Chapter 6: A Change in Wind
Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. How many times am I going to have to say that?
Kagome giggled at Shippo's antics.
Shippo and InuYasha had been getting into multiple fights of late. Kagome chalked it up to the fact that Shippo was growing up and InuYasha was having a hard time dealing with another mature male (not at all in Kagome's opinion. If it were up to her no male would ever be called mature.) was in his pack and, according to his more primal instincts could challenge his authority as the alpha male. (Not that he was the alpha male considering how many times Kagome would 'sit' him to get her way. If anyone was the alpha male it was her. Excuse me, alpha female.)
So in light of their recent bout of fights Kagome had decided to separate the two. Plus they all could use a day or two of rest from shard hunting. With Kagome's ahem, "persuasion," InuYasha finally agreed. Though Kagome wasn't quite sure. What he said could've been a muffled curse since his face was planted in the dirt; but she generously gave him the benefit of the doubt.
So here they were, Kagome and Shippo, playing in the forest. Shippo was currently showing off a new foxfire trick he had learned on his own. It made Kagome smile to see her little kit so happy and proud. He had grown so much since they had first started the quest.
Kagome stiffened when she sensed an approaching aura only to relax when she recognized it.
The Lord of the West in all his spare glory stepped out of the trees and into the futuristic miko's line of sight. Shippo abruptly stopped his display of fox illusions and went to stand in front of Kagome shakily.
Kagome's heart swelled with love for the little kitsune before her. The action was unnecessary and she could tell her Shippo was very scared of the taiyoukai, but he stood his ground, ready to protect the woman he now considered his mother. He was willing to do anything to keep her from harms way. At least InuYasha had taught the kit something worthwhile instead of all the foul words that constantly spewed forth from his dirty mouth. Whenever InuYasha became like that Kagome always had the urge to wash the hanyou's mouth out with soap. She settled for a good old-fashioned sit.
Kagome stepped forward silently and laid a gentle hand of Shippo's shoulder to calm the growling kit. He looked back at her, his face questioning as she smiled down at him.
"There is no need for that, Shippo. Sesshomaru will not hurt us." Kagome told him softly.
"Why, Momma?" Shippo asked curiously.
Kagome opened her mouth to explain when Sesshomaru's smooth baritone voice cut in.
"Because I have no quarrel with your mother, kit. InuYasha is the person with whom I am currently at odds. The situation with InuYasha is in no way connected to your mother. Your new family will not be harmed by myself." Sesshomaru was quick to sooth Shippo's nerves and gave the kitsune a short pat on his head.
Shippo suddenly beamed up at the taiyoukai. Showing much more maturity than a kit his age usually had he proclaimed, "any friend of Momma's is a friend of mine." He crinkled his nose suddenly and added, "Besides, InuYasha is mean to Momma. He doesn't deserve to be her protector." The kit lifted his chin stubbornly as his mother scolded him.
Sesshomaru felt a peculiar heat rise within him at the young demon's words. The half-breed wasn't taking proper care of the miko?
"Shippo! That is not true, you know that! InuYasha protects me just fine." Kagome chided her son gently.
"But he's so mean to you Momma!" Shippo argued. "He's always running off to be with Kikyo! Eep!" Shippo's hands flew to his mouth. His emerald eyes widened as he looked up at his surrogate mother.
Kagome's gaze suddenly had a sadness hovering in their depths. "A sadness," Sesshomaru couldn't help but think, "that doesn't belong there at all." Who was this Kikyo wench that the mere mention of her name put such a great sorrow into the gracious little miko's eyes? He would be sure to inquire.
"Kit." Sesshomaru spoke to fill the pressing silence. "My ward, Rin, would be happy with a playmate. She is just beyond the tree line in the meadow if you should choose to join her."
Shippo's eyes lit up and the exuberant kit dashed past the tree line in search of the promise of a new friend, the miko and taiyoukai following at their own pace.
Kagome sat down on the grass and inhaled the crisp sent of autumn. She loved this season best of all the others. Everything turned such vibrant colors, green leaves changing to the yellow and orange and reds of the season before fluttering softly to the ground. Fall spoke of endings, to make way for the slumbering whiteness of the winter. It also spoke of new beginnings, all of the seeds falling off trees, waiting for spring to burst forth with new life. All in all it was a time of endings and the promise of new beginnings.
