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Camaraderie	By : BlackberryPatch Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 16228 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
8
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Cooperation

It was a bright, sunny day. Birds chirped and sang their enjoyment of life; trees, green after the recent rain, moved with a life of their own and a joy that expressed itself far more subtly. It was the kind of day when unearthly, evil things just didn't happen

Naraku had never been one for following conventions.
He paused beside the crumpled shell of Bakenoshyuu, his latest creation, kneeling down to examine the body closely. Something he saw brought a dark grin to his face and he rose again quickly, long hair flailing out behind him as he turned abruptly to return to his previous task, satisfied that this portion of his plan was proceeding accordingly.
--

Kagome was sitting with Rin beside the embers of the campfire. The younger girl was again wrapped in Inuyasha's haori as Kagome was attempting to sew up some of the tears in Rin's kimono. Thankfully, her sewing kit hadn't been lost in the flood, having been small enough to be tucked into a tiny side pocket of her backpack, but Kagome was chagrined to realize that the young girl sewed better than she did. She hadn't really brought the kit for herself, but for Sango to use; the demonslayer was very good at mending their clothes, and their skin when it came to that, and Kagome hadn't ever been pushed to the point where she was the one doing the sewing. But Rin, who made it easier by not gloating at all in her profound knowledge- indeed, Kagome was beginning to suspect the girl didn't know how to gloat and just plain didn't understand the concept of egotism, which was odd considering her choice of traveling companions- was a ready teacher, and was patiently showing Kagome how to neaten her stitches.
They were occupied in this enterprise- Shippou, having sworn off giggling girls for the moment, was down by the river- when Inuyasha and Sesshomaru returned. Rin jumped up to greet them eagerly. Kagome was slightly slower to greet the pair, trying to hide her blush as it was extremely obvious where they'd been and what they'd been doing. But she was glad to see that they looked more comfortable around each other- and around her. Inuyasha grinned at her and came to crouch easily beside her, watching with amusement as she finished the stitch she was on and attempted to tie off the thread.
"I'd like to see you do better," she grumbled at him, getting tired of his smirking, but she couldn't hide her own delight in his obvious happiness and an undeniable smile ruined her attempts at grumbling.
"Hell no," he shot back, his good humor coming through easily in their banter. "That's why my clothes are the next best thing to indestructible."
She raised an eyebrow at his words, but kept her eyes on her needle. "If I don't get this sewed up, Rin's going to be wearing your clothes instead of you."
He snorted at that, but didn't respond immediately. She looked up, wondering if something was wrong. Inuyasha was looking out across the clearing; his ears were curved forward as if searching for some sound but his eyes were distant. "Inuyasha?" Kagome said softly.
His gaze flitted over to rest on her before darting to the remains of the campfire. "Kikyou is nearby," he said, his voice soft and the words coming out fast. There was a pause as Kagome just stared at him. "She's up to something," he continued, still not looking at her. "I just... wanted to let you know. Keep your guard up. And stuff." He started to rise but Kagome reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his kosode, holding him next to her.
Inuyasha looked at her then, surprised and slightly wary as she moved her hand to tangle her fingers in the binding rosary around his neck. His ears went back as he imagined her sitting him for just mentioning the dead priestess, but Kagome closed her eyes and spoke a single word and suddenly the world seemed to fall apart around him.
Kagome's eyes flew open, glowing with pale light, the feel of the beads hard between her fingers, a deep power rushing through her. Inuyasha, she thought. You must really love him. Even I couldn't get you to realize that Kikyou is no longer the same person she was when you loved her, and that you don't owe any loyalty to the shell that remains. Her fingers had drifted to the rosary before she'd understood what she was about to do, as she realized, I have no right to bind you either... A word came to her, appeared in her mind, though she hadn't known it the moment before. She spoke the word, and then she felt something filling her with what was at once the most wonderful joy, and also the most exquisite loss.
