(A/N) Okay, like I said before, this may sound like something you've heard before, but that's just the beginning. See, the best way to get Kagome and Sesshoumaru together is either for revenge for Inuyasha or something to do with Rin, I chose Rin, 'cuz I felt like it… and it played nice with the plot… anyway, Shippo and Rin, DO become friends, but, not at first. Kagome doesn't want Shippo to be in the same room as Rin… due to the cold being contagious, so they don't see each other for a while, and when they do, Rin thinks Shippo's a girl... sry, but I'm not telling more, otherwise I'll ruin the plot. NOOOOO I already ruined it.. ah well.. in order to find out what really happens, you got to read it.
Disclaimer: Rumiko's so lucky, she owns Sesshoumaru
I'm telling you I don't so her lawyers don't sue.
Chapter 3: A Confusing Switch
~Sesshoumaru's Room~
"C'mon Sesshy-chan you can run faster than that!" A little girl inu-youkai yelled at the boy. Her eyes were literally the color of the sky, as they changed with every season. This time they were a deep blue, and her silver hair fluttered across them like smooth strands of silk. It glittered with the color of the sun, golden specks were seen everywhere.
"You're right," said the boy as he seemed to disappear and reappear before her, touching her mark of royalty, the crescent moon that was shaped in the opposite way of his. It was a light pink color and glowed as his claws traced it.
"Don't touch it!" the girl whined, but it was too late, as the moon started to glow and a small outburst of energy filled the air around it, but not harming the little boy who had already appeared on a nearby branch. "Baka!" the girl said with tears in her eyes. Then she ran into the arms of a beautiful demoness, who was talking to another equally beautiful female inu youkai. "Sesshy-chan, you're going to pay! That wasn't fair, now I won't be able to run faster than you today!"
"Sorry" said the boy; he obviously didn't like to be outrun by a little demon girl. It was highly shameful. Why did a girl have to be more graceful than he?
"Baka!"
Sesshoumaru practically yelped at the thought of his childhood memories. He didn't even know who the girl was, but she looked so familiar. He just couldn't put his claw on it (A/N I want claws! ::sniff:: too corny huh?). He thought that further sleep was unnecessary because a few hours was more than enough, and he would like to research in his library in case there was something in it about his 'dream girl'. Besides, the miko wench would have to be in his castle soon, and he wouldn't have as much privacy as he would have liked, so it was better for him to get a small head start.
He looked out the window, which was almost directly to the right of his bed (his left from the pov of 'in the bed'). He saw that the sun was about to rise and that it would be noon in about six hours, when the sun would be directly above him. Six hours, and he would pick up the miko wench.
~Village~
Kagome woke up to find an empty hut, AGAIN. Getting enough sleep in a warm comfy bed at Sesshoumaru's castle wasn't a bad idea. After all, she only had about three hours of sleep from what she could tell. From about 5:30 in the morning, when the sun was going up, to what looked like, 8:30 right now. She seemed satisfied with her educated guess.
Then she sighed, she had about three and a half hours to say goodbye to her friends and ask Inuyasha why he had helped throw that surprise party. 'I thought he said that birthdays were there just to remind you that you were getting old' Kagome sighed again, then yawned from lack of sleep. 'I will never understand that hanyou. He's just too confusing.' AND he set up an intricate maze to his heart, one in which she had gotten lost before and wasn't willing to find her way through it, she didn't know if it lead to safety or danger anymore.
"'Bout time you're up, wench" was the usual morning greeting from Inuyasha"
"Inuyasha-"
"My brothers going to be here really soon, he's not known for making late entrances, or even those on time. In fact, if I know him, he's probably going to be an hour early or something like that, and we just won't feel his presence-" his voice trailed off.
"Inuyasha, you're telling me you're okay with this?" said a shocked Kagome, and then she realized something-"WE! WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WE'!?!"
"You heard me right. I'm coming with you-"
"No you're not! Inuyasha" a growl escaped from within her. "SIT!"
