The Better End of the Deal

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha. It belongs to their respective owners. I make no profit from my writing.


A/N: Sorry!! I know I've got a ton more stories up, but this one muse strangled my arm into submission and threatened to take away my sugar cubes until I got this out. It came together in like...an hour. Seriously. The inspiraration and words just flowed like magic. It was great! ^_^ I'll update "Searching for Shelter" and "To Be Alive Again" as soon as possible. I have both new chapters started, and am about halfway done with "shelter's" new chapter, and a fourth of the way done with "Alive's" new one. Keep a look out for those in the coming week. It's Spring break next week, so I hope to get a couple of updates done on each story. Thanks for your patience!
Sayuri-chan~~

Main Pairings: Kagome/Sesshoumaru; Sango/Miroku
Summary: Inuyasha has abandoned his pack for the last time. Sesshoumaru appears to pick up the pieces. Why? “It’s all to defeat Naraku…” he says. Is it really?

The Better End of the Deal
Chapter 1: Abandoning the Pack

The night had started like any other. The Inu-tachi had stopped to camp for the night, and soon after, in an almost ritualistic manner, Inuyasha had left the group into the inky darkness of night. No one needed to ask where he was going, however, four sets of eyes settled on the young miko in their group.

Holding her head high, she did not say a word, instead, she offered more ramen to the group, and appeared to be unaffected by the hanyou’s sudden departure. It was hard for her to know the truth and act unaffected, but she would for as long as she was able. It was too late for regrets. She had already admitted to herself that she loved him. It was too late to stop her feelings now, and she wouldn’t….she couldn’t. She could not forget him, or how he made her feel. It was a slow progression, but she was used to his brash attitude, his gentle demeanor only when no one was looking or when he was in his human form, and how he was so devoted to anything and anyone that he cared about, that it was almost uncanny to her own beliefs and morals. Maybe it was because they were rather alike that she could feel him slipping away from her, or maybe it was the fact that she knew one could not forget their first love…for her it was him, and for him…it was Kikyou.

The night progressed silently, with no appearance of the hanyou or of any demons. It was peaceful, and for it, the group was thankful for the small reprieve. They had been fighting demons constantly for the past two weeks, and had come out unscathed, but that did not mean that the battles didn’t weigh heavily on each fighter. Sango and Miroku had quickly fallen asleep beside the fire, leaving Kagome and Shippou to watch over the small group of fighters. Both had decided that they would take up where Inuyasha was lacking, and keep an eye on things to make sure that nothing surprised them in their sleep. The taijya and monk were thoroughly exhausted, and if they couldn’t fight, then Kagome and Shippou would be in grave danger. They could only rely on Inuyasha for so long before he would leave them unguarded. Especially, should Kikyou make an appearance. In his heart, she would always come first.

Gently rubbing the kit’s back, Kagome watched him fall into an unguarded sleep, and she could see the worry and uneasiness in his features. She held the small kit closer and offered him her silent comfort. She would never leave him, and she would always be there for him. She loved him as if he were her own child, even though she was barely old enough to be considered an adult. His well-being fell on her shoulders, and she would never leave his side, not for anything.

However, the night did not stay quiet and peaceful, like she had hoped. The sound of quickly breaking branches got her attention and she jumped up, startling awake the kitsune. “Kagome!?” he cried out, before a quick sniff of the air told him that danger was unimaginably close.

At the kit’s shout, Miroku and Sango were up and armed, staff at the ready, and hiraikotsu aimed to cut down the enemy. Quickly, they were ambushed by a large boar demon, his gleaming white tusks ready to pierce human flesh, and he had decided that the trio of humans and kitsune kit would do nicely. Kirara transformed immediately, growling her anger at being disrupted to the boar youkai.

Before anything else could be done, he had charged, and his closest target was Shippou and Kagome. Quickly picking up the kit, she tossed him towards Sango and Miroku before running away from the campsite, shouting, “Make sure he stays safe! I’ll draw him away!” And that was precisely what she was doing now, however, her speed was slowly waning, and she was nearly trampled more than three times now as she narrowly avoided the boar demon’s hooves.

