Chapter 18 - Moving Forward
Naraku swept his gaze across a room full of his squad leaders. Kagura and Kanna were knelt closest to him with a row of humanoid figures; both human and demon alike knelt behind them along the back wall of the small room. Kagura and Kanna had handpicked the humans and demons so he was confident in their abilities.
"Kagura, you will lead the first assault and Kanna, you will lead the second strike. For now though, we don't have enough minions.
"Humans: figure out how many horses are needed and then go out and get the fastest you can find. Demons: scout the lands and gather all the demons you can find. Convince them to come. All of you, you may use force if necessary. Questions?" Naraku's attention was grabbed when one of the warriors cleared her throat. She was clearly a demon.
Pointed ears poked through malachite coloured hair that fell messily around an ivory face. The woman had hot pink irises with black, vertical slits as pupils and was clad in snug armour that accented her ample curves. She smirked when she saw the man's eyes lingering on her voluptuous chest, "When do we attack?" she purred.
Naraku smirked; she was flirting with him. He stood and approached the woman. He knelt closely in front of her and stroked her cheek, brushing back her bright hair. His hand circled down to her chin and lifted her face so that she was facing him. "What is your name?"
The female's eyes had closed in pleasure from the light, sensual touch. She opened her eyes and looked up at the dark-haired man. "Katsumi."
Naraku leaned into Katsumi and traced his nose along her jaw up to her ear, "Well, Katsumi, I hope you're true to your name… a beauty you are, but are you truly victorious?"
"You'll just have to wait and see Naraku-sama." Katsumi rubbed her cheek softly against his.
Kagura almost gagged at this disgusting show of lust and turned her attention back to the front of the room where a smirking Naraku had reappeared.
"Katsumi-san has asked a good question, we will attack when all the preparations are made," Naraku said, finally answering Katsumi's question.
"Where will the attack be?" someone else asked.
Naraku pondered this for a minute before answering, "We'll kill two birds with one stone and attack Sesshomaru's castle."
His eyes flicked around the room, "You are dismissed. Kagura, a moment."
Kagura nodded and remained where she was seated until the room had cleared out, "What is it?"
"Send a demon, a lowly one just in case, to the area where Inu Yasha is residing to create some commotion. Make sure Inu Yasha gets the message that I will be attacking Sesshomaru's castle."
"But why would you want to tell him?"
"Then they'll hurry up and go to Sesshomaru's castle."
Kagura nodded and left Naraku alone in the room.
Naraku smirked to himself, 'It's all coming together.'
Stampeding feet and frantic screaming awoke Inu Yasha. He stood abruptly and put a hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga. He peered out the small window in the hut. 'Damn! The sun still hasn't risen!'
Scowling, Inu Yasha turned back to his companions who were in various stages of waking up. Sango was lying still; tense with her eyes darting around suspiciously, Kayo was yawning while stretching her arms up above her. Miroku was nowhere to be seen.
Inu Yasha stepped around the females and out the door. He found a steady stream of people running away from the village and Miroku interrogating a woman with mussed hair who bore a harried expression. Inu Yasha approached, straining to hear over the screaming of the fleeing villagers.
"—out of my way!" the woman shrieked before taking off.
Miroku turned when he sensed Inu Yasha next to him. An irritated expression had painted itself on Miroku's tired face; clearly many people had provided the same answer as the woman.
"What's going on?" Inu Yasha questioned curiously.
"How am I supposed to know? These people don't seem to want any help," growled Miroku. Dark bags shadowed weary, half-lidded eyes. Clearly, the monk hadn't gotten much sleep and was in an unpleasant mood. Leaning heavily on his staff, Miroku pushed past Inu Yasha and entered the hut.
Inu Yasha saw that the villagers were mostly gone and only the slow runners were left behind. He stepped in front of one, "What's going on here?" he demanded.
The frightened man skidded to a stop and panted, "A demon is attacking the village."
Inu Yasha nodded and stepped away from the man. He returned to the hut to find Miroku leaning against the back wall with an angry frown gracing his features.
Sango and Kayo were sitting up where they'd been sleeping. They all looked up to Inu Yasha with the same silent question: "What's going on?"
"A demon," Inu Yasha said.
Sango stiffened and stood quickly. Kayo looked shocked and Miroku heaved himself up with a sigh.
"It's almost dawn," Sango said, stripping off her clothing in the corner to reveal her demon slayer's uniform. She snatched up her Hiraikotsu and looked at Inu Yasha, "your powers should be back by the time we find the demon."
Miroku helped Kayo up and said, "Well, we had better be on our way if we want to get there in time to save at least some of the village." He guided Kayo to the door and together the two left.
Inu Yasha and Sango exchanged blank looks then strode after their friends. Once outside, the four hurried toward the village, reaching the outskirts quickly.
