AN: Apologies to everyone who waited so long for an update to this fic.
After my computer crashed and I lost the first version I had of this
chapter, I was disheartened about having to write the whole thing over
again from scratch. But all the wonderful reviews and emails everyone sent
my way were really encouraging (over 80 reviews on the last chapter alone –
WOW! – almost died from the shock ) so I did my best to get this
rewritten for the start of the year. And it's my longest chapter for this
fic yet!
Also, many thanks to my beta Alexis (Claudia – where are you? sniffles) who looked this over and kept prodding me about the wait. Part of the reason that got me going, she is.
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CHAPTER 5: Laying Down Rules
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She was smiling in his direction with an open and welcoming manner, unseeing eyes sparkling and reflecting the dancing flames of the fire as she appeared for all the world as if she was happy that he had finally returned and was there with her once more. She was an unexpected sight meant to be warm and comforting, perhaps even inviting.
Sesshoumaru found it highly disturbing.
He stood in frozen stillness as he regarded her warily with no small degree of suspicion floating across his thoughts. No one aside from Jaken had ever expressed such joy upon having him return and he could not quite place her on the same level as his erstwhile and groveling toady vassal from whom such behavior was somewhat to be expected. However, this human had no such ties to him and showed no awareness to date that revealed she had any true knowledge of who he really was.
But that was not the only thing that was bothering him. He had entered silently as was his nature and there was no way her feeble human hearing could have picked up any sounds of his stealthy return, so the happy light that seemed to illuminate her sweetly glowing features could not have anything to do with him for she could not possibly realize that he was before her now.
So then why was she smiling?
"Welcome back."
Well, apparently, she did know of his entrance after all. But the question was - how? A normal human shouldn't have been able to detect his presence, but the fact that she had left him with the question of just exactly what was she that allowed her to possess such ability?
"Well, are you going to say anything or just stand there like a frozen statue?"
A hint of irritation crept through him at her tone, causing the banked flames of fury that had been mysteriously doused previously with the unexpectedness of coming across her smile to flicker to life once more. As for her, her smile had faded away to be replaced with a slight scowl that clearly indicated the beginnings of an irritation of her own. The sight had his annoyance level surging even higher, especially with the demand inherent in the rush of her next words.
"Come on! Stop being so broody and quiet. At least tell me how thing went. Did you see Inuyasha? How was he? He didn't give you too many problems, did he? I hope he didn't attack you right off the bat. Did you give him my message? You did give him all of it, didn't you? And what was his response? Did he say he'd go and tell my family that I'm okay? And did he say anything that he wanted me to know? And what about your promise? You did keep your promise not to hurt him, didn't you? If you didn't, then I'll never forgive you. Well? Why so quiet? Why don't you answer?"
"Perhaps I would if I were given the chance to respond."
"Hey! There's no need to take that tone with me. I think my questions are pretty reasonable. Especially since you're not exactly forthcoming with the answers on your own."
"Humans and your questions." Disgust laced his tone. "Between you and that old woman with that worthless hanyou, peace and quiet is impossible to obtain."
"Old woman? With Inuyasha?" Her eyes widened. "Kaede-baba? She was there? An old miko with an eye patch?"
"Yes."
"You didn't do anything to her, did you?"
"No."
His tone was frosty enough to make her wince. "Sorry. Just checking." She blinked. "Hey, you just said she was with Inuyasha. That means you did find him, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Did he seem alright to you?"
"Yes."
"And you gave him my message?"
"Yes."
"All of it?"
"Yes."
"You didn't hurt him, did you?"
"No."
"Do you think you can give more than one word answers?" she asked with exasperation. "It would be nice if you explained what happened without me having to constantly shoot questions at you to find out what I want to know."
"Why should I?"
"At least that was more than one word," she muttered under her breath. "Listen," she said in as reasonable tone as she could manage, "can't we work out some sort of trade?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you'd stop being so non-talkative and answer my questions so that I don't feel quite so much like I'm pulling teeth, then I might be more willing to return the favor. You do have questions you want to ask me to find out whatever it is you want to know from me, right? Well, then. Don't you think I'd be more cooperative if you weren't so close-mouthed?"
He carefully weighed her words in his mind. It was true. He did have many questions he wished to ask of her, even more had risen after his encounter with Inuyasha, and it would be pleasant to extract the answers from her with as little fuss as possible as the depths of her stubbornness that streaked her personality were coming into light. If she got it into her head to be difficult about providing him the answers he sought, he had no doubt that he'd be able to get them with a little time and torture, no matter how stubborn she was. The only problem with that method was that it would likely leave her incapacitated and useless to him if he needed her healthy and whole, especially since she did not possess the healing ability of youkai to overcome excessive damage. It was irritating but, clearly, it would be best to humor her a little in the interest of saving time.
And time was something that he did not have much of to waste.
"Ask your questions."
She smiled, taking his brusque words as assent. "Okay, first off – what day is it? I'm a little disoriented about the time. All the stuff that's happened recently has thrown me off. Is it day, night, what?"
