DISCLAIMER: As always, I don't own the original story of the Inuyasha series nor do I own the characters and I don't own the Chinese fairytale that I'm basing this story on. But as far as I'm concerned I do own the idea of mixing these two things together :).
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Here I am again! Nothing much to say really, that's why...enjoy reading!!
'...Italic...': thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
-.-.-.-.-: time gap
=capslocked words=: noises
-by Kittymui-
Hidden power and exposed jealousy
Previously:
Carefully, Sesshoumaru hovered its blade over Kagome's lower arm once. Much
to his relief, the gash disappeared a short moment later.
'Now...we're even...' he thought and put Tenseiga on the bed next to him.
Just when the demon lord wanted to look at her sleeping face a little bit longer, an extremely familiar scent caught his attention.
A scowl appeared on Sesshoumaru's face and he bared his fangs.
'Bad timing, Inuyasha...'
-.-.-.-.-.-
Without further thinking, Sesshoumaru pulled Kagome up and put her fully on top of his bed while he climbed off of it.
He quickly put Tenseiga back into its sheath and exited the chamber.
"Sesshoumaru!! I know you're here! Come out or I'll tear down your castle!!" a voice Sesshoumaru knew all too well sounded from the castle courtyard.
A scowl appeared on the Taiyoukai's face as he arrived at the garden.
There he was, his moronic half-brother.
Always wearing that filthy red fire-rat's fur that their father gave to that human mother of his.
It bothered him that the powerful Tetsusaiga was still hanging around the hanyou's waist. It bothered him even more that they shared the same silver hair and gold-amber eyes.
But what angered the demon lord the most was that the hanyou had dared to bring that undead miko of his along.
"Took you long enough!" the silver-haired intruder snarled. "Spill it Sesshoumaru, where it that bastard Naraku!?"
Sesshoumaru raised a brow in response, as he was not intending to answer any of his questions.
"Don't play dumb! I can even smell the bastard on you!!" Inuyasha growled, gripping the hilt of his sword.
The miko, always dressed in her red and white priestess' outfit, kept herself at the background with a stoic expression. Although she seemed calm, she definitely looked as if she could fire one of her purifying arrows any minute, using the bow that she was carrying around her shoulder.
Sesshoumaru couldn't help but realize how much this miko resembled the winged one, who coincidentally had the same name now that he thought about it. He knew they had to be two different individuals but the similarities of their looks and names were just too scary for words.
"What the hell are you looking at?!" the hanyou caught his attention again. "One last time, where is Naraku?!"
"Hmpf," Sesshoumaru snorted. "Do you really think I would tell you and have him killed by your hands? Although I highly doubt that you could ever do that. Don't be foolish my little brother, this Sesshoumaru still has a score to settle with him."
Inuyasha scowled and pulled out Tetsusaiga. "You asked for it!!"
The demon lord smirked. "How many times do I have to beat you to make you realize that you cannot win from your brother I?" he said as he summoned his green whip and sent it flying towards his half-brother.
Inuyasha managed to jump away in time, revealing the miko who had taken a fighting stance with a notched arrow on her long bow.
She fired it immediately after Inuyasha jumped away.
= FWIIISSHHHHH =
Sesshoumaru widened his eyes as he watched how the arrow, which was making its way towards him now, purified his whip.
Suddenly he felt a pulse coming from the side of his waist and he looked at one of his swords. 'Ttenseiga?' he thought surprised.
The next thing he knew, he was being surrounded by a barrier that shared the same color as the aura around the purifying arrow, which could be piercing his body any second now.
Much to the demon lord's surprise, the miko's arrow got bounced off when it touched the barrier around him.
Even the miko herself widened her eyes at this. "Impossible..." she muttered disbelievingly as she lowered her bow to the floor.
"What the...?!" Inuyasha cried. "Sesshoumaru! There's no way father's sword could possess the power to deflect a purifying arrow such as Kikyou's! What have you done to it? How did you get such power?!"
But Sesshoumaru didn't reply, he could only look at the pulsating Tenseiga around his waist. He, too, was unable to solve this riddle.
It didn't take very long before something else caught his attention again.
Sesshoumaru widened his eyes. 'Saimyoushou!!'
'Which means...Naraku is around here somewhere!!' he concluded alarmed. He didn't notice it before since the new intruders distracted him, but the scent of Naraku was coming from inside his castle.
Sesshoumaru quickly turned around and dashed into the castle.
"Sesshoumaru!! You're not getting away!!" the voice of his half-brother echoed through the halls.
But he ignored it. The Taiyoukai's mind was only set on the possibility of Kagome being in grave danger in her sleeping state.
Within second, he arrived at the doors to his own chamber. He kicked the doors open without second thought and frowned at the sight before him.
