InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Dreams ❯ Musings of a Taiyoukai Lord ( Chapter 2 )

 DISCLAIMER: I, unfortunately, do not own InuYasha or any of the characters pertaining to the manga/anime. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters, however, belong to me. This story is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age.

 

 

 

 

In Dreams

Ch.2- The Musings of a Taiyoukai Lord

 

 

The sky was darkening as nighttime cloaked the Western Lands. The stars were beginning to make themselves known as they twinkled innocently above the horizon. A faint breeze drew the autumn chill closer to the castle walls as it began to settle in for the night. The nip of the developing season did not seem to have any effect on the great Taiyoukai as it caressed his pale skin, for if it did, he made no move to show it. His mind was elsewhere. He stood on his balcony overlooking the rolling hills of his territory, silently chiding himself as he recounted the day's events.

 

~

 

He had returned to his home during the pre-dawn hours, a sleeping ward and grumbling charge in tow. They had made excellent time, which would give him an early start on his 'lordly' duties. He was quite please with that fact. The sooner he started, the sooner he would be done with the tedious tasks that accompanied his status. The only part of it all that he was truly able to enjoy was the patrol of his borders. It was time to himself to reflect on the current happenings in his life, as well as an outlet allowing him to vent both his frustrations and annoyances on any demon foolish enough to trespass in his domain. Yes, with such an early arrival he would be done with his insipid duties right away. Then he could set out on his patrol, hopefully, before having to deal with any members of his household. His initial pleasure at their early arrival however had been squashed.

 

Earlier that morning....

 

Sesshoumaru's energy cloud began to evaporate as soon as his feet touched the earth. He promptly turned towards Ah- Un, focusing his attention on a certain Kappa demon.

 

"Jaken."

 

"Y-yes, Milord?"

 

"Enlighten me. Exactly what is the reason for your continuous babble?"

 

Jaken's saffron eyes bugged out a bit more than usual as he tried to think of the best way to answer his Lord. He could easily be punted across the lawn like a ball or worse, if he was careless with his reply. He glanced quickly at the still sleeping Rin, then gripped his staff tighter and squeaked his response.

 

"Milord, the girl! S-she SLOBBERED on my robe in her sleep! How revolting! I fear it may never smell the same again!"

 

Sesshoumaru lifted a perfectly arched brow in thought before narrowing his eyes at his small demon charge. `This Sesshoumaru has seen him covered in the blood and entrails of others numerous times, yet he makes a fuss over a trivial amount of drool?' He sighed inwardly, this was most definitely annoying, but at this time it was not worth the effort of getting upset. Closing his eyes and lightly pinching the bridge of his nose, he responded.

 

"You will cease this petty bickering as I have no use for a headache today. Now, see to it that Rin makes it to her bedchamber." With that said he lowered his hand and reopened his golden eyes.

 

Seeing that Jaken had already thrown himself off of Ah-Un and plastered his body to the ground, Sesshoumaru's expression began to harden with his growing annoyance. Memories of his first actual conversation with InuYasha's miko flashed through his mind, the question she had asked concerning the irritating toad lingering.

 

"Milord! Please, forgive this lowly Jaken! I meant not to upset you! Please, I beg of you!" Glancing up at his Master, he paled a sicklier green and his eyes bugged out impossibly further as he froze with fear. At this moment, fear was exactly what he should be feeling while he watched a sinister grin form on the inu-youkai's face.

 

A grin. It wasn't something that he usually allowed to grace his perfect features, but in thinking of the answer he had given Kagome, it couldn't be helped. It was very appealing. In fact, the appeal was so great that not acting on it would most likely dampen his mood further. So, for sanity's sake, he gracefully kicked Jaken as far as demonly possible without causing any serious injury. His grin widened somewhat in triumph over his small feat. Suddenly, the thought of Kagome's bright azure eyes and approving smile flickered into mind and he froze. An odd feeling of warmth coursed through his entire body. It fluttered around his heart and then settled in his stomach before fading away altogether. His previous expression had been replaced with one of mild shock.

 

'What...was...? What is this....feeling?' Never before had he had a problem forming a coherent thought. But here he was, struggling within his own head, all because of her. He fought the urge to shake it vigorously, feeling foolish to think that it could possibly help to clear the confusion inside. He decided, for the time being, to put all thoughts on the matter out of his head completely. This was neither the time nor the place to think on such things. Replacing his stoic mask once more, he turned to address Jaken for the final time that morning.

