-Barely in time for Saturday, here it is! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter-
The morning was bright and cheerful. Kagome woke quickly, still holding her son. Kyoko was gone, but Kagome could smell her by the cooking fire. Kaede was there as well.
Kagome sat up, adjusting her training outfit. She never had time to change back after yesterday's events, but the clothes were loose and comfortable to allow full body movement. She pushed aside the flap separating the two rooms, and smiled at the women making breakfast.
"Hello!" Kagome sat, brushing her hair back.
"Good morning, Kagome." Kaede smiled, and handed her a plate. "We are having boiled potatoes this morning."
"They look good!" Kyoko smiled as well, and Kagome had to remind herself to call Kyoko by her nickname, for both convenience and because Kaede seemed to insist on it.
"They smell delicious," Kagome said, leaning over the pot. The aroma of vegetables and spices wafted in the air, and she sighed. Despite the full dinner last night, her stomach growled.
The door flap pushed back again, and Shippo came out rubbing his eyes. "G' morning," he muttered, sitting sleepily by his mother. The smell of food hit him, and his stomach growled with Kagome's. "That smells really good," he said, perking immediately.
Kagome laughed, rubbing his head. "Yes, it does. You fell asleep before dinner last night, so eat as much as you want."
Shippo nodded, licking his lips as the food cooked. It was only a few more minutes before the preparation was ready, and the potatoes were piled onto everyone's plates. Shippo dug in, tail wagging appreciatively.
They ate and made small talk, the vegetables consumed quickly. As the sun rose, the wind picked up. The temperature was beginning to drop, as expected for autumn. Most of the leaves that would, had turned color, and the remaining fell from the branches.
The villagers would work tirelessly to bring in crops and meat to prepare for winter. Edo was a trade center, and thrived during the busy months. Winter was never much of a hardship, compared to smaller villages with less resources.
Kaede set her plate down, and turned to Kagome.
"Have you thought any more about your situation?"
Kagome groaned internally at the thought of discussing this further.
Truth be told, she had a nightmare about the entire thing, which was unlike her. The last time she had a nightmare was when she first came to the past, and the newness of youkai and Naraku frightened her.
Last night, she dreamed of Sesshomaru. At first it appeared a fantasy, the daiyoukai acting kind and comforting. Just when Kagome settled with him, talking casually to the dream figure of inconsequential things, he turned on her with gleaming fangs and pierced her neck.
She shuddered at the memory, waking up in the middle of the night with panic. Kagome was relieved to wake peacefully to a wonderful breakfast, instead of youkai teeth. She faced Kaede, and said, "I thought about it, some."
Kaede gave her a long look, and sighed. "Kagome, I will not be training you until I am sure that you will return to Sesshomaru without obligation." As she spoke, she stood slowly. "I have duties to attend to. The villagers need help preparing for the cold season. If you make up your mind, I will assist you." She pushed back the front door. "I will return soon."
Kagome bit her lip. The kind old miko was being strict with her, not unusual. She brushed her hair from her eyes, feeling the mark on her forehead.
"You did not decide yet?" Hansha looked up from the potatoes she was sealing away in a sturdy cloth for later. "I thought our discussion last night helped."
"It did," Kagome said. Shippo sensed an uncomfortable conversation, and dashed to the other room to hide. Kagome chuckled quietly, and continued, "Kaede knows how I feel better than I do, I think."
"So, you still do not want to return to Sesshomaru with an open heart?"
Kagome shook her head. "I do want to." She thought of the nightmare, and shuddered. "I'm still afraid, of how to deal with the situation, and my own feelings." Kagome paused, and sighed. "But I'm tired of wallowing in self pity. If Kaede thinks I'm not willing to return and won't train me, then the least I can do is train myself."
Hansha watched her pick up her bow and quiver, and stalk outside. Shippo peeked out from behind the door, and did not move.
The cold bit into Kagome the moment she stepped outside. She had not realized hot much air the door flap actually kept out. The wind tossed leaves back and forth, occasionally howling. The warm streak they went through only days ago was clearly over.
Settling the weapons on her body, Kagome searched for an area that was open and empty. Kaede's hut sat on one edge of the village. Kagome walked in the opposite direction of it, keeping to the road that wound around the fields, where farmers worked to finish the harvest.
It was some time until the fields fell away, at the slow pace Kagome walked. However, she did not care to walk any faster. When they were a fair distance behind her, and Kagome felt sure she could practice without endangering lives, she stopped. The road stretched for miles ahead, an obvious trading route to those who wished to use it.
