Sesshomaru knew he wasn't thinking straight, all he could see was red, he didn't think he'd ever been this angry before. Kagome was his and the whelp thought he could try to touch her in such a way? The only reason the whelp wasn't just a series of disconnected body parts lying at various places in the field was because he was his half-brother and Sesshomaru had legendary control. He didn't want to control himself though, not after this stain on his family line would disrespect him so. He knew that Inuyasha didn't really understand all that Sesshomaru had gone through during Inuyasha's childhood, how he did everything he could to make sure he was safe and to try to get the pup with him so that he could learn how to control his yokai. In the moment that didn't matter to him though, this seemed like an even bigger betrayal because of all that. He knew that didn't make a lot of sense but that didn't matter to him, his little brother betrayed him, and he was going to make sure Inuyasha paid for it. He was able to think and consider all this in just a moment, the moment he saw his little brother lean in to kiss his woman. The snarl that left his mouth was enough for Inuyasha to shrink in submission but that didn't content Sesshomaru, he wanted to see Inuyasha bleed. He took a step towards the whelp, ready to attack.
"Sesshomaru-sama don't!"
He almost ignored whoever was calling him because he was too focused on Inuyasha until he realized it was a little girl's voice that he'd never heard before but he knew the scent. He didn't turn his face away from the pup and his immense aura was still pushing down on him in anger but he cut his eyes to where he heard the yell and saw the little girl running toward him with Shippo following. He absently registered his miko's gasp of surprise that the girl had spoken. He knew both children had already seen terrible things in their short lives and a lot of violence. He decided that he wasn't going to let them see him destroy someone that was in their pack since he wanted them to feel safe. He couldn't let the deed go unpunished though. So he continued his stride over to Inuyasha.
When he made it to the boy he was cowering like a pup, Sesshomaru grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. When Inuyasha was hanging a few inches above the ground Sesshomaru looked him in the eye and let out a growl that Inu knew was demanding submission. Inuyasha reluctantly tilted his neck to the side submitting to his older brother. Sesshomaru held him there for one more second before pulling his hand back and slapping him in the face with most of his strength. The slap was so hard that he flew out of Sesshomaru's hand and landed hard against a tree. Inuyasha was sure that he could see birds flying around his head for a few seconds.
Kagome watched the whole scene in a state of shock. When Sesshomaru walked away without even looking at her she was worried that he was mad at her too, she knew she didn't do anything wrong, in fact, she reacted to Inuyasha the same way Sesshomaru did, by slapping him. Although hers was out of a panic to get him to come to his senses and stop, and his was because he was angry. She wanted to giggle because of how similar they sometimes are even though they're very different people. She ran after him and she noticed the children followed too.
She couldn't lie, she felt sort of bad for Inuyasha, she knew she looked just like the woman he loved and he got confused, now everyone was mad at him and he was alone while they all chased after his brother. She didn't really think that was fair but she also knew the right thing for her to do was follow Sesshomaru, so that's what she did. He was walking at a steady pace so it wasn't hard for her to catch up to him. When she did, she tentatively slipped her hand into his. She knew normally it wouldn't be a problem but she wasn't sure that he wasn't angry at her too. When he did not react to the gesture at all, neither a negative one or positive, she breathed a sigh of relief because that was how he normally reacted to such things, she knew he would make it clear if it wasn't welcomed.
They stopped walking a little outside of the village, Kagome knew that they had to leave soon but she figured it was better for everyone if they gave Sesshomaru a few minutes to calm down. She just hoped this didn't ruin the brother's relationship forever, she never wanted to get in the middle of them and she was sure Inuyasha wasn't interested in her that way, he was just confused.
Sesshomaru turned and looked at the little girl, "What is your name, young one?"
"Rin is Rin." She said with a bright smile on her face.
"Uh, hi Rin, I'm Kagome." Kagome replied after a second, a little flabbergasted, it was an unusual way for a child to speak. She had a feeling that it had something to do with the way Sesshomaru spoke in the third person around others.
"Rin knows that, Kagome-sama"
"Just Kagome, Rin. No need to be so formal with me." She said with an awkward laugh.
"Yeah, 'Gome doesn't like all that stuff." Shippo chimed in.
Kagome wanted to ask Sesshomaru if he was okay but she had a feeling this wasn't something he'd open up to her about around the children. She did want to say one thing though so she turned to him, "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru."
He looked at her for a few moments, Kagome always got lost in his eyes when he looked at her like that, so she was confused for a second when he finally replied, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Kagome, I saw the whole thing and you've done nothing wrong."
