Stray
Those who are lonely shall always reach for others who are lonely.
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That night, Kagome dreamt of Inuyasha again.
After the odd conversation in the kitchen when Shippo had arrived home, Sesshoumaru had said that he had business to attend to and he'd call her the next day to discuss the problem at hand. The problem being that she couldn't very well keep fighting off assassins on her own in this state, not only fighting for her life but for her son's as well every time she entered a spell battle. She needed help, no matter how much she may not have wanted to admit it even when he'd called her out on it, and he knew he may very well be the only person who could aid her. So, he said he had a proposition for her that they would discuss at a later time. With a farewell to her, a promise to
Shippo to teach him more of his youkai heritage, and a rustle of fabric from his long coat, he was out the front door and gone into the evening. Gone as fast he had come, the water for the tea simply steaming innocently unused.
The night had gone regularly after that, mother and son sitting down for a small dinner before Shippo did his homework, asking Kagome questions as she unpacked the boxes in the living room and made their new home livable. This was how she liked things; simple and quiet. Ever since she'd become part of this "war" of sorts, her life was anything but simple and quiet. These moments, when the assassins were regrouping and the horrors of the past faded from the forefront of her mind, Kagome was finally at peace.
But such moments didn't last long. Kagome knew this all too well.
At eight, she'd sent Shippo upstairs to take his bath and put some more tea on for herself. As the sound of running water had echoed from upstairs, Kagome had leaned against the counter, lost in thought once more as she usually was. So much had happened in one day just after the appearance of Inuyasha's brother. After a sudden dry spell of battles, Nihility had suddenly shown their faces without warning. Could they have planned this? Could they have waited for Sesshoumaru to track her down and kill two birds with one stone?
No, she decided, that couldn't be it. That had seemed completely uninterested in the taiyoukai, focused on only her even as they fought against Sesshoumaru. It was disturbing. Why would they want to attack her so eagerly instead of the far more powerful opponent? But her thoughts came to a halt when a loud splash and resounding slam echoed from upstairs, making her jump into action as she sprinted out of the small kitchen and up the stairs.
It was truly amazing how one child could get bubbles on every surface of a bathroom, even the ceiling.
After that, she'd simply told Shippo to take his bath while she cleaned up the bubbles he'd gotten everywhere when he'd fallen into the tub. Apparently, he'd tripped over his own shoe and fell into the tub, spooking himself enough to start thrashing in the tub and getting bubbles everywhere. Under other circumstances, an occurrence like that would make Kagome giggle. But this was her child, who had made quite the mess of the bathroom, and she found it wasn't nearly as funny as it should have been.
Finally though, the bathroom was spotless again and the bathtub was empty. Shippo had been tucked into bed without incident, telling her about some of the children in his class as she walked around his room and picked up his dirty clothes for cleaning. Then, she simply smiled and kissed him on the forehead before turning out the lights with a soft, motherly "goodnight" that clearly said even through the sweet sound of it that if he got out of bed again before morning for anything other than the bathroom, there would be trouble.
Even though she was still young, Kagome could already strike the fear of the Kami into her child with her motherly glare.
Not quite tired enough to go to bed, she'd continued unpacking the living room and dining room while humming to herself and thinking about the strange occurences of the day. Her thoughts were repetitive, unanwered questions going around in circles. Therefore, she was rather shocked to suddenly snap out of it and find that she'd nearly unpacked the entire living room and the clock in the kitchen read midnight in green digital numbers. Strange just how fast the time flies when one's thoughts are running rampant. So, after tossing a few more crumpled up newspaper sheets into the trash and locking all the doors, Kagome had shut off the lights and walked stealthily up to
her room, trying not to upset Shippo's sensitive senses and wake him up.