Sesshomaru, being regaled with Rin's account of the morning's events, and her collection of flowers and interesting plants, sensed the sudden shift in the flow of energy right before he looked up and saw the bright light emanating from Kagome and Inuyasha. He jumped to his feet, unsure of what action to take- but before he could decide, it was over. The light dissipated; Inuyasha, thrown backwards slightly, was staring at Kagome incredulously. She also gazed with fascinated disbelief at her hand as she opened her fist to reveal a handful of black beads. Inuyasha's hand went to his neck, as if to make sure, but even this confirmation didn't shift his doubt.
The entire camp was still for a moment, as they all stared at Kagome. It was Rin who moved first. She reached out and pulled lightly on her lord's sleeve to get his attention before asking in a false whisper, "Are they okay?"
Kagome blinked. That movement seemed to awaken her and she shook herself, dropping the beads she held on the ground. Inuyasha stared at them, then shifted his eyes to Kagome's face. "Wh-" he began, unsure what he wanted to ask first- What? How? Why??
Kagome smiled hesitantly. "I... I'm not sure really. I..." She blinked a few times. "It just came to me. I..." She hesitated, glancing at him as her fingers worried at the heavy cloth of the small kimono in her lap. "What I said earlier, about you thinking about what he thinks instead of me? Well, it would be kind of hypocritical of me if I kept you bound to my words after all that, wouldn't it?" Her vision blurred and she raised a trembling hand to her eyes in wonder. "I'm sorry, I..."
Hands entered her vision, and Inuyasha's strong fingers brushed tears from her cheeks. "Hey," he said softly, "It's okay; it's okay." He murmured the words against her forehead, leaning his head against hers, and she was surprised to realize that he was shaking as much as she was. She raised her head to look at him. He grinned weakly. "It's been a long time since..." He trailed off, reaching over to run his fingers through a group of the beads pooled on the ground. "Since I was the person you and Kaede first put this on." He looked up, trying to meet her eyes.
She nodded, looking away from him- her eyes also on the ground and the random pattern of scattered beads as if she could devise some meaning from the way they lay strewn. "I know. But..." She swallowed. "It became familiar, and I almost didn't want... didn't want to lose it." She gave in to her desire and reached out to gather the beads in her hands.
Inuyasha hesitated before reaching out and touching her shoulder soothingly. "I... Kagome, it doesn't mean anything." His voice was slightly desperate.
She looked up at him and suddenly dropped all the beads she had gathered as she threw her arms around him. "I know! I know," she sobbed. "I just..." His arms came up around her, pulling her close against the soft warmth of his shoulder, and Kagome cried harder because they were a friend's arms- there was no confusion of a lover's embrace left in them. She cried out the release of too many days of not knowing, for things that were now lost and for the beauty of things that were found, and she was pretty sure he understood everything she couldn't say.
--

The sudden expulsion of magic- the dissolving of a major spellworking; Naraku felt it wash over him and ripple across the land. He paused, narrowing his eyes in speculation as he glanced toward where he knew his adversaries were gathered.

Actually... "adversaries" was probably giving them too much credit. He smirked; whatever the cause, this expulsion of magic was the perfect thing to give Bakenoshyuu a jump start on regenerating. Excellent. With the energy this would bring the creature, Naraku's new pet could keep the ragged group busy for hours. Perfect; by then Naraku would have the next phase ready to greet them.
--

Shippou sighed as he skipped rocks over the surface of the creek. What was it with girls anyway? Sometimes they were so... weird. He gathered sticks and built a makeshift fort for his acorn soldiers to defend from the dangerous leaf warriors and felt better after a couple forays. In the middle of planning a complicated offensive, he stopped as a strange feeling washed through him.
It... tasted like Kagome, if a feeling could have a taste, but not in any kind of bad way, so he was pretty sure the camp wasn't under attack. Shippou stood, his senses turned toward the camp, and observed for a moment before taking a hesitant step toward the area in question. Rin appearing on the pathway ahead stopped him, and he stood waiting for her as she came toward him. "What happened?" he asked, curious.
Rin shook her head, adjusting Inuyasha's haori so that the overlarge garment settled more comfortably on her slight frame. "I don't know. Kagome was talking to Inuyasha, and suddenly there was a bright light! And then Inuyasha's beads broke." She frowned. "Are they very important beads? He and Kagome both seemed upset."
