"A Heart's Immaculence"
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!
Author's Note: Yay! I'm excited to be back again. My trip was fun and educational, and I have just finished all my missing assignments, so I'm ready to get back on track with my precious story. Thank you everybody who reviewed. You know who you are because I always respond back to let you know that I care. I'm not going to say much again because this chapter is very long compared to my previous ones, the reason being since I was only able to update once last week. Please be patient when you read it. Please don't rush through it either! It took a lot of energy out of me to write it, and I revised it carefully, so please don't skip through certain parts. Some of you do it, admit it! But I'm asking you, at least this once, to read it all as it is. It's important that you pay attention to detail so you can understand the chapters that will follow this one. I'm on my knees asking you to not get frustrated with the length of this chapter. I have trust and faith that you won't disappoint me.
Chapter 23
The Western Lands. What was it about such a place that held tremendous allure for Kagome? They were neither an endless utopian garden or an arcadian paradise. Although they did possess such paradisiacal properties, all that was conceived through the young woman's dark eyes was a pastoral simplicity. The entirety of nature, in all its vernal heavenliness, was endowed with beatitude, a perfect vignette like that of a watercolor painting. In a way the lands seemed unworldly, as if they had been created by some unknown force or deity, for Kagome had never seen a flawless section of the earth so divine and undefiled. The only other who could ever match up to such perfection and beauty was the lord of the lands himself, and it was more than appropriate that he was their rightful ruler.
The rain was a blessing for the lands as well, for they had not soaked in any type of moisture in more than a month, and the heavy dampness which drenched them was more than an alleviation and was much welcomed. However, for the small group who waited below the smoky clouds and took shelter underneath a tree, the rain was more of an unpleasant omen rather than a natural phenomena that was received with joy and excitement. But the rain did not last long, to everyone's relief, and Lord Sesshomaru felt it necessary to leave immediately towards the place he had intended for all of them to go before nature had interfered.
The storm clouds had dissipated quickly, and night's source of light, both the moon and the stars, shined more brightly now than before the rain, and it was not difficult to find one's way. There were two paths leading into the forest. The path to the right was covered in wet dirt and had dead, dried leaves strewn all about. It looked like any other plain path, desolate and unattractive, ordinary and lackluster for any foot to walk on. On the left side, there was another path, but this one was very different and more presentable. It was decorated by the forest's own assets, for it looked more like a road. The path had smooth stones on it which had been pressed together, and there was an abundance of grass growing from underneath it. Along the sides of the path were lines of lavender flowers, making it appear as if there were two fences of purple and green mirroring each other at opposite ends.
Kagome observed both paths, but she was drawn to the one on the left, the scent of lavenders soothing her nose with its perfume and inviting her to travel through the long carpet made of stone and grass. She placed one foot on the path, but she dare not set the other on it, knowing there was a reason Sesshomaru was having her and his ward walk through the less appealing path on the right, yet she was entranced by the beauty she saw in the distance. As she strained her eyes and followed the path its entire length towards the end, she squinted and saw a small, bright glowing shape which was covered in what appeared to be another kind of flower. It looked like a sakura tree, and she based this on the coverlet of pink that was domed over it.
I wonder where this path leads to, Kagome thought. There must be something very beautiful at the end of it. Why is Sesshomaru taking that other path? It's just so plain and boring to look at. Is there something secret about this left path maybe?
Kagome felt someone tugging her sleeve.
"Lord Sesshomaru is already walking away, Kagome," Rin said, pointing at her master who had walked but a few steps on the dirt path.
"Oh, sorry," said Kagome. "I really like this left path better. Too bad Lord Sesshomaru is not taking us this way instead. Do you know where this path leads to, Rin?"
Rin looked at the left path briefly and shrugged her shoulders. "Lord Sesshomaru never takes Jaken and me through there. We always travel the path on the right. I asked him about it one time because I liked it a lot too, but he didn't answer me. I don't know where it goes."
"So you liked it too?" said Kagome with a smile. "I bet you really liked the purple flowers and wanted to pick some, right?"
Rin smiled in return and clapped her hands. "I like flowers very much!"
"Well, here. Let me pick some for you."
Kagome had just touched the stems of a few lavenders when Rin grabbed her hands and gently pushed them away.
"No, Kagome!" Rin said in alarm. "You can't touch these flowers!"
Kagome was shocked and frightened, Rin's sudden action making her heart jump out of place.
