Together Again

Oh, and no matter how much I wish Inuyasha and crew were mine, they’re not.
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~~~~~~~~~~Together Again~~~~~~~~~~

~~~Chapter 2~~~

Amaterasu, worn out by all the recent tempests, could only think of running away.

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Kagome was running as fast as her legs would carry her through the forest, tears streaming down her face. She had seen yet another encounter with her and it was the worst one she had witnessed yet. She just couldn’t get the image of the one and only person she cared for so deeply in the embrace of his lost love.

She should have known better to think that he might actually have chosen her over Kikyo. She was so stupid sometimes. She should have known he would always think of her as just a friend, although lately he had been showing her a lot of attention. It had gotten her hopes up that maybe he had changed his mind and would choose to live with her. Why anyone would want to go to hell was beyond her.

She slumped down in front of the well, not really wanting to face her family in the condition she was in. Her mother would worry and fret over her and that was the last thing she wanted right now. Not to mention she would want to know what was wrong. She just needed some time to herself. Some time to get rid of the stabbing pain in her chest. Too bad things never went her way. Not much time would pass before she regretted that choice. Moments later she was startled out of her thoughts.

“You shouldn’t be out here all by yourself miko. These woods have been known to be dangerous.” Sesshoumaru said calmly as he stepped out from behind the trees. He had been watching her for the past few minutes, waiting to see where she’d go. No one, besides Inuyasha and his group, knew where she disappeared.

He had been watching her since their last battle. She was an enigma. She stood brave during the battle and showed no fear when she almost lost her life. She was nothing but a weak ningen yet she constantly maintained her strength, only if it was only long enough for her to treat her wounded comrades. She was the most selfless being he had ever observed, constantly forgoing her own needs and desires to make others happy. He couldn’t figure out what most intrigued him about her: the pull on his body to hers or her disappearance of the face of the planet every once and a while.

He never left any of his questions unanswered so that meant getting them from her. She would have made it much easier if she had just gone home. Although it was to his advantage that Inuyasha and her friends weren’t here to interfere. She would tell him what he wanted to know. Perhaps then he might lose this sudden interest in her. He didn’t want to admit to himself that it pained him to see her like this. It had to be that baka’s fault.

Kagome glanced up through her tear-glazed eyes at the familiar voice coming before her and widened them in shock once she realized who it was. He was the last person she expected to see right now. Panic struck her as she slowly tried to back away from him, the well on her back quickly reminding her she was stuck. Why did these things always have to happen to her? “What… what do you want from me?” She managed to fumble out the words.

Sesshoumaru almost smiled as he watched her squirm before him. She wasn’t so high and mighty without her friends around to protect her. “Because, just like Naraku, this Sesshoumaru wonders where you disappear to when all of a sudden it is like you have been wiped off the face of the planet. Your mutt and your friends would never reveal that kind of information, so it was required to follow you while you had no one else with you.”

Kagome’s whole face contorted in confusion, quickly forgetting her fear of the taiyoukai. “How do you know that I disappear? Have you been watching me? That and why would you care? I thought you didn’t give a damn about humans?”

He noticed the change in her scent and growled. The scent of fear no longer dominated her scent. Why was it that this one ningen miko had the balls to face him when not even the most powerful youkai would dare? It made him angry to no end but it also did something else to his body that he didn’t want to admit. She was ningen for kami’s sakes. “This Sesshoumaru doesn’t need an excuse for wanting to know what goes on inside his lands. You would be better off if you’d remember your place miko.”

Kagome stomped her foot, rising to face him. “My name is Kagome, Ka – go – me, not miko.” She glanced at the well. All she would really have to do is fall back into it and she would be out of his reach, out of everyone’s reach. “Plus, this is Inuyasha’s forest, not yours! So you have no right to any clue to what’s going on!” The pain in her chest increased at the mention of his name. She couldn’t take any more of this pain. Seeing him with her had just hurt too much. It would never be any other way no matter how much she wanted it to be. She was nothing but clay and bones and he still chose her.

She fingered the shards around her neck, wondering if she could trust Sesshoumaru with something so powerful. She had been thinking about not coming back at all after what she had just seen. Saying goodbye to everyone would have probably changed her mind. She always was a sucker for everyone else’s desires. For some reason she always seemed to put her needs and desires last. Maybe Sesshoumaru chasing after her was a good thing. Not only did it give her a good reason to run home without saying goodbye, but it gave her a strong person to leave the shards with. She had a funny feeling he would be too proud to use them, probably had no use for them either.

