Over the next week, Kagome experimented on ways to recreate the purification weapons, and learn demon herbs and potions in between with Seri. She had even recruited Inuyasha to help her.
The information gathered by Inuyasha and Jura pointed to some neutral medium around handling areas. The barrier was a totally separate matter later implemented by a demon sorcerer.
"C'mon Inuyasha, I swear this time I got it right," Kagome pleaded.
"Nuh uh! That's what you said the last time and I almost got my bangs singed off!" Inuyasha protested. Kagome had been making test weapons and asking Inuyasha to use them to see how the weapon reacted to youki. At first, she couldn't stop the reiki in the blade from bleeding into the handle. Once she managed to stop that with a thin barrier at the edge, she had offered it to Inuyasha to try.
However the reiki flared in response to the close proximity of youki and practically blew up in Inuyasha's hand. He had smelled like burnt hair for the rest of the day. Even her human nose could pick it up. Sesshomaru had come to investigate the ruckus, and actually snorted at the sight. It was as close to a laugh as she had seen with the stuffy demon lord. Kagome giggled just remembering.
"Please Inuyasha," Kagome looked at him with big blue puppy dog eyes.
Dammit the woman was being unfair, Inuyasha angrily thought. He couldn't refuse that look. And why was a human so damn good at making that expression anyways? "Keh!" he responded. It was his way of reluctantly agreeing.
Kagome clapped her hands in glee and offered him the sword.
Inuyasha growled at the sword, as if it was some poisonous snake he could scare away. But the inanimate object didn't move. Hesitantly he grasped the sword, holding it as far away from his body as possible. He had his head turned away this time, preparing for the painful jolt of purity.
However it never came. Inuyasha opened his eyes and lifted the sword, straightening his body to a more dignified pose. Still nothing. "Kagome…" he called out softly.
"Yes, I see it Inuyasha," she said with bated breath as well.
Then, Inuyasha swung the sword in a graceful arc down at the ground. No explosion. Instead, the energy in the blade displaced the dirt, making a perfect slit.
Next, Inuyasha summoned some of his youki and tried to channel it through the blade as he would with Tetseiga. It was instantly purified upon contact with the reiki, but there was no flare up or backlash.
"Not bad, wench," Inuyasha smirked at her. He still called her wench just to get her riled up, but he knew to call her by name if it was anything serious.
"Yes!" Kagome cheered. "See, I told you it would work!"
"I gotta test this on Lord Ice Prick," Inuyasha enthusiastically darted off toward Sesshomaru's study.
Sesshomaru heard his dear brother stampeding down the hall and calmly set his quill down. He cracked his joints and stretched his muscles in an undignified way, returning to his lordly pose as the door banged open.
"Heads up Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha hollered.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru intoned with disdain. "You will desist such actions within this study." Of course he didn't listen, making a swipe where Sesshomaru's neck used to be. He had narrowly missed the leather chair.
Sesshomaru grabbed Inuyasha by the neck and threw him out the window. He quickly followed, claws elongated. Inuyasha got up just in time to block with his sword. Sesshomaru disengaged as soon as his claws met the purity charged blade. He stared at his smoking claws emotionlessly.
"It seems the miko has succeeded," Sesshomaru stated.
"That's right, and you can be the first bastard I try it out on," Inuyasha declared, teeming with excitement. Sesshomaru too was interested in seeing how strong the reiki blade was.
Kagome had followed the clanging and crashing out to the dojo. She stared at the two hot blooded males and sighed. No point stopping them now. The reiki blade was holding up remarkably well. It neutralized the youki emitted by Sesshomaru's bakusaiga so the reiki sword didn't break.
However the triumph was short lived. Sesshomaru flexed his youki, and the reiki was quickly overcome. The blade broke, and Inuyasha was once again at Sesshomaru's mercy.
"Did you guys have to break the thing?" Kagome huffed. She bent down and examined the broken sword. "I can charge the sword up with more reiki so that it can stand up longer against all that youki, but there is a limit to how much it can hold," Kagome explained.
Inuyasha looked over her shoulder curiously. Dog demons really were curious by nature.
However, Kagome was lost in her own musings. She got up and went to touch bakusaiga.
