Chapter 2
She opened her eyes, just a little.
He was there, leaning on the tree, it seemed like he hadn't moved all night.
But his eyes were closed, and the way his chest went up and down let Kagome know he was sleeping.
He looked like doll to her, like a perfectly and meticulously crafted porcelain doll.
With long white hair, eyes the color of a summer sun, four magenta stripes stroking his cheeks and a half moon hanging on his forehead.
She wondered how the half moon ended up there and if the other half existed somewhere.
And why the moon of all symbols, why did he carry it? What did it mean on him?
She closed her eyes and hugged Shippo tighter, drifting into dreams of white and silver.
/\
She opened her eyes when the sky wasn't bright, a tender blue covered the forest and the ground they were sleeping in.
She looked at the consumed ashes of the fire, with dots of orange hidden in the black dust, Sesshomaru was still sleeping, Inuyasha too next to Sango and Kagome failed to remember the last time she had seen him sleeping on the ground, instead of sitting. She could do with the view, he still hugged Tensaiga when he slept.
Kagome got up, pulling the blankets over Rin and Shippo, the boy let a heavy breath out and Kagome smiled.
She headed towards the closest edge of the forest, where a stream of iced water ran.
The sun was peeking over the distant mountains making the water sparkle with orange. She kneeled and grabbed the water in her hands, splashing her face, getting rid of whatever had spilled during the night, she continued with her hair, that now almost brushed her calves, it weighed with the water and annoyed her in battle.
She returned to the camp and no one was awake yet, only Sesshomaru who was now sitting with his legs crossed and eyes closed.
Meditating.
She made her way to the leather bag and took the hair brush Inuyasha gifted her years back, for her birthday.
She sat in front of Sesshomaru brushing her hair, wanting to hum a song.
-"You wake up early" he broke the silence.
-"You haven't noticed?" She said letting the wet hair fall on her back.
-"I have"
-"You're an early bird too"
-"I'm a dog demon" he said opening one eye.
She smiled
-"It's a saying, since birds are the first ones to sing with the sun"
-"Hm"
He closed his eyes again.
-"Kagome?" Shippo said from behind her yawning and rubbing his eyes with his little hands.
She took one and placed him in front of her.
-"Good morning, did you sleep well?"
-"Mhm"
He sat in her legs and and Kagome grabbed his red hair and started to braid it.
-"I'm hungry" he said "Can I go hunting?" He asked turning his head to Kagome.
-"I will go with you okay? I don't like it when you go alone"
He smiled and turned to look at Rin.
-"Can Rin come too?"
-"I don't know, why don't you ask Sesshomaru"
She felt the boy stiffen with the words and Kagome whispered close to his ear.
-"It's okay"
He nodded and turned to look at the demon looking at him.
-"Sesshomaru-sama" the boy started
-"Yes Shippo?"
-"Can Rin go hunting with us?"
-"On one condition"
The boy swallowed a little thicker than usual and Kagome waited for his statement.
-"That I'm invited too"
Shippo let a sigh of relief and a smile plastered on his face, he ran next to Rin and woke her up, telling her to get ready because he wanted to show her something.
-"I guess that's that" Kagome said standing up, gathering her bow and quiver "You coming?" She asked him and Sesshomaru stood up.
Rin ran to him and hugged him chanting good morning.
Sesshomaru knelt to be at her height and placed a finger between his lips.
-"We have to be silent Rin, the others are sleeping"
She nodded and placed her finger in between her lips, just like him.
He smiled and got up, Rin took his hand and they walked towards Kagome and Shippo.
The kids went along before them, leaving Sesshomaru and Kagome to walk side by side.
The silence was comforting for both, instead of uncomfortable as they expected.
-"How did you end up with the Kitsune?" He asked.
She remembered everything, still fresh in memory.
-"We had just started gathering the shards, and Shippo wanted to steal the fragments we carried, at first we thought he was a high level youkai by the way he appeared but then he shifted and all I saw a scared boy, his parents had just been killed and he wanted to avenge them, we simply took him in, Inuyasha wasn't happy at first, they argued all the time" she smiled remembering past times "But I know they love each other, probably as much as they argue"
-"He's powerful" Sesshomaru said admiring the kids in front of him.
-"He is, I can sense it, it's like it grows every day with him" the sun was making its way through the trees, spilling through the holes of the leaves that hung in the air.
-"How did you found Rin?" She asked.
-"It's more like she found me"
-"How?"
-"After I lost my arm, I was badly injured, my body was giving up on me and I ended up in some forest, debilitated, I had to stop, then a little girl with a closed eye made her way through the bushes and found me, I never sensed fear, you could say I was vulnerable at the time but she smiled at me, and somehow we understood each other, I rejected her, telling her to go away and not bother me anymore, but she kept coming, until one day she didn't"
He stopped with Kagome.
