Anxiety and Lost Items
Dawn arrived to find Sesshomaru leaning against a tree, his eyes trapped by the sight of his beautiful woman whose face was etched in complete tranquillity as she levitated steadily in mid-air. She was emitting an aura of serene calmness that had his beast purring like a domesticated animal.
He still had so many questions he needed to ask her, about this future where she comes from. So many in fact, that they blurred into each other, leaving him agitated and confused.
He remembered how he had sat in silence, debating calmly inside the privacy of his mind whether her tale was true or not. He had smelled no deceit on her, only trepidation at his reaction. Yet still, he had to regretfully admit that he had questioned her honesty, if only for a moment.
Time travel isn't a concept he'd ever given much thought to beside its impossibility. Time goes by naturally, each minute leading to the next - always forward and never backwards.
But the longer he thought about it, the clearer everything became. It was as if the missing puzzle piece was finally set in its place. The way the Miko dressed, the way she spoke and behaved... it was all a result of having been raised in a futuristic era. Although, he could have never foreseen the choice of garments the women would wear. It was a clear indication of how much change and progress there would be in the coming centuries.
"It's no surprise then, that this Sesshomaru finds you so odd," he'd told her with the barest hint of a smile, wanting to quickly wash that worried look off her face.
She had looked at him for a little while unblinking before bursting out in the most beautiful and melodic laughter he's ever heard. It was filled with relief and unmistakable joy.
"Of all the things…" she had gasped between breaths as she held her aching sides.
"I find myself overwhelmed by the number of questions I have for you. So many that I don't know which to start with," he'd confessed when the Miko had settled down.
"Then it's a good thing we have all the time in the world for me to give you all the answers you seek."
They had talked into the night as she answered anything that came to his mind.
His first question had been about that scent he couldn't place.
Vanilla, that's what she said the fragrance she wears is called. It comes from a rather ugly and shrivelled looking fruit, but the little seedlings inside produce the sweetest of smells.
She's given him one of these ugly fruits, unknowingly, formally accepting his mating proposal by gifting him with such a rare and exotic fruit, one that has yet to be brought into their side of the world.
It amazes him that even after all these years he's lived, there were still so many things left for him to discover.
He carried the fruit with him, it's scent a fresh and sweet reminder of the woman he chose as his mate.
Thinking about the future also brought with it a certain anxiety that he's never experienced before. The mystic powers of their world are unpredictable and precarious at best, there is no telling what could happen to his Miko. Would whatever forces that brought her here allow her to stay once her quest is completed? Would the well keep her there, in the future, the next time she went to visit her family? What if she is sent to a different time?
There were just too many possible ways this could go wrong.
He hasn't broached the subject with her yet, but the next time she decides to go visits her family he will be travelling with her, or she will not be going at all. It isn't because he wishes to see for himself what the world will look like five hundred years hence. No, it isn't his curiosity that will be compelling him to put all caution to the side and follow after her into the unknown, but the possibility that she may go and never return. Even just the thought had his claws extending and acid churning in his stomach.
He will destroy the well if he has to, but he isn't going to lose his mate. His beast growled in agreement at the thought. "Ours. Safe," it snarled heatedly.
Yes, they would keep her safe, and the safest place for the Miko was at his side, not five hundred years into the future.
He was so ensnared by his possessive thoughts that he didn't notice Kagome gently lowering herself back to the ground.
She opened her azure eyes, which were still shining brightly from the energy that enveloped her, and for a few moments, she just sat in silence watching Sesshomaru's furrowed brows deepen with each passing thought.
"Join me," she said, startling him out of his darkening thoughts. She patted the ground next to her and gave him a gentle and inviting smile. "Sit with me for a while. The others will wake soon, and we won't be able to get a moment alone for the rest of the day."
Sesshomaru didn't need to be asked again, he pushed himself off the tree trunk and moved to sit next to her with his legs stretched out comfortably in front of him. Kagome tilted her head to the side and rested it comfortably against Sesshomaru's shoulder.
"What was it that had you so lost in thought?" she whispered, shyly taking his hand in hers.
Sesshomaru looked at her, taking in her beautiful features before answering honestly. "My intended," he admitted.
