Disclaimer - Characters and setting not mine. Plot and any original characters mine.
//(--ch).insertDisclaimer(Reason.I_FORGOT);
Spoilers or maybe not - I'll be referring to events up to and including book 18 of the Japanese version of the manga, although not necessarily in this chapter. I haven't seen the anime, so I have no idea how much that overlaps.
The Bargain - Ch 1
Kagome tuned her brother out as he chattered excitedly about her upcoming trip, trying to concentrate on her packing. After three years of watching his sister vanish off into the past Sota had become convinced that she was having a grand adventure, and had been bitterly disappointed to discover that he was unable trigger whatever force allowed Kagome access to the Sengoku Jidai. She smiled slightly and shook her head as she remembered the time she had jumped into the well only to land on him. The well hadn't opened at all that time, and Sota had received a truly remarkable set of bruises from the impact.
She added the last of her medical supplies to the backpack and tightened the fastenings. She shook it a couple of times to make sure that nothing would fall out. Nothing like getting a nasty cut on your leg and discovering that there was no antiseptic to be found for several hundred years to teach you to make sure things were properly tied down. She slung the pack over her shoulder and picked up Tetsusaiga.
"You're leaving already?" her mother asked from the door to her bedroom. She had come up a few minutes ago and had been watching her oldest child pack, trying to repress the sorrow she felt growing inside her. This was not what she had wanted for her daughter, this seemingly endless quest that threatened to cost her daughter everything. Every time Kagome jumped into the well, Mrs. Higurashi felt her heart rend a little more.
Over the last few years, her mother had watched Kagome mature, seen her return from the past heartbroken, shattered, full of the pain of what she had seen and experienced. She knew that her daughter had friends there, friends she loved dearly and for that she was grateful, but Kagome also had enemies in the past, enemies she knew from Kagome's recent grief were deadly. Every time Kagome left she wondered if her daughter would return. And if she did, what would she have to look forward to? Kagome was barely managing to keep up in school now, and her chance of going to a good university seemed so slim as to be non-existent. What would her daughter do? What kind of life would she have?
"Yes. I promised I'd be back by tonight." Kagome went to her mother and wrapped her in her arms. "I love you, mom. Always. And with a bit of luck, this will be the last trip." Her mother hugged her back, and for several moments they simply stood there, enjoying each other's closeness.
Sota pouted a bit on hearing that this might be the last adventure, then trailed down the stairs after the women as Kagome and her mother walked out to the old wellhouse. Who knew where grandfather was. He was probably off puttering with some of the scrolls Kagome had returned with on her last trip. As they entered the small shed, Kagome looked around, marveling at how nothing appeared to have changed over all the years of her voyaging.
"How long will you be gone this time?" her mother asked. It was a practical question as well as a loving one. After all, there was the matter of coming up with a suitable cover story.
"I don't know. I don't know how Sesshomaru will want to handle things or how long it will take." She hugged her mother and brother again. "Bye." She turned away from them and jumped into the well.
Although the future hadn't changed the past certainly had, she thought as she clambered out of the well, hampered by the sword in her hand. The well itself, for one thing. The enclosure still bore the damage that Inuyasha had inflicted in his long ago attempt to barricade her into the future. There was no impatient half-demon waiting to drag her off on the next leg of their seemingly never-ending quest. No small fox demon throwing himself into her arms. Instead there was only a full dog demon waiting for her to bring him a weapon he had been coveting since before they first met.
As she watched Sesshomaru leave the forest and stride towards her, she wondered again what had inspired her to come up with this plan. It should never have crossed her mind to try to make Sesshomaru an ally. She was still surprised that he had accepted the bargain. How many times had Inuyasha's brother tried to kill them? How often had Inuyasha sworn he would never allow Sesshomaru to possess Testsusaiga? But what other choice had she had? With Inuyasha dead - her mind still shied away from that memory - and the Shikon no Tama in Naraku's hands, she needed a powerful ally to help her retrieve the Jewel. While they were more than capable of standing against humans, or the majority of the demons they encountered, Miroku and Sango just weren't up to the task of destroying the thing that Naraku had become. Even Inuyasha had failed at that. No, this was the best choice, the only way she could envision any of them surviving.
Sesshomaru came to a stop in front of the human woman. Kagome. He supposed that if they were to travel together on this quest of hers, he should remember to use her name. He looked her over, noting with satisfaction that she had changed out of her absurd outfit and into something warmer and more concealing. At least he wouldn't be forced to worry about her becoming ill from exposure to the chill autumn weather as they traveled.
But first things first. His eyes focused on the sword in her hands.
He was opening his mouth to speak when a crackling voice interrupted. "Well, wench, hand it over." His reptilian retainer Jaken could always be counted on to interrupt an important moment with his rudeness, Sesshomaru thought with an inward sigh. As he reached out, he saw Kagome's fingers tighten around the scabbard.