-"We'll be here kids, don't stray too far please" Kagome yelled and the kids simply nodded, disappearing into the green.
She found a comfortable trunk and sat, picking dried leaves of shedding trees around her.
Autumn.
He sat next to her, arranging his Kimono.
-"I had smelled blood that day, all over the place, blood and wolves, so when she didn't come and I was able to stand up, I decided to go to the village, in my way to the slaughtered place, I saw a clump laying on the floor, and the smell of blood increased, tenseiga pulsed frantically like it had never before, burning my body, I approached her and swung the sword, you can't imagine the relief I felt when she opened her eyes... she followed me and I allowed her to, taking her in, I assume her parents were murdered and she didn't have anything else but me and Jaken"
-"Why did you allowed her to be with you when you hate humans?"
-"Hated"
-"Hated humans"
-"I had seen humans murdering themselves over greed, making less of each other, I thought they were useless creatures driven by arrogance and ego, it didn't took me long to realize I was the same... but Rin showed me how kind and loving they can be too, how pure hearted and selfless a girl with a bruised eye and a missing tooth could be, offering her help to something that could've murdered her without regret, help that she needed more than anyone, but that she decided to give away, I don't think I even realized all of this back then"
He heard Rin laughing in the distance and he smiled.
-"In a way, we saved each other"
He hadn't noticed Kagome's tears and neither had she.
-"I- I didn't know..." she said.
-"Why are you crying?" He asked.
-"Rin...she lost so much, she was killed...who could kill a child?"
She was feeling all sorts of emotions as Sesshomaru told the story, happiness that Rin found someone who would protect her for the rest of her life but anger at the thought of her dying alone.
-"She's come a long way" he said remembering his little girl.
-"She has"
She saw the two kids reappearing walking towards them, Shippo's braid torn to shreds and Ren's hair plastered all over her face with sweat, both their garments stained with dirt.
Shippo was holding two big rabbits to Kagome's face with a smile of pride.
-"I caught two whole Rabbits" he said waiting for the praise.
-"Good Shippo, you're getting faster" she said messing up his hair and grabbing the rabbits throwing them on her back.
-"Let's go"
/\
-"What took you so long?" Inuyasha said when Sesshomaru, her and the kids returned to the camp.
Sango was boiling water and Miroku was reading a book Kagome gifted him long ago.
-"We took them hunting" Kagome said giving him the rabbits.
-"You didn't wake me up" Inuyasha said taking them.
-"You were sleeping, I didn't want to bother you"
-"I could've take Shippo hunting"
-"Well I did this time"
-"Kagome-sama?" She heard Rin's voice behind her and she turned to look at the girl playing with her hands behind her back.
-"Yes Rin?" She said smiling "No sama, I'm just Kagome okay?"
Rin nodded and continued.
-"I was wondering if you could... if maybe...if you could braid my hair, like Shippo"
She smiled at the girl's nervousness.
-"Of course I can but, I think you need a bath first"
Rin nodded and Kagome took her hand.
-"Can you take care of this while I take her?" She said to Sango, her friend nodded and Inuyasha handed her the rabbits.
-"Don't look at me, it's your turn to cook" Sango said to him.
-"Do you want to die of food poisoning?" kagome asked and they both laughed.
-"I can do it" Sesshomaru said rolling the sleeves of his haori over his arms.
-"Oh, okay, I guess Miroku can help you, I want to go with the girls" Sango said grateful for the opportunity to be with Kagome instead of well...them.
She tangled arms with Kagome and the three left to the stream.
Sesshomaru turned to look at the three men staring at him.
-"Let's get started then"
He said smiling.
/\
-"So, Sesshomaru-sama, where did you learn how to cook? I understand that demons don't eat human food" Miroku asked skinning the rabbits.
-"I had to learn, for Rin, Jaken helped me"
-"Where is the imp by the way?" Inuyasha asked washing his hands.
-"I left him back in the palace, I told Rin to stay but she said she wanted to come"
-"Hm, he could be of use right now"
Inuyasha said annoyed when Miroku handed him carrots and a knife.
/\
-"You haven't burnt down the forest, I'm impressed" Sango said when the girls returned and to be honest, she enjoyed the sight of Miroku with rolled up sleeves, cooking for her.
-"Shut it" Inuyasha said
-"Someone's grumpy" Kagome said laughing.
-"Sango made fun of my cooking skills"
-"Are there any though?"
Inuyasha shot her a deadly glare and she laughed.
-"I'm just kidding, what did you guys make?"
-"I present you" Miroku said "Grilled rabbit with unsalted boiled carrots"
-"Yum, can't wait!" she said and they both laughed.
-"Sesshomaru-sama, look what Kagome made!" Rin said running towards Sesshomaru flaunting her braid.
