Moving On

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Chapter 4

It was a child. The small silhouette that stood near an enormous oak tree had Kikyo pinned there by a rather grotesque appendage that seemed to be an arm. The darkness of the night emphasized his blood-red eyes as he glared at the older miko. Kagome had to wonder how on earth a mere child could beat Kikyo and Inuyasha-one of the strongest pairs Kagome has ever known.

"He is of the South." Kagome looked at Sesshomaru who stood beside her, keenly observing the boy.

"How do you know?" She squinted her eyes to see why Sesshomaru would say that. The night shadowed the boy's exact features, making it near impossible for a human like her to see any marks on his face.

"He doesn't have any markings that I can see. The only thing that keeps me thinking he has the blood of a demon is because of his aura." Indeed, the boy emitted a strange green aura. It was rather strong even for him. For some reason, Kagome could not detect any trace of Naraku nor any sort of evil from this boy so she could safely assume that this boy is a detachment from Naraku and nor is it Naraku incarnated. Her thoughts came to a sudden halt when the silent lord beside her spoke,

"His scent…And I thought I made it clear that you were to stay." The demon lord did not spare her a single glance but before Kagome could come up with a reply, Sesshomaru was gone in a blur. The next thing Kagome saw was the boy being thrown to the ground and Kikyo's limp body falling next to Inuyasha with a 'thud'. The demon lord towered over the boy. Flexing his fingers, he was about to land the final blow. The young miko's eyes widened. Kagome rushed in and defiantly stood between the unconscious boy and Sesshomaru,

"Step aside." It seems her defiance annoyed him. Kagome inwardly trembled at the tone he used but stood firm.

"Wait. He's just a child, let him go." He arched an eyebrow,

"This child is a danger to all of us, it would be best to dispose of him now. Or have you failed to witness the danger he poses?" Kagome's eyes looked at him directly,

"I know that, but I think there is a good reason why he did it. He probably didn't mean it or something." Sesshomaru was not amused and nor was he willing to risk anything.

"Not likely."

"Come on, Sesshomaru, let him live and if he ever tries to attack then I will take full responsibility, okay?" She was close to begging but she would do anything to prevent the death of a child.

"It would be wise not to give away your words and trust so easily."

"Between the trust I give to this boy and the trust I gave to you, there is not much difference. Not that I don't trust you completely… I do… just as I do this child…you get my point?"

"Then you are not as wise as I once thought."

"No, maybe I'm not but that will not stop me from giving everyone a fair chance to change."

"Hn." Sesshomaru gave the boy a narrow-eyed glance before he left in the direction of their camp. By this time, Inuyasha was regaining consciousness, enough to hear their discussion,

"What? Are you insane? That brat is a monster!" Kagome shot him a sharp glare,

"A title that is rightly yours." Kagome turned and took the boy a little ways from them.

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. He never heard Kagome say that before. Inuyasha knew it was really his fault. He was just so angry. Angry at himself, at Naraku (even if he was dead) and all the little things that don't quite go the way he wants. He couldn't accept it so he blamed it all on Kagome—the only friend that has ever stood by him through thick and thin. Now she's furious. Lowering his head in shame, Inuyasha helped Kikyo up and they, too, headed back to camp. He could never face Kagome now.

Kikyo saw the unpleasant interaction. She didn't want this to happen that was why she was afraid to join their group. Kagome is her friend and even her feelings for Inuyasha can't convince her to side with him. Kikyo wanted them to make up but at the tone of Kagome's voice, that thought seemed unlikely. Kikyo tried to will herself to go after Kagome but it seems her clay vessel would not permit it lest she would break. With a worried look in the direction Kagome had gone, she allowed herself to be assisted by Inuyasha.

Kagome sat under a Sakura tree while the boy slept beside her. The stars were still out and she let the cool breeze blow away her temper. She didn't mean to say that to Inuyasha but he had no right to call the boy a monster. Kagome could feel her tears so she tried to stop them from leaving her eyes by looking up. It did no good. The tears flowed freely and her bangs covered her eyes. She couldn't stomach the fact that she actually said that to Inuyasha. Sure they called each other names but…this was entirely different. She felt disgusted with herself. There was no reason to say that…but still… It seems that she will have to stay until the boy wakes up in order to talk to him properly. Besides, it was better to have some distance between the others and this unknown child. She wouldn't be able to take it if she saw Inuyasha again either. He must really hate her now.

