Chapter 06: Guardian
Kagome snuggled into her nice warm bed. She couldn't remember a time where she had felt so wrapped in security. But then she noticed that her bed was moving. It was almost as if it was breathing in a pattern that matched the rise and fall of her own chest.
The sun was beginning to burn her eyes through her eye lids. However when she tried to rise the bed seemed to tighten around her and pull her closer. That's when she sneaked a peak and noticed that her bed had two well tanned, muscular arms. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized she wasn't in bed, but rather in Kouga's arms!
"Good morning beautiful." Kouga's deep sleep clouded voice greeted.
"What happened? Why am I sleeping with you?" Kagome inquired suddenly nervous because to be in such a position she must have let her guard down. She was never one to throw herself at boys. And Kouga was a man or at least a grown youkai. What would he think of her?
"Your wound reopened during your sleep. I healed it in a way that only a youkai can."
"What did you do?" She looked down for the offending hole in her side and found no trace of the scar.
Kouga held up his palm and wrapped his tail around her waist where his hand previously rested. "I shared my blood with you. Within my blood lies a healing factor."
Kagome mouthed a silent 'oh.' Then she tried to get up once more. "I think we should get up. I believe we are very close to the village." Her stomach fluttered with a million butterflies. For a brief moment she had forgotten that he was a youkai. But that brown wolf tail wrapped around her midsection was a definite reminder!
"As you wish." Kouga reluctantly released her.
The group ate a quick breakfast and began the final leg of their trek. Sango and Miroku had grown rather close during the night it would seem. They lead the group and kept sneaking glances back at Kagome. If one didn't know any better you would think they were conspiring together. Sesshoumaru was being strangely quiet. Kagome was walking alongside him in the middle of the group and Kouga was walking in the back keeping an alert guard.
Kouga had decided to take position in the rear for he did not want to make Kagome uncomfortable. Before he met her every female was a bore or ditzy. Sure she had her ditzy moments but her courage was remarkable.
In spite of how much he would prefer to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder and run back to his tribe and make his proclamation that she was his woman he did not want to make her uncomfortable. He was positive that such an action would definitely unnerve the human. Perhaps in a few weeks time she would agree to be his mate. Since he had to announce one in a short while and she seemed the best option, he wanted to play everything safe.
Kagome kept sensing that Sesshoumaru was sneaking furtive glances at her. "Is something wrong Seshoumaru-sama?"
"I was curious about your wound."
"Yeah, it's all healed. Kouga took care of it."
"So I noticed." Kagome's face burned red as she blushed.
"Is that something that youkai generally do?"
"No."
"Why not?" She asked him.
Sesshoumaru looked her in the eyes. Her heart skipped a beat under the intense gaze. "Youkai do not generally sacrifice a part of themselves for a mere human."
"Well this mere human would not have been injured if she hadn't been saving a certain demon-lord."
Sesshoumaru knew she was right. However he would never admit this. "Whatever. I did not need your aid."
Kouga had heard the entire exchange with his sensitive canine hearing. He picked up his pace and walked alongside the two. He placed a possessive, yet innocent arm around Kagome's shoulder before addressing Sesshoumaru.
"You know Sesshoumaru that was a very un-lord like reply. I would have thought you had more dignity."
Sesshoumaru was about to reply with his indifferent silence. That was until a better idea came to him as he recalled from his memory what he knew about Kouga.
"Do you really think you should be draping your arm around the miko? I mean, what would your fiancé Ayame think?" He almost smiled at the expected result.
Kagome twirled out of Kouga's grasp and stood beside Sesshoumaru. Kouga was met with her angry glare.
"Why don't you keep out of business which you know nothing about, Sesshoumaru?" Kouga replied coldly trying with great resolve to remain composed. The look on Kagome's face was unsettling.
"What is he talking about Kouga?"
"It is tribal custom for the leader of the wolves to be mated. However, when I took over the tribe I was not and am currently not. The elders decided to take matters into their own hands. One of the elders decided that his granddaughter should be my future mate. I disagreed."
"I see."
"Of course she seems to think we are engaged. She is too dense for her own good. Tribal laws are strict. If I do not announce an intended mate within a few months time then I will step down as leader so as not to have Ayame forced upon me."
