A/N: I know, I know… late again. But I've been working a LOT (I'm constantly on call and have to pull 12 hour days…) On the other hand, this means I have money! Not that you all care. Haha… Okay really, here's your chapter. I'm sorry if it seems jumpy – it's really serving as a bridge between Kaede's village and Sess's palace so I had to touch on a lot of subjects.
The Broken Miko
Chapter 8: Journey to the West
He watched silently as the girl slipped deeper and deeper into sleep. Her red and black hair tumbled over her face, hiding everything except her closed eyes. At the moment, her breathing was light and unobtrusive, which was more than he could say for most of the village's inhabitants. Snoring had to be one of the most irritating of all human traits. The cacophony of noise from the human population, even asleep, reminded the taiyoukai strongly of why he did not usually venture into human settlements.
But soon, the nightmares would arrive and even the girl would begin to thrash and mumble, just as she had for the past two nights. And once again, it would interrupt his own rest. The only difference was that when she awoke the second morning, the hanyou did not seem to remember her horrible dreams.
Which of course, was far more preferable to her falling down into his lap, slapping him and calling him by his brother's name.
The girl's breath hitched across the room, jarring him from his thoughts.
He blinked and looked over at the female hanyou again, sensing her peaceful sleep shift into the inevitable. Her eyes suddenly squeezed tightly shut and her hands grabbed at the blanket covering her body.
"Inuyasha…" she whispered in a despairing voice.
The taiyoukai rolled his eyes. Of all her garbled words during sleep, few were intelligible. Except that one. Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha. His brother was all that the girl thought about. No wonder she still dreamt of his death.
Briefly, he considered the possibility that he was jealous of his younger, although deceased, sibling. Inuyasha had, after all, two females that loved him. Truly loved him, not the type of love that the taiyoukai was so used to receiving from his admirers. The two mikos cared for the male hanyou, just as he was. Not for his land, wealth, power, combat skills… or skills in the bedroom.
Although, the taiyoukai had to admit with a smirk that he enjoyed his good reputation in that last area.
But the others… they were givens. Every lord with half a brain and some gold had a decent chance of attracting hoards of giggling females. The taiyoukai doubted that they possessed any more intelligence than Jaken, but they certainly knew who held the power.
For a warrior, Sesshoumaru spent quite a lot of time avoiding irritating female youkai. He couldn't even slice too many of them into ribbons without harming a treaty or two.
Politics were so frustrating.
His brother didn't seem to have these problems, however. Inuyasha apparently had some other quality about him that attracted two reasonably suitable women.
For humans, of course. Sesshoumaru sniffed in disgust and turned his head away from the girl.
He would never stoop so low. He did not have the same faults as his father and brother. They both died because of their human loves. Indirectly, perhaps, but there was no doubt that had not the human females interfered, Inuyasha and Inutaisho would still be living.
"Son," sighed Inutaisho. He threaded his claws through his long hair. "Someday you will understand. You will meet a female that you would do anything for and you won't care if you have to pay with your life.""Ridiculous," answered Sesshoumaru, already over two hundred and yet still a baby compared to his elders. "No female should have that power over her mate."
The Lord of the Western Lands placed a heavy hand on his then only son's shoulder. "I don't know what to do with you, boy. How did you come up with these crazy ideas? I know that neither your mother nor I taught you these things. Your new step-mother does not agree with these ideals either."
Sesshoumaru suppressed the urge to scowl at the mention of his father's newest love interest. He already didn't like that human female's scent defiling the mansion. "You yourself once said that the best warriors learn their most important lessons on their own, Father."
The dog demon laughed at his child's serious expression. "Indeed I did, Sesshoumaru, but love is not a battle."
"Forgive me, Father, but I disagree."
Inutaisho nodded and winked at his son. "Somehow I knew you would." He began to walk away, but paused and turned to face Sesshoumaru again. "Do you miss your mother?"
"I do not need anyone."
"That's not what I asked," the taiyoukai said sternly, silently warning his child that he still expected prompt, truthful answers in his household.
The younger dog demon stared back at his father. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he gave him a curt, single nod. It was the only time he would ever admit to it, even to his own flesh and blood.
"Thought so," commented Inutaisho thoughtfully. "She's not coming back, you know."
"Father, I am not the child you believe I am. I know this."
"Ah… but you're still my son. You will always be my child, although perhaps not my only one."
