Disclaimer: Just for the sake of saying it, I don't own Sesshoumaru, so stop reminding me you cold-hearted thunder-cunts! (sobs uncontrollably)
Summary: KAWAII! So, yea, Sesshoumaru fell asleep beneath the tree while Jesira and he were relaxing together. Sesshy now has his left arm back(huzzah!) and is now possibly ready to take the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha. Now, Jesira has her own sword--the Akuga--and is back at the house with Sesshoumaru. Bad things are happening, though, as Sesshoumaru has come down with a strange 'illness' that nobody in the house will explain to her. But YOU know! wink-wink nudge-nudge Ok, on w/ the story...
Chapter Five
Heat
Inuyasha came to the castle, the barrier already broken, and the manor in its entirety in shreds of its former self. In surprise, he angrily sniffed the air and cursed at what was there. "Damn you, Sesshoumaru!" he cried. He knelt and pounded a clawed fist into the ground, leaning on the transformed Tetsusaiga for support. Sango and Miroku looked around the castle.
"Surely Sesshoumaru couldn't have done all this?" Sango asked.
"I don't know, Sango, " said Miroku, making his way through the debris with Shippou on his shoulder. "Sesshoumaru is a full-blooded demon and a powerful one at that."
"Who cares about stupid Sesshoumaru!" said Inuyasha. "Come on out here Naraku!"
Kagome stepped forward. "Inuyasha, Naraku's not here. His aura and his jewel shards are gone--" She gasped, feeling a great and powerful pull. The Shikkon no Tama was whole! She looked down at the jewel shards in her bottle, seeing that all of her shards were there. How could this be? How could the Shikkon no Tama be complete? She then remembered Jesira, her jewel, her story...
"This old jewel? It's a family heirloom. My grandfather wore the other half of it when he was alive, though don't ask me why. The jewel is kind of funny-looking if you ask me."
"But if the Shikkon no Tama has come into your possession, what does that mean for the Shikkon no Tama in our time? Is it still there?"
"I'm not sure. It must be--it's that whole theory of time travel. Just because I'm here, doesn't mean the other must disappear... Of course, I'm not quite used to bending the time space continuem every day..."
Kagome held her jewel shards as the others went about their business. If she felt the jewel here--the whole thing. Did that mean that the other half had somehow made it here? Perhaps Jesira had wished for it. The Shikkon no Tama had the power to grant wishes, to enhance ablities. Perhaps the powers had grown over the years, and only half of it was required to grant wishes. She had said that the day she appeared in feudal Japan, she had wished to be saved from those thugs--and it came true. She was transported back in time to be saved. But why here in particular? Why to Sesshoumaru? Was it he that was supposed to collect all of the jewel shards in the end? Was this the reason Naraku had fallen to him?
"Inuyasha, maybe we should just move on and forget about it for now."
"What? I ain't doin' that! Naraku is somewhere out there and we have to find him!"
"Wait, Inuyasha," interjected Miroku. "Kagome may be right. If Sesshoumaru has defeated Naraku, then he has most certainly bought us some time. Let's wait and restrategize for now. If anything, we should be grateful to Sesshoumaru for giving us some time off."
"Grateful! K'eh! Grateful to that snob--as if I'd ever be grateful to him!"
"Calm yourself, Inuyasha, Naraku cannot be dead. Look, I still have my wind tunnel. If you ask me, Naraku probably disappeared after Sesshoumaru defeated him to recooperate."
The dog demon twitched his ears and gave a grunt. "If Sesshoumaru's such a strong demon like you say he is, why didn't he just finish Naraku off and follow him?"
"He was here for Jesira."
Everyone looked up at Kagome's voice. She was looking down solemnly at the ground, clutching her Shikkon shards.
"What? Are you sure of that, Kagome?" asked Sango.
"Why would Sesshoumaru come here for a human girl like Jesira?" asked Shippou.
Miroku smirked. "Well, if you ask me, Sesshoumaru felt indebted to Jesira for saving him from Kagome's sacred arrow that day we met her. I'm sure that he came to repay her kindness by rescuing her from Naraku's clutches. Call it a hunch, but I'm starting to believe that Sesshoumaru isn't all that bad."
