-1Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Inuyasha or any of his friends or relations or enemies even. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 14
Last time:
Sesshomaru inclined his head slightly then turned and began to walk slowly back into the forest. "Jaken, Rin, come, we are leaving."
Kagome handed Rin the bag with her gifts then waved at her as she followed the silent demon gliding through the forest.
Sesshomaru had not had any blood on him, but Kagome began to worry since Inuyasha had not yet come back from his "talk" with Sesshomaru. She half suspected her hanyou to be unconscious, mostly due to his own temper. As long as he felt obligated by a life debt, she knew Sesshomaru would not kill him.
With a deep sigh, Kagome repacked her own bag and started back towards the well and where she had last seen the brothers.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out as she stumbled through a thick section of underbrush hoping that he was conscious. Her bag caught on one of the branches and held on so tightly she nearly fell backwards before it released her. Her momentum then carried her through the brambles and into the slight clearing that surrounded Goshinboku.
"Inuyasha?" she said again when she saw his familiar red kimono and long white hair. He stood with his back to her, staring up at the sacred tree; and though his ears twitched in response to her voice, he did not reply. Hmm. That's odd. Inuyasha deep in thought? Well, it's no more odd than having a killer demon dressed in a kitten bathrobe fall asleep on my bed no more than an hour ago.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're not bleeding or anything," Kagome said cheerfully in hopes of catching his attention.
"Like father..." she heard him mutter before he stirred slightly and turned to face her. "Oh, hey, Kagome. I didn't hear you come up."
Kagome dropped her large backpack with a sigh and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She was more than a little curious as to what Sesshomaru had said to him to make him so pensive, but knew it was not any of her business.
"Oie, wench, what do you have in this thing?" he told her suddenly. Kagome looked up and saw him tossing her bag over his shoulder as he started off in the direction of the village.
She followed him without speaking, knowing he would talk when he was ready. However, Inuyasha didn't lead her into the village, instead they passed just along the outside. He stopped once they reached the place where Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara had taken off just days before.
"Kagome, I..." Inuyasha began. He faltered when he turned around to look at her, and stared at his feet instead. He allowed her bag to fall to the ground and followed it, lying back on the grass so he could stare up into the sky. "I'm sorry."
Kagome started, not expecting that reaction at all. What did he have to be sorry about? She sank down beside him, drawing her knees under her chin. Does he still think I'm upset about him using my shampoo? Kagome wondered, as memories of the dream she had had before waking up in bed with Sesshomaru reared in her mind. She blushed at the way the dream Inuyasha had touched her and at how much she had liked it.
Inuyasha rolled over and propped himself up on his elbow looking at her. A feeling of dejá vu swept over her, and Kagome's cheeks heated more. This was just like in her dream.
"I'm sorry for not protecting you. You could have been killed, all because I failed to take care of you," he told her. When he noticed her flushed face, he asked, "Are you okay, Kagome? Did that bastard hurt you? Cause if he did..."
Kagome blushed even further if that were possible and closed her eyes. She remembered Sesshomaru's clawed hand over her breast then that rough kiss he had taken simply to test the emotions he had been feeling.
"No..." she said, but squeaked in surprise when she opened her eyes and found Inuyasha now sitting up with his nose only inches from her own. His golden eyes burned into her and she found herself leaning in to press her lips to his. She was even more startled, but pleased, when she felt him meet her and the warm softness of his lips brushed hers.
She closed her eyes, willing him to deepen the kiss. For a moment he did, as his clawed hand reached up to caress her cheek. A tingling thrill spread from the points where his fingers touched her skin. The firmness of his fangs pressed against her lips through his, just a hint of that feral wildness that made her loveable hanyou what he was, and sent a warm sensation pulsing through her body. Now this is how a kiss is supposed to be, Kagome thought.
Then suddenly they both seemed to realize exactly what they were doing and pushed away. Kagome's breath came in quick, rasping pants, and she could hear Inuyasha breathing heavily as well.
"Um, no, he- uh, Sesshomaru didn't hurt me. He just stood by until he delivered me back to you, to make sure it was known that his debt was repaid," Kagome hastily explained, a little afraid that Inuyasha would grow angry and try to make excuses for that kiss.
"Well, you reek of him. You need to go take a bath to get that jerk's scent off of you," he told her gruffly, refusing to even look at her now. His ears twitched nervously.
"Oh, so now you're saying I stink!" Kagome cried out, jumping to her feet. She smiled as Inuyasha cringed a little, anticipating a certain word.
