Kagome was slowly allowed full run of Ocraseous' keep. She eventually found the many, many rooms all about his palace and made her way into the kitchen where she was shocked to see Ocraseous himself and his mother preparing food. The demi-God turned his surprised eyes to her, the deep red almost glittering in embarrassment. It was not a man's job to cook in the era he had been raised after all, and yet there he stood, preparing the numerous courses for the meal they would have.
"You've been making dinner?" Kagome asked, beyond shocked.
He stammered. "I-I have assisted…"
Kiru laughed. "In a practical eternity, he had grown bored and wished to learn a trade." She smiled. "After all, he still lives, is still flesh and blood, therefore he must eat."
Kagome was still flabbergasted. "I just-uh… Wow. Just, wow." She managed after trying to form a coherent thought.
Ocraseous looked like he was ready to disappear, or at least usher her out of the room. His mother, of course, would have none of that and so turned her smiling, hopeful eyes on Kagome. "Would you like to help us?" Ocraseous looked at her as though she had lost her senses, but Kiru ignored her son. This was an opportunity to get the two around each other in an environment that would distract the awkwardness. She would never dare to hope that Kagome could love Ocraseous, after all, he had been downright evil in the girls mind, but she did however wish something less tense for the two.
Kagome looked at the demi-God uncertainly, but didn't want to upset Kiru by declining. After all, the woman was now her piece of sanity. "Sure… What should I do?"
"Anything dear." Kiru smiled encouragingly. "But if you must have a specific task, perhaps you could knead the dough just there?" She didn't add the "beside Ocraseous," like she'd wanted to. It was obvious enough, anyway.
"Uh… Sure." Kagome said almost nervously, pulling back the gold trimmed, black sleeves of her kimono. As she stood just beside Ocraseous, the demi-God tensed, his eyes a little wider, attentive on his own task of chopping the bok choy. And if Kiru wasn't loosing her mind, she could have swore her son had an ever so rosy tinge.
But the clear lack of a conversational atmosphere would not do, so she asked. "Did you cook often at home, Kagome-sama?"
Kagome smiled sadly. "With Inuyasha, yes." Ocraseous watched her gentle, slow kneading of the dough, how her slender fingers moved throughout the substance as easily as possible. You could see her naturally gentle energy and healing abilities working with what would become their bread for the evenings dinner.
His eyes traveled over her slender body, following the ever growing long line of black hair, now kept braided, albeit messily. His house, it suited her, the clothes he'd given her, they suited her, the gifts she often refused to acknowledge, they suited her… And yet…
"What is it you truly want, Kagome?" He whispered, fists tightening as he leaned over the counter.
She jumped a little, taken aback by the abrupt and unexpected question. "What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I wish to give you a happiness, yet there seems naught I can do, unless perhaps you tell me."
She was speechless, unable to come up with an answer to that. There was nothing he could do to send her home, as he claimed, and she believed him for his sincerity. It had felt like… months that she'd been in his presence now, and she'd never really spoken to him, just watched and listened to things he did and what Kiru said.
Finally after a few moments, she murmured. "You know what I truly want…" His eyes didn't quite harden, but there was something more flaming in them. "But I can't have that… So…" She sighed. "I don't know, honestly. There's nothing I want more than…" Her mind betrayed her and whispered the name of the demon lord she longed for. Closing her graying eyes, Kagome sighed. "I don't know."
His mahogany gaze flickered and his mother watched the pair with interest, remaining quiet. "Beyond the life I am unable to return, is there something you miss being able to do…?"
Kagome blinked, surprised at the first answer that came to her mind. "Training." She admitted, hadn't having realized until just then how much she'd enjoyed it.
Kiru almost looked like she'd had an aneurism as her son grinned wickedly. "I am in need of it myself." He admitted. "Perhaps tomorrow, you would join me in the dojo?"
Kagome now appeared surprised, though it was quickly replaced by a burning, honest curiosity. "You have an actual dojo here? With weapons and plenty of space to do whatever in?"
"Hai." He answered gently. "If mother does not mind, perhaps I shall at least show you now."
"That'd be wonderful." Kagome said, truly excited.
Both looked pointedly at the woman standing in a quiet surprise. "O-Oh, of course not." She hoped he wouldn't try to show off to the poor girl…. She might get scared…
"Come this way." Ocraseous murmured, walking with Kagome by his side.
She glanced up at the man as he pulled the sliding door back for her, and reminded herself once again that this was a man desperate for someone, beyond his mother, to love him for himself. And she had to teach him you couldn't make someone love you, that it took time. So this would be that first step, finally allowing him to show her who he was. And no, she had no intention of being in love with Ocraseous, but Kagome felt that this was a lesson only she could teach him. After all, he had no other, and perhaps if she could teach him this and he grew strong enough, he would return her to Sesshoumaru before it was too late.
Though it was clear he didn't understand much of human ways, she hoped he would one day see, and the man he could be sounded like a very wonderful friend. Strange to think he was somewhat reading her as they walked, as his question involved his developing character. "Do you detest me?"
Kagome paused mid step, looking up at his face again, growing more accustomed to the red, hot gaze. "No." She told him. "I did at first, but I get it, I think." She sighed. "I do admit I wish your mother would have explained it clearer, sooner…" His jaw tightened. "But there's nothing we can do about that, so… I'm stuck here, and I will not hate someone for eternity."
He swallowed, gaze flickering ahead of them as they walked once more. "My mother did try to convince me otherwise, Kagome." She looked up at him, some surprised on her face. "But I thought my Godly attributes would make you love me for myself one day, even if not immediately."
"That was a big gamble." She muttered.
"I am and was aware." He sighed. "But I had not… understood."
Kagome frowned, nodding. "You didn't with Souren either?"
He tensed, eyes flaming. "The dog demon did not deserve such a flower, as your Inu youkai does not." She almost leapt back in surprise. "Souren was strong, brave and gentle while he was brash and seemingly uncaring. She often cried from my understanding, because the old fool would not confess his love in words of comfort to her. The simplest thing and he could not muster the courage to shower her with what youkai deemed to be idiocies."
"Did you see her a lot?" Kagome asked softly, surprised if he had.
"I saw her each day, though she did not see me." At her clear confusion, he murmured. "Another Godly gift, the gift to see what I wish to."
"Like… Sort of like a third eye?"
"Only Ogre's have a third eye." He said, confused.
Kagome giggled. "No, from where I live, a third eye is like being able to see things that aren't directly in front of you, whether it's past, present or future. Kind of an inner eye or maybe a soul eye."
"Ah," he said slowly, grasping her meaning. "Then I agree, it is as having this third eye you speak of."
Kagome's heart thundered suddenly, her eyes widening. "Oh!" She grapped Ocraseous by his forearms, looking at him with alarmingly hopeful blue eyes. His mahogany stared down at her in confusion. "You know, I used to dream of the future. Is there anyway you can teach me how to do it while I'm awake?"
Ocraseous blinked slowly. "Is this… Something you truly want?"
Kagome's slow, truly happy and honest smile made his deepest regions awaken with a shaky start. "Yes."
Short, but sweet. I've been working like insanity and I've been too tired a lot to do anything remotely fun or relaxing, including my writing. So I am sorry. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
So, also, I've been getting a lot of people saying my link to dokuga doesn't work. Well, if you're on dokuga, you can look up the story by its title or tearsofacrescent under author. Then you'll find me. C:
