1,030So, here is another chapter, yay!
Enjoy it! This time no thank you's because I thank you all for still reading this story...and my battery is dying, so I should post this soon.
Enjoy Christmas and New Year's with all the people you love, and I hope this year has given you everything you wanted and more.
Lots of love!
Fragments Of A Shattered Moon
Puppet
Recordarás los antiguos besos y el frío dolor que crecía, recordarás esa poderosa alegría y los ojos y las manos perdidas; recordarás el remordimiento por lo escasos que fueron sus besos. El sueño perdido de como se conocieron sabe a miseria en tus labios marchitos. Ayer parecía amor pero nacido para morir hoy, es inquietud,dolor. La bendición es el olvido, el silencio. Pero no será secreto. NO! Siempre será secreto
-Damian, Angeles o Demonios
Inuyasha smiles the softest smile as he watches Kagome twirl around in front of her house, autumn leaves all around her. Kagome pushes the stray strands of her raven hair off her rosy cheeks. She tosses the leaves into the air, and laughs as they fall all around her.
She smiles radiantly at him with a sparkle in her sapphire eyes. Inuyasha secretly melts.
Still, as much as he was enjoying admiring her; he didn't like going to the future. It smelled bad, and his ears always rang from the constant moving atrocities.
Cars, Kagome calls them.
Kagome wanted to come visit her mother and he couldn't deny her. Not after she had spent so much time in the Feudal Era, and especially not after how hard the last battle against Naraku went.
Inuyasha's eyes cloud as the memory hits him; Sango almost bleeding to death and Kagome desperately trying to save her. It had taken all her energy and supplies. It took countless nights by her side, and a lot of luck, but eventually Sango had come through.
At the end, Kagome was more devastated than Sango. Seeing her dear friend so close to dying had scared Kagome to the point where nightmares regular broke her sleep.
When she had told him she wanted a few weeks in her time, Inuyasha had growled and complained but had let her come without much of a fuss, and the condition that he come with her.
Seeing her here, so happy and carefree, playing like a child put his heart at ease, but it also darkens his mood.
This is her right place.
The clothes in this time fit her better than any miko clothes she could wear. The trials she has to overcome take place in a school and are written on paper. She visits her friends, making excuses that they swallow, though Inuyasha knows that they know Kagome is lying.
Still, they take her shopping, fill her in on all the things that she has missed, and make her promise she'll see them more often, even though they know that this will not happen. Her mother always has warm green tea when they arrive from school. Her brother anxiously waits for more stories, and Kagome is so at ease, so worry-free…
She belongs here, in a world where he doesn't, and it makes him want to grab her and take her back to the Feudal Era with the same intensity that it makes him want to leave her here and seal the well forever.
Because as much as he wants her with him, he wants her to be happy more, and it breaks his heart to know that Kagome will never be completely happy in a world where fighting for your life is an everyday thing.
He loves Kagome. Loves her like he could never love Kikyo. Kagome, with the innocent eyes and child-like laugh. Kagome, who still doesn't understand that she can never survive untainted in a world where she is next to him.
"Inuyasha, Inuyasha!" her voice singsongs. "Come here, its fun!" as even more bright leaves are tossed into the air.
"Keh, as if I would lower myself to your level." He makes his voice sound as annoyed as he can make it.
"Come on!" She insists, running forward and grabbing him by the hand. She tugs, and he follows because, at least here, he can give into temptation. He can pretend there is a future for them.
"This is stupid." And even as he says the words, he is bending down to pick up the leaves.
"This is fun!" Kagome laughs again as Inuyasha half-heartily tosses them up. Moments like this remind him of exactly how young she is. Just 17 years old, and even though he has been asleep for most of his years, the difference between them is enormous.
He had to grow up with Sesshoumaru as his brother, and that should be enough to age him at least some hundred years. This child-like behavior and easygoing attitude is something Inuyasha will never be able to have, and it pulls them apart even more.
