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Update Dates: Sundays and Thursdays
Undeniable
Love
Chapter
17 - Sesshomaru's Troubles
By:
Scaevola
Published
8/25/05
Updated
10/20/05
Koga eyed the others in the room with him. Kikyo was sitting across from him, studying her bow, while Naraku stood off to the side of the room, leaning against the wall. Nobody spoke, it had been that way for awhile now, each of them simply waiting for night.
The sun was setting at the moment, orange and red painted the sky and shined through the windows as the sun crept closer to the horizon. Naraku looked out of the window to see how much longer until nightfall.
"You two will have to set out soon," he told them.
Koga stood and stretched. "The sooner the better." he said. He held out his hand to help Kikyo up.
Kikyo eyed his hand and then got up herself, ignoring his offer of help. Koga frowned but said nothing, instead walking out of the room. "I'll be outside." he growled.
Kikyo took her time leaving, swinging her quiver of arrows over her shoulder and picking up her bow. She turned and walked out of the room slowly, ignoring Naraku's gaze.
When the door shut behind her, Naraku turned and looked out of the window again to see Kikyo and Koga hurrying off to find Sesshomaru. Soon, they would return with that human girl, and Sesshomaru would have to come to them.
Koga eyed the priestess as they hurried over to where he had last seen Sesshomaru. Unlike InuYasha, Sesshomaru did not travel very fast, unless there was need to, and wouldn't have moved very far.
The priestess looked a lot like Kagome, he realized. How he had not realized it before was beyond him, but the resemblance was striking. He could almost see her wearing the same clothes Kagome always wore. They could easily been confused.
But this miko acted a lot different from the Kagome he had learned to love. Where Kagome was always cheerful and had the brightest smile he had ever seen, and the most wonderful scent, this miko was calm and collected, and very unemotional. All of that on top of her filthy scent of death.
'Hell, I can see why the mutt gave up on her as well.' he thought. 'Can't blame him for choosing Kagome as well.'
They walked long after the sun had set, neither of them speaking. There wasn't any need to, they were not friends, they were only working together to get what they wanted. But working together would make things easier, and so they did.
When they finally reached Sesshomaru's last camp, Koga quickly sniffed for Sesshomaru's scent and which direction it went in. They followed it in silence, neither wanting to make Sesshomaru aware of their presence until long after they were gone with the girl.
Finally, Koga began to smell smoke. He held up his hand to the miko, signaling for her to stop. The smoke was undoubtedly from a camp fire for the human to keep warm. They crept closer, to get a clear view of the camp.
The human girl was humming to herself by the fire, holding her hands out for warmth. Behind her, a small green demon muttered under his breath, occasionally yelling at the girl for putting her hands to close to the fire.
They both looked around for any sign of Sesshomaru. Fortunately, he didn't appear to be nearby. 'Perfect,' thought Koga, smirking. This is going to be easier than I thought.'
Behind him he could hear the miko drawing her bow, the wood creaking as it was bent from the strain. He held his breath for a moment before he heard the twang of the bowstring, and the small whistle of the arrow as it flew by his ear and landed into the demon's throat.
He let out a small gurgle as the girl screamed. Cursing, Koga sped forward and clamped his hand down over her mouth, silencing her. "Shut up!" he whispered harshly. He picked the girl up, ignoring her kicking and flailing, and sped off with the miko not far behind.
Amazingly, the girl eventually tired herself out and fell asleep, and he slowed to a walk. He was constantly checking his surroundings though, making sure that Sesshomaru wasn't about to kill him. Behind him, the miko was walking calmly, despite the fact that the demon lord could come at any moment.
Needless to say, he was extremely glad when they reached their hideout. Koga felt a little shame in the fact that he had made a deal with Naraku, but it was well worth it if it meant he would have Kagome as his mate.
"So, you have brought her." commented Naraku when they walked in, still carrying the girl.
