Disclaimer: I no own; you no sue. Not the story characters, and not the songs. Get it. Got it? Good.

A/N: I don't like Kikyou. I'm a fan of Inuyasha & Kagome, and Sesshoumaru &Rin. And of course, Miroku & Sango, as if that weren't already obvious. So anyways, sorry if you don't like. I like it so I wrote it this way. Go me!

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What If?

I've wept for those who suffer long
But how I weep for those who've gone
Into rooms of grief and questioned wrong
But keep on killing
It's in the soul to feel such things
But weak to watch without speaking
Oh what mercy sadness brings
If God be willing
sheryl crow Redemption Day

Chapter Five

Kagome bolted up into a sitting position, only to feel two hands pressing her shoulders back down. Someone was saying something, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. Wait a minute, now there are several voices. That's a friend... Sesshoumaru. Oh no! He was fighting Inuyasha! But I'm in my hut now. Or at least a hut. What's going on here? she asked herself. Finally, the voices started to make sense.

"I don't think she should move yet. She was thrown against that tree pretty hard, even if Inuyasha took most of the hit. She's only human and as fragile as a human is..."

"We get the point, Taro," another said snidely. "Just fix her. You won't leave until she's okay. I know that as well as anyone here. I don't see why though."

"Two things Inuyasha. One: who says I'm leaving at all? And two: she's my friend. She was the first person I knew, and the first person who cared. I can't simply up and leave. Even if it is to go 'home'. No offense Henn- Father, but my home has been here for sixteen years. I don't know you. Or your mate. Or Inuyasha even. He keeps telling me of palace life, but I don't think I can."

"You're Sesshoumaru!" a woman, Sango, said suddenly. "That's why Kagome was so protective of you! That's why Jaken was shocked at seeing you! That's why you look like Hennyo!"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Fine, yes I am Sesshoumaru. I didn't know it until Inuyasha came here though. I've had amnesia and Kagome took me in. Can we get back to the problem at hand please?"

"Listen, we can talk about this at another time. Now is the time for the g- Kagome to heal. I want her healed as well. She is the answer to several questions that I, as well as you, have." The voices started to blur together again. She knew the voices; they were familiar to her. One was Sesshoumaru, known as Taro for nearly sixteen years. Another was his younger brother Inuyasha, a half-breed you'd been living with with them for three months. But the other had no name. She recognized his voice from before she passed out. Did he stop the fighting between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru? Who is he? Sesshoumaru corrected himself and called him 'father'. Is that Hennyo? She wondered.

"Kagome?" a voice asked her softly, close to her ear. "Can you hear me? It's Sesshoumaru. You don't feel any pain right now because I have given you some pain numbing herbs. But when you wake up again, it will hurt. Don't worry about anything. Inuyasha and I are fine. His- our father is here and we will be just outside talking if you need anything. Try to get some rest, okay? Shippou's worried about you."

The voice left. Even though it said is was Sesshoumaru, Kagome couldn't quite tell. It was as if the numbing herbs he's talked about were confusing her as well. It had to of been Sesshoumaru, she reasoned. He talked about herbs and Inuyasha and their father. He said Shippou was worried about me. He told me to rest. So rest she did.

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"The best thing to do would be to leave her alone so she can heal," Sesshoumaru said when they'd all sat down outside Kagome's hut. "She has to do this now. It's up to her. I can give her all the medicine in this world and hers and she still would have to do it herself."

"What do you mean, 'her world'?" Hennyo asked. "I thought Kagome was a human."

"She is. It's... complicated. She crosses over time from her home to this one. I... It's not my place to tell about Kagome's past and personal life. She will do that when she's well enough," Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly.

"If she gets well you mean," Inuyasha huffed. "There's no guarantee."

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red. "She will get better, if only to show a stupid half-breed like you."

"Settle down boys," Hennyo said as Inuyasha's eyes flashed to match his brothers. "Tell me about your life here, Sesshoumaru. I've met Kagome, sort of. And Inuyasha tells me that you've been here for sixteen years, learning medicine. What else is there that we've missed?"