Kagome turned her head to look up at him with a slight frown on her face. She reached up and gently stroked his right cheek with her knuckles, making his eyes close in delight at the warm contact. "And what was is it about your intended that had lines of worry etched on your handsome face?" she asked him, her voice filled with concern. "Is it because of what I told you? About where I am from?" she added almost inaudibly, and he felt her hand tremble against his face.
Sesshomaru snapped opened his eyes, and Kagome was startled by the intensity of his golden stare. "Not in the way you fear," he reassured her, leaning down to nuzzle his nose gently against hers. "My only worry is losing you to this future you come from," he whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "The thought that the well might choose to deny you passage back…" he trailed off, squeezing her hand gently, willing her to understand how agonising that thought was to him. "What am I to do with my mate stuck five hundred years in the future, without any way for me to reach her?"
Kagome wanted to reassure him that it wasn't possible, that she would never go back if he wasn't able to pass through the well with her. But could she make such a promise? Could she say the words without them being a lie? She has wondered often enough about what would happen once the jewel shards are put back together. Would it send her back to her original time? Would it deny her the pleasure of living a long life with her mate?
She doesn't know, can never know for sure. That is why she couldn't say the words. She wouldn't lie to him.
"I confess that it's also a worry of mine, but let us not waste time on worry. I want to enjoy each and every one of my days to the fullest. I don't want to live in worry and fear that one day you might be taken away from me. I must believe that the Kamis have brought me to you for a reason and that they will accept our union and not take you away from me," she said before reaching up to place a gentle kiss against his lips. Kagome pulled back and smiled, running a hand through his long silky hair.
Sesshomaru chuckled and pulled her into his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You are a Miko, it is easy for you to have faith," he teased making her scoff.
"It isn't easy," she argued. "But I'll admit that it does make me feel better," she sighed contentedly, leaning back into him.
"Your meditation seems to have gone well," he commented, not holding back the urge to kiss her neck. Kagome giggled but didn't turn away his advances.
"I did," she agreed, tilting her head further to the side to give him better access to her neck. "I've never managed to levitate before," she revealed, smiling. "I think that you're the reason I managed to dive so deep into my mind. You make me feel safe," she acknowledged, eliciting an appreciative growl from Sesshomaru.
"You are safe with me," he murmured huskily before pushing aside her shirt and kissing her bare shoulder. Kagome moaned at the contact and reflexively pushed out her chest. "I would never let anyone lay harm on you," he mumbled into her neck before pushing her firm behind against him, making them bough groan at the contact.
Unfortunately, before things could escalate, Sesshomaru heard the kitsune screaming for his guardian, undoubtedly hungry and waiting for breakfast.
"They woke up, didn't they?" she asked him when she noticed his attention wavering.
Sesshomaru sighed and rested his forehead against her back. "Your kitsune is waking up the forest with his screaming," he admitted, trying not to sound too dismayed at the fact that they had been interrupted.
"Shame," she grumbled, but got up and straightened out her skirt.
"Tonight we are going to practice your archery," he informed her as he gracefully got up from the floor.
Kagome frowned and looked at him questioningly. "How am I suppose to practice shooting in the dark?" she complained, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You need to learn to trust the powers you have been given, and the dark is the best place to start. The eyes and what they show us prevent progress because of the many distractions they serve," he explained gently, repeating the same words his father once told him.
Kagome seemed to mull over his words, not appearing too impressed by his reasoning but nonetheless, she nodded her head in agreement, thinking that an old demon such as himself must know what he is talking about.
"Go back to camp," he instructed. "I'll go find some meat for breakfast."
"Fish?" she requested shyly, wringing her hands together.
Sesshomaru chucked and place a kiss on her forehead, inhaling her comforting scent. "Fish," he agreed, and then he was gone in a flurry of movement and dust.
"Kagome! Where are you?" she heard Shippo scream from the distance, joined by his new playmate.
"Kagome! Miroku said you should be done by now!" screamed the sweet little girl, making Kagome smile.
"Coming!" she yelled back, taking off in a jog.
While the jewel shard hunters were luxuriously taking their time getting ready for the day, Jaken was already halfway to the middle of nowhere.
"Find Totosai, Jaken. Don't come back without the weapons, Jaken. Don't rest before going on this long trip, Jaken!" he snapped darkly under his breath, kicking a small gravel stone in his way.
"Of course, Milord," he answered his own insane ramblings in a high pitched, squeaky tone. "Let me bend over backwards, Milord," he continued, waving his hand and wiggling his little behind for emphasis.
