Hey, everyone! Sorry if this turns out screwed up, but this site is pissing me off, and the format and font are fucked up, so bear with me if it turns out stupid.
Deds:
Terra34 - Here it is! Enjoy.
Water Kunoichi - It's all about the drama! lol, guess what? Your character makes her appearance in the next chappie! Yay!
BoundxByxDeath - You're too kind, I die from all this flattery, really, if my writing is so good, I should be making money from it, by god! Sigh. Of course, I'm not that lucky (shakes fist in God's general direction) Thank you for the lovely compliments!
Disclaimer: Why? Why do I bother? I slave and I entertain the people, please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I DON'T WANT A MINT FOR MY PILLOW!
Every Time We Touch
Kirara set them down on a ledge of granite a ways down the canyon, where they had come from, following the edge of the escarpment.
They had just begun to climb of her back when a rustling was heard, and Inuyasha appeared through the trees, following them. Kagome sighed in relief; he was okay.
Landing before her, her took her in his arms and pulled her close, her scent filling his senses as he closed his eyes and breathed her in.
Kagome flung her arms around him and began to cry; she'd been so worried for him.
She pulled away, to get a better look at him, and gasped when her arm came away moist. He was bleeding, and it dripped from his fingertips to puddle next to his foot in the dirt.
"Inuyasha! What happened to your arm?" she panicked, he had lost so much blood…
He smiled at her concern, and holding her close, rumbled, "It's fine, just a scratch." He took the rose he'd been holding in his hand and tucked it behind her ear, its thorns stripped so as not to hurt her. She smiled.
She then tore a strip from the bottom of her skirt and tied it tightly around his bicep, to staunch the flow of blood. He could never fathom why his physical well being concerned her so much; this wound would be healed by sun-up tomorrow. Regardless, he only watched her with love in his amber orbs as she finished her task, and he gestured for her to get on his back.
"We're going back?" she asked, panicky.
He nodded. "It's alright, I subdued them. They won't do that again, I promise."
Sango and Miroku exchanged a doubtful glance, and Rin clung to Kagome's leg, the older woman's hand playing absently with her ponytail.
"Are you sure, Inuyasha? We can't have Kagome around those two if they're going to react to her scent like that. We cannot risk her life so recklessly."
Kagome was shaking, Inuyasha noted, as she climbed onto his back, and he felt sorry for her. She was afraid, and he had done little to reassure her.
"I'm sure," he replied, and, taking her hand, held it to his heart as he took off, leaving the rest of them to follow at their own pace.
When Inuyasha landed at their campsite, Kagome refused to let go of him. After a few gentle words, and some copious coaxing, she came around, and he gripped her waist as he led her to her clothes, keeping an eye on her as she quickly dressed.
When she was done, Sesshoumaru stepped out from behind a tree, and upon seeing him, both Inuyasha and Kagome thought of the same thing.
Kagome was thinking, Oh, shit, I still haven't told him…I hope Sesshoumaru didn't say anything.
Inuyasha was thinking, Oh yeah, I forgot to ask Kagome if what he told me was true.
Sesshoumaru ignored Inuyasha and approached Kagome, even though she moved to hide behind Inuyasha, afraid. His heart clenched; the thought that it had been him who caused the fear he could see flashing in her eyes made him feel lower than a bug.
Kouga approached now, too, rubbing a bump on his head and looking a little more than remorseful as he came to a stop next to Sesshoumaru.
"Look, Kagome, I'm really sorry," Kouga blurted, and turned his face away, embarrassed. "Can you forgive me? Please?"
A long moment of silence passed as Kagome contemplated his request from the safety of Inuyasha's back. Kouga had really scared her, but then again, a lot of things in this era scared her, and she supposed she would have to get used to it, if she was going to stay with Inuyasha liked she wanted.
A quiet, "I forgive you," came from behind Inuyasha, and her hand appeared in his, and he squeezed it reassuringly. Kouga nodded, and, turning to sit by the fire, said, "Thank you, Kagome."
After he was out of earshot, Sesshoumaru still stood before his brother, seeing him, but not paying attention to the glare gracing the handsome hanyou's face. The wolf had gotten off easy enough, he thought, and he could only hope that he could get away unscathed as well.