"Night." He hesitated a moment then offered more. "The same night of your attack."
"I see." She was mildly surprised. "I wasn't sure how long I'd been unconscious."
"Not long."
"Apparently." She tilted her head inquiringly. "So. How was your meeting with Inuyasha? Did he believe you when you told him about me?"
"I believe so."
"How did he take the news?"
"Not well."
She grimaced. "Figures. Bet he's mad at me because I won't be around to help him detect shards for a month."
That was an excellent opening to a question that had been bothering him. "He wondered why you had not handed me the fragments of the Shikon no Tama to give to him as a gesture of trust and assurance." He hid his interest from his voice. "It was an excellent question. Why not let the hanyou have the fragments instead of giving him a piece of cloth?"
"You have to ask?"
He didn't say anything; he merely continued to look at her.
"Gee, I thought it was perfectly obvious. Why, it's to protect him, of course."
Whatever he'd expected her reply to be, that wasn't it. "You, a human, seek to protect a hanyou?"
"What's wrong with that? He's a friend. Well, sort of."
He puzzled over it and was left with even more questions. "And how could you possibly hope to achieve his protection by retaining possession of the fragments? Unless, of course, you plan to use them yourself?"
She snorted. "Don't be silly."
Him? Silly?
"I wouldn't do something like that. I know I'm not the smartest person in the world but I'm not that dumb either. I've never seen any of the pieces of the Shikon no Tama bring anything good to its users. They always seem to meet a bad end and I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to wind up like any of them."
"Then why keep the fragments if you do not mean to use them? Simply being in possession of the fragments will attract trouble that you cannot possibly hope to win against, especially in your current state."
"I know that. Why do you think I asked you earlier if you were strong?"
"You expect me to protect you from those seeking the fragments?"
"Well, you did promise, didn't you?" She bit her lip, suddenly looking uncertain. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned it sooner? If it's too much trouble for you to handle, feel free to wash your hands of me and take me back to Inuyasha."
"I can handle anything," he said shortly. He bristled at the implication that he, a full-blooded youkai, had not the power to handle the trouble and needed to pass it off to a lowly hanyou instead. "Do not forget your promise to be under my protection until one moon's cycle, human. I will not tolerate the breaking of a vow made to me."
"And I," she growled through angrily gritted teeth, "won't tolerate being called 'human' constantly for an entire month, especially in that icy holier-than-thou tone. My name is Kagome. Ka. Go. Me. Got that?"
"Do not overstep your station by seeking to order me. I shall call you whatever I please."
"Not if you expect me to respond."
"You shall - or you will suffer the consequences. And you will not like them."
"Oh, please." She snorted in disgust. "I absolutely cannot believe this! You - you're just like Inuyasha – he keeps calling me just about anything but my name too."
How DARE she put him on the same level as that hanyou?! His muscles trembled with the effort to control his sudden killing rage that seemed to burst through him from out of nowhere, the restraint on his tightly held temper slipping more and more away from him with every word she uttered.
"You know, at this point, I don't really don't see how trading one so- called 'protector' for another is making much of a difference, especially when it sounds like I'll need protecting from my protector! It's like switching to another Inuyasha with an egotistic aristocratic complex. I'm really starting to think that I would just be better off with the original Inuyasha anyway. At least he can be bribed into a better temper with food."
One twist, just one twist was all it would take.
The thought rang in his mind with disturbing force as he stared with a concentrated fixation at that fragile ivory length of her neck that seemed to beckon his claw to wrap around it and give it one little snap. The longer he stared, the more it seemed to loom in his vision, blocking out all else while the blood pulsed in his head, pounding with demand that he satisfy the insult done him with the death of the one who had caused it.
But no matter how satisfying, that action might not be worth the consequences.
The rage abated and he suddenly became aware of a layer of calm folding around him, soothing him. It would not have been such a disturbing realization but for the fact that it had not occurred due to his own will.
He looked to Kagome and noticed how her face shown with a light sheen of sweat while her chest heaved was in ragged pants, as if struggling to breath after a long hard run, while her fingers worked restlessly, stroking the pale fur still wound around her in continuous gestures that had soothing coolness washing over him in gentle pleasant waves. It was impossible, something that no one else, human or youkai, should be able to do for him.
She was calming his inner beast.
"Stop that!"
She flinched at his snarl. "Stop what?" Her expression was baffled. "What did I do?"
Excellent question. Even he was not quite sure of the answer. Still, he was required to do his best to shape things according to his plans, no matter how much the human kept throwing him off. And so he deliberately calmed himself, drawing in the oppressing aura which he had inadvertently released with his rage and slipping control and which she had, mysteriously, seemed to somehow have been able to detect with negative effects to herself. As his unusually turbulent emotions settled once more, he inwardly made note of how her breathing eased and her fingers ceased their restless fidgeting, lying still in her lap.
