Otherside

Chapter 9- Sticks and Stones

Hi fellow fic readers! I know some of you are pretty steamed at me for not posting on the day I promised, but I apologize and have punished the parties responsible....(Damn you campus parties!) LOL...but seriously, I'm usually pretty good about it, so I figure a lazy bum like me is allowed to be late once in a while...

Well, I got some pretty cool postings from all you Kikyou haters out there. Thanks! I'm not a big fan of hers either (sorry to all you weird Kikyou lovers! LOL) so I figured it's time to penalize the pile of mud and bones. This chapter is gonna be pretty fun...I hope! It has some Kikyou, some Fluff and Kagome action, and of course...some nudity... okay, just kidding about that one. Or am I? well, here it is...

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Sticks and Stones

"What do you mean you don't have her?!"

"Just what I said lady, the guys handling her never showed up."

"Well, you had better find her, or else it's your hide!"

"Yes, Kikyou!" the short frog demon replied hastily, hopping off as fast as he could. He knew better than to anger the priestess.

Kikyou placed a hand to her forehead in aggravation. She should have known that those trolls would screw the whole thing up. Now she had to find someone else greedy and/or stupid enough to track the girl down.

Rolling three pieces of rock around in her hand, Kikyou tried to think of another way to acquire her incarnation. Luckily, she had stumbled upon the legend of Kyosetsu in her travels, and now had methods of persuading goons to do her bidding. She had no use for the stones, for they held no power in the hands of the undead. So what better form of paying those who do her dirty work?

The sun was setting, and Kikyou knew that time was running out. She had only a week left to find Kagome, cast the incantation on her and get the rest of her soul back. A smile crossed Kikyou's insipid face. Soon, she would be fully living again. Then she would not need her soul stealers to sustain her anymore, and her heart would beat again.

Kikyou would soon be among the living once more!

'Whish'.

Kikyou spun around to the source of the sound. Someone was watching her, and she knew exactly who...

"InuYasha! Come out, I know you are spying on me!"

The white haired dog-demon stood up from behind the tree he had been using as cover. He walked forward like a child caught sneaking his hand into the cookie jar.

InuYasha raised his eyes to Kikyou's suspicious ones, anticipating a stern lecture.

"Why have you been spying on me, InuYasha? Do you not trust me?" she asked seductively.

"I was just making sure no one was trying to hurt you, Kikyou," he said.

Kikyou knew better. She leaned in close to him, resting her head on his strong shoulders. He still had the same scent he had had for over fifty years.

InuYasha looked down at the woman he had long ago been in love with. This woman still had the same hair, the same eyes, and the same body as the Kikyou he had been in love with, yet this was not her. He closed his eyes and tried to lean in and kiss her, but the smell of mud and rotting flesh that constantly surrounded her made him pull back. That smell was a reminder that this was not his Kikyou. Another thing was that this Kikyou was not the same loving and pure woman of fifty years ago. It seemed all this woman cared about now was revenge and death. Things were starting to add up...

"Why will you not kiss me InuYasha? Do you not find me beautiful?" she asked with a fake smile.

"Of course, Kikyou," he said nervously. He reluctantly kissed her, nearly gagging at her scent.

The only thing that kept him from throwing up was that he pretended it was Kagome he was kissing, not Kikyou.

Kikyou licked her lips. She could not feel anything as an undead. Soon, that would all change...

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

"Sesshomaru, can you help me?" Kagome asked innocently.

They were setting up for the day, and Kagome had just finished tucking Rin asleep. Even Jaken put up very little fight when it came to rest. He got a lot more sleep now that Kagome was there to keep Sesshomaru company.

"What do you need assistance with?" Sesshomaru asked casually.

Kagome looked over to the handsome demon, lying comfortably on the large bed in the center of the room.

"I can't get this fire going," she said meekly.

With the point of a finger, the hearth was lit, and the entire room was aglow. Kagome giggled. Sometimes she forgot how nice it was having a demon at her side.

It was midday outside, but you could hardly tell. Earlier in the morning the group had come upon an abandoned house, obviously a noble's, probably due to demon attacks. It was quite large and quite beautiful, and a shame to go to waste. It always looked as though it was nighttime inside, probably due to the lack of windows. Kagome had instantly suggested the party stay there and get some much earned rest after a long two days of traveling.

The luxurious home had two bedrooms, one with children's beds in it, and one with a single large king sized bed. The children's room was the obvious choice for Rin and Jaken. The beds in there fit them perfectly. The only problem lay with the other room...

Obviously the lord of the manor's bedroom, it contained only one bed. Usually Kagome wouldn't have a second thought about having to sleep in there, but this time there was one minor problem. Sesshomaru had been injured the day before, and needed rest himself. Being that the house had been looted, there was no other furniture in the home, except for the bed.

Kagome had volunteered to sleep on the floor of the living room, but Sesshomaru would not have it. Sesshomaru would have gladly slept on the floor himself, but Kagome would not allow it. His left side had a deep gash in it from a battle with creature from the continent, and could barely stand without aide. He would heal in a few days, but until then, he need to rest.

The only option was to share a bed, and that was not something they felt totally comfortable with. It wasn't that they didn't trust each other, but more that they didn't trust themselves...

Kagome rubbed her hands in front of the fire and faced Sesshomaru. His chest was wrapped in white gauze and he was clothed from the waist down. Kagome smiled at him. She had never seen him without his layers of armor and clothing. Even his fur piece was folded away!

"What are you looking at?" he asked with a grin.

Kagome blushed, embarrassed at being caught staring.

"Oh, nothing."

The only thing Kagome needed to do now was change into something to sleep in. Unfortunately the only clean things she had were two fancy robes. A blue one, which she had worn after the troll incident, and a red one, which looked more like something you would wear to an event than sleep in.

Hanging a sheet from the top rail of the bed so Sesshomaru couldn't see her change she stripped and started to put on her robe. What she didn't know was that the fire in the room made her a silhouette as she dressed, giving Sesshomaru quite a show. Sesshomaru opened an eye and sat up quickly, instantly feeling a shot of pain, reminding him of his injury. He ignored it as he watched her slim form through the sheet.

Kagome finished changing and took the sheet down, not noticing Sesshomaru had laid down only a second before. She cautiously lifted the covers and got in, trying hard to stay on her side of the imaginary line that separated her from Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru moved over, trying to do the same. It was hard for him as he looked at her, eyes sparking, hair flowing and skin glistening under the beautiful fabric of the red robe. He mentally praised himself for getting two of them.

Kagome turned away from him and lay on her side, trying to ignore the tension of the room.

'It's going to be a long night,' she thought.

Sesshomaru tried in vain to focus on the fire as Kagome's scent filled his nose.

'This will be a long night,' he thought.

Both lay there trying to concentrate on anything but each other, not noticing the creature stalking around in the darkness of the hall, watching them.

It licked its lips in excitement as it stared at its victim. The girl would be easy enough to capture. The demon to her right, however would be a problem. The demon was obviously one of incredible power.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I

"Lady Kikyou will reward you well if you bring the girl to her," the frog demon had said.

"Lady Kikyou shall get her girl, but what of the other?"

"Do whatever you will with him."

Otaru smiled evilly to himself. This would be too easy...

END OF CHAPTER 9

Sorry it was so short and took so long. I promise to hurry on chapter 10 and 11, hopefully I can push them both out on Monday. Thanks so much for being patient guys.

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Much love,

Sophie