Note: And thus, we get our first (non-omake) glimpse of Sesshomaru. I hope you enjoy him :) Also, thank you for all the favs/follows and feedback!
Journey to the Future – Chapter 8
Inuyasha wrenched his robe away from his older brother and leapt angrily to his feet, pulling Kagome's attention away from the beautiful youkai. "What have you done with Kagome, you bastard?"
Sesshomaru met her eyes briefly before rolling them skyward and gesturing minutely at her. Kagome raised a hand and wriggled her fingers at him, a sheepish grin on her face. "Hi," she said lamely.
The hanyou sagged slightly with relief, but then stiffened again as he glared at his brother. "Why were you following us?" he demanded.
Sesshomaru ignored him and walked toward the back of the cave. As Inuyasha followed behind him, waving his sword angrily, Rin resumed combing through Kagome's hair.
"So, Rin-chan," Kagome said conversationally, after a tense silence. "How did you meet Sesshomaru?"
"Hm, Sesshomaru-sama saved me when I was a child," Rin said, combing through Kagome's hair one last time before moving to sit at her side. "My parents died when I was a baby. I didn't have any other relatives, so some of the adults in the village did what they could to care for me." She picked at a pale yellow flower that was woven into her hair.
Kagome sat wide-eyed, completely engrossed in the girl's tale.
"On day, I got very, very sick and none of the villagers wanted me around anymore, just in case I got anyone else ill. Sesshomaru-sama found me in the woods where they had thrown me out and took me in. It's been about seven years now," she said, smiling gratefully toward the back of the cave where Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had gone.
"I can't believe your village would do that!" Kagome protested in outrage. It was incomprehensible to her that anyone would toss away a child just for being sick. But then again, Rin seemed to be very healthy and happy, so perhaps it was for the best that she was no longer residing in that village.
"It's okay, nee-san," Rin said, grinning at her. "I can hardly remember that village anymore and Sesshomaru-sama has been so good to me."
"What's he like?" Kagome asked curiously, lowering her voice. From the limited glimpse she had gotten, he didn't seem to be very much like his brother in temperament. She felt slightly taken aback as Rin's eyes literally began to sparkle.
"Rin."
The girl leaned to the side to peer around Kagome and grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama!"
Kagome turned her head to look at the youkai behind her. Surprisingly, Inuyasha was standing quietly beside him, although he did look to be sulking slightly. Kagome caught his eye and gestured toward the fire with her head. The hanyou glanced irritably at his brother and the scoffed, brushing past him and stalking over to sit on Kagome's other side.
"What's going on?" she asked him softly.
"Keh, it's nothing. He wants to help us out for some reason, but won't tell me why," Inuyash grumbled softly. He looked past Kagome to see the brightly curious Rin grinning at him. "What do you want?" he said rudely.
"Oh, nothing at all," Rin quipped. She stopped up, brushing the dirt from her yukata and sauntered over toward Sesshomaru. As she passed Inuyasha, she bent over and rubbed his ears enthusiastically. "They really are so cute!"
"Oi, get off!" Inuyasha swiped at the girl, but she skipped nimbly out of the way, continuing on her path back to her guardian. The hanyou blushed and his ears flicked back irritably. "Don't know why she wants to hang around that jerk," he mumbled.
Kagome chuckled at the disgruntled expression on his face and ran a hand experimentally through her hair. It was delightfully tangle-free and felt a little nicer than it had in the last few days. She was certain that her hair would poof up as it dried, but at least it was now a little more manageable. Kagome wove the damp strands into a loose braid with quick, practiced fingers and tossed the rope of hair back over her shoulder to lie against her back.
Peeking into the back of the cave, she saw Rin chatting amicably at Sesshomaru, who at first glance seemed to be ignoring her. But then Kagome noticed how intently he was watching her out of the corner of his eye and she hid a smile.
"Inuyasha," she said, her words barely audible. "Are they going to be coming with us?"
The hanyou scratched his head, mussing his hair at the back. "Nah, I think he's gonna hang around the area though. Seems like he's looking for something and it may be connected to your well."
"Really? That's odd," Kagome replied at normal volume. Inuyasha hadn't seemed overly concerned with being heard by his brother, so she didn't bother continuing to keep her voice low. "He doesn't want to go to the future, does he?" she asked suspiciously, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Inuyasha scowled over his shoulder at his brother. "I don't think so," he replied, grouchy that they were still discussing Sesshomaru. "How would we even know that he could?"
"Well, you were able to come through to my time," Kagome pointed out.
"Keh!"
Kagome laughed, poking Inuyasha in the ribs. Her smile faded slightly as she glanced again at Sesshomaru out of the corner of her eye. Inuyasha hadn't seemed concerned about him, but Kagome couldn't get the sight of the hanyou's wounds out of her mind. He had shrugged them off as nothing, and he had certainly healed quickly enough, but Kagome thought that they had looked terribly vicious to just be the result of squabbling siblings.
Then again, she didn't really know very much about youkai either. Inflicting horrible wounds on each other may just be their way of communication. Somehow, Kagome felt that it wasn't so simple, but Inuyasha wasn't being forthcoming about his brother, and she didn't know Sesshomaru well enough to pry. She let out a sigh of resignation as she realized that she was just going to have to get used to being in the dark about these things.
