The Mad Game.
Glossary:
taijiya - youkai exterminator
ane-ue - respectful way of addressing one's elder sister
kusarigama - sickle-scythe weapon that Kohaku uses
tamashi - soul
ano - excuse me
yokatta - that's great/Im so relieved
ookami - wolf
iie - no
arigatou - thanks
hanasu - speak
chichi-ue - respectful way of addressing one's elder father
Shikon no kakkera - Shikon shards
hamaya - purifying arrow
mitte - look
demo - but
dakara - therefore
houshi-sama - monk (buddhist)
"Everyone is more or less mad at one point."
- Rudyard Kipling
Kohaku drew his legs in, draped both his arms over them and leaned back on the tree.
Today had been very tiring for him. He felt as if all his emotions had been leached out.
Instead of searching for Mouryoumaru, they had gone back to the once prosperous taijiya-village; the town where he was born, where he had grown up, and where he had once trained under his father. He did not really want to go back for it brought back painful bittersweet memories that he did not want to acknowledge. He knew that it was not right, but sometimes the quickest way to escape from too-intense-pain and too-many-regrets was to live in self-denial.
Deceiving oneself was both easy and hard. His eyelids drooped as he recalled the days when he would play with his ane-ue and Kirara. Those carefree, happy days are gone, he told himself firmly. His heart was as shredded as the mauve-coloured clouds that drifted aimlessly above his head. Memories belonged to the past, whereas happiness was something one looked forward to in the future.
He?
He could not stay in the past, for he would not be able to forgive himself. To look towards the future was futile too, since there would be none for him.
The plan of his life had already been laid out for him the moment when his kusarigama swung through his father's neck. Therefore, he lived in the present and would die in the present. Dealing with the heavy chain of guilt around his neck and the dagger of remorse in his soul was taxing enough. Every step that he took, every mouthful of air that went into his lungs was painful and heavy. He was like a prisoner living in an oxygen-limited coal mine, dragging a lead-ball chained to his ankles. There was never enough light for his eyes.
And the only form of relief was to sacrifice himself for a bigger and better cause.
He knew she did not understand; neither did her friends. They did not think it was necessary for him to give his life up over an evil like Naraku. They believed that it could be done otherwise without any sacrifices. But she could not see that even until now, he was being selfish and had done it for his own sake.
I am selfish, Kohaku reprimanded himself.
But he would lose his mind, lose his sanity and lose his heart to the darkness that surrounded and enveloped his soul if he was not selfish. How else would he be able to even fractionally atone for his unforgivable crimes and lessen the sins on his bloodied hands?
He shook his head; the horrible, horrible images would never leave him alone. The darkness was like a poisonous serpent; constantly baring its fangs before him, twisting itself around his arms, stifling him until he choked for air. Only by diverting his mind to his ane-ue or his goal would he be able to drive the serpent away.
"Ane-ue..." He closed his eyes and smiled sadly. He could remember the brilliant smile on her face when he gave her the bouquet of wild lilies, the way she ruffled his hair messily, and the way she teased about his 'adorable' freckles.
His hand unconsciously reached up to his own face, and he rubbed his cheekbone a little. She had loved his freckles. Did he still have them? He had not dared to look into his own image for such a long time that he could not remember when the last time he had done so was.
"Kohaku."
The young taijiya was instantly shaken out from his train of thoughts and answered politely, "Hai."
"Rest early," Kikyou let her eyelids fall while her Shinidama Chuu dropped another round sphere of glowing tamashi into her body. The moonlight was weak tonight and she preferred it this way. She belonged to the darkness and reveled in it, because only then, she would be the saving light.
Kohaku nodded his head silently and narrowed his eyes. Kikyou-sama had been looking extremely weary these last few days, and he supposed that the trip back to his hometown was needed. They had not stayed in the village, but merely ventured nearby enough for the soul-stealers to extract Midoriko-sama's soul from the holy cave. Perhaps this was a good time to ask questions.
"Kikyou-sama?"