"You scared me, Rin," said Kagome, a hand over her heart. "What did I do wrong? I just wanted to pick some flowers for you."
"But you can't touch them," Rin said. "It's not allowed. Lord Sesshomaru doesn't let me or anybody touch them. I almost picked them too one time and he told me not to. He said I could pick any flowers I wanted except those purple ones."
"Did he explain why he doesn't want anyone to touch them?"
Rin shook her head. "Lord Sesshomaru would be very angry with you if you had picked them."
"What does it really matter? Sesshomaru's angry right now anyway."
Kagome placed a finger on her check and looked at the sky as she was thinking. "Hmm. Maybe the flowers are poisonous. No, that can't be it. I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru would have told you if they were, and my body would have reacted to the flowers as soon as I touched them, and I'm certainly not dead. Hmm. Can they be magical flowers? No, that can't be either. Sesshomaru doesn't look like the type who likes or even believes in magic. Um. I know! He likes the way they smell, so he makes sure enough of them are grown so that he can turn them into some sort of perfume to put on himself. That's it!"
Kagome began to laugh and slapped the side of her leg so loudly it sounded like a whip had been cracked there.
"What's so funny, Kagome?" Jaken asked, turning around to look at her.
"I just had a thought," she said.
"It wasn't about Lord Sesshomaru, was it?"
"Oh, no! Thinking about him makes my head hurt."
"Kagome," Rin said unexpectedly. "Lord Sesshomaru doesn't wear perfume."
Kagome patted Rin on the head lightly, but she had the urge to fold the child up as if she were a napkin to place her inside her backpack so she would be unable to speak and mistakenly say things out loud.
"Ah, ha!" Jaken said, pointing his staff of two heads at Kagome. "You did have a thought about my master! What nasty thing did you think of about him?"
"Nasty?" said Kagome, looking at Jaken awkwardly. "And what exactly do you mean? I'm not that kind of girl to think of your precious lord in such an icky-wicky way!"
Jaken blushed. "I didn't say you thought of my lord in that nasty manner, you mindless woman! That word can mean many things like awful, horrible, loathsome, unpleasant…."
"Well, I didn't, okay!"
"Kagome thought Lord Sesshomaru might use those purple flowers over there to make perfume for himself," said Rin.
"I'm so glad you're here to share these things with the world, Rin," Kagome said through a fake smile.
"Now why would Lord Sesshomaru use flowers for perfume?" Jaken said. "He doesn't need to do that. My master never smells bad."
"Of course he doesn't!" said Kagome hastily. "I was just making a joke. Sesshomaru always smells very nice. Very, very nice…."
Because she was often inclined to romantic notions if the situation suited her, Kagome thought of Sesshomaru's scent and realized he did not smell like much of anything to her human nose. He had a scent all his own. It was as pure and clear as fresh air, as clear and pure as water from a stream or waterfall. Neither air or water had an aroma, and so it was the same for Kagome concerning the uniqueness of Sesshomaru's scent. She often wondered what her own human aroma smelled like, and she hoped it was at least pleasant, especially for Sesshomaru.
"Speaking of smell," said Kagome, lifting her arm and digging her nose into the dirty sleeve of her kimono. "I don't think I smell very nice at all right now!"
"Are you barely noticing?" Jaken said. "You must not have a good sense of smell."
"Sense of smell? I'm not a dog, Jaken."
Dog, Kagome thought dreamily. The great dog demon. The Lord of the Western Lands.
"Sesshomaru, my lord and master," Kagome said aloud, her eyes appearing misty and hazy, a girlish smile on her face.
"Kagome!" Jaken said, waving his small arms which were too short for her to see. "Yoo-Hoo! Kagome! Yoo-Hoo-Hoo!"
Kagome was still in a daze and heard nothing.
"Help me out here, Rin!" Jaken said, taking his staff and hitting Kagome on the leg several times with it. "I think she's under some kind of spell."
"She is," Rin said, looking up at Kagome. "Lord Sesshomaru made her this way."
Jaken began to laugh at Rin's words. "What are you saying, Rin? Our master does not have such ridiculous powers. Kagome under Lord Sesshomaru's spell indeed! Wait a minute!"