Sesshoumaru frowned and peered straight into Inutaisho's laughing eyes. "Is the human pregnant?" he questioned.
It was the taiyoukai's turn to frown. "She is not simply a human, Sesshoumaru. She is your stepmother and my mate. You will treat her as such. And yes, Izayoi is with child. Do not tell her, she doesn't know."
That would explain why he hadn't caught the scent of a mother in the mansion, yet. She just recently conceived. He fought an odd temptation to shudder at the implication. "It will be a hanyou, a half-breed," Sesshoumaru finally gritted out through his teeth."And it will be your job to take care of him, in case anything should happen to me," answered Inutaisho immediately, clearly having expected this answer from his son. "Hanyou or not, the child is my child and your sibling. You have obligations and you will not shirk them. This baby will grow to be a great warrior, I can sense it."
"And you?" Sesshoumaru retorted hotly. "What will become of the great Western Lord, who has taken a human to bed and will have a mongrel?"
There was a pause, which Inutaisho used to calm his blood. He had known his choice of mate was not popular, but he had expected his own son to support him. That had clearly been foolish, but he was also certain that Sesshoumaru would change his mind in time. "I am no longer discussing this with you, son. You are being unreasonable." He closed the gap slightly between them. "I am going away for a short time. If I find anything amiss when I return, I will be most displeased."
Sesshoumaru growled softly at the memory. His father had gone off to Totosai that day, to have the old codger forge Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. When he had returned, everything was as it should have been.
But he still believed he had been right that day. No male should be willing to die for a female. And yet, his own father had gone out to defend his territory from Ryukotsusei, who had heard that the Western Lord had grown soft since taking a human mate. Inutaisho died for his mistake.
The new Western Lord, contrary to popular belief, did not forsake his brother and stepmother. He most certainly did not throw them out on the street like commoners. He had taken Inuyasha under his proverbial wing and began to teach him the proper course of life for a demon of high birth. Academic, political and combat lessons, all provided by the Western Lord himself. After all, Inuyasha was his younger brother and his heir until, and if, Sesshoumaru provided a son to take care of the West.
Even after fifty years on the tree, the taiyoukai could see signs of his old training in Inuyasha's movements. Certain strokes of the Tetsusaiga, certain dodges and blocks. All of them came from the very brother the hanyou was fighting. If he had continued under Sesshoumaru's tutelage, he could have been a fine warrior, despite his inherited weaknesses as a half-breed.
But Izayoi had chosen to leave with her boy after a few years under Sesshoumaru's roof. She said that Inuyasha needed to experience the human world for awhile and that she would bring him back for more instruction when he was a bit older.
Then, the wench had gone and died, as those frail humans were apt to do. By the time Sesshoumaru found Inuyasha six years later, his childhood lessons had completely vacated his brainless head. He hadn't even recognized his older brother, even attacked him on sight. The taiyoukai had had to reintroduce himself while dodging Inuyasha's poorly planned assaults.
And to his utter amazement and irritation, the hanyou went on to revive his father's legacy. He found not one, but two human females, that easily ensnared him, thereby ensuring his death.
The fifty-four years after Inuyasha had been pinned to that tree was borrowed time, plain and simple. As soon as he had gotten himself entangled with humans, he was dead.
Sesshoumaru looked at the girl once again. She seemed to have settled down considerably, but a deep frown still lined her face and two claws were buried into the wood beneath her hand.
For such innocent, naïve looking creatures, they wreaked their fair share of havoc on the world. And his own life.
A soft sigh from the girl came to the taiyoukai's ears and he jerked his head up, briefly annoyed that he had allowed his attention to wander. The last thing he needed was the hanyou shrieking about his momentary lapse in concentration. But she slumbered on, oblivious to her companion's trip down memory lane.
The taiyoukai stood and brushed away the dirt that clung to his silk garments before pushing aside the mat and going outside.
Hundreds of crickets chirped as he watched the moon rise higher in the clouds. Over the past few hours, it had been washed in yellow.
His rational side told him that this was only because of the moon's light filtering through the atmosphere. The silvery orb really had not transformed to the color of brittle pages in an old book. There was no mystery behind a yellow moon.
But his inner, long suppressed, child reminded him of the tale of the yellow moon. It meant new beginnings, just as a red moon forebode endings. An ancient story linked it to a demon princess who ran away during the night to find her lover under the stars. Her father and her betrothed found out the young woman's infidelity and, in the demon way, tried to kill them for breaking an oath. The princess and her lover escaped under the yellow moon, supposedly with the help of the moon god, Tsuki-yomi.