He ignored the faint tug of disappointment he may have felt upon that last bit of observation. He had more important things to concentrate on – namely, laying down some ground rules.
"What did I do?" Kagome repeated again, puzzled. "Is it because I mentioned Inuyasha?"
His temper spiked at the name. Curse it all!
"It is, isn't it?" asked Kagome. "I can't think of anything else I did to make you go all...all dark youkai power release-y."
"First of all," Sesshoumaru held on tightly to his self-control, "attempt to restrain yourself to proper use of Japanese grammar. You're speech is strange, even for a commoner."
Her lips twitched in a small smile. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Makes it difficult to communicate sometimes."
"You will also," he continued on as if she had never spoken, "refrain from comparing me to a lowly hanyou vermin."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Furthermore, there is an issue I have with the stroking."
Her expression went utterly blank. "Stroking?"
"Yes."
"Whoa, wait a minute!" She looked at him suspiciously. "This isn't some sort of weird youkai sex thing, is it? If it is, you're going to have to count me out. Because I have to tell you, I don't know exactly what it is you think about me but I'm definitely not the kind of girl who -"
"That is not what I meant."
"It isn't? Really?"
"Yes," he nearly growled.
"Oh, good," she said, relieved. Then she frowned. "So then, what did you mean? What stroking? I have to stroke something? It's not a body part is it?" She grimaced. "Or anything slimy and disgusting? Or -"
"NO!" Sesshoumaru did something he rarely ever did – he gave an exasperated sigh. "Can you not cease your incessant prattling for one moment?"
"Of course I can," she responded in a miffed tone. "All you had to do was ask."
Repressing the strong urge to snarl, he bit out his words in precise syllables that even her feeble human mind couldn't possibly have trouble interpreting. "There is an item of mine currently in your possession and I demand that you desist with your stroking of it."
"What? This?" She smoothed a hand over the soft fur.
He shivered. "Stop that!"
She did.
"From this moment on, you will cease with your inappropriate fondling."
"You make it sound so dirty," she said, disgust plain on her features. "And I still have no idea what the heck you're talking about. It's completely innocent."
"Perhaps. Nevertheless, you should not be handling the possessions of others with such blatant familiarity."
"Then you shouldn't have left something so precious with me – wrapped around me, no less! How 'familiar' do you think that is?"
"I left it as a form of protection!"
She blinked. "Protection? This? Really?"
"Yes," he replied carefully. He'd said too much already.
"But it's just a fur pelt!"
"It is NOT 'just a fur pelt'!" he snapped back, instantly offended. "Do not speak such blasphemy."
"What blasphemy?" She shook her head. "I don't get it. If this isn't 'just a fur pelt,' then what is it?"
He fell silent.
"Oh, no. Not this again. Look, you've got your secrets – everyone does. And I'm not asking you to tell me all of yours, no matter how curious I am. But when it concerns something so obviously important to you, don't you think I'd have a better idea of how to treat it if you'd explain to me just a little about what it is?"
Her words were earnest, as was her expression. He stared at her, mulling over her words in his mind as he decided just how much he should tell her. It was a difficult decision; he did not speak of it to anyone.
"It is...a special item," he finally said.
"Well, I already know that. But why is it so special? You said it would protect me, but how?"
"It can cloak your presence from others...beyond a certain distance."
"It can? How? Does it have some sort of spell on it?"
"Not a spell." He searched for the right word. "An enchantment perhaps."
"What's the difference?"
"Do you not know?"
"Hey! I'm not that magically knowledgeable, remember? Or at least, not until recently anyway. And a little more effort at explaining would be very much appreciated, not to mention it might save you trouble in the future by improving my lack of knowledge now."
Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that she did have a point. "Very well. Pay attention then for I will not repeat myself."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say something like that."
His eyes narrowed. "Then take heed. Enchantment is a type of mystical force that is already inherent in an object from its creation. A spell is a type that is placed by some other presence."
"So whatever magical energy there is in this pelt has always been in it?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Impressive. To have so much power left in it, this must have come from a pretty powerful animal."
Animal?
"One could say that," he responded tightly.
"Boy, I'd definitely hate to get on the wrong side of his temper if the pelt is any indication of the owner's power."
"A very wise decision." Satisfaction curled through him. The human was proving rather intelligent to deduce his power, even if she didn't realize it was him she was talking about.
"And you must be pretty strong then, if you got this away from whatever it came from."
He made a noncommittal sound.
"So." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "This enchantment – how does it work exactly? How can it hide my presence?"
"It masks the bearer's essence, his scent, his power, for a distance from others. However, the closer someone approaches it, the less effect it has."
"It masks power, you say? Even the Shikon no Tama?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's definitely helpful. No wonder you wrapped me in it. It was to prevent others who are trying to find it from picking up traces of its power." She shook her head. "But you said it doesn't work on someone who's nearby? Isn't that when you'd most need to hide from an enemy? What do you do when you're discovered?"
"Eliminate the enemy."
"Oh, right. Forgot for a sec that I was talking to a battle-loving youkai."
