So yeah, Kikyou does not have a main part in this story, and the bits she is in; she is a bit of a bitch. I personally do not like Kikyou, sorry for her fans, I just don't like her at all, and I enjoy stories with major Kikyou bashings. I don't hate her enough to bash her badly, but my dislike for her shines through. Anyway, I love Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, and I hate the whole 'die half breed' thing so their hate for one another is not strong in this fic and only gets lighter as it progresses, you will see why, so sorry for those who love them killing each other. Well enjoy and REVIEW!
Chapter 9 – Help?
Sesshoumaru looked at the girl standing before him in wonder. Her soul seemed to shine through her skin, blinding him, lighting his darkened heart, calling to him. So she cared for everyone, that was a way to guarantee her cooperation if she was ever too free with him in the future. If she was too disrespectful or disobedient, then he could threaten someone. He would never actually hurt someone just to spite another, namely her, she may learn that one day too. He did not want to hurt her either, but she was but a child for now.
Her face was red and tears were threatening to spill in fear for the monk. Her eyes kept flicking from his terrified face to the sword at his throat. With a wordless and humorous smile he sheathed his sword and pushed the monk away from him. "Very well," he granted, not wanting their relationship to start with him killing a friend of hers. The boy quickly shuffled back and joined the slayer by her side. The whole village looked on in amazement as not only a Taiyoukai showed a young monk who dared attack him mercy, but did so, on the whim of a child.
Kagome rushed over to the boy's side to make sure he was alright, but was caught up in Sesshoumaru's arm. One arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up to set her atop his mokomoko. The fur that represented his beast burst into life at the feel of the girl he recognized as his ward with him. Sensing she was trying to get away it wrapped itself around her, holding her firmly to his upper chest. The action shocked her so she did not immediately start to scream and in the end just decided to stay silent.
"What do you want?" She whispered into his ear, fear evident in her voice, but she kept it under control, not overreacting at all, that, he was thankful of. He did not answer though, this was not the time or place for such an explanation, and she would come to understand in time. She sensed she was not going to get any information out of him right now and fell silent. His attention turned to the rest of the village before them. They looked on in fear but acceptance, when push came to shove they could not defeat this Taiyoukai.
When Kagome was beginning to give up hope, help came from a most unlikely source, her big sister Kikyou. "Lord Sesshoumaru," she greeted with a bow, "with all the respect, please let my little sister go, what could you probably want with her?" Kagome did not really know whether or not that an insult or not but it was a fair question all the same, 'what did he want with her?' she was sure that after the Inushasta and the kimono (which she was wearing), that she would b officially out of his life and they could get about their own business.
"That is none of you concern human," was all he said.
"It is my concern because you are talking about my sister! What could you want with a child? Her miko powers! Her body! What!"
Sesshoumaru looked at in a disgusted way, "This Sesshoumaru shall forgive your words this one occasion in regards to your prejudice against demons, but do not make such ridiculous assumptions about this one again."
Kikyou back pedalled and hastily apologised. She bowed but then moved forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Please forgive me my Lord, but do not take my sister, she is the only one I have. If you must take someone then take me instead."
Sesshoumaru felt his charge's emotions flare with love for the older girl facing him but he was not fooled for a moment. He did not need to be able to smell her arousal to know just what was going through her head. The wench desired him. 'Take me instead'. It was hopeful. She wanted to be taken. 'And how do you want to be taken'. As impressive as he knew his physique to be, he did not expect a female to offer themselves to him right then and there.
"And what could you possibly offer me that I would wish?" It was a stupid question and he realized that as soon as he said it. He was not thinking, but he could not just go with the child, he wanted to do this properly. He was not beneath kidnap, and this is what this essentially was, but he would still pay the village for her, or offer them some sort of form of protection. However, he was not going to stand for some teenage girl trying to seduce him or make herself seem desirable, for in all honesty, he found her repulsive.
