Kagome's Song and Inuyasha's Love
Hello all you lovely ppls!!! I just wanted to say how much I love you!!!
*Random reader* What the hell is up with her now???
I am merely happy with all of the reviews I got...
*Inuyasha* Yeah right, that bozo is just happy because all of her reviewers want her and Sesshoumaru to hook-up...
*glares daggers at Inuyasha, then whispers sweetly in his ear* They also want me to get back to you and Kagome...and tell what happened when you all got blasted away into the forest...
*Inuyasha* Feh!!! Like anything important would happen, who cares about that wench anyway?
*whispers again* You do...
*Inuyasha* Why you!!! *grabs his Tetsusaiga and chases Hekele in circles while yelling profanities*
R&R If you want me to live!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I own squat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Feelings and the Trip Home
With Inuyasha and Kagome:
Inuyasha groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt disoriented and as if he had just gotten his ass kicked. Then he remembered what happened.
*Damn tiger demon...just when I let my guard down a little to help Kagome...* Then it hit him.
"Kagome!" he yelled as he jumped up and looked around. His body was protesting, begging him to lie back down, but he couldn't. How could he forget her...?
He searched around and, finally, his eyes fell upon her seemingly lifeless figure, about 20 feet from him. Shippo was curled up in a ball nearby as well. Inuyasha panicked and ran over to them, hoping they were alive. Their scents told him they were but he had to be sure...
Shippo seemed all right, his injuries were limited to some minor cuts and scrapes. Inuyasha turned him over slightly to get a better look and noticed that he had landed on and broken his right arm. Inuyasha grimaced, the kitsune was going to be in a lot of pain when he woke up. Inuyasha even had to admit how much broken bones hurt...they weren't fun. Mindful of his arm, Inuyasha carefully lifted Shippo up and carried him over to Kagome.
Kagome was another story when it came to injuries. She had a huge cut on her arm, which was bleeding, one or two more on her legs, (probably from stray branches,) her ankle was swollen, (Inuyasha couldn't tell if it was broken or not,) and she was covered in bruises. Inuyasha was relieved, however, to see her breathing with ease. He reached out his hand and stroked her cheek affectionately, just glad that she wasn't any worse off. He saw her backpack and dug through it, looking for her first-aid kit. Once he found it he proceeded to clean and wrap her wounds carefully. Once she was done he put some bandages on Shippo and cautiously wrapped his arm and put it in a sling so that he wouldn't accidentally move it. Inuyasha sat cross-legged and gently lifted Kagome into his lap and Shippo into hers. He nuzzled Kagome softly and laid his head on hers. When the two woke up he would take them to find Miroku and Sango, until then he was just going to stay here with them.
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With Sango and Miroku:
Miroku carefully tended to Sango's wounds as she slept. He was careful not to move her too much; her ribs appeared to be broken. He smiled at how surprisingly peaceful she looked, despite the pain she would be in when she awoke. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was framing her face beautifully. Miroku gently removed a strand from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Even when knocked out and scraped up she was stunning. Miroku sat back and reexamined his own wounds. He was probably just as bad as she was, minus the broken ribs. Sango was lucky to have landed on the soft ground; he had landed on a rock. He had woken up a few minutes after the fight, and was wondering why she hadn't.
*Probably because she isn't used to getting hit in the head with a boomerang like I am...* he thought affectionately. He smiled at her again. It was then that he noticed Kirara; she was sleeping next to her mistress protectively. He smiled and, having forgotten all about the little cat, stroked her gently. Kirara woke up and meowed at him.
"Oh, sorry Kirara, I didn't mean to wake you." Miroku apologized. Kirara seemed to be satisfied with the apology and turned into her larger form. She looked at Miroku as he lifted Sango partially off the ground so Kirara could lay behind her. He laid Sango back down in a sitting position, using Kirara as support, so as not to harm her ribs further. Miroku sat leaning on the cat demon and she meowed, (although it sounded more like a growl since she was in her larger form,) affectionately at her two friends. She wrapped her giant, fluffy tail around the two for warmth. Miroku yawned slightly, having been very tired throughout the night's events.
"Arigato Kirara..." he said as he fell asleep. The large Kirara meowed and closed her eyes. Like Inuyasha, however, she was far from sleeping.
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With Inuyasha and Kagome:
Kagome slowly woke up from her unconscious state and looked around. Feeling the warmth behind her she looked up Inuyasha and blushed slightly. As if on cue Inuyasha opened his eyes to look at her, a smile forcing itself to be seen.
"I see your finally up...how are you feeling?" he asked her. Kagome smiled a bit.
"I feel like I just got run over and flattened by Koga, how about you?" she responded. Inuyasha smiled more openly at this, fond memories playing in the back of his mind.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Kagome asked, knowing Inuyasha hated to hint at his emotions. His face broke into a huge grin and Kagome rolled her eyes, knowing what was inhabiting his mind at the moment.
"When you said that it reminded me of when Koga fell into that damn 'sit' created crater," he said, still smiling. Kagome grinned herself at another memory and Inuyasha just looked at her oddly.
"And you? What are you so happy about?" he pressed. Kagome smiled at him sweetly.
"Just your huge case of the hic-ups...and how hilarious it was trying to help you get rid of them..." she said. Inuyasha growled a bit.
"Yeah right...real hilarious..." he said sarcastically.
"Well, you thought it was funny how I helped you get rid of them by saying the 's' word..." she retorted, laughing. Inuyasha chuckled at first, but then remembered why he had been 'sat'. That stupid 'Hobo' guy had come over and he had been caught spying. He remembered how he had kissed Kagome, and Inuyasha still wanted to rip him apart. Inuyasha subconsciously clutched Kagome tighter, mentally refusing to ever let another guy get her; she was HIS, even if he hadn't told her yet...
Kagome felt Inuyasha tighten his hold over her and smiled. She felt very content in his embrace, it felt almost...loving. She looked at the little ball of fluff in her lap as it began to stir in its sleep. Smiling, she stroked Shippo's hair lovingly as he opened his eyes and looked up at her.
Seeing Kagome awake made Shippo happy, seeing Inuyasha hugging Kagome and actually looking concerned for him as well made him even happier. From Shippo's point of view they were both looking at him much like his parent's would when they tucked him in for bed at night. To him they were his parents now, ever since they had saved him from the Thunder Brothers Hiten and Manten. He smiled and jumped up, expecting to land on Kagome's shoulder so that he could hug her, instead found himself suspended by his tail looking at a frowning hanyou.
"What's the big deal Inuyasha?!? What'd I do?!?!?!?" he wailed, wanting to hug his 'mother'. Inuyasha set the kit back down on Kagome's lap and looked at him fondly.
"Feh, look out for your arm kit." he said, pointing to Shippo's wrapped arm. Shippo tried moving it and wailed out in pain, causing Inuyasha to flatten his ears. Kagome smiled and stroked Shippo's hair in order to calm him down a bit while Inuyasha regain the rest of his hearing abilities. Inuyasha had half been expecting this to happen, so he refrained from hitting the kitsune or chucking him into a tree. Kagome inspected Shippo's arm for herself.
"Wow Inuyasha, you did a good job wrapping this..." she complimented. Inuyasha couldn't help but beam with pride when she said this; he had seen her wrap everyone's wounds so many times that the exact procedure for each wound was eked into his brain. Shippo carefully jumped and landed squarely on Inuyasha's shoulder, careful of his own arm this time. Shippo then gave the surprised hanyou a huge hug.
"Thank you for being nice for once Inuyasha..." Shippo said sincerely, half wanting to know what Inuyasha would do about that last remark. Inuyasha gave a slight growl but kept it as much of a 'nice' growl as he could manage.
"No sweat kit., now get off so we can find Sango and Miroku." he said. Shippo obeyed but when Kagome tried to stand up Inuyasha gently held her down.
"Inuyasha?" she asked, confused. Inuyasha pointed to her ankle.
"Your ankle is swollen and I couldn't tell if it was broken or not, and since you haven't used it..." he trailed off, but Kagome got the picture. Her who body ached, but she had been injured many times in the past, and wouldn't be able to feel the severe pain of a break until she tried to use the ankle. She had been resting so she couldn't tell its numbed pain from that of the rest of her body. She blushed as Inuyasha picked her up bridal- style.
"You want to try and walk on it? I can carry you..." he offered, not wanting to hurt her more if it was indeed broken. Kagome shook her head and motioned for him to put her down. Inuyasha hesitated but did as he was told. He kept a firm hold on her waist as she put weight on the ankle in question, just in case. Kagome whimpered in pain when she put her full weight on her ankle and Inuyasha had her back in his arms in a heartbeat. Shippo jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and began to panic.
"Kagome! Is it bad? Are you going to be ok? Is it broken? Are we going to have to do that amputate-thingy?" he asked a mile a minute. Kagome looked at the worried kitsune and laughed. Inuyasha smiled at this, he remembered a time when almost anything would put Kagome out of commission, but she was much stronger now...
"I'm alright Shippo. I think it is just a bad sprain, and no, we don't have to amputate it. Have you been trying to read my books from Health class again?" she said while stroking the kitsune's hair. Shippo calmed down and popped into her lap as Inuyasha carried them in the direction of Sango and Miroku's scents.
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With Sango and Miroku:
Sango woke up feeling warm. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped in pain as she breathed. Oh how it hurt! Miroku felt her stirring next to him and woke up as well. She noticed him there and looked at him with pained eyes. Miroku wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and make her injuries go away, but doing so when she had broken ribs probably wasn't the best idea. Instead he contented himself with grasping her hand for dear life and stroking it lovingly with his thumb.
"You have a few broken ribs...we will go back to Lady Kaede's village and ask her to heal you once we find Inuyasha and the others..." he said soothingly. Sango nodded painfully in response. Miroku tightened his grip on her hand and tried to remain calm. He knew that Inuyasha and the others would come for them if they were alive, but a small part of him nagged, what if they weren't? He scooted closer to Sango, and laid her head on his shoulder, for once not thinking any perverted thoughts. Sango seemed to sense this and allowed him to do so, while feeling the relief that he was truly there when she needed him. Despite his perverted ness, he was a good man. She relaxed into his gentle, yet, protective embrace as he stroked her shoulder. She could hear Kirara purring contently and felt her eyes getting heavy as the pain numbed a bit. Miroku noticed this and whispered gently to her.
"It's alright, you can go back to sleep, I won't let anything happen to you..." Sango nodded and closed her eyes, knowing he was being serious. The last thing she felt before sleep consumed her were Miroku's lips touching her forehead. She smiled in her sleep.
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With Hekele and Sesshoumaru:
Hekele laid out her sleeping bag and unzipped it all the way, creating one large mattress. She shook her head in disbelief that she had decided to sleep in a tree and uncovered on the ground instead of in her nice warm bag. Oh well, it was going to get used tonight, her back couldn't take another night sitting upright. Rin was still bouncing around, glad that Sesshoumaru had brought Hekele back, and Jakken was trying to tend to her cuts, without much success. Hekele motioned for Rin to come over to the unfolded sleeping bag and she obeyed. Jakken scoffed and followed. Hekele held Rin in her lap as Jakken, who was mumbling about never getting any respect, tended to her cuts. Hekele smiled at the toad demon and shook her head. Sesshoumaru appeared into the small camp with some wood for fire. Hekele got up and took the stack from him.
