A/N:
Hello my lovely readers!
I have read all of your reviews(They always make me smile, thank you!) and I wish to clarify a few important things;
First, regarding the plot for this story - I thank you for your enthusiasm in suggesting ideas and for liking this story so much, however the outline is already thought of and planned, therefore I can hope you will be patient enough to continue reading as the story slowly unfolds. I cannot be disrespectful to most of my patient readers who do not wish to be spoiled, therefore nothing will be confirmed before its rightful time and place.
Second, regarding concepts from existing works - I personally believe that circulating the same ideas over and over again hinders creativity, therefore the use of existing ideas even in the form of homage to me is both counter productive and especially in bad taste, since the author of those works would also most likely not even know their concepts are being used in the first place.
Remember folks, always strive for creativity.
A long opening for this chapter lol, yet still a very important one in my opinion.
So, with all that in mind, as always, please enjoy :)
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Jaken-sama... you don't look so good." Rin voiced her concern, wide dark brown eyes set down on her small companion walking to her left.
Riding on the back of the two-headed dragon, the child watched as Jaken released another heavy sigh, drops of sweat decorating his tired expression and his form pitifully slouched.
"I cannot tell you the reason, Rin, so do not pester me." He dismissed with mild annoyance, clenching his green hands around the Nintojo in his grip and drawing it closer to his chest.
"Why not?" Rin pressed with interest, ignoring his statement.
Jaken slumped his shoulders even further to her words, too tired to even reprimand or argue anymore than that.
"Because I do not wish my own head to be spiked at the end of a blade, child." He muttered through a dragged breath.
Rin's eyebrows rose with confusion to his words, and she simply set her vision forward onto both Kikyo and Sesshomaru as they calmly strode further ahead on the narrow rocky path, right next to a loud torrent. The aggressive, yet steady sound of the water grazed against the rocks, compensating for their timely silence while filling the air with moisture and making the early morning seem colder as the thin drops combined with a veil of fog hovering above, blocking the sun's warm rays.
The child pouted her lips at her own fruitless investigation, tilting her head to the side as she kept her quiet observing.
With the crystal of youki now in their possession, both the daiyoukai and the priestess decided to continue moving on their quest in case they would somehow be fortunate enough to wander close to Naraku's concealed heart, and since the higher grounds proved useless in their relevance to its location, the group was now testing the lower ones as a potential spot, resulting in them all descending from the high mountain they had all spent the several previous nights on, approaching the valley, instead.
Rin sent one small hand to her mouth in order to block a wide yawn which caused small tears to form in the corners of her eyes, then, she lowered her attention back to her troubled, green companion.
"Hey, Jaken-sama."
"What is it." He reluctantly answered, keeping his gaze forward.
"Did you find out anything new?"
Whipping his head up at her surprising sharpness with a swift movement, Jaken's brows joined in an angry scowl.
But before he managed to lose his composure entirely and release his frustrations in their whole up at her direction, his survival instincts soon kicked in, successfully diffusing his upcoming outburst while reminding him of the danger of even saying one word regarding this particular subject. And with that thought in mind, his actions could only come into a sudden halt, preventing him from accidentally spilling any kind of information on the matter.
Rin watched him through a confused expression, blinking at his odd behavior.
However, the child already knew him well enough by now to eventually comprehend the meaning behind it.
She kept her silence, placing her gaze forward beyond the two scaly heads of A-Un to once again stare at both Kikyo and Sesshomaru, who seemed to have not said a word to each other in quite some time now, maintaining their steady walking rhythm, forms relaxed and expressions most likely befitting, their stern awareness focused on an unnamed spot, far in the distance.
From where she sat, Rin noticed that it was almost as if she was looking at the same being, divided into two people; both exuding the same kind of unreadable calmness, unmatchable strength and silent confidence, a unique trait that she had only ever witnessed present in their existences. But along with that undeniable similarity, Rin had also sensed some sort of quiet detachment, an unspoken certain distance between them that wasn't there before, assisting her in realizing that Jaken's new finding may perhaps not be such a preferable one.
