Running Blind
Just A Starving Writer

Disclaimer: nope, not mine.
Author's Exclamation: Still...Wow. Thanks y'all. Really. I don't deserve it.
If you were curious, I got a lot of the inspiration from that tiny little meeting in the first movie between Kikyou and His Supreme Awesomeness. Been thinking about those odd comments for months now. (yippee bootleg!)

Part 4: November, December

November

With one last push of barely existent strength, she pulled herself out of the well. Once firmly in the past, she did little more than lean against the aged wood, reveling in the feeling of the cold ground beneath her. Sliding the flimsy cloth and paper mask off her face, she finally took an unobstructed breath of fresh air.

This was a welcome reprieve from her tortuous week in the modern world, but she couldn't risk staying for long. After all, no one knew she had gone and it was best if no one found out. If Inuyasha came across her while she rested, he would only insist that she stay and she really didn't have the energy for that argument. She couldn't stay, not for more than a few minutes, not while Souta was still sick.

She knew he would be fine. It was only the flu but still, she couldn't stand to see him so weak. It reminded her of all the times she hadn't been around for him and so she could not abandon her only brother now, when he needed her most. But that didn't mean that she didn't need to escape to the fresh air.

Only, that was what bothered her. She had been spoilt, she realized. The air of the modern world was no longer fresh, not after she had experienced the Feudal Era. She had tried to take her rest on the shrine grounds but found it impossible with the noise from the cars, something she had never truly heard before. The modern world was suffocating her, she noted with horror, with its ceaseless noise, its hazy sky, and tainted air. There was no escape in her time so she had only done what was necessary to maintain her sanity. The well had offered her peace of mind and she had taken it.

Kagome wanted to cry. Was Fate truly this cruel? To bring her here, to this world, spoil her own, just to taunt her with what she couldn't have? After all she had accomplished and fought for, after all she had been put through, it wasn't fair, but then she wasn't childish enough to think that fairness truly mattered in any world. Any misconceptions she may have had on that topic were swiftly destroyed after the first discoveries of Naraku's treachery. Miroku's curse wasn't fair, Inuyasha's betrayal wasn't fair, Sango's pain wasn't fair, and that was just the way it was. Life wasn't fair. But that knowledge didn't make it hurt any less.

As silent tears drifted down her cheeks, a bit of warmth against the chilly wind, she turned her head upward and focused on the stars, the unhidden stars that splayed the night with soft light that could never be mimicked.

Her mother and grandfather, to prepare the children for the certain number of English speaking tourists that were sure to visit the shrine each year, had began teaching her the foreign language at a very young age. As her skill increased, both with teaching in school and her own private tutelage at home, she became interested in the different forms the language took. And thus it was that she was introduced to the world renowned works of one William Shakespeare. However, as much as she had loved the lyrical and haunting qualities of his more dramatic works, she had never truly understood some of their deeper themes until now.

"I am Fortune's Fool," she whispered to the quiet sky even as she closed her eyes to block the temptation.

She must have fallen asleep, she pondered as she opened slightly swollen eyes to see the stars shifted from their previous position. That could only mean she had been gone for far too long. Stretching her stiff muscles, she leaned heavily on the well to pull herself up and was preparing to jump in when she felt a warming presence at her back. Still, she hesitated to face him, if only because he was all the more reason to stay in this world instead of her own.

"You are a fool," he stated with authority, leaving no room for argument. "A fool to forget so easily."

She was curious and confused and finally risked a confrontation.

"Forget what?"

"That you are still alive."

This was the second time that he had drawn her from her drowning pity and she appreciated it all the more. With a smile that could rival the sun in brightness, she bowed her thanks before swinging her feet over the edge of the well. However, one thought on the periphery of her mind stopped her and, sitting on the lip of the structure with her feet dangling into nothingness, she turned her head to the silent taiyoukai.

"You sought me this time, did you not?"

His silence seemed answer enough. Her smile widened.

"I'll try not to forget," she said as she pulled the mask back over her head, declining to put it in place just yet. "I'll try if you do."

