Whoo hooo! I finally got the last chapter out. I hope I didn't mess it up. Thanks for waiting everyone! ^_^ I hope you all read, like, and review. I spent all day on this.
Thanks to:
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Umi no Yuki
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So please review!!!
Brotherly Love
By Inuyasha-loves-Kagome (A.K.A. Inu-chan)
Chapter 2
~*~^_^~*~
Sunlight peaked over the misty horizon, casting its warming glow onto the cold earth and shining it a nice golden color. When the glow's gradual spread on the earth reached a cave, the warmth spread over two bodies completely sprawled on the ground in a sleep so deep, someone would have thought them dead if they saw them.
One of the occupants of the cave, Sesshoumaru, squeezed his eyes against the light rousing him. Groaning from being awoken, he placed both un-clawed hands on the ground in order to lift himself up and look around the cave groggily. Still dreaming and with eyes squinted against the rays of the sun, he stood up in a motion that was not very elegant. He had almost tripped on his long hair!
He rubbed his head and shook it in order to rid himself of the sleepiness. I'm becoming as lazy as a human he realized with disgust. Smoothing out his clothing so he at least looked presentable, he made a quick scan of the cave. And here I was thinking this had all been a dream he again thought in disgust.
His gaze landed on his still-asleep half-brother and he snorted unceremoniously and turned his face away. Given the circumstances, since he wasn't allowed to attack and kill his brother like he had always planned, he decided instead to seek advice from him. In his demon form he doubted he would have done it. He looked down at his un-clawed hand in contempt. It's all the fault of this damn human form!
Hearing moaning, groaning, and finally grunting, he turned his head to see Inuyasha lift himself from the floor just as clumsily as he had done. Sleep never seemed to bode well with humans, he could tell. Sesshoumaru snorted at his clumsy half-brother. Even he, the great Sesshoumaru, could act elegant and refined as a human.
Inuyasha looked groggily around, trying to shake the sleep from his body and allow his mind to catch up with his sluggish movements. He groaned in annoyance when he realized, like Sesshoumaru had done earlier, that this had not been a dream and he was still living in the nightmare. "Dammit, I'm still here," he tried a growl as best he could in his human form.
"Of course you are," a misty figure replied from all directions around the cave, as if resonating of the walls, only without the echo effect. "Both of you shall remain here until certain requirements are met."
A slow, thick mist began to crawl into the cave, passing by the magical barriers as if they weren't there. The mist that was still at the entrance began to grow and take shape, at first with no gender before the curves materialized. Once the two mist forms were complete and the mist was only encircling the shapes, it began to disappear in order to reveal two floating woman, one with flaming red hair and a royal violet colored gown and the other with long, silky black hair and a sapphire colored gown. Both possessed deep, green eyes and long, silvery wings.
"Good morning Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru," the one with black hair greeted, her eyes smiling although her mouth was not.
Inuyasha did not return the greeting as he recognized the one with red hair. He pointed at her as his teeth clenched in a snarl. "You! You were the one who trapped me in that fucking bubble!"
The one with red hair did smile at Inuyasha. "Yes, I am the one. I am Feire and she is Rosaleen." She pointed to the one with black hair. "She was the one who trapped your brother."
Inuyasha snuck a peak at Sesshoumaru through the corner of his eyes but he saw that Sesshoumaru said or did nothing except glare at the woman with black hair. He turned his eyesight back to the one with flaming red hair. "So are you finally going to let us go?"
Feire shook her head slowly. "We are simply here because we knew that both of you would be hungry. We moved the barriers a bit farther away to give both of you the opportunity to look for something to eat. We have not, however, allowed the barrier to go any farther than what we think is enough. We don't want the two of you go off and look for your friends. The barriers are just outside the range of how far we knew they would look. Plus, the barriers are sound proof so you wouldn't be able to yell out for them."
Rosaleen spoke up with her soft, mousy voice. "We have allowed the barriers to break in the middle which means that the both of you can cross over to where the other is. However, if you attack each other, a wall will come between the both of you until you settle down. There is to be no attacking one another."
"Who are you to be telling us what we can and can't do?!" Inuyasha yelled out, hands clenched so hard that if he were to open them, there would be finger impalements.
"We are the ones who have trapped you here until further notice," both of them said at the same time. Separately both of them had different voices but when they talked together it was as if they had the same voice. "Once we are satisfied, then we will set you free." And with that said they materialized out before Inuyasha could question them even further.
