Fly By Night
Vladygasckgyn
A/N: About time I updated, huh? Lol.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha... Nope, still nothing.
: Chapter 10 :
"Sess-Sesshoumaru!"
"I see you haven't changed. You're as disrespectful as ever." His face remained cold and impassive, but his eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. Had Kagome spent any less time with the stoic demon, she would have missed it completely.
"But...why are you here? Are there others?" Sesshoumaru gazed at his former student, not missing the faint spark of life that briefly flashed in her eyes at the thought.
"Kagome...perhaps you should sit down. There are many things we need to discuss. Let's move to another room so we can-" He was cut off my the sudden arrival of four rather unkempt spirit detectives as they burst through the door.
"Kagome! Get down! SPIRIT GU-" Yusuke's impromptu shout was hastily smothered by Kagome's hand.
"What is the meaning of this? Why are you all here?" All heads turned towards Kagome at her demand.
"Because of the demon behind you! Ungrateful little... Koenma called a few minutes ago saying there was a powerful demon over here. So, we came!" She sighed and signaled for Hiei to lower his sword that was currently pointed towards Sesshoumaru's neck. Neither demon looked pleased.
"Urameshi, this wasn't necessary. This is Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands." Kurama had a look of shock on his face, and even Hiei backed off slightly at the mention of the demon's name, recognizing it immediately. Yusuke wasn't as familiar with his reputation but shut up nonetheless. Kuwabara was already asleep on the couch where he had crashed at some point during the confrontation.
"Miko, you know these people?"
"Yes. They are spirit detectives, and I suppose you could call them my friends." Yusuke seemed to deflate under the taiyoukai's intense scrutiny, letting out a heavy sigh once he returned his attentions to Kagome.
"Since they are already here, they should probably stay and listen as it will undoubtedly affect them as well." They all made their way to the living room and sat down on any available surface. They made a rather odd picture, with the boys (excluding Hiei...I don't think he wears pjs.) still in their pajamas and Sesshoumaru in his Armani suit. They kept their eyes on the demon lord, still not completely comfortable with him so close to Kagome. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, ignored the wary glares of the other member of the motley group.
"I assume this isn't a social visit, correct?"
"Yes. I trust you have not forgotten Naraku in your time away." She nodded stiffly. "You asked earlier about the others. Kagome, they are all dead." Kagome's eyes widened, shocked. "Without your help, Naraku killed them all in the final battle. I was only spared such a fate because of Tenseiga's power, which saved me in the end."
"And...what of Naraku?" She somehow managed to get the words out of her suddenly tight throat.
"In truth, I wasn't sure what became of the hanyou. I was never able to locate his body, and in the following years he never made an appearance. At least, until last night." Kagome swallowed painfully, suddenly understanding.
"Are you saying...?"
"Yes, last night there was an attack on several cities throughout Japan. The bodies were severely mutilated, the buildings obliterated."
"But...how do you know it was him?"
"The miasma. I traveled there myself early this morning and recognized the substance immediately. It's not on the news yet, so don't bother looking." Yusuke had made to turn on the TV, but Sesshoumaru's deadpan voice stopped him. "No one else knows of it yet. The miasma is too thick to see through, and the humans are killed by it before they can assess the damage."
Kagome shook her head, struggling to process the new information.
"So we'll kill it. It's just another demon, right?" Yusuke looked around the room, not quite understanding the problem.
"Yusuke, I don't think it's that simple." Kurama, who had up until this point been listening in silence, finally made himself known.
"Naraku has grown stronger, and without the help of my half-brother and his friends, we will most likely perish along with the rest of the planet's inhabitants."
"Then what the hell do you want us to do!"
"Calm yourself, human. Kagome, you know what must be done." At the mention of her name she composed herself and raised her head, leveling her gaze with Sesshoumaru's.
"The past. I have to go back, don't I?" He nodded as comprehension dawned on the faces of most of the spirit detectives, his eyes glinting with approval. "Very well. I suppose there's no time like the present." Kagome immediately got up, completely ignoring the protesting detectives.
"Kagome, wait!" She turned toward Yusuke. "We're coming with you." The others nodded.
"I don't think that's a very good idea. This demon-"
"Wench." Her gaze shifted to Hiei, her eyes questioning. "We will be going." Kagome smirked.
"It seems you leave me no choice. Go home, make your excuses, and pack enough for a few weeks. Make it quick, or I'll leave without you."
With that final thought the group dispersed, leaving only Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Kagome rubbed her face tiredly and leaned back into the comfort of the recliner, shielding her eyes from the light. Sesshoumaru quietly made his way over to her chair, laying one hand on her shoulder. She looked up in question.
"I know how hard this must be for you, and I wouldn't have enlisted your help if it wasn't absolutely necessary." He waited for her slight nod before continuing. "I cannot come with you, as I have other responsibilities here that require my attention. However, I can assure you that my past self will not leave your side." He smiled, a genuine, soft smile full of the affection that he felt for his former student and a gift not bestowed upon many.
Kagome got up wearily, resigning herself to her situation.
"Well, I suppose I should get packed. I have but a few hours left until the others return." She began to walk towards the stairs, but was suddenly halted as Sesshoumaru grasped her wrist. She gasped as he pulled her in for a hug, something that surprised as much as it warmed her.
"You will be careful, Kagome. Don't waste the time I spent training you."
Kagome sniffed and blinked back the tears that had suddenly welled up, both from his unexpected and admittedly uncharacteristic gesture of affection, and from the deep concern behind his words.
"Sesshoumaru... Thank you...for everything."
A/N: I should probably apologize for my extremely late update... As I'm sure you understand, school hasn't exactly left me a whole lot of time for reading, let alone writing, hence the short and admittedly crappy chapter. I suppose I could promise that the next one will be updated sooner and be better, but you and I both know that that won't necessarily be that case. However, I will try, so bear with me.
Just to be absolutely clear – Sesshoumaru's relationship with Kagome is purely platonic. I have decided to make him act as Kagome's surrogate father. His actions may have been out of character, but remember – they spent a LOT of time together, and got rather close.
This chapter's sole purpose is that of a sort of preface, leading you into the next chapter, and that's the reason that it was kind of slow. But I assure you – I am going somewhere with this, I just haven't exactly figured out where. Well, enough of my blabbering; on to the review responses! (I'm so excited – I actually got some reviews!)
Amaya Tenka: It may have taken a while, but I have finally updated. Thanks for reviewing!
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