"Do you doubt my word?" Sesshomaru was offended by the thought; how dare this mere human question his honor?
"No." Kagome shook her head quickly, sensing the anger behind the mask and deciding that appeasement was essential. "It's just..." her voice trailed off. "I was just remembering." Pushing all thoughts of disloyalty away, she held the sword out balanced crosswise on her palms. "Your sword, Lord Sesshomaru." The formality seemed appropriate for this moment.
"I thank you." He lifted the scabbard from her hands; her fingers caressed the the polished wood as the weight was removed. A stab of pleasure shot though him. Finally, after all these years Tetsusaiga was his! Quickly he drew the sword and examined its well used blade.
"Do you doubt *my* word?" There was a touch of acid in Kagome's voice as she turned his question back at him, and Sesshomaru found himself amused at the woman's temerity.
"No. I merely wished to see how much damage my brother did to the sword." Satisfied with the condition of the metal and the sharpness of the edge Sesshomaru resheathed the blade and thrust the scabbard through his sash, settling it comfortably under his hand. He noticed that Kagome bridled visibly at the insult to Inuyasha, but she refrained from responding. "Shall we discuss our next step?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to propose that they head to the village, but was interrupted by Jaken.
"What next step?" The tone of his question was querulous. "You have the sword, Lord Sesshomaru. Destroy the human and let us depart."
"Silence, Jaken." The short demon cowered. "I, Sesshomaru, do not break my given word." Kagome felt a surge of relief as she realized that she had been right. Sesshomaru, for all his attempts to kill his own brother, was honorable in his own way.
"We need to go back to the village," Kagome told them. "There's something we have to get." She hitched her backpack higher onto her shoulders and turned to lead the way.
"Aacckk!!" That was Jaken again, sounding like the toad he resembled as he flung himself into her path to stop her. "How dare you walk before the great Lord Sesshomaru, mortal?"
Kagome froze and looked down to stare at the short demon with complete incredulity. "Ummm... what?!?"
"Let it lie, Jaken." Sesshomaru's tone promised death to the disobedient, and Jaken fell silent. Kagome was confused when instead of following the path that led to the village, Sesshomaru strode towards the spot where he had entered the field, his long legs making quick progress over the dead brown grass. "Before we begin there is someone you must meet."
Kagome hurried to follow the dog demon, hearing Jaken grumbling to himself about the rudeness of disgusting humans behind her. She grimaced. She could tell already that traveling with the toad creature would be unpleasant.
Sesshomaru stopped just inside the treeline. "Rin," he called, "you may come out now."
Kagome was shocked to see a young girl of no more than seven or eight throw herself out of the trees to hug Sesshomaru around the legs. He seemed to expect this and rested one hand protectively on the girl's head. "Who...?" Kagome managed to ask.
"This is Rin." Sesshomaru glared at Kagome, defying her to comment about the presence of the human child. He had come to terms with his affection for the little girl, but he would not discuss either his feelings or Rin herself with anyone. "She will be traveling with us."
Her eyes on the young girl, Kagome failed to notice his glare. She knelt down to place her face at Rin's level and smiled at the girl. "Hello Rin. My name is Kagome. How are you?"
Rin looked anxiously up at Sesshomaru, and he nodded at her. This seemed to be a signal; the girl released his legs and turned to bow to Kagome. "Good," she whispered and gave Kagome a shy smile.
"How old is she?" Kagome asked, looking up at Sesshomaru for the first time. She wondered how someone who claimed to hate humans as much as he did could be traveling with a human child, and a girl at that. Her questions showed in her eyes, making Sesshomaru's response more abrupt than he had intended.
"Seven, I believe. We are done here." He turned and headed towards the path that would take them to Kaede's village, Rin trotting obediently at his heels. Kagome followed after them, wondering what he meant when he said 'I believe'. How had Rin come to travel with Sesshomaru?
As they followed the well trodden track to the village, Rin skipped up alongside Kagome. "Are you my friend?" she asked, her voice curious.
Kagome was puzzled by the question, but nodded. "Of course." She was rewarded by a happy smile, and Rin began to chatter at her as though she had been storing it up for years. Looking ahead to where Sesshomaru led the way, Kagome wondered if that was the case.
The walk was short and livened only briefly by Rin finding a flower that she insisted on giving to Kagome for her hair. When they finally reached the village they found it deserted. Kagome was looking around frantically, trying to find someone or something that would tell her what had happened, when a small red-brown blur appeared from a nearby doorway and threw itself towards her.
Sesshomaru was already moving to stand in front of her when Kagome recognized the blur. She cried out in relief and ran forward to catch it in her arms. "Shippo!"
