I simply cannot believe the amount of follows and favorites this fantasy of mine has gotten so far. Thank you all very much. I love the comments, please keep them coming.
I had a lot of fun with this chapter. It took me a little longer than I expected but I finally got it flowing in the way I wanted it to. I hope you enjoy it :)
ooOoOoo
The would be English teacher wore the same flustered face she had in the era of demons—all the way to her house. She slid the front door open with such force it rattled on its track. Snapping back to reality, she frantically placed her hands on the glass until it stopped vibrating. After spending a few moments checking for cracks, a relieved Kagome whirled around and almost shouted. There in the small hallway that lead to the living room stood her mother with an eyebrow raised at her daughter.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes," she croaked before clearing her throat.
"Uh huh," the older women said, looking the nerve-racked teen up and down. Mrs. Higurashi knew something was going on. The fact that she didn't know what was of no consequence. Between Kagome's hesitance to visit the time of Inuyasha, lying about her period, her partially melted bag AND returning home with a crimson face she knew it was only a matter of time before the truth would reveal itself. A smile flashed across her face.
"Come. I made some hot chocolate. It'll warm you up," her mother said and turned around.
As if she needed added warmth in her condition.
To avoid suspicion, she peeled off her jacket and shoes, following her to the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table she took in the environment. A small banquet of baked goods, candies and assorted nuts laid wherever there was space. Way more than what four people could eat on Christmas day.
"Don't you think you overdid it just a bit this year, mom?"
"Actually, I hope I have enough. Some other family members will be attending Christmas dinner this year," she informed. Kagome nodded with acknowledgment as she watched her mother scoop marshmallows in two mugs of hot cocoa.
"Speaking of Christmas," she started to say, handing her daughter the warm drink, "Did you give that friend of yours the gift?"
"I did," Kagome said while staring into her cup.
"And?"
She sighed and set the mug down.
"Well, he asked me if Christmas was a Chinese thing," she said with a self-satisfied I-told-you-so look.
"Oh. Uh, I see. Did you at least try to explain the meaning of it to him?" Her mom asked, ignoring her smugness. The head of the household had an unwavering grip on positivity.
"Tch, yeah. But he was way more interested in me teaching him how to speak English. So annoying."
"Oh, honey that sounds great. After all, it is one of your strongest subjects."
Kagome shot daggers at her.
"Please. I do alright in school but—"
"—You do better than alright, Kagome," her mother jumped in before taking a sip of the hot chocolate.
"Okay, okay, so I do pretty well. That still doesn't mean I have what it takes to go around teaching de—people, teaching people how to read and write English," she finished, hand massaging her temple.
"That may be so, but if you ask me, I think this friend of yours just wants to understand you."
"Pffft. The only thing he wants to understand is how to further tick me off," Kagome said dismissively. Her mother chuckled as she pulled herself away from the table. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all, honey. Now come, help me wrap the last of the presents."
A silent Sesshomaru stalked through the forest, making his way to the clearing on the other side. There was a secluded hot spring a generous distance away from the neighboring village, and at this hour he was confident he would be the only one there. A chilled breeze stirred his flowing tresses as he left the wooded area behind him.
The hot spring sat between several large boulders, concealing any occupants from the path needed to happen upon it. The balmy water looked welcoming; it had been days since he last bathed. Not to say he smelled unpleasant (at least to human noses), but every creature has a threshold they are unwilling to cross in regard to personal hygiene. First to go was his luxurious pelt. Youki flowed through his body, triggering the winding white fur to slither across his shoulders and onto a bush, going limp when no longer in contact with his person.
Sesshomaru was not as particular with his spiked armor. In a most unbecoming manner he reached up and untied the silken red ropes. Both his shoulder and chest plate armor landed with a clank. Marked pale hands loosened the sash around his waist. That's when he felt it move—the Christmas present. He pulled the sash and laid it next to his mokomoko. The Daiyoukai hadn't thought about it much. Christmas didn't sound all that special because a demon such as himself was no stranger to gifts.
Although...
