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Chapter Five: Returning Home
"What's going on out here?" Sesshomaru asked, staring down at his charge and the older girl who was supposed to be looking after her. Humans were so pitiful at times. As of right now, she was crying her eyes out. What could have possibly gone wrong in the short amount of time he had left the two of them alone?
"I'm- I'm sorry," she stuttered, pulling herself to her feet. It was exasperating to watch her. Finally, he just yanked her up, startling her so that she backed away from him in fear. "What was that for?" she asked, a hint of defensive anger in her question.
"You humans are so…," he stopped, seeing the way Rin was watching him. "What are you crying about?" he muttered, leaving his first reply in the dust.
"I'm just suffering from homesickness."
"What?"
"Homesickness," she repeated.
He had heard a lot of lame excuses in his time. Often or not they were pleas from men before he started to slaughter them, but this was the most amusing thing he had heard from her mouth yet. A miko getting sick? That was unheard of. At least if a miko did get sick it was very, very rare. But this particular miko had the entire Shikon Jewel to help her. He'd be damned if she died like a human. It was more than likely she would survive many ages of this world.
"Don't you believe me?" she demanded, the tears leaving her eyes in favor of angry daggers.
"Homesickness," he repeated in his carefree voice, "and what would such a disease do to harm you? You who harvest the power of such a great weapon?"
Kagome stared at him, shocked. He didn't know what homesickness was. He thought it was a physical form of illness, not a mental state of pain. The situation was almost comical, if it hadn't been for that fact that she was still missing her mother and the rest of her family terribly.
"It is a disease of the heart," she explained, glaring at him. "It means that I'm missing my family so much it causes me emotional pain."
"Your family?" he questioned. Hadn't she said she didn't want to return to his half-breed of a brother or her other companions? She was better without them anyway. One human was bad enough, but humans with attachments to other humans was ten times worse.
"Yes, my mother, grandfather, and younger brother," she informed him. "They are on the other side of the well."
"Well?" he cocked an eyebrow.
"The Bone Eater's Well," she sighed, wondering if his daftness had anything to do with him being Inuyasha's brother. Sometimes he was the opposite of the hanyou and other times they could have been twins if not for their difference in age. It was incredible.
Through all this Rin had been watching each of the adults, turning her head to have a good look at the one that was speaking, then switching when the other took his or her turn to get a say in things. She smiled when Kagome made Sesshomaru seem dumb. It wasn't the first time the young woman had stood up to the Lord of the Western Lands and she doubted it would be the last either.
"You can fix her, Sesshomaru," Rin piped up. "With your sword. You can fix her."
He saw the way the girl cringed back when Rin spoke of the Tensiega. She knew he'd have to cut her in half before she would be healed. However, he had never attempted to heal someone with an emotional ailment. What if it didn't work? He looked at where the Tensiega was hilted on his belt, then at the Tetsusaiga right aside of it. Neither sword would heal the miko.
"How can this disease be thwarted?" he asked Kagome.
"I need," she paused. Did she dare ask him? It was a thousand against one chance that he would permit her to visit her family. After all, he didn't like her, so there was no way he trusted her. He would think she'd run off and leave Rin behind. He had no idea how close she had already become to the child. The last thing she could do was leave Rin forever. This trip was just a temporary thing she wished to have. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she finished. "I need to go visit my family."
Sesshomaru thought about it for a moment. If she left, Rin would have to go back to having Jaken as a nanny. That wasn't good, considering the number of times his toad imp had locked the girl away in various closets. Besides, his charge had begun to take a strong liking to this priestess. If she would leave now, Rin would become devastated, and that was something he was not prepared for.
On the other side of the same coin, if he didn't let the miko go on her journey through the well, he could expect another episode like this. All he needed was another human to look after. For the most part she had taken care of herself and Rin. The only thing he needed to do was provide food and shelter, which was easy enough.
"Agreed," he settled it. "But you have to promise to return within five days. I give you that amount of time so you can recuperate," he told her. "Deal?"
Shocked by his kind gesture, Kagome nodded. "Deal."
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"But I don't want you to go," Rin whined. "I want you to stay here."
