Disclaimer: I own nothing of Inuyasha
Kagome sighed softly, her lips turning downward into a frown as she watched her daughter with a worried gaze. Her daughter had been acting strange for the past two weeks, thinking back on it the strange behavior had started after the night time event that had lead to her daughter crying uncontrollably. Turning her gaze away from her daughter, she focused on her hanyou friend. His behavior had also changed since that night.
While Inuyasha was always cranky, it had gotten worse since the event. Inuyasha hardly ever slept, and when he did it wasn't a deep sleep or for a long period of time. It was easy to see that not getting much sleep was beginning to take it's toll on the hanyou. He was always glaring into the distance and growling at any noise, even a small one such as an insect going by.
The behavior from both Inuyasha and Kaiya was beginning to get to the other members of the group too. The group tried to lessen Inuyasha's burden, each taking shifts every night to keep guard. Even when traveling during the day, the group kept themselves on guard. Letting nothing get past them or near them. It was exhausting and Kagome was beginning to think it may be better if she and Kaiya went back to her time.
Though this thought often teased her mind, she did not talk to Inuyasha about it. She was afraid of his reaction and was sure that if he had thought of this idea he would have already mentioned it, or forced her and Kaiya through the well.
Turning her attention away from her irate companion, she focused back onto Kaiya and rose a brow in question. Her daughter had been staring at their newest male companion since his arrival and their wolf demon companion was returning the gaze. She was exhausted emotionally already and his arrival was unwelcome. Luckily for her and the rest of the group his attention was focused completely on her daughter since learning of her existence. Which spared them the usual fighting he and Inuyasha had upon his visits.
She wasn't surprised in the least when her daughter began to move towards the stiff wolf demon. Nor was she surprised when her daughter did the same thing she had been doing to any male that she was near for the past two weeks.
Sighing lightly, she watched as Kaiya grasped Koga's wrist and pulled his hand near her with surprising strength for a baby of her age. Koga stayed stiff and watched her with a curious expression. Kaiya studied Koga's hand with furrowed brows before nuzzling her face into it. She continued to do this for a few moments before pulling back and glaring at the hand. Huffing, she shoved the hand away from her person and pouted.
It was the same thing she had done for the past two weeks and this behavior was something that was beginning to worry her and was also something that no one in the group had an answer for. Though she had a suspicion that Inuyasha knew what she was doing, he didn't seem to want to share his information.
"Do you know why she's doing this Koga?" she questioned as she glanced worriedly between her daughter and her friend. She had introduced Koga to her daughter upon his arrival and then explained to him about her recent change in behavior, he wanted to see it for himself which is why he had taken a seat and she had put Kaiya onto the floor.
Koga rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away from her daughter to meet her gaze. "Kind of. It seems like she is trying to associate herself with a smell or feel of a certain being.." he replied hesitantly, his wording trailing off at the end as a loud growl came from Inuyasha.
Sighing, Kagome looked down at her daughter who was still pouting. "How long is she going to be like this?" she questioned.
Koga shrugged his shoulders "I don't know, it could be for a few weeks, months or until she gets in touch with the individual she is looking for"
Kagome frowned "Okay" she replied as she picked up her daughter and brushed the dirt from her. There was nothing she could do about it until her daughter either forgot about it or she came in contact with what she was searching for. But what is it? She questioned. Glancing towards the group, she rolled her eyes as she noticed that Inuyasha and Koga had started their usual greeting upon meeting one another.
Taking a seat next to Sango and Miroku, she sat Kaiya on her lap and watched the duel. Had she never traveled back into the past, she would have never let her daughter get this close to violence. However, as of now it was out of her hands, since coming here Kaiya had been near more dangerous fights and had not been scared by any of them. She seemed to find them more fascinating, then frightening.
While Koga isn't always the first person I want to see, maybe fighting with him will help Inuyasha relieve some of the stress he has kept in. She thought as she continued to watch the spar.
Kagome watched as the whirl of dust, otherwise known as Koga, disappeared off into the distance. Sighing in relief, she relaxed in her seat as she switched her hold on Kaiya. Thankfully her daughter had taken a small nap while she and the others had talked with Koga after he and Inuyasha had finished their spar and she was just now waking up.
This was the first time her daughter had settled down enough in order to take a good, deep nap. It made Kagome feel relaxed and a little bit relieved. If her daughter felt calm enough to take a nap, that may mean that she would soon go back to her previous behavior, which would be a relief to everyone in the group as it would make traveling more pleasant.