He knows that, eventually, Kagome will come back to this era. She will meet a man who will love her and be able to give her a good life. And this man, he will not be as handsome as Inuyasha, and certainly not as interesting, but he will be normal, and that will, eventually, be more important to Kagome.
Just a normal guy who loves her dearly.
So, when a leaf is stuck in his hair, and Kagome leans down to take it away, he doesn't stop it. He can feel the end coming; soon he will force her to stay on this side.
When the moment grows tense and she tilts her head just so, he hesitates for a second before closing the distance between them.
It's just one more stolen kiss before they are done. Just one more moment. Her lips are soft under his, and she lets him lead, like always. Her arms go around his neck, and his hands go to her waist as he brings her closer. He kisses her tenderly, steals her breath away with the sweetness of it. Inuyasha is selfish, and because of this, he will allow her name to come out of his lips; allow her to believe that there is a chance between them.
Inuyasha is between his worst nightmare and the most beautiful dream he could ever have. He is in Naraku's castle and in front of him, there are demons he has never seen and some he has heard of. They all share the same thing, though, and that is their status as puppets. All of them remember their past. Some of them, like him, hated Naraku with the same or more intensity that he did, and yet…
Now, they are all willing to die for Naraku, to kill the people they loved and fought alongside. All of them are been used, and it makes not a single difference. The puppets will march for their master.
But…
Inuyasha keeps seeing Kagome. She is laughing. She is looking at him with the tenderest smile that has ever existed, and there is so much love in every one of her actions…
She tends to injuries that will heal in an instant. She jumps in his arms, trusting he will always catch her. She comes back from the future, smiles as if he is her sun. Then she is looking at him with resign, because she thinks of how it will always be about Kikyo. She lets go of Kouga's hand, and he ignores the pain in her eyes. She loves, and he pretends her love is not enough.
It is like a movie that he is forced to watch, and try as he might, he cannot close his eyes. Her image follows him everywhere, and her laughter is all around him, her scent surrounds him, and Inuyasha remembers how fragile she was under his arms…
It should not matter.
She is Naraku's enemy, and his brain is telling him to destroy her. Inuyasha cannot allow the Shikkon No Tama miko to breath at the same time as Lord Naraku.
His right arm prods, a constant reminder that the Kagome that haunts him no longer exists.
Even he can see that she belongs to his idiotic half brother, and he should not at all care, but he does. Of all the people in this world to go to… why Sesshoumaru? Why did she not run to Kouga? Why did it have to be Sesshoumaru? He should have let Kagome stay with Kouga after that time…the time that those two were stuck in the future. He had seen, of course, he had seen, how much it had hurt Kagome to let go of the wolf's hand. But she had done it.
And now, all that loyalty is Sesshoumaru's, and he knows it is stronger to the one she had for him. Much stronger.
He is doomed. That much is obvious. If there is one thing that has always defined Inuyasha, it is his ability to be jealous, especially of anyone that even breathes the same air Kagome does. It seems not even that witch's magic can overcome that.
And talking about that witch…
"Did you know she could make so many puppets?" He asks his companion.
Sango has a crazy look in her eyes, and Inuyasha knows where this is leading. She is ready to get them into action, to take them and threaten this world. He is, too. His blood is boiling with anticipation. He wants to massacre, to kill, to have this world in as much turmoil as he is in right now. Inuyasha wants the blood, the screams, the smoke in the sky, and the fire all around him.
"I did not know. I thought she had overdone herself with us, but look at this!" Sango looks like a child with a new toy. If the child had red eyes, an evil smile, and the creepiest feeling around her, that is.
"And they are all under our command?"
"Atsuki made it like that. They are loyal to Naraku, but they will follow our orders. They are the perfect warriors."
Sango goes on talking about blood this, scream that, and Inuyasha tunes her out. One side of him pulls him to follow Naraku's orders. Those are unquestionable. That is his sole purpose. The other part of him, the one that is growing and growing with each second, pulls him towards Kagome. Save Kagome. Make Kagome happy. Do not let her become more tainted than she already is.
