Together
* . * . *
Means that it's the same POV just a shift in time / place.
Chapter 21
= Third Person POV =
"Do you know what they are?" Rin asked Shippo.
"Yeah," Shippo answered. "They're Kagome's books for her school. She reads them to learn stuff for tests."
"Oh," Rin commented. "So why are they outside her door?" she asked him.
"I don't know," Shippo answered as they continued to stand over the small stack of books that were stacked neatly outside Kagome's door.
"Should we tell her that they're out here?" Rin asked. Shippo breathed out after a moment of thinking about it.
"I'll tell her," he said as he tuned to knock on her door.
"Coming," came from the other side.
"Rin," came from behind both children causing them to turn around.
"Sesshomaru-sama, good morning," Rin said when she saw him.
"Good morning Sesshomaru-sama," Shippo said a moment later.
"Why are you here?" he asked both children.
"We found Kagome's books," Rin told Sesshomaru.
"Go down for breakfast," Sesshomaru told them.
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," she said before turning to leave.
Shippo stood looking at Sesshomaru, before turning to look at Rin as she skipped down the hall. He was slightly torn with what to do. He had decided to tell Kagome about her books, but now he was being told to leave them. As Shippo looked up at Sesshomaru some of the healthy fear that he had for the demon lord came back, causing him to bow and run to quickly catch up with Rin as she started down the stairs.
"Almost there," came from the other side of the door this time. Sesshomaru looked up as Kagome opened the door wearing her blue checkered pajamas.
= Miroku =
Once again, both of them aren't here. He may not have asked her to be his mate, but they do like each other it seems. That thought flowed through my head as I smelled Sango's tea that she had been drinking since Kouga arrived.
I looked over at Inuyasha and his hair was pulled back, just for a change he said after we found a drawer in his wardrobe that had a large selection of hair ribbons. I hadn't even seen it before because it was hidden above and inside the top drawer. Inuyasha appeared to have forgotten about it, and showed a great deal of interest in it when I found it by accident that morning while I tried to help get him dressed. It was hard to put clothes on him when I wanted to take them off. In the end he chose a black ribbon like mine, but it wasn't as worn out and much longer. When I pointed that out, he tossed mine out of the widow and gave me a new one. Will the gifts never end? I asked myself with a smirk as I accepted it.
That morning I had woken up in his arms realizing that he had moved to hold me and had also gotten a blanket to cover us. I'm sure it was the sunrise that woke him as he changed back. I reached out and touched his light embodied hair just to remember. As I fell asleep again I remembered his hair from the night before and realized that it did feel the same, no matter what color it was.
All our heads turned as the door opened and in walked Kagome with Sesshomaru. She seemed to be in better spirits than the night before. She smiled and said hello to everyone while Sesshomaru just walked to his seat before bowing to everyone at the table.
No one brought up the topic that was the cause of last night's excitement. Instead we talked about Kagome going back, about how long she would be gone and some of the actives she would be doing while she was home. When Kouga said that he wanted to take Sango home with him for a few days while Kagome was gone, it almost fell into a vote before she agreed to go with him for three days. This time Shippo wouldn't be going with them. He was going to stay and have studies with Rin.
Sesshomaru was his polite and restrained self throughout the meal. Agreeing and giving his consent here and there. Once Sango got back from her visit we, as in Inuyasha, Sango, Shippo and I, were going to meet Kagome back at the hut before continuing our hut for more of the jewel shards.
During our last month of jewel hunting we hadn't come across any sign of Naraku and we hoped that it meant that he was still weak and recovering from our last encounter, which would give us extra time to get more shards before he did.
We also planned out when our next meet up with Sesshomaru would be. It was set for two weeks after Kagome came back, which sounded like it was going to be a week long stay.
When the meal ended, Rin ran with Shippo to meet with one of her teachers. Sango left with Kouga to pack and Inuyasha along with myself walked out of the room with Sesshomaru and Kagome. I think Inuyasha felt a bit odd not taking her to the well. He normally did when she wasn't mad at him.
Kagome asked us both if there was anything that we would like for her to bring back. I had no wishes and Inuyasha didn't make any demands either. She had already asked Rin and Shippo before they had run off for their lesson, if they wanted something also. Besides the request for more sweets and 'lollipops' to share between them both, I think Rin asked for something special. If she did, it was a request that only Kagome heard. The little girl had pulled her down and whispered into her ear. I wondered if I would ever find out what her request was.
