InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Cross of Blades ❯ Finding the Black Dragon ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don’t own it. I’m telling you, it depresses the hell out of me too. I don’t know what to say.
I
“One...”
Wheeze...
“Two ...”
Pant...Cough...
“Three...Whew,” Kagome said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “Man, that thing sucks. Next time remind me to let Sesshoumaru do that.”
“I suggested that, remember?” ART commented jovially as Kagome closed the door to his recharging console. “But if I remember correctly, you said-“ Kagome blinked as her voice suddenly replaced his, her higher nuances and tones disconcerting and rather odd on this obviously male specimen. “Sesshoumaru’s not the only one who can recharge you. Why does he get to do it every week?”
“Well,” Kagome grumbled as she turned her back to him and began to climb up the ladder to the upper floor. “You could have tried a little harder to talk me out of it.”
ART extended a hand to help her up the last rung, having appeared already at the top floor without having to climb. “Yes, well, I’ve learned not to disagree with determined females,” he said and laughed when Kagome pouted. “How is your ankle this morning?”
“It’s actually a lot better,” Kagome said before shifting her weight on it completely. She grinned when it held, all traces of weakness and pain gone as she stood there. “See? I’m better already.”
“That you may be, but I still don’t want you applying too much pressure to it.”
“Yes doctor,” Kagome grumbled as she left the library. She quickly made her way back to the third floor, her mind completely focused on the shower she intended to take. She meant to take one earlier that morning but ART’s rapid system shut down became a more urgent of a concern. She couldn’t understand where Sesshoumaru was during all this, especially since he normally performed ART’s weekly recharges, but figured that if Sesshoumaru could do it so easily then she could too. She never expected for the recharging lever to be so gosh-darned heavy and neither did her muscles as they screamed in protest.
‘But hey, I did it!’ Kagome congratulated herself as she walked through the dojo and into the showers. She left ART standing by the locker room entrance but retraced her steps when he called out to her.
“Yes ART,” Kagome said as she stuck her head out the door. ART passed her a package wrapped in red plastic. “What’s this?”
“It’s something I found in the laundry room,” ART replied with a mischievous smile. Kagome recognized that smile from spending so much time with the program and groaned miserably. ‘Who knew computer programs had a bad side?’
“Don’t worry Kagome,” ART told her with a smile that was more affectionate than the last. “It’s nothing bad. I saw it and thought you would like it.”
“It’s not a skirt is it?” Kagome inquired incredulously with a glare toward the package in question. ART laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m well aware of your dislike for skirts. I don’t understand it though. One would think that with legs as long as yours, that you would want to show them off.”
“If I didn’t know better ART, I’d swear you were coming on to me,” Kagome joked before disappearing behind the steel gray door. She sat the package on a nearby bench and turned on one of the shower heads before shedding her worn clothes and tossing them down the laundry chute. She stepped underneath the shower head and rubbed the soap between her hands. She switched from the jasmine scented soap to an unscented version after ART suggested that Sesshoumaru might be sensitive to the scented soap she was previously using. She hadn’t noticed anything different on his part but figured it better to be safe than sorry.
‘Besides,’ Kagome said to herself as she tossed the empty bottle of shower gel into the trash and shampooed her hair. ‘Shippou always said that my natural scent was nice. Kouga used to say that too, not that his opinion matters much.’ She laughed at that and what Kouga would say if she ever said that in front of him. She never could be mean to him, but he pushed her restraint every time he opened his mouth and proclaimed (in one way or another) that she was ‘his woman’.
Kagome turned off the shower and quickly dried herself off then took a seat on a nearby bench and ripped open the plastic on the package. Inside she found a black pair of stretch capris, a black tube top that bared her stomach, and a red waist-cincher with slits cut along the front. Kagome put all this on first and noticed that the capris had snap on grommets along the helm. ‘I wonder what these are for...’ she thought as she continued riffling through the package. Next she found a cobalt blue cropped jacket and a pair of what she thought were scraps of cloth. Kagome tugged on the jacket first, taking a moment to admire the black fur-lined sleeves and the gold embroidery before turning to the blue scraps of cloth. She found grommets inside, these matching the ones that were sewn onto the capris. Together the made a complete pair of pants with frayed edges along the blue snap-ons. The black elfin ankle boots were the last to be tugged on and Kagome used a red piece of ribbon to tie her hair into a long, multi-strand braid before turning toward a nearby full length mirror.
“Wow,” Kagome muttered as she admired ART’s choice of attire. “I look like a-“
“Mage,” ART’s voice finished for her. Kagome squeaked and jumped in surprise, then laughed at herself and smacked her forehead. “Duh Kagome. He can’t come in here remember?” She calmed herself and took a steady breath before addressing him.
“What was that ART? What’s a ‘mage’?”
“It’s a job class,” Art replied over the P. A. system. “They only used magic, so they’re strength and combat skills weren’t exactly the best. We did have a few working here so...there you go.”
“Well I like it,” Kagome said with a nod. “OK ART, I’m coming out now.” She stepped from behind the locker room door and grinned at his whistle. “Is it that good?”
“It’s more than that,” ART replied with a grin. “I knew that would suit you.”
“Well thank you for finding it...and for it not being a skirt. Come on,” Kagome said as ART laughed at her. “Let’s eat! You interrupted my plans for this morning.”
“I have already apologized for that,” ART complained as Kagome dragged him from the dojo down the hall to the elevator. “How long do you plan on holding it against me?”
“Until I get food in my tummy,” Kagome simply replied while she pushed the button for the elevator doors to close. “After that you’re off the hook.”
ART laughed again as they entered the cafeteria, his clothes changing colors the moment they crossed the threshold. Kagome and Sesshoumaru discovered sometime after activating ART’s program that not only could he make copies of himself but that he and his copies’ clothes would change color the moment they entered a new room. He no longer wore the red, yellow and white outfit he wore when they first met him. (Or, as ART would call it, his ‘Start Up’ uniform.) Now his uniforms matched the rooms whether they were the silver and black of Sesshoumaru’s quarters, the beige tones of the dojo or the blues and whites of Kagome’s. The only place ART never ventured was the locker rooms but he could still communicate through a specially made set of P. A. speakers.
For right now his jacket and pants matched the colors of the cafeteria, which was decorated in a surprisingly bright red. The beige in his pants bled to a black, and his jacket became red with white pipping around the hemline. “How do you stand doing that?” Kagome wondered as they ventured further into the room.
“It’s not as hard as you think,” Art replied. “The stressful part is information upload and retrieval.”
“That’s when you’re eyes roll into the back of your head right?”
“Right. Now you go on and get something to eat,” ART said as he directed her toward the food processors. “I should speak with Sesshoumaru about something.”