The shrieking laughter of the playing children startled Kagome out of her thoughts. Here eyes met with the humorous site of Shippo and Rin chasing Jaken around while mounted on Ah-Un's back, taking turns throwing various sized rocks at the squawking retainer.
Sesshomaru's eyebrow rose minutely at the spectacle his annoyingly faithful retainer was making. The imp was almost not worth the trouble he caused. If it weren't that he needed someone to take care of Rin when he, himself, was away, the retainer would quickly find himself short a lord to serve.
The taiyoukai glanced towards the docile miko. The sadness had not yet left her eyes, it still lingered. It was a dark shadow in the blue ocean of her eyes, a spot of back in the purity of her soul. Like the dark side of the moon, there, but never seen. Something that Sesshomaru now found himself privy to.
Sesshomaru recalled the kit's earlier insinuation of InuYasha's neglect and mistreatment of the miko and his displeasure grew. The miko obviously did not think the hanyou was an unfit protector. Perhaps he was adequate, but the fox felt that there was much left to be desired when the subject of InuYasha's protector status came into question. The kit had said that InuYasha was "mean" towards the miko. It was true that Sesshomaru himself had seen the fights his half-brother and the woman would instigate, but that was more a clash of personalities than InuYasha being mean. The kit had been correct, however, in his assessment of InuYasha's future ability to protect the miko.
The threat of Naraku was steadily becoming greater. There were whispers among the other lords about the vile hanyou. All the lords were becoming uneasy. The disturbances within their borders were becoming more frequent and everything pointed to Naraku. Some of the more gutless lower lords, lords with much less to lose than the Great Lords such as himself of the West, were beginning to talk of negotiation. They talked of becoming allies to the half-breed scum. In Sesshomaru's opinion these lords were cowards. They would rater the evil hanyou become an ally than band together to kill the repulsive creature. Many of the lower lords were involved in petty skirmishes with other minor lords. Sesshomaru found it utterly disgraceful that they would rather pledge friendship with a being that would turn on them the moment they were no longer useful than with lords they were feuding with over trivial issues. It was the most childish act he had ever heard of. It enraged the taiyoukai that such youkai were ruling over their own land, however small the piece of land may be.
All this brought his thoughts back to the little miko at his side. If the lesser lords decided to ally themselves to Naraku the woman sitting not two feet from him would be in constant danger not only from Naraku but also from assassins and the soldiers that would be sent to eradicate the shard hunters. Yes, it was becoming clear that Kagome would soon need more protection than InuYasha could provide. Therefore, Sesshomaru would be forced to step in and make sure she was being protected properly. Soon he would speak to the miko of his idea, there was no point in speaking to his half-brother about it, he was bound to be irrational and take it as a personal insult. Of course, that was how Sesshomaru was hoping he would take it. Should the InuYasha pitch a fit it would be most satisfying to watch the hanyou be subdued.
A giggle startled the demon lord out of his thoughts. Sesshomaru looked to the young woman sitting beside him as she watched the children's merriment.
A gentle breeze blew through the clearing and Kagome's hair danced about her face, mesmerizing in the way it accented her features. The laughing smile she displayed as she watched the little ones play. And the twin blue orbs of swirling liquid sapphire that seemed to sparkle with joy and life. Sesshomaru had never met such a creature before. She stood out, a flower in the dry earth of his war and violence ridden existence. A new oddity, one he was intent on exploring.
Kagome felt the gaze of the Western Lord on her and soon turned to lock eyes with him. She smiled brilliantly up at him.
Sesshomaru regarded her for a moment. He hated to speak the name the kit had mentioned prior to their arrival at the small clearing they now sat in, the name that had brought forth such sorrow, but he needed the information for future reference and understood that as an outsider of her group the monk and the demon slayer would be wary of him and was not the best place to gain the facts. The kit had a biased opinion, having seen the sadness in his mother's eyes. He was also but a child and could not fully comprehend why his mother was in such pain. Of course there was no point in asking InuYasha. The dolt probably hadn't realized that he had caused any harm with this Kikyo woman. He would probably just "keh" and tell the inu-lord that it was "none of his damn business."
"Tell me, miko. Who was the Kikyo woman that the kit spoke of?" Sesshomaru practically demanded.
