Disclaimer: I don't own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or any of those wonderful characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 8 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Last time:
Effortlessly, he sprang up into the air, landing atop the building, then using his youkai speed, launched himself into the night in the direction of the museum. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of the wind tugging at his long mane as though trying to catch him. The other youkai in the area jolted with fear and trepidation as he passed. His own power level was a rare phenomenon back in the feudal era, and nowadays he had become a mere legend even among youkai. This made Sesshomaru smile and he flared his aura just to rattle them further. It was good to remind them every now and then of just who still held the true authority and power.
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Maika woke in the morning when the alarm in her bedroom roared to life. Startled, she instinctively flicked open the keychain that had remained in her grasp throughout the night to reveal an ornate fan, and swept it in the direction of the offending sound. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision and extended her senses, feeling for the intruder. All she heard was the ominous sound of something slicing through wood, paneling and plastic, then a final mournful wail from her alarm.
"Oh shit!" she exclaimed as she leapt up from her couch to ascertain the damage, now fully awake. Flicking her fan closed, Maika rolled her eyes at the splintered remains of her bedroom door and hopped over it to find her alarm clock, as well as the dresser it had been sitting on, in ruins.
"Great, just great!" she snapped, throwing her hands up in the air and storming over to her bathroom. "Another deposit gone!"
She tore out of last night's clothes and tossed her keys down beside the sink. When would she learn not to just pass out on the couch? Especially when she had her fan still in her hand? Her flight last night had been exhilarating but exhausting, leaving her barely enough energy to crawl back through the window. She actually didn't remember making it that far.
The cool water improved her mood somewhat as did memories from the rest of last night's activities. The thought of Reizo put a smile on her face, and she returned her rather drab gray skirt and jacket in exchange for a much more feminine lavender and white one. She hurriedly got herself a bowl of cold rice and flipped on the news as she sat and ate it. She watched only half interested until she saw a report on an apparent break-in at the very museum she and Reizo had visited last night.
"We are not quite sure what the motive was," a representative of the museum was telling the reporter. "Nothing of value appears to have been taken or damaged, though we are still searching each display and our storage facilities. All we have found so far is a set of five small holes in the case that housed some random samples of feudal documents. And only one of those, a letter that had not yet been closely studied, is missing. It is a puzzling case because the missing item could not possibly have been removed from the case. It just seems to have vanished."
Maika shook her head and tossed her empty bowl into the sink. "It's so odd to hear about that place on the news right after visiting."
She glanced at the clock and winced. Today would be pushing it. Hurriedly, Maika applied her make up, twisted her hair up and activated her concealment charm. She did not want to be late today! She could already hear Reizo's smug remarks, "Hmmm, I did not realize I would be so much for you to handle. I shall have to bring you home earlier from now on, if I want you to arrive to work on time."
She shivered a little and used her manipulation of the wind to make the people ahead of her move faster. As sexy as his arrogance was, it was even more of a turn on to see him rattled. And to do that she needed to be on time with her wits at their sharpest.
Maika quickly entered and made her way over to the front desk. She tossed her purse into the usual drawer and flipped through the work already set out for her to do. The folders she tossed with a sigh into a pile at the corner, then reached down to flip the switch on her computer. She finished straightening and organizing, ignoring the various beeps and hums of the computer waking up.
A moment later she turned to her computer and was about to enter the password, when she noticed a small box sitting on the keys. She lifted it and read the small note attached to the top that simply said, "Maika." No name of a sender or any indication of why it was there, though she had a good guess as to the tall, handsome man who had put it there.
The front doors opened and Maika glanced up. Speaking of the devil, he glided in looking every bit as perfect and untouchable as he had last night, his long black hair tied back and his suit spotless and wrinkle free. His eyes snapped to hers immediately, and though his features remained frozen and cool, his gaze was warm and happy. Maika lifted the box in her fingers and arched an eyebrow at him. His lips quirked up into the ghost of a smile and he inclined his head towards her as he passed.
Maika watched until he had vanished down the hall, then curiously regarded her gift. What could he have possibly gotten for her? After that hideous hat she'd forced on him, she was almost afraid to find out. She shuddered to think what horrible item he could have found to top that.