The undead miko's lashes fluttered a little, but her eyes remained shut. "Hmm?"
"Ano... do you hate Kagome-sama?"
Her black onyx irises flew open at his question. She was neither angry nor offended, just surprised. Kohaku was a boy of few words, and he seemed to obey commands more than he thought or talked, but she knew how he felt inwardly though. He was the cause of his own guilt, whereas she was the product of someone else's guilt.
"Sometimes," she replied honestly. There were times when she felt like putting her arrow through Kagome's heart, but there were times when she felt a shred of gratitude, for the change in Inuyasha that she had longed to see when butterflies used to land on her outstretched hand.
He nodded again, "Would you harm Kagome-sama?"
Kikyou's back stiffened, and she glanced downwards; he was leaning against the tree that she was currently resting in the branches of.
Kohaku wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knee-caps. "Kikyou-sama, please do not harm Kagome-sama. My ane-ue... needs Kagome-sama and her friendship."
Her lips parted and her eyes rounded. It was a simple request, but there was so much in it that she felt a sliver of sympathy and empathy for the young taijiya sitting beneath her. For someone as young as he, life had been unforgiving and tough. Perhaps even more than hers.
"Rest early," Kikyou closed her eyes and thought of Inuyasha and Kagome. She could give no promises, since she was no longer alive to keep them.
Kanna and Byakuya stared at the new attachment, both wondering to themselves what was her specialty since she was not armed with anything other than the simple yukata on her body. iDid she fight bare-handed then/i Byakuya thought to himself and noted that there was no flow of youki around her at all.
"Kanna, seek out Sesshoumaru and kill him," Naraku gestured lazily with his hand.
The nihility youkai's eyes widened considerably at his command; was he indirectly sending her to Hell?
"Chiyo will go with you. You only have to lead her. She's rather clueless..." he smirked, fully confident in his newest creation's abilities. She had not disappointed him in their battle, and he was sure that she would accomplish her first task with no glitches.
Kanna nodded her head obediently and quietly slipped away with an equally silent Chiyo following with a blank look in her crimson eyes.
The illusionist youkai kept his vision trained on both females until they vanished from his sight. Chiyo, Byakuya thought that the name was rather poetic, and strange too considering Naraku's sadistic nature.
"Naraku, what about me?" he inquired, the disappointment blatant in his feminine voice.
Byakuya thought that by now he would have gained more of Naraku's trust. He had after all risked his life to turn against Kanna even though she was still kept in the dark. Naraku had promised he would retrieve his soul from Kanna's mirror, although Byakuya did not really believe that he wuld fufill his end of the agreement. Still, that was an important piece of strategic information for the hanyou to digest and would thereby grant him a limited amount of Naraku's pitiful trust.
This was what Byakuya had aimed for all along, although he highly doubted that Naraku would trust anyone other than himself. But it was always wiser and better to side with the stronger side, and for now, Naraku was a stronger ally compared to the inu-brothers. He was determined to be the human who controlled the cat; not the cat itself, not the mouse-trap, or worse, the doomed mouse.
The master smiled as his eyes glinted heavily in the dark, "I have plans for you."
Byakuya arched both his eyebrows in glee as his lips curled. The mad game had finally started.
Sesshoumaru brushed a stray lock of her bangs away from her eyes and traced over the soft curtain of her eyelashes with the tip of his forefinger.
They are long, like mine, he mused to himself and rested his hand gently on her cheeks while his thumb caressed it softly. Her soft pale-pink lips were slightly parted, and saliva was threatening to spill from one corner of her mouth. He pulled the blanket up a bit and wiped off the drool.
She still looked endearing to him; even in this unkempt, unladylike and sickly state. Life suddenly seemed very fragile and fleeting, like a sparrow that would fly away once the door to the cage is opened.
He smoothed out the slight crease in her forehead and grinned, she even frowns in her sleep.
