#MIROKU CAN CARRY HER JUST AS WELL

[milaisreading]

SIR GIMME TODDLER MANAGER PT.4

Author: impacted the literature more than Romeo and Juliette ever could😭 here u go and thank u for the request🩷

Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3

"Come here (Y/n), your favorite person ever wants to carry you!" Oliver laughed as he picked the reluctant girl up. Niou and Sendo shook their heads at the way he was holding her and how uncomfortable she looked while being held.

"Oliver, I don't think you are doing it the proper way." Sendo added as Niou nodded along. The black haired boy looked at the two in confusion and then down at (Y/n), who looked like she was about to burst out crying.

"I don't get it, I watched children being held like this on movies. You must just be picky then, huh?" Oliver teased the girl as she looked up at him. It was silent for a moment and Niou sighed in relief, thinking that maybe this was (Y/n)'s way of acting out, but all that was chucked out of the window as Oliver put her in the same position and the girl burst out crying. Panicking Sendo ran over and grabbed the girl while Niou pulled on Oliver's ear.

"Ouch!" The player yelled as the long-haired boy glared at him.

"I told you she was uncomfortable!"

"But that was how babies were held in movies!"

"Yes, movies! Not real life!" Niou said as he looked over at Sendo, who was rocking the sobbing toddler back and forth.

"She calmed down?"

"A little."

Oliver watched in weird awe at how well Sendo handled it.

"How do you know to calm down kids?"

"I used to babysit from time to time." Sendo shrugged his shoulder as Teppei and Hayate ran into the room.

"What happened?!"

"We heard crying!"

"Is everyone alright?" Miroku and Teru poked their heads inside.

"Yeah, it's just that Oliver doesn't know how to hold kids." Niou explained as Hayate took the girl out of Sendo's arms.

"Hey!" The blonde protested, earning a shrug from the taller.

"You all had the chance to hold her, I didn't." Hayate argued and got no response, as the rest knew he was right with that part. Oliver sighed in defeat and sat on the floor as Niou let his ear go.

"You alright, captain?" Miroku asked as Teru ran to where Hayate was.

"No... (Y/n) is so comfortable with all of you and just cries when she is with me. Am I that bad with kids?!" Oliver wondered as Sendo, Niou and him paid attention to what he said. Hayate, Teppei and Teru were meanwhile busy entertaining the toddler, the laughter she let out from Teru's funny faces hurt Oliver even more.

"I see... maybe we can practice with you?" Miroku suggested.

"What do you mean?" Sendo raised an eyebrow.

"Easy, we can help Oliver meanwhile the others can play and take care of (Y/n)." Miroku said calmly as Niou looked over at the rest.

"I don't really think those three will mind that idea." Niou added, pointing at the group. Teppei was holding (Y/n) now on his shoulder while she was patting Hayate's head, meanwhile Teru was taking pictures of the scene.

"So, Oliver the first lesson you need to learn is how to approach a toddler!" Sendo exclaimed as Niou wrote down on the board something. Oliver nodded his head and told the blonde to continue.

"Alright, shoot!"

"The first mistake you make is the tone of your voice, well... more specifically the volume." Miroku said.

"Children, especially those of (Y/n)'s size can get easily scared, so you yelling might be more off-putting than you seem to think."

"Children need a level of calmness, especially when picked up. You saw how I did it the first time, right?" Oliver nodded at Niou's question, remembering how calm and collected he was when they saw her first.

"Just act like that. Let's practice then!" Sendo announced.

"Here comes the train~" Teru exclaimed as he fed (Y/n) her lunch. The girl happily opened her mouth and ate the food while Teppei wiped the excess food off of her face.

"Aww~ this is really adorable!" Teru said as Hayate nodded his head and put it on top of hers.

"How do you think Oliver is doing in those classes?" The white-haired boy asked as the other two chuckled a little.

"I don't know, but just the image of Oliver taking classes on baby care is funny." Teppei commented as (Y/n) looked up at him, wondering what was funny.

"Let's just hope be learns a thing or two." Teru said as Hayater removed his head from hers and started ruffling (Y/n)'s hair.

"Alright! After an hour and 45 minutes, you are finally a lot calmer, this is what we need!" Sendo said as Oliver flopped on the couch. Miroku smiled fondly at the captain and watched as Noui wrote down the 2nd lesson.

"Alright! Next lesson is feeding a toddler! Babies need to eat, and knowing how to properly feed them is very essential for you." Noui started as Oliver sighed.

'This is exhausting... and people have kids willingly?!'

"Come back here!" Teppei yelled as he chased (Y/n) around the empty field. After eating her lunch, the three players decided to let her play before it's her nap time.

"Make sure (Y/n) doesn't fall down." Hayate warned as he observed the duo closely.

"Shhh... I need to have this on video." Teru whispered with his phone out and following (Y/n) with it.

"Yoh are obsessed with taking pictures and videos." Hayate commented.

"Well yes, but it's of (Y/n) as a toddler, you don't see that everyday."

"...fair enough." Hayate nodded his head and took his own phone out.

"Alright! This one took us like...2 hours but you got the hang of it!" Niou sighed as Oliver rolled his eyes.

"You guys are really counting?"

"Yes, yes we are. Now off to the 3rd and most important lesson!"

They looked at Sendo as he wrote something down.

"And that lesson is holding and picking up a toddler, which you lack in the most. That's why we found some videos that show you those." Sendo said as Miroku opened his laptop.

"Shhh! Teru!" Teppei whisper/yelled at the boy as (Y/n) slept on top of Hayate.

"Sorry, I forgot." The boy apologized as they looked at the door.

"Ahh? How did the classes go?" Teru teased as Oliver sent him a glare while Sendo and Miroku snickered.

"Did (Y/n) eat?" Niou asked the other two, who nodded their heads.

"Yeah, she fell asleep like two hours ago too." Teru told them as Oliver walked past them and towards Hayate and (Y/n). The white-haired boy raised his eyebrow at the captain and nodded his head.

"Be quiet, she is still asleep. Anyways, how did your lessons go?"

"Pretty much ready to be (Y/n)'s new favorite." Oliver smirked as Hayate rolled his eyes.

"Sure..."

"He did it... I am so proud." Sendo sobbed as Miroku patted his back and Niou rolled his eyes at the dramatic acting. Teru, Teppei and Hayate were staring at Oliver in disbelief as he held (Y/n), who seemed calm and content in his hold.

"Good job, you two. I never expected him to work this out." Teru chuckled as Hayate took a few pictures.

"It's kind of adorable to look at it." He said calmly as Sendo and Teppei nodded their heads.

"So, am I your new favorite?" Oliver asked excitedly as (Y/n) looked up at him for a moment.

"Boooo...." She said back and Oliver cooed at the sound.

"I'll take it as a yes!" The captain chuckled. Then suddenly the door opened and in walked Rin with Hiori following him.

"What did you two need?" Sendo asked as he walked over to the two. Hiori ignored him and walked straight to grab (Y/n), but was stopped by Hayate and Teppei.

"Hey!"

"Hands off!" They warned as Hiori and Rin glared at them.

"We came to pick up (Y/n), your babysitting duty is over. Now hand her over to Hiori, Aiku." Rin said as he glared at the fellow captain.

"No." Oliver answered back, earning looks of disbelief from their rival team members.

"What do you mean with no? That's our manager, give her back."

"Calm down Rin, we just want to babysit her a little more." Noui added.

"Besides, she doesn't mind staying with us." Miroku said, pointing at the girl.

"Like a give a shit, hand her over." Rin demanded as he started an argument with the the team, meanwhile Hiori tried to bribe (Y/n) into coming with them.

#bllk #blue lock anime #blue lock manga #bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #blue lock requests #manager reader #bllk u 20 #oliver aiku #sendo shuto #blue lock hayate #blue lock miroku #blue lock teppei #blue lock teru #kazuma niou #itoshi rin

[laughingsapphic-creates]

Inukag Week day 5: Heat

Yesterday's story was over 5000 words and I didn't even post on time. Today you get a snippet lol

