Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha, Gravitation or anything affiliated with them, this story is partially based off Gravitatio
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha, Gravitation or anything affiliated with them, this story is partially based off Gravitation.
Gravitation
Chapter 7: Poison in a Pure Heart
Kagome cracked her eyes open as a column of light spilled into her room; the once perky morning person now laid in her bed with its soft sheets caressing her bare skin. She was alone, but unlike last night she didn't have a panic attack; things just don't seem as scary in the light as in the dark, but the light can still be hated. The sun didn't deserve to shine so cheerfully when she was feeling this miserable. The singer took her time lifting herself up into a sitting position, letting her feet dangle over the edge while the sheet fell away, pooling around her hips and exposing the smooth skin to the light.
She picked up her cell phone from her pants pocket as the clothing hung off the corner, threatening to fall, and listened to all the worried and at times frustrated voicemails. Tears burned at her eyes and she cursed them to the deepest circle of hell, now was not a time for tears; she was stronger than that. Using what was left of the dying battery she sent them a text saying that she was fine and was taking a twenty-four hour vacation, turning off her cell so there was no chance of them contacting her demanding an explanation. She was strong enough on her own, but if she heard their voices or saw them her strength would disappear.
"No matter what your decision, I promise I'll always be by your side."
"Shut up Aki."
She muttered bitterly, furrowing her eyebrows, and gripping the sheets at her hips tightly.
"No more of your lies."
Where was Aki when she was being chased, when Naraku found her, when those demons tortured her, when… they ruined everything?! Kagome knew it was easier to be angry at everyone, to hold bitterness and resentment in her heart so that what she had to do would be easier. She sucked in her breath as her hand crept up to her forehead and pressed it tightly there as the piercing pain came once again; this was no illness, there were no coincidences, there were only lies and cover-ups by someone she cared deeply for.
"I trusted you."
She hissed and yanked one of the sheets off the bed to cover her naked body, but when she pulled there was the distinct sound of something hard hitting the floor and roll for a few moments. The singer wrapped herself in the sheet and walked to the other side of her bed, saw her power swirling and glow inside the glass orb the size of a basketball; as its host drew near it glowed even brighter beckoning her to release it from the glassy prison. The glass was warm to the touch as fingertips glided across the smooth surface, but after a moment, the hands retracted back to the shelter of the blanket.
Kagome straightened back up and left the orb where it was, not bothering to release her power or even pick it up; she wanted to, but a little voice in the back of her head told her she didn't deserve it. Her eyes sent a passing glance at it resting so obscurely beside her bed, its bright and glowing aura automatically setting it apart from the bland décor. Her eyes looked away as she walked over to her closet pulling out a section of clothes that were buried beneath piles of others.
The demon glanced up from his newspaper to see the young girl setting out looking like… a girl. She had her hair long like it was the night he took her to the rave; the pale blue blouse showed off her curves and the low v-cut gave a slight view of her unbound chest while the black jeans hugged her hips and were long enough to cover the two-inch heels she was wearing. Brightly colored bracelets adorned her wrists, necklaces of the same style and teardrop earrings; overall a very feminine look for the girl who was supposed to be masquerading as a boy.
"I'm going for a walk."
She said matter-of-factly.
"I need to clear my head."
He was suspicious, in this get-up, no one would be able to recognize her, but with everything that was in the newspapers about him recently, there has been a spike in paparazzi appearances around his home; it wouldn't do him any favors if she just walked out his front door, through the gates and right into the clutches of those tabloid-makers. One word from her mouth would cause a frenzy of even more unwanted attention so he folded up the paper and stood up.
"Tell me where you want to clear your head; I'll drop you off somewhere close."
She froze and looked away.
"Th-that's okay, getting to the place by myself is all apart of the ah… head clearing process."
It didn't even sound remotely believable and they both knew it so she grew quiet.
"Uh-huh, I'm taking you anyway. No way in hell am I letting you get captured by those things."
He jabbed his thumbed to the front window; the girl peered out, but she didn't have to see the people in order to remember that they were there. Back when she was able, she could just sneak out the back way through the forest and jump the gate, but she always relied on her supernatural abilities to help her escape; she didn't even know her capabilities without her power. Could she run on the tops of the trees or jump the gate? Highly doubtful. Her body felt weak, exposed, vulnerable; it was unbearable, but she had to suck it up for now and just accept that for the time being she was going to have to take what help was offered.
"A few blocks away from Tohma Studios would be fine."
She finally said, giving up on trying to be proud, it was hard being confident about winning these little bouts if she had no muscle behind her punches. The demon nodded his head and motioned for her to follow him to the garage choosing the car with the blackest of tints in the windows so no one would get even a silhouette of who or what was inside. As they pulled out of the gate they were bombarded by a mob of people; the singer could see how their bodies pressed tightly together, converging into a human circle; among the many photographers there were some devoted fans screaming his name, a few had homemade t-shirts with his face on it, copies of his books and a pen in their hands, or a magazine sporting him on the cover, some even had the one with her in it screaming accusations and woes of why he didn't choose them.
"Animals."
The demon snickered at his use of irony and she just looked on at the swarm as small colorful objects were being thrown at the car's windows, one hit hers and she got a full view of a balled up mess that was a blue thong. She turned away fully disgusted with the whole ordeal; lingerie throwing: popular at many concerts, but it's not like it's going to change the youkai's mind; if he wanted any one of them he would have approached her already.
"Groupies."
She muttered with a bitter sound trying to block out their cries and little snippets of bedroom voices and moans; with some slight nudging of the car a spot opened up and the demon took it by slamming on the gas, rubber tires spun in place warning the group of his plans and they quickly jumped out of the way right as the sports car gunned it out of there.
"It'll pass."
He said speaking from experience, but even he had to admit the scandal with her was never as extreme as the ones before because no one had managed to get such a damaging picture. Whoever took that must have either have an unheard of camera that could take pictures at such distances or someone got past his defenses; he refused to accept anything less than a new break-through in camera technology. The scenery became a multicolored blur as the car sped through neighborhoods and back roads until it reached the main streets of the city and the traffic brought everything to a standstill, but she could see Tohma Studios' tall structure in the distance getting closer.
"This is close enough for me."
Kagome announced and undid her seat belt; the demon looked out the window and judged from where they were the building was still a good ½ mile away. Regardless, he didn't object when she got out of the car, but looked back through his rearview mirror as she paused and stuck her head back in.
"I might not be back until late so you'll have to take care of dinner."
She waved once before straightening back up and slamming the door shut; she couldn't see through the other side of the darkened glass, but she had a feeling that the demon was going to watch her until she was out of sight so the singer had to turn at the closest corner. To humor him she ran in the direction of the Studios, but once the car was out of sight she quickly ran down the nearest street heading east. She had no choice but to get a taxi since running was now out of the question.
"This sucks."
The vocalist hissed, she tried running, but after only a few miles her lung felt raw and her legs were searing with a burning pain; she had never felt this weak before. For the first time in her life she was a normal human girl, no special abilities save for her flexibility and –if she was lucky—quick reflexes. She stopped a few blocks short of her destination to deter suspicion from the driver and quickly paid him without a word. Kagome waited for him to drive off before walking deeper into the darker side of Tokyo, an area where hordes of demons gathered.
Regardless of being completely cut off from her spiritual side she could still feel the dark chill that paralyzed her limbs and made her blood turn cold whenever an ominous presence was around, but it wasn't just one chill she got, every building, street, and open space bled with it. In the corner of her eye she saw hunched figures shifting around in the darkness, they were following her. As she quickened her pace so did they until she was running, the echo of her heels filling in the empty space; her destination came into sight, the promise of minor protection was more than enough to have her go into a full sprint.
'Clang! Ding! Ding! Clang!'
The sound of some kind of hollow metal banged against the door as she opened it; she silently dragged in a huge breath of air and resisted the urge to look back, she knew for the moment she was safe from the demons outside, but it was only a matter of time before the demons in this bar would figure out that she was easy pickings. The place was purposely dark, luckily for her there were several disconnected souls floating around providing an eerie pale light. She felt a wave of sadness, desperation, and pain as she passed by one of them; her steps faltered as the orb drew closer to her, it knew she was human, it knew she could save it.
"What's a pretty little thing like you doing in this place?"
Her eyes scanned the room at the cloaked and misshapen human figures; they were all staring at her like a wolf pack stares when a sheep has just walked into its den. There were whispers in codes she didn't know, too many snickers and subtle signs exchanged and she no longer had the ability to figure them out. Something caught her eye, a dark red scaly arm three times the size of a normal man's, the muscles stretching the skin in ways that had her stomach turning and the four talon fingers weren't much of a comfort either as it became a blur.
When the arm stilled again a whirling white orb was in its clutches; the claws brought the soul down and the demon opened its fang filled mouth; she knew and the soul knew what was going to happen as it frantically whirled around, but nothing it did could break the demon's hold. Kagome's lips parted in disbelief as claws and mouth came closer together; she took a breath in to say something, she couldn't let it happen, not to that poor soul trapped in such a horrible place.
"Hey mortal! I'm talking to you!"
The growl tore her eyes away from the youkai to face to bartender; he was probably the most human looking creature in this bar, therefore the safest to converse with; the more human they look, they more human they act. He had a dirtied rag in one hand that was currently working to clean the stains off the glass held in his other; he reminded her of those body builders after all the oil and tanning lotion came off: tight in his work clothes with muscles that could rip a stack of phone books and that expression alcoholics get when they're angry: one part enraged, two parts frustrated and five parts completely insane.
"Ah sorry, zoned out for a minute."
She walked up looking as apathetic as she could, in a place like this any sign of fear or weakness was a death sentence.
"I see, so did you zone your merry way out here?"
Well, there was no sense in delaying the inevitable, besides the longer she stayed in here the more in danger she was.
"I'm looking for information on a certain half-breed and I was hoping you could help me out."
The demon snickered and turned away, she took her chance and looked back at the other youkai who had the soul in his clutches, but when she looked back, there was one less light in the bar and a sick feeling filled her stomach, part revulsion, part rage.
"And why would I tell you anything?"
Despite wanting to jump out of her seat and stab that soul eating monster in the heart, she knew that there was nothing she could do; her last shred of protection could not be used for offensive unless the situation called for it. The singer turned back to face the bartender and very confidently looked into his straight black eyes.
"Because my ace says that you have no choice."
