Chapter 7
Mistaken Assumptions and Questions Brought Forth
Kagome looked out at the mass of people on her shrine, and she couldn't stop the small smile from forming on her her face. She had never seen it so packed, and the cause behind it left her a little bitter.
A yard sale.
Currently, she was selling many of her things in the hopes of getting a few extra dollars. She had asked Souta to contribute as well, but he refused. Her arms came to hug herself, hands rubbing at her skin as a chilly autumn breeze traveled over her arms.
She wasn't happy.
How could she be. Tomorrow she was going to be forced to move into her new apartment, and leave behind her childhood home. Not to mention the apartment she was able to get wasn't the best.
It was only a one bedroom and one bathroom. Both with which she is giving to Souta. She would sleep on the couch for the duration of their stay, and she wasn't even sure how long that would last.
Naraku had given her twenty thousand dollars. She used it to buy a car, and pay for the first years rent of their apartment. After that, she bought Souta the clothes he needed and the groceries for their new home. Then there was hardly anything left.
She couldn't believe how fast it went, even when she made sure that she only bought sensible items. A very well used car, that may even leave them stranded. An apartment that was no where near the best, and wasn't made for brother and sister to live in.
A chilly breeze reminded her of another reason she was going to hate their new place. The only place that had heat was the bedroom. Meaning during the winter months she was going to have to cuddle up on the couch, and hope not to freeze.
It was okay, though. He brother would be warm.
Looking back over the people on her shrine, her eyes landed on the people she knew best.
Sango and Miroku were currently negotiating with someone about an item of hers. She smiled as the male said something and the one buying suddenly forked out money. Miroku had a way of getting anyone to buy anything.
Her eyes turned to Rin and Sesshomaru. They had been dating for a few weeks now, and was surprised to see him here today. It was clear to see that Rin had asked him to come, and he obliged just to spend more time with her.
But he was at least making sure no one low balled her. Anytime anyone tried, he gave them a glare of the lifetime. Even from afar it sent shivers down her spine, and she couldn't help but to chuckle sadly at it.
Even in such trying times, she still had the best of friends. She knew that at least three of them would come to her if she needed anything, and she was sure Sesshomaru would soon be added to that list as well.
There was just something about him that made him easy to speak to. Even when others felt they couldn't.
There was one person missing though, and her smile faded at that thought.
Touga had not spoken to Kagome since a week ago when she sold her shrine. Her being a miko has been a family secret. Not even Souta, who was pouting in his room, knew about it. It was dangerous.
She was the demon's enemy and should it get out that she was a miko, they would wish her dead.
Touga had been so upset and angry that day, she wasn't sure what to do. The strips on his cheeks had begun to go jagged and his eyes were turning red. She knew that his beast was close, but she wasn't sure why.
He had given her the support she needed through the entire deal. The feeling of his hand clutching to hers still kept her up at night. She wanted so badly to hold his hand again, and she wasn't even sure why.
Apart of her missed him incredibly, the other part was angry and hurt about his rejection.
She knew of the calming qualities of her aura, and just wanted to use that to help him. She hadn't thought he would shun her or try to harm her. For a moment he looked accepting, maybe even pleased by her revelation.
Then it all changed.
She saw fear, maybe even terror, before it switched to anger. He pulled away so suddenly that she almost lost balance, and then after that refused her touch before leaving and never speaking to her again.
It had hurt so much that she cried. That was confusing to her. She had no idea why she felt so attached to a male she barely even knew. Only a few minutes before his hasty retreat, she had just declared him a friend. Before that, they hadn't really been anything.
So why then was she so upset by the loss of him.
"Bouyo has gone missing?" Sesshomaru's deep voice said, pulling Kagome out of her depressing thoughts.
She looked up at him and gave a small smile before looking away. "Have you checked Souta?"
Looking down at the small female, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. Yes, he was a powerful demon in his right, his fathers blood flowing heavily through his veins. But he had something extra passed on from his mother, something his father kept secret.
Should anyone find out, he could be used for his abilities.
However, from what his eyes were telling him, she wouldn't be a problem. She wouldn't tell a soul if he were to reveal to her, not that he had any intention to. His Rin needed to know first, and they were not yet at that point in their relationship.
Any being of power, whether it be youkai or holy, can feel someone else's aura. Its easy to do, a simple feeling carrying a trace of the person it belongs to. However, Sesshomaru could see a persons aura.
It was a dangerous ability.
Seeing into someone's aura, is like seeing into the person. As his eyes traveled over the woman in front of him, he took in all the knowledge he could. The purest of pinks he had ever seen. He had only ever seen something close in midoriko, and other miko's, but never so bright.
That alone told Sesshomaru what the tiny female was. A miko. She had her own powers that could potentially harm her, and she kept it a secret, with drawn into her body for no one to see or feel. She must be strong to have that type of control.