"Inuyasha..." she shouted angrily. Then reversing her tone, she added, "I'll be back in a minute to make you some ramen. Then you need to tell me all about what you and Rin did while I was gone."
xxxx
By nightfall, Inuyasha sat eating his third cup of ramen just outside Kaede's hut. A short while later, Kagome, her hair still damp, joined him. She handed him yet another serving and dug into one for herself.
While she ate, Kagome watched the stars that filled the darkened sky. It always amazed her to look up on them, here in the feudal era, where the sky was so much clearer than in her own time, far less light pollution to dim the twinkling stars. No matter how much would change over the next five hundred years, the heavens would remain constant. The same moon and stars watched over her in both times.
She glanced over at Inuyasha who had started staring up into the sky as well. "Hmph, I thought they would take a lot longer than that," he said suddenly.
Kagome followed his line of sight, but could not see anything. "What is it, Inuyasha?"
He just grunted and muttered something about human senses as he shoved a mouthful of ramen into his mouth. A short while later, Kagome heard the familiar sound of Kirara's roar and a cheerful, "You're back, Kagome," from Sango.
A small ball of fur launched itself from Kirara's back as the cat demon sped in for a landing. "Kagome!" a small voice cried as the ball clamped onto Kagome's neck.
"Hey, Shippo, how was your trip? Did you keep Miroku out of trouble?"
Just then Sango and Kirara landed.
"Yeah, where is the monk?" Inuyasha asked over a mouthful of ramen.
Sango's face twitched, and even Inuyasha knew to stay out of her path when she was in that type of mood. Shippo, wisely seeking protection beneath Kagome's hair, spoke up, "He couldn't keep his hands to himself in the villages we passed or on the ride home, so he gets to walk home! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me so we dropped him off several miles outside of the village."
Sango tossed her hiraikotsu against the wall of Kaede's hut with a growl and snapped, "That lecher needs a good walk. The night air might cool him down."
Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged looks, but didn't say anything.
xxxx
"Lord Sesshomaru, I made these for you," Rin told her guardian with her childish exuberance. She pranced from foot to foot and waved the crowns of flowers at him for inspection.
Sesshomaru glanced down at her then turned his gaze back in the direction he had been heading. The eager look on her little face demanded an answer, but he had to look away before he smiled. He truly had missed her. On instinct, his hand drifted out to caress her head, when Jaken's shrill whines reminded him of his retainer's presence.
He halted the slight movement before it had been noticed and said softly, "Very nice, Rin."
His annoyance with the toad lessened slightly as Rin appeared to be satisfied by his words and ran off singing happily. However her innocent verse could not drown out Jaken's complaints about what he had had to endure during his brief stay with the half-breed.
"Jaken." he said suddenly. Without looking back, he knew toad was staring at him fearfully, awaiting his next word. Inwardly he grinned. On some very, very deep level he supposed he had missed his retainer as well. "I suggest you keep your complaints to yourself, or I shall send you back to Inuyasha to be rid of your noise."
A string of shrill apologizes filled the air as Jaken pleaded for mercy. No matter how much he did not dislike the toad, he had not missed him enough to want to listen to this. His gaze drifted westward and he noticed the receding light of the sun as it sank toward the horizon. He narrowed his eyes. Daylight would be gone soon, and he would not tolerate his half-brother's stench on Rin for the night.
Sesshomaru tested the air lightly with his nose and discovered the fresh hint of water a short distance to the south. Adjusting his direction, he noted with satisfaction that his company followed automatically, and -even more to his delight- in silence. A short march led them to the shores of a small stream. Sesshomaru stopped and felt the soft bump against the back of his leg as Jaken yet again failed to notice he had halted. Ah Un grunted its amusement and moved off to one side where it promptly sat and curled up on itself, having already predicted its master's wish to stay there for the evening.
"I'm so sorry, m'lord!" Jaken began to screech, but Sesshomaru cut him off.
"Jaken, you will search for firewood then gather food for Rin."
"But- but milord! That human can get her own food... don't you need your servant to be securing the area or-"
"Jaken, do you presume to tell this Sesshomaru what he meant to say?"
"NO! No, milord! I- I-" Jaken quickly replied.
"Then you will do as you are told, or I will punish you accordingly," Sesshomaru said, allowing his level voice and cold stare to instill his servant with fear.