They set her down, and each sat quietly, never taking there eyes of the girl. Koga stared out of the window in Naraku's castle at the moon. Now, all they had to do was wait.
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Sesshomaru walked quietly through the woods. The sound of crickets reached his ears. Occasionally he heard a small rabbit or other insignificant animal run off, rustling the bushes as it went.
He was tired, not that he would admit it to anyone but himself, but he was tired nonetheless, and he didn't feel the need to return to camp quickly. Rin, he knew, would be safe for the moment. Jacken had not yet failed him in protecting the girl.
Rin was an odd subject to him. He did not know why he cared about her. He often found himself convincing himself that he did not care for her. He would stop those thoughts as soon as he noticed he was doing it. He would care for Rin so long as she stayed with him. If she left, she left. He would protect her however. She was loyal to him, and as a Lord, he would protect those who were loyal to him.
He had just gone to see InuYasha. Instead, he'd ended up having to explain himself to that monk and demon slayer again. Where InuYasha could have gone with his miko for such a long time he did not know, and his friends were unwilling to explain it to him. All they said is that after his fight with Koga, InuYasha had gone with the miko to her home.
Anger rose in him as he thought about the monk's stubbornness, and lack of respect. Sesshomaru was the lord of the Western Lands, and expected to be treated as such. Evidently InuYasha's disregard for those that were higher than them had rubbed off on the humans.
But that was not important. What had been important was the fact that InuYasha would be warned of the dangers when he returned. He hoped his fool of a brother would know enough to stay away from the wolf demon and the others
Of course, he had made the humans give their word that they would stress the importance of staying away to InuYasha. Sesshomaru knew that his brother was foolhardy would most likely never listen to his warning, so he had also made sure that the humans did not mention his name at all.
If InuYasha found out Sesshomaru had given the warning, InuYasha was just as likely to believe it was some trap Sesshomaru was setting. And frankly, Sesshomaru would not have it. He even told the humans to tell that miko of the danger. If anyone had any sway over his half brother, Sesshomaru knew it was that young miko he traveled with.
Hopefully with all his companions against him, InuYasha would not think to try and seek Koga out. They would outnumber him and easily overpower him. And Sesshomaru had to make sure his brother stayed alive long enough for him to kill his half brother.
He stopped short when he entered his camp. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Jacken lay there, motionless, dead, with an arrow in him. Sesshomaru looked around slowly, for any sign of Rin.
Sniffing the air, he found that she had not been in the camp for awhile. His eyes flashed with anger when he realized who else had been in the camp. That insufferable wolf, Koga. Swiftly, Sesshomaru walked over to Jacken and yanked the arrow out of the demon.
He drew his father's fang, and watched as the small demons from the underworld became visable. He killed them quickly, and watched as the wound in Jacken's side healed and he began to breathe. He sat up quickly, his eyes wide.
"Oh Lord Sesshomaru! You revived me!" he exclaimed.
Sesshomaru nearly grimaced as he heard Jacken's voice. Why did he revive him? Oh yes, because he's an honorable Lord. Cursing himself and his stupidity, Sesshomaru walked away, ignoring the toad. Next time the toad died, he'd make sure he remembered how annoying he was before he revived him.
"My Lord I am sorry I didn't have any warning!" cried Jacken.
Sesshomaru continued to ignore him, keeping his anger in check.
"I didn't even hear a thing! I was watching that pesky human when suddenly someone shot the arrow straight at me! I couldn't do a thing!" Jacken groveled next to Sesshomaru.
"Forgive me my Lord! It will never happen again!" Still, Sesshomaru ignored his servants pleas.
"Jacken." he said. That was it, one simple word and the toad's mouth shut tight.
"Yes, My Lord?" asked Jacken.
"Stay here until I return with Rin." he said while walking away.
