Chapter Six: Tasting Hell
Kagome's eyes shone with pure hate as she swung the blade down at the demon. It had something she wanted and it was standing in her way. She quickly jumped to the side as a large claw came down upon her. Having missed it's shot Kagome took this time to cut the hand off. A satisfied smirk she watched as the monster howled in pain, raising its wrist up and clutching it to its chest.
Sesshoumaru on the other hand never left his spot. The miko's movements reminded him so much of his idiot brother, but her expression were that of a cold-hearted person...Kikiyo. It was something he could not place. He faded back into the shadows of the forest as the monster delivered a blow that sent the small girl flying into a fallen tree. With a grunt she got back to her feet, the blade resting at her side. She was panting hard now and bleeding freely from several new wounds. She was losing.
The youkai lord wouldn't wait any longer; he had to put an end to this before it got was out of hand. He steps out of his hiding place, his fingers flexing for his attack but froze in shock again for the second time tonight. The demon roared, bringing its other claw down but the miko quickly rolled out of the way and leapt to her feet, the blade raised high. With an angry cry she swung it down on the beast's head, slicing it in half. Kagome jumped back as the thing fell in a mess of blood on the ground before walking up to it again. Her item awaited her and she quickly bent over and ripped the shard from the demon's head, muttering a string of curses. He watched in awe, her moments reminded him so much of that moronic hanyou brother of his.
The sound of a twig snapping is heard and Kagome turned around, with the same cold, emotionless stare on her face to greet her "hero." She took a few steps forwards, her eyes never leaving Sesshoumaru. "You...what do you want?" she hissed, her voice just as dangerous as her eyes.
The Demon lord arched an eyebrow at her; noticing for the first time small, yet sharp fangs as she spoke, her tone dripping with hatred. "I wanted to see if you were alright." Came the smooth reply. "The woods are dangerous for women such as yourself. I can't keep my end of the deal if you're dead." He put an emphasis on the last word.
Kagome balled her hands into fists, her eyes narrowing. She started advancing towards him again, one hand balled at her side and the other tightly grasping the hilt of the Tetsusaiga as the tip dragged along the now bloodstained ground. "You came to check on me?" she barked out a stiff laugh. "Are you sure you weren't after my shard...?"
Sesshoumaru studied her for a while. Her drastic change most likely had something to do with that blasted red moon. Some of it anyway. But then she never really did seem to be afraid of him and it was that quality in her that intrigued him the most about her. "I never knew it was out here." The demon admitted softly.
"Liar!" The girl roared. Her carol like eyes shone with hate. "You followed me out here for the damn jewel and you know it!" She flipped her sword gracefully in her hand and positioned it in front of her. "I will not be used as a toy!"
Nothing could have prepared the demon lord for what happened next. The girl attacked him full force, rushing forwards with a direct attack aiming for his chest. He quickly moved out of the way, dodging gracefully almost like an ongoing dance. She skidded to a stop, rushing back towards him and trying again. Flipping the blade again she went for the shoulder, then the youkai's waist, his leg next. She seemed intent on taking him down piece by piece. He didn't want to hurt her, but if that's what it came down to then he had no choice... *~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile two small children played, oblivious to the battle going on between their parent like figures. "Do you think he's dead?" the kitsune asked as he watched to still figure curiously.
"No, he's just sleeping, see?" a small girl replied. She poked the small toad repeatedly until he moved, mumbling a string of soft curses. It had been at least an hour since the demon lord waltzed into the children's room telling them he had something to attend to and to stay put. Then he turned to the small toad, his faithful servant and threatened him about the children's safety. Shippo was sure that some of the words used to terrify the toad would haunt his dreams with unpleasant visions of the demon lord. Inuyasha's threats seemed like child's play compared to his brother's.
"Isn't he supposed to be watching us...?"
"Yep!" the small girl answered with a nod, her hair following her movements as she did so. "Hey! I got a idea! Let's play with Jaken!" she squealed, a grin plastered on her face.
Shippo cocked his head to the side. Play...with that? "How...?" Rin gave him a sly grin before leaning close to the slumbering toad's form. She let out a loud shriek and watched as the small demon awoke with a start, a hand clasped over his heart.
"You miserable, disrespectful, runt of a human! How dare you!" he roared and rambled on and Rin giggled giving him a playful smile before grabbing Shippo and running from the room, dragging the small fox with her and calling out a "come catch me". Jaken snorted and laid back down, thoughts of revenge flowing through his mind until his peace was interrupted by the sound of something crashing. His heart fell into his stomach as he thought about all the possibilities. Master Sesshoumaru would have his head on a platter! "Rin you miserable wretched child you! Come back here!" he bellowed racing from the room. Maybe if he begged his Lord would let him keep his head.
