Title: Falling Stars
Author: Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)
Dedication: To all those who enjoy the journey.
Note: Sorry about taking so long to continue this story but somehow I found myself in Northern California this weekend.(Quite against my will.) Oh, well. Normally I wouldn't even dream of trying to write during the week, but I think I'll give it a shot to try to make up for being so slack lately. Hope you like tonight's chapter!
-Cel.
Chapter 12
He winced as the dish fell from her hands, its dull clay shards shattering the silence of the humble room even as the sharp, red pieces tumbled across the marred wooden floor.
"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, leaving him less than impressed with her show of articulancy. Brushing aside the last remnants of sleep, Sesshoumaru stared up at the thatched ceiling. Out of his peripheral vision, Sesshoumaru watched the young woman kneel upon the floor and nimbly sweep the pottery shards up with a careless hand.
The old miko sighed as she laid a strong, but wrinkled hand upon the girl's shoulder.
The girl looked up at the elderly woman, tears shining in those strange blue eyes of hers. "I'm so sorry, Kaede-baachan…"
"Oh, hush, child. It's been a trying day for you," the woman soothed, her no-nonsense tones oddly comforting. "You should be in bed yourself…"
The petite woman shook her head, her jet-black hair fluttering wildly with the sudden movement. "I can't. Not until…"
The old woman nodded her head softly as she moved back to the covered bundle that lay on the other side of the fire.
"In all probability, he will not wake up until the morning," Kaede replied even as she hovered back over the still figure.
His brother.
Sesshoumaru felt a growl rumble at the very depths of his stomach, the anger boiling in his veins as he turned his head to have a better look at the unconscious form of the young dog demon. Stifling the growl as his eyes fell upon the elderly woman and the young miko who kneeled so anxiously over Inuyasha, the demon lord frowned slightly as his situation dawned on him.
They brought him back with his brother? That was slightly unexpected, to say the least. Pushing aside the strange emotions in his stomach at the realization he had not been abandoned in his weakness, Sesshoumaru instead concentrated on the scene before him. His golden eyes followed the girl's nervous movements, only to feel a sudden bite of amusement as the girl scrambled to catch the white thread that she just dropped.
"Child," the old woman started as the liver-spotted hand scooped the thread out of the girl's rather precarious grip. The demon lord felt a small, crooked smile usurp his normally stoic lips as he detected the slight strain of impatience in Kaede's voice. "You need to rest."
The girl sighed, the sound hopeless and guilt-ridden.
"I have to help, Kaede," this woman-child insisted, even as the tone of her voice seemed to admit that she was aware she was presently more of a bother than assistance.
The woman nodded almost imperceptibly, only to incline her head towards Sesshoumaru's still body.
"I know, Kagome. You could probably help me most by cleaning the brother's wounds while I finish these last stitches."
"Sesshoumaru's?" the girl started, her voice oddly tensed.
The old miko nodded. "Of course, you could also lay down and attend to your own needs before your body collapses. The choice is yours."
He closed his eyes instinctively, feigning slumber, a part of him confused as to his deception but it suddenly seemed so important to see how this young woman would treat him while she believed him helpless in her care.
"And, one thing," the woman broke into the demon lord's thought with a start, "if he begins to wake up, move away. He may not realize what happened and attack you."
Restraining the glower at the words, Sesshoumaru felt a brush of air as the girl hovered above him.
Attack her?
As if he were some confused, wounded animal with no sense of gratitude for the girl's, albeit unnecessary, administrations?
Willing to regain his thoroughly souring temper, Sesshoumaru peeked out from between the camouflage of his long eyelashes.
Small hands, warm and faintly damp, slipped beneath the confines of his kimono top, only to gently press a dry cloth against his wounds. Slowly, the girl loosened the ruined silk, evidently trying to pry the clothing free from the wound without disturbing the blood clots.
Her full lips, unfortunately still as distracting as they had been the night before, twisted into a strangely attractive pout as she finally succeeded in divesting him of his top. The sudden, shocked gasp as her eyes alit on his injuries amused him, almost as much as the sudden green tint to her face did.
So the little miko cannot handle to sight of blood.
Fighting back the almost overwhelming instinct to smile at her obvious distress, Sesshoumaru wondered at this sudden relief that he felt to know the girl possessed yet another flaw.
