Sesshoumaru stared at the whimpering, convulsing girl, with concerned eyes as her fists clenched and unclenched. He lightly slapped her face in an attempt to wake her, but no avail. She continued to whimper as her face contorted with pain.
It wasn't like he cared whether or not she was okay on a plutonic level. No, I merely respect her fighting skills. That, and if she happens to die, it would be a mess, for Rin and that kit, that I don't want to deal with, he thought.
But his subconscious mind thought differently.
The hanyou paced the length of the rug, grinning evilly, almost manically to no one in particular as he fingered the Shikon half he possessed. He was dressed in an albino baboon pelt, the mask hanging on his back like a hood.
"What are YOU so happy about?" sneered a girl as she walked into the room.
"Ahh, Kikyou. Just the person I wanted to see!" he smiled coldly.The woman identified as Kikyou looked at the hanyou suspiciously. "What do you want, Naraku?" she asked slowly, backing away.
"I'm afraid we may have a slight change in plan," he began. "I've changed my mind."
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Not only do I want the half of the Shikon she possesses, but I've decided I want the girl too," he smirked as he fingered the half of the Shikon he already had in his possession.
"What?!" Kikyou exploded. "You promised me her soul if I complied to help you!"
"Kukuku, calm down. I'm not finished speaking yet," Naraku smirked. "You see, if you took her soul, she would essentially be dead. What good is she to me dead? So you may have half her soul."
Kikyou scowled. "She'd still live. It's not like her heart and mind would stop functioning."
"Ahh, but what good is a person without their soul?" Naraku smirked at the undead woman, knowing he'd struck a chord. She had, after all, sold him her soul in a greedy desire for power. "Their body would function, but they'd be lifeless. No emotion, just blankly staring at one thing."
Kikyou pondered the words as Naraku continued to speak.
"If you had half of her soul, you'd still have half of her power. Or I could just kill you," he grinned evilly.
"Fine," Kikyou snapped. With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving behind a vile hanyou laughing insanely.
Kagome woke with a start, a tear falling down her cheek. Swinging her arm over her eyes, she gasped for breath, her heart racing as the dream returned to her memory in vivid detail. Naraku and a woman named Kikyou had been talking about her…plotting against her. Naraku wanted her, for what purposes she didn't want to discover. And he wanted the Shikon no Tama half she possessed. Kikyou, on the other hand, wanted her soul.
When her breathing finally regulated, she lifted her arm off her eyes to reveal Sesshoumaru looking at her as if she'd sprouted another head.
"What?" she snapped.
"Did I say anything?" he replied coolly.
"Look, Sesshoumaru. I'm in no mood to put up with your smart-ass comments, so will you please leave me alone before I lose it completely?" she sighed as she massaged her temples.
Sesshoumaru stared at the girl intently as she closed her eyes. As her breathing evened with sleep and her heart rate returned to normal, he finally got up. Looking down at her beautiful face, he suddenly had the insane urge to touch her. Brushing a finger gently down her cheek, he turned to leave and took one last glance at the sleeping girl as he closed the door behind him. Silently walking toward his training room, the Western Lord wondered what had come over him.
Kagome jerked her eyes open as soon as she felt the demon lord's presence fade away.
What the hell was that about? she thought, bewilderment evident on her face. If she didn't know better, the ninja might have thought the moment a hallucination or a dream; it was highly uncharacteristic for the Western Lord to do anything of the sort. Slowly reaching her hand to her face, she touched her cheek where Sesshoumaru had brushed it just minutes before and was surprised to find a tingling sensation lingering on the spot.
Rolling onto her stomach, the princess sighed, closing her eyes in an attempt to clear her mind. After a while of lying motionless, an eerie sensation overcame the woman. Slowly opening her eyes, she focused on the balcony, where the sensation seemed to be radiating from. Kagome gently lifted herself off the bed and advanced toward the area, her eyes never leaving it. Upon reaching the deck, a sudden gust of wind whipped into the ninja's face, sending her hair whirling about. Kagome froze, her eyes widening.
