Midoriko's Daughter
Chapter three: Coddled and Trained
After hitting a hard branch she woke from the darkness. A soft whimper escaped her lips as she flung onto another branch. Her fingernails began to snap out of place with pressure as she tried to grasp onto the tree branch. "Gah! No!" She flung her left arm back up to give herself better leverage. She looked down passed her dangling legs to see many trees and branches ready to beat her to death. "Ogon!" She screamed, "Please! Ogon!" Her bloody fingers began to slip from the bark.
A sigh of relief passed from her lips as she saw the dragon come into view, "Thank Kami!" The dragon snorted as he settled beneath her. Shippo grasped her kimono, "Kagome! I'm so glad you are alright!" She gave him a small smile while holding a gash in her side from his view. "Ogon please take us back to the castle." He grunted and flew as fast as he possible could.
Sesshomaru awaited the return of Kagome. Red flashed his eyes as he paced in her room. 'Why would she leave?' 'Maybe she needed to get something from her comrades?' 'But this does not explain why she left without…' He was quickly brought from his thoughts as the scent of blood came to his nose. He watched as the dragon flew onto the balcony. Kagome gave him a guilty smile as she rose from the beast, but quickly collapsed. "What has happened?" He asked while lifting her from the ground. She gave him another guilty smile, "Um…I wanted to get Shippo?" He raised his eyebrow. "Oh! And I fell off Ogon, I think Kikyo's dead." She was speaking far too fast for any normal demon or human. He walked from the room with the small kit and white dragon following at his heels.
"Kina, take the dragon to the stables." Kina nodded and tried to pick up the little creature, but jumped back when the dragon blew a small flame in her direction. "Go Ogon." Shippo whispered, and the dragon obediently followed the servant. Sesshomaru felt a tinge of unnecessary guilt as Kagome's body fell limp in his arm. "Rena, take the kit to Kagome's room and wait with him there." Rena nodded and comforted the small kitsune as she brought him up the stairs.
He carried the girl to the healer's room. "She doesn't seem to be healing well." An old woman spoke softly as Sesshomaru laid Kagome on a small futon. "Will she live?" The aged woman shook her head with concern, "Her body doesn't seem to be clotting the blood, all I can do is wrap her wounds and hope it helps." She began removing the kimono. Sesshomaru looked over Kagome's many nail-less fingers. Blood and small pieces of tree bark matted together. He took a small cloth from the healer and rubbed Kagome's hands clean. 'Stupid girl.' '…' "Asu do whatever you can, she may not die." The woman nodded, "I will take care of her Milord."
Miroku watched as Inuyasha sulked into the trees. Soul stealers taunted them high in the northern sky. He groaned, "There is something not quiet right." An ominous feeling hung over everyone in the village. Sango walked out to the village's edge, looking over the sky. A white light had erupted through gray clouds in the north.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha rushed toward where the soul stealers had been. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she had been hurt again. "Inuyasha." He jumped back, landing into a few trees, as Kikyo walked stolidly to him. "Kikyo." He said, standing up, "You're alright? I saw that light and…" She wrapped her arms around him tightly, "Inuyasha, I am fine." She pressed her cheek to his, "I have wonderful news." He embraced her to his chest, "What is it?" She stepped back and out of his grasp, "We can be together, alive Inuyasha." She held his face in her hands, "Alive." He stared at her widely, unable to speak. "All you must do Inuyasha, is get the Shikon No Tama." He furrowed his brows, "What do you want with the Shikon No Tama?" She kissed him lovingly for only a moment. "I know a man who can make us human, both of us. Or if you want Inuyasha, he can make us both demons, all he asks of us is the jewel." He slipped away from her, "The jewel is trouble Kikyo, it brings only pain. You know I love you, but I…" He looked away ashamed as he smelt and saw tears fall from her eyes. "Inuyasha, I did not get to live my life with you before…Will you not grant this of me? Of our love?" He stared down into the very crust of the Earth, "For you Kikyo, I will get the Jewel of Four Souls."
