An Unlikely Pair
disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi-sama
Chapter 9 - Truth Revealed and Kikyou's Treachery
(A/N: Someone dies in this chapter, and you may not like it, but it was a decision made in order for me to write the rest of the fic as I want it to come out as)
After landing softly at the bottom of the well and looking up to see the roof of the well house, Kagome quickly climbed up the ladder and ran towards her home. Tears of happiness were already beginning to roll down her cheeks. Bursting through the front door and kicking off her shoes she called, "Momma, Souta, Grampa! I'm home!" She was soon gathered up in the arms of her family and surprisingly even Buyo was there to greet her.
"It's good to have you home, Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi said loosening her hug.
"It's good to be home." Kagome said. "I brought back some gifts."
After giving Souta his top, her mom her kimono and fan, and her grandpa scrolls of legends and stores from the past, the family settled down to eat lunch.
"Kagome, will you help me with the dishes?" Mrs. Higurashi asked at the end of the meal.
"Sure thing, mom." Kagome smiled.
Whey they were at the sink Mrs. Higurashi asked, "Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?" Kagome looked at her confused. "Has something happened while you were there? Something very serious?" The confused look turned to surprise and then one that was scared.
"How could you tell?" Kagome asked. Her voice sounded panicked. Her mom hugger her to her.
"Whatever it is, I'll understand Kagome. You're my daughter. I know when something has happened. I can see it in your eyes. They still shine as they had before you left, but tell tales of experience." Kagome broke down crying. Mrs. Higurashi hugged her tighter rubbing her back and making shushing noises. "Go sit down in the living room and we'll talk when I'm done with the dishes ok?" Kagome nodded before leaving the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi found Kagome nervously wringing her hands as she sat there on the couch.
"Don't be nervous or afraid to tell me Kagome." She said handing a cup of tea to her.
"I don't know mom. What I'll tell you may not make you very happy. I don't know if you'll let me go back again after I tell you."
"Well, that's just something you'll have to risk because I'm not letting you go until you tell me." Kagome let out a long sigh before beginning.
"Before I begin, you need to promise not to get mad or interrupt me, and to trust in the decisions I've made." Mrs. Higurashi nodded.
"Well, Inuyasha had let Kikyou join us and it made me really mad that he hadn't even talked to us about it. But we still went shard hunting anyway. We came to a slaughtered village not long after. It was so horrible. No on was spared. We buried them." Mrs. Higurashi nodded with a little smile. "What happened after that may make you very angry. I'm still hurt and mad and depressed about it as well. It happened maybe three or four days ago. I've been trying to forget it." She paused waiting for her mom to reply.
"Go on, Kagome. It's ok."
"Well, I don't know what was going on, but I woke up the next morning and I was alone with Inuyasha. Something was wrong. His eyes looked so lifeless. As if he wasn't all there. And then… he raped me." Kagome choked out. Tears began stream down her face quickly. "I couldn't stop him. He just kept going. Then he left me alone. I felt so dirty. I tried to scrub my skin off." Kagome's mom was also in tears and they were hugging each other fiercely.
"Oh, my poor baby. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm going to kill Inuyasha!"
"No, mom! It wasn't him. Something was wrong like someone was controlling him… it was Kikyou!" Kagome growled out finally realizing it.
"You mean the dead miko? Inuyasha's past love?" Kagome nodded.
"But that's not all, mom. I have somewhat good news to tell you." It was Mrs. Higurashi's turn to look surprised. "Someone came to me and helped me that day Inuyasha had raped me. I think I'm falling in love with him."
"Who is it?" Kagome bit hr lip.
"I don't know, mom. You're going to freak out even more when I tell you this."
"What could be so much worse than hearing my baby was raped?"
"Well…" Kagome tried to stall.
"Out with it."
"It's Naraku!" She blurted out before covering her blushing face with her hands. She waited for her mom's outburst of incredulity, but it never came. Instead, when she looked at her mom she was smiling mysteriously at her. "Well?"
"I'm not entirely happy with it, but I trust you Kagome. He did help you didn't he?"
"Well, yea…"
"Then he can't be all that bad."
"You're great, mom."
"I know." They hugged each other again and held onto each other for a while before Kagome started to leave to do some homework. Before she got up the stairs, her mom called after her, "Tell Naraku thank you for the gifts."