Kagome was no beauty, nor bestowed with the goddess-like figure that he recalled ishe/i had. Her nose was a little flat at the tip, her ears were a little too open, her chest was not very well developed, and her hips were a little too wide for her small frame.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder huh?" Sesshoumaru never really understood that saying until today as he gazed upon her pleasant, angelic-like face. Yes, was she not an angel to him? Did she not melt the chains that he had bound himself up with? Had she not released his soul from the inner prison that he had created for himself? She was like a life-saving link, between his buried, painful past and dreary, egocentric present. Her near-death had shaken him up more than he had thought it would, and at that dreadful moment, he was afraid that his spirit would break if she had died.
He shifted himself nearer to her, not wanting to disturb her sleep and rested her face against his bare chest. She had been shivering for so many hours that he decided to use his body to warm her up. Kagome had responded unconsciously to his body heat and clung onto him so tightly that her nails left fading half-crescent marks on his back. He had wrapped his body over hers for a whole day until her trembling finally ceased. It had worried him initially that she had not regained consciousness but decided that it was alright for her to sleep and for her body to recuperate. Her breathing was fine and her skin was no longer that deathly shade of pale.
Sesshoumaru rested his chin on her head and wished that he had two arms. He would be able to hug her properly then, to cup both her cheeks and to hold both her soft hands at once. He closed his eyes as he rubbed his hand lazily up and down her smooth back. The troubling, emotional knots in his heart had been untied and done with; he not only saw light and the colours of the world, but also many other things that he had been blinded to before. It was as if the earth had been re-painted in an array of dazzling rainbow colours; bright, fresh and full of warm hope.
"Kagome, what sorcery did you use over this Sesshoumaru?" he weaved his fingers into her wavy tresses and whispered.
"Nnnggg..."
His golden eyes snapped open, and he pulled away, "Kagome?"
She stirred a little and tried to pry open her eyelids. But they seemed to be stuck to each other, and she wished that she could have some water for her dry, parched throat. Then she felt something soft pressed over her one of her closed eyes which was accompanied by a familiar, pleasant masculine scent. It reminded her somewhat of the forest, wild green lush forests under a midnight starry sky.
"Sesshoumaru?" her voice sounded hoarse, and she wondered why. Had she slept for very long?
He removed his lips and placed another dry kiss on her rosy cheeks, "Kagome, open your eyes."
Upon hearing his voice, it was as if strength instantly flowed back into her body. She opened her eyes and saw that Sesshoumaru was leaning on his left stump, right in front of her. All that went through her mind was the gladness and relief that he was alright. Kouga had not injured him. He looked sane and fine. He did not look bloody too.
"Sesshoumaru!"
Kagome lunged forward and locked her arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as she could. She thought that she had almost lost Sesshoumaru to death again, that she might not be able to see him and that she might never be able to watch stars with him. Her hand frantically reached up to the back of his head, ruffling his hair up and down to feel for any hidden injuries or wounds. There was none, and she let out tears of joy, "Yokatta..."
He stiffened a little when Kagome suddenly flung herself at him, but instantly relaxed when he felt her trying to assess him for any injuries. It touched his heart deeply, that the first thing on her mind when she woke up was whether he was alright or not. All thanks to the ookami, he could now see and it was as if all of his five senses were sharpened a thousand times.
But his delicate black eyebrows dipped to the center when he heard her crying. He brought her up with him and patted her back in a fatherly manner. He did not like to see her cry in his presence. Everything should be happy and blissful when she was with him, nothing should upset her. She was the axis that his world spun on, and if she cried, it was as if his skies would be gloomy and cloudy.
He hated rain. It blurred his field of vision, his clothes and hair would be soaked, the ground would get muddy and dirty, it would hamper his traveling and he did not carry an umbrella with him. The depressing rain would inevitably get into his sensitive eyes, and he might tear, too.
"Kagome, I am fine."
"Yokatta..." Kagome repeated to herself again and smiled; the uncontrollable tears continued to spill from her eyes. The emotional stress was just too much for her, like pressure constantly building within a small rigid box, scratching at the edges of the square hollow to be let out.