"You know, I would have done that if I had known that that is what you were up to..." she said as she arranged the wood into a circle and lit it with some flint. Sesshoumaru gave her a passive look.
"I thought you weren't going to treat me any different because I was a demon or a lord?" he asked in an almost amused tone. Hekele studied him for a moment.
"I'm not, who ever said I couldn't be nice for the hell of it?" she replied dryly. Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow but kept quiet...for a moment.
"Why be kind if you get nothing out of it?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Hekele pondered what he said as she walked over to her backpack and pulled out an oversized navy blue sweatshirt out for Rin.
"Not all of us want something out of life Sesshoumaru, some of us just want to live through it. We are kind because we can and want to be, not because we see an advantage in being so..." she replied in careful words, pulling the sweatshirt over Rin's head and watching her run off again. Sesshoumaru thought for a moment.
"Why survive life when you can control it? It is much more practical if you think about it..."
"No it isn't, by controlling people and their lives you inhibit them, enslave them, and completely wipe them of their own self. You wouldn't want Rin to feel trapped or enslaved would you? She would become an empty shell without love or emotion, I know you care about her more than that..." she said quietly as she saw Rin jump onto Jakken, trying to make him 'pretty' again.
"But do I not control her already?" Sesshoumaru said testily, as if Hekele were threatening Rin. Hekele smiled, closed her eyes, and shook her head.
"No...you care for her and keep her safe. You order her around a bit but you do so cautiously," she said as she gave him a side glance, "as if you were worried about breaking her..."
"She IS only a child..."
"No, that isn't it, you don't want her to be too burdened, so you make Jakken do everything." Hekele said teasingly. Sesshoumaru winced a bit, but it was hardly noticeable. Hekele continued.
"She doesn't feel controlled, she is more than happy to help, it is in her nature, but somewhere down the line the whole order after order and snarl after snarl deal begins to wear at a person's self. If you treat them badly enough eventually they will break, you wouldn't do that to Rin...you would sense a change in her immediately and try to make her happy again. I envy her in this assurance." Sesshoumaru looked at Hekele oddly, one minute he could have sworn she was accusing him of being a slave driver and the next minute she was commenting him on caring for Rin. Her words were laced with sorrow, but he couldn't understand why.
"How is it you know how such a person would feel?" he questioned. Hekele smiled weakly.
"Just because someone has been broken doesn't mean that they can't be put back together..." she said. Sesshoumaru understood what she was saying and cast her a wary glance. She was confusing him more and more by the day.
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With Inuyasha and Kagome:
"Are they close?" Shippo asked for the millionth time. Inuyasha had half a mind to hit the kitsune but he didn't want to drop Kagome. Instead he just glared at Shippo.
"Will you ever be quiet?!?" he yelled. Kagome cringed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I would s-i-t you but then I'd be in even more pain, you didn't have to yell in my ear." she said begrudgingly. Inuyasha gave her a look.
"Your stupid kit. won't shut up though!!!" he exclaimed. Kagome cringed again and glared at him. Inuyasha gulped, knowing that the very second he put her down he was going to be 'sat'. Shippo grinned at the trouble he was causing and snuggled into Kagome's arms a little bit, happy that the two were back to normal and that Kagome was ok. He fell asleep moments later. Inuyasha had to suppress a growl. He hated when the kitsune did that, he knew that Inuyasha got jealous whenever he hugged or stayed near Kagome...so he continued to do so on a regular basis. Inuyasha couldn't understand why Kagome put up with his antics, especially when she knew he was up to no good. He blushed a bit when he felt Kagome snuggle a bit closer to him, and smiled when he realized that she had fallen asleep. He held her a bit tighter as he made his way to a clearing where Sango and Miroku's scents appeared to be coming from. When he stepped into the clearing he was met with a surprising sight. Sango was well within Miroku's groping range, he was holding her in fact, and she was sleeping soundly. Inuyasha sighed to himself and looked at Kagome.
*Why can't we be like that???* he thought, then he remembered all the times that he had teased her and his face faltered. How could they be like that when all he did was berate her for no reason what so ever? He walked over to his two companions and gently set Kagome and Shippo down next to them. He then tapped Miroku on the head, waking him up. Miroku stared at him for a moment before completely realizing who was standing in front of him.
"Inuyasha? You are all right, good! Where are Shippo and Lady Kagome?" he asked, concerned. Inuyasha smiled and motioned to the two lying on the other side of Sango. Miroku sighed and nodded. He then looked at Sango and smiled happily. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"For once, it truly isn't what you think. Sango has a few broken ribs, and that's why we didn't come to find you. She can barely move, so we stayed here and hoped that you'd be ok and come find us..." Miroku explained, still smiling at the sleeping girl next to him. Inuyasha could smell the sincerity floating off of Miroku, so he didn't press the matter, but sat down in front of the monk and stared at him oddly. Miroku returned the stare.
"What? What did I do? I'm telling the truth this time!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the monk.
"Not that this is a bad thing, but why haven't you groped her? She is here, defenseless, injured, and you had the perfect alibi to see her half naked, so why haven't you groped her? Usually you would pray for an opportunity like this!" Inuyasha said accusingly. Miroku actually turned a deep shade of red at this, knowing that his friend was right.
"Well, seeing as how she has a few broken ribs, I don't think giving her a reason to try to kill me was in either of our best interests." he said. Inuyasha nodded, satisfied that his friend had had some self control when needed. Miroku's eyes got an odd twinkle in them when he looked over at Kagome and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Don't even think about it bozo, if you touch my Kagome I'll kick your ass from here to China." Miroku pretended to look offended, but then smiled again, in yet another devious way, but this time it wasn't a perverted devious.
"What are you so happy about lech?" Inuyasha asked, confused. Miroku's grin only widened.
"Inuyasha, you called her YOUR Kagome." At this Inuyasha froze.
"No I didn't..."
"Oh yes you did, you said, 'don't even think about it bozo, if you touch MY Kagome I'll kick your ass from here to China.'" Miroku quoted. Inuyasha turned as red as his haori as he realized what Miroku said was true. Miroku chuckled a bit, causing Kagome and Sango to stir. Both he and Inuyasha froze as Kagome blinked open her eyes and sat up. She stretched and looked at the two, then her eyes fell on Sango, who was slowly waking up as well. Shippo remained in dreamland.
Sango opened her eyes and felt very warm, again. Her pain returned full force as she woke up completely. She gasped for air and shut her eyes tight to try and fight the pain. Miroku suddenly looked helpless to help her, wanting to do something but not knowing what. He continued to hold her, as gently as he could and she buried her face into his robes. He looked at Inuyasha and Kagome for support and Kagome had quickly scooted over to his side.
"Inuyasha, could you please get me my back pack? I need to wrap her ribs. Miroku, could you go get some water for the bandages, so they stick? Please?" she asked and the two boys were up in a heartbeat, Miroku gently prying Sango off first. He ran to a nearby river and gathered water in one of Kagome's bowls almost as quickly as Inuyasha got the bandages from Kagome's pack. They were then shooed away and a sleeping Shippo was dragged with them. After Sango was bandaged Kagome gave her some sleeping pills to numb the pain and help her rest. Suddenly she remembered something very important and glanced at the now returning boys in shock.
"What is it Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, getting worried at her frightened expression. Kagome gulped and tried to calm herself down.
"We forgot about Hekele..." she said softly, mentally kicking her own ass for forgetting about her friend. Inuyasha and Miroku froze and stared at each other before running over to Kagome. Miroku got onto Kirara and motioned to Inuyasha who lifted Sango as gently as he could and placed her into Miroku's lap. Inuyasha and the newly awakened Shippo walked over to Kagome. Shippo pounced onto her shoulder as Inuyasha lifted her up and the group began to run. Inuyasha picked up Hekele's scent within minutes and headed in her direction. He also smelled Sesshoumaru, Jakken, and Rin. He couldn't decide whether to be worried or relieved but ran faster either way.
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With Hekele and Sesshoumaru:
Hekele and Rin were snuggled up on Hekele's 'mattress' and were curled under a blanket that Hekele had brought along. Rin was sleeping soundly but Hekele couldn't sleep at all. She stared up at the sky and was deep in thought of nothing in particular. Jakken was sleeping on the other side of the fire and Sesshoumaru was sitting near the girls, just in case something happened. Sesshoumaru could tell from Hekele's uneven breathing that she was awake. After about an hour of this he got irritated and spoke up.
"Wench, you CAN sleep you know." he growled. Hekele turned to look at him.
"Don't call me that, and I CAN'T sleep. I haven't slept well in months, why should now be any different?" she retorted. Sesshoumaru thought for a moment and decided to use her insomnia to get some questions of his answered.
"How do you know Inuyasha?" he asked suddenly. Hekele looked at him for a moment, but decided that she wasn't going to die if she revealed her past to him.
"Well, Kagome and I have been friends for a while, so when I needed a place to stay, she, her mom, brother, and grandfather took me in. I met Inuyasha a day or so later when he came to get her..." she replied. Sesshoumaru nodded, but continued his prying.
"Why did you need some place to stay?" he continued. Hekele rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into it really, but not seeing a way out of it. She got up and walked over to where Sesshoumaru sat and placed herself next to him, not wanting to disturb Rin.
"Well, I had some...family issues and couldn't stay home any more." Hekele said, trying to dance around the subject. Sesshoumaru wasn't fooled.
"I can smell your secrecy, just tell me already wench." he said passively. Hekele sighed and gave up.
"For a while my dad had been abusing me, hitting me and stuff. He and my mom had gotten a divorce a few years ago and I decided to live with her when I was finally allowed the choice, I would still see him on weekends though. I guess it got him angrier because one day he finally snapped and tried cutting me. No body believed me though, they trusted him when he said I cut myself to get attention. One day when I was at my mom's house and we were sleeping he broke in and attacked us. He killed my mom, her boyfriend, and my little brother. He tried to kill me but the neighbors heard what was happening and came to our rescue. He ran but threatened to come back for me. I nearly died..." she said sadly, remembering it all as if it had just happened. She was looking at the ground as though it were the most fascinating thing on earth.
Sesshoumaru's face was no longer plastered passive. He was deep in thought and it showed. He was wondering how anyone could do such a thing as too murder his own family. Sesshoumaru cast a glance at Rin. She was like a daughter to him, though he would never admit it. He would never dream of hurting her. His glance fell on Hekele again, who kept her eyes trained to the ground, as if in shame. He had the strong urge to comfort her, although he had no clue why. He didn't quite understand what a 'divorce' was either, but assumed that it meant that her parents were no longer mates, since she had a boyfriend and that Hekele had to choose who to live with.
"Hey, can I ask you something Sesshoumaru?" Hekele asked suddenly, looking Sesshoumaru in the eye. Sesshoumaru nodded, wondering what she would ask.
"Is it really because of the two swords that you hate Inuyasha?" she questioned. Sesshoumaru was taken aback by it, but replied easily.
"That and the fact that he is a hanyou." Hekele shook her head and muttered something that to Sesshoumaru sounded like, 'That's stupid.' Sesshoumaru glared at her.
"And how exactly is that stupid?" he asked menacingly.
"First of all, you hate him for something he has no control over. He didn't choose to be a hanyou, he was born one. It isn't his fault. If you want to hate someone for this fact then hate you father and his mother, but even that would be stupid. When you love someone there is no right or wrong, and YOU know first hand that not all humans are pathetic and disgusting." Hekele said, motioning to Rin. Sesshoumaru growled, but Hekele knew that he as listening and turned her body so that she was facing him directly.
