I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who likes the way I write. Until this story, no one had ever thought I wrote very well. I guess it depends on how you feel about the subject matter. I love this manga! I have only been hooked on Inuyasha and the gang for about 6 months, and am still playing catch up with the 370 issues. So, if I get a little too off character, PLEASE tell me. I really want to know.
Chapter Six gave us a glimpse of Kagome's attraction to Sesshomaru. She doesn't know it yet, but it is working its way to the surface very quickly. And, I think the fact that he is threatening her at every turn should tell you something about him as well... (wink). As for Inuyasha, well the old saying goes "It is always darkest just before the dawn."
For the record (ahem): I do not own, in whole or in part, any part of the Inuyasha franchise. Nor do I own any of the characters from said franchise that are used forthwith. The following story is solely based on the ramblings of a college student at a boring job and are not to be taken or believed as part of the true Inuyasha saga. That being said, please enjoy my first attempt at fan fiction. Feel free to critique ad nauseum. (whew!)
Chapter Seven – A Plague on the Western Lands
Kagome woke from an almost nonexistent sleep to find that yesterday was not a dream. She was in a strange bedroom, sparsely adorned with beautiful furniture. She had slept on the most comfortable tatami she had ever laid on. The bamboo base for the short bed was larger than she was used to, giving ample room for the tossing and turning she had done all night. And the four thick comforters on top of that were each a piece of art. The top comforter was a pink that reminded her of the flowers that Rin loved to pick. Beautiful golden threads embroidered on the top of the comforter played out a couple of Japanese myths, drawing not only beautiful trees and mountains, but kimonoed ladies and magnificent magical beasts. And the pillow for her head was a matching pink inlaid with golden threads. But the single picture stitched on the single panel was of a girl deep in prayer. Kagome let out a soft snort at that thought. I guess this is his way of saying I should be more obedient.
There was a dresser made of a rich ochre wood by the door, but Kagome declined to see if there was anything in it. She looked around and also saw a beautifully delicate curved chair, made of black lacquered wood and adorned with intricate jade carvings of dog demons. She got up from the tatami and crossed to the chair. The back of the chair revealed two almost identical dog demons growling at each other. Just like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. They are always at each other's throat. All Inuyasha wanted was to be accepted by his brother and he was despised for being a hanyou. The nerve of that silly dog!
She opened the door to find Jaken asleep in front of it. She contemplated stepping over him and trying to escape, but she knew she would never find her way out of here by herself. She looked around the hallway and saw that the door led into a walled courtyard. There were only a couple of trees and lots of grass, but it looked like a peaceful place to sit and hone her and Rin's powers.
Wait a minute! I am not going to stay here and teach Rin how to use her miko powers just so Sesshomaru can have another weapon! She grimaced at the thought of that adorable little girl being used in such a way. Well, it isn't exactly as if he hasn't used her before. He used her as a decoy to get me, and she didn't seem to mind one bit. Maybe if I helped her use her powers, I could help her assert herself against him. I bet he would love that, two troublesome mikos on his hands.
She shook her head at that thought. You already sound like you are resigned to living here! Well, I don't want to die, and I can't very well leave her in his hands. Without me, he said he would have no choice but to kill her. He didn't say that exactly, but the implication was there.
Kagome sighed in disgust at that thought and was about to close the door to her room when Rin's voice regained her attention. At the end of the long hallway, Rin stood waiving frantically, with a big smile on her face. And she was holding Sesshomaru's hand. Kagome couldn't see it clearly because their hands were hidden behind the folds of Sesshomaru's attire, but she knew they were.
As if he sensed it, he let go of Rin's hand and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Rin giggled and ran into the courtyard. Kagome watched Sesshomaru coming purposely closer to her room. She instantly slammed the door shut and retreated to the far side of the room. It took a moment for her mind to realize that she was subconsciously running her hands through her hair and straightening her attire. What am I doing? Who cares what I look like to him. He is a monster! She forced her hands to her sides just before he opened the door.
Behind him, Jaken had awoken and was now caressing his backside where Sesshomaru had kicked him out of his slumber.
Sesshomaru silently closed the door behind him, effectively cutting them off from the outside world. He silently took in Kagome's haphazard state. She has obviously just awoken. Her hair is in disarray and her clothes in tatters. He uninterestedly surveyed the room and found that she had not touched anything but the bedding. She has not had time yet to properly prepare herself before meeting me, so her nerves are on end. I can sense it. Excellent. "So, miko. Have you had adequate time to decide your fate?"