"Do not insult me when I am lowering myself to explanations for your feeble mind."
"Didn't really think I was being insulting – just truthful."
"And you believe that all youkai are hungry for battle?"
"Well, I haven't seen much so far to change my mind. All the youkai I've seen to date seem to dive right into the fighting and bloodletting." An uncertain look flitted across her features. "Am I wrong?"
"Did you never think that the youkai fight for survival? No doubt, it is a harsher living than humans are accustomed to, I am sure. Amongst our kind, from the highest to the lowest levels, there is a constant struggle for power that is always in motion, never ending. The more power one possesses, the safer one becomes from the threat of others who would turn away in fear rather than risk their lives against a more deadly opponent. The rule to survival in this world is to avoid confrontations when possible but, when it is not, to stand and fight until the end when confronted or be thought weak and spineless by potential enemies that would welcome the chance to descend and eliminate any threat to their own status and for their advancement upon the chain of power."
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"It is simply the way things are."
"What? Oh, no – not that. I was actually commenting on your little speech – that's the longest thing you've ever said to me without my having to badger words out of you!"
He stared. That's what had her so excited?
"I mean, the other stuff is important too, but that's a pattern seen throughout history. The one who has power rules, survives, etcetera, etcetera. Except it's a double-edged sword as well, isn't it? You said yourself that enemies want to advance their power, so what better way than taking someone else's power? So I kind of seeing it as all balancing out in the end – get more power, get more enemies. All that effort and fighting, and everything still comes out even. Makes you wonder if it's worth it, doesn't it?"
Of course, he had already thought of that particular side of the metaphoric coin. But he was impressed that she had come up with it on her own. And being one resistant to bestowing praise on another, he kept his silence.
"Oh!"
Her gasp had him focusing his full attention upon her once more. Her eyes were wide, the features of her face drawn into an expression that he could only interpret as...worried?
"I'm sorry." Her tone was distressed. "I didn't realize."
Realize what?
"I didn't mean to put you in danger."
He blinked. He had no idea what path her mind had jumped onto now. Following her thoughts was like trying to capture air. Only worse.
"I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out."
He wished she would share her conclusions.
"Here." She disentangled herself from the fur and held it out to him. "Take it back. You obviously need it or you wouldn't have it in the first place."
Ah. So that's what she meant. Amused as he had not been for a long, long time, he gave her a considering glance. To think that she thought to protect him – it was such an unlikely occurrence that it could not help but strike an odd chord within him.
Then his golden eyes clouded with odd sort of consternation upon observing the unusual way his possession seemed to be moving, swaying almost with a will of its own towards the human. Even the numerous hairs upon it seemed to bend in her direction, as if entreating her to return it to its previous position – all of which escaped her unseeing eyes. Unfortunately, his eyes had not the same problem.
And he did not like the implications.
"Why aren't you taking it back?" She looked impatient. "My arm's starting to get tired."
He snapped out of his musings. "Keep it. It is necessary if you wish to mask the presence of the fragments, and decrease the likelihood of engaging in battle with those who seek it."
"That definitely would be nice. But what about you?"
"You need not concern yourself with my welfare."
"But you must have been using this to shield your presence from enemies – don't you need this too?"
"I shall be making use of it as well."
"Eh? How?"
"Did you fail to take note of its length while it has been in your company?"
"Ah." Understanding dawned. "We can both use it at the same time!" She frowned. "But won't that mean that we'd have to keep in close contact?"
"You were expecting some other method? In your sightless condition?"
She sighed. "I suppose I can tolerate it if it's the safest way to travel."
"It is the wisest course."
"Hmm." She pursed her lips. "But what's up with the stroking or, as you put it, the 'inappropriate fondling'?"
How could he have forgotten? "It is what you will cease performing upon it from this point forth."
"But why? Is there a reason for it?"
Yes. But not one he was willing to divulge to her.
"Does it," she bit her lip, "cause a problem with its protection ability?"
Ever the strategist, he seized the opportunity she unwittingly offered to him. Besides, his careful choice of words told no lie, not to his mind.
"It does create a disruption, yes. It disturbs the energy flow."
"I see. Well, I don't want to do that." She gave a regretful sigh. "Guess I'll have to control myself. Won't be easy though. It's so soft and...fluffy. Makes me want to pet it."
Slightly alarmed at the odd look in her eyes as she gazed in the direction of the object she held, as if she were about to reach out and follow through with her spoken urge, he was quick to put forth a forceful, "Control yourself!"
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, there's no need to yell. I said I'd control myself and I will – no more petting, okay?"
If he once again felt a stab of disappointment, he ignored it as he told himself that he was satisfied; he had accomplished one of his goals and had gotten her acceptance. Which was only to be expected considering his status and supremeness, no matter what difficulties she had presented. With that settled, everything else should fall in according to his plans and he could continue moving forward towards what needed to be done.
