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Curse of the Dragon	By : fallenangel7583 Category: InuYasha > General Views: 34158 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 56
- 57
- 58
~~ Curse of the Dragon ~~

~~ Chapter 58 ~~ return of the hanyou

InuYasha tapped his claws on the wooden box that rested in his lap, his eyes tightly screwed shut as the pressure in the cabin increased. He let out a low whine as he lowered his ears to his head, trying to block out the high-pitched ringing of the plane�s motors as well as the pounding headache. He cringed as he tried to �pop� his ears to relieve the pressure, yet only seemed to amplify the pain. Swearing to no one, yet loud enough for the all first class of the airliner to hear, he muttered, �Fuck�this shit hurts!� A wrapped stick of gum was shoved under his nose from his left a second after the words left his mouth. InuYasha quickly took it, unwrapped it and shoved it into his mouth with no question. After two chews the pain was nearly eliminated and InuYasha could just about swear that he heard his ears hiss with the release of the building pressure. He sighed in relief and slowly opened his eyes. Without trying to seem to obvious, he regarded the older demon on his left meticulously. He seemed composed, as always, but Ryen�s eyes told another story. �He�s suffering worse then I am. �And this was that baka�s idea!� InuYasha huffed once and snapped his head to the right to look out his window with a simple �Keh�.

Ryen closed his eyes before slowly turning his head to glower at his nephew. He stared for what seemed like forever until the plane reached its highest altitude. Only than did he dare to speak. Ryen�s voice was weary and rather dull�his amber eyes begging to be closed. He had been up since about five in the morning, dealing with the problems at home before taking an excursion to find his baka of a nephew. Then with the fight�he probably could have slept for three days straight if he tried. With a very subtle smirk, Ryen snidely remarked to the young hanyou, �I�ll have you know this is your fault�just for the record.�

InuYasha whipped his head around to his left so fast that he nearly fell out of his seat with whiplash. �How the hell do you figure that one, Asshole?�

Ryen raised an eyebrow and reached forward with his right hand and flicked the end of his nephew�s nose. �Watch your fucking language!� Ryen glared at his stunned nephew with a rather smug grin plastered to the right side of his lips.

InuYasha raised a hand to his nose, staring incredulously at Ryen. �Oi! You fucking flicked me��

Ryen matched the boy�s distraught expression with mocking eyes, �And if you call me an asshole again, I�ll do a helluva lot worse. Just wait till we�re off the plane, Pup��

InuYasha sneered, �Keh�� as he crossed his arms angrily. Though he was well aware of the fact that he had lost that argument. He stared at the front of the leather seat in front of him for a long moment before snapping, �And it isn�t my fault.�

Ryen sat back, resting his head on the rest of his seat. �It is your fault�you�re the baka who just upped and vanished, leaving behind a very distraught team of misfits.�

InuYasha�s glower wavered and he sighed once, running a hand over his face. He would never admit it, and Ryen knew it�but there was remorse in the teenager�s eyes. InuYasha shifted uneasy in his seat before quietly asking, �How is Rin doing?�

Ryen paused, not exactly prepared for that to be his first question. He simply raised both eyebrows, waving off the surprise and responded, �Well�Rin is�.� Ryen paused, searching for the right word, �Rin is getting�help. I can�t say anything more then that because there hasn�t been much of a change. She isn�t seeing Naraku everywhere she goes but I�m not entirely happy with the doctor that Sesshoumaru found for her. Something doesn�t rub me right about her, and I�m in the middle of investigating it.�

InuYasha matched his uncle�s concerned frown, �Is she at least more mentally stable then she has been?�

Ryen shrugged and tapped his nails on the armrest, �Maybe�maybe not. It�s too soon to tell.�

InuYasha shrugged and leaned back to close his eyes. �Did she try out for the play?�

Ryen stared at his nephew for a long moment before slowly answering, �Yes�yes she did.� He licked his lips and leaned a little closer to the boy, his voice dropping a key. He was beginning to wonder just why InuYasha was avoiding talking about Kagome. �But to be honest, Rin isn�t the person I thought you would be asking about.�

InuYasha let his eyes open slowly and blinked once. �I know. I�m just worried about Bastard�don�t need to see him with any more anger management issues. I like being in one piece without a gaping hole in my stomach, ya know?�

Ryen nodded once, �Indeed. But I can�t guarantee his exact mental state either. Being with Rin�and seeing her that hurt�isn�t good for him right now. I�ve never seen the kind of passion he holds her to in a relationship so new. If I didn�t know any better�� his voice trailed off and he frowned. ��He acts as if they have been mated together for years. It�s some serious devotion, InuYasha�it�s some serious commitment he has to that girl.�

InuYasha shrugged and scratched his right ear under his baseball cap. �Maybe�I guess. It�s funny though�kind of ironic�that he would never accept me for my damned human blood but is now bedding a mortal.�

Ryen shrugged and ran a hand over his face, rubbing gently at his topaz eyes. �Inu�I don�t think it has to do with your mortal blood that has Sesshoumaru�s feathers ruffled.�

InuYasha frowned and met Ryen�s gaze, �Yes�yes it is. As long as I�ve known him, the damned bastard just kept making snide �hanyou� remarks as well throwing an arsenal of insults at me over it. Trust me�the bastard hates it.�

Ryen grinded his teeth together, trying to keep his jaw shut from retorting. He wanted to tell InuYasha to get over the prejudice he had towards Sesshoumaru and realize that the older boy was furious that he was conceived from the relationship that meant nothing to his father. That in fact, InuYasha was the chosen son. Inuno had chosen to mate Izayio out of love�and he had bedded Launia out of duty. It was a harsh conception of the two brothers and their differences, but an accurate one. Ryen had watched the truth wash across Sesshoumaru�s face the minute that he had shown up at the house the previous week. Sesshoumaru had somehow known all along that something had been skewed with Launia and his father�s relationship. The truth, though no matter how Sesshoumaru might have denied it, hurt. Yet it was not his place to try to make ends of it to the younger of the two brothers. If Sesshoumaru wanted InuYasha to understand he didn�t harbor hatred for the kid, then he would have to tell InuYasha himself. Ryen had a list of things to apologize to Sesshoumaru for already, he didn�t fancy adding that he had spilt a groundbreaking secret. He sighed, letting the subject rest and set his eyes to the box in his nephew�s hands. InuYasha hadn�t put it down since Ryen had given it back to him, except to take his shower and kick some ass outside of the club. There was a lingering scent clothed in ten years of decay on the wood that belonged to Izayio, which gave Ryen a good concept of what the box truly was. He had wanted to ask InuYasha about it, yet hadn�t the right opportunity to. Ryen sighed, running a hand through his straight silver mane and nodded towards the box, �You gonna tell me what you got in there?�

InuYasha replied without skipping a beat, �None of your fucking business.�

Ryen raised an eyebrow and slowly crossed his arms, �You know, you really are an ungrateful little brat!�

InuYasha glowered at the demon then sighed heavily. Letting his shoulders droop, he stared down at his lap before tracing the top of the lid with the pad of his thumb. �My mother�she put this together for me shortly after Dad died. She told me to put it in a safe place�that it was very important to her.� His eyes blurred in the memory that shot through his eyes�the last memory he had before things got bad.

�What is it mama?�

Izayio patted her bed affectionately, beckoning her young son to join her in the tiny room. The tuff of white hair that had been glancing through her doorway timidly scampered across the room quickly and lunged onto the bed. Landing on his stomach a few feet from his mother, InuYasha laughed and buried his face in the comforter. He loved lying in her bed�it was comforting to him. Her scent could never evade him that way�it could never leave him. He rolled over onto his back and smiled at his mother. In her hands was a sand-wood colored box that was lined with red velvet. She was putting items into it with a look that make InuYasha�s stomach twist in knots. Though a smile was plastered to her lips, even as a child InuYasha could see the untamed sadness and utter despair that wrenched at her soul through her eyes. She suddenly put the box on the bed and wrapped her two arms around her tiny son, pulling him into her lap. She embraced him and rocked slowly back and forth, her eyes shut tightly with tears lining her lashes. �My precious baby�you�ve grown, do you know that?�

InuYasha made a face that also stained his cheeks pink. He knew that mothers weren�t supposed to baby their grown sons and such interaction always made him blush. Looking back, InuYasha would have given his life a thousand times over just to be able to hug her back. Instead the little child wormed in her lap until she sat him next to her, momentary traces of sadness gone from her face. She picked the box back up and sighed happily staring at all of the items. Izayio ran her fingers over a leather bound brown book with a far off look in her eyes. �InuYasha�I want you to take this box with you today�and I want you to hide it.�

InuYasha looked from his mother to the box in her hands then back at his mother. �Mama? What is it? Why should I hide it?�

Izayio leaned over and planted a light kiss on the boy�s forehead. �I want it to be kept safe and I can�t promise that with me these items would be. They are for you, InuYasha�for when you are older.�

InuYasha tucked his legs underneath his body and leaned over his mother�s lap to look inside of the box. �What are they?� There was a long pause before the younger boy huffed, �They aren�t toys mama�what good can I get out of them?�

Izayio laughed lightly with a smile that reached her eyes as she ran her hand over her son�s ears. �My baby�I know they aren�t toys, and I�m sorry that they aren�t. But this box�it tells of who you are,� she caught one of his tender ears between her thumb and index finger and gently rubbed the appendage, �from here�� she let go of his ears with a slight frown then placed her hand on his chest right over his heart, �to here. This box has everything that has ever meant anything important to me in it, besides you. Maybe when you�re older, it can help you understand what happened between your father and me�and why things have been a little tough lately.�

InuYasha scowled and looked at the box in slight trepidation. There were a few things that he was sure he didn�t want to know�at least at that point in time. He lowered his ears to his head as he watched his mother carefully.

Izayio sighed once then reached around her neck, removing a necklace that InuYasha had never seen her take off. It was a beautiful thin strand of silver that always seemed to glisten in the sun from his mother�s neck. What it held though was of more importance to her, and InuYasha knew it. In the middle of the necklace was gorgeous silver ring. The ring was a thin band that had three diamonds engraved in a tiny heart that pointed up off the ring. Izayio had told InuYasha on many occasions that it was her heart�or the part of her heart that she hadn�t given to InuYasha. InuYasha may only have been seven years old at the time but he understood marriage ceremonies and the exchange of rings�and he knew it had to have been from his father. What he didn�t understand at the time was why the ring had never touched his mother�s finger. InuYasha watched in near amazement as the woman lowered the necklace to her lips, kissing the stone with a thick sadness erupting from her eyes then held it out to InuYasha. �Do you know what this is, InuYasha?�

InuYasha looked at the ring, afraid to touch it for fear of damaging the fragile piece of his mother�s heart. �Did�did Daddy give that to you?�

Izayio smiled kindly at the boy and nodded once, turning the ring over in her hand. �He did�a long time ago, about eight years to be exact. It was his promise�a promise to me�to us. It was his promise to do everything he could to protect us.�

InuYasha scowled and crossed his arms, �But he didn�t. Jiji still hurts you and Daddy hasn�t stopped him!�

Tears instantly welled in his mother�s eyes�an occurrence that had been happening more frequently after the white haired man had disappeared. �InuYasha�you must never hate your father for this. It is not his fault�sometimes life just gives us lemons�and with them we make lemonade.�

InuYasha rolled his eyes and looked towards the floor, �I won�t hate him Mommy, I promise.� It had been the first and last lie he ever told his mother.

