Intelligence
Standing before the desk once more, Kagome looked between the Sesshoumaru clones standing beside her, and the one towering above.
Tentatively, she cleared her throat. "Um…"
Three pairs of intense, inhuman eyes locked on her, making the miko struggle not to wilt. One Sesshoumaru staring at her like he'd discovered something unpleasant on the bottom of his boot was enough. Three was simply too much. "I calmed the 'angry one', just like you asked. Kinda. Can you answer some questions now?"
The Sesshoumaru at the desk frowned, glancing at Wrath, who remained bound by the glowing whip.
"What do you wish to know? Be quick, I am quite busy."
Kagome sucked in a breath to try and hold her tongue. "What's your 'host' doing right now?"
He lifted a scroll and began reading. "Flying towards Brittle Valley located in the Northern Lands. The oni sorceress carried the faint scent of it. Therefore we fly there to interrogate any of her remaining clan as to discover what spell or curse she used on the miko to make her disappear."
Kagome blinked owlishly, "wow. That's… quick work."
All three Sesshoumaru's seemed to preen a little.
"Precisely," said the one at the desk. "If that's everything, Repression, can you escort the miko fantasy back to her domain? And keep a stricter eye on her."
Kagome squeaked as her arm was seized by the apathetic demon beside her. "On top of managing the other emotions?" He asked in an even tone.
"Hn."
"Hn."
Oh God, this is going to kill me, Kagome tugged at her arm. "Wait! I'm not done! I keep telling you that I'm the real Kagome! Somehow I got stuck inside here. I need to tell Sesshoumaru where I am."
The three quietly scoffed in their own ways, but the one in blue continued being the main spokesman. "That sounds quite impossible. Besides, the only way you'd communicate directly to our host would be by getting into his consciousness where the stream of thoughts flows from. They come to me in the form of these scrolls."
Kagome had to do some mental gymnastics, but in the spirit of all things demonic, decided to just go with it.
"Okay, and the scrolls get here by those Jakens-"
"Do not infer that those imps are useful. They are only here right now because the young lord has a headache," Repression spoke up, massaging his own temples. "When they gather in clusters, it means he is stressed."
"Yes, the scrolls would find their way to me either way with or without their 'help.' I am our host's Intelligence and Organisation," said the Sesshoumaru with the royal blue crest, brushing back his hair and collecting it into a low hanging ponytail.
Kagome glanced at the scrolls haphazardly squished into the cabinets and shelves. "That so?"
He didn't seem to catch the dryness of her tone. "Indeed."
"I wouldn't have thought of that as an emotion."
He tossed his head, levelling a holier than thou look at her, "this one is not an emotion. I oversee the thoughts and assist the host with facts, intuition and forming decisions," he uttered, writing something down onto a scroll himself.
"Well…if you can do that, surely I don't need to find the stream of consciousness or whatever? You could just tell Sesshoumaru that I'm right here in his head."
Intelligence snorted, lips curving with amusement while giving her an assessing, patronising look. He then grabbed a blank scroll and wrote something down, sliding a blue ribbon around it and throwing it down to a waiting Jaken. "Very well, see what happens."
Kagome yanked her arm free from Repression and ran after the imp, wanting to see the process. The imp hurried out of the main hall and into another room, approaching a large fireplace that gave Kagome pause. It roared and crackled with the same blazing youki that she could remember feeling whenever Sesshoumaru transformed into his true form in the past. Harsh and heavy, making her almost want to hold her breath. When the Jaken clone threw the scroll into the flickering flames, Kagome frowned. Was it possible…the flames were actually his consciousness?
The Jaken clone waited, only for a scroll with the same ribbon to be spat back out- hitting him on the head. "Ack!"
Kagome wilted, guessing that meant the news had been rejected by the real Sesshoumaru. Stubborn guy. Didn't he have any imagination? Granted she'd never heard of a spell so unbelievable before either, but still.
Instead of turning to leave, Kagome hesitated and glanced at the fire. Curious, she approached the flames, reaching out and wondering if she could just kinda… get into the stream of consciousness via the fireplace. Maybe it wouldn't hurt-
Her feet lifted from the floor.
Repression gripped the back of her summer dress tightly, inspecting her with a cold, wintry gaze that could've made seasoned warriors cry. "It is time for this farce to end. I am returning you back to your domain," he spoke in a clear, clipped tone.