Once Jaken had disappeared into the nearby forest, Sesshomaru leaned himself against a large boulder that lay near the shore of the stream. It had been a very strange and confusing couple of days, and he felt a weariness like he had not felt in a long time. The fact that he, a demon lord, had fallen asleep, if just for a moment, under the affects of that wench's grooming was proof enough of this.
The sounds of Rin's chatter drew him from his thoughts. She sat a short distance away, near Ah Un's large form, playing with the doll the miko had given her. He smiled slightly at the woman's bravery in telling Rin that it had been from him, and he had to admit that he was glad she had bought it. From the moment he had seen it in that strange market, he had thought of Rin. Her pleasure now only proved he had been right in thinking she would like it. As long as the wench never spoke of what she had seen, then he felt it had been worth it not to kill her.
"Rin." he said. Her reaction was immediate.
"Yes, my lord?" She stood now, the doll clutched like an infant in her arms.
"You will bathe, now. Before nightfall."
Rin smiled broadly at him. "Yes, my lord." But instead of immediately rushing to the stream to do as he had ordered, she took a few steps forward and stood silently waiting for him to acknowledge her.
"Rin?" he pressed softly, curious at her behavior.
She extended the doll to him with the tenderness of a mother and asked, "Will hold Kagome for me? To protect her while I wash."
Sesshomaru gasped, unable to hide his shock at her simple request, though more for the name she had mentioned than the actual question. Recovering almost immediately, he stared into her eyes and asked, "Kagome?"
"Yes," Rin replied proudly. "That's what I called her." She indicated the doll. "Don't you think she is pretty like Kagome?"
Sesshomaru found himself momentarily at a loss for words, something uncommon for the demon who spoke so rarely. Rin took his silence as acceptance, for she stood up on her toes and placed the doll gently in the crook of his arm as she smiled at him.
"I'll be right back, Kagome. Lord Sesshomaru will take care of you until I come back," she reassured the doll before making her way behind the boulder to strip from her outer clothes and bathe.
Sesshomaru eyed the doll as thought it would bite him. With a name like Kagome it very well might, Sesshomaru thought. That was truly the oddest woman he had ever seen. Ah Un made a soft grunting noise as it lifted its heads to look at Sesshomaru holding the doll. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the dragon as if to say, "One word and I'll..." The dragon merely growled in amusement and rested its heads back on the ground.
A damp, but smiling, Rin soon rejoined him. She looked at him still holding Kagome in the crook of his arm and she sighed loudly. Intrigued by her actions, Sesshomaru glanced at her and asked, "What troubles you, Rin?"
"Will you have children soon, Lord Sesshomaru? It would be nice to have a real little baby to take care of, especially one that has your pretty hair!" She climbed up onto the boulder as she spoke and began to trail her fingers through his hair.
Shock would have been to mild a description for what he felt at that moment though his only visible reaction was to widen his eyes slightly. This day had been far too long and seemed to stretch by the minute. He felt her gentle tug on his hair and was reminded yet again of the far too pleasant for comfort encounter with the miko earlier that afternoon.
"Rin," he said sternly, and her hands froze then immediately extracted themselves from his hair.
"I'm sorry, my Lord. I forgot to ask if I could touch." Her dejection at his tone did not last long. She brightened and returned to a far more discomforting subject. "Can you have two children, a boy and a girl with long, white hair like yours to play with?"
"You may groom my hair, Rin, until Jaken returns with your dinner," Sesshomaru told her quickly, unwilling to hear any of her further questions.
She squealed excitedly and positioned him with tiny, warm hands so that she could stand behind him and drape the rest of his knee-length locks over the boulder. Her hands were gentle as a child's could be and he tried not to wince when one or two strands would catch in her fingers and pull.
"Mmmm," she whispered. "You smell like flowers, my Lord."
He grunted softly, but did not deny it. Rin began to hum in a low voice while she worked through his hair. For the second time that day, he felt his eyes close in contentment and a low growl rumbled pleasantly in his chest. He made no attempt to hide his pleasure at her gentle ministrations, for unlike the miko, Rin held his complete trust as he held hers. This must have pleased Rin, because the little girl began to hum more happily and her strokes became more rhythmic, as though she were petting a large puppy.
Sesshomaru did not know when he had fallen asleep, but all too soon he heard the sounds of Jaken stumbling back from his errand that roused him immediately.
"Oh, you're awake, Lord Sesshomaru. I'm sorry, did I pull your hair?" Rin asked cheerfully from her perch behind him.
