(A/N) So sorry the updates are taking so long. Made a few changes to the chapter and reposting it has been a pain. But here it is, the new and improved...
Ch4. Kagome?
"Kilala, you may stop pretending now and be on your way. I would like to thank you for your help in this matter. I know it was difficult for you to trust me."
Kilala had wondered many times if her pretending to be sick had been a wise decision on her part. For all she knew, this could cause many problems and many mistakes for her as well as her friends. It could hurt her best friend Sango, and Inuyasha would most certainly be hurt. Poor little Shippo would probably take it the worst; he seemed to look up to the girl as if she were his real mother. She felt weighted down from her choice and for once didn't have to pretend to be sick. She let out a small sigh and looked over at Shippo who was sitting beside her patiently waiting for her to get better.
Shippo looked worriedly over at Kilala. He was worried for many reasons though, but two main ones. Sure, he worried about Kilala's safety. She was a good friend and a good fighter who helped protect him and Kagome. That was his other worry. He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling that something wasn't right. Something was wrong with Kagome and he might never be able to ask her to be his mother. He let out a small sigh, for until Kilala got better, they would all have to wait to return.
Kilala thought of what Midoriko had told her in her sleep. She trusted the priestess with her life and knew that she only told her to do what was best for everyone. With that thought in mind, she decided it was finally time to let the sick facade fall. She stretched her paws a little bit, as if she had just gained the ability to do so. Hopefully the group would not think she had been pretending this entire time.
"Mew..." The weak mew caught the attention of those around her. Sango was at her side in an insant. She looked down at Kilala and was about to ask her if she was alright, but was cut off by a very impatient demon.
"Are you alright? Are you better now? Can you stand? Can you..." Sango placed her hand over the demons mouth as Shippo continued to ask muffled questions. She couldn't believe that he could ask so many questions at once and wondered if he was actually expecting an answer. She also wondered when he would finally run out of air.
Sango looked down at Kilala who had stood up weakly on shaking legs. "Are you alright Kilala? Perhaps you should rest a while longer...OUCH!"
Shippo bit Sango's hand so he could finally ask the demon cat a question. "Can you take us back yet?"
Kilala stared into his eyes. They were so full of hope and pleading, and also a hint of fear and sadness. Why is he affraid? I smell nor sense anything in the area. Maybe he knows something about what has happened. "Mew..." She shook her head up and down as a sign that indeed, she could carry them back to the village now.
She transformed into her larger version of herself in a burst of flames. The flames died down until they were licking at her feet, waiting for everyone to hop on. Shippo gave a loud yell of joy and hopped onto Kilala's back and sat on her head. He had found that seat to be the best one so far since he didn't accidentally get pushed off when Sango turned to smack at Miroku.
Sango walked over to get on Kilala, but Miroku ran over to stand beside Kilala before she could even get there. She grabbed her hiraikotsu and placed it on her back and walked to Kilala's side yet again. She looked at Miroku who had a big smile on his face. I wonder what he's up to... She didn't have to wait long to find the answer.
"Lady Sango, allow me to assist you." He held out his hands and was about to help her up.
SMACK
Miroku was dazed for a second, rubbing the burning of the handprint on his face away. "What did I do this time? I did nothing wrong, I only offered you my help." Miroku gave her a pained look.
"I know what you were thinking..." Sango climbed up onto Kilala by herself and waited for Miroku to get on behind her. He better not try anything.
To his credit, Miroku kept his hands to himself as he got on Kilala and sat down behind Sango. She sighed with relief and his eyes held a mischievous gleam as Kilala took off into the air.
He watched as Kagome gasped for air, her body squirming, trying to get away from whatever held her neck. Her hands had come instinctively to his hand, trying to pry his fingers so that oxygen could reach her lungs. Sesshomaru recognized the girl. It was the human woman that travelled around with the half-breed. He had first met her when he went after the Tetsusaiga, taking the pearl from the half-breed's eye and opening the portal to their father's grave.