It was too late for regrets. Too late for much of anything, as the young miko ran as fast as her body would carry her through the thick foliage of forest. She ignored the stinging of roots and plants at her feet, and ignored the pounding of her heart in her ears. Her breath was baited, and there was a painful stitch in her side. It was too late for a lot of things, but unless she was stopped, she would not cease her running, less she become demon fodder.

Miroku and Sango were following from behind the boar, trying to take it down before it took their friend down. Shippou’s rather weak attacks weren’t doing much, but it did get the boar’s attention long enough for Kagome to dodge another attack.

Bursting out of the tree line, Kagome almost froze when she saw a small camp set up, and cried out when she saw Rin. One phrase summed it up quite well: ‘Oh shit.’

Without a second thought, she turned, facing the boar head on with her body, though she knew that the impact of his tusks on her body was likely to kill her. She couldn’t allow Rin to get hurt though, and shouted to the little girl and Sesshoumaru’s toad retainer, “Get her out of here!”

He would have squawked out a reply, but the enormous boar youkai that was crashing through the woods made him think twice as he moved Rin to the large two head dragon that traveled with the group, just in time for the youkai to crash through the tree line and into the miko.

~*~

A scream of pure pain echoed in the sets of three pairs of ears, bringing two of the three to attention. Sesshoumaru had left his ward in the care of his toad servant Jaken, and that scream was not a good sign. If something had happened to her, the toad would have to be replaced, because he would kill him slowly and painfully, not to mention the creature that dared hurt what was his.

Inuyasha, however, knew the familiar scream, and though he was in the throws of passion with his un-dead lover, he pulled away from her with a guilty and apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

He didn’t wait for Kikyou’s reply, and never saw her furious glare in the direction of the scream. She hoped that the boar youkai she had spoken with put the miko reincarnation out of her misery, for good.

~*~

The pain that she felt was nearly indescribable, and would have had her begging for death, if she wasn’t hell bent on protecting the children. That didn’t stop her from screaming out her pain as her miko powers soared forward to eliminate the threat. However, something was different, and the boar wasn’t being affected as it should have.

Sticking off of the tusks like a marshmallow, Kagome’s body thrashed and twisted as the boar threw his head from side to side, the sharp appendages digging deeper and deeper into her soft flesh, tearing organs and tissues to shreds and allowing flow after flow of blood to seep from the wounds.

Her sight blurred quickly at the loss of blood, and she started to feel sleepy and numb, however, before the blackness overtook her, she saw two figures with white shinning hair in the moonlight out of the corner of her eye. Who were they? She couldn’t place the fuzzed figures in her mind before she passed out, not feeling anything more as she was tossed from the boar’s tusks onto the cold, dirt ground.

~*~

Whatever Inuyasha was expecting, it wasn’t this. Not to see Kagome in such a way, and not to see his brother rushing to her aide. Sango and Miroku were nearby with Kirara and Shippou, trying to keep calm in the wake of their friend’s blood and trying hard to destroy the demon as quickly as possible so they could tend to the horrendous wounds the miko had received.

The taiyoukai of the western lands had assessed the situation quickly, and assumed that she had run headfirst into saving his ward, who seemed unharmed as she sat sobbing atop Ah-Un. For that reason alone he quickly drew his acid whip and cut through the thick skin of the boar, relishing in its cries for mercy. Not today. He wasn’t feeling merciful, and the boar had come after what was his. He would enjoy this particular kill.

Inuyasha was in a state of shock as he ran to Kagome’s body, leaving Sesshoumaru to deal with the demon. She wasn’t conscious, and her breathing was labored and shallow. She was covered in her own blood, and he was quickly covered in her blood as well. With bewildered and terrified eyes, he looked to Miroku and Sango for help, the guilt eating away at him as he recalled how she came to be in this state. He had left to rut with Kikyou, and had left her unguarded. He had failed to protect her…again.