Kagome watched him walk across the black and white checkerboard tile to the other side of the cafeteria. The seating area was divided into thirds with the middle third of the room consisting of small café tables with red tops and thin black wrought-iron legs. Pairs of tall stools in the same colors sat around the tables. The right hand side of the room held large round conference tables that were all white with white chairs with either red of black seat cushions. The left side had booths made of a light pine wood. The round booth tables were left as the stained wood but the booth seats were made of black leather with crimson piping along the outer part of the seats. Little red, black and white checkerboard cups were stationed in the middle of the tables with disposable chopsticks set inside.
Sesshoumaru sat at one of the booths, a plate of...well, something in front of him. Kagome giggled to herself when he growled in ART’s direction, his back turned and his eyes still distant while ART attempted to get his attention. The simulation regarded him curiously for a few moments before he shrugged, winked at Kagome, and walked out of the room. Kagome shook her head and stopped at the set of food processors set up buffet style at the back of the room. The food processors in the cabins were set up with small snacks and breakfast foods but the processors in the cafeteria held everything the cabin processors had and more. They were made of brushed stainless steel and were divided into five stations. The first station was set up for seafood, the second for poultry, the third for meat, the fourth for desserts and the fifth was for beverages. Each station (except for the beverage station) was divided between the youkai and human menus.
What delighted Kagome most about the food processors was the fact that everything on the menu (the human side at least) was native to Esthar. She managed to find a couple of her favorites, dishes she hadn’t had since she was a little girl, and couldn’t help the feeling of nostalgia she felt every time she ordered one of the dishes. ‘It makes me realize how much I’ve missed the old place,’ she smiled wistfully as she grabbed a tray from a stack sitting on a nearby counter and approached the processors. She mulled over the menu a few seconds, then pressed a couple of buttons. A white ceramic bowl was the first to emerge then a small white teacup.
Kagome picked up her tray and paused a moment to take the time to enjoy the yummy smell of her order. ‘Yum,’ she grinned happily as she walked away from the processors. ‘Duck fu yong and chrysanthemum tea. My favorites.’
She looked up when Sesshoumaru growled again, this time with his back to her and the rest of the room while he dined on whatever it was he ordered. ‘He always sits by himself when he eats,’ Kagome thought as she walked down the aisle toward him. ‘And he’s been so grumpy. He’s been grumpy for a week. I wonder what his problem is.’
Sesshoumaru sat in his own little world, the end of his chopsticks swirling dispassionately around his plate. His mind was a constant battlefield of inner thoughts with most of his problems concerning their shelter and the lock on the control room panel door. ‘I have worked on that lock for six weeks and it still won’t open,’ Sesshoumaru growled to himself. ‘The simulation cannot open it from the outside and he cannot gain access to it either. What is in that room?’ The control panel was one of his concerns, but it wasn’t the most worrisome. His most worrisome (and constant) problem was his inner youkai.
Normally he kept the beast under tight control but it was becoming difficult since the draining of his youki. Add to it one female specialist and he found himself with one of the oddest problems he ever had to face. His inner youkai had managed to become attached to Kagome sometime between the Ragnorok’s destruction, falling into the shelter and ART’s activation. It practically purred in contentment whenever her scent wafted toward them and it raged and pounded on it’s mental prison whenever she were hurt.
At this very moment it sat pouting over, of all things, Kagome getting better. Now that she could walk on her own (she still limped, but it no longer hurt her to put weight on her weakened ankle) she no longer needed Sesshoumaru to carry her and his inner youkai actually missed having her warmth in it’s tail.
‘This is ridiculous,’ Sesshoumaru grunted as he shoved his plate to the center of the table. ‘First you complain and whine about her being hurt, NOW you’re upset because she does not need our assistance. This is becoming insane.’ Sesshoumaru groaned when it whined again, the piteous sound offensive to Sesshoumaru’s mental ears. ‘No, I refuse to discuss this. She is getting better and the sooner she does the sooner you can cease pestering me!’
“Hey Sesshoumaru.”
‘Oh great,’ Sesshoumaru grumbled as his inner youkai leapt to attention. ‘Not her. Not now.’
“Um...Sesshoumaru?”
“Yes?” Sesshoumaru snapped. “What is it now?”
“Ow,” Kagome mumbled softly. “Um, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll go someplace else.” His inner youkai growled the second she turned to walk away from them, took over Sesshoumaru’s hand and grasped her elbow.
“Um...” Kagome muttered as she stared at the clawed appendage. “Sesshoumaru?”
“What did you want Kagome?” Sesshoumaru asked after berating his rebelliousness side. “Ignore my behavior. I am under a considerable amount of stress.”
“Aren’t we all,” Kagome commented with a laugh. “No problem Cap. Anyway, I wanted to know if I could sit with you.”
Sesshoumaru glanced at her then at the other empty tables surrounding them before asking, “Why?”
“Um...cause you always sit with your back to me and I really hate eating by myself.”
“Then have ART sit with you,” Sesshoumaru replied as he released her arm.
“But ART doesn’t eat,” Kagome whined childishly. “So it feels like he’s staring at me. I hate it when people watch me eat. Can’t I sit with you?” She sat her tray on the table and batted her eyes. “Please? Pretty please? Don’t make me turn the puppy eyes on you.”
“As an inu youkai, I find that slightly insulting,” Sesshoumaru commented in amusement. “But I would hate for you to result to such measures. Sit, please.”
“Cool!” Kagome plopped down in the seat across from him and grabbed a set of chopsticks. “Um,” she said after a few bites. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” He followed the end of her sticks to his plate and sighed. “That is my lunch.”
“Lunch? What about breakfast?”
“I ate that while you were asleep. It’s almost one Kagome.”
“Oh man,” Kagome groaned as she slapped her forehead. “You mean to tell me that I overslept? Sucks!” Sesshoumaru shook his head, more than amused with her antics as she lamented her injury and her lazy ways. “And that no good ART!” Kagome snapped as she continued to complain. “He didn’t even TELL ME that I overslept! Sheesh! He could have said something!”
“And what does ART have to do with this,” Sesshoumaru asked as he picked up his chopsticks and returned to his meal.
“He stopped me on the way to the showers to recharge his system,” Kagome griped. “And that thing is heavy! Did you know that!” She blushed at his incredulous look and laughed. “Oh yeah. I guess you do. Hey, what’s that you’re eat-“
“Hold on,” Sesshoumaru said with his hand raised. “What is with all the questions?”
“Oh, um...well, I decided to learn more about you,” Kagome responded. “So what better way to get to know someone than to ask questions. So what is-“
“Do I not get the chance to agree to the questions?” Sesshoumaru interrupted again.
“Well I guess so,” Kagome shrugged. “But I always figured that if I asked something you didn’t want to answer, you wouldn’t answer it. You are kind of ornery you know.”
“I am not ornery,” Sesshoumaru growled, then sighed and shook his head. “Fine, I agree to these ‘questions’ so long as I get to ask my own.”
“Yay!” Kagome chirped excitedly. “Twenty Questions! I love that game!”