And she refrained from saying anything more, a worried look soon crossing her features.
Breaking their companions' silent musings at that moment, however, both Sesshomaru and Kikyo suddenly stopped in their tracks, causing the imp-demon and Rin to follow in their example and do the same as they watched them turn their attention upwards and to their right, somewhere far amid the thick layers of mist, to a certain spot which only appeared unspecified to the simple, naked eye.
"What is it, Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken immediately inquired, his yellow eyes going wide with mild alert.
A single moment passed, and a figure soon appeared through the hazy sky, falling from their means of transportation all the way down next to where the group was located as it plunged head first into the violent current of the river, the limp body easily dragged by the water and threatened to be swept away completely.
Jumping down from the back of A-Un, Rin hesitantly stepped forward. She clenched one small fist to her own chest, focusing her eyes on the unconscious woman carried by the stream, managing to recognize the partly submerged dark wavy hair and light-green beady earrings.
"Wha – Kagura?!" Jaken gasped, following after the child's curiosity.
"She seems hurt!" Rin determined, her gaze set after the wind sorceress' moving frame.
Watching the events as they unfolded before them, both Sesshomaru and Kikyo maintained their silence for another moment.
"Sesshomaru-sama, what do you think?" The imp-demon turned to look at his master.
But the daiyoukai barely spared his next decision an ounce of thought nor hesitation, turning on his heel and setting his gaze once more on the far distance, ahead.
"Leave her, let's go." He answered dryly, already proceeding on his way.
Kikyo observed him in silence as she remained in her place, quietly assessing his cold answer.
And once he noticed her lack of cooperation, Sesshomaru paused, turning his head halfway back in her direction to meet her impassive gaze.
"Kagura now shares common interests, Sesshomaru." She reasoned, watching him closely, "Her existence and connection to Naraku is beneficial for us."
But the look in his eyes at that moment appeared as uninterested as ever, and he only turned his head forward once again, gold breaking away from the priestess' mahogany brown.
Kikyo watched him for another moment in which none of them said anything, causing her eyes to narrow at his unexpected behavior. However, before she managed to voice her next attempt of persuasion, a certain familiar screeching soon reached their ears, making them both shift towards the loud source behind them.
And only the sight of both Jaken and Rin falling into the water greeted them back, the frantic duo passing them as the river now dragged their small forms along with the unconscious wind sorceress, the child and the imp-demon screaming and coughing with pure distress as their hands flailed in every direction.
"Get Rin and Kagura, I shall deal with Jaken." Sesshomaru said through a heavy breath, annoyance clear in his expression with his fur sash beginning to extend far below his feet.
Accepting her newest task with no protest, Kikyo simply closed her eyes and lifted her free hand to perform the hand seal calling upon several of her Shinidamchu, directing them towards the existence of both Rin and Naraku's offspring, her serpent-like helpers whistling through the air and soon reaching their location as they enveloped around their submerged bodies, successfully lifting them above the water surface.
"Hey! W-What about me?!" Jaken croaked desperately, extending his short arms above to try and grab ahold of the pale youkai, however with no success, as they were already too high and far from his limited reach. But just as he started yelling for anyone's potential help, a sudden harsh and precise punch to his head soon silenced his cries altogether, the hand quickly opening up to grab at the collar of his garbs and successfully yank him out from the aggressive stream, saving his life.
The imp-demon swallowed hard as he could already recognize the rough treatment, his mouth forming a straight line as Sesshomaru ascended, flying above the stream after Kikyo's Shinidamachu while carrying him with his sole hand, his expression unnervingly calm. Once they reached safe grounds, the daiyoukai lowered himself back down, the soles of his shoes meeting with the rocky surface below them and his firm grip on Jaken's clothes immediately easing, dropping the wet youkai to the earth in a loud splatter of wet fabric.
"S-Sesshomaru-sama...! t-thank you for saving this Jaken!" Jaken immediately performed a respectful bow before his master, who was already making his way forward, stepping in the direction of the priestess who was slowly approaching their unplanned place for a break, holding onto the straps of the two-headed dragon with her free hand, leading him behind her.
