InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Devotion ❯ Just Trust Me ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sorry guys. i know it's been a while (and i mean a LONG while) but i've had a lot on my plate with school. anyway, R&R and i hope you enjoy it.

Just Trust Me

InuYasha had fallen asleep by Kagome's side and little by little, his Tetsusaiga, which he was presently using for a support, tilted on the cot during his sleep. He hadn't been especially hurt during the battle earlier in the day, but the day had been mentally taxing concerning Sesshoumaru and the Western lands for that matter. It had never been his home for the simple fact of his mother being human and unwelcome here. He had loved her very much and missed her terribly still, when moments of suppressed memories flashed in his mind or someone forced him to remember her, her final moments. He was only a child and left without anyone to care for him.

The day was all wrong. The day was cold and gloomy, clouds blocking out the sky, but the air smelled like heat, smelled like fire. Izayoi lay on the floor, sweating, sweating, and growing weaker by the second. She had been ill for quite some time; it started a long time ago with a sneeze. It was winter, colds were common and no one thought much of it. When the runny nose and fever set in, Izayoi bore it serenely. It was the shakes that got her. She began to get sore, not able to stand on her aching feet for long periods of time and then, her body began to shake. She was hot to the touch, burning, and all of this in two weeks. No one would help her and just because she harbored him, a hanyou. Their hut was on the outskirts of the village, and the villagers felt that an act of generosity, more than she deserved, when she used to be a princess(hime).

“InuYasha,” she moaned weakly, “Come here my son.”

He ran to her. “Mother? What is it?”

“I'll not be long for this world,” she murmured as she took his tiny, clawed hand in hers and guided it to her breast, over her heart. “Promise you'll keep me here always…”

“Mother, you're okay, you'll be okay.”

She ran her hands through his silver hair and stroked his head, “No, InuYasha--”

“Yes! Stay with me! Please…” he pleaded.

“I'm sorry InuYasha…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes closed, a tiny cough forced from her lips as her last breath.

Tetsusaiga slipped from beneath him and he slumped against Kagome, his arm draped over her waist…

He shook her once, softly, then violently, begging her to come back. He knew she was gone. “Mother…please stay with me…I don't want to be alone…” he sobbed, tears rolling down his cheeks, hitting the thin tatami mat beneath him, making it darker in his shadow. He curled up next to her in the curve of her arm, even as she grew cold, even as she grew stiff beside him.

His arm tightened around her waist, drawing her closer to him. Kagome stirred momentarily…

He had fallen asleep in her arms as usual, but someone viciously tore him from his slumber and her side.

“You filthy half-breed. Can you not even leave her be in death? You defile her corpse with your presence.” It was a man. In the memory, he was just a dark figure, his hair pulled back in a high ponytail, a sword at his side. He might have been wearing armor, but it was doubtful. He backhanded the young InuYasha, making him tumble to the floor, and spat at him before ruthlessly kicking him over and over again. It seemed the man would ever stop so he played dead, tasting blood in his mouth. When the man left him, he opened an eye a fraction to see him setting everything ablaze. And as the flames consumed everything, he could not bring himself to leave his mother until the last moment when he tore out of the hut, noting all the villagers with their torches receding back into their homes.

He stumbled, broken and bloodied, to a small stream where he washed off the blood. It was not much longer until they found him and the terror and the running began.

InuYasha shifted restlessly and panted as a cold sweat spread over his forehead. Kagome watched him, wanting to do something, but not sure what to do, knowing he might get angry like he was wont to do, never mind the stinging, throbbing wound in her arm. With her able arm, she tentatively stroked his ear, smiling hesitantly as it twitched and quirked in his sleep. However, the wrinkle in his nose disappeared and his furrowed brows relaxed.

He hid under the crag of the cliff until they supposed he must be dead and retreated, leaving him utterly alone.

“Mother…” he murmured, causing her to laugh shortly. He hadn't said her name, but for once, it was not Kikyou he had called. The sound caused him to wake and he stared into her eyes for a few tense moments before recalling where he was and jumping back, a blush on his cheeks to match the one already on Kagome's cheeks.

“Arer…you okay?” She wanted to help or comfort him. If only she could get close to him, if only he'd let her.

“Feh…”

“InuYasha…” her voice rose almost pleadingly.