"You know," she said thoughtfully, breaking into his thoughts, "I don't know if you heard me before you left earlier. But since we're going to be stuck with each other for quite a while, I think I should at least know the name of the person I'm traveling with."
He stiffened as she turned an expectant gaze upon him.
"So? What is it?"
Also, many thanks to my beta Alexis (Claudia – where are you? sniffles) who looked this over and kept prodding me about the wait. Part of the reason that got me going, she is.
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CHAPTER 5: Laying Down Rules
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She was smiling in his direction with an open and welcoming manner, unseeing eyes sparkling and reflecting the dancing flames of the fire as she appeared for all the world as if she was happy that he had finally returned and was there with her once more. She was an unexpected sight meant to be warm and comforting, perhaps even inviting.
Sesshoumaru found it highly disturbing.
He stood in frozen stillness as he regarded her warily with no small degree of suspicion floating across his thoughts. No one aside from Jaken had ever expressed such joy upon having him return and he could not quite place her on the same level as his erstwhile and groveling toady vassal from whom such behavior was somewhat to be expected. However, this human had no such ties to him and showed no awareness to date that revealed she had any true knowledge of who he really was.
But that was not the only thing that was bothering him. He had entered silently as was his nature and there was no way her feeble human hearing could have picked up any sounds of his stealthy return, so the happy light that seemed to illuminate her sweetly glowing features could not have anything to do with him for she could not possibly realize that he was before her now.
So then why was she smiling?
"Welcome back."
Well, apparently, she did know of his entrance after all. But the question was - how? A normal human shouldn't have been able to detect his presence, but the fact that she had left him with the question of just exactly what was she that allowed her to possess such ability?
"Well, are you going to say anything or just stand there like a frozen statue?"
A hint of irritation crept through him at her tone, causing the banked flames of fury that had been mysteriously doused previously with the unexpectedness of coming across her smile to flicker to life once more. As for her, her smile had faded away to be replaced with a slight scowl that clearly indicated the beginnings of an irritation of her own. The sight had his annoyance level surging even higher, especially with the demand inherent in the rush of her next words.
"Come on! Stop being so broody and quiet. At least tell me how thing went. Did you see Inuyasha? How was he? He didn't give you too many problems, did he? I hope he didn't attack you right off the bat. Did you give him my message? You did give him all of it, didn't you? And what was his response? Did he say he'd go and tell my family that I'm okay? And did he say anything that he wanted me to know? And what about your promise? You did keep your promise not to hurt him, didn't you? If you didn't, then I'll never forgive you. Well? Why so quiet? Why don't you answer?"
"Perhaps I would if I were given the chance to respond."
"Hey! There's no need to take that tone with me. I think my questions are pretty reasonable. Especially since you're not exactly forthcoming with the answers on your own."
"Humans and your questions." Disgust laced his tone. "Between you and that old woman with that worthless hanyou, peace and quiet is impossible to obtain."
"Old woman? With Inuyasha?" Her eyes widened. "Kaede-baba? She was there? An old miko with an eye patch?"
"Yes."
"You didn't do anything to her, did you?"
"No."
His tone was frosty enough to make her wince. "Sorry. Just checking." She blinked. "Hey, you just said she was with Inuyasha. That means you did find him, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Did he seem alright to you?"
"Yes."
"And you gave him my message?"
"Yes."
"All of it?"
"Yes."
"You didn't hurt him, did you?"
"No."
"Do you think you can give more than one word answers?" she asked with exasperation. "It would be nice if you explained what happened without me having to constantly shoot questions at you to find out what I want to know."
"Why should I?"
"At least that was more than one word," she muttered under her breath. "Listen," she said in as reasonable tone as she could manage, "can't we work out some sort of trade?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you'd stop being so non-talkative and answer my questions so that I don't feel quite so much like I'm pulling teeth, then I might be more willing to return the favor. You do have questions you want to ask me to find out whatever it is you want to know from me, right? Well, then. Don't you think I'd be more cooperative if you weren't so close-mouthed?"
He carefully weighed her words in his mind. It was true. He did have many questions he wished to ask of her, even more had risen after his encounter with Inuyasha, and it would be pleasant to extract the answers from her with as little fuss as possible as the depths of her stubbornness that streaked her personality were coming into light. If she got it into her head to be difficult about providing him the answers he sought, he had no doubt that he'd be able to get them with a little time and torture, no matter how stubborn she was. The only problem with that method was that it would likely leave her incapacitated and useless to him if he needed her healthy and whole, especially since she did not possess the healing ability of youkai to overcome excessive damage. It was irritating but, clearly, it would be best to humor her a little in the interest of saving time.
And time was something that he did not have much of to waste.
"Ask your questions."
She smiled, taking his brusque words as assent. "Okay, first off – what day is it? I'm a little disoriented about the time. All the stuff that's happened recently has thrown me off. Is it day, night, what?"
"Night." He hesitated a moment then offered more. "The same night of your attack."
"I see." She was mildly surprised. "I wasn't sure how long I'd been unconscious."
