Recuperation (In More Ways Than One...) Part 2
-Kagome's P.O.V.-
I scrunched my eyes partially closed, but still open, and blocked the sunlight, streaming in through my window, with one of my pale hands. Sitting up, I winced and gasped as a throbbing pain started in my gut, chest, and throat. I heard a growl from across the room and my eyes widened as I laid eyes upon InuYasha. "What...what're you doing here?" I groaned, rubbing my eye. "Feh! As if I'd even want to be here, but I refuse to let Sesshomaru watch over you," he ground out.
(A/n: If I were to draw this scene, Kagome would have had an anime sweat drop.)
"Where is he? Why won't you let me see him? How long have I been unconscious?!" I screamed at him. Sango ran into the room with Shippo on her shoulder, Tanashi and Kaleshi not far behind. "What's happening?" Sango inquired, looking around. I merely raised my hand and pointed to InuYasha. He was just sitting there, one eye twitching, and jaw dropped. "Hmph! InuYasha, out! Oh, and did you know? That expression on you makes you look like an even bigger dumby!" Shippo mumbled, pointing towards the door. "Why, you little bastard! GET BACK HERE!" InuYasha yelled, running out the door, down the corridor after Shippo.
I rolled my eyes, sighed, pulled a pillow out from under me, and put it back against the headrest, laying my head back. Sango, Tanashi, and Kaleshi hurried over and sat, forming a small circle around me as I just stared at the ceiling. "So... What was Sesshomaru whispering to you when you passed out?" Sango whispered excitedly. "What do you mean?" I asked, still staring at the ceiling. The moment she asked that, though, my heart rate sped up. "He mumbled something when he picked you up gently and carried you back to your room." "And, he wouldn't leave your side. That is, until InuYasha got in the room before he did and told him to fuck off," Kaleshi added, glaring darkly at the wall.
"He did what?!" I inquired wildly, sitting up, wincing and laying back again, holding my stomach gently. To my embarrassment, my stomach growled loudly. I blushed, looked up at their smiling faces, and I was immediately confused. "We'll go get you some lunch!!" They got up together; making sure it was okay if I was left alone, and, after a few glances back at me, left the room. I got up slowly, cautiously; strolling around my room, I picked up my yellow backpack, heaving it onto my bed.
Wincing, I gripped the bedpost railing, steadying myself. I looked down at my stomach, begging the wound to just be gone. I gasped when I felt a tingling sensation sweep over my wounds, then...bliss. I lifted my pajama top up, peering down. My eyes widened as I saw the remainders of my wounds vanish. It still hurt, but at least I knew I wouldn't risk bleeding. 'My miko abilities...but I don't remember them being this powerful! Maybe...I'm stronger than I thought I was,' I thought, as the pain numbed down to a simple sting.
I picked through my pack, searching... 'Aha!' I thought smugly, pulling out a light gray kimono, followed by an orange obi with purple bats dotting it. I walked over to one of the desks, pulling open a drawer; I gently lifted a crystalline bottle of a rich purple hue. I opened the cap, holding it up to my nose, I inhaled deeply. A sweet intoxicating scent entered my senses; it smelled a lot like lavender, except with a hint of vanilla. (A/n: I don't know what your opinions are on Mr. Higurashi being alive and all, but I'm keeping him alive in this story, just on a business trip. It's painful not having a father. Not that I would know, but a few of some of my best friends lost their fathers. I think their lives would be really different if they were still with them.)
It had been a gift from my father for my sixteenth birthday. He'd sent it from America, overseas, where he had been for over half of my childhood on a business trip. After seeing my brother, Sota, being born, his bosses had shipped him off. It had broken my mother's heart, but she had to stay strong for my brother and me. My grandfather had helped her do that. As did Sota and I, our love, being together... We had pulled through. Thoughts of my father and his missing presence brought stinging tears to my eyes. I quickly changed my thoughts to other matters...such as Sesshomaru. Were what my friends told me true? That he had tried staying by my side during my recuperation period? Anger swelled inside of me at the thought of InuYasha telling Sesshomaru to leave me alone. What if... I cracked up laughing at the thought of Sesshomaru ever taking orders from InuYasha.
