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Moonlit Lives
Chapter 5
They stood side by side, flying quickly through the sky on the only decoration the sky had been offered that day. From below, it was as if a lone cloud was ripping through an otherwise cloudless blue abyss. Kagome's face was assaulted pleasantly by the bright afternoon sun, cooled by the wind that whipped about her form. Beside her, Sesshoumaru had his left arm wrapped securely around her waste, his clawed hand placed comfortably on her flat stomach. Kagome gripped his tail, having felt it only once before, only because she had been unable to resist.
She had a nagging impulse to snuggle into the silken tail, but restrained herself from making a fool out of herself and resigned to merely hold on to it. Briefly, she looked up at Sesshoumaru's intent face, studying the never changing planes of his perfect face, the long, slender nose, the strong, masculine and yet strangely gentle jaw, set firmly so that his lips were pressed together in an unforgiving fashion. His long hair whipped out behind him, his bangs swaying wildly and yet staying stationary on his forehead. The markings gracing his high cheekbones were truly remarkable, as was every other marking on his body. Kagome smiled at his shrouded personality, the personality that was truly the young demon he had forced behind. She smiled at his mask, as well, knowing that it there to protect him from what was not physical.
Still smiling, she turned from him, knowing that he would not look back her, having to keep his eyes ahead. But she knew that he had felt her eyes on him. That was because he tightened his grip on her and his mouth had twitched just a bit in her direction. She really had him figured out. At least, she hoped so. However, there was no more time to ponder this, for at that moment, the cloud descended to a clearing, leaving the sky completely cloudless once again.
Sesshoumaru let go of Kagome to step down and offer her his hand. Without hesitation, she took it, stepping down gracefully from the cloud that disappeared with her departure from it's surface. Kagome smiled brightly as Sesshoumaru, who afforded her a small grin in return, clasped her hand in his before leading her to the village, a mere few feet away. Kagome followed beside him, willingly offering her hand for his use, though it wouldn't have made any difference, seeing as how it was already taken hostage by his own.
They entered the village without gusto, though their presence demanded attention. The villagers bowed low to Sesshoumaru, sending puzzled and amazed stares to Kagome. She smiled at them, taking no mind of the fact that she was holding the Western Taiyoukai's hand. She was too busy looking at the villagers to notice the withered, but strong looking priestess standing in front of them, bowing.
"Milord Sesshoumaru, Milady taikijo." She greeted, recognizing Kagome's marking as that of royalty. "I welcome ye to this humble village. May I ask what it is that brings ye here?" Kaede asked gently, standing to gaze at them both.
Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru for permission, who nodded stiffly, and abandoned his warm hand to run up to the stout priestess and hug her. "Oh, Kaede-baba. I missed you." She said after letting go. Kaede seemed taken aback at first, narrowing her eyes in thought. She studied Kagome for a short while before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Kagome?" She asked in astonishment. "Is that truly ye, child?"
"Yes Kaede-baba, it's me." Kagome said, kneeling before the astonished woman. "I'll explain everything to you in a bit--" She was cut off by a rude and obtrusive yell.
"Oi! Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here?" Inuyasha came barreling down the path towards them, angry and flustered.
Kagome gave Kaede a look that begged her not to say a word, then stood, tall and proud. Though she was fighting to keep back tears, lessons with Sesshoumaru had taught her to control her facial expression, and it remained as stone in front of her once lover.
"I see you've still got this whore around." he jeered. "I guess an outcast is just what you need to satisfy all your needs. "
Kagome's eyes snapped up to meet his sneer, anger and hurt reflecting deeply in her soul. All thoughts of her love for him went out of her mind, forgotten. A sudden carnal instinct to protect what was her's seeped into her, and rage filled her very being at Inuyasha's idiocy.
Her fist met squarely with his jaw, throwing him back about a hundred meters. Nimbly, she landed in front of him, standing tall and regal, looking down her nose at him.
"You will not disrespect the Lord Of the Western lands in such a way, half breed." She hissed at a stunned Inu-hanyou. He glared up at the majestic and somehow familiar demoness that had just socked him. "You may be his half-brother," She sneered, allowing her rage to take over, "But you will never have the right to talk down to him as if he is the lowly beast laying at my feet at this moment."
