Can't We All Just Get Along? by Stary-eyed Fangirl

Deals...

Kagome was alone. Sango and Miroku had left on Kirara due to a rumor about demons terrorizing a village, and Inuyasha was gone. Kagome had gone off to look for him, which would explain why she wasn't resting in Keade's hut with the old miko, and Shippou. About three hours before, SesshouMaru had shown up, demanding the Tetsueiga. Inuyasha, of coarse, decided to fight his older half-brother for the sword and was badly injured. Not wanting to see him hurt, Kagome had fired an arrow at SesshouMaru, opting to fight off the dog demon herself, at least until Inuyasha could stand again.

Inuyasha made a comment about Kagome always being in the way, and how Kikyo would never fight his battles for him (Is that a good or bad thing?). This pissed Kagome off, and she had taken it out on SesshouMaru and managed to wound him with her arrows. Soon after, Inuyasha passed out from blood loss, and SesshouMaru left to heal, making comments about annoying half-breed whelps that don't deserve legendary swords as he went.

As soon as they got to Keade's, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara left. Inuyasha bounded off into the woods saying that he didn't need to heal like 'weak humans'. But Kagome was worried about him nonetheless and set off to find the sulking henyou.

Kagome sighed while walking through Inuyasha's forest, 'He didn't have to be so mean to me, I was only trying to help him. Besides, I didn't want to see him hurt.' Her thoughts were cut short when she heard someone clearing their throat. She looked up into the eyes of, "SesshouMaru."

He stared at her, "You're not with the half-breed."

"I'm aware of that." Kagome said, readying her bow, and an arrow, for battle.

He snorted, "I'm not here to fight, miko, if that's what you're thinking. Besides, if I was, you wouldn't be alive right now."

"Then what do you want? It's not like I have anything that could possibly be of interest to you anyways."

"On the contrary. You showed power the other day when you attacked me. And you know what they say, 'the only one sure way of getting rid of an enemy is to.........' " he reached into his shirt and pulled something out. He smelt fear coming off Kagome and mentally smirked as he finished his sentence, ".........make them an ally'."

Kagome looked at him as though he had grown a second head, "What?"

"This SesshouMaru dose not repeat himself." He held up a gold coin, slit part of his wrist, and spilt his blood on the coin, "I wish to make a demon alliance with you." He tossed her the coin, which she caught, "I have spilt my lifeblood on this coin, should you do the same, the bond shall be complete and we shall be allies. Any demon that challenges you shall know that I shall also be opposed to them, and vis-à-vis. You do not have to make any decisions now. If you choose to accept, spill your blood on the coin in the same fashion I did, but if you decline, inform me, we will simply act as though this meeting had never transpired. A choice like this is not to be rushed, so I shall give you three months to decide. Goodbye, miko." That said, SesshouMaru left faster than the eye can follow.

Kagome just stood there a few minutes afterward, staring at the gold coin, 'Should I do it? What if he attacks Inuyasha again?' Her eyes widened, 'INUYASHA! I was looking for him earlier! Did he go back to the village? I should check.' Kagome turned around and walk back towards camp.

~*~*~*~

Inuyasha was pacing in the village. He had gone to visit Kikyo, and came back to find Kagome missing. 'I know that she didn't see us, right?' He stopped in his tracks, "I smell Kagome's scent. It's getting stronger." He sniffed again, "Wait a minute, it's mixed with SesshouMaru, and his blood."

Sango looked worried, "Is Kagome alright?!"

"I don't smell her blood, or tears, so I think she's fine but.............what was she doing with SesshouMaru?" A second after Inuyasha stopped speaking, Kagome walked into the clearing.

She smiled at everyone, "Hi."

Inuyasha growled, "Don't 'Hi' me! What were you doing with SesshouMaru?!"

"Well, he came to ask me something." Kagome answered.

Miroku looked at her, "What, exactly, did he ask of you, Kagome?"

Seeing the suggestive look in the monk's eyes, Kagome hit him over the head, "Not that, pervert!"

"My mistake."

"Seriously, Kagome, what did he ask you?" Inuyasha asked, suppressing the rage that came with the thought of SesshouMaru doing *anything* with Kagome without him knowing about it.

"He wanted me to be his ally."

"Feh. Bullshit! Now what did he *really* want?!" growled the half-breed.

Kagome showed them the gold coin, "I was telling the truth, see?"

After looking at the coin, Sango was the first to speak, "Kagome, do you know what it means for *anyone* to want a demon alliance?"

"No, why?"

"It's the highest form of respect that a demon could show. This means that SesshouMaru thinks of you as his equal, and that you are good enough to fight beside him in battle." Sango said, the amazement clear in her voice, "So, are you going to except or decline?"

"I don't know yet. He said that I had three months to think about it-"

Inuyasha cut her off, "What's there to think about?! The answer's simple!"

"It is?"

"Of course it is, stupid, you say 'no' to the basterd! Besides, if you, by any chance *do* say 'yes' you'll be leaving the rest of us to die if, and when, he attacks next!" Inuyasha had said it as though it was most obvious thing in the world.

Laughter filled the woods behind Kagome as SesshouMaru walked out, "I think that *your* opinion, dear brother, is not the best one for her to hear, seeing as you hate me and all. Besides, I never targeted her friends, other than you, and even then it wasn't her battle to fight."

Upon hearing his voice, Kagome instinctively went closer to Sango and Miroku, "But if I didn't interfere during any of those times, Inuyasha might have........." Kagome trailed off.

"I would have what?!" Inuyasha growled.

SesshouMaru smirked, "We all know that without the miko, you would've died by my hands at our father's tomb. After all, how else would you have gotten the Tetsueiga to transform, provided you somehow got it out of it's stand."

Inuyasha ignored that statement, "What do you want, SesshouMaru?!"

"Oh, nothing, Inuyasha. Just to make sure that you don't go and cause me to loose a potential ally, because of your stupidity."

"It's not nice to call him stupid." Kagome said.

"Feh. In case you haven't noticed, he aint nice, Kagome!"

Kagome yawned, "Yeah I know, but still. SesshouMaru, I thought that you said that I had three months to choose."

"I did, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to sit back and wait the whole time. I figured I should come and see what kind of things my *darling* brother would do to keep you from gaining an ally." SesshouMaru said offhandedly.

Kagome shrugged, and started to get ready for bed. Deciding it was safe to do so, Miroku, and Sango had settled down to rest also. Kirara curled up on Sango's stomach, and Shippou cuddled with Kagome. SesshouMaru sat at the bottom of a tree to meditate. Inuyasha growled, "What the Hell are you all doing?! Can't you see that he's going to kill us in our sleep?!"

SesshouMaru peeked an eye open, "Really, Inuyasha, I thought that you trusted me more than that."