Chapter 12
Kagome opened her eyes to an unmercifully bright noon sun. She buried her face into Sesshomaru's shoulder and long silver hair to try to block out the light. Her memories of the previous night came back to her. She sighed happily even though she knew they had gotten a little carried away, but she felt no shame in waking up here, beside Sesshomaru. His long white tail was still wrapped around both of them, providing warmth against a chill breeze. She forced herself to open her eyes again and crawled onto Sesshomaru's chest. He was still asleep with a small smile on his lips. She kissed him gently to wake him.
His body tensed as he opened his eyes, but he relaxed again when he realized it was only Kagome and he returned her kiss. "Good morning," she whispered then she pulled herself up off the ground. Sesshomaru glanced at the sky and said, "or rather good afternoon."
Kagome nodded. She was searching for her clothes among the leaves and was about to redress when she felt Sesshomaru's hot breathe on her neck, making her shiver. He wrapped his arms around her and licked her neck in the spot where he had marked her as his mate by biting her. Kagome's entire body quivered and she dropped the clothes in her hand and turned around with every intention of repeating the night before until...
"Oh Kami! We forgot about Shippo!" She broke apart from Sesshomaru and hastily redressed saying, "He's probably out of his wits with worry, not to mention he's trapped within that barrier I put around him!"
Sesshomaru groaned as they were interrupted and slowly gathered his own clothes watching his new mate hurry away towards where they had left Shippo. He licked his lips which still tasted like her and put his Kimono back on, being sure to find the leaves to the tree that he had worked so hard to reach. He caught up with Kagome to find Shippo bawling in her arms. "Kagome!" the little fox demon cried, "I was so scared! I didn't know where anyone had went! Where were you?"
Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks, wondering, with some amusement at how she would answer.
"Uh..well...Shippo.." stumbled Kagome, trying to buy herself time to invent something G-rated for the kit's ears to hear- she didn't want to tell him that she and Sesshomaru had just had wild sex a forest clearing and were now officially mates. She settled for a evasive answer, "Sesshomaru and I were just out discussing our plans for the future."
Sesshomaru nearly laughed. Nearly. He was still Sesshomaru, the Taiyoukai and Lord of the West. Having spent several days as a human or not, he wasn't ready to completely change his behavior. He settled for a smirk of a smile. She was right, in a way. They had been making plans for the future, there just had not been as much actual 'discussion' as the raven haired young woman had suggested. His smirk grew wider with pride as he caught sight of the mating mark he had given her.
Shippo smiled and leaned in to speak in Kagome's ear, even though Sesshomaru could still hear every word. The kitsune whispered, "You two are mates now, aren't you?"
Kagome put a hand to her mouth in shock. She was sure her little adopted son shouldn't know about stuff like that yet. He was too young, around 7 in human years. "How did you know?" whispered Kagome back.
Shippo pointed at her forehead, "You have Sesshomaru's crescent. Mommy also had daddy's mark on her forehead when I was young and he always called her mate."
Kagome stopped panicking as she realized that her kitsune was still as naive as his age suggested. He was only repeating things others around him had said. But then the Kitsune's words sank in and she started panicking again. "I have what?" gasped Kagome, rummaging through her bag and pulling out a compact. Sure enough, there was a light purple crescent moon on her forehead.
"Why?" she asked Sesshomaru.
He gave a smug smile and replied, "To show that you are the Lady of the Western Lands now."
"Am I really that important? After all, I'm just a human."
"Your humanity is insubstantial and easily remedied."
"I'm not following you," frowned Kagome.
"Then you may lead," offered Sesshomaru, not sure why she had said something so random.
"No, that's not what I mean. In my time, that means, 'I don't understand.'"
"Interesting. Then, I will lead and get us to my home, which we should reach by noon tomorrow. As for what I meant by your humanity being insubstantial, that means it doesn't matter to me if you're human."
Kagome seemed so pleased, "And easily remedied?"
"Now that requires a long explanation which I shall be will to give you...once we reach my home."