Once he was out of site from the camp, Sesshomaru broke out into a run, racing along the scent of the wolf and a companion of his. Faintly Sesshomaru could also pick up Rin's scent, but he focused entirely on the wolf's. Koga will pay for taking Rin from him.
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InuYasha held Kagome close to him, combing her hair with his claws. He had woken up hours ago, and was immediately greeted with her angelic features. It had been that way for days now, Kagome had started letting him sleep next to her in the bed. He blushed at the thought. Nothing happened of course, other than simply holding each other and some very enjoyable kissing sessions, but at those times, InuYasha was content. With Kagome near, he always felt complete.
Kagome was always beautiful to him, but when she slept all InuYasha wanted to do was just watch her. He had seen Kagome asleep before, plenty of times, but he had never truly had the time to truly see her asleep. Now it was different.
In the feudal era he was always more concerned about demons, jewel shards, or Naraku. But in her time, when none of those threats were around, he finally had the luxury to just gaze at her.
He glanced at the clock at the side of her bed. Kagome had taught him a little about telling the time with the clocks, and thankfully he had an amazing memory. In a little while Kagome would have to wake and go to school again. It would be her fourth day of going to school. Tomorrow was the day they'd head back to the feudal era.
Oddly enough, was a little disappointed that the time had gone by so quickly and they'd be back in the feudal era so quickly. When they went back it would probably mean the end of spending so much time with Kagome alone, and they would be fighting demons and looking for jewel shards again.
Not that InuYasha didn't want to look for jewel shards, but if he had a choice between spending the rest of his days with just Kagome, or finding the jewel shards, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd choose Kagome.
Of course, that could never truly be. The jewel shards were too important to just let Naraku simply find them all. If he did that, wouldn't Kagome's time be changed as well? InuYasha didn't really understand this type of thing, but sometimes thoughts like that crossed his mind when he was alone in a tree.
He never shared such thoughts with Kagome though. If he did she would definitely be more determined to go shard hunting more, but he didn't want to worry her over the price of failure. He didn't want her to think about what the effects would be on her if they failed. He knew she worried enough about what would happen to him and the others if they failed.
He glanced at the clock again. Any minute now that clock would start that screeching noise and his ears would be ringing for the rest of the day. Thankfully, InuYasha had finally figured out how to turn the thing off. He reached over the sleeping girl and flipped the switch that said "alarm".
He then lay back and watched Kagome for a few moments before gently shaking her. He hoped that she wouldn't mind if she woke a few minutes earlier than she had to. He wanted to just spend some time with her before she had to hurry and go to school.
"Kagome." he whispered.
She groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "InuYasha?"
He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "Good morning, beautiful."
Kagome smiled. "Good morning." She leaned forward and kissed him. Kami, InuYasha could learn to love mornings.
She rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his heart beat. InuYasha wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer than she was before.
"So, will my strong hanyou be walking with me to school again today?" Kagome asked, a small smile on her face.
InuYasha smirked, he decided to tease her a bit. "Oh...I don't know. What makes you think I'd want to?"
Kagome pouted, but InuYasha could tell it was an act. She suddenly smirked, rivaling InuYasha's trademark smirk. She pulled away from him suddenly and got out of bed, immediately getting ready for school.
InuYasha stared at her as she got ready, pouting at the loss of warmth and the feel of her arms around him. He got up and tried to go to her, but she quickly walked away, not eve looking at him. Damn it! He didn't mean to get her angry!
"Kagome..." he trailed off, his eyes pleading.
She glanced at him, her eyes tearful. "You won't even walk with me to school, InuYasha." she complained.
He immediately felt shame. He had only meant it to tease her. "Kagome I'm...I'm sorry. I'll go with you okay? I promise." Anything to make her happy.
Kagome smiled then, all traces of sadness disappearing. She hurried over to him and hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek before walking into the bathroom. Abruptly InuYasha realized he had been tricked. Kagome hadn't been sad at all. Damn it!