Naraku was standing next to the bed and holding a very familiar figure in his arms.
Sesshoumaru's blood boiled inside as he stepped into the room. "Kisama...get your filthy hands off of her," he growled.
"Sesshoumaru...have you come to spoil the fun again? Too bad you weren't poisoned to though by my miasma. I guess the Goddess of Death was too merciful huh?" Naraku smirked as he gathered Kagome in his arms and walked away from the bed.
At the same time, Inuyasha and Kikyou arrived at the scene. "Naraku!! You bastard!! I knew you had to be here!!" Inuyasha cried, holding his Tetsusaiga ready. "You're not getting away this time!"
"Well well, I didn't expect such a happy reunion," Naraku chuckled, as he looked at the girl in his arms. "Have you all come to celebrate that I have discovered the weak point of the great Sesshoumaru?"
Inuyasha raised a brow as he turned to Sesshoumaru. "What weak point? Sesshoumaru, what is he talking about?" Only to witness the most annoyed look on his half-brother's face he had ever seen. "Sesshoumaru?" he called out to him again.
"Let her go," was the demon lord's only response.
"What if I don't want to? As long as this angel stays by my side, you wouldn't dare to lay a finger on me again...would you?" Naraku grinned evilly.
Both Inuyasha and Kikyou turned fully to Sesshoumaru now, both giving him an expectant look.
But Sesshoumaru remained calm. "Hmpf. Do you really think this Sesshoumaru would give up the opportunity to kill you just because of a mere girl?"
Naraku laughed. "I wouldn't dare to assume that if we were talking about the human girl, but this girl is different...isn't that right? O great lord of the Western Lands?"
Although Sesshoumaru remained composed on the outside, he was practically boiling with anger within. 'I will not have someone mock me like that!!!' he thought furiously as he readied himself to attack Naraku.
But he snapped out of it when a horrible cry filled the chamber.
It was Naraku's voice.
The demon lord turned to the voice and widened his eyes.
The bastard was still holding the girl in his arms but something was different. The sleeping girl seemed to be glowing a faint purplish light and there were smoke starting to arise from the places where the hanyou was touching her.
"AAARRRGHHHH!!!" Naraku winced aloud in pain and quickly threw the girl in his arms away.
Sesshoumaru immediately dashed forward and caught her before she hit the floor.
"Y-you damn girl!!!" Naraku growled as he looked at his own hands, which looked as if they were put into burning flames for several hours.
The demon lord looked at the girl in his arms and checked for any injuries. Mindlessly, he formed her name with his lips for the very first time.
"Kagome."
As if responding to her own name, Kagome's eyes slowly fluttered open.
She blinked several times. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama...?"
Kagome slowly scanned her surroundings. 'What happened...?' she thought confused as her eyes drifted towards Inuyasha.
'That man...looks just like Sesshoumaru-sama...' Then her eyes shifted to the woman standing beside him and widened. 'Kikyou onee-sama?!? Chigau...she's not her...but how' she thought when she felt no life coming from the woman who strongly resembled her dear sister.
Her train of thoughts crashed when she saw Naraku standing not very far away from her and she instinctively moved closer to Sesshoumaru. 'What is he doing here!?'
"Kagome."
Kagome snapped out of it and quickly looked up at Sesshoumaru. 'Did he...just call me by my n'
"Can you stand?" he asked, cutting off her thoughts.
Kagome slightly blushed when she realized in who's arms she laid and nodded slightly.
Carefully, Sesshoumaru lowered his arm that was supporting her knees and set the girl on her feet. But the other arm, which was draped around her shoulders, never left her and was holding her protectively against him.
The demon lord instinctively pulled out a sword with his free hand and growled. "You have bothered this Sesshoumaru long enough. Now you will die!!!"
With that, he swung his sword at Naraku, sending a purplish blade of light towards him.
Naraku's eyes widened. 'This...this is purifying power!!' he realized shocked.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRCCCKKKK!!!!" he cried out in pain as the blade of light hit him straight on.
Within seconds, Naraku's entire body became purified, leaving a mere wooden doll behind.
'Hmpf...kugutsu huh?' Sesshoumaru thought annoyed.
Suddenly, Naraku's voice echoed through the chamber. "Kukuku, so Sesshoumaru, I see you have found yourself a miko as well huh? Just like your dear half-brother Inuyasha..." the voice laughed. "By the way, did it ever cross your mind that the Shikon no Tama grants the holder the power to do anything? Like...healing the wounds of our pretty angel here for example, kukuku."
Sesshoumaru's ears twitched.
"But you better not make the angel jealous...having one girl betraying her lord os already disgraceful enough, kukuku."
After the last sentence, Naraku's presence vanished completely.