"Dammit!" Inuyasha cursed. He didn't think he could take much more of this. He wanted out and he wanted it now!
He looked up when he saw Sesshoumaru walk calmly towards the entrance of the cave, almost as if cautious so that the same thing last time wouldn't happen again. When he reached the entrance he gingerly reached his hand out in order to see if the barrier was indeed gone.
His hand passed through.
Seeing as how there was no barrier keeping him back, he began running. Good riddance Inuyasha thought and he too began to walk towards the entrance, knowing that this time he wouldn't be knocked down.
~*~^_^~*~
"Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome silently mused as she pushed aside a bush so she could pass through. Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippou weren't too far behind her. They had been looking for Inuyasha ever since he went off in a huff yesterday after that incident with Kouga. Kagome knew he became angry whenever Kouga showed up and she acted nice towards him, but Inuyasha would usually come back only a few hours later. He would remain in a bad mood but at least he would return. Since he didn't return that time, Kagome become worried and everyone had decided to go looking for him, everyone wondering why he hadn't returned to continue the search for the Shikon shards.
"Maybe Kouga really bothered him this time," Shippou offered from Sango's shoulder (who also currently had Kirara on the other). His tail was swishing back and forth in a manner that suggested he was bored and just wanted to find Inuyasha so they could continue they their journey.
"I doubt it Shippou," Miroku suggested as he held his staff in one hand and moved foliage with the other. "No matter how much Kouga bothers him, he always comes back in order to continue the search for the Shikon shards."
"And to protect Kagome-chan," Sango whispered to Miroku and Shippou so Kagome wouldn't be able to hear. Miroku nodded in silent agreement.
Kagome, on her part, just kept becoming increasingly worried. And she wouldn't rest until they found him.
Inuyasha…please be safe…
~*~^_^~*~
The flames danced and licked at the air as Inuyasha raised his arm, then brought it down upon the rabbit he had captured, ripping apart the skin to the juicy meat inside. Using his fingernails as best he could, he separated the pelt from the meat, being careful not to leave too much meat sticking onto it. He hated the smell of blood, whether it come from animal or human, but when he used to be alone he had been doing far too long for it to bother him now. It was different now. Now he was used to warm meals from Kagome's time; fresh ramen just having been heated with boiling water or already cooked meat having been prepared in her time.
He scrunched up his nose at the smell of the blood, completely despising it and trying to hold his nose as far away as possible. At least it wasn't as powerful as when he was a hanyou. With the entire pelt gone, he tied it to the sticks over the fire, making sure to arrange it so that it all cooked evenly.
As it cooked, he sat back against a tree and gazed into the fire, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms and head on them unconsciously in the similar manner Kagome usually did it.
I wonder how worried they are about me Inuyasha pondered a little sadly. His concern over their concern was so great, he had completely forgotten by now how angry he had been at Kagome for acting as nice as she did towards Kouga. It was in the back of his mind now and the only way it could be brought back to the front was if Kouga himself showed up again.
He tensed a little when he heard the bushes move, an instinct from constantly being attacked over the Shikon fragments, but then remembered that the only one it could be was his older brother Sesshoumaru.
Predictions proving 100% correct this time, Sesshoumaru emerged from the bushes with no animal in his hands and no blood smeared over his mouth. In fact, Inuyasha found it strange to see him holding his stomach and completely giving the impression that he was a hungry boy who hadn't eaten for days.
Sesshoumaru wasn't looking at him but at the meat cooking over the fire. After only looking for a few minutes, he tore his gaze away stubbornly and plopped himself down on the floor. Even as a human he seemed too proud to admit that he was hungry and that he hadn't been able to catch anything because of the slowness of his movements and the lack of his demon senses.
Inuyasha snorted and scoffed at him with his eyes half open. "Couldn't catch a meal eh?"
"Urusei," was the simple answer.
Sighing, Inuyasha went over the already cooked meat and took it down. He could tell Sesshoumaru was trying hard not to look at the meat and smell the delicious aroma.
Sesshoumaru continued to look away from the meat. He wasn't about to admit anything. He would just try his best to catch something later. He was surprised, however, when he found himself staring at a large piece right in front of his face. Eyes wide, he turned to see Inuyasha holding out a piece out towards him, a neutral expression on his face.
"Eat it," Inuyasha ordered, feeling for only a tiny second that he was the older brother.