Even as a child, Sesshoumaru had found it to be a ridiculous fairytale, meant to teach young youkai that sometimes love was worth all the pain. Clearly, he disagreed.
He stepped down onto the ground and began walking towards the God Tree and his brother's grave, completely unsure of why his feet had suddenly decided to take him in that particular direction.
Certainly, he had said his good-byes to his younger sibling long ago, when he had lost the path to a respectable demon life and again when he had been pinned to that accursed tree. After all, Sesshoumaru had no reason to think that Inuyasha would return to a proper way of living again after those events.
And he hadn't… but the taiyoukai really had no wish to rehash that in his mind again tonight.
No, it wasn't the past that bothered the great demon, Sesshoumaru, at the moment. It was the future. A future that held a half-crazy half-demon, an orphaned eagle youkai, a myriad of problems in the West and even a possibly resurrected brother.
He climbed the hill to the God Tree, sharply aware that he was returning to the place that the female hanyou had been attacked. The air was quiet now though. It appeared that only the crickets had followed the taiyoukai up the incline and to the edge of Inuyasha's Forest.
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru stood before his brother's grave. Dirt was still threaded through the blades of grass, where the girl had thrown it up. A large mound a death-scented earth stood at the base of the desecration and the bright moonlight illuminated everything in sight.
For the first time, the taiyoukai looked at the small marker still deep in the ground at the base of the tree. "'Inuyasha. Don't worry anymore. Just rest,'" he read aloud. "Hn. What a ridiculous inscription."
He circled the grave, studying it from all sides, careful not to step upon the burial sites of the others. Ruthless was one thing, but no one could ever accuse him of being improper.
Coming to the head of the hole again, Sesshoumaru sighed and unwrapped his tail for the second time that night. Allowing it to pool behind his feet, he gently fell to his knees and began replacing the churned earth into its place, sweeping it in with his one hand. "It appears you have burdened me with your troubles, little brother," he breathed as he worked. "The girl has somehow become my responsibility, since she clearly cannot take care of herself and she brings news of some mission that you normally would have taken care of. In your haphazard way, of course."
He fell silent and continued to transfer the earth into his brother's former resting place. Every few minutes, the taiyoukai would stop and listen for intruders, but it seemed as if he and his brother would get a few uninterrupted moments together.
"You are a fool, Inuyasha. Falling in love with humans," he commented with a disdainful air. "It was truly the key to your death."
Only the wind answered, howling suddenly as it whipped through the clearing.
Pushing back his stray hair, Sesshoumaru continued, "Father's faith in you was misplaced and misguided. I can only thank Kami that you were not the elder brother."
His voice and face were completely emotionless during his short, choppy speech, but the taiyoukai felt considerably better after speaking his mind. It was the closest thing to an undignified tirade he would get to.
He had now said his good-byes and made peace with his brother's memory, in his own unique way.
Finally, after the gravesite was reasonably restored once again, Sesshoumaru sat back on his heels and stared down at his handiwork. If he recalled correctly, human families did this for the graves of loved ones. They cleaned it and made sure that it remained sacred. Strangely, this realization did not bother the taiyoukai. "I have repaired your burial grounds, little brother. But know that if the old miko is correct and you return to this existence, I will kill you. For fifty-four years you have not belonged in this world and I will see to it that it remains that way."
Standing up, Sesshoumaru shook the loose dirt from his white fur and burgundy clothing and wrapped his tail around his shoulder once again.
Before he left, however, the taiyoukai felt the need to level with his brother, dead or not, about one part of their conversation. It simply was not in Sesshoumaru's nature to leave a grave with lies hanging over his head. "I do not completely hate your former mate, Inuyasha. She has certain qualities that I find quite companionable. Therefore, although I am under no obligation to do so, I will protect her. I promise you this one and only oath," he paused and took a large breath. "Kagome will not die under my care."
The girl's name sounded strange coming from his throat, but the taiyoukai ignored it and continued to stare at the grave marker, as if it were actually his brother.
Once, a very long time ago, even by demon standards, a claim like this would require witnesses and barbaric brawls. Females had not been very common, since they continually died in childbirth. To take a deceased relative's mate under your own wing created mass tension. It was seen as the "cheap" way of obtaining a mate, by stealing her from a dead man.
