Kagome kept a comfortable distance between herself and the two demons walking ahead. Jaken was blubbering on about finding some sword, and Sesshomaru, well…, Sesshomaru ignored him as usual and continued to walk on at a swift pace, not even having spared a glance at him or Kagome since they had began walking.
Kagome couldn't really concern herself with what they were talking about anyway, her mind was too preoccupied on thinking about getting back to her family and why she had gotten dragged into this mess in the first place.
Kagome still found it hard to register the situation. By what power had she been able to travel five hundred years into the past? and more specifically why was she the one that it had happened to? And why on earth did she end up in the company of a pair of lethal demons?
Kagome shook her head. She was confused, and her head hurt. She couldn't comprehend the strange energy that had flowed throughout her body when she had emitted that pink light in defense against the centipede demon. Furthermore, she didn't understand why the demon wanted some jewel from her, which she obviously didn't have.
Kagome's mind wandered again to her family. 'Mum, Souta, Grandpa' Kagome thought sadly. 'Grandpa!'. Suddenly, Kagome gasped as her mind clicked, and she found herself halting abruptly.
Flashback:
Kagome was sitting in the garage in the company of her grandfather and pet cat Buyo, excitedly awaiting her grandfather to recognise her upcoming birthday. She dangled an object that strangely looked like a key chain from her fingers, with a pink jewel hanging off it.
"Shikon-no wha…?" asked Kagome, as she listened to her grandfather blubber on about some ancient tale she wasn't particularly interested in.
"Shikon-No-Tama my girl! The jewel of four souls" her grandfather answered indignantly. Kagome looked at the object again. It didn't look like so special, rather it looked like a piece of junk.
"You don't really think tourists are gonna buy these dumb keychains do you?" Kagome asked dubiously.
"That is not just a keychain! That crystal there is a repleca of an ancient jewel which-", but her grandfather's words were cut off as Buyo leapt onto Kagome's lap and Kagome started talking about her birthday coming up the next day.
Kagome pulled herself out of those thoughts and slowly began walking once more as she quickly recalled the words Jaken had uttered merely a few hours ago. 'This human couldn't possibly mean the Shikon No Tama could she? It was said to have been burnt with the body of a human priestess fifty years ago.'.
That's right' thought Kagome. 'The legend says that demons and humans alike fought over the power of the Shikon no Tama during the feudal times, and it was known to be protected by priestesses' she thought, feeling as if she was putting the last pieces of a puzzle together. 'That means that the jewel was last seen here fifty years ago. Kagome thought. 'So why would I have it?' Kagome asked herself, bewildered.
Lost in her own thoughts, Kagome had not been watching where she was going and she felt herself unintentionally bump into something white and very solid. "Itai!" Kagome muttered, as she rubbed her shoulder gently, and shot her head up to find herself looking into stern amber eyes that were glaring at her harshly. Kagome's eyes widened and she stumbled backwards. Sesshomaru eyes darkened.
"Are you that inept that you can't watch where you are going human?" Sesshomaru growled coldly.
"G-gomen" Kagome uttered quickly, as she bowed her head vigorously, her cheeks tinged a slight pink with embarrassment.
Kagome kept her eyes lowered to the ground, feeling like a submssive pup. She knew that she shouldn't, but she couldn't help but fear him. He was undeniably the most beautiful creature Kagome had ever layed her eyes upon, but his aura was deadly, and his expression backed this up tenfold. Kagome closed her eyes to gather whatever strength she had. She felt like a idiot! 'I can't let him frighten me' she told herself. 'After all I am the one who asked to accompany him. To get through this. To get home. I must be strong' she thought.
'Say something' her inner voice urged. She needed to find out more about the Shinkon no Tama and how she was going to get home anyway, and if she continued to be scared of him she wouldn't get anywhere.
Kagome faltered for a moment, before finally deciding to glance up at said demon. Her fist clenched and her lips upturned slightly. Her chocolate eyes held a new aura of determination that surprised even the demon lord.
"Sesshomaru-sama?" Kagome asked as formally as possible, testing how the formal word 'sama' sounded on her tongue. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and he looked at Kagome with a somewhat bored expression.
"What do you want now human?" he asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Can you tell me about the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome asked hopefully, her eyes burning holes into him as she waited determinedly for information that could hopefully get her out of here.
Sesshomaru raised his eyebrows at the girl in front of him. He didn't want to hear anymore nonsense about this useless jewel! She just seemed to be getting on his nerves. He shouldn't have agreed to let her travel with them.
"No" he said flatly, before whipping around and striding off once again.
Kagome stared after him with a bewildered look. The look then turned to anger. "Why won't you tell me anything!" she yelled after him, eyes ablaze with fury and her fists clenched. A whole day being ignored by the both of them and acting like she wasn't there had began to take its toll on her.
"You have been ignoring me all day! Don't you have any civilty!" she shouted. Though she was angry at both of the demons, her ranting was mainly directed at Sesshomaru, which unfortunately was not a good thing for her.
As quick as she had said it, she was once again for the second time in two days hoisted against a tree, but not by her collar this time, but rather by her neck.
Kagome whimpered and her eyes filled with tears at the painful pressure he applied on her throat. She couldn't breathe, and instantly she began to regret her actions. He had warned her to be careful, and she had possibly traded her life for a demonstration of anger. Though, however bad the situation was, she promised herself that she would not give him the satisfaction of her fear.
"I warned you to be careful human!" he growled, his amber eyes boring dangerously into hers. She blinked, then turned away, trying not to let her tears fall. It wasn't just the fact that he was being violent. But what really bothered her was the fact that he couldn't treat her as an individual with a name? "It's Kagome…" she whispered, almost having given up on it.
Kagome felt the hand around her throat loosen though he pulled her forwards until their faces were a mere two inches apart. "You do know I could kill you right now human?" Sesshomaru asked cooly, his claws glowing a faint green as he flexed them around her. Kagome didn't answer, and she continued to look away in defiance. I may be crazy, but I can't let him scare me. Kagome vowed.
"I know Sesshomaru-sama" Kagome answered frankly, without a trace of fear in her eyes. Stay strong Kagome! Stay strong! Sesshomaru searched her eyes for a second or so until his own eyes narrowed and he released her.
He continued to walk until he stopped, but didn't turn to her. "Last warning human, choose your actions wisely if you value your life". After the words were spoken he continued walking until he caught up with Jaken, who was waiting for him by a stream.
Kagome heaved a sigh of relief. She was alive and well for the moment. She thanked kami for sparing her life. Next time she would not act so rashly in front of Sesshomaru or any demon for that matter. However, one thing was for certain. She needed to get out of this place and away from these demons as soon as possible.