"Humph!" snorted Kagome, sticking her bottom lip out hoping to look helpless enough that Sesshomaru would tell her now. However, he seemed quite set in his ways and so she gave in, "Let's get going then!" shooing the other two along with her hands.
O0o.o0O
Father Daisuke was a fierce and powerful priest. It is said that he is the father of all future priests and priestesses because he so strongly influenced the art of spiritual power control. The priest never feared for his life, only for those of the people around him. His purification powers could not be matched by anyone of the day and not one soul has since Father Daisuke's time even joked that they possessed powers equal or superior to the priest. No evil had ever passed through the Father Daisuke's heart as he traveled from village to village helping where he could. One day, a terrible dragon demon tried to attack a town near the traveling priest. The demon's name was Ryuukotsu and Father Daisuke took it upon himself to seal this demon's powers away. Yet the Priest was not strong enough. He fell by Ryuukotsu's claw and was thrown to the entrance of the village he hoped to protect. Daisuke was only able to cause the demon a few wounds that caused enough discomfort to retreat from the village and find easier prey. It was enough to save the village, but not the Priest's life. He gave his last breathe of life while struggling to keep a barrier up around the village that Ryuukotsu had thrown him in front of.
Word of the Priest's powers were passed down as a bedtime story until many believed it to be a myth. But the people of the last village Father Daisuke had fought to save remembered him. They took his body and built a shrine and buried him within it. All that was left of the priest were rumors of his great powers. Rumors that Naraku heard and decided to use to his advantage.
And the villagers had made it so easy for Naraku to find the body in its neat little shrine. Naraku entered the shrine in mock reverence and killed the two shrine maidens who took care of the gravesite. The foul creature's long tentacles dug through the dirt and uncovered the bones of the long dead priest. Naraku then took a shard of the Shikon Jewel and placed it in the pile of bones, forcing the flesh to reappeared on the bones and for the soul to be forced out of the afterlife and back into this world.
"Why have you interrupted my eternal slumber, half-demon? What interest would one such as yourself have in me?" asked the priest. People may have called him 'Father Daisuke' but that must've just been out of respect, for the man before Naraku was hardly old enough to be anyone's father. He had medium length black hair, tied into a loose ponytail that allowed a few bangs to fall around his beautiful face and seemed to bring out his piercing, dark blue eyes. Naraku could see that this young man must've broken quite a few young ladies' hearts when he chose to be a wandering priest.
Naraku smiled evilly at the priest, "Father Daisuke, I have come to make a bargain for your services."
"And why should I help a half-demon? I can sense your dark demonic aura. Why would I associate with something like you."
"OH, but I can offer you a second chance at life-another chance to save more human lives."
"How? By having me kill a hundred first? I will not humor your sick wants!"
"AH, but I only need you to kill one person-on little human girl."
"Do not try to deceive me! There is something you are trying to hide. Who is this person and why can you not kill them yourself?"
"She is a priestess and therefore I cannot touch her without the risk of being purified."
"A priestess? So by killing this one girl, how many would I be condemning to death that she was destined to save? I will not test fate in such a way. Return me to my rest, I will not help you."
"I can see why you had such great power in life- if even now in death you can resist such temptation. However, I do not think I will return you to the afterlife. Not yet. I need your power to rival this priestess and I will have your loyalty by force, if necessary."
Before the priest could even decipher the meaning of Naraku's words, tentacles were flying at him and wrapping around the restored priest.
The priest look down a the tentacles with the barest hint of interest, "What are you planning to do, half demon? Kill me? Have you forgotten that I'm already dead?"
Naraku's evil smile didn't waver, "There are worst things than death awaiting you, my Father." There was mock respect in the evil half demon's voice. The priest didn't move. He expected Naraku to kill him in his fury and return the once-dead priest to the afterlife again. He desired it and didn't fight back. When he finally realized that was not Naraku's intention, it was too late. One of Naraku's tentacles a dug in and touched the jewel shard, turning it deepest black and causing the priest's eyes to go blank. The tentacles melted around the body, fully covering it and pulling it towards Naraku's body. Their bodies' began to merge. It was intense pain for Naraku as the priest's body seemed to be trying to purify him. Yet the half-demon endure the pain, reforming his body parts in a new manner.
