Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Final Fantasy 7 or anything with the Forgotten Realms.
Chapter 4The group had followed Sesshomaru for some time in complete silence. That silence was finally broken when the two men in the group picked up light laughter and the smell of others. It took Kagome longer, since her senses were not as highly developed but when she heard the laughter her face broke out in a smile.
As soon as they entered the clearing the strangers were startled at the sight of a little girl throwing herself at Sesshomaru. After Rin's happy squeals and greetings for him her face turned to the others. Her eyes widened at the sight of the strange men, but her face quickly turned to a smile again as she saw Kagome. "Kagome-sama! Yay, did you come to play with Rin?"
Kagome couldn't help but chuckle at her exuberance. Seeing the little girl that traveled with Sesshomaru served to ease her worries a little. It was a helpful reminder that he wasn't the same 'hate all humans' youkai he once was. He still held a strong disdain for most humans, but he didn't kill every one of them he saw now.
She scooped the girl up in a hug and returned her smile. "Actually, I'm going to be traveling with you and Sesshomaru for a little while."
At that announcement there was another happy squeal from the little girl. "Rin is happy that you get to travel with us! Will you make a flower crown with me?"
Before Kagome had a chance to answer her Sesshomaru interjected. "Rin, there will be no time for that right now. We are headed to the Western shiro. You will have time for frivolities once we arrive."
If the little girl was phased by his statement, she didn't show it. Instead she jumped out of Kagome's arms and ran to Ah-Un. After she clambered up into the saddle she turned to Kagome again. "Will you be riding Ah-Un with Rin?"
Kagome couldn't help but smile at the precocious girl. "I don't think we will be flying so I'm ok with walking." She had finally turned to the others in the group to make a point. She wasn't entirely surprised to see their confused looks.
Since Sesshomaru was already walking away, Kagome felt it fell to her to finish the introductions. "Sephiroth-san, Drizzt-san, this is Rin. She is Sesshomaru's ward." Their looks of confusion only deepened. She understood, as anyone meeting the daiyoukai for the first time would never guess that he had the ability to have a soft spot for anyone, much less a child like Rin.
Kagome only smiled at them before continuing. "The kappa on the other side of Ah-Un is Jaken. He is one of Sesshomaru's retainers."
At this introduction Jaken finally turned to acknowledge her. "You shouldn't talk so familiarly of the great Lord Sesshomaru. How could a puny human like you even begin to understand his…"
Jaken's rant was interrupted by a harsh reprimand from Sesshomaru. "Jaken, these people are this one's guests. You will treat them with respect." Jaken scraped and bowed to Sesshomaru to show he was following directions. It still didn't stop the imp from giving the additions to their group a scathing look.
They continued on is silence for another hour before Kagome had enough of it. She didn't like long silences anyway, but she was also wrestling with her curiosity about the newcomers. She finally gave in and caught up to Drizzt.
She was curious about both men but Drizzt had been kind, while Sephiroth intimidated her almost as much as Sesshomaru. She tried to keep her voice low even if she knew it wouldn't do much good with all the people that probably had advanced hearing. "Drizzt-san, would you like some company?"
She gave him what she hoped was a friendly smile. He gave her a small smile in return, but she could still see the lines of worry across his brow. "Would it help if you tell me a little bit about your friends?"
Drizzt couldn't help but smile a little wider at her request. This young woman reminded him a little of Cattie Brie in her easy acceptance. There was even a little bit of the fire that he knew burned in his friend. In this young woman it was tempered though.
He contemplated her question for a moment before answering. Thinking about his situation, and his friend's situation, was the cause of his distress. He concluded that talking about it might make it easier to bear, since it would keep his mind occupied.
"I don't have many friends, but those I do have are special. You remind me of one of them a little actually. Not in the way you look, but she was the first person in the surface world that accepted me, even though most people hate and distrust my race." He felt a little surreal talking about his life in such a way but something about this girl put him at ease.
The look she was giving him now wasn't exactly full of pity, but her smile had turned sad. "I know most humans hate youkai, but it isn't fair. There are good and bad youkai. Just like there are good and bad humans. I wish there wasn't such a divide."