Before he could open his mouth, however, Kagome peeked out at him from behind Inuyasha's shoulder, and there was a look in her eyes, a look of such complete sadness and self-loathing that his heart tore in two just seeing it. He knew what was on her mind; maybe he could earn her forgiveness by correcting a little blunder he'd made not too long before the confrontation.
"I did not mean to scare you," he said quietly to her, and she nodded. He turned to look at Inuyasha; his brother's face hardened seeing that he finally had Sesshoumaru's full attention. Sesshoumaru hoped Inuyasha hadn't asked Kagome about what he'd said yet, and took a deep breath, plunging in, hoping for the best.
"Inuyasha, I lied when I said I'd kissed Kagome. I was trying to hurt you. I do not expect your forgiveness."
Kagome's eyes opened wide upon hearing this; had Sesshoumaru just covered both their asses? It was noble of him to try, she thought sadly, but knew she would tell Inuyasha the truth, regardless of what he'd said to absolve them.
Inuyasha snorted, but did nothing to indicate his forgiveness. They may have blood ties to each other, but they were still enemies, and you didn't forgive your enemies, especially for something like this.
Turning, Sesshoumaru followed Kouga to the fire, and sat down, staring into its warm flames, dancing and creating dark shadows in the contours of his chiselled face.
Inuyasha turned to Kagome and gathered her in his arms, and, just as the rest of their friends arrived, he took off with her down the canyon wall, to be alone with the woman he loved.
Inuyasha found the tree he'd been sitting in the previous night and settled himself and Kagome high up in its branches. She wrapped her arms under his shoulder blades, and leaned her face into his neck, dreading what was to come.
He settled her between his knees and began to stroke her hair, her heartbeat speeding up the longer he was silent.
Soon, tears were streaming down her cheeks, and he smelt them. Pulling her away, so he could see her face, she hid under her bangs; she didn't want him to see her face when she admitted her guilt.
"Kagome," he said, shaking her lightly, "what's wrong?"
Kagome sobbed, and reburied her face in his neck, and he held her as her muffled voice blurted out, "Sesshoumaru was lying when he told you he didn't mean what he said about kissing me! I'm so sorry, Inuyasha! I didn't mean for it to happen, and I feel absolutely horrible about it! God, I'm sooo sorry!"
She expected him to push her away, to reject her, but to her surprise, he pulled her closer, and, finding her ear, whispered, "I forgive you."
She stilled, and her breath ceased to move into her lungs; time froze for her, as she raised her eyes to look into his golden ones, the only eyes she loved, or would live for; the eyes she would die for.
He smiled a little. "I figured you had something on your mind earlier when I woke up," he confessed, and was glad she'd told him right away.
"You're not mad?" she sniffled, looking into his eyes desperately, seeking reassurance there.
"No. Just don't do it again, okay?" he smiled.
"You can count on it!" she replied, and took his mouth in hers.
After a passionate kiss, she made him shudder when her tongue slid its way up and over his chin, and he growled lustily; she knew exactly what to do to turn him on, and he wanted her so badly…
When he'd released her for air, she whispered, "Thank you, Inuyasha…for protecting me from them." She was referring to Kouga and Sesshoumaru.
He smiled into her happy eyes. "I could do no less for the woman I love," he whispered, his voice gravelly with emotion. As a response, Kagome grabbed his hands and placed them on her shirt, helping him remove it. He took over from there, and Shippo looked at Rin curiously when faint moans could be heard on the wind, two hundred feet up the granite wall to the rim of the escarpment, where the group was camped.
Sango glanced at Miroku, who smiled knowingly at her, and Sesshoumaru glanced at Kouga from the corner of his eye, to see the wolf sigh forlornly. He himself offered no insight into his feelings; his face never changed, the stoic mask was in place and would not fall again, not if he could help it, anyway.
Rising, he went to Jaken and ordered him to prepare Rin for bed. Grumbling, the kappa did as he was told, Rin whining every step of the way.
Shippo crawled into Sango's lap next to Kirara and made himself comfortable, and when Miroku tried the same move, he was rewarded with a hard slap and a death glare from Sango.