As Kouga explained to Kagome the Ayame situation he watched an emotional exhibit display upon her angelic face. Her eyes soften in sympathy for him.
"Kouga-kun that is horrible. I can not believe they would force you to marry someone you didn't love because of tradition."
"What is this 'marry'? I was talking about mating." Kouga looked at the miko with confusion plastered across his handsome features.
"She is speaking of human terminology. It is their version of the relationship." Sesshoumaru wisely supplied.
Kagome had forgotten about Sesshoumaru for a moment. After he spoke though she whirled upon him flipped her ponytail over her shoulder to hit him in the face with her obsidian locks and then stalked away.
The demon lord was too shocked by her gall so that he didn't react. Kouga merely snickered. "Are you sure she's merely human?"
"Sango? Miroku? Can I talk to you guys?" Kagome ran up to her human companions away from the two immature youkai.
"Hai Kagome-chan. What do you need?" Sango asked her friend as she and Miroku slowed down for the girl to catch up.
"I just needed to be around some humans for a while. Those youkai were driving me crazy."
"We are fairly close to the village now, are we not?" Miroku inquired.
"Yes we are. I'm very surprised that we haven't been attacked lately. Generally this area is crawling with youkai. Something is amiss." Sango confided in the two.
"I am sure that all will be revealed to us soon." Miroku answered in a mystical type fashion. He did not expect Buddha to reveal it quite so soon.
Sesshoumaru and Kouga glanced at each other uneasily. "You smelled it too?"
"Do not insult this Sesshoumaru. It is impossible to miss such a stench."
They ran up to the humans to inform them of the threat. However, they too had sensed it somehow.
"It's coming from the North." Sesshoumaru informed the ensemble. They all took up battle stances as the approaching entity of evil came. What they had not expected was that the vines of the very forest they walked would betray them.
Suddenly all five found themselves caught off guard and ensnared in a green mesh of vegetation. Then a man in a white baboon suit greeted their upside down faces as the vines held them by their feet.
Sesshoumaru had never been so humiliated. There was something within the vines that seemed to be sucking up his very life force. Sango and Miroku were straining to remain conscious. Kouga was angrily kicking and clawing, only resulting in further entanglement. Kagome however had an eerily calm expression and showed no signs of struggle.
The baboon suited man approached her. "My time traveler at last I have found you." The vines holding Kagome redistributed themselves so that she was pushed closer to him and right-side-up. He placed a hand upon her chin to look into her eyes.
"It's funny that even after you died to keep the jewel from me, you then return it to me as a reincarnation."
"What are you talking about? What jewel? Who's reincarnation?" The miasma began to choke the woman as it rolled off the oddly cloaked man.
The man chose to ignore her. He also chose to ignore the two sets of growls coming from the vines. His attention was directed towards the other humans.
"Ah, I see the monk has not been sucked into his void yet."
"It was you! I will kill you with this same curse that you gave me." Miroku answered animated.
The man ignored him and directed his attention to the demon slayer. "You are the last of your kind now demon-slayer. Do not expect a warm welcome upon your return to your village."
"You bastard what did you do?" Miroku screamed in Sango's defense.
The man paid him no heed as he now turned his attention to the two demons.
"Tell me your name." Sesshoumaru demanded.
"Why do you need my name?"
"We would like to know who it is that we destroy." Kouga replied with the silent agreement of Sesshoumaru.
"I am Naraku." Naraku then ignored everyone but Kagome, whom he redirected his gaze towards.
"You have something of mine." Then he extended the nails of his right hand into claws and slashed at her abdomen. It was the same place that Kouga had healed the night before.
Kagome did not expect to see a pink ball be extracted from her side. She screamed in agony as her flesh was left with a gapping wound and her life force was bleeding out of her rapidly.
Naraku became distracted and did not notice the surge of youkai coming from both Kouga and Sesshoumaru because as canines the power of protector was fierce. Nor did he notice the intense hatred that drove the two humans he previously taunted. All he saw was the Shikon no Tama and the collapsing miko. Kikyou was dead. If this futuristic version were to also perish no one could defeat him.
