InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midwinter Dream ❯ Ticking Thoughts ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N: Hmm... It's odd, I've had nothing to say of late in these... Other than this is nineteen pages long, which is far too big of a chapter...

...

Chapter 9

Ticking Thoughts

Kagome, currently making her irked way back to her room as the setting sun glared happily into her face, had the word inugami daiyÅkai racing through her mind. Was that his real title? She didn't know, she had never asked him. Or anyone for that matter. It had never been important. And WHAT was that yÅkai twit doing calling Sesshomaru 'hers'? Sheesh, everyone around there was blind to some of the most obvious things...

Arriving outside the bedroom, she slid open the door and was rather surprised to see two women in there. There was Jia, who she had expected, but the second woman was in late puberty and possessed dark locks and fierce amber eyes. She also had a toothy smile, lower lip barely covering her canines. In a way, she was rather pretty. In another way, she was oddly threatening. Did the woman try to have that certain glint in her eyes, or was it just a part of her character?

“Hello,” Kagome greeted, thinking that the two yÅkai were friends. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all,” the mystery woman replied, wearing a fine silk kimono of deep blues and red. She stood, and bowed minutely at the waist in greeting. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Kagome-sama. My name is Chiro.”

Kagome blinked, and then smiled and mimicked the bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well.” She went ahead and had a seat with them, and Jia was kind enough as to pour her some tea. Kagome noted the young servant had a somewhat stiff back, but that could easily have been from morning duties.

“How was the trip?” the shy servant asked. She still seemed uncertain about asking questions, which had been cute for the first two days.

“Ugh, a nightmare,” Kagome replied, running her nails through her hair and remembering how much she desired some conditioner. “I hate caves... You yÅkai are very lucky to see so well in the dark.”

Jia giggled once, and Chiro full out laughed.

“... Am I missing something here?” Kagome asked, eyes darting between the two.

“Yes, you are,” Chiro replied with a goon natured smile. “Only truly powerful yÅkai can see perfectly in the dark, especially in caves. It takes energy to advance the senses, and quite a bit of practice.”

Chiro seemed amused by Kagome's confusion. Upon asking how she was doing with that information, Kagome shook her head. “I was just thinking, I didn't sense any special amount of energy from them.”

Jia was able to suppress a giggle this time.

“You humor me,” Chiro informed, smiling in a way that made Kagome feel that she was a simple being. It was quite offending, but she tried to brush it off. This was and inu, after all. Most were like this. “You would sense the same amount even if they were asleep. It is a trained usage of power and it takes years to master the senses.”

“Oh,” Kagome replied, feeling somewhat cross. It wasn't as though every human, let alone every monk and miko, should know such a thing. “That's fairly interesting.”

“Why do you not like caves?” Jia then asked, being very good with a lack of entitlement. Kagome had informed her as nicely as possible a few days ago that if she was called Lady one more time then the girl would regret it.

Kagome had an anti-relaxing rant then, and completely skipped over any part to which she had a stupid reaction, which happened to be a lot of the story. Most of the Sesshomaru details, anyway. It was odd, but it seemed that Chiro brightened in hearing how the two of them got along. Then again, wasn't everyone? Kagome was now used to being seen as the mysterious, foul tempered miko who came to fight the lord and who stayed by a counselor's side. Apparently, age difference in terms of romantic interests was a rather minute worry for yÅkai.

“Hm,” Chiro hummed once Kagome reached the end of her short tale. “That sounds like him...”

“Do you know him well?” Kagome asked, intrigued.

“Oh yes,” Chiro replied. “I have been a servant here for all my life, and I do hope you know that if there is one thing servants are good at it is learning everything about those higher in rank and gossiping about it.”

Kagome smirked. “Yeah, I know. That's why Jia's here.”

Jia flushed brilliantly.

“Don't deny it, I know better than to think otherwise,” Kagome giggled across the brim of her thick ceramic tea cup. “... You are dressed very nicely for a servant, Chiro.”

Chiro smiled in that oddly toothy manner of hers. “It is because I am experienced.”

... Alright, she supposed that made sense. Most of the older yÅkai servants dressed better anyway. Did they get a salary to buy fairly fine garments, or was it a sign of favoritism from lords and ladies? Who knew, it could even be a way of ranking the servants by having them dress differently. Kagome had seen someone in a simple off white kimono with stains and worn spots at the knees before, but that was probably because he was handling chamber pots... Kagome never knew how nice it was to have porcelain under her until it was replaced by a pot which didn't empty with the push of a lever...

Kagome's attention was caught by Jia blushing over nothing and dismissing herself to continue with her job, which happened to be cleaning the tea dishes.

Once the room's sliding door clattered shut, Kagome found herself in the company of an absolute stranger.

“So, what is your position here?” she asked, trying to make conversation and feeling like she was doing a bad job of it.

Chiro actually seemed delighted by it though. “I am a personal servant. Somewhat like Jia's duty to you, save for my position is permanent.”