‘I may have bitten off more than I care to chew,’ Sesshoumaru commented to himself as kagome thought of something she wanted to ask.
“Um...OK! What’s that?” she asked as she pointed to his plate again.
“Youkai food.”
“I know that!” she snapped angrily. “But what is it? Why can’t you just eat human food? It’s the same, right?”
“No, it’s not the same,” Sesshoumaru said before gesturing toward the three colored heaps on his plate. “First of all, youkai food tends to be seasoned differently. The spices and herbs are stronger than what you would use for human consumption.”
“But Inuyasha likes human food,” Kagome pointed out. “Why’s that?”
“Inuyasha’s partly human, so he can get what he needs from both human and youkai food,” Sesshoumaru answered her. “And I never said that I could not eat human food. I merely stated that I do not need it. Human food is like junk food to youkai.”
“OK...so what is it exactly?” Kagome asked next. “I mean, its obviously not a burger and fries so-“
“Raw food,” Sesshoumaru answered her before she could finish the question. “Vegetables, meats, things like that.”
“Oh.” ‘Ew,’ Kagome thought to herself. “So why’s it colored?”
“Different colors are for specific abilities. Now it is my turn,” Sesshoumaru said before she could continue.
“Oh. Um..sure, alright then.” Kagome sat back in her seat and crossed her arms underneath her head. “Go for it.” He leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table’s surface, loosely threaded his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands before asking, “Why are you afraid of needles? You fear nothing else and it seems to be a small thing to be afraid of.”
“Oh. Eheh. I never told you that?” Kagome asked nervously. The very mention of needles made her quake in her boots and she could feel the tiny beads of sweat beginning to form along her spine.
“No, you didn’t,” Sesshoumaru drawled smoothly. He was surprised when he caught the scents of her fear and nervousness, now realizing that what he thought was a silly fear was actually a full blown phobia. “But you did say something about an incident when you were a child.”
“Yeah, um...I came down with something nasty when I was a kid,” Kagome said and shuddered violently. “I think it was something rare, like scarlet fever or something. Anyway, whatever it was it was a really bad case of it and I had to be hospitalized. They had to do all kinds of tests on me and stuff. My mom said that I ran a high fever and these weird little marks started appearing on my skin. The docs told her I was highly contagious so she and my dad couldn’t sit with me. They had to sit on the other side of a glass window and watch the doctors walk around me in these white quarantine suits.” Kagome suddenly fell silent, her face taking on a thoughtful countenance as she remembered. “You know, Mom always cried when she told me that. She said it was the scarcest moment of her life.”
Sesshoumaru set back while she sank deeper into her thoughts, the sudden tides of confusion and guilt nearly as surprising as the contentment and finality that crossed into her scent. “Kagome?” he called as she smiled to herself. “Kagome, do you want to ask me something?”
“Ask you some-Oh yeah!” Kagome called out as she came out of her mood. “I remember now! Hey, who was that blue haired panther you were fighting back at the Garden.” She flinched at the threatening growl that ripped from his throat, though his face remained stoic and his eyes stayed cool. “You know what,” she said next. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer th-“
“That was Toran,” Sesshoumaru growled softly. “She and the others that attacked you and Inuyasha’s mate are the former Panther Devas of Esthar.”
“Devas? What’s that?”
“They’re the youkai rulers of that part of the world, or taiyoukai,” Sesshoumaru explained.
“Ok, they’re cats-“
“Do NOT call them that to their faces,” Sesshoumaru warned her. “Well...at least not without me.”
“Why? Are you gonna protect me from the big bad kitties?” Kagome cooed and giggled in spite of herself. Sesshoumaru smirked and shook his head, his arms falling away from the table to cross across his broad chest. “No, not exactly,” he answered and watched her pout. “But I would like to be there when they use you for a scratching post.”
“Yeah right,” Kagome huffed as she waved it aside. “As if I’d let that happen. Besides, it’s not like you to turn down a good fight. Now what about this ‘Toran’ chick that rubs you the wrong way.”
‘Rubs the wrong...ugh,’ Sesshoumaru and his inner youkai grimaced in disgust at the thought. “Toran’s father and my parents arranged for us to be mated.”
“Really!” Kagome snickered. “A dog and a cat! Are you serious?”
“It was supposed to be a part of a peace treaty,” Sesshoumaru growled and narrowed his eyes at Kagome when she doubled over and outright laughed. “Our union was meant to unite our tribes and any pups sired by us were to divide the west and the east between them. Hmnh,” Sesshoumaru grumbled while Kagome calmed herself. “I would have rather mated a human male than that frigid cat.”
He frowned when Kagome laughed again, this time with her stretched out along her seat with her feet dangling over the side. “I’m glad you find this amusing,” Sesshoumaru commented as he leaned over to watch her laugh. Kagome sniffed, hiccuped and resumed her merriment.
“I’m-haha-sorry Sesshou-(snicker)-maru!” she said finally as she again calmed herself down. “I just can’t believe how you’re reacting about it! I mean, was she that bad?” She giggled at the glare he sent her way before she stopped laughing all together. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” Kagome apologized with a hand against her heart. “Really, that was incredibly rude of me and I apologize. So what was so bad about her? Other than that whole ‘Wanting to mate a dude’ thing.”
Sesshoumaru’s glare turned into an all out glower at that, which quickly became Kagome’s first and only warning to tread lightly as far as the subject was concerned before he answered her. “Toran and her father never intended on honoring the treaty. She was instructed to wait until after my father passed everything on to me, then slaughter the three of us-“
“You, Ambassador Endo and Inuyasha right?” Kagome interrupted. Sesshoumaru nodded. “Yes. They were to usurp our lordship afterward.”
“Wow, that’s deep,” Kagome replied thoughtfully, then frowned as a spark of anger flashed in her eyes. “And dirty! Jeeze, didn’t they think about what would happen if you guys found out?”
“The execution of her father was first,” Sesshoumaru answered as if he were commenting on the time of day. Kagome’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Are you serious?” Kagome asked and gasped when he nodded. “But why?”
“It was a betrayal of the treaty,” Sesshoumaru shrugged indifferently. “And in the treaty he signed it stated that the head of the household that betrayed the other would be beheaded.”
“But what about Toran?” Kagome asked. “What did you do to her?”
“Her kingdom was stripped away from her and given to another set of cats. I believe the new lord are tigers of some kind. It doesn’t matter. We fight because of her treachery.”
“Don’t you think it has less to do with that and more to do with her father being killed?” Kagome asked. “I mean, what about-“
“What about what?” Sesshoumaru snarled in her direction. “You obviously have no idea about youkai politics so you cannot possibly comment on what you don’t understand.”
“But-“
“She and her father knew of the consequences of their actions. They knew the risks and allowed greed to blind them to their common sense. I feel no sympathy for them. It is a gross and idiotic waste of time to do so.”