Sesshoumaru continued to merely stare at the meat, having an internal battle with himself. Here was meat he hadn't caught himself. However, he was beyond famished and he knew that because he wasn't used to this human body, his movements were far beyond the ones he used to catch food for him, Rin, and Jaken. There was no way in a million years that he would ever catch something as a human. It just wasn't something he could ever do.
After many minutes of the warm, appetizing meat enticing his senses, he slowly reached his hand out and reluctantly took it from his younger brother's out-stretched hand. Inuyasha have a tiny smile and went back to his own seat a few trees away from his brother, ready to eat his own share of meat.
They both ate in silence as two figures smiled quite a ways away.
~*~^_^~*~
After breakfast, Inuyasha had gone looking for a spring, a river, any source of water that would help him clean off the blood stench from his clothes and his body. He had hoped the two women, goddess, or whatever they were had at least spread the barrier far enough that there was a source of water for the two of them to bathe and drink from.
Finding one and hearing splashes already, Inuyasha made his way over and found Sesshoumaru bathing, washing away the dirt from his clothes and hair. It was a pond almost the size of a mini-lake with clear water and rocks on the edges for resting on. Sunlight leaked through the trees and caused parts of the pond to glisten a baby blue color. At perfect times in the day, one could rest on the rocks and be warmed by the sun in order to dry off.
Inuyasha was beginning to feel a little embarrassed because he had never bathed with anyone watching him. He knew his mother had done it, but that was when he had been small. Mothers weren't as embarrassing as brothers since it was more natural.
Sesshoumaru sensed Inuyasha had come and looked off towards him, his hair wet and clinging to his body. He only stared at his embarrassed brother before he went back to the tasks of washing the dirt off. "Why don't you get in baka? You obviously need to clean off the blood smell off you."
A vein throbbed at Inuyasha's temple as he tried not to lash out at him. He would have had he not remembered that attacking him would be pointless because a barrier would just block his path and rather than hurt Sesshoumaru, he would end up hurting himself. He simply snorted and began undressing, still feeling a little embarrassed, but not as much as before.
Inuyasha never saw it, but Sesshoumaru smirked and congratulated himself. Operation—Make Little Brother Less Embarrassed was a complete success.
Setting his clothes a good distance away from the water, Inuyasha got in and began to wash everything off. Being clean felt good and he relished in the feeling. He didn't enjoy the awkward feeling from bathing in the same pond as his older brother however. He wracked his brain for something intelligent to say in order to start a healthy conversation.
He was surprised when Sesshoumaru started it instead. "Do you remember when you were a little gaki?" he asked emotionlessly.
Inuyasha frowned, and then turned to glare at Sesshoumaru's back. "Nande?"
Sesshoumaru snorted, but still continued to talk about it rather than say "Never mind". "I was just wondering if you remember being that young."
Inuyasha bristled. "I'm not that old!"
To Inuyasha's complete and utter surprise, Sesshoumaru chuckled, a sound he found scary coming from the demon-turned-human. Inuyasha took a step back away from his older brother. "I didn't mean that," Sesshoumaru laughed out. "I just meant if you remember when you were a little gaki."
Inuyasha's tension faded away slowly and he loosened his face from the angry look it had. "Only bits and pieces of it, mostly only moments with my mother. It was too long ago. Why?"
For a while Sesshoumaru didn't say anything. The silence was unnerving to Inuyasha, something he had never experienced with his brother because usually when they met up they would only fight and never talk. He had to admit that it was always his brother who would want to fight but because of Inuyasha's pride and stubbornness, he never backed down from the fight. If his brother had not always wanted to fight, then perhaps they would have settled their differences a long time ago (differences they never would have had if Sesshoumaru had been nice from the beginning).
"I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted when you were a gaki."
That completely threw Inuyasha for a loop. The Great and Proud Sesshoumaru was apologizing to someone he found unworthy of such a thing?! Inuyasha's eyes widened as he stared at the back of Sesshoumaru, the water's shrine reflecting on him. Inuyasha tried to growl as best he could. "What the hell do you mean?!"
Sesshoumaru turned around then and stared emotionlessly at Inuyasha. "Just how it sounds baka." He looked off towards the water and kept his voice calm and low. "You said you don't remember everything so you probably don't remember how I used to treat you since the beginning, ever since you were born."
