"Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru rolled over onto his side, trying to avoid to soothing voice beckoning him to get up. He moaned, feeling slightly childish, but still reluctant to get up when he felt so comfortable. The ground was soft, the sun's rays had yet to fully illuminate the sky, and the warmth emitting from Kagome's body-
was no longer there.
Sesshomaru sprang up immediately, almost knocking heads with Kagome who had been hovering over him anxiously.
"Are you okay?" she asked, brows furrowing with worry.
"Yes," he said. It wasn't a lie either. He felt stronger than he had in a long time. Kagome truly was an amazing person. It was almost impossible for a miko to give off such energy when not even meaning to.
Kagome bit her lip, and Sesshomaru was almost able to taste the apprehension that was rolling off of her in waves. "Inuyasha hasn't gotten back yet. I'm starting to get worried."
He frowned. It was unusual that Inuyasha was taking so long. It wasn't like it mattered now; Sesshomaru was fully healed. However, there was a chance that Inuyasha had run into trouble on his way to the village.
"There's nothing to do but wait, Kagome," he replied. "Unless you want me to go look for him?"
Sesshomaru must have said the wrong thing because fury started to seep into Kagome's aurora.
"Are you insane?! You almost DIED yesterday! You're not MOVING until you're completely healed! Now sit down and I'll check you over to see if your wound healed."
Feeling somewhat ashamed at his lack of defiance, Sesshomaru plopped down on the ground while Kagome rummaged through her first aid kit. She pulled out a medical scissor to cut away his bandages and then lifted up his shirt, a slight blush tinting her face.
'Don't look at him, just cut away the bandages. You're just doing this to make sure he's healed. Don't-Oh my God, he has a six pack!'
Sesshomaru's body looked as if it had been carved to perfection by an artist. Each muscle was defined, and her hands trembled as she cut away the bandages. Sesshomaru noticed this and grinned smugly. Kagome was amazed to find that nothing remained of the scratches. Not even faint lines. This was fast healing, even for a demon. She ran a hand over the once-wounded area, marveling at the skin's smoothness. Sesshomaru placed one hand on top of hers, and she looked up at him in wonder. His face started to descend towards hers, but the moment was broken when Inuyasha burst into the clearing.
"Inuyasha's back!" Shippou cried cheerfully, pulling Miroku's hair in an effort to wake him. He and Sango were still entwined together, oblivious to the world around them.
Kagome pulled away quickly and greeted Inuyasha with a hug. However, Sesshomaru lingered behind, a threat veiled by shadow growing on his mind. Something was not right.
"Inuyasha, I'm so glad you came back! What took you so long? I was getting worried!" Kagome rambled, her arms squeezing the hanyou's middle tightly.
Inuyasha smiled down at her, "I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll never let you out of my sight again."
Kagome froze. That was extremely out of character for Inuyasha. He placed his hands on her shoulders, grasping them tightly.
"Inuyasha?"
"Get away from him, Kagome!" Sesshomaru yelled. His voice was slightly panicked. "That's not Inuyasha!"
The warning came too late. Naraku had already begun to morph back into his true form. Silver hair turned to black, as if a bottle of ink had drenched it. Golden eyes were also swallowed in black as the transformation ended.
"Lord Sesshomaru, how unfortunate you still live. This would have been much easier if you had just stayed dead." Naraku said silkily.
Kagome struggled to get out of the death grip he had on her shoulders. The sun above them was now obstructed with dark clouds. Thunder boomed in the distance threateningly, and small drops of water began to land on her bare skin. Miroku and Sango were now on their feet, though they didn't seem as if they were going to be much help. Sango was still disoriented from the blow she had taken to her head, and Miroku was supporting her body.
"In a few hours from now, the complete Shikon Jewel will be in my grasp!" Naraku announced.
Without warning, miasma poured into the clearing, choking everyone but Naraku. Sesshomaru covered his mouth, trying desperately to see through the smog. He was barely able to make out the outline of Naraku rising into the air on a cloud of miasma, Kagome still in his grasp.
Sesshomaru darted forward blindly, the sound of his companions' coughs and his own heart beat pounding his ears. His efforts proved futile as Naraku rose high above his reach. Bending his knees in preparation, Sesshomaru shot up into the sky. The cloud of miasma was left far beneath him. However, Naraku and Kagome were no where in sight, and he was forced to face that the hanyou had escaped. He fell back to the ground, the miasma around him clearing slowly.
