Faith in Nothing by Devabbi
Chapter 1
My first SessKag, so go easy on me. I'm going to post several chapters at once, to catch up with the ff.net posts.
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Inuyasha scowled and wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked around to his companions. He was exhausted, and if he was, he was completely sure that the humans he traveled with were ready to faint. Tetsusaiga dragged behind him as he slowly walked back to Kagome. She had purified the evil hanyou with just one good shot, after almost a day of fighting countless puppets and hordes. As soon as they had seen him, Inuyasha had jumped into battle like a mad man, forcing her to wait for a clear shot. He glanced down at his mangled left hand. He supposed that was what he got for rushing into things.
She stood as though she couldn't believe what she had done, staring forward with a blank expression on her face. She had to be just as tired as Miroku and Sango, who had collapsed in a heap against Kirara and fell asleep almost immediately. He hefted his sword and sheathed it, and put his arms around Kagome. She seemed to acknowledge him then, turning her face towards his hair and closing her eyes. They were still for a long moment, and Inuyasha wondered if she was going to fall.
Instead, she pushed away from him and marched purposefully towards the corpse of Naraku. As she passed a detached tentacle, she kicked it hard. He couldn't feel pain, but it sure made her feel better. She sought out every shard that she could see. He hadn't kept the Shikon no Tama whole within him, but had split it up into pieces all over his body, which made it impossible for them to just knock it out and kill him. Each shard was still tainted, regardless of Naraku's smoking ruin. She worked to purify each one, and it slowly drained her power, but she completed her task and completed the jewel within an hour or so.
Staring at it and sizing up her accomplishment, she pulled its old chain out from one of her pockets and reattached it. She smiled and held it up for Inuyasha to see. "It's finished!" she yelled excitedly, and turned towards him. He was on the ground, asleep. She frowned and rolled her eyes, and dropped her hand. She checked on Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. Suddenly, she sensed a new demon in the area and she looked sharply at the trees. Sesshomaru stood there, staring at her. She touched the bow on her back, knowing that she probably wouldn't get to it and shoot before he could knock her off her feet. She just hoped she wouldn't have to. She moved protectively towards the sleeping hanyou.
However, Sesshomaru just watched her for a moment before simply nodding his head and walking away. As he walked away, she saw that his dragon, Jakken, and Rin were following him. Rin giggled and ran to give Kagome a hug. She grinned and hugged her back, exchanging quick pleasantries. Sesshomaru barked her name and she ran off, waving happily. It was hard to understand how such a stoic demon could make such an animated child so happy. She just shook her head and put the Shikon no Tama around her neck and lay down against Inuyasha with a smile.
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Once they had all recovered from their exhaustion, they traveled straight back to the village near the well. Kagome ran to Kaede to show her the completed jewel. Kaede smiled and said, "Congratulations, Kagome-kun. What do you plan to do now?" she asked musingly, holding the jewel and marveling at how pure it appeared. It wasn't even pink anymore, it was white.
Kagome smiled and shrugged her shoulders and accepted the jewel back. "I'm going to give it to Inuyasha," she whispered conspiratorially.
Frowning, Kaede asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
She nodded. "He's grown and changed, Kaede-sama. I think that he'll make the right wish with it and it will disappear. I don't want it to hurt anyone anymore." She smiled at the jewel and then at Kaede.
"Well," she said decisively, "you are its keeper and it is your decision. I just hope that you know what you're doing." She smiled at the young girl, and then asked, "What about after that, Kagome? What do you plan to do once he has made his wish?"
Biting her lip, Kagome looked at the ground and refastened the jewel as something to stall her answer. Finally, she said, "I don't know." She smiled lightly and told Kaede, "I kind of like not knowing. Makes everything spontaneous... I can just hope for the best." She laughed, and turned away. "I'm going to go and find Inuyasha."
Kaede sighed. In four years, the young, naive girl had changed everyone around her for the better, and had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She could see the desire in Inuyasha's eyes, and hoped with every fiber left in her frail body that Inuyasha would make the right choice, simply for Kagome's sake.
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"I knew I'd find you here," Kagome said, grinning as she snuck up on Inuyasha. He was in the Goshinboku tree and his guard was down as he stared at the dark outline of his body on the trunk of the tree. She put her hands on her hips as she looked up at him mischievously. "Do I have to make you come down here, or will you do it yourself?" she asked.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and dropped to the ground. Kagome smiled and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. She felt as though, now the jewel was finished, she could do this freely. She rubbed her cheek against the rough fabric of the fire-rat haori and enjoyed the feeling of being held by the one man she could claim she loved. In her ear, he whispered, "What are you going to do?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure... What do you want to do?" She looked up at him and her lips tilted upward invitingly. Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before giving her a slow, long, exploring kiss that she accepted and returned with fervor. He made her feel as though she had fire in her veins as they rolled in the grass together under the Goshinboku tree.
Laying there afterward with him, Kagome played with his hair and his ears as he laid his head down over her heart and closed his eyes. Her other arm held him close and she reveled in the close, warm feeling.
It was shattered as he said quietly, "I want the jewel, Kagome."