Kryptonite
By Danyealle
(fanfiction/MF/HC/Abuse)
Chapter 20
..3 Weeks Later…
Sitting on the weathered boards of the old well Sesshomaru watched Daoe flying around, checking things out. Though they had been in Edo for two days and had walked the little miko to the well for her trip home the bird hadn’t had all that much time in this area of the forest to check things out so the creature was taking the opportunity to do just that. Glancing around, he made sure that his ‘men’ were in place then went back to waiting for the little priestess to appear.
This had been her first trip home since he had taken her from the boy so, like most things he wasn’t used to, he was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing and wouldn’t feel ‘better’ until she had returned and they were on their way to the fortress.
The three weeks that they had traveled had been very interesting for many reasons.
Mostly it was because the pack was still getting used to each other and how things worked. However, the biggest thing they had to get used to was his and Kagome’s relationship. He had seen the looks on their faces when he first held her all night. To him it had been hilarious and good for many internal chuckles. It had taken them a week to get used to him holding her while she slept without tossing them strange looks. He could tell that they really didn’t know what to think of the whole thing but hadn’t said anything about it, at least to him.
He found that he liked their time alone each night and looked forward to them more than he would have ever thought. No, most nights they didn’t have very serious talks, like the one about the dream, but there were a few of them. Most nights it was just a mish-mash of all kinds of topics. But one night in particular stood out in his mind.
It was a night that they had stopped early and she had wanted to go for their walk a bit earlier that normal. They had found a tiny meadow not far from the camp. Kagome had laid out her sleeping bag and they had laid down on it. Spooning with her back pressed to his chest, and him holding her, they had just watched the sun slowly set together, not talking or anything just lying there together. It had given him a feeling of closeness with her like nothing else they had done before. He was sure that it was a moment he would remember for the rest of his life.
About two weeks into their travels one of the things he had been concerned about had happened: the slayer had become fertile. Much to his relief he found that, though their awareness to it had been heightened somewhat when it came to the youkai in the pack, it didn’t seem to affect them much at all. Though, unconsciously, the monk seemed to be. He had become a bit ‘gropier’ than normal, as Kagome phased it. From he taiyoukai’s perspective it had been rather funny to watch the exterminator almost lay him out after he went over some kind of daily grope limit. After the slayer finished her fertility period Sesshomaru had been confident that the little miko’s would be no problem. Two days later he found out that was a wrong assumption to make.
The morning she entered her fertility cycle he had awoken to his beast all but salivating and highly agitated. The smell from her was the single most arousing thing he had ever experienced in his life. It had taken every bit of self control he had to not ravish her and keep a tight reign on his beast. He had tried to act normally around her, really he had, so he didn’t do something foolish and frighten her but she had noticed. Kouga had been affected as well but not to the extent he had been.
Finally, that night wile they were alone she had asked him what the problem was.
Not wanting to lie or hid anything from her he had confessed what was going on. “You have become fertile. Because of our relationship and what I feel for you it’s affecting me greatly.” He told her honestly.
Blushing bright red, she began to stammer. “Oh! Umm... Er… I’m sorry. Would you rather I not be around you right now?” She asked quietly, looking at him shyly through her lashes.
“No!” He had stated emphatically. “It is just something I will have to learn to deal with is all. I will not push you away at any time just because I’m having a problem dealing with something.” He told her firmly. To show how serious he was about it he pulled her onto his lap and held her close despite the fact that her close proximity gave him an instant, throbbing erection.
She hadn’t missed that and blushed all the harder when she had felt it pressed against her. In the end she had come up with a solution: a pill that would stop both her being fertile and her monthly cycle. Though it sounded strange to him he conceded that it was probably a very good idea for her to take it.
He had though her being fertile would b the worst part of dealing with it. He had been wrong once more on that account. Within a couple hours of each other on the same day both onnas had started their monthly cycles. The smell had been out and out maddening! It had also affected, to varying degrees, every being in the pack with youkai blood. As well as every low level youkai in the area, attracting them to their camp.
H slayer wasn’t affected much by her cycle though it did seem to make her more dower and short tempered than she usually was. Even the monk seemed to know what was going on because he was on his best behavior and kept his hands largely to himself.
