Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.
Soul Cleansing
Chapter Three: Inu Packs
Sesshomaru's Pack
Kagome sat soaking in a hot spring relaxing after a day of training herself. Sesshomaru had been gone for three days now but she wasn't worried. They knew it would be days for her compared to the hours for him. He had gone to run an errand and wouldn't tell her what it was, but she had a suspicion that it had something to do with her.
Perhaps a courting gift. The thought made her pass her fingers over the mark he had given her five months ago, and remember how she had come to being courted by the demon lord of the west and all that had happened since then.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
Warm blue light faded as Kagome's feet touched the bottom of the well. She let her power flow out of her as gently as she could, something that was easier to do since she had been meditating, and thanked the well for the safe passage. She was startled at its reply, a gentle surge of magic, even though she shouldn't be. After all she knew it could communicate.
Kagome looked up to the sky and suddenly found herself gazing into golden eyes framed by a navy blue crescent moon and two sets of twin magenta strips.
"Hello my Lord." She greeted the demon lord above her a bit shyly in a quiet tone, and was suddenly joined in the well only to find herself quickly out of its confines and standing on grass. "Thank you." She said as she looked up to him and watched him nod slightly.
Happy cries of "Kagome" and "Lady Kagome" sounded and she turned with a smile already on her face and greeted Shippo and Rin cheerfully.
Once the children were greeted and their questions satisfied Sesshomaru began to lead them all away from the well, and Kagome took the opportunity to inform him about her meditation practices and her grandfather's advice.
"Hn." The sound conveying his pleasure at her progress as they walked. "I will be using my youki to mask yours and the kits scent and aura until the both of you learn to do so." He informed her quietly, his eyes never straying from the path he was leading.
"Thank you. That's a relief." Kagome said gratefully, glad she wouldn't have to worry about Inuyasha or Kirara catching hers or Shippo's scent.
Once Rin and Shippo were settled for the night and fast asleep Sesshomaru silently guided Kagome away from their camp to speak to her privately away from Jaken and the sleeping children. When they were as comfortably seated on a fallen tree as they could be she turned and gave all her attention to the demon lord in her company.
"We are traveling to a demon village to procure you clothing fit for this time and traveling with me." Sesshomaru informed her, deciding it was time to make her aware of their destination.
"Oh! Thank you." Kagome said happily, her appreciation clear in her voice. She could not wait to have something that would allow her to blend in with everyone around her.
"Kagome." He began, speaking her name for the first time. "I would like to court you." He informed her calmly.
Court me? She thought as her eyes widened. She was surprised that he could feel such a way about her since he didn't strike her as the type to mate anyone he felt nothing for.
Hearing Sesshomaru say he wanted to court her reminded Kagome of the day after her revelations when he called her from her camp and her belated notice that he hadn't actually said anything. It had been as if he had only wanted to see her, and with what he had just said to her she was thinking that that was exactly what it had been. Then there was the fact that he suddenly showed up later that day after Inuyasha hit her and took care of her wound, and on top of that he was willing to help her and Shippo.
Let's not forget his reaction to my arousal after he finished healing my cheek. She reminded herself. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes. She added with a mental nod.
"What exactly does courting me entail?" She asked just to be sure before she made a decision.
"The courting process involves two individuals becoming acquainted, getting to know each other, which would hopefully lead to a mating. Should the courtship be agreed upon courting marks are placed. This is done so other demons know the individuals involved are in the process of being courted and are not to be approached for the purpose of mating." Sesshomaru explained patiently.
"I understand that you do not know much about me, and most of what you do know you learned from the half-breed which is most likely wrong, and that I myself do not know much about you. Courting would give us a chance to learn one another." He continued, his eyes trained on her face to catch any and all reactions to his words.
"What I do know about you is enough to make me certain that I want you as my mate, hence I am willing to open up to you, and you alone, so you can learn about me and see what comes of your feelings." He informed her in a quiet serious tone.
Kagome took in what the demon lord told her and remembered her recent reactions to him. The beating of her heart, the shivers along her body, the hitch in her breathing, the blushing, and the fact that she wasn't really scared of him- his presence or his touch.
