The End is only the Beginning   von leonie2
================================================================================
                              Kapitel 1: The End
                              ------------------


Bevor es losgeht: Diese FF entsteht aus dem RPG 'Unnamed' von mir und
Myo-un-chan. Sie ist auf Englisch weil ich 1. auf FanFiction.net und Dokuga.com
veröffentlichen will und 2. dabei schön Englisch üben kann. Viel Spaß beim
Lesen.

The End is only the Beginning

I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. This fanfiction is written for my and
the readers’ pleasure.

Chapter 1: The End

This was the end.
After years of fighting to rid the world of Naraku and to complete the Shikon
jewel, it felt almost surreal that they had actually achieved both goals. It had
already felt like a dream when Kagome stood on the battlefield with the complete
jewel in her hands, ready to make the one truly selfless wish that would make
the jewel disappear from the world for good this time. 
She had known what that wish would be for a while and so she didn’t hesitate
when the time came – you never knew when the next stupid demon crow would
appear to snatch it away again. And so Kagome, the time-traveling Shikon Miko
had whished for Inuyasha to become a human and for Kikyou to return back to
life, with a human body and a soul of her own. 
It meant heartbreak for herself but wasn’t that what selfless wishes were
supposed to be like? Now Kikyou and Inuyasha could start again and live their
life as it should have been without the interference of Naraku – and without
the interference of Kagome herself. The realization that she was not supposed to
be at Inuyasha’s side had hurt so much when it hit the young miko, but on the
other hand it helped her with the decision of what to do after Naraku’s
demise. 
She would go home through the well and continue her life where she had left off
while occasionally visiting her friends in the Feudal Era. Despite her
assurances that she would come to visit, everyone knew that she would soon be
too busy to do so and that she would not be a part of their lives anymore. The
last farewell was long and tearful and only Kikyou and Inuyasha were afterwards
allowed to walk with her to the well. It felt right for them to be there at the
end when her destiny was finally fulfilled.

Kikyou’s face was impassive as always. It had lost the pallor of death but her
skin was still lighter than Kagome’s and added to her tranquil beauty. Silence
enfolded the small group when they stopped by the well and the resurrected miko
was the first one to break it.

“What are you going to do once you reached your time?” 

Kagome looked up from the well and faced her former rival.

“I’ll finish school. I have a lot of catching up to do but I hope I’ll
eventually be able to graduate”

She took a big breath. Then she turned to Inuyasha, her first love, and hugged
him.

“Goodbye. I’ll miss you. I wish you and Kikyou all the best. Be happy.”

There was not much more she could say. This was where their paths would separate
and they both knew it. Now he would start his life as a human and husband and
Kagome wondered how he would adjust to settling down and being part of a big
community – huge changes for the former nomadic hanyou.

“We will. Goodbye, Kagome. Take care. “

Inuyasha was smiling slightly. It was a smile she hadn’t seen in all the time
of their travels, it spoke of peace and contentment. Kagome was happy for him
that he finally found his place in the world by Kikyou’s side. All the more
reason to leave now before her jealousy got the better of her. She bowed to
Kikyou, both women had never completely overcome their initial differences but
Kikyou’s hatred and bitterness had subsided with her unnatural clay body.
After a last tearful smile, Kagome turned to the well and, after a short moment
of hesitation, jumped into it.

Thump

“Ouch!!”


A/N: This fanfic is actually based on a text-based RPG that I and Myo-un-chan
created at animexx.de. So the story is all there, I just have to translate
everything from German to English and produce a nice FF text from our postings.
You might find elements in this FF that remind you of other works, that is
because I read a lot before starting the RPG and wanted to kinda make a story
with the ideas I liked best in other stories and my own.



