Disclaimer: I obviously DO NOT own Inuyasha or any of its characters…And sorry again if it's in bold, I don't know why it's doing this!
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Chapter 4: Of smirks and injuries
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Kagome awoke to the sweet sound of laughter, something she most definitely was not used to. Slowly she stretched, yawning loudly. She'd slept like a rock once she fell back asleep.
"Kagome-chan! Come and break your fast!" called little Rin from near the small fire.
She sat up obediently, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and fumbled to her feet. Since she didn't use an alarm clock that night like usual she had no idea what time it was, and she dreaded to think of how Inuyasha was taking her disappearance. She'd have to eat quick and hurry back. Hopefully they didn't already leave their camp in search of her.
"Come on, Kagome-chan! The food will get cold if someone doesn't eat it," she scolded cutely as she stuffed some into her mouth.
"I'm coming munchkin," she mumbled as she sat down by Rin and reached for a bowl to serve herself.
"What is a "munchkin"?" came a voice from beside her.
She nearly jumped a foot, she was so surprised. Yet again she hadn't even noticed him! Did he enjoy giving her mini heart-attacks?!
"Sesshomaru-sama! You frightened me," she explained as she settled a little, eyeing him warily.
His reply was a distinct smirk. "Indeed."
It seemed she was to be surprised twice in one morning; she'd never seen anything even resembling a smile and yet here he was smirking at her. How odd. However, once he noticed her staring he immediately stopped, only to replace it with his icy mask of indifference.
"A munchkin, miko…?" he prompted.
"Oh! Yeah," she scrambled in her mind for an explanation. "Um, where I come from it's a term of endearment; meaning something like 'little one'."
"Hn," was his ever astute answer. He watched as Rin jumped to her feet, having finished eating, and went to ready the camp for leaving as she always did.
"Does my half-brother refer to you as this "munchkin"?" he pronounced the word slowly.
She was silent for a moment. A sense of mockery filled her.
"No," she quietly muttered. "He seems to prefer wench or bitch."
She got no reply and she didn't expect one. They both sat in silence until she stood, about to pick up her things as well. His voice stopped her.
"The hanyou has no sense of respect, for either his elders or his betters."
Now it was Kagome who could not help the smirk that graced her face.
"Indeed."
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"Where the hell were you wench?! We've been searching the woods for you!" came, unsurprisingly, the voice of Inuyasha as she entered the clearing she had sensed them in.
Before she could reply, Shippo, who had now attached himself to her shoulder, interjected.
"Shut up Inuyasha! You only just got back a half hour ago!"
Kagome watched as Inuyasha's ears went flat against his skull. Heh. So the idiot had been with Kikyo all night. Well, two could play at that game. Perhaps she'd stay with Rin and Sesshomaru more often. He wouldn't be able to say a thing.
Inuyasha went to mope in a tree and everyone went about camp doing their little jobs to set off again, Kagome with them.
She heard a little sniffling coming from Shippo, near her ear.
"Shipp, are you coming down with something?" Concern laced her voice.
"Naw, just checking," he mumbled as he concentrated.
"What are you checking?" Her curiosity was peaked.
"Where you were," came his reply as he got closer, practically rubbing his nose on her cheek.
"And where do you think I was?"
"Hmm….I smell a fire, and meat, and mostly a cool floral scent…but…" he stopped, lifting his eyes to her. "Is that…?" He paused, his eyes darting to Inuyasha and back. Her eyes smiled a little. Her son was so smart!
"Don't tell Yasha?" she quietly pleaded. "I'll bring you candy from home next time I go," she bargained.
"Two lollipops and a bag of those licorice," he grinned.
"You drive a hard bargain my son, but agreed."
"Yes!" he quietly cheered, jumping down to go tell Kirara about his good fortune. She liked licorice too!
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Kagome got up carefully from her sleeping bag, watching as Inuyasha lulled near the edge of the branch in his sleep. She shifted Shippo onto her pillow, leaving him that and her extra blanket to curl up in as she slowly and cautiously folded it up and stuffed it into her pack. As soon as she was ready she headed off, stretching her senses out and knowing almost immediately where to go. They were by the stream that she and Shippo had gone to earlier that day for water.
She was hyper aware of her surroundings, not wanting to run into any unexpected surprises, and she realized that Sesshomaru was indeed still there. Hmmm.
