Kagome awoke to the sounds of packing. She rose sleepily from her bed and stretched, thinking of the summer alone. She opened her door, and someone rushed by. Walking down the steps, she decided to remind Souta which way was left and right as he slipped on his shoes. The rest of her family bustled out the door with various pieces of luggage. She waved them off, smiling.
"Bye Mom! Bye Gramps! Bye Souta!" she called happily.
Kagome closed the door, walking up the stairs to take another shower. When she finished, she decided to go check on the well. She exited through the back door in the kitchen. Sunlight washed through her raven black hair as she walked down towards the well house. Birds chirped happily as squirrels scurried about their usual business. It was a beautiful summer day. Kagome's happiness was somewhat broken when she saw something near the well house. It seemed to be unconscious. Please don't be Inuyasha. It had a demon aura, but it was a weak one. Well, considering that it was unconscious, yeah, it would probably be weakened. Kneeling down next to it, she took one glance at the figure's face and gasped/winced/twitched/almost screamed.
"Sesshoumaru!" she gasped softly, not wanting to wake him.
Kagome smiled as she saw his state. He wasn't wounded physically, no blood anywhere.
"Must be the smell," she thought humorously, remembering how Inuyasha was knocked out by smell a couple times. "Poor guy," she thought sympathetically.
Picking him up in her arms, which she was very surprised she could do, she carried him into the house and laid him down on the couch.
"I've got a cold-blood killer in my house. I'm not scared. He'll probably turn out like Inuyasha, just gotta get used to the guy," she said matter-of-factly.
Kagome slipped up the stairs and into her grandfather's room. Taking one of the prayer bead necklaces, she went back downstairs. Sesshoumaru still had not awakened. Good. Kagome fastened the prayer beads around his neck.
"Well," Kagome said, sighing, "Now I don't have to worry about losing control of him."
"Losing control of who?" the still figure asked.
Kagome, who had been sitting on the edge of the couch beside him, jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked down at him.
"Ehehehe," she laughed nervously, "no one in particular."
Sesshoumaru raised himself off the couch, putting his hand to his forehead. "Stupid humans," he muttered.
"I heard that," Kagome said, glaring down at him. "Sit!"
The unfortunate youkai lord was immediately smashed to the ground, into the soft carpet of the living room. He pushed himself off the ground, dusting himself off. He swiftly moved over to Kagome and grabbed her by the neck, her toes dangling inches off the ground.
"Tell me, wench. Where am I?" he asked sternly.
"Address me by my proper name," she said harshly.
"Fine! What is your name?!" he shouted at her.
"I'm surprised you don't know it," she answered.
His temper was flaring. The impatient youkai cracked his knuckles, bringing the unused clawed hand to her throat. "What is your name?" he repeated.
"Kagome. Higurashi Kagome," she answered.
"Very well, Kagome. Where am I?"
She smiled at him. "That's better. You're in the future, many centuries away from your own time." Kagome watched his expression. The normal mask of amusement and boredom flickered with curiosity and surprise. "Can you please let go of me, now?" she asked.
"No, you'll run or do something," he replied monotonously.
Kagome was starting to choke ever so slightly. "I guarantee you," she said, "I will not run away. This is my home you're in, you're totally lost without me." She smirked.
"Feh." He said, putting her down.
The girl immediately took in a deep breath, breathing in and out heavily before her breath steadied. She looked up at him, making herself comfortable on the couch. "I take it you have questions for me?" she inquired, her eyes twinkling. I'm in control here.
"Yes, in fact I do," he said, sitting down next to her.
The girl's scent nearly overwhelmed him, though not in the same way as when he first arrived. It was a pleasant scent, calming. He relaxed at her presence, not realizing it.
Kagome felt slightly unnerved that the youkai lord had sat down next to her. I'm in control, I'm in control, I'm in control. All I have to do is direct him back to the past. I've got my special word, too…just in case.
"First, I've got a question for you," she said quietly. "Why are you here?"
