. : Muichimotsu : .
: . By Akikazu . :
. : Chapter Thirty Three : .
Kagome had remained asleep for over a month and yet Kurama was hardly present in the palace, and when he did ram the halls, the kitsune (fox) never sat at Kagome's bedside. Overall, Hiei was very suspicious over the redhead's behavior. Why was he so unmoved? How could he not care when days before the attack he could hardly bring himself to leave her side?
Finally the imiko (lit. "loathsome child", a name given to the male children of the Hime Clan) figured that his friend was sulking. Quickly becoming fed up with his unusual behavior Hiei finally set out to corner Kurama into explaining himself.
He tracked the fox into one of the reclusive corners of the Taiyoukai's extensive gardens. Kurama was standing beneath a tree that was clinging to the very last of its cherry blossoms (NOTE: cherry blossoms being to fall in April). Hiei approached from behind and waited silently, knowing that Kurama was able to sense him.
"Did you want something Hiei?" Kurama asked after a while.
"You've been sulking," Hiei prompted.
Kurama shot Hiei a glare of his shoulder and bit out, "I have not."
Hiei snorted, "What do you call it then?"
"I am not doing anything Hiei, merely going about my everyday life."
"And that means avoiding a certain sleeping miko (shrine maiden)?"
Kurama's hand rose and caressed the tree that he was still facing and Hiei's eyes narrowed. It was unlike the fox to avoid eye contact and even more unlike him to make pointless gestures.
"What happened between you and the miko?" Hiei asked. "The last I remember you were well on your way to asking the Taiyoukai for her hand."
Hiei saw a small flinch shake Kurama's body. He now knew for sure that Kagome was at the core of Kurama's problems. Having hit such an open wound he knew that soon he would get the answers he desired.
"Things have changed," the redhead murmured.
"How so?"
Kurama hesitated a second before answering. "Kagome's not the person who I, who we, thought her to be."
Hiei's eyes narrowed again as he waited for Kurama to explain his words further. Surely the fox had a good reason for his change of heart.
"She killed them. For stupid reasons," Kurama spat.
"Kagome? Killed who?"
"Yes, Kagome. She killed Naraku and Sango. I arrived too late to stop her."
"It's not possible."
Kurama whirled on him, advancing several steps. Hiei could see torment and pain curling in his normally guarded eyes.
"I was there, it was her."
"I kept track of her during the battle. There wasn't a time that she was near you, and even if she had been she remained with the wolf at all times."
"It wasn't her?" Kurama was obviously confused. "I was so sure, they were dressed the same and she used miko powers. I couldn't see her face very well but I was sure it was her," the fox murmured.
"Towards the end of battle I killed a woman," Hiei said, volunteering more information. "She was dressed in a cloak and used miko powers. I slew her while she was attempting to flee the house." Hiei paused before disclosing one final piece of information. "I gathered from her mind that her name was Kikyo."
Kurama's face paled visibly. Hiei could practically see the wheels in his mind turning. The fox's body nearly shook in guilt and dread.
"Kikyo… Kami (god), what have I done?" Kurama whispered.
Hiei sensed his sister approaching them and half turned. Yukina came running towards them, a bright smile on her face. She stopped before them, panting. The koorime (ice maiden) never saw the look on Kurama's face.
"Hiei, Kurama, Kagome has finally woke up," she announced.
M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .
Kagome stirred from her peaceful sleep. It was so very quiet, an oddity in her house what with her loud younger brother and even louder grandfather. Sleep glazed eyes peel open and stared at the ceiling. Vaguely she thought it to be larger and higher up than she remembered.
Stiffly she turned her head and saw an unfamiliar woman sitting at her bedside. The woman, who had blue green hair and was very pregnant, was looking facing the door rather than towards Kagome. Her hand moved of its own accord and touched the woman's sleeve. The woman looked down at her with surprised red eyes.