Inuyashasuddenly grew angry, his face flushing and his teeth showing. He wanted to punch Miroku in the face for saying something like that about his brother. Sesshoumaru? Not all that bad? What nerve! Sesshoumaru already had so much--he had wealth, looks, a fine education, Father's estate and title, everything that Inuyasha was denied. Inuyasha could barely read or write. The only thing that Inuyasha had to lay claim to his father's name was Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru wanted that, the greedy little bastard, and now he had to go and be kind-hearted? Now he had gone and defeated Naraku! Dammit!
He suddenly turned away and shouted to the sky. "I'm gonna get you for this, Sesshoumaru!"
Jesira woke up in her bedroom with Rin next to her, sleeping in her arms like her sister Waverly had done whenever she'd had a nightmare. As she sat up, Rin stirred and rubbed her eyes gently. Akuga was sheathed and propped up by her vanity, its power radiating from its hilt. She could feel, however, that it could be controlled and that she would control it. She stood up and brushed off her thin linen dress--the undergarment for her fine silk kimonos. Rin yawned and stood up too.
"I'm sorry if I woke you, Rin," said Jesira, walking to her vanity and combing her hair.
She shook her head and sat back down by Jesira's bed. "It's okay. I was waking up anyway."
Jesira smiled as she pinned her hair back slightly. "You know I'm kind of surprised that you didn't sleep with Sesshoumaru last night."
Rin shrugged as she sat by Jesira and watched her in the mirror. "Sesshoumaru-sama likes to sleep alone most nights. I've never slept with him. Actually, I'm not sure if I've ever seen him sleep."
The young Geisha blushed gently. "He talks in his sleep," she said, dusting white powder on her face to give her a pale glow.
"Really?" Rin asked. She giggled and walked out of the room to find that the house was upside-down with chaos. As she walked, she could see the female servants nervously running about like frightened hens, shouting orders to each other as calmly as they could. She saw Saiyuri and ran after her. "Saiyuri!" called Rin. "What's going on!"
Saiyuri looked down at Rin as she tried to balance a pile of folded white towels. "Sesshoumaru-sama is Fevered. It's never been this bad before, so we're trying our best to keep him calm." She ran off down the hall. Rin noticed that many of the women were stuffing their clothes with pillows to make themselves fat, and they were splashing paint over their faces to make themselves appear dark and ugly. Why would the girls want to be ugly?
Saiyuri came back a moment later to help Jesira get dressed. Rin followed and watched as she was adorned with all the fine silks of aristocracy. She liked Jesira--she thought that she was very beautiful. "Where's Sesshoumaru at?" Jesira asked as she was layered with light, airy blue, then tinted green, then pink with a blue obi and a big gold over-jacket kimono that fell loosely over it all. Upon the back was an embroidered white crane. Jesira left her hair down with only a few ornaments to keep it simple. Sesshoumaru seemed to like it down, so it covered her 'big ears.'
Rin shrugged. "I think he's still in his room."
Saiyuri suddenly blushed.
"Saiyuri?" Jesira asked. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head and bowed. "Nothing, Jesira-sama. If there is nothing else you need me for, I'll be on with my duties."
"Yes, of course..."
Saiyuri quickly left. Jesira thought for a moment. "I think Sesshoumaru might be sick," she said. "When I was with him yesterday, he felt warm, like he had a fever. I know that demons don't get sick, but perhaps he's just overexerted himself?"
Rin nodded. "Maybe we should check on Sesshoumaru-sama?"
She shook her head. "Let's just let him rest for awhile. We've all had a long journey. I think we should take this time to relax." She stretched. "Y'know what I think? We should go out and pick some flowers before breakfast!"
While they were talking, Sesshoumaru was writhing in the agony of his desires. His eyes were clenched shut in a frown, as where his teeth. He was so angry with himself that he wanted to tear his own hair out for letting it get this bad. Never before had the Heat been so intense, so agonizing, do deep. He wouldn't let it take control, however, he would learn from his father's mistakes and control his desires as best he could.