Suddenly Rin's words began to make sense to him. Jaken remembered when he first met Sesshomaru, when he was the leader of his small fellow demons. When that hideous, skinny white-haired demon attacked him, Sesshomaru killed her because she was in his way, and Jaken was saved in the process. As Sesshomaru walked away from him, Jaken had stared starry-eyed at the inu-youkai and had called him both beautiful and dashing. It was because he was spellbound by his beauty that he decided to leave his demon friends and serve Sesshomaru until death. He had also fallen under his spell, although he did not realize it at the time. After this flashback of a memory, Jaken immediately understood Kagome's behavior.
"What!" Jaken shouted, hitting Kagome harder with his staff. "Wake up! Get your head out of the clouds! You won't be under his spell anymore. I won't allow it! You can't be in love with my—"
"Don't say it, master Jaken!" said Rin, placing a hand over the imp's mouth. "Please don't say it."
Jaken grabbed Rin's hand and forced it aside. "Leave me alone, Rin! I know better than to mention something like that, especially now. This is not the time or the place to tell Lord Sesshomaru anything about it. If he finds out, he'll probably be so mad, he'll kill her for sure."
"Sesshomaru," Kagome continued dreamily. "Lord and master of my heart."
Rin and Jaken looked at Kagome with open mouths, but the green imp's tongue was hanging out like a loose rope. Both of them were not so much surprised at what Kagome had just spoken, but that a certain someone had snuck quietly behind her without her knowing.
"Kagome!" Rin said, shaking her friend with her hands. "Please wake up!"
"Will you wake up now, Kagome!" Jaken hit her with his staff once more before she finally came out of her reverie.
"Jaken!" Kagome said, rubbing her leg. "Stop hitting me! It really hurts!"
"You don't know what pain is until you've been hit by Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken said, biting his nails as he stared at the figure behind Kagome. "You better look behind you."
"For what?" asked Kagome without paying much attention to Jaken's warning. She noticed they had all stopped walking, and she looked forward and noticed Sesshomaru was no longer in front of her. She looked around and he was nowhere in sight. "Where's Lord Sesshomaru? Wasn't he walking ahead of all of us?"
Kagome began turning her head backwards, but her eyes still looked ahead towards the path as she said, "We couldn't catch up with him, so we got behind? Are we behind?"
As her head almost completed the turn, her eyes remained on the path and she began to slowly walk backwards, but she suddenly felt her body bump into something behind her. Because she was not expecting there to be anything, her body jolted slightly and she felt as if she had rammed against a steel wall. Kagome lost her balance but her arms wrapped themselves tightly around the hard armor she saw before her as if she were holding on to a tall pole. It didn't take her long to realize she was holding onto Sesshomaru, but she was getting very nervous, for her face and body was pressed against his own, and if someone who did not know them had come out of the forest and seen them together in such a state, that person would have most surely thought she was hugging him. She did have her arms around his waist the same way one would in a close embrace. If her reaction to her sudden "embrace" with Sesshomaru was nothing but nervousness, she could only imagine what he was thinking and feeling at the moment.
Kagome felt Sesshomaru's body tense, and she looked up at him out of curiosity to see if his calm face had altered at all. When she did, he was looking straight down at her with a confused expression, and his anger was suddenly gone for that moment. They stared at each other and their eyes locked.
Why can't I stop looking at him? Kagome thought to herself. Why don't I look away? His eyes are so hard to look away from no matter how much I try. Stop it, Kagome! Stop looking at him!
Kagome's body seemed to be out of her control. She told her dark eyes to stop looking into Sesshomaru's golden ones, but they did not heed her words. She also told her arms to release their hold on him, and they refused her command as well. But the worst part of her bodily dysfunction was her legs and feet. They had lost their firmness and became soft, unable to stand upright, and Kagome felt as if she had no bones left in the lower half of her body. Her feet and legs gave way underneath her, and she slid downward, yet she was still unable to disattach herself from Sesshomaru. She did not have her arms around him anymore, but her hands had grabbed a hold of his yellow and blue sash which was tied around his waste, and she hung onto that rather than allowing herself to fall freely to the ground. However, she had undone the bow which was perfectly tied, and the sash was now loose and unkempt. Because of this, both of Sesshomaru's swords, the Tokijin and Tenseiga—which were held by to his waist by the sash—had fallen to the ground.