Sesshomaru watched as the miserable expression slipped back into Kagome's eyes. The blue orbs shimmered with emotion and darkened with such a deep sadness that, for a moment, Sesshomaru thought it might swallow her whole. The name hadn't invoked such fierce emotion when the kit had mentioned it. What had the bastard done to her!
Kagome took a deep breath to try, in vain, to reign in the surge of emotions that had threatened to engulf her. She had hoped desperately that Sesshomaru would never find out about the dead priestess. She was glad to have a friend who did not look at her and think of Kikyo, the dead woman's power and regret the loss of such a powerful priestess. It was nice to be seen without being compared. But now Sesshomaru had asked about the dead woman and Kagome felt obligated to answer. He was simply asking. He couldn't know exactly how the incarnation made Kagome feel. She took a deep breath.
"As you know, I'm from 500 years in the future. This sets the time frame for possible reincarnation. I am Kikyo's reincarnation. In this era she died 50 years ago. A witch named Urasue brought her back. I was able to call most of my soul back to my body but she still has a part of my soul with her. She feeds off of the souls of others and has a body of clay and baked bones." Kagome said slowly.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "And my half-brother allows such an abomination to continue to roam?" he asked, perturbed.
Kagome's head dropped and she shielded her eyes from view, her bangs hanging over her face. This, however, did not keep Sesshomaru's superior sense of smell from scenting out the saltiness about the miko at his statement.
"InuYasha was in love with Kikyo before she died and he feels responsible for her death even though they were both tricked by Naraku." She fell silent a moment as Sesshomaru seethed and his beast whimpered to comfort the suffering woman.
"I feel so incomplete now that part of my soul is gone. Like a crucial part of me is missing and when InuYasha insults me or asks me if I can do anything right it intensifies. Even when I know he doesn't mean it. I always feel as if I'm being compared to her. InuYasha does it, even if he doesn't realize it. Kaede can't help but compare me to Kikyo, she was her sister and she had always admired and looked up to her. Miroku and Sango even do it sometimes even though they don't know her. Everyone had heard of Kikyo and her power and sometimes in battle, when I try to contribute, I see the doubt in their eyes. Like I'm not good enough to take care of myself even though I've proved many times that I am now capable of defending myself." Kagome lifted her head, her eyes softened and the sadness abated somewhat under the love that shone in her gaze.
"Of course my little Shippo doesn't know her and wouldn't care to. All he knows is loyalty to his mother and that I am sad whenever Kikyo is around and InuYasha goes off to see her. So he blames it on InuYasha, though I think it somewhat unfair to do so. InuYasha never made any commitment to me other than to protect. But that doesn't matter to Shippo; my brave little kit." And they fell to the silence of their own thoughts. It was, surprisingly so, Sesshomaru who first broke heavy silence.
"It is not fair for others to compare you to a woman who died 50 years ago, miko. You share a soul, but you are different people. We are shaped by the people around us as we grow. There is no doubt that customs and ways, life in general, are much different 500 years from now that when this Kikyo was truly alive. You are different. As for your power, you have not had much formal training but I can already feel much power radiating from your aura. Do not underestimate yourself and your worth. And any fool should be able to tell that a living woman is better than a dead bitch who feeds off the souls of others." Sesshomaru said all of this slowly and deliberately, without making eye contact with Kagome. Opting, instead, for watching the children play about with Ah-Un.
Kagome sat in pensive thought for a long moment, digesting Sesshomaru's words. She found that she was grateful of Sesshomaru's frankness and ability to speak his mind plainly and she was thankful that she was one of the few people he trusted enough to allow her to view this somewhat private side of him. The truth was that Kagome had been berry worried over Sesshomaru's reaction. He was someone who had never met Kikyo and did not have a biased opinion as to Kagome's power or worth. Even if she was not nearly so powerful of useful as Kikyo, Sesshomaru, an obviously experienced warrior, had confirmed that she did in fact have power and worth. It was quite a relief to her self-esteem, which, of late, had been understandably low. Now, however, it was vastly improved.
Sesshomaru eyed the miko out the corner of his eye. He was confused with his previous actions. He had wanted information about the Kikyo woman. In light of the onna's emotional response he had acted on instinct: the instinct to sooth and comfort. He had spoken nothing but the truth, but why he had even graced her with his words on the subject perturbed him. The sight of the miko in such despair had not settled right with him. For that matter, when had he ever started to enjoy conversation with her? It was certain that she was no dull, uneducated creature; she was quite bright. She held her own views and opinions in high regard and could argue her point with unfailing dexterity. No, she was not dull by any means; but when he started to crave her company?