(Inuyasha=(@.@))
Kagome walked out of the hut, leaving a very disturbed half demon on the floor with swirly eyes. 'How dare he! Come with me, no chance. None at all.' Suddenly, she realized that he KNEW he had no chance! This confused her more. 'Was he being protective of me? Nah, don't kid yourself Kagome. He was just being Inuyasha and couldn't help but not want Sesshoumaru possess something that was his. But I'm not his, and he knows that. And Sesshoumaru doesn't posses me either, he's just, borrowing me I guess. Inuyasha's a selfish brat, I can't wait to get a vacation from him!'
She was walking somewhere absentmindedly when she found out that she had reached the Bone Eaters Well. 'What did she mean I can't go back? Of course I can…'
"What was that for bitch?" said a very angry half demon. Inuyasha had stood up from the floor and had followed her to the well. "You could've told me NO!" the he whispered something that sounded like "I knew I didn't have a chance." An emotion of hopelessness flashed across his face. Kagome's heart melted at this. 'Did he actually care? Did he actually risk being 'sat' just to go with her?'
"I don't know what's wrong with you, but I need to pack my bags and take a bath. I'll talk to you later, Inuyasha." Then she walked off to the village as if nothing had happened.
'I have to tell her; this may be my last opportunity. I have to let her know. I-I-I Love You, Kagome. I honestly do'. Inuyasha jumped onto the tree, onto the very same place Kikyou had struck him with the arrow and left him for fifty years. The very same place, he first saw Kagome. He sighed.
~Sesshoumaru's Castle~ library
'Who was that mystery girl? This isn't like me, being obsessed with a childhood memory, but this girl, she is probably the key to my past, but is she worth so much trouble?'
About one-sixteenth of the IMMENSE library could be seen on the floor. Sesshoumaru had spent three hours looking through scrolls of writing and various books. He stopped looking at random scrolls when the annoying voice of Jaken interrupted him.
"Milord, it is time for you to go, if you would like to be a little early for that human." He was right, Sesshoumaru reasoned. It WAS time for him to go, and he, the Lord of the Western Lands could not afford to be late.
"Jaken, I will leave at once, take care that Rin is ready to receive the miko. If she isn't I will take your life to satisfy my anger." Said Sesshoumaru as he leapt from the window onto his little cloud and hurried with great speed. He would be there in two and a half hours (A/N, I do not know how long it would really take him, but with his really fast speed, he probably will make it), judging by the sun, he would be half an hour early. Perfect.
~Village~
Kagome had finished packing her bags. At first, she had nothing to do, seeing as her mother had packed everything for her. So, just to occupy herself before the bath the she was looking forward to taking… she threw all of the bag's items onto the floor and rearranged them to her liking.
Among her normal things- a change of clothes, medicine, ramen etc., she found a package with her name on it. 'Mom probably gave this to me, as another birthday present, I wonder what's inside.' She was about to tear open the package when she heard Sango calling her.
"C'mon Kagome, if you don't take you bath now, then you won't have time, Sesshoumaru will be here any minute."
"Fine, I'm coming" she said as she picked up her shampoo. She decided against opening the package, so she just threw it in the bag with all her other stuff. It wasn't everyday that she could soak in the nearby hot springs and it always felt good to be clean. Besides, Sango was right, according to the sun's position, it was almost twelve. "Sango, one more thing, if Sesshoumaru comes while I'm still in the hot springs, tell him to wait for me, I'll only be a few minutes."
"But- Kagome, he won't be happy, would he be?"
"No you're right, he won't, but just tell him that I don't want to be ummm, unclean I his presence, that should boost his already large ego up a bit."
"I'm not so sure about this Kagome…"
"Don't worry, he needs my help, he's not going to do anything stupid"
~In the Nearby Trees~
Sesshoumaru did come a little early, and he saw the miko. 'Seems like she's going to take a bath. That's good, she really stinks'
"I don't want to be ummm, unclean I his presence, that should boost his already large ego up a bit." That's what she thought of him? That he had a big ego? He was going to need to teach her some respect. After all, it was he; The Lord Of The Western Lands she said had a big ego, what a wench, talking about someone above her station.