He stayed by the closed door, arm at his side, and simply stared at her. But that was enough to set Kagome's heart racing in excitement. What is it with this guy? He seems so sure of what I am going to do. Well, he knows I won't do anything to harm that little girl, damn him. Her inner conflict momentarily made her forget that he was standing there, watching her, waiting for an answer. Kagome merely continued warring with her two selves: the one that wanted to run far away from him, and the other that wanted to protect Rin and fight Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru, for his part, simply continued to stare, knowing full well that she was trying to summon up the nerve to say she'll stay. He let a small smile grace his lips, but only for an instant. Gloating around this girl would never go over very well. One look at me and she would be wanting to be killed just to spite me. But, let her decide for herself and it is only her inner voices that are fighting. She would never let me harm Rin, and that is the key to controlling her. I can smell the fear coming off of her, and hear her heartbeat pounding faster and faster with each passing second. It is just as I have planned.
However, he was beginning to get impatient when, after five minutes of standing just so, she still had not said a word. I think she has completely forgotten that I am in the room. It is time for a reminder. Sesshomaru walked up to her until he was only inches from her face. Still, Kagome could not bring herself to say anything. He was no longer so sure if she was still debating, or had decided that she would rather die. "Is the room not to your liking?"
Kagome stared into his golden eyes, finally realizing that he had come so close to her. She gulped before answering. "Huh?"
His hand swept around the room. "Rin told me you would stay if you had a, how did she say it, 'a girlish place to sleep at night?' Was she wrong?"
Now she was completely confused. "Uh...no. The room is fine."
"Then do you require something I have forgotten?" He audibly sniffed the air. Another trait he shares with his brother, she noted. "Do you not like the clothing in the chest? Jaken picked them out from the village nearby. He said he saw many people wearing them."
What is going on? Is he trying to placate me? She glanced to the red ochre chest she had seen this morning. "I hadn't had time to look through anything yet. I had just woken and there were more pressing matters on my mind."
He nodded slightly in agreement. "Ah. That is why you have not bathed. I agree. A matter of life and death is always more important than what dress to wear. And what have you decided?"
Kagome suddenly felt very trapped. Why is he interrogating me suddenly? Yesterday he couldn't have cared less. Now what I say is so important? She opened her mouth to say something, but another thought came into her head. Wait, I remember. He is just tired of looking for a trainer. He could care less what I actually think. Keep it together, Kagome. He does not care about you.
"Are you trying to catch a fly with your mouth open like that? Or has the ability to speak left you?"
Her face reddened at the chide and anger bubbled to her rescue. "Of course not, you oaf! I just cannot force myself to say I will stay with you willingly. I mean, if I don't you will kill a little girl who thinks you hung the moon. Not to mention me. But staying with you is just the last thing I would ever want..."
He inhaled so sharply at what she was saying that she stopped mid-sentence. Perhaps this is not the best time to be upsetting the dog demon, Kagome. I mean, he is so close that you can feel him breathing. And his eyes are so golden and fierce... Focus, Kagome! She gave a startled cry as his hand grabbed her arm and jerked her forward, only a little bit, but enough to catch her full attention. She tried to push away, but he continued to hold her pinned in place with just one hand. This was a terrifying new sensation for Kagome. Especially when his dark golden eyes are so angry, and far too close to mine.
"Tell me then, miko. If you find staying with me so repulsive, then why is it Jaken told me you did not even try to fight your way out of here? Granted you do not know your way around, but you put up no fight at all. Are you that prepared to die, or is there something that you aren't telling yourself?"
Fighting back a sudden rush of panic and the urge to claw her way free of his infernal grasp, Kagome forced herself to be still, staring back at him with as little emotion as he showed her.
"You have no right to keep me here! Or to question me and expect any answers at all. You know damned good and well that I don't want to die, and that Rin shouldn't die because of me. You are a mean, evil bastard, and the... the... the most..."
The words died in her throat as a small, soft ripple of laughter escaped from his throat, brushing his warm breath on her lips and throat. "Swearing does not become a miko like yourself," he interrupted her, "especially one so young. Have you never been properly taught respect?" He pulled her a little bit closer to him, so now there was no denying that she was truly trapped. He continued to speak with a softness that belied his menacing words, "Perhaps it is time you had a lesson in respect, girl."
Kagome was stunned when he kissed her. This is nothing like the times when Inuyasha has kissed me. Inuyasha was so shy and compliant. Sesshomaru doesn't give, he takes. And takes. And takes. As the kiss continued, Kagome ceased to be able to think at all, but melted into the kiss, now incapable also of resistance.