Sango knelt down beside Kagome, quickly applying pressure to her wounds. “Come on Kagome, hang in there!” she hissed out fearfully, trying to prevent further loss of blood, though on the inside, she could feel her friend slipping away. The sheer amount of blood that littered the ground and her friends clothing was too much. Much too much for a human to survive.

Miroku moved to help Sesshoumaru deal with the demon, though he was playing with his enemy and needed no help, however, at seeing the monk come near, he quickly slashed at the demon with tokijin, leaving a clean cut as the boar was literally exploded into pieces that were drawn into Miroku’s wind scar.

Normally, Sesshoumaru would have reveled bathing in the demon’s blood, but with Rin there, he wanted to refrain from exposing her to such an action. However, her tears drew his attention again and he moved to the side of the two headed dragon as she threw herself into his chest, sobbing her little heart out. “Kagome!” she cried out brokenly, her voice high-pitched and on the brink of wailing.

Placing a gentle hand on the back of his ward’s head, he held her in his arm as she cried out her sorrow into his haori. Her sadness made him extremely uneasy as he turned to look at the source of her upset, and managed to hide a wince. Only years of schooling his look of indifference kept him from showing his unsettlement. The sheer amount of blood around the girl was disturbing. She was only human, and surely that much blood lost would kill her. Indecision tore at his being. Did he want to see what the girl’s wounds were like? He was certain that she was nearing death, not only from the blood loss that he could see, but the scent of the air had changed.

Sango’s stifled cry reached his ears as he moved closer to her body, shielding Rin’s eyes from the sight as he tilted her head into his chest. He was moving of pure curiosity, nothing more, he told himself, though deep inside, he knew it was a lie. He cared for his ward’s well-being, and this girl had saved her. She used her body as a human shield to protect what was his, and in that, he now owed her. He almost wanted to growl at that thought. He loathed being indebted to anyone, and especially a human! If she died because of this, he would owe any that she was in company with, and that meant being indebted to Inuyasha, Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. The others he could deal with, but he would not stand to be indebted to Inuyasha! He would commit seppuku before that happened!

The pale face of the taijya looked up as Sesshoumaru’s shadow fell over Inuyasha as he cradled the miko’s body close. It was disgusting, not only in the manner in which he held her, but also for the scents that mixed and covered his body. He had disgraced himself even further than the taiyoukai had ever imagined by rutting with the un-dead miko. How he could lower himself to be with that clay form was beyond his understanding, when he could obviously tell that the miko that lay broken and bleeding in his arms cared for him more than anyone should.

“What do you want, bastard.” Inuyasha said softly, his voice strained and weak. He was trying to appear tough, but it was hard for him to even muster the courage to look up into the eyes of his brother. If anything, he knew the look that would be there, and it wasn’t something he was looking forward too, but after a few moments he did, tilting his head around to look at Sesshoumaru’s golden orbs.

Indifference lay beneath the golden pools, before the extent of his fury was unleashed for all the world to see. The taiyoukai was impeccably in control of his emotions at all times, and now, he would unleash is unspoken wrath upon his “little brother”.

Inuyasha’s ears flattened to the side of his head as he did something he hated doing. He whimpered. Not only for the pain that he held at not protecting Kagome, but also at the unbridled glare that came from the taiyoukai. For the first time in years, it was as if they were children again, and Sesshoumaru’s power and authority forced him into submission.

The taiyoukai would have smirked, had the situation not been so dire. That whimper was a sign of submission, and it was an unspoken request for aide. Sango and Miroku exchanged glances, they knew what was going on, however, Shippou was left out of the loop, but he didn’t care, as he clutched into Kagome’s torn school skirt, glistening tears tracing down his cheeks.

