InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Demon Should Act Like A Demon ❯ "A Special Girl" Revisited and Lesson Number One ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and friends were created and lovingly brought to life by Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: The glossary and responses to reviews immediately follow the story. Text in `__' are thought expressions. I hope you enjoy this two-part chapter! _^,,^_ Sess/Kag

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A Demon Should Act Like a Demon

By Ericedwyn

Chapter Six: "A Special Girl" Revisited / Lesson Number One

~* Kaede's Village, a week after Naraku's defeat *~

Miroku grinned widely as he watched the seamstress wrap the garment he commissioned in red silk. It had cost him nearly all of the money he collected from his past "exorcism" work, but he knew it was worth it. He skipped out of the hut with nary a worry, and reminisced about the talk he and Sango had several weeks ago.

~*~* Flashback *~*~

Miroku glanced at the back of Sango's head. She was sitting beside him, face downcast with her back slightly to him. He couldn't see her expression, but he knew she was feeling ashamed for having broken his arm, when she had fought him while under the ayakashi's control.

"Sango...," Miroku began, but the young woman intervened.

"I'm sorry, houshi-sama. Because of me…" Sango began, but the monk interrupted her before she said anything self-defacing.

"Don't worry about it, Sango. You weren't yourself." He turned to look off at a distance. "Sango, I want to tell you how I feel. Please listen until I'm done." He took a deep breath, before continuing. "To me, you are a special girl."

Sango felt her heart stop, and turned to look at the monk.

"I never thought I would find someone I could treasure and trust, but I did… I found you."

Sango gasped and turned away as she felt herself blush. `Oh Kami-sama…'

"If I make it through Naraku's battle… When the curse in my hand is lifted… Would you live with me and bear my children?" Miroku returned his gaze to the young woman.

"I…" She turned to look at him with a smile he had never seen before. He was taken aback by the full force of it. It made him feel drenched in love. "I will…"

He clasped her hands and brought them to his lips, kissing one and then the other. "Arigatou, Sango-chan. You've made me the happiest of men."

(A/N: This flashback is based on "A Special Girl" by Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha Vol 30, part 4, translated (for non-profit) by Chris Rijk, available at his site: http://www.wot-club.org.uk/Inuyasha/).

~*~* End of Flashback *~*~

He stopped in his tracks when he beheld the sight of his love sitting beneath the Goshinboku polishing her Hiraikotsu. His heart lurched in his chest. He bravely treaded forward, getting a little more nervous at each step.

Sango looked up and smiled warmly at the approaching monk as she set her weapon and the rag next to her on the ground before standing. "Housi-sama…" She looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling shy.

Miroku stopped at arms length and reached out a hand. He placed the crook of his finger under her chin and raised her face gently. When her dark-brown eyes met his, he softly caressed her cheek with the back of his finger.

She gasped.

The corners of Miroku's mouth curled up into a half-grin. "Sango, would you accept my gift?" With both hands and a bow, he offered the red silk package to her.

Sango nodded, pink tingeing her cheeks, and accepted the package before bowing low. She unwrapped the red silk to find a white silk obi. She unfolded it, gasped audibly, and cradled it in her arms. It was a foot wide and nearly 12 feet long. "It's beautiful, housi-sama." She whispered as tears started to collect in her eyes.

She knew as soon as she saw the gift why he was offering it to her. An obi was a traditional yui-no gift to the bride-to-be from the bridegroom-to-be. She began to fold the treasure carefully.

"Sango, let's get married and soon. I want to be with you. I want you to be my wife."

"Hai, housi-sama." Sango nodded, her vision blurred by her tears.

Miroku pulled her close to him and whispered, "Arigatou, Koishii." He planted a kiss on the side on her temple and her cheek, before closing in on her lips. Her lips were soft and pliant against his, and when her lips parted slightly in response, his tongue sought entrance into the warm sweetness of her mouth.

His tongue traveled the road of her teeth, the slope of her tongue, and the walls of her mouth, beguiling her, teasing her to do the same. When her tongue touched his, his body twitched with pleasure at her bold exploration. He deepened the kiss before pulling away, reluctantly.

"I think we should get married really soon, Sango," the monk croaked.

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~*~* At Sesshoumaru's Fortress, early afternoon *~*~

"Shippou-chan?"

Shippou turned to look up at his adoptive mother when Kagome had stopped brushing his hair. "Hai, Okaasan?"

"Can you teach me how to get better at sensing Youkai? I mean, as a demon, I should be able to do that, right? But I think I was better at it when I was human." Kagome frowned.

"Do you mean, Sesshoumaru-sama? I can't always sense him myself. Powerful youkai, like him, can mask his presence and scent." The kitsune cub explained. "Can you sense or smell me when I'm not near you?"

"Not all the time. I can't sense Tsumi either when she's in the next room. Is there a way I can learn?"