She found his gaze yet again, calm mahogany interlocking with fierce gold as both of them gradually neared each other, stopping at a convenient distance.
Just as she had noticed before, Kikyo noted that Sesshomaru clearly still held an unexpected level of uneasiness with the situation, a certain displeasure that apparently had nothing to do with his vassal proving useless, yet again.
She studied him for a moment longer, attempting to decipher his cryptic thoughts.
'Is it because of my decision to compromise during her last visit?' She guessed, staring up at him.
Eventually, Kikyo turned her attention to her serpent helpers as they distanced themselves from both the still coughing Rin and the unconscious body of Kagura. Now plain under her evaluating eyes, she allowed herself to scan the sprawled woman in silence, noticing her bare upper body and ripped garbs, as well as the massive hole formed in her chest, which somehow did not reduce her life force at all.
Her vision narrowed at the gruesome sight.
However, this served only as a visible proof to a certain theory she had already reached before, making her lift her head slightly at the confirmation;
Same as he did with himself, Naraku had also extracted Kagura's heart, the fact most likely acting as the basis and motivation for her betrayal and secret wish to break free from his deadly chains.
An understandable motive, Kikyo had to admit.
And at that moment, the priestess found herself wondering why Sesshomaru was so reluctant to assist the wind sorceress when she first asked him to. Granted, the woman had presented him the Shikon Jewel shards as a trade for his help which most likely insulted his pride, but even Sesshomaru should have been able to see past that rookie mistake and realize that it was simply pure desperation which propelled Kagura's actions to even reach out to him in the first place.
Was there perhaps more to the story than he had mentioned?
Keeping his observing gaze on Kikyo's profile for another moment, Sesshomaru eventually followed in her example and shifted to stare down at the barely still living woman as well, focusing his attention on the gaping hole in her back.
"The wound carries Naraku's scent on it as well, although of a different kind." He informed.
Kikyo assessed Kagura's state for another moment, then, she glanced back up at his direction.
"A calculated attack." She determined, taking a deep, silent breath, "Naraku has Kagura's heart in his grasp, meaning that he most likely made use of this convenient fact to pit another one of his creations against her for whatever reason."
Taking in this information, Sesshomaru turned to once again meet with her gaze.
"So, she's not dead?" Rin asked, sitting her wet form in front of the unconscious woman on the ground, her dark brown eyes fixed on the wind sorceress.
"You've heard it yourself just now, didn't you?" Jaken muttered, approaching near the child, his voice still carrying subtle bitterness regarding the latest events.
Just then and much to everyone's surprise, the flesh on the woman's back began moving, building once again as it slowly healed itself little by little, forming until the wound eventually closed as if it weren't even there in the first place, displaying the mark of Naraku in its entirety on her back, instead;
The unmistakable burn of the eight-legged spider, a reminiscence of Onigumo, the human bandit.
And soon enough, the woman twitched and began moving as well, sending her hands to support herself against the rocky surface with a low grunt, grimacing at the residue of the uncomfortable sensation the hole had left in her chest and in her mind, the gaping absence now replaced with renewed flesh, once more. She placed one hand at the spot to make sure that she was still alive, her breathing becoming even the more she managed to quietly wrap around the reason for her survival.
"Um, are you okay?" Rin's voice tore her from her thoughts, causing Kagura to rise into a sitting position, glancing over her shoulder to meet with the child's worried gaze, as well as Jaken's tired one. She proceeded to scan her environment, soon noticing both Sesshomaru and Kikyo standing not far behind them.
"You lot..." She uttered, the familiar scowl quickly forming in her eyebrows, yet again.
"Kikyo-sama saved you." Rin informed her.
"Under Sesshomaru-sama's command." Jaken quickly corrected.
Processing the information, the wind user glanced up at the inu daiyoukai, meeting his impassive gaze.
"Huh, so you do have a merciful side to you, after all." She claimed, watching him closely.
Jaken sprung to his feet immediately, straightening up at her impudent words with pure disgust as drops of water detached from his being to fly in every direction.
