InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ever the Lotus ❯ Chapter 2
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: kanna37 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Classic / Mystery / Psychological / Romance / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.27.2011 | Pages: 7 | Words: 10.5K | Visits: 957 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Classic / Mystery / Psychological / Romance / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.27.2011 | Pages: 7 | Words: 10.5K | Visits: 957 | Status: Work In Progress
Several days passed in that manner – Kagome slowly fitting herself back into village life, and Sesshoumaru hovering as close as he could without being noticed, watching.
Kagome knew he was around, somewhere. But she was perfectly content with waiting for him to decide to approach her – after all, it wasn't like she was going anywhere.
A slow smile stretched her lips as she thought about the daiyoukai she'd somehow managed to catch the attention of. What was it about Sesshoumaru? Beyond the obvious answer of his legendary attractiveness, of course. Even before, during the shard and Naraku hunt, when she'd been crushing on Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru had had a knack for drawing her attention. She could be totally focused on the hanyou, but the moment the big inu would show up, her eyes would immediately be pinned to him.
And she'd never even thought to be bothered by that fact.
She shook her head, amused with herself as she admitted the reason behind the reasons she'd given Inuyasha for her return. When it came down to it, she'd come back more to be around Sesshoumaru than anything else. Even if it was infrequently.
Because the bottom line was that she couldn't stay away.
Even with that realization, though, she'd not been expecting him to have developed an interest in her. She'd fully expected to stand on the outskirts of the daiyoukai's life like a beggar looking in. She'd even been – sort of – okay with that. But now it looked like she might have at least a foot in the door, even if it was just as a rather interesting curiosity. At the very least, it meant being a part of his life, in a small way, undoubtedly – yet it was better than nothing.
With a roll of her eyes, she acknowledged just how pathetic her reasoning sounded – but she couldn't bring herself to truly care, and so, would go right on interesting Sesshoumaru as much as possible quite cheerfully. She wondered idly what the stoic, untouchable daiyoukai would think if he knew just what she truly thought of him.
Knew of the rather large and overwhelming crush she had on him.
He'd probably flay me alive with his acid whip, she thought ruefully, for daring to sully his perfection, even within the confines of my own mind.
With a shake of her head, she cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts, and went about this morning's business – which consisted of gathering certain healing herbs that Kaede had trouble getting to in her old age.
And all the while, she ignored her singing senses that were telling her that the daiyoukai she coveted was much, much closer than she had thought.
~oOo~
A blur of white light, a glowing green poison flowing outward from a raised palm, and Kagome gained her first sight of Sesshoumaru since she'd returned to the Sengoku Jidai.
She'd been out for a nature walk this time, and a feral ookami youkai had attacked. Sesshoumaru had intervened very quickly, and as the ookami melted into a puddle of poison-covered goo, he turned to eye her speculatively, taking in her more mature appearance. Hmm...
After several moments of that silent stare-down, he spoke – and Kagome's knees almost gave out.
“Tell me, Kagome... why is it you do not bring your power to bear to save yourself unless it is absolutely necessary? You seem to prefer having others save you.”
Kagome huffed in annoyance at that and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him almost belligerently. “Who said I wasn't going to save myself? You didn't give me a chance, since you just jumped in all gung-ho and all!”
Both brows rose into his bangs; she assumed it was the gung-ho thing – that wasn't a normal saying in this time.
“Perhaps. But in the past?” he asked leadingly, ignoring the word he didn't understand with a sort of grand indifference.
She shrugged. “I suppose my psyche wasn't ready for my friends to know about my differences. And if I had all of a sudden showed certain skills that I shouldn't have had... well, everyone would have started to wonder. It was just easier to leave things as they were.”
“Hn.” He narrowed his eyes on her, and she wondered what was going through his mind as shifting expressions flashed through honeyed gold. “You are quite the mystery, onna. I find I have many questions that only you can answer.”
He blinked as Kagome's eyes were suddenly laughing up at him. “But, Sesshoumaru-sama, if I give you all the answers today, then there will be nothing left to distract you from raging boredom tomorrow – unless you intend to seek to be the most powerful again.”
“This one is already the most powerful – I now seek a different form of power,” he said sternly. “And I did not say that I wanted to know everything about you today. I simply informed you that I had questions – and that you had the answers.”
Kagome frowned at him. “And just what form of power are you looking for now?” she asked suspiciously, a wary expression lighting her eyes.
He flicked a drop of leftover poison from his claws with elegant precision, and then stepped indifferently around the still-melting carcass on the ground. He didn't stop moving until he was practically looming over her.
With a predatory smile, all teeth and gleaming fangs, he said, “Knowledge.”
“Oh,” she blinked, taken aback by that answer. Knowledge? I guess I should have known, considering what he just said about having questions, and me having answers. And they do say knowledge is power.
“Well, good luck with that,” she said cheerfully as she made a move to step around him. “I should get back to the village before they send out a search party.”
Sesshoumaru did not move an inch, simply watching as she did her best to scoot past him. His smirk widened, now resembling nothing so much as a shark's wide, hungry grin. “I will accompany you,” he said smoothly – as though he weren't looking like he was about to go on the hunt and rip some poor fool's still-beating heart out.
“Uh... is that really a good idea? I mean, with you looking all predatory like that, and Inuyasha and all... I don't want to see any fighting between you two.”
A fine black brow quirked, even as he stared at her with his once again trademark blank face, though she was almost positive that somewhere inside, he was laughing at her. “I give you my word – I will not start any fights. However, if he attacks, I will defend myself.”
Kagome eyed him dubiously. “Are you sure you won't try to antagonize him into attacking?”
“There is no cause for concern. This one has not fought with Inuyasha since the battle inside Naraku, when he was controlled by Magatsuhi.” His expression just dared her to question him further, and with an inward sigh, Kagome began walking back towards the village, her escort stepping along confidently beside her.
Kagome reached up a hand to tuck a stray lock of ebony behind her ear, the breeze flirting with the strands, blowing them gently to mingle with the silver of Sesshoumaru's, and she blushed just a bit. Lucky hair, being able to touch his. I've always wanted to run my fingers through it.
“I'm glad to know that. I always hated seeing you two fight, you know. I know you both had your reasons, but...” she trailed off, her mind going to her own brother. “I can't imagine hating a member of my own family,” she finally said, quietly.
“Hatred is, perhaps, a strong word for my thoughts on Inuyasha,” he allowed, and Kagome flashed him a startled glance... that soon mellowed into one of understanding. He had, in truth, begun to change his attitude towards his brother before the final battle with Naraku.
“Well, I'm happy to hear that, I won't deny it,” she smiled. “By the way... why are you here, anyway? I mean, following me into the village,” she qualified at his raised brow. “Is it time for you to visit with Rin?”
“I have decided that Rin is not the only thing in this village that is of interest, Kagome. And after all,” he said with a sidelong glance in her direction, “I still have many questions about you. Did you think I would forget?”
She sighed and shook her head. “And what will you do when some of those questions aren't answered, then? Kill me?”
“I was under the impression that killing you would be a wasted effort, since you will not stay dead, in any case, correct?” he asked, rather dryly.
Kagome's eyes slid away from his and an innocent look settled on her little pixie face. “Whatever gave you that idea, Sesshoumaru-sama?” she asked lightly.
“Several things, actually. From my poison in my father's tomb, to an arrow in the back at Kaguya's manipulation, Kikyou's resurrection, Mukotsu's poison... there are many to choose from, miko,” he said mockingly. “Though we both know you are not really miko, do we not?”
“Hey!” she flushed hotly. “Mukotsu really did poison me and the others, and Myoga saved us!” She looked shifty for a moment, and he watched her, fascinated. “And as for the miko thing... well, it was as good a name to be called as any other, don't you think? And more fitting than someone trying to call me a youkai.”
“Why did you need to hide your true nature in the first place, Ka-go-me?”
“Well, in this world, if you have power, you are miko, youkai, or a witch, ne? So... to be a witch requires magical knowledge, which I do not have. And I couldn't pass for youkai... but what power I do possess, resembles reiki well enough that I could pass for a girl with reiki who had never been trained – as I did for the entire time I was here. No one ever even thought to question it-” she shot him a dry look, “-until you, anyway.”
He looked thoughtful as he considered her words. It was true – people feared what they didn't understand, and in this time, people knew of only those three sources of power. Unless, of course, you were a god. But anything else... she would have been feared and reviled, rendering it extremely difficult for her to continue on her quest. His brow furrowed, then, as a new thought crossed his mind.
“Tell me... why did you come here to begin with? You cannot tell me that, at least on some level, you weren't aware of the fact that you carried the Shikon no Tama. So why did you allow yourself to be brought here?”
“Allow? Mistress Centipede pulled me here, I didn't allow anything,” she corrected primly.
His eyes went cold. “Do not play your games with me, Kagome. The innocent human excuse did not hold up to my scrutiny.”
They were now reaching the outskirts of the village, and Kagome could feel Inuyasha's aura on an intercept course. Not wanting to cause any more of an uproar than was already likely from her friend's protectiveness when it came to her, and his hotheaded nature when it came to his brother, she sighed, then answered.
“The Shikon no Tama had to come back here. It was placed inside me for that reason. At any rate,” she said, “what needed to happen, happened. That's all that counts.”
“So you are a catalyst. You brought the Jewel back, and you released Inuyasha. And that is what brought Naraku out of the woodwork, allowing all the things that happened to play out.” He looked intrigued. “Tell me... if you had not come back, and Naraku had lived to your time, would you have fought him there?”
Kagome's eyes went wide as she thought about that, and Inuyasha also came to a surprised halt at hearing his brother's words, whatever antagonistic things he'd been about to say arrested before he could even start. He exchanged glances with her.
“Keh! That would have been a disaster!”
Nodding, Kagome agreed whole-heartedly. “In my time, youkai, hanyou, and the Shikon no Tama are considered myths. No one even believes in them anymore, and while there are miko, they have no power. So if Naraku were to suddenly appear and take the jewel, there would be no one but me to oppose him – he'd have taken over my world.”
“There will always be youkai, Kagome,” Sesshoumaru scoffed, “even if you are not aware of them. In your world, with humans so prevalent, it is most likely that we merely hide in plain sight. Nonetheless, your point is well-taken – which is very likely at least a part of the reason that the Kami saw fit to create you, as you said.”
Kagome blinked, then looked at Inuyasha blankly, who stared just as blankly back.
“I never thought of that,” she said. Then her face cleared of its confusion, and she shrugged. “Not that it really matters, I suppose. As long as the goals of the kami were achieved, I'm not going to worry about it.” She turned and continued walking to Kaede's, still carrying the basket full of herbs for the elder miko she was so fond of.