"Kagome! You're back!" Shippo attached himself to her neck, burrowing against her. Kagome stroked his back soothingly, noticing that the boy was shaking as he pressed himself closer to her.
"What is it, Shippo? Whatever it is, it'll be OK," she tried to comfort the young fox demon. Shippo had taken Inuyasha's death very badly, and became frantic whenever any of the others were out of his sight for any length of time. If something had happened to the others, she wasn't sure if he would be able to cope with it.
"I was afraid you weren't coming back," he told her, wiping tears from his cheek. She felt a pang in her heart for the young boy. Not yet an adult, and already he had lost three of the most important people in his life. But in a strange way his greeting reassured her about her decision to bring Sesshomaru into the fight. Shippo didn't deserve to lose anyone else, and if anyone could stand against Naraku, the Lord of Western Lands could.
"I'm here now," she told him gently. "I promised I would come back."
"I know. But so did Inuyasha, and he died." The shaking had stopped, Shippo was pulling himself together.
"But I didn't, and I'm here," she repeated. She looked around. "Where is everybody?" she asked. Shippo would have told her by now if something drastic had happened, so where were all the villagers? At this time of the evening everyone should be in the central square relaxing after a hard day's work. Well all the men at least, the women would be indoors preparing the evening meal.
A glint of his old mischief flickered through Shippo's eyes, and Kagome smiled to see it. "They're hiding," he told her. "They're afraid of him." No need to ask who him was, Kagome thought, looking over to where Sesshomaru stood watching their reunion.
Sesshomaru watched as Kagome greeted the young fox demon. For the first time, he consciously realized how unusual the young human woman was. For years, he had simply seen her as one of the people who kept him from acquiring the Tetsusaiga. Probably the most important one, he admitted to himself, since on more than one occasion the young priestess' powers had rescued Inuyasha from certain death at his older brother's hands.
But now that he was no longer seeing her through the eyes of an opponent he realized that she wasn't anything like he expected human women to be. He had known she was unusual, true. Her odd clothing and mannerisms had signaled that clearly, but the differences went deeper than that.
Humans, in his experience, looked at demons in very few ways. The vast majority of humans feared them. Even the weakest and least threatening of their kind were driven away from human habitation or destroyed. Some humans worked as exterminators, seeing demons only as prey to be exterminated at all costs. And a very few, very rare humans bargained with demons for money, life, or power. He wondered how it was that Kagome had come to see Inuyasha and the kit as friends. For a fleeting and quickly suppressed moment, he wondered how she saw him.
He was recalled from his musing when Kagome turned, still holding Shippo. "We need to go see Kaede," she informed him, gesturing awkwardly toward the largest hut in the village. He wondered if it was a concession to Jaken's earlier fit about her walking ahead of him.
He walked to the hut and entered without signaling. A moment later he wished he had not. There were three humans already in the small space and the scent of their bodies combined with the wood smoke from the oldest woman's - Kaede he assumed - cooking fire and the scent of the food to assault his sense of smell, freezing him where he stood. The three humans in turn froze as he entered, not relaxing until they saw Kagome follow him in.
Kagome took in the scene with a single glance, then looked more closely at Sesshomaru.
"Are you all right, Sesshomaru?" she asked with some concern. His eyes were glazed in a way that seemed oddly familiar. Now where had she seen ... She suppressed a smile when she realized that it was the same look Inuyasha used to get when confronted with an overpowering stench.
"Yes," he lied. He wondered how long they would be in this accursed building. He wondered if he could simply leave and not return. Or at least wait outside. He wondered if he had lost his mind, which would explain why he had joined this ridiculous quest that had brought him here.
"Why don't we get everyone moved around so we can sit while we talk?" she suggested. There was a murmur of assent, and a shuffling of bodies as Miroku, Sango and Kaede stood so as to give the newcomers some space. With a bit of maneuvering, Kagome managed to make sure that Sesshomaru was seated nearest the door, in a spot that might give him a bit of a breeze and some relief from the odors that were obviously bothering him. Jaken chose to remain outside, away from the smells of humans, so Sesshomaru ordered Rin to stay with him.
Kagome found herself next to Miroku, who leaned over to murmur to her as they reseated themselves. "Are you certain this is a good idea?" he asked.
"Yes!" Kagome huffed in frustration. They had had this discussion numerous times over the last several weeks, and by now the questions and responses were routine. Miroku was very leery of her plan and wanted to tackle Naraku alone, without the added danger of a powerful, unpredictable demon who had tried more than once to kill them. Kagome had seen what Naraku had done to Inuyasha, and knew that attacking him without a strong fighter was suicidal.
"Do you have any plans for finding Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked as soon as they were seated, his impatience with the slow rituals of greeting finally breaking through his customary restraint. "Do you know where he is, or must I locate him for you as well?"