His desires...Jesira...
"No!" he screamed to himself as he flipped over and covered his head with pillows, gripping it tightly as the poison in his claws dripping into the pillow's fabric. "Stop it!" He shouted muffled words into the fine white pelts and blankets that made his bed. His mind was a torrent of passionate images, of things he'd never think of on his own. After all, Sesshoumaru's mantras were control and purity. There was nothing more disgusting and loathable than what he felt--it was how Inuyasha was concieved by his father. Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth and held his head as he had no choice but to arch his bag and let out a stifled moan.
"Damn!" he cursed hoarsely, tossing and turning between the blankets and sheets, digging his claws into the pelts and moaning again. If only he could stop it, if only he could sleep through it...if only he was sick.
His eyes flashed red. "That's it!" said he, his eyes fading back to glimmering gold. He flipped onto his back and flexed his claws, poisong dripping from the tips. In a heated fury, he slashed himself along his arms, dragged his claws across his chest, letting blood flow freely. He began panting, his vision becoming blurry and hazy, the room slowly spinning in a vision of white and gold. He closed his eyes and quickly dragged his claw along his thigh before flopping back to the bed. He glanced to his left--his arm was still there, it hadn't been a dream. It was now sewn on with her hair, her human hair to allow him to weild the Tetsusaiga. She had done so much for him, though he hadn't asked. What was her intention? Was she only repaying the hospitality she had been shown by him? Did she genuinely care?
"Jesira..."
The Shikkon no Tama half around his neck pulsed and glowed; a hazy vision came before his eyes of Jesira and Rin in the flower feild just to the east of the mansion. Their hair was shimmering gently in the dappled sunshine of the trees nearby, as the sun had yet to fully rise over the tree tops. Jesira stepped out and knelt to gather more flowers, the silks of her kimono fanning out like wings. Lilies, baby's breath, irises and daisies were gathered in her arms, a halo of flowers was weaved about in Rin's hair. The two of them looked so sweet, so happy, so beautiful together.
"Jesira..." he sighed again.
She seemed to look up for a moment when he said her name, almost as if she'd heard his voice. She then looked down and clutched her own half of the Shikkon no Tama. She sighed, suddenly becoming very sad. "I wish I could let my family know I was all right..." came her voice, even though her lips did not move.
What was this? Were they connected through the jewel? I wonder, thought Sesshoumaru, if she can hear my thoughts, too? I wonder...I hope she can't...
"Rin, c'mere!" said Jesira as she walked into the forest. "Hey, where'd you go?"
Sesshoumaru followed the two through the vision, through the forest and ferns, through the dappled light from the canopy above. A bird's song here, a broken branch there; suddenly, a flash of red came, along with the barking voice of his half-demon half-brother.
"Hey! Rin!" he barked, his angry face coming up to her. Jesira came soon behind.
"Oh, Kagome," she said. "What are you doing here?"
Kagome looked a little stunned to see Jesira. She stepped forward a little, only to be beaten by the monk.
"Why, miss Jesira!" he said as he grasped her hand. "You look even lovelier than when we first met. I'm Miroku, a pleasure to--"
THWACK!
"Miroku you lecher!" shouted the angry demon slayer called Sango.
"Jesira, I thought I sensed a jewel shard here, so I..."
"Oh, I see..." Jesira held her jewel half. "I'm afraid I can't let you have it, though, as it's not from this time period. Besides, It's not even mine to give."
"I also sensed another big jewel shard nearby..."
"That one must be Sesshoumaru's half."
"Sesshoumaru's half?" asked Inuyasha, puffing out his chest and placing his hands on his hips. "What the hell is Sesshoumaru doing with a half of the Shikkon jewel?"
Jesira shrugged. "My guess is that my half summoned the other half from my time to save me from Naraku's palace. Somehow it ended up with Sesshoumaru."
Inuyasha growled. "Showin' off by himself, damn him!" He clenched a fist. "All right, 'fess up--where's Sesshoumaru?"
Jesira raised an eyebrow, Rin standing behind her. "Why do you wanna know? His jewel shard has nothing to do with your search."