“I'm fine. Forget it will ya?” His voice wasn't as harsh as usual, the usual flame of anger that burned in his eyes before a battle or an argument nonexistent. He may have been telling her not to worry, but she could tell

“I was just concerned…”

“You're in no position to be concerned about me.”

“Hmm?” she blinked, slightly confused. InuYasha gestured towards Kagome's arm with his elbow. “Oh…It doesn't hurt so bad if I stay still. I'll be okay soon.”

“That would be for the best,” came a deep baritone voice from the doorway. It was Sesshoumaru. InuYasha unconsciously moved to guard Kagome. “There will no doubt be more attacks like the one today. Probably in the near future.”

“Yeah, well as soon as Kagome's healed, we're outta here.”

Poison tingled in Sesshoumaru's claws making them glow a phosphoric green. “That, I can not allow. The Western Lands are to be kept secure.”

“The lands or your ningen mate?”

“InuYasha, stop it! We'd be happy to stay, Sesshoumaru.”

He turned to leave, throwing over his shoulder, “Watch your tongue, half-breed.”

“What did you mean telling by saying `we'd be happy to'?” he mimicked her cruelly.

“Rin has never been anything but warm and hospitable to the both of us. I won't jeopardize her safety just because you don't want to be here.”

“Keh…” he got off the cot. “I'm going.” Before Kagome could say anything, he threw open the window and jumped out to find someplace with an atmosphere that was less oppressive. He lounged in a tree, having escaped the all too painful reminder of his past.

Kagome looked out the window after him, knowing he needed space and upset that the space needed was between the two of them. She slowly rose off the cot and made her way after Sesshoumaru, whose steady pace was easy to match.

In an uncharted plot of land lived but one of the demon tribes that was expelled from the demon council. They posed a particular threat to the privacy and confidentiality of the council though there were few of them, no more than one-hundred, and for their special abilities could not be allowed to remain within. For this, they bore a particular hatred for the clans of all those contained in the council. However, they were not of slight intellect and knew better to bide their time until their revenge could be exacted than rage warfare on an undefeatable foe. The lord of the shades looked into the mirror of Besammit. The Queen of the Silkworm Demons was on her way with formidable forces trailing her.

“They are coming, Lord Daiyami.”

“Ah, the Queen of the Silk Demons. We haven't spoken in centuries. I'm curious as to why she seeks me out now. And with her army no less.” He thought perhaps she might seek to exterminate his clan and therefore earn her clan a seat in the council as it had had before that scandalous attempt of her grandmother to strong-arm her way to Head Councilwoman. It was put down, of course, and the royal family had never lived down the shame.

Besammit grinned. “You're familiar with The Prophecy, yes?”

Daiyami's carefully guarded eyes, masked as a light blue, gave way to those black orbs of his true form in his rage. “I am.”

“It has begun.” Her eyes flashed back to their customary white.

“Whose side are you on, witch?”

Her hair seemed to quiver happily as her smile widened to something crazed. “There are no sides.”

“So, what's there to do around here?” chirped Sango.

“Well…Sesshoumaru is trying to rebuild the Western Lands now that he's settled. Only weak demons come within the boundaries. The malicious ones Sesshoumaru takes care of personally. But the land is so ill-kept. Oh, yes. I'd been meaning to ask him.”

Confused looks passed between her guests as they noticed she began talking to herself again absently, forgetting them almost entirely. Eventually, Souten piped up. “Ask him what?”

Rin turned around. “Well, I thought it might leave him more time to deal with the issue of security if we had humans tending the land. They would get to keep seventy or eighty percent of everything they harvested and for the most part, they'd be an axis for us to gain wealth and prestige.

An unsteady silence fell over the group.

“What? You think it`s a bad idea?”

“That's not it. It's just…well…Sesshoumaru loves you, but throwing other humans into the mix might not be the smartest thing…” ventured Miroku uneasily.

Rin was genuinely disappointed. How could she have overlooked that? She supposed that she didn't, but she loved him and she'd hoped that she could trust that he had changed from the monster everyone rumored him to be because he held obvious disdain for humans and a notorious uncompassionate nature. She knew better than to take him at face value because all that yielded was his mask.

Souten put a hand on her friend's shoulder. “If you want prosperous land, it can start with us, fair enough.”

The Lady smiled weakly. “Hai…”

“Hey! You guys!”