She'd walked into her room quietly, sliding the brand new shoji screen doors shut behind her with a small click of wood. She sighed when she saw just how plain her room still was. Her bed wasn't even on a frame yet like Shippo's was, just a mattress on the floor with her favorite emerald green comforter, pillow, and stuffed Panda bear she'd gotten as a baby placed on it. After opening three of the boxes closest to her, she'd finally found a pair of her favorite pajamas and exchanged them with her skirt before swapping her shirt and bra for a large black t-shirt she'd stolen from Inuyasha's closet the year before he died that said "Fuck the big bad wolf, dogs are better." across the front in crimson letters. It had made her collapse in giggles the first time she'd seen it, knowing all too well that Inuyasha didn't get along with ookami youkai at all. She never did ask him why, and all she knew was that he'd had a particularily bad run in with an ookami and ended up landing them both in a juvenile facility for a few days.
As she'd tugged on the big t-shirt, her eyes began to burn with the familiar sting of tears when a familiar scent reached her nose. Even now, after countless washes and nights spent in the t-shirt, Inuyasha's distinctive scent still remained in the cloth. Not just his colon, but the unique, musky smell of the essence which made up Inuyasha. For some time, she'd actually tried her hardest to remove the scent to escape the pain it caused. But in the end, she finally decided it was far too comforting to lose and she no longer tried to rid the shirt of the scent.
After pulling on her pajamas and slipping under her emerald green comforter, Kagome was shocked when sleep came much faster than usual. Within minutes, her body went limp and she was lost to the world of dreams and nightmares. It seemed like only seconds that she'd been left in the blissful sleep that had claimed her before she was suddenly blinded by a hauntingly familiar light.
"Kagome..."
His voice had echoed all around her, through the pure white space where she was the only source of color or change. She'd been there before, many times, and she felt the usual ripple of excitement and fear as she closed her eyes and listened to his voice echo around her.
"Kagome..."
That voice could still make her knees quake and her skin erupt in tingling goosebumps as she stood there quietly with her eyes shut. It was soft and so melancholy that it tore open an old wound in her heart. He'd told her once that he was lonely in this place, for he wasn't in Paradise nor Hell. He was in a realm for those who had unfinished business. But he was not a ghost, for he could not reach the realm of the living any other way except through dreams. It was a torturous existence, but one he had chosen in order to protect her and wait for her when her time finally came.
"Kagome, you're in danger again."
When he'd said this, she'd felt his strong arms wrap around her with such tenderness that it brought tears to her eyes. Tears that he no doubt smelled because she heard him sniff before feeling his chin resting on top of her head.
"I know. Nihility came to me today. But they weren't the only visitors."
"Sesshoumaru, right?"
"How did you..."
"Kagome, I'm dead. I know these things."
She'd laughed then, however weak it may have been through her sadness as he held her.
"Have you been spying again?"
"No, I got caught last time. Now I can only rely on the changes in aura and natural forces to figure out what's going on. I caught Sesshoumaru's aura earlier in the day."
"Ah, hence the knowing."
"Exactly. But he's not the problem. Those other two pieces of shit showing up is what bothers me. No one's attacked you in ages. So why start now when Sesshoumaru shows up in town mysteriously?"
"He wants answers."
"Huh? Who wants answers about what?"
"Sesshoumaru came here for you. To ask questions about your death."
He stiffened then, so suddenly that she'd stiffened as well. That is, until he collapsed in a fit of laughter and tears behind her, forcing her to turn and look at him. He lay eagle-spread on the ground, his chest heaving in a fit of laughter underneath his tight red t-shirt with a black dragon across the front. It had been his favorite in life, and now in death. His pants were black and baggy, barely secured with a belt. She'd felt a throb of longing then as she watched him laugh. Her sense of loss and lonliness suddenly seized her then and she had to use every bit of strength she had to not collapse on her knees in tears even while Inuyasha laughed.
"That bastard came asking about me?! Ha! As if! Kagome you have to be friggin' kidding me! The guy's got an icicle termanaly shoved up his ass and he's always taken it out on me! Why the hell would he..."
"He felt bad Inuyasha. I could see it plainly in his actions as we talked and in his anger when we fought Nihility."
