by: Del_kaidin and Tiranth.
Chapter 9 - Dinner???
How long she sat watching the waning moon cross the night sky, she didn't know. She rose and returned to the camp. Entering as he finished speaking. She looked at him, and opened her mind letting the feelings coming from the youkai to fill her. "So you are the one who walks in sorrow. After meeting Taka I should have realized, that you were not my sire, and he did much more than abandon me." She let the truth of what he had done lay unspoken between them. "As with Taka I will try to remember that you are not one and the same as he." She looked at the now overcooked ducks. "Taka, you and I really have to learn to cook."
She let out a small squeak as she hurried to pull the ducks from the fire. She looked at the ducks, then at Leena and back to the ducks, then burst out laughing.
As Taka burst into laughter, he watched Leena. He wondered what circumstance had made him, well the Sesshomaru of her time, abandon his own child and even attack her. He leaned back against the tree, wishing Akari were here to share the night with him. "Have you any leads on what Naraku is up to in this time?"
"No. You are the only one of us to have actually met and fought him. I was born after, in my reality, the final battle and Kagome returned to her time sealing the well. I know he never attacked directly preferring to have another attack. There is still a strong fear of demons in this reality." It was hard for her to meet his golden eyes, they were too like her Uncle's filled with sadness. She felt Kiarara's calming presence rubbing against her leg and absently scratched the fire cat. Standing she smiled, "Before we spend the entire night talking about him, how about we find some food. I can dash into town and see about getting some soup."
He nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be an appropriate course of action, seeing as how your dinner," he eyed the charred duck, "has been destroyed." He closed his eyes, he needed to concentrate on what he remembered of Naraku. He found it hard, Akari kept returning to the fore of his thoughts. 'Please, love, let me think,' he thought to her and with a smile her face retreated into the darkness of his mind.
Taka attempted to contain her laughter, as Sesshomaru closed his eyes, apparently thinking, and was eventually successful. "Soup sounds great," she replied. "Shall I go with you?"
"Ummm... No. Remember 'my mistress' you left town earlier with your hanyou bodyguard." With a grin she allowed herself to fully assume the guise of the Maiden. Her hair changing from silver white to pure silver, her ears changing to a more human appearance and location. "However I think a certain Inn keeper requires a visit." Saying that she dashed off into the night.
The girl watched Leena disappear and tried to hide the wicked smile that crept onto her face. A certain inn keep was going to get a deserved thrashing. She reached for a few sticks to throw on the fire, pondering what to do with the ducks. She watched Sesshomaru from the corner of her eye. He had settled himself against a tree, his eyes closed. This Sesshomaru had not regained his arm as her had, nor was he wearing his fur. He seemed to realize her inspection and his eyes slid open. "Grandsi...I mean Sesshomaru-sama," she started catching her slip, "what has caused you pain?"
The Taiyoukai felt the young one's inquisitive gaze upon him. He opened his eyes and looked at her, telling her with his eyes to ask her unspoken question. She did and he heard her almost call him Grandsire. "If you wish you may call me Grandsire," he paused, did he really want to discuss his mate's death? The wound was still so fresh. He wasn't sure when the walls around his heart had crumbled but he wished they were still there. "My mate was taken from me." He recalled the spike in power he had felt from the hanyou just before she had left. "What did your companion do to make her power increase so? And why is it that I cannot smell you?"
She decided not to push Sesshomaru on the issue of his pain. She instead allowed the topic turn to Leena. "She's become Amatsuotome so that...well, to protect herself from you in her time. And as for me," she shrugged, "I'm not sure why my brothers and I were born scentless. It always gave my mother a fit trying to find Enshi and me when we wanted to stay hidden." Sesshomaru said nothing more, just accepted her explanations so she allowed herself to slip away into her own thoughts.
The maiden entered the town, her strides sure and purpose filled. She entered the inn her silver eyes casting around for the inn keep. She spoke her voice strong, soft and deadly, "Inn keep, step forth." She watched as the obese man took in who stood in his door way.
"Amatsuotome, you honor my humble..."
"Silence. A woman with red hair passed through this town, she had with her a hanyou bodyguard?" The man nodded. "You sent the hanyou into the stables?"
"Yes Maiden, it befitted one such as her..." He began to tremble as the maiden walked towards him.
"You dare send one of my servants into a stable?" She raised a silver eyebrow watching the man flinch. "Be it known that the red headed woman and all her companions are under my care. The bodyguard is my most loyal and faithful servant. Pass the word among your worthless kind that I and the Priestess Midoriko chose them for a mission. To deny them any comforts is to go against our wishes." Leena wondered briefly if maybe she'd gone to far, then thought not. "As due to your discourtesy they have by necessity camped in the forest, you will provide a meal for them." She crossed her arms and waited. Within minutes a basket was laid at her feet filled with food and wine. Lifting it she turned and walked out.
Not long afterwards she entered the camp and set the basket before her companions. "Anyone but me hungry? The inn keep was nice enough to provide his best as an apology." Brushing her silver hair back she met Sesshomaru's questioning golden eyes with her own silver ones, then shifted back to her normal appearance. "Questions?"
He could see his old self in this woman. He shook his head at her question. She was a remarkable woman, he was sorry that her version of himself had pushed her to reach for such power in order to protect herself. He was actually looking forward to fighting alongside her in battle. "You must have spent time with my brother, you have some of his qualities."
She almost giggled again at Sesshomaru's observations. Mostly because they were right on target. Instead she just reached for a loaf of bread, breaking it into three pieces. She offered one to each of her companions, wincing a little when her arm protested the action. "I think the kata is coming back to haunt me," she said, looking at Leena with twinkling eyes.
She looked first at Sesshomaru and responded. "Naturally. Uncle Inu raised me until I was fifty then we became friends. He even tried to get you... I mean my sire to accept me. The last time I saw my sire was my night of weakness, he broke my back." She turned to Taka, and spoke again "I told you that the kata was demanding. You think you're sore now wait till in the morning." She took the bread and began to eat. Opening one of the bottles of wine she looked at Sesshomaru again, "That missing arm... how much does it slow you in battle?"
Again Sesshomaru felt a stab of pain for this woman. He knew however that she would not want his pity. He met her gaze levelly, then looked at his missing arm. "I have never missed it, except when," he stopped his voice catching, "It doesn't affect me at all."
As she listened to Leena and Sesshomaru's conversation, she felt her eyes slipping shut. Her chin nodded down to her chest and immediately sprang back up again as she tried to stay awake. Finally she gave into her body and fell quietly asleep.