“Oh,” Kagome commented quietly. “I see. OK then.” They sat in an uncomfortable silence with Kagome quiet and thoughtful and Sesshoumaru’s inner youkai practically furious at the way Sesshoumaru yelled at it’s little ‘friend’.
‘I will not apologize,’ Sesshoumaru countered when it demanded he do as it suggested. ‘The little twit has no idea of what she speaks so flippantly of and forgot her place. She is only human after all.’ Sesshoumaru sighed deeply and agreed when it suggested that Kagome was different than other humans but he still refused to give in to it’s request when Kagome suddenly stood up and grabbed her tray.
“Excuse me captain,” she mumbled softly with a quick bow. “ART wants to continue my physical therapy in the dojo.” She turned and walked away before he could think to stop her, taking a moment to place her tray into a nearby reciprocal before disappearing from the room in a flutter of blue and black.
See, his inner youkai whispered as her scent began to disperse from the room. You upset her.
‘And?’ Sesshoumaru commented dryly. ‘I’m afraid I fail to see the problem.’
She wasn’t trying to insult us. She was only expressing sympathy for Toran’s loss. Even you, at the time, thought that Father’s methods for punishment were rather harsh for the circumstance.
‘I did until Father explained it to me,’ Sesshoumaru countered. ‘Traitors are to be dealt with swiftly and precisely or else our enemies will become bolder and more troublesome.’
That may be, but Kagome’s no enemy, his youkai countered back. Kagome was just as outraged by their treachery as she was upset by the old cat’s demise. You cannot fault her for her feelings, no matter how inane you may think they are. If you do she will become alienated with us and refuse to share her company.
‘As if I wanted her company,’ Sesshoumaru disagreed as his inner youkai fell silent. He did admit (after an hour of sitting there stirring in his food) that he did find her silly little mannerisms rather enjoyable. ‘I still refuse to apologize,’ Sesshoumaru thought as he decided on a compromise. ‘But I will try to remember her differences from now on. Maybe that will keep this situation from becoming worse than it already is.’
II
Sesshoumaru exited the elevator and stepped onto the fourth floor, his set of tools slipping into the ample pockets of his pale blue pants. He had spent the early part of the afternoon working on the control room lock, having removed an entire section of wall paneling to gain access to the lock, the doorframe and the wires between them but still couldn’t find a way to open it. He could only guess now that there was another way to open the door that he wasn’t aware of.
This idea lead him to seek out ART’s assistance with the intention of questioning the program about the subject. ‘Now where is he,’ Sesshoumaru wondered while he made a quick stop at his room. ‘It’s ...’ He glanced down at his watch and sighed. ‘It’s 3:00 now, so he and Kagome are continuing her physical therapy.’ He exited his quarters and walked down the hallway to the dojo.
‘They should be almost finished,’ Sesshoumaru thought as he approached the wide double doors leading to the dojo floor. ‘So I should not interrup-‘
“No!”
Sesshoumaru paused mid-stride, his ears twitching violently as Kagome’s voice filtered though the dojo doors.
“I won’t do it!”
‘They must be having a disagreement,’ Sesshoumaru determined with a mental shrug. ‘It cannot be about anything important.’
No, this sounds like it is, his inner youkai disagreed. I believe we should wait a moment and listen. This could be something interesting. Sesshoumaru agreed readily enough and leaned against the doorframe, careful to stay clear of the infa red sensors that operated the door’s opening mechanisms, and listened to the conversation on the other side.
“You’re wrong ART!” he heard Kagome exclaim suddenly. “I don’t think he’ll do that at all!”
“Be that as it may, I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to tell him.”
‘Tell who?’ Sesshoumaru wondered, then groaned softly and slapped his forehead.
“Why?” Kagome demanded. “I mean, from my point of view I think it’ll be worse for me not to tell him!”
“But you don’t understand the youkai mind,” ART countered patiently. “Lord Sesshoumaru, and any other youkai for that matter, will automatically view you as an enemy and try to hurt you.”
“Are you crazy!” Kagome snapped. “I have LOTS of youkai friends back at the Garden and Sesshoumaru wouldn’t fly off the handle like that. Besides, knowing him, he’ll see it as a ‘tactical advantage’.”
“Or he could think of you as a threat and try to run you though.”
“Oh come ON ART!” Kagome huffed in frustration. “I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing! I tell you what, let’s think about it this way: You think it’s going to be bad if I tell him. Well imagine what will happen if I DON’T tell him and he finds out some other way? What do you think he’ll do or say then? And besides, he’s my captain. I HAVE to tell him!”
“Tell me what?”
Kagome and ART froze, both with shock written on their faces as they turned toward the doorway. Sesshoumaru stood in the middle of it, his arms crossed and his golden eyes narrowed in their direction. “Anyone care to explain?”
“Um...”
“Uh...”
“ Maybe you should do it,” Kagome and ART exclaimed at once. They both sighed at their behavior and groaned, completely unaware of Sesshoumaru’s rapidly deteriorating countenance until a low, threatening growl reverberated throughout the padded room.
“Um, I’ll do it,” Kagome offered before turning to the now pissed off youkai. “Um, Sesshoumaru, there’s something I gotta tell you.”
“That part I’m aware of,” he growled as his arms slid down to rest at his sides. “Do get on with it.”
“Right. Eheheh. Um...ok then,” Kagome sighed. “This is going rather well,” she whispered to ART. ART shrugged in response.
“You’re the one that wanted to tell him.”
“I would like to find out today,” Sesshoumaru warned them. “Besides, I’m not known for my patience.”
“Right. Sorry,” Kagome apologized, then cleared her throat. “Um, you remember back when I first was injured don’t you? And when we first activated ART right?”
“Right...”
“And um, when ART checked over my ankle and found your acid? You remember what he said about it right?”
“Where is this going?” Sesshoumaru demanded impatiently. “Why this sudden trip down memory lane?”
“Maybe I should explain,” ART offered. “I do know more about the subject than she does. I performed some research on what the matter is that was assisting Kagome’s white blood cells and found something interesting.”
“What is it?” Sesshoumaru sighed in exasperation. “I tire of the theatrics.”
“He found ki Sesshoumaru,” Kagome interjected before ART could say anything. “Purifying ki to be exact.” The stunned look glittering in his eyes was something she expected, but she never thought he would be so calm about it.
“And?”
“And apparently she’s never known anything about it until recently,” ART responded next. “We’ve done some experimenting with it and I’ve found that with a little extra practice Kagome could be nearly as powerful as you.”
“Really?” Sesshoumaru muttered to himself. “As powerful as me you say...”
“Well, I would think so,” ART replied. “But not on the same level as you. Kagome’s ki is differ-“
“I would like to see it.”
“See what?” Kagome asked as Sesshoumaru stepped into the room. The heavy metal doors slid closed after him with a slight hiss, the sound eerie and disturbing as he approached her. “Sesshoumaru, see what?”
