"A Heart's Immaculence"
Disclaimer: I do not, will not ever own Inuyasha because it is not my creation but that of Rumiko Takahashi.
Author's Note: Hello, there! My gratitude and appreciation to everyone who kindly reviewed! Thanks again! Sorry I updated rather late this time. I tried my best to finish writing this chapter the day before, but I ended up feeling sick and had a headache while I was writing. I even had to take a long nap before I got back on my computer, but I still didn't feel well enough to continue. Well, at least I was able to complete it today. I hate it when I can't write because of things like this. So it seems a lot of my readers were shocked, angry, and upset that Kagura came into the picture and that she caught Sesshomaru's attention. Of course Kagome's blood is boiling. Hey, even my heart was breaking to see Kagura and Sesshomaru together while Kagome is still stuck inside that hole. I will admit that even I felt jealous, for as you all know Sesshomaru is my favorite character, and if I wanted to I'd put myself in the story and make him fall in love with me instead. Imagine that! Only in my dreams, I say. I mean I could do it, but come on! What purpose would that serve if I did? This story has nothing to do with me. I'm not a character in the anime, am I? I doubt Sesshomaru would like me anyway, but there's no harm in pretending and dreaming about things like that. I bet Kagura dreams about Sesshomaru the same as Jaken does. Well, what young woman wouldn't dream about the most beautiful demon around? Okay, let us see what Kagura and Sesshomaru will do and how Kagome will react to their "intimacy."
Chapter 18
Like a capsized ship sitting at the bottom of sea, Kagome was but a lonely passenger sailing through the fierce currents made by the strong palpitation of her heart. Each beat caused a perilous wave to form, the height of its power increasing with each painful emotion she vented. It crashed against her inner walls of delicacy and sensitivity, drowning her spirit with its weight.
Kagome sat at the bottom of the hole in wonderment and confusion, her mind contorting itself like crumpled paper, thoughts careening as wildly as a candle flame whose light is nearly extinguished by the blow of a single breath. She was losing her stability to remain composed, and as if her mental distress was not enough, her physical tiredness was an inconvenience she had to endure with equal stress. Her emotional ailments were distinguishable from others in the respect that every one of them was churning her blood, overturning her soul repeatedly like a coin tossed in the air. As battered and hurt as she was, Kagome refused to submit to the fragility of her feminine character, for although she was at odds with both Kagura and Sesshomaru, the two of them being demons, her jealousy and fiery temper would compensate for her lack of preternatural power.
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Rin asked, observing the young woman's downcast mood.
"I'm just tired, Rin," Kagome replied, stretching out her legs before standing up. "My head hurts from thinking too much and my body is aching all over. But that pain does not compare to this one."
Kagome placed her hand over her heart and scratched it roughly as though it itched her. She hesitantly turned her head upward to look at the two individuals who were causing her discomfort. They were staring at each other in the same unaltered manner they had been before, Kagura's ruby eyes penetrating deeply into the suave creature opposite her, Sesshomaru's response to her flirtation a simple but alluring smile. Looking at them made Kagome's heart convulse, and she punched that part above her breast as if doing so would make it function normally.
I really do wish Inuyasha was here to take me away from all this, thought Kagome.
She had not thought of the hanyou for quite some time, her thoughts focused on the youkai she desired to befriend more than anyone, but the more she remained with him, the more she realized how distant and out of reach he was. She yearned for him with the passing of every hour in the day, yet with every endeavor she had to get close to him, she was rejected by him, either directly or unintentionally. It seemed her most cherished dreams were not worth the trouble for some reason, for every wish she made was cast away as if by fate. When she had loved Inuyasha, her dream of him loving her in the manner he loved Kikyo failed to be real. Now the same wish made itself known to her with Sesshomaru, her longing to have him love her a ridiculous folly. She was aware that holding on to something as unrealistic as that could permanently injure her within, but her stubbornness persuaded her to remain faithful to her dream. Unfortunately, in the present state of things, with Kagura and Sesshomaru appearing as though they were more than rivals, such was not in Kagome's favor.