 

"Jaken. Rin will be seen to bed immediately. I will be in my study. I am to be disturbed by no one unless it is absolutely necessary. Be prepared to leave by nightfall."

 

Without giving his half conscious retainer anytime to respond, he turned and disappeared into the shadows surrounding his abode. Moments later found a still puzzled youkai Lord securing the door to his study. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cool wooden frame. Knowing that he was safely hidden away from the view of others, he let his features soften and the wall that he had built around himself fall away, but only just a little. It bothered him that he had let his superb control falter earlier, but thankful nonetheless that Ah-Un was the only one who would have noticed.

 

Never before in all his years had he felt a sensation quite like the one he just experienced. It was both amazing and unnerving. Amazing because he knew it was possible that the person who sparked such a feeling inside him could show him true happiness, could chase away all the years of loneliness that he never admitted to experiencing. To achieve true happiness and have someone dear to him, to love and be loved, was something that Sesshoumaru secretly longed for, but never expected to find. It was unnerving as well because if he truly admitted to himself exactly what he had felt, that he had started to take a liking to a certain someone, he could be heading down the same path as his father.

 

He had vowed never to make that mistake. Love of any kind was a weakness. He knew if he pursued this new feeling there was a remote chance of that emotion developing. But what was he thinking? She was a silly ningen girl, a miko, who obviously belonged to his wretched half brother, though it wasn't official. His brother was too much of an idiot and, in his high opinion, had been born that way. To let this feeling become anything more than it already had would be setting himself up for nothing but pain, because there was no way in Hell that someone as pure as Kagome could ever feel anything towards a demon such as himself. He wasn't a fool, he wouldn't deny that it was her that was beginning to awaken something deep inside of him, a spark that was beginning to melt the ice around his heart, but he did have the power to refuse to act on it.

 

And that was his decision. To never act on his new found emotion, no matter how intense it might become. She would only ever be, at most, a respected ally...and possibly a friend. Even that though, was doubtful. Once more, he confirmed in his mind that nothing more would come of this.

 

Now that he had that dealt with, he decided to start on his tasks for the day. He walked over to gather the scrolls that had accumulated during his absence and grudgingly went through them. An hour later found him tossing the last paltry scroll to the side of his ornately carved desk. The usually dull task was made almost unbearable this time. Almost every scroll had to be re-read at least once, if not more. His previous thoughts on the miko and the new spark had served as a constant distraction. In his opinion, weakness was already rearing its ugly head.

 

'Damn it all,' he contemplated, while running his clawed fingers delicately through his bangs and then down his silvered tresses. 'What is she doing to me?' Letting out an uncharacteristic sigh, he sat back against his chair. Resting his elbows on the chair's intricately carved arms, he intertwined his fingers and stared upwards. He just sat there, for Kami knows how long, gawking at the ceiling as if the answer would magically drip down from it and land on the crescent moon that graced his forehead.

 

Kagome had somehow roused his curiosity. Whether it was her pleasant scent, her obvious intelligence and odd little sayings, or merely the fact that she was able to put up with his irritating half brother, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was a combination of all those things. All he knew was that it was curiosity that had caused him to follow her that evening to the river. By the time their short conversation had ended, he was hooked. She had already gained some of his respect, while he watched her during the previous few weeks.

 

During that time he had noticed some of her better qualities. She was obviously loyal and devoted to her group of friends. She was also courageous and even if she feared something, she still chose to not back down from it. She had a forgiving nature and cared for ningen and youkai alike, even acting as an adoptive mother to the young kitsune within the pack. That was something that he had found intriguing- a miko who fought for youkai just as fiercely as she did her own kind. It was definitely a subject he would eventually like to discuss with her.

 

This time, Sesshoumaru had become so engrossed in his thoughts about the miko that he hadn't realized dawn was approaching. It wasn't until the bright golden rays began to seep in around the heavy drapes of the room that he finally snapped out of his musings. He could sense the inhabitants of his manor beginning to stir and decided that now was as good a time as any to head out on his patrol. He was in no shape to be dealing with anyone.

