Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha for the billionth time and I wish I did for the ten billionth.
Shoutout: Thanks to Canna for helping me with my story. Love ya babe.
Chapter Seven: A Decision Is Made
Kagome stared at Sesshoumaru. Did Sesshoumaru, stoic lord of the Western Lands just smile? She thought. Noticing Kagome's attention on him, Sesshoumaru quickly composed himself. Kagome gave him a smile over the top of Rin's head. Sesshoumaru stared back,
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head "No, everything is, right," Kagome said.
She believed what she said. She truly did. She started to question whether all that time spent with Inuyasha and hunting the shards with him, was really the joyous times she thought she had. Stroking the girl's hair, Kagome held the child closer and a sense of maternity took over. She started singing a little lullaby softly to Rin. In no time, the little girl was asleep, a smile adorned on her face as wide as the ocean.
"We will camp here tonight and tomorrow, we shall search for the remaining shards," Sesshoumaru said.
Kagome nodded her head and stared into the fire. The stillness was like a blanket that covered the forest. Sesshoumaru sat against the trunk of another tree and dozed lightly, hearing for anything out of the ordinary. He could sense Kagome still awake and deep in thought.
"Why do you not sleep?" Sesshoumaru said
Kagome jumped a little at his voice. She thought he had been asleep.
"I guess I'm not tired," Kagome replied.
Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and stared at the human girl. How could she not be tired? This whole day had been running and hunting demons. Even Rin, who was normally energetic, fell asleep right away. Kagome smiled at the Taiyoukai who narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Why are you so happy?" he asked.
"Because I have just realized that I am much more happy here, hunting shards with you than I ever was with Inuyasha," Kagome admitted, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
Sesshoumaru almost did a double take on that. She is happier with me than that hanyou? He thought.
"Is this true," Sesshoumaru asked so quietly that Kagome almost didn't hear him.
Kagome blushed deeper. She nodded.
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Sango and Miroku sat at their own campfire, the heat not enough to warm the chill they felt when Kikyo had said she would kill Kagome to gain her soul back. Kikyo had gone off somewhere after the encounter and Inuyasha still wasn't back from wherever he went. Sango and Miroku just stared into the flames, trying to decide what would be their next move. They already knew Kagome was alive and so did Kikyo. But Inuyasha didn't. And Sango had promised Kagome not to tell. Sango sighed outwardly.
"Sango?" Miroku asked. "What's wrong?"
"I'm thinking about Kagome-chan and Kikyo," Sango said.
"I'm sure nothing will happen to Kagome-sama," Miroku said.
Tears formed at the edge of Sango's eyes. "I hate Kikyo! I hate Inuyasha! Kagome-chan tried so hard to gather the Shikon shards for him and he chooses her," Sango spat. "Kagome-chan deserves better than this. She's always worried about everyone else but when it comes to herself, she doesn't care and doesn't allow anyone else to care." Two solitary tears managed to lid down the demon exterminator's eyes.
Miroku moved a closer and gathered Sango in his arms. "Cry, Sango, it's not healthy to keep emotions inside," Miroku soothed. "I offer my shoulder for you to cry on, if you wish."
"Houshi-sama," Sango said. The she buried her face in Miroku's arms and cried, soaking the monk's robes with salty tears.
And for the first time, Miroku didn't even think about groping her. Holding Sango in his arms, Miroku wanted to see Sango smile. He wanted to see her angry face when he groped her. He wanted to see every emotion except sadness cross the young exterminator's face. She had been through so much and she had faced them with a strong will. She had faced them.... alone. Miroku vowed that he would be there for her from now on, just to see Sango, not sad. It was a good ten minutes and Miroku still held her.
"Sango?" Miroku called, softly.
Sango groaned a little and Miroku realized that Sango had fallen asleep. Her face angelic with no stress marring it. Miroku hugged Sango tighter and soon fell asleep too.
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Kagome woke and realized something was on her chest. She looked down to see Rin still fast asleep in her lap. She looked towards the tree Sesshoumaru was leaning against and found it empty. Kagome gently shook her awake.
"Okaa-san?" Rin called sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"Rin-chan, time to wake up. Sesshoumaru-sama is waiting for us," Kagome said, knowing the Taiyoukai was not far away.
"Hai, okaa-san," Rin said, immediately coming to attention.
Rin got up off of Kagome and hurried to help Kagome to her feet. Kagome smiled and got up off the ground, finding that her legs had fallen asleep. Wincing a little as she coaxed blood back in to her legs, Kagome walked awkwardly, as she led the child by the hand.
The Taiyoukai was staring up at the sky in deep thought while Jaken was squawking about how stupid humans were lazy. Ah Un was staring quietly at the raging toad youkai, waiting for their rider. (A/N: Ah Un is considered as two youkai right? Or is it one?) Kagome cleared her throat and Jaken immediately closed his trap. Sesshoumaru didn't even look her way.
