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Finding Kagome	By : MetsukiKaraTen Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 8806 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 44
- 45
- 46
DISCLAIMER:: InuYasha
belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Shonen Sunday and Viz. I do not claim
any rights to those characters. The original characters in this work
are figments of my overactive imagination, and I don't receive any
financial compensation for any of it.

A/N:: Much appreciation
to Mooman_fl and Sacred_Sagittarius for their input and beta work.

You guyz rawk!

Many Thanks:

To Dark_Avenger and the
members of the Feudal Association

for awarding Finding
Kagome

Second Place

Best Drama Fiction

January '07

Finding Kagome

Chapter 45

On
the third flight of stairs, Ginta stifled a yawn and rubbed at his
temple, grimacing. Evil creatures had infiltrated his skull, and
were apparently trapped there, since they were trying to bore out
through his eyeballs. The energy of his companion was enviable,
could only be explained by the gradual changes the man's body was
experiencing after an infusion of youkai blood. Now that his own
adrenaline had subsided, it was more energy than he honestly wanted
to deal with. He needed sleep. Food, sleep, and time to heal.

The
drone of Hojo's voice up ahead of him drifted down. His exhausted
mind was barely able to grasp the odd word or two, it had become an
incessant hum behind his pounding head.. Something about Kagome. Or
rather something else about Kagome. The guy was obsessed.
Kagome would be fine, Ginta had assured him. Repeatedly. InuYasha
was with her, he would make certain she was fine. Then as they
reached the final landing, his muddled brain caught something about
food.

"Food
. . ." he muttered in response.

"Yeah,
I was saying I don't have much in the way of it," Hojo stopped
and pressed his fingers on a keypad. "But I think I might be
able to rustle us up some breakfast." The man was being
repulsively cheerful, all things considered, and Ginta strained
against the desire to pound him into the floor.

"Food
would be good," Ginta grumbled, following him into the door.

"Excuse
the mess . . ." the engineer immediately hustled around the room
gathering, rearranging in an agitated manner. "I've been kind of
preoccupied lately."

Just
a step inside the doorway, Ginta scanned the room. He could smell
stale beer, and a moldering sandwich, he thought. The walls were
festooned with movie posters, mostly science fiction by the abundance
of space craft depicted, and what he could only assume to be
schematics for the same. There were at least 3 pairs of shoes
abandoned abstractly on the floor, what appeared to be the Sunday
paper scattered in haphazard pieces around a low table and all over.
Gravitating by instinct toward the comfort of the couch's cushions,
he tripped on one of the stray shoes. Managing a save by grabbing an
over sized metal bracket in the wall, he successfully knocked over
an elongated object that was set against the wall.

"Whoa!!
Take it easy big guy . . ." Hojo admonished, grabbing for the
oblong top piece of the object before it struck the floor. "I
worked a long time on that," he gave the thing a cursory
examination for damage, then ran to quickly remove the papers from
the couch.

"What
the hell is it?" Ginta squinted away from the overhead light,
blocking with his hand. The brightness of the room was lighting the
way for renewed efforts by the gremlins in his head. He plopped on
the freshly unobstructed seat, leaning back and covering his eyes
with his forearm.

"Its
a model. Kind of my own creation, I used pieces from other kits,"
Hojo held the elongated model up with pride, examining it. "I
think the design is much more realistic, taking in the actual physics
of traveling in an atmospheric vacuum."

“So
it's a . . . toy . . .” Ginta mumbled dragging his hands over
his face.

“I
. . . uh . . .” Hojo stammered looking at his technological
wonder. “NO!! It's not a toy!!”

“So
those plans there,” Ginta pointed to a weathered looking
blueprint framed on the wall. “Those are for a real ship?”

“What?
That?” Hojo smiled with pride, “Nah. That's an authentic
replica, a numbered collector's print first released in 1992. The
Enterprise 'D'. Beautiful isn't it?” he folded his arms and
admired the ghastly thing. “Got it on the Internet!! Hey have
you ever seen Star Trek? I mean the really old ones, mid to late
20^th century T.V., I have almost all of them,” he
motioned to a glass enclosed case in the corner. “Star Wars,
too, actually and several movies, Starship Troopers, The Jovian
Project, Mars Base Alpha . . .” he ticked them off on fingers.

"And
you collect that crap for fun?" Ginta broke in, clearly
disinterested.

