A/N: So I was re-reading the last chapter, and in my author's note I totally said I was going to do a lot of publishing before school started again. The two things that totally shocked me: 1, i said school was going to be soon- gosh, it's been MONTHS since I've last updated!! I'M SO SORRY! 2, I said shiznit. I don't even think I posted anything else during that time...
All of you faithful readers and reviewers, feel free to throw things at me. I'm a horrible person.
And so, I will continue being horrible, and post another horrible chapter. Please enjoy... horribly.
Disclaimer: Dooooo noooottttt owwwwnnnn.
Learning to Love
Chapter Four: Rendezvous
By ancient-relic
Sesshomaru watched Kagome carefully. She had returned to her friends peacefully, and she had yet to tell them of the agreement that he had proposed earlier. Kagome actually was remaining quite silent, which was strange- from what he had deduced, she was very talkative.
"Can you please be a little quieter?" she spoke for the first time in several minutes. "I'm trying to concentrate."
"On what, Kagome-sama?" Miroku questioned, a large bump decorating his forehead above his eye. Sango had whacked him with her boomerang. Again.
"I'm searching for the core of this power I've gained," she explained. "I can feel it inside of me- but I can't seem to actually find it."
Miroku gave her a funny look. "Have you been studying meditation, Kagome-sama?"
"No, why?" she asked, eyebrows wrinkling. Her eyes were closed tightly in concentration.
"Just wondering..." he mused aloud. Kagome wrinkled her nose in his general direction, her ears informing her of his location.
As Kagome shifted back into her meditative state, Sesshomaru decided that now would be a good time to check on Rin and Jaken- she was doing fine by herself at the moment, and had already deciphered how to get to the bottom of her strange powers. Not that she'd be able to understand it… he snorted.
"Milord!" a voice chirped, as he stepped through the foliage.
"Rin," he greeted, nodding at where she was curled against AhUn's side, creating wreaths and wreaths of flowers. Jaken was sitting a little ways off, grumbling, scribbling in the dirt with his wooden staff. As soon as he approached, the little toad was up and praising.
"Sesshomaru-sama! How grateful I am that you have decided to return to us so quickly! I have taken care of everything in your absence-"
"What happened?" Sesshomaru questioned, cutting off the toad's tirade. Wide bulbous eyes peered up at him nervously.
"A council member, milord, checking up on you," he started, his gaze downcast. However, he brought his head up, and his voice became adamant. "He was being meddlesome, and I sent him away! It is not his business what you are up to, and I told him such; that you were busy with important matters."
"Unfortunately, Jaken," Sesshomaru drawled coldly, staring down his nose at his long-time companion, "It is their business. Who was it that came seeking me?"
"Ritsenenji," Jaken croaked. Sesshomaru stiffened in anger. That conniving, wretched-
"Sesshomaru," a voice cut off his tirade. Sesshomaru turned to see Solaris touch down a little ways off.
"Solaris!" Rin laughed in delight, running to the eagle's side. Solaris chuckled, swinging her around when she leapt at his chest.
"Good to see you too, Rin-chan."
"Can we go flying soon?" she asked, her eyes shining in delight.
"Perhaps. First, Sesshomaru and I have some business to discuss. Stay here with Jaken and AhUn, all right?"
"Un!" Rin nodded vigorously, clambering down and skipping back to her spot. Solaris winked at Jaken, who spluttered, and then turned to Sesshomaru.
"Walk with me," he gestured back to where Sesshomaru had come before.
Sesshomaru followed, and soon they were back under the cover of the forest. Solaris led them back to where he had been sitting, observing Kagome.
"I have flown to meet an old friend from the North," Solaris began, peeking around the foliage at Kagome, who was now sitting, alone, meditating.
"Oh?" Sesshomaru wasn't telepathic; he knew what the old bird was going to say next.
