Chapter Five: The Council
Kagome sat in a large room with Myoga, watching as youkai of all the clans filtered in and took their own seats. There was no table in the room, as she expected, but simply a circle of cushions on the floor for the important lords and ladies. It looked like something out of a feudal drama, but considering the elaborate robes worn by the youkai the setting was appropriate. Kagome, in a simple miko uniform, felt outdressed. She also felt crushingly young. All the demons looked older than her 17 years, and she knew them to be much older than they appeared. It didn't help that none of them spared her a glance-not even Sesshomaru, she noted with annoyance. She felt like a child that was supposed to be seen and not heard.
Seven youkai, not including Myoga, came into the room. Seven youkai for seven demon clans that made up the Sector. Kagome listed them in her head, practicing the names and titles so she wouldn't forget in any crucial moments. Sesshomaru, of course, was easy.
One. Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands. Son of Toga the Inu no Taisho, and Inukimi the Viper Killer. Head of the House of the West. Bark is worse than his bite. The House of the West was currently the largest of the clans, though many of its demons were mundane folk and not warriors.
Two. Lord Menomaru of the Hyoga Clan. Moth demon and very powerful, though his father was once defeated by Sesshomaru's father. Hates Sesshomaru, by the way. According to Myoga, he was harshly against integration, and hated humans more than Sesshomaru. Duly noted. Only cared to lead demon warriors, so his clan was small but a formidable threat to the others.
Three. Lady Toran of the Panther Tribe. Panther youkai, obviously. Many other cat and fox type demons, however, allied with her tribe after the Floating City closed. Like Sesshomaru, she led one of the oldest and most respected groups. Her father, the Panther King, was also killed by the Inu no Taisho. Luckily, Lady Toran didn't hold a grudge.
Four. Princess Abi the Bird Master. Phoenix demon. She ruled over most of the winged demons, and was constantly bemoaning their inability to fly free beyond the city walls. Other than that, kept mostly to her own kind. Wasn't for or against integration, but thought humans were alright so long as they stayed out of her way.
Five. Celestial Empress Kaguya. Yes, she actually made people call her that. A demon that absorbed the power of a celestial being and was notoriously hard to kill. She'd been sealed away by a monk for some years, but managed to escape and obtain somewhat of a cult following among demons. Though she was powerful, few demons took her 'clan' seriously. She was a little bitter about it.
Six. Taigokumaru the Blind. Bat demon, literally blind. Most of his followers were some sort of vermin demon-rats, snakes, bats, etc. He was known to support integration, despite a shady past with humans that Myoga hadn't wanted to share with her.
Seven. Lord Shishinki of the Dead, new leader of the Poison Master Clan. Hell demon. Also fought Sesshomaru's dad. Kagome found herself wondering exactly how many enemies Inu no Taisho made in his lifetime. Lord Shishinki had once fought Sesshomaru, but it ended in a draw and neither demon could walk for weeks. They had a begrudging respect of each other, and now that Shishinki held a seat in this council he could be considered Sesshomaru's rival.
Kagome resisted the urge to grimace as she examined Shishinki's half-mask. Apparently half of his face had been horribly disfigured by Sesshomaru's father and he wore the mask to keep others from running away in fear.
Beside Kagome, Myoga cleared his throat.
"Welcome, all," he said, "I'm glad you've agreed to meet with me today. As Councilman of Youkai-Human relations, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce all of you to Lady Kagome Higurashi, the Shikon Priestess and Spider Slayer."
Kagome flushed pink as all the demons bowed to her in varying levels of respect. She noticed Taigokumaru bowed the lowest, his forehead nearly touching the floor in front of him. Menomaru simply bobbed his head and examined his fingernails closely.
"I've called the top representatives of the ruling Council here today to meet Kagome and hear her account of what happened last year. You've heard this from myself and Lord Sesshomaru, but not from the human at the center of it. I-"
"Myoga, you flea, we know you just want to start that school up again," Menomaru interrupted. As soon as he spoke, it was like a communally held breath had been let out in the room. Everyone started talking at once.
"Let the girl talk, flutter boy-" Princess Abi started.
