AN: Great Googely Moogely! Finally! Finally this is friggin' posted! I'm soo, soo sorry y'all but these last few weeks have been hell. No, nothing too dire, just extremely short handed at work. And when you're doing shift type work and all shifts must be fill…can you say crazy overtime? I worked 63 hours this week alone…and I'm not the one holding the record, either. Yeesh. Anyway, sorry to make you wait this long but somehow I didn't think anything decent was going to come out when all I could do was sit at the computer and wonder with this pretty glowing thing in front of me was while I searched for my name.
Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. But the hunt continues for Sesshomaru. My guys are tracking him now…
So…We Meet Again.
To say that Inuyasha was worried would be to commit a gross understatement of reality. To say that he was extremely annoyed and furious would be closer to the truth. He had followed Kagome's scent over a great distance, farther than he would have thought possible in the three days time she had been missing before they had noticed. He cursed himself for not having gone for her soon, for leaving her in such peril as had befallen her. And he cursed her idiocy for going off and doing something like this, putting herself in danger. Most of all, though, he was worried and more than a little afraid that something had happened to her.
And now this! It had taken over a full day track her scent down to this little hut in the middle of another forest, and now she wasn't here. What was worse, he couldn't pick up her scent again. It just stopped, vanished. All he could smell was two different youkai, one he didn't know but it smelled something like a lizard under the stench. The other one, however, was familiar, it was Sesshomaru's. Or rather, it was close, which puzzled him somewhat. Usually he could tell his brother's stench without any problem, but there was something different about this. It smelled like his brother, but different somehow, almost female. And while Inuyasha loved to taunt his elder half-brother about his near feminine beauty, Sesshomaru was definitely male.
No female could ever hit quite that hard.
The only thing he could tell was that they had left some time yesterday, and that there was no trace of what had happened to Kagome. He didn't smell or see any blood, though, which gave him some small amount of relief. He hadn't smelled any blood since the beginning of this, and the scent of blood carried the farthest, so at least he knew she hadn't been hurt. Yet. But now he was stuck, and not sure which way to go. All he knew was that he had to get to her, and fast. Somehow he knew that something was terribly wrong with her, and she needed him desperately.
"No trace of her?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha spared him a glance and huffed.
"No, her scent ends right here in this hut. All I can smell is lizard and…" he paused, his eyes narrowing and teeth grinding.
"What?" Sango asked.
"My brother." They all paused and looked at him.
"What in the world would he be doing here?" Miroku wondered aloud, his brow furrowing slightly.
"I don't know!" Inuyasha growled. "That's not all, though. The scent, it's not quite right. I mean it smells like him, but it's different somehow, subtly. It smells almost…female."
Miroku and Sango looked puzzled at that. Shippo just looked worried and upset. Inuyasha ground his teeth in frustration. He just didn't know what to do! And it was driving him mad. He was already half there with worry, and this wasn't helping matters. If only Kagome could have stayed home or come directly to the village. But that just wasn't her. If she had known that someone was in trouble, it was in her nature to try and help them, she just wouldn't stay put or sit idly by and let it happen. He admired that quality about her, but right now it was annoying the hell out him.
"Inuyasha," Miroku said, drawing his attention, "you said her scent ends here, and all you smell is that of two other youkai. Did you smell another youkai at the clearing?"
Inuyasha paused, his brows drawing together, and sniffed. "Yes," he said, "I think so. I mean, it was faint, so faint I can't be sure. But I picked up something as we were following Kagome's. This scent…it's the same one that accompanied hers all the way here."
"Well," the monk said, "I think it's safe to assume that that's the one that captured her. Perhaps he gave her to this other youkai that smells like your brother…"
"What are you getting at, Miroku, we don't have a lot of time to waste here."
"What I'm getting at," he said patiently, "is that maybe the other person wasn't your brother, but someone sent by him. Perhaps your brother's scent overpowered both that person's and Kagome's. He's very powerful, he might be able to do something like that in order to confound you."
Inuyasha gritted his teeth. Miroku was right, that was probably something his brother could do. He could have sent Jaken, whose scent was much weaker than his own and found a way to hide both his and Kagome's. That would explain the female scent he was getting. It was something his brother would do, too, just to show Inuyasha how much more he could do.
Friggin' Sesshomaru, always toying with him. You know, for someone all refined and dignified, he love his little games more than a just weaned pup.