"We don't need to find him," Kagome told him as she opened the small pouch that Sango had slipped to her during their greeting. "He'll come after us." She dumped the contents of the pouch into her palm, revealing a single, small, glittering shard of crystal. She smiled happily. "We have the last piece of the Shikon."
"Indeed." The shadow of a smile crossed Sesshomaru's face. This was going to be less effort than he had expected. "That does make things easier. Do you have any plans for when he comes after it?"
"We kill him." That was the other young human female, a demon hunter if Sesshomaru interpreted her clothing correctly. Her voice and eyes were full of hatred, and he could see worry on the faces of Kagome and the monk as they watched her. He wondered if she would be a problem when it came time for him and Kagome to leave.
"Other than that?" he asked when the others remained silent. Did they honestly expect to be able to defeat Naraku without a plan. For that matter, had they actually managed to make it this far against him without having *had* one? He caught himself a breath away from shaking his head in disgust, although he wasn't sure if it was directed at these humans or the many demons who had been unable to destroy them.
Kagome shook her head as she returned the shard to the pouch and looped the cord around her neck. "Not really. We're usually the ones being ambushed, not the ones setting traps. We're pretty good at violence and flight, but we're a little light on the tactics part." Although it wasn't by any means the main reason she had wanted to enlist Sesshomaru on their side, she suspected that he had planned more battles than the rest of them combined, and she knew a good plan would go a long way in helping to win this fight. "I'm willing to go with whatever you think is best."
He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she truly thought she had a choice in the matter. He decided it was irrelevant; she would obey, and that was the important thing.
The next hour passed quickly. Kagome and her friends ate while Sesshomaru asked numerous questions about their encounters with Naraku and his minions. He wanted to know what they were capable of, what kind of traps they tended to set, how they reacted when things went wrong. What Naraku wanted, and what he feared.
They seemed eager to provide him with what information they had, with the exception of Kagome, who refused to discuss her most relevant encounter with Naraku, the one that resulted in Inuyasha's death. Sesshomaru considered simply insisting that she answer his questions, but decided to wait. Kagome had demonstrated that she would protect her friends no matter the cost, and perhaps this was simply another facet of that protectiveness. He would demand she tell him the story later, once they were away from the other humans. Kaede contributed what she knew about the powers of the Shikon. Finally he was satisfied, and he drifted off into silent planning while Kagome and her friends took the chance to catch up on the events of the past few days.
The meal was finally finished, and with a sense of relief Sesshomaru stood and looked over at Kagome.
"We shall depart now. I would prefer that we meet Naraku somewhere more defensible than this human village." He looked around scornfully. "And somewhere we have capable allies." Before she could complain about having to travel at night, he headed her off. "The moon is full and we should be able to travel for some hours yet."
He was gratified when Kagome got to her feet and lifted her bag over her shoulders without arguing. His pleasure turned to dismay when her friends followed her to their feet.
"Your friends were not part of the bargain. I do not wish to be obliged to suffer their presence." Sesshoumaru was very definite about that, even though he could tell from the stubborn look appearing in Kagome's eyes that he was going to lose this particular battle of wills. Even so, she managed to surprise him with how.
"Were you planning on carrying me?" Kagome asked. She had no intention of allowing him to leave her friends behind, however much she knew they would be safer if she did so.
"Of course not!" He was appalled by the thought.
"Then why are you complaining? They can ride Kirara so they won't slow us down, and they deserve their chance at Naraku too. Maybe more than you or I. And they do count as capable allies." There was a gleam in her eyes as she parroted his words back at him, and Sesshomaru had to concede that she had a point. The monk, at least, had been an asset to Inuyasha in their battles over the Tetsusaiga. And presumably the demon hunter was somewhat proficient as well, given that she had managed to survive traveling with them for so many years. Although the hatred she had demonstrated earlier might be a problem. Hatred usually blinded one to reason, and this battle would only be won if it was fought with clear heads.
Pushing that concern away to be dealt with later, Sesshomaru gave in. Perhaps Kagome was right. And if the other humans came along, they would keep her occupied and away from him. Perhaps it would be good for Rin as well, to spend time with humans. But his generosity would only extend so far.
"I will permit them to travel with us if they wish, so long as they do not slow us down. But our bargain covers only you." He wanted that clear. He would protect Kagome, that was their bargain, and help her win her war, but he, Sesshomaru, would not be exerting himself on the part of any other humans.
"Good enough." The words came from Kagome, but the others were nodding their acceptance of his terms.
Kagome could hear Jaken grumbling about disgusting humans again. I was wrong earlier, she thought to herself. Unless he finds a new topic, this is going to be so much more than unpleasant.
----
Notes: The characters are in place. Now let's watch them dance. This is the first time I've written fiction, so I apologize for it being a bit rough.
