Gathering the Pack

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

I couldn't help but to groan…again. For a time I was certain that my head was going to explode. There is just no way it can be pounding so hard without loosing some of the integrity holding it together.

All I wanted to do was lie down and sleep off the worst hangover in the history of hangovers, but do you think Mr. Stalker man would let me? Oh no, he decided that it would be good for me to walk it off. Sure, we could have met up with Inuyasha and my other friends in mere seconds if Sesshomaru was willing to fly us there, but he is some sort of sadist and wants to see me in the worst kind of pain imaginable.

If we could only make it to Kaede's hut, my backpack would be waiting there for me with a wonderful little miracle that I know so well as Aspirin. But nooooooo…we have to walk, and that was taking forever. Of course, the fact that my feet didn't seem to want to cooperate with me and keep tripping over things which I don't even think were there; was not helping at all. And the last five encounters with the ground because of my uncooperative feet didn't make things any better.

I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped dead in my tracks and was about to order my slave driver to carry me the rest of the way unless he wanted to become acquainted with my own version of 'this is the song that never ends' which at the time would have included some precision placed notes several octaves above where they were supposed to be just because I knew that it would hurt his ears or at least give him some idea of the pain that I was facing.

But before I could even open my mouth, I found that I was being picked up by that same slave driver and carried several feet away from where I was standing. When I looked back, I saw that the ground had been devastated by a massive blast, and was now nothing but smoldering ambers upon blackened earth.

I almost asked Sesshomaru what had happened, but I got my answer before I could voice the question. Out of the trees bounded a figure clad in blazing red wielding a giant fang.

"INUYASHA!" I screamed out. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Ka...Kagome?" He looked at me as though seeing me for the first time.

"Of course it's me! Who did you think it was?"

"Who did I…What do you mean who did I think it was? What the hell are you doing wearing Sesshomaru's clothes? I could have killed you!"

"Unlikely." I knew Sesshomaru couldn't resist the temptation of egging on Inuyasha. "Tell me Inuyasha, do you always take such care of those under your protection? Or is it just that you are unaware of how to use your nose to decipher friend from foe?"

"Why you…" Inuyasha fumed, but before he could finish I interrupted. I had a big enough headache as it was.

"Oh, would you two just cut it out!"

I marched up to Sesshomaru, intent on giving him a piece of my mind. But the look on his face told me that now was a really bad time to challenge him. I sighed, and decided upon a different approach. I reached up and touched his arm gently. I didn't bother saying what I needed to say out loud because I knew that he would understand. If I have figured out how to tell what he's thinking just because he raises his eyebrow, then he should at least be able to read a little of my unvoiced thoughts as well.

'Please,' I said to him. 'Please, just let me talk to him. Please, just trust me.'

He inclined his head slightly towards me as permission to proceed, and I turned back to face Inuyasha.

"Kagome?" He looked so confused, and so hurt. I wanted to reach out to him, but I knew that doing so would not change anything.

"Inuyasha, we need to talk." I spoke the words most hated by all men, but there was no way around it. "Meet me back at Kaede's village. I need to get changed, but then I'll explain everything."

He looked like he was about to protest, but then he glanced at Sesshomaru who was standing at my side. A haunted look came over him, but he instantly hardened his face and turned to leave. I sighed as I watched him bound off through the trees. I knew that this was not going to be easy.

I didn't say anything to Sesshomaru, but I think he knew that I wasn't able to at the moment. He didn't ask any questions, he just steeped over to me, secured me in his hold, and took to the skies.

When we arrived at the village and he set me down, I thought that I should say something to him, but he didn't give me the chance.

"The oracle said that we required all 'friends of the pack' for this battle," he said. "There are still members missing. I will return shortly."

And then he was gone as though he had never been there at all. I sighed and made my way to Kaede's hut, but I knew that no matter how many pain-killers I took I would likely not be rid of my headache any time soon.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The God tree.

He just had to bring me here. So much has happened in this place. So many memories: most of them not good. Here it had ended, here it had begun again. Here two worlds collided; here I met my best friend.

When I had asked him to take us somewhere private so we could talk, I wasn't expecting him to bring us here. I guess he has more sentiment than I give him credit for. I guess he knows how special this place really is. I guess he understands how much what I have to say will change things.