It had shocked him at first that she would have dared to go up against him at all. He was a powerful demon lord and she didn't seem to care. What really struck him was when she had pulled out the Tetsusaiga from its resting place. His respect for the human woman had gone up a notch then, even more so when she had pointed the sword at him in defiance. She had either been really brave, or really stupid. When she had handed the sword to his half-brother, what fractional respect he had for her was immediately wiped out.
Kagome opened her eyes and looked at the demon lord. "Sess...Sesshomaru?" Her heart was filled with fear in but an instant. She knew he would kill her without a second thought. This would supposedly hurt Inuyasha in the worst way, and the evil Lord would just love that. Before Kagome had much time to react, she felt a pain flow through her body. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to hold back the tears that were forming and the scream trying to escape her mouth.
He looked at her pained face and wondered about it. His hand wasn't gripped around her neck too tightly, not enough to cause the pain that she seemed to be in. He sniffed the air, taking in her scent... Jasmine...cherry...saltiness from tears...and...Odd. She has had some magic cast on her... His eyes looked over her and realized she was now starting to glow a faint purple. He dropped her suddenly, not wanting to get in the way of whatever magic was at work. He knew you don't mess with magic, at the very least when you do not know the kind that it is. For all the years he had lived, all the experience he had fighting monsters and humans, and dealing with the mental trappings of politics, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western lands realized he wasn't prepared for what he saw.
The purple light that surrounded the girl slowly collected itself at her feet. There, it began encircling her. Her ankles now had a light blue stripe on them, starting at the outside part of the ankle and working its way in. The light moved up her legs, which he noted were becoming longer, and if possible, more shapely. Her body seemed to have gone almost rigid from the pain she was in. She now had a light blue stripe on each hip that went in about five inches. Her stomach grew more toned, the slight breeze causing her shirt to billow out allowed him to see this. Her hair grew longer, and held more of a blue tint, which accented the black quite nicely. The hair didn't look as coarse as human hair. Hers had never looked bad, but now it looked almost as silky, if not more than his own.
Her fingernails had elongated into claws, and two light blue stripes appeared on her arms. The light made its way farther up and to her neck. Her eyes were still shut tight as the light made its way to her face. With a burst of purple light, the spell was completed. Sesshomaru lowered his arm which he had raised to shield his sensitive eyes from the last flash. Her cheeks had two light blue stripes and a dark blue crescent moon resided on her forehead. What he thought interesting was the blood red teardrop in the center of the crescent. That was something entirely new. She also had what looked like a golden colored eye-shadow.
His eyes scanned the girl again. His nose sniffed the air tentively. Her scent has changed. It's still Jasmine and cherry, but it is warped beyond recognition. At least it's not a human smell anymore. The odd clothes she wore were scattered around her in shreds as her body had grown in the transformation. He watched with a small amount of amusement as the wind carried bits and pieces away. What useless clothing to be so easily damaged.
Sesshomaru had only come here to check on his lands. He had word of a disturbance, which didn't surprise him. Ever since the loss of his arm, even the weakest of demons had challenged him for his lands. He had had to kill more in the last months and it was irritating. It wouldn't have been so bad if the demons had been strong but they had been pathetically weak. There was no challenge in killing them and that was what he liked the most. It was the fight he liked, not the killing, though that too could be fun. He made a mental note to kill Inuyasha even more slowly when he had the chance. It hadn't been easy, but his lands were slowly coming back to control. All he had to do was kill any demon, half-demon, or human that dared challenge him in the slightest way and the word spread that Sesshomaru was still one to be reckoned with.