The only question was, what would he want with Kagome? Inuyasha wasn't sure he was going to like the answer.
He didn't wait for the others, he just started out of the cabin, following the lizard-like scent and this new one. The others followed along behind him as they made their way through the woods and finally reached a rather large clearing. His eyes caught the sight first, and he ran to the center. There was a pile of debris there that looked like it had once been a steel cage. What was more, he could sense a lingering trace of magic on it, and other more familiar scent. It was his brother's there was no mistaking it this time. The other, stranger scent was still there, and it moved off now with his brother instead of with the lizard youkai.
Inuyasha growled. So, his brother had taken Kagome, he had obviously employed this little lizard youkai to snatch her so that Inuyasha wouldn't catch his scent and then taken delivery of her here.
"There's no doubt," he growled from between clenched teeth, "Sesshomaru met them here, and then the strange scent went with him. He's got her."
And with that he took off, ignoring the calls from behind him. All he cared about was getting Kagome back, and making Sesshomaru pay for this. His elder half-brother had treated him poorly all his life, but this was the last straw. He had probably thought that this was funny, another little snub at his expense. Why he had taken Kagome of all people, Inuyasha didn't know, but he was going to find out. Right before he split him in two.
ooOoo
Kagome sat and stared broodingly out at the little clearing, watching Rin play with a cloud of butterflies, and most determinedly keeping her back to the stupid demon dog behind her as she had since he'd had his fit of nastiness. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest of notions to keep one's back turned to someone that could kill you in an eye blink if they chose, but she was afraid that if she looked at him she'd do something even more stupid. Like stick her tongue out at him. And considering his volatile reactions under the spell's effects she thought it was really kind of a toss up as to whether he'd decide to rip it out or suck on it…
Frankly, Kagome didn't want to find out which. At the moment both seemed equally dangerous.
Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un had returned shortly after their little spat, so thankfully, Kagome hadn't been forced back into any kind of confrontation with him over what she had said. After she had calmed down a little it had taken all she had not to smack her forehead with her palm. Repeatedly. What the hell had she been thinking? One does not yell at the most feared youkai in all of Japan…not unless one is not fond of breathing. Breathing was one of Kagome's favorite things.
But he had been out of line, Kagome simply refused to give up that point. What call did he have to talk to her like that? Okay, so maybe she had overreacted a smidge, but come on. Considering all of the stress she'd been under it was a wonder she hadn't snapped sooner.
And he had been unaccountably rude. If there was one thing Kagome couldn't stand, it was rudeness. Rudeness and imitation crab—to her they were the same thing. You get your hopes all up for the real thing and whamo, massive disappointment. Kagome never ate imitation crab and she never suffered rudeness. Inuyasha had the bruises to prove it.
Kagome sighed and settled her chin on her knees, staring out into the middle distance. What was she going to do? She watched as her now silver tresses drifted past her vision with the breeze. She'd managed to avoid the thought for much of the morning but now there was no running away. She definitely couldn't stay here, she had to find a way to return to normal. If she didn't she was afraid Sesshomaru would end up insane and she'd end up dead. Especially if this morning was any evidence.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts and so determinedly ignoring the Lord himself that she almost jumped out of her skin when he suddenly settled himself beside her. Not taking her chin from her knees she turned her head ever so slightly towards him and watched him out of the corners of her eyes.
He was just sitting there, back straight, one leg folded beneath him, one bent upwards with his arm resting on it. He wasn't looking at her but instead seemed to be watching Rin as she chased the little winged creatures through the flowers. If he hadn't sat down directly next to her she would wonder if he actually knew she was sitting there.
"This Sesshomaru does not apologize," he said suddenly, making Kagome blink. Uh, he thought she hadn't figured that out by now? "The…spell…is affecting me in some rather peculiar and wholly disturbing ways. I am not myself. I am rarely ever rude to those who are undeserving of it. And I have come to the conclusion that you are unaware of the slight you caused to my honor by insinuating my vows held no meaning."
Kagome blinked at him, trying to wrap her brain around what he was actually saying to her. The first thought that came to her was that this was as close to an apology as he would probably ever come. The second was that somehow he had managed to do so and still sort of call her stupid. A true multi-tasker, she thought dryly.
"I slighted your honor?" she asked slowly, really not understanding what he was talking about. What, was he just trying to make himself feel better about being rude and not really apologizing? She had run back over everything she had said and no where did his honor seem to come into it.
