Howl
If he wanted a conversation, Kagome noted in complete and utter frustration, all he had to do was initiate one.
Annoyance laced her actions as she first shifted to the left, hands leaving their previous activity of playing with the wet mop that was her hair, to tapping the ground in a tuneless rhythm. Her other hand moved over to flick away some annoying streaks of stone dust from her palms, causing her palms to sting once more – the burns blistering, she could see them rising – and with a whined howl, she stuck both hands fist deep into her hair.
Howl (2/4)
In the silence and intermittent rain, the gravity of the situation sunk in, as if dissolved right through her pores, small arms wrapping tighter around her torso, clutching in her remaining warmth.Inuyasha. Would he be able to find her? Her departure had been abrupt - she hadn't expected to be targeted - and she had been lucky to escape with only minor burns.
The howl of the demon rang in her ears - her mind whispered: stupid.
Unable to dwell on herself any more, Kagome glanced around her surroundings, the small, dark interior of the cave, finding comfort in the impassive detachment of her pale companion.
Howl (3/4)
The silence was grating on the ears, both the delicately pointed and the softened round curve, that on closer inspection, appeared to be tinted blue. She was freezing, but her desperation to hide the faint trembles of her limbs and back had forced casualness into her manner, her strength to uphold her convictions remarkable.
His eyes followed her movements as the faint tremors rocked her intermittently, a dark annoyance stirring in his gut at her petulant childish refusal to acknowledge him.
Soft brown eyes glanced to his abruptly, as if in response to his thoughts, and his attention returned to her.
Howl (4/4)
"Stop peeking."
Jolted from his thoughts and by the break in the silence, the long slant of his stare focused with sharper intensity on the half-dressed enigma in his company. Her shrewd gaze narrowed, petulant brown eying the pointedly bored expression of the other youkai as a hand gestured broadly to the area just above her heart.
"I see your eyes wandering, inu. I'm surprised you aren't howling your intentions."
Dispassionate eyes glanced once back at the woman, lip curling at her over exaggerated show of covering herself, tone clipping around his response. "That would be the action of wolves."
Clashing of wills
The darkness within the cave deepened, the silence stretching between them increasingly uncomfortable with their distinct awareness of each other. Tired of the stream of passive aggression vibes, Kagome turned back to face the taller shadow of the man, unsurprised to find his dark eyes already on her. It only set to prove her previous hypothesis, and brow rising, she assumed a sweet smile, meeting the ferocity of his gaze easily.
She was nothing but a barely-dressed, shivering huddle of woman, lost and isolated in this forest, with inherent powers she couldn't use, yet her wide eyes pierced the gloom with easy ferocity. Her aim was off by a meter, ensuring the worst of the severity to be lost to a section of stone, but the belligerent intensity of her expression made clear her impression of him.
"There are marked differences between species, woman." Significance weighed heavily in the softly spoken words, his memory flitting back to the wolf she spoke of, a power infused mutt that often joined her company. The reminder of the smell of human blood, soaked in the matted-fur loincloth the mutt wore for clothing accompanied the image, and with disgust, his gaze glanced back to hers with derision, scorn twisting the curve of his upper lip. "I am not like your pet mutt."
Her reaction to his words was unexpected, a flare of powerful, stinging energy throwing the darkness of the cave into sharp relief. Her hands wrapped tighter around her arrow, her last one, as she pointed the arrow tip at him shakily, glistening eyes gleaming with annoyance.
"As if you don't know anything about being a mutt."
"At least I don't feast on humans."
The angle of the arrow tilted sharply, lowering slowly until the point rested against the damp stone with a small 'oh.'
Buttoned up.
After a while, Kagome glanced back towards him, something softened in the honey-brown gaze as it made her way across the beautiful, elegant form of his posture, caught within the aura of calm that surrounded him. She had never taken him for someone who'd appreciate calm, and this little revelation left her buttoned up.
The defiant energy that had flared within her a while ago had flickered out, the absence of emotion leaving her chest strangely deflated. Her teeth worried her lower lip, her eyes switching back to the scene outside, and with a blink of surprise, her heart skipped at the brighter scene.
Guilt
The air of the cave seemed to thin, shadows scuttling back to smaller creases in the rock, widening the open space. With the coming of the light, her thoughts centred back to the man in her company, fingering a button, she glanced inevitably back to the long form across from her. He hadn't moved from his position since they had last spoken, legs crossed in an easy lotus position, silver strands of hair gleaming in the light of day as gravity and time evaporated the last reminders of the rain.
Sheepish guilt crept into her expression with the clarity brought by the light.
Scarlet
Face flushing with scarlet embarrassment, Kagome swept her gaze away from him to the floor, sweeping across the small space for something else to perch on. A bewildered, unhappy pout tweaked her lips as her teeth worked self-consciously at her lip– when had she decided it'd be a good idea to goad him? Her expression furrowed, tightening her grip around her pink vest, a disappointed anger settling in her chest. Her behaviour was childish at best. Clearing her throat, her voice broke the silence softly.
"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Narrowed eyes watched the small, hunched form before him, annoyance lacing a growing sense of confusion within the demon. The movement of her thoughts and emotions were a whirlwind, almost impossible to follow, and as such, he was left, decidedly, at a loss.
Sharpening his tone, his eyes were close on her as he addressed her. "Woman. You will explain. Everything." After a short pause, his head bowed slowly, the demon unfolding himself to rise, making soft, padded steps across the short distance between them. Folding into a graceful seat once more, his eyes caught hers levelly, ensuring he had her attention, her full attention, before the quiet whisper: "please."
Heart
Her eyes followed the glance of the golden gaze, alighting on the dark crimson stain that crossed her left side. Eyes widening with the realisation, she reached to the wound, wincing as her fingers brushed the still-damp cloth, and the realisation was stark as it was evident that after what must have been an hour, the wound still was not clotting.
Damn it. Her injuries were worse than she thought. Her glance slid past him to the turbulent patchwork of clouds outside, and the ensuing delay that would ensure that the time her 'pack' reached her... it would likely be too late.
She glanced back to his eyes, taking in the rare degree of patience that filtered through, the stoicism of his features a calm contrast to the storm outside. However, that was all; there was no animosity, there, boiling beneath the surface, for what must have been the first time since she had met him. A small smile tweaked her lips as her eyes skimmed his features, fixing this moment within her mind as one of those strange, rare memories - and the reason struck her; whilst she had not thought of her wound as life threatening, he knew.
"It's surprising to see you with a heart, Sesshoumaru-sama."
The admission was frank, and her smile gleamed crookedly as their eyes met again. A shard of sunlight sparkled in her eyes, flashing with a mischievous glint, even though the light outside was still mostly obscured by cloud. He blinked, breaking away from her proximity as his eyes glanced to himself, and the short distance between them. With another blink, he had pushed himself away, not noticing the way she bit her trembling lip.