He grabbed his staff ran out of the room and into the hallway searching for the children. That horrible child was trying to do him in...he could feel it. His eyes fell on a vase, a rather large one. It was white porcelain with paintings of golden dragons and red flowers on it. Unfortunately for him it lay in a pile at his feet and he would pay for it. As long as they stayed out of the kitchen he wouldn't have to worry about explaining to Lord Sesshoumaru why several of his servants had sharp objects impaled through their skin or why his home had been burned down.
What if the little monsters had made it to his master's wing of the house? He could already picture the library in a mess, as well as the bathroom and the bedroom.
Giggling was heard not to far ahead and Jaken gathered up his strength and followed the sound down the hallway. A large figure loomed overhead and he cowered as he realized who it was. "Master Sesshoumaru! Back so soon...? I was just uh...just um..." he fidgeted with his hands before throwing himself at the silent demon lord's feet, sobbing. "Forgive me master! Those wretched children have escaped me!" he cried. When no answer came he slowly looked up at his master to find a grin plastered on his face...? "Master are you feeling well?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, the grin instantly fading. How strange...Jaken's eyes followed to the demon lord's tail, it was different, and shorter than usual. "Master Sesshoumaru...since when has your tail been that short and puffy at the back?" A look of pure shock covered the demon's face and he turned his head to look, blinking as he confirmed this true. Jaken fumed, his staff swing fiercely. "Damn you imposter!" The little toad swung and hit the large demon in the leg, who in turn let out a small yelp and separated into two people.
"Run!" Rin squealed."
"Wait up!" Shippo called after her. Hey, if he can turn into Kagome, why not try the youkai lord himself?
Jaken leaned against his staff for support. He felt a large headache coming on.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Liar! You only want me here so because I can locate shards!" Kagome yelled, bringing the blade down in one powerful blow. The Tetsusaiga hissed as is met the ground creating a large crack in its course. Sesshoumaru jumped away, pushing a few strains of hair from his face. He hadn't the slightest clue of what the girl was talking about. She made it seem as if was being forced to stay where she was.
"If you feel that way then feel free to leave and terrorize someone else." The demon sneered. They had been fighting for a while now and she still hadn't managed to hit him, not that he as expecting her too.
That obviously wasn't the answer the girl was looking for because her cold exterior cracked a little and she lowered the Tetsusaiga, a bewildered look on her face. "Fight me and stop running away!" He wasn't even trying...the bastard was toying with her! Sesshoumaru took this time to grab her and push her up against a nearby tree, causing her to drop the sword. "Let me go..." she hissed as she realized what had transpired.
"No..." the demon replied. "Have you tried looking at yourself lately...?" he nodded his head at he and slowly released her. Kagome stared at him for a while then looked down at her torn and bloodied skirt. Sesshoumaru threw her half a smirk. "As you can see I've tasted enough of hell today, but surely you wouldn't notice, especially since you were the cause of it."
Kagome's eyes returned to their normal glossy color and her fangs disappeared. "Wha...what have I done?" she mumbled, turning her pleading gaze to Sesshoumaru. It wasn't like her to do things like that. She looked down at her bloodstained hands. They trembled slightly. "What...have I done?" she repeated again, softer this time, a wistful look on her face. Finally she sank to the ground, hugging herself as a soft sob escaped her throat. Maybe she was sick or something, it all started when she saw that damn moon! She had never really kicked anything...well at least not like that. Sesshoumaru never said anything but watched, after all it was better for her to release her feelings than to keep them in and Kagome was thankful for his silence. "What's happening to me...?" she looked up for the first time and stared at him. When no answer came she smiled sadly and lowered her head again. Everything just seemed to go wrong after she received that wound in her side. She could tell she was changing but she couldn't explain it and it scared her...badly.
Sesshoumaru watched her for a while. Sure the girl was bothersome at times and knew how to piss him off but there was something about her. That raven hair.those eyes, the way they lit up at the slightest thing. She was so easy to please. She could be a completely cheerful person at one moment and then fall to pieces at his feet the next. Then it hit him. She was just like his Rin in some ways.that would explain why he tolerated as long as he has. He knelt next to her and she looked up, her face streaked with tears. Almost immediately she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. The move had caught him off guard, but soon a small smile graced his lips and he relaxed, bringing a hand up to rub her head. He'd help her and make sure no one would hurt her...protect and take care of her...just like his Rin...
Topazia: I was going to post this Saturday but I won't be here and didn't want to post late! ^^
The Next Chapter: Remorse
Kagome is afraid of her transformations...what if she was to hurt Rin or Shippo? Can Fluffy make her feel better? And meanwhile Miroku has a heart to heart talk with Inuyasha...can the monk change the hanyou's opinion about Kagome and her disappearance? Or will he bust Inuyasha over the head with his staff like he's been itching to do?
