InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Cross of Blades ❯ Even a Taiyoukai ( Chapter 16 )

[ 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


Kagome thoughtfully ambled about the third floor hallway, her eyes half closed as millions of thoughts twisted and turned about her mind. No matter how much she tried to forget that day, (especially the part with the skeletons and the blood) she couldn’t help but think about the questions that presented themselves in the aftermath of the emergency lockdown being lifted.


What caused the lockdown?


What happened to all those people?


What was it about the God Weapons that made Sesshoumaru so nervous?


What were the God Weapons anyway?


And why did Sesshoumaru kiss her in the first place?!!


Kagome grunted in frustration, her hands fisted deep within the tips of her ponytail as that single question dominated above all others. ‘Just why did he kiss me anyways?!’ she huffed as her leisure walk became a furious rampage toward the dojo. ‘God forbid he actually stop and explain what happened, or why or...or...grrrrrrrrr! Forget it!!’


She charged down the corridor in a fearsome march, her bottle green eyes narrowed angrily and her fists balled at her sides. Three weeks passed since the kiss and Sesshoumaru had yet to mention it, or anything else not pertaining to the Black Dragon and it’s repairs. He actually dismissed her not too long ago, telling her that the last bit of repairs no longer required her assistance and that she would be of more use with ART in finishing what he could of her miko/summoner training. Since then Kagome had only seen glances of him, not enough to ask a brief question no less demand a suitable explanation.


‘I don’t even think I care anymore,’ Kagome determined with an angry shove at her bangs. ‘If he doesn’t want to talk about it then neither do I. Besides, it was just a kiss. It doesn’t mean anything. He’s still a jerk and I’m still....well, I’m still sorta me. As me as I’ve ever been I suppose now that I know about this whole ‘purity ki’ and everything. I’ve almost got that under control too. I would tell him that but he’s been so busy that I can’t tell him anything. Oh well. Nuts to him anyway.’


“Besides, “ Kagome said out loud as she passed her cabin door. “I’ve got far better things to do, like get inside Dr. Baralai’s lab and hang out with ART. By the way, where is AR-“

“Kagome! Where are you Kagome?!”


“ART!” Kagome called out as the simulation’s panicky voice sounded over the P. A. System. “ART what is it? What’s wrong?!”


“What floor are you on?”


“I’m on the fourth, why?”


“Quickly report to the second floor,” ART demanded as the elevator on the other side of the hallway opened. “I’m reading a drop in Lord Endo’s vital signs.”


Kagome turned and sprinted back down the hallway toward the elevator, all angry thoughts banished as she skidded into the elevator and jumped clear of the doors while they shuddered closed. “What kind of drop are we talking about here ART?” Kagome demanded as the elevator made its way to the proper floor.


“It’s not a drastic drop,” ART explained as the doors opened and Kagome ran out toward the hanger’s bay entranceway. “It’s more subtle, but it’s not normal. His heart rate and breathing are slowing down.”


‘Slowing down...?’ “Why?” Kagome asked. “And where is he?”


“I don’t know why exactly. I can’t see him, so I can’t exactly give a proper diagnosis,” ART gave as a weak explanation. “You’ll find him on the Black Dragon’s main engine room.” Kagome ran up the Black Dragon’s cargo bay ramp into the ship and through the doors to the cargo bay before opening the engine room door. Her jaw slacked in shock, her head lulled to the side slightly as she stared in confusion at the sight in front of her.


Sesshoumaru sat cross-legged on the cold metal tile in front of one of the engine panels, his eyes hidden by his bangs with the rest of his hair pulled back in a sloppy, tangled ball of silver. One hand rested rather easily on the floor while the other hung suspended in the air, a tiny set of pliers still in his claws as they hovered inches above the engine panel. His shoulders moved with each deep breath and he seemed to be falling toward the floor on his left side. He righted himself quickly enough but it was jerky, as if someone had slapped him with a bucket of ice water, and soon he was right back to falling over once again.


Kagome watched this in awe, the shock of finding him this way swiftly wearing away to concern as she cautiously approached him. “Sesshoumaru,” she softly called out as he caught himself again. “Sesshoumaru, are you ok?” He sniffed then looked up at her, eyes that normally were sharp and cool were now fogged and weary. They shimmered with an odd sort of fondness when he noticed her and he unsteadily rose to his feet.



“What’s wrong with him?” Kagome heard ART say from the tiny node attached to her temple. “Is he alright?”

“Yeah, he’s ok,” Kagome said after a moment’s thought. She huffed in slight agitation before approaching Sesshoumaru, noticing how sloppily his clothes hung from his muscular frame and the tangle in which his shoelaces were knotted. She shook her head in disapproval, then reached out to catch him when he began to topple over. “I know what you did,” Kagome whispered as she struggled to stand him back up. “And I warned you, didn’t I?”


To her surprise, a rather pitiful whine was her answer as he attempted to straighten himself on his own. He looked genuinely sorry for something, his eyes almost drooping in guilt and repentance before Kagome began to laugh. “Don’t look like that,” she said in a gentler tone. “I’m not mad. But I did tell you this would happen. Can you even talk right now?” Sesshoumaru shook his head and Kagome laughed again before slowly leading him out of the room.


“No, let’s leave that there,” she suggested when he leaned over to pick up his tools. “You’ll want to get back here soon so there’s no need.”


Kagome struggled to lead him out of the ship, her insistent tugs and pulls almost insufficient in ‘encouraging’ the tai to leave the ship and follow her. “Hey ART,” she called out when they finally boarded the elevator. “I’m gonna need your help once we get back to the cabin floor. Oh, and have you started your analysis yet?”


“I have, though I don’t believe you’ll be surprised by the results.” ART’s smiling face greeted her when the elevator doors opened, his arm already winding itself around Sesshoumaru’s side to assist him. Silver threads sparkled from the black fabric of his uniform, which did nothing but confirm Kagome’s suspicions.


“When was the last time he had some sleep?” Kagome asked as they made their way down the hallway to Sesshoumaru’s cabin.


“It’s been a while. His last documented rest was five weeks ago.”


“I thought so,” Kagome crowed angrily, then apologized at another uncharacteristic whimper from Sesshoumaru. “I’m not mad. But I told you to get some sleep. Oh well. What’s done is done now, right?”


“Rightly said Kagome,” ART agreed before opening Sesshoumaru’s door. “However, I believe I’ll be staying here.”


“What?” Kagome cried and stumbled when ART dropped the weight he was supporting. “Hey! You can’t do that! Come on ART, help me out!!!”


“I don’t believe he’d let me,” ART answered honestly while Kagome continued to drag Sesshoumaru into the room. She sighed in relief when they finally reached his bed and shoved him onto it, watching with more than a small bit of satisfaction when the much larger youkai sank down into the numerous pillows, blankets and bedding underneath him without a fight.

“I suppose I should help you change too,” Kagome grumbled good-naturedly as she tugged apart the knots in his shoelaces. She glared at ART again when he refused to help then sighed, shot ART the bird, ignored him when he burst out laughing, and crossed the room toward a clothes closet nearby. She fished around until she found what she was looking for, a pair of black silk pyjamas with tiny tortoise shell buttons, and prepared herself.


“OK Sesshoumaru, I need for you to pay attention now,” she said as she grasped his wrists and pulled him to a sitting position. He still looked rather clueless but appeared eager to help as she jerked his arms out of the sleeves of his shirt. “Hold your arms out please.”


He obeyed easily, his eyes at half mast and his head lowered while Kagome slipped his arms into the pyjama top’s sleeves. She fastened the buttons dutifully, not once blinking an eye at the oddity of it all while ART snickered and looked on.


“You know,” Kagome began as she closed the last button. “He’s not going to like you laughing at him.”


“He doesn’t know I’m laughing at him,” ART chuckled and answered Kagome’s questioning glare. “Haven’t you been around a youkai that’s gone beyond his limits of sleep depravation?”


“Yeah, but only two and they never behaved like this.”


“There are many reasons for that,” ART replied while making himself comfortable against the doorframe. “Your youkai friends may have only gone one week over, or one may not have been all youkai. Different species of youkai have certain limits too. The thing with inu youkai, especially ones of the royal breed like Lord Sesshoumaru here, is that they can go weeks over their limits but it causes ...problems with their behavior.”


“What kind of problems?” Kagome wondered as she grasped Sesshoumaru’s belt and squeezed her eyes shut. She frowned as she struggled to unbuckle the wide leather strap, then jerked it free when it finally came loose and set to work on the series of buttons along the fly of his shorts.