"No, Rin. It was not you who displeased me. Jaken is returning."
Rin giggled at that. Without him having to say a word, she climbed down from the boulder and retrieved her doll from him. By the time Jaken tripped at his master's feet, she and Sesshomaru were back to their original positions.
Soon, Jaken and Rin sat around the fire happily eating what Jaken had foraged while Sesshomaru remained silently alert from his position seated against the boulder he had claimed. Sighing inaudibly, he wished briefly that Jaken had not returned so soon. He had been enjoying Rin's attentions, a rare treat, but a treat none the less. Suddenly, he sensed a rapidly approaching youkai. Not a very strong one, but it seemed to be making straight for their little camp.
He looked up into the dim twilight and finally caught sight of a large cat demon diving downwards. It did not seem to be attacking, however, so he simply watched its progress.
"Oh, you filthy lecher! How about we let you cool down a little!" a very angry female voice shouted.
By that time even Rin had noticed the approaching youkai, and she, Sesshomaru, Jaken and even Ah Un were staring up into the sky curiously.
"But, my dear Sango, it's my hand. It's cursed," a male voice pleaded, but a resounding smack filled the air followed by a cry as a black and purplish mass plummeted suddenly from the sky. Sesshomaru and his party watched in amusement as the object fell with a sharp cry and a loud splash into the stream.
Jaken let out a squeal as a large wave of water soaked him and his dinner, him being the closest to the stream. No one paid him any mind as the now dripping, black and purple thing crawled out of the stream. He carried a long, golden staff with rings at the end that jingled with movement. Sesshomaru sniffed the air and recognized one his brother's human companions, the monk.
The waterlogged monk slowly pulled himself to his feet and stared at the shocked eyes of Sesshomaru and his company.
"He, he, ah, good evening, Sesshomaru-sama. Sorry to drop in on you like that," the monk hastily said to them. He began to wring water out of his robes.
Once he had done this, he bowed slightly to them and, with as much dignity as he could muster, said, "Well, I guess I'll be on my way now. Good evening, and may Buddha grant you a peaceful rest."
Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken watched him as he marched stiffly through their camp and back in the direction of the human village Inuyasha frequented. Ah Un simply blinked and went back to sleep. After seeing it's master holding a doll like an infant, a monk from the sky was nothing special.
After that brief moment of excitement, the small camp settled back into a silence, broken only by the gentle murmur of the stream, Ah Un's rumbling breath and Jaken's occasional snores. Only Rin and Sesshomaru were still awake. Sesshomaru observed Rin going through a small bag the miko had given to her. She had put "Kagome" to bed in a spare cloth beside Ah Un after singing the doll a short lullaby.
Rin pulled out a small box, the object she had apparently sought judging by her triumphant smile, then ran over to him.
"Lord Sesshomaru, would you like to play a game with me?" she asked timidly and looked up at him with large, brown eyes.
He glanced at her, then over at the other sleeping members of his group, before giving the slightest of nods. Rin smiled her delight, and fumbled with the plastic wrapping on the box.
"Did the miko give those to you?" he asked noticing her trouble. He thought he recognized the same strange substance that had covered the meat in the miko's time.
"Yes. Inuyasha had some too, but they did not have a barrier on them," Rin explained, her smile fading as she feared that she would not be able to play.
Sesshomaru told her to hold the box while he used his claws to tear through the clear substance. Rin laughed and immediately tore the cards from the box, and shuffled them like a pro.
Sesshomaru looked at her curiously as she dealt him several of the small, colored cards. He listened to her quick explanations of how this game was played, quietly impressed by her knowledge. Perhaps the half-breed was a fairly descent teacher, even if he couldn't learn anything himself.
"So, any questions, my lord?" she asked once she had finished and gripped her cards in her hands, well out of his sight.
Sesshomaru glanced at the stream, then back at Rin. "Why must I 'go fish' if you do not have the card I seek? What does fishing have to do with a game?"
Rin laughed and correct, "No, not real fish. It means you're supposed to take a card from the pile. Now you pick up your cards."
She waited patiently, not making a sign of amusement or pity at his difficulty in grasping the small, slippery things with his one hand. Finally, he managed to gather them all into his hand and dipped his head slightly as a sign he was ready.
"My lord, do you have any threes?"
The game progressed for a while, Rin became very serious and even showed some frustration as he won almost every game. It was a rather simple game and he had easily mastered the rules, though not once did it ever cross his mind to let the little girl beat him.