Kagome's eyebrows rose slightly. “You must be good at what you do to guarantee a position.”

Chiro smiled, appearing as though her ego was just stroked fondly. “I suppose. ... I have been meaning to ask you in person rather than relying on the rumors here. Is it true that you wish to kill the lord here and claim this o-shiro?”

Kagome was terribly shocked. “Oh, kami, no!”

Chiro perked up, bodily asking for details.

Kagome blew the ever growing bangs from her face with a huff. “Trust me, the last thing I want is responsibility over the largest pack of inu known to man...”

Chiro openly laughed at that, and Kagome couldn't help but join in. Their conversation continued for quite a while, going from that to her reasonings as to why, to denial over love interests, then quickly to shared wonders as to why the southern regiment was attacked.

“From what I have gathered,” Chiro stated, Jia replacing the sheets of Kagome's bed no matter how often Kagome said she'd be fine with the same ones for more than twenty four hours, “there is not much there to be had save for soldiers, supplies, and weapons. It seems rather illogical that they attack such a reinforced place with ruffians against soldiers...”

“Hm,” Kagome replied. “True. Did they have any advantage to attacking though? Maybe there was a food shipment? I hear food is rather short of late.”

“M-hm,” the yÅkai agreed. “I do not know if they would be so desperate, considering all of the disadvantages for them. There must be something rather valuable in mind, since those lizards actually roused themselves for the winter to attack.

That was an intriguing little fact. Both Kagome's and Chiro's attentions were caught by two returning auras, and Chiro dismissed herself to greet them. Kagome remained in her room though. She did not want to go outside to shove Sheng having lied into his face, it was dark out now anyway, and the newly made bed was quite inviting.

It was not until two days later that Kagome found herself stuck in Sesshomaru's presence again, and that was when she accompanied Sheng to a meeting. By being stuck in that particular yÅkai's presence though, she meant that the two of them were shunned from the room at the same time. Apparently, some prudent council matters which could not be provoked by the lord's opinions needed taking care of, and Sesshomaru made comment that his mother was indeed not part of the council as well.

Sheng had then made the reply that her opinions were rather helpful and not nearly as pressing as Sesshomaru's, leaving the daiyÅkai to leave with a tainted mood.

Which was just ducky for Kagome...

“So...” Kagome began, watching Sesshomaru's ears twitch as he tried to catch the whispers from inside, “How's life?”

“Long,” he answered. Kagome was more surprised by his actually replying than by the reply itself, which seemed to be a joke. It was hard to tell with him though.

“Hm,” Kagome giggled in her throat once. She decided to put off hating him until they were allowed back inside. “If you're complaining, then I'm sure someone can do something for you to shorten it.”

She felt achieved when an impossibly small smirk appeared on his arrogant face. “And who would that be?”

“Oh,” she began, saying the first thing she thought of. “Either TÅtÅsai or Myoga. Then again, I think those two would prefer avoiding your 'overwhelming' presence...”

Memories crashed down on her when the barest of chuckles emitted from Sesshomaru, and a comfortable warmth settled in her to see a glimpse of the man who could laugh. Heh, she still had it... He was just too stubborn to admit it, wasn't he? Did yÅkai see it as a weakness to find mirth in life? If so, then Sheng must be viewed as a simplistic twit, and she was certain that such a thing was not possible.

There was a short span of silence, Kagome smiling all the while while watching the door.

“You know,” she interrupted the stillness, recalling something from a long time ago, “I bet laughing still suits you...”

She watched as his brow furrowed slightly, then barely rose. He remembered that moment. “Perhaps. Being who and what I am, however, makes it something I may not indulge in.” She frowned at him, and he noticed it without shifting his gaze. “I may not 'act my age' here until matters are solved.”

She scoffed at him, wishing her right arm wasn't bandaged so she could cross them. “There will always be matters to attend to. It would be rather dumb of you to think otherwise. It would also be dumb of you to life a dull life for the sake of responsibility.”

Sesshomaru rolled his shoulders, dragging more memories into her mind. Was he really still the same man? If so, then which mask was the fake? His almost human emotions, or his stoic nature? If it was the latter, then he was really good at wearing it... Maybe a little digging was needed to see the hidden side.

“Hm,” she hummed, the silence stretching again. She giggled then, and looked away from the door so the back of her head faced the yÅkai lord. “You know, the girls were rather shocked to hear you had 'moved away'.” He was silent, but there was something in the air which had Kagome thinking that he was humored by that. “And apparently, Yuka was hoping that something would romantically flourish.”

She felt his eyes on her, and turned to confirm that. There was an odd and immensely vague expression on his face, and she couldn't put a name on it but it made her turn and blush.

“Between you and her, that is,” she supplied, stuttering slightly. Kami, for having such a limited range of facial expressions his certainly were effective. “In case her prancing around in a thonged bikini wasn't obvious enough...” He chuckled, and she smirked, mostly at herself. “Yeah, I know. I told her it was stupid, and had to find another reason other than you despise humans and would never, ever take one seriously in any romantic manner. Your 'moving away' was perfect.”

