Before I could protest, Sesshomaru had plunged us into the well of the shrine and back to the Feudal era. He held onto me without a word as I cried furocious tears into his shoulder. I had just left my parents behind for a new life that they didn't approve of and rightfully so. I was putting myself in serious danger every time I stepped back into this world. But, it didn't seem like staying home would ease the risk either seeing as though Naraku had made a house call just days before.
Mom and Dad couldn't understand the grief I was feeling for leaving them behind. I didn't plan on this crazy circumstance lasting forever, but I had to do what I had to do for my own well being. The jewel was more important than me and if only I could take care of it then there isn't much choice on my part. Sesshomaru whisking me away the way that he did probably didn't ease the blow and better either.
To my parents it probably seemed like I was rebelling against them. Running away with a guy to follow an ancient myth that they still don't believe in, and on top of all that I had lied to them for the first time in my life. I had never been good at lying to anyone, especially not my Mom and Dad. My hands would shake and my words would stutter just thinking about not telling them the truth. Without Grandma's help I wouldn't have been able to do it at all. But this was all her fault in the first place. She had passed down this stupid gift to me without asking if I even wanted it in the first place. My life was completely normal a few months ago in comparison to how it is now. I didn't ask for this 'gift' and if anybody was willing to take it off my hands, at this point I'd willingly give it up to be an average girl again.
"Why are you crying, Kimmy?", Sesshomaru asked.
My face was buried into the thick fabric of his robe as I sobbed hot crocodile tears like an overgrown baby. He tried to pull me off of him but my arms were looped around his neck so tightly that it would have taken real strength to remove them. Being this close to him was the only thing holding me together. If he let me down, I'm sure I would lose it. I heard an exasperated sigh release from his chest as I continued to cling onto him.
"I won't repeat myself again. Why are you still crying?", he pried.
"Why am I crying", I asked, lifting my head from his shoulder. "Why wouldn't I be crying right now? I just left my whole family in the middle of the worst fight we've ever had over something I can't change. My dad may never let me back into the house, Mom is getting wrinkles from worrying about me so much and Grandma might be murdered by the time I get back!
My whole life has gone to shit because of this jewel and it's becoming a little too much for me to handle. I never asked for any of this to happen to me and right now I want to give the stupid thing back and never have to deal with it again!"
"You and I both know that is not how you feel. Your family is worried for your wellbeing, but their concerns will do nothing but weigh you down in the end", he said looking sternly into my eyes. "They will soon understand the importance of your mission and come to terms with it. If not, then you will have to choose to leave them behind."
Hearing him be so blunt with me while I was grieving in his grasp was jarring. He couldn't even muster up the decency to console me for a second. Rub my back and tell me everything would be okay one day and that my family still loved me. All he knew how to do was tell me the hard facts without taking my feelings into account. This insensitive exchange made my already simmering blood boil over. I ripped myself from his body and landed on the ground with a dramatic thud.
"I'm clearly having a hard time right now. So, could you be a little nicer to me please?", I barked at him.
Sesshomaru's face remained cold and unfeeling as he stared down at me in reply. His expression became more and more annoyed the longer we faced off with one another. Seeing him watch my every move with careful judgement pissed me off. His yellow eyes were creasing from his growing aggravation.
"That would be redundant of me to do. I'm not here to console you. If you wanted to be treated like a sensitive child, then you should have stayed home. I will not baby you the way your parents did. If you want to be serious about taking care of the jewel then you need to grow up quickly. Crying and sulking over frivolous circumstances will get you nowhere in life. Perhaps that tactic of crying to get what you want works in your world, but here you will die for such weak characteristics", he stated harshly.
"Frivolous things?", I asked stunned. "My Father practically disowning me and kicking me out of my home is frivolous to you?"
"Why do you care so much what he thinks of your choices? Can he be of any real assistance in your current situation, or are you simply too attached to your emotions to realize how redundant that relationship is in the grand scheme?", Sesshoamru shot back.