When he set me down, I took a moment to run my hand over the withered bark of the tree. No matter how many times I went through what I was going to say to him, I found that all the preparation did nothing to sooth my nerves. I knew what I had done to him was wrong. I knew that making him believe me to be Kikyo was a horrible thing to do. I knew that I was responsible for allowing his beast to be released. I knew I had let him down.

But I had to do it. It was more than just because I wanted to know if the pheromones would work on hanyous, and it was more than just because Sesshomaru had ordered me to repeat the experiment. I had to run the experiment because I had to know.

I sighed and turned back to Inuyasha.

"I'm guessing that Miroku and Sango filled you in on the experiment."

"Yeah," he replied. "They said that you were testing your 'pheromones' on hanyous to see if they would work against Naraku."

"That's how it started, but there was another reason why I was testing the sex pheromone."

"Kagome," he began hesitantly, "Kikyo and I…"

"No Inuyasha, stop." I interrupted him. I already knew how he felt for Kikyo. I didn't need to hear him express it in words. I knew how difficult something like that is for him, and I wasn't about to put him through it. "I'm not talking about Kikyo. I'm talking about Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru? What are you talking about Kagome?"

"That was not the first time I had tested the pheromones. I did it once before, on the night of the new moon. I had forgotten about the new moon. I had forgotten that it was your human night and that your senses would be dulled to the pheromone's scent. But though you were not affected by them, Sesshomaru was."

"Kagome," there was a hint of desperation in his voice, and he grabbed onto my shoulders to make me look at the intensity burning in his eyes. "I don't know what happened, but trust me when I say I will never allow him to hurt you. Whatever he's done, just tell me and I swear he will pay for it."

"No Inuyasha." I pulled away from him, but kept my eyes locked on his. "He hasn't done anything to me. In fact he's been…nice. He's treated me like a member of the pack."

"Pack?"

"Yes, pack. I'm a member of his pack, just like you are."

"WHAT!" Yeah, I knew that was coming. "You're crazy if you think that bastard wants anything from me but my life! He has never done anything but try and put me six feet under!"

"Please Inuyasha, just calm down and hear me out. Pack hierarchy is based on continual public displays of dominance. You were not aware of that because you have been on your own for so long and never had anyone to teach you of the complexities of the pack. Sesshomaru never really wanted to take your life, only to demonstrate that he is unquestionably the Alpha. Haven't you wondered why all those times when he had you beat, when he had knocked you out or had you on the ground, why he didn't ever finish you off?"

"NO!" he snapped. "I just figured he liked playing with me. I wouldn't put it past him; he's nothing but a cold-hearted bastard."

"He is not!" I think I surprised myself even more than Inuyasha with the conviction in my statement. "I've gotten to know him in the past few days, and there is a lot to him that I would never have imagined before."

"By the way you're talking," he did not sound happy at all, "I would think that a lot more went on than you're telling me." He started waling towards me, and for the first time since I released him from his slumber upon the tree, I found myself fearing what he might do. "What else have you done Kagome? You are defending him, protecting him. Have you sold more than your soul to our enemy?"

"INUYASHA, SIT!"

I couldn't believe his audacity. How could he even think of implying that I would sell my body to someone! While he was eating dirt, I continued yelling at him.

"How could you say something like that? All this time I've been your friend. You said you trusted me! How can you seriously believe that I would do something that horrible?"

"SIT!" He really shouldn't have tried to get up before I was done.

"There is nothing like that going on between me and Sesshomaru! We can't even kiss without being thrown apart because I am missing the part of me that used to keep me balanced. And he, he has done nothing but support me and my experiments because he wants to destroy Naraku as badly as we do!"

"SIT!" I wasn't done yet.

"I've been to an oracle, and she said that we need all friends of the pack on our side if we want to have any hope of defeating Naraku, and that includes Sesshomaru! I had hoped that we could talk about this. I had hoped that you would try to understand! But if this is the way you want it to be then fine!"

"SIT!" One more for good measure.

"I'm going back to the village now. I will talk to you later when you are being more cooperative."

I turned and started walking away. I could hear him pushing himself up from the ground behind me.

"How would you know you can't kiss?"