"Will do."
"And ask him when I'll be getting my grand babies." Kagome almost fell down hearing her mom say that. A horrified look along with a blush covered her face. "I'm kidding. I better not see any grand babies for the next three years." Kagome laughed nervously before walking up the stairs to disappear in her room.
She couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept drifting off to other things, but mostly to Naraku. She wondered what he was doing and whether he was thinking of her too. As the night got later, her thoughts drifted towards the time they share together and specifically to the baths they shared. A heated blush crossed her cheeks when she wished she were bathing with him at the moment. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Kagome." She muttered to herself forcing herself to concentrate on the math problems still sitting in front of her. But it was useless because her brother interrupted her to announce dinner was ready.
It was very late into the night when she finally finished and dragged herself to bed. She had school in the morning and she had to wake up in four hours to get ready.
"Kagome! Get up! You're going to be late!" Souta yelled through her door. Kagome jumped up stumbling out of her blankets. She glared at the alarm clock that hadn't woken her up and madly dashed around to get ready. She was out the door in fifteen minutes with her homework and satchel in one hand, her lunch in the other, and a piece of toast in her mouth. She lowed down when she spotted her friends down the sidewalk.
"Hey guys!" Kagome greeted them. They all greeted her back just as excitedly. Their chatter seemed to overpower the traffic and hub of the city around them.
"So Kagome, why don't you go say hello to Hojo? I'm sure he'd be happy to see you feeling better from your turkey fever." Kagome sweatdropped at the new recent made up illness she was suffering from that her grandpa was telling everyone.
"Oh, no, I'm sure Hojo will find me first. I don't really want to bother him right now."
"You're still not going out with that two-timer or that thug or that arrogant transvestite are you?" Kagome laughed at the nicknames Ami gave to the Inu brothers and Kouga.
"No, I'm not going out with any of them."
"You must be going out with someone, Kagome. I can tell by how you won't go out with Hojo." Yumi said poking Kagome in the side.
"Stop it you guys. It's none of your business whether I go out with Hojo or not! But while we're on the subject, I'd rather go out with someone else than Hojo thank you very much. So if you think he's so perfect, then why don't one of you ask him out?"
"Then who do you want to go out with then?" Yuka asked honestly. Kagome laughed nervously as her other two friends leaned closer to hear her answer.
"Well, you guys don't know him, but he's so much nicer than Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. He's very handsome. He appears to be a little shady, but he's a sweetheart once you get to know him."
"He sounds too good to be true. What's wrong with this one?" Ami asked. Kagome laughed nervously. Not wanting to share, but not wanting to lie to her friends, she tried to answer. Just then the bell rang. Relieved, Kagome ran off to class calling back that she'd see them later.
Kagome sighed as she sat in her math class as the teacher droned on with his lesson. She began to doze off and was fast asleep in no time.
A few moments later, Kagome jerked awake with cold sweat on her forehead. Something was wrong. She looked frantically about her realizing something must be wrong in Sengoku Jidai when she found nothing wrong or out of place around her. The teacher hadn't noticed her hand when it shot up in the air, but finally had when she waved it vigorously.
"Yes, Higurashi?" He asked a little grumpy for being interrupted.
"May I be excused? It's an emergency."
"Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
"No."
"Are you dying or are you in any pain?"
"No, but – "
"Then, no." He interrupted her this time. He went back to lecturing.
Kagome's unease grew even more. She tried to brush it off, but when a cold chill ran down her spine, she quickly gabbed her things and ran apologizing as she zoomed passed the teacher. She raced back home and immediately dropped her school things at the door to the well house and jumped into the well without hesitation.
When she landed softly on the other side, her ears were met with the sounds of metal hitting metal and the buzz of Naraku's insects hovering about. When she eventually pulled herself from the well, her eyes met the sight of Naraku and Sesshomaru fighting in the same clearing as the well. Her sudden appearance broke Naraku's concentration which ended him up sprawled on the ground. Sesshomaru was about to drive Tokijin into Naraku's heart when Kagome jumped between them.
"Get out of the way." Sesshomaru said without taking his eyes away from the hanyou behind her who had recovered to his feet.
"No, I won't let you hurt him." Sesshomaru scoffed at Kagome's words.