As we neared the front door, I saw Kagome's big yellow bag looking very light. That was always a sure sign of it being time for her to go home for a while. We paused at the door and stood around awkwardly for a moment before I reached over and gave her a hug. It was quick and I kept my hands high on her back to make sure that there weren't any misunderstandings for either of the brothers, and stepped back. After looking at me, Inuyasha mumbled a few words to her, mostly about getting what she needed done, done so when she got back she wouldn't be moaning about something she forgot. She said that she wouldn't and gave him a hug that he looked like he was trying hard not to return under the watchful eyes of Sesshomaru.
As she let go of him, Sesshomaru opened the door and walked out, leaving her to catch up. We stood inside the door way and watched as she caught up with him. She told him something that I didn't get. I turned to Inuyasha to ask him, but his ears had flatted against his head. Was it that bad? I wondered or was he just being considerate? I looked back to see that they had slowed and now stood still outside the gates.
I eased off of the door frame as he raised a hand and placed his arm around her shoulders. He was looking at us both as a cloud of energy appeared under their feet and they slowly rose into the air and then quickly drifted away in the direction of the well.
I turned to look at Inuyasha to hear what he would say, but he continued to look at them long after they were out of my sight.
"He was looking at you," I told him when I thought that Sesshomaru was far enough away for me to regain Inuyasha's attention.
"He was looking at both of us and you know it," Inuyasha shot back at me. He turns to look at me before walking back inside.
"Let's go to the dojo and practice," he says as he continues to walk in its direction.
"Shouldn't we change first?" I asked him as I caught up.
"Do we change before we go into a fight?" he asked me as we neared the dojo.
No we didn't, but didn't Sesshomaru say we had to dress like that to practice in there? I did not say this out loud of course.
We fought with my staff and his restored claws in something close to hand to hand combat. My robes were worse for wear an hour later. I should have at least insisted on changing into one of my older set of robes before we started.
By the time we sat down for a rest, we had already discarded some of our clothing and I was topless to try and save some part of my robe. I think I got a slight upper hand when I did that. I believed that he was actually trying not to cut me. I appreciated it, but a few more scars wouldn't make much difference to me at this point. When we started again I pressed him harder so he would really fight me. I didn't want him to go easy on me, no one else will when I had to fight for real.
He finally came after me with a bit more drive after I got him across the face with my staff. His blows were fast and I had to really think of a way to get around them and get away from being defensive and go on the attack myself.
I spun around him thinking I had a surprise move going when I saw his eyes open wide as I slipped by him, but when I turned towards him, he was waiting for me. I reached up to block, but he went low, and I felt all five of his claws as they raked across my stomach.
Inuyasha froze before I did. His triumphant smile turned into shock as pain became acquainted to my body and I started to fall to my knees. I grasped my staff to keep from falling on the floor and causing myself more pain, but that wouldn't have happened. Even before I started to sway again, I felt Inuyasha holding on to me, helping me to stand. He was saying he was sorry and that things were going to be fine, but mostly he said that he was sorry.
I heard him shouting for Amaya as he helped me to walk out of the dojo. I heard Sango ask what happened as she took my staff from me. Soon Amaya was there asking Inuyasha what he needed. He told her to get anything they had to help stop the bleeding and medicine for the pain along with ointments for the cuts to heal cleanly. I think she may have run back to where she came from, for all I knew.
There was something else going on besides some simple cuts. I felt hot and my vision wasn't as clear anymore. I remember being lead up the stairs. I remember feeling the bed under me. I remember seeing a very young Sesshomaru over me before… nothing.
= Sesshomaru =
The house seemed exactly the same as the last time I saw it thirty or so years ago, but the area around it had changed a great deal. Only the high bamboo fence kept the other houses from getting any closer to the structure while the garden gave a good reason to have the increased foot traffic a reasonable distance away. The young ningen girl who answered the door said that Masami-sama would see me shortly.
I sat in a well breezed room and waited. I thought of the questions I wanted to ask her and also slightly prepared myself for any comments she may make concerning why I was asking them.
I heard small feet as they came closer to the room. In slipped the same girl that answered the door as she carefully balanced a tea tray while entering. As she was arranging the pieces in front of me I heard Masami approaching.
"Sesshomaru-sama," she said as she entered the room.
