DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho
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Summary: Keiko has left Yusuke, leaving the Toushin heartbroken. Kagome has lost her friends to Naraku and is tied to the world, unable to die. Angst? Oh yeah. Love? Definitely.
oOo
"Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
Yusuke had never known just how true that statement was until late last night, when he had seen Keiko for the last time. Okay, maybe that was a little over-dramatic, it wasn't like Keiko had died last night, all she did was completely shatter his heart. After a particularly gruesome battle that Keiko had somehow gotten mixed up in, she pulled Yusuke aside and ruthlessly tore his heart out.
"I can't do this anymore Yusuke, what if we had kids? I just can't let them live their lives in danger all the time, we can't do it. I need a normal life, where I can raise my kids without worrying about them being attacked because they're YOUR kids. I'm sorry!"
That moment played over and over again in Yusuke's mind, the anguished look on Keiko's face just before she ran down the street and back home. He knew that it was true, what she had said, his children would never be safe and he would always be protecting them. But he thought she understood, he would always protect them dammit! She had every right to want to leave, it was slightly surprising that she had stuck with him for so long, but he thought that...that she loved him. He loved her, even now, despite her outburst.
And now, walking down a deserted street in the very beginnings of what seemed like a horrible rainstorm, Yusuke cried. He didn't bawl or make any sounds that would lead to the conclusion that he was crying, even if you looked at his face you wouldn't be able to tell because of the rain. All the pent-up emotion was driving him insane and he slammed his fist into the nearest building repeatedly, letting out one choked sob that was filled with anguish. He fell to his knees and bowed his head, tears falling to the sidewalk as thunder sounded from above.
He didn't know quite how long he stayed like that before he heard a chilling scream that sent shivers up and down his spine. It was close, only a block or two away if he judged it correctly. Glad to have something that distracted him from his emotional torment, Yusuke sprung up and ran in the direction that he had heard the scream.
oOo
Kagome ran, pushing her body to its limits, slipping and sliding in the rain as she tried to escape the rather large demon that was chasing her. She hadn't been home for a week and she was already being hounded by demons that were after the Shikon no Tama. It was so much pressure to defend herself and her family that Kagome had moved out of the shrine and into a small, shabby apartment downtown. She called her family every day to make sure that everyone was okay, being constantly reminded that they missed her. Of course she missed them too but she just couldn't go back and endanger their lives, she had already ruined the lives of her friends in the Feudal Era, she didn't want to do the same to everyone else.
A tear slipped from one of her cerulean orbs as she was reminded of the sacrifice InuYasha had made for her. Instead of allowing Kikyo to steal her soul and live again, InuYasha had gone to Hell with her, leaving Kagome feeling utterly alone and broken-hearted. He had been the last of her friends after the battle with Naraku, the others had died in the war.
"Never to suffer would never to have been blessed."
Too true, in Kagome's opinion. Had she not suffered the trials of fixing the Shikon and fighting Naraku, Kagome would have never met her friends or fallen in love for the first time. Of course, because she now carried the Shikon within herself, she would never truly be free of her ongoing battle for balance. That posed a problem and now Kagome did not get close to just anyone, leaving all her old friends in the dust as she lived for fighting and not much more.
She had considered leaving the world of the living and found herself held back by the Shikon's reluctance to give her up. So nothing was left except to defeat all the demons that came after her and to hone her skills as the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama. Which is where she was now.
Because she had gotten caught up in her thoughts, Kagome did not see where she was going until it was too late and she found herself cornered in a rather rank-smelling alley. The rain didn't help much with the smell…can you say "Eww!" Of all the times to forget her weapons Kagome found this to be the worst time and she had to work with what she had around her. There was a dumpster (not useful), a couple garbage bags (also not useful) and a small pipe connected to a building used for Gods only know what.
Deciding that she would rather use the pipe than take her chances with the demon weaponless, Kagome used all the strength she could muster and let out a scream as she yanked it away from the wall and rammed it into the demon's stomach. She tried to pull it back out but found it stuck and was, once again, left defenseless. Before she could process a new plan she was snatched up by the huge demon and she felt its long claws digging painfully into her side.
She watched, in some sort of trance-like fascination, as her blood ran down the knuckles of the demon and dripped to the ground below. Strange, there seemed to be more of it than she thought her small body could hold. While her mind went numb she was still slightly aware of what happened around her, especially when a bright light came flying toward her out of nowhere.
It went past her and straight into the chest of the demon, sending her flying back to the ground to land right smack on her back. She sat up, wincing at the pain that radiated throughout her body and glared in the direction that the ball of light had come from. There, in the mouth of the alley, stood a silhouette of a guy looking completely laid-back. She couldn't tell his age just by looking at him, but he was built quite nicely and had an air of a punkish attitude the radiated off of him. Kagome also caught something else; demon blood flowed through his veins, though he seemed to be entirely human.
She stood up and strode over to the demon that attacked her, completely forgetting her injuries for the moment, and put her hand to its twitching body and purified it into ash. As she did so, Kagome said a small prayer for his soul before turning around and storming toward the young man that had helped her out. If you call nearly killing her "helping her out."
