*glomps reviewers* Thankies for reviewing! I put review responses at the end so that everyone didn't have to scroll forever to get to the story.
Notes for this chap: Wow, only two days since my last chapter. I think that this is a record for me. It may take me a little while to get the next chapter out though because I have to figure out where I am going with this, not to mention school may get in the way. I have already started chapter three though, so we'll see.
*grin* Angst and sexual tension, what more can you ask for? Truth be told, I hadn't intended for the attraction between them to come out so soon, but with any luck, *glares at muses* it'll subside for a while so that they can become friends. And for those of you who wanted some sappy moments, I'm planning a few, though they aren't romantic … yet.
Oh yeah, and the other characters (Inu-Yasha and the rest) are going to be in this fic eventually, in case anyone was wondering.
Two questions: Can anyone tell me how much of the jewel Naraku has? I got the idea that he gathers a lot, but I wasn't sure how much. Also, how old is Rin?
Thanks much and please review. I love feedback!
Promises
Chapter 2: You Live Where?
"Where is that girl?" Sesshoumaru hissed to himself as he strode down the hall of his castle, looking for Kagome. She wasn't in her room, the baths were empty, and he was beginning to run out of options. They were supposed to leave in the morning, and he had no clue were his charge was!
Needless to say, the youkai lord was a little frustrated. Just a little.
A light in the hall ahead that shouldn't have been there caught his attention. It originated from his small personal library. Pushing the door open, he wasn't surprised to see the girl that he had been looking in there. What did surprise him was that she was curled up on some cushions, reading one of his more archaic books.
When he entered, she barely looked up before returning to her reading. Rin was in the corner with a portable writing desk on her lap, doodling, or something. The child was hardly as unaffected by his presence. Kagome just barely managed to grab the ink before Rin jumped up, spilling the contents of her lap all over the floor.
Rushing toward her surrogate father, she held up a piece of paper that she had kept a hold of for inspection. "Look Sesshoumaru-sama! Kagome-chan has been teaching Rin how to write pretty!" Obediently, the youkai scanned over the scratch marks on the parchment.
"Very nice Rin," he said after a moment. "Now it's time for your bath."
The child pouted, "But Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin wants to play!"
"Now Rin."
Kagome looked on in amazement while still pretending to read. Sesshoumaru betrayed no emotion, but the mere fact that he didn't strike her down where she stood for arguing with him spoke volumes. His little motions that she would have never noticed before were as clear as the words in the book that she held.
He cared about Rin, she realized. He actually cared.
In a way, it didn't really surprise her. She had come here with the fact that he was taking care of Rin in mind; in fact, she had counted on that to weaken his hatred of humans. But knowing and seeing are two totally different things, as Kagome soon found out as she watched the demon lord uneasily return the affection that Rin so readily provided.
"Please Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin has to finish her lesson from Kagome-chan," the child was begging.
Kagome stifled a chuckle under her hand at the expression on Sesshoumaru's face. He obviously wanted to yell at the child for disobeying him, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt her feelings. It wasn't as obvious as that of course, but Kagome had become practiced at reading his expression. She had to learn, for when they fought.
"Rin-chan, if you go take your bath now and get into bed, I'll tell you a story," Kagome said without looking up. Rin squealed and rushed off to do as she was told. Only then did she look up at the demon that stood in the doorway of the library. She refused to say anything else, though. That was the way between them: they didn't speak a word more than was necessary. In a way, they didn't have to.
"Have you packed?" he asked, in order to break the silence that was becoming uncomfortable.
"Pack what?" Kagome replied calmly. "All I have is my glaive."
Sesshoumaru nodded as he sat down on the floor next to her, looking pointedly at the book in her hands. Kagome closed it with a sigh, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to finish any more tonight. "I had an idea about the sword," she began after a moment. The demon snapped his attention to her instantly and she fidgeted under the intensity of his gaze. "Well, the seal anyway." She opened the book, using it as an excuse to tear her gaze from the disturbing gold one. "Look at this, I think that this is the kind of seal that your father put on Tetsusaiga."
Sesshoumaru only took one glance at the page before looking back up at the girl in wonder, "You can read this?"
