InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Between Heaven and Hell ❯ The First Kiss ( Chapter 9 )

At Ichirou's warning, Kagome slowly moved to her feet. However, her eyes were kept locked on the demon's face. Sesshomaru had dismissed any acknowledgement of her, his full attention seemingly on the taijiya.

 

Kagome now felt the sting of realization hit her like a cold stone. For some strange reason, she hardly had any sense of worry concerning Sesshomaru. But as she glanced at Ichirou and saw his tense, yet expressionless face, her blood ran cold. She could only imagine his intentions.

 

“Ichirou…” she breathed, trying to mask her concern for the daiyoukai as best she could. She inched forward, gently touching the back of Ichirou's kimono sleeve. She felt him tense up as he held his weapon in a more deliberate stance. With his unoccupied hand, he pressed Kagome backwards.

 

“I said go, Kagome,” he repeated in a voice almost frightening to her. Nevertheless, Kagome could not bring herself to leave either of them. For although she had begun to trust Sesshomaru in the short time she had been allowed to acquaint herself with him, she worried that whatever Ichirou might initiate would not end well for either of them.

 

After ignoring his commands for the third time, Ichirou crooked his head to look her in the eyes, his eyes softening for a fleeting moment.

 

“Please,” he whispered to her now, wanting desperately to bring her to her senses. His tone lowered in his final attempt to convince her, “just go.”

 

Hoping to remain unaffected by the quiet intensity of his voice, Kagome glanced up at Sesshomaru, searching for some form of guidance on what she should do. Before Ichirou turned back around to face his enemy, Sesshomaru gave her a barely visible shake of his head. Kagome took it as a reminder from him not to reveal any sort of hint to Ichirou in any way. Casting her eyes downward in reluctant acceptance, she took a wavering step back.

 

But after retreating a few more steps, Kagome bit her lip in pain. She held her head and staggered as an unexpected wave of vertigo hit her. The young woman looked down at her cut leg, realizing for the first time the severity of the wound she had received from the mantis demon. The cut, in fact, could not even be called as such. Just by one look, one would say that a `tattered gash' was a much more appropriate word. The lost life-blood that had run from the open wound had dyed the bottom of her leg and sandal a crimson red. Now that most of the adrenaline had gone from her system, Kagome finally felt this unbearable pain.

 

“Mn…” she uttered as she tried to suppress the throbbing pain. However, as of now, she felt dizzy more than anything, and the desire to fall unconscious to the soft grass below her only grew more prominent.

 

Meanwhile, the daiyoukai had watched Kagome struggle helplessly, and knowing she could not reach the village on her own without the taijiya's assistance, he turned to leave. Besides, the scent of her blood was… unsettling.

 

“Don't think I'm going to let you go that easily!” Ichirou bellowed after the silver-haired demon. He would never let a youkai - especially one as dangerous looking as him - go free while he could help it. Poising his weapon in midair, a long, silver chain came into visibility, extending from a joint near the straight dagger's end of the hilt. Now holding the weapon with the chain, he winded it around above his head, gathering power for the bladed weapon. After it gained sufficient momentum, the skilled taijiya hurled it at his retreating opponent, expecting the youkai to turn back around to engage in what he had begun.

 

However, Sesshomaru only turned his head, catching the weapon by the hilt with effortless movements. He felt the taijiya's strained efforts on his end attempting to pull him as well as the taijiya's weapon back towards himself; Sesshomaru was almost impressed by his better than average human strength. But, it was not enough to truly make a difference to him. Pulling back so that Ichirou was forced to take a step forward, Sesshomaru looked him directly in the eyes with an indifferent, yet partially patronizing look.

 

“Hn,” he began, glancing back at Kagome before returning his attention to the taijiya. “Had you any idea what condition you had left that girl in?” Sesshomaru watched in silence as Ichirou turned around in hesitant confusion.

 

An almost nonexistent breath escaped Ichirou as he found Kagome half collapsed, half supporting herself on the ground. Her lower calf was covered in blood, somewhat camouflaging the huge flesh wound beneath. Torn between running to Kagome's side to help her, and between fulfilling his purpose to kill the demon, he knew the latter was the only way to protect her now. However, seeing her in such a distraught state caused him to want nothing more than to run to her aid. He cursed himself for being so much more concerned over his own racial vengeance, than Kagome's wellbeing. Why had he chosen this?