"What the Hell did you think you were doing, I could have handled that on my own!" Kagome shouted, knowing that it was a lie but still angry.
"Holy shit, chick! I just saved your life!" Yusuke shouted back, confused and angry at the same time.
Kagome got up his face, taking the time to note that it was cute, and started yelling again, "I didn't need your help; I could have easily taken care of it!"
"Then why did I hear you scream from two blocks away? And what the Hell did you do to that demon?" Yusuke demanded, now getting up in her face.
Kagome hesitated a bit, "Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. Now leave me alone before I do the same to you!" She shouted before giving him a rather rough shove on the shoulder and storming past him.
Yusuke watched her leave from his position against the alley wall, a little shocked that the girl he had just saved had yelled at him for it. She was definitely something different, but what did that matter, he was probably never going to see her again. In some ways she reminded him of Keiko, her "constant PMS" attitude with him whenever he would fight. But this girl was angry that he had jumped in on her fight, whereas Keiko would have been angry because he could have gotten hurt.
He shook his head and left the alley, taking his mind off of Keiko with thoughts of the strange girl he had just encountered. She obviously knew about demons, she had done something to the demon earlier, leaving no trace of it. Yusuke wondered if he should inform Koenma of the weird girl with the even weirder powers. She didn't look to be a demon, but Hell if he knew; he couldn't sense the difference between a demon and a regular human that was Kuwabara's and Hiei's job. Yusuke dragged a hand through his hair in frustration and pushed himself away from the building he had been leaning on, intent on following the girl and questioning her some more.
It didn't take him long to find her, her injuries were terrible and she had lost a lot of blood. She was lying, half awake and half asleep, in the middle of the deserted street not 10 yards from the alley. Yusuke cursed and jogged over to her, not at all happy about the way his night was turning out.
"Damn girl, if I wasn't such a nice guy I would leave you here on your own. You're more trouble than Koenma's worth, though that's not sayin' much." Yusuke muttered as he easily picked Kagome's bleeding form up and carried her back to his apartment, no longer thinking about Keiko.
oOo
When Kagome woke up she found herself in a very comfortable bed that smelled quite nice. She snuggled her face into the pillow and breathed deep, taking in the musky scent that was pleasing and it didn't overwhelm her senses. At first she was content but then realized that she didn't remember her room smelling quite like this and she also didn't remember ever GETTING home. She sat up quickly, causing herself to get a major head rush and she fell back down on the bed.
Muttering curses, Kagome slowly forced herself up, ignoring the pain that seemed to be everywhere in her body. The room was dark and she looked around for something she would find familiar but was disappointed by her lack of findings. Before she started panicking, Kagome took a few deep breaths, noting the rain that she heard hitting the window off to her left and the voices she heard, presumably from the next room. Silently she crept from the bed and toward the direction the voices came from, finding a door knob and a door connected to it (lol, no way!).
She eased it open just a crack and listened in to what the voices were talking about, keeping her aura and scent masked just in case.
"Damn, I already told the toddler, I don't know what the hell she did. One minute the demon was lyin' there and the next minute he was dust." Yusuke all but shouted at his teammates, getting frustrated with their persistence that he repeat the story.
Kurama flipped a bit of his red hair behind his shoulder as he readjusted his position in a rather uncomfortable chair before speaking, "Is it possible that the girl you are talking about is a priestess?"
Yusuke sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "What? Well, she might be but I thought they were all basically powerless now. Besides, wouldn't the toddler have already had us after her if she had a lot of power?"
Kuwabara took that moment to add his two-sense into the conversation, "I can't believe you let a girl get hurt, Urameshi! She was just a girl, defenseless, that was totally against the code!"
Kagome, offended by his statement that girls were defenseless, couldn't stop herself from shouting, "What the hell?" as she barged out of the room she had been in and into plain view of the four guys that had been conversing.
A minute. Now two. The guys were all staring at her in silence as she was staring at them. Eventually the stress of getting up so soon after being injured got to Kagome and she started to sink to the ground. Kurama, being the swift demon that he is, caught her before she hit the floor and carried her to the couch. She was still conscious but her body was exhausted.
"Now, what is going on and who are all of you? Wait a second," Kagome said before anyone could respond, "I recognize you." She was staring at Yusuke.
"Keh, so what?" Yusuke oh-so-smartly replied.
"You nearly killed me when you barged in on my fight!" She screeched, trying to climb off the couch and over to Yusuke, but she was held back by Kurama.
Yusuke got angry, "I heard you scream and came to help, Gods, I should have let you die!"
Kuwabara was appalled, "Urameshi, but she's a girl!" No one seemed to pay attention to the hybrid who sat on the windowsill, eyes dancing with amusement.
Kagome turned her anger toward the unattractive guy with a glare that caused him to faint. The uncomfortable and fiery auras that surrounded him caused his dreams to be filled with the torment of small kittens (I can't believe I put that in there…WAH!)