Shippou's eyes flew open as he stared at her. "The rosary beads? For the spell of subjugation? They broke?"
Rin nodded. "Yes. What is a spell of sub-" she wrinkled her nose, but sounded her way through the unfamiliar word, "subjugation?"
Shippou paused. "I dunno what it means, but when Kagome says 'sit,' it makes Inuyasha fall down."
"Oh!" Rin cried out in understanding, having observed this behavior. "So, she broke it, so she can't make him sit anymore?"
"I guess so." Shippou shook his head in confusion. Glancing up, he could see Sesshomaru standing on the ridge of the trail just in sight. The demon glanced down at them, his eyes scanning the surrounding area for threats and finding none. He continued to watch them, but didn't seem inclined to join them. Shippou shifted uncomfortably under his watching eyes. Sesshomaru still freaked him out most of the time.
Rin followed his eyes and smiled to see her lord watching them. "I believe Lord Sesshomaru is thinking," she observed, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. She turned to smile conspiratorially at Shippou. "When he is thinking, Lord Sesshomaru doesn't like me to interrupt him. What are you playing here?" She turned, her attention suddenly captured by the leaf battle. Shippou blushed slightly, but outlined the plan of attack, as well as the acorn's defensive line. "Ooh," Rin said with excitement. "I want to play! May I fight on the side of the leaves?"
Shippou nodded eagerly. Maybe it wasn't so bad, having Sesshomaru traveling with them. Yeah he was creepy, but Inuyasha liked him, and now at least Shippou had someone to play with. It definitely felt good not having to worry about anything but having fun.
--

It was a ripple that passed over everything, through everything. Miroku shivered, the feeling unsettling him. He held onto Sango tighter, not wanting to loose his seat as Kirara soared over the green forest.
"Ah, sorry," he apologized uncharacteristically, realizing that his actions were most certainly open to misinterpretation, and not wanting to undo his attempt to hang on to his seat.
Sango looked back at him. "I felt it too," she said softly, her eyes going to the green canopy beneath them. "It... felt like Kagome, in a way."
"Yes," Miroku agreed. "I don't think she's in danger," he added.
Sango nodded curtly. "But I would like very much to find them, quickly."
"Why Sango, that sounds like an excellent plan." Miroku grinned. "That was the expulsion of magical energy from the undoing of a great spell. Kirara, can you track the source? A general area should be sufficient."
Kirara roared affirmatively and circled toward what felt like the source of the energy.
--

His legs tingled, and Kouga paused to glance up, scenting the wind as it passed over him. Kagome? Shifting his direction slightly, he moved toward where the wind had come from.
He was close, the scent strong, when he almost ran over Sesshomaru. The two demons retreated from the near impact, gauging each other as they circled warily.
--

It felt like hours later when Kagome turned her head from Inuyasha's shoulder to glance up at him as she gave a loud sniffle. He hesitated but kissed her forehead, and she smiled weakly. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered, sitting up to look around, making a surreptitious wipe at her face with her sleeve. "Did everyone leave?"
Inuyasha nodded with a slight grin. "I think they went to look for Shippou."
She nodded in response as she gathered herself. "Inuyasha," she said with sudden mischief, "sit."
He flinched, hard, then shot her a dark look and she broke out laughing. Growling, he pushed her; still giggling, she pushed him back. Ready to engage in further horseplay, they were interrupted by an echoing roar that, for Inuyasha in particular, had this past day become unwelcoming familiar. Kagome gasped as Inuyasha immediately shot to his feet. They glanced at each other and, pausing only to snatch up weapons, ran toward the sound.
--

Kirara growled, the sound rumbling deep inside of her, as she passed over a section of the forest and turned to circle back over it.
"Have you found Kagome?" Sango asked excitedly. Kirara didn't answer, but started to spiral down through the sky at a sharp angle. Miroku and Sango struggled to keep their seats as the fiery cat plunged toward the ground.
--
The acorns were desperately trying to turn back the leaf warrior's third offensive, when Shippou noticed the creek waters rising. "Hey Rin," he poked his playmate, too interested in her imminent triumph to have noticed the oddity.