But, at present, the female demon population had grown considerably, much in thanks to a concurrent growth of healers within youkai communities. Sesshoumaru was not claiming the hanyou as a mate, but more as a ward.
He began to wander away from his work. A small smirk came to his features when he realized how indignant the girl would be if she learned of his oath to her dead lover.
"Sesshoumaru!" came a small cry.
His head snapped up to see the very girl he had been thinking of running up the hillside. He stopped and waited for her to pause in front of him.
After a few moments, she slowed down and gave him a playful glare. She had already changed into her exterminator's uniform. "There you are. I was worried when I woke up and didn't find you in the hut," she admonished gently.
"You had no cause for alarm," he answered stoically, silently noting that the girl did not appear to remember her nightmare. If anything, she was in a good mood.
"Hmm, I guess," she said offhandedly. "We should really get going though. I want to get to your place by sundown."
"We have time." He looked up to the sky and was slightly surprised to see streams of red, yellow, orange and purple waving across the horizon. He had spent a considerable amount of time at his brother's graveside.
"Right." She leaned forward and grabbed his hand, curling her smaller fingers over and around his palm. Turning, the girl began to walk, pulling the taiyoukai behind her. "Come on, Washi is waiting for us and Kaede has some breakfast ready, although I'm sure you won't eat it."
Glancing down at their entwined hands, Sesshoumaru thought about the promise he had just made to his sibling about the young girl dragging him down the path. She was certainly brazen. No one had ever touched him without permission if they did not have a death wish. He decided to let this one go though.
"Why did you leave, anyway?" she asked as they picked their way down the hill, avoiding large stones and animal dens.
"You were having nightmares and it disturbed my meditation," he answered, bending the truth slightly. He had not tried to slip into his usual meditative state. The night had been too alive and Inuyasha's grave had been calling to him.
"Really? I don't remember it," Kagome said thoughtfully. "Which is odd, since I would expect to have one after yesterday's events. Especially those shadow things. Those are practically living nightmares." She shuddered and flexed her free hand with the bandage wrapped around it. The herbal smell still hovered around her, slightly masking her natural mandarin scent.
"Does your injury still pain you?"
"No, it's fine. Kaede already changed the bandage and put on more of that stuff you gave her. By the way," she continued, flowing from one subject to another without pause, "Kaede looked at that pendant Izo was wearing. She didn't recognize it. So I think it must be demonic."
"Agreed."
Kagome dropped his hand as they neared the rice paddies, in which the villagers were already waist deep and picking out grains of their staple food.
They walked along the thin mound of dirt that separated the paddies and allowed travel into the village. "What did you dream of?" asked Sesshoumaru, suddenly curious about what she remembered. Dreams were the window into reality, as it was said, after all.
"Of the first time Inuyasha admitted that he loved me," she answered immediately. The hanyou smiled as she recalled the dream, of how she and Inuyasha had been fighting about her safety in battle. Then, he had stopped in the middle of an angry tirade, had grabbed her hands and had confessed that losing her would be like dying. He loved her, he had said. Then, he had kissed her, to the utter shock of the others. Even Shippo had been at a loss for words.
She sighed happily, bending down to pick a wildflower and twirling it between her forefinger and thumb.
Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow as he noticed her eyes obtain a faraway look. Humans were such ridiculous romantics, something that she apparently had retained in her transformation. How unfortunate.
The strange pair finished their short hike in silence, eventually reaching Kaede's home on the outskirts of the village.
"Kagome! We have food for you! I helped cook it myself!" chirped the small eagle demon, as soon as the hanyou entered the hut.
The girl cast a glance around the fire, noting the strangely large mess around the fire. Kaede never prepared meals in such a chaotic way. She doubted that the orphan had been more help than hindrance, but she gave him a smile anyway. "I'm sure you did. Let's eat and then we really have to go."
Breakfast flew by quickly and within an hour, the two demons and hanyou were exiting the village, letting it fade into the distance.
Kagome wiped away a small tear. She hated leaving the old miko alone, despite the fact that they didn't quite see eye to eye anymore. But Kaede was a friend and partings were difficult.
Washi grabbed her hand. "Cheer up, Kagome. We're on our way to the West! Lord Sesshoumaru told me about it while we were hunting a couple days ago and it sounds great. I get to play with this little girl, Rin, all the time if I want."
A small smile graced her face and she briefly wondered why she tried to push away this child. "I know that you and Rin will get along great. Remember that she's human though. No claws."
He scowled. "I know. I'm not stupid, Kagome."
She laughed aloud. The eagle demon's face looked strikingly similar to Sota's when he tried to convince her that he would behave himself around her friends. "Sorry. I know you aren't, but I tend to worry about the kids around me."
Sesshoumaru listened to the pair chat idly as they treaded through the grass, scaring up grasshoppers and butterflies.
Clearly, the girl still suffered from insanity. Happy and laughing the day after discovering her dead lover's grave empty, probably by her most vicious enemy? The taiyoukai sighed in frustration.
The talking stopped. "Are you okay, Sesshoumaru?"
He decided to be blunt. "Your joyous attitude surprises me, so soon after a mental breakdown and troubling events," he responded coldly, keeping his eyes trained on the horizon.
She was quiet for a moment, but did not let go of Washi's hand. "I know what you mean, but I can't explain it. I'm happy today. I feel as if all will be right in the world. You say that I was having nightmares, but all I can remember is wonderful dreams of wonderful memories. It feels like a brand new beginning."
"The undead miko still walks this earth."
The girl shrugged. "We'll find her eventually. And by then, you will have taught me how to use this darn thing," she said, patting the hilt of Tetsusaiga.
"Hn," came the noncommittal answer. He watched a bee fly lazily in front of his face before batting it away. "Do you know who the miko's accomplice is?" he asked suddenly, recalling Kaede's words from the previous night.
"I… have an idea," Kagome murmured slowly.
Washi looked up at his adoptive mother. Her happiness hadn't faded, but a veil of secrecy definitely shrouded her eyes now. He wasn't sure Lord Sesshoumaru would get the answer he desired, even if he was taking advantage of her good mood.
Either way, he was beginning to look at Kagome and Sesshoumaru-sama's conversations as a new form of entertainment.
"Are you going to share this idea, half-breed?" snapped the taiyoukai.
The hanyou slowed her pace and stared up into the blue sky, tracing the edges of the clouds with her eyes. "I didn't just sit around for six months, waiting to rescue you, Sesshoumaru," she muttered dreamily. "I followed every lead I could find on that new demon lord."
The inuyoukai frowned, not at all liking where her dialogue was headed. Naturally he suspected it before, but if the girl had some proof, this would be a difficult mission indeed.
"One rumor that I kept hearing was that a mysterious woman was frequently seen on battlefields wearing traditional miko garb. Some who had seen her ran from me."
"You do bear a striking resemblance," noted the taiyoukai.
She nodded, having known this since the very first time she and Inuyasha had spoken. "Well, many came back when they realized that I wasn't followed by demons like the mysterious lady. I decided that I had to take my questions to the youkai population. They have rumor mills too."
Sesshoumaru frowned slightly, knowing that she spoke the truth. His life would be so much easier if he didn't have to deal with ridiculous falsehoods roving around his court.
Kagome closed her eyes, letting her feet and Washi guide her safely across the fields. "I had to rough up several demons, but eventually, one admitted that he knew the name of the woman helping the demon lord. It was Kikyo. Further investigation revealed that she was indeed the same miko that plagued me for the last four years."
"Why did you not tell us sooner?"
Her eyes snapped open and she smiled at the dog demon's rigid back. "I knew you'd figure it out, Sess-chan."
"Do not call me by that name, wench," he gritted out. He paused and took a breath. "This information would have been most helpful in determining the reason why the undead miko stole my brother's ashes. You were foolish not to disclose it."
"Kikyo is my concern, Sesshoumaru," retorted Kagome, her voice gaining a bit of heat. "No one lays a hand on her until I'm finished sending her to the afterworld again."
The taiyoukai glanced over his shoulder to see her eyes burning with vengeful passion, despite an otherwise calm, happy visage. "If you plan to battle the undead miko, then it is my concern as well."
She raised an eyebrow. "If you're talking about training me…" She trailed off to gauge his reaction.
The dog demon hesitated, not desiring to tell her about the promise he made to his dead brother. What was it about this girl that caused him to make promises he did not want to keep?
A silky, evil voice answered for him, before he could collect his thoughts. "No Kagome, he's not talking about that at all."
