He stood atop the cliff overlooking the pond that the girl always bathed at when she stayed at the village. He wanted to confront her, but not while she was with the taijiya. He sent out his aura to her telling her to get rid of her friend so that they could be alone.
Kagome sighed heavily. Ever since Sesshoumaru had found out that he couldn’t kill her, he has been nearby. Always watching her, and at first it was kind of exciting to think that she captivated his attention so. But now, it was getting to the point where it was just down right annoying. She felt as if she never had anytime alone, always sharing it with someone else, namely Sesshoumaru.
“Kagome are you ready to head back?” Sango asked as she began to dry off.
“Naw, I’m going to hang out here for awhile.” Kagome answered as she pulled her shirt on.
“Ok but be careful.” Sango said warningly.
Kagome smiled at her best friend. “I’ll be fine.” ‘I have a protector hovering over me.’ She thought sarcastically.
As soon as Sango was out of sight, Sesshoumaru landed in front of her. “Ok Sesshoumaru we’re alone, what is it?” Kagome asked in an exasperated huff.
“Does it bother you for me to be so near?” He asked coldly
“No, what bothers me is that you are always near. I never have a moments time to myself, because you are there.” She bit out at him. “And I want to know why?”
Sesshoumaru glared at the girl. “Why I am near is not your concern.”
Kagome snorted at this. “Oh but it is my concern. When its me that has to put up with it, it automatically makes it my concern.”
Sesshoumaru just stared at her with his cold golden eyes.
“I am well aware of the fact that it bothers you that you can’t kill me. So what? Now you’re going to try and kill me by driving me up the wall until I loose it?” She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at the demon in front of her. “Just accept the facts Sesshoumaru. You can’t kill me nor will you ever. My death has already been foretold and you can’t change it.”
Sesshoumaru waved his hand in the air telling her that what she said is of no importance.
Kagome sighed in defeat. There was just no getting through to him. “So what did you want?”
Sesshoumaru turned to look off into the pond. “The jewel shards. You have them all?”
Kagome shook her head. “No and neither does Naraku. I think there are only three left, but no one knows where they are.”
Sesshoumaru turned back to her. “How do you know this?”
“I don’t know, I just do.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Sesshoumaru looked at the girl as if trying to break her with a glare alone. “This Sesshoumaru will join you in your search.”
Kagome’s eyes snapped wide. “What? Why?”
“You do not wish for my assistance?”
“It’s not that. Its just why would you want to help find the remaining shards, knowing that it is going to force you to be around Inuyasha?”
“I can suffer the half-breed so long as he does not bother me. It will be your job to make sure that he stays out of my way.”
Kagome snorted. “I am not your personal servant. If Inuyasha bothers you, then it is your problem to deal with, and I will only get involved if one of your lives is at stake.”
Sesshoumaru gave her the, as if my life would ever be at stake at the hands of the half-breed, stare.
Kagome shook her head at him. “Ya know Sesshoumaru, you can do whatever you want,” She gave a disgusted sigh. “you always do.” She turned and began to walk towards the village.
Sesshoumaru watched her go and wondered if not only could he stand to be around Inuyasha’s quick mouth and even quicker temper, but could he stand these go arounds with the damn miko.
~
Days went by with no luck in locating any of the remaining shards which was causing the group, new member included, to be rather edgy. Sango’s attacks on the hentai monk were worse than ever. Inuyasha’s vocabulary continually got worse which made Kagome wonder where on earth he learned such things. That in turn caused Inuyasha to be sat twice as much as usual, giving the demon lord much amusement, and only succeeding in turning the miko’s wrath upon himself.
One of these such occurrences was what made the demon lord look at the miko in a new light. It didn’t make him want to not kill her, it just made him have a better understanding of her, and a little more respect for her. It all happened when she caught the slight smirk on his face after she had sat Inuyasha for his foul mouth.
“What the hell are you smirking at?!” Kagome yelled at him as she jabbed him in the chest. “There is nothing funny about what happened, and if you don’t watch yourself I will have one of those damn necklaces made just for YOU!”
Sesshoumaru glared at the girl. She dared to lay a finger upon him and talk to him as if he was like the hanyou filth. “You will not touch this Sesshoumaru in such a manner or speak to me as if I were the half-breed.”
Kagome gritted her teeth in anger. “Listen, I will speak to you as I please. Your actions are very unbecoming for one in your status. If anything you should be the one setting an example for how he should act, since you are his older brother. Not laughing at him. He is the way he is because of you, you and your hatred for what your father did! It wasn’t his fault your father decided to mate with a human. So it is unfair for you to take your anger and your issues with your father out on him.”
