The True Holder of Shikon

Disclaimer - Don't own Inuyasha.

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Chapter 17 - Silent Protector

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Sesshoumaru sat in a tree about a mile from their camp. He had witnessed all that was said and also what remained silent. He knew that Kikyou had said something else, other than the unspoken promise that Sango had to make. Her look had said something else. He knew exactly what it said.

"Do not let your heart intertwine with your responsibility of the Shikon no Tama. It can only end in pain and death."

His amber orbs stared up at the sky. He could really care less that Sango had become Holder of the jewel. It was her true title. She was the true Holder of Shikon. There could be no other. The Taiyoukai did not concern himself in the matters dealing with the jewel. He didn't need more power than he already had.

It is foolish to seek false power.

He knew it was false because if one used the jewel for that purpose, then one would not know his limits and become cocky, thinking that he was more powerful than everyone.

That is what Naraku is seeking. He wishes to hide behind that false power and create a security for himself that no other may break.

The more his thoughts wandered, the more he thought about his situation. He could not avoid Sango forever. He was already suffering from it. He kept feeling jealous every time he saw her and the houshi together. Yet he knew that she could not be alone forever. If she did not know of his intentions, then what was she to do about him?

I would move on, as well, Sango...

He looked at the sunset, watching the flaming oranges and reds fade into darkness as the glowing orb descended from the sky. He closed his eyes.

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Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, his eyes watching her pot intensely.

"Inuyasha, will you calm down?" Kagome asked; frowning at the way he was fidgeting. "It isn't going to go any faster if you keep staring like that." The hanyou made a face that was his way of pouting and stormed off to sit against the nearest tree. The young miko rolled her eyes and allowed a giggle to escape her lips.

"Something you find funny, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked testily. She shook her head with a grin before going back to cooking the ramen. Since they were traveling, they depended on ramen a lot. It was portable and she didn't have to keep it cold. Though, she would have liked to make other things using some herbs she spotted along the way. She looked up and noticed Sango sitting with Rin. The two were chatting away with grins on their faces. Miroku was trying his hardest to keep the stubborn hanyou amused. Jaken looked like he always did. He seemed so melancholy ever since they started.

Probably because he's with humans instead of his lord. Speaking of Sesshoumaru, I wonder why he never travels with us.

She had caught glimpses of white and silver in the trees before and knew he was there. He was always around but never seen with them.

A silent protector...

Her thought trailed off. He seemed to be Sango's silent protector. Was the taiji-ya the reason he would not join them? Or was it the brash and annoying nature of his brother? Whatever the reason, Sango and Sesshoumaru seemed to be getting along well. After all, the taiji-ya did heal his arm.

If she feels anything for Sesshoumaru, why does it seem like she still loves Miroku? Is it that she and Sess are only friends? Somehow, I doubt that...

She looked back down at the ramen and stirred it before looking over at the houshi.

He loves Sango, that much is clear. But does she return his feelings?

All of it was so complicated. The young miko was better off taking an exam that she hadn't studied for. She sighed and checked the ramen again, willing it to be done so that the tension in the air could dissipate for a while. There had been tension and forced cheerfulness ever since Kikyou had appeared even though it was not between her and Inuyasha. It all had to do with Sango. She dug in her pack for bowls and chop sticks before taking out a hot plate and setting the pot on it.

"Guys, the ramen is ready." She stated; forcing herself to forget about their problems if only for a little while. Shippou, who had been sitting next to her with Kirara, was the first to get a bowl. Inuyasha was second and so on and so forth until everyone had a bowl. Sango took one last bowl and poured some of her own into it before standing up and walking over to Jaken. He looked at her in loathing at first. Then she kneeled down next to him and held the bowl out to him.

"You need to eat, too." He glared at her.

"I do not need your-" She shoved some food into his mouth before handing him the chopsticks and placing the bowl in front of him. Then she left. Rin grinned.

"Sango-chan...I do not think that Jaken-sama eats human food. Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't." She said softly. She liked the way Sango shut him up. It amused her.

"Well, he will now." Sango stated; looking back at the toad. He still sat, unmoving, with the chop sticks in his hand and the bowl in front of him. A laugh escaped her lips and she ruffled Rin's hair. "He will now."

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The next morning, they woke to a light drizzle falling from the sky. The trees let barely any pass so they packed up and moved on. So far, there had been no rivers near to where they had been camping. It was getting to Sango. She felt dirty. She could only imagine how Kagome must have felt.

She must be going mad.

The corners of her mouth twitched upward and she smiled slightly. Droplets of rain fell from the leaves and landed on them every once in a while. After a short time, the rain began pouring down on them, even though they had the cover of the trees.