He burst out into a booming laughter that made some of the cloaked figures jump a little in surprise, but she was able to keep her composure. He drew in close to her; she could feel his hot breath on her neck and see the black skin shifting beneath the façade of the pale human skin.
"You don't say? Well then Little Miss, out with it because a hollow threat like that isn't going to get shit out of me."
Her lips twitched into a little smile; the conversation couldn't have gone any better for her.
"Oh how rude of me! I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid I never told you my name…"
She stuck out her hand greeting; her voice cheery and carefree.
"Kagome's my name, Kagome Higurashi."
A sudden stillness fell over the bar; every black muscle in the bartender's body stiffened and locked into place. His teeth clenched, setting his jaw into a hard line; there it was her trump card: the invisible shield that protected her from harm and she didn't even need her spiritual power. The demon narrowed his eyes and sent a slight pulse of his aura and felt nothing from her, not a drop of power nor a hint of anything extraordinary, just a normal human girl.
"How do I know you ain't bullshitting me?"
He finally said as doubt set in; although still a little wary, he leaned in close to her in intimidation.
"If you're a Higurashi, prove it."
The crowd joined in, gaining strength through mob mentality, they shouted and demanded proof, but secretly crossed their fingers that whoever she proved her identity on would not be one of them. Before the bar's chants and cries reached their zenith Kagome whipped her hand in and out of her pocket and slammed a folded piece of aging paper on the table. Instant silence fell upon them once again, more that half jumped and the bartender flinched and looked at the paper, but dared not touch it.
"This…"
She said picking it up and unfolding it once.
"… is the Higurashi seal."
Unfolded it another time.
"Now there are only two ways I could have gotten this seal…"
A third fold came undone.
"… one: I'm telling the truth and this is my seal or two…"
She unfolded the last one and placed the seal down in front of him.
"… I was able to apprehend a real Higurashi and steal this from them."
In black ink was her first and last name written in ancient kanji and beside it was the symbol that struck fear into demon's across many lands: a narrow triangle inside a circle with a swirling border around it. The narrow triangle was the arrow, the circle the Sacred Jewel, and the swirls were the pulses of power the Tama gave off while it was shattered by the arrowhead. It was a symbol of power, status, and respect; after all these years the Higurashi Clan still had the Shikon no Tama and still produced the strongest spiritualists in all of Japan.
"Either way, the advantage is still mine because whether or not I'm a Higurashi, you touch that paper with your filth demon hands and you'll be incinerated within seconds."
She pushed the paper towards him and whether out of pride or suspicion he didn't move.
"You can touch it if you like to find out if it's real or not, I mean, it's only your life we're toying around with."
He knew what game she was playing and his nostrils flared at the thought; it was down right blackmail, but he valued his life more than his ego.
"What do you want to know?"
He said bitterly, it was a tone that promised vengeance for the wound to his demon pride; she could easily be killed, but he already saw that she had reflexes like it was nobody's business, if he or anyone else made a move his ass was as good as fried. She knew it too and her own pride wanted to kick him while he was bent over with one hand tied behind his back, but common sense told her to tread lightly.
"He's a half-demon who goes by the name Naraku, he's the lead singer for Ask, a rising new band, and judging by that look on your face I'd say you know him quite well."
The demon composed himself, but it was pointless, that flicker of recognition did him in; for the first time he put the rag and glass down; of course he knew Naraku, everyone in this bar held a secret contempt for the Onigumo family; that singing career they had was born from nothing more than boredom from their usual routine of torture, exploitation, blackmail, and murder.
"We all do."
He said motioning towards everyone and they all sunk lower as if the bartender admitting that was condemning them to death. The demon stared at her hard and resentful.
"You will ask me one question, that's all this life I have is worth. Choose carefully Higurashi for if you ask the wrong one, you'll get nothing from me."
Normally she would have demanded he spill every little detail he knew, but in truth all her questions were pointless except for one…
"Where can I find Naraku?"
"In many places."
He said simply, falling back into his usual routine by picking up the rag and glass; she leaned forward a little.
"Well, where can I find him now?"
He glared at her as if he expected her to already be gone.
"I answered your one question now go."
She rose from her seat trying to subdue the growing agitation with the demon as he turned his back on her.
"You gave me a general answer, I need specifics."
The bartender didn't turn back around.
"Specifics weren't in the agreement, I gave you one answer to your one question; now get out."
The singer slammed her hands down on the bar.
"No! I need to know where Naraku is right now!"
He spun around so fast she didn't see it and drew closer to her; a dark red bled into the white of his eyes; lips drew up into a snarl revealing sharp and discolored fangs.
"Get out bitch! I don't need your kind here!"
She swallowed the fear that was making her hands shake and got closer to him, forcing her eyes to not look away from the demon's.
"Are you forgetting the little incentive I have? I could burn you right now and no one would give two shits about it."
"Then do it and see how well you make it out of here. You kill me and you're not leaving this place alive."
From behind her she felt the cold shivers crawling at her skin as the youkai in the bar all rose and began forming a circle, trapping her like the sheep she was.
"Are you monsters forgetting who I am? I'm a Higurashi, you kill or hurt me in any way and you're as good as dead!"
From behind her the bartender laughed and she whirled her head back around to him, snatching up her seal in the process.
"They're not so scared of you anymore Girlie."
The bartender spoke for all of them as the horde drew closer.
"We've been scanning you and you don't even have a hint of spiritual power; that paper you have may be real, may have the ability that you say it does, but it's not yours. You probably stole it from the Higurashi while her back was turned; which means all we have to do is wait for you to use that seal on one of us which will leave you open to attack."
The circle was tight and three demons thick; she didn't believe it.
"You would sacrifice one of your own for an opening?"
The bartender sneered and a small laugh was scattered about the mob.
"We youkai are not like you ningen (human or humans), as you said before, if one of us dies, no one will care and you are too tempting to let slip through our fingers."
She could see them in the corner of her eye, claws out and mouths dropped open, crouched low in preparation to strike. Kagome was stunned, they were really going to do it, they were really going to kill her; gripping the paper tightly she whirled it around and extended it out in front of her.
"Stay back!"
She cried and they leaned back, but no feet made a move away from her; she moved around constantly.
"I swear if you come at me I'll kill you all!"
There was more laughter coming from the bartender behind her.
"Don't fret little girl, your death won't be so bad. Many of us haven't tasted human flesh or had a sweet body to ravish in quite some time; we'll even take good care of your soul, a nice little orb to join the others."
She looked past the demons to the floating souls behind them, she thought of the one devoured, of the others that were still trapped in this place, to die in such a horrible way.
"I refuse!"
She screamed.
"I refuse to fall victim to the likes of you! I will not die here and not by your hands!"
There was a collective laughter all around her; her body shook with fear, heart beat so hard it hurt, eyes scanned for the first sign of attack. It came from behind her, a swipe of sharp claws across her back, tearing deep cuts into her skin; she cried out in pain and turned to the bartender, her blood dripping off his talons; she thrust her hand out to slam the seal into his body when another sharp pain seared into her arm. Kagome looked back and for a millisecond time slowed down; she saw the demon that caught her arm with his sharp nails and rake them down the length of her forearm.
The rest of the horde jumped into action; her face reflecting in their maniacal eyes, as time sped up to full speed she retracted her arm away from the bartender and swiped it across the closet demon; the monster immediately burst into flames and reeled away from her screeching and shriveling, ripping its own burning flesh off to stop the fire, but it did no avail. The others only avoided touching him, never pausing in their actions; her body and theirs were in a whirl of constant motion, she felt another cut, another bite down on her and she swiped at them each time, but that wasn't to say she was winning, she was slower than she had been in years, she lost count of how many times she was hit and was already starting to feel dizzy from blood loss; it dripped off their fangs, off her wounds and theirs, a red so dark and deep it was too much to keep up with; she couldn't stop from slowing down.
The noise fueled her fear as much as the sight of them around her; their snarls, screams, and cries drove her to the point of insanity, the point where instinct took over. Her body moved more out of muscle memory than anything else: see the punch coming, move to the right, claws on her left, strike the wrist, talons ripping into her shoulder, pivot feet and throw her shoulder into the punch; a screech from behind triggered her leg and without looking she took a blind kick and hit something soft but solid, but the successful kick didn't come without repercussions as the demon bit down into the flesh of her leg, holding her there until she struck him with the seal. The bartender waited unmoving until Kagome had backed up into his range of attack, when she did he reached out and in one quick motion grabbed her hand clutching the seal.
"Go ahead boys, she's all yours!"
He cried and there was a sudden frenzy more terrifying than the last as they came upon her and she could only watch with wide eyes. Shit, she was in trouble.
'CRASH!'
A blur of silver shattered the glass window and passed between the space of Kagome and the youkais' claws. There was a pause before a whole row of demons fell apart into diced, bloody heaps of flesh; everything stopped except for the turning of heads towards the far end of the bar. The crouched figure in the corner straightened up and slowly turned around; an acid whip which sprouted from the demon's fore and middle fingers glowed a dangerous green. Gold eyes glowed in the darkness as crimson took the place of the white of his eyes.
"Sesshomaru!"
Kagome cried out in surprise, but quickly quieted her enthusiasm as he came within range of the light; he had blood spattered across his clothes just like them, claws out just like them, lips pulled back in a snarl that showed off his fangs just like them, eyes dyed red… just like them. Kagome knew he was a demon, she never forgot that but what she never noticed, or, more correctly, didn't want to see, was his demon nature, the darkness that all demons had in them.
"Sesshomaru?"
She said again, her voice was quieter, but it still rung over the sudden silence in the room; he didn't look at her, his focus was completely on the mob. They were confused, do they go after Kagome again or challenge this new intruder?
"What are you standing around for?! Get him!"
That was all the incentive the demons needed from the bartender as they launched themselves at him; the inu-youkai (dog demon) growled low in his throat like feral animal and leapt in the air to meet their attack with his own. He passed through the densest part of the crowd and emerged on the other side covered in more blood, but unharmed; most were reduced to pieces before they hit the ground. There was only a handful left, but they still had the confidence to come at him once more; with his back still to them Sesshomaru lifted his arm that held the whip and jerked it in their direction. Blood exploded everywhere, splashing onto Kagome and the bartender; in her own fear she never noticed how tightly the demon was gripping her arm, his own fear causing such constriction.
