Acclimated
Chapter 3
Bitter wind swept between the ever-changing landscape, howling through mountains and twisting through valleys in announcement of autumn's arrival. It left behind a crisp caress in its wake, blanketing the prone figure tucked beneath long boughs of a towering pine. Cold autumn settled over the slumbering girl, infiltrating a dreamless sleep. Unconsciously curling further for added warmth, Kagome began to stir in awareness of her own movements.
Distant notes of chirping birds and the chime of bristling leaves signalled the forest's awakening. Sounds became clearer as haziness faded from weary eyes, slowly opening to the sight of dawning light.
Washes of pink and orange painted the sky in pastel strokes as dark lashes lifted to the mesmerizing scene. She was ensconced in calmness, savouring the moment while gazing upon passing clouds. If this was the afterlife, she would not have minded.
The afterlife – a provoking thought that caused her to suddenly rise in alarm. Am I dead?
A wave of vertiginous disorientation flooded from her jarring rise. The numbing mask of dreamlike serenity lifted as reality gave passage to heightened senses. Kagome winced as the pounding headache became more pronounced. A hand reached behind to rub at a rising bruise, pulling back to see crusted blood. Examining her palm, images resurfaced as she reflected on recent events.
He didn't kill me… Cautious glances scanned the area, taking notice of the same surrounding from before her slumber. A subtle tranquility. No ominousness remained. He's…gone.
It felt odd, to be wondering why her life was spared. She had been certain of death; even accepted it, too. To be alive was unexpected, and the unanswered thought was grating. Had she given up too easily? She took stock of injuries then, finally feeling the full weight of her exhaustion. Bumps and bruises purpled and blued in mosaics of unappealing colours. Checking her arm's laceration, it was a relieving sight to see it had stopped bleeding and was starting to scab over.
Kagome leveraged the other arm to push off the ground with care. Finding her footing to stand was taking immense effort; each movement painful, each step strained. Though not familiar with this part of the land, she had kept track of the direction fled the night before. The concealed village wasn't far, and before long, she was stopping at a quiet clearing.
Upon her approach, the ambiance hummed. A tickle of magic, and a barrier revealed. Her whole body relaxed with a sigh of relief. She had made it home.
Determination was evident upon tightly knitted brows. Tracking a wandering hare had required stony concentration. It had been a full cycle of the moon since her last hunt, and though berries and vegetation sustained the passing weeks, she needed strength from what only meat can provide.
Moments to releasing an arrow at the plump mass of fur, she paused when an eerie familiarity tugged at peripheral senses. Kagome stopped motionless, frozen in place.
An unearthly suspicion. The hare scurried away.
Lowering the bow and plan abandoned, she quickly turned back towards the winding foot trail as uneasiness accompanied each hurried step.
Turn after turn the foreboding followed. She had been walking for the past while as the sun made its decent. However, the feeling of being watched was unshakeable. Each time she felt it mildly fade, apprehension only came back stronger to eat at her awareness. Unable to pinpoint its concealing source, Kagome finally stopped and decided to confront. "I know you're following me!"
Silence met her boastful declaration as she patiently waited. Listening intently, nothing was heard except for the swaying of trees. Crepuscular rays dappled between leaves, raining spotted patterns upon the grassy undergrowth in a peaceful scene. She questioned her sanity; paranoia can be so very detrimental.
Glancing around once more, Kagome slackened her shoulders, turning back towards the beaten path. Taking a step, she was caught by surprise at the sight ahead.
Molten gold. Magenta stripes. Pale ivory. A look of fixation, all focused on her.
Her reaction was fluid as the bow was drawn and the arrow flew.
The projectile was caught in mid-air, and then vanished in a vapour of acid.
Sesshomaru appeared suddenly in front of her in a whisper of silk. "Do not attempt that again."
She faltered a step back, levelling a guarded glare at the unexpected closeness. Unlike before, his expression seemed… subdued. The sharpness seemed blunted in the light of the day, a contrast to the vision that was casted in eerie moonlight. But she knew better; she had seen the promised danger disguised behind those glinting eyes. He towered over her as she nervously held her stance. There was no use running; he'd catch her in an instant.
After a prolonged moment of silence, he spoke evenly. "Who erected the barrier?"
How…did he follow me back? Inwardly she fretted at another careless misstep. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind that he would have her followed. Foolishly she believed he'd just let her go.
A low growl of warning reverberated when she continued to remain silent. Kagome swallowed the dryness in her throat, recognizing the unspoken threat. "My father. Before his death."
