And new chapter. And right after my midterms... but before finals. :) This is some dumb luck.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my wild imagination.
Chapter 39: Journey Home Part 2
"Are you sure about this?" Hayate asked sitting opposite from the inu-youkai.
Hn," was the short reply.
The tori huffed in frustration and stared at the youkai.
Sesshomaru simply continued looking through the scrolls and documents on his desk, knowing it would annoy the other male.
"It's a simple yes or no answer," Hayate spoke again.
"She would be safer," was his response.
"I didn't ask about that. I realize she will be safe. What I'm asking if you're sure about letting her go."
"Hayate, what are you insinuating?" Sesshomaru questioned, giving the youkai his full attention.
"You don't what to let her go."
"And what, pray tell, gave you that idea?"
"The way you act. It's subtle, but you're anxious."
"Your eyes are deceiving you."
Hayate stared at the inu seriously and crossed his arms. "I have known you for so long that I can sense the changes in your mood. You don't want Kagome to leave."
"Hayate," the daiyoukai said sharply, but his companion ignored it and continued.
"You care about her so much that you're worried. You can't deny that fact."
A low growl from the inu made him sigh. Hayate got up and placed his hands on the daiyoukai's desk. "Okay. I get it. I'll stop. But may I give you a word of advice Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Even if I say no you're still going to speak." Sesshomaru replied irritated.
"Don't force yourself to reject your feelings. It will do more harm than good, especially if it deals with Lady Kagome." The tori stood straight and headed for the door. "Be sure to have a good night's rest milord."
Once he was gone, the inu-youkai let out long sigh. That damned bird just love to get under his skin when he could. Hayate was his most loyal and wisest subject, so he tolerated his antics every now and again. But this time... Sesshomaru rubbed the bridge of his nose. Was his attitude toward the miko changing so much that his closest guard could sense it? If so, then who else could see the change?
Kagome felt a small nudge on her shoulder and slowly began to open her eyes. She felt another nudge and looked to the side to see her pup rolled over on her stomach, trying to crawl. The little inu rock herself on her little hands and knees, bumping her head into the miko's arm.
"Crawling already?"
Kagome turned her attention to the door where Sango stood smiling.
"Sango, good morning." The young mother greeted, sitting up.
"Morning." The taijiya walked over to her friend and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you all set for today?"
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"Hmm. You don't sound so sure. What's wrong?"
Kagome shook her head and picked the little inu off the bed. "I honestly don't know. I just..."
Sango gave her friend a small smile. "Nervous to be going home after a long time?"
"Not really. More excited than nervous. But it's going to be a joy explaining how I have a demon child. Especially to gramps." Kagome replied giggling at the thought. Her grandpa was definitely going to have a heart attack. "But you know... I kind of don't want to leave."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Sango asked curiously.
"Because Inuyasha would have thrown a fit." She answered quietly. "And I didn't want to cause any more problems for Lord Sesshomaru."
"I see. You care about him don't you?" Sango asked as they both got off the bed.
Kagome stared at her friend with a small blush. "What do you mean?"
"Well, when you almost got poisoned and we felt it wasn't safe here you got defensive."
"I wasn't that defensive."
"True but you didn't want us saying anything bad about the situation. Then of course you've been asking Inuyasha to apologize-"
"Because he insulted Lord Sesshomaru." Kagome replied quickly.
"And you keep calling him Lord Sesshomaru."
"That's one of the rules for living here. Besides it's his title. I can at least respect that."
"Mmm-hmm. So, when Inuyasha insulted him you didn't care what he was feeling?"
"That... I was worried he was upset... with me," she said almost too quietly.
"So I was right." Sango gave her a smile. "Well, he doesn't treat you badly so I guess it's okay."
"Wait, what?" Kagome asked curiously. "What's okay?"
"Nothing, nothing." The taijiya waved it off walking to the door. "You should hurry get ready." She added before leaving.
Blinking out of her confusion, Kagome got ready to leave. She made sure to pack an appropriate amount of clothes for both her and Mizuki. Walking out of the room she was greeted by Hayate.