Kissing Kaiya's head, she rubbed her daughter's ears until she was completely up and looking around the clearing with a dazed expression. "Well good afternoon sleeping beauty" Kagome stated softly with a light chuckle as Kaiya turned to look at her. Within moments, Kaiya nuzzled into Kagome's chest making her laugh lightly, her earlier worries forgotten as she held her daughter closely to her body.
Releasing Kaiya, she frowned as a rancid scent met her nose, sniffing her daughter's hair she cringed. Because of the event that had caused everyone in the group to be on their toes, she and everyone had not thought about bathing. Which, now that they were finally relaxing, was beginning to make itself known. No matter the amount of baby powder and wipes, she knew the best thing to do would be to give her daughter a bath. That may also help calm her down She thought.
Glancing up at the group, she smiled softly as she noted that while all of the members were relaxing they were still on guard. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Inuyasha who had perched himself in a nearby tree branch. "Inuyasha" She called, when she got the hanyou's attention she continued speaking. "Do you know if there is a rivert or hot spring near by where Kaiya, Shippo and I can bathe?" She questioned.
Inuyasha huffed, knowing that he was going to deny her the chance to bathe Kagome glared at him. "Inuyasha, I have no bathed in two weeks. I stink, Kaiya stinks, we all stink" she grumbled and huffed. "I'll s-i-t you if I have to and then have Shippo sniff some water out"
Inuyasha growled, crossing his arms over his chest he stood on the branch he had been previously perched on. Grumbling to himself, he took a light sniff in the air and repeated the action for a few moments before answering. "There's a river not that far away, but I'm gonna go with ya. It's not safe for you and the runts to be by yer selves."
Kagome sighed, it didn't surprise her that Inuyasha would be so protective or over protective but she really wanted to relax as she got clean. Thankfully for her, she did not have to answer to his comment as Sango came forward. "Inuyasha, I need to bathe too. I'll go with Kagome and the children, I'll bring kirara and my weapons with, so you don't need to worry"
Inuyasha huffed "I wasn't really worryin' I just didn't want to hear Kagome bitch if anything happened to the runts or have them become handicapped and slow us down."
Kagome sighed "Glad to see you are back to your usual self Inuyasha" she stated as she glared at her companion. Truthfully though, while his words irritated her, she was glad to see that after his spar with Koga he had gone back to his usual self and wasn't as tense as he had been.
Inuyasha ignored her comment and seemed to be thinking over Sango's suggestion. Seeing Inuyasha distracted Miroku voiced his own opinion on the matter at hand. "Yes Inuyasha, I believe we should let Lady Sango go with Lady Kagome to bathe. If it helps, I will also go lend my hand to the lovely maiden and keep watch while they bathe" he stated in his usual innocent voice.
Inuyasha glared down at Miroku. "You'll be watchin' somethin monk, but I don't think it'll be for intruders." Huffing, he looked down at the two females of the group. "Fine, you two go bathe with the runts. Me and the pervert will go get some wood and water for the dinner. If anything happens or anything comes up ya gotta call for us though" he warned, his voice holding a serious tone.
Kagome smiled brightly. "Alright Inuyasha, thank you!" She exclaimed as she held Kaiya tighter to her body and went towards their bags. While she was at the river she might as well wash some clothing for Kaiya too. Putting some dirty outfits into Kaiya's diaper bag, along with their bathing supplies. Kagome re-arranged Kaiya in her hold and picked up her bag.
Turning towards Sango and Shippo she smiled. "Are you guys ready?" Seeing their enthusiastic nods, she got the directions to the river from Inuyasha and then the small group left towards their bathing quarters.
Once they were out of sight, Inuyasha turned towards his perverted companion. "Come on monk, we have stuff to do before they get back" With that being said, Inuyasha made his way into the forest, Miroku following closely behind.
Sesshoumaru growled softly to himself as he once again found himself pacing a room of his home. This was happening more than it usually would and he knew his unusual behavior was already gathering unwanted attention. Which was the one thing he did not want. Growling once more, he stilled and sat down.
His fingers thrummed against the cool surface of his desk as he stared blankly at the entrance of the room. The thing he despised, the feelings his father often talked of, was the thing that had been bothering him the most for the past few days.
He had no doubt what it was that was haunting him, a small weak little thing, that had caused his inner self to become a war zone.
What was once viewed by him as an annoyance was now haunting his thought every moment of the day. It was becoming very troubling.
As he was now at war with himself, the logical part of him wanted, no knew, that the best thing for him to do is to kill the hanyou he had sired. The other part of him, his inu nature and being, had acknowledged the pup as their blood, their pup, which left him so he was fighting against himself. Logic or emotion.
He hated being controlled, he always hated it from when he was a pup to now. No one told him what to do, not even himself. He growled. That damned pup was making him lose his mind.
