InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Madman ❯ Chapter 6 – Cabin Cleaning ( Chapter 6 )

Madman

By Rinseternalsoul

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I make no profit from writing fanfiction..

Chapter 6 – Cabin Cleaning

A/N: To Everyone: Thanks for your great support of ‘Madman’! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it being nominated for A Single Spark's annual awards. It's really an honor to have such devoted fans.

The cabin was somewhat quaint. Not at all in keeping with Kanna’s normal habits. It would seem that the next few days here were going to be kept in close quarters to the human. Not a pleasant thought, considering the temper she was currently in. Sesshomaru felt the urge to growl in frustration over the unsavory course his life has recently steered. Just days ago he was playing a round of golf at the country club. Now he finds himself being hunted and saddled with Inuyasha’s wench. Things were not proceeding in a positive manner.

Surprised, Sesshomaru felt a small score of relief when the light switch actually worked. Kanna must keep the power on in case of any unexpected arrivals. The strange demoness was a bit overly paranoid, but not too much, considering she was a spawn of Naraku. Old vendetta’s burn deep.

After looking about the two bedroom, one small bath cottage, he decided that it would simply have to do. At least it was fairly clean minus the layer of dust on everything. That was not an issue, as he would make the mortal clean it when she returns.  

Kagome sat on the edge of a steep looming cliff with her knees drawn beneath her chin and a sad look upon her pretty face. Her eyes were pained by all that had happened recently in her life. She had lost a very dear friend in a horribly violent way. Her delusions that there were no demons in this time period were demolished. The most deadly demon that she ever encountered kidnapped her from her best friends funeral, only to find out that he was actually saving her because she is now the target of some unknown militant group, for some insane reason. Then, as if that were not bad enough she comes face to face with Naraku’s soul stealing incarnation, now grown, and still very creepy.

To add insult to injury, she is stuck with that arrogant selfish asshole inuyoukai without a change of underwear or a toothbrush.

What in Kami’s name did she ever do to deserve this torment?

A normal woman her age has never brushed the sleeve of death, but she couldn’t begin to count the many times it had almost claimed her. After a while, it wasn’t even very frightening to face off against the enemy. It became second nature, giving such a rush of adrenaline that it could make your head swim. Some people jumped from airplanes, Kagome fought bad guys.

Unfortunately, it was probably safer to jump from an airplane.

With a heavy sigh, she tilted her head to rest her cheek on her knees, while she admired the beauty of the valley below. This place was very peaceful. It was just what she needed to calm down. If she had stayed with that jerk one more minute she would have purified him into the afterlife.

This whole affair felt like she was riding a spiraling roller coaster from hell that was running out of control. All because of this unknown enemy. An enemy that killed her best friend.

They will pay.

No one did that to her friend and got away with it. Kagome vowed at that moment, to Eri and to herself, that she would find the one who killed Eri and take them down.  

After unpacking his bag, Sesshomaru pulled out his notebook pc, and powered it on. He was just about to sit down at the small table in the nook of a bay window, when the girl, Kagome, returned. She stepped hesitantly into the doorway, while looking all around. She first eyed the small den, and then the tiny kitchen area. Her eyes glanced his way, but did not linger, as she continued her tentative inspection. She looked up to the ceiling and down to the two doors leading to the bedrooms and finally entered, closing the cottage door behind her.

Without a word she walked to the bedrooms and peeked inside. Obviously noticing his belongings in the one on the left, she entered the smaller of the two on the right, closing the door behind her. Sesshomaru thought it strange that she had nothing at all to say upon her entry, especially since the last time he saw her she was spitting mad. He temporarily dismissed thoughts of the troublesome girl, returning to the list of military organizations located in the area.

Kagome didn’t even bother getting angry that he chose the largest room, because she knew he would. Mister high and mighty would, of course, expect the best. So she went into the room now serving as her own and looked around. Not bad, just plain and kind of small. With her fingers crossed, she walked over to a white armoire in the corner and opened it up.