"Pureblood…"
He whispered in both fear and awe; upon hearing this Sesshomaru snapped his head towards them. His eyes had completely changed: blood red except for his irises which were a vibrant turquoise; he turned his body to face them and a dark crimson aura spilled out from him, radiating through the room and burning all that it touched. There was so much anger fueling those red flames; blinded by the burning rage, there was nothing he could think about except to indulge in such sweet violence, it was a high that felt too good. He took a step forward, his eyes on the youkai holding her; the look in his eye made her realize that he didn't even see her and was going to strike at the bartender and most likely take her down too. They were both frozen in place and he even whimpered a little as the author raised his arm up, the recoil before the strike.
"Sesshomaru you're mine!"
That stopped the dog demon cold; she was desperate and needed to wake up the Sesshomaru she knew, not this killer covered in blood and blind to the difference between the innocent and the guilty.
"This thing that is manipulating you has no ownership over you so don't give into it!"
They both began struggling, she with the entrapment of the youkai, him with his demon nature, the temptation and call of blood. She pulled as hard as she could, gaining a step towards him.
"So wake up and be with me damn it!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs; the dog demon hung his head as his aura swirled chaotically around him, his hands fell to his sides. In the blink of an eye he threw his head back and let out a feral cry, one that made her knees buckle with terror, one she never wanted to hear again; his aura exploded around the room, whipping her hair in random directions, so hot that her skin was at the point of burning, but soon after it died away. She saw through the dust and when it settled enough for her to see, the silhouette of his figure caught her eye.
He was standing normally again and when she saw his eyes, they were the beautiful gold that she knew; in a flash he disappeared and when he reappeared his talons ripped and tore at the bartender's face; he screamed in agony and let her go. Fearful that he had regressed back to his primal instincts she curled up into a frightful ball; but a gentle hand slick with blood grabbed her elbow and forced her to look up. A low growl built up in his throat as their eyes met.
"You stupid girl!"
He yelled in her face and pulled at her arm forcing her to stand on her feet.
"Do you want to die?! Damn it I've met some stupid people in my life, but you take the fucking cake!"
He pulled at her arm again and started running, dragging her along, but only after a few steps she collapsed in the middle of the bloody mess, her own blood mixing with the youkai's. The demon looked back to yell at her again when he finally saw just what condition she was in; in his anger he never saw the extent of the gashes in her skin or the deep puncture wounds from all the bites. Her breathing was heavy yet shallow; each breath sounded forced and laboring; the demon growled low in frustration.
"Stupid, stupid girl."
He muttered, quickly picked her up bridal-style and ran out of the collapsing building as the flames from before finally caught the wooden support beams. Outside they were waiting, more demons with the scent of blood in their noses and the only ones to make it out of the burning mess were the writer and in his arms was a bleeding human girl. In their hunger the demons did not realize the extent of Sesshomaru's abilities as they sprinted towards them in an attempt to steal Kagome.
"I don't have time for you pathetic spawn."
The acid whip came out; he swung it around in a circle and angled it just right to hit the demons as they came. Bits of flesh and innards bubbled and fizzed from the acid, giving rise to a foul smell of burning and melting meat, but the demon ignored it all as he walked briskly to his untouched car in front of the bar and climbed in, placing the singer in the passenger's seat. He jumped in and immediately drove off taking his cell phone out in the process.
"Why did you…"
He paused in dialing the numbers as the vocalist mumbled in a daze.
"… follow… follow me?"
Her mind flowed in and out of conscious and semi-consciousness.
"Because I knew you weren't going to clear your head. Whenever you lie you do something dangerous or stupid."
He could see and small smile coming and going on her lips.
"I wish I… knew you that well."
Her eyes fluttered closed; she was so tired again and just wanted to sleep, but a stubborn hand kept shaking her arm jarring her out of her dream-land.
"There's no sleeping for you yet. Wait for a little bit, then you can sleep."
She sighed tiredly and still kept her eyes closed.
"Mm-hm…"
With the phone ringing the Takahashi looked back to see her slumped over in her seat, a dark red coated her skin and oozed from deep cuts, stained the upholstery and filled the car with the scent of her intoxicating blood.
"Damn it."
He muttered, but was drawn back to his cell when he heard the familiar voice of his sister.
"Mika, I've got a situation here that requires a bit of your expertise."
He growled obviously not liking the way the conversation was starting off and gripped the steering wheel.
"I don't care! Higurashi is dying; now get to your place and find that book about all those ancient seals and shit."
Another growl came from him.
"Just get that book. I want an immediate call once you've found it."
He snapped the phone shut and threw it behind him pressing his foot on the gas until it hit the floor; it was too slow, there wasn't anymore time. She was bleeding too fast, fading too quickly. When he finally got back to his place, Kagome did not wake up; her body was draining quickly and if he didn't do something that moment she would be gone. He was tempted to break down every door and wall to get to her room, but managed to hold onto his anger long enough to get there with the house still in one piece. The orb with her power glowed at the presence of its host; Sesshomaru was quick to throw a blanket over it so he could pull it beside the once-miko. The sound of a very faint ringing caught his pristine ears and he automatically reached for his back pocket only to remember that he threw the cell in the back seat of his car.
"The world is conspiring to kill you."
He muttered to the unconscious girl and disappeared to the vehicle; when he returned both dog demons were speaking rapidly towards each other, mostly arguing.
"I'm telling you it's glass… I don't care if the book doesn't have it, I'm looking at a glass seal straight in the face now tell me how to release that spiritual power!"
He never done this much yelling in months with his sister, usually their fights were a little more elegant and cunning, this was raw and brutal; his free hand ran through silver hair as an act of self-calming while his older sibling talked.
"That it?"
He looked back at the shining blue light.
"Fine, hold on."
The demon threw the phone on the bed without hanging up and strode into the singer's closet with a combination of impatience and relief; he didn't question that she had several traditional weapons hidden behind clothes, knowing her, he figured it just another quirk to have dangerous object where she could have quick access… or trip on them, whichever came first. A pair of kahli sticks resting against the wall peaked his interest and he grabbed one of them. The hardened and reinforced bamboo was light in his hand, easy to move since its length was only two feet.
Kahli sticks were not found in the usual priestess arsenal because they were more often associated with male martial artists. The sticks were brutal weapons to have, leaving behind all the grace and beauty of the arts and settling for sheer power, simple attacks, but the power they could deliver made up for that. The demon settled his fingers around the base of the stick, he could feel the smoothness of it where Kagome's hands had no doubt worn and polished it from so much use; he could almost feel where each finger gripped the stick. Stalking back to the orb he rolled his wrist to test out his range of attack before swinging the weapon back and with all of his strength as a demon brought it down.
Blinding pale blue light engulfed the room and when it faded the kahli stick was frozen inches above the glass surface; an invisible pulse cushioned his strike. Growling he drew back and swung again at a different angle, but got the same outcome; a third strike… fourth… fifth…
"Damn it!"
He snatched the phone back up and tried not to grip the weapon or the cell too hard.
"It's not working."
He snarled and tried to even his tone out.
"Are you the one who tried to break it?"
His sister said with a haughty air.
"I believe we both know the answer to that one."
Mika huffed; he could almost picture that little hand of hers going to her hip.
"Well then of course it didn't work stupid; it's Kagome's power so he's the one who has to set it free."
The demon sparred a glance at Kagome.
"He's a little busy being unconscious at the moment."
He listened to her berate him for a moment and waited for the stroke of genius that he—for the time being—was unable to possess. When Mika was done an eyebrow was raised.
"You can't possibly be serious."
He could hear the book being shut and set down somewhere.
"I already told you, seals, spells, curses, what-have-you, they all have loopholes; power isn't as cut and dry as the elders used to believe."
The demon nodded his head.
"Fine, it's worth trying, but just."
For a second time Sesshomaru threw the cell onto the bed and strode over to the pulsing orb beside the miko; he bent down grabbed her wrist and placed the weapon into her hand and used his hand to keep her from dropping it. With her hand in direct contact with the wood, his over hers he raised the stick up as high as he could with her much shorter arms and with his muscle behind Kagome's indirect strike brought it down. The sound of glass shattering filled his ears, the small room lit up with blinding tendrils of white and pale blue light; the raw power whipped around releasing the momentum it had built up when entrapped within the seal.
The demon hissed and jumped back, pressing himself against the wall as the raw power whipped, swirled, and lashed out chaotically; seconds passed by and the power finally found its host. The tendrils wrapped around her limp form almost tenderly and lifted her several feet from the ground; there was a subtle hum, the sound of blood as it flowed through veins and as the power swirled more it gave off a pulse like a heartbeat. The demon questioned as to why it was doing this until he saw her face; she was resisting the power. She made herself so disconnected from it that it had to literally get back into synch with her body; it had to follow the flow of her blood and the beat of her heart.
"Higurashi…"
Sesshomaru's voice was calm, but cruel as he stared menacingly upon her.
"… accept what you have and live. Take back what is yours."
His words made her heart pound and her blood flow increase; while it was a fast pace now her power had something to match up with whereas before the miko was purposely changing how her heart beat to avoid the power from coming back to her. Her power had no qualms about speeding its pace, it followed the rhythm and soon the miko's body called out in preparation; tendrils and white ribbons contorted and flattened until it became a thin layer around the Higurashi. Slowly and cautiously it grew smaller until it coated her like a second skin; still pulsing it waited for when their beats became identical, perfect. One pulse… two pulses… three… when the fourth one came the white light melted into her skin and in a final burst it became one with her again, a part of her in every way possible.
The gashes, bites and burns across her body slowly healed; muscle tissue stitched back together like a seamstress stitching a formal gown: beautifully, flawlessly; skin was regenerated layer by layer with only the faintest of marks to hint any damage. The paleness in Kagome's skin did not disappear, but the fear and the sickening vulnerability she went through was gone, her security was back and for the first time since that night she could sleep without fear. Her body was carefully placed back onto the floor just as carefully as it was picked up, the faintest blue rippled across her skin like steam from a hot bath. The demon tore away from the wall and cautiously approached the sleeping miko; he kneeled by her side and ran his hand several inches above her skin testing the purification's effectiveness.
"Were you that ashamed of yourself that you would reject what has always been yours?"
She didn't answer; didn't need to. The reply was unnecessary, but he felt that it had to at least be heard. He placed her in her bed after the faint blue finally faded away.