The sun peeked over the horizon and spread its first rays onto the land, sparkling when it hit the dew drops that dotted the greenery. Birds sang cheerily and the sky was a breathtaking mix of colours. Altogether, it was a beautiful morning.
Out of her peripheral vision, Kayo saw Inu Yasha's aura pulsate and change. The colours grew lighter and some disappeared completely. He was a half-demon again. The events of last night shimmered in Kayo's memory as she gazed at him. Her thoughts were cut off by an early-morning, raging headache though. Gritting her teeth, she waited it out, as she always did; after all, what else could she do?
Inu Yasha felt eyes on him and was about to turn to see who was watching him when his demon senses picked up a familiar scent. He glowered and growled, "Naraku," before taking off in the direction his nose was leading him. He heard the humans stumble after him and turned his attention back to the demon. 'So Naraku finally came out of hiding? Took him long enough.'
Inu Yasha halted behind the demon. It clearly wasn't Naraku, but it was one of his incarnations. A crude spider-shaped scar covered the demon's back; this mark was well known among Inu Yasha and his friends as a sign of Naraku.
The hanyou growled loudly until the demon turned to face him. The demon was ten feet tall and was the usual hulking, brutish demon. 'But I shouldn't be fooled, if he is an incarnate of Naraku, he is bound to have some special ability.' Inu Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga and prepared to charge at the demon when he felt a hand on his shoulder restraining him. He turned to see Miroku staring at the demon with forced patience.
"Why have you come?" Miroku bit out, scowling when the demon smirked.
"I was sent here to relay a message," the demon said.
"What message?" Sango asked, eying the demon.
"My master, Naraku-sama, wants you to know that he will be attacking Sesshomaru's castle," the fiend replied.
They stood, shocked and staring, Kayo finally broke the stunned silence, "Inu Yasha, isn't that where Kagome-san is?"
Inu Yasha bared his fangs dangerously and released the Wind Scar on the demon.
The demon's voice sounded from the group's left, "Do you really think that I will let myself die now? Before being able to kill that miko in your brother's castle?" the demon began laughing maniacally, when he finally stopped he uttered two words before disappearing, "As if."
"Come back here you bastard!" Inu Yasha howled.
Kayo shyly stepped forward and put a hand on Inu Yasha's shoulder, "He's gone."
"I guess his power was speed," Sango said dryly, "Come on, let's go back to the hut and eat."
Inu Yasha grit his teeth and strode toward the hut, "Hurry up, we have to hurry and get to Sesshomaru's castle before Naraku does."
The humans trailed behind the determined hanyou, swapping shrugs and resigned looks.
Inu Yasha scowled fiercely and vowed that he wouldn't let Naraku lay a finger on Kagome. He had thought that Kagome was dead, now that he knew that she wasn't, Naraku wasn't about to take her away from him again, he would make sure of that.
Kagome woke up at first light and stretched her muscles. Grabbing a green, leafy kimono from the closet, she hurriedly bathed. By the time that she was ready, the sun was streaming strongly through her window. "Good morning!" she chirped.
Kiome and Kiara exchanged amused glances before replying, "Good morning."
"What's going on?" Kiara wondered aloud.
Kagome grinned, "I'm just in a good mood. Now, let's go eat breakfast."
Kiome nodded and the sisters started toward the door.
"Hey! Wait up!" Kagome bounced over to the demonesses and wedged herself in between the two. "I had this really weird dream. I was there and you two, Rin, my friends, my family and even Sesshomaru-sama was there. It was everyone! And it was fabulous! We were all having a picnic and everyone was laughing and joking and having a good time…" a sudden pang of homesickness along with another agonizing headache washed over Kagome and her voice trailed away. She missed her family and she couldn't even remember what life used to be like without these constant headaches.
The older females didn't seem to notice Kagome's lapse into silence or if they did, they didn't say anything, "Is that why you're in such a good mood?" Kiome asked mildly.
Kagome shook off her longing and nodded vigorously. She had not mentioned that sometime during the dream, a certain demon lord had taken her aside and that they'd shared a very tender moment.
The rest of the walk to the dining room was filled with mindless chatter. At the ornate double doors, Kiome and Kiara stepped back and watched as two servants opened the huge doors to their charge.
Kagome paused in the doorway and stared into the cavernous room. Sesshomaru was at the head of the table as before and Rin and Jin were seated on the right side of the table with Rin closest to Sesshomaru and Jin next to her. Sesshomaru appeared to be grumbling to himself bemusedly while the females were bickering animatedly. As she watched, she saw her grandfather sitting as Sesshomaru was, muttering to himself while she and Souta argued needlessly and her mother stood by with a knowing smile. Homesickness dragged at Kagome. Her family stopped and looked in her direction with blank expressions. Kagome blinked rapidly and shook her head sharply. Her family faded away and Sesshomaru, Rin and Jin reappeared.