"I haven't just been learning medicine," Sesshoumaru said, finally tearing his gaze from Inuyasha. "When Kagome found me sixteen years ago, I was at the same spot Inuyasha and I were fighting at earlier today. It was dark, and I slowly discovered I was badly hurt. A child found me first, realized I wasn't the friend she'd been looking for and started screaming about demons. The village came running, and that is when I first met Kagome. She knew who I was from the moment she saw me. She questioned me, realized I had no memories of my past, and decided to help me heal. After nearly a month of not remembering, she gave me the name Taro. And Taro is what I've gone by for nearly sixteen years."

"What is the mask for?"

"I was badly hurt." He traced the scar that went over the bridge of his nose onto his left cheek with one finger. "You can see a few of the scars still," he said, tilting his neck to Hennyo could see the scar that ran up the left side of his neck. "The worst are under the mask and no one's ever seen it except Kagome and Inuyasha. Something attacked me the night I left... I just don't know what. And until Inuyasha came, I didn't know why."

"What happened when Inuyasha came here?"

"He showed up the night you made him leave from what I've gathered," Sesshoumaru began. "Kagome was telling me about who I really was when I sensed demons coming. I gathered the men, Sango, Kirara, and Kagome, and went to meet these demons. It happened to be Inuyasha and Jaken. Inuyasha changed soon after that, then Kagome and I had a small conversation about my brother Inuyasha that she had just told me about. It all happened rather quickly. He was almost forced to stay with us by Kagome, and that's it for the last three months. We've taught Inuyasha a lot, and he insists on teaching me about life with you and your mate at the palace."

"You say that as if you resent me," Hennyo noticed out loud.

"I remember bits and pieces, flashbacks," Sesshoumaru revealed. "I remember training sometimes, and that you pushed me too hard. I remember running off to get away from everything. "And although she was nice, your mate was not my mother. She could never love me, or understand me the way my mother would have. It doesn't matter now. The past is the past and the future is yet to come. I don't wish to return to that life. I am perfectly happy here, with friends and family."

"We need to talk about this Sesshoumaru. You simply cannot walk away from who you are," Hennyo said.

"That's where you're wrong," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he stood and turned his back to his father and brother. "I did it once and I can do it again. I will see about more water for Kagome." He walked away, his posture saying the conversation was closed.

For now, Hennyo vowed. "Inuyasha? What say you?"

"Everything Sesshoumaru said is sufficient. He came here, was raised here. I came here, stayed here. He knows now, and wishes to return not. There is something that keeps him here, something more than Kagome. He loves her because she was the first to know him, the first to help him. Kagome says that there were three people to get through his defenses: Kagome as a friend; Shippou as a demon; and Rin... to love him. I haven't met Rin, but I have seen her. He says nothing because of what he was taught, I know it. Rin is a human and he knows that humans and demons are not supposed to mate. The outcome is me."

"Inuyasha, do not be ashamed of your heritage," Hennyo scolded.

"I'm not ash-" Inuyasha froze, turned toward the hut, and then ran inside. Kagome was waking up in pain and calling out because of it. Inuyasha tried to soothe her.

"Ah! Gods, it hurts so much! Taro!" Kagome yelled through the pain. "Taro! Where are you! Sango! Miroku! Taro, I need you!" She thrashed around as much as she could without hurting herself too much more. Inuyasha placed his hands on her upper arms to try and hold her down. He tried talking to her, but she wouldn't listen long enough to be comforted. "No! It hurts! Taro!" she cried.

"Kagome, Kagome listen to me. It's Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru went to get some water. He'll be back shortly, but I need you to calm down. You're going to hurt yourself. Calm down."

She felt the hands on her arms pushing her down, hurting her even more. She started murmuring a binding charm to help her get rid of whoever was hurting her. With the final word, the beads formed a barrier around Inuyasha's neck. As soon as he felt the intrusion, Inuyasha forgot about Kagome and focused solely on the rosary. Hennyo stood by the door as his younger son tried to pull the thing off his neck any way he could think of. When Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome, Sesshoumaru stepped through the doorway. Before he could say anything, Inuyasha crashed face first into the ground beside Kagome.

"Son of a-" Inuyasha started at the rosary.

"Inuyasha!" Hennyo scolded

"Yes I am," Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly as he kneeled on Kagome's other side. "Her fever has broken, but she is still delirious. What were you doing Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked, wiping a wet cloth over Kagome's forehead a few times to make sure the fever was gone.