I guess I'm attracted to him. I just need to get to know him and see if I can feel more for him, if I can love him. She considered thoughtfully. He said he would open himself up to me. Does that mean he's going to let me see something other than blankness on his face? Will I be able to ask him questions? If I can, will there be any subjects that are off limits? She wondered as she looked over at him.
"Just to clarify, can I ask you questions? Any questions?" She asked, wanting confirmation.
"You may, however, I would appreciate you saving questions that require lengthy explanations for times such as thus." Sesshomaru answered, referring to the fact that they were alone.
"Okay. I will." Kagome said readily. After all, he had said that he would only open up to her, so the least she could do was ask the more probing questions when they were completely alone.
"I would ease your mind in regards to two subjects. Namely my supposed hatred of humans and half demons." He said seriously, wanting to save her the trouble of asking as well as get it out of the way so it hopefully would not hinder her acceptance of his suit.
Kagome looked on wide eyed and simply nodded. She wanted, needed to know what he would say.
"I do not hate humans or half-demons. I ignore both just as I ignore every being that has nothing to do with me. Although with humans I tend to stay away from them unless I have a reason not to. It is only the half-breed and his mother that have my hatred." He stated before explaining to his little miko.
He detailed his family's history with Inuyasha's mother Izayoi. How his father became fascinated with her and she, princess that she was, didn't have a problem with the fact that his father was mated. She still went along and had an affair with him. The affair shamed and insulted his mother, even more so when Izayoi became pregnant. The worst part was that he had discovered that the human princess didn't even care. She had felt no guilt over the fact that his mother had been dishonored and disrespected partially because of her, or the fact that his father had been slowly dying from fighting challenge after challenge because she was too weak and powerless to fight for herself.
Izayoi was a selfish being that only cared for herself. She only cared that his father was giving her all his attention and anything she ever wanted. That behavior did not stop after his father's death either. She had turned her son into a selfish self-centered bastard. She gave him everything and anything he wanted, and rewarded his bad behavior instead of showing that there were consequences for his actions. This made him think he could do anything and have everything he wanted with no problem. She had kept him from seeing the half-breed and it was only to Inuyasha's detriment. It was one of the reasons the half-breed was so split inside about being a half demon and lacked control. He had not been able to teach the whelp about his instincts so he did not know how to handle or listen to them.
He had not even been able to get to him after the woman had died because by then the half-breed didn't trust anyone. That was his mother's fault. Despite Izayoi's massive coddling, the humans around him hated him and had no problem letting him know. He had watched him from afar after that and was witness to his behavior worsening as time passed. He watched the whelp make friends of kind humans only to turn around and betray them once he had what he wanted or they realized they were being used before he could betray them outright. It was always humans because demons would be able to sense the deception in him one way or another.
Kagome listened silently, her surprise mounting with every word that passed his lips. She had never thought of things from Sesshomaru's perspective before. She had always assumed it was a great love story between Inuyasha's mother and their father. She had never remembered that Sesshomaru's mother was the victim in a sense. That the great Inu no Taisho had cheated on her and shamed her. That Inuyasha's mother was a princess who apparently didn't care that she was sleeping with a male that was, as far as she was concerned, married. Inuyasha's mother was 'the other woman'. It reminded Kagome of what Inuyasha seemed to have been trying to turn her into. Trying to make her 'the other woman'. It appeared he was taking after his father in the wrong way.
She was also surprised at what she was learning about Inuyasha's childhood. He had always told her that Sesshomaru hated him because his mother was human and he was a half demon. That he had never had any friends and had grown up alone because no one wanted to be around a filthy half demon.
It would be so easy to think that Sesshomaru is lying to me, telling me these things to get what he wanted, but if there's one thing I absolutely knew about him, it's that he's an honest demon, brutally honest in fact. She thought with a light sigh.
