Alright then, here's chapter two. I'm so… so… tired. It's unfair really. Oh well, could be worse I suppose. But I'm getting off track… the next chapter… it's here… here it is… right here…
Disclaimer: Don't own squat!!
Obsession of Sin
Galling Distraction
Boot clad feet fell mutely against the forest floor, the leaves that carpeted the earth moist and limp. The trees stood gnarled and nearly naked, small clusters of foliage just barely clinging to their winding branches.
To the west the mountain range stood out proudly: monstrous hills of pale purple in the distance, their feet clad with a thin sheet of fog and their heads topped with caps of white.
The sun had set, and the stars had already begun to appear, winking mischievously at the world below.
Tawny orbs stared into the distance, keen ears searching for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. A slender, well formed nose flared, testing the air.
The area was safe and secluded. They would camp here for the night.
"Milord?"
The voice pricked his senses painfully, sending tiny rivulets of irritation down his spine. Turning his head so that he could stare uninterestedly at the source of said noise, he lifted one thin, silver brow in question.
"Is this location to your liking?"
He blinked slowly, watching with amusement as the lowly being before him gulped. His head tipped in approval, and the little creature at his feet breathed a sigh of relief. He returned his gaze to the sky as the annoyance toddled off, leaving him in peace once more.
The irritating nuisance known as Jaken could be heard a ways off, instructing Rin and Ah-Un that they were to set up camp. With a voice that could have peeled the paint from walls and a smell that could wilt even the freshest flower, Sesshomaru often wondered why he kept the runt around. He was frustrating and incommodious and looked about as appealing as some form of fungi infestation.
And at the same time, he had his uses. He was trustworthy and loyal, willing to follow his Lord through Hell and back. Such unwavering devotion was hard to come by in such dark times. There was also the fact that the toad had an uncanny ability to dig up information that even he, himself had trouble finding. He didn't know how Jaken managed it, nor did he care, but it was a trait that made him valuable.
The smell of wood smoke alerted him to the fact that his retainer had succeeded in building a fire. It was rather damp out, and he was somewhat surprised that Jaken had managed it so quickly. Usually it would take several minutes of failed attempts and a string of curses before such a thing was accomplished.
He was pleased at the fact. He didn't need Rin falling ill. Having a sick human around would be a bother, and in turn hinder his travel. He hated being delayed… and it had already happened once that day.
During his scout, the stink of his half-brother had assaulted his senses, and he decided it would be best to see what the whelp was attempting by trespassing on his lands. It wasn't that he wanted to start a confrontation… Hell, the thought of seeing Inuyasha alone made his mood sour, but he would not allow the moron to traverse freely onto his lands without investigating the pup's purpose.
It was during his short trek toward Inuyasha's temporary encampment that another scent bombarded his senses… his half-brother's miko. Judging by the strength in her scent as opposed to that of the other's, he could tell that she was closer… and she was alone.
What in the world was the foolish girl doing, wandering off when she had little to no knowledge of how to defend herself?
His question was answered soon enough when the air grew heavy with moisture. So she was bathing, was she? He scowled lightly to himself. He had no desire to walk in on her only to have her screech at him. Being accused of lechery was not something he wanted to deal with at the moment.
Yet he would not slow his pace for the benefit of a mere human woman. With that in mind, he continued, his gait steady. It would be simple enough to separate her head from her body should the situation call for it… which was exactly what would happen should she accuse him of doing something as disgusting as playing the peeping tom.
Much to his great relief, she had already dressed upon his arrival, and was going about collecting her things. His interest piqued as he noted some of the odd trappings she carried with her. Brightly colored bottles made of some foreign substance were lined on a rock, her hideous yellow satchel sitting next to them. He watched as she stuffed her things carelessly into the oversized bag before leaning over to ruffle her hair with a large towel.
She then plopped herself down on said rock and pulled the peculiar leggings she wore over her feet. Her shoes followed, and she stood with a flourished toss of damp, midnight tresses.
Though she no longer wore the lewd green cloth she once sported, her current décor was no better. This kimono, however, ending past mid thigh as opposed to above mid thigh. It was a step in the right direction, he supposed.
By that time he was within her range of sight, and he wondered idly how long it would take her dwindling human senses to seek him out.
Much to his surprise, she perked only shortly after, her head turning in his direction. It took a moment for her eyes to spot him amongst the trees, but when she did the result was expected if not somewhat comical. She did a rather impressive impersonation of a fish for some time, her mouth opening and closing as though she were attempting to speak. Finally she moved, twisting around in a frantic manner so that she could run in the opposite direction.
Instead of continuing to flee, as he had expected, she bent over and snatched something from the ground. When she turned around again, he couldn't help but scoff.