"Are you so quick to save the man who caused your companions such loss and pain/"
"I've forgiven him." Kagome kept her ground.
"Interesting that you would show such compassion for the man who had indirectly caused your misfortune with Inuyasha."
"What are you talking about?" Kagome was genuinely confused.
"The creature you protect had made a deal with that miko corpse to give her Inuyasha if she gave him the Shikon no Tama. But she needed you out of the way first."
"What?" Kagome gasped. She wearily turned to have both males before her, but apart from each other. She looked at Naraku. He wouldn't look her in the eye. "What is he talking about?" She whispered. He came forward trying to take her hands.
"You know I'd never hurt you, love."
"Don't give me that love bullshit. If you loved me you wouldn't have schemed with Kikyou. You could have won my heart without Inuyasha raping me." Kagome stepped away from him.
"Kagome I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't even know she was planning on doing that. You've got to believe me. I will seek revenge and kill her for it." He pleaded with her.
"Then why is she still alive if you know she did it?" He tried to answer, but couldn't find one good enough reason so he shut his mouth. Kagome backed away some more leaving room for Sesshomaru to attack him. Naraku didn't even fight back. She watched horrified that he was letting Sesshomaru beat him to a bloody mess.
Once again, before Sesshomaru could land a finishing blow, Kagome threw herself between them. She said nothing but looked at Sesshomaru with tears trailing down her face. He said nothing and returned Tokijin to its sheath. He didn't move to leave either. She didn't care.
Turning to Naraku, she said, "Leave me alone. Never show yourself to me because from now on we are no longer friends or allies." She stood there without looking at him anymore and waited for him to leave before she fell to her knees to cry harder. Sesshomaru was the only soul to watch her break down and rebuild herself within the same hour. In an odd way, she felt comfort in his silent presence. Glad that she was at least not alone.
Sesshomaru simply watched her. He didn't offer her a hand when she got up, but she wouldn't have accepted it and hadn't expected him to in the first place. She was surprised, however, when he followed her when she approached the well. He peered down into it and she sat on the lip. "You're not going to tell anyone about the well are you?" He didn't say anything, but she continued. "Well, if you do can you warn me who you have told? But I doubt that you would. Would you?" He still looked at her. She smiled up at him and turned so that her legs dangled into the well.
"Thank you though for telling me." Her smile softened before she pushed off to travel back to her time.
"You're welcome." He answered once he saw the blue light dissipate from inside the well.
Kagome returned an hour later with her yellow backpack filled with food and supplies. She wasn't surprised to see Sesshomaru no longer occupied the clearing. However, she was surprised to see Kikyou so soon. That meant Inuyasha was not far away. Lo and behold, the sound of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru fighting reached to her ears not long after. It appeared Kikyou was about to join the fight, but before she could fire an arrow, Kagome let out a yell.
"SIT!" And Inuyasha face planted before Sesshomaru could get a face full of Kaze no Kizu. Inuyasha cursed, but was muffled by the ground currently filling his mouth.
"Do not interrupt with that does not concern you." Kikyou coldly said to her.
"If it involved Inuyasha or Sesshomaru it does. It especially does if it's both of them." Kagome told her just as placidly. She took up her own bow and arrows in her hands abandoning her bag behind her. She took up a position by Sesshomaru's side before Inuyasha recovered from the subduing spell. A displeased look took over Inuyasha's face as he spit out dirt and grass. Kikyou came up to stand beside him.
"What's with you Kagome? Why do you keep taking sides with our enemies?"
"Our enemies?" Kagome scoffed. "We're no longer on good terms, Inuyasha." She spit his name out like it was venom. "Why do you keep taking sides with a dead woman?" Kagome's anger towards her betrayal from both Inuyasha and Naraku was coming out and unfortunately, Inuyasha was the one to be there. "You'd rather love a claypot of who your first love was than what you always had before your face."
Inuyasha glared angrily at her. "Don't talk about Kikyou that way." Kagome sadly shook her head.
"Even after all we've been through and what I've done for you and what you did to me, you're still choosing her over me." Kagome said bitterly. Before anything else was spoken, a speeding arrow found itself whizzing passed Kagome's face taking a small chunk of her hair with it. Kagome scowled at Kikyou. Lifting her bow and arrow, Kagome aimed at Kikyou and let it go before the priestess could fire another.