Kagome blinked, "Of course I can, why wouldn't I…" she trailed off as she looked back down at the page. While reading earlier, she had been so intent on the content of the book that she hadn't noticed that the kanji were all wrong. The book wasn't in Japanese, and yet, the words came as easily to her as if they were in her native language.
"It's an ancient dog-youkai script. Very few people know it today," Sesshoumaru explained softly as he watched the girl run her fingers over the writing, not quite believing what was there. She was scared; the bitter tang of fear rolled off of her in waves. "What were you saying about the sword?" the demon lord prompted. While it was certainly an amazing discovery that she had the gift of tongues, her fear disturbed him for some reason.
"Umm, oh yeah. The seal that your father placed on Tetsusaiga." Kagome blinked and looked up at him once more. "It's unusual, and complicated, but to make a long story short, I think that whomever released the sword from its prison – in this case me – has a limited amount of control over who wields it. Basically, even though your father wanted Inu-Yasha to wield the sword, had I given it to you, Inu-Yasha would have never been able to touch it. Of course, you wouldn't have been able to use it unless you were protecting a human, for that is the condition under which Tetsusaiga transforms."
Sesshoumaru frowned in thought, "So you are saying that if you give the sword to me, I will be able to use it?"
"To protect a human, yes," Kagome corrected. "But more importantly, I think I can make it so that Inu-Yasha can't wield it anymore."
You really hate him, don't you, Sesshoumaru wanted to say, what did my idiot brother do to you to cause this hatred? But he didn't, because for one thing, it was none of his business, and for another, he didn't really care, or at least, he wasn't supposed to care.
"Kagome-chan!" Rin called from the doorway, wrapped in a towel, but otherwise soaking wet and dripping puddles on the floor. They could hear Jaken down the hall, cursing about human spawn. "Rin is going to bed now!"
Kagome chuckled and rose, slipping the old text back onto the shelf where she had found it. "I'm coming Rin," she called back before turning back to the demon lord. "I promised to tell her a story," came the apologetic explanation. Kagome bowed, "See you in the morning, Sesshoumaru-sama." The youkai inclined his head in response, and Kagome left.
Sesshoumaru watched her leave thoughtfully. Yes, this was going to be an interesting journey.
***
The next morning dawned bright and early. For the first time in over a week, Jaken came to wake Kagome. From past experience, he knew to knock very loudly before entering her room with a fresh travel outfit that was exactly the same as the first one that Sesshoumaru had given her.
Placing the clothes on a nearby chair at Kagome's glare, the toad demon rushed out of the room as fast as possible, before Kagome decided to use him for target practice. He was very glad that he would not be accompanying them on their journey. But then again … he had to put up with a bored Rin for who knew how long.
Leading Kagome out to the courtyard, his jaw nearly fell off as he saw the human child attached to Sesshoumaru-sama's legs and sobbing her eyes out. He was about to go forcibly remove the little girl from his master when the woman behind him chuckled and beat him to it.
Kagome managed to transfer Rin's sobbing grasp to herself and spoke a few words to the upset girl, backed up by Sesshoumaru. With a few last sniffles, Rin calmed down, and – to his horror – Jaken found the girl being given to him.
His master passed on the usual threats for the child's safety, and they were gone. Just like that.
Looking down, the toad demon saw that the little girl's tearful expression had been replaced with a wicked, playful grin.
In the following weeks, Jaken discovered the ultimate torture: dress up.
***
They made good time the first day, heading towards Kaede's village since Kagome wanted to stop by her home first. And of course, Sesshoumaru wanted his sword. Though he made it perfectly clear that there was no way in the hells that he was going to trek back and forth to her home constantly.
That night, the demon lord called at halt at a small grove of trees upon seeing Kagome's weariness. Despite that, Kagome protested. She had a sick feeling in her gut, like something bad was happening at home. And even if nothing was wrong, she had been gone for well over a month, and her family was probably worried about her.
"Sleep," Sesshoumaru said unsympathetically after she presented her arguments. "You won't do your family any good if you run yourself down," he added when it looked like she was going to cry.
