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Chapter 14 - Changing for the Better
Sesshomaru could practically feel the excitement radiating from the two redheaded demonesses as they stood by Kagome's bed. Just minutes ago, she had stirred; the first movement in several days. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyelids lifted.
Kagome wasn't quite aware of what was going on. The heavy blanket of black that had been thrown over her following Sesshomaru's mysterious words was dissipating. She found herself staring at a high wooden ceiling. 'My ceiling is white though…' she thought vaguely. Her fingers twitched and pressed downward on her bedding; it felt unfamiliar, 'Where am I?'
Turning her head, Kagome was surprised to find three people sitting by her bed.
"Kagome! You're finally awake!" Two demonesses cried out, "We missed you!"
Kagome's lips twitched upward; they were familiar but for some reason she couldn't place their names, 'Where did they come from?' Her eyes settled onto the third person and she felt her eyes widen. He was exactly how he'd been when she'd last cast her glance upon him. Long silver hair fell neatly over his shoulders and his golden eyes appeared to be bored. When she made eye contact with him, her breath caught and his eyes became unreadable. 'Sesshomaru…'
Blushing, Kagome turned away and studied the rest of the room. It was a medium sized room with cubbies filled with various items lining one wall. Frowning slightly, Kagome turned back to her audience, "Where am I?"
Kiome and Kiara exchanged worried glances, "Kagome…?"
The miko tried to sit up when one of the two redheads held her shoulder down. "You need to stay lying down for a bit. Sora's orders."
Kagome began to panic, "Where is everyone?" Again she tried to get up and turned her gaze anxiously to Sesshomaru when she was stopped.
Sesshomaru noted her distress and quickly dismissed the females, instructing them to close the door behind them on their way out. Turning his gaze back to Kagome, he noticed her staring confusedly into his eyes. She reached for his face with her hand and Sesshomaru caught it in his own, "Kagome."
"Sesshomaru what—where are we?"
"You are in my castle. Do you recall the events of the past few days?"
"I was back home, with you and Inu Yasha. Rin was there too and…" Kagome trailed off when she noticed Sesshomaru's eyebrows incline slightly. "What's wrong?"
Sesshomaru quietly explained to her what had happened in the forest, apprehensively watching her face the entire time.
"So… none of that really happened?"
"None of what?"
Kagome opened her mouth but closed it again. The things he had told her sounded vaguely familiar but she still didn't see them as her own memories. It was as if he had told her a rather gruesome bedtime story. Her mind strayed to the events that had happened in her time. How could she even begin to explain that to him? Perhaps it was better that he didn't know. She shook her head and murmured, "Never mind."
Sesshomaru rose, "I will send in the girls then. They'll get you washed up."
Kagome nodded slowly and watched him exit the room. He must've explained the situation to the two because when they returned, their expressions seemed to be restrained. The two took Kagome back to her room, not letting her take a step by herself. They showered her with cautious smiles and careful conversation all throughout her bath. Drying her off, they quickly dressed her in a loose fitting clothing that she could sleep in and presented her with a large tray heaping with delicious looking food.
"Take it down slowly now," Kiome warned as she seated the human before the food.
Kagome nodded and took in the delicious scents wafting from the tray. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until just now. Without another word, she dug in. When she was satisfied with the amount she'd eaten, Kagome leaned back against the cushioned headboard of the bed and looked out distractedly at the two female demons. Her mind replayed the events that had happened in her time. For some reason, they seemed to be getting foggier and harder to recall. "Where is Rin?" she asked offhandedly.
"Ah! I'll bring her," Kiara said before hurrying out of the room.
Kagome smiled, "That should take my attention off things."
Within minutes, Kiara returned with the child and Rin ran and leapt onto Kagome's bed. "Kagome-chan!" she threw her arms around the miko, "I'm so glad you're finally awake!"
Kiome and Kiara excused themselves from the reunion, promising to return shortly.
Kagome smiled at Rin, "I missed you too, Rin-chan."
"I had to play with Jaken-sama and he's so boring!" Rin pouted.
Kagome laughed, "Awwh, I'm sure he tries."
Rin gripped Kagome's arm and watched her carefully, "Are you feeling better now?"
The miko nodded and gave the girl a hug, "I am Rin-chan, thank you."