//(--ch).insertDisclaimer(Reason.I_FORGOT);
Spoilers or maybe not - I'll be referring to events up to and including book 18 of the Japanese version of the manga, although not necessarily in this chapter. I haven't seen the anime, so I have no idea how much that overlaps.
The Bargain - Ch 1
Kagome tuned her brother out as he chattered excitedly about her upcoming trip, trying to concentrate on her packing. After three years of watching his sister vanish off into the past Sota had become convinced that she was having a grand adventure, and had been bitterly disappointed to discover that he was unable trigger whatever force allowed Kagome access to the Sengoku Jidai. She smiled slightly and shook her head as she remembered the time she had jumped into the well only to land on him. The well hadn't opened at all that time, and Sota had received a truly remarkable set of bruises from the impact.
She added the last of her medical supplies to the backpack and tightened the fastenings. She shook it a couple of times to make sure that nothing would fall out. Nothing like getting a nasty cut on your leg and discovering that there was no antiseptic to be found for several hundred years to teach you to make sure things were properly tied down. She slung the pack over her shoulder and picked up Tetsusaiga.
"You're leaving already?" her mother asked from the door to her bedroom. She had come up a few minutes ago and had been watching her oldest child pack, trying to repress the sorrow she felt growing inside her. This was not what she had wanted for her daughter, this seemingly endless quest that threatened to cost her daughter everything. Every time Kagome jumped into the well, Mrs. Higurashi felt her heart rend a little more.
Over the last few years, her mother had watched Kagome mature, seen her return from the past heartbroken, shattered, full of the pain of what she had seen and experienced. She knew that her daughter had friends there, friends she loved dearly and for that she was grateful, but Kagome also had enemies in the past, enemies she knew from Kagome's recent grief were deadly. Every time Kagome left she wondered if her daughter would return. And if she did, what would she have to look forward to? Kagome was barely managing to keep up in school now, and her chance of going to a good university seemed so slim as to be non-existent. What would her daughter do? What kind of life would she have?
"Yes. I promised I'd be back by tonight." Kagome went to her mother and wrapped her in her arms. "I love you, mom. Always. And with a bit of luck, this will be the last trip." Her mother hugged her back, and for several moments they simply stood there, enjoying each other's closeness.
Sota pouted a bit on hearing that this might be the last adventure, then trailed down the stairs after the women as Kagome and her mother walked out to the old wellhouse. Who knew where grandfather was. He was probably off puttering with some of the scrolls Kagome had returned with on her last trip. As they entered the small shed, Kagome looked around, marveling at how nothing appeared to have changed over all the years of her voyaging.
"How long will you be gone this time?" her mother asked. It was a practical question as well as a loving one. After all, there was the matter of coming up with a suitable cover story.
"I don't know. I don't know how Sesshomaru will want to handle things or how long it will take." She hugged her mother and brother again. "Bye." She turned away from them and jumped into the well.
Although the future hadn't changed the past certainly had, she thought as she clambered out of the well, hampered by the sword in her hand. The well itself, for one thing. The enclosure still bore the damage that Inuyasha had inflicted in his long ago attempt to barricade her into the future. There was no impatient half-demon waiting to drag her off on the next leg of their seemingly never-ending quest. No small fox demon throwing himself into her arms. Instead there was only a full dog demon waiting for her to bring him a weapon he had been coveting since before they first met.
As she watched Sesshomaru leave the forest and stride towards her, she wondered again what had inspired her to come up with this plan. It should never have crossed her mind to try to make Sesshomaru an ally. She was still surprised that he had accepted the bargain. How many times had Inuyasha's brother tried to kill them? How often had Inuyasha sworn he would never allow Sesshomaru to possess Testsusaiga? But what other choice had she had? With Inuyasha dead - her mind still shied away from that memory - and the Shikon no Tama in Naraku's hands, she needed a powerful ally to help her retrieve the Jewel. While they were more than capable of standing against humans, or the majority of the demons they encountered, Miroku and Sango just weren't up to the task of destroying the thing that Naraku had become. Even Inuyasha had failed at that. No, this was the best choice, the only way she could envision any of them surviving.
Sesshomaru came to a stop in front of the human woman. Kagome. He supposed that if they were to travel together on this quest of hers, he should remember to use her name. He looked her over, noting with satisfaction that she had changed out of her absurd outfit and into something warmer and more concealing. At least he wouldn't be forced to worry about her becoming ill from exposure to the chill autumn weather as they traveled.
But first things first. His eyes focused on the sword in her hands.
He was opening his mouth to speak when a crackling voice interrupted. "Well, wench, hand it over." His reptilian retainer Jaken could always be counted on to interrupt an important moment with his rudeness, Sesshomaru thought with an inward sigh. As he reached out, he saw Kagome's fingers tighten around the scabbard.