Laying down, she pulled her silver Discman from her little bundle of possessions and turned it on low, and fell asleep with it still playing.
Kouga continued to stare into the flames, trying valiantly to block out the sounds coming from the canyon below, with little success. Sesshoumaru strode by, and took to the air, looking for food. Kouga didn't even see him leave, nor did he hear Miroku the first time he spoke his name.
"Kouga!" he said again, louder this time.
"Hmm? What?" he replied, caught off guard.
"Are you alright? You seem a little out of sorts lately." Miroku was putting it mildly.
"You could say that," he hedged, not really wanting to discuss his lapse in control.
"Does that happen often? I mean, does the demon always become so difficult to control?" Miroku was genuinely interested; he would file away what Kouga told him to mull over later, when he had nothing better to think about.
"Only when a female in heat is around," he said quietly, and looked away. Miroku nodded; it was as he'd suspected.
"I see. I'm surprised that Sesshoumaru lost control, too; he seems to have such iron discipline, I can't even begin to imagine trying to suppress such a persistent urge"
Kouga tilted his head. "There is no suppressing it," he admitted, and looked Miroku in the eye, "not for me, anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that if my demon takes over, there's nothing I can do to stop it. Call it survival instinct, if you will."
"Survival instinct? You mean, your inner demon sees mating as a way to survive"
Kouga offered a ghost of a smile. "Producing a new generation is essential if my bloodline is to continue."
Miroku sat back, suddenly aware that he'd been leaning very far forward. He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"So, let me get this straight. When you smell a female in heat, your demon sees an opportunity to reproduce, and it takes over, leaving you powerless to stop it?"
"That about sums it up, yeah," he replied.
"Even if the female is taken, or refuses you?"
"Doesn't matter," he said, shaking his head, "a taken female's mate must protect her, that's why he's there. It makes no never mind to the inner demon whether or not a female is willing. It takes what it can get, and does everything in its power to see that that female is impregnated. The only way she can escape is if her mate is a good protector, or if she is physically stronger than me, or can defeat me in battle and reverse my transformation."
"Reverse it? How?"
"She would have to knock me unconscious, suffocate me, or bind me with spell scrolls. That's how some humans defend themselves against lust-crazed demons. My demon, as you already know, isn't very choosy when it comes to a ready female."
"I see." Miroku said again, and mulled over Kouga's words. Kouga was thinking that he'd already told the monk more than he'd intended, and hoped he was out of questions, but Miroku had just one left.
"So, your demon, in its frenzy to continue to preserve your bloodline, will do anything, even resort to rape, to get to a female in heat?"
Kouga's cheeks turned red, and he looked at his hands in his lap, ashamed.
"Yes," he whispered, and his heart twisted at the thought of his raping Kagome, and hurting her. If Inuyasha hadn't been there…suddenly he was exceedingly grateful to the mutt for cracking his skull, it had saved him from himself, not to mention Kagome.
Miroku leaned over and gave his shoulder a friendly pat. "You can't help what your demon does, Kouga," he said, kindly. "Don't beat yourself up. Has she forgiven you?"
Kouga nodded slowly.
"See? I think you should forget that this whole deal ever happened, and act normal. That way, she will feel better, and warm up to you sooner, knowing that your over it, and she will follow suit, I'm sure of it." Miroku knew he was spouting nothing but pure bullshit, his words complete conjecture, but his job was to offer consolation and solace to the common man, and he could see his words had made the handsome wolf feel just a little bit better.
"You think so?" Kouga asked, doubtful.
"I know so. Why don't you get some sleep? Sesshoumaru will return any minute, I'm sure, and keep a watch over us. It's his turn, after all."
Miroku knew he sounded too cheerful, but Kouga wasn't a genius, and he accepted Miroku's words at face value.
He shrugged, saying, "If you say so," and lay down, closing his eyes. He was more tired than he'd thought. Soon he was snoring.
Miroku mulled over their conversation; he would speak with Inuyasha about it tomorrow when they broke camp, and see what he had to say on the matter. He was curious now as to how the inner demon worked; it seemed to be different for every demon.