“I would like to see this power of yours,” Sesshoumaru replied and stopped a few feet in front of her. ART slowly stepped back and away from the pair until his back touched the beige wall behind him. Kagome put a little more distance between herself and Sesshoumaru as well, a deep tingling at the base of her neck caused the tiny hairs there to raise and her senses to heighten along with them.
“I don’t know about this,” Kagome said before looking to ART for help. She groaned when he shrugged, taking the slight gesture to mean that she was on her own as Sesshoumaru extended his claws. “Sesshoumaru-“
“Why are you so frightened?” Sesshoumaru inquired dryly. “Calm down so you can think.”
“Oh. Right. Ok then.” Kagome closed her eyes and took a couple of deep calming breaths. “Alright Sesshoumaru,” she said as she opened them. “Go ahead. Let’s try this and get it over with.” Sesshoumaru nodded wordlessly and flexed his right hand, a thin smirk appearing on his lips at Kagome’s gasp when it began to glow a neon green. He disappeared in the wink of an eye, leaving Kagome and ART to wonder at his whereabouts.
“Sesshoumaru?” Kagome called out as she checked the rafters above her. “Come out! This isn’t fair! You’re cheating!”
“Just as a little side-note Kagome,” ART interjected with a finger raised for her attention. “He doesn’t have to be fair.”
“Oh, ahahah,” Kagome snipped irritably as she glanced around her. “Not funny at all ART.” She stiffened when the prickling at her neck grew more intense then turned around and looked toward a slight growl coming from above her. Sesshoumaru sat crouched down on the rafter above her, his eyes glittering a fierce amber as he stepped off and allowed himself to fall through the air toward her. Kagome gasped again and stepped back in alarm when he stretched his hand toward her, the acid oozing from underneath his claws dripping down to eat away the caramel colored floor padding beneath her feet in tiny pinpricks.
He decided not to hurt her while he sat there on the rafters but he couldn’t deny the sudden urge to scare her as he watched her search for him. The jump from the rafter was easy enough. He had regained enough youki in the seven weeks they were there to ensure that his landing would be a safe one, so he truly felt no reservations against his little project. His smirk widened considerably when she turned and looked at him, her eyes wide and frightened like a green-eyed doe.
It was when those green eyes began to glow around their rim that Sesshoumaru felt the first stab of uncertainty, then nothing more than agony as a bright purple flame began to engulf his right hand.
Kagome nearly shrieked when he landed in front of her, his right hand tightly grasped in his left as silver locks fell about his face like a curtain. He crouched inches from her on one knee with his palm down, his shoulders tense and the funny feeling at the back of her neck lessening with every second.
“Sesshoumaru? Are you ok?” She frowned when he remained quiet, the frown deepening as the smell of burnt flesh permeated the air. “Sesshoumaru?” She lowered herself to her knees in front of her and sat back on her ankles, then reached forward for his right hand. “Let me see,” she implored softly with her hands outstretched and her voice quiet. “Please? Let me see. I think I can fix it.”
Sesshoumaru refused to speak or lift his head but he did allow her to inspect his right hand. She sucked in a sympathetic breath at the damage she caused, once flawless skin now red, raw and tender to her touch. She winced when she touched the remaining skin on his palm and flinched in sympathy when he did. “I’m really, really sorry Sesshoumaru,” Kagome whispered as she began to massage the ruined flesh at the inside of his wrist. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I honestly didn’t. I-I panicked. I’m sorry.”
Sesshoumaru growled softly, the pain in his hand deafening him to her apology. It was taking everything in his power to keep his inner youkai contained, especially since his youki hadn’t quite returned to full capacity. Any attempts to transform now would result in a complete loss of control on his part and he didn’t want to hurt the young woman in front of him.
She-she burned us! his inner youkai snarled in outrage. The little vixen burned us!
‘Yes, and I fear we may have deserved it,’ Sesshoumaru growled back before hissing aloud when Kagome touched an extremely tender spot on his palm. ‘We are the ones that provoked her.’
Make her stop touching us! his youkai urgently insisted. Her touch is so cold! It’s only making things worse
Now that he hadn’t noticed.
Sesshoumaru found that her touch was actually hurting him and her fingertips were glowing a soft blue. He quickly snatched his hand away and growled at her. His eyes were hard and cold as he glared and she stepped back, her hands raised and her head lowered in a quiet-if temporary-submission. He flexed his right hand instinctively and stopped when he felt no pain, no tightening and no burning like he had earlier. He raised his hand, frowned at the skin that was once rendered to a living barbeque and flexed new, healthy flesh and claws.
Sesshoumaru glanced down at Kagome, who stood in front of him waiting patiently for his verdict. “Well,” he grunted out after a moment’s silence. “What a surprise. Who knew you had it in you little gunner?”
“Would you stop calling me that,” Kagome gripped irritably, her fists instantly shooting to her hips as she glared up at him. The glow from earlier was gone, replaced with concerned and angry almond-shaped orbs. “I know I overreacted and everything but come on-“
“I believe I agree with Kagome ART,” Sesshoumaru interrupted with a thoughtful gaze at ART. ART nodded in understanding and stood away from the wall to approach the pair. “I do see this as an advantage. Imagine,” he said thoughtfully. “A miko SeeD...”
“Actually,” ART said before placing a hand on Kagome’s shoulder. “It’s a little more than that.”
“More than her nearly singing my hand off?” Sesshoumaru wondered sarcastically. “Can this day possibly get any better?”
“It’s only a little something my lord,” ART responded calmly. “But I feel that if you must know the truth, then you may as well know the entire truth.”
“I’m listening,” Sesshoumaru replied to urged the program on. “And try to be quicker about this than you were last time.”
“Of course,” ART agreed with a solemn bow. “Kagome’s not just a miko. She has summoner blood as well.” ART waited for Sesshoumaru to say something, but when the inu youkai prince remained silent he decided that it might be the best idea to go ahead and explain himself. “You see Lord Sesshoumaru, in my time there were both miko and summoners. Miko were responsible for rogue youkai while summoners served in times of war.”
“Summoners were put in the front lines,” Kagome interjected quickly. “Um, they fought on the side of the religion at the time, right ART?”
“Uh-huh. Kagome tells me that anyone can summon an aeon now with the help of what you call ‘summoning stones’?”
“What’s an Aeon?” Sesshoumaru directed toward Kagome.
“Oh, an Aeon is another name for a GF. But yeah ART, I’ve got a summoning stone right here.” Kagome reached in the pocket of her jacket and stared in surprise at a round piece of white marble the size of a dime. “What’s this? I don’t remember this one.”
She handed the stone to Sesshoumaru, who quickly studied it and the inscription carved deep within the surface. “It’s a stone for Alexander,” Sesshoumaru replied simply, and returned it to her before glancing at ART. “Could you continue?”
“Oh, yes of course,” ART said as Kagome gazed at the stone in her hands in disbelief. “Um...where was I...oh yes! Summoners didn’t need any stones to summon aeons. They were the stones, in a sense.”
