Memory's Moon: His and Hers
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Inuyasha was not a happy hanyou. He had been recently killed, spent an exceedingly uncomfortable day drifting between this world and the next, been resurrected by one of his least favorite people, and spent a harrowing week looking for Kagome- only to be turned away by her mother. And then the stupid kitsune brat had just jumped to conclusions… as if it was his fault…!
His fault that she had forgotten… his fault that she had been in danger.
His fault that he wanted to see her again… feel her warm acceptance thrum in his soul.
His fault, everything…?
So…Naraku won… after all…?
"Inuyasha…?" a female voice spoke up uncertainly, making his ears flick in mixed anger and annoyance. The wind was blowing straight in his face- Sango was standing downwind, on purpose, a slap in his face because the taijiya knew how he relied on scent to be aware of things and he had been upwind when she was killed and she had deliberately blinded him this way-
"What is it, bitch!" he growled, refusing to whirl around like a startled animal. He would not give her the satisfaction of knowing that her ruse had worked on him. Bitch bitch bitch bitch…
He turned around when it seemed that no answer was forthcoming.
Sango peered at him, her face alight with trepidation and one hand firmly on her Hiraikotsu. The reason for her wariness stood limply behind her, one lowered arm and the slight swell of a prepubescent female hip faintly visible behind the taijiya's protectively arranged body.
Rage boiled up in him, thick and black and so strong that he almost patted Tetsusaiga to make sure it was still where it should be. "Kanna," he snarled, fingers stiffening in gleeful anticipation of bloodshed. The joints cracked satisfyingly as he flexed them, but it wasn't enough; he wanted flesh under his fingers, a meaty sound of tearing flesh to drown out the disappointment of his unsuccessful trip down the well. Of course he wasn't quite sure if Kanna was meat or just void under the skin- he hadn't gotten close to her before, but he really looked forward to finding out-
"If you lay a hand on her, Inuyasha, I will thump you," Sango said quellingly, crouching slightly in readiness. "She's not here to hurt anything; Naraku's gone. Lay off."
He snarled at her, too.
The pale head poked out from behind its protector, as Kanna took a cautious step forward. "Kanna does not have her mirror," she said softly, holding empty hands out to demonstrate her lack of weapon. "If Inuyasha-sama wants, Kanna will stand upwind."
"Kanna, you're not helping things!" the taijiya snapped, shifting to block Inuyasha's view of Naraku's 'incarnate'. "She came to talk, not to fight, so back off!"
Inuyasha's mouth stretched in a fanged smile. "Make me."
"If I have to-"
"And here this Sesshoumaru thought you were looking after yourself," Sesshoumaru observed placidly, kicking his half-brother into the ground from behind and grinding the heel of his boot into the red-clothed mass underfoot. "Really, you moron, can you not keep yourself out of trouble for more than half a week?"
Sango blinked.
Kanna, uncharacteristically, blinked.
Inuyasha spat curses into the dust.
Pointedly, the inuyoukai stamped down again. "Get up then. This Sesshoumaru wishes to inspect the miko's dwelling."
"Um…" Sango pointed at the boot on the hanyou's back. "Maybe if you stopped stepping on him, Sesshoumaru-sama…"
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He sped through the woods, weaving between the trees with animal grace, tracking the old trail of her scent as it traced a staggered line across the forest bounds, radiating outwards from the torn desolation of the houshi's final attack. Her desperation and sorrow marked the air in nearly palpable streaks, unfading even with age. They called to him, rousing all the protective instincts of a male with a mate to protect.
And she was his, no matter what that arrogant dog-boy might have to say about it.
Still, the path he was following was just a little disturbing… it led directly towards a section of territory (which technically belonged to him) that was actually shunned by all the youkai who usually quarreled jealously over such things. (He only got the territory because he drew the short straw at the meeting.) But, territory aside…
…this isn't good…
Even as he ran, his mind fervently repeated turn away turn away turn away shit shit SHIT! and went on in that vein for some time as the desecrated village came into view, forcing him to stop at the boundary. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. Even his followers had fallen away some time ago, unable to keep up with his shard-enhanced speed coupled with the impetus of alarm. No comic relief available there- not that comic relief would be appropriate in this situation.