"Not long."
"Apparently." She tilted her head inquiringly. "So. How was your meeting with Inuyasha? Did he believe you when you told him about me?"
"I believe so."
"How did he take the news?"
"Not well."
She grimaced. "Figures. Bet he's mad at me because I won't be around to help him detect shards for a month."
That was an excellent opening to a question that had been bothering him. "He wondered why you had not handed me the fragments of the Shikon no Tama to give to him as a gesture of trust and assurance." He hid his interest from his voice. "It was an excellent question. Why not let the hanyou have the fragments instead of giving him a piece of cloth?"
"You have to ask?"
He didn't say anything; he merely continued to look at her.
"Gee, I thought it was perfectly obvious. Why, it's to protect him, of course."
Whatever he'd expected her reply to be, that wasn't it. "You, a human, seek to protect a hanyou?"
"What's wrong with that? He's a friend. Well, sort of."
He puzzled over it and was left with even more questions. "And how could you possibly hope to achieve his protection by retaining possession of the fragments? Unless, of course, you plan to use them yourself?"
She snorted. "Don't be silly."
Him? Silly?
"I wouldn't do something like that. I know I'm not the smartest person in the world but I'm not that dumb either. I've never seen any of the pieces of the Shikon no Tama bring anything good to its users. They always seem to meet a bad end and I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to wind up like any of them."
"Then why keep the fragments if you do not mean to use them? Simply being in possession of the fragments will attract trouble that you cannot possibly hope to win against, especially in your current state."
"I know that. Why do you think I asked you earlier if you were strong?"
"You expect me to protect you from those seeking the fragments?"
"Well, you did promise, didn't you?" She bit her lip, suddenly looking uncertain. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned it sooner? If it's too much trouble for you to handle, feel free to wash your hands of me and take me back to Inuyasha."
"I can handle anything," he said shortly. He bristled at the implication that he, a full-blooded youkai, had not the power to handle the trouble and needed to pass it off to a lowly hanyou instead. "Do not forget your promise to be under my protection until one moon's cycle, human. I will not tolerate the breaking of a vow made to me."
"And I," she growled through angrily gritted teeth, "won't tolerate being called 'human' constantly for an entire month, especially in that icy holier-than-thou tone. My name is Kagome. Ka. Go. Me. Got that?"
"Do not overstep your station by seeking to order me. I shall call you whatever I please."
"Not if you expect me to respond."
"You shall - or you will suffer the consequences. And you will not like them."
"Oh, please." She snorted in disgust. "I absolutely cannot believe this! You - you're just like Inuyasha – he keeps calling me just about anything but my name too."
How DARE she put him on the same level as that hanyou?! His muscles trembled with the effort to control his sudden killing rage that seemed to burst through him from out of nowhere, the restraint on his tightly held temper slipping more and more away from him with every word she uttered.
"You know, at this point, I don't really don't see how trading one so- called 'protector' for another is making much of a difference, especially when it sounds like I'll need protecting from my protector! It's like switching to another Inuyasha with an egotistic aristocratic complex. I'm really starting to think that I would just be better off with the original Inuyasha anyway. At least he can be bribed into a better temper with food."
One twist, just one twist was all it would take.
The thought rang in his mind with disturbing force as he stared with a concentrated fixation at that fragile ivory length of her neck that seemed to beckon his claw to wrap around it and give it one little snap. The longer he stared, the more it seemed to loom in his vision, blocking out all else while the blood pulsed in his head, pounding with demand that he satisfy the insult done him with the death of the one who had caused it.
But no matter how satisfying, that action might not be worth the consequences.
The rage abated and he suddenly became aware of a layer of calm folding around him, soothing him. It would not have been such a disturbing realization but for the fact that it had not occurred due to his own will.
He looked to Kagome and noticed how her face shown with a light sheen of sweat while her chest heaved was in ragged pants, as if struggling to breath after a long hard run, while her fingers worked restlessly, stroking the pale fur still wound around her in continuous gestures that had soothing coolness washing over him in gentle pleasant waves. It was impossible, something that no one else, human or youkai, should be able to do for him.
She was calming his inner beast.
"Stop that!"
She flinched at his snarl. "Stop what?" Her expression was baffled. "What did I do?"
Excellent question. Even he was not quite sure of the answer. Still, he was required to do his best to shape things according to his plans, no matter how much the human kept throwing him off. And so he deliberately calmed himself, drawing in the oppressing aura which he had inadvertently released with his rage and slipping control and which she had, mysteriously, seemed to somehow have been able to detect with negative effects to herself. As his unusually turbulent emotions settled once more, he inwardly made note of how her breathing eased and her fingers ceased their restless fidgeting, lying still in her lap.
He ignored the faint tug of disappointment he may have felt upon that last bit of observation. He had more important things to concentrate on – namely, laying down some ground rules.
"What did I do?" Kagome repeated again, puzzled. "Is it because I mentioned Inuyasha?"
His temper spiked at the name. Curse it all!
