Chapter 18
"You're sure no one is out there?" she asked for the hundredth time.
"Miko, at this point, even if there was I am two seconds away from throwing you from my room," he said face palming.
"You try having my mother as your mother! If she saw run out of your room she would just know, okay? She's very intuitive," she said in an angry whisper.
"So it seems. She's not there. But you better hurry up before she makes her way up those steps," he said nodding his head.
Kagome eeked and ran out of the room faster than he thought humans could. Truthfully, her mother was in the kitchen doing the dishes, but he needed her out before he decapitated himself. She was infuriating at times.
He picked through some of the new clothes she had bought him and smiled to himself. Then again, she's wonderful all the same. He dressed himself in the quiet of his room, and found that he perhaps should not have forced her to leave. He had grown far too fond of her company.
Once she was back in her room, Kagome slammed the door behind her and quickly scanned the room. With her mother no where in sight, she collapsed on her bed and screamed into her pillow.
"What the hell are you doing, Higurashi?" she chastised herself. She got up and walked into her bathroom and turned on the faucet to wash her face. Looking in the mirror, she studied herself closely. She didn't like the look in her eyes. She saw happiness, and when that started, she wound up hurt.
"Who am I to think that he could be with me? He needs a full-blooded heir to take the throne. That much I know. He needs someone with excellent battle skills to mandate the palace if he's at war. He needs a youkai. Not pathetic me!" she threw a punch against her wall and cursed herself for doing so.
"I can't fall for him," she said caressing her pounding knuckles. "We're just from two different worlds. I'm no where near worthy enough for someone like him." She buried her fists against her face and silently wept.
Truth was, she felt an amazing connection with him she never felt before. Something deeper than love or lust. It was stirring her core and she couldn't stand that the one person doing this to her was the one person she couldn't have.
"That's not true," came a female voice suddenly. Kagome stood up straight and looked around her fearfully.
"Who the hell said that?" she asked out loud.
"Turn around," it said.
She turned slowly only to see her reflection. But what was frightening, was that her reflection was smiling, and she was not. It wasn't possible.
"Who are you?" she asked. Then again, who was she to question if things were possible or not. Here she is falling for the ice prince.
"I can't show my face to you, because I am incomplete. But it is time we had a talk, daughter," her reflection said to her.
"Who are you?" again she asked. The mirror Kagome continued to look on at her with fondness and care.
"You are telling me you don't know? You haven't felt my presence at all for the past 6 years?"
Kagome thought hard. The only presence she ever felt constantly was that of the jewel.
"Are you…the Shikon no Tama?" she asked in bewilderment. Her reflection laughed and shook her head.
"No, but close enough. I am the soul of the jewel. I am Midoriko," it told her.
For a moment, Kagome was speechless. Here she was talking to herself in the mirror, and it wasn't even her. But a woman who passed away centuries before her.
"How…" she began.
"I can't explain that now. What I can explain are two things. 1)," she said holding up a finger, "is that you must not question what is happening between you and Sesshomaru. What ever happens, do not doubt him."
"How can you say that? He I can't give him an heir. I can't provide to him what a youkai mate could! I would be cheating him if he fell in love with me," she said sadly.
"Kagome, I am only going to say this once, because once is all I have. You are the guardian of the Shikon, a powerful miko born with my heart embedded within your own. Do you know what that means?"
Kagome shook her head no.
"You will. Do not doubt him. Or your true abilities. A lot of people are depending on it," she warned.
"What are they depending on me for?"
"Kikyo is a vengeful girl. She felt her death was unjust and untimely. She is jealous of your ability to walk through the ages, while she is petrified in the past. She has made horrible deals with horrible creatures. She is cursed, and she will curse everyone around her."
"What am I supposed to do, then?" Kagome asked wide-eyed.
"Trust in Sesshomaru. Even when it feels like there is nothing left to trust. Please. Your destiny is being drifted into dangerous waters and I am powerless to help. Kikyo is tainting all the fragments she has, which hinders my abilities further. Collect the shards from her, and make sure she does not live to get them back!"
"Kill Kikyo! I can't! She's human…"
"No! She is a clay model of something that once was. Hoarding stolen souls. Feeding off of dark magic. She was the one that attacked you on your way to the well," she informed.
"What? How? It was so strong, I barely made it out alive!"