"Are there others?"
She did not want to answer, but knew the choice was not hers. He had found her, and for what purpose, she did not know, nor too eager to find out. "No. Everyone else had either fled before the insurgence, or perished during." Indifference layered his features. Kagome continued wryly. "I'm sure you know how that ended."
He acknowledged her pointed assertion. "They were defeated."
They all died. It had been a hard acceptance, a truth she had refused for weeks following the massacre. Memories called forth in painful grief. Tears brimmed at the corners of shuttering eyes and she turned away from him then, deciding to regard a blossoming chrysanthemum off in the distance.
Salt scented his nose. His voice remained even. "You use the barrier to stay hidden."
Threatening to fall, she wiped at stray tears before her mumbled reply. "It's the only safe place for me."
She loathed the position this demon had put her in; it was bitterly pathetic the way she unwound from a single memory. Steeling her composure, she packed away the pain to reclaim her calm.
Sesshomaru remained wordless, and when no further questions came, she decided to venture. "You didn't kill me last time."
Sensing the unasked question, he considered his reasoning. Why hadn't he? Her transgressions were enough to warrant death for anyone foolish enough to challenge him. Yet he had spared her, or left her to perish. Curiosity would bear the blame. "There is no honour in killing what was already half dead."
An updraft lifted her inky locks then, revealing a delicate face painted in solemnity. "Are you here to finish me off then?"
Sesshomaru did not respond immediately, allowing a long pause. "I sought answers."
It wasn't a denial. Would she continue to entertain his inquisitiveness to prolong death? Perhaps it was for the best; an easy way to finally reunite with her past. She shook inwardly at the thought, chiding herself for such a despondent notion. Deciding against such a defeatist attitude, resolve solidified. And she ran.
Within moments, she was up against a tree. A familiar circumstance. Running was a fool's ambition, yet she was rash enough to try anyway. A clawed hand pressed firmly on her shoulder, effectively keeping her pinned as the other held a struggling arm.
A racing heartbeat. Spiking distress. He inhaled deeply, recognizing faint undertones of lavender and citrus, lined with an acrid hint of fear.
Kagome faced him defiantly then, unwilling to surrender as she so carelessly did the first time. "Let me go! What are you- AAAH!"
A screamed ripped from her as intense pain radiated from the captured arm. Peering downwards she was met with a glaring incision trailed by a deadly claw. Scarlet pooled on the grass below as tear-stained eyes swivelled to see red-tinged amber.
"Call your reiki." His voice deepened, stripes jagged.
"What…I-I can't!" What does he want?
His thumb pressed deeper into breaking flesh, the lesion nearly extending the entire length of her forearm. She cried out at the intensity, wrenching and writhing yet unable to escape his grasp. "Please stop! Why are you doing this?"
Her sobbing screams turned to begging pleads. Bitter metallic flooded his nose, yet he continued, inhaling deeply, weaving through lavender and citrus to find something. He knew it to be there, and he was close. Anticipation was unlike him, yet he had waited. He had been patient.
He was getting closer still, as faint tendrils of her aura finally brushed against his heated skin and a new scent ripened. Lemongrass.
Youki sparked against rising reiki, entwining and eliciting. The swell of power ebbed and flowed without control, wildly flailing, untapped and untamed. A desire to conquer had rooted itself, demanded satisfaction. Her glowing energy spurred in growing intensity, and his restraint was at last unleashed. Overpowering waves of his beastly nature engulfed in all directions, creating a vortex of current and lime-green light before snuffing out her vibrancy in an instant.
A weight slumped, the wind quieted. Auras recoiled.
Sesshomaru opened his eyes, unaware they had been shut. The girl remained pinned by his grip; unmoving, unconscious. He steadily pulled away, realizing his nose had been buried in her neck and hair. How long had he been in this position? Had she bewitched him? He studied her then.
Breathing shallow, fading pulse. Only human, but... What else are you?
Claws twitched unknowingly, still pressed against skin, still drawing blood. His grip quickly released at the notice, holding the lifeless arm close for inspection.
Garish crimson upon raised skin, white sleeves soaked in red. She's good as dead.
But, the thought was unsettling. This, he did not understand, and found it disquieting. He needed more answers.
The acidity of blood masked notes of lavender citrus and lemongrass. And for reasons unknown, he had the impulse to wash away the metallic tones. Bringing her injury to his lips, his tongue darted out, licking away the wound he had caused.