"I promise I won't ever wander off again," she murmured into Kagome's stomach.
Kagome winced from a sudden sharp pain in her temple. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out and startling Rin. As quickly as the headache had come, it petered out. Thinking nothing of it, she turned her attention back to Rin, "Okay Rin-chan." Kagome's fingers ran through the girls hair and Rin cuddled into her more.
Pulling away, Rin looked at her with shining brown orbs, "Will you still be my okaa-san?"
It was as if those simple words had opened a gate; everything rushed back to Kagome. She and Rin had been playing outside, Rin had wandered off and she'd followed… the wolves… Kagome recalled that the last thing she'd seen before passing out had been long silver tresses against the colours of the forest. They belonged to the one who saved them, the one that brought colour to Kagome's cheeks; the one and only; Sesshomaru.
"Kagome-chan?" Rin asked when Kagome didn't respond.
"Hai Rin-chan, I will still be your okaa-san," Kagome smiled down at the little girl.
Rin beamed and leaned against Kagome, "I love you okaa-san."
Kagome stroked Rin's hair lovingly, "I love you too Rin." Kagome's head abruptly began throbbing, she grit her teeth and willed the pain away. Like the last surprise headache, this one also quickly extinguished itself. Kagome dismissed it as an after-effect of the coma and listened to Rin's breathing. 'I suppose everything he said was true… I really was in a coma. Everything that happened wasn't real.' Kagome wasn't exactly whether to be relieved or upset.
She thought about the moments she'd spent with Sesshomaru, 'I wonder if he can really be that sweet.' Kagome thought about how she'd run her fingers through his hair and how silky it had been. She shuddered unexpectedly and decided that these confusing new thoughts would best be explored another day. She began singing Rin a lullaby, listening as her breathing evened out.
Feeling restless, Kagome gently extricated herself from Rin and got up. She paced around the room, testing her legs and her balance. Satisfied, she quietly exited the room and wandered around the large establishment. Her thoughts wandered to Sesshomaru and how she'd felt about him back in her time. 'I felt safer around him, but Inu Yasha—'
Turning a corner, Kagome bumped into someone tall. Looking up, she blushed and quickly averted her gaze. Speak of the devil.
"What are you doing?" a smooth voice asked.
Kagome's large eyes studied Sesshomaru and settled on his stump of an arm, "Hey didn't I fix…?" Her question trailed off when she remembered that hadn't been real. Giving the demon a small smile she gestured to his missing arm, "Do you mind if I…?"
Sesshomaru gave a short nod, curious as to what the miko was up to. He was taken aback when she touched his arm before tightly hugging his torso.
'I'm sure I can do this again,' Kagome tapped into her energy and allowed it to seep into the demon's figure, careful to keep it controlled. She guided it to his missing arm and allowed it to reconstruct just as she had mere hours ago.
Exhaling, Kagome stepped back from Sesshomaru and smiled, grasping his left hand.
Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he tried out his arm, "How did you—" He was cut off by Kagome's swaying figure. His eyes scanned her face and realized that she must have used up all her energy. Catching her easily, he carried her back to her room. 'She brought it back… my arm.'
Lying the miko down next to Rin's sleeping figure, he tucked her in before closing the drapes and leaving the room.
Inu Yasha landed in front of Kayo's crouching form and swung the Tetsusaiga. It plunged easily into the pig's hoof, splitting it into two.
The pig snorted angrily and foam began spilling from its mouth. It reared and uttered a terrifying scream.
Inu Yasha didn't waste a minute. He leapt up and roared "Wind Scar!" Streaks of energy flew forth and made a quick job of the demon pig. The demon's eyes widened and it fell to the ground in strips.
The Saimyosho wasted no time and immediately flew down to try to retrieve the jewel shard.
"I don't think so!" Inu Yasha snarled, hastily unleashing the Wind Scar on the insects. The insects disintegrated and Inu Yasha jumped up and caught the falling jewel shard. When he returned to Kayo, the flesh of the pig had disappeared and the bones were left behind.
Miroku and Sango came up and looked at the bones inquiringly. "That was a little too easy for a demon that was working with Naraku."
"Naraku?" Kayo asked confusedly.