"You insolent wench! Can't you at least say a word of thanks?!" He reprimanded loudly, his expression pure anger, "Sesshomaru-sama approved of your saving only because the miko had insisted it, that is all!"
Hearing that, Kagura narrowed her eyes, her intense crimson red finally meeting with Kikyo's steady mahogany.
Sesshomaru's keen gaze found the priestess as well, and he said nothing as he observed her calm features for a moment in which silence fell on all souls present, patiently waiting to witness her following actions after she, herself, was the one who had suggested saving the woman, resulting in this current unplanned hindrance.
The loud sounds of the river soon flushed through their location, bouncing off the harsh surface and filling the air as they granted the silence with unspoken heaviness, neither the priestess or the wind user breaking their intense eye contact.
And once her resolve was formed, Sesshomaru witnessed intent flashing behind Kikyo's eyes, her quiet decision masked well in the particular way she slightly lifted her head at the woman sitting before her, and she only stepped forward with perfect poise, all the way until she reached Kagura's spot, who only inched back in response to her sudden and unreadable actions.
But the wind user's expression crossed with avid confusion as she watched Kikyo silently lower herself down to a kneeling position before her, placing her free hand on top of her bent leg as her mahogany eyes reached her eye-level.
"Naraku has your heart, correct?" Kikyo confirmed, her voice supporting a surprising amount of compassion in it.
Irritation soon crossed Kagura's features as she maintained her silence to the priestess' unexpected words.
"What's in it to you." She shot back harshly, narrowing her eyes.
Kikyo inhaled deeply, easing her shoulders to the verification of her theory.
"A will to break free from the chains that restrict you..." She began, her full attention placed on her, "Is something that I can understand myself, very well."
But Kagura only let out a mocking breath at her words.
"You have no idea what it's like being a slave to that bastard." She easily dismissed, placing her gaze away from Kikyo's deep mahogany eyes, which held surprisingly strong genuine emotion in them at that moment, "So don't even attempt to pull this crap of trying to understand me."
Her words caused the imp-demon to fume with anger at the endless pit of sheer disrespect this woman could pull all of her answers from, however, before he could manage to voice out more of his disapproval, Kikyo turned to quietly glance at him, cancelling his upcoming eruption.
Then, she once again set her vision onto the back of Naraku's offspring sitting in front of her, her eyes inevitably studying the etched and irremovable marking of the spider on her skin, a stark reminder of where this woman came from, and a curse that she was attempting to fight against.
And she only closed her eyes in silence, feeling the soft wind against her features.
"I may not know the same circumstances, but I am able to comprehend the importance of your lonely battle." She admitted, noticing the slight tense in Kagura's shoulders, "Will you share what happened to you, Kagura?"
The wind sorceress kept her quiet to Kikyo's request, taking in a deep breath as she faced away for another moment, eventually turning her head halfway back in her direction, meeting her gaze once again.
"Humph." She eyed her sharply, raising one judging eyebrow as her crimson red thoroughly scanned Kikyo's calm features, "It's what I came here to do, at any rate."
With this, the priestess kept her silence, awaiting the wind sorceress to start her story.
"Narkau's heart." Kagura started, her glance shifting to Sesshomaru in the back, "Right before I got shot through the chest by a bastard named Goryoumaru, I definitely saw the crystal of youki losing its power."
Stepping forward, Jaken narrowed his eyes.
"And who's that Goryoumaru, exactly?" He asked.
"A human ascetic with strange powers." The wind sorceress answered with an annoyed tone, turning to stare forward, once again, "He owns a temple located at the base of the mountain, not very far from here... and his job is most likely keeping the damn heart safe."
Straightening up to her words, Jaken pointed his Nintojou at her direction.
"Just a minute, Kagura." He called as a new realization crossed his mind, "If that guy carries Naraku's scent just like you and is possibly keeping the heart safe, how come you don't know anything about it?!"
But before the woman could answer to his impatient inquiry, Kikyo closed her eyes and rose to her feet, grabbing both of their attention.
