As soon as Kagome lost his prescence, she felt a wave of sorrow rush over her.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" She screamed into the bluish void.
'I love you...' She thought silently, as she felt the shifting of time and she was transported back to her home.
*
He heard her voice whisper distantly in his mind, 'I love you...'
He was almost inclined to turn back for her...
"Kagome..." He said.
Touching down lightly on the ground, he moved with practiced grace towards the space where Jaken and Rin stood bickering.
"Come." He said firmly, with a harshness that had not tainted his tone for weeks, and they immediatly followed his fast gait, awkward silence hanging over them.
*
A swirl of speed had quickly taken them to the domain of the Eastern lord.
"Dyhatarr." Sesshomaru said as they neared the lords home, only slightly belittled to Sesshomaru's own abode.
*
"Sesshomaru, lord of the Western Lands. We made a pact so long ago, so I have come to only one conclusion as to why you would be here." The mysteriously dark lord said quietly.
"Hai, I suspect you have guessed right." Sesshomaru said icily, he did not dislike the lord of the East, but his mystery and odd calm was unnerving.
"Whom then, is it that you have chosen?" Dyhatarr said slowly.
Sesshomaru could have growled if he had less self-control.
Dyhatarr always spoke always as if he was above all others, more intellegent... Even towards the higher of power.
"She is not here." Dyhatarr spoke indifferently.
'You two are not so different...' a little voice said in his head. He recognized it automatically as Kagome's, her soothing voice guiding him out of this shrouded darkness of Dyhatrr.
"If I were to conjure her up?" Dyhatarr almost taunted him.
"Dyhatarr..." Sesshomaru warned.
"Sesshomaru." He returned.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes visibly.
"May I conjure her up?" His smirk was evident in his voice, even if...
He was so shadowed... It was almost a bodiless voice...
That would have been Kagome's opinion.
Before he heard her voice.
His eyes snapped open to the reality of the situation before him.
'Kagome.' He was almost convinced but then he noticed how she did not have a scent about her.
One of Dyhatarr's trick images.
Kagome laughed softly as she regarded him from her invisible perch.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" She cried happily.
He narrowed his eyes.
Dyhatarr was silent.
"You have chosen a human?" Dyhatarr asked.
"It is my descision to make, I do not ask for your consent, only your opinion." Sesshomaru said evenly.
Dyhatarr's expression ould not be seen in the seemingly darker room.
"Do you love her?" He hissed.
Sesshomaru growled a warning.
"Do you know the feeling of love Sesshomaru, Taiyoukai of the West?"
Sesshomaru's claws longed to be tearing through the shadowed figure in front of him...
"Does she love you?" He asked the final question.
"Dyhatarr, I can relieve you from your throne." Sesshomaru hissed quietly.
"You were so protective, my dear lord Sesshomaru... I would like to see the outcome of this. You take after your father... so visibly." His voice seemed to be swallowed by the darkness.
Kagome's image flickered and vanished.
"Will the world accept your descision? Or will it be your demise?" A low cackle was heard.
Sesshomaru growled and drew his sword.
Lunging into the darness he swung his sword with a practiced elegance, but he felt the sword pass onyl through air, the laughter echoing softly off the walls.
For an eternity he seemed to stand in his fighting position, waiting for the appearance, the comeback of his fellow lord.
Then he felt Kagome's prescence enter once again into his world.
Heard in the distance the faint chatter of birds.
Morning. The crack of dawn upon the Earth's face.
He felt the air slash the side of his face and the lingering prescence of the Dyhatarr vanish.
'Kagome.' it shot like lightening through his mind, almost as quickly as he started running.
Racing against time itself, the first occurance perhaps in history an immortal was fighting against time.
He found himself then in a protective position in front of Kagome, right before he saw Dyhatarr stop just short not ten feet in front of them.
Kagome gasped and jumped back for a moment, taking in the unnexpected situation.
It was the first time Sesshomaru had ever seen Dyhatarr, in the sunlight, filtered as it was through the canopy of trees.
His black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that swirled down to his lower back.
His cold, devoid black, navy-hued eyes were fixed unwavering on the frozen form of Kagome, his obsidian claws glinting in the sunlight.