Izayio touched the ring again before lowering it into the box. �Maybe�InuYasha�one day when you find a girl who you truly wish to be your mate,� InuYasha made a face and Izayio continued with a smile, �you will give her this�as a promise of your love for her. That is what it has been for me.� Izayio dropped the ring into the box carefully before putting on the wooden lid. She placed her hand on top of it and sighed for a moment, �I want you to hide this well, InuYasha, in the safe haven we made in your room. Hide it where it will never be found and promise me that when you are older, you will come for it.�

InuYasha stared at the box before carefully accepting the package that was nearly as large as his chest. �I promise Mama�I promise.�

InuYasha slowly opened his eyes, a near blinding pain stabbing at his heart. That night they had been cast out of the house by his grandfather to be forced to live on the streets. It wasn�t much longer before his mother had died. He closed his eyes as he raked his claws over the lid of the box gently, feeling the wood bend under his touch. �My mother�� he sighed once and turned to look at Ryen, opening his eyes slowly, �what do you know of her�death?�

Ryen stared from the box to the boy before sighing and placing a hand to his neck to try to rub out the instant ache. He took a deep breath before carefully stating, �She died when I was in America, Inu. I rushed back but by time I was able to return, you were already in Launia�s care.�

InuYasha blinked twice at Ryen, confusion swirling in his amber eyes, �What would it have mattered?�

Ryen shrugged, �I would have taken you back to the states with me�kept you away from that witch.�

InuYasha nodded once, obvious gratitude and yet slight anger swirling on his face. �He wanted to save me�he really did. Why couldn�t he have been sooner? That would have stopped�I would never have�� he hung his head and sighed again, trying to control the raging emotions that burned his chest. �I�Jiji says that she killed herself; gave herself Arsenic and died quickly and painfully.� He wasn�t sure if a part of him could handle the truth but he needed to know. Jiji had opened up a can of worms that was now eating pieces of his heart away steadily. �I need to know what really happened.�

Ryen stared at InuYasha for a moment before frowning, �To be completely honest, I�m not sure what happened. I did get a toxicity report from the coroner and she had a strong presence of arsenic in her blood. Is that what killed her? Probably�but there were other poisons present as well, just not as prominent. It looked, honestly, as if someone had been poisoning her for a long time. It just seems like they decided to get hasty and finish the job.� He cringed as the words left his mouth but it was the truth�the question was, though, could InuYasha handle it?

InuYasha was silent for a long time, turning his head to look out the window. �It had to be Jiji�he was saying that he tried to poison me, why not mother as well. He killed her�� he let one hand ball up into a fist and fought back the urge to demand for the plane to be turned around. Instead, he dug his nails into his skin drawing blood. �That bastard��

Ryen must have read his mind because nearly instantly he replied, �It wasn�t your grandfather. I checked that out and her scent of death was no where on him.�

InuYasha closed his eyes, wishing nothing more then to drop off the face of the planet at the sudden thought that maybe, just maybe his mother had truly poisoned herself. �Mother�she didn�t�she wouldn�t�� InuYasha fell back into the seat and closed his eyes.

Ryen put his hand over InuYasha�s and gave it a squeeze of comfort. �Look, kid�I know you�re in pain and I don�t blame you. But you got to understand this! Your mother loved you and I really don�t think she did it to herself�but it is in the past. You have a lot on your plate right now and worrying about what can�t be changed isn�t one of them.� He tapped the box and looked to the hanyou, �So really, what is in this box?�

InuYasha glared at the demon for a moment before sighing and breaking the seal that had been placed over the lid. He stole a glance at Ryen then slowly opened it. He moved the velvet from the top of the items and felt a piece of his heart shatter. The items were just as he remembered them except in an order of disarray. A brown journal rested at the bottom with a dried up lily that InuYasha had picked for her shortly before they were outcaste was taped to the top of it. A couple pictures rested in the box that InuYasha simply couldn�t bring himself to look at yet, laid about the box as well. InuYasha sighed as his hand fell to the cold silver clasp that was trapped under the diary. He paused for a moment before pulling it out free. He heard Ryen let out a whistle as InuYasha held it out for him. �It was my mother�s�all of this was.�

Ryen took the rock from InuYasha�s hand and looked over the Irish Promise Ring for a long moment solemnly before lifting his eyes to meet the hanyou�s. �Do you know what this is?�

InuYasha scowled and crossed his arms swiftly, sticking out his chin ever so slightly. �Of course I do��

Ryen finished his sentence before InuYasha could punctuate it; ��not�you have no clue what the hell this thing is, Pup. This ring�� he sighed and huffed, slowly shaking his head before handing it back over to InuYasha, �was my mothers. It was a gift by my father to her as a keepsake for her to remember him by when he traveled. He got it from Ireland I believe in the early eighteenth century.�

There was a long uncomfortable silence between the demons for a moment, InuYasha�s brain taking in Ryen�s words and trying to make sense of them and Ryen trying hard, and ever so failing, not to smirk. InuYasha blinked once, then again before asking, �Wait, hold the damn phone�if your father got it for your mother in the eighteenth century�that means that was sometime during the 1700s?�

Ryen cocked an eyebrow and sarcastically drawled, �You�re a smart one, ain�t cha��

InuYasha growled with his eyebrows closely knit together. �But�how is that possible?�

Ryen opened his mouth to snap at the youth then closed it, realization flashing through his eyes. �All the dog demons you know died young, didn�t they?�

Though the statement had been a question, InuYasha knew it was rhetorical. He simply nodded.

