Chapter Nineteen: Return to the Past
LB: Hello, patient ones! At last the long-awaited and much deserved chapter nineteen is up. I did some major reformatting and I finally have the chance to post it. I have been posting on my profile, but now communication with me is so much easier through my forum: http/ Chapter ten is still being written, but I'll let you know on the progress through my profile or forum as well.
And, as the name of the forum says, this has inevitably become a trilogy. sigh I have this condition, see, and I simply can't allow anyone to go unpaired. I have restrained myself in pairing off everybody, but since I was unsuccessful here to pair Inuyasha, I thought I should at least do that, as well as following up on Kagome/Sesshoumaru, and Tetsuka (who will remain unpaired until departing). Until next time! –Lels.
Kagome embraced her mother warmly. She had never been so sorry to leave, nor so willing to go. Her heart tugged her toward both eras, and a chord struck inside of her, tears gathering in her eyes. She had no idea when she would return, or if her family would even recognize her when she did so. As the reality of her situation crashed upon her, her tears soaked her mother's shirt.
Mrs. Higurashi did not know the cause of her daughter's sobs, but she instinctively refrained from asking. Sometimes, she wished that she could destroy the blasted well and keep Kagome from the turmoil that constantly switching eras obviously created for her, but she knew that no matter what she did, her daughter's heart would be devastatingly shattered. It was for this reason that Mieko Higurashi had not already locked her daughter in her bedroom and burned down the well house.
Kagome inhaled deeply. "I love you, mom." Mrs. Higurashi smiled consolingly. "I love you too, Kagome. You've grown into a beautiful young woman so quickly, I don't know where the time has gone. Your father would have been so proud of you. I wish you could have spent more time with him."
A pair of dark, green eyes watched intently from the underbrush. Sesshoumaru's gaze shifted from side to side, ignoring the conversation. He sensed a strange presence, and it was disturbing him. He stared directly into the bushes nearby, where he could scarcely detect the scent of a human. He flashed forward, ready to decapitate the intruder. Sesshoumaru was most surprised when his claws sliced through an equally shocked – and now deceased – bird.
Kagome chuckled nervously. "Umm…Sesshoumaru…I think it's time to go back to the feudal era, now…where it's okay to take out your anger and, well, kill things."
She gave her mother one last hug and grasped Sesshoumaru's hand. Tetsuka followed behind them, and the three were soon back in the feudal era, outside of the bone-eater's well. Kagome glanced around nervously. Where was Kagura?
Said wind witch stared anxiously from the shelter of the trees. If she so much as moved, Sesshoumaru would sense her and dissect her neatly into several billion pieces. A bead of sweat dripped along her hairline as she frantically tried to will Kagome to make eye-contact with her. Finally, a pair of brown orbs met with her stare.
Kagome stiffened as she spotted the pair of crimson eyes. Sesshoumaru was saying something to her, so she used that as her cover to think.
"Kagome…back in your era, I sensed…" Kagome nodded to show she was listening – not that she was – and silently communicated with Tetsuka. 'You have to distract Sesshoumaru. Get him as far away as you possibly can!' Tetsuka promptly turned to Sesshoumaru, who had halted speaking suspiciously, studying their obvious connection. "What were you…"
Tetsuka yanked on his arm, attempting to pull his still form backwards. "Come on, Sesshoumaru. I..um…forgot something."
"Why do I have to go?"
"Umm…because…you have to go because…it's important." Sesshoumaru glared at her coldly. "What could possibly be so important that Kagome does not need to come for?" Tetsuka sighed. "Just come on."
After they'd left, Kagura stepped warily from the wood, and peered into the well. "What is the mystery of this well?"
"I don't think we have time for that…" Kagome replied quickly. "Right," Kagura agreed. "We obviously can't do it right now…so I'll come for you tonight." Kagome nodded. "Fine. When it's late." Kagura's ears pricked as a thump echoed from the bottom of the well. "They're back…Oh, and before I forget, bring a few drops of Sesshoumaru's blood." She whipped out her feather and tore off into the sky, leaving Kagome staring dumbly after her. 'How in all the hells am I supposed to do that?"
Sesshoumaru and Tetsuka emerged from the well, the latter appearing quite pleased with herself, and the former just a bit irate. He sighed, a barely detectable display of exasperation. "You dragged me back there for a bar of chock-o-latt?" Tetsuka shrugged. "I had a craving."