Everyone turned and smiled at their friend come to meet them on their way to find their own rooms even though she walked beside Sesshoumaru. As they all hugged her, careful of her arm, and asked how she was, the Lord of the lands continued to his mate. He smelled premature tears in her eyes.

“You heard?”

“Hai…” His fingers came forward to stroke hers soothingly then grasp her small hand in his, the arms of their kimonos guarding the intimate moment between the two.

“And?” she murmured. He could hear the pleading in her voice. She just knew he had to be different now.

“We will speak of it privately later and I will consider it.”

She kissed him then and not solely because she wanted to but because the others needed to see what love he was capable of even if he chose not to show it. The others looked as a result of Kagome's staring. The kiss was slow and passionate and though it didn't last very long, everyone with eyes could see the love in it. Sesshoumaru pulled back after a while, but was not angry in the slightest as his mate smiled up at him and opened her dreamy eyes.

“Ashiteru…” she whispered in his pointed ear. Her tickling breath making it twitch.

The others' jaws were resting on the floor though Kagome, the only single one, felt envious. Why couldn't she and InuYasha even touch without some awkward silence and then an ensuing argument?

“We should probably get you all into rooms and then convene for tea,” she interrupted.

Everyone turned to her except the two lovebirds, making this disgusting feeling of envy grow to epic proportions. “RIN.” she said forcefully, barely containing a yell.

“You're right. Us girls should definitely have tea right now.” The three women began walking in the opposite direction they had been, sweeping Kagome along with them.

“But it's early for tea,” Miroku called.

“And we should settle in!” whined Shippo. But the girls paid them no mind, leaving the three alone together in an awkward silence as the three dragged Kagome to the dining room and sat her down.

“You guys!”

“I'm sorry Kagome. You're my best friend and so I have to tell you that InuYasha is probably right for being so stand offish.”

Kagome was incredulous at such an accusation. “What are you talking about?”

Souten, the one Kagome knew the least was aggressive to say the least, taking the time to call her out on the outburst from moments ago. “Don't play the innocence card. Your jealousy was obvious and you're the only single one among us. I don't even understand it. InuYasha saves you in battle which means he cares and you should have seen the way he stayed by your side while you were unconscious. What fight did you get into now?”

She crossed her arms over her chest in denial. “There wasn't a fight! He just ran off.”

“You say the S word a lot and I'm sure it causes him a lot of grief with you having that edge on him.”

“It's necessary,” she defended.

“It was necessary when the two of you first met. He would have run off at any moment.”

Rin put her hand on her friend's shoulder. “You need to trust him to stay Kagome.”

“And if he doesn't?”

“Well, that's his decision to make, not yours. I know it hurts to love someone and not be loved back--or to think you're not--but you need to give him the opportunity to tell you how he feels. Put a little faith in him.”

Kagome was embarrassed before the three women though she knew they only meant to help. She also decided to take their advice, knowing they were probably right by virtue of the fact that none of them were single.

He had slept in the tree for a while, however uncomfortable, but his dreams hadn't been plagued with visions of his mother's last moments. Now, he felt guilty about having stormed out on Kagome like that. She was right though InuYasha would never admit it. Compromising Rin's safety wasn't a fair payback for her ready friendship. He slowly made his way back to the castle and inside the window he had left.

She was sleeping there, alone, she who looked so much like his lost love. But she was not her and Kikyou would never come back to him. He needed to accept that at some point. Kagome was a piece of the future in this feudal era. The blue-haired hanyou sat against the far wall and watched her sleep the night away, noticing her small murmurings as she dreamt. Perhaps it was time to let go of his dark past.

Kagome woke early that morning, thoughts fresh from the day before of what she must do. She slowly made her way over to the hanyou, his head drooped in sleep, bangs covering his eyes, and knelt before him, chanting the counter spell against the beads of subjugation. When it was done, they fell to the floor with a racket, waking InuYasha. He was confused upon waking at the sound, but when he saw the beads around him and in Kagome's hands, his own went to his neck.

“It's gone. Kagome?”

She smiled sadly and he thought she smelled of fear and remorse. “I don't have anything over you anymore.”

Author's Note: This chapter was for LIl6ter. You should read her stuff. it's really cool. Sorry, no puppies, but i promise i'll ge there and i hope that what i have in store for this story will be to my reviewers' liking.