Hi! I know it's been a while since the last update.
I've been focused on finishing other stories, and now it's the turn of this one. It's going to be 40 chapters in total.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Last Doubt
Inuyasha wiped the sweat from his brow, stowing his sword in the scabbard that hung from his belt.
He looked up at the sky and sighed. The full moon was still a few days away.
The battle had been long and bloody, but they had managed to find the hideout of a part of the moon yōkai and defeat them.
Sesshomaru was in a nearby river removing the bloodstains from his suit and armour. Inuyasha joined him, glancing sideways at the three yōkai soldiers who had survived the fight and were resting leaning against the trees.
"This is not over, Sesshomaru," he commented, dipping his white mane into the water to clean it.
His brother nodded.
"I know," his eyes narrowed, taking in the remains of the yōkai scattered across the forest floor. "This will keep them away for a while, though. They will need to regroup and plan another strategy to attack us."
Inuyasha took off his red jacket, which had several holes and a large burn on its back, and dipped it into the water.
"We've managed to surprise them," he muttered, looking up as his lips curved into a wicked little smile. "You have good spies."
Sesshomaru came out of the water with slow steps, waiting for him by the shore.
"Few yōkai have as good a hearing as we do."
Very true. Inuyasha wrung out his jacket after checking that there were no traces of blood left and stepped away from the river, shaking himself dry.
"You handle a sword well, brother," Sesshomaru added, turning to look him in the eye. "You would make a great soldier."
He shook his head.
"You know I'm not interested," he replied as he put his torn jacket back on.
It would be as good as new again in a couple of days.
Sesshomaru folded his arms, arching an eyebrow.
"You could be my second in command."
Nothing appealed to Inuyasha less than the life of a soldier. He pursed his lips.
"I'd rather not get mixed up in politics," he admitted, wiping the blade of his sword on a tree trunk. "But I will help you whenever you need me."
His brother bowed his chin.
"As you wish," Sesshomaru waved his hand in the direction of the soldiers, who rose and gathered their weapons. "If you ever change your mind, the offer will still stand."
Inuyasha gave him a half-smile, turning his head to the south and biting the inside of his cheek.
"She'll be sleeping now," Sesshomaru murmured, guessing his thoughts. "Rest in the palace tonight and heal your wounds."
Inuyasha breathed in slowly and nodded.
"All right."
He followed his brother through the trees, running as fast as his feet would allow.
It had been three days since he had heard from Kagome. Three days without leaving the forest, chasing demons with Sesshomaru and his soldiers. Three days protecting the palace and all its inhabitants.
Three days without her.
Inuyasha waved goodbye to his brother as he walked through the palace wall, detouring to the back of the gardens.
He laid his red suit on the ground and stepped into the hot springs, sighing in relief when his wounds stopped hurting for a moment.
He sank into the water up to his shoulders, resting his head on the stone edge and looking up.
From there he could see the North Star and Orion's belt shining high in the sky, something he missed on his dark nights.
It was so bright in the human city that it was impossible to see the stars.
Inuyasha closed his eyes, relaxing against the rocky wall and letting the magical properties of the water soak into his wounds.
It was still dark and Kagome would be asleep.
The next morning he emerged from his room dressed in human clothes to find Sesshomaru standing at one of the windows in the hallway, looking serious.
He stopped beside him, following his gaze. Inukimi was walking through the gardens with a yōkai with long silver hair and eyes as blue as the sea at her side.
"She is the chosen one."
Inuyasha held his breath, glancing sideways at his brother.
"What's her name?"
"I don't care," Sesshomaru shrugged. "Soon she'll be carrying my heir inside."
Inuyasha could not suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. He wrinkled his nose and stepped back with clenched fists.
"I don't want to be here when that happens."
The thought of listening to his brother or that yōkai as they indulged in their wild side made his hair stand on end.
Sesshomaru's lips curved into a smirk.