He swiftly removed it from his clothing, turning it this and that way. Is this food? He wondered as he warily shook the package next to his face. A thumb claw slashed a neat strip of wrapping away, revealing vibrant shades of green and red underneath. Thoroughly interested, the Inuyoukai placed the box between his fangs and removed the rest of his clothing, leaving them in a pile next his other items. In all his naked glory, he walked over towards the spring, set Kagome's gift on the edge and steadily submerged himself. Breaking the surface, he smoothed hair out of his face, picked up the gift and tore the rest of the wrapping off.
"Cho-co-la-tes," he whispered to himself. Hnn? It smelled edible but what was it? Sesshomaru opened the package and grabbed a piece, more or less annoyed that there was yet another wrapping, a thin layer of red foil. Finally holding the brown treat between two claws-tips, he cautiously brought the candy to his mouth, giving it a last sniff before licking it. His eyebrows jerked up in surprise. It was actually delicious.
"That big one in the back is yours too, Sota," Kagome said with false enthusiasm.
It was Christmas morning and the Higurashi family were almost finished opening presents. Sota reached for the last box. Their mother really outdid herself this year. Grampa got a bunch of new clothes and medicinal soaps, Sota was tearing into an expensive new gaming tower, (one of the many things the 12-year-old got that morning) Kagome received a new phone and most importantly, money. I am going to buy so much food and makeup and—
Then her mother pulled the ol' hide a secret gift behind the couch gag. It wasn't wrapped, just in a large paper gift bag. Totally surprised, Kagome took the bag and pulled out what was inside. It was a new royal blue colored backpack. She pursed her lips.
"I figured you could use a new bag after I saw the state of your old one," her mom said with sliver of enjoyment.
"Oh, right, right. Thanks, mom," Kagome replied with a fake smile, at least until Sota cracked it.
"What happened to that thing anyway? Did something try to melt you, Ka— "
"Dang, Sota. Don't worry about my personal business, go play with your new PC or something."
"Not today you two. Sota mind your business, and Kagome," an icy glare pinned her to sofa, "mind that attitude. It's Christmas."
Naturally, the siblings cut the crap.
"What's that? People are fighting? Huuue. Now it really feels like Christmas," the old man cackled.
Later that afternoon other members of the Higurashi family arrived for dinner. Now a party of seven, they all enjoyed the meal Mrs. Higurashi prepared mostly from scratch. Kagome ate until it hurt. By time she was finished, she not only sampled every sweet available, she had unbuttoned her jeans to breathe. Nope. Don't care. You only get so many excuses to stuff your face in a year, she thought.
The rest of the evening was boring to say the least. Although Kagome had been as polite as she could be to cousins nearly twice her age, she was much more interested in setting up her new phone. So, while grandpa, her mother and the extended family members talked about mundane crap, she engrossed herself in the process of restoring everything from a backup. Once completed she then messaged Yuka, Eri and Ayumi, checking to see how their vacations were going. Yuka was stuck in a comparable situation and Eri somehow managed to get to Kyoto for a wild party. Ayumi didn't reply. Before Eri understandably ghosted from the group chat, she informed Kagome and Yuka that she was spending Christmas with her new boyfriend.
Yuka: I know what Ayumi's getting for xmas
Yuka: xmas sausage Read at 6:45 p.m.
Kagome stifled a laugh. All heads suddenly turned to her.
"Kagome!" Her mother scalded, "There's nothing funny about your grandfather's rash problem."
Why are you guys even taking about rashes? What the hell?
Momentarily waving her hands in the air, she assured everyone she was laughing at a message. They resumed the conversation about Gramp's rash.
Kagome: Haha. I laughed in real life and my family thinks I was laughing at my grandpa's rash. No, but seriously, kill me. Sent at 6:46 p.m.
Yuka: no fair, I was going to ask you to kill me first. My dad just fucked his back up trying to show my cousin a wrestling hold. Read at 6:47 p.m.
Their banter went back and forth for a little while. Eventually, the messages stopped and Kagome decided she had gave her sleep-inducing family enough of her time. Bowing low, she excused herself and made a break for her bedroom.