"Because he's my Dad! If you had a Dad that loved you like mine does me, then maybe you would know what this feeling was like! It's not redundant, it's love!", I shouted in frustration.
When the words left my mouth, I was disgusted with myself. My anger had gotten the best of me and I said something I never should have. It had taken me so long to get Sesshomaru to open up to me and now I'd probably ruined it in a split second of frustration. He gazed at me with cold eyes and I felt the breath in my lungs dissipate. The lump held in my throat dropped into my stomach like a boulder and I felt myself getting worked up all over again.
"Perhaps you are correct. If my Father and I had been closer, maybe I would have felt what you feel now. However, he is dead and I will never have the opportunity to do so. Is that what you wanted from me? Some over done reaction to your words? Well, you won't get it from me, I don't care about your feelings about my life. If that is all you needed to say then we must get going", he said turning away from me and walking in the opposite direction.
"I didn't mean to say that", I replied quietly. "I'm just- I'm just upset, okay? And not good at dealing with my emotions. This past few weeks has taken a lot out of me and I think I just snapped for a second. I really didn't mean what I said just now. I promise. Misery loves company and I guess that was my way of trying to force you to feel the pain I'm in."
He stopped a few feet from me, standing in the moonlight in dead silence. From the profile of his face I could tell he was in deep thought. Yellow eyes shot back at me and made my jump with anticipation. I worried that he was going to tell me to go back home or leave me here to fend for myself. I deserved it, whatever the punishment was. The way I had spoken to him was cruel and unnecessary to say the least. Any normal person would have kicked me to the curb for such a low blow.
"You have annoyed me", he stated, cutting through the tension.
My head hung low onto my chest with guilt. I knew I had upset him, but hearing him say it made my heart hurt. Sesshomaru was such a strong guy and he had allowed himself to be vulnerable with me and I used something he'd told me in confidence against him.
"I'm an asshole, I know", I exhaled. "You have every right to be annoyed with me. I'm a grumpy, tantrum throwing mess right now and probably shouldn't be around anyone until I calm down. You can head on without me. I can fend for myself for a while."
"Don't fool yourself, Human. You may have a jewel in your possession but you will surely still perish here", he smirked. A small chuckle erupted from his chest as he turned back to face away from me.
"I totally understand if you don't want me to go with you, Sesshomaru. Really", I continued.
"Please, stop talking", he demanded with a hand outstretched.
His long taloned fingers spread and beckoned for me to grab onto them. I hesitated for a moment, worried that this was a trap. I'd just upset a deadly demon and now he was offering to hold my hand. That didn't make sense. However, nothing here made sense anymore and a weird part of me trusted him completely.
"You strike me down twice, Kimmy? First, with an attack on my family, and now you refuse to accept my gracious hand. I'm hurt. I'll retreat my offer back", he mocked sarcastically.
"No!", I blurted out. "I'll come with you, but are you sure you want me to."
"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure", he said turning to face me.
The hypnotizing pull of his golden orbs drew me into him without a second thought. My feet moved against my own will and walked over to him. Reaching out for his hand, I felt a vibration radiating off of it. The closer our fingers got to touching one another, the stronger the sensation became. A warm feeling spread across my chest and I looked down to see the jewel glowing a dim purple.
When I looked back at his hand, the same shade had cast a bubble around his hand. Something was telling me to grab onto it, but not for the reason I originally wanted to. The jewel was trying to show me something and touching Sesshomaru's hand was the only way to do it. My fingers locked into his and a wave of forceful energy ran through me. So forceful, that I felt like I would pass out.
I closed my eyes to brace for the impending unconsciousness, when I heard the clang of a metal instrument ringing off into the distance. My lids hesitantly opened and I was alone in an open field with fingers empty from the lack of Sesshomaru's presence. Instead of him in front of me, I noticed a small light peeking out of a dark cave a few yards away. The loud banging of metal continued and I knew someone or something had to be inside of it.