The kitsune fox bit his lower lip thoughtfully. "We can play hide and go seek, Okaasan. You can try to use your instinct and nose to find me and Rin. That might help, and it will be fun for Rin. She's really getting tired of looking for me." Shippou giggled.

"Sounds like a plan, Shippou-chan. When should we begin?" Kagome cupped his face in her hands.

"How about now? Let's go see Rin." The excited kitsune led Kagome out of the room to seek the little girl.

~*~*~*~

Two hours later, Kagome was still looking for the children. `This is the pits.' She rounded a corner in the hallway and ran smack into a living brick wall. She glanced up and met the icy glare of the Yowai and blushed profusely. "Gomen ne, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru inquired when he caught the whiff of her exasperation.

"Just looking for the children, Sesshoumaru-sama. Shippou suggested that a game of hide and go seek will help train my senses, but I'm failing badly." Kagome admitted dejectedly.

If he thought this was amusing, he did not show it. His face remained emotionless as he looked down at her. It unnerved Kagome a great deal; when only two nights ago; the Demon Lord had been more open about his feelings.

"Shippou thought of that, eh?" Kagome nodded, and Sesshoumaru's respect for the child youkai increased half a notch. `Clever Kit.'

The Demon Lord sniffed the air and grimaced slightly at the new scent oozing off of Kagome. `She in heat. I better leave this place.' His glare took on a more glacier like appearance. `It's not as intense as demon heat, but it won't be long. She is still changing.'

He looked down his aristocratic nose at her for a few more seconds, before responding. "Well, I know where they are, but telling you will do you an injustice."

"Doshite?" Kagome pouted.

"It's a great idea. Persevere, Kagome. Maybe you'll find them by dinner."

She watched stupefied as he strode past her. She stuck her tongue out at the retreating figure before resuming her walk. `Right… that was really mature, Kagome.'

~*~*~*~

After an hour of searching, Kagome came upon a small bedroom in her wing. She saw a full length-mirror against a side wall and approached it. She stared at the stranger peering back at her.

She touched the blue crescent moon with an index finger, and then tipped her head from side to side to examine the two purple stripes on each cheek. She shut an eye to study the red marking on her eyelid. `Gah! I wouldn't even wear eye shadow this color on Halloween.'

To Kagome, it felt like her appearance had completed its transformations. The tingling from the markings and the fangs had stopped two days before. But she wondered why her hair and eye color remained the same. She also failed to sprout a tail to her great relief.

She lowered herself to a kneeling position in front of the mirror to search for other manifestations.

~*~*~*~

She was still gaping at herself in the mirror when Tsumi found her later that afternoon. The elderly woman's appearance had changed dramatically since the first day; which she discerned was Tsumi's human time of the month.

Although Kagome had sensed that Tsumi was a Hanyou when she first met her, the change in the servant's appearance still surprised her. For one thing, Tsumi's ears tipped into blue-gray feathers. Her human gray eyes had changed to a piercing yellow-green with bird-like irises. Tsumi's hair also changed from dark brown to a light blue-gray.

She recalled that when Inuyasha would turn ningen during the new moon, he became gentler. Tsumi, however, remained the same. She remained Gentle Tsumi, and she was now wearing a smile that always comforted the young Miko.

"I finally found you, Kagome-sama. Do you intend to waste away the fair afternoon closeted in this tiny room?" Tsumi inquired as she bowed. She closed the door behind her and approached the young lady.

"I was searching for the children…" Kagome said tentatively as she raised herself from the ground.

"They are with Sesshoumaru-sama showing their latest paintings the last time I saw them."

"They probably gave up on me." The young woman smiled wryly. "We were playing hide and go seek."

"Ah, yes. Shippou-chan had mentioned that." The Hanyou smiled with amusement as she stopped before Kagome. "Everyone has a unique scent, Kagome-sama. The trick is to isolate the particular scent you are looking for."

"Doshite, Tsumi?" Kagome's attention diverted itself from the mirror to fall upon the older woman.

"Well… when I was looking for you. I was looking for a sweet scent, like fruit that is just about to ripen; and of course, lavender. I've known it was your favorite scent since Sesshoumaru-sama had brought you home." Tsumi explained quietly.

"Right now, your scent is all over this room which tells me that you have been here for some time. Why don't you close your eyes and try to discern my scent, Kagome-sama."

Kagome did as she was told and closed her eyes. She knew her own scent and when she had first entered the room, it smelled of clean sheets and cherry blossoms. She took a slow deep breath and a faint scent of sage tickled her nose. "I smell sage, Tsumi."

"Hai, what else do you smell, Kagome-sama?"

"I think… rosemary?" Her eyebrows burrowed in concentration. "You have also been outside under the sun, I think. I smell saltiness and a hint of bleach. There is also sweetness like melon…" Kagome suddenly opened her eyes. "Am I close?"