"There are still a few days before she is fertile," he revealed, pressing his lips together to keep from laughing when Inuyasha grimaced in disgust. "You're safe for now."
He shook his head, trying to get the image out of his mind, and heard his brother chuckling.
Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at him.
"Why are you laughing?"
Sesshomaru clicked his tongue and turned away from the window.
"You make too much of this," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I still remember your scream the first time you saw two yōkai having sex."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.
"I was a kid, Sesshomaru," he hissed, gritting his teeth. "And they were by the palace gates."
Sesshomaru snorted, waving his hand dismissively.
"His mate was ovulating and they didn't want to wait."
He moved down the hallway towards the stairs and Inuyasha followed.
"I hope you're more discreet," he muttered between his teeth, flattening his ears against his head.
Listening to him during that moment would give him nightmares for the rest of his life.
"Easy, brother," Sesshomaru turned his head to him and smiled, raising his brow. "No one will see us."
Inuyasha slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and looked away.
"I'm leaving," he announced quietly. "I'll be back soon."
Since he had woken up, all he could think about was how much he wanted to see Kagome.
His brother's deep voice stopped him.
"Be careful," Inuyasha turned, frowning as he saw the anger in Sesshomaru's gaze. "We still have many enemies in this forest."
The moon yōkai could try to attack them again at any time.
He nodded and descended the stairs without looking back, exiting the palace and losing himself in the trees.
Kagome's stomach clenched as she entered her room and saw a half-demon sitting on her bed with his feet crossed.
"Hello."
She gave him a big smile, running over to him as soon as he stood up. Inuyasha wrapped her in a hug and buried his nose in her hair.
Kagome snaked her arms around his neck and lifted her head to look up at him.
"You're back."
His golden eyes held a mocking glint she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Did you miss me?
"Of course, you silly," she grunted, slapping his shoulder and smiling at his laughter. "I was worried about you."
Inuyasha buried his hands in her hair, pulling her closer to his body and claiming her lips. Kagome kissed him back, giggling when he stepped back and they both fell onto the mattress.
She gripped his shoulders to better position herself on his lap, furrowing her brow when she heard him hiss.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," he made a face, covering his right shoulder with one hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist. "Just a wound."
She shook her head and gently pulled his hand away.
"Let me see."
Inuyasha ran his tongue over his teeth and nodded, unbuttoning his shirt and removing one of the sleeves. Kagome tried not to look down at his body and fixed her gaze on his shoulder, gasping at the sight of the three deep scratches running down to his elbow.
That was the work of a yōkai.
"Inuyasha," she placed her fingers near the wounds, standing on her knees and ducking her head for a closer look. "This has to hurt."
He shrugged his other shoulder.
"They will be healed in a day."
Imagining the pain he must be feeling made her eyes sting. Kagome shook her head, pulling away and standing.
"Wait here," she ordered, stepping out of her room.
She grabbed her first-aid kit from the bathroom and returned to the room, setting it down next to Inuyasha as she opened it.
He pursed his lips as he saw her pull out an ointment and several bandages.
"What is that?"
Kagome tugged gently on his uninjured arm, causing him to turn towards her.
"Medicine."
Inuyasha snorted, rolling his eyes.
"The wound will heal on its own, Kagome. You don't need to..."
"Shut up," she hissed, shooting him a warning look. "And let me heal you."
Asking a doctor to ignore a wound was unthinkable. At least to her.
Kagome opened the ointment, glancing sideways at him as she dabbed some on the tip of her forefinger.
"It will sting at first, but it will soothe the pain," she warned him in a whisper.
Inuyasha nodded and she spread the cream over the three scratches carefully, making sure it covered all the damaged skin.
Once done, she wrapped his arm in a bandage and, after checking that it wasn't too tight, tied it in a small knot.
"Done," she announced, helping him get dressed again. "Better?"
Inuyasha nodded with a small smile as he fastened the buttons again.
"Quite," he admitted, rolling his shoulder.
She closed the first-aid kit and set it on her desk, sitting back down beside him.