@inukag-week

~~~~~~

Summertime Savage

Kagome sighed in relief, setting down the last basket.

"Alright! Everyone ready?"

"Hard to say, since you haven't told us what we're doing," Shippo pointed out, "but I took off my vest and shirt, if that's all you meant."

"It is! And since it's been so hot lately, I thought a water balloon fight would be a fun way to beat the heat!" Kagome explained, picking up one of the colorful balloons.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sango hummed, sounding unsure. Kagome had brought a swimsuit for her to borrow, and a skirt to go over it if she wanted it, which she had.

"Don't worry, you look great! And if Miroku gets handsy, just start chucking," Kagome grinned, tossing the balloon to Sango. She caught it easily, careful not to squeeze the taut rubber. "Oh! Shippo, here, these are for you, too!"

Kagome grabbed the bag she'd carried the balloons and hand pump in, picking out a pair of children's gardening gloves.

"Is this part of the game?" He asked, pulling the first glove over his hand.

"Not typically, but most kids who have water balloon fights don't have sharp claws. They're not much fun when every balloon pops in your hand before you get to throw it."

"Not that I'm complaining, Kagome," Miroku assured as he and Inuyasha returned to the group, stripped down to their hakama trousers, "But what exactly is the objective of this game?"

"There isn't like, a win condition, per se. It's just trying to land as many hits as you can while not getting hit. Like a snowball fight, but better, because it's hot out, so getting hit with something cold is actually nice," she shrugged, going back to the bag. "Here, Inuyasha, I have gloves for you, too."

"Feh, I don't need 'em," he huffed.

Kagome watched as Shippo narrowed his eyes, picking up one of the balloons with his own gloved hands.

"Hey, Inuyasha," he hucked a bright orange balloon. "Catch!"

Inuyasha reached out to catch the balloon, which he did.

And then he closed his hand around it, which punctured the delicate material. He squawked in surprise at the jolt of cool water, clenching his fist around the shredded balloon.

"You little brat!"

Snatching the gloves from Kagome's hands, he gave Shippo about a second's head start, picking up one of the baskets and beginning to chase him down.

"Spend all morning pumping balloons by hand so we can have a fun afternoon, and now they're being used in anger," Kagome sighed, shaking her head. Kagome patted her shoulder, flashing a smile.

"Don't worry so much, Kagome. This is just how they have fun, you know?"

"You think so?"

"For sure," she nodded, still smiling as she took a balloon in each hand and turned her gaze on Miroku. "I'm starting to see the appeal as well."

"Sango?" Miroku asked, smiling through his nerves. "Sango, let's talk about this!"

"Start running, Monk!"

Kagome sighed, but smiled, eyes flashing at the sight of Inuyasha, who had chased Shippo to the low boughs of the nearest tree.

"Kagome! Kagome help!"

"Get down here and face me!"

Picking up an armload of water balloons, Kagome strode over, hucking the first at the back of his head. Another indignant squawk escaped him, and he whipped around to stare at her

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"What? Like you?" He asked smugly. Smirking, she threw another balloon, hitting him square in the chest. With a laugh, he picked up a balloon from his basket, and Kagome got one more shot in before she took off running with a laugh, Inuyasha taking chase automatically.

The valley surrounding the base of the waterfall echoed with shrieks and laughter for more than two hours. Kagome had to implement a "no picking up baskets" rule when Sango took two and used Kirara to implement a tactical air strike against Miroku, and Shippo had eventually gotten his shirt back and began filling it with balloons, tackling people as a means of attack. Miroku had thought to use his staff to deflect the projectiles, but they usually ended up splashing him anyway. The absolute enragement from Inuyasha whenever a balloon he threw managed to not pop on impact was hilarious to watch, but he was still clearly having a good time.

Kagome had distracted him from targeting Sango, and gotten him to chase her again. The balloons had almost run out, she only had one more on her, and she wanted to make it count.

When she reached the dead end, Kagome turned, throwing the balloon, which caught him in the shoulder before he had her backed up against the base of the cliff, one hand planted to the side of her head, the other holding a red balloon

"What's your plan now, wench?" He asked with a superior smile

Kagome didn't answer, blinking up at him with wide eyes and a soft expression. She held his gaze, looking startled but not upset.

Inuyasha's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, before Kagome's eyes moved down, looking Inuyasha over slowly, and his face erupted with warmth as he realized what she must be thinking.

"Y- Kagome I-!"

Quick as a flash, Kagome grabbed the hand with the balloon, which had lowered in his shock, and smashed it into his chest, splashing them both.

Inuyasha grunted in surprise, eyes blown wide. And before he could even yell in indignation, Kagome pecked his cheek, reaffirming his shock.

Slipping out from between him and the rock, Kagome grinned as he turned to look at her again.

"Turnabout. Not a bad plan, for a wench," she laughed, winking at him before bolting back to the baskets, to see if she could get her hands on one more balloon and definitely not to distract herself from what she'd just done.

Inuyasha watched her run, a tiny, incredulous smile on his lips, before he took chase once more.

#this was supposed to include Kagome complaining about not being able to cuddle Inuyasha at night in the summer #because there's no ac in the feudal era and he's a walking talking furnace #so her solution was to take him swimming at the base of that waterfall from the first few episodes #bc Inuyasha is constantly craving all forms of affection and gets upset that they can't touch as much when it's hot #but i would never have finished in time if I'd gone with it #i might write it out properly as sort of a continuation to this but we'll see #Inuyasha #inukag #inukag week #inukag week day 5 #inukag week 2023 #tayto writes

[dawnrider]

Canon: Kagome introduces (character of your choice) to Magic 8 Balls

So much for a "short drabble" @superpixie42 but it came out to be 1000 words exactly, so there's that.

There was an unexpected clunk in the bottom of the bag when she popped the first aid kit back in. Kagome frowned, pulling the neck of the bag wide so she could get a better look. She pushed her spare set of clothes aside, making a face when she saw what it was. "What's wrong?" Inuyasha grumbled, still shifting and rolling his shoulders to get used to the bandages she had wrapped around his ribs and upper back.

"Nothing. I just… don't know why this is in here."

That caught his attention more fully and he turned to peek over her shoulder. She was holding a round black object, shiny but scuffed. There was a white circle with a black symbol on top. "What the hell is it?" It gave off no discernible scent, no sounds he could hear. Kagome rolled her wrist, flipping it over, and he noticed the bottom was flat.

"It's a magic eight ball." Inuyasha squinted as a triangle appeared in the flat space, words he couldn't decipher at first in bright white.

"Should you be carrying around some magic thing with the jewel shards right there?" he asked, highly skeptical. He thought Kagome knew better than to pick up random – possibly dangerous – items by now.

To his frustration, Kagome started to giggle.

His scowl must have caught her attention, because she smothered it and coughed. She scooted closer to him, her side pressing against his arm. "It's not actually magic, Inuyasha. It's a toy." She explained that it had fluid inside and the triangle was actually a multi-sided block floating around. "The idea is that you ask it a yes or no question and it tells you the future."

"The future?"

Kagome shrugged. "Most of the answers are vague enough aside from yes or no that you can interpret it how you want, really." She showed him how it worked by flipping it right side up and asking if Miroku would ask a woman to bear his child in the village they were staying in. When she rolled it over You may rely on it appeared in the window. "Not really a fair question…"

Both their heads popped up when an indignant screech was followed by a resounding slap.

"Definitely not fair." Inuyasha peered at it more closely. "Try something else."

"Hmmm… Will I make it back in time for my English test next week?" Better not tell you now. "Not promising," Kagome sighed with a wry smile.

The sound of children squabbling rose outside the hut they were borrowing and Kagome rolled her eyes when they heard Shippou's voice ringing above the others. His tone was decidedly haughty and it was clear he was about to get himself into some trouble. The young miko groaned as she rolled to her feet, dropping the eight ball into Inuyasha's startled hands.

"Your turn!"

"Keh." Inuyasha watched her duck out of the doorway, calling for the runt as she went. He rolled the ball between his hands for a moment in thought. It was just a toy, she said, it didn't really predict anything. "Will I ever be a full youkai?" he finally whispered to it. He hesitated before flipping it over quickly. It took a moment for the block to settle in place. Reply hazy, try again. "This stupid thing." But he couldn't help repeating the question… and got the same answer. 

Which made him curious. Was this thing more than it appeared? 

He sniffed it again, turning it over and looking carefully for any sign of tampering. There was nothing. "Will we defeat Naraku?" Signs point to yes. Well! That was some good news! Inuyasha's chest puffed with pride until his ribs twinged and he was reminded of why he was sitting in a strange hut in a strange village, ribs and chest wrapped in gauze. "Keh."

Kagome took good care of him, whether he liked it or not. He shook his head with a smirk. She'd gotten much better at this first aid stuff too. Efficient. Which was sad in a way, because it meant she was doing it more often.

"Will Kagome always be safe?" he murmured to himself. The sphere in his hand felt heavier for a moment. My sources say no the little triangle read. His face fell. "Will Kagome… will she stay with me like she said?" Cannot predict now. Inuyasha fought the very strong urge to hurl the thing across the room. He had to ask one last thing, his curiosity too much to ignore. "D-Does she love me?" he barely breathed aloud.

So focused, he had missed the sound of Kagome's footsteps as she returned to the hut. She was steamed about Shippou's antics and his propensity for mischief. She froze when she realized he was staring at her. Seeing the eight ball still in his hand, her brow furrowed when he still said nothing. "What's wrong?" she asked, dropping to her knees in front of him. Her hands fluttered over his torso to check that he wasn't suddenly bleeding out or something. When there was nothing obviously dire, her gaze went to the ball. She lightly took his wrist and looked at the response still floating there. "It is decidedly so, huh? What did you ask?" Her scent and expression were a mix of curious and concerned. Inuyasha finally took a breath.

"J-Just if we had ramen for dinner. I'm starved." He quickly plopped the ball in her hand and stretched out on the futon. "You want me to rest or not, woman?" he snapped when she kept watching him carefully. Kagome only rolled her eyes at his blustering before getting up to put water on to boil. When her back was turned, humming under her breath as she worked, Inuyasha allowed himself a little smile.

It might be a toy, but it made him a little more hopeful for the future. Hope was something they could all use a bit more of these days. 

#thirsty asks #thirsty thursday #dawnrider fanfiction #inuyasha fanfiction #inukag #prompts #magic 8 ball #canon compliant

[mamabearcatfanart]

Words at the Well

A reinterpretation of the famous artwork The Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton.

They were silent as they approached the well, both of them dragging their feet. It had been a long and trying day – a battle with a tribe of mountain oni had earned them a small shikon shard, but all of them had been injured in some way during the fight.

Inuyasha had already recovered from his broken nose, stoically sitting on his haunches in the carnage of the battle field while Miroku cracked it back into place for him. Now a few hours later, even the bruising around his eyes had gone. Shippou and Kirara had also gotten over their scrapes, bumps and bruises, but the humans would need a day or two to recover, both Miroku and Sango looking a little worse for wear.

Kagome had elected to go home a night earlier than planned for her test, wanting a hot bath and good night’s sleep before the long day of study ahead of her. Much to her initial surprise, Inuyasha had agreed. He’d been glancing at her anxiously the entire walk from Kaede’s hut, and when they got closer, she thought she knew why.

Neither of them mentioned the lone shinidamachū floating silently around a tree in the gloom at the edge of the forest. They came to a halt in the long grass by the well, the tension between them growing. Finally Kagome cleared her throat, doing her best to smile brightly at Inuyasha, even though she was so exhausted she could barely stand upright.

“So, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, okay? Try and stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”

She turned, hoisting her backpack up on one shoulder and climbing up on the side of the well, but was stopped from jumping by a gentle tug on her injured hand.

“You’re gonna take care of this, right?” Inuyasha said as he looked up at her, his gruff tone in direct contrast to the gentle strokes of his fingers against hers. He glanced down at her hand, barely touching the bandage covering the cuts where the feathers from her arrows had sliced open the skin. “Make sure you wash it again, and put some of that cream on it. And you need to look after those scrapes on your knee too.”

Before she could answer, Kagome’s attention was drawn to the forest behind him, where another shining youkai had joined the first, its snakelike form twisting through the trees. Both of them seemed to be carrying souls, and Kagome pushed down a shudder, hoping neither of the softly glowing orbs had belonged to girls in Kaede’s village. At an insistent tug on her fingers, she turned her attention back to the hanyou in front of her, doing her best to smile again for him.

“Inuyasha, I’ll be fine. Make sure the others rest, and as soon as my test is done, I’ll be back.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

As he continued to gaze at her, not moving away, she sighed tiredly, her exhaustion and morbid thoughts weighing heavily on her.

“Go on Inuyasha, she’s waiting for you.”

“Don’t matter. You got hurt today Kagome. I need to make sure you’re okay first.”

“But-“

“But nothin.”

His amber eyes seemed even more intense than usual in the growing shadows, the parched yellow grass lit by the setting sun a pale comparison.

“I have a duty to Kikyou, it’s true. It’s a matter of honour, and apart from my sword and the clothes on my back, my word is all that I can call mine. Just like you go to school for those exams because that’s what your family expects. You have a duty to them too.”

He pulled her hand gently to his chest, covering it with both of his, resting his head against her arm, his voice slightly muffled against her shirt.

“But I want to know you’re okay Kagome.” His voice faltered, and he turned his head, nose pressed tightly against her arm. “I need to know you’re coming back. And I want you to know I’ll be waiting for you.”

Tears sprang into Kagome’s eyes, and she curled her fingers around his, squeezing gently, ignoring the pain.

“I promise I’m okay Inuyasha. I promise I’ll be back.”

He released her fingers with a sigh, hiding his hands back inside his long sleeves, squaring his shoulders and smoothing his earnest expression away with a scowl, as if the softness had never been there.

“O’course you will. Bring more ramen when you come back, we’re nearly out.”

Kagome grinned at him, then turned and jumped, enveloped by the eerie glow of the well.

The day after tomorrow she had an exam, which she was not looking forward to. Then Inuyasha would be waiting for her. But right now, she had a long overdue date with a hot bath.

#mamabearcat fanart #mamabearcat fanfics #inukag fanart #famous artwork redraw #inukag #inuyasha fanart #was getting a little too comfy using watercolours so I'm stretching my digital gouache wings #a little clunky in spots but it mixes differently than it does in real life

[kstewdeux]

@inukag-week

June 14th, 2022 - Intimacy

Summary: Inuyasha probably needs therapy for trauma. Alas there aren’t therapists in the feudal era so cuddles are substituted for Xanax.

Two years in and it was still surreal that Inuyasha not only never slept sitting up but he would actually get annoyed - in his sleep no less - when she wormed out of his hot water bottle body’s hold. This sleeping arrangement was great for winter, don’t get her wrong, but in the summer, absolutely not.

And, quite unfortunately, summer was in full swing right now. During the day, you could actually see the heat waves dancing over the ground and if walking around nude had been an option, Kagome would’ve done just that.

Except, you know, social norms said that was a big ‘no no’ and a very jealous half-demon she was lucky enough to call her husband would drop dead of a stroke were that to happen.

In any case, tonight like so many others, Kagome had moved to sit by the door to get some air and almost immediately Inuyasha began to shift and groan. A part of her felt bad - especially when he began letting out soft whines and rubbing his face along the futon. The muscles on his bare back twitching beneath his sweat glistened skin.

Then, out of nowhere, he startled awake with a panicked gasp.

“No.”

The whisper was hoarse and despairing before he rolled onto his stomach while his hands shot up to press against his neck. Watching his ribs expanded with his audible shuddering breaths, Kagome was already scrambling to stand when, without warning, he went rigid then limp. Both ears swiveling in her direction as he propped up on one elbow and began to glance around.

When those disbelieving amber eyes finally landed on her small figure half-kneeling by the doorframe, his heart absolutely melted behind his eyes and a relieved half-smile graced his lips.

It was a look she’d never witnessed before and just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

“Don’t scare me like that,” he chuckled warmly as he reached up to rub the crust out of his eyes, “You can’t just leave.”

“I didn’t leave you. I’m still in the house,” Kagome teased as she settled back to sit on her ankles. Something dark and deep danced across his face that he wasn’t quick enough to hide.

“I know that stupid,” he offered tiredly as he slowly sat up and stretched his arms above his head, “Just saying you can’t leave me without saying something.”

“Again, didn’t leave you. Very much here,” Kagome snickered before noticing the way he closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh of what could only be relief.

“I mean, don’t go places at night. Scares me when you’re not here,” Inuyasha mumbled with a faint blush before inhaling sharply and quickly amending, “I mean, shit, you used to get kidnapped constantly and you can be a real idiot. Get hurt falling over a twig or something.”

For the first time in the past two years, Inuyasha appeared to be admitting - in a clearly unintentional way - that being away from her had been hard. That there was a very heartbreaking reason he was so hell bent on keeping her in his arms at night. Not once had he actually said anything more about their separation - other than a flippant ‘knew you’d come back’. Sango had hinted that Inuyasha had struggled to stay positive at times and had straight up disappeared for a month after the well closed but Inuyasha denied he had any problems with their rude separation. That he only disappeared to let people know Naraku had been defeated and the jewel was gone. Who he told he’d never say but that was his story and he stuck to it. Looking back, the reason he probably denied having a hard time was because, by all accounts, Kagome seemed to have carried on with her life and coped with the loss extremely well. She’d graduated from high school. Maintained the life she should’ve had. Meanwhile, Inuyasha…

Inuyasha tried the well every three days and put his life on hold waiting for her to come back. Miroku once mentioned that Inuyasha refused to go on exorcisms that would take longer than an afternoon. Speculated why that had been - something which had earned the poor monk and bump on the backside of his head.

In short, Inuyasha wanted her to believe he’d been fine when things went down. No different than when he insisted he was fine when a literal acid covered hand had pierced his internal organs. While some might chalk that up to him truly having supernatural healing abilities and being emotionally constipated, what it came down to was that he didn’t want people to worry about him and most certainly didn’t want their pity.

“You go on exorcisms without me. All the time. What makes nighttime so different?”Kagome asked slowly as she got to her feet and made her way back over. Inuyasha’s moon illuminated blush deepened and he averted his eyes.

“It’s dark.”

“Okay but you can still see in the….”

“Yeah but……it’s just…when I lost you it was dark,” he interrupted awkwardly- his entire body shying away from her gaze, “In the jewel I mean. Was, ya know, dark.”

As much as she wanted to comfort him, Kagome bit her tongue and waited to see if he was going to continue.

“Dream about it. A lot,” he offered barely above a whisper - clawed elegant fingers gesturing towards his temple, “I’ll wake up and…and get all confused. Think you’re still gone and you being here is the dream. If you’re here…���

Calloused fingers gently rubbed his sternum as he let out a heavy reluctant sigh and sagged.

“If I can feel you, that…that doesn’t happen.”

Kagome’s heart cracked with such ferocity it was within the realm of possibilities that Inuyasha could hear it.

“Oh Inu…”

“But I’m not stupid. I know you don’t like me holding you when it’s like this,” he interrupted with a heavy sigh as he scratched the back of his neck, “It’s hot and shit but m’gunna think of something, okay? Make it better ‘cause I…”

Pausing, Inuyasha tried to figure out a way to put what he needed into words looking more miserable by the second.

“I just can’t do this anymore, ya know?” he attempted with a tired weary sigh while his fingers returned to absently rubbing at his chest, “I need you to be here or else I just…I just can’t okay?”

Heart aching, the urge to hold him and make all the bad memories go away was almost overwhelming.

“Come here.”

Sighing, he shook his head.

“M’okay and you’re not,” he mumbled before laying back down and adjusting himself under the thin sheet, “Imma figure something out. You’ll see.”

“Fine. I’ll come to you then,” Kagome huffed playfully as she crawled over the floorboards and leaned down to nuzzle his jaw - earning herself a happy little hum. She was rewarded in another way as well. He didn’t say those words often and when he did, it made her heart sing.

“Love you,” he sighed contentedly, “Hope you know…”

Inuyasha’s breath caught when she placed a sensual kiss against his throat and moved her fingers to gently stroke his chest. Arching his neck slightly to give her better access, Kagome pulled back just enough to see his lips parting and a look of bliss wash over his face.

“I’m never going anywhere ever again,” she soothed as she dipped her mouth back and relishing in the way his body began to writhe.

“G-good,” he managed in between soft whimpers and light pants - a muffled moan escaping when her fingers slid down his torso and lightly caressed his bare stomach.

“Fans would be nice. Or maybe a cold bath before bed,” she breathed against the skin where his human ear would be. Half-listening, Inuyasha nodded absently while his hand fisted in the blanket. Kagome’s fingers moved further south and his face contorted in ecstasy. Wiithout further warning, Inuyasha gracefully and effortlessly twisted and pounced.

Time passed much like one might expect for a young married couple until they were both panting for breath and sweatier then they had been…

Albeit much more indifferent towards the suffocating humidity and uncomfortable heat. And this time Kagome had no complaints when Inuyasha gently gathered her into his arms and molded his body against hers.

“Love you,” came a masculine mumble as his lips gently caressed her shoulder, “Always.”

“I know.”

A tired snicker and weak nuzzle comprised his affectionate reprimand before his breathing evened out and the arm holding her in place went slack.

For the record, after some trial and error, Inuyasha did figure out how to keep his wife comfortable enough to stay in his arms.

Although…it was kinda weird that she never complained about being too hot ever again.

#inukag week #inukag week 2022 #inukag #inuyasha fandom #inuyasha fanfiction #Inuyasha #Kagome #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 #kstewdeux

[petri808]

@inukagfluffweek Sharing a bed

It’s my birthday and I’ll write what I wanna 🥳

When Inuyasha Taisho tries to reach his girlfriend Kagome Higurashi that morning several times with no answer, he shows up knocking on her door. And when she finally answers, her reason is readily apparent. Wrapped in a blanket, hair a mess, and cheeks flushed, she stood held up by the door frame. “I’m sorry Inu.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” He quickly scoops her up and carries her back to her bedroom, then places her in bed. Once she settles in a sitting position with her back against the headboard, Inuyasha surveyes the room. “Did you take medicine?” He asks.

“Yeah, but I only had one last dose in the box.”

“Okay,” he notes, “what’s your symptoms?”

“Inu I’m— ACHOO!” Kagome wipes her nose with a sniffle. “I’ll be fine.” Her voice is hoarse and strained. She’d woken up that morning with a sore throat and now a stuffy nose. “You don’t have to fuss.”

Ignoring her words, he asks again. “It’s not fussing, so what are your symptoms?”

Kagome sighs as she lists them off, “… and a fever. But really, Inu, you don’t have to take care of me.”

“Of course, I do,” Inuyasha chides, “And I’m not leaving ‘till you’re a lot better.” He prompts her to lie down and pulls the covers up to her chin. “So, save your strength and get some rest till I return.”

Too tired to fight, Kagome relents with sleepy eyes. “Alright.”

It might be an overzealous reaction for a girl he’s only been dating a couple months, but seeing Kagome sick brings flashbacks of his mother lying in bed too sick to get up. Not so pleasant memories… but in this case one he can make better. With a quick trip to the drug store, and a stop at the local grocer, Inuyasha returns to the apartment with supplies a plenty.

Okay, so maybe he did go a little overboard. Three brands of flu medications, including those drinkable ones. Couple more boxes of facial tissue, since he only saw one box in her room. A variety of soups, several chicken types, beef barley, and tomato unsure of her preference. Ice packs for the fever, throat drops, tea, and several flavors of Pedialyte and Gatorade for dehydration. And lastly, something to eat for himself because he missed lunch.

He peeks his head into Kagome’s room to check on her, craning his ears in her direction. She’s still asleep, perfect. Her breathing sounds a bit strained, but consistent. Pulse rate a little high, but nothing worrisome. And she’s not fidgeting to indicate being uncomfortable. So, he moves on to check in her bathroom for the medication she took. It was just for regular colds, not flu and he’s fairly certain it’s the flu since it came on fast and hard. One of his employees is out today as well due to the flu. Tis’ the season, he guessed.

He’s certain he’ll hear anything wrong from the living room, so Inuyasha closes the door partially. Satisfied, he settles in Kagomes dining room to eat his lunch and figure out how to stay busy. It’s four more hours until dinner time. So, he thinks about it, then finally calls his trusted manager Miroku Hoshi to bring him some files to work on.

The knock at the door came within 30 minutes. Inuyasha opens it to find Miroku.

“Here’s the Kazuma/Misato merger, and the Kitagawa take over,” Miroku hands him the file folders.

“Thanks, not sure if I’ll be back in the office tomorrow but these need to get finished.”

Miroku peers around Inuyasha. “You know, I know this apartment. Higurahi, right?”

That startles Inuyasha, knowing of the man’s past. “You didn’t date her, did you?”

“Nah, I wish,” Miroku chuckles though quickly shuts up from Inuyasha annoyed look. He clears his throat. “She’s my wife’s best friend. So, what are you doing here?”

What a small world. “She’s my girlfriend— well just for a couple months now, but she’s sick so I came here to help her.”

“Awww,” Miroku teases, “I didn’t know you had that kind of heart!”

Oh, this man is lucky they’re friends. Inuyasha’s brow raises. “Shouldn’t you get back to work?”

“Yes, boss! Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort till you get back, so don’t rush,” Miroku grins.

“So, tiresome,” Inuyasha pinches the bridge of his nose and shuts the door in the guys face.

Despite the annoyance, working on the projects does the trick, and before Inuyasha knew it, four hours has passed. He stands from the dining chair and stretches out those hours of sitting. Time to make soup for Kagome so she can take medicine.

He pushes open the door with his foot as he carries in a bowl, a cup of water, and the next dose of flu meds. He then places them on the nightstand, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha pushes gently on her shoulder. “It’s time for another dose.”

She coughs out a whine before opening her eyes. There’s a confused look on her face as she sits up. “Inu, what are you doing here?”

He chuckles, “You don’t remember letting me in?” Kagome shook her head no. Must be the cold frying her brain. Inuyasha checks her forehead temperature— it’s a little high. “Here,” he holds the bowl in front of her and hands her the spoon. “Eat, and I got you more flu meds.”

“Thank you,” she cracks a weary smile, then starts to eat.

Inuyasha couldn’t tell if her cheeks were pink due to the cold or for other reasons, but even sick, Kagome is still adorable. “You’re welcome.”

Once all the food is gone, and Kagome takes the medicine, he places the dishes on the nightstand for now. “Would you like tea for your throat?” Inuyasha asks.

“No, maybe later.” Kagome shimmies back under the covers and pulls the blanket up.

“Cold?”

“Yeah, a little,” she coughs. “Maybe cold sweats.”

“Maybe,” he agrees. Of all the things he purchased that day, a heating blanket isn’t one of them. It’s time to improvise.

Inuyasha stands up and gestures. “Move over a little.”

“Huh?” Kagome’s eyes flash wide.

“You’re cold, right? Body heat is the best way to warm up quick.”

Her pulse instantly increases. They aren’t exactly at that stage of their relationship yet to be cuddling under the covers. “It’s j-just to warm me up right?”

“Kagome I’m not gonna take advantage of a sick person.”

“O-Okay,” she shifts over in the queen size bed to make room.

Inuyasha slips under the blanket onto his side. “Come here,” he softly requests with his arms open.

Kagome’s face really felt on fire now, but her achy shivering body won out. She moves over facing his chest as he encircles her with his arms. An instant warmth surrounds her and I t felt really good. She closes her eyes as she relaxes. She then feels him kiss the top of her forehead, and smiles. Okay, this isn’t so bad.

As she lingers at the door of dreams, Inuyasha asks her a question.

“Gome?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know a Miroku?”

“Yes,” she yawns, “why?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really. I just learned today he knew you.”

“How’d you learn that?”

“He’s a manager at my company.”

“Oh, wow,” she chuckles lightly. “What a small,” yawn, “world.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles and kisses her forehead again. “Now, rest. I’ll chase away the cold tonight.”

“Mmm,” Kagome’s heart skips a beat. “Thank you, Inu… I could get used to this,” she sighs.

Now it’s his turn to blush. He rests his head against hers with a smile. “Me, too.”

#inuyasha #inukag #inukagfluffweek2022 #inukagfluffweek #inukag drabble

[casliveblog]

Custom Toonami Block Week 138 Rundown