She looked absolutely ridiculous, knees chattering like that of a newborn lamb's. Yet her eyes, though they held a hint of fear, were as set and determined as ever. Clasped tightly in her tiny hands were a bow and arrow, the tip of which was pointed directly at him.
He continued walking, ignoring the look she was bestowing upon him. He supposed she was trying to look threatening… but was failing miserably. She looked about as threatening as a box of kittens.
By the time he actually reached the clearing, most of her fear had been whittled away, replaced with resolve and anger. He sensed conflict within her… confusion and unease. He guessed that she was contemplating whether or not to run. As he continued, however, he saw her pull her bowstring a little tauter. This caused him to pause.
Was she serious? Did she actually think she could intimidate him with her pitiful weapons and skill? Priestess she may have been, but even the most experienced of holy beings lacked the speed required to take a demon of his stature down.
So, instead of advancing, Sesshomaru settled for staring at her. He sensed no ill will from her, despite the fact that he had attempted to take her life on several occasions.
She was a vexing little thing, he noted. He had come to find that hate was not an emotion that this particular human felt, though she had many reasons to be filled with the tainted emotion. She did not loathe him, he could sense it, she was simply wary. Though the thought bothered him to a degree, it earned her slight respect from him.
As for Inuyasha, he could smell the whelp clear enough, and it was safe to say that the dolt and his ragamuffin group were merely camping. He supposed such was acceptable and with that he left.
Yes, the young miko had acted as a proverbial thorn in his side on many occasions. She was always slowing him down or throwing him off course. It was slightly irritating. However, there was no denying that his encounters with her never failed to amuse him. She was a silly little chit, unlike any human he had ever met. She was brave, though she had no reason to be. She was not skilled in the art of combat, save her experience with the bow. She was weak and feeble, and utterly human.
Yet, weak as she was, there was power in her tiny, female body. Not physical strength, in any way, but spiritual. Her will was iron, her soul unshakable. He knew of very few beings with such steely resolve. As for her miko ability, he supposed she would be considered a frightful opponent to many should she decide to hone her skills. To him... such things were trivial. No being had ever bested his power, save his own father.
She, unlike most of her kind, was frightfully loyal and unbelievably humane. No matter how grave the situation appeared, she stood by her friends, and he knew she would freely give her life if it meant saving them. Her kindness was somewhat of a mystery to him. He had never witnessed a creature give so much of themselves and expect nothing in return. Humans were greedy and spiteful by nature, and kindness was a rarity when dealing with them.
This young miko, however, was an anomaly. She went out of her way to save those in need, even if their well being did not concern her in the least. She had adopted a demon child and cared for it as though it were her own. She had cried for them, bled for them, sacrificed so much for them… and not once had he seen her demand something in return. It was almost alien, the way she acted.
Kagome… he believed she was called, was quite the vexing creature; intelligent as well. Her knowledge of the world and arithmetic and science startled him. It was obvious to say that she was not from the surrounding area. Her open nature suggested she came from a place that was experiencing a time of peace.
Her loose speech did not hold the formality or restraint that was practiced here. Yet despite the fact that he didn't always understand what she was rambling about, he knew she was far from being uneducated in the field of manners or linguistics. He knew for a fact that her vocabulary was far from lacking, and consisted of many colorful phrases and words.
The objects she carried with her were foreign and of great interest to him. He had heard her explain some of them to her comrades before, and was enthralled with the advanced technology she seemed to be in possession of. What civilization had access to such trinkets? It made him vaguely wary. If her people had the knowledge to build these things… what else were they capable of?
And of course there was her style of dress. Her people, whoever they were, obviously had a different idea of modesty than most. With frilly kimonos that left little to the imagination and tops that were like a second skin he wondered how it was possible that she remained untouched.
Which brought him to another humorous aspect about the miko: she was ridiculously contradicting. Her modesty, for example. She walked around in something befitting a whore, and yet the second she caught someone doing something that even faintly suggested they were ogling her she would explode in a fit of flustered, angry accusations. He had witnessed her slap several men for doing such things, though the monk she traveled with deserved the majority of beatings he received.
On the other hand… how were males supposed to react to her? She skipped around in almost nothing and berated men for doing what only came naturally when presented with a piece of adequate female flesh.
Indifferent he may have been, but he would never lie to himself. He had, on certain occasions, indulged in the act of admiring the miko's body.
Contrary to popular belief, he did take time to appreciate the graceful curves of women, as well as the dainty, distinctively feminine way they carried themselves. Though there were many pretty human females, he had yet to find a single one that he found appealing. Why? There were many reasons.