His clawed fingers slowly caressed up her arm, and moved up alongside her face to better position her mouth to his. It was now his mouth that held her captive; his hand now barely touching, teasing her cheek. At first his kiss was hard and demanding, but he quickly decided that her confusion was heady to him. He changed tactics so quickly that she seemed not to notice. As her lips parted under his kiss, he began to take his time. He almost tenderly kissed the corner of her trembling mouth, returning to her lips to cover them possessively with his.
It was only when his hand left her face to caress her neck and lower toward her shirt that Kagome began to recover her bravado. She felt as if she had been drugged. Her own voice sounded foreign to her when she spoke, so deep and rasping. "Don't! Please stop."
"I won't feel the need to do this again if you learn proper respect, girl."
Although barely a whisper and also low and rasping, his voice shocked her completely back into reality. I just kissed a demon! Inuyasha's brother, no less. God, what is wrong with me? Kagome blinked her eyes back open and focused on the demon who had stepped a few paces back from her. As usual, there was not a hint of what had just transpired between them on his face. But I bet mine is so red I'm glowing. Is this his idea of punishment? Or control?
Kagome mustered all of her control to say her next words with level calm. "Please don't ever do that again."
He smiled at that. "While you are in my house, you will obey my rules. Not the other way around."
Keh! Just like my mom. "Then I am leaving."
He straightened at her remark and his voice rose slightly. "No you are not. I have decided that you will stay and train Rin.'
Shock is the only word to describe how Kagome felt. "But..."
"You take too long in making up your mind, miko. Another form of disrespect that you must learn to correct. Before I have to correct it for you." Although it was hard to tell if he cared about correcting her behavior, Kagome could have sworn he was looking directly at her mouth as he said those last sentences. Her mouth went completely dry, leaving her with nothing to say. Sesshomaru took this as assent and turned to leave.
Sesshomaru stepped out into the hallway, and Jaken squirmed to his feet. "My Lord, is there anything I need to do? Clean up a dead miko, perhaps?"
He had said those words a little to joyfully for Sesshomaru's liking, and all he got was a stare. He then looked over at Rin who was standing in the courtyard staring back at him. "Rin. Come here."
Rin ran up to him, hoping he wanted to play with her. Instead, he gave her instructions. "Rin. Go into Kagome's room and help her change. She will begin giving you lessons today." And he took off very quickly for his own chambers, deep in thought.
Inuyasha had finally landed on the edge of his brother's lands. By this time, the fury in his head had taken complete control of his body. His claws had become longer, and his fangs larger. He was filled with blood lust. The first group he had come upon were demon vassals of Sesshomaru. They immediately recognized him as a relation to their lord and master, and they all knelt before him and bowed.
But Inuyasha did not recognize their obeisance. He did not recognize anything. Even the Tetsusaiga could not assuage his bloodlust this time. His brother had stolen something from him that he had held dear. And the rage inside of him had transformed him into a mindless demon. Unfortunately for the demons at his feet, Kagome was the only one who could calm him now. And she wasn't there.
He jumped into the air and drew his claws over his head. He yelled at the top of his lungs and came crashing down on top of the seven bowing demons. Inuyasha destroyed them in a single blow, tearing their bodies to pieces and covering his clothing in their blood. This still did not satisfy him, and he sniffed the air for his brother's scent. Now knowing where he was to go, he walked through the wreckage of bodies toward Sesshomaru's castle at the other end of the Western Lands.
Sesshomaru was sitting quietly underneath a large leafy oak tree in his private courtyard. No one else in the castle was allowed to come into this courtyard when he was here, on pain of death at his hands. He was just staring at the ground, thinking.
Why did I kiss her? A human. I wanted to teach her a lesson in respect and proper manners, not a seduction. He shifted slightly and picked up a rock from beside him. He rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, as if it could solve his problems for him. She is staying now. I do not doubt that she will not leave as long as I hold Rin's life over her head. But, I am not sure how long I can do that. Eventually she will either prove me false or find a way to escape with Rin. Kagome is a smart miko. Which makes her a very dangerous one to me.
As his fingers played with the worry stone, he remembered what he had gone into her room for in the first place. He had gone to get her word that she didn't want to die and would stay. He laughed silently at that. I made up her mind for her. I had no desire to see her die. But, he has also meant to get more information from her on the new moon and Inuyasha.