"I believe I win yet again," he told her as he laid his last pair down on the grass.
To his utter surprise, Rin threw down her cards and snapped, "That's not fair! I beat Inuyasha, and he's the one who taught me this fucking game!"
His eyes widened with shock and surprise, and a low growl reverberated in his chest. In an instant he was on his feet with a hand hovering over Tokijin's hilt. He felt his hair swirling and red creeping into his vision with the surge in his demonic aura as a rage filled him. How dare that half-breed teach such base and foul language to his Rin! Inuyasha had stained her innocent thoughts and would pay.
Rin frowned as she reached into her kimono and extracted a small pouch and poured some coins into her hand. "Here, my lord. You won the fucking game, so here is what I owe you."
Her sweet voice both calmed and enraged him as she repeated the crass curse. Finding his voice at last, Sesshomaru managed to force the red from his eyes and kept his voice at its usual even tone so as not to alarm her. "Did Inuyasha teach you this?"
Quickly overcoming her anger over losing, Rin looked up at him and said, "Yes, my lord. I beat him, and he was very funny. He thought I had cheated at the fu-"
"Enough, Rin," Sesshomaru interrupted, not wanting to hear such language from his little Rin, unable to calm the surging rage that radiated his power like a beacon of warning to all nearby living things. Jaken and Ah Un both woke with a start, but wisely said nothing to draw the attention of the enraged youkai to themselves.
"You will not repeat anything that the half-breed says to you," Sesshomaru said.
Rin looked at him, cocking her head to the side as though confused by his behavior, but replied, "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru. Here, you won fairly. I don't think you cheated."
He glanced down at the coins, but did not take them, and moved further away from them as they carried the scent of his half-brother and only served to increase his blood's demand for justice for what had been done to his ward. "I do not need to take your money, Rin. Did Inuyasha lose those to you?"
"Yes, and he still owes me more candy from Kagome!" Rin boasted.
Sesshomaru smirked inwardly at that, and said, "Then I shall collect on his debt to you. Rin, stay here. Jaken!"
The small toad gave a squeal of fear and jumped to his feet, though not before stumbling once in his hurry to heed his master's call. "Yes, my lord. How may I be of service?"
"Watch Rin until I return. And Jaken, should you fail again, know that I will not spare you," Sesshomaru told the imp.
"But- but milord!" Jaken wailed to the rapidly fading ball of light that was his master.
xxxx
Miroku marched steadily toward Kaede's village. The only sounds in the deepening night were the jingle of his staff and the squish of his wet clothing as he moved along. As he walked, he grinned to himself and pictured the luscious perfection of Sango's firm butt and womanly curves. The dip in the stream had been worth it, not to mention the look of surprise on Sesshomaru and his retainer's faces when he fell almost on top of them and crawled out of the river.
That had been a sight to bring a chuckle for years to come. He had been extremely lucky the cold demon lord had not killed him right there. His thoughts drifted again to Sango's features. "Yes, I am one lucky man!"
About then a large ball of white light streaked past in the direction of Kaede's village. Miroku shivered as he felt the amount of demonic rage carried in that demon's aura. He recognized it instantly as Sesshomaru's, and smiled in relief that he was not the current prey.
"I feel sorry for whoever managed to get Sesshomaru that angry," he said to himself.
xxxx
"So, you really just dumped Miroku off Kirara in midair?" Kagome asked Sango, her amusement only halfway hidden.
The demon slayer glanced up from her own cup of ramen, a smile playing across her own face now that her anger had diminished. She nodded and replied, "Oh, we came down to a safe height and made sure we were over a stream."
Kagome snickered, while Inuyasha belted out a hearty laugh.
Shippo had finally been coaxed out from beneath Kagome's hair by Sango's smiles and the allure of freshly cooked ramen. He sat near Kagome, and added his own two cents to Sango's tale.
"Yeah, I saw him hit the water with a big splash! And we were even nice enough to drop him near someone's camp."
Inuyasha was rolling on the ground, nearly in tears, while Kagome was trying her best to limit her amusement to giggling.
"I would have loved to seen that damn lecher's face when he crawled out of the water!" Inuyasha remarked as his laughter subsided. "The perfect thing to cool him down."
Sango sighed and decided they had spoken enough about the monk for now, since she knew Inuyasha would probably torment him for days starting from the moment Miroku returned. "So, Kagome, I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon. Did you do well on your test?"
"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot!" Kagome exclaimed, paling at Sango's question.