And with a push, she was gone.

They would have to be blind to not notice the change in her, she decided. Every step was lighter, every smile brighter, and it seemed so damn hard to keep herself from floating away on a cloud of happiness. How could one not be happy if they were alive?

She was certain to include both sides of her life in the transformation. No longer would she lose her high spirits upon returning to the modern world for it had just as many marvels. True, it wasn't the same, but then that could be quite appreciated when it came in the form of toilet paper and chocolate. No, the modern world wasn't the pristine wilderness of the Feudal Era, but that didn't make it any less beautiful. Its beauty simply laid in the ingenuity of its people.

Her friends and family seemed most affected by her returned cheerfulness. Family dinners were much warmer, despite the rapidly chilling temperature, and treks through the past were all the more comfortable due to uplifting conversation. It seemed the miko could breathe life into anything and at the moment, she choose to do so everywhere. Life welcomed her all the more because of it.

The only portion of her life that her companions still thought fit to criticize was her runs. While Miroku originally remained silent on the issue, even he had to add a word of comment when the need grew to a nightly affair. Still, she pushed off their concern even as she sprinted into the obscuring woods, hoping each night to grow a little faster and become a little closer to the life she loved so. There was just something in running that made her feel so hugely alive and free and she wouldn't give up that feeling for anything.

It was too simple, she argued. To deny her such a simple pleasure was to deny her air and it was ridiculous. Nothing negative had occurred yet during her nightly runs and nothing would. It appeared, she argued, that she had a guardian watching over her. A glance at Miroku at the time she spoke that suggestion showed that though he was suspicious, he was wisely remaining silent.

More often than not, she came across the blank taiyoukai on her journeys, but their odd relationship, whatever it was, had calmed from what little substance it had to their original silent encounters. However, she half suspected that the meetings were no longer the 'Fated coincidences' of before. Instead, he seemed to willingly take a position as road sign, a steady warning of when she had ventured too far from the safety of her friends. She could almost convince herself that he was watching out for her, a thought she could only attribute to his previous declaration that she had 'proven herself useful.' If that wasn't a compliment from the almighty Lord Sesshoumaru, nothing was. Still, she kidded herself not in her assumptions that she understood even some portion of the quiet demon.

Kagome never mentioned their nearly nightly encounters with her companions, though she suspected Miroku knew more than he let on. At one point, she had been curious that Inuyasha had never once picked up his brother's scent, even after she had come rather close to the youkai. However, after a few nights of seeing him sniff in confusion before giving up, she figured the elder brother had a few tricks regarding tracking that the younger was not aware of. It would certainly explain how, in the past, they had continually been surprised by the demon lord's unexpected presence. Of course it would be that the mighty Sesshoumaru would only let himself be known when he chose. It was yet another facet of the control he seemingly so practiced and sought.

It was an enigma to be sure. He was an enigma. But she troubled her head with it little. All that mattered now was her life and her duty: as a friend, as a daughter, as a sister, as a miko, and as a person. She staunchly refused to dwell on anything that could not be changed and related as such each night she came across her silent companion with a thankful smile as she turned back towards camp.

Still, part of her wondered. Part of her dreamed. Part of her refused to believe that the strange and unlikely bond they had formed would remain this simple. When her thoughts took this turn, she could only shake them loose and hope no one had noticed her impromptu blush. Of course, she knew very well that the monk often caught her red cheeked, but he said nothing and she offered no explanation. Everything would be revealed in time, she decided. For the present, there was no need to worry.

It was going to be a frosty winter, she noted internally as the cold air stung her lungs. Here in late November, she could already sense the approach of the first major winter storm. Snow was unlikely this early in the season, but it was a possibility. Still, that was all to consider tomorrow. Tonight belonged to her alone.

When she came across the familiar taiyoukai, her body resisted the usual impulse to slow and turn around. Instead, it longed to continue just a little bit longer, go just a little bit farther, enjoy this just a little bit more. And so, with a girlish giggle, she ran right passed the blank demon, blatantly ignoring his silent warning that she had gone far enough for the night.