I'm coming for you… the wind seemed to whisper. You will be mine. It faded away, leaving behind a thundering, ghostly echo of maniacal laughter pounding in Kagome's ears.
Stumbling back, she fell onto her bed and looked around a bit frenzied. Her eyes rested upon the weapons Sesshoumaru had returned to her earlier that day. Grabbing Masamune and Murasame and her chain whip, Kagome stormed out of her room and headed for Sesshoumaru's training area. The ninja stopped short when she reached the door. Sesshoumaru was in there, gracefully practicing kendo moves. The way he moved, with such fluidity and grace, one could say the wooden katana was an extension to his body. There was no denying it—Sesshoumaru was exemplary in his kendo skill.
Kagome stood, her feet rooted to her spot as she watched Sesshoumaru, seemingly transfixed. She stood for a good ten minutes when Sesshoumaru brought her back to reality.
"Are you just going to stand there all day?" he asked, not bothering to turn around as he continued his art.
Blushing slightly, the ninja entered the room and sat down on the cushioned chair.
"I didn't know you'd be in here," she said calmly.
"It is my training room, is it not?" the youkai prince questioned, arrogantly.
Kagome narrowed her eyes as annoyance filled her. "Did I say it wasn't? I merely inquired because I've not seen you in here in the week I've stayed in the palace."
The princess felt her anger beginning to swell. He's so damn insolent! she fumed silently.
"I've been busy," was his smooth reply.
Kagome glared at the youkai lord and stood up. She sauntered onto the bamboo mat and stood in front of Sesshoumaru. The demon quirked an eyebrow and stared at her pointedly, waiting for her to say whatever she had on her mind.
"Wanna spar?" she asked bluntly.
A smirk began to tug at the demon prince's lips. The young woman had guts. Without responding, Sesshoumaru immediately launched an attack at Kagome, thrusting his sword gracefully toward her abdomen. Effortlessly, the woman parried the attack and retaliated with one of her own, which Sesshoumaru blocked. He swung his katana at the princess, hitting his mark as he sliced her shoulder, leaving a mere scrape. Kagome growled and thrust Murasame at the youkai prince, leaving a superficial wound in his side.
The two sparred for a while, neither gaining the upperhand when Kagome suddenly froze mid-step. Sesshoumaru stopped as well and eyed the girl warily.
"They're coming…" she murmured as her eyes glanced around.
Sesshoumaru sniffed the air and mentally kicked himself for not noticing the change in smell sooner. Kagome looked up and Sesshoumaru and their eyes met. He nodded at her and both took off toward the front entrance, where Jaken met the pair.
"Jaken," Sesshoumaru barked.
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Take Rin and the kit and take care of them," Sesshoumaru said tersely.
"B-b-but Sess—" the toad sputtered.
"Now," the youkai lord warned.
In the distance was a band of youkai, fast approaching the Western Palace. They were a group of seven and each had a piece of the Shikon no Tama imbedded somewhere in their body, making them stronger with the exception of one. Kagome immediately noticed, even through the distance that the one without the Shikon shard stunk of Naraku.
"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru asked icily when they arrived.
"They're here for me," the ninja answered flatly before any of them could respond. Sesshoumaru stared at the princess.
"Ahh, I see you're no fool, child," the leader sneered. "Tell me; how did you know?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "You smell of two things—Naraku, meaning you are his spawn, and the stench of the undead. And your group radiates power from a source alien to your body—Shikon no Tama."
"Very good, child," the woman mocked. "Now tell me this. How did you know about our shards?"
"I am a Guardian," was all she said before suddenly launching herself at the youkai behind the woman.
Sesshoumaru watched in disbelief at the girl's stupidity for attacking so foolishly. It was something his idiot brother would do. His mind quickly changed when he realized she'd been studying them and creating a strategy on her mind's eye.