Kouga burst out of his vine and punched Naraku hard in the gut and sent him flying. Sesshoumaru followed up on the attack as Kouga rushed to Kagome's side to try and halt the blood flow that seemed to gush like a river.
Sango released her boomerang and Miroku unlocked his air-void. Naraku merely laughed sadistically at them as he extended his arms into tentacles and knocked them across the field into trees.
He should not have ignored Sesshoumaru. Although the youkai-lord's poison claws had no effect due to Naraku's personal miasma the force of his clawed attacks were profound. One such blow happened to knock the jewel out of his grasp.
"Kagome! Destroy it!" Sesshoumaru yelled at the priestess who was suffering from blood loss and was being supported by Kouga's strong arms. She nodded her head at him and ignored her pain. She notched her bow with one of her arrows and focused her priestess energies and took aim.
She shot the jewel. She knew that she could not destroy it. But to shatter it would perhaps buy them time to appropriately deal with this new villain.
Naraku and Sesshoumaru stopped their battle to watch the jewel break apart into hundreds of pieces and disperse all over Japan.
"Foolish mortal!" Naraku hissed at the human woman holding the offending bow. He made a rush for her only to be sliced in half by Sesshoumaru. In the place of the baboon cloaked Naraku remained a golem doll.
"He was never here?" Kagome asked confused.
"Apparently, Naraku is a coward. Why did you shatter the jewel? I told you to destroy it." Sesshoumaru demanded.
"It can not be destroyed." She answered.
"How do you know that?" Kouga questioned quietly concerned about her fresh wounds.
"I had a feeling and since it came from my body I trust that feeling."
"She is correct. It can not simply be destroyed." Sango spoke up as she helped Miroku to his feet. They both had killer head aches but nothing serious from their run in with a couple of tree trunks.
"Do you think Naraku has something to do with the lack of demons?" Miroku asked the group.
"Undoubtedly. I would like to return to my village to find more answers. Is that okay, Kagome-chan?" Sango inquired.
Kagome nodded her head in approval. Kouga had laid her upon the ground and was examining her wound. He noticed that it was in the exact same location that he had healed the night before. As a result he noticed some of his residual healing factor slowing the blood flow. He decided to up the dosage.
Once again Kagome found herself in the wolf-youkai's lap with his palm covering her wound and with their blood mixing.
Sesshoumaru stood guard once again contemplating all that had transpired. Naraku bothered him greatly.
"Kagome?"
"Yes, Miroku?"
"You realize that with the jewel shattered that you can't leave for your home."
"Why is that?"
"Naraku will not stop until he has the jewel. It came from you body. It stands to reason that you would be the one that possesses the power to defeat him."
Kagome bit her lip. Miroku was right. She had a responsibility to this place now. It was her fault that this jewel was in this time. She had to be the one to correct the situation she made.
Kouga's grip upon the miko tightened when he noticed her tension. "Do not worry. I will aid you. I was right about you. You definitely offer adventure."
"I too will aid you Kagome-san. We have a common enemy in Naraku." Miroku replied.
"As a demon-exterminator, I would be honored to assist in this quest." Sango offered.
"Arigato," Kagome whispered as sleep claimed her and she relaxed into Kouga's healing embrace.
Miroku decided to accompany Sango to her village. Afterwards they would rejoin the miko and two demons at the village near Inuyasha's forest.
After the departure of the two humans upon a fully transformed Kirara, Kouga stood and held Kagome in his arms with his palm remaining implanted on her wound.
"We should head to that village now. I will carry you and using my speed we will arrive shortly." Kouga informed.
"I have a better idea." Sesshoumaru interrupted. He began to work his youkai magic and a red misty cloud developed at his feet. "Climb on. This way will be effective time wise and will expend no more energy than necessary."
Kouga climbed upon the cloud as Sesshoumaru suggested. Kagome clung tightly to his chest. "What is wrong?"
"Don't laugh, but I'm afraid of heights." She confessed while worrying her lower lip.
Sesshoumaru laughed. "Do not worry, I am sure your wolf will not let you fall. I am anxious to visit my worthless half-brother. Let us go."