"Second of all, why do you want the Tetsusaiga so much when you have the Tenseiga? Don't you realize how precious YOUR weapon is?" she asked. Sesshoumaru stared at her in wonder. The Tetsusaiga was much more valuable, wasn't it?
"What do you mean, 'precious'? This sword couldn't cut butter." Hekele shook her head.
"You are blind. You have been given a much more precious blade than the Tetsusaiga."
"The Tetsusaiga can kill 100 demons with one swing if used properly!" he almost shouted at her apparent idiocy. Hekele smiled and continued.
"But the Tenseiga can HEAL 100 demons, OR humans if used properly. In all of time, never has such a thing been even dreamt of. Even in my time, we keep making stronger and stronger weapons, even though it creates more and more problems. We have weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people at once, AND level whole cities at the same time. But we can't even begin to create anything that can heal so much as one person the way your sword does. We can't bring someone back to life, but you can, and here you think its power is less than that of Inuyasha's sword? When my family was being killed off one by one, even before my father murdered my mom, I would have given anything, my own life, for your blade. I would have done anything to get my loved ones back, I can't believe that this gift of yours has fallen on such a person who can't appreciate true greatness and beauty as your sword!" she yelled, almost waking Rin and Jakken. Sesshoumaru pondered what Hekele was saying. He had an apparently limitless gift and he didn't care? Of course he cared! He had used it to bring back her and Rin. 'We have weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people at once, AND level whole cities at the same time. But we can't even begin to create anything that can heal so much as one person the way your sword does.' He thought about what Hekele had said again. In her time, when everything was so much different, and more advanced than in this time, they still couldn't resurrect people? His sword was one of a kind, he knew, but over the course of 500 hundred years and still not be able to heal? Hekele was still looking at him intently, waiting for his reply. He knew this but knew not what to say. He turned his head to regard her but was caught in her gaze. He couldn't place what was there, but he did see a bit of confusion and anger in her blue depths.
"If you had such a sword as Inuyasha's, you would give it up for one such as mine?" he asked, "You would give up the chance to get even with the killer as long as your loved ones were intact? Would you not worry about being safe? Would you not want insurance that it wouldn't happen again?" he finished, testing her resolve. She wasted no time in answering.
"Yes, I would give up his sword for yours if I had the choice. I wouldn't worry about safety, it is different in my era than it is here, and I would be more than safe now that we know he is a danger. If it did come down to needing insurance that it wouldn't happen again I would personally slit his throat." Hekele said darkly. Sesshoumaru was taken aback for the second time that night, this time by her tone. He had never heard her speak that darkly, even when arguing with him. One look at her face and he knew she meant it. That tone and promise didn't suit her. Sesshoumaru could tell that she wouldn't want to kill a family member, and so to promise to do so as suddenly and thoughtlessly as she did didn't seem to fit her at all. He subconsciously didn't like her making such a statement.
"You would end it yourself?" he asked as if to confirm her promise. Hekele only nodded. Sesshoumaru looked into her eyes for a moment longer before averting his gaze.
"Such words do not suit you, killing seems not to be your choice pastime," he stated superiorly, sneaking a look at Hekele as he did so. She was staring at the ground again.
"Had I been desperate enough while fighting Kohaku I would have killed him."
"But you knew that you didn't need to, and so he lives. Killing a family member is even farther down your list of things to do, I assume."
"You are right, but if need be, then so be it." Hekele said sadly. Sesshoumaru could smell the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. He didn't wish to see them as well.
"Go and sleep, if my pathetic brother and his friends are alive I doubt they would wish to have to drag you home due to sleep deprivation," he said. Hekele nodded solemnly and walked back to where Rin was sleeping on her 'mattress' without so much as a sigh in protest. Sesshoumaru felt a bit bad when he saw her retreating form. He had obviously tested her feelings a bit too much, for she never gave up and simply obeyed his simple 'requests'. She always fought back, but she hadn't this time. He had the urge to do something about her newly discovered depression. Her scent was laced with it. He had smelled it the entire time the two were speaking, and yet he just had to press her further. He resolved to make it up to her somehow. Sesshoumaru paused in his thoughts when he realized what he had just volunteered to do. Why should he care if she was happy or not? But, unfortunately for him, he owed her one anyway, for saving Rin.
(OOC: Yeah, like that's the only reason...oh, and f.y.i., when he resurrected her it was because she had died for Rin, he still owed her one from before.)
Sesshoumaru noticed that Hekele had fallen asleep, her breathing was dead even. He sniffed the air and noticed that the scent of tears was still apparent. Perplexed, he stood and walked over to the girl as silently as he could. Upon her face was a single tear that had been shed. Sesshoumaru gingerly wiped it from her cheek and stared at her sleeping figure. Something about her appealed to him greatly. She stood up to him when no one else would, and she could make him see his own blindness in matters such as his Tenseiga. Yes, something about her was special. Sesshoumaru walked back over to his tree and sat there, standing guard, until daylight hit the horizon.
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With the Inuyasha Gumi:
"Inuyasha, how far do you think they are?" Shippo asked for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he ran, not wanting to give Kagome a reason to 'sit' him.
"Shippo, the sun will be coming up soon, why don't you try to get some sleep while you can..." Kagome said tiredly, even she was getting sick of Shippo's antics. Inuyasha said a silent thank you as Shippo obeyed and curled up into a ball on her lap. Inuyasha stopped and waited for Sango, Miroku, and Kirara. It was taking forever to get to Hekele and Sesshoumaru. Sango was so badly hurt that she couldn't move, and Miroku would be at a disadvantage if something were to attack them. Inuyasha would always get too far ahead and have to stop and wait. He was sure that Hekele was in one piece. Sesshoumaru wouldn't kill her as long as Rin was attached to her, and Rin was practically stuck to her hip. He still had a feeling that something had happened though, and not a good something either.
"Inuyasha, do you think that Kaede will be able to heal Sango?" Kagome whispered, not wanting to wake the now sleeping kitsune. Inuyasha nodded calmly.
"The hag hasn't let us down before...I think Sango will be fine." he said quietly. Kagome nodded as Kirara came into view.
"I hope so..." she replied.
Miroku had a death grip on Sango. He was holding her as still as he could and would always wince whenever he heard her gasp in her sleep. Sango meant too much to him for him not to. It annoyed him how Inuyasha would speed up all the time but was relieved as he once again came into view, signifying that he was never far ahead. Miroku looked down at Sango, her face was contorted in pain as she slept. He held her a bit tighter, but remained mindful of her ribs. He wished there was more he could do, he felt so helpless when things like this happened. He gently brushed some strands of hair from her face and sighed sadly. He looked up as he saw the first rays of sunlight peer over the treetops. He vaguely wondered in the back of his head how Hekele was fairing with Sesshoumaru, when he heard Inuyasha growl.
"What is it Inuyasha?" he said seriously, knowing that they would be at a disadvantage if a demon were to attack them.
"I smell blood...Hekele's blood." he said angrily. Miroku's eyes widened. Inuyasha continued to sniff the air in the direction Miroku could only assume was where he had smelled the blood. He looked at Kagome, her face was one of horror.
"Y-y-you m-m-mean she's......" Kagome started to get tears in her eyes as she thought the worse.
"It doesn't smell fresh though, and it's REALLY faint, but I DO smell it, it may have happened last night..." Inuyasha said hurriedly, as if trying to calm her fears a bit.
"Her scent is living though...right?" Miroku asked, referring to the scent Inuyasha had been following before. Inuyasha nodded, Miroku sighed in relief, as did Kagome, except hers was much more apparent. Inuyasha didn't notice though.
*Why is the scent of her blood so faint? You'd think that I'd smell it WAY before I smelled her regular scent. At least she's alive though, I don't know what Kagome would do if she wasn't...* he thought, casting a small glance at Kagome, who had calmed down quite a bit to his relief. He didn't like having her upset, not at all. He looked at the rising sun and wondered what had happened to their friend.
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With Hekele and Sesshoumaru:
Hekele woke up groggily on her makeshift mattress and sat up to survey the scene. Jakken was up and tending to the fire, Rin was walking around picking flowers, (which Hekele smiled at, despite her need for more sleep,) and Sesshoumaru was...not there.
*Where's Sesshoumaru?* she thought as she stood up and stretched. Jakken noticed her awake and decided to answer her unasked question.
"M'lord Sesshoumaru is getting some fish for breakfast." he said. Hekele froze and looked at the little toad demon oddly.
"He is? I didn't think that was his department." Jakken glared at her.
"M'lord says that if I tried to catch a fish it'd probably eat me." At this Hekele laughed, knowing that he was probably right. Jakken glared at her some more.
"I wouldn't be laughing if MY hair looked that badly groomed..." he muttered, referring to Hekele's 'bed head'. Hekele just smirked, always one step ahead of the little toad's insults.
"At least I HAVE hair you jerk of an amphibian!" she retorted victoriously. Hekele made her way to her backpack, dragging her feet the entire way. Her mind may be awake but her body had hit the snooze button. She began rummaging through it when Rin popped up with the bouquet of flowers in her hand. Her face was bright as the sun and she was smiling from ear to ear. Hekele looked like a shipwreck.
"Morning Hekele-chan!!!" she said as she handed the flowers to Hekele.
"Mornin' Rin-chan, did you sleep well?" Hekele half-muttered half- cheerfully said to the little girl as she continued looking through her pack.
*Now...to find some instant coffee for me, and some chocolate for the cute sweet munchkin...* she thought as she found the objects she was looking for. She handed Rin a small piece of chocolate as she grabbed a kettle.
"Jakken, I'm going to the river to get some water, can you watch Rin for 2 minutes?" she asked, knowing how much he hated watching the girl. Jakken sighed and nodded, happy that it was only for a couple of minutes. Hekele patted Rin on the head and walked towards the river.
When she got there, she was a little surprised that she didn't see Sesshoumaru, but shrugged it off, knowing that he was there somewhere. She quickly filled her kettle with the water and left, she could hear Jakken complaining about not wanting to look 'pretty' and Rin's happy squeals. Upon returning she set the kettle on the fire and waited for it to warm up. She looked up as she heard Sesshoumaru's footsteps coming into the clearing. He had about nine or ten fish with him. Hekele quirked an eyebrow and he nodded to the forest behind her.
"Your companions are coming, I could smell them a few miles off." he muttered. Hekele smiled, apparently her friends were alive and well, but what she saw coming through the trees made her panic. Inuyasha was carrying Kagome and Sango was being held by Miroku in order to keep her from falling off of Kirara. Shippo was curled up on Kagome's stomach. She rushed to her friends to see if they were all right.
"Are you guys ok?!? What happened?" she said as Inuyasha set Kagome down and supported her on her good ankle. Hekele held her friend steady as Inuyasha took a partially awake Sango from Miroku as he slid off of Kirara. Hekele was panicking.
"It's ok, we're all alright, but Sango has a few broken ribs, I have a sprained ankle, and Shippo has a broken arm, but that has already started to heal." Kagome said in reassurance. Hekele calmed down and took a deep breath as she helped Kagome sit down by the fire. Shippo bounced up and down when he saw Rin, who smiled and ran over to hug them all.