Kagome laughed nervously to fill the suffocating silence that had filled the room. She made her way to the seat opposite Rin and sat down. At the sight of everyone watching her, she reddened and grinned.
Sesshomaru shook his head, 'She's just like the other two.' He sighed inwardly; he knew that too much exposure to these three females would eventually lead to a pounding migraine. The three gazed at him, wordlessly providing him the courtesy of the first bite. He nodded and obligingly dug in. Just as he expected, the pointless prattle picked up right where it left off as soon as his mouth was chewing away at food.
Kagome laughed along with Jin as Rin pouted about something trivial. The babble continued through the meal and Kagome felt at home with the lively females. Even after the servants had cleared the table, the three talked.
Sesshomaru sat there marvelling at the fact that these three could make conversation out of the most trivial topics. He stood to go and was walking past Kagome when he felt her grab his hand.
"Wait. I just remembered that there is something that I wanted to talk to you about," Kagome looked back across the table to find that Rin and Jin were already halfway to the doors. She smiled gratefully at Jin's back and saw Jin cross her fingers at her side. She turned back to the demon lord and blushed when she realized that she was still holding his hand.
Sesshomaru watched amusedly as the miko yanked her hand away and blushing, turned back to the table. He walked back to his seat and sitting down, waited for her to begin. He noticed that she was staring at her hands in disbelief and shaking her head in astonishment. When she didn't say anything, he smirked and cleared his throat.
Kagome snapped out of her daze and looked at the Western Lord, not knowing how to start. "I miss my family. Can I… Will you let me… Do you think that I could go home?" she squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for him to laugh in her face and dismiss her.
The youkai blinked, he hadn't expected this. He gazed at her cringed form and his expression softened, "I'm sorry; I can't let you do that."
Kagome looked up desperately, she hadn't expected to be allowed to go, but she couldn't give up so easily, "I'll come back, I promise!" When Sesshomaru stayed silent, her mind fumbled for a better argument.
"If that's all…" Sesshomaru got up swiftly and again began toward the door.
"Wait! Onegai! I miss them and I really want to see them!" a desperate edge had entered her voice, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to see her family again.
Sesshomaru turned around slowly, "What assurance do I have that you'll come back? And even so, what reason do I have to let you go?"
Although his face was carefully composed, the miko could see the distrust colouring his molten eyes, "Come with me."
"And why would I want to do that?"
"Because…" being able to come up with no good lie, Kagome decided she would tell him the truth. "…because I live 500 years in the future," she blurted.
Sesshomaru sensed that she wasn't lying and his anger dried up just as quickly as it had come. Curiosity filled him, "Five hundred years in the future…?"
Sensing she'd gained the upper hand, Kagome stood and tucked in her chair, "Well, you know Inu Yasha's Forest?" at his nod she continued, "At the heart of that forest is a well."
"What about it?"
"It's called Bone Eater's Well and it lets me time travel."
Sesshomaru pondered this for a while then began walking, gesturing that she should walk next to him. When she joined him, he asked, "If so, then people must have discovered it before you. Do they frequent the future?"
"Well, not exactly," Kagome described in detail the tale of how one morning, she'd fallen down the well thanks to her cat and her wimpy brother and how the Shikon no Tama had burst from her body. She explained that because of this, she could travel through time and how Inu Yasha was the only other person who could come into her time. She told him that she didn't know exactly why this was but she thought it was because of the rosary around his neck binding him to her. She talked about everything even remotely related to this topic and finished with her monthly or bi-monthly visits home. She looked around and noticed that she had talked them all the way into his study.
Standing in front of her, Sesshomaru considered this for a while. He knew that he should veto her request, but curiosity stopped him from doing so, "I see." After thorough reasoning with himself, convincing himself that nothing could go wrong while they were gone, he nodded, "Alright. But we cannot be gone for long."
The human squealed in delight and threw her arms around him. "Arigato! Arigato! Arigato! I won't forget this!"
Ignoring her, the demon asked, "When would you like to depart?"
Kagome backed away and looked up at him, "Now?" she asked innocently.
He nodded slightly to indicate his consent and said, "Inform Rin and Jin of our departure."
Kagome nodded in agreement and scampered out of his study. She asked around until she finally found Jin and Rin playing outside, waiting for her. The two scurried up to her as soon as she stepped outside.
"What was that all about?" Jin inquired.
"I missed you," Rin wrapped her arms around Kagome's legs and refused to let go.
"I'm going home," Kagome said excitedly.