"There is no shelter!" Kagome shouted at Inuyasha, who had been stupid enough to suggest finding some.

"Then we have to keep going!"

"Everything is going to get wet!" The young miko continued her argument with the hanyou, who was just as stubborn as she was. Sango looked around and noticed a few hollow parts in the trees.

"We could put our things in there!" She hurried over to one and put her pack inside of it. Then she took the things that they wanted to keep dry and piled them in.

They sat, huddled together under a tree and tried to keep from getting cold. They couldn't start a fire because their wood got wet and the wood around them was also wet. Not only that but they couldn't get into dry clothes because it was still pouring. Sango felt warmth surround her and someone rest their chin on her head. She found that the warmth was Miroku. Rin, Shippou, and Jaken were huddled with Kirara's damp cream fur. Inuyasha was holding Kagome in a way similar to that which Miroku was holding Sango. She was in between his legs and pulled close. She fell into an uneasy sleep as she rested in his arms.

The storm only worsened as time moved forward slowly. Sango was jolted awake by loud bark. She pulled away from Miroku and ran forward to see what it was. Rain splattered on her face until she could no longer tell whether it was hitting her face or dripping from her hair. Then she saw something ahead... It looked like a furry paw. The fur was glossy with a silver sheen to it. She looked up at the large beast.

"S-Sesshoumaru?" The beast was nothing more than an inu youkai. It was huge and furry. She walked forward hesitantly before reaching out and running her fingers along its fur. It growled at her before sitting down and shoving her with its paw. She stumbled into the cave that it seemed to make before realizing that the others were behind her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken's gleeful cry filled their ears. Then Sesshoumaru lay down, herding them to the front where they were stuck beneath his head with his paws on either side. The heat radiated from him and they found that no rain got in. Sango sat down and leaned her face against the soft fur, stroking it softly with one hand. She heard a deep rumble before she fell asleep again.

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The next time they all awoke, they found that they were still shielded by Sesshoumaru. Sango stood up and tugged at his paw. A growl escaped his throat before he moved suddenly. They were left out in the open. He then went back to his human form, only to be tackled by someone. He nearly lost his balance but refrained from toppling over. He looked down to see a dark mass of wet hair. Sango looked up at him with a smile.

"Thank you for saving me and for sheltering us last night." He merely grunted a short reply. He was soaking wet, having been in the storm all night, protecting them. When she didn't let him go, he gave her an annoyed look. "You are not leaving." She stared at him with a defiant look. "Who are you trying to avoid by not showing yourself?" He could see a glimmer of hurt appear in her mahogany orbs. When he didn't answer, she glared at him.

"Would you mind removing your hands?" He hissed; his body tense and unmoving. An emotionless look crossed her face and she closed her eyes before pulling away from him. Inuyasha could smell something but he wasn't sure what it was. Sesshoumaru gave Sango a piercing glare before moving to bolt. He froze right after his first step then left as quickly as he was able. Sango felt something akin to disappointment but she brushed it off. If that was how Sesshoumaru wanted it, that was how he would have it. Then she blinked.

"Oh! We need to change into dry clothes." She turned around and smiled brightly. "All we need is to get sick because of wet clothes..." She trailed off when she noticed Miroku staring with mischief in his violet eyes.

"But those look so nice on you, Sango. In fact, why don't you just leave them on?" She looked down. Her clothes, of course, stuck to her skin like any wet material. It hugged her curves almost as well as her taiji-ya uniform. Almost but not quite. She then looked up at the houshi before walking calmly up to him.

"Why would that be, Houshi-sama?" Her voice was light, teasing. Inuyasha sighed.

Don't fall for it, you stupid lech...

"Because it enhances your...beauty." Miroku said cheerfully. She pressed up against him briefly, pleased with seeing him flush and sweat.

"What beauty?"

"Y-Your..." Kagome got to work covering Rin's ears and turning her around. "Your curves..." He couldn't help it. Miroku was at the mercy of the very woman who could have been his bane. He wrapped an arm around her before placing his hand on her rear. She stiffened.

"Those curves?" She asked softly. He nodded with a lecherous grin. Then she pulled away and slapped him. She didn't do it very hard because she had provoked it. "Hentai!" She stared at him defiantly, a blush covering her face. Then she turned around and started laughing.

I am just happy that things are back to normal...that I can tolerate touch again. Thank you, Houshi-sama. I needed a good laugh.

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After getting changed and starting off again, the small group picked their way through mud. Suddenly, they heard a squishy plop and looked back. Rin had fallen off of Kirara and was covered in mud. She frowned. She didn't have any other clothes. She was suddenly picked up and looked up to see Inuyasha.