“Well, nothing drastic,” ART commented and covered his mouth when Kagome began to mutter curses under her breath. “Just slight shifts. But if they’ve been without sleep long enough, they actually switch places with-“


“Oh forget it!” Kagome huffed and threw up her hands. “ART, please come help me!” she whined desperately. “If you don’t I’ll never get this done and I’ll die of embarrassment, I just know it!”


“Oh, alright fine,” ART relented. Sesshoumaru’s head quickly swivelled toward ART before the sim could step foot into the room, an abrupt and hair-raising growl erupting from his throat as his lips pulled back in a vicious snarl.



“What was that?!” Kagome demanded from her new spot behind the lounge chair on the other side of the room. “What did you do this time ART?!”


“I didn’t do anything,” ART called out above the barks and warning growls. “I told you that they sometimes switch places with their more primal part. Sesshoumaru is and isn’t Sesshoumaru at the moment. Could you calm him down please?”


“What do you want me to do?” Kagome yelled back. “Say ‘stop that and be quiet boy!’?” They both were shocked when Sesshoumaru complied, his barks gone with an audible click though the growls continued from behind clenched fangs. “Weird,” Kagome said before cautiously vacating her hiding place. “Sesshoumaru?”


He turned toward her, his eyes still weary and distant but now an alarming shade of crimson and jade. She gasped and stepped back then yelped when his tail wrapped around her waist and jerked her toward him. “Hey, what the-what’s going on ART?!” she cried out in fear. “Help me would you?”


“Calm down Kagome,” ART said once the taiyoukai finally had her in reach. “Lord Sesshoumaru’s not going to hurt you. See?”


Kagome opened her eyes and relaxed, though her current situation didn’t help her confusion as Sesshoumaru’s arms surrounded her in a gentle hug. He sniffed at her hair and neck and woofed softly, his ears twitching slightly at the tiny giggles coming from his ‘victim’. “You still haven’t told me what’s going on?” Kagome commented while Sesshoumaru sat back on the edge of the bed. His grip on her remained but he stopped his assault on her neck to pursue her stomach. Kagome’s giggles becoming full on laughter as he attempted to nudge his way past her pullover to her tummy. “What’s he doing anyway?”


“It seems that his inner youkai is more...affectionate,” ART said and chuckled when Kagome persistently slapped Sesshoumaru’s wandering hands away. “The Sesshoumaru we’re used to has been pushed aside for his more primitive side. All youkai have them and it’s what keeps them alive in times when they can’t go to sleep due to war or hunts.”


“But why is he acting like this toward me?” Kagome wondered before moving Sesshoumaru’s nose back above her waistline. “Oh no you don’t buddy,” Kagome scolded sternly. “I don’t care how out of it you are, you’re not going down there. You behave yourself.”


“He knows you,” ART explained. “Lord Sesshoumaru must have tuned himself to you so he knows who you are, no matter if he’s in this state or not. Or maybe his inner youkai has a crush on you.”


“Yeah right,” Kagome laughed and shook her head. “I doubt that last one ART.”


“Kagome?”


“Yes ART?”


“When are you going to finish dressing him?”


“Huh?” Kagome looked down and blushed horribly, completely embarrassed at her forgetfulness and Sesshoumaru’s lack of decorum as he sat there with his shorts (Not undershorts mind you. There’s only so much a girl can take) in a crumpled heap around his ankles. She could only imagine the picture the two of them made and her blush rushed to the roots of her hair while ART continued to laugh. “Hey, don’t laugh! It’s not my fault I forgot! You’re the one that pissed him off in the first place!”


“That may be true, but he’s not wrapped around my waist,” ART quipped and chuckled harder at her expense.


“Whatever,” Kagome grumbled as her face finally began to cool. “Shut up ART. You’re not helping. You’re not either mister,” Kagome directed toward Sesshoumaru. He glanced up with crimson puppy eyes, the expression so adorable that Kagome quickly forgot to be angry and gave him a quick scratch behind his ears. “OK, enough goofing around,” she said when he leaned into the gesture. “Come on, let’s get you changed so you can go to sleep. That way you can wake up normal and what’s left of this day will be normal...hopefully.”


She tossed Sesshoumaru’s shorts at ART, who quickly ducked to avoid them while Kagome helped Sesshoumaru into his pyjama pants. All that was left to do was tie the waist string, which Kagome did as quickly as she could before rising to her feet and dusting off her hands. “There,” she sighed triumphantly. “That’s done. Now lie down Sesshoumaru and get some sleep.”


Sesshoumaru yawned and tugged at his ear, then sniffed again before climbing onto the huge black and silver bed and stretching out in the middle of the futon. Kagome shook her head in amusement and was beginning to leave when his tail quickly brought her onto the bed and to his side. “Oh no,” Kagome said as the furry appendage began to wind it’s way around her legs. “I’m not doing this. Let me up Sesshoumaru.”


Kagome struggled while his tail pulled her closer to its owner until she was fully within Sesshoumaru’s reach. He moved her arms away from her, using his tail to keep them in place, then flopped over on his stomach, rested his head on her shoulder and nuzzled his nose deep inside the hair at the nape of her neck before finally dozing off. “Hey, uh-uh,” Kagome said to herself as she struggled to shove Sesshoumaru aside. “I’m serious. Sesshoumaru get off or I swear I’ll purify your package off. Are you listening to me?”


“He’s asleep Kagome,” ART said and for once he wasn’t laughing. He walked into the room quietly, careful not to alert the sleeping tai to his unwanted entrance as he looked down on the pair with an amused and fond smile. “I don’t think he’ll let go for quite some time now.”


“Oh, he’s letting go,” Kagome growled angrily. Her struggles began anew, this time with a few punches to Sesshoumaru’s arm and thigh when he pulled her closer to his side and his leg draped across both of hers to pin them down. “I swear! Get UP!” Kagome gave him one last shove, pushing everything she had into moving the heavier being until finally she gave up. She panted heavily from her efforts, her eyes closing briefly as she struggled to catch her breath. His tail unwound itself from her arms and pooled at the back of her head instead, lifting her slightly so that she rested almost completely on it’s furry softness.


“I believe he intends for you to be comfortable during your stay.”


“Shut up ART,” Kagome snapped tiredly. “I’m stuck here, aren’t I?”


“Pretty much,” ART replied as he lowered the temperature to a cooler, more comfortable level. “I would suggest you get some sleep too Kagome. You can’t do much of anything else anyway.”


“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Kagome said before a yawn nearly split her face in two. She gave ART a quick good night before closing her eyes and finally relaxing. Her breathing evened out almost instantly and she was asleep in a matter of minutes.


“How cute,” ART whispered as the two snuggled closer to one another. “They’ll make such a lovely couple, I just know it.” The tip of Sesshoumaru’s tail traveled a little too far south for Kagome’s liking and she whacked the wayward creature without opening an eye. ART chuckled and shook his head before leaving the room, making sure to dim the lights and shut the door behind him.


)-(


ART watched from a small surveillance camera in the far corner of the room, the tiny mechanical eye swiveling from side to side before settling back on the enormous futon and the occupants in the middle of its many pillows and other comforts. Black and white swirled around them, with Sesshoumaru’s prone form rested firmly around his companion’s smaller frame. The sparse, almost nonexistent light shifted against the silk of his pyjamas when his arm moved. He pulled Kagome closer to him in his slumber, his nose returning to her neck and hair while his tail formed a makeshift blanket around them.


Kagome faced the rest of the room away from him with her hand curled underneath her chin. The white cotton of her clothes contrasted with the bedding and her small feet were neatly tucked beneath the ample fur of Sesshoumaru’s tail. All in all both seemed to be rather content, though how long that would last once they were awake was a question ART had no answer too. It seemed as if an answer would answer itself soon once his monitors picked up a slight increase in heart rate.


Clear golden eyes opened with a snap, almost as if sleep never claimed their owner. Clawed fingertips passed absently through the mass of obsidian held in it’s palm while Sesshoumaru allowed his senses to awaken to their full potential. He was slightly confused and wondered to himself how he managed to get to his room. His last coherent memory was of the engine room of the Black Dragon and the small nut he was trying to tighten. He could only imagine the trouble his inner youkai managed to create while it was in control and he had a feeling that it would have much to do with the female in his present company.


‘Oh, cease being such a drama queen,’ his inner youkai scolded from the recesses of his mind. ‘You behave as if I’m some sort of lecher. Nothing’s happened that you wouldn’t have wanted to happen.’