Sesshomaru turned to look at her fully, his golden eyes back to their cool, unreadable norm. He seemed to be trying to read her, but for what Kagome didn't know. A lie? Some kind of 'stupid' stamp on her forehead? Maybe he had forgotten what blinking was.
After a moment he slowly inclined his head once. Well, that was informative.
"And just how did I manage to do that?" She asked, feeling an eyebrow twitch up slightly. "I don't recall saying anything about it."
Sesshomaru tipped his head slightly to the side and his eyes narrowed fractionally, but not in a menacing kind of way. More…thoughtful…than anything. Kagome decided it was his version of the 'wow, you grew another head' look. Funny, now that she had spent a little time up close and personal with him without swords and chokings being involved she'd come to realize that he wasn't as expressionless as she had previously thought. Still really damn hard to read, but he actually seemed to have the full gamut of expressions. They were just…subdued. No, that wasn't quite right. It was more like they were extremely controlled to the point that they almost didn't register on his face. She wondered for a moment where they did register. She bet Sesshomaru was the king of the mental grimace.
"You truly have no notion?" he asked softly and Kagome shook her head. He exhaled slightly and on anyone else it might have been a sigh. "You stated that this Sesshomaru's vow to protect and aid you had no worth. That this Sesshomaru should not honor it."
"No," she started slowly, trying to see what he was getting at. "I said that you made it when you didn't know who I really was and therefore shouldn't be expected to be held to it. It was made under the effects of the spell, not of your own free will. Honor had nothing to do with it."
Sesshomaru just looked at her for a moment. She wondered if he always took this long to have a conversation. He seemed to ponder over each and everything thing that came out of his mouth. Yeesh, no wonder he didn't talk very much. Probably by the time he figured out what exactly he wanted to say the conversation had moved on. Funny, he had never seemed so circumspect in the insults he flung at Inuyasha while they were fighting.
Slowly, though, he started to shake his head ever so slightly. "I was correct," he said, "you do not understand. A most puzzling thing."
Kagome waited for him to continue but when he just turned and looked back to where Rin was now chasing Jaken with his own Staff of Heads she realized that he didn't seem to plan to say anything else. She huffed and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well? Are you gonna explain that?" She saw his eyes slip to her while he continued facing forward. Kagome had to admit, it was more than a little unnerving. "I mean, wouldn't it be best that I understood just what my faux pas was instead of just making it again?"
Sesshomaru let out another one of those tiny puffs of air she couldn't quite call a sigh and turned his eyes back to his Ward. "You are protected by one who bares Inuyoukai blood, not much, but it should be enough. One would think you would understand what a vow of protection means."
Kagome's brows furrowed and her jaw clenched. "Humor me."
The corner of Sesshomaru's mouth twitched upwards so briefly that she almost missed it. Was he laughing at her?
"By our nature," he started before she could snipe at him again, "Inuyoukai are quite protective and extremely loyal. It is merely a part of what we are. We protect first what is ours; our Packs, our Clans, our domains. Upon occasion, however, other things fall to our protection and it is never something to be taken lightly. A vow of protection is a serious thing, once it is given it cannot be revoked. We will protect in the best ways we can until our death. It is a rare thing to be given since conflicts can occur and never is it taken lightly. For one to abandon such a vow…it is unthinkable. A betrayal of loyalty and trust most severe, most heinous, and perhaps the most dishonorable thing one of our kind can do."
Kagome stared at the stoic Lord with her jaw in her lap and eyes wide. Well, shit. Now that explained some of the reaction. No wonder he was so pissed. Kagome bit her lip, the stirrings of guilt curling through her stomach. That meant she had…
"I gave the vow to you," he continued before she could speak, turning to look her dead in the eye. "It matters not that your identity is not what was originally thought. It was perhaps foolish of me, and while I can blame Massoumo's spell for my foolishness the fact remains that the vow was given. This Sesshomaru will not break it."
Kagome stared at him and this time her jaw stayed dropped. Did he mean…he really meant…wow. Okay, so it didn't explain everything, but a few things were beginning to make sense. Why he didn't want her to leave, okay, so some of that was probably the spell but she was willing to bet that this meant he would want her where he could carry out his vow.
"Umm…" she started slowly, "so, why did you think I would already understand that?"
