InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Gods and Monsters ❯ Chapter 41: Time Flies ( Chapter 41 )

A/N: Great bows of thanks to Ithilwen and Nanda for their input on this chapter - it was invaluable. And, as always, a heaping helping of Black Forest Cake for Everstar, without whom this fic would have stalled twenty chapters ago.

Chapter 41: Time Flies

If you should stop for a while,
You will find me standing by,
Over here at the side of your life;
I'd like to hold you still, remind you of all you've missed,
If you have a little time,
If you have a little time, that is.

"Do You Have a Little Time" ~ Dido

Three days. It didn't seem like a great deal of time. In fact, three days had often passed without Teles' notice. Of course, that had been before - when days were whiled away on Olympus in a haze of soft light, sweet smells, and melodious music, when the time spent in her waters was filled with the blazing sun, the tang of the ocean, and the wild crashing of the waves - her water's own music. Days passed in either place, usually without her notice.

What were days in the life of an immortal, anyway? Tiny, insignificant specks - grains of sand on a beach, stars in the sky, or blades of grass in a field - only more. More than any being could conceivably count.

But now... now, three days crept by. They seemed endless, blank, and silent. It had nothing to do with either Kagome's hospitality or that of her family. Quite the contrary, in fact. They were kind, open people, who had made her feel welcome. Even Kagome's grandfather had ceased trying to seal her.

Teles should have been happy. She should have been content. She should not have been sitting by the window, watching as twilight spread out over the courtyard, making the shadows lengthen, stretching the gathering darkness until the world seemed to be colored in shades of purple. She should not have sighed. She should not have felt so unaccountably lonely - not in a house full of people.

And yet... she did.

She had not managed to rid her mind of the dream that had woken her up several nights before. Teles caught herself turning it over in her mind - the wild fear she felt when she realized that she would have given everything up quite willingly if it meant remaining with him. He was her Siren. He called to her. Even now as she tried to resist him, she felt her chest clench, squeezing her from the inside with every moment that passed without him.

Her fingers traced the folded paper she held in her lap. She didn't need to open it, didn't need to read it again; she knew it by heart now. She could hear his voice in her head, reciting the words that traveled down her spine, making her limbs tingle with warmth.

She wanted to speak to him, wanted to see him - she wanted these things.

But what Teles had never wanted was to sacrifice her will. She would not become like those endless sailors, or those mindless wolf youkai. Her body was human, but her soul - her soul was as it had ever been. She would not sacrifice that which she held so dear; she refused.

And so it seemed that the horrible tightening in her chest would continue to war against the warmth in her veins.

Resting her elbow against the windowsill, Teles expelled a heavy breath.

She found herself wishing for the little monk's company. He was an excellent listener. A tiny smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she considered what manner of advice he might have offered her given her present situation.

Why do I think one of his first questions would have been in regards to the appraised value of Sesshoumaru's gifts?

Her shoulders moved as she uttered a soft, short laugh. Yes. He would have asked her something like that, and then leaned back, rolling the shakujou between his hands, pleased with himself that he'd managed to make her laugh.

Teles smiled as she gazed down at the well-house. She could hear Miroku's smooth voice clearly in her mind. 'First you have to ask yourself, Teles-sama, what it is you're afraid of.'

That's easy, she thought, twining a lock of hair around her finger. I am afraid of the fact that I cannot resist him. I love him, yes, but I am still myself. I should not feel such a wild desire to see him. It feels reckless. Dangerous.

The trees beyond Teles' window began to sway in the strengthening wind, and she rested her forehead against the glass, her eyes straining to see the shapes in the shadows. The little monk's imagined reply ribboned through her mind again.

'Do you have so very little trust in yourself? In your judgment?'

"No, little monk," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I... I fear that my will is overpowered where he is concerned. I need him like I need to breathe, and I feel that it should not be that way. He is another being. We are joined, yes. We are mated. But does that mean that I should ache for him so? Does that mean that I should feel his absence this keenly?"

'You left your home, your mate - this same mate you fear you have no power against - and traveled across time to get away from him. You left him quite conclusively - you did not know he would be here. Remember that. You believed you were going to a place where Sesshoumaru and his kind did not exist. And you fear that your will is weak?'

Teles opened her eyes with a snort and stood. She could find no rebuttal for the houshi's imagined comment, and could almost see the smug smile tug at his lips.

