A/N: Woohoo! People, we have beaten the number of reviews for Choice and Consequence! Happy day for me! (And if you haven't read it yet, please do! I'd love to know what you think…) Sorry about the wait for this chapter, you wouldn't believe how hard this one was to write! Okay, no one said to stop the shout outs, so here they are!
Megumi Sagara1: Glad you like it, keep reading!
Bikutoria: I just have to say, thanks for reminding me of what's gone on in the manga! You give me some ideas of how to incorporate the storyline with my upcoming chapters, it's great! Don't play hooky too much, hey? Don't want you to get in trouble…
Zero27: That was quick! Thanks for the review – the fight will start, er, soon! Yeah, soon! Promise!
Mattielover: The end is nigh…that's right, not too much longer to go! So, not long before the big showdown *grins* that you're all looking forward to so much!
Aamalie: Uh-huh, very hard to imagine! I practically fell off my chair when I wrote those bits (which would have been embarrassing, as I write on my laptop which is set up in the dining room – my family already think I'm nuts, that would just confirm it…) Some comic relief! Yay!
Mvdiva: Yup, I think Kagome's in for a bit of a shock. But remember…no rosary. So how will they handle this? Hmmm. Naraku will get his, don't worry. It just might be a little unexpected…
Jessica T: A review already?! Wow. Still no show, huh? Rats. Well, hope this makes up for it. I'm glad you (still) like my characters…as Kohaku's story goes on, he gets harder to write. At least I don't have to do quite so much work on Sesshy as in 'Choice and Consequence' – his part in this fic is over…Yup, I'm gonna leave him hanging (in a tree). Ha ha! And we both agree…Shippo rules! Go little fox dude, go!
Neoen: I should've known you would guess…FF.net has been causing problems on this side of the world, too. Grrr! I've lost count of the times I've been in the middle of a really good story, and then…nothing. 'Site is experiencing overload' etc. Argh! *ahem* Ok, rant over. Keep reading! And good guessing!
Mirsan4eva: Hello! Glad you came…eh? *Blinks* The best? I wouldn't say that…but thank you! I cracked up when I was writing it, too *lol*!
Akikaze no Uta: *Blushes* Thanks awfully! I love your reviews! Oh, yes, the humour was very intentional. It is possible for a fic to get too serious – it needed a little tension-breaker. Plus, it just plain tickled my fancy! Sooo funny…
Wizardess Gal: You're back! You won't have to wait too long…I promise!
Vampire-Elf: I'm glad you like the way I've written Kohaku into the story – it was a key goal of mine when I started, so that's one thing I've done right! I just checked – I'm on your favourites list!!! Wow, thanks! (And to anyone else who has put me on their fav story/author list, thank you very much!).
Samster: Hello! I'm glad you like how it's going so far…shouldn't be too much longer now.
A/N: Fluff ahead! You have been warned…oh, come on! They're alone, at a deserted campsite – what did you think was going to happen? On the angsty side, Miroku and co. are getting closer to Naraku….and Sango…
Disclaimer: I read the manga on the Internet…do you think I own it? No, I didn't think so.
Under Control
Chapter 9: Friendly Fire
Miroku wasn't entirely happy about it, but he had been forced to resort to using his precious shakujou as a walking staff on the uneven mountainside. The ground shifted beneath his feet, continually threatening to send him plummeting head over heels down the steep slope. All in all, that would be something of a backward step in his frantic search for Sango – not to mention, rather embarrassing.
Kohaku, sensing the houshi's tiredness, had offered to carry Shippo part of the way, and so had his hands full. It didn't really help his balance, but the cub's constant stream of conversation helped to keep tedium at bay. However, even the irrepressible youkai fell silent as they drew ever closer to their target. If their eyes hadn't deceived them, Kagura had descended into these mountains – she hadn't simply flown over them. Hence, Naraku's hideout had to be somewhere close by. If the forest itself was anything to go by, then it was a sure bet. The trees were clustered together in dense groves, letting very little light through the forest canopy. And most tellingly of all, they hadn't spotted one moving animal for the last few miles of their journey. The whole place seemed…dead.
