He's Back

For once Sesshoumaru was a little late getting outside the next morning. He could see Kagome sitting on the stone wall, staring blankly at the water fountain. The look in her eyes was enough to make him concerned – they were blank, unfocused. He could still smell residual fear on her, and he knew she had had another nightmare. She was singing softly to herself, and he stopped once he got close enough to hear the words.

"I've been looking in the mirror for so long / that I've come to believe my soul's on the other side."

His face twisted in a scowl. He hated it when she was like this, in the haze that the nightmares put her in. Then again, he knew all too well what it was like, to dream things that had already happened and were likely to happen again. There was nothing like waking from a nightmare and realizing it was – or had once been – a horrible reality. He decided to leave her be for a moment.

"All the little pieces falling / shatter / shards of me too sharp to put back together / too small to matter / but big enough to cut me into so many little pieces / if I try to touch her."

She spotted him from the corner of her eye and beckoned him to join her. Hesitantly, he came and sat down beside her. "Would you rather be alone?"

She shook her head. "After the nightmares, sometimes it's best to have someone else around. Harder to work yourself into a funk that way." She flashed him a smile and he couldn't help but smile back. He noticed her shiver a little in the early morning chill, and automatically he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. She eagerly snuggled closer to his warmth. "Thank you."

He shrugged. "So, considering that we have the day off and Naraku's at his foster parent's house, so we don't have to worry about him bugging us all day long, what would you like to do today?" he said conversationally. Kagome giggled, accepting his ploy to take her mind from the bad dreams.

That's all they were now. Bad dreams.

"I don't know. I've never been to the city near here. Is it nice?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Depends on your definition of nice." he said noncommittally. "I've seen better."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You don't like the city, do you?" He gave her his patented, what-do-you-think? look. She laughed at him. "Claustrophobic, are we?"

"A little." he admitted. "Comes from being stuffed in the closet at an early age."

She flinched. "Ouch. Well, is there somewhere else we could go? The last thing I want to do is spend the rest of the day on campus when I don't have to be here." Sesshoumaru laughed.

"Come on." he said, taking her hand. "I'll show you the town outside the city."

/---/

It was a small town, not very many people, and very rural. Kagome couldn't help but stare wide-eyed as Sesshoumaru pulled the truck into the parking lot of a feed store. "This is incredible." she murmured. "I've never been this far away from the city before." Sesshoumaru chuckled and guided her into the store.

"Sesshoumaru! It's been ages!"

An elderly woman with kind brown eyes rushed up to Sesshoumaru and threw her arms around him, holding him tight. Sesshoumaru merely smiled and hugged the woman back. Kagome stood off to the side a little, not really sure what to say. It was clear Sesshoumaru was well-known in this town. Maybe he had lived here before?

Sesshoumaru gently disentangled himself from the old woman's hold and motioned towards Kagome. The woman gasped in surprise. "Well, I didn't know we had a visitor. I'm Kaede, child. Who might you be?"

"I'm Kagome." she said shyly. "I'm a friend of Sesshoumaru's from school." Kaede smiled and hugged her as well. Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru in amusement. He merely smirked back.

"Oh, I must find my husband! He'll be so glad to know you're back, and with a girlfriend to boot!" Kaede missed the blush staining Kagome's cheeks and the way Sesshoumaru simply rolled his eyes at her. "Jinenji! Get in here! Sesshoumaru's home! Jinenji! Oh, where has that man gone?" She stalked to the back of the store, leaving the couple by themselves. Kagome gave Sesshoumaru an odd look.

"Girlfriend?"

"Don't bother trying to correct her." he advised. "That woman has been trying to hook me up with every female on two legs ever since I started rooming here." Kagome giggled as Kaede came back, dragging a man who looked to be about ten years her senior behind her. He, unlike his wife, had amethyst eyes and the trademark pointed demonic ears. He smiled at them both.

"Welcome back, Sesshoumaru." He gave the boy a warm hug. "And you've brought a friend with you? What's your name, girl?"

"Kagome." If anything, Kagome's voice had gotten softer. Her nervousness washed over Sesshoumaru like a wave, and he placed his hand on the small of her back, trying to comfort her. It was clear she wasn't entirely comfortable around these two new adults, but he knew she'd get used to them soon enough. Jinenji smiled at her and pulled her into a hug as well.

"How long are you staying?" Kaede asked, automatically handing Sesshoumaru a pad of paper. He took it and quickly scrawled a note.