Spy X Family: Following last week’s… explosive entrance into school, Anya has an uphill battle trying to fit in. Loid becomes an almost literal helicopter parent making sure she’ll apologize to him and despite Anya’s new friend Becky objectively being a best girl, she’s kinda getting in the way of the apology and everyone else hating Anya’s guts is kinda not helping. She eventually does get to apologize after Loid’s vandalized like a quarter of the school to give her the hint but because Damian’s friends mentally teasing her, Anya ends up crying while apologizing and making a really moe face, this combined with Damian going to Spike Spiegel school of loving women that kick his ass, means he now has an epic crush on her but given he’s like six this just amounts to shouting at her and running away, making everyone else think he hates her. Back at home, Loid’s trying to tutor Anya but just because she’s psychic doesn’t mean she’s smart so she’s having a really hard time of it and runs off. Loid and Yor have a nice little talk about how to do what Anya wants and lay off the Tiger Dad stuff a bit and Yor talks about how her brother loved sharing his knowledge with her and if Anya doesn’t find joy in learning and/or motivation in improving her mind to show her loved ones things will be hard for her on that front. Loid agrees and they try to find a gentle way to motivate and encourage her but when he goes to check on her he finds she’s already been studying as much as she can and knows how important it is that she does well. Kinda fucked up honestly that Yor just thinks Loid’s pushing this huge academic weight on Anya to honor his dead wife like that’s a lot of pressure to put on a six year old like getting into the school was one thing  but keeping her on the super elite honor roll deal feels like overkill. Anyway the stinger shows Yor’s brother getting home from doing espionage shit and finding out his sister’s apparently been married for supposedly like a year and never told him so… that’ll be fun to explain.

Inuyasha: We continue with the Naginata of Kenkon filler arc and the group faces off against the four Demon Ninja henchmen. Sango gets a lizard guy that can shoot scales or some shit, Miroku fights the tiger dude that can just kinda fuck him up, Inuyasha gets a turtle dude that’s too tough for him once Hoshiyomi sucks the power out of the Tessaiga and Akitoki and Shippo get the gay bird guy that can fuck up Shippo because he’s Shippo but also has WAY too much trouble fucking up Shippo for any respectable demon. Though the fights are brief and instead of a 1v1 where everyone gets to shine and do some trickery to beat their bad guy Inuyasha fucking does a sneak attack that frees Miroku and he just fucking Wind Tunnel’s all four of them, like props for efficiency if nothing else, just throwing all the filler villains under the bus and reminding us why Narkau carries a metric fuckton of Saimyosho everywhere he goes, though for Demon Ninjas you’d think at least one of them would be versed in poisons but guess not, get wrecked I guess. Meanwhile Hoshiyomi has Kagome and reveals his tragic backstory of being betrayed by a priestess woman and now he thinks humans are stupid and shitty and the reason he didn’t take the other half of the naginata is because he uses the blade to absorb Kagome’s spirutal power to break the priestess woman’s seal on it and just kinda fucking call the other half right out of Akitoki’s hands so I guess it didn’t matter but like he coulda just grabbed the other blade on the way or something Akitoki was right next to Kagome when he captured her. Hoshiyomi uses the completed naginata to open the Dead Zone and floats up into the air because when you open a hellish nether realm portal the first thing you wanna do is get right up next to it, man learned from Garlic Jr. and took his lessons to heart. But yeah the crew’s kinda fucked, Miroku can’t suck up Kagome and Inuyasha’s down one sword and you can’t just throw Hiraikotsu at a hell portal and hope for the best.

Yu Yu Hakusho: So this episode’s kind of fucking fantastic. Turns out Itsuki’s power is summoning Prismo from Adventure Time to swallow everyone but Yusuke up so he and Sensui can have a fair right. You know for all Hiei’s talk about ‘Toguro wanted to release your potential and Sensui won’t be that generous about handing you the key on a silver platter’ if Sensui really wanted to he could’ve just had Yusuke swallowed up too and the plan would kinda be fucked right here but luckily Sensui does want the chance to be proven wrong by Yusuke. Itsuki’s motivation is kinda interesting, he’s actually a demon that stalked Sensui when he was a young Spirit Detective and started to get Sensui to think about how some demons can be good which paved the path for his flip on humanity. Itsuki makes no bones about being totally fucking gay for Sensui and says he’s the kind of pure person that will reflect anything given to him so if he’s become evil and deranged it’s because he’s absorbed a world that is equally so and whatever he does to the world is justice. That’s basically a fancy way of saying ‘the guy I simp for can’t be wrong’ but it’s nuanced enough that it makes sense as the logical thought process of someone that’s become enamored with the depth of Sensui’s multifaceted personality. Meanwhile Sensui’s giving Yusuke his own lecture about how doing a hard job like this will inevitably corrupt him and if he embraces it and chills out and enjoys becoming a sociopath it’ll be a lot easier. Yusuke has a pretty awesome comeback about how up until now his life’s been pretty shitty and the so-called dirty job Sensui thinks is corrupting him is the thing that’s let him help people and learn to reach out to others and he refuses to be bent over backwards by it or by Sensui. The rest of the episode is the fun opening volleys of Yusuke vs Sensui and we get the reveal that Yusuke is actually stronger than Sensui in most every regard but Sensui’s smarter and more experienced, like a Piccolo vs Form 2 Frieza situation. After being off the wall enough to catch Sensui off-guard Yusuke gets a couple first blood shots in and Sensui reveals he’s fucking covered in scars that he inflicted on himself as part of his training, just in case we hadn’t sold the fact he’s crazy enough yet.

Jujutsu Kaisen: So this week’s our official intro to Gojo’s powers and it’s suitable epic, he spends the whole episode bouncing Captain Magma around faster than you can say Krackatoa. He has like… parabola armor in that the closer you get to him the harder it is to actually hit him with anything and also he has the power of Infinity which for some reason means shooting laserbeams like idk I can’t exactly tell him it’s scientifically incorrect to be able to shoot laser beams by touching infinity because who would be able to fucking test that. Like his power doesn’t really seem to have ‘mechanics’ to it beyond the theme of Infinity and his ability seems to just be ‘be stronger than you’ from what I can gather which don’t get me wrong it’s fucking awesome I’m just not entirely wrapping my head around how it functions and how it displays the mechanics of Jujutsu. Captain Magma is so pissed that he forgets all about the Hypercube plan and just wants to fucking murder Gojo which he should’ve realized wasn’t going to happen when Gojo pulls a fucking Metro Man from Megamind and dips out of the fight halfway to run an errand to grab Yuji and come back so he can watch their Domains expand. From what I understand Doman Expansion basically means everyone gets a Reality Marble from Fate to power up their attacks and like create fire and shit if your power is fire or… be Itachi’s Tsukuyomi in Gojo’s case since he just basically paralyzes Captain Magma with infinite possibilities aka the college experience. So yeah basically Domains work on Bleach rules where the stronger power overpowers the weaker one or how Field Spells used to work in Yugioh where one can overtake the other with splashes of Pokemon with elemental weaknesses can trump things that are basically tied otherwise. Idk how I feel about that like I don’t really like the mechanics of the show telling me ‘this person is stronger so they can no-sell the other’ like I’ll have to see how it plays out in the series but I think it’d be a lot more interesting if the Domains mingled so you had a different type of terrain for every battle based on the clash of the two peoples’ innate powers. But yeah Gojo fucks Captain Magma up and rips off his head but Flower Dude comes to save him and run like a bitch. So Gojo’s just like ‘yeah let’s get you strong enough to do something like that’ and meanwhile evil leader dude is chilling on a beach playing soccer with Captain Magma’s still living head.

Chainsaw Man: We cut right back into the Eternity Devil fight which again has Jujutsu Kaisen mirroring the pacing of Chainsaw Man with them fighting something that has to do with Infinity, though in this case unlike Gojo the Eternity Devil gets its fucking ass kicked because it’s basically a million balloons filled with purple flurp against Chainsaws and Denji can use their blood like gasoline to keep healing and fueling forever literally out-eternitying the Eternity Devil. Himeno has a flashback to her partners talking about how the only way to beat Devils is to not be afraid of them and only someone fucking crazy wouldn’t be afraid of them and luckily Fucking Crazy is Denji’s middle name… possibly also his last name idk if he has any other names besides Denji. So Denji carves up the Eternity Devil like a Thanksgiving Turkey full of Grimace Shake for THREE DAYS and the Eternity Devil’s just like ‘fine here’s my glowing weak point just please stop bro this is awful’. So yay victory for Team Fucking Crazy. Himeno’s really happy about this because it means she may be able to save Aki from going all Kurakpika and blowing his life force load in search of vengeance and the plan is to throw Denji at the problem and hope he out-crazies the Gun Devil which isn’t a great plan but given their last plan was not having a plan it’s an improvement. Kobeni and other dude are quitting after trying to murder Denji and shitting themselves at the first sign of miserable groundhog looping hell so they’re having a big drinking party to… celebrate that I guess. But yeah we go around and flesh out the side characters a little bit and even get some more character stuff for Makima so that’s fun and Himeno gets shitfaced and decides to give Denji his kiss and… fucking pukes in his mouth which even Denji has standards against but I’m sure it’s someone’s fetish, two devils one cup and all that, I knew the scene was coming and Hulu pixilated it but I’m still glad I watched it after dinner instead of before. While Denji’s puking his guts out and having an existential crisis over why his every step towards physical intimacy is fucking cursed as hell, he passes out and Himeno just kinda abducts him from the bar and takes him back to her place, so shitfaced that she doesn’t even remember doing it until he wakes up in her bed and she’s half naked. Still pretty fucking drunk and watching another man hopelessly chase after Makima, Himeno does a little projecting and offers Denji they just fucking fuck which is kinda… dodgy? Idk what the ethics are here like Denji can barely fucking move so I don’t think either of them are in a consenting position and also Denji’s 16 but because he’s Denji even he’s not entirely sure of how old he is and he’s probably just guessing which gives hentai artists plausible deniability I guess so the situation is so fucked up that it kinda wraps back around to being morally gray enough to not be all that problematic I guess?

Ranking of Kings: So Turns out Daida’s gross dad milkshake was a potion of resurrection and led to him getting his body possessed by presumably his dad. Meanwhile Bojji’s still in hell trying to get training and they bribe Despa enough for him to actually train Bojji and despite seeming dodgy at first it seems like he’s a nice guy that really wants Bojji to succeed and is on the up and up. He analyzes Bojji’s potential and finds out he has zero muscle potential and literally can’t get stronger no matter how hard he works so he’s basically like a Reverse Rock Lee. Still Despa’s like ‘motherfucker you paid me, I am gonna make a fucking king out of you’ and resolves to train Bojji, giving him a mystery weapon that suits him and training him for weeks outside of Kage’s (and our) view. We get a nice little montage of how Bojji’s doing studying, training, and housework before anyone’s even awake and then going to the real training to learn techniques from Despa to make up for his lack of physical strength and capitalize on his speed and skill, almost like standardized teaching is bullshit and playing to your students’ strengths is the only way to help them succeed. Anyway there’s a huge explosion and Kage sees Bojji standing in front of a huge fucking rock looking like he cut it in half somehow, like this could easily be a joke or a swerve but if he found a way to actually be good at fighting this is big.

Vinland Saga: Turns out the King of the Danes decides to let the soliders take the winter off from killing the English which makes things hard for Askeladd’s crew since they’re profiting off the war and have already sacked all the good places around. Askeladd’s just like ‘hey somebody’s gotta be killin’ somebody somewhere right?’ and they just fucking go to France for the winter. In France they find a skirmish already in progress where two French generals are just kinda fighting each other I guess, one’s raiding the other’s fortress and Askeladd wants to join the raiders since taking everything from the fort is probably better pay than helping defend it and sends Thorfinn to go negotiate with the raiders specifically because he doesn’t care if the raiders just fucking off him for the language barrier. Thorfinn’s getting fed up with being strung along for like the better part of a decade at this point and asks Askeladd when he’s gonna get his fucking duel and Askeladd tells him if he kills a general and brings him his head he’ll duel him. Thorfinn meets with the lizard-looking motherfucker leading the raiders and it’s funny because they just have a translator but since we’re obviously not gonna have them speak French and Norse he’s just repeating everything that’s said in English. Thorfinn tells him it’s better to attack from the river than the front door but apparently there’s waterfalls and shit stopping them from getting upriver, meanwhile after Thorfinn gives the signal that the raiders are in on the plan, the French soldiers see Askeladd’s men carrying the figurehead of one of their ships over the mountains and mistake it for a real fucking dragon which is pretty cool. The battle starts and turns out the fucking Vikings carried all three ships across the plains to drop it in the river right by the base to flank the fortress. Askeladd sees the French general and immediately just fucking leaps over the fortress to go for his head, distracting the crossbow guys and inadvertently saving some of Askeladd’s men and it’s kinda funny because he mows through the French troops like crazy but then accidentally drops the general’s head off the side of the fort and is just like ‘ah fuck’ and has to go in after it. Askeladd’s men flank the base and just fucking slaughter everyone before the raiders even get inside and by the time the raiders figure out what’s going on Askeladd already has all the treasure and is like ‘yup, our half’s all this shitty gold, you get the fort and all the glory, pretty cool deal huh?’ and Thorfinn fucking jumps back onto the boat just in time and tosses the general’s head in front of Askeladd, challenging him to a duel. Askeladd’s just like ‘yeah kid that’s pretty cool and I’mma let you finish but we gotta get the fuck out of France like five minutes ago so we’re gonna hit pause on that for right now’.

#ooc #Toonami #Custom Toonami Block #Spy X Family #Inuyasha #Yu Yu Hakusho #Jujutsu Kaisen #Chainsaw man #Ranking of Kings #Vinland Saga

[seths-wife]

What did Gammon Loop Octopus see in the temple of Alicegrad? (for real this time) part 2 - Could Gammon have seen a dead or dismembered Alice?

A dead or dismembered queen Alice 

This is the most commonly accepted theory concerning what Gammon sees in the temple.

It is made upon the assumption that Alice got killed (or died for some other cause) before the main events of the novel, and Gammon eventually holds his eyes on a corpse so horrible that shocks him to the point of screaming.

Is it coherent with the novel information?

There are hints of the veridicality of certain aspects of Gammon’s conspiracy theory concerning the state of queen Alice.

Wait, which theory? 

The one he confronts Seth about in the fourth chapter of the novel. 

“…At the very least, you became my father’s steward over twenty years ago.”

[...]

“Collaborating with my father, you developed a drug to brainwash the queen…Or at least, that’s what my father thought.”

[...]

“But the truth was a little different. The person you brainwashed with the drug wasn’t the queen—”

[...]

“–It was my father Miroku himself. And then you manipulated him to rule the country behind the scenes.”

[...]

“…Either the queen was already dead, or you had her killed. My father used the ‘inheritor of Rahab’ power that my family possesses to fabricate the queen’s prophecies all these years.”

[...]

“[...]…Even now my father is convinced that the queen is alive. Thanks to the ‘venom’ you had him drink. So this is…little more than my own theory.”  (“crime”, chapter 4, scene 3).

Throughout the novel, we don’t get any evidence about Alice’s real state (whether dead or brainwashed, the subject is completely untouched from an objective and reliable point of view).

We do have proof about the veridicality of the parts of the theory I put in bold (the part about Miroku being brainwashed by Seth in order to make him fabricate the country's prophecies, instead of Alice).

So where is the proof of those statements? 

A clue of the fact Miroku was brainwashed can be found in his daily journal (found by the information bureau on behalf of Adam Moonlit and Gammon during their plot in the first project).

You can read about this in scene 10 of chapter 3 in the crime novel. 

The journal was faded, showcasing that it had been begun a very, very long time ago.

It was mostly scrawled over with short sentences.

Gammon had called it a daily journal, but all things considered it might have been more accurate to say it was a memo pad used for the writer to express his feelings in secret.

.

“The queen has given birth.

Twins.

I can’t let this get out.”

.

“That young steward has carried out the job I tasked him with.

The twins were thrown in the river.

I’m sure they didn’t make it.”

.

“The queen is distraught at losing her children.

I must shut her up.”

.

“That steward I was so certain I had cut down appeared before me again.

Maybe his wound was too shallow.

He knows my secret.

This time I have to get rid of him for good.”

.

“He may be of use to me.

I’ll keep him around instead of killing him.”

.

“He wasn’t just a simple steward at all.

Venom…What an extraordinary drug.

With this the queen will become a mere doll.”

.

“I’ll meet up with Ceci at that place.

We spent the night merrily.

The drug appears to work very well.

After his death, I will inherit his legacy.”

.

“Had another dream.

No. It wasn’t that.

It’s a prophecy from the queen.”

.

“A purple dream.

No. This is a prophecy, Miroku.

Obey the voice of the gods.

I am Alice.

Queen Merry-Go-Round.

The gods said thus: [...] (“crime”, chapter 3, scene 10).

The novel also states that the entries of the journal have no dates, therefore it’s theoretically difficult to state which entry happened before or after another chronologically.

“…It’s my father’s daily journal.”

“Miroku’s?”

“Yeah. Though I’m not sure if I should call it a daily journal. There’s no dates written anywhere.”  (“crime”, chapter 3, scene 10).

From a more attentive reading, though, I really started to suspect that the entries are already in chronological order for two reasons:

they are logically consequential. 

For the fact, we have the order:

Alice gives birth to the twins.

Miroku tasks Seth to get rid of them.

Alice is sad because of that.

Miroku attempts to kill Seth but fails

Eventually, Miroku decides to keep him around since Seth showed him the “venom” he could use to further his plans.

And it goes on…since each entry is neatly logically connected to the other, it would make sense to assume they are indeed in chronological order.

The entries’ order matches with other accounts inside the same novel. To demonstrate this, I will just quote a few lines from other chapters.

Accounts from Miroku Loop Octopus:

–The queen, who was in the position of receiving divine revelations, was forbidden from having a husband.

The queen had to remain pure through her entire life.

But queen Alice had one day…become pregnant with child. 

[...]

But before he could, she’d escaped…and when she’d been captured again, she’d already given birth to twins.

Miroku hard ordered one of his servants at the time to throw those twins in the river—

(“crime”, chapter 1, scene 1).

Accounts from Seth Twiright: 

As Miroku’s steward, I had been given the order to take the twins queen Alice had birthed and discard them in the river. (“crime”, chapter 4, scene 4).

[...]

Venom was an extremely useful drug, and so now and then I would also use it when increasing my number of “friends”.

Only, it’s not like venom was a cure-all for my problems. It also had several downsides, so I had to hold back from using it too much. (“crime”, chapter 4, scene 4).

Before going on, I would like to comment on the last few entries:

Miroku initially plans to use “venom” to make Alice a “mere doll”...but, as the entries go on, we see how Miroku starts confusing his own “purple dreams” with the queen’s “prophecies”; in particular, he initially thinks his dreams are actually “prophecies” from the queen, and eventually Miroku’s delusion goes even further, getting to think he is the queen Alice herself.

With this, the queen will become a mere doll.”

“Had another dream.

No. It wasn’t that.

A purple dream.

It’s a prophecy from the queen.”

3.

No. This is a prophecy, Miroku.

Obey the voice of the gods.

I am Alice.

Queen Merry-Go-Round.

So yeah, something is wrong with Miroku: he was probably brainwashed as Gammon said. 

No, not “probably”; it is sure since Seth says he did so. 

It was a busy time. My “friend” network was expanding, and I was kept occupied with my work at the institute as well. I also couldn’t forget to go to the castle and dose Miroku with the drug. (“crime”, chapter 4, scene 4).

Well, at this point, the question is…why would Seth brainwash Miroku into thinking he is Alice, so that he may deliver “prophecies” in her place, thinking he is actually her? 

A take that can make sense can be the following (I have no 100% proof of this, though):

Seth wants to take the queen for himself (whether to turn her into Irina or for other reasons) without having Miroku complain about that and without having the public start to think that the queen suddenly disappeared (since that would cause a big uproar).

 For these reasons, Seth wouldn’t just simply kidnap her (considering that would put him against Miroku, who wanted to use the queen for his own ambitions*, and the public would panic about the queen disappearing, along with having his position potentially being questioned or put into jeopardy if found out, and with that his influence into the country). 

* “He wasn’t just a simple steward at all.

Venom…what an extraordinary drug.

With this, the queen will become a mere doll.” (“crime”, chapter 3, scene 10).

That would be his plan instead:  

Seth apparently knew that the Loop Octopus family was made of “Rahab’s inheritors” (meaning they could “predict the future” via purple dreams).

The populace of Levianta thinks that Alice also “predicts the future” via “hearing from the gods” directly. 

This implies the fact that if Alice disappeared and Miroku took her place, no one among the general public would notice the change because they both “predict the future” for them.

After all…it’s not like the queen can show up to the public for them to check on her state, since the senate head only can meet her, right?

This plan was also thought of by Gammon himself, while in a drunken state: 

“—Every so often I see dreams. Purple dreams,” a red-faced Gammon had blurted out while they were drinking wine together at a bar. “And whatever I see in those dreams will come true a few days later.”

“Wow, so you’ve got prophetic dreams.”

“I guess I have the power of being an ‘inheritor of Rahab’…to tell the truth, all the people of the Loop Octopus family have it to some degree or another—You know what that means?”

“Nnope…”

“The queen has her position by hearing the ‘voice of the gods’, and then telling it to people via a prophecy. But my family can predict the future too, though our methods may differ. In other words—”

And there Gammon drank up his wine, and said to Adam with resolve:

“—We don’t need a queen.”

[...]

“Oi…You listening?”

“Y-yeah…Sorry. What was it again?”

“’Course you weren’t…This might be a crazy theory, but…” Gammon continued to speak, his tone shaky, “…My family can tell the future too…My dad, Miroku, is the same. So, even if there were no queen…Even if, say, she’d died a long time ago, then no one would figure it out…”

“…Oh?”

“The queen hasn’t shown herself in public for close to twenty years.”

“That’s…because only the head of the senate is allowed to meet with her directly—”

“My father was the one who decided on that…after he became head of the senate…”  (“crime”, chapter 3, scene 6).

As you can see, this part of Gammon’s theory looks true to the actual events…still, despite that, there is no confirmation as to what happened to the queen for sure or what Seth did to her.

Let's look at the various possibilities…

What if he turned her into Irina? 

From the booklet of the “muzzle of nemesis” album, we have the birth of Irina signed 4 years before Hansel and Gretel were born. That means that at least four years before the main events of the crime novel, Alice was no longer herself: she was Irina already. 

If that had been true, of course, there would have been no way for Gammon to find Alice alive in the temple when he went to check on her, but rather a decomposed corpse or nothing at all, or even something else replacing her.

If we consider this date to be true, it can be plausible to think that Seth would try to hide the fact the queen was missing with the aforementioned plot...the only problem is that the timeline established in the other installments is potentially invalid considering the big amount of retcons the crime novel has.

If Irina’s birth date had been retconned though, there would still be the question of what had actually happened to the queen.

In fact, I have some distinct conviction that something happened to Alice long before 4 years the birth of Hansel and Gretel because of two reasons:

The novel mentions for Miroku's diary to be pretty old. That implies that the events written therein (including Miroku's brainwashing) happening or started happening some very long time ago.

The journal was faded, showcasing that it had begun a very, very long time ago. ("crime", chapter 3, scene 10).

2. From Seth's account described in the fourth scene in chapter 4, it is implied that Seth was brainwashing Miroku at the very least since when he adopted Adam Moonlit as his son.

Venom was an extremely useful drug, and so now and then I would also use it when increasing my number of “friends”.

Only, it’s not like venom was a cure-all for my problems. It also had several downsides, so I had to hold back from using it too much.

When things had calmed down to a decent degree, I decided to go check on how those twins were doing.

But…around then I ended up having a bit of a problem.

That is, I was in “poor physical health”.

Which meant that I couldn’t just go around places willy nilly.

So I decided to entrust one of the twins to a “friend” of mine. Raiou was a considerably skilled man, and so, though he had founded the organization “apocalypse”, I gave him the order to leave it and go collect one of the twins.

I went to the beach and found the other one—Adam—and took him up myself.

…Ah yes, and there I wound up reuniting with an old colleague. Well, that didn’t matter to me so much. She’d always been a rather stupid woman.

All that aside, it was my first time ever raising a child, so it was fairly novel for me.

I did my best to raise him to grow into someone with my favored “emptiness”.

It was a busy time. My “friend” network was expanding, and I was kept occupied with my work at the institute as well. I also couldn’t forget to go to the castle and dose Miroku with the drug, too. ("crime", chapter 4, scene 4).

Seth adopted Adam when he was 5 years old, or some bit later than that perhaps, considering that the timeline is very vague in the novel (for the fact, we just know that it happened after he was five when the fisherman that raised him for a while died because of a tsunami).

Adam was able to live peacefully until he was five years old.

He didn’t have many memories of that time himself.

Just that he was unable to sleep one night for the pounding rain he could hear outside his house.

And then suddenly an enormous amount of seawater was flooding into the house.  He concluded it was seawater because it was salty.

Without any chance to resist, Adam was swept away—and before he knew it, he was buried in rubble.

What Adam saw when he finally managed to crawl his way out.

Were buildings that had been destroyed by a tsunami.

And piles of dead bodies. ("crime", chapter 3, scene 2).

For now, let's consider that Adam has been adopted when he was 5 and that Seth started to brainwash Miroku during the same period of time.

Then, that would mean that Miroku has been brainwashed by Seth for at least 15 years before the main events of the crime novel took place.

This can potentially imply that something happened to Alice long before the signed year for Irina's birth in the album booklet…

That would lead us to think that Alice has been dead (or in a poor state) for a long time. And it wouldn't be out of place for Gammon to see that sort of sorry state when he went to check on her.

But there is something odd about all of this…the oddities I mentioned in the first part…of which I will talk about profusely in the next part :-3

#evillious chronicles #evillious #seth twiright #miroku loop octopus #gammon octo #gammon loop octopus #adam moonlit #eve zvezda #eve moonlit #alice merry go round

[cynthiaandsamus]

Custom Toonami Block Week 105 Rundown

Inuyasha: The gang is still at Renkotsu’s shrine thing and because Renkotsu’s playing 5D chess here he actually stole a living monk’s clothes AND buried people to mix Inuyasha’s nose up enough between the scent of life and death and whatever incense he has Shippo and Kirara smoking that he actually bullshits his way through the conversation and catches Inuyasha completely off-guard. Apparently Naraku didn’t give the Band of Seven the memo and just told Bankotusu ‘idk guys just kill Inuyasha and take the jewel shards’ and after Inuyasha tells Renkotsu about Naraku he rightly decides Naraku is the shadiest person in the world and not to trust him. Meanwhile Ginkotsu’s back and all being Wind Scar’d into a hole did was annoy him really Inuyasha takes him down AGAIN but Renkotsu’s already set fire to the shrine with everybody inside, not really capitalizing all that well on taking Inuyasha by surprise but they do have a neat little fight where Renkotsu and Ginkotsu have Inuyasha tied up in a tug of war between them on the stairs. Also Jakotsu fights Koga but nothing much comes of that since Koga’s moveset is specifically designed to not get fucked up by fast attacks and once he hears Kagome’s going to die he books it out of there. Inuyasha takes out Ginkotsu for like the 3rd-4th time this time with a direct Wind Scar and the guy STILL ISN’T DEAD like the strike that can kill a hundred demons seems to be having a huge problem taking out one metal boi. Renkotsu’s kinda pissed that Inuyasha ignores him to go save his friends but he has the 411 on Naraku and Kagome’s jewel shards so he’s good with carrying the 25% of Ginkotsu that’s left back home. Turns out Shippo was actually able to block the regular fire with his Fox Fire which I’m not a fireologist so I guess that works so nobody burned to death but the poison’s taken over so Kagome, Sango and Miroku have all stopped breathing, so show’s over I guess, see you guys next week for Yashahime with Inuyasha’s kid with… some girl.

Yu Yu Hakusho: So yeah, this it, the big one, the heavy episode. The Death of Genkai, it really kinda makes me laugh how little they do to hide that’s what’ll happen in this episode, like obviously Genkai doesn’t intend on throwing the fight with Toguro and we have a mountain of foreshadowing that it’ll happen but they just fucking named the episode that to remove all doubt. But yeah this episode is pretty cool as we’re drip-fed Genkai and Toguro’s backstory with small snippets during Genkai’s desperate fight against Current!Toguro and only get the full picture once Genkai reveals it to Yusuke on her deathbed. Toguro basically had Lysandre’s mindset from Pokemon and is like ‘man old people suck so much’ which seems to be a running theme for the arc. And instead getting old and bowing out gracefully once he and Genkai won the Dark Tournament he wished to become a demon which Genkai is understandably pissed about (though idk it’s not like demons in this series are literal evil we see a lot of them are chill dudes so him ‘selling his soul’ seems to be less about actually being a demon and more about the corrupting influence his obsession with youth and power had on his soul) Idk how Elder Toguro factors into this but I assume he was also on the old Team Toguro and when his younger brother made the wish he was like ‘sure, ditto’ and Genkai was just like ‘Oh my fucking god I knew you two were gonna pull this shit, none of you ever talk to me again’ and presumably Genkai and Toguro fight and Genkai beats him since it seems to mirror the final shot of their present-day fight exept this time Toguro wins and punches a hole in her. But after their past fight no one bothers her until the Dark Tournament committee is like ‘Hey Genkai I know you said never to talk to you again buuuut we’re blackmailing your pupil into fighting and he’ll prolly die without your help bye’ and it’s really kind of a cool message because Genkai found a way to continue living through Yusuke while Toguro is obsessed with physically staying alive forever himself, ever since she was introduced Genkai’s philosophy has been passing down techniques makes them stronger and she urges Yusuke to not be afraid of the fight against time because it’s the only way people really find their place and share things with each other and if you keep hiding from it and want just yourself to persist you close yourself off from what you can give to and receive from others just like Genkai was able to give Yusuke her wisdom and was in turn surprised by the kind of purpose and joy she was able to find in training and connecting with him.

