InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Summon a Mate ❯ November 9: Noon ( Chapter 18 )

 

“Tell me some more about these voices.” Kagura demanded. “I need more info to decide how weird you really are.”

 

Inuyasha bristled, but Kagome easily let it go, trying to pick the right words. “Sometimes I'd just...know certain things. When Inuyasha felt guilty or was lying about something, mostly.” Kagura glared at him while his ears laid against his head in shame.

 

“I even heard them the first time I met him. They told me his name.” Kagome shivered, remembering their first night together. “They've gotten louder though.”

 

Kagura looked thoughtfully at Kagome, the most serious she'd been yet. “And now?”

 

Unease crawled through her, and she shifted, trying to get rid of it. “They haven't said much.”

 

Inuyasha tightened his hand around hers. I'm sorry, mate.

 

Sesshomaru and Kagura exchanged looks. “Well, you're either weird or crazy, because voices or urging like that are totally no-no's for mikos. Except for Midoriko dealing with Yashie, miko's are supposed to use their heads in making decisions. When you're dealing with that much power and prestige, following your heart or your gut will usually mean body pick up duty for the demonslayers.”

 

“Or.” Sesshomaru considered Kagome coolly. “She is more than miko.”

 

Kagura nudged his side hard, glaring up at him. “Sess, no!” she hissed.

 

His calculating stare remained unmoved by her elbow.

 

Ah, fuck.

 

What's wrong?

 

Inuyasha gathered Kagome closer to him, watching his brother warily. See that look? It's nearly the same one he got when he saw Kagura for the first time. He wants something. And he's trying to figure out how to get it.

 

That nervous feeling came back, turning her stomach into knots. No way. What could he want from me? And besides, would he really let on like that if he's planning something?

 

Only if he didn't care enough not to hide it.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” Inuyasha tapped his claws restlessly on the arm of the couch, drawing Sesshomaru's sharp glance.

 

Kagura's mouth dropped in indignation. “Hey! Watch the furniture!”

 

“Feh. Don't change the subject.” Very deliberately, his claws clicked out a slow rhythm while he stretched his feet out on top of the table.

 

“Get your stupid feet off my table before I get Sess to do it for you. With his claws.” Kagura snapped, yanking on Sesshomaru's arm. “And Sess, get that look off your face.”

 

His expression turned blank while Kagura got up and plopped herself down on the couch arm next to Kagome, grumbling. “Let me see your mark. That might help me with my research about your voices.” Kagura wiggled her fingers expectedly.

 

Not sure how her mark would tell Kagura more about the voices, Kagome placed her hand in Kagura's outstretched one, palm's up.

 

Her eyebrows went up. “Yep. Definitely weird.” she decided while Inuyasha and Kagome gaped.

 

“That wasn't there before.” Kagome exchanged a worried look with Inuyasha. What the hell was happening to her?

 

Don't worry, it's probably nothing. And if it is, we'll figure it out.

 

The moon and flame on Kagome's hand were still the same gray symbols they had been in the limo. But the tiny spider dangling from the point of the moon was new.

 

“The spider wasn't there even an hour ago.” Inuyasha pointed out, waiting for Kagura's explanation about what it could be.

 

His heart sunk when she eyed him instead, a hard glint in her eye. “Gray, Inuyasha?” Her finger traced the curve of the moon. “Has this always been the color?”

 

Kagome looked back and forth between Inuyasha and his family, confused by the sudden tension in the room. “It was black until sometime this morning. But I don't understand why I have a new part to my mark-”

 

Kagura stood up with a cheery expression that looked forced, Sesshomaru following silently. “Just give me a sec to go through some of my books. I'm going to borrow Inuyasha and Sess real quick. Go eat some more food, we'll be right back.”

 

Keeping the creepy grin on her face, Kagura pinched Inuyasha's ear and hauled him up. “Oi! Watch the ears!”

 

“You're lucky I didn't let Sess grab them. Even if you are a rat bastard, they're still too adorable to ruin.” she gritted out between her clenched smile, pulling him towards the door with Sesshomaru at her heels.

 

“Wait, what's going on?” Kagome stood up too, not believing Kagura needed both men to help her with books. What's happening? Something doesn't feel right.

 

“Chill chickadee, everything is going to be alllll right. I'll make sure of it.” Kagura twisted Inuyasha's ear with every word, hurrying him out of the room.

Inuyasha? Kagome asked again as Kagura marched him down the hall, allowed Sesshomaru to open a door for her, and shoved him into the library.

 

Everything's fine, wait there for a minute. Quickly, he broke the connection with Kagome, feeling nervous by the way Kagura was watching him. She gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, `if looks could kill'. Especially with Sesshomaru sharpening his claws behind her.

