Chapter Six:Confrontation
Sesshomaru's Point-Of-View
Sesshomaru and Kagome led the group as they headed for Minou Lake on the southern branch of the demon lord's lands. Kagome's injuries had healed considerably overnight, thanks to Kaede, and when the old woman had realized this, she wished them luck and returned to her humble hut. Sesshomaru was glad that she had decided against accompanying them the rest of the way to Naraku's meeting place as she would most assuredly slow them down. Naraku might be willing to give them the early morning to comply with his demands, but Sesshomaru was nearly certain that another day would cause him to become rash. If they didn't arrive soon, then Naraku might kill Rin to prove his point and get the message across that he's serious about getting what he wants. The message was unneccesary for Sesshomaru, however, as he already knew that Naraku wouldn't hesitate to do anything that might get him the jewel. He'd already proved that much when he enraged Sesshomaru with Rin's abduction; Naraku was evil, but he wasn't stupid. He had to have known that Sesshomaru wasn't a force to be reckoned with, yet he had tested the Lord of the Western Lands' patience, regardless. Onigumo knew that he was risking his own demise when he challenged Sesshomaru...and what disturbed the demon lord was that Naraku didn't seem to care. He was willing to die for his cause. 'This is why I hate martyrs...' Sesshomaru's expression grew more impregnable.
At the remembrance of last night, he smiled a small smile. His little brother had, to both his and Sesshomaru's great surprise, somewhat matured after their little "talk." After Sesshomaru had left the broken InuYasha alone with his thoughts and realizations, making his way back to the campsite to watch over Kagome, his little brother had decided to follow him...
Last Night
Sesshomaru stared up at the crescent moon, unfeeling, and mulled over his and his brother's conversation. He'd said everything he'd ever considered saying to InuYasha since he noticed his brother's two-woman lifestyle. He was somewhat pleased to have finally gotten to tell him, because when he'd still not known Kagome, he had felt a strong urge to keep his comments regarding their relationship to himself. Because revealing that he had formed an opinion would mean that he had felt something about what was happening. And the former Sesshomaru had always refused to develop any sort of tie with the whole ordeal.
But that was all quite different now.
Before this week, it was easy to ignore his brother's selfish ways, but once Sesshomaru had met the human and determined her compassionate nature, he had felt that his brother was committing a grave deed. It was sickening, now, for Sesshomaru to look back at all the times he'd watched InuYasha switch between the two women. And it further nauseated him when he remembered Kagome's passive reaction towards him every time she discovered him with Kikyo. She always forgave him; she always hurt herself again. Humans were so unbelievably pathetic. 'Hn, true. And that is why InuYasha's exploitation of their weakness is so unforgivable.' He was furious with his little brother. His hanyou sibling only ever managed to further demean his heritage in Sesshomaru's presence. It enraged Sesshomaru to watch as InuYasha so openly refused to honor InuTaisho's, their father's, legacy with his demoralized antics. InuYasha was a half-demon, but as long as their father's blood ran through his veins, it was Sesshomaru's personal opinion that he should do all he could to uphold the family name.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru caught the scent of his half-blooded brother and turned slowly to face him. InuYasha stood just outside the darkness of the trees as the light of the crescent moon shone brazenly upon his snowy hair, giving it a more silver-like quality. Sesshomaru scowled slightly, still disgusted at the sight of his younger brother. InuYasha's eyes were wide and unblinking. He was breathing heavily, as though he'd ran to catch up with him. Sesshomaru stood, waiting in silence for InuYasha to explain himself, as his scowl melted into indifference again.
"You...!" he breathed, still trying to catch his breath. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, predicting another spat with his brother, and turned to leave. He'd followed him all the way here just for a rematch? How childish... "You were right!" Sesshomaru's brow knit at those words, which he barely believed he'd heard from the usually-obnoxious hanyou, as he froze in his tracks. Was this some sort of bizarre scheme...? Sesshomaru slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder at InuYasha, his face an immutable blank, regardless of his shock.
"Do you often go through such trouble to state the obvious?" InuYasha didn't appear fazed at Sesshomaru's flat tone of voice or self-confident words. He only looked up at the moon, a lonely expression over his face.