"What happened?" she asked as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Inuyasha snorted, dropping his head back and looking up at the ceiling.
"There are yōkai who want to take our territory," he explained, his voice turning into a growl as he spoke. "And we're not going to let them."
His fists were so tightly clenched that his knuckles were white. Kagome took one of his hands, stroking it and smiling when he relaxed it, letting her trace the lines of his palm with her fingertips.
"Don't worry, Kagome," he added softly, brushing her cheek with his free hand. "My brother and I are stronger than them."
As long as there wasn't a full moon, though Inuyasha decided to leave that detail out.
She pressed her lips together and said nothing, closing her eyes as she continued to trace shapes on his hand.
"Are you ready?"
Kagome opened her eyes at the question and lifted her head, looking Inuyasha in the eye.
Approaching that demon-filled forest again was something she had thought she would never do but, seeing the glow in his golden irises, she knew this time it would be very different.
This time Inuyasha would be by her side.
"As much as I can be," she admitted in a whisper, running a hand through her hair nervously.
Inuyasha stood up, offering her a hand and waiting for her to do the same. He leaned forward, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. Kagome blushed as she climbed onto his back, clinging tightly to his neck and placing her legs around his waist.
Inuyasha held her thighs, giving her a small encouraging squeeze that made her skin burn.
It had been a good choice to wear trousers that day.
"Close your eyes."
Kagome obeyed and felt her stomach tingle as he leapt out the window, running to the Forbidden Forest at full speed.
He didn't stop until they reached the edge of the forest. Inuyasha skirted around it, reaching the area where the fence disappeared and there were only wooden signs marking the border.
Kagome could feel trapped if she got overwhelmed and couldn't get out of the forest because of the fence, and he didn't want that to happen.
If it was too much for her and she needed to run, Inuyasha wanted her to be able to.
He held her waist as she stepped back onto the ground and saw her brown eyes scanning the trees with anticipation.
Inuyasha flicked his ears in all directions, checking for any yōkai nearby, and took a step forward.
"Wait."
He paused, looking back into her eyes. Since he had mentioned the forest he could smell her nerves, and there was a note of anxiety in her scent as well.
Inuyasha sighed, crossing his arms.
"You're nervous."
She shouldn't go into the forest like that. He was about to offer her the chance to return home when Kagome's voice interrupted him.
"I have something I want to give you."
Inuyasha frowned, watching her as she pulled something out of the pocket of her trousers.
"What the hell is that?" he leaned closer, wrinkling his nose at the object Kagome was holding. "I feel a very strange energy emanating from that thing."
Something told him that thing was dangerous.
"Do you know what Beads of Subjugation are?"
Inuyasha opened his eyes wide and took a step back, his face paling.
He had read more than one book about such necklaces when he lived in the Taisho Palace and knew what humans had used them for in the past.
His back bumped against one of the wooden signs.
"Why do you have that?"
Kagome shook her head, taking a step towards him.
"Inuyasha," she held one of his hands, grimacing as he pulled away and broke the contact. "Let me explain."
Inuyasha looked away, fixing his gaze on one of the trees.
She had given him a chance to explain, so he would do the same. Though what he wanted more than anything at the moment was to run into the forest and away from Kagome.
He couldn't trust someone who was in possession of a necklace that controlled demons.
She tilted her chin, lowering her gaze to the ground.
"Miroku gave it to me," she revealed, twirling the dark beads of the necklace with her fingers. "We've added a spell that will protect you when you cross the barrier."
Inuyasha turned his head as he listened.
How did she know?
"It hurts to go through it, doesn't it?" Kagome added, walking slowly toward him and smiling when he didn't move away. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He stared at her face in silence and looked down at the necklace in her hands.
Kagome cocked her head.
"Do you want to try it?"
Inuyasha looked into her eyes again, narrowing his with suspicion.
"I will never use it to control you, Inuyasha," she put a hand over her heart, taking one last step until she was only inches away. "I give you my word."