She had glanced at the man they were following as she spoke, but if he heard her he didn't indicate it. As Drizzt was contemplating her wish, something she said struck him. "You said something about demons just now and back in the village you told me you would be careful around my youki. Do you believe me to be a demon?"
Kagome actually stopped at his question. Had she offended him? He didn't look angry, but his features reflected an old sadness. "I… I apologize if I was wrong. It's just you… well you know, with the ears and silver hair… I've never met a human with those features."
Drizzt immediately understood. She hadn't been comparing him to his race in general and their demonic ways, but just his features. It was still hard to grasp that none of these people knew what a drow was. "I should apologize. I did not mean to make you feel like you have done something wrong. I am not a demon, but I am not human either. I am a drow, a dark elf. My kin normally live in the underdark."
Kagome was totally confused now. She didn't think elves were real, and all the stories she knew of them were light. Tall, thin, blonde, happy and close to nature. That couldn't be any further than the man in front of her. He was the same height she was, and his ebony skin would not have made her think of elves.
Before she could open her mouth and embarrass herself further she remembered that he was probably from an entirely different world. Thinking about it made her head hurt. She didn't even want to think about how the well had accomplished that. It made her uneasy about her own use of it.
She was going to apologize for her misunderstanding again, but they were interrupted. The insanely tall stranger had fallen back until he was walking even with them. "You said you are not human?"
Sephiroth had heard the girl approach the shorter man but had not paid much mind to their conversation, at least not until the part about his race. Sephiroth had been too involved with trying to sort out his hazy memories and something about that statement had an alarm going off in his head.
"No, I'm drow. Why do you ask?" Sephiroth's brows drew together in a scowl at the smaller man's answer.
Kagome butted in at this point, turning to address Sephiroth. "Does that mean you aren't a hanyou either?"
This was a term Sephiroth wasn't familiar with, which didn't lessen his irritation. It was obvious that the girl believed he was something other than human. Thinking about that made him angrier than it should have. "I am not sure what that means, but if you are asking if I am not human then the answer is… no. I am human."
He couldn't help but pause when he answered. Was he human? As more of his memories returned he recalled going through many documents that Hojo had left in the basement of the mansion in Nibelheim. He didn't recall everything, but he knew there was something in those documents that made him believe he may not be as human as he had once believed.
Kagome could tell the taller man was upset about something now and she felt bad. She had assumed he was a hanyou because of his hair and eyes but that might be normal where he came from. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I am sure where you come from silver hair and slit eyes are normal so don't mind me. It's just all the people I've ever met with those features are at least part youkai."
Instead of helping, this statement only made Sephiroth more upset. He knew she wasn't trying to goad him but realizing the features she pointed out were just as unique as she thought. As he tried to push the thought away another one occurred to him and he couldn't help but chuckle a little despite his ire.
"I have been called the Demon of Wutai, but I am not an actual demon." His face was not as pinched now, and Kagome couldn't help but shiver a little at the sound of his chuckle. She hadn't met anyone with such a smooth baritone before.
As she realized she was still staring at him, her face turned red. She immediately started stumbling over her words. "Ah, ok. I apologize again. I should have known better than to make assumptions, especially where that well is concerned."
Her mention of the well had both men frowning again. Thinking about the circumstances that landed each of them in this place was not pleasant for either of them. Kagome realized she had probably done enough damage and tried not to blush in shame as she excused herself.
Neither man said anything again as they watched her make her way to the young girl riding the strange two-headed dragon, too preoccupied to even wonder at all the strange things they'd seen so far.
Kagome was only making small talk with Rin, asking about the things she had learned and such. She was only paying partial attention to the young girl as most of her attention was still on their strange companions, no matter how hard she tried to refocus.
She was finally saved from her distraction by Sesshomaru stopping. All eyes turned to him as he turned to them all. "We will make camp here tonight. Jaken, prepare the fire. This one will return shortly."
Jaken instantly jumped to do Sesshomaru's bidding. The rest watched as the daiyoukai disappeared into the forest. Rin was already off Ah-Un and looking around the clearing.