Rin walked out of her room to see the small kitsune walk into Kagome's room with Rena. She ran over to the door and peeked inside. The kit was crying and Kagome was nowhere to be seen. "Rena?" She asked softly, her usual beaming voice dead as of the moment. "Yes little miss?" Rin walked into the room nervously as the kit stared at her. "Where is Lady Kagome?" Rena picked her up, "She got hurt, but she did bring you a friend to play with, Shippo this is Rin." He walked over to the girl and held her face, "Is this Kagome's daughter?" His wide eyes barred down at the girl's face, and she returned him with the same treatment. Rena laughed, "I really don't think so Shippo." She picked him up and sat him next to Rin, "No matter how much they look alike." Rin grinned at him, "Kagome is probably doing much better already, Lord Sesshomaru is amazing, he can fix anything." Shippo looked to the miraculous floor, "I hope so." He touched one of the flowers, "This is amazing." Rin nodded, "I know, Rin helped Sesshomaru-sama decorate."
Each one jumped as the door opened to reveal Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin ran up to him and hugged his leg. He petted her hair, "How is Lady Kagome?" He walked passed her, "She will be okay Rin." He turned to Rena, "Please help Rin get ready for bed, and get the room next to hers ready for Shippo." She nodded and ushered Rin from the room.
"Kit, you were with Kagome were you not?" Shippo nodded, obviously intimidated. "What happened to cause the incident?" Shippo looked at the floor, "We were riding on Ogon back to the castle and the rest of her soul, the piece that was in Kikyo, returned to her body." He looked up at the Lord, "Is she really going to be alright?" Sesshomaru nodded, "She will live." He walked to the door and opened it, "Come." The kit followed Sesshomaru to the room next to Rin's. "This will be your room.'
Shippo's eyes grew wide as he saw all the elaborate designs; The room was exactly the same as Rin's, except where there was pink in hers, his had green and blue. "Thank you Lord Sesshomaru." He nodded and turned to leave when a small hand on his pant leg caught him off guard, "May I see Kagome?" The kit's emerald eyes gleamed sadly up at his own. "You may see her tomorrow morning, it is late." Shippo nodded.
Kagome awoke in darkness; her hand shifted to her chest when realization struck her. 'I'm hurt…' She could feel a bandage wrapped around her entire upper body. Her fingers were individually wrapped in white bandages. Raising a thin blanket from her body, she looked down to see herself in only underwear and bandages. Her right leg was also fully bandaged, while her left leg only received medical attention at the ankle. She threw the blanket to the side and tried to raise herself up from the futon, but was immediately thrown back down by severe pain in her left side. "Ah!" She screamed as she felt the area. When she brought her hand up to her eyes she could see blood dripping from her fingers.
A lantern came into view along with an old and wrinkled Inu demon. "Young lady I suggest you refrain from moving around. Your wounds are having a terrible time healing." Kagome nodded and let her head fall to the cushion. "How did I get here?" The woman sat the lantern on the ground near the cot and began to check over Kagome's bandages, "Lord Sesshomaru brought you." She huffed, "If he wouldn't have you'd probably be dead by now." She lifted part of the bandage around Kagome's side, "Ahh!" She bunched the fabric of the futon up in her fists. "Stop touching it!" The old woman glared at her, "Hush." Tears slipped from Kagome's eyes as she endured the redressing of the wound.
"How many days have I been out?" The old woman's wrinkles grew deeper as she grinned, "Only a couple of days. But a nice young fox demon was here just yesterday, and little Rin too." Kagome nodded, "Did Lord Sesshomaru seem angry?" The old woman chuckled, "Ask him yourself." She gasped as she saw Sesshomaru walk into the room from behind a large shoji screen as the old demon walked out. "This Sesshomaru does not get angry." He sat next to the futon, 'Why did you leave without mentioning it?" She turned away, "I didn't know if you would allow Shippo to come." He turned her to face him, one claw on each of her cheeks, "Do not be so ignorant." She moved her face from his grasp, and tried to mover her body to the side, but when a shock of pain coursed through her body, she decided against it, and stared at the wall instead. She held her breath as she tried to keep tears from entering her eyes, it however was futile.
