8: Aristocratic Assassin

"It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal."

-Helen Keller

As the pressure pulled her closer to the earth Kagome blinked in a dreadful recognition of the energy raging around her, it was something she never thought she would come across again and also something she feared to feel present in the modern day.

"Sesshomaru…" She whispered as she forced her gaze back up from where she was spiritually trapped to the ground.

The years had changed the proud demon lord. His hair was shorter than it had once been and drawn back in a ponytail that would still be a tad radical but acceptable in the business world. The marks that were a permanent tattoo of his heritage were still there, the cobalt blue quarter moon and the less contrasting salmon claw marks on his cheeks and wrists. It was bizarre to see him without his kimono or the fluffy boa thing that may have been a tail. He instead was in a fine white suit with a tie holding the sakura blossom symbol of his house.

He was looking at her she realized, though his lack of expression hadn't changed in the last few hundred years. He glanced at the fight nearby as if it was a commonplace bother, like one might consider a housefly or noisy neighbors, then walked toward her.

She wasn't sure if she should be afraid, but she certainly couldn't run away. She couldn't quite make out the battle, she'd found her eyes drawn to her past ally/enemy and he wasn't approaching from the side of the combatants.

"You were my brothers companion all those years ago." He stated as he bent down to her and set a hand on her. The moment he touched her she gasped for breath; she hadn't even noticed that she'd slowly been suffocating and there was a sudden burning in her lungs as they sucked in air hungrily, leaving her unable to respond. "Perhaps a bad time to ask how you are here now."

She shook her head, trying to form words for several seconds before managing. "Help him…the black hair…please…" She had to gasp more and her voice was so soft and strained she wasn't even sure he could make her out but he canted his head at the request just a bit and glanced over to the battle again.

"He's fighting a spirit? I cannot see it." Sesshomaru replied, his hand was still lightly on her shoulder, somehow the slight touch removing the ill effects of her closeness to all the reaitsu. He certainly had grown in power in their years apart. He'd seemed to have only aged a year or two, but he had to have lived the many decades between when she left the feudal era and now…it made her wonder if Inuyasha had survived?

"Please…what…out…Tensai…" She barely managed that time too and while her breathing was starting to even out, it was still hard to speak.

"Tensaiga?" He raised a silver brow at her. "I see you are the woman I remember from the times of Naraku. I imagine I can spare a moment, your friend doesn't seem to be faring well. It will hurt when I move away so brace yourself."

She didn't remember him being so generous but she could hardly complain at the moment. Maybe the centuries had made him a little kinder, years raising Rin probably softened him a lot toward mortals…especially if he has to live in the world of mortals now.

Then her brain shattered it's thoughts as she felt the energy curl around her mercilessly again, he wasn't trying to hide his power and hadn't been sense his approach, it was so difficult to move she found her vision blurring even as she tried to watch.

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

The storm of reaitsu was some of the most condensed form of energy Byakuya had ever sensed, it was on par with that of his grandfather and some of the other noble family members he'd seen in battle. His own aura was close when he went all out but in his current situation he had to be wary. The pest had blinded him and whatever it was it had called in for back up was definitely going to be more of a threat.

"Here I thought the soul reaver's fought their own battles." The arrancar in front of him commented as he continued to block and parry.

"So it's on my side?" He wondered. "Or is that just a trick of some kind? A farce to keep my defenses down?"

His blind fighting skills were not that bad but it was a different story when you fought one that could see you even if you couldn't see it or had trouble sensing it. With the new arrival, he didn't recognize the energy as any of the captains or other people who's power he was familiar with and it was so loud he was having steadily more difficultly tracking this damn pest.

Though it seemed his opponent was missing several openings where he could have scored several shallow blows but it still blows, a sign they were equally distracted by this new possible threat.

"Meidou Zangetsuha." Sesshomaru intoned, almost weary seeming.

Kagome blinked at how easily the creature faded away through the portal that Sesshomaru had created, though a horrific scream erupted from the portal, cut off after a short squeal by it then closing. Then the whole surreal scene came down a few levels from absurdly bizarre to just weird as fuck.

She was able to breath again as Sesshomaru suppressed the power that seemed to be flowing from him seconds before, though Byakuya could see again he seemed unsure as to where he stood with the abnormal human in front of him.

Sesshomaru just considered him and then moved back for Kagome. "Care to offer me a few moments to explain to me what I was just banishing to hell?"

That got Byakuya to put his sword away at least but he approached as well, it seemed everyone would be wanting explanations from Kagome and she was just about confused as the two of them.

"Well um…he called it an are-ran-car." She intoned carefully. "some sort of really powerful but evil spirit demon thing…"

"I'm not sure demon would be the best choice of word." Sesshomaru answered, perhaps a little insulted. "Though it is odd…I've felt such battles around me before, but I've never seen either of the opponents, nor felt it as I did with this man."

That got a frown from Byakuya, if he had gotten more serious then the mortal world around him would have gotten torn to shreds, he could still see marks all over the concrete and deeper in the grass and earth where his blades had been blocking or tearing through to attack his unseen opponent. He was concerned that his abilities were affecting the real world but to be somehow truly transferred into it there was precious little he could do against an enemy without destroying everything else around it. Buildings had cracked and windows shattered from where his reiatsu had torn into the physical plane.