He looked at her curiously. She showed no fear of him. Come to think of it, she never has. This slightly angered him. He sighed deeply. This is going to be a long day.
"I was following you," he said calmly, expecting her to flare with anger.
"I know that part," she said, annoyed, "Why were you following me?"
He sighed again. Such a nosy girl. "I was going to capture you as a hostage and trade you for the Tetsusaiga."
"So I see," she paused. "Why don't you take me now?" she looked questioningly up at him.
He started at her audacity. "Do you want me to take you?" he asked incredulously.
"No, I never said that. I asked why don't you take me?" she huffed.
"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, "I don't know. I guess I will take you now, then."
Sesshoumaru got up and picked up Kagome, slinging her over his shoulder. "Very good idea, wench," he taunted.
Kagome kicked at him, trying to break free of his hold. Finally, giving up, she crossed her arms and pouted. Me and my big mouth. When they reached the well house, Kagome felt strange. The well seemed to be emitting a foreboding feeling. Sesshoumaru brought his hostage down from his shoulder into his arms. He smirked down at her. Then, he dropped her into the well. However, instead of falling downward into the murky depths, she levitated above it. She felt very strange. What the hell is going on here?! She hovered above the mouth of the well, remaining completely still.
"What are you doing witch?" Sesshoumaru questioned angrily.
"Shut up and get me down!" she shouted.
Sesshoumaru hesitated before reaching for her. When his fingers almost touched her form, Kagome let off a loud screech, making the youkai lord cover his ears at the noise. The girl twisted and turned with pain, clawing at an invisible force. It felt like something was strangling her and twisting her heart, squeezing the life out of her. Sesshoumaru watched, wide eyed. Kagome turned to him, her face twisted with unbelievable pain.
"Get," she paused, starting to lose air, "me…down," she pleaded to him. Her eyes begged him, swirling with her unknown pain.
He quickly complied, pulling her from her levitated position. She slumped in his arms, breathing shallowly. He shook her gently. Kagome opened her eyes halfway, spying his long, flowing, silver-white hair. She looked up into his eyes.
"Please…don't do that again," she said softly, falling limp in his arms.
Sesshoumaru listened for a heartbeat. Good. She's still alive. He walked back into the house, laying her down on the couch. Better not touch anything. Don't know what it could do. This is the future. He sat down on the floor next to the couch, laying his head down on the edge to study her. She had beautiful blue-gray eyes; he already knew that. Her eyes had shone with courage, compassion, and spirit that defied others. His eyes quickly scanned over the rest of her. All in all, she's quite pretty. Too bad that mouth of hers never stops. Kagome had begun to move ever so slightly. Her eyes fluttered open, hands reaching up to her face.
"Ugggghhhh," she groaned, "what was that?"
She looked over to Sesshoumaru, who was still on the floor next to the couch. He was watching her intently. She glared at him.
"Did you cast some sort of magic to do that to me?" she asked harshly.
"No. Why would I? You're my ticket to getting the Tetsusaiga. It would be foolish of me to throw away something like that," he said monotonously.
"Yeah, you're right," she said, exasperated.
"I always am," he replied, smiling smugly.
"Why don't you try to jump in?" she asked indignantly. "The pain would do you some good. Humble you a little maybe," she snapped.
"I doubt that. My pride is unbreakable," he answered, still smiling.
"Okay then, what are you going to do? You're trapped in the future here, with me," she said with mock joy.
"I still have a few questions," he said.
"Okay, go ahead. Wouldn't hurt to answer a few questions, I guess," she said lamely.
"First, are there any youkai here?" he asked hopefully.
"No," she said simply, seeing his face fall, "Well, maybe. They're probably in hiding. Humans dominate the world, now," she told him.
"Hmm. Okay. How much have things changed?"
"A LOT," she replied, motioning to the strange contraptions around the room.
"Ahhhh, so I see," he said, his eyes glancing around the room for the first time. "Okay, last question. Could you remove this necklace?" he asked pleadingly.
"That would be a no. This way, I won't lose control of you," she said, smirking.