"Kaede," the girl breathed, her voice trembling as she appeared to be unable to remove her eyes from his stomach.
The old woman scurried over, only to click her tongue against her teeth as she surveyed the wounds.
"And you say he still attempted to fight even after he received his injuries?"
The girl nodded, her nostrils flaring as her light complexion paled even more.
"Stubborn creature," the miko decided as she shrugged her large shoulders. "He's as bad as Inuyasha."
It took all his restraint not to growl at the woman's hasty judgment, but it appeared to be completely unnecessary as the girl tilted her head suddenly.
"I don't think so, Kaede-baachan. I didn't get the feeling he was trying to be stubborn," the girl started, her nimble fingers tracing gently over the five parallel, barely congealed wounds that ran the length of his stomach even as the old woman moved back to her position above the injured hanyou. "He seemed to be more concerned about the little girl than anything else."
Unable to stop the frown that tugged at his lips, Sesshoumaru turned his head away from the young miko and the strange sensation of those gentle fingers. Concern for Rin? Is that what this foolish Kikyou believed? Let her hide in her imaginings, Sesshoumaru decided even as his body remembered how his heart seemed to fall at his feet when Inuyasha took the blast of energy for the child.
Fed up with the young woman's sentimental suppositions, the demon lord turned back to face her, the full strength of his golden eyes settling on her unique blue ones.
"You've been awake, haven't you?" the girl whispered, only to earn a grunt of confusion from the old miko. The girl glanced over her shoulder, oblivious to the strangely attractive view of her neck and chin she bestowed upon the fallen lord. Stilling the sudden urge to trace the sinuous cords and soft skin with his fingers, Sesshoumaru instead turned his attention to the girl's curious manner.
"He's awake, Kaede-baachan," the girl called out softly.
"Do not speak as if I, Sesshoumaru, were not here," he growled, his normally soft voice rusty from disuse. The girl seemed to jump with his words, but she didn't move from his side like he expected. Instead, she just glared at him as she lifted the cloth experimentally up from his stomach.
The girl only rolled her eyes as she pressed the cloth back against the wounds. "Yuh huh. If you don't want me to ignore you, then don't pretend like you are sleeping when you obviously haven't been."
His eyes narrowed suddenly, dangerously, as the growl started to rumble again in his chest, seemingly of its own accord.
"You just don't give it up, do you?" the girl muttered, her tone less than impressed.
"I see my brother's dreadful taste in women hasn't improved," the youkai bit out, only to feel inexplicably guilty as a shadow of sorrow flitted over the girl's gentle features. Suddenly, he felt his heart twist almost painfully as the girl bestowed a crooked smile upon him, her eyes bright with amusement.
"I suppose it would seem that way, wouldn't it?" the girl admitted, the shadow of hurt that haunted her eyes momentarily usurped by the girl's humour.
Kikyou.
He was suddenly all too aware of the hand that lay against his stomach, so small and white. It was such an incredible contrast to the vivid blue of her eyes and onyx silk of her hair. Almost involuntarily, he closed his eyes, unwilling to admit the slight attraction he was beginning to feel for this peasant.
"Are you okay?" the girl whispered, evidently noticing the small shiver that ran up his spine as one of her fingers pressed softly directly against his skin.
"I will once you leave me be, woman," Sesshoumaru hissed, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be left alone. Her scent, so strong of flowers and a strange hint of musk, pervaded his every sense until hers was the only thing his sensitive nose could pick up.
No. Something was wrong here. This young lioness, this beguiling mistress of sums had to be an enchantress as well.
And he, the Lord of the Western Lands, would simply not allow himself to fall for her pitiful magics.
"Yeah, yeah. Well, tough. You have to put up with me until I'm done," the girl snorted, her hands working just a tiny bit faster as she cleaned his wounds.
The infuriating…
"Kagome, don't harass the patient. Remember he is our guest," the old miko interjected, her voice obviously a soothing balm upon the girl's temper.
Kagome? Perhaps she was one of those strange humans who felt their own insignificant importance so much she insisted on carrying two names?
"Listen to the old woman, Kikyou," he broke in, his own mind wondering at his inexplicable rudeness even as his curiosity refused to be satiated.
"Kikyou?" the girl's face darkened until she positively glared at the demon lord.