"Do you doubt my word?" Sesshomaru was offended by the thought; how dare this mere human question his honor?
"No." Kagome shook her head quickly, sensing the anger behind the mask and deciding that appeasement was essential. "It's just..." her voice trailed off. "I was just remembering." Pushing all thoughts of disloyalty away, she held the sword out balanced crosswise on her palms. "Your sword, Lord Sesshomaru." The formality seemed appropriate for this moment.
"I thank you." He lifted the scabbard from her hands; her fingers caressed the the polished wood as the weight was removed. A stab of pleasure shot though him. Finally, after all these years Tetsusaiga was his! Quickly he drew the sword and examined its well used blade.
"Do you doubt *my* word?" There was a touch of acid in Kagome's voice as she turned his question back at him, and Sesshomaru found himself amused at the woman's temerity.
"No. I merely wished to see how much damage my brother did to the sword." Satisfied with the condition of the metal and the sharpness of the edge Sesshomaru resheathed the blade and thrust the scabbard through his sash, settling it comfortably under his hand. He noticed that Kagome bridled visibly at the insult to Inuyasha, but she refrained from responding. "Shall we discuss our next step?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to propose that they head to the village, but was interrupted by Jaken.
"What next step?" The tone of his question was querulous. "You have the sword, Lord Sesshomaru. Destroy the human and let us depart."
"Silence, Jaken." The short demon cowered. "I, Sesshomaru, do not break my given word." Kagome felt a surge of relief as she realized that she had been right. Sesshomaru, for all his attempts to kill his own brother, was honorable in his own way.
"We need to go back to the village," Kagome told them. "There's something we have to get." She hitched her backpack higher onto her shoulders and turned to lead the way.
"Aacckk!!" That was Jaken again, sounding like the toad he resembled as he flung himself into her path to stop her. "How dare you walk before the great Lord Sesshomaru, mortal?"
Kagome froze and looked down to stare at the short demon with complete incredulity. "Ummm... what?!?"
"Let it lie, Jaken." Sesshomaru's tone promised death to the disobedient, and Jaken fell silent. Kagome was confused when instead of following the path that led to the village, Sesshomaru strode towards the spot where he had entered the field, his long legs making quick progress over the dead brown grass. "Before we begin there is someone you must meet."
Kagome hurried to follow the dog demon, hearing Jaken grumbling to himself about the rudeness of disgusting humans behind her. She grimaced. She could tell already that traveling with the toad creature would be unpleasant.
Sesshomaru stopped just inside the treeline. "Rin," he called, "you may come out now."
Kagome was shocked to see a young girl of no more than seven or eight throw herself out of the trees to hug Sesshomaru around the legs. He seemed to expect this and rested one hand protectively on the girl's head. "Who...?" Kagome managed to ask.
"This is Rin." Sesshomaru glared at Kagome, defying her to comment about the presence of the human child. He had come to terms with his affection for the little girl, but he would not discuss either his feelings or Rin herself with anyone. "She will be traveling with us."
Her eyes on the young girl, Kagome failed to notice his glare. She knelt down to place her face at Rin's level and smiled at the girl. "Hello Rin. My name is Kagome. How are you?"
Rin looked anxiously up at Sesshomaru, and he nodded at her. This seemed to be a signal; the girl released his legs and turned to bow to Kagome. "Good," she whispered and gave Kagome a shy smile.
"How old is she?" Kagome asked, looking up at Sesshomaru for the first time. She wondered how someone who claimed to hate humans as much as he did could be traveling with a human child, and a girl at that. Her questions showed in her eyes, making Sesshomaru's response more abrupt than he had intended.
"Seven, I believe. We are done here." He turned and headed towards the path that would take them to Kaede's village, Rin trotting obediently at his heels. Kagome followed after them, wondering what he meant when he said 'I believe'. How had Rin come to travel with Sesshomaru?
As they followed the well trodden track to the village, Rin skipped up alongside Kagome. "Are you my friend?" she asked, her voice curious.
Kagome was puzzled by the question, but nodded. "Of course." She was rewarded by a happy smile, and Rin began to chatter at her as though she had been storing it up for years. Looking ahead to where Sesshomaru led the way, Kagome wondered if that was the case.
The walk was short and livened only briefly by Rin finding a flower that she insisted on giving to Kagome for her hair. When they finally reached the village they found it deserted. Kagome was looking around frantically, trying to find someone or something that would tell her what had happened, when a small red-brown blur appeared from a nearby doorway and threw itself towards her.
Sesshomaru was already moving to stand in front of her when Kagome recognized the blur. She cried out in relief and ran forward to catch it in her arms. "Shippo!"