The two sat in an anything-but-awkward silence and watched the children play as the sun journeyed across the sky. Content to sit without speaking… a silence broken by the occasional giggle from Kagome over some silly antic of Rin and Shippo, or even Jaken. No, the contrasting pair sat in a companionable silence. A silence brought about by an understanding.
Soon it became late afternoon and Kagome decided it best to go before InuYasha showed up to "haul ass," as he had so eloquently put it when they left earlier that day, back to camp. It he were to barge in on the peaceful scene he would quickly disrupt the tranquility with a challenge towards Sesshomaru. Then they would never get back to their campsite.
Kagome sighed and stood slowly, dusting herself off. She called to Shippo as she righted herself.
"Shippo, we have to go now. Say goodbye to Rin."
The kit turned to look at his mother with a pouting expression, reminding Kagome that no matter how much he had grown he still had much left ahead of him. She smiled at her son but remained firm. It was time to leave.
Shippo turned. "I'll see you later Rin." He told his human playmate.
"Do you promise Shippo?" Rin asked albeit anxiously.
He nodded, determined. "I promise! Not even InuYasha could stop me!" he proclaimed with a proud swell of his chest.
The children grinned at each other in child-like glee before parting, Rin to stand at her lord's side and Shippo to walk off with his mother.
Sesshomaru's beast whimpered in discontentment as he watched the miko leave his sight with her adopted son. He could not shake the overwhelming sense that something wasn't quite right. With the unease came the urge to go after the retreating figures to make sure that they reached their destination safely. It occurred to Sesshomaru in that instant that Kagome had the shards of the Shikon with her: they were a walking target.
A cry pierced the air and Sesshomaru's head snapped up. He ran.
Kagome walked quickly. She was acutely aware of the luminescent Shikon shards around her neck and the threat they pose now that they were always from the demon lord. She suspected that no youkai had attacked earlier because of Sesshomaru's presence. Many youkai with some semblance of self-preservation were in fear of him and had good reason to be. It was logical that they would simply wait until the woman left the mighty taiyoukai.
Unfortunately Kagome had been correct in her assumptions. It was not too soon after they were a good ways away from Sesshomaru that Kagome and Shippo were attacked.
A murder of crow youkai surrounded the mother and son, there were too many to count. The crows seemed to blink almost sleepily for a split second before they descended swiftly towards their prey.
Kagome and Shippo were soon on defense, getting in a lick or two from time to time and slowly but surely depleting their numbers. But energy soon began to run low.
They were down to the last half dozen or so of the murder. For her part, Kagome kept shooting fearful glances at her kit, making sure he was well and still standing.
It happened in an instant. Kagome saw it too late to react, a particularly large crow youkai attempting to fell the miko with an overhead attack while she was preoccupied with its brother.
"Momma!" came Shippo's hysterical cry. Without thought to himself the little boy threw his own body in the way of the attack, taking the brunt of the damage.
Kagome watched as her son fell, as his eyes sought her own, as they lit in relief, as he smiled, and as his breath sputtered and died in his chest.
Kagome let out an anguished and strangled sound in the back of her constricting throat. Her body was engulfed in pink light, a wave of power wiping out the last of the crows. But her eyes never strayed, focused on only one thing.
Sesshomaru dashed into the clearing only moments later. A most horrible sight met his eyes.
Kagome sobbed brokenly over the kit's still body, rocking slowly back and forth, as if she were once again rocking her son, this time unresponsive and cold.
If Sesshomaru had believed Kagome to be deeply saddened earlier then he would rather kept that misconception. For as Kagome's tears fell to the ground over her dead kit's body, and his beast roared in sorrow as it felt the pain of the little miko before him, Sesshomaru felt something stir deeply within himself.
Sesshomaru's hand came up to rest on the hilt of Tenseiga.
a/n: um… HEY!! Well, isn't that a nice little cliffy! Especially since it's been so long since I've updated. By the way sorry about that prolonged absence. My computer has been down for about the last four months or so and I'm kinda SICK at the moment. (and it hurts like a bitch!) The things I do for you people… you'd better review. -sniffle- who knew a sore throat could hurt so damn much! I swear I woke up at four in the morning the other night and couldn't go back to sleep because it hurt to BREATH!