Kagome, however, was a different matter. He had always heard that ningen onna’s suffered cramps while they had their cycle but nothing had prepared him for the absolute agony the little priestess when through. Until the medicine she had taken for it kicked in the poor miko suffered quite painfully. Even after it had taken affect she was in a highly emotional state that would reduce her to tears at the slightest provocation. By the time the five days her cycle had run was over he was positive the pill she had talked about was a damn good idea! He wasn’t sure if he could deal with this on a monthly basis!
The hunt for the spider had also been a big event for them though a bit fruitless and frustrating. As they traveled south they garnered more information that pointed to the fact that, indeed, the spider was there somewhere. Unlike Kouga and when the others traveled with the whelp he, because of his title and status, had to let the reigning lord know he was on his lands hunting for someone. Luckily, the Southern Lord’s fortress was along the route they had taken. That meant he could notify him in person, what he preferred to do rather than send a message.
Because Lord Sakari had been at his fortress just a few weeks prior for Kagome’s party an had seemed to have taken a bit of a shine to the little priestess they were welcomed warmly and he had insisted they all stay for the night. Unlike many of the other Lords, Sakari had cautiously watched Naraku as he had gained power and felt the arachnid indeed needed to be eliminated, understanding the danger he posed to all of Japan. Understandably he was furious to find out the menace may well have taken up residence in his lands. Unlike what he would with most beings, Sesshomaru gave up all the information they had on the spider to him and the Southern Lord immediately dispatched a contingent of men to scout and see if they couldn’t find the spider’s lair. He vowed that if they did find him or clues to his whereabouts that he would most assuredly let the taiyoukai know. That would be a big help as Sesshomaru well knew but he had doubts that any of them would have much luck unless Naraku wanted to.
On the subject of Inuyasha he was less pleased. They were all pretty much aware the boy was close to them at all times but there really hadn’t been much they had been able to do to catch the damnable whelp! They had tried every way they could think of to detect or catch him but it had been like trying to bottle a shadow, all but impossible.
As it became obvious the half-breed had a leg up in that area he had grown bolder in what he was doing. So bold in fact that he had shown up where he was actually seen. The first had been while they had been in the middle of a nasty skirmish with a clutch of boar youkai who were after Kagome’s shards. Out of nowhere, or so it seemed, he had appeared in front of Kagome, fang drawn, and had unleashed the Windscar to protect her. Once he had effectively eliminated most of them he had kissed her, told her he loved her then vanished like a puff of smoke in a stiff wind. Because there had been youkai to attend to still there was no way for any of them to go after the boy. After that Kagome had been thrown into a panicked hysteria that had lasted until they had finally been able to make camp that night and the slayer had made up a draught for anxiety for her.
Then, a week later, in the middle of the night the boy had slipped into camp. He had been woken by an all but frenzied Daoe to find Inuyasha crouched before them, staring at her. Before he could do any more than snarl and reach for Tokijin the boy had dropped flowers in her lap and took off with Daoe and an enraged Kouga hot on his trail. As it turned out Ginta had done no more than step into the woods to relieve himself, he was still tucking things back in when he showed back up as soon as he heard the alarm raised. That went to show all of them just how close the whelp was staying to the camp. Poor Kagome had been petrified.
The last attempt had been several days before the miko’s trip home and had triggered said trip. As he was well aware both onnas liked their bath time so they always tried to camp somewhere they could indulge. Knowing the two needed privacy for not only modesty sake but so that they could have some time to talk alone, one of the men always stationed themselves close but far enough away to give them privacy. That night they had been quietly talking about this and that when they glanced up to see Inuyasha crouched on the far edge of the spring. After a loud scream that got all the males moving their direction both females had bailed out of the water. Kagome had wrapped a towel around herself and ducked behind the slayer. Donning her kimono quickly, Sango had then thrown her weapon at the hanyou, snarling. Of course he had ducked it. But, unfortunately for the whelp, Ah-Un had been off hunting for his supper close by. Hearing the women’s panicked cries; he had shown up behind the boy and singed his tail-feathers with a blast of blue flames. By the time the rest of the males had shown up the whelp was long gone.
