Ch. 6: Lunchtime Reading, Silent Longing

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own or make money from any of the InuYasha characters. All rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

A.N.: Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Flashbacks/Journal Entries
'Thoughts'

"Speech"

"Beast"

Ch. 6: Lunchtime Reading, Silent Longing

The next morning, Kagome soon established that her focus was completely missing for anything work related. Even the demon Lord's journal could not hold her attention for longer than half a page. A pounding headache grew the longer she tried to force herself to focus when her mind was so against it. Finally, after struggling halfway through the morning, she gave up. Pushing herself away from her desk, the ex-time traveler headed to the break room. Walking down the hallways in the back of the museum Kagome grumbled to herself 'Maybe some coffee would help.' She stopped as a loud growl reverberated down the halls. Eyes wide and cheeks flaming red, Kagome covered her stomach in embarrassment, 'or some food.'

Snagging the last cup of coffee Kagome's next stop was the staff fridge. After heating some water and microwaving her rice she sat down at one of the few empty tables that were littered across the room. 'Real food!' the miko internally sighed over her instant miso soup and rice. While eating, she read some of her notes on the shikon legends that she brought with her, hoping that maybe something familiar would help her refocus her mind.

Sifting through the information she had gathered over the years the miko soon found herself making a series of unsatisfied faces. Every paragraph she read left her less focused on work and more on her past. The bits and pieces of half garbled myths and legends about the mysterious shikon jewel and its guardians left her with more questions than answers. And as to the whereabouts of her friends lost to time itself, there was nothing! It looked like after the disappearance of the Jewel her companions all but vanished. There were no traces of demon slayers or wind controlling monks. Nothing on demon fighting hanyous or kitsune kits who had befriended humans. And absolutely nothing at all on the powerful inu demon Lord who protects a small human girl or defended a human village against an evil, overpowered, Jewel crazed spider!

It was almost like her past never happened at all. In fact according to her history books, it didn't! Even the records at the Higurashi shrine never mention her companions. It frustrated her to no end!

If that journal had never crossed her desk Kagome feared she may have even started to believe it was all made up. That it was all just some 15 year old girl's fantasies of adventure and romance. The scars left on her body were the only things that remained as proof of everything that had happened down the Bone Eater's Well had actually happened at all. And yet, even those were beginning to fade.

There was no turning back now, after reviewing her notes Kagome was left less than satisfied. If anything she was hungrier for answers than ever before, her near obsession for answers rekindled a new! Mental gears spinning at full tilt, generating questions on what exactly happened after she left. Setting the file down the Miko came to one solid conclusion.

She needed to know why her friends were all erased from history. What was she missing?

Silence permeated the temporary campsite of Sesshomaru's pack. The small fire had long since burned down to bright coals. Ah-Un was curled protectively around the small pups; the little human pup and the Miko's even smaller kitsune. While Jaken, being disliked by the kitsune for how he treated Rin, slept leaning against a tree stump close by. With all of his pack safely held in dreamland, the camp was shrouded in both silence and peace. Sesshomaru's mind, however, was not on his sleeping charges but far away. His thoughts ranged from his role as Lord of the West, to the Shikon Miko who disappeared from sight before his very eyes.

The council has been making a fuss recently about him needing a mate, as well as an heir. The idiots in his court would never leave him to have a pleasant life, Western Lord or otherwise. Giving a mental growl at the audacity of his so called 'advisers' recommendations. 'Simpletons. Useless all of them.' He mentally snorted. It was their opinion that even though he was less than 500 years old, the traditional age a Lord would take a mate for heirs sake, that he should seek out a female that was most likely give him strong, pure blood pups. Since he got his arm back and therefore was more "appealing", he scoffed internally, females should be near fighting each other for the chance to bed him. He felt the urge to roll his eyes. 'Vain, gold digging, empty headed bitches.' Sesshomaru had no use for them. Little more than target practice if they pestered him too much.

Releasing a near silent sigh as he shifted against his tree Sesshomaru slowly turned his eye skyward to the bright stars that littered the deep velvety blue above. The young daiyoukai found his thoughts straying from his duty as lord to the more whimsical and pleasant things. Such as his longing for freedom from his shackles or lordship placed upon him by his unwitting father. Speaking of father, Sesshomaru felt a quiet growl escape his lips with a flash of deadly fangs, he found himself following his father's path. Sesshomaru was in quite the dilemma. The council wanted him to mate with a demoness as soon as possible, but he desired the company of the shikon miko that has left his world. He found the Miko to be entirely too intriguing to let her out of his thoughts. She was an annoyance and human above all and yet at the same time she was a welcome distraction from the pressures of his duties as Lord. The little miko was tender and soft, honest and fair. She was so completely different from every other female in his life. So completely foreign from everything he'd known while growing up.

As Sesshomaru sat deep in thought, secretly yearning for the miko from the future. He found himself hoping that she was looking at the same moon as he was and maybe she was thinking of him as well. That thought gave him pause. Does she think of this Sesshomaru? Perhaps were they even under the same sky? At this thought the Western Lord allowed a small, fleeting smile to grace his lips. Maybe he'd see her again and ask her.

A.N.:

Sorry for the LONG wait, but here ya go! I brand spanking new update! Happy New Year, late as it is… But hey, it's still January so it still counts!

Please remember to Read and Review to feed my starving plunny (army)! Thank you to the AMAZING InuGirl245 for being the driving force behind this update, as well as my beta.

Thanks!

Ceysna