Her fingers lifted the top and nearly dropped the box in surprise. Inside was the most exquisite set of earrings, almost the exact shade of red as the lipstick she wore. She laughed aloud. This was nothing like she had expected. Then the thought struck her that maybe he considered these as repulsive as that hat. No, that couldn't be. These were just too beautiful.
Why that pompous ass! Acting like he's so heartless. She blushed as she thought. This shows just how observant he really is to have noticed what colors I like to wear.
When he passed back by her desk on his way out, Maika called out, "You don't think these will buy my affection, do you, Mr. Daiginkeiko?"
She smirked playfully at him as he paused and turned to face her. He moved over to the desk and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at her.
"Do you think I would do such a thing as buy affection?" he questioned smoothly, his face blank, but his voice light.
Maika leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, fully noting the way his eyes followed her every move. She fanned herself with a folder, then tapped it to her chin. "Well, I can hardly say I know you well enough to say for certain, Mr. Daiginkeiko."
He actually smiled at that and replied, "Perhaps, then, that is something we shall have to remedy."
She winked at him and answered, "I suppose I could clear off some time on my schedule."
Reizo merely nodded as though this were obvious and started back towards the front doors. He paused, though, halfway to them, and added, "It was simply a token of my appreciation."
Maika blinked, too busy watching his graceful movements to think lucidly for the moment.
"The earrings," he clarified. "They are a token of my appreciation for your having lasted this long at your job with me as your employer. It is an amazing feat I must commend you for."
She grinned broadly at that and said, "I know, normally by this point I'd have fired such an obnoxious employer. But you've grown on me."
He gave her a genuine smile that made her knees feel weak and said, "As you have on me. Good day, Maika."
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"Damn it! Why won't it just die?" Inuyasha growled as he landed after launching his second Kaze no Kizu.
Kagome sighed and pointed at the hideous demon's scaly neck. "Because it has two jewel shards! There, on its neck. Now hurry up and kill it, will you?"
The miko wanted to stomp her foot in frustration. Typical, this was so typical of Inuyasha to interfere with her plans. Granted, perhaps it hadn't been wholly Inuyasha's fault that a youkai on a shard-induced rampage had targeted their group. She picked at her bow as she watch the hanyou's graceful movements. It was not like he was the one who had broken and scattered the jewel. Or carried around a nice little bottle of them around his neck that functioned rather like a giant, flashing, neon "kick me" sign.
But Kagome preferred not to consider such minor details as those. Inuyasha never wanted her to go back to her own time when she wanted or needed, so logically this was just another delay tactic on his part. She sucked in a sharp breath between her teeth as Inuyasha's blow fell short and he ended up crashing through a number of very innocent trees. Honestly, sometimes youkai were just as bad for the environment as big corporations in her own time.
"Really, guys, this has taken long enough," Kagome muttered as she noched her own arrow and filled it with her miko powers and a good deal of her frustration as well.
"HIT THE MARK!" she shouted as she loosed it. There was a pleasant twang from the vibrating string and the satisfying thunk of her arrow embedding in flesh. In a flash of pink light and ash, the youkai vanished, leaving the two tainted shards to fall harmlessly to earth.
Kagome nodded curtly, ran over to pick up the shards and put them into the bottle. Retrieving her pack from where it had fallen, she turned to her now slack-jawed companions and said, "Well, let's get going."
Sango and Miroku exchanged bewildered looks and then glanced over at Inuyasha, who had yet to climb out of his new pile of firewood. He just blinked after her, a vague smile playing about his lips.
"Finally! You other humans need to take a page from Kagome's book. We'd have the jewel completed now, if you'd keep going like that instead of whining about rest and sleep," Inuyasha informed them, and he sheathed the Tetsusaiga to follow her.
Miroku and Sango exchanged another glance, and then Miroku asked softly, "Do you suppose he'll be so happy once he remembers that we're heading on our way back to Kaede's and not out on Naraku's trail?"