Hmm. It was quite an interesting reaction, Sesshoumaru noted as he listened to the way her heart began to pound faster and watched the anger swirl in her eyes.
"Don't call me that," the young human grunted as she pulled her hands away from his chest. He hid the frown as he felt the sudden emptiness- the coldness of her absence.
"I'm going to rest, Kaede-baachan," the girl started, her voice shaking as she pushed herself up to her feet.
Graceful, he acknowledged unwittingly, as he watched her incline her head towards the old miko.
"Good. Thank you for your help. Sweet dreams, Kagome," Kaede smiled comfortingly even as she glanced towards the abandoned patient.
The girl stormed out of the room, leaving the demon lord and the old woman behind.
"If you wish to offend," the woman started even as she wobbled uncertainly towards the fallen youkai, "that is the most efficient way of doing it."
Clucking softly as she glanced over Sesshoumaru's stomach, Kaede spoke softly. "That will need to be …"
"No stitches," the demon lord spoke forcefully as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling.
Kaede nodded as she made her way back to the unconscious dog hanyou. "Very well."
"Kagome," the impertinent woman started, obviously deaf for she completely ignored the youkai's warning growl, "is a sweet, kind child. And right now, she remains your only ally in this village…"
"I, Sesshoumaru, need no one," he snapped, a part of him surprised by his own hostility. "Especially a human."
The old woman just shrugged, the gesture itself seeming futile and hopeless.
"I'm sure you don't," the woman's words admitted, though her tone belied her conviction. "But the little girl…" Kaede muttered, her voice trailing suggestively off.
Sesshoumaru begrudgingly tossed the woman his attention. "Get to the point, woman."
"Kagome carried that little girl for a good five miles back to this village," Kaede started, her voice low and intense. "I have no doubt that a great youkai like yourself could defend himself even while unconscious, but a child of five can hardly claim the same. Do you honestly believe the child would be alive now if not for Kagome's actions? Of course," Kaede snorted as she turned her back on the youkai, "I doubt the welfare of a little girl means much to a youkai lord. But, as Rin does belong to you, I would have to wonder if it's a fitting way to reward Kagome's bravery by ignoring her own identity and calling her that of another."
"If I desired your counsel, miko," the demon glowered as he closed his eyes, "I would have asked for it. But as it is, you bore me with your incessant babbling."
The miko merely huffed and turned her attention to his wound. Ignoring her touch, Sesshoumaru instead found his mind wandering back to the girl.
Her name was actually Kagome.
Unable to stop the frown as he recalled the battle with the Stealer, Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly.
No. Inuyasha had definitely called the wench Kikyou. Surely after these past few years, the hanyou had learned the name of his own companion. So the question remained- why call her a name that wasn't her own?
Kagome. Sesshoumaru silently tasted the way the word rolled off his lips. It was unusual but pleasing to the ear, he decided. Yes. Definitely more appropriate for the wench than the rather insipid name of Kikyou.
If Kagome was the young miko's name, then who the hell was Kikyou and why was the name so familiar? What infantile game was his brother playing at?
Barely restraining himself from tossing his unconscious brother a questioning look, Sesshoumaru stared dully at the ceiling as the old woman gently bandaged his wounds.
Response to reviews:
Stormlight: Ooops! Hopefully I corrected that enough. :-) I had always intended that Sesshoumaru get injured but unfortunately, it appears I was too subtle with the hints the first time around. Thanks!!
Brooke: Oh, are there some interesting things coming up just for you. ;-)
Jaye: Smell of love? *grin* With the way that poor Sess's blood keeps getting spilled in this story, I wouldn't be surprised if that love you smell really *is* blood.;-)
Kimmy: Eeeek! No Sesshoumaru dying! I dont do sad stories. Okay, fine, I do. But this isn't one of them. :-)
Jetflash: Sorry! No. That was Kagome. Just a little case of mistaken identity.
Ice-chan: Eeek! It really wasn't Kikyou. Obviously, I totally screwed up with this. I need desperately to revise but I can't until I finish the story. (Or else I'll never finish)
Alina: *BOUNCE* Thanks, hon. :-) I am sooo damn glad you think so.
Pianita: *grin* I really need to make the Kikyou/Kagome thing more clear. And niiiiiiice call!
