It Is What It Is

By Danyealle

(MF/angst/fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Miko Attack

When he and Kagome arrived back at camp she was once again sound asleep.  Also, the rest were back as well, cleaning the berries they had picked.  While they did that they had a discussion about what Sesshomaru wanted to do.  The demon lord was loathe to spend the night in the open like they were so once the boar was done and they were finished eating they would leave for a warded cage he maintained right over the boarder of the Western Lands.  There they would be safe and comfortable.

“”How long will it take her to finish changing?”  Miroku asked, glancing at the curled up and peacefully sleeping miko.

Hitching a sigh, Sesshomaru contemplated for a couple minutes.  “I’m unsure.  Usually it takes a couple days.  In Kagome’s case my best guess would be double that.”

“Wow!  That’s a long time!”  Sango said.

“Keh…  She’ll finally get caught up on her sleep and it’ll be a mini vacation for us.  All we’ll have to do is cook and hunt.  We won’t know what to do with ourselves!”  Inuyasha chuckled.

“Oh, I’m sure that we’ll find something to do.”  Miroku said stoically making Sango roll her eyes.

It was only going to be another hour or so before the boar would be done so Sesshomaru decided a nap was in order.  Kicking his boots off, he slid up by the sleeping miko.  After enfolding her in his arms, he shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift away.

A bit over an hour later he was pulled back to the waking world by Sango’s soft voice telling him the food was ready.  After gently pulling away from Kagome, so she wouldn’t wake, he donned his boots before disappearing into the trees.

He was in the middle of watering a bush when he heard a loud ruckus coming from camp punctuated by loud shouts from Inuyasha and some very unfamiliar snarling growls.  Knowing this wasn’t a good sign, he quickly finished what he was doing then headed back to camp at top speed.

When he got there he found out the snarl/growl had come from Kagome who was crouched on the mattress.  She was facing a slashed up Inuyasha and Kouga.  It took no degree of deductive reasoning for him to guess, generally, what happened.  But that was secondary to him and could be asked about later.  His first priority was Kagome.  Quickly, he scooped her up and held her to his chest.  Immediately she clung tightly to him and he could feel her shake and feel her heart thundering.  Holding her closely, he was about to walk away to calm her down when Inuyasha’s voice stopped him.

“Look at her face!”  The hanyou said in a raspy whisper, eyes all but bugging out. 

Nodding, Sesshomaru then walked into the trees with her.  Finding a small clearing a short ways away he settled down with her and did his best to sooth and calm her down.  From what had been described to him in the past being woken in the middle of a change was like having the worst nightmares of your life.  Because you wouldn’t fully awaken there was no way to escape or stop it.  Plus your new instincts, something you weren’t used to yet, took over and perceived everything as an attack because they knew you were in an extremely vulnerable state.  That’s why your mate stayed with you at all times.  Instinctively you knew who they were and that they would protect you. Though he did the inevitable, mentally kick himself for leaving her alone, he realized it really was something no one could have predicted.  Who would have guessed the ookami prince would put in an appearance at the very time he was away for just a couple minutes because he needed to relieve himself?

Thinking about the ookami jogged what the hanyou had said so he looked down at the onna clinging to his chest.  Gently, he brushed the hair away from her face and was able to move her head a bit so her face was visible.  Looking at her, he was a bit stunned.  Before he had walked away from camp she had looked just as she always had.  Now however, she had the same markings he did, the crescent moon on her forehead, markings on her eyelids and cheeks.  Though the moon was the same color the ones on her cheeks and eyelids appeared to be a dark shade of pink rather than magenta like his were.  Gently, he picked up one of her hands.  Indeed the stripes were there on her wrists as well.  Also, she had claws instead of fingernails.

As she slipped further back to sleep, relaxing, the marks faded but faint tracings of them remained, easily visible.  Though the claws retracted a bit they didn’t go away either.  It was now obvious that the changes were starting.  He was sure that the next time she opened her mouth he would see budding fangs rather than her normal teeth.  The one thing he wondered about was her eyes. There were mixed feelings on that topic.  Although he thought she would be beautiful with golden eyes, no beautiful was too mild of a word-breathtaking would probably be more accurate of a term, he adored her big, chocolate colored doe eyes.  Really, he hoped that they wouldn’t change but if they did that it would only be a minimal amount.

After about a half an hour he felt she was once again deeply asleep and it would be safe to return.  Gently, he held her to his chest then stood.

When he reached the once again subdued and quiet camp he kicked off his boots then settled back on the mattress.  After the sleeping miko was placed across his crossed legs and he made sure she was comfortable he turned his attention to the other in the clearing.  Both Kouga and Inuyasha had several slash marks on their faces though the hanyou did seem to be the worst of the two.  Fixing them with gimlet glare, he snarled, “Explain!”  If it was something that happened because of sheer stupidity there would be repercussions.  If it was just one of those things what she did would be lesson enough and he would let it slide. 

What he was able to piece together from the observances of everyone that had been a participant and witness was it was just one of those things.  From what he understood Kouga had torn into camp in his usual whirlwind.  Because of the speed he traveled some finite, light smells weren’t always picked up until he stopped and concentrated.  He had picked up on the smell of the hanyou’s pack and Kagome but didn’t notice the subtle change in her scent.  Yes, he had picked up the taiyoukai’s smell but had thought nothing of it.

