The Pure Heart of A Child

The Pure Heart of a Child
Chapter 10: Taiyoukai of the Western Lands

Kagome slowly got to her feet, wiping off the back of her pants and drying her tears. Fine…if they wanted to keep secrets, then she could just as soon keep away from them both. If they didn’t trust her, then she couldn’t trust them…even if they were her mates. Taking a soft breath, she moved back towards the main house, shuffling her feet lightly as she walked. Halfway through the forest, she paused, feeling an incredibly powerful energy coming towards her, making her freeze and quickly draw forth a spirit bow and arrow, arching it in the bow and waiting as the energy came closer and closer.

Nothing could prepare her for who dropped down in front of her, her breath stopped in her throat momentarily before both the bow and arrow dispelled, and she launched herself at him, hugging him tightly, her tears renewed. It had been so long since she had seen him…

The taiyoukai of the western lands froze, feeling the young miko’s arms around him in a tight embrace. He could never understand what she saw in him. He had threatened her life on several occasions, but even now, she was hugging him, and by her tears, he could see and feel that she was happy to see him. Something was different in the miko however, she was mated it seemed, but the mating ritual hadn’t been completed. That puzzled him greatly.

“Sesshoumaru! I’m so glad to see you’re okay, so, so glad…” she managed out, her hands tightly fisted into his haori, still crying lightly.

“This Sesshoumaru is pleased to see you are well, Kagome.” He had given her his respect and honor after the final battle, the second human to have gotten his silent approval and praise, her and Rin were the only humans he would regard with a soft heart. He had taken no mate in all his years of ruling the western lands, and although he wasn’t adamantly searching, he was content to rule by himself. Without much thought, he wrapped his arms around her softly, returning her affectionate hug. It was due to her that he got his arm back, and that on many occasions, Rin was protected. He valued having her as an ally.

After a few moments, in which only the sounds of Kagome’s tears could be heard, she looked up to his face, her emotions clearly seen for once. In the time he had seen her, she hid her emotions from the world, while she was scared, she showed only defiance and strength, and when she was saddened, only a smile. Right now, she was showing her sadness, and depression, and that did something strange to his stoic façade. It was if her shimmering sapphire eyes could read him to his soul, and in the past, that might have unnerved him, right now, it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would have.

“What is bothering you, Kagome?” he asked softly, as if he were talking to Rin all over again.

“…my mates don’t trust me…” she whispered softly, letting her face fall as she hid in his haori. “..something is wrong with Hiei and both him and Kurama know what it is, but they won’t tell me. It’s like they don’t want me to try and help. They don’t trust me not to freak out or something.” She replies softly, sniffling a little, but mostly cried out.

Sesshoumaru scented at the air around him and could easily pick up a dark, musky scent. A sure sign of a demon in heat. Mentally nodding with understanding, he looked back to her saying quietly, “They don’t trust you not to “freak out” as you have said.” He didn’t believe in hiding secrets, not from one’s mate. The entire point of having a mate was having someone to confide in, and ironically, the only one he confided in was standing in his arms right now, crying over mates who didn’t trust her.

“I’m sorry…it’s my problem, I should fix it…” she finally replied, looking up to his face.

“Don’t be sorry, Kagome. This, Sesshoumaru does not mind hearing of your distress.” He replied, before moving to have a seat against a nearby tree, bringing her with him.

She easily went with him, sitting in his lap. She wasn’t sure why he was being so nice, but she wasn’t going to question it. He had plenty of chances in the past to kill her, yet he didn’t. He had plenty of opportunities to push her away, but now, he was pulling her closer, and she would be damned if she didn’t relax against him, feeling exhausted from running and crying, and just seeing him again.

“I’ve missed you, Sesshoumaru…” she said quietly against his armored chest, closing her eyes. He was comforting her…and it was…nice.