"It is, isn't it?" asked Kagome. "I can't think of anything else I did to make you go all...all dark youkai power release-y."
"First of all," Sesshoumaru held on tightly to his self-control, "attempt to restrain yourself to proper use of Japanese grammar. You're speech is strange, even for a commoner."
Her lips twitched in a small smile. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Makes it difficult to communicate sometimes."
"You will also," he continued on as if she had never spoken, "refrain from comparing me to a lowly hanyou vermin."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Furthermore, there is an issue I have with the stroking."
Her expression went utterly blank. "Stroking?"
"Yes."
"Whoa, wait a minute!" She looked at him suspiciously. "This isn't some sort of weird youkai sex thing, is it? If it is, you're going to have to count me out. Because I have to tell you, I don't know exactly what it is you think about me but I'm definitely not the kind of girl who -"
"That is not what I meant."
"It isn't? Really?"
"Yes," he nearly growled.
"Oh, good," she said, relieved. Then she frowned. "So then, what did you mean? What stroking? I have to stroke something? It's not a body part is it?" She grimaced. "Or anything slimy and disgusting? Or -"
"NO!" Sesshoumaru did something he rarely ever did – he gave an exasperated sigh. "Can you not cease your incessant prattling for one moment?"
"Of course I can," she responded in a miffed tone. "All you had to do was ask."
Repressing the strong urge to snarl, he bit out his words in precise syllables that even her feeble human mind couldn't possibly have trouble interpreting. "There is an item of mine currently in your possession and I demand that you desist with your stroking of it."
"What? This?" She smoothed a hand over the soft fur.
He shivered. "Stop that!"
She did.
"From this moment on, you will cease with your inappropriate fondling."
"You make it sound so dirty," she said, disgust plain on her features. "And I still have no idea what the heck you're talking about. It's completely innocent."
"Perhaps. Nevertheless, you should not be handling the possessions of others with such blatant familiarity."
"Then you shouldn't have left something so precious with me – wrapped around me, no less! How 'familiar' do you think that is?"
"I left it as a form of protection!"
She blinked. "Protection? This? Really?"
"Yes," he replied carefully. He'd said too much already.
"But it's just a fur pelt!"
"It is NOT 'just a fur pelt'!" he snapped back, instantly offended. "Do not speak such blasphemy."
"What blasphemy?" She shook her head. "I don't get it. If this isn't 'just a fur pelt,' then what is it?"
He fell silent.
"Oh, no. Not this again. Look, you've got your secrets – everyone does. And I'm not asking you to tell me all of yours, no matter how curious I am. But when it concerns something so obviously important to you, don't you think I'd have a better idea of how to treat it if you'd explain to me just a little about what it is?"
Her words were earnest, as was her expression. He stared at her, mulling over her words in his mind as he decided just how much he should tell her. It was a difficult decision; he did not speak of it to anyone.
"It is...a special item," he finally said.
"Well, I already know that. But why is it so special? You said it would protect me, but how?"
"It can cloak your presence from others...beyond a certain distance."
"It can? How? Does it have some sort of spell on it?"
"Not a spell." He searched for the right word. "An enchantment perhaps."
"What's the difference?"
"Do you not know?"
"Hey! I'm not that magically knowledgeable, remember? Or at least, not until recently anyway. And a little more effort at explaining would be very much appreciated, not to mention it might save you trouble in the future by improving my lack of knowledge now."
Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that she did have a point. "Very well. Pay attention then for I will not repeat myself."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say something like that."
His eyes narrowed. "Then take heed. Enchantment is a type of mystical force that is already inherent in an object from its creation. A spell is a type that is placed by some other presence."
"So whatever magical energy there is in this pelt has always been in it?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Impressive. To have so much power left in it, this must have come from a pretty powerful animal."
Animal?
"One could say that," he responded tightly.
"Boy, I'd definitely hate to get on the wrong side of his temper if the pelt is any indication of the owner's power."
"A very wise decision." Satisfaction curled through him. The human was proving rather intelligent to deduce his power, even if she didn't realize it was him she was talking about.
"And you must be pretty strong then, if you got this away from whatever it came from."
He made a noncommittal sound.
"So." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "This enchantment – how does it work exactly? How can it hide my presence?"
"It masks the bearer's essence, his scent, his power, for a distance from others. However, the closer someone approaches it, the less effect it has."
"It masks power, you say? Even the Shikon no Tama?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's definitely helpful. No wonder you wrapped me in it. It was to prevent others who are trying to find it from picking up traces of its power." She shook her head. "But you said it doesn't work on someone who's nearby? Isn't that when you'd most need to hide from an enemy? What do you do when you're discovered?"
"Eliminate the enemy."
"Oh, right. Forgot for a sec that I was talking to a battle-loving youkai."
"Do not insult me when I am lowering myself to explanations for your feeble mind."
"Didn't really think I was being insulting – just truthful."
"And you believe that all youkai are hungry for battle?"