Sesshomaru stood up and walked towards the wing of rooms that Kagome shared with Rin and Jaken. He took the back way, so that he could sneak up upon her. Perhaps she is opening up to Rin. That girl has been a rich source of value to me. And I have the distinct impression that Kagome will do almost anything to keep from telling me about her friends. And herself. I still do not know where she comes from. This Tokyo she mentioned doesn't exist anywhere on my maps. He let out a small laugh at that. She tried to placate me with a false village. Smart girl.
He came up to the back of Kagome's room, and uncovered that she was still in there with Rin, from the sounds of talking and Rin's infectious laughs. Since the sunlight was facing him, he was able to come almost up to the papered wall without being seen. He could, however, make out their silhouettes. Rin was sitting on the tatami brushing Kagome's hair. Kagome was facing the wall that he was standing behind. That was all he could see in the silhouettes, but he could hear them clearly.
"Do you like it here, Kagome?" Rin asked as she tried so hard to properly brush Kagome's hair.
Kagome winced in pain at the amount of pressure the little girl was using to brush her hair. She is dragging the darn thing across my scalp. It'll look like little claw marks all over my head. That thought put another in her head. One of Sesshomaru's clawed fingers dragging down her hair, getting tangled. And she also remembered the very real feeling of his lips on hers, of how quickly she succumbed to whatever it was he was trying to teach her. She couldn't remember that anymore. "This place is pretty nice."
"Is it nicer than your village?" Good girl, thought Sesshomaru as he listened at the wall.
Kagome sighed. At the way I'm going, I am never going to see home again. "No. But my village looks nothing like a village anymore. It is a huge place with too many people to count." If I can't impress Sesshomaru, at least I can give Rin a good story. She would love to hear about Tokyo, and Sesshomaru would never know that the stories she tells him are the truth. "My village stretches farther than the eye can see. And there are buildings that reach the clouds that are made of glass. In my village, people can live in the clouds."
Rin dropped the harsh brush in amazement. "Whoa!" She propped her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands. She was completely spellbound. Kagome stood up, rubbed her head for a moment, and walked to the ochre chest. She was thinking of what to tell Rin as she looked for something to hold her hair back with. Maybe if I tie it back, Rin will be less likely to want to brush it.
Sesshomaru heard the soft rustle of silk and could tell by her silhouette that Kagome had put on one of Jaken's chosen kimonos. It looked like it fit her very well. He noted that she looked a few years older than in that short white and green kimono she usually wore. Keep the thoughts on what she is saying, man. He turned his head from the wall so he could concentrate on her words again.
"We have these things called trains that can take you anywhere you want to go. And they are so fast! I bet they are even faster than Sesshomaru." His ears pricked at this jab at his ego. "And we even have these planes that we can fly in to anywhere in the world. It is so amazing there."
Rin cocked her head sideways, puzzled. "How come I have never seen you flying around in one, Kagome? Wouldn't it be easier to fly around than jump in a dirty old well?"
Kagome sat down beside Rin. "Well, the well is the only way I have found to get home. I can't take a plane back here, Rin."
"Why not, Kagome? You said it would take you anywhere in the world."
Kagome stood up and crossed to the far wall. "See Rin...It's like..." She searched for the right words to say. I can't say what is the real reason. "I can't tell her I can't travel through time on a plane. She wouldn't even know what that meant." She mumbled this so low that Sesshomaru almost missed that. "Besides, it isn't as if she could ever go there. Only Inuyasha somehow can. And he can't even get through when he turns human..."
She turned away to say something to Rin about the planes, but he was no longer listening. He walked away from the room to digest the mutterings of the strange miko. "If she is to be believed, then she is from the future..." That would explain much about her strange behavior. He shook his head, crossing back to his courtyard to think.
"How did she come from the future? How did she know that the well would take her back here?" He sat back down underneath the oak tree to think about Kagome. He sat there for hours. Trying to figure out the new mysteries she had revealed about herself to him. Finally, he came to a few conclusions. She must be a powerful miko indeed to transport her weak human body through time. I made the correct choice in taking her from Inuyasha. If he can also travel through the barrier, then there must be something that connects them... Sesshomaru stood up as soon as the final piece of information she had related sank in. "Inuyasha turns human at the new moon!"
The elation at discovering his brother's weakness was soon overshadowed by the realization that he had just spent the last few hours thinking of nothing but Kagome. "Damn!"
Chapter Eight – A New Twist on an Old Theme
Sesshomaru presses Kagome for change, but neither of them expects the change that takes place. Rin begins to transform, much to Jaken's dismay. Miroku and Sango finally reach Inuyasha, only to find that he too has changed. And a familiar face emerges from the shadows.