The pain dulled and eventually stopped when Naraku ejected a new incarnation out of his body- his half-human self name Onigumo and the priest Father Daisuke. They were merged into one individual who stared blankly at the half-demon, and blackened jewel shard in his back.
Naraku inspected his newest incarnation. "I name you Dainigumo, for you are the combination of two, with Daisuke's spiritual powers and Onigumo's mind. Whom do you serve?"
"I serve the great lord Naraku."
"Then we shall return to my castle and prepare for the coming battle." A great tornado of Miasma came down from the sky and swallowed them. When it had dissipated, there was nothing left of Naraku or Dainigumo. Dainigumo, an incarnation that couldn't be purified by Kagome. She would be helpless.
O0o.o0O
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Sesshomaru's ears twitched at the constant sound of Kagome tearing at her own skin. She was walking a half step behind the dog demon who was currently leading them to his home.
"Must you incessantly itch so?" he asked, unable to take anymore and fully turning around to face her. He had been stealing glances out of the corner of his eye for most of the afternoon as she entertained them by talking about inventions in the future and trying to described how they worked. However, she had gradually fallen silent and had began to scratch herself. At first, Sesshomaru had overlooked it, just believing to be one of those weird things humans do, but now he was staring at her in panic. He rushed to her side and pulled out her arm so that he could see it better. A red rash with small bumps aggravated nearly all of her exposed skin on her arms and legs.
"What is wrong?" he asked in alarm, fearing the worst.
"Nothing too serious, just a really bad case of poison ivy. What a time to forget the calamine lotion," she sighed, "but at least I washed my face this morning keeping the rash from coming up there."
"Poison Ivy?"
"It's what humans call it. It's a plant and nearly every human is allergic to it. Just touching it causes us to break out in this rash a few hours later. Normally we avoid it, but I somehow failed to notice it last night when we were..." she trailed off as she realized the little Kitsune was also listening to her story. She tried again, "um..when I was searching for a place to sleep last night. I must've been rolling around in it for at least half the night."
"What can we do to help?" asked Shippo.
Kagome sighed sadly, "Alas, I don't remember any herb that can help fight it. Maybe I'll remember something later, but all I can do now is try to ignore the itching. Scratching at it will only make it spread." Then she gave Sesshomaru a mock dark look, "Figures."
"May I inquire as to what 'figures?'" asked the dog demon.
"It figures that demons are immune to the plant. Well, on the sunny side of things, at least I don't have to worry about spreading it to you two."
"Let me assure you, Kagome, if I had been aware of this plant's properties, I would have chosen a more suitable location."
"Suitable for what?" eagerly asked Shippo.
"For 'discussions', Shippo. You know what? Now that I've thought about it, I do think there's a way for you to help me. Can you go look for a herb with fern-like leaves that smells like salty limes?"
"Sure Kagome!" Replied the Kitsune, eagerly rushing off in search of the plant.
"Salty limes?" questioned Sesshomaru.
"Well, that just insures us a bit of time alone. I've never even heard of that herb I sent him to find."
"I completely understand," growled Sesshomaru in animal-like pleasure, drawing Kagome against himself, "We are in need of more 'discussion,' are we not?" He didn't give her time to answer as he stole her breathe away with a long kiss. She practically melted in his arms, craving more. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him even closer and deepening the kiss.
"Damn!" she spoke into his lips after only a few minutes. "Kouga's coming." She seemed upset. "Why are we always interrupted by one thing or another?" she asked rhetorically while slipping behind Sesshomaru to hide in his clothes and tail. The demon lord could see a tornado-like wind approaching and raised a quizzical brow to Kagome who merely answered, "He thinks I'm his woman. Really annoying, but don't kill him for it. He's a nice guy overall and has pledged to kill Naraku, so he's technically an ally. Please?"