...

“Some humans,” he began, glancing at the door, “are bearable.”

She looked up at him, needing to see what face he was making now, but her attention was jerked forward when the door opened and they were allowed back inside.

On her tenth evening there she welcomed a session of solidarity, laying on her belly to enjoy what lay outside her room. The floor of the small walking deck to which her door would open was hard but warm under her, which was a pleasant contrast to the soft and cold which nestled nearby. Usually, Kagome would never relax in such a manner, but it was nice. Frigid, but enjoyable, especially with the crystallized flakes of winter slowly dancing to a rest. It was so quiet, and with her energy bottled so as to ignore every yÅkai there it was also peaceful. She wondered if Sesshomaru could hear such small flakes when they landed...

...

It was two days since she had spoken with him outside the meeting, which was marked by the thickness of the slowly waxing moon. The bigger it got, the more she was reminded of the lord, with that funny marking on his forehead. Was it a tattoo, or a birth mark? Then he goes and has matching marks on his cheeks and wrists... Were they elsewhere?

...

Even if there were a patch of snow right there, Kagome would have still buried her face into it. Now her nose just kissed the floor as she tried to will the thoughts from her head. Still, the more she tried, the more she thought of it...

No one came to interrupt her minor fantasies that evening, and having sufficiently numbed herself she retired for the evening, expecting quite exciting dreams.

The next day, by mid morning, Kagome was dressed up again and Chiro came to visit. She was quite the annoying being at times, but at others she was delight and easily took Kagome's mind off of Sesshomaru. Kagome was invited to spend time with her for the day, which proved to be interesting. Whereas Sheng was able to give Kagome access to well spoken individuals, she had to admit that such was not her preference.

The servants quarters were far more interesting.

“Hello, mother,” Chiro greeted a yÅkai who still looked to be in her early twenties. The woman was bent over a basin, washing something.

“Oh. Hello, dear,” the woman replied without looking. “How was your evening?”

It seemed odd to Kagome to ask about someone's evening and not the day, but she supposed there was an appropriate reason for that.

“Oh, just fine,” Chiro replied. “The minor servants had placed too many braziers in my room though, so it was far too hot by the time I went to sleep.”

The mother nodded, then peered over her hunched shoulder and regarded Kagome. “And who is this? An addition?”

Chiro giggled. “No, mother, this is no servant. This is the miko who came here eleven days ago.”

Kagome was mildly surprised when the yÅkai's eyes hardened at her, probably seeing only a miko and not a sentient being with feelings.

“I see... I'm sure you'll guarantee that she has fun before her untimely death...”

Kagome's eyes widened at the sudden comment, the woman returning to her laundry washing.

“Do not mind her,” Chiro reassured, gently guiding Kagome away by pressing her shoulder blade. “She can be quite the blunt bitch.”

Within a few hours, Kagome came to terms with the fact that life here was dull. By the afternoon she was itching for an argument with Sesshomaru, but since both he and Sheng returned to the regiment for a checkup she was left to her own musings...

“Hey Jia,” she began, the young yÅkai checking the braziers while she sat training her energy at the foot of her bed.

“Yes?” the young girl asked. She was very good at not giving Kagome annoying titles...

“Are there any balls here?”

“Balls?” she inquired, genuinely curious.

“Yeah. Nothing ornate, just a playing ball. Like for a kid.”

Jia looked surprised. “Well, yes, certainly. Would you like one brought here?”

“Yes please,” Kagome replied. “Make that three of them.”

Three ancient temari leather playing balls, freshly made, were brought for Kagome's enjoyment. She used them in her training, sharpening her control over flying objects. She had two set spinning in the air, the inner circle just wide enough to accommodate the remaining ball, and as she was trying to shoot the last through the whirling hoop someone knocked.

Kagome blinked when three objects began bouncing around the room.

“Come in!” she invited, gathering them up again.

“My, my, how humans entertain themselves,” Chiro commented.

Kagome smirked. “It's better than sitting around uselessly all day.”

Chiro giggled, and walked in to close the door. “You are welcome to make a decorative temari ball whenever you choose, rather than play with the toys of the o-shiro brats. It is a common practice among ladies to craft the ornate balls.”

“I'll think about it,” Kagome replied, concentrating on getting her leather ring spinning again and staying in one place. “I'm training right now though, so my apologies if you get hit by something.”

Chiro smirked. “Oh, and harm my complexion? Such a thing would be dreadful.”

Kagome chortled. “Oh, yes, a sin I'm sure.” Oh yeah, she got it through. She was getting better.

They had a very uninteresting conversation then, which was brief and consisted mostly of body language. Since Kagome was rather focused though, and not on the inu, she was soon left to be by herself again. Life was very boring.

Three days later marked Kagome's second week there, and she got to thinking that she was halfway to resuming that fight with Sesshomaru. Even if it was a fight to the death, she knew she would never kill him, and that meant that she had to be good enough to win and then get out of there. Winning was easy, winning and then refusing what was yours was the hard part...