                           Kapitel 2: The Beginning
                           ------------------------


Chapter 2: The Beginning
Kaede had been peacefully at work in her garden when she looked up and saw
Inuyasha and Kikyou coming from the direction of the well – together with a
distressed Kagome. With a sense of foreboding, Kaede got up and hurried as fast
as her old bones could go to the trio headed in her direction.
“Kagome, child, whatever is the matter?”
Instead of the young miko who started to scramble for words, Kikyou answered. 
“The time passage did not open to let her trough. We wondered if you might
happen to know the reason for her rejection”
“I bet it”s the jewel. She was never able to travel without the shards.”
Just as Inuyasha voiced his opinion the consequences of such a scenario hit him.
Since the jewel was now gone from the world, Kagome would never be able to
return home. Kagome came to the same conclusion and tears started to form in her
eyes. She didn’t even want to start thinking about what it would mean for her
if she had to stay forever in the Feudal Era. She was interrupted in her musings
when Kaedes old hand touched her arm in a sympathetic gesture.
“Calm down, child. The Shikon jewel, while it is quite powerful, would not be
able to send ye through time on its own. Methinks the well is connected to yer
fate. And yer fate was to carry the Shikon jewel, that is why ye were not able
to pass without it.”
Kagome’s world started spinning. Kikyou’s face was unreadable as if she had
already came to the same conclusion while Inuyasha looked dumb folded from Kaede
to Kagome who was obviously not ready to accept the old miko’s words.
“But if that is the case then I should be able to go home! Maybe the well
needs the jewel’s power… maybe if we found something with similar powers we
could make it work again!”
But Kaede just shook her head slowly and patted her arm.
“The well cannot be forced, child, and neither can fate. It seems yer fate
here is not jet fulfilled.”
As realization sunk in, Kagome clung to the old woman’s hand to keep herself
from losing it then and there. Was Fate trying to be funny? She had completed
the jewel, defeated Naraku and set things alright between Inuyasha and Kikyou!
What more could be asked of her? If it hadn’t been so before then it was now
official: Fate sucked.
“Kagome. Ye can of course stay in me hut, Shippo and young Rin will be
delighted and meself will welcome yer presence.”
Kaede’s words were comforting as was her presence. Of course, Inuyasha
scrambled to also issue an invitation to their new home, a small hut at the edge
of the village whose occupant had been hit by some debris of Naraku’s body and
died, but that was the last thing Kagome wanted now. She wanted time to think
and come to terms with her new situation and not be distracted by her first
love’s domestic bliss. Kikyou, too, did not seem overly thrilled by the
prospect of having her incarnation in her home and so it was fast decided that
Kagome would stay at Kaede’s until they could figure out a way to get her
home.
Shippo was playing a game of tag with Rin when Kaede and Kagome arrived. Because
of his demonic abilities, the young fox demon was no match for the little human
girl but she seemed unfazed by that. Giggling loudly she chased Shippo and
howled in triumph when he allowed her to catch him. Both children were ecstatic
when Kaede told them the news. 
“Can I sleep with you, Kagome? I will be quiet, I promise! Jakken always tells
me that I snore but that’s not true! I asked lord Sesshoumaru if I snore and
he did not say yes!”
In fact, Sesshoumaru had just looked at her with a contemplative expression and
then resumed staring into the night sky. Jakken, however, had received a bump on
the head by the time she was ready for bed.
“Of course you can, Rin. And don”t worry about snoring. I’m used to
it.”
As nasal spray would not be invented for another 400 and something years, there
was a lot of snoring in the Feudal Era. After a few months of trying to stuff
grass in your ears, you just learned to ignore it. Kagome ruffled Rin’s hair
affectingly.  How that sweet child had managed to stay her cheerful self in the
company of Sesshoumaru, the master of the stoicism, was beyond her.
A little later, after Shippo had made it clear that sleeping next to Kagome was,
in fact, his privilege but had then graciously offered his new friend to share
the pleasure, all for occupants of Kaedes hut sat down for tee. While Rin and
Shippo continued their good natured bickering, Kagome’s eyes wandered over the
sparse furniture of the hut. She would try to find a place of her own if she
really had to stay long-term. Then, her eyes caught a parcel, wrapped in
expensive paper in one of the corners. Rin, who observed her scrutiny, leapt to
her feet and brought the parcel over for her inspection.
“That is the gift lord Sesshoumaru gave me when he left. Jakken said, that it
is for me to wear when lord Sesshoumaru visits me each month so that I don’t
look like a simple village wench.”
Carefully, the little girl unwrapped the parcel and showed Kagome an exquisite
silk kimono in pretty shades of pink. Kagome was stunned. She had initially
thought that Sesshoumaru would leave Rin in Kaedes care permanently and quickly
forget about the human child now that he found a suitable caretaker for her. But
it seemed she was mistaken and the icy demon lord planned to visit his ward
regularly and continued providing for her. Maybe there really was more to
Inuyasha’s half-brother, as she had suspected ever since Rin showed up around
him.



                             Kapitel 3: Encounters
                             ---------------------


Chapter 3: Encounters

It was awkward. Extremely so. Just a few minutes ago Kagome had been surrounded
by her friends, they had eaten dinner together and then sat around the fire.
Everyone knew about Kagome’s circumstances and they were sensible enough to
not speak about their plans for the future as they had the nights before. They
had shared stories of their numerous travels, now that all had ended well they
could joke about their encounters with almost certain death. The atmosphere had
been light Kagome had been able to forget for a while why she was still there.
Then, Miroku had taken Sango’s hand and made their excuses for the night. His
smile had been positively lecherous and after smacking him, Sango had blushed
deeply and followed him to their new home. Just minutes later Shippo and Rin had
decided to ambush Inuyasha and by that started a war that neither would give up
on quite so early. That left Kikyou and Kagome all by themselves. 
The silence was uncomfortable but try as she might, Kagome could not bring
herself to make polite conversation. Not with the person that made no secret of
her displeasure concerning Kagome’s continued presence in the Feudal Era. She
could understand her, of course. Who would want the rival for their husband’s
love to stick around without a real purpose other than possibly trying to snatch
that love away? Of course that was not Kagome’s agenda but she had a feeling
that Kikyou would not believe her if she told her so. To her infinite surprise,
Kikyou was finally the first to break the silence.

“I am aware of the fact that there are still feelings between you and
Inuyasha. It is to be expected since you spent a lot time traveling together and
you being my incarnation.”

The words cut as they were meant to be. Kikyou would not tolerate Inuyasha being
diverted again by his feelings for Kagome. She had suffered and endured too much
to allow it now that they finally could start over. 
Kagome fought hard to keep calm. The other miko just had that talent to always
get under her skin.

“Of course there are still feelings. We are friends and not even you will
change that fact. And I want to make one thing clear: I may be your
reincarnation but I am not you. I am my own person.”

“You are different because you have been born into a different life in a
different era. Souls do not change. Why do you think did you fall in love with
Inuyasha? It was because your soul knew him, you did not have a choice in the
matter. You do not belong here, Kagome, your place is already taken by the true
Shikon miko and I intend to keep it.”

Kagome stood up. She could have strangled the arrogant bitch in front of her but
she didn’t. Instead, she yelled at her while her eyes filled with hot, angry
tears.

“Is that how you thank me for saving your stupid clay ass? For making Inuyasha
human for you? For backing away to give you your stupid happy ending? Well, I
have news for you: I will not back down just because you told me so. I will stay
in the village as long as it pleases me to do so and if you want to continue
being a jealous bitch, by all means, be my guest.”

With that, Kagome turned around and ran towards the forest. She did not want to
wait for Kikyou’s reaction, she just wanted to get away from everyone to shed
her tears and think in peace. Her anger started to fade among the calming
presence of the forest around her and she was just about to take a deep breath
before heading home when she heard rustling behind her. Seconds later, she stood
face to face with a huge frog demon.

“Well, well, well what have we here? Such a sweet girl… “

And that was when Kagome realized how foolish it had been to just run off into
the forest. There was no Inuyasha who could pick up the scent of the demon and
her distress and Miroku would be much too occupied with Sango to feel the
frightened spike of her miko powers. Worse still, she did not have her bow with
her, not even a knife or any other weapon. She was alone in the deserted forest
with a demon who looked at her like a starving man would eye a hamburger.
Definitely not good.