She would have never guessed in a million years that he would have followed her. Thus it came as a complete surprise when an astoundingly warm, silk clad arm wrapped around her waist, turned her in the opposite direction, and released her, her momentum enough to carry her the first few steps back toward camp. However, as soon as she realized what had happened, she grinned slyly as she used a small tree to fling herself around back to her original direction.

She had only taken a few steps before she was once again forcefully turned toward safety. Laughing out loud, she ran for a full minute before sidestepping and beginning a new course perpendicular to her original. With a surprised but happy gasp, she was once again seized but this time she remained in his hold until her humor faded under the spell his powerful personality exuded. Relaxing into his warm arm, she leaned precariously back onto his armor before rolling her head up to catch what glimpse she could of his expression. Her curiosity was begging her to discover if he was still blank, and indeed he was. The strange light in his eyes she dismissed as the moon's influence even as something in her heart jumped with suppressed joy.

"It is time to return, miko," he stated nonchalantly without loosening his grip, seemingly aware of her intent to further the game with disobedience.

"But the night is so beautiful!" she breathed.

"The night is dangerous for a lone human."

"But I'm not alone, now am I?"

Her remark seemed to surprise him for he was silent for a brief moment. However, in the next instant he released her and then she was the one left pausing.

Seeming to realize she was still leaning against what had once been her enemy, she wasted no further time in taking off, staying within sight of the taiyoukai as she ran between the trees and used low hanging tree branches as leverage for gymnastics moves she had only recently had any aptitude for. Her running, it occurred to her with a smile, was good for more than just her spirit.

Eventually, however, her excitement ebbed as she felt the need to return. There was still a long run back and she needed to preserve her strength if she wanted to reach there within any reasonable amount of time. She had learnt this lesson early in her runs and by now it was a mantra: the farther you go, the longer it takes to get back. Sprinting to her strange protector she stopped short of running into him. With only a bow and a bright smile, she turned on her heel and began the long jog to her friends.

The journey back was a blur and her heart only slowed to a reasonable pace when she was safely encased within her trusted sleeping bag, the extra blankets piled atop to provide the additional warmth that was quickly growing necessary. As her mind replayed the events of the night, she turned away from the fire to hide her blush from her companions. However, upon turning back, she noticed the hanyou sniffing with a decidedly irritated and confused expression while the monk had unreadable eyes trained on her. With a soft, unrelenting smile, she let sleep overtake her.

December

Their meetings had finally reached a nightly occurrence and more often than not, they would play the game she had created that night in late November. Often, she refused to obey his silent order just to bring him into the activity. She looked forward to the odd warmth of his arm after the miles she ran in the cold and disobedience was the easiest path to that most welcome heat.

The encounters occurred with little variation. Occasionally, she would speak to him, usually a taunt or observation, and even less occasionally, he would respond. However, they remained silent most of the time, choosing instead to let the night make its own music.

She was no closer to understanding him and she figured she never really would. Unfortunately, she was much more familiar with own self and therefore was well aware of the growing affection she had for the quiet demon. It was dangerous, this she knew all too well, but it could not be stopped. What would become of her heart, she could not guess, but decided there was no harm in appreciating his company. She was under no illusions of who he was as he never let her forget it through his imposing presence alone. Still, that didn't mean there was more to him than either of them had ever expected.

Before long, the game commenced in that it would occur nightly. She suspected he could no longer resist the chase than she could resist defying him. It was all too strange, but then she decided not to worry about such trivial things. After all, it was also all too strange for a girl from modern Tokyo to be searching the Feudal Era for fragments of a magical jewel that had been extracted from her very body.

Often times, the thought would occur to her what her companions' reactions would be if they witnessed the odd ritual, but once again, she deemed the idea trivial and let it fade. Until such a day happened, there was no need to concern herself with it.

However, that day came much sooner than she could have ever expected.

