A/N: Yes! Only two weeks since I last updated! Right now, there isn't much
going on, but in May I have too many projects and other stuff going on, so
I'm trying to update for you guys. Don't worry though, I'll still update
regularly! Anyways, ENJOY!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
swimchick1614: Thanks for the review. I'm a big fluff ball too, LOL! Hope you enjoy this chapter and review again.
Mara Roberts: Thanks for all the advice you gave me and I'm editing my previous chapters too. I know his thoughts were long, but I couldn't help myself to cutting some of it out, but I still like it. His revelation to not become a full-demon was rushed? Really? Wow, never thought about it, maybe I might add more in the upcoming chapters. You know the story by Alandrem you told me about, I checked it out (loved it by the way), but I'm glad to say my story isn't leading toward that direction, so I'm safe. Oh ya, the part about her father was vague for a reason, the explanation comes in the chapters ahead. The part about 'mothers' was sort of confusing, but I thought I got the point out that Sess thought of Inu's mom as his own, but I guessed I didn't. I'll have to fix that. Also, MORE FLUFF AHEAD! Review again, I love the criticism
Thief of Baghdad: Thanks for the review. Ya, fluff for all. Enjoy the chapter and review again.
chrisy12: Thanks for reviewing again, you're one of my regulars and I enjoy reading your reviews. Here's the next chapter and tell me what you think!
Naeko Kono: Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you want to keep reading this. Here's the next chapter and review again.
chibi's the name: I'm glad you liked the vocabulary lesson ^_^. Enjoy the next chapter and review again.
Chibi Senshi of Saturn: Thanks for reviewing again and don't stop reviewing! Thanks for the names, I'm gonna use them. I think Megumi for Kag's mom is nice. Thanks!
vino-chan: Thanks for reviewing again! ^_^ I'm from Ontario, a city near Toronto. More Sess/Rin fluff ahead so enjoy and review!
TRANSLATIONS:
hanyou: half-demon
miko: priestess
-sama: respectable term for those that are important
-chan: term for endearment; a friend
imoudo: younger sister
oneesan: younger sister
Disclaimer: I wish, but sadly I don't own Inuyasha
"........." speaking
'.........' thoughts
*~*~*~*~* change of scene
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Last time on Freedom of Choice................................................
Darkness, only darkness could be seen and it stretched for all eternity. Kagome rocked back and forth, her knees drown up and her arms around them. Her face muffled by her knees. She didn't know where she was and didn't know what to do. She never had felt this helpless before, and she gladly admitted it that she hated it. Suddenly a voice broke out through the darkness, a light was seen in the darkness. Kagome recognized the voice, yet she couldn't place her finger on who it was, but she felt herself being lifted out of the darkness and she was filled with warmth.
'Kagome, you can't leave me here alone.'
She was getting closer to the light.
'I love you Kagome.'
She still couldn't recognize the voice.
'You can't leave me, we still have our lives to live.'
The light's intensity increased, blinding Kagome in the process.
'Come back to me Kagome.........I love you.........'
Kagome heard this as she escaped the darkness. She was out of her a coma and now her mind waited until her body was rested to wake up. She fell asleep, the words of the familiar voice she heard still going through her mind.
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Chapter 8: Important Decisions
In a lush garden full of many flowers from roses to bellflowers and daffodils to tulips, sat a young woman who looked about thirteen or fourteen. She was trimming and selecting some white and red roses to lavish the dreary palace behind her where she had lived since she was a young child following her Sesshoumaru-sama.
Rin giggled at the thought. She hardly called Sesshoumaru 'Sesshoumaru-sama' anymore, though she would slip every now and then. She leaned over to the rose bush and clipped off a white rose and took off the thorns before she placed it with the other white and red roses in her basket. Rin knew for a fact that Kagome loved white roses because they were different. She had told her once that red roses were so predictable and common when showing love, so that was why she loved white roses. They were a unique way of showing one's love.
Rin sighed as she took a glance behind her where she could clearly see the window of the room that Kagome resided in. It had been a week since she and the others had come and she had yet to wake up. Sango was moving around and completely healed. Kagome's wounds were closing up well enough and she was out of a coma, but her body still needed to rest from the huge amount of blood loss.
As Rin stared at the window, she noticed that Inuyasha wasn't sitting by the window as he usually would do. That meant that the others had managed to take him to the dining hall for some food or that he was sitting on the bed closer to Kagome. Rin hoped that that he had gone to eat. They had to force him to eat because he didn't want to leave Kagome alone. He really loved her.