Kagome pushed herself off the couch, still looking down at him. Realization dawned on her. She groaned, slapping her hand to her forehead.
"What is it?" he demanded.
"You have to stay with me, now," she groaned again, falling back down to the couch.
"Why?!" he shouted.
"You want to go out to Tokyo alone? You probably won't get killed, but you'll get captured and taken for tests. I can't let them do that." She replied calmly.
"What kind of tests?" he asked curiously.
"They take blood samples, put you through different physical activities, and perhaps maim you. It's not fun. Then, they'll probably try to clone you. Not a good thing," she answered.
"Clone?" he asked. He did not like to be the one to question. It made him feel so…naïve.
"Hai. They take your DN-- um, blood and genetic makeup and copy it to make someone almost exactly like you. That is your clone. Considering you're a demon, you would be all-the-more useful," she explained.
"Oh," he said softly. I am blocked from my home and put into the future to live with a girl that can go on and on forever. He paused as he remembered a certain little girl back home. "Rin," he murmured. Sesshoumaru snapped out of his reverie and turned to the girl lying down on the couch.
"Well," he said quietly.
"Well what?" she pushed.
"Aren't you going to teach me about the future?" he said impatiently.
"You're willing to cooperate?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course. If it ensures my survival," he shot back.
Kagome sighed. "Of course. Your own survival." She raised herself off the soft couch, using one hand to support herself and the other to brush the stray hairs out of her face. Looking around at her surroundings, she sighed again.
"Okay. First, we change your wardrobe," she winced as she looked at him.
"What?!" he asked indignantly.
"I might have to help you dress," she said, wincing again, "The clothes here are quite different from the clothes of your time."
Sesshoumaru looked down over her body. "Quite," he agreed.
"No, no, no. You don't have to wear anything like this, indicating her school uniform. No, you'll wear something, I think, is much more comfortable."
"I question your opinion of comfortable," he arched an eyebrow at the girl.
She glared at him. "Do you want my help or not?"
"I suppose."
"Stand up," she commanded.
He raised an eyebrow at her again before silently complying with her words.
Kagome stood up and walked around him, studying his physical build. "Hmmmm," she mused while walking around him.
"What are you doing?" he asked impatiently.
"Studying you," she replied.
"For what purpose?" he asked.
"For new clothes," she answered. Kagome stopped walking in front of him. She undid his sash and slid down the top of his kimono, letting it slide down to his elbows.
Sesshoumaru was genuinely surprised, but he let her go about her business. He felt her hands on his shoulders and looked down at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked again.
"I told you," she said, "studying you for your clothes."
He relaxed under her touch, relieving his tense muscles. Well, he certainly is muscular. Like Inuyasha. She slipped his clothes back on, keeping the sash in her hands.
"Okay!" she said cheerfully, "I think I've got something for you!"
Kagome bustled away, leaving a very confused Sesshoumaru. She was back in seconds, a pair of jeans, a plain white sleeveless shirt, and a short-sleeved black dress shirt draped over one arm.
"I think these will fit you," she smiled at him. "They were my father's," she said sadly.
Sesshoumaru gazed sympathetically at her. "Were?" he asked gently, striding over to her.
"He died a long time ago," she said, tilting her head up to look back at him. Her beautiful eyes had turned from blue-gray to a stormy gray, shining with unshed tears. "A long, long time ago, it seems." She gazed intently at him, trying to figure out the emotions that played across his features. Sympathy. Pity. Sorrow. Pain. A quiet sob escaped her lips, and she turned her face away from him, ashamed that she could break down like this in front of him.
Sesshoumaru didn't know what to do. On one hand, he wanted to embrace her and let her cry out all her pain. On another, he wanted to backhand her into the wall for her show of weakness. He decided on something in the middle. As he placed a firm hand on her shoulder, Kagome stopped trembling, gasping at the feel of his warm hand.
"The time of mourning is over," he said quietly, "stop crying."
The girl nodded mutely, silently awed that he didn't scold her severely. She wiped her tear-filled eyes with the sleeve of her school uniform. When she removed her arm, her face had taken on a new expression.