 

At the present…

 

His patrol had been uneventful as always, and he had successfully avoided interaction with anyone in his home, including his servants. The day was finally drawing to a close. He watched the sun slip behind the distant mountains and give way to the moon from where he stood in silent contemplation on his balcony. Any moment now Jaken would be knocking on his door, informing him that all was ready for their departure.

 

He was mentally scolding himself for letting his thoughts distract him continuously throughout the day. He had managed to finish everything he had set out to do in a timely matter but that was beside the point. Outside the safety of his borders distractions of any kind could prove to be hazardous, especially ones concerning a miko who shouldn't even be inside his head in the first place. But try as he might, he couldn't stop the thoughts of her from invading his mind and drowning out everything else. He was beginning to doubt that he had the self control to avoid her when he returned. How could he when he couldn't even stop thinking of her for more than a few minutes? The more he thought on it, he realized that avoiding her might even make matters worse. He wasn't struggling with this problem while in her presence. This was certainly one hell of a predicament he had gotten himself into.

 

Just as he expected, there came a knock at his door. The time had come for their departure back to InuYasha and his pack. Back to Kagome and the unknown…

 

~*~

 

The morning sun was peeking through the slowly dying leaves of the surrounding trees and dancing across Kagome's angelic face, causing her to stir. Times such as these, she wished the sun had a snooze button, or at least a nifty pull string to turn off the invading rays. She was exhausted, having tossed and turned the remainder of the night. There weren't anymore dreams, so she was lucky in that sense at least.

 

Slowly, her eyes slid open. Thankfully, the early morning light wasn't harsh enough to be much of a shock to her vision. Stretching her tired muscles, she glanced around the camp. There was still no sign of InuYasha. Sango was beginning to stir in her sleeping bag, completely unaware of the lecherous monk smiling at her with that obvious gleam in his eyes. Shippou and Kirara could be heard somewhere off in the distance playing together.

 

Kagome continued to stretch for a bit longer before sitting up and attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes. Already she knew it was useless. Large doses of caffeine would be nice right about now.

 

“Ah. Dear Kagome, I trust that you slept well and had pleasant dreams?”

 

Instantly her head snapped up towards the Houshi. `Could he know something?' Just as she was about to open her mouth to respond another, obviously irritable, voice floated into the clearing.

 

“Feh. I dunno about the sleepin' part, but the dreamin' is an understatement if I ever heard one!”

 

Both heads turned towards the source of that voice, their eyes landing upon the agitated dog eared hanyou. Kagome's eyes widened in a silent plea, asking him to not disclose anything more in front of the monk who suddenly had a much more pronounced gleam to his violet eyes. InuYasha plopped down onto the ground, shoved his arms into his sleeves, and glared at Kagome. They held eye contact, expressions unchanging, until Miroku spoke up.

 

“Oh? Anything you care to share with us?”

 

“N-no. I just had a bad dream is all. Funny, I can't even remember anything about it now. I hate it when that happens. For the best, I guess. Sooo…I'm going to go wash my face now.” As she hopped up from her place on the ground, she hoped that she didn't sound too edgy. But the fact that she could never lie to save her life made hoping futile. Grabbing her backpack in haste, she made her way once more the hot spring, not even bothering to look back at InuYasha. At this rate, she'd have a path worn down in no time.

 

Sango, awakening just as Kagome was leaving, stretched her arms above her head as she studied her surroundings. Her eyes fell upon InuYasha and noticed how lost he looked as he sat there, shoulders sagging forward slightly. Something was evidently weighing on him heavily and she wondered what he had done this time. “InuYasha, what are you pouting about this early? Did something happen between you and Kagome?”

 

“Dammit, I ain't poutin'!” InuYasha spat out. “…and it's none of your business!” He then turned his nose up, closed his eyes, and faced away, signaling that he would say nothing more.

 

Sango turned to Miroku giving him a questioning look. He shrugged and then shot her a look that rivaled the one he had just received. There was definitely something going on and if history truly repeated itself, they'd find out something before too long.

 

~*~

 

Kagome dropped her pack at the edge of the spring. It amazed her at how much quicker her trips to it were compared to the amount of time it took for her to get back.

