Yellow Brick Road

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA AND CO, NOR DO I OWN WIZARD OF OZ.

AN: Thank you to ktshabatie and Fallen_Tenshi8 for beta-ing. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 25: The Trouble with Hot Air Balloons

“ Do you love her?”

Sesshoumaru had cursed his father and his brother many times in the last few days. How the two of them had managed to pose questions that haunted him, he did not know.

However, cursing those two did nothing for his current dilemma. He had been avoiding pursuing his Kagome before he could answer the question his brother asked. Sesshoumaru knew that he would not be able to avoid her for long; already she had begun to show signs of distress.

Did he love her?

Did youkai ever love? Apparently, his father had thought that they did; he must have thought that he did. After all it was the only explanation of Izayoi. Yet, was that love or lust of a youkai that had been tied to a sadistic bitch for too many centuries?

The problem here was not whether his father ever loved Inuyasha’s mother, no, the problem was his need for Kagome.

Yes, he could admit that he needed her. She was his. He would always cherish her. She was his. He would do anything for her happiness, her safety. She was his. However, he would never let her leave his side. He could not allow her to belong to any other. She was his. She loved him. He knew that her love would only grow stronger with time.

She had damn near been destroyed by him and his inner youkai. At this, his inner inu whined pathetically. Though no matter the amount of protest and no matter how vehemently it denied the fact that he had hurt her deeper than any other, it could not be changed. Yet in spite of it, she was still with him, had learned to love him afterwards, and continued look to him for strength and comfort.

The warmth and ache that these thoughts conveyed to his chest, made him wonder if it was fear that held him back from declaring he loved her, even to himself. After all, what was the difference from accepting the idea that he was hers to actually being willing to accept that he loved her?

Long is a relative term, and when one lives the life of an immortal it stretches. Sesshoumaru stayed locked in these unsettling thoughts for weeks.

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Kagome had been distant. She was there to bid good-bye to Miroku and Rin, and watched them fly away on Kirara. Her friends had flown away.

That was not exactly true, but Inuyasha would not approach her. No male would approach her. Michi had been spending time with one of the general’s sons. She was happy that Michi had found someone she enjoyed and was looking towards her own future. Yet, Kagome had no one to talk to, and as soon as she would enter a room Sesshoumaru would leave it.

Meals were solitary, and the cool autumn night air bit at her when before there had been warmth. However, she had to admit that it would not have been as bad if there was silence.

In the past week, she had taken to hiding in the gardens where the whispers turned to hush voices turned to very audible comments of the other females did not reach her ears. Michi’s comment about the lack of mark had been the first of many. Kagome heard whispers of how she was not female enough to ensnare the lord.

The squawking crows spoke of how Kagome would soon be replaced and her hanyou disposed of. While the first few days of these comments she had endured and not let the jealousy of others ruin her happiness, she began to wonder at the validity of their prophecy.

Sesshoumaru wanted nothing to do with her since she and him…, since that day. He had not marked her. The others within the Citadel treated her as if she was a leper. What was she supposed to think? Solitude had never been her strong point, even when she aimlessly wandered the wilderness she was accompanied by a psychopathic, malevolent Kami.

Kagome noticed that the day had faded into a clear night. She gazed at the stars through the falling leaves of the trees. Her thoughts were turning fast in her head.

Maybe it would be better if she left, but she would give birth to her pups probably within the month. Besides that, there was the fact of where she would go. She had no home, and there was nowhere that was outside of Sesshoumaru’s reach. Would he follow her? The fact that she would be running while she carried his pups meant there was no question that he would follow.

She was not the naive schoolgirl anymore; she knew that these pups deserved all that their father could provide. Everything that she would never be able to give them. The random thought that no one had bothered to fetch her for the evening meal solidified how right the hurtful whisperings of the females were. None wanted her here.

Why had Inuyasha brought her here? With Kouga, she was already accepted by his pack.

The tears rolled down her face. Her only option was to try to talk to Sesshoumaru, but she did not have the strength to know how little she meant to him. Her hand moved to her pups, her children, as they moved within her.

“I thought I was home.”

Sesshoumaru had gone to his chambers, their chambers, and found that his Kagome was not within. He had tracked down the servants responsible for her and discovered that no one had seen her all day, not even for meals.

Quickly, he had gone on the search for her, the punishment for the servants could wait until he had his Kagome by his side. He had quickly found her aura in one of the most secluded gardens. She had not been taken; she was unharmed. However, the distress she felt hit him like a tidal wave. He had taken too long. Damn.

Sesshoumaru was within earshot when she made her declaration to the stars; he also noted that she had not eaten all day.

The voice came from behind her and she could do was close her eyes, “You are hungry.”

The sigh was slow, “No, I am not.”

Sesshoumaru wondered how she could ignore her body; however, he would not allow it. “The pups need you to eat.”

“Hai,” it was a whispered reply, but she made no attempt to move.

Sesshoumaru moved so that he was standing in front of her, “Kagome.”