Satisfied with the effect she had on the guy, Kagome turned her glare back toward Yusuke, and the two had a staring contest of sorts. Kurama, feeling rather dissatisfied with the current situation, cleared his throat loudly, catching the attention of Kagome and Yusuke. The attention he received, however, wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. Now the temperamental duo was glaring at HIM!
He sighed and spoke, "If you two are finished with your childish games I believe we should continue our earlier conversation. Is that alright with you Miss…"
"Cinammon, that's my name!" Kuwabara said in a high-pitched voice while he was still unconscious.
They all stared at him, dazed by the outburst, but Kagome shook it off quickly and gave Kurama her name, "Kagome Higurashi."
"Ah, Miss Higurashi, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you would so kindly inform us as to what happened with the demon you and our friend Yusuke encountered we would be most grateful." Kurama said, laying on some of his charm.
Kagome quickly pushed herself out of Kurama's arms and sat on the opposite end of the couch, making sure that he wasn't touching her anymore. Kurama and Yusuke thought she was insane while Hiei thought it was amusing that she ran from the fox's appeal.
"Oh no, don't you try that with me!" Kagome said in an accusing tone to Kurama before her features became more angry and less paranoid as she spoke again, "I'll tell you what happened, that dumbass over there tried to barge in on MY fight!"
"I saved your life, what the hell is wrong with that?" Yusuke fired back, "If I hadn't come when you screamed you would be dead right now!"
"I could have handled it!" Kagome seethed, angry that he was right.
"As if, you were bleeding all over the place!" Yusuke's statement caused Kagome to pause for a second. She HAD been bleeding, but why wasn't she now? That was when she noticed the tight feel of bandages wrapped around her torso and the pull of what she supposed were stitches, every time she moved.
"Who fixed me up?" Kagome asked, her anger momentarily forgotten.
"I did." Kurama answered.
Kagome nodded in his direction, "Thank you, I appreciate it." Then she heard Yusuke rant.
"You thank him for bandaging you up but do I get a thank you for saving your life or bringing you here so Kurama could fix you up in the first place? Nooooooo…" He was on his feet now, obviously upset. He was letting his feelings about Keiko mix with the current situation.
Kagome could tell that something was up and reined in her temper, for now, "Okay, I'm sorry man. Thanks for the help, I was just being a little difficult with you, but I'm really grateful."
Yusuke calmed down a bit, a little ashamed that he had let himself get so worked up. He sat back down in his chair and cast a sorrowful look her way before staring into nothingness, leaving a strange silence in the room.
"What's the matter Yusuke, did something else happen that you want to talk about?" Kurama questioned. He was looking to Hiei, hinting at him to take a peek in the Toushin's mind.
Hiei "hn"ed and complied, easily coming across a flicker of what seemed to be bothering the detective, but there was suddenly a mental barrier in his way. Outwardly he growled, puzzled by the barrier that he had encountered, noticing it wasn't the same type of energy that Yusuke gave off. The energy felt like…
"Woman, what do you think you are doing?" Hiei growled at Kagome, watching her blink all too innocently.
"Whatever are you talking about?" Kagome asked, letting a false mask of confusion fall over her face as she tilted her head to the side.
"You know what it is I speak of, give me an answer before I dig it out of you with my katana!" Hiei demanded coldly, glaring at her.
Kagome, after figuring out that Hiei was not one to be taken lightly and was also not stupid, dropped the façade and looked him straight in the eye with a look that could kill.
"I believe that he should be able to tell you what he wants you to know and not have you pry through his mind for any answer you wanted. You should wait until he's ready to talk about it and not invade his privacy like that!" Kagome responded, getting angry even though she had no ties to the young man before her.
"Hn." Hiei gave her another cold glare before turning away and glaring out the window. Kagome gave a huff at his attitude and turned her head away, until she heard the chuckle of the fox next to her.
"And don't you start laughing; I know you were in on that." Kagome said in a motherly tone, very nearly wagging her finger at him. "Firecracker over there doesn't seem like the type to care so you must have persuaded him somehow." Hiei growled at the nickname.
Kurama was abashed that she had caught on and was modest enough to let a light blush stain his cheeks as he looked away. He had only been worried about his friend but Kagome was right, he should have waited until Yusuke was ready to talk about it.
"Hey!" Yusuke yelled, finally fed up with trying to catch their attention a nicer way, "What the Hell are you all talking about?"
Kagome snorted and answered, much like a tattling sister would, "Shrimpy over there decided that he was going to try and peek at your mind, but only after the fox talked him into it."
He went a little ashy but caught her phrasing and asked, "What do you mean by 'try and peek?'"
"I mean," Kagome said in an aggravated tone, "I blocked him from your mind. He had no right to see what you didn't want to share."
"So, does that mean you took a look?" Yusuke asked accusingly.
"Hell no, I don't care about your problems. I just don't like it when someone gets messed with without their consent, is all."
Yusuke wasn't sure if he could trust her but decided to give her a shot and grunted a thanks. Kurama, seeing that all the death glares and hatred toward one another had died, decided that now was as good as any time to discuss the demon.