Rising to my feet, I made my way over to the structure as quietly as possible. The closer I got the more jarring the noises became. Echoing aggressively off the inner walls of the cave and out at me. I had to cover my ears just to get a good look at who was inside.
Craning my head over the opening of the cave I noticed an old man hammering a thick glowing tool into a large blade. It amazed me that he did seem to be fazed in the slightest by the clambering aftershock of each strike to the surface of the fresh blade. He simply sat alone in this dank structure surrounded by old shards of swords and junk.
"Excuse me, Sir", I interrupted with my hands still over my ears. "Could you stop doing that for just a second please. It's killing my ears."
The old man's head shot up and his big bugging eyes darted around the empty cave looking for the source of the noise. He stopped working on the sword and the obnoxious noise ceased for a moment. My head was directly in the doorway of the cave, yet he looked right past me while searching for my voice. Most of the time when the jewel showed me visions the people within them couldn't hear or see me, but this guy actually appeared to have heard what I said.
"Can you hear me, Sir? I'm not really sure why I'm here, and I'm sorry to interrupt your work but If I could ask you a few questions maybe I can figure it out", I sheepishly said.
"Who's there?", he jumped up and onto his feet. "If you're looking for a fight then you've come to the right place, Fella! I may be old, but I'm no weakling. Bring it on!"
"I'm not here to fight with you. I just need to ask you a few questions. That's all", I explained with hands up in surrender.
"Come on now, come out and fight me like a man. I'm not scared of a little scuffle. Show me your face", he continued with old fists up to his face.
I stepped out into the opening of the cave to reveal myself. Even right in front of me, he didn't notice my presence. Waving my hands in the air, I tried to grab his attention but it was no use. He couldn't see me at all. I let out a sigh of frustration just as a small black speck crossed in front of my line of sight. The tiny dot bounced all the way over the old man and landed on his hand. The old man didn't flinch when the black dot began sucking at his wrinkled skin loudly.
"Miyoga, is that you?", the old man asked, raising the flea to his face.
"It is I, Miyoga the flea. At your service", Miyoga responded by extracting his beak with a pop.
"It's been ages since I've seen you, Miyoga! What are you doing here? I'm sure a guy like you doesn't need a sword to be forged. Do you?", he asked.
"No, Totosai", Miyoga said. "I came to warn you of impending danger in your midst."
"Is this about Sesshomaru? If it is, then I already know. I've been avoiding that guy and his little helper at all cost. He wants me to make him his own Tetsaiga to replace the once Touga-ou had made years ago. I tried to refuse but everytime I moved my shop somewhere else, they seemed to find me. It's becoming very troublesome", Totosai explained.
"Well, Master Inuyasha has been gifted the Tetsaiga by their father after his death and needs you to come repair it. It's been badly damaged and he won't be able to fight off his brother for much longer in the condition that it's in now", Miyoga said.
"What do you want me to do about that", Totosai asked.
"Well, uh, you created the sword in the first place. I was hoping you would come with me to fix it", the flea replied.
"Not a chance in hell! I'm already on Sesshomaru's bad side. I refuse to sign over my life to help… What was his name? Inu-something?", Totosai pondered.
"Master Inuyasha", Miyoga groaned in frustration.
"Ah yes, Inuyasha. The runt of the litter", the old man recalled with his fingers rubbing his chin.
"That is correct. He is the younger of the two brothers and is half human", Miyoga said.
"So you're telling me a sword I forged for a powerful demon is now being wielded by a half breed mut? There's no way a creature like him could take possession of my sword properly! How could this have happened?", Totosai yelped.
"You see that is the issue that has defaulted us as of late. Master Inuyasha has been wielding the Tetsaiga rather recklessly and caused it a decent amount of damage that only you can fix. Would you be willing to come and fix it for him, Totosai. You owe me a favor", the flea insisted.