Kagura stepped out of the trees to their right, close to Kagome. She smiled at the hanyou, but held her fan loosely. She had taken a chance by appearing now, before the taiyoukai and the eagle child, but she had to report to the miko before leaving. It left no choice. She didn't have time to follow them all day and wait for the hanyou to be alone.
Sesshoumaru growled, moving in front of the hanyou and Washi, flexing his claws.
"No, Sesshoumaru! Wait… please." Kagome stepped around the taiyoukai and faced him, placing her small hand on his wrist and prying it from Tokijin. "I didn't tell you before, but Kagura is a friend now."
His mind recalled the morning that he and Washi had hunted together and the scent of Naraku he had picked up. "You lied to me, wench. You said you didn't know about any of Naraku's minions still living."
She smirked, infuriating the already annoyed taiyoukai. "Actually, I just said I didn't trust any of them."
Sesshoumaru glared, allowing true anger to filter through his golden eyes.
Kagome had to take a deep breath before turning her back on an irritated taiyoukai. She plastered a smile on her face when she saw Kagura again, who was waiting patiently for her attention. "So, what brings you here? It's only been a couple days, surely you haven't found anything yet?"
Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Of course I have. I've made contact with one of the demon lord's recruiters. He had heard of me." She looked smug for a moment.
The hanyou suppressed the urge to laugh. Kagura had always been a bit full of herself. "Naturally, he had. You were Naraku's incarnation after all." The mirthful light left her eyes. "Did you find out anything that we could use?"
"No, not really," admitted the wind sorceress. "But I've been invited to head up one of the rebellions in the South. We'll smash a few villages and that should get me closer to the inner circle. I probably won't be able to visit for quite some time. I am taking a risk even now."
"I understand, Kagura. Thank you for this." She lowered her voice. "There are shadow creatures lurking about so be careful. Also, Inuyasha's ashes were stolen recently, by Kikyo no less. See what you can discover about that."
The youkai's red eyes widened. "That is most interesting. I thought that woman had died."
Kagome shook her head. "I knew she wasn't dead, but I didn't expect her to show up so soon, or even at all. That was kind of stupid of me, I guess."
Kagura locked her blood-red gaze onto the hanyou's brown eyes. "Yes, it was. You were not there when Kikyo offered to help Naraku, but I was. She spoke for a long time, laying out the crimes you and your mate had committed against her during the past four years. Finally, she told him that Inuyasha had chosen you over her, his first love. She wanted vengeance."
The young woman laughed softly at the bitter irony. "She sold us out and told Naraku where we were… all for being rejected." Her words were quiet, as if she was speaking to herself and had forgotten the others were there.
Washi wrapped his hand around hers, looking up with worry at his new mother, afraid that she would slip into insanity again.
But, instead, Kagome lifted her head and blinked away the tears that had been threatening to form. "I'll deal with Kikyo myself. I would just like some information about this demon she's working for before I go searching for her."
Sesshoumaru watched this exchange as his anger died and his interest was piqued. Yes, the girl had lied to him once again, but that was really no surprise. Especially if she had a camaraderie with the wind sorceress, who Kagome knew he detested.
But evidently, the two females knew of something else that happened on the day of the final battle between Inuyasha and Naraku. Their words hinted at it, but their actions spoke volumes. He was beginning to suspect that his brother had not died in the way Kagome had spoke of. Once again, she had probably danced around the edge of the truth, throwing in just enough facts to fool his nose and instinct.
She was an irritating soul and lucky to have enough amusing qualities that prevented him from going back on his promise.
Kagura laughed, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Kagome, you would go after Kikyo if she was harbored in the depths of hell."
"No. I'd let her stay there," answered the hanyou with a faint smile. "She deserves it."
"Indeed. But don't be rash, Kagome. She is a dangerous woman." The wind sorceress frowned and allowed a bit of despair to seep into her eyes. "Remember that she killed Kanna."
A flash of memory flooded Kagura's mind. She recalled the sacred arrow hitting her sister's mirror and shattering it into pieces moments before another one pierced the jar in which Naraku held Kanna's heart.
Kikyo had known just where to hit the soul-stealing youkai and had done it without mercy or regret. Afterwards, she had told Naraku that Kanna was disturbing her plans for Inuyasha and his friends. The spider hanyou, despite his attachment to his incarnation, had accepted the pathetic excuse and had allowed Kikyo to remain in the castle.