"Must you be so discourteous?" Taigokumaru asked, quietly exasperated.
"Why does it matter anyway? No human's gonna come back here unless they have a death wish," Shishinki said, though no one was listening to him.
"This is a waste of my time!" the 'Empress' declared.
"Enough with these petty arguments-" but Lady Toran was cut off by Menomaru.
"Tell that to Sesshomaru and his insect. None of our assistants are here, why does the House of the West get to control everything?"
"The House of the West does not control," Sesshomaru said coldly, "but if its members are the only ones who fulfill their council duties I suppose it might appear that way."
"Hold on, Sesshomaru, that's not fair," Abi snapped.
"This is exactly what I mean by petty," Toran growled.
"Geez, is it always like this?' Shishinki grumbled.
"Once we were a proud group, and now we are reduced to squabbling like children," Taigokumaru lamented.
Myoga tried to speak up and restore order, but the strong demons-daiyoukai all of them-continued to shout over him. After a minute he gave Kagome an apologetic look. Kagome just stared at the fiasco. She hadn't imagined the main governing force of the Youkai sector could act like this. And this wasn't even all of them. Each had multiple council assistants who dealt with lesser matters. Something told her they weren't any better. No wonder the Sector was stuck in some weird fusion of the Feudal and modern eras.
Kagome steeled herself, thinking that this was quite possibly a dumb move. Hopefully Sesshomaru would stand up for her if things went south. Then, abruptly, she stood, her miko robes rustling softly.
"Hey!" she shouted, as loud as she could. The shout carried through the room, causing all of the demons to pause. Silence fell upon them. Kagome took a deep breath, clasping her hands behind her so no one could see they were shaking. Quickly, she gave a short bow and addressed the group.
"Lords and Ladies. Princess. Empress," she said, trying to remember all the titles, "I am here to share my story with you. I know...that not all of you like me or like humans, and that's okay, you don't have to. But this story isn't about humans, it's about a demon who posed a threat to all of you. So, I think it would be good for you to listen, to make sure something like this never happens again."
Lady Toran spoke, asking: "But you support integration, don't you? Isn't that why you came to our city?" Her voice wasn't confrontational, but her shrewd eyes suggested she would accept nothing but the truth. Kagome nodded, and the room shifted uncomfortably.
"I do support integration. But this meeting isn't about integration, this is about how a legendary serial killer infiltrated the highest ranks of your council." The barb clearly stung, and the demons were split between looking offended and ashamed. Beside her, she thought she heard Myoga whisper a triumphant 'yes!' under his breath. Taigokumaru leaned forward.
"That is true enough," he said. Kagome met his cloudy eyes, and had the odd feeling that despite being blind he could see her perfectly well. He continued:
"Please, Priestess, tell us what you have come to say." Kagome nodded, then remembered he couldn't see.
"Thank you sir," she said. She sat again, settling herself on the cushion in an uncomfortably silent room. Then, placing her hands on her bent legs, she began.
"I am the reincarnation of the Priestess Kikyo, who lived five hundred years ago." Several demons nodded, and Kagome realized they actually remembered five hundred years ago. Refusing to let herself be thrown, she continued:
"In my previous life, I was tricked by Naraku into betraying Inuyasha, the half demon and Lord Sesshomaru's brother. Oh! Half brother-sorry Sesshomaru." To her surprise, she found several of the demons smirking. Not at her, but at Sesshomaru. They seemed to enjoy his embarrassment at having a secret half human brother. Considering he was impeccable in every other way, she supposed it would be utterly satisfying to find an imperfection after hundreds of years.
"Naraku was created from the human Onigumo. He gave himself up to be devoured by demons because he lusted after Kikyo." She couldn't bring herself to say 'me' right then. It felt almost like a lie. She referred to Kikyo as herself because they shared a soul and she wanted to seem knowledgeable, but Kikyo's memories weren't hers.
"This lust persisted in his demon form, and when he saw Kikyo again he went after her. Um...Sesshomaru brought her back to life to release Inuyasha from his seal. Well, sort of. They got part of her soul-my soul-and sealed it in an enchanted vessel that looked like her."