Sadly, Botan took that time to pop in and shock them all of them out of their pants with her appearance. Kagome stared at her and Botan stared back, her mouth hanging slightly open as she rapidly blinked, believing that she was hallucinating. Once she realized that she wasn't seeing things, Botan snapped her jaw shut and bowed deeply to Kagome.
"Lady Kagome, I have heard many tales of your group and your trials, I am honored to be in your presence." Suddenly her face went into a piteous and sad look, "I'm so sorry for your los…"
Kagome cut her off, "Please don't call me Lady, I don't deserve it. Would you mind explaining who you are and what you are doing here?" Kagome eyes were hard and something behind them seemed to be cracking.
"Oh, forgive my rudeness M'Lady!" Botan chirped before introducing herself, "I am Botan, one of the deities of Death. I have come for Yusuke and the others because Lord Koenma wants to see them. Pardon me for asking but, are you the girl that Yusuke saved?"
"Yes, though I hate to admit it. I should have paid more attention to the fight." She grudgingly acknowledged, wanting nothing more than to growl at the girl before her right now but her nicer side wouldn't allow it.
Botan nodded, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it and instead said, "Well, come on! Lord Koenma wants to talk to you guys. Why don't you come along Lady Kagome? I'm sure Lord Koenma would love to meet you."
Before Kagome could answer, Yusuke yelled, "What the Hell are you calling this chick Lady for?"
Appalled by the way Yusuke was acting in the presence of such a well-known and respected individual, Botan smacked him over the head with her oar and shoved him through the portal. The guys followed, Kurama dragging Kuwabara as Hiei sped into the portal, leaving Botan looking at Kagome with such an expectant and innocent look that Kagome knew she would be going through that portal. Sighing and glancing down at her bloody and torn clothes, Kagome gave a snort, wondering why she would be concerned about how she looked just because she was going to see a Lord. As she stepped through the portal she felt the world spin and turn upside down and, before she got to the other side, she got her bearings and that allowed her to enter Koenma's office rather gracefully. That is, until she tripped over Kuwabara's still unconscious body.
WHAM! She landed right on her face to the amusement of her new 'friends' and found herself amused when the ferrygirl Botan smacked the fox and the detective upside their heads and glared at them. After she stood back up Kagome took in her surroundings and her eyes almost automatically landed on the toddler sitting at the desk. At first she thought it was cute but, when it started speaking, Kagome flat out laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She found herself back on the floor, rolling with laughter despite the pain it caused her. "It's-it's a t-talking baby! What t-the Hell!"
Koenma was glaring down at the girl that had dared to laugh at him while demanding that Botan tell him just who she was and what she was doing in HIS office.
"This is Lady Kagome, Lord Koenma sir. You know, the Guardian, Kagome Higurashi?" Botan answered perkily, her eyes glittering as she watched Kagome roll around on the floor, her laughter subsiding to giggles.
Koenma gaped at Botan and then at Kagome, his pacifier dropping out of his mouth and landing on his desk with a small thud. He nearly wet himself. THE Kagome Higurashi. THE Guardian. Was in HIS office.
"Hey, what the Hell are you staring at toddler?" Kagome demanded, done laughing and now angry that she seemed to instill such a creepy reaction from the freaky baby.
Koenma regained his composure and snatched up his pacifier before speaking, ignoring the Spirit Detectives in place of Kagome.
"Lady Kagome, forgive me for being so rude, I would personally like to welcome you to the Spirit World. I truly can't believe that you're here, if there is anything you desire I know my father would not hesitate to give it to you." Koenma said, still in awe of her presence.
"Oi! Toddler, didn't you want us for somethin'?" Yusuke said, frustrated at being ignored by the baby ruler.
"Huh?" Koenma looked up from Kagome and realization dawned on him, he had wanted to speak to the detective and the rest of the group. "Ah, yes. Yusuke, it has come to my attention that there is a highly powerful demon hopping the barriers. He is a psychic demon, he can delve into your mind and torment you with images that would scar you for years and he can cause you physical injury without so much as a blink. He is very dangerous and I had feared that he might be too much for you but now that Lady Kagome is here I do believe that you can defeat this demon."
"Whoa whoa whoa there, hold up a sec toddler. I only came here 'cause Botan gave me those puppy-dog eyes and told me that you might wanna meet me. I am NOT going to be sent out to do a job, I know that you know I already have a job." Kagome said, standing up and placing her hands on her hips, glaring angrily at Koenma.
Koenma fought the urge to tell her that he wasn't a toddler but, knowing of Kagome's power, he swallowed his pride and only said, "But, Lady Kagome, we need yo…"
"Oh no! Not this, 'we need you to save the world' crap! I would like nothing more than to go about my duties, actually, I would like to join my friends but it seems that I am stuck here. I just want to rest, I ask for nothing more than to be able to live my miserable life in peace. Please, don't ask for more than I am willing to give, I believe that this group could be capable of accomplishing your task, please let me be." Kagome hadn't planned on pleading with the baby ruler, but her anger had faded and her weariness had set in, leaving her feeling way more vulnerable than she liked.