Kagura had spent many fruitless days and weeks trying to discover what possible reason Kikyo had for killing her elder sister. Only on the day of the final battle had she realized that Kanna had been a threat because Kikyo wanted to kill Kagome herself. Her sister was the only other creature on that battlefield that had the will and the power to make the living miko suffer physically.
The witch had no other reason other than bloodlust. Had she possessed a half-decent reason, Kagura was certain that she would also have died a quick, but painful, death at the tip of Kikyo's arrow.
"I remember what you told me," murmured the young miko. The wind sorceress had told her the story in their first meeting after the battle. It served as the proof of her hatred towards Naraku, but Kagome had also heard her animosity towards Kikyo in the tale. That was why she had given Kagura a second chance.
They had common ground, after all.
But whereas Kagura blamed Kanna's death on Naraku and his indifference, Kagome could not do the same for Inuyasha's demise. She would hunt down the elder miko, her previous incarnation, and slit her throat.
The wind sorceress nodded and then caught Sesshoumaru's gaze. She smiled. "Well, you have your own demon lord to protect you now, don't you?"
Kagome blinked. "What?"
The red-eyed youkai shrugged. "I thought I would speak to you alone and went to Inuyasha's grave. But to my surprise, it wasn't you there at all. It was Sesshoumaru," she purred.
The taiyoukai's eyes snapped shut, the only visual clue of his extreme annoyance.
Kagome leaned forward. "What are you talking about, Kagura?"
"Didn't you know? Your handsome companion there has made a graveside promise to his brother. He won't let you die. He's going to protect you."
The hanyou stared, open-mouthed for a moment. Kagura wasn't trying to be cruel, she was just being herself. That usually meant being blunt to the point of discomfort, a side effect of being Naraku's spawn. "You're kidding." She turned to the taiyoukai, who still had his eyes closed. "Who are you and what have you done with the Sesshoumaru I know?"
Golden eyes opened slowly. "I am still the Lord of the Western Lands."
She shook her head. "You know what I meant."
He fought the desire to sigh in frustration. "The female is not lying to you," he said finally.
The taiyoukai expected the hanyou to get angry and begin spouting off reasons that she didn't need any protection from him, but she surprised him once again. She smiled softly and bent her head. "Thanks, Sesshoumaru. That means a lot to me, knowing that I'm safe with you."
He looked over Kagome's head at Kagura, who gave him a knowing stare accompanied by a small grin. Silently, she promised to not repeat his other words, the words meant for Inuyasha's spirit alone. Kagome would never know that Sesshoumaru was willing to kill his younger brother if he returned to the land of the living.
Kagome scooped Washi up into her arms and bowed to Kagura. "Thank you for all you're doing. This means a lot to me."
Yet again the hanyou had managed to make the wind sorceress's words run dry from surprise. The girl was definitely growing on her. It was rather frightening. "Of course," she finally managed to say, slightly hoarse.
The young miko nodded. "We'll see each other soon, then."
Kagura recovered from her momentary lapse in concentration enough to say goodbye to Kagome, but asked to speak to the taiyoukai before they left.
The girl gave her a strange look but shrugged it off and went on ahead.
The wind sorceress waited patiently until the hanyou and her impressive hearing was out of range before glancing at the taiyoukai. When she finally did, Kagura found his golden orbs to be studying her intently.
She tried to ignore the fact that the youkai of her breeding dreams was standing two feet from her, but was fighting a losing battle. 'Speak!' her mind commanded. "Is she still having nightmares?" Kagura asked with a façade of a cool, collected manner.
"Yes, but she no longer remembers them," he responded, wondering why the wind sorceress was so willing to be near him. Five minutes ago, he had been ready to gut her. He would still, if it wouldn't bring Kagome's wrath upon his head. He rather liked his canine hearing and knew that her screeching voice had the power to take it away.
"She seems happy."
"That is a new development."
"Well, it pleases me to hear it anyway. She's not bad, for a half-breed. She didn't kill me after the battle." Her red eyes slid away from his to watch Kagome's form grow smaller and smaller as she meandered away with the eagle demon.
He saw his window of opportunity and took it. "What happened after the half-breed saw her adopted son die at the hands of the undead miko?" he asked, almost forcefully.
She hesitated, aware that Kagome would never tell Sesshoumaru what happened that day and might not appreciate anyone telling the tale. But she also knew that the hanyou needed someone to understand the events after the battle to truly understand Kagome's shift in personality.