‘And that is exactly my point,’ Sesshoumaru retorted as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glancing to his side. ‘And would you care to explain her?’


‘Oh, her. Well, that’s nothing. She helped us get back here, that’s all. That simulation tried to get in here too, but I got rid of him.’


‘No harm done then,’ Sesshoumaru determined with a impish smirk.


‘That’s exactly what I thought. It would seem that neither of us trust the program.’


Sesshoumaru agreed, then relaxed his tail’s grip before asking an obvious question: ‘Who changed my clothes?’ he inquired curiously as he gingerly tapped one of the buttons on his pyjama shirt. His inner youkai sputtered nervously and Sesshoumaru could feel a hint of embarrassment coming from his other half.


‘Well, you see....we couldn’t exactly dress ourselves. You should have seen our hair-‘


‘You are not answering the question,’ Sesshoumaru interrupted with a slight growl. ‘Who. Changed. Our. Clothes?’


‘...She did...’


‘You have got to be kidding me,’ Sesshoumaru retorted and flopped back on the bed with an exasperated sigh. ‘Were we that incapacitated?’


‘Unfortunately, but she was quite the sport about it,’ his inner youkai replied jovially. ‘You should have seen her face when she changed our pants. The resulting blush was quite fetching.’


‘Yes, I’m sure it was,’ Sesshoumaru wryly quipped before rolling onto his side. Kagome continued to sleep, her arms now wrapped around her middle while she slept curled in a slight ball. She sighed and turned over, bringing the two of them face to face while she slept on.


‘She scolded us you know,’ Sesshoumaru’s inner youkai laughed. ‘Or better yet, she scolded you. Told you that you should know better than to spend so much time without sleep. I tried telling you this exact same thing but no...you refused to listen, your highness.’ His inner youkai laughed again, much to his chagrin, then fell silent when Sesshoumaru twisted mingled locks of silver and black around his index finger.


“When will this fascination with you end?” he whispered to himself while he hovered over Kagome’s prone form. She sniffed slightly, her nose twitching as if she wanted to sneeze before her face settled into it’s previous calm. “That’s all this is, just a fascination,” he continued before releasing their hair from his finger. “You intrigue me, simply because you confuse me. You cause nothing but trouble, yet you have your usefulness. Why do I want to know so much about you?”


‘Maybe its because of her behavior towards us?’ his inner youkai offered helpfully. ‘She treats us like a comrade, a friend, and not like a walking bank note.’

‘Yes, there is that,’ Sesshoumaru agreed. ‘But maybe that’s because she is ignorant of my status in the world. Still....she does not behave the way she should.’


‘You mean the way you’re used to,’ his inner self interjected. ‘You’re used to females throwing themselves at you, but this one doesn’t seem interested.’


‘Oh, she is interested,’ Sesshoumaru snorted self-righteously. ‘I sense it echoing from her thoughts. It’s laced in her scent.’


‘Then maybe the reason we’re so interested in her is because of your snubbed pride.. Then again, it may just be the fact that I find her enchanting, interesting and-‘


‘I do not wish to hear the song of her praises,’ Sesshoumaru retorted irritably. ‘She is simply a human, nothing more. She bleeds, she wants and she cries just like the rest of them.’


‘She cries...she cried last night...’


‘Really?’ Sesshoumaru studied her face and indeed found tiny traces of tears along her cheeks. ‘Why so?’


‘She spoke of it in her sleep. She confessed it all to whoever would hear.’


‘Then what was it?’ Sesshoumaru inquired, his patience running thin at the suspense. ‘Surely you’ll tell me, since you know.’


‘Surely not,’ his youkai retorted. ‘I’ll not tell you.’


‘And why not?’


‘It’s not your place to know. When the time comes I’ll tell you. Until then...’ His inner youkai faded before he could ask another question, leaving Sesshoumaru alone with his companion and his unanswered questions. He growled slightly at his inner youkai, but quickly settled for moving his attentions to Kagome. He could see feint lines along her cheeks and could still smell the salt from her tears.


‘But why?’ he wondered as he brushed a curly lock of hair away from Kagome’s forehead. ‘What could cause you so much distress?’ He remembered vaguely conversations with his brother about the little SeeD. From what he remembered of them, Inuyasha spoke of their mutual friends and her brother, but he barely mentioned anything else about Kagome’s family or inner circle.


Kagome sighed again and wrinkled her nose, then batted something away from her and grasped Sesshoumaru’s tail like a teddy bear. He watched as she snuggled it against her cheek and returned the blissful smile that graced her lips.


‘Admit it Sesshoumaru,’ his inner youkai whispered softly. ‘There’s something about her, something special, something...different.’


Sesshoumaru rolled onto his back and ignored his inner self, his mind suddenly tuned in to other thoughts before he reached over and pulled Kagome onto his chest. He managed to rest her head onto his chest without waking her, then reached up and placed one of the many pillows surrounding them underneath his head. He decided to wait until Kagome woke up to move, so he sat and ran mental schematics of the airship in his head while his fingers absently combed through Kagome’s hair.


Kagome woke up slowly, her mind in a hazy fog as she opened bleary eyes to the waking world. She gazed at the dark bedding underneath her and waited for her memory to return. The white fuzz in her hands twitched slightly and Kagome gently petted it before glancing further around. She felt warm and drowsy still so she made no attempts to move. She yawned and stretched, her toes pointed inside her boots and her back bowing slightly. She ran her hands through the fur again, then grasped at the black silk underneath her. She frowned when it refused to budge and looked up, her eyes rounding in surprise before her memory finally caught up with her.


‘Oh yeah,’ Kagome said to herself with a mental smack to her forehead. ‘I did fall asleep in here didn’t I? I wonder how he’s doing.’ She propped herself up on his chest and gazed into his face, her head tilted curiously at his closed eyes. She glanced up when his fingers split through her bang and smiled at them, then at him when Sesshoumaru opened his eyes.


“Good morning sleepyhead,” Kagome teased brightly. “How was your sleep?”


“It is one in the afternoon, and my sleep was...sufficient.”


“Well, you’re grumpy as always,” Kagome said as she attempted to sit up. She frowned when the hand splayed across the small of her back held her down and pushed at his shoulder. “Can I get up now?”


“No.”


“And why not?”


“Because,” Sesshoumaru said before tugging her further up his chest. “I am thinking.”


“Wouldn’t it be easier to think if I weren’t here?” Kagome asked.


“No.”

“Fine,” Kagome huffed in agitation while Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. “What am I supposed to do while you’re ‘thinking’?”


“Be quiet hopefully,” Sesshoumaru responded drily. “That does help the thinking process along.”


“Whatever,” Kagome grumbled, then sighed and rested her head on his chest. Sesshoumaru briefly opened an eye to watch her and was surprised when she closed her eyes and relaxed. He continued to thread his fingers through her hair, allowing his inner youkai to enjoy the experience for as long as she allowed it when Kagome sat up again.


“Sesshoumaru?”


“Hmm?&# 8221;


“Why are you playing in my hair?”


“This Sesshoumaru does not ‘play’,” Sesshoumaru responded indignantly, which earned him a roll of her eyes in response. “However, I find the structure of your hair almost...fascinating.”


“Gee,” Kagome quipped before flipping a stray lock over her shoulder. “Almost fascinating? I’m so honored.”


“As well you should be.”


“Jerk,” Kagome replied with a playful blow to his shoulder. She laughed when he opened his eyes, his brows narrowed in confusion and minor astonishment at her brazenness.


“Now what was that for?” he asked as Kagome laughed above him.


“You’re so funny,” Kagome giggled. “Who’d have thought you were so much fun?”


“Yes, who would have thought,” Sesshoumaru griped as he rubbed his shoulder. “That hurt you know.”


“Yeah right,” Kagome brushed aside. “Like that hurt you, the all powerful Lord Inu-“


“That was my great-grandfather.”


“Oh all right,” Kagome gave in. “I’m sorry. There. You happy now?”

“Absolutely.”


“Forgive me?” Kagome asked, this time with her infamous puppy dog look., her bottle green eyes wide, innocent and sad. Sesshoumaru looked away quickly, the faint blush on his cheeks hidden by his markings, and moved his hands to his sides. “Oh come on Sesshoumaru,” Kagome laughed before grasping the sides of his face and gently tugging him back to her. “Forgive me or not?”


“I suppose,” he hurriedly replied. He grasped her hands to pry them free and froze, his fingers entwined with hers and golden clashed with aquamarine. He felt lost almost instantly, his attention solely focused on the lipid pools of blue green that he always considered odd ...in an enchanting sort of way. Her soul opened to him revealing layers of multicolored layers of her inner person, the thoughts, emotions and concerns that were held deep within his little gunner.