"Inuyasha, are you coming?"
"…Yes." He manages to answer back, turning to follow Sango.
There is a war to plan and to win, strategies to discuss. He will crush Sesshoumaru. At least in that his two parts agree. He turns to look at the army. Ferocious warriors with no purpose but to kill, and in his mind Kagome appears like the first time he saw her; Just a fifteen year old girl trying to save a sleeping boy.
He is going to battle against the one person he has promised to protect, and he is ready to do it. He has to do it, even if her blue eyes haunt his every thought.
But how can he let her go?
Kagome has no timing.
"Hatchoo!" she sneezes.
Sitting in the corner on of his tent, which was one of the largest tents at the campsite befitting of his status, Sesshoumaru tries to fight the small smile that is threatening to break through his face. It is not dignified to smile, but most importantly, Kagome will not be amused if he mocks her. Of course, usually this would not be a problem, as the miko is most entertaining when annoyed, but due to the circumstances, he decides that it would beneath him to insult her while she cannot even put together a decent retort.
"I'm dying!" Kagome moans once more, from somewhere under the deepness of his covers.
"That is unlikely." His tone is as flat as he can make it.
Mali told him it was nothing but a cold, and that it would pass soon. She did say all this after scolding him for letting her stay outside in the rain. Sesshoumaru still cannot understand why Kagome's sickness is his fault. Just because his immune system is better than humans are, Mali should not blame him for Kagome's foolishness. Even more exasperating is Mali's need to try to scold him, making him want to tear out her throat, except that would make them lose many allies.
Kagome lets out a whimper as she finally pokes her head from the covers. "I feel horrible, everything hurts, my throat is killing me, and I can barely keep my eyes open."
She is too pale for his comfort and sweaty because of the fever. Her hair is an even bigger mess than usual, and she has now taken to self-pity. Apparently, all the strength gained in the last few years has evaporated. Despite countless battles, running into friends turned enemies, and even a puppet Inuyasha, the common cold undoes all her progress.
She glares at him, or tries to anyway. Her eyes are so bloodshot that she can barely open them to glare at him. "You're not taking me seriously."
Sesshoumaru picks up a fresh towel, "I assure you that I am taking you as seriously as your current words deserve." He says this as he places a towel on her forehead. He is pleased to notice her fever has broken.
"I…" Kagome frowns, looks confused, and then decides trying to glare at him is her best bet. "Did you just mock me?"
Sesshoumaru refrains from answering and gracefully sits back in his corner.
"Sesshoumaru!" She whines again, and the demon tries to remember that, if he hurts her, he will regret it later.
As if hearing her complain every two minutes was not bothersome enough, Kagome is currently living in his tent. As soon as she got sick, she decided invading Sesshoumaru's tent was a good idea. Her explanation had been that she did not want lingering germs in her tent, and as he was youkai and could not catch a cold, it was the obvious choice, and he should accept it.
Before he could even object, Kagome flopped onto his mat, curled up with the blankets up to her face, and refused to move for the last two days. Sesshoumaru had decided moving her would take more effort that letting her stay. That was the only reason he was not carting her back to her tent. That, and he was not sure what germs were, but he was fairly certain, whatever those things were had caused Kagome's sickness. At least she accepted his metabolism was superior to hers.
Well, that and Kouga's anger. Sesshoumaru had found fairly entertaining the way the wolf's face had changed colors. Besides, if he was not allowed to touch Kagome in delicious ways, then certainly the wolf youkai had no rights.
"Sesshoumaru! Do something. I'm dying!" Kagome whined.
Sesshoumaru is not smirking. Really. A youkai of his caliber would not do that. He raises his nose and sniffs the air. There is the unmistakable smell of sickness, although it is not as bad as yesterday. There is also Kagome's misery in the air, but not a trace of impending death.
"You are not dying." He reassures her. "You are just ill, and it is getting better."