“Hah!” she yelled again, making a rather hard slice with her sword. She needed the momentum of the swing to spiral spin in a double kick, a move which only seemed useful in the movies, and when she landed she almost twisted her ankle.

“Dammit,” she muttered, lifting her foot out of the snow imprint she had created earlier. Practicing in powder was fine, until you had a substantial amount of uneven ground. She lifted her leg to shake loose the muscles in her foot, and huffed as the sweat on her back became itchy. “Glad to see you're back.”

She heard Sheng chuckle, having been standing in one place for a while to watch.

“You know, you lied to me,” she told him, sheathing her blade while turning to face him. “You said you'd be there...”

A solitary eyebrow quirked at her, and he grinned. “Yes. Yes I did. I apologize that pressing matters came up.”

She came up to stand with him out of the snow. “Do you know how scary it is to fall off a cave bridge?”

“Nope,” he admitted. “I'm sure the fall was brief?”

Kagome scoffed. “Yeah, but that was rather unexpected.” She wiped sweat off her brow with her snowy sleeve, which was a bit counterproductive. The motion made her collar bone sting, but she had decided that it mended enough to continue with her practices. She'd see by tonight depending on whether or not it swelled.

“Really?” he asked.

“You know, you give Sesshomaru a hell of a lot of credit,” she told him, punching his right arm with her left fist. It was a guy accepted thing to do, which she observed in high school with how the boys slapped one another and shoulder-jumped to prove they truly existed on the Earth, so he chuckled.

“So you met Chiro?”

“Yeah,” Kagome replied. “She's kind of self centered. And bitchy. ... How could you tell?”

She smirked when he tapped his nose as though he were Santa and about to shoot up the chimney.

“Hm...” she replied, satisfied with the answer. “... I have an odd question for you.”

“Alright.”

“What do I smell like?”

He blinked at her, then smirked and ran a hand through his untied hair. For some reason he wore it loose today. “That would be hard to explain.”

“Care to try over tea and sake?” she invited.

Five minutes later, she sat down to discover what she smelled like.

“So,” he began, setting his cup aside to be refilled. “Are you sure you are ready to hear it?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I asked, didn't I?” Besides, it was just her scent, not her fortune.

He nodded, taking her point, and dismissed the servants. He hated being waited upon. “Well, in all simplicity, you smell like Kagome the miko,” he began.

She balked. “Well, yeah, but what does that smell like?”

He hummed at nothing, seeming to concentrate. “It smells like a very healthy female, young and in her prime for mating, but like one who is not interested in finding suitors.”

She absolutely refused to choke on her tea.

“Then the defining features of your scent are what identify you.” His brow was furrowed, like he was trying to get a word off the tip of his tongue. Apparently this was the hard part, and she had a feeling it would take a while. “You are someone who is determined, and not genuinely afraid of anyone. You act tough, but only to someone who may or has hurt you. Underneath that, you are trusting, truthful, dedicated, wise, intelligent, sarcastic, outspoken, respectable, but most of all happy.” He stopped to think, and fixed his eyes on her own. “The most prominent scent coming off of you though, for now, is uncertainty. You are seeking something, and are not finding it. Because of that you are also angry, and sad, and for some reason you want to be.”

She blinked at him. “No one wants to be angry and sad...”

He smirked. “That is the confusing bit about you. You are truthful, but not to yourself.”

She was frowning now. “... And, this is all on my scent...?”

He nodded, and she gave a heavy sigh. “If there's more, I don't want to hear it.”

“Oh, splendid,” he replied, taking another drink. “Because that would take all day.”

She giggled at him. “Do I stink, or is it just an odd and precise personality test?”

He shrugged, and smiled at her being affronted. “Well, there is sweat on you, that much is quite obvious to the nose.”

She glared. “You are so mean...”

He laughed, and when he was done he continued speaking. “The funny thing about your scent, which I'm sure has caught a bit of attention, is that no one needs to have a developed sense of smell to know exactly who and what you are.”

“... Is that a compliment?”

“Yes. Very much so,” he supplied. “It proves how much you honor yourself, and if you honor yourself then others honor you.”

Her brain turned ninety degrees to try and process that last bit. “Ah... Thanks... I think.” Did he just call her an open book??

“Do not feel insulted,” he almost scolded. She supposed that had been on her scent too... “Also, the council has decided that the day before your fight with Sesshomaru resumes, the two of you will strengthen that barrier again.”

“What?!” she demanded. “I thought it was only a once a month thing!”

“It is,” he replied. “However, if the battle proves to have a very unfavorable outcome, it would leave us with a mere six days in which to find an alternative sealing method.”

“That can't be the only reason you'd do that to me,” she stated.

“Can you think of another?” he tested, looking humored for some reason.

“Well... No, not really...” Unless they were all sick and evil. “But there must be another method plotted out already...”

“There should be,” he agreed. “But it has never been an issue until now.”