He was impressed.
Along with her powers, he could also see the crippling pain she was in. The depression that hung heavily over her head. He admired her more. Because while she just wanted to crawl into her bed and sleep, she got out and did what was needed for her brother. She plastered a smile on her face, and never let anyone know what she was feeling.
While it wasn't a good trait, he understood. She wasn't the type of person to ask for anything, and attention was one of those things. She would keep things to herself until she no longer could.
All of that said, none were the reason he was suddenly standing here by her side. No. He was here because of the small patch of blue that swirled at the corner of her aura. He would recognize that signature anywhere, he had seen it everyday almost from the moment he was born.
His father.
He had noticed before as his father would return home that a pink aura was infusing itself in his own, but he hadn't thought much of it. Now though, he was forced to. This female carried a part of his father, and he wasn't sure why.
He had only ever seen it one other couple, and that was himself and Rin.
Not even mating joins the aura's like such and he had no idea why. He had tried researching it, but nothing came up. Now though, Kagome may be his answer.
"He does not wish to get rid of the cat?' He asked, turning away from Kagome to look back over the grounds. His eyes landed on Rin, softening as she laughed at something someone said.
"Of course not. Mom bought Bouyo for him when he was two. Its just another thing he has to get rid of because of me." Kagome stated, hugging her arms tighter to herself.
"The apartment will not let you keep it?" He replied, eyes turning to the shed that held many old artifacts that the shrine watched over.
"No. I begged, even said I would pay extra, but they refused. And they were all I could afford." Kagome answered, blinking her eyes and the salty mist that was forming on them.
Sesshomaru looked down to her again, saw what she was doing and frowned. This woman, whether they knew it our not, belonged to father. As his son, and beta of the pack, it was his duty to be sure she was taken care of.
"I will take him. InuYasha was been asking about him, and I will give the cat to him for a gift." Sesshomaru announced, smirking as wide and hopeful blue eyes turned to him.
"Really?!" She asked excitedly, before her shoulders slumped. "But what about your father. I don't think he wants anything to do with me?"
"What would make you think such a thing?" Sesshomaru asked, legitimately confused. He had not expected that from her at all. And his eyes narrowed, wondering what had happened between his father and the female. Seeing that Kagome shook her head in denial, he knew he wasn't going to get an answer to his question, so instead decided to answer hers. "Father will not mind the cat. His ultimate goal is to make sure the ones closest to him are happy and safe. InuYasha will be thrilled about the creature, and father will do nothing to ruin that."
He turned away from Kagome, looking back to the shed again. Soon, he would get to why he came over here in the first place.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru." Kagome whispered, and he looked at her without turning his head. She was smiling and this time it seemed to be true. It was strange how knowing that he helped his fathers female filled him with pride.
"Kagome, what artifacts does the shrine have?" He asked, deciding to change the subject.
"Well, a lot. Swords, pottery, old books, clothing, and so many more. Unfortunately, I have an appointment tomorrow with someone from the museum. They are going to see if they want anything, and I'm going to give it to them." Kagome replied, beginning to look sad again. She recalled how many times her grandfather pulled her to the shed and began to go over every item in that room.
Back then she had not listened. Now she wished she could do it just one more time.
"Why do you not keep it?" He asked, hiding the slight panic he was feeling. He needed answers.
"I don't have room for it in the apartment, and it needs to be put somewhere where the climate cant get to it." She explained, waving and smiling to someone as they walked past carrying a few of her items.
"I will purchase you a storage shed. When I do so, I will hire the best movers and get them to move the artifacts. You will have them at your possession." He explained, looking down at the female. She opened her mouth to reply and knowing that she was going to deny him, he held up his hand. This was a delicate situation, and he was a master tactician. He needed this to go the right way. "It will come at a cost of course." Seeing her eyes narrow in curiosity, he knew he had her attention. "There are a few answers I need, and no library or website has them. It is my hope, that something this shrine carries does."
"Basically, you want the time to look through everything?" Kagome whispered, thinking on his words.
"Yes, however, I want more. I will need your help. As the shrine maiden, I am sure at a young age you were taught how to read and write many of the old languages. I may have been born at that time, but years of being unused has made my abilities rusty." Sesshomaru explained. "It is my wish that the two of us meet once a week to begin the search for the answers I seek. In return, even if I do not find the answers, I will keep your artifacts in a climate controlled storage shed. There they will stay until you have found another place for them no matter how long it takes."
Kagome looked up at him, pondering his request. She somehow knew that he would help her, even if he hadn't made it seem like she was working for it. He simply added the extra work for her as a way to make her accept. Meaning these answers he needed were important.
She didn't like the idea of him spending that much money on her, but if she refused she was hurting him. So, she nodded, and seeing the tension fall from his shoulders made the uncomfortable knot in her stomach leave.