"She started calling out in pain, calling for you. So, until you could get here, I tried to soothe her. Instead of calming down, she started chanting. Then this thing appeared and then you came in," Inuyasha said in a huff. "It's annoying and it won't come off."

"It's not supposed to," Sesshoumaru said with a rare chuckle. "Kagome, although young, is very powerful. If she feels threatened, which she must have, she can call on powers to aide her. Were you trying to hold her down? Thought so. She is not one to be touched. It's one reason we get along so well: neither of us like to be touched. She felt she was in danger because everyone here knows these things. So she charmed a rosary. Now, every time she says a certain word, you will fall into the ground face first. Teach you to treat Kagome any different."

"I was trying to help her!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Sit," Kagome murmured. Inuyasha went face first into the floor, mumbling obscenities into the floor. Kagome curled into herself, her back to Inuyasha. "Kaede... Need... help..." she whispered softly. Sesshoumaru stood to retrieve Kaede when Kagome's voice called him back once more. He crouched down so he could hear her sleep-filled whisperings. "Not... Ki... Ki... Kikyou..."

"Never Kagome, never again," Sesshoumaru vowed. "Hennyo, Inuyasha, let's go."

"We can't just leave her here!" Inuyasha protested, pushing himself into a sitting position. "You may be willing to gamble with her life, but I sure won't." Inuyasha hadn't even finished his sentence before he found himself against the wall of the hut for the second time since his stay had begun in the village.

"I am not 'just leaving her here' as you put it," he growled, using his body weight to shove Inuyasha against the wall with a little more force. "She wants Kaede because I cannot help her enough. Kaede will be able to. Miroku knows enough of the basics to stay here with her and help her should the need arise. I will do as asked and get Kaede. You two will come with me if I have to drag you. Now, the more time I waste here threatening you the more time we waste in helping Kagome recover. Now move." He pushed away from the wall and, keeping his fist balled up in Inuyasha's shirt, shoved Inuyasha out of the hut.

"Are you going to push me there the entire way?" Inuyasha spat.

"If that's what it takes to get there and back as quickly as possible." Sesshoumaru took a moment to right his mask since it had been knocked slightly askew when he rushed Inuyasha. "Miroku, watch over Kagome. I am going to get Kaede with Inuyasha and Hennyo. Should she wake, tell her. And she's already charmed Inuyasha. Be careful." Miroku nodded and walked silently into the hut. "Now we leave. Keep up." He disappeared, and seconds after Hennyo and then Inuyasha followed suit.

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"Slow up," Sesshoumaru said quietly as they approached another village. Hennyo and Inuyasha were instantly beside him, completely silent and full of questions. "Be quiet. The last thing we need is to be heard."

"Why?" Inuyasha whispered. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru jumped on him, knocking him back and down on the ground with a hard thud!. Sesshoumaru growled long and low in his throat, but didn't move off of his younger brother. "What was that for you psycho-!"

"I assume," a female voiced, "you demons were looking for something?"

Sesshoumaru righted himself, standing in front of Inuyasha and Hennyo. Hennyo helped Inuyasha up, then kept him close by in case the human tried something again. Sesshoumaru retrieved the arrow from his left sleeve and threw it on the ground at the woman's feet. "Not you," he ground out.

"Excuse me?" she asked sarcastically, one eyebrow raised. "Demon filth such as yourself is not to be around my village and you all know it."

"Kikyou!" another female called out. "Can't you, for once, ask questions first and then shoot arrows! What if it's-?"

"Kaede! Shut your trap! My village, my rules. It's kept you safe so far, hasn't it?" She trained another arrow on the trio of demons in front of her. A piece of ebony hair made its way into her line of sight. As she pushed it away, a smirk appeared on her face. "You're not all demon. There are two demons here and one... half-breed," she said with disgust. "I don't know why demon filth would even bother with something that was 'below standards'."

"You watch your mouth human," Hennyo snarled. "My mate will not be-"

"Hennyo," Sesshoumaru growled in warning.

"Hennyo!" the second female squeaked. She was somewhat younger than the first, but no doubt was left in any mind that the two were related, if only by looks alone. "Demon Lord of the Western Lands, Hennyo? Kikyou! I told you you should ask first shoot later! What if you'd hit him!"

"He's not Hennyo," Kikyou said. "Hennyo wouldn't get off his pompous butt to leave his perfect castle if it meant his life. He, like all other demons, are scum."