We have the day off. I wanted to show her around the town.

Jinenji chuckled. "Well, have a seat, both of you. Kaede just started making some homemade brownies. You should stick around for lunch too." He glanced behind him and lowered his voice. "She's experimenting again, and I don't want to have to suffer alone."

"I heard that!" Kaede snapped good-naturedly. "I tell you, for a demon, you sure do have a pathetic memory. I can hear better than that!"

"Good, because I hate to think that my blood went to waste on you, woman!" came the expected jibe.

Kagome took the pad from Sesshoumaru. Are they always like this?

He grinned. Always. You get used to it after a while.

Kaede came back with the brownies and a glass of milk for each of them. For the most part, Kagome sat in silence. She had gathered from the flow of conversation between the three that Sesshoumaru had lived here when he ran from his family two years ago. He had stayed with them for about six months, and then started attending the college near the city. She almost smiled. He was comfortable here; this was almost a family to him, with the demon Jinenji and the human woman he had bonded tohim with his blood. She was starting to relax, but she still stayed close to Sesshoumaru. He didn't seem to mind.

"Kagome," Jinenji said suddenly. "Would you like to go outside and see the horses?"

Kagome perked up. "You have horses?"

Kaede chuckled. "I'll take her. Come on, girl. You're in for a big treat." Kagome stood and willingly followed Kaede, all thoughts of nervousness gone. Sesshoumaru chuckled as he watched her go, affection shining warm in his eyes. Jinenji smiled at the look on his adopted son's face.

"I see you've taken a liking to that girl." he commented. Sesshoumaru merely shrugged. "How did you meet her?"

She saw me sitting by myself and came to pester me. She hasn't left my side since.

"I don't think that really bothers you."

He smiled. No, not really.

"Do you talk to her?" Jinenji studied the boy thoughtfully. "She may not understand it if you don't at least tell her why you don't talk."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. I talk sometimes to her. But she would understand. She's been through the same.

Jinenji winced in sympathy. "Poor thing. Well, there was a reason I sent her off."

I figured there was.

"Keh. Don't get smart with me boy." Sesshoumaru merely smirked at the mock-warning in the old demon's voice. Jinenji rolled his eyes. "I need to tell you something important. Hakudoshi is back."

That got Sesshoumaru's attention. You're kidding, right?

"Wish I was. He's back all right. You might want to warn Naraku. He's going to that college, and I heard that Naraku was there as well." He watched as Sesshoumaru dug his claws in his hand. His eyes were squeezed shut, trying to calm himself. He knew all too well what this would mean for Naraku. The brother he had been avoiding all these years was going to come back and haunt him. Jinenji reached over and squeezed Sesshoumaru's shoulder in encouragement. "Don't worry, boy. Everything will work out in the end."

"Sesshoumaru!" They looked up to see Kagome come skidding to a halt right next to him. She grabbed his hand and proceeded to tug him to his feet. "Come on, Sesshoumaru! Kaede's gonna teach me how to ride a horse!"

A slow smile spread across the demon's face as he allowed the young girl to pull him to his feet and out the door.

/---/

They stood at the stone wall once again, Kagome smiling brightly and Sesshoumaru keeping an eye out for Naraku. "Man, I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!" Kagome commented as she stretched her back a little. "But it was worth it!"

Sesshoumaru grinned. "I didn't know you'd never seen a horse before."

"Are you kidding? I've never been out of the suburbs before! That was great! Are we gonna go back and visit them again?"

"Probably. They are my surrogate family after all, and I think Kaede has already adopted you." He smiled as Kagome giggled.

"Well, if it isn't the mute boy." a slow, deep voice said from behind them. Both stiffened as they spun around. "I thought you wouldn't ever find a cute girl to take you in. How is she, if I may ask?" The stranger's eyes traveled from Sesshoumaru to Kagome, and both gasped in recognition.

"Hakudoshi!" It was all Kagome could do to keep from taking a step back. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought you could escape me, did you, Kagome?" It was clear Hakudoshi was older than Sesshoumaru and Naraku, by about two years, but he was also slightly shorter. Pale white hair hung in a ragged mess to his shoulders as his silver eyes remained pinned to Kagome. The girl shook.

Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to his side. "Who is he to you, Kagome?" he whispered in her ear.

"He – he's my ex-boyfriend."

/---/

AN: HA! How's that for a cliffy? Next chapter picks up right where this one left off. Review, please! Oh, and the song earlier was "Breathe no more" by Evanescence. Not mine.