Kagome was uneasy again as she heard the clang of the swords when they fell. She knelt on the ground and began to tie Sesshomaru's sash, but she was getting her fingers entwined in the cloth, and she was afraid she would get them tangled together. In the process of tying the sash, Kagome was nervous more from the thought that if the sash got any looser, the lower part of Sesshomaru's attire below the waste might fall off. The thought was embarrassing and her face became warmer and more scarlet with each attempt of tying the sash. Her nervousness was so apparent that when she stretched the two ends of the sash to make a knot, she had done so too tightly, and Sesshomaru had let out a soft gasp.
"Sorry!" Kagome apologized.
Not so tightly, Kagome, she said to herself. You're not tying up a corset!
"I'll do it myself!" Sesshomaru said coldly, moving away from her as he tied his sash into a perfect bow on his own. He bent down and picked up Tokijin, inspecting it carefully and placing it carefully through his sash.
"What a relief!" Kagome said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She saw that Sesshomaru was more angry now than he was before, and she blamed herself for being so foolish in allowing her love for him to cloud her mind with ridiculous fantasies.
Kagome noticed Tenseiga was resting beside her, and she thought it a kind gesture to pick it up for Sesshomaru and give it to him after what she had done. But she was unable to even touch the sword, for Sesshomaru reached for it and lifted it off the ground before her hand could move over it. He picked up his sword too quickly for her eyes to catch his movement, but she sensed he had done so in order to avoid having her touch it. He made her feel as if she had an incurable disease, and that had she touched Tenseiga, she would have infected it, thus infecting him.
"You're lucky both my swords did not get scratched when they hit the ground," Sesshomaru said, placing Tenseiga next to Tokijin after looking over it the same way he had done with the first sword. "If anything had happened to them, you most certainly would've been punished for it."
"It was an accident," Kagome said.
"That is no excuse."
"I know, but—"
"That lord and master of your heart you spoke of," Sesshomaru said, interrupting Kagome.
"Huh?" said she.
Oh, no! she thought. He heard me!
"Lord and master?" continued Kagome. "Did you hear me say that?"
"With that distinct voice of yours, I heard it too clearly," he said, narrowing his eyes.
"You know I can always make it sound more irritating. All you have to do is tear off the right buttons."
Did I just say that? thought Kagome again. Now my brain is mushy from all that lovey-dovey dreaming! Work brain! Work!
"I'm so tired!" she lied. "I can't even think straight. What I meant to say was that all you had to do was push the wrong buttons."
"Is that what Inuyasha is to you?" Sesshomaru said coldly again. "Is he your heart's lord and master?"
Kagome was temporarily speechless until she was able to fluctuate her voice properly. She was glad and relieved he had not heard her speak his name when she uttered those words. Or had he?
"Inuyasha?" she said with a false laugh and a smile. "How ever did you guess I was talking about him?"
"I prefer if you do not speak of Inuyasha in my presence," Sesshomaru said. "It is an unfavorable time to do so, and the very mention of him irritates me. You will only cause to make me more angry."
"Bad time? More angry? Are you speaking in code? Well, the angry part I can understand. Why are you angry anyway? Is it because of Naraku? No, you treat him better than me, so it's me you're angry about, isn't it?"
Kagome had spoken her words calmly, not wanting to upset Sesshomaru more than he already was.
"You're angry because you want it to be tomorrow already," she continued, her voice lower in tone. "You want tomorrow to arrive so that the day ends soon and I can finally leave you alone. I'm right, aren't I?"
Sesshomaru's face contorted slightly, and he swallowed softly, which was barely noticeable to the human eye.
She speaks so confidently as if she knows what I think and feel, yet she knows absolutely nothing, thought Sesshomaru as he stared fixedly at Kagome. But she is right in one aspect of her assumptions. She is partly the reason I am angry, but not in the manner in which she believes.
"Why don't you just tell me that's why you're angry?" Kagome said. "It would make me feel a lot better knowing the truth."
"The truth is something you do not know!" Sesshomaru said angrily. "You should not speak unless you know the true reason for my anger."
"I think I'm going to have a heart attack from all this."
Sesshomaru's eyes moved from Kagome's face and focused on both Rin and Jaken. They were standing still, looking and listening to him all the while he was speaking with the young woman.
"Why are you two not moving along?" he asked. "We cannot afford to stand around like this."
"Yes, my lord!" both Rin and Jaken said simultaneously as they began to walk forward.