"Why you--" Inuyasha started, standing and placing his hand on his tetsusaiga, but was stopped by Kikyou's voice.
"Inuyasha!" Kikyou cried happily, not yet aware of danger. Kagome's eyes flicked over to Kikyou's running form, her heart lightening a bit to see that the wish had worked. However, this didn't show on her face. Instead of taking up Inuyasha's challenge, which she would have done happily, she stepped back to the side of Sesshoumaru, looking up at him imploringly. He looked back, his face stony, but his eyes telling volumes of what he was thinking.
There was a pride and gratitude in them that puzzled Kagome a bit, but she had just punched Inuyasha in the jaw for him. Kagome had never thought that she would ever punch Inuyasha for any reason, but here she was, hoping she would get another shot. There was a hunger inside that she didn't quite understand, a hunger for violence and bloodshed she hadn't previously experienced. And her youkai was willing to jump at the first sign of go so that she could appease that hunger.
Panicking, she looked up at Sesshoumaru. Without speaking, he answered her plea with an arm around her and a reassuring squeeze, bringing her close to him, forcing her to take in his calming scent. Finally, she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, the red that had been bleeding into them was gone. She smiled at him in gratitude, to which he replied with a curt nod. Inuyasha did not notice this, for he was turned to greet Kikyou.
Kikyou, though seeing the two great youkai, kept running until she reached Inuyasha, still smiling. "Inuyasha. I know what you wanted to talk to me about." She grinned, something Kagome thought looked odd on Kikyou.
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You do?" he looked skeptical.
Kikyou nodded, "I think so. But even if it isn't what you wanted to talk about, I want to talk about it." Inuyasha urged her silently to continue. Looking around warily, she put her lips close to his ear and whispered something not even the two youkai standing in front of them could decipher.
Inuyasha's face split into a grin and he looked like a puppy that had just gotten a big milk bone. He hugged Kikyou close. And then his eyes widened, and forgetting about Sesshoumaru and the demoness that had just pounded him into the dust, he cried, "Oh Kami! I have to prepare! There's so much to do!" And then he was gone, leaving a group of perplexed villagers behind him, along with two disgruntled demons and a beaming priestess.
However, upon turning and seeing the demoness, Kikyou's expression seemed suddenly extremely sour. "Kagome." she said stiffly.
Kagome, whose youkai had receded, smiled gently at Kikyou, ignoring the woman's bitter greeting. "Kikyou. I am glad to see that my wish worked out."
"Hai, domo arigatou. It has made Inuyasha and I extremely happy." She smirked in triumph.
Kagome noticed this, and in a suddenly stony voice that made Sesshoumaru proud, said, "Contrary to your belief, Kikyou, I have no interest in Inuyasha and therefore do not care what you believe of me. I have come to pay the villagers a visit, not compete for what I do not want." She returned Kikyou's glare evenly, with no emotion. Unconsciously, she put her hand over Sesshoumaru's, intertwining his claws with her own. Sesshoumaru twitch a bit, but did nothing.
Kikyou stared in disbelief. This was not the vibrant, emotional girl that Inuyasha had left her for, and then claimed not to know. However, she was determined to undo this girl's mask. "Then you will give me you blessings, for I am having his pup."
"Of course. Remember, Kikyou, I am the one that left him." Kagome tried hard to remain calm and to seem indifferent. And then anger overtook her once again. "I gave you back your life, I gave you Inuyasha, I erased myself from his memory so that you would have no more competition. I gave you everything that you wanted, and you are going to attempt to thwart me in a game I do not play?" The hold on Sesshoumaru's hand was let go as she approached a now slightly cowering miko. "You are an imbecile, Kikyou. I gave you everything that I wanted in life. You are only so fortunate." She lifted her hands together, as if cradling something fragile. "I hold this second life in my hands, Kikyou. Remember that."
She stepped away, into Sesshoumaru's arms, and together they walked away. "I'm sorry this could not be a more pleasant visit, Kaede-baba. Perhaps next time." Kagome called over her shoulder. She left an extremely disgruntled Kikyou and perplexed Kaede behind her, as well as a group of shocked villagers.
At that moment, two enemies had the exact same thought. 'Bitch.'
