An Unlikely Mating
Chapter 3: There is Always Hope
I gazed into my teacup as we sat awkwardly around the campfire, searching for answers in my mug I knew I wouldn't find. Sighing, I swished the pale liquid around and thought about how I would do anything for a good, strong cup of coffee. In truth I knew I was trying to take my mind off Sesshomaru's strange behavior. I wondered if demons could get sick. Sesshomaru complementing me, allowing his brother to live, and even laughing seemed an impossible feat in the same millennium—the only rational explanation was that Sesshomaru had contracted some nasty demon bug.
"I must leave," Sesshomaru said abruptly, unfolding himself from his spot across from me. I looked up at him, wondering why he was leaving when our truce was still in its infancy. I thought he decided to travel with us so we could be ready for the final confrontation at any moment's notice. Suddenly, the sick theory didn't seem so bad.
"I must get my ward. I cannot leave her in the woods with Jaken," he explained, and I remembered how I had sensed them earlier. Honestly, I couldn't figure out why he would leave her with that unreliable, green toad in the first place. Surely, Sesshomaru could protect the little girl better than Jaken.
"Why didn't you just bring her with you?" I asked cautiously.
Before answering, his gaze flickered over to InuYasha and back to me. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. InuYasha tended to rush into things in a violent and rash manner— any person with a brain could count on that fact. By leaving her in the woods, this was Sesshomaru's way of protecting his ward from InuYasha's thoughtlessness.
"My reasons are my own. I will be back momentarily." Without another word, he turned around and walked towards Rin's anxious aura—back the way he came.
"What was that all about?" InuYasha asked as if he didn't already know. Shippou gave him a look that spoke volumes on InuYasha's stupidity; I really couldn't blame Shippou for it either. Every other member of the group thought the same thing as the small kit. InuYasha was the only member that had this nasty habit of not connecting the dots.
"He wanted to make sure that you didn't' kill his ward when you started swinging your sword around like a baka. It probably would have been bad for an alliance if you had killed his ward," Shippou stated. I hid a smile behind my hand, not wanting to rile InuYasha up, but unable to ignore the truth in the statement.
It took Shippou's words a few seconds to sink in. I saw the exact moment InuYasha understood Shippou's meaning as he flushed with anger. Sometimes I really thought that Shippou, who I'd come to think of as an adopted son, was smarter than InuYasha, but I always felt somewhat bad for having these thoughts.
"What do ya mean by that runt?" InuYasha screamed as he grabbed Shippou by his tail. With a vicious flip of the wrist, Shippou sailed through the air in wide circles. I winced when Shippou started letting out pained screams—he had a sensitive tail, and I felt bad for the poor kid.
"Kagome, HELP!" Shippou cried while dangling in the air from his tail.
I looked over at InuYasha, the threat clear in my eyes. I didn't feel like I even needed to say anything, but once again, InuYasha seemed unable to connect all the dots.
"InuYasha," I started. He looked at me and tugged on Shippou's tail again, daring me to do something about the action. My anger sparked, and what happened next was out of my control— well, mostly.
"SIT BOY!" I screamed. InuYasha let go of Shippou as he went sailing through the dirt. I wouldn't allow anyone to beat on Shippou—he may not be my blood son, but my maternal instincts still rose in a response to protect him. InuYasha never seemed to learn and I decided to teach him a lesson. This was nothing that a little pain couldn't solve.
"InuYasha, apologize to Shippou, and stop picking on him! If you do, I will S-I-T you until you fly through the other side of this planet!"
"I'm not saying anything!"
"SIT! SIT! SIT!" I screamed.
"Keh! Sorry ya runt! Don't be so annoying in the future!"
"I guess that works," I said, "Now, SIT!" I screamed, just for good measure. Maybe that would teach him to be less of a jerk.
Miroku and Sango both laughed uncontrollably as InuYasha's face made an even deeper crater in the ground. Smiling evilly, I admired my handy work. I probably went too far, but really, I couldn't find the desire in myself to care. Shippou jumped onto my shoulder and gave me a high-five.
"Baka never learns," Miroku laughed while wiping tears from his face.
"I think he secretly likes it," Sango whispered to no one in particular.
"I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!" InuYasha screamed from his hole. This time, the entire group couldn't help but laugh at his aggravation.
Shortly after InuYasha's episode, Sesshomaru emerged from the trees at the side of our little camp. Being the only one to notice him at first, I was the only one that saw him smirk a bit when he caught sight of the InuYasha shaped hole. Sesshomaru smile seemed weird at the very least. What struck me even deeper was the fact his smirk made him more beautiful. It should be against some universal law for men to be so beautiful. Then again, when did Sesshomaru follow anyone's rules?
His eyes met mine and I smiled back at him, trying to convey how great he looked when he smiled. He should smile more often, I thought distractedly, daydreaming a little. I probably looked like a creeper, smiling at him and likely drooling on myself. Then again, what did I care? He hated me and all the other humans on this planet anyway.