"Excuse me, ma'am, do I know you?" Kagome was sure that she was no longer at her bedroom in her family's shrine.
"Kagome, you're awake!" The woman grinned and jumped to her feet. "Just stay here, I've got to inform Sesshomaru-sama that you've awakened."
The woman left and Kagome frowned, confused.
"Who was that?" She asked to herself.
The shoji (paper door) opened again and this time a man with long pale blue violet hair came in. Another set of eyes, this time however they were a shade akin to garnet, stared down at her. The looks she was receiver were quickly getting on her nerves.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
The man bowed, his body moved with a grace that Kagome envied greatly.
"I am called Epsilon, Kagome. We have known each other for about a year. However, you are currently suffering from amnesia and will not recall our previous relationship."
"Relationship? Were we dating? And are you a doctor or something?" Kagome questioned.
"No, you were seeing someone else. And I am not a doctor, rather a friend of the family you could say."
Her brow wrinkled. "I see..."
"Everyone thought you were going to die, Kagome. Even your brother's healer thought there was nothing to be done."
"Souta?"
Epsilon shook his head. "No, Sesshomaru-sama. He should be here shortly."
Kagome slammed her fisted hands down on her bed. "It's so frustrating not remembering anything. Like a whole part of my life is missing."
"It's alright Kagome, I'm sure your memories will return in time."
She smiled slightly. "I know."
Another man strode into the room, this one with long silver hair. Kagome's heart stirred warmly as golden eyes looked down at her. This must be "Sesshomaru-sama." He had that imposing air about him but Kagome felt attached to him. It was much like one would feel like towards a brother. She then knew that Epsilon had been telling the truth about this man being her "elder brother".
Epsilon moved out of the way as Sesshomaru came to her bedside. Kagome hesitantly smiled up at the tall man that towered over her bedside. Her smile became even brighter when he laid his hand of her head.
"You're finally awake."
"Have I been asleep that long?"
"A month and a half."
Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh my god, what about school," she managed to squeak.
A silver brow lifted. "We've long given up on you salvaging your attendance record. Hijikata will have to home tutor you."
Her mouth dropped slightly at his lax view on schooling, mentally comparing the moment to her parent's forceful insistence on good grades.
"But what about college?" She demanded.
"You will not attend. I shall support you until such a time that you have a mate to take care if you. No female in my pack will work with common ningen (humans)."
A flush stained her cheeks and her eyes narrowed, "That so sexist, Sesshomaru!"
Golden eyes glittered down at her with an amused expression. His mouth curved in the corner and Kagome knew that he was mentally laughing at her.
"True, but I am unsure if the world will be able to handle you being unleashed upon it."
She glared at him for a second before breaking down into giggles. "This is very weird, I don't remember you in the slightest but I feel as if I have known you forever."
Again a single silver brow rose. "This Sesshomaru is a very hard person to forget."
Kagome smiled widely.
"I am glad that you have finally awaken, Kagome. However I must now leave and retrieve your family. Someone will come in to sit with you until I return."
"Alright, but I really don't think I need a babysitter," Kagome said with a pout.
"You will have one regardless," and with a smirk Sesshomaru turned and left.
Kagome waited and sure enough seconds after Sesshomaru's departure another man came into the room. This man looked to around her age and had dark, gelled hair. He warily approached her bedside and sat on the chair the woman had been sitting on earlier. Kagome smiled warmly at him a feeling of companionship with this man bubbled through her body.
"And you are?"
"Urameshi Yusuke."
"Yusuke-kun then. How are you doing?"
His eyes widened a bit and Kagome had the distant feeling that he was surprised.
"Is something wrong, Yusuke-kun?" She asked.
"No, it's just that you're really… different. From before I mean."
Kagome frowned. "How so?"
"You're more relaxed, I guess."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Why would you be?" He shot back.
She averted her eyes to her bed sheets, "I feel safe with you Yusuke-kun. I feel as though I know you will protect my life by all means possible."