Sesshomaru tilted his head sideways at her, his expression openly confused and curious. "Because Inuyasha gave you a like vow. In our father's tomb he swore to protect you. My half-brother may not have all that much experience with our ways as he has spent a majority of his life living apart from us, but even a hanyou cannot deny the call of Protection. It is one of the strongest instincts we have." His brows narrowed slightly and he tipped his head fractionally the other direction as he regarded her. "Has he never explained this to you?"
Kagome bit her lip and shook her head, watching a look of something akin to but not quite disgust cross Sesshomaru's features. It was more of a bored frustration.
"Tell me," he started again, his tone back to its usual laze, "why do you think he has always been so protective of you? Why do you think he is rarely from your side? How is it, do you think, that he becomes stronger when he fights for you if not for the aid the vow brings?"
"Well," Kagome drawled, "first of all, we're friends. Close friends. We've known each other for a while. Friends protect friends. And I…well, I guess I figured it was just a part of his personality. I mean, isn't it? As for the last, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Sesshomaru shook his head. "Perhaps he himself does not know," he said so quietly she barely caught it before speaking again in normal tones. "As I stated, Protection is one of our strongest instincts. The vow is tied to that. When the vow is called up one can…reach into themselves, to their most primal and powerful part and draw upon it. Inuyasha has done this multiple times when protecting you. I have seen in first hand."
He glanced slightly at his empty sleeve and Kagome followed his gaze, instantly feeling another curl of guilt. Inuyasha had been able to transform the Tessiaga to protect her…drawing upon his deepest power…and became able to sever his elder brother's arm. And now…now said elder brother who could rightly blame her for his maiming had become another protector for her.
Only in her life.
Unsure of how to respond to all of that Kagome turned her eyes to the child playing before them. That was when a notion hit her. She had seen Sesshomaru fight when protecting Rin, could the same be true for him? Could he become stronger while protecting her or his Ward?
"So," Kagome started slowly, trying to make sense of exactly what he was saying, "is that why Rin is with you? Because you...vowed to protect her?"
Sesshomaru turned and looked at the youngling, twirling in the grass. Kagome noticed a slight softening of his expression. It was so minute that she almost missed it.
"Rin is my Ward," he started softly, "that is different than someone sworn to. It makes her a part of my Pack, and for Pack there need be no vow."
Kagome blinked, surprised. Okay, not quite expected. She had wondered for a while now why Sesshomaru kept a human child with him and now the questions had tripled. "So, she's kind of like...your daughter?"
As soon as she said it she wanted to take it back. Softening expression or not, somehow she got the feeling that Sesshomaru would not appreciate someone assuming a human was his child. She watched nervously as he stiffened slightly, not turning to her. He kept regarding the child and slowly his posture loosened. She was enthralled in a car crash kind of way as she watched the minute changes in him. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't want her seeing them, thus it was healthiest not to, but she simply couldn't look away. He tipped his head slightly to the side as he watched the girl and a very, very slight smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
"That analogy," he said very softly, "would not be wholly inaccurate. It is not uncommon for the orphaned pups of a Pack to be taken on by another member as a Ward. Rin has no Pack, no family. So I took her to mine. To consider her my daughter would not be wholly accurate since the birthing bond is not there, but the connection between a Ward and Keeper is similar enough."
Kagome's jaw dropped and quickly snapped shut as he turned his gaze on her with the sudden intensity of twin suns and Kagome had to fight off a shudder.
"This is something I would have no one know," he said, his voice as cold as his eyes were hot. "If it were known she is anything more than an amusement it would put her at great risk. There are many who would not hesitate to use her against me. It has already occurred twice. An Inu pup has natural defenses to protect itself to some degree. Rin has none. I would not have harm come to my Ward."
If she didn't know better she would swear that she saw fear behind the intensity in his eyes, and more than anything, that shocked her to the core. She had never imagined that he could care for her so much as to actuallyfear for her safety. Apparently she had been wrong. He was right, she didn't know him, she didn't know anything about him.
"Sesshomaru," she started softly, instinctively trying to calm him before something really bad happened. She reached out and touched his shoulder, feeling his muscles tense and then relax under her hand, "I would never do anything to harm Rin. I will tell no one what you have told me about this if you deem it best. Believe me, I know what you mean about people wanting to use someone against someone else. I don't think I can even remember all the times I've been taken by someone hoping to do that. I wouldn't want that for her either. You have my word."