She was truthfully the reason why he hated the human race, females in particular. Not only did they smell and look... were not worth looking at, they did not know the meaning of refusal. He could say 'no' on thousand times and she would still come back for more. She was holding his arm now despite his glare telling her to let go. She wanted to remove the arm himself, taking it off the shoulder it was attached to while he was at it. However he did not for he knew restraint and when it was important, it was important now, after all, he was sure maiming a member of your pup's family is never a good way to start a relationship.
"I will offer you whatever you desire, much more than she could, just put my sister down." She was pressed up against him now; it seemed he was the only one in the whole village seeing through her ploy. The child was having her doubts now, she did seem awfully eager after all, though it could be seen as a desire to protect her. But he understood now, she was jealous of her sister; she wanted to have Kagome's place and a handpicked girl from the Lord of the West.
"There is nothing I want from you," he said, pushing her away from him so she stumbled, but did not fall. He dug out a small pouch of money and tossed it at her, he knew that it contained enough to feed the whole village with rice for a year, not that it was a particularly poor village. "I came for the miko child and that is all, I am sure that is sufficient to pay for her." He watched the father take the money and open it, his eyes going wide.
He could see the man was torn between wanting the money and simply selling off his youngest daughter. Sesshoumaru decided to help him make up his mind, "refuse the money and I shall take it back and the child." A dishonourable action, but it made him take the money and bow, he let her go, Sesshoumaru noticed, a little too easy. Had he been trying to take another child he was sure they would have tried to give him the same amount to have her back. Well it was best this way anyway; he hated hassle of any sort.
He noticed though as he stepped away, bringing the girl from his mokomoko and into his arms that the older girl, Kikyou was looking at him with narrowed eyes. She did not like being refused, she was not used to being refused her... services, he could feel it, or maybe he was jumping to conclusions, she just did not want to be refused him. Turning her down was inevitable, she should have known that, his dislike for her race was well known, although Kagome may force him to reconsider his views on them, she was different and he was sure there were others out there like her, such as the old miko in the village, and other pure ones – the young children.
He tried to not feel sickened at the idea of bedding that human, any human, but the disgust would not be fought down. As if he would let his family suffer such a disgrace, his father doing it was bad enough but he was not going to follow in his footsteps, there was no need for that. Though it was a point that he needed to consider, his father's choices had always confused him, but something he wanted to consider all the same. Having this child around would help him think about it and he would come to his own conclusions from there. Looking at the teenager's narrowed eyes though; he could not help but think that he had not heard the last from her.
He kicked off the ground and took to the sky, that was the quickest way to travel back. That action startled Kagome into action and she cried out for her village to help her, despite her being paid for. "Mama! Papa!" She called out, but her parents could not come forward, by picking up the pouch of money, they had accepted it, and turned away from her, to attack him now would give him the rights to strike back, and they did not want that. When her parents failed to move forward she called for her siblings "Souta! Kikyou!" The boy wanted to help, the girl could not care less, and neither had the right to do so. She called for her friends next, but they were too high in the sky and ar away for her cries to reach them now.
The village he noted were quick to getting back to their business as if he had not just paid them a visit and stolen one of their own. Never mind, it was none of his business anymore, he had acquired what he came for after all. Kagome noticed this quick readjustment to her absence too; did they not even have the decency to stand still in shock and horror as he made off with her? Feeling dejected she sank into silence and did not thrash or complain – she was resigned. The flight would last about three hours with his precious cargo strapped to his chest. Half way through the flight, despite all better judgement, Kagome fell asleep, head falling back into his mokomoko, and it tightened around her of its own accord.
Eventually they landed and Sesshoumaru made sure to touch down lightly so as not to wake her, it had been a trying day for her and she needed her rest. As soon as he touched down, he was greeted by an enthusiastic servant, the one who always greeted him and told him the news while he was away. It used to be Jaken, but he had too many other duties to attend to, and he was annoying, his voice was... he hated his voice. By enthusiastic he of course meant LOUD like he always was, but he was a good, loyal servant, so he did not like to criticize him.
"MY LORD!" He boomed in his loud, adolescent voice as he appeared, dropping out of the sky. "INUYASHA HAS RETURNED!" So that was why he was so loud, not that he was not always loud, he was not always shouting quite so loud. His little half brother had come home for the first time in three years. He did not know how to react to the news, he was not overjoyed, but he could not say he was disappointed or frustrated either. He could say there was no love lost between them but that was not strictly speaking true, he did love the whelp deep down, he just never showed it and never told anyone his true feelings either.
