Chapter 20
The whispers in the air stirred her from the land of dreams. The flickers of flame in the corner of her chamber was comforting, warm enough to earn a sigh of content from her, and it sounded more like a symphony to his ears, the rhythm alone had the ability to ease his worries, to lift him up from the shackles of misery that he was tied to. He had refused to let her out of his sight again and this time, his parents seemed to let him take his own decisions.
He could sense that she was awake, she was away from the hands of deep slumber, yet, she feigned as if she was unaware of his presence in the depth of her room, as if he would leave her to her own troubles if she refused to wake up, as if he would be tired of waiting under her roof if she continues to bury her head under the silk duvets.
He chuckled ever so lightly, shook his head at her childish, innocent game, but then, she was still a child, younger than him, the one who kept drawing troubles like a magnet, luring death like a dark angel. He could smell the tension she harboured, the thoughts in her mind were lurking around in a never-ending maze and it nerved him to the core that he couldn't offer a semblance of peace to his Kagome, the girl who had managed to bring the light and so much warmth in his otherwise devilish life.
Her tiny brows furrowed a bit and Sesshomaru decided that he hated those frown lines that etched her perfect face. His digits itched to trace them, to ease her, to make them disappear, but he wouldn't.
He had noticed her fear, her doubts in her ability to control the raw power that drummed through her veins. She was unaware that the fear was stupid and that never in the seventh hell she would hurt her loved ones. The night that they returned to the castle was a clear picture of her doubts. She had been beyond happy to see the little red fox waiting for her. The cub had squealed in an absolute delight on seeing her, he had jumped across the expanse of the room to embrace her, to be comforted in her arms and that was when she hid behind the tall doors, as if her grace alone would turn the kid in to a smoking pile of ashes. She had refused to touch the little fox ever since, she smiles at him, her yearning to stroke the red mane of the fox was too evident, but she shivered in fear of hurting him.
A whole new definition for absolute stupidity and ridiculous assumption, that was what it is.
It has been two days, and she had refused to come out of her chamber. Her maids tried prying her off the royal bed, to give her a bath in richest oils, but she denied, curled herself amid silk drapes in the bed and never moved.
Sesshomaru had growled at the untouched fruits piled in the copper plates and it was the anger in his eyes that had knocked some senses in her. She bit her lip, stretched her limb and took a single ripe apple to fill her stomach.
And that was it. End of her meal and the silver haired dog had to bite his tongue from asking her to open her lips so that he could stuff some more of the handpicked fruits in her mouth.
Kagome had then mumbled a silent apology, that had reached his sharp ears. The Western Heir wanted to shake her shoulders, to yell at her that it wasn't her fault, but one look at her troubled face was enough to distance himself, to move farther away from her broken piece. He would be in her room, to show her that he would always be there, to tell her that he would never lose her to anything that was dark. He respected her foolish wishes and refused to go anywhere near her. He was there for her, sitting in the lush fur that was laid across her room, unmoving, like a stone carved deity, his chin high in the air, his eyes never leaving hers.
She hugged her frame again, her dark thoughts returned and she curled her tiny fingers in to a fist. It dug deep in to her palm, her nails engraving crescent shaped dips. Her whole frame quivered and a single tear left it confines, leaving a salty trail.
He hissed, a small growl vibrated through the well lit chamber as he inhaled the air infused with the pain of hers, this time it smelt of guilt more than fear and he was in the edge of his patience.
"Sesshomaru, please, let me grieve alone"
"There is nothing to grieve for" He said, his voice embraced her like a comforting caress, velvet and smooth, warm and safe, semblance of home itself.
"Leave me alone" She whispered, her plea flowing in the air, her voice too soft and vulnerable. She felt that she didn't deserve all the kindness that was showered on her. She brought and still brings danger to her family and it nerved her to the core that they don't see how dangerous she was.
It awoke something deep inside him, a twinge in the middle of his chest craved to grant her request. He was equally lost and confused, rationality seemed to leave him often when it came to fulfilling her wishes.
He hated this new churn in the pit of his stomach when he got up to leave her alone to the haunting thoughts. A year back, he would have been adamant, he would have thrashed out, growled at her stupidity and stayed in, much against her request. But something had changed and the teenage prince couldn't fathom whether it was for good or worse.
One last longing look at her crumbled frame made his heart dip and he moved, lifeless, leaving his soul behind as her only guard.
~.~.~
The sand grains in the big round dented glass showed that it was more than an hour since she moved, and Inuyasha was in his toes, waiting as patient as he could. The breeze did more than just its job, curling her raven tress that was unusually untied, for once. The twelve-year-old tried his best not to make any sound while she was meditating, performing a dance of silence, it was almost like an art, the small perfect palm of hers curved in its own position each time she shifted from meditation to a form of précised practice of defence.
