To Protect the One I Love
Author's Notes: Okay, so the last chapter wasn't very fluffy. This is my first Inuyasha series, so I didn't want them to confess right away. Where would the fun be if I did? So, with that said, on with the tale…
One-Sided Love
Miroku and Sango waved goodbye to Inuyasha, Kagome, Kaede, and of course, Shippo, as they mounted Kirara ready to return to Sango's village and give Kohaku proper burial.
"You had better behave yourself!" Kagome warned Miroku. "If I find out you groped her even once, I'll hit you over the head myself!"
Miroku looked up towards the sky in thought and whispered to himself. "Would it be worth the pain?" Then he smiled pervertedly. "I'll just have to make sure it's more then once…"
As soon as they were out of eyesight, Kagome put Shippo down on the ground and went inside the hut to get her backpack.
"Do you have to go?" Shippo whined.
Kagome patted him on the head and smiled. "It won't be long, besides don't you think they'd want to hear the good news too?"
"Yeah but…"
"I promise to bring you something sweet IF I hear from Kaede-baachan that you've been good, okay?" When Kagome got up, she noticed her backpack was still pretty heavy and would've fallen over except Inuyasha lifted it up easily with one hand and swung it over his shoulder.
"Let's get going then." He said gruffly.
Kagome was surprised by the gesture, but nodded and started to leave.
"You kids be safe now." Kaede cautioned.
"Yeah, yeah we know." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
Kagome elbowed him lightly and gave the older miko a hug. "We'll be back in two days time. I still have to go get the shards from Kouga-kun."
Upon hearing kun, Inuyasha's hand unconsciously tightened, but Kaede caught it. "Well I'm sure it'll prove to be entertaining."
"I'll miss you!" Shippo gave Kagome's leg a squeeze.
Everything said and done, Inuyasha and Kagome started through Inuyasha forest towards the well.
"Do you really have to go?" Inuyasha muttered. Every time she went, Inuyasha always feared it'd be the last time he'd see her. The well and its connecting force between Kagome's time and Inuyasha's was still a mystery and who knew when it would decide to stop working? Then Kagome would be separated from him forever.
"Well, they all knew we were going after Naraku and I'm sure they're worried about me." Kagome heard a faint yet distinct sound from Inuyasha's throat that reminded her of a puppy whining or whimpering, so she quickly added, "Of course, if it'd make you feel better, you're welcome to come too. Souta's sure to be wanting to see you again, Inu-oniichan." She teased.
Inuyasha never liked that name, but after so long it sorta stuck. "Like I would've let you go alone." He said gruffly.
Kagome rolled her eyes and upon seeing the well, smiled broadly. "Like you could've stopped me if I really wanted to!" Kagome broke into a dead run and took off towards the well. "Race ya!"
Inuyasha, loosing a few precious moments due to shock, ran after her and managed to get to the well at the same time as her. Smiling and laughing, which he so rarely did, felt good. They both jumped in and were surrounded by the familiar blues and blacks of the portal…
* * *
Kagome ended up telling her parents the summed up version of the battle with Naraku and completly left out the purification of the Shikon no Tama. This was her family and she didn't want them to worry more than they had to. Thankfully, Inuyasha knew this too and kept quiet.
After dinner, Souta pulled Inuyasha upstairs to play video games, something the dog demon found he was really good at. Kagome noticed her mother was nowhere to be found and decided to go look for her. Going outside, she found her mother at the bench near Goshinboku, staring up at the moon.
"Mama?" She asked. "Is everything okay?"
Coming out of her reverie, Kagome's mom smiled at her daughter. "Come. There's something I have to show you."
Kagome blinked and followed her mom's gaze towards the moon, gasping as she saw it was a red full moon that night. "Um, okay…"
Her mother led her to one of the many sheds on the shrine grounds, this one looking similar to the shed that held the bone-eaters well but smaller.
"Kagome, what are you doing out here?" Inuyasha approached from behind. "You're little brother fell asleep, so I put him to bed for you."
"Huh? Oh, I…" Kagome started to explain.
"There's something I must show my daughter, Inuyasha." Her mother's unusually serious tone interrupted.
The hanyou wasn't sure he heard right, "Nani?"
"Gomenasai, but you'll have to wait here." She said. "Unlike grandfather's ward papers, the barrier protecting this room will not allow a demon such as yourself to enter."
Inuyasha didn't like the sound of it, but merely nodded and looked at Kagome. "I'll wait here for you."
The miko nodded and entered the room with her mother. She felt herself pass through the barrier, its shimmering blue aura visible to her sixth sense.
Once they were inside, Inuyasha rushed around the building to the side, where he pressed his ear against the well, hoping to catch the conversation.