"Masami-sama," I addressed her. She had earned that title despite not having been born with it. From since I was a pup she had earned my respect along with some fear.
"To what do I owe this visit my lord?" she asked as she took the seat opposite of mine. Her eyes traveling over me in a kind way but with a smile I wasn't pleased in seeing. What could she really see? "I heard that your brother along with his ningen friends and the leader of the Northern Wolf tribe are staying at your home," she started after I stayed silent a bit too long. "Are you here because of one of them?" she asked. Did she already know something? The fact that she asked shows that she has some interest in this already, or she would just have waited for me to speak.
"Partly," I told her. Now I have to use my bother to keep her from thinking about me. "It's about the turning in a mating ceremony. Can it work for half demons?" I asked.
Any other creature that dared to say that they knew me would have shown some measure of surprise at me asking about something, seemingly on my brother's behalf. Masami's eyes just got thinner.
"It is possible," she started. She reached out for the pot with white fingers that shone with blue green flecks and poured us both some tea. Willingly I took mine and watched her over the rim of my cup as she just held hers. I placed my cup back unto the shiny surface of the table quite emptied. "It's a little less traumatic for the ningen since it's not full demon's blood they would be receiving. The hanyō's life will still decrease, but not by much since it was already shortened by their mixed blood." Now she took a sip of her tea.
"How long of a life span would they have?" I asked her.
"It depends on how old the hanyō is to begin with," she said looking right at me. "If they were to be, let's say the same age as your brother, and they aged normally. They would have at least three hundred years before they started to feel old age starting to creep into their bodies, compared to at least one thousand years if the hanyō had been a full demon."
Her eyes flickered through a few light and dark shades of their jade green coloring before opening wider. I could almost say that she looked pleased. Even if I think she believes that she has figured this thing out, I wasn't going to say it out loud unless she did first.
"Is it true that they act like each other after the turning?" I asked with the tea cup just away from lips. I had managed to refill it myself while Masami's mind did what it did to understand why I was really there. I didn't believe for one moment that she completely accepted everything I was telling her.
"Yes and no. Some do pick it up, while others don't at all. Also, some of the behavioral changes that one sees after the turning were already there before. They were just not noticed." She visibly paused. "How old is this ningen?" I held the cup to my lips even though it was already empty. This was not something I expected. At least not like this. I have no idea how old the monk was, but she didn't know that my brother's partner is the monk never mind a male. At least I don't think so.
"Seventeen," I answered with Kagome's age as I lowered my cup.
"Your brother is interested in one so young? But then he does look that age to them," she said before sipped some tea. "It would have been better if he was with one a few years older, so she would have less trouble with the turning and the physical mating. Not to mention birthing the pups. They are so fragile when so young, but like I said, the fact that he is a hanyō and not a full blooded demon like my lord, would make most of that a bit easier," she finished.
"What would be a better age for a ningen to do this?" I asked her. I wasn't happy with this uneasy feeling I was having.
"After their twentieth year would be better," she answered. Three years! I just wanted to be more informed before continuing, but I can't even continue now. Well, I can continue, but we can't mate for three more years. I watched her as she poured the tea again and as she sipped from her cup before looking out into the garden. I wish I had known this before I took Kagome to the well.
We didn't go directly to the well. We first went to that old hut at her request. I wasn't even aware that I still had my arm around her when we landed until she pointed it out to me as she tried to leave my side. My body instantly felt the lost of her own, with the heat it possessed, as she moved away. It took a moment before I was ready to follow her. As I stood there watching her walk ahead of me I spread out my yōkai to warn any lesser demon that I was in the area and that I was not to be trifled with.
I sat down on one of the steps after quite successfully turning down the idea of cleaning the step off with my mokomoko. There was no way I was going to use it like a scrap of cloth to clean a seat. I looked up into the clear sky and listened to Kagome as she moved inside the little structure.
When she emerged her yellow bag sounded even emptier than when she left the house. I heard a few small things moving against each other as she walked down the steps. I also heard something new that sounded bigger than anything that could fit in her bag but I wasn't sure what it was. As she passed me to stand at the foot of the steps I saw that it was her riding machine.
She stood there smiling into my face to let me know she was ready. I liked her smile. I stood on the other side of her two wheeled thing and walked with her as companion and guard to the well.
"Do you want me to bring back something for you?" Kagome asked after she saw the well coming into view. I thought about this briefly. From what I had heard about her time, it was very far removed from my time now. There was nothing…brown, sweet, sticks.