(A/N: I'm sorry if this isn't a spectacular fight scene, but you know what… I don't write fight scenes very well, so this is as good as I will get it until I get better at it and revise way later on… maybe… and just to warn someone will die soon)
The new presence of Sango and Miroku's arrival barely registered to Kagome before she continued her assault on Kikyou. "Your aim is terrible." Kikyou commented firing another arrow that narrowly missed Kagome's shoulder. The fight had moved towards the forest. The two women sprinted through the trees firing an arrow almost simultaneously being forced to take cover.
Sango and Miroku and Inuyasha tried to aid the women of their choice, but Sesshomaru prevented them. "It is a fight between them." Inuyasha took this moment to pick up their fight that had been interrupted. Unbeknownst to all, Shippou had scurried after Kagome.
Aim. Shoot. Fire. Duck. Run. Aim. Shoot. Fire. Duck. Run. Repeated until Kagome realized she had only one arrow left. "You only have one arrow left!" Kikyou called out to her.
"So! The battle will not be over after this arrow!" Kagome called back to her. She received on response so she proceeded to find the other woman. Suddenly, Kikyou's last arrow blazed passed her by inches radiating with her miko powers. Kagome watched in horrified slow motion as it honed in on Shippou. All of the other arrows Kikyou had shot were not purifying. He was only three feet away from her. She tried to stop the course of the arrow at the last minute but was too late. Shippou lay shaking on the ground.
"Shippou." Blood came out of his mouth and gushed quickly from his chest. It must have gotten his heart. Kagome frantically tried to stop the bleeding, but it just kept coming.
"It's ok Kagome." He weakly said. "I'll get to see my papa now." She shook her head yes as tears streamed down her face. She squeezed his hand and hugged him to her as best as she could without disturbing the arrow in his chest anymore.
"Remember me, Shippou."
"I will. I love you, okasan."
"I love you too Shippou, my little musuko-chan." She cried hard at his last shaky breath. As his body began to disappear, Kagome wiped her tears away.
Boiling rage momentarily replaced her sorrow as she dashed toward Kikyou. Tackling her, she began to slam her head against the forest floor. "You stupid, stupid bitch!" Kagome yelled so loudly that those away in the clearing heard. The battle between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru ceased as they all dashed into the nearby forest. Well, except Sesshomaru. He took his time, but got there in enough time to watch Kagome continue to beat Kikyou's face with her fists. Inuyasha was going to stop her, but they all soon figured out why Kagome was being so extremely violent with Kikyou's face. Near Kagome's discarded arrow was a puddle of blood. Floating in the little puddle was a leaf. It wasn't just any leaf, but one of Shippou's.
A metallic glint caught their eyes. Even though Kagome was thoroughly thrashing Kikyou, Kikyou managed to withdraw a dagger hidden in one of her sleeves. The yelled warnings didn't reach her in time because Kikyou had already imbedded it as far as she could into Kagome's side. With the abrupt stop of attacks, Kikyou managed to shove Kagome off of her.
Kagome stared in disbelief at the metal object protruding from her side. Blood was soaking through her shirt. The stain spread quickly as more of her blood seeped out. Before deciding whether to take it out, she fainted. Kikyou staggered to Inuyasha, but he brushed passed her to gently pick Kagome up to rush her to Kaeda. Only the fuming miko and the taiyoukai remained.
"I would advise you to leave Kagome alone. Killing an innocent child is not acceptable." Kikyou only glared at Sesshomaru as he turned to follow the others to the village. Before leaving, he picked up the leaf floating in the puddle still along with the bow.
Inuyasha panicked as he carried Kagome in his arms. "Don't forget her bag!" He called to Sango and Miroku who were going ahead to warn Kaeda. "I'm so sorry." Inuyasha kept saying as he jogged. "I'm sorry for not protecting you like I promised. I failed you."
After Kaeda reassured them all that Kagome was going to be fine, they all were settling down to ease their emotional distress only to be reminded about Shippou. Sango silently cried, Miroku looked down into his hands with a sad but somewhat guilty look, and Inuyasha kept himself hidden and apart from them to hide his own few tears. Sesshomaru sat outside the hut listening to what was going on. Kagome was going to be fine. She just needed rest and time to heal.
