But here it is, hopefully I am living up to the compliments I am receiving from you guys. And I do appreciate them. Thank you. :D
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Chapter Three - Awakening Forces
Strong limbs, suddenly uncertain, carried Sango before the disgruntled miko. As powerful a taijiya as she was, she did not wish to incur the wrath of such capabilities demonstrated before her. A hesitant hand familiarly gripped Kagome's shoulder while striving to continue her facade of bravery. "Kagome, why would you do such a thing?"
Shippou retained his place of worry atop of Inuyasha's chest, still pouting from Kagome's previous harshness towards him. His silent pleading for the hanyou to return to consciousness consisted of tugging ink-hued locks and prodding his finger, none to gently, into a red T-shirt covered chest. "He isn't waking up." He stated the obvious with a whimper of displeasement.
"Hmph... good." Came the stubborn response from Kagome. She now turned cold storm-hued orbs to Sango. "Let go." Her answers were curt and monotonous when directed towards a member of the unwelcome feudal bevy. Her form was sidled away from Sango's beckoning hand. A look of pure hurt crossed the taijiya's face, shoulders slumping in on herself in defeat. This heartwarming reunion was put on hold as Inuyasha suddenly sprang to life, seizing the kitsune in mid-hair tug, hanging him upside down by his tail. A groan was then offered as a display of his pain, his declawed hand shaking the child roughly. "Knock it off, you annoying runt."
Wait.. what? Declawed?.. Now violet eyes darted frantically over his personage. Human! What had she done to him? He launched at her, tossing Shippou aside in the process, momentarily forgetting his promise to change his attitude towards the girl. He stood, flushed from anger, his nose inches away from the cause of his rage. "What have you done to me, you bitch?!" He spat the insult more from habit than sincere loathing. Something happened seconds after that he would never have imagined-- he received a long overdue punch in the jaw for that insult, courtesy of Kagome.
He recoiled a few paces, from surprise and the new twinge spreading through his being. The rest of the crowd was frozen in place as the miko's balled fist sprang back from the blow, hovering by her chest in case further use was needed. The spectators assumed she must have been rather upset considering her ragged breathing. "You're not dealing with a naive little girl anymore, mutt." She warned from her wavering stance.
The threat had little affect to the before-mentioned 'mutt' as he noticed her weakened state. The cause wasn't anger... she was drained, physically and mentally. The spell! His mind screamed at him; luckily his reflexes were still better than an average human. He reclaimed the space in front of the girl, just in time to catch her before she hit hard soil. He raised her limp form close to his body and began the stalk indoors and up the stairs to her room. No protests were made from his friends or his adopted mother as he closed the door behind him, choosing to remain with Kagome.
From the opposite side of the door, that perverted grin sprung across Miroku's mouth. "Well, it seems he has forgotten all about his own problem for the moment."
"Yes houshi-sama, we all know what you're thinking." Sango announced absently as she retreated to the refuge of the living room for entertainment, followed by the monk demanding that his innocence be known. Shippou offered an eye roll and Kirara merely mewed as they scampered down the hall to find Souta. Reiana was the only occupant left in the hall, and it was only then that she permitted the smile to steal her expression. Not long at all.
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"You're not coming back with me." The hanyou spared a dark glance to Kagome as he made the comment. She was still in her sprawled position on the ground. She had attempted to hug him and he had pushed her away roughly, the result was her stumbling back and her rear meeting the ground. Salty drops leaked from the corners of her eyes as she finally figured out what he was telling her.
"You don't want me around anymore?" Her voice cracked as she looked upwards to emotionless golden pools. Her earlier argument with Sango and Miroku had left her less than her usual spirited self; not to mention the fact that Shippou and Kirara had done everything possible to avoid contact with her. Now this.. he couldn't be serious, right?
"I never wanted you around, bitch. Don't you get it? I want nothing to do with you! The only reason I kept you around was because you could find the shards..." He trailed for a moment, uncertain as if he could continue his false assault on the miko. He knew the next words from his mouth would devastate the seventeen year old girl after the last days of torment she had endured. "Kikyou has agreed to join with us and we've all agreed.. she will be more useful than you could ever hope to be."
A shudder ripped down her spine as her hopes were torn from her heart. Her friends had abandoned her as well? Tears blurred her vision as they made their way down to her cheeks, only to soak into the cloth of her skirt once fallen. "I-I'm sorry..." were the only words she could utter from her fallen state.
"Sorry? You've got that right. Spare me your stupid excuses." With this he cleared the few feet between them, going down on his haunches. A clawed hand stretched forward to retrieve the necklace, yanking the chain downward until the metal broke, leaving a red indent on either side of the girl's neck where it had pressed into her tender flesh. She winced at the sound he made then.. he chuckled from deep in his throat. "I'm satisfied. And don't even think of trying to get through the well. If we see you again in feudal times, we won't be as considerate."
She watched him retreat to the well house, a glow emanating from within briefly before dissipating, leaving the room noticeably changed to the trained eye by a few footprints in the dust. She shook with despair, her sobbing now unchecked. "Don't leave me!" She managed between gasps of air, but he was already gone.