A daylight encounter hadn't occurred since they had crossed paths and his ward had gifted her with flowers. She later assumed they were simply long overdue. Thus it was that as she traveled a cold road with her companions in the ceaseless search for destiny, the hanyou tensed with anticipation.

"Sesshoumaru," he growled and she relaxed with a soft grin. Though there was no love lost between the brothers, she doubted the lord would go so far as to kill the hanyou. Lately, it seemed his agenda had changed and it hadn't been a worthwhile enterprise in quite some time. Explaining that to the hanyou was useless.

Before long, the imposing taiyoukai came upon them, partially hidden by the trees, his entourage faithfully following. While he made no action to attack, his very presence was enough to put Inuyasha on edge. As it appeared they would be traveling parallel for some time, the suspense could only grow.

The hanyou could not resist a few comments on the supposed cowardice of his brother and Kagome knew all too certain that the lord would only tolerate the insolence for a short while before seeking to teach the half-breed a painful lesson. While perhaps her friend could benefit from his brother's tutelage, she was unwilling to let it escalate that far, not that she had much control over the situation.

With one particularly malicious taunt, the taiyoukai halted. Everyone present, with the obvious exception of the seemingly clueless ward, stood in the expectation of a battle that was surely forthcoming. With a crack of his knuckles, the lord began his assault.

The miko was distraught. She hated to see the siblings fight, now all the more that she had grown close to the elder brother. While she could risk subduing the hanyou, she knew it would only increase his fury through embarrassment. Instead, she needed to find some way to distract the youkai. With a slight grin, she dropped everything she was carrying and ran.

It took some time before she felt his presence rapidly approaching. Obviously, he was giving her the benefit of warning by neglecting to use his full speed. Also, she thought, he was allowing her to gain distance away from her companions who would no doubt be curious as to her sudden departure.

The arm that appeared around her waist stopped her rather suddenly, and in fitting with the laws of motion, her momentum carried her forward still, the additional weight of her captor only adding to her fall. With a delighted gasp, she hit the ground.

It was certainly not the noblest situation the lord had been in, she decided. Still, she imagined it must have been quite the entertaining image, what with their partially entangled limbs on the leaf covered forest floor. With a laugh, she lifted herself enough to free his arm and turned around, resting on her back, ignoring the dried leaves that gathered in her loose hair. He had already partially arisen, getting as far as his knees before their eyes met and locked.

She was in awe. Though his countenance was still schooled in blankness, his eyes portrayed a different picture altogether. Confusion was the most dominant sentiment to work its way past the veil of nonchalance but mixed within was some indeterminable emotion that struggled beneath the surface. With a smile of appreciation for the warm beauty he had allowed to be seen, she lifted a cold hand to his face, halting just before touching, basking in the heat that that seemed to pour from his very being. He was like a star, she thought dimly, coldly brilliant even as he burned hotter than any fire.

Their silent transgression was halted when he suddenly tensed and turned in the direction of the others. Before long, even she could hear the hanyou's calls for her. Gracefully regaining his feet, he held out his hand for her. For a long moment, she could only stare in continued awe at the polite gesture before tentatively putting her hand in his. Within a moment, before she had adequate time to fully appreciate the warmth of his hand enclosed around hers, she was on her feet beside him.

Without a word, he left speedily, only moments before a red blur signaled the hanyou's arrival. She only half listened to his demands for explanation as to why she felt the need to run at such an important time for him, right when he was 'just about to show his brother who was strongest.' She could only lazily grin as she walked away, back towards the road where the monk and slayer awaited.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" the hanyou finally yelled in frustration as she once again picked up her belongings. Whatever answer she might have intended, if any, was left to ignorance as the monk responded for her.

"Obviously, Kagome-sama had something important to attend to."

With a surprised and thankful smile at Miroku, she resumed their trek.

The next day dawned bright but the tension was still thick amongst the shard hunters. She supposed the hanyou was still beyond irritated at her stunt of the day before. The monk's eyes seemed to be a constant lock on her. The slayer continued to sneak suspicious glances that the miko continued to notice while the kitsune currently preferred the company of the monk.