Nothing. Completely empty save a few metal hangers.

Well, that figures. It just goes right along with her luck as of late. Now what was she going to do without a change of clothing for the next few days?"

Her bed was a low single, which was covered in a thin plastic sheet, effectively keeping the dust from the bedding. Kagome leaned over and carefully removed it. Beneath she found a pretty white coverlet and pillow. After slowly balling the dusty plastic and placing it in the corner, she turned around and sat down, testing the comfort and found that it was pretty cozy. ‘At least that’s a plus.’ Finally she stood and continued to check out her surroundings.

At least there were no mirrors. 'Another plus.'

In the middle of the left wall she found another door. Kagome walked over and opened it up to find that it was a small bathroom, complete with shower, one brand new toothbrush still in the plastic wrapper, and a trial tube of toothpaste. 'At least my breath won't stink while I walk around in filthy clothes for days.'

There was another door on the opposite wall, which led into Sesshomaru’s room. The light from the window cast a light over the dresser and she could see a sheen of dust everywhere. She stepped back, closing the door. She would have to remember to lock this when she was in here. The humiliation of flashing her naked human body to Sesshomaru would be the ultimate mortification.

Back in her room Kagome found the same dusty layer over everything, and decided that she had to get this place cleaned up if she were going to stay here. Besides, she had nothing else to do, unlike Sesshomaru, who was probably busy playing solitaire, since that is the only game suited to him.

Kagome shrugged off her blazer, leaving her in slacks and a silk spaghetti strap top. She unclasped the tiny buckle at her ankles and took off the high heels, wriggling her toes in relief. Dirty or not, the cool wooden floorboards felt good to her feet. She stepped into the bathroom again to freshen up. Kagome was amazed that this place had running water, and even more surprised to find the electricity was fully functioning. Kanna wasn’t kidding when she said she was always prepared.

She then left her room, noticing that Sesshomaru paid her no heed at all. He was clucking away at the keyboard at a tremendous pace. Kagome shivered at the sight. There was just something so very wrong about seeing the taiyoukai working a laptop. Five hundred years ago he was brandishing a demonic blade named Tokijin and hissing ‘Die Inuyasha!’. Seeing him like this was just creepy.

Finally she shrugged her shoulders and went into the tiny kitchen to look for a cleaning cloth or something to get rid of the dust. While looking through the cabinets Kagome found a few cans of tuna, and a couple cans of vegetable mixes. At least she wouldn’t starve while she was here. In one of the drawers there was a can opener and some silverware, and for that she was extremely grateful. Asking Sesshomaru to claw open a can of tuna probably wouldn't go over very well.

Her incessant opening and shutting of the cabinets and drawers was beginning to grate on his nerves. It was interrupting his train of thought and irritating his ears. He looked up from the screen to find her stretching to a seemingly impossible length in a vain attempt to reach into the top cabinet near the refrigerator. Unwillingly his eyes took a brief moment to linger over her form, finding it not as appalling to the eye as he had hoped. Her bare shoulders were sculptured nicely and she had a petite waist sitting above the enticing swell of her...

By the Fates, what was he thinking?

Sesshomaru growled with frustration and bit out an order. "Miko, you will clean the dust from this cabin."

Kagome whirled around to face him with her most evil glare. Her eyes were dancing with blue flame as her temper burned anew. "Listen to me Sesshomaru. I am not your servant! You got that? If you think you are going to order me around like that baka toad, Jaken, then you can go ahead and kill me now, because I refuse!"

Before he could reply she swirled back to the cabinet. Using her renewed anger, she finally managed to grasp the tip of the cloth with her fingers, pulling it down from the top shelf. She looked over her shoulder with narrowed eyes and snapped, "I was going to do that anyway, but you really need to learn how to ask."

