TITLE: Cursed Twins

AUTHOR: InuYoukaiAki

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha and Co.

Author's Note: This is the edited chapters. Thank you to my wonderful beta who never tire of giving me advices, criticisms and encouragement. Thank you!

CHAPTER 9: The Return

"Are we just supposed to just wait?" Kenji asked irritated. "What if something bad is already happening to her?"

Sesshoumaru sighed in annoyance. "If you are so willing to get thrown over and over, then by all means, do what you want." he drawled.

Yoji stood up and smirked. "It seems my twin was smitten with the young miko." he teased.

Kenji's face flared scarlet. "Look who's talking," he said. "You could not take your eyes away from her, even when she was sleeping."

The Prince of the West glared at the two bickering youkai. He suddenly felt annoyed with the two. They were fighting over Kagome and he did not like it. He stopped his train of thought. Why does he care anyway? After Kagome retrieved the sphere, he will give her the shard and she will go back to his useless half-brother.

He unconsciously growled at the thought. It was then that he realized that he had drifted. His mind returned to the present when he realized that the two bickering youkai had stopped and were now looking at him strangely.

"What are you growling about?" Kenji asked.

He stood up gracefully and turned towards the cave. "You irritate me," he said coldly. It was partly true. They need not know that there was more to the growl.

- - -

Kagome mentally shook herself as she realized that she was gaping, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "What the hell?" was all she managed to say after a few minutes of trying to form a coherent sentence, with her overly confused mind.

InuTaisho grinned in amusement. "I see you have picked up a few of Inuyasha's well-phrased thoughts." he drawled.

Her brows furrowed in intense concentration as she tried very hard to collect her thoughts. After a few moments, she waved her hand helplessly and looked up at the imposing demon in front of her. "Could you just tell me what is happening?" she asked, her confusion and helplessness making her tone weary. Her bright eyes were clouded with confusion.

The old demon sighed. He understood the girl's confusion. She had lived and grown up in a time very different from today. His eyes softened as he looked at her, looking at him with confusion and trust in her blue eyes. She looked so fragile and breakable, this pure creature who have touched both his sons' lives.

"Am I really from this time?" she whispered. Her eyes misted as she thought of the family she had known.

"I know this is hard for you," InuTaisho said gently. "But you are from this time."

Silent tears coursed down Kagome's flushed cheeks. She smiled sadly and wiped away the tears that would not stop falling. She smiled tremulously at the great youkai. "I always felt more at home here," she said wistfully. "It's just that…" she trailed off with a sigh, unable to continue as the tears fell, unbidden.

Kagome felt InuTaisho gently laid his hands on her delicate shoulders. She looked up at him, her eyes blurred by her tears. Her eyes widened as another question formed in her mind. "W-Will I be able to see them again?" she asked with trepidation.

The youkai lord, for his part, pitied the girl in front of him. He squeezed her shoulders gently. "I'm afraid that the well is already sealed," he said tentatively, unable to keep the truth from her.

"No," she whispered brokenly. "I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye." The thought of never seeing those she held dear to her heart again shattered her. Kagome sobbed in her hands. She felt him wrap his arms tentatively around her. She did not care if he thought her weak. She was hurting for the family she had known and grown into. Despite the fact that they were not her real family, she never felt that she was an outsider with them. They genuinely loved her and she loved them.

She sobbed liked she never sobbed before. Her arms wrapped around the demon automatically, reveling in the comforting feel of his strong arms. Kagome needed all the comfort she could get. She felt so alone.

- - -

Myouga and Totousai arrived at the cave and saw the three inuyoukai waiting patiently outside. Or at least the two were waiting patiently while the other was pacing around furiously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Totousai bowed nervously. "Kenji-sama, Yoji-sama."

Sesshoumaru was mildly surprised with the appearance of the two vassals. "What is your business here?" he asked.

Myouga cleared his throat and jumped on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "We have come for the prophecy," he said importantly. "Where is Kagome-sama?"

"Inside the cave," Yoji replied, curiosity evident his tone.

"I guess, we will just have to wait," Totousai said and started to sit down.

Kenji strode over to the two new arrivals. "Obviously, you know something," he said. "Is there a way to get inside?"

The old flea youkai shook his head. "As far as we know, there is no way to get in," he said. "We have tried before. But nobody can enter."

"Dammit!" Kenji exclaimed and plopped down beside Yoji, Inuyasha-style.

Sesshoumaru looked towards the cave and wondered what was happening inside. His gut clenched when he thought of the miko getting hurt. He suppressed the feeling. He could not care less if she was hurt as long as she acquires the sphere. That was the only reason he was concerned.

