Evolution of a Taiyoukai
By Danyealle
(FanFiction/MF/angst)
Chapter 18
Within a couple hours the hut was finished. Gently, he carried her back. When he stepped through the door he was pleased. Not only had it been cleaned within an inch of its life it had been decorated and furnished. Gently, he laid her down on the futon then looked around, nodding. They had laid rugs on the floor, put up a screen over the door, hung paintings on the wall, etc. He was most pleased.
As he was putting more wood on the fire, it was getting chilly and there was a bite to the wind, he heard her stir around then sit up, groaning softly. Tossing the rest of the wood on the fire, he dusted his hands off then walked over to her. Crouching down in front of her, he took her hand gently then kissed her. “How are you feeling?” He asked when he broke it off.
“Like a sushi chef used me for chopping practice. I hurt all over.” She said in an uneven voice as she rubbed her face.
“We’ll get you something for the pain. Is there anything else you need?” He asked quietly.
“Yeah, I need to find a tree to water and something to eat, I’m starving.” As if to punctuate what she said her stomach let out a loud gurgling growl.
“Both are easily arranged.” He told her quietly. Poking his head out, he called for Uryu. While the maid escorted the still much wounded miko to attend to her business, Sesshomaru went to the old miko’s hut to arrange for a meal and something for her pain.
When Kagome returned, she found not only her supper waiting on her but a hut full of her friends. Sitting on the futon on Sesshomaru’s lap she all but devoured the food she was given. While she ate she told about the battle from her point of view, fielding questions from everyone while she related the story. But when she got to the part about crossing the bridge and the bit with her grandmother everyone was dead quiet and listened with rapt attention. Of course, as would be expected, when she was done there were a barrage of questions thrown at her from all directions which she answered the best she could.
When the topic of Kikyo was brought up there were most questions than with any other part. In the end it was Kagome who summed up her role the best. “Kikyo is the only reason I was able to come back. Yes, I was able to pull power from Sesshomaru to do it but if Kikyo hadn’t held on to my soul then it would have crossed over. Plus, if she had really wanted to she could have kept it and I wouldn’t have had the power to pull it back. She held it and willingly gave it back.”
Honestly, no one really knew what to say about that. The Kikyo they all knew, with the exception of Inuyasha, was a vindictive, hateful thing that had hurt Kagome in many ways plus stole her jewel shards to give to Naraku. Though Kagome seemed to believe this was an act of good the rest of them were less than convinced. The look on the taiyoukai’s face told them he felt the same way.
The questioning went on until it became obvious to Sesshomaru that she was in need of pain relief. Quickly, he put an end to the questions. Once she had swallowed the pain killer he shooed everyone out. After everyone was gone Jaio and Kaede changed her dressings, making Sesshomaru wait outside while they did. While waiting, he made arrangements to meet with both Kouga and Inuyasha once Kagome had fallen asleep.
When they were done with her, Sesshomaru came back into the hut and sat on the futon, holding her on his lap as tightly as he dared. Gently, he ran his claws through her hair. Because of the events of the day he was reluctant to be away from her for more than a couple minutes at a time and his protection instincts were at an all time high.
Snuggling up to him, Kagome slid one arm around him and sighed softly, eyes shut. “I’m sorry I worried you Sesshomaru.” She told him in a quiet, uneven voice.
“You have nothing to apologize for Kagome.” He replied softly. “The fates had a hand to play and they did so from the sound of it. Naraku also played a part. It’s him that will be made to pay for what was done.”
“Hm… Alright.” She said softly as she once more slid into the sleep of the stoned.
~~~~~@~~~~~
About an hour or so later, Inuyasha poled his head in to see if she was asleep. When he saw she was out, he and Kouga both entered. Seating themselves by the fire, they went over what Sesshomaru had thought of for fortifying the village protection. As the taiyoukai had anticipated neither of them had a problem with them and even had a couple useful suggestions of their own. It took a bit of discussion to work out the logistics of how to implement it but it wasn’t all that hard to work out.