Sesshomaru immediately withdrew and sheathed the sword. "Do not be careless, Miko. You would disintegrate upon contact of This Sesshomaru's fang."
Kagome blinked blankly at him, refocusing on his words instead of her racing ideas. "Oh. I could probably touch it if I just channeled reiki. But you're right. I'd rather not test that. How much youki can that fang hold?"
"It is This Sesshomaru's fang, and thus can channel the full extent of youki," Sesshomaru arrogantly said.
"Is it possible to eliminate all traces of youki from it so it can be an empty vessel?" Kagome asked.
Sesshomaru understood the implications. Kagome wanted to use a fang as base material for the reiki weapons in order to charge it with more reiki. The weapon would truly be formidable if that were the case. "Theoretically, it is plausible. This Sesshomaru will call upon Toutosai, the swordsmith, to assist you." He then turned to leave.
"Wait! Could I have a fang to test on?" Kagome brazenly asked. Inuyasha choked on his own tongue trying to get out a caustic comment about her lack of intelligence.
Sesshomaru glared at the miko over his shoulder. She obviously had no knowledge of how improper it was to ask such a personal item from his person. His fang was powerful, and could be used against him in the wrong hands. It implied the utmost trust and honor to bequeath such a thing to someone. To give such as an alpha was to accept that person as pack.
"You lack knowledge of demon customs, Miko. Have Seri educate you. This Sesshomaru will procure you the fang of another demon to use," he impassively responded.
Inuyasha downright fell over at Sesshomaru's answer. He had been expecting Sesshomaru to cut out Kagome's tongue for such insolence. Yet all he did was gently chide her and offer to give another less meaningful fang? When was his cold brother ever this lenient? Intentional or not, Sesshomaru should have at least maimed the person.
"Oh. Sorry if I offended you, Sesshomaru," Kagome flushed with embarrassment. "Thanks for your help! …Though, try not to kill any innocents for the fang please?" She was only half teasing about the last part.
"Hm," Sesshomaru noncommittally responded. Kagome smiled, interpreting his response as agreement.
The whole surreal interaction was a little too much for Inuyasha's mind to handle. He decided forgetting about it was best for his health.
Later that day, Kagome began learning a few things about demon customs in addition to the medicinal techniques she usually sought out Seri for. In retrospect, she was surprised Sesshomaru hadn't lopped off her head for suggesting such a thing. Seri had laughed herself into a stitch.
"Oh would you shut up already and give me a few scrolls on demon customs and mannerisms?" Kagome said, still red.
Chuckling, Seri answered, "It's a lot more entertaining without such knowledge. However, it would probably be best for you to learn the basics." She then handed the miko a particularly thick scroll. "If you know everything in here, you'd know enough to attend royal proceedings without fumbling."
Kagome's eyes were met with tiny, tightly packed characters. She sighed at the daunting task. No one said it'd be easy. High level demons were particularly fussy about etiquette it seemed. "Thanks, Seri. This will take forever, but I'll try."
Her time at the Western Citadel was quickly becoming routine. In the morning, she would work on reiki weapons and shields with Inuyasha and Toutosai. By afternoon, Kagome would practice medicine and help out in the infirmary with Seri. Sesshomaru was always present for dinner. She would report her progress informally then. The evenings were her own.
Vallen and Areta were housed in a large stable. She made sure to visit them at least twice a day. Areta was growing fast, and it wouldn't be long before she gave birth. Kagome couldn't wait to see the little furry wonders.
At first, she had brought little treats for just Vallen and Areta, but in the cubicle right next to them housed a two headed dragon that had weaseled its way into her favor as well. The dragon was called Ah-Un she had heard from Inuyasha. He had hissed at her the first few times she had come, but eventually, the dragon got used to her presence. Lately, he had made a habit of blowing hot air at her hair to get her attention. The big lug was lonely too.
It had been over two weeks now, and tonight Kagome decided to pack a few fruits and vegetables to see what Ah-Un liked. Her bag was heavy with meat treats, carrots, apples, and pears, compliments to Umi. The skittish maid was finally opening up and relaxing around her.