Sulkily, because she knew he was right, Kagome curled up on one side with her back to the demon. Behind her, she could hear the subtle shift of fabric as he moved and a soft thump when he leaned over to set the glaive within arms reach. "Don't let this out of your sight," he reminded her harshly before turning and moving to a more appropriate distance. Wrapping her hands around the wood staff, she sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to take Sesshoumaru's advice.
She must have slept, for the next thing she remembered was waking up shivering. Something was wrong; she wasn't sure how she knew, but she knew that something was wrong. Tightening her hands on her glaive, she closed her eyes and listened.
An owl hooted in triumph as he caught his prey. Somewhere in this distance, a horse and wagon clattered, but it wouldn't pass anywhere close. Crickets chirped; the wind blew. All was quiet, safe. And yet, Kagome still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong … missing perhaps.
That was it! She couldn't hear the quiet sound of the demon breathing that had lulled her to sleep. Against better instincts, she twisted around in one sudden movement.
Sesshoumaru was gone.
Blinking to clear the last bits of sleep from her eyes, Kagome sat up fully; checking to make sure that the youkai wasn't elsewhere in their campsite. The remains of the fire that Sesshoumaru had started had gone out, the reason for her chill. There was an indent in the leaves that covered the ground where the missing demon had sat, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Use your instincts, the youkai had told her one day, you may only be human, but even you have a nose and ears, use them to the full extent of your limited ability. Kagome obeyed now, sniffing the air, even though she felt foolish doing so. She was only a human, what could she smell? She could see though, she realized as the moon came out (she hadn't even noticed before that it was behind the clouds). Light glistened on the wet footprints that someone had left in the leaves, recently.
Figuring it was as good a bet as any, Kagome followed them through the grove. When the moon once more hid behind the threatening clouds, she had to stop. There was nothing else to follow except for those tracks, and she didn't want to miss a turn. While she waited - her eyes fixed on the last point of her trail that she had seen - she wondered why the prints were wet. Had it rained while she slept? It couldn't have, she was still dry. Although, the air was a little more humid than it had been.
The moon appeared once more, and Kagome made better time now that she knew what to look for. In minutes, she was on the other side of the clearing. Looking up, she stopped short and nearly ducked behind a tree.
In the moonlight, he looked like a god, standing there radiating beauty. He practically glowed against the dark background with an aura of tranquility. Just standing, with his back to her, looking out at the world. She couldn't figure out why. Kagome let out a breath when she realized that she was holding it.
This is stupid, she scolded herself, sure he's beautiful, but he's also a cold insensitive bastard. You have a better chance getting Miroku to become celibate. Don't fall for him Kagome; you'll just hurt yourself again.
That settled, the girl took a deep breath and walked over to her companion. Quietly, though, lest she disturb whatever he was doing. When she was about twenty feet away, he spoke.
"What are you doing awake?" Despite his calm stance, his tone was almost accusing. Furiously, Kagome squashed a thread of pain that threatened to worm its way though her heart.
"I was cold," she replied, wishing that he would turn around so that she could see his face. Then, as if to back up her statement, a fierce wind blew past, and she shivered.
"Oh," he said sounding bored. Then, "It's only a few hours until dawn, do you want to go?"
"Okay." He turned without warning, golden eyes boring into her for a very uncomfortable second, before he appeared next to her and picked her up. Kagome yelped in surprise, and Sesshoumaru glared down at her.
"Quiet, it'll be faster this way." He rose into the air suddenly, and Kagome threw an arm around his neck for balance with a squeak. He was damp, she realized, flexing her fingers in his hair almost absently. Damp, but warm. She yawned and twisted slightly into a more comfortable position. Before she realized it, she was asleep.
***
What was he thinking?
Sesshoumaru glanced down at the sleeping girl in his arms and snorted in disgust. Not at her, pathetic weak human that she was, but at himself, for being attracted to her.
Before, before Rin, he would have never looked twice at a human female, no matter how attractive they were. He didn't, the first time they had met. Until she had drawn the Tetsusaiga from its resting place, he hadn't even known she was there. Before Rin, he would have killed her the instant she had set foot in his study, seeking his help.
