Chapter Three:
The Search Begins
"You want me to do what?" Sesshomaru asked incredulously.
"I want you to go into the other room and change into the clothes I bought you. I will not repeat myself again," Madeline stated firmly as she handed Sesshomaru a neatly folded shirt, jeans, boxers, and socks.
"What is wrong with my kimono?"
"Technically, nothing. But people today do not wear them. They wear this, now go change!"
Sesshomaru parted his lips slightly to protest, but Madeline pointed a rigid finger to the door.
This will prove an interesting battle of wills, Sesshomaru thought. "Madeline, what are these?" he said picking up the socks and boxers.
"Those are socks, you put them over your feet. And those," Madeline blushed softly, "Are undergarments called boxers. You wear them under your pants."
"You are serious?" he said flatly.
"Yes. Oh! And the tags," she showed him one, "always go in the back," and showed him the collar of her shirt.
"Very well. If this will help with my search, I will wear them."
Sesshomaru took the clothes and proceeded to the empty room. He managed to remove his armor and kimono. He had some trouble with putting socks on one handed, yet he managed. He encountered only one dilemma in which he could not remedy.
Sesshomaru, fully dressed, walked down the hall to the room where Madeline waited and knocked gently. "Madeline?" he said.
"Yeah."
His pride played hell with him, but he had no choice to avoid what must inevitably come next. She will laugh . . .
"I need some assistance," he choked out. Madeline opened the door and saw Sesshomaru standing in the hall with his pants unfastened. But she did not laugh at him.
"I thought that must have been it," she said gently as she buttoned his blue jeans and pulled the zipper up carefully. "There you go!" she smiled up at him.
Sesshomaru was inwardly surprised. She did not laugh that I, Lord Sesshomaru, great youkai warrior, could not dress myself. But, on the other hand, she was not raised to fear, hate, or respect demons. They have never seen a demon here. Why is she so kind to me? I am alien to her . . .
"Thank you," he bowed to her.
"Don't mention it," she grinned, "but that's not all of it."
"What else could there be?"
"Shoes."
"Shooz?" he over-pronounced.
"Boots to be exact. You didn't seem the sneaker type," she noted the puzzled look on his face, "Don't ask. I'll show you later. Please," she patted the chair as she walked over to another bag, "sit down. I'll put your boots on for you."
"Is this necessary?" he asked with a hint more ice in his tone than usual.
"Unfortunately, yes," she shot back, "This is a two-hand job. I'm not trying to make you feel weak, Sesshomaru, I'm trying to help you! So, please, I'll ask one more time, sit down and let me put these on you."
How does she always know how I feel? He sat down immediately, silently fuming,then began to feel that he had offended her hospitality. "I did not mean to act ungrateful."
She knelt in front of him and opened a shoebox, "I know," she sighed while removing a boot from the box and lacing it, "I didn't mean to offend you, either. But it would have been cruel of me to ask you to tie your boots with only one hand." She pulled his left foot in her lap, pushed the boot on his foot and tied it, "I was only trying to help. How does that feel?"
Sesshomaru wriggled his toes and rotated his ankle, "They're heavy, and a bit stiff."
"Boots usually are at first. I bought you extra-thick socks so that you wouldn't be uncomfortable."
"I see."
"They'll feel better after you've worn them a while," she set his left foot aside and pulled his right into her lap. "If the weather was warmer, I could have just bought you some sandals. They don't have laces," she pushed the next boot on, "But, it's October, and way too damned cold for that," she laced and tied it, "There! Now, stand up and let me take a good look at you."
Sesshomaru stood up, now wearing a black t-shirt, relaxed fit blue jeans, and a pair of DocMartens.
"Excellent! You look great! We're almost ready to go."
"Go? Where?"
"You can't search for someone without going anywhere. You'd be lucky if this girl you're looking for just happened to drop by my house," Madeline chuckled to herself, "So, I have some errands to run, bills to pay, and you're coming with me."
"What kinds of errands?"
"You are just full of questions today, aren't you? I have a few minor bills to pay, a couple things to buy, and you'll need some more clothes. Now, I'm going to warn you, where we're going there will be a lot of people. Just keep calm and follow my lead. If by chance someone asks about your markings, just say they are tattoos." Madeline stood up and headed for the door, "Do you think you'll be able to handle that?"
"I will manage."
"Come on then. I'll get you a coat."
Sesshomaru followed her down the stairs and let her help him into a jacket. Madeline put on a pullover sweatshirt and grabbed her purse and keys. He followed her out of the house and stopped dead in his tracks, "You mean for me to get inside that, that thing?" He spoke of her Chevy Blazer.
"Of course I do," she arched her brow mischievously, knowing precisely how to press his buttons already, "You're not scared, are you, Sesshomaru?"
"Humph!" he snorted proudly, stood just a little higher and determinedly strode to the car. He stood by the driver's side door, "Let's go."
"Close, but no cookie. You have to sit on the other side."
His hair bristled slightly, "Fine!" He walked around the car. Madeline opened her door and sat on the driver's seat as Sesshomaru climbed in on the other side. He watched intently as she fastened her seat belt. "Why are you restraining yourself?"
It took Madeline a moment to grasp what he had meant. Upon realizing he meant the seat belt, she answered, "It's in case some idiot hits me with their car. It will prevent me from sustaining serious injuries."
"I won't need it."