Tsumi grinned widely, "Hai! That was well done! I use rosemary when bathing and lit a sage incense a little while ago. I also spent the afternoon removing some weeds, and the sweet scent you smell is my character." She clapped happily.

"Now for the next part of the lesson, we of youkai blood can also detect emotions. It hovers over an individual's unique scent." Tsumi continued her lecture. "Try to guess the emotion I am going to project, Kagome-sama." Without hinting what she was feeling, Tsumi projected an emotion she always felt whenever she would see Kagome hold Shippou in her arms.

"I feel sadness… No, longing…" Kagome frowned as she looked at her friend.

"Hai, that is right," Tsumi nodded sadly. "Some emotions give off more strongly than others, such as negative emotions… fear, jealousy, sadness…" Tsumi turned slightly towards the door. "Someone is coming to join us, Kagome-sama. Try to discern what makes up the unique scent."

Kagome nodded and glanced anxiously at the door. She felt a strong wave of power approach and stop behind the door. Then the strong wave of power disappeared when Sessoumaru slid the door open and entered the room. `I guess he is masking his scent again,' Kagome deduced.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Tsumi mouthed as she gave the Taiyoukai a deep bow.

"Kagome, Tsumi-san." Sesshoumaru said curtly as his gaze drifted from one to the other. His handsome face wore a mask of indifference. "I am leaving the fortress for a week to do some patrolling and will be taking Jaken. Kagome, you will be the head of the house, while I am away. Tsumi-san will guide you." He turned to look at the Hanyou servant.

"Tsumi-san, please move Kagome and Shippou's things to the rooms you prepared for them earlier."

"Hai, Sessoumaru-sama."

Before Kagome could speak, Sesshoumaru explained. "You are both moving to the family wing. I thought it best since I will be away. I do not want Rin to feel lonely." The Yowai started to walk away. "Jaken and I will be leaving before dinner," he added before leaving the room.

Kagome stared at the closed door for a long time before Tsumi interrupted her thoughts.

"Kagome-sama?"

Kagome turned her attention slowly towards Tsumi. "Hai, Tsumi-san."

"Were you able to discern Sesshoumaru-sama's scent?" The Hanyou asked curiously.

"I felt power, like a surge of waterfalls, but it was gone before he came in." Kagome took a deep breath. "I smell sandalwood, but that's it."

"Masking his scent was the first thing that InuTaisho-sama taught his son, Kagome-sama. One day, I will teach you how to do so."

Kagome smiled appreciatively at Tsumi's offer. "Hai, onegai, Tsumi-sama. I would really appreciate that."

"Come, Kagome-sama, let me show you to your new rooms." Tsumi gestured for Kagome to follow her, and the young Miko trailed after her.

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Glossary: (For new terms only. Please see the previous chapters for other terms used in this chapter. Arigatou!)

Ayakashi - A sort of youkai, more like a god, who controlled people, mostly women, by implanting an egg inside the victim's stomach.

Doshite - Why

Koishii - Beloved

Taiyoukai - Demon Lord/King

Yowai - Youkai Lord

Yui-no - Traditional pre-wedding gift giving between the bride-to-be and the bridegroom-to-be.

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Responses to Reviews: Arigatou gozaimazu, minna-san! Thank you for taking the time to review my work! I really appreciate it! _^,,^_

MM.org Reviews:

Cleverwitch - Arigatou for your rating and support!

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Inu_bullet - I love your reviews! I can't give anything away about what's going to happen with Sesshoumaru, Kagome, and Inuyasha yet… you'll just have to keep on reading. ;) I don't know about the rosary though, Kagome will soon have a lot on her hands…

BRONIE BITE - Thank you, Bronie Bite! Here's another chapter. I hope you got my e-mail!

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Sesshoumarulover1 - Thank you for taking the time to send your review! I'm glad you liked the "Osuwari" bit! I just had to do it!

FF.net Reviews:

Dark angel - Sorry chapter 5 was short. I base my chapter on the idea I am trying to convey, and some may be longer than others. Thank you for your review.

SurfAngel - Arigatou! This is indeed a Sesshoumaru/Kagome romance. I've added a bit of Miroku/Sango in this chapter that will work with a later chapter. Hope you liked it! :)

Nankinmai - Wow, I only have up to episode 90. I'm waiting, not so patiently, for the next volume or DVD set. I'm keeping up with the Manga translations though from Chris Rijk. He's cool! BTW, I've reconsidered your words and bugged my little sister about Sess being a little OOC. The poor thing had to read and reread this chapter. So hopefully, chapter 6 will work for you. Thank you for your help. Glad you liked the "Osuwari" bit! I couldn't resist.

Mala - Thank you for your chapter reviews!

Nikki-Yugowashi - I hope you enjoyed it, even though it was a short chapter. I base the size of each chapter on the idea I am trying to convey and sometimes that may take less words than usual.