She slept for the next three days.
"Do you feel like telling me what happened now?"
Aki gripped the coffee cup tightly and glared hard at the Takahashi; the phoenix child hated this, hated looking at those arrogant gold eyes, hated the way the demon carried himself as if he was of greater importance, but what he hated most of all was how much the youkai respected Kagome's wishes.
"No, Higurashi will tell you when she feels like it; it is not my story to tell."
Patience was the hanyou's strong point, but his skill was being put to the ultimate test; breathing helped, long, deep breaths that cooled the fire building, burning so much he felt suffocated by it.
"She's still asleep; she can't say anything."
It didn't help that she was so sick and the one person standing between him and his precious friend was his most hated enemy. The dog demon finally looked up from the morning paper, his eyes vibrantly sticking out from his low perched glasses.
"Then that probably means she doesn't want to say anything."
Aki rose from his seat in a fit of rage, but had enough control not to tear the place apart; he vented some of his frustration by sending a warning growl.
"Then at least let me see her. I can heal her if she's hurt or sick!"
Sesshomaru rose to his feet as well and took a step in front of the hallway, blocking the half-demon's view of the miko's room.
"I don't think you can provide help for her anymore."
The half-phoenix snarled.
"And why not?"
He said, his voice deepening, his consciousness was slowly beginning to fade back to its primal nature; here stood his rival and his love all under one roof. The demon was as stoic as he was before, allowing little emotion into his words.
"Because she no long trusts you."
That stopped Aki cold.
"How do you—"
"Know? My ears catch everything and the walls are thin."
There was silence for a moment as the demon allowed the words to take their full effect; Sesshomaru turned and took a few steps down the hall.
"So that's it then?! You're going to be her savior, her knight in shining armor?! You! The one who abandoned her and made her cry until there was nothing left except dry sobs! You will comfort her?!"
The demon turned slowly, there was a hint of anger barely touching the expression on his face, but he didn't need anymore than that subtlety to get his point across to Aki.
"Know this half-breed: I may have done those things to her, but the name she calls out at night with hurt and anguish is not mine, it's yours."
Kagome moaned and opened her eyes, they felt heavy and gummy and her vision was a watery blur at best. Her body was sore from being in the same position and shot pain through her nerves as she tried to move. As she turned there was an itch growing on the inside of her right forearm; fingers felt around and found surgical tape holding a thin needle in place at the crease of her elbow. When she opened her eyes again she was finally able to notice how dark it was, but her eyes adjusted enough so that they could follow the tube all the way up to the fuzzy transfusion bag with half of its blood gone.
"You were severely anemic; if I had just let your body build your cells back up on its own you would have been asleep for several weeks."
Licking dry lips she took a deep breath, her voice was quiet and tired.
"How long was I out?"
Sesshomaru rose to his feet and checked the digital clock by her bed stand.
"Few hours shy of four days."
She was silent; he didn't have to hear her voice or look at her to know how disappointed in herself she was.
"The guys?"
She asked, her voice straining to speak above a whisper.
"They have been coming and going intermittently; that half-breed phoenix has made himself quite comfortable in my kitchen."
Her breath hitched in her throat.
"No one's here right? No one's seen me?"
Her heart pounded so hard and adrenaline made her body itch to move.
"The only one who's been in this room is me."
Kagome smiled tiredly, noticing the way he said it was as if he had been through a few altercations.
"I bet they tried their damnedest to get in anyway."
He looked away to the curtain covered window; the white light of the moon making it glow.
"I had forgotten the extent of a fox's trickery and a phoenix's stubbornness. Dogs and wolves at least understand the concept of crossing another's territory and weak humans are very good when it comes to running away."
The miko let out a laugh, it was a far cry of what it used to be, but at least it was a laugh; in two sentences he was able to catch her up on everything that happened concerning her. She knew Aki and Shippo would cause trouble, it was in their nature—good intentioned as it was—to do things their way; it was surprising to hear that Inu-Yasha respected his brother's home, not to mention Koga's sudden calm towards Sesshomaru, a rival demon and very high-class one at that, and Miroku… well at least he tried.
"What of Mr. K? Did he pay a 'visit'?"
"Did I not tell you that weak humans know when to turn high tail and run?"
'Weak' and 'Mr. K' never mixed well in a sentence together unless it went: Mr. K has just gunned down several weak Tokyo structures and its citizens. Or something along that line.
"Well Mr. K is… dear God he's Mr. K!"
His mouth twitched slightly into a smile; at least her voice was coming back.
"That stupid Yankee was the easiest to get rid of; once I laid out all of the Gun Law violations he was facing he abruptly put away his semi-automatic and left. The very next day there were construction workers knocking on my door and fixing the hole in the wall he'd made."
He looked back for a moment a grabbed something off the table.
"And he left me a fruit basket."
The priestess snorted and covered her mouth with the blankets.
"Seriously?"
The demon threw a round object at her and it landed beside her shoulder; it was the size and weight of a baseball, but didn't quite have the right shape; forcing her hand out from the sheets she picked up the object and brought it close enough to her face so she could distinguish it.
"A peach?"
He nodded, growing silent again, but his silence brought something else to mind.
"Are you trying to make up for all the days we missed, 'cuz this is the most you've ever talked to me ever."
The demon scoffed.
"I hope you realize that your last statement had a serious grammatical error in it."
Kagome suddenly burst out laughing and didn't stop for several long seconds; by the time it passed her laughter was back to the way it used to be.
"You're talking more than I am!"
He narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Don't get used to it."
She quieted down to a fit of silent giggles hidden by her blankets.
"It'll be a rare treat in my mind."
There was another moment of silence again until Kagome began to sit up and pushed the sheets out of her way; but before her feet could touch the floor, he was there pushing her back down.
"Too early."
Her eyebrow popped up and her lips pursed slightly.
"Oh so we're back to simple sentence 'caveman' talk now? Okay big boy, me go now, must train, you stay, make good book."
She said it slowly and made a move to get out of bed when the hand pushed against her chest and with a small shove she fell back with a light thud.
"Me don't think so."
He said too arrogantly for her liking and she growled.
"Back off Sesshomaru, I've got to get to training."
He drew closer to her and instinctively she drew back, until her head bumped against the wall. He was on the bed and still coming closer, a subtle haughtiness radiated off him so entwined with his aura it was a part of him. Being the lady's man that he was, it didn't come as much of a surprise when his knee slowly drew in between her legs, forcing them to part; surprise aside, it still made her take a sharp intake of breath. His face was inches away from hers using that hypnotizing gaze of his, it wasn't new, but it still got her every time.
"Now why would a singer need to train? Whatever happened to your rehearsals, practice? Do I detect the obvious hint of a miko on a vendetta?"
She shivered at his voice; the bastard knew it too.
"None of your business."
He snickered.
"Is it the same business that got you in this mess four days ago? If it is—since I saved your ungrateful ass—then it is my business, but I'll make you a deal: show me that you're strong enough right now to train by getting past me and I'll let you go."
They stayed like that for a long time, staring at one another in a competition for control and dominance; Kagome saw through her peripheral vision that every move she was going to make he was ready to block. With the needle still in her right arm she had no choice but to go to the right lest she risk ripping it out and causing more damage; her spiritual power could heal her, but there was always a price for it; she wasn't like Kikyo who could mend broken bones a dozen at a time and then return to her usual training like nothing happened. Clenching her hands into fists as tightly as she could the miko pouted, folded her arms and turned on her side; breaking the eye contact.
"I'm not going to forget this."
She said bitterly as her agitation grew; it didn't help that he smirked and pat her on the head like an adult would do to a spoiled child in the middle of a tantrum. She smacked the hand, but he didn't move it so she hit him harder, no dice.
"Just rest."
She folded her arms and scowled.
"If you stop treating me like a little kid maybe I will."
It wasn't said in the most mature of tones and they both knew it.
"Alright."
He said changing his tone as well; instantly the manner of his touch changed, it was soft, intimate… heated. There was a shift in the way he looked at her, an intent that made her abdomen clench and her body squirm restlessly. His lips touched the exposed skin of her neck, jaw line, cheek until he came to her lips; something built within her as he drew near she tried to stop it, but couldn't help it, her resistance had been greatly diminished. His lips came to hers and she couldn't hold it in anymore; with eyes shut tight and drew in an unsteady breath, parted her lips… and yawned. The demon had to blink a few times to ensure that was what she did wasn't just a trick of the eye, but it wasn't and she was horrified.
"I didn't realize you had become bored with me already."
He knew he wasn't serious, but she didn't and protested as he got up off the bed; another yawn stopped her and she slumped across the bed fuming childishly.
"Just rest."
He said again and walked out her door, closing it quietly behind him; she huffed and gave thought to going after him, but her heavy eyelids were saying otherwise so she went back to sleep sprawled out sideways across the bed.
Late in the afternoon Sesshomaru sat in his plush chair, fingers moved at a blinding pace as line after line was digitally recorded on his laptop when a slight hum of power caught his attention; the hands stilled and his chair turned in the direction of the aura. It was one he recognized, while faint as it was and he didn't even have to guess where she was before heading out the door to the old dojo; not bothering to check the miko's room, already knowing that it would be empty with the window open. How she managed to crawl out of bed one day after waking up was surprising for him to say the least, but for her to detach everything she was hooked up to, dress herself, walk all the way to the old training center, and start back up on her practice could only be accomplished by the girl's stubbornness… or stupidity. With her the two could be easily exchanged or go hand in hand.
Through the crack in the door he watched her, as frail as she was she still looked beautiful; the priestess garbs of red and white flowed with the motion of her body in hypnotizing swishes and sways. Her bokken moved with precision and grace, perfect, powerful, hard; feet glided across the aged tatami mats in a practiced dance, never once stopping, continuously moving. She bobbed, weaved, spun in an obvious sequence of strikes, blocks and counters facing an unseen opponent; but through all this beauty there were some ugly consequences. Sweat flew off her skin constantly, completely soaking her; breathing so hard he could hear the struggle in her lungs. The sequence she was practicing was several years below her level and she still fell several times, but never stopped her practice always using the falls to fight on the ground.
"Baka."
He muttered quietly, but did nothing else except watch her until she fell for the last time, but she didn't just fall, she collapsed. Her arms shook violently when she tried to push herself up, but finally her body said no to her demands and she slumped back down. Kagome tried again, a series of heavy coughs racked her and she didn't even come up half of what she did before; hitting the mats a second time she waited a few minutes before pushing up again, but couldn't even get her head off the ground. Laying there she fell into a forced sleep as her body took over when her mind could no longer make the right decisions.