Sango chuckled and said, "Well, I'm not going to be the one to tell him. I think I'm as eager as Kagome for a rest, and once he remembers our destination, he'll probably throw a big fit and make us delay a week out of spite."
Kagome marched on ahead of the others, blissfully unaware of their varied emotional states. She had two days to get back to the well and convince Inuyasha to go with her to watch the solar eclipse. So far it was going great. They would be back by tomorrow, barring any further delays, and that would leave her a good day to convince him he had to come along. She wished all her friends could come too, but was looking forward to some time with just her and Inuyasha. Perhaps she could even get him to give a repeat of that kiss.
Kagome closed her eyes at the pleasant memory. Oh, yes, he would definitely be going back with her even if she had to sit him into the well to do it. He could use a real break as much as the rest of them, if not more, and she was determined to give it to him.
That night around the campfire, Inuyasha was still grumbling about having to go back and Kagome's enthusiasm for that rather than the jewel hunt. The others tuned it out, though, knowing it would change nothing and ultimately put the hanyou in a better mood in the morning.
"Oie, Kagome, when will the ramen be ready?" he barked out sullenly.
Kagome looked up at him with wide eyes and said, "We're out. That's part of the reason I was in such a hurry to get back. I need to stock up on it."
"What! How can you be out?" Inuyasha exclaimed, jumping up to go through her bag to see for himself. "You were there just a week ago, you should have brought plenty for a whole month!"
Kagome sat back on her heels and watched him. "Maybe it seems to run out so fast because a certain hanyou eats it up like a pig!"
"Keh!" Inuyasha sniffed after he had determined that there was indeed not a single package of ramen left. "Well, you're only going for a day. Just to get supplies and then you're coming right back."
He crossed his arms and legs as though battening down for a violent storm. To everyone's surprise, Kagome clapped her hands together and said, "Okay! And you can come with me, too. Just to make sure I come back in a day."
Inuyasha opened his mouth, prepared to argue, but had to shut it again. This was rather unexpected. His ears twitched and finally he managed a haughty, "Damn right, wench. I'll make sure you come back in a day."
He didn't notice the smile Kagome hid as she went back to adding wood to the fire, but Miroku and Sango and Shippo did. They were very curious as to what Kagome had planned for Inuyasha, but knew they'd have to wait to find out.
"So, a solar eclipse, huh?" Miroku said.
He, Sango, Kirara, Shippo and Kaede were all seated inside Kaede's hut as they waited for Inuyasha to finish his usual rounds of the forest. It had provided them the perfect opportunity to ask Kagome about her giving in to Inuyasha so easily, and the girl had been more than willing to explain.
"Yes, they're going to have a sort of festival party tomorrow and I really wanted to take Inuyasha to see it. I'll probably never have another chance to watch it, so I wanted to take advantage now," Kagome explained.
"Are ye certain ye wish the hanyou to accompany you during such an occasion?" Kaede asked solemnly, poking her fire as she spoke.
The others looked at her and Kagome blushed. "Well, I mean, I know he still cares about Kikyou, but I really would like to have some time with just me and him."
"No, child, I speak not of him as your companion, but of what he is," Kaede clarified. "Hanyous are quite affected by the cycles of the moon, as ye are well aware. This day, where the moon overpowers the sun, strikes me as a time that would also have a strong affect on a hanyou. And seeing as how I have not heard of such an event, there is no precedent on exactly how Inuyasha's blood will be affected."
"So, are you saying this could affect Inuyasha physically, like the night of the new moon?" Sango asked.
Kaede nodded. "But that would not be so bad; he is harmless as a human, albeit rather obnoxious and moody. No, what worries me is the chance of the opposite occurring."
"You mean him turning full demon," Miroku added, gripping his staff as he thought.
Kagome looked down at her hands. She did not wish to endanger him, but it couldn't really be that bad, could it? "It will only last for a few minutes at most. I really don't think it could affect him so strongly."
"I suppose it doesn't sound so bad, if it will only last for a short while," Miroku put in, his hand on his chin. "And you do have those beads of subjugation, just in case."
"Kagome, I know you want him to go, but if this might affect him in some way, I think he has a right to know before just jumping in the well with you," Sango pointed out.
