Chapter 8 - Friend or Foe
Kagome walked back into the mansion somewhat worn from the attack. She was about to retreat to her room when she felt Sesshomaru staring at her from behind. She turned to face him. "What? What could you possibly want to say now?" She said exasperated. Sesshomaru looked at her for a long moment.
"Thank you." Sesshomaru said quietly. Kagome nearly fell over. Her jaw dropped and she stood dumbfounded. Had Sesshomaru just thanked her. Did she hear him say it or had she just imagined it. The ever chattering Kagome stood there speechless.
Sesshomaru looked at her with his solemn face studying her. This beautiful creature in front of him. She had risked her life to follow him out of the barrier and even aided in his battle. He had seen Kohaku and without a doubt would have killed him, but there was no way this gentle creature could have known that. Her actions had been selfless to say the least and that mystified him.
"Uh… well… your welcome." Kagome finally managed to squeak out. Kagome still did not know what to do. Should she retreat to her room? Should she stay here with him? Her mind was frozen in this moment of gratitude expressed by the tyrant of tyrants himself. She surely had to be the first person on this earth that he had ever thanked and Kagome simply didn't know what to do.
"Go, rest now. I shall leave you be." His words were quiet and sincere, but they somehow hurt. Could it be true in her soul that she didn't want to leave him. That she wanted him to come with her and comfort her? Kagome turned quietly and made her way to her room. She lay on the floor looking out onto the balcony unsure of everything. Although she tried to bring herself to think of InuYasha and her friends her mind kept going back to Sesshomaru. His thanks, the battle, their encounter on the floor of her room. Kagome stared off into the garden listening to the birds sing their song and wondered what would happen next. After going through every minute since her arrival she turned and rolled over onto her back. The sun caught a glint by the tub. The bottle, she had forgotten entirely about it with everything going on. She walked over to it and picked it up. It was small, delicate even, and it held a clear liquid in it. She opened it thinking that it was perfume of some sort, but when she smelled it, it had no scent. Was it poison, surely not, why would Sesshomaru save her only to kill her.
Kagome lay back holding the bottle over her. She rolled back and forth, curious of its contents. After nearly an hour of smelling, looking, and guessing she stood up. She had to know what was in this bottle it was a question that was eating her up inside. She clasped the bottle in her hand and set off into the house to find Sesshomaru. She found him in the dojo brandishing his sword. She stayed back quietly watching. The great Sesshomaru practicing? Surely she must be seeing things.
"Are you going to spy forever or do you plan to show yourself?" Sesshomaru said turning to the door.
Damn that nose of his. She thought to herself. "Sorry to bother you, but I have a question." Sesshomaru looked at her waiting to see what she wanted. Kagome held the bottle up.
"Um, what is it?" She asked quietly. Sesshomaru almost looked relieved as though he had been expecting her to start another battle of the wills.
"Its water from the spring, it will remove that battle scar." Kagome's hand instinctively went to her leg, touching the scar. When she had received it she had felt as though she finally had become a part of this whole world, but now it was a nasty reminder of a love that seemed to be in vain.
"Thank you." She said softly. "Sorry I bothered you." She said and turned on her heels. She wandered off into the garden unsure of everything that she had ever known about this time, InuYasha, and especially Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru's mind raced. The girl had risked her life for him, thanked him, and even followed him back into the barrier of her own free will. His focus had changed from Naraku, Kagura had been a nuisance and he had not been at all happy to find that Naraku had taken his bait. By taking Kagome to that cave he knew he would draw Naraku in, but now he just wished for peace in his home. Time that could be well spent learning every nook, cranny, and breath of this girl. He desired to have her as his own, let his brother have Naraku. InuYasha could wage his own war while Sesshomaru planned his own secret mission. Sesshomaru let the thoughts overtake him for a few minutes before pushing them to the side and allowing himself to return to his own room.
The next few days were spent with few words, Kagome had begun to cook daily for the both of them. Sesshomaru sat quietly across from her at meals as did Kagome. Each day he thanked her, rose, and retreated to his room. He spent time in the dojo while she puttered around the garden picking flowers and placing them in the ancient vases through out the house. Kagome cleaned, wrote in her journal, and found other things to pass the time. She had begun to wonder if Sesshomaru was ever going to speak to her again. He has been distant, pleasant, but distant. Kagome found herself wanting to talk a hundred times over but everything her mind could come up with seemed so trivial after the battle that had taken place and the odd stand off they seemed to be having.