“Sesshoumaru?”


“Hmm.. .yes?” Sesshoumaru responded after mentally shaking his head clear. “What is it?”


“Are you alright? Do you need more sleep?”


“No,” Sesshoumaru snook his head. “I don’t require any more sleep.”


“Oh, ok then. Um, can I ask you something?”


“I don’t see why not.” Sesshoumaru sat up and dusted himself off while Kagome situated herself beside him, making sure to keep some sort of eye contact with him as she mustered up the courage to ask her question.


“Kagome,” Sesshoumaru called after a few minutes of silence. “Are you still there?”


“Oh, yeah,” Kagome giggled weakly. “Um, promise you won’t get mad?”


“Kagome,” Sesshoumaru began with a level gaze. “What is it?”


“Um, well, I was wondering-“ She lowered her gaze to her lap and began to pick at her nails. “Why did you kiss me?” She looked up again when Sesshoumaru didn’t say anything, his silence unnerving and a little more than suspicious.


“Sesshoumaru,” Kagome said again. “Didn’t you hear me?”


“Yes, I did,” he finally answered her.


“Are you going to answer me?” She sighed when silence met her again, then stood up and stretched. “Oh well then,” she chirped in masked disappointment. “I guess I’ll be going. I’ve got training to do. Call me if you need anything.” She was gone before Sesshoumaru could think to stop her, her scent slowly fading from the room to continue beyond the steel entrance door.


‘Well,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself as he stood up. ‘That could have gone better.’ He began to pick up his discarded clothing , his thoughts now centered on Kagome as ART stepped out of a nearby wall.


“Are you better now my lord?” he asked once Sesshoumaru turned to him. “Kagome was worried about you.”


“Her concern was unnecessary,” Sesshoumaru stated as ART held out his arms. Sesshoumaru dumped his clothes on them and walked toward the clothes closet. “I am fine.”


“She wasn’t happy with you,” ART laughed softly. “She gave you quite the scolding you know.”


“Yes, I heard.” Sesshoumaru frowned thoughtfully, his gaze some other place entirely while his eyes scanned his wardrobe.


“Why didn’t you answer her?”


“Excuse me?” Sesshoumaru asked as he turned around. “Would you care to repeat that ART?”


“Why didn’t you answer Kagome?” ART asked again. “I think she really wanted to know the answer.”


“It’s not your place to question me,” Sesshoumaru growled in reply. He snatched an outfit from the wardrobe and quit the room without another word.


‘Why are you so angry?’ his subconscious wondered. ‘They just asked a question. What is so bad about that?’


‘Nothing,’ Sesshoumaru replied as he continued down the hallway toward the dojo. ‘Except....I don’t have an answer.’



II


They watched each other without a word, the only sound in the room their heavy breaths as they waited. The fabric of his white pants rustled with each slight movement, his bare feet silent against the padded floor. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, the sleek strands streaming down his back like a silvery flow of captured water. He studied his opponent, watching and waiting for subtle signs as she circled around him. He shifted his left foot behind him, crouched low and waited.


She walked slowly, her feet equally silent as she trained her eyes to his chiseled form. The muscles along his lower back twitched slightly and she tensed, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes wide.


“What’s the matter little gunner?” he purred as he glanced over his shoulder at her. “Afraid I might ‘bite’?”


“Hell no,” she growled testily. “But you never know when I will.” She frowned when he laughed, the sound a little too merry for her liking. She huffed and turned her back on him, the back of her short pleated skirt snapping angrily as she rested Junsei on her shoulders. “I’ve got teeth too, remember?” She stepped to the right a few seconds later and winked at the surprise on Sesshoumaru’s face when he breezed past her. Shikyo’s onyx blade passed inches from her left side.


“That’s cheating Sesshoumaru,” she teased before using Junsei to block Sesshoumaru’s next strike. “And that’s not very nice.”


“You should know by now not to turn your back on your opponent,” he advised before striking again. Sparks flew from the blades of their weapons. The grating of the blades themselves was abusive to Sesshoumaru’s ears but he still couldn’t help enjoying himself.


“Less talking,” ART said from his place on a nearby platform jutting from the padded walls. “More fighting.”


They sprang apart then sprinted toward opposite sides of the room with Sesshoumaru disappearing from sight. ‘Ok,’ Kagome said before closing her eyes. ‘Trying to see him is useless. Let’s see if I can find him some other way.’ She stilled herself and waited, her senses alert and her ki spreading toward the surrounding walls. She found Sesshoumaru almost instantly and quickly ducked. She opened her eyes just in time to watch Shikyo’s dark blade wiz over her head.


“Hey you jerk,” she said as she dodged another blow. “You almost cut my hair!” She slashed up and to her right, the tip of her blade barely scraping the right leg of Sesshoumaru’s pants before returning to parallel against her right side.


“Not bad,” Sesshoumaru commented. “Though it is the first blow you’ve attempted all session.”


“Oh shut up,” Kagome grumbled. “I would have done more, but you like to slash at people. I’m trying to save my hair.” She moved forward as if to strike but quickly crouched down and kicked the back of Sesshoumaru’s left knee. She kicked his feet from underneath him, a triumphant smile lit on her lips when his gunblade went flying, and squeaked in surprise when his tail wrapped around her, picked her up and shook her gunblade from her grasp.


“Awwww...” Kagome grumbled as Sesshoumaru stood back up, brushed himself off and inspected the slash in his pantleg. “You CHEATED!!!!”


“How so?” Sesshoumaru asked with a thoughtful ‘hm’. “After all, you are the one that resorted to using your powers.”


“Only after YOU disappeared on me!! I’m only human Sesshoumaru! I can’t keep up with you when you do that!”


“That may be, but we agreed not to use any spells or innate abilities of any kind. That included the little locating technique you just performed.”


“But-but-grrrrrrrr!” She frowned angrily, her arms swiftly crossing across her breast while Sesshoumaru chuckled at her expense.


“You are swift to anger little gunner. You should calm down.”


“You know what?” Kagome spat as he sat her down and patted her head. “I think you egg me on!”


“I would do no such thing,” Sesshoumaru assured her before walking toward a nearby wall. He pulled Shikyou out with a swift jerk then tossed Junsei back to it’s owner. “That is enough for today, I suppose,” he decided with a sigh before grasping his gunblade. He sheathed it quickly and strolled toward the opposite end of the dojo. “I believe a shower is in order.”


“Hey, I know you’re not quitting on me!” Kagome shouted indignation at his back. “Come back!”


“Continue practicing little gunner,” Sesshoumaru called over his shoulder as he passed Shikyo to ART. “And ART, make sure she continues for least thirty minutes.”


“Of course,” ART answered with a respectful bow. “I’ll bring you a change of clothes after you wash up.”


“Good. Behave yourself woman,” Sesshoumaru warned before disappearing inside the men’s locker room. Kagome growled in frustration and threw up her hands.


“Why do I even bother,” Sesshoumaru heard her say as he moved toward the showers in the back of the locker room. He turned on the nearest shower and approached the dispensers. He showered slowly, allowing the tenseness in his back to relax. During training he appeared cool and collected but behind his facade he was struggling to predict Kagome’s moves. Her training was beginning to pay off and it was only due to pride that kept him from breaking down and panting in fatigue.


‘Who would have imagined that a mere human could improve in so short a time,’ Sesshoumaru mused as he attempted to shake his hair free from his back. The silver strands were soaked through, giving them a dark gray cast, and clinging to the wet skin on his neck, back and upper chest. He pulled it free absentmindedly, gathered it all in one hand and flipped it over his shoulder before raking his claws through it.


‘For one woman to be so gifted with a sword is uncanny. Imagine her strength if she were born youkai, and a male. She would be nearly unstoppable.’ He frowned at the thought, realizing that she was nearly as such now. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud of her progress. After all, the idea of her training was his idea. Still, he wondered about the consequences of such strength. Summoners and miko were thought to be extinct in the modern world, yet here she was, and all this time she hadn’t a clue as to what she could do. It did account for what happened in Trabia Snowfield some months prior but it still didn’t explain why she couldn’t remember what happened or how those men met such an end. He imagined that the incident still haunted her and that maybe that’s what she dreamt about.


‘It doesn’t matter now,’ Sesshoumaru thought as he turned the shower’s glass knob to shut it off. He watched as the water trickled to a slow stop, golden eyes following as each crystalline droplet fell to the cold blue tile and shattered into thousands upon thousands of wet shards. ‘What’s done is done. The results of this can be nothing but a help. There is no other course.’


