A.N. Hello! Told you I always come back. Not feeling super trusting of FFN's continued existence though with all the glitches. Stuff is slowly moving to AO3. If you find me there, don't be surprised if things are just a little different. I'm editing as I go, and my writing has changed quite a bit over the years. I don't own Inuyasha or X-Men.
Tracing the markings on his face, Kagome wondered at how he indulged her now, humoring her desires to touch him like this. "Not long ago, you were throwing me into the river because I irritated you."
Catching her wrist, Sesshomaru met her gaze. "You would hardly allow that now, Priestess." He almost seemed amused for a moment, running his thumb over her pulse, satisfied to feel it jump.
"I was not thrilled the first time." Kagome quipped, cheeks faintly pink. Even after all this time, having his full attention felt a little overwhelming.
"Hm." He shifted her and pushed her down on her elbows and knees. "Now you have the power to stop this one, should you wish." His fingers went to work preparing her, assured she would not.
xXx
Kagome flushed and looked at Logan a little guiltily as she woke, her body warm with want. It felt a little like cheating, even if it was irrational–these were memories, not something she was choosing. She laid back down, resting her head against his broad chest.
Logan cracked his eyes open and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Dreaming again?" Her desire came off of her in waves, the scent of her making his blood rise.
"Yes." Kagome shifted a little and then let out a little 'eep' as she was suddenly on her back, legs being parted. "Oh!"
Smirking, he kissed her heatedly and settled between her thighs. "You don't need to rely on dreams to get you going, you know."
xXx
Kagome stepped into class a few minutes behind, cheeks pink with embarrassment for it. "Sorry that I am late–oh, thank you, Kurt." She accepted the attendance pad, just realizing it wasn't on the desk when he handed it to her.
"You're welcome, Ms. Higurashi." Kurt settled back in his usual seat next to Kitty.
Smiling, Kagome looked it over and matched the names to the faces briefly before setting up the overhead projector. "Alright, when we last left off, Inuyasha and Kikyou's love story had become a tragic tale. Onigumo, now Naraku, had tricked them."
Kitty's hand shot up suddenly, and she looked eager when she was called on. "So, when we were skipping around, that Miyatsu guy was cursed with a void in his hand. The one who cursed him was Naraku, right? So he just went around messing everyone up after that?"
"Very good, yes. Naraku plagued many. WIth his shapeshifting ability, he impersonated others, using the latent abilities of his demonic horde and anything with power he could find. Still, he didn't become a threat to everyone until 50 years after his 'birth'." Kagome projected an artistic rendition of the well she had come out of 500 years ago in an open field. "This well was known to have magical abilities. They called it the Bone Eater's Well and used it to dispose of the remains of demons, because somehow they always disappeared.
"Fifty years after Kikyou died, after Inuyasha was sealed, a girl came out of the well. She was human, and confused. She had never heard of Inuyasha, never thought Shikon no Tama was real, or even that demons had ever existed. Yet she had been dragged through the well by a demoness called Mistress Centipede and repelled her before she emerged in what the villagers called Inuyasha's Forest.
"Kaede, Kikyou's little sister, was still alive and always watchful. Men of the village spotted her and brought this strange girl, who had even touched the sealed half demon, to her. Kaede was stunned to see that this girl looked very much like her long dead sister, Kikyou. She thought perhaps she was a demon and tested her, but found she was shockingly just a human girl." Kagome waivered then, suddenly stopping the tale.
Rogue frowned, seeing this was not a dramatic pause. "Ms. Higurashi?"
Kagome's eyes were distant for a moment and she suddenly shook her head. "Apologies. I was distracted by something outside," she told them, changing the image on her projector to a painting of Mistress Centipede. "Though the traveler did not know it, within her was the Shikon no Tama, and her presence had revived Mistress Centipede."
The class was awed as she detailed the rest, the jewel being ripped from her body, Inuyasha waking, and the beads of subjugation. Her pause was forgotten with the story, and the excitement faded to empathy once they realized Inuyasha truly thought she was his lost love at first.
