A/N: I know it took a while, but it's because of the good news! I found some chapters that I thought I had lost, so when I re-wrote chapter 9, it was another chapter originally. So I found a way to insert some of both back into this re-do. I hoped it would flow seamlessly together, and I think it sort of did. And for those of you in school, good luck on exams! And good luck to those who are graduating! I'm going to tell you now, you're going to miss high school, even if you say you won't haha. I know I did.
xXx
Human Like Me
One Step Closer (To the Edge)
Kagome stared at herself in the mirror, paying particular attention to her golden eyes which stared back at her. Humming to herself, her clawed fingernails, which refused to remain blunt for more than half a day, snipped at the bangs which hung just over her eyes. She made quick work of them, impressed that she was able to achieve cutting her hair without the aid of scissors.
Her lips pursed upon seeing her unusual amber eyes once more. It was a good thing that her mother had helped her out, or else she'd need a fake doctor's note to keep wearing sunglasses in class.
Having cataracts at eighteen was not sexy.
xXx
Once rousing from his stupor on the couch, Sesshoumaru, who made headway up the steps in search of morning relief, found Kagome already sequestered in her bathroom with the newly replaced mirror. She adopted a peculiar stance in which she was bent backwards, legs wide apart, and the tip of one index finger pointed straight toward her face. He observed that each time her finger got closer to her face, she inadvertedly stretched back further. Her head almost touched the wall behind her.
"Almost..." she mumbled, coming closer and closer to inserting the contact lens into her right eye.
"What are you doing?" he blandly inquired, startling the miko into dropping her contact lens on the ground.
"Oh no!" Fervently, her hands swiped the ground, searching for the miniscule brown lens while muttering expletives under her breath that even had Sesshoumaru blanching. "Don't scare me like that! Next time knock or something..." she growled under her breath.
"I did not realize you were occupied," he replied, somewhat warily, while she continued her search. "Pray tell are you doing?"
"Looking for my contact lens!" when she bobbed her head up to look at him, resembling a mere-cat, his sharp intake of breath startled even him. Her left eye appeared dull and muddy brown, while the other shined with burnished amber. He had to blink to organize his dissrayed thoughts.
"Is this some sort of magic?" he indicated to his own left eye.
"Magic?" she said, beguiled, studying her own features in the bathroom mirror. "No, no magic here."
"So no magic?" he clarified.
"None. Unless you count science as magic, but then that's contradictory." She resumed her search once more.
Then where have the markings gone?
As if she heard his unspoken question, she wordlessly picked up a facecloth and removed a partial amount of the makeup that covered her strips on her wrist. "It's makeup," she explained. "I thought I told you about this already."
"No magic?" he repeated, clearly not convinced.
"No, it's not. It's modern day, uh… camouflage."
Sesshoumaru watched with a mask of indifference. He was, however, slightly amused at how utterly ridiculous the miko was making herself look. So it was completely justifiable when the corners of his lips quirked into a small smirk when Kagome successfully located her missing item. With deft fingers she slipped the contact onto her eye, blinking in rapid succession to adjust it onto her eye.
She looked at him then, with her now magic brown eyes. It kind of freaked him out, but just a little.
Kagome canted her head to the side in curiosity, noting how gaunt he appeared before her suddenly. They'd been trapped in her own time for, what, about five days? Had she even seen him pick up a fork? No, she didn't think so, and now his sallow, clammy face wouldn't leave her head.
"When's the last time you ate?" she interrogated while rising smoothly to the balls of her feet. His minute delayed response was enough to convince her. "Sesshoumaru," she scolded, not once quavering under the heated stare he returned. "You can't just skip out on eating! You're human now, and it's fundamental if you plan on living long enough to return to the feudal era."
"Enough of this insubordination." He growled, the sound lacking its normal girth and strength. It sounded weak and frail coming from his mortal shell. "I am perfectly capable of managing my own body, miko. You'd do well to remember that this Sesshoumaru is not to be ordered around."
"I wouldn't need to do that if you'd just listen to me!" rebuked the indignant miko, her youki festering and pooling beneath her feet in stirring eddies. He kept in mind her tenuous control over her own emotions and backed off a little.