Kagome's scent led here, and then out again, though not in quite the same direction.
So she had come… and fallen prey to the monster sleeping under this ruin.
His lip curled slightly.
No matter.
"Things put to sleep should stay asleep!" he growled at the foreboding ruins, feeling the answering shift of sentient energies in the earth itself as it took note of his brash disapproval; but then he was away before the slap of displeasure came, speeding along the new trail in his quest to find out what had befallen his intended.
----
"…and Saturday! You won't forget Saturday, will you?" Eri fixed her with a tearful glare, hands fisted in the stretching material of her light sweater. Kagome smiled placatingly as her sweater was abused. "You have to come! You know Hojo only comes to parties when you do…"
The blue-eyed teen rolled her eyes discreetly. "Hojo is a pest, Eri. I don't know why you like him."
Another set of hands, Yuka this time, attached themselves to her quickly unraveling sweater. "Well, someone has to! And Hojo was so nice to you when you were ill… if you don't want a guy like that, might as well make sure one of us gets him."
"I don't know why you like him either." Kagome sighed deeply. "Oh, I'm being mean. Who am I to argue?" They grinned at her hopefully. "I'll come. I suppose you two will be 'accidentally' dropping names in his hearing…"
"Too right!" All tears gone, Eri released her friend's sweater, only now noticing what her grip had done to it. "Oops. Sorry. Look- I'll get you another one when we go shopping after school, ok?"
"Mm…" Kagome's gaze flitted briefly to the window and its slice of eternal blue sky. For some reason she kept thinking that a boy in bright red robes should perch on that sill, glowering down at her. "Red," she said suddenly, staring at the empty window. "Bright red…"
Her side felt oddly warm.
----
"Will you be silent and cease your babbling?" Sesshoumaru chided his brother as the hanyou struggled to get free, swearing a blue streak as he did so. "Honestly, has all your courtly upbringing gone out of the proverbial window?"
"PUT ME DOWN!"
The inuyoukai surveyed his handiwork almost dreamily. "After all the trouble this Sesshoumaru went through? This Sesshoumaru rather likes you this way. Unable to cause trouble for anyone…"
Kanna, sitting on the edge of the well, exchanged looks with Sango, who sighed and lowered the short blade she was polishing. "Sesshoumaru-sama, I have to agree with you about the not causing trouble part, but trussing him up like a suckling pig for the roast… it's just over the top…"
"Kanna doesn't know about pigs, but Kanna thinks so too."
"Really?" He thoughtfully studied the bound and swearing form of his half-brother. "But if this Sesshoumaru did it any differently, he'd make trouble going down… no, this way is best." He shifted his grip on the back of Inuyasha's haori, hefting the struggling weight easily. "Taijiya, you know your duties- guard the children. Abyss youkai- your place is to the defense and attendance of the old miko. This Sesshoumaru expects to return and find things as they are now- should things be otherwise, there will be Discussions." The narrowing of his magenta-marked eyes indicated the exact nature of such a Discussion. "Understood?"
Sango rolled her eyes and stood. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kanna slid off the lip of the well, quietly echoing Sango's words with timid deference. "Have a nice trip."
He refused to dignify her veiled sarcasm with an answer, disappearing down the well with his protesting brother in hand. The females watched the familiar flare of blue light flare from the well, and Kanna nodded calmly to herself, shuffling off on her own. Sango watched the well for a moment longer, with a slightly sad smile, before following suit.
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A/N: This is where things start getting confusing… even though this is a Kag/Sess fic, you really can't ignore IY/K and K/K. So everyone still alive will be making appearances in the course of the story… I promise I'll explain everything as time goes on. Thanks for all the reviews, pple. And of course I'm hoping for more… maybe 20 reviews by the time I get round to posting the next instalment? (nods) Yup. 20 sounds good. Here's to reaching that mark before Chapter 6 comes out…