Don't worry, he needs my help, he's not going to do anything stupid. That was true, he did need her help, but what wasn't true was that he wouldn't do anything stupid. She was going to his house, correct, so let's see if she would enjoy her stay. The Lord Took to his thoughts like a fish to sea, drowning in them. Then with sudden realization, noticed that the miko was no longer there. He followed her scent and it lead him to the nearby hot springs.
Sesshoumaru saw that the miko was getting undressed, so, he, wouldn't be caught peeking at a young girl like any pervert would. Not to mention that she was an ugly human. 'Ugly?' He quickly turned around, honorably, before anything was exposed. He heard a splash of water as the miko had entered and stirred the hot springs preceding stillness. A sigh was heard. Sesshoumaru looked to the sky and wondered how long it would take her to take her bath. The sun told him, it was almost twelve, perhaps 11:59 or around there.
Suddenly, without any precaution a huge blast of energy came from the hot springs. 'Such power, coming from… the miko? Absurd.' Sesshoumaru's stoic mask showed a moment of concern as he turned to face the miko. His eyes just allowed him to see his half brother's wench fall into the water, with her eyes turned to face the back of her head (a/n I can't describe it, but it's like when you don't see the pupil, just white).
'So it was coming from her' Sesshoumaru thought as he quickly, without a second thought, jumped into the hot springs to catch the miko before she drowned, but what he saw was not the miko at all.
It was a beautiful female inu-youkai he held in his arm. He blushed at the thought, a nude female inu-youkai who was apparently royalty (judging by a mark on her forehead) was in his arm (One arm T.T). Her hair covered her forehead and her tips were swaying with the motion of the water. It was silver, shimmering with gold. 'Where did she come from? It can't be the miko, can it?'
He was in a very uncomfortable position; it took everything from him to try to hold the beauty with his only arm and still balance himself with his legs. The inu-youkai in his arm stirred and curled into the most comfortable position, which was almost around him.
Her tail covered her body out of instinct and humility. This made it more uncomfortable for Sesshoumaru to stable himself. Her hair had moved from her forehead revealing a pink crescent moon, facing the opposite direction of his mark. 'Just like in the dream, can this really be the girl? In his dream?' He also noticed blue markings on her cheeks and also more slithering like snakes on her wrists. And then he noticed her scent. Faintly, very faintly, he smelled sakura blossoms. That proved it was the miko. But what of the dream girl?
The miko stirred in his arm again. "Mmmmm, Sesshy-chan" she said. That angered him, because of the formality. What was he to do? He could hardly move, and he didn't dare drop her, he still needed her for Rin. She moved again. He growled at her. Her arm reached his left shoulder. She was still asleep.
She whispered his name again, using formality as the first time, but this time her voice was whiney. "Sesshy-chan" she touched his left shoulder and the Lord was once again surprised by the power. But he quickly averted his attention to the glowing light that was coming from his shoulder. It looked like there was fairy dust sprinkling around it, in spirals. Sesshoumaru used his tail to move the sleeve of his kimono away.
Amazed, he watched as the purple glowing fairy dust spiraled around the arm, creating first bones and joints, then muscles, veins and other little details. Finally it glowed again with blue spirals as flesh began to form. It was the same color as his own skin was; it was his lost left arm. The magical dust, or whatever it was subsided as Sesshoumaru glanced at his arm for the first time in years. It was precise, down to his beautiful claws and perfectly shaped stripes.
He smirked at the arm, and then stabled himself better, transferring the miko to his tail. She didn't mind since she was still unconscious. Then he realized how foolish she behaved, healing his brother's enemy, nonetheless, he forgave her earlier remark and set aside all thoughts of making her stay uncomfortable. She had given him a gift, no matter what species she was, and he would return the favor. He made that really cool cloud thingy and stepped on it.
The miko settled in, absentmindedly into the softness of the tail and began to sleep. He noticed that he would have to get her little pup and supplies later. And so, Sesshoumaru, the Great Lord of the Western Lands, with a sleeping beauty in his tail, flew home, for the first time with two arms.
Hmm. Sweet isn't it?
~Spoken