You are insufferable, she muttered inwardly.

'Do you believe he wishes to see you so that he might do you harm?'

She had to admit, she did not. He said he... wished to care for us in this world.

'Are you frustrated because you cannot find an ulterior motive in a baby blanket?'

Teles gritted her teeth. It was, of course, a ridiculous thought. Absurd. Who would attempt to vilify such a kind, thoughtful gesture?

Other than someone who ran away and is beginning to wonder on the wisdom of such a decision? I can't think of such a foolish individual.

The monk's voice echoed through her mind again. 'Then are you frustrated because you are afraid that you might have been wrong?'

Teles shook her head, starting to wish she'd never thought of the houshi in the first place. But, in her mind as in person, he had a rather bothersome habit of asking precisely that which she did not want to answer.

Teles knew what it was she had to do - the only thing that would allow her even an iota of calm. Squaring her shoulders, she slipped out of her bedroom and tapped lightly on Kagome's door.

"It's open," the girl called out.

Teles opened the door quietly and poked her head into the room. Kagome was sitting at her desk, an open book lying open before her. "I hope that I'm not disturbing you. I could come back if this is a bad time..." The former goddess silently chastised herself for her cowardice - delaying the inevitable would offer her no peace.

Smiling, the girl pushed away from her desk. Teles noticed that, while Kagome was smiling, there was something... tired about her. Drawn. The smile did not reach her eyes - the worry there was too great. "It's not a bother at all," she replied. "Is everything all right?"

Clearing her throat, Teles' gaze went to Kagome's window; they had similar views. "I... Sesshoumaru's letter said that I should... speak with you when..." she trailed off, a flush warming her cheeks. "He suggested that perhaps you would help me 'call' him? He... provided a number. I assume you... know what that means?"

"A number?" Kagome echoed. Suddenly her eyebrows lifted, disappearing behind her bangs. "Oh - a phone number." She nodded. "I can help you with that. But... are you sure? That you want to speak with him, I mean." She bit her lip lightly and shrugged. "I just... I noticed that you've seemed a little distant lately. And - you know you don't have to talk to him if you don't want to, right?"

Teles remained still for several seconds. She was not required to speak with him. She did not have to do anything that she didn't want to.

I have one small request, which you may consider at your leisure and answer when you are ready...

"I..." the former goddess swallowed. "I realize that, Kagome. I'm... I'm quite ready to speak with him." I think.

Kagome appeared to consider this for several seconds before nodding once. "Okay then - let me take you to the phone." She got up from the desk and padded past Teles, who followed the girl downstairs. She led the goddess to a small, strange device in one of the hallways near the kitchen. "Can I see the number?" she asked, picking up part of what Teles deduced to be the 'phone.'

Nodding silently, she handed Kagome the letter. She opened it and looked down, shaking her head slowly. "I still can't believe he wrote all of this in ancient Greek." A tiny smile quirked her lips. "At least he wrote out his phone number."

Teles leaned over and peered at the letter. "Ah - so that's what that was."

Kagome nodded. "Mm-hm. Western numerals."

The former goddess tilted her head. "How peculiar they look."

Chuckling, Kagome pressed a series of buttons before holding the phone to her ear. "It's ringing," she whispered, handing it to Teles. "Hold it like so, with this part by your ear - then you talk into the other end."

Teles nodded quickly, bringing the phone to her ear and listening. Indeed, a faint trilling sounded through the device. Her brows twitched together at the odd timbre. How very strange. It sound so... near. And this is how they speak with people over great distances? I wonder how far away he is - will he need to shout? Will he be able to hear-

Kagome stood for a moment watching the former goddess nervously. After a few seconds, she pursed her lips and ducked into the next room where she could be nearby if necessary without prying.

Teles watched her go, listening intently to the sound coming through the device. There was a soft click, then only the barest moment of silence before a hauntingly familiar voice floated into her ear.

"Yes?"

The breath stilled in her lungs. Sesshoumaru.

***

Sango sat quietly on Kaede's porch, Kirara a tiny warm ball of soft fur in her lap. She watched the village move about before her eyes, her mind otherwise occupied. She was mentally and physically exhausted - they all were, particularly Kirara. It had been a long few days, only to find out that their work, their research, had been, by and large, pointless. They'd sought out Sesshoumaru with the results of their research as well as to return the Inutaisho scrolls. It was during this visit they had learned that the former goddess had accompanied Kagome to her world with no intention of returning. When they returned to the village, they heard Inuyasha's side of the tale. Teles was gone, and given the state of the well, Sesshoumaru hadn't taken the news with his usual aplomb.