His smile quickly vanished; he must not want his Sir Popsicle reputation ruined. That or I freaked him out with my smiling. Either way, he didn't have to worry; I could keep his little secret— unlike InuYasha, I didn't want to die at the hand of Sesshomaru.
"Can I get you anything?" I asked Sesshomaru, trying to seem nice and less like a stalker. He just looked at me and didn't say a word. After a few seconds of staring, I took his silence as a no.
"Where is your ward?" I asked after yet another awkward moment of silence. I might have seen him smile, and heard him laugh, but that was the only break that I was going to get from this tough lord.
"Rin is here," said a little voice from behind Sesshomaru. We all looked down at Sesshomaru's legs and saw a small pair of arms hugging the circumference of one of them. He rolled his eyes and then bent down to grab one of the little arms. A small pair of hands latched onto his bigger one.
"This is Rin," he elaborated. I met the adorable little girl before, but for my friends this was the first time they saw her.
They gazed down at the adorable little girl holding Sesshomaru's hand in a death grip. With large brown eyes and raven black hair, she painted a cute picture. In fact, she looked similar to me—the major difference being my blue eyes and her brown ones. From the way she attempted to hide behind Sesshomaru's leg again, I deduced that she was wary of meeting new people.
What surprised me the most stemmed from the fact Sesshomaru allowed the little girl to grasp onto his hand in front of us. I knew if anyone else tried holding his hand, that poor soul would face torture and then a brutal murder. Rin served as the only proof that Sesshomaru's heart wasn't entirely frozen.
"Hey, she looks a little like Kagome," Shippou stated. Everybody else noticed and they stared between us in wonder, but Shippou didn't notice; his mind had already moved onto more childish things. Before I could stop him, Shippou ran over to Sesshomaru and Rin. "Do you want to play with me? Miss Kagome has really good candy and I would share with you."
Rin nodded and then looked up at Sesshomaru with big, pleading brown eyes. With a start I realized she was giving him puppy dog eyes! Apparently, even Sesshomaru couldn't resist the infamous look seeing as he nodded his approval before Rin dropped his hand and excitedly chased after Shippou.
A strange look shaped his features—one I didn't know he had the capability of wearing. It was a look of adoration for the little girl. In that moment he looked like a father watching his little girl go make her first friends. The look seemed full of love and bit of fear—a look many parents wear and even I've worn.
We all watched the children run off to go play. I smiled as I watched Shippou finally playing with someone his own age. Even though he hid it, I knew he got lonely while we traveled; I welcomed the distraction of having another child to play with him.
We watched as the children started up a game of tag— all of us basking in the rare sound of laughter. Even Sesshomaru looked content. After a while I decided to turn back to my task: making dinner. After playing so hard, I knew that Shippou would be starving. Everything was quiet for a moment, but then Miroku had to open his mouth.
"You know Kagome, Sesshomaru's ward does look a lot like you. You could be sisters, or better yet, mother and daughter. Is there anything that you want to tell us, a hidden past maybe? A one night stand that led to a child?" With satisfaction I watched as Sango slapped Miroku across the face. After a moment of thought, she turned back to him and let her fist fly.
"Pervert!" she screamed as he landed flat on his back. "You don't just ask stuff like that! I can't believe your nerve1"
"We all know that Kagome is a horrible liar, so there is no way that she could have hidden that from us. Besides, she is so stupidly innocent that there is no way in hell that she could have already had sex." InuYasha stated quite bluntly. I turned bright red as he displayed my non-existent sex-life on the metaphorical table. Not to mention that Miroku threw it out there in front of one of the most beautiful creatures in existence.
"SIT!" I screamed, trying to ignore the intense blush creeping across my body. I could feel Sesshomaru's gaze, which certainly didn't help my coloring.
"What the hell Kagome?" he screamed. "We all know that you are a virgin!"
"SIT! SIT! SIT!"
Seeing him dusting the dirt from his form gave me a sense of satisfaction I refused to feel guilty about. An evil smile spread across my face and I felt tempted to sit him some more. I probably should feel guilty, but I really didn't. The baka got what he deserved. Two for Kagome, zero for InuYasha.
"Okay Kagome, what the perverts meant to ask was: 'Do you know why Sesshomaru's ward looks like you? We all know that it probably confuses you as much as it confuses us.' I know I am wondering, Kagome. It does seem odd," Sango said.
After the flush in my cheeks died down, and my anger fizzled out, I answered. "I don't really know; I couldn't tell you. I've only seen the little girl a few times, but this is the first time that I realized that she that she resembles me. She could be a distant ancestor, but then again, I honestly couldn't tell you. Hey, Sesshomaru, do you know anything about this? She is your ward after-all."
He looked at me with his golden eyes. Across the fire in the fading sunlight, he looked just as confused as I did—if not more. I could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to sort out the puzzle. His golden eyes locked onto mine, and for a split second those eyes drew me into him.