Once everyone was seated by the fire, Hekele poured some of the hot water into a few cups. She then added some instant coffee to each, stirred it thoroughly, and handed them out to Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru. She took one cup for herself and drank it slowly before speaking to everyone's confused faces; Kagome was already sipping hers happily.
"It's coffee, it has caffeine in it and it will wake everyone up a bit. Even those of us who slept last night look like the living dead, careful though, it's really hot." As if on cue, Miroku yelped as he attempted to drink his too fast.
"Can't say I didn't warn him..." Hekele said passively as she sipped her coffee groggily. Sesshoumaru had to hide a smirk, any fool could tell that she wasn't a morning person just by looking at her, but the attitude she held now that she was calm was just another hint to stay away. He tried the drink without protest and found it to be quite good, very hot, but quite good. Hekele was the first to speak as the fish were being cooked.
"So...how was everyone else's night?" she asked, half mumbling and half smirking, knowing that everyone's had been a living Hell. Sango glared at her.
"I have one word for you...ouch..." she said. Hekele smiled at her friend kindly.
"Sorry, Sango, I was just joking...I'm sure everyone had a rough night..." she replied, remembering the pain she had felt as she was being killed. Her face turned pale and Sango was about to ask her about it when Kagome spoke.
"Umm...Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?" he said arrogantly.
"Would it be alright if Hekele and I went home for a day or so to restock and heal a bit? We could bring back some medicine to help Sango out, in case Kaede can't heal her..." At this Sango gave Kagome a grateful look and instantly all the support in the impending argument that she could offer. Hekele did as well. Inuyasha scoffed, but took one look at Sango's bandages and Kagome's ankle and relented.
"Feh," he said gently, letting the girls know that they had won without even putting up a fight. This shocked them, greatly.
"Umm, are you sure you didn't bump your head Inuyasha? That sounded like a 'yes' instead of your standard 'no'." Miroku said, eyeing the hanyou worriedly. A death glare was his answer. *Never mind...he's fine...*
Kagome gave Inuyasha a huge hug and thanked the now overly embarrassed hanyou as Sesshoumaru smirked and muttered something about weak humans. Hekele thanked him as well and grabbed one of the now fully cooked fish and began eating. Everyone, even Sesshoumaru and Jakken, stared at her oddly.
"What?!?! I'm hungry!!!" she explained. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and shook his head, a smile threatening to play at his lips.
"Isn't it hot though? You just picked it up from the fire and began eating, aren't you afraid of burning yourself...or your taste buds???" Kagome and Sango asked. Hekele grinned in realization.
"This is why, back home, I was called the, 'Fire-proof Bitch', although I have burned myself while working with fire multiple times...but sizzling and boiling food, I can handle..." she replied triumphantly. At this Kagome burst out laughing, followed by Miroku, Shippo, Inuyasha, Rin, and a cautious Sango. Jakken rolled his eyes while Sesshoumaru allowed himself to smile contently. Which caught Inuyasha's eye quickly and he smirked inwardly. Miroku saw it as well and gave Inuyasha a look, which earned him a grin. The two kept quiet though, despite their desperate need to say something.
After breakfast and a long rest the large group began the trek to Kaede's village. It took about nine hours to get there because of Sango's ribs, but no one minded the slow pace...except for Inuyasha.
"Will you people hurry up?!? I am going to be old and gray before we get there at this pace!!!" he yelled from about thirty yards in front of the group, Kagome securely held onto his back. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes in annoyance and glanced at Rin, who was also scamming a ride on someone's back; Hekele's.
"I don't know what you're complaining about Inuyasha, Sango is the one in pain...plus you won't get gray hair, it's already WHITE!!!" Hekele retorted darkly, which oddly enough caused Rin to laugh. Inuyasha scowled and waited up for the group. The journey went much like this until they finally reached the village, only to find accommodations ready; Kaede had heard them coming over a mile away.
Sesshoumaru took the time to look around the village quickly as they walked, he had not the slightest clue as to why he had bothered to come, but he, Rin, and Jakken had anyway. The old miko Kaede walked up to the group with a warm smile, followed by the most worried expression when she saw Sango's bandages and Kagome's ankle. She saw Sesshoumaru, Jakken, and the little girl that could only be Rin with the group. She also saw an unusually dressed girl, but smiled again for her.
"Ye must be Hekele, Kagome has said many good things about ye..." she said as she bowed to Hekele, who blushed and returned the bow respectfully with a smile.
"And I assume that you are Kaede-sama, a pleasure to meet you," she said truthfully. Kaede smiled again and motioned for everyone to come inside. She led Miroku to a cot where he placed Sango as carefully as he could. She smiled up at him, having been awake the whole time and muttered a 'thank you'. Miroku smiled at her contently and nodded. He placed himself next to her cot as the rest of the figures piled into the hut.
"So, what happened to ye this time to cause such injuries?" Kaede asked the group as she mixed together some herbs to help ease Sango's pain.
"A demon attacked, the usual." Inuyasha said passively, Hekele wanted to smirk but held it in.
*How often has he said that to her?* she wondered as Kaede eyed Sesshoumaru suspiciously.
"Oh?" she said, "Was this the same demon who kidnapped Shippo?" Hekele was really fighting the urge to laugh now. Sesshoumaru, the kidnapper, was sitting next to her fighting the urge to growl at the old woman who was looking at him her accusing eyes. He stole a glance at Hekele and noted that she looked like she wanted to laugh, but she was fighting it well, even for his trained eyes.
"No, Lady Kaede, it was not the demon who kidnapped Shippo, it was a tiger demon, the one who kidnapped Shippo was a DOG demon..." Miroku said cockily, being the furthest away from Sesshoumaru's death-promising glare. Even Sango looked at the monk as though he were some sort of odd animal and back away a few feet, (well, only a few inches for poor Sango,) leaving Sesshoumaru staring at him dangerously. Jakken was hiding behind Hekele. Shippo, using some of Kagome's cards, was teaching Rin how to play Go-Fish, but even they got the message to move. Sesshoumaru noticed this but paid it no mind as he glared at the monk.
"Oh come on Sesshoumaru, you DID kidnap Shippo, BUT you also were the one who destroyed the tiger demon, so it evens out and you've got a clean slate, it isn't like he was insulting you...though some may get that impression..." Hekele said, giving the monk a glare and a chance at life. Sesshoumaru growled but left it at that. Miroku said a silent prayer to Buddha and thanked him for his dumb luck. Kaede stared wide-eyed at the group, mostly at Hekele, as everyone placed themselves in their original spots on the floor. Inuyasha was full of insults but bit them down...except for one.
"Hekele 2, Sesshoumaru 0." No one was able to suppress his or her laughter after that one. Poor Sesshoumaru could only glare at every single one of them, mostly at Inuyasha, for he was the ringleader. Hekele giggled but came to Sesshoumaru's rescue.
"Sesshoumaru, you can stop being polite, I'm sure there's a death sentence that you want to go through with..." she said, nodding to the monk, who's face grew to one of fear faster than you could say 'HA!' Sesshoumaru understood what she was saying and merely shook his head.
"Why dirty my blade on someTHING so insignificant?" he passively replied. Everyone saw the small exchange of grins the two had at that moment, and they all eyed each other worriedly. They all inched back, expecting an apocalypse but not knowing why. Hekele and Sesshoumaru merely sat there quietly waiting for someone to speak, both loving the unnecessary fear drifting their way.
*******************************************************
2 hours later:
Rin gave Hekele a big hug as they neared the well. It was getting late and it was time to leave. Inuyasha had Kagome securely on his back as he waited at the well for the group to say their good-byes. Sango and Kaede had bid them farewell at the hut, as did Miroku. Kagome smiled at the fact that he wouldn't stray from her friend's side even for a moment. Kaede was preparing more herbs that would heal Sango's broken ribs in a matter of days, which had relived the group greatly. Kagome insisted that she would be able to walk on her ankle in a few days, so when Sango was healed Inuyasha was going to come and get Hekele and her. Sesshoumaru walked next to Hekele and Rin with Jakken at his heals. He was deep in thought and idly wondered how the well worked. Was it a spell? Shikon shards? He had no clue. He watched as Kagome handed Hekele a shard and knew the answer. Shippo gave Kagome another hug and then pounced onto Hekele, giving her one as well, and then he scurried back to the village so that he could bug Miroku. Inuyasha jumped into the well with Kagome still on his back, leaving Hekele, Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jakken.
"Rin wants to see Hekele-chan again soon!!!" Rin said sadly as Hekele sat on the edge of the well.
"I promise to come back soon Rin, ok?" she said as she gave the girl another hug. Rin nodded and bounded off to play with Shippo, Jakken close in tow, (whether he liked it or not!!!)
"Bye Sesshoumaru," she said, regarding the last person standing with her by the well, "I hope to see you soon too you know, striking fear into the hearts of others can be really entertaining." She watched as a small, (and I mean small,) smile formed on Sesshoumaru's face. He nodded politely and turned to leave. Hekele turned so that she was facing into the well, but before she jumped she said one last thing.
"Thanks again for bringing me back..." With that she jumped in and allowed the blue light to engulf her and take her back to her time. Sesshoumaru paused when he heard her say this, and despite the fact that he knew she couldn't hear him; he couldn't help but reply.
"You're welcome."
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Somewhere unknown in the Feudal Era:
A man with long brown hair dressed in noble's clothes watched Inuyasha and Miroku's loving exchanges with the girls he knew they cared deeply for through Kanna's magical mirror. Kanna was a demon with no scent or sensible presence; she wore a white kimono and had white hair, whiter than Inuyasha's. She looked like a harmless child, but armed with her mirror she could steal souls. Naraku was angered that his tiger demon had fumbled the plan to take the girl, Kagome's, jewel shards, and had not counted on the Lord of the Western Land's intervention. He was perplexed as to why he had saved the girl that Kagome had brought with her but saw their conversations and understood the demon's growing feelings for her. He saw that Inuyasha's feelings for Kagome seemed to grow more every day the two spent together, as did Miroku's for the demon slayer Sango. As he pondered this a plan formed in his evil mind. What would happen if this 'love' were to be tested? As the plan formed in his mind he called for his other servant.
"Yes master Naraku?" an older looking girl demon asked. This girl wore her medium-length brown hair up and wore a white, reddish-pink, and blue kimono which had a long slit in each side for easy movement. She had an open fan to her face.
"We are going to test them...I will tell you when to strike, be ready."
"Yes Naraku," said the girl as she turned to walk away.
"Kagura."
"Yes, master?" asked the retreating girl.
"Do not attempt to betray me, I can see everything you do."
"Of course not master Naraku."
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*Me* So.....what did ya'll think of the chappie???
*Random reader* It sucked.
*Me* What?!?! What do you mean it sucked?!?! I put my heart and soul into this fic!!!!!!!
*Kachie* Wait a minute...*walks up behind the reader and pulls off his mask* IT'S INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Me* *gasps* Inuyasha?!? How could you?!?
*Inuyasha* I heard that you were adding another new character and I got jealous.....
*Kachie* Oh, so I made you jealous huh???
*Me* Inuyasha's jealous, Inuyasha's jealous, Inuyasha's jealous, Inuyasha's jealous!!!!!!!!!! Well too bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Kachie* Yep, I am going to make my first appearance in the next chappie, it's called 'Rin's Boredom and Another New Recruit' so R&R and she'll update quicker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello all you lovely ppls!!! I just wanted to say how much I love you!!!