“Move aside, all of you.” Sesshoumaru’s voice ground out, obviously displeased at the turn of events. Without a word, Inuyasha set down Kagome’s body, her breathing shallower than ever as her body began to shut down and she started to convulse, twin trails of blood seeping from the corners her mouth.

One eye arching up in observation, Sesshoumaru watched as she struggled between life and death, each beat of her heart echoing in his demon ears as she fought to hold onto her fragile existence. Curiosity plagued him. Who was this seemingly human girl? With the wounds she had sustained, most humans he knew would have given up already and succumbed to death, but even in the direst of situations, she was fighting to stay alive. It was a pointless battle, there was no way she could win, but still she fought. Kneeling down, he set Rin on her feet and she instantly went to cling to Shippou while they cried their fear and sadness out over their impending loss.

Slowly, Kagome’s body stilled, as it took control of the situation and shut down. It was too late for her, and her body recognized it, even if her mind did not. Miroku placed an arm around Sango’s shoulder and she buried her head into his chest. For once, he was not the lecherous monk he was known for and she gladly took the comfort he offered.

Not a moment later, Sesshoumaru drew the Tenseiga, the life giving sword left to him by his father, and the demons that threatened to take her soul became visible to him. The problem was that her soul wasn’t being drawn forth as it should have. Leaving that mystery for another time and place, he sliced at the deformed figures, killing them and healing Kagome’s wounds easily. Scars would remain, unfortunately, for the wounds were too great, but none of that mattered, for her life was restored. Slowly, breath re-entered her lungs and her body started to warm, however, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She wasn’t out of the woods just yet.

When Sango heard the sharp intake of breath, she turned her head, relief on her face as she saw her friend breathing, however labored, but the wounds she had obtained were now sealed, scars on her flesh where they had resided. “Kagome!” she called out in relief, along with the children, who now clung to Kagome’s body, not minding the blood stains that got on their clothes. Their friend was alive, that’s all that mattered to them.

Sesshoumaru watched with distaste as Rin’s clothes absorbed the miko’s blood, but shook that thought away. The slinking look on Inuyasha’s face was more entertaining. “I forbid you from seeing that dead wench again. If you honor our unspoken contract, you will obey me.” He whispered in a silky smooth voice.

His eyes widened in disbelief, as he looked to Sesshoumaru, before jumping up. “Forget it, asshole! I thank you for saving Kagome’s life, but I can’t do that! I promised to be there for her, and I won’t break that promise!” he shouted, his sadness turning to fury.

“Like you promised to protect the miko?” he ground back, his features stilled schooled to that of indifference, mixed with a small hint of irritation. He knew his half-brother would rebel against his wishes, and he wondered how this would turn out. Obviously he had no honor code, or he would have simply agreed, but it seemed as if he were going to be difficult.

Inuyasha’s mouth dropped open a fraction before he spat back, “That’s none of your business, bastard!”

“It is when she protects what is mine. If you had not abandoned her, she would not have had to lead the youkai away, thus, not endangering my ward.” He said in a low voice, his eyes flashing red.

“So its Kagome’s fault a youkai attacked her?!” he questioned, his eyes wide with confusion and anger.

“No, you simpleton. It is your fault for abandoning her.” He said simply, a low growl in his voice now. “However, since you failed in your task to protect her, she took responsibility and protected the innocent ones with her life. That is more than I can say for you, half-breed.” He sneered.

Inuyasha couldn’t even sputter a response. His brother had just implied that he was no better than a human woman! “Fuck you, asshole! I’ll fight you right here and now!” he shouted, his temper getting the better of him as he brandished Tetsusaiga at the taiyoukai.

Sango and Miroku watched on quietly, glares directed at Inuyasha. They had agreed with every word that Sesshoumaru had spoken, and were waiting for him to hand Inuyasha his ass on a silver platter.