Kagome's eyes shone with pure hate as she swung the blade down at the demon. It had something she wanted and it was standing in her way. She quickly jumped to the side as a large claw came down upon her. Having missed it's shot Kagome took this time to cut the hand off. A satisfied smirk she watched as the monster howled in pain, raising its wrist up and clutching it to its chest.
Sesshoumaru on the other hand never left his spot. The miko's movements reminded him so much of his idiot brother, but her expression were that of a cold-hearted person...Kikiyo. It was something he could not place. He faded back into the shadows of the forest as the monster delivered a blow that sent the small girl flying into a fallen tree. With a grunt she got back to her feet, the blade resting at her side. She was panting hard now and bleeding freely from several new wounds. She was losing.
The youkai lord wouldn't wait any longer; he had to put an end to this before it got was out of hand. He steps out of his hiding place, his fingers flexing for his attack but froze in shock again for the second time tonight. The demon roared, bringing its other claw down but the miko quickly rolled out of the way and leapt to her feet, the blade raised high. With an angry cry she swung it down on the beast's head, slicing it in half. Kagome jumped back as the thing fell in a mess of blood on the ground before walking up to it again. Her item awaited her and she quickly bent over and ripped the shard from the demon's head, muttering a string of curses. He watched in awe, her moments reminded him so much of that moronic hanyou brother of his.
The sound of a twig snapping is heard and Kagome turned around, with the same cold, emotionless stare on her face to greet her "hero." She took a few steps forwards, her eyes never leaving Sesshoumaru. "You...what do you want?" she hissed, her voice just as dangerous as her eyes.
The Demon lord arched an eyebrow at her; noticing for the first time small, yet sharp fangs as she spoke, her tone dripping with hatred. "I wanted to see if you were alright." Came the smooth reply. "The woods are dangerous for women such as yourself. I can't keep my end of the deal if you're dead." He put an emphasis on the last word.
Kagome balled her hands into fists, her eyes narrowing. She started advancing towards him again, one hand balled at her side and the other tightly grasping the hilt of the Tetsusaiga as the tip dragged along the now bloodstained ground. "You came to check on me?" she barked out a stiff laugh. "Are you sure you weren't after my shard...?"
Sesshoumaru studied her for a while. Her drastic change most likely had something to do with that blasted red moon. Some of it anyway. But then she never really did seem to be afraid of him and it was that quality in her that intrigued him the most about her. "I never knew it was out here." The demon admitted softly.
"Liar!" The girl roared. Her carol like eyes shone with hate. "You followed me out here for the damn jewel and you know it!" She flipped her sword gracefully in her hand and positioned it in front of her. "I will not be used as a toy!"
Nothing could have prepared the demon lord for what happened next. The girl attacked him full force, rushing forwards with a direct attack aiming for his chest. He quickly moved out of the way, dodging gracefully almost like an ongoing dance. She skidded to a stop, rushing back towards him and trying again. Flipping the blade again she went for the shoulder, then the youkai's waist, his leg next. She seemed intent on taking him down piece by piece. He didn't want to hurt her, but if that's what it came down to then he had no choice... *~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile two small children played, oblivious to the battle going on between their parent like figures. "Do you think he's dead?" the kitsune asked as he watched to still figure curiously.
"No, he's just sleeping, see?" a small girl replied. She poked the small toad repeatedly until he moved, mumbling a string of soft curses. It had been at least an hour since the demon lord waltzed into the children's room telling them he had something to attend to and to stay put. Then he turned to the small toad, his faithful servant and threatened him about the children's safety. Shippo was sure that some of the words used to terrify the toad would haunt his dreams with unpleasant visions of the demon lord. Inuyasha's threats seemed like child's play compared to his brother's.
"Isn't he supposed to be watching us...?"
"Yep!" the small girl answered with a nod, her hair following her movements as she did so. "Hey! I got a idea! Let's play with Jaken!" she squealed, a grin plastered on her face.
Shippo cocked his head to the side. Play...with that? "How...?" Rin gave him a sly grin before leaning close to the slumbering toad's form. She let out a loud shriek and watched as the small demon awoke with a start, a hand clasped over his heart.
"You miserable, disrespectful, runt of a human! How dare you!" he roared and rambled on and Rin giggled giving him a playful smile before grabbing Shippo and running from the room, dragging the small fox with her and calling out a "come catch me". Jaken snorted and laid back down, thoughts of revenge flowing through his mind until his peace was interrupted by the sound of something crashing. His heart fell into his stomach as he thought about all the possibilities. Master Sesshoumaru would have his head on a platter! "Rin you miserable wretched child you! Come back here!" he bellowed racing from the room. Maybe if he begged his Lord would let him keep his head.