Dressing into the kimono, putting my hair up into a low ponytail, I sprayed the unused perfume everywhere, except my hair. I didn't want to spend hours trying to wash the smell, no matter how sweet, out of my ebony locks. I headed over to the other dresser, sat on the small, cushioned stool, and pulled open another drawer. Pulling out a bottle of silvery liquid, I twisted out the cap, proceeding in painting my nails the beautiful color. I shut the drawer, opening the one underneath it, and pulled out a pair of midnight black fingerless gloves. I pulled them on, careful to not mess the fingernail polish up. Closing the drawer, I kneeled over, pulling on my two matching black ankle socks.
I stood, gathering my CD player and album of CDs, and crossed the room, opening the door silently. Seeing as nobody was around, I stepped out, closing the door quietly behind me, and began my trek. I wandered around aimlessly, hoping to Kami that I'd find a nice, quiet, secluded place. Maybe 15 minutes later, I came across the Eastern ballrooms. 'Now to find the perfect one...' I thought triumphantly. I examined every single room...except one.
Holding my breath, I nudged open the door; my jaw dropped as I stood there, gaping, and I had to tighten my grip on my things to refrain from dropping them. The plain empty room was...breathtaking, to say the least. The far wall was covered in glass, sunlight streaming through. It looked brand new, but the unuse of the door said it hadn't been touched in decades. Setting my things down, I crossed to the center of the room, my padded feet making little noise. I strode back over to my boombox, kneeling in front of it, and pushed the play button. (Disclaimer: I do not own Linkin' Park or their song In the End.)
(It starts with)
One thing, I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To explain in due time
All I know
time is a valuable thing
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Watch it count down to the end of the day
The clock ticks life away
It's so unreal
Didn't look out below
Watch the time go right out the window
Trying to hold on, but didn't even know
Wasted it all just to
Watch you go
I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me, will eventually, be a memory, of a time when I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
One thing, I don't know why
It doesn't even matter how hard you try
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
To remind myself how
I tried so hard
In spite of the way you were mocking me
Acting like I was part of your property
Remembering all the times you fought with me
I'm surprised it got so (far)
Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart
What it meant to me, will eventually, be a memory, of a time when I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know
I've put my trust in you
Pushed as far as I can go
For all this
There's only one thing you should know
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn't even matter
I sighed happily, holding my arms out in the form of a waltz, and began twirling around. I lost myself doing my favorite pastime; my soft voice filled the room as I sang along with the music. I could sense everyone's distress and I knew they were searching for me, but this was just so much more enjoyable. I wasn't even hungry anymore, not like I thought I was anyway. "So lonely inside, so busy out there, and all you wanted was somebody to care..." I sang lightly, in tune with the rhythm as I turned to face the window wall. I turned back around quickly, and just as quickly someone wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me tightly against their chest.
I looked up into topaz eyes, surprised and content at the same time, and whispered, closing my eyes, "Sesshomaru..." I wrapped my small arms around his waist, resting my face against his chest, I sighed contently. He waited a few moments before speaking. "Should you not be resting? You have the whole castle searching for you, you know?" he questioned me, suddenly lifting me off my feet, setting me back down, my small feet covering his own large ones. He started to dance around the room smoothly, gently. "I know I should be resting...but my wounds do not hurt so much anymore. It's been three days after all. And, yes, I do know. I threw them all off though by using my newest perfume," I told him, the sound of smugness in my voice, and I couldn't help but smirk into his kimono.
A soft chuckle was his response, his arm squeezing my body against his tightly, and we both exhaled happily in unison. Suddenly, a thought shot into my mind, and I wanted to see if it were true or not. So, looking up sharply, bringing my chin to rest on his chest where my face once was, I asked, "Sesshomaru...Have you ever heard of the holiday called Halloween?" I wanted to giggle at his puzzled expression as his eyebrow shot up and a slow smirk crossed his features. "Is this Halloween you speak of the reason for your attire?" he asked me slowly, laughing gently. I merely snuggled my head back into its previous position and replied, "Mhm." He laughed out, a wolfish sound I'd not heard from him ever before, holding me tighter to his body.
"No, I do not know it," he murmured, resting his face on the top of my head. His warm breath tickled my senses, sending small shivers down my spine. I felt him inhale deeply and exhale the same; I laughed out delightedly, thinking it was silly that his era had not heard of it. I decided to take pity on him and explained the basic idea of it all. "Well, it's a holiday where everybody dresses up as anything they want to be. Some costumes are scary, the teenagers and adults wear costumes like that to scare the young children. It's also a holiday where you get free candy. You just go up and knock on somebody's door. They open it, you tell them a joke, they give you candy, and you both say, "Happy Halloween!" to each other and you move on to the next house. It's just another holiday to bring families closer together...but it's my favorite." "What would you dress up as?" he breathed into my ear, lowering his mouth oh so close.