Kagome had been looking into Sesshomaru's eyes as she spoke and watched a strange transformation. They went from furnace intensity to a kind of soft wonderment, growing in warmth until they weren't blazing but more like a Spring day. Right before they snapped shut. Sesshomaru turned and faced away from her again and Kagome pulled her hand off his shoulder. Woops. She forgot what touching seemed to do to him.
Kagome sighed and looked down into her lap. Man, what a mess. She still had more questions than answers, but one thing tickled her mind more than anything else. Why was he telling her all this? Those times they had met and a fight hadn't erupted he wasn't exactly chatty cathy. She thought she had heard more from him in the last ten minutes than she had in the last four years. And what she did hear...
"Sesshomaru-sama," she started softly, but his eyes snapped open and he looked at her. Kagome drew a deep breath and looked him in the face. If she was going to do it she might as well do it all the way. "While you may not apologize, this Kagome does. I did not mean to slight your honor, I did not even realize I had. If I had understood just what that vow meant, I would never have said what I did. For any offense I have given because of that, I am sorry. I was only trying to make things easier for you because I can see how much all of this troubles you.
"And I'm sorry I lost my temper like that on you," she continued as he just looked at her. His gaze was unnerving her slightly and she looked back down at her lap. "I'm under a lot of stress here. I don't really know what to do. I mean, how would you feel if something like this happened to you?" Kagome sighed. "Funny, cause I'm kind of used to twisted, maniacal plots being throw at us, being trapped in them. But we were always able to fight our way out. And before they always came from Naraku…at least I could hate him."
The silence stretched between them for what seemed like forever before Sesshomaru spoke, his voice questioning and strangely sounding confused. "You do not hate Massoumo? Even after all that he has done to you?"
Kagome looked up to see Sesshomaru staring at her with his brow furrowed and fought a laugh. He looked like a confused puppy who was trying to understand why the telephone was ringing. It was comical to see an expression like that on his face and once more she wondered just why he was being so open with her. She also wondered just when the world was going to end.
"No, I don't hate him. I mean, it's not like he's evil, exactly, he's just insane. You should have seen him, total lights on but no one home."
Sesshomaru tipped his head slightly to the side in what Kagome was quickly coming to think of as his 'hmmm' pose. He seemed to tip to the left when he was thinking about something and to the right when he was confused. He was currently tipped to the right.
"And this means you cannot hate him?" he asked very slowly as though if he slowed it down it would make more sense.
Kagome smiled at him. "Yes. I mean, whatever it was that your father did to him completely destroyed him. Not that I'm blaming your father, I don't know what happened," she added quickly as his eyes narrowed fractionally. "It's just…I don't know, sad. I mean, he could have moved on, gotten over it, gotten on with his life. But instead he let his anger and grief consume him so much that it took his sanity with it. It's really kind of pathetically sad, when you think about it. No, I can't hate him. If anything, I pity him.Not," she added, holding up a finger when he opened his mouth to retort, "that that makes what he did in any way all right. And I'll be first in line to give him a good pounding when this is all set straight. But I can't rightly hate someone for being driven mad by grief."
Kagome waited for some kind of a response, but it never came, so she turned back to watching Rin doing cartwheels across the grass.
ooOoo
Sesshomaru continued to watch the woman by his side, completely and totally dumbfounded. Just what was this creature and how in the world had she ever developed a mind like that. Truly, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He fought the urge to shake his head in befuddlement as he watched her turn back to watching his Ward play.
Her answers had completely surprised him, and Sesshomaru was not one who was easily surprised. He had not been sure that she didn't know just what the vow meant, in fact, he hadn't seen how she couldn't be. After all, he had been there when Inuyasha had sworn to protect her. But his Beast had been giving him such fits about her being mad at him that he had decided he might as well give her the benefit of the doubt if for no other reason than to stop the growling and whimpering going on in his own head.
This time he couldn't fight the shake. He knew his half-brother often acted foolishly, but he had never imagined that he could be this foolish. To never have explained to her about Protection? He couldn't imagine it. He knew that Inuyasha was not that ignorant, it was not possible. No one could be that ignorant, the meaning was ingrained in their very bones. And though he would probably never admit it out loud, Inuyasha's blood wasn'tthatweak.