"Well, I haven't seen much so far to change my mind. All the youkai I've seen to date seem to dive right into the fighting and bloodletting." An uncertain look flitted across her features. "Am I wrong?"
"Did you never think that the youkai fight for survival? No doubt, it is a harsher living than humans are accustomed to, I am sure. Amongst our kind, from the highest to the lowest levels, there is a constant struggle for power that is always in motion, never ending. The more power one possesses, the safer one becomes from the threat of others who would turn away in fear rather than risk their lives against a more deadly opponent. The rule to survival in this world is to avoid confrontations when possible but, when it is not, to stand and fight until the end when confronted or be thought weak and spineless by potential enemies that would welcome the chance to descend and eliminate any threat to their own status and for their advancement upon the chain of power."
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"It is simply the way things are."
"What? Oh, no – not that. I was actually commenting on your little speech – that's the longest thing you've ever said to me without my having to badger words out of you!"
He stared. That's what had her so excited?
"I mean, the other stuff is important too, but that's a pattern seen throughout history. The one who has power rules, survives, etcetera, etcetera. Except it's a double-edged sword as well, isn't it? You said yourself that enemies want to advance their power, so what better way than taking someone else's power? So I kind of seeing it as all balancing out in the end – get more power, get more enemies. All that effort and fighting, and everything still comes out even. Makes you wonder if it's worth it, doesn't it?"
Of course, he had already thought of that particular side of the metaphoric coin. But he was impressed that she had come up with it on her own. And being one resistant to bestowing praise on another, he kept his silence.
"Oh!"
Her gasp had him focusing his full attention upon her once more. Her eyes were wide, the features of her face drawn into an expression that he could only interpret as...worried?
"I'm sorry." Her tone was distressed. "I didn't realize."
Realize what?
"I didn't mean to put you in danger."
He blinked. He had no idea what path her mind had jumped onto now. Following her thoughts was like trying to capture air. Only worse.
"I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out."
He wished she would share her conclusions.
"Here." She disentangled herself from the fur and held it out to him. "Take it back. You obviously need it or you wouldn't have it in the first place."
Ah. So that's what she meant. Amused as he had not been for a long, long time, he gave her a considering glance. To think that she thought to protect him – it was such an unlikely occurrence that it could not help but strike an odd chord within him.
Then his golden eyes clouded with odd sort of consternation upon observing the unusual way his possession seemed to be moving, swaying almost with a will of its own towards the human. Even the numerous hairs upon it seemed to bend in her direction, as if entreating her to return it to its previous position – all of which escaped her unseeing eyes. Unfortunately, his eyes had not the same problem.
And he did not like the implications.
"Why aren't you taking it back?" She looked impatient. "My arm's starting to get tired."
He snapped out of his musings. "Keep it. It is necessary if you wish to mask the presence of the fragments, and decrease the likelihood of engaging in battle with those who seek it."
"That definitely would be nice. But what about you?"
"You need not concern yourself with my welfare."
"But you must have been using this to shield your presence from enemies – don't you need this too?"
"I shall be making use of it as well."
"Eh? How?"
"Did you fail to take note of its length while it has been in your company?"
"Ah." Understanding dawned. "We can both use it at the same time!" She frowned. "But won't that mean that we'd have to keep in close contact?"
"You were expecting some other method? In your sightless condition?"
She sighed. "I suppose I can tolerate it if it's the safest way to travel."
"It is the wisest course."
"Hmm." She pursed her lips. "But what's up with the stroking or, as you put it, the 'inappropriate fondling'?"
How could he have forgotten? "It is what you will cease performing upon it from this point forth."
"But why? Is there a reason for it?"
Yes. But not one he was willing to divulge to her.
"Does it," she bit her lip, "cause a problem with its protection ability?"
Ever the strategist, he seized the opportunity she unwittingly offered to him. Besides, his careful choice of words told no lie, not to his mind.
"It does create a disruption, yes. It disturbs the energy flow."
"I see. Well, I don't want to do that." She gave a regretful sigh. "Guess I'll have to control myself. Won't be easy though. It's so soft and...fluffy. Makes me want to pet it."
Slightly alarmed at the odd look in her eyes as she gazed in the direction of the object she held, as if she were about to reach out and follow through with her spoken urge, he was quick to put forth a forceful, "Control yourself!"
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, there's no need to yell. I said I'd control myself and I will – no more petting, okay?"
If he once again felt a stab of disappointment, he ignored it as he told himself that he was satisfied; he had accomplished one of his goals and had gotten her acceptance. Which was only to be expected considering his status and supremeness, no matter what difficulties she had presented. With that settled, everything else should fall in according to his plans and he could continue moving forward towards what needed to be done.
"You know," she said thoughtfully, breaking into his thoughts, "I don't know if you heard me before you left earlier. But since we're going to be stuck with each other for quite a while, I think I should at least know the name of the person I'm traveling with."
He stiffened as she turned an expectant gaze upon him.
"So? What is it?"