.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter sixteen : Magatsuhi
Kagome giggled as she watched Rin and Shippou tease each other incessantly. The two had been playing an energetic game of hide-and-go-seek and Shippou was winning, much to Rin's frustrated displeasure.
Shippou was using his ability to transform to his advantage, forcing Rin to be more creative in her stalking techniques. Kagome watched with mirth as the girl carefully worked to ambush her overconfident prey, a contagious smile plastered on the eight-year-old's face. Just as Shippou expected Rin to pass him by, she tackled him and now the two of them were chasing each other through the trees and tall grass screaming and giggling all the while.
It was a sight that made Kagome feel good deep in her heart. She enjoyed seeing Shippou so happy and enjoying his youth. The boy had been through so much in such a short amount of time that Kagome was beginning to wonder if he had forgotten how to act like a child. He was only ten years old, much too young to have such worries and pains plaguing his heart.
Originally, Kagome did not want Shippou to follow her to Sesshoumaru's domain. She wanted him to go back to the village and stay with Kaede. She wanted him to be safe. Nevertheless, Shippou refused to let her go off on her own. Now as she watched Shippou and Rin play, she could not help but feel glad that he came. Who would have thought that coming to live with Sesshoumaru and Rin would give Shippou back part of his childhood?
A sudden oof and a loud cry brought Kagome to her feet. She stood on the tips of her toes and scanned the tall grass looking for any sign of Shippou or Rin.
"Kagome!" Shippou called from somewhere in the grass, the tone of his voice causing her to hurry.
As Kagome made her way toward the source of the voice, she could make out the sounds of soft crying and knew in her gut that Rin was hurt. With quickening steps, Kagome made her way through the tall grass to find Rin clutching her bloodied knee on the ground with tears in her eyes. Shippou was kneeled next to her looking worried as he muttered apologies at the girl.
"What happened?" Kagome asked as she knelt down next to the girl and gently touched her leg.
"I-- I was chasing her and lost sight of her." Shippou said as he glanced up at Kagome, "Then I caught her scent and ran after it… and I just ran into her and made her fall. I think she might have landed on that rock over there." He nodded toward the offending object before turning his attention back to Rin, "I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Kagome nodded as she continued to examine the wound. Rin's knee looked bad, and Kagome wondered just how deep her wound went. Rin winced as Kagome began to clean the wound with the hem of her kimono, soaking up the blood as she went. As the blood was wiped away, Kagome was relieved to see that it looked far worse than it actually was. It was a large scrape and it bled quite a bit, but the wound was nothing serious. It would be sore for a while, but would heal quickly.
Rin's tears dried quickly as Kagome continued to tend to her wound while Shippou looked on worriedly. The little girl leaned slightly closer to Kagome to get a better look at her own injury before turning her eyes to Shippou. "Rin isn't hurt bad," she said with a cheerful grin as the kitsune inspected the wound for himself.
"It's just a scrape!" Shippou exclaimed in a very Inuyasha-like fashion. "You cried like that over a tiny little scrape?!"
"It hurt Rin!"
"Baby."
"Shippou!" Kagome admonished.
The kitsune frowned and set his jaw stubbornly.
"Well, she is," he muttered.
Kagome patted Rin's leg gently, "It looks a lot worse than it is. I'm sure you'll be back to running down Shippou tomorrow." Kagome smiled at the girl and got a giggle in response.
"He was cheating, Kagome-oneesan." Rin said with a very Sesshoumaru-like smirk as Kagome wrapped a strip of torn-off cloth around the scrape.
Shippou glared at the girl, "I was not!"
"You were to! You changed!"
Shippou huffed and looked away, "I can't help it if I have talents you don't."
Kagome's mouth went agape. "Shippou!"
"What?! She finds me too quick if I don't transform."
"Then maybe you need to learn to find better hiding places."
"Yeah!" Rin grinned happily at Kagome, glad to have the older girl on her side.
"I wasn't cheating," Shippou grumbled, feeling suddenly outnumbered.
The sound of Rin's giggles seemed to fade as the hair on the back of Kagome's neck started to stand on end, sending a chill down her spine. Her palms started to sweat and her heart pounded loudly in her chest.
Magatsuhi was near, his presence making her want to gag. He was stalking her. She could feel it.
"Kagome?"
Kagome stood and scanned the area around them wildly, searching for him, certain that she would see him lumbering out of the grass at any moment.
Shippou looked around and sniffed the air, searching for the thing that was making Kagome act so nervous. He could not smell anything yet, but seeing the way Kagome was acting made his stomach flutter uneasily in his belly.
"Kagome?" He asked again, "What's going on?"
The older girl said nothing as she bend down and gathered a surprised Rin in her arms. She held the girl tightly against her and gazed down at Shippou intently. "Let's get back. Now."
With that, they ran.
"Rin is scared!" the little girl cried as she clung to Kagome. She could not see nor hear the thing that was chasing them, but the way Kagome and Shippou were reacting to it was enough to strike fear into the heart of the little girl. "Rin wants Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Kagome reflexively hugged the girl tighter as she slowed, causing Rin to squeak in protest. She wanted to go faster, not slower.