"Kagome, you're making a mistake. Sesshoumaru..."
"Hates himself. He may not know it and he may not agree with it verbally, but I can see it in him. He hates himself for being so cruel to you when you were still alive. I think he came here to seek redemption."
Silence nearly swallowed them whole then, Inuyasha's loud laughter suddenly gone without a single echo. Again, Kagome had felt her sorrow and loss nearly consume her as she stood there in the silence with her other half sitting before her on the ground, his eyes wide and contemplative. They'd remained like that for some time, staring into each other's eyes without blinking as a sudden feeling of impending danger came over them.
"Something bad is about to happen, isn't it?"
Kagome spoke first, making Inuyasha frown as he stood with a long, tired sigh.
"Yeah, I think so. Things are about to get really rough if my hunch is right."
"Hunch?"
"Keh, I ain't gonna tell you yet wench! I gotta think for awhile. But you need to..."
"I'm scared."
She cut him off, making his gut clench with those two simple words as he looked her dead in the eye. What he saw there nearly made him cry for the first time since his mother's death. He'd always remembered her being so strong, so fiery. Now, she looked hollowed out as though someone had taken away her fighter's spirit and locked it away from her. She looked weak for the first time, far too innocent looking for one such as they. She was definitely scared, every line in her body said as much.
"Why?"
"Because...I'm alone. I have to fight on my own, Inuyasha. It's not possible anymore."
"Not possible anymore? What the hell do you mean?"
"I was drained steadily over time of my power when I fought my assassins. My power level is maybe only half of what it used to be. I'm unprotected, alone, and damn near powerless. It terrifies me."
He looked at her then with wide eyes, never hearing such words come from her. She'd always been so strong and stubbourn, never admitting pain nor fear in their battles together. But as she stood before him, her body looking as though it was about to collapse beneath her, he felt his insides twist when he realized just how truly horrid the world had been to the love of his life after his death. She was thinner, paler, and far from what he'd call healthy. She truly was so much weaker than he remembered, he could actually feel it suddenly through their bond. Her powers were either almost completely drained somehow or slowly going dormant and it worried him.
For without her powers she wasn't safe. She wouldn't be safe from Him.
"Kagome...I don't know what's going one but I think the gradual loss of your powers is part of the master plan."
"It's Him...he's back...and this time, there's no fearless hanyou to stand in his way."
A low, rumbling growl came from deep in Inuyasha's throat then and Kagome could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
"Yeah, the bastard's back and his fucking henchmen are in your house."
"What?! How?! I set up protection spells and..."
"Kagome, you're weak. Your spells may not be working correctly. But you have to go. You can't stay here with them in your house."
She'd nodded then, knowing he was right even though she wanted to stay there with him with every fiber of her being. But he simply smiled at her then, sad and soft, as he began to fade away in the white light again as the darkness dragged her back to her bedroom.
That's where she was now, sitting upright on her bed and trying with all she was to interperret the auras of the multiple intruders. She could hear their footsteps and instantly knew that Shippo could too, for he would have surely felt the change in the electrical current of the air in the house. She heard the footsteps grow closer to Shippo's room and she mentally cursed her weak powers and she forced more energy out to allow her to desciper the auras. The battle from earilier in the day had left her nearly completely drained as most battles did these days. She could feel the thin layer of sweat coating her body as she finally locked onto four auras.
'Four...I can't take that many...and neither can Shippo...' Panic began to settle in her stomach and she thanked the Kami that she could at least still block her scent and aura from intruders. She could tell they were all youkai, not exactly powerful but not weaker either. Weak youkai weren't a problem at all for her, but anything above a Class 3 was pushing it.
'At least Inuyasha tought me about youkai before he died...' She mentally thanked him in that moment, for that's when she realized what she was really up against. 'Three of the four are only Class 3, but there's one Class 4 that has me worried.'
But before another thought could ring out in her mind, another sort of ringing went off.
"Shit! I told you to turn off that fucking phone Jeremy!"