"Well
. . . yeah . . . sure," Hojo set his treasured model down and
dragged his fingers through his increasingly unruly bangs. "More
technology comes out of fiction than people think. It's like the
writers get the idea, and we tech types work on making it happen,”
his chest puffed out with pride, then he raised a finger. “Cell
phones, for instance . . .” his enthusiasm accelerated
markedly, “not unlike communication devices used in old movies
and T.V. Shows, in fact the inventor of the very first flip style
cellphone attributed the design to the original Star Trek's
communication devices!! And personal computers were . . . wow, don't
even get me started on those! Why, did you know . . .”

Ginta
squeezed his eyes closed against the assault, and considered the long
term ramifications of just killing the guy. It would be a mercy
killing, he thought. I
could just put the idiot out of his misery, right now. He really
hadn't intended to get Hojo started on anything, except maybe
breakfast. The voice quickly became no more than an irritating buzz
in his ears. He was not in the mood to coddle this delusional geek.
Maybe they would have done better to grab the Angel after all. She
would know how to shut the kid up, and let him get some much needed
rest.

“
. . . like an exercise, I guess . . . I really want to get on at
N.A.S.A after I finish my thesis. Aeronautical and Space design.
That's my dream.” Ginta's ears perked, and his mind twitched
reactively to the name of the government agency.

“That's
a federal agency, isn't it?” the youkai asked warily.

“Uh
. . . yeah, it is.”

“Forget
it, kid. You'd never survive the physical . . . not now, anyway,”
Ginta murmured, adding offhandedly, “You should focus on the
private sector, there's more money in space tourism anyway.”
Eyes closed, he missed the strange look on the young engineer's face.
“Didn't you say something about . . . food?” At that he
cocked open one eye and gave the man a meaningful look.

“Huh?
Oh, yeah! Bacon and eggs ok?” Hojo scratched his head and made
way toward his 'efficiency kitchen', not much more than a closet with
a stove and refrigerator.

“Got
any soup?” The youkai mumbled. “I seem to be missing a
few teeth.” He tongued the gaps along his molars with distaste.

“I'll
look,” and he disappeared through the door.

The
banging of cupboard doors made the youkai wince, and he curled up
into ball, his upper arm strategically planted over his exposed ear.
The guy could talk, that was for sure. Kouga had picked a perfect
mouthpiece, provided they could keep him on topic. He was certain
that he would have gone on for at least an hour about stupid
spaceship designs if he didn't redirect him. He needed food. Just
partially healing from the battering had depleted all of his stored
resources. He would be no good to Miranda if he didn't get his
strength back.

He
could only pray that Kouga had exhausted his anger by now, and with
the absence of other males around his mate, hopefully mellowed.
Ginta conceded that he might very well be a fool, but he still
harbored a lingering hope that his leader could be reasoned with.
Perhaps Miranda would have more luck in getting through to the
stubborn ass than he'd had.

“No
soup, but scrambled eggs aren't too hard to chew,” Hojo offered
from the doorway. “Hey, do you think we should call them? Make
sure she's alright?”

Call
them. The generalization confused the youkai for a moment, his own
thoughts having drifted to Miranda. Then he realized that Hojo's
concerns had not been about their First Mother, but rather the
priestess that he was so obsessed with. For some inexplicable
reason, that pissed Ginta off.

“Oh,
right . . .” Ginta uncurled himself and rose up to glare at his
companion. “I can just see it now . . . Mid-swing with
Tetsusaiga, InuYasha calls a 'time-out' to answer his stupid
cellphone . . . 'Oh hi there, Hojo!! Nah, I'm not too busy, just
fighting off a HORDE OF DEMONS . . . So, how you doing?'”
He lowered his thumb and pinky from the mock call at his ear to scowl
at the fool.

“Tetsusaiga?”

“Yeah,
his sword,” Ginta instructed, rubbing at his forehead. “His
really, really BIG sword,” he motioned with his hands,
stretching a bit to approximate the size of the hanyou's weapon.

“Get
out!” Hojo scoffed. “You can't be serious.”

“As
a heart attack,” Ginta fought against the glare of the lighting
to counter Hojo's dismissive amusement. “And he knows how to
use it, don't kid yourself. Kagome is going to be fine.”

Hojo
didn't look convinced, and Ginta slowly shook his head. He wasn't in
the mood to argue the point, or go into detailed descriptions of what
he had seen the hanyou do with his weapon. More than a weapon, the
thing seemed to have a sentience of it's own, the spells and
enchantments on it were so powerful.

“So
. . . when I challenge him . . .” Hojo began to look a little
worried. Looking up, Ginta stared blankly at the man. He had to have
heard him wrong, he couldn't have actually said that.

