Ohayo minna sama!!
First of all, I apologise for the late update. I had... Issues this week... --
I am deeply grateful for the ones that reviewed the latest chapter. Thanks to your support, the ominous cloud have left my poor brain yesterday and I was able to enjoy writing this chapter, at last. I hope the good mood will last.
No more useless blabbering... Here's your chapter. Enjoy. :)
Chapter 10: Pathways; Walking on a rainbow.
They had traipsed silently towards the nearest village, four of the kids on the adults' backs and arms, and Souten and Shiori following, their heads bowed tiredly and their footing unsure.
Bells of warning rang in the settlement and the inhabitants fussed warily, running across the streets to gather their meagre weapons or hide from the youkai threat in their homes.
Kagome took the lead, touching slightly the daiyoukai's arm as she passed him to tell him she would deal with her own kind. One small slumbering young on each hip, she neared the man leading the troupe of frightened villagers, assuming he was their leader. Staying at a respectful distance, she bowed her head and smiled warmly at him.
She had donned a miko garb for the trek, and the man relaxed slightly in recognition, his white knuckles turning pink as his blood returned to them, his hammer still pointed towards the intimidating narrow eyed youkai.
"We come in peace, and seek your assistance with those children we have just saved from their dishonourable fate. Would you please allow us to gather food and clothing for them in your village? We will not stay long and we have money to pay for the goods you could provide us." Her voice was even and friendly, as she mustered all the diplomacy she possessed.
Her sweaty interlocutor spat on the floor and frowned.
"Wench, we don't accept filthy youkais within these walls. Be gone." He looked down his nose at her.
"Indeed, they are youkai, but still they are young and distressed. As for my tall and very patient companion, he is the protector of these lands and you owe him your tranquillity. We will do you no harm, but we need at least clothing nonetheless." Her smile was still warm, but not completely reaching her eyes.
The tension between the two groups could be cut with a knife, or with deadly claws as the case may be, when the rude answer came forth.
"I'll rip my own guts out myself before I help these sons of a..."
He was interrupted by a vicious snarl and nearly peed on himself as Sesshoumaru took the negotiations in his own now cracking knuckles.
"Mind your tongue, you fool. The miko was so kind as to ask this Sesshoumaru to spare your unworthy existences in exchange for your help, but my patience is wearing thin. Give us appropriate garments for the pups this instant or I will remove your empty head from your neck." His voice was smooth and cold, but never too loud to prevent the slumbering children from awakening. An acrid smell permeated the atmosphere as his poison started to drip from his tapered fingers.
The terrorised man was opening his mouth but a sturdy looking woman put a hand on his shoulder with authority.
"Shut up Ken. You're going to get us all killed." She then turned back to the fuming youkai. "Forgive him my Lord, She said with a low bow, some of us just don't know when to shut what mother Nature gave us for eating. Now, will you please follow me into my hut, and I will gladly give you what those little ones need." Her smile was strained but her scent was clean and free of deceit, so the inuyoukai gave her a curt nod and started to walk in her wake in a flurry of silk and silver.
Fortunately, her home was slightly remote from the rest of the village and the sensitive youkai was grateful for the reprieve from the strong human stench. Nevertheless, he stood near the door, ramrod stiff, senses monitoring the surroundings, letting the women take care of the kids.
Kagome cleaned them as best as she could with water from a basin and a cloth, throwing their rags in the fire and helping them don the clothes Atsuko, the villager, gave her. She didn't ask her why she had them, seeing the faraway look on her face. Either she had children and they had gone to live elsewhere, or... Well, the Feudal Era was dangerous, especially when you were weak, so the mortality amongst the young was very significant.
A stew was gently simmering on the fire, and they all ate a bowl of it before going swiftly to sleep.
Noticing the tenderness in the gaze of the priestess as she looked at the haphazard slumbering heap in the corner of the cosy hut, the woman couldn't stop her curiosity from being voiced.
"I mean no offence miko, but how is it that a holy woman takes care of youkai cubs, and travels with a demon such as him?"
Her tone was innocent, so Kagome answered truthfully, a smile still gracing her full lips.
"Well, Sesshoumaru is a good friend, we have known each other for years now, as we have fought against the same foe for a long while. Lately, my adoptive son, a young kitsune, was attacked, and he came with me to investigate. We found them in the cave of a youkai slave seller, and as much as I would like to find the culprit as soon as possible, we have to find shelter for those pups first."