"I've been focussing all of my attention on trying to decide between Kagome and Kikyo, but I haven't been paying any mind at all to how it's been affecting THEM. All I think about are my own feelings..." InuYasha looked back over at Sesshomaru and smirked. "Tonight, after you knocked the shit out of me, I realized what I've been doing all this time. What I've been doing to them both. So, I came to tell you that you were right." Sesshomaru nodded once and turned back to leave his brother. 'What does it matter if he's gained some insight? It's useless if he doesn't act on it...' Sesshomaru scowled, but when he came within a foot of leaving the small circle of light and vanishing into the shadows, his little brother spoke again. "I'm going to be with Kikyo." Sesshomaru halted and considered what his brother was saying. He had made a choice for the sake of the two women he had been hurting, then? Perhaps his brother had grown up a little tonight, after all. "I keep confusing my feelings for Kikyo when Kagome's the only one around, because she looks so much like her. Kagome was right back there when she seen me and Kikyo at the Sacred Tree. I DON'T really love Kagome like I thought I did. I only love Kikyo...and I know that she's the one because of how sure I am when we're together. When I'm with Kagome, I always second-guess how I feel. I always wonder whether or not I actually love her." Sesshomaru turned around and looked at his brother appraisingly. InuYasha was giving him a worried look. "But Kagome does love me, though, even if I don't return her feelings. I know that. You were right about her being messed up with unrequieted love or whatever, but I don't have a CLUE how we're supposed to fix something like that." Sesshomaru and InuYasha grew eerily silent at this understanding. When it came to matters of human emotion, anyone on the outside of the problem was completely and utterly helpless. 'But Kagome isn't. The pain she feels is caused by her own feelings and her reluctance to let them go. Only she can free herself from her pain.' Sesshomaru considered this for a moment and also took into thought Kagome before he said,
"She'll be fine." InuYasha looked at him, a puzzled expression over his face, before the expression turned to furious annoyance.
"You'd better not try anything stupid after harping on to me about hurting her all the time, you damned hypocrite!" Sesshomaru fixed him with a death-invoking stare. Hurt her...? Did he HONESTLY believe that Sesshomaru would pursue a romantic relationship with a human woman? His brother had obviously thought that Sesshomaru's new friendship with Kagome was heading for something else. 'Allow him to think what he will. It won't change what will or will not come.'
"She's much stronger than the average human," he admitted lightly, his tone as cool as cucumber as he conveniently ignored his brother's implication. Sesshomaru turned and walked through the forest, calling back to InuYasha in an afterthought, "Stronger than your average demon or miko, as well, for that matter..."
End Of Flashback
After that, Sesshomaru and InuYasha had returned to the camp where the two brothers discussed Kagome's injuries and the upcoming battle against Naraku to save Kikyo and Rin. Sesshomaru had found that he wasn't so annoyed that InuYasha was his brother anymore. He was only a half-demon, but he was growing much more sensible--or at least that's how Sesshomaru thought of it.
Sesshomaru now turned his attention off to the side to Kagome, who was looking down miserably at the Chisa doll that she held in her hands. Sesshomaru couldn't believe that she still hadn't lost the little straw doll that Rin had given her before her abduction. After all that she'd been through, Kagome had never released her hold on the doll. The Lord of the Western Lands smiled at the realization before irritably snatching the expression from his face. He clasped his hand over the human girl's shoulder, who looked up at him in curious surprise.
"We'll get her back, Kagome. I protect my wards with my life." Kagome blinked once before giving him a heartfelt smile. Sesshomaru faintly returned the gesture before focussing back on the trail. They should be there in about an hour, if they kept up their current pace.
Kagome's Point-Of-View
"We'll get her back, Kagome. I protect my wards with my life." Kagome blinked. Had he just said WARDS? As in more than one? Kagome smiled at Sesshomaru, whose lips barely curved into what Kagome took for a smile in return. He turned back around and Kagome looked down at Chisa, her smile refusing to fade. Sesshomaru had grown much kinder towards her than she would ever have expected. She found herself thinking of the demon lord as a trusted friend instead of some heartless block of ice.
She couldn't spend the precious time before they arrived at the meeting place thinking about new friendships, though. She had to concentrate on getting Rin and Kikyo back. Luckily, Sango and Miroku had thought to bring her backback, bow, and arrows with them when they left the old campsite a week ago. She currently wore all of these items on her back, standing proudly and painlessly now that her wounds were so near to healing completely. Naraku was going to get it now. No one hurt little kids while Kagome Higurashi was around to do something about it--and InuYasha needed to be with Kikyo.