“And I you, Kagome…” he replied softly, a gentle, soothing growl coming from him now, lulling her into a light sleep. She seemed tired to him; the thought of her being forced to stay awake because of her mates, or Naraku, angered him. The thought of her mates being untrustworthy angered him further. She put her utmost trust in all those close to her, and even put herself in danger to protect them; she deserved nothing less from those around her.

Even in her sleep, she could sense his distress, and slowly reached up a hand to cup his cheek. “…it’s alright…” she whispered against him before pulling her hand back and curling up into him a little more, her heightened aura surrounding them, calming the beast within the taiyoukai. At first, he froze, not sure what she was doing, but after a few moments, he relaxed, finding that the sensation wasn’t that bad, and actually, he hadn’t been this calm in ages.

He held onto her while she slept, his eyes slowly taking in her earthen beauty. There was always a certain beauty to the young miko, unlike his half brothers wench, Kikyou. The woman wasn’t worthy of honor, yet time after time he cast the miko in his arms away to be with a corpse. The thought sickened him, and even when he hurt her most, instead of making up for things, he fled. He truly was a disgrace to the Taisyou name.

A frown came to the taiyoukai’s face as he felt a familiar energy spike in anger. He recognized it, and forced down a growl. This was one of her mates; she had mated to powerful demons, none as powerful as him however, but powerful nonetheless, and here he was, showing his displeasure when the woman he drove off was resting in another’s arms. They truly didn’t trust her. Her loyalty was unwavering, and even a baka fool would realize that. One had to only see what abuse she endured for her love of his hanyou half brother to realize it. Standing slowly, as to not wake Kagome, Sesshoumaru opened a link with the fire apparition.

‘What are you doing with my mate, Lord Sesshoumaru?’ a very pissed off apparition asked, coming to stand in front of him.

‘She is merely sleeping, Hiei. Nothing more or less has happened.’ He replied off handedly, looking bored with the conversation.

‘In that case, you won’t mind handing her over here to me…’ he growled back softly, his eyes flashing his anger as he youkai became involved. Kagome’s whimper put that to a halt however, her sound crying out for comfort, not anger. Even his youkai couldn’t fight against that. She was their mate, and was hurt at their anger. Crimson eyes met molten gold, and Sesshoumaru’s voice was crystal clear. ‘You don’t trust her, and as such, you shouldn’t have even mated with her. If trust is the only thing your mate asks of you, then you are a lucky demon indeed. Some demand death.’

Without another word, he moved past Hiei, walking towards the shrine with Kagome tucked comfortably into his chest.
Hiei couldn’t manage a reply, a shame he had never known before filling him. He had felt shame before for being what he was, being cast away, being unwanted, but never shame for his actions. He never regretted, but here he was, regretting not being honest with Kagome, not trusting her. She had trusted him from the first moment she met him, when she knew nothing of him, nothing of his past. Now, she knew everything, she had lived his life in a few moments, and she still trusted him, still loved him. She had loyalty to him and Kurama, and only them. She was loyal to her friends, but she would never go behind their back and hurt them. She hadn’t done anything with the taiyoukai, but seeing her with him had inflicted an unknown feeling within him: jealousy. Although he could smell that nothing had happened, he still felt jealous at seeing her in the arms of another…seeking comfort with another, even when he knew of her and the taiyoukai’s history.

‘Fault only rests with you, Hiei you baka…she just wanted to know what was bothering you, and you ran from her. You couldn’t trust her, no matter what she has been through before. Pathetic.’ He mentally berated himself, before jumping up and drawing his sword. He definitely needed to work out some frustration before trying to fix things.

~*~

Kurama’s eyes flew to the forest, feeling his mate’s energy intertwined with an unfamiliar demon aura. Before he could get too bent out of shape, he recognized the royal white kimono of the taiyoukai of the western lands and relaxed, but only slightly. He knew of Kagome’s history with the legendary leader, but seeing her in his arms was unsettling, and not only to him, but to Youko as well.