This was clearly a revelation for some people in the circle, though Toran was notably not disturbed. Kagome couldn't tell if that was because she knew, or because she had an especially good poker face. She thought they might start arguing again, but instead they remained silent and let her continue her story.
"After the vessel released Inuyasha, he couldn't bear to kill her. So he brought her here and hid with her. Then, about thirty years ago, he felt safe enough to bring her out of hiding with him without Sesshomaru's knowledge. That's why Naraku was killing back then. He was torturing demons who might know something about this new Kikyo."
She paused again, looking around the circle. Still they did not stop her-for questions or outbursts or anything else-and she went on.
"Then when I came as part of the education program-not knowing about the jewel or Kikyo or any of it-he thought he'd found her again. We look the same, she and I. That's why Ina was killed, because she was looking after us at the dorm. I'm sorry Lady Toran, I know she was part of your clan." Toran nodded.
"He attacked me, but Inuyasha rescued me by chance. We started looking for information and managed to find enough to understand what had happened. We were going to ask the last brother of the Poison Master Clan for more details about the Spider King's death, but it turns out Naraku had killed the actual brother and taken his place before the Sector was even built."
Kagome noticed that Shishinki was now sitting with clenched fists. She could tell he was angry, but wasn't sure if he was mad at her or at Naraku for lying all those years. She hoped it was the latter.
"We prepared to battle Naraku, because he not only killed Kikyo, but deceived Inuyasha, murdered countless demons, and...killed my father. That was when I met Kikyo's vessel. She gave me the half of the Shikon Jewel in her possession to join with mine and my soul reclaimed the part held in the vessel. But when we fought Naraku, the only way to defeat him was to seal him away with that part of my soul in the Jewel. That's how the two halves were rejoined. If we hadn't sealed him away...Naraku would have killed me and taken the jewel."
The gravity of that statement was not lost on the council of demons. All of them, even Menomaru, had grave looks on their faces.
"That's it, I guess," Kagome finished, "...Any questions?" She felt silly for saying that, like a teacher in front of her class.
"After that, why would you think integration is a good idea?" Shishinki asked. Kagome wasn't sure if he meant to mock her, but it felt like it and she scowled.
"Even though his tone is childish," Toran said, glaring at Shishinki, "the Lord does have a point. All of this misery was caused by a human who merged with demons. Is that not what integration would encourage?" Kagome shook her head vehemently.
"No! I mean...it is possible. But just because something is possible doesn't mean it's inevitable-or even probable. Humans suck, trust me, I know. But most aren't like Onigumo. And most demons aren't like Naraku. I know we can live together in peace. I came to the city to prove that."
When none of the demons responded, Kagome felt she had to say something more. She needed to convince them-or at least start to sway them her way.
"After everything that's happened to me-in my past life and this one-I should hate demons. But I don't. I can't."
Pink again with embarrassment, Kagome looked down at the floor. Beside her, Myoga spoke up.
"Thank you Lady Kagome. I believe you may take a break now, if you wish. I'll see you outside in a moment." Kagome nodded, thankful to Myoga for saving her. She stood and left the room, walking down the hall a few paces before leaning heavily on the wall. She found she was shaking a little. She wasn't sure if it was from reliving the memories of last year, or standing up to the doubtful group of demons on integration. She hoped she did a good job, although she didn't feel like it. When Myoga joined her in the hall, it was the first question she asked.
"You were wonderful, Kagome," he said, smiling at her. She let out a sigh of relief.
"I think I'm ready to go now," she said, "Do I need to talk to them again?" Myoga shook his head. He informed the council, and then escorted her back to his house where Rokuro and Sango were playing a game of chess and waiting to hear what happened with the big bad demons. Kagome was glad to change out of the miko robes and back into some normal clothing. It made her feel like herself again.
For the first time since she'd known him, Kagome let Inuyasha in by the front door. When she opened the door to see him, he seemed as nervous as she was. She supposed that was only natural, considering he'd spent a couple hundred years sneaking around the city undetected. He put his hands in his pockets, then took them out and scratched the back of his neck, then crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders.
"Hey," Kagome said.