"Sesshomaru helped you. He found her and attacked her. But she got away. Listen to me Kagome. You are the protector of the jewel. This is your destiny. Protect it, otherwise the future you see here will be nothing like it is,"
"Midoriko, I am not strong like Kikyo, she knows a lot more than me and she's better and magic. How am I supposed to do this?"
"I've already told you Kagome. Be careful. There are eyes watching your every move," she said. Her reflection came back to mirroring her and Midoriko's energy was dissipated. But then she noticed two red glowering eyes staring at her from the mirror. When she spun around, they were gone. Fear etched down her spine as she fled the bathroom.
Running into Sesshomaru's room, she didn't even knock when she opened the door. She found him half dressed pulling his jeans over himself. He was going to yell at her for just barging in when he smelled her fear.
"What happened," he asked gripping her arms. She knew he was fast, but he wasn't that fast.
"Inuyasha…" was all she said when he smelled it. Inuyasha's scent.
"How the hell did he get here?!" bellowed Sesshomaru. He reached for his sword and pounced out the window. He was gone only moments before he returned, his eyes glowing red. "He's gone. But he wasn't alone, that imbecile!" he cursed.
"Kikyo!" Kagome exclaimed.
"How did the pass through the well? You told me only you were able to do so?" he questioned her.
"I thought I was! I don't know how she…" Then it clicked in her head. "That bitch!" Kagome cursed. Sesshomaru eyed her carefully; he had never heard her curse before.
"She has a piece of my soul! I'm guessing it allowed her to travel through it. Midoriko was right, Kikyo is trouble," she said collapsing on Sesshomaru's bed.
"What do you mean, Midoriko?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll explain it later. We need to go after them," she pleaded to him.
He nodded and she ran to her room to finish dressing. After both Kagome and Sesshomaru placed several powerful barriers around the house, he warned the family not to step outside for anything. Kagome's mother held Shippo and Souta tightly and Gramps stood by the fireplace staring into the pit.
"Gramps?" she asked placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to her and smiled.
"Don't worry about us, deary. Just make sure you come home in one piece." He walked over to Sesshomaru and pointed a finger in his face. "And you!" he said with a wicked glare. "You had better take care of my Kagome. I trusted Inuyasha and look what happened. Don't make his mistake," he warned.
Sesshomaru's face grew dark and dangerous. "I am not my father. Nor my brother,' he said low. He looked at Kagome and nodded to her. Soon they left the house and were out on a hunt.
They followed the trail of dark magic and the scent of hanyou. They were being lead deep within the woods surrounding the shrine, and Kagome couldn't help but feel very much like the prey.
She paused and extended her senses outwards. Sesshomaru noticed and looked back at her. "Something is wrong," she told him.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure…I just have a feeling we're going to wrong way," she told him. He gave her a strange look. "Look, I know their scents go that way, but in my gut I feel that its wrong. It's some sort of trick."
Sesshomaru looked from where they were going, to where she was pointing to and couldn't make up his mind. Follow his nose, or the untrained miko.
Trust her, came his beast.
It was all he needed to grab her and speed the other way. While he was running, Kagome placed a masking spell on them both that hid their physical bodies and their scent. It wasn't going to last for long, but it might give them a little leverage. "It doesn't mask sound though. So be as silent as possible," she told him. He nodded and continued where she was pointing. They stopped back at the house and she pointed to the shrine. Her eyes told him, In there. So he followed.
The door was wedged open and he knew he shut it when him and Kagome left. He set her down and walked quietly to it and saw Kikyo standing over the well with Inuyasha.
"Did you leave the trail?" she asked him.
"Yeah," he replied staring at the well. "Is it finished?"
"Yes, no one can pass the well unless I lift the spell. It is designed so only I could lift it. They are not going anywhere. I've also finished our shifting spells," she told him.
"Okay. Let's have it then," he said standing straight. Sesshomaru saw Kikyo wave her hand over Inuyasha's forehead in an intricate pattern, then his body glowed a dark purple and he suddenly had the face of another person. Even his scent had changed.
"Wonderful. It worked. This is your identity. Make up a name, a hobby, I don't care. But do not give yourself away," she commanded.
She then shifted herself into a fiery red haired onna. She was shorter and a little more meat and her face was completely different. "You will call me Azula. Remember that name," she said stepping closer to him.