"I suppose that I do… Hmm… let me think about it. In three days time I will have an answer for you. You can find me here then as well. I'm currently finishing a request and when it's done I will consider helping 'Inukashi'", he replied.
"His name is Inuyasha, Totosai. Inuyasha", Miyoga corrected the old man.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever I don't really care. Leave me be and I'll get back to you about the Tetsaiga. I need time to think", Totosai said.
I stepped another foot into the cave to make my presence known. Stomping my feet as loudly as I could to get both of their attention but nothing came of it. They only continued to chatter over my efforts. My hands waved around their faces, but neither of them could see me. Releasing a large huff of air from my lungs, I turned around to exit the cave. When I looked back I saw Sesshomaru staring at me with a puzzled look.
"You went quiet for a while and stared off into the distance. Your jewel was glowing the entirety of the time. What did you see just now?", he asked me.
I took a moment to look around at our surroundings. The cave was long gone as Sesshomaru and I stood back in the quiet field near the well. My vision had felt so real though. When I looked down at my hands there were still small imprints of pebbled from touching the cave walls. Which means I must have really been there.
"I was at this cave and there was an old guy inside it making a sword. He was kind of weird and scatterbrained. Then Miyoga the flea showed up to warn about something. What was he there for again?", I asked myself. "Oh! He was warning him about you! I remember that much."
"What was the old man's name?", Sesshomaru asked as his lips pursed into a thin line.
"Totosai! His name was Totosai!", I exclaimed. "I can't believe I remembered this much. I almost always forget the vision right after it happens. Good job, Kimmy", I said patting myself on the back.
"I knew he was hiding from me. The old man knows he can't avoid me forever", Sesshomaru thought out loud.
"He's definitely trying. Totosai seemed pretty scared of running into you. He even said he keeps moving to avoid you and Jaken. He's working out of a cave in the mountains so you can't track him down. He told Miyoga that he would help Inuyasha fix the Tetsaiga because apparently he's messed it up pretty badly in a fight. Totosai told him that he could come back in three days to get him and he'd go with him back to Inuyasha", I explained.
"So, Totosai will aid my younger brother and not me? How perplexing this situation has become", Sesshomaru mumbled.
Suddenly a rustling came from the nearby woods. We turned simultaneously to see Jaken running out of the brush towards us.
"Master Sesshomaru, I have word of Totosai's whereabout", he exclaimed gleefully.
"Kimmy has already found him, Jaken. You're late as usual", Sesshomaru groaned. "He's in the mountains hiding from me."
"How did you come to this information, Human?", Jaken questioned me.
"I had a vision of where he was and overheard a conversation between him and Miyoga", I replied.
"Miyoga the Flea?! That meddling insect is always getting in my way!", Jaken screeched.
"This is not about you, Jaken. Settle yourself before I do it for you", his master warned. The henchman ducked his head in fear and grew quiet. "If I bring you to the mountains, Kimmy, could you find the cave from your vision?"
"I think so", I replied warily. "It was dark when I saw him there, but it was a pretty noticeable structure. If I saw it I could probably recognize it."
"Then it is settled. We will move forward for the cave", Sesshomaru stated.
He lashed out for my hand and pulled me into him, hugging me tightly to his rock hard armour. Jaken joined us as a small cloud gathered under Sesshomaru's feet. The three of us were hoisted high into the air and hovered over the tops of the forested trees. I was becoming more accustomed to this kind of travel the longer I stayed with Sesshomaru. I wasn't even scared of the height anymore.
Though, my nerves were getting worked up thinking of letting him down. If I was wrong about the cave and Totosai still being there, I would be in trouble. There was no telling how long ago that vision was from. It could have been days or weeks ago. Jaken would take this opportunity to rub in my face how wrong I was, I'm sure. But I had to believe in my gift. The longer I chose to ignore it and push my instincts away, the longer I would be helpless and useless to my cause. This was a good way for me to get practice. I just hoped my novice skills didn't get me killed.