"Finally awake, let's go," he said.
"How long have you been up, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.
"Before dawn," Sesshoumaru answered as stoic as ever.
"You got up that early?" Kagome asked.
"Youkai do not require as much sleep as human do," Sesshoumaru said.
Kagome took Rin and placed her on Ah Un's back and then walked over to Sesshoumaru. She placed her arms around his waist, he froze. What was she doing? His mind whirled frantically but his face betrayed no emotion. Blushing slightly, Kagome looked up to see him staring at her.
"Uh, aren't we going now?" she asked.
Sesshoumaru mentally slapped himself. Of course, wasn't he the one that ordered them to get moving? He almost blushed with embarrassment that he had thought.... oh well. Summoning his cloud, he and Kagome prepared for another day of Shikon shard hunting.
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Sango woke up to find Miroku's arms around her. She was just about to slap him for his nerve but then her mind flashed back to last night. He had been there for her. He had soothed her and comforted her when she was feeling sad. Sango's eyes glazed with tears as she stared at the sleeping face of the monk. Smiling, Sango placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, savoring the warmth he emitted. She lightly ran her fingers over the material of his robes, and thought how wonderful it was to be in his arms. When he's not being perverted, he's actually kinda... cute. Sango blushed as she thought this and almost giggled. Miroku blinked open his eyes and found the exterminator still in his arms.
"Sango?" he called out softly.
Sango gasped and quickly removed herself from his embrace. "H-houshi-sama, y-you're awake," she said, her face still flushed.
Kami she was cute she was cute when she blushed. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Hai," Sango said. "Arigatou, Houshi-sama, for last night."
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Miroku said.
Sango nodded. "We should get going. Inuyasha and Kikyo aren't back and we should go look for them," she said.
"That's right, Kikyo-sama will be looking for Kagome-sama," Miroku said, his face solemn.
"She will not find her," Sango said bitterly.
"We must find a way to help Kagome-sama," Miroku said,
"How? Kikyo will stop at nothing to find Kagome-chan," Sango said, pain crossing her elegant feature once more.
"Not if we can help that," Miroku said.
"What do you think we should do, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked, eager for anything that would help them help Kagome.
"Kikyo-sama wants Kagome-sama's soul," Miroku said.
"But Kikyo needs to find Kagome-chan first. And Kagome-chan is with Sesshoumaru," Sango said.
"Right, and if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe Sesshoumaru would let anything happen to Kagome-sama," Miroku stated.
"How do you know that?" Sango asked, doubting the possibility.
"Sesshoumaru is looking for the Shikon shards too. We still don't know why, but Kagome-sama is the only one, excluding Kikyo-sama that can see the shards. And in order for Sesshoumaru to gain the shards, he needs Kagome-sama," Miroku explained. (A/N: I'm not trying to make Sango sound dumb okay?)
"So, Sesshoumaru can offer some protection," Sango figured.
"Right," Miroku said. "Which leads to the other thing. The Shikon shards."
"Kikyo wants all the shards so she can make her wish that she was alive again," Sango said. "Kagome-chan wanted the Shikon shards to give to Inuyasha but, now I bet she wants to give it to Sesshoumaru so he can use it."
"But why would she want to give it to Sesshoumaru?" Miroku thought out loud.
"Maybe, Kagome-chan is getting back at Inuyasha for breaking her heart?" Sango said.
"By helping his brother? Oh, wait, that can be a good reason," Miroku said.
"If I were Kagome-chan I would do things worse than this," Sango spat, as if Inuyasha's name fouled up her mouth.
"So, this means that we must do something to help Kagome-sama gain all the Shikon shards," Miroku concluded.
"Wait, Kikyo has the piece of the Shikon no Tama that Kagome-chan and Inuyasha completed right?" Sango said.
"Yes," Miroku said.
"If Kagome-chan had that completed piece, that would mean that she would have an almost completed Shikon no Tama," Sango said.
"And thus closer to exacting her revenge on Inuyasha," Miroku finished.
"Exactly!" Sango almost shouted.
"So, we must steal the completed piece of the Shikon no Tama and give it to Kagome-sama," Miroku said.
Sango nodded in agreement and both the monk and herself smiled slyly at their plan. Oh how revenge would taste so sweet to them once Kikyo was gone and Inuyasha would taste the pain that he had dealt to Kagome. Sango almost laughed maniacally at their plan.
A/N: Okay, now Sango and Miroku have a plan and a start of something between those two. smile with cat ears and tail And gomen if this seems like a cliffhanger. I'll try not to do that.
Read and Review. Arigatou!
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