*Random reader* What the hell is up with her now???
I am merely happy with all of the reviews I got...
*Inuyasha* Yeah right, that bozo is just happy because all of her reviewers want her and Sesshoumaru to hook-up...
*glares daggers at Inuyasha, then whispers sweetly in his ear* They also want me to get back to you and Kagome...and tell what happened when you all got blasted away into the forest...
*Inuyasha* Feh!!! Like anything important would happen, who cares about that wench anyway?
*whispers again* You do...
*Inuyasha* Why you!!! *grabs his Tetsusaiga and chases Hekele in circles while yelling profanities*
R&R If you want me to live!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I own squat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Feelings and the Trip Home
With Inuyasha and Kagome:
Inuyasha groaned as he opened his eyes. He felt disoriented and as if he had just gotten his ass kicked. Then he remembered what happened.
*Damn tiger demon...just when I let my guard down a little to help Kagome...* Then it hit him.
"Kagome!" he yelled as he jumped up and looked around. His body was protesting, begging him to lie back down, but he couldn't. How could he forget her...?
He searched around and, finally, his eyes fell upon her seemingly lifeless figure, about 20 feet from him. Shippo was curled up in a ball nearby as well. Inuyasha panicked and ran over to them, hoping they were alive. Their scents told him they were but he had to be sure...
Shippo seemed all right, his injuries were limited to some minor cuts and scrapes. Inuyasha turned him over slightly to get a better look and noticed that he had landed on and broken his right arm. Inuyasha grimaced, the kitsune was going to be in a lot of pain when he woke up. Inuyasha even had to admit how much broken bones hurt...they weren't fun. Mindful of his arm, Inuyasha carefully lifted Shippo up and carried him over to Kagome.
Kagome was another story when it came to injuries. She had a huge cut on her arm, which was bleeding, one or two more on her legs, (probably from stray branches,) her ankle was swollen, (Inuyasha couldn't tell if it was broken or not,) and she was covered in bruises. Inuyasha was relieved, however, to see her breathing with ease. He reached out his hand and stroked her cheek affectionately, just glad that she wasn't any worse off. He saw her backpack and dug through it, looking for her first-aid kit. Once he found it he proceeded to clean and wrap her wounds carefully. Once she was done he put some bandages on Shippo and cautiously wrapped his arm and put it in a sling so that he wouldn't accidentally move it. Inuyasha sat cross-legged and gently lifted Kagome into his lap and Shippo into hers. He nuzzled Kagome softly and laid his head on hers. When the two woke up he would take them to find Miroku and Sango, until then he was just going to stay here with them.
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With Sango and Miroku:
Miroku carefully tended to Sango's wounds as she slept. He was careful not to move her too much; her ribs appeared to be broken. He smiled at how surprisingly peaceful she looked, despite the pain she would be in when she awoke. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was framing her face beautifully. Miroku gently removed a strand from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Even when knocked out and scraped up she was stunning. Miroku sat back and reexamined his own wounds. He was probably just as bad as she was, minus the broken ribs. Sango was lucky to have landed on the soft ground; he had landed on a rock. He had woken up a few minutes after the fight, and was wondering why she hadn't.
*Probably because she isn't used to getting hit in the head with a boomerang like I am...* he thought affectionately. He smiled at her again. It was then that he noticed Kirara; she was sleeping next to her mistress protectively. He smiled and, having forgotten all about the little cat, stroked her gently. Kirara woke up and meowed at him.
"Oh, sorry Kirara, I didn't mean to wake you." Miroku apologized. Kirara seemed to be satisfied with the apology and turned into her larger form. She looked at Miroku as he lifted Sango partially off the ground so Kirara could lay behind her. He laid Sango back down in a sitting position, using Kirara as support, so as not to harm her ribs further. Miroku sat leaning on the cat demon and she meowed, (although it sounded more like a growl since she was in her larger form,) affectionately at her two friends. She wrapped her giant, fluffy tail around the two for warmth. Miroku yawned slightly, having been very tired throughout the night's events.
"Arigato Kirara..." he said as he fell asleep. The large Kirara meowed and closed her eyes. Like Inuyasha, however, she was far from sleeping.
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With Inuyasha and Kagome:
Kagome slowly woke up from her unconscious state and looked around. Feeling the warmth behind her she looked up Inuyasha and blushed slightly. As if on cue Inuyasha opened his eyes to look at her, a smile forcing itself to be seen.
"I see your finally up...how are you feeling?" he asked her. Kagome smiled a bit.
"I feel like I just got run over and flattened by Koga, how about you?" she responded. Inuyasha smiled more openly at this, fond memories playing in the back of his mind.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Kagome asked, knowing Inuyasha hated to hint at his emotions. His face broke into a huge grin and Kagome rolled her eyes, knowing what was inhabiting his mind at the moment.
"When you said that it reminded me of when Koga fell into that damn 'sit' created crater," he said, still smiling. Kagome grinned herself at another memory and Inuyasha just looked at her oddly.
"And you? What are you so happy about?" he pressed. Kagome smiled at him sweetly.
"Just your huge case of the hic-ups...and how hilarious it was trying to help you get rid of them..." she said. Inuyasha growled a bit.
"Yeah right...real hilarious..." he said sarcastically.
"Well, you thought it was funny how I helped you get rid of them by saying the 's' word..." she retorted, laughing. Inuyasha chuckled at first, but then remembered why he had been 'sat'. That stupid 'Hobo' guy had come over and he had been caught spying. He remembered how he had kissed Kagome, and Inuyasha still wanted to rip him apart. Inuyasha subconsciously clutched Kagome tighter, mentally refusing to ever let another guy get her; she was HIS, even if he hadn't told her yet...
Kagome felt Inuyasha tighten his hold over her and smiled. She felt very content in his embrace, it felt almost...loving. She looked at the little ball of fluff in her lap as it began to stir in its sleep. Smiling, she stroked Shippo's hair lovingly as he opened his eyes and looked up at her.
Seeing Kagome awake made Shippo happy, seeing Inuyasha hugging Kagome and actually looking concerned for him as well made him even happier. From Shippo's point of view they were both looking at him much like his parent's would when they tucked him in for bed at night. To him they were his parents now, ever since they had saved him from the Thunder Brothers Hiten and Manten. He smiled and jumped up, expecting to land on Kagome's shoulder so that he could hug her, instead found himself suspended by his tail looking at a frowning hanyou.
"What's the big deal Inuyasha?!? What'd I do?!?!?!?" he wailed, wanting to hug his 'mother'. Inuyasha set the kit back down on Kagome's lap and looked at him fondly.
"Feh, look out for your arm kit." he said, pointing to Shippo's wrapped arm. Shippo tried moving it and wailed out in pain, causing Inuyasha to flatten his ears. Kagome smiled and stroked Shippo's hair in order to calm him down a bit while Inuyasha regain the rest of his hearing abilities. Inuyasha had half been expecting this to happen, so he refrained from hitting the kitsune or chucking him into a tree. Kagome inspected Shippo's arm for herself.
"Wow Inuyasha, you did a good job wrapping this..." she complimented. Inuyasha couldn't help but beam with pride when she said this; he had seen her wrap everyone's wounds so many times that the exact procedure for each wound was eked into his brain. Shippo carefully jumped and landed squarely on Inuyasha's shoulder, careful of his own arm this time. Shippo then gave the surprised hanyou a huge hug.
"Thank you for being nice for once Inuyasha..." Shippo said sincerely, half wanting to know what Inuyasha would do about that last remark. Inuyasha gave a slight growl but kept it as much of a 'nice' growl as he could manage.
"No sweat kit., now get off so we can find Sango and Miroku." he said. Shippo obeyed but when Kagome tried to stand up Inuyasha gently held her down.
"Inuyasha?" she asked, confused. Inuyasha pointed to her ankle.
"Your ankle is swollen and I couldn't tell if it was broken or not, and since you haven't used it..." he trailed off, but Kagome got the picture. Her who body ached, but she had been injured many times in the past, and wouldn't be able to feel the severe pain of a break until she tried to use the ankle. She had been resting so she couldn't tell its numbed pain from that of the rest of her body. She blushed as Inuyasha picked her up bridal- style.
"You want to try and walk on it? I can carry you..." he offered, not wanting to hurt her more if it was indeed broken. Kagome shook her head and motioned for him to put her down. Inuyasha hesitated but did as he was told. He kept a firm hold on her waist as she put weight on the ankle in question, just in case. Kagome whimpered in pain when she put her full weight on her ankle and Inuyasha had her back in his arms in a heartbeat. Shippo jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and began to panic.
"Kagome! Is it bad? Are you going to be ok? Is it broken? Are we going to have to do that amputate-thingy?" he asked a mile a minute. Kagome looked at the worried kitsune and laughed. Inuyasha smiled at this, he remembered a time when almost anything would put Kagome out of commission, but she was much stronger now...
"I'm alright Shippo. I think it is just a bad sprain, and no, we don't have to amputate it. Have you been trying to read my books from Health class again?" she said while stroking the kitsune's hair. Shippo calmed down and popped into her lap as Inuyasha carried them in the direction of Sango and Miroku's scents.
******************************************************
With Sango and Miroku:
Sango woke up feeling warm. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped in pain as she breathed. Oh how it hurt! Miroku felt her stirring next to him and woke up as well. She noticed him there and looked at him with pained eyes. Miroku wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and make her injuries go away, but doing so when she had broken ribs probably wasn't the best idea. Instead he contented himself with grasping her hand for dear life and stroking it lovingly with his thumb.
"You have a few broken ribs...we will go back to Lady Kaede's village and ask her to heal you once we find Inuyasha and the others..." he said soothingly. Sango nodded painfully in response. Miroku tightened his grip on her hand and tried to remain calm. He knew that Inuyasha and the others would come for them if they were alive, but a small part of him nagged, what if they weren't? He scooted closer to Sango, and laid her head on his shoulder, for once not thinking any perverted thoughts. Sango seemed to sense this and allowed him to do so, while feeling the relief that he was truly there when she needed him. Despite his perverted ness, he was a good man. She relaxed into his gentle, yet, protective embrace as he stroked her shoulder. She could hear Kirara purring contently and felt her eyes getting heavy as the pain numbed a bit. Miroku noticed this and whispered gently to her.
"It's alright, you can go back to sleep, I won't let anything happen to you..." Sango nodded and closed her eyes, knowing he was being serious. The last thing she felt before sleep consumed her were Miroku's lips touching her forehead. She smiled in her sleep.
**********************************************************
With Hekele and Sesshoumaru:
Hekele laid out her sleeping bag and unzipped it all the way, creating one large mattress. She shook her head in disbelief that she had decided to sleep in a tree and uncovered on the ground instead of in her nice warm bag. Oh well, it was going to get used tonight, her back couldn't take another night sitting upright. Rin was still bouncing around, glad that Sesshoumaru had brought Hekele back, and Jakken was trying to tend to her cuts, without much success. Hekele motioned for Rin to come over to the unfolded sleeping bag and she obeyed. Jakken scoffed and followed. Hekele held Rin in her lap as Jakken, who was mumbling about never getting any respect, tended to her cuts. Hekele smiled at the toad demon and shook her head. Sesshoumaru appeared into the small camp with some wood for fire. Hekele got up and took the stack from him.
"You know, I would have done that if I had known that that is what you were up to..." she said as she arranged the wood into a circle and lit it with some flint. Sesshoumaru gave her a passive look.