There was a soft warning growl from beside her. Turning her head, she saw the boy wide awake. He was wearing a red and white outfit and his blood-red eyes from before were reduced to green. He had short, violet hair and he looked so…

"Young." The boy backed away, and growled out,

"What is that supposed to mean?" His wariness made Kagome want to giggle, he looked so cute, but she had to restrain herself,

"I just meant that you're uniquely strong for your age." His eyes just narrowed,

"How would you know? You don't know me. I don't even know why you saved me from Lord Sesshomaru. Who are you?" His voice was strangely soft, like it wasn't meant for threats and nor was it used to anger. Kagome's eyes softened,

"I'm Kagome and you're right, I don't know you but you don't know me either, so that makes us even. As for the reason why I saved you, I don't really know."

"Then you're an idiot. I could kill you right now without giving you a chance to scream."

"I bet you could. I admit, you are stronger than me but the question is, would you?" The boy's forehead creased and frustration was imprinted in his face,

"Of course!"

"Then why don't you?" He clenched his fists and pinned her to the tree like how he did Kikyo. But unlike Kikyo, Kagome merely winced and stared down at him with firm eyes. The boy grit his teeth, he couldn't look away no matter how hard he wished. Kagome held his gaze confidently and waited for him to make his next move. When the boy's hold wavered, Kagome flared her soothing aura around him, coaxing him to calm down.

"Y-you're a priestess…" Kagome noticed that he became frightened causing her to wonder why. But instead of asking, she decided to save her questions for later and settled for a kinder mood,

"I won't hurt you." Kagome gently released herself from the boy's hold. The distorted arm changed back to normal and he hung his head. Feeling sorry for him, Kagome knelt beside him and hugged to boy. She could feel him tremble as sobs racked through his small body. After a few minutes of soft caresses, Kagome felt him quiet down. Pulling away slowly, Kagome gave him a reassuring smile,

"Feel better?" He nodded, still not looking at her. Kagome decided not to push him too much and just settled for questioning him,

"How do you know Sesshomaru?" The boy sighed,

"It's hard not to. All the women in the castle keep gossiping about him. I've seen him quite a few times but it was never in a friendly situation. I doubt he even recognizes me." Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment 'Castle?' Then a mental picture flashed in her brain,

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. But if I may ask, how is it that you knew I 'saved' you from Sesshomaru? You were unconscious, weren't you?"

"I can hear everything around me. Every demon does, even when they're sleeping." Kagome furrowed her brows ever so slightly,

"That's new. No one ever told me that. But, I have to wonder, what kind of sleep is that if you hear everything around you? How do you manage to get some shut-eye?" The boy shrugged,

"It's hard to explain to a human." Kagome pouted,

"Well that's not very nice. What is it with you demons that you always think you're above us humans? I get that you're superior in various ways, but do you really have to treat us as if we're something less than trash?" The boy stayed quiet and just stared at her. Kagome rubbed her temples and sighed,

"Oh, never mind." Deciding to switch topics, the miko flashed him a small smile,

"That reminds me, what kind of demon are you?" The boy puffed out his chest proudly,

"I'm a dragon!" Kagome felt a little scared since the only dragon she ever heard about was the one that battled with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father—Ryukotsusei (sp?). Kagome settled for a smile,

"Last question, why did you attack my friends?" The boy shrugged,

"I felt threatened. From where I come from, priestesses like you and your 'friend' are either used as power sources or you lead a rebellion and cause a lot of demon lives in the process. Also, I didn't like the one you called 'Inuyasha'. I can tell he's a big meanie." At that moment, Kagome was reminded that she was still talking to a child. He had made a wonderful conversation partner.