Sesshomaru soon followed them, and Kagome stood there without moving, looking at him walk in the normal, graceful manner that he always did, trying to capture his every movement in her mind. She wanted to record what she saw in her mind to never forget, so she could return to that memory whenever she felt like after tomorrow, once she was forever gone from being alongside him.
Reality then struck her thoughts, and she felt her stomach grumble and her skin and scalp itch. She noticed her head began to hurt, and she figured she might be getting sick after being drenched by the rain since she had no protection from it, yet she paid it no mind and walked slowly to catch up with Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin.
"Is there a hot spring around here?" Kagome hollered, chills running up and down her body. "I really need a warm bath and I'm so hungry."
"Would you like me to feed you to some wild beasts lurking nearby?" said Sesshomaru. "They are always hungry and I have learned that they prefer to eat human women rather than men."
"There are human-eating beasts in your lands?" Kagome replied, picking up her pace. "What kind of a lord are you to allow them to inhabit your territory? Please tell me that if a human happens to trespass on your lands that you have him captured and feed them to these beasts!"
"I am the lord of this region. I do what I must and what I perceive to be suitable."
He has to be playing with me, thought Kagome. He must be joking, but then again this is Sesshomaru.
Kagome suddenly let out a huge sneeze and she sniffled back a blob of moisture that was coming out of her nose.
"That's so gross!" she said, covering her nose with her arm. "Now I really think I'm getting sick. That's just great. I don't even have my handkerchief with me, and what do I have but this tattered kimono to wipe my nose with."
Kagome sneezed again, but it was followed by a series of loud coughs.
"Kagome?" Rin said, turning around and running to her. "Are you okay? You sound like you're getting sick."
"I'll be fine," Kagome said. "It's probably just the sniffles."
"Don't believe Lord Sesshomaru, Kagome," said Rin. "There aren't any beasts that eat humans around here. He's trying to be funny."
"You call that being funny? He sounds so serious when he says things like that. And him being so angry doesn't make it any better. But I'm glad you told me about it. I think he likes making me anxious."
Kagome coughed again and it was so strong it made her body jerk forward.
"You don't look like you feel well, Kagome," Rin said. "I think you should lie down on Ah-Un for a while."
"I really don't think that's a good idea," replied Kagome. "Lord Sesshomaru will probably think I'm lazy too."
"But I told you that he likes you, Kagome."
"If he does or doesn't, it really doesn't matter anymore." Kagome became pale at Rin's words along with how sick she was beginning to feel. "After tomorrow things will get back to normal for him and for you. And there isn't any proof he feels the way I do for him."
Rin became sad as well, for the little girl had forgotten Kagome would no longer be with her once the following day came to an end. She felt like crying, but she knew Sesshomaru would give her a soft reprimand if she did, so she held it in as best she could.
"You should tell Lord Sesshomaru you love him, Kagome," Rin said. "Tell him before you leave us."
Kagome shook her head and her body quivered. She was impressed by Rin's mature tone of voice, an indication the girl was concerned and serious about the issue.
"What good will that do? I don't want to go through the same thing I did with Inuyasha when he found out I loved him. It's all so painful. I won't go through it again, not when I know that being with Sesshomaru is impossible."
Kagome was sneezing frequently and she tried to push it in by holding her breath. She looked around her and saw many small, glowing, green lights flickering through the air. They were shining emeralds that made the forest sparkle, and they moved about sporadically within the trees. A few of these lights rested on top of the trees, and the leaves looked as if they were covered in green gems. As the sparkling glow came closer, Kagome realized what it was.
"Fireflies!" Kagome said excitedly.
The fireflies reminded Kagome of fairies, and for an instant she pretended they were, desiring they would grant her any wish she wanted. Of course her only wish at the moment was to stay with Sesshomaru and Rin longer, but she was ashamed that she would not wish to be with Inuyasha and her friends again.
Rin was distracted by the glowing, green insects and she ran around with her arms out, trying desperately to catch one in her hand.
"I'm going to catch you!" Rin said happily, snapping her hands together. She looked at her hands and saw she had not caught one, so she continued doing and saying the same thing repeatedly. "I'm going to catch you! I'll catch you! I'll catch you!"
"Rin!" Jaken said. "Keep your voice down, and stop clapping your hands loudly like that! Can't you see Lord Sesshomaru is not in good spirits?"