Sesshoumaru was aghast at her outburst. She knew nothing of his feelings towards his father and his brother. “Wench you will bite your tongue and not speak of what you don’t know.” He said with an icy edge to his voice.
She looked up at him with a slight smirk on her face. “Well from the look of things I do. Your reaction tells me that I hit the truth dead on. You can’t stand the fact that you had to suffer due to your fathers actions, so you take it out on Inuyasha. If you were as honorable as you say and act then you wouldn’t behave the way you do towards the only flesh and blood you have left in this world.” Before he could respond she turned and walked away, leaving him seething and her words echoing in his head.
That night while they all slept, he sat there watching her thinking about what she had said earlier that day. The problem he had was what she had said was true right down to the letter. The anger he had was really for his father not Inuyasha, but his father has long since been dead. Yet, did that give him the right to take it out on Inuyasha? Why couldn’t he let go of what his father had done?
She was right, every time he behaved as he did towards his brother he was putting his honor into question. Was he really this childish? Hating Inuyasha for what he is, and what their father had given him? Was he no better than a child fighting with his sibling over a toy? She seemed to think so, and he had to agree with her. The problem was he couldn’t change now, the feelings towards Inuyasha had gone on for far to long.
Although seeing Inuyasha’s reaction to me being civil and dare I say nice to him would almost be worth it. Hell he may even drop dead where he stands if I were to do such a thing. I could never do that though, no matter what the girl says. The girl, that damned girl, who can see what others can’t, and can understand what others won’t. She is more than just the shikon miko, yet she is a simple ningen. She must die; she has the power to change ones soul. She can do that and you would never know that she had, I can feel it affecting me already. I must put a stop to her power against me.
A low growl swept over the sleeping camp, which made the little miko smile in her sleep.
~
The group finally had a breakthrough and found a shard, leaving only two left out there somewhere. It helped lighten the mood of the group and gave Kagome a chance to go home. It had been almost a month since she was home last, and she was going no matter what the hanyou had to say about it.
“Miko.”
Kagome slowed her pace to walk next to the demon lord taking up the rear of the group. “Yes Sesshoumaru?”
“Tell me, where is this home of yours?”
Kagome wasn’t sure what to say; knowing that she couldn’t lie to him, but she also figured that even if she told him where she was from there wasn’t much he could do about it. “I come from 500 years away.”
Sesshoumaru looked over at her. “You will not lie to me girl.”
She let out a little chuckle. “Honestly Sesshoumaru, do you sense deceit on me?”
Sesshoumaru scanned her over, giving a quick sniff, and listening to her pulse. She was correct in the fact that she wasn’t lying. “You say 500 years away, what does the mean?”
“It means 500 years into the future.”
That made Sesshoumaru raise an eyebrow at her, making her giggle. “How is it you became to be here then?”
Kagome then told him the story about how Mistress Centipede pulled her into the bone eaters well on her 15th birthday, when she went into the well house looking for her cat Buyo. She then told him how she came upon Inuyasha pinned to a tree, and how she had to release him so that he could save her from the centipede demon. All this led into their adventures and how she met and became friends with each one of her companions.
He was shocked to find that all of her friends had either tried to kill her or steal something from her upon their first meeting, and he gave a snort when she told him that he was no different.
“That is where you are wrong miko, I will kill you.”
Kagome shook her head at him. “Ya know Sesshoumaru, maybe one of these days you will understand that my death will not come from your hands. No matter how badly you want it, it will never be.”
He watched as she skipped to catch up with the demon slayer, leaving him to once again ponder the creature that is Kagome. He had to wonder how she knew how she would die, and why she was so sure that it wasn’t going to be him that caused it. Was she able to see her own death through something from the future? Or, did it come to her in a dream? Was it possible that the jewel informed her of her death?
She was driving him mad. The more he got to know her the more she made him question her as well as himself. Who knew that trying to kill someone could cause you to know them better, not only them but yourself as well. Now she had to die for her insight into his soul.
~
He sat by the well waiting for her to return. He was astounded to see the well swallow her when she left and wanted to see it spit her back out again when she returned. He watched as a blue glow surrounded the well, followed by a girl climbing out.
Kagome looked over the edge of the well to see the demon lord standing a few feet away from the well. “Sesshoumaru? What are you doing here?” She asked as she pulled herself out of the well.
He didn’t answer, he just watched as she struggled to climb out while an over stuffed yellow bag tried to pull her back in. Sure he should have helped her, but that wasn’t him to do such a thing. Especially for someone whom he wanted dead almost as much as he desired tessaiga.
“Well are you going to answer me or not?” Kagome huffed as she walked up to him.
Sesshoumaru just looked down at the girl standing in front of him. Truly, besides wanting to see her come out of the well, why was he still there? The second he saw her reach over the well edge, he intended on leaving, yet there he still stood. Why?