‘Ask?’ Why should he ask? Those around him simply did as he demanded, he had no need to ask them to comply. His personal staff feared him. Not to mention the fact that he paid them extremely well to grovel. He had no need to ask them to do anything.

Unfortunately this girl was not a member of his staff, nor was she the type to grovel, although he would enjoy seeing her down on her knees bowing before him.

Naked.

Yes, that would be quite pleasing. The image lightened his mood considerably and he resigned himself to letting her live for now.

Sesshomaru simply sat there, staring at her with those piercing yellow eyes. One slender, dark brow was raised as if in question, making Kagome sigh audibly with frustration. The arrogant ass had probably never once asked politely for anything in his whole demon life. Memories of a prostrate Jaken came to mind. That stupid little toad kissed Sesshomaru's butt so much that his beak should have been brown. Speaking of Jaken, "Say, Sesshomaru, what ever happened to Jaken?"

The eyebrow that was arched so gracefully fell into a furrow. Sesshomaru scoffed and turned back to his work, but managed to huff out his answer. "Deceased."

Kagome wanted to ask him what happened. Her curiosity, however was not strong enough to push her luck, because the demon in slacks, pecking away at his keyboard, seemed a little more perturbed with her than usual. Not that she was one to let that bother her. His answer was curt and dismissing, as if it went beyond just her, almost as if he was angry at Jaken for dying.

Kagome turned away and busied herself dampening the cloth in her hand. Sesshomaru seemed lonely. He always had seemed that way, even with Jaken and little Rin by his side. She wondered what happened to Rin, and decided that she would ask him about her later, when he was in a better mood. Kagome giggled slightly, but managed to suppress much of it. Sesshomaru in a good mood would be a sight to see.

With an attitude like his, it had to be almost impossible to make friends. He was not exactly the outgoing type. Well, at least not the Sesshomaru that she knew. Not the one that attacked Inuyasha without provocation, hissing 'die' with hatred poisoning his voice. She took a glance over her shoulder at the inuyoukai. He seemed so different now. The long centuries have changed him, but how much? She didn't care to push her luck too much there. This time she had no Tetsusaiga to save her from the Dakkasou. That crap ate right through the sole of her best school shoes.

How would it feel to live as an immortal? A beautiful, powerful, untouchable immortal? Would the power sustain you for an eternity? Would having everything that you desire fill the emptiness in your heart? How would it feel to be Sesshomaru? A creature of myth and magic forced to live in a mortal world and live a mortal life?

It must be pretty lonely.

He could feel her eyes on him, and found it to be rather distracting. If it were any other female he would not have bothered to notice, but this one was different. She knew him. She knew him from a time when he ruled by blood and death. To her, he was not a business tycoon and sought after bachelor. To her, he was a killer.

The years had not been kind to the youkai population. Ultimately their own instinctual habits would wipe out their numbers to near extinction. They ignored the humans as weak ignorant creatures and spent their days seeking to increase their own power. However, power does not come without a price. Demons, like himself waged war upon one another in their quest to quench the craving for ultimate power. The stronger ones eradicated each other as well as masses of lesser youkai. The weaker ones were not only defeated by the stronger youkai, but also by the humans who feared them. Very few survived.

Only a handful of demons, like himself, which take human form, lived beyond the mid-eighteenth century. Those that lived were forced to keep their true identities a secret from the mortal world, for what humans lacked in strength, they made up in numbers, and no youkai can fight forever. Even the strongest would eventually succumb to exhaustion after a time. The human hordes would hunt them, never ceasing to flush them out. Humans now considered themselves at the top of the food chain. To give up that position to a creature such as himself would be to once more live in fear as they did centuries ago.

This girl, Kagome, she was different, and always had been. Even in the days of Inuyasha, she stood up to her foes with little fear. She fought beasts most humans never dreamed of existing, but she never judged upon species alone.

She had always been of interest to him.