The poor miko, still clad only in a towel, had thrown herself on him, sobbing and babbling hysterically, the second he had shown himself in the clearing, obviously terrified. He had truly felt sorry for her. After that she was afraid to even go alone to relieve herself, something he could understand. It had taken the rest of the night to calm her down. It also had made the decision for her that it was time for a break from the spider hunt. She would go home for a couple days then they would all retire to the fortress for the remainder of the week.
Sighing, he looked down into the dark depths of the demon eating well. The trip back to Edo had not been a pleasant one. All of them had been apprehensive and on edge because of the boy but the little miko had once more retreated into the shell she had been in when she had come to the fortress. Maybe even deeper than that. It was obvious she was petrified. He hadn’t realized how much so until the following night when she out and out refused to take a bath unless someone went with her and Sango. In the end it was Kouga that had come up with something she could handle: several of his wolves and Ah-Un would go with the women as protection. Not only would it give them the protection they would need but protect their modesty as well. That seemed to put her at ease a bit and was acceptable. But it wasn’t the last obstacle.
After that she had been too afraid to do more than doze, terrified of once more waking up and finding Inuyasha in front of her, even with him holding her at night. It had taken all his considerable powers of persuasion to get her to take a sleeping draught at night. Once they got to the fortress he vowed to find a way to either reveal the whelp or keep him out with some kind of barrier.
Never in his whole existence had he felt so helpless and inept. He had vowed to protect her and wasn’t doing a very good job of it. Hell, even with the rest of the pack they were getting dismal marks in the area of miko protection. If this kept up the poor little priestess would be a complete basket case and it would take him forever to draw her back out of her shell once more.
Snarling internally, he once more cursed his father for the dalliance with that human that resulted in the whelp’s birth. It was as though the boy was an albatross he would be forever forced to carry around his neck and couldn’t get rid of. Once more his beast snarled and lobbied to gut the boy and scatter his remains across Japan so he would trouble them no more. Though he saw the merits in its suggestion he held it at bay, knowing full well the real torture would be the boy being alive knowing the woman that he loved was with another. That pain would last for centuries and be worse than anything physical he could inflict on him.
Trying to calm himself down, he once more focused his thoughts back on Kagome. When her face floated to mind his heart clenched painfully. Quite frankly he really didn’t know what to do for her. He was trying his damnedest to protect her but it wasn’t working. She was suffering too, that much was obvious, but he really didn’t know what more to do to help her. He would freely admit that, for the most part, he was out of his depths with the whole thing and was just going on instinct and what he knew about her. Yes, he planned to keep doing that but he was really beginning to wonder if she wasn’t going to need more than that. Maybe a long talk with her it figure out the major issues she was dealing with was in order. Then he could more easily judge what to work on and how to go about things. With that he had to come up with a way to better protect her from the whelp. Than, he knew, was going to go a long way to helping her. Of course, he knew, her staying at the fortress was the best way to keep her safe but the way he saw it that wasn’t an option. That was just hiding the problem, not fixing it.
Sighing out loud, he gazed down into the dry well’s depths once more. Tucking his hands into his sleeves, he looked up and watched Daoe. Whistling softly to call the creature over to him, he watched as it flew over and landed gracefully on his shoulder. “Good boy,” he told the bird and rubbed its head. “She’ll be back soon.” He said though he wasn’t entirely sure if he was telling the bird that or reassuring himself.
Alright, he would admit it to himself, he missed her. She had only been gone two days but without her around it was as though the world had lost some of its sparkle and color. Yes, he knew he liked having her around, he would readily admit that, but he hadn’t realized that he would miss her like he did. It was most assuredly strange but, in a way, felt good. It was funny really, when he had walked her to the well he had to fight the urge to insist that he accompany her. From all she had told him about ‘her time’ he knew she was probably safer there than she was here so she didn’t need his ‘protection’ there. Saying that would have been a ruse, he, in reality, just had wanted to stay with her. But after a kiss he had let her jump through the well without a protest.
Once more he looked up at the sky to judge the time. Soon, he promised himself. She would be back soon. Already he had sent the rest of the pack onto the fortress so they would be there when he and the miko arrived. He was sure she would want to stop in Edo to see the old miko, who he had to admit he had a new respect for and found to be pleasant, then they would be off. Already he had their night planned out. They would have a meal with the pack, spend some time together with them and the pups then she and he would have the rest of the night to themselves. After that they would deal with things as they came. There would be five days at the fortress then they would once more head to the south.