"I see... So, you have adopted a youkai too? I thought mikos and demons were arc enemies..." The woman was thoughtful, but seemed not to disapprove either. She looked merely curious.
"Good and Bad are in every being and we all have the choice of acting according to the one or the other, whether we are youkai or human. As a priestess, it is my duty to protect the weak and help the helpless, even if we don't share the same heritage. My best friend and protector was a hanyo, and he had lived a life where he had been shunned and rejected by every being, even his own blood. He was a good man, but he had had a difficult life. I don't want anybody to suffer like he did, if I can avoid it." Her eyes were full of sorrow as a distant clearing bathed in gold flashed through her mind's eye, her friend's untimely death still fresh in her aching heart.
Only Kagome noticed when Sesshoumaru flinched at the mention of his half brother, and she gazed at him, her sapphire orbs unreadable by the ones who didn't know her. Whatever, the youkai understood and a weight lifted from his soul, as he knew she had forgiven him for the hate that had plagued the brothers' relationship for so long.
The silent exchange was unnoticed as the villager mulled over what the miko had said. She was wise beyond her years, that was sure, and she began to respect the young woman before her even more.
"So, if I understand well, you need to find somewhere to leave this lot before going after the demon that had abducted them in the first place? And I fathom a human settlement is not the ideal place..."
"Indeed." The smooth but chilling baritone of the inu made the skin of both humans crawl.
Unconsciously rubbing her arms to chase the goosebumps on her flesh, Kagome beamed at him.
"Do you have anywhere in mind?"
"We cannot leave them at my home. Only pack members are allowed there." His tone never left any place for argument.
"I could perhaps propose something?" Atsuko said bluntly.
"Speak your mind, human." He demanded as his gaze bore holes in the wall in front of him.
"I had been living deep in the woods with my late husband, before he died and I had to come nearer to civilisation... My cabin is still standing though, and with a little help, I could take care of the kids while you take care of... your own errands." Her face was still joyful, but her smile never reached her eyes.
The golden stare narrowed on her and she found herself squirming uncomfortably under his intense perusal of her person. She thought a bit dizzily that she could feel pity for the walls of her hut, grateful they didn't burn down under the blazing twin suns.
"After they wake up, you will lead us there." He decided, shifting his interest to a less animated target, lest their hostess melted.
They had left the children with the human woman after a day at the old cabin, deeming the place suitable for them to live.
Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru had hunted for them, providing them with furs and enough meat for the weeks to come.
The wooden house was small but comfortable, isolated in the forest near a bubbling stream of mountain water. Atsuko had gained the trust of the kids easily, showing that she knew how to cope with an unruly bunch of youngsters.
Kagome hadn't asked her about her past, but she had seen the flash of recognition in the eyes of her companion as they neared the small home, so she had trusted his judgement on the situation.
And now they were alone again, traipsing through the forest side by side, following the accurate sense of smell of the inuyoukai.
They had lost a day and a half with the children, so they decided not to stop that evening, Kagome holding Sesshoumaru's tail to avoid falling over vicious roots or branches that wouldn't fail to jump in front of her path, undetected by her dull human senses.
A few hours after the setting of the moon, the young woman started to feel too sleepy to keep on, so the youkai lifted her effortlessly in his arms and she snuggled into his strong chest, letting a dreamless slumber claim her.
He decided to stay on the ground at the same speed, his steps hitting purposefully the ground without a sound. He glided through the trees, basking in the pine and humus scent, enjoying the feeling the hunt evoked in him. He had joined the previous trail earlier this evening and knew that his prey was heading north at a good pace.
Nevertheless, he didn't want to quicken his walk, liking the direct contact with Mother earth. He was youkai, a spirit of Nature, and his power came directly from his surroundings: the soil, the heavens, the air around him. And if he was linked to all three elements, he never needed any sleep or food, replenishing his energies at the very source.
But that night he felt even more in tune with Nature, and he knew it was because of the small creature nestled against the silk of his haori. She exuded power, the power of life itself, the Divine breath of all beings of this Earth.
She was not only in harmony with every stone, every plant or... everything around them, but she WAS also this cement that linked the wind, the trees, the owl, the snail, the moon and the stars to every living and breathing atom in the vast Universe.
