Bane of Existence/Love of A Lifetime

~*~

“God-fucking-damnit! Sorry fucking bastards! I swear to Kami when I get my hands on Sesshoumaru and whoever the fuck else was with him, I’ll kill ‘em all!” These were the more than colorful words that jolted Sango and Miroku from their sleep as their inu hanyou comrade tore through the doorway in Kaede’s hut.

Scrubbing at his bleary violet eyes with his cloth and rosary covered hand Miroku yawned and sat up, stretching the length of his body in one smooth movement and smiling gratefully when his joints cracked. “What are you carrying on about now Inuyasha?”

Said hanyou whirled on the monk, his amber eyes flashing in his ire. “I’m talkin’ about that fuckin’ prick Sesshoumaru! He kidnapped Kagome!”

Miroku awoke fully at that and Sango did as well, springing up from her still reclined position on the floor of the hut to her feet. “What? How do you know?”

“I went to her era and her mom said she didn’t know if Kagome had been home or not ‘cause they were all gone. When I came back the wind shifted and I caught Sesshoumaru’s scent and the scents of two other demons mixed with Kagome’s and Shippou’s.” He was fairly near growling by the time he was done talking and Sango and Miroku stared at him wide eyed for a moment, letting everything sink in.

Soon, the houshi broke free of his stupor and stood. “And you are certain she was taken against her will?”

Inuyasha bared his fangs and glared daggers at the violet-eyed man, “Of course I’m sure baka! Why would Kagome go with that bastard and two other unknown demons on her own? Get up! We are leaving right now!”

The two stood frozen for a moment before the Taijiya demanded, “Where are we going?”

“To that prick’s castle to get back Kagome.” Inuyasha growled before storming out of the hut to wait on the outskirts of the forest for the rest of the group.

~*~

“Well, here goes nothing I suppose.” Kagome mumbled to no one in particular as she closed off her bag and settled it on her shoulders. Today was a day of reckoning to Kagome. Today would be the day she finally left the safety of Sesshoumaru’s stronghold. The levels of emotion that sprinted through her being were more than enough to make even her own head spin. The two that seemed to war the most were anxiety and apprehension. She badly wanted to see Sango and Miroku again and the urgency to complete the jewel and slay Naraku was always present in her mind.

Miroku’s life was literally on the line.

Then again, finding the slayer and the monk also risked the chance of running into Inuyasha. Kagome wasn’t quite sure she was ready for that yet. But, whether or not she was ready for it, it was going to happen sooner than later and since it was an inescapable occurrence, the miko figured the least she could do was have it happen on her own terms.

Of a sort.

In all actuality, it wouldn’t really be on her terms. If she could so choose, she would assure that everything that had transpired with Inuyasha was left to fade away in the sands of time without another thought. Everything he had done to her hurt immensely and she really didn’t want to relive the pain. It was also a glaring reality that the hanyou would never let anything concerning her slide, regardless of whether or not he hurt her in the process.

As she walked from her room and down the twisting hallways and long staircases, Kagome had to wonder if Sesshoumaru and Kouga would be coming along as well and if they were, would they be willing to just walk to their destination. She knew that traveling to Kaede’s village from the Western Lands by foot would be a rather long trip but any stalling that could be provided while still going through with her task was a welcome thought. Maybe, just maybe, if they spent a few days walking to get where they were going instead of flying or running she could ready herself better for the confrontation.

Of course, she was already expecting an altercation. If Kouga was with her there was no doubt in her mind a fight would ensue and the young miko knew with the utmost certainty that she would not be using the subduing spell on the hanyou this time. If he was stupid enough to confront not only Kouga but Yusuke and Youko as well – possibly even Sesshoumaru – then he was best left on his own. Thinking of the bead and fang necklace reminded her to remove the rosary as soon as she got the chance.

It was a well known fact to the modern priestess that people had to have a connection of some sort to her in order to travel the path of the well to her time. She was hoping that since Inuyasha had betrayed her so that with the removal of the beads, his ability to time jump would be taken away. The thought of him randomly showing up at her house didn’t bring the sense of anxious joy it used to.

He had seen to the thorough destruction of any tender feelings she had once harbored for him.