“How nice of you to come my way, sweet girl. I was just wondering what I would
have for dinner.”

Kagome backed away, slowly, while trying to come up with a decent plan for
dealing with the situation at hand. The demon followed her. Then, she met a
resistance at her back. A tree was hindering her and allowing the demon to close
the gap between them.
…
Sesshoumaru watched the scene from the tree tops. It was clear that the girl
would die a rather unpleasant death. He didn’t care. If the miko was foolish
enough to enter the forest unprotected and attract the attention of a demon she
definitely would not be able to take on then she did not deserve better. He
tucked a strand of silvery white hair behind his ear. He should be on his way to
see Rin.
…
Kagome almost vomited when the demon licked with his slimy tongue across her
cheek. The stench and the feeling of it was almost unbearable. But the demon
seemed distracted with his own hunger, maybe she could…

“How sweet you taste, human girl. I’ll make a special feast out of you.”

His tongue began to stick out again but Kagome had already ducked under his arm
and started running for her life. She could feel him following her, hear him
calling, teasing her. Her only hope was that he would play with her long enough
for her to reach the village, then she could scream for help and hope for the
best.
…
He was quite surprised when the miko started running. But then again, when had
the wench ever given up even in the worst of situations? Of course, she
wouldn’t make it. While the frog demon was stupid enough to let her go once he
most certainly would not be able to contain his hunger any longer now that his
prey had given him a nice chase.  It would be over soon and he really should get
going before his sensitive nose was assaulted by the frog’s eating habits. But
then again… Rin did seem quite fond of the miko when he last saw them
together.
…
In the end, the demon’s hunger overcame his fun at the chase much too early
for his prey. Kagome collided painfully with tree trunk and only and heartbeat
later, the frog was in front of her, baring his sharp little teeth.

“Now you made me really hungry, girl. I wonder how your blood tastes…”

Then, the world stopped making sense.
 
A/N: I’ll really try to do Sesshoumaru justice in the next chapter. Reviews
are always appreciated 



                      Kapitel 4: Knights in Shining Armor
                      -----------------------------------


Chapter 4: Knights in Shining Armor

There was a green light and a sickening slicing sound, then a spray of blood
took her sight. When she opened her eyes again, there were two halves of a frog
demon instead of one whole frog demon. Fancy that. Her eyes traveled away from
the ghastly carcass to find the reason for the frog demon’s demise.

“…You? But…”

Sesshoumaru did not grace the miko’s incoherent question with a response. He
regarded her for a moment with a look of utter boredom on his handsome face.
Then, he turned around and started walking in the direction of the human village
while the miko still stood there gawking like an imbecile.

Kagome watched the demon lord walking away in his usual, unhurried pace. She
still couldn’t believe that he actually saved her. Of course, he had done so
before but the first time when she was being strangled by Mukotsu, he had wanted
a question answered and the second time within Naraku’s body he had known that
without her, the Shikon jewel would not be destroyed. Sesshoumaru wasn’t
someone to come to your rescue simply because you needed help. But she wasn’t
going to be picky about her saviors, although it was unnerving to be rescued
from certain death just to look into the uncaring, cold eyes of a creature that
would probably kill you next if you became an inconvenience. She moved away from
the tree when she felt a painful stab in her ankle. This seemed to be the
beginning of a long night.

…

The Lord of the West was concentrating on the source of the one smell in the
proximity that held any appeal for him. Rin smelled like sunflowers, unlike all
the other humans who smelled mainly of various stages of decay. Combined with
the still lingering stench of hanyou in the woods and the new odor of dead frog
demon, it made it hard for Sesshoumaru not to wrinkle his nose in disgust. And
as if that were not enough, he could smell his half-brother, or rather the human
who had once been his half-brother, walking in his direction. He did not wish to
meet Inuyasha but neither would he alter his path because of a lowly human. If
they were to meet then so be it. He heard him, too. Trampling through the
underbrush, Inuyasha yelled for the miko he had just left behind. With all that
noise he was making, Sesshoumaru was fairly sure that Inuyasha would not be able
to hear the wench with his inferior human senses, should she answer his calls.
His musings were interrupted when loud cracking and rustling announced the
former hanyou before he burst out of the thick foliage in front of his elder
brother.

“Sesshoumaru! What is your stupid ass doing here? Get lost!”

Apparently, being human had improved neither his half-brother’s vocabulary nor
his sense for self-preservation. Stopping, Sesshoumaru looked at the human in
front of him with barely concealed disgust. 

“Inuyasha. I am certainly not here to listen to a lowly human’s rants. You
should think very carefully about the manner in which you are addressing your
superiors.”

“Keh. And you should get that stick out of your ass and come down from your
fucking almighty cloud. And you can drop the ‘I hate you ‘cause you’re
human’ bullshit. Rin’s human too, you know, and you like her well enough
though I’ll be fucked if I knew why she likes your cold ass.”

Sesshoumaru’s golden eyes narrowed a fraction, it was the only outward sign of
his anger. Were Inuyasha still hanyou, he would have had his brother’s claws
in his guts by now. But the demon lord was well aware of the fact that even a
punch to the face could kill his human half-brother and even though he would
never admit it, Sesshoumaru had given up on his goal to kill Inuyasha. He had
been so often on the brink of finishing him only to find himself unable to go
through with it that in the end he had to realize that Inuyasha would not die by
his hands after all. It was not sympathy for the half breed, of course. Maybe it
was because he still honored his father too much to let his last sacrifice,
foolish as it had been, be in vain. 

“You will not speak of Rin in my presence. And you will keep away from her,
half-breed. If I hear just one profanity out of her mouth you will be the one to
face the consequences.”

“Bastard. Rin lives in the same place as me. If you don’t want her around
me, get her a leash. You fucking bet I gonna teach her as much shit as I can
just to see your stupid face when she sounds like me.”