"Hey Val, Areta," Kagome softly called. Ah-Un reared their heads up and snorted. "Hello to you too, Ah-Un." Vallen was already rummaging in her bag for the meats. He was so cute presenting them to Areta, as if he were the one who got them for her. But Kagome had to give him a few points for resisting eating until Areta had her fill. Once Kagome was familiarized with her winged wolves, she turned to Ah-Un.
"Hi buddy. I didn't forget about you," Kagome cooed. She then held up a carrot. "Do you like carrots? Don't bite me okay?" She slowly inched her hand toward Ah-Un. Ah, the nicer of the two heads, leaned in and plucked the carrot right from her hand. Un breathed a bit of fire into Ah for his ready acceptance. They hissed and squabbled for a while before calming down.
"Would you like one too Un?" Kagome tried to befriend the other head. It snorted haughtily at the gift. "Hmph, you remind me of a certain arrogant demon lord," Kagome admonished. "Okay how about an apple?"
As soon as Kagome took out the apple, Un turned to face her, staring unblinkingly at the apple. "You like apples huh. Don't be mean now. Nice and easy," Kagome coaxed as she neared the more aggressive head.
Apparently, things were going too slow for Ah, and he swooped in and swallowed the apple. Un immediately roared and bit down on Ah's neck.
"Stop fighting you two! Ah! That was very mean. That apple was for Un." Kagome quickly took out another apple. "Here, Un," she offered, much less wary of the fire-breathing dragon. Un let go of Ah and looked right into Kagome's eyes. A few seconds later, he took the apple from her hand, without biting off any fingers.
Kagome smiled and took out a few more treats, feeding the heads in turn. They were practically purring in her hands by the end of it. Kagome giggled. "You're just a big softie, aren't you?" she said, petting the two docile heads.
"What are you doing to my steed, Miko," Sesshomaru apathetically said.
Kagome whirled around to the entrance of the stable. She hadn't even noticed he had been there. 'Damn, I really do need to work on my aura detection,' Kagome thought to herself.
"Hi Sesshomaru. I was just getting to know Ah-Un a little better. I didn't realize he was your...horse?...steed," she squeaked. The demon lord really was too silent.
Sesshomaru regarded the miko petting his dragon. Ah-Un was usually pretty wary of others. The miko had a way with demons as usual.
"Why are you here?" Kagome asked curiously.
"This Sesshomaru owns this stable, and goes as he pleases." He then walked over and took out Ah-Un.
"So you do take him out. I was wondering if anyone came around to take him on rides," Kagome commented, happy that the cooped up dragon would get some fresh air.
"This Sesshomaru takes the dragon to patrols on occasion." He would not have the miko suggesting he neglected his mount.
Kagome brightened. "Do you mind if I come? I've been wanting to visit the village and let Kaede, my teacher, know where I ran off to."
The miko had really stopped fearing him ever since coming to the castle. Having her come and see him slaughtering beings may not be a bad thing. "Do as you wish," he simply answered.
Kagome scrambled to erect a big barrier around the stable for Areta, and prepared Vallen for flight. She caught up to Sesshomaru as Ah-Un launched into the sky. Kagome breathed in deeply and gazed up at the stars. "It's been too long since I've done this," she murmured.
The night was beautiful. The temperature was finally reflecting the first signs of spring, and the skies were clear. A sea of stars and a crescent moon glittered back at her. She turned to stare at Sesshomaru's billowing white form. His silvery locks flowed entrancingly behind him. She resisted the urge to reach out and touch the silky strands. Would they feel as soft as they looked?
It was so peaceful. A comfortable silence had settled between the pair. Sesshomaru was also enjoying the brief reprieve from all the paperwork. He had just taken a sleep cycle the night before. The whole day, he had kept himself busy to forget the lingering effects of his nightmares. A calm night fly was just what he needed.
This time Kagome knew for sure. Sesshomaru was relaxed. Gone were the stiff muscles and rigid set of his jaw. The mighty Lord Sesshomaru wasn't tireless. He got wound up every time he cooped himself up in that study. She rarely saw him anywhere else. How often did he sleep anyways?
Sesshomaru and Ah-Un suddenly dipped down. They landed very close to her house at the Holy Village. Looks like he was listening to her request about going to the village.
"I'll be right back," Kagome smiled gratefully at the stoic demon lord.