"Okay!" she said cheerfully, smiling at him, "Let's start!"
Kagome picked up one of the garments draped over his arm, which happened to be the jeans.
"These," she indicated the denim pants, "are jeans."
The explanation of the clothing went on for about fifteen minutes before Sesshoumaru actually dressed. When he gave his consent, Kagome turned around to inspect him. She gave a soft gasp of surprise at what she saw, walking toward him slowly.
Sesshoumaru watched as the young girl gasped at his image. I must look really bad. She started to walk towards him, and he could feel a soft blush rising to his cheeks. Kagome's mouth was agape in awe as she looked him over head-to-toe and toe-to-head. He's gorgeous. She tried to mask her obvious amazement. Sesshoumaru stood in plain blue jeans, a little loose but hugging his figure closely. A white shirt was tucked into the jeans with an unbuttoned black collared shirt over it. His silvery white hair flowed freely down his back, shining in the golden shafts of light streaming in through the large windows of the living room. Now, if Kagome were one of those regular giggly schoolgirls, she probably would have fainted at the sight. However, Kagome was different, so she just gaped at him.
"Uhhh…uhhhh…you…you…look great!" she said cheerfully, falling out of her amazement. She seemed a bit puzzled.
"And…" he pushed.
"Where's your tail?" she asked, circling around him.
"I can make it appear and disappear at will," he said matter-of-factly.
"Oh. Are you comfortable in the clothes?" she asked quickly.
"Hmm. I can take it," he answered nonchalantly.
"Oh. I guess you can borrow my father's wardrobe for now."
"Okay, as you wish," Sesshoumaru mused.
"Like you'd do what I'd want you to do," she smirked.
"Well, I'm totally dependent on you, now, aren't I?" he asked.
"I guess," she said, smiling.
"How do I look?" he asked, dying to hear her answer.
"Great!" she answered cheerfully, "Better than I expected!"
"Good," he said quietly.
"Okay. Now I show you the modern advances of the world today," she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him to the kitchen with her.
The room was flecked with strange devices that had green numbers on them that would change every minute. Sesshoumaru was totally confused, hoping he could remember everything she told him. Kagome let go of his wrist and started giving her tour of the house.
~*~*~*One and a half hours later*~*~*~
"Okay. That's all of the house!" Kagome said cheerfully, plopping back down on the living room couch.
Sesshoumaru plopped down next to her, mumbling to himself, "Don't put metal in the microwave. Flush the toilet. Don't play with the electrical outlets. Don't use the blow dryer near water."
Kagome giggled at his antics, making him turn crossly to her.
"Why don't you try going almost a thousand years into the future, eh?" he said monotonously. He had regained his indifferent/amused/bored mask.
Kagome seemed a little hurt at the words.
"You're learning very quickly," she said sweetly, "You must be very intelligent."
"Maybe," he said, smiling smugly.
She gave an amused smile. "You should go to school with me," she suggested, "It'll be a breeze for you."
"What do you learn in school?" he asked, leaning back on the couch.
"Math, science, geography, language, history," she ticked off several more things on her fingers then smiled at him.
"History should be an easy subject. You used to live history," she mused, "Math is hard. I hate it. Ihateitihateitihateit."
"So I see," he said, amused.
Kagome noticed this. "You know, Sesshoumaru, you don't have to hide your emotions anymore," she said softly. "You're going to live as a human, might as well act like one. Around me, at least."
"Mmm," he said, smiling at her. "What reason do I have to act like a human around particularly you?" he asked.
"You're going to be around me the most," she started slowly, "I need to know what you think."
"There seems still to be no reason to act human," he answered.
Kagome sighed deeply. "Okay. The real reason is because I'm sick of people like Inuyasha."
Sesshoumaru was stunned. "Sick of him? You're always around him," he said.
"Yeah. All he wants to do is protect me. He gets jealous of people who like me. He never shows any signs of actually liking me, and it's just very frustrating." She choked out. "I don't know if he likes me or not, but I won't see him again, probably."