"I thought you weren't going to treat me any different because I was a demon or a lord?" he asked in an almost amused tone. Hekele studied him for a moment.
"I'm not, who ever said I couldn't be nice for the hell of it?" she replied dryly. Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow but kept quiet...for a moment.
"Why be kind if you get nothing out of it?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Hekele pondered what he said as she walked over to her backpack and pulled out an oversized navy blue sweatshirt out for Rin.
"Not all of us want something out of life Sesshoumaru, some of us just want to live through it. We are kind because we can and want to be, not because we see an advantage in being so..." she replied in careful words, pulling the sweatshirt over Rin's head and watching her run off again. Sesshoumaru thought for a moment.
"Why survive life when you can control it? It is much more practical if you think about it..."
"No it isn't, by controlling people and their lives you inhibit them, enslave them, and completely wipe them of their own self. You wouldn't want Rin to feel trapped or enslaved would you? She would become an empty shell without love or emotion, I know you care about her more than that..." she said quietly as she saw Rin jump onto Jakken, trying to make him 'pretty' again.
"But do I not control her already?" Sesshoumaru said testily, as if Hekele were threatening Rin. Hekele smiled, closed her eyes, and shook her head.
"No...you care for her and keep her safe. You order her around a bit but you do so cautiously," she said as she gave him a side glance, "as if you were worried about breaking her..."
"She IS only a child..."
"No, that isn't it, you don't want her to be too burdened, so you make Jakken do everything." Hekele said teasingly. Sesshoumaru winced a bit, but it was hardly noticeable. Hekele continued.
"She doesn't feel controlled, she is more than happy to help, it is in her nature, but somewhere down the line the whole order after order and snarl after snarl deal begins to wear at a person's self. If you treat them badly enough eventually they will break, you wouldn't do that to Rin...you would sense a change in her immediately and try to make her happy again. I envy her in this assurance." Sesshoumaru looked at Hekele oddly, one minute he could have sworn she was accusing him of being a slave driver and the next minute she was commenting him on caring for Rin. Her words were laced with sorrow, but he couldn't understand why.
"How is it you know how such a person would feel?" he questioned. Hekele smiled weakly.
"Just because someone has been broken doesn't mean that they can't be put back together..." she said. Sesshoumaru understood what she was saying and cast her a wary glance. She was confusing him more and more by the day.
*************************************************************
With Inuyasha and Kagome:
"Are they close?" Shippo asked for the millionth time. Inuyasha had half a mind to hit the kitsune but he didn't want to drop Kagome. Instead he just glared at Shippo.
"Will you ever be quiet?!?" he yelled. Kagome cringed and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I would s-i-t you but then I'd be in even more pain, you didn't have to yell in my ear." she said begrudgingly. Inuyasha gave her a look.
"Your stupid kit. won't shut up though!!!" he exclaimed. Kagome cringed again and glared at him. Inuyasha gulped, knowing that the very second he put her down he was going to be 'sat'. Shippo grinned at the trouble he was causing and snuggled into Kagome's arms a little bit, happy that the two were back to normal and that Kagome was ok. He fell asleep moments later. Inuyasha had to suppress a growl. He hated when the kitsune did that, he knew that Inuyasha got jealous whenever he hugged or stayed near Kagome...so he continued to do so on a regular basis. Inuyasha couldn't understand why Kagome put up with his antics, especially when she knew he was up to no good. He blushed a bit when he felt Kagome snuggle a bit closer to him, and smiled when he realized that she had fallen asleep. He held her a bit tighter as he made his way to a clearing where Sango and Miroku's scents appeared to be coming from. When he stepped into the clearing he was met with a surprising sight. Sango was well within Miroku's groping range, he was holding her in fact, and she was sleeping soundly. Inuyasha sighed to himself and looked at Kagome.
*Why can't we be like that???* he thought, then he remembered all the times that he had teased her and his face faltered. How could they be like that when all he did was berate her for no reason what so ever? He walked over to his two companions and gently set Kagome and Shippo down next to them. He then tapped Miroku on the head, waking him up. Miroku stared at him for a moment before completely realizing who was standing in front of him.
"Inuyasha? You are all right, good! Where are Shippo and Lady Kagome?" he asked, concerned. Inuyasha smiled and motioned to the two lying on the other side of Sango. Miroku sighed and nodded. He then looked at Sango and smiled happily. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"For once, it truly isn't what you think. Sango has a few broken ribs, and that's why we didn't come to find you. She can barely move, so we stayed here and hoped that you'd be ok and come find us..." Miroku explained, still smiling at the sleeping girl next to him. Inuyasha could smell the sincerity floating off of Miroku, so he didn't press the matter, but sat down in front of the monk and stared at him oddly. Miroku returned the stare.
"What? What did I do? I'm telling the truth this time!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the monk.
"Not that this is a bad thing, but why haven't you groped her? She is here, defenseless, injured, and you had the perfect alibi to see her half naked, so why haven't you groped her? Usually you would pray for an opportunity like this!" Inuyasha said accusingly. Miroku actually turned a deep shade of red at this, knowing that his friend was right.
"Well, seeing as how she has a few broken ribs, I don't think giving her a reason to try to kill me was in either of our best interests." he said. Inuyasha nodded, satisfied that his friend had had some self control when needed. Miroku's eyes got an odd twinkle in them when he looked over at Kagome and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Don't even think about it bozo, if you touch my Kagome I'll kick your ass from here to China." Miroku pretended to look offended, but then smiled again, in yet another devious way, but this time it wasn't a perverted devious.
"What are you so happy about lech?" Inuyasha asked, confused. Miroku's grin only widened.
"Inuyasha, you called her YOUR Kagome." At this Inuyasha froze.
"No I didn't..."
"Oh yes you did, you said, 'don't even think about it bozo, if you touch MY Kagome I'll kick your ass from here to China.'" Miroku quoted. Inuyasha turned as red as his haori as he realized what Miroku said was true. Miroku chuckled a bit, causing Kagome and Sango to stir. Both he and Inuyasha froze as Kagome blinked open her eyes and sat up. She stretched and looked at the two, then her eyes fell on Sango, who was slowly waking up as well. Shippo remained in dreamland.
Sango opened her eyes and felt very warm, again. Her pain returned full force as she woke up completely. She gasped for air and shut her eyes tight to try and fight the pain. Miroku suddenly looked helpless to help her, wanting to do something but not knowing what. He continued to hold her, as gently as he could and she buried her face into his robes. He looked at Inuyasha and Kagome for support and Kagome had quickly scooted over to his side.
"Inuyasha, could you please get me my back pack? I need to wrap her ribs. Miroku, could you go get some water for the bandages, so they stick? Please?" she asked and the two boys were up in a heartbeat, Miroku gently prying Sango off first. He ran to a nearby river and gathered water in one of Kagome's bowls almost as quickly as Inuyasha got the bandages from Kagome's pack. They were then shooed away and a sleeping Shippo was dragged with them. After Sango was bandaged Kagome gave her some sleeping pills to numb the pain and help her rest. Suddenly she remembered something very important and glanced at the now returning boys in shock.
"What is it Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, getting worried at her frightened expression. Kagome gulped and tried to calm herself down.
"We forgot about Hekele..." she said softly, mentally kicking her own ass for forgetting about her friend. Inuyasha and Miroku froze and stared at each other before running over to Kagome. Miroku got onto Kirara and motioned to Inuyasha who lifted Sango as gently as he could and placed her into Miroku's lap. Inuyasha and the newly awakened Shippo walked over to Kagome. Shippo pounced onto her shoulder as Inuyasha lifted her up and the group began to run. Inuyasha picked up Hekele's scent within minutes and headed in her direction. He also smelled Sesshoumaru, Jakken, and Rin. He couldn't decide whether to be worried or relieved but ran faster either way.
********************************************************
With Hekele and Sesshoumaru:
Hekele and Rin were snuggled up on Hekele's 'mattress' and were curled under a blanket that Hekele had brought along. Rin was sleeping soundly but Hekele couldn't sleep at all. She stared up at the sky and was deep in thought of nothing in particular. Jakken was sleeping on the other side of the fire and Sesshoumaru was sitting near the girls, just in case something happened. Sesshoumaru could tell from Hekele's uneven breathing that she was awake. After about an hour of this he got irritated and spoke up.
"Wench, you CAN sleep you know." he growled. Hekele turned to look at him.
"Don't call me that, and I CAN'T sleep. I haven't slept well in months, why should now be any different?" she retorted. Sesshoumaru thought for a moment and decided to use her insomnia to get some questions of his answered.
"How do you know Inuyasha?" he asked suddenly. Hekele looked at him for a moment, but decided that she wasn't going to die if she revealed her past to him.
"Well, Kagome and I have been friends for a while, so when I needed a place to stay, she, her mom, brother, and grandfather took me in. I met Inuyasha a day or so later when he came to get her..." she replied. Sesshoumaru nodded, but continued his prying.
"Why did you need some place to stay?" he continued. Hekele rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into it really, but not seeing a way out of it. She got up and walked over to where Sesshoumaru sat and placed herself next to him, not wanting to disturb Rin.
"Well, I had some...family issues and couldn't stay home any more." Hekele said, trying to dance around the subject. Sesshoumaru wasn't fooled.
"I can smell your secrecy, just tell me already wench." he said passively. Hekele sighed and gave up.
"For a while my dad had been abusing me, hitting me and stuff. He and my mom had gotten a divorce a few years ago and I decided to live with her when I was finally allowed the choice, I would still see him on weekends though. I guess it got him angrier because one day he finally snapped and tried cutting me. No body believed me though, they trusted him when he said I cut myself to get attention. One day when I was at my mom's house and we were sleeping he broke in and attacked us. He killed my mom, her boyfriend, and my little brother. He tried to kill me but the neighbors heard what was happening and came to our rescue. He ran but threatened to come back for me. I nearly died..." she said sadly, remembering it all as if it had just happened. She was looking at the ground as though it were the most fascinating thing on earth.
Sesshoumaru's face was no longer plastered passive. He was deep in thought and it showed. He was wondering how anyone could do such a thing as too murder his own family. Sesshoumaru cast a glance at Rin. She was like a daughter to him, though he would never admit it. He would never dream of hurting her. His glance fell on Hekele again, who kept her eyes trained to the ground, as if in shame. He had the strong urge to comfort her, although he had no clue why. He didn't quite understand what a 'divorce' was either, but assumed that it meant that her parents were no longer mates, since she had a boyfriend and that Hekele had to choose who to live with.
"Hey, can I ask you something Sesshoumaru?" Hekele asked suddenly, looking Sesshoumaru in the eye. Sesshoumaru nodded, wondering what she would ask.
"Is it really because of the two swords that you hate Inuyasha?" she questioned. Sesshoumaru was taken aback by it, but replied easily.
"That and the fact that he is a hanyou." Hekele shook her head and muttered something that to Sesshoumaru sounded like, 'That's stupid.' Sesshoumaru glared at her.
"And how exactly is that stupid?" he asked menacingly.
"First of all, you hate him for something he has no control over. He didn't choose to be a hanyou, he was born one. It isn't his fault. If you want to hate someone for this fact then hate you father and his mother, but even that would be stupid. When you love someone there is no right or wrong, and YOU know first hand that not all humans are pathetic and disgusting." Hekele said, motioning to Rin. Sesshoumaru growled, but Hekele knew that he as listening and turned her body so that she was facing him directly.