She let her arms drop to his shoulders and tightened her grip. She had dreamt of him floating lifelessly; face down on the surface of water as she watched the blood ooze from the numerous gashes on his body. The sight of his corpse was both heart-wrenching and terrifying. She could see his remaining arm which was almost severed, and his exposed youkai heart trying so hard to beat in the cold waters. His dark blood spiraled down towards her, seemingly clouding her sight while it filled her mouth. She had tried yelling his name, but dark bubbles came out from nowhere and further blurred her vision of him.
It was a nightmare, she tried to reassure and calm herself down now that he was real and alive before her. She remembered that she had almost drowned in the lake. She recalled the pair of gleaming eyes, the bright twinkling stars she saw in the waters, and the words that she wanted to say.
"I love you, Sesshoumaru. I love you," Kagome buried her face into his silver mass and whispered to it desperately. She was afraid that she would not have the chance again. Time was running out; she would have to leave him soon. In a few more days, the New Year would arrive. The top portion of the hourglass was almost emptied.
His golden irises widened for a moment and his lips parted. He wanted to reply her, to say something to make her feel better. "I..."
"Iie, don't say anything," she hastily intervened. She did not need him to declare anything, nor comfort her. She only wanted to be with him, irregardless whether they were dressed or naked. Soon, soon, she repeated to herself again and again. The more she thought of the dawn when she had to slip away quietly, the tighter her hug became. Her fingernails dug into her palms, her eyes were squeezed shut. If she could not see, and did not move, then perhaps Time would come to a standstill and stretch just a bit more around them.
His brows dropped and he slipped his arm around her slim waist. He felt oddly... powerless.
He was as useless as Inuyasha, he analyzed carefully. And his crimes ought to have been greater since he was a full-blooded youkai, the Prince to the Western Lands. Kagome fell over the cliff, got shot by a hamaya, fell sick, and almost drowned when she was with him. He doubted that she ever came so close to death when she was with Inuyasha. Three times! It was unthinkable, really.
Perhaps he would not be able to protect her as well as he had originally thought. He sighed to himself. Perhaps, he should let her go back to Inuyasha. He wondered why the heavens had brought Kagome to save him. Was Fate cruel? He blamed himself for not being attentive enough, for not being strong enough, and for making her feel like this. Her non-demanding love for him made him feel small. Very small, and inadequate.
Fate was cruel, and heartless, he affirmed himself.
Everything used to revolve around him. He was the epicenter of his own life. He constructed and altered his universe according to his whims and desires. Now, his thoughts and emotions ran and spun around another human. His universe was no longer solely his; it wanted to merge and meld with hers. They had gone through so much within such a short period that he felt as if he was living out a dream. And now that he could finally come to terms with his love for her, Reason and Logic told him that she should not be with him, because he was a youkai and she was a ningen. There were some rules that were never meant to be broken, and he knew because he had lived for a very, very long time.
"Sesshoumaru, arigatou," her tears stopped flowing.
He narrowed his eyes a little, and frowned. Why was she thanking him? Should it not be him apologizing to her?
But he did not ask, and she did not continue.
Kagome rested her head on the square of his shoulders, ignoring the blatant fact that she could feel the skin-to-skin contact and let her eyelids fall. She was weary, exhausted and spent. Crying, and trying not to go full force took a lot of energy. She did not want to look so weak in front of him, yet she could not hold back her tears. Her box was opened. All the pent-up emotions had been released bit by bit, like the fireflies she had seen with him.
"Kagome, you should sleep," that seemed to him the most logical thing to say. It was also the only thing he could think of.
She shook her head violently.
He frowned. Something was wrong with her. He would need to find out, before he let her go.
She frowned. Whatever little time she had with him was supremely precious, before she had to leave.
Both remained silent as they pressed their chests firmly together; their hearts beating to each other's rhythm.
From the corner of the straw hut, a pair of fireflies circled around each other before flying away in separate directions.
"Toutousai?" Kagome cocked her head to one side and wondered why the old, cranky sword-smith was here. He had avoided Sesshoumaru like the plague in the past, and she could not understand why he had bravely sought out the taiyoukai.