Rin turned back to the rose bush before moving to pluck a red rose this time. As she placed it in her basket, a shadow loomed over her, blocking out the sun. She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
"Good afternoon Sesshoumaru!" She said cheerfully without glancing back. Instead, she chose to pull out a stray weed that had grown around the rose bushes. She heard some shifting of materials before Sesshoumaru settled himself to the right of her.
"Same to you Rin." He said, returning the greeting. He was nervous about something since every few seconds he shifted his eyes to Rin before glancing back at what was ahead of him, which were the rose bushes.
Rin saw this and forced herself not to laugh out loud. Sesshoumaru was hardly the type to get nervous. It was a very rare yet hilarious to witness.
"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked to relieve him from the nervousness.
"Well, as you know, your birthday is coming up soon." He said. Birthday was another thing that they both had learned from Kagome's time.
"Yes." Rin said hesitantly, not knowing why it was important.
"Well, you know that you would be turning the age of fourteen, if I'm not mistaken?"
"No, you are not mistaken, Sesshoumaru."
"Well.........what would you like as a present?" He asked covering up what he really wanted to ask her. Rin turned towards him, a delicate eyebrow quirked up in question at the hesitation in his voice when he had asked the question. However, he was facing ahead and not at her, so she shook it off.
"Oh, I do not know? I have never even thought about it. I have been too worried over Kagome-oneesan." Rin explained thoughtfully while gathering her garden tools together. Rin heard him chuckling at her response.
"She will be fine. I do not smell death on her, so she will make it. You all are worried over nothing." He said in amusement.
"I know she will be fine, but you can't help it but worry when the people you love are hurt." Rin said as she started to get up. Sesshoumaru's right hand shot out and grabbed onto Rin's elbow and guided her to sit down again. Rin's face reflected that of a confused person as she stared at him, though his eyes were closed so he didn't see the look.
"Rin, why did you try to help me when I was hurt those many years ago when I had lost a fight with my brother?" Sesshoumaru asked, still with his eyes closed. Rin's face flamed up and she turned her face away from him, in case he decided to open his eyes and look at her.
"S-Sesshoumaru-sama........?" She stuttered.
"You hardly call me that anymore too........." He said. A small smile crept towards Rin's lips as she stared at the man, or demon to be more precise, that she had fallen in love with. She hardly had the courage to tell him that. After all, why would a demon lord love a weak human? Rin knew she wasn't physically strong, even with the beatings she got as a kid from the villagers, but she had taken a lot mentally from the loss of her parents, her village, and even the death and resurrection of herself. She adored Sesshoumaru and being this close to him satisfied Rin; she didn't have to have any more than what she already had. She turned towards Sesshoumaru and removed his right hand from her elbow and instead entwined her hand in his. His eyes flew open in shock and he looked down at her in surprise. She gave him a soft smile before she spoke.
"I'm not a child anymore Sesshoumaru." She told him, her hand still clasped in his.
"I know.........you want to leave right? Get married to a human man. After all, it is your time." He said solemnly, trying to keep the bitterness away from his voice. His comment was answered with laughter, sweet laughter from Rin.
"No, Sesshoumaru, I do not want to marry a human man or leave this place ('or you'). I am content right here with you." She declared, a small blush making itself known on her cheeks.
Sesshoumaru looked down upon her in awe, which made her blush much more badly. A soft smile was on the demon lord as he gazed at the chocolate- eyed girl, or woman as some would say. Right then and there, all he wanted to do was kiss her, yet he couldn't. Yes, the great, fearless Sesshoumaru was scared of kissing the young maiden in front of him. He didn't want to be rejected or make her scared of him. So for now, he would admire her from afar, until he built enough courage to do what he truly wanted to do.
In a way, he was like his brother. They both fell for a human girl, yet they were too afraid to tell them of their feelings, so alike.
Sesshoumaru gave Rin's hand a squeeze before they let their hands unlock. They both stood up, Rin carrying her basket, and they started towards the castle, smiles still gracing their faces.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inuyasha sat on the right side of Kagome on the bed. She was lying in the middle of the bed, still sleeping. She hadn't woken up for the past week, but Inuyasha knew she would make it through. She was a fighter after all. His fingers grazed her cheeks and he bent down to take in her scent. She was healthy and hopefully she would be awake soon. For the past couple of days, he was worried that she would come down with a fever, since her scent had traces of it, but he added an extra blanket and forced her take the liquid medicine for fever from her time, seeing as she wasn't awake to take those tablets. All week he had to force, so to speak, broth into her, so she wouldn't starve or get weak. Seeing as she was asleep or unconscious as some would say, getting the broth down wasn't hard.
