Chapter 5:
For You I Do This
The youkai smiled in the face of the hanyou challenging her for her shards of the jewel. She laughed. "You worthless halfling! You'll never beat me." Her arrogant words caused the frown on his face to twist into grimace. Clutching the sword tighter, he read the winds and brought the blade down in a powerful stroke.
"CUTTING WIND!"
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in a small 'o' shape as her body faded away, the force of the winds quickly destroying her. Her clothing and swords fell away, the three shards of the jewel suspended in the air for a second before falling neatly into Inu Yasha's palm. His clawed fingers wrapped quickly around them.
He stood then for long moments, his breathing coming in quick, hard breathes that wracked his body. "Bitch…" He whispered. "The sword was made to cut down a hundred youkai, you think that it wouldn't easily destroy you?"
"Talking to ourselves, now are we?" A soft voice with a cold edge asked from behind him. He froze.
"Kikyou?" He asked without turning.
Laughter devoid of any warmth rang out throughout the ragged outcropping the stood on. Inu Yasha swore, recognizing his mistake immediately.
"You are such a liar…" She hissed.
"Kagome…" He corrected.
Darkened lips twisted into a menacing smile, wide enough to reveal the sharp incisors beneath. Inu Yasha turned to study her new appearance. Her wavy snow white hair had grown out much longer in just a year and hung down to her waist, various braided locks intermixed with the majored of free strands. Dark eye shadow accented the cold glance of her eyes and her lips were shaded to a dark blood red color. She laid back her ears when he turned towards her. She wore expensive armor, similar to Sesshoumaru's, but more shape fitting. Her bare feet were perched on a low branch, holding her head three feet above his own. An inch of steel glinted in the sunlight, her sword at ready inside the sheath at her hip.
"Kagome…" He repeated.
She lifted a hand and gestured at herself. "Do I not look myself?" She asked him, a mocking tone underlining the unnatural harshness of her voice.
Inu Yasha paused before answering, an ironic smile slowly forming as he studied her. "Even with the changes, you still look like Kagome."
Her jaw dropped slightly open in surprise, proving that was not the reaction she expected from him. Hastily regaining her composer, the indifferent glint coming back to her eyes, she demanded the Jewel. "Give it to me. Now."
Shaking his head while he quickly pocketed the newest shards, he said nothing.
Kagome took a step forward, unconcerned that the ground was nearly four feet below her feet. She frowned and tried again, annoyed. "Give me the Jewel!"
"No… Kagome…" He stood his ground when she began moving towards him. Stopping when she was just inches away, she drew herself up till she was eye to eye with him.
"I want the Jewel…" She hissed, her breath hot on his face, invading his personal space. "And you are going to give it to me, right?"
He titled his head back, trying to put space between them before he gave into temptation and smothered his lips to hers. "I can't give it to you." He refused, resolute in denying her his shards.
She was persistent. "Please Inu Yasha." She asked, trying another approach, her voice becoming seductive as she ran her hand up his chest, eyeing his shyly, pushing her face closer.
Still, he refused to relent. "Kagome… why do you need it?" He asked, hoping to get her to move away.
She frowned, but remained when she was. "The same reason as you." She told him, her voice again chilling.
"No… not the same reason as me…"
Again she laughed, the same harsh sound, filled only with amusement. "Are you telling me you don't want to become a youkai? That you don't want the power you wished for before?" She mocked him again, leaning even closer so that he caught the full sarcasm in her words.
Inu Yasha's eyes were focused on her lips, barely centimeters from his own. Suddenly, the urge unbearable to resist, he closed the tiny gap between them and kissed her fully. Kagome's eyes widened in shock, to astonished to move. When she didn't pull away from him, Inu Yasha brought his hands up to tangle in her pure white hair, dragging her body closer to him. Surprising both her fellow hanyou and herself, Kagome slowly warped her arms around him and kissed him back, parting her lips for his imploring tongue.
Breaking the passionate kiss, Inu Yasha didn't pull away from her, instead trailing kisses down her neck. "Do you know why I want to become a full youkai?" He murmured against her soft skin. Without waiting for her answer, he sucked lightly on the skin under his mouth. Nipping her playfully, he returned to her waiting lips for another deep kiss. "For you…" He quietly informed against her lips.
Kagome's eyes widened and Inu Yasha used her moment of bewilderment to slip away. "For you I do this… Only for you…" He murmured once more before disappearing into the shadows.
Kagome stood still where she was, a smile slowly appearing on her smeared lips. A soft laugh rang out through the outcropping yet again, the distinction between this one and the last was the warmth that filled her voice. As always, Inu Yasha's actions spoke as loudly as his words… although he could not admit it, he loved her.
Inu Yasha's keen ears picked up the sound of Kagome's sweet laughter and he smiled. The ice of her voice had been torture to him. He smiled… for once he had know what to do to make her happy, to bring back the sweetness of her old self. But just kisses wouldn't keep her under control… her power great and untrained was more of a danger with her new varying temper. He still needed the Jewel…