Kagome turned slightly and looked back at the hanyou out of the corner of her eye. He still wore that same, thoughtful expression--so deep and sorrowful. He missed her so much...and he seemed so worried. Kagome's expression became soft with self-pity for a moment. It wasn't fair that she had to give him up. Why should Kikyo be with InuYasha just because she was the first woman he'd fallen in love with? 'Stop it, Kagome. You know as well as anyone that it isn't because Kikyo saw him first. He's with her because he loves her.' Kagome sighed and turned back around to look out ahead at the pathway. 'Besides, even if he didn't love Kikyo, he'd never have REALLY fallen in love with me. He doesn't feel that strongly about me...and love follows fate. If it isn't in someone's destiny, then it can never happen.' Kagome banished her petty feelings about InuYasha and allowed her face to form a hardened, cold expression worthy of Sesshomaru's features. She had more important things to worry about right now. Naraku...would need to die.
Sango's Point-Of View
Sango watched Sesshomaru lay a hand on Kagome's shoulder, seen them smile at each other, and then watched Kagome as she stole a sad look back at the clueless InuYasha who continued to gaze forlornly into the sky. He certainly gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "lovesick puppy." Sango sighed and looked over to Miroku questioningly. He looked back at her with the same expression. They both sighed in exasperation.
"Geez, InuYasha's been staring at the sky for an awfully long time. What's up with that goofy look? Should we do something to wake him up...?" Shippo said from Miroku's back as he grinned mischievously at InuYasha. Miroku looked over at InuYasha as well.
"I wouldn't interrupt him just yet, Shippo, or you might get him into trouble with Kagome." Shippo looked at him, confused, and Sango explained.
"If you tease InuYasha, he'll lose his temper with you..."
"...and then Kagome will be forced to sit him," Miroku finished for her. Shippo began to grin and Sango and Miroku sighed again. Maybe they shouldn't have said anything? Shippo leaped over to InuYasha's shoulder and dramatically knocked on the top of his head.
"Anyone home in there?!" he called into InuYasha's puppy ears. InuYasha growled slightly and glanced over at Shippo as though he were a frustrating mosquito. He roughly brushed his hand over his shoulder as though he was dusting himself off, sending Shippo flying into Sango, who caught the kitsune with ease. "Cut it out, InuYasha! I was doing you a favor, you know!" InuYasha glanced at the fox-demon for a moment, but then he turned back to stare up at the sky again, his face more guarded this time. Like Sesshomaru's. Sango gasped and Miroku's face formed a look of horrified surprise.
"Sango? Did you just see that?" Sango nodded, speechless.
"Yeah, and he didn't even make a smart remark. He didn't ask what Shippo had meant by doing him a favor or ANYTHING!" Sango felt Shippo quiver on her shoulder.
"First Kagome runs off with Sesshomaru after telling InuYasha to be with Kikyo, then Sesshomaru and InuYasha had an actual conversation with each other this morning, and now InuYasha doesn't feel like knocking me over the head? Sango, I'm scared!" Miroku and Sango looked to him nervously before looking to one another.
"Me too," Miroku and Sango said in unison.
"You guys know that I can hear you, right?" InuYasha asked in a flat voice, not looking down from the sky. The three of his friends felt an icy chill run down their spines at the similarity InuYasha's voice now held to Sesshomaru's.
Rin's Point-Of-View
Rin had had enough! She was tired of sitting in this stupid little corner while Naraku sat around discussing his big, evil plans with Kanna and Kagura. She stood up and ran at Naraku, kicking him as hard as she could in the shins. Or, at least, that had been the idea.
"Insolent child! Not only are you merely a pathetic human, but you aren't even grown yet. What makes such a weak little pup so brazen...?" Rin may have answered, had she not been dangling in the air by her neck. As soon as she had come within a foot of Naraku, one of his repulsive tentacle things wrapped itself tightly about her throat and lifted her into the sky. She struggled to breathe, droplets of perspiration popping out along her forehead as her vision began to darken. Just before she completely passed out, she felt herself thud to the ground. She took in huge gulps of air and then looked up at Naraku with stubborn anger. Naraku smiled a terrible smile. "Oh, I do hope that your guardian decides not to show. I do hope he decides to keep the jewel for himself. Because I do hope to watch that bold expression fade away from your face as I drain the life from you..." Rin whimpered slightly before scooting back into her corner and hugging her legs to her chest.
"They will deceive you," Kanna said suddenly, her face emotionless as she turned to face Naraku. He turned to look at her inquiringly. "InuYasha and Sesshomaru have joined ranks to defeat you. They have deceived you, Lord Naraku. They have no intention of handing over the Shikon no Tama." Naraku flicked his eyes off to the side of Kanna's head and saw a bee-like insect hovering there. His saimyousho. Naraku smiled evilly.