He sighed as he sat back, still gazing at her and cursing himself for being stupid. He couldn't let her get hurt ever again.
'Never again. Never.' His mind was filled with this thought and it wouldn't leave his head.
A small knock broke Inuyasha from his gazing. He called whoever it was to come in. Sango and Miroku made their way into the room and took a glance at their good friend. They sighed in relief at how good she looked. She wasn't pale anymore, but of her normal creamy colour.
"You wanted to talk to us Inuyasha?" Miroku said to the hanyou.
"Yes, but not here. Follow me." He said as he stepped through the doorway. They followed him down the hall and into another hallway and then another, before they stopped in front of a set of closed doors. He opened the doors and ushered the two into the room before going into the room himself and shutting the door behind.
The room they had stepped in was some sort of conference room. A long low table took up most of the room, with cushions as seats. The crème coloured walls were decorated with tapestry from all over Japan. Above the head of the table was the only portrait in the whole room. It was a portrait of his father in his humanoid form. It was the only picture in the whole castle that depicted him in this form, whereas all the others were in his demon form.
"Inuyasha, is that your father?" Sango asked as she stared at the portrait.
"Yes," he said as a soft smile appeared as he thought of his childhood before his parents died, his happy childhood with his family. He snapped out of his memories and sat down where his father would have sat if he was alive, at the head of the table. The room was never used anymore since it wasn't as grand as the others, but Inuyasha always liked it because of the portrait. Sango and Miroku sat on both sides of him and waited patiently for him to tell them why he wanted to talk to them.
"Well, you know how we get in a lot of fights, right?" They both nodded their heads in agreement.
"It's what we have to do." Sango said.
"Well, Kagome has never gotten hurt this bad before, heck, she hardly ever gets hurt, except for a few scrapes or bumps."
"Yes, this is true. Kagome-sama doesn't usually get involve in the fights. Now we realize that she cannot........."
"........fight." Sango finished for Miroku. He nodded his head in agreement.
Inuyasha sighed as he prepared himself for what he had to say to his friends.
"I know. The demons aren't gonna get any easier to defeat and they are more than likely to attack her since Naraku wants her dead." Inuyasha said.
"What are you proposing Inuyasha? I mean we could get Kaede to train her, but that would take time away from capturing the last shards or stopping shard-powered demons from attacking villages. Also, even if we leave her there, the village would get attacked and there would be no one to protect the village against the hoards of demons that Naraku will send if he gets wind of this. He would do the same thing he did with my village!" Sango hissed out as she slammed her fist onto the table. It shook before it settled.
"I know Sango, but I have another idea." Inuyasha said softly, giving Sango and Miroku the idea that they weren't going to like his idea.
"What?" Miroku asked.
"Well, I don't like the idea, but it would be the best for Kagome." He said
"Just tell us!" Sango said.
"We make Kagome go back in time with the shards she has and make her not come back." Inuyasha stated.
"But she could always get back. From the story about the last time you pushed her down the well for her to stay there, you failed. Even without the shards, she came back." Sango said.
"I know, but Miroku could seal the well so she can't come back until we're done with Naraku. Then we'll break the seal and she'll return. I'll tell her that we'll be back, but that we want to keep her safe. I know she'll kick and scream, but it's for her own good, right?" He asked his two friends. They nodded their heads in agreement.
"But Inuyasha, you always fight better with Kagome-sama around. What if you can't fight as well?" Miroku asked.
"That was when I knew I wasn't gonna see her ever again. I know she'll be back, so I'll be fighting with her still by my side in spirit." He said. His two friends smiled at him in understanding.
"You love her. Don't you Inuyasha?" Sango asked softly. He turned towards her and looked at her straight in her eyes.
"Yes, I love Kagome." He admitted finally to someone else beside himself. His two friends each flashed him a grin.
"It's about time you admit it and all it took was her getting hurt." Miroku said
"Actually.........I already had admitted it to myself that I was in love with her for about a couple of months and for the past year I was thinking that I might be in love with her." He finished, not looking at his friends.
"INUYASHA!" They both shouted.
"Feh!"
"You never tell us anything." Miroku teased him and he was rewarded with a growl and a bonk on his head.
"Hey, I'm not Shippo!" Miroku whined, rubbing his abused head.
"OH KAMI! What is Shippo going to think about this! I mean he thinks of Kagome as his mother!" Sango screeched.
"Relax, he already knows, I told him first and he agreed. After all, if he hadn't agreed, I wouldn't have told you guys." Inuyasha said, trying to get the ringing to stop from Sango's screeching.