Only a heartbeat later, Inuyasha knew that he had probably taken it too far. He
was hanging in the air, held by the throat in the iron grip of his brother’s
claws. The demon lord regarded him with a look of infinite boredom. That look,
in Inuyasha’s experience, was not a good sign.
“Stop it now! Both of you!”

Kagome could not believe it. Here she was, covered in stinking frog blood, dirt,
slime and who knows what, hobbling around on a twisted ankle and these two
idiots had nothing better to do than go at each other’s throats instead of
helping her, the damsel in distress. Okay, she hadn’t expected Sesshoumaru to
actively help her but he could have at least avoided Inuyasha so that he had the
chance to find her. And Inuyasha, that idiot! Did he not know that a human
should not, under any circumstance, annoy someone like Sesshoumaru? 
To her utter astonishment, Sesshoumaru actually let go of Inuyasha, who fell
gracelessly to the ground and started coughing and cursing foully at the same
time. When the demon lord then looked at her with those eerie golden eyes, she
wished she had chosen her words differently. His voice, if that was actually
possible, was even colder than his eyes when he spoke to her.
 
“You, miko, should not presume to give me orders.”

With that, he turned on his heels and started walking in the direction of the
village. Without looking back, he addressed his half-brother one last time.

“There is a matter that I have to settle with you, half-breed. You will wait
here.”

And then, he was gone.

A/N: Writing Inuyasha is easy. Writing Sesshoumaru is hard. Getting reviews and
knowing that people appreciate this story makes writing that much more fun.
Thank you!



                         Kapitel 5: A Sword and a girl
                         -----------------------------


Chapter 5: A Sword and a Girl
“Who the fuck does he think he is?”
As soon as Inuyasha was able to breathe normally, he started ranting about his
elder brothers last words and how he would definitely not wait until his
lordship graced him again with his presence. It took him some time until he
realized what state Kagome was in and how thunderous her expression had become.
“Oy… what happened to you, anyway?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I just got chased by a demon and would have
ended up as his dinner if Sesshoumaru hadn’t saved me. YOU MORON!”
By the end of Kagome’s tongue lashing, Inuyasha almost wished the rosary back.
When she was done with him, he took the young miko on his back and carried her
to the village stream where she finally got to wash all the grime of her
adventure off her body. In the meanwhile, Inuyasha went back to the little
clearing where his brother had told him to wait. He would have preferred to go
home to Kikyou but Kagome had made him see that Sesshoumaru would get his
meeting one way or the other and he wanted to spare his wife the sight of him
being dragged to the woods by a pissed demon lord.
….
When Sesshoumaru reached the hut of the old miko who took now care of Rin, he
found the little girl fast asleep between the fox kit and the old woman. She
looked peaceful in her slumber and Sesshoumaru wondered not for the first time
why he couldn’t just leave her there and let her live a normal, human life
where she belonged. Silent like a shadow, he placed the gift he’d brought her
next to her futon and left the hut. Not one of the hut’s inhabitants had
stirred when the powerful demon moved between them. Being the predator that he
was, Sesshoumaru could hide his presence from others as long as he wished to do
so. Maybe he should from now on only come when his ward slept. It would be
enough for him to see her healthy and safe and Rin would be able to gradually
forget him.
While he walked back towards the forest, Sesshoumaru contemplated the human that
had once been his hanyou half-brother. It was remarkable how much he still
resembled his father even with his now human appearance. 
To his surprise, Inuyasha was waiting at the exact spot where he had left him.
Maybe his younger brother had learned something from their previous encounter
after all. Sesshoumaru acknowledged Inuyasha’s presence with a barely
perceptible nod and came straight to the point.
“The Tetsusaiga. I want you to give it to me.”
At first, Inuyasha wanted to lash out at his brother. Insult him, tell him that
there was absolutely no way he would ever hand his sword to his elder brother
and that Sesshoumaru should finally get over his father-complex and accept that
he had wanted his younger son to carry the mighty sword. But then he thought
about how Tetsusaiga was laying in the corner of his simple hut, battered,
unable to transform. It didn’t look suspicious but it was still a powerful
demon sword. What if some other demon found out that the Fang of the late Inu no
Taisho could be found in a village with no one to wield it? He looked at his
brother who, like most of the time, regarded him with a mixture of boredom and
mild disgust. Sesshoumaru would keep the sword safe. He felt that he owed that
to his trusted weapon. It was one of the hardest decisions Inuyasha had had to
make in his life. 
“You are a fucking, sneaky bastard but ya know what? I’ll give it to you.
But don't get me wrong, I still hate your guts” 
Sesshoumaru’s response was a single lifted brow that betrayed his surprise at
Inuyasha’s words. What had the bastard expected? He could not fight the demon
lord as a human and he was very well aware of the fact that Sesshoumaru was more
than capable to just steal the sword. There were not many options, really, and
Inuyasha, for once, chose the least painful one. 
Leaving his half-brother in the woods, Inuyasha returned to his hut where Kikyou
immediately started asking questions. He promised he would explain later and
made his way back to Sesshoumaru with the Tetsusaiga in his hand. With a defiant
expression, he stood in front of the taiyoukai and thrust the sword at him.
“Here. Take it. Gotta still burn when ya touch it, right?”
Expressionless, golden eyes that did not hold any clue to Sesshoumaru’s
feelings at that moment, flashed briefly to Inuyasha’s face and fixated then
on the Fang. It was most ironic. After years of searching for the sword, after
numerous attempts to steal it from Inuyasha and after he had finally let go of
his obsession when he attained Bakusaiga, the Tetsusaiga was in his possession.
However, as soon as the battered hilt touched the palm of Sesshoumaru’s hand,
the all too familiar burning sensation told him that the sword still rejected
him even though Inuyasha had given it up voluntarily.
Without showing any sign of pain, the taiyoukai unhurriedly slid the Tetsusaiga
in his obi, opposite his own swords Tenseiga and Bakusaiga.
….
Life continued in an unhurried pace after that night. Inuyasha had been down for
a while after losing his sword but Kikyou had applauded him for his wise
decision of giving up on the demon sword. It had always made her uneasy. Kagome,
on the other hand, was busy helping Kaede with her duties and when she was not
learning about medicinal herbs and their handling or treating sick villagers,
she was practicing her miko powers. After the episode with the frog demon, she
had asked Kaede to help her and the old miko was happy to finally teach Kagome
the proper usage of her considerable powers. They hadn’t given up on finding a
way to send Kagome home, either. Especially Miroku travelled around the
countryside trying to find some sage miko, monk or even demon who knew anything
about the Bone Eater’s Well or who could tell what Kagome’s fate was and how
she could fulfil it. 
Almost a month after the well had closed, they had still no clues.