"You don't eat," he remarked pointedly. She frowned, then retorted, "I meant that Kagome had a craving."
"And how do you know this?"
"We can communicate telepathically," Tetsuka shot back smugly. "Didn't you know?"
"That makes so much more sense," Sesshoumaru muttered. Tetsuka clapped her hands. "I didn't know you were capable of sarcasm!" He scowled, seething. "What you don't know could fill many scrolls." Tetsuka smirked. "Likewise."
Of course, they all knew that the only reason Tetsuka still possessed all of her limbs was that she was already dead.
Kagome sighed, smiling. "Let's just go." As an afterthought, Tetsuka tossed a rather small chocolate bar to her. She resolved to give it to Shippou and Rin later on.
Sesshoumaru stilled. "The scent of the wind witch lingers in the air…" He eyed Kagome suspiciously. "Do you know anything about this?" Kagome shook her head nervously. "Me? No…maybe she was here a while ago. I can't smell anything."
For a moment, he gave no response. He stepped closer, and she swallowed visibly as he spoke. "You are a dismal failure as a liar. You have been nervous and hasty for days. What are you hiding from me?"
Tetsuka poked her head in between them. "Hate to break up your little pow-wow, here, but I'm hungry. Let's go." Sesshoumaru's icy expression was a clear indicator as to how close he was to yelling. "Miko…how many times must we confirm that you are inable to ingest nourishment?" Tetsuka deadpanned him, appearing only slightly flustered. "I meant that Kagome is hungry, and is it really right for her future mate to ignore her deep yearning for food?" The corners of his mouth twitched into a smirk. "By your drastic need to retrieve it, I was under the impression that the bar of chock-o-latt was required to spare my future mate from hunger." Kagome, cheeks burning, cut off Tetsuka's sharp retort. "Okay, okay. Let's just go." She was just relieved that the subject of Kagura and her own edgy nervosity had been dropped.
As Sesshoumaru's cloud of youki materialized, Kagome hesitated, a thought striking her. Was she going away from home…or towards it?
" "KAGOME!" Shippou and Rin catapulted themselves at their adoptive mother. "Don't ever leave again, Kagome!" Shippou cried. "We missed you!" Kagome smiled. "Me, too, Shippou. It'g good to see you bot again. I've brought things for you." She reached into her yellow backpack, which had miraculously manaed to survive her abuse of it, and pulled out a box of 100 brightly coloured crayons. He beamed. "These are great, Kagome! There are so many!" The young miko grinned, and rummaed in her bag once more, pulling out Rin's doll. The child's eyes widened, marveling at the toy as Kagome gently placed it into her arms. She cradled it close to her. "There you are, Rin." Rin stared quietly into the doll's eyes, wondering in awe how such a beautiful replica of a baby had been made. "Thank you, Kagome-chan!" She threw her arms around her once more.
Sango's ecstatic voice reached her ears. "KAGOME! You've returned!" Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kiseki, ran out with similar (if not cruder, in Inuyasha's case) greetings. Kagome eagerly pulled out their gifts.
Sango blushed as she opened the parasol, remembering the insinuated event all too vividly.
Miroku studied his own gift carefully, examining the strange packaging. "I've never seen such an extravagant tea, Kagome! Has such a revolution truly taken place?"
Inuyasha accepted the ramen happily. "I haven't had this stuff in ages!" he eyed the bobble-head dog warily. "What…in hell…is that thing?" Kagome grinned, batting it as an example. "it's a bobble-head dog!"
"Umm…thanks…I think," he replied. Kagome grinned and turned to Kiseki, holding out her final gift; the jewelry box. Kiseki opened it tenderly and gasped in astonishment. "K-Kagome! It's beautiful!" Kagome had added a finishing touch: a silver star pendant on a thin chain. She helped Kiseki fasten it around her neck. She smiled vaguely at Kiseki's wonderment, but thought not of gifts and good times; the task ahead loomed ahead of her forebodingly.
Sesshoumaru had to admit that Kagome was becoming a worthier opponent, and couldn't fight back the surge of pride that coursed through him at her obvious improvement.
Her face was tense with concentration as she sent bursts of energy at him, which he barely managed to escape. He remembered in light humour how she had once swung her sword around wildly worse than Inuyasha might have; more a danger to herself than to any adversary.