"I'm gonna get him for defeating Naraku--"
Jesira groaned. "Oh my God! Is this what it's about?" she asked, very annoyed. "Give it a rest and be happy that Naraku is defeated. That was your ultimate goal, wasn't it?"
"No way! I was supposed to defeat Naraku! I was supposed to get revenge for what he did to Kikyo and me!"
She blinked. "Are you serious?" she asked. "So Sesshoumaru beat you to it--you'll have to settle your score with him another day--he's still pretty tired from yesterday."
"Tired!" asked Inuyasha. "The full-blooded arrogant prince demon, tired? I thought that 'his kind' didn't wear down--don't tell me he needs his beauty rest!"
Jesira glared. "You know, I've had just about enough of this whole 'Daddy didn't love me' bit. Okay, I get it--you two are jealous of each other! Just accept that your father is dead and forget about it!"
"Jealous! I ain't jealous of that pampered lap dog!"
"Of course you are! You're jealous of Sesshoumaru because he knew your father before he died and grew up with a family that loved him. Sesshoumaru is jealous of you because you were bestowed the Tetsusaiga, even though he's the first-born son and had to work and train hard to get that same kind of recognition."
Inuyasha blinked, the entire party taken aback by Jesira's outburst.
"Jesira..." said Sesshoumaru, half-questioning what she'd said, half-calling her to come close to him.
She turned and looked over her shoulder suddenly, as if she'd heard something. "Okay, I'm coming," she said. Jesira turned back to Inuyasha and friends. "Listen, if you want to fight Sesshoumaru, come back later. In the mean time, I think the both of you should get over your grief and grow up." She walked away with Rin at her side. "Don't you dare follow me."
The vision subsided, his jewel pulsing as the poison flowed deeper still through his open veins. Blood trickled and stained the sheets and furs upon his bed as his eyes grew heavy and his breathing grew more and more difficult. The room began to spin, began to grow cold and hazy. His body felt like it was losing heat, and yet it felt as if his arousal was growing stronger. What was happening?
He cursed at himself as he was lost in a sea of darkness. Why didn't he just get her home? He could have found Naraku by himself, he could have done without the Shikkon no Tama...he should have helped her get home, like he'd said he would. Now that she was here, he couldn't let her leave--as much as he hated to admit it, they were awkwardly good together, and the more time he spent around her, the more she fit the description of 'the perfect mate.' But what now? Would he make the same mistakes that his father had made? What about the wishes that his mother had for him? He had to do something, but what? If only he could think, if only he could do something...if only...if only...
Jesira rushed into the mansion, Rin trailing closely behind, trying to keep all of the flowers in her small arms as best as she could. As Jesira ran, she picked up speed and dropped all of the flowers on the way through the hall. Her heart had a sickly, desperate feeling, like a violent tug to Sesshoumaru's side.
"Sesshoumaru...!" she called as she climbed the stairs and down a few more halls to another set of stairs. Saiyuri, Okassan and many other servants were in the hall, some with food, some with towels, some clattering by Jesira's room and trying to keep it clean. She suddenly flung the screen open.
"Jesira-sama no!" shouted Okassan.
Jesira was shocked to see Sesshoumaru lying beneath the blood-soaked sheets, slashmarks all across his chest and right leg, bitemarks on his hands and arms. His color was pale green, his cheeks flushed with a sickly red, his chest moist with a mixture of blood and his own poison.
"Oh my god, Sesshoumaru!" She ran to his side, kneeling in her fine silks and picking him up, bringing him to her chest, nuzzling his face. "Sesshoumaru, what's happened to you?"
Okassan came and examined him. She knelt on the other side of his bed. "He must have poisoned himself," she said, looking at his wounds.
"Poisoned himself?" she asked, cradling Sesshoumaru's frame in her arms. "What would he do that for?"
Okassan ordered a few girls to bring cloths and hot water. She held Sesshoumaru's right arm and examined the slash marks that were seeping a foul, green fluid that mixed with his blood. "Probably because he couldn't stand the Heat this time. Kari, bring some herbs and take Rin with you--it's never been this bad before, though..."