"Because Naraku does not trust her." She stated simply, prompting Kagura's colored mouth to form a thin line.
And with that, the priestess turned halfway back in the direction of Sesshomaru behind her, catching his stare once again.
He held her steady gaze in silence, watching as the gentle flow of the cool breeze returned to blow through her bangs and long hair as it swayed far behind her body, her expression unreadable as ever, and yet her mahogany eyes fierce with a quiet will, transmitting clearly before him.
"Under certain desperate circumstances, people may act in a foolish manner."
Her words found their way into his mind, assisting him in understanding another meaning behind her statement, the reason for using them first at that particular moment and the need for him to participate in this exchange.
Sesshomaru inhaled deeply, focusing his gaze down on Kagura, instead.
"In that case, any other actions on your part are futile." He cooperated, surprising Jaken, who only quickly turned his head back to stare at his master, "If what you are saying is true, then Naraku most likely already knows of your betrayal."
He finished his words, and his golden eyes inevitably darted once again to the priestess' mahogany ones, as if displaying a silent disclaimer that this once in a lifetime occurrence shall never repeat itself again.
Kikyo only nodded once with understanding, however, the still avid reluctance behind his actions sparked her interest from before once again.
With the information delivered as she had planned, Kagura climbed to her feet as well, her back still turned to the group behind her.
"I took up your time." She said with a low voice, setting her gaze on the far distance, "I'll be off, now."
But before she managed to take her leave, Rin suddenly stepped forward to stand next to Kikyo, her brown eyes wide as she set her attention on the wind user.
"Eh? You're leaving?" She asked through a slightly worried expression, "Didn't you come because you wanted to be saved by Sesshomaru-sama?"
Blinking with surprise at the child's never-ending piercing honesty, Kikyo's gaze fell down to Rin as she kept her quiet to the unexpected turn of events, then, she only glanced up once again to study Naraku's offspring before her.
Kagura refrained from answering for the longest time, the heavy question striking deep into her core as it left her mind momentarily blank. And she only let out a deep breath, eventually reaching up to pluck a single feather from her hair, turning her head back to interlock with the priestess' gaze one last time.
"I'm no masochist." She muttered under her breath with unquestionable annoyance as her glare shot straight through Kikyo, causing her eyebrows to meet with a slight frown to the vague assertion.
She only watched in silence as the wind sorceress placed her gaze forward, sending her feather to the ground below her as it transformed and grew massive, carrying her up and away from the area, her form vanishing into the heavy mist of the sky above.
"Such a questionable woman...!" Jaken huffed, crossing his arms before his chest and shaking his head, "She came begging for Sesshomaru-sama's help before and now she refused it! Well, not like Sesshomaru-sama offered it to her in the first place..." He then turned to glare at Rin, who just like the priestess, had her eyes set on the far spot into which Kagura flew in.
But hearing his words, Kikyo soon turned on her heel, focusing her gaze on Sesshomaru, instead.
"We shall go search that temple." He announced with indifference, placing his attention on her, eventually closing his eyes and proceeding to stride forward, according to the scent of their latest finding.
The priestess stayed in her position for another moment as both Jaken and Rin quickly followed in his example, hurriedly passing her with quick small steps as they ran forward to catch up with their master.
Then, she resumed her movement as well, stepping after them all with a composed expression.
The hours passed and their journey down towards the base of the mountain where the acclaimed temple was located seemed never-ending as the sun above remained concealed behind the heavy mist, preventing proper sunlight from puncturing through the haze. With no clear indication of the current time of day or higher grounds to administer a convenient spot to measure their surroundings, the group was making its way through the narrow path of the forest, dependent solely on the faint scent of the temple somewhere in the far distance.
Heavy mist drifted in slow waves across the path before them, intersecting through their path from one side of the greenery to the other, scattering away with every new step they took forward, only to once again gather behind them in a continuous fashion, granting their current location with a certain ominous and cold feeling to it.