When had he become so weak, so soft? He wanted to blame it on Rin. He wanted to, but there had to have been a chink in his armor before for her to wiggle her way through. He told himself that Rin was special; that she wasn't a sign of weakness. Not that he believed it, even for a second.
And then this, this woman had to come to him with wide eyes and a sassy mouth to shatter his invisible armor that protected him from human influence. It hadn't been too bad the first two weeks. But naturally – with his luck – she just had to go into heat the moment that they were alone.
In his haste to get her home so that he could dump her there until her heat passed, he had forgot the closeness that was required. And the smell, which had so saturated his senses that he was sure he would never get it out.
Shivering, Kagome snuggled closer to him, and the youkai nearly felt out of the sky. Glaring down at her, he regained his altitude and growled, picking up speed. Kagome only snuggled closer.
For a fateful instant, Sesshoumaru struggled with the temptation to land, tear off Kagome's clothes, and …
But he conquered his instincts, just barely. He didn't want to mate with this girl; he wanted to get her home, because the faster they got there, the faster she could finish and the faster they could gather the rest of the jewel and go their separate ways.
There was no point in getting attached to her, he reasoned. They wouldn't even be together that long.
Somehow, the words that should have been reassuring seemed like a hollow excuse in his mind.
***
Kagome started awake as pain shot up her rear end. Struggling up, she found herself at Sesshoumaru's feet. "Oww," she whined as she stood, rubbing her butt where she had landed on it, "Wha'did you do that for?"
"We're here."
Kagome started as she saw the God-tree. Standing, she glared at her protector. "So? You didn't have to drop me."
"You wouldn't wake up," Sesshoumaru explained. If she didn't know better, she would have said that he was uncomfortable. She didn't have a chance to say anything, however, for the demon was quick to cross his arms across his chest and turn toward the direction of the village. "I still don't see how you come from a place like that," he snorted, obviously trying to change the subject.
Kagome smirked. She supposed that she had let Sesshoumaru believe that she was from the village. But in actuality, she wasn't exactly sure how to tell him that she lived five hundred years in the future and hopped through a well that ate demon bones to travel back and forth. Ah well, might as well just spit it out. "I'm not actually from the village."
He turned back to face her, one eyebrow raised in a mildly interested expression. "Oh really? Then where do you live?"
Kagome turned in the direction of the well with a playful grin, "Come on and I'll show you." A picture is worth a thousand words.
A few moments later, the youkai was staring down the well with an open look of incredulity on his face. "This is your home?"
"Umm, sorta," Kagome said nervously, trying to figure out how to explain this. Sesshoumaru smirked at her discomfort and leaned up against the wooden structure to wait for her explanation. "The well is a portal, and my house in on the other side." He quirked at eyebrow at her, and Kagome sighed, handing her glaive to the demon. "Here. You'll see in a minute what I'm talking about. I'll be back in a few hours, ok? Please wait for me here and try not to get into too much trouble." She grinned at him cockily.
The youkai smirked back at her and inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Two hours."
With one last grin, Kagome jumped down the well and disappeared. Sesshoumaru blinked. An interdimensional well, what possibilities.
***
"Mom! Souta! Grandpa! I'm back!" Kagome threw open the door to her home and nearly cried from the familiarity of it all. Five weeks she had been away, and it felt like five years.
When only silence greeted her enthusiastic cries, Kagome began to get worried. A quick look around assured her that the family hadn't gone on a trip: her mom was an obsessive neat freak and would never leave the house for an extended period of time as messy as it was now. Not that that was a total comfort, for the mere fact that Souta's toys were strewn about the living room was unusual.
Slowly, she scouted the rooms and finally found what she was looking for on her desk in her bedroom: a note from her mother.
Kagome,
I don't know if you will ever read another one of my notes again, but I will continue to write these, hoping that you will come home to read them.
Souta and I are out for the night, and we should be back sometime early afternoon tomorrow. I hope that you will be here when we get back.
I miss you and I love you,
Mom
Checking the date on her clock, she assured herself that the letter was indeed dated yesterday. It was one in the afternoon. Kagome bit her lip in thought, should she go back through the well and warn Sesshoumaru that she might be later than expected, or should she wait?
Finally, she decided to take a bath, and wash her clothes for good measure. If her family weren't back by the time that she had done everything than she would go back and beg the demon lord to wait a little longer.