Sesshoumaru dried off and changed into a pair of undershorts, grimacing slightly at the grandpa blue color, then dried his hair before going for his clothes. He grasped the door knob and let go instantly, his hand pulling back not only because of the shock but because of the ominous purple-yellow light bursting from the cool metal. He tried again and again he was repelled before he backed away and frowned.


‘It would seem,’ he said to himself as he frowned in mild aggravation. ‘That I’ve been locked in.’


)-(


“Just who does he think he is,” Kagome grumbled to herself as she angrily jerked Junsei from it’s embedded place in the wall. “He cheated and he know it! Grrr...I swear, one of these days-“


“Kagome.”


Kagome turned and smiled as ART approached her, her outrage at her former sparring partner evaporating like morning mist at the sight of her friend. “Hey ART. What do you think? Was he cheating or what?”


ART laughed and shook his head. “You, Kagome, will never change,” he replied once his mirth ended. “You make me laugh.”


“You make me laugh too ART,” Kagome said after giving him a brief hug. “I wish you could come with us when we leave.”


“The outside world was never meant for one like me,” ART sighed sadly. “But I hope you’ll never forget me.”

Kagome smiled and shook her head. “Never. I’d never forget you ART.”


“And I you, Kagome. And I you.” He grasped her upper arm and, without warning, jerked Junsei out of her hands. He tossed it far across the room, waiting until the silver-blue was firmly re-embedded into the dojo wall before turning back to Kagome’s bewildered face.


“Wha-what was that for?!” she demanded as she struggled to twist her arm free. His grip never budged despite her efforts and he watched with what looked to be mild disappointment.


“I did things wrong last time,” ART began to explain. He quickly caught Kagome’s rising fist mere inches from his nose, his steel grip tightening around the young SeeDs fist until she cried out in pain. “I should have shut the tai away first. Of all of my calculations, none of them gave me any reason to believe that he would interrupt us. You can just imagine my surprise when he came in and destroyed my clones. Ah,” he sighed wistfully. “The youki that flows in his veins must be powerful indeed.”


“ART, what are you trying to do here?” Kagome shouted once she finally jerked her fist free. “Sesshoumaru’s going to be out here any minute an-“


“And?” ART shot back before glancing toward the men’s room door. “I doubt that he’ll be out any time soon. I think he’s preoccupied at the moment. You shouldn’t worry about him though.” He backhanded her swiftly and snatched her head toward him with her ponytail. Kagome cried out again, this time in frustration as well as pain as a large purple bruise began to darken on her cheek.


“I know what I’m doing now.” ART’s smile became menacing, the warm and friendly greeting now laced with steel, razor and malice. “With him locked away, you’ll have to depend on your own strength to stop me.” He shoved her away angrily, almost as if the thought of touching her disgusted him, and waited until she began to stand before he began his slow advance.


“But ART,” Kagome cried before skirting his raised fist. “I thought you said you wouldn’t do this anymore!”


“No, I said I won’t try to gang up on you anymore. That obviously didn’t work. After all, you did fly right over our heads and we outnumbered you. You are too clever for that technique. Now we play a different game.” He darted toward her, his lavender eyes glazed in a light pink frost. Kagome jumped back like a startled cat and frantically whirled around him. She attempted to grasp Junsei’s handle but was quickly knocked away with a well executed kick to her ribs. She winced, groaned in agony and dropped to one knee in front of the simulation, one hand tightly grasping her side while she raised her other hand in defense.


“Now Kagome,” ART purred as her painful wheezes filled the dojo. “What exactly are you doing down there? You’re not asking for mercy are you? What would your precious taiyoukai say?”


“If it’s one thing I’ve learned from Sesshoumaru,” Kagome huffed, her hand still between them as her eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that mercy is for the helpless. Now surprises on the other hand-“


The rims of her irises flashed green and she smirked when ART stepped back.


“That’s something that should be given freely.”


(-)


“Is there not another way out of-“


Sesshoumaru grunted and jumped backward when a bright flash of orange light blasted from underneath the tiny space at the base of the doorframe. He landed gracefully, still damp hair fluttering about him as he settled into a low crouch and glared at the door. ‘What on Spira-was that not a Flare spell?’ Sesshoumaru returned to the door and cautiously peered underneath it. Once again he was greeted with nothing more than the white padding of the dojo floor, though slight tendrils of smoke curled into the locker room.


‘What is going on? What are they doing?’


‘Don’t be daft,’ his inner beast rumbled furiously. ‘You know what they’re doing. That program has disobeyed us again.’


‘Not possible,’ Sesshoumaru determined as he once again tried to knock down the door. He used his fingertips to spread his poison along the door’s hinges, then stepped back and waited while the corrosive agent did its work. The brass hardware melted with a hiss and the smell of burning metal before oozing down the steel door in brownish-greenish-gray glops. Sesshoumaru smirked in triumph as the ooze finally settled onto the locker room’s cool tile. He pushed the door, then frowned and pushed again.


‘There is a seal here,’ he said to himself as he studied the youki imprint on the door with his mind’s eye. ‘Now why would that be here?’


‘You’re being daft again,’ Sesshoumaru’s beast warned him as Sesshoumaru attempted to get through the door through other means. ‘This is the work of that ART creature! He must be punished!’


‘Yes, I know,’ Sesshoumaru growled irritably. ‘We will get through this door eventually. Why so impatient, other than your usual reasons?’


‘Do you remember the last training session the little human had with that program?’


Sesshoumaru frowned thoughtfully, then growled as remembrance brought full understanding. Sesshoumaru’s growl intensified as a pained shout pierced through the door.


‘We must hurry,’ his beast insisted as Sesshoumaru increased his efforts toward the seal. ‘The program cares not for her safety and there is no telling how long she will last.’


(-)


ART watched as she slid down the wall, the third time in as many attempts to defeat him. He shook his head in disappointment, his claws retracting slightly as she struggled to remain conscious and stand. “Look at you Kagome,” he cooed softly as she grasped the wall for balance. “You’re still as weak as you were when you first arrived. Has training with me taught you anything?”


“Yeah,” Kagome panted heavily. “That computers can be double-crossers too.”


“Now don’t think like that,” ART frowned in disapproval. “I’m merely trying to help you.”


“Funny. This doesn’t feel like helping.”


“You think that now,” ART began while Kagome wiped at a cut weeping above her eyebrow. “But I hoped that someday you would appreciate this.” He sighed when she attacked again, noting how she had long since stopped giving her tale-tell yell before doing so. He swept away her right fist inches from his face, then leapt over her foot as she attempted to kick his legs from underneath him. He landed behind her soundlessly, then grasped the base of her ponytail and slammed her face first into the floor mat.


“You’re so pathetic,” he whispered softly into her ear. “Are you always going to need someone to come and rescue you? Why can’t you ever save yourself?”


“I....can...” Kagome declared between snatches of air.


“It doesn’t look like it. From here, it looks like you’re afraid.” He picked her up and tossed her across the room, watching with pained eyes as she collided into the padded wall. She cried out when the back of her head smacked the wall. Kagome was slowly losing the fight to stay conscious as she slid down the wall to the floor, her body pained and spirit weary.


“I’m going to do you a favor,” ART replied after a few minutes of silence. “I’m going to end this now. I don’t know what I was thinking. What made me think you were stronger than this? I couldn’t be more disappointed.”


“Why?” Kagome wheezed out from her place on the floor. She remained face down and spread eagle, her shirt and skirt ripped to rags and her hair tie long since snatched from her head. “Why ART?”

“Why isn’t important,” ART replied sympathetically. “What is is what to do with you now.” He sighed heavily and looked away from her, the sight of her bruised body seemingly too much for him as lavender eyes remained downcast. “I suppose I have to do what I must.”


“And what (cough) is that?” Kagome demanded weakly. “What are you going to do with me?”


“Not just you my dear,” ART replied as resolve and determination darkened his jovial features. “The both of you. Neither of you will be allowed to leave.”


“W-wha? What are you talking about? ART?!”


“You must be first,” ART continued, making a point to ignore Kagome’s panicked voice as he continued to ‘think’ aloud. “Then the taiyoukai. I will just have to gas him since it would be far to dangerous to let him ou-“ ART stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowed in confusion as his thermal sensors registered a significant drop of temperature in the room. He turned to Kagome and stepped back, his eyes widened in shock as a thin layer of ice formed around her prone form. The ice cracked underneath her weight, the sharp and explosive sound snapping throughout the room while it crept a foot up the wall behind her. It formed a tight circle around her, one half on the floor underneath her while the other remained jagged up the wall.