"Heat?" asked Jesira, feeling Sesshoumaru's forehead. "Wait--you mean...he was IN Heat?" Her face flushed violently, pushing herself away from him as much as she could while still holding onto him. "Ooooooooh God..."
Okassan nodded. "Yes. Every once and a while, Sesshoumaru-sama will lock the doors of his bedroom and stay inside for the duration of the Heat until it is over. He's always hated it because that is how Inutaishou-sama concieved Inuyasha." She sighed as she began to clean Sesshoumaru's poisoned wounds, Jesira feeling his hot, mossy breath on her neck. "I suppose it was still in Inutaishou-sama's period of grief for Hanabata-sama, his mate and Sesshoumaru's mother, when he went into heat and found the human woman Izaiyoi. Oh, she had a pretty enough face for a human, but nothing could ever compare to the beauty of Hanabata-sama. Izaiyoi was simply a notch in Inutaishou-sama's bed at the time, but when he found out she was pregnant with his child, he took responsibility as a father and, well, I'm sure you can guess what happened next..."
Jesira could hear Sesshoumaru mumbling incoherently, a few words coming out clearly in his sleep. She nuzzled his face with hers gently, her sisterly instincts coming through prominently. "When did Inutaishou-sama die?"
"Two hundred years ago," said Okassan as she prepared and wrapped an herbal pack to put on Sesshoumaru's wounds. "He died the night that Inuyasha was born."
She blinked.
"Oh, don't look so surprised. You didn't think that Sesshoumaru could be that jealous. Jealousy only fed fuel to the fire. Sesshoumaru-sama is so angry because, mostly, he blames Inuyasha and his mother for his father's death." She nodded pointedly with red eyes to the middle of the room. "It was over there wher Inutaishou-sama first told Sesshoumaru-sama of the human woman who would be his Step Mother, and of his baby hanyou half-brother."
Jesira looked over, feeling the jewels pulse in time with each other. Spectres seemed to shimmer in the dappled light through the screens. They didn't just appear with the blink of an eye, but more slowly, seamlessly. The muffled sounds of their voices came first, and then--with the light--she could see a young Sesshoumaru, his hair only as long as hers was, his demon markings bright red as if they were still fresh, his eyes a brilliant gold that was free of his usual anger and angst.
"...Izaiyoi...Sesshoumaru...new baby brother..." was the broken speech of the spectre of the tall and powerful demon that must have been Sesshoumaru's father.
Sesshoumaru's eyes went wide, his mouth slightly agape. "How...? ...This...impossible for a demon... How could you!"Their speech became clearer as the vision became stronger. Was she peering into Sesshoumaru's memory? Was this the deep connection of the jewel that Grandmother had spoken of? They could share memories? Perhaps even thoughts?
"The human woman's name is Izaiyoi. She's going to be my new mate, Sesshoumaru--"
"My Mother is your mate!"
"Your mother is dead
Sesshoumaru took a step back, his face shocked, hurt, angry.The spectre seemed to disintegrate as it ran out of the room in rageful growls, as did the spetre of his father, who stood silently and shook his head at himself. She blinked, realizing where she was by the sound of Sesshoumaru's--ahem--dreams.
She sighed. "How old was Sesshoumaru when all of this happened?"
Okassan dabbed the cloths at the scratchmarks upon his chest and packed and bandaged them with the herbs, dismissing Kari and Rin to let Sesshoumaru rest. "Sesshoumaru-sama was a little older than 318 when this happened. It is signifigant because it is when a Demon Lord's mate is chosen, if he is not already married. Inutaishou-sama was just 300 when he chose his mate. Inutaishou-sama's mate Hanabata-hime--however--was the youngest daughter of a powerful Moon Demon, and she was your age when she was mated to my lord.
Jesira sighed and looked down at Sesshoumaru, who was mumbling things in his sleep, his face flushed with blood. "What's he saying?" Jesira asked.
Okassan shrugged. "How should I know? All I know is that he's talked in his sleep since he was a child."