She came into the clearing as quietly as possible, knowing that the demon's around her would appreciate less noise, especially at night.
Upon entering she realized two things; that Rin was already asleep and also that Sesshomaru most definitely was not.
He was sitting near the fire, Rin curled up at his side and once again using his moko-moko for a pillow. Seeing how plush it looked, Kagome was actually a little jealous. It looked so soft!
Once again, she realized she was staring and tried to focus on what was in front of her. Sesshomaru had a determined look on his face. Apparently an interrogation was in order.
"What is it, Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked, sitting on the other side of Rin and speaking quietly. "You seem to want to speak."
"Hn."
She eyed him for a few minutes, before she began to set out her bedroll for the night.
"Why do you return?"
She continued in her ministrations, thinking.
"Well, I suppose I was worried about Rin-chan."
"But I am here; the child is well tended. Why do you still return?"
She sat on her bedding, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Hmmm. Well, I suppose I like the company. Rin is a wonderful child."
"Is that your sole purpose here? For the company?" She looked up at him for a moment, only now realizing that there was suspicion in his gaze. That would explain it.
"Of course," she assured. "I can think of no other reason. There is nothing for me to gain here."
"Precisely."
She sighed. Frustrating man.
"Look, Sesshomaru-sama, not all humans do things because they want something or have something to gain from it. Sometimes we are in relationships and spend time with others simply because we want to. Or at the very least that is my reasoning. But if you can't bring yourself to trust me than I will leave." She watched for any sign that he desired for her to go, and when she got nothing but a look of resigned acceptance she relaxed, laying down into her bedding.
"Good night Sesshomaru-sama," she mumbled, already drifting off into dreamland. Before she did though, she realized her own hypocrisy. She actually did want something in being there: only here did she ever get a good night's sleep.
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"Kagome, watch out!" came the cry of the hanyou. But it was too late. A large clawed hand came down from nowhere, and try as she might to duck she did not go far enough. She felt rather than saw the claws ripping into the fabric and flesh of her back. An agonized scream was wrenched from her throat and she continued falling forward onto her stomach. How her back burned!
"Hiraikotsu!" came Sango's cry as she took the ogre down, before running to help her friend. "Kagome!"
She couldn't help but moan in pain, and she could practically feel the blood pouring up and out of her body. She tried to feebly reach her hand back to gauge the damage, but it was of no use. In fact, the action made it worse, stretching the skin on her back and seeming to split the gashes wider for a moment. Again she cried out in pain. Hot tears were leaking from her eyes as she squeezed them shut, grinding her teeth.
She listened to the sounds around her, vaguely hearing Inuyasha finish off what sounded to be the last of them before running to her as well.
"Inuyasha we have to take her to Kaede-sama!" cried the Houshi. "She needs to be treated immediately!"
"I know, I know!" came Inuyasha's voice as he came near.
It wasn't until they tried to lift her to put her on Kirara that she blacked out from the pain.
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For the next few days she heard many voices around her, swimming in and out of focus, but it wasn't until nearly a week later that she became completely aware of her surroundings.
And oddly enough, her first thoughts were of Rin and Sesshomaru.
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Sesshomaru was irritated. And about a human no less.
He trudged through the undergrowth, his senses high and hyper aware.
That damnable miko. It was her fault he was in this position. If she hadn't decided to stop coming, Rin would not have gotten upset. And if Rin hadn't gotten upset she wouldn't have requested with her eyes wide that he look for the miko and find out what happened to her.
"Because Kagome-chan would never forget! She always comes!"
Indeed, he was highly irritated. He was tracking his way back to their previous encampments, following week old scent trails. He felt he was getting close. They seemed to have stopped traveling in his same direction for perhaps four to five days and were in fact retracing their steps back. And quickly. At one sight he found evidence of a small scuffle with some ogres.
He discreetly sniffed the air, placing all of their scents, but in particular the miko's. Following it to where it was strongest, he was met with the sickeningly sweet and metallic stench of her blood. And quite a lot of it. It stained the ground in a what had to have been a large pool of it. Hn. So the miko was injured. That was apparently the reason behind her disappearance from their nightly visits. Rin would be upset.
He sighed quietly as he headed back to Rin at a much faster pace.
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~~Well, there it is! ^_^ I know it's been a while, I've been super busy with the end of the semester and the holidays! But hopefully you all enjoy! R x R!