Kagome snuggled into her nice warm bed. She couldn't remember a time where she had felt so wrapped in security. But then she noticed that her bed was moving. It was almost as if it was breathing in a pattern that matched the rise and fall of her own chest.
The sun was beginning to burn her eyes through her eye lids. However when she tried to rise the bed seemed to tighten around her and pull her closer. That's when she sneaked a peak and noticed that her bed had two well tanned, muscular arms. Kagome's eyes widened as she realized she wasn't in bed, but rather in Kouga's arms!
"Good morning beautiful." Kouga's deep sleep clouded voice greeted.
"What happened? Why am I sleeping with you?" Kagome inquired suddenly nervous because to be in such a position she must have let her guard down. She was never one to throw herself at boys. And Kouga was a man or at least a grown youkai. What would he think of her?
"Your wound reopened during your sleep. I healed it in a way that only a youkai can."
"What did you do?" She looked down for the offending hole in her side and found no trace of the scar.
Kouga held up his palm and wrapped his tail around her waist where his hand previously rested. "I shared my blood with you. Within my blood lies a healing factor."
Kagome mouthed a silent 'oh.' Then she tried to get up once more. "I think we should get up. I believe we are very close to the village." Her stomach fluttered with a million butterflies. For a brief moment she had forgotten that he was a youkai. But that brown wolf tail wrapped around her midsection was a definite reminder!
"As you wish." Kouga reluctantly released her.
The group ate a quick breakfast and began the final leg of their trek. Sango and Miroku had grown rather close during the night it would seem. They lead the group and kept sneaking glances back at Kagome. If one didn't know any better you would think they were conspiring together. Sesshoumaru was being strangely quiet. Kagome was walking alongside him in the middle of the group and Kouga was walking in the back keeping an alert guard.
Kouga had decided to take position in the rear for he did not want to make Kagome uncomfortable. Before he met her every female was a bore or ditzy. Sure she had her ditzy moments but her courage was remarkable.
In spite of how much he would prefer to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder and run back to his tribe and make his proclamation that she was his woman he did not want to make her uncomfortable. He was positive that such an action would definitely unnerve the human. Perhaps in a few weeks time she would agree to be his mate. Since he had to announce one in a short while and she seemed the best option, he wanted to play everything safe.
Kagome kept sensing that Sesshoumaru was sneaking furtive glances at her. "Is something wrong Seshoumaru-sama?"
"I was curious about your wound."
"Yeah, it's all healed. Kouga took care of it."
"So I noticed." Kagome's face burned red as she blushed.
"Is that something that youkai generally do?"
"No."
"Why not?" She asked him.
Sesshoumaru looked her in the eyes. Her heart skipped a beat under the intense gaze. "Youkai do not generally sacrifice a part of themselves for a mere human."
"Well this mere human would not have been injured if she hadn't been saving a certain demon-lord."
Sesshoumaru knew she was right. However he would never admit this. "Whatever. I did not need your aid."
Kouga had heard the entire exchange with his sensitive canine hearing. He picked up his pace and walked alongside the two. He placed a possessive, yet innocent arm around Kagome's shoulder before addressing Sesshoumaru.
"You know Sesshoumaru that was a very un-lord like reply. I would have thought you had more dignity."
Sesshoumaru was about to reply with his indifferent silence. That was until a better idea came to him as he recalled from his memory what he knew about Kouga.
"Do you really think you should be draping your arm around the miko? I mean, what would your fiancé Ayame think?" He almost smiled at the expected result.
Kagome twirled out of Kouga's grasp and stood beside Sesshoumaru. Kouga was met with her angry glare.
"Why don't you keep out of business which you know nothing about, Sesshoumaru?" Kouga replied coldly trying with great resolve to remain composed. The look on Kagome's face was unsettling.
"What is he talking about Kouga?"
"It is tribal custom for the leader of the wolves to be mated. However, when I took over the tribe I was not and am currently not. The elders decided to take matters into their own hands. One of the elders decided that his granddaughter should be my future mate. I disagreed."
"I see."
"Of course she seems to think we are engaged. She is too dense for her own good. Tribal laws are strict. If I do not announce an intended mate within a few months time then I will step down as leader so as not to have Ayame forced upon me."