Attraction was not solely based on looks, though that was a reasonably large part of it. A female had to appeal to him sexually, for one thing. Which included smelling pleasant… and humans tended to smell rather ripe. It seemed that no matter how often they washed they always carried the faint smell of sweat and grime. He supposed it was due to living conditions. When one's dwelling happened to be a musty, dank hut, smelling bad seemed to be inevitable.
Honor was another, very large aspect to what attracted him. Though several youkai females lacked it as well, he had deemed human women as cowardly pushovers. It was hard for anyone to notice them when they did nothing to make themselves known. They sat obediently in the shadows and did as they were told, not speaking a word. Mindless…
Some called him picky, but he had every right to be. When the time came to choose a mate he would be fastidious in all facets. A youkai of his station deserved nothing but the best, and he refused to settle for anything less.
Jaken's indignant, pained screech made him sigh to himself, and he turned to peer out the corner of one, half-lidded eye. Apparently the seat of his pants had caught on fire, and he was currently running in frenzied circles around the camp. Rin was hot on his heels, trying to settle him down so that she could help him put the flame out.
Sniffing in an annoyed manner at Jaken's childish behavior, Sesshomaru trod silently into the campsite. Lifting a single, boot clad foot, the Western Lord watched as the idiotic toad ran directly into it, falling flat on his backside. That, of course, succeeded in extinguishing the flame, and led to a chorus of unwanted praises.
"Oh, Sesshomaru-sama, this lowly Jaken thanks you for your act of generosity. I am not worthy to be in your superior presence and-"
A small grunt silenced his ranting, and upon seeing the admonishing brow that was lifted at him, Jaken shrunk back a ways and clamped his beak shut, preparing to remain silent for the remainder of the night.
Rin, on the other hand, hunkered down next to Ah-Un, chewing happily on a handful of berries she had foraged. Lifting her palm toward the lumbering beast-of-burden, she tittered when its long, rough tongue cleaned her hand of any remaining fruit.
Again a mental sigh reverberated through his mind. Years of traveling with the child had made him soft, that much was certain. However, she was free to come and go as she pleased, such was apparent to her. He would not go out of his way to dismiss her if she wished to follow. And at times he found her presence soothing, a great relief in comparison to Jaken's incessant nagging.
A displeased growl left his lips as his thoughts wandered back to the young miko. What was it about her that enthralled him so? Was it her childishly coquettish nature? Her innocent naivety? Her passionate loyalty and unwavering determination?
Once again, he would not lie to himself, her beauty was obvious, only accented by her pure aura and pleasing scent. But she was Inuyasha's wench. The boy's love sick little bitch and simpering tag-along. Why the runt continued to ignore her in favor of a walking corpse was beyond him… but then again Inuyasha had never been the brightest of pups. A woman was supposed to be warm and soft… not cold and decaying. To him, Kagome was a much more tempting option.
He grunted again, frowning a little as he realized just how far he had let his thoughts wander.
The fact that his thoughts were being wasted on something as unimportant as his necrophiliac brother's choice in women made him faintly miffed. They were only humans… dead or alive. Kagome was no exception. She was loud and annoying and bothersome. And somehow the infuriating trollop had managed to sway his thoughts yet again… gods he needed to kill something.
"Jaken," he summoned, eyes remaining on the woods at his front. Before his retainer had a chance to reply, Sesshomaru quickly instructed, "Watch Rin."
Trees whizzed by as he sped swiftly through the brush, the large pelt that sat atop his shoulder stretched behind him like a billowing beige cloud. Silk robes fluttered as he leapt fluidly through the vegetation.
Honeyed orbs bled red; slit pupils melting from black to an eerie teal. With a deafening howl and a blinding flash of light his humanoid visage was shed in favor of his true form. Large, claw tipped paws flattened the brush beneath them; pristine white coat shimmering in the light of the slowly brightening moon.
A twisted, acid laced grin tugged at thin, black rimmed lips, a signal that blood would be shed that night. Despite his slight deformity, he was able to move with ease; his lean body sliding agilely through the trees. A delicious aroma filled his nostrils as the breeze caressed his senses, and his mouth watered; venomous saliva pooling below his tongue.
Deer… yes, that would satisfy his need for the time being. Breathing deeply through the damp, black nose that tipped his snout, a deep, guttural bark left his throat, seeming to shake the very foundations of the land.
He sensed the tiny creatures take flight. Muscles bunched and coiled, springing as he launched himself forward. He gave a low woof as their fear spiked, making his head spin greedily as his thirst for blood escalated. He knew that they had no chance of escaping him, and the wicked smile that painted his features never once wavered. What fun was the hunt without a good chase?
Wouldn't it be great if they actually took some time to delve into his more personal thoughts in the series? I wonder what kind of things we might find floating around in that head of his.
Review please…