It had never occurred to Kagome that Inuyasha's mother was a bad parental figure. Never occurred to her that Izayoi was a spoiled princess and had passed that trait on to her son, and because of that he was of the belief that he could have anything he wanted just because he wanted it. The new knowledge definitely helped to explain a great deal of his behavior since she had met him, and especially his behavior when it came to her and Kikyou. The dead woman seemed to be the one he wanted but Kagome acted very similar to his mother, letting him do whatever he wanted and forgiving everything he did with no consequences, so he wanted her too.
Now that she was thinking about it it was very possible that her behavior with Inuyasha made him think she was fine with him going off to Kikyou all the time, and treating her like she was worthless and that he was doing her a favor by keeping her to himself.
As far as humans of this time, they were not beings she thought Sesshomaru would want to be around with his sensitive nose, and she knew from her history books the way humans treated each other. She had always been glad that she hadn't been born to this time. Especially since she had seen with her own eyes how humans treated those that were different, whether they were demons, half demons, or humans protecting them. So she could definitely understand why he would stay away from humans unless they happened to put themselves in his way.
Kagome nodded to herself with a small smile. She was happy that Sesshomaru had explained those things right away. She had begun to believe his human and half demon hating reputation was wrong, but to hear it directly from him was just what she needed.
"How will you place the courting mark on me?" She asked curiously as she gazed at him.
"I will bite you here," Sesshomaru said as he placed his large clawed hand lightly on the juncture between her shoulder and neck. "and inject a small amount of my youki. A mark unique to me will appear and contain my scent and a hint of my power." He explained clearly.
"Okay." She said with a nod, her eyes slightly wide as she wondered how that would feel. "I would be honored to enter into a courtship with you Lord Sesshomaru." She accepted as formally as she could with a shy smile.
Sesshomaru nodded, his eyes lit with softness as he moved closer to his little miko. He gently pulled aside the collar of the strange top she wore, leaned in, and slowly ran his tongue along the juncture on the left side of her neck. He savored the shudder that skipped through her body, golden eyes flashing blood red for a moment, before he sank his fangs into her flesh.
Kagome stiffened and drew in a sharp breath at the pain radiating from where the sharp fangs were embedded. She forced herself to breath calmly through the pain and was glad she did when his youki began to slowly flow into her. Her reiki rose automatically to her defense but she held it back, not wanting it to interfere with the courting mark. Soon his heavy power was no longer flowing into her and he was removing his fangs. His tongue slowly lapped at her skin and she sighed in relief as the pain began to fade.
Sesshomaru gave a tiny smile as he sensed his power and smelled himself wafting off his miko. He pulled away and looked at her neck, curious to see what his mark would look like.
There clear as day was the navy blue outline of a crescent moon the same size as the one gracing his forehead.
~o~o~o~o~
After that night the small pack continued on their way toward the demon village, Kagome practicing her meditation every chance she got. Not only did their travels give her time to practice accessing her power and getting use to its feel, it gave her the chance to think about the demon lord courting her.
Just traveling with Sesshomaru and observing him granted her the ability to get to know him better without having to speak to him. She realized quickly that he was a male of action rather then words. He only spoke when he had something to say and would rather convey his point through actions, because actions meant more to him since words can be fickle, broken, and misunderstood.
When they arrived at the village Rin and Shippo were left in Jaken and Ah-Un's care and Kagome was taken to a spider demon to get her clothing made. She and Sesshomaru had discussed it during one of their evening talks and agreed that she should wear something that she would be comfortable in and that would cover her but allow for free movement as well.
After seeing samples of the seamstresses work Kagome decided on wearing something similar to Sesshomaru's outfit. Feminine hakama pants were commissioned along with short knee length kimono's, under kimono, and obi sashes in black, navy blue, light gray, dark gray, and cream with different patterns and decorative designs on the kimono's in navy blue, green, sky blue, purple, royal blue, magenta, and teal. Colors that would bring out her eye color and go well with her hair and skin color. A few sleeping yukata were added to the order before Sesshomaru was satisfied.
As the clothing was being made Sesshomaru took her to get a pair of black boots like his. When she worried about how much he was spending on her he informed her that he was a wealthy demon and he would not allow the female he was courting to wear anything but the best.