He glared at the door for a moment before barking a laugh. Kagome had him wrapped around her fingers, he realized. But he wasn't about to complain.
He got into a new change of clothes and then went downstairs to find Mrs. Higurashi preparing breakfast. She looked up as he entered.
"Good morning InuYasha." she said, smiling.
He answered with a "Good Morning" of his own before flopping down into one of the chairs at the table.
Mrs. Higurashi handed him a cup of tea, something he'd began to enjoy in the morning while he was in Kagome's time, as well as a plate of some eggs and toast.
He ate quickly, pausing only as Kagome came down stairs in her uniform. She smiled and sat down next to him to eat her own breakfast.
After they had eaten their breakfast, and ignored very many amused glances from Kagome's mother, InuYasha waited by the door while Kagome hurried through the house to finish up getting ready for school.
Mrs. Higurashi walked over and stood next to him, waiting for Kagome to come downstairs. Every morning was like this, And Mrs. Higurashi would kiss Kagome good bye and give InuYasha hug just before they headed outside.
And that's just what happened when Kagome came down stairs. Kagome quickly kissed her mom, saying good bye and heading out the door. InuYasha turned around, thinking that maybe he had escaped the display of affection from Mrs. Higurashi, when he felt her hand on his shoulder. 'Damn it' he thought. He turned around slowly and let the older woman embrace him, slightly embarrassed.
"I know I don't need to ask this," said Mrs. Higurashi, "But watch her for me, okay?"
She only let go after she felt InuYasha nod, and then tweaked his ear once before letting him turn around and catch up to Kagome.
He was still a little red when he reached her, and she smiled as she took his hand. "Come on InuYasha."
She dragged him along cheerfully, talking about her classes and teachers. He would comment occasionally, for once being truly interested in Kagome's world. He had never truly taken the time to see what he learned in school, always sneering at her homework and books, but lately he had found out that Kagome's time knew many things that his did not, and it wasn't nearly as useless as he once thought.
When they reached the school, Kagome's friends quickly crowded around her, greeting her warmly and offering InuYasha a brief hello. All of them had met InuYasha during the course of his stay, usually when InuYasha walked with Kagome to school or came to pick her up and walk with her on the way home after school.
None of them seemed to trust InuYasha completely, especially after all the tales that Kagome had apparently spread about him. He'd been a bit angry at first when he heard about that, especially when Kagome's friends began to talk about it right in front of him and Kagome, but Kagome had quickly stood up for him.
"Kagome," began Eri. "We were wondering if you two wanted to see a movie later today."
InuYasha raised an eyebrow at the question. He found out what a movie was awhile ago - Sota had showed him a few, but why had Kagome's friends suddenly accepted him? He looked at Kagome, silently telling her to make the decision.
Kagome was watching him carefully, and nearly sighed in relief when he looked at her for the answer. She turned back to Eri. "That would be great, Eri," she told her. "I haven't seen a movie in ages, being sick all the time and all."
InuYasha suddenly felt glad about letting Kagome make the decision. If he had done it he probably would have said no, and now that he knew Kagome wanted to do it, he knew that it would have been a mistake to voice his opinion. Prudence definitely seemed like the best way to keep Kagome happy, he decided.
The bell rang shortly after they greeted each other, and Kagome quickly kissed InuYasha before hurrying off to class. Smiling, InuYasha walked to the edge of the school grounds to a large tree that had become his favorite spot in the past week.
He looked around carefully to see if there were any students or humans watching before he leapt up into the tree. Once he was up there he had a perfect view of the school, and nobody could see him easily among the branches and leaves.
He leaned back against the trunk of the tree and pulled out a small handkerchief that he'd had Kagome carry around lately so it had her scent. He took a deep breath and took the scent in, ready to wait until Kagome was let out of school later in the day. Hopefully the movie would go well, he'd only seen a few, but Sota had said there were a lot of types of movies. Whatever made Kagome happy though.
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