Steph: *makes a huge list of things to work on* You are right. I reread the chapter a few minutes ago and the hanyou bit is way confusing. I need to learn more adjectives.:-) *GRIN* As for Sess's injuries... *gaze*
Ranma Inverse: Thank you, my bud! :-) I didn't mean to, but I sorta vented there. By the bye, I was recently looking over your stories to come to the conclusion that you are as bad as I am when it comes to alternative pairings. Ooo. *nudge* Though, my dear, you neeeeeed to write a Kagome/Sess one. :-) Please! Please! Please!?
Avihenda: There is! :-) (Actually, a hell of a lot more. *pant*) Hope you like!
Angry Gen: *laugh* Ah, forgive Dog-boy. He's had a hard day. Not, of course, as bad as Kagome's, but most men tend to be wusses anyway. *ducks out of the way*
Vernal Equinox: You are suuuuch a flatterer. No wonder why I like you so much! Aw, no worries. Inuyasha needs to earn his redemption. He will. I think. *innocent look*
Sammy-chan: Yes, ma'am! I'm hurrying! :-) Hopefully you wont mind where this is all leading. :-)
Neurofreez: I'm relieved you think so. :-) Well, I mean, that you think the story is interesting. *grin* The fact that the last couple chapters had been confusing as hell don't help. :-) Thanks so much! Oh, man. I can't *wait* to rewrite!
Azn Gurl 4 3ver: I think I've spent more time trying to figure out what the heck your name means than actually plotting this story. :-) Okay! I'll try really hard to be more specific in the future! Thanks!
Bakabaka: Woo HOO! :-) Will do. :-)
IC Dragons: Eeek. Now that's just way flattering coming from you. :-) Itching to write? *innocent look* Does this mean we'll see a new chapter of IY: The High School Experience soonish? *big, glittery eyes* Please? Please?
No One: *grin* No worries. You'll know the end (which isn't coming for a while) when you see it. :-) As for poor Sesshoumaru's arm... *grin* just assume that he has a suitable replacement. :-) Thanks!
Woo! Things are starting to happen!
Author: Celyia (ladycelyia@aol.com)
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi still owns all. :-)
Dedication: To all those who enjoy the journey.
Note: Sorry about taking so long to continue this story but somehow I found myself in Northern California this weekend.(Quite against my will.) Oh, well. Normally I wouldn't even dream of trying to write during the week, but I think I'll give it a shot to try to make up for being so slack lately. Hope you like tonight's chapter!
-Cel.
Chapter 12
He winced as the dish fell from her hands, its dull clay shards shattering the silence of the humble room even as the sharp, red pieces tumbled across the marred wooden floor.
"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, leaving him less than impressed with her show of articulancy. Brushing aside the last remnants of sleep, Sesshoumaru stared up at the thatched ceiling. Out of his peripheral vision, Sesshoumaru watched the young woman kneel upon the floor and nimbly sweep the pottery shards up with a careless hand.
The old miko sighed as she laid a strong, but wrinkled hand upon the girl's shoulder.
The girl looked up at the elderly woman, tears shining in those strange blue eyes of hers. "I'm so sorry, Kaede-baachan…"
"Oh, hush, child. It's been a trying day for you," the woman soothed, her no-nonsense tones oddly comforting. "You should be in bed yourself…"
The petite woman shook her head, her jet-black hair fluttering wildly with the sudden movement. "I can't. Not until…"
The old woman nodded her head softly as she moved back to the covered bundle that lay on the other side of the fire.
"In all probability, he will not wake up until the morning," Kaede replied even as she hovered back over the still figure.
His brother.
Sesshoumaru felt a growl rumble at the very depths of his stomach, the anger boiling in his veins as he turned his head to have a better look at the unconscious form of the young dog demon. Stifling the growl as his eyes fell upon the elderly woman and the young miko who kneeled so anxiously over Inuyasha, the demon lord frowned slightly as his situation dawned on him.
They brought him back with his brother? That was slightly unexpected, to say the least. Pushing aside the strange emotions in his stomach at the realization he had not been abandoned in his weakness, Sesshoumaru instead concentrated on the scene before him. His golden eyes followed the girl's nervous movements, only to feel a sudden bite of amusement as the girl scrambled to catch the white thread that she just dropped.