It was a few hours after dinner and the village was still bustling with energy. A few of the mikos had noticed Sesshomaru's presence and were standing on guard in the village. He didn't advance, and the mikos didn't pursue. However, Kagome could practically cut the tension in the air. She ran toward Kaede's. The sooner she finished, the less likely a fight would ensue.
Before Kagome reached the door, Kaede burst from the house. "Child, ye have a lot of explaining to do!" she scolded.
Kagome looked at Kaede apologetically and proceeded to explain the basics. She left out details like what exactly she was helping the Western Demon Lord with, or how the attack prompting her visit had holy power involved. It just didn't feel right divulging such things. Almost like a betrayal of Sesshomaru's trust in her? She didn't know why. So instead, Kagome focused on her mentorship with Seri.
"I'm glad ye able to further ye studies. Do what ye must, but don't forget about this old woman," Kaede said with grandmotherly affection. She knew not to press the girl for the whole truth. Kagome was growing up.
"Of course I won't! You're the only family I have left. I'll probably be back within the month," Kagome reassured. For some reason, the prospect of returning to the village didn't bring the pang of longing she expected. In fact, she felt a sort of indescribable disappointment at the thought of leaving the castle. She quickly pushed the thought away and bid her goodbyes to her surrogate grandmother.
Kagome avoided the glares coming from the mikos standing on vigil. She was happy Sesshomaru had listened and even escorted her back to the village. But his presence really wasn't helping her already doomed reputation. The village would really hate her now.
Monks and mikos were actually encouraged to join in this village because the offspring produced would most likely have spiritual powers as well. Kagome was infamous for her powerful aura, but no man had approached her or Kaede to ask for her hand. She had been bothered by the lack of interest as a fresh 15 year old when all others had gotten betrothed. But she got over it by convincing herself it was the village's loss.
Besides, after being exposed to all the attractive humanoid demons (neighboring village of bear demons, and Kouga's wolf tribe in the East), human men didn't interest her that much anyway. It still didn't change the facts. She was undesirable. Unwanted.
Kouga was the only one that showed any interest, but he was too overbearing and not really that serious. They had met when she was 17. The wolf prince was young, and had the audacity to attack the village on the Western Land. Kagome had put a stop to it by literally pinning Koga's tail down with a regular arrow. She didn't want to kill anyone, especially the more sentient demons, if she didn't have to.
Kouga was immediately infatuated because she was the first one able to stop him in his tracks so to speak. He swore off eating humans and proclaimed his love for her. Kagome knew love doesn't just happen like that, and so she just ignored him. His incessant claiming of her as "his woman" both annoyed and endeared the wolf demon to her. He was sweet, but too over the top for her. She gently refused his claim, but he still called her that for kicks. He wasn't a bad friend to have around to do something wild and crazy with. And she adored his pack.
Kagome turned her thoughts away from her disastrous reputation and nonexistent love life. She jogged up the hill to where Sesshomaru waited for her. "Thank you," she bowed to him.
Sesshomaru turned and walked into the forest with Ah-Un trailing behind him. Kagome fell in step next to Ah-Un and Vallen. The silence wasn't so comfortable this time.
So Kagome began chattering away about everything and nothing – how fascinating demon medicine was, how perfect the night was, how beautiful the forest was.
"Did you know there was a small lake just south of here? It has the most amazing view. The evergreens must be ancient. But there's this one large oak tree that you can climb and overlook the entire lake, and even catch glimpses of the village. Shippo and I used to go there all the time. We named it Goshinboku because it's so old and big – like it watches over everything." Kagome's wistful smile faded. She hadn't been there since Shippo died. In fact, they were right in front of Goshinboku when he was killed.
Sesshomaru stopped walking when Kagome's light chatter didn't reach his ears. He had been semi-listening to the animated, yet soothing tones of her voice. It was not unpleasant company despite the mundane and useless topics. Sesshomaru had grown used to the stream of consciousness when she suddenly stopped. What had she been talking about? Shippo…Goshinboku.
"What ails you, Miko?" Sesshomaru asked without turning around. He could scent the unshed tears without seeing them. He didn't care, but the girl had a way of piquing his curiosity.