Once in the sanctuary of her own space, she locked the door and pulled her shirt over her head. Time to get comfortable, she thought to herself as she changed into a pajama short and t-shirt set. She used her favorite wide paddle-brush (the one with the thick handle) to rid of her hair of tangles before securing it into a bun. Truly relaxed, she jumped on her bed and opened her laptop. She immersed herself in a series she had been meaning to catch up on, binge watching for hours on end. Before she realized it was close to 10 p.m. Although, one could say she was merely distracting herself.
Tomorrow was the day she had to return to the feudal era to tutor Sesshomaru. The more she thought about it the weirder it seemed. It doesn't make any freaking sense! Why would he want to learn…literally no one else would be able to speak English in his time besides myself…damn! She contemplated how she would go about the daunting task. Without question she would need a notebook and some pens, no, pencils, but that wouldn't be enough. With no workbooks, activity sheets or even a lesson plan she would be forced to wing it. Okay, so maybe printing out English homework for Sesshomaru would be overdoing it, still, Kagome needed a guide of some sort. Sliding off the bed, she went over to her desk and began picking through her books.
None of what she had would do. All of her English books were too advanced, and not suitable for introducing a novice to the language. Suddenly, she had an idea.
Sota.
She walked out her room and down the hallway, stopping at her brother's door. Kagome could hear him talking to his friends via his headset while playing a game. She knocked.
"Hold on a sec, yeah?"
"I need to ask you something. It won't take long."
"Come in. Give me a minute, guys. I gotta do something real quick," he said to his complaining friends. "Okay so what is it?"
"This is kind of random, but do you still have any of your English workbooks from like the 5th grade?"
It's a good thing her mom replaced her backpack. While it was smaller, it was also ergonomic and fit on her back more comfortably. She had been packing needed supplies that morning and planned to leave just before noon. Of her haul, she had a few books to keep her occupied while Sesshomaru traced letters, blank sheets of paper and pencils, Sota's old school books, a snack with something to drink and a few other items. Because she only intended to stay while there was still sunlight, she wore a long sleeve shirt with skinny jeans and a pair of warm boots. Stuffing a pair of thin gloves into the pocket of her jacket, she told her mom she was leaving and walked out the door. Crossing the yard, she entered the shrine and mechanically climbed over.
Now on the other side, she scaled the walls until she managed to throw an arm over the ledge, pulling herself from the well. About 15 feet from the portal stood Sesshomaru and of course he issued no greeting while he stared at her. "Sesshomaru," she said forcing down the lump in her throat. She had a feeling he was waiting for her to speak first.
"Miko," said the demon with the deadpan voice. Oh well, at least he wasn't hovering before her face this time. For a brief period, nothing else was said as they locked eyes. The heavy silence started to stir feelings of anxiety in Kagome. She just wanted to get on with it.
"The sun sets in another 5 or 6 hours so let's take advantage of the daylight," she said as she began walking over towards him, tossing her new backpack on the ground.
"I don't require the light of the sun to see," he said looking elsewhere.
"Good for you. I on the other hand can't see at night. And if I can't see I can't teach you English, understand?"
Without delay his eyes pierced her. "Do not patronize me, woman," he said neatly lowering himself to the ground. Kagome took a deep breath and collapsed into a crossed-legged sitting position. He watched intently as she pulled paper and a skinny orange stick from her sack, taking note of the girl's apprehensive posture. Her dainty hands trembled with nervousness as she reached out to hand him the stick.
"What is that?"
"It's called a pencil. You write with it," she explained, "Here, let me show you." Kagome grabbed a blank sheet of paper and wrote his first name in Japanese. "See, much easier than dipping a feather in ink over and over again." Sesshomaru said nothing, although he did agree with her, the pencil did seem more convenient to use for writing. "And this pink part at the top," she continued to explain as she handed it to him, "Is for erasing mistakes." Holy crap I need to get a grip. I'm blabbering on about a freaking pencil!
He stared at his name written in the foreign language.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You may."
"Do you have a last name?"
"That is none of your business. Let us begin."
Asshole. "O-kay. Anyway, let's start with the English alphabet," Kagome said as she took a piece of paper from a folder and handed it to him. "This guide has both alphabets. Look here, it translates the English characters and tells you how to pronounce the letters." Sesshomaru said nothing as he scanned every inch of the paper. He stayed like that for a few minutes, his brow wrinkling periodically.