Night had come slowly, but Sesshomaru remained sitting outside of the hut leaning on one side of its walls near the front entrance. The village had just settled down to dinner with their families as the occupants of the hut did as well.
"Will ye be joining us and have some dinner, Lord Sesshomaru?" Kaeda said standing in the doorway. Sesshomaru rose as the old woman returned inside and followed her shortly after.
"I only want to see for myself how she is. I have affairs to attend to concerning my lands." Sesshomaru stated after entering the hut. What met his gaze was a slightly pale Kagome. She was reclining propped up by pillows being spoon fed by Sango a soup that was made for dinner. Inuyasha was still in his corner, but faced the others with his own bowl of soup though his eyes were cast down into the bowl. Miroku sat close by slowly eating with a distracted look in his eyes. Kaeda settled herself down to take over Sango's place to let her eat her own dinner. Sesshomaru knelt at Kagome's other side.
"You don't need to baby me. I can feed myself." Kagome softly said.
"Ye probably could, but we are not going to risk straining thy wound." Kaeda replied.
Kagome nodded and continued to eat as Sesshomaru watched silently. She was done eating soon after and was helped to lay down to rest more.
"Why are you still here?" Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru before letting her lid slide closed. She was still awake. The other listened unknowingly for Sesshomaru's response.
"I just wanted to clarify some things." Was his vague answer.
"As in?" She tried to make it more specific.
"I will wait until you are done healing before we talk of it. In the mean time, I must return to patrolling my lands."
"Ok." Kagome opened her eyes to watch the demon lord exit the little building. He gave her a slight nod before disappearing into the night. The rest of the dinner went uneventful and silent. They all laid down to go to sleep. Sango and Kirara slept close to Kagome sharing each other's comfort in the absence of Shippou. In the morning Miroku, Sango, and Kaeda were going to erect a shrine nearby for the young kitsune, but for now, everyone just wanted to rest.
Inuyasha remained awake as the others drifted off. He stared up at the ceiling. Thoughts of the day's events replayed in his head over and over. He shifted his eyes to the dark blobs that were Kagome and Sango before he returned them back to the ceiling. He was mad at himself for letting Kagome get hurt and confused about Kikyou. It was Kikyou but not Kikyou. He was depressed about Shippou's murder which was tearing the hanyou apart. He loved the woman Kikyou was and did somewhat for the shell that walked around harboring her anger and hatred deep inside. But he already missed the brat. Shippou was only a kid. He frowned. Sighing, he tried to get a little rest for himself.
Tossing and turning, he decided to get up instead of futilely try to sleep in his bed. The bed they shared. Her scent was still aced into the linens and silks. It made the ache in his heart increase. He decided to sit down at the little table near the window. Opening it just a little he peered up into the night sky and sighed. His eyes burned. He wasn't used to such emotion. Tears hurt his eyes after they long have dried. Rubbing them, he relieved them a little. His insomnia only caused his mind to wander and near tears slowly slid down his face.
"Master, please go to bed." The little demon girl nudged him. He had fallen asleep with his head on the table. Stirring, he mumbled a name. Half asleep, he stumbled to his bed with the guidance of the pale demon child. She tucked him in before shutting the window and quietly left shutting the door.
She knew what had happened.
A few weeks later…
"Take it easy Kagome. You still haven't completely healed." Sango scolded her.
"I'll be fine Sango. Stop worrying." Kagome said trying to lift the yellow pack onto her bike. Failingly, she ended up stumbling and falling onto the bag on her uninjured side. "Ow."
"I told you Kagome. Make Inuyasha carry the bag and you can ride with me on Kirara."
"What? Why do I have to carry her stupid stuff?" Inuyasha huffed.
"Because it was your girlfriend's fault she's like that!" Sango yelled brandishing her large boomerang at him. Inuyasha avoided being hit by running behind Kagome.
"Look, I can't carry it anyway because I'm not going with you guys. I need to take care of some things." Inuyasha said beginning to walk away. Sango sighed.
"Well, then Miroku can ride your bike with the pack while we ride Kirara."
"Alright." Kagome said settling down in front of the taijiya.
"If I must." Miroku said with a little pout.