"Isn't that what you went back for?" Sango asked.
"Um, well, you see, we were on the way to the well when we were attacked by a whole horde of demons. Inuyasha was protecting me, but I got a pretty bad cut on my stomach then fell into the well. I thought I was a gonner, but then Sesshomaru appeared. I thought it was Inuyasha at first, but then he corrected my mistake."
Sango looked from Kagome to Inuyasha in disbelief. "Sesshomaru! How did he get through the well?"
"That's what I wanted to know," Inuyasha grumbled, his mood noticeably soured. "The damn thing wouldn't let me through after that bastard jumped in. They both just got back today."
"Inuyasha! I wish you wouldn't talk like that in front of Shippo, he's just an innocent little kid," Kagome scolded.
"Hmph," Inuyasha sniffed. "Innocent my ass."
Kagome looked about ready to "sit" him, when Sango snatched her attention. "Are you okay, then, Kagome? He didn't try to hurt you or anything?"
Kagome blushed deeply, and replied, "No, at first I thought he would, but he only seemed concerned about getting me healed and back here as fast as possible. He was actually almost a gentleman, and he did revive that doctor..."
Inuyasha, Sango and even Shippo turned to look at her strangely after that remark. "Revived? Doctor?"
She noticed their worry and brushed it off with a wave of her hand and a bright smile. "Oh, forget it; it was nothing, really."
The others appeared as though they wanted to question her further, but a very strong demonic aura distracted them. It was very angry and heading towards them at an alarming rate.
Kagome shivered and Sango asked, "So you feel it too?"
"I wonder who it is? I can feel their anger from here," Kagome asked, rubbing her arms to ease the nervous goose bumps that pricked her skin.
Inuyasha looked off in the direction of the aura and soon began to growl. The others followed his gaze and saw a ball of white light flying towards them. He stood up, put his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt, and walked a short distance from Kaede's hut to wait.
"Sesshomaru!" the half-demon hissed in more confusion, than anger. His brother had not left in such a foul mood. He wondered what could have changed it.
A second later, Sesshomaru himself alighted, emerging from his ball of light like an angel descended from heaven- a very pissed angel. His white clothing and hair floated with deceptively calm grace in the evening breeze. His face appeared as smooth and bored as ever, but his eyes were glowing red.
"Inuyasha!" he practically roared, surprising for how calm his face still looked.
Kagome jumped to her feet and ran over hoping to prevent either of them from doing anything stupid- like say, killing each other. She, too, wondered what had gotten to Sesshomaru. He had not even seemed this angry about being shot. Or, she snickered, about wearing my kitten robe.
She glanced at Inuyasha who appeared to be as confused as herself.
"What the hell are you doing back here, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha shouted at his brother, not yet drawing Tetsusaiga, but ready to at any moment.
Sesshomaru fixed his red eyes on the hanyou, and said in a low, dangerous voice, "You insolent, half-breed. How dare you?"
Inuyasha cocked his head and forced a laugh. "I don't know what the-"
Sesshomaru moved as a blur, reappearing right in front of Inuyasha with his claws wrapped around his neck. The lifted the hanyou into the air. "I should cut that filthy tongue from your mouth, half-breed, before I let you feel my poison."
"Sesshomaru, what did Inuyasha do? He's been here ever since you and Rin left," Kagome asked, trying to reason with the enraged youkai. She noticed Sango moving in with her hiraikotsu in hand, and gave her friend a soft smile of gratitude, but lifted a hand warning her to wait for a minute. "And what about your life-debt? You wouldn't really kill him, now, would you?"
Sesshomaru's claws tightened causing Inuyasha to gasp. He was clawing at his brother's arm, but the youkai did not even seem to notice. "This half-breed has tainted the purity of my ward," he accused harshly.
Inuyasha paled, while the girls threw him disgusted looks. "What? I wouldn't do something like-" he tried to protest, but Sesshomaru silenced him by releasing a little poison.
"You taught her this game, 'go fish,' did you not?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha choked out.
"And it was you who taught her to call it a 'fucking game' when she lost," Sesshomaru continued to explain.
A light of realization sparked in Kagome's eyes that quickly turned to a flame of rage to rival that of the demon lord.
"It's not my fault, she cheated at the fucking game," Inuyasha argued.
"Oh, Sesshomaru," Kagome called out in a sing-song voice. "You might want to put Inuyasha down."