The patrol he was on was just a routine one really, but he had been told of a disturbance. He really thought nothing of it, since he usually had disturbances; but when he got closer, he realized it was Inuyasha's wench that was on his lands. Also, the other demons were working for Naraku. He figured this because the smell of Naraku was too faint for them to be attachments. Still, they were trespassers and he couldn't allow them to leave unscathed. He had come quickly once he sensed the power within the area. He had been especially cautious when he sensed the power had been that of a priestess. He may be strong but purifying powers on any demon could be deadly.
The girl at his feet started to move around a little, barely managing to get into a sitting up position. She used her arms to hold herself up as her eyes met his. Sesshomaru let out a low growl and narrowed his eyes. To his delight, he could smell fear, and lots of it. He noticed her eyes for the first time. They had been a brown color but now they were a light blue-green with yellow specks in them. He found it quite an interesting combination of colors but he would never admit that to anyone else. His view of her eyes was quickly lost as she shut them quickly.
Kagome opened her eyes, a dull throb seemingly radiating from every part of her body. She had to close her eyes quickly, the light was too much and stung. So, she opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times until they adjusted. The worst of the pain was throbbing at her temples... man I wish I had some pain killers right now... Her eyes gazed around her, her head turning to her right to look at the woods. It was then she remembered Sesshomaru and turned her head slowly towards him, her eyes gazing up at his. She felt fear, it couldn't be helped. Who would not feel fear when looking into the face that had killed so many without a second thought? "Sesshomaru..." She looked around, seeing if there was any way she could possible get out of this situation.
"You have trespassed onto my lands, wench. For that, you shall pay with your life." He wondered how she would react to his statement. He had hoped it would anger her a little, making her death a little more fun when she fought back, her anger clouding her movements and all thoughts. He wasn't too disappointed.
Kagome glared at him, if he weren't who he was, he would have been cowering in fear for his life. She couldn't take that condescending tone, not from Inuyasha, and not from his older brother. Anger flushed her cheeks and her eyes shone a little brighter with the fire held behind them. "You know my name Sesshomaru, and I'd prefer you use it once before you kill me." She had brought her hand up to her chest for emphasis to her statement and she had seen the flash of nails, which were now claws. She let out a small "eep" and checked her arms. There were markings that should not have been there. Her hands went to her ears to find them pointed. They were actually pointed!
Sesshomaru gave her a warning growl, which would normally have most cowering in fear or begging for their petty lives to be spared. But the strange girl had other things on her mind, and it irritated him to no end. His body tensed a little with anger of his words being ignored by a mere human. Sure, she was a demon now, but she was still human in his eyes. He wondered how much he could tolerate of the little human.
In her weakened state, Kagome tried to digest what had happened. Okay, I left Inuyasha, followed that rabbit, got attacked by five demons sent by Naraku, got a spell cast on me, managed to escape, and then Sesshomaru grabbed my neck. He touched me...NO! I'm a dog demon! Her eyes widened at the realization. She stood up shakily and glared at the demon Lord standing in front of her. "Who do you think you are! Grabbing a girl like that and then tossing her to the ground like you did! I'm a demon because of you…you...you...JERK!" Her eyes were slightly tinged with red from her immense anger. It was then that she realized that something else was horribly wrong. Her clothing was nowhere to be seen and that meant that she, Kagome Higurashi, was standing in front of Sesshomaru with not even the minimal amount of decent clothing. She covered herself with her hands as best she could and gave Sesshomaru the coldest glare she could muster.
Sesshomaru growled threateningly at the demoness that stood defiantly before him. No one had ever dared to call him a jerk, and he wasn't about to let her get away with it. He drew out Tokijin and pointed it directly under her chin, barely a centimeter away from her neck. His eyes narrowed into a glare and a slight breeze played with his hair and his tail. Inuyasha is coming. This could turn rather interesting.
No sooner had the thought entered his head when Inuyasha appeared into the clearing. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air. He had tracked Kagome down this far. He could tell her scent still went a ways ahead and he really didn't want to stop and have a 'chat' with his half-brother, but maybe he knew what had happened in the lands. He glanced at the female demon and said a silent prayer for her. Must be a complete idiot to have crossed paths with Sesshomaru. I'm the only one that can go against him and live. "I see you're busy so if you wouldn't mind, can you tell me if you've sensed anything powerful within the area recently?"