Once he knew she was out he rose to address her when a distant sound caught his ears: tires on gravel. Shit. The kids came back for their daily visit; one sniff of the air made his blood pressure shoot through the roof; Aki and Shippo, the Dynamic Duo that were the sources of his increase in migraine medications. In a series of swift jumps he made it to the front door before they did. The half-phoenix didn't bother to hide his displeasure with his heavy steps upon the gravel, hands shoved in his pockets, not to mention the cloud of negativity that hung over him like bad news; the fox was quite the opposite he smiled widely while bobbing on either side of the guitarist like a child.
"How is she today?"
Aki asked when he noted that this was the first time the demon met them at the door. The youkai's gaze shifted for a moment to the roof of the dojo, barely visible through the thickness of the trees, before flicking them back to the two band mates.
"Better, the anemia has been taken care of, but she's still sleeping."
Dear God, not only was he acting like a doctor, but he was beginning to sound like one too; he had to cut this visitation short before he started writing down her health status on clipboard from them to review. Without waiting for a reply he turned and walked inside the mansion, closing the door on the two. He knew that after a few seconds of leaving them there they would have enough courage to invite themselves in and before that happened he made quick work of shutting the girl's window and closing the door, making sure that everything on the outside looked the same to deter suspicion.
"You know where to sit."
He told them at the sound of his door shutting; there was a slight hesitation in their steps before one set made their way to the kitchen table and the other followed after. Aki brought a book while Shippo brought his video games; Sesshomaru picked right back up on his work, but left the office door open in case they tried anything and after three hours of nothing happening the hanyou rose to his feet and the youkai waited.
"Can you give us a date? An estimation of how long it'll be until she wakes up or we can see her?"
He never stopped moving his fingers.
"Difficult to say."
The half-demon knew this was coming so he pulled out his trick card.
"If she's as ill as you are making it out to be then she should be in a hospital with proper equipment and a healthy environment. I'm giving you a choice Takahashi: you either let us see her or I'll call an ambulance and we'll all get to see her taken away to someplace that will actually do her some good."
The demon didn't pause in his motions; for a moment he was quiet and the guitarist assumed he had chosen not to do anything so when he opened his phone he was surprised to see it forcefully snapped shut by a flying projectile… a pen to be more specific.
"Open that phone again and I'll open mine. I've got Tokyo's finest lawyers lined up waiting to take anything I've got. They'll look through your entire life, tearing it apart until they find what demon half you originate from and when they do…"
Deep gold shot up to the furious bronze.
"… you'll be a lab experiment for the rest of your existence; your blood will be used as a weapon and whatever other family you have will be subjected to the same fate. If you are smart you will put away that phone and go back to your corner."
He used every dirty trick in the book available to him and it worked; Aki never rose from his seat again, bidding his time until the perfect opportunity presented itself.
The sun had long since set when Sesshomaru returned to the training room with a blanket, a bowl of rice and water; she hadn't budget an inch from that awkward position since he left which reinforced his meaning of "dead tired", but even in death there must have been peace for the look on her face was one of deep relaxation and calm. While in her bed, her face did not hold that same look; did she really feel more at home passed out in the middle of a dojo surrounded by dangerous weapons than willing falling asleep in a warm bed?
Days passed by and bit by bit Kagome pushed herself beyond her limits until it was her limits that were pushed; during those days she hardly left the training room and it wasn't until the third day she was finally strong enough to know that Sesshomaru was watching her. At first she did nothing, she let him watch since this was the most contact they've had since he rescued her; she was surprised that he brought her food, but then again it was the bare-bone-basics of sustenance: rice, water, vegetables. Oh what culinary combination will he think of next? She must have been a real lousy of a taste tester because he only fed her after she had lost consciousness.
She adapted to the demon "leaving her side" of sorts whenever her band came around; the house was too far away for her to see what was going on, but since none of the guys had stormed into the room she had assumed that Sesshomaru was playing decoy for her. She had to hand it to him, he may have been a cold-hearted, manipulating, arrogant, self-centered demon bastard, but he knew when the time was right to be nice and she had to find a way to pay him back.
No, she already knew how, it was just a matter of her finding the perfect timing.
On the fifth day after Aki, Inu-Yasha, and Koga had left Kagome finally slid open the doors and stepped out of the dojo; instantly the wind tussled her short hair as if in a 'where-the-hell-have-you-been?' kind of greeting, but in the playful nice way. Was it even possible for the wind to do that? Rhetorical question, and she didn't feel like having a philosophical argument with herself at the moment. Sniffing at her underarm the miko gagged and reeled her head away and dropped her arm… gross. She smelled like used gym socks left to ferment in some God-forsaken corner; thank the heavens that the mansion had several showers displaced all around.
Her shower at the far end guest room went uninterrupted and she breathed a sigh of relief, but now came the next step: changing her uniform; it seemed pointless scrubbing her skin raw only to put on her filthy garbs again. The priestess snuck back into her room through the window and changed uniforms, unfortunately for her, the old haori top was smaller, but managed to shift it around so she was decent enough for training. She already knew that Sesshomaru knew she was back so there was no surprise on her face when she opened her door he was staring at her through the office.
"Hey."
She said meekly; he did nothing but stare, that expression hard and infinitely unnerving. So intense was it that she had to look away for a few moments; the demon had to have taken classes on looks because there was no way that expression came naturally.
"Right, cut the bullshit I know. Sesshomaru, I… ah that is… you…um…"
Her words were faltering and voice cracking, 'Damn it! Didn't I rehearse this like a bazillion times in the shower?!' She bit back the attempt to choke on her words again.
"Will you train with me?"
She didn't realize her eyes were squeezed shut until she peeked one opened to look at him; he was the same as he was when she closed them and that was when words fell like water over Niagara Falls.
"I mean 'cuz you're strong and stuff and it would be, you know, totally sweet if you could ah just practice for a day. I mean with all the crap I put you through you probably want to beat the snot out of me and you know training and sparring are good ways to do that. It'll be whatever you want, I wouldn't even mind going up against that badass sword of yours; we could even like do jiu-jitsu (ground fighting a.k.a. wrestling) or…or…"
She trailed off, running out of ideas and still he had not moved; realizing there was no point she just nodded and turned around.
"A-alright. I'll see you later I guess; I know it was kind of bad timing, you have work and I've been a total freeloader so I'll just go to my side and stay there and…"
The sound of the chair moving made her head whip around with a course of adrenaline shooting through her, but it quickly switched to disappointment when she saw that he had just turned the seat around so that he was facing his computer again.
"Well, good night then."
She mumbled and returned to the dojo, picked up a worn staff and got a feel for it again; tying a strip of cloth over her eyes she began a simple form until something hit her; peeking beneath the open space of her cloth she saw a pair of traditional black shoes, lifting the strip up she saw the white hakamas and haori with splashes of red and sakura blossoms at the ends of the sleeves and around the top of the collar, both were tied in place by a long obi sash of gold with soft waves of indigo blue at the ends and spread out intermittently in the middle. She noted how the outfit seemed to be a little on the plain side, as if missing something; armor perhaps, it was the only thing she could think of since he had everything else, extremely sharp sword included.
"You said anything I wanted."
He commented when he caught her face paling at the sight of the tip of Tokijin and inch away from her nose; her wooden bo staff was no match against a demon sword.
"Way to abuse the rules."
She choked out and gulped loudly, this was the kind of weapon that made her once very formidable staff no more dangerous than a dull tooth pick. Reaching out the demon grasped hold of her weapon and easily ripped it from her hands throwing it behind him to the wall where it hit and bounced, but stayed in that area, out of the way.
"Take your pick then."
She looked around her at the far end walls where racks and hooks filled with weapons resided; walking to one side she scanned and ran her hands over the items before stopping on one. It was a simple naginata with a slight twist: there were two blades instead of one. The long staff that held the two broad blades together was made of a light weight, but durable metal; it would be able to survive hits from Tokijin. Taking the weapon from its place she turned and walked back to the demon, but paused; seeing him at a distance like this turned him from a demon, into a demon warrior. His eyes had suddenly changed in the way they looked at her: an opponent, not a lover; the way he carried himself changed as well: a youkai in the presence of a powerful miko.
With a quick bow and a warrior's salute they began; Sesshomaru refused to show it, refused to admit it, but he had not been in a fight against someone he had slept with in many years, as strange and as blunt as that may sound. Something within him grew, a feral hunger he couldn't explain except to say he knew it existed and was apart of him, like a simple flick of a switch the way he saw her changed. Demon sight enhanced his spiritual vision and what he saw from her had him snarling in protest and exciting him in ways he didn't want. He saw every move she made as a blur of blue flames, rivers of pure power that flowed with the blood in her veins; when she struck, the weapon too became a part of her, coated in that spiritual power.
In less than a heartbeat he became very different… he became dangerous; Kagome had miscalculated his look, he didn't see her as just a woman or an opponent, but a mixture of both: his prey. It wasn't normal to switch into this mode so fast; he knew the reason but it didn't help the situation, if anything at all, he wanted to forget why. She was so small, but no easy target; they matched each others moves while taking light attacks, testing the other's reactions, small habits, and possible giveaways to what their next move would be. They were both too experienced to let something as amateur as being predictable become the Achilles ' heel in their perfect armor. The vile monster in Sesshomaru snarled at the slow pace and quickly pressed its needs and desires up front for the writer to see, making his heart beat at an unusual pulse.
'I can't escape this hell
so many times I've tried
but I'm still caged inside.
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can't control myself.'
A stronger attack than he anticipated came from her, he guessed this was her first big move and parried it; sparks flew and he narrowed his eyes before coming right back at her relentlessly. Their blades blurred with motion and clashed loudly when they struck each other, she didn't accommodate for this amount of skill from a demon who spends all of his time sitting in front of a computer screen and the severity of what she was getting into began to set in as one of his strikes forced her to dig her feet into the floor so she wouldn't lose ground. The red of his aura leaked out and clashed with hers; red versus blue and red was slowly gaining the advantage.
'So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become.
Help me believe it's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame this animal!