Her eyes were closed but the Hanyou could imagine the fire that would burn in the depth of her dark iris. The spirit of her soul was always perched in her eyes, too loud and hard to ignore, rippling in the tips of her lashes. It was lulling, hypnotizing and strangely addictive. Inuyasha was hanging to what seemed like a new-found anchor, it was different and more strong, something foreign and totally irrational. The invisible string in his heart tugged him when she smiled, as if she held a secret deep down and he was dying to know the reason for the gentle heart-warming curve in her lips. It tickled him to no ends and the tiny cone shaped ear in his silver mane twitched in an ineffable delight.
"Inuyasha.." She called, her voice too soft yet too sharp.
"Yikes" He jumped, surprised that she had known he was here, hiding all along. It made him smile, grin like a child who got caught stealing candies.
"What are you doing?" She asked, her eyes were still closed and he walked towards her, her smile too blinding and beautiful.
"Um, how did you know I was here?" The twelve year old asked, crazy to know her secret.
"A good miko is always aware of her surroundings" She answered and finally opened her eyes.
"Then you really are a good miko" He said, a small streak of red tinted his cheeks. Her tawny iris twinkled under the graceful rays of the golden sun and he was duly awed at her fresh aroma, something of wild lilies filled his lungs.
"So, what are you doing here?" She repeated her question and the young hanyou straightened his back, ready to finish the mission that he came for.
"I know you are here to help Kagome. But she never comes out of her room. Why can't you go and talk to her?"
"I would, but who would she listen to? Me or you?" Kikiyo asked.
"Uh, What?"
"Inuyasha, she is scared, scared that she would end up purifying her family and she wouldn't stop being scared unless she realises that it is not the truth." The miko said, her face raised in deep thoughts, as if her mind was in the brim of endless riddles.
"Well, that's just plain stupid. She will never hurt me" Inuyasha said, scratching his head, pointing out something that was next to obvious in Kikiyo's eyes.
"Hm, maybe we just have to give a little bit of demonstration. So, are you ready?" She asked, a phantom of smirk painted her face and Inuyasha could feel that something is about to change, he nodded, unaware of the turn of events that waited patiently.
~.~.~
He brooded and he could only stare so hard at the skies that threatened to growl back as it swallowed the Sun and spewed the silvery hues of pale moon. It was endless, the pit that he seemed to have fallen in to. She was unyielding and it frustrated him, he wanted answers and the miko who vowed to help was out there, sitting idle. Each thud of his heart was deep, and it was as if his life was dipped in a scale of grey that denied anything of remote happiness.
He could only take so much, the soft mumble of his adopted son lingered in the air, the heaviness of Kagome's mood rained above his head and he had to curl his claws in the fear of unleashing his anger.
He raised from his sitting spot, determined to give an earful to Kikiyo, demand her presence in fishing out Kagome from the ocean of self-pity.
"Save the angry thoughts little Lord, I am here to do what is to be done" Kikiyo entered the marble balcony and he hissed at her.
"Am not anything that synonyms with little, miko" Sesshomaru said, his golden eyes well narrowed and his chin raised in a sharp turn.
"Hm" She said and walks forward, Inuyasha was close behind her, his eyes had a mist of glitter and an ineffable happiness that made him smile like an idiot.
"Idiot" Sesshomaru said, his voice a little louder.
"Stupid" The hanyou called back and made a face.
"Kids" The miko scolded and the heirs gave her a disgusting look that made her to smirk. It was more fun to pull their legs, she could sense that their trust runs deep, yet the childish sibling rivalry was equally strong, it made her want to stay and witness the blissful turn of events that this dimension promised.
Her thoughts were particularly focused on the young half demon these days. She knew that she had been in love with the grown up version of Inuyasha in the other timeline, but she could only look at him as a kid, a friend now and anything more than that just seemed plain vulgar. She knew the truth, the truth behind the ageless skin that covered her bones, it had confused her, made her nearly insane until she learned to accept the things as it is.
It was unnatural to live in a parody where her incarnation also lives. It seemed as if Kikiyo's time had stopped with a big thud when the fates realised that there were two souls of equal vibrations. It was Mirodiko's theory, that Kikiyo's biological clock had stopped, and will restart again when Kagome reaches the present age of Kikiyo, something to do with balance of nature. It had been a news that had shook her very spine, but then Kikiyo had learnt to see the things from a different angle, it all made sense now.
Maybe she will fall in love with the half demon when he grows up, maybe she will be a bit chirpier than she was with Kagome around. That girl seemed to bring the best out of everyone and Kikiyo could only hope that maybe destiny was much kinder now, giving her a new life to live and love.
An hour of meditation had helped her to clear her mind, her new purpose in this dimension was probably to teach Kagome, show the little girl how to embrace her power. With Mirodiko alive and strong, the jewel is safe, Kagome had just been a missed-out accident, an oversight by the Gods while drafting up the chains of time and fate, but nevertheless, it was the best accident, Kagome to end up in this timeline, in this dimension, Kikiyo had a new purpose that she may live up for. Her face softened a bit, to realise that things aren't that bad as it seemed to be. There is hope and there will always be light around, to grace them all up and show their way.
"What are you smiling about? You look like a moron to smile without a reason" Sesshomaru said, his voice low and tensed.
