Chapter Eleven: Unexpected Complications
From behind Sesshomaru, Kagome left Sota's bedroom, heading downstairs. She was mad at her friend for spoiling her moment with the Lord of the Western Lands. It wasn't every morning that she awoke in the embrace of one of the most handsome demons from the feudal era. Now, her half-demon friend had spoiled that time.
When she reached the living room, she saw Inuyasha was standing there, looking extremely enraged. With his arms crossed over his chest, he seemed more likely to draw Tetsusaiga on her then argue, but she stood her ground. He was in her house and he would not be wreaking more things.
"Kagome," he shouted, angrily.
Hands on her hips, she glared at him. "Inuyasha, SIT!"
A loud boom filled the house as he did a face plant into the floor. Upstairs, Sesshomaru chuckled to himself. When would his half brother learn to control his temper? Back downstairs, Inuyasha pulled himself up from the floor, furry flashing in his eyes. "What was that for?" he demanded.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, staring at the floor.
"Uh," he took a step back, caught off guard by her question. "Erm…"
Shaking her head, Kagome sat down on the empty couch. Sota and Rin were eating breakfast in the kitchen. She only raised her eyes to meet his at that moment. "If you came here to fight with me you might as well go home because I'm not in the mood. You woke me up and I was-,"
"Kagome, why do you smell like Sesshomaru?"
For a moment, she stiffened. Then openly staring at him with defiance, she attempted to hide her growing smile. "Why do you ask? Does it bother?"
"Bother me!" he cried. "Don't you know what he is? He isn't a half demon like me, Kagome! He's a full-blooded demon. He's no Jinenji! He'll kill you!" Inuyasha yelled at her, becoming furious.
"No he won't!" she screamed back. "You don't know anything about him! All you see is his past, who he was before Naraku's end. This is going to be another Koga with you, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha hissed. From where he was upstairs, Sesshomaru listened attentively, not wanting to miss Kagome's next words.
"You always thought Koga was going to hurt me, but all he ever did was love me."
"LOVE YOU!" Inuyasha roared, his claws coming out at the thought of his brother touching Kagome. "Sesshomaru loves you?!"
"I didn't say THAT," she snapped. "I was merely showing you that you think wrongly of him."
"Do you love him back?"
"Who said anything about love!"
"You just said-,"
"No I didn't!" she cried, her face getting red with her anger.
"Kagome," he sighed, not sure what to say. How many times had Kikyo accused him of being in love with Kagome? More than he could count, but he loved Kikyo, didn't he? He had gone through so much to get her back, when in the end it had been Kagome who had given them a chance at love again. "I don't want to fight," he whispered, hugging her.
"Inu-Inuyasha," she was startled by his gentle nature, by the kind way he held her. Together they sat down on the nearest couch, prepared to have a long talk.
Upstairs, Sesshomaru was commanding himself not to go down to the living room. Part of him did not care because Kagome was merely a human. The other part was increasingly jealous and wanted to storm down there right at that moment to see what was going on. He vowed that if his brother hurt her again, he'd kill him.
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"So he finally went, did he?" Sango quietly asked Miroku as she, Shippo, and the monk looked down into the Bone Eater's Well.
"Yes, he went after Kagome," Miroku nodded. He turned around, sensing another presence. "Kikyo?"
"Where has he gone?" she questioned, in that tone of voice she always used to conceal her true emotions.
"To get Kagome," Sango told her, leaving the well. She could hardly stand the ex-priestess anymore. She wasn't sure why, but everything that Kikyo annoyed her. So, she was only too happy when she had a chance to "piss her off" , as Kagome would have said it. She had taught Sango quite a few phrases from her present lingo.
"Sango?" Miroku called after her, but she continued on her way, despite the tone of accusation in his voice.
She couldn't stay here with that woman. Kikyo would have been dead had it not been for Kagome's selflessness. However, under the present circumstances, she wasn't in any position to be talking of Kagome as if she was selfless. She knew what had to be going through her sister's mind right now. Kagome loved Inuyasha. When she found out he had only come back to tell her to return herself, she would be heartbroken and regret ever bringing Kikyo back to life.
"What was that?" Kikyo asked, looking to the monk for interpretation.
"Sango, wait up!" Shippo yelled, running after her.
"She's been really frustrated lately," he shrugged. Miroku knew how Sango felt inside. She had had a hard life, what with losing her entire village, and in the final battle with Naraku, Kohaku, who had been the last surviving member of her past. Now she had only her friends, with whom she shared a special bond. With Kagome, that bond had been strengthened to the point of sisterhood. Kikyo was like a threat to that bond. Sango wouldn't have her hurting someone she loved. Therefore, Kikyo was the enemy.