Feeling betrayed by her ill-fated experiences with love, Kagome's tolerance towards her pain was beginning to wane, and she bit her lip hard enough to suppress the scream which had situated itself at the base of her throat. She felt a puddle of moisture on her bottom lip and touching it with her hand, she realized her teeth had broken the skin there and drawn blood.
"You're bleeding!" Rin said worriedly, touching her own lips as if they were cut.
"I'm so stupid!" Kagome said in a voice that was between a cheerful and bitter tone.
"What's bothering you, Kagome?" Rin grabbed Kagome's hand and squeezed it tightly, the child's heart aching for her, wanting to comfort her the way she had many times before. "Is it Lord Sesshomaru? Is it Kagura?"
"Both of them!" said Kagome, trying to retain her anger from erupting in front of Rin. "But Lord Sesshomaru bothers me most of all! He always has! He always will! I want to hate him, but I can't. Why is he doing this to me?"
Rin was abashed by Kagome's apparent pain, and she hugged her warmly before pulling herself away and looking straight into the young woman's eyes.
"Why does Lord Sesshomaru bother you so much?" she asked. "Did he do something to you while you were practicing fighting? I noticed he treated you kind of badly, but you shouldn't let that make you so sad. When he first met me, he didn't treat me as good as he does now."
"You're different, Rin," said Kagome. "You're a human child. He's not that cold-hearted to treat someone as sweet, loving, and kind as you so horribly."
"But you're sweet and kind too!"
"That doesn't really matter. What good does it do me if I can't get someone's attention even with those traits?"
"Don't worry, Kagome. Sesshomaru will like you."
Kagome did not want to hear anymore of what Rin had to say. The child had such an optimistic outlook on things, yet she knew Sesshomaru more than anyone. She would not say such a thing if she did not believe it to be true.
"I don't understand what you mean," Kagome said impatiently.
"It takes time for him to like someone. He pushed me away a lot of times too and didn't talk to me at all the first few days I followed him after he saved my life. Before when he was hurt that time I met him, I tried to help by bringing him food and getting him whatever he needed to get better. He didn't care at all. He never smiled at me or told me he was thankful for what I did. He didn't want me around, but I wanted to see him and be with him, so I kept on doing the things he told me not to do. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be with Lord Sesshomaru now."
"I still don't understand," Kagome lied. She understood perfectly the point Rin was making, but she wanted the girl to repeat herself to make sure she was actually hearing what she was.
"Lord Sesshomaru never says what he feels," Rin continued. "Even though he has never told me, I know he cares about me. He has shown me that every time he rescues me and saves me from danger. I think you should see if he does anything like that for you. If he does, that means he likes you. I don't think you're giving him a chance."
"Like he gives me a chance!" Kagome was irritated once again. "I now know what you mean, Rin, but it's different with me. There's just something about me Sesshomaru doesn't like, and I wish I knew what it is."
Kagome's mind reversed itself and tried to remember if there was anything Sesshomaru did while she had traveled with him that perhaps revealed something of how he truly felt about her. The only moments which were the most conspicuous in her mind was when Sesshomaru, in a sense, defended her when Jaken accused both of them of being physically intimate and when he had warned her not to touch Tokijin after they had fought. In the first scenario, he could have easily only included himself in saying he would denounce Jaken if the imp disrespected him, but he had mentioned her as well. He also could have allowed her to touch Tokijin and die, for even she knew she did not have enough power to purify the sword. And the look he had in his eyes had a hint of fear, but he was looking at her and not his sword when he spoke. Still another moment came to her mind, and it happened there while she was inside the hole. When he had come to face Kagura, he looked at her and asked if she was ill. Surely he would not have asked such a thing if he were not concerned.