Suddenly he stopped, his eyes widening largely as if he's just had an epiphany, and maybe he did.
"I've been reduced to a simple messenger," he wailed, dropping to his knees, shaking his head in pure disbelieve at his predicament. "Me, the great Jaken, stripped to a mere messenger boy!" he cried making his face blotch up unattractively. Well, more unattractive then it usually was.
Just as swiftly as his meltdown started, it stopped. Jaked pulled himself back onto his sandal-clad feet and promptly continued marching with the help of his staff.
"But Jaken is a loyal servant. He does as his master tells him, even if it is delivering important messages…" he trailed off, his eyes widening with another epiphany. "How could Jaken have ever doubted the mighty Lord Sesshomaru? Of course, he wouldn't trust anyone but Jaken with very important messages involving weapons. No one else can be trusted!" he exclaimed with a wide smile. "Stupid, Jaken," he reprimanded himself, repeatedly hitting his forehead with his staff.
Totosai had been watching this small scene from behind a few bushes, and his eyes were getting tired from all the blinking they were doing because really, this little guy was something else entirely.
He had smelled him from miles away and curiously noted that his revered Lord was not at his side. He had waited out and spied on him to see if Sesshomaru would arrive because if he did he would obviously need to flee, but it seems that Lord Sesshomaru had more important matters to attend to.
"Weapons," he muttered under his breath. "It's always about weapons," he sighed rubbing his chin. "Might as well hear out the imp so I can send him back on his way," he grumbled.
Just as Jaken was about to pass by his hiding spot, Totosai got up with the intention to give him a small scare, but as he jumped his leg got stuck in the bush making him land flat on his face in front of Jaken.
It hurt, and it's quite possible that he got some mule manure in his mouth, but at least the little guy still got the fright of his life. His unconscious body was pretty telling, thought the old man. At least there was that.
Totosai jumped to his legs and brushed off the dirt from his clothes. He then spat the faeces out of his mouth and looking over at the unconscious imp. "Get up," he ordered, kicking him none so gently in the side. "Up, I say," he ordered again, stretching out his hand over him as if he had the ability to control him.
"Right," he mumbled when nothing happened, scratching his head. "A bucket of water it is then," he said, and exactly at that moment, Jaken began to steer from his slumber.
"Totosai?" he groaned, rubbing at the back of his head, wincing at the huge bump he felt already forming on his skull. "Totosai!" he exclaimed, now wide awake and back on his feet.
"Yes, I am Totosai," the old man agreed amusedly, but somewhat dismayed at not having gotten to throw a bucket of water at him.
"I have a letter for you from the great Lord Sesshomaru," he informed him, pushing out his chest importantly.
Totosai swirling his white beard around his index finger and nodded seriously, deciding that it was more fun to play along. "Such an honour," he said smiling widely at him, showing off his missing teeth. "And can I have it?" he asked him, reaching out his hand expectantly.
Jaken looked at him blankly before asking. "Can you have what?" It was a very sincere question, and that is why Totosai's right eye started twitching madly.
"The letter from the great Lord Sesshomaru?" he asked him very slowly, no longer sure himself. This was all starting to become very confusing.
"The letter!" Jaken exclaimed searching his pockets. With each pocket that he turned out his eyes darkened with more dread. When the imp started undressing in his frantic search for this letter, Totosai had decided to sit down cross-legged with his back turned to him.
"The letter," he heard him wail miserably. "I need to walk back and find the letter or Lord Sesshomaru will have my head," he panicked.
"I'll be waiting here," Totosai waved with his back still turned, playing it safe you see. Just in case the imp forgot to redress.
That morning had turned out to be very traumatising for the old man Totosai. His face hurt, and he still had the taste of excrement in his mouth. Add to that the traumatising sight... Maybe he should have fled when he had the chance.
Wow, you guys! Thanks so much for all your encouraging comments! I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're all so happy to be seeing more of this story. I am also seriously surprised at all the people following, but very appreciative of the fact. I'm just glad that I'm able to provide you all with a few minutes of entertainment ^^ I hope this last chapter managed to drag a chuckle or two out of you!
For those disappointed with the lack of action in this chapter, I ask you to please be patient with me and wait for the next chapter. I promise that I have something a bit more exciting planned ^^
Thanks again. Oh, and feel free to leave a comment!