"Child," the old woman started as the liver-spotted hand scooped the thread out of the girl's rather precarious grip. The demon lord felt a small, crooked smile usurp his normally stoic lips as he detected the slight strain of impatience in Kaede's voice. "You need to rest."
The girl sighed, the sound hopeless and guilt-ridden.
"I have to help, Kaede," this woman-child insisted, even as the tone of her voice seemed to admit that she was aware she was presently more of a bother than assistance.
The woman nodded almost imperceptibly, only to incline her head towards Sesshoumaru's still body.
"I know, Kagome. You could probably help me most by cleaning the brother's wounds while I finish these last stitches."
"Sesshoumaru's?" the girl started, her voice oddly tensed.
The old miko nodded. "Of course, you could also lay down and attend to your own needs before your body collapses. The choice is yours."
He closed his eyes instinctively, feigning slumber, a part of him confused as to his deception but it suddenly seemed so important to see how this young woman would treat him while she believed him helpless in her care.
"And, one thing," the woman broke into the demon lord's thought with a start, "if he begins to wake up, move away. He may not realize what happened and attack you."
Restraining the glower at the words, Sesshoumaru felt a brush of air as the girl hovered above him.
Attack her?
As if he were some confused, wounded animal with no sense of gratitude for the girl's, albeit unnecessary, administrations?
Willing to regain his thoroughly souring temper, Sesshoumaru peeked out from between the camouflage of his long eyelashes.
Small hands, warm and faintly damp, slipped beneath the confines of his kimono top, only to gently press a dry cloth against his wounds. Slowly, the girl loosened the ruined silk, evidently trying to pry the clothing free from the wound without disturbing the blood clots.
Her full lips, unfortunately still as distracting as they had been the night before, twisted into a strangely attractive pout as she finally succeeded in divesting him of his top. The sudden, shocked gasp as her eyes alit on his injuries amused him, almost as much as the sudden green tint to her face did.
So the little miko cannot handle to sight of blood.
Fighting back the almost overwhelming instinct to smile at her obvious distress, Sesshoumaru wondered at this sudden relief that he felt to know the girl possessed yet another flaw.
"Kaede," the girl breathed, her voice trembling as she appeared to be unable to remove her eyes from his stomach.
The old woman scurried over, only to click her tongue against her teeth as she surveyed the wounds.
"And you say he still attempted to fight even after he received his injuries?"
The girl nodded, her nostrils flaring as her light complexion paled even more.
"Stubborn creature," the miko decided as she shrugged her large shoulders. "He's as bad as Inuyasha."
It took all his restraint not to growl at the woman's hasty judgment, but it appeared to be completely unnecessary as the girl tilted her head suddenly.
"I don't think so, Kaede-baachan. I didn't get the feeling he was trying to be stubborn," the girl started, her nimble fingers tracing gently over the five parallel, barely congealed wounds that ran the length of his stomach even as the old woman moved back to her position above the injured hanyou. "He seemed to be more concerned about the little girl than anything else."
Unable to stop the frown that tugged at his lips, Sesshoumaru turned his head away from the young miko and the strange sensation of those gentle fingers. Concern for Rin? Is that what this foolish Kikyou believed? Let her hide in her imaginings, Sesshoumaru decided even as his body remembered how his heart seemed to fall at his feet when Inuyasha took the blast of energy for the child.
Fed up with the young woman's sentimental suppositions, the demon lord turned back to face her, the full strength of his golden eyes settling on her unique blue ones.
"You've been awake, haven't you?" the girl whispered, only to earn a grunt of confusion from the old miko. The girl glanced over her shoulder, oblivious to the strangely attractive view of her neck and chin she bestowed upon the fallen lord. Stilling the sudden urge to trace the sinuous cords and soft skin with his fingers, Sesshoumaru instead turned his attention to the girl's curious manner.
"He's awake, Kaede-baachan," the girl called out softly.
"Do not speak as if I, Sesshoumaru, were not here," he growled, his normally soft voice rusty from disuse. The girl seemed to jump with his words, but she didn't move from his side like he expected. Instead, she just glared at him as she lifted the cloth experimentally up from his stomach.