"This is crazy!" Kagome said, her head aching more than ever, the complexity of Sesshomaru's entire character burning her mind. "It's too much for me. I can't handle it. I won't love Sesshomaru. Not anymore!"
Too late to take back the words she had said, Kagome looked at Rin to see if the girl had heard her. She was so utterly consumed in her own mental dilemma that she had obscured the outside world to concentrate on her own thoughts, ignoring the elements of reality for those few seconds of contemplation.
Kagome's heart pulsated faster. Rin was smiling brightly, and her large eyes mirrored the happiness she had within, her giddy laughter echoing inside the hole.
"You didn't hear that, Rin! You didn't hear that!" Kagome said nervously. Realizing Kagura and Sesshomaru were still standing on the ground above her, she looked up to see if the two of them heard her words, but they were still transfixed with one another, and for just that brief time, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and was glad they both were too involved with each other to not notice.
"Do you really love Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Rin, her smile widening to the extent that it almost covered her entire face.
"No!" Kagome whispered.
"Yes, you do!"
"No! I don't!"
Kagome blushed.
"You do, Kagome! My mother said she acted the way you're acting right now when she loved my father. She always said she didn't love him to everybody when she really did. And she was embarrassed like you and had the same pink cheeks."
"I said I don't love him, Rin!"
"I think I should tell Lord Sesshomaru about it."
Rin was enjoying herself, dancing around Kagome's body like a fairy in celebration of something wonderful and magical.
"No, no! Don't do that!" Kagome replied, feeling as if her heart was about to burst. "Rin, promise me you won't say anything to Sesshomaru."
"Why not?"
"Please, Rin. Promise me. I'll die if you do."
Rin's smile disappeared quickly and a frown took its place on her vibrant face.
"Okay, I promise," said Rin sadly, placing her hands behind her back and bowing respectfully to Kagome to assure her she would not tattle.
"Promise what exactly?"
Kagome and Rin both looked up and saw Kagura staring down at them, her eyes filled with curiosity and interest.
"Why do you care?" said Kagome, her nostrils flaring. "I'm even surprised you heard that since you were so busy looking at Lord Sesshomaru."
She saw Kagura smile, but Sesshomaru did not look at Kagome after she spoke. Instead he pulled out his Tokijin and jumped over the hole's opening, landing on the other side where Kagura stood. He held his sword upward, pointing it at Kagura.
"You're not going to run me through with that, are you?" Kagura said, turning her attention back to Sesshomaru as she tapped Tokijin's blade with her fan. "You wouldn't do that to me unless I attacked you. Believe me, Sesshomaru, I wouldn't dare get in your way unless I wanted to…."
Kagura's smile was deeper and more voluptuous as she looked at him flirtatiously.
"Yes?" Sesshomaru asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Unless what?"
"You don't know?" Kagura said mischievously. "Well, perhaps I should show you."
Show him what!, screamed Kagome in her mind. If it's what I think it is, I'll be so sick I'll probably throw up!
"That won't be necessary," Sesshomaru said, moving his sword's blade closer to Kagura's body.
"Are you that eager?" Kagura said, noticing Sesshomaru's sword almost pressing against her. "Don't you want to converse first before we play around?"
"A conversation with you is a dangerous affair."
"Dangerous?" Kagura placed her fan against her cheek, pretending to think about what it was she had done when she was with Sesshomaru the last time.
Sesshomaru looked at Kagura in disbelief, his eyes sending a clear message to her that he was not fooled.
"Oh, that!" she said excitedly, not mentioning what it was she had done to him openly since the youkai already knew what it was. "I was only teasing you, Lord Sesshomaru. I didn't mean to make you cross. You do seem to get agitated quickly when things don't go your way."
"You're telling me!" Kagome yelled from inside the hole.
Slapping her fan against her open hand, Kagura's eyes shot angrily at Kagome.
