Inuyasha
Fate of the Compassionate
Chapter 5
The Shrine
November 5, 2017
Sesshomaru was sitting in the floor surrounded by books from the selves with Kagome in front of him intently looking through several books biting her lip lightly as she studied looking for a cure to his situation. Her grandfather had left the house to help guests to the shrine. She had done the same thing for the last three days spending all her time in her grandfathers study going through his books.
"Ugh... nothing... there has to be something... what am I missing?" Kagome said frustrated as she fell back stretching our her back and legs since her feet were asleep.
"Kagome perhaps you just need a break you've been at this for three days." Sesshomaru suggested he was surprised by her resilience.
"Break..." Kagome said as she glanced over at him sitting on the floor across from her. "I am starting to get cross eyed looking at all these books." she said as she frowned up at the ceiling.
"Cross eyed?" Sesshomaru asked curiously as he watched her.
Kagome put her two index fingers in front of her eyes and crossed them. "Cross eyed... It means my eyes are getting tired." she said in explanation as she looked back over at him.
"Kagome dear I've cleaned your clothes and repacked your bag for you. And you Mr. Sesshomaru I've finished fixing your clothes." Kagome's mother said softly as she walked into the room with his clothes folded in her arms.
"Great mother thanks. I'm going to take a walk. Would you like to come along Sesshomaru?" Kagome said smiling as she sat back up looking at her mother then over to Sesshomaru.
"I would like to change first." Sesshomaru said as he stood up and accepted his clothes from her mother.
"Great I'll meet you outside." Kagome said brightly as she stood up and dusted her jeans off and straightened her t-shirt. "Mom just have Grampa leave these as they are. I think I started to make progress but can't find a solution." she said with a sigh as she watched Sesshomaru walk out of the room.
Several hours later on their way back to the shine from showing Sesshomaru the wonders of Tokyo Kagome stopped about halfway down the street and turned suddenly her eyes searching for something but she wasn't quite sure what. The small hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end and goosebumps had risen on her arms. Something wasn't right they were being watched, but by who and why.
"What is it Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked curiously as he stopped a few paces behind her now since he had kept walking a few steps before realizing she had stopped.
Kagome quietly scanned the area once more before turning back to Sesshomaru with a worried look on her face as she walked over to him. "We're being watched." she said softly as she scanned the area ahead of them as well for anything out of the ordinary.
"Don't be silly there are way too many humans walking around here for you know know that for certain." Sesshomaru said dismissively but began looking the way they had came just to be sure. If only he hand his normal senses then this would be unnecessary.
"I'm telling you something's not right..." Kagome said softly then looked up at him shocked, he had brushed her suspicious off but he was now searching for unnatural behaviors. "Lets go home and see what happens." she said softly then began to walk when he looked down at her and nodded consent.
After several minutes of walking back to the shrine it was just coming into view but being up on the hill made it stand out so they were still quite a way's away. "Well?" Sesshomaru asked curiously glancing over at his small priestess companion.
"It feels the same. I don't understand why would some one follow us? I spend most of my time in the feudal era and you've never been here before." Kagome said confused as she watched the people they were passing for any signs of warning that might show in their eyes.
"Perhaps your time in my era have left you suspicious." Sesshomaru suggested but he was glad to be getting back to something familiar out of time but familiar non the less.
"Typical male..." Kagome mumbled irritated by his response. "Believe it or not Sesshomaru but I believe the era you are from is more interesting than here." she said as she looked over at him taking that moment to glance behind them quickly.
"It is definitely cleaner." Sesshomaru said as he glared at the cars driving by with their exhaust fumes.
"I'll buy that." Kagome said and laughed lightly. "Besides this era isn't free of murderers and thugs. No demons to speak of but the human crime rate sky rocketed." she said with a shrug.
"Hum... wonder which one of us is truly evil then. Demons hunted to extinction then Humans turned to killing their own." Sesshomaru said sarcastically as they started to mount the first steps.
"You've not got a rosy history Sesshomaru you've no right to judge Humans. You tried to kill your own brother and only god knows how many you've truly killed along the way. It's almost as if you kill for sport." Kagome said with a frown as she looked over at him just as they topped the stairs. "GET DOWN!" she screeched as she jumped against him.
Sesshomaru lost his balance causing him to fall to the ground he was so shocked by her attack he just looked over at her confused by the sudden move on her part. Dust flew everywhere and he changed his view to the billowing dust where they had been standing a few seconds before.