"Why? I mean I would expect you to feel that way about Kurama, but not me."
A shrug lifted her shoulders, "I don't know why I feel as I do."
Yusuke's faced flushed and Kagome's eyes began to grow wide in horror as she realized what he was thinking.
"No! Not like that!" She sputtered.
Yusuke was about to say something else but another person crashed into the room at that moment. Kagome's eyes went wide as she found that the new intruder was staring at her with sparkling green eyes. Her heart filled with turbulent emotions the most prominent of which was pain and fear. The new man with stunning red hair and intense green eyes approached the bed and held a hand out to her. His hand came even closer and she knew that he meant to touch her.
With a high-pitched sob/scream crossover, she flung herself away from the man. Quickly she scrambled over to Yusuke and tumbled into his lap, hiding her face in the hard wall of the young man's torso.
"Keep him away," she cried, her emotions raw for a reason unknown to her.
"Kagome?" Both Yusuke and the new man questioned together.
A soft hand brushed her hair and Kagome screamed. There were several thuds and Kagome knew that more people had entered her room.
"What's wrong?" A feminine voice demanded.
"Stay away," Kagome whimpered. "Please stay away."
"Yusuke, what's happening?"
"I don't know, she freaked out when Kurama tried to touch her."
"What did you do?" The silky voice of the redhead she now knew to be Kurama, demanded.
"I let her choose what she would recall but I left a trace of the emotions you caused in your last encounter so she could avoid a repeat of the past," Kagome knew that to be Epsilon's voice.
"Yusuke, maybe you should let Kagome down," that was the voice of the first woman that had been in the room, the one who never told Kagome her name.
Kagome trembled as Yusuke attempted to pry her off of his lap.
"Yusuke-kun you'll protect me right? You'll make him stay away?" She murmured tiredly, though she still clung to him tenaciously.
"You should leave now fox," Epsilon sneered.
After Kurama was hauled from the room Kagome was able to move herself away from Yusuke. He looked very uncomfortable with her in his lap but regained his punk-like attitude after she moved back onto the bed.
"Thank you for protecting me Yusuke-kun," she whispered.
M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M . M .
The palace has calmed once more. The excitement of Kagome's awakening and her encounter with Kurama was fading with the sun's light.
Keiko was out in the gardens once again, the crisp night air wrapping around her as she walked alone under the light of the crescent moon.
Itsuki had yet to return.
But Keiko remained hopeful, after all the kaminade (demon with the ability to travel dimensions) had been dealt a harsh blow when Sensui died. Itsuki would return after he finished grieving.
She could only hope that that day came soon.
A shadow emerged on her path and Keiko stepped back in surprise.
"Keiko?"
She recognized that voice. Dashing forward she threw herself at Itsuki. She clung to him with all her might hardly taking notice that his arms when squeezing her with equal force.
"You're back! You're finally back," she murmured happily, joyous tear streaming down her face.
"I'm back," he replied soothingly. "I won't ever leave you like that again."
Her heart nearly burst with joy and she brought her mouth down on his, doing what she had been dreaming of since they had become close. Finally she broke the kiss off and burrowed into his neck.
"I love you Itsuki," she whispered. "Will you stay with me, please?"
He hugged her tighter.
"I'll stay."
. : End Chapter : .
: . Author's Note . :
MM is extremely close to ending, however it doesn't seem to want to be over for it was very hard for this author to sit down and write this chapter. Regardless this chapter and there is only one chapter and an epilogue left.
Now is the time for questions if anyone has some.
Other than that I don't know what else to say so…
I'm off.
. : Beta's Note : .
Same message as always, thank Akikazu for writing this. She got it out on time too. I feel a bit late getting it back to her though -.-; if any of you feel it was late, it's my fault. It sat in my inbox for a day before I got it back to her. Blame my brother!
Amin Vanima Mellonea
. : Next Time : .
Daughter
Forgiveness
Return