"Wow Inuyasha! You're getting soft." Miroku was rewarded with another growl and another bump on his head.
"Feh! I'm not getting soft!" Shouted Inuyasha as Miroku clutched his head again and Sango laughed at her friends' behaviour.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A door opened and a lone figure stepped into a fully furnished room. The figure walked up to the occupied bed and stared down at the young miko who was still sleeping. The figure sat on the left side of the bed and placed a vase of white roses on the night table.
Rin glanced back at Kagome and couldn't help but feel the sense of dread that crept up to her heart.
"She should be awake by now." She mumbled as she got up from the bed and made her way to the door. Her hand was closing on the doorknob when a creaking sound filled the silent room. Rin turned around to face Kagome and saw her shifting in her bed, the first sign of movement she had made since she came here. Rin took a couple of steps closer and came to the conclusion that Kagome was waking up. She gave a squeal and rushed out of the room with the door still wide open, she looked to both sides of the hallway and couldn't see Inuyasha anywhere.
"INUYASHA!" She yelled out. To the left of her she heard rapid footsteps coming towards her. In an instant, Inuyasha was in front of her, not to mention Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and even Sesshoumaru.
"What's wrong with Kagome?" They said in unison, some adding –chan, -sama, mama, or imoudo at the end of name. Rin rolled her eyes before settling them on Inuyasha.
"She's waking up." Rin said and got away from the door so she wouldn't be run over by the hanyou. She shut the door after he went in to prevent the others from joining. They all gave her a perplexed look before she sighed at them.
"Don't you think they need some time ALONE?" She said slowly. Their eyes widened in realisation at what Rin were doing. After all, this might be the time that they actually declare their love for each other, if Inuyasha was brave enough to do it that is. They knew Kagome wouldn't do it first because she thought that he was still in love with Kikyou, so it was up to Inuyasha to do it. Thus, they went on their ways of doing their own business, ignoring what was going on at the other side of the closed door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inuyasha rushed into the room and clearly heard the door closing behind him. He made his way to Kagome and sat on the right side of her. He leaned towards her saw her eyes flutter open and meet with his molten eyes. Her blue-grey eyes held a look of confusion and for a minute Inuyasha feared that she had hit her head when she fell and had forgotten about him. He remembered Kagome calling it amnesia. However, that thought flew out of his mind as one word passed through her lips and her eyes focused on his amber orbs in recognition.
"Inuyasha........." She said hoarsely, seeing as she hadn't used her voice in a week.
"Kagome........." He whispered as he gently leaned towards her and embraced her. She lifted up her arms and put them around his neck to return the embrace, never wanting to let go. They both stayed in that position for some time before they reluctantly separated.
Inuyasha cradled Kagome in his arms while she rested her head on his chest. Their eyes stayed locked on one another, neither wanting to disturb the moment. Inuyasha unconsciously ran his right hand through Kagome's hair, his left hand still placed on her back. In response to Inuyasha's ministrations, Kagome tightened her hold on his haori seeing as her hands were placed on his chest and leaned more towards him.
The moment was broken as Inuyasha rearranged Kagome so she sat in his lap sideways, both her legs going over on of his knee and the other knee resting on her back. He still had her cradled in his arms, but he had placed his chin on top of her head. Kagome sighed as she snuggled closer to him.
"Kagome, never, ever, do that again!" He said in an angry, yet concerned voice.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but if I didn't you........."
"What would have been the point of saving me if you were killed in the process!" He cried out and pulling her away so he could look into her eyes.
Tears lined the edges of Kagome's eyes as she stared at him. One lone tear trailed down her right cheek before Inuyasha brushed it away.
"And what would have I done if you had died?" She whispered as tears glistened and fell from her eyes.
Inuyasha had nothing to say to that. What she had said was true. She did the same thing that he would have done if she were in danger. For years, it was he that protected her, but no one had protected him. Now, here came Kagome and she came to protect him from danger. If it was possible, he had fallen deeper in love with her. Without another second to waste, he gathered her in his arms and dried her tears.
"Don't cry Kagome. You know how I hate it when you cry." He said as he brushed the stray tears that were left on her face. She sniffed a couple of times before she snuggled close to him again. He wrapped his arms around her and took in her scent. He loved her scent.
"I'm sorry Kagome. I understand now." He said as he rested his chin on her head again. She drew her arms around his chest and hugged him, letting him know by the gesture that she understood and forgave him as well.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that! Next chapter Kagome remembers the look Inuyasha had given her before she fell unconscious and the voice's words as well as the others try to carry out their plan on Kagome! Will Kagome go for it? Well, you just have to wait and see!