“When
you challenge him . . . Him being InuYasha??” At Hojo's crisp
nod he snorted then dropped his head, shaking it. “If I had
known that . . . I wouldn't have wasted my time with you. Your
already a dead man, might as well just go lay down right now.”

“But
. . . Kouga says that . . . a point of vulnerability . . . a time
when he's weak . . .” Hojo stammered disjointedly as he leaned
against the door jam, shoulders slumped.

“Kouga
says, huh? Did he bother to tell you when that might be?” At
the shaking of the young man's head, he pressed on, “If that's
the case, then let me ask you this,” Ginta reasoned. “Why
is it that Kouga never used this information himself? He announced
his claim on Kagome a long time before InuYasha even thought about it
. . . so why didn't he ever exploit this so called weakness
himself?”

Hojo
lowered his head and tugged nervously at his left earlobe.

“I
didn't realize Kouga had ever had designs on her . . .” he
muttered, staring at the floor.

Ginta
watched him speculatively for a short time, an uneasy silence
permeated the room. The fool wouldn't stand a chance if he were to
follow through with a challenge. And he could scent the confusion
and anger that were simmering deep inside of him. Hojo was feeling
betrayed. It had become a common theme lately among those who
associated with the Ookami prince. The kid was in good company.

“Well,
who knows what Kouga thinks?” Ginta rubbed at his sore jaw. “I
sure as hell don't anymore. I will tell you this. If that girl
really is Kagome-neesan, then she won't settle for anyone but
InuYasha. The smartest thing you can do is write it off.”

“Right,”
Hojo agreed sarcastically, glaring at him. “Like I can do
that.”

“Or
. . .” Ginta proposed with a rueful grin, “I can invest
in a wreath for your casket . . . But before you take off on your
suicide mission, how about some eggs?”

Noting
that the third time seemed to be the charm, Ginta watched a
disillusioned Hojo disappear into the kitchen.

88*88*88**88*88*88

Kagura's
face glowed in the darkened library, as she leaned into a laptop from
her seat next to a sleeping miko. Fixing immediately on the curled
form, InuYasha made a beeline to her kneeling to inspect her in the
half light. He let out a breath of relief that she seemed to be
simply sleeping. Pup tucked into one arm, his free hand traced her
brow affectionately.

The
only sounds in the quiet room were the ticking of the clock and a
rustle of fabric as Kagura straightened and stretched. Looking up at
her mate expectantly, the warmth in his eyes told her all had gone
well with the debriefing. It had taken long enough, the sun would be
rising soon.

“I
tried to talk her into going to bed,” Kagura whispered. “But
she would have none of it. I had the 'rose room' made up anyway, I
figured once she could see that he's still in one piece . . .”

“Mm
. . . Yasha . . .” Kagome stirred, leaning her face into
InuYasha's touch. “Missed you . . .” A hand snaked out
from the blanket she was wrapped in and searched for a target to
caress. InuYasha grasped it and pressed a kiss into her palm before
bringing it to his cheek.

“I'm
here, now, everything's fine. You're exhausted, though. You need a
bed,” he murmured. “First, I got someone here that wants
to see you . . .” On cue the Junior whimpered and squirmed
against the confines of his arm.

Kagome
managed to pry an eye open. On seeing the puppy she initially
frowned, then gasped as realization struck her fuzzy brain. “Is
that?” Immediately awake, she reached out and grasped the pup,
pulling him to bury her face in his neck. “It is you!
The same one from the store! But how . . . when . . .”

“While
you were in that shop. The one with all those posters . . . So I did
something right?” InuYasha couldn't suppress his lopsided grin.
He loved to see her smile. The whole world lit up when Kagome
smiled.

“He's
perfect . . . but . . . I can't have a dog,” her brow furrowed
and she stroked his fluffy white coat. “I haven't got anyplace
to keep him . . . I don't even have a home right now.”

InuYasha's
countenance fell. She didn't understand. He had brought her home.
They wouldn't be at the compound forever, but it was his home
for the time being. So, now it was their home.

“Kagome
. . . Your home . . . isn't your home with me?”

“But.
. .” She countered with confusion, “You don't have a home
right now, either . . .”

“We
have discussed this, InuYasha,” Sesshoumaru interrupted
sternly. It simply would not do for InuYasha to consider residing
anywhere else. “This is your home now. It is your birthright,
as much as Tetsusaiga ever has been . . . Miko, am I to understand
you that are betrothed to my brother?”