Once Kagome's small wardrobe was finished they began to travel again. She didn't ask where they were going. Asking wouldn't get them there any faster, and that was if Sesshomaru had a specific destination in mind. Plus, she was already getting use to not talking so much, at least to not fill in the silence that seemed to surround the demon lord. She actually liked not feeling obligated to talk and spread cheer to try and keep up morale. Sesshomaru didn't need it and the children didn't either.
It was only a few days later before they finally reached a dense forest and were led inside by their alpha. Not long after they entered Kagome began to feel a massive dense yet calm youki. It didn't worry her but she thought it strange since they were surrounded by trees and seemingly nothing else. When Sesshomaru stopped she was greeted by the largest tree she had ever seen, and wasn't entirely surprised when a face melted into view.
"Ah, welcome Sesshomaru-sama. What can this old demon do for you my lord?" The tree said, Kagome's eyes widening in response. A talking tree. It shouldn't surprise her but it did.
"Bokusenō." Sesshomaru greeted the magnolia tree demon in his quiet baritone voice. "I am in search of a safe private place to train the alpha female of my pack." He stated consultatively.
"Step forward child." Bokusenō said in a soothing tone, and Kagome stepped up to stand beside Sesshomaru. "Are you not the miko who travels with Sesshomaru-sama's younger half-brother?" He asked after a few moments inspection.
"I am." Kagome answered honestly as she gazed at the wizened old face in the tree.
"Will you tell this old one why you no longer travel with the half demon Inuyasha when you did for so long?" Bokusenō asked kindly.
Kagome frowned slightly, remembering what Inuyasha did to her, and looked to Sesshomaru for direction. Something not missed by the magnolia. She received a slight nod of encouragement, so she explained the situation with her soul and the violent action Inuyasha took against her that caused her to leave her old pack.
Bokusenō narrowed his eyes as he listened to her tale then closed his eyes in thought. The clearing was silent as they waited to see if the old demon tree knew of a location for them.
"There is an area, located deep within the west, where time flows differently." Bokusenō suggested as he opened his eyes. "It is a private utopia for those who know how to find it. You must pass through a forest until you reach the base of a mountain range, a cave entrance will be waiting for you. Once you enter the cave you must pass through a labyrinth of tunnels until you reach the area." He explained patiently. "You should have no problem getting through the labyrinth with Sesshomaru-sama leading the way." He assured Kagome when she frowned worriedly at the mention of a labyrinth.
"What did you mean when you said time flows differently?" Kagome asked curiously and Sesshomaru listened intently.
Bokusenō explained that for every day that passed inside the area, an hour would go by outside it. Kagome did some mental calculations and her eyes widened at the answer she came up with.
"So for every day, ever twenty four hours, that goes by almost a month passes inside this private utopia?" She asked in surprise.
"Indeed miko Kagome." The tree demon confirmed, revealing that he knew her name in the process. "It should give you plenty of time to train your alpha female Sesshomaru-sama." Bokusenō stated to his lord.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
Since they had been in the private utopia Kagome had been training hard, working on more things then she thought she would when she began traveling with Sesshomaru. She was very happy with her progress and even more so since Sesshomaru was pleased as well. There was no denying that he was a hard task master, but he was patient and thorough in her training.
Even Shippo had benefited from the demon lord. He learned how to use his youki better, learned to defend himself, he learned to hunt- something he had been in desperate need of, and he was behaving more calmly among other things. On the flipside Rin had benefited from her presence as well. She was no longer wandering away from the pack like she used to in search of entertainment, she had learned to meditate, and was learning different uses for the flowers she loved so much.
Kagome calmly pulled herself from the soothing water of the hot spring and dried herself off. She dressed herself in a pair of light gray sweat pants, a white tank top, and a navy blue sleeping yukata that she had taken to wearing like a robe.
She then grabbed her bow and arrows, the only weapon she brought with her to the spring, since even though there didn't seem to be any demons in the strange time utopia there was still wild animals, and headed back to the spacious cave they had chosen to camp in during their stay.
~o~o~o~o~
Sesshomaru sped high in the sky on his youki cloud on his way to see Totosai, his thoughts full of his little miko's training and her progress.