Fate Extra: This episode probably has one of the highest Navelgazing/Plot Actually Happening ratios in Fate which is saying quite a lot. Nero and Hakuno are sent down to the bottom of Moon!SAO and Moon!Kayaba’s all ‘man you guys suck’ but Hakuno finds a bookmark left by F!Hakuno which legit just acts as a savestate and lets them go straight back to the fight. Hakuno does a lot of wishy washy bullshit but says ‘fuck it, got nothing better to do, might as well save humanity’ even if it kills him which honestly if he doesn’t save humanity won’t the Moon Halo just kill everyone anyway? Doesn’t seem like much of a choice. They get back and Hakuno basically burns up his own body to just dump as much mana as he can into Nero (giggity) as he can and Leo’s all ‘the fuck dude why you wanna save humanity?’ which is a question that gets asked surprisingly often in the Fate series like the answer should be obvious, for most people would be like ‘sure humanity not dying would be great’ Apparently Discount Kayaba told Leo that even if he used the Magic Moon Cup he could only prolong humanity’s end and Leo’s like ‘well fuck that, let’s everyone just die’ so Hakuno’s like ‘that’s objectively the wrong choice in that situation’ and Nero cuts through Gawai’s Sun Getsuga Tensho and it’s pretty cool, Nero uses her Unlimited Coliseum Works to press the insta-win button but Gawain sets fire to it before she can form it and you know what happens when you set a fire in front of Emperor Nero? Nero Lets Rome Burn and because of the sacrifice of her Noble Phantasm she’s just allowed to channel it all into one hit and take it out, defeating the fatalism of stagnation with the desire to live through sacrifice which is pretty neat thematically for all the shit I give Fate for being pretentious. Anyway time to fight Moon!Kayaba and his Space Whales or whatever the final boss of the moon is.

Bakemonogatari: It’s the final episode! Black Hanekawa’s basically like “Okay, two options, you dump Hitagi and go out with Hanekawa, you two bang and you’ll never hear from me again, or option two, I fucking murder you.” Which idk how murdering the guy she has a crush on will REDUCE Hanekawa’s stress, like in the long run I guess so if she manages to get over him but right away that might just be enough stress to short circuit her. I like how fucking long it takes Araragi to take Hanekawa liking him seriously like he has just not adapted to the whole harem protagonist thing yet. But yeah he rightfully points out that 1. He’s kind of a masochist so he’s actually grown to really like Hitagi and 2. Breaking up with her to go out with Hankeawa just to stop a serial killer cat spirit from murdering him isn’t exactly the best way to start a healthy relationship, which are both fair points. So Black Hanekawa goes for Option 2 and just straight up decides to murder him but he’s a vampire so even for an energy-absorbing murder cat that’s not exactly an easy task. (Also idk where we actually get the story for what happened with Araragi vs Shinobu to turn him into a vampire but we get constant references to it and I was kind of hoping for the full flashback but it didn’t pan out so I’m hoping it’s not just in the books or in a movie that’s only for Japan or something). She says the only way for him to survive now if someone from his harem comes to save him since he’s helped enough people to have a karmic debt anyway, but he says everyone he’s helped over the course of the series has saved themselves rather than him really saving them, but there isn’t exactly anything he can personally do to beat her so he does the only thing he can to save himself on his own… he asks for help. I think that’s pretty cool honestly, the whole series has had a theme of the only way for the hosts to beat their apparitions is to acknowledge their weaknesses that caused the curses in the first place and in Araragi’s case that’s always been him diving into things to help someone else without regard for his own safety and feeling overly indebted to anyone that helps him, so the contradiction is the only thing he can do to be self-sufficient is ask for help. He learns he can’t do everything on his own and at the same time that his life matters because if he were to die he’d upset the very people he’s trying to help, it’s a really cool way to bring his character full circle the more I think about it, it’s like the exact opposite of Shirou’s character arc from UBW where he’s a self-sacrificing asshole and is validated for it. Anyway because he calls out to Shinobu, apparently she’s just been living in his shadow this whole time because that’s apparently something she can just do and she punts Black Hanekawa and succs the cat right out of her. Araragi gets the gang back together one more time to find Oshino’s gone and has left the care of future apparitions in Araragi’s hands and also Shinobu’s just gonna chill out in Araragi’s shadow from now on like some kind of demon loli peter pan shit. Overall I really liked this show, there was a lot of shit that got on my nerves particularly with Nadeko’s arc and the weird loli shit this show pulls sometimes and in general some of the harem vibes are weird but it’s a lot less egregious than some other shows and there was some great character work here, a lot of fun the whole way through and I’m glad I watched it. That being said I know the second season is on Funimation too but I’mma hold off on that for now and take a bit of a break shortening down the block next week. Between Sailor Moon, Fate and Monogatari I’ve got a lot of shows ending back to back so I’m going to let the block shrink down a bit for a few weeks until all those shows end and decide what new stuff I want to watch from there, sort of rebuild the block from scratch and decide how much time I want to devote to this each week instead of feeling like I have to fill out seven shows just because.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Only three more episodes left in this series too, looks like we’re speeding right along! Evil!Hotaru has the Inner Guardians in barriers and shit and the black goo shit is gonna do stuff to the planet except the Outer Guardians make a rainbow anti-goo barrier to keep it inside but basically can’t do anything else in the meantime. Sailor Moon tris to fight Evil!Hotaru but it doesn’t work and so Evil!Hotaru is like ‘okay fuck it, having a human body sucks, gonna molt’ and Sailor Moon’s like ‘Oh no, Hotaru’s body, she needs that to live and shit’ and Hotaru jams Evil!Hotaru back in like ‘oh no you don’t I need that to live and shit’ but because Evil!Hotaru is powered by the Legendary Silver Crystal she’s like ‘fine I’ll just rip everything out’ but Hotaru cuts off her connection to the crystal and guards Chibi-Usa’s soul so Evil!Hotaru has to grab the Inner Guardians’ souls for more soul juice but Hotaru grabs their souls as she’s swallowing so Evil!Hotaru’s like ‘oh come on I stole those souls fair and square’ so now Hotaru knows if she leaves she can give everyone their souls back and get Chibi-Usa her Silver Crystal back but if she does Evil!Hotaru’s gonna molt off her body which, again, she needs to live and shit. Hotaru does the selfless thing, reflecting on how she’s never had the strength or determination to protect anyone before but she met and loved Chibi-Usa and wants to protect her even if she’s basically already dead. She yeets everyone’s soul out of her body and goes to see Chibi-Usa and give her her crystal but gets molted before they can touch and it’s really kind of genuinely fucking sad. Like I don’t have any particular confidence in this series to have the balls to kill someone off for real after Pluto (come to think of it Pluto was also into Chibi-Usa, this is basically the same arc all over again) but the way it’s executed is pretty good and sad and maybe it’s just because my friend who died recently’s favorite character was Hotaru but it legit made me really sad to watch. Chibi-Usa is pissed and she and Tuxedo Mask go to fight the goo creature and she gets her own Moon Chalice which you’d think would split up the powers of the guardians stored within so they’d each be half-super but I guess it doesn’t work like that and it just multiplies so they’re both Super Sailor/Chibi Moonses.

Durararax2: Everyone’s still trying to figure out what to do about Ruri’s cat and also her stalker but mostly the cat. We get a little backstory on said stalker being the son of one of Ruri’s sponsors who she murdered (no hard feelings he’s just yandere) and how Ruri basically got yoinked up by Yodogiri for being a Wolverine Speed-healing freak with super strength who just also happened to be good at practical effects and idoling and killed her dad and made her turn into a movie makup-themed serial killer. They have some kind of Eyes Wide Shut party cutting her open and watching her heal back up and I’m not sure if there’s any scientific endgame to that or if it’s just rich people being assholes as they’re want to do. Mikado has a totally not sketchy at all conversation with Kadota about how since the Dollars are freedom then he’s free to force people to not be free and Dota-chin’s just like ‘Oh god I’m watching a villain arc right now aren’t I?” Ruri tells Kasuka about his past and he’s like “Maybe give me the info dump when you’re not being stalked like I love you and wanna find out about you but if you’re only telling me in the hopes I’ll validate your past you might wanna work yourself out first before coming to me with that shit’ which is kinda harsh but understandable I guess. They call Mika over for a security check and she breaks into Celty’s house in like five seconds and it’s hilarious. Learning nothing from this Shinra opens the door a bit later and gets decked by the stalker who proceeds to beat the shit out of him because he wants to attack everyone Ruri knows so he can break her spirit before he does whatever he’s gonna do to her.

#ooc #Toonami #Custom Toonami Block #Inuyasha #Yu Yu Hakusho #Fate Extra #Bakemonogatari #Sailor Moon Crystal #Durarara!!

[mustloveinu]

kagome girl ur killing me here

#luka reads inuyasha #kagome #kikyo #miroku #inuyasha #IT SHOULDN'T ONLY BE INUYASHA LIKE #MIROKU CAN CARRY HER JUST AS WELL #BUT KAGOME IS JUST #LIKE THIS AAAA

[heynikkiyousofine]

Fate’s Arrangement  for @eowyns💕

Chapter 2

Kagome carefully brushed past a group of women as she headed into the small, but lively town, the hood on her cloak shielding her eyes. She had spent the whole morning walking, only stopping for a quick break to get some water at a spring and to eat an apple. As she neared a small tavern in the center of town, she could hear boisterous voices coming from inside. While she wanted to avoid the crowds, her loudly growling stomach could not be ignored.

Cheeks flushed, she glanced around her to make sure no one had heard her and breathed a sigh of relief when she was completely ignored. Pushing the swinging doors in, she stepped inside, a small child-like voice catching her attention.

“Hey! Give me that back!” a redheaded fox demon glared angrily at someone she couldn’t see. Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she strode towards the barmaid, asking the woman for a hot meal and some water. As the stout older woman filled a steaming bowl of stew, Kagome felt a soft touch rub her backside. Yelping, she whirled around as her hood fell, revealing her hair, to see a man with indigo eyes smiling brightly at her. 

“Why you, you pervert!” She raised her hand, swinging it forward swiftly. Her palm connected with his cheek, and she glared at the stranger. “What gives you any right to put your hands on me?!”

“Oi! Miroku!” A deep voice called from nearby, but Kagome was too furious to even glance his way. She wanted to make sure this man didn’t touch her again. Chest heaving, she shook with rage, her fists shaking at her side. 

The man, who she assumed was Miroku, held his hands up in surrender and began to back away slowly as she glared at him. He wore light brown pants, tucked into boots, a white laced up shirt, and a sword hanging off his hip. If she knew any better, she would say he belonged in her father’s army. Oh no, I hope no one has recognized me! She quickly pulled her hood back up, her anger morphing into anxiety.

“Miroku, stop that shit. One of these days, someone is going to hit ya harder than she just did.” The deep voice came from her left, a large shadow falling across her line of vision. She took a small step back, keeping her eyes to the ground. She heard his soft growl, and a weird sensation began blossoming in her abdomen. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she finally glanced up and locked eyes with this stranger.

Softly gasping, she stared in awe at golden orbs shadowed by dark brows. Mesmerized by the beautiful color, she missed what he asked her. Blinking, she frowned and shook her head.

“You’re not okay then?” he asked, clearly concerned.

“I’m sorry, what?” She blinked again. Mother would be appalled at me right now.

“I asked if you were okay.” he frowned, looking at her oddly.

“Oh! Yes, I’m okay.” She whispered, focusing on the rest of him as he turned back toward his friend. He had fluffy white ears atop his head, which she suddenly had the urge to stroke. While half of his silver hair was wound in a bun at the back of his head, the rest of it hung long down his back. As her eyes traveled down, she could see his muscles through his linen shirt, the color similar to his friend’s. He wore dark brown trousers, tucked into leather black boots, with a rusted sword at his hip as well. She bit her lip, attracted to what she saw.

Clearing her thoughts, the barmaid asked if she needed anything else. She shook her head and quickly turned around, eager to eat her meal. Grabbing her stew and the large mug of water, she stepped around the two men, looking for a table.

“Miss, you can sit with me!” A familiar voice called. Looking for the small fox demon, she smiled softly when he beckoned her over to an empty stool. Careful not to trip over her cloak, she carried her things and plopped down next to the cheerful tyke. “Hi! I’m Shippo, what’s your name?”

Hesitating, she bit her lip. Unsure if she should be giving her real name, given she was still in her father’s land. Before she could give a false one, the two men from earlier sat down across from her, the man with the golden eyes staring at her intently. 

“Shippo, stop inviting strangers to our group.” Miroku sighed. She blushed fiercely, staring down at her bowl, pushing the vegetables around. 

“She’s pretty.” Shippo exclaimed quickly. “Plus, she smells nice.” 

If her cheeks could turn a deeper shade of red, they would. Suddenly, the man with the golden eyes scoffed, rolling his eyes and soon Kagome’s flushed cheeks were from irritation instead of embarrassment.

“You don’t have to be so rude, you know.” She retorted, glaring at him.

“And ya ain’t gotta sit with us, but the brat asked, so I guess it’s fine.” he rolled his eyes once more and she could feel her patience wearing thin.

“If it’s such a problem with you, I’ll find somewhere else to sit, since it seems you can’t stand my smell!” She stood, her stool scraping against the wood floor. Why is this man being so rude to me now?

“Now, now. Let us calm down and get to know each other. I assure you that my friend here means no harm by his remark.” Miroku began, holding out his hand for her to take. She eyes him warily, her anger dissipating. “I’m Miroku, this is Shippo, and this is Inuyasha.”

Kagome swallowed, taking her seat once more. She could feel them all watching her, waiting for her to give her name. She grabbed her mug and took a large gulp of water, licking her lips as she set the mug down.

“My name is Kagome.” She spoke softly, careful of any other who might be listening in.

“She ain’t lying.” Inuyasha stated, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the wall. She must have had a confused look on her face because Miroku chuckled. When she turned to look, he smiled warmly.

“Inuyasha here is a hanyou, with a very strong sense of smell.” Miroku chuckled once more, earning a small giggle from Shippo.

“You have a problem with it?” Inuyasha growled, his body tense as he stared at her.

“Not at all.” She stated, every word true. He seemed to relax, his gaze never leaving hers. 

She grabbed her bowl, lifting it to her lips and began to drink her stew. This is delicious! She chewed on a chunk of meat as the men around her began to talk. She focused on eating, eager to get on the road again, when she missed Shippo’s question.

“I’m sorry, what did you ask me?” She smiled softly for the kit, setting down her almost empty bowl.

“Kagome, where are you headed?” he repeated, laughing softly.

“I’m headed towards the ocean, going east.” She was unsure why she was being so honest with these strangers, but felt safe and comfortable in telling them the truth.

“Inuyasha, she should come with us, so she isn't traveling alone!” Shippo gasped, turning his bright emerald eyes to the hanyou. Surprised by the fox’s gesture, she turned her gaze back to him, actually wanting to join them. She knew she had a better chance of staying hidden, plus if anyone was searching for her, she doubted they would look for a group of people.

“Actually,” Miroku began, “that would probably be for the best. A beautiful woman like you shouldn’t be traveling alone.” Rolling her eyes, she sighed, already used to his nature. 

“Why are you traveling alone? Are you in some kind of trouble?” Inuyasha asked, peering at her suspiciously.

“I left home on my own accord and decided to see the world.” She spoke confidently. Remembering his keen sense of smell, she told the truth for the most part, only leaving the part out where she was a runaway princess bride. Keeping his gaze, she did her best to look sure of herself.

“Then it’s settled!” Miroku exclaimed. “She’s traveling with us.” 

“Do you have a place to stay tonight?”” Inuyasha asked her. She shook her head, drinking the last of the water in her mug. “We usually all stay in one room together, so if you don’t mind then you are welcome to stay with us. It saves money for food and other expenses. Do you have anything of worth in that bag of yours?”

“I have money, if that’s what you’re asking. I also don’t mind rooming with you, as long as Miroku keeps his hands to himself.”

“You have my word.” Miroku promised.

“We leave in the morning.” Inuyasha stated, standing from his stool and walking away. She stared after him, wondering where he was headed to so quickly. Sighing to herself, she ignored the blossoming feelings towards him and began a conversation with Shippo about the rooming situation. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome tossed and turned on the low bed. It wasn’t like hers back home and she begrudgingly accepted that this was the price she had to pay if she didn’t want to be trapped forever in a miserable life. Shippo, snoring lightly, was snuggled up beside her, kicking his foot. She smiled to herself as he was obviously dreaming, and pulled him tighter against her stomach. He rolled over, sighing in his sleep, and burrowed closer to her. She pulled the blanket up, tucking him in and closed her eyes, going over the events of the day. So far, she hadn’t seen any guards in the village and she was pretty positive no one really recognized her. She wondered if they would make it out of her father’s land tomorrow or if the border patrol would bring her back to the palace.

“She seems to be in danger, as if someone were after her.” Miroku’s soft voice came from behind the privacy screen. She froze, keeping her breathing even so they wouldn’t realize she was awake.

“I know Miroku, but I doubt she’ll tell us. She was hesitant to give us her own name.” Inuyasha agreed.

“We should keep an eye out. Do you have any idea who she is?” Miroku continued, Kagome straining to hear Inuyasha’s response. When no answer was received, she swallowed, afraid she would be found out. I wonder if I tell them, would they send me back? Or would they let me continue on with them?

“Well my friend, we should get some shut eye. We have an early morning and I want to get on the road soon. I would like to cross the border before sunset tomorrow.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Kagome rolled over, squeezing Shippo tighter against her chest and swallowed back the lump in her throat. Oh please, don’t let them find out, please, please. After a moment of silent begging, she began to doze off, dreaming vividly about the ocean crashing against the beach.

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#inuyasha #kagome #inukag #inuyasha x kagome #miroku #sango #mirsan #Shippo #arranged marriage #wip

[akitokihojo]

Monster - Chapter 19

chapter index

“How far off are we talking?” Inuyasha asked, kicking out the fire as the rest of his team hurried to pack up camp.

“Ten miles, give or take.” Koga answered.

“How are you so sure it’s Hakudoshi?” Kagome asked next, strapping her bag over her shoulders.

“Anyone want to fill us in on what a Hakudoshi is?” Miroku implored with a bemused frown.

“A short, evil minion that we need to kill.” The wolf demon answered.

Blinking blankly, Miroku shifted his eyes over to Kagome for an actual explanation.

“Naraku created a group of demons. As far as we know, he had five. We killed one already, so now he’s down to four: Hakudoshi, Kagura, Byakuya, and Goshinki. Hakudoshi, we really don’t have a lot of information on other than he’s a child and has long, white hair.”

“He’s a child.” Miroku gasped.

“An evil one!” Koga feebly defended.

“Miroku, think of it as a design.” Inuyasha spoke. “Remember how we explained Naraku to you? How he’s an inorganic half demon? Anything he creates is essentially inorganic, as well. Child or not, Hakudoshi is still a demon of his that needs to go down.”

“Excuse me?” Koga sort of gaped at how that bit of information was so casually mentioned and how no one else was the least bit fazed by it.

“He’s just a little boy though, right?” Sango inquired sympathetically. “Isn’t there a chance he can be turned around and saved?”

“No, I think he’s a bit too far gone.” Kagome grimaced. “We had a friend that was sort of tortured into shape by Naraku’s guys. Hakudoshi was the main offender and was a fan of sharp objects.”

“Oh, okay. Evil child with a knife. Got it.” Miroku cringed, immediately throwing aside any further argument he could have thought of.

“The only one that’s worth saving is Kagura, but that’s a story for another time. We’ve gotta get going.” Kagome added.

“Hello?” Koga called, demanding their attention. “Inuyasha, what the fuck did you just say about Naraku?”

“Oh, that he’s an inorganic half demon? Yeah. You didn’t know that?” The hanyou shrugged sardonically. It was high time the secret got out to all that were involved since everything was so real now, but that didn’t mean he planned on sitting Koga and Sesshomaru down to have a nice, mature, informative conversation. That just meant he’d openly talk about it in front of them so that they could piece it all together on their own. It wasn’t like they could do much with it, anyway. He kept it under wraps for the protection of himself and everyone around him. Now, there was no further reason for it.

“Yeah, come on, dude.” Miroku arched a brow, playing along. He felt it was only his right since the guy just tried to punk him. “Even we knew that.”

“How the fuck… Inuyasha, what are you talking about? What does this mean?” Koga questioned seriously.

“It means he’s not a full demon like he wants everyone to believe. I can tell you’re looking for his weakness though, and I don’t know that. Technically, at this point, him being half demon is useless information. It’s nothing more than a fun fact. Half demon or not, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.”

“No, but half demons have specific traits about them, don’t they? They have a time of the month dedicated to basically emphasizing their weaknesses, right?”

“We turn human, yes.” Inuyasha tried not to grumble with his admittance. It was common knowledge. What wasn’t was the day and time it happened. “Naraku, doesn’t. I don’t exactly know what he transforms into, but it’s definitely not human, and potentially even more damaging to him. Be that as it may, do you know when that is?”

“Obviously not.”

“Then, it’s useless information.”

“How do you know this? Did you see it?”

“A long ass fucking time ago, I did. I was a kid; I wasn’t paying attention to the phase of the moon. Unless you know where he is and want to camp out every fucking night outside his place to wait and see if you miraculously feel his demonic energy die off, I’m going to have to repeat, this is all useless information now. It serves as nothing more than a stab to his ego.”

“Dammit.” Koga hissed. He was hoping that since it was new information to him, it’d be something they could grasp onto and utilize in the future, but the mutt was right. No one knew where Naraku was hiding, and camping out was obviously out of the question. Not to mention, a monster like that with the pride he harbors would take extensive efforts to protect himself during his moment of incapacitation. As quickly as he’d clung to the hope, the wolf demon was going to have to drop it. “Can you guys keep up while running? We should head out.”

“Kagome, get on.” Inuyasha kneeled, securing her rear as she climbed onto his back. With a little hike up, he was set to carry her at a decent speed.

“Kirara, let’s go.” Sango firmly ordered, and the small cat demon by her side let out a little meow, hopping into an open space as she transformed into her larger, saber-toothed version.

“Uh, there are things you don’t see every day, and there are things you see that make you think you took a little too much of Kaede’s good shit. What the fuck is that?” Koga pointed to the large cat demon, beyond perplexed.

“Kirara.” Sango replied nonchalantly, jumping on the demon’s back with ease. Miroku followed, not quite as skillfully, but not as sloppily as he used to either. “She’s my cat.”

“You’re not high, buddy.” Miroku grinned. “This is not an illusion.”

“Kagome, you’re from a weird ass village.” He shook his head, heading off in the direction he came from as he led the squad forward.

Koga had had to slow his pace down a bit since he knew he ran faster than the average demon and he didn’t want to lose his new comrades, but he was glad to hear no complaints from anyone. In fact, it was him that ended up doing the complaining. By the time they reached the fork where he’d left Sesshomaru, the high and mighty dog demon was nowhere around. As fruitless as it was to even call out for him, given his scent and aura weren’t in the immediate vicinity, the wolf demon still found himself audibly searching.

“Let me get this straight,” Inuyasha began, safely setting Kagome back down to her feet. “You told Sesshomaru to wait for you?”

“Yeah.” Koga frowned.

“And, you actually expected him to listen?”

“He said he would!”

“Did he say he would or did he grunt?”

Koga paused as he recalled the conversation with Sesshomaru, realizing it was the latter that he’d received. “Fuck!”

“Who’s Sesshomaru?” Miroku asked after climbing down from Kirara.

“Inuyasha’s older brother.” Kagome answered.

“Half brother.” Inuyasha corrected.

“They don’t get along.” She continued with a grimace.

“From the smell of it, he’s long gone.” The hanyou mentioned, his nose in the air to gather the area. “He went right. We’ll go left. There’s no use in you trying to catch up with him, so just come with us.”

“What happened to no teaming up?” Koga meagerly mocked, barely putting any effort behind his deriding tone.

“You can come with us, you can stay behind, or you can seek out the imp fucker. I don’t care. I was just giving you another option.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes, leading the way toward the left route.

“Alright, alright. No need to beg, Inuyasha. I’ll help you out, but only because you asked so nicely.”

Inuyasha barely bit back his groan, his head falling as he kept walking. He was going to regret this, wasn’t he?

“Koga, you never answered my question from before.” Kagome said, jogging a little to walk beside him as they all continued down the path. “How do you know this is Hakudoshi? Didn’t you guys say the underlings all give off the same scent as Naraku?”

“Oh, yeah. They do. We caught something feint and followed it. You’re not gonna like this, but we ended up coming across a house at the edge of the woods -“ Koga paused, pointing behind them to the West. “And, everyone inside was…”

“Dead?” Miroku attempted to finish for him, wondering if that was the word he was going for.

“I mean, yes, but a little more than that.”

“How can you be a little more than dead?” Sango asked.

“It was gruesome, okay? The bodies were mangled. It was an entire family torn to shreds. The smell of Naraku was strong there, so we followed it out. We got all the way to this path here, and the scent of him went down both ways. Hence, why I came and found you. That way, no matter what, more ground is covered and we can hopefully corner the fucker. Sesshomaru was adamant that it couldn’t be Kagura, Byakuya doesn’t look like the type who’d want to dirty his nails doing something like that, but who’s the one we discovered has a thing for torment? Hakudoshi.”

“You cannot possibly be that stupid, can you?” Inuyasha gruffly asked, abruptly stopped in his tracks as he spun around. His brows were furrowed and his lips turned down in disapproval. “This is most likely the biggest trap anyone has ever willingly walked into.”

“No, that was definitely considered.” Koga plainly responded. “But, it’s a chance we have to take. And, one you readily hopped on board with without any further information.”

“Because, I decided to trust you for once. A big mistake on my end, clearly.”

“So, if you knew it was potentially a trap, you’d let it all slide and allow him to get away?” The wolf demon challenged.

“I would have taken a moment to establish a plan.” Inuyasha scowled.

“Hakudoshi could theoretically lead us to Naraku. Sesshomaru and I already came up with a plan. Cover more ground and pin him.”

“You’re forgetting one major thing here, Koga.”

“Goshinki.” Miroku concluded. It was the only name he’d heard that hadn’t been considered.

“Right.” Inuyasha assertively confirmed. “That’s a creation we have literally no information on, and you two are going off of assumptions. Assumptions that could get us all killed.”

“What’s happened to you, Inuyasha? You used to be so carefree and reckless.” Koga teased. “Now, all of a sudden, you’re rational and want to put as much thought into everything possible? Why’s that?”

Inuyasha didn’t answer. His jaw clenched tight, and his amber eyes pierced through Koga’s blue irises.

“Oh, got it.” The wolf laughed, patting Kagome’s shoulder. “It’s because your sweetheart almost died, right? Well, don’t worry. I’ll be right here to save her again if anything happens.”

“You son of a -“ Inuyasha ground out, stopping himself before he could throw a punch at him.

“Koga!” Kagome pushed his hand off of her.

“Kagome, what?” Miroku demanded, marching forward.

“Goddammit.” She grumbled before turning to him. “Look, there was an incident, but I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

“Naraku’s puppet kicked my ass; I told you that already.”

“You didn’t tell me it’d almost killed you!”

“It’s not imperative knowledge, Miroku. It happened, it’s done, I’m okay, so let’s drop it.”

“What happened?” He repeated more sternly.

She hesitated. She didn’t want this to make her cousin worry more, which was why she’d chosen to never include that tidbit of information in the first place. It wasn’t necessarily her most prideful moment, either. It was terrifying. For she and Inuyasha. Bringing it up would help no one, and would ease the pressure on no one’s shoulders. Still, Miroku pierced her with his indigo stare, and she felt compelled to give him something.

“He tossed me off of the mountainside and into the river after the heavy rains had filled it. Koga saved me.”

Miroku could say nothing, his hand flying to rub the tension from his forehead as he closed his eyes. This was why she didn’t want to tell him. What good is it doing? It seemed to only be reinforcing his stress and the longer he was silent, the heated sighs leaving his nostrils, the more uncomfortable she was becoming. She could only hope he was taking this long because he was processing the information and throwing it away. He got what he wanted, there was nothing anyone could do to change it, and now the best thing to do was to let it all go.