As Kouga explained to Kagome the Ayame situation he watched an emotional exhibit display upon her angelic face. Her eyes soften in sympathy for him.
"Kouga-kun that is horrible. I can not believe they would force you to marry someone you didn't love because of tradition."
"What is this 'marry'? I was talking about mating." Kouga looked at the miko with confusion plastered across his handsome features.
"She is speaking of human terminology. It is their version of the relationship." Sesshoumaru wisely supplied.
Kagome had forgotten about Sesshoumaru for a moment. After he spoke though she whirled upon him flipped her ponytail over her shoulder to hit him in the face with her obsidian locks and then stalked away.
The demon lord was too shocked by her gall so that he didn't react. Kouga merely snickered. "Are you sure she's merely human?"
"Sango? Miroku? Can I talk to you guys?" Kagome ran up to her human companions away from the two immature youkai.
"Hai Kagome-chan. What do you need?" Sango asked her friend as she and Miroku slowed down for the girl to catch up.
"I just needed to be around some humans for a while. Those youkai were driving me crazy."
"We are fairly close to the village now, are we not?" Miroku inquired.
"Yes we are. I'm very surprised that we haven't been attacked lately. Generally this area is crawling with youkai. Something is amiss." Sango confided in the two.
"I am sure that all will be revealed to us soon." Miroku answered in a mystical type fashion. He did not expect Buddha to reveal it quite so soon.
Sesshoumaru and Kouga glanced at each other uneasily. "You smelled it too?"
"Do not insult this Sesshoumaru. It is impossible to miss such a stench."
They ran up to the humans to inform them of the threat. However, they too had sensed it somehow.
"It's coming from the North." Sesshoumaru informed the ensemble. They all took up battle stances as the approaching entity of evil came. What they had not expected was that the vines of the very forest they walked would betray them.
Suddenly all five found themselves caught off guard and ensnared in a green mesh of vegetation. Then a man in a white baboon suit greeted their upside down faces as the vines held them by their feet.
Sesshoumaru had never been so humiliated. There was something within the vines that seemed to be sucking up his very life force. Sango and Miroku were straining to remain conscious. Kouga was angrily kicking and clawing, only resulting in further entanglement. Kagome however had an eerily calm expression and showed no signs of struggle.
The baboon suited man approached her. "My time traveler at last I have found you." The vines holding Kagome redistributed themselves so that she was pushed closer to him and right-side-up. He placed a hand upon her chin to look into her eyes.
"It's funny that even after you died to keep the jewel from me, you then return it to me as a reincarnation."
"What are you talking about? What jewel? Who's reincarnation?" The miasma began to choke the woman as it rolled off the oddly cloaked man.
The man chose to ignore her. He also chose to ignore the two sets of growls coming from the vines. His attention was directed towards the other humans.
"Ah, I see the monk has not been sucked into his void yet."
"It was you! I will kill you with this same curse that you gave me." Miroku answered animated.
The man ignored him and directed his attention to the demon slayer. "You are the last of your kind now demon-slayer. Do not expect a warm welcome upon your return to your village."
"You bastard what did you do?" Miroku screamed in Sango's defense.
The man paid him no heed as he now turned his attention to the two demons.
"Tell me your name." Sesshoumaru demanded.
"Why do you need my name?"
"We would like to know who it is that we destroy." Kouga replied with the silent agreement of Sesshoumaru.
"I am Naraku." Naraku then ignored everyone but Kagome, whom he redirected his gaze towards.
"You have something of mine." Then he extended the nails of his right hand into claws and slashed at her abdomen. It was the same place that Kouga had healed the night before.
Kagome did not expect to see a pink ball be extracted from her side. She screamed in agony as her flesh was left with a gapping wound and her life force was bleeding out of her rapidly.
Naraku became distracted and did not notice the surge of youkai coming from both Kouga and Sesshoumaru because as canines the power of protector was fierce. Nor did he notice the intense hatred that drove the two humans he previously taunted. All he saw was the Shikon no Tama and the collapsing miko. Kikyou was dead. If this futuristic version were to also perish no one could defeat him.