She leaned into his hand when he lifted it and cupped her cheek, "Yeah, I know. Honestly, I don't think Inuyasha meant to do anything wrong either, I think he got confused, you said it yourself, I look just like her, and with her ashes getting stolen, it probably messed him up." There, she said her peace, she'll let him decide how to feel about it but she wouldn't have been able to let it go if she said nothing on the matter. She felt his hand that was on her twitch, probably in annoyance but he didn't take it off her cheek so she decided it was a win.
She heard the kids whispering and giggling but couldn't make out what they were saying. From the small smirk on Sesshomaru's face, she had a feeling he did. She saw mischief in his eyes when he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.
"Ewww! Kagome and Sesshomaru sitting in the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage!" Shippo tried to sing while holding in his laughs. Currently, Kagome was regretting giving him that book of children's rhymes and stories.
Sesshomaru surprised her when he let out a low husky chuckle when his lips were still so close they were almost touching. It made a pleasurable shiver go down her spine. She saw Sesshomaru's nostrils flair and she felt her cheeks grow red because his eyes darkened in lust at her scent of arousal.
She cleared her throat and turned away from him, "Okay is everyone ready to go? I think poor Kaede is ready and waiting for us, I can't imagine how she feels right now, that's her sister's ashes, so it's more than just a dangerous person getting something strong, part of her family was stolen from her, alive or not that must hurt."
"Yeah, you're right, Kagome. I'm ready." Shippo said subduedly. Kagome still wasn't a fan of the children coming with them into dangerous situations but she knew both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were strong enough to keep them safe and at least while traveling with them, the children had people to care for them.
"How about you, Rin?"
"Hai!" Kagome was glad that it seemed whatever was keeping Rin quiet had stopped, she was worried for the girl.
Sesshomaru started walking back toward where he knew the older miko was waiting, he could feel his miko's eyes on him without even looking and he knew she had something she was trying to figure out how to say, he had a feeling it was about the whelp too. He did not like that she was worrying about him so much, he knew that was just the kind of person she was but after what happened earlier his instincts were in an uproar. If she thought he was possessive before, she was in for a surprise the next few days until he'd be able to get his instincts under control. "Say what you want to say, miko."
"Just… just don't be too mean to him, he's still your brother and we are traveling with each other for the foreseeable future, after all."
"Hn." She didn't like the sound of that 'hn' but there wasn't much else she could do.
She was right, Kaede was ready and waiting for them. She was on a horse with a bag of provisions. Kagome wished she'd just stay home and let them handle it but from the determined look on the older miko's face, that wasn't going to happen. "Sesshomaru-sama, if you'd be so kind as to use your enhanced senses to point me in the right direction to go, I must be going soon. There's no saying what Urasue could do with my sister's ashes and the longer she has them, the more I worry."
Kagome opened her mouth to tell Kaede that there was no chance they were letting her go by herself but Sesshomaru spoke first. "That won't be necessary, we shall accompany you on your journey."
"You needn't bother yourself, I may be an old lady but I know how to subdue a demon."
"It matters not, she was my miko's reincarnation. Knowing Kagome as I do, she would not be able to move on from this situation until your sister is resting in peace again and I will not let her go it alone."
Kaede opened her mouth to argue some more but she realized it was pointless, she was truthful when she said she knew how to subdue a demon but not one of Sesshomaru's caliber. It seemed for now she was stuck with this demon she neither liked nor trusted. "Very well, we must get a move on. So lead the way."
Sesshomaru didn't like being given orders and he was about to make that fact very clear to the miko but Kagome opened her mouth first. "Wait, we have to get Inuyasha! We can't just leave him, especially when it's about Kikyo."
Sesshomaru started to growl again but Kagome ignored it, she wasn't going to leave her friend alone and in pain. She didn't have to worry because a second later Inuyasha landed next to the group but he was sure to keep his distance from Kagome, he didn't want to give Sesshomaru any more reason to be pissed at him.
"Keh, you don't have to wait on me, I've been ready." He didn't wait for anyone to respond to him, he just inhaled deeply, turned around, and started walking in the direction of the scent. The children shrugged and then started following him, and then the rest of the group did too.