She rose an eyebrow in question as he nuzzled closer to her. "Oh God, oh God, oh God...!" He buried his face in the curve of her neck. "Nyyyeeeeeck!" she shrieked as quietly as she could. "What is he doing? Is he trying to breastfeed me or what!" said Jesira in an angry whisper.
Okassan rose. "Well, that's it for packing his wounds. Now we wait." She walked around Sesshoumaru and out of the room.
"What!" She gulped as Sesshoumaru began to nuzzle her neck, making gentle growling sounds. Jesira lowered her voice to a desperate whisper. "What are you DOING! Are you seriously going to leave me here with HIM? L-Like...THIS!"
Okassan smiled. "I doubt he'd want me to stay, Jesira-sama. Ikkemasu!" With a cheerful smile she shut the screen.
"Hey! Wait! What am I supposed to do!"
"Try stuffing pillows in your kimono!" shouted Saiyuri in response.
She groaned. "First Naraku and now you! Oh, geez Sesshoumaru..." Jesira tried to wiggle away, but Sesshoumaru held fast to her hand.
"Wait..." he whispered in his fevered sleep.
"Sesshoumaru?"
His breathing tickled against her neck. "Please..." he moaned.
Jesira shuddered. "Oh, God, Sesshoumaru--don't do this..!" she whispered. "I know this isn't your fault and all, but I really--hey, easy!--oh, if I could just get over to the-- sniff Wow, you smell really good-- No! No!" She bit her own lip as hard as she could. "Ouch!" she whispered. "What'd I do that for...? Ugh, okay, concentrate, Jesi... Uh...okay...un-sexy thoughts...baseball...the Mets... ...Sesshoumaru's pants fall down a little--d'oh! No, no..." She rattled off the thoughts in her head. "Sandwiches...plates... ...Pastrami...uh, meatballs--oh, good God, no!" She shook her head as Sesshoumaru nuzzled closer, growling contentedly in her ear. "Oh God...! Mike Meyers naked on a cold night!" she shouted to herself. "Mike Meyers naked on a cold night!"
Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to kiss her neck, but suddenly jerked away and shuddered. When Jesira looked down, she saw that his knuckles were white from gripping the sheets and pelts. She sighed, feeling a deep pang in her heart for him. He couldn't help how he felt--in fact, he hated it! If only she could help him get through it. Sesshoumaru had poisoned himself so he could be sick and keep his mind off of the Heat. Perhaps if Jesira could get him to sleep, he could rest through it.
As gently as she could, Jesira laid herself next to him on the pelts and began singing softly in his ear--the same song from "Wicked" that he'd fallen asleep to in the forest that day.
"Hands touch, eyes meet,
Sudden silence, sudden heat;
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl..."
Within moments, Sesshoumaru was sound asleep. Jesira sighed in releif and looked down on him. He looked so cute when he was asleep! She stood and tiptoed to the door.
"Jesira..." he mumbled in his sleep. He was dreaming about her?
"Sesshoumaru?"
"Go...gomenesai..." he breathed. "For not taking you home...like I promised..."
"Shhhhh, I forgive you." She slipped quietly out of the room and into the hall with all the other maids and servants, who were still painted dark and fat with pillows. They all gasped and murmured in amazement--Jesira had resisted Sesshoumaru-sama! She sighed and hugged Rin. "You hungry?"
Jaken came bounding through the hall. "Out of my way, wenches! Out of my way! I must see Sesshoumaru-sama!"
"No way, Jaken," said Jesira, holding herself in front of the screen. "Sesshoumaru's pretty sick, so nobody goes in--especially not the girls."
"You insolent wench! How dare you order me around!"
"SHHHHH!" hissed Jesira and all the girls, including Rin.
"Master Jaken, Sesshoumaru-sama is resting. Can't you guard the castle or stand guard outside his room?"
"ahem! All right, you wenches, out of the way! Nobody disturbs Sesshoumaru-sama unless its to bring him food! Back to work! Back to work!" All the girls bowed and rushed off to do their normal chores. Jaken was Sesshoumaru's head servant, so he must be obeyed. Jesira bend and kissed Jaken on the forehead.
"Thank you," she whispered with a wink.