He bit the inside of his cheek as he pondered.
Would he really never feel pain again if he wore it?
Kagome took his hand again and squeezed it.
"Do you trust me?"
Inuyasha relaxed his shoulders and nodded.
He couldn't doubt her anymore. Kagome didn't have an ounce of evil in her.
"Yes," he bowed his head, clenching his fists. "Alright, then."
She placed the necklace around his neck, brushing his long hair carefully aside and stepping back.
Inuyasha straightened and took a deep breath, taking two steps into the forest and crossing the frontier marked by the signs.
The whiplash of pain he always felt when he did so did not appear. He turned his head back in surprise.
"I feel nothing."
A sincere smile spread across Kagome's face.
"Nothing?"
"It's like the barrier can't sense the demon part of me," he muttered, lifting the necklace and staring down at the blue and white beads with a furrowed brow.
That thing gave him the power to leave the forest whenever he wanted to for all eternity.
"I'm glad it works."
Was Kagome aware of what she had just done?
Inuyasha had long thought that in a few more months he wouldn't be able to get through the magical barrier without dying of pain in the attempt. And she had just destroyed that possibility.
From now on he would be free to move through the two worlds as he pleased.
"Thank you, Kagome," Inuyasha returned to her side and bowed again. "Climb on my back."
They couldn't walk through the forest or it would take hours to get there. And besides, they would run the risk of the yōkai picking up their scent if they stayed in one place too long.
"Shippo will be waiting for us in my cave," he commented, holding her legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "He wants to meet you."
Inuyasha waited until she was comfortable and moved deeper into the forest, running through the trees as he listened to her breathing on the side of his face.
She hadn't closed her eyes this time.
He heard her gasp as he jumped to dodge a small stream and grabbed her tighter.
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. He was with Kagome in the forest he loved so much, and she wasn't afraid.
His smile faded when he detected a scent he knew all too well in the air.
"Shit," he growled through his teeth, quickening his steps. "It stinks of wolf."
As if they had heard him, six wolf yōkai surrounded them and cut him off.
Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, gritting his teeth.
Picking up Kagome without his suit or sword had not been a good idea, though at least he had both hands free to fight.
His red jacket was still torn and wouldn't do him much good.
One of them, blue-eyed and with black hair tied in a ponytail, gave him a smile that showed his sharp fangs.
"We meet again, dog-ears."
A growl rumbled deep in Inuyasha's chest.
"Fuck," he took a step back, grimacing as the wolves drew closer. "Don't speak, Kagome."
She tensed, clinging to him with all her might. He could feel the waves of fear emanating from her body.
Those yōkai enjoyed killing humans and she could probably imagine it. Some of them even had their clothes covered in bloodstains.
"What do you have there?" Koga asked, frowning as he fixed his gaze on her. "Is that a human girl?"
The rest of the demons tensed at their leader's words. Inuyasha raised his claws, taking up a defensive stance.
"Don't you dare touch her."
He had fought them dozens of times and the wolves had never managed to defeat him. And this time would be no different.
He would spill every last drop of his blood defending Kagome's life.
The wolf yōkai took a step closer to them, sniffing the air, and his blue eyes sparkled.
"She's your mate, isn't she?" he asked with a crooked grin. "But you have not completed the bond."
Damn yōkai. The wolves had a very good sense of smell, too.
"Shut up, you dolt," Inuyasha hissed in a deep voice, moving to hide Kagome from his feline gaze.
The yōkai folded his arms, his grin widening.
"She's very pretty," he commented calmly, meeting Kagome's gaze. "What is your name, human?"
She brushed Inuyasha's white hair aside and peered up, looking back down at Koga.
"He doesn't seem aggressive," she whispered, swallowing hard.
Inuyasha squared his jaw and shook his head.
"You don't know him."
Koga arched an eyebrow, tapping one of his feet impatiently.
"I can hear you."
"Kagome," Inuyasha gasped, turning his head to look at her. "My name is Kagome."