And yet, Sango mused silently, Sesshoumaru did not seem particularly angry or vengeful. In fact, he seemed... A frown tugged at her features. He seemed... completely without hope.

Despite the evidence of the altercation, the village had been eerily quiet since their return. It was probably only a matter of time before Inuyasha went through the well. He'd bring Kagome-chan back, and they could get on with the shard search. And everything would start returning to normal once more.

The taiji-ya expelled a soft breath, closing her eyes. She stayed like that for several minutes before she heard the distant chiming of Miroku's shakujou. He'd said something about going to meditate before dinner, but Sango had a sneaking suspicion that by "meditate" he had actually meant "nap." When she opened her eyes and saw the young monk, she had to suppress her grin. He looked somewhat befuddled as he rubbed at his eyes, his normally tousled bangs mussed further. She felt an unfamiliar surge in her chest as she watched him, unnoticed.

He looked over unexpectedly and Sango blinked once as their gazes met. It was too late to look away now, so she gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders and offered the monk a tiny smile even as the blush colored her cheeks. Miroku greeted her smile with one of his own, and offered her a brief nod before strolling past.

Kirara woke, and stretched languorously in Sango's lap, her tiny jaws stretching as she yawned widely. She gave a slow blink as she looked at Sango before stretching upwards and rubbing her head under the taiji-ya's chin. Sango smiled absently as the soft fur brushed against her skin.

There was one part of the entire situation that didn't quite make sense to Sango. Inuyasha had told them the reasons behind Teles' departure. They were, in the taiji-ya's opinion, very good reasons.

But none of what Inuyasha had told them explained the rampant fear - bordering on madness - she'd seen in Sesshoumaru's eyes when she'd explained to him the inherent danger in hanyou births. The strained note in his voice, his ashen complexion - everything in his being pointed to fear.

Why would a youkai so afraid for his mate treat her in the manner that Inuyasha had described?

***

The familiar voice - the refined baritone Teles would have known anywhere - slid into her ears and down her spine, and suddenly her voice seemed not to work anymore. Teles throat constricted and though her mouth was open as if to speak, sound did not come out.

There was another brief pause. "Hello?" he said, the faintest hint of annoyance creeping into his tone.

Teles' hands clutched the phone tightly. "Sesshoumaru?" she blurted quickly. She waited for some reply, but none came. She heard nothing but only the faintest noise from the device. Teles drew her bottom lip between her teeth and worried it slightly. "Sesshoumaru, it is..." Dear sweet merciful gods, what now? I cannot merely say "it is me" - he cannot see me, and if he's not heard my voice in 500 years, he may not remember it. "It is Teles," she supplied, somewhat lamely, cringing at the sound of her own voice.

The was another brief hesitation before she heard him clear his throat softly. "I...know."

On the other side of the city, the youkai gripped the phone with such force, he had to remind himself that it was a breakable thing. Yes, I know your voice, beloved. I've heard it in my sleep, in my waking dreams for more years than I care to count. He closed his eyes, steeling his resolve. She has only called; do not dare presume anything. "You've... decided, then?"

Her voice was soft, but clear to his ears. "Yes."

Sesshoumaru listened, straining to pick out every nuance in her tone. His eyes still closed, he tried to imagine her there instead of across the city. But, as excellent as the quality of the connection was, his youkai ears heard the static across the line; her voice, while certainly hers, and certainly missed, still had an electronic, tinny quality to it. He felt the ache suddenly - keenly as never before - he had to see her.

She spoke again, her voice soft, unsure - almost shy. It made his brows twitch. "I would... like an opportunity... to see you."

Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open and he very nearly released his grip on the phone entirely. "You would?" he asked, unable to keep the note of surprise out of his tone. He shook his head briskly, scolding himself. You fool. You wanted this, did you not?

"Ah, yes," she replied, sounding somewhat bemused. "If... if it is all right still?"

Sesshoumaru controlled his tone, willing the eagerness out of it. "Yes, of course," he said evenly.