A moment of silence took place and Sesshoumaru dropped his gaze to the girl in his embrace, only to find her looking back at him.
Their gazes were rudely broken again as Inuyasha decided to vent his frustration. "Sesshoumaru!! What the hell is going on here?! What have you done with Tenseiga!?!?"
The demon lord turned to the hanyou with an annoyed look on his face. "I do not know what you are talking about," he replied coolly.
Inuyasha scowled. "Don't tell me you didn't realize that you were using Tenseiga on Naraku earlier! It purified him completely while it's supposed to be a healing fang!!"
Sesshoumaru raised a brow and looked at his clawed hand. The hanyou was talking the truth. He had never intended to use Tenseiga in the fight, yet Tenseiga was the sword he was holding in his hand right now.
'How is this possible...??' he thought bewildered as he recalled the barrier that repelled the miko's purifying arrow earlier. 'It has definitely got to do with Tenseiga, but the sword never showed such power until recently.' he concluded as his eyes shifted back to Kagome. 'Until you'
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt an incoming danger.
= FWWWIIISSHHHHH =
It turned out to be an arrow and surprisingly enough, it was not aiming for the demon lord himself, but at the girl in his arms.
Sesshoumaru quickly reacted to this and stopped the arrow by catching it between his fore and middle finger before it hit Kagome. He immediately shot a glare of death at the one who shot it.
She was smirking at the Taiyoukai. "How foolish of you to catch my powerful purifying arrow," she chuckled. "You should have let me kill the girl, now your hand will be purified instead."
Sesshoumaru scowled while looking down at the glowing arrow, which was starting to cause a burning feeling in his hand.
= PSSHHHHRRRT =
"You wench," he cursed with a low growl.
But suddenly, a strange cold and easing gentleness replaced the burning pain and the demon lord quickly looked at his hand again. He realized that there was suddenly another hand holding his, it was Kagome's hand.
She was looking at him with a worried expression. "Sesshoumaru-sama, are you okay?"
Sesshoumaru didn't say anything; instead, he just looked at his clawed hand beneath hers, which was being enveloped by a strange purplish light.
The purifying arrow between his fingers suddenly melted and the burning wounds healed within seconds.
When the light faded after doing its work, Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome again. "You" he began, but was rudely interrupted again.
"What the hell are you..." The voice belonged to the undead miko, who had a very unpleasant look on her face.
Inuyasha turned to Kikyou with a puzzled expression. "Kikyou, what are you trying to do??"
Kagome widened her eyes. 'This woman's name is Kikyou too???!'
She cringed when the woman suddenly pointed at her. "That girl is no human!! There is no way a human could possess a holy power greater than mine!" she stated angrily. "Speak up girl or I won't hesitate to pierce your heart with my arrows!!"
Kagome clasped Sesshoumaru's haori. 'Why is she doing this? I haven't done anything to her...' she thought frustrated.
-.-.-.-.-
Sesshoumaru could sense the increasing fear coming from the girl. His grip around her shoulder tightened to assure her of her safety and much to his relief, the girl began to relax a little again.
"Inuyasha, you better shut that wench of yours up and leave before I tear her apart," the demon lord threatened, readying his Tenseiga.
Inuyasha turned to Kikyou. "Kikyou, we better go and start looking for the real Naraku. There's no point in staying here," he suggested.
Kikyou scowled but eventually lowered her bow and turned to leave. And Inuyasha followed her.
Without saying anything, Sesshoumaru released the girl from his embrace and turned to leave.
"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked and wanted to follow but as soon as she took her first step, she collapsed to her knees.
"You are still too exhausted," he told her as he paused for a minute. "Do not worry, I will come back," he added and disappeared into the hallway.
-.-.-.-
As much as he wanted to ask the girl about her mysterious powers, Sesshoumaru had something more important to do first.
Yes, what Naraku said before he disappeared had disturbed him greatly.
"But you better not make the angel jealous...having one girl betraying her lord is already disgraceful enough..."
Now that he thought about it, there were several things Naraku knew about while he shouldn't. With his keen youkai senses there was absolutely no chance those hideous bugs could've gathered information about things inside his castle beyond his knowledge.
Unless...
Sesshoumaru shook off the thought and continued his way to the quarters of the human girl. There was no use making conclusions before asking her himself.
-.-.-
Rin was coming her long wavy black hair in front of a wide mirror when Sesshoumaru opened her door silently. Her room was not much different than Kagome's, except for the locations of the door and windows.
Sesshoumaru silently walked closer to her until he was standing a couple of feet away from her. "Rin."
Rin almost jumped up of shock and turned around. "Oh Sesshoumaru-sama! You startled me!" she gasped. "Is there something wring?" she asked.
The demon lord didn't say anything; he just walked over to one of the windows and gazed at the bright green landscape beneath the late afternoon sun.