"We need to head west again." Sango said and they set off quickly before Inuyasha could say anything else.
"How are you doing?" Sango asked Kagome when they stopped for lunch.
"I'm fine, Sango. I'm in no pain at all. Kaeda is a good healer."
"I didn't mean that Kagome. I meant about you and Naraku and Inuyasha." Kagome had told them everything that was going on and what had happened during her weeks cooped up in Kaeda's hut. Kagome looked down at her ramen for a while before answering.
"I don't know. They both have hurt me. I still care about them. But they've lost my trust. I don't know, Sango." The addressed girl nodded.
Lunch finished not long after and the girls took the pot and dishes to a nearby stream to clean them. "So what happened between you and Miroku while I was gone?"
"Nothing!" Sango quickly answered.
"Don't give me that." Kagome poked her friend's side seeing the blush she tried to hide. "Something happened I can see it in the way you two look at each other." Kagome continued. "But you don't have to tell me now. But you should remember that I know something has happened and I'll hear about it sooner or later."
"No, you're right. It's ok, we can talk about it now."
"Well?"
"We kissed. And he did it without groping me." Kagome squealed grabbing her friend up into a hug.
"I knew you two would get together." And the conversation went on throughout the rest of the day comparing the three males even when they traveled. They talked quietly to each other so Miroku wouldn't hear. He ignored them, but looked up at them strangely when they had burst into laughter a few times.
They had stopped for the evening after the sun had began to set. "So which one has prettier hair?" Sango asked Kagome as they set up camp and Miroku went out to gather firewood.
"I don't know? They both have pretty hair. Inuyasha's hair is so soft and his color is so different from what I've seen. But Naraku's hair is just as soft, but it's also so curly." Both girls sighed. "It's so unnatural for males to have prettier hair than females." Kagome sighed again.
"You know ho has the most beautiful hair though?" Kagome asked in a whisper.
"Who?" Sango asked getting closer.
"Sesshomaru." They giggled.
"So you really think my hair is beautiful?" A silky voice reached their ears. They shrieked and jumped up and apart from each other to face the demon lord who snuck up on them. They both panted and looked at him with wide eyes. "I see that gossiping deters your concentration to other things instead of remaining alert for an attack. Although I do not blame you for wanting to talk about my hair." A bit of prideful boasting entered his voice. Just a little.
Not long after Miroku came crashing into the clearing dropping what wood he had collected to grab up his staff. "Oh." Miroku said relaxing from his battle stance once he realized the girls weren't in danger. "Sorry. I'll go get more wood." Miroku grinned before leaving again. Kagome and Sango sweat dropped. The two girls returned their attention to Sesshomaru.
"So why are you here?" Kagome asked.
"These are my lands."
"Oh. That's right."
"What she meant was what brings you to our group?" Sango helped.
"I brought someone to meet you girls once I felt you enter my lands. She wanted to see Kagome again."
(A/N: I don't really remember if there is a specific spot where this fic is placed so we'll pretend that Rin and Kagome have already met)
"Kagome-chan!" A little girl's voice shouted coming from behind the tall lord. Soon after, a little girl in a cream and orange checkered kimono with a side pony tail ran into the clearing. The little girl jumped into the outstretched arms of Kagome and they twirled around laughing.
"My, my Rin. It feels like you've grown." She said shifting the girl to her hip of her uninjured side.
"Yes I have! And Rin has lost two teeth! See!" The little girl exclaimed baring her teeth in a huge grin.
"I see. What did you do with your teeth?"
"I carry them around with me in this little purse Sesshomaru-sama gave to me." The little girl pulled a little green satin-like pouch from her sash.
"I'm glad you did Rin-chan. After we're done making dinner and setting up camp, I'll tell you a story about teeth. Ok?"
"Ok." Rin smiled as Kagome set her down.
Camp was set up in no time and Kagome began cooking too. "What's that, Kagome?" Rin asked peering into the pot over Kagome's shoulder.
"It's ramen. It's really good. It's almost done." Soon she was pouring the broth and noodles into bowls handing the first bowl to Rin. A pang of sadness crossed her heart as she watched the little girl eat. It reminded her of Shippou, but it quickly went away as she continued to serve dinner. "Would you like to try some?" Kagome offered a bowl to Sesshomaru.