"I did!"
'American's? That's new...' She could sense they were all distracted by the phone and with stealthy taught to her by Inuyasha, she removed herself from her blanket and crouched low before making her way towards the only box that she knew the contents off. Their cursing was growing louder, and she could instantly tell when Shippo woke up as she reached inside the small box. Finally, the ringing stopped just as her hand wrapped around a metal object inside the box and she stiffened when one spoke.
"The brat's awake. Darren, go for him. Jeremy, just stay the fuck in the hallway and stay out of trouble."
'Shippo!' Panic burned low in her gut and her hand gripped tighter around the object in the box. But before the youkai in her hallway could make another move, she felt another aura make itself known. 'It can't be...'
Suddenly there were shouts and thumps from out in the hall and Kagome jumped with a shriek when her bedroom door suddenly became splinters as one of the youkai came flying through only to land in a motionless heap on the floor. Another one of the men went flying down the hall towards her linen closet and distantly she heard a child's yelp of fright.
'Shippo!' Throwing all reservation for her own life and safety out the window, Kagome wrenched free a large dagger from the box and sprinted out into the hall. She didn't bother to look towards the sounds of the struggle as she ran, but instead focused on the door at the end of the hall that was slightly ajar. Again, she heard his yelp as the sounds of something large and wooden echoed in the stairwell behind her. As she reached the door, her foot slammed it completely open and she could instantly see the shaking form of her son on his bed, wrapped in all his blankets.
It was then that a sudden warmth surrounded her and she let out an almost relieved sigh as a strange comfort flooded her senses.
"It's Sesshoumaru. If that rat bastard really needs answers like I think he does, he won't let you die just yet."
It was Inuyasha's voice, soft and strong at the same time, and she could tell there was something he wanted to add to his statement. But when he didn't, she simply rushed over to Shippo's bed and threw the blankets off as he cried out in pure terror. Then, upon seeing his mother standing above him, the young kitsune let out a happy sob and jumped into her arms, clinging so tightly to her that his claws bit into her skin. She didn't pull away or wince and Shippo didn't seem to notice. It was then that she realized that the sounds of a struggle had ceased in the hall. Turning towards the doorway, she could see a lone figure in the darkness, and she instantly knew who it was.
"Sesshoumaru." His name fell from her lips so quietly that she barely said it at all. Relief, thankfulness, and something else neither of them could understand echoed in her tone and she collapsed to her knees with her child in her arms as Sesshoumaru walked into the dim light of the bedroom. He wore a simple black tank top that was slashed across his chest with a shallow cut across his alabaster skin, and his pants were plain black and baggy. His longer silver hair was barely contained in a low ponytail that must have come loose in the struggle. He was, simply put, a sight to behold.
"Is the boy alright?" His deep baritone voice slammed her back into reality and she nodded slowly as she made her mind form words through the fuzz of relief and complete shock.
"He's fine. Shaken, but fine. Sesshoumaru...why do you...how did you know I was in trouble?" His expression never changed, and his glowing golden eyes never wavered from her face. He looked like a statue of ivory then, unwavering under the biggest of storms. His answer came, simple and blunt, and Kagome couldn't help but watch the way his jaw moved as he swallowed before talking.
"I came because I came."
And that was clearly that.
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A/N:
Don't kill me! I'm sorry it's taken so long! I've been...preoccupied with family matters and school. Not to mention odd health problems no one can really explain. That, and writer's block hit me like a fat kid hits the buffet table. I really don't have much to say about this chapter other than I'm not too happy with it. But I will say this...for those of you who think things are moving too fast, it is intentional. All shall be revealed in due time. But yes, the way things are moving is actually intended this time. On another note, I'm hoping to get back into writing more since my grades came out and things at home seem to be settling down for a short while at least. My next hurdle is chapter five of Sometimes You Just Gotta Say "HUH?!", which seems to be giving me more trouble than ever before recently. But for now, I must go.
But I would REALLY like you if you gave me reviews!
-Blue