Kagome took a deep breath. She needed a long moment to think things through. Yes, she wanted to return to Sesshomaru. No, she was not sure if she would return out of obligation, or because she genuinely wanted to return to him. But, for now, Kagome wanted nothing more than to deal with herself.
She placed her hands together, thinking of the spell that hurt Sesshomaru's citizens. A concentration of energy that was meant to dispel harmful energy, and preserve the peaceful. The problem had to lie with Kagome's ability to distinguish the two.
After a moment's focus, Kagome could feel the energy flowing through her. She eyed the ground, and saw a circle of blue light surrounding her feet, creating a field around her. Kagome took a tentative step forward. The light moved with her, retaining the same distance from her body. Kagome jumped, and the light flew in the air around her.
It stayed with her no matter where she moved. The energy would not leave Kagome unless she chose for it to do so. Good. Kagome stilled herself again, watching her power manifested. It wavered back and forth, the circle appearing to rotate. Kagome bent down, watching the circle expand to contain the increased circumference of her body relative to the ground.
It moved as though it had a mind of its own. Kagome tried to touch it, and the circle expanded further. It would not grow upwards, but would stay the same distance from the closest part of her body. Kagome stood again, and the energy circle shrunk in diameter around her feet.
Kagome looked toward the human village, able to see farmers working tirelessly in the fields. The blue light would not harm them, should Kagome send the beam outward.
She thought of what she knew about miko energy. Energy manifested in physical form, that clashed with youkai energy because it originated in humans. Two species that could interbreed, whose powers landed on the opposite ends of an invisible spectrum.
But Kagome was a youkai now. Even if she retained her miko powers, they no longer came from a human body, they came from a youkai. Each cell in her body held two powers that fought instinctively.
Perhaps that was why the spell failed. It was only a slightly more powerful version of Kagome's usual purification spell. If her youkai body resisted her miko abilities, it might explain why it was harder for Kagome to control, even if she thought the spell was going to work.
She closed her eyes again, thinking of what she wanted the energy field to do. Kagome thought of pushing it out, slowly, not letting it escape what she wanted. It did as she wished, moving out, increasing its diameter. Kagome pushed it out further, increasing the distance.
When the edge was five feet away from her, Kagome noticed the edge of the circle wavering. She narrowed her eyes, pushing the edge further. It wavered again, and bent inward. The shape was no longer stable.
Oh. Kagome blinked, and drew the circle back. It recovered the firm circular form immediately. She pushed it away again, and the edges bent in curves, turning into more of a blob shape, than a circle. Kagome took a deep breath, and pulled it back. The circle withdrew, until it hit her feet and vanished entirely.
Unlike her usual purification, which Kagome spread through her arrows, the energy field required a certain proximity to her body to remain well controlled. Kagome eyed the ground around her, now bare of anything but dirt. If it grew unstable when far from her body, it was no surprise that it harmed the villagers, when Kagome put all her focus in keeping them safe.
Perhaps she sent out the energy quickly enough that the distance had not severely affected the spell, or maybe there was only a certain amount of control to lose on the spell, but either way, Kagome was glad she had not harmed the villagers past burning their skin. If she lost complete control, she could have killed them, along with the miasma.
If Kagome wanted to use this attack in the future, she had to stabilize the energy while she pushed it away. That would no doubt take practice.
And more expertise with miko abilities than Kagome had. She needed Kaede's help, if she wanted to avoid making the same mistakes. Kagome sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. Kaede would not help until she was convinced Kagome wanted to return to Sesshomaru when the training ended.
Kagome still wasn't sure. But, now that she knew the source of her mistake, Kagome could spend the day trying to figure it out.
()
It had been an entire day.
An entire day since Kagome left, in an angered huff, with her adopted son. Sesshomaru refrained from clenching his teeth at the thought.
He assumed Kagome would be gone a few hours, and return, calm and aware of her mistake in blaming him. When day turned to night, and she did not appear, Sesshomaru grew agitated. And when night turned to morning, Rin began the incessant questioning.
"What happened, Lord Sesshomaru? Why isn't Kagome-neechan back? Why don't you go after her? Where are we going? What if Kagome can't find us?"
The same barrage of questions every hour or so, with the same answer from Sesshomaru. "It does not concern you, Rin."
Jaken pulled Ah-Un, with Rin and Hatori seated upon him. Without Kagome, Sesshomaru felt tempted to abandon the hanyou child. However, he was sure she would return, and be more infuriated if Hatori was missing.
