LB: Here is the next chapter! I am having a good time with this story...and I have many ideas. I hope that it will be as prosperous as 'To Choose the Youkai'!
Replies:
Inuyashalover014: Don't worry, I plan to!
TwistedBlackandRedRose: Thank you! I hope it works!
brucasfanatic: I thought that that was a bit OOC, but how else was I going to do it without sounding too cliched? lol. Awesome review. This is the kind of review me likes!
sleepinghanyou: Thank you! hope you all enjoy this chappie.
Kagome dried the tears on her cheeks. "Why are you doing this?" she asked softly. He remained icy. "This Sesshoumaru has already explained his motives."
"Why are we stopping here?" He sniffed delicately. "You are to bathe. You are covered in Inuyasha's blood." Kagome glanced down at herself. "Oh, yeah."
"That is not to mention that you are inappropriately attired. Here." He handed her a folded kimono. Kagome was about to ask where he had gotten such a beautiful kimono, but he seemed to have sensed that she would ask. "This Sesshoumaru is not without contact to certain villages. This is from the priestess Kaede. She sends it specifically to you." She accepted it. "Thank you." There was a long silence. She shifted uncomfortably. "Are you going to leave me alone to bathe, or what?" He blinked. "You are in constant danger; to yourself and anyone in your path, if by chance, you are possessed by Naraku. I cannot leave you alone."
"At least turn around, then." He scoffed and turned his back to her. Humans worried over the smallest thing. It was pathetic.
Kagome hesitantly removed her torn and stained school uniform, checking to make sure he wasn't looking. 'Kagome, silly, Sesshoumaru is a Lord, and Inuyasha's brother. He isn't a peeping tom like Miroku.' She felt tears well up in her eyes as she waded into the water up to her neck. She hadn't even said goodbye to Miroku. He had been off looking for Shippou.
He smelled the salt of tears. "What are you crying about, wench?" Not that he cared or anything. She sniffed. "Nothing." The word came out as a strangled whisper. He rolled his eyes. If she didn't want to share, he wasn't going to listen.
"I'm finished." He nodded patiently, turning back around. She had donned the kimono that Kaede had sent for her. It was pure black, blending with her hair, and was decorated with tiny, elaborate designs of white and soft pink flowers. Around her neck was a shard of the shikon jewel, but it was tucked underneath her kimono.
She found it slightly difficult to part with the bloodstained school uniform, for some reason, but hesitantly tossed it into the river. If it landed on a bank downstream, it would throw any searchers off her scent and Inuyasha's. Inuyasha had to keep a low profile as well. He was supposed to be dead, after all.
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Inuyasha winced as Kaede pressed a warm cloth to his shoulder. "That hurts, dammit. Kami, hag. The sun is in the sky, I'm not a human, and I'll heal in a couple hours." Kaede sighed at his rudeness. "This is merely to ease the pain, Inuyasha." He scoffed. Pain. Really. "Inuyasha, Kaede is just trying to help," Sango scolded. "Feh." Shippou crawled into Sango's lap. "I miss Kagome! When's she gonna be back?" He turned to Inuyasha. "And you let her go!" Inuyasha scowled. "It wasn't as though I had much choice, runt." Sango nodded. "He's right, Shippou. After all, Kagome agreed, and Sesshoumaru had just saved his life." Inuyasha smashed his fist through the floor. "That doesn't mean anything! I was just to bloodied up to go after her, but as soon as I'm all cleaned up, I'm outta here." Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, it is not wise to chase after Kagome. She's in fairly good hands."
"Are you kidding? That bastard would sooner kill her than look at her."
"He also saved your life, Inuyasha. He brought you back from the dead," Sango snapped. "Keh. He just wants to kill me himself. That's all there is to it."
"You just can't believe that maybe he likes you as a brother, even!"
"He doesn't. He's just a slave to his stupid sword." He put on a mocking face. "Tenseiga wishes to be drawn." He made a motion as though unsheathing a sword. "So basically, the sword saved me, not the bastard." Sango rolled her eyes, not amused. "You are an ungrateful idiot, and if you go after Kagome, you're going to need more than a couple days of recovery."
"Is that a threat?"
"I was merely interpreting the thoughts of the hiraikotsu. You see, I am a slave to my boomerang, and my boomerang says 'Kill'. So basically, the hiraikotsu would be killing you, not the demon slayer." Inuyasha ducked a blow from the boomerang that Sango wielded. Shippou laughed hysterically as Inuyasha was caught by surprise and pounded into the floor. Inuyasha groaned. "Sango…"
"Be thankful I can't 'sit' you." Miroku raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. "You know…that wouldn't be such a bad idea…if Kaede were willing to…" Inuyasha jumped to his feet. "Are you all fucking conspiring against me?" Miroku lowered his level of excitement. "I wasn't talking about you, Inuyasha. Really, not everything revolves around you. I was thinking about Sango and I." Sango scoffed. "And how would that work? I get to hurt you when you grope me? It already happens."
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of my being able to subdue you from hurting me."
"When you grope me," she replied dryly. "Well, yes, I suppose, Sango, dear. Alas, forget it. It was merely a thought. Perhaps when Kagome returns, she will ask Kaede to…" THWAK! Sango replaced the hiraikotsu on her back, glaring at both Inuyasha and Miroku, now. "That was my hiraikotsu telling me to 'Kill' again. Perhaps it is not I that you need to subdue, Miroku, but my weapon." Miroku nodded. "Perhaps that is true…I will have to think very deeply about this." Sango rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed." At Miroku's hopeful look, she added, "On the other side of the room."
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LB: Hope you enjoyed that! Next chappie hopefully soon!