There were a few times he'd considered using his bankai and it was very good he hadn't done so, and more fortunate still that this strange ally of this girl had come along. She was proving to be more of a surprise all the time.

"I'm not sure." Kagome answered when Byakuya seemed to get lost in thought. "I figured you might know more about it than me, but I'm apparently just as much in the dark."

"I never delved too deeply into the power of spirits beyond this life." Sesshomaru admitted. "I've got many ages before I need to concern myself with such. I only came over because I caught your scent, Inuyasha and your other companions always spoke of you in the highest degree. How are you still alive? You are mortal."

"I…used to travel back in time…" She commented, no point hiding it from him now, the well was closed off anyway. "…is Inuyasha still alive?"

Of course she was hopeful, how couldn't she be? Even if he'd ended up with Kikyo, he was still and would always be considered a friend.

"He is not I'm sorry." the demon lord answered. "He died approximately a century ago, Kikyo died before him of course but they lived together for many years. I never did like her. She couldn't offer him an heir either so he never did end up having one. I believe there are still various bloodlines of your monk and demon slayer friends about."

That at least made her smile. It was good to know that those two had finally gotten together. "What about Rin?'

"Rin died not too many years after Kikyo, though she met a very fine young man and I still look in on her descendants, though I can no longer tell them my true nature. You are the first person I've been able to speak so freely toward in at least seven decades. It is refreshing."

"Kagome." Byakuya spoke to her as opposed to the odd semi-human near her. "May we speak somewhere privately?"

"Still keeping company with manners befitting my brother I see." Sesshomaru commented and Kagome couldn't help but smile a little, that observation was so off. She'd already compared Byakuya to Sesshomaru and it was sorta funny that he would instead make that connection. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to see you again to speak of the old times."

"I would love that." Kagome immediately agreed, she wanted to grasp onto her more familiar reminder of the past. Blinking in shock when he handed her a business card with his cell-phone number. "Sesshomaru has a cell-phone? I must be stuck in some dream…maybe I should stop putting mushrooms on my pizza."

"Then let me know when you'd like to meet." He offered her the smallest of smiles and she was surprised to see it was quite handsome when it wasn't of an evil nature.

"Sure…" She nodded and glanced to the card again. "Stay well Sesshomaru."

She watched him walk off and then turned back to Byakuya, blushing a little when she realized she was staring.

"He's ahm…a demon lord?" she knew that had to sound absolutely horrible.

"A demon lord?" Byakuay even sounded skeptical. He'd heard of various creatures that weren't normal humans but this girl seemed to be friends with all kinds of odd folk. "You know semi-humans and can still see spirit forms…you are a unique girl."

"Thank you." Kagome said with an awkward smile. "It's a pretty complicated story…"

"Well, it seems we still have much to discuss." Byakuya commented. "Do you know where the Quincy went?"

"Oh…he said he left, he seemed like he was getting sick when we were approaching." Kagome answered. "He said he was going to head back to the battle and the he needed to report that you weren't dead."

"Which leaves you without someone to keep an eye on you again." Byakuya frowned. "Useless Quincy upstart…"

"I don't need someone to keep an eye on me." Kagome deadpanned. "I'm not just some weak girl."

"Yet you were unable to move while we were battling after a while." Byakuya pointed out. "If another Arrancar appeared your level of training wouldn't protect you."

"I…" She blinked a little at that. "…suppose so…are you offering to protect me?"

…"Shut up and let me protect you."…

"I can look after you for a time." He answered as he looked around the street littered with wounds. Though he himself was still bleeding from a dozen or so shallow wounds. "Though I would like to go to my family's estate to get more appropriate attire and rest for a time."

"Oh…" She just realized just how stained red he was in spots. "You are hurt…can I help?"

"I'll manage." He assured. "It isn't acceptable for one of my station to accept help from one of yours."

"What do you mean 'one of my station'?" Kagome frowned, all these traditional folk were the same. "I'm a woman so I can't help."

He blinked at her curiously. "I do not mean your gender. Your male-entertaining profession is not one that should be seen in the company of one of my noble station at all, to accept further help from you could be a marr on my house."

She had to put all of the words together before she realized just what it was he was implying and her jaw dropped. She suddenly wished she had those beads of subjugation more than anything. That insult along with all the other effort and excitement of the day was too much.

The slap resounded on the empty street, echoing off of nearby buildings shortly before her footsteps that were fleeing from the man. "Men are all the same! Stupid, prideful, emotional worthless pigs! How could he think I was a whore?!"

That made Byakuya just pause as the woman dashed away from him, he saw angry tears in her eyes as she fled. He closed his eyes as he added things up and realized he'd just made quite the mistake, and though the strike that had just occurred would remain secret he would let it go. He'd just offended her honor in a despicable way in not only his dejection of her offer but a slandering of character he should have known sooner she didn't deserve.

"I miss Hisana." He whispered with his sigh and walked after where she'd dashed off. "…she wasn't nearly so willful."

End Chapter

Eh I guess the end of this chapter was more anti-climatic but I can't keep ending the chapters with attacks or mysterious new people. Thanks again for those that review or even favorite, I'm surprised at how popular this odd little story is actually getting.

-Aura

P.S. Thanks for the info Ls-girl, I hadn't heard that before but it's sorta funny.