A/N: I own nothing, nothing is mine. No Sue me!
Chapter 2: Cherries and Cinnamon
A set of sapphire blue eyes flicked over from a form clad in red to a figure clad in miko garbs. The owner of these eyes was wary, her heart filled with sorrow. It felt as if she was being slowly strangled but the one suffocating her was teasing her, giving her just enough room to gasp for breath. Her chest was knotted up with a days worth of tension, her heart being squeezed to the point it felt as if it was going to explode. Tears pricked at the back of Kagomes eyes, why had Inuyasha betrayed her like this?
Thoughts heavily burdened with the weight of the hanyous decision plagued the young priestesses mind. Her aura looked like a clashing thunderstorm. Everyone In the group besides Kikyo and Inuyasha knew it was just a matter of time before she either up and left or blew her top. Why she hadn't done so already was beyond them. Shippou did his best to give her comfort, snuggling into her arms and nuzzling her neck. It was how kitsune comforted family and with Kagomes neck being as sensitive as it relaxed her to a point. What calmed her down the most was how the fox kit purred for her, the vibrations soothing her soul into a state of lulled contentment.
Sango did her best as well, talking to her and keeping her company. In the past two days the demon slayer had dragged the young priestess to the hot springs at least four times. It was relaxing and helped to calm her down. Miroku however was the comedy relief for her. Him getting bashed over the head every few minutes by Sango was amusing but at the same time she felt bad for him. The poor guy was once again out like a light after having become intimate with a very large bone boomerang.
There was one thing that Kagome could not stand and that was the silence that hung thickly between all of them. Running her fingers through Shippous tail was keeping her from accidentally exploding. When the term explode is used it was literal. Her miko powers had been going crazy, screaming 'danger danger' to her over and over again. She would not leave her friends with the soul stealing clay pot though. Kami only knew how much Kagome distrusted the undead priestess. As if it wasn't bad enough that she wanted to take Inuyasha to hell with her, now she was trying to replace Kagome in the group.
Not being able to stand it any longer Kagome stood up so fast that Shippou had to cling to her shirt so he wouldn't crash to the ground. Looking like a trapped animal In a cage the girl swallowed thickly then announced her plans to them all. "I'm going for a bath, I'll be back in a little while." Sango looked up at her and offered to go with her for protection. Shaking her head Kagome smiled at her cheerily, even if it was some what forced. "No, It's ok. I'll be gone for only a little while." However Shippou would have none of it and was going with her weather she liked it or not.
Inuyasha just looked at her with a bored expression, not caring since he had his Kikyo with him now. All he did was let out a muffled 'feh' before looking the other way. Kikyo just stared at the wall in front of her, eyes lifeless and dead. What Inuyasha saw in her none of them knew and at this point really didn't care that much. Gathering her bathing supplies Kagome gave Miroku a pointed look before heading out. Just as she left the small hut that they all shared a loud resonating smack reached her ears. Shaking her head Kagome let out withering sigh. 'Some people just never learn.'
Sinking down into the hot water Kagome let out a sigh of contentment. The heat seeped into her muscles, unknotting them like magic. If it was magic Kagome wouldn't really be surprised. She had heard from Kaede that water sprites sometimes helped a wandering miko or priest unwind if they saw they were under great stress. To say the least Kagome was more then stressed. Her eyes were dull, void of their usual spark and her loving smile was replaced by a mask of sorrow.
Pressing her back against a rock by the shore Kagome let her eyes slide closed, letting herself enjoy the few moments of peace she had before she had to return to the chaos back at the hut. Breathing In deeply she let the water vapors lull her into a light doze. The sound of Shippou swimming near by letting her know that should trouble arrive his piercing scream would awake her. Even if the kit was male boy did he ever have set of lungs on him. Sometimes she wondered if even puberty would change how his voice considering it was so high pitched.
Not far away a certain demon lord was finishing off a rather disgusting creature. It looked like a bunch of foul demon parts had been sewn together then covered with a coating of slime. To make matters worse the thing had caught him off guard, belching a stream of sickly mucous all over his back and part of his front. Sesshoumaru was disgusted and rightly so. Any living creature with any respect towards hygiene would be. The hilt of toukijin was sticking to his hand, the goop squishing between his fingers and sticking under his claws. Of course his normal bored expression was placed on his face, a mask of stoic indifference. But if one were to look into the molten amber gaze of his they would see just how revolted the western lord was.
Not wanting to waste any more time on a creature who by his standards was no threat Sesshoumaru flicked his wrist, sending blades of energy at the foul creature. It didn't even have a chance to scream before it was turned to nothing but a few strewn out body parts. Sheathing his sword Sesshoumaru pulled his hand away from the hilt and once again flicked his wrist. Gunk flew from his fingertips, splattering onto a near by trees trunk. Oh how he loathed the smell that wafted off him. It reeked and was causing a headache to form. It was a good thing he had left Rin behind at his estate with Jaken. Kami only knew the trouble it would be to scrub her clean. He knew from past experiences that the ningen child was a handful when it came to bath time. Then again, he himself rarely bathed her, only when he had absolutely no choice did the western lord help her bathe. It was beneath him to do such a thing but her pleading brown eyes softened him, if not only for but a few moments.
Inwardly sneering Sesshoumaru gracefully pivoted on his heel and lifted his head a fraction of an inch. Withdrawing a breath of air through his nose the demon lord scented out the nearest hot spring In which he could bathe in. Smelling one not but a half of a mile away from him the Inuyoukai embarked on his small quest for cleanliness. He didn't even acknowledge the smell of cinnamon and cherries that filled his nose with that same breath. Cherry trees were in bloom and cinnamon berries were a common plant in the area. Brushing it off as just being part of the natural surroundings Sesshoumaru steadily made his way to the spring, Ignoring the sick feeling that the slim in his boots created whenever he put his foot down.
A/N
Uh oh, looks like there's going to be an encounter. Sorry It took so long to update. Hopefully this will feed the hungry rabid readers that I have for the time being.
Thanks to all my reviewers!
Vocab
Ningen: Human
Kami: God
Inuyoukai: dog Demon