"Watch it Kikyou," Sesshoumaru growled.

"And you, you presume to know me! I... Wait a minute." She paused for a minute and then gave a short scoff. "I should have realized it was you by your stench. Why are you here Taro? Don't you have a little human to follow after, begging for table scraps?"

"I don't care who you are, you will not speak to my son that way!" Hennyo said, raising himself to his full height and stepping in front of Sesshoumaru. "You speak to him as if he were a mere demon. Well-"

"Earth to demon jerk!" Kikyou said, pointing her purifying arrow straight at his black heart. "Taro is a mere demon, meaning there isn't anything special about him more than Kaede over here."

"Kaede?" Inuyasha said, looking at the girl behind the one with the arrow. "We need you. Something has-"

"My sister goes nowhere with demons buster, even if it is Taro here. Unless of course, you need something from me," she said, looking at Sesshoumaru a weird way.

Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat and deep in his chest. "Don't talk to me that way. And don't talk to Hennyo or Inuyasha in that matter. We have come here for one reason, and it has nothing to do with you, wench."

"Inuyasha!" the second female squeaked. She rounded on Kikyou. "You listen here Kikyou. If these names are to be trusted, and I'm sure they are, that there is the Demon Lord of the Western Lands, Hennyo. And that is his half-breed son Inuyasha, heir to the throne. But..." She turned back and looked at Taro. "Distant relatives Taro? You look very similar."

"That's because, you idiot, Taro is really Sesshoumaru, my brother," Inuyasha answered.

Sesshoumaru hit him upside the head. "Don't talk to Kaede like that. She's not heartless, unlike some other wenches I know in my line of sight."

"Well, that's not saying much since a demon kicked your butt," Kikyou snided. "Or rather, your face. I think you're all liars and you all have five seconds to get out of the boundaries of- Kaede!" Kikyou threw her bow and arrow down in favor of catching her sister before she hit the ground in a dead faint.

"You idiot," Hennyo sighed. He moved forward to help reposition the younger girl. "Kaede fainted, she'll be fine."

"Get away from my sister demon," Kikyou hissed, pulling a blade and positioning it at Hennyo's throat. She found herself pinned against a tree by Sesshoumaru seconds later, Kaede gently draped over Hennyo's arms.

"Listen closely, for I will not repeat myself Kikyou," Sesshoumaru hissed close to her ear. "My name is Sesshoumaru, first son and legal heir to my father's estates. My father, Lord Hennyo, Demon Lord of the Western Lands, has traveled with me to ask Kaede for her help. My half-brother, Inuyasha, has been residing in Kagome's village for the last three months under my care. I had amnesia, and still do not understand everything of my past. You will be civil to my family, you will allow Kaede to travel with us, and you will do it quickly." He released her with a shove toward her village. She silently led the way, sending icy glares over her shoulder.

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"So why are you here exactly?" Kikyou asked once she had made Kaede a pallet near the fire in their hut. "You never did quite answer that question Tar-Sesshoumaru."

"No, call me Taro," Sesshoumaru corrected. "The others cannot know. And we're here because we need Kaede. Kagome has been hurt, and in a momentary spout of consciousness, she asked for Kaede. So we came to ask if we could borrow Kaede for a while."

"How was she hurt?" Kikyou asked.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both looked uneasy then. "We were fighting," Inuyasha began slowly. "We had both transformed. I turned to make sure Kagome was okay, then Sesshoumaru hit me. I flew into a tree, but so did Kagome. She's hurt, and we need Kaede."

"Kaede is still out cold. But I can come in her stead," Kikyou offered stiffly.

"No," Sesshoumaru said firmly. "She wanted Kaede, not you. She even said as much. I will honor her wishes. You're not allowed in the village anyways. We can wait until she awakens. We will be close." He stood to leave, Inuyasha and Hennyo following closely. He walked to the edge of the huts in the village and looked off into the evening sunset. "You have questions. I will answer them all to the best of my knowledge until Kaede awakens."

Inuyasha and Hennyo stopped shortly behind Sesshoumaru. Neither one spoke for a few tense moments. Then, Hennyo spoke softly. "Why don't you tell us your story? That should clear up many questions."