She had regained her peace, and he felt pride at the thought of her strength. She had probably more trials before her than any of her kind, because the ones like her needed those to grow up and find their own equilibrium, but he knew she would face them all with a smile and a kick in the shins of Fate.
And the wicked goddess would probably laugh her lungs off at that.
Hell, she had even managed to make him, the stoic Daiyoukai, laugh, so why not a goddess?
He tightened his grip on the softly snoring bundle in his arms and nuzzled her hair, his lids half closed over his sightly dazed gaze. He could never get enough of her heavenly scent and revelled in it in the secrecy of his own mind.
He would never tell her how much she had grown on him, but he could not lie to himself.
He was very much attached to the miko, and would never want her to leave his side.
He had been a lonely creature for a very long time, but now that he had made amends with his own inu nature, he was glad to have a pack, even if it was composed of a green grovelling chewing toy, a pack beast and two human females, not to forget the fox whelp.
And, if he wanted to delve even more in his own mind, he realised he considered her to be the Alpha female. Well, obviously, Rin couldn't be the Alpha, so it could only be her. So, in the pack hierarchy, they were equal, taking the important decisions together.
She was clever, even if a bit foolish sometimes because of her selflessness, and he had always respected her as an ally, so he supposed it was not a problem. And if one day she didn't agree with him... Well, she was probably not aware of her "position" in the pack, so it didn't matter.
He flinched as he realised what her role as Alpha would entail, if he wanted to be a bit extremist...
In inu society, the Alpha bitch was also the only female allowed to breed with the Alpha male. Logically, if he wanted an heir, now that his only relative, excluding his own mother, was dead, he would have to bring a worthy demoness into his pack and let the females fight each other for the position of Alpha.
And, he was sure, he would have to chose a very strong one, as the miko was the being the most powerful he knew after himself. And even then, he wouldn't want to go against her himself, as he knew he wouldn't escape the fight unscathed.
Anyway... Would a female youkai in her right mind accept his haphazard pack?
And would he accept another one as a "partner"?
He realised he didn't want to. They had been allies for a long time, somehow knowing how each other functioned. She had earned his respect, even as a human woman, and had proved she was capable of forgetting her own well-being for her group. After all, she had been the Alpha female of Inuyasha's pack for years and had protected her loved ones fiercely, disregarding her own desires.
And being the Alpha "couple" of a pack didn't oblige any romantic or intimate involvement, and he was grateful for that. He had known himself to be quite attached to the little miko, he even accepted the eventuality of him being physically affectionate with her, but nothing more.
More would be... Too risky. She was mortal, she was human, she was emotionally injured and unstable.
She was a magnificent woman and a good mother.
He shook his head slowly, blinking in confusion. Where did that come from? He would have to tighten the reins over his emotions more. This was most unacceptable. His logical grey matter continued to haunt him with thoughts of the Miko, providing the pros and cons of a closer relationship with her.
If he wanted her as the Alpha, and refused her as a possible mate, he would have no heir, until she died. A human life was like a drop of water in the ocean of his nearly immortal existence, so that was acceptable.
But if you looked at it from her point of view... She would have to stay chaste her whole life. He just could not allow any other male near her, his instincts forbade it. But perhaps she would be glad to be left this way? Her experiences in that matter had been nothing but hurtful after all.
But he knew for sure she would never really mend if she couldn't experience carnal pleasures. Her body would stay a vessel of hurt, instead of a vessel of joy. She needed it somehow, or she would never be complete again.
Sexuality was a natural matter, nothing to be ashamed of, and a good way to know oneself better. It needed trust, in the partner but also in one's own body. He knew human society didn't see things this way, but she had always been special. Perhaps she would let him show her she didn't have to fear the act, that it was enjoyable, not painful?
Somewhere in his now undisciplined and confused mind, he thought he might even enjoy it himself. The alternative was just too selfish, even for the ruthless son of the Dog General, the killing perfection. He definitely wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to shine and glow like she had for him that day in the cave, he wanted her to smile and laugh, and perhaps...
Perhaps he would smile and laugh with her.
Here it was... I hope you liked it.
I realised this story is less reviewed than "White dog, blue moon." If you have any idea of why it is so, please tell me so that I can improve this fic.
A good (and signed) critic is a stepping stone towards becoming a better writer. ;)
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