"The Ice have been practicing the technique of power-gifting for centuries…" He said grimly, watching the girl for a moment longer, before turning to stare gravely at Sesshomaru. "They began shortly after their clan began declining, several centuries ago, so that power could be both given, and developed. They would have been a very powerful clan, had they not mysteriously began to dwindle in numbers. That being said… this girl is the last alive with blood of the Northern Inu."
"What of the Snow?" Sesshomaru questioned, listening closely. His displeasure was only evident in his voice.
"They're really just a combination of Ice and Wind anyhow." Solaris clicked his tongue. "They essentially were a part of the Ice, regardless of what they called themselves. There is no whisper of them."
"Where does that put me?" Sesshomaru growled, gripping and cracking a nearby branch in half. Kagome stirred, but didn't open her eyes. However, Sesshomaru and Solaris were no longer paying her any attention.
"Well, though the fortress was abandoned and most were slaughtered, there is the possibility that the Wind are still around, in single numbers." Solaris sighed. "Though there weren't many of them to begin with."
"I will journey into the Central Lands to find them, if I must," Sesshomaru quipped, flicking a splinter out of his finger deftly.
"That will take time you do not have," Solaris replied. His gaze shifted back to Kagome, who was stretching now, apparently finished with her meditation. "Perhaps what you need is right in front of you?"
"She is still human, no matter her powers," Sesshomaru allowed himself to take in (again) her changed form.
"But it must count for something, Sesshomaru." Solaris countered, fluttering up to the treetops. "Think about it."
"Hn," Sesshomaru dismissed Solaris with a snort, turning back to his companions, leaving thoughts of Kagome behind. The looming facts, however, were hard to escape- how was he supposed to produce an heir with no one to… assist?
Or perhaps, he mused, that is the plan. That I cannot complete this task, and my title and lands will be stripped from me.
Kagome sighed. This meditation was getting her nowhere. She could feel it inside of her- a cool, calm feeling that made her heavy in drowsiness and comfort. It was frightening, how familiar this strange sensation was, and she could not help but fear what would happen if it ever took over her.
"Kagome?" a little voice drew her attention downwards, and Kagome finally moved from her seated position, to tilt her head downwards. Little paws placed hesitantly on her knees, Shippo stared up at her rather imploringly with wide green eyes.
"Yes?" she smiled, scooping up the little kit and pulling him close. She ran a hand through his orange hair and scratched his head.
"Are you still busy?" he asked, enjoying her ministrations. The coolness that surrounded her form was comforting, and he felt rather secure in her arms. "Everyone else is doing something else, and Kirara and I have no one to play with."
"Well," Kagome said, standing and rather methodically cracking her ankles, legs, back, shoulders and neck, "I think I have an idea…"
Sesshomaru resisted the urge to grumble. Jaken, though loyal to the very end, had managed to botch up a simple task again. He had little doubt that Rin had aided in the downfall of their simple dinner plan, and he was left to wonder just why he was still putting up with it.
Having sent the two of them to a small river looking for some dinner for Rin, he had quickly been accosted by Jaken, who was shouting about Rin drowning. Upon returning to the riverside with Jaken, Sesshomaru found that Rin had indeed fallen into the river, and was gaily laughing downstream with several otters, who were playing with her as she floated along the speedy current, one of them holding her afloat.
At his approach, however, they disappeared in fright, leaving Rin to sink beneath the surface several times. Sighing, he had realized with some minor sense of morbidity that he was going to have to get wet.
He hated getting wet.
Dragging Rin out of the river was simple- detaching her from his haori was much harder. She had clung to him, coughing out water for the better part of ten minutes, and had thoroughly soaked his tail, his haori, and managed to soak his armour as well.
It had to be taken off; it needed to be properly dried and re-polished, lest it rust, and even Jaken wouldn't screw it up, so he had left the clearing, wet and irritated, armour in Jaken's capable hands.
Upon returning to his watch-spot, he had discovered that Kagome had disappeared as well. So, inhaling deeply to find the scent of mint among the grass and dirt, he was off in track of Kagome- he had nothing better to do.