"Hi," he replied.
"Um, come in," she said, stepping out of the way. Inuyasha walked through the door, examining his new surroundings. His ears flicked back and forth quickly, just like his eyes.
"How was your meeting?" he asked.
"Good. The other demons on the council really don't like your brother," she said. She started up the stairs. Rokuro and Sango were up there in the library. Inuyasha scoffed.
"I could'a told you that much," he said, "Doesn't help that he's been sulking around everywhere."
Kagome replied as they walked into the library, attracting the attention of Rokuro and Sango.
"Sulking? Why?" she asked.
"Who's sulking?" Rokuro added, then let out a disgruntled cry as Sango check-mated him.
"How are you so good at this?" he moaned. Sango smiled.
"It's basic battle strategy," she replied, starting to clean up the pieces.
"Inuyasha says Sesshomaru is sulking," Kagome explained to Rokuro. Rokuro grinned as Inuyasha stepped out from behind Kagome. He stood, and walked over, pulling Inuyasha into a hug.
"Okay-okay! Get off me," Inuyasha grumbled. Rokuro let Inuyasha shrug him off, laughing at the half demon's discomfort. Inuyasha grumbled, then exchanged a respectful nod with Sango.
Rokuro began resetting the chess pieces, and challenged Sango to another game, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome to take a seat on the couch nearby. Inuyasha followed her there stiffly, made uncomfortable by the prospect of casual conversation. It occured to Kagome that most of their previous interactions had been due to some disaster, and for the purpose of solving a problem. Now they were just...talking.
"So why is Sesshomaru sulking?" she asked. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sighed. He leaned back into the couch, spreading his arms out along the top.
"He misses Rin," he said, as if Kagome understood the context. She cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brow.
"Who's Rin? I remember you mentioned her to him once-well, more like goaded him," she said. Inuyasha opened his mouth, then paused and shut it. He shook his head.
"It's a long story. I never knew her, but Myoga told me about her. Apparently Sesshomaru got a soft spot for this kid way back, when I was under Kikyo's seal. He was after some youkai smith to make him a real demon sword, and the guy beat him up pretty bad. Rin tried to help him."
A small smile spread across Kagome's face as she listened to him speak.
"I can't imagine anyone beating Sesshomaru up," she said. Inuyasha smirked.
"Wish I'd seen it. Anyway, she got killed by some wolves." Kagome jerked her head back, startled.
"What?" she asked. Inuyasha held his hands up.
"No, no! Sesshomaru had this sword, the Tenseiga. It, ah, he explained it to me once but I don't remember. Basically it brought people back to life." Inuyasha said this casually, as if it were some everyday occurance. Kagome's mind, however, was reeling. Sango and Rokuro had stopped their game, and were now listening intently.
"He has a sword that revives people?" Rokuro asked.
"Had," Inuyasha replied irritably, "He had a sword. It got lost in the scramble to get here before the Sector closed." Sango frowned.
"How do you lose a sword?" she asked, her voice obnoxiously flat. Inuyasha threw his arms up.
"I don't know, it wasn't mine!" He then leaned back, crossing his arms and looking annoyed.
"So he used the sword to bring the girl, Rin, back to life?" Kagome asked, prodding him back to his story. Inuyasha nodded.
"Yeah. She didn't have any family, so she followed him around. Grew up with him and Jaken. Damn idiot misses her, but he'd never admit it," he replied. Inuyasha was staring at the floor ahead of him, eyebrows furrowed. Kagome wondered if Sesshomaru wasn't the only one missing a woman long dead.
"How did she die?" Kagome asked. She tried to be gentle, but the question didn't seem to phase Inuyasha in the least. He shrugged and responded immediately.
"She got old. He protected her and all, and she turned into an old lady. Like I said, I never knew her." Kagome blinked. She wasn't quite expecting that answer. It didn't seem fair, Sesshomaru saving this girl and then having to watch her die of old age. Inuyasha had asked him once why he had 'never laid a hand on her'. If Sesshomaru had some feelings for Rin, did she have the same feelings for him? But the relationship between a demon and a human would surely be doomed. That thought hit a little too close to home.