Finally she made her way to the dining room and ate an early breakfast alone, seeing as how it was still rather early. Shippou had been staying in Rin’s room to keep the little girl company. After Kagome had gotten settled down, she was told of the child’s illness and had immediately tended to her. It was nothing more than stomach flu but the miko was able to give her something for her stomach so she could keep food down and Shippou had been all too willing to stay in her room and play so she wouldn’t get bored.

Even more wandering brought her outside the castle and into the garden. Truly it was a magnificent place. Every flower, tree and shrub seemed to be taken care of tenderly and all grew in a flourish. It had struck her as odd at first, seeing such a beautiful place at the home of a demon renowned to be heartless and cold. Of course, Kagome knew how Sesshoumaru really was and thought the garden fit him perfectly. With a sigh, she settled onto a marble bench underneath a beautiful sakura tree and watched the sun finish rising in the sky.

Her birthday was just a week away now and Kagome was anticipating the day with apprehension and curiosity. Apparently, the breaking of the seal that held her powers at bay would be anything other than pleasant and in some part of her mind she almost wished to Kami that her birthday be forgotten. Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to more pain. At least Yusuke, Kurama and Shippou would be there for her.

Just thinking of the kitsune’s name made Kagome’s train of thought defer to him. Kurama had taken over for Youko for the past few days, seeing as how the fox would be left free for the majority of the time while in the past. Of course, she hadn’t really seen any of the youkai she was so close to save Shippou and she wondered slightly if they were keeping their distance from her for a reason. Really it was a shame that she hadn’t had the chance to talk to Kurama. They hadn’t even been around one another since they left the future and even then they had been in the presence of others.

Now, after the talk shared between her, Yusuke and Youko, Kagome almost wanted to find him and demand some of his time. She wanted – no needed – to know how he felt about everything. Youko seemed determinedly excited about the prospect of sharing her as a mate with Yusuke while the young toushin was still just content with the idea. She knew he knew she knew that if he weren’t okay with it, she would refuse them both. It was inevitability unavoidable and Kagome was grateful for the fact that he understood without her saying it.

And she was happy to know that he wasn’t accepting the entire idea because he felt he had to.

~*~

He knew right away as he walked gracefully towards the raven-haired beauty that she had no idea he was present. Her aura held a tumultuous amount of emotions and the range was so broad in spectrum that he wondered how she managed such a thing without becoming severely exhausted. The way she seemed to fly from one emotion to the next and then back to one she had visited four emotions ago was entertaining at the least…and intriguing at the most.

The closer he came to her, the more he realized just how deep her internal battle was raging. He was a mere foot from her relaxed body and she hadn’t even given him a clue that she knew he was there. A pout formed at his lips. He wasn’t sure whether to be upset with her for being lax and unaware or that she hadn’t felt him yet.

Damn Youko’s kitsune nature.

A gentle cough sounded behind the lost-in-thought miko and she jumped from her seat and spun on the intruder, one hand clutching the fabric of her kimono just above her heart. Blue-grey eyes widened comically in her fright and Kurama bit back a chuckle that threatened to escape.

“Kurama! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Warn a girl next time, will ya?” She scolded, her eyes flashing to steel while her hand loosened its death grip on her clothes.

The redhead bowed at the waist, his crimson locks spilling over his shoulders as he did so, with his hand across his heart. “Forgive me fair miko. It was not my intention to scare you so.”

And for all the oden in the world, she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped and sufficiently ended the angry tirade she’d conjured in her mind.

With an absurdly deep bow of her own she replied in kind, her head tilted high and looking down her nose at the avatar in a move entirely too close to the Aristocratic Assassin, “Your apology is accepted kind sir.”

When she looked to him again, he was regarding her with a raised eyebrow and positively glittering emerald eyes that spoke of volumes of mischief and amusement. Just watching him stand there with the sunlight glinting off his crimson hair and a wicked smirk on his lips made the little miko’s breathing come rather short at hand.

Maybe it was spending so many years around Miroku that had placed the hentai thoughts in her mind or maybe it was having Yusuke and Youko thoroughly wake the dormant desires within her body that made her act the way she did. Whatever the cause, she may never know but before she was really aware of what had happened or how, she found herself in the strong embrace of the avatar with her lips pressed soundly to his.