Then again, perhaps he hadn't told her because he had failed to protect her so many times. Sesshomaru knew many of the things that had happened to Inuyasha's little Pack and a good number of them involved Kagome somehow winding up of the shaft end of a situation. As far as Sesshomaru was concerned last-minute bail outs didn't count as Protection.
But what had shocked him more than anything was what Kagome said about not hating Massoumo. How could anyone be that kind hearted, that forgiving? By all rights she should be swearing his demise, but instead she was feeling sorry for the beast. And he had seen her angry in battle enough times to know that when riled she could be a force to be reckoned with. Sesshomaru felt his Inu stir and hum at that, for some reason liking it.
Such a kind heart and a strong arm. She would be a good mother…and a wise ruler.
Well, crap. Where the hell did that come from? He had been doing so well, sitting here with her and not really having to fight with himself much at all. For some reason he had been so calm, comfortable even, as they had discussed. Not once had he been forced to reign in his instincts to reach out and pull her into his lap. The only time his control had slipped was when she had touched him. Right then, the lap wasn't a question, it was more like underneath him. But she had removed her hand and everything had been all right.
He had been quite proud of himself and his newfound level of control. But considering that little thought that wandered in from nowhere good, his instincts were not giving up the fight.
Thankfully, though, he was pulled from his thoughts a moment later…though he could have chosen a better source of distraction. The wind had shifted and Sesshomaru was picking up a decidedly familiar scent on the early afternoon breeze. He sighed internally and then stood to face the new challenge.
Something tells me this is not going to be as much fun as it usually is.
ooOoo
Inuyasha had been running through the forest for some time now, his mind whirling with angry questions. Why the hell had Sesshomaru taken Kagome? What could he want? Why would he go to such elaborate measures? It just didn't make sense. Sure Sesshomaru liked his games and he liked to mess with Inuyasha but he usually took credit for it. He wasn't the type to sit back and not gloat. So what the hell was going on?
And how the hell far had they walked through this damn forest?
Kagome, why Kagome? There were only two reasons he could think of; one, that he was going to use her to get the Tessaiga away from him, or two…he had realized just how much Naraku wanted the woman and had decided to use her for bait. Inuyasha's jaw clenched. If one hair was hurt on her head…
Perhaps if he hadn't been so angry he would have seen the flaws in those thoughts…such as the fact that Sesshomaru hadn't actually come after the Tessaiga for a while now. Or that he had never once used deceitful tactics like that before…well, unless Jaken somehow managed to talk him into it. But the fact of the matter was that Inuyasha was too pissed to think much on the subject. And hey, no one had ever claimed him to be the greatest of thinkers.
The scents he was following grew stronger, Kagome's muted to the point it was almost completely unrecognizable underneath Sesshomaru's stench. He was getting closer and from how they were getting stronger and stronger that meant that wherever they were, they were staying there.
Inuyasha smirked to himself. This time, brother dear, you are not walking away. This is something I can never forgive. You've gone too far.
Hurtling through the air, Inuyasha burst into a clearing, leaping high and blinking in the sudden bright light. When his vision cleared he looked down to see his brother standing near a stream simply looking up at him. He vaguely registered that the little girl, imp, and dragon that he kept with him were off to the side in a rather riotous batch of flowers, all staring up at him as well. What really caught his attention, though, was what Sesshomaru was standing next to.
A female. An Inuyoukai female by the looks of it. She was dressed in an expensive and elaborate kimono that looked like it had been loosened at some point. Inuyasha snorted.
Guess the might Lord of the Western Lands has found himself a new playmate. Damn, how cheap can you be to fuck Sesshomaru, the Ice Prince.
It was something he had always wondered. Inuyasha knew that his brother had had many females over the centuries…he was a well reputed ladies man in his own way. His own way being that females fell at his feet and he used them as he saw fit. Disgusting. The bastard didn't know the first thing about love or honor or anything of the sort. As always it was always about what the mighty lord wanted and screw everyone else. Literally.
Inuyasha landed on a bolder some distance away from the pair and glared at them, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"What have you done with Kagome, asshole?" he yelled at the Taiyoukai. Sesshomaru didn't respond, merely cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the woman beside him. Inuyasha flicked his eyes over to her to see her mouth slightly agape. What, did Sesshomaru think that the presence of his little friend was going to keep him from getting his Kagome back?
"I don't care about your whore, jerk, where's my Kagome?" he yelled at him.
"Whore?" the female screeched.