"Who said you could interrupt me?" she said. "Keep your mouth shut or I'll rip it out of your face. I'm sure that would make Sesshomaru happy."
Kagura smiled at Sesshomaru again.
"I pity him. How could he have dealt with you all this time? I'll be doing him a favor by taking you to Naraku. However…."
Placing her hands on her hips, Kagura looked at Kagome meticulously as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle. It was as if she were examining her, first looking at her face then her body, and finally resting on her weapon.
"What are you looking at, Kagura?" Kagome said, feeling uncomfortable.
"If what I'm thinking is true, then it doesn't make any sense," Kagura said, averting her eyes from Kagome to look at Sesshomaru, inspecting him in the same manner but with a lustful expression on her face. "Of course if one reverses it, then it does."
"Is there something you and Naraku find interesting about that girl?" asked Sesshomaru suspiciously.
Kagura laughed.
"The question should be if there is something you find interesting about her, Sesshomaru. I've been wondering why you have her in your company. She is a human after all, although that child you look after is just as puzzling to me. But why is Kagome with you? I would really like to know."
There's no way he's going to tell her, Kagome said, her impatience stifling her.
"What is it that you want?" Sesshomaru asked, avoiding the question.
"All I want is Kagome, but of course if she means nothing to you, then you'll allow me to take her with me without interfering. Yet I am unsure of what your actions will be. That is why the child is in there with her. If you allow me to take Kagome, I shall set her free. If not, you know what will be the consequence."
"You have wasted my time for something as simple as that?" Sesshomaru asked. "A scheme such as this seems unlike you."
"Do you care for that mortal woman?"
There was a brief pause before Sesshomaru answered.
"Amusing," said he, aware of a change in Kagura's demonic aura. "I sense you feel threatened by someone. And for that question, how dare you even ask me about associating myself with her. "
That's it, thought Kagome. I've had it with both of them! I'm going to get out of here and give both Kagura and Sesshomaru a piece of my mind.
"Hmm." Kagura said musingly. "I want to believe you, but I still want to make sure you speak the truth. I think it's time to play now, don't you?"
Waving her fan in a circular motion, Kagura summoned her powers and caused a great wind to blow through, but its target was not Sesshomaru. Rather than blowing towards him, the wind traveled inside the hole and lifted Rin off the ground, making her fly upward until she was outside the darkness below.
"Rin!" Kagome yelled as she began climbing the tough, dirt wall. She was fearful for Rin's safety and was concerned about her own, knowing that if she did not make the effort to fight Kagura, she would be taken to Naraku, for it was clear to her that Sesshomaru would not bother to help her.
Rin was still in the air, her little figure being forced to sway one direction to another. She was screaming with fear, and Kagura was enjoying herself, finding the little girl entertaining, especially because she was Sesshomaru's companion, treating her like a doll that is flung into the air playfully.
Sesshomaru watched Rin like a vulture. Although he was confident he could rescue Rin, he was cautious of Kagura's every move, for although he understood her different forms of attack all too well, he realized she had it in her to be vicious if she so desired. With whatever mood took her, she could transform her arrogant and flirtatious conduct into a wicked, devilish one.
"How weightless she is!" Kagura said blithely, referring to Rin. "She's as light as a pillow. So she shouldn't break if I blow her against that tall tree over there. I'm curious to see how soft her body is. Let's find out!"
Making more motions with her fan, Kagura commanded the rapid, violent wind to carry Rin on its invisible body and crash her into the tree with full force. She laughed as she heard Rin's screams, waiting patiently for Sesshomaru to make his move to save her. Kagura had just completed that thought when he gracefully jumped into the wind and grabbed Rin before she almost slammed into the tree. The wind then stopped suddenly, and Sesshomaru landed on the ground, holding Rin in his arm while she still held on tightly to him.
"Let go, Rin," he said softly, gently pulling her away from him. "Leave from here. You'll be safe with Jaken and Ah-Un."