"I feel no hunger any longer," he said simply. Thinking that it would quell the miko's concern, he was utterly shocked to see that it held the exact opposite reaction. Her eyes flared with a potent energy that he could feel across the small space, uplifting the hairs on the back of his neck and arms.
Kagome snapped her jaws. "How long have you not been feeling hungry?" curbing her anger, the visible energy receded and slithered away, though lying dormant within, ready to spring out when called upon.
He put up a front, pretending to be really considering the length of time that had elapsed since the gnawing, clawing feeling that had gripped his stomach had ceased to bother him. That had been roughly two moons ago. As he relayed this information to the miko, he watched the spectacle that was her unfurl into someone worthy of being feared.
"You idiot!" she brayed, pointing an accusatory finger at his chest. Tears threatened to spill over her lids. Sit!" and in the next beat all of her anger and confidence plummeted, leaving scants amounts of her dignity scattered about the floor. Flushing, she returned her finger to her side, hoping that he wouldn't ask what her little explosive subjugation word was meant for.
Sesshoumaru was too tired to put up with her silly nuances; fatigue pulled relentlessly on his limbs as he battled to keep his eyes open during their dispute. It seemed that she had visibly relaxed after a moment of not so awkward silence.
"I just want you to get something to eat, okay? Not feeling hungry is a lot worse than actually being hungry."
And in a nanosecond Sesshoumaru allowed his snarky head to rear up to bite her. "I shall do what I please, and on my own terms. I will not be bossed around by some insidious miko." Striding purposefully from the bathroom, he noted with some reverence that his vision was becoming clouded with black wings of raven birds, and that his head felt queerly light.
As she ran the first stroke of the brush through her tangled hair, she heard him take a sharp breath of air, expel it slowly, and then she heard his body tumble down the steps. Each thump! resonated deep within her gut, causing her to wince, and then she found herself sprinting down the steps to find Sesshoumaru haphazardously sprawled on the floor. She noted that a small patch of wet, sticky blood pooled beside his head, and that there was a fine trail leading from the top of the steps down.
Souta had reached him first, trying not to vomit at the sight of the fresh red liquid oozing out of a laceration in the middle of Sesshoumaru's forehead. Kagome padded down the steps, approaching the unconscious, vulnerable taiyoukai that was before her.
"Can you hear me?" she asked tentatively, shaking his shoulder. He didn't respond, which fueled her panic even more. "Souta, call 911." She instructed while dragging Sesshoumaru's comatose body with ease into the less crowded living room. Using the sleeve to mop up the wound which profusely secreted blood, it helped to staunch the flow while the EMTs arrived. It was a relief Kagome had already put in her contact lenses.
The only way Kagome could rationalize this abrupt collapse of such a strong man, was that he hadn't been drinking water, either. Oh, what has he gotten himself into?
Within five minutes, the emergency responders arrived, two of them flanking each of Sesshoumaru's sides as they executed their primary assessments, all the while quizzing Kagome about what had happened. It wasn't a secret that they were stealing dubious looks towards her appearance, because she had caught a glimpse of herself, with shock white hair and hierarchy markings. The truth was, her own image caused her to shudder every now and then.
As soon as they had bagged him for oxygen, placed a C-collar on his neck, and they had placed him proficiently onto the stretcher, one of the female first responders cornered the anxious miko. Kagome could smell the hesitancy in her scent.
"We noticed during our assessments that Sesshoumaru-san has a missing arm from the forearm down. If he were to regain consciousness, would you have him consider amputation?"
"No." Kagome whispered firmly, eyes never wavering from the other woman's. By all rights she had the decency to look flustered and embarrassed.
"Okay, sorry about that. We won't ask him again," she hurried to her crew to assist in hefting the taiyoukai into the ambulance.
The sound of the blood pounding in her ears, the silent scream which resonated deep within the cavity of her mind, seemed to enhance ten-fold as the ambulance warbled away down the street. Kagome didn't have long, but for some reason her limbs felt like Jell-O, sluggish and sore. She made her way into the living room, facing her mother, who had rushed home from grocery shopping after Souta had phoned her the news. Their eyes met with silent understanding, and Mrs. Higurashi handed her the car keys.