"Uh...I'm not sure. I've not celebrated it since before I fell through the Bone Eater's Well..." I floundered for some answer, to not look more like a fool than I already was. I trailed off, thinking of what I had been before that fateful day. "Hm...It would appear that, unfortunately, lunch has been prepared. The others are probably worried about you," he whispered to me, with a hint of regret in his silky voice. My heart swelled at the tone; 'Does he care for me, even as a friend?' I thought, looking up at him. Even if it was just friendship that he valued from me, it was enough for now. I reached up, standing on my tiptoes, and murmured, "Thank you, Sesshomaru." I closed the distance, meething his lips with my own in a passionate, tender kiss. A few minutes into it and I felt his warm tongue sliding across my lips, asking for permission. I supplied by opening up slightly and his tongue slid into my mouth slowly. My mouth acting of its own accord, it opened wider, and my tongue slid into his. The taste of his mouth was unexpected; it tasted... I couldn't begin to name the combination of the flavors.
Regretfully the kiss didn't last much longer for we both needed oxygen. We broke apart abruptly and I stepped off his feet, away from him, staring into his eyes as we tried getting our breathing into control. InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, and Dai rushed into the room, relief showing in their eyes as well as on their faces. InuYasha's, however, showed fury and hatred as he stomped across the room, none too graciously, to end up in Sesshomaru's face. He stuck his finger in between his older brother's eyes and shouted at him angrily, "Why the Hell are you in here with Kagome?! Don't you know she should be in bed, dammit! And why is your smell on her? DID YOU TOUCH HER!?" Sesshomaru's eyes, however, showed amusement and laughter. Our eyes met as we both burst out into laughter, and I found, that his was soothing, calming to the soul. 'He should laugh more often...' I thought to myself, both of us falling to the floor onto our knees.
Dai was gaping at Sesshomaru as he muttered quietly, "I've not seen you laugh this hard since...well, over centuries ago, Sessho." Was this true? Had he not laughed in generations? I glanced over at him, my laughter not showing any cease, and saw that Sesshomaru had tears in his eyes from laughing so much. He shook his head just then, stood slowly, strode over to me, and helped me to my feet as well. He cleared his throat, getting his hysterics into control, and responded with a serious face, "I know, but the expresson of murder on my pitiful half-brother's face was priceless. Especially with that tone. I could not contain my laughter any longer. Others in this room are just bubbling with it." He glanced at me meaningfully and I couldn't help but blush and smile shamelessly. "Yes, well...lunch is ready. Let's go eat, shall we? We must also put everyone's worries to rest," Dai murmured, exiting the room, trying to conceal a large grin. Sango and Miroku, hand in hand, walked out, looking back and their faces, also, held the same identical grin.
I rushed around the room, gathering my album, CD player, and walked back to Sesshomaru's side. I glanced back at the area we had really had our first kiss in; I would remember that moment always, I would treasure this room, and I would never forget it. We exited the room, InuYasha trailing behind us, and followed Sango and Miroku. Sesshomaru leaned down next to my head, whispering into my ear, "Go catch up with your friends. I'll take your things to your room," and I did just that, running up to my friends, laughing at their looks of momentary surprise. "What were you doing all afternoon, Kagome?" Sango questioned, quirking one eyebrow and smiling at me. "Oh, just listening to music and getting a little dancing done," I replied defensively, a slow blush appearing on my cheeks, and I glanced down at the floor to avoid eye contact.
The group separated as Sesshomaru and Dai proceeded to put my things into my room. The rest of us met up with Shippo, Rin, Jaken(who had become accustomed to following the pair of young children around), Tanashi, and Kaleshi and entered the hall for lunch and a briefing on today's activities. Taking a seat between Tanashi and Iku, I got a piece of paper and pencil from a small bag Shippo had taken with Rin and himself. Glancing between the ladies and Shippo I bent over the table to whisper, "What would you guys say to a Halloween celebration? With music and food and dancing?" Their eyes widened immediately and smiles crossed their features. "Yes!" they whispered back excitedly, some clapping their hands together happily. "Okay, here's what we gotta do..." I just finished when Dai and Sesshomaru took their seats next to us after making the announcements. We kept giggling at the thought of what we were going to prepare. Raidon repeatedly kept questioning, "What the Hell are you girls giggling about?!" which just sent us into more giggling fits.