Rin slid off her lord's arm, her feet touching the ground with a noiseless thud.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin said nervously. "What about Kagome?"
"I said go!"
Obeying her lord without hesitation, Rin ran away from the scene, stopping briefly to look down the hole and see Kagome before she left. Kagome was climbing swiftly up the wall, and Rin saw she was almost at the top. She then ran again and hoped Kagome would get out safely to join her.
"How sweet of you to be her hero," Kagura said, acting coquettishly towards Sesshomaru once again. "It'd be an honor if you would rescue me one day. You are the strongest and most powerful demon alive after all, not to mention the most handsome."
"Am I supposed to be flattered by that?" Sesshomaru said, smiling unamusedly.
"Don't you like flattery? You must receive such compliments often. Is that why my words don't affect you?"
"You are the wind sorceress. Your words are like the wind you command. They make a strong presence upon its entrance, but they are forgotten after its passage."
"I see. You're very perceptive."
Slightly annoyed by Sesshomaru's remark, Kagura twisted her fan more assiduously and stretched her arm outward sharply. This time the wind she controlled was to be aimed at him, swirling around her slender figure, making her appear like a goddess with her robes moving to the rhythm of her power, her hair perfectly kept in place, her face more appealing as it was smoothed by the wind.
"Dance of blades!" Kagura said, swinging her arm forward, slanting it half-way through.
As the wind pressed against Sesshomaru tempestuously, he steadied his Tokijin in the center of the revolving vortex and unleashed its own power against Kagura's attack, destroying the sporadic blades in one stroke. He adjusted himself into a more agile, combative position, his body configured into a symmetrical but picturesque posture, so still that if one were to glance at him too quickly, he would be mistaken for a statue.
Kagura was becoming immersed in her one-to-one match with Sesshomaru, and she hoped it would not end soon, for although she had the capability to withstand his attacks, he had limitless, immeasurable power, and if she was not careful, he could injure her with the smallest thing. For something as unfortunate as that to occur, the entire game she was playing with him would be done immediately.
"Your aggressiveness seems to have dwindled since our last encounter," Sesshomaru said, his words an invitation for Kagura to make her next attack.
"Is that so?" said Kagura, lifting her eyebrow seductively. "Perhaps I have grown soft in your presence."
"Not likely."
"Well, then. How about this?"
Kagura summoned the wind again and allowed herself to be carried by it in midair. She remained in the air when she began to twirl around, lifting her arms and twisting her waist as though she were dancing, her fan lifted high above her head.
"Dance of the dragon!" Kagura said fiercely like one saying a spell.
The strength and velocity of Kagura's wind was more violent and damaging, but Sesshomaru was not at all concerned with its abuse when it encircled around him. The wind thrashed against his body, and it managed to scarcely push him off the ground, but he still remained rooted to it, even as his clothes and his hair seemed to be stretched too much, enough so that with a tad bit more pressure, they would be ripped off him.
Kagura laughed while she watched Sesshomaru struggle to steady himself before he used his sword again to deflect the colossal wind, his motions keen and concise as the blade sliced through the invisibility of it but making it dissipate around him. He then gathered all the power held within Tokijin and slammed it into the wind's interior, forcing it backward.
"Damn!" Kagura said under her breath as her own power was repelled against her by Sesshomaru's sword.
She flipped higher into the air just above her own wind, and she watched as it crashed into the several trees below her, flattening them to the ground. Making a back flip, Kagura landed gracefully on the ground, leaves falling all around her as she inspected the damage her power had caused on the trees. She brushed away the leaves which had fallen on her shoulders and focused her attention on Sesshomaru who looked both passive and nonchalant.
"Your second attack was not much better, I'm afraid," said Sesshomaru casually. "You seemed distracted."
"Was I?" Kagura said, closing her fan. "And what do you think that distraction was?"