Sesshoumaru looked on in awe. Did the wench care for my dumb brother? Probably.
Kagome was suddenly aware of how she was acting. She silently reprimanded herself. I'll never become friends with Sesshoumaru this way. Surprised, she re-thought that certain thought. Do I want to become friends with him? She glanced over at him. Yes.
"Okay!" Kagome yelled, jumping up happily. "Let's go shopping!"
"Shopping?" Sesshoumaru questioned.
"Yeah. That's where you go to the stores and look around at particularly clothes to buy." She said excitedly. Realizing the situation, she frowned. "But boys usually don't like to shop."
Sesshoumaru weakened at the fallen expression on her face. "It's okay. I don't mind," he said slowly, unsure off his answer. After all, he'd never gone shopping before.
"Really? Oh THANK YOU!" she yelled, wrapping her arms adoringly around his waist.
"Uhhh," Sesshoumaru stuttered, a slight blush tinting his cheeks, "that's okay."
"We'll be fast friends," she said, winking and releasing him from her hold.
"Whatever you say," he said, smiling.
Kagome gave a soft cry of surprise when she saw him smile. He's totally gorgeous.
Sesshoumaru's face fell when he heard her gasp. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing," she said quickly, catching his fallen expression. "Really, it's nothing."
"If it were nothing, you wouldn't gasp," he said firmly. "What's wrong?"
She smiled brightly at him, catching him off guard. "You should smile more often!" she said happily.
He liked it when Kagome smiled, especially at him. Why would she smile at me, though? Sesshoumaru smiled back at her.
"You know, Sesshoumaru," Kagome started carefully, "we should get you a new name."
"Ne? Is there something wrong with my name?" he asked stubbornly.
"No, no, no," she said quickly, "it's just that your name is a little long."
"Is there something wrong with long names?" he asked defensively.
"We could get you a nickname!" she said happily, flashing him a bright smile.
God, he hated it when she smiled. "Fine. What are you thinking of?"
"Fluffy!" she yelled cheerfully, hugging him tightly.
'Fluffy' was again surprised by her actions. "No! Not Fluffy!"
"Pleeeeeasee," she pleaded, gazing up at him with sad eyes.
"NO!" he shouted, looking away.
"Pretty plllleeeeeeaaaaassseeee?"
"NO!!!" he shouted again, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see her.
"Fine, then," she answered, giving up and releasing him. "How about Sesshou?"
"That's fine," he said, hinting disappointment that she had released him.
"Great!" she said, hugging him again.
Kagome released the confused dog youkai. "Now, I'll have to tutor you!" she said excitedly. "So you can go to school with me!"
"I'm not your pet, you know," he said smirking.
"Awww, I know. You're just so cute!" she said, placing a finger on the tip of his nose.
"WHAT?!" he roared.
"Kawaii!" she said happily, finger still on his nose.
"A DEMON LORD IS NOT CUTE!" he raged.
"You're not a demon lord here!" she chanted.
True. He calmed down. "Okay," he said, defeated, "teach me, then." He folded his arms in annoyance.
"Fine then!" she huffed, stalking up the stairs.
Sesshou looked after her, sighing to himself. The girl reached the top of the stairs, looking down at him. "Come on!" she called. Looking bored, he scaled the stairs in a single leap. "Oh." Kagome said. "Come on!" she called, leading him to her room. He followed her quietly into the bowels of her humble abode. Upon entering, Sesshou found the girl at her desk, digging through various papers. Sighing again, he decided to sit down on the edge of her queen-sized bed and wait patiently for her to emerge from the sea of papers strewn across her desk. Looking around, he observed his surroundings. He had seen her room in his tour of the house, and Kagome had explained everything in it to him. That would include the closet, TV, computer, desk light, desk, phone, printer, and the many different varieties of clothes and office supplies that lurked in the desk and closet. He looked over to the computer, different pictures drifting across the screen. One of the pictures showed herself and three other people, her friends, he guessed. Another was a picture of Inuyasha napping. More pictures glided along the screen against a black background. Kagome hadn't explained this phenomenon.