But, then his dark blue eyes transferred to Inuyasha. “I thought you’d said she’d been safe with you.”

“Hey!” Kagome quickly shouted, though she didn’t immediately regain his attention. Nevertheless, she spoke. And, she spoke powerfully. It was like she could feel the admonishment sitting heavily in Inuyasha’s chest, and she wasn’t about to allow that to overtake him again. “It is not his fault! My safety is in no one’s hands but mine, so don’t act like I need bodyguards standing at every side of me! I am not fragile, you know I’m not fragile! I know it upsets you that you weren’t there, Miroku, but that’s the thing! You weren’t there! You don’t know how it all went down! So, don’t blame Inuyasha, because you don’t know how hard he was trying to save me!” Finally, his look had shifted back to her, and it seemed his frown became something less angry and hinting more on the remorseful side. “Redirect it towards me! Ask me what I had done wrong! I can list everything! I was too scared, I let my emotions get the better of me, I wasn’t strong enough, I hesitated - I can go on! But, you’re not gonna do that, are you? If you aren’t going to blame me, then I can guarantee you that it’s not going to make you feel better to place the blame on anyone but Naraku, so just drop it! It happened, it’s done! Let it go, Miroku!”

Swiftly, while the heat still bubbled in her core, Kagome turned around to face Koga. “And, you! What was that? Were you just trying to gloat because you didn’t like that Inuyasha opposed you!? Grow up!”

“I - I didn’t know that not everyone here was aware of what had happened.” Koga feebly defended.

“No, you just didn’t think before you said anything! You were throwing whatever you could out there to get under his skin! If you want to tag along, you need to learn to communicate better, understand!? Work with us or go find Sesshomaru!”

Then she turned to Inuyasha, sighing out some heat and allowing her glower to relax a little before speaking to him. He was innocent, he didn’t deserve her temper. So, with one exhale, she pushed as much infuriation from her being so that she could continue semi-reasonably with him. “I don’t really think that there’s any way we can come up with a plan for this. I think the best thing we can agree on is to be on high alert. Expect the unexpected. Or, did you want to turn around?”

“No, you’re right.” Inuyasha agreed.

“Okay.” Kagome breathed, though she faced the others in challenge. “Anyone else want to say anything?”

The group was quiet, and she’d noticed Koga’s tail drooped almost fearfully, his azure eyes on the floor and away from her. Good. It was immature of him to bring up her near death experience anyway; he should be ashamed of himself. He didn’t just cause Inuyasha to recoil, but gave her, her cousin, and Sango grief in doing so, as well. What an idiotic move.

“Great. Then, let’s keep going.” She concluded, turning around on her heel and walking forward at a quick pace. Everyone else, though, had to stay put for a quick breather.

“What did I tell you about pushing her?” Sango asked Miroku, coming forward to give him a half-sympathetic rub on his arm.

“Yeah, I know.” He grimaced, turning to follow after his cousin so that she wasn’t wandering off alone. “I’ll go calm her down.”

Inuyasha pinched the bridge of his nose. “The answer you were looking for is, I’m not sixteen, seventeen years old anymore, Koga.” He sighed. “But, it does also help to have someone else to consider when making your decisions. You should try it sometime.”

“That was terrifying.” Koga admitted.

“Yeah.” Sango laughed, her cat demon companion following her forward. “That’s what you get.”

Kagome could hear the footsteps approaching, easily identifying the gait as Miroku’s, and as soon as he was close enough, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m sorry I left home without telling you, and I’m sorry if that felt like betrayal, but can you please try to get over it?”

“Well, that was blunt.” He muttered. “I wasn’t betrayed, Kagome. I was worried sick. Look, stop for a second.”

“No, because then the others will catch up and I don’t want them to overhear us.”

“Okay, fine, fair enough. Just try to look at it from my point of view. Please. Our entire lives, I’ve spent looking after you. Not just after I moved in when dad and uncle died, but always. I was the one who gave you the boost on top of the counter to get the cookie jar, and then helped you down. I was the one who put a bandaid on your knee when you tripped and fell. I was the one who stood in front of you when the henchmen came to our village. I know you don’t need protecting, but I’m your older brother. Whether you need it or not, I want it for you. I like to know that you’re safe, and when I don’t, it scares me.”

“That’s very sweet, but it also sounds like you’re saying if you weren’t there to monitor the situation yourself and something went wrong, you’re going to be judgmental about it.”

“How did you get that from anything I just said?”

“‘I like to know that you’re safe, and when I don’t, it scares me.’”

Miroku grimaced. “That wasn’t supposed to be turned against me.”

“I don’t know what you want from me, Miroku. I’ve said I was sorry like ten times already. I can’t go back to two months ago and change my mind, and even if I could, I wouldn’t. You can be mad at me all you want, I completely understand, but can you please try not to take it out on Inuyasha?”

“I didn’t take it out on him. I asked him a simple question.”

Kagome stopped walking then, pinning him with a stare that read right through his weak facade.

“O-okay,” He babbled awkwardly. “So, it was less simple and more a question that put him on the spot. I met the guy yesterday, Kagome. I don’t know him yet, so if he’s telling me he’s ensured your safety but Koga’s telling me you almost died, I feel like I have the right to -“

“Be judgmental?” She interjected, walking again.

“No.”

“He never said that, anyway. He’s contributed to my safety, but no one can ensure anything. Especially out here. You said it yourself last night, you and Sango have been through the wringer, as well. How many times have you guys been really hurt to the point where you needed to lay low?”

He bobbed his head in a small motion. “A couple times.”

“Right. It’s impossible to know what to expect outside of the boundaries of home, and we’ve all had to learn that the hard way. I’m not asking you to be his best friend, I’m asking you to take common sense into consideration, and to think before you react. You cant control what happened in our separation, and you just need to come to terms with the fact that I’m fine. I know you want to protect me, and I sincerely appreciate it. I do. I want to protect you too, which was why I suggested you two go home. But, you made your choice, and as much as I wanted to fight you on it, I respected it. It’s not like you’re blind to the craziness we’re dealing with; I’m sure you’ve gotten a pretty good taste of the morbidity out here. All I’m saying is, what’s done is done. Let it be done. Stop trying to make up for lost time, and just be with me now.”

“Okay, okay, okay. I get it. I’m sorry, but I’m also not sorry. I didn’t want to upset you, but it’s sort of shocking to find out you’d almost died. You can’t blame me for responding in a manner that wasn’t exactly the most positive.”

“In my defense, you weren’t supposed to find that out.” Kagome sighed. “I’d wanted to keep that from you, and clearly for good reason.”

“Why? Why wouldn’t you want me to know that?”

“Because, that information only hurt you, Miroku. Are you telling me it’s a good thing you know now?”

“Okay, I see your point.” He finally relented.

“It’s not like I’m trying to keep secrets from you or offend you in any way. I’m just keeping my business on a need-to-know basis.”

“I understand now. I do. Is there anything else I need to know?” He gave a crooked grin to try and lighten the mood.

Kagome heard the footsteps of the rest of their group coming around the bend not too far behind them now, and she peeked over her shoulder to make sure Inuyasha wasn’t in sight. Still, to be respectful of his sensitive hearing, she chose to keep her voice low. “Yeah. The day I’d almost died, it was really hard on Inuyasha, too. He was scared he’d lost me. He’d felt like he’d failed me. So, what you said - salt in the wound, Miroku. Not cool.”

“Oh. Ouch.” His smile stiffened. Faltered. “My bad. I can’t even apologize to him, though. I take it from the way you’d whispered that I’m not supposed to know.”

“Yup. Just keep it in mind for the next time you want to act like a tough guy. You don’t know the full story. I know that’s what’s bothering you, but handle it.”

“Are you saying I’m not tough?”

Kagome stopped walking and analyzed the size of her cousin’s biceps, teasing him by pursing her lips disappointedly as she pinched the muscle. The flicker of her brown eyes up to his said it all and Miroku gasped.

“Is this what I get? Is this the treatment I get because I care about you?”

“No, it’s the treatment you get because you’ve got puny arms.”

“The audacity! You’re small, too!”

“Miroku, she stabbed a guy in the groin with an arrow yesterday. I wouldn’t say that if I were you.” Sango chimed as they all appeared down the trail.

At hearing that, Koga’s eyes went wide, aghast, and he swiftly spun around on his heel mid-step to head back in the direction they’d come in. He’d been the most recent to piss her off, so it was evident he was the one she’d have no problem turning on if he spoke out of pocket again. He’d much rather head out to find Inuyasha’s brother than stick around to potentially share the same fate as arrow-dick-guy. Before he could take another step though, Inuyasha snagged the back of his vest, dragging him along.

“Keep going, wolf. She’ll only turn on you if you pretend to be alpha.”

“Inuyasha, I am alpha. I’m literally the alpha wolf of my pack.” He murmured unnervingly to the mutt.

“I know.” He smirked. “I want to see what happens.”

“Uh,” Inuyasha heard Kagome up ahead, noticing she’d stopped walking, she and her cousin facing off to their right. From his vantage point a little down the path, he couldn’t see what they were gazing at, but he could tell there was a break in the trees right where they stood. “It’s a cave.”

“Do you sense anything?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

She was right. The scent was feint, but Naraku’s trail ended here and went inside. He could feel demonic energy, but what was disconcerting was, he couldn’t pinpoint just how dangerous it was. Even worse, from outside of the cave, he felt eyes on him. Eyes he felt would only peer harder the moment they went inside.

“You got anything to help prepare us?” Sango asked. “We haven’t faced anything belonging to Naraku yet. How strong are we talking?”

“That sword on your hip,” Inuyasha pointed. “It’s not just there for show, right?”

“No. I’m highly skilled with it.”

“Good. You’ll find it’s a valuable asset to keep you alive then. Other than that, all I can say is to stay vigilant. If Koga or I tell you to back up, you back up. We tell you to get down, you get down. Understand?”

“You two went from arguing to playing co-leaders?” Miroku asked with an arch of his brow.

“You got heightened senses?” Koga asked. “You got keen instincts?”

He scrunched his nose in regret of his remark. He was on a roll today. “No, but I’ve got nice hair and great listening skills.”

“Wonderful. Then, you’ll be just fine.” The wolf remarked with a wink, bravely leading the way inside.

“Hey, you okay?” Inuyasha checked, grabbing Kagome as he sort of forced her to walk slower and stick behind everyone with him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders as he pulled her closer to kiss her temple, her stride falling in line with his.

“I’m fine.” She dismissed. “Sorry for what he said back there.”

“Don’t be. You still mad?”

“Nah, I was more frustrated than anything. I get where he’s coming from, I just don’t know how to make everyone happy right now.”

“Don’t worry about making everyone happy, kid. He’s spent over sixty days worried about you. By now, it’s almost a learned behavior. Show him he’s got nothing to worry about. Show him what you’ve got. Just like you did with me.”

The advice made sense. It made a lot of sense. Miroku had always stood in front of her, shielded her from so much while growing up, so simply telling him no one needed to do that anymore wasn’t going to be as effective as showing him what she’d learned she could do. He hadn’t been there to see her develop into the conjurer she now was, so his absence went both ways. He was going to have to drop his need for control, and she was going to have to demonstrate her formed abilities.

In reply, she smiled and nodded, glancing up to the hanyou in appreciation. Kagome gave a little perk of her lips to silently request a kiss while he was still so near, and he grinned, leaning down to quickly give her what she’d wanted.

Inside the cave, it was dark. Ominous. Inuyasha was right, he felt closely watched. Almost studied. He jogged ahead to catch up with Koga, the hit from his boots against the cavern floor echoing off the surrounding walls.

“You feel that?”

“Yeah.” Koga agreed, blue eyes searching for the culprit. There was nowhere for anyone to hide, though. Not so close to the entrance at least. The only way to discover the source, he felt, was to delve deeper, but deeper was where it would definitely grow increasingly dangerous. A turn of events they were prepared to expect. No matter what, Koga didn’t like the feeling swimming in his gut. “Come out of hiding! You wanted us to follow you, right!? Well, here we are!”

The wolf demon’s loud voice bounced off of the walls, repeating down the chambers the cave harbored, but no one replied. No one came out from behind a rock, or a nook in the siding, no one approached, no one was there. Except someone was. Someone had to be. This was Naraku’s scent, there was no mistake of that, but for some reason, the demonic aura was so engulfing, it almost felt like they were inside of a demon, itself.

“Well, if they didn’t know we were here before, they sure do now.” Inuyasha remarked dully.

“We give off demonic energy, ourselves, dipshit. Of course, they knew we were here.”

With a roll of his amber eyes, Inuyasha trudged on beside him, remaining observant of their surroundings as they traveled through the tunnels. The deeper they walked, the more sinister the feeling became. It was like wading through a sludge of demonic energy, and that sludge was toxic and thick, almost entrapping. Still, there was no way to pinpoint the source. It was all around, and he was trying to figure out the direction of a stronger pull, but he couldn’t.

Kagome fell behind. Just slightly. Out of nowhere, a very subtle dizziness began to hit her, but she didn’t want to worry anyone. She hadn’t had much water today, so maybe she was a bit dehydrated. It wasn’t bad at all, so there was no need to bring it up or ask for a small break. Maybe it was the energy of the cave. It was putrid, that was for sure. Definitely similar to what she felt when Moryomaru was near. Vile and rotten.

That had to be it. It was just overwhelming. Kagome tried to blink her slight case of vertigo away when the tiniest ache in her head pinched right over her eyes. No one else was reacting, though. Were they not affected by this? With a deep breath and a thick swallow, she pushed it all aside. If the demons of the group, more sensitive than she, could go forward, then Kagome could, too.

The further they went, the worse it got. She found herself squinting to see straight, tensing her throat so her pained sighs wouldn’t alert anyone. Her head wasn’t consistently throbbing, but came in waves. Not even quick waves. In fact, she couldn’t grasp the pattern, sporadically coursing through and causing Kagome’s brow to crease and her nose to crinkle each time. Again, she tried to gather if anyone else was having adverse effects to the atmosphere. Koga and Inuyasha seemed relatively uncomfortable but that was the extent of it, Sango and Miroku appeared fine, and Kirara had reversed her transformation to perch in her owner’s arms. Then, Kagome’s vision blurred momentarily, and her fingers twitched. What was wrong with her?

As much as she didn’t like it, she was going to have to say something. This wasn’t going away. Something was off. She was feeling a haze drifting over her, and it almost seemed like it was legitimately clouding her vision now. Kagome opened her mouth to gather Inuyasha’s attention, but her voice didn’t seem to work. Her body stopped as they all kept going, though she hadn’t told it to. Her brain was sending signals to her legs to keep walking, to her mouth to speak, but her command seemed to be meaningless all of a sudden.

And, when she blinked that time, she opened her eyes to see the bars of a cage before her. It was pitch black all around, not a sound to be heard, not a person in sight. No longer was she dizzy, and her head pounded no more. To her right, her left, beneath her feet, and above her head, she was surrounded by metal that sealed her in. The bars were cold and didn’t budge at all when she thrusted her bodyweight into it, trying to shake the lock free.

The shock to go from behind her group to wherever the hell she was now in a split second had her shaking, her lungs pumping as a panic sprung over her. She called for Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Koga, but no one answered. Her voice merely echoed in the darkness she was trapped in, the rattling of her cage from her forceful jerks against the bars hitting her ears over and over as the sound bounced off of walls she couldn’t see.

When she heard someone speaking, Kagome held her breath. Ice pebbled her skin. The voice was that of a child’s, a young boy’s, yet it held the underlying hint of menace. It was like she could sense the smile he wore, the enjoyment on his tongue, but he wasn’t talking to her. What he was saying, it didn’t make sense.

Inuyasha felt a spike, and both he and Koga stopped immediately. Ominous energy no longer filled the air. It was focused now. It was heavily concentrated in one spot. Behind them. The hanyou turned around to scour the open area they’d reached deep within the cave, spotting no one that didn’t belong, but then his stomach unexpectedly sank. It dropped so low, he thought he was going to be sick. The threat they were feeling, it was coming from Kagome.

She stood there, her hands raised up as she steadily moved her fingers one-by-one, her expression blank. He could hear the smallest mumble coming from her lips, but what she was saying, even he couldn’t make out. A sense of dread was overcoming him. Why was he feeling this? Even Koga seemed struck, confounded, saying nothing, but instead, actually taking a step away. The evil, it was growing. Evolving.

Miroku and Sango had turned to look, and Miroku was quick to notice something was wrong with his cousin, but as he went to step forward, Inuyasha hastily reached for his collar, pulling him back.

“Kid?” He cautiously asked. Kagome didn’t even look up from her hands. “Kagome?”

After a moment, she sighed and shook her head, her dark tresses fluttering around her shoulders. She made a few more subtle sounds from her mouth, the only clear word Inuyasha gathered being, “testing.” Otherwise, it was almost like she was learning to speak, clicking her tongue once or twice to discover how to make audible noise. Her brown eyes wandered around the large cavern, blinking as if to adjust to the dull light in the cave, panning over them, up, and then coming back to land on him.

“Kagome.” He tried again, this time more seriously. His heart was pounding as it would in the face of an enemy, his instincts were ready for an attack, but everything felt wrong. This was Kagome. This was his Kagome. He wasn’t supposed to feel this with her; it was all wrong.

Her plush lips parted, and a breathy, “huh,” was released. Her voice was high, sweet, and a timbre she rarely used.

Inuyasha let go of her cousin, knowing he was staying put now, and his fists clenched at his sides. Worse, Tessaiga began to quiver in its sheath, calling for his attention. It only did that in dire situations. It only asked to be released when he neglected to recognize it needed to be wielded for his own protection. It was wrong. It had to be malfunctioning because of the weird aura.

“Oh,” She sighed again, beginning to speak more clearly from then on. “There it is. Finally. That was tough - she’s a tough one.”

“Kagome -“ Sango tried.

“That’s not Kagome.” Inuyasha said, cutting her off.

A smile began to curl at her lips, and it scared him. It scared Inuyasha. It was crooked, arching more in one corner before it expanded on the other end, and her tongue tipped out between her teeth in a playful manner that made his blood go cold. That wasn’t Kagome’s smile, that wasn’t the grin he loved so much. Even Miroku twitched agitatedly at his side, stepping away before he looked at him with disturbance hindering the glow in his eyes.

“What’s wrong with her?” Miroku asked.

“What?” Kagome leaned her head to the side. “Don’t you recognize me…?” Her voice trailed off at the end as she nibbled her bottom lip. “Miroku?”

She seemed unsure of the name she spoke.

“Or, are you Miroku?” She asked, pointing to Koga, ending with a frustrated groan as she tapped her head. “Hang on, it’s a little jumbled in here. She wont let go just yet.” A few more taps. “Come on, lady. Let it go. Ah, no, I was right. Miroku.”

“What’s going on?” He reached, jaw taught.

“And, you’re Koga.” She pointed again to the wolf demon, completely disregarding the question. “Which obviously makes you Inuyasha, and you’re Sango. Got it.”

“Who are you?” Koga asked, stoning as he nobly squared himself.

“I’m Kagome.” She giggled.

“Who are you!?” Koga repeated in a lethal growl.

“Woah. Someone’s testy.” Her smile shifted to a wry smirk. “What are you so upset for? I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Don’t make me ask you again.”

“Or what? You’ll choke me out? Kill me? Look at me, pal. Whose body am I in? If you come at me with those claws of yours, it’s not me you’ll be touching. Come on, use your brain.”

Koga didn’t rebuttal, clenching his jaw and slanting his eyes dangerously, and her gaze bounced around to gather the discomfort written over all the others’ faces. Inuyasha, in particular, seemed the worst off. His hardened features screamed his seething anger, but his golden irises communicated something much different. Something more desperate.

With a grumble in the back of her throat, one that was small and held the attitude a young teenager would, Kagome rolled her eyes and lolled her head slightly, a small stomp being given from her right foot. “You guys are no fun. I’m Hakudoshi. Duh. Who the hell did you think I was?”

“So, this is what you can do? Mind control?” Koga glared.

“Way to simplify it. Don’t do me the dishonor.” Hakudoshi gestured to his entire self inside of Kagome’s body. “This is much more than mind control. I have control over her heart, brain, soul, you name it. Kagome has left the building.”

“Where is she?” Inuyasha questioned, his voice coming off husky.

Hakudoshi pointed to her head. “Right up here. She’s annoying as shit, how do you handle her?”

“Let her go. This is your one warning; let her go.” The hanyou growled. “You hold onto her, you hurt her in any way, not a single one of us will blink when it comes to ripping you apart.”

“You’d hurt your precious lover?”

“You think we don’t know your body is around here somewhere? You honestly think we’re that stupid to believe your entire entity is inside of her right now? No, you’re in this cave, we know that much.”

“But, where?” Her smile widened tauntingly. “This cave goes on for miles, and what makes you think you have that sort of time on your hands? You can go searching for me, but what’s your plan? Is someone going to play babysitter while the others go on a wild goose chase? Not a single one of you is strong enough, and that’s what’s fucking funny. Two humans and three demons against a conjurer. From the looks of it, three of you would be too sentimentally stunted, maybe four of you, and the last one - that’s you, Koga - would just get absolutely wrecked. Or, are you going -"

“Get out of her head, you stupid, fucking brat!” Inuyasha demanded, his claws biting into the heels of his palms with rage that was only building at an uncontrollable speed. How did this happen? It couldn’t have been that quick. Did Kagome feel anything weird, anything abnormal, or was Hakudoshi stealthy while he slid inside and took command.

She arched a brow at the interruption. “Well, that was rude.”

“You’re forgetting something, Hakudoshi.” Miroku spoke. “So long as Kagome is in there, she can still fight back. If one of us has to restrain her while the others go searching for you, so be it. Kagome wouldn’t allow you to hurt us.”

Hakudoshi guffawed, laughing hard as Kagome’s frame doubled over to clutch her stomach. “What!? Again, look at me! I have complete control over her!” He boasted, flailing her arms about. “This is all me, you fucking moron! Kagome can’t stop shit right now! She had just enough darkness in her heart for me to grab hold, and now the fight she’s putting up is worthless. I can utilize the knowledge and skills she’s learned by flipping a switch in her mind. If I want to kill any of you with her abilities, I can and there isn’t a damn thing you guys can do to stop me!”

“What darkness?” Inuyasha asked.

“I’ll actually entertain that question, because it was hard to find and I’m proud of myself. Apparently, holding Kikyo while she died was what did her in. Just a tiny bit. It’s been eating at her for a while now, hasn’t it? That’s not where it started, though. There was a little girl? One she failed to save, or something?” She grimaced carelessly. “I would say that created the smallest, dark spot in her heart, and Kikyo’s gory death made it about the size of a small ink stain. She’s resilient, I’ll give her that. But, not resilient enough.” That last part was almost sung while he emphasized each word of the sentence, tapping her finger in time. “All I need is an inch. So long as there’s darkness, I can take rein.”

Kagome could hear everything that was being said from within her cage, listening to this little boy speak through her. She could hear the others reply to her. It was like she was just a bystander to a conversation while she was also the main focus, and it was driving her insane. She felt completely powerless, rattling the metal bars as hard as she could, but the lock refused to give.

It didn’t surprise her to have darkness in her heart. In fact, what surprised her was how small it was. Kagome was the type of person to pick herself back up again, she never lost hope. In the era they were living in right now, darkness surrounded them, but it was what they fought for that made the difference. She knew that was what had divided her from Kikyo. She knew she’d been strong enough to avoid allowing it to take over her. But, she was human. Kagome was a human who’d been through a lot, who’d had her heart broken, who’d seen others have their hearts broken, who’d had her world turned upside down over and over. So, she wasn’t upset to know her heart had taken a hit. She was upset that her anguish was being manipulated against her.

How was she going to get out of this? Her back was bare; she didn’t have a single weapon on her. She stood in her cage in nothing but the clothes she’d donned that day, stripped of her bag, her arrows, and even her father’s blade in her boot. It was like the demon wanted her to feel as vulnerable as could be, to watch helplessly while he plotted in her own body.

Still, she shook the door of her crate, the metal hitting loudly, echoing, muting her scream as she demanded to be set free. Kagome refused to be a prisoner in her own mind, her own vessel. If he thought she was annoying now, she was going to create as much noise as she possibly could to give this guy a pounding migraine. Hopefully it would throw him off or distract him, though he seemed well versed in tuning things out. It was the best option she had until something better came along, and it was more important that she didn’t sit back and take it.

“Naraku’s not going to be too happy to learn she’s still alive.” Hakudoshi mentioned. “Though, given there was no validation of her death, he was fifty-fifty on the possibility, so maybe he’ll just do his notorious grunt before giving us our next orders to kill her. Which brings me to my next course of action. See, I honestly didn’t expect all of you guys to show up, no less the conjurer. I was trying to draw in Sesshomaru. I’ve been bored and felt like taunting him a bit, and since Naraku asked us to dispose of him, I figured I’d have some fun beforehand. Goshinki went one way, I went the other, and I was really hoping Sesshomaru would follow in my direction, but my dumbass of a brother broke his muzzle and found some villagers to eat, which stole Sesshomaru’s attention from right under me. Anyway, in you guys walk, and the moment I saw the conjurer, I couldn’t resist. Now, I’m toying with the idea of taking her back to Naraku. It’d save us both an enormous amount of time -“

“No.” Inuyasha rumbled.

“-and he can choose whether to keep control over her and use her to gain the power he’s always wanted, or kill her on the spot and remove any inconsequential threat she thought she ever was.”

“Like hell!” He barked.

“Right, right. Of course, you object. That’s to be expected, but it brings us around full circle. Obviously, you all were going to die the moment you set foot in this cave. No matter what, Sesshomaru and the wolf were going to be goners today, and Koga made our jobs a hell of a lot easier by bringing Inuyasha along. The rest of you are just bonuses, I guess. The thing about me is, I’m not really the, um, remorseful type.” Kagome leaned her head to the side, the smallest smile curling her lips. “I like it when people scream. Watching blood seep from wounds excites me more than anything I’ve ever experienced. I couldn’t have imagined a better scenario. Now you all get to die by the hands of someone you care so much for.”

“Kagome.” Sango stepped forward, a valorous pinch to her brow appearing. “Kagome, you have to fight harder. I know you’re in there, I know you can hear me. Kick his ass. Push him out. Push him out.”

Kagome’s eyes were on Sango now, and for a moment, her expression had completely fallen. Her lips were straight, brow was uncreased, and her entire body had stilled. Then, she dropped her gaze, a shudder running over her, and a pout formed so fully that her chin quivered.

“S-Sango?” Kagome trembled.

“Kagome!” Her friend called urgently. “We’re all right here! We know you can do it!”

“It’s so cold.”

“Keep fighting! Keep -“ A flash of heat ran through Sango’s veins when she stopped, realizing Kagome’s frown had crumbled and it seemed like she was pinching back her laughter. Gradually, her stomach shook with amusement and a snort came through her nose, giving in to the one-sided humor of the situation as she laughed.

“Man, you should have seen your face!” Hakudoshi gloated. “How could you fall for that so easily!? You’re clearly not the brains of the group!”

“You’re despicable.” She said through clenched teeth.

“Thank you.” He replied with a grin.

“You guys need to go.” Inuyasha spoke lowly. “Find Hakudoshi. Kill him.”

“What’s that you’re saying over there?” Kagome rose her eyebrows in question, her head inching to the side curiously. “Trying the whole divide and conquer thing?”

“Go.”

“Inuyasha…” Miroku started, appearing more tense than he had before.

Was he expected to just run off and leave her behind? Sure, Inuyasha was strong and he and Kagome clearly cared about each other, but this was his family. This was his cousin, his little sister, being manipulated right now, and he was being told to leave her to someone else to take care of? That wasn’t going to sit right with him. It was logical that Inuyasha would be better at tending to this situation given he was stronger and faster, but Miroku was struggling with the aspect of leaving her at all.

Hakudoshi took the moment to shrug everything off of Kagome’s back, heedlessly dropping her bag to the floor before returning her quiver full of arrows where they belonged.

“Ah, that’s better.” She spoke, wiggling her shoulders freely before pulling an arrow free. “Miroku, tell me she won’t do it again.”

“You need to go.” Inuyasha insisted, giving the guy beside him a pressing look. “Get out of here.”

“I can’t leave her.”

Hakudoshi lined up the nock of her arrow with the string of her bow, utilizing Kagome’s skills by simply reaching into her brain. It didn’t matter if he had never shot before. Kagome knew how, and it was her being he inhabited. Anything she knew how to do, he was able to do as well. Pulling the string back, he leveled his aim, lining the arrowhead up in Miroku’s direction.

“Awe, let him stay, Inuyasha.”

“Look, I can’t protect you and her at the same time. It’s better if you go and find him. You need to save her.”

“Inuyasha’s right, dude.” Koga concurred. “We’ll only be in the way, and for what?”

“To help!” Miroku strongly stated.

“Where’s that arrow aimed, Miroku? You think you’re helping right now?”