"Where is the water coming from?" she said in alarm as they both retreated hastily from their play area on the bank. "Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin turned back toward the camp as she called, but she couldn't see her lord from where she stood. Her retreat became an almost headlong flight back up the path. Something was wrong, she could feel it- and she wasn't particularly fond of water after the events of the recent past. Shippou was close behind her and she heard his breath quicken with fear. Wondering what it was that had frightened him, and unconsciously reasoning that known fears were better than unknown, she turned back to look. Her feet tripped and she went tumbling, but not before she gave voice to a high-pitched scream that carried easily through the trees even as it was overtaken by a deep, unearthly roar.
--

Kagome had started running toward the creek, where Shippou was, but had barely gone two steps before Inuyasha snatched her up and pulled her on his back in order to move faster. She clung on gratefully, but again they'd barely gotten started before Inuyasha came to a crashing halt. Kagome, her arms around his neck, let go immediately when she took in the scene.
Sesshomaru and Kouga circled around each other, eyeing each other suspiciously, looking for an opening. "Kouga, Sesshomaru," Kagome appealed, "please stop! Inuyasha," she began, but she turned to find that he was gone from her side- and, too late, she remembered her previous longings in such a situation, her hand going to the single bead in her pocket.
Inuyasha moved to Sesshomaru's side, glaring at Kouga, Tetsusaiga coming out as he bared the fangs in his mouth as well. "What do you want, fucking wolf?"
Kouga paused, taking in the pair of them for the first time, and noticing something else for the first time. He scented the wind. "Well." He stepped back. "That's... unexpected." Grinning suddenly, Kouga shook a finger at Inuyasha. "It seems I'm not the one you should be talking to about fucking." Inuyasha snarled and charged at him.
"Stop it!!" Kagome yelled. She stood just to the side of where the demons were facing off, her hands clenched at her sides. "That monster is back and I don't know where Shippou is, or Rin, and we don't have time for you to fight it out, so SHUT UP!"
Three pairs of eyes turned to her, but before anyone could respond, the creature roared again, the high, desperate sound of Rin's scream twining through the deeper sound. Not waiting for a response, Kagome ran past them toward the river. A shadow slipped past her, moving ahead almost quicker than her eyes could follow; Sesshomaru, she thought.
She was about to round the last corner on the path when she was brought to a halt as a small form barreled into her. Dropping to her knees, Kagome gathered Shippou in her arms before rising again and continuing around the corner.
Shippou clung to her. "It's back, Kagome! It... it came out of the river, and... I think it's meaner now!"
They came around the corner and she felt Inuyasha beside her suddenly. He stepped between her and the monster as she looked up, the breath freezing in her throat as she saw Rin, a small blur of red and black, caught in the monster's grasp. It looked different than it had before; like a blob that was attempting to become human rather than just an amorphous blob. A smaller, head-like blob perched on top of a widening that resembled shoulders, two appendages reaching out like formless arms while the main body of the creature was in the middle giving up all pretenses at trying to be anything but a blob. It had one of its arms curled around Rin's small form; a sickly green liquid started shooting through the translucence of the blob as Sesshomaru dropped Toukijin, not even bothering to resheath the sword as it proved itself useless against this opponent, and sunk his claws into the creature, tearing into what passed as its flesh until it released Rin into his arms. The creature roared again; in pain or severe annoyance, Kagome couldn;t tell. The group started to retreat; Kouga appeared, scooping Kagome up to help her retreat more quickly without even a protest from Inuyasha who was serving as a rearguard.
Kagome released Shippou as Kouga set her down back in the clearing where they had camped; she ran over to Sesshomaru. The skin on his arms was raw and red, as if he had been burned, and Kagome's heart was in her throat as she stroked Rin's hair gently back from her face. "Rin?" Sesshomaru called hoarsely, as Kagome tried to pull the red cloth away from where the girl had clutched it around her face and pulled the collar up so that the garment covered almost her whole head except for the twisted length of her hair. At the sound of her lord's voice, Rin relaxed her grip, looking up out of her cocoon. Kagome sighed in relief; the girl looked mostly unharmed, protected by the fur of the firerat. Sesshomaru breathed deeply, and it occurred to Kagome that he'd been holding his breath. She glanced at him; but he wasn't looking at her. "Are you injured?" he demanded of Rin.