"Make sure he's okay. We'll be up sometime later on," Mrs. Higurashi offered one of those smiles only moms could give that were able to wipe away all of the problems in your life. Kagome hugged her mom quickly, and rushed to the car with youki enhanced speed.
Upon seeing the traffic from way up, she pursed her lips, giving a furtive glance toward the Sedan they owned. She hastily returned the keys inside of the house, but a white blur to her family members. Her feet ached with a familiar longing, so she scrambled outside and away from anyone's prying eyes, and allowed for her youki to build and swirl. It slowly lifted her up, and as soon as she was high above her house, shot forward in the sky. Clouds and icy winds buffeted her face. To most on the ground, she appeared as a small blimp.
xXx
The trip from her home to the hospital was an utter blur. She sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring at the unconscious taiyoukai who looked utterly helpless dressed in his hospital Johnny. IV fluid was stuck in his arm, spiked with some Tylenol. She had been sitting there for over four hours, and he had yet to wake. The doctor had been in some hour ago, asking her questions that Kagome honestly couldn't answer.
"How old is he precisely?"
"Um. I'm not sure. Twenty-one?"
"Date of birth?"
Circa 1500s, "I don't know."
"Past medical history? Is he on medications? Have any allergies? When was the last time he had eaten? What was he doing prior to this event?"
"He's not on meds, has no allergies, and as far as I know he doesn't have past medical history. I don't know when the last time he's eaten exactly, a few days ago, and he was just at home."
"Does he have a spouse we can contact?"
"No, I'm his only family."
"Okay, Ms. Higurashi. We'll keep him monitored closely. He's dehydrated and malnourished. Depending on his recovery rates and how he responds to our treatment, he will most likely be in here a few days."
And now she was just waiting for him to wake up. If he would just open his eyes, and tell her that he was all right, maybe then the possibility of relaxing would seem appealing. Steepling her fingers, she breathed a long sigh and tried to occupy herself by counting the tiles on the ceiling.
She got to two hundred and forty-seven before her mother's warm face entered through the hospital room, Souta at her side. Enveloping her mother in a giant hug, the tears began to fall freely. Why am I crying for him? she thought, though pushed it away as her mother began to cajole her.
They sat out in the waiting room. Kagome continued to ignore the stares sent her way, because she hadn't had a chance to even think about covering up her markings or covering her white hair. The doctor had been polite enough not to stare at least.
Sometime after Souta had dropped off, her mother collected him in her arms and said goodnight. Kagome returned to Sesshoumaru's bed, noting that he still hadn't woken up. At least his colour looked better. The lights in the room went off one by one, blanketing her in darkness, leaving only the open window to allow the moon's light to shine in. Taking perch on the couches they offered over in the corner, she curled up on her side and shut her eyes. Sleep would not be charitable to her, but she took solace knowing at least she was able to doze.
Kagome snapped awake half of an hour later, thinking she had heard something. Not taking the chance, she slowly unfurled herself from her tiny ball and crouched beside Sesshoumaru's bed. To her shock his eyes were open, flitting from side to side, finally resting on her. Visibly he deflated.
"Where am I?"
"In the hospital. Er, an emergency hut, I suppose."
"Why is there something stuck in my skin?"
"It's fluid. It'll keep you hydrated."
"How did I get here?"
"Ambulance." Jeesh, would he stop interrogating her already?
"What is on my forehead?"
"A bandage. You took a nasty tumble."
He was silent as he took all of the news in. Maybe he was coming to realize that his health was his number one concern now?
"Why didn't you come to me earlier? We could have prevented all of this." Her heart wasn't into scolding him, and he knew it. Her voice was muted in the noiseless room. "I was worried, you know."
He scoffed, though it didn't contain any spite. "You needn't worry about me."
"Apparently I do," she snapped. "If I did then we could have circumvented all of this."
Sesshoumaru attempted to sit up, finding the small movement taxing on his weary body. Kagome placed an arm on his shoulder to help him, but his growl had her snatching her hand back as if she'd been burned. Finally he settled against the propped pillows, closing his eyes, appearing to have fallen asleep again.