“They’re right.” Sango said, backing up. “Inuyasha can handle this. We’ll be of more help if we find that bastard.”

“But-“

“I can sense your anxiety.” Hakudoshi grinned, teasing them all, adding to the tension on their shoulders. “You really think it’s gonna be that easy to find me? Do you think my body is somewhere in this cave, sitting helplessly alone? Don’t take me for a fool. Of all of Naraku’s creations, I am the genius. I am the more cunning. I am the imperceptibly strong one. You think Naraku made me a child for nothing? No. It was to deceive everyone. It was to strike more fear. You may only see your precious Kagome right now, but believe you me, you’ll be an idiot to think finding and killing me will be as easy as running off to save the day.”

“Oh, shut up!” Inuyasha commanded angrily. “The only thing you’re good at is fucking with people’s heads. You want to make us think it’s going to be difficult so we second guess or stall. Well, it doesn’t fucking matter. Either way, you’ve fucked with the wrong person.”

“Oh no, I’m shaking in my boots. Whatever shall I do?” She giggled. “I’m not just good at messing with your head, Inuyasha. Want to watch me drag you all down one-by-one? She’s yelling right now. Kagome’s trying so hard to break free, and she’s frustrated that she’s gotten nowhere. She’s beginning to lose hope. She’s really reliant on her weapons, isn’t she? Without them, she’s powerless, and boy is that catching up to her right now. ‘Inuyasha! Inuyasha, please!’” Hakudoshi called out in the exact scream Kagome was internally fighting with.

The hanyou flinched painfully, his jaw tensing, and a trembling breath left his nose. Every muscle in his body went unbelievably taut for a moment, horrified by how scared she was. He’d had to fight his instincts to protect her, because he couldn’t. He couldn’t do a damn thing for her right now except face her as she currently was.

“Miroku, she just wants to make you proud. Awe, you two have such a sweet bond, don’t you?” Hakudoshi said, violating Kagome’s mind as he discovered her thoughts, her emotions, laying them out on the table for everyone. No longer did she wear a smile. In fact, she seemed nothing short of serious now. As if hurting people was a business matter. “Grew up together, got into trouble together, lost your fathers together. The look on your face when you watched your one remaining parent die has stuck in her head for even this long. Wow, it’s so vivid, too.”

“Stop it.” Miroku muttered.

“You only held it for a moment before you realized she was looking. Then, you wiped it off and never showed it again, and she didn’t know why. But, it’s stuck with her ever since. Oh god, and your fathers went down in flames, didn’t they? Fire and bloodshed, demons everywhere, they were doomed from the start. You were trying to stop the bleeding even after your father shut his eyes. She saw you put on that brave face when it made the least amount of sense, and since then, she’s felt like she needs to put one on with you too in order to be taken seriously.”

“That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?”

“I know her better than anyone does. She knows perfectly well that I respect her and take her seriously whether she’s got a brave face on or not.”

“Knowing her better is irrelevant, Miroku. I’m in her head. I can see everything. You want me to scream again so that you’ll believe me, or what?”

“No!” He quickly sputtered, terrified to hear her desperation again. “No.”

Hakudoshi blinked, lowering the bow and arrow Kagome held. Her plush lips were relaxed together, and her gaze lowered just for a second before he looked back to her cousin.

“Her heart’s pounding right now. She’s scared. She really doesn’t like that you’re the one I’m threatening.” He cocked a brow in speculation, and as he continued speaking, it was more to converse inward than anything. “Would you rather Inuyasha? No? Sango? No, again? Koga?” He sighed in irritation, re-stringing the arrow. “Then, silence.”

“Go.” Inuyasha urged, feeling the gravity of the situation upsurge dauntingly. “You guys need to go.”

“What are you gonna do?” Miroku inquired when Koga grabbed his shoulder and began pulling him back to continue through the tunnels.

“Whatever the fuck I can.”

“No! I’m staying with you!”

“Oh, please do.” Kagome’s voice sinisterly brushed their ears while she once more aimed.

“Miroku, I know you don’t trust me yet, but right now, you’re going to have to!” He barked, shoving Miroku away. “What the fuck are you so worried about!? If anyone’s in fucking danger here, it’s me! So, if I have to tell you to get out of my way one more fucking time, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Let’s go, Miroku!” Sango dropped Kirara to transform, reaching for her boyfriend’s arm to pull back.

Kagome inched her arrow back further, pinching an eye shut for better aim.

“We’ve got this, Inuyasha.” Koga promised.

Inuyasha had turned away to regard them for a split second, grateful that Miroku had finally given up his obstinance, when he felt the incoming threat. Thinking as quickly as he could, he pulled Tessaiga, the sword transforming as each inch was freed from its sheath, jutting it out to successfully block the shot that was too close to hitting Miroku in the back.

In his peripherals, he’d caught Kagome waver. Her head had notched to the side and her hands twitched. Her face had twisted almost painfully, but before long, her deadly stare was back. As if it had never left.

“Oh, you’re fast!” Hakudoshi grinned.

Tessaiga transformed when defending against her arrow. It had been calling for his attention on his hip. No. He was almost scared to see if his hunch was true, but he had to. Turning back forward, Inuyasha squared, holding Tessaiga in the direction Kagome stood and watching as it stayed transformed, swirling with energy that should have died off. As if betrayed, he nearly dropped his sword to the ground. It was detestable, compromised, ruined, wrong. Tessaiga didn’t work against Kagome. It wasn’t supposed to. He’d figured out a while ago that it was meant to aid her. It was meant to protect her. Fate was a funny thing, and it managed to tell him he was born to be by her side, not opposing her.

“Inuyasha.” Miroku whispered apprehensively.

The hanyou slid his sword back into its sheath, and then removed the sheath entirely from his belt, tossing it to the side. “Go. I promise, I won’t hurt her.”

Finally, he heard them run off, the sound of their feet fading down a corridor as they rushed to find Hakudoshi. There was a chance. Before, her fidgeting, that was Kagome trying to regain control. It had to be. Hakudoshi had almost struck her cousin, of course she was going to object powerfully. Inuyasha could reach her, he was confident of which. It was going to be tricky, but it was possible. She was conscious in there.

“So, it’s lover versus lover, is it?”

“Kagome.“

“You realize you’re part demon, right?”

“Baby, I know you’re giving it your all right now, but you’ve gotta put in a little more effort.”

“All I have to do is flip that switch in her brain to use her conjurer abilities.”

“Push him out, kid.”

“It won’t even take a lot. You’re only half demon, so with the power coming from her, I’d say ten percent would be enough to do you in. Twelve percent to be safe. Six percent if I want you to suffer.”

“Come on, kid. Fight.” Inuyasha pushed.

“Oh, give it a rest.” The grumble in her voice was deep, another octave she rarely used. “All you’re doing is agitating her; you’re not helping her any. What is this? You think some motivational speech is all you’re gonna need to save her life? Or, is it your own life that you’re more worried about?”

Inuyasha could barely fight his glower. It felt off giving it to Kagome, but it wasn’t Kagome it was intended for. It was Naraku’s minion. Hakudoshi was lucky it wasn’t he going after him, because Inuyasha would make his death agonizing. As if he didn’t already hate Kagome being touched as it was, she was now being held captive from the inside. He wanted Hakudoshi to beg for forgiveness before he ended his meager existence.

At the exact same time that Koga had sensed something was off, Kirara gave a low growl of warning, reinforcing the wolf demon’s decision to stop immediately. The further they’d gone down the corridors, the darker it had become, and the drip of water echoed loudly in a cavern up ahead. Quickly assessing it, Koga could tell there were no living beings anywhere near, but that somewhere in the cave was another dangerous demon. It was either Hakudoshi’s body or the fucker wasn’t lying earlier.

“There may actually be someone else here. With him.” Koga mentioned to the others.

“Are we near them?” Sango asked.

“No. I can’t tell where they are, but the further we get from Kagome and Inuyasha, the more clear their energy is becoming.”

All he smelled was Naraku, though. Which meant, no matter what, they were going up against an underling. Considering he was traveling with two humans, Koga almost wished they were facing an off-brand demon. These were like mini bosses before the big boss, and Koga just wasn’t sure how skilled these humans were with the weapons belted to their sides. Would they pull through and be actual assets to him, or was he about to have to keep their lives in tact while facing a direct descendant of Naraku, himself?

“Stay close. Follow orders. You go against anything I say, I’m knocking you out myself so I don’t have to deal with saving your sorry asses. Got it?”

“Who died and made you king?” Miroku grimaced.

“The previous leader of my clan.” Koga snorted.

Miroku and Sango exchanged a bemused look before shifting back to Koga.

“I’m the leader of the wolf demon pack. That may mean nothing to you, but let it mean something here. I know how to look out for people, I know how to make quick decisions in the heat of battle, and I know how to make the best calls. We’re all fighting for the same thing, right? So keep up and don’t hold me back.”

“How about, you don’t hold us back.” Sango countered, slanting her eyes brazenly. “There. You wanted a challenge, right? You wanted to make sure we weren’t submissive and weak? Well, go ahead. Lead the way, King Wolf Demon. We’ve got your back.”

“How far ahead do you think they are?” Miroku inquired, gazing into the dark shadows in front of him.

“Not sure.” Koga replied, impressed by the boldness of the woman. She was gutsy, he could grasp that much. “It helps that Hakudoshi’s presence isn’t hanging over us anymore. Now that it’s centered, whomever’s with him is standing out.”

“You can’t follow their scent?”

“I only smell Naraku, but it’s all over the place. It’s like they’ve touched every fucking wall in this maze to throw us off.”

“They probably have.” Sango agreed. “It would be a good reason to back up Hakudoshi’s arrogance regarding our difficulty finding him.”

“So, we go forward, right?” Miroku asked.

“Only way to figure out where the scent gets stronger. Be on your guard.”

Kagome was protesting as hard as she could, wrestling, yelling, trying to break the lock on her cage. Hakudoshi was reaching back to equip another arrow, and he was moving agonizingly slowly. His way of taunting both she and Inuyasha with the threat.

“Stop it!” She demanded. “I won’t let you hurt him!”

But, she went ignored. Time and time again, she went ignored. What did she have to do? What had she done earlier to make Hakudoshi’s control falter when he’d shot at Miroku? She was frantic and scared, and she was resisting. She was resisting, and that resistance was like the spark of a flame in the kindling. While she pulled back, there was a thump in her core that pushed forward, but what was it? How did she fan the spark to grow into flames? How did she do it again?

“What would you do if I spoke to you entirely like I was Kagome from this point forward?” Hakudoshi asked, aiming an arrow at Inuyasha.

The hanyou didn’t answer. The bastard would have him dead in a second if he didn’t think up a plan, and he needed to be quick. He’d need to dodge and then he’d need to disarm him. That was the best course of action. Pinning her down would be second. He had to believe that the rest of the group would pull through, would kill the brat and free Kagome. Until then, he was going to have to do everything he could to survive, which may very well be as difficult as facing Kagome in the flesh. He knew what she could do, and this child was inside of her putting her skills to the test. Against him. If he really could utilize her conjurer powers, Inuyasha would have to be incredibly careful. It was ironic to think about, a demon using conjurer powers, but wasn’t something he was willing to underestimate. Technically, he was just possessing her, not completely encapsulating her body as it was easy to assume. Which meant, Hakudoshi probably wasn’t all talk.

“Her mannerisms are right here.” He pointed to her head, nearly nicking her flesh with the arrowhead. “Oh, whoops.” He flinched too casually, cringing at his mistake.

Inuyasha had had to tense rigidly to avoid reacting. He couldn’t feed into Hakudoshi’s bullshit. It would egg him on. It could potentially cause him to actually hurt Kagome, and Inuyasha refused to allow that.

“So, anyway, what’s your plan? You really gonna fight Kagome? Or are you gonna take every hit she throws at you?” When Inuyasha neglected to answer, she shrugged her brows. “Silent treatment, huh? I bet you wouldn’t ignore your girlfriend.”

Her expression softened, brown eyes shimmering as they always had as a very soft curve appeared on her lips. When she spoke then, it was in her natural tone, and it struck Inuyasha directly in the heart. “I understand if you can’t fight me. This is scaring me, too. But, can you do me a favor?”

It took everything in him not to respond, but he’d failed to keep all of his reflexes at bay. His amber eyes flickered away and his frown deepened momentarily before he forced himself to look back at her. Whatever existed of Kagome’s smile had shifted as she now worried her bottom lip between her teeth, and her gaze had fallen to the rocky floor beneath their boots.

“Inuyasha, I really don’t want to hurt you.” She tremblingly admitted. “Kill me before I do. I can’t stop him. I’m trying so hard, but I can’t stop him. So, you have to stop me.”

“No!” He growled. “Stop it! Hakudoshi, stop it!”

“Baby, please.”

His stomach clenched painfully.

“Why can’t I break free? What do I do?”

“God fucking dammit, stop it!” Inuyasha slammed the heels of his palms into his temples.

Kagome began to walk closer, and the hanyou had to remind himself to take a step back. The aura coming off of her, the threat, it wasn’t hers and it was to be heeded. This wasn’t his girl he was up against; he couldn’t be fooled so easily. But, each step away from her was physically painful. He was supposed to be protecting her, but he was refusing her quivering form.

“Why won’t you let me near?”

“Knock it off already!”

“You have to promise me that you wont let me hurt you.” She whispered.

“Hakudoshi!” He back stepped again.

With a small groan, the demon relented. “Fine. This will be more fun, anyway.” He said, making Kagome grin as she lunged to attack Inuyasha.

Swiftly, he grabbed her wrists to protect himself, flinching back when she’d almost cut his face with the arrow. Getting her to drop the bow was easy, but her grip on the sharper object was white-knuckled and fierce. Already, he knew his hold on her was too strong, but he couldn’t let go just yet. He could feel the danger levels spiking, which made him believe Hakudoshi was legitimately using her conjurer powers. If he didn’t make her drop it soon, if Hakudoshi cut him, he could be severely hurt, and then what? Lose Kagome? Allow his death to sit on her shoulders? Neither were going to happen.

“Kid, keep fighting for me, okay?” He said directly to Kagome, thrusting her back against the cavern wall to smack her hand against the uneven rock. Finally, her grasp relented and the arrow slipped from her fingers.

“Remember when Naraku was holding me over the cliff?” Hakudoshi continued his charade, speaking as if he were Kagome again. “Just before I was thrown over, I wanted to tell you that I loved you. I didn’t want to die without you knowing.”

“Stop it!”

“And, I know you know now, but I feel like I should remind you.”

No, no, no. He couldn’t hear that. Hakudoshi or not, he didn’t want that tainted in this moment. They said those words so rarely, spoke their feelings through actions and other versions of affectionate discourse, but whenever that phrase did come out, he didn’t want it to throw him right back into this incident. He wouldn’t have it taken away from them. He was frenetic to shut Hakudoshi up.

He’d acted without thinking. It was a natural impulse, and before Inuyasha knew it, his knee was being thrusted up into Kagome’s diaphragm. She doubled over with a violent cough, her breath coming raggedly, unevenly, struggling at first until Hakudoshi started laughing with saliva dribbling over her lower lip.

Inuyasha had backed away in unrestrained regret, holding his hands out at his sides as if they’d abused their privileges. How could he? He’d hurt her.

“Holy crap, dude.” Hakudoshi guffawed, and Kagome’s voice both caressed and defiled his ears. He wished the possession changed her tone to the child’s. It was painful to hear her be talked through, no matter how out of character it’d been or not. “You really kneed her. That wasn’t even a warning tap either, that was a full on hit!”

“Fuck, baby! Fuck! I’m so sorry!”

“What kind of abusive boyfriend are you?” He asked, standing straight.

“Oh, fuck off!” Inuyasha ground out, setting his jaw irately. “You can’t get under my skin with that shit.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Hakudoshi bobbed her head. “Only, ‘I love you’ will do the trick.” She grinned tauntingly, picking up her foot to pull out the knife in her boot.

Kagome slowed down a moment. Too long, she’d been fighting the restraints of her bars and it was getting her no results. She needed to take a minute to analyze the situation, no matter how difficult it was to do right now. It was easier to let her nerves get the better of her, to keep fighting and struggling, but it was fruitless and Inuyasha needed her to come back to him.

She looked closer at the lock keeping her closed inside the cage. So many times, she’d kicked it with everything she had, applied her entire bodyweight into it, and the only thing she’d achieved in doing so was creating loud clanks to echo in the darkness she currently resided in. The lock didn’t look to have received any damage whatsoever. That was impossible. It should have at least sported a dent, or a nick. Something. This was getting her nowhere. Why?

Because, she wasn’t shut in by a key. Of course. She was confined by demonic energy. She’d been so heavily consumed by Hakudoshi’s that she hadn’t even been able to feel the power engulfing the thick, black padlock. That being said, she still wasn’t sure how the hell she was going to get out of there. Yet again, she was held back by her inability to transmit spiritual power into her hands.

That wasn’t going to work for her right now. Kagome had no other options. She couldn’t wait for an alternative to appear, because nothing ever would. She was going to bust out one way or the other, and this was how. Hakudoshi had no right to threaten Inuyasha with the power that was hers. It was hers. And, she was going to use it exactly as she willed.

Koga’s heart was beating hard, his lungs were pounding. It felt like they’d been traveling through the cave for way too long and only ended up turned around, but before he’d even sensed it, Kirara caught onto something to their right. She led the way, her hackles raising, her growl growing more violent when they finally found the right path. Koga felt it, too. Up ahead was a threat waiting for them. Literally waiting.

“For a while there, I honestly thought you’d never find us.” A woman spoke, her arms crossed over her center. “The child’s been out for half an hour now? Forty-five minutes? Were you guys walking or something?”

For a quick moment, Koga took in the sight before them. They were in another opening, one just a smidge more narrow than the other they’d left Inuyasha and Kagome in. Water had leaked in through the cave ceiling, coating the ground in puddles all around, the drip loud to his ears. The woman in front of them, she was tall. More interesting, she looked to be about as done with anyone’s shit before anything had even happened. It was like the expression of annoyance was forever etched into her skin, her eyes naturally slanted in that manner. Her hair was brown, medium-length, worn half up in a twisted bun that a white feather decoratively stuck out of. Red painted her lips, nearly matching her bold irises, and along her body, she wore a plain, black dress that dipped down low in the center of her chest.

On the floor at her side, a young child slumped in his seat. His hair was white, long, untamed. He was unconscious and still he managed to give Koga the creeps. Nothing more needed to be studied about him. That was Hakudoshi.

“Kagura?” He asked, just to be sure.

“Don’t try to be my friend just because you know Sesshomaru.” She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I’m still under orders to kill you and protect this freak.”

“Because of Rin?”

“Because of Naraku.”

“Because he has Rin?”

She sighed out heatedly, shaking her head in irritation again. “You clearly already know the answer to that, so why are you asking?”

“Don’t you think it’d be easier to save her if we knew where Naraku was?” Koga tried, carefully stepping forward with a subtle hand gesture for Sango and Miroku to hang back. “Give me something that I can pass on to Sesshomaru. Better yet, come with us. We -“

“Stop.” She ordered abruptly, and it was said in a tone that brought Koga to listen. Very slowly, very steadily, she shifted her head from left to right, her scarlet eyes never parting from his azure. It was her way of conveying something she couldn’t say out loud, but whether he understood was up to him. Hakudoshi wasn’t completely unconscious; he could still hear everything. The last thing she wanted was him bringing anything back to Naraku, and that fucking rat would. “Back up.”

“I don’t want to fight you.” Koga admitted, following her gaze as she glanced over to the child’s limp form, then back up. What was she telling him?

“Then, this’ll be easy.” She said. This guy had to be as daft as they came. There was only one way to make this painfully obvious, so careful of the ruffle of her clothing, she grabbed her ear and once more looked at Hakudoshi. That seemed to do the trick. Koga stiffened slightly, nodding in comprehension.

“Kagura, what am I supposed to tell Sesshomaru?”

“Nothing.” She frowned. “You aren’t leaving here today. So, I suggest you fight, or you’ll die in shame.”

As Hakudoshi lunged at Inuyasha, Inuyasha had to be quick to grab Kagome’s wrist again. He couldn’t afford to be conscientious or apologetic right now. He had to disarm her and pin her down. Swiftly, he stepped a leg behind her ankle, shoving her back to throw off her balance, and dropped down to the floor with her. He tried smashing her hand against the ground to make her fingers release their grip on the blade, but they actively refused. She held onto the knife for dear life, and Inuyasha had to shove the worry that his clutch was bruising her to the back of his mind.

“The first time we made love -“

“No! Shut up!” Inuyasha demanded, silencing her sweet voice. “Get out of her head!”

“Make me.” She rumbled seductively, the switch in her timbre nearly giving him whiplash. “Of course, that brings us to the third time we made love.”

“Fuck you.” He growled, pinning her still as she tried to buck him off. “Those are intimate moments between she and I.”

“Not anymore.”

Inuyasha thrusted her hand along the ground again, fighting against her incessant battle to stab him, but still she clung to the dagger with a grasp that would not yield. He was just going to have to pry it away from her, then.

It was difficult, but his main focus had to be her dominant arm. He couldn’t let go of it whatsoever, so he had to figure out a way to use his hand that restrained her left. Dragging it down, despite her opposing struggle, Inuyasha managed to capture it beneath his knee, freeing his own hand to force her fingers to release the knife. She’d given a jolt and the sharp blade clipped his palm, making the hanyou hasty to retract back.

“Man, I really messed that up, didn’t I?” Kagome giggled. “I’ll admit, it’s hard to multitask. This lady’s got it down to an art.”

There was no conjurer power that backed up her attack, and Inuyasha got fucking lucky. His hand was seeping blood now, but he didn’t have time to even think about it. It was actually working in his favor. The more blood that got on her hand from his prying, the more slippery her grip became. Finally, Inuyasha stole the dagger away, dropping it to the side of his leg as he quickly rolled her over to her stomach.

God, he’d forgotten how fast she could be. Immediately, Kagome was pushing up against him, and he’d barely been able to really define his dominance. He had to apply his knee to her back to shove her back down while he expeditiously scooped the arrows from her quiver and threw them out of reach.

“You fucking jackass!” Hakudoshi protested on a wheezy breath.

Inuyasha removed his knee, realizing his bodyweight was hindering her breathing, and everything else was by pure instinct. He’d jerked one hand behind her back, hiking it up so she had limited use of her shoulder, and took a solid grip in her hair. Maybe he’d gotten too lost in the moment, too aggressive. He could feel how forcefully he was pinning her down, feel her cheek scrape against the rock, but it wasn’t until she cried out that he slackened.

“Ow. Inuyasha, you’re hurting me.” Kagome moaned.

“Shit!” It was reflex, his reaction to let her go. But, he shouldn’t have been so precipitous. He hadn’t realized her free hand had reached for the blade he’d thoughtlessly dropped so close. Kagome rolled over nimbly, and Inuyasha hardly had time to react. She swung the dagger at him, and he was incredibly fucking grateful it was in her non-dominant hand, because it was held at an angle that gave him the advantage to jump away without harm in the nick of time.

“Wow, you really are weak for her.” Hakudoshi commented, rising to Kagome’s knees. “If you don’t wisen up, those emotions will be the very thing that kill you.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Inuyasha responded, wiping the blood from his hand on his pant leg, a vain effort as he felt more warm liquid cover over the burning wound. He had to ignore the angry spot on her cheek he’d caused, one that went right over the small scrape she’d received the day before, making it larger, darker.

“You know, maybe I’m going about this all wrong. Maybe I’m attacking the wrong person.” Kagome smiled mischievously.

Immediately, Inuyasha knew where Hakudoshi’s thought process was headed and he stiffened.

Steadily, Kagome lowered the knife to her thigh, scratching the blade against the texture of her pants. “What if I -“

He’d moved promptly, he had no choice. He went to pin her down again, to steal the dagger from her grasp once more. He was going to throw it so far away that it’d be lost in the shadows and worthless to find in the depths of a struggle. But, Hakudoshi got the better of him that time. Inuyasha hadn’t established proper form, and Kagome bucked her hips upward, tumbling his balance and rolling him over.

Good fucking god, she was strong. He was hanyou, he had formidable strength, and yes, the fear of hurting her was drastically holding him back from doing anything too impetuous, but he was now in a pressing conflict. The knife was inches from his throat, and she was pushing all of her weight down into him. Inuyasha was lucky he was quick enough to stop it in time from stabbing him through, and now he was fighting to keep her lifted so she didn’t succeed.

“Kagome, baby!” He called warily. “I could really use your help right about now!”

“Kagome says to suck a dick.” Hakudoshi grinned.

“Kagome!” His options were limited. Rolling her off of him was a feeble choice if she still had the fucking knife, though it gave him an opportunity to pick himself up and create space. There was the potential that she’d be faster in that sort of predicament, and that obviously needed to be taken into consideration. He desperately needed to disarm her and he needed to act quickly, because she was bouncing her weight down on the dagger now in an attempt to wear out his muscles.

His best option was to take her by surprise. He needed a split second, that was all. He had no choice, and he would make up for it in whatever way that he could later. For now, Inuyasha fixed his grip on her hands holding the knife with one palm, trusting the strength in his arm, and with the one he now freed, he slapped Kagome in the face with what was absolutely too much vigor. But, it worked. Hakudoshi was discombobulated for an extremely brief moment, a gasp leaving her lips, eyes wide from the jolt of it, and Inuyasha utilized the time to push Kagome back and rip the knife from her fucking hands, throwing it in a direction unknown even to him.

Hakudoshi began thrashing against Inuyasha. He hit him back, he scratched, he laughed wickedly, and it was difficult for the hanyou to take hold of Kagome’s wrists again with how wild Hakudoshi made her flail. Inuyasha was trying. He was sorely trying to get her under control, only really failing to block one good hit from her, and when he’d thought he had a forearm in his grasp, Kagome sprung off of him, ripping herself free to run toward something.

He rolled himself over and pushed himself up, his body going insurmountably tense in response to what he was facing that his gasp was silent and nothing more than a hitch in his chest. Hakudoshi had snagged an arrow and her bow, and was inching it up to aim at him. Kagome’s smile was one of victory, her bottom lip stained with blood he’d caused her to bleed.

She was furious. She was screaming. She was desperate and frantic. This was her body, and Kagome had no control over it. This was her mind, and it wasn’t listening to a thing she was saying. What caused her stomach to ache painfully was that she could feel Hakudoshi pulling her spiritual power, rounding it up, saturating an arrow as he aimed it at Inuyasha. Hakudoshi had the upper hand, she could practically see it, and her panic was beginning to overwhelm every inch of her.

“Inuyasha, run!” Kagome cried, but unsurprisingly, she went unheard. Until Hakudoshi had the audacity to tease by repeating it. His tone held no inflection. It was said casually, carelessly.

“Inuyasha, run.”

“Please! Run!”

“Please. Run.”

“No.” He replied gruffly, and Kagome froze, realizing he was replying to her. “I won’t leave without you.”

Hakudoshi inched her arrow back to create a tauter string, and she could feel that he was about to release it. No. No!

Feeling helpless, Kagome shook the bars of her cage again, frenzied enough to try anything to save him. She was hot all over, her heart was pounding erratically, her mind was racing a mile a minute.

“Stop!” She screamed. “Stop it!”

This wasn’t supposed to be happening. This was her body, dammit. This was her mind, this was her heart, this was her ability. Why wouldn’t her powers work for her? Why would they never work this way? She’d been trying to burst the lock, and nothing. Failure was not an option right now, she needed to recondition her strength.

Protect yourself for me, my little bird. Keep it in its cage.

Her father. His words. It rang so relevant right now that it hurt. She was nothing but a little bird trapped in a cage, but it was the most unsafe she’d ever felt. Her papa thought it’d be her salvation, to hide away, but this was irony at its worst. The fact of the matter was, her powers weren’t what put her in danger. It was the people around her. The people against her. Locking her gifts up to defend herself had been the counterintuitive option all along.

“They’re mine, Hakudoshi! Stop!” He was about to shoot and Kagome was terrified, shouting so loud that her voice broke. “They’re my powers! You can’t use them!” She rattled her cage defiantly, feeling a pull in her abdomen that helped her push against her restraints. “They’re mine! Not Midoriko’s, not Kikyo’s, not yours, they’re mine!” Hakudoshi released his shot. “Get out!”

Inuyasha grunted, the sharp strike of her arrowhead piercing the right side of his chest, causing him to stumble backwards a few feet until he hit the wall. There was nothing in her arrow. He was dealt nothing more than a painful blow through his flesh. Still, he found himself holding his breath anxiously. Her powers would have taken effect by now, right? The tail of the weapon stuck out in front of him, and he watched it to see if it would disintegrate. When nothing happened for thirty seconds, Inuyasha nearly slumped in relief.

There it was, she could feel it. Hakudoshi’s hold on her was destabilizing. Warmth radiated from her being, and Kagome urged it to grow. He was trying to reattain his control, like hands slipping over an oil-slicked rope, but she couldn’t allow that. The fire charred the kindling in her core and raged violently within her. It hurt, but she didn’t care. She let it expand through her veins, through her flesh, through her fingertips.

“Get out!” She repeated vehemently, doubling over as she vividly visualized the demon expelling from her soul. “GET OUT OF ME!”