"Anyway," Inuyasha continued, "Karin brought all that shit back up. Fluffy's just gotta get over it again." Kagome frowned.
"Karin?" she asked. Inuyasha nodded.
"Yeah, she's a reincarnation of Rin," he said.
He looked at the humans around him, eyes shifting from one startled face to another. He frowned.
"You guys seriously didn't figure that out? Thought she would've told you by now," he remarked. Kagome shook her head.
"No. What? No, she did not tell us. How is that possible?" she accused.
"You're a reincarnation of Kikyo!" Inuyasha replied in defense. Kagome sat back, looking to Sango and Rokuro.
"So, basically, Sesshomaru likes Karin?" Rokuro mused slowly. He raised his eyebrows and turned his mouth down in a 'not bad' expression. Sango shook her head, bristling.
"That's ridiculous. They barely know each other. And she's just sixteen-she was fifteen when they met!"
Kagome found herself looking at Inuyasha in response to Sango's protective outburst. He wasn't paying attention to her, and just shrugged at Sango's concern.
"He wouldn't do anything. He's a stuck up demon lord, he'd never get with a human. Even if it was just sex." At that, Sango made to jump up from her chair. Rokuro's hand on her arm was all that stopped her from throttling the oblivious half-demon.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, shrill. She'd never heard someone mention sex so suddenly and casually. Among her school friends, it was a whispered word steeped in giggles and distant possibilities. With her mother, it was was hesitantly explained in a stammering conversation about periods, boys, and what men and women did together in bed. But Inuyasha just blurted it out like it was no big deal. Like it was just something people did.
Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head at Kagome's shriek and he glared at her.
"Geez! All I said was he wouldn't ever be with her. Sango's right, she's too young," he said. That seemed to soothe Sango, and Rokuro pulled his hand away from her arm.
"It does bring up an interesting question though," Rokuro said, "Whether or not a human and a demon can fall in love. Clearly-" gesturing to Inuyasha "-they can reproduce together, so the biology can't be too far off." Kagome turned a little pink at the sudden intrusive thought of Inuyasha's parents reproducing. Sango dropped her face into her hand, avoiding the conversation around her entirely.
Inuyasha scoffed.
"Please. Demons don't love anybody. Sex is sex and mating is for protection against enemies."
There was a moment of silence in the room as his words sank in. Kagome realized she'd never really considered demon sex before. She thought that was probably a good thing. She knew about mating of course-it was like human marriages. But love? She'd always assumed love was part of it for demons as much as it was for humans.
"Do you really think that, Inuyasha?" Rokuro asked. He didn't seem shocked, simply thoughtful. How he could casually discuss this topic was beyond Kagome. Inuyasha paused, considering his own words. Typical of him to speak first and think later.
"Well, yeah," he said.
Her next words were out of Kagome's mouth before she could stop herself.
"So did you love Kikyo?"
Shit. Inuyasha must be rubbing off on her. The question took him by surprise, and he looked a little like she'd slapped him. Then he blinked and the general grumpy expression was back.
"I'm not a full demon," he muttered. It was an evasive answer, and Kagome was happy to let it go at that, but Rokuro had other ideas.
"So you did love her?" he pressed. Inuyasha replied with a bit of a growl in his throat.
"It was complicated," he said. Rokuro raised his eyebrows, grinning. He glanced at Kagome before asking his next question.
"Then did you guys ever…" he trailed off, letting everyone else fill in the blank. Kagome's eyes widened and she flushed red. Suddenly she was picturing Inuyasha and Kikyo...oh dear. Sango slapped Rokuro's arm lightly, a disapproving scowl on her face. Inuyasha glanced at Kagome, his brows drawn together angrily and his mouth slightly open. Their eyes met, and they both looked away. Then Inuyasha glared at Rokuro. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head violently.
"Hell no! She was a priestess! And human. And then dead for hundreds of years. And what kinda thing is that to ask anyway? Perv. You're supposed to be a monk," he accused. Kagome let out a small sigh. Of relief she supposed, though she wasn't sure why. In Inuyasha's words, sex was sex, right? Even if he and Kikyo had been together, it wouldn't have been that important to him.