~~
They had been walking for a long time, so long that the horse that Kaede was traveling on needed a break. During the travel throughout the day, Kagome kept looking at Inuyasha thinking over the situation that happened with him and Kikyo. After thinking about everything from every angle she could think of she came to the sad realization that although Inuyasha loved Kikyo, Kikyo didn't love him. If she did she wouldn't have been able to seal him to the tree for 50 years. She couldn't help but feel terrible for him and her face was giving that away as clear as day. Both of the brothers were getting angrier and angrier as the day went on because Kagome wouldn't stop thinking of and looking at Inuyasha. Inuyasha didn't like the feelings of pity he was getting off her and Sesshomaru didn't like that his woman was spending all her attention on his brother, the brother had tried to kiss her only hours before. The brother that had his instincts in an uproar. The only reason he hadn't taken out his anger on the whelp was because he seemed to be just as annoyed as he was. Kagome didn't notice any of this, too lost in her own thoughts while the children were on Ah-Un lost in their own world, coloring and getting to know each other.
It was Inuyasha that snapped first. He jumped from Kaede's horse that he was standing on to right in front of her. She let out a small yell in surprise. "What are you staring at?
"What?"
"Why are you staring at me? Stop looking at me like that, will ya?!"
"Looking at you like what?"
"Like you're feeling sorry for me."
"It's just that I know this must be hard for you."
"Yeah, well, whatever. I'm fine, okay? So stop looking at me with your sad eyes, It's weirding me out!"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"
"Keh," He said with a huff and started walking back in the direction they were heading. It wasn't much longer until they came upon a really long rope bridge that was connecting the mountain they were on and another. Inuyasha kept walking as did Kaede.
"Uh-uh no way, no how am I going on that death trap," Kagome said succinctly.
"Whaddya mean you're not going on the bridge? It's fine, see?" Inuyasha asked and then jumped off the wooden planks onto the ropes that you were meant to hold onto as you walked.
"Nope. It looks like it's about to fall apart. And look" she says waving at Ah-Un." There's no way Ah-Un would fit on it, it's too slim."
Kagome couldn't help but scream when Ah-Un walked right off the cliff of the mountain with the kids on its back. She almost passed out in relief when his head popped up a few seconds later as he flew, making his way across the gap. Kagome wasn't sure how she didn't already know he could fly, she guessed it was because since Inuyasha couldn't fly and it wasn't like Sesshomaru would offer him space on his cloud, they spent most of their time walking. Kagome felt a semi-hysterical laugh bubbling up in her when she realized they could have flown the whole time if Inuyasha had known about Ah-Un, he could have just sat on him. It seemed that Inuyasha was having the same thoughts because he became angry. Kagome didn't have to listen to his yelling because Sesshomaru scooped her up and started to fly her across the distance.
That's why it was only Inuyasha and Kaede on the bridge when they were surrounded by bandits. Kagome didn't have to say anything, Sesshomaru simply put her down on the other mountain and flew back to his brother to help him take their enemies down. Kagome was watching without blinking, worried that someone would get hurt though she needn't have worried. They were just humans who didn't know what they were in for when attacking this group. The people flying should have given them a clue but oh well, Kagome wasn't going to complain over an easy win.
Kagome must have been too focused on the fight because the next thing she knew, she was up in the air and a strange old lady was carrying her away. "Sesshomaru!" She yelled, she saw him look towards her and saw his eyes turn red he was going to make a leap for her but someone cut the ropes of the bridge, Kagome couldn't see what happened next because the woman kidnapping her flew them out of sight.
"What do you think you're doing? Put me down! When Sesshomaru catches up with us, you'll be sorry. I don't like seeing people get hurt so if you put me down now, I'll say I didn't see which way you went. Just let me go" Kagome suggested, trying to be fair.
She didn't feel good about the cackle that came out of the old lady's mouth. "Would you prefer to fall to your death, young maiden?" She asked, pointing Kagome's head down to see how high up they were, " After all of my hard work trying to revive the corpse I won't easily give up its reincarnated soul. I have plans in store for you, plans to bring back Kikyo," She said ominously.
"Bring back Kikyo? I don't think I like the sounds of that." Kagome realized this must be Urasue, the demoness that stole Kikyo's ashes.
Kagome wasn't sure how long they'd been traveling but she didn't think it was too long. She had high hopes that meant Sesshomaru would get to her quickly, although she hoped Sesshomaru wasn't so focused on saving her that he let Inuyasha and Kaede take that long fall without help.
Urasue hadn't said anything else to Kagome since she told her she was trying to bring Kikyo back to life though she had been mumbling things to herself that made Kagome nervous. She still hadn't been able to figure out exactly what the demoness' plans were but she suspected she wanted to use her body and put Kikyo's consciousness in it. She wasn't sure if such a thing was possible but she sure as heck hoped not.