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"When did this all start?" Inuyasha asked her. "You and Sesshomaru, I mean?"
"I don't know," she sighed, shrugging. "I don't think it's anything serious. It's nothing like what you are thinking about. I care about him, he's a good friend."
"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled, looking away. She smiled sadly.
"Kagome-chan!" Rin bounced onto Kagome's open lap. "Wanna play games with Rin-chan and Sota-chan?"
"Rin, it's Sota and I," Kagome automatically corrected.
The little girl nodded, then saw who was sitting aside of Kagome. "Bad demon," she attempted to growl, pointing a finger at Inuyasha. "Bad demon who tried to hurt Fluffy."
"Fluffy!" Inuyasha roared with laughter at his brother's nickname. Imagine, the Lord of the Western Lands being called something as ironic as Fluffy. He continued to laugh, until Kagome's eyes went down into slits and she screamed her ever hurtful command.
"SIT!"
"Kahgomeh," he mumbled into the carpet.
"You will not make fun of Sesshomaru in front of me. Rin calls him Fluff, because that is her pet name for him. Would you rather have me call you Yashi all the time?" A muffled 'no' came out from the floor, where he was still pasted down. "Fine, then knock it off."
Finally, Inuyasha was able to stand. When he did, Kagome was sitting back on the couch, watching her younger brother and Sesshomaru's charge playing with the video games. Grandpa had taken his position in the chair to watch over them. However, he had already fallen asleep, which was expected. Kagome's mother was in the kitchen, idly working, as usual.
"Can we go somewhere more private to talk?" he asked, motioning to the kid crowded room.
"I guess the mall would be good," she agreed. "Everyone else is at school today." She grabbed a light coat, just in case, then popped into the kitchen. "Hey Mom! Inuyasha and I are going to walk to the mall. We need to have a talk. Be back in a couple hours."
"Alright dear, be home in time for dinner at the latest."
"Okay!" she called, waving as she walked out the door, following her hanyou.
They walked together, holding hands like old times. It was comforting to be in each other's presence. Kagome was sure to make Inuyasha wear a hat. She didn't want him going discovered by the whole population of Tokyo, she already had enough explaining to do. She didn't need to complicate things any further.
The silence that surrounded them wasn't uncomfortable. She had learned long ago not to press Inuyasha to speak. Usually when he was quiet it was because he was thinking about something. This moment was no exception. She could see inside his amber eyes that he was pondering over the situation at hand. The situation, being, Sesshomaru and her possibly having an intimate relationship.
Amusingly enough, Kagome wasn't even sure if what they had could be called an intimate relationship. There was that trust test he had conducted with her on the roof. And sure, sleeping all night aside of the guy ought to be considered intimate, but Inuyasha couldn't know that. He would immediately assume the worst. He'd think something along the lines of rape and go screaming back to Miroku, Sango, and Kikyo. She shuddered when she thought of their reactions to such false knowledge. How could she prove something like that was a lie? They would all see Sesshomaru as the villain because of his past actions.
No wonder the demon lord hardly ever let anyone in. Naturally, he was considered evil only because what he was. She shook her head, realizing how hard it must have been for him growing up, knowing that he would be unable to make any friends. It had to have been tough. Inuyasha had shared some information about his childhood years and they weren't pretty. Sesshomaru's had to be far worse, especially since he had to cope with the truth of his father's love going to another woman, instead of his own mother's.
They reached the mall, and Kagome went in first. They found a bench off to the side, where few people were bustling by. First they just sat there, staring at the oblivious humans that passed them by. Then, Inuyasha cleared his throat, and drew Kagome's attention to him.
"Kagome, come back with me. Kaede needs help with the village. Sango misses you. She's blaming me for everything and now she's starting to take it out on Kikyo too. I can't bare to see her upset."
Kikyo! Kagome felt her heart shatter. So he still loves her, she thought sadly. And all this time I thought he had changed his mind. Snap out of it Kagome, he'll never love you. All he cares about is Kikyo. He'll never be yours. Just give it up! She blindly brushed a tear away.
"Miroku says they need help planning the wedding and you know so much about weddings from the future, that they were hoping you could help them. Shippo whines about missing mother everyday and even Kirara seems to be depressed. Everyone wants you back, Kagome, why don't you leave Sesshomaru?"
"Inuyasha, do you want me to come back?"
"What?"