A/N: Coming up: some Rin and Kagome fluff and a pissed demon lord. Review,
please, so that I know if I’m doing things right.



                            Kapitel 6: Fate Strikes
                            -----------------------


Chapter 6: Fate strikes

Wind tore mercilessly at Sesshoumaru’s hair and clothes as he stood on the
high plateau facing his opponent. He was here because rumors had reached him
about a powerful miko who killed every demon she came across mercilessly and
since she did so in his territory it was his duty to eliminate the threat to his
subjects. Normally, he wouldn’t care. Demon society did not, unlike human
society, require of rulers to help their subjects and it was also against
Sesshoumaru’s nature to help the weak. But the miko had been stupid enough to
challenge him and that he could not ignore. Cold eyes regarded the woman who
dared to point an arrow charged with holy energy at him. She was plain,
unremarkable but for the formidable holy aura that surrounded her. She was
protected by a strong barrier.

“I will purge the world of you, demon!”

The miko shot her arrow. Sesshoumaru jumped into the air while simultaneously
drawing Bakusaiga. When he brought the sword down on the barrier in an elegant
arch, the protective shield cracked and hissed at the demon word but it did not
break – yet. Unfazed by the close proximity of her enemy, the miko got out
another arrow and fired it without hesitation at the demon lord. At the same
time, however, her barrier shattered under the pressure of Bakusaiga.
Sesshoumaru looked down at his chest. The arrow had pierced his armor and
protruded now from his flesh above his heart. The wound was not deep but the
arrow burned uncomfortably with the reiki it was infused with. He turned his
golden gaze on the woman when he heard her laughing.

“That is the end, demon. I might not survive this day but neither will
you.”

“Insolent wench.”

With an ease that betrayed noting of the pain he was in, Sesshoumaru ripped the
arrow out of his flesh and then decapitated the miko with a single sweep of his
sword. The woman had been a fool. He had been wounded before by holy arrows and
though they stung more than ordinary arrows, they were by no means a threat to
him. He wiped his sword clean on the clothes of the dead miko before he sheathed
it, then he turned around to leave. He didn’t look back at the corpse he had
left behind. He didn’t see the smile on her pale lips.

Some minutes later he realized, that his wound was still bleeding freely when it
should have at least clotted by that time. He began to wish that he hadn’t let
the miko die so easily. When the wound still didn’t show any sign of closing,
he got mildly concerned. Maybe he should go see Jakken. As annoying as the toad
was, he did have some knowledge about curses and would know how to lift this
one. The front of his haori was stained blood red when he started flying in the
direction of his castle where he had left his retainer.

When Sesshoumaru reached the castle at the shore of the ocean, he was so weak
from the blood loss that he was barely able to stand. He didn’t show it, of
course, when his servants came scurrying out of the building to see their lord.
Growling at anyone who dared to offer their help, he walked unhurried and
upright to his quarters, waving only Jakken a signal to follow him. Sensing his
lordship’s murderous mood, the toad for once held his tongue until they
reached the lord’s bedroom.

“M… my lord… are you unwell?”

Jakken watched as his lord rather gracelessly sat down on the polished wood
floor of his bedroom. His lack of grace unnerved Jakken tremendously. Lord
Sesshoumaru always moved with infinite grace, even when he took a blow. And
there was blood… so much blood. He jerked out of his worried thoughts when he
heard his lordship’s emotionless voice. He sounded… tired.

“The breastplate, Jakken.”

Hurrying to his lord’s side and muttering excuses, Jakken began to unfasten
the leather strips that held Sesshoumaru’s armor in place, making a mental
note that it would need repairing. He gasped when he saw just how red and sticky
the garments underneath were.

“The wound is not closing, Jakken. Why?”
“I feel an aura of holy energy around the wound, my lord. It is like a barrier
inside the wound.”

Sesshoumaru laid back on his futon. So, there was no curse other than the still
lingering reiki of that troublesome woman.

“Then my youki will neutralize the barrier. I will rest, Jakken. No one is to
disturb me.”

…

The sun was slowly setting over the ocean when Jakken returned to his lord’s
chambers to check on him. He had had a bad feeling when he felt the barrier
around the wound but he trusted his lord’s judgment. Nothing could have
prepared him for the sight that met him upon entering the bed chamber.
Everything was soaked with blood. Could one body even hold so much blood? Jakken
panicked, ran over to the unconscious taiyoukai and shook his shoulder.

“My lord! Wake up!”

When Sesshoumaru finally opened his eyes, they were as red as the blood that was
surrounding his form, the slit pupils tiny, unfocused.

“My lord! Please allow me to find a miko to lift this damned barrier off
you!”

Sesshoumaru didn’t answer. Instead, his large hand gripped the small toad and
before Jakken could protest, he was thrown through multiple shoji screens.

…

Jakken was so sick with worry, he almost hadn’t managed to get Ah-Un from the
stables. After his lordship had disposed of him, he had ordered all the servants
in the castle to not approach their lord to prevent anyone from getting killed.
Sesshoumaru’s demon instincts had taken over and much like a wounded animal,
he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch him in that state.