Lord Koenma, knowing that he could not push her on this, and knowing that he didn't want to because of just how sad she looked, gave a defeated sigh. With that sigh he saw her eyes light up the tiniest bit and reveled in the small smile she gave him but even more enjoyed the hug she gave him. He signaled Botan to open a portal and, just as she was leaving he spoke,
"Lady Kagome? I am truly sorry for your loss."
Barely above a whisper, Kagome responded, "I would not have lost them if I had not been so foolish."
After she had gone everyone had stood in silence, looking at the empty space that the portal she had left in once occupied. The silence was broken by Kurama, he cleared his throat and then asked a question.
"Lord Koenma, would you mind explaining about Lady Kagome? She seemed like nothing more than a priestess, a powerful priestess, but still just a priestess, and then Botan shows up and acts as if she is one of the Gods herself. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we are confused."
Koenma nodded his understanding; of course the boys had not known about Lady Kagome, he had never felt it necessary to explain her to them before.
"Lady Kagome is not just a powerful priestess, she is the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, a powerful and cursed jewel that has destroyed many lives. She had been pulled through a time portal on the grounds of her shrine back to the Feudal Era and accidentally shattered the jewel while saving a child. She set out with her half demon companion, InuYasha, to regain the lost pieces. As she went about her duty she encountered others who were all linked together by one particular person, Naraku. It seems that an evil half demon by the name of Naraku desired the Shikon on Tama and was also gathering up the shards, hoping to become all powerful, he was already dangerous and had slaughtered many people. Together with her companions, Lady Kagome endured many hardships; she had even lost her soul at one point!
As she traveled and collected the shards she trained and grew more powerful with every day. In the end there was a final battle between her group and Naraku and his off-spring for the jewel. Many died, including all of Lady Kagome's companions, even the one that she called son, but she had defeated the evil half demon and avenged their deaths. She has returned to her time and now I do not know what will happen. Lady Kagome is so strong and stubborn but she is also so fragile. Had it not been for the Shikon's determination in keeping her as its Guardian she would have joined her friends in death."
Koenma shook his head sadly as the others took in the information they had just received, including Kuwabara who had woken up just in time to hear her story. They knew that there was more to the story, deeper and more intimate details that would explain how fragile she truly is but they did not press Koenma on it because surely the toddler did not know it all.
"Now, before you go I just want to remind you to do routine checks around the barrier for this psychic demon. I do not know just how much damage it can cause."
Botan opened a portal and dropped them off in front of Yusuke's apartment building, leaving them with a cheerful goodbye. Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei all went their separate ways, leaving Yusuke to go up to his apartment alone. After kicking off his shoes and grabbing himself a soda out of the fridge he found a note on the table in the living room.
'Thanks, sorry that I was such a pain in the ass.
Kagome'
He looked it over a few times, noting that the paper smelled like her, a soft and soothing scent with that hint of power beneath that sent his head spinning. After crumbling it up and draining the last of his pop, Yusuke sat down and watched some television. The whole time he sat on the couch he never noticed the tears rolling down his face or the pain in his chest that signified that his heart was broken. Keiko had no idea what she had done to him.
oOo
2 weeks later…
Kagome brushed her bangs out of her face with a heavy sigh as she walked along the sidewalk next to a patch of trees that the city decided to call "woods." She was on her way to Yusuke's apartment; she had met with him and the other guys there every other day since when she first met them. They got along fairly well now, though Kurama had been insistent in calling her "Lady Kagome" at first, but he had given up after the stone-cold glare she had given him.
She and Yusuke fought a lot at first but they got along quite well, only playful fighting between them, unless it was something serious. He hadn't opened up much to her but that was alright considering she hadn't opened up to him much either. Despite the fact that she got along with the guys she did not want to get attached, she knew that she would probably leave them behind eventually or they would finally figure out just how worthless she was and leave her. She didn't want to be hurt and so kept herself distanced from them. Being friendly without actually being friends. It was hard for her, she was naturally a person that could be a true friend with you within an hour of meeting you, but she restrained herself.
She sighed again, deep in thought, so deep in thought that she did not even notice the demon that had been leering at her from inside the trees. That was, until it grabbed her and flew off towards the heart of the woods.
oOo
"Damn! Let's hurry up and get this demon, Kagome should be at the apartment soon!" Yusuke said, frustrated as he weaved through the trees in the small woods where they had been dropped off.
The others were right beside or behind him, all following the trail of energy left by the demon. Koenma had ordered Botan to gather up the guys and drop them right outside the woods, frantic. The demon had captured a human and had taken off into the heart of the woods, they didn't know who it was but either way it was important to rescue the person and destroy the demon.
Yusuke hadn't been happy about the mission; he had been enjoying hanging out with Kagome and didn't want to miss out on her coming over. He still hurt, Keiko had really cut him deep, but Kagome was helping to ease his pain and she didn't even know it. He had planned on telling her and possibly the others about what Keiko had done tonight, but fate seemed to not like his idea much.