With a gusty sigh, Miroku sank to the ground in exhaustion. Concerned, Kohaku walked up to him and slid into a crouch beside him, eyeing him cautiously. It just didn't seem right to him that the adult would be weaker on this trip than he was… "Houshi-sama?"
"Hmm?"
"Er," he fidgeted a little, "why do you want to find Ane-ue so badly?" 'And why are you so tired?' he wanted to ask, but he didn't dare. Miroku sighed again, but gentler this time. Somewhere in his mind he had known that he would have to explain what had happened to this boy, but he was still a tad reluctant to do it. After all, he didn't exactly come across in the best light in this story – a lecherous, unfaithful houshi. 'Oh well, best get it over with. He does deserve to know, considering he's in this fight now too.'
"Sango is…very special to me." He winced – he was practically using the exact same words as when he had 'proposed' to her a few months back. "We – the five of us – have been traveling together for a long time, and we are all very close friends. But…your Ane-ue is different. I – " He took a deep breath. This was harder than it looked…no wonder Inuyasha had such trouble with the words.
"I love her." There, he said it. Kohaku's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.
"What? Bu-but you're a houshi! You're not supposed to marry, are you?" Miroku had to suppress a chuckle at the boy's outraged expression. Of course, then Shippo had to butt in with his own spin on things. "He's not a very good houshi, Kohaku-kun. He breaks the rules all the time."
"Rules?" The poor kid looked confused again.
"You know…no drinking, no swearing, no women – nah, he's not a very good houshi." Shippo darted out of the houshi's reach quickly, fearing that Miroku would try and beat him into silence, like Inuyasha did. But to his surprise, his words had the opposite effect on his friend. The young man had frozen in place, as still as a statue, his head hanging quite low. The overall picture was one of dejection, and Shippo couldn't really say that he liked it. He was about to take his words back, when –
"Unfortunately, that's very true. I am a terrible houshi. If I were a better kind of houshi, Sango would never have fallen into Naraku's trap. So you see, you have me to blame for this, Kohaku. But understand this." His head snapped up suddenly, and Kohaku nearly gasped at the fire that shone in those dark eyes. "I will do whatever I have to in order to get her back again. I don't care if I have to fight Naraku himself!" He glanced down at his sealed hand. "Well, actually, fighting him would be rather satisfying. It's been a long time in coming…" He drifted into silence, seemingly thinking about fighting his nemesis. Kohaku coughed lightly, trying to get his attention back. The houshi's head swung around to look at him, eyes rather distant.
"So you're a houshi who's in love with Ane-ue?" Miroku nodded. "Does she love you?" The innocent question had the same effect as a punch in the gut. Miroku had hunched over, his eyes clenched shut.
"I – once she did." Miroku could still remember the joy on her face when he had asked her to bear his children. She had been so happy then…but the following months had changed all that. "Now I'm not sure." Kohaku cocked his head inquiringly.
"Why not?" This kid was making it hard for him without even knowing it…
"Like I said, I'm a terrible houshi. I don't have much willpower when it comes to women, especially pretty ones." Kohaku looked like he wanted to ask what on earth he meant, but he kept his mouth shut. "I love Sango" – it was getting easier to say that – "but – I have a tendency to fall back into my old ways." Shippo could see that the message wasn't getting through.
"He asks them to bear his child!" the kitsune blurted out. Kohaku felt himself beginning to lose his temper.
"So you love her, you want to marry her, even though you're a houshi, but you ask other women to be your wife as well? And that's why she left?" He could hear his voice rising with every word. Miroku, on the other hand, spoke so quietly that he could hardly be heard.
"Yes."
"I don't blame her for leaving!"
"Neither do I."
Kohaku had to pull himself back from the houshi when he felt his hand drift to the hilt of his sword. As just as it would be, he couldn't kill his one ally this close to Naraku's fortress. But what this – this bouzu had done to his Ane-ue was unforgivable! Miroku saw where the boy's hand was resting and grimaced. Groaning, he got to his feet. "You have every right to do that, Kohaku, but it had better wait until after we have her back. We probably have a long fight ahead of us." He walked a few steps, then turned to face the kid. "I do love her, though. Please remember that." Without another word, the houshi started hiking through the forest again. Kohaku scrambled to his feet, wanting to know one more thing.