"If the bleeding does not cease by the morning I will be forced to release you of an enchantment, be it against your father's wishes or not." He saw her chin move down in a nod.
She gasped and bit her lip as he lifted her upper body and sat on the futon, sitting her in his lap. Her big eyes stared up at his, "Why?" He held her close to his chest, "You are my intended." She let her back press against his warm muscles and closed her eyes. He pressed his hand into her bandage and against her bleeding side, "Shh," He quieted her whimpers, "I'll only let a small amount of poison damage the area." His chin rested atop her head, "It will make it less painful." When he began to move his hand from her body, she intertwined her fingers with his and held them at her stomach. "I'm not ready for you to leave yet." He nodded and held her there until the elderly Inu-youkai came and shooed him away.
Miroku slipped his hand from Sango's. It had been a month since the strange light in the sky, and Inuyasha had been acting awkwardly since; Both of his friends were worried about him. "I'll go talk to him, don't worry." Sango nodded and sat on the hut's porch, gently petting Kirara.
Inuyasha jumped down from the sacred tree to meet Miroku, "What do you want?' He asked harshly. "Inuyasha, I wanted to know if there was something bothering you, and I have news." The hanyou refused to look at him, turning to face the setting sun instead. "Nothing is bothering me monk." He kicked at the dirt beneath his feet, "You and Sango gonna go and get married already?" The monk almost blushed, "Actually, yes." Finally Inuyasha's attention had been caught, "Wha..?" Miroku nodded, smiling ear to ear, "On one condition, I have to not touch other women…It's going to be hard with this blessed hand of mine…" He looked down at his fingers, remembering how many women he had fondled. "But, I guess it's worth it." He looked back at Inuyasha a bit sadly, "We wont be traveling with you anymore Inuyasha. Both of us have always wanted a family, and now that Naraku is dead…" Inuyasha 'fehed' before jumping back into the tree, "Do whatever you'd like Miroku, don't worry about me." Miroku sighed before walking back to the hut; after so many years of suffering and fighting, he was ready to take his bride away from this life.
The next day, Sango and Miroku were ready to leave. "Where's Inuyasha, we want to say bye to him." Sango and Kirara stood in front of Miroku waiting for his reply. "He left late last night, I haven't seen him since." She looked down at her feet, "Oh. I hope he's not upset." He gave her a hug, "He will be fine, it's just Inuyasha's way of dealing with things." She felt comforted until his hand came creeping over her bottom." SMACK! His cheek held the red imprint of Sango's hand. "C'mon you lecher, I want to visit Kagome before we leave."
Kikyo held Inuyasha tightly in an embrace, "Why have you failed Inuyasha?" He voice although cold, drowned in sorrow. "I'm sorry Kikyo, I don't know if it will end badly…" She let go of him and let her arms fall limply, "Perhaps you do love her more?" He shook his head, "Kikyo, you are my love…" She cut him off, "Then why have you denied our only means of happiness together?" His ears fell flat upon his head, "I will get the jewel." Kikyo stared him in the eyes with a look of the dead, "You have said this before, yet I do not see it." He grabbed a hold of her shoulders; her body melted into his chest as he kissed her softly, "I will deny you no longer."
Kagome held her katana angled with her body, her feet slightly apart and diagonal on the floor. "Good stance, but you are unable to hold your balance properly. Sesshomaru poked Kagome lightly in the chest and watched as she stumbled. He received a hallow glare in return. She repositioned her feet on the floor and pushed more of her weight to her feet. He nodded for her to attack him with the sword.
This had been going on for over a week, and still Kagome had only perfected her stance, although stumbling quiet a few times. She closed her eyes as she tried to pull down the stress of the situation. A hard blow mingled with her side, "Always be ready." He blocked a quick attack, "Always plan your movements." She groaned out. "Do not show your enemies emotion."