She took the jewels off from around her neck and showed them to a now seething Sesshoumaru. She had a tendency to make him do that, although she wasn’t sure why. It happened on every encounter with him. She shrugged off his cold glare and continued anyway. “You have no use for these. Am I correct?”

Sesshoumaru eyed her curiously. He didn’t understand their relevance to her situation. “This Sesshoumaru has no need to become more powerful than he already is. You are correct, but what is the point?”

Kagome smiled and tossed him the jewels. She had guessed right. “Give these to Inuyasha and tell him that I warned him not to come for me.”

Sesshoumaru growled at the ningen standing before him. She was getting ready to run and he knew it. Why she thought she could outrun him was beyond his intelligence. “This Sesshoumaru is not a messenger.”

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. “Then keep them for all I care.” She tried to turn around and jump into the well, but before the thought even crossed her mind Sesshoumaru had her by the throat dangling her above the well.

When she didn’t panic he tightened his grip. Why wasn’t this ningen afraid of him? Especially since he could snap her neck so easily. Most importantly, why was it so appealing? “No one talks to this Sesshoumaru like that.”

Kagome smiled even though she could feel the life slipping from her as her grin widened and his grip tightened. The well was directly below her; all she needed was for him to drop her. She mustered up all the strength she could and bit his hand, hard enough to draw blood and hard enough for him to release his grip, allowing her to drop into the well. The look of pure shock washed over his features for a split second as he watched her fall. She laughed as the warm fuzzy blue light engulfed her body and soul knowing she had won the round.

Sesshoumaru was livid. She actually had the audacity to bite him. He dove into the well after her only to find her gone, her laughter resonating within the walls. She had the nerve to laugh in his face when he threatened her life! There wasn’t an ounce of fear radiating off her body. He had never seen anything like it before. If things kept going on like this he was never going to get her off his mind.

Knowing that he couldn’t get answers from someone that wasn’t there, he set out after Inuyasha. He would tell him where he could find her if he had to bring the hanyou to the brink of death to do it.

A ghostly smile crossed his features as he remembered what the miko left him with before she left. Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it was going to be. These shards were something the hanyou desired and he really didn’t know where she was.

~*~

“What do you mean she not with you guys!” Inuyasha yelled when Sango and Miroku told him that she had gone off by herself. “What would possess you to let her go off by herself?”

Sango wasn’t about to take this from him right now. She had a pretty good idea where Kagome was if she wasn’t with him. As a matter of fact, she had expected her to run off after she saw Kikyo’s shikigami in the distance. If she had known what Kagome was running off to find she would have stopped her. “This is not our fault!” She bellowed. “This is your fault! If you didn’t have to run off to see Kikyo all the time she wouldn’t be gone.” Sango paused to catch her breath. “Do you not have any idea how much it hurts her to see you with Kikyo?”

Inuyasha’s eyes went wide. “She saw us.”

Miroku stepped in front of a now crying Sango. “We can only assume she saw you with Kikyo because she was looking for you. I don’t know how she does it, but she does seem to find you every time.” Miroku looked down at the ground. Fate had been cruel to her allowing her to witness so many encounters. He hated to see someone so pure and selfless suffer so much. “I hope you weren’t doing anything with Kikyo that would send her home for good this time.”


Inuyasha grunted and folded his arms in his sleeves. “That’s none of your fucking business monk! It doesn’t matter if she went home anyway, I can always go get her.”

Sango screamed at Inuyasha through her tears. “What if she won’t come back?! What if this time it was too much for her? What did she see Inuyasha? How many times are you going to smash her heart into the ground and step on it?” She pounded him on the chest. “Why are you so determined in getting rid of my best friend? She’s the only family I have left!”

Miroku pulled Sango off of Inuyasha, looking him in the eyes. “Yes, what kind of interaction did she witness between you two this time?”

With everyone’s attention elsewhere, no one noticed Sesshoumaru’s arrival, not even Inuyasha. A smile crossed over his stoic features. “So that is why the miko was crying when I found her.”

Inuyasha spun around to face his brother, anger washing over his features. “What have you done to her bastard?” He growled through his teeth, drawing tetsaiga. He wasn’t lying, he had been near her. He reeked of her scent. His anger rose, knowing he had to have touched her for her scent to be that strong on him.

Sesshoumaru pulled the jewel shards out of his pocket and everyone gasped. “Put your sword down whelp. Apparently what I did didn’t hurt her nearly as bad as what she saw you do.”

