Threads Of Fate
By LadyShieru

Chapter 2: Agonies of the Heart

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi

"Lord Sesshomaru!"


The little green imp emerged hurriedly from the cave to meet his Lord outside, concern and fear evident in its bulgy eyes. He watched as the daiyoukai landed gracefully before him, the beast with two heads following suit.


Jaken inspected the scene, gawking when his eyes fell upon the miko sitting on Ah Un's saddle with two children securely in her arms. "Ka-Kagome?!"


The girl looked up when she heard her name being called, but the look on her face sent uncomfortable shivers down the imp's spine. She looked as if she were the living dead as he saw how pale her skin was and how lifeless her eyes had become.


"Jaken."


He turned to look up at his lord, bowing swiftly. "Yes, milord?"


"See to the miko and the children, I will return shortly."  Was his stoic command while he turned and began to walk away into the woods, leaving a confused imp to tend to the humans and the kitsune.

The small youkai hesitantly walked over to the two-headed dragon, taking its reins and tugging at them so to lead the beast into the cave. Once they reached the entrance, he ordered the beast to lower itself down on its belly.


He waited for the young woman to slowly slide off the youkai's back, watching nervously as she gently picked up the two kids and took them inside the cave. Laying them down and making sure they were comfortable, the girl began to inspect them for injuries one last time.


Jaken watched her, speechless for a few moments. Something terrible must have happened in the village and considering the girl was here without Inuyasha or any of their companions only confirmed his suspicions.


He silently wondered why Lord Sesshomaru had brought her with him though.

The imp didn't know what to say, despite having a quick mouth. He sighed and approached the miko.


"Are they well?" he inquired in a small voice.


Kagome turned her face slowly to look at him. "Yeah…they don't have any physical injuries." she responded quietly, her voice sounding much older, a complete contrast to the bright tone she always had.  "They should wake up soon."


Jaken nodded mutely, eyeing both Shippo and Rin before looking at the miko once more. She appeared to have been sleeping when the village was attacked, her clothes being only a thin white yukata that was now dirty and slightly ripped on the sides. She looked like a total mess and she didn't seem to care.

For some reason, he wouldn't dare ask what happened back there. "Are you hungry?"


"No."

Even though she should have been surprised at the imp's sudden display of concern for her well being, she didn't give it much thought. She really felt like nothing else mattered anymore. It was a feeling she hated but welcomed all the same.  She felt useless. She had watched her loved ones die and she hadn't done anything to save them. Kagome had finally noticed she was always the one who needed to be protected.


Inuyasha had told her to run away and stayed behind so she could save herself because she didn't have the strength to fight.

All that guilt settled upon her heart, along with the pain of her loss, but she couldn't find her tears again. She had already cried her heart out on the way here. Her eyes were dry and she could only cry inside. She just sat there, absently stroking the children's hair softly while her eyes became distant as she submerged in self pity.

Jaken watched her the whole time and he suddenly felt sympathy for the miko. He could see the agony in her face, even though she wasn't crying. He let out a small sigh, defeated. He almost felt like he wanted to help her, remembering how happy and lively the woman used to be.


He silently walked outside, holding his staff against his chest as he crossed his tiny arms inside the sleeves of his haori. He waited patiently for his lord to return while giving the miko some privacy.


Kagome merely stared down at the peaceful faces of Rin and Shippo before moments later the imp returned in a hurry. "Girl, Lord Sesshomaru wishes to talk to you."  He announced.  "He is waiting outside."


She nodded, standing up to then walk away to the cave's opening, leaving the imp to watch over the children.


She found him standing outside, spotting a bundle of fabric hanging from his clawed hand as she approached him. When she finally stopped a few steps from him he tossed it at her, the girl quickly catching it and holding it against her chest.


She looked up at his face, confused.


"Do not think that you will travel with this Sesshomaru in rags." he said in response to her questioning stare.