After several attempts, Rin finally caught a firefly, and she held it in her hands carefully. She showed it to Kagome who smiled at the child and was in awe of how such a simple thing like a firefly could make Rin so happy. Kagome was going to take the insect from Rin's hand when she felt a sharp pain in her head again. She was not sneezing or coughing anymore, but her body still had chills, and her head was throbbing harder. Placing a hand on her cheek, she felt her face getting hot and she struggled to catch up with Sesshomaru who was a few feet ahead of her.
"You look very sick, Kagome," said Rin, releasing the firefly from her hand. "You better rest on Ah-Un. Come on! We just need a few steps to reach him."
The girl took Kagome's hand and led her towards Ah-Un. Kagome stopped short and felt very weak.
"I don't feel so well," she said faintly.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin said, tugging at his pant, making him stop walking.
"Don't bother him, Rin," Jaken said. "We have no time for games. You and Kagome are a handful to deal with. We've gotten used to you being a wild child, but Kagome is—Aaaah! What has happened to her?"
Jaken saw Kagome was pale and could hardly stand, but she had been able to catch up with them, for she now stood behind Sesshomaru. The imp's expression of surprise alarmed Sesshomaru, and he turned around to see for himself Kagome's sickly condition. Kagome was about to say something to him when she suddenly fainted, but Sesshomaru was able to catch her in his arm before she collapsed to the ground. He carried her and laid her limp body on top of Ah-Un's back. From what he could see, she was still unconscious, and beads of perspiration developed on her face. His eyes did not leave her face, hoping she would open them again as a sign to him that she was going to be all right.
"She feel so hot," Rin said, touching Kagome's face once she had climbed up on Ah-Un to sit on top of their head.
"She looks terrible," said Jaken, holding onto Rin's back. "She must be very ill for her to have fainted on Lord Sesshomaru like that."
"What are we going to do?" Rin asked, looking at Sesshomaru with pleading eyes. "Please help her, my lord."
Sesshomaru looked at Rin in return and pitied her, for she was full of fear and was extremely terrified that something horrible might happen to Kagome. His eyes returned to Kagome's face and saw her body was shaking, and both her hands were holding tightly to his arm. He did not notice he had not removed his arm from her waist when he had placed her on Ah-Un, and he thought about the reason why he did not do so. However, he was unable to for long, and he felt pain as Kagome dug her nails through his arm while she was still unconscious. She continued to shake and her head moved from one side to the other. Her lips quivered and she began to speak.
"Inu-ya-sha," Kagome said in less than a whisper.
Why did she say his name? Sesshomaru thought. Can it be she is dreaming about him?
Kagome dug her nails deeper into Sesshomaru's arm and he winced in pain.
"My lord!" Jaken said. "Your arm is bleeding. Allow me to remove Kagome's hands from your arm."
"Let her be, Jaken," said Sesshomaru, for he realized she was suffering from whatever it was her body was experiencing and what she was seeing in her mind.
"Sesshomaru," said Kagome more faintly.
Not expecting it, the demon lord was stunned when Kagome had said his name, but his companions seemed even more so.
"She said Lord Sesshomaru's name!" Jaken and Rin said at the same time.
Suddenly Kagome's breathing became irregular, and she moved her hands to her throat, gasping heavily for the breath that was escaping her. Her mouth was wide open as she held her throat, and everyone around her stared helplessly.
"It looks like she's choking!" Rin said frightfully.
For that moment, Sesshomaru did not know what to do, and the idea of it appalled him, for he always knew what action to take in a major situation. But his concern for her well-being was removed temporarily when Kagome sprung forward and sat up with her hands still at her throat. This time, however, her eyes had opened as she was trying to gain back her breath.
"Kagome!" Rin cried. "You're awake!"
"You looked like you were going to die," said Jaken.
Kagome gave a couple of coughs before she was able to reply.
"I had that bad dream again," she said, slightly afraid. "but this time it was worse."
"How do you feel?" asked Rin.
"Actually, I don't feel sick anymore," Kagome said. "I was in a lot of pain before and during my dream, but as soon as I woke up, it just went away."
"That's strange," Jaken said. "What was it about?"
"I don't think I should tell you," she said.
"And why not?" Jaken insisted. "Maybe your dream is what caused you to get sick and feel all that pain in the first place. You owe it to all of us for worrying about you like we did!"
"Jaken!" Sesshomaru said angrily. "Leave her be!"
"I'm sorry I worried all of you, but…." Kagome looked at Sesshomaru. "Were you worried about me too?"