Inuyasha growled again. He was beginning to get worried. She just didn’t give the jewel shards away. They had worked too hard to get them. He had to have done something to her. “What did you do to her bastard? And why do you have her shards?”

They all shuddered as smile yet again graced his stoic features. It was creepy to see the stoic demon show any sort of amusement let alone a smile. “As you know this Sesshoumaru is not one to play messenger. However, since it is quite amusing I will humor the miko.”

Inuyasha lowered his stance, shocked. “She gave those to you?” As the thought registered his heart sank. She had given away the only way for her to come back, given away everything they had worked so hard for.

“Yes. She also said to tell you not to come for her. Although it was more of a warning than anything else.” Sesshoumaru said with a pleased tone.

Inuyasha snarled and picked back up his fighting stance. “I’ll take care of that wench later. Give me the shards!”

Inuyasha lunged at Sesshoumaru only for him to sidestep the attack and send him into the nearest tree. “If you tell this Sesshoumaru where she is, I could consider just handing them over. Even your miko knew I had no use for such trivial items.”

Inuyasha eyed him suspiciously, getting back up to face him. “Why do you even care? She’s a human.” Inuyasha smiled as a thought crossed his mind. “Plus, an arrogant bastard like you wouldn’t be allowed to go anyway.”

Sesshoumaru’s stoic features returned to normal as Inuyasha spoke. “It is none of your concern for the wish to know her whereabouts. If you want your jewelry back you’ll speak.”

Inuyasha growled. He had to be up to something. It wasn’t everyday that the ‘Great Lord Sessoumaru’ lowered himself to ask of a human’s whereabouts, not unless he intended to kill them. “Tell me why you want to know.”

If looks could kill, Inuyasha would have been one hurting hanyou with the look Sesshoumaru was giving him. But his voice showed none of the anger written on his face. “She must contain some power to just disappear into thin air, becoming invisible for some period of time.”

Inuyasha nearly doubled over in laughter. Sesshoumaru would be the one to come up some shit like that for an explanation. “You must have seen her by the well.”

“Tell me.” He bellowed as he threw Inuyasha the shards. He was not one to be left in the dark about anything and obviously the hanyou knew. It was irritating him to no end to know that the hanyou was taking pleasure in his lack of knowledge in the situation.

Inuyasha caught the jewels and smiled, taking off. “Why don’t I show you?” He knew Sesshoumaru would have no problem keeping up, but then again he wasn’t really trying either. By showing him he could get away without an actual explanation and by taking off he could also piss him off a little bit more.

He stopped in front of the well and surprisingly offered his hand. Sesshoumaru looked at him with distaste. “This Sesshoumaru does not need your assistance to jump down a well. I’ve been down there once already.”

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders. “If you want to see this I suggest you get in the well before I do.”

Sesshoumaru growled as he passed Inuyasha, warning him not to try anything. He watched Inuyasha jump over the side and was almost floored at the sight before him. He watched the hanyou fall and disappear in a blue flash. This was not the explanation he was looking for.

Inuyasha jumped out the well and went to open the door but it wouldn’t open. Infuriated he began pounding on it but it wouldn’t budge. “So she thinks she’s sealing me in huh?” He smiled and pulled out his tetsaiga, trying to remember the layout of the area. He watched his tetsaiga pulsed red and swung at the door, knocking it off its hinges.

Mrs. Higurashi came running out the door to see what all the commotion was about and saw Inuyasha coming toward the house. She shook her head and stood in his way. “Inuyasha, what did you do to my daughter? I hope it wasn’t you who put those marks on her neck.”

Inuyasha grunted. “I didn’t do anything to her. She over reacted. I’m here to take her back.”

She gave him a disappointed look and shook her head. She didn’t know how to put what she was about to say lightly. “Inuyasha… she doesn’t want to go back… ever.” She had a feeling it had something to do with him, but she hadn’t got any information out of her other than she was never going back. She had a feeling though the boy in front of her wouldn’t let it go.

Inuyasha looked like he had been hit by a ton of bricks but he quickly recovered. “I don’t care what she says. She is going to listen to what I have to say whether she likes it or not.”

She smiled and headed back to the house. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Inuyasha just grunted and followed her. “Keh.”

He followed Mrs. Higurashi all the way up the stairs and to Kagome’s room and just watched as she knocked on the door. “It’s me Kagome, please unlock the door. Someone is here to see you.”

Inuyasha heard her voice from behind the door. “Tell them to go away. Have grandpa make up some illness like he always does.”