“Hurry up Kagome. I miss you!” He mentally encouraged her as he watched the bottom of the well, waiting to see her.
…ks…ks…ks…ks…
The mighty taiyoukai wasn’t the only one waiting for Kagome’s return. Not far away from the well, concealed in a tree, Inuyasha waited for that event as well. No, he wasn’t going to try anything foolish, he was well aware that not only was his baka half-brother there but several of his heavily armed men as well. No way was he going to be an idiot and even do so much as reveal himself. He just wanted to see her is all, nothing more. When she and the bastard were off he would head towards the fuckers lands and see just how close he could get to the bastard’s fortress.
Grinning evilly, he allowed himself a good pat on the back over the stunts he had been able to pull off. Oh hell yes those beads worked fantastic! He would admit he did what he did to be close to Kagome once more and that was the only reason but there had been to added bonus of making the Ice Lord look like a total failure at protecting her. Yeah, that had been great and made the risk worthwhile.
Hopefully, soon, the miko would realize that he was really sorry for what he had done and was trying to make it up to her then come back to him. Once she was back he would have her put the beads back on then they would start working on the other ‘issues’ they had and life would go back to the way things used to be.
Though, to himself, he would admit that there were going to be things beyond what caused the whole mess to work on. Before she had hopped into the well he had seen her and Sesshomaru kiss. Now, he wouldn’t have much to say about it if the bastard was the one that had kissed her but the silly bitch had actually met him halfway, telling him she was a willing participant in the lip lock! Obviously, at this point, she didn’t have her head screwed on right and wasn’t thinking straight. He would make sure he corrected that problem.
Thinking about the bastard he gave a bit of an internal grin. If Sesshomaru thought he was getting some kind of big prize with Kagome he better think again. Though he loved her to death the mouth on her was enough to drive you crazy. Then there was the fact that she was the deadest lay he had ever met in his life! All she seemed to be able to do was either lay there and do nothing or act like it hurt. In fact you had to move half of heaven and hell to even get her to agree to let you do it in the first place. So if the ass thought he was getting some great fucking prize he was in for one hell of a rude awakening. Hell, he wouldn’t even bother with the bitch if he didn’t love her! The only things she was good at were detecting shards and running her big damn mouth.
…ks…ks…ks…ks…
Heading towards the Western Fortress on the back of Kirara, Sango and Miroku were able to keep pace with Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku. The monk spent his time joking and talking with the three while getting information about what the place was like. She, on the other hand, was lost in her thoughts; most of them were focused on Kagome and Sesshomaru.
When they started traveling with the taiyoukai both her and the monk had reservations about it, not sure what he was going to be like and his leadership style. Yes, both of them were sure he would be a much better and more effective alpha that Inuyasha was but they weren’t wanting a stiff, military style leadership either. Thankfully they hadn’t had to worry about that. His relaxed style suited them well. It seemed that he was aware that they knew what they were doing and pretty much worked with that, letting them do what they did best. Nor did he seem to mind the horsing around that went on. Sure there were things he was a stickler about but for the most part he went with the flow, even joining some of the games they played. Much to her surprise he took the safety of all the members of the pack very seriously, more so than anything else. Sure, there were things they missed, like staying in inns or taverns all the time and some of the general goofing that used to go on but it wasn’t anything that big or horrible. Actually, from her perspective, she found that she liked his leadership style more than the chaotic, follow the wind style that Inuyasha used. Nord did they have to worry about walking on eggshells like they did with the sometimes moody and surly hanyou or some of the fighting that had done on because of those things. This trip the only ‘emotional stuff’ they had to deal with had been brought on by the self-same hanyou.
With a mental sigh her thoughts shifted to her best friend. Poor Kagome! She really, truly felt for her! Not only had she been in the middle of a horrible situation but, after she was removed from it, the cause of it wouldn’t leave her alone. She was probably closer to her than any of the others in the pack and even she doubted that she knew the true extent of how her friend had and still was suffering. Nor had she opened up to her much about it. Every time Inuyasha made an appearance she was sure that it pushed the poor miko closer to a breakdown of some kind.
