A/N: Hey minna! Thanks again for the reviews, it really helps a lot. You're all so kind! Here's the next chapter, thanks for being there for me. . Domo Arigatou Minna-san:Bows deeply: Hopefully there aren't as many mistakes in this chapter but if there are I apologize! It's been rough...I have to switch computers to update on and to do that I need to retype the whole thing cause my 'rents are PARANOID:ahem: NEwayz...
Sidenote: Smthn weird happened when I installed this chapter... the first paragraph and my author's note got stuck together and was missing a few words...can you understand that? I can't... I swear I didn't do it! Well, point is I fixed it so I apologize for that happening and it won't happen again! I swear!
Kagome woke slowly, fluttering her eyelashes and closing them again. A wonderful warmth had surrounded her and she was enjoying the feeling. She felt at home, even though she didn't know exactly where she was. It could have been a dream, her finding Sesshoumaru again and then it could have been reality and she was at his house, lying in his bed...
When that thought entered her mind she fully awoke, the magic of comfort lost on her completely. Her senses were buzzing, telling her that there were youkai abroad. She shivered; she hadn't sensed that kind of youki in years. She'd thought she'd felt it a couple of times in the past but she dismissed them as phantom tingles, like an itch coming from a missing limb.
Kagome swung her legs over the edge of the bed and touched the floor; this reminded her of the last time she'd found herself in the care of Sesshoumaru. She'd woken up with Sesshoumaru as the first thing she saw, Keiseki being the second.
A knock sounded on the door and she moved to speak only for her voice to catch. She cleared her throat and said "come in."
The door swung open and in came a manservant; she glanced down at her wardrobe before she could see his face. She was relieved when she found she was fully dressed (although a little wrinkly). The thought of being stripped down in Sesshoumaru's house seemed ridiculous and improbable after she thought about it but she let it go.
"I trust you have slept well?" The voice sounded familiar and she knew what face would accompany that voice. She looked up to see none other than Sesshoumaru. She had thought him a manservant and hadn't even made the connection until it was too late.
She jumped up and fixed her hair and clothes as best she could. Muttering curses and admonishments to herself all the while. After trying to fix herself up she looked at Sesshoumaru, he looked more like he did when she'd seen him in Sengoku Jidai (with the exception of his attire).
His long silver hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, trailing to the backs of his knees. His markings were there and she had the oddest urge to touch them. His eyes were golden, but they stared at her with emotion she'd never seen in them before.
"Sesshoumaru-sama-?" She'd forgotten what he'd said (if he'd spoken, she wasn't quite sure if he had). She had been too busy checking him out...
He smirked, "I asked if you had slept well?" He walked over to her and stood close to her, too close.
She took a small step back; no one had been this close to her intentionally in years. She felt drawn to him somehow and she felt that if he stayed there she would do something he might not be comfortable with.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and took a deep breath, placing a smile on her facade and smiling up at him. "Hai Sesshoumaru-sama, I did."
Sesshoumaru didn't move, he couldn't. The scent of her was intoxicating, amplified by her closeness and he took a deep breath.
Kagome saw it, "are you...sniffing me?" She stifled a giggle and covered her mouth with her hand politely.
To her surprise he nodded almost dreamily, like he was in a trance, and bent down so that he was right next to her face. She gasped and stayed still, not wanting to offend him and also wanting to know where it would go.
He sniffed at her hair gently, taking in the pleasant smell of vanilla and soft smelling flowers. His eyes closed as he memorized the scent that had disappeared centuries ago. His thought pattern didn't work anymore; he wasn't Sesshoumaru the evil and powerful youkai lord. He was just a man, being enticed by a woman's scent.
He snapped back, as if something had hurt him. He was still at eye level with her and he found he couldn't move. He didn't want to. Her hand reached up for his face, cupping his cheek softly as she peered into the golden eyes of Sesshoumaru and for once, seeing only Sesshoumaru.
Their faces leaned in toward each other's and they could feel the other's breath fanning their faces. Their lips were close now and they could almost taste the other...
"Kagome-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama! Are you..." Keiseki stopped as she saw the two almost about to kiss, "oopsie..." Keiseki hid her burning face from view with a red folder she had in her hands and muttered unintelligible words to herself.