"My story is simple," Sesshoumaru said. "I was running, fell, found out that I was hurt, was found my Kagome and the others, and then was raised by them for the last sixteen years. Nothing special."

"Tell... No, show Father what's under your mask," Inuyasha suggested.

Sesshoumaru sighed, but he had promised. He slid the mask off, his back still to his father and brother. "Like I said, I was hurt. The first thing I remember was that I was running. I tripped, fell, and hurt myself more. A demon of some kind had attacked me. Kagome fixed me up as much as she could, and I didn't heal myself because I didn't know how. By the time I figured it out, too much time had passed to heal it. Now, they are scars. My right eye is completely closed up, and I can no longer see out of it. I'm sure you saw part of the scar that runs down my left cheek, but you can see the rest now."

He dropped the mask, then used both hands to hold his hair back he slowly turned to face his new family. Inuyasha had already seen the half severed ear, the swollen eye, the multiple dark scars that cris-crossed over his face. Hennyo did not recoil or gasp or make any movement or noise to suggest that he had seen anything out of the ordinary. And this stunned Sesshoumaru. "Do you want me to gasp in disgust? Or would you rather I feel sorry for you? You are my son, and have suffered worse than this at my own hands. You have always healed and moved on."

"I didn't get to heal this time," Sesshoumaru snapped as he turned back around and bent to retrieve the mask... only to find it not where he left it.

Hennyo now stood in front of him, the mask in his hands, eyes staring into Sesshoumaru's. "Didn't you? The mask helped you heal. True, you still hide behind it and true, you will never be able to see out of your right eye. But you did heal some. I don't see you pouting and feeling sorry for yourself."

"I said I'd answer questions," Sesshoumaru said, snatching the mask from his father's hands and put it back in place. "I don't remember asking for a sermon."

"Okay then," Inuyasha said, stepping a bit closer to them. "Why isn't Kikyou allowed in the village exactly? What's her beef with Kagome? And why do you hate her? You get tense around her. More tense than usual."

"Kagome's 'beef' with Kikyou is the same as mine. She hurt Kagome, nearly killed her." Wide eyes from Inuyasha and an expectant stare from Hennyo silently asked him to explain. With a small sigh, he said, "Kagome was ill a year or so ago. Kaede and I were still learning so she had me call Kikyou in. I told Kikyou what symptoms Kagome had and that she couldn't have anything with pine needles or tree syrup in it. I told her repeatedly because it's a little known fact, Kagome's allergies. But it didn't stop her from putting syrup into the medicine. It nearly killed her. Luckily, one of the first things I'd been taught was to counter the allergies and I did. Kagome's never forgotten it. She did it deliberately."

There was silence. "I'll kill her. I'll kill the-!"

"Inuyasha!" Hennyo scolded. "Watch your mouth."

"And no you won't," Sesshoumaru said. "You'll be civil to her or we won't be able to get Kaede. Whether or not we want to admit it, she is Kaede's guardian and therefore has final say in her comings and goings. Any other questions?"

"Yes," Hennyo said, knowing when to back off when it came to his sons. "You keep slipping. 'Who I've... who I will fall in love with' or 'Rin tried to-' Who is this Rin? And why will you never speak of her without correcting yourself and deleting her from the conversation?"

"Rin was the first person I met," Sesshoumaru said stiffly.

"And...?" Hennyo prompted.

"And what?" Sesshoumaru snapped. "Kaede's awake. Let's go." He turned and stalked back to Kaede and Kikyou's hut. "Until Kaede awakens was the deal. She's awake now."

Hennyo and Inuyasha followed silently as Sesshoumaru led the way.

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A/N: Hello again everybody! You're very lucky to be hearing from me since I was almost killed today. See, my grandmother's making me take Driver's Education (even though I've been driving for two years already!) and this one dude who's in my car ran up on a curb and then proceeded to run a stop sign onto a major road and almost got hit... ON MY SIDE! takes a deep, calming breath But I got home in one piece and saw my reviews! So thank you to ladyrinremix, who wrote me yesterday, and The World is a Stage, who wrote today! TWiaS: I'm not sure about those patches. Maybe you could make them and get rich! If you do, cut me in okay? LOL! And, as always, thanks to my impromptu beta-reader CreativeChilde! She's crazier than I am y'all! And that's scary! Because my theripist says I should be committed... o.O