Ryen sighed and shrugged once, �Demons, InuYasha, can live for thousands of years, providing no one offs them. My father was almost four hundred years old before Diegosan and his father had him killed. Apparently our families have always been at war�and they just stepped it up a little with an assassination.�

InuYasha blinked once then sighed deeply, �So you outlive your mate? How the fuck is that a good thing?�

Ryen coughed out a small laugh and shook his head, �You ain�t supposed to mate a human, Pup. That was how the social structure was�back then. I mean, you�ve seen the shit you go through with half blood�imagine when there was only a human or a demon. Back in the feudal era it wasn�t accepted and mixed blooded beings were killed on sight. Humans mated and died�demons lived forever. But then they started dying out�and mates became scarce. Some demons began taking human mates�and more hanyou�s were the outcome. They are more accepted now then ever before.�

InuYasha sneered and looked down to the floor, anger beginning to fester in his head. �The fuck they are. You don�t know the shit I�ve had to hear�what I had to fuckin� listen to from that asshole of a grandfather of mine.�

Ryen sighed once and patted InuYasha on his shoulder. �I can only guess how hard it was. All I can say is thank the gods you weren�t alive back five hundred years ago.�

InuYasha shrugged off Ryen�s shoulder and rolled his eyes, keeping his mouth shut for once. He could turn all the hatred for the years of verbal abuse from Jiji, Baba, Launia and Sesshoumaru against Ryen and give him a real earful but decided against it and settled with the infamous scoff.

Ryen looked at InuYasha with a very undefined glower on his face. He opened his mouth a couple times to say something then shut it. After a short but loud sigh, he grinded his teeth together and forced out, �You ain�t gonna do something stupid, like ask Kagome to marry you, are you?�

InuYasha stared at Ryen for a long moment before scowling, �I ain�t that stupid, old man. But I got some shit I got to get out to her�and if that happens to come out��

Ryen held up a hand, his eyes widening some as he shook his head slowly, �Don�t do it Yash. I love Kagome like a daughter, I really do�she is a great person, just like her mother�but you and she aren�t ready for marriage. You sure as hell aren�t ready for any of that shit! I know you love her�but that is some serious stuff��

InuYasha scowled and rolled his eyes. He wasn�t going to propose to Kagome�the rock wasn�t for that. He had better intentions for the ring. But talking to Kagome and clearing the air was a big �must do� on his list of things to fix. He simply shook his head and met the demon�s glare, �Don�t worry about me, Ryen�I can take care of myself.�

Ryen smirked and shook his head, �Who said I was worried about you, Baka?�

InuYasha narrowed his eyes and placed the ring back into the box carefully before placing the lid back on. Ryen�s hand interrupted its path. He blinked once then removed a picture from the bottom of the box, a very distant look glazing over his eyes as he stared at it. InuYasha gauged Ryen�s reaction and nearly expected to see his hand trembling, judging by his expression. InuYasha waited a moment before deciding that he wanted to see the picture as well. �Give it here��

Ryen laughed callously before closing his eyes and remembering the day of the photo. He turned it in his hand to face it towards his nephew. Without opening his eyes, he pointed to each person in the photo, remembering vividly the exact moment that they had taken the photo. His fingers traced two boys standing tall and proud at the one edge of the photo, both wearing identical smirks that resembled InuYasha�s on a good day, while one had white hair cascading over his shoulders dressed in a business casual style and the other had his hair in a high ponytail, clothed in a pair of ripped jeans and a tee-shirt. His arms were slung around a beautiful girl whose hair was down to her waist, a few braids gracing the front of her face with wide chocolate brown eyes. She was dressed in a sundress that reached her knees. Next to the three were two others, a man whose hair was about shoulder length and hanging neatly in his face with light brown eyes and a handsome smile and another girl who InuYasha recognized immediately. Ryen�s claws danced across the set of twins, �Without needed introduction�your father was the better dressed of us�and Kagome�s mother.� InuYasha could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as he looked at how happy Mrs. Higurashi and Ryen were in each other�s arms. Looking over Mrs. Higurashi, InuYasha could instantly see how much Kagome resembled her. Ryen seemed to have thoughts along the same line, �It must be hereditary�the good looks I mean. And a smile that could light up a room�I swear that Kagome is a walking impression of the mother. Both think they could do so much good in the world, blind to the evil of it. And both with a temper that could castrate you on contact.� Ryen chuckled at his own joke and could see the humour in InuYasha�s face. But he also saw the turbulence. Ryen swallowed hard and let his fingers dance to the other side of the picture, �That is Uri�Kagome�s dad. He was one of my closest friends through high school�a man I miss dearly. I guess you could say he was my wingman�like Miroku is yours. That is, next to Inuno.� He wanted to break into another preaching session over InuYasha�s relationship with his brother, but backed off. He didn�t need an argument.

InuYasha nodded slowly, his eyes focusing on the last girl in line�the bitch with silver hair. �What the fuck was Launia doing with you guys? I thought you hated her?�

Ryen sneered and rolled his eyes, �Just cause I hated the bitch, didn�t mean she didn�t ever leave us alone. She followed Inuno around like a lovesick puppy; she really hated Kagome�s mother for her relationship with him. So she tried to flank to Uri to get closer to us. He was too nice a guy to tell her to fuck off, though it didn�t stop me from saying it� repeatedly. This was taken in September of our junior year� your mother took the photo. She was a part of our group sporadically� me and Uri tried to make sure of it.� Ryen watched the frown cross InuYasha�s face that was washed away by a sudden rage as the hanyou turned his eyes from the photo. Ryen reached over and dropped the picture into the box before placing his hand on InuYasha�s shoulder. �I know� I know you�re still hurting over everything that happened� and how it happened��

InuYasha turned around quickly, his eyes suddenly rather peaceful� and that weirded Ryen out. �You and Kagome�s mom� you two were in love, weren�t you?�

Ryen sighed once, rolling his eyes to look towards the seat in front of him. His lips fell into a thin line and he closed his eyes. �What is your fascination with asking that question?�

InuYasha moved an inch closer, �Answer the question.�

Ryen kept his eyes closed and let out a small sigh, �It�s irrelevant.�

InuYasha leaned over his seat towards the dog demon. His voice was steady, stoic� but his eyes told another story. He seemed worried� anxious� maybe even fearful. Would what happened to Ryen and Mrs. Higurashi happen to him and Kagome? Could something tear apart a love he thought indestructible? �No, it�s not. Answer the damn question.�

Ryen swallowed hard and grit his teeth together. �Leave it dead, Pup� ain�t no use focusing on the past.�

InuYasha growled back, �Answer the fucking question��

A hand reached out and wrapped across Inuyasha�s face, slamming him back into the window of the plane. Ryen never even turned his head to look as he shoved the kid away and pinned him to the wall. Only after hearing a deep draw of breath did he slowly turn his head, his amber eyes ablaze with anger� maybe sadness� and most definitely regret. He stared at the boy�s eyes that were outlined between his fingers before slowly removing his hand. �Drop. It.�

InuYasha stared at his uncle, the unvoiced answer speaking in volumes to the two. InuYasha sighed and ran a hand through his hair after Ryen successfully let him go. �Damn.� InuYasha shook his head slowly then leaned back against the headrest. �He was in love with her� is he still? I can�t even begin to imagine that. Losing Kagome� having to give her up� I couldn�t� I wouldn�t.� He stole a glance at his uncle who had fallen into deep thought, his fingers pressed against his chin in a steeple like manner and InuYasha sighed. �Double damn.�

The remaining two hours of the plane ride were filled with a tense silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*

It had been nearly four in the morning when the two tired demons trudged their way into the mansion. InuYasha had collapsed on the couch, not even reaching his bedroom and fallen asleep nearly instantly. Ryen had harassed him to call Kagome from the time they landed until they had stepped foot in the mansion. InuYasha knew she was going to be pissed� the last thing he was about to do was wake her up to invoke her wrath. He had toyed with the idea of going straight to her house but to do so he was sure would bring about his death. No� school would have be a much safer place to account for his� absence� for the weekend. InuYasha shifted to lie on his side and briefly closed his eyes, praying to get some shuteye before he had to face that requiem. It didn�t even feel like two minutes. The next thing InuYasha was acutely aware of was his body being shoved off the couch in lead by his right shoulder being pushed forward and landing face first into the hardwood floor of the living room. Two black boots passed an inch from his nose heading towards the door. InuYasha blinked, growled then forced his way to sit up on his ass, staring at the retreating form of his brother. �Thanks� Asshole.�

Sesshoumaru, in a very drowsy state himself merely flipped the younger boy off before droning back, �Get your ass up Baka� Rin�s already in the car. I wouldn�t have known you were here except for the fact that Ryen is out cold on the other couch. Get him to drive you cause I�m not waiting.�

InuYasha knitted his brows together while staring off into space at how weary his brother�s voice was. �It sounds as if there have been some problems back here as well. Damn�� He wasn�t quite sure when his brother walked away but the slamming of the front door snapped him back to his senses. �Fuck!� InuYasha staggered to his feet and shook his head. He glanced at the clock and realized he had been asleep for nearly an hour and a half. That knowledge made him want to put his foot through the wall. �All beware of the sleepless hanyou,� InuYasha thought as he pulled himself to his feet. �English class�here I come. Damn, never thought sleeping on a book would seem so fucking inviting.� He scowled as he ran a hand through his hair, catching it a couple times on some basic knots. �This fucking sucks�I don�t even have time for another shower. I still feel like shit from that damned battle. Note to self, if I see Bankotsu or Hiten, I must remember to insert my foot into their asses. Fuckers�I swear, I�m gonna fucking kill them!� He heard the screeching of wheels and the working grin that had slowly spread across his face fell. �Asshole left me, damn�� With a sneer, he took up to his room three steps at a time. �If Ryen crashed for the night, he�ll take me to school. He�s always bitching about it�and the fact that I can talk to Kagome that way. He�ll be happy about that as well.� He grabbed a sweatshirt and pair of cargo pants and threw them on before tying his hair back in a sloppy ponytail and darted back downstairs. �Ryen!� he skidded to a stop in the kitchen doorway and glowered at the sight before him. His uncle had literally passed out on the couch�a bottle of gin clenched tightly in his hand. His face was buried in the armrest of the chair and his legs were just about hanging off the couch. InuYasha let his gaze wander to the counter to the empty bottles of vodka, gin and bourbon� there had to be at least fourteen bottles lined up. InuYasha scoffed, his eyes widening as he read each label, then snapped his head back to look at his uncle. �Did he fucking drink all of this shit last night? What the hell?� he took a step towards Ryen and kicked at the demons foot. �Is he still fucking alive? Demon or not, that much alcohol could kill someone!� A yelp barely had time to escape the younger demons mouth as he ducked under the bottle that had once been in his uncles hand, as it flew at his head. A loud growl bellowed from the couch and InuYasha rolled his eyes and grabbed his book bag while muttering under his breath, �And they call me fucking irresponsible. Assholes�I swear I�m surrounded by them!�

InuYasha turned and ran from the kitchen and out of the house. Running down the marble steps, he couldn�t help it as his brain wandered back to the disgruntled form of his uncle. �Did my question about Kagome�s mom do that? Did it really get him to drink that fucking much? Was he the one who drank all of that? I really can�t see Ryen doing something that stupid! But who would�� his thoughts immediately traveled back to the sound of his brother�s tired voice. �Did he and Rin get into a fight? Is Rin okay? Would Sesshoumaru really get himself plastered with no one around to hold him at bay?� InuYasha stifled a sigh and shook his head stoutly, �Nope�none of my fucking business. I got enough problems waiting to gut me�he will have to handle his own.� He stared at the black Shelby that sat unmanned in the driveway and frowned. �If I take his car�he�ll castrate me. I can just see it, bastards�all of them. And they say I�m bad�� InuYasha�s eyes traveled to the smaller bike that sat in the opened garage. A sly smile broke onto the tired hanyou�s lips as he jogged towards the bike. �Maybe�if he really is piss drunk�he won�t miss it. I don�t feel like running�I�m too damn tired.� He frowned as he looked over the ignition of the bike then brandished one claw. �Let�s see if my� knowledge� from Kyushu still applies to modern technology.�

Within seconds, the motor of the bike kicked into action as InuYasha swung his backpack onto his shoulders and put on his uncle�s helmet. With a scowl, he pushed the bike backwards. �Well, if I need a good excuse then it shall be at least it ain�t the car.� A grin etching his face, he turned the bike on one leg and shot down the driveway like a bullet. �Kagome�s gonna fucking kill me.�

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*

InuYasha wasn�t sure how he got to school faster then everyone else� or for that matter what speed he had been traveling at. He had outrun two police cars� that happened to be sitting on the side of the road waiting for someone like him. InuYasha didn�t care� he had much more important things to do. �Besides, it�s Ryen�s bike� that�s why they backed off. Maybe he won�t find out.� InuYasha let his forehead hit the desk before the bell blared out into the tiny room shattering the peaceful silence. It only took a moment for kids to pile into the room� and it was only one more minute before all hell broke loose.

A fist connected with the wood, half an inch from Inuyasha�s nose but he didn�t budge. A rather shrill feminine voice bellowed in his left ear, �Where in the name of all that is holy have you been? We�ve been worried sick� Kagome is worried sick! What the hell were you doing? I swear to God, InuYasha, if I find out you were stoned this weekend� look at me� look. At. Me. I want to see your eyes!�

InuYasha felt a hand wrap around his chin and yank his head to the left to meet a pair of chocolate brown eyes. It took InuYasha a moment to figure out just which wench they belonged to. He batted at the hand wearily but lost the battle and simply sighed.

Rin narrowed her eyes and pushed her nose up against his, �You weren�t out getting wasted this weekend while leaving poor Kagome by herself, were you?�

InuYasha growled and ripped his chin out of Rin�s grasp and grabbed her wrist. Hauling her forward so that his mouth was right by her ear, he growled out in a demonic whisper, �Listen, cause I�m only gonna say this one more god damned time. I love Kagome and I would never do anything like that, again, to hurt her. What I had to do is my own god damned business and the only fucking person I�m telling is Kagome. This doesn�t concern you in the least Rin, now stay out of it!�

Rin pulled at her arm, trying to back away from the seething hanyou but his grasp was tight. She looked up towards Sango and Miroku who were standing behind InuYasha looking rather pale. She rolled her eyes and looked back only to find herself caught in his molten glare. She swallowed hard once and nodded slowly, �Fine�whatever you say. I�m sorry I give a damn.�

InuYasha sneered then let go of her arm� sure that if he had held on for a moment longer, he would never be able to dislodge Tokijyn from how far up his ass Sesshoumaru would shove it. He grunted as the girl sat down across from him, glaring daggers in his direction. She matched his disgruntled sneer and rolled her eyes to look towards the chalkboard.

Miroku took the moment after Rin was freed to plop into the seat in front of InuYasha� the seat that Kagome always sat in. He turned to rest his left hand on InuYasha�s desk and met the boy�s gaze. �Are you okay?�

InuYasha blinked once� then again. That wasn�t a question he expected them to ask. Honestly, he expected war� he expected the verbal mudslinging event of the year, but Miroku simply wanted to know if he was well. If he had been the least bit sentimental, the thought would have made him cry. Instead, he rolled his eyes and yawned, �Fucking tired as shit but I�m fine� thanks, I think� for caring?� he raised an eyebrow and yawned again. �I got in at fucking four thirty in the damned morning. Tired as hell� and I want to take a shower.� He blinked once and turned his eyes to Sango, who had her hands tightly clenched next to her sides and was chanting very quietly over and over again �I will not kill him� just loud enough for his demon ears to pick up. He fought down the urge to flip her off and instead snapped his head back around, finally realizing what� or who� was missing. He nearly jumped out of his seat, his hands slamming down on the wood as his eyes bore into Miroku�s, �Where the hell is Kagome?�

Out of the sudden dead silence of the classroom, from a seat behind him he heard a muttered, �Took you long enough.�

Rin rolled her eyes and reached out to touch InuYasha�s shoulder, �Calm down, InuYasha. She�s okay��

InuYasha snapped his head to his left to glare at Rin, �Then where the fuck is she?�

Miroku coughed once and nodded slowly towards Rin, �What Rin is trying to say is that she is okay�but she�s sick.�

InuYasha snapped his head back towards Miroku and sat back in his seat, suddenly ever so dizzy. �Fucking A, what do you mean sick?�

Sango leaned forward and barked back, �Sick� something that happens to someone when they are worn down� let�s say from continuously crying� or being distraught� or feeling abandoned. Take your choice, Asshole.�

InuYasha closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten before turning back around to face Sango, �Look, Wench� I said it once, I won�t say it again. I fucking had things I needed to take care of.�

Sango sneered, �Kagome should come first� I see what�s important to you though� don�t worry.�

InuYasha never wanted to hit a girl so bad in his life. Instead he stood up abruptly, shoving his chair back and picking up his book bag. �Is she home?�

Rin nodded, her eyes wide with shock, �Where are you going?�

InuYasha blinked and shoved his coat on over his sweatshirt, �Where the fuck do you think I�m going? I�m gonna go make things right.�

Sango rolled her eyes and huffed, �It�s about damn time��

��For you to shut your mouth. God, Wench� just can it for once, please! Your rambling is giving me a fucking migraine. I know I fucked up but it ain�t to you I gotta apologize to so keep out of it! You�re as bad as that Eri chick!�

Mr. Hirosheri looked up from his teacher�s addition of the Norton Anthologies and glowered at the hanyou who was walking with the intent to leave the room. �Mr. Tashio, are you seriously considering leaving my class on the first time that you have so honorably graced us with your presence in over a month? Do you really think it wise to walk out of your class?�

InuYasha flipped the man off with a sideways smirk before rolling his eyes and slamming through the door. He didn�t give a damn what the teachers said� what the others said. He had to see Kagome and damnit, not hell or high water was going to stand in his way. Adjusting his backpack, he reached his bike in record time and kicked the machine into gear. Granted Kagome only lived a few blocks away, but he wanted to get there fast and his legs were still an hour behind him in sleep. He pushed the helmet over his head and took off again, with serious intent as the only means of him being able to move. It only seemed like seconds before he was in front of the Higurashi shrine. He parked the bike on the sidewalk and shoved the helmet under his arm. He walked up the steps, his eyes falling to the driveway as he made his way up. �Her mom�s Aztec is gone� maybe Mrs. Higurashi isn�t home. If Kagome told her mom I kind of disappeared�then her mom is gonna be pissed. Damn. I really don�t want to deal with more bitches today!� He reached the top of the shrine and walked around back, avoiding any major windows to the family room and kitchen. He sniffed the air, trying to find some type of track of her mother�s scent being around the house. After a moment, he sighed and dropped his book bag to the ground, grimacing at the rain clouds that still lingered in the sky. He growled and shoved the bag under the overhang of the back porch before leaping into a tree right outside of Kagome�s window and settling onto the tiled roof. �She�s going to fucking kill me� she really is. I�m dead.� He sighed as a drop of water fell onto his nose. �Great� more bullshit.� He shook his head and pressed his face up against the glass window of her room. From the look of the large lump in her bed, she was sleeping. He prayed that she was stupid enough to leave her window open with threats from Naraku�s clan still lingering about yet smiled as he found that she did. �Well, at least I won�t need to go through the front door.� Pushing the pane up, he slid into the room and closed it behind him. Not two seconds into the room, the stench of sickness hit him like a truck. Kagome was sick� real sick. He frowned as he fought the urge to bring a hand to his nose, his eyes widening in alarm. �What the hell� why isn�t she in a hospital?� To him, it smelt like death� but he knew it wasn�t that sever. �Yet� it can always get worse.� He couldn�t help lowering his ears to his head at the thought as his eyes widened yet again. �I won�t lose her like I did mom�not again, not like that. she doesn�t have the stench of death on her�she doesn�t.� yet no matter what InuYasha thought, he kept seeing his mother lying on the small cot they had salvaged, her eyes aimed towards the sky; void, empty�dead. He blinked away the scalding image and clung onto reality. �This is Kagome, and she�s simply sick�just a cold. She�ll be fine�she won�t die.�

He kicked off his boots and took off his coat and hoodie. Without a second thought, he climbed onto the bed and crawled two feet towards Kagome�s side, who had shifted in her sleep to face the window. InuYasha hovered over her on his hands and knees while trying to see through the mess of black hair that cluttered her face. With a scowl, he shifted his weight off his right hand. He gently let his fingers run though her locks before gently pushing the hair behind her ear. A small yelp escaped his lips and he jerked backwards as his eyes connected with hers. He just about flipped himself backwards, landing on his ass on the opposite side of her bed. �Damn, Kagome�scare me to death why don�t you.� he smiled and shook his head before rising to sit on his heels. Only then did the grin slide from his face as he met her gaze once again. Her lively brown eyes were glassy and she looked as if she was prying them open, yet was not staring at him. She was looking through him, he was sure of it. She didn�t see him at all. �Is she really that sick? Is she dreaming with her eyes open? Is she hallucinating?� His lips falling to a deep frown he lowered himself to his ass to sit beside of her. �Kagome?� her lips moved but no words were produced. With a deep sigh, he shook his head and bent down to rest his lips on her forehead. He jerked back immediately and quickly covered her forehead with his hand. �Holy shit kid, you�re burning up!� her lips moved again and she slowly closed her eyes, letting off a small groan that sounded pained. InuYasha lowered his ears to his head and quickly wrapped one arm under her shoulders and the other under her legs. He pulled her from her huddled position and placed her onto his chest, sliding down in the bed to lie with her on him. Her entire body was clammy, covered in a heavy sweat. InuYasha shook his head and shrugged off his wife-beater while holding her up with one arm. �This can�t be good. Shit, she is burning up!� he brought his lips to the top of her head while cradling her in his arms, �baby�can you hear me? Kagome?�

All Kagome knew was that at some point over the night, her room had turned into a sauna. She had tried to kick her blankets off sometime when the red eyes of her clock had beamed 6am but her body wouldn�t comply. She had nearly panicked when she found herself unable to move much without some discomfort that quickly turned into pain within moments. Her mother, kami bless her ESP senses, came through the door at that moment with a glass of water and some Tylenol. She helped Kagome take the pills and took her temperature. The woman had then proceeded to tell Kagome that she had a fever, a bad one, and would have to stay in bed for the day. She told Kagome to keep on her covers so she could sweat off the fever and not to get out of bed for to long. Kagome had lost her somewhere along the path, her ears droning out her mothers banter to focus on the overpowering sound of her blood circulating through her veins. Shortly after that darkness had once again consumed her.