Afterwards, everyone dispersed to their own entertainments. They featured archery, horseback riding, and hunting this day. We all exited to the gardens however, and the men followed behind. Every lady and Shippo were rushing about, taking measurements and shouting them out to me. Afterwards, we all sat under a giant cherry blossom tree and I turned to Rin. "Do you think you could get the estimation of how many guests are here from Sesshomaru, Rin?" I asked, smiling. She beamed, nodded, and got up, running to where he and Dai stood. I smirked as I saw Sesshomaru and Dai exchange glances and then look over here. We all took on innocent expressions and waved to them, smiling brightly. We immediately dropped our hands and got serious, looking at each other smugly as Rin ran back from Sesshomaru. "He said about 255 guests, Kagome-chan," she informed us. I shrugged, scribbled the number down under the messy scrawling, "Guests-" and thought about what kind of treats to get for the girls while I went back to my own time to get an outfit.
Then an idea sparked in my mind just as Sesshomaru and Dai walked away over a bridge and continued a different conversation. "I wonder if the Well would let you guys cross over to my time..." I wondered aloud, chewing on the eraser of the pencil. "What was that, Kagome?" Nyoko questioned, braiding flowers into Rin's hair. "Well, I'm not from this era. I use a Well to cross over to my own time and this era and I was wondering if the Well would allow you guys to come with me. Then I'd be able to get you guys costumes..." I explained with a puzzled expression, standing up and putting the paper and pencil into Shippo's pack as Sesshomaru ran into the castle, shutting the door into Dai's face. Dai made a crude gesture, causing Sesshomaru to laugh and run off. I giggled and shook my head, thinking, '...Every demon I come across acts like a human afterwards. It's amusing, but odd.'
"Well, there's only one way to find out whether or not my theory would work. Sango, do you think Kilala would be able to hold some of them?" I inquired, stretching as the others followed suit, standing up. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she could hold about four of us. The others would have to run, or maybe we could get Hachi to carry us all over to the Bone-Eater's Well?" she suggested Miroku's furry raccoon assisstant. "Well, I don't know if we could signal Hachi to come..." I trailed off, concentration etching my features. "Kagome! Sango! I could get Ah-Un for you. He could probably hold 5 people as well!" Rin squealed, happy to be of use, smiling. "That could work. So, Kilala and Ah-Un... Tanashi, Kaleshi, Sango, Nyoko, and Shippo on Kilala. Iku, Yatsuko, Rin, and myself on Ah-Un. There, it's settled. We'll leave tonight," they all nodded, beaming at me, and went to prepare for what was to follow. Sango and I lingered in the gardens and we ventured over to another sakura tree which was located near a koi pond. We knelt, side-by-side, and looked from the koi pond to the cloudy blue sky above.
"Hey, Sango... How is your and Miroku's relationship going?" I asked, wiggling my fingers in her face to snap her out of her thoughtful trance. A deep blush appeared on my friend's cheeks as she coughed uncomfortably, trying to come up with a suitable answer. I laughed at her silly expression and patted her on the back. She replied, "Well, it's not like that stuff's happening. Not yet. But I dunno... I mean, we've shared a few heated kisses recently, mostly in his room..." My jaw dropped and I shrieked, "Why didn't you tell me you were sneaking into his room? Aw, that's so romantic!" She smiled tentatively, shrugging, and nodded once in agreement. "I guess." "Oh, c'mon! You've been wanting this and more to happen for a long time! This festival's the perfect time!" "Whatever you say, Kags. Let's go get ready for our adventure tonight," she walked away and I ran up to walk beside her and we playfully nudged each other with our shoulders. 'I love this era...' I thought, grinning hugely up at the sky.
Woohoo, my friend, sesshyluvsjc (JC), posted up her second chapter to her new story! Yays. So I'm wondering... what should Sesshomaru be for Halloween? -Evil grin- You know, I'm gonna have Kagome go back to the modern era and get him a costume, and I want it to be FUNNY. Mary and I have thought about giving him a bunny suit. Only he doesn't realize what it is until he walks outside, with it on, and everyone starts bursting into laughter... We started thinking of the scenario, and yeah, thought it'd go something like this, so he just realized it, "KAGOME!!!!" "-Serving punch- Uh...Oops! Gotta go! Eep!" xD So tell me what you think of that. Or any other funny things. Thank you.
Sorry about the slowness. I'm getting lazy but I'll definitely be working on the next chapter. Which, involves the party and the shopping. Yay! I'm just wondering what I should call it. I'd love suggestions. Zanks you. :D