Kagome broke from her trance and took a step back, her face also burning with embarrassment. Sesshoumaru straightened but didn't seem to be affected, except for the slight growl in his throat.
Sesshoumaru walked across the room and with a final glance at Kagome, left the room...
Sesshoumaru sat at his desk in his office, pulling off the tie that had been choking him all day. Why had he acted like that? How could he have allowed himself to be affected like that by a woman?
He had been so close to tasting her, he probably should be thanking Keiseki for interrupting them but he'd felt so angered afterward. Like he wanted to do it but wasn't able to. He had found himself growling in frustration all the way down the hall and well into his office.
Sesshoumaru didn't know what was happening; maybe it was her scent...
He inhaled deeply as if it would help him recall the breathtaking scent of her. Her scent was the most heavenly scent that he'd ever smelled, and on a human no less! Sesshoumaru rubbed his fingers into his temples, trying to come up with a reason for his behavior.
A knock sounded on his door, a polite knock but it still made his temples throb.
"Come in," he growled out.
The door opened and it was Keiseki with that blood red folder in her hands. Her dark hair fell as she tipped her head to the side in an innocent gesture. She observed his position on the desk, his elbows resting on the polished dark wood and his fingertips massaging his temples.
"In pain Sesshoumaru-dono?" She was normal now, her gaze neutral. Her doctor's side was taking over and she became professional in an instant.
He looked up at her and noticed the change, "yes I am. I have the worst headache in the history of headaches."
She smirked and her stance dropped. Her legs were shoulder width apart now, the folder clutched between her hands in front of her. "Would that be a metaphor? Or should I take that as a symptom you are having as of now?"
He glared at her but her smirk stayed in place. She walked over to his desk and put the folder down then took his face in her hands and began to massage his temples with her skilled fingers. The pain eased and Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair as the relief spread through him.
Keiseki sat on the desk and kept at it. Her job was to make sure that no one, including Sesshoumaru was in any pain at all. This wasn't the first time she'd have to cure a migraine of his. He had them very often and she could usually tell when he was having one. She saw that his pain was easing and she smiled down at him.
The door clicked as someone opened it...
"Sesshoumaru-sama I..."
Sesshoumaru sat up in his chair and Keiseki turned to face the doorway but did not release Sesshoumaru's face from her grasp. In the doorway was Kagome and her eyes were wide with shock. She closed her eyes and the bitter scent of salt filled the room as she blinked the tears away. She turned around and ran from the room.
"Was that-?" Keiseki started, but couldn't seem to finish as the shock of being barged in upon consumed her.
"Kagome" replied Sesshoumaru. Both finishing and answering for her at the same time.
He sighed and muttered to himself about feeling another headache coming on. He stood up and walked to the doorway, fully prepared to chase down the miko.
Keiseki just watched him from her seat on the desk as he left the room in the pursuit of the miko Higurashi Kagome. "Go get her Sesshou-san" she muttered as she picked herself up from the desk and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt.
Kagome didn't know where she was going and she didn't really care. After what had happened upon her awakening she wanted to apologize to Sesshoumaru. She knew that she had feelings for him, especially now that they had almost shared a kiss. She had wanted it to happen, she didn't know why. Maybe it was because no one but him understood her and could heal the wounds of her heart with his knowledge.
She had thought that maybe he had feelings for her as well...
How could she have been so stupid? The man wasn't going to stay single for two freaking centuries! What a dolt she'd been to think that he actually felt something for her! Why didn't she see that they were together?
Visions of Keiseki touching Sesshoumaru, being so close to him made her feel so stupid. The look on his face was one of pleasure; he looked so comfortable with her touching him so intimately.
"What an idiot," she muttered to herself bitterly. She looked around trying to find where she'd managed to run blindly to.
It was like an entertainment room. There was a big TV and shelves containing what seemed to be hundreds of movies and dvd's. She turned and saw a billiard table and an air hockey table. She couldn't see Sesshoumaru or Keiseki using a room like this so why was there an entertainment room? At another glance she also saw that there were a couple shelves that had action figures lined up perfectly on it.