"That's what you say to people that are dying!" She exclaims, trying to sit up, but eventually giving up and staying down.
"Kagome…"
But even sick, Kagome continues to interrupt him. "This is your entire fault!" She exclaims, regaining force to point a finger at him and try to do an accusatory look, but the effect is lost because she keeps blinking.
"I don't see how this could be my fault."
"I was under the rain because of you!"
Ah, yes. Sesshoumaru remembers. The warmth of her body against his, her soft hair against his chin, and her hands holding tight. Her smell under the rain, and the desire that poured out of his every cell.
How much he had wanted to kiss that infuriating mouth, to make it clear that the only reason he tolerated so many useless miko and youkai was because of her. That it is all because of her.
His will to fight, to want to smile, to not be so indifferent to life. He owes it all to her.
"It is not my problem if your metabolism is weak." Of course, he does not owe her enough to stop pointing out his superiority.
"Humans are not weak."
"And yet, you are sick, and I am not."
"You…" Kagome starts, at the beginning of another rambling, but then her expression changes as she tries to find a point in her favor. Sesshoumaru knows when she fails because her face deflates and she lays back on her pillow, silent for now.
Sesshoumaru watches her as she fumes. If she has energy to hold a grudge, then she is getting better. Even if Mali said it was nothing, it bothered him to see her weak, and as he continues to watch, his mind questions his decisions.
Is it worth it, to keep his feelings a secret? He is Sesshoumaru. He should not be scared of her reaction. He wants her, so why should he not have her? It is not in his nature to hide, so why do it now? Even if her heart still belongs to his useless half brother, wouldn't it be better to let her know than keep it inside?
And she is so, so human. Her life is nothing compared to him. A hummingbird's fluttering of wings against an eagle's flight. Fragile and with such a short life, it feels like he is wasting her life, the few moments he can have with her.
But he hesitates, because what would happen to what they already had? Would everything break? Would this calm between them never be the same?
"Sesshoumaru…" She whispers softly, already half way to sleep.
"Yes?"
"Stay?" she asks with her eyes already closed.
"This is my tent, Kagome. If anyone would go, it is you."
Kagome's lips twitch into a small smile. "Right."
As close as they are now, could it really tear them apart, this love for her? Except for Inuyasha, could anything tear them apart?
It seems, what really is lacking in the Feudal Era is timing.
If Kagome's timing is bad, Kouga's is worse.
He is not sure why he is standing in Sesshoumaru's tent. This is certainly the last place he wants to be. Kagome may not understand it, but choosing to stay in Sesshoumaru's tent instead of her own, especially when she is in need, is recognizing that she belongs to Sesshoumaru. At least in youkai culture.
It makes him want to kill Sesshoumaru, to rip his skin, take her and go as far away as his legs can carry him. He cannot give her up, and yet he can feel her slipping away from him, farther and farther away from his grip.
Except, he has never have her, has he?
Just few moments when they had been trapped in the future, when she let him in, when he could pretend she would stay by his side for all her life. Deep down, he always knew she would go back to Inuyasha, that whatever they had always had a time limit.
"You have your own tent." His voice is plain. It is either that or a yell, and as much as he is angry with Kagome, he doesn't want to make her feel worse.
Kami, he loves her. So, so much, and he can't understand how he can love her so much, and she can't love him even a little bit back.
"I don't want sickness in my tent." She replies. Her voice husky from the pain on her throat. She looks exhausted, sweaty, and about a second from fainting. Kouga thinks she looks beautiful.
"It's not good for you to be in Sesshoumaru's tent." He wants to take care of her, to have her in his tent, to be able to give Sesshoumaru a cocky look as Kagome goes to him.
"I like being here." She says, stubborn even in sickness.
"It sends the wrong message."
She sighs and closes her eyes before answering back. "And what message would that be?"
"That you are his." He is not trembling. Really. That shaking on his hand is normal, always happens.