Sesshoumaru watched her walk away for a moment before following her. It was simply baffling to him, that the woman didn't seem to really care what she was. She just seemed content to wander through life, accepting things as they came.
Now, he was quite well able to do the same sort of thing... in certain circumstances. But when it came to his own identity? No... in that matter, he would always want answers. How could she know who she was, if she didn't know what she was?
Or did she? She'd never said that she didn't know what she was. Perhaps, in the end, he thought exasperatedly, she truly was a human – but a specially created one. One that was able to do and be things that weren't normally possible for humans, because the kami had special tasks for her.
The thought was frustrating, however, for him. Because with the role the kami seemed to have played in the creation of the girl, it was likely that a portion, at least, of his curiosity would go unfulfilled. It wasn't like he could ascend to the realms of the gods, and demand answers of them, much as he might wish he could.
Human, or not?
He wasn't aware that he'd spoken aloud, until Kagome looked back at him, a mystified look on her face. “Why does it matter so much? I am what you see. People miss so much, sometimes, because of their need to categorize everything. Some things just aren't meant to be known. I exist, Sesshoumaru, I breathe and eat and sleep just as you do. I am alive. Can't you just leave it at that?”
“Why are you so content to leave it at that?” he countered, stepping forward to hold back the matting for her as Inuyasha's attention was diverted by someone calling his name. Kagome paid no attention as he took off without a word, and Sesshoumaru wondered about that, too. At one time, the two had been inseparable – he'd once accused his brother of keeping her around as a mate.
Apparently, that had changed; though he could not deny that he was pleased that it was so, he still wondered about it.
His attention was pulled back to her as she spoke. “Because I'm comfortable in my skin. I know who I am, so the rest of it's no big deal.” She smiled over at Kaede as she knelt next to her, setting the basket of herbs down at the miko's feet. “I got all the ones you needed, Kaede-baa-chan. Was there any other errand that you needed me for?”
Kaede glanced at the daiyoukai once again taking up so much of her hut with his sheer overwhelming presence, and shook her head. Turning her eyes back on the young woman, she said, “I think ye would be better served spending the time setting Sesshoumaru-sama's mind at ease. He has many questions about ye – and I daresay he will continue to come around until ye have answered them all to his satisfaction.”
Kagome rolled her eyes. “Actually, all his questions boil down to that stupid one he keeps asking – he wants to know what I am. But that's not the important thing. The important thing is who I am. And if he wants to know that, then the only thing he can do is to get to know me, which, since I am so far beneath him, probably won't be happening. In fact,” she said, eyeing his now displeased countenance, “I think that's why he wants to know what I am – because that can be answered in a few words, where knowing who I am is a much more involved prospect. If I told him what I am, then he could turn around and leave, curiosity satisfied. That's too easy.”
The daiyoukai stared down at her with narrowed, angry eyes, then sat down slowly before speaking. “Is that a challenge, woman?”
“Take it whatever way you want it.” She shrugged gracefully. “But I will tell you this. I won't just give you the answer you're looking for. If you want to know what I am, then you'll have to first learn who I am.”
He continued to stare at her, something dangerous burning behind his gold eyes for several long moments.
Then he said, “I accept your challenge, Kagome. I will learn who you are.”
And Kagome knew that nothing would ever be the same again.
~oOo~
Those words were the beginning of the strangest relationship the group, indeed, the village, had ever seen. It wasn't quite a courtship, not was it strictly friendship. There were elements of both within, though it seemed neither of the participants cared.
If asked, both responded with, “It is whatever it is.”
While that seemed to satisfy the two of them, the others weren't so sanguine – especially Inuyasha.
He simply couldn't understand what the hell was going on with his bastard of a brother, and his best friend. It made absolutely no sense. Sure, Kagome was not what they'd all originally thought, but that really made no difference to him – she was still Kagome. And Kagome was soft-hearted, caring, and loving – all things Sesshoumaru was not. Sesshoumaru was quite simply a bastard in every aspect – though not quite so murderous as he once had been.
He knew his brother had always been a curious dog – after all, it was a besetting sin of Inuyoukai. It was that curiosity that had first attracted his attention to Kikyou. But what he was seeing went past curiosity. Despite the fact that Kagome didn't seem to be truly aware of it, when his brother looked at her, there was desire in his gaze. Covetousness... and possessiveness.
It was apparent to him, at least, that Sesshoumaru's focus wasn't the same as it once had been – or at least, not entirely.
But Kagome wasn't an object to desire, and then, once obtained, use, before tossing her aside. And that's what had Inuyasha's instincts in an uproar. Because he was positive that would be the outcome if Kagome ever gave into the daiyoukai.
Used, then tossed aside. Because it wasn't like Sesshoumaru hadn't had many females before – and they'd all gone the same way.
He really, really, wished he had a way to separate the two...
Kagome had decided to take a break and go back through the well for the day to spend some time with her mother, and also do some shopping. When she brought it up to Inuyasha and the others, she found herself the object of several gape-jawed stares.
“Uh, Kagome... we all thought you couldn't go back through the well,” Inuyasha finally said, the others all nodding in agreement.
She stared back at them blankly. “Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked, ignoring the sudden presence of the demon lord behind her.
“Well,” Inuyasha cast his brother a sour look, “we thought you needed the tama to go through the well. I mean, that time I pushed you back through the well and tried to seal it, you couldn't get through until Shippo went into it with the shards.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I can understand how you'd have thought that. At that time, I hadn't really realized how to use the well, and the tama gave me an alternative power source to open it. But I didn't have a shard when I came through this time, ne?”
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed on her at that. “If that is the case, then why did you wait three years before coming back?” he asked, noting the nods from the others.
Her gaze slid sideways to stare at him out of the corner of her eye, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wasn't ready. I needed to finish growing in my world, and complete all my tasks. In order to honor my family, I needed to keep my attention strictly on that life – so coming back had to wait 'til I was done there.”
There was a ringing silence, and she shifted, a bit uncomfortable at everyone's eyes being plastered to her. After a few moments, she sighed.
“Oh, for kami's sakes, what is it with you guys? It's not like I hadn't gone through the well many times over the months we were after Naraku – why is it so different now?”
At that, her friends all looked a bit sheepish... but Sesshoumaru's steady gaze didn't change at all. “Tell me, Kagome... would Inuyasha still be able to traverse the well, as he used to do in the past?” he asked.
She turned her head and eyed him warily for a moment, her eyes narrowing, but nodded slowly. “Why wouldn't he be able to?”
Inuyasha perked up at that – he'd had a fondness for her family, and it had hurt that he wouldn't be able to see them again. Apparently, however, he could – and anytime he chose to do so.
Sesshoumaru noticed his brother's reaction, but didn't turn his gaze from Kagome. “So I was correct in my supposition, then – you control the well. One wonders when you figured out that it was yours to command,” he murmured.
Kagome shrugged, expression casual. “I figured it out while I was gone for those three years. It didn't take long for me to realize that my fate lay here, and then I knew that when I was ready, I would be able to come back.”
“Hn.” He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “I would greatly enjoy it were you to show me your world, Kagome.” At her sudden wary surprise, sly, mocking amusement crossed his face. “After all, if I am to learn who you are, as you say, I need to see the world that you came from – and the people in it, because a great deal of who you are harks back to your formative years on that side of the well.”
Her eyes narrowed with irritation – he had her there, and he knew it. He was right, and she couldn't expect him to learn who she was without him being able to see her family, and the world she'd grown up in.
The hanyou picked that moment to break in. “No way! Kagome, don't do anything crazy like taking him to your world! That's just askin' for trouble, and you know it,” he growled.
Sesshoumaru's gaze shifted to his brother, a dangerous light entering his golden eyes. “I am not so much a fool as to cause any havoc in her world, thereby not being allowed to visit it again, Inuyasha,” he said scathingly as his brother blushed. “I have many questions about Kagome – and not all of them can be answered here.”
Hearing his words, Kagome new then that he could be trusted to go to her world without problems, as he was correct – he wasn't likely to mess up his chance, knowing that he would then never be given another one. He was immeasurably curious, and he would not do anything that would interfere with him gaining the answers he wanted.
“Fine. But there are some rules – nothing there is anything like it is here. If you don't see me reacting with panic to something, then leave it alone, however dangerous it might appear.”
He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment, even while his brother cursed under his breath and shot him a dirty look.
“Well, come on then,” she sighed, shaking her head as she stood up, “let's get going. You, too, Inuyasha – Mama and Sota will be happy to see you, and don't worry, mama took away grandpa's sutra and hid them.”
Sesshoumaru's brow shot up in amused surprise. “Sutra?” he asked slyly. “Do tell, Kagome. I am most interested to hear what he has done to have earned them being taken away.”
“Keh! Ain't none of your business,” the hanyou shot back, stomping from the hut and sulkily waiting for the two of them. “Though it woulda been funny to see the old man plastering the bastard here with all those damn pesky sticky pieces of paper,” he snorted, glaring at his brother.
Kagome rolled her eyes, but snickered inwardly. It would be kinda funny to see such a thing – as long as she could keep Sesshoumaru from killing her grandfather afterwords, of course. Shaking her head at such thoughts, she turned and led the way to the well, ignoring Inuyasha's sniping, and Sesshoumaru's cold replies.
They were just about to the well, when a disturbance caught Kagome's attention – a meidou was forming right in front of her, and reacting instantly, she opened one of her own at the same time, so whatever youkai was coming through, simply found itself back in another meidou - minus victims. Closing it behind the youkai, she shook her head.
“Damn... that was too close,” she muttered. Glancing back at the two that were staring at her with fascination and suspicion, she narrowed her eyes at Sesshoumaru. “He was probably after you, wanting to fight such an obviously powerful youkai,” she said, tone layered with sarcasm.
Inuyasha was sputtering, shocked out of his mind. How the hell had she done that? He was the one that had the meidou... in Tessaiga. She'd just done it on her own...
Sesshoumaru watched as she eyeballed him, then said, “See? I do defend myself sometimes – you didn't even have to lift a royal finger.”
Expression deliberately blank, Sesshoumaru considered what had just happened, and then... “Tell me, Kagome. What use was sending that youkai back into a meidou that he can just re-open once more and attack from again?”
She blinked at him, startled. “Uhh, Sesshoumaru, that's not how the meidou works... didn't you know that? He opened his portal up, and came out of it, and then I opened one, and he went right into it. But the meidou doesn't open in the same place all the time – he'll probably spend the next several thousand years trying to find the right passage back here.”
Narrowed eyes pinned her, and she just knew that he had gone and come up with a whole bunch more questions. She groaned inwardly. I am beginning to think Inuyasha was right – I'm not going to survive his interest. With a sigh, she held up a hand just as he opened his mouth to speak.