"Your father once told me, very specifically, that on the night of the red moon in the Chinese year of the dog, I should bring you here and tell you something he would've told you himself if he were still alive." He heard Kagome's mother say.
Inside it was completely bare and dusty, except for a small glass-covered display. In it was a single bow. Kagome's eyes widened as she saw the powerful miko aura surrounding the weapon. "What…is this?"
Lifting the cover, Kagome's mother carefully lifted it and held it in front of her daughter. "This bow belonged to your family's first miko. She was very powerful, but it's unsure what happened to her after leaving the temple she trained to hard at."
"There were many scrolls from various villages back then that told of her adventures but none remain today. Supposedly, some of the miko's in your family had the ability to see into the future. Even your father had the ability, which is why I think he knew you'd return tonight. So here." Her mother handed Kagome the weapon and the young girl even felt the power pulsing warming in her fingers.
"Thank you, mama." So my father knew I'd need this but probably didn't know I'd spend so many years in the past battling youkai. Kagome smiled at the thought. A gift from my father…arigatou papa…
* * *
Kagome and Inuyasha said goodbye to Kagome's family the next morning and made their way to the well.
"Inu-oniichan!" Souta called out from behind them.
"Eh? Nani?" Inuyasha wondered.
Kagome stopped as well and looked at her brother curiously. "What is it, Souta?"
The little boy pushed his sister into the shed and closed the door. "This is a man-to-man conversation only! No eavesdropping!" Souta ran over to Inuyasha and motioned for him to bend down. When he did, the boy whispered into his ear. "I've got a hunch you haven't told her yet, so I'll give you some advice since you helped me out before."
When Souta was having trouble telling a girl he liked his feelings, he had gone to Inuyasha for help. Afterwards, he had been able to tell the girl and now wished to return the favor.
"N-NANI!?" Inuyasha stuttered.
"Shhh!" Souta clamped Inuyasha's mouth shut and talking into his ear again. "Kagome always talked about getting flowers from a guy who liked her. Since that Houjou always gives her weird things, she's not interested at all. Give her some flowers and tell her! It'll work for sure!"
"D-demo…" Protested the hanyou.
"Good luck!" Souta winked and ran off back towards the house.
Upon entering the shrine, Inuyasha scratched his head. Flowers?
"Are you ready to go?" Kagome questioned.
"Um…yeah." Inuyasha muttered, following her down the steps.
"What did you guys talk about?" Kagome questioned before jumping onto the well.
"N-Nothing." Inuyasha blushed slightly and grabbed Kagome around the waist. "Let's go!"
* * *
Inuyasha and Kagome were on their way to Kouga's tribe when Souta's words came back to Inuyasha.
Give her some flowers and tell her! It'll work for sure!
Inuyasha's natural stubbornness argued with the fact that he should go out of his way for something as foolish as that. So, debating it in his mind, he crossed his arms, and tucked his hands into his haori and walked with a pouting face for most of the trip.
Kagome was walking ahead and turned around to check and see why Inuyasha was being so quiet. When she saw the look in his eye she asked, "Inuyasha?"
Startled, the dog demon looked up in surprise. "Eh?"
"Are you alright? You never walk slower than me." She pressed a hand against his forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"
The contact made him blush so he pulled away. "I-I'm fine!"
Half an hour later, he was still debating it. That's when he passed a small patch of purple wild flowers. They were mixed with a white fluffy kind of weed that actually made the bunch look even better. Inuyasha eyed Kagome to see if she noticed them when she walked by and when she didn't, he jumped to all fours and began picking them quickly, not wanting to get caught.
He stood up with the bunch and hid them in his sleeve, careful not to crunch them. I'm not doing this to confess to her or nothing, I'm only doing it because she's done so much for me, and I want to repay her somehow. Yeah, that's it. He reasoned with himself.
Unfortunately, it was only after another three hours of traveling and another hour break to eat, that Inuyasha finally got the nerve to speak up. "K-Kagome…"
The miko paused and turned around with a smile. "Hai?"
The wind blew her raven-black hair so majestically, Inuyasha's heart began to race and he almost forgot what he was going to say. "Kagome, I…have something I want to give you." He took out the bouquet and swallowed the lump in his throat. "H-here."
Kagome's eyes lit up and she gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and reaching out to the bouquet with the other. "For me?"
Inuyasha looked down at the ground to hide his blush and nodded.
There was a moment of silence and the hanyou was almost afraid she was going to sit him. Then she squealed, making his head shoot up, just before she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.
Inuyasha had to collect himself from the shock before he wrapped his arms around her in return. "D-do you like them?"
"Yes! Yes I do! Very much! Thank you!" She replied on the verge of tears.