Kagome's determination to stay on task slowly began to slip away from her. While the youkai engrossed himself in the paper, her brown eyes idly traced the outline of his jaw, momentarily steering off course to ogle the magenta stipes on his cheek bones. He's got stripes like that on his wrists too. I wonder if he has any other markings on his-
"Miko, explain these two letters to me," he instructed, dragging her back down from the atmosphere. "I am unable to recite the sound in my head," he said pointing at letters L and R.
"Ah, those two characters make sounds not found in our language. They are tricky, but this one here," she pointed at the letter R, "Is pronounced 'ar.'" His head angled to a slant as he studied her mouth. "Repeat after me, ar…ar."
He cleared his throat before his attempt, "Ah-her," was the sound he emitted.
We sound like a pair of flaming pirates, she thought. "Not bad but pay close attention to my mouth," she said as she tilted her chin upwards, avoiding eye contact. "You should raise the tip of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth but don't touch it," she explained turning her head slightly left and right. "Then you curl the edge of your tongue and subtly touch the back of your teeth before you make the sound. Got it?"
"Hmph," was the only thing he said as Kagome glanced at him.
"Try again," she coached.
The tips of his canines glinted as he spoke, "Ar."
"Impressive. It took me a lot longer than a few minutes to learn how to pronounce the letter R," she admitted out loud. As expected, he uttered nothing. Instead he narrowed his bright orbs at the human girl.
"And the other?"
"Ah. As for the letter L, you say it like 'el.''' Once again she showed him how to pronounce it. "Take the tip of your tongue and touch…" Kagome trailed off as he stared at her mouth with great intensity. "…Uh, you touch it, I mean…you take your tongue and touch— "She tore her eyes from him. Kami, I can't find the words when he's looking at me like that.
"Miko, what should I do with my tongue?" He asked oblivious to the suggestion in his choice of words. She damn near fell over.
The words flew from her mouth. "You-touch-the-roof-of-your-mouth-and-let-out-the-sound-as-you-say-it." Rattled, she reached into her bag and yanked out a can of soda.
She's acting strange again. "Show me," he said flatly. Kagome came close to choking.
"R-right," she stammered, hesitantly tilting her chin up at Sesshomaru. "You raise the tip of your tongue to uh, the back of your teeth like this," Oh, my Kami, "And then you release air as you voice it." It's that feeling again. "So it's like this, 'el.'"
"Hn, el," he correctly imitated, returning his attention the paper. Thank goodness, too. Kagome turned her head to fix her face. She told herself that all she needed to do was get a grip on her nerves. Easier said than done. For whatever reason, when she spent enough time interacting with the youkai she couldn't help her antsiness. Which was odd because she was sure he wouldn't hurt her, well, at least kill her anymore. And that feeling. It was difficult to put into words but she thought it felt like the lower half of her body pulsated with an unfamiliar throbbing. She took another drink as she looked off towards Kaede's village.
"I want to know where this language originated," he said breaking the silence.
"It came from the United Kingdom. Sometimes called England or Great Britain," she answered knowingly.
"Who rules the…United Kingdom?"
Kagome couldn't help but laugh at his ignorance. "Uh, the British rules there," she said through a giggle.
"I fail to see what's so funny."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's common knowledge in my time and it's just so silly to hear someone ask that."
"Are they descendants of the Japanese or Chinese?"
"Neither," she answered quickly while starting to stare suspiciously, "Sesshomaru, you have to be centuries old at least. Don't you know that there are many cultures of people?"
"I only know of three, assuming what you say about the United Kingdom is true."
"It is true. Wow. I just don't know where to begin," the stunned miko said while supporting her head with her hand. "There's just so many of us in my time."
"How many?"
"Over seven billion now."
Seven billion humans? "How can the land sustain such a population?" He wondered out loud.
"Because the world is a lot bigger than anyone five hundred years in the past could ever imagine," she began as she looked at Sesshomaru, "And thanks to our cleverness we control practically every corner of the earth." His brow furrowed at her last statement.