The evening spent in the cave was awkward, to say the least. Inuyasha planted himself in a position to be able to keep an eye on his brother, growling softly under his breath nearly the entire time. Kagome was unwilling to leave the warmth of the fire and was too wound up to get any meaningful sleep. Sesshomaru, it seemed, didn't need any sleep and he sat up all night staring at Kagome's back.
If it had been possible, his gaze would have bored a hole right through her. Rin seemed to be the only one to get a restful night, if her cheerful face the next morning was any indication.
Kagome felt as if her spine could snap from the tension that radiated off both Inuyasha and his brother and she was suddenly grateful that Sesshomaru had no intention of joining their little group. She picked at her breakfast and peered through her hair at the youkai standing in the mouth of the cave. She wasn't sure what to make of him. He was certainly attractive, albeit in a slightly fantastical sort of way, but despite staring at her all night, he hadn't said a word to her. If he had some interest in the well, Kagome would have been to person to talk to, as she had lived around it for nearly all her life.
"Nee-san, I wish that I could go with you," Rin said, pulling Kagome from her thoughts. "It really is nice having another girl around."
Kagome smiled at the teenager. Something about the way Rin kept eyeing Inuyasha's ears made her think that she wasn't the only reason that the girl wished to travel with them.
"It really is, Rin-chan," she said instead. Kagome also had the feeling that Sesshomaru would not wholly approve of his ward showing interest in his little brother. "I'm sure we'll meet up again though."
Rin nodded. "I'm just glad that we left Jaken-sama behind this time," she whispered behind her hand.
Kagome stifled a laugh at the conspiratorial tone to the girl's voice. She decided to play along and leaned in toward her. "Who's Jaken?"
"He's Sesshomaru-sama's retainer and a toad youkai… or maybe frog," Rin deliberated. Then she waved her hand dismissively. "It doesn't really matter; he's still kind of mean to me and I think that he would be very rude to you and then Sesshomaru-sama would step on him!"
At Kagome's startled laughter, Rin grinned mischievously. "Maybe Jaken-sama should come with us then. He does make for good entertainment."
"Rin-chan!" Kagome attempted to scold, but the effect was ruined by the amusement still coloring her voice.
The teenager helped Kagome repack her back, waving her off when she tried to return the thick, warm robe she had used the night before.
"I can't accept this, Rin-chan," she protested. "It must have cost a fortune!"
"Just take it," Rin urged. "Sesshomaru-sama loves to buy me clothes; I probably have another dozen just like it back home."
Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru again, who was still at the front of the cave. Now, however, he was stoically ignoring Inuyasha, who was shouting at him about his motives. She had a hard time picturing him as the doting father type. "If you insist," Kagome conceded. "It will definitely come in handy as we get further north."
Saying goodbye to Rin and Sesshomaru was a fairly quick affair. The girl had thrown herself at Kagome and hugged her tightly, tucking her head beneath the taller woman's chin. Kagome had eagerly wrapped her arms around the girl and enthusiastically returned the embrace. Travelling with Inuyasha didn't really grant her very much physical affection. He was rather squirrelly about being touched unnecessarily.
Rin had literally skipped away to join her guardian and the huge two-headed beast, whom Kagome had learned was a dragon youkai named Ah-Uh, and called back a promise to meet again soon. After they had gone, the silence between Kagome and Inuyasha seemed slightly oppressive. He was clearly still angry after having a heated argument with his brother and was sporting a new cut on his cheek for his trouble.
She really wanted to make a stop at the next village they came to, but Inuyasha was in such a bad mood that she didn't really know how to broach the subject. Kagome wasn't even really sure that there was a village anywhere near them. When the hanyou broke out into growled curses again for the third time in fifteen minutes, Kagome decided that she needed to do something to shake him out of his funk.
Remembering how he had blushed at Rin's behavior the night before, Kagome settled on embarrassment. It worked about 90% of the time with her brother, so she figured that she had a better than average chance that it would work with Inuyasha. Plus, it was fun for her too.
"So, Rin-chan was awfully cute," she said in an off-handed voice.
The hanyou stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to right himself with a neat little skipping jump maneuver that Kagome wished she were quick enough to attempt. "Wh-what are you talking about, woman?" he spluttered, face turning a brilliant crimson color to match his clothing. But then, his expression soured. "She has piss-poor taste though," he grouched.
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked in confusion. She called up a mental image of the teenager and found nothing wrong with her hair style or the color of her yukata.
"Keh, why would she hand around that bastard?"
Kagome wanted to strangle him as he refocused on his older brother. "Will you just stop talking about him already?" she snapped in frustration. He was literally a dog with a bone that he just couldn't leave be.
Inuyasha turned to look at her in surprise before narrowing his eyes angrily. "Why do you care, huh? And what did you do to make him stare at you like that? Fuck him before freeing me?" He looked at her in a truly insulting manner and Kagome saw red.
Teeth grinding together angrily, she drew back her arm and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. Inuyasha's head whipped to the side and a red mark began to appear on his cheek.