"How long have you been looking for her?" Miroku didn't stop – he didn't even slow down. His voice drifted back to the boy.
"Since the moment you took her. I think it's been a week." Kohaku was perplexed. He couldn't remember how long it had been since his mission to capture Sango, but the distance from that village was huge! To have traveled that far in just one week…unthinkable. No wonder the houshi was tired.
'Maybe he does love her,' he thought. Shifting Shippo to a better position in his arms, he caught up to Miroku and walked beside him. 'Since the moment you took her.' The words rang in his head. There hadn't been any animosity in the houshi's voice when he said that – just regret, and…compassion? It was as if Miroku didn't hold it against him! His sister's friends were nothing short of amazing, he mused.
They had forgiven him, so maybe he could forgive this one as well? He nodded, still walking along. Yes, he could. They continued climbing in silence.
Kagome lay motionless on the hard ground. Every so often Inuyasha would move as though to pick her up, to cradle her as she slept, but he would inevitably back away. He couldn't be sure that it was safe to touch her, not after what had happened that day. The girl hadn't moved an inch since she blasted Sesshoumaru away to goodness-knows-where. It was enough to drive a certain hanyou mad. 'It's been a whole day, and she still hasn't woken up!' He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "Lazy wench!" But there was no real anger in his tone. In all fairness, he couldn't be mad at her.
He had never seen such an awesome display of power.
Inuyasha closed his eyes, seeing once again the remarkable scene that had played out in this very clearing. He had lost the fight – something which still rankled inside him – and things had looked pretty hopeless. Then, a flash of blue fire had dazzled his eyes a little. Kagome had started glowing, and before he could even move a muscle, a rushing column of energy had struck his half-brother full on…lifting him and his little toad straight into the air. Sesshoumaru had barely even had time for one haughty glare before he was gone. Just like that.
It was hard to believe that such a frail-looking girl could have such incredible strength. But there was one thing of which he was certain – she hadn't had it before. It seemed that the effect of Kagome's soul reuniting was greater than they had all thought. Now she was virtually invincible.
This left very little need for a protector. What was he supposed to do now?
As he sat there, lost in his gloomy thoughts, he didn't notice that Kagome's eyelids had started fluttering. Her breath came quicker as she began to wake up once more. As she forced her eyes to open, the movement seemed to finally catch his attention. Almost without realizing it she braced herself for a thorough tongue-lashing – something along the lines of "What did you do that for, you idiot wench? You're too weak to fight someone like Sesshoumaru!" She was somewhat dumbfounded when he simply looked at her. His golden eyes were glittering with some emotion that she couldn't quite identify…it unnerved her. When he finally did speak, his words stunned her. "You don't need me anymore."
Okay, so that was…unexpected, to say the least. "Excuse me?" She had never heard him speak in such a depressed tone of voice! 'I don't get it…' He saw the confusion in her eyes and stiffened in anger.
"Feh! Didn't you hear me the first time, bitch? You don't need a protector anymore!" He looked as though he would like to rip something apart with his claws just then. "You just defeated a youkai lord by yourself! You don't need a worthless hanyou to look out for you now…you're strong enough on your own. So don't think you have to hang around or anything – because you don't!" He practically spat those last words out in his rage. He was angry with her, with the world, and he didn't care who knew. "You probably can't wait to get away from this place, so go already! We don't need you!" He abruptly turned his back on her and sat cross-legged on the ground, arms folded tightly across his chest. When Kagome still hadn't said anything a minute or so later, his heart sank. 'Now you've done it, you moron – she might actually leave you! What did you go and say all that for?'
Kagome, meanwhile, had been greatly astonished by her friend's outburst. It would have been easy to listen to the anger in his voice and simply get mad in return…but for once, she didn't let her temper get the better of her. After all, she had had two years to decipher the unique emotional language of Inuyasha, and when she took that into consideration, his words made a lot more sense. It didn't stop her from wanting to roll her eyes at the furious hanyou, though. 'He's trying to push me away before I can decide to leave myself. That way he is still in control of what happens…'
"Do you really think I would leave?" she asked gently. No answer. Oh great, so now he was sulking. Perfect. "Is that what you thought I would do?" She was determined to get an answer from him eventually. Too tired to get up and force him to look at her, she extended one finger towards him.