His half brother placed her under his protection and she was considered one of his pack, but that had nothing to do with Sesshomaru's interest. What first caught his eye was her idiosyncratic nature compared to others of her delicate species. Her brash words, rebellious shouts, and reckless disregard for her own safety was unheard of during that time period. Women were seen, not heard, yet Kagome ripped through that human mold upon his first introduction.

It was a mistake to underestimate her. Nothing could have prepared him for the hours that would follow. His entire world would rock off kilter just because of that one mortal girl.

Inuyasha would never have succeeded in touching him had she not been there. His foolish half-brother never stood a chance of actually causing him injury. He was slow, and awkward, fighting like a wild barbarian. Inuyasha always had fought with his heart, not his head, and that was useless against a skilled enemy such as himself.

It was useless, until she came.

Her presence changed Inuyasha. It strengthened him in a way that he never expected. By having Kagome there to protect, the fire in Inuyasha's heart grew to a roaring blaze. It pushed his strength to new heights and transformed Tetsusaiga in his hands.

It had cost him an arm.

One does not miss an arm until it is gone. There were days when he cursed Inuyasha with every breath drawn, but the one who made it all happen was this miko. The one currently moving around the room, dusting as if she had not a care in the world.

He narrowed his eyes on her lithe form, as he absentmindedly rolled his left shoulder.

It took two centuries to grow it back. Two centuries of itching and burning aggravation. The scar tissue from Naraku's foul jewel shard, burning the scarred flesh, almost made it impossible to ever recover the limb. Fortunately enough, his jaki bloodline was strong and the malformed tissue slowly began to repair itself. What should have taken less than a century, took two, but it was a lesson well learned.

It is always enlightening to discover that one is not a god.

At that young age, he was foolish enough to think himself such. No creature, save his own father, had the strength to defeat him, and power became his addiction. He lavished in it and hoarded it to him, until one point when he was even willing to slay his great father to achieve the position of supreme ruler by taking possession of his swords.

Times were so different then. It was impossible to imagine, in those days, that the world would change so drastically. Strength today comes by way of the almighty yen, and strength of mind is the only way to achieve that. Sadly, to rule in this modern era it takes a skill not found with a sword. A clever and savvy business mind is needed to gain and sustain power in the age of technology. Fortunately for Sesshomaru, he is possessed of both. He can crush an enemy just as quickly on the battlefield as he can in the boardroom.

When one has to capacity to live for eons, one must be adaptable to change.

Some of higher intelligence, like himself, managed to survive the ages, though times were not always the best. There were decades of hiding. Years of solitude and isolation. Their numbers decreased around them without any one of them taking notice, until it was nearly too late. Caught up in their own self-centered existence, they were ignorant to the very real threat of extinction until it was blindingly obvious.

Being the youkai on top was an empty victory when there were none left to bow at your feet. The insignificant humans multiplied like maggots, and cross breeding with humans became generally accepted, amongst most of his kind. Between death and cross-breeding, the decimation of demon-kind was inevitable. Even his own race of inuyoukai was finally lost to time, leaving him alone in this world. Being the last of your race is a sorrowful thing, and there were times when he felt like giving up completely.

But he is not a quitter.

He refused to pass away into myth and legend. He refused to let the humans win. Though he may be only one, he lived, and he lived well.

A sneeze from the corner of the room distracted his rather futile line of thinking, and Sesshomaru glanced once more to the female waving her hand frantically in front of her face. She was younger back then, he was sure of it. She was more youthful and lacking of womanly curves. He remembered a little too well, the indecent little skirt that she wore and the distracting vision of her slender legs. It was scandalous for a human to dress in such a manner, though many demon females were not so concerned about modesty. That was the second quirky thing that he noticed about her.

In the tomb of his father she stood fearlessly before him, brandishing the un-transformed fang of his father, with upright displeasure. A blast of his Dakkasou had done nothing to the mouthy little wench, and it shocked him momentarily into actually inspecting her more closely.