Kagura placed her fan against the side of her cheek, turned her head away and smiled to herself. A flow of emotion consumed her momentarily, and she tapped her fan against her chest, a slight breeze blowing around her and Sesshomaru. She lifted her face to look at him passionately, and her eyes remained congealed to his entire body.
"How long will you continue with your charade, Kagura?" Sesshomaru asked.
"You look more elegant when the wind blows thorough your hair," Kagura said, absorbing the youkai's beauty.
"Hey, take your eyes off him!"
Kagura and Sesshomaru turned towards the hole and saw Kagome resting near its edge, her hands holding tightly to the grass as she breathed heavily. She had yet to pull herself completely out, for her legs were still dug in deep into the dirt wall to prevent her from falling. But before she could come out of the hole successfully, Kagome realized she had blurted out words that she did not intend for both Kagura and Sesshomaru to hear. For some reason, she believed she had said it in her mind, but she could tell by their stares and confounded expressions she had spoken them aloud.
"Oops!" said Kagome, covering her mouth with one hand.
"Well, Lord Sesshomaru," Kagura said, opening her fan and hiding her smile behind it. "It looks like you have another admirer."
"Yeah, right!" said Kagome, struggling to pull herself out of the hole.
"Oh, no you don't!" said Kagura, seeing how determined Kagome was to escape.
She flicked her fan in the air and summoned another wave of wind directly at Kagome. The wind was pushing her downward, yet she held as tightly as she could to the ground above and stuck her feet more deep into the earth to avoid falling in again. However, the wind was too strong, Kagome lost her grip slightly, and she was dragged in, her body disappearing into the darkness.
"She's such a hassle!" Kagura said impatiently.
Believing Kagome was thrown into the very bottom of the hole, Kagura continued her subtle flirtation with Sesshomaru. Fortunately, Kagome held on tightly to the wall and was not pushed far by the wind. She was close enough to the hole's opening to climb back up again, feeling triumphant that Kagura was unable to succeed in her attack.
Kagome was already out of the whole and standing with her bow and arrow in place to attack, but Kagura did not notice her, for she stared at Sesshomaru as if hypnotized. But it was Sesshomaru who managed to break her concentration on him, since he turned to look at Kagome, and that caused Kagura to turn herself at what had caught his attention.
"How did you get out of there?" Kagura asked Kagome, shocked and angry both at once.
Kagome pulled her arrow tightly against the bow and aimed at Kagura's chest.
Kagura laughed menacingly at her.
"Are you going to attack me? What a fool you are! You're just a human. As if you can harm me, the sorceress of the wind."
"You sound just like Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome said angrily, her awareness of this comparison causing her to fume and making her throw down her weapon. "Just a human, huh? Well, what do you think of this?"
Kagome's anger escalated and she used it as a source of energy to trigger her hidden power. Lifting her arm and moving it in the same waving motion she had done before, she caused a wind of her own and she caught Kagura off guard, using her power to push her hard against the tree behind her. Kagura's body slammed violently against the trunk and her fan was tossed from her hand.
"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru said, annoyed at Kagome's interference.
"Releasing stress, that's what!" said Kagome moodily.
"Stay out of our way!"
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not one of your servants, you know. I was stuck inside that hole for a long time. I have a right to be angry, so I can do what I want."
Kagome made her arm move again, but this time she aimed her power at Sesshomaru, however he avoided her attack. She tried again, using her power to make the tree behind him snap in half as the top portion of it fell over him. Sesshomaru escaped that as well, and he realized she was angry at him in the same manner she was with Kagura.
Ignoring Sesshomaru, Kagome then grabbed her weapon and pulled the arrow as far back as she could until the string of the bow made her fingers bleed because of its tightness. She released the arrow and it flew through the air at a tremendous speed towards Kagura. The demoness herself was unguarded by this again, amazed at Kagome's ability to make the arrow seem frightening and threatening. The arrow grazed Kagura's cheek, a long, red line appearing there as droplets of blood seeped from the wound.