Kagome quickly became surrounded by three youkai, two using claws, the other welding a sword. The other three soon attacked Sesshoumaru as the leader stood back and watched.
Kagome held her arms straight out and spun around once, slicing one of her attackers in the stomach, another in his arms, and barely nicked the one welding the sword. She jumped over the youkai she'd sliced in the stomach, landing gracefully behind him. When he charged at her, Kagome killed him by crushing his windpipe with a Shikan-ken punch. The other claw user lunged at her only to quickly be eliminated by Kagome plunging her clawed hand into the area of flesh where the Shikon was imbedded, his shoulder. The sudden removal of the shard caused his body to convulse and he died shortly thereafter. The final youkai attacking Kagome charged, his sword held high. Kagome quickly put Masamune away and grabbed her chain whip. She swung it at him and deftly caught his wrist, jerking him to the ground. Walking up to him, she plunged her sword in his heart. Quickly, she removed the shards from the two she'd not collected them from.
While Kagome was busy with the youkai whom attacked her, Sesshoumaru made game of the three attacking him. Throwing his sword to the side, both Sesshoumaru's hands began to glow green as acidic poison dripped from them.
"Dokkyusei!" he cried, slashing the first opponent to charge. He smirked in satisfaction as his clawed hands met the opposing youkai's throat. As the poison quickly flowed through his veins, the youkai fell down numbly dying shortly after. The other two met the same fate, though the last one Sesshoumaru plunged his entire clawed hand into the youkai's stomach leaving a gaping wound filled with the youkai lord's poison.
With the six eliminated, Kagome and Sesshoumaru slowly looked to the leader who'd begun to clap. "Well done. Naraku certainly has underestimated you, Guardian. I am Kagura."
With those final words, Kagura drew two feathers from her hair and turned them into clouds. The first feather supporting her, the second supporting the three youkai Sesshoumaru killed. She left, leaving the other three behind.
Kagome began to growl as she watched them fly away. Sesshoumaru on the other hand, wondered why this 'Kagura' took the youkai he killed and not the others.
"She took those three because they still have shards in their body," Kagome said, answering his unasked question. She drew out the shards she'd collected from the youkai she killed, examining them.
"Hmm…they appear to be the same size, so I'm assuming he cut the other three to the same precision as these…" the youkai princess murmured to herself. Looking up, she said to Sesshoumaru, "He cut them so thinly that I'm sure he's got a good sized chunk left of the half he possesses."
"Not that I expect you to care," she smirked, walking into the palace.
Growling, Sesshoumaru followed her, questions running through his mind. She can't be a Guardian…they're all dead. But then again, how could she have known about that stupid jewel so easily?
By then the night had thrown her pall and Kagome was tired from the day's events, both physically and mentally. The princess strolled toward her room still pondering Naraku's intentions while Sesshoumaru wandered toward the east wing where his room was located.
While Kagome's shrewd mind speculated the things to be, Sesshoumaru lie in his bed pondering the ninja in his home, something he'd found himself to be doing a lot lately. The more he thought of her, the more confused he became and the more irritated he ended up. How long he thought of the woman, he didn't know. But before he knew it, he'd drifted off into sleep as a dream overcame him.
"Okaa-san! Where are we going?" questioned the four-year-old Sesshoumaru as he bounded up to his mother.
"We're going to visit Lord Ryosuke and Lady Yuki. She's given birth to her pup," Sesshoumaru's mother, Lady Eiko, clarified, smiling down at her young pup.
"Yes…I've been told their child is a beautiful little girl," winked Sesshoumaru's father, Inutaisho.
Sesshoumaru stared at his father, not getting the jest of the words while his mother giggled. Grabbing their hands, he dragged Lord Inutaisho and Lady Eiko towards the door. "Come on!" he urged, pushing his smiling parents out the door.