Kagome dug her palms into her eye sockets. Dogs gave her headaches...

That evening she did have a sore shoulder, and it had her waking up wincing.

“I've bed ridden myself...” she complained to Jia, who looked around the room for something to do.

“I did suggest that you not practice,” she almost scolded, which impressed Kagome to no end. This girl was a good student.

“Yeah, but you didn't say anything about sleeping on it,” Kagome fired back happily, feeling her head beat with her heart. “Uuuuuugh... Don't you guys have anything like aspirin?”

“Like what, my l-?” Jia caught herself, and ended her sentence there.

“Like, something for my head, it hurts.”

The girl walked over to look at Kagome.

“... Well, I do not see an injury...”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “I have a headache, not an injury...”

“What is a headache?”

Kagome blinked at the girl. She hated yÅkai...

“Uuuuuuugh... Don't you have any pain reliever, or herbs someone takes before surgery or something??”

“Well, we do have something to relieve pain,” Jia began, sounding uncertain, “but I-”

“No buts,” Kagome almost snapped. Being in pain was not the best way to suppress irritability. “Sorry. Please, just bring it to me.”

Jia bowed slightly, and walked off to get it. Kagome, not wanting to see the light of day, lifted her left arm over her eyes. By the time Jia returned, Kagome had fallen back asleep.

“Is that it?” she asked, pained by hearing her own voice. This wasn't her average headache...

“Yes,” Jia replied, setting the flat tray on the table and pouring some tea. Into it went an odd liquid, and only a quick tip of the long necked glass bottle it from which it came was added to the tea. “You are sure you want this?”

“Of course,” Kagome replied, taking the offered cup and drinking it as fast she could. Gasping over the quick swallows, she moved her tongue, then licked her lips, and she didn't taste a thing. She had been expecting it to be nasty like Kaede's herbal remedies, but this had no flavor at all. ... In fact... “Is this just water?”

“The majority of the liquid was, yes,” Jia confirmed.

“... Why do you look so nervous?” Kagome asked, feeling the pain ebb already.

“Well, this particular pain reliever has not been used outside of my species...”

Kagome could actually feel herself pale, and the cup slipped from her fingers. She flexed her hand, and it was extraordinarily difficult. Then she blinked because there were six- No, eight fingers on that hand. That didn't worry her though she looked from her hand, to the wall, to the ceiling...

...

... ...

... ... ...

“Kagome!”

Kagome was shocked and shot up out of bed, the box spring mattress bouncing her slightly with the movement.

“Kagome! Wake up, you'll be late for school!”

... School...? She went through a quick panic. Did she do her homework?? Did she remember to get her math book back from Sota? She didn't know, so she yanked the covers aside and stepped out of bed.

She was wearing hakama... Oh, right, that school... Her mom bleached her martial arts outfit, how cute...

“Sota!” she went screaming down the stairs anyway. “Do you have my science book?!”

“I thought you wanted your math book!” he yelled back to her.

Oh... Right... “Ah, both!” she replied. She opened his bedroom door, and grabbing them she ran back to her room and put the books on her desk. She had to move a different book though, and frowned. It was English.

“Sesshomaru, can't you study in your own room?” she asked the yÅkai, who happened to be translating a book at her desk.

He ignored her, and she slapped him upside the head before getting her sword. He didn't respond to that, and for some reason she was disappointed.

“Well, see ya!” she cheered with a wave, running down the stairs from her room. The steps turned to cement, which was good because looking up she saw the small dojo she practiced in.

“Hey, Keiji!” she greeted the teenager still getting ready on the bench. She looked around for someone to spar, since she had her equipment on already. “Oye! Sesshomaru! Wanna fight?”

He glanced at her, and she suddenly felt something in her chest. Looking down, there was a sword, and looking up she saw the same yÅkai still looking at her.

“Well, that was rude,” she told him, taking Tenseiga from herself and sheathing it. It was snowing, and they were in a small woodland clearing.

“It sure was,” Inuyasha commented, seeming very uninterested in all of this.

“Funny though,” Sheng commented, suddenly at her side. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, and threw Tenseiga back to Sesshomaru. Sheng looked serious all of a sudden, which worried her. “You do not know what that was, do you?”

That question was familiar, and Kagome looked forward to see Sesshomaru looking at her from across the bridge in the cave, eyes glowing with a blue crystal in his hand. She wanted to scream at him, and she held out a hand to take the essence back into herself. The daiyÅkai gently folded his fingers around it though, keeping it, and disappeared. She was left alone in the dark. The bridge gave way under her feet, and there was no one to catch her.

“GAH!!”

Kagome blinked, and noticed that she was sitting up in a bed again, panting horribly and sweating like no other. Her chest heaved with a heavy heart, which beat twice with every quick breath. Her arms shook as her fists clutched the blankets, and blinking again revealed the rest of the room.

“Are you alright?”

Kagome quickly looked over to see Sesshomaru sitting at her short table again, though not reading anything this time. She pinched herself to see if she was still out of it, which seemed to confuse him.