She almost felt offended, glaring at him for a brief moment before it faded away. The miko inspected the bundle, opening it to see that it was simple yellow summer kimono with modest green vine patterns and a pair of sandals.


She looked up at him and whispered. "Thank you…"


The daiyoukai didn't respond to her gratitude and merely looked away to inspect a distant corner of the forest. "What happened in the village was no ordinary attack by youkai. Those creatures did not possess a youki." he informed, receiving the miko's attention instantly.


"I did feel something though…Inuyasha did too." she told him, her voice quiet, wavering at the mention of her lover's name.


"It was not youki…had it been youki I would have sensed them long before they attacked the village and Inuyasha would have been able to use Tetsusaiga's attacks." he told her, looking at her as he crossed his arms within his wide sleeves. "Those creatures were not youkai."


Kagome swallowed, her brow creasing with a frown. "Then what was it that I sensed back there?" She couldn't possibly understand what was going on. It was like everything had turned into a complete mess. The only creatures she knew about in this era were youkai, humans and normal wild life, and the monsters she had seen back there were nowhere near what normal would define.

He shook his head. "I do not know…perhaps you did not sense but, rather, felt."  He watched how her face displayed utter confusion once again. "I know of a place where we may find answers."


Hope crossed her sad eyes.

"It may be a long journey, so be prepared."  The daiyoukai then walked past her without another word, heading towards the cave with long strides.


Kagome watched him leave, biting her lip as doubt surged within her. "Why are you doing this?"


Sesshomaru stopped at the question but did not turn to look at her. "Beside the reason that they threatened Rin's life, those beings were strong enough to kill Inuyasha." He then continued to walk as he spoke, searching for the right words. "I must know what they are and exterminate them before they decide to attack my lands."


Kagome turned fully when he entered the cave, leaving her alone outside. She looked down at the kimono in her hands and held it tight against her chest before returning her gaze to the cave.


He had not answered her question at all. She didn't know if he had misunderstood her or if he had avoided it but she was grateful all the same.


"Thank you…" she murmured once again, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

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After taking a short bath in the stream near the cave, the miko discarded the torn white yukata and replaced it with the kimono the daiyoukai had given her. She sighed as she looked down at herself, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to get rid of the knots. Thinking at least she looked a little bit more presentable, she slid her feet in the sandals and headed back.


As soon as she stepped into the cave a fur ball threw itself at her, pushing the air out of her as it hit her stomach to latch itself to her. Kagome looked down in surprise. "Shippo!"


"Kagome!" the kitsune looked up at her with worry in his eyes. "Why are we with Sesshomaru? And where are Inuyasha and the others?"


The young woman smiled sadly at him, pulling him up to give him a gentle hug. She didn't know what to tell him. "…you don't remember anything?"  She asked cautiously.


The kid shook his head. "All I know is that I went to sleep in Kaede's hut and when I woke up we were here…"

Kagome was slightly shocked at this. That meant he never woke up, even when everything was being destroyed around him. She found this suspicious, but decided to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being. She sighed and gathered all the strength she could muster before breaking the news to the kit.

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Shippo had wept nearly as much as she had when she told him everything that had happened. The little demon had always considered their group a family. He, too, had lost everything, just like her.  

Rin had remained next to the daiyoukai, for the most part, as she watched the miko comfort the kit, her tiny hand clutching a corner of his sleeve as some tears of her own slipped out of her chocolate eyes.

Sesshomaru had remained quiet, despite his discomfort, the surge of emotions that were invading his senses were nearly unbearable. That was one of the reasons why he disliked humans. Weak, both physically and emotionally.

Moments later, the kit finally fell asleep in the girl's lap, exhausted from all the tears he had shed. The young woman stroked his hair in a motherly way, releasing a long sigh as she herself began to feel the weight of exhaustion.  Night had swiftly fallen and under Sesshomaru's command Jaken had built a fire within the cave.


"We will leave tomorrow."


She looked up from the child to the daiyoukai sitting across from her. She noted Rin had also fallen asleep, cuddling against his boa.