A sudden shock of pain made a graze of blood along his arm. He actually had to make a bit of an effort now, he thought, focusing once more on the young woman before him. However, her strength did not last forever, he smirked, as she held up her hands in what seemed to be defeat. The moment he relaxed, she lashed out with glowing orbs of energy. She met him blow for blow in his assaults with Toukijin, beads of sweat forming at her hairline. He lunged forward suddenly, their swords clashing until he had her backed against the wall, and he bent his head to hers.
"I win." His lips claimed hers fiercely, an absolute statement of dominance, and his teeth grazed her lower lip. She dropped her katana, and both their swords fell to the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck obligingly. Her eyes were dark, he noticed, and her breathing heavy as he ceased his attack on her senses.
"Sesshoumaru!" called a voice. "Cousin, I had no idea you'd taken on a lover!" A young woman peered around his shoulders curiously, voice teasing. "And a mortal, no less." She bowed her head to Kagome. "I am Masaki, lady of the Northern Taisho clan, and cousin to Sesshoumaru." Masaki pushed Sesshoumaru lightly out of the way. Kagome felt a deep blush cover her cheeks as she bowed. "I am Kagome Higurashi. I'm very pleased to meet you, Masaki-sama," she replied formally. Masaki raised an aristocratic eyebrow, but dismissed whatever thoughts had come into her head fleetingly, and smiled. "Rin-chan allowed me entrance, Sesshou. I took the liberty of moving my things into my room and decided I'd look for you."
Sesshoumaru smirked. "You will arrange a seisan in honour of your arrival, I assume." Masaki nodded. "Of course. We all seem to have much to talk about, and more introductions must be made. There seems to be more guests than Kagome-chan in the wings of your hospitality."
"You will order the servants about and be your imposing self?" Sesshoumaru continued dryly. Masaki grinned happily. "Konban wa, itoko and Kagome-chan!" She turned and hurried away, bobbed silver hair bouncing against her shoulders and her movements filled with a childlike gaiety that most well-bred ladies did not possess.
"Your cousin seems nice," Kagome commented. Sesshoumaru's mouth curved upward. "Outspoken, perhaps, is a more appropriate term." Kagome grinned, agreeing that 'outspoken' was a perfectly accurate description of Masaki's bright and energetic nature. "Why haven't you mentioned her?" Sesshoumaru shook his head. "She is twenty years younger than I am, and has unceasingly pestered me for the past two hundred years." Kagome glanced up at him softly. "She means more to you than you let on. You don't have to force yourself to tolerate her, as you do Inuyasha." There was no change in his expression as he replied, "You are far too perceptive, miko."
"Hey, I thought you were getting used to the 'Kagome' thing," she teased. Noting with a dark look the still-open cut in his arm, she muttered, "Here, let me wipe that up." As he stared off distantly, she busied herself with his arm, and, feeling low and anxious about the whole business, tucked a vial into a fold of her kimono. She gently healed the skin, though it had begun to close despite the miko energy anyways. "I'm going to see if I can help Masaki, okay?"
"Is there anything I can do to help with the seisan, Masaki-sama?" Kagome asked politely. The demoness' brilliant amber eyes glittered mischievously. "As a matter of fact, I need someone to help me supervise. Come and sit here," she gestured to a chair next to her. Kagome did so, and Masaki regarded her intently. "So, tell me everything there is to know about Kagome Higurashi, he mortal who ensnared the elusive Sesshoumaru of the West." Kagome blushed. "Well…erm…I'm a priestess…and I met Sesshoumaru a couple of years ago when…" She paused, remembering, "…when he and Inuyasha were battling over the tetsusaiga, in the grave of Inu no Taisho." Masaki sighed, evidently disappointed. "I can see I'll have to be more specific: Where are you from?" Kagome thought for a moment, and answered, "A village near Inuyasha's forest, near the bone-eater's well."
"I'm afraid I'm not well-versed in geography, despite my father's relentless lecturing. What is the village called?"
"Tokyo." Masaki screwed up her face in concentration. "No…haven't heard of that either…oh, well. Good enough. Now," Her eyes took on a curious gleam. "Did you fall in love at first sight?" Kagome laughed. "Well…not exactly…"
LB: I hope you enjoyed Masaki. I've done a much better job on her character development than I have on Kiseki's. shudders I'm getting better. I believe that the reason Kiseki's part wasn't as good was that she was meant to be a side character, and she failed to disappear. The fabric of storydom shall all be fixed in the end, so have no fear. Make sure to review, and I'll answer it in the review portion of my forum. :)