"Rin gave me some sticks with something brown and sweet covering them. I do not remember the name," I told her. She looked down for a while then lifted her head smiling again.
"Pocky," she said. "Would you mind another flavor? They have others beside chocolate. That was the brown stuff on them. They have a green tea one now, and they have coconut flavored and honey, and strawberry. But I guess you don't know what a strawberry is." She stopped when we were just a foot from the well. "I have some strawberries at home. I can run and get you some so you can see if you like them or not," she said looking up at me.
I turned and looked at the well. This is how one moves through time. I mused to myself before I picked up her riding machine and wrapped my other arm around Kagome's small waist before jumping into the well.
Kagome had started to say something when I jumped in, but once the blue void around us appeared with it specks of light she stopped and eased her hold around my neck.
"How did you do that?" she asked me as we slowly floated in a downward direction.
"Do what?" I asked her. "You said that to go to your time, you jumped into the well."
"Yeah, but no one but Inuyasha has ever been able to go through the well with me," she explained.
"Do you know why?" I asked her only to have our conversation stopped by the arrival of the bottom of the well. I looked from side to side to see nothing more than just the inside of a well, a very dry one at that. I looked up to see if the sky had stayed the same to find myself looking at a roof. I tightened my hold on her and she in turn wrapped her arms around me as we started to float out. When we emerged I saw steps leading out of the structure that was now built around the well. I landed on the platform at the top of those steps in front of a set of double doors.
I lowered Kagome to the ground along with her machine. After a moment of looking into each other's face we pulled our hands back, to let go of each other. It seemed that she was reluctant to let go of me this time which gave me some small measure of comfort that we shared that same feeling. I then gave her back the wheeled thing. She blushed as she took it from me and pushed her way through the doors. I stood still as the fainter smells I had noticed became full blown now that the doors were open. It was like the smell of Kyoto but increased, compacted and aged. There were other smells here that I didn't know and I didn't wish to find out where they came from as I tried to stop them from burning their way into my lungs.
I looked for Kagome to find her walking towards a house that wasn't that far away. Further off in the distance, past the structure that Kagome was walking towards, stood a tree that looked familiar for some reason. There was a low wooden fence around it, and it was decorated with hanging, folded paper. I looked at it, giving it time to tell me who it was. Goshinboku. It was the tree that Inuyasha was nailed to for fifty years. Maybe it had done something else, worthy of it to be honored now.
I looked for Kagome again. Her thing was leaning against the building and she was waiting for me. In an instant I was at her side resisting the impulse of putting my arm around her waist.
"Now I have to warn you," she started as she looked from the door to me. "My family doesn't really know you as a good guy, and they really don't know about our … friendship," she told me.
Good they will be intimidated by me. The way it should be. "Understood," I told her. I watched as she took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and opened the door.
"Mama, I'm home," she shouted into the house. "Grandpa! Sota! Anyone home?" Kagome shouted as she moved further into the house. I looked around and recognized almost nothing. As I closed the door I realized that the smell inside was better than what was out there. I then stood there, waiting for her to come back. It hadn't sounded like she want far, and she was back rather quickly.
"I guess no one is home yet, although grandpa should be here," Kagome said as she walked towards some doors. "Well here are the strawberries," she said as she pulled one of the doors open, allowing cold air to enter the room. She picked out a green small basket with roundish red things in it and closed it again. She placed them in front of me and I looked at them, before looking at her again.
"These are strawberries. They're fruits," she said as she picked up one by its green stem and ate the red part. I picked up one also, not being surprised that it was also cold and sniffed it. It wasn't unpleasant and I dared to taste it when I saw Kagome taking another.
It was slightly tart at first, but the sweetness of the fruit took over before the taste settled into something clean and refreshing. It wasn't bad. I finished it and placed the now useless stem next to the ones Kagome had in front of her.
"Did you like it?" she asked with her eyes sparkling. I almost smiled.
"It was good," I told her. Her expression didn't change, like she knew I would like it.
"So I can get that kind also?" she asked as she took one more from the basket before putting them back behind the cold doors.
"You may," I told her, thinking that if I didn't like them I could give them to Rin. She walks over to other doors that were higher and different in color and size than the cold ones. I saw boxes and other things before she moved to another as she looked for something.