“And how is that in any way important?” Sesshoumaru asked next as he silently wished for something to sit on. He decided to use a bit of his ki to form his nimbus cloud and waited for the white mist to settle fully underneath his feet before bolding is legs underneath him.
“Um...well it’s like this.” ART grabbed Kagome and positioned her between them, his hands firmly clasped on her shoulders as he watched for Sesshoumaru’s reaction from behind Kagome’s head. “Our Kagome here is more than just a miko. Somewhere in her bloodline is a very strong miko/summoner, or a summoner and a miko mated. Either way Kagome not only can purify and heal, she can summon any aeon within an eight mile radius.”
“Any aeon?” Sesshoumaru repeated in disbelief. “Including ones that don’t belong to her?”
“Well aeons don’t belong to anyone,” ART replied evenly. “But yes, any aeon near her, including any carved on the stones in your possession.”
“But that would include any that are wild, correct?” Sesshoumaru asked and hummed thoughtfully at ART’s affirmation. “Interesting...”
“Ok, I’m lost,” Kagome cried out suddenly. “Why is that so bloody interesting?”
“Because,” Sesshoumaru said before moving his legs from underneath him to allow them to swing off the edge of the cloud. “This means that any GF is under your control. She could use Scan to see them correct?”
“She wouldn’t need such a spell,” ART said as he began to pick up on Sesshoumaru’s theory. “Summoners and miko feel when youkai and aeons are nearby, especially strong ones. I suppose she could use this Scan to see if the aeon is worth calling, but other than that I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Then that settles it,” Sesshoumaru said as he jumped down from the cloud.
“Hey, wait a sec,” Kagome shouted to the schemers around her. “What are we talking about? What’s so great!”
“You can call any GF Kagome,” Sesshoumaru repeated as ideas and training measures began to form in his head. “That means that the GF of friends, comrades and enemies are under your control.”
“You can turn an enemy’s GF against them,” ART translated. Kagome nodded in understanding. “Oooohhhhhh...”
“I believe training is in order,” Sesshoumaru continued on while Kagome and ART looked on. “ART, your training with her should continue, as miko and summoners haven’t been in use in over 100 years.”
“125 to be exact,” ART replied and sighed when Sesshoumaru looked as if to care less.
“After she trains with you, I think an hour or two with me would be called for.”
“What!” Kagome exploded. “Are you NUTS! No way am I training with you! I’m trying to get my strength back, not be reduced to a silver-haired, gibbering idiot! God, you’d kill me in a day!”
“I take resentment to that silver-haired comment,” Sesshoumaru replied casually. “But I will take it as a sign that you’re ready to begin your training as soon as possible. How does tomorrow sound ART?”
“Absolutely perfect Lord Sesshoumaru,” ART said with another of his bows. Kagome wacked him in the back of the head as Sesshoumaru began to leave the room.
“And just where are you going?” Kagome demanded as the doors opened with a hiss.
“I am going back to work,” Sesshoumaru replied simply. “You, however, have more training to do. ART, I want her leg strengthened by tomorrow afternoon.”
“As you wish Lord Sesshoumaru,” ART replied before Sesshoumaru quit the room. Kagome stared at the empty space left behind in something akin to disbelief, then rounded on ART with her fist balled and her eyes narrowed dangerously. ART stepped back, his hands raised once again in weak submission as Kagome advanced on him.
“Come here ART,” she cooed as she closed the distance between them. “I want to tell you something.”
ART had the sneaking suspicion that whatever Kagome wanted to talk about wouldn’t be good for his circuits.
“Perhaps,” he laughed nervously. “I should have followed Lord Sesshoumaru instead.”
III
“Pliers.”
“Um...” ART rifled through the toolbox for a few seconds, then fished out the called for tool. “Got it.”
Sesshoumaru traded out the mini screwdriver in his hands for the pliers and continued to work on the control panel, his various growls and sighs of frustration the only sound in the hallway before he finally grunted and gave ART back the pliers.
“I give up,” he finally relented as he pressed his back against the wall and sighed. “I have no idea who made this, but I wish I could shake his hand...before I ripped his arm from its socket.”
“Now now my lord,” ART appeased with a comforting smile. “Now’s not the time to be frustrated. Maybe you just need to take your mind off of it for a while.”
“Or maybe I should look somewhere else for another lock,” Sesshoumaru determined. ART shook his head. “There isn’t another lock or access panel as far as I know of. This is it. Perhaps,” ART suggested when Sesshoumaru groaned again. “We should change the subject. You know, discuss something other than technology. We have been at this for the past five hours. It’s 3:00 in the morning.”
Sesshoumaru glanced down at his watch to confirm it and shrugged. “Alright, perhaps we should find something else to think about. There has been something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“Please, ask away,” ART insisted. “I’m here to answer whatever questions you may have.”
“Why are the men’s clothes so different from the women?”
“I don’t understand,” ART replied. “Different? You mean different like pants to skirts?”
“No,” Sesshoumaru shook his head. “I mean different as in out of all the pants, shorts and jackets I’ve found in my size, I’ve only been able to find three shirts including the one I’m wearing now,” he said as he gestured to the fitted white ribbed long sleeved shirt he had on. “Kagome’s selection seems to be more...widespread.”
“Oh, that,” ART said when he finally understood. “There’s a simple reason for that: It’s the way people dressed in my time.”
“I know that,” Sesshoumaru assured him. “What I’m asking is why did they dress this way? None of the pictures of my grandfather are like this.”
“The pictures of Lord Toga were probably taken after he was mated my lord,” ART guessed. “But I assure you that every young male, youkai and human, dressed this way.”
Sesshoumaru fought the urge to sigh as ART once again managed to avoid the question, something Kagome had secretly titled an ‘ART fart’ and wondered if evasiveness was a part of ART’s programing. “ART, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Oh. Oh yes. Right. Sorry about that Lord Sesshoumaru,” ART apologized profusely. “The reason the males dressed this way is because of the Female Epidemic.”
“Excuse me?” Sesshoumaru quipped in confusion. “What is a ‘Female Epidemic’?”
“As I’m sure you’ve heard me say my lord, my time and your time are vastly different from one another,” ART explained quickly. “In my time, there was a sudden drop of female births. At first no one thought of it because boys were considered to be more of a use to the family than girls but as the years went on and the girl birth rates kept dropping, people began to wonder what was causing it. It got to be so bad that any little girl born to a family was considered a treasure.
“I remember an article about a peasant farmer that lived a village at the base of Mt. Gagazet-“
“Where is that exactly?” Sesshoumaru shamelessly interrupted.
“Oh, um...a mile or so south of Zanerkand,” ART replied after a moment to gather his information. Sesshoumaru nodded, having figured that most of ART’s world had vastly replaced his own, with Zanerkand and it’s ruins giving way to Deling City and Galbadia.