"How dare you," she said lowly, her voice nearly shaking with hurt and anger. "Aside from that insinuation being entirely ridiculous, when exactly was I supposed to have gone gallivanting about with your brother? Before being chased by a decaying centipede youkai? Or maybe it was after I was violently ripped away from my family, pulled into a different time, and nearly attacked by suspicious villagers?"
Inuyasha's expression changed rapidly between emotions before he settled on his default anger. "Keh! Well… you obviously did something! He kept asking me stupid questions about you and that damned well!"
Kagome was nearly shocked out of her rage by the information that Sesshomaru had been asking about her and she nearly demanded to know what he had wanted, but she was still too insulted by Inuyasha's accusation.
"Did it ever occur to you that he may have been interested because I am from the future?" Kagome asked through gritted teeth. She was so frustrated that her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she blinked them away furiously.
Inuyasha looked flabbergasted and said nothing, so Kagome turned her back on him and continued angrily along the road. After a long, silent moment, she heard him curse and hurry to catch up to her. He grabbed her by the arm and swung her around to face him.
"None of this would even be happening if you had just given me the fucking jewel!" he shouted at her.
Kagome bared her teeth and tried to wrestle her arm free. "Let go of me, you jackass! I thought you didn't care about that anymore!"
Inuyasha let out a harsh bark of laughter, his fingers tightening around her upper arm. "Of course I care! I practically died to get that jewel and I'm pissed as fuck that you wished it away, you stupid bitch!"
The tips of his claws pierced the skin on Kagome's arm and she gasped in pain. Her heart pulsed and a wave of pink burst from her, blasting Inuyasha away from her and continuing to travel outward. The trees around them rustled with the force of the power that emanated from Kagome. It died down in seconds, leaving the air feeling unnaturally still. She panted raggedly, feeling as drained as if she had been running for hours. She covered her arm with her opposite hand and grimaced as warm blood trickled slowly through her fingers.
Inuyasha sat up with a groan, his hair nearly standing on end from the force of the spiritual power that had gone through him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he growled angrily. "You could have killed me!"
"I don't even want to hear it, Inuyasha," Kagome said coldly, flashing her bloodied palm at the scowling hanyou.
All color rushed from his face, leaving it a sickly white pallor and his ear's flattened back in contrition as guilt colored his expression. "Ah, shit," he muttered. "God… I am so sorry, Kagome," Inuyasha apologized, his voice thick with self-hatred. He pushed shakily to his feet, obviously still feeling the after-effects of Kagome's power.
As he came closer, Kagome took a small step back. "Just… don't touch me right now," she said slightly warily.
Kaede had warned her over and over about Inuyasha's temper, but she hadn't taken her seriously. Since they had met, the hanyou had been prickly at times and obviously relied on anger as a crutch to cover more vulnerable emotions, but he had never really lost his temper with her. Even now, Kagome knew that he hadn't really been angry at her, but at his brother. But she felt that taking his frustration out on her when she hadn't done anything was worse than if he had legitimately been angry at her.
Inuyasha grimaced, looking perfectly aware that he had really screwed up this time. But before he could try again to make amends, there was a deafening roar that came from beyond the tree line.
Kagome startled and whipped her head around toward the menacing feeling that had sprung up to her left. She shivered at the unpleasant sensation that creeped down her spine. The ground shook and the trees rustled violently. A massive spider burst through the trees, making Kagome gasp in horror and revulsion. It was the size of a modern house and its six glowing crimson eyes were fixated upon her. She stumbled back reflexively.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha spat, unsheathing his sword. Kagome vaguely registered the youki surrounding the blade as it transformed from the decrepit katana into the massive cleaver that she had seen the day before.
"Kagome." The hanyou's serious tone pulled her back from her horrified disgust at the spider youkai. "Stay here and… I don't know… try to hit it with an arrow without killing me!"
Inuyasha sprinted forward to intercept the youkai. He took a great leap upwards, swinging his sword above his head, and slashed down at the spider's head. It let out a terrible shriek as he managed to put out one of its eyes and smacked him away with one long, hairy leg.
Kagome watched, frozen with shock as Inuyasha reengaged the spider. She shook herself and pulled the short bow from her shoulders along with an arrow from the quiver that lay beside her bag on her back. She fumbled with it for a moment but after a few tries, she managed to notch the arrow and draw back the bow string. Her wounded arm ached with the effort of keeping the bow steady. Kagome lined up with the body of the spider, waiting for a moment when Inuyasha as out of the way.
Just as the hanyou was flung away again, taking one of the massive legs with him, she focused the thrumming power beneath her breast into the tip of the arrow before letting it loose. The arrow burst into pink brilliance as it shot toward the spider youkai.
As it connected, a blindingly bright burst of power exploded outward. The spider completely disintegrated and the area fell unnaturally silent again.
Kagome slid to the ground and rested her weight forward on her hands. The left still gripped the bow tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. She vaguely registered Inuyasha appearing at her side.
"Kagome?" he prompted softly.
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Well… that was absolutely terrible," she said shakily before vomiting all over the hanyou's lap.