~*~Flashbacks~*~
"It's a boy!" the kind youkai doctor exclaimed as he held the tiny, crying baby in his arms. The father, a youkai lord of great power among the Inu youkai named Inutaisho, walked forward with long steps, a happy smile on his face. The youkai doctor handed the little bundle to the father and then went over to see how the mother was doing after that strenuous child birth.
Inutaisho stared into the scrunched face of his new son and laughed happily. He was a very beautiful baby and he knew he would be a wonderful son just like his pre-teen one. He looked off at his tired wife and shifted the baby so that she could see him too. "Do you see him koi? Isn't he beautiful?"
His wife, a human named Rumiko, simply smiled, then closed her eyes, her head lolling to one side. The doctor assured her mate that she was simply tired from so many hours of labor.
Inutaisho held the newest addition to the family up, causing giggles to erupt from the tiny baby. "I shall call you Inuyasha. It's a strong name for a wonderful son." He looked off at the lonely figure near the shadows of the room. "Come closer son. Come and see your little brother."
Sesshoumaru simply glared at the baby like he was the most worthless thing in the world and walked out of the room, leaving his father confused and a little disappointed. The baby began to cry again…
~*~
Giggling like he was doing the funniest thing in the world, baby Inuyasha sat on the floor and kept tossing his toys everywhere, especially at his older brother who was busy studying Japanese Kanji. Sesshoumaru growled when a wooden duck hit the side of his head, not hard enough that it would make a gash or anything but annoying nonetheless.
He turned on his brother and growled angrily. "Stop doing that you little brat!"
Inuyasha's lower lip jiggled and tears collected on his eyes before he began bawling his eyes out. A very annoyed neko youkai nurse came in and picked up the crying baby, deciding to take it to its mother to stop its crying.
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat quickly and went back to studying.
~*~
"Onii-chan!" A chibi Inuyasha of about 3 or so went running towards the teenage looking demon sitting on a large boulder near a Japanese pond. He had a giggling face as he ran, not even caring how silly he looked in his oversized red kimono that his father had just bought him.
He reached out his cubby little hand and touched the teenage demon whom was doing his best to ignore the little hanyou he considered a pest. "You're it!" Chibi Inuyasha giggled and went off running.
His older brother Sesshoumaru continued to sit on the rock.
Inuyasha frowned, then ran back towards his brother and tagged him again. "You're it onii-chan!"
All Sesshoumaru did was growl and say, "Don't touch me you little pest!"
Being easily hurt, Inuyasha's eyes filled with tears and he went running to find his mother or father.
Sesshoumaru simply stayed where he was and continued to gaze into the pool.
~*~
An older Sesshoumaru walked through the palace of the feudal palace belonging to his father. His father was away on a mission to stop some rumored powerful youkai that was coming towards their home in order to kill the whole family. His father had ordered him to take care of his brother and step-mother but Sesshoumaru had simply snorted and not answered.
He had no idea Inuyasha, now looking like a 4-5 year old, was following him and copying his every movement. It was mostly due to the fact that Inuyasha stayed out of his brother's smelling range. Inuyasha was proud to have his powerful brother. He really admired him and wished to grow up to be just like him. He would always obverse the way his brother did things and try to do them himself.
When Sesshoumaru reached a rather tall sakura tree, he climbed it until he reached the top. Inuyasha simply stopped and looked up at the massive tree. To him it looked even larger. Deciding nothing would stop him; Inuyasha jumped and tried to reach the lowest branch. He came short a few inches.
"Baka," his brother would mutter from his spot in the tree. "You'll never be able to climb a tree this large."
"I will too!" Inuyasha challenged. He tried again but still came up short. He thought about what he could do to be able to reach the lowest branch and came up with the idea to grab a wooden stool.
"Baka," his brother continued to taunt him. "Even if you DO make it to the lowest branch, how will you reach the next one with no help?"
Inuyasha frowned when he realized he was right. He looked up at his brother, or at least tried to. "Well, you can help me reach the next one."
Sesshoumaru snorted. "As if I'd help a worthless hanyou like you."
Inuyasha's eyebrows scrunched up together, not understanding that word. It was the same word he had heard some lady's and lord's say when they were playing ball and he had joined in before they had tossed the ball for him to "fetch". When he looked back, they had left. He had then gone off to ask his mother what the word meant but all she did was shed tears and hug him.
He decided to look for someone else who could tell him what that word meant.
Sesshoumaru simply glared at his retreating back.