"Shippou, I need you to transform and fly Rin back," Kagome said between breaths as she stopped in her tracks.
"What are you doing?!" Shippou yelled in alarm, his adrenaline working overtime as he finally caught a whiff of their strange pursuer. "We have to keep going! It's getting closer!"
Kagome studied the landscape before letting her eyes fall on the frightened cub. "I know he's catching up to us, Shippou. The three of us will not be able to outrun him. Transform and take Rin with you. Go to Sesshoumaru."
"Sesshoumaru-sama will save us!"
"But, Kagome—"
"Shippou, you know I'm right."
"Kagome-oneesan…"
The boy hesitated. "I can't leave—"
"Now!"
"I don't want to leave you!"
Expression hard, Kagome glared down at the kitsune. "Shippou, he's after me. He has no interest in either of you, but he will hurt you both to hurt me, too."
"But I can take—"
"Do you understand, Shippou?" Kagome interupted. "I can't let that happen. You have to take her and go."
Rin began to weep as Kagome pushed the small girl toward Shippou.
"Do what I say, Shippou."
"But I can take us all back!"
"No, you can't. You won't be fast enough with me." She kneeled down next to the boy who remained unconvinced, "Please, Shippou."
Kagome felt her heart swell with pride as she watched the fear shining in Shippou's eyes melt into determination and resolve. He nodded to her once before taking a step back and transforming.
"Rin!"
The girl looked up at Kagome hesitantly. "Kagome-oneesan," she whined, her eyes pleading.
"Go on, Rin. Tell Sesshoumaru where I am, okay?"
The little girl hesitated as she peered up at Kagome with uncertainty in her eyes.
"Hurry!"
Rin's eyes widened slightly at the commanding tone in Kagome's voice before scrambling onto Shippou's back. "Shippou and Rin will get Sesshoumaru-sama!"
"I'm counting on you, Shippou," Kagome said quietly as Shippou began to rise into the air. "Take care of Rin… and be careful."
Kagome waved to them briefly as they faded in the distance before turning around to face her advisory. He was upon her now, circling her like a shark and searching for an opening.
'Midoriko…'
The loud snap of a twig caused her to spin around toward the sound. He was taunting her.
'Midoriko, I need you…'
Her skin was crawling with anxiety as her eyes scanned the landscape. She was certain the shadows were becoming darker and more ominous around her, though she could still feel the warmth of the afternoon sun on her shoulders and back.
'Midoriko!'
Panic was threatening to overwhelm her as she felt her vulnerability become amplified with every passing second. She could not sense Midoriko at all; Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be found… she was alone. She wasn't supposed to be facing him alone!
Fear gripped her as past nightmares filtered through her mind. She clenched her fist and willed herself to remain calm, but the adrenaline pumping through her body made it difficult for her not to panic.
'Sesshoumaru will come.' she told herself. 'Shippou and Rin will be okay and Sesshoumaru will come.'
She repeated the mantra over and over again in her mind until she felt her shoulders relax ever so slightly. Gritting her teeth, Kagome pushed down her fear as far as she could and prepared herself. If she were going to die, she would do it with her head held high and her fists up. She would not succumb without a fight, even if the odds were against her.
"I know you're there, Magatsuhi! Stop hiding!"
A gentle rustling sound slowly moved toward her, increasing in volume with each step. Kagome felt her muscles tense as she waited and silently pleaded with Midoriko to wake up.
The silhouette of a man appeared before her, his features becoming clearer with each step he took. The first thing Kagome noticed about him was that his face and body were all wrong. He looked too friendly, too normal and too human -- but the aura surrounding him left no doubt. He reeked of a virulence that could only be created by Magatsuhi himself.
The idea that a human would chose to merge with Magatsuhi was an unthinkable concept in Kagome's mind, but her experience over the years taught her that nothing was impossible. There was no doubt in Kagome's mind about the identity of the man who stood before her. Regardless of the body he chose to hide himself in, the thing in front of her was Magatsuhi.
He smiled at her, his eyes glinting happily in the afternoon sun.
"There's my little Kagome-chan."
A chill moved up Kagome's spine at the sound of his voice, causing her to grimace. His voice sounded sweet and kind, but there was a quiet, yet distinct tone of malice present that made the muscles in Kagome's back grow tense. She recognized the duality, but it contained a quality to it that she did not recognize. It felt as though the voice of Magatsuhi was stronger than the voice of the man, as though the man was just a toy. Yet, it was the man's voice that rang the loudest.
Indeed, the man was hiding Magatsuhi within his flesh. Kagome recognized the enmity at once and a sense of déjà vu flooded her mind.
He tilted his head to one side as he leered at her. "You're wearing your hair differently today."
Kagome blinked at him oddly as she touched the braid hanging over her shoulder. "You've been watching me."
"Of course I have. I've been watching you both," Magatsuhi said with a sneer. "You and the youkai lord have become such good friends, haven't you?"
"He's on his way here."
Magatsuhi laughed harshly, "Is that a warning?"
"I'm just stating a fact."
"Ahh, yes. Then we'll have to hurry, ne?"