"Mind your tongue, hanyou, least you regret your words," Sesshomaru's cold words sliced through the air. "You will not refer to her as such."
Inuyasha snorted and curled a lip. "I call it like I see it. Now, what have you done with Kagome? Where is she?"
Sesshomaru didn't respond but the female at his side rose to her feet, her checks red with anger.
"How dare you…." She started angrily and made to take a step towards him. Sesshomaru put a restraining hand on her shoulder and shot him a glare, but seemed to calm slightly as Sesshomaru whispered something too low for him to hear.
Inuyasha smirked at them. "Keep your bitch in check, brother dear, and tell me what I want to know."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed further and his grip on his bitch tightened. "No. If you wish her, find her. Or are your senses too dull for that?"
Inuyasha glared at the arrogant demon in front of him. So he wanted to play that way, fine, they'd play that way. He didn't spare the whore another thought as he pulled his Tessaiga and leapt into the air, coming down right where his brother and the bitch were standing.
ooOoo
What had she done to piss off the gods? She'd really like to know. One moment she was sitting next to Sesshomaru, not entirely sure what to say or do, and the next he was standing up and staring into the distance. If that wasn't weird enough…now this.
She had just been about to ask him what was wrong when she recognized what she called the 'sniffing stance' from her time with Inuyasha. As in all things Sesshomaru was a lot more subtle and refined about it, though, barely lifting his head and testing the wind so silently that unless you knew what he was doing you'd probably thing he was just looking at a tree. She lifted her own nose and tried to figure out just what he was smelling when a red blur leapt from the trees into the air above them.
Kagome stared up, her brain gone temporarily numb. Inuyasha! Her moment of swirling, sparkly, bubble filled joy was short lived, however, when he landed and proceeded to call her a whore.
Okay, not the reunion she had anticipated.
She had been about to march over there and give him a piece of her mind when she felt Sesshomaru's hand clamp down on her shoulder.
"He does not recognize you," she barely heard the Lord's whispered voice. "To approach him now would put you in peril. His instincts to protect have him near a rage, reason will not work."
Reason wouldn't work, huh? How about a really big stick. That was more the mood she was in.
The next thing she knew…he was leaping into the air and coming down with a really big sword. Right. At. Them.
She decided then and there that no matter what else it meant, she was really,really glad that Sesshomaru had made that whole Vow of Protection thing. She had been frozen to the spot in complete disbelief as Inuyasha and his massive sword bore straight down at them. Thankfully, Sesshomaru had not.
Faster than her brain could process she was hauled up against something hard and warm, wrapped in something soft and fluffy, and about thirty feet in the air looking down at a massive crater with Inuyasha in the middle of it.
"He tried to kill me," she muttered in complete disbelieving ire. "That little punk actually tried to kill me!"
"Actually," a dry sounding voice came from beside and behind her, "I think he was trying to kill me. You were merely in the way."
Kagome turned to find that the hard and warm thing she had been hauled up against was Sesshomaru and she was wrapped in his arm and tail. Well, that explained things. Kagome looked at him as his words sunk in and her brow furrowed.
"In the way?" she asked dangerously. Sesshomaru didn't respond, merely raised an eyebrow at her.
They landed on the boulder that Inuyasha had been standing on, effectively reversing their positions. He turned and glared at them and Kagome had to fight from doing something she'd regret later on…like purifying his sorry ass. How could he not recognize her? She hadn't really changed all that much, had she? She'd gotten a good look at herself while Massoumo was dolling her up and despite some more cosmetic differences she looked pretty much as she always had. Okay, more youkai-like, but she didn't think it was all that big a difference. They'd spent almost every day of the last three years together, of all people he should have been able to see through the slight changes better than anyone!
"Stay behind me," Sesshomaru said quietly, moving her to the back of the rather large bolder he'd slept against the night before. "Unless I can find a way to calm him you will be in danger of attack."
Kagome worried her lip, looking between the two rather irate brothers. Calm him down? For some reason she didn't think it was going to involve reasoning words or even a bucket of cold water. She was pretty sure that Sesshomaru's version of calming him down would involve bleeding and unconsciousness. As pissed as she was at Inuyasha at the moment she didn't really want him hurt. Well, not that badly.
"God damn it, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha bellowed at him. "Cut the crap! I know you took Kagome. Now give her back!"