Sesshomaru nodded as the tornado came to a stop a few meters from the two. Kouga had an angry expression on his face and was down in an attack position. "Hey you! Dog turd's brother! What have you done with my woman?"
"Your woman? I haven't touched your woman, let me assure you."
"Don't lie to me Dog Shit! I can smell her all over you!" Kouga sniffed the air again, concentrating on pin pointing a smell. His face turned to one of pure disgust. "Oh Kami! I can even smell her in your mouth! You ate her, didn't you?"
"Only a bite," smirked Sesshomaru, referring to the mating mark he had given Kagome. However, Kouga didn't know this and his hate of the inuyoukai increased greatly, near palpable.
"You monster!" yelled Kouga, he crouched down and prepared to jump and attack the Lord of the West. "If you've killed Kagome, then I will kill you."
"STOP! Nobody is going to kill anybody today, especially not over me!" hollered Kagome, stepping out from behind Sesshomaru.. She had been hoping to avoid this confrontation. Not because she ever liked Kouga like that, but she didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes. However, she didn't want Kouga's blood spilled either, because there was no doubt in Kagome's mind that if those two engaged in battle, Kouga would be the one to die.
Kouga practically collapse from the shock of seeing her alive and not aa a half-eaten corpse. Still, the joy on his face only lasted long enough for Kouga to pick out the crescent moon on her forehead and assess the situation. Then his face fell dramatically and his mouth opened and closed few times silently before he was able to ask, "You...and him?...together?...Impossible!" He stuck his jaw forward in stubborn denial.
"But it is true Kouga," sympathized Kagome, "Sesshomaru and myself are now mates. There is nothing you can do to ever change that. Besides, don't you remember you're promised to Ayame?"
"Who's promised? I'm not promised to nobody! And I want you Kagome! You're my woman."
"No," growled Sesshomaru, a serious look on his face, "Kagome is my mate, so leave now and I will let you live."
"Kagome..." trailed off Kouga, hoping for her support.
"I'm with Sesshomaru now. Don't make him kill you, please," pleaded Kagome.
Kouga did his best to put on an arrogant smile, though it fell far short of its usual supremeness. "So you do still care. I will do as you wish Kagome." Kouga bowed his head at her then glared at Sesshomaru, "And you, dog shit! Don't you ever think about mistreating Kagome or I will come and take her away and then kill you! You understand?"
"Your threats are wasted," replied Sesshomaru boredly, "Kagome is my mate and she will never be mistreated."
"Hmpff...Kagome, you know where to find me if he ever dissatisfies you in any way. Later!" He took off in his tornado before Sesshomaru could change his mind about letting him live.
"Well, that was certainly interesting." sighed Kagome tiredly.
"Indeed."
"I suppose we'll just wait till your home to finish our 'discussion.' The way things are going today, I couldn't imagine what would interrupt us next. Let's go find Shippo." She bent down to pick up her bag but found it missing. "What the...Sesshomaru, I can carry it you know."
But the dog demon huffed, "I don't see how. It weighs more than physically possible. What do you keep in here?"
"Just the necessities: food, water, clothes, toiletries, oh, and my school books. Which reminds me, I am way behind on my studies. I might as well drop out of high school, I guess."
"Do you want to finish school?"
"I don't guess it really matters now that I'll be staying in this time, but I suppose I would like to."
"Maybe you'll still be able to. We can discus this later. I can smell the kitsune just ahead. I'm afraid I can't smell any salty limes though," he teased her, "Don't worry. I keep a healer at my home that knows how to take care of humans for Rin. She should be able to help you and your poison ivy."
"Thank you, Sesshomaru, but I'm curious. How did Rin end up as your ward?"
"Tensaiga pulsed for me to bring her back to life after the wolves of your friend Kouga killed her. She has been following me since."