He shook his head and ducked under a branch, trying to focus on finishing this mission as soon as possible so that he could go hang out with Kagome and the guys. He hadn't really realized just how close he was getting to Kagome until now, but just shrugged it off as a budding friendship. Like he really believed that any girl could really love him, Keiko was the only one that had understood and even she had gotten fed up after a while. He would take what he could get from Kagome, and if that meant that they just stayed friends, then so be it.
Just as he and the others burst into a small clearing they were greeted with a strange sight. Kagome, aura just beginning to flare, was attempting to pull her arm out of the grip of a demon. He was almost human in appearance, except for the fact that his skin was blue, and he had shoulder-length black hair and bright green eyes. He had twin stripes underneath his eyes, both thin and black, and his clothing suggested that he was nobility. But the thing that caught their eyes the most was his shimmering, black, feathered wings that were tucked next to him.
"Oi! Bozo, let go of Kagome and fight us like a real man…uh, demon!" Kuwabara shouted, almost sounding threatening. Almost.
Yusuke cracked his knuckles, extremely angry and ready to kick the shit out of the demon, "Come on pretty boy, let's see just what you can do!"
He started to run at the demon, fist back and ready to throw a punch while Kurama brought out his rose and Hiei readied his sword as Kuwabara called out his Spirit Sword. Right as the punch was about to land the demon pulled Kagome in front of him as a shield and Yusuke just barely stopped in time. His fist was an inch away from her face, which was just looking at it with a slightly expectant look.
"Geez Urameshi, forget that I'm here and just kill the bastard already! I can't die, in case you didn't know that, just get the job done!" Kagome said, though she can't say that she wasn't relieved that his punch stopped short. She knew he was powerful, more powerful than InuYasha with Tessaigia.
Yusuke, for one of the few times in his life, didn't know how he was going to fight. Despite the fact that he knew what Kagome said was true, he didn't want to hurt her. He pulled back and stood, ready for anything that the demon had to throw at him, or so he thought. Just as he was starting to think that the demon had fell asleep, he felt a searing pain rip through his mind and a voice echoed,
'Relive all your pain, I want to see you suffer.'
All his worst memories came back, almost as if he had gone back in time and he was truly living the moments over again. The Dark Tournament, previous fights he had where he had nearly lost, dying, Keiko…
The others were suffering the same way, including Kagome; all had dropped to the ground, save Kagome who was being held up by the demon causing the pain. Physical wounds were manifesting on their bodies, each injury they had received during their most painful battles. But soon they stopped, they were all still injured but it had ended. The guys looked up at the demon to see him glaring angrily at Kagome, who was still writhing in pain.
Kagome had put up barriers, or in Hiei's case, strengthened his barriers, but that had resulted in all their pain being redirected to her. Along with reliving all her painful memories she was suffering through theirs as well. The intensity of the pain forced her to scream, it was soul-shaking, the pain she was in was being echoed in that scream. When Hiei figured out just what she was doing he was surprised as well as confused.
"Stupid woman." He said, catching the attention of the others.
"So you have figured it out Forbidden Child? You know what it is she is doing to herself all for the sake of you misfits?" The demon asked, his voice filled with dark amusement.
Hiei leveled a glare at the demon before picking his sword up off the ground and preparing to attack, but Yusuke asked a question that stopped him for the moment.
"Hiei, what is it she's doing?" Yusuke eyes were on Kagome's figure, the demon had tossed her to the ground and she was bleeding all over. Scars that they had seen had reopened and wounds that looked familiar to them were appearing on her body as well.
"She has blocked him from our minds. She has done something stupid, bringing our past pain upon herself in an attempt to help us." Hiei answered, still glaring at the demon that was now smirking in enjoyment at Kagome's suffering.
Yusuke just stood there; jaw clenched as he knew just how much pain she would be going through just from working with the guys for as long as he had. All that they had gone through, she was now going through, including her own pain. A resolve that he would put an end to her suffering, Yusuke lifted his hands up, mimicking a gun with his finger, and shouted, "SPIRIT GUN!"
The attack released an enormous amount of power that struck the demon and had slammed him into a tree. Yusuke looked over to Hiei and gave him a slight nod, knowing that his friend would know what he meant. In a blur Hiei was across the clearing and had beheaded the demon before any of them could blink. Kagome's scream died, and she was now shuddering and whimpering on the ground, blood still pouring from the wounds she had acquired.
Yusuke slowly approached Kagome's shivering form on the ground and picked her up gently, cradling her to his form. She was whimpering, a few tears sliding down her cheek, making a path in the blood and dirt that caked her beautiful face. He walked away, maneuvering through the woods and making his way to his apartment, all the while blaming himself for what happened.
Had she not been coming to his apartment, had he only found the demon sooner, she wouldn't have been put in danger or been hurt. He cursed himself, even as he took care to lay her on his bed and start cleaning her wounds. Something deep inside of him burned and made him feel horribly ill every time he saw the wounds that had been inflicted because of his past. She had stopped whimpering but she was still shaking, a light sheen of cold sweat on her forehead as she was fighting the pain deep within her.
As he was cleaning her wounds gently, she whispered something, something that stopped the very breath in his lungs.