Kagome sighed and said, "I know. I'll tell him, when he gets back."
"Tell me what?" Inuyasha asked, brushing aside the hanging mat and throwing himself down on Kaede's floor.
The others looked from Kagome to Kaede, then back at him. Inuyasha glanced over at Kaede. "What's going on, old woman?"
"Inuyasha! Don't be so rude," Kagome scolded. "And I was just telling them that tomorrow is going to be a solar eclipse in my time, with a festival to watch it and everything, but Kaede was concerned about how something like that could affect your blood."
Inuyasha lifted his eyebrows. "How a who will affect my what?"
Miroku snickered, and Sango elbowed him.
"A solar eclipse, when the moon blocks out the sun for a few minutes, making the day dark. How that will affect your blood with you being a hanyou," Kagome explained. "Kaede thinks there might be a risk of you reverting to either your human or your demon forms if you go with me tomorrow."
"Keh, is that all?" Inuyasha scoffed. "You had me worried it was something serious. You think I'm worried about a little thing like the weird things the moon and stars do."
"The sun, not stars," Miroku pointed out, and received a glare from Inuyasha for his efforts.
"Keh, either way, I'm not scared of some lights in the sky, old hag."
Kaede rolled her eye skyward as if pleading some deity for patience. "I did not say ye were afraid, Inuyasha. I simply thought it best ye be cautioned before venturing into the strange time Kagome is from."
Kagome narrowed her eyes slightly. "It's not strange," she muttered quietly, but only Inuyasha could have heard and he wasn't paying attention.
"You all thought I'd be afraid? I'm not backing down from anything! I told Kagome I'd go with her and I'll make sure she gets back here in a day like she promised."
Kagome blushed and looked up at him from beneath the fringe of her eyelashes. "Inuyasha, you really want to be with me that much?"
Inuyasha opened his mouth to deny it, but after a furious glare from Sango and a frantic warning from Miroku, he settled on his trademark, "Keh!"
Kagome frowned. "I'm glad that you want to go, but now what Kaede says has me worried. What if something happens to you? I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt. Maybe I'll just go by myself."
Inuyasha jumped to his feet, his ears twitching in irritation, and shook his fist at Kagome. "Oh, I don't think so, wench! You're just trying to get me to stay behind so you can end up wasting a week in your time. I don't think so. I'm going with you and that's final."
Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, yeah, Inuyasha, you saw through my master plot."
Apparently, Inuyasha missed the sarcasm. He just sat back, looking extremely pleased with himself.
Kaede sighed loudly and muttered, "Ye young people will be the death of me."
The next morning, Kagome was up at dawn. She was excited and, thanks to Kaede, a little nervous. Perhaps a normal solar eclipse would not effect him, but what if the time travel had some influence too, making him more susceptible to the effects? Kagome thought about telling him she had changed her mind and not going back until tomorrow, but Inuyasha was waiting for her, her backpack in hand when she emerged from Kaede's hut. He stood there with her bag slung over his shoulder, his hair flecked with gold from the glow of the rising sun. Her heart fluttered at the sight. He was gorgeous.
"C'mon, Kagome. You've got one day, no arguments," he told her gruffly.
Kagome started from her daze and ran up to him. "Okay, one day no arguments."
Together they walked towards the well. When they reached the familiar wooden structure, Inuyasha put his arm around Kagome's waist and jumped them both inside.
The familiar blue light flooded over them both and slowed their rapid decent to a gentle floating. It was a good thing too, because as soon as the light cleared to reveal the bottom of the well Inuyasha released her.
"Hey!" she exclaimed as she scrambled to keep on her feet. She turned to gripe at Inuyasha, but all words stuck in her mouth and blocked the ones after.
Her hanyou stood with two thick handfuls of jet black hair lifted in front of his face. His doggy ears were gone, replaced by rounded, human ears and his now dark eyes were wide with shock. His expression was one that reminded Kagome of the moment she had announced they were out of ramen, and Kagome was hard-pressed not to laugh outright.
He dropped his gaze back to his hair and shook it in his fists. "Wha...what happened?"