Sitting in the hut that he and the rest of the pack had used for so long, Inuyasha looked around at what Uryu and the women she had hired had done. It didn’t even look like the same place they had used for so long. From the look of things they really hadn’t done much, just give it a good cleaning and add a few things that could have been easily obtained. Then there was the fact that the demon lord was building her a house of her own. No, it wasn’t anything spectacular but it was a far sight better than this hut was. What griped him most about it was that he hadn’t thought of any of this. Because of the way he had lived for so long he hadn’t even thought of things like these. This type of stuff wasn’t important to him but he should have because she would have loved it and made her feel special. But his reaction to it all was one that usually came, all gruff and bluster. “You know, you’re spoiling her with all this crap. First the dragon to ride on now a comfortable, decorated house to use once in a while. Keep it up and she’s going to think she’s a princess or something and no one will be able to live with her.”
“She’s deserving of what I do for her.” Sesshomaru shot back, glaring at the boy. “Nor do I think any of it isn’t going to go to her head. Kagome’s far too grounded for that. These are just small things that can be easily done, nothing untold. Besides, my mate,” he emphasized that last word, “will be treated with a certain level of favoritism and comfort as begets her station. She is the Lady of the Western Lands and that brings with it certain entitlements and I’m more than willing to give them to her.”
“Keh… You’re spoiling her rotten.” Inuyasha said, tucking his hands into his sleeves but his voice lacked emphasis.
“I don’t see a problem with any of this.” Kouga said quietly. “With all she’s gone through over the past few years, she deserves some pampering. Besides, if what Sango and Miroku are right all that fancy stuff is downright primitive compared to her home. So how can someone who’s used to so much more be spoiled by this?”
Sighing, Inuyasha conceded that part. “Yes, I guess that’s true.” Compared to the ‘luxury’ she lived with every day when she was home, leave all the things that were considered luxurious here weren’t for her.
~~~~~@~~~~~
Just as dawn peeked over the horizon the next morning, Sesshomaru reluctantly woke. He was still tired and could easily go back to sleep but his need to ‘water a tree’, as Kagome put it, needed taken care of before that could happen. Gently, he untangled himself form her then eased out of bed.
When he came back in, he eased himself back into bed with her, fully intending to slide back into the realm of sleep but that plan was quickly derailed. Where the futon was placed there was a small window not far away. Though covered, an errant sunbeam shined through on the side and its light fell squarely down her body. What caught his attention was her hair. Clearly visible in the mass of ebony were strands of silver. Gently, so he didn’t wake her, he ran his claws through her hair. What he saw on the surface weren’t just a few errant hairs. They were twisted throughout the mass of her raven tresses. As he thought about what he was seeing, he continued to run his claws through her hair. Another glance drew his attention to one of her hands. On the pillow, by her face, one of her hands was spread out flat on the soft cushion. What drew his attention was her nails, well what used to be her nails. No longer did she have the dull, rounded nails of a ningen but claws like a youkai. Reaching out, she softly ran one calloused fingertip over the sharp points of the claws to convince himself they were real. While he did that he wondered if there were any other changes or if those were it. Galloping in on the heels of that came the question of why. He was aware that some ningen became hanyou to some degree but why would that change happen to her so long after their mating? He wasn’t sure. Today, when she was awake for a while he planned to talk to her in depth about a few things she had mentioned. Perhaps something in that discussion could explain what he was now seeing.
Wrapping his arms around her, he spooned close to her back and shut his eyes. Though there seemed to be a restlessness in his mind he was tired enough that sleep came easily.
~~~~~@~~~~~
While Sesshomaru was dozing back off Inuyasha was perched in the God’s tree, wide awake. In face he had been awake for hours now and didn’t get very much sleep at all that night. Yes, for a while he played over what had happened to Kagome but then it had shifted gears and changed lanes. Then he began thinking about his relationship with both Kagome and Kikyo.
Leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree, he gave a soulful sigh. Once more the word fuck-up came to mind. Grousing, he thought that would have been a more fitting name for him because he spent an inordinate amount of time being just that over his like. Only this time he had managed to pull off a biggie. But, then again, over the last moth or so it seemed he managed one big fuck-up after another and they were all big ones. Nor could he blame them on anyone but himself. He’s the one that did them, no one else.