~*~End Flashbacks~*~
After Sesshoumaru's confession and remembrances of the past, both of them remained silent, the water as calm as they were. Inuyasha was silently pondering what his brother had just told him and frankly he didn't remember it, but he felt that his words were true. In his heart he knew that there had been a time when he had continuously tried to get along with his brother and play with him but Sesshoumaru would have none of it.
Inuyasha simply shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "What can be done about the past? It's over with and nothing can change it."
Sesshoumaru looked over his shoulder at Inuyasha, his eyes almost emotionless but with bits and pieces of sadness leaking through them.
Going over in order to retrieve his clothes, Inuyasha grabbed them and then went over to the tanning rock to dry. Laying his clothes across his lap, Inuyasha lay down and allowed the sun to warm him and dry him. It was also a good time to think things over about what Sesshoumaru had just told him.
I may not remember, but since I know it's true, I wonder why he always hated me. Was it because I was a hanyou?
"I confess I was a little jealous," Sesshoumaru said. Inuyasha didn't bother to look at him but Sesshoumaru could tell he was listening. "Before you were born, I was the favorite. Father would always pay the most attention to me." Walking over to another tanning rock, he arranged his clothes on them so they could dry, and then climb on in order to dry himself off. "But when you came into this world, I thought many things. I thought 'How could father love something that was only half and half over someone who was full demon?' 'How could he mate with a human and have a hanyou?' I was too proud then, thinking that being full demon meant you were the top of your class, the best there was. Humans were weak and being part human was even worse because it meant you had mixed blood; tainted blood." He chuckled lightly and lay down on the warm rock, his arms behind his head. "Everything changed when I met Rin. She changed the way I saw things. At first I didn't want to consider her a small human. Instead I considered her a weak demon. If I thought that way, then I could always say that humans were still weak creatures, weaker than she was." He paused and frowned. "Finally after a while I began to think as humans as caring creatures, something demons lacked. I didn't want to admit such a thing but I felt it, and in a way I admired that trait in them." He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Inuyasha. "It's the same as with your human woman, isn't it?"
Inuyasha turned his head in his direction, his warm, amethyst eyes slightly sleepy. The warmth of the sun and just having taken a bath was lulling him. "You mean Kagome?"
"Aa," Sesshoumaru nodded. "She's like Rin in many ways, only order. I admire the both of them."
Inuyasha smiled at the thought of Sesshoumaru with stars in his eyes as he admired Kagome like a rabid fan. But he had to admit that he was right. He had always known Kagome was caring and sweet, but had never admitted it to anyone. Perhaps it high time I tell her.
"Perhaps becoming a human helped me to understand them better," Sesshoumaru confessed. "I wouldn't want to be one forever because they lack the advanced senses demons have, but at least now I won't consider them so weak. At least not weak of heart because some have proven never to give up when there were obstacles against them."
"And being mixed," Inuyasha couldn't help but ask. "Is there really anything wrong with being a demon and loving a human?"
"Well," Sesshoumaru paused, thinking it over. "I guess I might be the only demon to admit that it isn't wrong to love what you love, whether it be demon, human, or whatever. Love is love." And he had Rin to prove it.
Inuyasha smiled at his brother before adjusting himself into a sleeping position once again. He was in dreamland in no time…
~*~^_^~*~
Feire smiled warmly as she gazed at the sleeping demons-turned-humans. Rosaleen was there with her, also looking at them with warm eyes. "It seems our plan has worked," Feire commented. "And faster than either of us could ever hope to anticipate."
Rosaleen nodded, her black hair swaying with her movements. "Yes. It appears that they'll be okay from now on. Tomorrow should be a good time to let them go. Their friends are very worried about them."
Feire giggled as a thought appeared in her mind. "And any time they decide to go back to their old ways, we shall just trap them again. We'll be like mothers disciplining their children."
Rosaleen claps her hands together happily and giggled with glee. "Yes! I love that idea!"
Both of them smiled together.
~*~^_^~*~
Both had awoken to empty stomachs and had gone off looking for food. Sesshoumaru learned how to quickly catch his own meal as Inuyasha showed him should this happen again (although they joked that there was no way it would… e.e ^_^).
After eating and finding the day nearing its end, both had retired to their cave to get sleep. Since they didn't know they were being let out tomorrow, both had planned on doing some more talking at the pond while catching some fish for breakfast.