Kagome's eyes scan Kouga, and she looks at him with such…sadness…
"You know I am." Her eyes leave him, and her voice breaks a little. "I am his miko."
"That's not what I meant!" Kouga finally explodes. He wants to shake her out of her stupidity, tell her that Sesshoumaru will leave her even more broken than Inuyasha.
How will he be able to pick up her pieces and put her back together again? She has been broken so many times, why does she insist on being more broken? How can he save her, when she refuses to save herself?
Kagome finally meets his eyes. "I am Sesshoumaru's."
"But he is not yours!" He says viciously, trying to mar her. He does not know any other way to make her open her eyes.
Kagome refuses to back down. "It doesn't matter."
"Like it didn't matter with Inuyasha?" Low blow, but anger is clouding his judgment, and he wants her to feel like he does, even if the only thing they share is anger and tears.
"Get. Out." Her eyes sparkle with fire, although it could be the fever, which is probably the only reason he has not been purified.
Just like that, all his anger drains, and he sees Kagome, sick, and now hurt because of his words. The words to apologize are in his mouth, but Kagome has already turned away from him, and Kouga leaves with his head down.
The stupid youkai, Kouga did something unbelievably stupid. Centuries of dealing with idiocy has taught her to see it from miles. Kouga walks towards her from the left, just as Sesshoumaru makes his way from the right. He sniffs the air, and his eyes immediately land on Kouga. Mali knows that look. It is the look Taisho used to give his victims before they were dead, and now, the eldest son is directing that look towards Kouga.
Kouga, the youkai in charge of all the other youkai here. Granted they are not incredibly powerful like Sesshoumaru, but they are a considerable number, and against Naraku, no one can afford to be beggars.
The two of them finally reach Mali.
"You were in my tent." Sesshoumaru eyes gleaming dangerously and the air suddenly turns a few degrees lower.
"Kagome is there," challenges Kouga without hesitation. His eyes meet Sesshoumaru's in defiance.
Mali fights the urge to step back and go train mikos far away from here.
Sesshoumaru's claws twitches, "That is not a sufficient reason for you to go into my tent. A youkai like you does not even deserve to be close to it." Sesshoumaru is fighting to not dismember Koga. It would not be beneficial, he tries to remind himself, even as his blood boils for action.
Mali decides there is no time like now to interfere before he kills the poor, stupid youkai.
She steps forward."You have to go for the other youkai before Naraku makes his move."
Sesshoumaru's eyes linger on Kouga, his anger palpable to all three of them.
"No." He says simply, and even Kouga's mouth drops.
"Excuse me?" Maybe he didn't hear Mali right. It had been established, sometime in between Kagome's sickness, that Sesshoumaru was the only choice to go for the youkai. He knew they would not come, would not fight together, if it were not under him.
"We agreed you were the best choice to lead," Mali said through gritted teeth.
"No." Sesshoumaru says again. "You agreed and I refrained from saying anything."
"But…" Mali protested.
"I have no wish to lead a secondhand army." This he says while looking at Kouga, making it perfectly clear what he considers him. "More importantly, you should not assume you are on the level to decide things with me. I agreed to help you. I never agreed to do it your way, or to listen to your useless suggestions." Sesshoumaru is not angry because of their assumptions. It is his fault for not having put them on their place. What has him about to explode like a volcano is Kouga in his tent, with Kagome. It is not jealously. He would never be jealous of Kouga.
It is pure madness that the demon would dare cross a clearly visible line. Kagome is his. Just because she does not want to be his, does not change that.
The only thing that is between them is the ghost of his half-brother. He will not allow another wall to erect between them.
"We talked about this!" Kouga yells at him, unable to control his temper. "You bastard! This affects us all! If you don't help us win, you will suffer the consequences, too!"
Sesshoumaru snaps, speeding into Kouga's personal space before the wolf can even react.
Kouga is reminded that, despite how fast he is, Sesshoumaru has always been in another league altogether.