Giving another sigh, he thought of the accumulation of events that had brought him to this point. All he could do was wince. Time after time he had hurt Kagome in many, many ways that had nothing to do with the Kikyo issue. How many times had he told people Kagome was just a jewel shard detector? No, she wasn’t, she was far more than that to him and he was sure that she knew it but it had to hurt every time he had said it. After all it would have hurt him if she had said something like the only reason he was around was because he could swing a sword. In fact he would have left her if she had pulled that one. That was his insecurity talking yet rather than deal with it himself he made her pay for it.
That bit was bad enough but there was more. So many times he had ignored what she had wanted and needed because he was so focused on his own goal of making Naraku pay. In doing that he had made her suffer. Certainly, he would never have put up with that kind of behavior from her yet he expected her to. That wasn’t right. Yes, the whole pack was intent on eliminating Naraku for their own reasons and focused on that goal but sometimes other responsibilities cropped up. He was usually fairly understanding with everyone about it, except Kagome. He fought with and made life miserable for her. To top that off she was the one with most obligations and dealt with the most stress over them. Again, she chalked it up to his own insecurities but that was no excuse. Because, in turn, he would never have put up with it from her.
There was a prime example of that: Kikyo. He had known all along how Kagome felt about him sneaking off to see her. He had also known how much it hurt her yet, because he felt it was his obligation, no one was allowed to say anything to him about it or question it. He had been so egocentric on that topic that he had refused to see any other point of view. The ‘mating’ had been the same way. Despite what he may have pouted or piled on top if it the real reason he mated her was because he had wanted to. He had also made sure to keep it hidden from Kagome because he had known all along that if she found out their relationship would have ended, just what had happened. He kept trying, from the view of hindsight, to come up with a way he could have gone about things differently but now he realized that all those reasons were just selfish ways of getting what he wanted and would have ended up hurting Kagome. Even having lost her all he could do was still be selfish.
Blowing out a lung full of air, his shoulders slumped. Despite not wanting to, the time had come that he had to accept that she was gone in that way and he couldn’t get her back. But he could ensure he secured her friendship. No, that wasn’t what he wanted from her but he would settle for it if that was all that was left. That meant he had to make some changes. First thing that came to mind was that he had to quite being such an idiot. In being thick as a brick he had managed to destroy the relationship so he had to knock that off. Second was he needed to stop fighting with Sesshomaru. Their spats never bothered them, or so it seemed, but now it would succeed in hurting Kagome. Them fighting would only put her right in the middle between her mate and a friend. It was also something that would usually leave him holding the short end of the stick.
No, it wasn’t going to be easy to change in the way he needed to but it would be worth it. Kagome was the being that had taught him how to love and care then showed him that not everyone in the world cared that he was a hanyou. In fact, there were beings in the world that cared about Inuyasha not what kind of being he was. In fact, there were several that would do everything up to, and including, die for him because they cared about him. Now it was time to show the first person who felt that way about him that he felt the same way about her.
~~~~~@~~~~~
When Kagome finally woke up, Sesshomaru was already awake, just laying there. With a groan, she turned on her side and pressed her front to his chest, one arm draped over his waist. Resting her head against the front of his shoulder, she gave a soft sigh.
Kissing her on top of the head, Sesshomaru held her. “Good morning Kagome.”
“There isn’t anything good about it so far.” She grumped, pain seeming to rock and pulse her whole body.
Holding her gently, he sat them both up then called for Uryu. “When you get back and get something to eat we’ll get you something for the pain.” He told her gently, releasing her to attend to things of a personal nature.
While his miko was out taking care of her business and getting cleaned up he went to arrange for her breakfast and something to ease her pain. Through the rest of the pack wanted to join her while she ate, he put them off. He wanted to talk to her alone about what had happened the day before, more in depths than they had already done. He felt that was best done while they were alone.
When he stepped back into the hut, Kagome was already there, re-bandaged and dressed. Sitting down at the small table he first gave her the pain killing drink that had been brewed up for her then gave her the plate of food. While she ate, he asked her to once more go over what had happened the day before. While she went over it again he kept stopping her to ask questions so he could get as many details about it as he could possibly get.
From Kagome’s end, recalling the events of the day before was a bit harder. It was as though it was an old memory that was fading over time. She was sure that in a couple weeks she wouldn’t be able to remember much of it at all.
Towards the end of it he reached out and fingered the necklace he had made, eyes having a far away look to them. It was hard to imagine that this simple thing had created the connection she had needed to come back to him.