“Don't, Sesshoumaru. If you start now, I'll never get home for that visit with my mother.” Eyeing Inuyasha's still shocked expression, she shook her head, and said, “Let's go. I'd like to get there today sometime.”
Kagome had been quite correct in her supposition – her actions had, indeed, opened up a can of worms, as far as he was concerned. That whole encounter, lasting all of ten seconds, was strange enough, but the thing that had caught his attention the most was the power surge from Kagome – or rather, the lack of one.
She had opened a meidou, and he had been unable to detect any surge in power from her. She could hardly expect him not to have questions about her actions. But he could wait until they reached her home, he decided magnanimously. Once there, she might relax and be more forthcoming.
And then, there was always her family to pump for information, as well.
Sesshoumaru nodded to himself, pleased with the addition of several new people to seek answers from.
Oh, yes, he would most certainly be questioning her family.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru had pretty much kept to himself after first arriving on her side of the well, being polite enough to not interrupt the family's reunion with Inuyasha, who was apparently very well loved by Kagome's family. Even the elderly male – though he grumbled and glared, it was half-hearted, at best, and not how he really felt about things, it was obvious.
Finally, after the group had reacquainted itself with his brother, the younger human boy, Sota, dragged Inuyasha off to play some sort of game, leaving the two adult members of the family, and he and Kagome, alone.
He silently evaluated them both, and it appeared that the best one to talk to would be Kagome's 'mother'. At this point, that word was a subjective one – he was not sure that Kagome had been 'born' in the strictest sense of the word, since she also may have been created. Then again... as he considered her, she met his gaze unflinchingly, and he had to admit – there were several similarities between the two women, so it was by no means certain that she wasn't Kagome's mother.
Blinking his eyes to relieve the burning feeling the air here caused, he waited for introductions, a bit amused to see the older woman nudge Kagome, and whisper a reminder of her manners.
Kagome flushed a little – she'd been so busy watching him watching everyone else, she'd forgotten to introduce them all.
“Sorry about that. Mama, grandpa, this is Inuyasha's older half-brother, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands.” She turned to look at him, and nodded towards her family. “Sesshoumaru, this is my mother, Hitomi, and my grandfather, Hikari,” she finished as they all bowed politely to each other.
Hitomi clapped her hands, and then turned briskly to lead the way into the house. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Sesshoumaru. Be welcome in our home,” she smiled as she led the way inside, shooting a speaking glare at the elder male as he harrumphed. “Grandfather, behave. I expect you to treat our guest as you would any other.”
Tilting his head, Sesshoumaru was interested to note Kagome's tiny giggle, and decided that this kind of behavior from the male was common. Perhaps his mind was not all there? One thing that had caught his attention immediately upon realizing that the woman was Kagome's 'mother', was the fact that, while she definitely appeared mature, she did not look old enough to be the mother of a daughter Kagome's age.
It made him also wonder at the elder's age...
He made a mental note to ask Kagome that question at the first available opportunity.
Once inside the house, which was unlike any house that he had ever seen, and quite a bit larger than the huts most lived in in his era, he was led to what appeared to be the cooking area, which was filled with things he'd never seen before, and couldn't imagine the uses of.
Offered a seat at a rather strange table that was high off the floor, with chairs that matched it, he nodded and sat down, feeling a bit awkward with his armor and swords making it difficult to sit.
Kagome noticed and shot him an amused look. “Would you like to take the armor off? We can set it aside for you.”
He considered that for a moment. “Indeed.” He quickly had both armor and swords off, and Kagome and her mother took them and disappeared into another room for a few seconds, before returning to the kitchen. Kagome sat down across from him, while Hitomi began to prepare tea.
He was fascinated by what he was seeing. Water that came from an odd pipe on command? Fire that came from nowhere with the turn of a dial? What were all these things that Kagome had obviously grown up used to? It occurred to him to question her seeming love of his era, when it was obvious she was used to luxuries that his time could never match.
True... my era smells sweeter, and the air is not so caustic, but she doesn't seem to be as bothered by all of that as I do. Nor does her family, so that cannot be the reason she returned to live in my era.
Another question. Somehow, he was not surprised.
Within a few minutes, her mother was also sitting at the table, and they were all drinking nice hot tea – that didn't have tea leaves floating in it. The tea had been inside what appeared to be paper bags, with a string tied to it. Hitomi had taken the water off the odd fireplace, and then placed the bags inside three cups, pouring the boiling water over them and allowing them to steep.
After taking a sip, he found that he liked it much better without the bitterness of the leaves themselves floating in the liquid.
Hitomi looked at the formidable male sitting at her table for a moment. He was probably the most gorgeous male she'd ever seen – but her instincts were screaming that he was also the most dangerous male she'd ever seen. Oh, she was sure that it was safe enough to have him here – Kagome would never have allowed him through the well if he presented any danger to her family, or, indeed, the world they lived in. Still...
She couldn't help but wonder... what had brought him here?
“May I ask what it was that drew you here, Lord Sesshoumaru?” she finally asked, and the daiyoukai turned his gaze to meet hers, a steady contemplative look on his face as he once again warmed to his favorite subject.
After a few moments of silence, he set his cup down and steepled his fingers, then spoke. “I have many questions about Kagome. I wish to learn who she is-” he cast an ironic glance at her, “-so that I may then know what she is.”
Kagome didn't say a word, just letting her mother handle it – after all, he was here to talk to her family, not her – he could do that at any time.
After a few moments of consideration, Hitomi set her own cup down and nodded at the daiyoukai. “I see.” A knowing expression settled upon her face. “And also to see somewhat of the world she came from, if I'm not mistaken.”
She sat thinking about it for a few minutes after he nodded that she was correct.
“Traveling around Tokyo as you are would cause havoc, I am certain,” she mused thoughtfully, flashing a glance at her daughter. “Is there a way you can remove the pelt, and hide your markings? Your clothing,” she gestured at his clothes, and then at her own, “while different, is not completely unknown – people will just think you are wearing traditional clothes. Your markings, however...” she trailed off, and Sesshoumaru tilted his head in acknowledgment.
“I can hide my markings, and leave my pelt here, if you feel that is necessary.”
He caught Kagome's surprised look and knew what had caused it. “In my world, it is not necessary to hide who I am, Kagome. But nonetheless, most higher youkai are capable of doing so, should the need arise.”
“Oh. Well,” she said dubiously, “I suppose I can see that. Although... is there anything you can't do?”
He noted the amused look on her mother's face as he said, “Yes.”
Impatiently, Kagome asked, “Well, what is it that you can't do? I'd certainly like to know!”
He stood to follow Hitomi, but paused, and caught Kagome's eye. “This one cannot seem to get a straight answer to the question he has spent over three years asking. What is Kagome Higurashi?”
He followed her mother's silver laughter out of the room even as Kagome cast him an evil glare.
“Funny, Sesshoumaru. Very funny.”
~oOo~
Kagome shivered at the thought of taking Sesshoumaru on a tour of her world – she just knew that she'd have half the female population of Tokyo following them around, and that would probably put her in a bad mood.
But it couldn't be helped – he was determined to see what there was to see, and she had tacitly agreed to do this with him. So with that thought in mind, she sighed, and buried her rather pointless jealousy deep. After all, she was used to the fact that there were a lot more beautiful women out there than she herself. It didn't really make any difference that she was about to have every last single one of them thrusting themselves into her face – well, actually, into his face.
It didn't occur to her that, beautiful, or not, Sesshoumaru wasn't likely to be impressed – they were, after all, merely human, and so, beneath him.
With those morose thoughts in mind, she picked out the first thing she came to in her closet, not really paying any attention to it. It just so happened that it was one of her nicer casual outfits – a medium blue blouse, with an ivory cashmere sweater over the top, and a matching skirt that was much more modest than her former school uniform had been. And since she was unaware of the fact that Sesshoumaru already saw her as his, she wasn't prepared for the look of admiration that crossed his face when she stepped downstairs, to find him all ready to leave.
Taken aback, she stared at him, disbelief in her eyes, until she took in how he looked without his markings, and pelt. He was just as gorgeous, but after a moment's reflection, she had to admit she missed his markings. They just screamed 'not human!' And to her, that was as sexy as hell.
Nonetheless, her earlier assumptions about the crowd he would draw was proven correct, as, almost as soon as they hit the streets, they were making waves.
Sesshoumaru seemed to be unaware of the impact he was making, instead, busily looking around at things, and cataloging everything he wished to learn more about. But Kagome wasn't fooled – nothing ever escaped the daiyoukai, and he was fully aware of all the eyes focused on him.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence from Kagome, he flicked a quick, but deadly glare at those closest that were staring, and within seconds, they were gone, some half-forgotten instinct warning them that they were in great danger where they were.
Kagome was pretty surprised at how fast he'd cleared the way, though she knew it wouldn't really matter, since they'd be running into other women all day long.
“Tell me, Kagome – are all females in this world so forward?” he asked, a displeased frown forking his brow as his eyes picked up yet more females eyeing him lasciviously.
“Women in this time are not the same as in yours, Sesshoumaru. We have our own freedom. We aren't the property of brothers and fathers and husbands, and are responsible for our own honor and social respectability.” She sighed, annoyed, as yet another woman turned to stare in awe as they passed. “But you have to realize that you are quite beautiful, and I'm not at all surprised that you're drawing a crowd.”
“Hn.” Choosing to set aside that discussion, he focused on something else that he had wondered about. “Tell me, then – what of your father?”
He watched as Kagome's gaze went far away. After a moment, she said, “He died when I was about eight. Sota was just a baby, himself, and doesn't remember him at all. I'm lucky, I guess - I remember him a little bit. He was a quiet man – very contemplative.” She looked down, a small smile on her face. “Rather like you, if the truth were to be told.”
Intriguing...
“You were close with your father?” he asked, taking in everything around him using every one of his senses.
She sighed and he looked at her – there was something in the sound that gave the impression of pain. “Not as close as I would have liked. He worked a lot... in this world, oftentimes, you have to, to survive – and especially if you have a family.” She looked up at him for a moment. “You would be surprised, I think – if we were to bring all your wealth to this time, you would not be worth near as much here as you are in your world.”
He quirked a brow, considering all the things he saw around him, and allowed that perhaps she was correct – though she would probably be shocked at just how wealthy he truly was. Still...
“Of what social standing are you and your family?” he asked, curious.
She laughed a bit as that question brought her out of her momentary melancholy. “In this world, it's different, Sesshoumaru,” she said, as she took his arm and held him back from crossing the road. “Instead of class lines, it's money that controls your standing. Wealth equals power, here. As for my family, we do well enough for ourselves, the shrine making a steady income. And as shrinekeepers, there is a certain respect given in our society. But we aren't wealthy, by any means.”