"Hey Kagome," Sesshou called.
"Ne?" she responded, still frantically searching through her papers.
"What's that on the computer screen?" he asked.
Kagome turned away from the papers she was rummaging through to look at the computer.
"Oh," she said, "You mean the screensaver?"
"I guess. What's it for?" he asked.
"Wow, you're curious, aren't you?" she teased.
"Feh."
"Well, it saves the current condition of the computer. I made that one. It's just there so that the computer doesn't use as much power when I'm not using it when it's on. Get it?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good," she said, walking over to the computer.
The girl slid into the chair and moved the mouse a little. The screen, to Sesshou's surprise, turned into a picture of Inuyasha and his friends with little programs on the side.
"What are you doing, wench?" he asked, smirking at her pissed off expression.
"Going on the internet, mutt," she said.
"Ne?"
"It's just a connection to, uh, well, I don't know how to explain it. Many people can connect to it at once. They can talk, or rather write, to each other online. People put up different sites that have information, sell things, or show things to other people. Some sites are better than others, depending on the people who put them up," she said.
"Ahhhh, okay." He said monotonously.
Sesshou watched as Kagome typed something on the keyboard. He began to get bored so he flopped down on her bed, watching as the afternoon light started to wane.
"Where am I going to sleep?" he suddenly asked.
"Ummm," Kagome started, still staring at the computer screen, "I guess you can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep downstairs."
"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised.
"Are you concerned about my welfare?" she turned to him incredulously.
"Feh. No. Fine, I'll sleep here." He finalized.
"Fine," Kagome said, thinking about what she was going to do when he fell asleep.
She printed out a couple papers concerning education. There was a summary of what should be learned in elementary and junior high school. She could probably teach him the junior high stuff. The elementary school stuff would just be summarized.
"Okay!" she said, turning around to him. "Let's start!"
It was about 5:00 pm when they started, midnight when they stopped. By that time, Kagome had summarized everything she had learned in elementary school, including some math, science, language, and geography. She had found that Sesshoumaru's writing was exquisite and he read quite fast. All in all, he was really smart. He had a knack for math, too.
"Wow," Kagome murmured, checking over the math problems Sesshou had done, "You're really good. You must have gotten excellent education," she mused.
"Maybe," he said monotonously.
"No doubt about it," she said softly, yawning.
Kagome rose from her place on the bed, stretching her arms up.
"We can continue tomorrow after shopping," she said. "I'm going to go take a shower and go to sleep. It's late."
The tired girl walked around, gathering up the stuff she needed for her shower. Before she entered the bathroom, she turned around to look at Sesshou.
"You can take a shower after me, ne?" she said, smiling.
"Sure, whatever you say," he replied.
"Kay!" she said, closing the door to the bathroom.
Sesshou lie back on the girl's bed, listening to the steady patter of water from the shower. He could keenly smell her gentle scent wafting from the bathroom. The aroma and the steady patter of the shower water lulled him to sleep as he settled into the soft bed.
Kagome stripped off her clothes and stepped into the refreshing water. I'll have to kill Sesshoumaru…for Inuyasha. Sesshou might go out of control. He might even try to kill me. I can't let that happen. For all I know, he's probably powerful enough to wipe out Tokyo. After scrubbing herself clean, she turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her body and her hair. She dried herself off and slipped into her pajamas. Placing a mask of casual happiness, she stepped out of the bathroom. She smiled to herself at the scene before her. Sesshoumaru was curled up on her bed, sleeping peacefully. However, knowing what she had to do, she went down to the kitchen and came back up, holding a long, sharp knife, a grim expression on her face. Kagome came closer to his sleeping figure, mentally cursing that he had to come here. Goodbye Sesshoumaru. She raised the knife over her head, aiming for his heart. When she was about to bring it down, he stirred slightly. She gave a silent gasp, but he did not move further, continuing to sleep. God. She raised the knife again, trembling with fear and anticipation. It dropped.