Inuyasha growled and Mrs. Higurashi just shook her head. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I told you this was going to be difficult.” She turned her attention back to the door. “Kagome please open the door.”

Kagome sighed and got up off her bed, she hadn’t moved from that spot since she got there. She opened the door and glared at her mother. “I thought I told Sesshoumaru to tell you not to come here.” She said coldly.

Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “Keh, like I was going to listen to that bastard.”

Kagome’s eyes narrowed some more as a flashback of earlier entered her mind. “Inuyasha… sit.”

Inuyasha cursed himself as he came crashing into the floor. Mrs. Higurashi just chuckled and left the both of them by themselves. Inuyasha jumped up once the spell was gone, furious, although he knew he should have expected it. “Wench at least…”

“Inuyasha sit.” She repeated again as he tried to reach out for her.

As the spell wore off he tried to get up again, growling. “Will you let me fucking…”

Her face never changed, and before he had the chance to get back up she cut him off. “Sit.”

Inuyasha screamed at the top of his lungs as he made contact with the floor for the third time in the row. “Wench listen!”

She had been trying to contain herself but just couldn’t help it any longer as the tears streamed down her face. Sitting him wasn’t making her feel any better; just having him in front of her was making her worse. The more she saw him, the more she saw the image of them kissing in the woods.

She spun around and practically ran back into her room so not to face him anymore. “Why? So I can hear about how much you love Kikyo and how you’re going to leave and follow her to hell, leaving all your friends behind, crushing their hearts, mine? How you and her have come to terms now and she doesn’t hate you anymore? I could tell by the kiss you both shared that she doesn’t hate you anymore. You don’t need me Inuyasha. I don’t belong there. This is my home. Have Kikyo help you find the shards. I’m not interested anymore.” She drew in a ragged breath as she finished her rant and sat on her bed, looking out the window.

She heard Inuyasha take a few steps into her room and she snapped her head up. “Sit.” She returned her gaze to the window. “Go home Inuyasha. Tell Sango, Miroku, Kaede, and Shippou that I said goodbye. I’m sure by now they know why.”

Inuyasha growled and peeled his sore body off the ground. She wasn’t listening to him. How was he supposed to explain if she wasn’t going to listen?

A light went off inside his head and he pummeled Kagome into the bed, smiling as she looked up at him in shock. She couldn’t very well sit him if he was on top of her. His chest rumbled a soothing growl as she struggled beneath him, trying to get out. “You know as well as I do that there is nothing you can do now.” He smiled a triumphant smile. “I guess you’ll have to listen to me now wench.”

Kagome smiled and tried to bring her knee up to his groin, but she was quickly blocked. She glared at him again and stopped fighting him. There was no way she was going to overpower him. “Fine, I’m all ears.”

He briefly smiled but it was quickly replaced with a serious look. “You didn’t see everything.” His tone saddened but he made sure to put emphasis on certain words. “She was saying goodbye Kagome. Her body is not going to make it to the final battle with Naraku so she said goodbye, that’s all.”

Kagome shook her head. She didn’t understand. “I saw you to kissing! It didn’t look like a goodbye to me! Your paws were all over her! Plus she still wants to drag you to hell with her doesn’t she?” Tears formed in her eyes as she formulated what his answer would be in her head. It was not what she expected.

Inuyasha shook his head no. “That’s what I asked her. She said she had a change of heart. She didn’t want me to go at all anymore. That it was something you gave her that made her change her mind. She wouldn’t tell me what it was though, said I had to ask you.”

Kagome’s eyes widened with shock. “But she told me that it didn’t change anything!” She felt as if the world had been lifted off her shoulders not having to worry about Inuyasha being dragged to hell. She was also relieved but it still didn’t make the pain in her heart go away. His kisses and wandering hands had showed he wanted her, not the girl standing before him.

Inuyasha eyed her curiously. “When were you two alone and what did you give her Kagome?” He asked in a demanding tone.

She didn’t know how to tell him. She knew he’d be pissed, but she really didn’t have much of a choice. She was actually surprised she had managed to keep it a secret until now. “Well… this one time I was on my way home, you were off seeing Totosai I think.”

Inuyasha growled. “You went by yourself!”

She shrugged her shoulders and continued. “I had my bow and arrows. It wasn’t like I was unarmed or anything. Anyway I heard this child crying in this cave so I followed the sound. I didn’t know it was a trap.”

He growled again and got up. “Stupid wench, I told you not to go off by yourself. You attract trouble like scavengers to blood.”