She looked up at them innocently with her hands behind her back. The demon lord was enraged, but he was not stupid either. The look in her eye at that moment made even him hesitate to go against her wishes. He released Inuyasha and watched to see what she would do.
Kagome's eyes were flaming as Inuyasha turned to look at her. "Oh, no you don't, you bastard," he called out moving closer to his brother. "Pick me back up, now!"
Sesshomaru took a step back from his brother, the red beginning to fade from his eyes. "I don't think so, little brother. She is your wench."
Inuyasha's eyes widened with terror as he turned to plead with Kagome. "What, Kagome? You're not going to believe that asshole over me, are you?"
His eyes frantically searched each of the others in hopes of some defense, but even Kirara mewed and stepped back from him. "Traitors," he muttered under his breath.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, her voice even causing Sesshomaru to wince. "SIT, BOY! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"
She took a deep breath to continue, "How dare you teach a sweet little girl like Rin such ugly words. It's bad enough you talk that way around ladies like Sango and I, but around impressionable kids like Shippo and Rin! Oh, SIT BOY!"
Inuyasha groaned from the bottom of the crater created in his likeness. Each time he tried to get up, Kagome shouted another incantation. After her ire had finally worn itself out, she looked up to the now gold, mirthful eyes of Sesshomaru, and said loud enough for Inuyasha to hear, "I am so sorry, Lord Sesshomaru, for his influence on Rin. I hope you will forgive what IDIOTS like Inuyasha do without thinking. Please, don't hurt him."
Sesshomaru's lips curled in what would have been a grin on anyone but him. "Miko, I must thank you for that amusing display. I will, indeed, spare his wretched life. Consider it payment of my life-debt to him."
Sesshomaru leaned over his brother's crater and called down to him, "And as for you, half-breed, you will give me the candy."
Kagome glanced over at Sesshomaru who, dressed in his armor and fine kimono and demanding candy, suddenly reminded her of an overgrown child out trick-or-treating. She pictured him with a large, plastic pumpkin hanging from his hand and began to giggle uncontrollably. Sesshomaru tried to ignore her antics at first, but soon she was holding her sides and wiping tears from her eyes as she succumbed to a fit of laughter.
Even Sango and Shippo began to look at her funny, and Inuyasha climbed out of his hole grumbling, "What's wrong with you, wench?"
Kagome only fell into an even stronger fit of laughter and managed to gasp, "Sesshomaru...trick-or-treat...pumpkin..."
Inuyasha glared at both Kagome and Sesshomaru as he moved to sulk a good distance from them, and Kagome was in no position to talk, so Sango stepped up. "Lord Sesshomaru, what is it you need from Inuyasha?"
He eyed Kagome and said, "I am here to collect the candy the half-breed lost to Rin while playing cards."
Sango snickered at that and looked back at Inuyasha, "You lost to Rin?"
He simply grunted and lifted his nose in the air. Rolling her eyes at the hanyou, she turned to Kagome and asked, "Do you...?"
Kagome wiped her eyes and tried to control her hysterics. "Candy... in bag..." she managed to get out as she fought to regain her breath. Sango dug through Kagome's bag until she found a familiar bag of treats, then handed it to the demon lord. Kagome had nearly recovered, but at the sight of Sesshomaru taking the bag in his claws sent her into a fit of giggling again.
"Ridiculous humans," he muttered as he transformed into a ball of light and flew off into the night sky. This day had been way, way too long in his opinion.
xxxx
Miroku sighed and winced as another breeze blew through his soaked clothing, chilling him. His staff jingled merrily and he glared at it before finding a large boulder and seating himself against it. He shivered, but it provided some relief from the wind.
In the distance, he saw Sesshomaru's ball of light rise up and pass swiftly overhead, back towards the stream. The anger in the youkai's aura had vanished, much to the relief and curiosity of Miroku.
"He came from the direction of Kaede's village, and that did not take too long. I hope Inuyasha is still alive," Miroku wondered out loud.
Another, familiar demonic aura approached a short time later. He smiled up as he saw the familiar flames of Kirara's feet descending upon him.
"My dear, Sango, I knew you wouldn't leave me..." he started to say, but was interrupted as the cat hovered overhead and a very unexpected voice shouted, "Sit, boy!"
He heard Inuyasha's sudden cry then saw the white-haired hanyou crashing down at him. Unable to flee in time, he found himself crushed into the ground beneath his friend. Miroku groaned at the intense pain. Inuyasha growled angrily.