Meanwhile, Kagome didn't know why she had even talked about Shippo or the tree. It was a topic even Kaede did not bring up in her presence. Strictly taboo. Yet here she was blabbing about it to the one person in the world who couldn't have cared less. On the bright side, he would probably forget her little sob story by night's end. Besides, it was a little late to regret her actions now.
"Shippo was an orphaned fox demon of around nine years old. We found each other at Goshinboku a few months after my parents died. I was eleven and inconsolable. Really pathetic. He knew what I was going through, being an orphan himself. So we became best friends. But I wasn't much of a friend. Shippo-" Kagome's voice hitched.
"He died because of me. Captured in front of Goshinboku by the mikos in the village. He was purified right before my eyes. And I was so weak. I couldn't do anything but watch. My powers didn't awaken until after he was killed. What use is this power when it failed me when I needed it most?" Kagome bitterly ended. She waited for Sesshomaru to blame her, or comment on her worthlessness. Maybe he hadn't been listening at all.
They continued to travel through the dark forest. Just when Kagome thought Sesshomaru wasn't listening, he said, "It is only natural to succumb to one stronger than yourself. Power will prevent such repeats of the past."
Kagome hadn't expected that answer. Her face was scrunched in incredulous shock. "A-Are you cheering me up?"
Sesshomaru glared at her. "Don't flatter yourself. This Sesshomaru was merely stating truths," he scoffed.
How ironic that the words she wanted and needed to hear most came from such a cold demon. Yet it meant so much more to Kagome coming from him because she knew Sesshomaru would spare no one's feelings. She wanted to thank him, but she couldn't trust her voice just then.
"How did you lose your parents," Sesshomaru emotionlessly asked. He wasn't sure why he was prying. Her story explained a lot about her affinity for demons. Her hidden past seemed to unravel the mysteries of her character presently, and Sesshomaru couldn't resist.
Kagome was startled he cared enough to ask. Figured he would pick up on a part she had purposefully glazed over. Relenting, she continued, "My parents were targeted by the village chief. There were two schools of belief. My parents believed in coexistence with demons. However, they were the minority. I don't know exactly what happened, but they had gone to make an alliance with the demon lord of the west." She met Sesshomaru's intense gaze.
"Instead, they ended up battling hundreds of low level demons. Three days. They lasted three days before succumbing to the continuous onslaught on the fourth. The village didn't send help. There weren't even remains to bury," Kagome quietly ended.
It was asinine to hear his name tarnished with such dishonorable deeds. The next thought threatened to raise all his icy barriers – the ones the miko had started to chip and crack. "You believe This Sesshomaru to be the root of such a deed?" he coldly asked. His eyes held no softness, no warmth. Frozen suns.
He would kill the miko if she answered yes. It would make sense. Her willingness to help him and get close to him would all be explained by this vengeful motive. Could she be so skilled as to fake her innocence that well? He would strike her down for such a deception.
"At first, yes. I was blinded by grief and blamed you, the village, myself. But after that, I started listening to my brain again, and paying attention to the world around me." Kagome gave an empty laugh. "It was stupid to think a mighty demon lord such as yourself would have to send countless low level demons. You would have just sent a skilled assassin and be done with it. No tricks, no ambush. In fact, my parents were too insignificant for you to take notice in the first place, no?"
"Hm." The miko was smart. He had been rather quick to draw conclusions. So many parts of his paranoid scenario did not make sense. Besides, no one could fool his senses and instincts.
"No. It was the villagers all along. They set it up somehow. But that's the past," Kagome attempted to bury the bad memories. Then, realization struck her. "Hey! You thought I was planning something to get my revenge on you!" She stuck out a finger accusingly.
Sesshomaru ignored her.
"Why you paranoid, ungrateful, stupid demon!" Kagome said, poking Sesshomaru in the chest following each adjective.
Sesshomaru grabbed her poking hand at the "stupid". "This Sesshomaru does not need a reason other than your insolence to strike you down," he hissed out.
"And THIS Kagome doesn't like to be called a conniving, crazy bitch!" She shouted back. Kagome was thoroughly offended. She had dug up things she wasn't sure was ready to see the light of day. And Sesshomaru gets paranoid. Gods she knew his response would hurt. Why did she care?