Kagome could swear she heard a quite growling sound coming from Sesshomaru, so quiet, in fact, that if her hearing hadn't suddenly turned youkai and she weren't standing right behind him she probably wouldn't have heard him.
"And why should I, little brother," he asked, his tone as cold as always. "You seem completely incapable of protecting her if she was taken in the first place."
The growl that came from Inuyasha was not nearly as quiet. "Because she's mine, you bastard!"
And he launched. This time he didn't go for a straight out physical attack, oh no. This time he sent the Wind Scar at them.
Huh, so this it what it looks like when it's comingatyou. No wonder everyone looks so incredibly terrified when he uses it on them.
This time she wasn't hauled up against Sesshomaru as he leapt into the air. Instead, his tail wrapped around her and quicker than she could blink, she was thrown in the opposite direction like a spinning top.
Perhaps if she had been more used to this new body she would have been able to do something with the massive momentum she seemed to have achieved. Perhaps if she was more agile or naturally graceful she would have been able to land well. She'd seen youkai do it before. Unfortunately for her this was not the case. Instead, she hit the ground hard and proceeded to roll and tumble before coming to a stop in something that resembled a heap of dirty laundry.
Okay. OW!
She slowly untangled her limbs and made sure she hadn't lost her kimono as she went tumbling through the air before hauling herself into a more upright position. Somehow, she wasn't too shocked at what she saw.
The Inu brothers were facing off, full blood against hanyou, Lord against Outcast, noisily pissed against…noisily pissed. This time the growl from Sesshomaru was not nearly so quiet. Uh oh.
"You foolish pup!" Sesshomaru all but yelled at him. "Are you truly so stupid? You could have killed her!"
"And for all I know you've killed Kagome! So what the fuck to I care about your latest plaything?"
Okay, that was it. Kagome had officially had enough. She pulled herself to a standing position, barely seeing beyond the red, her fists clenched so tightly her new claws were digging into her palm.
"Inuyasha…" she gritted out slowly. Both youkai turned to her as she faintly heard herself growl. "SIT!"
ooOoo
Inuyasha turned slightly as he heard his name growled out in a familiar way, an instant chill running down his spine. But all he found was the demoness that had been with Sesshomaru. Damn, but she looked pissed. Huh, funny, there was something vaguely familiar with this scene….
"SIT! "
Inuyasha barely had a moment to wonder just what this bitch thought she was doing when he felt the familiar tingle of energy around his neck that then proceeded to reintroduce him with the ground.
WHUMPH!
If he could have blinked without getting all sorts of dirt in his eyes, he would have. This was incredibly strange. It shouldn't have happened. And yet…it did. As it was he just waited until the spell wore of and he could raise his head.
Only to find himself staring into the shockingly blue eyes of one seriously pissed off demoness. She was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and one foot tapping on the ground in a very familiar way. And her scowl…
"Kagome?"
AN: And done! Okay, everyone, cross your fingers that work eases off a bit so that I can actually get more done. Besides sleeping on the floor of the office, that is… Please, R&R!
Reviewer response:
JeanB: Hey, better late than never. Besides, as we see it definately beat the update. ;P I'm glad my Sesshomaru is working for you, it just fits in my head this way. Glad you're enjoying it, I hope you enjoyed this one as much!
Rawhead and Bloody Bones: Personally, I vote on the insane killing spree...why hurt yourself when the ones responsible should suffer? It's like my sister said after a certain ahole cheated on her and she became extreamly depressed and people were worried she might become suicidal: "I don't want to kill myself, I didn't do anythign wrong. I wanna kill him." And yes, others have noticed the YuYu references. There are actually a few waiting on baited breath for me to make good. .
Erik and Fae: Glad you liked it. Kagome just never struck me as a sit and take it kind of girl. I'm pretty sure that getting beat up was the reason Jaken was hatched. And don't worry about Jess...I can have my guys there in fifteen minutes if you need. Yes, I have guys. Big, burly, black wearing, thuggly guys with a slightly disturbing obsession with firearms...but hey. The only question is...do you want Snake and Howler, or JoJo and Mic?
Wolfye Productions: Big Grin Yeah, I loved that line. "There will be no licking and no stroking." It's even better when you picture him being so uber serious about it. I'm glad you're liking it...and don't worry, I saystuff kicks too. Or maybe I'm just that old myself...yeesh.
Okane-Tsuki: Glad you liked and I'll try to update as much as work permits. Ja ne!