Her face scrunched up in pain as she nodded. "My feet," she murmured, reaching over to grab onto Sesshomaru's kimono and bury her face in the cloth. Kagome immediately examined the girl's feet carefully.
"She'll be okay," she murmured to Sesshomaru. 'It's not too bad of a burn." Kagome wished again that she hadn't lost her medical supplies in the flood, but as she tried to meet Rin's eyes and give her some encouragement she discovered that it wasn't needed; held in Sesshomaru's arms she looked half healed already.
Inuyasha stepped closer, taking Rin from his brother. "What about you?" he demanded.
Sesshomaru looked down, apparently noticing for the first time that his hands were burned raw and red, the skin peeled away. He frowned, lines of a suddenly realized pain creasing his face. Kagome could see that he was burned worse than she'd first thought; she watched as he flexed his left hand, causing a sliver of white to appear, and she had to turn away to keep herself from vomiting as she realized it was a bone, visible through the burned away flesh.
She was shaking, trying to control herself, when a roar filled the air, descending on them from above. But it was a familiar roar, and infinitely more welcome as Kagome raised her eyes, a smile spreading over her face as she met first Sango and then Miroku's eyes. She frowned in worry as she noticed Miroku's arm, still strapped tightly to his side, but she didn't let herself linger on it. "Sango! Miroku!" She took Sango's hand, the two women sharing a moment of comfort before returning to the problems facing them. "Sango, Rin needs medicine." She hesitated, but decided even demon healing needed help sometimes and said, "Sesshomaru, too." He looked at her, his expression unreadable. She turned to Kirara but asked Sango, "Is there a village nearby?"
"Yes," Sango said. "We saw one not too far away as we passed overhead."
"Kagome." Inuyasha's voice stopped her as she stepped to Kirara's side. She turned to look at him. "We have to figure out how to kill this thing for good or it will never leave us alone." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes but nodded.
Kagome held out her arms, taking Rin from Inuyasha and easing her onto Kirara's back. "Just hold on tight; Kirara will protect you." The firecat rumbled affirmatively.
"Inuyasha," Miroku broke in. "What is going on?"
He turned to the monk. "Naraku's newest monster. It's not big on brains but it doesn't give up, even after we killed it- not that that was easy."
"It doesn't seem to pay any attention to demons," Kouga put in thoughtfully, crouched off to the side and watching the group with equal parts amusement and concern. "It just goes after humans." He looked toward the edge of the clearing, moving between that area and Kagome; the creature was oozing its way through the last barrier of trees.
Miroku's jaw tightened, and then he opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Inuyasha cut him off with a sharp gesture. "No. Even if it worked, I'm not going to let you kill yourself. We can figure something else out."
Kouga snorted. "Nothing stops this piece of crap. What did you do to it last time? I was too busy with Kagura to see." He was looking at Kagome, but it was Inuyasha who answered.
"Kagome shot it with her bow. It... dissolved. Why is it back now?" He growled in annoyance.
Kagome thought frantically. She turned to Kouga. "Did Kagura say anything else about this monster?" She frowned slightly in concentration. "She called it... Bakenoshyuu, right?"
"Yeah," Kouga responded distractedly. "Though I wasn't really there to talk to her, you know." He thought a minute, the attention of all five demons drawn to the creature as it finished extricating itself from the trees and oozed into the clearing. "She did say it could only be killed by one thing. She called it," his lip curled in concentration and he tried to remember her exact words, "the sword of heaven." He shrugged. "I figured it was some sort of overdone way to say the monster was invincible."
"But," Kagome's expression was confused. "She said before that I could kill it..."
"Wait," Inuyasha interrupted, "the 'Sword of Heaven'?"
"Yeah, that's what Kagura said." Kouga looked at him doubtfully.
Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru. The demon raised an eyebrow. "I had not thought to try that one." He put a hand on Tenseiga's hilt, scowling in pain as he forced his fingers to curl around it.