She smelled human enough, though rather clean for one born mortal. He wondered if his nose had failed him, since she had survived his poison claw. The clothing and attitude, combined with her resilience, spoke of demonic heritage, which, at the time, left him somewhat confused of her origins. It was only when he realized that Tetsusaiga had chosen to save her from his poison, that he settled his mental debate on her blood.

She was, indeed, just a mortal bitch.

Now, in the age of computers and cell phones, Sesshomaru wondered if he had been wrong all along. How was she still alive after all this time?

The fateful day in his father's tomb, was the first of several occasions that he underestimated the girl. The second incident was the first time that she fired a flaming hamaya at him. It was inconceivable, at the time, that a mere mortal would attempt such an insult on his person. His original interest in her was the only thing saving her from death, until she had the audacity to try the same thing twice. In her second attack against him, she actually managed to destroy a perfectly good set of armor.

Sesshomaru almost chuckled as he remembered his reaction. At the time he had been utterly furious, and would have killed her then, had it not been for Inuyasha's persistence to keep his newfound friends alive. The momentary distraction of Kagome was quickly set aside over his growing amazement at Inuyasha's newly gained strength. It was then that he began to truly understand the connection between Inuyasha, Tetsusaiga, and the mortal woman known as Kagome.

His father once asked him if he had something to protect. At the time he found the absurdity of such a question ludicrous, but had he known the true reason behind his father's question, then he may have answered differently. The sword that could slay one hundred demons in one swipe was forged for protection. It was crafted to protect not only the wielder, but to protect those lesser creatures in need of such.

A god needs no protection.

It was his own arrogance and passion for power that cheated him out of the sword of destruction. He needed no protection. But those beneath him needed protection from him.

The shift of a rounded derrière swaying, as the miko crawled down to clean the back legs of an end table, again snared his brief attention. It was becoming rather obvious that he had gone too long without a good rut. He cursed his rising ardor and pushed away the rather disturbing thoughts.

No, in the distant past, the miko was simply an anomaly. Something unusual that his brother had found and kept. After the initial battle in the tomb, the months ahead only served to enforce some unbidden feelings of respect for the female. She fought valiantly, and had proven to have both a heated temper as well as a kind heart. When dealing with Inuyasha, it was much less troublesome to direct his questioning to her, as she answered with levelheaded honesty, instead of childish shows of temper. It became clear that not only was she emotional and determined, but passably intelligent as well.

In those days, her duty to complete the Shikon no Tama and destroy Naraku was diligently upheld, and the purity in her miko veins grew to a staggering level.

When the reign of Naraku finally ended it was Kagome, the odd mortal woman, who rid the world of his presence. Not his own strength, or the strength of his brother, would fell the audaciously crafty hanyou. It was the fire of purity and her love of her friends that vanquished his filthy existence. At the time it was a rather harsh blow to the ego, but he was loath to admit he felt a bit of pride in her performance.

Only once more, after the death of Naraku and the completion of the jewel, would he cross paths with Inuyasha.

His first sight of the hanyou would remain etched in his mind for centuries.

He looked... broken.

A piece of vital strength had fled him, and he wore the lack of it on his shoulders for all to see. He thought the hanyou pathetic for allowing a mere mortal bitch to once again humiliate him, and even voiced his observation, but for once the insolent whelp did not scream and attack. He simply turned and walked away.

He left Inuyasha that day, never seeing him again. Thoughts of the mysterious priestess occasionally rose to the surface, and he found himself pondering her complexities without answer for hours, but as time slipped by she became lost to him as well. He simply pushed her memory aside for some other curiosity that happened along.

That was five hundred years ago.

Sesshomaru pondered the depth of time that had passed. Five hundred years was a very long time. Even hanyou would show visible signs of aging after the passing of five centuries. While she did look more mature, more shapely, and sculptured, she had not aged that greatly.

It was a conundrum that once again set root in his inquisitive mind.

He was now presented with the opportunity to gain answers to many of these questions that plagued him long ago. There was no Inuyasha hovering around her as a protective savior. He had her here, alone and totally at his mercy.