Sesshoumaru places his hand above Kouga's chest, demon power soaring all around them, making Mali cringle under her skin.
The daiyoukai's eyes dart over Kouga's face as he lets his claws draw blood. "I would rip your heart out right now, if your existence was not helpful at the moment." His claws dug deeper. "This is the second warning I've given you." He throws Kouga to the ground as if he was trash. "There will not be a third."
Sesshoumaru pulls himself to full height, back straight, shoulders pushed, and cold as a glacier. "I am Sesshoumaru. If I desired to take over this…rebellion, it would be with you two below me. Do not forget that." He turns and walks away, a demon in all his glory, power oozing from his very pore.
Mali turns towards the fallen Kouga. "This is all your fault." Her voice is a whisper. How can she make him understand? How can anyone make the wolf youkai react?
He looks indignant, blue eyes flashing viciously, but refrains from saying anything.
"Stay away from Kagome. I've already told you before. She is not for you. She is already someone else."
"Because she doesn't know reason!" Mali can see how this can destroy him. He has bags under his eyes, his hair is a mess, and his look is frantic.
She softens her voice. "Let her go."
"How can I let her go? How can you even ask it off me?" Kouga looks lost, desperate, a drowning man. "I don't know how to stay away from her. I don't know how to stop loving her." His voice cracks, as he fists his hands through his hair.
So, so broken by love.
"I know you don't believe Sesshoumaru loves her, but you are not blind. You just don't want to look at reality." Mali kneels beside him, voice a gentle lapsing as if she was talking to a hurt child. "More importantly, I know you know Kagome loves Sesshoumaru. If she didn't, Sesshoumaru's claim would not matter. Kagome would fight for you. She would cling to you as much as you are clinging to her, but she is not. You are fighting an inexistent war. "
Kouga doesn't answer, doesn't move, just stays there, a salt statue.
"I will go talk to Kagome, make her fix this." Mali sighs, leaving Kouga with his personal demons.
A love triangle between a miko and two youkai; who would have thought?
"Kagome." Kagome stares at the new intruder and wonders why, if she is in Sesshoumaru's tent, everyone barges in. She would expect it on her own tent, but Sesshoumaru's?
Shouldn't they respect their soon to be leader's privacy?
"Mali, I don't have the energy for you."
Mali gives her a mocking smile and sits next to her anyway.
Kagome doesn't hold back her groan.
"What did I do to deserve this?" She grouses, wondering if she can change her mind and have Sesshoumaru kill Mali. It shouldn't ruin everything too much, right?
"Sesshoumaru is not going for the other youkai."
"What?" Kagome sits. "He has to."
"He said no."
Kagome narrows her eyes at her. "Did you ask nicely?"
"That is beyond the point." Mali says, which means she asked at the completely wrong time, or maybe made it sound like an order, and now Kagome has to go fix this mess.
"I'll talk to him, and after he is on his way for the other youkai, you will leave me alone until I'm better."
Mali has the nerve to look cheerful. "Deal."
Kagome gets up and tries to find the clothes that will cover her best. Really, the nerve of these people. This is all Kikyo's fault. If the damn miko had behaved in her past life, then she would not have to suffer for her sins in this one.
She gets up and opens the tent, shivering from the chill air.
"Why can't you just be nice to Sesshoumaru?" Kagome whines. "It would make my life easier."
"Why don't you just tell him you love him? It would make him happy."
Kagome freezes at Mali's words. "You don't know what you are talking about."
"No." Mali says, by Kagome's side. "It is you who doesn't know. Talk to the youkai before it is too late." Mali exits the tent first, Kagome following with a frown all over her face.
"He does not want me." Kagome finally says softly, but the wind carries her words to Mali.
"Fool." The old miko says, and it feels like a slap.
Ayumi once told her that she had no idea how to choose a good man. Hojo was right there, ready to love her, and what did Kagome do? Date that weird kid with the white hair that didn't seem to care about her at all.
Kagome is beginning to think that Ayumi might have had a point.
