.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter five : a glimpse of moonlight
The girl suddenly deciding to follow them was completely unexpected.
She was far enough behind that Rin and Jaken were unaware of her presence, but he could smell her clearly. He would not have thought twice about the fact that she was following them were it not for her atrocious body odor and scent of old blood clinging to her. Clearly, the human had not bathed in days, probably weeks, and the occasional shift of the wind nearly brought tears to his eyes, the scent was so bad.
He found it strange that she would leave his dead brother's side to follow them, yet make no move to retake the sword. She let it go easily enough. Rin took it from her without any fuss. She had not even whispered a protest. Yet the moment Rin faded from view, she spoke for the first time since he had started to observe her, and now she was following the Tetsusaiga.
It was curious, so he purposefully chose to walk rather than fly to take advantage of the opportunity to study her further.
Perhaps it was the Shikon no Tama driving her forward? On the other hand, perhaps it was that odd emotion human beings possessed called guilt? Either way, she was doing a surprising job keeping up with them, considering the state of her body. He could not help but wonder how long the girl could keep up her pace in her weakened condition. She was beginning to lose some ground with each passing moment causing Sesshoumaru's lips to twitch up at the realization.
It would not be long before he grew tired of her peculiarities and cut her down he reasoned. The world would be much more enjoyable with less human filth polluting his environment. For now, she was a good source of intellectual amusement and a decent distraction from Rin's incessant prattling and Jaken's constant whines. He was tempted to slow his pace just enough to encourage her to continue to push herself beyond her limits, to taunt her.
He would humor her until she dropped and he looked forward to finding out how long it would take that to happen. There was still some considerable amount of fight left within her. Sesshoumaru liked a good challenge, but he preferred his humans dead or terrified. Rin was the exception, an anomaly. There was not a day that went by since Rin had joined them that Sesshoumaru did not think of killing her.
Though he knew he would not... could not.
Sesshoumaru both loved and hated Rin. She was like a daughter to him, and she was a mistake. She was walking evidence that Sesshoumaru was more like his father than he cared to admit. She was proof that he had a weakness.
His father probably would have approved. Hell, the bastard probably would have been proud. His father's appetite for humans was perverse. Some youkai craved human blood, that was generally accepted… but his father held carnal desires for them. The Great Youkai Lord of the Western Lands took Sesshoumaru's mother as his mate long before Sesshoumaru was born, but he also took various human females as mates as well, often bringing them home to use more conveniently. Sesshoumaru's mother had to live with the shame of sharing her lifelong mate and lord with human filth. Now Sesshoumaru shared his home with that same human filth.
Sesshoumaru grimaced. Inuyasha was the one who took after their father, not him. Never him.
Nevertheless, there was Rin, giggling at Jaken while the woman-child stumbled behind him and he was walking, purposefully keeping her on their trail.
The woman-child was further evidence of his weakness, though she was less so. That truth alone sparked the desire within Sesshoumaru to be the one to break her, to kill her. Especially considering she was so loyal to the hanyou.
There had been opportunity before the hanyou's death for Sesshoumaru to cut down the bitch. Several opportunities. Yet, the youkai lord did not take those opportunities. In fact, he even protected her once and saved her from certain death by one of Naraku's many puppets. Sesshoumaru did not hate the girl too much. He respected her miko abilities and he respected the claim the hanyou had on her. It was what her existence implied about him that he hated.
If he killed her, it would be easier to kill Rin.
He glanced down at the child running along side him. Occasionally she would pause in the meadows to pick a flower or pay attention to a scampering creature. She felt his eyes upon her and looked up at him, a wide smile on her face.
He hated when she did that. She was not supposed to be able to invoke warmth within him. He was not supposed to care about her or the woman-child trailing behind them.
Unconsciously, Sesshoumaru's strides narrowed just slightly and he sniffed the air, checking on Kagome's progress. A frown momentarily appeared on his face when he caught the scent of the approaching kitsune. He clenched his jaw, feeling oddly disappointed. The kitsune was going to help her, which made humoring the woman-child suddenly less fun.
His amusement spoiled and his mind swirling with thoughts of his father, Sesshoumaru called Rin to his side and summoned the group into the air.