Inuyasha didn't seem to have a problem, Kouga had no control whatsoever, and Sesshoumaru…well, Sesshoumaru was a mystery. He'd have to ask Inuyasha's opinion on that one, too. When it came to the demon Lord, Miroku was lost.
He thought momentarily about asking Sesshoumaru bluntly about his transformation, but decided against it. Maybe he would speak to Kagome, they seemed to be close…no, he knew that wouldn't work either, not for a while, anyway. She was likely still too traumatized to look at either demon just yet. He hoped that Inuyasha was not only reassuring her physically right now, but emotionally, too.
Lying down, he pressed his back to Sango's for warmth. Her hand came up and smacked him pitifully on the shoulder; she was too deep into sleep to smack harder.
He smiled. One day, Sango, he thought mischievously, one day you will be mine, and you will love everything I have to give you.
When Inuyasha returned with Kagome the following morning, everyone looked up, but no words were spoken as the two rejoined the group, Kagome immediately pulling Sango to her feel and glancing at her Discman. Both girls wandered away, to do what they loved - to dance. Rin, seeing that Sesshoumaru was not looking her way, got up to follow.
Inuyasha made himself comfortable in front of the fire, and ate a handful of cold sturgeon that Sesshoumaru had brought back the night before.
Kouga and Sesshoumaru were silent, absorbed in their own thoughts, and still feeling guilty, Kouga more so than Sesshoumaru, from what Inuyasha could see. He thought it best to say nothing for now; let them stew in their own juices until they wanted to talk.
Shippo, loudly chewing a Bottlecap, crawled into Inuyasha's lap and smiled mischievously at him. Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow in suspicion.
"What do you want?" he growled, picking the child up by his tail.
"Nothing," Shippo replied, not complaining about Inuyasha's hurting him.
"Then get off me." He threw Shippo at Kirara, who mewed angrily, and hissed in Inuyasha's direction.
Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at them, and reached for more fish.
"That was mature, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha glared in Sesshoumaru's direction, smirking, "So, you're talking now, are you?"
"I was unaware that I had stopped," he countered, glowering at his brother.
"Could have fooled me," Inuyasha muttered under his breath, and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes dangerously, gritting, "What was that, little brother?"
Inuyasha smiled. "You heard me." He grasped Tetsusaiga as Sesshoumaru's claws began to secrete green poison; he was summoning the whip.
"So," Sesshoumaru said, standing and facing Inuyasha, who held Tetsusaiga in front of him in a defensive gesture, "you want to pick a fight this morning? Well, you wanted it; you're going to get it." A loud crack! was heard as Kouga scrambled to get out from between the two brothers. The green whip, wrapped tight about Tetsusaiga's blade, jerked sharply and was wrenched from Inuyasha's hands, flying away behind Sesshoumaru, coming to a stop embedded to the hilt in a tree trunk, way out of reach.
Inuyasha's eyes widened; without Tetsusaiga to contain him, he would turn.
Sesshoumaru smiled slowly, a seductive, yet deadly picture. I guess his name doesn't mean 'perfect killer' for nothing, Inuyasha thought fleetingly, as his blood once again began to heat up.
Just as Inuyasha was about to transform, Sesshoumaru seemed to realise that baiting him had been a mistake and stopped advancing on him; he could hear Kouga behind him, having fetched Kagome and brought her back here to solve the dispute. He frowned; every time he had a chance to put Inuyasha in his place someone came along and ruined it. He growled in defeat.
Kagome, who'd come running at Kouga's urgent warning, saw Inuyasha and yelled, "SIT!"
His rosary glowing brightly, Inuyasha fought gravity uselessly as he did a face-plant in the dirt, making the ground shake. He came up fighting as soon as the spell wore off and, not wanting to make Kagome madder, decided to take his anger out on Sesshoumaru, instead. After all, this whole fight was his doing; he'd started it!
Sesshoumaru's face lightened at seeing Inuyasha's charge toward him; maybe he'd get his wish yet! He waited until Inuyasha was mere feet away before jumping, and landed behind him. He wasn't expecting Inuyasha to keep going, though.
Running to the tree and grasping Tetsusaiga firmly, he wrought the blade from the wood, scattering wood slivers all over the grass as he swung the blade again to face his brother.