Kurama, for his part, was thoroughly stunned. Although he had been entertaining his own rather impure thoughts about the miko – by his own fault or Youko’s was anyone’s guess – he had yet to really see any intimate actions towards him on her part. For a fraction of a moment, the thought that maybe she didn’t want him – but only the kitsune inside of him – had crossed his mind before he was properly, and completely, chastised by said fox.

The weight of her soft lips was beginning to leave him and the redhead realized in sudden, startling clarity that she had just received a similar rejection as the one he’d conjured in his mind by his lack of participation. He became all too aware of the thrum of sadness and dismissal in her aura and gave himself a sound mental shake to clear his mind before his arms snapped around her lithe form and crushed her to his body.

‘You do realize you will have to learn to adapt to rapidly changing scenarios around Kagome.’ The silver haired kitsune chastised from the depths of his soul at his human counterpart, his arms crossed in an almost disappointed parent way over his strong chest.

Said counterpart’s response was simple. ‘Youko shut up and let me kiss the girl.’

Of course, the kitsune bristled at his tone and decided to promptly ignore the…request…for he refused to take it as a demand. ‘You sure you can handle it Red? Our little miko is so very different from every other female we’ve ever bedded.’

Kurama fought the urge to find a way to remove Youko from his body and responded tersely, his concentration wavering and his mind threatening to shut down as the very miko in question slipped her warm, wet tongue past his lips to explore his mouth, ‘Of course she’s different! She will be our mate and never again will our body be touched by whomever you deem fit enough to sate your desires with.’

A rather dark chuckle resounded in the depths of his being and treaded almost ominously along the edges of his awareness. ‘And there will never be anyone other than Yusuke to lay a hand on her.’

He was undoubtedly thankful that the fox decided to return into his normal complacent state of dormancy after such a declaration, although he was in full accordance with it, because his coherency was being rapidly swept away under the assault of his mate-to-be. Her tiny hands were buried into his hair, tugging on the silken strands every so often while her blunt nails scraped deliciously over his scalp. His grip on her lessened just long enough for him to wrap his arms around her lower back and pull her soft curves flush against his form.

She gasped at the contact in some odd perversion of innocence and lust and he groaned in answer at how perfectly her gentle contours fit his sinewy stature. The spicy scent of her arousal burned a path of desire straight to his core and he felt his blood boil in his veins, as it wrapped around him. Finally the two broke for air, Kagome’s cheeks flushed crimson, her lips red and swollen and her sapphire eyes hazy and hooded.

Kurama swore he had a goddess in his arms.

After taking a moment more to get lost in one another’s eyes, Kagome blushed a furious shade of crimson and with an embarrassed squeak, she buried her face against his chest. Warm, rich chuckles graced her ears and she peaked up through her bangs to regard a slightly smiling Kurama. Quirking an eyebrow at him, she straightened up once more, pulled from his grasp and poked him in the chest, “And what is so funny?”

That slight smile melted into a roguish grin and the miko couldn’t help being reminded of her friend the perverted monk. Although, Miroku’s smile never made butterflies swarm her gut and dance the jig.

Tucking a stray lock of obsidian hair behind one perfectly rounded ear, he let the pads of his fingers ghost down her neck as he replied, “I just think you are the most precious thing in the world.”

She couldn’t help the tiny little moan that escaped her lips at the quasi-ethereal touch against her skin any more than she’d been able to prevent pouncing on him. “Was there something you needed Kurama? I-I mean…not to be rude…but I was just…ummm curious?” She stuttered slightly, her voice still somewhat airy.

Kami but the man made her unable to think!

Another deep chuckle and then, “Actually, Lord Sesshoumaru sent me to ‘fetch the miko from the gardens for a meeting prior departure’.”

Said miko huffed indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest, “If that arrogant dog wanted something ‘fetched’ he is more than aptly suited to do so himself.”

Kurama was nearly bouncing with glee within his mind. He knew there was far more to the woman of his dreams then the forlorn and lost creature he’d met and he was in unadulterated joy to see the bright spark flash in her sapphire orbs.

Somehow he had the feeling Lord Sesshoumaru was about to meet the business end of this little kitten’s claws.

~*~