"Can we talk about something else, please?" Inuyasha grumbled. Embarrassment was catching up to him quickly. Sango nodded, glaring at Rokuro. Kagome stood, happy for the opportunity to change the subject.
"I want to show you my archery. I'm way better than I was before," she said.
Later, Rokuro and Kagome watched Sango and Inuyasha spar in the gym. Although, gym was probably a strange word for it. It was built like a traditional dojo, but with a combination of workout equipment and weapons lining the walls. Free weights hung next to fukia darts, and colored bands stood out alongside dulled sword sheaths. A coil of thick rope sat in the corner of the room, below a rack of shuriken. Inuyasha and Sango danced back and forth in the center of the room, Inuyasha fighting with his claws and Sango with a tall staff.
Inuyasha swept a foot out, but Sango jumped over the attempt to trip her. Moving quickly, Inuyasha lunged at her with one hand. His speed took her by surprise and she stumbled back, throwing the staff up and knocking his hand away at the last minute. Inuyasha stepped back and the two circled each other, watching for an opening. Both were sweaty and bruised, and both were thoroughly enjoying it.
Kagome and Rokuro sat on the floor by the far wall, eyes following the fighting pair back and forth. Kagome held the bow she'd used before, tapping the leather-bound handle with two fingers in an uneven beat.
"Kagome," Rokuro said, like he wanted to ask her something. Something she wouldn't like. She stopped tapping her fingers and looked at him suspiciously.
"What?" she asked, hoping she wouldn't regret it.
"You know I like Sango," he said. Kagome nodded.
"Yeah…" She didn't like where this was going.
"And now I know you like Inuyasha," he said. Kagome narrowed her eyes. Rokuro grinned at her, as if daring her to disagree.
"You were pretty interested in his past love life," he said. Kagome glanced to Inuyasha, suddenly remembering his hanyou hearing. He didn't seem to be paying any attention to them. She turned her attention back to Rokuro. She considered hitting him with the bow-lightly, of course-but that would certainly draw Sango and Inuyasha's attention.
"I'll keep my mouth shut if you do," she said. Rokuro put his hand out, and she took it.
"Deal," he said, utterly pleased with himself.
Sango and Inuyasha's sparring ended abruptly when Inuyasha's clawed hand went straight through the polished hardwood floor. Kagome jumped up, dropping her bow and running over to the hanyou. He was roughly pulling his hand from the hole in the floor. His skin caught on the sharp edges of the wood and suddenly he was bleeding.
"Stop-stop, Inuyasha!" Kagome commanded. Something in her voice made him listen (for once!) and he let her wrap his bleeding hand in her sweater. The sweater would be ruined, of course, but she didn't care.
"Come on, let's go to the kitchen. There's a first aid kit there," Kagome said.
"We'll tell Myoga," Rokuro said quickly, grabbing Sango's arm and pulling her towards the stairs to Myoga's office. He winked at Kagome as he passed her, and she hoped the heat in her cheeks wasn't an obvious blush. Suddenly on the receiving end of some cupid-playing antics, she felt a bit bad for abandoning Rokuro with Sango before. Not bad enough to keep her from doing it again, of course. Pushing those thoughts away, she tried to help Inuyasha up. He, as always, shrugged off her help and started walking confidently towards the kitchen-before he realized he had no idea where the kitchen was. With a muffled laugh, Kagome led the way.
A few minutes later they leaned over the sink, Kagome examining Inuyasha's hand for splinters and serious cuts.
"It'll be fine, just leave it alone," Inuyasha grumbled. Kagome glared at him.
"Let me help you. And why did you have to put your fist through the floor? Now poor Myoga will have to replace it. Hardwood's expensive, you know!" She brandished a pair of tweezers, spotting a particularly small splinter in his knuckle.
"Sesshomaru pays him well-ouch! Don't dig around in there, wench!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Got it!" Kagome said, dropping the tiny scrap of wood into the sink. She turned his hand over in hers, leaning in a little to make sure she wasn't missing anything. She wasn't sure if demons could get infections, but she knew Inuyasha hadn't had a tetanus shot in...ever. Then she reached into the first aid kit on the counter and pulled out some bandaids. Inuyasha protested, but she managed to stick them on with some antibiotic cream before he could snatch his hand away from her.