So he said the first thing that came to mind, "silence Ruka, you will wake her up." That was when the teenage boy got a glimpse of who he was holding in his arms. Sesshoumaru knew how this must look to him, but he also knew people had too much sense to say anything about it. He spent years insulting Inuyasha and telling everyone how he was a constant reminder of their father's mistake. Though he was admittedly always proud at how the kid held his own in every fight he got into over his very species. Then Lo and behold, he disappears for a day and returns in the evening with a human child in his arms.
He realized how low that must have sounded then. He was sounding like a protective mother over her newborn pup. "Quiet, you will wake the baby,"... ridiculous. But then, it was not all that bad really, he was simply saying what was true, he had to be quiet, or Kagome would awaken, and she needed to sleep. That pure heart could only sustain so much and it had been overworked today with the worry for her village saving of the young monk's life. It had also been struck harshly with her own sister's strange jealousy and the villager's acceptance of the money, not to mention their quick readjustment. But she would come to understand in time that he was her family now, the Western Palace was her home, and that pure heart belonged to him.
Maybe it was a good thing Inuyasha was here, he seemed to have an effect on people not many people not many possessed. Despite his status as a hanyou, Sesshoumaru was impressed with his strength and his battle prowess. Consequently he made him the general of his armies, because he was the most suited to the job. Many believed he gave him the job just because he was his brother, but that was not true, he was the best man for the job, and he did it splendidly. His return meant one thing, Ryuukotsusie was dead.
Yes, the boy had a smile and a face that people fell in love with; there was something about his childlike outlook on life and his maturity in battle that clashed to make people want to be friends with him. There was something about his sense of humour and ears as well that made people like him, despite his race. He is the boy who was friends with everyone, he was kind and non judgemental, and he wanted people to like him and they did. His carefree attitude would be good for Kagome; their mental age was about the same.
"Ruka, tell Jaken to make the final preparations to the room next to mine, and if Inuyasha has taken it for some reason as he has tendencies to, tell him it is taken." The little whelp had tendencies to take the room next to his just to spite him. That room was reserved for his pup, but in the absence of any pups, Inuyasha often took it. It was no more glamorous than his own room, but taking that room gave the impression Sesshoumaru cared about him, and he did, but only privately, no one, not even Inuyasha was ever going to know.
He did not know why he cared for this girl so much so suddenly, but he did. He wanted to shower her with gifts, and he wanted to keep her locked away at the same time. He wanted to teach her everything she could learn, but keep her sheltered from harm. He would fight for her protection valiantly, like he would fight for Inuyasha (not that he knew that, and not like the boy ever needed someone to fight for him). He liked her, and wanted to be the only one she looked up to and adored, he wanted to be adored by her.
He was the one who took her to the room, which was vacant and he was the one who tucked her into the bed there. It was far too big for just her but it was designed to be shared by two or three siblings, the first litter always slept together after all. She snuggled into the sheets though and without realizing he reached forward and caressed the side of her face, brushing stray strands back behind her ears to reveal her face.
He was not tired; he was not that protective or possessive, at least he thought was not. But the next thing he knew was that he had lain down with her, laying her across his stomach. He felt very comfortable with her with him, complete, there was nothing missing before she came into his life, but he felt more comfortable with her now than he had ever done alone. He wrapped one arm around her, pinning her small warm form to his body. It was like fitting a missing puzzle piece to himself, her soul so white, his so tainted – harmony.
He fell asleep without noticing himself drop off into the land of dreams and unknowing. He had just never felt so right, sleeping had never felt so right, he just wanted to be with her. He forgot about all the roubles and duties of the Western Lord and lands. he forgot and Inuyasha and all that had transpired that day, he even forgot about how angry his knew charge was going to be, not to mention frightened and nervous – but all would ease in time. And all that existed in that moment as he fell asleep was himself and Kagome, together.
Oh yeah, and Inushasta.