Now he was in the air on the two-headed dragon’s back, heading straight for
the only place where he would find a strong miko that was willing to help a
youkai: Inuyasha’s village. As soon as Ah-Un touched the ground, Jakken hopped
off the dragon’s back and started yelling after the miko that had traveled
with his lordship’s younger bastard brother. She appeared only a few moments
later, with a basket of herbs in her hand, followed by the old miko. Before she
could speak, he started yelling at her.

“You! Come with me! My lord Sesshoumaru requires your powers as he has been
most grievously injured by a foul miko like yourself!”

For a moment, Kagome could only stare at the agitated toad. Sesshoumaru?
Injured? Needing her help? That didn’t make any sense. But it had to be true
or else, Jakken would not be here with her, looking as if the end of the world
was upon them. She didn’t hesitate. True, the taiyoukai had always made it
clear that he held no sympathy for her or her friends, much less Inuyasha, but
he had also saved not just her but all of them in the past. So, he ran past
Kaede to her hut where she quickly picked up the satchel that she used to carry
her medicinal supplies, then returned to Jakken who already sat on Ah-Un’s
back, screaming for her to hurry. She swung into the saddle and with a burst of
youki from the dragon, they flew off.

A/N: Here we go. Fate is set in motion! Reviews are very much appreciated.



                              Kapitel 7: Wounded
                              ------------------


Chapter 7: Wounded

It was already dark when Kagome arrived at the castle of the West. She
couldn’t make out much but it seemed rather large. It must have a nice view
too, because judging by the smell, the ocean was nearby. Unfortunately, Kagome
did not have time to explore the place as she was shoved inside almost as soon
as Ah-Un touched the ground. Jakken dragged her through a maze of corridors with
impeccably polished hardwood floors, lined by beautifully painted shoji screens.
Servants jumped out of their way and bowed politely, though the surprise on
their faces was clearly visible. After a few turns they arrived at an
intricately carved wooden door. Kagome could make out huge dog demons in their
true form before a grim-looking sentinel opened them for her and Jakken. The
doors closed and the young miko found herself in a dimly lit corridor with only
a few shoji screens indicating rooms. Everything looked very old and extremely
expensive. The screens were thick and the paint on them glistened in bright
colors, at some places there was even gold paint. Realization sunk in. Those
were Sesshoumaru’s rooms. Before she could get too nervous, Kagome felt Jakken
tugging on the hakama of her miko outfit. His voice was uncharacteristically
muted.

“This is his lordship’s bedchamber. I will wait here. Heal him.”

Before Kagome could even start to protest, Jakken had opened the screen they
were standing in front of, shoved her inside and slid it shut again.

The room was lit by lamps that spread warm light over the scene before her. In
the middle of the big, exquisitely furnished room was a large futon and on the
futon lay the unmoving form of the Lord of the West. Kagome could see
immediately why Jakken had hurried her so much. The entire front of
Sesshoumaru’s haori was red with blood. It was the blood that shook Kagome out
of her daze and sent her into motion. She had done this before when a villager
had been attacked by a wild boar. Quickly, she spotted a basin with water and
some sheets she could use to wipe the blood off him. With the basin and cloths
beside her, she knelt down next to the taiyoukai and reached out to remove his
haori. Before she could touch him, however, she felt her wrist being almost
crushed by the grip of a large, claw tipped hand. She hadn’t seen him move at
all. 

Barely suppressing a scream, she looked into Sesshoumaru’s eyes. They were not
their usual, cool gold but a vicious blood red. At the same time, a low growl
filled the room. She had never heard him growl before and she was sure she
didn’t want to repeat the experience. Ever. It frightened her in a primal,
instinctive way and sent shivers all over her spine, the only reason she was not
fleeing was her wrist that was still in the taiyoukai’s iron grip.

“S… Sesshoumaru? It’s me, Kagome… the miko that traveled with Inuyasha.
I’m here to help you. So… could you let go of me? Please?”

Kagome tried to keep her voice low and soothing. Judging by the color of his
eyes, Sesshoumaru was beyond reason, only responding to his animalistic
instincts. Now she knew also why Jakken and the other servants kept their
distance from their stick lord. If she got out of there alive, she would
definitely kill Jakken. Nothing happened for some moments, then, as if a string
had been severed, Sesshoumaru’s hand dropped back on the futon and his eyes
closed. His breathing was even shallower than before. Kagome let out a deep
breath.

“Thank you. Now let me do my job and don’t you die on me, mister.”

She pulled at the sticky silk to expose his naked torso and froze. Because of
the blood there was not much to see and she could not make out where the wound
was so she grabbed a wet cloth. But before she could start cleaning him, she
realized what she was about to do. This was no villager. This was Sesshoumaru.
His entire being screamed ‘Do Not Touch Me’. Yes, she had always wondered
what was beneath those white silk clothes but now that she was about to find
out, she felt extremely uncomfortable. If he were conscious he would have never
allowed her to touch him. She should probably count herself lucky that he
hadn’t ripped her hand off earlier.

‘Focus, Higurashi! If you don’t touch him, he’s going to die.’

Right. The voice in her head that sounded suspiciously similar to Kaede gave her
the courage to continue. With flaming red cheeks she placed the cloth on
Sesshoumaru’s chest and started wiping. 

Oh gods.

It was as she always had suspected. And much better. His torso was all hard
muscle, yet nothing was bulging. The lines between his muscles were defined
perfectly and created a picture of pure elegance and strength and masculinity.
Kagome was so engrossed in her task that she almost missed the wound over his
heart. Praying to the gods for success, she put a slightly sweaty palm over it
and closed her eyes to concentrate. A few moments later, she found the foreign
reiki. It took her another minute to figure out the barrier but when she had, it
was easy enough to dissolve it. She was eternally grateful for Kaede’s
teachings.

Satisfied, she reached for her satchel and took out her needle and some string.
She did not want to wait for the wound to close on its own since her patient had
already lost so much blood. It would be hard enough for his body to compensate
for that. Kaede had shown her only once before how to sew skin but she figured
that no matter how clumsy her stitches were, they would not leave scars on
Sesshoumaru’s … absolutely beautiful… body. Fortunately, he did not wake
up during the procedure.