Kagome grimaced, "I forgot how Kouga's tribe used to get their food. At least they don't eat humans anymore."
They found Shippo in a bed of ferns, sniffing each leaf for the hint of salty limeness. Needless to say, he was having very bad luck.
"Come Shippo. I don't believe we're going to find that herb anywhere around here. Let's continue."
Shippo hopped onto Kagome's shoulder saying, "Okay Mommy!"
Kagome stopped walking. "Mommy?" she asked.
Shippo blushed, "I just thought that now that you and Sesshomaru were mates, you could be my Mommy."
"It would be an honor, Shippo," said Kagome, wiping a tear of happiness from the corner of her. The little kitsune features lit up in joy as they caught up to Sesshomaru on the path.
The demon lord sniffed the air for a few seconds before grabbing Kagome around the waist. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"I believe it would be safe to fly the rest of the way. Just hold on tightly," he told them.
Kagome nodded as her feet left the ground, her arms automatically tightening around Sesshomaru. She closed her eyes against the rushing wind that threatened to whip her away from her demon lord. They were flying so fast that the land around them seemed to melt and become flashing streaks of color. Not soon enough, they lightly touched down in front of what the demon lord had been calling his 'home.' He had severely understated it, for it was a castle. Villages and farms surrounded the walled area that was built overlooking a valley with a lake in it. Kagome assumed that the villages were inhabited by lower class demons that worked the land for Sesshomaru. Now Kagome really understood why everyone called him 'Lord.'
The stone walls were not high enough to prevent a demon from jumping over and there were few guards posted as sentries. The gates of the castle wall themselves were wide open. Kagome silently wondered why the demon lord would allow such neglect to security. Yet as Sesshomaru released her and walked ahead of her through the open gate, she noticed that a barrier restricted him for the slightest of moments. That must've been the reason for the lax of security-the entire castle was protected by a barrier.
When Sesshomaru reached the inside of the castle, he pronounce formally, "As my father so proclaimed, I announce the right for thee who honestly stand before the gates, to enter in with no restraints."
He then ushered them to come through the gate as he had done and the barrier let them pass.
"What was that about?" asked Kagome.
"My father sealed his castle from intruders with his own blood and only those who stand before the gates when I say that incantation may enter the castle grounds."
"Your father always thought of everything, didn't he?"
"He had every right to. He was blessed with the gift of foresight."
"That's amazing, and so is this castle."
They had walked through the gateway to discover a magnificent example of architecture. The design did not fit the time period, yet it had a certain homely appeal to it, dspite its size. The castle did not have turrets and towers, but it was three stories tall, quite a feat at that time in history when most still lived on a dirt floor. The architectures centerpieced arches and the blend of rock and stucco. The greenish tone of the rock set off the brown of the stucco giving the castle an earthy look only encouraged by the ivy climbing up the east wing's walls. There were several stained glass windows, all swirls of greens, adorning the west wing, which seemed to be a great hall for feasting.
Kagome followed the confident stride of Sesshomaru to a great wooden door with transformed dog demons carved into the dark wood. Kagome could only admire them for a few seconds before they were pushed open by Sesshomaru.
He picked Kagome up bridal style and carried her through the front doors with Shippo still on her shoulder, "Welcome," he whispered in her ear, "to our home."
O0o.o0O
A/N: Okay, so I finally gave one of my characters and actual Japanese name-the priest Daisuke- but then I go and break Japanese culture and tradition with the whole western tradition of carrying a wife bridal style. Flame me if you want to. Since I'm pointing out errors in my own work, I might as well say that I not sure if they have poison ivy in Japan, or regular ivy for that matter. If not, just pretend they do. I wanted to include it because, well, number one, it's kind of a funny thing to happen (Now kids, always look at the plantlife before you 'discus' things in the woods with a member of the opposite sex) and number two, it will set up something else in the next chapter, and no, it won't be character death. I already killed Kagome once in this story and I don't plan to do it again, well...it might be funny if...no...I'll resist and keep her alive.