Kouga burst out of his vine and punched Naraku hard in the gut and sent him flying. Sesshoumaru followed up on the attack as Kouga rushed to Kagome's side to try and halt the blood flow that seemed to gush like a river.
Sango released her boomerang and Miroku unlocked his air-void. Naraku merely laughed sadistically at them as he extended his arms into tentacles and knocked them across the field into trees.
He should not have ignored Sesshoumaru. Although the youkai-lord's poison claws had no effect due to Naraku's personal miasma the force of his clawed attacks were profound. One such blow happened to knock the jewel out of his grasp.
"Kagome! Destroy it!" Sesshoumaru yelled at the priestess who was suffering from blood loss and was being supported by Kouga's strong arms. She nodded her head at him and ignored her pain. She notched her bow with one of her arrows and focused her priestess energies and took aim.
She shot the jewel. She knew that she could not destroy it. But to shatter it would perhaps buy them time to appropriately deal with this new villain.
Naraku and Sesshoumaru stopped their battle to watch the jewel break apart into hundreds of pieces and disperse all over Japan.
"Foolish mortal!" Naraku hissed at the human woman holding the offending bow. He made a rush for her only to be sliced in half by Sesshoumaru. In the place of the baboon cloaked Naraku remained a golem doll.
"He was never here?" Kagome asked confused.
"Apparently, Naraku is a coward. Why did you shatter the jewel? I told you to destroy it." Sesshoumaru demanded.
"It can not be destroyed." She answered.
"How do you know that?" Kouga questioned quietly concerned about her fresh wounds.
"I had a feeling and since it came from my body I trust that feeling."
"She is correct. It can not simply be destroyed." Sango spoke up as she helped Miroku to his feet. They both had killer head aches but nothing serious from their run in with a couple of tree trunks.
"Do you think Naraku has something to do with the lack of demons?" Miroku asked the group.
"Undoubtedly. I would like to return to my village to find more answers. Is that okay, Kagome-chan?" Sango inquired.
Kagome nodded her head in approval. Kouga had laid her upon the ground and was examining her wound. He noticed that it was in the exact same location that he had healed the night before. As a result he noticed some of his residual healing factor slowing the blood flow. He decided to up the dosage.
Once again Kagome found herself in the wolf-youkai's lap with his palm covering her wound and with their blood mixing.
Sesshoumaru stood guard once again contemplating all that had transpired. Naraku bothered him greatly.
"Kagome?"
"Yes, Miroku?"
"You realize that with the jewel shattered that you can't leave for your home."
"Why is that?"
"Naraku will not stop until he has the jewel. It came from you body. It stands to reason that you would be the one that possesses the power to defeat him."
Kagome bit her lip. Miroku was right. She had a responsibility to this place now. It was her fault that this jewel was in this time. She had to be the one to correct the situation she made.
Kouga's grip upon the miko tightened when he noticed her tension. "Do not worry. I will aid you. I was right about you. You definitely offer adventure."
"I too will aid you Kagome-san. We have a common enemy in Naraku." Miroku replied.
"As a demon-exterminator, I would be honored to assist in this quest." Sango offered.
"Arigato," Kagome whispered as sleep claimed her and she relaxed into Kouga's healing embrace.
Miroku decided to accompany Sango to her village. Afterwards they would rejoin the miko and two demons at the village near Inuyasha's forest.
After the departure of the two humans upon a fully transformed Kirara, Kouga stood and held Kagome in his arms with his palm remaining implanted on her wound.
"We should head to that village now. I will carry you and using my speed we will arrive shortly." Kouga informed.
"I have a better idea." Sesshoumaru interrupted. He began to work his youkai magic and a red misty cloud developed at his feet. "Climb on. This way will be effective time wise and will expend no more energy than necessary."
Kouga climbed upon the cloud as Sesshoumaru suggested. Kagome clung tightly to his chest. "What is wrong?"
"Don't laugh, but I'm afraid of heights." She confessed while worrying her lower lip.
Sesshoumaru laughed. "Do not worry, I am sure your wolf will not let you fall. I am anxious to visit my worthless half-brother. Let us go."