After receiving no reply, Rin shrugged and turned to the mirror again.
"So...how is Kagome?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.
Sesshoumaru's ears twitched and finally, he decided not to withhold the questioning anymore. "How did Naraku find out?" he asked with a calm voice.
"Find out about what?" Rin replied nonchalantly without looking away from her reflection in the mirror.
At that moment, something snapped inside Sesshoumaru.
The one second, he was staring calmly at the horizon beyond the glass and the next, he was already pinning the human girl against a nearby wall with his clawed hand around her throat.
"Do NOT play dumb in front of this Sesshoumaru!" he growled with his eyes never looking away from her dark brown ones.
This time, Rin really became scared. "I-I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-sama! I got carried away...please forgive me!!!" she confessed with regret filling her eyes.
Sesshoumaru didn't increase the pressure on her throat, but they remained silent like that for a short moment. The only sound in the chamber was the soft panting of the scared Rin.
Eventually, Sesshoumaru let go of Rin and stepped away.
Rin's knees felt weak all of a sudden and she collapsed to the floor with her back still leaning against the wall. She held her throat and could only stare at Sesshoumaru's feet with fear and regret.
"This Sesshoumaru will not tolerate a second time," he warned with a low growl. "If there should be a next time, I will NOT hesitate to end your life."
After he said that, he turned and left her alone in her chamber.
-.-
As Sesshoumaru took the direction towards his own chamber, he could hear a soft weeping sound coming from behind him.
The demon lord let out a sigh as he silently continued his promenade through the empty halls.
Quite unbelievable huh? She was so cute and innocent in the series...and yet. But then again, she never had any competition...and now that she's an adult...and suddenly her Sesshoumaru-sama isn't only hers anymore...well fill in the rest if you like :). Not very long compared to the previous chapter but I still hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter! Please look forward to the next one!!
Lots of greets,
Kittymui
Next chapter: Amending relations
-.-.-.-.-
In the next chapter, we will see some change in the relationship between our two main characters :). Though it's not a BIG change since this story still has to be a bit realistic haha, but I will not let you down!
-.-.-.-.-
Vocabulary:
Taiyoukai: big demon
miko: priestess
kisama: a VERY rude way to say 'you'
chigau: it's different/not like that
kugutsu: demon puppet
-.-.-.-.-
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
silverstargazing: I'm glad you liked the chapter :). I hope this chapter was just as enjoyable as well.
demonswty: Thanks! Well, Kagome will not have any extra powers besides the purifying power after losing her wings.
Lady Kaela: Thank you very much! I'll update as soon as possible!
Shadow-Demon14: That's wonderful news!! Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you liked it!
robin's-hope: Thanks thanks!! Yeah poor Rin, but it's quite refreshing to suddenly transform a "good guy" from the series into a "bad buy" hehe. Hmm if I'm not mistaking, I mentioned that Rin was about 23 years old...yeah 23 :) so she's older than Kagome. And euhm, Kikyou is already in it as you can see hehehe. About the rest, I haven't found a suitable role for them yet. Don't know if I'll ever find them but honestly I like it like this already :).
Dragon of Sesshomaru: Thanks! Have I updated soon enough?
Why?What?Shutup: Thank you very much :). I'm glad you didn't miss out this story of mine hihihi.
atashi-wa-Yume: Hahaha, I'm happy to hear you like the story so far! Thanks for reviewing!
lunathelune: Thanks!!
drow goddess: Thank you!! I hope you're happy with the pace I'm updating with :).
AngleCat HellFire: Thanks! Look forward to the next chapter too ne?
stoictimer: Hmm well, the relationship between them in the series was vague so I thought it would be best to leave it that way. But it's clear enough that Rin has special feeling for Sesshoumaru (enough to betray him because of jealousy hehe). Thanks for reviewing by the way!
Kayrin: Hehehe, well, I guess this chapter has satisfied your curiosity right?
bad-girl4: Hahaha, I'll be waiting for you to guess the right answer then! Thanks for reviewing!
kagomesirene: Thank you very much! And your suspicion was right! You are definitely not paranoid :).
gimchi: Thanks! And nope, making Inuyasha fall for Kagome would complicate things very much :) so I had decided not to do that hehe.
Guardian-of-the-night: Thanks! Yeah, I still have 2 other stories pending after I finished this one (did I mention that I'm really looking forward to writing the next one hehehe...oops...said to much again). I'm happy to hear that I've got a faithful reader hihi.
DarkAngelB: Hahaha, well it's okay, this review of yours was long too :). Thanks for reading and reviewing!
INUGIRL: I'll try to update once a week! Thanks for reviewing!
Posted: 30 July 2004
Last Edited: 30 July 2004
Spelling check: YES