"Sesshoumaru, Why would she want to do that? I gave her life, and I can take it away just as easily! I gave her life, I gave her happiness, I gave her INUYASHA! And this is how she repays me? I should go back and disembowel her, cut her into so many pieces you can't tell the difference between her inside and her outside. And I could, too! I don't think she understands that!"
"Kagome, your eyes are turning red again. Calm down."
"Why? What she needs is a good beating, and I think that I should give it to her." She was growling now, and her eyes were thoroughly pink. Her fangs began to lengthen as thoughts of Kikyou's mangled body ran through her head. Her claws grew out, and the royal makings on her skin began to spread all over her body. "I'm going to kill her!" She was about to shoot off back to the village when arms wrapped around her tightly and lips were pressed to her own.
"Shut up, Kagome." Sesshoumaru told her through a crushing kiss.
Her eyes widen and her fangs became dainty again, her claws receding, and the red faded away. Kagome relaxed in his hold. "You... you kissed me." She whispered breathlessly.
"Only to calm you down. Smacking you around would have made things worse." Sesshoumaru responded dispassionately.
"Oh. Okay." Kagome responded.
When they reached the well, Kagome collapsed beside it's decrepit, concaved wall. Really, it was like an inclined chair. Sesshoumaru sat serenely beside her, studying her. She turned to him, half surprised to see his intent eyes on her.
She thought about how he had taken care of her and the utter kindness he had shown her, how he had surprised her with his other, more passionate, young side, how he had confined in her what he told no one else. She thought of the trust he put in her, giving her a purpose and a feeling that she was needed, and not just a pawn of fate.
Silently, she crawled into his lap and curled up, wrapping her arms about his torso. Her kimono hitched up to her hip, showing her entire right leg. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru." She looked up at him thankfully before resting her head comfortably on his chest. And so they sat there, together, in perfect, harmonic silence. Neither said a word as the day went on without them and they watched it pass them by, not really minding that concept. At least then they could just be there, together, without an intrusion.
Kagome's thoughts were mysteriously centered around the man holding her. He was so warm, and at some point, his tail had slipped itself underneath her so that she was laying comfortably on the fluff. She admitted her extreme attraction to him. In fact, he was the first man that she had ever been able to speak to without being judged.
'You love him.' This nagging thought had haunted her for the past few days, pushed back to the back of her mind. However, the thought was persistent, forever answering her questions with those three words. And when she would respond to it, the thought would merely repeat in her mind as if confirming it. And so, Kagome began to wonder whether it was true or not.
"Do I truly love him? Or is it just an infatuation? Sesshoumaru? I thought him merely to be a friend."
'You love him.' the words resonated in her head over and over again, the words that had purred her to sleep the past nights, had echoed their knowledge when she looked at him, when she blushed at the thought of him. Kagome mulled this over, until it all came together in that single moment, shining light brighter and warmer than the sun on her.
"Yes, I love him."
Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru who, comfortable with the silence, was staring off into the forest.
Sesshoumaru had realized his true feelings for Kagome a long time ago. He had been in love with her even before she became a demoness, though he hadn't admitted it, to even himself. But now, now that she was with him and a demoness, he had no problem admitting that he loved her. Of course, he knew that it would never pass his lips, this knowledge. However, it was good to know that the one he loved was so close and was on such good terms with him. He looked down at Kagome, who was staring up at him with eyes of deep oceanic blue. Yes, a very good thing.
"We should be heading back to the palace." He finally said, standing up with her still in his arms.
"It will be good to be home again." Kagome responded, Smiling up at him.
He did not return the smile, but the slight twitch of his mouth showed Kagome that he was pleased. 'Home. Yes.' The word had a good ring to it. He formed his Youkai cloud and together the couple headed towards the palace.
Home.
-Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie
A fly can't bird but a bird can fly
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie
Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie
A fish can't whistle and neither can I
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie
Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie
Why does a chicken, I don't know why.
Ask me a riddle and I reply:
Cottleston Cottleston Cottleston Pie-
-The Tao of Pooh: Cottleston Pie
Okay, sorry this one is a bit short, but it seemed like a great place to stop. So, give me the feed back. PLEHZ! Lol. Review… or whatever it is that you people do.