She would help him, even while he thought he was helping her.
"Thank you, again Sesshomaru." Kagome whispered, before looking towards the sky. The sun was beginning to lower, and she needed to move this yard sale along. "Can you tell the others to give everything else away for free. I need the shrine cleared out so I can begin packing the car. Its going to take a lot of trips for me to get everything moved to the new apartment, and I want to start as soon as possible."
"I am sure Sango and Miroku would help. As for Rin and myself, we will gladly put your belongings into my car." Sesshomaru replied, taking a step from her and beginning to walk to the others.
"I didn't ask for help, Sesshomaru." Kagome argued, not wanting to interrupt anyone's lives.
"No, you didn't. I told you what I would be doing, and I know Rin will not mind either." Sesshomaru replied, stopping but not turning to look back at her. The wind blew and his long hair danced behind him, making her think of Touga, and she shook her head.
"Sesshomaru-"
"That lecherous human will do so, because I will tell his wife to do so. What I say goes, woman, and you will do well to remember that." He interrupted, before walking slowly back to the rest.
Kagome's mouth was dropped, before it snapped shut in anger. "Arrogant jerk!" She didn't yell it but she knew he heard. The faltering in his steps told her that. Of course he continued on as if he hadn't, and Kagome grinned, knowing not many people had that gall to insult him.
That would teach him, was her only thought as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking very smug in that moment.
-sSs-
Kagome and Sesshomaru will have a sort of relationship in this story. Friends, perhaps brother and sister. Im not sure how to describe it. I know it won't be mother and son, because lets not forget he is a hell of a lot older than her. Lol. It would be like father and daughter. Eww. Sesshomaru will also play a major part in helping Touga and Kagome get together. Basically he will always be in the background, pulling strings. With the help of Rin and Sango of course. And there lies why I chose to pair Rin with Sesshomaru. Using Rin, I now have a way for Sango to get to Sesshomaru and Touga, and for Sesshomaru to get to Sango and Kagome. Rin, is my easy way of doing this. So for all of you who hate the pairing, so do I. But this is why I have done it. I can say this now, I will not go into depth. It will be mentioned like it is in this chapter, but that's it. Hopefully most of you who don't like the pairing can get past it. On another note, another chapter down, and I hope you all enjoy.
Shout outs:
Rashel12345: You should post your stories. I used to feel the same way before I began posting. Let me tell you, I seriously sucked. It was horrible, and embarrassing. I eventually deleted my earliest stories, not even wanting them to be read. While I don't think much of myself now, I believe I have gotten better since I started. Reading and posting helped with that. You never know until you try. I would love to get some books published, but I feel that it is a long way off. I have room to improve and I intend to. I hate it when Kagome is handed everything by her male. She can't be given everything on a silver platter, and I feel the anime version of Kagome never would have accepted it anyway. I try to keep my characters as close to the original as possible. As long as you review, I will always reply. It's the least I could do.
Mikitsukami: I don't suffer when I write. I understand where you are coming from, and I agree. However, while I which to become an author, I also know that I am not quite ready for that yet. I have room to improve. When it is time for me to do so, I will be happy with what I get. I need to get famous, or really even want it. I simply want my work put out there, and if a few like it, then so be it. That will be enough for me. I am glad that this is your favorite story. It's been awhile since I have done a Touga and Kagome pairing, and I am glad I am still able to. Lol. Yes, Kagome will eventually begin to live with Touga. I already have it planned out. It will take awhile though. I don't think their relationship is quite strong enough for that, especially since Touga is avoiding her at the moment. Thank you for your idea's though. I always enjoy getting them, and sometimes I will use them. So if you have any more ideas feel free to share them.
Decadenceofmysoul: Eventually I will delve more into the relationship between Souta and Touga. I hope this chapter was good enough for you.
Wren210: your not alone in the sense that you speak. Yes, I imagine you miss your husband greatly, and I will always be sorry that you have gone through that, however, you still have people around you. They may all be various degrees of bonding between you and the people you speak to, but you are not alone. I know what it feels like to be surrounded by people, yet feeling lonely, and I have to remind myself that I have people around me who care. Easier said than done right. Lol. Nope, it didn't last her long at all, and soon she will be back to being broke. She is worse off, and things will just continue to get worse from here. I still have to fix the miko issue, but we already discussed that. Lol. Yes, she is taking his rejection hard, and it will just continue to get worse. However, Touga is feeling the actions of what he did as well. I believe it is the next chapter that we here from him. Sesshomaru will yell at him, and we will all see how he is being affected by what he did. You better be happy that I posted early. Lol.
Jaz(Guest): Touga asked her what she would do, telling her that there wasn't anything for him to do. He couldn't help her, no matter how much he wanted to. The two going off and talking about it wouldn't have changed anything, and they both knew that.
I do not own InuYasha.