"Do you? Honestly, if none of the other's cared." This was the moment of truth. If he truly cared for her, he would let her know now. She had said the appropriate words, in the right order. There was no way he could blow this, unless he meant to. "Would you want me to come back with you?"
"I….of course," he told her, but she didn't believe him. He had taken too long to reply. He wasn't certain if he'd want her back. He had only come here because everyone else was getting on his nerves. She meant nothing to him. Her heart finished breaking, but she forced herself to be strong and tell him her decision.
"I can't. I have found another place for myself." At his confused face, she elaborated. "I belong with Sesshomaru and Rin, back at the Palace in the Western Lands. I'm happy there. I'm treated well, I'm cared for, I get to watch over Rin, and I feel like I belong."
"You don't belong with him, though!"
"Why not? Because he's a demon and I'm a human, or because you just don't want him to win?"
"Both!"
"Inuyasha," she shook her head, saying his name as if it was gum, which had slowly, lost its flavor. "I'm sorry, but I can't go back with you. Kikyo doesn't want me and obviously, neither do you."
"Kagome, you can't turn your back on me!"
"I'm not," she told him, her doe brown eyes gazing up into his hard amber orbs. "You've already turned your back away from me." He growled.
"This is Sesshomaru's doing."
"Go back to who you love, Inuyasha. Go back to Kikyo." She walked up to him, and snapped the rosary. He gasped, glancing down at her. "There is still enough magic to get you back to the feudal era, but it will only work once. If you go back, you'll never be able to come through the well again."
He glared at her, his eyes full of anger, then he stormed out of the building. Kagome watched him go with a heavy heart. Why was it so hard to let go of the one you loved? Seeing all the happy couples at the mall, she forced herself not to cry until she was out of the crowd. As the tears flowed freely, she made for the park, one of the few places where she could find solitude.
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"Oh my heavens," exclaimed Kagome's mother. "It's half past seven. Where is Kagome? She's never neglected to follow my rules before. Do you think something has happened?" she asked Grandpa.
"I don't know. Should I phone the police?"
"You better wait a moment or two first."
"What's wrong?" Sesshomaru asked, sensing panic. He had been in Kagome's room all day, waiting for her to come back. However, hours later, after the sun had set, she had still not returned. There had been no sign of her or Inuyasha coming back to the house and now he was worried.
"Kagome's not back yet. She said she'd be home before dinner, but that was hours ago already." Thunder crackled through the sky. Mrs. Higurashi glanced out the window. "Oh gods! She's somewhere out there in this storm. Grandpa, call the police. I can't wait for her to come home now. I need to know she's safe."
"I'll find her," Sesshomaru offered. "I can trace her scent from the house. I'll find her and bring her home. Don't bring others into this." Before Mrs. Higurashi could stop him, the demon lord was out the door, searching for the lost miko. And he found her not far from the Shrine.
Kagome was sitting on a bench in the park. Rain had soaked her clothing and hair. Sesshomaru stood off to the side, watching her for a few moments. What was she doing out here all alone? Where had his brother gone? Wasn't Inuyasha supposed to be with her? He went forward.
She heard a twig snap and he realized he had stepped on it. "Sess-Sesshomaru?" He went forth to her, pulling off his top, which was warm and dry. Draping it over her shoulders, he wrapped it around her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he surprised her again by picking her up.
"Your mother sent me out to find you," he told her as they flew through the rain. "Don't worry. I hardly believe anyone can see us up here in this storm," he reassured her. She nodded against his chest. They soared over treetops, buildings, and homes, until landed within the Shrine area.
"Oh Kagome! What were you thinking staying out in such weather?!" Mrs. Higurashi cried as she threw open the front door. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up!"
Sesshomaru carried her upstairs, past her grandfather's wide eyes, and the two sleeping children, who Buyo was curled up against. He gently placed her down on her feet outside the shower room. "Thank you," she whispered, before going inside. But he held onto her wrist. She turned around.
"Kagome-chan, I must ask you. Why were you out so late in such horrible weather?" Her eyes lowered to the floor. He placed one finger under her chin and brought her face up to meet his. "Tell me," he asked, his warm breath running over her lips. "Was it because of actions by my brother?"
Slowly, she nodded and he growled. "I needed to take a walk to clear my mind," she told him. "Inuyasha and I had a fight. He left about an hour after lunch."
An hour! He couldn't believe she had been out on her own that long. It had been raining for at least a half hour. She was going to become sick. He released her wrist, motioning her to quickly take a shower. "Don't want you becoming sick on Rin." She nodded and shut the door. How he wished what he had told her was the full truth.