“Hopefully you are not delusional from a mild dose of Aconitum root...”

She frowned, then looked around, then frowned at him. “Of what?”

“The 'pain reliever',” he told her in a flat tone. “Unless you do not recall.”

“No, I recall,” she confirmed, making sure all her limbs were properly working again. “... Why are you here?”

He frowned at her, and Tenseiga pulsed from where it lay on the tabletop. “To assure that your death was valid, should my opponent die before our fight.”

Tenseiga pulsed a few more times, seeming annoyed. Sesshomaru was the genuinely irked one though, like he was forced to be there. ... That ass... She could hate him even on a presumption, let alone his choice statements, and people thought they were interested in one another... Laughable... She couldn't help her feminine side thinking that he was pretty in the moon li- It was NIGHT?!

“How long was I asleep??” she asked, shocked. It was just morning, wasn't it?

“Two and a half days,” he told her. “And you snore.”

She was dumbfounded in more ways than one, and stared at him until acknowledging that her anger wanted a piece of him. “A- Well, at least I don't grope people in my sleep!” she fired back.

He actually smirked. “How would you know?”

She felt like her head was a match, red and welcoming ignition to end her embarrassment. “I guess that would make us even on that note...” She frowned at the look of achievement on his face. “You must have been in my room for quite a while to not know snoring as a rare occurrence on my behalf, Sesshomaru...”

His expression revealed how completely off guard she had caught him on that topic, and it made her giggle inside. Oh yes, she was implying something. “Is it morning or night now?”

He blinked when she suddenly went off the topic, then seemed to recall that he was irked. “Morning.”

Her eighteenth day there... Ugh... A month was a long time when you had nothing to do. Perhaps she'd talk to Chiro about that temari ball making thing. But, since her shoulder was feeling superb, she decided to throw it out of mending again.

“Does your physical well being hold no precedence in your life?” Sesshomaru asked as she hopped out of bed to grab her sword, propped in the corner.

“Well,” she began, partially unsheathing the blade to examine it before jamming it back in and tucking the scabbard between the straps of her hakama. It still hurt to move her right arm, it always did, but pain was simply a sensation and one she could ignore. “As Maslow's hierarchy of needs states,” she began, rounding on him, “I am an oddity because the second step of my pyramid doesn't matter so long as the forth is being progressively slaughtered by a certain yÅkai from the feudal era, and since that certain yÅkai IS in the feudal era, I feel alloted to skip any pyramid step I choose because everything is my life is really screwed up.”

After offering a wide smile of toothy sarcasm, she left him to puzzle that out. Psychology, she supposed, wasn't his specialty. Unless, of course, it was, and he just used what he knew to make others completely miserable, which sounded fitting for him... ... She stepped into her boots, laced them quickly, stepped outside and began hacking at imaginary Sesshy's all over the place.

After five minutes, Sesshomaru was done pondering and back to destroying that fourth level of the pyramid again; which happened to be her self-esteem.

“Your form is more befitting of an ax rather than a sword.”

She stopped, and sighed. “And this Kagome believes that your personality is more befitting of a headsman rather than a lord.”

She looked just in time to see his bemusement. Ah yes. Now they were even. Time to tip the scale in her favor.

“And for your information, Sesshy, your advice to learn the basics and then develop your own style positively sucks.”

“I would have to disagree...”

Kagome looked quickly to see Sheng, who had mysteriously appeared in the doorway which opened to the hall outside her room. She rolled her eyes, and scrubbed a hand through her hair. ... She needed a bath...

“Just so you know,” she told him, pointing an accusatory finger at the roof over his head as she shook it, “I did not need to study the way of the sword to survive or impress people in my time, unlike you yÅkai, and I do not have a ridiculously long life to go perfecting a thing not necessary to me!”

Sheng smirked, and Sesshomaru just looked bored. Why was he even there still?

“So why did you learn it?” Sheng asked.

Kagome huffed, and watched the moonlit vapor waft in front of her face. “Because I wanted to show a certain idiot up.”

That certain idiot glared at her with golden eyes. “You must be joking to believe you stand any chance against me in swordsmanship...”

“I was doing just fine until you went and broke my clavicle, you sadistic ass wipe!” she yelled at him, nicely fired up to have a good argument.

“Alright children,” Sheng laughed. He got two scowls at that suggestion. “No need to fight just because your personalities are too similar to cope.”

“I am nothing like-” Kagome and Sesshomaru stopped in their simultaneous statement to look at one another.

“Fuck off,” Kagome scoffed. “The both of you. I'm too fried to tolerate inu right now.”

“Fried?” Sheng asked. “You have slept for two and a half days, you should be quite relaxed.”

She gave him a flat glare. “On the contrary, humans feel like lethargic pieces of shit if they get more than ten hours of sleep in one sitting...”

That seemed like news for both of them.

“Now if you don't mind,” she continued, “I'm going to exercise myself out of this lazy and irritable stupor, take a bath, eat something, and then be so utterly bored for the rest of the day that I will sleep tonight just to entertain myself.”

