A/N: Whoo! School's due to start again. I gotta crank out some shiznit!! So, here it comes... BETTER GET READY!
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. If I did, I wouldn't be writing these fanfics.
Learning to Love
Chapter Three: Getting the Girl…?
By ancient-relic
Sesshomaru frowned.
This was completely degrading. He was sitting in the trees, concealed so completely that he wouldn't be able to sense himself if he had been standing right beside himself, and was scrutinising the building in front of him in which the power of the last remaining silver inu-youkai remained in the form of a human.
To put it succinctly, he was spying on his brother and his pack of humans.
Anger rippled through him, but he quelled it with a self-reminder of his purpose. He needed to remain hidden long enough to discover whether or not Aare was dominant in Kagome, and whether or not she'd be of any use to him in his quest to… he shuddered… reproduce.
His mind was drawn out of its angry circles when he heard a stirring, and sensed the slowest heart beat speed up to slightly slower than that of the kit's. Demons were not built the same as humans. They were faster, stronger, and more efficient in anything that they did. They were better in almost every way, yet the internal differences were immense in comparison.
Demons were different depending on the animal that they shared a likeness with, and depending on the demon, they could be more similar with an animal than with a human. However, generally, their heart pumped slower, and their natural body temperatures did not run as high. Their blood flowed slower, because demons were more efficient than humans, with little to none of their motions wasted. That was the basis of Sesshomaru's theory, anyways. Their bodies, combined with that of animals for centuries, also gifted with unique talents from the Gods, were designed so that little to nothing was wasted in motion, mentally or internally.
And because this could be seen in various observations on Sesshomaru's part, he was certain he was correct. Shippo was a fox demon, and foxes were known predators and tricksters. His heart pumped slowly and steadily, providing young Shippo with nothing but the stability that he needed. Comparing the humans to Shippo, their heart rates were noticeably faster. InuYasha's lingered somewhere in between, though it was subject to his emotions, like humans. However, Kagome's heart was slower than Shippo's, despite waking up.
Sesshomaru immediately assumed that the fits of unconsciousness had been her inner system shifting to that of a demon, slowing down and beginning the change, due to the dormant power. He was unsure of how many characteristics would physically manifest, and so he continued to watch and scrutinize.
It was strange, because despite the demonic changes occurring in her body, she remained human. Her human organs were changing and adapting to function as demonic ones, but the humanity remained.
"Kagome…!" voices reached his ears. "You're awake! Thank goodness!"
He listened, his irritation building, as the voices melded into a dull roar. Oh, how he wished they would just-
"Shut up!!" Kagome's tinkling voice reached his ears, sharp, yet delicate. "Eh, sorry," she apologised. "You were just so loud…"
"It's all right, Kagome." Came the voice of the monk. "It's understandable."
"What happened, Kagome?" the demon slayer asked. Sesshomaru noted that his brother remained silent.
"Well, there was this demoness, and she looked like she was in trouble, so I went to see what was going on," Kagome said. Sesshomaru heard her rise from the pallet where she lay. "And so I went over to her, but she was already so cold… I couldn't understand what she wanted, but I just knew she was dying. I wanted to stay with her, to comfort her, I guess. She was trying to call out to someone, but… I don't know who it was. And then, she died, I guess. She just kinda vanished."
Kagome fell silent. Sesshomaru stiffened as she walked outside. She was taller now, almost as tall as InuYasha. She looked longer, and much more slender. Her movements were light and graceful, almost like she was hesitant to put too much weight down. But he recognized this as an ice-inu trait; they had to move lightly over the large glaciers in the far north.
"Something strange happened to me then- I felt this coldness washing over me, and I couldn't move. And then I was unconscious. When InuYasha found me, my senses were so sharp- I could see everything, hear everything… everything seemed so… acute. But for a moment, I didn't recognize InuYasha. Like, I didn't remember him- though I remembered everything else. And I fainted again."
Kagome suddenly tensed, and looked him dead in the eyes. His own eyes widened in response. Their eyes seemed locked, and neither of them could look away. Kagome broke it first.
"Are you hurting, Kagome?" a voice came from lower. She looked down at the little fox at her feet, and lifted him up into her arms.
"No, it's okay." She looked at him again, this time, curiously. "I just thought I saw something, is all."
InuYasha looked now, curious. Sesshomaru watched as his eyes passed over him. So his half-witted brother couldn't see him… but she could? He was confused. Even more so by the fact that she didn't give him away.
"You know," the monk stole her attention again. "I think the demoness did something to you, Kagome."
"Oh?" her attention was stolen again.
"You've physically changed." He continued, musing aloud.
