Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The story and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. All I own is my character, Asami.
Chapter 11 -
The scene playing out before Asami as they landed froze her heart. Her dear little Rin lay motionless in the grass while a boy stood over her with a demon bone scythe. Sesshomaru gently set Asami down, his icy gaze locked onto Kohaku ready to pounce if any movements were made towards Rin. Asami stepped to the side, her power surging in desperation to protect the little girl. Clamping down on the fear constricting her throat and holding back her power with all her might, she slowly started to step around the clearing hoping to come around the boy and get to Rin. Kohaku turned and faced Sesshomaru, raising his weapon.
"So you would dare to turn your blade on me?" Sesshomaru snarled, popping his knuckles in preparation for a fight.
"Kohaku!" Inuyasha suddenly appeared, punching the boy in the face and knocking him to the ground. A beautiful young woman with long raven hair – and strange clothing – slid off his back and bent over Rin.
"It's alright," she declared, "she's still breathing. She's just fainted."
In a flash, Asami was beside Kagome, pulling Rin into her arms. The flood of power within her subsided and she was able to regain most of her control. Stroking the girl's hair, she murmured to the girl, encouraging her to wake up. Kagome's eyes widened at seeing this new person, but did not protest her taking the child from her arms. Who, no, what is this creature? And what is her connection to this girl who I know I saw with Jaken?
"See," Inuyasha turned to Sesshomaru, trying to placate his brother, "The girl is alright. You can take her and go."
Sesshomaru wasn't done though. Moving so fast he couldn't be seen, he wrapped his hand around Kohaku's throat and lifted him high above his head. Kohaku's black, empty eyes stared back awaiting the inevitable. A line creased Sesshomaru's brow as he narrowed his eyes at the boy. There is no fight in him to live. He wants me to kill him. Snarling to himself, he let the boy go.
Rin started to wiggle and opened her eyes. "Asami-chan! Sesshomaru-sama! I'm so glad!" She threw her arms around Asami in a big hug. Seeing Kohaku on the ground she gasped, "Kohaku?"
The boy picked himself up and ran off before anyone could say anything further. In a blast of wind, they saw him fly skyward on Kagura's feather. Watching him go, Sesshomaru turned and started to walk away. He was frustrated with the whole evening and wanted to be alone.
"Um, Sesshomaru-sama, thank you for forgiving Kohaku" Kagome said quietly.
Sesshomaru stiffened at the implied show of compassion. "I merely did not want to fall prey to Naraku's plan." As he continued walking, Rin jumped up and ran to catch up, a brief 'goodbye' thrown over her shoulder.
Inuyasha and Kagome stared in shock. They couldn't believe Sesshomaru, who was known to despise humans, would have a young human girl traveling with him. A gentle laugh brought their attention back to the creature still standing beside Kagome.
"Thank you for your concern over Rin" Asami bowed politely and turned to follow Sesshomaru. Kagome reached out and touched her arm to stop her.
"Excuse me, but, who are you?" Kagome asked, perplexed that the woman seemed to be with Sesshomaru as well.
"My name is Asami." Seeing the real question in the girl's eyes, she added, "I'm a kodama."
Kirara landed with Miroku and Sango, just as Asami turned and ran off to catch up with Sesshomaru and Rin. Sango gasped in surprise, "Was that a kodama?"
"So she says" Inuyasha replied with skepticism, "But don't they just live in trees?"
Kagome turned to the group in confusion, "What exactly is a kodama?"
Sango watched the woman walking away with wonder. "Kodamas are tree spirits and guardians of the forest. Inuyasha is right, they are almost always living in trees. I had heard it was possible for them to fully take human form and move freely, but I've never heard of them leaving their forest and I've certainly never seen one!" Tearing her eyes from the disappearing form of the kodama, "What is a bit odd is that kodamas are known to be gentle, protective spirits. They really only wield enough power to help their forest and it's creatures grow. So why is she here and why is she following Sesshomaru?"
"She certainly had more than just little power when fighting Naraku tonight" Inuyasha mentioned thoughtfully. "When I met her she had so much power flaring that she couldn't fully control it."
Sango's eyes widened in shock. "That's impossible."
"Keh! Just saying what I saw."