"You two deserve each other's company!" Sango cried out from atop Kirara.
"Maybe by the time you get back, you'll have learned some manners!" Kagome added, then they turned Kirara and flew back to Kaede's village.
By the time the incantation had worn off, the girls were long gone; but that didn't stop Inuyasha from jumping to his feet and shaking his fist in their direction as he shouted, "Serve you right if I didn't come back, Kagome!"
Miroku just lay on the ground trying to assess any damage. He groaned then said, "What did you do?"
"I didn't do nothing," Inuyasha groused. "You got Sango mad and she turned Kagome against me."
Miroku struggled to his feet and tried to dust off his damp robes. "Well, it's good to see you are alive and in good health."
"And why wouldn't I be?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, well, I saw Sesshomaru head towards you in a rage, then leave in a much calmer mood. I just assumed you two exchanged blows," Miroku explained.
"And why would you automatically assume it would be me who lost? I could take that bastard any day!"
Miroku smiled broadly and took a few steps back from Inuyasha. "I didn't say that; you misunderstand."
Inuyasha gave him a feral grin and crouched low to the ground. "Well, enjoy your walk back, Miroku. Keep your sutras handy, too. My brother's passing has disturbed a whole lot of lesser demons."
The hanyou then began to leap swiftly back toward the village. Miroku ran after for a moment, crying out, " Wait! Inuyasha! You could give me a ride you know."
"Now why would I want to do that?" Inuyasha called back over his shoulder. "You don't smell as nice as Kagome, and you're way heavier."
xxxx
Jaken was asleep on his feet, propped up by his staff, when Sesshomaru arrived. Ah Un lifted its heads in acknowledgement of his return, so he spared Jaken a kick. At least one of his vassals had been keeping watch. Truth be told, he was a little relieved to not have to listen to Jaken's whining.
He walked over to Rin who lay curled up beside Ah Un and "Kagome." The little bag the miko had given her lay nearby, so Sesshomaru placed the bag of candy on top of it. On the verge of turning to go, Sesshomaru heard Rin whimper in her sleep. He paused and looked down at her. Sweat slicked her face, and her brow was furrowed. The scent of fear wafted from her.
Another nightmare, Sesshomaru thought and he knelt to run his hand through her hair. If he got to her soon enough, he could often keep her from waking. This was not one of those nights, however.
Wide brown eyes sprang open at his touch and sought out his in the darkness. He could read the wild fear in the depth of them as they fought to locate a source of comfort in the night. When she saw him there, the fear vanished and she sat up slowly.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she said quietly.
"Rin," Sesshomaru told her in a low voice, still not taking his hand from her hair as he usually did. For some reason he did not want to. As he looked down on her, he felt the same strange warmth and longing he had with the miko, only this was stronger. Not only did he want to feel her tiny arms wrapped around him, he desired to do the same for her.
Sesshomaru studied her face as it peered up at him, so full of trust and admiration. Just the sight of him was enough to drive away what had so recently tormented her. They did not speak; neither of them needed to say anything. Sesshomaru sat down beside her, his back against Ah Un, and placed his swords on the ground beside him. Rin climbed into his lap and buried her face in his fur, her arms wrapped around his neck. His arm gently tucked her small frame against his chest, and he felt her instantly relax.
A contentment settled over him, a sense of wholeness he had not felt until this moment. They sat like that until her breathing evened and her heart slowed signaling to his heightened senses that she had fallen asleep. Moonlight shone silver in her midnight hair and created an angelic halo around her tiny head.
Resting his cheek lightly on her head, he lifted his gaze to the moon. The demon lord of the Western Lands sat, embracing a human child, one he allowed to follow him and one he defended. Love. Now that he had solved the problem of identifying what these strange new feelings were, Sesshomaru had yet another dilemma: how could he make sure he never lost them?
His arm tightened instinctively around Rin, and he inhaled her scent. Perhaps as long as he held on to her, those feelings would remain. And that was one theory he was willing to test.
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A/N: Well, I wanted to thank all those who read and those who review. I hope you've enjoyed the journey thus far, and don't worry. I will be writing an epilogue to hopefully tie up any loose ends, such as the mysterious businessman at the hotel... was he really future Sesshomaru? Please, send me any questions you'd like to have answered or anything that I did not address to your satisfaction in the story. If I can, I'll address it in the epilogue, but if not, I will do my best to answer you in a response. Again, thank you all for reading, after all that is the ultimate purpose for any story and the highest goal for any author.