By the time class ended, Kagome was very tired. She did not go for her nap though, and went straight to her son once the students were all gone. She found him not far away, obviously keeping himself close to her.
Seeing the look on her face, Shippou turned from watching Sabertooth stalk a rabbit on the edge of the woods. "What is it?" He frowned, seeing her unsettled.
Kagome pressed a finger to her lips and led him into an empty classroom. "While I was in class, I felt something. It wasn't all darkness, or that sick feeling. I think… It's possible that I sensed Sesshomaru."
Shippou looked at her for a long moment. "You-" He looked away and then took her hand, his expression serious. "We should go talk to Lady Haname, and Myoga."
xXx
Kurt watched out the window as Mr. Mikono loaded Ms. Higurashi into a sleek town car. "Do you think they're-?"
Kitty wrinkled her nose as she looked over his shoulder. "No way. Logan is all about her. You can tell by how he looks at her. And the vibes between those two are more family." She let herself rest against him and then peeked up at his now slightly purple face. "Hey."
"Hey," Kurt repeated, his mouth suddenly dry. "Do you.. Would you want to go out sometime? Like, we could make a picnic and I could bamf us out somewhere away from all the others."
Beaming, Kitty pecked his cheek. "Sheesh, glad you finally asked. Yeah. I would like that." She took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his larger ones. "So, sandwiches?"
"W-Right now?" he asked, blushing darker at her kiss and her eager and confident attitude. He glanced around, half worried this was a joke.
"Yeah, now. Two less chaperones, and the longer we wait, the more we'll have to sneak. So, no time like the present." She towed him along as she moved through the walls to the kitchen. "Come on, we can do PB , some veggies and fruit, and be out in no time."
Admiring her quick thinking, Kurt nodded. "Okay. I'll start the sandwiches, you just watch for teachers."
xXx
Shippou had never been on truly good terms with Sesshomaru's mother. He had gone to her and presented her with the news of her son's death along with Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un as honor dictated, but even then he had felt her ire. Still, as she settled calmly at his table, he could not help but put his mother at the farthest seat from her, though he chose to stand. "Thank you for joining us, Lady Haname."
"Of course. Who am I to deny one who thinks himself so important," she remarked, her eyes flashing with mocking amusement as she rested her clawed hands on the glossy wooden table.
Frowning at the way she spoke to her son, Kagome tilted her head. "My Lady, there is no need to trade barbs."
"No, your son knows better than to trade them. He may not be half as important as he thinks himself, but he has a brain in his head." Haname rested her eyes on her with interest. "Why have you called me here? I can indulge you a little, given you carry my son's little girl."
Myoga hopped up to stand before her, just shy of the reach of her hands. "Lady Haname, Lady Kagome and I have both sensed your son, Lord Sesshomaru in passing. Shippou hoped that you might have insight into the possibilities of that, given your position."
Claws gouging into the shining finish on the table beneath them, Haname's eyes narrowed at the flea. "I must have misunderstood. Are you telling me, after 500 years, that my son might live?"
Shippou moved to stand beside Kagome, his posture tense. "There was no reason to believe he could be alive before this. No one would have thought to suggest such a thing to you without evidence."
Kagome rested a hand on her stomach protectively, but met the powerful demoness's eyes. "Sesshomaru was drawn into his own attack, pulled into the Netherworld. I didn't think it was possible. Shippou and Rin told you the truth as they knew it, and if there was a possibility that he lived, they did not know. The blame rests on me."
Red bled into her eyes as Haname regarded her. "You doubted even the possibility, and now you say he just is coming to you and this insignificant flea? You allowed him to lose his life for you, a mortal woman, and did not even try to reach him? Did you really just put him aside with no further thought?"
Throwing a barrier between them when she felt her youki crackling unpleasantly, Kagome stood. "Should I have doubted his ability to kill? He was his namesake! Perfection in battle, stronger than any demon alive. He protected me for reasons I did not understand at the time. If I could change the past, I would, but it is futile. Now, is there a way to go to where he went? A way to try and find him?"