That had Sheng laughing, and after a while she was able to check off the first three things on her to-do list. The old yÅkai seemed willing to not allow her life to be so boring though...

“What do humans do for fun?” he asked, the rising sun glinting off his armor.

“Depends on the age group,” she answered vaguely. Why did he always have to butt in on her meals?? If he wanted to see a cow eat, he could get off that island and visit India.

“Yours.”

She sighed through her nose, since her mouth was full. Swallowing it all at once to talk was rather painful. “Nothing that can be done here without en mass training.”

That caught his attention. He even let her know it had. So, by that afternoon, Sheng came to fetch her claiming that he had accumulated a group of intrigued individuals.

He didn't say it was a quarter of those living in the o-shiro...

“By group,” Kagome began, standing at his side to see the yÅkai of various levels flocked into the largest room that place had to offer, “humans are led to imagine about twenty gathered bodies.”

“Ah,” he replied, seeming amused. “And what would humans call this gathering?”

She stared. “Either a crowd or a mob...”

So, once everyone's attentions were gathered, Kagome found herself ready to talk about games in the future to yÅkai who should not have been interested, especially those in armor. The children, sitting closest to her somewhat elevated self, looked ready to have some great mystery poured onto them. It saddened her that she never saw or heard children playing, that must have been quite boring.

“Well,” she began, quite embarrassed over everyone being there, “the sport which is most popular in the future is called soccer...”

Kagome was absolutely shocked at how everyone there eagerly listened, and when she said she couldn't coach anymore and had to take a break they were all disappointed. She promised to continue teaching them the sport when she came back though, and suggested that they get some of the necessities ready for practice.

She walked out with closed eyes, which felt swollen, turned, closed the door, turned back, opened them, and flinched.

“What exactly are you orchestrating in my o-shiro?”

She felt her shoulders sag. She didn't have the energy to deal with Sesshomaru right now... “You know, sports make people happy...”

He blinked at her, and her face screwed up with dread over the inevitable yawn she had in store for herself. She let it out into her hand in front of the daiyÅkai, and he seemed offended by it.

“Oh, get over yourself,” she scoffed at him. “I'm tired, oh well. Just because the universe revolves around you doesn't mean that me or my yawns have to as well.”

For some reason, that seemed to make him more mad.

“Here's an idea,” she offered, interrupting herself to yawn hard enough to summon tears. “Oye, you do whatever lordly thing you must, and I'll be on my merry way, and we never have to see one another again. How's that?”

She didn't wait for an answer though, beginning to walk past him, and that seemed to be the reason why he reached out and grabbed her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks.

“Yes?” she asked him, tired and not ready to be angry with him. She just wanted at least three hours of sleep, that was all... She waited for a moment. “... I'm not telepathic and can't read your scent, Sesshomaru. If you want to tell me something, you have to either say it or keep it to yourself.”

His eyes narrowed, and he released his hold on her.

“Alright then,” she commented, brushing off her sleeve and recalling the soreness in her arm, “see ya.”

Despite how tired she was, Kagome couldn't get to sleep. So she roused herself, took a pen and paper from her backpack, and began to write down all the rules of soccer so she didn't have to repeat them so many times.

It must have been two in the morning by the time someone knocked on her door.

“Come in,” she invited, wondering vaguely if they bore tea. She had supposed as much, since it was an aura she hadn't bothered to memorize yet, and looking up she saw Li Hua step in.

Kagome was absolutely shocked, and the yÅkai smiled over it.

“Are you busy?” the woman asked.

“Ah, no,” Kagome replied. Why was Sesshomaru's mother there?

The graceful lady had herself a seat in the room, and asked of a servant in the hall to bring tea and rice balls.

Kagome found herself smiling. “I didn't know that rice balls were not too plain for royalty...”

Li Hua turned her ever present simpering face to Kagome. “I did not say that they were for myself.”

... Li Hua, one. Kagome, zero. Damn... Kagome smiled though. “I see. By the way, about what you last said to me-”

“Do not try to deny it,” the daiyÅkai told her.

Kagome gapped. This woman was not terribly worried about interrupting someone... “Deny what?”

Li Hua smiled. “You know, little miko, when my son first left to discover who had entered the lands so long ago I was terribly resentful of what you were.” That was quite the way to start a conversation, but the woman's facial expression did not look to be rude. “There is, however, some saving grace about you. I had been wondering for a very long time who my son had met four years ago. I believed he came across a powerful and respectful inu who was so riveting in every way that she could change his way of living in a matter of weeks.”

Kagome blushed slightly, feeling that treacherous blood color her cheeks.

Li Hua smiled almost sweetly. “My son had indeed met someone, but he never spoke of her or left to visit. He did leave on numerous occasions, but smelling of slight disappointment rather than lust. After a year, I came to the conclusion that it was one of two things. Either the woman who stole his sanity no longer lived, or she had rejected him.”