"You should try it Lord Sesshomaru. It's really good." Rin added. The taiyoukai took the bowl and chopsticks from Kagome and began to eat. He nodded his gratitude after his first try.
After they had settled down after cleaning up dinner, Kagome tucked Rin into her sleeping bag between herself and Sango. Not knowing whether there was such a thing as a tooth fairy in Sengoku Jidai, Kagome began with a question. "Have you ever heard of the tooth fairy?"
"No, but Jaken told me there's a youkai spirit who steals the teeth of human children who don't behave. I don't want him to steal my teeth. So I've been extra good."
"Well, the tooth fairy is different. She's like a tiny sprite. She's really pretty, wears a tiny crown, carries a magic wand around, and flies. She's really nice and sweet."
"I bet she looks like you Kagome because you're pretty and nice and sweet." Rin interjected. Kagome giggled.
"No, I'm pretty sure the tooth fairy is prettier than me."
"I don't think anyone can be prettier than you Kagome-chan."
"Aw, that's so sweet of you Rin-chan. You're such an adorable little girl."
"So what does the tooth fairy do?"
"Well, if you continue to be a good little girl and go to sleep when you're told to and place your teeth under your pillow, she'll leave you a nice treat."
"Really?"
"Yep." Rin beamed and hopped about excited.
"The tooth fairy is going to leave me a present!" She chanted dancing around Kagome. Kagome laughed.
"You need to be asleep first or she won't come."
"But I'm so excited. Will you tell me a story?"
"Of course." Kagome said tucking her in. She told her the story of Goldilocks and the three bear youkai. (A/N: Just think of the story with youkai, rice, and a happy ending where Goldilocks and the baby bear become best friends. If you want me to write out the little story, then just ask and I'll add it to the chapter, but I'm pretty sure you can imagine what it would sound like).
Rin and Sango were fast asleep by the end of her story. Miroku and Sesshomaru were still awake. Kagome waited a little longer before getting up to look through her bag.
"What're you looking for?" Miroku asked.
"Shippou's candy supply. I'm sure he won't mind."
"What do you need with that/'
"I'm putting it under her pillow."
"But isn't that the tooth fairy's job?"
"The tooth fairy is made up. It's a type of tradition because losing your baby teeth means you're growing up. My mom did it to me and my brother. We got money instead of candy though. But I think there's something else I can give her as well as candy." She began pulling things out of the bag to find it. "Here it is." Kagome smiled.
"It looks like a fox." Miroku stated.
"It's Shippou's dad." Kagome said quietly. "I made it with the help of my mom and a picture Shippou had drawn before." A tear drop splashed onto her hand. She hadn't noticed, but Miroku did.
"We all miss him." He said patting her shoulder. Kagome nodded wiping away the rest of her tears. She quietly snuck the candy and stuffed animal under Rin's pillow after taking out the teeth and putting the pouch back. Kagome put the teeth in her yellow backpack after putting them into a little jewelry box she had absently thrown in there and discovered looking for the toy. After returning everything to her bag, she laid down next to the little girl and fell asleep. Sesshomaru silently watched not too far away.
"Wake up everyone!" Rin shouted waking everyone. She even managed to startle Sesshomaru from a light snooze. "Wake up and see what the tooth fairy left me!" She was so excited. She danced around with her new treasures. The tow fox held in one arm and a little bag of candy in the other. When everyone gathered around she held them out for all to see. "I don't know what these are, but they have pretty colors."
"They're candy Rin-chan. They're sweets. But you can't have any until after breakfast. Ok?" The little girl pouted, but skipped around the clearing trying to decide which one she wanted to try first.
Kagome groaned realizing it was the crack of dawn and then proceeded to make breakfast. No, not ramen, but a type of rice porridge that Kaeda taught her how to make. (A/N: I would like to believe they eat other things besides ramen, potato chips, and candy while traveling).
Breakfast went by quickly and camp was packed up just as fast. After a short ride on Kirara, Rin wanted to try riding on the weird thing that Miroku was riding on. Too big to sit in the basket, they took the bag off the back of the bike and let her sit on it holding onto Miroku's robes. She was currently sucking on a hard strawberry flavored candy that had a stick coming from it. "Are you enjoying the ride, Rin?" Miroku asked over his shoulder.