He pulled her away and wiped away the salty water before it could fall. "Don't cry. I want you to be happy."
She smiled and leaned into his palm. "I am." She said with closed eyes. "I'm with you, aren't I?"
Inuyasha wasn't sure if it was because of her smile, her scent, or the eternal gaze of her chocolate orbs, but Inuyasha felt the urge to lean in and kiss Kagome, tell her what he truly felt about her and leave no doubt left in her mind of his dedication. "Kagome," He began, "I know in the past I've been confused about some things and I haven't always thought about how my actions affected you. You ended up getting hurt, not only physically but emotionally, because of me. I've told you before that you were the one who taught me to trust, how to smile, and most importantly how to love."
Kagome didn't say anything. She couldn't because she had never been talked to this gently before. It touched her.
"What I'm trying to say is, Kagome…" Inuyasha leaned in towards her lips, his eyes half closed. "I…"
"INU-KORO!!" Kouga came bursting from the trees, frightening both Inuyasha and Kagome.
She had been so caught up in the moment she hadn't felt the two shards the wolf-demon possessed coming their way.
"K-Kouga-kun!" Kagome stuttered as he came to a halt between them, pushing Inuyasha to the ground.
The wolf demon had barely wrapped Kagome's hands in his own when another demon came following him out of the brush. "Kouga, why'd you run off so suddenly!?" It was Ayame and upon seeing Kagome, her face soured. "You came for her!?"
"Of course." Kouga replied non-chalantely. "Once I smell my precious Kagome near, I drop everything I'm doing to be by her side."
Kagome laughed nervously. "Ano…"
"Kouga!" Ayame shouted. "Don't you see that…"
"Okay, THAT'S IT!!!" Inuyasha bolted to his feet and pointed accusingly at Kouga. "Let's finish this once and for all!"
Kouga raised an amused eyebrow. Releasing Kagome, he turned to Inuyasha. "So you want to fight me?"
"Want to? I've been waiting to kick you ass!" Inuyasha rolled up the sleeves of his haori and flexed his fingers.
"Stand back, Kagome. I've let this puppy take care of you long enough. It's about time you had a real protector." The wolf-demon gently pushed Kagome behind him.
"Eh?" The miko was clueless as usual.
Ayame came up and walked her away from the heated confrontation that was to follow. "Men…"
Kagome turned to watch both boys face off. Inuyasha's red aura blazed brightly around him, as did Kouga's blue life force. "What's going on?"
"They're fighting over territory." Ayame explained. Even now you don't realize you're fighting for a one-sided love, Kouga. Kagome's heart lies with the hanyou, why can't you see that?
Kagome blinked. Territory?
"Prepare yourself!" Inuyasha jumped high into the air. "Sankon Tessou!"
Kouga easily dodged the attack and kicked Inuyasha behind the head, slamming his head into the ground.
The hanyou pushed up off the ground with his arms and kicked Kouga in the chin with his heel. "Take that!"
The miko then noticed something. "Inuyasha isn't using Tetsusaiga?"
"He won't either. He has to win with skill alone. Even Kouga isn't relying on the power of the Shikon shards. It's forbidden." Ayame told the miko. She really has no clue what the hanyou has put on the line for her. I just hope he wins. Then Kouga will have to accept the fact that he can't be with her and keep his promise to me!
The two continued to battle but neither demon nor hanyou would submit to the other. Finally Kouga came and punched Inuyasha in the chest multiple times, landing at least five of them before the hanyou managed to grab his arm and sling him into a tree. The wolf demon was dazed and fell to his stomach on the forest floor.
Before he could recover, Inuyasha landed on his back, wrapping one arm around his throat and pinning one of Kouga's arms behind his back. Pulling up on the wolf demon's throat, Inuyasha had him right where he wanted. The maneuver would've killed a human, easily snapping his neck, but it only infuriated Kouga more.
Ayame pulled Kagome by the arm and began leading her away. "We'll let these boys have their fun. Why don't you come back to the pack and visit everyone?"
"Okay." Kagome didn't feel either boy was in danger, so it would be all right.
As soon as she was gone, Inuyasha bend down, running his knee deeper into Kouga's back, actually making his opponent cry out. "I'm gonna say this once, so I want you to listen real carefully. Our battle right now is proof that I claim Kagome as mine. You come near her again and try to take her away from me and I'll kill you. I will, and with the greatest of satisfaction, pull your ugly tail through your body and out your mouth, and hang your god-damn corpse from the tallest tree I can find. And there's only one way I could do that, so you might want to think it over before calling Kagome your precious anything. Are we clear?"
* * *
Ginta and Hakkaku greeted Kagome and asked how things were going. She proceeded to tell them of Naraku's downfall.