This animal… this animal…'
They parted and immediately she ran at a curve, hoping to come at him from the side; he saw it and bent backwards just as the naginata's blade slashed where his torso used to be. He felt the breeze of it as it swished by and something else, something much sweeter. The skin of her forearm brush against the side of his face; it was… exciting. He could feel the adrenaline rush and used it to fuel the speed of his hand as he grabbed hers; with little effort he used the leverage of his body and threw her to the ground, but not without tumbling down with her as her foot kicked the side of his knee. She swung the weapon at him, but he became a blur of motion, back flipping out of her range; he could have stayed there on the ground and removed her weapon, but his demon nature would take too much pleasure in that… he couldn't allow it.
'I can't escape myself.
So many times I've lied,
but there's still rage inside.
Somebody help me through this nightmare
I can't control myself!'
What was once a subtle need became a very prominent fuel to his fight; he suddenly became very aware of the part in her haori revealing a loosely tied chest, how flexible her body was, the movement of her hips; it became the focus of his attention and even though the hakamas he was wearing were a loose fit they soon grew a little tighter. He wanted her to be under him again, he wanted to take advantage of any weak point she had, the whispers in his ear became harder to ignore, promising a pliant miko pining beneath him begging for more, of tearing away those damned bindings that covered up such sweet skin, but he couldn't do it from here.
He was too far away.
Kagome was surprised when Sesshomaru suddenly turned on the offensive and went after her; she kept him off as his sword moved not to strike her but to disarm her. The blow from above was difficult to parry and her arms shook from the transfer of energy; she pushed harder and managed to break his hold. Leaping high into the air she swung her weapon to hit his side, but he was faster; grabbing the staff he yanked hard bringing her down with it, but she used this to bring her foot forward and drove it hard into his wrist holding the Tokijin. They came close to each other again and she got a deep look into his eyes and saw the intent behind it and something within her rose up sharp and uncontrollable.
She knew she should have been afraid, yet she drew in closer.
'So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become.
Help me believe it's not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal!'
They didn't know when it happened, but after they disarmed each other the fighting had changed. Tackles became opportunities to grope, punches became caresses in disguise.
Sesshomaru made a grab for her arm, but caught her sleeve instead and pulled hard; the part in the shirt spread and she stumbled for a second, but recovered just in time to avoid the kick intended for her stomach. Dropping down the miko swung her leg out and drove it at his ankles, it hit the targets but the demon flowed with it and back flipped delivering a round house kick to her side. She rolled with the hit as well recovering slightly slower than he since he wasn't the one with the wind knocked out of him. He didn't give her the chance to get her breath back as he came again; ducking to the right, the claws only tore the shoulder of her haori, but the kick to her legs was one she couldn't avoid. The priestess fell and he came down after her.
'Somebody help me through this nightmare
I can't control myself
Somebody wake me from this nightmare
I can't escape this hell.'
He couldn't fight it anymore, couldn't ignore it… no, he could, but he didn't want to anymore.
He pinned her arms above her head and dropped his head down to hers; the kiss was more heated than any other before it, it was rough, desperate, needy. She fought the urge to completely give in and used this distraction to drive her foot into his gut; he flew back, but didn't fully let go so she was dragged up as well. Using the momentum she front flipped and tore her wrists from his grasp and put some distance between them; turning to face him, she crouched on all fours, only allowing her feet and fingertips to touch the ground. His aura flared as he whipped his head around to face her; his face was too calm… it was exhilarating to see. The demon crouched in a similar fashion and they stared, a red slowly seeped around the edges of his eyes.
And he gave in to his demon lust.
'This animal… this animal…
This animal… this animal…'
They came at each other at the same time, a final strike; Kagome aimed a punch to his neck, but was too slow. He grabbed her hand and spun them both around until her back slammed viciously into the nearest wall; his hands moved with a need he had long thought was suppressed. Her haori was yanked until the full weight of it pooled at her elbows; she gasped and arched her back into him as he shredded her chest binding. His mouth and hands were everywhere, marking everything with small bites and light scratches; the knee between her legs pulled away for a moment as the red sash holding her hakamas up was torn away and the material fell around her ankles; he surged with a sudden need when he noted that she wasn't wearing any underwear beneath them.
He slowed for a sweet moment as if he knew that he would soon have his prize and with a few quick maneuvers his top fell away and he lowered his pants. For the first time his head came up to hers, the faintest of red rimming the edges of his eyes; so alluring she gave no further thought as he came down upon her. His kiss was as demanding as everything else and he never once let her have the upper hand, constantly ensuring that it was she who was moaning. He pulled away and knew immediately that he had her hooked when she tried to come in for more like an addict looking for her next fix and he was the perfect fix.
His mouth kissed a rough trail down the corner of her mouth, under her jaw, the side of her neck to the soft skin at the crook of her neck, just above her collar bone. He wasn't aware of his actions at all, the only thing that registered in his mind was how good it felt; the whispers were so loud now, like a coach instructing him and he followed like a true team player. It knew what had wanted, knew what he desired, all he needed was a little push and he would have his way, casting aside all his self-control for one sweet little indulgence.
She was too far gone to see his lips pull back revealing the sharpened fangs.
'So what if you can see the darkest side of me?
No one will ever change this animal I have become.
Help me believe it's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame this animal.'
Her pulse was deafening in his ears, the flow of her blood sang to him more sweetly than any melody, her cries for more excited him more than any thrill ever could, and the scent of her hunger fueled his own. This little human was a living drug for him.
Kagome cried out at the roughness of his actions; she should have been terrified, but she wasn't, she was aroused. She was known for her wild ways, why should this be any different? The singer felt his hands drop down, grab her from behind and impatiently lift her up off the ground; at that point neither of them was in any sort of control. He drove into her with one quick, hard thrust and her back snapped into a beautiful curve; the pain on her face was clearly seen, but… she liked it. His mouth was still at the base of her neck, licking that same area and shivers went through her like electrical currents. It was hot, everything was rising to a fever pitch, the heat of his mouth his hands, where they were joined; it burned so sweetly.
Everything about her was soft and tight; the softness of the skin beneath his mouth, the silken feel of her inner thighs caressing his sides, the constriction of her as he buried himself deep within her heat. He felt her move first as her legs tangled around his waist so she could grind into him; they pulled him in and kept him there, but it wasn't as if he was going to complain. Demon lust was a powerful thing and his was boiling over; through a haze of red he saw her head thrown back, to him it was a sweet offering and he took it. The fangs came out again and this time they took blood; she should have screamed in pain, which she did, but it soon melted into an erotic groan.
'Help me believe it's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame this animal.
This animal I have become…'
"Sesshomaru!"
She cried and the recognition reflected in his eyes; he quickly tore himself away just as the first drops of blood went into his mouth. He didn't want to, but he had to; he stopped all movement until she had some sense as well and looked directly into his eyes. His demon nature snarled in outrage and pressed him further reminding him of how good it felt to give in, but he resisted knowing that his control needed to be restored and to do that, he needed a distraction.
"Tell me to kiss you."
He demanded; her chest heaved up and down in heavy breaths as her eyes roamed the features on his face. The demon was breathing just as heavily as she and a thin film of sweat coated his luscious skin; it took her a moment to realize what he was doing. The miko wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes drooping lustily.
"Kiss me."
She whispered in wanton abandon and he obeyed taking her lips as roughly as he did before, but all of his attention was on kissing her. His tongue delved deep moving inside her in ways he had never taken the time to do before and when he pulled away she licked her swollen lips, slightly dizzy from the action. It wasn't enough.
"Tell me to touch you."
He commanded; some of his voice was lost, but all of the authority was still there.
"Touch me."
Then his hands were everywhere, paying more attention than they did before; focusing on the weight of her breasts in his hands how the tips of her buds hardened in his palms. Her curves felt even more defined beneath his fingers, his claws scratched lightly down the length of her spine and she jumped as if she had been shocked; his mouth came up to hers again. It was the lightest of touches, a plea of permission before she consented and he took her again, calmer, softer, more caring and had her pushing against him for more. His fingertips traced circles around her navel and slowly traveled down before pressing just above her heat; the pressure added to the one buried inside her heat and she didn't have to say anything before he stopped everything until once more she looked at him.
"Tell me to move."
In answer she drew a little out of him and with a shiver drove back in, their eye contact never broke until their lips came together again.
"Move."
Kagome purred and his hands went down to her hips and pulled until he was almost all the way out and then pushed back in; she hissed with need and moved with him, only at a faster pace. His eyes spotted the small trickle of blood running down between her breasts and he couldn't resist dropping down and licking his way up, but left the wound alone. The haze was coming back again and he dove down to sink his fangs even deeper when Kagome's movement increased; eyes with the red haze bored into her, roughened hands dug into her hips and drove into her relentlessly at a pace that took her to the point that for several sweetly agonizing moments she could do nothing, until her body moved of its own accord.
He slammed into her hard; bare back pressing into the wall each time. Her core clenched tightly at his intrusion and her wetness did not ease the friction, but drove it on even harder; she felt it with each thrust, one spot that he continually hit that sent little spasms of pleasure sizzling through her. One little flicker became a flame and then a fire; when she hit inferno everything was too slow for her; even at the disadvantaged state that she was in she still attempted to get the upper hand. Her hips ground into his with a speed he almost couldn't match; wild, heated, uncontrolled. Gone was the innocent little miko.
"Will you cum for me?"
He said with the allure that was very male; she threw her head back and screamed as the zenith of her ecstasy was reached. White lights filled her vision for a moment as she was wrapped in the silk heat of primal bliss, but he wasn't finished with her yet. Continuously driving into her, he forcefully brought her back to the border between desire and insanity until his red haze had faded into his sweet release inside her. Sesshomaru waited a long while before carefully extracting himself; allowing the sweat covered bodies press against each other, their chests rising and falling, brushing against one another with each intake of breath; the rarity of the closeness was one Kagome did not take for granted as she rested her forehead against his shoulder still dizzy with little ripples of the after effects.
"Wow."
She whispered breathlessly and looked up at him with an awe struck expression.
"That was… amazing."
The emotional void returned to his face and he slowly pulled himself out of her and she winced in the process.
"That was stupid."
He said with distaste looking down at her and she scoffed.
"Oh so now you want protection? I thought you couldn't—"
The look in his eye cut her short.
"I wasn't talking about that."
She followed his gaze down to the shallow bite mark, the bleeding had stopped and the blood was beginning to dry.