The ice strengthened layer by layer, the frozen water thickening until it could finally support her weight. Kagome rose stiffly, her legs shifting to lay on her right side as she held herself up with her arms. Dark hair hung around her in thick, wavy ropes to shroud her face. Her shoulders shook, whether from the cold or from her injuries ART wasn’t certain.


“Kagome?” he began as he began to approach her. “Kagome, are you still there?”


She sniffed, then a single tear rolled down her cheek. The crystalline droplet remained suspended at the end of her chin as if frozen then fell like a perfectly cut diamond. ART gasped when the droplet landed, the splash and shattering of the tiny tear created a sudden burst of flame that sizzled and burned against the ice. Another drop fell and another fire was born, this one combining with the first to create a firewall around the sobbing girl. The fire increased with each tear, yet the ice remained as strong as when it was first formed.


“I see,” ART finally whispered before lowering his hands. He continued to back away, watching with no small amount of amazement as the firewall became a dome around her, her form barely visible from beneath its shelter. “I will not harm you Kagome,” he said as a panel of the far wall opened for him. He stepped inside slowly, beautiful eyes still trained on the slip of a girl who remained in her barrier. “Look Kagome. I’m done. I won’t hurt you again.” The panel slid closed and ART closed his eyes, his consciousness immediately transferring from its android body to the Emergency Shelter’s main computer.


(-)


Sesshoumaru rammed into the door again and again bounced off it, this time with a sounding pop as he rebounded into a nearby wall. He grimaced and swore as his arm dangled from the shoulder at an odd angle. He took a few deep breaths before slamming his left arm into the wall again. He roared in pain as the arm was violently (and painfully) shoved back into its socket and sank down onto one of the wooden benches to rest.


‘That youki seal is strong,’ Sesshoumaru panted slightly. His inner youkai agreed unhappily. ‘But we should still be able to get through it. I do not believe we are trying.’


‘Oh, and I suppose I allow you to try?’ Sesshoumaru hm’ed in bitter amusement. ‘Surely you jest. I just so happen to like having two arms and I know that is doomed to change should I allow you’re less than gentle touch at the matter.’


‘Whatever,’ his youkai growled in irritation. Sesshoumaru sighed and shoved the annoyance aside before glancing at the door again. His brow furrowed slightly as his head tipped to the side, the slight confusion darting in his eyes as he stared at the metal blockage. The door creaked then fell down before his very eyes, the youki seal no where to be found as the bright dojo light streamed in.


Sesshoumaru wasted no time in exiting as he stepped over the hunk of useless metal and stared inside, his youki raised and his right hand glowing a neon green. The green glow died almost instantly, frigid eyes warming in a foreign sense of compassion as he finally spied his human companion. He crossed the floor to her slowly, some inner sense alert and cautious to her small form as she lay quietly beside the far wall. Sesshoumaru frowned in shock when he stepped into an ice-cold pool of water. He soon realized that the small puddle was from the larger puddle Kagome lay in, her breathing slightly shallow while she lay face down in the water.


“Kagome?” he whispered once he finally reached her. She remained unresponsive, her shoulders barely moving and slight gurgling noises escaping her as she tried to breathe. Sesshoumaru crouched down beside her and lifted her out of the water. His brow wrinkled in concern at her unresponsiveness, her skin unusually cold and the shredded remains of her clothing clinging to her curves in a manner less than decent.


‘We cannot concentrate on that now,’ Sesshoumaru growled at his primal half . He stood up and cradled her against him, allowing her to share as much of his body heat as possible before leaving the dojo. He rushed down the hallway toward her bedroom then hastened to wrap a blanket around her once they were safely in the room. He dried her as quickly and as best he could before stripping her of everything but her underwear. Bruises glared angrily from her alabaster skin, three of the worst being one on the left side of her jaw, another across her right rib cage and the worst being a purple darkening outside her left thigh.


“It would seem that the simulation is not as harmless as you once believed,” Sesshoumaru spoke aloud to the unconscious girl. He turned toward her wardrobe and ripped it open, clothes quickly spewing from its contents as he searched for something warmer for her to wear. He tugged a plain blue t-shirt from the bottom of the wardrobe and dressed her before pulling back the blankets and placing her into bed. He frowned while he tucked her in, finding her gray skin and unusually quiet countenance less than pleasing.


“Those bruises are sure to be a bother once she awakens,” Sesshoumaru mused thoughtfully as he glanced around the room. A small shelf sitting on top of her nightstand caught his attention. The wooden shelf held what looked to be what was left of her vials of potions, hi-potions and elixers. He quickly grabbed one and managed to get her to swallow it. He stood by and waited for any adverse affects before walking out of the room. A sudden unease gripped him and he paused at her door before turning back. She looked to be sleeping peacefully but his sensitive nose quickly caught on to a change in her scent. He approached her again , raised her wrist to his nose and inhaled deeply.


‘What is that?’ he wondered as he sniffed again. ‘Did the AI poison her somehow?’ He started when her hand jerked away from him, his shock quickly increasing when she began to convulse. She shivered violently, her brow dotted with sweat and her pulse fluttering. Sesshoumaru quickly held her still, reached inside her mouth and grasped her tongue to keep her from swallowing it. She grunted repeatedly while her seizures worsened, then stopped as suddenly as they started. Sesshoumaru laid her back down gently, almost as if he were afraid to break her, and checked her temperature.


‘Rather high for a human,’ he said to himself as he searched through her vials again. ‘What could have caused this? She was fine but a moment ago. Could she have been injured far worse than I realized?’ He stopped when his foot connected with something and watched as the empty vial from earlier rolled toward the foot of her bed. He stooped down, grasped it between two claws and studied the label on the container.


‘G-potion?!’ He blinked repeatedly, unsure of what he read before reading it again. ‘What is this doing among her first aid potions?’ The memory of a past chemistry class resurfaced, one in which the effects of using a g-or GF potion- on a human.


“Youkai may not be affected,” his teacher explained as he pointed toward the picture of the chemical structure of GF potions. “However, humans may suffer harmful, oftentimes permanent effects if ingested. Symptoms may include vomiting, convulsions, rapid rising and falling in temperature and, in extreme cases, brain damage and blindness.”


He could hear it now, he swore it. The complaints and wailing of his brother and her friends if she were to return with some handicap was almost echoing in his ears even as he sat there. Sesshoumaru sighed in aggravation, ignoring both his inner youkai and the voices as he wondered to himself, ‘How could I not have noticed the vial’s label?’


‘We were panicked,’ his inner youkai offered. ‘We do not have time to berate ourselves. We must get the program. He is the only one capable of working the infirmary equipment!’


‘I-‘


“Se-(cough)-shou-“


Sesshoumaru turned just as Kagome collapsed into a fit of coughs, the sound abrasive and hacking to his ears. She frowned painfully and grasped her throat, then groaned and curled into a ball. “How are you?” Sesshoumaru asked, then mentally slapped himself for the stupid question.


“I’m cold,” she moaned as she turned to him. “Why is it so cold? Everything hurts.”


“I would imagine so.” Sesshoumaru hesitated for a moment, then sighed and slipped into bed beside her. He pulled the covers over the both of them and, before he could give himself the time to question his actions, gathered her in his arms and wrapped his tail around them. He watched as she snuggled against him, the crown of her head safely tucked underneath his chin while her hands fluttered between themselves and his chest. He winced slightly when the icy digits grazed his skin but otherwise remained unmoved while she settled herself.


“You must remain still,” he reprimanded when she began to struggle. “Your kicking about will not help.”


A low laugh was her response before she sighed, the warmth she was seeking soon seeping throughout her body. She made what sounded like a purr of contentment before drifting into a dreamless sleep...thanks to Sesshoumaru’s ‘influence’ of course.


He reduced the glow of his hand until it finally winked out, the toxin returned to its proper place as his tail adjusted around them. It felt weird to hold her, especially when she wore so little, but it was an odd weird. ‘If weird can be odd,’ he remarked sardonically as he pulled the blue and white checkerboard blankets farther up her form. ‘I should not be doing this,’ he sternly chastised himself with a stern scowl. His features softened when Kagome sighed, her lashes fanned lightly against her cheeks as her arm draped over his side.