He grabbed his staff ran out of the room and into the hallway searching for the children. That horrible child was trying to do him in...he could feel it. His eyes fell on a vase, a rather large one. It was white porcelain with paintings of golden dragons and red flowers on it. Unfortunately for him it lay in a pile at his feet and he would pay for it. As long as they stayed out of the kitchen he wouldn't have to worry about explaining to Lord Sesshoumaru why several of his servants had sharp objects impaled through their skin or why his home had been burned down.
What if the little monsters had made it to his master's wing of the house? He could already picture the library in a mess, as well as the bathroom and the bedroom.
Giggling was heard not to far ahead and Jaken gathered up his strength and followed the sound down the hallway. A large figure loomed overhead and he cowered as he realized who it was. "Master Sesshoumaru! Back so soon...? I was just uh...just um..." he fidgeted with his hands before throwing himself at the silent demon lord's feet, sobbing. "Forgive me master! Those wretched children have escaped me!" he cried. When no answer came he slowly looked up at his master to find a grin plastered on his face...? "Master are you feeling well?"
Sesshoumaru nodded, the grin instantly fading. How strange...Jaken's eyes followed to the demon lord's tail, it was different, and shorter than usual. "Master Sesshoumaru...since when has your tail been that short and puffy at the back?" A look of pure shock covered the demon's face and he turned his head to look, blinking as he confirmed this true. Jaken fumed, his staff swing fiercely. "Damn you imposter!" The little toad swung and hit the large demon in the leg, who in turn let out a small yelp and separated into two people.
"Run!" Rin squealed."
"Wait up!" Shippo called after her. Hey, if he can turn into Kagome, why not try the youkai lord himself?
Jaken leaned against his staff for support. He felt a large headache coming on.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Liar! You only want me here so because I can locate shards!" Kagome yelled, bringing the blade down in one powerful blow. The Tetsusaiga hissed as is met the ground creating a large crack in its course. Sesshoumaru jumped away, pushing a few strains of hair from his face. He hadn't the slightest clue of what the girl was talking about. She made it seem as if was being forced to stay where she was.
"If you feel that way then feel free to leave and terrorize someone else." The demon sneered. They had been fighting for a while now and she still hadn't managed to hit him, not that he as expecting her too.
That obviously wasn't the answer the girl was looking for because her cold exterior cracked a little and she lowered the Tetsusaiga, a bewildered look on her face. "Fight me and stop running away!" He wasn't even trying...the bastard was toying with her! Sesshoumaru took this time to grab her and push her up against a nearby tree, causing her to drop the sword. "Let me go..." she hissed as she realized what had transpired.
"No..." the demon replied. "Have you tried looking at yourself lately...?" he nodded his head at he and slowly released her. Kagome stared at him for a while then looked down at her torn and bloodied skirt. Sesshoumaru threw her half a smirk. "As you can see I've tasted enough of hell today, but surely you wouldn't notice, especially since you were the cause of it."
Kagome's eyes returned to their normal glossy color and her fangs disappeared. "Wha...what have I done?" she mumbled, turning her pleading gaze to Sesshoumaru. It wasn't like her to do things like that. She looked down at her bloodstained hands. They trembled slightly. "What...have I done?" she repeated again, softer this time, a wistful look on her face. Finally she sank to the ground, hugging herself as a soft sob escaped her throat. Maybe she was sick or something, it all started when she saw that damn moon! She had never really kicked anything...well at least not like that. Sesshoumaru never said anything but watched, after all it was better for her to release her feelings than to keep them in and Kagome was thankful for his silence. "What's happening to me...?" she looked up for the first time and stared at him. When no answer came she smiled sadly and lowered her head again. Everything just seemed to go wrong after she received that wound in her side. She could tell she was changing but she couldn't explain it and it scared her...badly.
Sesshoumaru watched her for a while. Sure the girl was bothersome at times and knew how to piss him off but there was something about her. That raven hair.those eyes, the way they lit up at the slightest thing. She was so easy to please. She could be a completely cheerful person at one moment and then fall to pieces at his feet the next. Then it hit him. She was just like his Rin in some ways.that would explain why he tolerated as long as he has. He knelt next to her and she looked up, her face streaked with tears. Almost immediately she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. The move had caught him off guard, but soon a small smile graced his lips and he relaxed, bringing a hand up to rub her head. He'd help her and make sure no one would hurt her...protect and take care of her...just like his Rin...
Topazia: I was going to post this Saturday but I won't be here and didn't want to post late! ^^
The Next Chapter: Remorse
Kagome is afraid of her transformations...what if she was to hurt Rin or Shippo? Can Fluffy make her feel better? And meanwhile Miroku has a heart to heart talk with Inuyasha...can the monk change the hanyou's opinion about Kagome and her disappearance? Or will he bust Inuyasha over the head with his staff like he's been itching to do?