Why does she always have to fall for the most ridiculously stubborn youkai on Earth?
"There you are! I'm sick! You shouldn't make me come outside!" Kagome tries to yell through chattering teeth. When did it become so windy, and why, if she is recovering from a fever caused by staying outside too long, does she have to stand in this unforgiving cold?
"You should not be outside." Sesshoumaru smartly points out, and Kagome wonders if, maybe, all her germs did affect the youkai. He usually is not this stupid.
"It's your fault I'm outside."
The bastard has the nerve to smirk a little. "I thought it was my fault that you got sick? Is it now my fault that you are outside?"
"Yes!" Kagome screams, and then, she feels all the energy leave her, and everything is spinning…
Sesshoumaru catches her before she hits the ground, which is fortunate. If she had hit it, Kagome would certainly have stayed there. Much easier than getting up and crawling back to her tent. Or Sesshoumaru's.
"You are burning." His face is so close to hers, she can feel his breath against it. She feels a shiver run done her spine that has nothing to do with the cold. Kagome moves to snuggle into his shoulder, when a fit of coughs comes over her. The dizziness comes back as everything starts moving around her. Fortunately, it does not take long, and she is back in Sesshoumaru's tent.
"You should take more care of yourself." Sesshoumaru is scolding her while looking for her medicines and wetting a piece of cloth.
In her hazy mind, it suddenly occurs to Kagome that Sesshoumaru would not do this for anyone else. He would leave them sick and weak, and would not feel even guilty about it.
If it were Mali sick, she would bet anything that he would go inside her tent just to rejoice in her pain.
But with Kagome…
He worries, and he treats her so good…like she was…precious.
Her fever must me getting worst if she is thinking this, but…
"Take this, lay down. Why did you go outside?" Sesshoumaru gives her the medicine, and is careful not to drop it on her. He accommodates the pillow, and brings the blankets to her chin. There is no mistaking the worry in his eyes. "Mali said you were getting better."
"It's probably just because I went outside. If I don't go out again, I'll be fine." Kagome says to soothe him, and again, something is her mind begs her to pay attention to how he is behaving.
She will think about this, but first, she has to make him do his part in this war.
"You have to go."
"No." He has his stubborn face, and if Kagome did not feel so bad, she would sigh.
"Sesshoumaru…"
"You are sick." He says, as if that explains it all.
"I am in a camp filled with capable mikos. I'll be fine."
"They are inadequate for taking care of you."
Kagome really is not fit for this discussion right now. He should be thinking about the war, not about her! Again, her brain tells her to focus on him, but she cannot. Not right now. She'll do that when the fever breaks.
Right now, she needs him to cooperate.
"Will you get a grip and go look for those stupid youkai?"
Sesshoumaru stares at her for a moment, and then, simply, answers "Yes."
"What?" She had expected more of a fight, or at least a longer argument.
"You should have asked before, and then we wouldn't have gotten through so many problems."
"You god dammed arrogant, good for nothing…"
But she is interrupted by the intensity in Sesshoumaru's eyes.
"I am only doing this because you ask. " His voice leaves no room for doubt. As if, had she not asked, he would have happily sat down and watch this pass. "That is the only reason why I'm going searching for even more bothersome youkai. And Kagome, I expect you to be fully recovered long before I come back."
Kagome lowers herself on the pillow, allows a deep sigh to escape her lips.
"Sesshoumaru…" She hears his footsteps stop. This is the first time they will be separated for so long. She already misses him, and his presence is still all around her. "Hurry back."
Just like that, Sesshoumaru is suddenly at her side, face so close to her she can feel his breath.
Her heart skips a beat.
Sesshoumaru smirks, and although she should be used to it my now, it still amazes her, how much he expresses around her.
"Foolish human." His tone belittles his words, soft as a caress. "As if there was any other way."
Sesshoumaru and Kagome are finally getting a grip of heir feelings...even if they have to be apart for a little.
So, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. An early present, and I wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!