When she woke up for the third time that day she didn�t feel any better�or worse. She felt hot, like she was burning in hell, and the pain was still there. Her body screamed at her for water yet she couldn�t meet its demand. �Did I even sleep or was I unconscious? Where�s mom?� she hardly could string her thoughts together let alone reach for the glass of cold water laying feet from her bed. That was when she heard the creaking of wood and the scratching of glass. It was like nails across a chalkboard to her. She managed to turn herself over before her eyes blacked out the scene before her. She was dizzy and felt like the room was spinning. Her vision was shades of gray and black with bright white dots of blinding light. At that point even breathing was painful. She wasn�t sure if her eyes were open or not but she wasn�t getting anything. She knew she was in trouble�that the fever was out of control. She tried to call to the noise, praying it wasn�t someone sent to kill her. But then again, she was sure if she didn�t get something to drink, she would die of dehydration and save the assassin their time. She felt her bed fold in added weight and she fought to retrieve her vision. The hell she was just going to lie there and let someone hurt her�she could at least see their face before anything. Her vision blurred again, and a halo effect was created about a black figure. Soon the figure began to clear and she could just about make out two amber eyes and a set of furry ears perched on top of a mane of silvery white beautiful hair. To her, it was the angel Gabrielle sent to save her from this pain�but she wasn�t far from the truth. She felt herself moving, words being whispered above her that she couldn�t understand. But then arms snaked around her body and pulled her against a rock solid chest. She sighed as she dropped her head onto the shoulder she knew so well�yet she didn�t know why. She blinked again as her mind sought recognition, and before her brain could register the thought she heard a name whisper from her lips. �Inu?�

InuYasha pushed her hair behind her ears, a deep frown etched across his face. The fact that she had said his name without a string of curses was a good sign�the bad part was that he was pretty sure she was incapable of attaching such curses. He studied her glazed look before reaching to his right to retrieve the glass of water. He brought the cup to her lips and let her take a small sip, that she all to eagerly grasped the chance for. He held the glass steady as she drank greedily before letting her head fall back to his chest. �Careful babe, I don�t need you to drown yourself in this stuff. Take it easy. I�m here�everything will be okay, I promise. I�m sorry baby�I�m so sorry, I should have been here for you through this.� InuYasha frowned and put back the nearly empty cup and pulled the covers over the two. He wasn�t sure if she could hear him or understand his words but when he spoke to her, her body seemed to relax and that was enough for him. �We�ll deal with our problems when she is feeling better. She needs to get this fever down�if she doesn�t in the next hour; I�m taking her to the hospital. Where the fuck is her mother? How could she leave Kagome alone when she is this sick?� he placed his lips to her forehead before smiling slightly. She was already asleep again. He let his fingers run through her hair while he looked over her disposition. Her mother must have went to work�he remembered something about Kagome telling him that her mother was starting a desk job with her company. He looked her over before letting his frown turn into a scowl. She was still dressed in jeans and a tee shirt that smelt a day old. �Did her mother really just let Kagome collapse in bed and not bother to help her with anything?�

InuYasha shook his head, knowing that Kagome would hurt him later for it, as he unbuttoned her jeans with one claw and very skillfully worked them off of her body by pulling at the bottom of the pants with his feet. �She will be more comfortable without them.� he sighed again after kicking the material away. She groaned once and tried to move away from him and he only tightened his grip around the small of her back. �It�s okay baby�it�s only me. I don�t know where you have sweatpants but you�ll be more comfortable without those. Trust me, sweetie. I�m not going to do anything�no one is going to hurt you. Just relax baby�just get some sleep.� A faint trace scent of blood hit his nose and for the briefest of moments, he panicked. Only when he realized that it was a normal function of the female body did he relax with a small scowl. �Well�at least she knows she wasn�t pregnant. Good that she got it out of the way without me here, also.� He made a face and rolled his eyes. �Maybe that will calm her mother�s nerves about us for now. At least gives me room to talk to both of them about�that�� he kissed her forehead again and smiled, hearing her sigh contently in her sleep. �Maybe we can work this out without her getting angry. After all, I�m here now. It is what matters.�
Another voice inside of his head, a much gruffer and deeper voice barked back, �keep up that pointless thinking, and you might be able to qualify for an ignorant award. She is going to rip our balls off, you know that!�

InuYasha rolled his eyes at his Youkai blood. It rarely spoke to him�mostly he only heard from it when he was stoned�or completely fucked up�and those instances he always assumed he was just tripping. The voice was always yelling at him�calling him a baka. Only after meeting Kagome did he realize it was a deeper part of him�a deeper segment of his brain that was the more logical and yet demanding part of him. it was the silent aggressor in him that spoke logic. InuYasha looked down at Kagome and kissed her forehead again. �I ain�t gonna hurt her again. I love her too much. She�ll understand when I show her everything.�

�you ain�t gonna show her shit, you know you won�t. You�ll give her the ring and keep the rest a secret. God forbid you let her deeper into your life where you can�t control what she learns.�

�Shut up! She knows me�she loves me for who I am. What my mother has to say won�t chase her away.� InuYasha unconsciously tightened his grip on Kagome.

�Does she really know you? Does she know everything about your past? Does she know what you love�what you fear?�

InuYasha�s eyes darkened and he made an attempt to swat at the invisible foe, �shut up you, or I�ll�I�ll�get Kagome to purify the hell out of you!�

There was a demonic chuckle that InuYasha was sure just about echoed about the small room. �She wouldn�t�and that would only hurt you!�

InuYasha blinked away the voice, trapping in the back of his mind as he stared down at Kagome. �You know what I love�and what I fear, don�t you? I love you�and I fear losing you. You�re my life Kagome�you�re everything to me.�

�Now tell her that when she�s awake and we�ll be going somewhere!�

InuYasha growled as he shut his eyes. �Shut up, you, or I�ll stab you with a q-tip!�

The voice was quiet for a moment before growling and dissipating into his mind. InuYasha sighed as he rested his cheek on the top of her head and closed his eyes. �Maybe�while she�s sleeping�I can get in a catnap. At least be a little bit more prepared for hell when it breaks loose.� InuYasha didn�t plan on falling asleep for as long as Kagome slept�but he did.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~**~*~~*~*~**~

-I know it�s a bit rushed but I wanted to post before I left for the weekend. I�ll fix it when I get back and who knows�maybe I�ll have a new chapter with me. J and I didn�t forget about the doctor�I�m getting there, don�t worry. had to deal with Kag and Inu though, can�t forget my favorite couple!
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Curse of the Dragon