“But returning back to the article,” ART resumed from where he left off. “The farmer was dirt poor but rose to fame because of his seven daughters. He had all girls and he guarded them with his life as they grew up. When they married their ceremonies were in all the papers and the families of the grooms paid the farmer huge doweries for his daughters’ hands in marriage.”
“Humans,” Sesshoumaru grumbled in disgust. He frowned when ART shook his head to disagree. “No my lord. This farmer was a youkai, a cat youkai to be exact. His daughters were some of the prettiest kittens ever.”
“I see...”
“But the men dress as you do now to exhibit their health and fitness-“
“Like a male peacock displaying his feathers,” Sesshoumaru pointed out. ART nodded in agreement. “Exactly my lord. Just like that.”
“What utter nonsense,” Sesshoumaru growled before attempting to pick up the various tools scattered along the floor. “As if females were worth such nonsense.”
“On the contrary,” ART replied. “Females at the time were considered worth their weight in gold, especially one like our Kagome.”
“Kagome? Ha,” Sesshoumaru barked in amusement. “I don’t believe anyone would willingly spend time with that bothersome girl.”
“I don’t know Lord Sesshoumaru,” ART sang out with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “I for one happen to find Kagome’s countenance quite pleasing to be around, especially with the way some girls behave. She’s refreshingly different, wouldn’t you say?”
Sesshoumaru considered the idea, then shrugged it off as he closed the control panel and began to screw back its front cover. “I suppose she is rather different,” he decided after the first screw. “She is definitely not the giggling, bubble-headed type.”
“I agree totally,” ART replied with a jovial laugh. “But men in my time would have paid Kagome’s family a hearty dowery indeed for her, human and youkai alike.”
“Youkai mating humans was acceptable?”
“Well yes so long as the human was up to par,” ART responded thoughtfully. “I tend to believe that with Kagome’s long legs, delightful curves, long dark hair and enchanting eyes, that the sons of senators and royalty would have been smitten with her.”
The statement stunned Sesshoumaru for a moment, and he couldn’t help but reach out and thump the simulation on the shoulder. A slight ping as his nail connected with metal reaffirmed that ART wasn’t the full blooded male he sounded like. “What is it?” ART wondered in concern. “Did I offend you? If I have I apologize.”
“What would make you think that you offended me?” Sesshoumaru grumbled dryly.
“Of course,” ART replied. “But as I was saying, Kagome would have been dotted on from birth. She also would have been guarded.”
“From what?”
“Sometimes greedy pirates called Breeders would come and steal away the prettier girls. They’d sell them on the black market to the highest bidder and forced into slavery. It was a horrid situation. Girls that were taken were often never seen again.”
“I see,” Sesshoumaru replied as he returned his miniature tool set to his pocket. “Though I believe you are wrong about Kagome’s end of the spectrum.”
“I don’t think so. Oh, here you go,” ART said as he passed Sesshoumaru his forgotten screwdriver. “I find Kagome to be quite attractive.”
“Don’t make me thump you again ART,” Sesshoumaru mumbled. He yawned slightly and stretched, the end of his tail fuzzing out a little before turning around to head for the elevator. He stopped when heard the doors sound and waited for Kagome to get off the elevator.
“Good morning Kagome,” ART called out as she appeared at the end of the hallway. She waved before running toward them. She was barefoot and obviously dressed for bed. She wore a white nightgown with a skirt that floated to the floor in billows of creamy soft fabric. The split in the front reached mid thigh with thin spaghetti straps holding up the square neckline. It was Sesshoumaru’s first time seeing her hair down and he found he couldn’t stop staring at the onyx waves as they shimmered down her back to curl an inch above her waistline.
“Good morning you guys,” she huffed when she finally stopped to catch her breath. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I thought I’d tell you good night before I go pass out. Um, Sesshoumaru? Is everything alright?”
“Of course,” Sesshoumaru assured her as he snapped out of his stupor. “And good night Kagome.”
“Yes Kagome, good night,” ART agreed enthusiastically. “Thank you for telling us.”
“Oh no problem,” Kagome replied as she turned to walk back to the elevator. “I just thought you guys would like to km-OH!” He foot rolled over a Philips head screwdriver, one of the many Sesshoumaru thought he picked up. The smooth plastic handle rolled from underneath her and sent her sailing on a one way trip toward the ground. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, assuring herself that another trip to the infirmary would keep her out of her warm, comfortable bed as she attempted to reach for something to break her fall. She grabbed onto the first thing she could reach before she finally hit the ground and found her fall to be not as hard as she thought it would be.
She opened one eye, then the other when something wheezed beneath her. Kagome saw ART first, who was standing against the wall with his hands tightly clasped over his mouth. Sesshoumaru was next, or Sesshoumaru’s chin was next as that was the only thing she could see of the inu youkai’s face. She quickly sat up and straddled his waist before helping him to sit up.
“I’m so sorry Sesshoumaru!” Kagome apologized as she dusted him off and brushed his bangs away from his face. “I didn’t mean to fall on you! I honestly thought I was falling on ART.”
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made as soft a landing pad Kagome,” ART chuckled heartily. He quieted considerably when Sesshoumaru shot him a warning glare, then watched as he attempted to wave away Kagome’s concern.
“Would you stop pawing all over me woman?” Sesshoumaru finally snapped when he couldn’t get her to release him peacefully. Kagome’s hands instantly flew to her hips, her eyes narrowed in outrage as she glared down at him.
“Excuse you, but who’s pawing all over who?” she countered before gesturing to the pair of hands still attached to her hips. Sesshoumaru quickly removed his hands and used them to brace himself, but found he couldn’t get up because of a certain extra ‘weight’. “You’ve got some nerve you pervert!”
“You’re the one sitting on me,” Sesshoumaru grumbled quietly as he fully sat up and glared at her. He paused a second to brush her hair behind her ear, his claws harmlessly grazing across her right cheek as she continued to berate him. “Kagome,” he finally said when his ears began to ring. He sighed when she refused to answer him, apparently too far gone in her rant to catch on to his pain. “Kagome?”
“And another thing while I’m thinking about it,” she raved on endlessly. Sesshoumaru half listened to it, his eyes rolled slightly in the back of his head as the sound of her voice became this sweet droning that he could no longer understand.
‘Alright,’ he decided when she began poking him in the chest. ‘I have had enough. It’s time to put a stop to this.’ He threaded his fingers through the mass of locks as the base of her skull and jerked forward. The force of it surprised Kagome out of her tirade as she slipped from her comfortable (and safe) position on his legs closer to his body. Her lips stopped a mere breath from his, her eyes dazed and distant from shock as he stared down at her in amusement.
“Are you quite done?” he whispered, fully aware of the affect he was having on her as her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks. She looked up at him in confusion and asked with an innocence only she could get away with:
“What was I doing?”
Kagome frowned when ART cracked up, the computer program falling apart at his circuits as he guffawed and grasped the wall behind him for balance. “What?” she asked when Sesshoumaru shook his head. “What did I do now? You guys are always laughing at me.”