Rin and Shippou looked at each other, feeling slightly guilty at the taiyoukai’s words. Kagome had died to protect them. They each agreed silently that they would help her all they could to pay her back for her devotion and kindness. Rin started by gathering her blanket from beside her camp fire and wrapping the miko up in it, before Sango and Miroku gathered around her to help take care of the miko’s needs. She was running a fever, and they needed to try and bring it down. Sango had Kirara fly back to their campsite and bring back her backpack so she could fetch the modern medicine that would help break her fever, and Miroku tried to make her comfortable near the fire that was set up there. All of them ignored the breaking of trees, and clashing of swords as Sesshoumaru began an ass-beating that Inuyasha was not soon to forget.

Kagome was deep in sleep as she tried to get a hold on what was happening. She dreamed of the last few moments of her life, and running in the path of the boar youkai. She hoped Rin was okay, and her thoughts turned inward as she wondered what had become of her friends. The girl slept through everything that was happening around her, though her sleep was far from easy.

After a few moments, Inuyasha was left panting as gashes lined his clothes and chest, leaving blood to flow freely. He knew he was no match for Sesshoumaru, but he had pissed him off, damn it! Before another blow could be landed, Kikyou appeared on the battlefield, stopping the two brothers a moment.

At seeing her reincarnation alive and well, her eyes narrowed and she moved closer to try and get to the girl. It seemed as if she would have to do this herself. But before she could even get three steps, Inuyasha stood in her way. “Kikyou…what are you doing here?” he asked, confusion on his face.

“I wondered what had happened, and if you were okay.” She lied, giving a false look of concern to the inu-hanyou. However, Sesshoumaru easily smelled the deceit on the clay-figure, and stood closer to his ward, who, was close to Kagome. Miroku and Sango both stood in front of her body to protect her from the un-dead miko’s eyes, not trusting the look in them, and overall, just despising the woman. She had caused more heartache than anyone else in Kagome, and they wouldn’t let her near their friend.

“Everyone is fine, Kikyou.” He said softly, believing her lie. “Kagome was the one who got hurt, but Sesshoumaru helped her.” He added, enjoying the growl that slipped from the taiyoukai’s mouth. Did he mention how he hated his little brother?

Kikyou raised an eyebrow in his direction. Sesshoumaru helped a human miko? What had inspired that reaction out of him? Glancing to his side, she noted a little human girl, but that look was fleeting as Sesshoumaru growled out his warning and stepped further in front of his ward, however, Jaken spoke for all of them when he called out, “Wench, leave before I show you the meaning of pain! You are not welcome around Mi’Lord!” and as if his words were not enough, he set his staff out in front of him to point the head of fire at the undead miko.

Inuyasha turned to stand in front of her, hell bent on protecting her against whatever his bastard brother or his servant could dish out. “If you will not stay away from her, I will take care of the pack you are abandoning.” He proclaimed, nothing but honor speaking right now. If his brother would not protect his pack, as his half-brother, it fell on his shoulders to care for the abandoned pack members. Leaving Kagome to her own devices, and leaving her to die were only two of a string of examples of where he had abandoned those in his pack. If he chose to leave them again and go to the un-dead one, Sesshoumaru had all the rights in the world to usurp him in power as head of the pack.

At that statement, both he and the taiyoukai paused. Sesshoumaru questioned why he would even care about the well-being of the small group of fighters. He owed Kagome, and she was alive, therefore, he owed no one else, however, without Inuyasha’s strength, the group would not be powerful enough to take down Naraku, and he knew that that was their goal. It was in his best interest to protect the group while they hunted Naraku, and take down the bastard that continued to plague his lands. Yes, this was not personal, but business. Or, at least, that is what he told himself.

Inuyasha also questioned Sesshoumaru’s proclamation. Why would he willingly go near humans? What was this all about? Was it about the Tetsusaiga? Because if it was, Inuyasha would fight him to the death for it. It was his, damn it! Not him or any other demon would have it! Why would he take over as pack leader to a bunch of humans and two little youkai? It was incomprehensible. However, Kikyou’s hand on his shoulder made his decision for him.