As the day wore on, and no sign or scent of Kagome could be detected, Sesshomaru grew more agitated. If she wanted to come back, she could easily backtrack her path and follow their scent through the forests. He didn't worry about her finding them.
If she stayed away much longer, Sesshomaru might have to fetch her himself, which he did not care to do. It was counterproductive to their travels. But Lord Rei would not excuse meeting Sesshomaru without his mate. News of Kagome traveled to the other lords easily. To meet with the Lord of the East while Kagome was missing was practically an insult.
It would be better for Kagome to come back willingly.
Sesshomaru almost growled again. It was more difficult to control his actions with each passing minute, as the desire to bring Kagome back and inform her of her mistake in leaving grew stronger.
She made no mistake. Sesshomaru's inner youkai cut into his mind like a knife.
He ignored it for as long as he could, but the voice continued to pester him. They walked slowly, toward the East, to Lord Rei's home, as the inner youkai grew louder in Sesshomaru's mind.
Kagome went to perfect the spell! The inner youkai seethed at Sesshomaru. She is trying her best, and if you wish to go back to her, stop this farce-
Sesshomaru snarled, out loud, startling his companions.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken asked, his head tilting in confusion.
The daiyoukai paused, and said, "Make camp here."
Jaken quirked an eyebrow. "Lord Sesshomaru, it is barely noon, we can travel much further-"
"Make camp here," Sesshomaru repeated, facing the imp. "I must retrieve Kagome."
Hearing this, Rin and Hatori both beamed. "She's coming back?" Rin asked, leaning forward on Ah-Un. "You're going to get her?"
Sesshomaru turned to her, and nodded. "It has been too long, and she outran her chance to come back on her own. We will arrive at Lord Rei's castle within a few days, and Kagome must be with us when that happens. It is an insult not to have one's mate when arriving at another lord's home."
"But my lord!" Jaken yanked Ah-Un's reins in panic. "If you go back for Kagome, it will delay at least another day! I say we let her see the error of her ways!"
Glaring at him, Sesshomaru said, "She will be taught her mistake upon returning. Now, make camp."
With that, he vanished, the ground flashing beneath Sesshomaru's feet.
She did nothing wrong, his youkai said. Kagome apologized and asked to be taught about her powers to avoid the same mistake. She had every right to leave.
I know, Sesshomaru thought, sighing to himself.
In truth, he was no longer angry about the village. After Kagome left, he realized that she did nothing wrong, and he should be grateful for her destruction of the miasma. But his frustration with her abandonment kept the anger and blame seething at the forefront of his mind.
And if Sesshomaru were truly honest with himself, he wanted Kagome back.
Even for only one day, the separation was longer than they had since Kagome joined their group with her son. She wanted to find common elements between them, she took the meaning of the Hana no Shukumei to heart. Kagome was trying to make this work.
Sesshomaru wanted it to work. He wanted to acknowledge the feelings he had. He knew he wanted to protect Kagome, and no longer cared if his mating was seen as a weakness. But to himself, he still denied what he wanted.
Not having Kagome make their meals, or tuck the children into bed with a blanket, or wake them when it was time to leave in the morning, felt strange and unpleasant. For only a day, her absence was missed. Sesshomaru nearly bit his tongue at the thought.
If he continued to deny himself, he would surely go insane.
The forest swerved around his body, as Sesshomaru ran through their path. After a few more minutes, he leaped in the air, and summoned the cloud beneath his feet. Traveling the sky would be faster, though Kagome's scent would be less clear from a distance.
Sesshomaru did not know what he would do when he found Kagome. Part of him knew he wanted her back, and that refusing the feeling would hinder his progress in the Mating Dance. The other part of him hated knowing he was growing close to a former human miko.
()
The village came into view that evening later.
A few days of walking, with the added distance of Kagome's travels, might have taken longer on the ground, and Sesshomaru was glad he chose air travel. When he saw it, Kagome scent settling in the area, he descended.
His mind twitched, between wanting to admonish Kagome for everything she did, and wanting to pull her to his arms. This desire made him growl again. The thought of being physically intimate upon seeing his future mate cropped into his mind several hours after he began the journey, and would not leave. Sesshomaru did not show affection. It was not in his nature.
His presence in the village was surprising, but not exceedingly so, as Sesshomaru gathered by the reactions of the villagers. His idiot half-brother must have made them used to seeing inu youkai. When he crossed the threshold between the road and the town, Sesshomaru felt a power. It took a moment to realize it was a shield, hidden and designed to harm youkai. Sesshomaru passed through without trouble.