"Yusuke…make it stop…" Then she shifted restlessly in her sleep, a whine escaping her throat as she whispered again, "Don't hurt me, please make it stop…"
He was taken aback; he hadn't expected her to ask HIM to make the pain stop. Perhaps her mother or some other part of her family, but never him, though it made sense because he had caused some of the pain she was in. He sat on the edge of his bed, brushing his fingers through her bangs and watching her face. She let out a small sigh and her face seemed to relax a little, but she was still in pain, he knew it. He had to stop what he was doing to bandage her wounds, his job slightly shoddy but it did what it was supposed to do.
Kagome was half-dressed but it didn't matter to Yusuke as he crawled into the bed and pulled her against his chest in an attempt to sooth her mental pain. Questions were flying through his mind, why did the demon grab Kagome, why didn't she just kill him, and most importantly, why did she help them at the expense of herself? Even as she clung to him, face buried in his shoulder as she slept, more questions rose to the surface. What did she feel for him? She always seemed kind of distant despite the fact that she hung out with them. But another question was what did he feel for her? Sure, he cared about her, more than he liked to admit anyways, but could they develop a relationship? Was he willing to risk getting hurt just to have a chance at being happy with Kagome?
He let out a frustrated sigh and a quiet curse before closing his eyes and falling into a sleep plagued with unanswered questions.
When Kagome did not wake up the next morning, no matter how hard Yusuke tried to rouse her, he became slightly panicked. As he slept he grew to realize that, yes, he was willing to put himself out there because he believed that Kagome could accept him. She was strong and stubborn, more than capable of defending any kids they had, and wouldn't break down in the face of danger. But now he couldn't get her up and he was scared. Yes, the great Yusuke Urameshi was scared.
He used his communicator to contact Botan and have her gather up the others and get them to his apartment. It didn't take more than two minutes for her to get it done but it seemed to last a lifetime to Yusuke. He practically drug Hiei back into his bedroom, a very strange sight to his other friends because of the fact that he was wearing nothing more than his jeans at the moment. Hiei looked very disgruntled and was glaring at Yusuke, though he did not kill the detective.
"She won't wake up. I tried everything I could think of, she just won't wake up." Yusuke said, his voice quite calm but very desperate.
Hiei nodded, he understood what it was that the detective was asking, and he knew that he owed the woman before him his very life. Had it not been for her interference in their battle, he would most likely have been overcome by pain and died on the battlefield. He removed the ward from his Jagan Eye and, as easily as he could, began to probe her mind. It was surprisingly simple to get into her mind, but then again it had been weakened by the attack on her.
Inside of her mind he located her fairly easily, she was sitting with her knees to her chest and her face buried in her kneecaps. The smell of saltwater assaulted his nose and he realized that she was crying. Crying was one of the things that only enforced his belief that humans were weak, but he had never truly believed that this woman would be so weak. Of course, she had suffered through five lives (including her own) that were filled with pain, but he had never expected tears from such a strong woman.
"I know what you're thinking and you're absolutely right. I'm horribly weak. Not just because I'm crying but because I've lost myself as a being. I'm not human anymore but I'm also still human, and I've allowed my human emotions to cloud my judgment. I shouldn't have interfered in your fight, I was stupid to act as I did. Now I know and feel so much, I don't wish to wake up. Do you think you could kill me? It may be weak of me to wish to die, but it would be weak of you to keep me tied to this world when you owe me a life anyway."
Hiei listened, understanding just what it was that she was saying and finally feeling sorry for someone. She was lost in this world and all she wanted was to be let go, and who was he to deny her wish when he owed it to her. He could feel the pain that surrounded her and silently slipped from her mind. Yusuke was watching him as he came back, his eyes showed so much suffering as he waiting for Kagome to wake up.
He knew that this girl was the cause of his suffering, but he wasn't sure if taking her from this world would solve his problem. Hell, he wasn't sure if he COULD take her from this world. As Hiei stood, contemplating what it was that he was going to do, he noticed how Kagome's aura was lifted of its pain as Yusuke laid his hand on hers. That was when he knew that they could fix each other and that he only needed to explain that to Kagome and give her a reason to wake. So he slipped back inside her mind.
She was standing now, her eyes closed and her face turned upward, as if waiting for something to come, perhaps her death. But, when she realized that he was there, she frowned and looked down at him.
"What? Just cut my head off, do you really think any immortal can survive without a head?"
"That's not it. I cannot allow you to die, there is someone who needs you and I will not allow both of you to suffer."
"Who? Who could need me? The three worlds would be better off if the Jewel and I were destroyed anyway."
"The detective, he is in pain because you refuse to wake, and I have noticed that your pain lessens as he touches you."
"But, no one could truly care for me, I allowed myself too close to your group, even if I do wake up I will leave. My being there only puts you all in danger and I know that you all will eventually get fed up with me."
"Just wake up and you will understand."
Hiei left her mind and then left the room she and Yusuke were in, allowing them their privacy and also not wanting to be around for a love-fest. Kagome stayed asleep for a while longer, thinking over what Hiei had said and eventually decided to wake up. When she blinked open her eyes she was greeted with Yusuke gazing down on her face, his eyes softening as she struggled to fully awaken.