"Don't leave me." Her voice pleaded as she tossed to her side yet again. She had been sleeping for nearly an hour when she started whimpering and groaning. Inuyasha had considered waking her.. but from what Reiana told him, she didn't get much sleep, though the woman hadn't said why. Something about nightmares. His brows furrowed with concern at the new predicament he faced. Wake her before she has had a chance to recover, only to have her cursing his name and presence... or give her the much needed sleep and have her continue her vexing dream.
He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, the mattress molding to his weight and position. He removed the pins from her hair, raking the silken tresses flat against the pillow with his hand. With such a... memorable entrance, he had not taken the opportunity to notice her altered countenance. He played with the red tips of her raven tresses, soaking in her rather dark visage. What had Reiana told Sango the stuff was called? Make-up. He nodded to himself, noting that Kagome now wore an awful lot of dark colors. He saw gray, black and red. Those seemed too gloomy for the Kagome he remembered, but then again.. she wasn't the same girl was she?
He smiled in spite of himself. No matter what she wore or covered her face with, she was still the beautiful angel he had fallen in love with those long years ago. He saw past her toughness and stubborn smartass attitude. After all, had he not been there once himself? This girl's spirit was the same, just a different package. Now, how to convince her of that... that was the problem. That and stopping her from killing them all in her frenzied rage.
The said girl tossed once more and the dark-haired Inuyasha came to a conclusion. She needed rest which was currently being taken care of, and as a solution to calm the sleeping seraphim he moved behind her carefully, splaying his legs out to rest on either side of her body. She shifted into his offered warmth and stilled. A cocky smirk appeared as he took that to mean that somewhere inside, Kagome still needed him and was comforted by his touch and presence. He stole a few moments to ponder the importance of that fact before falling asleep himself.
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The two boys, accompanied by Kirara, spent the rest of the morning playing video games while the adults occupied the living room, discussing the current crisis overtaking the household. Jii-chan had left a few days before to perform some spiritual cleansings, so he was not present to add his opinion to the mix. For that, Reiana was thankful. She did not want her father stirring up more trouble dealing with Kagome's new lifestyle.
Lunch was soon upon the 'family' and Kagome had still not risen from her rest. Well, at least that is what everyone assumed by the lack of screaming and a certain possessive male thudding down the stairs. With the reassurance that Inuyasha was watching over the young woman, everyone had calmed drastically; he would know the moment something went amiss, if for no other reason than his devotion. Reiana busied herself by preparing the afternoon meal, listening to the ongoing debate concerning Miroku's lechery and grasping hands.
"You know, I had actually believed your hands would have calmed after Naraku's demise, houshi." Sango threw the insult out, not minding Miroku's taken back expression as she lounged in the kitchen chair, sipping her tea.
"Do you honestly think such things of me, dear Sango? My hands would not be so tempted if not surrounded by your beauty." He chose to counter with a compliment. A rather sweet one, Reiana contained her laughter as a pink tint claimed Sango's cheeks. Miroku smiled as he stood triumphantly from the table, extending his hand to a confused taijiya. "Walk with me." He answered her silent question and nearly jumped for joy when she accepted, looping her arm with his. Not the most intimate contact, but it was a start; besides, this girl was definitely worth the wait.
Reiana chuckled into the ingredients she was gathering. "Young love." She sighed contently at the thought. Her mind wandering to her younger years as she continued her motherly task.
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The available family members gathered around the table sans Kagome and Inuyasha for lunch. None wanted to accept responsibility for waking the two. Reiana had peered into the quiet room a few moments before serving their meal and had announced that Inuyasha had fallen asleep as well, Kagome curled up against him. Although the group took comfort in that fact, no one wished to be around when the miko woke.
Kagome had arrived home at nine that morning. By the time she had been carried upstairs, two hours had passed. It was now three in the afternoon. The 'couple' had been in dreamland for four hours. Reiana had taken up the daily chores with the help of Sango and Miroku. Once everything but sweeping had been covered, she sent the two away ordering them to have a bit of fun. They had, in turn, claimed the domain of the living room as well as the television. The boys had immediately returned to their own games after being excused from lunch.
A blood chilling scream interrupted Reiana an hour later and she made a quick dash to the house. She paused at the living room entrance when she noticed that Miroku and Sango had not moved to investigate the disturbance.
"I wouldn't." Was the only warning Miroku offered from the opposite end of the sofa from Sango.
"SHIMATTA!" A voice bellowed throughout the house, the source originating from above the three elder residents. "What the fuck are you doing?!"
"Your daughter is awake." Sango added, resuming her task of flipping through channels. Reiana made no attempt to climb the stairs, knowing it would do no good. Instead, she sat between the monk and taijiya, waiting for the storm to pass.
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I know I am probably going to upset a few readers, but the next chapter will most likely not be up until next week. I can try, but cannot promise a sooner day. I apologize to those who are disappointed right now. I have a few things to think over and I do not wish for those things to alter my writing. I will continue the story though, so no worries. Ja ne!