‘What is our mate doing in another’s arms?!’ he shouted out, turning angry and fighting for control over their human body. Forcing him back, Kurama tried to relax the kitsune. ‘I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for this, please calm down!’

Before anything else could be spoken, they found themselves confronted by Sesshoumaru. “You are also mated to the miko, Kagome.” He bit out with barely concealed anger. Another traitor to her trust, in his opinion.

Nodding mutely, confusion came to the avatar’s face. What had he done to deserve that kind of reaction from the taiyoukai? They had never been on bad terms before, but more on respectable terms, so the anger that he clearly felt rolling in waves off of the taiyoukai was discerning.

They stared each other down for what seemed like ages, but in reality it was only a few moments, before Sesshoumaru moved around him and entered what seemed to be the sleeping quarters of the small group of fighters. He had felt Mazoku energy nearby, as well as the curious energy of an ice maiden, though it was weak. Sniffing his way to Kagome’s room, he lay his precious cargo on the bed, frowning when she whimpered out, reaching for him again. Sighing inaudibly, he picked her back up, placing her back in his arms. He wasn’t looking for a confrontation, nor was he intending on interfering with the miko’s choice of mates, however, he still could force them to prove themselves to him. She was under his care in the past, as one of his pack, and he could invoke demon rights over the situation. Smirking only to himself, he pulled a blanket up over her still form. That was an excellent idea, indeed.

~*~

“I smell you, traitorous mutt, where are you?!” Kouga shouted to the clearing around him. He had followed Sesshoumaru’s directions as to where to find the inu-hanyou, and could smell him from a mile away. He had become more intense on protecting what was his. Too bad he learned that lesson entirely too late to save the breaking of Kagome’s heart.

“I hear you just fine, you mangy wolf…why are you hear? What do you want?” a dark, deep voice replied, before he stepped out from behind a tree.

“Inuyasha…well of course you would be fine, seeing as you have been hiding out here all these years. Her concern is wasted on you, dog-turd.” He replied, blue eyes piercing into golden.

“…her?” One sniff of the air confirmed who “her” was, and he frowned, the guilt creeping through his body.

“I see you haven’t forgotten how things ended between you two.” Kouga spoke up gruffly. “She has requested your aide. Naraku isn’t gone, as we would have liked to believe.” He said, his voice softening, but only slightly.

That got the inu-hanyou’s attention. “What?! How in the hell is that possible?” he shouted out, a dark, dangerous growl slipping from his lips.

“From what I understand, it’s something similar to what that clay pot had been doing…” he replied nonchalantly, hissing as the wind was knocked from his lungs as Inuyasha’s clawed hand went around his throat.

“Don’t you dare speak about Kikyou like that…” he whispered in a deadly voice, getting a nod from the wolf prince before letting him go.

In his time in the Makai, Inuyasha had become stronger, more confident, but even more reserved and alone. He kept relations with his half brother, but no one else. He never took a mate, getting his kicks with whores when he needed relief.

“Keh…you’re just the same. Good thing then, I can have Kagome for myself.” He didn’t care about those other two demons, mated or not, she was his and his alone. She was always his, and he didn’t wait 500 years for nothing.

Inuyasha just smirked. “She loved me first…just wait, wolf…she’ll be all over me.” He actually hoped to mend the fence with the young miko. He didn’t realize how much he loved her until he didn’t have her, and no one was going to stop him this time. Kikyou was now in hell, he could make a clear choice without having to decide between the two.

A growl was all he got as a response, before thinking, ‘Should I tell him about those demons that are around her? Nah…’ with a smirk he turned and started to head back to the Ningenkai, knowing the inu-hanyou would follow. No need to inform him of his brother’s involvement either. He hoped Inuyasha got all that he had earned in breaking Kagome’s heart.

~*~

A/N: I know, slow chapter, but when everyone meets up, sparks are going to fly, and surely another rosary is going to be needed. ^_^;; Please, R/R!