"Kagome! You're back!" Shippo attached himself to her neck, burrowing against her. Kagome stroked his back soothingly, noticing that the boy was shaking as he pressed himself closer to her.
"What is it, Shippo? Whatever it is, it'll be OK," she tried to comfort the young fox demon. Shippo had taken Inuyasha's death very badly, and became frantic whenever any of the others were out of his sight for any length of time. If something had happened to the others, she wasn't sure if he would be able to cope with it.
"I was afraid you weren't coming back," he told her, wiping tears from his cheek. She felt a pang in her heart for the young boy. Not yet an adult, and already he had lost three of the most important people in his life. But in a strange way his greeting reassured her about her decision to bring Sesshomaru into the fight. Shippo didn't deserve to lose anyone else, and if anyone could stand against Naraku, the Lord of Western Lands could.
"I'm here now," she told him gently. "I promised I would come back."
"I know. But so did Inuyasha, and he died." The shaking had stopped, Shippo was pulling himself together.
"But I didn't, and I'm here," she repeated. She looked around. "Where is everybody?" she asked. Shippo would have told her by now if something drastic had happened, so where were all the villagers? At this time of the evening everyone should be in the central square relaxing after a hard day's work. Well all the men at least, the women would be indoors preparing the evening meal.
A glint of his old mischief flickered through Shippo's eyes, and Kagome smiled to see it. "They're hiding," he told her. "They're afraid of him." No need to ask who him was, Kagome thought, looking over to where Sesshomaru stood watching their reunion.
Sesshomaru watched as Kagome greeted the young fox demon. For the first time, he consciously realized how unusual the young human woman was. For years, he had simply seen her as one of the people who kept him from acquiring the Tetsusaiga. Probably the most important one, he admitted to himself, since on more than one occasion the young priestess' powers had rescued Inuyasha from certain death at his older brother's hands.
But now that he was no longer seeing her through the eyes of an opponent he realized that she wasn't anything like he expected human women to be. He had known she was unusual, true. Her odd clothing and mannerisms had signaled that clearly, but the differences went deeper than that.
Humans, in his experience, looked at demons in very few ways. The vast majority of humans feared them. Even the weakest and least threatening of their kind were driven away from human habitation or destroyed. Some humans worked as exterminators, seeing demons only as prey to be exterminated at all costs. And a very few, very rare humans bargained with demons for money, life, or power. He wondered how it was that Kagome had come to see Inuyasha and the kit as friends. For a fleeting and quickly suppressed moment, he wondered how she saw him.
He was recalled from his musing when Kagome turned, still holding Shippo. "We need to go see Kaede," she informed him, gesturing awkwardly toward the largest hut in the village. He wondered if it was a concession to Jaken's earlier fit about her walking ahead of him.
He walked to the hut and entered without signaling. A moment later he wished he had not. There were three humans already in the small space and the scent of their bodies combined with the wood smoke from the oldest woman's - Kaede he assumed - cooking fire and the scent of the food to assault his sense of smell, freezing him where he stood. The three humans in turn froze as he entered, not relaxing until they saw Kagome follow him in.
Kagome took in the scene with a single glance, then looked more closely at Sesshomaru.
"Are you all right, Sesshomaru?" she asked with some concern. His eyes were glazed in a way that seemed oddly familiar. Now where had she seen ... She suppressed a smile when she realized that it was the same look Inuyasha used to get when confronted with an overpowering stench.
"Yes," he lied. He wondered how long they would be in this accursed building. He wondered if he could simply leave and not return. Or at least wait outside. He wondered if he had lost his mind, which would explain why he had joined this ridiculous quest that had brought him here.
"Why don't we get everyone moved around so we can sit while we talk?" she suggested. There was a murmur of assent, and a shuffling of bodies as Miroku, Sango and Kaede stood so as to give the newcomers some space. With a bit of maneuvering, Kagome managed to make sure that Sesshomaru was seated nearest the door, in a spot that might give him a bit of a breeze and some relief from the odors that were obviously bothering him. Jaken chose to remain outside, away from the smells of humans, so Sesshomaru ordered Rin to stay with him.
Kagome found herself next to Miroku, who leaned over to murmur to her as they reseated themselves. "Are you certain this is a good idea?" he asked.
"Yes!" Kagome huffed in frustration. They had had this discussion numerous times over the last several weeks, and by now the questions and responses were routine. Miroku was very leery of her plan and wanted to tackle Naraku alone, without the added danger of a powerful, unpredictable demon who had tried more than once to kill them. Kagome had seen what Naraku had done to Inuyasha, and knew that attacking him without a strong fighter was suicidal.
"Do you have any plans for finding Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked as soon as they were seated, his impatience with the slow rituals of greeting finally breaking through his customary restraint. "Do you know where he is, or must I locate him for you as well?"