 

Dropping down to her knees, she dug through the canary yellow bag that had the astounding ability to hold each and every one of her possessions, no matter the size, shape, or quantity. She pulled out a pair of stonewashed blue jeans and a deep blue long sleeved top. There was nothing fancy about the clothing. She had bought them on her last trip home, knowing that there was a very good chance of them ending up like so many of her uniforms had in the past; tattered, torn and blood stained. She pulled the cotton night shirt up and over her head with lightning speed for a human, and with equal speed, slid on her jeans and top. Grabbing socks and a pair of white sneakers out of the bag, she threw them on as well.

 

Finding her facial scrub and a cloth, which happened to be hiding at the very bottom of the backpack, she rolled up her sleeves and began to wash her face. She took her time, reveling in the tingle that the soap created. Once finished, she cupped her hands into the warm water of the pool and lightly splashed the soap from her porcelain skin, careful to not get her newly adorned clothing drenched.

 

`Why didn't I wash my face before getting dressed? Duh, Kagome, cuz you weren't thinking!' Sighing, she bowed her head, letting gravity guide the remaining water as it traced its way down her face before collecting at the tip of her nose. She watched as the droplets fell from it and back into the safety of the hot spring, distorting her reflection ever so slightly.

 

She needed to figure out how to deal with this. There was going to be a lot of tension in the group because of her dream, thanks to none other than InuYasha. She began to feel the familiar sensation of her blood boiling at the thought. It was something he was always able to conjure up within her.

 

`InuYasha no baka! I wish he'd grow up already! He's acting as if I chose to have that dream! Like being mad at me is really going to change anything…why can't he ever just talk about what he's feeling?' But the chance of that actually happening was like asking a pig to fly. Communication wasn't one of his better qualities, though he had come along way. And deep down in her heart, she knew that it must have hurt him to witness her dreaming like that. He was acting out like this out of habit, as a means to protect himself. Nobody but her knew just how fragile his heart really was.

 

She would have to try and talk to him after he cooled off a bit. Though, that could take a while. In the meantime, she'd have to find anther way to get things off her chest.

 

`I'll talk to Sango about it. She'll be wondering what's going on anyway…especially when Sesshoumaru gets back. Things around here will probably get much tenser.'

 

There was an audible “pop” as her own hand made contact with her wet face.

 

“Oh, man. This isn't going to be good.”

 

“And what, may I ask, is not going to be good?” came a familiar baritone voice.

 

Kagome stilled. She hadn't even felt his approach like she usually did. Slowly, she turned and looked up into the gorgeous amber eyes that she had dreamt about only a few hours prior, while he looked expectantly down into hers.

 

`Kami, he's so beautiful.'

 

And her heart skipped a beat.

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note: This one was a bit more difficult for me. Moving and some other personal stuff served as a constant and VERY annoying distraction. So I want to apologize for getting this out later than what I promised you guys.

 

A huge THANK YOU goes out to SunsetMiko (a.k.a. CMK2CMM) for her help with this story so far. I don't know what I would have done without her advice and greatly appreciate the time she took to give it. Go check out her awesome fan fictions, one in which she just received awards for here: http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/src.php/u/149359.

 

Also, THANK YOU to Jackson Mower for pointing out the `honorific' issue with InuYasha in Ch.1. You can check out his fan fictions here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1352078/Jackson_Mower.

 

 

REVIEWER RESPONSES(in no particular order):

 

CMK2CMM- Im so happy you like the story so far and you already know how much your help is appreciated! I just hope my plot bunnies stay energized and I can keep shooting out good chapters. Hopefully, I can learn to keep my comma usage to a minimum. LOL. *BIG HUGS*

 

 

theblackangels_- Now THAT was an entertaining review! And about Kags dream? There's more to it & you'll have to wait and see! Muahaha. >8)

 

misfit_one85- NO! If you let the suspense kill you, you won't be able to read the new stuff!! LOL. Hope you like it & I'll try to update regularly. ^_^

 

nyuu_nyuu- Glad you like it so far. =)

FluffyLady- No, it won't be anything like “Sins in Dreaming”, Freya and I are going completely different directions with our stories. Although there will possibly be more dreams in the future for Kagome, I don't plan on any of them being erotic. It was just the way I chose to start out. If all goes as planned, the rest of my story will be just as entertaining, if not more so. I'm thrilled you are enjoying it so far though!! ^_^

 

 

~*~