"Words were few and failing between them as though the silence that sat with them had laid its old lips on theirs and sucked them dry of speech..."
- Michael Bedard, Redwork
Any conversation that bloomed once the group settled in for the night died a stilted, awkward death. The blanket of silence that settled upon the camp seemed almost impenetrable save for the quiet murmurs of the taijiya and monk sitting together by the fire. His ward and the kit were silently playing some odd game the miko had taught them while she watched from a short distance away. The tension in the air was so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. InuYasha did nothing to resolve it. Instead he stared moodily into the fire, glaring menacingly at anyone who looked his way. Sesshoumaru dismissed the atmosphere with an air of indifference he always wore.
He was aware that his presence made all of except his brother just a bit jumpy. The whelp was far too thick headed to realize he should fear a youkai of his caliber. After all the daiyoukai was by far more experienced with a superior bloodline unsullied by the blood of mortals. It didn't seem to matter to his idiot half brother that Sesshoumaru was his Alpha. Instead, the boy glared and muttered beneath his breath the entire time. A few cutting words in InuYasha's direction usually agitated the hanyou to such a degree that a fight summarily resulted. It never failed. Like a spark to dry brush, his half-brother's short temper would burst into flames. His half-brother was far too easy a mark for the dog demon. The novelty of their fights left him unsatisfied. InuYasha was too predictable to the point of being downright boring. Dismissing his hanyou sibling with a mental shrug, Sesshoumaru's golden eyes scan his surroundings discretely before his intense stare settled once again on the miko.
His sensitive nose filtered through the smells of the campfire, the surrounding forest and the bodies of his new companions before zoning in on Kagome. Little by little he analyzed the complexities of her scent. The mild aroma of decay lingered about her for she was human after all and she lived only to die, as mortals were prone to doing. Yet, the smell was not as prevalent as her kindred who inhabited the human villages he crossed in his travels. Nor did she reek of filth that permeated the air around most villagers. Hers was like that of fresh morning dew in a field full of wild flowers overlaid with crisp bite of her purifying powers. He observed her fastidiousness and found it quite surprising. She seemed to take her hygiene fairly seriously, cleansing herself with a dampened length of cloth when they camped too far from a body of water large enough to bath in. Her companions with the exception of his half-breed sibling seemed to follow suit. The girl had also taken Rin under her wing shortly after they began traveling together, coaxing the little girl to bathe with her. His ward regarded the act dubiously at first but the miko was rather persuasive. Now Rin seemed to anticipate the miko's rituals, nearly dragging the young woman along to bath whenever she could. Sesshoumaru originally regarded Kagome with suspicion. He decided to monitor her closely considering that the girl's odd ways could possibly rub off on Rin. While most of the strange girl's habits were unfathomable, he appreciated her cleanliness although she would never know it.
With the exception of his initial demand to join his hanyou brother's ragged pack, he had not engaged anyone in conversation. No one dare approach him save InuYasha, who barely qualified as a conversationalist of any sort. Most of the brothers' interactions consisted of death threats and crude language, which did not count as a real dialogue. Every once and awhile the miko would intervene, calling an end to their sparring but she directed most of her ire at InuYasha. It was obvious that she was annoyed with both of them, but without the advantage of a subjugation spell she seem to lack the confidence to "give him a piece of her mind". What that really meant, the daiyoukai could only guess. He could end her life easily even with her raw miko powers. At present, she was untrained therefore not even a decent match for him. He almost succeeded twice in taking her life but the Fates saw fit to intervene. Now, Sesshoumaru could not blame her for being cautious.
On several occasions the dog demon noticed the strange girl casting nervous, furtive glances in his direction. She thought she was being discrete but the youkai knew it was was only a matter of time before she approached him. Only a matter of time…
"Fuck this…" InuYasha muttered before standing abruptly and starting off into the woods.
"InuYasha…" Kagome sighed her troubled blue eyes followed his departure but she did nothing to stop him.
The daiyoukai watched the half-breed's fit of pique indifferently. The moody boy was crying for attention but he would not find sympathy with him.
"Where's InuYasha going?" Shippou directed his questions to his adoptive mother.
The miko gathered the kit in her arms and shook her head before replying. "I don't know Shippou. He needs alone time, I guess."
Rin decided to chime in, "Did we do something wrong, Kagome-neesan?"
Kagome did not get a chance to reply as Sesshoumaru cut in, "Hnnn… He is an undisciplined whelp."
The raven-haired young woman's eyes narrowed slightly as she directed her attention to the usually stoic dog demon. "May I have a word with you Sesshoumaru?"
The youkai refrained from smirking knowingly because his prediction came true. The human girl was too direct in her approach and not at all respectful of his station so he refrained from responding right away, letting the tension between the two of them crackle in the air. His face remained unreadable.
"How dare you?" Jaken squawked. "How dare you address my lord so disrespectfully? You human filth! You_"
A moment later a well-aimed rock effectively cut the kappa's tirade short as well as knocking him unconscious. The youkai found his servant loyal but terribly obnoxious.
Miroku cleared his throat as if to speak but the miko glared fiercely in his direction, stalling any words that would pass his lips. Sango sat dangerously still beside him, ready to spring into action if needed. The cat demon Kirara looked up from her spot by the fire and mewled imploringly at the pair. Kagome wanted none of their help.
Finally after reading the apparent resolve in the girl's expression, the amber-eyed dog demon merely shrugged slightly before gracefully rising to his feet and walking to the edge of the camp. Kagome deflated a bit when he turned to leave, thinking that he meant to go without acknowledging her request. However, the Western Lord looked over his shoulder, pinning her with an impatient glare that surely meant, "What are you waiting for?"
She detangled herself from Shippou's grasp quickly and scrambled to her feet before following the dangerous lord into the darkness.
"Kagome wait!" Shippou cried as he made to follow her.
"She is safe with Sesshoumaru-sama." Rin replied as took hold of the kit's tail lightly. "Let's play!"
Shippou hesitated for a moment as he stared at his new friend's confident face. Rin merely smiled and began setting up a board game Kagome left behind.
"Do you think Kagome is safe?" Sango whispered.
"I suppose." Miroku muttered. "At least I can only hope she is able to hold her own."
Another update! Yay!