I heard what he said, but I pretended I hadn't. That was something I was not ready to give answers about. Being human is nice sometimes, you can make those with superhuman abilities think you aren't as adept at doing things as you are, and they just take it in stride. Suckers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

When I got back to the village, I was greeted by the sound of children laughing. I followed the sound. I needed something to pick me up after my less than productive conversation with Inuyasha. I did not expect to find what I did.

The children I had heard were Rin and Shippo. They were chasing each other around a large tree in what I could only assume was a game of tag. But what surprised me the most, was that sitting at the base of that tree as though there were not two hyperactive children darting in circles around it, was Sesshomaru.

He turned towards me as I approached. I was so mesmerized by his gaze that I forgot to watch where I was going. Of course, that meant that I tripped over the obstacle in my path.

The ground was much softer than I had remembered it being. The fall didn't hurt me at all. I was rather surprised though, when the ground I had landed on started moving. It was then I heard the muffled voice from beneath me.

"Get off of me you filthy human! You're disgusting body is going to smother me!"

I so resented almost everything about that statement. I am not filthy or disgusting, and I am NOT fat!

I got off of the struggling green body, but only enough so that I could capture the little toad by his shirt.

"What was that toad?" I ground out.

"I said that…"

"Jaken." The ugly green beast was so lucky that his master decided to save his ass, because he was about two seconds from meeting with my miko powers. I sighed and released him so that he could proceed with his groveling properly. At least now he was providing me with some amusement.

"Yes my Lord?" The little beast questioned as he prostrated himself upon the ground.

Sesshomaru rose from his sitting position, gracefully stepped over the heads of the running children, and made his way over to us.

"Watch Rin."

"Yes my Lord. Of course. May ask," he questioned as he lifted his head to look upon Sesshomaru, "Where you will be going?"

Sesshomaru didn't answer; he just walked past Jaken and signaled me to follow him. I giggled at the dejected look on the toads face. Serves him right after what he said to me. In a childish display, I stuck my tongue out at the retainer then proceeded to skip off and follow Sesshomaru.

He led me to a hill overlooking the farmland surrounding the village. The sun was setting on this day; brining to a close one form of trial, only to open again to the trials accompanying the night. I watched the fading daylight for a time, marveling at the magnificent shades streaking the horizon.

"You have spoken to Inuyasha." It wasn't so much a question as a statement of fact. I figured he wanted to know what was said.

"Yes, I spoke with him." I replied. "He was not very happy. But I told him what the oracle said about us needing all of the friends of the pack with us, and I think that if he gives himself enough time to think about it, he will realize the logic in having us all together when we face Naraku."

Sesshomaru didn't say anything; he just continued staring out across the land. By now the light had almost completely vanished, and the moon and stars had started taking the role of casting light down to the earth.

"I was thinking," He raised an eyebrow as he turned to me as though thinking was a bad thing. But I just gave him a dirty look and turned back to watching the scenery around us. "The oracle said all 'friends' of the pack, not all members. I think that she might have been talking about another pack completely. I think that she might have been talking about Kouga being there too. It makes sense, he does carry two Shikon shards, and if I need to make the jewel whole then I will need those shards."

"The wolf's contribution would be insignificant at best."

Well aren't we conceited? Just because you can take out a whole army on your own does not mean you don't need a little help now and then. But of course I couldn't say that to him; instead I relied on reason.

"Kouga has sworn to avenge his pack against Kagura. It would be a good move to be able to take her out of Naraku's arsenal against us."

"The wind witch is merely a puppet."

I have no idea what about that statement made me so angry, but I was sure that it had nothing to do with me being jealous. Like I would be jealous of Kagura. That is just ridiculous. Sigh. And de Nile is not just a river in Egypt.

"That may be so, but even a puppet can wield a sword."

"Hn," was all he said before he went back to ignoring me. I sighed. If he didn't like the idea of Kouga even coming with us to battle Naraku, he sure wasn't going to enjoy what I said next.

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Hehehehe, sorry. I know that's kinda a rude place to leave off, but I couldn't continue without completely blowing away my word limit. But since I do know what's happening next this time, the next chapter will definitely be out tomorrow :)

Later

ShadowsWeaver1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters I am about to weave into my web of chaos. Any and all definitions have been taken directly from Wikipedia the online encyclopedia because I am far too lazy to do any further research to support my Inuyasha obsession.