"Okay…"


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She handn't noticed that she had dozed off sitting against the cave wall until her eyes fluttered open lazily. She groaned softly and attempted to fall asleep again, but her mind began to send her all sorts of images.

She saw her friends and her lover. All their adventures together replayed in her mind's eye, as if they were part of a movie she had watched long ago. She felt that tightness in her chest once more and, again, tears began to flow.

She looked around, finding that Sesshomaru was no longer inside the cave and all the other occupants were asleep.

She couldn't take it anymore.  

Kagome found herself getting up off the ground, carefully, so as to not wake up the child who had been curled up in her lap. All the images were so fresh in her mind, it hurt her heart so much she felt like she would die.



She walked like the undead. The thought brought a sorrowful smile to her face; she now looked much more like Kikyo.


The young miko continued to take slow steps to the edge of the forest, her feet dragging as if she weighted tons more. Her tearful eyes caught white as they fell upon the youkai sitting under one of the trees, one knee up while an arm rested upon it. His face was tilted forward and his eyes were closed, but she could tell he was awake.


"I…I don't think I can make it…" she breathed, stopping a few steps from him. Her chest hurt and she felt like there was no more reason to continue living.


Sesshomaru didn't reply, instead he opened his eyes to look at her. The golden amber glowed in the dark as he watched her, his nose picking up the changes in her scent. He could smell grief, guilt and something else, something that resembled death.


He narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling disgusted by what he smelled in her.

Without warning, he suddenly disappeared from her sight and in a split second she felt herself being slammed against a tree trunk painfully. Kagome's widened eyes stared back at Sesshomaru's cold ones, releasing a strangled squeak when he tightened his hold on her throat.


"Is this what you want?" he inquired coolly, his face now closer to hers in an intimidating manner.  

Her heart raced while her mind screamed for help, her hands shooting up to his wrist, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pry herself free. She didn't know what to say, too afraid to speak.


He brought up his other hand, pressing a single claw against her cheek hard enough to draw a drop of blood. "Your dirty scent bothers me." he breathed out to her, his eyes piercing right through her. "If you really wish to die so badly, I can kill you here and now."


She whimpered at the tone of his voice, she could easily tell he meant every word.  Kagome felt that familiar fear of him she hadn't felt in years. A second earlier she wanted to be wiped off the face of the earth and now she was having second thoughts.



"Do you wish for Inuyasha's sacrifice to be in vain then?"

His words made her eyes snap open, before she cast her gaze away, not daring to look back at his golden pools.


"And tell me…who will care for the kitsune after I finish with you?" This time he tightened his grip more, making the woman cry out softly before her air way closed under the pressure.


Kagome struggled to breathe and at the same time she registered what he was telling her. She let a tear roll down her face before she let her hands fall to her sides, looking up at him with the same fierce eyes she had possessed before the tragedy of the night before.


At this, Sesshomaru loosened his grip on her and let her slide down to the ground in a fit of coughs and gags. He looked down at her then, in the same arrogant manner that distinguished him.

"The half-breed saved your pathetic human life, while giving his in exchange. Do not waste it, miko."

His words struck her to the core, kindling a fire she thought had died with Inuyasha. She glared at him then, her hand around her now sore neck, while she watched him walk away.


"Jerk…" she hissed, furious. How dare he treat her like that!


Sesshomaru wasn't known for being compassionate or sympathetic towards anyone. The only one who had earned that privilege was Rin and she doubted anyone else would ever receive the same treatment.  

He was right, though, and she knew he had done what he did to beat some sense into her. Everything he had said made her find new conviction. She couldn't do that to Inuyasha or her friends. She couldn't leave Shippo alone. So she breathed in, pushing herself off the ground, and pulled herself together.

She had to be strong, now more than ever, for herself and for the kitsune. They had to find the ones responsible for the deaths of their friends and make them pay. And if that meant she would have to fight along with the daiyoukai, then so be it.