“So all in your society have access to the luxuries your home boasted?”
Brow furrowed, she looked at him askance. “Luxuries?” she murmured as the light turned green for them to cross, and she stepped off the curb, followed by the daiyoukai. “What luxuries are you talking about?”
“The water that your mother had access to on demand, and the fireplace that she used to heat the water... and the other devices your cooking room contained,” he replied.
“Oh, you mean the plumbing and the stove and refrigerator.” At his thoughtful glance, she elaborated. “The plumbing – running water in the house – is standard in homes today. As for the stove, what she used to heat the water, all homes have those, too. Of one sort or another. And the refrigerator – that's a cold storage box, basically, for foods – all homes have those, as well. They're all standard fittings in homes today. Not luxuries – here.”
And with that, his previous question came back to him – why would she leave a world such as this to return to one that was so completely... primitive?
“That begs the question, Kagome – why would you leave this world, for mine? It appears as though things are much easier physically here, than they are in my era.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “That's a fair question, I guess. And you haven't even seen the half of what my time has yet.” Nose wrinkling a little as she thought about it, Sesshoumaru was interested to note that she didn't have a ready answer for that question. Apparently, she hadn't thought about her reasons for wanting to be in his era, she had just gone with her desires.
He wanted to know what those desires were.
His attention was pulled back to her when she spoke, her voice soft and contemplative. “I suppose... my world, despite the conveniences, is very high stress. Because everything is so expensive, you spend your entire life always running, trying to make enough money to survive. And at first, I didn't know any other way. But then... I fell down a well and met a hanyou,” she said, a smile in her voice, “and suddenly, there was another way to do things. Sure, physically, its more work, but for all that, it's a lot less stressful. And... honestly, the people there are more real than they are here. There's so little honor left in this world.”
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her words, once again looking around, and he decided he could understand – even as little as he knew of it, her world appeared impossibly decadent.
Huge pictures limned the sky, of half nude men and women, signs for products he'd never seen. The women were forward, obviously thinking nothing of pressing themselves on an unknown male, and the men appeared sulky and dissatisfied with their lives.
“Tell me... where are you taking me?” he asked, suddenly wanting to know what she planned to show him of her world.
At that question, she smiled. “To one place that I think will interest you – the library.”
He blinked, slanting her a curious look. “You would show me scrolls?”
“Well, they aren't scrolls anymore, they're called books. And yes... all the knowledge in the world is held within books, Sesshoumaru. As far as I'm concerned, libraries are the greatest invention the world has ever come up with,” she said, a wide grin settling on her face as she stopped before a huge building and waved her hand. “Welcome to the library, Sesshoumaru.”
His eyes went wide as he took in the sheer size of the building they were standing in front of. “This building houses nothing but these... books?” he asked, wanting to be sure.
She nodded. “Yup.” She tugged his arm and led him up the steps and towards huge glass doors. “Come on, then, let's go inside.”
He followed blindly, eyes taking in everything. He hadn't missed, however, the expression on Kagome's face – this library was apparently a favorite place of hers, and just that one thing told him a great deal about her. She enjoyed the collection of knowledge, and was as curious a person as he was. That fact pleased something within him...
Once inside, he came to a stop in shock at the sight of the seemingly endless display of these books of Kagome's – there were literally millions of them, sitting on shelves that took up the entire huge room.
Kagome couldn't help her amusement at his entranced expression, and knowing what he had to be thinking, she pointed out the stairs. “There's another whole room of books upstairs, as well.”
“With the sheer amount of reading material here, Kagome, how would one go about finding a... 'book', in the subject one wanted to learn?”
“Oh, they're filed by subject, and by fiction, or non-fiction,” at his expression, she elaborated, “fiction being stories that are made up, like legends, and non-fiction, which is things that are true. For instance, if you wanted to find a book about plumbing, you would look in non-fiction, but if you wanted to read something light for enjoyment only, you would probably choose something from fiction.”
He nodded to indicate his understanding, and headed for the huge shelves that seemed to stretch away into the shadowy corners of the cavernous room, intent on further examining these books.
“Is this fic-tion?” he asked, randomly picking a book off a shelf, and Kagome chuckled, shaking her head.
“No, this area downstairs is non-fiction.” She pointed to the book he'd picked up. “That book is a discussion of philosophy.”
He studied the book, annoyed to find that he couldn't read it. “What is this writing, Kagome?” he asked, irritation plain in his voice.
“The language changes, Sesshoumaru, over time. And so do the written characters. It's the same in your era for me – to me, your writing is archaic, and I can't read much of it. I've picked up some of it from exposure, but...” she trailed off, and then shrugged. “All I really wanted to do was show you this part of my world, because its one of my most favorite parts.”
He met her gaze and held it, eyes narrowed. “You enjoy knowledge, and the accumulation of it.”
Smiling cheerfully, she nodded. “That's one of the most important things to understand about me, Sesshoumaru. I'm just as curious as you are... and I question everything.”
His brows rose, and he let her words echo inside his mind. Touche, Kagome. So... as I question who you are, you wish to also know me.
“When you are done here in your world, I will show you the parts of mine that I find to be important,” he said, and Kagome nodded, knowing that he'd understood her actions, and the reasons behind them.
Just as much as he wanted to know about her, she desired to know about him. She was proposing an exchange of knowledge.
He was more than amenable to that proposition.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru sat atop the roof of Kagome's house, contemplating the night sky, and the lights of the city, as she'd called it. He noticed quickly that the night sky here showed far less stars than his time did.
“Tell me, Kagome... why are there so few stars compared to my time?”
Kagome pulled her nightshirt over her head before answering, raising her voice enough so that he could hear her while she dressed for bed.
“It's not that there's less stars in my time. It's just that the lights of the city are so bright, that it drowns out the night sky.”
He took that in, thinking that her answer made sense, and it gave him another tidbit about Kagome – she spent so much time in his era staring at the sky, because it was a treat she couldn't attain here in her era.
It came to him suddenly – what she craved that his world gave her. “Peace,” he murmured. “My world, even though there are battles and fights aplenty, is more peaceful for an individual than hers is.”
Kagome overheard his words as she stuck her head out of her window, then crawled out of it to join him. “That's a big part of it. Life in your world moves at its own steady pace. Here, its rush, rush, rush, and no one stops to notice anything beautiful around them. Not many are blessed as I am to be given a choice of which world I want to belong to... I could only be thankful for that blessing.”
He looked at her for a time, once again arranging the things he was learning about her into their proper places within his mind. Kagome Higurashi was a curious person, just as he was, she enjoyed learning new things, and preferred the peace and slower pace of his era, to the frantic, headlong rush of hers.
All of those things were qualities that he could agree with, and were oddly suited to his own personality. Perhaps he and this little woman were more alike than he had ever realized...
That thought didn't bother him as he would once have thought it would. He found nothing to scoff at in her words, or her personality – instead, he found both to be strangely appealing.
“I'm curious about something, Kagome.” He tilted his head as she looked over at him, narrowing his eyes inquisitively. “I mean no disrespect in asking, however, it seems to me that your mother is too young to have a child your age.”
He waited as she laughed a bit, and shook her head, raven locks brushing against his suddenly heated flesh. “Actually, my mother is almost forty.” At his surprised expression, she said, “The healers in my time are very advanced. Things that kill in your world are minor here. And because they've learned so much about the body, and what it needs to stay healthy, people in this time live quite a bit longer. What's the average age at time of death for humans in your world... fifty? My grandfather still takes care of this shrine, and he's almost eighty.”
There was no denying that he was stunned at that. First, that her mother looked so young, but was definitely at an age that in his world, she would already look like the elder miko of Inuyasha's village. And that her grandfather was as old as all that, and still spry and apparently, healthy? It was amazing, to say the least.
The humans in her world might be jaded, suffering from ennui and stress, but they definitely had a great deal that was better than anything his world could offer. It was hard to believe that the ignorant humans of his time, had spawned this world, five hundred years notwithstanding.
Still, while that lifespan was definitely much improved from those humans in his world, that was still but a drop in the bucket for one such as him... and the human, that wasn't a human.
“Knowing that you will outlive your family must bother you,” he said slowly, watching her expression. He wanted to see how she would react to that.
She pulled her knees closer to her chest and draped her arms over them, tilting her head up to stare into the sky. “Not really. Under normal circumstances, I would most likely outlive my mother and grandfather, anyway, barring unforeseen accidents. And even though my brother is a few years younger, it's possible I could outlive him, as well. The hardest part is going to be looking the way I do know, as Sota ages before me.”
He was silent for a time, thinking about that. He supposed he could understand what she was saying – after all, his own younger brother would age and die, while he, himself, continued on unchanging.
“We are like Mt. Fushi,” he finally said slowly. “All around us, the world changes, and people come and go like the tides, while we remain. But like the mountain, we change – only it is too slowly for humans to see, and so they think we do not.”
Kagome understood exactly what he was saying. “Yeah. We measure our time differently than everyone else, I suppose – in millenia, rather than decades. And so we change with the earth, rather than with the people on it.”
He eyed her suspiciously at that – it brought up another question. “Tell me, Kagome – are you truly eighteen years old?” he asked, unable to keep his interest in her answer out of his eyes.
She simply nodded, not even looking over at him. “Yes. Why?”
“Because you seem to have an innate understanding of things that even very few youkai do. It is intriguing.”
With a sigh, she sat up and stretched, yawning behind her hand. “I suppose. It probably comes from my rather strange life. But anyway, I'm tired, so I think I'll call it a night. My mother's still downstairs, though, if you wanted to corner her and ask her questions.”
With that, she stood up and crawled back in through her window, waiting for him to join her inside before sliding the window closed. He nodded to her as he moved towards her door.
“Goodnight, Kagome.”
She watched him close her door behind him, and flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder absently.
Goodnight, Sesshoumaru.
~oOo~
Hitomi was apparently waiting for him; he stepped into the kitchen, as he'd heard Kagome call it, she gestured to a seat and he sat down, watching as she poured some tea for him. After setting the teapot back on the stove, she sat down and wrapped her hands around her own cup.
“So... you want to know what Kagome is, hm? And let me guess – she didn't like that particular question, and instead wants you to learn who she is?”
Taken slightly aback, still, the indomitable daiyoukai didn't show it, he simply nodded.
“I see. And you want to pump me for information.” The woman sat back in her chair, plainly intrigued. “Go ahead, then, ask what you will.”
With all the lethal cold-bloodedness of a predator, Sesshoumaru went in for the kill.
“Are you truly Kagome's mother by blood?”
And Hitomi stared at him, surprised.
She hadn't expected that question, at all.
