Pain

Chapter Three

"Dammit, wench," came the muffled growl from the now irate Inuyasha. "You ain't leaving. And I'll be damned if I let you leave with him." The hanyou pulled himself off of the ground and glared at the miko. He stalked toward her, anger written across his face. "You are staying here, you are collecting the shards, and you have no choice about it."

Kagome was taking deep breaths in order to keep from losing her already fragile temper. She set down Shippo and her bag, then walked to Inuyasha. Stopping directly in front of him, she glared up into his eyes with all of her frustration, anger, and sorrow. "After what you did to me, you have absolutely NO right to demand anything from me," she growled out. "If your precious KIKYOU is so superior to me, then go to her. Let her find the shards for you."

She turned her back on him, dismissing him completely. But the hanyou would not be ignored. He reached out and grabbed the back of Kagome's shirt, effectively pulling her back. He caught her and made sure she was secure at his side.

The demon lord turned to fully face his half-brother and growled lowly at his actions. He knew the whelp to be ruthless with his enemies, but to turn against his own pack-mate for his own selfish desires....Shameful.

"You will release the miko,"now," he ordered. Though he kept his eyes on the hanyou, he could feel the anxiety rolling off of the miko.

Inuyasha grasped Kagome around the waist and settled a clawed hand on her hip. He could feel her form trembling. While he felt guilty about treating her in such a way, he wasn't about to let Sesshoumaru get his paws on her. "I'm not letting her go," he shot back. "Not with the likes of you."

"Inuyasha, you let her go right now!" Sango screamed in anger. Her hands were balled into fists, shaking, and her face was flushed red. She opened her eyes and glared at the hanyou who was holding her best friend.

Inuyasha returned the slayer's glare. "Shut up, Sango..."

"NO! I will not stay quiet anymore!" The slayer stomped forward in a challenging stance and stopped afoot from the hanyou. "Every day you degrade, insult, and hurt Kagome. That's enough, Inuyasha. Just let her go."

During Sango's rant, Inuyasha's grip on Kagome loosened slightly. Kagome took this opportunity and elbowed his stomach with all of her might. More out of surprise than pain, he released her and she scrambled away from him. Running quickly, she returned to her place near Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha righted himself and shot the miko an icy glare. "You're gonna go with him?" he demanded. "That bastard is just gonna use you! He's gonna treat you like shit!" He turned his death-glare to his brother and growled. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!"

The hanyou charged at the youkai lord, swiping his claws at the white clothed male. Sesshoumaru watched, almost bored, as Inuyasha came at him. Waiting until Inuyasha was a mere few feet away, Sesshoumaru dodged and deflected his brother's attack, sending the younger male to the ground. Giving the miko a meaningful glance, he watched as she quickly gathered her back and the kit, and ran toward the woods where they first made their appearance.

Inuyasha climbed to his feet and ran at his brother again with his claws bared. When he thought his attack was going to connect, Sesshoumaru spun around and grabbed the hanyou's wrist. He twisted the appendage and pulled harshly until he heard a loud snap, indicating, at best, a dislocation. Throwing Inuyasha to the ground, he stepped on the whelp's chest and pushed his weight onto him.

Kagome, watching from the side, became concerned for her hanyou friend. Yes, he treated her badly and was infuriating, but he was still her friend. She knew how Sesshoumaru felt toward his brother, and knew that he wouldn't stop from severely hurting the boy. She took a step forward, her hands curled into fists by her heart.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she called out. "Please, don't hurt him."

Sesshoumaru's eye twitched at the sound of the miko's voice. His patience already worn thin, he glared down at the hanyou and turned away. "The miko is now part of my pack," he announced matter-of-factly. "This just proves how utterly worthless you truly are."

He walked back to Kagome and, without a word, he stalked into the forest. Kagome picked up her bag and glanced back at her friends. "I'm sorry..." she whispered to them, and was off after the demon lord, Shippo in her arms.

Sango and Miroku watched as their companion went off with the enemy of their leader. While they were shocked by the turn of events, neither were overly so. Miroku ran over to his comrade and offered to help the hanyou to his feet, but had his hand slapped away for his efforts.

The monk gave Inuyasha a scowling look. "You know, Inuyasha," he began slowly, "this should serve as a good lesson for you." He ignored the growled warning of the injured man and stood to his full height next to him. "Just what did you hope to accomplish with your words to Kagome?"

"It doesn't matter what he hoped to accomplish," Sango spat out. "All that matters is that because of his actions, Kagome and Shippo are gone. Our friend is with your enemy, Inuyasha. Are you proud of yourself?" She shook her head and headed into the direction of Kaede's village.

Miroku sighed and looked down at his hanyou friend. "I believe it would be best if we traveled to Kaede's village and rest for a time." He turned to follow Sango. "Maybe in that time, a solution to our problem with present itself."

Inuyasha listened as his pack's footsteps grew quieter. He sat on the ground where Sesshoumaru left him. He felt lower than the dirt beneath him. Kagome was gone. His pack turned against him, so to speak. He fucked up royally. And he doubted if there was a way to fix it this time.

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Kagome ran to catch up with Sesshoumaru. She hadn't meant to dawdle, but she was reluctant to leave, in spite of her decision. She was leaving the friends she'd traveled with for the last two years and joining someone she barely knew. Someone who had tried to kill her on their first meeting.

I must be losing my mind!!!

She looked at the back of the Daiyoukai and couldn't help the feeling of pure intimidation that fell over her. She knew he was deadly and that he wasn't one to cross swords with. How in the Hell was she supposed to get along with him and NOT get herself killed? She argued with Inuyasha all the time. She couldn't begin to imagine how it was going to be with Sesshoumaru.

"It is impolite to stare, onna."

Kagome jumped at the unexpected voice and drew her eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry," she mumbled quietly. Of course he's going to know I'm staring at him. The guy acts like he has some kind of telepathy or something. Looking back up at him, she quickened her steps to catch up to him.

"Um..Sesshoumaru?" she asked cautiously.

He looked down at her, and she took it as permission to continue.

"I want to thank you. For several things. First and foremost being for waking me up from that funk I threw myself in. I really shouldn't have done that. I also want to thank you for not hurting Inuyasha. I don't know why, but I just couldn't live with myself if he was hurt too bad. And thank you for letting me bring Shippo. And..."

"Do all humans speak as much as you?" he interrupted.

Kagome blinked a few times and blushed deeply. "I'm sorry. I talk a lot when I get nervous. And let's face it, being around you is enough to make anyone want to...um...Turn tail and run."

He gave her a questioning glance but said nothing.

Kagome tightened her arms around the now sleeping Shippo. "So, how long will it take us to get to...Wherever you are taking us?"

"The Western Lands are several hours journey from here. It may take more than a day, considering how slow you travel."

Kagome took in a deep breath as she glared at him. "Well sorry for being human! I wasn't born with the ability to run fast or fly on clouds or jump through the trees!" Her feet began stomping the ground with each step. "If I'm such an inconvenience, then why do you even bother?"

He raised his brow and paused. "You would prefer that I leave you where you stand?"

Kagome thought for all of ten seconds and shook her head. "No, I would not prefer that. I would prefer..."

"Then let us move on."

Kagome glared at his retreating form, but remained silent. This was going to be an interesting and long journey.

(TBC)