Was she really going to talk to that demon?
The yōkai bowed his head.
"I am Koga," he announced, looking around as the rest of the wolves listened intently to the conversation. "The leader of the wolf yōkai on this side of the forest."
Kagome nodded, taking in the faces of the demons with him and raising her eyebrows in surprise when two of them waved their hands in greeting.
"You're very beautiful for a human," Koga added, winking at her. "If you ever get tired of this mutt, just let me know."
Inuyasha's hands began to tremble, and he felt rage coursing through his veins.
The wolf had just signed his death sentence.
"I'll kill you, you damn fool."
"Inuyasha," Kagome hissed his name in warning, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him and looking back up at the wolf demon. "Nice to meet you, Koga."
The yōkai placed his hands on his hips without breaking eye contact.
"Don't forget my name," he murmured, stepping back. "Shout, and I'll come for you if you need me."
Kagome smiled.
"Thank you."
"Keep your mouth shut, wolf," Inuyasha snarled, shooting him a look of hatred. "No one must know she's here."
Koga ran a hand over his chin.
"It would be a shame for a human like her to die," he replied, scowling and pointing a threatening finger at him. "I hope you'll protect her, mutt."
Inuyasha growled with all his might, restraining himself so that the fury wouldn't take control of his body. He couldn't transform while carrying Kagome on his back.
The wolf demon looked back at the human and grinned.
"Goodbye, Kagome!"
Koga waved goodbye with a military gesture and turned around, disappearing into the trees. The rest of the yōkai followed him and the forest fell completely silent again.
Kagome let out a long sigh as soon as they were alone.
"Why are you like this?"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth.
"He wants you for himself."
"And?"
He looked at her again with a surprised look on his face.
Didn't she care that another yōkai had just admitted that he wanted her?
"I want you, Inuyasha," she said, making his heartbeat quicken. "The others don't interest me."
Inuyasha pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. He set her down and turned around to face her, unbuttoning his shirt.
"Here," he took it off and held it out, staring down at her. "Wear this to camouflage your scent. It's dangerous for other yōkai to notice what you are."
His scent would help camouflage hers, making any yōkai they came across think she was his half-demon mate.
Kagome nodded, accepting his shirt and pulling it on over her clothes. The sleeves were long on her.
Inuyasha saw that she was blushing as she walked over to him to climb onto his back.
His breath hitched as her hands brushed the skin of his shoulders and curled around his neck. It was the second time she'd touched areas of his body she hadn't touched before without clothes on.
He looked up and ran back through the forest, wanting to get to the cave as soon as possible so he could stop thinking about how good it felt to have her so close.
"Inuyasha!"
"Hi, Shippo."
Inuyasha stopped at the entrance to the cave, smiling at the sight of the little fox demon waiting inside.
He had most likely been waiting all morning.
His green eyes widened in shock as he set Kagome down.
"It's her," Shippo whispered, wringing his hands nervously.
It was the first time he had ever seen a human being.
"Hello," Kagome smiled, crouching down in front of him as Inuyasha went to the back of his cave and pulled on another of the shirts he kept there. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Shippo sniffed her, keeping his distance.
"You smell like Inuyasha."
"You're so cute," she held out her hand, allowing Shippo to sniff it. "And smaller than I thought."
Shippo folded his arms with a frown.
"Soon I'll be a big, strong yōkai!"
"Of course you will," Kagome grabbed his arm, pulling him close and ignoring his gasp of surprise as she stroked his cheek. "Inuyasha told me that you're training very hard."
Shippo smiled again, looking into her eyes.
"I like this human."
Inuyasha bit his lip to keep from smiling. He couldn't agree more with his little friend.
Kagome stroked his red hair, holding him against her chest and hugging him.
"Call me Kagome."
The fox rested his head against her shoulder, sighing and reciprocating her embrace.
"Kagome."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes as Shippo looked up at him with a huge grin on his face.
He would never get him to stop talking about her now.