After cleaning the wound again, just to be safe in case there was something like
demon bacteria, she resumed rinsing the blood off to make sure there were no
other wounds. Instead, she found that the stripes on his wrists and cheeks were
not the only ones he had. There were twin stripes that started above his hip
bones and sloped down to disappear beneath his hakama.
Biting her lip, Kagome put the cloth down and stood up. She should not be here,
staring at this ethereal creature. Sesshoumaru would wake up soon and be his
usual, arrogant, icy self and she should probably be long gone by then because
he probably wouldn’t take too kindly to her sewing his … perfect, smooth …
skin like a piece of leather. Clutching her belongings, she slid open the shoji
screen only to be met by Jakken’s questioning eyes. She nodded tiredly and the
green toad hurried quickly inside his master’s bed chamber to make sure he
really was healed. He returned with a relieved expression in his face.

“You will remain here, human, until his lordship is well enough to awaken.”

Kagome did not protest. It was late and she was tired. Sleeping in a castle
would be a nice change after her rather simple hut and besides that, she might
have to tend to her patient again and she did not want to be dragged out of the
village by Jakken again.



                                Kapitel 8: Sick
                                ---------------


I should really not be sitting here writing fanfiction. I should work on my lab
course reports. Yeah…

Chapter 8: Sick

The sound of a sliding shoji screen and a shrill voice demanding her attention
woke Kagome up the next morning. Judging by the twilight in the room, it was
still very early. Way too early to deal with hyper toad youkai. Turning around
on her futon, she tried to ignore Jakken who had apparently taken up the job of
a very annoying alarm clock.

“Miko, get up! It is lord Sesshoumaru has awoken but he is sick! Your
dilettantism made milord sick! Oh why couldn’t I get a miko who knows her
trade? You are such a useless human! And when Lord Sesshoumaru gets better he
will…. “

Jakken was cut off by a wooden stool that collided with his head rather
painfully. The miko, however, seemed to be finally coherent enough to understand
the emergency and was already preparing to leave the room.

…

Kagome had no time to admire her surroundings in the first morning light as she
hurried to follow Jakken to Sesshoumaru’s apartment. She was worried for her
patient. What if the wound had opened again? What if he got an infection? She
would not be able to deal with blood poisoning in this era. On the corridor
behind the wooden door, they passed a servant who was clutching a bleeding arm.
Not a good sign. She took a deep breath to calm herself, told Jakken to wait in
case she needed rescuing and quickly entered the bedchamber.

Her first thought was that Sesshoumaru looked even better in the morning light
than he did in candlelight. He looked so ethereal. Like a sleeping god. The
illusion, however, was destroyed by his claws which were deeply embedded in the
hard wood of the floor as if it were made out of clay.

The brave servant had removed all traces of blood from the previous evening,
including his master’s ruined clothing. Fortunately for Kagome’s maidenly
sensibilities, he had also covered Sesshoumaru with a blanket. Kneeling down
next to him, she could almost immediately feel what was wrong with him. His
body, which had been so cool to the touch the night before, was radiating heat.
Trying not to think about festering wounds, she carefully lifted the blanket
from his chest to reveal her stitches. To her utter relief, the wound was
healing cleanly with no sign of infection. The fever was probably due to the
blood loss or was an aftereffect of the strong reiki he had been exposed to. In
any case, it could not be healthy even for a demon to have a temperature that
high. She grabbed a wet cloth from the basin filled with fresh water and put it
on the taiyoukai’s forehead. She tried very hard not to think about the silky
texture of his hair when she brushed it aside. Turning to her satchel, she began
to pick out herbs that she would use for tea later until she figured that the
cloth on his forehead would need changing. When she looked at her patient, she
found a pair of tired, golden eyes staring at her. 

The first thing Sesshoumaru noticed when his senses started coming back was the
presence of a human. He had a strong feeling of déjà-vu but when he opened his
eyes, it was not Rin who grinned down at him but someone else. He started
growling. Unfortunately, it did not sound as threatening as he wanted it to.

“So you are awake. Good. You made me worried. Aren’t demons like you
supposed to never be sick?”

Sesshoumaru continued to stare at the human while his brain tried to connect
scent, looks and voice of the person in front of him with a name and further
information. The human continued her babbling.

“Jakken got me from the village to heal you yesterday. I was able to get rid
of the reiki in your wound but I had to sew it up afterwards or you would’ve
lost too much blood.”

It was a relief when he finally managed to remember the person in front of him.
Inuyasha’s wench. The miko that had travelled with his half-brother. The girl
who had drawn Tetsusaiga from its resting place.

“So… how are you feeling?”

Sesshoumaru’s staring made her nervous. His eyes were back to normal so he
should be himself by now, shouldn’t he? Or was he thinking about the best way
to end her life? He did not look murderous, just… tired which was a strange
sight, indeed. She had seen him indifferent, bored and angry but never tired. It
made him look almost vulnerable.

“Fine.”

It was a lie, of course. Sesshoumaru did not feel fine. He had an enormous
headache, his body felt weak and he was burning but he would be damned if he let
the human wench know that. Unfortunately, the miko was more perceptible than she
looked. She even dared to remove the cloth from his forehead to exchange it for
another. The cooling sensation was extremely pleasant but when had he allowed
the human to take such liberties with his person?

“Look, I’m supposed to heal you from whatever you have and according to
Jakken I’m not allowed to leave before you are yourself again. So, it would be
really helpful if you’d tell me how you really feel so we can both get it over
with.”

Instead of answering, Sesshoumaru just turned his cold stare at the miko. He
loathed to admit it, but he was too weak to do anything else. After her little
speech, the insolent wench had crossed her arms and was now returning his stare.
Of all the mikos in Japan, Jakken just had to fetch the one miko that did not
fear him and would apparently not back down. The toad would defenitley pay for
this. Closing his eyes briefly, he decided that telling her would be the fastest
way to get rid of her presence.