He was highly pleased with his mate-to-be. He had found that she was a fast learner when she had someone willing to teach her who was patient and calm. He trained her to use her powers, emphasizing that she use her imagination as much as possible. He theorized that since she was not born in that era and taught the way miko's usually were, she had an advantage- that she was never told or taught that she could not do something.
Sesshomaru knew that most priestess' were told they could not do something because most did not have enough power. In some cases, however, they did have the power and simply never tried because they had already been conditioned to think they could not do it.
Because of this advice his miko was able to do many things other priestess' most likely had never thought to do or could even think to do. He had been witness to Kagome forming arrows of varying sizes out of her holy power, thin whips that she called wires, throwing daggers, barriers to make her invisible to the eyes and make her soundless to the ears, and much much more.
Some things had even been very unexpected despite having told her to utilize her imagination.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
The demon lord and miko sat resting in the grass in a clearing, having just finished sparing with nothing but their powers. Barriers of various shapes and sizes had been erected to protect themselves. His poison acid whip had flashed out numerous times from his clawed fingertips, and her purity arrows had flown from the palm of her hands with amazing speed.
Sesshomaru had just finished telling his miko that he was very pleased with the control she had on her reiki when he sensed anxiousness radiating in her aura. He waited patiently, knowing that she would speak when she was ready, and wondered at the sudden determination that began to overpower her anxiousness.
"There's something I want to do now that I have your approval on the control I have of my powers." Kagome said quietly, a little nervousness slipping into her voice.
Without waiting for a reply she straddled the demon lord's lap and brought her lips to his as she snaked her arms around his neck, happy that he was not wearing his armor. As she felt his hands settle on her hips her tongue slipped into his mouth and traced his deadly fangs. Heat began to build between them and she broke away from his lips before she lost her focus. Warm kisses were planted on his cheek and down the left side of his neck as her fingers pulled his haori aside confidently.
Kagome concentrated, willing her reiki to form a solid pair of fangs in her mouth.
Sesshomaru's brow creased ever so slightly as he felt his miko's power rise. He was idly wondering what she was doing when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. His eyes widened in shock and his body stiffened. He felt her light reiki slowly flow into him and he pulled his youki back to keep it from interfering as he realized what she was doing.
After a few moments Kagome cut the flow of her power and licked at the wound to try and sooth it the same way he had done for her. She pulled away to see if it worked and smiled in satisfaction at the outline of a golden sun in the same size as the crescent moon he had given her.
She kissed the courting mark, happy and proud that others would know that he was unavailable should the need arise for him to prove it.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
Sesshomaru had been very surprised when she had given him a courting mark since he did not think she would ever be able to, but he had also been very pleased that she had done so. Pleased that she had wanted to claim him. It showed him the strength of her developing feelings.
Over the course of Kagome's training the courting mark had not been the only thing that surprised him. He had also been surprised by the fact that her powers had changed colors at some point, going from light pink to light blue.
Aside from her powers he had taught his miko how to use twin long daggers. After getting her opinion he decided that those would work better for her than a sword, especially when first starting to use a blade. He was pleased that she took to them very well.
After seeing how well she was with the daggers he reconsidered his opinion on her using a sword, and wondered how she would handle using twin swords. She consented to try, out of curiosity's sake, and they were both surprised at how well she did and happy that she got better with practice.
His little miko's training had now progressed to the point where he determined it was now time for her to wield weapons made for her, so she could use her powers with them, which was why he was currently in route to see Totosai.
When Sesshomaru finally reached Totosai's volcanic mountain home the old demon was obviously dismayed to see him.
"I am NOT making you a sword and there is nothing you can do or say to change my mind!" Totosai said bluntly even though he was clearly afraid.
"I am not here about a weapon for myself. I do not need one." Sesshomaru said with quiet dignity. "I am here for the female that will soon be my mate."
"Has she met you yet? She know what she's getting into?" Totosai asked in shock.
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in irritation but he answered none-the-less.
"She bares my courting mark and I am currently training her, which is why I am here. It is time she had proper weapons." He stated.
"What do you have in mind?" Totosai asked cautiously.