"Rin, I'll be back in five days. You can be a strong girl and last five days, can't you?" Kagome coaxed. The small girl was sitting on her bed, arms crossed over her chest, and bottom lip jutting out in an obvious pouting stance. Kagome had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing. The position was so familiar to her. She had used it one too many times on her own mother. "Rin?" Nothing. "Rin?" Silence. "Don't make me tickle you," Kagome threatened. Still nothing.
By the time Sesshomaru entered the miko's bedroom to escort her to the Bone Eater's Well, Kagome was sitting on her bed aside of Rin who was crying because she was laughing so hard. "No fair!" the girl was yelling, her arms flailing about, "not fair, Kagome-chan!" Had he been anyone other than the Lord of the Western Lands he would have laughed, but he settled for a half-hearted smile instead.
"Ready?" he asked, breaking the two apart with one word.
Kagome looked at Rin, then at him, and finally back at Rin. "I'll be back," she said, hugging the girl tightly. "I promise." Sesshomaru doubted that, but he kept his opinion to himself. He watched as Rin clung to the priestess, as if she would never let go. There had been a time that that kind of hug was reserved for only him.
"Girl," he snapped.
"I'm coming," Kagome replied, taking her book bag with her. "I'll come back soon, Rin. Be good for Sesshomaru and Jaken while I'm in the present."
She left the girl's room then, following the Lord of the Western Lands to the edge of his gardens. Once there he held out his hand for hers. Confused, she just stared at it. "Well take it," he growled. Startled, Kagome thrusted her hand into his. He rolled his eyes, but in the next instant they were up in the air, flying toward the Bone Eater's Well. Kagome was overjoyed when she recognized the forest. Ahead of them she could make out the clearing where the well was set. However, as they began to land, she felt something in the winds change.
"Is this the place you spoke of?"
"Yes," she sighed, staring at the well. It looked so old, yet so very perfect. It was like an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time. She turned to face him. "Thank you," she whispered.
"I'm doing this for Rin's sake. If you aren't happy, you are of no use to her, and therefore, no use to me. Don't think any of this was done for you," he snarled.
Kagome swallowed and nodded. She'd have to remember that. Not looking back, she climbed up onto the well, and jumped in. The familiar whish filled her ears. Lights flickered around her, then suddenly she was landing on the smooth dirt ground of the family's shrine well. "Grandpa? Sota? Mom?" she called, climbing out, and running toward the house.
"Kagome? Oh, Kagome!" her mother cried, darting out of the front door. When they reached one another, her mother gathered her in a huge hug. "Oh, hunny! What took you so long? We were getting worried."
"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized.
Hours later she had explained the whole thing to her mother and the family was sitting in the kitchen eating Kagome's favorite, oden. "Hunny, I know you left because you thought you're heart was broken," her mother was saying, "but did you ever stop to think what Inuyasha is feeling right now? You two were best friends and now you just up and left. Don't you think he's upset? You know how his temper is."
"I highly doubt that Inuyasha has even realized that I'm missing," Kagome commented, taking a deep sip of her tea. "Excuse me, I would like to take a nice long hot bath. It's been months since I've felt clean," she told them all.
"Get going," Sota teased, holding his nose, "You reek."
"Sota!" his mother reprimanded.
"Haha, very funny," Kagome hissed, hurrying up the steps to the shower room. She plugged up the bath and began to run hot water as she gathered a change of clothes for afterwards. When she returned to the bathroom, steam had filled the entire room so it appeared to be a sauna. Smiling to herself, she shut the door behind her, prepared to relax until she was as wrinkled as a prune.
Lying in the water, she whispered the lines of a song to herself, lyrics that hit right at home in her heart. "It would be nice if you could put away and throw out everything except for what really mattered, but reality is just cruel." On the final word she felt the horrible sense of loss fill her heart. Her mother had been right. Inuyasha probably was too daft to realize why she had left him. He most likely was angry with her for disappearing. What was more, here she was, a servant to his enemy, his brother, and the only one she loved was him. Inuyasha, the half-demon who knew nothing of her feelings was the one she cared for in return.
That has to change, she told herself. You gave him Kikyo. He doesn't love you. He never will. You have to move. Go out on a date with Hojo or reconsider Kouga's offer, her mind agreed. However, it was her heart that was going against them all. Be true to yourself and let love find you, it said. Stay pure of heart.