"Hai!" She shouted. "Go faster!" And they did.
"Be careful Miroku!" Kagome called. They slowed down though when the road became windier.
"I'll trade you something for a candy." Miroku offered Rin.
"What would you like to trade?" She asked.
"Well, it just so happens that I have a few pretty trinkets. I'm sure you would love to choose from." Miroku said searching deep into the sleeves and folds of his robes. In minutes, he produced a few pretty hair combs and a few bracelets of varying size, shape, color, and price.
"Pick any one you want." Rin looked at them all with fascinated interest. There was a comb made out of gold with the shapes of birds imprinted into the metal and a comb made out of wood that was painted yellow and green. There was another comb made out of ivory with pink jeweled sakura blossoms decorating it that Rin really liked. There were bracelets made out of jade, wood, and stone. She ran a finger over the beads of a bracelet made of pretty pink stone. She was even more attracted to this than the comb she liked.
"I like this bracelet, Miroku-san." Rin said picking it up. Miroku nodded with a smile.
"It's yours. Now may I please pick a piece of candy to trade?" Rin nodded as she handed him the bag. Sango and Kagome were sitting close by looking at the little treasures Miroku pulled out.
"I really like that ivory comb with the sakura blossoms." Sango told Kagome quietly.
"I like that comb too, but I think I'd rather have a bracelet like Rin. He has one made with dark blue beads." Kagome said back to her. The bracelets reminded her of the jade bracelet that Naraku had given to her earlier. She had left it at home afraid she would lose it.
Even though Miroku was somewhat busy looking for what he wanted in Rin's candy bag, he still overheard the girls. He softly chuckled. After finding what he wanted, he pouted. There was only one and he didn't want to deny Rin the joy of chocolate if she only had one candy bar. Thinking quickly, he gathered the combs and bracelets. He put them away except for the comb and bracelet that Sango and Kagome had picked out. He picked out a lollipop instead that the bag had at least two more of that he saw and returned the rest of the candy to Rin.
"What're you going to do with those?" Rin asked pointing at the ivory comb and dark blue bracelet.
"I'm going to trade with Sango and Kagome now." He said walking towards the girls.
"I'll trade you chocolate for the bracelet, Kagome." Kagome smiled before turning to her bag to find what he asked for. Sango looked a little depressed that she had nothing to trade for the comb. Miroku took her hand and placed the comb in her palm. "It's yours if you give me another kiss." He whispered into her ear. She blushed.
"Not now, ok? Later." Sango said with a squeak while pushing him away.
"Alright, but you're lucky you mean so much to me or I'd take back the comb." He said with a little laugh. Before Sango could answer, Kagome had found the chocolate and was exchanging it for the bracelet.
Sesshomaru would have rolled his eyes.
Rin showed him her new bracelet. He only nodded his head and the little girl skipped to play a little.
"Where have you been, Kikyou?" The said woman stopped from her long strides to turn towards the speaker.
"Away." Was her single answer.
"I don't blame you. Everyone wants revenge. What I don't know, Kikyou, is why you would kill an innocent child." He leaned against a tree in her line of vision after she turned completely around to face him.
"I'm a miko, Inuyasha. It's my duty to purify demons regardless of age. He was interfering."
"Then why am I still alive? Why haven't you killed met yet, Kikyou?" She narrowed her eyes.
"You know why." She answered.
"No, I don't Kikyou. If you're referring to the feelings you had for me in the past it's a lie because the Kikyou I fell in love with would never kill an innocent child. Demon or not. You're not Kikyou. You're not my Kikyou." They stood staring at each other as Inuyasha's words continued to hang in the air. Kikyou was the first to look away.
"You're right but wrong Inuyasha. I am Kikyou, but I'm not the same Kikyou. This body remains here out of my hatred for you and the souls of other young girls. I am incapable of feeling anything but anger and hatred. To love and to laugh is death for me. I am not going until Naraku is dead and you go to hell with me."
A/N: It's been a long long long time since I updated. I either got writer's block or I forgot where I was going with the fic or I got too busy with school. But here it is… sorry for the long wait… hopefully I can get out another chapter before two months have passed because I am on winter break… I will try, but there are no guarantees… thanks for reading