The sapphire orbs opened to gaze upon him, the pain and anguish within them making his chest painfully contract. “What did I do wrong?” She searched further into his soul, forcing the question into the very core of his being.

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth, but for the first time in his life, his voice faltered. Slowly, painfully he choked out, “Nothing.”

His pain increased as he realized that she did not understand. “Then… then there is no fixing this. I am simply not good enough.”

“No!” There was too much anger within his voice for this to be a confirmation of her statement, but Kagome did not hear it that way.

Suddenly, his temporally loss of control was no more. In less than a second, Kagome was wrapped within his arms and Sesshoumaru had his nose buried in her neck. Kagome brought her hands up to his chest and tried to push this rock of Gerbrolter away from her.

“Don’t!” she yelled, her pain flooded her voice. She pushed harder on his chest but could not bring herself to use her powers on him. Sesshoumaru began a soft rumble to try to calm her.

“Don’t! If you don’t want me, let me go.” Her voice became ragged as she tried to speak through her sobs. “I will not dishonor your house any longer, however, I ask that you never speak ill of me to our pups.”

“Never!” His beast was raging that she would think to leave. She would leave the pups with him? Where was the maternal instinct that caused her to save two orphaned kits? The venom was not suppressed, “You would abandon our pups?”

“No, but I cannot offer them anything close to what you can.” Her head hung down as she continued, “If I stay I will do more harm than good. Our pups will see how their mother burdened their father with her unwanted presence. They will watch me break and they will know why I am broken. I told you before that I am not strong enough to endure loving without even being wanted in return.”

No. She would know how wrong she was.

He lifted her chin so that he could drown in her broken eyes, “You are right, this Sesshoumaru does not want you. I need you, my Kagome.”

“Then why did you push me away for so long? Why did you not mark me?”

“I did not mark you because you do not understand what it means and encompasses to be Lady of the West. I will not mark you until you know what that responsibility entails. As for long,” he let a small chuckle out so that he would not maim anything, “long is a matter of years, not weeks.”

“Moments, days, weeks can be an eternity when you are forced to listen to the shrill words of harpies. The only thing that broke my forced solitude was the whispers of how the lord had ‘finally come to his senses.’ And how I would be removed with the trash.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes bled red. “Who dared?!”

She half laughed, “Who didn’t? You are their lord and I am seen as a weakness. I will be viewed as such as long as I hide behind your strength. This is not your battle.”

The rage did not die down, “NO! I am your alpha; your protection is mine to take care of.”

Kagome’s fingers went to trace the two slightly jagged markings on his cheek. Staring deep within his blood red eyes, she spoke soft but firmly, “If you protect me from this, it will never stop. I will deal with the highborn bitches afterwards; I will not be risking our pups in doing so. They will learn why youkai should fear reiki. I do not need your protection in this, I need your support.”

“This,” he placed his clawed hand over her heart, “is this Sesshoumaru’s to protect.” Silently, he added ‘to love.’

She covered her hand over his, “It is yours. Nevertheless, the flying monkeys will continue to attack as long as the witch stills lives.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed slightly, she was speaking in riddles again. Kagome paid no mind to his annoyance and forged on, “For them to be truly cowed, I am the one that must set them in their place. If you do it for me, they will always believe that I am not capable.”

“Hn.” She was right; he would truly be walking the path of his father if he had to constantly defend his mate from those who believed her not worthy. He would not be his father.

Sesshoumaru cradled the small woman to his chest and reveled in her scent. She seemed content to lay her head over his heart while one hand traced imaginary patterns on the other side of his chest.

“Why did you push me away?” She had not raised her head to look into his eyes, however, her one hand stilled as she felt him stiffen.

In hushed tones whispered into her ear the reply came. “This Sesshoumaru was unsure.”

Kagome felt her heart constrict. He was unsure. Unsure of what?

Sesshoumaru could feel and smell the fear that was taking over her body. He was not one who enjoyed conversing with others, much less explaining things. To add to these frustrations, this was a subject that he had long since learned was dangerous to share with others. Hn.

“The half-breed brought something to this Sesshoumaru’s attention. It was that in order for you to be happy with this Sesshoumaru, I would need to love you in return.”

“Oh.”

“Your happiness is of great importance to this Sesshoumaru, it was then that I realized that I would not be able to part with you. This Sesshoumaru’s love will never be selfless, but it will always be yours, my Kagome.”

She gasped as the meaning of the words sunk in. Did he just say that he loved her? Yes, yes he did. Leave it to the over-grown Chihuahua to drop something like this on her after ignoring her for weeks on end. He was probably expecting some sort of response, other than the blank stare she was giving him, to his declaration.

“Thank you.”

That was it? All she could do was thank him? Why did he have to love one of the most infuriating females in the whole of Japan?

Kagome smiled as she saw the annoyance rise in his stare. It was the petty part of her that made her want to see him squirm a little. However, she would not let him flounder for long.

“I thought that you already knew. Sesshoumaru, I love you. I would not have shared that night with you if I didn’t.”