It was extremely difficult to stay pure of heart when you wanted something as much as Kagome wanted Inuyasha to love her in return, but that had to end. She couldn't be chasing after the demon the rest of her natural life. It wasn't healthy. It wouldn't amount to anything. She made a pact with herself. From now on, I will not love Inuyasha. I will be troubled by him and Kikyo no longer. She knew it would take time until those words were absolutely true, but she vowed to make them a reality.
Four days later, Kagome was packing her backpack once again. It was time to return to the feudal era. The days had flown by rapidly. She had gobbled up as much oden as she could and packed a packet of raymen for Inuyasha in case she saw him anytime in the near future. Along with the food, she was bringing schoolwork, textbooks, and some of her old toys for Rin. She had thought of bringing something back for Sesshomaru, but he was rather hard to please, so she simply opted to give him a pack of raymen as well. Like brother, like brother.
"I'll see you soon," Kagome promised her mother, giving Mrs. Higurashi a long hug. She did the same for her grandpa and brother. "Take care, squirt," she told him, loving eyes watching him as she patted him on the head.
"Watch your back, Kagome," he mother warned. "I don't want anything to happen to you now that you possess the Shikon Jewel."
"I'll be fine, mom," she waved and leaped back through the well to return to the past.
The familiar vines hung over the sides of the old well in the middle of the forest. Grabbing the nearest one, she started to climb up, and was surprised when one large hand wound around her wrist, yanking her up and over the well's edge. "See you've kept your promise and returned," Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, greeted her with mock politeness. "Rin will be overjoyed." Even as he said it, his normal face stayed the same and his voice remained on the same note. Why was he always so monotone?
"I've missed Rin," she commented.
"Hmm," he mumbled, holding out his hand. This time she understood the gesture and didn't hesitate to take it. Within moments they were flying high above the ground. It was like being with Inuyasha, who half jumped, half flew through the air. She imagined that this was Sesshomaru's way of jumping, but since he was a full demon he could go farther. Her theory was proven correct when he had to land a couple times before they reached his castle.
Immediately, Kagome dug into her backpack. She could feel his amber eyes on her, confused, but captivated by curiosity none the less. She found what she was looking for and held out the packet of raymen for him. "Here," she handed it to him, though he was hesitant to take it, "this is for you."
"A gift?" he questioned, looking at the strange box as if it were about to explode.
She laughed. "It's called raymen. You eat it. If you want, I could cook it up for dinner tonight. It's something that the people of my village, Tokyo eat. I figured you might want to try it. It would do well for Rin's culture intake," she added, in case he had any doubts.
"Fine, we can eat this ray-men," he said the word slowly, for once unsure how to speak around her, "for dinner, but you do not have to make it. I have a chef."
"I don't think he knows what a stove is," she giggled.
"A stofe?"
"Never mind," she shook her head, racing into the building to find Rin. She couldn't wait to give the girl her toys. On her way up the stair she nearly fell over Jaken, who was standing in her way. "Move it, imp," she snapped, hopping over him, and continuing on her way.
"Did you hear what that ungrateful wench called me, master?" Jaken cried, when he reached the first floor, where Sesshomaru was staring quizzically at the stairs after Kagome.
"Yes," he said, in deep thought.
"Well…aren't you going to do something about her behavior?" he demanded.
"Jaken?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"Be silent."
Upstairs, Kagome ran into Rin's room. The little girl didn't have time to greet her before Kagome was hugging her. "Kagome-chan came back!" Rin squealed when the miko put her back down. She was even happier when she saw all the new toys. Kagome had brought her a doll with black hair and brown eyes, that looked like Rin. Also there was a top, some coloring books, and a collection of fairy tale stories. "What are these, Kagome-chan? Are these presents?" Kagome nodded and Rin started to hug her again.
Happiness flooded over Kagome Higuarshi. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy over something so simple. Maybe this place wasn't as bad as she had first made it out to be. After all, Sesshomaru was letting her cook dinner and Jaken wasn't giving her as much trouble anymore. Perhaps things were finally going to work out.
A/N: Disclaimer: The lyrics were from one of the song's in Inuyasha called "Dearest" by Ayumni Hamasaki. I don't own them, so don't sue me! Anyway, what did you think of the chapter. It was a bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but I promise the upcoming chapters have a lot more interesting Sesshomaru/Kagome action. No lemons! I don't write lemons! ~ Nev