"Here we go," she said as she pulled out something and closing that door. Kagome stood before me again and pushed what she had found across the high table at me. At first I just saw its shiny wrapping, but then I saw what was on the inside. It was the sticks covered in the brown color I knew of.
"I know that it's just a small travel pack, but I would like you to accept it as a thank you for bringing me home today," she said as she blushed, while smiling at me. I reached out and placed a hand on hers causing her to turn another shade of red.
"I thought of you as the girl with the apple blush, but your temperament is more of that of a strawberry," I told her as I leaned closer. "May I taste you?" I asked just before we touched. Everything that I was feeling for Kagome since I placed my arms around her body that morning, possessiveness, happiness, need, want, and protectiveness had built up in me and I needed to kiss her in some fashion as the want for her touch came back to fill me again. I felt her free hand as it held the side of my face as we kissed. It wasn't as innocent as the one she gave me before. I pressed the kiss and felt her moan into my mouth from being surprised. I really didn't want to stop, but this wasn't the time or the place to go further with one who hasn't done this before never mind with a demon.
I pulled back until our lips just touched, then pulled back some more until I could clearly see her whole face. I leaned on the surface between us to reach out with my free hand to move a few strands of her hair behind her ear. I really couldn't stop from touching her now that I've started.
Her breathing changed with the increase of her heart beats when my fingers started to trace her ear. So much lighter than the other ears I've touched. The rounded shape at the top let my fingers slide down the back easily. I saw the faint shadow of my fingers as they moved behind her earlobe…
Someone was coming. I pulled completely away from Kagome and turned to look at the doorway that I heard the footsteps coming from.
"Just put them on the counter Sota," a female voice said as I heard more footsteps. A young ningen boy walking into the room we occupied caring some things that looked like bags and stopped when he saw me.
"Cool," he said after a moment of standing there and staring, to continue to stand there and stare.
"Ah, Sota. Go into the kitchen. Why are you standing there?" I could now see the female who was speaking. She was taller than Kagome, but with much shorter hair and she was also carrying a bag like the boy.
"Mama, let me help you with that," Kagome said as she moved towards them. As the woman looked up and saw me standing in what I believed to be her home, she stood still as Kagome took what she was holding and pushed the boy further into the room. This had to be her family. I thought. I bowed slightly, not taking my eyes off them.
"Ahm, everyone, this is Sesshomaru-sama," Kagome said as she placed what she was holding down and stood next to me. I curved my fingers into the palm of my hand that was next to her, to keep from holding her shoulder in front of them. To show that she was mine was an instinct that was hard to fight with, but I did it and it didn't help that they showed up when they did. The temptation of her lips was still there.
"Inuyasha's brother?" the boy named Sota asked, pulling me from the thought of touching her lower back so I could touch her without being seen.
"Yes. Half brother," I answered him automatically as I fought against myself. There will be better times for that. I told myself.
"Wicked Cool," he said this time. From the smile on his face I decided to believe that it was something good. He even moved further into the room and placed what he had on the raised surface along with what Kagome had there.
I didn't have anything to small talk about with these people, was a thought I had as they came closer. I turned to look at Kagome. She had moved and was now unpacking what the woman and boy had brought.
"I will see you in three weeks time," I told her. I turned to leave when I felt like I had snagged myself on something. I looked back to see her holding onto my sleeve.
"You forgot this," she said as she released me from her hold and presented me with the packet of brown sticks from earlier.
I took them and nodded my gratitude before stepping from the house. In a moment I was at the well again and jumping in. The blue darkness came back with its own version of the stars. When I landed the walls looked moist. I looked up and saw the sky as I rose from inside the well. I didn't descend but climbed higher as I now made my way to Masami's house.
I heard the knock at the door, but I didn't turn to acknowledge it.
"Come in," Masami said. In walked the same girl.
"Masami-sama," she started. She stopped to look at me before continuing. "A messenger from Sesshomaru-sama's house was just here. Someone is injured and needs your help," she finished.
Masami speared me a glance as I looked at the girl.
"What did they say about the injury?" she asked as she stood and started to leave the room. As she got to the door way she stopped and turned to look at me.
"At your leave Sesshomaru-sama," she said. "Will you going ahead of me my lord?" she then asked.
"Yes," I told her as I stood, thinking of Rin. I bowed and left through the open doors leading into the garden. It wasn't long before I could see my home coming into view as I continued to fly towards it.