Standing, he growled deeply as he got up from his seat. He would no longer play this game, he would end it. This time for sure. A cruel smirk came to his lips This Sesshoumaru knows the perfect way to do so. He thought as he went towards the corner of the room.
Being a poison demon, it was something he specialized in and often experimented in when he was a pup. As most of his guards and warriors held poison laced weapons and poison powder for fighting. All items with poison were ones he made himself, or at the very least over look.
Opening a container, he looked at the smaller containers inside with a sharp gaze. He smirked as he grabbed what he would need. Grasping on to it, he started towards the entrance of his room and made his way outside of his home.
Once there he sniffed the air lightly and started towards the area his brothers stench was strongest. Luckily for him, the hanyou and his pack weren't that far away from where he was currently located. Foolish little brother.He thought with glee.
Coming to a stop, he perched himself onto a branch and looked down at the empty clearing below. It held the hanyou's group belongings, but none of the pack resided with in the clearing. He rose a brow and sniffed the air once more. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
The hanyou had left the weakest members of his group alone, perfect for attack against a strong demon that even the slayer could not go up against by herself. The hanyou and the monk were both in the opposite way. In hearing range, but still not close enough to get to the weak ones in time to save them.
He shook his head slightly and landed gracefully onto the dirt below. While he wanted to kill the hanyou pup he sired, he did not want to cause a bigger mess than necessary. Which was why he had come up with his current plan, that would not result in him getting any blood on his hands.
Smirking, he started towards the miko's belongings, sniffing them lightly he tried to sniff out what the pup used the most. Finding a small container that the pup had smelt like last time he had come, he pulled off the lid and glanced curiously inside. A white powder was inside, it smelt strange to him, but since it had been on the pup's lips last time he assumed it must have been some sort of nutrient that would help it grow.
Cursing his curiosity he listened closely to make sure that no one from the hanyou's group or the hanyou himself was coming. Satisfied that he was still alone, he set to work on his plan. Opening the lid to the container he had brought with him earlier, he uncharacteristically chuckled lightly as he poured the powdered substance into the white powder. Stirring it with his finger, he watched with satisfaction as the poison mixed and blended in with the white powder.
This poison was a special kind used the slowly kill enemies. It was tasteless and odorless making it so no one, not even demons, would be able to know they were poisoned. The bad thing about it however, was that it took time to kill. A month to take full effect on humans, two months for demons. At first the one who had been poisoned would simply think that they had caught a cure able illness. That's what others would think too when the poisoned being passed on. It was perfect and always left him without blood on his hands.
Feeling as though both powders were mixed thoroughly. He withdrew his finger and placed the lid to the container back on. Putting it back into the miko's bag as he had found it, he closed the container to his own poison and stood in his spot. Knowing that the task would be completed as soon as the miko fed the hanyou the nutrient, he smirked and began to walk back towards his home.
That was one annoyance he was now rid of.
Kagome sighed in relief as she finished drying herself off. She was correct in her earlier thought that a bathe and cleaning herself would help her mood. It always had in the past, and this time was no different. Getting dressed quickly, she glanced at Kaiya and Shippo who were already cleaned and dressed and keeping Kirara company. Kaiya also seemed to be in a better mood after being cleaned. Thankfully Kagome thought as she made her way over to Kaiya's hanging clothes.
She sighed in relief when she felt that Kaiya's clothes were dry, she had washed them before washing Kaiya and herself in hopes of this. The sky was beginning to darken and she knew it was best if they got everything picked up and returned back to the clearing where their belongings resided. Taking the clothes down she folded them and held them to her body.
Turning her attention towards her companions, she noticed that Sango was already dried and dressed. "Are you guys ready to head back?" She questioned.
Sango nodded, "I am, I'm sure the kids are getting hungry too"
As if cued by Sango's words, both children's stomached growled supporting Sango's thoughts. Kagome chuckled and shook her head, "Alright I'm sure Inuyasha and Miroku are back by now, let's go" She stated, putting the clean clothing into the bag Kagome put it on to her shoulder and picked up Kaiya. Once sure that the others were ready, she started back to the clearing.
When she got back to the clearing she would give Kaiya some formula along with her dinner. Though she didn't often give Kaiya formula now that she was getting older, she did like to give it to her once a day as a drink to make sure that she was getting everything she needed. Especially since in the time they were in, it was likely that she could get deathly sick, even with having half of her blood be demon blood.
Nodding to her own thoughts, Kagome hummed softly as she continued forward. It felt as though things were about to get easier and better for herself and her daughter.
A/N: Might be awhile until the next update. I'll try and get it up as soon as possible, reviews are greatly appreciated!