When he stopped he was right by the mattress Kagome was snoozing on.  Reaching out, he had put a hand on her shoulder to wake her, nothing that was odd, before anyone could shout at him to stop.  Knowing what may well be coming, Inuyasha had rushed over to yank him away.  But he was too late.  Kagome had been jarred awake and panicked then attacked.  She had gotten a couple good slashes in when Inuyasha had gotten to them.  Not seeing him as a being that she was close to she had turned on him.  Though his fire rat had protected him she had gotten in several good strikes to his face.  He was saved from anything worse, it was looking as though she was going to go on a full out attack, by Sesshomaru’s appearance. 

Sighing deeply, the half-breed shook his head and looked at his half-brother.  “I never though I’d say this… but for the first time ever I was glad to see you asshole.”

All Sesshomaru did was smirk but he did relax.  Nothing had happened that was deliberate or done out of stupidity for him to get angry about.  None of them could have predicted that Kouga was close by and show up.  In turn the ookami acted as he always had in the past, nothing that could be blamed on him. 

Hopping over onto the edge of the mattress, Shippo looked at the woman he saw as his mother.  “Did the markings stay or did they fade?”  He asked Sesshomaru but made no move to inch closer to her.

“They faded but are still there.”  He told the kit quietly and lifted her up a bit so the youngster could see better.

“Does that mean she’s going to become youkai?”  Miroku asked as he and Sango move closer to have a look.

Sighing, the taiyoukai shook his head.  “I’m still not sure though this and other things do seem to indicate when all is said and done that she’ll be youkai.”

Quite frankly, he had some seriously mixed feelings on that topic as well.  Yes, her becoming a full youkai would make his life much easier when it came to other lords and the demon court.  Even if she was a miko that would be balanced out by the fact that she was a demon.  On the other hand he didn’t know, if only for her sake, if he wanted to subject her to something that could be painful at times as well as hard to control and deal with.  All she knew was how to be ningen, being youkai was different, sometimes very different.  To be youkai and still be in possession of all that made you human, when it came to your mind, was going to be hard indeed.  Not to mention confusing as hell and hard to deal with.  Never in his life had he met any demon that had Kagome’s innocence.  It was going to turn her world upside down.  Her transition was going to be a hard one that he could only hope she would weather well and come out much the way she was when she started.

On the other hand the fact that she was willing to endure it to become his mate just solidified his conviction that there was no one more worthy to spend their life with him.  No ningen other than ones that were power hungry would consider this.  As he well knew from almost the first time they met she cared nothing for attaining power which proved if he had any doubts at all that she was only doing it because she loved and wanted to be with him.  She was willing to suffer and change for him.  As he had already told the rest of the pack he was fairly sure she would become full youkai but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t hope against hope that she would stop short.

In a few minutes he was pulled back to the present by an increasingly loud verbal altercation between Inuyasha and Kouga.  Knowing what the two were like when they went at it he settled back to watch with a smirk on his face.  The way he saw it the scene was probably going to be good for at least a couple chuckles.

It seemed that the whole crux of the problem was the ookami blamed the hanyou for allowing Kagome to mate with someone else.  He took the line of thinking that because Inuyasha was his packs leader he was supposed to be well aware that he, Kouga, had already laid claim to the priestess as his future mate.  As pack leader he was supposed to honor said claim and keep any other males from sniffing around ‘his woman’.

Inuyasha response to that accusation?  First, that when Kami was handing out brains Kouga must have declined because he didn’t have any if he thought he had any claim of any kind on the little futuristic miko.  Not only had he, as pack leader, rejected the ookami’s claim to her long ago but Kagome herself had rejected said claim as well.  Kouga had just been too stupid to have heard either one of them and let it sink in.

Then there was Sesshomaru himself…  Obviously in a choice between the ookami and the demon lord Sesshomaru was the better of the two.  Yes, he was a psycho asshole but they were still related, a big plus in his favor.  Then there was the fact that Sesshomaru had a fortress, army and something called money that would allow him to care for the little miko in the manner she deserved.  What did Kouga have?  A stinky ass den and a bunch of mangy wolves.  The concept of monkey apparently hadn’t been heard of by said ookami. 

Though his expression was his normal blank, stoic mask, internally Sesshomaru was rolling.  This could only be described as great entertainment.  The rest of the hanyou’s pack wasn’t as unemotional as he was.  Though the slayer had a hand over her mouth to stop any noise from escaping, it was obvious she was laughing.  Her whole body shook an quivered.  However, the monk made it obvious he found the entire scene amusing.  Sitting there, he was grinning from ear to ear, shaking his head.  The kit sat on the corner of the mattress rolling his eyes, calling both of them idiots, an assessment the demon lord quietly seconded.

Of course, as anyone who knew the two would expect, Inuyasha’s assessment ended in a shouting match with fists flying.  The end result of that was Kouga announcing that he would be traveling with the hanyou’s pack since Inuyasha had proven that he couldn’t adequately provide for Kagome’s defense.  Yes, the taiyoukai was more than equipped to provide protection but he would occasionally need back up.  Since Inuyasha had proven he was about as worthless as tits on a boar in that area he, Kouga, would pick up the slack.

Once again, the hanyou went into an apoplectic fit and fists were about to fly once more when Sesshomaru piped in with a quiet, “He could prove useful.”

That, as anyone who knew him would expect, sent Inuyasha off the deep end into a frothing tantrum of rage.

“This outta prove interesting.”  Shippo said to no one in particular as he watched the hanyou rage on.

“Exactly.”  Sesshomaru said tonelessly as he watched his half-brother, making the rest of the pack grin.  “At least it should provide many entertaining moments if nothing else.”

“You’re evil!”  Miroku chuckled.

“So I’ve been told.”  The taiyoukai deadpanned back.