Inuyasha watched Kagome’s frame fold, falling to her hands and knees as unrestrained grunts and groans left her mouth. Her fingers raked against the rock beneath her, and letting go of a cry, she stumbled down to her forearms with a wild tremor that racked her entire body.

“Kid?” He spoke through heavy breaths from his lungs.

“Get -“ She was fighting. She was pushing so hard, and he felt a manic energy soaring from her that greatly intimidated him. Kagome was giving more than what she had to free herself that her voice came out low and throaty, like she was forcing her words out while her body was battling intensely that it was nearly impossible to use her vocal cords. “Get out!”

It was her. Inuyasha’s stomach twisted achingly, desperately needing to support her, to be next to her. “Kagome!”

He ripped the arrow from his chest, clenching his throat to swallow the pained moan. It was unimportant in retrospect. Fuck his discomfort, he had more critical things to worry about right now. Inuyasha pushed himself from the cavern wall, sprinting over to Kagome’s crumpled body and skidding to his knees.

“Don’t touch me!” She screamed at him, and the hanyou went rigid. His hands hovered just inches above her back, twitching as he struggled with himself to listen to her.

“Kagome, it’s me!”

“It’ll hurt you! My power! It’ll - It’ll hurt you!” She claimed through choked exhales.

It was emanating from her. That’s what he was feeling. He may not be able to see it, but she was shrouded in her conjurer strength, seemingly able to do what she’d never been able to before as she fought back against Hakudoshi.

“He won’t -“ Kagome released a wrenching sob, trying to pick herself up to her hands but collapsing back down. “He won’t let me go. He’s still here.”

“Keep going, baby!” Inuyasha encouraged, dropping his palms to the earth while staying as close as allowed. “Fight him! You can do this!”

“Get out!”

“You can do this!”

Kagome whimpered through the engulfing and searing heat of the flames, taking as deep a breath as she could muster in an effort to fan the fire and keep it growing. Blinking open her eyes, she could see how vibrant the lavender of her power was, appearing like a legitimate blaze from her skin. At this point, Hakudoshi’s presence was barely lingering. She needed to be diligent to make sure there wasn’t an ounce of him left in her soul. If she wasn’t thorough in getting all of him out, he could potentially seep back in to take rein of her again.

Never. She wouldn’t allow it. She was going to make him regret ever taking her hostage, she was going to make him regret ever using her against her people.

“Let me go!” She demanded, slamming her fist against the ground.

“Good, Kagome! Fight him! You’ve got this!” Inuyasha shouted.

He was in her heart. He was clinging to the small fleck of darkness that’d been created from the times she’d endured, his grimy hands slipping but catching, slipping and catching again. Kagome tensed her breath then, concentrating her strength there as it torched and incinerated whatever presence he left within her. It was overkill, but it was necessary. She felt like she’d inhaled smoke, coughing and sputtering when she finally breathed again, but that was it. She was freed.

Hakudoshi was gone.

Inuyasha felt her powers calm, but didn’t reach for her just yet. Gradually, the stiffness in her muscles noticeably decreased. Kagome was gasping in air, her back excessively rising and falling with how her lungs pumped, but progressively, her body was relaxing.

“Kagome?” He whispered.

She couldn’t help the chuckle of relief that left her mouth, or the way her arms refused to work with her, failing to even try and pick herself up. Her head went from the balance on her forearm to the hard surface of the ground as her rear sank back to rest against her legs. It didn’t matter that her head scraped along, nothing mattered in that moment. She was too fatigued to care, or feel pain, or worry about anything more.

Extremely sluggishly, Kagome reached out with one hand, blindly feeling around for Inuyasha. He was still there, she could sense him, but words weren’t coming to her right now. All she wanted was his touch. She wanted to feel his warmth, his callouses. With her opposite hand, the side she’d yet to try, the side she’d assumed he had to be closer to, Kagome turned it over, sliding it out in the hopes that he would know what she wanted.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, hoping he was reading her right. She was searching for him, wasn’t she? With her hand opened for him, he slid his fingers within, feeling the sweat that coated it and sighing out so deeply the moment her fingers curled to hold him there.

“Is it you?” He asked, unable to control himself any longer as he scooted closer. “Are you back?”

Kagome hummed, nodding lazily.

Inuyasha made haste to pick her up. He released her hand, grabbing around her shoulders to pull her to a sit so that she wouldn’t have to push with her defeated muscles. Her dark hair was everywhere, but she managed to sweep her arm over to fix the tresses out of her face, a small smile curving her plush and blood-stained lips. But, her eyes. Though lidded, they glimmered with tears and the earthy tones pulled him right back home.

“You did it.” He chuckled proudly, sweeping hair behind her ears as he admired her for all that she deserved. “You did it, baby.”

His fingers trembled as much as she, the ice was finally leaving his bloodstream, and Inuyasha cradled her jaw when Kagome finally got a good grasp on supporting herself. As tears fell to streak her cheeks, he gently swiped his thumbs to clean each one, careful of any sensitive marks that marred her face.

“I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Kagome leaned into his attention, uncaring of how she felt or looked while she couldn’t take her eyes from the wound in his chest. Though his shirt was black, she could still see the blood causing the cloth to stick to his skin, seeping through in a thick coating. Her fingers shakily reached for the injury she’d inflicted, stopped by his quicker hand when he grabbed her wrist and brought her knuckles up to kiss.

“I’m sorry.” She cried.

“Don’t be. You saved my ass, kid.”

“No, I -“

“You didn’t hurt me. I promise. This wasn’t you, baby, remember that.”

Feeling like she needed him or else she’d be unstable and incomplete, Kagome urgently grabbed his shirt and pulled for him, nearly losing her meager balance in the process. Inuyasha wasn’t hesitant in the least to comply. He moved closer at the same time he gathered her forward, hugging her tight while breathing her in.

“Are you okay, kid? You okay?” He rushed to ask, taking her jaw again to tilt her head to the side and analyze the blemishing of her face.

“I’m fine.” She replied.

Inuyasha swiped his thumb over her bottom lip and froze when she winced. Reflexively, Kagome sucked in her lip, finally tasting the copper as her tongue traced over the cut that bled. It must have collided against her teeth when he’d hit her. She could hear everything, she was aware of the general happenings of the fight going on, but given it wasn’t a direct reality for her, it was weird coming back to deal with the repercussions of it.

“Oh, that was a good one.” She commented, and Inuyasha immediately released her, a look of panic striking his expression. He’d almost backed away fearfully before Kagome reached for him, and she steadily pulled his hands back toward her. “No, it’s okay! Inuyasha,” She hovered one of his hands by her cheek before she nuzzled into it. “It’s okay. I promise.”

“I hurt you.” He breathed contritely.

“You didn’t do it on purpose. You were defending yourself. I’d have a problem with you if you hadn’t.” Kagome brought the other back to hold her as he had been.

Inuyasha curled into her, tilting her face again as he softly brushed a kiss to her scraped cheek. The tremble in her fingers was increasing, the shock of the situation really settling in. They rested on his forearms, her hold barely there anymore. She had to be fucking exhausted. It had to be so hard just sitting up right now. Her eyes were sunken and hooded, her smile was present but listless, her skin was pale and clammy, yet she still pushed through it all instead of collapsing and saving affection for later.

With a kiss to her forehead, he decided it was best to gather everything up. The battle wasn’t over. As much as he wanted to get her out of there, he needed to help the others, and Kagome was undoubtedly safer with him at this point.

Making sure she could support herself, he stood to find the knife he’d tossed. Thankfully, her scent was good guidance, and he was able to locate it hidden in the shadows in the distance. He fixed that in his belt before he picked up her arrows, unsurprised when he heard that grumble come from her as her stomach clenched in pain. Inuyasha made his way back calmly, smoothly, setting everything down beside him so that he could pull her hair out of the way. His hand was gentle as it stroked her back, soothing her heaves while she vomited.

“You’re okay.” He kissed her shoulder. “You’re okay, babe. You did such a good job. I’m so proud of you.”

Kagome coughed, a shuddering whimper following her discomfort, but Inuyasha continued to console her the best that he could. This was to be expected. She’d busted her ass saving them both and presented a level of power neither of them had yet to see. He’d take care of her tonight. He’d watch her carefully, he’d tend to everything she needed. Thankfully, Kaede had given them some of her medicine that helped Kagome the first time around, so she’d at least be able to sleep through the evening and fight the fever with a little help.

He helped her crawl away from the mess, whispering that he’d be right back when he walked in the direction of their kicked-aside bag, grabbing Tessaiga not too far off along the way. He pulled out the canteen of water and opened it up, ambling back and handing it over for her to sip on.

“Where is everyone? Can you smell them?” Kagome asked as she handed the bottle back over to him.

“Yeah.” He gave a small nod, replacing the lid before reaching for her arrows to drop back in the quiver over her shoulder. Her bow was within reach, so he stretched from his spot, dragging it their way. “They’re somewhere deep, but I’ll be able to find them.”

“We’ll return for the bag later.” He said, helping her to her knees so she’d be able to rise easier. Turning around, the hanyou readied himself for her to climb on his back, keeping a grasp on her hand to help leverage her up before he scooped up her rear to support her.

Thankfully, he not only had multiple scents to guide his way, but just a mile in, he could catch the sounds of fighting, of yelling. The cat demon’s roar was distinct and echoed, and Inuyasha picked up his pace.

As he got closer, he scouted out a spot to tuck Kagome in. She was already growing feverish; he could feel it through his clothing. Her part was over, she’d done more than enough. Now, he needed to protect her.

“Stay here, okay?” He whispered as she settled into her little nook. Her body was tired, and she leaned against the rocks for support.

“I want to come with you.” She said, but everything else about her communicated otherwise.

“No,” He shook his head, smiling softly while pushing her bangs from her eyes. “We’ve got it from here, kid. I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

Inuyasha leaned forward and brushed a kiss to her forehead, feeling how she subtly relaxed. “Tell me you’ll stay here. Nod.”

Kagome gave a listless nod, her face expressionless as she fully sank back now.

“Good girl.” He cooed. “I’ll be right back.”

It looked like he hadn’t taken the exact turn everyone else had. The tunnel he inhabited inclined and he came out on a ledge overlooking the scene below. There was a wind picking up in the cavern, one that only bewildered Inuyasha for a second before he pieced together who the woman facing off with Koga and Sango was. Kagura could control the wind, keeping their advances at bay while assaulting them with sharp thrusts of rocks shooting mercilessly through the air. Miroku and Kirara faced a child, a malicious grin on the little one’s face as he whipped his white hair over his shoulder.

Hakudoshi.

Taking out his sword, Inuyasha jumped from his ledge, slicing through the current Kagura flared with a wind scar that carved a passage. The moment his feet were on the ground, he raised Tessaiga over his head and slammed it down, watching Miroku get shoved out of the way by the feral cat demon as his attack went straight for the evil child. A barrier protected Hakudoshi, forcing his second wind scar to trail right over him in a circular motion before dying off as it hit the far wall.

“Long time no see, half breed.” The boy sneered.

“Inuyasha!” Miroku called. “Kagome, where -“

“She’s fine. She’s safe.” He quickly replied, amber eyes never parting from the purple ones belonging to the demon child.

“Eh,” Hakudoshi’s top lip curled cynically. “You tend to use those words lightly, don’t you.”

“Fuck you.” Inuyasha spit.

“You did quite the number on her.”

The hanyou nearly dropped his sword in his vehemence, marching forward. He could see the arrogant twitch of Hakudoshi’s mouth, thinking he had the upper hand with his barrier, but with a tightening of Inuyasha’s grip, the fang of his sword grew red and he stabbed it through. The wall around the child disappeared, and it was pleasant to watch his expression dwindle instantly. His small legs hurried to back up as he tried to rebuild another barrier, but Inuyasha went and broke that one two, reaching forward to strike his face.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Inuyasha grabbed the demon by his neck, lifting him up, ignoring the way Hakudoshi clawed at his wrist and hand to be set free.

“Kagome blames you for not saving her when she was thrown from the cliff.” Hakudoshi claimed through his clenched throat, choking but still speaking tauntingly with whatever willpower he had. “She saw you trying to grab your sword, but couldn’t understand why you weren’t able to get it because it was right there. She thinks you should have been stronger. Stronger like Koga. Like your brother.”

“No, she doesn’t.” He evenly refuted.

She’d lied. She’d never intended to stay behind and wait. Kagome just knew it was the only way to keep Inuyasha from worrying. She would be upset with herself if she didn’t do everything she could to help, and there was still some fight left in her.

At first, she’d tried climbing to her feet, but her legs shook and gave out from beneath her. Twice, she’d tried to stand, but it was no use. Not even with the wall as support was she able to walk up the incline. Just trying to pick herself up was exhausting, her stomach wringing painfully, and she’d had to pause to pass some bile. Trembling horribly, Kagome wiped her mouth clean, continuing forward on her hands and knees.

It was a strenuous path uphill, but Kagome pushed herself as hard as she could, swallowing thickly to fight through her body’s resistance. She could hear the action, she could hear Hakudoshi spewing nonsense to try and hurt Inuyasha again, and she could practically feel just how livid Inuyasha was as he faced him. She wanted to see to his end. She didn’t want to risk him getting away. If anyone needed to be disposed of in Naraku’s army, it was him. He was the termite, the demon who destroyed you from the inside out, and he was going to choke on his arrogance today.

“Kagome thinks you could have done more to save your mother.”

“You’ve lost your spark since you can’t speak through her anymore.” Inuyasha firmed his hold on Hakudoshi’s throat.

He wheezed, his voice breaking, but still he continued. “You were fourteen, you weren’t helpless. Just inexperienced and stupid. That’s no excuse. You could have helped her.”

The hanyou turned around, walking back the way he came.

“Kagome believes she would have survived if only you were full demon. Your mother would have been better off.”

“Kirara,” He called, holding the child a little higher. “Hungry?”

Tossing Hakudoshi, the saber-toothed cat leapt forward and caught him in her mouth, biting down and vigorously shaking her head from side-to-side. His screams echoed as he was mauled alive, ripped apart in Kirara’s teeth.

Kagome perched on the edge of the ledge on her knees, aiming an arrow in her bow downward. It was almost too much effort to pull the string taut, the muscles in her arms quivering horribly, but she powered through. Supplying a lethal dosage of her power into her weapon, she locked on the best she could.

“Kirara, drop him!” She ordered, and the cat was obedient to the ring of her voice. Spitting the maimed demon out, she backed away and Kagome released her shot, killing off the wicked underling of Naraku.

She’d had to catch herself before falling forward, her balance off kilter, her body weak, her stomach objecting, but she swallowed the bile the best that she could. She had everyone’s attention now and there was still one demon left.

“Kagura!” Kagome stressed demandingly. “Go! If you want to protect Rin, then go! Now! Otherwise, we’ll have to kill you, too.”

“You aren’t even going to try to ask questions?” The woman asked through a tense jaw and uneven breaths. “You’re just going to let me go? Just like that? That doesn’t seem like the wisest thing to do.”

Aggravated, Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver in a means to challenge her attitude, aiming it in her bow. It worked. She was stopped promptly by Kagura’s quick reaction to raise her arms in way of yield.

“Alright, alright.” She murmured. Her scarlet eyes looked the countering woman over, how she was fighting just to stay up. She was dangerous. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she could tell that with nothing but a glance. Kagura was there when Hakudoshi came to, and he hadn’t been touched with her around defending him. Which meant, Kagome had pushed him out. No one had ever succeeded at doing that before. Hakudoshi was violent and sadistic. He’d make a home out of your body and then kill you while he was in it. But, when he regained consciousness here, he was pissed. Which meant, he lost. He didn’t get up as easily, either. He seemed out of breath, he carried himself as if he’d been wounded, as if his strength had been compromised, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been sent back not only with a damaged ego, but damage to his being, as well. “I hope you win, conjurer.” Kagura said before backing out, leaving the cavern.

With a breath of finality, Kagome let her hands fall to the ground beneath her, supporting her body the best she could. Spotting her cousin gazing at her with pressing concern, she gave a feeble wave, a smile containing minimal effort accompanying it as she gave a thumbs up. Miroku chuckled exasperatedly, rubbing his forehead in agitation before running his fingers through his hair.

“You said you’d stay.” Inuyasha said as soon as Kagome’s eyes glanced his way.

“Sorry.” She mouthed. Matching his tone, as light as it was, was just too much energy right now, and it was a struggle on its own not to collapse.

As if reading her fatigue clearly, Inuyasha effortlessly made his way back up to the ledge to check on her. The backs of his fingers caressed her cheeks, pushing hair from her face. She was burning up; it’d hit her hard this time. They needed to get her to a place where she could safely recuperate.

“I don’t think any of those things Hakudoshi said.” She whispered on an exhale. Her body gave the slightest sway, and Inuyasha’s hands moved to her sides to prevent her from falling.

“Shh,” He soothed. “I know you don’t.”

“I - I would never.” Kagome looked as if she were about to cry, sparring against her exhaustion to stay upright. “I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

“Kid, stop.” Inuyasha lulled. “Come on, you need to rest.”

“Is the fight over?” Her brow furrowed tight, and one of her hands pressed into his thigh as she wavered again. It was like she couldn’t feel his support. “Are there - there anymore demons?”

“No. It’s over.” He shook his head. It clicked. She was about to pass out, and at the perfect moment, Inuyasha caught her when she fell into his chest. Giving it a second, he waited. Her breathing was still there, her pulse was still beating, but she was undeniably unconscious. Honestly, it was surprising that she’d lasted this long.

With a sigh of relief, Inuyasha held her tight for just a moment longer. Everything was fine now. Her body was forcing her to rest. Kagome was going to be extremely unhappy when she woke up later, but for now, she was okay. He pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head before adjusting her legs so he could scoop an arm beneath the backs of her knees. She was safely cradled in his hold as he stood, silently gesturing to the others that it was time to leave.

| previous chapter | <-

#inuyasha #inukag #kagome #kagome higurashi #inuyasha fanfiction #inukag fanfiction #monster #akitokihojo

[mamabearcat]

9: a missing moment from canon 💜

Okay. Sorry in advance. This ended up a lot angstier than I'd planned.

The thing is, Kagome is a modern girl in a very violent and unforgiving time period, and I'm sure she saw a lot of things that she wasn't emotionally prepared for. And she's such an empathic character, she would take those situations to heart, and they would affect her a lot.

I'm going to put this under a read more. Contains a death (not main character) and canon level violence. I'm going to put it in my AO3 one-shot collections as well.

“Kagome? Can I get the kettle out of your backpack?”

Kagome startled at the sound of Sango’s voice so close to her, and the soft touch of a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly she realised that everyone had been setting up the camp around her while she’d been sitting on a tree root, silently staring into space.

“Oh Sango-chan, I’m sorry, let me help!”

Sango smiled at her wanly, her lips barely turning up at the corners, squeezing Kagome’s shoulder gently.

“It’s fine Kagome-chan. Just rest here a moment.”

“O-okay.”

And she was left alone with her thoughts again. Swirling thoughts she didn’t really want. Thoughts she wished she could bleach out of her mind, like Mama did with the stains on white tablecloths. Soak her whole self in a bucket of bleach to be hung out on the line, and go back to being sunny carefree Kagome, who’s main worry of the week was if she managed to remember the quadratic equation for that math quiz. Not the Kagome who had just seen that village. That hut. Not the Kagome who had held that boy. Not the Kagome who… killed.

*

“Here, there’s someone alive over here!” Shippou called out frantically, his tiny paws incapable of pulling aside the ruins of the toppled and still smouldering hut. In a flash Inuyasha was there, lifting heavy boards, kicking aside matting and broken furniture until he could make his way inside.

“Inuyasha!”

Kagome followed him into the partially collapsed hut, medical kit in hand, but Inuyasha turned to block her view.

“Don’t go in Kagome, you can’t do no good in there.”

There was a faint, gurgling cry, and Kagome slipped under his outstretched arm to glance around the room. There had been fire. There were arrows. There was blood. There was a woman, her eyes open but no longer seeing, her torn clothing no longer protecting either her modesty or the horrific end she had come to. And there was a boy.

He was young, probably around Souta’s age. But the gash across his throat and horrific burns covering half his face and chest made him look monstrous, and Kagome had to clench her teeth hard against the bile forcing it’s way up her throat. The smell was horrific, and she panted for a moment as she knelt next to the boy, trying to get herself under control. His one eye focused on her face.

“Ma…” he gurgled. Kagome glanced aside to the woman on the floor and then back to the boy, concentrating her gaze on the unmarked side of his face, smoothing the blood soaked hair off his forehead as she gathered her courage, then forced herself to take stock of his injuries for a moment. She blinked quickly, fighting back tears. Even if she tried to treat those burns, the amount of blood he’d lost from where his throat was cut, the actual cut itself – she had no way to fix this. Even a modern hospital would have trouble fixing this. She took a deep breath.

“I’m Kagome, and I’m going to give you something to take the pain away”, she said softly.

She reached into her medical kit and took out the tiny dark bottle that Kaede had given her. The one that came with extremely strict instructions and should only be used in very specific circumstances. There was no way she could save this boy. Left for dead by samurai soldiers and then horrifically burnt by the hut they’d set alight. The hut that had once been his home, his safe place. They had arrived too late to help, long after the samurai had left. She couldn’t do anything to take those violent memories away for him. But at least she could take his pain away.

Being as gentle as she could she dribbled the mixture into the child’s mouth, humming softly to him and stroking back his hair as she waited for the medicine to take effect. Gradually the ragged breathing slowed and his eye rolled back as a great sigh, and then another left his body.

Her trembling hand slid down his face to close his eye as the silent tears came. Tears for a little boy she would never know, a boy from a different time, but who in essence was probably very similar to the little brother she loved.

Inuyasha stood behind her silently, waiting for her to be ready to move aside. For a while, he’d sat in the hut with Kagome and the boy, listening to her quiet hum and the gasping breaths of the boy, watching the movement of the gentle hand. But in the end, he hadn’t been able to sit still any longer, his fingers twitching helplessly, and had gone outside to dig the graves. At least with that he was useful.

When Kagome finally wobbled to her feet, he picked up the little boy, barely a weight in his arms, and carried him outside to place in the grave. When he came back for the mother, Kagome had found a charred blanket to wrap her in, and had closed her eyes.

When the graves for all the villagers had been filled and Miroku had chanted the sutras, with Sango laying some wildflowers she’d managed to find not far away, Kagome had leaned on Inuyasha bonelessly, holding Shippou in her arms. It felt like she should still be crying, but her tears had dried up to be replaced by a feeling of emptiness. A hollow rage that had no where to go.

And that rage still filled her. The unfairness of it. There had been no reason for the people in that small village to have died. There had been barely twenty of them. It had obviously been a small farming community, a poor one, with nothing worth stealing. The only thing stolen had been their lives, their dignity, by men who had no compassion or soul.

“Kagome?”

Little Shippou was standing there in front of her, holding out a plate. Plain rice, with fish cooked over the fire.

But one look at the blackened blistered skin that she usually loved to eat had her bolting into the darkness as far from the camp as she could manage before she collapsed over a large tree root, hurling the meagre contents of her stomach onto the forest floor. The dry sobs came then as she gripped the bark under her fingernails, feeling them bend and crack as she put all her strength into it.

“Hey.”

Inuyasha was there, holding back her hair, his hand warm on her back.

“It’s not fair”, she gasped. “They didn’t deserve that. It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not fair”, he said, his usually gruff voice gentle.

“And I know what you’re going to say. And I know it too. I need to be tougher, harder. I need to get used to seeing things like that. I need to be stronger.”

The hand on her back rubbed gently.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything of the sort.”

He sighed then, and she felt herself being pulled backwards into his arms as he picked her up and moved away from the meagre pile of vomit, sitting down against a tree closer to the campsite, holding her tightly against him, kissing her forehead.

“You are a good person Kagome. Kaede woulda done the same.”

“I’m not a good person”, she whispered. “I killed him Inuyasha. That little boy.”

“No you didn’t.” He ignored her shaking head. “He woulda died anyway, all alone. You gave him peace, and you were there for him when he needed someone the most.”

Kagome shut her eyes, and he turned her face to his.

“Look at me. Kagome look at me.”

His eyes were the most earnest she’d ever seen them, and she couldn’t help the small sob that escaped her.

“You don’t need to be hard. You don’t!”

He stroked her hair gently as she pressed her face into his chest, tears streaming.

“Your heart, your… softness. It’s one of the things I like about ya the most. Because that soft heart a yours looked at a shitty hanyou like me and decided I was okay.”

She snorted at him through her tears, pushing at his chest with a weak fist.

“You’re better than okay, dummy!”

“Better than okay”, he chuckled. “I’ll take that. But I'm be'in serious here, you don’t gotta change, alright? Not one bit a you. You stay the same Kagome. I could never have sat beside that kid like you did. You keep be’in you, and I’ll be here to look after you.”

“O-okay…”

They sat silently for a while in the darkness, the only sounds the crackling of the nearby campfire and the wind in the leaves.

“Do ya think you could eat a little, or do ya need to go to sleep.”

“Maybe… just… not the fish.”

“Fair enough. Can ya walk?”

“Yeah.”

When they got back to the campsite, Shippou was crying in Sango’s arms as she murmured soft words to him, and Kagome’s heart lurched. Letting go of Inuyasha’s hand she held out her arms.

“Shippou, I’m okay", she said, trying to make her tone light and encouraging. "You didn’t do anything wrong, I was just sad. But I bet if you gave me a hug, I’d feel much better?”

Seeing her, Shippou bounded over to her and into her arms, hugging her tight, sobbing out his apologies for making her ill, and she hummed to him, stroking his soft hair away from his forehead. Here was a little boy who needed her right now, who she could help. And that made the rage lessen a little.

But she would never forget.

#mamabearcat fanfics #i'm sorry #inukag snippet #inukag writing ask

[sessrin-eternity2]

Yashahime Second Act New PV

Yashahime Second Act, has a new mini PV and I think they are only showing some tiny clips from episodes 1 to 2 or 3.

Here we have Towa welding her new blade, Zanseiken. The design is extremely unique and beautiful, I love the details for the hilt. I think this blade really suits Towa's character but I also love her knock off of the Kikujūmonji because she literally made that into a sword of her own by using demon energy. I wonder if Towa's Zanseiken will have more abilities than her other blade. She seems to be looking at it curiously and uneasy, could this be the first scene of her putting it into use? I believe she's going to do more extraordinary things using this one.

This scene here seems to be a spirit of Kirinmaru, it reminds me of the battle scene of Episode 24 between Kirinmaru versing Towa and Moroha. They both had spirits above them, for Towa it was Sesshomaru's demon dog form and for Moroha it was the great dog demon general Inu no Taisho aka Toga. This is an interesting one too because not only we seen this form of Kirinmaru in this scene but also in the Second Acts poster, he is in the middle and standing in front of the windmill of time, so this is not the first time seeing this form of his and I do wonder what this is indicating... The second image down below, we see Kirinmaru's face up close and it is only showing one eye along with two scars on his cheek, both done by Towa and Setsuna. Is he reflecting from the battle with the 3 princesses? Thinking about how he accidentally killed Sesshomaru's and Rin's daughter, Setsuna out of anger after she landed a cut on his cheek? His past? His battle with Toga? or his beloved daughter, Rion? There's still so much we need to discover about their relationship and how did it become such a conflict to drive the two away from each other.

Riku? Riku?! What is this all about? Is this... demons in the shadows? Are you planning an attack on someone? Or is he going to strike these hidden creatures? He does have his blade out, and if I'm not mistaken, it kinda looks like his new earring accessory, that's intriguing. He really looks great in his new attire and I can see his sleeves are not torn anymore like his first attire was shown. I think this upcoming episode could be The Demon Ghost Of The Ocean, it just gives off a vibe this could be the episode but it's only a guess. Riku looks quite serious in this, I don't see any smirking from him than usual so what could this situation be about?

I about screamed when I seen this, I'm so happy to see Sesshomaru again, Ah-Un and the rest as well. Lol, look at poor Jaken holding onto the end of Sesshomaru's Mokomoko. And yes, there are so many theories flowing around about this scenes situation. We haven't seen Sesshomaru ride Ah-Un in awhile... Normally when he rides him it is to make a great entrance but this is looking more like an emergency because...