"You have much to say about the humans of your time and little of youkai. Why is that?"
She shrugged, "That's because demons don't really exist in my time. And you know I've thought about that…"
He checked out of the conversation. Lost in his own thoughts, he considered what Kagome told him. It had to have been true because she said it with conviction. Did seven billion humans come to rule the earth because youkai disappeared? Sesshomaru could easily live another five hundred years and not age much. Did he exist her era? If he were honest with himself he'd allow that unsettling feeling to sink in deeper.
"…because my grampa always goes on and on about demons and— "
"Miko," he interrupted, "Quit your rambling. I want to continue."
For a moment her mouth hung open. She closed it and looked at the ground. Geez, no need to be so rude.
Kagome did underestimate Sesshomaru. To her surprise, in a mere few hours he already had the English alphabet memorized and could recite each letter fairly well. She didn't say anything to him as he skimmed through Sota's workbook. Needing something to do, she busied herself with a book of her own. That continued for another several hours until the sun began to set. It was starting to get really cold.
Time to go.
Okay. Time to slip out of here.
She bookmarked her page and got up to stretch, rubbing her hands together after slipping on her gloves. "It's getting cold. Not that it matters to you much. I bet the cold doesn't bother you at all, huh?"
"If you already know the answer to a question why ask it?"
So much for friendly banter.
"You know, you're really hard to talk to," Kagome said with a huff. Yeah, and he didn't say anything either.
And with nothing said she started to stuff things back into her bag. Sesshomaru watched her pack everything away with little attention—at first. Because when she slung it over her shoulders and made her way towards the well he suddenly grew very interested.
"What are you doing?" He demanded.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going home," she said without looking back.
His baritone voice stopped her in her tracks. "You are mistaken, girl," he said rising to his feet. Kagome readied a strong choice of words, but before she could whirl around to face him she felt it. A youki aura so powerful it dispirited her very being with an inescapable feeling of dread. That was the true difference between Inuyasha and his brother. Sesshomaru had been suppressing that power all this time. It was hard to fathom that he did it so effortlessly. When the concept sunk in she momentarily held her breath.
And just like that the heaviness in the air was gone. She turned around to see Sesshomaru walking to her, the red in his eyes fading away.
"Such a forgetful girl," he said void of emotion.
"What did I forget?" She asked as calmly as possible. Truth be told she was still a little freaked about the whole oppressive youki thing. He glanced at her out the corner of his eyes as he brushed past her, positioning himself between the well and her. Fuck. He's not going to let me go home. It's starting to get dark.
"I clearly said I expect a similar investment of your time."
"I am investing my time in you. I showed up when I said I would didn't I? Isn't that good enough?"
"That is not acceptable," he said with disdain "You will accompany me until the night of the new moon."
"Hold on, I don't wan— "
"Just like you have done with the hanyou."
"But Sesshomaru…it's so cold out here," she whined. "And I don't have any camping supplies with me."
"I don't care about your excuses," he said firmly.
"But I'm not…" She started to say but instead let the words abandon her. In disbelief, she stood there poking her bottom lip with her index knuckle for moment. Then she had an idea. "Okay, look, just let me go home for a moment and grab some stuff for the next few days. It won't take long, I promise."
That's when he glared at her.
"If you choose to dishonor a promise I will be forced to do the same."
Kagome stomped her foot and pointed at the demon blocking her way. "I'm not choosing to dishonor anything."
"You are planning to, " he started with a barely noticeable smirk, "You will not return tonight. That is why I am tempted to go back on my word about not touching you."
Her eyes widened.
"You can't do that. We had an agreement," she all but growled through a clenched jaw as Sesshomaru stepped to her face. Kagome then felt the deepness of his voice.
"You humans aren't as clever as you think you are, " he said looking down at her, his expression serious all of a sudden. "Get away from the well," the Daiyoukai ordered.
"Fine!" she yelled in his face before stomping away from him. He watched her with secret amusement as she cursed under her breath, walking towards Inuyasha's forest. Kagome stopped before she reached the pitch-blackness. "I'm not going to make it through the night without a fire. We should get away from here so no one can see the campfire or Kami forbid you and I."