She also still wasn't sure how this whole incarnation thing worked, if she was being honest. From what she's been told when Kikyo died her soul somehow eventually became Kagome's. But that doesn't really make sense to her, she and Sesshomaru were bound to each other, and their souls were connected, Sesshomaru said they were each other's mates and she knew that was true. Something deep inside of her is certain of that fact but did that mean that since she shared a soul with Kikyo, she was connected to him that way first? That thought hurt, not only that but it made her angry. Sesshomaru was hers and if somehow someway Kikyo found a way to come back to life she better understand that.
'Oh wait,' Kagome thought, 'Is that why Kikyo was never able to return Inuyasha's love? She couldn't because she knew that something was wrong, that she was meant to be with someone else, that she could never click with him like she should?'
She really hoped that wasn't the case. She had a really uncharitable thought when it crossed her mind that she was happy Kikyo wasn't here so that she didn't have to worry about that problem and then she felt terrible for thinking such a thing, from the sounds of it Kikyo had a hard life, or at least her life wasn't her own, she spent every day being a miko, helping other people, she didn't have any time for herself, and she died so young, she barely got to see what life had to offer her.
Kagome was brought out of her thoughts when she was dropped unceremoniously into something like a bathtub filled with green liquid that smelled terrible. "Hey, watch it! Eww, gross, what the heck, lady? It smells disgusting."
Kagome shut her angry tirade off when someone walked up behind Urasue she had no emotions on her face, it was completely blank. Though she had to admit, she looked strangely familiar. "Who is that?"
Urasue ignored her, she looked at the woman who was staring at her blankly, "So you're dressed, the garbs of a priestess is most fitting, it flatters your good looks. I have done well to reshape your body with human bones and graveyard soil. Now all that you require is a human soul," She says and turns her big scary eyes at Kagome.
That is when Kagome realized who was sitting in front of her, Kikyo. "What are you talking about?"
"My magical herbal potion will soon suck the soul from your very body. Kikyo shall have her soul and you shall be among the living dead."
Kagome decided she had to get out of there, she knew Sesshomaru would come for her but she couldn't wait for him, time was obviously running short and she didn't know if he'd make it there in time. Kagome tried to think of what she could do to get away but her hands were tied and even if they weren't, she was still learning how to use her miko powers, they weren't stable yet. Heck, she couldn't even get the beads off of Sesshomaru yet. She knew she was being very hard on herself, she was at the point where she could bring up her powers by will but she wasn't sure how to control the level of power she used, and it worked much better when she had a conduit to use, like her bow and arrow. Hitting someone with her powers straight from her hand, as she did to the mistress centipede was much more hit or miss. She'd be willing to take that chance though, if only she could get her hands free.
She tried to wiggle her hands around as stealthily as possible because Urasue was less than five feet from her but she found that she was bound tight. She wrapped her hand around the ties that bound her and without calling attention to herself, she called her miko powers through her hands. She had to use all of her control not to let the victory show on her face when the binds loosened. Now all she had to do was wait for an opportunity when Urasue looked away so she could try to attack her and hopefully the adrenaline would make her attack stronger or something and with that and the element of surprise, it'll be enough to purify her, or at least slow her down enough that Kagome can get away. From the looks of things, Kikyo wouldn't be any help either for her or against her.
Kagome must have been thinking too long because Urasue poured whatever she had in her jar into the tub and Kagome felt her body seize. She felt like some part of her, something paramount to who she was, something fundamental was trying to be taken from her. She held on to it with all her might but she felt it slipping away. She had to use all her concentration and power to stay conscious and not give up, she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to hold on, it hurt and some part of her, a part that was growing bigger by the second, wanted to just give up and let herself just fade away. It would be easier, less painful, she'd finally be able to rest, she was just so tired.
Kagome could hear the demoness speak words but she couldn't comprehend them, if she gave even that little bit of concentration away from her current task, she'd lose.
Kagome moaned in pain, it was becoming too much. It became a little easier all of a sudden, when she opened her eyes she realized the jewel shards were lit up brightly, she had the vague notion that they might be helping her.
"This young lass differs somehow, most of my victims would have fallen faint by this point. That light! That girl possesses a fragment of the Shikon jewel. How very fortuitous for me!' Urasue tried to run over to Kagome and grab them but with another burst of light the shards produced something shield-like around her and the demon couldn't get any closer. Still, Urasue tried to get closer but again could not. "The soul appears to be angry, Kikyo's soul flashes with an inexplicably violent and angry light."
