InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Loss of Self, Discovery of Truth ❯ Brains over Brawns ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Brains over Brawns

 

It was raining. As if things couldn't possibly get any worse the sky had to open up and just pour all the sorrows of the world on top of the pair. Sesshoumaru tossed another log onto the fire and glowered at the woman sitting across from him.

They had found a cave to take shelter in when the rain just started to get bad. A few minutes were spent gathering wood to burn so that they wouldn't freeze during the night. It wasn't safe to have the fire burn for too long as it would attract attention. The rain should help disguise their scent from his brother's sensitive nose.

“So, would you like to play a game?” Kagome asked, trying to break the silence. Sesshoumaru's hazel eyes only narrowed at the suggestion. Kagome's answer to that was a frustrated sigh. She was worried and when she was worried she tended to talk a lot.

Kagome was a talkative girl.

“How about we ask each other questions?” Kagome suggested. “You can ask me anything you'd like and then I'll do the same for you.”

Sesshoumaru shifted his legs and knocked his foot onto the stone floor. It had gone to sleep on him as he was sitting lotus style. He didn't like this tingly feeling.

“What's wrong with you?” Kagome asked concerned and coming to Sesshoumaru's side.

He shrugged his shoulder when she tried to touch it. “My foot feels like it no longer has blood running through it. It must have all drained out of my stupid arm.”

Kagome smiled, earning a menacing glare from her companion. “It's just asleep,” she explained.

“Hn.”

“So, go ahead, ask me any question you want.”

“In turn would you ask me some such question thereby requiring my answer?” Sesshoumaru countered.

“That would pretty much be how it works,” Kagome nodded her head.

“I don't think so.”

“Fine, I hope your foot falls off then.”

“I see a missing arm isn't enough for your sadistic pleasure,” Sesshoumaru retorted.

His comment caught Kagome off guard. “Did you just make a joke?”

“It's hardly funny.”

Once again, silence settled over the pair. Sesshoumaru tossed another log onto the fire. He gazed out the front of the cave to see that the rain had not let up. His foot no longer ached, thankfully. Perhaps he could humor the woman. “Why do you wear such ridiculous clothing?”

Kagome was caught off guard by the sound of his voice breaking the silence. She looked down at her damp white and green outfit. “It's my school uniform,” was her response.

A pale brow was raised. “Do you go to some school for whores?”

Kagome's blue eyes grew wide at the accusation and her face red in mortification at the suggestion. She reached down for one of the sticks not in the fire and tossed it at Sesshoumaru. She almost succeeded in hitting him in the temple but he dodged the projectile object.

“I take that as a no.”

“I don't get to pick out what the school district decides is our clothing.” She looked down defensively at her outfit and realized that the skirt was rather short and tried to pull it closer to her knees. She sighed dejectedly. “I wear it because it is part of my identity. Back home I look the same as everyone else wearing this and yet here I don't have to worry about being confused with dead mikos.”

“I see,” Sesshoumaru replied, not totally seeing. He couldn't think of a place where everyone wore such an outfit. It seemed improper for a school to have the females dress in such a way, unless it was some sort of lurid geisha business. “I suppose it is your turn to ask something of me.”

“What will you do if we can't find a way to regain your demon blood?”

Sesshoumaru blinked, unprepared for such a question. It wasn't an option that he should fail and not regain his heritage. “Kill myself.”

Kagome gasped at the answer. Sesshoumaru shrugged but refused to meet her eyes. “Surely you don't find that option so shocking. I am not meant to live as a human.”

“Maybe you were,” Kagome argued.

Sesshoumaru shifted uncomfortably at that possibility. “Where is your school?”

Kagome's mouth opened and then closed at the question. She couldn't very well lie to him. “Tokyo.”

“Be more specific.”

“I um…we really don't have to play this game anymore.”

Sesshoumaru stood and began to walk towards her around the fire. His height still towered over hers. “I've had a bad day Kagome. I'd appreciate you not lying to me.”

He said her name.

Kagome's heart fluttered at the sound of her name coming off the lips of Sesshoumaru. He might have said it before, but right now the way he said it was different. He spoke as if they were well acquainted. He spoke with familiarity. And he was breathing down her neck as he bent behind her, placing his face right next to hers.

“You won't believe me if I were to tell you the truth,” Kagome answered. She turned her face away from his, his proximity making her nervous.

Sesshoumaru didn't move, his cool breath fanned across her cheek. “You might be surprised at the sorts of things I would believe.”

He wasn't going to move away. He was magnetic. She couldn't keep up the act. Kagome turned so that she was facing him, her face less than an inch from his. Their breaths mingled together, cold and yet warmer than the night air, causing steam clouds to form. She couldn't help but be drawn into his warm hazel gaze. “I'm from half a millennium in the future.”

Sesshoumaru's eyes stayed focused on Kagome's blue ones. “Five hundred years in the future?” He didn't move for a long while and then, he smiled. The sight of his perfect smile caused Kagome's face to flush and her heart to trip up in her chest. “I must assume that material is in short supply since they dress you in such revealing clothing.”

Then as if he didn't feel any chemistry at all he was sitting on the other side of the fire poking a long stick into the ashes. Kagome tried to comprehend what had just happened. It was almost as if he was flirting and then teased her. Now he sat across from her as if nothing had occurred.

“That's all you have to say about my being from the future?”

Sesshoumaru continued to stir the ashes. “I assume that the old well is the time portal.” He looked up and was satisfied by her expression. “You dress differently, have a strange dialect, and carry around strange items. You were either from the future or were a magician.” He glanced up at her again. “You don't strike me as very magical.”