She could be frustrated by the attention she was currently receiving, but she let it pass. All would be revealed in time, perhaps sooner than she had expected, but all in time. For now, they could form their own opinions.

As midday approached, she began her pleas on behalf of her comrades for a lunch break. Right when the hanyou was beginning to give in, he stiffened and hurried forward, ignoring their requests for information. As they rounded a bend in the road, they found their leader stopped at a most peculiar sight.

The little girl sat precariously perched upon a boulder as she knitted a bough of evergreen together into a crown. When she noticed her stunned audience, she slid off her rock with all the dexterity of a child and lightly approached the miko, seeming to take no notice of the others.

"Kagome-sama," she said with a bow and smile. "If it does not trouble you, my lord wishes that I remain with you while he and Jaken-sama attend to important business."

Kagome could only nod with dumbfounded agreement even as the hanyou began to voice his objections.

"Why the hell would Sesshoumaru leave you with us?" he demanded. The girl rightly ignored him, a sure sign of her protector's influence, and instead spoke to the miko who was currently giving the hanyou a stern look.

"My lord would ordinarily trust Ah-Un to protect me, but he had need of my friend, and my presence would only slow his progress."

Wiping the unneeded surprise from her face, the miko knelt to the girl's level before smiling brightly and offering her hand. The child took it without hesitation and the agreement was set. Though Kagome could not guess how she had earned the honor presented to her in the form of temporarily custody of his ward, she knew better than to dismiss it.

The child required very little and adjusted to the life of the shard hunters with absurd ease. The only issue she had trouble with was the concept of scheduled meals. While the miko had previously taken no thought of the regularity of their food stops, she became well aware when the ward asked to be excused to forage. When Kagome explained they would soon stop to eat, the girl had smiled her thanks and resumed her soft humming.

The miko had eyed her curiously, noting that the girl never strayed far from her side. It was apparent the child had been instructed in her behavior during her 'visit.' Kagome could only imagine that conversation while stifling a giggle, much to the enjoyment of the ward.

However, that evening she discovered what could have possibly been one of the main reasons for leaving the child with her. When she felt the familiar call for a run, the ward had grabbed her hand, and with pleading eyes, asked that she not be left alone with the strangers. Never one to deny a child, she had relented and, much to everyone's relief, forgone her nightly run.

The same event occurred the next night and the following. After four days without her traditional commune with Nature in jogging form, she sought answers from the only available source.

"Rin, what is the real reason Sesshoumaru-sama sent you to me?"

"My lord had business to attend to and stated that you were the only one he could trust with my safety."

Of course, though they had suspected as much, they were still sufficiently shocked that the lord had actually spoken the words.

"What else did he tell you?" the miko continued.

"That I should not allow you to leave my sight though he mentioned it might be rather difficult."

Both miko and child could only stifle a giggle at that, ignoring the others as they looked on in obvious bewilderment.

"Kagome-sama?" the child asked, a hint of a plea in her sweet voice. "Will you be joining us soon? Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken-sama, and I?"

She could never decide if in that moment her skin was drained or burned with a blush. Either way, she suspected her reaction was very telling.

"Why would you think that?" she practically whispered.

The ward looked into the distance before once again meeting her gaze.

"He is different after he sees you," Rin stated with what could only be complete and serious honesty.

Kagome could only stare in wonder before a grin crept across her face. The girl responded with a bright smile.

"Is that so?" the miko asked with a giddy laugh. Rin only giggled as she nodded.

With a happy sigh, the miko held out her hand which the girl took as they continued their trek, leaving the hanyou rather unsatisfied.

"Wait a damn minute! What the hell is going on here!" he insisted.

"Not now, Inuyasha," she responded while gesturing toward the ward.

This discussion was no doubt saved until it could be continued without the presence of innocents, as Miroku explained to the irate hanyou. While he seemed unhappy with the whole situation, Kagome ignored his glare, choosing instead to smile softly and let her mind wander over the information she had received.