R &v R PLEASE!
Ja ne
REVIEW RESPONSES:
swimchick1614: Thanks for the review. I'm a big fluff ball too, LOL! Hope you enjoy this chapter and review again.
Mara Roberts: Thanks for all the advice you gave me and I'm editing my previous chapters too. I know his thoughts were long, but I couldn't help myself to cutting some of it out, but I still like it. His revelation to not become a full-demon was rushed? Really? Wow, never thought about it, maybe I might add more in the upcoming chapters. You know the story by Alandrem you told me about, I checked it out (loved it by the way), but I'm glad to say my story isn't leading toward that direction, so I'm safe. Oh ya, the part about her father was vague for a reason, the explanation comes in the chapters ahead. The part about 'mothers' was sort of confusing, but I thought I got the point out that Sess thought of Inu's mom as his own, but I guessed I didn't. I'll have to fix that. Also, MORE FLUFF AHEAD! Review again, I love the criticism
Thief of Baghdad: Thanks for the review. Ya, fluff for all. Enjoy the chapter and review again.
chrisy12: Thanks for reviewing again, you're one of my regulars and I enjoy reading your reviews. Here's the next chapter and tell me what you think!
Naeko Kono: Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you want to keep reading this. Here's the next chapter and review again.
chibi's the name: I'm glad you liked the vocabulary lesson ^_^. Enjoy the next chapter and review again.
Chibi Senshi of Saturn: Thanks for reviewing again and don't stop reviewing! Thanks for the names, I'm gonna use them. I think Megumi for Kag's mom is nice. Thanks!
vino-chan: Thanks for reviewing again! ^_^ I'm from Ontario, a city near Toronto. More Sess/Rin fluff ahead so enjoy and review!
TRANSLATIONS:
hanyou: half-demon
miko: priestess
-sama: respectable term for those that are important
-chan: term for endearment; a friend
imoudo: younger sister
oneesan: younger sister
Disclaimer: I wish, but sadly I don't own Inuyasha
"........." speaking
'.........' thoughts
*~*~*~*~* change of scene
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Last time on Freedom of Choice................................................
Darkness, only darkness could be seen and it stretched for all eternity. Kagome rocked back and forth, her knees drown up and her arms around them. Her face muffled by her knees. She didn't know where she was and didn't know what to do. She never had felt this helpless before, and she gladly admitted it that she hated it. Suddenly a voice broke out through the darkness, a light was seen in the darkness. Kagome recognized the voice, yet she couldn't place her finger on who it was, but she felt herself being lifted out of the darkness and she was filled with warmth.
'Kagome, you can't leave me here alone.'
She was getting closer to the light.
'I love you Kagome.'
She still couldn't recognize the voice.
'You can't leave me, we still have our lives to live.'
The light's intensity increased, blinding Kagome in the process.
'Come back to me Kagome.........I love you.........'
Kagome heard this as she escaped the darkness. She was out of her a coma and now her mind waited until her body was rested to wake up. She fell asleep, the words of the familiar voice she heard still going through her mind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 8: Important Decisions
In a lush garden full of many flowers from roses to bellflowers and daffodils to tulips, sat a young woman who looked about thirteen or fourteen. She was trimming and selecting some white and red roses to lavish the dreary palace behind her where she had lived since she was a young child following her Sesshoumaru-sama.
Rin giggled at the thought. She hardly called Sesshoumaru 'Sesshoumaru-sama' anymore, though she would slip every now and then. She leaned over to the rose bush and clipped off a white rose and took off the thorns before she placed it with the other white and red roses in her basket. Rin knew for a fact that Kagome loved white roses because they were different. She had told her once that red roses were so predictable and common when showing love, so that was why she loved white roses. They were a unique way of showing one's love.
Rin sighed as she took a glance behind her where she could clearly see the window of the room that Kagome resided in. It had been a week since she and the others had come and she had yet to wake up. Sango was moving around and completely healed. Kagome's wounds were closing up well enough and she was out of a coma, but her body still needed to rest from the huge amount of blood loss.
As Rin stared at the window, she noticed that Inuyasha wasn't sitting by the window as he usually would do. That meant that the others had managed to take him to the dining hall for some food or that he was sitting on the bed closer to Kagome. Rin hoped that that he had gone to eat. They had to force him to eat because he didn't want to leave Kagome alone. He really loved her.