"What if she does not come out?" Kenji whispered the thought that was running through their minds. It was a possibility that nobody had dared voice until now. None of them knew what was really in there.

- - -

InuTaisho glanced at the fragile young woman in his arms. His heart broke for Kagome. It was hard to let go of the people you love. She was taken away from her true family to live and grow up in another. She had felt love from that family and now she was rudely torn away from them to live in a world completely different from the one she grew up in.

He sighed as he continued to stroke her hair in an attempt to soothe her. The Fates had been cruel to her and it pained him that he had played a very crucial part on the woman's destiny. He was the one who had fulfilled the first part of the prophecy. Somehow, he felt responsible.

He listened as her sobs subsided. She looked up at him with a watery smile. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes puffy. "I'm sorry," she whispered and moved away from him. "I just couldn't help it."

InuTaisho smiled at her. She really was vulnerable. Despite the vast power she has, she was very vulnerable. "I understand," he said.

She sniffled and went to sit down on the floor. She started playing with the sphere of prophecy that she held in her hand. Kagome looked up, her bright blue eyes wide. "If you're alive," she began as a thought struck her. "Then whose tomb did we see? Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru said that was your tomb. I even saw your bones!"

"That was not my tomb," InuTaisho said as he sat a few feet across from Kagome. He sat Indian-style with his hands on his kimono. Kagome could not help but think how similar the position is to Inuyasha's. "It was my father's."

"How did that happen? How come nobody knew you were alive?" Kagome asked, her pain pushed back in order to find answers.

InuTaisho sighed. "I was sealed," he answered. "On my last battle to save Izayoi and Inuyasha, I was sealed by a dark miko. They said I had died. But I did not. It appeared that way because I had disappeared completely."

"How did you get here, then?" Kagome asked. She would get to the bottom of things.

"This is where they sealed me," he answered. "She was a powerful dark miko and had erected the barrier so that nobody could get in. It keeps me inside and everybody else outside. And the barrier does not allow my youki out."

Kagome looked thoughtful. She chewed her lower lip as she pondered this. "How come I got in?"

InuTaisho smiled at her. "Because your power is far greater than hers," he said fondly. "And I am somehow connected to you."

"Connected how?" she asked.

"I marked you when you were but a child," he said and saw Kagome's eyes round in disbelief.

- - -

Inuyasha sniffed. He could smell Sesshoumaru and his cousins but Kagome's scent was already faint. His eyebrows furrowed. Kagome was supposed to be with Sesshoumaru. He quickened his pace, running through the stillness of the forest.

"Inuyasha, wait up!" Shippou cried.

"Just camp here! I'll come back for you," he said from his shoulder and ran as fast as his legs could go. Things did not seem right. She was supposed to be with his brother. What the hell happened? His heart rate increased as any number things ran through his already over-active imagination. "She'd better be all right," he muttered.

He knew he was near when he also distinguished Myouga's and Toutousai's scents. His ears twitched as he heard voices. He landed at the edge of the clearing. He felt four pairs of eyes look at his direction. His eyes looked at each one of them. Totousai was perched on his cow with Myouga on his shoulder. Near the opening of a cave sat Kenji, his arms inside his sleeves. Yoji stood at the other side of the entrance of the cave, his back leaning on the side of the opening. Then his eyes landed on the only one who was not looking at him. Sesshoumaru sat on a boulder, his knee drawn up and his hand propped on his knee. Inuyasha knew his brother was aware of his presence and it irked him that Sesshoumaru was not even acknowledging him. His brother remained as still as a statue, his eyes trained on the entrance of the cave.

Then he noticed something. "Where is Kagome?" he asked. His heart lurched.

"Inside the cave," Kenji muttered.

He sniffed. Her scent was already fading, an indication that she had been in the cave for a while now. "What the hell is she doing in there?" he shouted.

"Ask him," Yoji said, indicating Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha stalked to where Sesshoumaru sat, ignoring everyone. He stood in front of his brother. "Why is she in there, alone?" he asked. His voice was menacing.

Sesshoumaru glanced up at him. "Do not concern yourself," he answered coldly. "That is between me and the miko."

"Kagome is my friend! How can I not be concerned, you ass?" Inuyasha screamed, his worry overriding his judgment.

Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow at him then returned his gaze to the cave.

"I'm going to get her back," he said and stalked towards the cave entrance.

"You won't be able to get inside," Kenji said from his position. "I've already tried. There's a barrier that's keeping us out."

Inuyasha looked at Kenji. "A barrier?" he asked.