"So are you going to be staying with us now, sister?" Ginta asked.
"Yeah now that Naraku is taken care of, you and Kouga can be together." Hakkaku added.
Kagome sweatdropped. "No, actually, I just came for the shards."
Both demon's eyes began to water and they fell to their knees, wrapping Kagome's waist in a hug. "Thank you, sister!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Huh?" That bewildered the miko even more.
Ayame leaned in towards her. "They've always had trouble keeping up with Kouga when he runs around with those shards in his legs. No one can keep up with him."
Kagome let out a laugh, while the boys remained on their knees, practically praising the priestess for reliving their leader of his power.
A few minutes later, Inuyasha and Kouga came into view. Kouga, looking no-to-happy, walked right past her and went into his den without so much as a grunt.
"Kouga-kun?" The priestess wondered.
"Don't worry about him. He's just a sore loser." Inuyasha crossed his arms proudly.
"Loser? Did you guys have a competition or something?"
The hanyou shrugged casually. "You could say that. Come on, our business is done here."
"Eh?"
Opening his hand, he revealed Kouga's two shards. Kagome's eyes lit up. "Arigatou!" She reached for them happily, but the hanyou pulled them away.
"When did I saw I was going to give them to you?" He said teasingly.
Kagome put her fists on her hips. "Mou, Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha winked and handed over the Shikon shards. Geez, she's so cute when she pouts. Nothing can ruin my time with Kagome now…
Kagome blushed when Inuyasha winked at her. There was only one other time before when the hanyou looked this suave and that was back in her time a long time ago, when their adventure first began. Why am I blushing? Is it because of what he said earlier? Or what he was going to say?
Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when Inuyasha knelt in front of her, his back towards her. "Hop on."
Smiling broadly, Kagome got on his back and they were off, back towards the village.
* * *
Sango and Miroku finished burying Kohaku next to the rest of his family, and Miroku chanted one last protection spell over the gravesite. Afterwards, Sango walked over to the edge of the ruins and looked out across the rolling hills that had just a hint of the crimson rays of the setting sun caressing them.
"Sango?" Miroku came up behind the taijiya.
She wasn't crying, but Sango sighed heavily and closed her eyes as the cool air brushed over her. "Having Naraku use the Shikon shard to bring Kohaku back from the land of the dead made it seem that I didn't have to loose him in the first place. Like I could find a way to save him."
"But Kohaku did die that night with you. The shard only prevented him from making the journey to the other side." The priest explained.
"I guess I knew that all along, but my heart wouldn't accept it. I always tried to believe we could find a way to bring him back, but…" She paused as the tears built up in her eyes. "But when his wounds reopened, I relived that night, the night I lost both my father and my brother."
"It's strange." Miroku commented. "That Naraku caused you to lose your family, only to have you turn around and gain back another."
Sango looked at the priest with a curious glance as he joined her side, overlooking the countryside.
"With my father gone at such a young age, I had only Mushin to rely on and sometimes Hachi, but I always felt alone." He laughed. "It seems now-a-days I never even think about that because I have Inuyasha, Kagome-sama, Shippo, Kaede-sama, and most especially you. You all have become my family, and now that Naraku's gone, I see it as a chance to enjoy what I've collected, enjoy the times I spend with you and everyone else, because now I have a full life to live, one I didn't have earlier, and I'm not going to waste it."
"Houshi-sama…" Sango breathed in awe.
"Sango, I don't want you to feel alone, because I will always be there when you need me to. We will be your family if you'll let us."
Sango smiled and the tears evaporated, no longer needed to fall down her soft, porcelain cheeks. "I do see Kagome as a sister and Shippo is really cute too. I can barely stand Inuyasha, but he's apart of me too now."
"And me?" Miroku asked carefully.
Sango felt her heart speed up and blood rush to her cheeks. "You…I…"
Miroku smiled. "That's okay. You don't have to tell me now. But, will you grant me one thing at least?" Sango nodded, but refused to meet his gaze, so he gently tipped her chin up and smiled at her radiant beauty that far outshined the sun's own casting rays. "Call me by my name. You've always called me, Houshi-sama, but I wish to hear my given name from your lips."
"M-Miroku…" Sango said, closing her eyes as the priest before her leaned in to kiss the same lips that had just spoken his name so melodiously.
Both stayed like that until the sun came down and set below the mountains. Why need the sun, when the night was so much more fun…
Author's Note: Okay, so this was a small interlude into the next saga, if you will, that Inuyasha and the gang must go through. Plus, now Kagome has the entire jewel, if not in pieces. Think of this chapter as a filler chapter, building up to the action! The next chapter promises to be much more exciting. So please keep reading!