Boy were they surprised when they awoke the next morning to find Feire and Rosaleen at the entrance of the cave, both smiling affectionately.
"What do the two of you want now?" Inuyasha asked lightly, still not fully awake. He didn't feel up to being angry at anyone.
"The both of you will be happy to hear that we're letting you go now," Rosaleen smiled out. If her smile got any bigger, it would expand wider than her face, causing her to look scary.
"Really?!" Sesshoumaru asked with eyes wide. How he hoped they weren't joking for their pleasure.
"Yes," Feire answered, also smiling. "The barriers are now gone. Both of you can leave and go with your friends. We have been observing the two of you the whole time and we feel both of you have progressed enough and can now get along like brothers should."
"However," Rosaleen began, "if we see that the two of you are back to being your normal fighting selves around each other, we shall again lock you two together and do it as many times as necessary before you two understand what it is to be siblings."
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru could tell they weren't joking. They nodded.
"Good," Feire said, and then raised both her arms. When they saw nothing happen, they lowered their eyebrows. However, when they both began to feel a tingly sensation run through them, they began to understand what she was doing. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru felt their regular senses return to them, their nails grow and sharpen, their hair lighten, and their fangs grow out. When the process was complete, they looked at each other and saw someone they both recognized. Inuyasha whooped and Sesshoumaru simply smiled lightly. Obviously their demon ways were back.
"Heed our words," Feire said, a serious expression on her face that was completely unbecoming of her.
With their words said, they materialized out of the cave.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were left alone in the came in complete shock. They had never even been given the change to ask who they were, where they came from, etc.
Inuyasha looked at his older brother. "Going to go look for Rin and Jaken now?" he asked with a smile, knowing that things were going to be different them from now on.
For a while Sesshoumaru said and did nothing. Inuyasha had the fear that the whole experience hadn't changed him at all and he was back to being cold and would fight him over Tessaiga.
It came as a surprise when Sesshoumaru looked down at him and gave a shadow of a smile, as much as Sesshoumaru could handle while still wanting to keep his reputation as a powerful demon lord. "Yes," was his simple answer. With that said, he walked away elegantly in order to find Rin and Jaken and see just how worried they were about him.
Inuyasha's eyes were wide, but he shook his head with a smile and went on his own way to go look for Kagome and the rest. He had a few things he wanted to do before they continued on their journey for the Shikon fragments.
~*~
"Ahhh~~~" Rin sighed with her arms behind her head. She was bored, had been bored ever since her Sesshoumaru-sama disappeared two days ago. She was trying hard to be brave for Jaken who was out looking for him and crying asking why he left them behind so suddenly. In reality she wanted to cry over her Sesshoumaru-sama just as badly as Jaken. She missed him dearly and wondered the same thing as Jaken.
However, with Jaken gone as well, she gave in to the temptation to cry over him. Lowering her head so she could hide her tears, a few of them trickled down to the floor. "Where are you Sesshoumaru-sama? Why have you left Rin?"
"Don't be sad over me Rin," came an unmistakable voice from over the hill. "Haven't I told you being sad and crying will solve nothing?"
Rin raised her head, her tears still falling down her cheeks. In no time at all she saw her Sesshoumaru-sama coming towards her, expressionless as ever. The really amazing thing was that he was holding the bouquet he had rejected silently and she had dropped in rejection. She smiled wide at him and ran towards him. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"
When she reached him, she hugged his legs since that was how short she was. "Rin is glad Sesshoumaru-sama is back!"
Sesshoumaru allowed her to hug him for a while, knowing that this wouldn't hurt his reputation and pride since no one was around. He relished in the happiness she felt over his return. This was what he had missed.
Placing two clawed hands (ahhh, clawed hands were nice to have back) on her shoulders, he pulled her away from him. Then he began to walk away again. "Come Rin. Let us look for Jaken and continue our search for Naraku."
Rin simply smiled wide and said, "Hai!" then began to follow his retreating figure.
~*~
Opening a flavor packet of chicken, Kagome began to pour it into the ramen before the water boiled. She found this to be more effective and let the flavor be more abundant than waiting to pour it when the water boiled. She had been doing everything in silence ever since their search for Inuyasha came up with no results.
Everyone else stared at Kagome, all of them feeling sorry for her because they knew out of everybody Kagome missed Inuyasha the most, more than any of them could. They all missed him but because Kagome loved Inuyasha so much, she was nothing without him.
