Chapter Five

Upon reaching the area where the miko had settled for the night, Sesshomaru was barraged with the strong scent that had drawn him there in the first place. Unable to figure out what the smell was, something that irritated him to no end, he assumed it was some sort of foul human food and mentally prepared himself to see the miko stuffing her face like the common, uncivilized human she was.

But, when he finally caught sight of her sitting beside her fire, he was surprised to see her consumed in painting, not eating. In fact, she was so immersed in her art that his presence had been completely unnoticed. So he stayed in the shadows of the trees and watched her paint for reasons unknown, even to himself.

He quickly realized that the strange scent was coming from the paints she used. Which was odd, because he was familiar with the scent of paint, for his father had often commissioned portraits to be made, a common request of those with a royal heritage. Since he had spent numerous hours posing for different artists, his nose was quick to recognize the smell. Artists used plants and other earthly items to create their paints, grinding them down and adding liquids. This resulted in a paint that smelled unavoidably natural. With the faintest of whiffs, Sesshomaru could identify all ingredients used in a painting. Artists also worked tediously for a single color, spending much money and time to make a pure, more vibrant color, a realistic color.

But the miko's paints were foreign-smelling. Not a single plant could he identify, nor any combination of roots and rocks. It was an unnatural scent, an unsettling smell. The miko did not put any effort into creating these paints, either. She merely squeezed strange containers already filled with various colors. And these colors were rich and vibrant, the kind even the richest artists with the highest connections failed to achieve.

The longer Sesshomaru watched the miko paint, the more on edge he got. Nothing the miko used seemed right. Her paintbrushes were not made of animal hair, and the paper she painted upon was thick and rich. In fact, this kind of paper was found in only the most royal of homes, yet the miko had a substantial supply of it. It was even bound together as a book, another thing only those of royal blood possessed.

This human carries frivolous items, expensive belongings, as if she comes from a high family, mused Sesshomaru, taking in all her foreign belongings. Yet, she dresses as a miko, maidens vowed to remain pure, to live simple lives. Besides, her manners are too cruel and speech too rough to be high born. Who is this human?

Suddenly, the scent in the air changed. No longer was it filled with the miko's foreign paints, but the scent of mischief and wind. The familiarity of this scent immediately filled Sesshomaru with irritation and he soon sensed the lone figure stealthily approaching from behind. With a growl, Sesshomaru said quietly, "Go to hell, Hermes."

With a chuckle, Hermes said, "Sorry, not today. Uncle Hades is in such a bad mood. He would probably make me take a dip in the pool of Mnemosyne. Seems like you're in a good mood, though. You haven't spoken to me in decades."

Frowning, Sesshomaru replied, "For good reasons, and you know it. Besides, I wasn't about to let you believe you were capable of sneaking up on me. If I had, the entire universe would be buzzing with the news, you gossiping old maid."

"Why, Sesshomaru!" Hermes said, throwing his arm over Sesshomaru's shoulder. "I never knew you cared so. You know I think of you as a brother; how could I possibly gossip about you?"

Growling, Sesshomaru roughly shrugged Herme's off his shoulders and said, "You gossip about everyone, especially family. That's probably the reason why Hades is in a bad mood. And the day you're my brother is the day I die."

"You know you don't need to go so far...you just need to do as your daddy told you," Hermes said, smiling.

Stiffening, Sesshomaru's voice grew icy as he said, "Be careful where you tread, Hermes."

Holding up his hands in mock surrender, Hermes glanced at the painting miko. Quickly changing the subject, he said, "Hey, it's Kagome! Boy, she's something, huh?"

Glancing suggestively at Sesshomaru, who pointedly ignored him, Hermes laughed. "C'mon, Sesshomaru, you know it's true. Cupid and I have a bet going over whether or not you will fall in love with her before your quest is over. For the god of love, he really has no faith in love, so I'm sure to win."

Sighing, his fists clenching and unclenching, silently reminding himself the consequences of harming a god, Sesshomaru said, "Don't you have to do Zeus's dirty work, or run pointless errands for someone? Maybe feed Cerberus your face?"

"There's the joking Sesshomaru I love!" With a chuckle, Hermes said, "Man, I can't believe Kagome painted you first. I mean, I did say she could paint me first...and let's be honest, I am much more handsome than you are."

Frowning, Sesshomaru turned his attention to the miko and confirmed for himself that the miko was creating a painting of him. Shaking his head, deciding to focus on the problem at hand, Sesshomaru said, "Aphrodite herself chose me over you. How could you possibly be more handsome?"

Huffing, Hermes replied, "Oh, she's just mad that I won't deliver her messages to her lovers for her. I like my innocent, dirt-free mind, thank you very much." Choosing to ignore Sesshomaru's disbelieving snort, Hermes said, "Well, as much as I love these heart-to-hearts, I gotta fly. But before I go, I have to say this."