"W-why?" She stuttered, not quite sure what she was questioning but knowing that she wanted the answer all the same.
Yusuke was confused, not quite understanding what she was asking. He thought a little while, trying to figure it out but came up with nothing so he gave a helpless shrug.
"What?"
Kagome spoke before she could think, "Why did you want me to wake up?"
"Because I-I well, I really don't know. Somehow I just knew that I needed you to wake up and now that you're awake I don't feel as bad anymore." Yusuke answered, unsure of himself.
"You know what, I feel better too." Kagome whispered, her voice slightly hoarse from all her screaming the other day.
Yusuke stared at her and she stared back, not quite sure where to begin or if she should even begin at all. Lucky for her Yusuke decided to speak first.
"Why did you help us? You didn't want involved with the case but you nearly sacrificed yourself to save us. Why?"
Kagome hesitated before answering, convincing herself that she could trust him with the answer, "I was worried I was going to lose my friends again. I was worried I was going to lose…you."
She kept her eyes downcast as she let him take in her answer, not sure if she really should have told him that after all. He went without responding for the longest time and Kagome figured that he had just gave her the answer she was half-expecting. Deciding that she should leave before she cried in front of him, she stood on shaky legs and walked out the door, feeling hurt beyond belief that he didn't come after her. A single tear escaped as she walked home, half-naked and heartbroken.
oOo
1 month later…
Yusuke had seen the guys and they would tell him all about how Kagome was doing, though he was pretty sure that they were making some things up so that he didn't worry. Truth be told, he was even more worried when they told him things. And he was completely heartbroken, though he knew it was his own fault. First Keiko pushed him away and then he let Kagome get away. He knew just how stupid he was, she was so sensitive and he should have reacted sooner, pulled her into his arms and kissed her until the world ended. But he just sat there and started at the top of her head, he had never expected her to say what she did.
Now, in the dead of night, he was sitting on a bench in a park and was staring at the fading stars in the sky. He was thinking hard, about Keiko, about Kagome and about how he felt toward the latter. She did things to him; just the mention of her name brought him out of whatever state he was in. He knew that he needed her and he also knew that he had done something that no one should ever do to someone they love…wait, did he truly love her? Perhaps it was too soon to tell, but he was almost certain that what he was feeling was love and he'd be damned if he would be denied what he wanted.
He felt a new determination surge through his blood and he stood up, walking with a new focus in his mind and easily locating Kagome's apartment. He had gone there once before, after getting lost so many times, he had just wanted to see how she was doing and he had found her talking with a demon with long silver hair, golden eyes and magenta facial markings. That thought faltered his steps, what was this demon to her? Would he really wish to interrupt her happiness with this other guy just so that he could have her? No. He shook his head but continued walking; deciding that just checking in on her again wouldn't hurt, especially if she didn't know it.
Using some of the powers he inherited from Raizen, Yusuke leapt up onto Kagome's balcony and listened for movement. At first he thought that she wasn't there but then she moved into his view and collapsed onto her couch in a fit of tears. The silver-haired demon was there again, patting her on the back and attempting to console her. Something inside Yusuke told him that the silver-haired demon had no right to touch her, that HE should be making her feel better. Against his better judgment, Yusuke pushed the balcony doors open and stood just inside the room, growling at the demon before him.
Sesshomaru looked up and growled back, knowing exactly who it was that had growled at him. It was Yusuke Urameshi, the idiot that broke his friend's heart. He just let her say something meaningful and then allowed her to leave believing that she had been stupid to reveal what she felt to him.
Kagome looked up and saw Yusuke standing there and she buried her face in a cushion again, tears starting anew. It had been like that every night for the past month, she cried and Sesshomaru listened and growled as he threatened Yusuke's life. She could feel anger and confusion and…some other feeling that she didn't want to identify for fear it wouldn't be true. It was all coming from Yusuke and Kagome couldn't take it. He was just another reason that Kagome wished she was with her friends, dead and free of the burdens of this life.
Deciding that she had enough of Yusuke confusing her and messing with her, she forced herself up and stared him down, tears still shining in her eyes.
"Why?" She questioned, half-hoping that he would have the answer that she was looking for.
Yusuke gave Sesshomaru a look that clearly meant 'leave so I can fix this' and he waited for the Demon Lord to exit the apartment before answering her.
"Because I was an idiot. Because I'm sorry. Because I was an even bigger idiot. And because I love you."
Kagome gasped and took a step back, not sure she had heard him correctly. Did he really love her? Could he really love her? Did she love him?
"Uh…" Was all she managed to get out, bumping into the arm of the couch and falling back onto the cushions.
Yusuke stalked up to her, a predatory look in his eyes as he straddled her waist on the couch and pinned her wrists to the sides of her head. He kissed her forehead, her nose, each cheek and her chin, each time whispering, "I love you."
Finally he lightly brushed his lips against hers and whispered again, "I love you." Then he kissed her with the pent-up emotions of being without her for so long and she returned it full force.