"Oi, squirt." He smirked down at her. "Don't go crying because you slipped in the mud." He set her on her feet and held her hand as they started walking again. "Better?" She sniffled and nodded. She liked it with their group. Suddenly, a girl's scream reached their ears and they were forced to quicken the pace. Sango remained a moment longer than the others and turned to Kirara, Jaken, Rin, and Shippou.

"Kirara, protect them." The neko mewed and Sango took off, running as fast as her feet could possibly carry her. By the time she made it to the scene, Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga unleashed and Kagome was cornered, fending off a furry black youkai. They were disfigured creatures. So much so that she could not tell what type they were. She suddenly dropped to her hands and just got out of the way of an attack. There were ten youkai and, for some odd reason, they seemed to want only the girls. Miroku was defending a villager that, for reasons unknown to her, had come out far enough to be chased by the dangerous beasts. She drew her sword and looked over her shoulder. The thing was closer than she thought but she rolled forward and whirled around to face it. She wasn't even in her taiji-ya uniform so it was just a little more difficult than usual. She made the first move and swung her sword in a downward arch.

"Sango!" She heard Kagome's voice scream. A blinding white light flared from her forehead and nearly blinded even herself. She closed her eyes before jumping back and pulling her bow into her hands. Then she engaged an arrow and let it fire. The white glow surrounded the arrow and erupted as soon as it hit its target. Nothing was left of the creature. Kagome tried to shoot her sacred arrow but it didn't do as much damage as Sango's did. It still did the job, however. Miroku didn't even try to use his Wind Tunnel because it was too hazardous with everyone out there battling. Suddenly, the nine youkai left circled around Sango. She smirked and began fighting for all that she was worth. Inuyasha took care of three with the Wind Scar. Sango moved quickly out of the way of the attack, knowing full well that it was coming. Then she took another one out with her arrow, which left only four. Sango took two out and Inuyasha took care of the last ones.

"Sango! How did you do that with your shards?" Kagome asked; her eyes wide as she ran to her friend.

"I-I really do not...know..." She sighed. "What we should really be concerned about is where they came from." Inuyasha frowned.

"They don't have a scent..." He looked down at the taiji-ya. "You're bleeding." She blinked and looked at her leg.

"One of them must have caught me. It isn't anything to worry about." She tried to use her powers but it wouldn't work. Kagome set to helping her with the wound while Miroku went to ask the girl about them.

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Sango was gathering wood for a fire when she noticed Sesshoumaru approach her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sango, I..." She turned her back to him and he frowned. Then he smelled the scent of her blood and walked closer to her. "You are injured?"

"Yes, I am. It is just a scratch. Not that you would get concerned, anyway." She stated coldly. He sighed.

"I apologize for my rash behavior." He stated quietly. "I was out of line when I snapped at you but you were..."

"I was hugging you because I was grateful for your help." She turned to face him and nearly dropped the wood when she noticed how close he was to her.

"Everything is still wet. How is it that you plan to start a fire?"

"We'll manage. We have one going now but we don't have enough to last us the night." She frowned at him. He gazed at her and his eyes flickered with an unusual emotion.

"Things seem to be going well between you and the houshi." She noticed how he growled when stating it. She clutched the wood tightly.

"Things are, indeed, back to normal." She said hesitantly. "Why did you point that out?" She paused. "Why have you been avoiding me? There is no reason to." He flinched at the question.

"I will not apologize for my action." He stated. She knew what one he was talking about.

"I do not care about that, Sesshoumaru." She let the wood drop from her arms and walked forward, grabbing his arm. "I want to know why you ran from me."

"I was not ready." He closed his eyes. "I could not accept what I had done until I thought about it."

"It took you this long to-" She was cut off by the soft touch of his lips against hers. This kiss was longer and more passionate. He placed his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest, where her hands came to rest. He broke it after a moment and held her tightly.

"No." He said softly. "It took me this long to realize how stupid it was to stand aside and let someone else take you." She wrapped her arms around him and tucked her head beneath his chin.

"Sesshoumaru..."

"Please do not say anything for a moment." She nodded and tightened her grip. Then, when she could take it no longer and was about to say something, he broke the silence. "I want to protect you any way that I can. Naraku is still out there. I will never let him lay one hand on you." She smiled. "He will not touch what is mine." She could feel his heart pounding against her cheek and it made her feel better. She knew that she was not the only one with a pounding heart.

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Hey, all! I hope this chapter pleased you at least a little bit. Please review and I'll see ya in 18!

Thanks for sticking with me through this! You really encourage me to write more and try to do better! Thank you!