As another blow was blocked, he took her sword and threw it to the side, "Now your sword has been removed, what shall you do?" His extreme criticism was starting to take its toll on her. She tried to attack with a high kick, but it was no use. He caught her hand as she tried to do another karate move, "You're too slow." She took her free hand and left a steaming handprint on his porcelain face; in surprise he loosened his grip, and she ran from the dojo. Her naked feet left burns in the wood of the floors.
Rin and Shippo stood in the hall of their rooms. All the youkai servants and guards seemed to be on the edge. Shippo leaned over to Rin's tiny shoulder, "Kagome must be pretty angry, her powers have never flared so much."
Sesshomaru placed his fingers on the burned footprints in the dojo. A path of singed grass led to the stone steps. He had to admit, it had taken a while, but finally he had gotten her to release her raw miko power. He would not be able to train her until she had mastered the arts of her mother.
Inuyasha lost himself as he came closer and closer to the magnificent domain of the moon. He would be breaking Kagome's heart completely; his betrayal would be a wreckage, but even as he knew this, his feet would not cease to move in the direction of his prey. The dark clouds that hung above him felt ominous, as if they knew what he were about to do.
Rin and Shippo knocked on Kagome's door. "Lady Kagome, can you play with us?" Kagome opened the door only an inch, "I'll be out around lunch time okay, right now I'd like to be left alone." She bit her lip after seeing the puppy eyes they each gave her, "I promise I'll play with you in a little while." Rin grinned, "Alright, Shippo! Lets go!"
She slid the door closed and fell on her bed. Small tears began to stream from her face. 'Mom, I can't do this. I wish I'd never have known about my birth parents.' She wiped away a few tears. 'I don't want to disappoint you.' A brick full of burdens hit her chest hard. These past months had been the toughest, and some how during them, she had lost herself in battle and training, her mind was far from mourning; a small part of her wished Naraku were still alive, at least then maybe things would have worked out differently; a small part off her wished it had been herself dead, and not her mother.
She hit her face against the bed; how could she be so selfish? Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, each of them had lost a great deal of their lives and loves to Naraku; how could she wish he's back? Her mothers image haunted her mind.
"Mama! I'm home!" Kagome stepped into the comfortable house and placed her shoes next to the door. "Mama!?" Her heart dropped as she saw a thin film of water pouring down the steps. She ran as fast as she could up the stairs. Her socks clung to the skin of her feet with water. "Mama!" Her fist pounded red against the door of the room. Water ran from beneath the door. "Mama! Please!?" She slid to the floor with heavy tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry Mama, I'm sorry for leaving you." Kagome felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She had managed to cry herself to sleep. "The children are worried about you." A nod was his only reply as she raised herself from the bed and ran her fingers down her face. She seemed to be pulling every frustration and though from her mind with only her finger tips.
"I'm sorry Sesshomaru, I do not think things are working out." She refused to turn toward him, to look him in the eyes. "Things are just as they should be." A scoff ran from her pink lips; he had to be kidding, but Sesshomaru does not kid. He ignored her obvious rudeness and continued, "You will be training in a miko village for the remainder of this year, or until you master your skills." A look of shock marred her face, "You…," She turned to face him with fire gleaming from her dark brown pools, "You were trying to get my powers flaring…," Her voice was a frightening calm. He watched as she let her powers slip into her fingers; she lightly touched his cheek, "You don't think I should have been told?" His clawed hand wrapped around her wrist, "This Sesshomaru did not think it was necessary." She pulled her hand free and walked over to her backpack. "You have no need to bring your things." She gave him a curious look, "Why not?" "You will be given clothes upon arrival tomorrow morning." She nodded, "I told the children I would play with them for the remainder of this evening…" He opened the door for her, "They would enjoy your company."