Before he could respond, she sealed her lips over his and poured her passion into the kiss. Subconsciously, Sesshoumaru’s feet began to carry them to their chambers. These moments were private.

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Kuro had reentered the Citadel a few weeks ago, and the first thing that he noticed was the tension. Many were quietly questioning the worth of the breeder, while others spoke of the callus treatment of the concubines.

In all this discourse, Kuro realized that he would be able to accomplish his goal much more easily. The plan had been explained to him, but he knew that key factors had been left out so that he could not turn on the witch.

Kuro had spent the first week silently listening to all. There was a part of him that became excited when he realized that his goal had just become much more simple. For reasons that could only be speculated on, the tai-youkai was shunning his breeder. Apparently, Sesshoumaru’s disinterest began the day that all expected to be greeting a new Lady of the West.

Since no one knew for sure what happened, no one had a problem speculating. There were those that believed Sesshoumaru-sama had in fact mated a female that night but was hiding her from the breeder. Kuro listened to rumors like these and was struck by the fact that so many envied the power within the breeder.

However, Kuro knew that once he set the plans into motion his life was forfeit. It was a small price to pay in order to ensure the West would always remain strong. With this in mind, he set out to locate General Hisashi.

It would through Hisashi that he would gain access to the concubine, Miyu. She was the best bet. It was known that she often bragged to the other concubines that she would become the Lady of West. It was her bed that the Lord turned to most frequently. It was her arrogance that allowed her to overlook the fact that Sesshoumaru left her bed empty when she was in heat.

Kuro shook his head, Hisashi was an old dog blinded by his grief. The general had lost his mate a little over three years ago and had greatly mourned her. It reflected in the way he trained the soldiers, as if his work was the only thing that could save him from the insanity of loss. He drilled and trained relentlessly until the lord allowed others access to the concubines.

It was in Miyu that Hisashi found the mirror image of his deceased mate. It was Miyu that benefitted from Hisashi’s protection, for he allowed no other to come near her. However, it was Hisashi that suffered the lord’s wrath when Sesshoumaru learned of the mistreatment of his concubines. Hisashi suffered the shame of being denied the female that eased the pain of loss and the shame of being called dishonorable by the lord that chose a human, a miko, over all youkai females to be his breeder. It was also in front of said miko that the lord chose to reprimand him.

It was through Hisashi and Miyu that Kuro would be able to flush Madoka’s plots out into the open. The witch would fall in her attempts at power that was never meant to be hers. Yet, Kuro knew that she would not fall alone. A sickening role in his stomach overtook him as searched for the general.

How many within the West would jump at the chase to overthrow Sesshoumaru-sama? While many were loyal and few truly subversive, it seemed that there were many who could be swayed to disloyalty by the simple, empty, promise of power.

The final clenching fact that would help Kuro in his mission was the fact that Hisashi’s eldest son had begun courting Michi. While Hisashi would never be able to claim the title of lord himself, there would be considerable power bestowed on the sire of the lord.

Kuro had patience, but he knew that the time was running short. The main hinge of the ploy was being able to gain access to the breeder while she would be weakened by birthing the pup. While Kuro hoped to figure out a way to flush out Madoka without removing the breeder from the safety of the birthing chamber, he knew that the chances were very slim. This would be why he would not live past the exposure of the plot. Kuro would have played a key role in the endangering of the Breeder of the West.

The young inu sighed, “It was a good life.”

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Sesshoumaru lay propped up on the futon, starring down at the mother of his pups. She lay in between his legs on her side, with her head nuzzled into his chest. The calm and serenity that surrounded his soul had never been felt before.

In his reflections to discover the name for what exactly he felt for his Kagome, he left her completely and utterly alone. He left her alone to listen alone to the venom of those who were jealous of her.

He had sworn to himself that he would not let his pack be hurt by rash actions; however, he did not take into account the pain of inaction. She had made it clear that she wanted to be the one to put the high bitches of the West in their place, and he would respect that. Kagome was strong and far more powerful than she let on, it would not be a problem for her to prove her right to the position of alpha bitch. Nevertheless, she would not do this until after the pups were born, thereby ensuring theirs pups safety.

Sesshoumaru would ensure that all knew his regard for her while she waited to display her strength. He would be by her side and she by his at all times. The West was strong and did not require his constant attention; therefore, he would be able to spend time during the day doing things that she would find enjoyable. Things of a private nature came to mind, but those would only come at a pace that she would allow.

The closeness that they shared now was more than enough for both him and his beast to know that she was his. He had been slightly disappointed that things had not progressed further this night, but by the time he had ensured she had eaten properly, Kagome had no energy left for anything but sleep.

Sesshoumaru gently scrapped his claws over her scalp as his fingers combed through her ebony tresses. Kagome burrowed further into his chest while emitting a contented sigh. Sesshoumaru allowed his lips to turn up into a small smile. Yes, he loved her and she loved him.

The West would flourish under the strength of their union, and so too would his pack.

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AN: Thank you for reading, please review.

emmaren