"Stop." Sesshomaru looked up as Inuyasha stepped close to him. Looking up into his brother's face, Inuyasha placed his own hand on Tenseiga. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, but he didn't make any move to prevent Inuyasha as the half demon drew the sword. It whispered softly in his hand, Tetsusaiga humming back to it. Inuyasha met Sesshomaru's eyes, one hand going to the demon's cheek as Inuyasha leaned up to drop an impulsive kiss on surprised lips.
Sango raised an eyebrow at that, trading an amused look with Miroku before getting back down to business. She was glad Inuyasha had vetoed Miroku's suggested method of destroying the monster, but their options were becoming thin if the creature didn't react to demonic attacks. She hoped they were right about Tenseiga working; if it didn't she wasn't sure what they could try.
Inuyasha whirled at the creature as it came closer, bringing the shining arc of Tenseiga down across the blob-like form, slicing through it, the strike having no immediate effect any more than any previous attack had. But, slowly, a dark line, like blood, appeared through the translucent substance of Bakenoshyuu, and the creature let loose with an unearthly shriek.
Sango flinched at the noise; hoping to capitalize on the wound, or catch the creature unawares, she flung Hiraikotsu out so that it struck the monster. Bakenoshyuu recoiled from the blow, but continued with its loud keening. Without warning, it suddenly struck out, its long arms whipping around to strike whatever they could find.
Everyone dodged out of the way, ducking down to avoid the wild blows; Kirara took to the air, Rin biting off an exclamation of surprise as she became suddenly airborn. Inuyasha hissed in pain as the creature struck him, sending him rolling across the clearing. He pulled himself to his feet, glancing around to check on everyone else. The creature had almost struck Miroku as well, but Sango stood before him, the recaptured Hiraikotsu acting as a shield. Kouga had carried Kagome out of the creature's range but she pushed her way out of Kouga's grip. Inuyasha glanced around again; he couldn't find Sesshomaru.
"No," Kagome murmured, to Kouga or to herself she didn't know, "I can stop it." She approached the monster, and only then did she notice... "Sesshomaru," she murmured. The monster held him aloft, its arm wrapped around the demon's already burned arms. His lips were pulled back- far, far back- in an inhuman smile, and his eyes glowed a deep, deep red as the wind started to pick up. It had been awhile, but she was pretty sure she knew what that meant. "No," she murmured again. "That won't help..." Everything seemed suddenly distant as she stood there, looking up at the creature. She heard Inuyasha snarl; he was beside her, crouched, ready to leap up. She reached out to grab his arm to stop him. He tried to shake her off, but her hands curled around the hilt of the sword, and Tenseiga cried out, a high, pure ring that drowned the roaring of the creature. It released Sesshomaru; she felt him strike the ground near her, and Inuyasha abandoned the sword to her and went to his brother. Kagome could see the demon's burns had worsened, but the power of the sword consumed her then and she couldn't remember a whole lot else.
It was a demonic power, used to being controlled by a will harsher than her own, and it fought her as she tried to keep it from devouring her. The energy filled her, poured out of her, streaming from her skin and out of her eyes as she opened them in shock to feel the power. The sword sang to her, a soft delicate song she was unprepared to hear from this weapon of an unforgiving demon, for all that she knew he was capable of the greatest delicacy she'd ever seen. And for all the delicacy and intricacy of it, she knew this was a power that would consume her if she let it and leave nothing behind but dust from the ashes of her corpse.
She focused her vision. Everything seemed outlined in fire, white hot, and it seemed what she deemed important in her life faded away. But she saw Bakenoshyuu, clear and bright as day, and she leveled the sword at it. It appeared as a rain cloud to her eyes; rain and dirt, and a darker clay molded into a shape hidden deep within the creature. Fire, pure liquid fire, blue-white hot, poured out of her to surround the creature; it waited upon her will. Return to what you were, she thought at the monster as she brought the sword down in a strike. The power obeyed her, roaring through her veins; and in perfect answer to her request, Bakenoshyuu became rain and dirt again, as it had been before Naraku molded it. She pictured the clay figure in her mind being devoured by the white hot fire, and while the creature had yowled as it had dissolved, it now let loose an unearthly shriek as it realized she had found its weakness and it would not be regenerating again.