The girl turned to Kagome with a smile when she found a small patch of wildflowers. "Kagome, look at the pretty blue flowers! Would you help Rin make a crown now?"
Kagome felt bad, but she knew they couldn't leave everything up to Jaken. "Maybe later Rin. We need to get camp set up. I am sure Sesshomaru will be back with food soon. If you want to help me look for some herbs, I bet we can get done quicker."
She knew Sesshomaru was probably hunting but she doubted he would think about things like seasonings, especially since he probably ate his own meat raw most of the time. Rin gave Kagome a happy smile at being included. Before she took Rin into the forest though she made sure Jaken had what he needed for the fire.
The imp was less than happy for her to be talking to him but was only mildly rude as he waved off her assistance. "Lord Sesshomaru tasked me with completing the fire. I don't need help from the likes of you."
His attitude drew a glare from Drizzt, but he didn't say anything. Instead he offered his own assistance to help Kagome as well. She gave him a bright smile. "Of course, if you don't mind. Let me show you what to look for. I'm not sure if you would be familiar with things around here."
Sephiroth just watched as they disappeared into the woods as well. Once they were gone his attention turned to Jaken. He watched him carefully; his mind focusing fully on the strange beings around him for the first time since his arrival in this strange place. Watching them caused a niggling doubt. Was he more like them than he had originally believed?
He was already on edge since his memories of the last few days were hazy at best. Learning that he shared traits with actual demons or others that weren't human only made him more uneasy. He had a feeling he needed to figure out his heritage before he found his way home.
His introspection was interrupted when Sesshomaru entered the clearing with a large buck draped around his shoulders. Sephiroth couldn't help but be impressed with how quickly the other man had caught something without any visible weapons and the obvious ease with which he maneuvered the heavy animal around. His assessment that the strange man could be a formidable opponent was proving to be well founded.
He watched as Sesshomaru looked around the clearing once, noting his furrowed brow. He assumed it was for the missing child so offered an explanation. "They went to gather herbs, at least that is what the young woman had stated."
Sesshomaru's face cleared and gave the taller man a nod in understanding. It wasn't long after this that the other three reentered the clearing as well. The young woman was smiling at the girl and patting her head in appreciation.
"Oh, Sesshomaru-sama, you're back. We gathered some herbs that should complement what you've been kind enough to bring us." Kagome gave him a small bow to show her appreciation and waited for his response.
"Hn." He gave his typical response and turned to Jaken. "Prepare the meat to cook. The miko will handle the meal."
Jaken bowed again and started dressing the deer. Once it was ready Kagome made sure to offer the first selection to Sesshomaru and then worked with Drizzt to prepare the rest for everyone else. They worked with very little talk between them.
Since they worked together it didn't take long until they had the meat on a makeshift spit over the fire. Kagome was impressed with how quick and efficient Drizzt worked. He hadn't needed any additional instructions once they started working.
It wasn't long until everyone was fed. Once they were done Rin curled up next to Kagome while the miko sang her a lullaby she often sang to Shippou. Thinking about the kit she had adopted made Kagome a little sad. She knew she had chosen to go with Sesshomaru on her own, but it didn't make missing her friends any easier. She even missed Inuyasha a little.
By this time Rin had fallen asleep next to her. She glanced over at Sesshomaru to see if he wanted to move the young girl, but he was preoccupied with surreptitiously watching the other two. Understanding at least a little bit of his curiosity she turned back to Rin instead. She gently lifted her and took her to lay next to the sleeping Ah-Un. She had her own sleeping roll, so she pulled it out and lay down next to the girl.
She watched the three men sitting around the fire. Her last thoughts before falling to sleep were filled with theories on how they arrived and, much more importantly, how they were to get them back.
A/N: First I would like to apologize for it being so long since my last update and thank you all for your patience. I put up a notice in my profile that until the end of June things will be coming out a little slower than normal. Life is pretty hectic right now. If that does change I will add notes to my profile to keep you updated. I know there wasn't much going on in this chapter but it transitions us into the place where a lot will get started. Thank you everyone and enjoy.