Hearing the serious tone, a rare sound from Hermes, Sesshomaru glanced in his direction. "When has anyone been able to stop you from saying anything."

"Good point," Hermes said, smiling, before sobering once more. "That mortal, Kagome...she's the one. If you finally do what your father told you, she's it. Why else to you think he led her to you? Why else to you think he continues to talk to her?"

Sesshomaru turned his back to Hermes, ignoring him mentally and physically. Hermes shrugged, chuckling. "You know it as well as I do. Your father has chosen this one for you."

"Hermes, go to hell."

"Fine, fine. Twice in one conversation; just like old times. I'm going, I'm going." With one last, longing look at Kagome, Hermes turned and disappeared into the night.

Sighing in relief, Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the painting. He grudgingly admitted to himself that the miko was quite skilled. No one had ever fully captured him in a painting. They always conveyed his lack of emotion, cold and dignified. But the miko had painted his action, which in turn displayed his emotions.

A difficult thing, he had to admit. How do you show emotion in a youkai who denies such emotion? That was why his artists disliked painting him. The amateurs always chose him for his good looks and power, but after a few sessions, they gave in to the impossibility of capturing him. And their portraits of him always came out somewhat bland.

But this...human had absolutely captured him with little to no effort. She had chosen the moment when his anger had blazed against her. Neither his posture nor his features displayed any sign of anger in the painting, and yet just looking at it made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

If that was what she saw when he harshly encountered her earlier today, hewondered how exactly she would react to him tomorrow, when they would finally reach their destination, the home of the Gorgon, Medusa. Hopefully she would stay far out of his way and let him do this foolishly simple task. In fact, since he was hoping, he hoped she would stay far out of his way in general, maybe give up on the quest and find some village to spend the remainder of her days in. How simple his life would be if she would.

Shaking his head at his wandering thoughts, he turned away from the miko and returned to his patrol. But, before he went, he glanced one last time at the miko, regret filling his frame for a moment. And then he was back to normal, hardened against emotion, weaving a graceful path through the trees.

Kagome sighed, wiping her hand across her face and unknowingly smearing a streak of blue across her forehead. Finally finished with her painting, she looked at it with a critical eye. Yep, she thought with a sigh, setting it down so that it could dry, that's what his anger looked like. So threatening, so intimidating...and yet still beautiful. Which is pretty much what Sesshomaru is like in general.

Glad that the image was finally out of her mind and onto paper, where she could turn the page, hide the memory of the pure, unadulterated fear she had been filled with. And, now that she had time to meditate and ponder on Sesshomaru and his anger, she realized that it had been legitimate. She had always assumed that Sesshomaru had had a relatively normal relationship with his father, but it seemed that her assumption had been wrong. There was a wall between father and son, and neither seemed willing to tear it down. For he had been so angry that his father spoke with her, which meant his father didn't speak with him.

Pity filled her heart as she settled down for the night, adding more wood to the fire, making sure that it would stay lit throughout the rest of the night. As she snuggled herself into her sleeping bag, she closed her eyes and erased the pity from her heart. For she knew the proud inuyoukai that she traveled with would sense the emotion and hate her for it. And she felt that there was too much hatred and pain in his heart, a heart she knew to be loyal and pure, no matter how calloused and guarded it was.

Early the next day, as the sun was rising, Sesshomaru came to collect the miko. He saw that she was already prepared to leave, her fire put out, supplies tucked away into her pack. But, instead of making eye contact with him, eyes filled with a look of blind faith and loyal expectancy, she kept her head down, humbly submitting to him with her body language. For a moment, he was disappointed, but he quickly shook the sensation away as he silently walked past her. But, as he passed, he saw that she quickly glanced at him. And, though he ignored her, he was secretly relieved to see that she still had faith in him, loyally expecting the best of him, no matter what he put her though.

But he quickly steeled his spine, focusing his attention on the path ahead and not on the miko that followed him. For, within a few hours, they would encounter their first trial. And, deep within his bones, there was a unsettling feeling, a trepidation of what was to come. Which could only mean one thing: Fate was against them, had been against them from the very start, and this fight with the Gorgon, Medusa, would only give her an opportunity to harm the only two that she had no control over.

I FINALLY POSTED ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR THIS STORY! Good grief, it's been a looooong time. Much too long. And for that, I apologize. I really, really do. I know I promised that I wouldn't take so long to post a new chapter...and I lied. I took a really long time to post. I'm really, really sorry.

Anyway, this chapter is some relief from the seriousness of Sesshomaru and Kagome's last...moment. And it shows how close Sesshomaru really is with the gods, something that is very important to know. He is also showing more emotions towards the weak, pitiful human...well, secretly, behind her back. But still. Progress!

Next chapter is going to be their fight against Medusa. Will it be as easy as Sesshomaru expects it to be? Or is he right to feel some trepidation for what is to come? Hopefully it will be as good as I am building it up to be...:/

I do not own Inuyasha.