His bared ivory bone teeth were deadly in themselves, and the markings that adorned his features were black and foreboding.
A black crescent scorched his brow, the twin points facing left, unlike Sesshomaru's, who's "pointed" left. The smooth, quick black lines slit across his high cheek bones, as well as his wrists.
His skin was deathly pale, almost white, unlike the fair skin of even Kagome, who's was only a pale creamy peach.
The black cloth that flowed over his skin was almost simple, but frighteningly elegant. A take off Sesshomaru's attire, but only silky black. His feet were bare, as he was known for his solitude and rarely traveled.
The picture of a silent, painful death.
Kagome stepped further behind Sesshomaru.
"I'm scared," She whispered almost below even Sesshomaru's hearing ability.
Sesshomaru unsheathed his sword and readied himself for Dyhatarr.
He could not remember when this ordeal had turned towards a physical fight, but Dyhatarr was acting differently from his cool, calm self, and he had a feeling it had to do with Kagome.
Dyhatarr was a feared mixed breed, and though the East lived in peace, all parts of it always felt that lowering chill whenever they thought of the one ruling over them.
Dyhatarr's father had been strangely opposite of Dyhatrr himself, he had had a fighting spirit and could not stay in one place for so long.
None of the lords but the West could stand up to the restless lord, so a rivalry had been formed between the two, silently.
It did not dominate their lives, but they would fight just to loose something from their systems.
Dyhatarr on the other hand felt he could solve any problem in the silent safety of his darkened "home".
"What do you want Dyhatarr?" Sesshomaru asked coldly, calmly.
"The girl." Dyhatarr whispered icily.
"Why." Sesshomaru forced out calmly before his storming rage.
"I can feel her power... yet she is human... she shall taint this world... she must... die."
But it was not hate in his eyes, Sesshomaru thought with disgust, 'lust'.
"Your self control is rapidly failing you Dyhatarr, but you will not lay hands on Kagome for a petty bed mate." Sesshomaru sneered. Almost.
Dyhatarr's eyes jumped then to hatred.
"If you take after your father, I can see why my father found a hobby on beating on him."
Sesshomaru growled and lunged.
He did not favor his father to a great extent, but it was an insult to the ones who had been ruling the West for generations, and Sesshomaru would not stand for it.
Dyhatarr vanished before Sesshomaru's eyes.
"Witchcraft is cowardly, Dyhatarr." Sesshomaru hissed.
"Is that so?" Asked a bodiless voice.
Sesshomaru growled.
"No matter, Sesshomaru, I will kill the girl, I will bring you to ruins. Wait for my, Lord Sesshomaru." And he competely dissapeared with a final echo of laughter.
Sesshomaru turned and saw a frozen Kagome, walking up to her, he gently embraced her.
"I apologize Kagome." He said softly.
She wrapped her arms around him firmly, burrying her head in his chest.
"I'm so glad you're ok..." She whispered hoarsely.
"Hai," He said quietly, "Hai."
It's a free ride,
When you've already payed,
It's the good advice
That you just didn't take
(Kag Pov)
If only we had known, right then, right there, after that hideously beautiful youkai had left, that neither of us were okay, and it would be such a long time- it would seem- before we were.
I'm not very good at telling things just the way they happened, but I will certainly try, because it would be too brief in the eyes of an onlooker.
After this fateful day, everything was a haze.
We proceeded to Sesshomaru's castle promptly, as we went Sesshomaru would not take his eyes off me, while I was busy worrying about Rin and Jaken.
It seemed as though Lord Dyhatarr's threat was an empty one, but everytime I looked outside at night, I felt chilled, as if someone was watching me, and suddenly the rice paper walls and doors did not seem safe enough for me.
I crept into Sesshomaru's bed chambers on that first night we were back, and slept not five feet from him, but even that was not a close enough proximity, so I found myself the next morning instead enveloped in a tight, safe embrace.
I am not sure if that was mine or his doing, because today (only one year later more or less), I know him well enough to know he does not sleep. Which leads me to wonder many times how he keeps his fair complexion- or if that comment about 'beauty sleep' was truly just a mother's way to coax her children into bed.