• • •
"Kagome... Ka-go-me!"
The girl did not pause in her strides, nor did she double her efforts in response to Shippou's calling. The boy grabbed her hand as she walked, attempting to force her to stop. "What are you doing?!"
"He took the sword," she muttered quietly, "but he cannot use it."
Shippou let go of her hand in shock, eyes wide. "Wh-what... the sword..." he whispered, his mind still numb with surprise.
Kagome continued as though she did not hear him, constantly maintaining a steady gap between her and the sword. She stumbled occasionally, but quickly corrected herself. Her eyes never moved from the sight of the small girl with the untransformed sword tied to her back.
"Kagome! Kagome, stop!"
The girl ignored him and continued determinedly.
"Kagome?" Shippou's young voice cracked, clearly frustrated and frightened. "Wait, Kagome. Please wait..." Shippou trailed off, falling slightly behind her. A tear rolled down his cheek as she persisted in ignoring him. His heart broken, he asked, "Is that... is that really you in there, Kagome?"
Unblinking eyes swerved down to gaze at the child as she ceased her pursuit. Shippou quickly glanced in Sesshoumaru's direction and saw him take to the air, preventing them from following any further. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he felt thankful that Kagome had finally stopped and not wandered too far from Kaede's village.
"She is here. We are one." Kagome said simply as she looked down at the child. The girl tilted her head to one side, her eyes going blank for a moment. "She will awaken soon. Her heart mends."
The cub scratched behind his head, feeling suddenly nervous. She was speaking so strangely in a voice that was not her own... it made goose-bumps rise on his flesh. The rumors the villagers circulated about Kagome started to come back to him, urging him to ask the question that has been nagging at him for months. "Are you... human?"
Kagome paused, considering. "We are one."
Shippou frowned, not understanding what she meant. "Who is 'one'? I don't understand."
"Kagome. Shikon no Tama."
Vague understanding filled Shippou. Is the Shikon no Tama a living thing? Shippou shook his head. That had to be what she meant, though he was not certain. In any case, what Sango said seemed to be true. The Shikon no Tama had possessed her somehow. He did not understand the how's or why's of it. As far as he knew, the Shikon no Tama was just a magical item… an inanimate object, a tool. Yet, that assessment appeared to be incorrect. Presently, it did not matter. There were other concerns weighing upon Shippou's young shoulders.
"Why are you following Sesshoumaru? He's dangerous."
Kagome blinked at Shippou as though she didn't understand the question. "We are… related."
Bright blue eyes suddenly became very wide. "What?!"
"We are related."
"You're related to Sesshoumaru?"
"No," she peered off in the direction Sesshoumaru had disappeared. "The sword and we." Kagome began to study the forest around her, seeking something, while Shippou gazed as his feet trying to understand what she was saying.
"H-how is that possible?"
Without answering, Kagome started to head north, forcing Shippou to follow her again. She was not heading back to the grave, nor was she heading in the direction Sesshoumaru had been following. Shippou took a deep breath, feeling eased that she had given up her sudden quest.
"Where are you going now?"
She did not answer, but remained on course through the dense vegetation. The boy followed her silently, curious to know what she had in mind.
They reached a clearing that opened to a widening of the river that cut through Inuyasha's Forest. She paused by the bank, looking around in muted confusion before settling herself down at the edge of the water. Then she cupped her hands together and began to drink.
After several moments she said, "Shippou."
The boy approached her quietly, watching her with wide, curious eyes.
"We would like something to eat."
A strange look appeared on her face, giving one the impression that she was frightened and confused.
"We feel very... weak... sick."
"I know.
The kitsune cub bit his lip, his eyes filling with tears. He could no longer resist the urge to throw his arms around her neck; he was so full of joy. This was the most she had spoken to anyone since the burial. All of the sudden, it didn't matter to him anymore that she had been following Sesshoumaru or that her vocabulary and voice sounded strange.
She was finally coming back to him. She wanted to get better.
She wanted to live.
His hands locked around her neck and he sobbed softly against her chest. Tears of frustration, relief, fear and happiness all coursed down his face and soaked the fabric of her torn and soiled school uniform. She did not respond to his hug, but she did not push him away either.