Poke, poke. "Hey, talk to me."
Poke. "Hellooo?"
Poke, poke, poke. "Grrrr…" Aha! A reaction of sorts…
Poke, poke. "Argh! Quit it, woman!" To her delighted satisfaction, he twisted angrily around to glare at her.
"You want me to quit it?" Poke. "Then don't ignore me like that!" He batted her finger away.
"Okay, fine." He shuffled around to face her again, a scowl on his face.
"Alright…now why did you think I would want to leave you?" She blushed a little as she said it – well, it did sound a bit odd, but the main idea was there. Her eyes widened as his hand moved up to touch the place where the rosary had once hung around his neck. 'What does that have to do with it?'
"You're always in such a hurry to leave, even though you say it's for 'tests' and stuff," he began slowly. "But you always came back – and I think it was partly because that stupid rosary was here. It was a kind of…connection, I guess." He growled deep in his throat, letting her know just how upset he was. "And you took it off."
"Inuyasha, you're not really making much sense…"
"But even without the spell, you would have needed to stick around for your own protection. And now you don't even need that! There's nothing holding you here. You aren't bound to me anymore, and you don't need me to protect you anymore, so why are you still here?" The last few words came out as a shout, startling the girl with their intensity. However, now she was getting mad.
"Oh, for crying out loud, Inuyasha! Anyone would think that you liked getting 'sat'! I took it off because I trust you! I know you'd never hurt me, so I didn't need it anymore!" The angrier she got, the more she felt her strength returning. She felt about ready to run a sprint race… "Anyway, aren't you the one who keeps trying to send me away? Telling me to go back to my own time and stay there?! As if I would abandon my friends like that! It's just too bad that you want me to leave so badly –"
"No! I hate it when you leave – " Suddenly realizing what he'd said, Inuyasha clapped one clawed hand over his mouth in a panic. He'd let his feelings get the better of him…he tensed and jumped to his feet, ready to run. Kagome saw this and, to his surprise, she growled. "Don't you dare!" A crackling tendril of miko energy wrapped itself around his ankles, binding his feet together. If he tried to run now, he'd just fall flat on his face. Snarling in frustration, he tugged at their hold on him, trying to free himself – but to no avail. Kagome climbed stiffly to her feet, walking over to where he stood. "Fair's fair, Inuyasha."
She crash-tackled him, forcing the astonished hanyou to the ground. She smirked at him, very satisfied with herself. "Now you know what it feels like." He tried to move, growling when she didn't release him. Her smirk softened into a smile. "You don't really want me to leave, do you?" He sighed in defeat.
"No." With that one soft admission, Inuyasha felt his defenses coming down. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable flip side to this situation. Wasn't there always something that could go wrong for him?
He certainly wasn't expecting Kagome to relax against him, her arms winding around his neck as she hid her face in his shoulder. He froze for a moment, then hesitantly wrapped his arms around the girl. She lifted her head, her breath tickling his ear. "Thank you."
"Hmpf. What for?" he murmured. She shifted, bracing her arms on either side of his shoulders.
"For saying no," she said simply. Then she grinned. "You really hated me poking you, didn't you?"
"Feh. Of course I did, wench." She poked him, giggling when he tried to twist away. Wait…was that a laugh? Oooh…
"You're ticklish!" The grin turned evil.
"No, I'm not! I'm…ah! No! Stop it! Argh – stupid girl! Cut it out! Aahh!" She laughed until tears filled her eyes, still poking him relentlessly. 'A ticklish hanyou – who would've thought it?' Suddenly his hands flashed by, catching her own hand firmly.
"I said stop." His voice was so low it sounded almost like a purr. The sound set Kagome's heart thumping, and she remembered with a start just who was resting on top of whom. Oops. Smirking, he pulled her hand along, forcing her to move with it until she was practically lying on top of him. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire with all the blushing she was doing…her face was directly over his now…he was still pulling…she could feel his breath on her skin… he wasn't smirking anymore.
He tilted his head up to close the gap between them, closing his eyes as he kissed her softly. She was too startled to do anything more than kiss him back – still blushing. Too soon, she thought, he pulled back to look at her again. "I never want you to leave." She sighed contentedly, snuggling down in his arms.