"You ask that now?!" Haname snapped, standing as well. For a moment, her aura was bloodlust, but after a few tense moments, her eyes cleared and she made herself calm. "No, you would die if you went after him, quite a betrayal of his goal and memory. After all this time, even one such as my son, if he clung to life, would be corrupted for that matter. The Netherworld is not a place for life, only death and corruption of what lingers."
"Thank you for your honesty." Kagome dropped her barrier and stood to the side as Haname made to move past her. "I should have-"
"You should have never meddled in the past, should never have been his undoing. You were his curse. But I will not destroy you anytime soon." Haname strode away, not looking at her again, the good will she had seemed to harbor for her gone.
Myoga watched her go. "A mother's grief can be intense. Do not let her words harm you, Lady Kagome."
Leaning down to keep her eyes covered by her bangs, Kagome shook her head. "No. I can't undo it, but I know my traversing time had real consequences. I-"
Shippou drew her to his chest and kissed her brow. "You were meant to go through that well. Was Inuyasha supposed to rot on that tree? Who would have defeated Naraku? It was a mess, but without you, it never would have been fixed."
xXx
When Kagome returned to the grounds, she snuck away into the woods almost immediately, needing to be alone. After stalking through the trees for all of five minutes, she stopped and glared. "Would you just come out? I am not in the mood for this."
The hulking blonde mutant who felt like Wolverine came out of the trees, grinning broadly. "Pretty prey, you should not be alone."
"Prey? I do believe you're mistaken. You're on the wrong side of the line. Go to your side of the forest." Kagome showed no fear to him, knowing that's what he wanted. She knew his type well.
"Doesn't he know he should protect you?" Sabertooth took a step forward, baring his teeth in a facsimile of a smile. "Or did you want to come and be claimed by someone strong enough to make you feel it?"
"You're so full of yourself." Kagome sidestepped when he charged, almost amused at the surprised look on his face. "Slow too." She leapt onto a tree branch as he pivoted to come at her again, darting to another when he followed.
"Yes, run, it will make taking my prize all the better." He followed her, lust in his eyes as she led him deeper and deeper into the forest, as if eager for privacy.
Not surprised by the thoughtless way he followed, Kagome finally turned and threw up a barrier that he barreled into. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of his flesh burning and then jumped to a higher branch. "I am not a prize to be won." She grabbed another branch and twisted around, kicking him in his back with her feet covered in purification.
Letting out a snarl of rage, Sabertooth fell forward, the burns not healing immediately as he was accustomed. "Mm. You are a special thing, aren't you? I bet you taste so clean."
Flame erupted around him and Shippou came out of the shadows, looking furious. "I warned you, did I not?" His tone was dangerous, fangs elongating. "You think that I will allow you to touch her, to threaten her, to treat her like prey?" His features were becoming more vulpine, the stress of the earlier meeting perhaps fueling his wrath.
Kagome threw a bubble-like barrier around Sabertooth, cutting off the flames and sealing him in. She walked to her son's side and took his hand. "Stop. It's okay. No one is going to hurt me, Shippou-chan."
Drawing her to his chest, Shippou shook his head. "It's different now. I can protect you. Let me." He buried his nose in her hair, feeling overwhelmed by the thought that maybe he couldn't. Perhaps Haname had struck a chord with her words.
"Sshh…" She stroked his hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead, ignoring the enraged screams of the mutant behind them. "I am strong. We are strong. I am going back to the manor. I will stay there. You can teach your lesson, if you feel it is important, but do not kill him."
"Okay." He let her go, watching her walk away. He turned his eyes back to the dome of power, waiting for her to drop the barrier.
Downwind and hidden, Kurt covered Kitty's eyes and bamfed away as Sabertooth began to scream in pain.
xXx
Kagome laid on silks, the cool night air raising gooseflesh on her bare skin. She sat up, covering her breasts as she looked at the demon who had claimed her, his back to her. "Sesshomaru?"
Turning to meet her gaze, his eyes swept over her arms shielding her from his gaze. "That scarcely seems necessary." He stepped towards her, evaluating her form on his discarded kimono. "This one has seen all of you."