Kagome took a deep breath, letting it out shakily as she blinked her eyesight back to normal. Her hands were wrapped around the hilt of the sword in a death grip and she wondered if she would ever get them off. Sesshomaru was watching her with hooded eyes; Inuyasha's gaze was more openly incredulous and mirrored Miroku's and Sango's fairly well. Miroku opened his mouth to say something, but Kagome shook her head. "Don't ask," she said. "I have no idea what just happened." She wavered, then fell to her knees. Or tried to; Kouga caught her before she could hit the ground and held her easily. She offered the sword to Inuyasha as he came over to her and he helped her pry her curled fingers from the hilt.
--

They found the village Sango had seen from the air. The villagers were wary at first to see the strange party approaching, but were soon won over when they realized that these were not looters; bandits did not carry small children with them, especially injured ones, and usually did not have such amazing priestesses as the young woman who accompanied this group.
Sesshomaru ensured that Rin received care for her burns, but refused all treatment himself. No one seemed inclined to push him on the point- except for Kagome. She insisted he put a healing salve on his arms and she wrapped protective bandages around them herself. He attempted to appeal to Inuyasha to control the woman, but the half demon only rolled his eyes and murmured that there was no stopping her so he might as well go along with it, though Sesshomaru thought there was a bit of worry in his brother's eyes and perhaps it was that which convinced him to submit to the futuristic priestess' treatment; Kouga's smirking certainly did not help.
Forced to sit still as Kagome attended to his wounds, Sesshomaru was present as Sango related to the other girl what had passed since the time when they had been separated. He was startled to learn of Rin's almost drowning in the river when the flood had struck the camp before her near miraculous, to hear the demonslayer tell it, rescue by Miroku. Excusing himself from the conversation, the room, and the village in general as soon as he could, Sesshomaru slipped away into the forest.
He told himself he was going back to get his sword. Toukijin was still down by the river where he'd left it earlier; when Rin's safety had been of more immediate importance. And that was what he was doing, but more he needed to get away for awhile- away from these humans and their oppressive omnipresence. He breathed the dark, dank air the night wind carried up off the river and reveled in the knowledge that there were no humans nearby.
If only he could leave his thoughts behind so easily. Rin. She was the first thing on his mind. Seeing her interact with the fox child earlier today he realized how lonely she must have been, particularly in the not too distant past. She never complained, but he had removed Jaken from her, her only playmate, and replaced him with Inuyasha temporarily. And Sesshomaru demanded the greater share of Inuyasha's time, leaving Rin without either of them. After seeing her with the group, both before the enforced separation by the flood and also after, it became increasingly clear to him that should he and Inuyasha wish to return to a more solitary journeying, she could not come with them. She worshiped him, he understood, but she would become progressively more dissatisfied if she was forced to live an increasingly isolated life that he would become less and less a part of.
Kagome. Much as he was loathe to admit it, Inuyasha's priestess had defeated the monster; and she had drawn forth from Tenseiga powers that he, who had held the sword for 200 years, had never heard of, let alone mastered. It irked him greatly- not just that a human woman had triumphed where all others had failed, but that this woman continued to provoke him, to appear to understand better than he did the things he held most dear. Yes, he still believed that Tenseiga was the lesser of his father's swords, but that didn't mean he was prepared to give it away. And Inuyasha... She read his moods so easily. Sesshomaru knew that part of this was that they had spent so much time in each others company, but another part of it was their soul deep connection. It... annoyed him, even as he acknowledged on another level the correctness of it.
"Sesshomaru."
He didn't flinch at the voice that interrupted his musings. The intruder hadn't made any noise as he approached, but the demon supposed that on some level he was always aware of his brother's presence. "Inuyasha," he replied. He felt the half demon move up behind him; hands rested hesitantly on his hips before sliding up around his body to meet over his heart. Smiling softly, Sesshomaru raised one hand to rest it lightly over Inuyasha's. Inuyasha didn't ask what his brother was doing, or how he was feeling; he simply held him. After a long while, it was Sesshomaru who spoke first. "Miroku," he said softly, thoughtfully. "He was injured protecting Rin."
"Yeah," Inuyasha conceded.