"Hey! She is not a moron, you are" The youngest one came back, biting down a bark.
"Shh!" Kikiyo shh-ed them up when they took the right in the corner to reach the little girl's door.
"Don't Shh me!" The teenage heir hissed with sprouts of contained anger, his fang peeked out and Kikyo couldn't help but rile up the heir further.
"Hey Dog, don't forget that am still the most powerful miko in this land" Kikyo said, and Inuyasha grinned with an awe that glossed in his eyes.
"Are you threatening me?! The Heir to the throne of West?" Sesshomaru growled, whispers of dark angels filled the lone corridor, promising bloodsheds.
"Um, Yeah I think she just did" Inuyahsa answered and got his head smacked by his shorttempered brother.
"Now, if you both could just shut up, maybe we can finally look for Kagome and pull her away from her solitary confinement" The miko said and that line alone promptly put the heirs to slock their lips with so much might.
She knocked, once, twice and thrice before she pushed the large door to step in. The room was everything that screamed luxury, but it was as if there was a wounded flower in the middle of thorn, so beautiful, so lonely, yet a sense of relief fluttered to see that the petals are still standing.
The teenaged girl blinked her tears away, her eyes were red, wet and drenched. She turned around, to hide her miserable state but she knew it was of no use. The Heirs were demons of great senses and their lungs would have picked out the salty trail that swam in the air.
"Okay listen up, now, do you believe that I hold as much as power that you harbour?" Kikiyo asked, cutting straight to the subject. She wasn't the woman who would beat around the bush when the answer to so many riddles just lies there.
"What?" Kagome asked, clearly confused.
"Kagome, I am you incarnation and I do hold a much greater power than you do-" She started and ignored the chuchkle form the rude dog who thinks the world just revolves around him.
"- And I can prove that, but I don't want to freak you out by burning Sesshomaru's hair just by lifting a finger. There is another way to prove that I have the exact same sign and vibrations of your energy signals in mine, yet, it can be controlled and I have never hurt anyone unless the situation demands for it" Kikiyo said.
"How can you be so sure?" Kagome asked, her voice shivered and it almost cracked Sesshomaru's heart a bit further, like a rusty saw meddling with his chest.
"You remember the rosary beads in Inuyasha's neck?" She asked.
"Uh yeah"
"It works to the command of only you or the energy signals that is almost identical to yours." Kikiyo said, turning a bit towards the hanyou.
Inuyahsa was twirling the beads in his fingers when he caught the look dancing on her eyes.
"No.." He whispered, almost like a soft plea, muffled in the end.
"SIT BOY" Kikiyo uttered and there was a loud thud, the nose of the second heir to the Western Throne was buried in the cracks of heavily furnished floor and he gave out a yell, a whimper before his conical ears adjusted to the laughs in the room.
Kagome giggled and the boys in the room let out the breath they were holding. The relief was immediate on Sesshomaru's face, to see the smile in her lips, to see those lights shining in the depth of her eyes, her lashes fluttered, smudged with her pink cheeks and Sesshomaru was so sure that this was indeed the loveliest sound in his life., her giggles, he had missed them so much that it started to hurt, a deep pit was dug in his heart, like a grave and now it was all filled with her laughs, he felt content.
"So, as you see, my presence doesn't hurt him or anyone else and with regular guidance, you can control your anger and direct your powers to those that bring harm" Kikiyo said, and was almost proud to see the essence of pure delight having s free reign over the young girl's face.
"Thanks" She whispered, her voice too soft. Her gaze shifted from the miko to the young lord in white silk. He had a look of ease in his face, as if the weight in his shoulders were finally lifted by the descendants of heaven. But there was still a raw edge in his jaw, tensed and controlled. Kagome lifted her brows at him, a silent question that demanded an answer for his still existing brooding cloud.
He gave her a small smile, that died a minute later. His look was sharp, narrowed, filled with flickers of pain. He gave her a sharp nod that spoked volumes of his unhappy thoughts and turned, walking towards the mahogany doors to leave them all alone.
His footsteps were as light as it could be and he walked towards no particular direction, his gaze straight and unyielding, with no one to walk beside under the soft glow of silvery moon. He was happy, really, to see the colour in her cheeks, to witness her smile that brought some kind of glittery mist to his otherwise grey life. But he had always prided to be the one that she listens to. He had always been sure that he was the reason behind her shy smiles and the shine that swims in her eyes.
His pride has been hunted down and was killed. His heart cringed and he could see the beginning of long years, where he had to see her walk away from him once and for all. She proved yet again the tales of legends, that they all lean only towards their kind. Human towards human and demons towards demons.
He wanted to roar under the unfair skies, that glittered with burning stars, while he was left alone to pick up the broken pieces of his heart in the dark, yet he didn't, he was tired and so he knelt on the alcoves that bordered the royal corridor, waiting for the benevolent sleep to lull him in to a place of hope.
~.~.~
A/N – Sorry for the looooong break.
Thanks for the lovely reviews!
Sesshomaru is like a little girl sometimes! Always brooding.
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