“Um
. . . well . . .” she stammered, taken aback with the
reflectively golden eyes that bored into her. The term had caught
her off guard. Betrothed? Did people actually say that anymore?
And what was this about a birthright? Hadn't InuYasha said to her
that he only had himself to offer? That he hoped that it was enough?

Capturing
InuYasha's dark eyes, she urgently mouthed the word 'birthright??',
but he only shrugged in response. Her eyes danced around, carefully
avoiding the youkai while clasping a hand on the pulsing Sacred Jewel
through her shirt. “I. . . I realize we only just met . . .”
she ventured a glance at Sesshoumaru, and was unable to decrypt his
expression. Taking a deep breath, she plunged on. “I'm sure
you aren't too happy with me right now. It was an accident, Mr.
Inudono, honestly . . . I had no idea that I could . . .”

“Enough,”
the quiet command silenced her rambling, her eyes jerked up to meet
the Demon's once again and she swallowed. “A simple yes or no
will be sufficient.”

“Here,
Sesshou, sit,” Kagura rose and picked up her laptop. “Don't
loom over the child, I have to print a couple of things . . . I'll
just use InuYasha's, if you don't mind . . .” she motioned
toward the desk, then paused to wait for his consent.

“Whatever,”
InuYasha muttered dismissively, closely studying the fear and
confusion written on Kagome's face. Sesshoumaru had scared the living
crap out of her, and she was still afraid of him. Granted, in the
past that would have been a good way to stay healthy. But, things
had changed. Even he was beginning to trust the jackass, and she
would need to as well. But, it would never happen if she was
terrified of him. In a flash of irritation he hissed at his brother,
“Tell her you meant no harm, damnit!”

“Oh,
but I did,” Sesshoumaru calmly responded, taking the seat next
to her. Kagome choked and hugged the pup closer, one hand still
clutching at the Jewel, avoiding the daiyoukai's eyes. “Before
I had all of the information, that is. Now I understand the course
of events that led to this . . . unfortunate situation.”

“There
you go with that warped brand of honesty, again!” InuYasha
seethed. “Isn't this hard enough for her? She did the best she
could.” He wrapped an arm around her protectively, and she
buried her face against his neck.

“You
have not answered my question, miko.” Sesshoumaru prompted,
waving InuYasha to silence.

“I
. . . I can't just . . . move in here . . .” Kagome stammered,
pushing away from InuYasha's embrace and shaking her head. “I
don't have my . . . my . . . stuff.” Her voice tightened, eyes
dancing back and forth between them.

“Gah!
What stuff, wench?” InuYasha demanded, exasperated. If she
wouldn't allow him to comfort her, then the only way to get past her
fear was to pick at her. Make her mad and make her forget to be
afraid. That was something he knew he could do well.

“Oh, right . . . you mean the panties you bought today?
Kouga took care of your 'stuff' for you, remember??” He tapped
her on the forehead lightly with two fingers, eliciting a blush that
morphed into an outraged glare. “You haven't got any stuff!”
Kagome began huff wordlessly. Standing in a strategic dismissal,
knowing it would piss her off even more, he went over to the stack of
boxes muttering, “Pup's hungry, where's . . .”

“Only
because you wouldn't let me pack!!” Kagome snapped in
retort, dropping the barking puppy down to the floor. “'Hurry
the fuck up, Kagome!! Get you're ass out here, Kagome!! Leave that
shit, Kagome!!'” Her voice
had dropped to a deep alto in imitation, “You were being
a total jerk!!”

“There
were demons dropping through the goddamn ceiling, wench!!”
He countered, waving in the air. “Who the hell takes time to
pack in the middle of an attack?? Only you!!” He turned to
lock her with a challenging glare.

“DON'T
you go there!! Don't you DARE call me a 'stupid bitch' again!!”
Kagome was up out of her seat, hands fisted stiffly at her sides.

“I
only call 'em like I see 'em . . .” he muttered distractedly,
digging into the boxes again, watching her from the corner of his
eye.

“Why
you . . . arrogant . . . domineering . . . egotistical . . .”
Kagome stammered, ticking off each of his character defects one by
one. InuYasha suppressed a grin. At that moment he was really glad
he hadn't given her any more detail about the rosary. He was certain
she would have used it.

Sesshoumaru
raised a brow as he witnessed the continued exchange with barely
repressed amusement. His eyes lifted to meet those of his Kagura,
who's eyes sparkled with mirth. Leave it to his brother to break
through the woman's fear by infuriating her. It was almost as if
time had stood still for the pair, though he doubted either of them
realized it at the moment. The miko's face had begun to redden with
apparent fury, which was much more suitable than the pale terror that
had been there only moments before. One thing was for certain, it
would never be dull with this new addition to the family.