"Definitely not Sesshoumaru's..." Kagome muttered to herself.
"You're right" a deep voice sounded behind her.
Her shoulders stiffened and she turned to face Sesshoumaru.
"Sesshoumaru" she said in a neutral tone, deciding to leave out the honorific.
It didn't faze him however and he pointed to the figures with a graceful wave of his hand. "These belong to someone that has been in my possession for quite a while, and he still hasn't managed to grow up."
"Excuse me?" A cocky sounding voice came from the entryway to the room.
Kagome turned to see whom this newcomer was only to see that the stack of books he was holding covered his face. They looked impossibly heavy and from his ki she could tell that he was youkai. He staggered over to a table and dropped the books, allowing Kagome to see who he was.
He turned to Sesshoumaru and said something to him, which earned him a glare though he looked nonplussed. Kagome didn't hear what was being said, only watched the interaction between the two of them. While laughing the newcomer turned to face Kagome and their eyes locked, his smile slightly fading.
There was an uncanny sense of familiarity with this youkai that flowed through her being. He gave her a smile and she couldn't help but feel as if this person was someone she'd known before. His red hair was overgrown but not enough for it to be able to be pulled back with a hair tie.
A/N: forgive me if that's not the correct word for it, I speak Spanglish (Spanish and English) and I'm not sure what the English word for it is...:blushes: it's really bothersome when I want to convey what I mean...:sigh:
He looked like he was in his late teens/early twenties and certainly was dressed like one. He had on baggy blue jeans with chains dangling from a belt loop and an overly large white shirt. The last thing she noticed about him was the intensity in his emerald green eyes. With those eyes she knew who he was...
Or at least she thought she knew. She wasn't going to bring her hopes up once again. Seeing Sesshoumaru and Keiseki made it easier to believe that he was alive and well and all grown up and watching her right now. It was so much easier to believe it, but that also meant that if he was not who she thought he was that it would be excruciatingly painful.
She cleared her throat, "who are you?"
He took a half step back, surprised at her reaction. He'd expected crying and hugging and laughter and emotion and yet she was just standing there, waiting for him to confirm her suppositions.
"Shippo" he answered softly.
And the floodgates tore open, tears dripped down freely. They flowed down her cheeks and her voice caught as her emotions took over again. She staggered toward him, not caring what Sesshoumaru might think of her at this point, and reached up to touch his face.
"You've grown" she murmured just before she broke down and hugged his waist tightly, as if holding onto a ghost that could disappear at any given second.
He hugged her back and found himself crying with her. This was his best friend/surrogate mother/caretaker and he hadn't seen her in centuries. The last time he'd hugged her he was no more than two feet tall and so young that it seemed as if it had been a childhood dream.
He'd missed her terribly, of course he'd seen her occasionally when she came to visit with everyone, but then the visits stopped. He remembered crying for days when she was gone, Sango's comforting hand and Miroku's soft words.
He'd been there for them, been there for their children and then for their grandchildren. He'd watched his dearest friends grow old while he stayed young. Something a child who had been raised by humans couldn't fully understand.
He wanted guidance from someone he knew, a youkai who could help him. Kouga couldn't take him in, he had a pack to lead after all and he wouldn't fit in anyway. He was an adolescent looking for a role model and he had stumbled upon one.
"Kagome" he muttered through silent tears.
"I'm so sorry Shippo, so sorry. It must've been hard for you, gomen ne, gomen ne."
Sesshoumaru leaned against the wall and watched the reunion. It was almost time for him to tell her everything. After her and Shippo became reacquainted he would tell her. He just needed to be patient and wait a little longer. He waited five centuries, what was another hour?
So he walked briskly into his office and decided to wait there while they held each other and murmured things to each other through tears. He waited patiently and quietly, thinking about how to go about telling the girl about what she needed to do. He decided to let them alone for a bit longer. Judging by the fact that they were still clinging to each other he wasn't going to get to talk to her soon.
"Sesshoumaru" the female voice called on the other side of the door politely.