Rin turned back to the rose bush before moving to pluck a red rose this time. As she placed it in her basket, a shadow loomed over her, blocking out the sun. She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
"Good afternoon Sesshoumaru!" She said cheerfully without glancing back. Instead, she chose to pull out a stray weed that had grown around the rose bushes. She heard some shifting of materials before Sesshoumaru settled himself to the right of her.
"Same to you Rin." He said, returning the greeting. He was nervous about something since every few seconds he shifted his eyes to Rin before glancing back at what was ahead of him, which were the rose bushes.
Rin saw this and forced herself not to laugh out loud. Sesshoumaru was hardly the type to get nervous. It was a very rare yet hilarious to witness.
"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked to relieve him from the nervousness.
"Well, as you know, your birthday is coming up soon." He said. Birthday was another thing that they both had learned from Kagome's time.
"Yes." Rin said hesitantly, not knowing why it was important.
"Well, you know that you would be turning the age of fourteen, if I'm not mistaken?"
"No, you are not mistaken, Sesshoumaru."
"Well.........what would you like as a present?" He asked covering up what he really wanted to ask her. Rin turned towards him, a delicate eyebrow quirked up in question at the hesitation in his voice when he had asked the question. However, he was facing ahead and not at her, so she shook it off.
"Oh, I do not know? I have never even thought about it. I have been too worried over Kagome-oneesan." Rin explained thoughtfully while gathering her garden tools together. Rin heard him chuckling at her response.
"She will be fine. I do not smell death on her, so she will make it. You all are worried over nothing." He said in amusement.
"I know she will be fine, but you can't help it but worry when the people you love are hurt." Rin said as she started to get up. Sesshoumaru's right hand shot out and grabbed onto Rin's elbow and guided her to sit down again. Rin's face reflected that of a confused person as she stared at him, though his eyes were closed so he didn't see the look.
"Rin, why did you try to help me when I was hurt those many years ago when I had lost a fight with my brother?" Sesshoumaru asked, still with his eyes closed. Rin's face flamed up and she turned her face away from him, in case he decided to open his eyes and look at her.
"S-Sesshoumaru-sama........?" She stuttered.
"You hardly call me that anymore too........." He said. A small smile crept towards Rin's lips as she stared at the man, or demon to be more precise, that she had fallen in love with. She hardly had the courage to tell him that. After all, why would a demon lord love a weak human? Rin knew she wasn't physically strong, even with the beatings she got as a kid from the villagers, but she had taken a lot mentally from the loss of her parents, her village, and even the death and resurrection of herself. She adored Sesshoumaru and being this close to him satisfied Rin; she didn't have to have any more than what she already had. She turned towards Sesshoumaru and removed his right hand from her elbow and instead entwined her hand in his. His eyes flew open in shock and he looked down at her in surprise. She gave him a soft smile before she spoke.
"I'm not a child anymore Sesshoumaru." She told him, her hand still clasped in his.
"I know.........you want to leave right? Get married to a human man. After all, it is your time." He said solemnly, trying to keep the bitterness away from his voice. His comment was answered with laughter, sweet laughter from Rin.
"No, Sesshoumaru, I do not want to marry a human man or leave this place ('or you'). I am content right here with you." She declared, a small blush making itself known on her cheeks.
Sesshoumaru looked down upon her in awe, which made her blush much more badly. A soft smile was on the demon lord as he gazed at the chocolate- eyed girl, or woman as some would say. Right then and there, all he wanted to do was kiss her, yet he couldn't. Yes, the great, fearless Sesshoumaru was scared of kissing the young maiden in front of him. He didn't want to be rejected or make her scared of him. So for now, he would admire her from afar, until he built enough courage to do what he truly wanted to do.
In a way, he was like his brother. They both fell for a human girl, yet they were too afraid to tell them of their feelings, so alike.
Sesshoumaru gave Rin's hand a squeeze before they let their hands unlock. They both stood up, Rin carrying her basket, and they started towards the castle, smiles still gracing their faces.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inuyasha sat on the right side of Kagome on the bed. She was lying in the middle of the bed, still sleeping. She hadn't woken up for the past week, but Inuyasha knew she would make it through. She was a fighter after all. His fingers grazed her cheeks and he bent down to take in her scent. She was healthy and hopefully she would be awake soon. For the past couple of days, he was worried that she would come down with a fever, since her scent had traces of it, but he added an extra blanket and forced her take the liquid medicine for fever from her time, seeing as she wasn't awake to take those tablets. All week he had to force, so to speak, broth into her, so she wouldn't starve or get weak. Seeing as she was asleep or unconscious as some would say, getting the broth down wasn't hard.
He sighed as he sat back, still gazing at her and cursing himself for being stupid. He couldn't let her get hurt ever again.