Jaken went all red. "Augh! A human kiss! GAUUUGH!" he shouted, quickly quieting himself when all the girls went "SHHH!" again.
An hour or two later, Jesira and Rin were eating in the great hall of the mansion. Strange foods that seemed vaguely familiar were lain out in front of her--it reminded her of the Spirit food from Spirited Away. Chickens with four wings, funny-looking stuffed sausages, steamed rice and sacks that looked like sea creatures. This was demon food?
She and Rin ate together, quietly at first, then greedily as the food was so delicious. Jesira had never tasted anything like this. The meat was tender, the fish was flavourful and fresh, the rice was steamed to perfection! Rin told her how she and Sesshoumaru met, and Jesira nodded in agreement.
"Would you eat human food after you've had stuff like this all your life?"
Rin shook her head. "Sesshoumaru-sama is so lucky."
The young Geisha nodded and took a sip of the Sake of the Seven Sages--it tasted so good!
"Jesira-sama, what are we going to do about Sesshoumaru-sama? Shouldn't we watch him?"
She thought for a moment, taking a swig of miso soup. "Well, he's conked out something fierce right now... Tell you what, you go ahead and check up on him during the day, and I'll stay with him at night in case he wakes up?" This was a good plan. With Sesshoumaru in Heat, Jesira wanted to make sure she could sing him back to sleep. Daylight seemed to be when he could more easily control himself. At night, however, that was probably a whole different story, according to what had happened with his father and Inuyasha's mother.
As the afternoon drifted by, Jesira began to wonder about her family. Daddy, Mama, Grandmother, Waverly...they must all be so worried. They probably thought Jesira to be dead--and to let one believe one is dead when one isn't is a cruel thing to do. She sighed and leaned her cheek upon her hand. "I hope they aren't worried about me... I wish that I could let them know I'm okay--that I'm safe here with Sesshoumaru. Well, as safe as feudal Japan can be, anyway..." She leaned against a column as she looked out from the corridor into the gardens. "I'm so lonely here... Not lonely, homesick..." She sighed, sniffling back a tear. "I wanna go home..."
The spectres of her family suddenly appeared before her, all of them gathered in the living room. Daddy and Mama were sitting on the couch, holding each other's hands. Daddy was still in his business suit for the day, his black hair still gelled back; he hadn't even removed his glasses. Mama was holding Waverly to her, trying to smile through her pink lipstick. Mama always had flowery shirts on, whether it be print or color, it had to have flowers. She seemed to be obsessed with the perfect wife bit, even though she was a blond bombshell real estate dealer. Grandmother was standing, explaining something about the jewel... Only...she didn't call it the Shikkon no tama...she called it the Nikkon no tama! Two souls?
"I promise you, Jesira-chan is safe and alive," said Grandmother in her heavy Japanese accent.
"Mom, how can we be sure? She could be dead in a ditch somewhere!" shrieked Mama. "This is worse than dying..." She doubled over and started to cry. Waverly backed up, her hair in whimsical pigtails. "I want my baby back..."
"Chichi! Haha! Sobo! Imooto!" Jesira shouted. They all looked up and stared in horror in Jesira's direction. She ran forward into the garden. "Can you see me? Mushi-mushi! Please don't cry! I'm all right! I'm safe here!" The vision grew blurry as the figures called out her name. "Iie! Wait! Don't leave me--Waverly! Your birthday present is in my closet! Please don't worry about me," she said. "I promise I'll do what I can to get home soon. I'm okay, though, Sesshoumaru--"
The visions vanished, yet their voices remained. Jesira then realized she had been shouting in Japanese the entire time. It was odd, because she'd never called Mama 'Haha' before, and seldomly called Daddy 'Chichi.' She hoped that they would be able to understand her, especially if her Japanese had been broken.
Jesira dropped to her knees, her wonderful silks fanning out in the midst of the flower field she'd run to, tears running silently down her cheeks. Her heart was in torment--she wanted to go home, and yet she wanted to stay here and make sure Sesshoumaru was all right. As strange as it sounded, she couldn't bare to leave him without at least saying goodbye. If there was one thing Jesira was, it was loyal.