Sesshoumaru sat up in his chair and bid her to enter. He remained emotionless, his facade firmly in place as she appeared slowly through the door. Trailing after was Shippo. Both looked normal and not a sign of the tears they had shared minutes ago was left on their faces.
Sesshoumaru waved his hand toward one of two chairs situated in front of his desk. Kagome sat down politely in one while Shippo ungracefully threw himself on his, one of his legs draping over an armrest.
Sesshoumaru glared at him but gave up when the kitsune just stuck his tongue out at him. Kagome saw this exchange and gave Shippo a look, which seemed motherly and dangerous. Gulping audibly, Shippo planted his foot firmly on the ground next to his other foot and placed his hands folded onto his lap.
To say Sesshoumaru was irked at the show was to put it lightly. For centuries he'd been trying to control this boy and Kagome had been able to subdue him with only a look.
This was not what they were here for though, not by a long shot.
"Just get to the point fluffy-sama, so we can get on with the planning." Shippo sighed as he gazed at the clock settled on one of the many bookcases in the room.
Sesshoumaru sighed softly and nodded, taking off his silver spectacles and placing them on the desk in front of him. "Kagome when you left Sengoku Jidai for the last time, you hadn't used the jewel right?"
Kagome paused and placed a hand upon her side defensively. "No, I did not."
"There was a disturbance in the way things were supposed to turn out. Everything is laid out for us; the path in which we are to take is paved for our use. But somewhere along the line something changed. You were supposed to use that jewel and yet you haven't." Sesshoumaru shifted his chair and he seemed older for some reason.
"So what is it you want me to do?" Kagome asked, she was becoming confused.
Shippo shifted so he faced her directly. "Kagome, you need to use the jewel to make a wish."
Kagome shifted and touched her side again, "so let's just take it out and use it."
Sesshoumaru raised a hand to stop her. "It isn't that simple. There was a specific purpose for that jewel. Deep within the memories of your friends is where the answer lies. Which one we're not sure."
"So..." Kagome didn't like the sound of what was being told to her.
"So, you must find the reincarnations of all of your companions and one by one awaken their memories to see if they hold the last piece to the puzzle." The voice of Keiseki appeared from a corner in the room. She held in her hands a red folder, the same folder she'd been carrying all day. She walked to the desk and placed it down. "I've found some of them, they're closer than you think and the sooner you get started the sooner it will be over."
Kagome shook her head rapidly, trying to dispel the confusion fogging her mind. "I don't understand, you want me to hunt down these people and do what exactly?"
"Bring their memories back, the ones from the Feudal Era." Shippo offered. His eyes held concern; he knew how hard it would be for her.
Kagome reached with a shaking hand to the folder, picked it up and opened it. Inside the first thing she saw was a picture of the girl she'd met earlier paper clipped to a sheet with information on the woman. "Watase, Ruri" she said aloud and scanned the information on the page.
She flipped it over and saw the next picture, Miroku's reincarnation Asato, Muraki. She flipped through the pages, Kouga, Ayame, Kohaku, Rin, and Inuyasha. Their happy faces flashed through her mind, they were happy the way they were now. Why change all of that?
"Why do we need to do this? Why can't things be left the way they are now? They all look happy with their current lives, why is it so important for me to use the jewel?"
Sesshoumaru sighed again, "because it disturbed the balance. Anything can happen because of that. Anything" his tone sounded final.
Kagome flipped through the pictures and files over and over, staring at her fallen comrades and dear friends, and her first love. She fingered the picture of the reincarnation of Inuyasha; it really was amazing how much he looked like the original. He looked like the human Inuyasha she used to know, his hair black and his eyes violet. She didn't feel pain anymore at the sight of him, only a deep sense of regret. For what she did not know.
"Will you do it Kagome? Will you help us fix what was changed and right the pathways we walk on?" Sesshoumaru seemed so different; it was as if he needed for her to do this instead of wanting.
Kagome didn't answer his question, instead she stared blankly at Fujimaru (Inuyasha)'s picture. She didn't know what to say, she thought that everything was over and done with. She wasn't too eager to see the reincarnations of her friends, but then again isn't this what she'd been wishing for this whole time?