Sesshomaru turned to gaze at his little half-brother. For once he hadn't been overly rude and this shocked him greatly; but, of course, that didn't show one bit. "Anything that was there was gone when I came here." He glanced at the demoness at the end of his sword. "I have business to attend to, so leave." Sesshomaru didn't really want to let Inuyasha leave unscathed, but at the time, he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, he wanted to see this little scene play out.
"I have to find someone first." He didn't want to get into a fight with Sesshomaru, and he apparently seemed occupied at the moment, so Inuyasha knew he would have at least some time to look for Kagome. He noticed the female demon look at him. Inuyasha turned and sniffed the air in an attempt to relocate Kagome's scent. He started to leave when he heard a low growl, which surprised Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both. Inuyasha turned his head to look at the woman Sesshomaru was dealing with.
She didn't just glare at him, oh no. Hell would freeze over multiple times from the glare she gave him. And he had the nerve to looked stunned, as if he didn't know why she was glaring at him. "Inuyasha you jerk! It's me!"
"Huh?" He had never seen of or smelled this demon ever, in his life, of that he was positive. The fact that the demoness knew his name was startling enough to him. "I don't know what the hell you're up to but I've never seen you before."
"It's me...Kagome! KA-GO-ME!" She looked at him as if he were an idiot, which she thought he was at the moment. She couldn't have changed that much!
The way she said Kagome's name had Inuyasha feeling slightly odd. Kagome had said her name exactly like that when they had first met, but he wasn't overly convinced of anything. His Kagome was a human, and the woman before him was 100 percent demon. "I don't have time for this..." Kagome's scent was getting fainter by the second and frustration growing just as quickly.
Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. He doesn't have time for this? He doesn't recognize me? "Inuyasha! Please don't leave me!" It was all that she could think of to say to him at the time since it hadn't occurred to her to try the 'sit' command. She watched as Inuyasha's face grew confused for a moment then slightly angry.
"Look, I don't know who you are so keep me out of this!" With that, Inuyasha started off in the direction of Kagome's scent which was becoming a bit faint.
Kagome stared at the retreating form of Inuyasha, the one that had promised to at least protect her and the one she loved. She couldn't believe that he would just leave her like that. What scared her most was that he really didn't seem to recognize her at all. If he didn't recognize her, no one would. It finally occurred to her fully what had happened to her. She was a demon now. She could no longer go home for there were no demons in that time. She couldn't see her family, she couldn't be with her friends for they wouldn't recognize her. They would probably think that she killed 'Kagome' and would attack her. She sniffled a little as tears began to well up in her eyes. She didn't think even Shippo would know it was her. She even considered him as her son and had often wondered if one day he would want her as a mother. That would never happen now.
At that thought, she let the tears fall down her cheeks and onto her clothing, which was now a little too small for her. She didn't notice that Sesshomaru had growled at her and was lifting her off the ground with his right arm, his only arm. She looked down into his eyes and saw her death there. She had often wondered what death would be like, especially with all the times she had seen and been compared to Kikyo. Kagome considered everything going on in her life at that moment. She was failing in school miserably from lack of time doing homework, Inuyasha didn't recognize her and only thought of her as a friend while she hopelessly loved him, her friends would never recognize her the way she was now, she couldn't return to her own world anymore, she had nothing. For once in her life, Kagome Higurashi was all alone and she was all alone with the demon lord Sesshomaru who wanted nothing more then to kill her. She was tired of it all. She was tired of being in love with a man who would never return her feelings, tired of always being compared to Kikyo as if she were a mere copy, and she was tired of having to hide her feelings. She wondered what would happen if the others were to see her now. Would they believe that she was the once human Kagome, or would they believe her to have killed their human friend and kill her in order to get their revenge? She had to laugh at that thought, either way, she was dead. It was either going to be by her friends or by Sesshomaru. Perhaps I should let him, I have nothing else now…nothing…
Sesshomaru looked down at the girl in front of him. He delighted in her misery but perhaps it had gone a bit too far; she didn't seem to have a will to fight anymore. That wouldn't do for him, he had wanted a fight. "Are you ready to die?" He had meant for her to get defensive and fight, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Yes, I'm ready. If you could, tell Inuyasha he's a jerk." She hung her head low so he could deal the final blow. If he didn't kill her, someone else would. Might as well die quickly right? Besides, she wasn't skilled enough to stand a chance against Sesshomaru, she knew that well enough from the previous fights.