"What's so bad about that? Tons of people give each other love bites yours are just…"
Again her voice died away by the sheer intensity of his look.
"You took my blood before Sesshomaru. What makes this time different?"
He was silent.
"It can not be taken that way."
He finally said with a manner that meant he was ending the conversation, but confused as ever she wouldn't let it die.
"Why?"
Sesshomaru didn't say any more as he raised his pants up the scant few inches they had dropped, retying the obi sash around his hips and threw his shirt over his shoulder. Without his support, her legs more or less collapsed on themselves and she slid down to the floor; she stuck her tongue out at him and took the longest piece of her sash, fixed her haori until it completely covered her and tied the sash around her waist. He hadn't left yet, choosing to pick up his discarded Tokijin and slipped it into a loop from his obi, looking back just in time to see her raise herself up on shaking feet. Her haori was long enough to cover her hips, but only just, leaving a lot of pretty leg exposed, including the white sticky mess coating the inside of her thighs. She looked like she was preparing for another round with him; fine, it was about time he showed her that when she challenges a Takahashi, anything is fair game.
"This training…"
He finally said looking at her rather cruelly.
"… it's because of what happened that night after the concert."
She flinched at the statement, realizing she had given herself away she played it off, but he wouldn't be fooled by such pathetic tricks; 'Keh, she's fortunate she chose singing instead of acting.' He scoffed in his mind
"You've changed in a way that is more annoying than anything else. I've given you time to get over now you are going to tell me what happened."
The miko said nothing, but looked away in deep shame; her body felt filthy all over again. The feeling of Naraku's hands and mouth touching her everywhere made her shiver and a nauseous sickness came over her.
"I smelled the rotting stench of the Onigumo clan. It was all over you and it was disgusting. I know what they do, I know their tricks, and I know you lost now tell me what they got out of you."
Her body began to shake, revulsion, shame, fear, hopelessness, doubt, rage all boiled into an emotional poison inside her and she couldn't stop it. She was reaching her limit physically and mentally, both her wearing her down, but there was still enough power left within her to leak out into the air as translucent blue flames, it flared dangerously and uncontrollably. The first tears ran down her cheeks.
"He touched me."
She finally whispered in a disconnected voice; the temperature of the room began to drop as her power reacted to its host desolation.
"I couldn't stop him. There…. There were so many pictures. I-I couldn't stop him."
She whispered it again, fully accepting what had become of her and allowed the darkness within her heart to grow; she wasn't strong enough to protect a most precious secret and now her friends her going to suffer the consequences, she wasn't smart enough to see she had been duped and couldn't fight Naraku and his family off. She wasn't strong enough. She wasn't strong enough. She wasn't—
"Clean up and heal that wound yourself. It should go away."
The change in topic and snapped her temporarily out of her train of thought, the flames died away and the bitter cold faded as well; she looked up at him as he drew near. The wound was covered up by the material; he reached a hand out as if to touch it, but something stopped him and retracted it. Gaining her intuition back, something in his wording and his body language didn't sit to well with her and she eyed him suspiciously.
"It should? What do you mean by that?"
Turning back to her he drew in close dropping his head down and kissing the side of her face. She was drained in all aspects of the word, yet was continuing on, something vile had seeped into her and he knew it. This human refused to take the proper time to rest her body and mind, as a result the darker things inside her began to take control, he would not allow that and he to act. Hopefully he wasn't too late.
"It's not safe for a human to ask so many questions. Stop asking and you'll get more sleep."
She didn't see the hit to the back of her neck coming and didn't even know it had happened as she was surrounded by darkness.
"Revenge is the poison of the Higurashi, you have been immune to it so far, don't let it claim you too."
Kagome woke up with the glare of the sun right in her eyes; the small window in her room never failed to angle the brightness right into her corneas. Pushing the covers away she sat up with a look that dared anything more to disturb her; still in her haori and sash tied at her waist she walked out of her stuffy room and down the hall to the kitchen. She searched through the common places where Sesshomaru frequented and even flared out her aura to try and pick up his, but he was nowhere on the property.
"Coward."
She muttered out of bitterness, went to her room and stood in front of the full length mirror; leaning forward she pulled the soft material off her left shoulder and saw a bandage covering the bite mark. The bandage was clean, probably put on a few hours ago; Sesshomaru was going through an awful lot of trouble to heal this wound the old fashioned way and it just screamed that he was hiding something. Tearing away the surgical tape that held the bandage to her skin she exposed the bite which was already beginning to scab. Though she wasn't her sister, small injuries like this she could heal on her own.
Collecting a small amount of her aura in her hand she pressed the light blue flames against the crook of her neck and held it there for several moments; when she removed her hand the wound was still there. Her healing wasn't enough so she upped the dosage so that the light from it hurt her eyes and pressed it there for nearly fifteen minutes, but the only change was that the scab looked about a day older. She tried again, pouring as much as she could contain in her palm and held it there until her hand grew tired. There was hardly a difference. Frustrated, she sloppily placed the bandage back in place and stalked back to her room. She didn't have time to deal with this because today she had some things to do; one she was itching to get down to and the other she dreaded.
Her taxi driver, with a little persuasion and a fatter wallet, drove her into Tokyo's demon slums; it helped the poor man's morale that she was fully decked out in her priestess garbs and the double-bladed naginata that she spared Sesshomaru with, but with a little twist: it was covered in sutras made by her grandmother. The man went no further than seven blocks into the area; by the time he stopped the cab he was shaking like a leaf in the wind and dropped the money Kagome handed him.
"Don't worry sir, you are under the protection of the Higurashi clan, no harm will befall you."
It was one of the corniest lines she used as a priestess, but with the right voice and the air of confidence all Higurashis carried, people believed it and brought a feeling of temporary comfort. But even with the slight calm she brought, the moment she shut the door he slammed on the gas and bolted; the taxi kicked up a gust of wind that tussled her hair and rustled the soft, worn cotton of her sacred uniform. Turning one small foot, she set out down a street with the familiarity that one has with places they've only seen once or twice, but she didn't need a photographic memory or psychic senses to find her destination; the scent of smoke was still faint in the air and the charred out gap in the block indicated the bar she had visited.
No demons had bothered her, she saw them slinking away further into the shadows as she passed, wishing that she would turn a blind eye to them, but still bidding their time when she would be at her weakest to attack. In her own Higurashi arrogance she sent a pulse of her aura, and they retreated further in a cowardly scurry, before continuing down the block. It was truly a luck-of-the-draw that the bartender was still there, trying to clean up and recover what was left of his shady pub, in her weakness she could only see what his human flesh mask covered, now with the fresh scars on his face and burns on his body his cover was burned up and the black fur was now visible.
The ox demon huffed and snorted with the effort of pushing heaving timbers away from the charcoaled pile; the heavy muscle looked distorted with what was left of his human form. Sesshomaru's attack permanently scarred his true face and the burns kept the left side of his body stuck as an ox with the stamping hoof for a leg and foot, his arm still had the shape and five fingers that all humans were granted, but it was overlaid in inhuman flesh and strength with the human side of him struggled to compensate, as a result he walked in a awkward limp and most of work was done with his left which excluded much getting done. She would think he was weak, but trying to lift large objects with one arm and leg is almost impossible.
Absorbed in his work, he didn't notice her until the wind blew her scent in his direction; all motion of his body changed and he whipped his body around, the huge support beam fell with a thundering crash that flung a cloud of gray ash into the air. He would recognize her from anywhere, different clothes, different look, it didn't matter her smell was still the same and with her scent came the image of that girl's face forever imprinted in his mind, one if determination and stubbornness. He shuffled gracelessly to face her while her steps were calm and self-assured; she down played her aura to not completely frighten him, she didn't want that yet.
"You!"
He snarled and the oxen eye went from pale white to completely bloodshot in a matter of moments; the miko just stood there, silent and unmoving, he scanned her thoroughly and found a pressure spike he didn't feel from her before, a pulse that was once silent. She was different from six days ago, as if this uniform had changed her; she wasn't naïve, rash, or weak, she was silent, powerful, and cruel… a true Higurashi.
"I'm here to pick up on a discussion that was cut off. I'm sure you recall which one."
Her voice was flat a dared him to say anything on the contrary; he was throat tight silent. She was terrifying, she didn't do anything, yet the look in her eye had his human leg buckling in cowardice. His fear was well grounded; all demons were terrified of the Higurashi, they were merciless, strong, and ruled like tyrants; they developed an order and anything they felt disrupted that order they removed like dirt off stone steps. Her first trip to the bar, she did not carry that almost dark air about her, but now he could see it, it was in her eyes and her steps, her voice and her power. Few demons survived an encounter with a Higurashi.
"I-I ca-ca-can't."
His throat was so tight air barely entered his lungs and he visibly shook; she took a step forward, raised her hand up towards him and with no remorse sent those blue flames out at him in a hot streak. They consumed what was left of his human side, but even when the skin peeled away and his ox form was fully released it took a few more agonizing moments for the flames to die down, all the while he was screaming so horribly, like a true animal experiencing its slow death. When they finally faded the youkai stumbled, but managed to stay standing; at nearly nine feet he towered over her, but even great oaks fear the invasion of insects.
"What about now?"
She asked coolly, her eyes were apathetic and uncaring to his pain; he shook his huge head.
"N-no—"
He barely said the word before the flames licked at his body again, but this time there was no mask to take the brunt of the burn and he screamed louder than before, thrashing desperately trying to bring it to an end. By the time the second round was over he was on his knees, his massive forehead pressing against the ground while his body smoldered giving rise to the foul smell of burned flesh; he stayed where he was, there was no use fighting and his body hurt too much to do anything. The ox couldn't see the naginata, but he felt the cool edge of one of its blades rest on the back of his neck; the demon froze, looking up at her without moving his head.
"What will it be? Tell me what I want or I slaughter you like the beast you are."
For good measure she let loose her power, instead of the transparent flames it took the form of iridescent ribbons and a bright glow that, if dark, would have lit up the whole block; it was so strong, so destructive; there was nothing harmless about it, no innocence to be confused with, it was beautiful, raw, uncontrollable power and it was crimpling. He met her eyes, they were no longer plain brown, but glowed a pale blue; they bored into him, he could feel the tendrils of her power sneaking into the cracks around his heart, ruthlessly rummaging through his soul; it was a sick and disgraceful feeling. There was no point in denying it anymore; she had her hands buried deep within him as they grasped his soul and what was left of his sanity, he could accept his death from her blade, but she wouldn't stop there, once dead she would destroy his soul and that was something more terrifying than any threat Naraku could give him.