"Twin long daggers made from one of my fangs, and twin swords made from one of my fangs and claw dust for added protection." The demon lord stated clearly.
Totosai's large eyes widened as he stared at the Inu demon in front of him. He was shocked that Sesshomaru was willing to give not only fangs for this female but claw dust as well. Who is this female? What is she like that the cold demon lord of the west is willing to go to such trouble for her? He wondered as he went and grabbed a ridiculously large pair of pliers.
"Open wide." He said to the demon lord as he expertly snapped the pliers as if he was impatient to get at his fangs.
Sesshomaru sighed internally but opened his mouth none-the-less. Two large fangs were immediately snatched painfully from his mouth, but the ache didn't last and he knew they would grow back within a few minutes. He then walked outside the cave and transformed into his true form and carefully stuck one of his front paws inside so the old sword smith could get some clippings from one of his claws.
Once that was taken care of he changed back into his humanoid form and strode back into the cave, listening to Totosai mumble about grinding the clippings down. He then watched as the old man set the clippings next to the fangs and tilted his head as if he were listening to something, which he knew was entirely possible. Swords spoke to the old demon so it made sense that the material to make them spoke as well.
"It will be done just as you said." Totosai nodded before turning to Sesshomaru. "Your fangs and claw clippings are very specific about what they want to be. Who is this female that would cause them to be so demanding?" He asked.
Sesshomaru held back a sigh and decided to just get it over with.
"The female I am courting is the miko Kagome." He stated. "She and her kit travel with me now. The only one who knows this fact is the old miko who lives in the village the half-breed calls home. She is the only one who would be able to tell the half-breed, and I am sure that she will keep the knowledge to herself knowing what the half-breed did." He explained blandly.
Totosai was quiet for a long time, then blinked his large eyes as he seemed to remember that the demon lord was still there.
"The blades are so she can use her powers with them." He stated as he eyed the Inu.
Sesshomaru inclined his head in agreement with the sword smith's assessment.
"Very well. They will be done in two weeks at the most, one week at the least. I'll deliver them when they're finished." He said.
Sesshomaru nodded before he turned and left the sword smith to his work. He had one more thing to take care of before he returned to his pack. He traveled to the demon village they had recently gone to and went back to the spider demon who made his miko's clothing, and commissioned more kimono's for her but with his family crest on the left shoulder and sleeves just like what was displayed on his haori.
He would present the new short kimono's to her after their mating.
~o~o~o~o~
It was five more days before the alpha of their pack returned, and when he did he came with some unexpected reading material for Kagome and the children since they had both taught their adopted child how to read and write. Sesshomaru brought scrolls on etiquette, demon history, demon customs, and dog demon customs. He had even found a scroll on fox demon customs for Shippo.
Kagome learned that the majority of the scrolls were mostly for her to study since she would be mating a demon, living among demons, and ruling them. She needed to know how to act, how to conduct herself around demons and how to be a lady in that era among demon society.
Even though the scrolls were mostly for Kagome it would be to their benefit for the children to study them as well. Shippo would need to know such things since he was a demon, and Rin was like Kagome- a human living among demons. Both would need to know how to conduct themselves properly since they would be the children of the Lord and Lady of the west.
Studying the scrolls was added to the routine they had fallen into since they arrived in the utopia. The days were dedicated to meditation, hand to hand combat sparing, sparing with powers, practicing with weapons, studying scrolls, and doing homework. Most of the routine was spent with Sesshomaru, but meditation, studying scrolls, and doing homework were things she could do with Rin and Shippo so she could spend time with them.
They continued that way until Sesshomaru and Kagome decided it was time to leave and rejoin the world in the regular time flow.
Inuyasha's Pack
~6 months later~
Things were not going well since Kagome's disappearance.
Tetsusaiga no longer worked, they hadn't found any jewel shards, and they had no idea where Kagome was or if she was even alive. Inuyasha had not been able to go through the well and Miroku hadn't found anything that could block his access, but they did not want to think the reason was because she was dead.