He couldn’t understand what it was about her that made him react so spontaneously, so thoughtlessly without any regard to his own concerns. Her screams would set him on edge and her tears seemed to light some sort of fire within him, something that was dangerous and ingrained deeper in him than he either noticed or cared to realize. Sesshoumaru pondered his thoughts about her silently until his eyes slipped closed and the waking world began to continue on without him.


III


Kagome’s head appeared in the hallway, her blue-green eyes squinted slightly as she checked the opposite sides of the hallway. ‘Whew,’ she sighed in relief. ‘Sesshoumaru must be in the hanger. Finally. Now maybe I can do what I want to do for a change.’ Two weeks cooped in her room had taken its toll, something she was positive her high handed captain hadn’t thought about when he confined her to her quarters. He issued permission for her to enter three rooms; her room, the library and the cafeteria. Anything else was strictly prohibited unless she gained his permission, in which she had a better chance of sprouting a pink calico tail from her forehead. She would see him twice a day, once to remind her of her restrictions and again in the afternoon to eat lunch with her. He sat quietly, his gaze darting to her every once in a while until his lunch was over. Then he would tilt her head toward him, wave his finger in front of her face and frown before leaving the room.


‘You’d think I were dying or something,’ Kagome snorted in aggravation. She checked for Sesshoumaru again, then rushed back into the room to change clothes. She remained in her pyjamas just in case he saw her, her excuse being that she was looking for him to ask a question. So far she hadn’t thought of a question to ask him, but now that he wasn’t anywhere around she no longer had to think of one. She reached inside her wardrobe and grasped the first thing she could see, which was an outfit held in a plastic garment bag. She ripped open the plastic, quickly stripped out of her pyjamas, and practically leapt into the outfit. She took a moment to glance over herself and smiled in approval. Her hair was loose for once and allowed to spill down her back in brush straightened strands. Opal blue sleeves tied to her upper arms with thin black suede tie-ons complemented her royal blue tank top with pale blue ruffles and an asymmetrical helmline. Her black lace miniskirt and chocolate leather boots were tied together with a baby blue belt and Junsei’s silver holster strapped to her side.


Kagome winked at her reflection and flounced out, her happy mood dampening slightly as she stole a glance over the rail toward the second floor. ‘Sesshoumaru Endo is not my keeper,’ she growled to herself defiantly. ‘And I’ll just be damned if he started now. Hmnh!’ She cast a quick Float on herself and vaulted over the railing. She held on to the rail tightly, making sure to judge her fall before releasing her metal bracing. She fell slowly to the next railing, then the next, then the one after that as she shied away from the strong pillar of white energy streaming from somewhere below her in the center of the circle.


Kagome jumped down on the seventh floor and waited for her Float spell to finally ebb away. She fluttered back to the steel walkway gently, her hair and clothes ruffling about her before the laws of gravity reclaimed their hold on her. Kagome looked over the railing and sighed, her eyes searching the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors for any sign of her snowy headed companion.


‘I hate tricking him like this,’ Kagome said to herself as she began her journey to the end of the hallway. ‘But I’m so tired of sitting in that room! My bruises cleared days ago and he’s still acting like a butt! Though, I have to admit,’ Kagome thought as a fierce blush stained her cheeks. ‘His worrying is ...sweet.’ She collapsed into fuzzy thoughts, ones that included herself and a certain captain, wildflowers, candlelight dinners and-


“Oh who am I kidding?!” Kagome spat as she hurriedly waved the images away. “This is Sesshoumaru we’re talking about! He’s about as romantic as a boa constrictor! Besides, I’m not even interested in him like that. Now where was I?” She glanced up at the door in front of her and grinned. ‘Finally!’ she exclaimed happily as she raised her hand to the scanner on the right hand side of the door. The scanner beeped then the door slid open and Kagome cautiously walked inside.


The lab room before her was aged with dust swirling around in the fresh air. The laboratory was smaller than she thought with no more room than a hospital’s examination room. The walls were painted a stark white and the little light the overhead florescent lighting could provide bounced off the cold tile and sparse furniture. A small cot was pushed against the left side of the room nearest to the wall and various medical equipment was pushed against the wall nearest her to the right. The small cryo tube she’d seen from the surveillance camera rested opposite a large wooden desk on the far left side of wall. At the very end of the room was a large window covered with a steel cover.


Kagome took a step in the room and froze when the lights finally flickered off, their ancient bulbs finally giving up the ghost. “ART,” Kagome called out as the hazard lights came on. “Can you turn some lights on.” She waited for his response over the P. A. System patiently, then snapped and snarled, “ART! Come on! Turn on a-“ She frowned, her sudden torrent evaporating as a whispered, “oh” passed from her lips. “I forgot.” Sesshoumaru had long since shut down the hospitality program and Kagome often found herself missing him in spite of his past behavior.


“Oh well,” Kagome sighed forlornly. “There’s nothing to be done about it now. Sesshoumaru won’t turn him back on again, no matter what I say.” She shook herself free of the sudden loneliness that overwhelmed her and walked toward the first thing she saw: the small examination table. Her fingers lightly grazed the table’s cool metallic surface, her fingertips leaving deep trails in the dust film coating the table. She walked along the floor to the cryo chamber, unaware of the boot prints on the floor that followed the same path. They etched clear marks in the grime and, had Kagome seen them, would have been a clear sign that she was not the first to step into the room since the Emergency Shut Down.

“Hm...” Kagome hummed to herself as she peered into the cryogenic chamber. Inside was a soft pink blanket, a thin mattress and a small toy fox...but no child. “Weird,” Kagome said when she stepped away. The chamber’s lid slid closed with a hiss from it’s hydraulic compressors. A little blue light flickered on inside, the glow warm and comforting before flickering off again.


“Where’s the kid?” she asked herself and looked around as if she expected a baby girl to crawl from one of the dark corners. “Maybe...maybe Baralai took her with him,” she concluded confidently. “In the pictures it looked like he practically loved the little girl. Maybe he took her with him when the lockdown began.” She turned toward the desk next, a slight wondering flittering across her mind about the desk’s position against the steel covered window before shrugging it off and opening the first drawer. Nothing but pens and other office supplies greeted her in all the drawers but one, which was locked. She tugged and pulled on the handle until the lock broke and the drawer sprang open. Inside she found nothing but a small velvet box. ‘Empty,’ Kagome sighed, then tossed the box behind her and began opening the drawers of a nearby file cabinet. Each of the seven drawers were empty as if someone had taken Dr. Baralai’s research and ran for his life.


“Great,” Kagome groaned as she plunked down in the desk chair. “How in the world am I supposed to learn anything if there’s nothing here?” She dropped her forehead on the desk’s surface and groaned again, then yelped in surprise as a rusty metal grating sounded throughout the room. Kagome sat up ramrod straight and watched with wide eyes as the metal grate covering the window shuddered and groaned toward a large metal container bolted to the ceiling.


Kagome jumped out of her chair in shock, her mouth unhinged and her hands instantly flying to Junsei’s handle as the Gama Weapon was revealed to be on the other side of the glass. She gasped again and covered her ears when it roared and banged it’s giant paws against the wall on the other side of its pen.


“Oh my God!” she exclaimed in a panic. “I thought-what’s it still doing here?!”


The Gama Weapon roared again and attacked another wall, it’s massive claws creating deep, jagged ridges in the wall’s concrete surface. Kagome hands flew to her mouth when it turned toward the window, it’s glowing green eyes narrowing at the sight of her. She retreated slowly, the panic in her scent and aura intensifying until the creature gave a deafening snarl and charged the window. Kagome turned and ran just as the reinforced glass shattered.


(-)


‘One more screw and...Got it!’


Sesshoumaru set his screwdriver beside him and smirked, the last piece of the pilot’s console finally in place. He stood up and examined his work, making sure that every wire, nut, bolt and wire was safely inside the small desk. He dropped the golf ball shaped crystal into a slotted crevice and watched with a smile as the pilot’s welcoming message flashed on the dropped screen in Al Bhed. He removed the crystal and pocketed it before stepping on the lift to leave the cockpit. He peered into the Passenger’s Deck and assessed the repairs he made previously. Kagome’s coat, train case and duffle bag rested comfortably across a row of seats beside him. Sesshoumaru’s bag sat waiting as well and from the looks of things everything was ready to go. The cryogenic food chambers were already loaded into the storage rooms connected with the food processors in the Passenger’s Deck and everything else involving the engines, weapons and climate control was taken care of.


‘Now all that is left is to inform Kagome,’ Sesshoumaru said to himself as he returned his small tools to their toolcase and placed them in his back pocket. ‘I’m sure she will rejoice at the news.’