Inuyasha scratched at his hand, between the bandaids, as Kagome packed the first aid kit back up. She looked up, to find him watching her with a strange expression.
"What?" she asked. He blinked.
"What?" he replied. Kagome put a hand on her hip.
"You were giving me a weird look," she said.
"What? No I wasn't," Inuyasha said. Kagome narrowed her eyes, but he didn't give in. She turned her attention back to the first aid kit and finished packing it up. As she returned it to the right cabinet, she worked up the courage to bring Kikyo up again. She shut the cabinet and turned to see Inuyasha. Then she made herself speak before she chickened out.
"I'm sorry I asked you about Kikyo. I shouldn't have done that in front of Rokuro and Sango," she said. Inuyasha shrugged.
"It's okay," he said, but not in a convincing way. He was still scratching at his hand. The band aids probably itched. Kagome stepped closer to him, and realized her breaths were quick and shallow. She tried to breathe slower, and felt a wave of calm pass over her.
"I didn't mean for Rokuro to ask if you and she had ever...you know. You know?"
"We didn't," Inuyasha said quickly. Kagome reached out, then stopped herself. She curled her fingers back into her palm, then dropped her hand and tapped it against her leg.
"That's not what I'm saying. It's just that...it's none of my business. I'm just her reincarnation, that doesn't mean I have to know everything about her relationship with you," Kagome said. The selfish part of her wanted him to say no, that he'd tell her anything she wanted to know. In the pause before Inuyasha's reply, she berated herself for liking him. It wasn't smart, and she always thought she was a smart girl. Apparently even smart girls can be stupid when it comes to boys.
"Thank you," was all Inuyasha said in reply. Surprising Kagome, he reached out and put a hand on her head. Then he patted her twice, and pulled his hand away again, his face very serious. Kagome couldn't help it, she burst out laughing.
"What was that?" she asked. Inuyasha crossed his arms, scowling at her.
"I-whatever!" he said, "I was trying to be nice." He made to stomp out of the kitchen.
"Inuyasha, wait! It was nice, just-hey, stop!" Kagome caught up with him, bumping her shoulder against his. He glanced down at her, confused.
"I just wasn't expecting you to pet me. What, is that a sign of affection for inu youkai?" she asked. Inuyasha scoffed.
"No. We're not actually dogs, you know."
"Well, I've only met you and Sesshomaru! How am I supposed to know dog demon manners?"
"We don't sniff each other's butts, if that's what you're thinking! Damn you humans, always with the weird assumptions," Inuyasha grumbled. But he smirked a little at her, and she could tell he wasn't too offended. She smiled. They started to walk slowly down the hallway.
"Anyway," Inyasha continued, "Let's never talk about sex ever again. Subject is off the table-make sure Rokuro knows that. Such a perv."
"Agreed," Kagome said.
"And no more talk about Sesshomaru and Rin," Inuyasha added.
"Definitely," Kagome replied. She was more than happy to stay away from the subject of relationships. Better to stick to combat skills and Sesshomaru's pompous attitude. Speaking of-
"Has Sesshomaru said anything to you about integration?" Kagome asked. After she left the council earlier, she realized she didn't know where Sesshomaru stood on the matter. Myoga obviously supported it, but Sesshomaru was lukewarm on humans. Inuyasha frowned.
"No, he hasn't said anything," he said. Kagome hmm'd. When she didn't speak further, Inuyasha asked her:
"You want the Sector open to humans, right?" He had fixed her in a tense gaze, and she couldn't make out what he was feeling. She nodded. When that didn't seem enough of an answer she said:
"I'm human, and I want to be here." A smile flicked across Inuyasha's lips before he caught himself and resumed a hearty scowl.
"Heh, figures. You're the weirdest human I've ever met," he retorted. Kagome rolled her eyes.
"Look who's talking," she replied. Then she took off down the hall before he could think of a comeback. He shouted in annoyance, then ran after her.