Kagome was full out red. She had changed him? ... No, she couldn't have. He was still an ass... And the person who could steal anything of his would most certainly be the next individual to die on that planet.

“When I asked him about it,” Li Hua continued through Kagome's overheating, “he said that neither was true. So, knowing my son, the only other option was that the female his mind was occupied with was a human...”

Kagome wanted to just turn invisible... Certainly none of this was true.

Li Hua looked like a child holding a lolly pop over a toddler, waiting for the screaming to begin. “And so that image of my son courting a human turned into one of him courting a miko. After a few hours of imaging as much though, he came back simply reeking of disappointment and would not speak to anyone.”

Kagome blinked. Was Sesshomaru that immature? Would he let one kiss set off his mood? ... But, then again, that would mean that he had been jealous, or- Or angry, or... Or something else utterly unthinkable... ... Ok, kami, her head was going to explode with how much blood there was in it... This woman must be desperate for some amusement if she was there lying to get a rise from her.

“And so, although I was highly disapproving of a miko being the love interest of my arrogant son,” Li Hua admitted, “I was even more disapproving to the idea that something which made him so delightful should be taken away from him.”

Kagome snorted then, covering her mouth.

“You believe this to all be a lie?” Li Hua asked, entertained.

Kagome nodded. “None of that can possibly be true...”

“No?” the yÅkai asked. “Why not?”

Kagome didn't have an answer to that, and the woman chuckled. “Oh my. It seems my son enjoys making his life difficult.”

Kagome felt herself light up again. What she wouldn't give to have even a smidgen of control over herself...

“It seems that you enjoy making life hard on yourself as well,” Li Hua commented, glancing over to see the tea and food arrive. “Tell me, miko, why do you resist?”

Kagome was completely humiliated, and didn't know why. “Well... Ah...” She wanted to kick herself, then dig a hole precisely six feet long, three feet wide, and six feet deep... “... Why wouldn't I?”

Li Hua seemed taken aback. “Excuse me?”

Kagome giggled lightly, heart wanting to jump into her throat. “Why would I ever want anything to do with him? I mean, yes, he's powerful and, dare I say, drop dead gorgeous at times, but... ... He's just not my type. And, I'm a human, so he would resent me anyway.”

Li Hua smiled, and reached over to pat the top of Kagome's hand, which was holding its counterpart nervously atop the table.

“We will see,” she stated, pulling back. “Some things are meant to be, and some things are not. I suggest though that on every encounter you have with him, you keep in mind that he is thinking of nothing other than how beautiful you are and how splendid your presence is, even if bearing with sarcasm and mild attacks is necessary.”

Kagome laughed once, and opened her mouth to speak.

“No not even think to second guess me,” Li Hua almost scolded while standing. “I am his mother, I am allowed to tell you what his scent reveals every time he sees you. And if your senses were not completely useless then I would not have to be here explaining things to you.”

Kagome gapped. Well, so that's where Sesshomaru got it from...

The yÅkai smiled warmly then, and left with a 'good luck'.

Kagome counted the seconds which remained of her eighteenth day there, and upon the dawn of the nineteenth she decided in the bath that she was going to avoid that man as much as possible, at all costs, until she could beat him and then start to dig for the Bone Eater's Well through all that snow before she died in the past of embarrassment. The really horrifying thing about what Sesshomaru's mother had mentioned though was how much sense it made, and how what she said supported Sheng and Sango in their random comments.

Kagome blushed, and lowered herself a tad more deeply into the water. Was it possible...? Her groan turned into bubbles which popped against the bridge of her nose. It just made too much sense, and because of that dumb idea she was absolutely terrified to ever see that daiyÅkai ever again, because when she did he would most definitely notice her sudden feminine nervousness, and a side of her didn't want to see any reaction he could have to that...

A/N: Hello! I hope it was interesting! Mothers are odd woman, aren't they...

I must admit that I'm going through the days in this like water through your fingers, but the really dumb thing is that I simply can't A: perceive life there as interesting, or B: have those two run into one another all the time, because it just doesn't seem like something they'd do... So, time is going quickly, but that's mostly because I want to get important details in without boring readers, so that opens the door to better events. :D Believe me, I have ample events in store of these two, and I am going to have so much fun writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it... Anyway, I hope I had kept everyone entertained while 'killing time'. I really hate the fact I'm doing that, it feels like cheating... :P

By the way, just because I'm curious, I was wondering if this fic was actually getting worse in any way. I feel really stupid for asking as much, but (and it's probably circumstance) for the last chapter, I got the least reviews for it than I had for any other in this part of the story. Not that I'm demanding reviews or anything, I was just wondering if there was an after-you-read-it-bad-feeling thing going on there. It just seemed really odd and I was wondering if there was something I could change/edit, that's all. :) No biggie, just curious.

Also, I didn't re-read some parts yet, I was too excited about posting again. Sorry for the errors, I know there has to be some. Hopefully they weren't completely story-jarring though. :D

Thanks for reading! Review, please!