~oOo~
A/N: In canon, while we are given textual clues that Kagome is unable to go back through the well to see her family after she comes back after the three years, it never explicitly says so, and so, for the purposes of this fic, I am saying that she can still go see her family. And take others through it, if she chooses, as well.
Amber
Converting /tmp/php15AzA0 to /dev/stdout
Kagome knew he was around, somewhere. But she was perfectly content with waiting for him to decide to approach her – after all, it wasn't like she was going anywhere.
A slow smile stretched her lips as she thought about the daiyoukai she'd somehow managed to catch the attention of. What was it about Sesshoumaru? Beyond the obvious answer of his legendary attractiveness, of course. Even before, during the shard and Naraku hunt, when she'd been crushing on Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru had had a knack for drawing her attention. She could be totally focused on the hanyou, but the moment the big inu would show up, her eyes would immediately be pinned to him.
And she'd never even thought to be bothered by that fact.
She shook her head, amused with herself as she admitted the reason behind the reasons she'd given Inuyasha for her return. When it came down to it, she'd come back more to be around Sesshoumaru than anything else. Even if it was infrequently.
Because the bottom line was that she couldn't stay away.
Even with that realization, though, she'd not been expecting him to have developed an interest in her. She'd fully expected to stand on the outskirts of the daiyoukai's life like a beggar looking in. She'd even been – sort of – okay with that. But now it looked like she might have at least a foot in the door, even if it was just as a rather interesting curiosity. At the very least, it meant being a part of his life, in a small way, undoubtedly – yet it was better than nothing.
With a roll of her eyes, she acknowledged just how pathetic her reasoning sounded – but she couldn't bring herself to truly care, and so, would go right on interesting Sesshoumaru as much as possible quite cheerfully. She wondered idly what the stoic, untouchable daiyoukai would think if he knew just what she truly thought of him.
Knew of the rather large and overwhelming crush she had on him.
He'd probably flay me alive with his acid whip, she thought ruefully, for daring to sully his perfection, even within the confines of my own mind.
With a shake of her head, she cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts, and went about this morning's business – which consisted of gathering certain healing herbs that Kaede had trouble getting to in her old age.
And all the while, she ignored her singing senses that were telling her that the daiyoukai she coveted was much, much closer than she had thought.
~oOo~
A blur of white light, a glowing green poison flowing outward from a raised palm, and Kagome gained her first sight of Sesshoumaru since she'd returned to the Sengoku Jidai.
She'd been out for a nature walk this time, and a feral ookami youkai had attacked. Sesshoumaru had intervened very quickly, and as the ookami melted into a puddle of poison-covered goo, he turned to eye her speculatively, taking in her more mature appearance. Hmm...
After several moments of that silent stare-down, he spoke – and Kagome's knees almost gave out.
“Tell me, Kagome... why is it you do not bring your power to bear to save yourself unless it is absolutely necessary? You seem to prefer having others save you.”
Kagome huffed in annoyance at that and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him almost belligerently. “Who said I wasn't going to save myself? You didn't give me a chance, since you just jumped in all gung-ho and all!”
Both brows rose into his bangs; she assumed it was the gung-ho thing – that wasn't a normal saying in this time.
“Perhaps. But in the past?” he asked leadingly, ignoring the word he didn't understand with a sort of grand indifference.
She shrugged. “I suppose my psyche wasn't ready for my friends to know about my differences. And if I had all of a sudden showed certain skills that I shouldn't have had... well, everyone would have started to wonder. It was just easier to leave things as they were.”
“Hn.” He narrowed his eyes on her, and she wondered what was going through his mind as shifting expressions flashed through honeyed gold. “You are quite the mystery, onna. I find I have many questions that only you can answer.”
He blinked as Kagome's eyes were suddenly laughing up at him. “But, Sesshoumaru-sama, if I give you all the answers today, then there will be nothing left to distract you from raging boredom tomorrow – unless you intend to seek to be the most powerful again.”
“This one is already the most powerful – I now seek a different form of power,” he said sternly. “And I did not say that I wanted to know everything about you today. I simply informed you that I had questions – and that you had the answers.”
Kagome frowned at him. “And just what form of power are you looking for now?” she asked suspiciously, a wary expression lighting her eyes.
He flicked a drop of leftover poison from his claws with elegant precision, and then stepped indifferently around the still-melting carcass on the ground. He didn't stop moving until he was practically looming over her.
With a predatory smile, all teeth and gleaming fangs, he said, “Knowledge.”
“Oh,” she blinked, taken aback by that answer. Knowledge? I guess I should have known, considering what he just said about having questions, and me having answers. And they do say knowledge is power.
“Well, good luck with that,” she said cheerfully as she made a move to step around him. “I should get back to the village before they send out a search party.”
Sesshoumaru did not move an inch, simply watching as she did her best to scoot past him. His smirk widened, now resembling nothing so much as a shark's wide, hungry grin. “I will accompany you,” he said smoothly – as though he weren't looking like he was about to go on the hunt and rip some poor fool's still-beating heart out.
“Uh... is that really a good idea? I mean, with you looking all predatory like that, and Inuyasha and all... I don't want to see any fighting between you two.”
A fine black brow quirked, even as he stared at her with his once again trademark blank face, though she was almost positive that somewhere inside, he was laughing at her. “I give you my word – I will not start any fights. However, if he attacks, I will defend myself.”
Kagome eyed him dubiously. “Are you sure you won't try to antagonize him into attacking?”
“There is no cause for concern. This one has not fought with Inuyasha since the battle inside Naraku, when he was controlled by Magatsuhi.” His expression just dared her to question him further, and with an inward sigh, Kagome began walking back towards the village, her escort stepping along confidently beside her.
Kagome reached up a hand to tuck a stray lock of ebony behind her ear, the breeze flirting with the strands, blowing them gently to mingle with the silver of Sesshoumaru's, and she blushed just a bit. Lucky hair, being able to touch his. I've always wanted to run my fingers through it.
“I'm glad to know that. I always hated seeing you two fight, you know. I know you both had your reasons, but...” she trailed off, her mind going to her own brother. “I can't imagine hating a member of my own family,” she finally said, quietly.
“Hatred is, perhaps, a strong word for my thoughts on Inuyasha,” he allowed, and Kagome flashed him a startled glance... that soon mellowed into one of understanding. He had, in truth, begun to change his attitude towards his brother before the final battle with Naraku.
“Well, I'm happy to hear that, I won't deny it,” she smiled. “By the way... why are you here, anyway? I mean, following me into the village,” she qualified at his raised brow. “Is it time for you to visit with Rin?”
“I have decided that Rin is not the only thing in this village that is of interest, Kagome. And after all,” he said with a sidelong glance in her direction, “I still have many questions about you. Did you think I would forget?”
She sighed and shook her head. “And what will you do when some of those questions aren't answered, then? Kill me?”
“I was under the impression that killing you would be a wasted effort, since you will not stay dead, in any case, correct?” he asked, rather dryly.
Kagome's eyes slid away from his and an innocent look settled on her little pixie face. “Whatever gave you that idea, Sesshoumaru-sama?” she asked lightly.
“Several things, actually. From my poison in my father's tomb, to an arrow in the back at Kaguya's manipulation, Kikyou's resurrection, Mukotsu's poison... there are many to choose from, miko,” he said mockingly. “Though we both know you are not really miko, do we not?”
“Hey!” she flushed hotly. “Mukotsu really did poison me and the others, and Myoga saved us!” She looked shifty for a moment, and he watched her, fascinated. “And as for the miko thing... well, it was as good a name to be called as any other, don't you think? And more fitting than someone trying to call me a youkai.”
“Why did you need to hide your true nature in the first place, Ka-go-me?”
“Well, in this world, if you have power, you are miko, youkai, or a witch, ne? So... to be a witch requires magical knowledge, which I do not have. And I couldn't pass for youkai... but what power I do possess, resembles reiki well enough that I could pass for a girl with reiki who had never been trained – as I did for the entire time I was here. No one ever even thought to question it-” she shot him a dry look, “-until you, anyway.”
He looked thoughtful as he considered her words. It was true – people feared what they didn't understand, and in this time, people knew of only those three sources of power. Unless, of course, you were a god. But anything else... she would have been feared and reviled, rendering it extremely difficult for her to continue on her quest. His brow furrowed, then, as a new thought crossed his mind.
“Tell me... why did you come here to begin with? You cannot tell me that, at least on some level, you weren't aware of the fact that you carried the Shikon no Tama. So why did you allow yourself to be brought here?”
“Allow? Mistress Centipede pulled me here, I didn't allow anything,” she corrected primly.
His eyes went cold. “Do not play your games with me, Kagome. The innocent human excuse did not hold up to my scrutiny.”
They were now reaching the outskirts of the village, and Kagome could feel Inuyasha's aura on an intercept course. Not wanting to cause any more of an uproar than was already likely from her friend's protectiveness when it came to her, and his hotheaded nature when it came to his brother, she sighed, then answered.
“The Shikon no Tama had to come back here. It was placed inside me for that reason. At any rate,” she said, “what needed to happen, happened. That's all that counts.”
“So you are a catalyst. You brought the Jewel back, and you released Inuyasha. And that is what brought Naraku out of the woodwork, allowing all the things that happened to play out.” He looked intrigued. “Tell me... if you had not come back, and Naraku had lived to your time, would you have fought him there?”
Kagome's eyes went wide as she thought about that, and Inuyasha also came to a surprised halt at hearing his brother's words, whatever antagonistic things he'd been about to say arrested before he could even start. He exchanged glances with her.
“Keh! That would have been a disaster!”
Nodding, Kagome agreed whole-heartedly. “In my time, youkai, hanyou, and the Shikon no Tama are considered myths. No one even believes in them anymore, and while there are miko, they have no power. So if Naraku were to suddenly appear and take the jewel, there would be no one but me to oppose him – he'd have taken over my world.”
“There will always be youkai, Kagome,” Sesshoumaru scoffed, “even if you are not aware of them. In your world, with humans so prevalent, it is most likely that we merely hide in plain sight. Nonetheless, your point is well-taken – which is very likely at least a part of the reason that the Kami saw fit to create you, as you said.”
Kagome blinked, then looked at Inuyasha blankly, who stared just as blankly back.
“I never thought of that,” she said. Then her face cleared of its confusion, and she shrugged. “Not that it really matters, I suppose. As long as the goals of the kami were achieved, I'm not going to worry about it.” She turned and continued walking to Kaede's, still carrying the basket full of herbs for the elder miko she was so fond of.
Sesshoumaru watched her walk away for a moment before following her. It was simply baffling to him, that the woman didn't seem to really care what she was. She just seemed content to wander through life, accepting things as they came.
Now, he was quite well able to do the same sort of thing... in certain circumstances. But when it came to his own identity? No... in that matter, he would always want answers. How could she know who she was, if she didn't know what she was?