"Sesshoumaru?"
His eyes snapped open, regarding the miko intently. "Yes?"
Squirming, she suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Um... how do you feel?"
The surprise registered on his face for a split second before it settled into its stony mask. "Fine."
"Are you thirsty?" His tongue roved over the top of his mouth. It was parched. His tongue felt like sandpaper.
"Yes."
"I'll be right back,"
Sesshoumaru sagged back against the back of the bed, breathing a long, lengthy sigh. He had lied. His body felt like it had been crushed beneath a boulder. His limbs ached and felt like they were filled with water. His head swam, patches of black spots danced across his vision, and sometimes it tunneled to the point of blacking out. If Kagome hadn't been ridden with emotions she would undoubtedly have smelled the deceit in him, and it was because of that he had hoped she would have narrowly missed his lie.
The thought of water was tantalizing. He wished he were able to produce saliva, to quell the paper dryness of his mouth. He took everything in with intense regard, the occupants which shared the room with him, the sterile smell which pierced his nose, and the clean linen that draped over his body. He really wasn't in the Sengoku Jidai any longer. This thought rammed straight through his heart.
This is the new world where his little brother fled to in random circumstances. Sesshoumaru couldn't grasp what appealed to the hanyou about staying here; all he'd seen so far was the effects of what pollution would do to the lush, green lands he remembered, and how civilized man had evolved. Youkai were out there. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure where they were hiding, but he knew his kind to be crafty and would invent ways to stay concealed among the human race.
Kagome returned several minutes later. Her hair was airborne, panic lacing her steps and coating her voice. "There's a demon here!" she hissed. He was somewhat sullen more so of the fact that she had not returned with his water.
He shot up, trying to find purchase to swing his legs off of the bed. Kagome pounced on him in an instant. "Where do you think you're going?" her hands held him in place, but his simmering glare warded them off. "I don't think it's such a good idea for you to be getting out of bed so soon. What if someone sees us?"
"Make sure that they don't." He said, pointing to her ears.
Harrumphing, she aided him in walking. His steps were short and wobbly, but she held enough strength to keep him upright while navigating through the narrow corridors for an exit. "Do you think we should get out of the building?" Kagome breathed after a full minute of silence. They wandered aimlessly, her trying to detect the youki once more, Sesshoumaru putting every last ounce of strength into not passing out.
Suddenly the youki spiked. Her head swiveled around. The doctor that had helped Sesshoumaru out was walking aimlessly with a clipboard in hands. He paused when he spotted the two, head canted to the side. Sesshoumaru's senses were on overdrive to compensate, and there was no mistaking that the youki was emitting from this strange man Kagome seemed to recgonize.
"Oh, it's you." She felt sheepish. What would she be doing out in the hallway with Sesshoumaru at this time of night?
"What are you two doing?" his voice echoed down the hallway, rebounding off of the walls.
"Ka...Kagome," wheezed Sesshoumaru. Sweat poured down his face in a glossy sheen. Kagome hardly noticed.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, doctor. I was just, erm, taking him to the bathroom is all." She gave him a cheeky smile.
"You should have called for a nurse. And there was a bathroom right in the room." The doctor gave her a simpering smile. Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome's shirt sleeve.
"Don't. No. Go." His plea came out in a staccato of laboured breaths.
"What are you going on about? Are you hallucinating, too?"
"Just. Run." His head bobbed and fell. He had exhausted almost all of his energy already.
"Run? What're you - oh no!" And then it slammed into her like a freight train, overwhelming her senses, blotting out her thoughts. The evil youki slithered and coiled in thick puffs of billowy clouds, shaping around them, threatening to consume. The doctor's eyes flashed a sinister yellow light, and in the dimness of the halls his face began to elongate and morph.
Gathering Sesshoumaru stiffly against her side, Kagome sprinted down in the opposite direction, panting, running, breathing, cursing. Sesshoumaru's legs galvanized into action, keeping up with Kagome's fast pace despite his fatigue, though she held a tight grip on him to ensure he wouldn't fall behind. She crossed a breezeway, making it past the threshold before the youkai no longer disguised as a mortal man came bounding after them, shattering every window behind him in his wake, rousing ill children from their sleep.