Rin's eyes widened and Jin blinked. "Iie! Okaa-san, don't leave me! I need you here! Please don't go!" the young girl cried.
Jin was equally upset, but she understood and hid her displeasure much better, "How long will you be gone?" she asked in a significantly subdued voice.
"…I don't know."
"Okaa-san, you promised never to leave Rin!" Rin wailed.
"Me, 'leave me,'" Kagome corrected. "And I'm not leaving you; I'm just visiting my family. I promise I'll come back. And I'll bring you something from home; something pretty and fun that you can play with."
The young girl's eyes lit up at the prospect of a new toy, "Promise Rin—I mean me—promise me that you'll come back?"
Kagome nodded patiently and smiled at the girl before prying Rin off of her legs. Kagome knelt down in front of her and stroked her hair, "Promise me that you'll be good?"
Rin nodded happily, "As long as you bring me a toy."
The teenager laughed and hugged Rin, "I promise." Kagome stood up and looked at Jin. "Are you okay with this?" It hadn't been long since Jin had arrived, but the two had spent hours together and they'd grown very close; they were like sisters now.
Jin pouted and looked away into the distance. "Will you bring me a souvenir as well?"
Grinning, Kagome agreed, "Just as long as you don't get mad at me for leaving you alone here."
Jin turned back to Kagome and beamed, "Deal! You better bring me something good." When Kagome nodded, Jin skirted Rin and embraced Kagome tightly.
Kagome hugged her back and felt tears prick at her eyes when she felt Rin wrap her arms around the older females' legs. "I'll miss you guys so much," she sniffed and closed her eyes, vowing that she would return. Tears rolled down Kagome's face and when Jin pulled away, the sympathetic expression on her face just made her tears come even faster. When Rin let go of her, Kagome saw Sesshomaru standing passively behind the two. Kagome walked past the females and stood next to Sesshomaru. She sniffed and waved as Sesshomaru's youkai cloud carried them up, up and away.
The demon lord could not understand what was so hard about leaving for a little while. She was going to come back, so what was all the fuss about? Shaking his head, he watched the land fly by beneath him as his cloud sped on its way.
As soon as Sesshomaru's castle was out of sight, Kagome wiped her tears and touched Sesshomaru's muscular shoulder, "Arigato." She was so happy that even another fierce headache did not put a damper on her mood.
Sesshomaru glanced down at the crying miko and was a little taken aback by the gratitude that emanated from her. He nodded slightly and turned his attention back toward the path they were taking. There was a growing feeling inside him. It was warm and comforting; something he'd never felt before; something that her smile had produced. His eyes darted to her. She was crowded close to him so as not to fall off the cloud and she was gazing in wonder at the ground far below. The corner of his lips turned up a notch, she was so pure…
Sesshomaru shook himself out of his thoughts and stared straight ahead.
The remainder of the trip was silent. When they finally landed at the edge of the clearing that harboured Bone Eater's Well, Kagome was restless and eager to go back to her time.
She ran up to the well and placed her hands on it. She was about to jump in when a thought occurred to her. She turned back to Sesshomaru and voiced her thoughts, "What if the well doesn't let you through?"
Sesshomaru strode forward confidently and said, "If that half-wit hanyou can go through, then so can I." He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.
Kagome felt herself being twirled and found herself pressed against the demon lord's built chest. She blushed at their closeness and looked up at Sesshomaru. He leapt up and straight into the well, gaze locking onto hers when the magic of the well engulfed them.
Green eyes widened as they watched from the trees. The kit turned and dashed back to the village, barrelling into Kaede's hut and stumbling over his words as he hurriedly filled her in.
"Calm down Shippo," an old, weary voice suggested, "I'm sure it was nothing."
"But Kaede, you didn't see how Kagome looked at him! It was the same way she looks at Inu Yasha!" the young kitsune cried desperately. He didn't understand what was going on. Sesshomaru was the enemy, so why had his surrogate mother allowed him to put his hands around her?
"Shippo, when you stay with someone for a long time, it is inevitable that you become… close. I'm sure that Kagome-chan and Sesshomaru-sama are just friends."
Shippo pouted, his mind raced through every option he had, but the result was always the same. Resolutely he said, "Kaede, I've made up my mind. When Kagome and Sesshomaru come back, I'm going with them back to Sesshomaru's castle."
"Shippo, don't do anything rash."
"It's not rash! Ever since Inu Yasha left, I've been doing nothing but sitting here. I'm going and that's that!"
The old miko smiled, "I never said you couldn't go young one, I just said don't do anything rash."
Shippo blinked then grinned, "Thanks Kaede-san."
"Just promise me that you'll take care of Kagome-chan and stay out of trouble."
"I promise."
A/N) The name Katsumi means "victorious beauty".
More SessKag goodness coming up!