Her hair was decorated with orange blossoms.
-"Thank you" Sesshomaru said to Kagome and she nodded, taking a plate from Miroku's hands handing it to Sango.
They ate in silence.
-"It's not that bad" Kagome said taking a bite of the grilled rabbit "It could use a little salt and pepper, but it's fine".
No one said anything.
-"How long?" Inuyasha asked Sesshomaru tossing a bone to the fire.
-"Two more days and we will be there"
After the battle, they had been traveling for a month straight to The West, to what had been Toga's palace that now belonged to Sesshomaru.
He had offered the place for them, and Kagome's clock was ticking.
-"I'm tired of eating rabbit every day" Sango said and Kagome rubbed her back.
-"Are you feeling any better?" She asked while the men talked about how they were going to get there.
-"I still wake up feeling dizzy, the nausea has stopped but it comes back at times"
-"We'll find you someone to check on you when we arrive okay?" She squeezed her friend's hand and held it on her knee.
/\
Night was coming earlier and earlier with every passing day, with winter stepping their ankles.
Kagome only hoped to make it in time to the palace before the cold increased.
-"Ready?" Sesshomaru asked her as she gathered her bow and hanged the quiver on her back.
-"Sure"
Everybody was already sleeping when they left.
-"It's cold tonight" she said breaking the silence as they walked in circles around camp.
-"You'll love winter at the palace"
-"Really? Why?" She asked stepping on purpose on dried leaves, hearing them crush beneath her feet.
-"I see the way you observe nature, like it's a precious gift you almost don't want to touch"
-"You would feel the same way if you go where I live, nature is one of the few things that keep me going while I'm here"
Silence.
He heard a rustle on the distance but Kagome was already taking stance, lifting her bow pointing an arrow in the direction of the sound.
-"Who's there?" She asked firmly.
The aura kept shifting places but Kagome followed it with the tip of her arrow, already glowing blue.
The aura was neutral, she didn't sense dark but didn't sense light either, it was messing with her, concealing.
It lacked a physical form.
That's why she couldn't shoot at it because she would be shooting at anything and nothing.
And just like that it was gone.
-"Did you-" Kagome turned to Sesshomaru who seemed just as confused as she was.
-"Yes"
-"What was that?" She asked hoping Sesshomaru had a hint.
-"I don't know"
-"I didn't sense it as dark or as light, it was just there, it was..."
-"Neutral" He said "we should go back to let the others know"
She nodded and put the arrow back on the quiver and the bow across her chest.
They rushed to the camp to find everybody sleeping except Inuyasha.
-"Where is he?" Kagome asked Sango as she was sitting next to her by the fire, Sesshomaru was waking the kids up gathering them next to Miroku.
-"I don't know, I felt him leave before you arrived"
-"I'll go get him"
Sango nodded and sat next to Miroku.
-"Where are you going?" Sesshomaru asked her.
-"To go get Inuyasha"
-"Don't take too long"
She nodded and disappeared trying to sense Inuyasha's energy.
/\
After a few minutes walking trying to find him, she gave up, staring at the cup of the trees hoping to see a stroke of red and silver.
-"Where are you?" She whispered not in the mood to play games.
She suddenly felt someone hugging her from the back touching her arms, caressing the skin with sharp claws.
-"Right here" he whispered in her ear, moving his hands around her tights stopping at her hips, turning her around to face him and he kissed her.
A little harder than usual.
-"Inuyasha" she said between kisses.
-"Hm"
-"We have to go back"
-"No we don't"
He said kissing her neck, but she was stiff.
-"Inuyasha..."
-"Fine" he said removing himself away from her "let's go"
Kagome sensed the annoyance in his voice.
-"You can't just disappear like that"
-"We never get to be alone"
-"I know, but, we saw something"
-"Let's go then"
He walked to her side and she offered her hand, he took it lazily and they started to walk, with the tension rubbing on their skin.
When they reached the camp, he let go of her hand and sat next to Sesshomaru, he caught the movement and the way her eyes looked down at her feet, but nobody else seemed to notice.
-"So" Inuyasha said "what did you see?"
Kagome sat next to Sango, crossing her legs, avoiding to look at Inuyasha.
-"It was an energy taking at least half the forest" Sesshomaru answered "it lacked a physical form"
Nobody said anything.
-"Like a shadow demon?" Sango asked him.
-"No, it wasn't a demon, or a human or an animal, it was just an energy, it shifted places when we were there but it didn't change its state, it was nor dark or light, it was just..."
-"Strange" Kagome finished for him.
-"Strange" he repeated.
-"We'll go look for it tomorrow morning" Inuyasha said to Sesshomaru as he got up, directing to the forest, ending the conversation.
Kagome got up and caught up to him.
-"Good night" he said and ran into the trees, leaving a waiting Kagome behind.