The hospital was swathed in keening children. Kagome's ears rang. Her journey was cut short when they faced a dead end. The youkai was advancing on them, knocking down every obstacle in its path, its hollowed eyes glowing. She could make out its profile now; it had a hulking body painted indigo, with large, elongated arms sporting claws a foot long. Its mouth was long and narrow, concealing large rows of teeth which longed to have fresh blood dousing them.
Her heart hammered within her ribcage as panic turned her legs to mush. Sesshoumaru struggled to get the words out of his mouth, but he was only able to produce breathy sounds which did not register to the miko. Kagome's heart lurched and lodged in her throat. What was she to do? They couldn't go anywhere else, and each second the demon was another foot ahead. What to do, what to do?
"Out," came Sesshoumaru's breathy plea.
Out? Oh!
Hefting him up onto her back much like Inuyahsa would've done to her if he was still here, Kagome made sure that the taiyoukai held a reasonable grip upon her shoulders before sprinting right towards the youkai, a breathless cry escaping her parched lips.
Swiveling expertly between various carts and objects strewn about the hallways, Kagome charged straight for the youkai, who wore a mask of puzzlement before delivering a face splitting grin. His alabaster teeth shone in the darkness.
The moment Kagome and the youkai entered the threshold of the breezeway, she pivoted smartly, lurching her and Sesshoumaru forward, and used the obtained momentum to hurl them straight out the breezeway window. The youkai careened off of the sleek floor, searching for purchase, though ultimately slammed and destroyed the door to the breezeway.
Kagome allowed herself only a second of a victory whoop before addressing Sesshoumaru on her back. "We escaped," she yelled. It only occurred to her now that they were plummeting down to the earth twenty stories high.
Rousing from his stupor, Sesshoumaru felt the wind tickle his cheeks, heard it whistle past his ears, before he deigned to open his eyes. His fist clenched tightly, drawing Kagome's shirt, as he realized they were falling. "Fool!" he hissed by her ear. "What are you doing?"
"Glad to see you're awake." Kagome rebuked blandly. "And while you were passed out, I managed to avoid the youkai. Look up."
Obliging, Sesshoumaru turned his stiff neck to see the breezeway she had crashed through. The youkai darted into his vision, finally deducing where they had escaped. He leapt out.
"He has found us."
Gasping, Kagome clung to his thighs tighter. She bit her lip.
"Summon your youki, and take to the skies. I do not think he can fly. Just allow him to fall, and then when he has wounded himself, you shall kill him."
How can he sound so complacent about all of this? Kagome mused, silently willing her youki to pool and manifest at her feet, and once they were buoyed, suspended in the air, Sesshoumaru wrestled out of her hold and stood. He only slouched slightly, but otherwise he was wide awake, senses on alert. "See that clearing?" his finger pointed to the nearby baseball park to her left. "Fly to it. He will follow our scent there." And like he had timed it, the tell-tale crash of the youkai who had fallen out after them hit the ground.
Inadvertently Kagome clung tighter to the demon lord. She could smell his perturbation, but paid no heed. They flew soundlessly through the night sky. Summoning the energy to lift them through the air had been easy enough, though maintaining this altitude with two passengers began to slowly take its toll. The youki cloud bobbed and fluctuated beneath their feet, but she remained focused and resolved.
Kagome couldn't help but ogle at the sight of Tokyo bathed in artificial lights, how they twinkled against the black backdrop. The moon over their heads was but a quarter. In a week or so it would be the new moon. Would she be there to witness Inuyasha's transformation once more? Would Sesshoumaru still be a human? The sight of both brothers sitting opposite of each other, finally sharing some common ground, brought about a swell behind her breast. Could they ever reside their differences?
Her thoughts were violently ripped away as Sesshoumaru commanded her to land. She did so, cautiously peeking over his tall shoulder, noting with a grimace that the youkai was following them on foot. Her perfected vision could see him in the startling quality that made her want to vomit. It was very ugly. It was also limping.