Yet at that moment, the priestess found her own mind to be unexpectedly deterred by a different notion, causing her assessing eyes to rest on Sesshomaru's profile as he walked slightly before her, his strides confident, steady, and his restrained expression not hinting her of any special thoughts that he could potentially harbor.
She kept her silence, allowing herself to continue examine his unreadable features for her answers, her mahogany eyes soon meeting with his sharp gold.
"What's on your mind, miko." Sesshomaru demanded, catching her gaze through the corner of his eye as he kept his head forward.
Tilting her head slightly to the side at his ever-so accurate instincts, Kikyo investigated him for a moment more, then, she turned her head to stare forward at the rest of their companions who were walking up ahead, safe under their combined close attention from any potential threat that might decide to strike at them.
"I was wondering about your connection with Kagura." She answered bluntly, her face and voice absent of any unique emotion in it, "More specifically, the first day she approached you, asking for your assistance."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes down at her, sharp eyebrows forming a hint of a confused frown to her words.
"I have already shared details of that day with you, before." He answered, his tone bored.
Kikyo found his gaze again, lifting her head slightly up at his direction as she evaluated his answer.
"What happened after you've turned down her offer of giving you the Shikon Jewel shards in exchange for your help?"
With this, Sesshomaru turned his head fully down at her direction, never breaking her eye-contact.
"And why do you think of that information as necessary?" He asked, irritation clear in his voice, now.
Kikyo held his fierce gaze, greeting him back with a calm exterior.
"No relevant matters should be kept a secret anymore between us, should they?" She stately answered, reminding him of his own words from the previous night, "I have a say in what I deem as relevant in my eyes."
However, as much as the priestess expected his inquiry and prepared for it with this specific, reasonable reply, she now couldn't help but find herself seeking her own mind for answers regarding the basis for her sudden fixation, the process surprisingly failing to produce a precise enough answer;
Why was she so impulsively interested in what happened that day between them?
Before she managed to begin theorize against her own engrossment, the daiyoukai tore away from her gaze, setting it forward, instead.
"Foolishly believing that I, Sesshomaru, was obliged to accept her pitiful trade, Kagura dared to raise her voice before me, accusing me of being a coward, scared of Naraku's pathetic existence." He said, his voice as bored as his expression.
Staring up at him, Kikyo processed his words in silence.
Apparently, Kagura had operated with much more disrespect than she had thought, especially considering the fact that she was the one who actively sought out his existence to assist her with her cause in the first place.
But a part of her somehow detained on a rather odd musing, making her realize yet another aspect of this proud inu daiyoukai walking beside her;
Would Sesshomaru have agreed to help Kagura, had she properly asked him to?
An amused, light chuckle soon found its way through her lips much to her own surprise, causing the back of her hand to instinctively and swiftly rise up in order to block it, yet with little success.
And Sesshomaru only turned to glare down at her direction, narrowing his golden eyes at this ever-so unexpected woman walking beside him. But the rare sight of her smile and the fluttering sound of her laughter as it reached his ears left his heart quickening in his chest much to his own dismay, and he hurriedly turned away from her being in order to force it back into submission.
Noticing his avid displeasure with her reaction, Kikyo eventually composed herself yet again, letting out a silent breath.
Somehow and in relevance, she couldn't help but ponder over her previous own actions while dealing with this man striding beside her, and how much she had now witnessed her current situation in a different light than before.
"I apologize, Sesshomaru." Kikyo said, the sincerity in her voice prompting him to once again find her form trough the corner of his eye, gold locking with mahogany brown, "I myself, have called you a coward before as well... that was out of line."
Sharp eyebrows performed a slight frown to her unforeseen apology.
"Humph." Sesshomaru answered only with that, setting his eyes back at the distance.
Kikyo observed his profile for another moment, the hint of amusement stubbornly residing in her features as silent relief suddenly spread in her chest, the heaviness of her thoughts significantly decreasing at the ability to put this particular subject finally to rest.
Then, she followed in his example, placing her gaze onto their three companions.
A/N:
I owe you some fluff after those couple previous chapters of angst, eh? ;)
Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, and I hope to keep hearing of your thoughts regarding this one, as well.