"That was a fancy trick, Sesshoumaru, but I can promise that it won't work twice."
"Hnh." He snorted in response, drawing Tokijin from his sash, the blade crackling with pent-up demonic energy, just begging to be released.
"Did you like that?" he challenged, pointing Tokijin directly at his brother's head and sending off a burst of energy through the air at him, his hair fluttering about him with the shockwave he created.
Kagome stood back, behind Kouga, who watched the fight intently. He cared not at all which brother won; he liked neither, but he would not stand idle while Kagome was near without making sure she remained safe. The brothers rained blow after blow on each other, Kagome's shouts and pleas for them to stop going unheard by either man in the din their swords created as trees, rocks, and even the ground cracked and split, shattering and showering the area with dust and sharp chunks of debris.
Both brothers were wounded and bleeding by the time Sesshoumaru had managed to once again disarm Inuyasha, this time flinging Tetsusaiga away through the air to land blade-down in the ground fifteen feet behind Inuyasha.
Kagome had had enough; she yelled, "SIT, BOY!" and as Inuyasha went down, grabbed her bow from her nearby bag and notched an arrow at Sesshoumaru, aiming straight for his heart.
"Both of you, stop it!" she screamed, and both brothers turned to face her. Inuyasha got up and walked toward her, but she was so angry that she snapped at his attempt to get close to her and when Kouga tried to come near, she aimed the arrow at him. He backed off, both hands up in submission, as she once again aimed at Sesshoumaru, tears streaming down her face.
Shaking, she glared at all three of them, Sango and Rin running up behind her to see what all the ruckus was about. Seeing Kagome, both of their jaws dropped; what had happened here? Sango took in the smoking trees and dirt, the splintered trunks and shattered boulders, and concluded that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been at it again.
Rin stared around her in shock. Why was Lord Sesshoumaru so hostile to his brother? she thought. She missed her own brothers terribly, and could not imagine ever fighting with them, let alone attempting to kill them.
Her anger slowly fading, Kagome kept her bow drawn as she glared at each man in turn before turning her bow to the sky and releasing a hot-pink arrow, the shaft glowing with pure energy as her arrow shot skyward, hitting a passing crow demon and killing it instantly, its body disintegrating before it could even fall to the ground.
Inuyasha was reluctant to approach her again; she was so mad, and he'd never seen her this angry before. He hoped a ton of sits weren't in his very near future.
Kouga's mouth had dropped open and he just closed it now. Kagome was almost flaming, her anger was so great. He decided to keep his distance, at least until she'd cooled off.
Sesshoumaru's heart rate slowed; for a moment he'd really believed that she would shoot him. He was not worried that she would hit him; he had dissolved her arrows before, and would have done so again if she had loosed the sharply pointed wooden shaft. Still, it had been so long since she'd last aimed her bow at him, and he had thought that they'd gotten to know each other well enough that she'd not do it twice. It gave him a little insight into just how much rage she'd been feeling. If she were a demon he would not have been at all surprised if she'd transformed on the spot, and killed them all.
Dropping her bow, Kagome dropped her gaze to the ground, ashamed at her loss of control over her emotions. She just hated so much to see them fighting like that…
Turning, she walked away, taking her bow back to her bag and jamming it inside.
Looking to Sango and Rin she raised her brows, as if to ask, shall we, and headed back to the spot where they'd been dancing, both girls trailing after her.
Inuyasha watched her go, a sinking feeling in his chest, an imploding sensation around the region of his heart. He had to make this up to her…but how? She wouldn't even look at him, now. He felt death in a blaze of glory was a kindness compared to the silent treatment from Kagome. Sighing, he sheathed his sword as he passed it and walked in the opposite direction, head hung low, to contemplate a good way to make up with her.
Kouga re-seated himself now that the fracas had passed, and stoked the fire with a nearby stick.
Sesshoumaru, replacing Tokijin in his sash, went to be alone for a while, to think about what had just happened.
Ohhh, so many fights, the boys are just so...wound up! What happens when another woman enters the picture? Read and find out! I may be a little slower updating after this, I have to keep writing, I'm catching up to myself here, and writer's block is threatening to overcome my fingers! Save me. Review, love ya's!