"We don't need to find him," Kagome told him as she opened the small pouch that Sango had slipped to her during their greeting. "He'll come after us." She dumped the contents of the pouch into her palm, revealing a single, small, glittering shard of crystal. She smiled happily. "We have the last piece of the Shikon."
"Indeed." The shadow of a smile crossed Sesshomaru's face. This was going to be less effort than he had expected. "That does make things easier. Do you have any plans for when he comes after it?"
"We kill him." That was the other young human female, a demon hunter if Sesshomaru interpreted her clothing correctly. Her voice and eyes were full of hatred, and he could see worry on the faces of Kagome and the monk as they watched her. He wondered if she would be a problem when it came time for him and Kagome to leave.
"Other than that?" he asked when the others remained silent. Did they honestly expect to be able to defeat Naraku without a plan. For that matter, had they actually managed to make it this far against him without having *had* one? He caught himself a breath away from shaking his head in disgust, although he wasn't sure if it was directed at these humans or the many demons who had been unable to destroy them.
Kagome shook her head as she returned the shard to the pouch and looped the cord around her neck. "Not really. We're usually the ones being ambushed, not the ones setting traps. We're pretty good at violence and flight, but we're a little light on the tactics part." Although it wasn't by any means the main reason she had wanted to enlist Sesshomaru on their side, she suspected that he had planned more battles than the rest of them combined, and she knew a good plan would go a long way in helping to win this fight. "I'm willing to go with whatever you think is best."
He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she truly thought she had a choice in the matter. He decided it was irrelevant; she would obey, and that was the important thing.
The next hour passed quickly. Kagome and her friends ate while Sesshomaru asked numerous questions about their encounters with Naraku and his minions. He wanted to know what they were capable of, what kind of traps they tended to set, how they reacted when things went wrong. What Naraku wanted, and what he feared.
They seemed eager to provide him with what information they had, with the exception of Kagome, who refused to discuss her most relevant encounter with Naraku, the one that resulted in Inuyasha's death. Sesshomaru considered simply insisting that she answer his questions, but decided to wait. Kagome had demonstrated that she would protect her friends no matter the cost, and perhaps this was simply another facet of that protectiveness. He would demand she tell him the story later, once they were away from the other humans. Kaede contributed what she knew about the powers of the Shikon. Finally he was satisfied, and he drifted off into silent planning while Kagome and her friends took the chance to catch up on the events of the past few days.
The meal was finally finished, and with a sense of relief Sesshomaru stood and looked over at Kagome.
"We shall depart now. I would prefer that we meet Naraku somewhere more defensible than this human village." He looked around scornfully. "And somewhere we have capable allies." Before she could complain about having to travel at night, he headed her off. "The moon is full and we should be able to travel for some hours yet."
He was gratified when Kagome got to her feet and lifted her bag over her shoulders without arguing. His pleasure turned to dismay when her friends followed her to their feet.
"Your friends were not part of the bargain. I do not wish to be obliged to suffer their presence." Sesshoumaru was very definite about that, even though he could tell from the stubborn look appearing in Kagome's eyes that he was going to lose this particular battle of wills. Even so, she managed to surprise him with how.
"Were you planning on carrying me?" Kagome asked. She had no intention of allowing him to leave her friends behind, however much she knew they would be safer if she did so.
"Of course not!" He was appalled by the thought.
"Then why are you complaining? They can ride Kirara so they won't slow us down, and they deserve their chance at Naraku too. Maybe more than you or I. And they do count as capable allies." There was a gleam in her eyes as she parroted his words back at him, and Sesshomaru had to concede that she had a point. The monk, at least, had been an asset to Inuyasha in their battles over the Tetsusaiga. And presumably the demon hunter was somewhat proficient as well, given that she had managed to survive traveling with them for so many years. Although the hatred she had demonstrated earlier might be a problem. Hatred usually blinded one to reason, and this battle would only be won if it was fought with clear heads.
Pushing that concern away to be dealt with later, Sesshomaru gave in. Perhaps Kagome was right. And if the other humans came along, they would keep her occupied and away from him. Perhaps it would be good for Rin as well, to spend time with humans. But his generosity would only extend so far.
"I will permit them to travel with us if they wish, so long as they do not slow us down. But our bargain covers only you." He wanted that clear. He would protect Kagome, that was their bargain, and help her win her war, but he, Sesshomaru, would not be exerting himself on the part of any other humans.
"Good enough." The words came from Kagome, but the others were nodding their acceptance of his terms.
Kagome could hear Jaken grumbling about disgusting humans again. I was wrong earlier, she thought to herself. Unless he finds a new topic, this is going to be so much more than unpleasant.
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Notes: The characters are in place. Now let's watch them dance. This is the first time I've written fiction, so I apologize for it being a bit rough.