 

“This Sesshomaru could have killed her before you would have even been able to draw your chained weapon,” he stated coolly, though his eyes narrowed slightly. Releasing his hold on the taijiya's weapon, Sesshomaru tossed it on the ground in front of him. He gave out a muted scoff as he turned to leave.

 

“You expect to protect your village?” he questioned dryly, not even bothering to turn around to look at the confounded taijiya in the eye. “You cannot even protect this one girl,” he stated almost impatiently before disappearing silently into the deeps of the forest.

 

With a tug of the chain, Ichirou returned the weapon to his side detachedly, standing only for a second in disbelief.

 

With a small breath, he tried to shake the ring of the demon's reprimanding words from his mind. Then quickly, he returned to Kagome, who was half-consciously trying to stop the incessant bleeding of her leg. Her breathing was short yet labored, as her body was physically exhausted from the blood loss. After hastily tearing off the sleeve of his kimono, he moved Kagome's hands away from her leg. Taking the piece of cloth, he tied it tightly around her upper calf, using it as a makeshift tourniquet.

 

Ichirou held her head, allowing her drained body to rest. As the bleeding slowed, he looked on in bothered silence at her pale cheeks and half-hooded eyes.

 

“Mnn…” she groaned as her eyes fluttered closed and her body gradually began to relax.

 

Ichirou let one hand travel to the side of her face as he continued to support her body and head with his other arm. Keeping his eyes on her closed lids, he let his hand fall away from her cold cheek.

 

“...Sorry…” he whispered quietly before lifting her up in his arms and carrying her back to the village.

 

~ “*” ~

 

Kikyo's brow creased as she brushed her thumb across her sister's still hand. “So that's what happened,” she responded quietly as Ichirou's gaze travelled towards the door after telling his account. His eyes seemed to lose their hard edge as he lost himself in thought.

 

Meanwhile, Kikyo gave one last lingering look at Kagome's freshly bound leg before leaning forward to run her hand across her younger sibling's cheek. Images of her sister's deep wound and torn flesh reentered her mind with unwelcome timing. She felt a whirlwind of emotions rush through her as she looked on at her sister; anxiety, concern, anger towards the demon that dared to do this to her… And she couldn't help but loathe the familiarity of the situation.

 

Unwilling to continue her train of thought, she turned her head toward Ichirou, who now was absently looking at his distorted reflection on the blade of his weapon. Keeping a hand on her sibling's, Kikyo gave it a gentle squeeze. “Ichirou,” she spoke smoothly, hardly noticing the hastened way in which he returned the weapon to his side once more, “would you mind taking Kagome back home? I'm sure it would be much more comfortable for her there…”

 

Ichirou nodded once and made his way over towards Kikyo and the sleeping Kagome. Picking the miko's sister up, he shifted her gently in his arms, mindful of her damaged leg.

 

“I would go with you if I was given the choice, but my duties here only allow me otherwise…” Kikyo apologized as she watched Ichirou straighten to his full height.

 

He shook his head with a small, almost nonexistent smile as he moved his body again so that Kagome's head rested comfortably against his shoulder. “I understand,” he said. Ichirou laughed faintly, attempting to lighten the mood for Kagome's anxious sibling, “Your sister probably wouldn't want you to worry so much about her anyway.”

 

Kikyo gave out a small laugh. “I know,” she smiled, sighing in resignation. “But I don't think she realizes how difficult that is to do.”

 

Ichirou chuckled softly in agreement, quietly admiring the sisters' unconditional love for each other. After all, they had only had one another for family for the longest time.

 

With final goodbyes, Ichirou started on his way towards the sisters' home, sighing as he stepped out into the fresh open air of spring. It was so ironic, for such a lovely day to be marred by things such as this.

 

When the two reached Kagome's home, Ichirou carried her inside, wandering around only for a moment before finding what he guessed was her room. Crouching beside her futon, he eased her out of his arms and onto the bed. As her body settled contentedly into the sheets, Ichirou fell back onto the tatami with a sigh. He ran his hands through his hair slowly, closing his eyes as he took in a lengthy breath. After a long moment, Ichirou lifted his lids slowly, as if they had become heavier the second he had relaxed on the tatami. His eyes focused on the bits of sky beyond Kagome's open window, and the tops of the trees that partially obscured the blue canvas from sight. However, his mind was elsewhere.