As usual, Sesshomaru was silent.
"Of course he was worried about you," Jaken said. "He caught you when you fainted, and he had to endure feeling the pain of your nails when you pressed them into his flesh, but he didn't want to disturb you in fear he would make your suffering worse. Don't you see how his arm is bleeding because of you?"
Kagome saw several thin but small rivulets of blood on his arm, and she desired to kiss his wounds, appreciating the fact he had allowed her to hurt him unintentionally.
"I think you should stay quiet, Jaken," Sesshomaru said angrily, embarrassed that his servant had said too much.
"I'm really sorry," Kagome told Sesshomaru. "I didn't mean to hurt you again. I burned your arm before and now I've cut it all up."
"You should be concerned about yourself," Sesshomaru said.
"Are you really okay now, Kagome?" Rin said. "I don't want you to have bad dreams again. You sounded awful when you were choking."
"Even though it was a dream," said Kagome. "I felt he was really chocking me."
"Who was he?" Sesshomaru asked plainly.
"It was nobody!" she replied. "I don't want to think about it, if you don't mind. Besides, don't we need to get going already? We've wasted enough time because of me."
"We do not need to go any further," Sesshomaru said. "She has found us."
Kagome raised her eyebrows, not understanding what he meant when he said "she."
"Who has found us?" Kagome asked curiously. "Were we supposed to meet someone on this path?"
Sesshomaru sensed a presence behind him, and he turned around to see a tall figure dressed in long, blue and silver robes. It was a female demon, and her head was covered by a hood, the upper part of her face hidden underneath the dark shadow it made over her features. Her pink lips made a smile as she moved towards him, pulling a large cart filled with a variety of contents.
"Who is that?" Kagome asked, getting off of Ah-Un to stand next to Sesshomaru to have a better look at the female demon.
"It's Mineko!" Rin said joyfully.
The demoness known as Mineko walked a few steps forward but then paused when Kagome had moved to stand near Sesshomaru. Something about what she saw made her pause to look more closely at the demon lord and the human girl next to him. She placed a hand over her mouth and left it there momentarily, but then she moved it over her heart and left it there longer as she continued to stare at both Sesshomaru and Kagome in surprise.
"For a moment, I thought the two of you were….," Mineko said softly. "I truly believed my eyes just now, but as I looked at you more, I realized they were deceiving me."
"Mineko," Sesshomaru said authoritatively.
"It's such a pleasure seeing you again, my lord," she said, bowing respectably to him.
"Mineko! Mineko!" Rin said, jumping off of Ah-Un's head and running towards the demoness. "Can I see what you've brought us this time? Can I look inside the cart?"
Mineko lifted her head and removed her hood. Kagome did not know what kind of a demon she was, but she could see she was older than Sesshomaru and that her age did not mar her beauty. She had wavy, auburn hair which was held back by a gold-plaited hair ornament, and here eyes were not exactly the color of blue or green but something in between. Her ears were pointy and she had a blue line mark on each cheek similar to Sesshomaru's facial markings. She had a human form as well, and she was the same height as him. Mineko looked more like an elf than an demon in Kagome's own opinion, but what caught her eye was that she carried a sword which was strapped behind her back. From what Kagome could see, the handle was made of white pearl.
"You may look inside, Rin," Mineko said. "but be careful not to accidentally fall inside it like you did last time."
"Don't take everything out, Rin!" Jaken said, running to stand beside Rin and look inside the cart as well. "Move aside and let me take a look!"
Kagome could smell the aroma of freshly cooked food coming from the cart, and Rin was taking out anything she could find that she found interesting.
"It's my pillow and blanket!" Rin said merrily. "Oh, and here's my basket so I can put flowers in it when I go looking for them tomorrow!"
"Looky here!" Jaken said cheerfully. "Mineko saved my collection of stones from the last time I stayed here to look for them, and she was even nice enough to put them in this velvet pouch."
Because she was interested to see what Mineko had in the cart too, Kagome was about to join Rin and Jaken in their little scavenger hunt when the demoness stood directly in front of her and smiled.
"Another human I see, Lord Sesshomaru," Mineko said while looking at Kagome. "Seeing you with a human like her brings back memories. What reminders! Yes, reminders of the past! Since when did you have her tagging along with you?"
"She won't be tagging along, as you put it, for very long," Sesshomaru replied indifferently.