How many times had she longed for them to somehow appear in her own world so they could live together happily? Dreams of talking with Sango and listening to Miroku's words of wisdom... even Inuyasha's brash behavior plagued her almost every night.
"I'll do it" she took a deep breath "if we're in danger then I suppose I'll have to."
Sesshoumaru nodded to Shippo and then to Keiseki. The next thing Kagome knew she had been guided into the room that she'd woken up in originally. She was left alone, they promised to meet her in an hour, saying that they needed to tend to other matters.
She occupied herself by looking around her, too much information floating in her head to do much else. The walls were a pale blue with clouds painted here and there. The bed she sat upon had navy blue sheets and had been remade since she'd slept in it earlier. There was a bureau with a mirror hanging above it along the other wall, it being the only other furniture in the room.
She swept her eyes around the room, and seeing nothing else interesting, walked over to the vanity mirror. She ran her fingers against the polished wood of the drawers and knew that it was a priceless antique. She glanced up at the mirror and saw her reflection. In the mirror she saw something that disturbed her though...
Standing behind her reflection, with his hands on her shoulders, was Sesshoumaru. She gasped softly and looked behind her, expecting to see him there. She saw nothing and gawked back into the mirror. He was looking down at her fondly and she was looking up at him, one of her hands atop his own in a loving manner.
Kagome watched as Shippo entered and the mirror Kagome embraced him. She looked backward again, looking for some sign as to what was going on. She watched the mirror again as a splash of red covered the glass; dripping down the crystal and both Sesshoumaru and Shippo disappeared from the vision.
She heard a knock on the door, it broke her concentration and she looked away from the mirror. She decided to look at it once more, but this time it was only her regular reflection. She waved her hand and tested it, seeing her reflection do exactly what she had just done.
She watched the mirror as she backed up toward the door and then decided that it was safe to turn her back to it. She opened the door to see Keiseki standing with Shippo outside her door. "May we come in?" Keiseki asked politely, a smile on her face.
Shippo tapped her shoulder. "I need to do something before we leave so I'll meet you guys outside." Then he walked down the hall and disappeared from sight.
Keiseki shrugged her shoulders; "I needed to talk to you alone anyway."
Kagome allowed for Keiseki to enter and watched her close the door.
"Kagome, I wanted to apologize for what you saw earlier," Keiseki began.
Kagome's heart skipped a beat as she remembered the sight she'd witnessed in what seemed forever ago. "No, I'm sorry for interrupting you two..." she blushed as the vision popped into her mind.
Keiseki blushed too and waved her hands in front of herself frantically. "That's just it, you weren't interrupting anything like that. It was a misunderstanding. I am a healer and Sesshoumaru-dono had a migraine I was helping him out with. That is all" Keiseki seemed relieved to say that to Kagome and the feeling was mutual.
Kagome sighed with relief (why she didn't know) then turned to the mirror which was now back to normal. "Ano, Keiseki-san?"
Keiseki raised an eyebrow questioningly, "hai? What's up?"
Kagome dismissed the odd wording and continued with her question, "is there something wrong with that mirror?" She indicated the mirror across from them with her finger.
Keiseki glanced at it and shook her head in the negative, "no not really. It shows people different things, like what they want to know, what they want to happen, something they've forgotten, something they need to know, that sort of thing." She did a double take back to Kagome, "why? Did it show you something interesting?"
Kagome shook her head, dispelling the disturbing vision that had come to her through the mirror. "Forget it Keiseki, are we leaving now?"
Keiseki looked at her watch and nodded, "yup it seems about that time now."
So together they left the room and headed to the car that was waiting for them outside...
Review Responses:
ashley41791- thanx I updated, as requested! .
tnkrbell- I'm glad too...
Draconic Ban-sidea- I know...I'm so embarrassed... I usually do a spell check but since my computer doesn't have the required word programs I cannot upload my fics to and I have to retype it so I didn't really have time to spell check... I hope this one is better... I'm glad you find the fic interesting though! .
A/N: So there it is! Let me know how you liked it okay? Tell me if you guys have any problems. My writing style changed a bit as I progressed into the story and I hope it won't bother any of you. . Well don't forget to review!