Satisfied with the answers she got, Kagome nodded her head in thanks before leaning back on the tree. She thought in silence for a bit and the boy just watched her in curiosity,

"Can I ask you a question, too?" Kagome smiled and nodded,

"Sure. It would be unfair if you didn't. Ask away." She waved her hand dramatically, and waited for his question,

"You're a priestess, but you're nice to demons and half-demons…why?" It was Kagome's turn to shrug,

"I don't really see any difference whether a person is a demon or not. Granted that we all have different lifestyles, but if you look closely, all of us are still the same." Seeing the confused expression on the boy's face, Kagome laughed good-naturedly and shook her head,

"Thank you for talking to me and for letting me live another day," the boy blushed as she winked at him, "but you can leave if you want to. I won't force you to stay and I'm sure you have a reason for not being with your parents but you're always welcome to *yawn*…join…us..." Her voice trailed off as she drifted off to sleep.

Kagome blinked herself awake and looked around. It seems the kid left,

"I wasn't even able to ask for his name. *sigh* Oh well, I better get back before they start looking for me." Standing up, she glazed over the scenery one more time before she made her way to camp. The sun was just about to rise, and Kagome knew that she wouldn't make it there in time at her current pace. Remembering her deal with Sesshomaru yesterday, Kagome was determined to reach them in time. She started to brisk walk, jog and then run. She ran as fast as she could, wondering if she would be as fast as she was last night. Kagome didn't know what happened then. She still felt the same but she could think of nothing to explain her speed. But she knew better than to complain.

Just when she thought, she ought to stop; Kagome collided with what felt to be a chest. Falling on her backside, she groaned,

"Ow…"

"You are late." Recognizing the cold voice, Kagome looked up to see a familiar face,

"Oh, sorry about that, Sesshomaru." Standing up, she saw Sango, Miroku and Shippo all rushing towards her,

"N-no! Wait!" Too late…she found herself surrounded by questions, hugs and nuzzles. Not to mention a certain hand creeping over to rub her backside…SMACK!,

"That was definitely not appreciated, Miroku." Growled Kagome, sending a glare in his direction. Rubbing the red slap mark on his face, Miroku laughed awkwardly,

"Hehehe, sorry." The miko crossed her arms and 'huffed' forgetting the presence of a certain irritated demon lord,

"Miko." Turning to Sesshomaru again, she tried to pry herself away from her friends before walking next to Sesshomaru with Shippo in her arms. She waved back at them and smiled,

"See you guys soon!" Just when they disappeared into the trees, Sango wore a slight frown. Miroku saw her mood and decided to liven things up a bit. He let his hand wander her backside, earning him a well-deserved bruise on the head. Leaving the monk to regain his senses on the ground, the slayer sighed and cast a worried glance in the direction their friends had gone in…if you could count a cold-blooded killer as a friend…

Inuyasha and Kikyo did not return directly to camp that night. Kikyo had wanted them to talk in private. She wanted to stop this nonsense between the hanyou and Kagome.

"Hey, Kikyo, I think we should go back, you need to get yourself looked at-"

"No, Inuyasha. I'm fine. I wanted you to bring us here so that we could talk sensibly and without any interruption."

"Keh! Fine." Inuyasha plopped on the forest floor and waited for Kikyo to start the conversation.

"Inuyasha, for the life of me, I cannot seem to see the reason behind your hatred towards Kagome. She hasn't done anything to deserve this kind of behavior from you." Inuyasha turned his head sideways,

"It's none of your business. I do it because I want to and I can."

"You're acting like a child."

"Maybe I am."

"Inuyasha." The hanyou's ears flattened on his head at the tone of her voice. Seeing as there was no point in his stubborn behavior, he gave a proper answer,

"I don't know why I feel so angry around her all the time. This happened after we finished Naraku off and I don't know when it exactly happened either."

"Perhaps you are merely upset since Naraku was finally destroyed and you do not know what you intend to do with the rest of your life. But that is no excuse for your abhorrent manners towards Kagome." He cast her a suspicious glance,

"And since when did you side with her?" Inuyasha glared at his first love accusingly. Kikyo scowled and avoided answering that particular question,

"What more could you possibly ask for, Inuyasha? Yes, I despised her. I despised her because she had everything that I did not, a body of flesh and blood, a heart, a pure soul that did not require other souls to sustain it. And I despised her even more when she started to gain your love; one that I thought to belong only to me. I do not deny the fact that I had tried to dispose of her myself, not to mention trying to serve her to Naraku on a silver platter. However, despite all the hurt and pain I had caused that girl, she forgave me. She accepted me as one of you even if others were silently against it. Wasn't it the same for you, Inuyasha?"