"Wait, no!" She yelled, kicking as best she could and struggling, but doing so mid-air was rather difficult. Her breath was knocked out of her a second later, the demon rushing through the air with the miko in tow, appearing in the courtyard. Those flames then rippled around him and Kagome cried out upon seeing them rise higher, consuming them both. Heat rippled close, and her lashes fluttered, feeling fur rush up to meet her hands and legs, cushioning them. She blinked upon realising that Repression had transformed, and she felt near engulfed by the sheer amount of back muscle and rippling fur she found herself laying on. The dog demon shifted, picking something up in his jaws and turning his great head to set it down near her. Her companion, Wrath was an unhappy passenger too, arms remaining bound as he sat not too far away with a foul expression.
Kagome cried out when the inuyoukai beneath them lunged, leaping directly into the sky and starting to soar away. Gripping the strands of fur until her knuckles bled white, Kagome ducked her face into the warmth of his back.
Huh, he smelled kind of nice. No, focus Kagome!
Lifting her head, Kagome heard a snarl- noticing Wrath struggling to keep his balance. Without the use of his arms, it was proving difficult.
He rocked onto his side and landed heavily, threatening to slide off the great beast's spine.
Red eyes cracked open when a strong grip latched onto the fine silks of his clothes. Kagome knelt over him, grunting and pulling him back to safety. Brief surprise seemed to widen those bloodthirsty eyes, stiffening when she braced herself over him, arm sliding around his shoulders to keep them steady- strong gusts of wind lashing at them. As they soared higher into the pleasant light purple skies, she glanced behind them at the shrinking mansion, watching its image become fainter.
I could have gotten more answers from there if they'd just taken me seriously, Kagome sighed. Below, more land finally came into view, trees sporting white leaves and appearing as a blanket of snow, patches of blue breaking them up. She assumed they were lakes and rivers.
"Do you intend to straddle me the whole flight, miko?" A rumble sounded out, hot breath fanning over her collarbone.
Kagome squeaked, finally noticing their position. Her knees slipped, causing their chests to meet, noses inches apart. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of red. "Ah- uh...ahaha-"
"You are a fool for assisting me," Wrath hissed, breaking whatever stupor she'd briefly fallen into. "You cannot survive such a fall, but I can. Release me at once!"
"Huh, you're prickly, aren't you?" She tried to lift herself up slightly, tucking dark hair behind her ear and noticing his jaw tick. "It's okay, buddy. I won't tell anyone your secret."
"What secret?" A snarl laced his voice, which vibrated directly into her chest.
"That you're actually somewhat thoughtful. I've dealt with Inuyasha for a long time and lemme tell ya, this gruff and snarly thing you've got going on can't hide blatant concern. You're kind of similar in some respects."
His permanently red eyes flashed with an inner light, narrowing. The heat of him seemed to increase, rising to alarming heights. "Inuyasha..."
Kagome winced. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. "Um, yes?"
A snarl echoed in her eardrums, but not from the male beneath her. Looking up, Kagome gaped at the unfamiliar Sesshoumaru standing before them, the breeze tossing silver hair back, revealing the bold green of his crest. Unlike the other demon lord look-alikes, this one carried a sword at his hip, but it wasn't his usual Bakusaiga.
She squinted. It looked like Tokijin. And was it just her, or did this Sesshoumaru look just a hint younger?
His eyes were blazing, the gold luminous. Thin lips peeled back in disgust, flashing sharp fangs. "You dare compare us, miko? And you, Wrath, what nerve you have," he uttered softly, poison clinging to his words. "You must be punished for touching what is rightfully mine."
While soaring through the skies and noting the sun's position, dipping slowly below the horizon, Sesshoumaru inhaled sharply. Inuyasha's scent briefly flitted by his nose. The whelp was close.
He frowned, mulling over what to do.
He'd flown to the village of Edo and searched the forest but as first suspected, Kagome Higurashi was gone. Various ideas and scenarios had flashed through his mind, one dramatic, inane thought being that she'd been stolen away back into the future. He'd quickly disposed of such an idea. Ridiculous.
Now, however, he had a plan to find the sorceresses kin. If Inuyasha interfered he could potentially complicate things… or be useful, but the Daiyoukai wasn't about to ask for help.
Besides, his pride was on the line. He was perfectly capable of saving the miko on his own, if she hadn't already done the saving herself.
"Oi, Sesshoumaru!"
Sesshoumaru bit back a sigh, flying down to land on a tree branch. Inuyasha climbed down from the higher branches where he'd yelled his 'greeting', landing beside him in a crouch. The elder brother observed that casual encounters such as these had replaced their usual fights since Naraku's death, though neither acknowledged this. He still found it strange.
