Chapter Two:
"I said, you are in my way," Sesshomaru repeated, looking steadily at Kagome, who seemed to be stuck in the "deer-in-headlights" state. Kirara looked up from Kagome's ankles and mewled once at the dog lord.
"I say this for the last time," Sesshomaru reached down for his blade, his hand clasped loosely, but firm on the grip. "You are in my way. Move now or die."
Kagome stared blankly for a moment. Sesshomaru slowly slid his blade halfway out. Needless to say, she got over her paralysis quickly after that, backing up as fast as she could until she bumped the back of her head into a tree.
"Ow!" she jumped around at the tree, rubbing her bump and staring at the tree like it had assaulted her.
Sesshomaru replaced his sword and continued his pace across the clearing. He had nearly crossed back into the forest before Kagome said anything.
"Hey, wait!" She piped as she took a step toward him. He kept walking. "Hey, no, stop!" She said, starting toward him, gaining speed with each step. "Wait!" She caught up with him but kept her distance. "Hey, where's that little girl?" She asked, looking around. "Where'd she go? And what about Jaken?" She asked, leaning forward so as she could see his face. "Hey! Are you even listening to me?"
Sesshomaru stopped walking, causing Kagome to stop as well. Slowly his head turned, throwing his golden-eyed gaze back at her.
A normal human would have quivered in fear from such a gaze, their knees giving out beneath them as they fell into a life-sparing plea as they bowed at his feet. This girl was not a normal human. No she met his gaze steadily, examining him. Wow, I'd never noticed. His eyes are darker than Inuyasha's. Deeper. Richer.
Sesshomaru stared back just a steadily, his face straight and unmoved.
"Well?" Kagome extended her neck a little as her head cocked to one side. "Are you going to answer my question?"
Sesshomaru slowly blinked. "Questions."
"What?" She answered, her head cocking a bit more.
"You have asked me more that one question. Four, in fact."
Kagome stared back, eyebrows creased. I guess I hadn't really expected him to answer at all. Her eyebrows creased a bit deeper before her face fell. Wait a minute! This guy could kill me. What was I thinking?
"I will not indulge you." Sesshomaru said in his same ever-even tone. His chin tilted up slightly. "Do not treat yourself to such ludicrous delusions as such." With that he turned back and continued into the forest.
Kagome stared after him, her mouth hanging open slightly. What was I thinking? The question repeated in her mind. Am I some kind of masochist? She looked down at the twin-tail skirting around her feet, nuzzling her face against her ankles as she crept by. Kirara looked up into the school girls eyes, mewling her response to Kagome's unspoken question.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha hissed, pounding his fist into the floorboards. "Where is she?"
"My, my Inuyasha, you seem anxious today," The old woman stirring the stew pot spoke with her eye closed. A few damp steamed gray hairs dangled down on one side off her face, over her eye patch. "Don't tell me you're this worried about Kagome."
"You stay out of this, old hag!" He shouted over his shoulder, punching the floor again.
"Fine, but you will repair any damage to my floor," She added, switching from clockwise to counter-clockwise stirring. The aroma of the stew hung in the air like a scented fog, making Inuyasha wrinkle up his nose. He grumbled to himself for a while.
Miroku played with the prayer beads around his hand and Sango cleaned her boomerang-like weapon. Shippo hopped up and down on the balls of his feet, looking into the stewpot.
"Do you think they ran into some kind of trouble?" Sango asked. She gently glided a bar of wax across her Hiraikotsu. "Maybe we should go looking for them?" She announced the offer like a question.
"And what good would that do, my dear Sango?" Miroku said, accepting a bowl of stew from Kaede. "Where should we look? We very may have to search the skies for them. It's best if we just wait here."
"But what if something happened to them?"
Miroku looked up through the stew's steam at Sango's face. "I'm sure no harm shall befall them."
Shippo looked back at them, eyes slanted. "This is Kagome we're talking about."
Everyone one was quite for a moment, no one so much as looking at one other. Inuyasha broke the silence, breathing out a heavy sigh and standing up from his crouch. With his back turned to them, he spoke. "I need some air."
With that he walked out of Kaede's home, disappearing into the night.
"We probably should be getting back, huh, Kirara?" Kagome sat side-saddle on Kirara back. The transformed twin-tail walked across the moonlit river side. Her flame-tipped paws glided over the sand of the river's shore, leaving behind her tell-tale prints. "Everyone must be worried about us." She looked up at the moon for the millionth time, comparing the feudal version to her own back home. Marking the clear patched where she knew craters would one day be.
She felt a slight breeze picking up, blowing her raven hair around her face. Looking down, she realized where the wind had come from. Kirara glided gently over the river now, here front paw tips lightly grazing the water's surface, sending rippled out to distort the reflected night sky. Wisps of steam came from where her flaming paws touched the water. A light mist sprayed up from the river, spaying across the two.
Kagome looked out across the river, with its stolen starlight reflection back at her. The river was still and calm, nothing sounded around them. The forest trees were calm and dark. Everything seemed serine and peaceful. She took in a deep breath, loving how clean and fresh in was. I love it here. She thought to herself. In her head it even seemed to be a whisper. It's so late. She thought, looking at the position of the moon hanging in the night. We should get back. I guess it's time to face him. She sighed out her breath. "Okay, Kirara, let's go."
"Going so soon?" Chills rushed through her body at the sound of the voice. It oozed out like slime, the thick liquid consistency of the sound dribbling like some disgusting fluid.
The demon looked at her through cold, icy eyes that looked to be glazed over with death. Muck dripped down from its jaws, crashing in the river. Its languid, scaled body writhed in the water, striking like a water-snake.
Her screams pierced the night like the cries of bleeding angels.