"It's true," Sango piped up. "You've got blue in your hair, and your right eye is lighter than your other one. And you've got markings all twisted around you… they remind me of Sesshomaru's, but yours are almost curved into circles."
"Oh?" Kagome held the fox in one hand, like she was holding chopsticks, and used the other to look at herself.
"And you seem unusually strong," Miroku added, looking at Shippo, who was amazed at Kagome holding him, balanced in her hand. "You're taller, and you've thinned out…"
"Pervert!" Sango slapped him. "But he's right. I can see the new muscles when I watch you move."
"Your smell has changed." InuYasha finally spoke up. Kagome looked to him, her eyes softening with something Sesshomaru could not name. It sent a stab through him… that soft look directed at his brother and not him. Yet it was a parting thought, as all his attention was focused on the girl.
"Has it?" she stepped closer to InuYasha.
"Yeah," he said gruffly. "You smell… minty." He looked away, and the moment was broken. Kagome turned away with a chuckle.
"I see. Well, whatever happened can't be bad, because I've never felt better!" she smiled, her teeth flashing brightly. Sesshomaru noted the small, human sized canines. They were certainly similar to his, yet they were the size of a human's.
Strange…
"You should be careful, nonetheless." The monk said, turning to go inside. "You never know, Kagome."
"I know!" she said cheerfully, spinning lightly with Shippo.
"Uh, Kagome!" he said, squirming out of her hold. "Are you cold?" he asked suddenly, looking at her strangely.
"No," she said, deflating slightly. "Why?"
"Never mind." He mumbled. "Uh, do you have any more pocky?" he not-so-subtly changed the topic.
"Check by bag," Kagome said, smiling. InuYasha looked at her with a scrutinizing look, partially curious, partially concerned.
"Don't worry…" she said, turning around. "I'm just going for a walk. I'll be back."
Sesshomaru watched as she walked away, and cursed when he realized she was heading straight towards Jaken and Rin. As she hit the trees, she broke out into a sprint, and her speed surprised him enough that he had lost sight of her before he started moving again. She was moving as fast as he could!
"Ah!" he heard her voice cry out.
Stopping, he watched her tumble through the air, and land on her feet. Having just dropped more than 20 feet, a normal human should be bleeding from somewhere. Yet she was not.
"Ow, ow, owwww!" she said, hopping from one foot to another. Looking up, she saw him standing there.
"Sessh-"
A moment later, he was standing in front of her. Reaching out for her, he caught her by surprise again, as she flipped over him. How she got behind him he didn't know, but he spun again, to see her crouched, lip up in a snarl.
She seemed to realize this, and blinked, before standing up, and looking at her hands and nails. "What's wrong with me?" she whimpered, falling to her knees.
Walking over to her at a sedate pace, Sesshomaru stopped right above her. "You have been gifted with demonic abilities." He said stiffly, watching as her right eye seemed to glow silver in the light. "The abilities of an ice-inu princess named Aare."
Kagome's mouth opened in an o. "But… I'm a priestess…?" it was more of a question than a statement.
Sesshomaru merely raised an eyebrow in response.
Looking back at her hand again, Kagome frowned, and stared intently into her palm. A moment later, a bright pink light seemed to glow from the center of her hand. Shocked, her concentration faltered, as did the light. Looking back up at Sesshomaru, she frowned.
"How can I do this?" she asked. "I've never been able to do it before." Showing him her other hand, he watched, amazed, as water seemed to condense and freeze around her skin.
"I am warm, but the air around me isn't. I'm faster, taller… stronger?" she picked up a rock and ground it to dust in her hand. "But I can control my priestess powers better than ever."
Sesshomaru was distracted as her scent washed over him- the mint no longer being associated with Aare, but with Kagome. It sent tingles running down his throat. It was so… alluring.
Realizing that she had stopped talking, he looked at her. "You are a demon… made of human." He surmised.
She blinked, and the manifesting powers disappeared.
"With it comes great power and control. Not to mention the power you already possessed…" he said, turning away. "You must learn to control it, or it may destroy you. The conflicting abilities."
"But I…" her voice cracked. "How?"
The wheels in his mind turning furiously, Sesshomaru faced her again with a smirk. He had the perfect plan to keep her close, to get to the bottom of the problem. It was fool-proof. While Solaris was keeping an eye out for his… bigger issue, he could see if he'd be able to get something out of this girl that could help him as well.
"As the last silver full inu-youkai in Japan, it is my duty to help you."
To Be Continued…
A/N: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Cliffie for you. Hope you liekkkk it!! BWAHAHAHAHA! Now, a snack break before I get back to work again. Please review!
ancient-relic