Kagome felt like she was going to throw up, she didn't know what was happening but she knew she couldn't hold on for much longer. The only reason she was still fighting was because she knew the moment she stopped, it would be all over.
"The soul is seeking revenge, I suspect she must have experienced a tremendous betrayal in her former life," Urasue said though she knew Kagome was in no position to comprehend her words.
Sesshomaru was able to catch the miko before she hit the ground, he knew Inuyasha would be able to take care of himself so as soon as Sesshomaru placed Kaede on the ground, next to the dragon and the children who were just landing, he uttered "Stay here", the finality was clear in his voice. He didn't stay around any longer to listen to the complaints that were sure to happen, he had his miko to rescue.
It took him a while to find them because the demon must have done something to dampen their scents. The only reason he finally found them was because he was a big dome-like light in the distance. He used his light orb to get there as fast as possible and when he landed he had to stop himself from losing control of his yokai and transforming right there. Kagome was screaming in pain but Sesshomaru didn't know how to get to her. He went for the next best thing. He dashed in front of the demon and gripped her up by the neck. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that someone who looked suspiciously like his little brother's lover was standing there. With a quick inhale he could smell she was nothing but a clay construct, he was starting to understand what Urasue was trying to accomplish here.
"Release her." It was two small words but they held a lot of meaning behind them. The demon had a few tricks up her sleeves but she knew she couldn't hold her own against Sesshomaru, she also knew that if he didn't get what he wanted, she wouldn't live long enough to enjoy the fruits of her labor.
"I cannot." His eyes were almost fully red now and the growls that were continuously coming out of his mouth were monstrous. He was slowly squeezing her neck harder and harder, she was slowly feeling like she couldn't breathe. "I swear it! I did not put that up, it is of her own doing."
Sesshomaru thought over his options, he knew she was telling the truth, she knew she'd die if she lied to him and she smelt no deception in her scent. That didn't leave him with many options though. If Kagome was the one who put herself in a shield of protection, maybe it would allow him to enter. Though it seems to be made of her reiki, he was a strong demon but he did not know what that ammount of holy energy would do to him if he was thought to be a danger to her. He mentally shook his head, it did not matter, he had to try something. Since the demoness was no use to him and he did not want her to try anything, instead of throwing her to the ground, he quickly squeezed with all his might and separated her head from the rest of her body. He wasted no more thoughts or energy on her, other than the fleeting hope that killing her would end this. When nothing happened he made his way over to Kagome, he slowly reached his hand up to the shield around her and was thankful when it didn't burn or repel him.
He stepped into it and got close to Kagome, he was thankful when he realized she was awake and coherent. He murmered, "Kagome…"
"Sesshomaru—it hurts."
He leaned down to scoop her up out of the tub but just as he touched her he heard his brother, who he didn't realize had made it to them, say his dead lover's name. "Ki—Kikyo."
When the name exited his mouth it set off some sort of chain reaction, Kagome's eyes opened wide and they lost all their life, Sesshomaru got her out of the water and into his arms and he started shaking her with no response. "Miko… miko, can you hear me?…Kagome?"
The tenuous control he had on his beast was nonexistent now, he saw what was his miko's soul going to the clay doll. The rage and disgust he felt for such a creation was extreme, he'd never felt so much hate for something in his long life. The only thing that stopped him from transforming was his sword which started to vibrate at his side. He was able to focus on the sword and wonder why it wanted to be drawn. He kissed Kagome's forehead and put her down as gently as he could before standing up and taking his sword out of its sheath. When he did, he knew what he had to do, it was as if the clay body was the same as the imps from the underworld. They were doing the same thing, taking a soul away from its body, its rightful place.
He absently noted his brother taking small steps towards the clay miko and he felt a moment of regret that he'd have to see this, but not enough to make him change his actions, he jumped over to her in one leap and came down with his sword as he was landing. He heard his brother scream as the broken piece of clay landed on the ground but he ignored it all. He turned his attention back to Kagome. He made his way back over to her and picked her up into his arms again hoping for something to happen. He had just enough time to be angry at himself for rushing to action without thinking through all of the consequences because if it didn't work anyone who could have helped was now dead, before Kagome took one long deep breath before a succession of a lot of tiny ones, and finally, Sesshomaru was able to breathe a sigh of relief.