A Sister's Gift

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The trip back to the hut was a silent one as the group pondered the recent events. Sesshomaru held Kagome close to him as they tread their way back to their designated hut. The evening he felt such dread for, had finally ended, and he was at least thankful that they had all escaped virtually unscathed. Though Inuyasha was, no doubt, a daft hothead, lacking the essential brains with which to keep himself out of peril. It was amazing that the hanyou managed to escape the whole episode with only a harsh warning from the Emperor. Lady luck was certainly shining brightly on the hanyou’s head tonight.

Sesshomaru glanced over to the couple walking silently beside of them. He could feel the waves of despair rising off of mistress Kikyo. The public announcement of her love for the half-breed had taken its toll on the young human woman. He almost felt a little sorry for her. Almost. After all, it was her own poor choice in mates that landed her in the predicament she was now in.

A soft, feminine, sigh at his side brought his attention back to his beloved little miko. The whole incident with the prince made him feel somewhat happy that his beast marked Kagome as his mate. His initial worries were lessened somewhat, when faced with the result of Inuyasha and Kikyo’s uncovered deceit. No doubt, the miko was now faced with the dishonor of her lies and secretiveness. Not only has she dishonored her family by taking a hanyou slave as her lover, but her dishonesty concerning the fact, would bring deep shame as well.

Of course, there is always the chance that her family may never find out. A very small chance, considering that they had only recently arrived here, leaving many days ahead for the word to spread among her fellow miko’s. A tasty tidbit of gossip such as that should travel through the ranks like wildfire. The chances were pretty slim that word of a powerful miko taking her hanyou protector as a lover, would never make it to the ears of her village. Humans just loved this kind of thing. Miko’s were held in high regard among most ningen's, and the foul race would relish the opportunity to crush a wayward priestess.

Thoughts of Kikyo’s looming downfall brought his wondering mind back to his own situation. Kagome would, no doubt, suffer much the same way as Kikyo for taking a youkai slave as a mate. Very few humans held compassion for others, and the thought of anyone using their love as a weapon against his little miko, made his stomach turn. Sesshomaru shook the unwelcome thoughts from his head. ‘It is my job to protect her, and I will not fail in my duty.’

Inuyasha was highly perturbed, but actually felt extremely relieved that he wasn’t being cast into the palace dungeon, or worse... dead. He pulled Kikyo close to his side and nuzzled her neck. She smelled so good that it brought a smile to his face. That asshole Hasun almost earned himself a disembowelment for fucking with his woman. ‘Stupid prince.’

Kikyo enjoyed Inuyasha’s attention. It made her feel safe and loved. It was so hard to hide her feelings for him from the rest of the world. She couldn’t help who it was that she fell in love with. She certainly never intended for their relationship to take such a turn. Kikyo sighed, her inner turmoil twisting her thoughts and sending an ache of dread through her gut. One man’s face was constantly flashing before her eyes, and the expression on his face was filled with humiliation and disgust.

Father.

Kikyo recalled the day her father brought Inuyasha home to her. The hanyou was newly converted and rebellious beyond compare. Inuyasha simply refused to accept his fate, and the results were tedious and exasperating. Commands were ignored and curses uttered, which only served to bring the young hanyou a hefty helping of pain from the bond. She wondered, back in those early days, if Inuyasha would ever survive the transition. It seemed that he spent more time writhing on the floor in agony than anything else.

‘Father was so angry,’ Kikyo reflected. ‘He swore that he would return him to the slave trader as defective.’ She raised her heavy lashes to peer at her lover. ‘I just couldn’t let Father take him from me.’

The turning point of the relationship began as an ordinary; strife filled day, compliments of her hanyou protector. His consistent bad attitude never wavered as Kikyo made her way deeper into the forest in search of the herbs needed for the new potion she was perfecting at the time.

Kikyo smiled as she fondly remembered entering the cool forest, sparsely lit by dancing rays from the sun. She had always enjoyed searching for wild herbs behind her family home, but on that day, the pleasant serenity of her forest haven was thoroughly being destroyed by Inuyasha’s mouth. Two times he had been painfully ‘corrected’ by the magic of the necklace, and Kikyo was about to call it quits when she slipped. She fully expected to wind up face down in the mud and decaying leaves, but just as she lost all hope of regaining her footing, a strong arm snaked around her waist, saving her from a certain mud covered future.

When she looked up into Inuyasha’s eyes, she saw something there that she had not seen before. Tenderness, that his normally well guarded persona never allowed to slip through. Kikyo smiled warmly as she recalled the way her heart began to beat in a frantic rhythm. The little mishap resulted in her first kiss. A short little peck, as Inuyasha pressed his lips briefly to her own. It surprised her, but she could not bring herself to be angry with her Hanyou Protector. Instead, she blushed furiously, as any fourteen year old would have, when faced with their first real kiss by a handsome young male.

She decided at that moment, to keep their tender embrace a secret from her family. At first it was for Inuyasha’s safety, for her father would have slain him for such an act against his precious miko daughter. She just couldn’t bear to see him killed. The innocent little kiss that day changed the outcome of her life, and as she looked back, she knew that she would not have changed a thing.

As the years went by, and she grew into a mature young woman, Kikyo began to see Inuyasha in an entirely different light. He, too, accepted the changes as they came, gradually coming to love his miko mistress with every ounce of his heart. Her miko powers grew with her love for her hanyou and soon they were fighting side by side to rid her village of any potential threat, quickly gaining a name for herself throughout the countryside as a powerful miko.

‘Father was so proud,’ she thought with a sigh. Her father was overjoyed the day she received her summons by the daisaiin. He called together a feast in celebration, and proudly boasted of his daughter’s great honor.

‘Humph,’ Kikyo rolled her eyes. If word of her being in love with Inuyasha gets back to her father, she will be a disgrace to the family. He will surely disown her and cast her out to fend for herself. People just do not look kindly on women who give themselves to a demon mate. Human discrimination against the youkai species was grounds for being stoned to death in some villages, and she didn’t want to find out if the depth of hatred ran that deep among the villagers that she currently called friends and neighbors.

She never liked keeping her love for Inuyasha a secret. They often fought over the subject, when she would feel a bit defiant and insist upon announcing their love for one another to the world. Inuyasha would always step in and force her sanity back into it’s safe little nook, before she blurted her secret to her happily unaware family. He would always hold her tightly, saying that it was his job to protect her... even from herself.

Kikyo snuggled into Inuyasha’s warm body, as they wound their way back through the darkness. He met her forlorn gaze with concerned amber eyes, which shimmered in the night. His warm lips rested briefly on her forehead, silently reassuring her of his love and concern.

“I love you Inuyasha,” Kikyo said softly, as she focused on his strong, protective gaze.

“I’ll always be there to protect you, Kikyo. Don’t fret over this any longer. I love you, and nothing will ever change that.” Inuyasha replied, just before sealing his words with a tender kiss.

Sesshomaru and Kagome both heard the terms of endearment from the couple walking beside them. With a knowing look, they decided to give them a little space. Kagome smiled warmly at Sesshomaru, before turning to her friend. “Kikyo, Sesshomaru and I are going to stroll down to the dojo, and do a little sparing. We’ll catch up with you two a little later.”

Kikyo sent her newfound friend a look of appreciation as she nodded with a smile. She watched, for a moment, as Sesshomaru’s long silver hair danced in the breeze as he protectively held Kagome close by his side. She wondered, in that instant, if fate brought them all together for some higher purpose. Could it be that they were destined to suffer this pain for the greater good of all?

Only time will tell.