"Aw..." Kagome whimpered as she moved beside him rolling over. She glanced back at the stairs curiously, she stood up and limped forward slightly just enough to look over the edge of the stairs back down towards the bottom. Movement in the trees got her attention and she flung her hands to either side creating a barrier around her and Sesshomaru. "Show yourself!" she said angrily as she glared around at the trees surrounding the shrine.
"Surrender the human Sesshomaru to us..." a voice said out of the shadows.
Sesshomaru noticed blood on the ground beside him and he looked over at Kagome critically noticing she was bleeding on her left arm and left knee. It was nothing deadly but she had been hurt protecting him and he stood up. "Who are you?" he demanded angrily this person would pay dearly for this.
"We are of no concern to those about to die." the voice said again from the shadows.
"You will be killing no one today. Show yourselves!" Kagome said irritated.
"Kagome dear are you alright?" Kagome's mother asked confused as she exited the house.
"Mother..." Kagome said with fear in her voice as she spun around quickly to see that not only her mother had came out but her grandfather and brother too. A snake demon was out of the tree's in an instant making his way over to her family quickly. "NOOOO!" Kagome screamed as she funneled her powers into a second barrier around her family twenty feet away.
Sesshomaru watched as Kagome went down on one knee panting hard looking pale. "Kagome drop our barrier before you loose consciousness and drop both. I can protect myself." he said as he put his hand on Tenseiga.
"No, I'll be alright." Kagome said as she looked at her family with one eye closed and gritting her teeth. The snake moving around her family eagerly awaiting a chance to get to them. Eventually she knew her power would run out and they would all die then suddenly she gasped shocked the snake demon died by a poison whip she looked up at Sesshomaru wondering if he had just changed back over time but no he still had his black hair and blue eyes. He was the only demon she had ever see use a green poison whip.
"That wasn't me priestess." Sesshomaru said as he looked around critically looking for the source of the poison whip.
"Then another demon..." Kagome said wearily as she stood up and closed her eyes for a moment shrinking the barrier so it only covered Sesshomaru. The power she gained from shrinking their barrier and that of her families she focused what was left into her had producing a bow and arrow. She pulled back aiming at the area she had seen the poison whip come from. "Come out now!" she said angrily then bit the inside of her lip trying to stay focused this was all the power she had left it was a one shot chance if she missed she knew they would all die.
Nothing, no response of any kind. Kagome glared at the area just beyond her family, her vision was starting to blur but she had to finish this now. "Come out or I'll purify this whole shrine in an instant!" she bluffed angrily. She heard a small thud then what seemed like whimpers before a demon appeared in between her and her family.
"Enough Miko restrain your powers, your family is no longer in danger." the tall gorgeous looking demon with long silver hair and warm amber eyes looking like he was in his thirties said as he looked at her. He had on a pair of black shoes, black slacks and a white button down long sleeved shirt, a red tie with white sakura blossoms down it.
"Sessh...omaru..." Kagome said weakly as her powers faded to nothing and the barriers collapsed when she started to fall to the ground unconscious.
"Stay where you are! Who are you?" Sesshomaru said as he moved up protectively between the new comer and Kagome.
The demon raised an eyebrow. "You know exactly who I am!" he said then switched his gaze on the human family too scared to move even the grandfather was unmoving mouth hanging open in shock. The demon turned back to look at Sesshomaru. "I am you, just this era's version of you."
"Kagome..." her mother whimpered softly with tears in her eyes wanting to go to her daughter.
"She is alive, you may go to her." the demon said as he stepped a few paces away so the family had a direct line to Kagome.
"Why should we trust you?" her grandfather asked untrusting of the demon.
"With the Miko's powers fading it would have been child's play for me to kill you all, yet here we are. You alive and questioning my honor." the demon said dryly.
"If he truly is me then he's not lying about that." Sesshomaru said as he kneeled down to Kagome and cradled her against him. "Well at least I know I get out of this wretched human body. Why are you here?" he said with a frown as he picked up Kagome to take her into the house.
"I have just full filled a promised made to her centuries ago." the demon said as he nodded to Kagome being carried by Sesshomaru. "Her family was to die today, you would had nearly been killed too if not for her. I promised her that I would save them for all she has done for me." he said watching the family gather around Kagome by the door.