They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Eventually, however, reality set in. They had a whole day of travel to make up if they were going to catch up to Miroku, Kohaku and Shippo – and Sango wouldn't be far off from them, if their guess was right. Kagome smiled shyly as she climbed onto Inuyasha's back once more, hearing him sigh as she wrapped her arms around him to hold on. Undoubtedly this newfound softness in his behaviour would disappear as soon as other people were around, but it was wonderful while it lasted. She soaked it up, loving every minute. All too soon his attention would be taken by the task of finding Naraku – but that was alright, because that was what she would be doing as well. For now, they had to find the boys.
Kohaku was the first to reach the crest of the mountain ridge, and he stopped to take a look around. He spotted something through the trees and beckoned for Miroku to join him. "It's Naraku's castle, Houshi-sama. It has to be – it's the only thing around here that I remember." At these words Miroku practically flung himself down the mountainside, barely dodging trees and boulders that stood in his way. A bemused Kohaku and an incredulous Shippo followed him closely. "Oi, Miroku, how come we're going so fast?" Shippo called.
'He can talk,' thought Kohaku. 'He's not even walking…'
"Sango is down there! We have to hurry!" The houshi continued crashing his way through the forest. The gates to the fortress were just becoming visible.
Naraku gazed at the young woman kneeling before him. "They are nearly here, Sango. Are you ready to face the people who destroyed your family?" He noticed the slight clenching of her fists as she answered, "Yes, master. What are your orders?"
"Go down to the gate and wait for them. Don't let any of them past you. My safety is in your hands." Oh, what a delicious twist that was! Protecting her mortal enemy…
"They will not reach you, master." She rose to her feet smoothly, striding from the hall to prepare for the fight that was coming. She was dressed in her battle outfit – for which Kagura was extremely thankful. It meant that she wouldn't have to wear it herself. Playing decoy like that had been plain embarrassing – and who wore clothes like that, anyway?! Ridiculous.
Naraku just smiled. 'Let the fun begin…'
Kohaku set the little kitsune down in a small clearing near the main gate. "You have to wait here, Shippo. We don't want you to get hurt today. Okay?" Shippo, predictably, pouted.
"I don't wanna stay here! I wanna help you guys! I helped against Sesshoumaru, didn't I?" Kohaku glanced down at his hand for a moment – the tooth marks were still there.
"Yes, you did, but Houshi-sama and I are going to be very busy now, so you have to wait here." The boy sighed, knowing full well that you couldn't really stop a youkai from doing pretty much whatever it wanted. But that was beside the point. "Stay."
"Ahhh…fine!" Shippo folded his arms and started sulking. Kohaku just grinned at him and walked over to where Miroku was waiting. "He's going to stay here," Kohaku reported. The houshi nodded in satisfaction and resumed walking towards the fortress. The two of them halted immediately as the gates started to open. They peered into the darkness beyond, desperately trying to pick out their opponent.
Sango stood in the centre of the doorway, framed by the two outer doors. Hiraikotsu rested on her shoulder. Miroku thought she had never looked more beautiful. He fought the urge to simply run over to her, though – there was no telling what would happen. Too late, he noticed his partner racing towards her. "Kohaku, no!"
"Ane-ue!" The boy was overjoyed to see his sister again. But the look on his face turned to horror when the huge weapon sliced through the air toward him. It caught him in the stomach, flinging him like a rag doll to the side of the entrance. He coughed once, then fell still. Miroku only barely had time to think, 'Oh, please, let him be alive,' before Sango was advancing toward him, a cold gleam in her eyes. Her face was void of emotion, reminding him rather forcefully of the time that she had been possessed in the village of oni-women. She had been a formidable opponent then – what would this fight be like?
"Sango – I don't want to hurt you," he said sadly. She gave no sign of recognizing him as she drew the sword that was sheathed at her side. He gripped his shakujou, preparing to defend himself. And, if necessary, to end the torment of the woman before him. It would kill him…but he would do it. It was his responsibility. As the first blow fell, his question was answered. She was much stronger this time around.
The one you've all been waiting for! The fight! Oh yeah, here we go. No promises as to when the next chappie will be done, but it shouldn't be too long. So…who wins this one? You'll see.
Next Chapter: Outmatched