But of all the things about the situation that had taken her by surprise was Sesshomaru. The gentleness he treated her with and how he dealt with the situation completely stunned her. He seemed to take his responsibility to her very seriously. It also appeared to her that Kagome and her safety came before everything else. That really, truly impressed her and something she felt was needed.
Switching topics slightly, she thought about what she was seeing when it came to the relationship between the miko and taiyoukai. She would freely admit to herself, and had done so to Miroku as well, that she initially had serious, real concerns about Kagome becoming his mate because of his nature. As all of them well knew from encounters with him in the past he was a cold, vicious, cruel being that was seriously violent and sadistic, not the kind of male that would be a suitable mate for someone like Kagome. Her fear had been that he would do to her what Inuyasha had if not something worse. But after a month of seeing them together that fear was gone.
It had been obvious to all that had known the hanyou that he truly loved the futuristic miko yet, despite that, he had never, as long as she had known him, treated her with the gentleness and caring that his cold, violent older brother was. Yes, she had known for a long time the taiyoukai had a well-defined sense of honor and responsibility, that alone would at least lean him towards doing what was right by the priestess and not hurt her. All of them had also known that the two were friends, from personal observation-very good ones. That at least gave them a base to give them a good start. But none of that explained what she saw from Sesshomaru.
Like the rest of the pack she had been completely and utterly flabbergasted and shocked by Sesshomaru holding and being able to tenderly treat Kagome the way he had done. Honestly, when he had started holding her while she slept all of them hadn’t quite been able to fathom what they were seeing. Then the consensus had been, among the men anyway, he was doing what he felt Kagome needed. But she wasn’t sure about that. Yes, that was probably part of it but from the vibes she got from him and some of the looks on his face seemed to tell her that he was also doing it because he wanted to. There seemed to be something about the act that Sesshomaru liked a great deal and that he got from it. The way she saw it was that only good could come from it.
But, beyond that, she, as far as she could tell she was the only one, began to notice that it seemed that the demon lord had started caring for her beyond the friendship they shared. No, she couldn’t define what it was exactly but, at least from her end, it did seem to be there.
Then there was Kagome… Since the friendship had started between her and Sesshomaru her friend had cared for the inutaiyoukai like she did all her other friends. But, now, was she showing more than just that. She wasn’t sure.
It was obvious, to her anyway, that Sesshomaru was probably about the best thing that had ever happened to her friend. He seemed to have a knowledge and instinct to know what Kagome needed and Kagome, in turn, did seem to trust him enough to let him close to her. It was also apparent to her that her friend had truly accepted that the fearsome male was going to become her mate and seemed to be working towards building on the relationship they had. But it appeared there were feelings growing for him as well. During some of their ‘girl talks’ while they were alone taking a bath the miko made it very clear that she had nothing at all bad to say about Sesshomaru. She also ate up everything he was doing for her. Yes, she was going through a very hard time with what was happing with Inuyasha but she was allowing herself to let Sesshomaru close. That was very encouraging. In fact, she was sure that what the hanyou was doing was driving her closer to the demon lord. The more Inuyasha showed up, the more protective Sesshomaru become of her and the closer the miko became to him. But she was sure that those feelings grew because of what was already there, the hanyou’s stupidity was just the catalyst for it.
But, from what she was seeing and from the perspective of a female of the species, Kagome now had a ‘man’ that treated her how she deserved to be treated and was perfect for her. It seemed that only Sesshomaru could get her to giggle any more and could easily make her smile even when she was in one of her darker moods.
All the reservations she had about Sesshomaru with her friend where now gone. In fact, she was silently encouraging and cheering them on. When, one night while he was sitting next to her when they were playing cards, he had quietly asked her about things Kagome liked and liked to do. She had told him everything he knew without a second thought. She was going to help and encourage this all she could!
When the fortress finally came into view she smiled. Yes, she was looking forward to staying in what was basically a palace and seeing all the things Kagome had talked about. But she was also wanting to see how the demon lord and miko were together without all the stress they had while traveling. This was bound to be both fun and educational!