“Take them, I don’t care. I won’t leave Kikyou behind.” He growled out triumphantly, thinking he had gotten the better end of the deal. Sango could fight, but Miroku only had his wind tunnel to aide him, and soon he’d be dead from it, so he was basically worthless in Inuyasha’s mind. Shippou was just a child, and could not fight at all, Kirara, while a good fighter, was devoted to Sango, and would not be helpful otherwise. Kagome couldn’t fight, couldn’t control her power, and could barely shoot arrows decently. The only thing –she- was good for was hunting jewel shards, and he was sure that Kikyou could do that as well, leaving him to wonder why he even put up with the live miko this long.

“You’ve made the worst decision of your life. You are a fool, hanyou. I will relish the moment you realize your mistake.” He said, a sadistic grin on his face. Oh, he would enjoy that moment to the fullest.

“Whatever, bastard. Just don’t come crying to me when they’re all dead. They’re human, they will die eventually. You deal with that then. No sweat off my balls.” He smirked darkly.

Sesshoumaru growled angrily, his mask slipping for a moment. He would love nothing more than to rip the hanyou’s head off right now, but he had more important things to attend to. He drew his sword and pointed it at them. “You are a traitor now. I suggest you leave before I decide not to be merciful.” He said darkly.

Everyone behind him watched with baited breath at what the hanyou would do. Surprisingly, he turned to leave with Kikyou, but they had noticed that it was at her prompting. They turned green at the thought of what the two would do.

Turning back to the small group, the taiyoukai spoke up. “We will rest tonight, but in the morning, we head for my palace. She will need to rest in more comfortable quarters in order to heal.” He said, referring to Kagome. He then directed his attention to Rin as he asked in a slightly softer tone, “Are you hurt, Rin?”

She gave him a toothy smile before shaking her head, “No, Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin is fine! Kagome stepped right in front of that bad youkai to save Rin! Jaken helped Rin get on Ah-Un so Rin would not be hurt either!”

The taiyoukai gave an approving nod to Jaken, promising him a reward later on. It wasn’t often that the toad retainer did anything right, but apparently he had helped protect his ward in this situation. His trust in the toad youkai was slightly improved.

Sango and Miroku looked at the taiyoukai, bowing lightly. It seemed as if they were in his liege now, and they would show him the respect he deserved. Sesshoumaru nodded in approval at their actions. Perhaps this lot would not be so bad. They already seemed to be more respectful than his hanyou half-brother.

Sesshoumaru looked down as he felt a small tug on his silk pants. Shippou was looking up at him with misty green eyes as he spoke in a barely restrained voice, “Thank you for saving my Mom.”

Eyes widening lightly, though unseen to the untrained eye, he pondered the young kit’s statement. ‘Mother? The kit sees her as a mother? She obviously sees similar ties to the kit because of her actions…however…’ he thought that it was an impossible situation, but because he had seen his fair share of the impossible, he kept an open mind about it. He would observe their interaction when the miko awoke, then he would draw his conclusions. For now, he just knew that he was slightly tired, and needed to rest. “You’re welcome.” He replied quietly. The kit was part of his pack now too, and he would be treated as Rin was. Hopefully he would obey his word better than Rin sometimes did.

The group settled down to sleep, each one quickly falling into deep slumber as the nights events took their toll on the group. Kagome’s sleep evened out, and her steady even breaths could be heard as a light pink of miko energy snaked out to touch each of the occupants, wrapping each of them in comfort.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened as he felt her holy energy seek him out, however, he was surprised when it was a thread of comfort, not of destruction. Letting the small wave of energy wash over him, he relaxed fully, contemplating her need to comfort those of the group. Could it be that she felt their uneasiness and sadness at her death, and then rebirth of sorts? Shaking his head of the thoughts, he succumbed to sleep, letting his thoughts drift away for now. There was plenty of time later to figure out the mysteries of the little miko.

Despite being involved with more humans, he believed he got the better end of the deal.



A/N: Please Read and Review: I love them a lot! (As do my muses!)