He nodded and looked at his sword, which had transformed into a cell phone. He had to admit, her spell was strong and crafty. But he still had a terrible feeling something wasn't right.
"You're sure Kagome won't be hurt?" he asked her.
"Not unless she makes it so I have to. I will have her shards willingly or unwillingly. She is no match for me," she said sternly. Her tone softened when she saw him step back a little. "Inu, please understand. If she taints the jewel, then the world will be changed forever. Evil will have power over humans and demons and the world will be in chaos," she stepped closer to him and held his hands. "This is for the greater good of existence. Please don't be selfish," she pleaded.
He nodded and dropped his head into her neck.
"Good. I have the directions to the club you said they were meeting at. Let us hurry, if they followed you're trail, they should be there by now," she said handing him the paper slip.
Sesshomaru heard enough and stepped away quietly, grabbing hold of Kagome. He sped of and placed her down somewhere safe.
"Kagome…" he said looking to her.
"I heard them. Did you memorize what they look like?" she asked needlessly.
He nodded and she looked into the diminishing moon. "Then let's go clubbing."
Kagome allowed both of them to remain invisible so that they could race through Tokyo without being seen. They needed to get to La Rouge quickly and she wasted enough time running back into the house to change clothes.
She slipped on a burgundy shirt that was off the shoulders and the sleeves had a slit going down so that it fell off her arm, but was cuffed to her wrists. A silver gem clasped a sweetheart shape to the shirt and sat right at her cleavage, not showing too much, but enough. She wore a pair of dark washed jeans with faded stripes on her thighs. Silver flats accented the gem on her shirt and she left her hair down loose. She accessorized with a pendant her mother gave her; it had a burgundy choke chain made from velvet, with a white heart cameo dangling from it.
Her outfit was simple, but it froze Sesshomaru in his tracks when she opened her door. He wore a plain white shirt with dark wash jeans, which contrasted perfectly with her look. He grabbed her firmly and kissed her hard, letting her know he approved. She flushed and smiled at him.
"Ready?" she said breathlessly.
"Let's go," he said making his way down the stairs.
He grabbed her tight when they where out and sped off where she told him to go. He jumped through traffic and sped by people in the streets. He wasn't sure how she had managed to come up with this spell, but he was absolutely grateful for it. She had him take some shady short cuts through allies and wondered if she walked these alone at night. He suddenly felt protective and hugged her closer. Whether in the feudal era or in her time, criminals never died out, and he wanted her safe.
Finally he saw the glowing sign for La Rouge and she took him to a desolate ally so they could take off of spell. She had already masked his demonic markings before she lifted the invisibility veil. They lingered in the ally a little further to talk about what to do.
"Just keep an eye open for them, I suppose," he told her.
"If I find them, I'll put a binding spell on Inuyasha, at least. Kikyo could easily escape mine but Inuyasha would have trouble," she sighed. She just couldn't believe this.
Sesshomaru felt her distress and kissed the top of her forehead lightly.
"Be strong. Do not allow the likes of them to best you," he cooed to her. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his neck. It wasn't doing it that bothered her. It was the who that was setting her nerves off. She trusted Inuyasha. She loved him and still revered to him as a close friend. It hurt her tremendously that his betrayal would sink this far.
"Let's get going. It's almost 9 and my friends are expecting us," she said with a half smile. He placed his arm around her shoulder and lead her inside.
It wasn't at all what he expected. They colors were all very warm and there were tea lights on every table. Everyone was laughing and some where dancing in the center space. There was a live performance, but the singer didn't have the greatest voice. His pitch was off and he cracked every now and then. But no one seemed to mind. It was just the spirit of it all.
"Kagome! Over here!" Yuka called waving them over.
Kagome and Sesshomaru walked to them and her three friends stood to greet them.
"For a minute there we thought you weren't going to show up!" said Ayumi.
"For a minute, so did we," blushed Kagome.
Yuka looked between Sesshomaru's cool expression and Kagome's blush and instantly knew. She grinned ear to ear and scooted over so they could sit. Kagome sat between her friends and Sesshomaru in the crescent shaped table. The girls chatted about school, colleges, fashion. Everything girls talk about.
Kagome and Sesshomaru, however, were lost in their own world looking for two specific people. The casually threw in a comment now and then so they didn't seem distracted, but tried concentrating on searching for either Kikyo's aura, Inuyasha's demonic energy, or even their new faces.
