Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Mindful Interest
Chapter Two
Taunting Tension
Today was the national day of sweating.
The kind were you just couldn't't help it if you were a walking flood of liquid stink. Humans usually go by the unwritten rule not to mention such things when it is blatantly obvious. Especially when the whole group is a victim to this delicate problem. Or maybe not so delicate, considering all but Kagome seemed more than capable of ignoring it like it was nothing. The sun was not a hindrance for them anymore than the tiniest bump on the road.
And so she was the only one not fully comfortable in her skin that day. But she was determent not to let anyone notice! She was not a whiner. Even though she occasionally stretched her arms over her head in a despite attempt to gain the favour of the pleasant breeze that would occasionally stop by to visit. The battle was ever ongoing as the sun slowly wore her down, and with her burning skin, it also killed of her will to go on.
Kagome was only hoping no one noticed.
Her arms swung awkwardly at her sides and it was an obvious fault to her otherwise carefree steps. But she just couldn't help it. Something was terribly off today and not even the exhausted atmosphere after their latest shard hunt was enough to make her relax her tense muscles. Though the sun was cooking her alive, she felt frozen to the core. When it came down to it, she assumed it had something to do with that strange nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.
It felt as is something or someone was watching her.
Constantly.
Very sneakily she let her eyes slide over her shoulder to see the far back of the group. And still Sesshoumaru had the gall to stare her dead on in the eyes. Flustered she snapped her attention back to the road. Why? What was he looking at? Or sniffing at? Did she really smell that bad?
That demon had an uncanny ability when it came to making her uncomfortable. Even worse, he loved doing it. He was everywhere. Wherever she turned he was there, watching her. With a strange glint in his amber eyes, like that of a cruel human boy with a magnifying glass and an ant farm, he made her very nervous. The simplest of tasks, like pouring tea or making dinner at night, suddenly wasn't so simple anymore. She never used to be such a klutz, but lately she found herself tripping, spilling and moving jerkily at whatever she tried her hands on. And who wouldn't when there was someone who embodied perfection in the group- Staring at her.
It was irrational to think that Sesshoumaru was stalking her. He was travelling with them after all. Though it was odd he was still around.
In the beginning the group united temporarily to defeat Naraku, but after they did, Sesshoumaru stayed with them. He was Sesshoumaru, explanations were beneath him! Or so Kagome had thought. Yet he had deemed it necessary to inform her of the disturbance the remaining shard were causing even in the west. This was according to the lord, not acceptable. She should fix it. But she was only human after all, and he was the lord so it was only natural that he protect what is his. Thus he stayed with them to track the remaining bothersome shards down.
Still a small part of her couldn't't shake the feeling that something was not quite what it seemed.