"As were you." Sesshomaru turned in Inuyasha's grasp, cupping the half-breed's face in his bandaged hands. He leaned forward, claiming waiting lips. "Mmm," he murmured, leaning back slightly to regard his brother from eyes half closed in good-humor. "Have you been... properly rewarded?" he asked.
Inuyasha inhaled, drawing in his brother's unique scent, as he licked his lips, his eyes flashing. "Perhaps... not quite yet." He met Sesshomaru's lips again; they parted welcomingly, the taste of his brother fresh and exhilarating on his tongue as his hands slipped through the demon's silky hair, his thumb stroking over the smooth skin of Sesshomaru's cheek.
Hands clumsy with bandages tried to slip inside of Inuyasha's reclaimed haori, but Sesshomaru withdrew his hand, scowling. Tilting his head, he nipped lightly at Inuyasha's neck. "Perhaps a... rain check?"
"Not exactly the best expression, under the circumstances," Inuyasha grinned. "When did Kagome teach you that one?"
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "We had ample opportunity for conversation."
"Oh yeah." He said, remembering, but frowned suddenly. "What were you doing with Kagome right before the flood?"
Sesshomaru grinned, the expression darkly humorous and frighteningly out of place on his face. "Why don't you ask her?"
Inuyasha shrugged, turning back toward the village. "I hadn't thought about it until now. I thought she was back at the camp, but she couldn't have been. I thought I smelled her right after you called my name." He scowled. "I thought I smelled Kikyou for a minute, too."
Sesshomaru turned to go with him. "Kagome... followed us," he said.
Inuyasha shot a puzzled look up at his brother as they started walking side by side, but he suddenly froze as he realized what Sesshomaru was talking about. "Kagome... at the river? She..." He blushed, turning as dark as his haori. "She..." he stuttered again, glancing at his brother for confirmation but Sesshomaru could only grin at Inuyasha's discomfort as he turned back toward the village, his shoulders shaking slightly with suppressed laughter.
--

When Kagome woke it was still dark out. For some reason sleep seemed determined to evade her, so she got up and went outside making sure to not disturb Sango as she went; or Rin, wrapped in her new kimono and sleeping soundly from the medicine, or Shippou curled against the girl, his tail flicked over her for warmth. Kirara met her outside and Kagome was surprised to see the firecat in battle mode and standing guard. She frowned as she stroked Kirara's shoulder. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked the cat, and received a suspicious growl in answer which told her nothing other than that whatever half-formed suspicion lurked in the back of her mind, Kirara felt it too.
She moved restlessly around the building the village had let them use, coming around to the back. She spied something out of the corner of her eye and stopped moving; as she got a better look at it she smiled. Inuyasha lay on the covered porch that wrapped around the house, stretched out on his back. Sesshomaru lay on top of him, curled against his brother's body with his healing arms held protectively against his chest and his head over Inuyasha's heart. Inuyasha had one hand tangled in his brother's hair, both his arms wrapped protectively around the body above him. It was absolutely adorable and Kagome would have given just about anything to have a camera at that moment. Smiling, she slipped away from the building, not wanting to disturb any of her companions from their well-earned rest.
As she moved out into the still village, she glanced up and thought she saw... She squinted, and suddenly there it was again- a figure slipping in between the houses of the village; a familiar figure. "Kohaku," she murmured, and then, louder, she called out, "Kohaku!"
He paused when he heard his name, but as he glanced back and saw her, his eyes went wide and he shook his head, running off more quickly into the night. Maybe it was the lateness- or earliness- of the hour, but she could think of nothing except that she must find out where Kohaku was going, and catch him if she could. If she could just talk to him, she was sure...
She tripped over a large root- they had entered the forest- and as she looked up she found her quarry had turned and was staring her right in the face. The rattle of a chain sent goosebumps rippling all over her skin as Kohaku raised his favored sickle weapon in one hand, slipping the blade behind her head, forcing her face closer to his own.
"So predictable," he said, his voice not Kohaku's. He grinned at her, a distinctly un-Kohaku-like expression, his eyes glowing strangely as Kagome realized the extent of the mistake she had just blundered into.

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