Or did she? She'd never said that she didn't know what she was. Perhaps, in the end, he thought exasperatedly, she truly was a human – but a specially created one. One that was able to do and be things that weren't normally possible for humans, because the kami had special tasks for her.
The thought was frustrating, however, for him. Because with the role the kami seemed to have played in the creation of the girl, it was likely that a portion, at least, of his curiosity would go unfulfilled. It wasn't like he could ascend to the realms of the gods, and demand answers of them, much as he might wish he could.
Human, or not?
He wasn't aware that he'd spoken aloud, until Kagome looked back at him, a mystified look on her face. “Why does it matter so much? I am what you see. People miss so much, sometimes, because of their need to categorize everything. Some things just aren't meant to be known. I exist, Sesshoumaru, I breathe and eat and sleep just as you do. I am alive. Can't you just leave it at that?”
“Why are you so content to leave it at that?” he countered, stepping forward to hold back the matting for her as Inuyasha's attention was diverted by someone calling his name. Kagome paid no attention as he took off without a word, and Sesshoumaru wondered about that, too. At one time, the two had been inseparable – he'd once accused his brother of keeping her around as a mate.
Apparently, that had changed; though he could not deny that he was pleased that it was so, he still wondered about it.
His attention was pulled back to her as she spoke. “Because I'm comfortable in my skin. I know who I am, so the rest of it's no big deal.” She smiled over at Kaede as she knelt next to her, setting the basket of herbs down at the miko's feet. “I got all the ones you needed, Kaede-baa-chan. Was there any other errand that you needed me for?”
Kaede glanced at the daiyoukai once again taking up so much of her hut with his sheer overwhelming presence, and shook her head. Turning her eyes back on the young woman, she said, “I think ye would be better served spending the time setting Sesshoumaru-sama's mind at ease. He has many questions about ye – and I daresay he will continue to come around until ye have answered them all to his satisfaction.”
Kagome rolled her eyes. “Actually, all his questions boil down to that stupid one he keeps asking – he wants to know what I am. But that's not the important thing. The important thing is who I am. And if he wants to know that, then the only thing he can do is to get to know me, which, since I am so far beneath him, probably won't be happening. In fact,” she said, eyeing his now displeased countenance, “I think that's why he wants to know what I am – because that can be answered in a few words, where knowing who I am is a much more involved prospect. If I told him what I am, then he could turn around and leave, curiosity satisfied. That's too easy.”
The daiyoukai stared down at her with narrowed, angry eyes, then sat down slowly before speaking. “Is that a challenge, woman?”
“Take it whatever way you want it.” She shrugged gracefully. “But I will tell you this. I won't just give you the answer you're looking for. If you want to know what I am, then you'll have to first learn who I am.”
He continued to stare at her, something dangerous burning behind his gold eyes for several long moments.
Then he said, “I accept your challenge, Kagome. I will learn who you are.”
And Kagome knew that nothing would ever be the same again.
~oOo~
Those words were the beginning of the strangest relationship the group, indeed, the village, had ever seen. It wasn't quite a courtship, not was it strictly friendship. There were elements of both within, though it seemed neither of the participants cared.
If asked, both responded with, “It is whatever it is.”
While that seemed to satisfy the two of them, the others weren't so sanguine – especially Inuyasha.
He simply couldn't understand what the hell was going on with his bastard of a brother, and his best friend. It made absolutely no sense. Sure, Kagome was not what they'd all originally thought, but that really made no difference to him – she was still Kagome. And Kagome was soft-hearted, caring, and loving – all things Sesshoumaru was not. Sesshoumaru was quite simply a bastard in every aspect – though not quite so murderous as he once had been.
He knew his brother had always been a curious dog – after all, it was a besetting sin of Inuyoukai. It was that curiosity that had first attracted his attention to Kikyou. But what he was seeing went past curiosity. Despite the fact that Kagome didn't seem to be truly aware of it, when his brother looked at her, there was desire in his gaze. Covetousness... and possessiveness.
It was apparent to him, at least, that Sesshoumaru's focus wasn't the same as it once had been – or at least, not entirely.
But Kagome wasn't an object to desire, and then, once obtained, use, before tossing her aside. And that's what had Inuyasha's instincts in an uproar. Because he was positive that would be the outcome if Kagome ever gave into the daiyoukai.
Used, then tossed aside. Because it wasn't like Sesshoumaru hadn't had many females before – and they'd all gone the same way.
He really, really, wished he had a way to separate the two...
Kagome had decided to take a break and go back through the well for the day to spend some time with her mother, and also do some shopping. When she brought it up to Inuyasha and the others, she found herself the object of several gape-jawed stares.
“Uh, Kagome... we all thought you couldn't go back through the well,” Inuyasha finally said, the others all nodding in agreement.
She stared back at them blankly. “Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked, ignoring the sudden presence of the demon lord behind her.
“Well,” Inuyasha cast his brother a sour look, “we thought you needed the tama to go through the well. I mean, that time I pushed you back through the well and tried to seal it, you couldn't get through until Shippo went into it with the shards.”
“Oh. Well, I guess I can understand how you'd have thought that. At that time, I hadn't really realized how to use the well, and the tama gave me an alternative power source to open it. But I didn't have a shard when I came through this time, ne?”
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed on her at that. “If that is the case, then why did you wait three years before coming back?” he asked, noting the nods from the others.
Her gaze slid sideways to stare at him out of the corner of her eye, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wasn't ready. I needed to finish growing in my world, and complete all my tasks. In order to honor my family, I needed to keep my attention strictly on that life – so coming back had to wait 'til I was done there.”
There was a ringing silence, and she shifted, a bit uncomfortable at everyone's eyes being plastered to her. After a few moments, she sighed.
“Oh, for kami's sakes, what is it with you guys? It's not like I hadn't gone through the well many times over the months we were after Naraku – why is it so different now?”
At that, her friends all looked a bit sheepish... but Sesshoumaru's steady gaze didn't change at all. “Tell me, Kagome... would Inuyasha still be able to traverse the well, as he used to do in the past?” he asked.
She turned her head and eyed him warily for a moment, her eyes narrowing, but nodded slowly. “Why wouldn't he be able to?”
Inuyasha perked up at that – he'd had a fondness for her family, and it had hurt that he wouldn't be able to see them again. Apparently, however, he could – and anytime he chose to do so.
Sesshoumaru noticed his brother's reaction, but didn't turn his gaze from Kagome. “So I was correct in my supposition, then – you control the well. One wonders when you figured out that it was yours to command,” he murmured.
Kagome shrugged, expression casual. “I figured it out while I was gone for those three years. It didn't take long for me to realize that my fate lay here, and then I knew that when I was ready, I would be able to come back.”
“Hn.” He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “I would greatly enjoy it were you to show me your world, Kagome.” At her sudden wary surprise, sly, mocking amusement crossed his face. “After all, if I am to learn who you are, as you say, I need to see the world that you came from – and the people in it, because a great deal of who you are harks back to your formative years on that side of the well.”
Her eyes narrowed with irritation – he had her there, and he knew it. He was right, and she couldn't expect him to learn who she was without him being able to see her family, and the world she'd grown up in.
The hanyou picked that moment to break in. “No way! Kagome, don't do anything crazy like taking him to your world! That's just askin' for trouble, and you know it,” he growled.
Sesshoumaru's gaze shifted to his brother, a dangerous light entering his golden eyes. “I am not so much a fool as to cause any havoc in her world, thereby not being allowed to visit it again, Inuyasha,” he said scathingly as his brother blushed. “I have many questions about Kagome – and not all of them can be answered here.”
Hearing his words, Kagome new then that he could be trusted to go to her world without problems, as he was correct – he wasn't likely to mess up his chance, knowing that he would then never be given another one. He was immeasurably curious, and he would not do anything that would interfere with him gaining the answers he wanted.
“Fine. But there are some rules – nothing there is anything like it is here. If you don't see me reacting with panic to something, then leave it alone, however dangerous it might appear.”
He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment, even while his brother cursed under his breath and shot him a dirty look.
“Well, come on then,” she sighed, shaking her head as she stood up, “let's get going. You, too, Inuyasha – Mama and Sota will be happy to see you, and don't worry, mama took away grandpa's sutra and hid them.”
Sesshoumaru's brow shot up in amused surprise. “Sutra?” he asked slyly. “Do tell, Kagome. I am most interested to hear what he has done to have earned them being taken away.”
“Keh! Ain't none of your business,” the hanyou shot back, stomping from the hut and sulkily waiting for the two of them. “Though it woulda been funny to see the old man plastering the bastard here with all those damn pesky sticky pieces of paper,” he snorted, glaring at his brother.
Kagome rolled her eyes, but snickered inwardly. It would be kinda funny to see such a thing – as long as she could keep Sesshoumaru from killing her grandfather afterwords, of course. Shaking her head at such thoughts, she turned and led the way to the well, ignoring Inuyasha's sniping, and Sesshoumaru's cold replies.
They were just about to the well, when a disturbance caught Kagome's attention – a meidou was forming right in front of her, and reacting instantly, she opened one of her own at the same time, so whatever youkai was coming through, simply found itself back in another meidou - minus victims. Closing it behind the youkai, she shook her head.
“Damn... that was too close,” she muttered. Glancing back at the two that were staring at her with fascination and suspicion, she narrowed her eyes at Sesshoumaru. “He was probably after you, wanting to fight such an obviously powerful youkai,” she said, tone layered with sarcasm.
Inuyasha was sputtering, shocked out of his mind. How the hell had she done that? He was the one that had the meidou... in Tessaiga. She'd just done it on her own...
Sesshoumaru watched as she eyeballed him, then said, “See? I do defend myself sometimes – you didn't even have to lift a royal finger.”
Expression deliberately blank, Sesshoumaru considered what had just happened, and then... “Tell me, Kagome. What use was sending that youkai back into a meidou that he can just re-open once more and attack from again?”
She blinked at him, startled. “Uhh, Sesshoumaru, that's not how the meidou works... didn't you know that? He opened his portal up, and came out of it, and then I opened one, and he went right into it. But the meidou doesn't open in the same place all the time – he'll probably spend the next several thousand years trying to find the right passage back here.”
Narrowed eyes pinned her, and she just knew that he had gone and come up with a whole bunch more questions. She groaned inwardly. I am beginning to think Inuyasha was right – I'm not going to survive his interest. With a sigh, she held up a hand just as he opened his mouth to speak.
“Don't, Sesshoumaru. If you start now, I'll never get home for that visit with my mother.” Eyeing Inuyasha's still shocked expression, she shook her head, and said, “Let's go. I'd like to get there today sometime.”