"Good morning," he smiled.
"Good morning Hayate."
"You are all to eat breakfast then head straight for the courtyard." The tori commented as he led her toward the dining hall.
"Will you be coming with us?" Kagome questioned.
Hayate shook his head. "No. I will be in charge while Lord Sesshomaru is away. It is one of my duties here."
"So when he travels..."
"I watch over."
"Lord Sesshomaru is lucky to have a friend like you. He trusts you," Kagome responded with a smile.
The youkai stared at her for a second before he chuckled. "Well, I have known him for a long time. Besides," he added quietly. "I'm the one whose lucky."
Kagome tilted her head in curiosity, hoping for an explanation. The tori just smiled at her and opened the door to the dining hall. Giving her a small bow he gestured for her to go in. "Milady."
The miko let out a small giggled. "Thank you." Stepping into the room she made her way straight to her seat. Sitting, she gave Sesshomaru a bow and greeted him along with her other companions.
"Did you get enough sleep miko?" The inu asked gazing at her.
"Yes." She responded with a smile.
"Good. Eat everything. We have a long day ahead of us."
Kagome hummed in agreement as she started to eat. She wanted to take as much time savoring what might as well be her last meal at the palace.
Once they all finished eating they headed out to the court yard. There, Hayate was prepping Ah-Un for travel, attaching a bow and quiver of arrows to its side. Upon seeing the beast, Rin ran immediately towards him and giving him a hug. Kagome hadn't seen the two headed demon in a long while and smiled at the interaction.
"Kagome," a voice called her from behind. She turned around and was pulled into a small hug by Tsume. "Have a safe journey."
"Thank you," Kagome replied returning the hug. "We'll see each other again. I promise."
The young demoness gave her a sweet smile as she let go. She looked at the pup in Kagome's arms and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "You be good for your momma, Mizuki." Tsume waved goodbye as she walked away.
Turning around, Kagome made her way to her companions. Each one prepared and ready to go. Briefly she wondered how they were all going to travel when an arm wrapped itself around her waist. She was gently hoisted up and placed on the back of Ah-Un. Shocked, she stared wide-eyed into warm gold eyes before the inu turned and help Rin sit behind her.
"Thanks," she mumbled with a small blush. She distracted herself from him and petted Ah-Un's head individually. The beast growled, pleased by the miko's soft touch.
"We'll travel by air. Unless you don't think you can keep up." Sesshomaru announced looking straight at Inuyasha.
The hanyou just glared at him before offering his back to Kikyo. The priestess accepted and got on his back, her own quiver and bow slung around her shoulder. Throwing one last glare at the daiyoukai, Inuyasha took off jumping over the palace gates.
"We'll catch up to him first," Sango sighed as she and Miroku took off on Kirara.
Sesshomaru, not in the least affected by Inuyasha's attitude, gracefully went over and took the small dragons reins. "Kit," he called out to Shippo who was having a last minute talk with Hayate. "Get on before you are left behind."
Smiling, the little kitsune said one final good-bye to the tori before jumping onto Ah-Un's back, seating himself in front of Kagome. "Ready."
With everything in order both inu and dragon rose to the sky. Kagome looked down and waved good-bye.
"Have a safe trip," Hayate yelled after them.
It didn't take long before they caught up with the others. Inuyasha was running along the top branches of the trees never really looking back to see if they were following behind. To say the tension in the air was thick was an understatement, and Kagome only hoped it wasn't like this for the rest of the journey.
Sighing, she quietly watched the inu-youkai leading them. She didn't realize how long she was staring until he tilted his head to the side to look at her. It was just a simple glance, nothing special, but she could feel a warm heat rising to her cheeks. Realizing she was blushing she turned away, her hand pressed to her face. 'What's wrong with me?'
A tropical storm sort of hit where I live here in Florida so this is a little late. Then the website decided to shit on itself and I couldn't log in for two days. Good news everything's okay. Bad news I have a head cold. Good news another chapter is coming real soon. Bad news so is my finals. Hope you guys enjoyed this. Please review and let me know what you think.