“Warmer than usual. Tired.”

“Thank you. I’ll prepare some tea for you, then, to bring the fever
down.”

Kagome took her satchel and stood up. Looking down, she regarded the taiyoukai
laying on the floor who had closed his eyes again. She decided that he
definitely liked him better when he was unconscious. After their short,
one-sided talk she was certain that he would not be an easy patient to deal with
and would probably get more difficult the better his health was. 
This would not be fun.



                  Kapitel 9: Chapter 9: Tea and Conservation
                  ------------------------------------------


Chapter 9: Tea and Conservation

When Sesshoumaru awoke two hours later, he was once again in full command over
his senses. Other than that there were no improvements, he still felt as weak as
a newborn pup and his temperature had still not dropped to its normal level. He
used the time to make sense of the information he had so far. Apparently he had
been unable to neutralize the reiki in his body and had almost succumbed to the
resulting blood loss. Because of that, Jakken had brought Inuyasha’s miko to
the castle who had not only lifted the curse but also sewn him together like
some piece of cloth. With some difficulties, he lifted his hand and touched
gingerly the stitches on his chest. The audacity of that woman!

Some minutes later, he was bored out of his mind since he could neither go back
to sleep nor find something to occupy his mind longer than a few minutes. He had
always hated to be confined to a room and preferred much more to wander through
his lands like a nomad. Being in the castle reminded him of his duties, both
political and dynastic which he loathed both. It was enough to return every few
months to take care of the most pressing issues and leave the castle again
before the questions about when he intended to produce an heir with a suitable
mate got too loud. Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he decided that he
would not spend any more time in his bedchamber. Fresh air was all he needed to
heal and he would get just that. 

It took him a seemingly infinite time to get out of the bed and onto his feet.
By the time he reached the shoji screen that led to the garden, he felt sweat
forming on his forehead. He leaned for a moment on the wall to steady his
shaking legs. Fortunately, there were no servants around to witness his display
of weakness. He would have killed anyone who had seen it. Sheer willpower gave
him the strength to slide the screen open and step outside into the cool morning
air. He made it to the nearest maple tree before his body gave up and he slid
gracelessly to the ground, leaning his back on the trunk.

…

Convincing Jakken that she did not intend to poison his lord with her herbs had
not been easy for Kagome nor was the preparation of those herbs while an
extremely suspicious toad youkai looked over her shoulder, commenting on every
step of the procedure. When the tea was finally brewed to her satisfaction she
had been ready to strangle the imp. 

Now she was standing in Sesshoumaru’s empty bedroom, a steaming tea kettle in
one and an exquisite porcelain cup in the other hand, and wondering why men, no
matter if human or youkai, insisted on being such troublesome patients.
Sighting, she followed the taiyoukai’s distinct youki through the open screen
outside where she found the lord himself. He was dressed in a light, white
yukata that exposed a rather big part of his pale, perfectly toned chest. Though
he did not wear his usual impressive attire, he still managed to look regal and
powerful. That, however, deterred Kagome as little as the cold stare from his
clear, golden eyes. Without hesitating, she walked over to where he was leaning
on a tree trunk, poured some of the tea and held it out for him while he
followed her every movement with his stare.

“Drink that, please. It’s a special tea that will help you recover.”

She watched as Sesshoumaru eyed the cup in her hand and then delicately sniffed
at it. He wrinkled his nose ever so slightly.

“Are you trying to poison me, miko? I will not drink your concoction.”

Kagome groaned in frustration. Sure, the tea didn’t smell great even to her
but had he never heard of the saying that the worse it smelled and tasted the
better it worked?

“Oh sure, I save your live just to poison you, that makes sense. Look, I told
you before: I don’t particularly enjoy being here so I will make sure you get
well as quickly as possible even if I have to pester you until you drink that
tea.”

There was no lie in her scent and Sesshoumaru had to grudgingly admit to himself
that at this time he had not the energy to remove the miko from his presence or
argue with her. With a death glare that hopefully conveyed his feelings about
the matter, he took the cup from her and drank its contents. The taste was even
worse than the smell. The miko looked pleased. Then, to his utter mortification,
she filled another cup and sat down next to him without asking for his
permission.

“Great. I’ll stay here until you’ve drunk the whole kettle.”

Kagome ignored the waves of disapproval that came from the sick taiyoukai. Sure,
she was well aware of the fact that this was not Inuyasha but his human-hating
elder brother and that she should not push her luck too far but she believed
also that he would not kill her simply because she annoyed him after she had
saved his life. From her sitting position, she looked around the beautiful
garden.

“You have a beautiful garden.”

Sesshoumaru glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

“It will be days until your mortal stench has faded from it.”

“Well excuse me! It’s not my fault you decided to come here and made me
follow you.”

“Hn.”

While the miko bristled, Sesshoumaru took a sip of her disgusting tea. He
decided then that if she really had to pester him with her presence, she could
as well entertain him by satisfying his curiosity.

“Why have you not yet returned to your own time?”

The miko looked startled at his question but answered readily.

“The well closed. We’re trying to make it work again we’ve had no success
so far. I’m making a living as a proper village miko now. It’s not what I
had planned for my life but it’s not bad either, I guess.”

Sesshoumaru’s expression grew disdainful.

“Cease your whining. Only the weak are content with a life that is not of
their choosing, miko. If your life does not please you, change it.”

“As if it were that easy! You have no idea what my situation is like so keep
your arrogant advice to yourself!”

They continued exchanging insults, Kagome agitated and heated, Sesshoumaru
stoic, sometimes not even bothering with an answer. An hour later, the young
miko stormed out of the garden, taking an empty kettle with her. Sesshoumaru
closed his eyes. The miko was highly annoying, rude and stubborn but she was not
boring and apparently, she knew what she was doing as he felt his body
temperature drop. Another day of rest would restore his health.

A/N: Coming up: Kagome makes a fatal decision… Thank you for sticking around
and reviewing!




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