"Second of all, why do you want the Tetsusaiga so much when you have the Tenseiga? Don't you realize how precious YOUR weapon is?" she asked. Sesshoumaru stared at her in wonder. The Tetsusaiga was much more valuable, wasn't it?
"What do you mean, 'precious'? This sword couldn't cut butter." Hekele shook her head.
"You are blind. You have been given a much more precious blade than the Tetsusaiga."
"The Tetsusaiga can kill 100 demons with one swing if used properly!" he almost shouted at her apparent idiocy. Hekele smiled and continued.
"But the Tenseiga can HEAL 100 demons, OR humans if used properly. In all of time, never has such a thing been even dreamt of. Even in my time, we keep making stronger and stronger weapons, even though it creates more and more problems. We have weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people at once, AND level whole cities at the same time. But we can't even begin to create anything that can heal so much as one person the way your sword does. We can't bring someone back to life, but you can, and here you think its power is less than that of Inuyasha's sword? When my family was being killed off one by one, even before my father murdered my mom, I would have given anything, my own life, for your blade. I would have done anything to get my loved ones back, I can't believe that this gift of yours has fallen on such a person who can't appreciate true greatness and beauty as your sword!" she yelled, almost waking Rin and Jakken. Sesshoumaru pondered what Hekele was saying. He had an apparently limitless gift and he didn't care? Of course he cared! He had used it to bring back her and Rin. 'We have weapons that can kill tens of thousands of people at once, AND level whole cities at the same time. But we can't even begin to create anything that can heal so much as one person the way your sword does.' He thought about what Hekele had said again. In her time, when everything was so much different, and more advanced than in this time, they still couldn't resurrect people? His sword was one of a kind, he knew, but over the course of 500 hundred years and still not be able to heal? Hekele was still looking at him intently, waiting for his reply. He knew this but knew not what to say. He turned his head to regard her but was caught in her gaze. He couldn't place what was there, but he did see a bit of confusion and anger in her blue depths.
"If you had such a sword as Inuyasha's, you would give it up for one such as mine?" he asked, "You would give up the chance to get even with the killer as long as your loved ones were intact? Would you not worry about being safe? Would you not want insurance that it wouldn't happen again?" he finished, testing her resolve. She wasted no time in answering.
"Yes, I would give up his sword for yours if I had the choice. I wouldn't worry about safety, it is different in my era than it is here, and I would be more than safe now that we know he is a danger. If it did come down to needing insurance that it wouldn't happen again I would personally slit his throat." Hekele said darkly. Sesshoumaru was taken aback for the second time that night, this time by her tone. He had never heard her speak that darkly, even when arguing with him. One look at her face and he knew she meant it. That tone and promise didn't suit her. Sesshoumaru could tell that she wouldn't want to kill a family member, and so to promise to do so as suddenly and thoughtlessly as she did didn't seem to fit her at all. He subconsciously didn't like her making such a statement.
"You would end it yourself?" he asked as if to confirm her promise. Hekele only nodded. Sesshoumaru looked into her eyes for a moment longer before averting his gaze.
"Such words do not suit you, killing seems not to be your choice pastime," he stated superiorly, sneaking a look at Hekele as he did so. She was staring at the ground again.
"Had I been desperate enough while fighting Kohaku I would have killed him."
"But you knew that you didn't need to, and so he lives. Killing a family member is even farther down your list of things to do, I assume."
"You are right, but if need be, then so be it." Hekele said sadly. Sesshoumaru could smell the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. He didn't wish to see them as well.
"Go and sleep, if my pathetic brother and his friends are alive I doubt they would wish to have to drag you home due to sleep deprivation," he said. Hekele nodded solemnly and walked back to where Rin was sleeping on her 'mattress' without so much as a sigh in protest. Sesshoumaru felt a bit bad when he saw her retreating form. He had obviously tested her feelings a bit too much, for she never gave up and simply obeyed his simple 'requests'. She always fought back, but she hadn't this time. He had the urge to do something about her newly discovered depression. Her scent was laced with it. He had smelled it the entire time the two were speaking, and yet he just had to press her further. He resolved to make it up to her somehow. Sesshoumaru paused in his thoughts when he realized what he had just volunteered to do. Why should he care if she was happy or not? But, unfortunately for him, he owed her one anyway, for saving Rin.
(OOC: Yeah, like that's the only reason...oh, and f.y.i., when he resurrected her it was because she had died for Rin, he still owed her one from before.)
Sesshoumaru noticed that Hekele had fallen asleep, her breathing was dead even. He sniffed the air and noticed that the scent of tears was still apparent. Perplexed, he stood and walked over to the girl as silently as he could. Upon her face was a single tear that had been shed. Sesshoumaru gingerly wiped it from her cheek and stared at her sleeping figure. Something about her appealed to him greatly. She stood up to him when no one else would, and she could make him see his own blindness in matters such as his Tenseiga. Yes, something about her was special. Sesshoumaru walked back over to his tree and sat there, standing guard, until daylight hit the horizon.
************************************************************
With the Inuyasha Gumi:
"Inuyasha, how far do you think they are?" Shippo asked for the third time in the past fifteen minutes. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he ran, not wanting to give Kagome a reason to 'sit' him.
"Shippo, the sun will be coming up soon, why don't you try to get some sleep while you can..." Kagome said tiredly, even she was getting sick of Shippo's antics. Inuyasha said a silent thank you as Shippo obeyed and curled up into a ball on her lap. Inuyasha stopped and waited for Sango, Miroku, and Kirara. It was taking forever to get to Hekele and Sesshoumaru. Sango was so badly hurt that she couldn't move, and Miroku would be at a disadvantage if something were to attack them. Inuyasha would always get too far ahead and have to stop and wait. He was sure that Hekele was in one piece. Sesshoumaru wouldn't kill her as long as Rin was attached to her, and Rin was practically stuck to her hip. He still had a feeling that something had happened though, and not a good something either.
"Inuyasha, do you think that Kaede will be able to heal Sango?" Kagome whispered, not wanting to wake the now sleeping kitsune. Inuyasha nodded calmly.
"The hag hasn't let us down before...I think Sango will be fine." he said quietly. Kagome nodded as Kirara came into view.
"I hope so..." she replied.
Miroku had a death grip on Sango. He was holding her as still as he could and would always wince whenever he heard her gasp in her sleep. Sango meant too much to him for him not to. It annoyed him how Inuyasha would speed up all the time but was relieved as he once again came into view, signifying that he was never far ahead. Miroku looked down at Sango, her face was contorted in pain as she slept. He held her a bit tighter, but remained mindful of her ribs. He wished there was more he could do, he felt so helpless when things like this happened. He gently brushed some strands of hair from her face and sighed sadly. He looked up as he saw the first rays of sunlight peer over the treetops. He vaguely wondered in the back of his head how Hekele was fairing with Sesshoumaru, when he heard Inuyasha growl.
"What is it Inuyasha?" he said seriously, knowing that they would be at a disadvantage if a demon were to attack them.
"I smell blood...Hekele's blood." he said angrily. Miroku's eyes widened. Inuyasha continued to sniff the air in the direction Miroku could only assume was where he had smelled the blood. He looked at Kagome, her face was one of horror.
"Y-y-you m-m-mean she's......" Kagome started to get tears in her eyes as she thought the worse.
"It doesn't smell fresh though, and it's REALLY faint, but I DO smell it, it may have happened last night..." Inuyasha said hurriedly, as if trying to calm her fears a bit.
"Her scent is living though...right?" Miroku asked, referring to the scent Inuyasha had been following before. Inuyasha nodded, Miroku sighed in relief, as did Kagome, except hers was much more apparent. Inuyasha didn't notice though.
*Why is the scent of her blood so faint? You'd think that I'd smell it WAY before I smelled her regular scent. At least she's alive though, I don't know what Kagome would do if she wasn't...* he thought, casting a small glance at Kagome, who had calmed down quite a bit to his relief. He didn't like having her upset, not at all. He looked at the rising sun and wondered what had happened to their friend.
*********************************************************
With Hekele and Sesshoumaru:
Hekele woke up groggily on her makeshift mattress and sat up to survey the scene. Jakken was up and tending to the fire, Rin was walking around picking flowers, (which Hekele smiled at, despite her need for more sleep,) and Sesshoumaru was...not there.
*Where's Sesshoumaru?* she thought as she stood up and stretched. Jakken noticed her awake and decided to answer her unasked question.
"M'lord Sesshoumaru is getting some fish for breakfast." he said. Hekele froze and looked at the little toad demon oddly.
"He is? I didn't think that was his department." Jakken glared at her.
"M'lord says that if I tried to catch a fish it'd probably eat me." At this Hekele laughed, knowing that he was probably right. Jakken glared at her some more.
"I wouldn't be laughing if MY hair looked that badly groomed..." he muttered, referring to Hekele's 'bed head'. Hekele just smirked, always one step ahead of the little toad's insults.
"At least I HAVE hair you jerk of an amphibian!" she retorted victoriously. Hekele made her way to her backpack, dragging her feet the entire way. Her mind may be awake but her body had hit the snooze button. She began rummaging through it when Rin popped up with the bouquet of flowers in her hand. Her face was bright as the sun and she was smiling from ear to ear. Hekele looked like a shipwreck.
"Morning Hekele-chan!!!" she said as she handed the flowers to Hekele.
"Mornin' Rin-chan, did you sleep well?" Hekele half-muttered half- cheerfully said to the little girl as she continued looking through her pack.
*Now...to find some instant coffee for me, and some chocolate for the cute sweet munchkin...* she thought as she found the objects she was looking for. She handed Rin a small piece of chocolate as she grabbed a kettle.
"Jakken, I'm going to the river to get some water, can you watch Rin for 2 minutes?" she asked, knowing how much he hated watching the girl. Jakken sighed and nodded, happy that it was only for a couple of minutes. Hekele patted Rin on the head and walked towards the river.
When she got there, she was a little surprised that she didn't see Sesshoumaru, but shrugged it off, knowing that he was there somewhere. She quickly filled her kettle with the water and left, she could hear Jakken complaining about not wanting to look 'pretty' and Rin's happy squeals. Upon returning she set the kettle on the fire and waited for it to warm up. She looked up as she heard Sesshoumaru's footsteps coming into the clearing. He had about nine or ten fish with him. Hekele quirked an eyebrow and he nodded to the forest behind her.
"Your companions are coming, I could smell them a few miles off." he muttered. Hekele smiled, apparently her friends were alive and well, but what she saw coming through the trees made her panic. Inuyasha was carrying Kagome and Sango was being held by Miroku in order to keep her from falling off of Kirara. Shippo was curled up on Kagome's stomach. She rushed to her friends to see if they were all right.
"Are you guys ok?!? What happened?" she said as Inuyasha set Kagome down and supported her on her good ankle. Hekele held her friend steady as Inuyasha took a partially awake Sango from Miroku as he slid off of Kirara. Hekele was panicking.
"It's ok, we're all alright, but Sango has a few broken ribs, I have a sprained ankle, and Shippo has a broken arm, but that has already started to heal." Kagome said in reassurance. Hekele calmed down and took a deep breath as she helped Kagome sit down by the fire. Shippo bounced up and down when he saw Rin, who smiled and ran over to hug them all.