Kagome had been quite correct in her supposition – her actions had, indeed, opened up a can of worms, as far as he was concerned. That whole encounter, lasting all of ten seconds, was strange enough, but the thing that had caught his attention the most was the power surge from Kagome – or rather, the lack of one.
She had opened a meidou, and he had been unable to detect any surge in power from her. She could hardly expect him not to have questions about her actions. But he could wait until they reached her home, he decided magnanimously. Once there, she might relax and be more forthcoming.
And then, there was always her family to pump for information, as well.
Sesshoumaru nodded to himself, pleased with the addition of several new people to seek answers from.
Oh, yes, he would most certainly be questioning her family.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru had pretty much kept to himself after first arriving on her side of the well, being polite enough to not interrupt the family's reunion with Inuyasha, who was apparently very well loved by Kagome's family. Even the elderly male – though he grumbled and glared, it was half-hearted, at best, and not how he really felt about things, it was obvious.
Finally, after the group had reacquainted itself with his brother, the younger human boy, Sota, dragged Inuyasha off to play some sort of game, leaving the two adult members of the family, and he and Kagome, alone.
He silently evaluated them both, and it appeared that the best one to talk to would be Kagome's 'mother'. At this point, that word was a subjective one – he was not sure that Kagome had been 'born' in the strictest sense of the word, since she also may have been created. Then again... as he considered her, she met his gaze unflinchingly, and he had to admit – there were several similarities between the two women, so it was by no means certain that she wasn't Kagome's mother.
Blinking his eyes to relieve the burning feeling the air here caused, he waited for introductions, a bit amused to see the older woman nudge Kagome, and whisper a reminder of her manners.
Kagome flushed a little – she'd been so busy watching him watching everyone else, she'd forgotten to introduce them all.
“Sorry about that. Mama, grandpa, this is Inuyasha's older half-brother, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands.” She turned to look at him, and nodded towards her family. “Sesshoumaru, this is my mother, Hitomi, and my grandfather, Hikari,” she finished as they all bowed politely to each other.
Hitomi clapped her hands, and then turned briskly to lead the way into the house. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Sesshoumaru. Be welcome in our home,” she smiled as she led the way inside, shooting a speaking glare at the elder male as he harrumphed. “Grandfather, behave. I expect you to treat our guest as you would any other.”
Tilting his head, Sesshoumaru was interested to note Kagome's tiny giggle, and decided that this kind of behavior from the male was common. Perhaps his mind was not all there? One thing that had caught his attention immediately upon realizing that the woman was Kagome's 'mother', was the fact that, while she definitely appeared mature, she did not look old enough to be the mother of a daughter Kagome's age.
It made him also wonder at the elder's age...
He made a mental note to ask Kagome that question at the first available opportunity.
Once inside the house, which was unlike any house that he had ever seen, and quite a bit larger than the huts most lived in in his era, he was led to what appeared to be the cooking area, which was filled with things he'd never seen before, and couldn't imagine the uses of.
Offered a seat at a rather strange table that was high off the floor, with chairs that matched it, he nodded and sat down, feeling a bit awkward with his armor and swords making it difficult to sit.
Kagome noticed and shot him an amused look. “Would you like to take the armor off? We can set it aside for you.”
He considered that for a moment. “Indeed.” He quickly had both armor and swords off, and Kagome and her mother took them and disappeared into another room for a few seconds, before returning to the kitchen. Kagome sat down across from him, while Hitomi began to prepare tea.
He was fascinated by what he was seeing. Water that came from an odd pipe on command? Fire that came from nowhere with the turn of a dial? What were all these things that Kagome had obviously grown up used to? It occurred to him to question her seeming love of his era, when it was obvious she was used to luxuries that his time could never match.
True... my era smells sweeter, and the air is not so caustic, but she doesn't seem to be as bothered by all of that as I do. Nor does her family, so that cannot be the reason she returned to live in my era.
Another question. Somehow, he was not surprised.
Within a few minutes, her mother was also sitting at the table, and they were all drinking nice hot tea – that didn't have tea leaves floating in it. The tea had been inside what appeared to be paper bags, with a string tied to it. Hitomi had taken the water off the odd fireplace, and then placed the bags inside three cups, pouring the boiling water over them and allowing them to steep.
After taking a sip, he found that he liked it much better without the bitterness of the leaves themselves floating in the liquid.
Hitomi looked at the formidable male sitting at her table for a moment. He was probably the most gorgeous male she'd ever seen – but her instincts were screaming that he was also the most dangerous male she'd ever seen. Oh, she was sure that it was safe enough to have him here – Kagome would never have allowed him through the well if he presented any danger to her family, or, indeed, the world they lived in. Still...
She couldn't help but wonder... what had brought him here?
“May I ask what it was that drew you here, Lord Sesshoumaru?” she finally asked, and the daiyoukai turned his gaze to meet hers, a steady contemplative look on his face as he once again warmed to his favorite subject.
After a few moments of silence, he set his cup down and steepled his fingers, then spoke. “I have many questions about Kagome. I wish to learn who she is-” he cast an ironic glance at her, “-so that I may then know what she is.”
Kagome didn't say a word, just letting her mother handle it – after all, he was here to talk to her family, not her – he could do that at any time.
After a few moments of consideration, Hitomi set her own cup down and nodded at the daiyoukai. “I see.” A knowing expression settled upon her face. “And also to see somewhat of the world she came from, if I'm not mistaken.”
She sat thinking about it for a few minutes after he nodded that she was correct.
“Traveling around Tokyo as you are would cause havoc, I am certain,” she mused thoughtfully, flashing a glance at her daughter. “Is there a way you can remove the pelt, and hide your markings? Your clothing,” she gestured at his clothes, and then at her own, “while different, is not completely unknown – people will just think you are wearing traditional clothes. Your markings, however...” she trailed off, and Sesshoumaru tilted his head in acknowledgment.
“I can hide my markings, and leave my pelt here, if you feel that is necessary.”
He caught Kagome's surprised look and knew what had caused it. “In my world, it is not necessary to hide who I am, Kagome. But nonetheless, most higher youkai are capable of doing so, should the need arise.”
“Oh. Well,” she said dubiously, “I suppose I can see that. Although... is there anything you can't do?”
He noted the amused look on her mother's face as he said, “Yes.”
Impatiently, Kagome asked, “Well, what is it that you can't do? I'd certainly like to know!”
He stood to follow Hitomi, but paused, and caught Kagome's eye. “This one cannot seem to get a straight answer to the question he has spent over three years asking. What is Kagome Higurashi?”
He followed her mother's silver laughter out of the room even as Kagome cast him an evil glare.
“Funny, Sesshoumaru. Very funny.”
~oOo~
Kagome shivered at the thought of taking Sesshoumaru on a tour of her world – she just knew that she'd have half the female population of Tokyo following them around, and that would probably put her in a bad mood.
But it couldn't be helped – he was determined to see what there was to see, and she had tacitly agreed to do this with him. So with that thought in mind, she sighed, and buried her rather pointless jealousy deep. After all, she was used to the fact that there were a lot more beautiful women out there than she herself. It didn't really make any difference that she was about to have every last single one of them thrusting themselves into her face – well, actually, into his face.
It didn't occur to her that, beautiful, or not, Sesshoumaru wasn't likely to be impressed – they were, after all, merely human, and so, beneath him.
With those morose thoughts in mind, she picked out the first thing she came to in her closet, not really paying any attention to it. It just so happened that it was one of her nicer casual outfits – a medium blue blouse, with an ivory cashmere sweater over the top, and a matching skirt that was much more modest than her former school uniform had been. And since she was unaware of the fact that Sesshoumaru already saw her as his, she wasn't prepared for the look of admiration that crossed his face when she stepped downstairs, to find him all ready to leave.
Taken aback, she stared at him, disbelief in her eyes, until she took in how he looked without his markings, and pelt. He was just as gorgeous, but after a moment's reflection, she had to admit she missed his markings. They just screamed 'not human!' And to her, that was as sexy as hell.
Nonetheless, her earlier assumptions about the crowd he would draw was proven correct, as, almost as soon as they hit the streets, they were making waves.
Sesshoumaru seemed to be unaware of the impact he was making, instead, busily looking around at things, and cataloging everything he wished to learn more about. But Kagome wasn't fooled – nothing ever escaped the daiyoukai, and he was fully aware of all the eyes focused on him.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence from Kagome, he flicked a quick, but deadly glare at those closest that were staring, and within seconds, they were gone, some half-forgotten instinct warning them that they were in great danger where they were.
Kagome was pretty surprised at how fast he'd cleared the way, though she knew it wouldn't really matter, since they'd be running into other women all day long.
“Tell me, Kagome – are all females in this world so forward?” he asked, a displeased frown forking his brow as his eyes picked up yet more females eyeing him lasciviously.
“Women in this time are not the same as in yours, Sesshoumaru. We have our own freedom. We aren't the property of brothers and fathers and husbands, and are responsible for our own honor and social respectability.” She sighed, annoyed, as yet another woman turned to stare in awe as they passed. “But you have to realize that you are quite beautiful, and I'm not at all surprised that you're drawing a crowd.”
“Hn.” Choosing to set aside that discussion, he focused on something else that he had wondered about. “Tell me, then – what of your father?”
He watched as Kagome's gaze went far away. After a moment, she said, “He died when I was about eight. Sota was just a baby, himself, and doesn't remember him at all. I'm lucky, I guess - I remember him a little bit. He was a quiet man – very contemplative.” She looked down, a small smile on her face. “Rather like you, if the truth were to be told.”
Intriguing...
“You were close with your father?” he asked, taking in everything around him using every one of his senses.
She sighed and he looked at her – there was something in the sound that gave the impression of pain. “Not as close as I would have liked. He worked a lot... in this world, oftentimes, you have to, to survive – and especially if you have a family.” She looked up at him for a moment. “You would be surprised, I think – if we were to bring all your wealth to this time, you would not be worth near as much here as you are in your world.”
He quirked a brow, considering all the things he saw around him, and allowed that perhaps she was correct – though she would probably be shocked at just how wealthy he truly was. Still...
“Of what social standing are you and your family?” he asked, curious.
She laughed a bit as that question brought her out of her momentary melancholy. “In this world, it's different, Sesshoumaru,” she said, as she took his arm and held him back from crossing the road. “Instead of class lines, it's money that controls your standing. Wealth equals power, here. As for my family, we do well enough for ourselves, the shrine making a steady income. And as shrinekeepers, there is a certain respect given in our society. But we aren't wealthy, by any means.”
“So all in your society have access to the luxuries your home boasted?”
Brow furrowed, she looked at him askance. “Luxuries?” she murmured as the light turned green for them to cross, and she stepped off the curb, followed by the daiyoukai. “What luxuries are you talking about?”