When they arrived at the home of the Guardians, greetings were exchanged between both families. Lady Yuki led them to the sitting room where the baby Kagome was lying on a mountain of pillows.
"She's beautiful!" squealed Lady Eiko, receiving a smile from the proud parents. "May I hold her?"
"Of course," replied Yuki as she handed Kagome to the open arms of Eiko.
"Look Maru-chan, isn't she cute?" Eiko smiled at her son.
Kagome took notice of the boy staring at her and began giggling, holding her arms out to him. Sesshoumaru tentatively took the baby girl in his arms, smiling as she reached up and touched his face. The little princess apparently had taken quite a liking to Sesshoumaru. Giggling again, she snuggled closer to the young prince. At that moment, Sesshoumaru decided he liked the little girl.
Elsewhere in the palace, Kagome was lying down to sleep when a sudden realization hit her, causing her to sit up with a jolt. Looking down to the kitsune who'd already succumbed to sleep, the princess sighed in relief when he was still gently snoring. They'll come for me again…
She gently lifted herself out of the bed and walked to the balcony enjoying the soft breeze playing with her hair, calming her mind. As she thought about her predicament, a few ideas passed through her head. She could leave with Shippou and head somewhere else, making it harder for her enemies to locate her, or she could stay and endanger the lives of Rin, Rika, Sesshoumaru, and Jaken. She'd grown extremely fond of the two human girls, found herself warming more and more to Sesshoumaru, and even began growing tolerant of the toady nuisance, Jaken. The choice of the matter was an obvious no-brainer, so Kagome found herself packing her and Shippou's belongings and dressed herself in the midnight blue ninja garb.
Walking over to the sleeping kitsune, the princess gently nudged him awake. "Shippou."
The kit stirred, smacked his lips, but remained asleep.
She smirked and spoke his name again while prodding his forehead. "Shippou, Wake up."
His eyes opened and blearily stared at Kagome. "What's wrong? Are we being attacked??" Shippou promptly leaped out of bed and jumped in front of Kagome in an defensive stance.
Kagome stared at the kitsune attempting to protect her and threw her head back in a laugh. Shippou, confused, looked up at the ninja, cocking his head to the side. When her laughter subsided, she looked at him, amusement written on her face.
"No, Shippou, we're fine. But we need to leave," she whispered.
"Why?" the kit questioned.
"I don't have time to explain," she began as she wrote a note and placed it on her pillow. "You will know soon."
With that, Shippou and Kagome left the palace through the balcony, the kit on her back as Kagome flew through the air. Perhaps it was a good thing they left—Kagome was beginning her monthly cycle. That time of the month for females was unnerving to a male youkai, especially inuyoukai with their keen sense of smell. But the scent radiating from a female youkai was more powerful than that of a female human and therefore more distracting. Sesshoumaru would undoubtedly be on edge with Kagome around.
The next morning, Rin bounded into Kagome and Shippou's room only to find them gone and in their place a note. The little girl grabbed the paper and ran to Sesshoumaru.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" she called as she entered his study.
Sesshoumaru looked at the girl without answering as she handed him a piece of paper.
"Kagome-oneechan and Shippou-kun are gone! Rin found that on the pillows," Rin explained. "What's it say?"
Sesshoumaru scanned the note and read it aloud. It said:
Sesshoumaru,
If you're reading this, you'll know Shippou and I have gone.
Naraku has tried more than what you've witnessed to capture me, and he will try again. I have a feeling that next time, he'll send his forces by the thousands. He doesn't know how to give up.
I left because I could not risk putting you, Rin and your servants in danger.
Thank you for your hospitality; it was much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Kagome
P.S. Until we meet again.
Sesshoumaru crumpled the note in his hand and scowled. Just when he was getting used to having her around…
A/N: This chapter was a little longer than usual, but I'm satisfied with the way it turned out. What do you guys think? REVIEW! Please? It keeps me going!
Since this is a double update, review responses will be in the next chapter!