Once everyone was seated by the fire, Hekele poured some of the hot water into a few cups. She then added some instant coffee to each, stirred it thoroughly, and handed them out to Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru. She took one cup for herself and drank it slowly before speaking to everyone's confused faces; Kagome was already sipping hers happily.
"It's coffee, it has caffeine in it and it will wake everyone up a bit. Even those of us who slept last night look like the living dead, careful though, it's really hot." As if on cue, Miroku yelped as he attempted to drink his too fast.
"Can't say I didn't warn him..." Hekele said passively as she sipped her coffee groggily. Sesshoumaru had to hide a smirk, any fool could tell that she wasn't a morning person just by looking at her, but the attitude she held now that she was calm was just another hint to stay away. He tried the drink without protest and found it to be quite good, very hot, but quite good. Hekele was the first to speak as the fish were being cooked.
"So...how was everyone else's night?" she asked, half mumbling and half smirking, knowing that everyone's had been a living Hell. Sango glared at her.
"I have one word for you...ouch..." she said. Hekele smiled at her friend kindly.
"Sorry, Sango, I was just joking...I'm sure everyone had a rough night..." she replied, remembering the pain she had felt as she was being killed. Her face turned pale and Sango was about to ask her about it when Kagome spoke.
"Umm...Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?" he said arrogantly.
"Would it be alright if Hekele and I went home for a day or so to restock and heal a bit? We could bring back some medicine to help Sango out, in case Kaede can't heal her..." At this Sango gave Kagome a grateful look and instantly all the support in the impending argument that she could offer. Hekele did as well. Inuyasha scoffed, but took one look at Sango's bandages and Kagome's ankle and relented.
"Feh," he said gently, letting the girls know that they had won without even putting up a fight. This shocked them, greatly.
"Umm, are you sure you didn't bump your head Inuyasha? That sounded like a 'yes' instead of your standard 'no'." Miroku said, eyeing the hanyou worriedly. A death glare was his answer. *Never mind...he's fine...*
Kagome gave Inuyasha a huge hug and thanked the now overly embarrassed hanyou as Sesshoumaru smirked and muttered something about weak humans. Hekele thanked him as well and grabbed one of the now fully cooked fish and began eating. Everyone, even Sesshoumaru and Jakken, stared at her oddly.
"What?!?! I'm hungry!!!" she explained. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and shook his head, a smile threatening to play at his lips.
"Isn't it hot though? You just picked it up from the fire and began eating, aren't you afraid of burning yourself...or your taste buds???" Kagome and Sango asked. Hekele grinned in realization.
"This is why, back home, I was called the, 'Fire-proof Bitch', although I have burned myself while working with fire multiple times...but sizzling and boiling food, I can handle..." she replied triumphantly. At this Kagome burst out laughing, followed by Miroku, Shippo, Inuyasha, Rin, and a cautious Sango. Jakken rolled his eyes while Sesshoumaru allowed himself to smile contently. Which caught Inuyasha's eye quickly and he smirked inwardly. Miroku saw it as well and gave Inuyasha a look, which earned him a grin. The two kept quiet though, despite their desperate need to say something.
After breakfast and a long rest the large group began the trek to Kaede's village. It took about nine hours to get there because of Sango's ribs, but no one minded the slow pace...except for Inuyasha.
"Will you people hurry up?!? I am going to be old and gray before we get there at this pace!!!" he yelled from about thirty yards in front of the group, Kagome securely held onto his back. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes in annoyance and glanced at Rin, who was also scamming a ride on someone's back; Hekele's.
"I don't know what you're complaining about Inuyasha, Sango is the one in pain...plus you won't get gray hair, it's already WHITE!!!" Hekele retorted darkly, which oddly enough caused Rin to laugh. Inuyasha scowled and waited up for the group. The journey went much like this until they finally reached the village, only to find accommodations ready; Kaede had heard them coming over a mile away.
Sesshoumaru took the time to look around the village quickly as they walked, he had not the slightest clue as to why he had bothered to come, but he, Rin, and Jakken had anyway. The old miko Kaede walked up to the group with a warm smile, followed by the most worried expression when she saw Sango's bandages and Kagome's ankle. She saw Sesshoumaru, Jakken, and the little girl that could only be Rin with the group. She also saw an unusually dressed girl, but smiled again for her.
"Ye must be Hekele, Kagome has said many good things about ye..." she said as she bowed to Hekele, who blushed and returned the bow respectfully with a smile.
"And I assume that you are Kaede-sama, a pleasure to meet you," she said truthfully. Kaede smiled again and motioned for everyone to come inside. She led Miroku to a cot where he placed Sango as carefully as he could. She smiled up at him, having been awake the whole time and muttered a 'thank you'. Miroku smiled at her contently and nodded. He placed himself next to her cot as the rest of the figures piled into the hut.
"So, what happened to ye this time to cause such injuries?" Kaede asked the group as she mixed together some herbs to help ease Sango's pain.
"A demon attacked, the usual." Inuyasha said passively, Hekele wanted to smirk but held it in.
*How often has he said that to her?* she wondered as Kaede eyed Sesshoumaru suspiciously.
"Oh?" she said, "Was this the same demon who kidnapped Shippo?" Hekele was really fighting the urge to laugh now. Sesshoumaru, the kidnapper, was sitting next to her fighting the urge to growl at the old woman who was looking at him her accusing eyes. He stole a glance at Hekele and noted that she looked like she wanted to laugh, but she was fighting it well, even for his trained eyes.
"No, Lady Kaede, it was not the demon who kidnapped Shippo, it was a tiger demon, the one who kidnapped Shippo was a DOG demon..." Miroku said cockily, being the furthest away from Sesshoumaru's death-promising glare. Even Sango looked at the monk as though he were some sort of odd animal and back away a few feet, (well, only a few inches for poor Sango,) leaving Sesshoumaru staring at him dangerously. Jakken was hiding behind Hekele. Shippo, using some of Kagome's cards, was teaching Rin how to play Go-Fish, but even they got the message to move. Sesshoumaru noticed this but paid it no mind as he glared at the monk.
"Oh come on Sesshoumaru, you DID kidnap Shippo, BUT you also were the one who destroyed the tiger demon, so it evens out and you've got a clean slate, it isn't like he was insulting you...though some may get that impression..." Hekele said, giving the monk a glare and a chance at life. Sesshoumaru growled but left it at that. Miroku said a silent prayer to Buddha and thanked him for his dumb luck. Kaede stared wide-eyed at the group, mostly at Hekele, as everyone placed themselves in their original spots on the floor. Inuyasha was full of insults but bit them down...except for one.
"Hekele 2, Sesshoumaru 0." No one was able to suppress his or her laughter after that one. Poor Sesshoumaru could only glare at every single one of them, mostly at Inuyasha, for he was the ringleader. Hekele giggled but came to Sesshoumaru's rescue.
"Sesshoumaru, you can stop being polite, I'm sure there's a death sentence that you want to go through with..." she said, nodding to the monk, who's face grew to one of fear faster than you could say 'HA!' Sesshoumaru understood what she was saying and merely shook his head.
"Why dirty my blade on someTHING so insignificant?" he passively replied. Everyone saw the small exchange of grins the two had at that moment, and they all eyed each other worriedly. They all inched back, expecting an apocalypse but not knowing why. Hekele and Sesshoumaru merely sat there quietly waiting for someone to speak, both loving the unnecessary fear drifting their way.
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2 hours later:
Rin gave Hekele a big hug as they neared the well. It was getting late and it was time to leave. Inuyasha had Kagome securely on his back as he waited at the well for the group to say their good-byes. Sango and Kaede had bid them farewell at the hut, as did Miroku. Kagome smiled at the fact that he wouldn't stray from her friend's side even for a moment. Kaede was preparing more herbs that would heal Sango's broken ribs in a matter of days, which had relived the group greatly. Kagome insisted that she would be able to walk on her ankle in a few days, so when Sango was healed Inuyasha was going to come and get Hekele and her. Sesshoumaru walked next to Hekele and Rin with Jakken at his heals. He was deep in thought and idly wondered how the well worked. Was it a spell? Shikon shards? He had no clue. He watched as Kagome handed Hekele a shard and knew the answer. Shippo gave Kagome another hug and then pounced onto Hekele, giving her one as well, and then he scurried back to the village so that he could bug Miroku. Inuyasha jumped into the well with Kagome still on his back, leaving Hekele, Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jakken.
"Rin wants to see Hekele-chan again soon!!!" Rin said sadly as Hekele sat on the edge of the well.
"I promise to come back soon Rin, ok?" she said as she gave the girl another hug. Rin nodded and bounded off to play with Shippo, Jakken close in tow, (whether he liked it or not!!!)
"Bye Sesshoumaru," she said, regarding the last person standing with her by the well, "I hope to see you soon too you know, striking fear into the hearts of others can be really entertaining." She watched as a small, (and I mean small,) smile formed on Sesshoumaru's face. He nodded politely and turned to leave. Hekele turned so that she was facing into the well, but before she jumped she said one last thing.
"Thanks again for bringing me back..." With that she jumped in and allowed the blue light to engulf her and take her back to her time. Sesshoumaru paused when he heard her say this, and despite the fact that he knew she couldn't hear him; he couldn't help but reply.
"You're welcome."
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Somewhere unknown in the Feudal Era:
A man with long brown hair dressed in noble's clothes watched Inuyasha and Miroku's loving exchanges with the girls he knew they cared deeply for through Kanna's magical mirror. Kanna was a demon with no scent or sensible presence; she wore a white kimono and had white hair, whiter than Inuyasha's. She looked like a harmless child, but armed with her mirror she could steal souls. Naraku was angered that his tiger demon had fumbled the plan to take the girl, Kagome's, jewel shards, and had not counted on the Lord of the Western Land's intervention. He was perplexed as to why he had saved the girl that Kagome had brought with her but saw their conversations and understood the demon's growing feelings for her. He saw that Inuyasha's feelings for Kagome seemed to grow more every day the two spent together, as did Miroku's for the demon slayer Sango. As he pondered this a plan formed in his evil mind. What would happen if this 'love' were to be tested? As the plan formed in his mind he called for his other servant.
"Yes master Naraku?" an older looking girl demon asked. This girl wore her medium-length brown hair up and wore a white, reddish-pink, and blue kimono which had a long slit in each side for easy movement. She had an open fan to her face.
"We are going to test them...I will tell you when to strike, be ready."
"Yes Naraku," said the girl as she turned to walk away.
"Kagura."
"Yes, master?" asked the retreating girl.
"Do not attempt to betray me, I can see everything you do."
"Of course not master Naraku."
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*Me* So.....what did ya'll think of the chappie???
*Random reader* It sucked.
*Me* What?!?! What do you mean it sucked?!?! I put my heart and soul into this fic!!!!!!!
*Kachie* Wait a minute...*walks up behind the reader and pulls off his mask* IT'S INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Me* *gasps* Inuyasha?!? How could you?!?
*Inuyasha* I heard that you were adding another new character and I got jealous.....
*Kachie* Oh, so I made you jealous huh???
*Me* Inuyasha's jealous, Inuyasha's jealous, Inuyasha's jealous, Inuyasha's jealous!!!!!!!!!! Well too bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Kachie* Yep, I am going to make my first appearance in the next chappie, it's called 'Rin's Boredom and Another New Recruit' so R&R and she'll update quicker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!