“The water that your mother had access to on demand, and the fireplace that she used to heat the water... and the other devices your cooking room contained,” he replied.
“Oh, you mean the plumbing and the stove and refrigerator.” At his thoughtful glance, she elaborated. “The plumbing – running water in the house – is standard in homes today. As for the stove, what she used to heat the water, all homes have those, too. Of one sort or another. And the refrigerator – that's a cold storage box, basically, for foods – all homes have those, as well. They're all standard fittings in homes today. Not luxuries – here.”
And with that, his previous question came back to him – why would she leave a world such as this to return to one that was so completely... primitive?
“That begs the question, Kagome – why would you leave this world, for mine? It appears as though things are much easier physically here, than they are in my era.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “That's a fair question, I guess. And you haven't even seen the half of what my time has yet.” Nose wrinkling a little as she thought about it, Sesshoumaru was interested to note that she didn't have a ready answer for that question. Apparently, she hadn't thought about her reasons for wanting to be in his era, she had just gone with her desires.
He wanted to know what those desires were.
His attention was pulled back to her when she spoke, her voice soft and contemplative. “I suppose... my world, despite the conveniences, is very high stress. Because everything is so expensive, you spend your entire life always running, trying to make enough money to survive. And at first, I didn't know any other way. But then... I fell down a well and met a hanyou,” she said, a smile in her voice, “and suddenly, there was another way to do things. Sure, physically, its more work, but for all that, it's a lot less stressful. And... honestly, the people there are more real than they are here. There's so little honor left in this world.”
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her words, once again looking around, and he decided he could understand – even as little as he knew of it, her world appeared impossibly decadent.
Huge pictures limned the sky, of half nude men and women, signs for products he'd never seen. The women were forward, obviously thinking nothing of pressing themselves on an unknown male, and the men appeared sulky and dissatisfied with their lives.
“Tell me... where are you taking me?” he asked, suddenly wanting to know what she planned to show him of her world.
At that question, she smiled. “To one place that I think will interest you – the library.”
He blinked, slanting her a curious look. “You would show me scrolls?”
“Well, they aren't scrolls anymore, they're called books. And yes... all the knowledge in the world is held within books, Sesshoumaru. As far as I'm concerned, libraries are the greatest invention the world has ever come up with,” she said, a wide grin settling on her face as she stopped before a huge building and waved her hand. “Welcome to the library, Sesshoumaru.”
His eyes went wide as he took in the sheer size of the building they were standing in front of. “This building houses nothing but these... books?” he asked, wanting to be sure.
She nodded. “Yup.” She tugged his arm and led him up the steps and towards huge glass doors. “Come on, then, let's go inside.”
He followed blindly, eyes taking in everything. He hadn't missed, however, the expression on Kagome's face – this library was apparently a favorite place of hers, and just that one thing told him a great deal about her. She enjoyed the collection of knowledge, and was as curious a person as he was. That fact pleased something within him...
Once inside, he came to a stop in shock at the sight of the seemingly endless display of these books of Kagome's – there were literally millions of them, sitting on shelves that took up the entire huge room.
Kagome couldn't help her amusement at his entranced expression, and knowing what he had to be thinking, she pointed out the stairs. “There's another whole room of books upstairs, as well.”
“With the sheer amount of reading material here, Kagome, how would one go about finding a... 'book', in the subject one wanted to learn?”
“Oh, they're filed by subject, and by fiction, or non-fiction,” at his expression, she elaborated, “fiction being stories that are made up, like legends, and non-fiction, which is things that are true. For instance, if you wanted to find a book about plumbing, you would look in non-fiction, but if you wanted to read something light for enjoyment only, you would probably choose something from fiction.”
He nodded to indicate his understanding, and headed for the huge shelves that seemed to stretch away into the shadowy corners of the cavernous room, intent on further examining these books.
“Is this fic-tion?” he asked, randomly picking a book off a shelf, and Kagome chuckled, shaking her head.
“No, this area downstairs is non-fiction.” She pointed to the book he'd picked up. “That book is a discussion of philosophy.”
He studied the book, annoyed to find that he couldn't read it. “What is this writing, Kagome?” he asked, irritation plain in his voice.
“The language changes, Sesshoumaru, over time. And so do the written characters. It's the same in your era for me – to me, your writing is archaic, and I can't read much of it. I've picked up some of it from exposure, but...” she trailed off, and then shrugged. “All I really wanted to do was show you this part of my world, because its one of my most favorite parts.”
He met her gaze and held it, eyes narrowed. “You enjoy knowledge, and the accumulation of it.”
Smiling cheerfully, she nodded. “That's one of the most important things to understand about me, Sesshoumaru. I'm just as curious as you are... and I question everything.”
His brows rose, and he let her words echo inside his mind. Touche, Kagome. So... as I question who you are, you wish to also know me.
“When you are done here in your world, I will show you the parts of mine that I find to be important,” he said, and Kagome nodded, knowing that he'd understood her actions, and the reasons behind them.
Just as much as he wanted to know about her, she desired to know about him. She was proposing an exchange of knowledge.
He was more than amenable to that proposition.
~oOo~
Sesshoumaru sat atop the roof of Kagome's house, contemplating the night sky, and the lights of the city, as she'd called it. He noticed quickly that the night sky here showed far less stars than his time did.
“Tell me, Kagome... why are there so few stars compared to my time?”
Kagome pulled her nightshirt over her head before answering, raising her voice enough so that he could hear her while she dressed for bed.
“It's not that there's less stars in my time. It's just that the lights of the city are so bright, that it drowns out the night sky.”
He took that in, thinking that her answer made sense, and it gave him another tidbit about Kagome – she spent so much time in his era staring at the sky, because it was a treat she couldn't attain here in her era.
It came to him suddenly – what she craved that his world gave her. “Peace,” he murmured. “My world, even though there are battles and fights aplenty, is more peaceful for an individual than hers is.”
Kagome overheard his words as she stuck her head out of her window, then crawled out of it to join him. “That's a big part of it. Life in your world moves at its own steady pace. Here, its rush, rush, rush, and no one stops to notice anything beautiful around them. Not many are blessed as I am to be given a choice of which world I want to belong to... I could only be thankful for that blessing.”
He looked at her for a time, once again arranging the things he was learning about her into their proper places within his mind. Kagome Higurashi was a curious person, just as he was, she enjoyed learning new things, and preferred the peace and slower pace of his era, to the frantic, headlong rush of hers.
All of those things were qualities that he could agree with, and were oddly suited to his own personality. Perhaps he and this little woman were more alike than he had ever realized...
That thought didn't bother him as he would once have thought it would. He found nothing to scoff at in her words, or her personality – instead, he found both to be strangely appealing.
“I'm curious about something, Kagome.” He tilted his head as she looked over at him, narrowing his eyes inquisitively. “I mean no disrespect in asking, however, it seems to me that your mother is too young to have a child your age.”
He waited as she laughed a bit, and shook her head, raven locks brushing against his suddenly heated flesh. “Actually, my mother is almost forty.” At his surprised expression, she said, “The healers in my time are very advanced. Things that kill in your world are minor here. And because they've learned so much about the body, and what it needs to stay healthy, people in this time live quite a bit longer. What's the average age at time of death for humans in your world... fifty? My grandfather still takes care of this shrine, and he's almost eighty.”
There was no denying that he was stunned at that. First, that her mother looked so young, but was definitely at an age that in his world, she would already look like the elder miko of Inuyasha's village. And that her grandfather was as old as all that, and still spry and apparently, healthy? It was amazing, to say the least.
The humans in her world might be jaded, suffering from ennui and stress, but they definitely had a great deal that was better than anything his world could offer. It was hard to believe that the ignorant humans of his time, had spawned this world, five hundred years notwithstanding.
Still, while that lifespan was definitely much improved from those humans in his world, that was still but a drop in the bucket for one such as him... and the human, that wasn't a human.
“Knowing that you will outlive your family must bother you,” he said slowly, watching her expression. He wanted to see how she would react to that.
She pulled her knees closer to her chest and draped her arms over them, tilting her head up to stare into the sky. “Not really. Under normal circumstances, I would most likely outlive my mother and grandfather, anyway, barring unforeseen accidents. And even though my brother is a few years younger, it's possible I could outlive him, as well. The hardest part is going to be looking the way I do know, as Sota ages before me.”
He was silent for a time, thinking about that. He supposed he could understand what she was saying – after all, his own younger brother would age and die, while he, himself, continued on unchanging.
“We are like Mt. Fushi,” he finally said slowly. “All around us, the world changes, and people come and go like the tides, while we remain. But like the mountain, we change – only it is too slowly for humans to see, and so they think we do not.”
Kagome understood exactly what he was saying. “Yeah. We measure our time differently than everyone else, I suppose – in millenia, rather than decades. And so we change with the earth, rather than with the people on it.”
He eyed her suspiciously at that – it brought up another question. “Tell me, Kagome – are you truly eighteen years old?” he asked, unable to keep his interest in her answer out of his eyes.
She simply nodded, not even looking over at him. “Yes. Why?”
“Because you seem to have an innate understanding of things that even very few youkai do. It is intriguing.”
With a sigh, she sat up and stretched, yawning behind her hand. “I suppose. It probably comes from my rather strange life. But anyway, I'm tired, so I think I'll call it a night. My mother's still downstairs, though, if you wanted to corner her and ask her questions.”
With that, she stood up and crawled back in through her window, waiting for him to join her inside before sliding the window closed. He nodded to her as he moved towards her door.
“Goodnight, Kagome.”
She watched him close her door behind him, and flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder absently.
Goodnight, Sesshoumaru.
~oOo~
Hitomi was apparently waiting for him; he stepped into the kitchen, as he'd heard Kagome call it, she gestured to a seat and he sat down, watching as she poured some tea for him. After setting the teapot back on the stove, she sat down and wrapped her hands around her own cup.
“So... you want to know what Kagome is, hm? And let me guess – she didn't like that particular question, and instead wants you to learn who she is?”
Taken slightly aback, still, the indomitable daiyoukai didn't show it, he simply nodded.
“I see. And you want to pump me for information.” The woman sat back in her chair, plainly intrigued. “Go ahead, then, ask what you will.”
With all the lethal cold-bloodedness of a predator, Sesshoumaru went in for the kill.
“Are you truly Kagome's mother by blood?”
And Hitomi stared at him, surprised.
She hadn't expected that question, at all.
~oOo~
A/N: In canon, while we are given textual clues that Kagome is unable to go back through the well to see her family after she comes back after the three years, it never explicitly says so, and so, for the purposes of this fic, I am saying that she can still go see her family. And take others through it, if she chooses, as well.
Amber
Converting /tmp/php15AzA0 to /dev/stdout