'Never again. Never.' His mind was filled with this thought and it wouldn't leave his head.
A small knock broke Inuyasha from his gazing. He called whoever it was to come in. Sango and Miroku made their way into the room and took a glance at their good friend. They sighed in relief at how good she looked. She wasn't pale anymore, but of her normal creamy colour.
"You wanted to talk to us Inuyasha?" Miroku said to the hanyou.
"Yes, but not here. Follow me." He said as he stepped through the doorway. They followed him down the hall and into another hallway and then another, before they stopped in front of a set of closed doors. He opened the doors and ushered the two into the room before going into the room himself and shutting the door behind.
The room they had stepped in was some sort of conference room. A long low table took up most of the room, with cushions as seats. The crème coloured walls were decorated with tapestry from all over Japan. Above the head of the table was the only portrait in the whole room. It was a portrait of his father in his humanoid form. It was the only picture in the whole castle that depicted him in this form, whereas all the others were in his demon form.
"Inuyasha, is that your father?" Sango asked as she stared at the portrait.
"Yes," he said as a soft smile appeared as he thought of his childhood before his parents died, his happy childhood with his family. He snapped out of his memories and sat down where his father would have sat if he was alive, at the head of the table. The room was never used anymore since it wasn't as grand as the others, but Inuyasha always liked it because of the portrait. Sango and Miroku sat on both sides of him and waited patiently for him to tell them why he wanted to talk to them.
"Well, you know how we get in a lot of fights, right?" They both nodded their heads in agreement.
"It's what we have to do." Sango said.
"Well, Kagome has never gotten hurt this bad before, heck, she hardly ever gets hurt, except for a few scrapes or bumps."
"Yes, this is true. Kagome-sama doesn't usually get involve in the fights. Now we realize that she cannot........."
"........fight." Sango finished for Miroku. He nodded his head in agreement.
Inuyasha sighed as he prepared himself for what he had to say to his friends.
"I know. The demons aren't gonna get any easier to defeat and they are more than likely to attack her since Naraku wants her dead." Inuyasha said.
"What are you proposing Inuyasha? I mean we could get Kaede to train her, but that would take time away from capturing the last shards or stopping shard-powered demons from attacking villages. Also, even if we leave her there, the village would get attacked and there would be no one to protect the village against the hoards of demons that Naraku will send if he gets wind of this. He would do the same thing he did with my village!" Sango hissed out as she slammed her fist onto the table. It shook before it settled.
"I know Sango, but I have another idea." Inuyasha said softly, giving Sango and Miroku the idea that they weren't going to like his idea.
"What?" Miroku asked.
"Well, I don't like the idea, but it would be the best for Kagome." He said
"Just tell us!" Sango said.
"We make Kagome go back in time with the shards she has and make her not come back." Inuyasha stated.
"But she could always get back. From the story about the last time you pushed her down the well for her to stay there, you failed. Even without the shards, she came back." Sango said.
"I know, but Miroku could seal the well so she can't come back until we're done with Naraku. Then we'll break the seal and she'll return. I'll tell her that we'll be back, but that we want to keep her safe. I know she'll kick and scream, but it's for her own good, right?" He asked his two friends. They nodded their heads in agreement.
"But Inuyasha, you always fight better with Kagome-sama around. What if you can't fight as well?" Miroku asked.
"That was when I knew I wasn't gonna see her ever again. I know she'll be back, so I'll be fighting with her still by my side in spirit." He said. His two friends smiled at him in understanding.
"You love her. Don't you Inuyasha?" Sango asked softly. He turned towards her and looked at her straight in her eyes.
"Yes, I love Kagome." He admitted finally to someone else beside himself. His two friends each flashed him a grin.
"It's about time you admit it and all it took was her getting hurt." Miroku said
"Actually.........I already had admitted it to myself that I was in love with her for about a couple of months and for the past year I was thinking that I might be in love with her." He finished, not looking at his friends.
"INUYASHA!" They both shouted.
"Feh!"
"You never tell us anything." Miroku teased him and he was rewarded with a growl and a bonk on his head.
"Hey, I'm not Shippo!" Miroku whined, rubbing his abused head.
"OH KAMI! What is Shippo going to think about this! I mean he thinks of Kagome as his mother!" Sango screeched.
"Relax, he already knows, I told him first and he agreed. After all, if he hadn't agreed, I wouldn't have told you guys." Inuyasha said, trying to get the ringing to stop from Sango's screeching.
"Wow Inuyasha! You're getting soft." Miroku was rewarded with another growl and another bump on his head.