"We'll explain later, what do you think Inu Yasha?" Sango asked, addressing Inu Yasha.
"Who cares? How is Kirara doing? I'm getting tired of sitting around all day doing nothing," Inu Yasha retorted.
Sango beamed at Miroku, "Last time I checked, she was doing much better. I'll ask Jinenji when she'll be better."
"Okay, come let's go back to the hut," Inu Yasha sheathed the Tetsusaiga and began walking away.
When they got to the hut, Jinenji and Jiya were waiting for them.
"Hey, Jinenji…" Sango began.
Jinenji looked up at Sango.
"How much longer will it take for Kirara to get better? I thought I saw some improvement in her, but I wasn't sure," she finished, hoping he'd get the message.
Everyone looked at Jinenji and Sango discreetly held up her index finger.
Jinenji nodded and said, "She'll be better by morning."
"Do you think that she'll be okay to travel?" Inu Yasha asked.
"Hai," Jinenji answered, "But don't involve her in any fights tomorrow."
Miroku smiled, "That means we can continue our shard hunting tomorrow."
"Shard hunting?" Kayo asked, slightly lost.
Miroku and Sango emphasized details that Kayo had received from Inu Yasha's memories and made their situation clear to the miko.
Kayo nodded fifteen minutes later; she now understood the quest and her role in it. Just as she was about to open her mouth and mouth her support for the quest, her head began to pulsate with pain. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth. The pain was so completely gone minutes later that Kayo wondered if she'd imagined the whole thing. "So, I'm your new shard detector?" she asked cheerfully.
Inu Yasha looked up sharply, "You're more than just a shard detector."
Miroku and Sango exchanged glances. Miroku nodded slightly and smiled reassuringly. "He's right, Kayo you are much more than a shard detector. You're our friend as well."
Kayo grinned, "Glad to be." She glanced at Inu Yasha and her grin widened. She couldn't see his face anymore; his aura reflected the healing that had taken place. The only sadness that was left was slight and laced the outsides of everything else he felt.
Inu Yasha felt a tug at his lips and he let himself smile. Kayo was going to be okay.
The group continued to chat and discuss what they would do in the morning.
There was no way they could know about what was in store for them.
Naraku smirked and began laughing maniacally. "So, this Kayo woman can see jewel shards as well? I see. And the other miko—Kagome—is with Sesshomaru? Good, good, all is well. I think that soon we shall see what my new body is capable of."
Naraku had hidden Saimyosho in the trees; these acted as his eyes and ears and kept him up to date with the situation with Inu Yasha and co. So he was aware that after all that happened, Inu Yasha was now well and able to fight again.
Kayo; the newest member of Inu Yasha's team had a very interesting story indeed. He wanted her. Her spiritual powers and her apparent connection to Kikyo and Kagome only served to strengthen his lust for her.
Naraku sat back and sighed. His plan still needed some preparation. All his minions weren't yet assembled. He still needed a lot more. 'Kagome will notice the large movement of jewel shards, even from the heart of the Western lands. She will alert Sesshomaru and they will most likely aid Inu Yasha.' Naraku growled in frustration. It would be hard to get enough pawns to even stand a chance at opposing the Wind Scar; it would be even harder to get enough to hold off Sesshomaru.
Naraku considered the fact that his plan might fail and thought about changing his strategy. He quickly discarded the idea when he found his brain running in circles. 'This plan will have to do. I will eliminate both of them.' Naraku thought.
Naraku heard the door open and turned to see Kagura enter the room. "So," she began dryly, "how do you figure this will end?" Kagura was not privy to his thoughts but she could put two and two together. The only reason that Naraku would worry at all was given the possibility that the Inu brothers would team up and fight together.
"I will kill them both and keep those women for myself," Naraku growled.
Kagura seated herself nonchalantly in one of the back corners of the room. "I works to our favour that the priestess—Kikyo—is finally dead," Kagura said, eyeing him to gauge his response.
Naraku's turned away, not allowing Kagura to notice his eye twitch, "She was never anything more than a mere inconvenience."
A/N) Phew, I rewrote pretty much this entire chapter. I realized since she just woke up from a coma, she should act more like it. So, there's some confusion and tiredness and testing of balance going on :P
Fight scene was a little short, apologies to action-lovers out there