Healing A Hollow Heart

Chapter Ten: Mitsue's the Word

Happy 2019, my readers and readettes! Been looking forward to posting this for a while! I hope you enjoy!

*    *    *    *    *

"Let's get something straight," she said. "I'm not here to purify you. We just want answers."

Her captive glanced down at the energy cuffs twinning around his wrists.

A wry smile ghosted over the corners of her lips. "You can thank me later," said Kagome. She motioned to the cushion behind him. "Please, sit."

Kagome folded her arms as Kurama knelt on the mat she provided. A ward against the many eyes watching the exchange between Kurama and herself.

She briefly looked to Sesshomaru. The demon lord had already informed her of the events that transpired during her slumber. She found it hard to believe a demoness resided within her body. One Sesshomaru seemed to know quite well. A demoness that appeared to be involved with both Lord Sesshomaru and the avatar sitting before her.

"So your name is Kurama and you are a demon bandit's avatar?" Kagome commented as if the answer were obvious.

His eyes shone with the intelligence of a kitsune that had seen the bottom of the abyss lived. "I am," he said.

"But you died," Rin broke in and Kagome's eyes grew. "What are you doing with a human body?"

He shook his head at the young demoness. "I realize what this must seem like, but this is a merger, not a possession," he said. "Certain conditions must be met for my demon form to retain his existence outside of this body."

Conditions?

Rin tilted her brow, glancing between Kurama and Kagome. "Like kissing Lady Mitsue?"

The hard press of Yoko's body as he coaxed their lips open... Kagome's cheeks burned.

Out of the tail of her eye, she caught Kurama's gaze as it trailed from her sandals to meet her eyes with golden glint and a tilt of his lips.

He leaned back and lowered his voice. "Regrettably no."

"Regrettable my behind?" Kagome stalked forward, pausing to notch a fist at her hip. "Whose demon was slipping my demoness the tongue?"

Dismissively, Kurama shrugged. "Whose demoness was clinging to me?" then cut Sesshomaru a sly glance. "Besides Mitsue is mine."

"She does not bear a mark." Lowly, Sesshomaru continued, "By demon law, Mitsue is free to mate as she chooses."

Celadon green eyes burned bright with his demon. "There's more than one way to claim a woman, Sess."

Massaging her temples, she stopped before the avatar and held up a hand for him to take a break.

"Okay, I get that your demon and Sesshomaru have history," she said. "But will someone please explain where I fit into all of this!"

She swore the longer she remained in a room with this fox, the more her inner demon screamed to purify his ass. From what Kagome could gather beforehand, Yoko had forced Mitsue to swallow Neguri Nectar–the Makai version of a very nice sleeping pill. Sesshomaru caught the fox kidnapping a dozing Mitsue and everything went downhill from there.

Her blue eyes met Sesshomaru's liquid amber gaze. "Care to buzz in, Lord Sesshomaru?"

He was studying her face, watching for a reaction as he spoke. "Kagome, I understand you are confused right now, but it is not my place to reveal such events. Mitsue shall explain in her own time."

Kagome moved away, her jaw tightening. "I've spent the last week without answers. Sango and Miroku are gone, Inuyasha and Yusuke betrayed me, and now someplace called Spirit World wants to take the Shikon Jewel. "

She bit her lip and swallowed the tears. A hand cupped her head, rubbing awkward circles in her sable mane. She cast her gaze downward, welcoming the dark curtain of her bangs as she continued. "I need the truth, not just a promise of an explanation that may never come."

Kagome didn't look up. She didn't care for the pity she felt in the room's stares.

"Kagome..." Shippo wrapped small arms around her leg.

"If no one wants to help me then I will find out alone." She looked around at the room, blue eyes landing on Kurama.

* * * * *

Sesshomaru stabbed his fingers through his bangs as he watched Kagome pluck the kit from her body and storm out of the room.

She was crying. Allowing her to leave was a mistake he'd likely pay for later, but for now, he needed information.

He glanced at Kurama. "Do you drink?"