READ: I've had this chapter done since early March. Now, you are probably asking 'Well why the hell didn't you post it?' That, my dear readers is because my fic was plagiarized and I refused to post another chapter that she could butcher until it was resolved. 'Her' story was posted under oriaglorial as 'Cherry Blossoms' who had (after receiving numerous PMs from myself) changed her name three times before she realized I was not going to go away. Her ID number is 1204428, so if she decides to resume her plagiarizing ways please let me know. Thanks you to Tsukiko786 for informing me. If there is anything I can do to repay you, let me know.
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"It restrains your…chest?"
Kagome nodded, too embarassed to speak. Inuyasha had obviously inherited his blunt manner from his sire. She couldn't even look at the elder dog demon and instead concentrated on the fire burning in front of her, missing the confused look on his face.
Sango, however, had not.
"The bra doesn't 'restrain' a woman's chest so much as it…displays…it." She too was red in the face, but endeavored, stopping only to bonk Miroku on the head with Hiraikotsu when his eyes glazed over at the implications of this "bra". Sango, being the only female of the group and thus the only one with the proper clearance to ask Kagome about the strange article of clothing she wore under her top, attemted to explain more precisely.
Someone had to end this fiasco.
"The bra cups the chest in such a way to make it more prominent and full with a deeper valley in between."
Inutaisho didn't blush, but a rush of air left his body very abruptly.
"I see," he said. And there was no more conversation for a very long while.
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The first stars were beginning to dot the approaching night, brilliant in a violet and orange sky. Kagome was making dinner when Shippou made the mistake of asking Inuyasha if he was going to stay with the rest of them at Kaede's village.
"Of course not, runt," he snorted. "We're going back to the Western Lands."
At this he inclined his head toward Kagome, indicating the other part of 'we', and then concentrating on his rice so as to have a reason toavoid the look of approval in his father's eyes. He didn't want to embarrass himself as there may have been a blush tinting his cheeks ever so slightly.
"But…but Kagome's coming with me…er…us!" the kitsune argued, shocked. Inuyasha'a head jerked up.
"Why would she do that? You're staying with me, right Kagome?" He turned his amber eyes to her face and Kagome could see the confusion in them of someone who has made the wrong assumption.
"I think it would be best for me to stay in the village, Inuyasha." She avoided looking at Inutaisho by concentrating solely on his son. "With Kaede's help there's a chance the well could be fixed. She'd be a lot more knowledgeable on the subject than I am."
It was a lie and everyone knew it. The well was more unpredictable than Naraku had been and there was little chance of it being fixed after being blown to smithereens. Even the usually dense Inuyasha realized this and his eyes turned hard and accusing. Unfortunately, he got the reasoning behind why Kagome was choosing to stay in the village of his sealing all wrong.
"What happened to sticking together?!" he yelled in a voice so loud everyone winced. "Now that we're done with Naraku you guys have no reason to stay with the hanyou, right?!"
"Inuyasha…" Kagome began, but Shippou piped up first.
"Actually, you're not a hanyou anymore."
Kagome's face fell into her hands. An 'osuwari' would come in useful right about now to gain the upper hand but the argument was too serious for something like that.So serious that they had never talked about future plans, perhaps because their futures had been uncertain.
Besides, what right did she have to use that word on him now? To protect Shippou was one thing, but its use as a playful scolding had long since vanished.
"It's not that Inuyasha and you know it. Its just…there's this theory…" Everyone seemed hellbent on not allowing her to finish a sentence today as Inuyasha decided it was his turn to interrupt.
"Who cares about a theory? What about…I thought…"
Kagome's throat closed up at the unfinished question: 'What about me?'
"…I thought we would…you know…stay together or something. All of us." His voice dropped lower and lower as the fight left him and was replaced by something akin to despair. Inutaisho and Sesshomaru were all well and good but these people--Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou—they were his family.
Inutaisho watched silently, knowing that this was a crux upon which a life change was about to occur. He should not, could not participate, but only hope that this argument went in his favor.
If not, wooing Kagome would take a lot longer than he had anticipated.
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Inutaisho knew how in a battle one second, one move could change your life forever. He was a taiyoukai after all. He wasn't stupid.
It was a small step to apply that rule to regular life…or death in this case.
…Second life?
What did it matter now? They were just words and unable to explain what happened when a god interferes in the world of mortals. And so, when Inutaisho stepped upon the threshold of godhood and allowed hisself to be a tool of Benzaiten, it took less than a second for his whole perspective to change.