"Pity," Mineko said. "May I take a look at her?"
When Mineko had spoken that, Kagome felt as if she was one of Sesshomaru's possessions that needed to be handled delicately.
"Oh, my! Just look at her!" said Mineko admiringly, placing her hand underneath Kagome's chin, turning the girl's head to one side and then the other. "The same raven hair, the large eyes, her satiny complexion. And what a face, so lovely and fair!"
"Do I remind you of somebody?" Kagome asked inquisitively.
Mineko removed her hand from Kagome's face and her eyes froze.The only response she gave her was a sad, sorrowful smile.
"Forgive me," Kagome said, noticing Mineko's sadness. "Did I say something wrong?"
"What is your name?" Mineko asked, ignoring Kagome's question.
"Kagome."
"A simple but pretty name."
"And you're Mineko, right? Are you one of Lord Sesshomaru's subjects?"
Mineko laughed. "I am more than that. The duties Lord Sesshomaru gives me while he's away are extensive, but I will not bother to explain all of them to you. I'll just mention one. For instance, at this hour I am in charge of overseeing his lands, and it is my duty to keep them looking green and beautiful, but I must protect them from trespassers as well."
"Oh, I see."
Mineko was looking at Kagome from head to toe, making the human girl uncomfortable in more ways than one.
"She's not very well-groomed, is she?" Mineko said to Sesshomaru. "She's also a bit slouchy in the way she stands, and she lacks a certain elegance and grace."
"Well, I'm not a beauty queen or a model!" Kagome snapped suddenly. "I've been through some rough stuff today, so I'm not exactly feeling up to being graceful. Anyway, I felt very ill and had a terrible dream a while ago. My back hurts a lot, and my backpack's killing me!"
"She also has a fiery spirit, doesn't she? Ah, and she carries a bow and arrows, which must mean she is a fighter as well. Both things make up for what she lacks."
Mineko then bowed to Kagome and walked away from her to speak with Sesshomaru. Both the demoness and her master were talking privately, and Kagome could only guess it was something of importance that was none of her business. She wondered who Mineko was and how she came to be in Sesshomaru's service. How long had she been serving under Sesshomaru, and what powers did she have? Kagome knew Mineko had to be somewhat strong and powerful if Sesshomaru had given her such important responsibilities, for she knew he would not assign duties like that to just anyone.
Feeling a tingling sensation in her body, Kagome was aware of something she had not felt in quite some time. She noticed Sesshomaru and Mineko sensed it too.
"I sense a sacred jewel shard," Kagome said, grabbing her bow and arrow. "And it's heading this way."
Sesshomaru and Mineko removed their swords from where they were kept in an almost synchronized fashion, and they all waited for whatever it was that was coming quickly towards them.
I hope it wasn't too long, my readers. Like I said, I had to make it like this because I skipped a day when I was supposed to update a chapter. Well, don't you think Sesshomaru and Kagome are a bit closer? Be aware that Kagome still doesn't know why Sesshomaru is angry even though Rin and Jaken do, but they haven't told her yet. It can be assumed that he is angry because Kagome only has one more day to spend with them, but it happens to be more than that. Just think about it. They are in the Western Lands. That's one clue. Then there's Mineko who has served Sesshomaru for a long time. She makes ambiguous references to things, and Kagome reminds her of somebody she once knew. I think you might know the answer because you are all smart. Oh, and I want to make sure you all pay attention to the symbolism in my story. There are going to be a few that will appear. I don't know if you caught this or not, but there is one color I use often in the story. It will come out some more in the next chapters, but make sure you look out for it. It's very important. I'd like it if you'd tell me the answer and name the color in your review, if you don't mind. If you don't know, that's okay, but if you do, please tell me! What I'll do is that whoever gets it right will be recognized by me and I'll congratulate you for all the rest of the readers to see. I'll write your names at the beginning of the next chapter under the "Author's Note" section. You don't have to, but I would like to be able to recognize those readers who pay very close attention to the details in my story.
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I feel very sad because there are some readers who don't review anymore, and I wonder if they quit reading my story because they started not to like it or no longer found it interesting. If you are a reader who still reads my story but has not reviewed in a while, please let me know you are still a faithful reader. Let me know you are alive and well! I care a lot about my readers, and I really miss those reviewers who no longer share their thoughts with me. But I do love and adore my loyal reviewers too. Don't forget that, you all!