.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter ten : refraction

Shippou expected to have a difficult time the first night they slept in Sesshoumaru's home.

He fully intended to stay awake that first night and guard Kagome. He was scared for her after the way Sesshoumaru had struck her and subsequently dragged her. Particularly after the way the youkai lord had growled at him. Just remembering the fearsome sounds that emanated from deep within the dog demon's throat and the intense look in his eyes made Shippou's fur stand on end hours later.

Yet, there they were in Sesshoumaru's home, under his care. As far as Shippou could see, the situation was getting progressively worse, not better. Whatever it was that drove Kagome to Sesshoumaru's domain was in grave error. Sesshoumaru was no friend or ally; he was just as untrustworthy as ever and always would be. His goal was mastership of the Tetsusaiga. Their welfare held no meaning for him, so it was up to Shippou to keep alert for them both.

Youth had a way of causing the most well intentioned to forget the basics. Shippou was running on empty, though his nervousness lead him to believe otherwise. In her maternal way, Kagome insisted that Shippou lie down and rest for a while once the pair were shown to their room. After much whining and arguing, the kitsune cub finally gave in to the wishes of his adoptive mother and grudgingly complied.

Upon stretching out on the futon, an overwhelming need to sleep overrode the worries of his mind and he fell into a deep slumber only to awake with the first morning light of the new day. Part of him was angry with himself for falling asleep (again) when he knew he should not and another part of him was thankful for the comfortable rest. He was even secretly pleased that Kagome, too, did not seem to have any trouble sleeping since arriving.

She needed the rest far more than he did.

In fact, her nervous disposition seemed to melt away the moment she donned the new kimono and obi provided for her by their host. Even the alien tone in her voice seemed to vanish, slowly leaving behind the Kagome that Shippou remembered from before Inuyasha's death. He felt somewhat at ease, regardless of the home where they currently stayed. A large factor in the ease Shippou felt was due to the scant few times they had any contact with their host.

It seemed as though Sesshoumaru was purposefully avoiding them, Kagome in particular.

Every morning a grumbling and cursing Jaken brought them fresh clothes, prepared a hot bath, made certain they were properly fed and then would leave them to wander the grounds at their leisure. He never mentioned Sesshoumaru to them directly and tended to disappear once his tasks were complete. This pattern repeated itself for nearly a week and in that time, they had seen the youkai lord only a handful of times. Shippou silently suspected that the reason Sesshoumaru was avoiding them was because of Kagome's scent. Inuyasha had done that, too, on the few occassions that he could get away with it.

The only friendly company that regularly visited with them was Rin. When she was not playing a game with Shippou, she was pestering Kagome, though the older girl did not seem to mind the attention. Rin quickly warmed up to both of them and became a near constant companion.

Rin seemed to idolize the older girl, constantly bombarding her with questions and requests. She would often ask Kagome "girlie" questions, like how to properly tie an obi or how to neatly braid her own hair. The older girl would always smile and comply with her requests leaving poor Shippou to watch in complete boredom. Rin seemed to especially enjoy it when Kagome styled her hair.

It was during one of these moments that Sesshoumaru decided to make an appearance. Both girls were immediately aware of his presence, though only one acknowledged him while the other remained silent, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"Konnichiwa, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin smiled happily, looking at her guardian through the mirror in front of her. "Kagome is teaching Rin how to wear her hair."

Sesshoumaru's expression did not waiver as he moved to stand beside the two girls, watching Kagome as she finished tying a knot. The young woman tried not to let his scrutiny of her ministrations cause her to feel uneasy as she secured Rin's hair in place, but his intense gaze fell heavily upon her. He was watching her so closely that Kagome could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck, unnerving her further.

Once finished, Kagome cleared her throat, rested both hands on the girl's shoulders, and smiled forcefully at Rin's reflection, still unable to shake her unease. "You're all done, Rin-chan. Do you like it?"

The girl nodded eagerly, beaming. "Do you like it, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru fingered her dark hair, looking at it curiously. He tilted the girl's face from one side to the other in order to get a closer look at the braids on either side of her head. He poked at it once, then twice as though testing it.

"It is very nice, Rin," he said, voice void of emotion, though the young girl's face lit up as though he was singing her praises. "It suits you well. I think you should go show it to Jaken now."

Disappointment flashed in the girl's eyes as she understood the silent request of her guardian, but she did not protest. Without hesitation the girl got up from her seat and made her way to the door, only pausing once to glance back at the older girl, a broad smile adorning her young face. "Thank you, Kagome-oneesan!"

"You're welcome, Rin-chan."

Sesshoumaru watched the girl bound away before he turned his full attention to Kagome. She gazed back at him, uncertain what to say or do and wishing Midoriko to awaken and ease her sense of trepidation.

A pale brow rose on Sesshoumaru's face as he watched her emotions play out across her features. He made her agitated; he could see that quite clearly in her bright, blue eyes and was happy to sense that emotion from her the moment he started to watch her weave Rin's hair into a braid. His expression remained apathetic as he leaned closer to her, invading her personal space even more. He almost smirked when he was rewarded with the sudden flustered increase of her heartbeat.

Midoriko was clearly not in control, which left Kagome vulnerable to his small tortures.

"She asks you questions as if you were her mother."

Kagome blinked, startled by the odd statement. "Y-yes. She wants to know how to be a proper young lady."