When they had come back from searching last night, Kagome had immediately gone to bed but they knew better than to think that she did it to get some sleep. They heard her sniffing, especially Shippou who couldn't stand to see her so sad. He had gone to bed with her and had patted and soothed her head. Kagome had hugged him and everyone could see her body shake from her silent sobs.
No one knew how to get her to smile. They had pretty much give up hope after many attempts in the morning. Sango had offered a warm bath, Miroku had touched Sango, trying to get a laugh like he always did (all he got was Kagome ignoring him). Shippou had done many funny transformations, knowing she always laughed at them, but with no reaction from the girl. No one knew what to do.
"Kagome-sama," Miroku piped up, once again trying to get her to smile. "Might I add how lovely you look this morning?"
No reaction. Kagome simply stirred the ramen.
Miroku's shoulders slumped and he went back to his tree to lean against it and wait for his breakfast.
"Psh, Miroku, you're an idiot."
Everyone (except Kagome?) gasped when they heard the instantly recognizable voice. After a few seconds, everyone saw the silhouette that was Inuyasha. He appeared through the darkness like a ghost; a memory of the past. His hair was shining with the patches of light that came through the trees, his kimono clean and with no traces of dirt, his face a tad annoyed yet filled with warmth.
Everyone knew it wasn't a dream when Shippou ran into Inuyasha and hugged him as best he could at his chest. "Wahhhh!!!" Then he started chewing on Inuyasha's head. "Baka!!! We were all worried about you!!"
A vein of annoyance throbbed on Inuyasha's temple as he grabbed Shippou and tossed him as far away as possible. "Little brat~~~!!!"
"Inuyasha!" Miroku cried as he and Sango ran forward until they stopped in front of him. "Where were you?"
Rather than answer his question, Inuyasha looked off at the only member of their party who hadn't gone running in his direction. Kagome was still on the floor kneeling beside the boiling ramen, her head bowed and her eyes not visible. Inuyasha knew better than to think she was simply ignoring him. He could smell the saltiness of her tears and even saw a few drops fall onto the floor from her face.
"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered and walked over to her. He knelt before her and spread his arms. Before he could even close them around her, Kagome lunged into his embrace and began to cry out loud, causing him to move his ears to block the sound. He then wrapped his arms around her and waited for her to stop crying.
When she was only sniffing, she tried to talk but all she could choke out from her constricted throat filled with emotion was "Where…?"
"Gomen Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, tightening his arms around her. Everyone sat around them (even Shippou who had come back from wherever he had landed) and waited to hear where Inuyasha was.
When Inuyasha was sure Kagome would be able to listen, Inuyasha began his tail beginning from where he met Feire to where they finally let him go. No one could believe anything Inuyasha said because they all thought it too far-fetched. There was no way two beings could turn two demons into two humans for a day or whenever they wanted.
When the tale was told, and Inuyasha not caring wherever or not they believed him, Inuyasha scooped up a now calm Kagome. Kagome shrieked. "Inuyasha! What are you doing?!"
He made no answer as he took her to a private spot so the both of them could talk. It turned out to be an indent in the forest where trees were scarce. There was a large space, good enough for them to talk. Inuyasha set down a confused Kagome before sitting down in front of her.
"Was kidnapping me necessary?!" Kagome fumed out. She had no idea what he was planning.
"Kagome," Inuyasha began, his eyes so filled with warmth and love that it caused Kagome to blush. Why is he looking me like that? "There was something I was talking about with Sesshoumaru while we were trapped. I felt it was time I told you."
"What is it?" Kagome asked uncertainly.
"……I love you," he finally managed to say, using up all the courage of his being.
Kagome's eyes widened. Was it possible? Did she hear right?
Before Kagome could say anything, Inuyasha had leaned forward and captured her warm lips with his. She stiffened with the contact, not sure what to make of it. Is this for real…? Or is this a dream…? His kiss was soft, loving, and tender.
It was when Kagome had finally responded to his kiss that he knew…
…Kagome loved him too.
~*~
On one sunshine morning, many days after the incident, Inuyasha and company were walking down a path one way, Sesshoumaru coming from the other. When both parties met halfway, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome all tensed and got ready for a battle they were sure would come.
It was then that they believed Inuyasha's tale, knew he was finally telling the truth. They were surprised to say the least. What did Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru do to show it had been the truth?
They smiled at each other. ^_^
~*~ ^_^ Owari ^_^ ~*~