Myouga hopped on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Yes, Inuyasha-sama," he said gravely. "There is a barrier that is keeping us all out. Otherwise, I believe Kenji-sama and Yoji-sama would have been inside."

"And why would they?" he asked suspiciously.

"I believe," Myouga said seriously. "That they are smitten with Kagome-sama."

"They are what?" Inuyasha cried in disbelief. His eyes looked at one demon to the other. Both have a suspicious red tint in their cheeks. And neither demon could look at him in the eye. "Stay away from her," Inuyasha growled.

The two demons looked at him and growled in return.

Inuyasha scoffed at the two. "I'll bring Kagome back," he said arrogantly. He pulled out Tessaiga.

Seeing his intention, the twin demons removed themselves from their current positions. They knew of Tetsusaiga's power.

"Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha yelled and Tetsusaiga's power surged forth.

There was a pulse of power as they felt the attack connect with the barrier. When the dust cleared, they saw the barrier crackle and remained intact.

"There really is no way in," Inuyasha muttered.

- - -

"Marked? What do you mean marked?" Kagome's eyes rounded as she heard that word. She had heard of demons marking their mate. Does this mean she was InuTaisho's mate now? That's even more ridiculous than mating with one of his sons!

InuTaisho shrugged. "I have transferred a small amount of my youki to you when you were a child," he said. "That is also the reason why I am able to communicate with you from here. We are connected in that way."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "I see," she said. "And what am I supposed to do now?"

"Not even I know that," InuTaisho answered.

"Am I really going to mate with one of your sons?" she asked with a blush.

A smile graced the inuyoukai's lips. "Not necessarily my sons," he said. "Anyone in my family would do."

"I've met four members of your family," Kagome said with huff. "And let me tell you this, each and everyone of them are jerks!"

The taiyoukai chuckled. "I know they can all be domineering," he said, amusement evident in his golden eyes. "But I have noticed that you seem to get along with one of my sons very well."

Kagome huffed in indignation. "That's another question I would like to ask you," she said as she crossed her arms. "I can't understand this physical attraction between Sesshoumaru and me. It is really odd."

InuTaisho became serious at that. "I apologize," he said seriously.

"Apologize for what?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

"I am responsible for that," he confessed.

"What the hell?" Kagome exclaimed, her incredulity very obvious. "Why would you do that?"

The youkai looked at her and shook his head. "It is a… side-effect of the transfer of my youki to you," he began. "This reacted to Sesshoumaru and in return, Sesshoumaru's youki reacted to it. It was bound to happen that they would recognize each other. But I did not count on the specific effects it would do."

"So, you mean, those… ah… encounters happened because of your youki in me?" Kagome asked.

"Partially," InuTaisho said. "I did not count on my youki interacting with your power. It was somehow altered causing Sesshoumaru's youki to recognize it but react to it in a very different way."

Kagome sighed. "Why was Inuyasha not affected?" she asked.

"Because his youki is suppressed, being only half-demon," he explained.

"And the twins?" she asked again.

InuTaisho chuckled. "Oh, they were affected," he said. "They just knew how Sesshoumaru would react to them touching you."

"I can't believe this is happening to me," she whispered. "Well, its probably time we get back."

- - -

It was almost dawn when they felt it. The sky was already tinted pink and orange as the sun peaked through the mountains. All six demons waiting outside the cave stiffened as they felt the familiar spike of Kagome's power, straining against the barrier. They looked expectantly at the entrance.

A bright pink light erupted and the barrier was destroyed completely. All waited patiently as the light began to dissipate and Kagome walked outside. She walked out slowly, her eyes taking in each of them. Her bright blue eyes had a haunted look in them as she walked out. Her eyes stopped on a certain demon that was staring intensely at her. Kagome returned Sesshoumaru's stare and wondered what was going on in his mind.

Kagome did not break eye contact with Sesshoumaru as she strolled toward him. She stopped a foot away from him and opened her palm containing the light blue sphere. "Here it is," she said unemotionally. "Now, give me the shards."

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome's eyes and felt something drop at the pit of his stomach. Whatever happened in there had changed her. He took out the bottle containing the shards and placed it on her palm before he took the sphere. He watched as the miko turned her back and walked away from him.

"Are you not even going to say 'thank you', Sesshoumaru?" a very familiar voice drawled from inside the cave.

Everybody's eyes turned back to the entrance of the cave as InuTaisho strolled outside. Disbelief was etched in their faces as they gazed at the Great InuTaisho whom they believe had died a long time ago. Even Sesshoumaru was not able to hide the surprise from his eyes as he looked at his father.

"Glad to see everyone is here to welcome me back," InuTaisho drawled.

End chapter