Sesshomaru meditated, went through the motions of practicing battle, and remained to himself. He had decided to give the girl some space, allow her to feel as though she was here of her own will and not his. He filled his days with needless activities to hide his tormenting thoughts. He had started to question himself and his desire for total domination of the world around him. Never had he found a more worthy opponent than this miko who was a mixture of flower petals and fire. She seemed to go from one extreme to the next without so much as a hint of warning. In one moment he smell her desire for him and in the next her wrath was raging forth in full force. He knew that now letting her go was no longer an option. InuYasha would never take possession of her again. Even the thought of turning her over to that incapable hanyou ensued rage within him.
As the world around the barrier turned the world within it seemed to stand still for the both of them. Acting like strangers in passing while laying their heads to rest within feet of each other. The beautiful starry nights captivated Kagome, but they could not hide the passing of time, and the thought that she should return home to at least let her family know that she was alive. Kagome searched for a reason Sesshomaru would find valid enough to allow her to leave when suddenly a reason found her. Kagome's head started to pound and she began to have chills. Surely she was running a fever. She began to cough and wheeze within the day. She was sick! She must have caught a cold, but how? There wasn't a human in the barrier to get sick from then she thought back to the attack and how she had stepped out of the barrier. Just my luck I go out for ten minutes and get sick. She thought to herself. Just great…wait… maybe it is great. She could tell Sesshomaru that she had to go back to get medicine or it would only get worse. What would a demon know about getting sick. InuYasha had never so much as had the sniffles as long as she had known him.
Kagome tapped lightly on the door to Sesshomaru's room, the only room that she had not explored since her stay in the estate. She waited and heard nothing. She rose her hand to knock again when the door slid open in front of her. Sesshomaru stood there towering over Kagome with her hand still poised to knock. "Is there something that you needed?" He asked looking at her pale face.
"Well I think I am coming down with a fever." She said quietly before breaking into a coughing fit. "I think that I need to go to my world to get some medicine." She told him in between sniffles.
"Out of the question." He stated flatly. Sesshomaru had heard the girl coughing and could smell the sickness on her. It was surprisingly strong.
"Well what do you supposed I do then. Lay here until I wither away?" Kagome had little fight in her to give. Sesshomaru knew that she was weak and listening to her pained pulled at his heart ever so slightly.
"Where is this medicine that you need. I can retrieve it for you." He spoke with confidence.
"You can't find it here. It's a special medicine from my time. I need it to break the fever." Kagome pleaded her case. She would not tell him that only she and InuYasha could pass through the well. Once she was on the other side he couldn't follow and she would be free.
"How do you get to this time of yours?" He questioned raising an eyebrow. Well if you can bring me to the forest where InuYasha was sealed by Kikyo I could show you." Sesshomaru looked at her suspiciously. What could she be up to? Sesshomaru didn't like to play a game in which he didn't know the odds, but what could he do? He surely couldn't lay back and watch her die.
"Fine. I shall take you." Kagome grabbed bag and followed him through the house. He paused and pulled a heavy Kimono from a hook in the hallway and wrapped it around her. As he opened the barrier she looked back at the estate sure that it would be the last time that she was there. It tore at her heart more than she had thought it ever would. He swept her up into his arms pulling her close and took off.
As they raced across the sky Kagome took the time to lay her head on him and hold him tightly. She felt guilty inside as though she was somehow betraying him. She pushed the thought from her mind. How could she be betraying him, he had captured her, imprisoned her, and used her as bait. As her emotions battled back and forth with her common sense she had neglected to realize that the they were drawing near. As Sesshomaru landed with the grace of a ballerina she let out a sigh of defeat. The time was now. She would tell him that she had to go through the well and he could wait for her there. She knew that if he tried to follow that he would simply end up on his backside, in the dirt, at the bottom of the dry well.
"Its over here she said walking toward the well." As they entered the clearing Sesshomaru raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "It's the well, I have to jump in. You can wait here for my return, I shouldn't be long." Kagome said weakly.
"I shall go with you." He stated flatly. Kagome shuddered but fought to maintain her composure.
"Suit yourself." Kagome said as sincerely as she could while placing one leg up on the side of the well. She paused a minute and looked at him, she wanted to remember him that way, peaceful. With that she jumped over the side and began to descend into the well.
Sesshomaru watch her fall quickly towards the bottom as swirling lights engulfed her. What a truly amazing human he thought to himself placing a foot up on the well. He paused a moment and then jumped.
*** Author Note*** If you like what you are reading let me know or if you see something that I may have goofed on tell me. I love feedback… the more I get the faster the chapters roll out!!! Maiko Anna