For a brief moment, her angry tirade collapsed, leaving only the pain bare for all to see. Kagome quickly turned away. Knowing his alpha too well, Vallen had already changed into his larger form so she could make a quick escape.
Had Sesshomaru not been demon, he would have missed the fleeting look of despair and…disappointment in the darkness. It grated on his nerves. Watching her retreating figure grated on his nerves. He determinedly continued with his patrol. He did not care about the miko. Her unfortunate past was not uncommon in this warring era. Her open kindness and general cheeriness just meant the stupid girl didn't learn from her past.
Ah-Un stopped and snorted and growled in distress. Away from Sesshomaru's threatening aura, the miko was quickly attracting unwanted demon interest. A flock of bird demons were downwind of the miko, and steadily tailing her unaware self.
Sesshomaru clenched his fists as he scented all the demons coming after the miko. How did one small woman manage to get herself in so much trouble without even trying? As long as the miko was living under his roof, he was still responsible for her protection. At that thought, he launched into the air, with Ah-Un trying to keep up.
In her emotional state, Kagome had not been paying attention to the youki swarming around her until they were nearly upon her. They were obviously looking for an easy meal. "Perfect. Just when I needed to blow off some stress," Kagome muttered to herself. Vallen sped up, pulling in front of the bird demons to give her space to shoot.
The sky lit up with her powerful purification arrows. Three shots later, the mindless bird demons were no more. Vallen landed back on the forest ground just as Sesshomaru touched down.
The miko was slow as always at detecting the auras, but her skill with the bow was indisputable. Sesshomaru flared his youki to warn off any lingering demons. The miko was off limits. Boring his golden eyes into her, he simply said, "The words you speak are your own."
Kagome stared at Sesshomaru for a while. Did that mean he wasn't trying to insult her? "Are all demon lords this distrusting?" she earnestly asked.
Sesshomaru tilted his head skyward as he considered her question. "It is necessary for survival."
A moment of silence ensued as Kagome also gazed at the stars. "Then I don't envy your title at all," she solemnly said.
Sesshomaru looked at Kagome before walking away. Kagome wasn't sure if he had taken offense to that comment, or what.
Sesshomaru paused in his step and looked back over his shoulder. "Come, Miko," he commanded, and continued on.
She trotted over, and they fell into a companionable silence. The rest of the night seemed peaceful, at least for Kagome. Sesshomaru would occasionally disappear to go forward and take care of some trouble.
Kagome had never felt so relaxed and safe walking through the dark forest. The next instant, she was fast asleep, draped over Vallen.
Sesshomaru returned from disposing another set of rogue demons only to find Kagome sleeping peacefully. The miko really could sleep anywhere, he dryly thought. Was she so unconcerned about the danger all around? Or did she trust him so much with her wellbeing? He was not her protector. Yet he felt…satisfied that the miko displayed such confidence in his abilities.
A breeze blew through the forest, sweeping the miko's scent directly into Sesshomaru. He immediately tensed. The light creamy lavender and vanilla fragrance of the miko was distinctly sweeter and heavier. It had a decadent richness that was perfectly offset by the hint of spice. If Sesshomaru thought she smelled pleasant before, now she smelled positively amazing. He inhaled deeply. The change was still subtle, but unmistakable. The miko was in heat.
Sesshomaru decided it was time to speed up the patrol. The miko would attract even more unwanted attention now. The small party took flight, skimming the treetops as Sesshomaru surveyed the surroundings.
By the time they returned to the castle a few hours before daybreak, Sesshomaru had fought off nearly twice the amount of stray demons on a typical patrol. The miko was like a beacon to all with demon senses. It saved Sesshomaru the trouble of hunting down the drabble, but also forced him to engage with ones that would have normally been disposed of by the villages.
Kagome slept soundly through the entire night. When they landed in the courtyard, she shifted slightly and nestled deeper into Vallen's fur. Sesshomaru almost resented the blissfully unaware girl. But he was demon lord, and thus above such immature emotions.
Sesshomaru left Vallen to see that the infuriating woman reached her quarters, and promptly left for his study.
*Author Note: For more, see my account on Dokuga: /fanfiction/story/6261/1*