We see that Sesshomaru is holding Rin! We finally get our first Sessrin scene! Wooo! Yes! Sweet Mokomoko! I love how he's holding his wife so tenderly, not only that he is also steering Ah-Un while holding her, you can see the dark brown strap between Sesshomaru's hands and thumb. But what the heck happened to Rin... Zero tied her? Is she truly in labor? Someone is either having a flashback or telling the story to the twins or someone else. Now, I have some backup for the Rin is in labor theory that is by other fans and I have one of my own so I hope there's some people that are thinking the same on it as well but first the labor theory.

It is extremely rare for Sesshomaru to be flying Ah-Un, especially when he can fly himself without an issue and he's always been strong enough to carry Rin. Why does he need Ah-Un to fly with Rin? And the theory is, Sesshomaru is using Ah-Un to travel safely with Rin Lady Kaede's because she is in labor. In the image we can definitely see there is some discomfort in Rin's expression, possibly labor pains and her hand is resting on her stomach but we see no pregnant belly because it is only viewing half of Rin's body which is probably the reason why we cannot see the baby bump on her but also remember this... in episode 15 between a conversation with Sango and Kagome, Sango's dialogue "How are you feeling Kagome? You're far along now, I can't wait." Kagome's dialogue "Thanks Sango! I feel fine, you can barely see my bump." And with that Sango agreed. It even shows Kagome holding her stomach when Riku tells Kagome Kirinmaru will kill her child as well if Kirinmaru's slumber has been disturbed because he hates humans and hanyos.

In a panic and fear, Kagome places her hands on her stomach, and we can barely see her bump like Sango said, so Rin's baby bump was possibly like Kagome's while she was in labor with Towa and Setsuna.

Here's my theory of what possibly happened that caused this scene with Sesshomaru carrying Rin while flying on Ah-Un. And Nooope, not believing that Zero tied herself to Rin on this night, she may had tried to but failed at it and here's how. Zero may had tried another type of spell to tie Rin to her soul and in the spell process before she could finish, Sesshomaru interrupted her and saved Rin but a small portion of Zero's spell took over her and somehow Sesshomaru managed to break it (Possibly from cutting that green dream butterfly) and Rin fainted afterwards due to her energy being drained from Zero's spell or Zero may had wounded Rin and Sesshomaru is using Ah-Un to carefully fly her to the barrier so he and Jaken can patch her up there while with the twins. Also, we need to remember Episode 23, here's a small reminder. When Zero tied herself to Towa, Towa did not pass out when she was first tied, she was only used as a puppet for Zero to control and she used Towa to hold Setsuna and her weapon still while Zero came over to break the seal that Miroku placed on her. After she was finished with Towa, she let her go and that's when Towa fainted but it was only for a brief moment, so that's why I don't think Zero already tied Rin in that new clip and she may wake up. I still believe she was with the twins when the forest fire happened and that's when Zero finally tied Rin's soul to hers fully. I have more about this theory why Rin was in the forest with the twins but I'll save that for another blog. (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

How did Zero get those rainbow pearls again?! I know she confirmed she can easily find them but this fast? And what will she use them for this time? Is she going to use them to kill the Towa, Setsuna and Moroha? This woman is a nightmare. (つ﹏<。) I really don't want to know what's her next plan.

#sessrin #sesshomaru #rin #Yashahime thoughts and theories #towa #setsuna #moroha #kirinmaru #yashahime #inuyasha

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Prince Animage May 2021 Issue (Part 1)

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

Due to the amount of content in the magazine, I have decided to the split the translation into three parts as follows

Part 1: Elder Son’s Resolve! Interview with Director Satou Teruo

Part 2: We Won’t Give Up On the Future! Father-Daughter Round-Table Talk with Narita Ken, Matsumoto Sara, and Komatsu Mikako

Part 3: The Strength to Overcome Destiny. Interview with Director Satou Teruo

Please note that there are two interview articles with Director Satou in this magazine.

The Strength and Pride of a Beast King

The Beast King of the West’s (The Dog General) eldest son, Sesshōmaru. He is far from the stereotypical image of an eldest son being “A reliable elder brother who protects his younger brother” or “A filial pious male heir”.

He once clashed with his half-demon half-brother, Inuyasha, many times. Also, instead of ruling over the western lands in place of his late father, he continues a wandering journey. However, his outstanding ability and noble mindedness that can overwhelm others is that of a beast king’s eldest son. Always treading the path he believes in, he is an aloof existence who never sucks up to anyone, no matter how backed into a corner he gets. That is the way of life for Sesshōmaru, the one who inherits the blood of a beast king.

That stance does not change, even with his own daughters, Towa and Setsuna. He does not spoil them because they are his daughters. On the contrary, he is sending them on a difficult path. Even when his second daughter, Setsuna, lost her life as result, he never grieved.

At a glance, Sesshōmaru’s actions appear collected, but behind that he must surely be hiding his own conviction. Though we cannot yet see the full picture of what Sesshōmaru is thinking, let us wait for the second chapter (season) while believing in the strength and pride of the eldest son!

Sesshōmaru The Eldest Son of the Beast King of the West. A proud demon with greater demon parents. Though he is not on good terms with his younger brother, Inuyasha, when Kirinmaru tried to fell Inuyasha, Sesshōmaru sent Inuyasha inside the black pearl.

Family

Parents: The Dog General and his wife

Siblings: Younger half-brother, Inuyasha (different mothers)

How He’s Addressed: “Sesshōmaru”

When One Says Eldest Son, (one thinks) “Stubborn” Looks Like He Will not Show Affection for A While?

In episode 18, Sesshōmaru gallantly appeared before Towa and the others as they fell into a tight spot battling Kirinmaru. Even though he fended off Kirinmaru and saved his daughters, he left the scene without a word. There is a glimpse of Sesshōmaru’s obstinate heart when Jaken asks him “What about the two of them?” and he answers, “Don’t say anything”.

When One Says Eldest Son, (one thinks) “Pride” One Who Inherits the Blood of the General of the West

The pride he has for the beast king blood he got from his father is an aspect you can’t leave off when talking about Sesshōmaru. During the time of “Inuyasha”, it was that pride that made Sesshōmaru dislike and look down upon humans and half-demons. However, because of his meeting with the young girl, Rin, and moving with her, a kind heart slowly started to bud within him.

When One Says Eldest Son, (one thinks) “Harshness” Spartan Training for Even His Daughters

Though it was to hide them from Zero and Kirinmaru, to take his daughters away from their mother immediately after birth and imposing a “rite of courage and cowardice”? Even with Setsuna’s death before him, he entrusts Towa with Tenseiga, (a sword) that can resurrect a dead person only once, but the blade is broken… His harsh trial for his daughters will continue in the second chapter (season)?!

Pay Attention to These Eldest Sons Too!

Kohaku Eldest son of the demon slayer clan. During his youth, he had a somewhat unreliable side to him compared to his elder sister, Sango. However now, he has matured splendidly, both mentally and physically. Taking over from his late father, he became the head of the demon slayers.

Hisui Miroku and Sango’s eldest son. He has two older twin sisters, Kin’u and Gyokuto, who do things at their own pace. For a long time, whether it was just from the rebelliousness of an eldest son , he misunderstood his father as a greedy and cowardly person. However, in episode 13, he changed his perception.

Sōta The eldest son of the Higurashi family and Kagome’s younger brother. Towa’s adoptive father. He saw Kagome fighting demons during his childhood, so he more or less does not get phased easily. Even when Towa returned to the feudal era, he gave her a gentle push.

Kirinmaru It is not known if he has other siblings aside from his older sister, Zero, but one can sense the personality of an eldest son from his imposing appearance. Whether it is towards his elder sister, the severity in his roar might even get through to Sesshōmaru.

Eldest Son’s Resolve!

Formerly, there was special regard for the eldest son as the “heir to the clan”. However now, there is a diversity in worth. If there are neets, then there are also vagrant sons and there are even families that are not blood related! Various eldest sons who are each fighting in their own fields, gather around~!

Good Brothers, Good Rivals Director Satō Teruo

— Where do you think Sesshōmaru’s charm as an eldest son lies?

Satō: Even if you say elder brother, Sesshōmaru’s relationship with Inuyasha is that of a half-brother. You may not really get a sense of an eldest son or elder brother but… I think he’s fundamentally a nice person. For the sake of his goals, he’s willing to move (others) in a way that’s convenient for him, whether it be his younger brother or children. However, in truth, it’s also for their sake and it’s like despite everything, he won’t treat everyone badly.

— That’s a little elder brother like.

Satō: He clashed with Inuyasha for a long time but over time, he took action in a way that would become proper support. Although, I don’t know just how far Sesshōmaru planned things. He has a “Whether they live or die is up to them” kind of thinking. It’s possible that the actions Inuyasha chose to take just happened to turn out well.

— In “Hanyō no Yashahime”, there was a phrase that came up for the daughters’ trial = “Rite of Courage and Cowardice”. Could that harshness also be eldest son like?

Satō: Even during the “Inuyasha” era, Sesshōmaru would always back Inuyasha into a corner but Inuyasha overcame and crawled his way up. Not only do I think that Inuyasha was able to grow because he had that high wall known as Sesshōmaru, but if Sesshōmaru hadn’t been there, it’s possible that Inuyasha wouldn’t have been able to battle Naraku. I feel that the two of them are good brothers and good rivals. In that term, I think Sesshomaru has some amount of faith in Inuyasha.

— By the way, are you an eldest son yourself, director Satō?

Satō: I’m the same as Sōta, Kohaku, and Hisui in that I’m the “eldest son who’s also the youngest child”. For some reason, there are many eldest sons who are the youngest child in this work so somehow, I felt close to them. Being the eldest son while also being the youngest child is completely different from being the eldest son and child. Everything is based on the elder sisters’ mood! (laughs) My two older sisters would mimic Pink Lady (translator’s note: A pop duo from the late 1970s) and I would applause as I watched. There’s an image that that’s how eldest sons who are also the youngest child are thoroughly trained on “how to read the mood” (laughs).

— Sōta certainly is able to read the mood. He was completely unphased when Setsuna, Moroha, and the demon came from the feudal era.

Satō: Sōta has nerves of steel doesn’t he. Thanks to seeing Kagome and Inuyasha go back and forth to the feudal era right before his eyes, even when Setsuna, Moroha, and the demon appeared, he just took a philosophic view like “Ahahaha… See, I always told you. There are demons”. Being able to adapt to their surroundings like “that’s just how it is” I think is a trait of eldest sons who are also the youngest child (laughs).

— What about Kohaku’s aspects of being an eldest son?

Satō: Kohaku at present is splendidly carrying on the family work as the head of the demon slayers, though it’s not a large family like in the past. I think while carrying the pride he inherited from both his father and elder sister, he’s trying to protect the work of demon slaying. When thinking of Sango as an elder sister, she seems kind of scary (laughs).

— Hisui also inherited the family work.

Satō: You’re right, inheriting Hiraikotsu from Sango. With uncle Kohaku’s existence, it’s possible that Hisui felt “he wanted to do the same thing” during his childhood days, like how children from kabuki families do so to speak.

— If we’re talking eldest son with an older sister, it’s Kirinmaru.

Satō: That is the case. Kirinmaru was a beast king who ruled over the east and stood alongside the Dog General so he’s already a feudal lord/head of the house. There was the phrase “Don’t get carried away” that he said to Zero. As the head, he was admonishing his sister who lacked a sense of justice. I think that dislike for half-demons comes from their position. In the second chapter (season), a new key person will appear in the story. Kirinmaru’s family relationship will become more complex again going forward so please pay attention to how that relationship in regards with Sesshōmaru’s family will turn out.

#Yashahime #hanyou no yashahime #yashahime: princess half demon #translation

[ailuro-mania]

Always

Hey! I wrote another thing. This is a lot shorter than intended. I'm very bad at focusing on writing. But I really liked this whole idea, and my girlfriend really did too. So I had to write it, naturally. Can also read here  --- It was a bad day. Or at least, under Inuyasha’s opinion it was. Kagome was leaving the village with Sango together, alone, with next to know protection aside from their sass. Never mind Sango being a badass demon slayer, or Kagome’s ability to purify evil within seconds, she was leaving him behind. Him and Moroha. Their daughter who was barely pushing 6 months.  

“You can’t leave,” he simply stated, eyeing his wife though his face did not turn to meet hers.  

“I most certainly can,” the miko commented right back. She was folding some clothes she’d recently unclipped from their drying line directly into a wicker basket they acquired last season. Kagome actually seemed to enjoy doing such mundane tasks Inuyasha couldn’t even fathom about.  

He scoffed, tucking his arms into each sleeve. A sneer settled across his lips when he finally turned to look at her with all the confidence in the world. Oh, this will win the argument. “And what about Moroha?” he didn’t even bother trying to hide the smirk.  

Kagome tiled her head, a strand of her tresses swishing into her face, “What about Moroha? You’ll be watching her.”  

Inuyasha’s eyes widened, “Wh- what? Me? Watching Moroha?”

“Yes, you.” Kagome leaned down to heave the basket up onto her hip before a blur of red approached her side and took the basket into his own clawed hands. She faltered a solid second, a smile playing at her lips though she hid it within seconds, not daring to give him the satisfaction during a debate. “You’ll be fine. And aside from that, you haven’t so much as spent an hour alone with our daughter.”  

Inuyasha’s upper lip twitched a tad, “How am I supposed to spend an hour alone with her when you’re dying to hold her at every moment? Besides, can’t Kaede watch her and I go with you? You haven’t left once since Moroha was born. And I’m not... I don’t like the idea of you leaving. Not yet.”  

The miko smiled, tucking the hair that played in the wind behind her ears. Her Inuyasha, only in these moments is she blessed with such honesty. It was delectable.  

“It’s only the next village over. I should be back before the sun even sets,” she felt his tension even before the words filtered out. “I will be back before the sun sets.”  

Inuyasha pressed his lips together and set the basket down at the front entry of their hut, an ear turned to listen inside, the other focused on her. Their little one was fast asleep. Moroha always seemed to sleep an hour into sunrise, and the young parents were not ones to change that. She was up all night, Kagome and Inuyasha finding their alone time well within the meek hours of the morning. They loved every moment with their girl, but it was so much easier to just be alone at times.  

“You’ll be fine. Sango will be with me for extra protection though she honestly isn’t even terribly needed,” She gingerly reached up to cup his cheek within the palm of her hand.  

Inuyasha subconsciously leaned into her touch, golden eyes gazing directly into chocolate brown. His hair engulfed her wrist in a bracelet of silver whilst the breeze continued to dance through every strand. “I still don’t like it.”  

“I know,” she leaned up on her toes to press her lips against his in a passionate pursuit only to be moments away to hear their daughter, on cue, wailing.  

Though the interruption, the miko couldn’t help but smile. She leaned that smile into a quick peck on her husband's lips before turning on her heel and headed straight into their hut.  

“Well, hello little one,” she chirped, heading directly toward the bundle of attention seeking that was their daughter. She scooped Moroha up into her arms in one swift movement. The little girl let out a loud squeal of delight as she always did seeing her mother. Little hands turned into fists as the young one reached out toward Kagome’s cheeks. Kagome complied by putting her face directly into the path of her daughters, letting her pat her down.  

Inuyasha all but watched, his heart full of emotion for the most important people in his life. He watched as his wife smoothed out their daughter's bed head and smothered their happy girl in kisses, he watched as she wiped the bit of drool at the corner of Moroha’s lips. He wished he could watch every moment of this, possibly even freeze it. As selfish as it sounded, he didn’t want things to change. And he most certainly did not want his wife leaving the area where he couldn’t watch her, not with their pup this young.  

He made a grunting noise, catching both his girl's attention. Moroha offered an extremely gummy grin toward her father and reached her arms out in his direction next. It was his turn to get mauled by the beast. Kagome sauntered over, arms stretched out, Moroha at hand. He made a face at the miko as he gently took her into his arms next.  

Kagome stood up on her tippy toes once again to kiss their daughter's cheek and playfully ruffle Inuyasha’s hair, much to his distaste. The next move she made was toward her bow and arrows she’d been practicing with fairly frequently since the birth of Moroha.  

“What if she gets hungry?” He continued, holding their pup against his right side. The little one had taken to playing with his hair, strands of the silver already covered in drool. “She needs you if she gets hungry.”  

A soft laugh escaped through Kagome’s lips as she shook her head, “No, she’s already started to wean. We’re balancing, and today can be a day in which she stays off me. As much as I adore her, she can be... well...” the miko just shook her head, sparing her husband that bit of information he’d probably never shake. “You can take her down to Miroku’s for lunch.”  

He raised a brow, “Breakfast?”

“Already mashed some solid foods this morning. You watched me do it,” Kagome slung the bow around her shoulder, her quiver stead strong on the other side.  

“Kagome, really. I don���t know about this. I really don’t thin-”  

“You don’t know about what, Inuyasha? Watching our child?” Her hands were at her hips. Fuck. He’d treaded into a battlefield.  

“No! I- well-”  

“I carried her for nine solid months,” she took two steps forward, Inuyasha taking one back. “In my own body. I carried her daily afterward and have been with her for another 6 months after. Inuyasha, I just ask of you, just this once, ple-”

“Alright, woman!” His brows pulled together, straightening back up. “I’ll watch her today. I’ll watch her any day so long as you promise to keep safe, to come back.”  

Yet another smile grew across such soft pink lips. “Always.”

A familiar voice carried over to their hut. Sango, calling for Kagome. Inuyasha glanced toward the door. The moment Kagome started forward he’d gently caught her wrist with one hand, pulling her back into his available arm, Moroha still balanced in the other content with his hair. He placed a lasting kiss against Kagome’s lips, a small noise of relish slipping from her. They lasted for another few seconds before both their mutual friend knocked at the side of their door, eyebrows quirked.  

“You sure you want to go still?” Sango asked, a teasing smile displayed.  

Kagome rolled her eyes, “I’m coming.” She turned to kiss her daughter once more, squeezing Inuyasha’s hand. “Always,” she repeated one last time, a bit of emphasis laced through the word.  

He pursed his lip once her back was turned. “You watch out for her, Sango.”  

It was Sango’s turn to roll her eyes, “We’re mothers, Inuyasha. If anything, we’re the most threatening things on this side of the region.”  

He’d watch as they walked away, ignoring every instinct telling him to follow after. Sango was right. Their group protected one another. They’d kill for each other, or each other's family. Kagome was in good hands and he knew it well, he knew she could easily take care of herself. Though he faintly missed his clutzy crush, she’d turn into a graceful, powerful miko, and a mother. A mother of his child, something he’d never even dreamed of becoming a possibility in his cruel reality.  

And just as he begun to feel himself sink into such deep emotions; his daughter immediately pulled him out with a fit of wailing. “Fuck.”  

-------

The silver haired half-demon found himself at the monk's house fairly quickly. Moroha gave him an impossible try for food the moment Kagome’s scent was out of reach for both of them. She was entirely different without her mother as he begun to realize. She pushed every attempt of food away and kicked. His patience was thin to begin with, but with his daughter it stretched further than the horizon. He needed to be able to do this. So, he found himself here, surrounded by 3 human children and an extremely enthusiastic and well-sought monk.  

“So,” Miroku smirked, “came to me for child advice after all?”  

Inuyasha scoffed and gave him one of his famous glares, “I think your children could give better advice than you could. Sango does most of the childcare and we both know it.”  

“Touche.” Miroku and him both sat at a table within their larger hut. After Kagome’s disappearance, Sango and Miroku’s life went on. Not that Inuyasha could be upset about such a thing. He was happy to see them happy, to see their wishes coming true. Though he’d sulk, he still enjoyed watching as Miroku changed from less of a lecher to more of a father. He still had his moments though; moments Sango still seeks revenge on.  

Their hut was larger, but only because they planned such a large family that they may have overcompensated. But who knew, they still had many years to go, perhaps more were well within the near future.  

The children ran about the front of the hut, weaving between the door and front yard. A gate was spread across the face of their house which gated the young ones in. The twins were pushing four, Hisui almost two. Hisui was placed at the feet of the monk playing with some sort of rattle that rung in the half-demons' ears. Moroha was pressed well against his chest, leaking from her nose from an earlier sob.  

As soon as he’d walked up the twins were at his feet, clinging on for dear life as their favourite uncle carried them with ease. Miroku didn’t even so much as bother to tell them to stop, he knew Inuyasha secretly loved his daughter's trust. Moroha went from crying to fascination so fast it nearly gave Inuyasha whip-lash. Kin’u and Gyokuto both bouncing about, their heads hardly tall enough to reach up to his knee.   “Ooo, Moroha!” Kin’u called out. She’d made a silly attempt at pressing each palm of her hand against either side of her face directing the expression toward Moroha. The little girl within Inuyasha’s arms letting out a laugh that rung through his ears, but mostly shook his heart.   “Can we play with her, pleeeease?” Gyokuto begged, dragging the word out until her little lungs were airless.   Inuyasha pressed his lips together in silent contemplation. Had Kagome let them play with their girl? Surely, she had... Moroha seemed thrilled about it.   “Alright. But only inside the hut, where I can see.”   Both the twins hooted, reaching up for his treasured daughter. The half-demon complied, prying his daughter far too easily from his chest to the twin's enthusiastic arms. The little snake, of course she’d abandoned him for two loudmouth girls.   He watched silently as they each took a hand of his daughters and teetered Moroha up on her feet, walking her over toward their play corner surrounded by childrens toys.   Miroku let out a whistle, Inuyasha’s head jerking toward it, “What?” “Kagome’s never let them play with her,” he said, smug. “She hardly lets Moroha out of her arms when you’re all here.” Inuyasha’s eyes widened slightly.   “What? You hadn’t noticed?” The purple in his eye glinted. Surprisingly, Inuyasha never wanted to punch anyone more than his best friend. Even Naraku was less-punchable. He snorted and put his nose up in the air, “Of course I noticed.” Emphasis on ‘noticed’. “I can just watch out for them better with my keen senses. Besides, Kagome left me in charge. We’re doing things differently.”   “Uhhuh...” Miroku nodded, eyebrows raised. “Well, in that case. What are we having for lunch O Great Leader?” He’d made it a dramatic to put his hands out in front of himself, arms pushed in Inuyasha’s direction for exaggeration.   “You’re the one who's supposed to be in charge of that, lecher.”   “Harsh,” Miroku pulled his hands back in to cover his heart, “I was. Up until recent development. I’d love to see you take charge during the high sun over four children and your favourite friend.” The smirk planted on the monk's lips worsened the half-demons want, no, need to punch him. “Also, your kid is shoving a toy up her nose.” He nodded his head toward the three children in the corner while snagging his son off the ground.   Inuyasha immediately stood up and walked over to the three girls, the twins trying to pry Moroha’s hands away from her nose. The youngest girls grip being far too strong for two humans, even if she’d only developed half of her father's half-blood. “Moroha!”  

------

A few hours later Inuyasha found himself alone with his daughter in the confines of their hut. Moroha had been set down at the top of the hut’s layout, far from the ledge in which he’d tried to baby proof since her crawling development that started only within a few months of her birth. The girl felt as though she was aging rapidly, something that worried the parents but neither seemed to want to address. She looked her age, but the mentality and ability were maturing at an alarming rate. There was much to learn about this girl they’d created together.   He’d gotten up to start building a fire. Though fall had just started to show itself, he knew his wife got chilled almost any night of any season. It was inevitable, her cold feet would constantly press against his warm calves during the darkest hours in search of warmth. He complained, but secretly it was his on his list of Top Things Kagome Did. Right next to plucking his ears before leaving for her daily duties.   Nightfall was still an hour or so away. Inuyasha’s patience warring thinner. No sign of his wife’s scent had entered the permitter, and he’d sniffed the air several times. Much like what his daughter had started to do right that second. He begun to sniff just as fast, finding nothing but the scent of left-over stew balanced above the firepit.   He cocked a brow and walked toward his kid, “Hungry?”   The little one stopped sniffing the air momentarily, big brown eyes rimmed with stunning lashes turned and focused on him. Something akin to a growl rumbled at the base of her throat and up.   Inuyasha blinked a few times, taken back. “Did you... Did you just growl at me?”   Moroha repeated her adorable threat, taking a small bundled up fist move toward her father. Inuyasha sat on his arse a few feet away, still stunned by his daughter's animalistic nature. Sure, sniffing the air was one thing, but to growl?   Moroha was fast, trudging directly for Inuyasha’s lap. Once she reached him she put both hands on the foot that prodded out from under him. Inuyasha leaned forward so his face was directly in front of hers, letting out a growl far more ferocious than his daughter's cute attempt.   To his surprise, she giggled! She let out a loud, stomach deep laugh that made Inuyasha’s lips tug upward in the most genuine smile. The laugh stopped abruptly and she growled again. Inuyasha growling right back. And the laugh returning even louder.   But then she started to push herself up using his foot. His daughter stood up in front of him at a mere 6 months old, her chin held high and her tiny clawed hands caught in his not so tiny clawed hands.   “Hey, kid. Don’t you be doing that. Not yet. Your mother will kill me if you walk when she's not around.” He plucked the girl up from off her feet, folding his legs in front of himself so his knees touched in the air and placed Moroha in his lap, her back and head rested well against his thighs. She smiled all the while, bright brown eyes staring up at her hero.   “You think this is a joke? She really will kill me. You have no idea how scary she is. But you will, eventually. You have my blood, you’re gon’ be a lotta work.”   Moroha’s tiny fist wrapped around her father’s fingers, staring up at him in awe as he spoke.   “You’re gonna learn a lot of things. And I’m sorry for most of them. You’re gonna learn how this world... is harsh. How you and I are different from the rest, and even your mother. How our group is needed, yet so judged outside of this village. You’re gonna learn how to use these claws,” He’d lifted one index finger up, studying his daughters' hand, “how they can really hurt someone if you’re not careful. But I know you will be. I know you’re gonna be a damn good girl. You may have obtained some of my traits, but your mother's blood runs within those veins of yours too. And she's the best human to walk this dammed earth.”   He watched as his daughter's eyes fluttered shut. She was tired, probably exhausted from the twins earlier. He leaned forward to kiss his daughter's forehead, ears turned forward to listen intently to the small but even breathing.   Inuyasha waited a few minutes more before deciding she was out enough to move. He gently lifted her within his arms and walked her over toward her dedicated matt that had a few inches more around the surrounding area to keep her from rolling out. Though with this new standing thing she’d shown off, they may have to come up with a new plan.   After settling her into bed, he’d turned his head toward the doormat. The sun was just nearing itself from hiding away and his wife was just now approaching. Soft thuds planting into the ground that normal human ears would not pick up. He’d wait by the threshold but refused to meet her out there no matter the excitement. He was still petty, of course.   Kagome came trudging in, bow and quiver held over one shoulder, her sandals in the other. She’d ran barefoot. “I’m ba-” Inuyasha’s hand went right over her mouth before she could finish her shout, pointing toward their sleeping daughter. Kagome smiled sheepishly, prying his hand away, “I’m back,” she whispered.   Inuyasha rolled his eyes, “I see that, idiot.”   Kagome pretended to be hurt, smacking his shoulder with no real threat held in the hit. He smirked and leaned forward, taking her into an awaited kiss. Kagome smiled into it, dropping both her items to the ground so she could wrap her arms around his neck, her entire being pressed and hanging off of him. Inuyasha’s arms instinctively wrapped around his miko’s waist to hold her nearby. She pulled away with the same smile, “miss me?”   Inuyasha’s eyebrows knitted, “Not at all.”   The miko’s eyes narrowed, still extremely close to his face. “Oh yeah?” her arms went from draped around his shoulders, down toward the base of his shoulders.   He couldn’t help but let out a quiet snicker, “Yeah.”   “Hm...” His wife made a soft noise at the back of her throat, one corner of her lip tugged up. She pulled her arms in all the way and begun to try and escape his grasp, to which he responded by lifting her up entirely, Kagome letting out a hardly suppressed yet joyous laugh, “Inuyasha!”   He smirked again, still holding her well up in the air, “What are you gonna do about it, woman?”   Kagome continued to laugh as she hardly put in any effort to move, “Put me down, I’m gonna pee,” she laughed out.   Inuyasha scoffed and set her down, “Ew.”   Kagome rolled her eyes and leaned up again to peck him on the lips, “Hey. You wanted to marry this ‘ew’.”   Inuyasha shrugged, “It has its perks.” A soft coo came from behind him, “I knew it was too good to be true. She’d never sleep through your arrival.”   “Unlike you, some people like me,” Kagome smiled playfully and shouldered past him toward their fully awake daughter. “Hello, my girl!” The miko bent down to scoop her up and pull her into her chest. And Inuyasha watched yet another moment he wished he could freeze. This was it. This was his always. He’d protect them at any cost. His girls.  

#Inuyasha #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha fanfic #lid writes #yashahime #moroha #kagome #kagome higurashi #inukag #inuyasha x kagome #inu x kagome #go gogo read #soft shit