Sesshoumaru wrapped a secure arm around her waist. Heat spread across her cheeks at the proximity of him, how his scent bathed her, comforted her oddly enough. They landed gracefully, and all too soon his hold on her vanished. She refused to pout over it; the sound of the youkai approaching was evident enough to warrant another bout of panic.
"Do not fear him. He is but a lowly demon," Sesshoumaru whispered.
"How do you know?"
He gave her one of those who-are-you-to-question-me? looks before answering. "I don't need to be a taiyoukai to tell that he is of low class. You will be able to strike him down easily enough."
"But I'm not you!" she argued, hackles rising, acid dripping from her claws.
He arched a brow, pointedly looking at her hands. "You may not be," he said, "but you already know how to fight. Go. Succeed," and with that he stepped swiftly from the clearing, taking shelter in the brambles and bushes which circumferenced the baseball field.
Squeaking, but raging with animosity, Kagome huffed and faced her opponent, channeling all of her frustration that the taiyoukai had created in mere seconds on her fight. Her left hand shone and crackled with youki for her whip, the other dousing the ground in acid. The youkai barrelled through the chained fence straight toward her, its pointed, thorned tongue flapping in the wind. Up close it resembled closely the demon Goshinki, the reincarnation of Naraku who had snapped Tetsusaiga in its massive jaws.
The resemblance sent a fissure of fear within her belly. The demon halted abruptly, canting its head to the side, its wicked gleaming smile antagonizing her.
"I smell your fear," it said, drawing nearer, paralyzing her with fear. "You are the one I have sought. I knew it once the foolish doctor finished his talk with you."
"What did you do with him?" Kagome wailed, the only thing she could think of to say. Wait, the one you have sought? What does that mean?
It began to laugh raucously, spittle flying from its lips. "I devoured him!" he roared, ridding of its previous rancor. "Which is how I was able to take on his form! I will admit you are astute enough to have sensed me, but that's about all you're good for!" And then it came, sluicing the ground between its claws, tipping its massive head back to howl.
Kagome blanched, willing her legs to move. Come on! she urged as her nose picked up the scent of the demon's hunger.
"Attack him!" came Sesshoumaru's orders from behind the clearing, which kick-started Kagome's nerves. Her legs galvanized into motion, just fast enough to avoid the wide arc the youkai's claws made. She was blasted away with the force of its power, landing hard on her side, crushing her arm beneath her body. Whining, Kagome sat up, noting that it was approaching her once more.
Scrambling for purchase, her foot finally caught the solid ground and propelled her forward, out of range from the demon. Remembering Sesshoumaru's parting words, she summoned the light to the tips of her fingers and struck out, catching the youkai's hindquarters. It came to a screeching halt.
Panting, the miko continued to lash out with her whip from a safe distance, causing shallow welts into his skin. It reared its ugly head back and raged, gathering up the courage to rush her. Kagome leapt out of the way, watching as its hulking form sprang into the air and hovered in the air. As it neared her and to the ground, she summoned the acid to her fingers, timing it, waiting, watching, gasping shallowly, and preparing. Its front hand stretched toward her, not seeing the acid dripping from her claws behind her back, and before it had a chance to snatch its hand back her clawtips dig deep into its flesh, tearing through sinews of muscles and bone, severing the limb. A gush of gooey, sticky hot blood doused her body before she had a chance to pull away to avoid the mess. Its yowling voice reverberated off of the trees in all directions.
Her blood stirred, responding to the bloodshed in ways she wished she could simply fight away. The beckoning of her inner youkai clouded her judgement and impaired her arm. Kill. Slaughter. Assassinate! the inner voice seethed, guiding her thoughts, forcing her body to produce massive waves of youki which threatened to consume and morph her body into something that she was not.
The hold on her light whip wavered and all but released; her jaws were now too big for her head, and red was painting her vision, hampering her ability to fight back as the demon prepared to seize his chance and pounce upon her.