The girl only rolled her eyes as she pressed the cloth back against the wounds. "Yuh huh. If you don't want me to ignore you, then don't pretend like you are sleeping when you obviously haven't been."
His eyes narrowed suddenly, dangerously, as the growl started to rumble again in his chest, seemingly of its own accord.
"You just don't give it up, do you?" the girl muttered, her tone less than impressed.
"I see my brother's dreadful taste in women hasn't improved," the youkai bit out, only to feel inexplicably guilty as a shadow of sorrow flitted over the girl's gentle features. Suddenly, he felt his heart twist almost painfully as the girl bestowed a crooked smile upon him, her eyes bright with amusement.
"I suppose it would seem that way, wouldn't it?" the girl admitted, the shadow of hurt that haunted her eyes momentarily usurped by the girl's humour.
Kikyou.
He was suddenly all too aware of the hand that lay against his stomach, so small and white. It was such an incredible contrast to the vivid blue of her eyes and onyx silk of her hair. Almost involuntarily, he closed his eyes, unwilling to admit the slight attraction he was beginning to feel for this peasant.
"Are you okay?" the girl whispered, evidently noticing the small shiver that ran up his spine as one of her fingers pressed softly directly against his skin.
"I will once you leave me be, woman," Sesshoumaru hissed, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be left alone. Her scent, so strong of flowers and a strange hint of musk, pervaded his every sense until hers was the only thing his sensitive nose could pick up.
No. Something was wrong here. This young lioness, this beguiling mistress of sums had to be an enchantress as well.
And he, the Lord of the Western Lands, would simply not allow himself to fall for her pitiful magics.
"Yeah, yeah. Well, tough. You have to put up with me until I'm done," the girl snorted, her hands working just a tiny bit faster as she cleaned his wounds.
The infuriating…
"Kagome, don't harass the patient. Remember he is our guest," the old miko interjected, her voice obviously a soothing balm upon the girl's temper.
Kagome? Perhaps she was one of those strange humans who felt their own insignificant importance so much she insisted on carrying two names?
"Listen to the old woman, Kikyou," he broke in, his own mind wondering at his inexplicable rudeness even as his curiosity refused to be satiated.
"Kikyou?" the girl's face darkened until she positively glared at the demon lord.
Hmm. It was quite an interesting reaction, Sesshoumaru noted as he listened to the way her heart began to pound faster and watched the anger swirl in her eyes.
"Don't call me that," the young human grunted as she pulled her hands away from his chest. He hid the frown as he felt the sudden emptiness- the coldness of her absence.
"I'm going to rest, Kaede-baachan," the girl started, her voice shaking as she pushed herself up to her feet.
Graceful, he acknowledged unwittingly, as he watched her incline her head towards the old miko.
"Good. Thank you for your help. Sweet dreams, Kagome," Kaede smiled comfortingly even as she glanced towards the abandoned patient.
The girl stormed out of the room, leaving the demon lord and the old woman behind.
"If you wish to offend," the woman started even as she wobbled uncertainly towards the fallen youkai, "that is the most efficient way of doing it."
Clucking softly as she glanced over Sesshoumaru's stomach, Kaede spoke softly. "That will need to be …"
"No stitches," the demon lord spoke forcefully as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling.
Kaede nodded as she made her way back to the unconscious dog hanyou. "Very well."
"Kagome," the impertinent woman started, obviously deaf for she completely ignored the youkai's warning growl, "is a sweet, kind child. And right now, she remains your only ally in this village…"
"I, Sesshoumaru, need no one," he snapped, a part of him surprised by his own hostility. "Especially a human."
The old woman just shrugged, the gesture itself seeming futile and hopeless.
"I'm sure you don't," the woman's words admitted, though her tone belied her conviction. "But the little girl…" Kaede muttered, her voice trailing suggestively off.
Sesshoumaru begrudgingly tossed the woman his attention. "Get to the point, woman."
"Kagome carried that little girl for a good five miles back to this village," Kaede started, her voice low and intense. "I have no doubt that a great youkai like yourself could defend himself even while unconscious, but a child of five can hardly claim the same. Do you honestly believe the child would be alive now if not for Kagome's actions? Of course," Kaede snorted as she turned her back on the youkai, "I doubt the welfare of a little girl means much to a youkai lord. But, as Rin does belong to you, I would have to wonder if it's a fitting way to reward Kagome's bravery by ignoring her own identity and calling her that of another."