"Kagome?" the old geezer scratched his head and his bulging eyes traveled shiftily to and fro between Sesshoumaru to Kagome. Did the sun now set on the east, or had the world been inverted upside down, inside out?
"Hanasu," Sesshoumaru presumed that he should know the old man who was sitting in front of a ridiculous-looking three-eyed bull-youkai before him, since Kagome did not chase him away nor break into a hysterical fit.
"Tenseiga called out to me; I've come to make it into a weapon," Toutousai narrowed his eyes a little at the fidgeting miko and thought that he might understand what had brought about the change in Sesshoumaru. "And what happened to your armour and haori?"
The taiyoukai ignored his question, narrowed his calculating eyes and fingered the hilt of Tenseiga in his silk obi. Weapon? Could he transform Tenseiga into a weapon? Toutousai seemed like a third-grade sword-smith with that long odd hammer slung over his shoulder.
The old geezer promptly stuck his last finger into his nose and attempted to clear the debris while he continued, "Oi, you think I can't do it, is it?"
"What do you mean Tenseiga called to you? Is the sword able to do such a thing?" Sesshoumaru asked warily; for all he knew Toutousai could be a fraud.
The sword-smith unplugged his finger, gave it a careless wipe on his bull and folded his arms crossly, "I made Tenseiga! Of course I will know! Somehow, somewhere a change occurred in your heart, that you are able to feel something else. And that's the sign for me to transform Tenseiga into a weapon. That was Inu no Taisho's last wish, and did you not feel Tenseiga calling out to you!"
Sesshoumaru felt rage building up in his chest; how dare this old geezer insinuate and doubt his superior intelligence! But Kagome was around, and again, he did not wish to kill the arrogant sword-smith. Still, if what he had claimed was true, then perhaps he should hand Tenseiga over to him.
"And what if nothing happens to Tenseiga?" his voice sounded abnormally shrewd.
"Just give it to me! Once the sword is done, I will return it back to you!" Toutousai grumbled. When had the eldest son of Inu no Taisho turned into such a long-winded being?
"Toutousai, if you do not deliver what you said, then do not expect your head to sit on your shoulders anymore," Sesshoumaru issued out the warning as he handed his chichi-ue's heirloom to him. Kagome let out her long held breath when no blood was shed. She would have to find a more appropriate moment to talk to the sword-smith when he brought back the transformed Tenseiga, before news got to Inuyasha's ears.
Kanna wondered what kind of tricks Naraku had up his sleeve this time round. He normally would not send her out into the battlefield unless it was really required. But if Chiyo was as powerful as he had mentioned, then why did she need to show her face? Somehow, she could not shake off the feeling that something very, very bad was about to happen.
From the corner of her eye, she saw that Chiyo was almost as empty as her, but in a different way that she was quite unable to put her finger to. She did not feel safe around Chiyo; in fact, she felt as if her life was in constant danger. Had Naraku gotten news of her intended betrayal? Or had Byakuya given her away? She fingered the rim of her magical mirror while she thought hard.
Yes, she would need to seek out Sesshoumaru now. She would pledge her allegiance to him and get him to dispose Chiyo, if that was possible. Naraku did not trust her now, and she knew that it was a matter of time before suspicion got to her paranoid master.
The nihility youkai wondered what tasks had Byakuya been assigned as she kept a watchful eye on Chiyo, who seemed to be doing nothing except looking at her bare toes.
Kanna stared at the glowing Shikon no kakkera embedded within her forehead. "Chiyo."
She stopped looking at her feet and lifted her expressionless face. Kanna realized that her eyes were not blank at all, but rather keen and hungry in a frightful way, as if she was custom-made for battling and warring.
"Do not strike until I say so," Kanna emphasized softly.
Chiyo paused for a while; the commands given out were conflicting. Which one should she obey?
"Do you understand?" Kanna had to make sure.