Angered by the actions his brother had taken again he remembered his vow. He had sworn once he would not allow Inuyasha to hurt Kagome, now had come the time to make that vow become a reality. He stormed downstairs, out the front door, and to the well house. Not thinking of anything other than Kagome, he leapt down. He was a bit more than surprised when he hit the ground, but nothing happened. Vainly, he tried jumping up and down, hoping the well would let him pass, but it would not.
"If you are trying to get back to the feudal era, you need Kagome. She is the only link between both times," the old man informed him. Though increasingly annoying at times, her Ji-chan was wise. The Lord of the Western Lands respected that. "Inuyasha can pass through because of his rosary. That binds him to her." With that said, the grandfather left the well house.
Defeated, Sesshomaru climbed out of the well. He'd ask Kagome to put a rosary on him. Grant it, he might have to endure something similar to Inuyasha's "SIT" command. However, he would take the consequences to be able to hurt his bastard half-brother. Quietly, he made his way back to the main house with a plan.
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In the steamy bath, Kagome sunk lower in the tub. Her thoughts were detached from one another. They sprang forth in a line that had no sequence and made little or no sense. Except, of course, to her, they made perfect sense.
Why did he say those things? The rain was like freezing ice. Sesshomaru carried me home. Inuyasha broke my heart. Fluffy gave me his coat. Inuyasha still loves Kikyo, he always will. Mom must be so worried. Sota drove me mad this morning. Sesshomaru has a chest like a steel band, but it was warm with life. I love working for him, he treats me so nicely. And Rin is always a joy. I could never leave them. I love him! Wait a second! I love Sesshomaru? I thought that I loved Inu-…I love Sesshomaru! Oh my God! I don't love Inuyasha anymore…I love his brother…his older brother, a man he hates…a demon!
She opened her eyes and gasped. It was impossible, but it had happened. She was over Inuyasha, the half-demon friend she had sworn to be there for such a long time. To top it all off, her heart was set on his older brother, techniqually her boss, Sesshomaru, Demon Lord of the Western Lands. Why did life have to become so complicated?
Grabbing the nearest towel, she stood up, and stepped out of the tub. She tied the material around her body like a toga, while draining the water. That was when she realized she had forgotten to get clothing. Now she'd have to make her way down the hall to her room so she could change. She just hoped no one was out in the corridor. She could only imagine the embarrassment she would endure, especially if it was a certain attractive demon.
Quietly, she opened the door. "Eeck!" she jumped back into the steamy room. Sesshomaru was standing outside the door, a pile of neatly folded items in his hands.
"Gomen, I did not mean to startle you," he told her, in that soothing voice of his. "I brought you a change of clothing. You're mother assured me that these were warm and suited for sleeping in. I thought you might need them since you came to take a bath in such a hurry."
"Arigato," she thanked him, smiling. He could be so kind. It was almost too hard to believe that he was once a murdering fighter with no heart. She closed the door to change back into warm clothes. Then she hung the wet ones over various places in the bathroom to dry. When she opened the door again, he was once again waiting for her. "Was there something else?"
"Kagome-chan, could you make me a rosary?"
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A/N: Awwww! *motions to everyone* Come on now, say it with me. *motions* AWWWWW! Ok, *clears throat professionally* sorry about that, but you know, authors and craziness. It comes hand in hand. Anyway, own with the author note. Here was another seven pager. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sesshomaru is started to really show his caring side. I guess you could all tell. Odd, what love can do to you. And Kagome finally realized she had some form of feelings for him. *smiles* I especially liked the scene that transpired between Grandpa and Sesshomaru. Well that's about it. Read, comment, REVIEW! Please? *makes a pouty Rin face* Pretty please? ~ Nev
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Chapter 12
A knock came on the doorframe. The two looked up in startled unison. Mrs. Higurashi smiled at them from where she stood. "I just came to say goodnight to you both," she told them.
"Goodnight mom," Kagome yawned.
"Goodnight," Sesshomaru said as well.
"Goodnight you two." She left
"What possesses her to be so open and kind?" he questioned Kagome.
"You and Rin are part of the family, silly," she punched his arm playfully.
Part of the family? Hadn't he just been thinking about how he was an orphan? It did feel nice to be loved and belong somewhere, even if it was in this strange place called Tokyo. Her words echoed through his head as he thought of how nice all of Kagome's family had been to him. Even her grandfather was starting to warm up to him. At least he wasn't trying to spell him into oblivion anymore. That was progress enough. And Sota looked up to him as if he was his older brother. How he wished he had had him instead of Inuyasha. But perhaps not all family had to be flesh and blood related. Kagome didn't seem to think so.