 

That mantis was the demon that did this to Kagome, yet, he couldn't help but think about the other demon… The silver-haired one; the one who seemed to make no attempt to harm them. The youkai was impassive, save the look of disdain and superiority in his eyes. Ichirou recalled how he had easily thwarted his attack with the slightest of movements. That demon could have, without a doubt, killed both him and Kagome in an instant. Yet, all he had determined to do was reprimand him, as if he were some amateur child still learning his steps.

 

Why didn't he do anything? Had he just, arbitrarily decided to pay them a visit? That demon had treated him as if… as if he was only a toy for his amusement. Who was he, anyway, to tell him how and how not to protect Kagome? What kind of youkai in their right mind would try to even pretend to teach a human how to do things?

 

Ichirou stopped his train of thought as he heard a modest sigh escape from Kagome's lips. His gaze travelled to her sleeping form, watching in serene silence as she turned her head to the side.

 

In any case, despite the youkai's reasoning, he was right. He knew that he should have been looking out for Kagome's safety much more carefully than he had. Ichirou shook his head; he couldn't help but feel stupid. His revenge at the price of Kagome's life…

 

The taijiya sat upright, his eyes still on Kagome's peaceful features. Slowly, he moved forward, until he was only an arm's length away from her. Soon, his hand hovered hesitantly beside her slightly paled cheek. Gradually, his hand lowered until it met the soft skin of her cheek. With a few tentative caresses, he began to gain courage, and ran his digits through her raven black hair. He gently tangled a few of his fingers in a lock of her hair with deliberate pace as he watched her eyes flutter every once in a while in response to her unconscious thoughts.

 

Then, Kagome turned her head again slightly, causing Ichirou to pull back his hand a little, wary that she might wake at any moment. But instead, her lips parted, letting out a quiet breath before turning her head once more.

 

“…Please…” she whispered suddenly. Ichirou saw her eyebrows furrow in what looked like to be anxiety. “Please… don't hurt him…”

 

Ichirou paused for a moment in surprise. Had she been worrying about him in her sleep? With a short breath, Ichirou let his hand meet the side of her face once again. As his thumb gently ran across her cheek, he found himself slowly leaning forward, until he was nearly a mere inch from her lips.

 

“Kagome…” he whispered almost inaudibly as his eyes closed. But before their lips could make contact, Kagome turned her head again with a sleepy groan.

 

Ichirou retreated quickly, turning his head away as he felt his face begin to heat from the mere proximity of being discovered. He heard her sigh again, and not long after, the sheets beneath her rustled as she sat upright on her futon.

 

“Ichirou…?” she mumbled, her voice still in a state of half-consciousness. Her hand went to the side of her face as she felt the blood rush to her head in a sudden whirl.

 

Awkwardly, the taijiya stood up with one quick brush of his clothes. “Uh,” he began ineptly, looking at everything in the room except her sleepy, and now curious, sapphire eyes, “I was just about to leave, so… so you should get some rest…” Turning on his heel, he exited the room quickly, without another word to the confused girl.

 

“…Ichirou…” Kagome sighed wearily only moments after he had left. Shaking her head as she finally regained full consciousness, she touched her cheek lightly and let her gaze wander to the window. Kagome whispered, with a wistful sigh to follow, “…I wish things weren't so different…”

 

~ “*” ~

 

Later that night, Kikyo visited Kagome in her room, seeing her off to bed.

 

“Sleep well, Kagome,” Kikyo said with a softened smile as she picked up the empty rice bowl and chopsticks that sat next to her sister's futon. Kagome, meanwhile, began to slip her legs under the covers, wary of her bandaged leg.

 

“Good night,” Kagome replied, reciprocating the tender smile. Kikyo ran her free hand through Kagome's long hair, gently drawing her near to place a kiss on her sibling's forehead. With that, Kikyo left the room carrying the used dishes, leaving the candle light on for Kagome's use until she had fully tucked herself in.

 

When the shoji door shut behind her sister, Kagome sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. After shifting down a few more inches, she laid down, leaning over the bedside to give the candle a firm blow. Darkness permeated the room, but the gone light was soon substituted for by the soft glow of the moonlight. With a calmed sigh, she pulled the sheets up, half hiding her face from the nocturnal chill of spring.