'Naraku, you will pay for taking what is mine.'
~*~
Kagome was relieved to find herself breathing clean air when she woke. The thick miasma that had once surrounded her was no longer there. The downside was that she had no idea where she was, and that it was pretty obvious Naraku had escaped with her.
'Stupid Narkau,' she thought bitterly. 'He showed up right when Sesshomaru and I were about to. . .'
Her cheeks heated. What WERE they about to do? She distinctly remembered Sesshomaru's lips growing achingly nearer to hers. Shaking her head to clear out those thoughts, she glanced around the room. There were no lights, and it seemed rather dark outside. The wood paneling was very oppressing, and the room was bare of furniture.
She jumped as the door slid open and Kagura entered the room. The demon's face was blank, and Kagome shuddered at the sorrow reflecting in the woman's red eyes. Kagura had always been a mystery. She seemed to hate Naraku, and yet, he was her creator.
"Listen closely, and do not interrupt," Kagura commanded. "Naraku is planning to have you use a spell that will summon all the pieces of the Shikon Jewel. He's going to use the jewel to become a full-fledged demon, and then there will be no hope at stopping him. I am not going to let him get away with this, but I'm going to need your help."
Kagome watched her warily, wondering if she was being tricked.
"Why are you against Naraku? I thought he created you."
Kagura grinned bitterly. "I'd rather have no life than a half-life. I live only to do his bidding, a mere puppet. If Naraku is destroyed, I will be free to live as I choose."
Her red eyes seemed to look into Kagome's soul.
"So, are you going to help me?"
The silence that followed was filled with tension.
"Yes."
A/N: WOOOHOOO! I finally finished the chapter! I am so sorry for taking so long to update. I do have excuses though ^.^;; even though they're not very good ones lol. I only have THREE WEEKS until my entrance exams for high school though and I STILL don't have any idea where I'm going. Of course, there's also been normal school work, family deaths, and my social life getting in the way. I'll try to update more consistently though. I hope you liked the chapter and THANK YOU so much to everyone that reviewed! Seriously, if I didn't have people asking me to continue this story I would have given up on it a long time ago. You guys are awesome!
Sesshomaru rolled over onto his side, trying to avoid to soothing voice beckoning him to get up. He moaned, feeling slightly childish, but still reluctant to get up when he felt so comfortable. The ground was soft, the sun's rays had yet to fully illuminate the sky, and the warmth emitting from Kagome's body-
was no longer there.
Sesshomaru sprang up immediately, almost knocking heads with Kagome who had been hovering over him anxiously.
"Are you okay?" she asked, brows furrowing with worry.
"Yes," he said. It wasn't a lie either. He felt stronger than he had in a long time. Kagome truly was an amazing person. It was almost impossible for a miko to give off such energy when not even meaning to.
Kagome bit her lip, and Sesshomaru was almost able to taste the apprehension that was rolling off of her in waves. "Inuyasha hasn't gotten back yet. I'm starting to get worried."
He frowned. It was unusual that Inuyasha was taking so long. It wasn't like it mattered now; Sesshomaru was fully healed. However, there was a chance that Inuyasha had run into trouble on his way to the village.
"There's nothing to do but wait, Kagome," he replied. "Unless you want me to go look for him?"
Sesshomaru must have said the wrong thing because fury started to seep into Kagome's aurora.
"Are you insane?! You almost DIED yesterday! You're not MOVING until you're completely healed! Now sit down and I'll check you over to see if your wound healed."
Feeling somewhat ashamed at his lack of defiance, Sesshomaru plopped down on the ground while Kagome rummaged through her first aid kit. She pulled out a medical scissor to cut away his bandages and then lifted up his shirt, a slight blush tinting her face.
'Don't look at him, just cut away the bandages. You're just doing this to make sure he's healed. Don't-Oh my God, he has a six pack!'
Sesshomaru's body looked as if it had been carved to perfection by an artist. Each muscle was defined, and her hands trembled as she cut away the bandages. Sesshomaru noticed this and grinned smugly. Kagome was amazed to find that nothing remained of the scratches. Not even faint lines. This was fast healing, even for a demon. She ran a hand over the once-wounded area, marveling at the skin's smoothness. Sesshomaru placed one hand on top of hers, and she looked up at him in wonder. His face started to descend towards hers, but the moment was broken when Inuyasha burst into the clearing.