Blushing, Kagome looked away from him and hesitantly lowered her arms. When she looked up, he was before her again and she reached up, resting her hand on his jaw. "Why are you-? This isn't how it went. You didn't say that. You probably thought it, but you just came to me, and touched my arms. I lowered them, and then you took me again. This isn't a memory."
"A dream then," Sesshomaru intoned, tilting her head back. "Humans dream often." He leaned in and kissed her, his hand resting on her stomach.
The kiss was wrong though. It wasn't his. She pushed back and when she looked again, he was not Sesshomaru, but a creature, and she tasted bile on her lips. "No."
"Do you not want to see this one again, Priestess?" The voice echoed around them, and the world became dark and painfully hot, the silk beneath her becoming rough.
xXx
Lurching up in bed, Kagome rushed to the bathroom to vomit. She sensed Shippou behind her, having allowed him to take Logan's spot beside her after the trials of the day. Closing her eyes, she let him hold her hair back and tie it behind her before she rose. "He's out there."
"Mama, I know you sensed him, but-" Shippou began, a frown on his lips.
"I know. He's not in a state to be considered himself. But Shippou, I'm so sure. I think he reached out to me, maybe he's been reaching out. I don't know for sure. But if I can save him, I have to try." Kagome touched her stomach and then went to rinse her mouth out and brush her teeth.
"Do you intend to put Logan aside then?" Leaning on the counter, he looked at her in the mirror. "I'm not saying that you have to, or should. I just should point out that I don't know if the two can play nice."
"Saving Sesshomaru isn't about my heart. He's her father, Shippou. We both know what it is to live without one." Kagome looked down, stroking her belly. "My relationship with Logan is completely separate. It isn't as if Toga stayed with Haname."
"A fact that did not go down well, no matter how nonchalant she tries to play it." Shippou eyed her and then sighed. "For now, let's focus on what's here in front of us. You're not in any state for a rescue mission."
"Mm." Kagome would not agree, nor disagree, only acknowledging she heard him. "Speaking of Logan, I might go to his room. He's pretty good at chasing the dreams away."
Arching an eyebrow, Shippou smirked. "Not like you to banish your poor, worried child from your bed. Are you sure this isn't an excuse to wander off?"
Huffing, she rolled her eyes. "No, I have no desire to fight anyone in the forest tonight." She grabbed her ankle length robe to slip on and a change of clothes, as well as a shower kit and her body oils. "You're free to stay here." With that, she walked out of her room, planning on joining her lover. Right outside the door to Logan's bedroom, she spotted an unlikely person however. "Kurt? You're up late." She put the bag behind her a bit, not really wanting to explain why she was headed into the other teacher's room.
Biting his lip, the blue boy looked her over, suddenly looking more skittish than she had ever seen him. "Ms. Higurashi, I-" He glanced at the door. "I was going to talk to Logan about something I saw today. I mean, I thought maybe he could explain better, because I thought the Professor must know, but Logan always-"
Feeling as if she had been dunked in cold water, Kagome met his eyes and swallowed thickly. She could see the recognition there, the knowledge of a threat. "You were in the woods today." There was no question, only realization.
Nodding, Kurt looked at her and then away. "I thought I should tell someone about what I saw, and he knows about Sabertooth more than anyone, so I figured he would know if he was okay. I know you're a kind person, Mr. Mikono is too, and that he is dangerous, but I wanted to know he really is alive."
Wincing, Kagome looked down the hall. "I was just out for a walk. Come to the kitchen, and we can get a snack and talk."
Without hesitating, he nodded again. No matter what he had seen, he still trusted her. She still made him feel safe.
Kitty suddenly tumbled through the wall though, Rogue in tow. "Um, we want to have a snack and talk too."
Blinking, Kagome looked at the two and finally nodded. "Alright. All of us will go to the kitchen then." She had owed Rogue more of an explanation for awhile, and by the way Kitty clung to Kurt, she needed to repair some trust as well.