 

The crickets chirped merrily away, filling the night sky with song and providing anyone who might be listening with soothing music. However, as serene as the night was, Kagome felt the incessant workings of her mind begin to toil once again. She tried to shut off her endless thoughts, but doing so was like trying to cut off a pouring waterfall. With a groan, Kagome noted how she wouldn't get any rest that night if this ceaseless thinking ensued.

 

Unexpectedly, a cold shiver coursed through her body as she felt a sudden draft of wind rush in through the window. The trees rustled loudly as they swayed with the strong gust. Turning her head, she hid deeper under the covers, further shielding her face from the cold air.

 

Not long after though, another rush of wind swept through the window, causing another shiver to erupt from Kagome's body. Opening her eyes in weary frustration, she determined that the best course of action was to just simply close the growing nuisance.

 

Kagome sat up, letting the cotton coverings fall from her body. With another sigh, her eyes moved to look at the starry window, however, her body froze with an audible gasp. She felt her heart stop and her lungs abruptly cease their need for oxygen.

 

For there, only a few arms lengths away from her, stood a tall figure, his body partially illuminated by the moonlight, motionless and silent. Kagome felt the urge to scream, but her body refused to allow her. She had only managed to jerk the coverings of her futon in front of her body, as if that would do anything to protect her.

 

But after that one moment of intense shock had passed, her brow gradually furrowed, and the shadow's familiarity registered in her mind. Slowly but surely, her heartbeat began its normal beat once more, though a little shaken. She took in a long, relieved breath.

 

“Sesshomaru-san…” she breathed, holding a hand to her heart as she closed her eyes.

 

Sesshomaru smirked somewhat as he leaned against the wall of her wooden home with folded arms. He watched her body heave with shaky breaths as she tried to relax herself. Her lips remained parted, and her tight grip on her bed sheets loosened in respite.

 

“Why do you act so relieved?” he asked in a subdued voice as he followed the line of her opening eyes. “How are you so sure that this Sesshomaru will not do something,” the daiyoukai paused for a brief moment as he thought of the appropriate word to use. “…Horrible?” he decided.

 

Kagome shook her head with a small smile. “You would never,” she replied with a small laugh. For some odd reason, she noticed that Sesshomaru had seemed to be making a habit of trying to scare her off. Perhaps that was just a necessary thing for him, especially after acquainting himself with someone of such lesser value, or something of the sort.

 

“Hn,” was his only response.

 

“How did you get in here anyways?” Kagome asked incredulously, suddenly realizing with slight unease how effortlessly he entered her room.

 

With a raise of his brow at the obvious question, he gestured towards the open window with a tilt of his head.

 

“Oh…” she responded, silently hoping that no one else had had the same idea, or ever would. After a few seconds of silence, Kagome took in a deep breath, looking once again towards the opening in the wall.

 

“Well, I thought it was getting a little chilly, so, I'm going to close the window now,” Kagome announced, moving the covers away from her body. Soon, however, she found her gaze slowly drop, now focused on the floor beside Sesshomaru's feet. “…Unless…” she added quietly, “unless you intend on leaving now…”

 

Kagome raised her eyes in search for a response on Sesshomaru's face. He only tilted his head slightly, seeming to only scrutinize her quietly with unnerving intimacy.

 

In nervous silence, Kagome moved to her feet, intent on closing the window since the youkai didn't seem to indicate otherwise. But when Kagome planted her foot on the solid ground, she winced, falling back to a sitting position on her futon. Kagome hissed, gently holding her pained leg.

 

“You would think that only broken bones would hurt you when you walked on them,” Kagome stated as calmly as she could with a strained laugh, assuring Sesshomaru that she was alright without the use of words. Not that it would matter to him anyways, she reminded herself gloomily, but quickly shook the thought from her mind.

 

Nevertheless, as she looked up, she found the silver-haired daiyoukai walking towards her, his amber eyes locked on her bandaged leg. Kagome froze nervously, unsure as to what he was doing.

Sesshomaru's gaze lifted to meet her moistening eyes, noting how she feigned interest in her leg again as she tried to conceal the pain-found tears. Lowering his body to a crouch beside her, he watched as she still insisted on hiding her teary blue eyes.

 

Strangely, he thought she looked oddly beautiful in the dim moonlight, accentuating the dips and curves of her delicate features. The daiyoukai felt an unfamiliar urge to reach out to touch her seemingly untouched face. Perhaps it was only the proximity of the moment that made him feel as if-

 

Immediately, Sesshomaru stopped any ideas from flowering in his head. Curiosity, he tried to convince himself then. Only curiosity was what fueled his desire to be here.