Chiyo cocked her head a little to the left and remembered. She would not have to strike until Byakuya had joined them. After what seemed like a long while, she finally nodded her head, much to Kanna's relief.
Kouga's dark cobalt eyes widened. Luck was simply not with him, to cross paths with the undead miko and her taijiya.
"Oi, why did you harm Kagome!" he yelled out, careful to keep a safe distance between Kikyou and himself.
Kikyou's eyebrows arched up a little, was the ookami besotted with her, too?
"She was a hindrance." Kohaku flinched a little at her tone. She was not in a good mood today.
"Temee! What do you mean? You wanted to kill her then, huh!" Kouga gritted his teeth and bared his fangs. He had to do something for Kagome; how could he leave her murderer alone? Kagome was not safe as long as the undead miko continued to desecrate the face of this earth.
"Would it matter? We are just shells with souls, merely souls," Kikyou replied impassively. Kokaku tightened his grip over his kusarigama, ready to spring forth any moment when his mistress gave him the signal.
"Only you who are dead would think like that! If you dare to lay another finger on Kagome, I'll-"
"What would you do?" Kikyou interrupted and smiled. Without warning, Kohaku dashed forward and swung out his kusarigama towards the ookami.
Kouga's blue eyes darkened for a moment as realization dawned on him that she wanted his shards too. He flipped backwards instantly and could hear the dragging clinking noises that the sickle-chain made across the bare ground. Before he knew it, the taijiya boy had unleashed his weapon again and this time round, he suffered a large gash across his thigh.
He growled angrily, like a prey that had been driven to a corner. Maybe he should leave.
"Perhaps I should end this quickly for you," Kikyou's black pitiless eyes narrowed a fraction as she walked slowly towards him.
Kouga tensed, something was wrong. He wanted to leave, to flee, but he could not. The same force that had held him stationary had returned, and was ten times stronger. No matter how he struggled, the muscles in his legs did not obey his will. He grabbed both his hands to his ankles and tried to shift them, but nothing happened. It was as if his feet were glued to the ground.
"Do you still not understand? As long as you have the Shikon no kakkera in your body, it will be subjected to my command and spirit," her smile looked terrifying as Kouga's lips parted. iDanger/i
But the thought registered too late in his mind as Kikyou released her hamaya through his heart, while Kohaku turned his face away. He really did not want to see any more deaths.
"There is something that I want to show you," Sesshoumaru turned his face around and stretched out his arm.
When Kagome saw the slight smile on his face, she returned with a heartfelt one and carefully weaved her fingers through his. She would always remember the feeling of holding his hand, she told herself. "Ee."
He closed his fingers over her small diminutive hand and walked towards her, "Close your eyes."
Her smile widened, and she closed her eyes obligingly, trying hard to dispel the sadness that was creeping behind her eyes.
She could feel the youki concentrating and gathering beneath her feet, and her body slowly whisked up into the skies like a balloon. She tightened her grip; she had always been a little afraid of heights. This time round, he gave her a reassuring gentle squeeze.
When they landed, he stood behind her and rested his hand on her right shoulder.
"Kagome, mitte."
She took a deep breath of the sharp cold air and opened her eyes.
It took a while, but once her eyes were adjusted to the amount of light, her lips parted.
They were in a big, wide cave with their backs to the entrance, with half-melting icicles of all sizes and woven in intricate patterns hanging down from the ceiling. In the dark, she could see the reflection of moonlight from the irregular surfaces of the crystallized ice spears. Hundreds of them, thousands of them, sparkled softly as drops of water resembling mini diamonds fell onto the ground, creating near and distant rippling echoes.
He tucked her wavy hair behind her right ear and whispered softly. "This Sesshoumaru cannot give you a meteor shower."
Kagome shook her head, folded her lips in and blinked. No, don't cry.
"Demo, this is what I can do," his soft voice reverberated through the cave sadly.
She took a deep breath, and bit her trembling lower lip. The soft sparkles were blurring her vision. Her heart was burning and hurting intensely at the same time. She lowered her face, and heard her tears joining in with the rest of the fading echoes.