“Enough,”
the Demon commanded, just loud enough to be heard over the bickering.

Remarkably
it stopped immediately, which he found most gratifying. “Any of
your belongings that remain at Officer Rodriguez's will be sent for,
anything else that you require shall be provided. You are remaining
here, Miss Higurashi. At least until such a time as the current
threat has been neutralized. Is that understood?”

“I
can't do that. I have obligations, responsibilities. . .” she
shook her head. “I can't just . . . disappear. What about . .
.”

“You
would rather be dead?” the daiyoukai rose from his seat, and
found guilty satisfaction in the momentary look of horror that
flashed across her delicate features. “It is imperative that
you remain safe and healthy, Miss Higurashi. I do not wish to have
to go hunting for my brother, because he has once again gone missing
in his search for you.”

“InuYasha?”
Kagome's eyes didn't leave the Demon this time. “What's he
talking about?”

“Asshole,”
InuYasha hissed. She didn't remember it all. She didn't remember
enough for it to make any kind of sense, yet. Turning to her, he
took her hand gently and attempted to explain. “Kagome, I
promised you I would find you. We talked about it, remember? I knew
you would come back, because you did it once before.”

“I
did?” she whispered. Her mother had said that Aunt Kagome once
said they had been sisters and it hadn't made any sense, really. But
her mother had once been a miko, one who knew InuYasha. Kagome's
eyes widened slightly, as realization sunk in. “Kikyo . . .”
she whispered. “The original guardian of the Shikon no Tama.
She was . . .”

“You
. . . were my first friend. The first woman I ever loved. I never
stopped. You've come back to me. Three lifetimes for you, only one
for me . . . so far.” He shrugged, his dark eyes begging for
her to understand..

“But,
I'm me. I'm not them. Not really,” she shook her head, her
tone pleading. “I wouldn't have done this to you if I was. I .
. . couldn't have.” She pulled her hand away, and rubbed her
forehead, her other returning to the the increasingly persistent
Sacred Jewel through her blouse.

“She's
overwhelmed,” Kagura interjected, approaching them with her
supplies in her hand. “You're expecting her to remember
everything, and . . . she doesn't. She needs time InuYasha . . .
you need to give it to her.”

“Then
it is settled. She will stay here and take all the time she needs,”
Sesshoumaru announced quietly. “I will call and arrange for her
leave, meanwhile she should rest.”

“I'll
show her to her rooms . . . Kagome?” Kagura held out a hand.

“What? No, wait!” InuYasha scowled, reaching for Kagome
possessively.“She's staying with me, damnit!”

“She's
dead on her feet! She needs quiet and rest . . . “ Kagura
grabbed a hand.

“I
need you here, InuYasha. There is much we need to discuss before my
departure,” Sesshoumaru added. “Let her rest, I have
important work for you to do.”

“Departure??
Where the hell are you going?” releasing his hold on her,
InuYasha took her hand, while Kagura reached for an arm.

Kagome
quietly watched what she feared might become a tug-o-war with her
person. They had begun talking about her like she suddenly wasn't
there. All she could do was gape, because the pulsing sensation of
the Shikon had gradually increased since the arrival of the men.
from simply present, as it had been with Kagura, to annoying,
reaching a level of full on distraction.

“Wait
. . .” Kagome insisted, pulling from Kagura's grasp. “There's
something . . .” her voice drifted off, and she looked
questioningly at each of them in turn.

“Council
session,” Sesshoumaru replied to InuYasha's question, warily
watching the miko as he spoke. “The summons arrived while you .
. . were . . . out.”

InuYasha
only half heard the reply, watching Kagome slowly approach
Sesshoumaru, clasping what he knew to be the Shikon through her
blouse. She stopped not a foot in front of him, and stood there as
if in thought. It struck him that she seemed to be listening for
something. Slowly her hand moved to the empty sleeve of his
brother's sweatshirt, and tugged at it, a strained look of
concentration on her face.

“Kagura!”
Sesshoumaru hissed. “We discussed this . . .”

“What?”
The demoness replied, defensively raising her hands. “I said
nothing! Just as you asked . . .”

“Will
someone please tell me what the fuck is going on??” InuYasha
demanded, glancing back and forth between them. “Kagome??”