 

Yet, this “curiosity” was what urged him to reach out and touch her. And this curiosity pursued, causing him to do just that.

 

His hand lifted her chin up towards him, so that he was able to see her face fully. He noted the way her eyes were brimmed with tears, making her blue irises seem to glimmer in the moonlight.

 

He studied every inch of her face, from her slightly furrowed eyebrows, to her blushing cheeks, to her parted rosy lips. A half-chuckle of amusement escaped him as his eyes drifted back to her sapphire ones.

 

“You do not have to pretend,” he stated bluntly, smirking as her blush deepened. Her eyes darted away, as a doe with the snap of a twig.

 

Sesshomaru tilted his head, analyzing her yet again. His gaze seemed to soften just the slightest, most unnoticeable bit as he traced the curves of her ebony black locks with his amber-gold eyes.

 

His hold left her chin gradually, and Sesshomaru began to gently drag the sides of his fingers deliberately against the soft skin of her face. Kagome closed her eyes instinctively, unable to make anything of this strange rendezvous.

 

A breath escaped her as his hand travelled to her endless tresses of ebony, slowly removing the piece of hair she had tucked behind her ear. Trapping the lock loosely between his fingers, he let it slip a little from him as he brought it towards him. Though he was genuinely enjoying the feel of her hair between his fingers, his true interest still lay on her. He noted the way her body steadily eased, and her eyes fluttered every time he let her hair slip a little bit further.

 

“Tell me,” he said, watching her eyes open immediately at the sudden sound of his voice. “Does it hurt?”

 

A crease appeared between Kagome's brows in confusion. Then in realization, her mouth opened partly, remembering the reason why he had even come over to her in the first place.

 

“Oh, it's fine,” Kagome replied, trying to ignore the fact that he still held a lock of her hair in his hands. “I'll be sure not to walk on it again until it heals a little bit more,” she smiled.

 

“Hn,” Sesshomaru replied, pausing for a moment. Then, he assumed a sitting position beside her, crossing his legs comfortably. Releasing her hair, he gently held up her bandaged leg in his hand.

 

“Ah!” Kagome gasped, her body tensing all over again. “What are you-” she started, but stilled as he began to unravel the linen bandages. She looked away as he revealed the terribly torn flesh of her leg, closing her eyes.

 

Then quite unexpectedly, she felt a wet substance rub across her wound, and she winced at the sting of her raw flesh. Kagome turned to look at the youkai, running his fingers across the lesion in her leg. Completely confused, she looked up at Sesshomaru in question. But soon, she felt a tingling sensation flow throughout her leg, especially in the areas he had touched. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw her wound begin to lose its bloody, infected color.

 

Kagome's eyes darted to Sesshomaru, who only took up the bandage again, rewrapping her leg as he had found it.

 

“What… What did you do?” Kagome asked, amazed beyond the confines of her mind.

 

The daiyoukai smirked. “My saliva.”

 

Kagome made a look of surprise and slight aversion. It was the man's spit, after all. But if it was his saliva that held magical healing properties, or whatever it may have been that healed her leg, then so be it.

 

“You should be able to walk by tomorrow,” Sesshomaru told her, returning Kagome's leg to her side.

 

For a moment, Kagome did not respond; she only looked at him with a smile across her face, now the one who was studying his virtually expressionless face. Sesshomaru didn't fail to notice.

 

“Thank you,” Kagome said, after a long, silent while, “Sesshomaru-san.”

 

The daiyoukai locked her gaze in his, tilting his head slightly. Soon, Kagome's grateful smile slowly faded as she lost herself in his trance.

 

He reached forward again, leisurely tangling his fingers in her hair. His amber-gold orbs disappeared from sight as she closed her blue ones, her lips parting faintly.

 

The demon leaned forward, placing his unoccupied hand on the other side of her. Inches away from her lips, he closed the distance between them with unhurried pace. Her unusually soft lips did not flinch, but instead, her body received the gesture openly, leaning back into him.

 

Kagome felt terrified, but at the same time, she didn't want this unknown feeling to stop. This kiss… as people called it.

 

But all too soon, the feel of his lips against hers vanished. She opened her eyes, hardly surprised to see that he was gone. She was dismayed, yet, though his lips had left her, the lingering feeling that it had caused in her did not.