"Hmm. Clearly there is more to this kodama and Sesshomaru than we currently know." Miroku concluded wisely.
Shaking her head at the revelation, Sango turned to Kagome. "Was there any sign of Kohaku?" As Kagome and Inuyasha filled her in on what transpired, Sango's eyes glazed with sadness. "So he's gone again."
ooooooooooo
Asami cradled Rin in her arms, watching the sun slowly make it's way into the sky. They had decided to rest so that Rin could have a chance to sleep after the night's ordeal. Oddly, Rin didn't seem too shaken by the encounter. Asami wondered at the reason, but didn't have the energy to ponder it deeply. Jaken fell asleep quickly as usual and started snoring loudly for such a little creature. The sound made Asami smile, how easily some could go back to a normal routine.
Sesshomaru stood at a distance from the group, staring off into the clouds. A whirl of emotions churned within him, though his features remained calm and collected. He was frustrated to have missed the opportunity to destroy Naraku completely and angry that he had fallen for some of Naraku's ploys. He's becoming more cunning. Thinking back over the encounter, he made mental note of ways he had failed and how to improve in the future. Then his mind flashed to seeing Asami trapped in the shiro and the fear he had felt at the time washed back over him. She had been so pale, her scent so weak, that he thought she was dead; that he had been too late in getting to her. He clenched his fists and breathed deeply, allowing the sun to warm him face and chase away the chill that crept up his spine at the thought of losing her.
"Sesshomaru-sama," Asami whispered from behind him. He tensed, but nodded his head in silent acquiescence to her approach. Asami came around and faced him, looking into his amber eyes that were so distant. She cupped his face in her hand, drawing his attention to her. Her heart swelled within her. When she had seen him engulfed by Naraku, she had suddenly faced a world without him in it, and didn't like it at all. When she had been trapped in the dark abyss – recalling her mental prison caused a shudder to run down her spine and tears to spring to her eyes.
"Asami," Sesshomaru wrapped his arm around her waist, concern wiping away the frustration, "what is wrong?"
"When I was trapped in the darkness of my mind, surrounded by the cold, with his vile words whispering in my ear," she shuddered again and pressed into Sesshomaru seeking his warmth, "I was so scared."
Sesshomaru gritted his teeth at her description. He had known she was unconscious, he hadn't realized Naraku had invaded her very mind with his filth. Wrapping his arm protectively around her shoulders, he snarled at the thought of Naraku daring to harm his kodama.
"And then there was you," she continued, resting her head against his chest, carefully avoiding his armor. "You were my light in the darkness, quite literally." Her heart shimmered in her eyes as she raised her head to look up at him, "I don't know if I could have escaped without your aura reaching out to me."
His eyes wandered her face, noting the hint of green still in her eyes, but landed on her lips. She worried her bottom lip in concern and he suddenly wanted to bite that lip himself, to see if she tasted of summer. He wanted to make those anxious eyes haze over with pleasure and lose himself in her embrace. Asami blushed as she saw Sesshomaru's eyes fill with a hunger, but she held his gaze. He leaned down, brushing his lips gently against hers. The merest touch with so much longing behind it. As their breath mixed, Asami closed her eyes. She reached her hands up, tangling her fingers into his silky hair, and drew him down closer, deepening the kiss. His mouth crushed against hers with a gentle sigh. He passionately took her mouth, using both tongue and teeth until he elicited a quiet moan from her. Her mind swam as the heat from the kiss went scorching through her whole body. Sesshomaru drowned in the sensations of the woman he was holding: the taste of her, sweet on his tongue, the feel of her pressed close against him. He drew back, resting his forehead to hers, breathing heavy as her scent, rich with magnolias, enveloped his senses. Her fingers caressed his cheeks and slid down his neck, settling themselves finally in the folds of his kimono.
"My kodama," he growled out contentedly, gliding his hand up and down her spine. He nuzzled her neck and held her close. "No matter where you are, I will always come find you."
A/N: What?! Another chapter so soon?! Yeah, I stayed up waaaay too late last night writing :P But when the muse hits, who am I to stop her :D
A great big thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! It makes me so happy to know other people are enjoying the story :)
Also, thank you to GirlFish who provided inspiration for Sango's reaction to Asami.