"Like hell you won't! Remember our little talk about the police? They will pull me over and charge me money if you don't wear it. And if they look a little too closely at you, we'll have to answer a lot of questions that we don't even want asked. Got it?"
He grumbled, but put it on.
Madeline put the car in gear and pulled out of the driveway. Sesshomaru tensed up greatly. Madeline patted his leg a little boldly, trying to calm him down, "Relax. I do this all the time," she chimed softly.
"That's easy for you to say!" Sesshomaru growled and bristled up like a cornered dog.
"Hey! Hey, it's all right!" Madeline reached into her visor and pulled out a CD and popped it in the stereo, I hope this distracts him enough to calm him down!
The music began and he instantly calmed down. Sesshomaru was intrigued by the melody pouring from the speakers. He was sedated. Thank the Gods I made a "Relaxed" CD mix. Madeline kept driving and Sesshomaru kept listening. I just hope the mall doesn't send him overboard. But he's looking for a girl, and he won't get much done hanging around my house all the time. The mall will be a definite starting point. Poor guy . . . I don't know why I feel so compelled to help him.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Sesshomaru handled the mall far better than Madeline could have ever hoped for. The only things that he avoided at all costs were the cosmetic/perfume counters, lotion/soap stores, and the candle shop. He was almost knocked backwards when they walked past Bath and Body Works.
"Oh my God! Are you all right?" Madeline gasped as she reached to steady Sesshomaru, thinking he was going to faint.
"Get me past this place, now!" he choked, covering his nose. His eyes were unfocused and watering profusely.
Madeline looked on him with the deepest sympathy. "I don't have your sense of smell and that place makes me ill. I'm so very sorry. I should have remembered."
"It is all right. You did not remember. It is fine." They sat on a bench near the food court.
"Have you noticed anyone in particular?"
Sesshomaru looked around, then to her, "Not really. But they have noticed me."
Madeline's eyebrow perked up, "Oh?"
"Yes. It began when I went into that clothing shop with you, when you were paying a 'bill.' The women were staring at me; staring at me as a hungry dog eyes a slab of meat . . . until they see that I have only one arm. And all the women in the other stores stared like that, too. They were superficial."
Madeline lowered her head.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Do I? Do I stare like they do?"
Sesshomaru lowered his eyelids in thought, then looked back to Madeline. Her burgundy hair fell about her like a curtain with her porcelain skin peeking out here and there. "No. You do not stare at me like that. I have learned from today's adventure that you are a unique woman in your time."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Most women I see here that are near your age dress very," he paused to think of the right word, "Provocatively. They dress for attention. Sexual attention to be specific. And that is all they seek as well. You are not like that. You dress for your own comfort. Not for the hungry glance of a man. They also paint their faces heavily with make-up, as you called it. You do not. They also arrange their hair quite precisely, and you do not. You are satisfied with pulling it back or leaving it down. Why?"
Madeline was caught off guard. "You are quite observant."
"I pride myself on it."
She sighed, and thought long before answering his questions. "The best that I can say, Sesshomaru, is that I do not place value on a person's looks. I have seen many men who were beautiful to look at, but were so absolutely ugly inside that their very presence sickened me. I don't know why. I could always feel their evil and their ignorance. I value a person for what they are in their mind and their heart. That is why I was not frightened of your claws or fangs. I felt that you needed help. That you would not harm me."
He listened to her words, and was grateful for every one of them. "I thank you, Madeline. For not staring at me like a prize stud to be used for your pleasure, and for all the help you have given me," he picked up the bags they had accumulated from shopping (mostly clothing for him, including a winter coat), "However, I would like to get back to your home soon. I do not like feeling as if I am on display."
"I agree. Would you mind if I grabbed something to eat first?"
"Not at all."
"Are you hungry?"
"No."
"Do you ever eat?"
"Rarely."
"Figures."
Madeline grabbed a plate of fried noodles and bourbon chicken at the food court along with a 44 ounce Dr. Pepper. Her eyes glittered at the sight of it. "I can't remember the last time I had bourbon chicken! Ahhh, the number of times I've ordered this combo plate. It reminds me of when my friends and I used to come here to do our shopping," her thoughts trailed off, and when she came back to herself, she ate her noodles and chicken.
Sesshomaru let her eat in peace even though he sensed her unrest at mentioning her past. He remained silent until they were back on the freeway, heading "home" at seventy miles per hour. About fifteen minutes into their drive, he reached over and turned down the stereo, "Madeline?"
"Hmm?" she responded, not taking her eyes off the road as she switched lanes to pass an eighteen wheeler.
"What happened to your friends?"
Her eyes shot to him momentarily, "What makes you think something happened?"
"I have been at your home for almost a week now, and haven't heard you mention them once or receive a call from them on that 'phone' thing. And you said at the mall that you 'used' to go there with your friends. Meaning you don't anymore."
She sighed, "You really are sharp."
"You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to."
"It's all right. Mainly we all grew apart. I went to college. The guys moved to pursue their band in Seattle. The girls either got married and had kids, or developed drug problems. It tends to happen."
"You were kind of left behind, weren't you?"
"Yeah, kind of. But, I went on. I've had so much to deal with since my parents died. But, my degree is almost finished, and . . . I really don't know what else," and she laughed softly to herself.
A ringing silence hung in the air while they sped down the freeway. Sesshomaru softly told her, "It will be all right."