There was little fanfare at his passing the force over the village, though some of the humans stared and whispered. As he was not harming anything, they must have little concern for him. Either Sesshomaru was too powerful to be stopped by the methods obviously placed by a miko to protect the villagers, or the shield did not harm certain youkai.
Kagome's scent led in a single path, around the houses, to the other edge of the village. Sesshomaru followed calmly, while he struggled in his own mind.
If you want her back and you feel the need to be affectionate, go ahead! Sesshomaru's other side delighted in his wish to see Kagome, as unreal and new it was to the daiyoukai. Sesshomaru growled. You've been affectionate before.
The occasion popped into his mind immediately. Sesshomaru told Kagome of his determination to participate in the Mating Dance, which he meant completely, and he held her hand for a few brief moments, before they returned to camp.
It was a spontaneous action, and even Sesshomaru was unsure as to why he did it. He remembered the feeling of her skin, soft against his calloused fingers, despite her involvement with youkai and Naraku. The single most intimate act they had yet to engage in.
As Sesshomaru wound through the village and arrived at Kaede's hut, the simple touch remained prominent in his mind. However, all thoughts vanished when he opened the door to an old hut and encountered the tiger hanyou.
She hummed as she cleaned a pot, and waved when he appeared. Utterly placid about Sesshomaru's presence, the woman looked up with a smile. "Lord Sesshomaru!" she said. "How nice to see you again. Kagome isn't here at the moment."
He repressed the urge to bare his teeth. The woman carrying his brother's whelp should cower in fear like the rest of his subjects. Nevertheless, Sesshomaru simply said, "Mind your place, tiger. Tell me where she is."
"Sesshomaru?"
Shippo's head peeked out from the second room, a wooden cup in his hand. Attached to the cup was a string and a red ball. Sesshomaru recognized it as a toy from Kagome. The fox kit's eyes widened at the sight of the daiyoukai, and he stepped into the front room. "I didn't think you'd be here."
"Fox," Sesshomaru said. "Where is Kagome?"
Shippo shrugged. "Mama went out. I think she's practicing her powers." Shippo's hand went to the string, fiddling with it. "She wanted Kaede to help her, but Kaede said she wouldn't unless she knew Mama was gonna go back to you." His head bowed a bit.
"She did not intend to return?" His lips pulled back a millimeter, before Sesshomaru subdued the urge to growl yet again.
Shippo looked up with a frown. "Of course she was gonna come back," he said, as if it were obvious. "But Kaede said something about Kagome not actually wanting to go back."
She didn't want to go back? The growl could not be held back this time, and Sesshomaru left the ramshackle hut. It took a moment to find Kagome's scent leading from the building, and when he did, Sesshomaru ran alongside it.
It led to the outskirts of the village, past the fields being worked before winter, along a trade route. When the fields were behind him, and the hills ahead, Sesshomaru saw the tall, sleek form of the young miko, surrounded by a circle of blue energy.
Sesshomaru slowed, and stopped. A hundred feet from her, Kagome had not noticed him. She faced away, her eyes locked on the blue strip running the ground, forming a perfect sphere at her toes. Watching carefully, Sesshomaru could see that it moved, ebbed away from her and lost shape, before drawing back and reforming.
Sesshomaru thought again of the fox's words, and of the desire to have Kagome back, and ran toward her.
()
Kagome had blocked out the entire world, save for the energy field in front of her. She could not detect anything else, and felt she would be safe enough within view of the village to let her guard down.
She didn't realize how shut down her senses truly were, until she snapped out of the trance, barely in time to see the inu daiyoukai headed toward her.
Kagome registered the form as Sesshomaru, moments before a hand clasped her wrist, her body was yanked forward, and foreign lips crashed onto her own.
The suddenness made her panic, and Kagome instinctively pulled away. The grip around her waist and arm tightened, the lips never leaving. Sesshomaru pulled away only a moment, giving Kagome the chance to breath, before he kissed her again and Kagome lost any connections her mind could have made.
They stayed that way a minute longer, Sesshomaru kissing her with more power and force he could have hoped to demonstrate with his claws. When they parted, they both breathed deeply, and stared.
Kagome managed to gather her composure, and soon blushed, when her brain caught up to her body. "I-, what-, you-," she sputtered, looking at Sesshomaru, bewildered. "S- Sesshomaru?" Kagome managed. She could feel her body shaking slightly, and worked to stop it while she waited for Sesshomaru to say anything.
The daiyoukai gazed at her a long, unwavering moment. Finally, he spoke. "You will not leave me, Kagome."