Sesshoumaru gently opened his eyes to the full moon that bathed his entire bedroom in light. He sat up, removing his bandages to find that his wounds were healed, his Heat nearly gone. The sound of another steady heartbeat in the room made him turn to see that Jesira was sleeping next to his bed, her hair fanned out behind her. She was so beautiful, so poetic...everything about her seemed to make Sesshoumaru want to sing.
Slowly, he reached with a clawed hand and stroked her hair back. She seemed different, like she smelled different... Ah, Sesshoumaru thought, she has eaten Demon food. Perhaps that has gotten rid of her human scent? He breathed in. She smells much better, now...even though she smelled nice before. More than anything, Sesshoumaru wanted to lean in and give her a kiss in spite of himself, in spite of his birth and blood. Slowly, however, it seemed to slip away--the awareness that she was a human and not a demon like him. He stroked her hair again, his claws running through the thick waves and flips of her layered black hair. Was it the jewel that had connected them so? Was the Heat still here? Or were these feelings genuine? How could he tell?
"Sesshoumaru?" Jesira sat up, clutching her kimono tight. "Are you...?"
He gave a curt shake of his head. "I'm fine now."
"I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No."
She blinked. "You took off your bandages?"
"Demons do not need bandages."
She leaned back slightly. "I wouldn't brag if I were you. If I were you, though, I probably wouldn't have poisoned myself... You were pretty sick, you know. You've been out for a couple of days. I was really worried about you!"
He raised an eyebrow in question. "You mean you were worried about me?" He gave a semi-arrogant scoff. "You shouldn't waste your sentiment upon me. I have no need for it."
Jesira sighed, smiling slightly. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Rin and I have been taking turns looking after you, she taking the days, I taking the nights..." She laughed under her breath. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?"
Sesshoumaru glanced away. "You tended to me while I was ill, did you?"
"Yes, Rin and I did."
"...I see..."
"...You want me to go?"
He shrugged. "I don't care."
She smiled. "Then I'll stay until you fall asleep."
A beat. "I know I never told you...but I wanted you here because I knew that Naraku would want your jewel shards. I was using you as a lure--it was an underhanded trick that I should have never pulled. Usually, I would never use others as bait to get what I want, and for using you like that, I am sorry." All of this was said without any eye contact or emotion. His speech was formal and polite as usual.
The young geisha blinked. "You mean...Naraku was right about you?"
He nodded. "I'm sorry." Sesshoumaru looked to her. "May I make it up to you by helping you find your way home, like you wanted me to?"
She smiled, moonlight illuminating her face. "You'd do that?"
He nodded again. "On my honor as a demon lord, you have my word."
Jesira beamed, her entire face lighting up with the prettiest shade of pink. "Arigato!" she cried, throwing herself into Sesshoumaru's arms. "You can't imagine how painful it is to think your family thinks you're dead or worse when you're not..."
Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently. "I promise to get you home soon."
The dog lord sighed inwardly as Jesira held him closer. It didn't hurt, as his wounds had healed fairly quickly--which was an impressive thing because even Sesshoumaru himself was not immune to his own deadly poison. He could feel Jesira's heart beating against him, in time with Tenseiga's pulsing by the bed.
'Tenseiga,' he thought, 'you once compelled me to save a human life...and now you compell me to aid this geisha in her quest for family. Is it you or my own honor that I'm doing this for? Maybe...maybe it's both...maybe...'
Sesshoumaru's heart began to ache. He was surprised at the feeling; of all hearts in the known world, Sesshoumaru's was always the calmest. Through dangers untold of, Sesshoumaru was a king of calmness--his heart always steady. Strange, though, that the human's touch could make it feel like it was collapsing inside his chest. Even stranger though, he secretly wanted more.
EEEEEEEEEEEE! Uber-kawaii-ness in da house!
Is the ice-king Sesshoumaru falling for Jesira? What will happen when he must fulfill his promise to her? Will he be lonely, or sink back into his old routine again?
What of Inuyasha? What of Kagome? What of...eh, just what of? Find out on the next "No One Mourns the Wicked!" Seeya soon! mwah! heart