Inuyasha had even asked Kikyou if she could check the well but she refused, saying that if her reincarnation had left for good then she wasn't going to help get her back because she didn't belong there.
The fact that Kikyou had not gloated about finally having the rest of her soul was a good indication that she was not dead at least. Of course that didn't mean she hadn't been kidnapped and was being held against her will along with Shippo. Or that they hadn't been wrong and her soul wouldn't go to Kikyou but move on to the next reincarnation if she died.
Inuyasha thought back on what happened after Kagome and Shippo left the clearing that fateful day.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
Inuyasha blinked at his bloody claws, his ears flattening on top of his head at the smell of Kagome's blood. He looked up and stared at her back as she and Shippo moved toward the fresh water he could smell.
He couldn't believe he had hit Kagome, but he hadn't been able to help it. She just made him so fucking pissed with her back talk and always being nice to that filthy wolf. The wench knew her place. She belong to him. She shouldn't let other males touch her. Yeah she wasn't happy about him seeing Kikyou but she still accepted it and didn't try to stop him from having what he wanted.
And what he wanted was Kikyou as well as Kagome. So he figured since the wench accepted it she shouldn't let other males touch her, and if she did she would have to accept the consequences of allowing it.
"Why did you strike Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked as calmly as he could with his mind still reeling from what he had witnessed.
"The wench needed to be reminded of her place." Inuyasha growled as he wiped his claws on his hakama. "I'm tired of her letting that filthy wolf touch what's mine!" He added angrily.
Sango stared at her companions, speechless after what she had witnessed and heard. Still, she shook herself out of it, knowing she would have time later to process what happened.
"Should we go after her?" She asked worriedly as she looked in the direction Kagome and Shippo had gone.
"No. Let's give her some time." Miroku suggested. "Shippo's with her and if she gets into any trouble she can't handle then I'm sure she'll call for help." He said reasonably.
With that the two humans and half demon settled down to wait, the clearing they sat in silent as they lost themselves in their thoughts. Before they knew it nearly an hour had passed and Kagome and Shippo had yet to come back.
"I'm going to go check on Kagome. See if she's okay and ready to come back." Sango decided as she got to her feet and walked off.
It was only moments later that Inuyasha and Miroku heard her frantically calling for them and they went running.
"I can't find Kagome or Shippo!" She cried as they arrived.
Inuyasha tried to follow their scent but it was fading and there was no trail. There was no scent of blood other then what he had spilt when he hit her, so he knew they hadn't been attacked.
He growled in frustration as he turned to his remaining pack members.
"Start searchin' the area." He ordered Sango and Miroku before he ran off to do the same. He just knew they couldn't have gone far.
When they all met back up none of them had any good news to report. Kagome and Shippo had seemingly disappeared.
The depleted pack waited until the next day before leaving on the off chance that Kagome might come back. When it was clear that she wouldn't show they rushed back to the village in Edo to see if she had somehow made it back there and to the well.
~o~o~o~o~
When they arrived at the village they found only Keade in her hut. There was no sign of their missing friends.
"What has happened?" Keade asked, taking in their stressed and worried faces.
"There isn't much to tell." Inuyasha grumbled. "The wench got upset after one of our usual fights. She took the runt and left. We haven't see them since." He said, leaving out the fact that he had hit her and they didn't know what happened to her.
Sango and Miroku spoke up to set the record straight. They explained that Kouga had come around for his usual visit with Kagome and after he left Inuyasha began to argue with her about her behavior with the wolf demon. He didn't like the answer she gave and he slapped her for it. They admitted that they stood by and did nothing. Their only excuse was that they were used to seeing such things, and they felt it wasn't their place to interfere in their friend's relationship in such a way. After that she and Shippo left, heading toward a stream. They had decided to give her time to cool down but when they went to check on her after a while there was no trace of her or Shippo.
"The both of ye should have stepped in and stopped such actions from happening." Keade said as she frowned in disapproval. "Ye know she is not of this time, and such things are not common where she is from." She added before settling her gaze on the Inu half demon.
"Why did ye hit Kagome?" She asked Inuyasha seriously.