"And now?" Sesshomaru asked as he handed off Kagome to her family so they could take her inside to lay her down.
"I shall stand guard. The demon was after me." the demon said as he turned away watching the sun setting over the shrine.
"After me you mean?" Sesshomaru asked curiously as he walked over to the demon.
"You are my weakest. If you die I die I can not live in this era if I'm dead in yours. They were after you to get rid of me. I maintain order with our demon brethren." the demon said as he glanced over at himself as a human it was an unsettling site.
"So demons do exist in this time unlike what Kagome and Inuyasha seem to believe." Sesshomaru said thoughtfully as he looked back to the house.
"Oh yes we are still around but as you can see, we have adapted to our situation. You should go into the house lest some demon become cocky and cause more trouble." the demon said motioning to his clothes, he looked over at the human version of himself again, then was gone back to his hiding place.
~*~*~*~ That Night ~*~*~*~
Kagome woke in the living room on the couch with her mother sitting in the chair beside her. Grandfather had obviously been busy putting up sutras around the living room to ward off demons and she giggled softly. 'Those things never work.' Sota was asleep on the floor in a sleeping bag and her grandfather was asleep by the window obviously he was supposed to be a look out. She smiled softly at her family as she threw the covers off and stood up seeing that Sesshomaru was up against the entrance to the room sitting on the floor holding his swords in front of him ready for an attack had he not been asleep.
Curiosity gnawing at her Kagome silently slipped out of the living room and down the hall to go out the door unnoticed. "Sesshomaru..." she whispered as the door quietly clicked shut and she looked around the yard curiously knowing with his demon hearing her whisper would be a yell to him.
"Miko. Do you require something?" the demon said quietly as he appeared before her.
"Are you really Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older half brother?" Kagome asked curiously as she looked up at him slightly confused.
"I am this era's Sesshomaru yes." the demon said softly looking down at Kagome.
"Why are you here?" Kagome asked curiously as she shivered slightly in the cool night air.
"Go back in Miko we shall talk in the morning." The demon said then turned to leave.
"I want answers now." Kagome said as she reached out and grabbed his arm without thinking.
The demon looked down at his arm in her hand and raised an eyebrow as he looked back up at her. "To full fill a promise, no more shall I tell you tonight. You need your rest Miko return to the house." he said then shrugged her hand off his arm and he was gone.
"Well..." Kagome huffed then walked back into the house knowing he would not return even if she stood there demanding it for three days. He was a stubborn one, but so was she when she needed to be, he will answer her questions tomorrow.
She walked into the living room and smiled at her family again. She kneeled down beside Sesshomaru and nudged him lightly. "Wake up and help me wake the others." she said softly when his eyes started to flutter open. "You wake my mother ok." she said softly then smiled over at him just before she stood back up and walked over to her grandfather to wake him.
After a few minutes everyone was awake. "Come on everyone go to your beds that's where I'm going." Kagome said brightly as she smiled at her family.
"I wouldn't suggest that! This room is protected against demons I saw to that myself." Her grandfather said before anyone could move.
"These aren't needed grandfather. The demon outside protecting us is a friend a powerful friend no demons will get past him." Kagome said smiling brightly just before she turned and walked out of the living room to go up to her bedroom
"Uhm... no one should have been able to go out or come in..." grandfather said shocked as he walked over and looked at the sutra's he had placed as protection.
"Kagome is quite resilient Grampa." her mother said comfortingly as she walked over and began leading the old man out of the living room to go to bed for the rest of the night.
Sesshomaru followed Kagome up the stairs to her room to sleep on the cot that had been placed in there for him. "You were outside were you not?" he asked once the door closed and he was alone with her.
"Yes actually I did go outside before I woke you." Kagome said as she sat on her bed and stretched.
"That was dangerous." Sesshomaru said chiding the young woman for her carelessness.
"Really Sesshomaru. Dangerous because I didn't take you with me or the fact that you are outside?" Kagome asked with humor in her eyes as she watched him intrigued by his thoughts on the subject.
"Both." Sesshomaru said with a raised eyebrow as he looked at her after putting his swords down beside his cot. He turned sat down on his cot then turned the lights off before he laid down for sleep.
"Well if that wasn't a loaded answer I don't know what would be..." Kagome said then laughed lightly as she crawled under her covers so she could get comfortable for sleep.