“Gods
. . . How do you live with it?” the miko whispered, her hands
raising up to hover over the Demon's shoulders. Sesshoumaru's eyes
widened as he watched a sympathetic tear make it's way down her
cheek. “It's too much, how did this happen??”

“Do
not waste your energy on this Sesshoumaru, miko,” he replied
more tersely than he intended. Her pity was not something he wanted
to deal with. Damn Kagura for choosing now to interfere. Taking a
deep breath, he restrained from shoving the woman away. Instead he
grasped a shoulder and gently directed her to arm's length. “One
grows accustomed to physical losses, it is of no consequence.”
Then glancing at his brother, he added, “Consider it Karma for
youthful foolishness.”

Meeting
his brother's meaningful look, InuYasha's mouth gaped. Was that
really how he saw losing his arm? Karma for his own foolishness?

“I'm
not talking about your arm . . .” she sniffed against the tears
and tugged at the sleeve, then reached up to touch his cheek and
winced. “It's this . . . this darkness. It has to hurt . . .”

“Gods
. . .” Kagura exhaled. “She can actually see it??”

“What
the hell are you all going on about??” InuYasha demanded more
vehemently. “What do you see, Kagome?? Why the hell are you
crying??”

“How
long has it been like this?” she asked the Demon quietly,
ignoring the others.

Sesshoumaru
allowed himself a sigh of resignation. She saw something, which was
more than anyone else had ever been able to do. It had been so long
that he fought against the malevolence, it had become second nature
to disregard the pain. Her attention brought it to the forefront of
his mind, and he struggled to avoid an embarrassing display. Pity or
no, she had asked a legitimate question. One he had no specific
answer to.

“Most
of my life, miko,” he responded quietly, truthfully. “Since
long before the death of your . . . predecessor, to be frank.”

“Then
over 50 years . . .” she whispered.

“Closer
to 500, to be more accurate,” Sesshoumaru corrected her. “I
knew the miko . . . on the other side of the well.” Kagome
stared blankly into his eyes for a moment, the nodded with
understanding.

“And
you've never sought treatment in all that time?” She ran her
hands just inches from his person, as though tracing his aura,
reading it. He could swear he felt the touch as keenly as if her
hands were on his skin. “That has got to be a record for
stubbornness. You are more like your brother than I ever imagined . .
.”

“I
think I resent that,” InuYasha muttered, fisting his hands,
eyes never leaving her. Her proximity to his brother was just a
little too close for comfort. Her actions just a little too
intimate.

"I
think I am inclined to agree with that sentiment, halfbreed",
Sesshoumaru responded. InuYasha shot him a glare in return.

“Shhh
. . .” Kagura shushed, receiving a glare for her trouble.
“Just wait a minute.”

“I
will not shush!” InuYasha retorted, falling into a full pout.
“I don't like being ignored, damnit. Kagome, that's enough of
this bullshit! Just get away from him! He's fine!”

Kagura
placed a hand on InuYasha's arm. “No, InuYasha. He isn't,”
she shook her head, her expression grave..

“No
one knows what 'it' is, miko. You are the first to claim to see it,”
Sesshoumaru murmured, frozen where he stood. He ventured a glance at
his brother who appeared to be vacillating between irritation and
concern. When her hand came up to gently caress his cheek, it took
all of his resolve to not draw away from the touch. InuYasha had
begun to growl, a feeble sound from his too human throat.

“I
think . . .” Kagome whispered as she cupped his face in her
hands, thumbs tracing the lines of his crests. Not tattoos, as she
had believed. These were as natural to the youkai as were his
piercing eyes. Was this what it was like for her mother? To actually
see the imbalance in the aura of a client? It was as if a poisonous
cloud of energy was trying to strangle away his life force. There
were points where it was nearly clear, where saffron waves struggled
past the indigo. The Shikon pulsed with it's own heartbeat, nearly
racing when she traced the darkest areas. His will was strong, this
creature. Strong enough to endure something that would have killed a
human being in no time at all.

“I
can help I think . . . but it's so . . . so everywhere,” she
tried to suppress the doubt in her voice as her thumbs traced over
his brow, then joined together on the mark on his forehead. She had
never seen contamination on this level. She only knew that she had
to try to do something about it. It wasn't a matter of choice, it
was part of her fate. She closed her eyes and opened her heart,
willing the corruption to dissipate.

Kagura's
eyes cast around for the source of the wind that began blowing
Sesshoumaru's hair about, her lips parting in quiet awe as she
realized it was the power from the miko. She was trying to purify
something invasive without harming Sesshoumaru in the process. She
had no idea if the miko was powerful enough to actually purify him,
but she could certainly make his life miserable if she used energy
like had been in that knife she had been clutching when they arrived.