"Cause the wench pissed me off!" Inuyasha nearly shouted from his seat. "Allowing that shithead to touch her. I'm tired of her allowing him to claim her. She may tell the filthy wolf that she wasn't his woman but she never put a stop to his claims." He complained.
"Why are ye so concerned about who Kagome accepts when ye have obviously chosen my sister?" Keade asked as she watched him shift in his seat.
"Cause I want'em both." Inuyasha stated to the shock of all present. "Kagome knows I'm seeing Kikyou and she never tried to stop me, so she obviously has no problem with it. She loves me so much she's willing to share."
Miroku and Sango shared a surprised look and shook their heads. They had not realized that Inuyasha wanted both women. They thought that Kagome would have to wait until Kikyou died again to be with Inuyasha, and that until then she would just have to put up with his going off to see the dead woman.
Was she really willing to share him? They had thought that she didn't approve of such things.
Keade closed her good eye and shook her head. After hearing their side of what happened she decided to not tell them that she had seen Kagome and Shippo or about the situation with the well.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
Nothing had gone right since that day. Inuyasha found that he was easily angered and irritated since Kagome's disappearance, and the fact that he hadn't seen Kikyou as often as he would have liked didn't help. He had only seen her once every few weeks and she only seemed to come around to find out if her reincarnation had shown up.
Aside from that they had eventually gone to Totosai to find out what the hell was wrong with the Tetsusaiga, but the old senile demon hadn't been much help.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
"When did it stop working?" Totosai asked as he examined the sword.
"A few weeks ago." Inuyasha grumbled as he watched the old man look down the swords length then run his fingers along the flat side of the nicked and battered blade.
"There's nothing wrong with it." Totosai announced as he sheathed the blade and handed it back to Inuyasha.
"What the fuck do ya mean there's nothin' wrong with it?! It won't transform! Something must be wrong with it!" Inuyasha said angrily as he gripped the sword in his hand.
"I mean there's nothing wrong with it." Totosai repeated, irritated. "It has simply refused to work for you any longer. It has rejected you." He added for good measure. "Have you done anything that would turn the blade against you?" He asked as he eyed the entire group.
He didn't get an answer from Inuyasha, but he did witness a somewhat guilty look between the two humans.
"Where is Kagome? It's been a while since I've seen her." He asked suddenly as he watched them, seeing them shift uneasily.
"She disappeared a few weeks ago. We haven't been able to find her yet." Miroku said when it became apparent that Inuyasha wouldn't answer.
"What a shame. I hope you find her soon." Totosai said blandly before turning back to his work as if he was alone.
-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-
Inuyasha growled low from his place at the front of his diminished pack. Not even Naraku had shown his foul self, which if he was being honest with himself was a good thing considering the Tetsusaiga didn't work. But they had been visited by one of his incarnations during the first weeks after Kagome's disappearance.
Kagura had shown up and attacked them. She had had Naraku's insects with her so Miroku hadn't been able to use his wind tunnel, and she had been able to use the wind to protect herself from Sango's massive boomerang. She had also been smart enough to stay in the air on her feather out of reach of any of his physical attacks.
Inuyasha had managed to destroy the insects with his blades of blood, but before Miroku could use his wind tunnel Kagura had flown off. Since then they hadn't seen or had any encounters with Naraku or his incarnations.
They had been spending their time looking for Kagome and Shippo, fighting off lower level demons that decided to attack them, and following rumors of jewel shards. So far they had run into dead ends, either the rumor was false or the jewel was gone by the time they got to the reported area.
Inuyasha growled yet again, his irritation and anger increasing by the second.
He was angry that they hadn't found any jewel shards, angry that they hadn't found Kagome, and angry as well as frustrated that he hadn't seen Kikyou in weeks. He needed the relief that being with her provided. Yeah she was technically dead and her body made of clay. Yeah she stunk to high heaven, but she was still female. His female to be exact. She was his only option until he got Kagome to loosen up enough to be with him while he was still with Kikyou.
Suddenly there was a shout and he turned to see Miroku on his knees clutching the hand that contained the wind tunnel, clearly in pain, Sango at his side with her hands on his shoulder.