"I see." He turned to look at Rin. Her eyes went wide when she saw Naraku's terrifying grin. "That's fine with me, because I never planned to return the hostages, either. I expected as much from that Lord of the Western Lands." Suddenly, Rin was being held by her neck in the air again, fighting to inhale even the most slight breath of air. "I'll play with this toy first, and when it breaks, I'll have the clay-pot to play with. After she makes the jewel whole again, she'll no longer be of use to me, anyway." Rin's vision blackened and her lungs felt ready to explode. But then Naraku was hit in the head by something and dropped her to the floor again. Rin's vision came back to her and she looked down on the floor at what had been thrown. It was Chisa! Rin looked up sharply at the window and seen Kagome, Sesshomaru, and InuYasha sitting atop a huge pink balloon that Rin recognized as the kitsune.
Sesshomaru's Point-Of-View
"Lord Sesshomaru! Don't let him have the jewel! He says he's going to kill me and that girl that looks so much like Kagome no matter if he gets what he wants or not!" Sesshomaru and company jumped through the window where Kilala, Sango, and Miroku soon entered as well. Now, the room was filled to capacity with people who wanted to kill each other. Five against three and in their favor, no less. This looked good for them. Sesshomaru laid eyes on Rin and quickly looked her over for injuries. Other than the red ring around her neck where she'd been throttled, she was still relatively unharmed. Sesshomaru looked back at Naraku and his eyes narrowed in hatred.
"Rin. Come here," he said. Rin instantly started towards him, but then she ran into some sort of invisible wall and fell to the floor with a thump. Sesshomaru gave Naraku a look of daggers. "A barrier. Very well, I'll just have to kill you, then." Sesshomaru drew Tojikin and lifted his sword to send a blast of energy towards Naraku, but then Kagura made a quick movement and Kikyo was standing in front of Naraku as a living shield. Sesshomaru immediately aborted the attack. 'What...? I've grown weak! Before this past week, I would have went THROUGH the clay-pot to protect Rin. Why...?' Sesshomaru flicked his eyes over to his brother, who had drawn Tetsusaiga and was looking at Kikyo helplessly.
"Kikyo..." he said, his voice tight with restraint. His brother was as furious as Sesshomaru had ever seen him. Naraku chuckled softly and Kikyo rose her head to look at InuYasha, spread-eagled and suspended in mid-air. She gave him a small smile that didn't reach to her eyes.
"Protect the girl, InuYasha, and the jewel. Forget about me and concentrate on retrieving them," her voice faintly instructed. It sounded to Sesshomaru that she was speaking from deep within a cavern, her voice was so weak and faint. InuYasha looked surprised for a moment before his features took on a determined expression.
"No way! I didn't come all this way just to let you to sacrifice yourself!" InuYasha rested his sword on his shoulder and stood up straight. "I'm going to kill Naraku and save your ass, so you'd just better not go limp on me now and make me do all of the work!" Kikyo looked at him sadly and Sesshomaru's expression became hard and cold (or more so than usual.)
"I see that you still talk as big as ever, hanyou, but as always, your threats are meaningless to me. You cannot win, even with your brother's aid--though I'll admit that he's more of an obstacle for me than you've ever been." Naraku smirked at InuYasha's enraged face. The hanyou opened his mouth, about to argue the point with Naraku, when Sesshomaru cut in.
"Miko," the demon lord began calmly, causing the dead priestess to look at him. "Don't make this a waste of our time." Kikyo held her gaze for a few more moments, obviously trying to decide if Sesshomaru had really meant that he had come here to save her as well, before her lifeless expression vanished to be replaced with determination. She looked at InuYasha and nodded once. InuYasha smirked defiantly in response.
"You're going down, Naraku!" Kagome released a sacred arrow at Naraku, but he easily evaded it as he slipped out of the ninth-story window on one of Kagura's feathers, Kikyo still held prisoner. As Miroku, Sango, and InuYasha went after Naraku on Kilala, Sesshomaru turned to Rin and grabbed on to her arm, meaning to lead her to a safe place for the duration of their battle with Naraku. He was glad to see that Naraku's barrier had vanished in his surprise when Kagome had attacked so unexpectedly. He began to drag the human child along by her elbow when he suddenly felt very weak, like the world was being pulled away from him...or, maybe, like he was being pulled away from the world? Slowly, he turned and saw the strange little girl dressed in all white--the girl known as Kanna--holding her mirror to face Sesshomaru. And something unusual was happening. Something that was CLEARLY not good for the demon lord.