This story is inspired by "In Present Company" by marriedmiko / Hira-Akami.
You can view here story
.net/s/3390574/1/In_bPresent_b_bCompany_b
"Uh…. Sesshomaru?" she asked.
He made no motion but she knew he was listening. "Um, are we going East?"
Still he did not look back. "Yes."
"Uh… why?" Kagome was honestly confused.
"There is a village nearby," he said simply.
"Oh. I have plenty of food…" she offered.
He stopped, turning to face her. "We are on the western side of the mountains. We need to be on the eastern side."
Kagome blinked. "Oh."
"We are coming near a pass, and it is the last easy one before our destination."
Kagome nodded. "Ok." That made sense. "How close are we to Edo, anyway?"
"We have just recently past the half-way point in our journey."
Kagome's eyes widened. Only half way? "You mean we have to keep walking another three weeks?" she demanded.
"Perhaps only two. I had not realized you were so anxious to end this journey." He turned away and continued walking.
Kagome paused. His last sentence had been pronounced in an icy-cold tone. There had been a time that she had thought it was the only tone he employed, but now she noticed the difference. She thought about it a moment, working out Sesshomaru's latest puzzle with a sort of guilty pleasure. She enjoyed the usual challenge, really. Clearly, he did not want the journey to end soon. Surely he was worried about Rin and Jaken, as she was sure the others were worried about her. She realized, though, that as long as they were heading towards their destination it was just the two of them. There were no interferences aside from those they happened upon. They didn't need to concern themselves with anything but getting home and each other.
Ah, Kagome realized. He seemed to equate her wish to get back to Edo quickly with a wish to be rid of him just as soon. And here she had thought his ego was untouchable. Smiling a little, she jogged to catch up with him.
"You know," she said in a conversational tone, "I've been thinking. You really don't need to carry me when I'm sleeping."
He regarded her out of the corner of his eye, for once not catching on immediately. For a split second he thought she was going to reject him completely. "I assure you it is no inconvenience. I don't mind it."
She nodded. "Yes, but it isn't dignified. For you, I mean. I was wondering, if we stopped to rest every night instead of you carrying me, would it really lengthen the trip that much?" she grinned slyly, looking up at him.
He caught on quickly. "Perhaps. Another week, perhaps two."
Kagome pretended to think about it. "I think that's acceptable."
Sesshomaru's forehead lifted, and she knew he was smiling, on the inside.
"In that case…" he continued. "I think it would be wise if you rested a while before we went into the mountains. It will be difficult terrain, and if you think I shouldn't carry you, then you should be well prepared for a hard time."
She smiled. "I think that's an excellent idea."
They reached the village in the late afternoon. It was a fairly large town, obviously benefited by travelers passing through the mountains. Kagome quickly realized that while there were a few inns, they had no money. She looked at the village on the side of the mountain, and spied a nice manor a ways away from the rest.
"Sesshomaru…" she began, an idea forming in her mind. "Could you curse that manor?"
"What?" For once, he actually sounded surprised.
"I mean just a little bit. Throw some jinks on it or something."
"Why?" he peered at her, brow furrowed.
She grinned. "Because I hate lying."
Sesshomaru dropped to the ground next to Kagome, startling her a little. She stood behind a bush, out of the sight of the manor. "Did you do it?"
"Yes," Sesshomaru stated the obvious.
"And nobody saw you?"
He glanced towards the sky, though the gesture was too apathetic to constitute rolling his eyes. "Of course."
"Alright then. Let's go." Kagome tried to pull her skirt down a little to make it look longer, realizing how little like a miko she looked. She looked up at Sesshomaru's slightly amused expression. "It's a hopeless cause, isn't it?" she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "Quite."
She grinned a little, and then sighed. "Whatever. I'll just have to act confident, then." She strode out from behind the bush and walked directly towards the manor, Sesshomaru following a step behind. Once she reached the front gate (which was mostly decorative) the guards hailed her.
"May I speak to the lord of this manor?" she asked in an authoritative voice. "There is an ominous cloud about this place."
The guards looked surprised and alarmed, and one of them ran immediately to fetch the Donna. He returned quickly, almost out of breath.
"Yes, young lady?" he asked, eying her strange outfit.
"There is a strange and evil aura about this manor. Please allow me to cleanse it from your presence."
He tilted his head. "You're a miko?" he asked.
Kagome pretended to be offended for a moment, and then softened her smile to be a little patronizing. "Yes. I don't blame your unbelief with a demon as my companion, but I assure you that I am. Please, let me release you from the evil spell."
He nodded a little. "Alright." He still sounded suspicious.
Kagome was allowed in the gates and wandered about the grounds, following the faint presence of Sesshomaru's displaced jinks. It was difficult for her with him standing right next to her, but he managed to discreetly guide her towards the old willow tree.
Kagome pointed dramatically. "It is originating from this tree." She proclaimed.
"We'll chop it down immediately," the lord suggested, and turned to make an order.
"No!" Kagome insisted. "The tree is good, but it has been possessed by a vengeful spirit."
There was uneasy murmuring from the guards who stood at a good distance. Sesshomaru heard a whispered name.
"Takazumi," he said aloud, and there was a collective gasp.
Kagome turned towards Sesshomaru, playing along. "Is that his name?" she asked.
Sesshomaru paused, pretending to listen. "Yes."
She turned on the guards. "Who was Takazumi?" she demanded.
They shifted uncomfortably. "A few years ago, two of the men got in an argument when they were drunk. Hishiro pushed Takazumi, and he fell off the walkway and hit his head on a rock and died. Right under that tree. It was an accident, but Hishiro felt so guilty he left."
Kagome nodded solemnly. "I will release his spirit from the tree. May I borrow your bow and arrow?" she asked of one of the guards.
He handed it over uneasily, and Kagome faced the tree. She moved her body into the familiar position, and focused her energy on the tip of the arrow.
ZiiiiiipTHUNK the arrow hit the tree squarely, a path of pink light tracing it's passage. There was a moment's pause, and then a crackling sound as Sesshomaru's jink was purified. Suddenly a bright light shot up out of the tree and into the evening sky.
Kagome stared after it. What on earth.? She hadn't been expecting that.
There were gasps of astonishment, and then cheers. Before she knew it, Kagome and Sesshomaru were ushered to a fine good meal.
As Kagome stared at the bounty laid out before her, she was still pondering the white light. Sesshomaru had declined any food, which caused little trouble. While they easily accepted Kagome, they were understandably still uneasy around him. They had their ears chattered off as they ate, but at last it grew late Kagome managed to finish her meal.
"Will you be passing through the mountains, miko-sama?" the lord asked kindly.
She smiled. "Yes. I was hoping to rest here first, but as I have no money…" she trailed off.
The lord waved his hand at her as if this were a silly thing to say. "I would be more than grateful to give you a place to stay. A couple of days soaking in the hot springs and your energy will be fully replenished!"
Kagome gasped. "Hot springs?" she dropped her calm demeanor with excitement.
The lord merely smiled. "Why of course! We are privileged to have a few private ones on our own grounds, actually.