She sat up and ignored him. “It was this oni that consumed the souls of mikos and once I stepped into the cave there was no way out, although I didn’t know that yet. Deep in the cave is where I ran into Kikyo. She was barely able to stand, the souls she uses to walk the Earth were dissolving and she was real weak. So I helped her.” Kagome smiled to herself as she remembered everything that went on. She had never been more determined in her life to save someone. “She tried to tell me that there was no way out, that I should just leave her as she would have left me if the roles were reversed. But I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the heart to leave her, regardless of what I think of her, so I carried her the rest of the way into the cave. She had told me that our powers were useless and that going out the way we came was impossible. She also said she couldn’t believe that I wasn’t being affected by the oni’s spell. She said that I shouldn’t have been able to move, let alone carry her all the way into the belly of the oni. But I didn’t let anything deter me from getting her out of there. I mean, it hurt to move and all, but even worse carrying her, but I just couldn’t leave her to die. She meant too much to you for me to do that. I managed to shoot an arrow at his heart and purify the demon from the inside out using the jewel shards, regardless of the barrier. After that we went our separate ways.”

He didn’t know if she purposely dodged his question or not, but she was not going to get away without answering it. “What did you give her Kagome?”

She really hadn’t wanted to tell him this, she hadn’t told anyone about this. “Inuyasha… she was going to die. I… I couldn’t let her die. It… it would have broke your heart.” When his only response was an expecting stare she continued. “To keep her alive in the cave… I… I gave her another part of my soul. She was surprised to say the least, but I think it was more that I could do it as untrained as I am.”

Inuyasha jumped to his feet, furious. How dare she think that sacrificing herself for Kikyo was acceptable. Didn’t she know that he needed her? Couldn’t she tell by him always coming to get her when she took to long at home, by him protecting her so fiercely? She was the one who made him fight so hard. Without her he’d have nothing. “You did what?! What would possess you to give away more of your soul?”

She suddenly found the floor more interesting and concentrated on that as she spoke. This wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. “Inuyasha.” She sighed. “I just wanted you to be happy.”

In an instant she was wrapped up in his arms. He clung to her like she was going to disappear. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Don’t ever do something so stupid again. You are the last person I want to lose.”

She relaxed into his arms, taking in his soothing scent. “I’m sorry Inuyasha.”

Golden eyes met brown as he pulled her face to meet his, a smile gracing his lips. “Let’s go home wench.”

Kagome’s eyes widened as she remembered that she gave the shards to Sesshoumaru. “But I can’t! I gave the shards away!”

He smiled and took the bottle out of his pocket. “I know wench, here. Let’s go home.”

She took him by surprise when she grabbed him and started inspecting him all over, searching for any wounds. “He didn’t hurt you did he?” She asked frantically as she inspected him remembering her encounter with him. He had to have been furious at what she’d done. She hoped he hadn’t taken it out on him

Inuyasha laughed. “No, but I am sure he’s by the well waiting for an explanation. I promised him one to get the shards back.”

“Can we really tell him?” Now she was worried.

He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not like he can follow.”

She shook her head and placed it in her hands. “He’s going to kill me.”

Inuyasha gave her an incredulous look. “Why would he do that?”

She sighed. She should have thought of a better way to get back. Of course she didn’t think of ever going back there, so then it didn’t matter. Oh she was screwed. “Well… I kind of bit him to make him drop me in the well.”

He fell over laughing, barely able to talk. “You… a human… bit… the great… almighty… Lord Sesshoumaru!”

She shoved him and stuck out her tongue. “It’s not funny! He was pissed already because of the way I was talking to him! I thought I wasn’t coming back! I’ll be signing my death certificate if I ever go back.”

The image of her standing in front of Sesshoumaru without fear made him laugh more. He could only imagine how pissed he was about the incident. No wonder he wouldn’t talk about what happened with her. Kagome flicked her hair back behind and his laughing stopped immediately and he jumped up off the bed. “I’ll kill that bastard!”

Kagome rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. “Look, don’t worry about it. I deserved it. I’m sure if I apologize and tell him what he wants to know that he’ll let me live.” She pouted. “Please don’t fight him.”

“Keh.” He grunted as he stuffed his arms in his sleeves. He hated it when she did that. “If he tries something…”

Kagome smiled, she knew it would work, and drug him out the door. “I know, I know, you’ll kill him. Come on.”

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I hope you enjoyed the first real chapter! Please review!

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