Kagome put her hands on her hips, and tilted her head to the side in question. “You missed me didn’t you.” She said with a slight giggle. She then patted him on the chest and then began to walk away. “Don’t worry Sesshoumaru, I’m fine. As you can see I made it back safe and sound.” She tossed over her shoulder as she retreated.
He watched her form disappear into the shadowed forest towards the village. Everything she did and everything she said seemed to make him question his own self. Why he did he not leave as soon as he saw her emerge from the well? Why didn’t he respond to her thinking that he missed her? What was wrong with him that she could make him behave the way he did?
There were to many questions and far to few answers. If only the kami would bless him with the ability to rid the world of the miko, the better off he would be.
~
Blood splattered to the ground, as a high pitched scream echoed through the night, following a yell of wind scar and shot of yellow electricity. The giant ogre fell to the ground with a loud thud, sending out small tremors beneath the feet of the warriors.
“Damn it Sesshoumaru, you could have helped!” Inuyasha screamed at his brother.
Sesshoumaru regarded his brother with silent indifference and walked away.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Inuyasha shook his fist at the retreating form of his brother.
“Forget it Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru will never help us.” Sango said with disgust.
“Then why is he even traveling with us?” He bit out.
Sango just shook her head. She didn’t know anymore than any of them did. She knew that Kagome knew why he was with them, but she wouldn’t say anything. It was almost as if there was some kind of secret between the taiyoukai and the miko.
Kagome ran up to Sesshoumaru. “Tell me why you didn’t help back there?”
Keeping his gaze trained forward, he answered. “The half-breed can handle his own, I am not here to help him fight his battles.”
Kagome stepped in front of the demon forcing him to stop, and looked up at him with disappointment in her eyes. “You betray your honor once again. Tell me Sesshoumaru, how can you stand so proud knowing how badly you betray your own self?”
Sesshoumaru grabbed the girl by the throat lifting her up so that she was face to face with him. “You will not accuse me of being dishonorable again. I let it slide once, do not presume that I will do it again.” He then dropped the girl into a heap on the ground.
“I truly pity you Sesshoumaru. You can’t even see yourself for who you really are.” She whispered as she rubbed her neck.
His back stiffened slightly at her words but kept on walking. He didn’t need to respond to the presumptuous girl, who knew nothing. Yet something in the back of his mind told him that she was correct in her evaluation of him, he however chose to ignore it.
~
He had to get away from them, away from the humans and their incessant drabble. Always talking about things that held no importance. He was sure that they only did it to maintain some kind of link to one another so that they didn’t feel so alone. Humans so weak and so needy, how they managed to survive as long as they did was astounding.
His escape from the group brought him across the one human he hated above all others, including Inuyasha’s mother. The one human that he wanted dead for more than just surviving his attacks to her, but now because she made him question his own weakness, strengths, and emotions.
“Miko, why are you here alone?”
Kagome turned her broken eyes towards the impassive lord standing in front of her. She shook her head at him. “It doesn’t matter.”
Sesshoumaru glared down at the girl sitting in the grass. She was right, why she was there didn’t matter to him, yet he had this overwhelming need to know why she was there. “Tell me.”
Kagome looked down at the grass and began to play with a blade with shaky fingers. “If you desire to watch me hurt then you have come at the right time. My reasons for being here should be all to easy to know if you have truly been watching me as you have been.”
He watched as slow tears made their way down the sides of her cheeks. Another piece of evidence that she was nothing more than a weak human. “You cry for the half-breed. Why?”
Without looking up at him, she answered. “Sesshoumaru you have been betrayed in your life which caused you great pain. You show your hurt through hatred, I show mine through weak human tears. Either way, betrayal cuts deep and you either let it go or you do like you and I do. Hold on to it for all its worth and let it slowly destroy who and what we really are. Yet sometimes it seeps out, with me it’s through my tears, with you its through hatred.”
“Girl the betrayal of the half-breed is nothing compared to the betrayal that I have suffered. So do not assume that the betrayal that you have suffered is the same as mine.”
Kagome let off a slight chuckle. “Does the betrayal of one hurt less because it doesn’t hold the same meaning as another’s betrayal? Should my heart not break because the hurt doesn’t cut me as deeply as it did you? Just because you deem me to be beneath you it doesn’t mean that I am. My love for Inuyasha has caused me great pain, but so long as I continue to love him I will suffer that pain.”
Sesshoumaru turned to leave. “Girl you are fool. If the half-breed causes you such pain and you refuse to stop it, then you deserve to suffer as you do.”
Kagome looked up at the retreating taiyoukai. “As do you Sesshoumaru, as do you.” She whispered to his back.
Suspension by Keva