"And she asks for your assistance? I will have to speak with her. She is obviously confused."

It took a moment for his words to sink in before Kagome realized that she had been insulted. "Hey! What are you trying to imply?"

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. The change in his expression was so subtle that it could be easy to miss, but Kagome was certain she had caught an amused smirk lighting his features as he settled himself down across from her.

He watched her quietly for a moment, enjoying the sudden brightness reflecting in her eyes. She was more fun to play with when she was angry... or confused. "Where is Midoriko today? I do not hear her in your voice."

"She's... she's sleeping."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"When I was... mourning... Midoriko made certain that I did not die. She took over until I was ready to face the world again."

"I see. You are weak and require her to be your crutch."

"No! That is not how it works at all!" Kagome felt her face begin to flush with anger and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself.

"We are one half of the same being. Where she ends I begin." She smiled nervously as she trailed off, feeling embarrassed to be telling him such things, "At least, that's how she explained it to me."

A bored expression appeared on Sesshoumaru's face, but his eyes continued to regard her with scrutiny and twinkled with mild amusement. He idly tapped his index finger on the table beside him. "I care not."

Kagome pressed her lips together in annoyance. "Then why did you ask?!"

"I did not." Sesshoumaru said, studying her eyes and liking the fire he saw there. "You supplied all this information of your own free will."

"Uh! You're so arrogant."

"Should I not be?"

"It's annoying."

A slight smirk, "I am happy to annoy you."

Kagome gapped openly as she stared back at him, feeling very flustered with his attitude. He looked like he didn't care about anything she had to say, yet his eyes showed differently. Sesshoumaru was anything but easy to figure out. His entire being radiated with complexities, some subtle, some not so subtle. That complex inconsistency often caused Kagome to feel uncomfortable around him. His eyes sometimes reflected faint amusement or annoyance while his facial expression, body language or vocal tone told a completely different tale.

All at once, she realized that he was playing with her.

Kagome gritted her teeth as she tried once again to keep her anger in check, "What can I do for you, Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't want or need your healing magic."

Kagome looked at him incredulously. "Excuse me?"

Instead of speaking, the youkai lord pulled back his kimono to expose his left shoulder and missing arm. Kagome's brows knit together in confusion as she tried not to notice his bare chest and top of his abdomen. He waited for her to finish looking him over and meet his gaze before he gestured to his severed limb as though that would suddenly make sense to her.

Kagome blinked slowly, her expression betraying her perplexity. "What?"

"It is healing," Sesshoumaru said condescendingly. "You are the only one I know of capable of speeding up the process. I do not need your witchery, nor do I want it."

Kagome's face faltered, "I'm—I'm not healing you. I don't know how!"

The look of doubt on Sesshoumaru's face made Kagome even more annoyed. "I'm telling you the truth! Even if I could heal you, I wouldn't!"

"Do you mean to tell me that this Midoriko spirit can act without your knowledge or consent?" Sesshoumaru asked as he readjusted his kimono.

Kagome felt her anger drain away at the mention of Midoriko. Could Midoriko heal Sesshoumaru? Was she that powerful? Kagome's brows creased together as she thought about it. "I guess maybe she can," she said softly, "but I had no idea she was capable of it. I knew she was able to cause me to heal quickly, but I didn't know she was able to do that for someone else."

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to hide his amusement as he smirked mockingly at the girl. "I see. Such as when you were waiting to die next to my brother's corpse?"

Kagome's face flushed and she grit her teeth in response.

Sesshoumaru's smirk disappeared as his face returned to its familiar expression of apathy. She really was quite easy to annoy, he observed with pleasure before continuing his verbal barbs. "I believe humans call that 'being possessed.' Clearly you need an exorcism."

Kagome glared at him, "I can't believe you... Exorcism!?"

"How else will you rid yourself of a dead woman's spirit?"

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. "Once Magatsuhi is no longer a threat," she said matter-of-factly, "Midoriko will move on to the afterlife and the Shikon no Tama will cease to exist."

A pale brow rose in questioning, "And then?"

"And then... if I live, I'll try to go home. If I can't do that then I'll go back to Kaede's village, I guess."

"You do not expect to live?"

"I expect Magatsuhi to die."

"You mean you expect me to kill Magatsuhi."

Kagome offered him a condescending smile. "You can't kill it by yourself."

"I cannot?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The most you can do on your own is delay it. Like Midoriko delayed Magatsuhi and I delayed Naraku. They are two sides of the same coin and they are united as one. The thing that calls itself Magatsuhi cannot be killed very easily. That's why we have to work together."

Sesshoumaru snorted and looked bored. "When are you going to break the seal that prevents me from the Tetsusaiga?"

Kagome shrugged and looked away from him, unwilling to tell him that she didn't know how to break the seal to begin with. She glanced over at him casually, "Maybe when you start being nice to me," she smirked, "I'll consider it."

Sesshoumaru leaned toward her, his sudden nearness causing Kagome's breath to catch in her throat, "I am being nice to you."

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken's voice echoed from the hallway, causing Sesshoumaru's gaze to break away from Kagome. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The youkai lord leaned back in his chair and tilted his head in the direction of the sound, "In here, Jaken."

The toad entered the room in a rush, his eyes wide with fear. He approached Sesshoumaru with haste, not bothering to spare a glance at Kagome. "Tou- Toukijin is reacting to something, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Reacting?"

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. It is starting to spill forth miasma."