Kagome's fingers curled and uncurled before she reached down to toss one of the remaining logs onto the fire. “I do have holy powers.”

“When you get lucky.” Sesshoumaru looked back out the cave entrance and pushed his hair back with his hand. He gave the fire a regretful glance. “We should leave now. The rain isn't as hard as before but Inuyasha will find us if we do not put some distance between us.”

“You're hardly in any condition to travel all over the forest.”

“I'll be fine. I'm not lucky enough to die.” He kicked out the fire and then went towards the exit. Kagome rushed to catch up.

“Exactly where do you plan on going?”

Sesshoumaru looked down at the woman at his side. He was growing attached to her. He might as well tell her the plan, in case he really did die. “I think Kagura is our best chance on finding a way to defeat the parasitic demon.”

“Kagura?”

“She's come to me before offering to help or rather an alliance.” He reached over and adjusted the collar of Kagome's shirt. The water had made it heavy and pulled it. His fingers brushed her exposed skin, causing her to shiver from something other than the rain. “I believe I've been motivated now to agree to help her cause.”

“You sure she's still going to want the help of a human version of the great demon lord Sesshoumaru?”

“Surely you have realized by now that strength does not come from my physical powers,” he looked down at her once more. Their eyes met and the corners of his eyes crinkled into a smile. He shook his head. “I suppose you did think that. A physically powerful demon is nothing if he doesn't know how to be resourceful and clever.”

“Brains over brawn.”

Sesshoumaru's brows crinkled at the description used by Kagome. “Yes, brains over brawn.”

oooooOOOOOooooo

Miroku wiped the sweat off his brow. The day started out pretty normal. He and Sango had found Inuyasha. However, this time Sesshoumaru wasn't around to fix the insane demon version Inuyasha.

Kagome's subduing spell didn't work.

He never thought he'd have to use his priestly abilities to contain his best friend. Inuyasha was confined in a circular area by almost all the mantras Miroku possessed. He looked strangely calm. His crimson eyes were watching Miroku closely and the purple slash marks on his cheeks added to the eerie effect. Miroku started to reminisce about a time spent with the moth demons so long ago.

“Kagura.”

Miroku rubbed his ears, surely they were deceiving him. It sounded as if Inuyasha had just said the word Kagura. “Did you say something?”

Gold flashed through the crimson. “We must use Kagura.”

“You think Kagura's going to help us?” Miroku asked in disbelief.

Another flash of gold through the red. “She will help Sesshoumaru. She will want her freedom.”

“And you know this how?”

Inuyasha began to crack his knuckles in a gruesome way as the madness returned. It was then that Sango walked over towards the two. She sat beside Miroku, keeping guard on their friend. “What do you think?” Sango asked.

“For a second there he seemed to have been lucid, except he said we needed Kagura. So obviously even when he's got his sanity he's still insane.”

“Maybe he's right. Maybe Kagura did something so that when the parasite demon stole his humanity she managed to give us this message.”

“Honestly Sango, even if he is right, what do we do about it? We can't leave him here unattended. And we can't go off to find Kagura while playing guard.”

Shippo joined them. “Kagome will figure it out. She and Sesshoumaru will find a way.”

oooooOOOOOooooo

“And exactly how do you know where to find her?” Kagome asked, following Sesshoumaru into the depths of the forest. Her feet were muddy and she kept having to slap branches out of her way. She was impressed that Sesshoumaru was acting as if he could actually see where he was going. She knew good and well that his nocturnal eye sight was just as poor as hers now.

“I know where I'm going,” Sesshoumaru growled. He slapped a branch angrily out of his way. Then he lost his balance. Kagome was right behind him and latched her arms around his waist to try and pull him back. They were on a slippery slope and it was a long and messy way down.

Kagome fell back and Sesshoumaru fell back on top of her. His head slammed against her chest, knocking her breath away. He gave a groan and when he sat up to make sure Kagome was alright the soft ground they were seated upon gave way.

The mudslide began to carry the two down the steep hill. Kagome kept hold of Sesshoumaru and together they went sliding faster than a roller coaster. Sesshoumaru's good arm was wrapped securely around Kagome's small body. They didn't stop sliding until they reached the bottom of the forest floor.

Sesshoumaru pushed away from Kagome and stood, surveying the damage. He was covered in mud. It was disgusting. He glanced down at Kagome before offering his hand and helping her to her feet. She was just as disgusting as him.

“Short cut?” Kagome asked with a tight smile. She smoothed her wet bangs out of her eyes. Then she brushed off the leaves on her bottom. She looked at Sesshoumaru indecisively for a moment before doing the same and wiping off the leaves that clung to him and causing him to jump.

“What are you doing?” He demanded.

“You have leaves all over you.”

He looked down at himself and brushed the remainder of them off himself. He then reached out and wiped his fingers over Kagome's cheeks. “You have some mud on your face.”

She took a step towards him and reached up towards his hair. “You've a stick in your hair.”

Sesshoumaru's finger fell to the base of Kagome's neck and lingered there. The rain was pouring around them but at that precise moment their problems seemed to melt away and the world was now just the two of them. His face came closer to hers as it had earlier by the fire. Except this time he was facing her.

Their noses brushed.

Their eyes locked, hazel with blue.

Mud was smeared.

Lips locked.

Miles away a protective circle of holy mantras was broken as a ferocious beast with crimson eyes gave an unearthly howl of rage and set off for the forest.