“It’s nothing Kagome,” Sesshoumaru assured her while his fingers continued to comb through her hair. “The simulation’s circuits are fried.”
“They’re gonna fry if I keep laughing like this,” ART wheezed as he calmed down. “I’m so sorry. Wow, that’s the first time I’ve ever done that.”
“It wasn’t bad was it?” Kagome asked and smiled when he agreed. “See? I told you that laughter wasn’t so bad.”
ART chuckled again, both at Kagome as she smiled at him and at Sesshoumaru who had totally tuned himself out of the conversation. He seemed to be perfectly content with indulging himself in Kagome’s hair with both hands deep within the fragrant strands. Kagome remained in his lap, either unaware of their position or uncaring while she and ART continued their conversation.
Kagome glanced down behind Sesshoumaru and stopped, her head tilting to the side curiously before tugging on Sesshoumaru’s hair.
“What? What now?” he asked as he turned around.
“Do you see that?” Kagome asked as she pointed toward the treacherous screwdriver that tripped her. “Look.”
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes but finally looked behind him at her urgency. He found his screwdriver to be perfectly normal...
Except for the fact that it was sticking straight up from the floor.
“Do you think it’s stuck like that?” Kagome asked as Sesshoumaru pulled himself toward the screwdriver and out from beneath her.
“I don’t know. It should be rather easy to get out.” He grasped the bright yellow handle and tugged but instead of the screwdriver coming out clean it popped free along with a piece of the floor, revealing a secret panel with a large red button. “ART,” Sesshoumaru called as he glanced over the button for any instructions. “What is this?”
“I’m not sure,” ART replied as he and Kagome kneeled down on either side of Sesshoumaru. “I’ve never seen it before.”
“What do you think it does?” Kagome wondered aloud. “It’s only a button. Do you think we should push it?”
“I don’t see why not,” Sesshoumaru answered thoughtfully. “After all, we have pushed or turned almost everything in here. If something was going to bother us it would have done so by now.”
“I want to do it this time!” Kagome chirped when Sesshoumaru put his hand over the button. “You got to activate ART so I want to do this!”
“Fine,” Sesshoumaru relented before standing up and brushing himself off. “You do what you want. This way if something goes wrong I can blame you.”
“Yeah right,” Kagome huffed as she punched him in the leg. “Like you’re so bloody perfect.”
“Apparently you haven’t heard the news,” Sesshoumaru commented before Kagome’s hand slammed down on the button. The glass button shattered on contact, sending sharp red shards scattering across the hallway but her hand continued onward to a tiny switch beneath the button. The switch flipped and the lights around them flickered before the elevator buzzed.
ART stood up next, then helped Sesshoumaru get Kagome to her feet as the elevator stopped buzzing and the doors opened. Kagome ventured in first with Sesshoumaru behind her before the elevator doors sealed shut. “What about ART?” Kagome said as the elevator whirled to life. “We left him behind!”
“I’m sure he will catch up sooner or later,” Sesshoumaru replied while he studied the elevator buttons. “The buttons for the first and second floors are lit.”
“Are you serious?” Kagome exclaimed as she scrambled over to see. Four of the eleven buttons twinkled happily back at her. “Oh wow,” she whispered as her fingertips caressed the worn numbers on the surface. “Where should we go first?”
“The first floor,” Sesshoumaru determined as he reached forward to press the adjacent button. “We will see what is there first, then work our way down. If we find anything dangerous-“
“I’m screwed ‘cause I left my gunblade back in my room,” Kagome groaned miserably. “Great.”
“Do you still have your magic?”
“Yeah,” Kagome nodded with a weak smile. “I don’t leave home without it.”
“Good,” Sesshoumaru replied when the doors opened. “You will not be defenseless after all.”
The first floor held nothing of immediate interest to either SeeD. There were three offices, four storage rooms filled with various supplies and one control room. This one was easier to access because it lacked a door. The inside looked to be normal enough so they quit the first floor and descended to the second. The second floor proved to be more interesting.
At first glance it seemed to be little more than a gutted out warehouse with the elevator opening up inside an enormous room instead of into a hallway. Empty containers lay scattered at their feet and in the distance was what looked to be a giant bird and a large window. The giant bird became a large metal dragon the closer they came to it. It was black with silver accents and claws and a gigantic cannon strapped to it’s back.
“What is it?” Kagome asked as she stared in awe at the mechanical wonder. She turned to Sesshoumaru and found his face as impassive as ever except for his eyes, which shimmered with excitement as if they were standing in front of the Holy Grail. “Sesshoumaru?” she said as she tugged on his arm. He blinked once before glancing down at Kagome, her teal blue eyes wide in confusion as she waited for him to explain. “What’s going on? What is it?”
He smiled down at her, one of his rare, true smiles that left her slightly dazed, amazed, and slightly jealous that something so beautiful could come from a man.
“It’s another airship,” he replied evenly, his voice calm despite the obvious effect the discovery had on him. Kagome’s mind stuttered to a start as he waited for what he said to sink in. The first real ray of understanding finally shone in her eyes and before she could utter a word Sesshoumaru swooped her up and spun her around, the smile on his lips still in place as Kagome’s happy and excited laugh echoed throughout the hanger.
(End Chapter)
SF: That’s it for this chapter. Lol. It went rather well didn’t it?
Miroku: Yes, I suppose-
Sango: IF you overlook how OCC Sesshoumaru is.
SF: Well I’m glad you’re willing to. Lol. Anyway, a couple of people suggested to me that the last chapter’s title really had nothing to do with the title. Well I thought about it and-
Inu-chan: And you guys were right. I told her that title sucked.
!ZAP!
SF: Jerk. Anyway, I agree with you guys but I can’t seem to come up with a better chapter name. So until I think of a new one (Or until one is dropped into my lap) I’m changing chapter thirteen to: Transferals and the Beginnings of the Moon. Um...that is...
Sesshou: What is it now crossbreed?
SF: HEY! I thought we had an understanding about the names Prince Mutt-and-Fluff!
Sesshou: I can call you whatever I please.
SF: That’s what you think you mangy-
Kagome: (as SF and Sesshou argue) What she wanted to say was that the chapter would be as it was so long as no one minded that she use it again for a different story. The reviews and EEK! (Jumps back when a lightening bolt strikes down beside her)
SF: (still fighting with Sesshou) Sorry about that!
Kagome: (deep breath) I swear, working here is going to be the end of me someday. The reviews and the chapter summary is below. Now maybe I can talk Inuyasha into stopping them.
Inu-chan: No way! (Sits on couch with a Cherry Coke) This is too good! I hope she fries the bastard!
!ZAP!
SF: (glaring at Inu-chan) What have I told you about the curse words?
Inu-chan: No (cough) cursing in front of the (wheeze) brat-I mean kids.

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