Kagome
let her mind's eye guide her, clearing away the poisonous fog that
seemed to permeate his body, opening the way for the saffron energy
of his clear aura to emerge. Layer upon layer seemed to waft away,
until suddenly there was a collision. A crackling barrier that
resisted her efforts, fought against her energy. Opening her eyes,
she gasped at the strength of it, then renewed her concentration
attempting to break through.

The
daiyoukai's eyes widened slightly. Then he took a deep breath. Her
touch had sent waves all the way to the soles of his feet. It left
lingering shivers along his spine. It was as though layers of a fog
were being lifted off his psyche, his mind clearing, his body feeling
refreshed in a way he had forgotten possible. Then came the jolt, a
clashing of power deep inside, and he grunted. In his preoccupation
with the sensations, he almost missed Kagome's collapse. Catching
her by the upper arm, his brother was on them in a flash.

“Kagome!!
What the fuck just happened??” InuYasha demanded glaring up at
his brother.“ You never said anything about being sick,
asshole!! Kagome!!” He shook her to bring her around.

“I
. . . couldn't . . .” she murmured, weakly grasping onto
InuYasha's arm. “too strong.”

Kagura
watched her mate simply stare down at the miko. It had been a
powerful intervention, yet Kagome believed she had failed. Meeting
Sesshoumaru's eyes, she had to believe the miko was wrong. The fine
lines that had webbed around his eyes for so long, had vanished. The
strained look to his countenance was relaxed. Reaching out to him,
he drew her quickly into a strong embrace. If nothing else, then
maybe, just maybe, the girl had bought the Taisho some more time.

“Next
time, take your ass to the healer!” InuYasha rose, drawing
Kagome up carry her. “Leave my Kagome the fuck out of
it!! She's only human, Jackass!!”

“She
a remarkable woman, InuYasha.” Kagura broke from Sesshoumaru's
hold on her and touched the angry man's shoulder. “Anyone else
would have been in a padded room by now, what she just did was
nothing short of a miracle. You and I need to talk, later.”

InuYasha
furrowed his brow, casting a dark glower at his too silent sibling.
He had no idea what a padded room was, and he didn't really give a
shit. He knew his Kagome was special, no one needed to tell him
that, Damn it. But he wouldn't allow her to be abused because of her
gift.

Nodding
to the witch agreement that he would talk to her later, he strode
down the hall to the guest rooms, exhausted Kagome cradled in his
arms, Junior trailing in his wake.

~oo00O00oo~

“You can't do that!!” Kouga roared through the wrong
side of the locked sliding glass door. “This isn't how it
works, Miranda!!”

“It
works just fine for ME!!” she shouted in response,
opening the door just enough to toss a bundle of his clothes out. “GO
AWAY!!” She waved a handful of lit incense sticks in his
general direction before slamming and locking the door again. Kouga
sputtered and sneezed most satisfactorily, then covered his nose with
his forearm.

Miranda
vigorously shook a set of windchimes hanging over the stationary side
of the door. Kouga looked up from donning his britches with a
grimace and she shouted, “Evil BE GONE!!” three times,
twirling withershins each time, to undo the evil she had invited into
her home. An old incantation, the witches 'do-over' she never really
took seriously before. But damned if it didn't seem to be working.
She was elated, as she ran through her house trying to remember all
the little charms she had collected over the years to ward off evil.
If he wouldn't leave on his own, then she would drive him off the old
fashioned way.

Returning
to the kitchen with a box of assorted paraphernalia she had
collected, she began sifting through the contents looking for
anything to aid in her cause. The bastard had endangered her family
with his impatience and greed. It simply could not be allowed to
continue. Lighting up the bundle of incense to drive him out of the
house had been divine inspiration. She almost wanted to laugh at the
expression on his face when she wafted the first dose right up his
nose. He'd bolted for the door so fast he'd been no more than a
blur, dropping his towel in the process.

“Open
the damn door, Miranda!” Kouga demanded in a growl deep enough
to vibrate the glass. She glanced up at him, to see him tugging at
the handle.

“No!”
she responded firmly. He could break it, she was sure of it. She
quickly grabbed another handful of the Nag Champa and lit them.
“Selene could have been seriously hurt! Those creeps destroyed
the roof of her house! And it's YOUR FAULT!”