"I do not know. She was only a beaten village orphan when I found her. She does not speak of her parents or of her time in the village," he answered me. I looked into his golden eyes, and even though his face was a careful, blank mask, I saw the concealed sadness and anger swimming in their depths. Rin's past must bother him, especially not knowing all the details. For a moment I wanted to hug him, but I knew trying would get my heart ripped out, alliance or not.
"Well, I guess we will never know! Maybe it's just a weird coincidence. Now who is hungry?" I said quickly, trying to escape the sadness and temptation of hugging the beautiful demon.
"Shippou, Rin, the food is ready! You better get over here if you are hungry!" I shouted to them.
"We're coming!" both children yelled and came rushing over. I dished out all the food and retreated to eat mine in silence. I felt Sesshomaru's penetrating gaze flicker towards me a few times, but I ignored him. Meeting those golden eyes only reminded me of all the sadness I hid behind my own.
The rest of the group talked quietly amongst themselves. Shippou and Rin talked with Sesshomaru. Miroku, Sango, and even InuYasha chatted in a small group to my left. As they talked I felt the tugging on my soul, and I knew Kikyo was near. When InuYasha looked up in her general direction, I knew that he would be leaving us tonight. With a sigh, I continued eating by myself until I finished my meal.
After dinner ended we fell into the normal routine. Well, as normal as the routine could be with our new additions. After stuffing ourselves at dinner, Sango, Shippou, Rin, and I all decided to go bathe. The children were excited to get the chance to play in the water, and they walked slightly ahead of Sango and me. Sango looked over at me and I already knew what she was going to ask.
"Hey, are you feeling okay Kagome? You have been quite ever since dinner. I know that InuYasha embarrassed you earlier, but I don't think that's the reason you are upset." Sango was the closest thing I had to a sister, and she knew me as such. She always knew when something upset me.
"You're right, that isn't the reason that I'm upset. InuYasha is going to leave tonight," I sighed, feeling the familiar pull on my soul. You would think that after all this time, I would get used to it but I never did.
"Wait, how do you know?" she asked me, the confusion evident in her voice.
"You know how Kikyo holds a piece of my soul?" She nodded. "Well, I can feel when she is coming closer. Whenever she gets close, it's like the other piece of my soul strains to come back. Right now, I can feel that she is coming this way. It feels like she is getting close. I noticed during dinner, and it kind of upset me."
"Why do you put up with this Kagome?" Sango asked me. "I can barely put up with Miroku's flirting and womanizing; I don't think I would be able to handle it if he left me for someone else all the time."
I sighed and looked over to Sango. I knew that she loved Miroku, even if she wouldn't admit this fact to herself. I also knew that Miroku loved Sango; he just flirted with all those women to get a rise out of her.
"Sango, some part of me will always love InuYasha, and I can't help it. As much as his going to her hurts me, I want him to be happy. If that means he is happier with someone else, I won't stop him. You might not understand, but Kikyo was his first love. I could never take her place, and I have accepted this. It breaks me every time he goes to her, but as long as it makes him happy, then so be it. It might not be fair to me, but that's love. I never claimed that I was smart when it came to InuYasha."
"Kagome, you have much too kind of a heart," she sighed, putting her arm around me for a little hug as we walked. "You are much too good for that idiot! I think that you should beat the crap out of him and then break up with him. You can borrow some of my weapons if you want." The evil gleam in her eyes almost had me backing away from her.
Laughter erupted from my throat, and I smiled thankfully. Sango knew how to make me feel better. I knew I should take her advice and move on from InuYasha, but something—whether fear or love, I couldn't say—stopped me from doing so. Even though I knew I wouldn't take her advice, it seemed tempting and put a spring back into my step.
We arrived at the hot spring and found Shippou and Rin already playing in the water. Sango and I quickly undressed and slipped into the hot water with them. As the hot water kissed my body and soothed my aching muscles, I couldn't contain my sigh of bliss.
Sango and I washed our hair in silence, enjoying the hot water and the fragrant smell of the shampoo in the air. Once we finished, we called Rin over to the side of the springs. I watched as she delighted in picking between the different shampoos. We then helped her wash her hair and condition the strands to glossy perfection. She loved all the womanly attention, and she kept thanking us repeatedly.
Soon after, we found ourselves climbing out and drying. I laughed as the glowing young girl ushered us to dress so she could go show off her pretty hair to her Lord Sesshomaru. My mood improved further as I watched the innocent young girl skipping ahead of me.
The world always contains good for those who look. Even if this good didn't involve me directly, I felt joy that I could witness or take part in the creation of this good. There is always something to look forward to, and that alone gave me hope for my future.
A/N: I changed quite a bit of this. Reading through physically hurt because my seventh grade version of Kagome seemed... wrong. I fixed that along with a lot of grammar/ diction issues. Sesshomaru is more sophisticated this go-round, and I'm thankful for that! It should be a lot easier to read! Leave a review and let me know what you think!