Kagome tossed Shippo into the air, and caught him, giggling. "My mom used to do this to me when I was a baby. Apparently, I loved it!" she smiled. Kirara was perched on her shoulder, meowing in laughter.
"Kagome, Kagome!!" Shippo's face was flushed in delight. "What's your cool idea, huh?" he asked, scrambling across her shoulder, to sit on the opposite shoulder from Kirara.
"Well," she said, pointing. "See the river? I've figured out that my power revolves around temperature. I want to test a couple of theories."
"Theories?" Shippo asked. "Like what?"
"You'll see," Kagome smiled, giving him a wink.
Approaching the river, Kirara and Shippo scrambled down and raced her to the river, and stood there waiting rather expectantly. Kagome flopped to the ground, crossing her legs, and staring at the two with a dramatic expression.
"Ready?"
"Yes!!" Shippo crowed for the two of them.
"But you have to be quiet, because I have to concentrate. Okay?"
"Roger!" Kirara also mewed her affirmation.
"Okay… here we go."
Kagome closed her eyes, and fisted her hands on her knees. Reaching out to the cool power that curled up low in her belly, she pulled it through her fingers, and felt it wrap around her fingers and arms like water. Reaching out her hand, eyes still closed, she curled the power in her hands like a ball, as if she was rolling a snowball.
Finally, satisfied with her visualization, she opened her eyes. She could see it, shimmering in the space between her cupped hands, like hot air rising off the pavement on a sunny day. Looking at Shippo and Kirara, she found them entranced, staring closely at her hands.
"Okay, watch." She said, and flattened her palms together so that the power manifested over her hands like gloves. Reaching her hands out to the water, she rose her hand, watching as the water rose with her, stretching from the river surface to the palm of her hand like a tower.
"Wow!!" Shippo giggled.
Kagome continued, separating the small section of water from the river, and curling it into a ball, similar to how she had drawn on her powers. The water complied, forming a circular orb of whirling water in her hand.
Shippo cheered and applauded.
Focusing further, Kagome stretched the water into a long, coiling shape, with a small head at one end- "A dragon!" Shippo realized. Then, Kagome called on the cold, hardness of her powers, watching with just as much amazement as Shippo as the water froze in its coil, the dragon's mouth open in a wide, ferocious howl.
"For you," she pronounced, handing Shippo the ice-dragon. Shippo crowed, holding the little sculpture gently, racing off to show everyone what Kagome had made for him.
Rising, Kagome popped her shoulders again. It wasn't uncomfortable to sit still, but she felt much better when she was loose and in motion. Turning her head slightly to the side, she tensed. A familiar aura brushed alongside hers, and she felt the water in the air begin to condense around her skin with a tingling cool.
"Sesshomaru," she called, voice quiet- yet loud. "Can I help you?"
As Sesshomaru stepped out of the trees, Kagome couldn't help but notice that he was, well… damp. Squinting her eyes in concentration, she stretched out an arm, focusing the little power she had mastery of at his garb. She could feel the water, sense its existence separate from Sesshomaru's clothes. She called to it.
Slowly, she felt the water leave Sesshomaru, and they curled towards her, floating around her before settling in little ice droplets in her hair, making her hair shine like glitter. Sesshomaru watched, amazement plain, as Kagome dried him without touching him. Now isn't that convienent.
Before she had a chance to say anything else, he spoke. "The first test will be on how your body has changed." Sesshomaru said. "There will be a series of physical tests; speed, agility, accuracy, technique."
"Uh, okay," Kagome said, deciding it would be easier to take it all in stride.
"First is speed."
"What am I supposed to do?" she questioned.
Sesshomaru focused his golden eyes on her icy ones, sharpening his stare before cracking his fingers and flexing his hands and claws.
"Run."
To Be Continued…
A/N: Don't dogs like getting wet?
BWAHAHAHAHA. Another cliffie for youuuuu!
And so- adeiuuu-
And please read and revieeeewwww!
(I'm a poet and I don't even know it.)
Happy Holidays
ancient-relic