 

With barely a nod to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's feet were off the ground, his back digging into a bookshelf, and Sess's hand wrapped tight around his throat.

 

Wheezing, Inuyasha ignored the urge to try to support himself by grabbing his brother's wrists and went for his eyes, kicking his sides at the same time.

 

His claws sliced through Sesshomaru's cheek when he didn't duck in time, while blood splattered on the books behind Inuyasha.

 

Kagura gasped. “You did not just get blood on my books!” she shrieked.

 

As Kagura stomped over, Sesshomaru dropped Inuyasha, leisurely mopping up his blood with a handkerchief from his pocket.

 

“You asshole!” Kagura slapped him hard against the face, forcing him back against the bookcase.

 

Sesshomaru was instantly at Kagura's side in case Inuyasha was stupid enough to disagree with her hitting him.

 

Though he was a little put out that she was hitting him while he wasn't allowed as well.

But she had let him pin him against the bookcase, so maybe the rules had changed.

 

Especially since the little mongrel had cut him. He was sure he could appeal to Kagura's sensitive, loving side so he could repay his brother back threefold.

 

“You stupid bastard!” Kagura shouted again, slugging his arm.

 

“What the hell?” Inuyasha tried to back away from her blows, knowing he would be dead if he tried to restraint her. “Lay off, you-”

 

“Do not finish that sentence.” Sesshomaru warned. He would give Inuyasha tenfold now since he hinted at insulting his mate.

 

“Her mark was black? You idiot! Black? What the hell were you thinking?” Kagura kicked him in the knee with the pointy toe of her shoes, gratified by Inuyasha's yelp. “The only reason I'm not letting Sesshomaru kill you, is because her mark is gray now. But you'll be lucky if pieces of you don't make up Goldy's next meal if you don't explain yourself this fucking second.”

 

Inuyasha's face burned with shame. “You saw for yourself it's gray now-”

 

“Now!?! What about before?”

 

“Before is none of your business!” Inuyasha rubbed his smarting cheek.

 

“It is if you decide to let it go back to black.” Kagura looked him up and down, disgust in her eyes. “How could you even consider betraying your mate? I know it's tough for you stupid demons at first, so a little black isn't uncommon, but you?” she sneered. “Maybe I should take this as a sign you did betray us after all?”

 

Inuyasha bared his teeth, ignoring Sesshomaru's growl. “I did not betray anyone.”

 

“You were going to betray Kagome!”

 

“No, I'm not!” Inuyasha almost roared, before freezing.

 

The room went silent, Kagura and Sesshomaru stared at Inuyasha as he thought over what he'd inadvertently said.

 

“Which is the only reason why I'm not telling her what black means.” Kagura finished.

“I'll give you a chance even though you don't deserve it. But if I see that gray darkening even a shade, I'll kill you myself. Then let Sess bring you back so he can have a turn! I still might him cut you up since you got blood on my books.” she added darkly.

 

Sesshomaru perked up a bit at her threat.

 

“It won't darken.” Inuyasha promised. Even if he did go back to Kikyo, which he was starting to doubt, he would never use Kagome. He would allow Kagura to feed him to her fish before he ever hurt Kagome like that. But was he really what she needed?

 

Kagura narrowed her eyes. “It better fucking not. And you better tell her eventually. She won't be in the dark forever, if you don't say something, someone else will.” she rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on. This was not quite the nice, get-to-know-each-other-while-embarrassing-Inuyasha-mercilessly-luncheon she had imagined. But really, black? Was he serious?

 

She was still giving Kagome a new edition of the handbook though. Just to make sure Inuyasha was forced to come clean to her. She might be giving him a break for now, but she was NOT going to let him lie to his mate forever. The resulting fight might make them or break them, but eh, she wasn't one for doing things halfway. It needed to be done.

 

But first, they had other things to worry about.

 

“Before I get the urge to pummel you again, can you think of anything important we need to know?” Kagura asked, not adding that whatever he chose to mention might make that urge flare up again. Though she might be fair and let Sess have his turn.

 

“Can you confirm that Kikyo is still alive?” Sesshomaru asked directly, his face clean of any blood.

 

Inuyasha hesitated. He wanted to be with Kikyo less and less, but she had been an important part of his life for so long. At one point, he loved her, or at least thought he had.

 

Finally, he gave them a tense nod. All that they asked was that he confirm it. Though he

didn't know what he would do if they wanted to hurt her.

 

“Damn.” Kagura cursed, “I was afraid of that.” She waved a hand at Sess's questioning look. “Yeah, yeah, I know you've been saying it for years but we've never had any real proof.” She rolled her eyes when his nose twitched. “You catching a faint whiff of her once in a while doesn't count. It could have been a descendent, or someone with a similar miko signature, or with bad taste in perfume.”