Sesshoumaru observed as the miko began to struggle for control, knowing that the inner youkai thirsted for devastation and bloodshed so earnestly that it was slowly gaining control over her willpower. Should he decide to intervene before she transformed unwillingly, he may be dispatched by the other youkai, or succumb to the massive dog she was beginning to become. He weighed his options, hating both, knowing he would have to pick one eventually. Maybe if he had Tenseiga with him, this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place. Maybe, if this, if that-he had to stop thinking like this.
His muscles jumped with the incentive to spring into action, but his fatigue weighed him down, preventing him from doing so. What was he going to do?
In the distance, Kagome's whip flickered and slowly faded out of existence. She stood still, rubbing furiously at her eyes, kneading her head, resisting yet succumbing to the overpowering urge that was his demon nature.
"Kagome!" he shouted, hoping that at least his words would reach her. "Fight it! Do not let it consume you now!"
Fight what? The demon? she thought incoherently. I'm already doing that, Sesshoumaru. I just... need to kill him-
(Oh yes, kill him, kill him really good, just like a demon would do, open your claws and bite into its flesh!)
-so we can be safe again.
Red was beginning to blot every inch of her vision. Her body willingly began to ease into the simple minded nature of her inner youkai.
"Stop it, Kagome! You're stronger than that, woman! I demand that you obey me this instant!"
Sess-shomaru? Fight the demon? Which... the one inside of me?
And like someone had flicked a switch, the youki that whirled around her in a massive tornado began to recede at an alarming rate. Kagome found herself able to view the world in startling clarity, and face-to-face with an ugly ass demon launching itself at her.
Kagome didn't give it a chance to recuperate; her other hand produced the steady stream of youki and lashed out, whipping, tearing large chunks from its body. It vociferated into the night air so loudly Kagome was tempted to cease mid-strike to cover her sensitive ears.
Massive claws tore a chunk of the ground out close to where she stood, knocking her off balance long enough to pin her to the ground with its remaining hand. Hot, cloying youkai breath wafted over her. Kagome gagged.
"You think that little man is right? There is no way you can defeat me!" The massive hand constricted tighter around her body, almost ceasing her breathing.
Kagome clawed and kicked and bucked, though his grip was too strong. Its massive head neared her own, its fangs dangerously close to hers face. She wriggled, panic swelling and making her frantic. Her fingers wrapped securely around its hand, and squeezed, sinking her claws into the meaty flesh and shooting a large dose of poison straight into the limb.
The demon shrieked and tried at first to pull away, but she held on, releasing her grip only when he was about to thrust her into the air. She landed roughly, tumbling, finally righting herself as the demon began nursing its poisoned hand. Kagome watched with satisfaction as the poison ate away at the ligaments and muscles, leaving only a limp, useless appendage. Now, he had lost two weapons.
Clouds began rolling over the night sky, temporarily blotting out the light the moon offered. The demons eyes were glowing, almost tinged red with fury as it charged her, mindlessly angry.
Finally, she dealt the last blow, severing its meaty, spade shaped head clean off of its shoulders. Its head rolled on the dewy grass, its body sagged and teetered over at a precarious angle before flopping to the ground, lifeless and unmoving. The eyes on its head faded.
Her breath came out in thready gasps. Her blood rang in her ears. She was so caught up in the aftermath of the battle, Sesshoumaru nearly startled her out of her pants when he silently sidled up next to her. He surveyed the extent of the damage with an astute eye, noting the large chunks sliced into the body, and the severed head with some amusement. He didn't think she would be able to pull this off so quickly and effortlessly; clearly he had underestimated her, which would be a fault he would not soon repeat.
"You did well." She jumped, eyes widened in alarm. Kagome stilled when she realized he had paid her a compliment, and not a reprimand she had been expecting.
"Oh, um, thank you." She whispered, finding it difficult to keep her voice steady. "I'm also thankful that you pulled me out of... well, whatever that was."
He gave her a look that told her he understood. It did funny things to her insides. She felt taxed and dreary, though the one thing that seemed to keep her head level was the sight of Sesshoumaru, who no longer looked to be in much agony. Some colour had painted his skin, though it must have been due to the adrenaline corresponding with the need of survival. It wouldn't be surprising if he collapsed when they got back to the hospital room.
Speaking of which...
"We need to get back," she intoned, pleased that it sounded calm and controlled. Over the small swell of land, she could spot the hospital which they resided, alight with bustling nurses and doctors no doubt trying to rectify and solve the problem which was the large, gaping hole in their breezeway. They would need to return before either of them would be noted missing. "Come on," she urged once more.
Sesshoumaru slowly strode away from her, but as she hustled to catch his side, she nearly fell over in stitches laughing.
The sound of her giggling made him pause, cant his head, and then inevitably peer over his shoulder. He saw that she was fixed in a ball on the grassy ground, clutching her abdomen, one finger shakily pointed in his direction. "What is it?" he growled, which only seemed to escalate her laughter into hysterics.
She pointed to his person with a shaky finger. "Look at what you're wearing!" she said with a hardly muffled laugh. His eye twitched in annoyance; he was not ashamed by his state of dress, but this woman was making it increasingly difficult to not be a bit self-conscious.
And then, as if by design, the wind fluttered up the flimsy, thin garments he wore, revealing his bare buttocks. "Ah," he mused. That could be it.
xXx
Kagome curled up within her sheets, puffing her bangs out of her eyes with a sigh. There it was again, that need she wasn't willing to indulge again. She knew all she had to do was ask—he would help her without complaint, as he had done before. But with him sound asleep on the hospital bed beside her, it wasn't a good opportunity to wake him. True to her prediction he had slipped within his covers and fell asleep in a blink.
Her shining golden eyes searched the darkness for the unconscious taiyoukai, taking in his stilled body and the steady rise and fall of his chest. There was a smidgen of room, maybe enough for her to occupy without being caught. He didn't possess his super powers anymore, but she was aware that he retained his conditioning and training.
Making up her mind, she slid from the small confines of the couch and skulked to the bedside. Her nose twitched as she smelled his apple cider and caramel aroma. Just for a few minutes, maybe…
Her padded feet hefted her upon the bedside without a motion, holding her breath she slid easily beside the dog demon's right side and cradled her head on her makeshift arm pillow. She breathed a sigh of relief, cider and caramel filling her nose pleasantly. His heat radiated through the blankets and gave her comfort and solace. Best of all, he didn't even seem aware of her.
Feeling bold, Kagome snuggled up flush beside him, her cheek pressed against the side of his chest, and her toes tickling his. The relief followed shortly after, the necessary stress reliever by sleeping with someone for comfort and protection. She didn't really know if most of it stemmed from her taiyoukai nature, or just by plain want. Not wanting to spoil the moment, she fluttered her eyes closed and fell asleep with a few deep breaths.
Sesshoumaru's brown eyes snapped open, taking in the woman squished to his side so trustingly. It reminded him of when Rin would invite herself to a handful of his fur, becoming entangled and stuck to his side for the rest of the night. He had introduced her to pack sleeping, mostly out of necessity because the winter nights were long and chilled. But this was Kagome, and it was completely different. And yet, it wasn't, he sighed fruitlessly. He knew better than most what it was like to sleep alone, a young pup, without the company of his pack mates beside him.
Kagome shifted in her sleep, her fingers finding his hair. She played idly with it, tugging sometimes, and humming nonsensical things under her breath that he couldn't discern. Sesshoumaru decided that it would be best to relax and forget about it. The decision would have been carried on easier if she hadn't decided to roll onto her other side, bringing his hair with her and twisting his body so that he was curved around her small frame. He resisted the urge to shove her off, though he, too, shortly fell back asleep.
xXx
So... maybe some things to clarify, just in case?
The note about why Kagome slept beside Sesshoumaru:
He sort of explains this by saying she's still a 'young' pup who needs to sleep with others, so it's against her nature not to trust one of her 'packmates.' She wouldn't have felt this way for him had she still been human, which explains why she doesn't feel like this toward Inuyasha. And since Inu is only half, and it's been explained that he feels more of his human nature, his urge to sleep with others is muted compaired to a taiyoukai. And maybe Kagome is finally starting to feel something for Sesshoumaru...? I guess you'll find out!
Big thanks to madin456! You rock with your editing expertise, and asking the appropriate questions, because sometimes I do not make sense!