"So Kags, are you ready to go up?" asked Eri.
Kagome smiled and looked away, not really wanting to answer. "Well, you guys really want me to, so why not?"
"It's just been so long and you really do have a beautiful voice," Eri told her.
"Yeah, I'll do it. I don't really mind," Kagome smiled and glanced up at Sesshomaru. He linked his arm around her and held her close. She was elated that he displayed himself in front of her friends like this. The table erupted in giddy squeals and Sesshomaru looked down at her with a collected smile. She leaned into his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
The song that was playing finished and the people in the lounge clapped. The guy who sang bowed and handed the mic over to an older man. He was balding and had a very Mr. Miagi look to him.
"That was Kuro singing Fuki Mori everyone," he said clapping his hands. The crowd applauded again and waited for Mr. Haru to continue. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you've been with us for a while, you'll remember a lovely lady that sang with us night after night, divulging us into her life with her songs. Her lyrics struck a cord in all of us, and left us weeping with her. She took us to a wonderful place and rocked the stage," he said looking at Kagome. Sesshomaru glanced down at his little blushing miko and wanted to hear her sing more than anything at that moment.
"She's been gone from us for too long, her life taking her to mysterious and extraordinary places. But she's back with us tonight. With just one song, let her pry open you're hearts, tear down your walls, and fill you with something magical. Kagome Higarshi, everyone," he said clapping. The spot light shone above her and Sesshomaru scooted so she could get out. He held out his hand to her and she took it blushing.
The familiar faces that she used to sing to erupted with joy and they clapped for her. The ones she didn't recognize clapped in great anticipation. She took the mic from Mr. Haru and bowed to him.
"Welcome back, my cherry blossom," he told her returning her bow with a deep and long one. His eyes twinkled and shone with fatherly love for her. She faced the crowd and took several deep breaths. She leaned over to the dj and whispered which song to play.
She was nervous and Sesshomaru could tell. He locked his eyes with her and said to her through them, Only see me.
She kept her gaze steady on him as the music began to play. She placed the mic onto its holder and shut her eyes. Sesshomaru… she though
When she opened them, the crowd was gone. It was only him and she didn't see his human form. She saw him in his warlord clothing. His beautiful silver hair. His markings of power and strength. She saw him.
She placed a hand on the mic and began :
"When your tears are spent on your last pretense
And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense.
When it's in your spine like you've walked for miles
And the only thing you want is just to be still for a while"
She swayed her hips when the drums played. I know you don't feel this way yet
"If your heart wears thin I will hold you up
And I will hide you when it gets too much
I'll be right beside you
I'll be right beside you"
She focused her eyes on him. But I can't deny what I feel for you.
"When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath
Where the space between the things you know is blurry nonetheless.
When you try to speak but you make no sound
And the words you want are out of reach but they've never been so loud"
She shut her eyes, praying he would listen to her song. I need you to know.
"If your heart wears thin I will hold you up
And I will hide you when it gets too much
I'll be right beside you
I'll be right beside you"
Opening them, tears escaped her eyes. I'm different.
"I will stay.
Nobody will break you,
Yeah!"
Sesshomaru felt choked. Her words pierced his heart. Not alone.
"Trust in me, trust in me.
Don't pull away!"
She begged him with her eyes. Trust me.
"Trust in me, trust in me."
He gripped the table hard. I do.
"I'm just trying to keep this together, because I could do worse and you could do better!"
Tears rolled off her face and she looked at him with her soul. I love you.
"Tears are spent on your last pretense
And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense."
Her eyes widened slightly and her heart pounded. I love you!
"If your heart wears thin I will hold you up
And I will hide you when it gets too much
I'll be right beside you
Nobody will break you."
Sesshomaru needed air. He was drowning in her tears. I know.
The song finished and nearly everyone was in tears. They felt her pain, they saw it in her eyes. They exploded in claps, standing and whistling. Kagome felt weak and she handed the mic to Mr. Haru, wiping her tears. He smiled at her and hugged her close, "You did wonderfully."
She bowed to him and made her way down the stage. Sesshomaru was already out of his seat and met her on the bottom of the steps.
"I know," he told her. She hugged him close and he led her behind the stage, where she wept on his shoulder. She wasn't unhappy. No. Realization only hit her. And it hit them both. Hard.