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"Why don't you stay with us, Inuyasha?" Sango's voice was clam and placating. "I will need Kagome's help when I have children and the village will need her when Kaede passes on. It makes more sense."
"It would be wrong to ask Inuyasha to choose between his father and his friends," Miroku said quietly anf then turned his eyes to Kagome, as if she had the answer.
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When Inuyasha came to tell Kagome of his decision to be with Kikyo, Kagome was already sitting atop the well.
'Inuyasha,' she said in her mind. 'I always want to be with you.'
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When did that stop being the truth?
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'I always…'
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She was his friend now, and satisfied with that, so why was there this overwhelming sadness welling up inside her as she acknowledged that fact?
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'…want to be…'
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It didn't matter. She had finished her quest. She didn't matter. He did. What he wanted mattered now.
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'…with you.'
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"Inuyasha…"
"It would be dangerous for you to stay with them now, Inuaysha." Inutaisho was the cause of this interruption of Kagome.
"Why is that?" Sango asked, curious.
"Inuyasha is no able to transform into his true form, that of a greater dog demon, but he has yet to master that ability."
Inuyasha began to protest, but was silences by his father's next words.
"If you were to transform now it would be as when you were a hanyou and your demonic blood took over. You have not had any practice at keeping your rational mind in control and with your body in that state you would be a mindless destructive force with no discretion as to friend or foe."
Inutaisho had many other reasons to add to the list of why Inuyasha should not stay with his friends currently, but the sudden heaviness in the air at his last statement left him without the need to elaborate. Each was remembering the times when the Tetsusaiga was taken from Inuyasha some way or another and the ensuing chaos and bloodshed. Even Inuyasha himself looked pensive. After a moment of silence though, Kagome spoke.
"But…he will be able to control it eventually, right?" Her voice was timid, scarce. "He'll be able to come back around us soon?"
Inuyasha's eyes were shadowed by his bangs and the other shard hunters were tense with nerves awaiting the elder dog demon's reply. Inuyasha may have been a handful at times but life without him around seemed…odd.
"Of course." Visible relaxation occurred. "I will warn you it may take a while though. Sesshomaru worked for nearly a year before he gained total control and even then it was a few years before he could fight and maintain control. But there's no reason you can't come visit Inuyasha when he isn't training."
Kagome began to protest about leaving the village and changing time but a simple "and vice versa" from Inutaisho calmed her down.
The peace only lasted seconds.
"Or you could stay with us."
Inuyasha's ears perked up and Kagome's spirit fell as a voice in her head yelled 'Round 2!' She could make out Inuyasha and Shippou yelling, arguing at each other but their words were just a dull roar in her ears.
"We should have discussed this before. We shouldn't have waited until after Naraku was finished." Sango watched her best friend put her head in her hands and nod.
"I'm going for a walk," Kagome announced abruptly and stood up. As she walked out of the clearing Inutaisho rose as well, addressing the group.
"It is my fault for restarting the argument. I will speak to her."
As he started to walk toward the direction Kagome left, Shippou spoke up, sounding mutinous.
"Kagome doesn't even know you! None of us do! Who gave you the right to decide what's best for her?" Inutaisho could see that the entire group was in agreement with the runt. He decided a bit of truth would send his lie a long way.
"Because though it isn't my place, all of you are thinking of yourselves and not of what she wants or needs; I am going to apologize on behalf of the rest of you."
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"You have a bad habit of following people when they want to be left alone," the time traveling priestess said sullenly.
"Just you it seems, or perhaps it is you who has a bad habit of running away."
His answer was a short, humorless laugh as she hopped down from the large rock she had previously been perched on. Kagome went to walk past him, intent on finding a new place of solitude, but Inutaisho grabbed her wrist and pulled her to face him. She sighed, trying to keep her composure.
"I can't stay with you or with Inuyasha or at your home. If I do I might change the outcome of the future. At Kaede's village I'm safe from that, it seems."
"But what if you are wrong?" He lowered his head so that their faces were inches apart, not to kiss her, but to persuade her as though the closeness would help make her decide in his favor, make her see what he saw. She leaned into him as well, seeking comfort and strength, until a noise in the night startled her out of the hypnosis. She tugged at her captive arm and he released her.
"I…I just can't," she said, her tone pleading, and turned away.
Her tears were drops of glass in the corners of her eyes.
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Thanks guys, for all of your support.