His head was lowered and his bangs had covered his eyes. Kikyo was right. It was the same for him. Kagome embraced every part of him and supported him to the very end. The origins, lineage nor breed of a person decided what she thought of that person. To Kagome, everyone was the same and they all had a potential to change. She was a priestess yet she did not show any sign of prejudice. She even admitted to him once that maybe it was possible for even Naraku to become good. As foolish as it may seem, Kagome even tried to convince Naraku during their last battle.

"Yes…but she reminds me so much of you. I know she loves me but I just can't bring myself to forget you, especially when she's in front of me. You don't act the same but the resemblance is enough to constantly remind me of you. I love her; I know that but…every time I come close to saying it, she would always look at me the same way you did before." Kikyo sighed,

"You think that if you tell her you love her, you would be betraying me… Inuyasha, stop torturing yourself!" His amber eyes shot up to the miko's face in alarm. Never had he seen Kikyo this annoyed, probably even infuriated.

"As much as I would want to be with you, I am dead. I cannot give you what she can and she is in no way like me. Surely you have noticed that. I once said that I would like to take you to hell with me, I had lied. At that time, I just wanted Kagome to feel the pain I feel. I was being childish and petty. What I would really like to say is that you have a treasure better than anything right under your nose. I am warning you now, Inuyasha, if you really wish to do something with your life, you should tell Kagome the truth and protect her by whatever means necessary. If you really love her, then you would do anything to make her happy. Or else, she would be taken from you and you will no longer be in possession of the heart she freely gave you a long time ago."

Kikyo left Inuyasha by himself. If he still did not understand after all that she had said, he was indeed a fool. A fool that seems to drift away from me with each passing day…

Sesshomaru glanced at the miko walking silently beside him. He had not expected her to stay quiet during their journey. Not that he didn't appreciate it while it lasts but the atmosphere was making him uneasy. The fox kit was also quietly nestled in Kagome's arms. The taiyoukai could almost taste the awkwardness that settled around them. Still, he was not going to risk his own pride in starting a conversation. But does that mean that he was afraid? I am not afraid of anything.This was ridiculous; he should stop before he hurts himself. What got him in such a foul mood anyway? The girl had already apologized for being a little late and he had not seen his half-brother since last night. Today was actually going his way, so why the foul temper?

"Sesshomaru?" Oh, finally!

"What do you think we should do about the…'political' disorder in the South?"

"I do not plan to act without prior knowledge of the situation." Kagome became silent again before she said,

"Um, I don't know if this will help but the boy from last night told me something about priestesses being used as slaves. Some who are strong enough are leading a rebellion." Sesshomaru kept walking and his stone cold expression didn't waver but Kagome thought she saw a flash of surprise and interest in his eyes,

"Indeed, you have gained reliable information but we are going to need more than just that." Looking over his shoulder, the taiyoukai announced,

"We need to cover more ground before the sun sets to be able to reach the borders of the North within a fortnight." Kagome stopped in her tracks and looked at him, making him stop and turn to her,

"That long?" Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow,

"We will be heading to my lands in order to prepare for what I expect to be a lengthy and rather troublesome journey." He shot Kagome a smirk, making her blush,

"Well excuse me for being a burden, Sesshomaru, but hasn't it occurred to you that maybethis uprising has something to do with my mission too." Ah, yes, he had forgotten about her original duty as the Shikon Priestess.

"Perhaps." Continuing to walk, Sesshomaru left her irritated and mumbling to herself,

"Ooh, just you wait, Sesshomaru. Some day you're going to be in serious trouble and I'm going to be the only one who can help you, you're gonna be begging me to get you out." The demon lord looked over his shoulder again with another one of his famous smirks,

"I seriously doubt that."

After a long day of travel, Sesshomaru let them rest for the night in a cave. It was only a few more days until they reached his threshold and Kagome was already close to fainting. However, to the surprise of both demon lord and miko, she didn't complain during the trek throughout the day. Sesshomaru had gone to scout the area, leaving the two alone in the cave. The fire flickered and provided enough light and heat for the both of them. Shippo had slept through it all and was now happily bouncing about.