Putting her hand over his, she looked at him. “Don’t ever ask me to take it off.” She said to him quietly.
“I won’t” He replied in a quiet voice. “However, I’ll make you another one out of stones that are better looking if you like.”
“This one’s fine.” She told him.
“You’re very easy to please Kagome.” He said quietly then kissed her softly.
“As long as I’m with you nothing else matters.” She told him, leaning against him.
When she finished telling him everything she knew and he ran out of questions, she looked at him. “Are you still planning on killing Kikyo?” She asked in a quiet voice.
Gazing out the window, he was quiet. For all the pain the dead one had caused Kagome since her return he felt she needed to be eliminated. But now he wasn’t so sure. In one act she had redeemed herself to some extent. If the dead one had not been around to hold onto Kagome’s soul then she wouldn’t have been able to return to him. This time, he felt, he should leave the decision to her. Gazing back down at her, he said, “This time I’ll leave that particular decision up to you.”
“Thank you.” She said, looking up at him, eyes soft.
“You’re welcome.” Then and there he was pretty sure that there was very little in this world that he would ever be able to deny her. Yes, to an extent, he was that way with Rin but with Kagome it was going to be worse. Gently, he pulled her over into his lap and held her as tightly as he dared.
Leaning against his chest, she twirled an errant lock of his hair around one of her fingers. “Now, tell me, what is this about a house? I was told about it earlier.”
Giving a proud smirk, he explained to her what he was doing in that direction.
Mouth agape, she looked at him. “But… that’s too much! You don’t have to do something like that for me!” She protested.
“I want to do it.” He replied firmly. “I will not have you staying in a hovel when I can give you something much nicer. Just consider it to be one of the perks of being my mate.” He told her smirking then he softened his voice and tone. “I know you would never ask for such a thing or probably even think about doing so but my whole life is now entwined with yours. Because of that and what I feel for you I want to give you the best of everything. Would you deny me that small pleasure?”
“Of course not! I just want you to know you don’t have to. I don’t care about things like that.” She replied, looking up at him.
“That I know well. You are happy with simple things but it make me happy to provide you with comfort and make your life easier. Like riding Ah-Un.” Inclining his head, he kissed her tenderly, letting his long, think tongue slip into her mouth. That was when he felt her tiny, sharp fangs. Now he understood. In coming back to him she had finished a mating bond only youkai usually were able to do. That was why she had changed. Now she was bound to him more closely, something that would probably be both a curse and a blessing in the future.
When they broke off the kiss, he just held her close, feeling her warmth pressed against him. He could also sense her exhaustion. The medicine had taken hold and she would once more be asleep soon. Standing, he carried her back over to the futon and lay down with her curled up to his chest. “Sleep Kagome. We’ll talk more later.” He told her softly.
~~~~~@~~~~~
Pacing back and forth, Naraku tried to remain calm while he and Hakudōshi discussed strategy and how to go about things. Though it was a hard thing to stomach, he had to admit that he had made mistakes in trying to deal with the hanyou and those that traveled with him. Up to this point, he had used Kagura, Kanna and Kohaku to deal with his enemies. For the most part it worked but for Inuyasha and his crew they had grown too strong for the trio. It was time to sick Hakudōshi on them and start planning for the final battle. Once he exterminated his enemies he could find the rest of the shards with very little resistance.
With a resigned mental sigh, he had to admit that to this point he had been too focused on hurting them physically and psychologically. He needed to shift that to elimination mode. With a heavy mental sigh he decided the time for playing was over and planning for the mother of all battles was at hand.
Laying out what he wanted done, he sent his latest incarnation off to survey what he could then begin to form a plan that would allow him to finally rid himself of the beings that had troubled him for so long.
~~~~~@~~~~~
In the morning Kikyo began to set out towards Edo. Overnight she had begun to get strong feelings that she needed to get there soon. Like had happened from time to time in the past her instincts told her that Naraku was planning something big and the time had come for her to set her decision in motion.
No, she didn’t feel a great deal of urgency to get there soonest but she did feel that it had to be within a couple weeks. That would give her the time she needed to put some things in order and sort others out mentally. It was time to put her house in order once and for all. With a resigned sigh, she sped up a bit, her soul collectors floating by her.