"If I desired your counsel, miko," the demon glowered as he closed his eyes, "I would have asked for it. But as it is, you bore me with your incessant babbling."
The miko merely huffed and turned her attention to his wound. Ignoring her touch, Sesshoumaru instead found his mind wandering back to the girl.
Her name was actually Kagome.
Unable to stop the frown as he recalled the battle with the Stealer, Sesshoumaru shook his head slowly.
No. Inuyasha had definitely called the wench Kikyou. Surely after these past few years, the hanyou had learned the name of his own companion. So the question remained- why call her a name that wasn't her own?
Kagome. Sesshoumaru silently tasted the way the word rolled off his lips. It was unusual but pleasing to the ear, he decided. Yes. Definitely more appropriate for the wench than the rather insipid name of Kikyou.
If Kagome was the young miko's name, then who the hell was Kikyou and why was the name so familiar? What infantile game was his brother playing at?
Barely restraining himself from tossing his unconscious brother a questioning look, Sesshoumaru stared dully at the ceiling as the old woman gently bandaged his wounds.
Response to reviews:
Stormlight: Ooops! Hopefully I corrected that enough. :-) I had always intended that Sesshoumaru get injured but unfortunately, it appears I was too subtle with the hints the first time around. Thanks!!
Brooke: Oh, are there some interesting things coming up just for you. ;-)
Jaye: Smell of love? *grin* With the way that poor Sess's blood keeps getting spilled in this story, I wouldn't be surprised if that love you smell really *is* blood.;-)
Kimmy: Eeeek! No Sesshoumaru dying! I dont do sad stories. Okay, fine, I do. But this isn't one of them. :-)
Jetflash: Sorry! No. That was Kagome. Just a little case of mistaken identity.
Ice-chan: Eeek! It really wasn't Kikyou. Obviously, I totally screwed up with this. I need desperately to revise but I can't until I finish the story. (Or else I'll never finish)
Alina: *BOUNCE* Thanks, hon. :-) I am sooo damn glad you think so.
Pianita: *grin* I really need to make the Kikyou/Kagome thing more clear. And niiiiiiice call!
Steph: *makes a huge list of things to work on* You are right. I reread the chapter a few minutes ago and the hanyou bit is way confusing. I need to learn more adjectives.:-) *GRIN* As for Sess's injuries... *gaze*
Ranma Inverse: Thank you, my bud! :-) I didn't mean to, but I sorta vented there. By the bye, I was recently looking over your stories to come to the conclusion that you are as bad as I am when it comes to alternative pairings. Ooo. *nudge* Though, my dear, you neeeeeed to write a Kagome/Sess one. :-) Please! Please! Please!?
Avihenda: There is! :-) (Actually, a hell of a lot more. *pant*) Hope you like!
Angry Gen: *laugh* Ah, forgive Dog-boy. He's had a hard day. Not, of course, as bad as Kagome's, but most men tend to be wusses anyway. *ducks out of the way*
Vernal Equinox: You are suuuuch a flatterer. No wonder why I like you so much! Aw, no worries. Inuyasha needs to earn his redemption. He will. I think. *innocent look*
Sammy-chan: Yes, ma'am! I'm hurrying! :-) Hopefully you wont mind where this is all leading. :-)
Neurofreez: I'm relieved you think so. :-) Well, I mean, that you think the story is interesting. *grin* The fact that the last couple chapters had been confusing as hell don't help. :-) Thanks so much! Oh, man. I can't *wait* to rewrite!
Azn Gurl 4 3ver: I think I've spent more time trying to figure out what the heck your name means than actually plotting this story. :-) Okay! I'll try really hard to be more specific in the future! Thanks!
Bakabaka: Woo HOO! :-) Will do. :-)
IC Dragons: Eeek. Now that's just way flattering coming from you. :-) Itching to write? *innocent look* Does this mean we'll see a new chapter of IY: The High School Experience soonish? *big, glittery eyes* Please? Please?
No One: *grin* No worries. You'll know the end (which isn't coming for a while) when you see it. :-) As for poor Sesshoumaru's arm... *grin* just assume that he has a suitable replacement. :-) Thanks!
Woo! Things are starting to happen!