She
had finally reached Selene on her cellphone, en-route to an
undisclosed location since her house had been left in a shambles.
She knew why it was undisclosed. Her own family didn't trust her
anymore, because of the company she kept. Well, no more. She said
that the bastards gone through the roof because the headshrinker had
actually done some kind of warding spell on the doors. The idea was
beyond belief to Miranda. She'd had no idea that he was a
practitioner of any kind, yet he had managed to bar the damn doors
against them. That was when she realized that if he could do that,
then surely she could do the same. And low and behold it was
working. At least so far.

“Miranda,”
the low rumble of his voice reverberated through the room. She
looked up again to see him leaning his head on the door. Too close,
she prayed he wouldn't crash through the glass before she found some
kind of ward. The smoke of the incense was merely irritating to him,
not enough to keep him away indefinitely, and her supply would
eventually run out. It wasn't doing her sinuses any favors either,
truth be told. Digging more frantically into the box, she withdrew
an old book she had picked up at flea market several years before.
She stared at the tome for several moments, trying to remember why
she had decided to buy it. It's appearance was weathered and
ancient, the embossed leather cover adorned with a golden pentacle
surrounded by odd symbols at each point.

“Miranda
. . .” Kouga's forehead was pressed against the glass, his
vibrant eyes locked on her every move. “ . . .I love you.”
He dragged his claws down the glass, his tone clearly one of warning,
not yearning. “Please, don't do this.”

He
had never actually said those words to her before, and the
seriousness of his tone infuriated her. He should be begging her
forgiveness, not warning her. But this was Kouga. Kouga took what
he wanted, and beat the tar out of anything or anyone that got in his
way. He'd shown her his true colors, and it was a little too late
for him to be making confessions of love.

“You
don't know what love is!!” She barked back at him, her sneer
revealing her fangs. “You said you loved Kagome, too!! And
still you ordered her execution!!”

“I
did no such thing!!” He bellowed. “I don't even KNOW
that woman!! All I ordered was for them to bring her to me!! What
the hell has gotten into everybody?? First Ginta and his shit, and
now you!! I didn't order anyone's execution!! Will you get
that through your head??”

Trying
to ignore him, Miranda set the book on the table and traced her
fingers over the pentacle. Opening the cover, she ran a finger down
the table of contents. He was trying to get to her, to manipulate
her. She didn't understand half of what was written on the yellowed
page. She was going to have to do research just to decipher the
thing. Glancing up at the demon, she found herself doing what Father
Joe, her family's onetime parish priest, had always warned against.
She found herself arguing with The Devil.

“Admit
it Kouga,” she didn't raise her voice this time. She knew he
could hear every word as clearly as if she were speaking into his
ear. “Love is a thing of convenience for you. You 'love'
whomever can give you what you want. Based on what they can
do for
you.”

“Not
true!” he barked through the door, rattling it, testing it.
“What you do is how I found you, what brought us together. I
know where the Shikon is now, and I'm still here. It's you
pushing me away, not the other way around!”

“So
. . . LEAVE!!” she bellowed. He was trying to turn it around
on her. She was determined to not falter. Outside the door he
couldn't touch her. She was so addicted to him, his touch was her
undoing. Yet at the same time she was terrified of his violence.

“Someone
. . . has to watch out for you,” he pressed a palm to the
glass. “It's not safe for you to be alone, Miranda.”

“I
can watch out for myself! I . . . don't . . . need . . . you!!”
her insides twisted with her proclamation. A tiny voice in her head
reprimanded her for the lie. Kouga's eyes widened, and he backed away
from the door shaking his head.

“Fine.
Go ahead and play the independent bitch . . .” he took another
step back. “I told you the truth the day I claimed you.”

“What
truth??” she demanded. He'd spouted off so much he'd
practically turned her brain to jelly that morning.

“The
truth is, I . . . need .
. . you . . .” and he turned and disappeared so quickly
she couldn't tell which direction he had gone.

Running
to the door, she peered out into the darkness, her heart ramming in
her chest. He really had left her. Instead of the relief she had
expected, she felt bereft and completely alone. It astounded her that
he could not seem to comprehend how he had hurt her by being so
impulsive. It astounded her even more that now that he was gone, all
she wanted was for him to come back.

Collapsing
onto the floor, she curled herself into a ball and sobbed.

88*88*88*88*88

To
be continued . . .

A/N::
I have an announcement!! You can now visit my livejournal to get
review responses, occasional notes and spoilers for upcoming
chapters, as well as news about Awards and stories in the works.
Just metsukikaraten dot livejournal dot com. Hope to see you there!
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Finding Kagome