Sesshomaru grew furious inside. He wanted to fight and here this girl was just waiting for him to kill her. Out of anger, he drew his hand into the air and slashed at her ribcage, left a small amount of poison in the wounds. He watched her body shake in the pain that the poison was causing. It wasn't enough to kill her but enough to cause an extreme amount of pain. He could smell the sweet scent of her blood and wished to taste it, but he refrained from doing so. "Fight."
Kagome was concentrating on the pain. She couldn't figure out why he wasn't killing her. Given their past, she would have thought that he would just love to kill her, just to spite Inuyasha. When the blow to her ribcage came, a nice inch deep slash, she had barely managed not to cry out in pain and shock. She could smell the poison that was within the wound, eating away at her skin with a soft sizzling noise. A look at the wound confirmed that her skin was slowly dissolving and hopefully it'd only be a matter of time before it killed her. "I don't want to fight so if you are going to kill me do it already," she barely managed to whisper. The pain had grown so bad that her body trembled and her legs almost gave out. She clenched her fists , and with her claws, drew blood as well.
Sesshomaru let out a growl and swung his arm, catching her on the side of her body, and sent her flying through a nearby tree and into another with a sickening crash. "Pathetic. I had hoped that in your demon form you would have at least been amusing for a few minutes before I killed you. If you want to die so badly, do it yourself." He walked off into the woods without a second glance at her. He knew that she would most likely die in the woods. He had heard numerous bones break, including her spine, which meant she couldn't move much, if at all. Also, the gash on stomach was still bleeding and, without the proper training of hiding her demon blood's scent, many demons would track her down. She was helpless and he was glad to leave her there. She had given him a headache and had proved to be nothing more then the average demon was these days, a nuisance.
Upon returning to his castle, Sesshomaru noted that Rin's scent was in the gardens to the east of the castle. He entered the wide double doors of aged wood and went straight to his study. He noted that his study was in perfect order as usual and there was a nice stack of papers waiting on his desk. With a sigh, he sat down in his chair behind the desk and looked at the first sheet of paper. The Demon's Council has been summoned at the request of the Northern Lord Aki. All Lords and Ladies are to be present at the Western Lord's house in two weeks. Any who do not appear on this date shall be banished and replaced immediately. Sesshomaru stared at the paper and calculated the date. It would give him a week to prepare his castle for the guests. I wonder what grave matter could have caused the summoning of the Demon's Council? The Council hasn't been summoned since my father last ruled. Could there be another war that's about to take place? Still, should there be trouble, I should have my troops prepared for any battle they might face. Besides, they really need the training. Sesshomaru went over the preparations in his mind. The Lords and Ladies of the other lands would be coming to his home and he would have it neat and orderly.
Sesshomaru looked down at the rest of the papers on his desk. Most of them were land argument rights, petty documents of claims that would never be fulfilled to either side. He also noticed a few documents stating attacks near his land's borders. He read over them quickly and decided to bring this up to the council. He wouldn't put up with their war effecting his lands, if there even was a war. Knowing those demons, it could be anything. I swear, they would start a war over anything these days…just to get rid of the boredom.