"Feh! I'm not getting soft!" Shouted Inuyasha as Miroku clutched his head again and Sango laughed at her friends' behaviour.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A door opened and a lone figure stepped into a fully furnished room. The figure walked up to the occupied bed and stared down at the young miko who was still sleeping. The figure sat on the left side of the bed and placed a vase of white roses on the night table.
Rin glanced back at Kagome and couldn't help but feel the sense of dread that crept up to her heart.
"She should be awake by now." She mumbled as she got up from the bed and made her way to the door. Her hand was closing on the doorknob when a creaking sound filled the silent room. Rin turned around to face Kagome and saw her shifting in her bed, the first sign of movement she had made since she came here. Rin took a couple of steps closer and came to the conclusion that Kagome was waking up. She gave a squeal and rushed out of the room with the door still wide open, she looked to both sides of the hallway and couldn't see Inuyasha anywhere.
"INUYASHA!" She yelled out. To the left of her she heard rapid footsteps coming towards her. In an instant, Inuyasha was in front of her, not to mention Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and even Sesshoumaru.
"What's wrong with Kagome?" They said in unison, some adding –chan, -sama, mama, or imoudo at the end of name. Rin rolled her eyes before settling them on Inuyasha.
"She's waking up." Rin said and got away from the door so she wouldn't be run over by the hanyou. She shut the door after he went in to prevent the others from joining. They all gave her a perplexed look before she sighed at them.
"Don't you think they need some time ALONE?" She said slowly. Their eyes widened in realisation at what Rin were doing. After all, this might be the time that they actually declare their love for each other, if Inuyasha was brave enough to do it that is. They knew Kagome wouldn't do it first because she thought that he was still in love with Kikyou, so it was up to Inuyasha to do it. Thus, they went on their ways of doing their own business, ignoring what was going on at the other side of the closed door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inuyasha rushed into the room and clearly heard the door closing behind him. He made his way to Kagome and sat on the right side of her. He leaned towards her saw her eyes flutter open and meet with his molten eyes. Her blue-grey eyes held a look of confusion and for a minute Inuyasha feared that she had hit her head when she fell and had forgotten about him. He remembered Kagome calling it amnesia. However, that thought flew out of his mind as one word passed through her lips and her eyes focused on his amber orbs in recognition.
"Inuyasha........." She said hoarsely, seeing as she hadn't used her voice in a week.
"Kagome........." He whispered as he gently leaned towards her and embraced her. She lifted up her arms and put them around his neck to return the embrace, never wanting to let go. They both stayed in that position for some time before they reluctantly separated.
Inuyasha cradled Kagome in his arms while she rested her head on his chest. Their eyes stayed locked on one another, neither wanting to disturb the moment. Inuyasha unconsciously ran his right hand through Kagome's hair, his left hand still placed on her back. In response to Inuyasha's ministrations, Kagome tightened her hold on his haori seeing as her hands were placed on his chest and leaned more towards him.
The moment was broken as Inuyasha rearranged Kagome so she sat in his lap sideways, both her legs going over on of his knee and the other knee resting on her back. He still had her cradled in his arms, but he had placed his chin on top of her head. Kagome sighed as she snuggled closer to him.
"Kagome, never, ever, do that again!" He said in an angry, yet concerned voice.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but if I didn't you........."
"What would have been the point of saving me if you were killed in the process!" He cried out and pulling her away so he could look into her eyes.
Tears lined the edges of Kagome's eyes as she stared at him. One lone tear trailed down her right cheek before Inuyasha brushed it away.
"And what would have I done if you had died?" She whispered as tears glistened and fell from her eyes.
Inuyasha had nothing to say to that. What she had said was true. She did the same thing that he would have done if she were in danger. For years, it was he that protected her, but no one had protected him. Now, here came Kagome and she came to protect him from danger. If it was possible, he had fallen deeper in love with her. Without another second to waste, he gathered her in his arms and dried her tears.
"Don't cry Kagome. You know how I hate it when you cry." He said as he brushed the stray tears that were left on her face. She sniffed a couple of times before she snuggled close to him again. He wrapped his arms around her and took in her scent. He loved her scent.
"I'm sorry Kagome. I understand now." He said as he rested his chin on her head again. She drew her arms around his chest and hugged him, letting him know by the gesture that she understood and forgave him as well.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that! Next chapter Kagome remembers the look Inuyasha had given her before she fell unconscious and the voice's words as well as the others try to carry out their plan on Kagome! Will Kagome go for it? Well, you just have to wait and see!
R &v R PLEASE!
Ja ne