Something still bothered her though. Her mom's letter had only mentioned Souta and herself. So where was Grandpa? A sick feeling settled in her gut as a list of things that could have happened to him ran ruthlessly through her mind. Even when she tried to convince herself that he could only be out of town for a few days, it stayed. Not even a bath would wash the awful thoughts from her mind.
Her clothes were in the dryer, and Kagome had just curled up on the couch to watch some TV when her mother and little brother walked through the door. For almost a full minute, they stopped dead, looking as though they had seen a ghost. The spell was broken when Souta launched himself at his sister with a cry. The next ten minutes were chaos as everyone tried to ask questions at once, hug formerly missing family members, and generally reunite. Finally, Kagome's mom got them situated at the kitchen table so that things could be sorted out. Kagome got to start since she had a lot of explaining to do.
She told her family that they had found out about the existence of a shard Honshu, and it had taken a long time to get there because they had to go on foot across the land, and then find a way to hire a boat. She hadn't been able to come back to warn them because they had been too far away to trek back to the well just for a few hours.
Kagome was actually rather proud of her acting job as she told the story, making it up as she went. For a few fleeting moments, she thought that she had gotten away with the white lie, until her mom asked Souta to go upstairs to finish his homework. Then she knew she was in trouble.
"All right, what really happened?" Her mom said as she rose to make them some tea.
Kagome dry washed her hands nervously, and cleared her throat while trying to think of a way to begin. She had always told her mom everything, but this was different. How was she supposed to tell her mom that she had run away from Inu-Yasha and joined forces with his hated half-brother anyway?
Taking a deep breath, Kagome started at the point when she met up with Sesshoumaru at his castle. Only, she described him as a demon that she had met along the way, and sort of skimmed over the details of her last fight with Inu-Yasha.
Once she was done, her mom sighed, setting a cup of tea in front of her and sitting down. "Well, Kagome, I'm glad you're all right. We were very worried about you."
Kagome blinked. That was it?! She disappears for five weeks and comes home, lies, gets caught, and that was all her mother had to say? She bowed her head, ashamed at her actions. Mom could be so forgiving some times, and she didn't even deserve it. "I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't mean to be gone so long."
Kagome's mother placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, forcing her daughter to look up. "I understand that this is hard for you, and I also know that you need to go back and gather these shards. In truth, I'm proud of you for taking such responsibility."
Kagome's head dropped again, tears threatening to fall. "Mom," she began shakily, "I … I'm not going to be able to go back and forth all the time anymore."
"I expected that. Sooner or later." Kagome blinked up at her, and her mom smiled back. "It just means that you'll be done with this whole thing faster."
Without warning, Kagome launched herself at her mother, tears falling freely now. "Thanks Mom, for understanding." The older woman patted her daughter's back comfortingly. Suddenly, Kagome jerked back. "Where's grandpa?"
Her mother's face fell, and she gently guided her confused daughter back into her chair. "Kagome," she said nervously. "Your grandfather is in the hospital. He had a stroke."
Next chapter: Kagome's family has more fun with Fluffy's tail than they did with Inu's ears…
Little Sister: Thanks! I'm glad that you liked it! I kinda figured that Sesshy was a little off, but he's really hard to write, ya know? As for the romance bit, you can look forward to some, but it won't be for a while.
p-120: Thanks so much! I love your story Clumsy! Now it's your turn to write a new chapter. *grin*
trinacat16: Determination? I never thought off that. (Actually, I was kinda bored. ^_^;) Thanks for reviewing!
NinjaRage: Thanks! As for Inu … well, you'll just have to wait and see. =P
phoebemoon: Fluff is coming, don't worry. *winks* Thanks for the review!
ashlee: Thanks so much!
MoonFairy: *blushes* All those compliments are going to my head. *giggle* Thank you!
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Itadakimasu: Thanks! There will be more about Inu and the others eventually. *grin*
Emcron: *glomps* Thanks! Now it's your turn to write an Inu-Yasha fic. ^__^
Dragon Ninja: Glad you like it! And it's good to know that my fic isn't like all the rest. Thanks!
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