The Message
"Hey, master Jaken," began Rene. She admired the new yellow and green squared kimono Sesshomaru had gotten for her when they passed through a village. Her lord walked right up to a kimono shop merchant and demanded he'd be given an outfit. Though everyone fled when they saw the dog demon, she still appreciated the thought.
Jaken sighed an impatient sigh. "What?"
The two analyzed their cloudy and rocky surrounding. They were sitting on gravel thirty feet away from the edge of a cliff. Sesshomaru was sitting on a broken down boulder about ten feet from the edge. "What are we waiting for?"
"We're waiting for Naraku's incarnation, Kagura. The lord and I caught a whiff of her scent a couple minutes ago, and it's heading our way."
"You mean the wind sorcerous?" Rene went over the time Kaugra had protected her from InuYasha's wind scar. I still haven't thanked her properly, she thought. She turned her eyes to face Sesshomaru's patient back. Something was still unclear to her. "OK, master Jaken. We are waiting for someone, but . . . but why didn't Sesshomaru tell me to wait in the field like he normally does?"
Jaken swung his head at the mortal. "Idiot! That's because you were abducted once when you were out of his sight! Why do you think he's after Naraku? He doesn't want that to happen again."
Rene's eyes widened, glowed, and sparkled with glee. She clapped her hands together. "You mean he's doing all of this for me?!"
"Fool! He's not doing this for you! The Lord's pride was insulted!"
She chose to ignore his words. Lord Sesshomaru really does care about me after all, she preferred.
As Jaken and Rene bickered over why the dog demon was hunting Naraku, Sesshomaru stared up at the misty, grey sky. He sniffed the air. Hmmmm, he thought. She's close. I wonder what it is she wants this time. He brought his head down and looked straight ahead towards the mountains, remembering the time he rescued Rene from a plunging death. Courageous and foolish were the first words about the human to pop into his head. That's when he heard soft footsteps rushing towards him. Automatically, he knew they belonged to Rene. What he didn't know was what her next action would be.
Rene shuffled her feet until her back was facing Sesshomaru. Now the green belt around her waist was eye level to the dog demon. She then plopped down onto the boulder in between Sesshomaru's legs. Her back straightened, and she sat up tall. Her hands were folded in her lap.
Sesshomaru gazed at Rene's thick, black hair with bewilderment, shock, and surprise. Courageous and foolish indeed, he thought. "Uh, Rene," he began. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Sesshomaru," she quickly responded. Rene lowered her lightly blushing face. "Why . . . why do you let me travel with you?"
A memory quickly surfaced. He immediately thought back to the time when he admired her beauty and foolishness. Her courage. When she splashed water from her bamboo container in his face and then patched up his arm, it made him feel as though he was in a state of weakness. Like he had given in to a mere human. The dog demon came back to the present. He didn't respond. He didn't even know why he was letting a mortal girl follow. Was it because of her beauty and foolishness? Was it her courage? Or was it just . . . her?
Rene relaxed her tense body. Her blushing dissipated and her face calmed. She had an idea of what his answer might be, yet she wasn't completely sure. After a while of silence, she moved on to a different question. "Alright, then," she began. "At least answer me this." Sesshomaru waited. "Why are you after Naraku?"
Another memory was triggered. Sesshomaru couldn't help but review the time he had Rene tightly gripped between his teeth. He could still remember the taste of her blood. The memory irritated and angered him. However, the thought of Rene still being alive softened him. "Rene," he began. The girl perked up her ears for this would be the first time he'd ever respond to one of her questions. Sadly, Sesshomaru's attention was drawn elsewhere. "Hn?" He looked up into the sky and frowned. Rene followed his glance, forming a light grin.
As Kagura landed on the hard flooring - wind blowing everywhere as she did - Rene rose onto her feet, and Sesshomaru mimicked her action. She took two steps forward. "Kagura?" she began. The wind sorcerous glanced at her with interested eyes. "Thank you" – she bowed – "for saving me the last time we met. I didn't get to thank you proper-"
"Oh, please spare me," Kagura interrupted as she opened her fan. "You really thought I was doing that for you? What idiocy."
She raised the red, white, and black fan high into the air and swung across the fog like a bat. A huge wave of a hurricane-like wind rushed towards the girl, but Sesshomaru quickly stepped from behind her to in front of her.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" yelled Jaken.
Both Rene and Sesshomaru's hair and kimonos rapidly blew with impact. Nonetheless, Sesshomaru didn't budge. His feet were glued to the rocky floor. He didn't even blink. If the dog demon wasn't standing in front of Rene, she would have been blown through a tree. Soon, the wind subsided.
Kagura slapped her fan shut. "So, I was right. You are falling for that girl." She chuckled. "The merciless, heartless dog demon falling in love and giving way to a human. How unpredictable."
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Rene," he spoke.
Rene opened her tightly shut eyes. Her head rose to stare at the back of the dog demon's head. "Yes?"
He grasped his Tokijin. "Back away." Rene gave Kagura one last glance. She nodded, turned around, and ran over to Jaken and Ah-Un.
Kagura chuckled. "Quick to the sword as usual, Sesshomaru. But don't worry. I'm not here for the girl."
"Humph. Then what are you here for?"
"To deliver another message from Naraku."
Sesshomaru took his hand from his sword. "Is it truly a message from Naraku, or just another one of your little tantrums?"
"I assure you, this is indeed Naraku's message to you." Kagura paused. Sesshomaru waited for her to speak. Rene and Jaken perked up their ears to listen to the message as well. "'Sesshomaru, you are walking with Naraku's puppet. Your life is in danger.' At least, that's what he said."
What? thought Rene. Walking with Naraku's puppet? What could that mean?
"My life in danger?" said Sesshomaru. "Naraku must truly be losing his mind." The dog demon quickly clutched his sword once more and swung it at the woman.
Kagura jumped back. The rocks underneath her feet broke off from the edge of the cliff. She began to fall into the misty abyss, but no worries. The wind sorcerous plucked the feather from her bun and took to the sky. "Sesshomaru!" she called from over her shoulder. "You can find Naraku in the direction of the Oxen Tiger." A mischievous grin formed on her face. "See you there."
Rene, Jaken, and Sesshomaru watched as Naraku's incarnation faded into the distance.
"Damn that Kagura!" yelled Jaken. He franticly waved his staff in the air. "Who does she think she is?! My Lord in danger?! In her dreams! Right, Lord Sesshomaru?!"
The dog demon stared into the grey sky. Walking with Naraku's puppet? he thought. What could she have meant by that? He turned his head to face the north, the direction of the Oxen Tiger. Naraku . . . what could you be plotting now?