Kagome fell back on her futon as two screaming children attacked her. "Kagome!" She smiled and held Shippo on her lap and Rin wrapped in one arm, "Guys, How would you like to go play outside?" All three looked up at Sesshomaru, "What do you say Lord Sesshomaru? Can we?" Rin looked up at him with big hopeful eyes, "Please Milord?" Shippo still seemed intimidated by the Taiyoukai, but still showed his eagerness. "Until the evening meal." He closed his eyes when three, "Yay!"s exploded in his ears.
A slight bounciness overcame Kagome's steps as Sesshomaru joined the little group outside. The tides were beginning to meet with the abdomen of the sand bank. Kagome began to chase the children through the soft waters, watching Sesshomaru from the corner of her eye. He didn't seem to want to join in, but rather only came to bask in the others' fun. He sat stolidly on a large boulder keeping an eagle's eye out for intruders.
Rin ran across the soft sand and toppled over Shippo. "Hey!" He whined before also falling into the shallow water. Giggles sprouted from the shore. Kagome bit her lip as she caught the two in her arms. "Tomorrow I will be leaving to train with other mikos." Rin's eyes began to water, but Shippo only stood tall and strong, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Do not worry, neither of you. I will be able to protect each of you far better, and it is only for a short while." She gave them both a hug, "Don't be sad." "Alright Lady Kagome!" Rin beamed, her mood swing finally kicking in. She ran along the beach, looking for the perfect shell. "Is there something wrong Shippo?" He nodded, "I like being around Rin and all the servants and guards, but…" Kagome could read his mind, she ruffled his hair, "Sesshomaru would never allow any harm to come to you," She gave him another hug, "I promise." He nodded before joining Rin.
Kagome walked carefully to Sesshomaru and peeled his hand back from his knee. He watched her intently as she nestled into his lap and against his chest. The smooth skin of her cheek tingled against his neck. She pulled his arm around her, wanting only his warm body near her own. "Will you bring them to visit me at this miko training camp?" Her hot and innocent words burned against his skin. "If it would please you." She nodded, "It would." Her eye lashes fluttered against the fabric of his haori as she closed them, "I'm getting a bit tired My Lord." He nodded, "I have the children come inside then. She shook her head, "No. I'm fine where I am. Let them play awhile longer."
The morning came with a soft and sickly sweet cool wind. Kagome groaned as she placed one leg over Ogon's back. "Follow closely." She nodded and glanced back at Rin, Shippo, and Rena; all were waving their hands vigorously in farewell. She would miss them terribly.
Her hair billowed around her small frame and over the beast beneath her. Kagome leaned in closer to his neck as she followed the Taiyoukai over the frozen mountains.
Inuyasha watched up at the sky as the familiar scents of his brother, Kagome, and Ogon flew to his sensitive nose. How could he have forgotten; Sesshomaru would not let the jewel be stolen away from Kagome. A growl rose from his thin lips as he began to follow the three at a distance. Although it was against his nature to be patient, he would wait until Sesshomaru left Kagome alone.
Kagome felt sleep tugging at her eyes, "Ogon, don't let me fall off…" She heard a rough growl, "I'm trying not to go to sleep Ogon, I really am…" Her eyes went wide when a muscular arm wrapped around her waist. "It would be prudent to join this Sesshomaru on his cloud, rather than falling from your dragon yet again." Ogon snorted and Kagome blushed, "Alright." He laid her next to his feet and continued up the mountains.
I apologize for the wait, but in my defense I haven't had much time to research, and I don't want chapters to be cruddy. XD. Thanks for all of the reviews, story favs, and author favs! I don't have time to write back to the reviews for this chaper, but to all those who did review:
.. ... ... ... ... Thank you so much, I haven't recieved a bad review yet, and I truely thank you all for the supportive comments. Reviews really help when it comes to getting the story completed. Where would football be without its fans? I am really sorry I can't reply to each and every one right now but I will deffinately try to later! I haven't finished chapter 4 yet, but I didn't want to wait a whole two weeks before posting another chapter. I hope you all find this chapter has as much quality as the others. Thanks!
-EmoRagDollx3