Anyways, after that day, more times than not was under Sesshomaru's closest protection, but nothing suspicious or straightforward at all happened in those tense weeks.
We had only first dared to lower the guns when something actually did happen.
Surprisingly, it wasn't in physical damage, it had nothing to do with me either, but afterwards we were able to see Dyhatarr's saluted figure, his evil grin, from a mile off. We knew his plan.
It was a rare day when I found myself alone, walking through a relatively crowded village. Sesshmaru did not come, because of the forboding scent we all carried. I will not quote his dismisal of the idea.
I wore his mother's kimono, which I have made a point never to grow out of, for it has equally become my most favored.
The spidery transparent obi with the defined edges and dignified waterfalls of fabric complimented and boasted me as I walked through the low-class village.
I gained a fair amount of stares, for on one hand, it had probably been since forever they had seen such a priceless piece of fabric adorning a woman in that village, but on the other hand, someone as fortunate to be able to wear such riches with no hesitance must be of high enough status, as to fit under such a stereotype, as to give off a message that says clearly "stare and the one providing me with this will kill you". Though I would say no such thing. Probably.
As you know, I was all the wiser even at the proclaimed 'beginning' of this saga, so I would know when to use such a phrase to my advantage, though it is not my first priority to threaten into obediance or respect.
But I stray so far from my story, that day as I walked through the village, I was the one who discovered the absolute end to the Eastern Youkai's madness.
His grand plan, was to hurt Sesshomaru ultimitly in his pride, honor, and ego.
Their softly spoken words as I passed still ring clearly in my mind.
"Lord Sesshomaru has apparently taken a human mate... Perhaps his emotions are weakening him, perhaps he is no longer strong enough to be our leader."
There could only be one source of this horrible gossip, one who could tell a lie in a way that would sound as a horrible truth.
My blood froze within me in the second I heard that, and I assume I stood staring, blankly, but when somebody did touch my arm to wake me, a startled hiss emitted from my throat as I turned and sped with all my agility back to Sesshomaru.
I was suddenly very scared.
My attitude was very changed, even at that time.
By standing beside Sesshomaru, I had learned to take my senses to the utmost height a human could achieve.
I learned to listen for what the mortal ear would not begin to notice otherwise, see to an extent no other would care to see. Move with speed and grace, I learned so much in the months before our love was shown.
My miko powers, which too were rapidly growing, boosted this, and perhaps that was what blessed me to hear what those woman were saying, because later I learned that those woman were standing not beside me, but yards from myself, whispering.
I do not know how I was able to hear such a distant whisper. The wind perhaps aided me.
As soon as I returned to Sesshomaru, I felt safer automatically, but my state of histerics did not calm him.
He listened with a cold silence I was un accostomed to, as I restated the words I had miraculously heard.
As you can imagine, this dilemma only spread.
More people became less hesitant to defy Sesshomaru's worthiness.
Dyhatarr was no where to be found.
The cold darkness was so foreboding, it elt as if he was breathing down my neck all the time.
I will never forget Dyhatarr's strange black eyes, the preserved gloss he possessed.
I was never more afraid, Naraku was greatly belittled to the evil I felt from this Dyhatarr.
I supported Sesshomaru, and watched out for him.
I was so worried, I could have died.
Rainstorms frightened me, I always sought his embrace.
I lived in the constant fear that Sesshomaru would be overthrown, loose his pride, his life because of me.
When I sobbed out this confession, he quieted me, dismissed my fears.
He never killed anyone who stood up to him though.
I'm not sure if they took this as a sign he truly was becoming weak, or if they might respect him more because he was so prone to show mercy.
I do not know which he wished for.
Maybe he recognized it was all Dyhatarr's doing.
They did not deserve to be punished.
But even I did not deny the uncharacteristic longing for Dyhatarr to disspear, at all costs.
A long time ago I felt this towards Kikyou, but it never heightened to the point I would have bathed my hands in her blood with pleasure.
Never.
Soon enough, this became a two way evil, how ironic that Dyhatarr and Naraku should meet, at this time of times, and agree. A common enemy they both had, and a common target they both took.