"Shippo, stop moving around so much. You're making me dizzy." Kagome said jokingly. The fox kit laughed and snuggled beside her,

"Hey, Kagome?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think happened to Inuyasha and Kikyo? They weren't there when we woke up." Blue eyes stared at the ceiling and sighed,

"They probably wanted to check the area in case any more unwelcoming demons appeared." Shippo jumped on her lap with interest clouding his turquoise orbs,

"What did happen that night, Kagome? I felt you and Lord Sesshomaru leave camp." She patted his hair and kissed his forehead,

"Well you see; I was in the middle of the most wonderful dream when I heard someone shout my name. I woke up to see Kikyo and Inuyasha gone. Sesshomaru told me to stay but being the stubborn girl I am," Shippo giggled at this, "I followed. I met a dragon demon a little older than you. I didn't get his name though. Anyway, we talked a bit before I fell asleep." Shippo bounced,

"You know, Kagome, you always seem to fall asleep during an important conversation." Kagome laughed wholeheartedly and hugged the kit to her chest,

"I guess you're right, Shippo but I think I'm more tired these days…Don't know why though."

The young miko yawned before she rested her head on the wall and falling straight to sleep. Shippo smiled fondly and caressed his mother's cheek before curling himself on her lap. He let himself into a light slumber with the thought of how Sango, Miroku and Kirara were faring. He couldn't have cared less what Inuyasha and Kikyo were doing. Shippo didn't hate the undead miko per se but she seems to be a bad influence to Inu-baka. If he wasn't a 'baka' to begin with already…

Sesshomaru re-entered the cave with a pair of dead rabbits. He laid them near the fire but when he heard no objections, no questions, and no exclamations from a certain cerulean-eyed miko, his attention swept across the cave only to find her peacefully sleeping. He inwardly sighed; it seems that he had really tired her out. This puzzled him as to why he even paid any attention to the miko's situation. Perhaps Rin has rubbed off on him even more than he had first thought.

Sitting down gracefully on the other side of the cave, adjacent to the miko, he looked her over since there was nothing much to do. Her ebony hair cascaded gently over her shoulders and her long lashes touched her rosy cheeks. To Sesshomaru, she looked like an ordinary human female. The only difference was that she wore strange clothes, carried strange equipment and spoke in a strange manner. Not to mention her immediate acceptance of demons, humans and half-breeds alike.

Hearing a bit of scurrying, his attention turned to the fox kit that was now between him and the fire. He raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Shippo, if he was not mistaken, neared him cautiously and asked,

"Why did you let us travel with you?"

"The miko has volunteered to help me with a certain matter." Shippo came closer, slowly losing his fear,

"Why did she agree to it? Did you say or do anything to make her want to help you? Or did you use something against her?" Sesshomaru frowned and let out a warning snarl before answering,

"The girl is freely doing what she wishes and I will not stoop to that level in order to have a human female assist me." Shippo stepped back bit but smiled brightly at the taiyoukai, confusing him even more. It seems that Kagome's abnormal change in moods had influenced the kit.

"Oh good, I thought you were just using her like Inu-baka. She was always angry and sad when they were together. Sure they had great laughs and all but it's good to know that you won't hurt her like he did." Shippo skipped back to Kagome's lap.

"How are you so sure that I too will not hurt the girl?" Shippo beamed at him from across the cave and said confidently,

"Because I know you hate Inuyasha even more than I do and you wouldn't want to do the same things he did. And I don't think it's in your character." Shippo yawned and whispered, knowing that the demon would hear it clearly,

"G'night, Lord Sesshomaru." He immediately fell asleep but what he had said boggled Sesshomaru's complex mind. Shippo implied his trust in him while Kagome verbally expressed it. He couldn't understand why they would trust him, though. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't really done anything to gain it. Except to perhaps rid them of his brother's company.

Putting those thoughts aside, Sesshomaru allowed his mind to drift elsewhere. He has some inkling as to what had caused the unrest in the South. But he could not imagine why on earth the Dragon demons would make use of pure energy from the mikos. Unknowingly, the taiyoukai's gaze wandered back to the sleeping girl...

TBC...

Read and Review pls!

It's been a while but I hope this will cheer you guys up a bit. I'm sorry again for the errors and stuff, I've kinda rusted over...still, hope you enjoyed!