Tucking the fan into her obi, she began, "The male half-breed was furious when he saw that Kagome had been hurt and the fox demon was dead. So furious that he dealt the fatal blow to Naraku without realizing it. His anger fueled Tetsusaiga."
"Did he drop it?"
"No. He just ran to Kagome and carried her away. I followed because I knew that he wouldn't get far with his injuries. I saw him lay her down and then carry their friends one by one to the clearing. He was bleeding from many wounds."
Sesshoumaru recalled Kagome's description of the battle and her facial expressions as she told of her mate's death. "So he did die from his injuries?"
"Partly…" she answered slowly, quickly deciding that Kagome should have told him at least the truth. "When the girl woke up, Inuyasha gave her Tetsusaiga and the completed jewel. He told her that he had to go and kill Kikyo for revenge."
"For the son they had lost," the taiyoukai interrupted. "Not taking Tetsusaiga was foolish however. This Sesshoumaru finds it hard to believe that even his lowly brother could be so moronic."
Kagura shrugged, once again the indifferent red-eyed youkai. "He believed that he would not win without giving up the sword."
The dog demon closed his eyes, feeling a weight crash down on his shoulders as he realized what his brother had done. To give up the sword with that many wounds and go willingly into battle meant that he would instantly turn into a full-fledged demon.
Inuyasha had not been able to kill the elder miko in his hanyou form, because of the painful history between them. He turned into a demon so that he would feel no remorse, no hesitance about killing his former lover.
And yet, his younger sibling had still failed.
A surge of anger swept through his body. No one of the dog demon clan should die at the hands of a mortal girl. It was humiliating, but at the same time Sesshoumaru felt something akin to sympathy for his brother. A miko's touch could be painful beyond words, like lightening streaking across your skin.
He really hadn't stood a chance.
"The undead miko purified him as a demon?" he asked to confirm his thoughts, his voice slightly heavier than usual.
Kagura nodded. "Kagome found him hours later and made her wish on the jewel. That's when I made my appearance and told her of the debt I owed to her for killing Naraku."
"Did she cry?"
His question startled the wind youkai, almost as much as it started the dog demon. They stared at each other, with only their widened eyes showing their shock.
Slowly, Kagura shook her head. "Not a tear. I will never understand human emotion."
Sesshoumaru looked away, blinking away his surprised expression and settling into his usual cool indifference. He remembered Inuyasha's mother and the day she heard the news of her mate's death, when Inuyasha was only five years old. She did not weep, she just grew very, very pale.
But eventually, her cries of mourning echoed through the entire mansion. The new Western Lord had to shut himself in his study, previously his father's, and immerse himself in paperwork to shut out the noise.
He doubted that Kagome had allowed herself to cry like that. Knowing the hanyou and her illogical mind, she probably blamed herself for what happened.
Kagura followed his line of vision to the hanyou. She was a pinpoint form against the sky, pacing along the crest of a small hill. "You should get back to her," she said quietly. "Be sure that you take your promise to heart and protect her."
"Kagome will come to no harm."
The wind sorceress closed her eyes. She had lost him. Somehow she knew it and accepted it in the same moment. He would have been an excellent father to any offspring, but he needed to fall in love with his mate, not just appreciate her for her talents on the battlefield.
A small smile graced her ruby lips. She wondered if they knew that they were falling in love. She guessed that neither one had an inkling and it would be a long time before they would admit it. They were, after all, in the beginning stages where no one was supposed to realize what was happening. Kagura felt as if she had been given a vision by Kami-sama. Only that would explain how she knew this secret.
Discreetly, the wind sorceress took her leave of the taiyoukai, who had already begun to walk towards the hanyou and the eagle demon. 88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 So, I hope you liked the chapter and I hope it was worth the wait. Haha… probably not, but I tried, I really did. For those of you who followed me from Golden Fire to The Broken Miko, you may recall that I was planning a concurrent story that was Kag/Inu and based on the fairy tale, "Thousandfurs". While I will be doing this story, I won't be doing it at the same as this one. Not yet anyway. Right now, my work schedule is too sporadic and demanding. As it is, I'm having a hard time finishing chapters for this story. But fear not! I won't abandon it. That's a promise. So stay tuned! There will be more plot development in the next chapter – as well as the introduction of Jaken, Rin and a few new characters. On to the review responses! Review responses removed due to ban.