"Next time I'll shoot my arrow right in your eye!" Kagome said. "I promise! Or better yet in your heart!"
Kagura touched her wounded cheek and looked at Kagome spitefully.
"I'm afraid hitting me in the heart is impossible," she said. "I don't have it inside me, and I doubt you'd be able to kill me anyway."
Kagura stood up and reached for her fallen fan, opening it and preparing to attack Kagome with the same powers she used on Sesshomaru.
"Do you want to play too?" Kagura said to Kagome. "Very well. Let us see what you can do, shall we?"
Releasing the powerful wind, Kagura made several commands and attacked Kagome with each one. Believing the human girl would be frightened by her, Kagura's attacks were not as severe as she could have made them to be, yet Kagome was able to deflect the sorceress' powers, sending it right back to her easily, even her infamous "dance of the dragon" technique.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Kagura asked. "I've never seen you defend yourself since Inuyasha always saves you from danger. You could never shoo a fly, yet you swept me off the ground as easily as a feather. You even deflected my attacks. Where did you get that power? Naraku will certainly find it amusing."
"I have Lord Sesshomaru to thank for that!" Kagome said bitterly.
Sesshomaru looked at Kagome surprisedly.
"Really?" Kagura said, smiling at him.
"Speaking of Naraku, what does he want from me?" Kagome questioned.
"Now, now. Why spoil the fun? It's better to have you guess than to reveal what Naraku wants to tell you himself. But unfortunately it's not only you he's after, though you are his main priority. It seems Sesshomaru has gotten himself involved in Naraku's plans as well. Had he not done so, perhaps he would not be in this mess at present."
"Involved myself?" Sesshomaru said. "You and Naraku are mistaken about many things when it concerns me."
"He's right!" Kagome said. "Lord Sesshomaru and I have nothing to do with each other. Get that! Just because you see us together doesn't mean anything. You must be dumb and blind if you believe everything you see."
"I'll find out soon enough what is true and what is not," Kagura replied, walking towards Kagome and stopping a few inches in front of her.
Kagome looked to catch a brief glimpse of Seshomaru, but she noticed his attention was not on her or Kagura. He had abruptly sensed a disturbance lurking behind the trees, and he suddenly snapped his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at the moving figure in hiding. Kagome noticed it as well, and she was about to ask Sesshomaru what he thought it was when Kagura bent down and whispered in her ear.
"I doubt Lord Sesshomaru finds you appealing," she said. "Look at you! You're all filthy! Your clothes look like rags and your hair is in such tangles."
Kagome realized she was not as attractive as Kagura, and she knew what she said was true in a sense, yet her jealousy was still active within her. Turning around, Kagome slapped Kagura across the cheek, the one where she had wounded her with her arrow.
Kagura moaned in pain.
"Why you!" she said, but before she could do anything to Kagome, she saw someone emerge from the trees near where Sesshomaru stood.
Kagome noticed Kagura's change of expression, and she turned to see what it was that averted her eyes from looking at her.
When she saw who it was, Kagome's heart bounced freely and a loving smiled appeared on her soiled face.
"Inuyasha!" she said, too surprised to run to him and embrace him.
Kagura smiled at Inuyasha wickedly.
Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was not at all pleased to see him.
I'm biting my nails right now. Why? Well, I'm nervous because I don't know if this chapter met your expectations or not. I know being sick is not an excuse to make mistakes, but I tried really hard. Blah! Blah! That's all I do is worry about things too much. I should just be positive or have a nonchalant attitude like Sesshomaru. If you liked the chapter, then I'm happy. If you didn't, well, too bad. It's not as if I'm a great writer like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling! Hmm. I think I'm rather moody today. I won't say anything else, so I'll let you review this chapter, if you so desire that is. I know that your reviews will make me feel a lot better. They are my medicine to cure my illness! I need my medicine now! Thanks!