"Ya look like you came from the direction of the village. Was everything alright?" The Hanyou asked gruffly.
Sesshoumaru's gaze slid away. Lying was beneath him. He left that sort of thing to Jaken. "It was attacked by an oni sorceress."
Inuyasha's eyes widened, "WHAT?!" He stood, glancing at the demon's shoulder. Nostrils flared, no doubt picking up a certain scent. "Did you see Kagome?" He asked sharply.
Irritation briefly marred Sesshoumaru's brow. "Hn."
"Gah- shit, I knew I shouldn't have left her to take care of things by herself! I gotta go see if she's okay," Inuyasha grit out, leaping onto another tree and then hurrying away.
Sesshoumaru watched him go, his gut tightening, teeth aching. A sudden burst of irrational anger and other emotions possessed him. "Such disbelief in her abilities..." he uttered quietly.
Exhaling shakily, Sesshoumaru clamped down on such things, shaking himself and collecting frayed senses. He then leapt up, continuing to fly North.
"You spout nonsense!" Wrath bellowed, shifting out from under the miko and getting to his feet. He glared at Kagome, "you! Release me from these binds!" He snapped.
She opened her mouth, gaping like a fish. She felt completely out of her depth but tried to piece together something to say. "C-calm down you two, this is no time for-"
"Do not lay hands on that filth, Kagome," the newcomer hissed her name. "Come to me, this one is a superior match, better than-"
"You shall not say it!" Wrath launched forward, pushing off the balls of his feet. The back beneath them lurched, and Kagome grunted, bumping her chin on the fur and hanging on for dear life. She noticed the sky dyed with blotches of green, red soon joining it as Wrath successfully got his arms free. The two started to fight, growling and scraping with one another.
Repression snarled, tossing his head and glancing at the three figures on his back, swatting at the newcomer with his tail.
The back lurched again, and another particularly harsh gust of wind send Kagome rolling off the inuyoukai's shoulder. Gasping, she scrambled for purchase, but silky strands slid through her fingers. Kagome cried out, feeling her body plummet. Black hair tossed up into the air above, her hands frozen, fingers outstretched as the various Sesshoumaru figures got smaller the further she fell, preoccupied with each other.
The lashing breeze made tears prick her eyes, and Kagome grit her teeth, squeezing them shut.
A noise built in the back of her throat, spilling out in the form of a shout. "Sesshoumaru!"
She didn't call for any single emotion, but to the real thing, forcing strength into her voice and letting out a flash of reiki.
Almost immediately, a bright orb burst out of the forest below. It swung through the air towards her falling figure, enveloping her in its glow. Kagome landed in a pair of arms and latched on tight, exhaling shakily and resting her cheek against a broad shoulder. Somehow, he felt more stable than Repression had, solid and strong. He smelled the same. A masculine scent, but warm, if warmth had a scent. Like the type of strangely comforting heat experienced when sitting before a hearth. Kagome opened her eyes and winced, squeezing them shut again, finding the light too bright.
Something like a palm rested on the crown of her head. Kagome started upon feeling it move in a lingering stroke, fingers curling into the stands of her hair.
"Keep your eyes closed," came Sesshoumaru's familiar voice, silkier and softer than the others she'd met. From the motion of the air, she could feel them descending at a controlled pace.
"T-thanks for the s-save," she said faintly, very confused and a little shaky from the fall. "Which o-one are you?"
"It is not important."
Kagome tried to crack open her eyes, but just as she did, hands seized her waist. Suddenly she's pried off him and falling. Opening her mouth, probably to curse- Kagome landed a second later in water, feeling it enclose overhead.
Sinking down for a moment, she kicked her legs and quickly surfaced, coughing and spitting water. Minding her hair from her eyes, Kagome looked around, finding no trace of her rescuer.
"Jerk," she mumbled, sighing and swimming to the shore of the small lake, trees enclosing it on all sides. "But a nice jerk."
I wonder what his deal was. Maybe Sesshoumaru has an unexpected shy side?
Looking up at the three figures in the sky, Kagome noted things seemed to have calmed down, but carried on walking, dipping under the shade of the branches. Repression was planning on putting me in my 'domain' wherever that is. Either way, none of them were listening to me. Maybe I can find a nicer emotion or something to help me out.
As Kagome twisted her hair, letting droplets trail onto the ground and shivering a little, she remained unaware of the dangers around her, including a certain demon lord shadowing her steps.