So he cracked. Humph, that didn't take long.
The taxi ride back into the safer side of the city was a more somber drive than she had anticipated; the anxiety and nervousness gnawed at her and she clutched her blade tightly. Tohma Studios got closer and closer too fast for her nerves and it was a struggle to sit still, but at the same time it was hard to move; she had thought about what she was going to do for a while as the city sights passed her by from the safety of the sanitary glass so clean she could see her faint reflection. What she saw was not a look she was used to seeing and focused passed it to the people and the buildings with their own glass allowing her the pleasure of viewing their colorful interior. When the cab had stopped she paid him with a smile to make up for her stand-offish company.
"Do not fret young miko, whatever problem there may be it always passes in time."
His smile was warmer than hers had been in days, this man who was a complete stranger—save for the half-hour ride—was consoling her and doing what he could to comfort her; he did not know her problem or what she was facing, he didn't know anything. Unfortunately she could no longer see the honesty and conviction in his words and she just bowed to him and slipped out of the taxi.
"Thank you."
She said quietly, but it did not have the same sincerity he possessed; the middle-aged driver knew effort when he saw it and took her gratitude with and respectful bow of his own and a wave as he drove away. The miko huffed and turned around and looked up at the building like she always had, but as she drew in curious stares she quickly moved into the building. It only took her a few weeks working at Tohma Studios to realize how fast—and how exaggerated—rumors traveled; it wouldn't be a full day at work without some technical worker, assistant, or janitor busting in with hot gossip about a wild animal in the lobby or a scantly dressed female dance group practicing on the third floor. Desperate for a change in the schedule, Bad Luck—and most others—would burst from their rooms to get in on the entertainment only to be disappointed that the wild animal was an unlucky pigeon that flew in through an open window and the sluty dancers were average high school girls taking fan-dancing lessons.
She had to move fast to outrun the gossip virus for there must have been several people outside or looking out their windows that saw her. When she stepped inside her stomach did a little flip, 'Of course…' she muttered bitterly to herself. It's Murphy's Law, the day she decides to show up for work dressed in her traditional garbs with a double-bladed naginata strapped to her back is 'Bring Everybody and Your Grandmother to Work' Day; the place was packed and vibrating with the chatter of the people. Instantly their eyes were on her, slapping a hasty smile she walked briskly to the elevators, bowing every now and then hoping to put them at ease. It didn't help. The weapon on her back just screamed 'fear me' more than her bow said 'harmless' and when she came to the elevators the people quickly darted out of her way. The first one to arrive she stepped into, but no one else dared join her and she was able to have a private ride, free of those stares.
When Kagome reached her floor she caught sight of a familiar face, she didn't know the assistant by name, but he often did work on her floor and was Bad Luck's main source of Tohma Studio's rumors. Like a good gossip he broke into a run that could have torn his pants, but catching sight of her, a recognition she didn't expect from him made him jerk to an unsteady stop. It wasn't Kagome as Bad Luck's lead singer he recognized her, but a description that was given to him by whoever was jabbering on his phone. Terror was the easiest facial expression to read because it was impossible to confuse it with any other emotion, even from the distance that was between them the miko could easily see the white of his eyes, that petrified stance, one that most people would go into, it was a mix of bent knees that either collapse or function to run and arms slightly raised as a means of shielding the head or throwing a fast punch.
The singer calmly walked down the hall and the man twitched, his thoughts racing to decide whether he move or just stay in place, but couldn't think fast enough for she was already beside him. She paused and placed a hand delicately on his shoulder.
"You will tell no one of this."
The conviction in her voice, so sound and unshakable, he couldn't fight his knees as they finally gave up and he slumped against the wall, shaking with eyes that were hopelessly glued to her form and the weapon on her back. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth; the control was so addicting. Her words were law to this man and he would follow them to the letter, she could have told him to kiss her feet and he never would have thought twice before doing so; so this was what it was like to have power over others, she truly had missed out. A thought occurred to her, this assistant was on his way to deliver the hottest rumor to everyone on the floor; he had the gall to gossip about her.
This weak little man was going to tell everyone she was here, he was going to blow her out of proportion and turn her into some kind of religious fanatic sent to blow up the building in the name of righteousness. How dare he! She had it in her right mind to show him what happens when he degraded her by spreading such lies; the ribbons leaked out of her again, there was a hiss of displeasure, a primal need for revenge. Eye for an eye. Life for a lie. Kagome felt a surge of satisfaction as her hand reached back to grasp the naginata.
"You saw it Otou-san! He hit me!"
Eight-year-old Kagome pointed an accusing finger at one of the older boys, now sporting a growing bruise above his temple, while her other hand rubbed her left cheek. Her eyes stung at the tears she refused to let fall in front of her bull-headed cousin; Shiro, even after being struck by a girl, smirked arrogantly finding power in the six inches and three years he had above her. Surrounded by other young family members the boy was congratulated by the dazzled eyes of his peers, it was irresistible, one hit and he suddenly gaining a following of half the Higurashi children.
"Let him be Kagome, focus on your training and he will stop."
His words were calm and wise as he kneeled down while speaking with her and placed a fatherly hand on her shoulder; the physical contact calmed the first waves of rage, but a peek at the kids over her father's shoulder changed everything. With his back to him Shiro stuck his tongue out at her with a sneer, the other kids laughed and began copying him, adding their own little twists to the insults and she snapped.
"Stop it!"
She screamed, slapped her father's hand away and ran right after her cousin; most of the kids were able to get out of her way, but since Shiro was her target, she didn't let him go. Kicking the back of his knees he fell with a scream and she jumped on top of him, digging her small hands into his scalp, grabbing fistfuls of hair, lifting his head up and slamming it into the dirt. She struck his face into the ground three times before her father managed to pry her away, but even then she struggled in his arms to get at the boy again. She wasn't satisfied, she needed to hit him harder, make scream louder, submit to her and admit his wrong doing; when she couldn't break free using her arms and legs she cried out and bit her father's forearm and held her teeth in.
"Kagome! Enough of your foolishness!"
Snarling like an animal she breathed deeply through her nose, glaring unwaveringly at Shiro who was openly crying as his face was smeared with blood and dirt. The other children had back away considerably, some were cowering or crying, others just stood there, but one thing they all had in common was their fear of her; she knew they wouldn't challenge her and if she ordered to do so, they would follow behind her instead. But her father's words stopped that tangent of thought; blinking a few times Kagome finally realized that she was still biting her father and slowing extracted her teeth. There was a deep impression in his arm, she tasted blood in her mouth and looked up at him horrified.
"Otou-san, I…I'm so sorry!"
The priest sighed and put her down, knowing that her extreme tantrum was over, he didn't look angry, but like he had just confirmed the point he was trying to make.
"Your temper is not something you will give into Kagome, I forbid it. No matter how much you want to, you do only what is right and do not let such negative emotions control you."
"But Otou-san he—"
"I know what Shiro did."
He cut her off and she remained silent, content that her father had acknowledged her cousin's actions.
"But that gives you no grounds to go after him."
"He hit me first! Eye for an eye!"
She cried out angrily and he placed two fingers on her lips to quiet her.
"Revenge is not the right way Kagome. Let me ask you this: did you stop after you hit him back?"
The young girl said nothing after a while until she finally admit it.
"No."
She said stubbornly and he nodded.
"This is what revenge and power does to you, getting even isn't enough, you need more and that feeling doesn't go away, it grows inside you and it turns you into those bad guys you see on TV with grandpa."
He cupped her small cheek with his right hand and rubbed his thumb over her baby-soft skin; she instantly felt a twinge of guilt and regret. Kagome couldn't go against him for she was able to understand that the bad guy he was talking about she became in those few moments, the feeling of giving into that anger.
"Never forget that revenge is a poison for the heart."
Kagome froze her hand where it was and looked back at the man; his body was frozen in place yet trembling with pure terror with eyes so wide they looked too big for his head. Her face calmed somewhat, still deeply troubled with what she was about to do. The hand fell to her side and her head dropped a little bit, she couldn't help but feel the crushing weight of what she almost did, of what she wanted to do…
She wanted to kill that man.
"You will tell no one of this."
She said again, but her voice was much softer and held deep regret and shame; the man still sat there frozen, but she knew that she had gotten her message across. Power still hummed around her in beautiful ribbons of white and blue, they dropped their malicious hum, but that did nothing to comfort the man. The tempurature around her body dropped to an eerie cold and frost began to form around her feet. When she turned to him again he could see something around the rims of her eyes: an ice blue tint was slowly dominating over her normal brown eye color; they looked so solemn and hollow that even fearful as he was of her, there was a twinge of sympathy.
Kagome knew something was wrong, the air around her didn't feel right; a suddenly splitting headache had her wincing in pain and rubbing her temple, she barely registered how cold her skin felt. It was shameful that she allowed herself to be taken over by power, desire for control, but what she realized was that when she did, a whole new level of power was at her fingertips and to get back at the Onigumo Clan she was willing to sacrifice herself for a few moments in the name of her family the Higurashi Clan, in the name of Revenge. And this power, it tied with something from long ago that her mind could not remember, a time that even Aki refused to mention, or did he forget too? She didn't not notice the trail of frost she left when she walked or how the cold steel of the door felt strangely warm in her hands as she pushed it open.
Okay, this length of time was pathetic, I know, I know; my excuse (this is a good one): my computer of old age and outdated-ness passed away in the previous months and I lost quite a bit, all my old work, pictures, music. Geek Squad now has my old girl on technical life-support, but she suffered a computer version of a stroke. Of what I mentioned above, I only got half (maybe) of it back, all my early stuff was still okay, but my newer work (like this chapter for instance) was completely gone and yes, I broke down and cried a little. Who wouldn't?
Alright, excuses and blah, blah, blah out of the way…
Song: Three Days Grace "Animal I Have Become"
I'm currently working of Chapter 8 (on a different computer) expect blood, violence, and all other action-melodrama.
Opinions are always welcome and critical eyes, I thank you kindly for your input, I hope I was able to answer your questions and I thank all of my readers who have been patient with me, hopefully this addition with convince you to put away your torches and pitchforks.
-Love's Essence