The corner of his firm, masculine, lips, curved in a barely noticeable smirk. Power was still quite an addictive thing.

He thought over ways to obtain the knowledge that he sought. He could always threaten her with death. She feared him, but unfortunately, just not enough. She never had, which was a considerable annoyance to him. Her anger and valiant heart had a tendency to over-ride her own thoughts of self-preservation. As much as it was an annoyance at times, the demon lord also found it to be rather stimulating to witness. Her skin flushed to a rosy glow and her midnight eyes deepened with determination.

Those meager little growls that she releases are also quite amusing.

Threatening the miko would probably not work, but he would still get his answers. It was unfortunate that he could not treat her as he would a demon bitch in order to achieve his desired results. No, forcing her into submission would not do. From what he knew of her, she would lash out with purification, and then she would probably cry, and he despises crying. If she truly were human, he would have deal with her differently.

If the years of being surrounded by mortals taught him anything, it was that mortal females could be very emotionally unstable. Over the last fifty years he lost many a secretary to a fit of tears before they blindly fled from his office. It took some time, and a great deal of restraint, to adjust his ways when dealing with humans of the feminine persuasion.

As it turned out, he may not be the most humane of employers, but at least now he was able to maintain office help for extended lengths of time.

Besides, human secretaries were preferable to those of demonic decent.

His last attempt at instilling a demoness as his personal secretary ended with half of the third floor decimated. Not all demons had such fine control over their emotions as he himself.

He probably should not have rutted with the bitch.

Regrettably, she caught him on an off-day. Some business deals had gone sour, and he had an unwanted and unexpected guest arrive at his manor the day before. After work hours, he stayed late to complete the closing paperwork, and regrettably, had a few drinks. If humans accomplished anything in the past seven hundred years, it is the art of fine saki. Unfortunately, youkai tend to be hit rather hard by any sort of spirits, leaving them to suffer from extreme intoxication. It is a very short-lived state, but a strong one.

Too bad it was just long enough for her to sashay in his office and remove her clothing. Sadly, he probably would not have resisted that temptation even if he had not been inebriated.

There are very few full demon females still in existence, and Sesshomaru still stands by his rule to never lay with a mortal female. His father was a fool, and he would be damned if he followed in his footsteps. It was a matter of principle.

This moral resolution only has one problem, however, and that is the devastating lack of female demons. While there were still some walking the Earth, they are arrogant and self-absorbed, spoiled parasites that are only loyal to themselves and a fat bankroll. He had no need of a mate such as that. With a bitch like that in his bed he would never achieve sleep again, for the moment his guard was down she would happily slit his throat and relieve him of his wealth.

It left for a rather non-existent sex life.

Certainly it was a fortunate thing that he held such solid control over his bodily instincts. He was a male, after all. He desired, just as any other male, and at times his body sought to betray his mind, by ignoring his ignoble resolution to abstain from anything less than a full blooded demoness.

Like now, for instance.

Sesshomaru growled low at his own ridiculous behavior. And over a stupid mortal bitch at that! One that irritated him to new levels, and defended the half-breed against him.

He shifted uncomfortably in the stiff dining chair, and pulled his eyes away from the miko's swaying bottom.

He had really picked up some foul habits over the years.

Sesshomaru returned his full attention to the screen before him. The military divisions were listed and in the sidebar on the left where it gave a link to the people in charge. He clicked the link and a new page popped up with a list of names, ranks and pertinent information. He reached over and slid a notepad within reach, then quickly jotted down several of the names, as well as the location of relative headquarters.

That would be a good place to start.

A/N2: Next update: Detective Kobayashi Naoaki pays a visit to the home of Taisho Shuusaka. Juria and her henchmen set out to capture the miko, and the cozy cabin is just a little too cozy for Sesshomaru and Kagome. Until then~

Rinseternalsoul@msn.com