He left the hanger and boarded the elevator, his golden eyes cool and impassive as the elevator doors closed in front of him. A sense of dread was slowly gripping him for some reason, and Sesshoumaru had the feeling that it had nothing do with the fact that he was...reluctant...to regroup with the rest of the world.


‘I have responsibilities,’ he said to himself while the elevator continued its descent. ‘I have studies to complete, though I dread them worse than any fiend. I don’t believe I-‘


“Warning! Warning! Breech in Lab 4! Warning! Warning!”


The elevator ground to a stop and Sesshoumaru grunted when the sudden force slammed him into the elevator’s side. He growled in aggravation and focused on restarting the elevator as the announcement continued, this time with bright flashing red lights. The announcement was repeated in both Al Bhed and their native English.


“Warning! Warning! Breech in Lab 4! All sentry units please report to Lab 4! All laboratory personnel should report to the nearest evacuation center immediately! Warning! Warning!”


“Kagome!” was his first thought as he snarled and ripped the elevator doors open. He jumped down just as a roar ripped through the air from the floors above. “Kagome! Answer me woman!”


“Sesshoumaru!” came her reply from below him. The creature growled again, then howled in agony before her fingers appeared on the floor ledge in front of him.


“What are you doing down there?” Sesshoumaru demanded as he grabbed Junsei and slung it over his shoulder. He grasped her hand and jerked her up easily, her beaded earrings clicking together nosily as Kagome leaned over the railing and gasped.


“We don’t have much time!” she exclaimed as she grabbed his hand and sprinted toward the elevator. Sesshoumaru allowed her to drag him behind her, all the while questioning her about her whereabouts and the roars that were coming from the lower floors. “Kagome!” Sesshoumaru said before his patience finally snapped. He brutally jerked her toward him and grabbed her when she smashed into his chest. He grasped her upper arms and moved to shake her when she looked up at him, bottle green eyes wide with fright and her skin as white as a ghost. “Kagome what happened?” he asked in a calmer voice. She shook violently, Junsei forgotten as she dropped the weapon and huddled against him like a frightened and wounded animal.


“I didn’t mean to let it out,” he heard her whisper as the roars and growls grew closer. “I didn’t know. If I know I swear I wouldn’t have. I didn’t mean to-“

“To let what out Kagome?” She looked up and over his shoulders, her wide eyes becoming wider and her pupils no more than tiny pinpricks as she backed up toward the other end of the hallway. “What is it Kagome? What did you let ou-“


RRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Kagome screamed and Sesshoumaru winced as both sounds abused his ears. He grasped Shikyo’s handle, withdrew the blade and quickly turned around, only to nearly drop it in shock as the forest green hide of the Gama Weapon shuddered with the force if its walk.


“You let it out!” he bellowed in her face before grabbing her around her waist. Kagome whimpered in terror, her good senses leaving her the moment the fiend landed behind them. Sesshoumaru sighed in frustration and bounded into the elevator he just evacuated. His poison ate through the top of the elevator and he jumped through the resulting hole with Kagome firmly in his grasp. He vaulted up the elevator shaft just as the elevator itself was ripped out. Wires and cables fizzled and popped around him as he flew back to the second floor, his right index and middle fingers already glowing with yellow electricity. The second floor entrance doors were cut to ribbons by his electric whip and Sesshoumaru darted inside with the Gama Weapon quickly ascending the elevator shaft toward them.


“Kagome, snap out of it!” Sesshoumaru ordered as he snapped his fingers in front of her. The distraught never left her face but she did finally glare in his direction. “Good. That’s better. You’re going to have to use your magic Kagome.”


“I can’t,” Kagome whimpered pitifully. “Have you seen him? He practically pounced on me! I don’t think I can-“


“Don’t think!” Sesshoumaru growled as the Gama Weapon howled from behind them. “Just do it!”


“Um, ok,” Kagome nodded meekly. She yipped in surprise when he began moving again, this time with his nimbus firmly underneath their feet. “Your youki’s back.”


Sesshoumaru smirked absently in her direction, his focus more on their destination than on her observations. “It has been back for some time now.”


“Oh. Where are we going?”


“Here.” Sesshoumaru stopped long enough for the hanger bay doors to open, then zipped inside toward the Black Dragon’s cargo bay ramp. He stopped at the top of the cargo bay ramp just as the Gama Weapon thundered through the door with a mighty roar.


“Sesshoumaru, what are you doing?” Kagome yelled from where he sat her. Sesshoumaru pounded on a small console near the rampway, his frustration clear in his narrowed and pinking eyes as he looked up to glare at her. “I cannot get the outside doors to open.”


“Can’t you just shoot-“


“No, I can’t!” Sesshoumaru interrupted. “You’re going to have to hold it off until I can open the doors manually.”


“But-“


“Do it!”


Kagome groaned as he disappeared up the stairs to the cockpit, leaving her all alone while the Gama Weapon growled and snarled at the plane. “Oh well,” she said to herself as she stood up and raised her hands. “Here goes nothing.” She tosses a quick Tornado spell in the fiend’s direction and looks away as debris goes flying throughout the hanger. The Gama Weapon howls in surprise as it was picked up and tossed across the hanger. It growled in confusion as it stumbled to it’s feet then snarled and stampeded in Kagome’s direction.


“Oooo Sesshoumaru,” Kagome whimpered as she mentally searched through her list of spells. “Hurry up and get this thing going.” The airship suddenly jerked forward and Kagome quickly grasped a nearby rail as the ship rose from the floor.


“Strap in Kagome,” she heard Sesshoumaru say over the airship’s P. A. System. “It’s time to go.”


Kagome held on to the side railing as the ship rocketed toward the far end of the runway. The doors to the outside were still closed and Kagome screamed as they got closer to them. The doors opened seconds before they reached them and the Black Dragon zoomed out of the hanger and into the wide blue sky.


The Gama Weapon followed close behind and was preparing to fly after them when a large chunk of rock collided with its side. Hundreds more began to pelt it on all sides and the creature whimpered in defeat and slunk back to the darkness of the shelter below. The doors closed as the last of the rocks fell from the sky, the hardened chunks of space debris banging and exploding on the hard metal doors.


“Kagome?”


Kagome sighed in relief, the glowing green rim around her eyes dying as she closed them.


“Kagome?”


There was nothing below her but sea and nothing above them but sky and all around her was the sense of freedom, of hope...


And sadness. Her time alone with Inuyasha’s brother was coming to an end.


“Kagome? Are you there?”


“Yes Sesshoumaru,” she answered softly, her voice laced with a small amount of sadness. “I’m here. I’m alright.”


“Shut the cargo bay door. We’re losing altitude.”


“Yes, of course.” Kagome slammed her hand into the large blue button and sat by as the cargo bay ramp raised itself, the happiness she felt earlier disappearing with the rays of the sun.


(End Chapter)


SF: Hey people! How’s it hangin-URK!


Sesshou: (choking SF) Just where have you been crossbreed. You’ve left this Sesshoumaru and other readers waiting on you!


SF: (between shakes) I’m sorry!


Kagome: Maybe you should put her down Sesshoumaru. She can’t explain if you don’t let her.


Sesshou: Perhaps your right miko. (Sets SF down) Explain. Now.


SF: Um...yeah. Well, for one, I moved to a whole new state two months ago. I’m now back in my home state...which isn’t much different than NC.


Sesshou: And?


SF: And...I had to get some things fixed.


Inu-chan: That’s it? You had to get some stuff fixed? Man that’s so lame. Sesshoumaru, shake her again.


Sesshou: Gladly-


SF: Hey, wait a sec! I’m trying to catch up with the stories right now! So leave me alone you guys!


Sango: I agree. Let’s let her catch up with the stories...then choke her.


SF: Jeez, thanks a lot. Anyway, the summary is below.


Summary-Inuyasha: Man, what I wouldn’t give to show Kouga how much his ‘leadership’ means. Right now’s not the time though. Esthar’s under siege and I’m just itching to whoop some New Galbadian ass. Hey, wait a sec-


Miroku: What my friend forgot to mention is that this siege is nothing like before. This time President Deling wants Esthar and he’s stopping at nothing to get it. If only there was some way to call for help....but who would hear us?


Next chapter: Chapter Seventeen: Pick-Up Sticks.


(Outfit(s) in the chapter)


Kagome:
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Fanfiction (I’ve recently received word that FF is punishing authors for answering their reader responses. Because of this, I’m moving my responses to Mediaminer.org. Sorry for the inconvenience.)