"Inuyasha's back!" Shippou cried cheerfully, pulling Miroku's hair in an effort to wake him. He and Sango were still entwined together, oblivious to the world around them.
Kagome pulled away quickly and greeted Inuyasha with a hug. However, Sesshomaru lingered behind, a threat veiled by shadow growing on his mind. Something was not right.
"Inuyasha, I'm so glad you came back! What took you so long? I was getting worried!" Kagome rambled, her arms squeezing the hanyou's middle tightly.
Inuyasha smiled down at her, "I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll never let you out of my sight again."
Kagome froze. That was extremely out of character for Inuyasha. He placed his hands on her shoulders, grasping them tightly.
"Inuyasha?"
"Get away from him, Kagome!" Sesshomaru yelled. His voice was slightly panicked. "That's not Inuyasha!"
The warning came too late. Naraku had already begun to morph back into his true form. Silver hair turned to black, as if a bottle of ink had drenched it. Golden eyes were also swallowed in black as the transformation ended.
"Lord Sesshomaru, how unfortunate you still live. This would have been much easier if you had just stayed dead." Naraku said silkily.
Kagome struggled to get out of the death grip he had on her shoulders. The sun above them was now obstructed with dark clouds. Thunder boomed in the distance threateningly, and small drops of water began to land on her bare skin. Miroku and Sango were now on their feet, though they didn't seem as if they were going to be much help. Sango was still disoriented from the blow she had taken to her head, and Miroku was supporting her body.
"In a few hours from now, the complete Shikon Jewel will be in my grasp!" Naraku announced.
Without warning, miasma poured into the clearing, choking everyone but Naraku. Sesshomaru covered his mouth, trying desperately to see through the smog. He was barely able to make out the outline of Naraku rising into the air on a cloud of miasma, Kagome still in his grasp.
Sesshomaru darted forward blindly, the sound of his companions' coughs and his own heart beat pounding his ears. His efforts proved futile as Naraku rose high above his reach. Bending his knees in preparation, Sesshomaru shot up into the sky. The cloud of miasma was left far beneath him. However, Naraku and Kagome were no where in sight, and he was forced to face that the hanyou had escaped. He fell back to the ground, the miasma around him clearing slowly.
'Naraku, you will pay for taking what is mine.'
~*~
Kagome was relieved to find herself breathing clean air when she woke. The thick miasma that had once surrounded her was no longer there. The downside was that she had no idea where she was, and that it was pretty obvious Naraku had escaped with her.
'Stupid Narkau,' she thought bitterly. 'He showed up right when Sesshomaru and I were about to. . .'
Her cheeks heated. What WERE they about to do? She distinctly remembered Sesshomaru's lips growing achingly nearer to hers. Shaking her head to clear out those thoughts, she glanced around the room. There were no lights, and it seemed rather dark outside. The wood paneling was very oppressing, and the room was bare of furniture.
She jumped as the door slid open and Kagura entered the room. The demon's face was blank, and Kagome shuddered at the sorrow reflecting in the woman's red eyes. Kagura had always been a mystery. She seemed to hate Naraku, and yet, he was her creator.
"Listen closely, and do not interrupt," Kagura commanded. "Naraku is planning to have you use a spell that will summon all the pieces of the Shikon Jewel. He's going to use the jewel to become a full-fledged demon, and then there will be no hope at stopping him. I am not going to let him get away with this, but I'm going to need your help."
Kagome watched her warily, wondering if she was being tricked.
"Why are you against Naraku? I thought he created you."
Kagura grinned bitterly. "I'd rather have no life than a half-life. I live only to do his bidding, a mere puppet. If Naraku is destroyed, I will be free to live as I choose."
Her red eyes seemed to look into Kagome's soul.
"So, are you going to help me?"
The silence that followed was filled with tension.
"Yes."
A/N: WOOOHOOO! I finally finished the chapter! I am so sorry for taking so long to update. I do have excuses though ^.^;; even though they're not very good ones lol. I only have THREE WEEKS until my entrance exams for high school though and I STILL don't have any idea where I'm going. Of course, there's also been normal school work, family deaths, and my social life getting in the way. I'll try to update more consistently though. I hope you liked the chapter and THANK YOU so much to everyone that reviewed! Seriously, if I didn't have people asking me to continue this story I would have given up on it a long time ago. You guys are awesome!
