creepy scale. Kagome's footsteps reverberated off the walls, making a loud, hollow, echoing sound.
"We're really close..." Kagome wasn't afraid of many things...but the unknown was always one of them. Especially the unknown in a dark cave, with a jewel shard. Any unknown you could think of was possible in this situation. But Kagome just stepped closer to Sesshoumaru and bit her lip. After a minute, she finally got her courage back, when a loud slithering, rumaging type sound bounced off the wall, nearly deafening them.
Kagome must have jumped about two feet in the air, clutching on to Sesshoumaru's arm.
He looked down at the woman hanging on to him for dear life She was so trusting.. "Where is the shard."
"I-It s-should be right in front of us!" Kagome gasped in between breaths. "Where's the demon?!! That was the demon, wasn't it?"
Suddenly, Kagome felt something snaking around her foot and traveling up her leg.
"SESSHOOOUUMARUUU!!"
Sesshoumaru made a large slash, slightly illuminating the cave for a split second.
The creature must have had two hundred legs, and had a black and shiny, armored body that was now bleeding from a wound to its stomach. Its eyes were glowing red, fangs portruded from its mouth. It was a horrible sight. It was a horrendous creature, looking for its kill. It was....five inches long at the most. Probably a centipede.
"AAIIIIEEEE!"
"What is it this time?"
"It's gross."
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. She could face off a black ogre in battle, yet was scared of insects and dark places. Hmph. "Pick up the shard and lets go."
Kagome nodded wildly, picking up a small shard and gingerly stepping over the body of the small insect, muttering something that sounded like "icky". She truly was an interesting one.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You are aware, Inu Yasha, of what the price is?" The sleek figure asked. (If someone in a baboon suit can be considered sleek. Hell, it's Naraku, if he can pull it off, anyone can..)
Inu Yasha nodded curtly.
"You so desire this girl..that you would give up what you have worked so hard to collect?"
Inu Yasha just glared at Naraku.
"Hmm...interesting. Once again, giving up everything for a girl. In fact, the same girl. They are the same, are they not, Inu Yasha? Perhaps that is why you encountered such an ordeal..." Naraku loved watching Inu Yasha become angry, but that was not his intention this time.
"Kagome is not Kikyo. They are completely different people and that's that."
"Aww..but it's not so simple, is it, Inu Yasha. After all, the new miko left you because you, yourself, did not believe that. Tell me, do you really think she will take you back."
Inu Yasha was about to lose it.
"I came here to make the deal with you, bastard, leave Kagome out of this."
"Oh, but how can I? After all, she is the main reason for this. Do you think your precious time is really worth this girl?"
"Are we gonna make a deal or not, Naraku!"
"Ah..as impatient as ever, I see. Very well then. I will deliver the girl to you...."
Inu yasha growled
"....safely...and in turn..you will give me the shards you have in your possession. This is all correct, is it not?
"Yeah."
"So I have your consent, your...promise.?"
"Yes." Inu Yasha spat out the word with palpable disgust. With that, he took off in direction of where his other companions were. He had never dreamed of the day where he would make a deal with Naraku. But, it was for Kagome. It was the best he could do. Still, any bargain with Naraku was a bad one.
AN: Bwahahahaha! I did some really evil things this chapter, didn't I? Hee hee...fun fun! Sorry, kinda short, wasn't it? Well, you know, I haven't been doing to much angst, I figured it needed a little spice. I don't know how far I'll go with the IY/Nar deal thing. I'll have to think about it. Well, hope you liked this chapter!! Please review! I would like, the usual, about twenty. I have a feeling this story is going to be fairly long, so I hope you're in it for the long run! IMPORTANT: I will be gone almost all summer, so updates may be sporatic and far between, but do not doubt that I will keep writing. Hopefully I can have the story close to being finished by the time summer is over. Or maybe I'll just make this one longer, but I hope to start another one that I've been thinking about…peace and pocky!Yumm…