Sesshoumaru knew that she was crying, even though it was soundless. He wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered his chin on her sweet-smelling head. There was nothing he could do with her sadness, for it plagued him as much as it did her. It hurt him so much, that sometimes he wished angrily that she had not come to him or him to her. He felt helpless, and thought that helplessness was redundant too. They were both trapped in the twisting, ever-changing arms of Fate, acknowledging the fact that they could not escape nor alter the end-result no matter how stubborn they remained. No one said anything, but he knew that she knew, too.
"Dakara, you shall now watch the meteor shower with me," he held her hand and tried not to think when she would leave him.
But she could not see the meteor shower that he had prepared for her as hot tears coursed down her face and stained her top. The only thing that went through her mind was the inescapable fate that lay in front of them. Star-crossed lovers, she thought to herself how appropriate the term was as it popped into her mind, now that she was in this cave of frozen stars. She wished that Sesshoumaru would tell her that she was his, that everything would be alright, and that she would not need to leave him. Surely he knew; she had hinted non-verbally. And surely his soul knew, for her soul called out to him when they hugged. So why did he not assure her, nor comfort her?
But he spoke none of those, and instead asked her to see the meteor shower with him. Was this their inevitable destiny? Was Fate's purpose out to make them feel emptier than they had felt before? Was this the road she had unknowingly chosen when she jumped down the well into Sengoku Jidai, to meet Inuyasha, and then him? Her heart felt locked and heavy, very heavy. And she could not stop crying, no matter how she tried to comfort herself. The only way for her to not to feel all of these was to forget, but she knew that she could not, and would not be able to do it. Sesshoumaru was much too precious, to even let go of her memories with him.
She did not know how long they stood in the cave, until sunlight flooded the cave and she fell asleep against his chest. He carried the sleeping miko in his arm, and hoped that one day he would be able to remove the sadness that should not be with her; because only then, Kagome would be Kagome. His Kagome would smile and argue with him all day long.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes a little at the rising sun, which was throwing pale bluish light across the earth. Spring was on its way, while winter was leaving soon. Another day had flown by. He looked down at the woman-child in his arm, and decided that he would release his little sparrow from the cage that she was not meant to be in.
"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled out as he steadied himself on Kirara behind Sango. "This might be a trap!"
Sango narrowed her deep brown eyes at the mass of youkai flying before them, "Inuyasha! Houshi-sama is correct! We are following blindly!"
"Keh! Does it matter!" Inuyasha huffed and puffed in between his breaths and ran faster. Now that he had caught sight of Byakuya with a horde of youkai trailing behind him, he was not going to let them out of his sight.
"Demo, he's not attacking us!" Shippou screamed into the hanyou's ears as he held on to the collar of his fire-rat haori for his life.
Miroku frowned; something was definitely not right. Byakuya had appeared out from nowhere with a legion of lower-class youkai and instead of fighting them, he had turned around, seemingly to lead them to another place. It was obviously Naraku's intention and after the last incident with the illusionist youkai, he was beginning to feel that there was something more than it seemed.
"Inuyasha! Maybe we should not follow so near!" Miroku shouted, hoping that the hanyou would listen to him for once. His eyes rounded when Inuyasha suddenly screeched to a halt.
"Inuyasha?" All three of them asked, perplexed to why their hanyou friend had stopped.
Inuyasha frowned, there was no mistake. "Kagome!"
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A/N: I have woven part of the ending into this chapter. But I shall not say more. And in case you guys wonder, Kagome was suffering from a mild case of hypothermia... To my reviewers, thank you very much! I am still not accustomed to fanfiction and I can't reply to you guys directly... so I would like to express my gratitude here! Im a review whore. )
The next chapter will be the last to "Fate" and I do not know when it will be done. I will however update it in my LJ ( if you want to check. Feel free to ask me questions by emailing me too!
Many thanks to these two lovely ladies for beta-ing:
- Jadednamida
- Parsnip
Till then. ;)