 

Kagura rested an arm on her bookshelf, drumming her fingers against the wood. “This isn't good, especially with Kagome popping up.” she said worriedly. She stared at Sesshomaru, her lip and eyebrow twitching occasionally as they looked at each other.

 

Inuyasha crossed his hands over his chest, annoyed they were obviously talking through the mind meld instead of aloud. “What's going on?”

 

Kagura propped her hands on her hips, glaring at Sesshomaru. “We need to tell them Sess.”

 

Sesshomaru didn't answer, and instead went to one of his bookshelves, scanning the titles as they stared at his back.

 

“Sesshomaru!” she snapped. “This goes way beyond paranoid. Even if you didn't think Kag would be useful, they're our family! Who else could we trust to tell besides them?”

 

“Tell us what?”

 

“That is not necessary at this time. We need more information.” He pulled a book down, flipping through it.

 

“So we'll get more info, but let's tell them first! We might need to.”

 

He pulled a book from the shelf, flipping through it. “But perhaps they do not need to know.”

 

“Need to know what?” Inuyasha pressed, feeling frustrated. If it was about his mate, damn right he needed to know.

 

“Sesshomaru Taisho!” Kagura snapped, glaring at her mate's tense back. “I am not letting you take advantage of that girl without giving her all the facts. So either we tell them or you're on the couch for a month.”

 

“I will order extra bedding.” Sesshomaru said calmly, not looking up from his book.

 

Kagura growled, throwing her hands in the air.

 

“Will someone start making some sense?” Inuyasha broke in, annoyed at both of them.

 

“I've got a theory-”

 

“I must research before coming to a conclusion-”

 

Sesshomaru and Kagura stopped talking, frowning at each other for the interruption.

 

Finally Kagura sighed. “Alright, compromise time. We talk about the facts, leave the theories till we get to research.”

 

Sesshomaru considered it. “That will be acceptable.” He decided when Kagura flashed him her sad/hopeful look. He wasn't happy about it, and it would humiliate him to explain the situation to his brother, but he would do it since Kagura thought it was a good idea. He would never admit it, even to her, but she had the uncanny ability to be right more often then she should.

 

“Gee, it's great that you guys compromised and are all happy-happy.” Inuyasha said sarcastically. “But I still have no clue what the hell you're talking about.” He was seriously confused. Their conversation had been jumping all over the place and he wanted some answers.

 

Kagura rolled her eyes at his impatience. “To the living room!” she pointed dramatically at the door, sweeping out with the men following her.

 

Kagome stopped pacing when they entered, her nail still in her mouth where she had been biting it anxiously. Inuyasha hurried over to her and slid an arm around her back, trying to reassure her. “Inuyasha, what's going on?”

 

“We're about to explain, Kag.” Kagura smoothed the front of her skirt, looking a little nervous.

 

Inuyasha's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. Never in his entire life had he ever seen Kagura nervous. It had happened as often as Kouga prancing around in a pink kimono in order to attract Jakotsu. Meaning never. This must be serious after all.

 

Kagura fiddled with the diamonds circling her neck, “Go ahead and sit back down, this is going to be a longggggg conversation.”

 

Sesshomaru went to stand next to Kagura, offering his silent support as Kagome and Inuyasha retook their seats. He had forgotten this wouldn't be easy for her either.

 

“Surprisingly, Yashie was too polite to say anything about why my mark isn't being shown off and why the apartment smells like blood.” Kagura started, twisting one of her rings.

 

Inuyasha shrugged. Even he knew guests were supposed to ignore questionable scents. It would be like asking him Kagome's cup size.

 

Click

 

What does she mean, blood?

 

I can smell some, but Kagura's right, it pisses demons off to be questioned about what goes on in their homes. Sesshomaru was still lord after all; the human business cover was clearly a hobby. Some of the penthouse probably doubled as punishment halls for demons who broke the rules or looked at Kagura wrong.

 

Though he had been confused about the mark. Sesshomaru's symbol was everywhere else, it seemed strange that the possessive bastard wasn't as demonstrative with his own mate.

 

Kagura took a deep breath before twisting her hair up to the top of her head, tendrils still touching her shoulders.

 

Sesshomaru lightly touched her back, letting her know he was there. Slowly, she turned around.

 

Instead of the moon Inuyasha had been expecting, a black widow spider stretched out over her nape, almost covering her entire neck.

 

“While Sesshomaru is my mate,” she looked over her shoulder, the spider's legs crawling with the movement, “He didn't claim me first.”