In the Higurashi home, Teles stood in the hall, cradling the phone to her ear. To any outside observer, she would have resembled a teenager on the phone with her crush. She angled herself towards the wall and lowered her voice, a small smile fixed on her lips. "Very well. How... do you recommend we..." she trailed off, biting her lip.

"I can send a car for you in the morning."

Her brow furrowed. A car... "One of those large... chariots, yes?"

"Yes."

"Ah. Right, so... in the morning? Um... forgive me -- I've had a little trouble with... time, exactly..."

His chuckle was soft but rich, and the sound of it made her grow still. "I remember when I first adjusted to clocks. The very idea of living one's life by a device is something to become accustomed to."

"Yes, I suppose - though before we lived our lives by the sun, so I suppose one method is simply traded for another."

Sesshoumaru lowered himself to a couch, allowing himself to enjoy these few moments. "Mmm. A good point."

"I imagine once I become more accustomed to them, clocks will be quite helpful."

"They can be," he agreed. After a second, his brows drew together. And why on earth are we talking about clocks? Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "But, at any rate, I think... would mid-morning be acceptable?"

"And mid-morning would be..." she was quiet for a moment, and Sesshoumaru could almost see the way her eyebrows furrowed together in thought. A faint smile graced his lips.

He chuckled once more, softly. "Ten o'clock, roughly." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes again, a small part of him startled beyond comparison that she had phoned, that she would see him, that they were having something that bore a startling resemblance to a conversation. He'd occasionally allowed himself the luxury of imagining this moment, and none of his estimations had resembled this. He conjured up an image of her in his mind's eye, trying to picture someone other than the goddess he'd met with gleaming skin and blazing eyes who regarded him with amused insolence, or the woman he'd known - the quiet, despondent woman he'd driven away. She had been with Kagome's family for three days now; how was she adapting? "Ah, before I forget." Sesshoumaru swallowed once. "The... supplies. Were they satisfactory?"

Teles frowned slightly. Supplies? It dawned on her that he was talking about the items he'd sent in the suitcase. When her thoughts turned toward the blanket he'd included, she felt a little surge of emotion well up in her chest. "Yes, they were... very nice indeed. Thank you."

"No thanks are necessary," was the soft reply. "It was, well..." From where the youkai sat, sending a few small trinkets was the least he could have done, particularly after the last time he'd tried to bestow her with clothes.

Teles smiled a bit. "Everything was so... I hesitate to say 'interesting,' because I'm sure it was all quite commonplace to you, but I found the soaps to be quite intriguing. That such a scent could be duplicated so flawlessly..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I do not believe I've ever seen anything make quite that many bubbles."

The moisture leached out of Sesshoumaru's mouth suddenly and he forced his mind away from the track it seemed intent upon following: Teles, bathing. He cleared his throat, trying to break through the dryness that had settled there. "Yes. I'm afraid I chose more according to my own preferences, as I as unsure of what you would have preferred, so perhaps the scents might not have been what you would have chosen for yourself, but I was assured..." He grimaced even as the words continued to form. Stop this incessant babbling, you idiot. He cleared his throat once. "Indeed. Humans are very clever with their... soap." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, yes, much better. "And, of course, by that I-"

"Sesshoumaru." Teles' voice gently broke in, interrupting him. "They were wonderful."

He was quiet for a moment. "Good."

"In fact," she continued, her tone suddenly shy, "everything was lovely."

The blanket. She found the blanket. Something that felt both warm and cold at the same time settled in the youkai's gut, and it felt very much like apprehension. Though why he should start feeling apprehensive at that moment escaped him. He'd almost not included that particular item - it seemed wholly presumptuous and inappropriate. He did not want to imagine her reaction at receiving such a thing from him, and in some of his darker moods, he imagined her tearing the blanket to shreds only to spit on it. It was no less than he deserved.

Sesshoumaru made a small sound in the back of his throat. "I thought... I realize that there's some time yet before the pup is born, but..." He shook his head again, gritting his teeth, hating every word that came out of his mouth. "I wanted him... to know. To have something that was..." something his father had chosen for him. Something to let him know where he came from, to remind him of who and what he is. To assure the pup that he is wanted, prized, loved - despite the fact that his father is an utter idiot.

"It was beautiful," she said quietly.

"I'm glad. That you... didn't mind it."

Teles was silent for several seconds. "Quite the contrary, in fact."

Sesshoumaru sat in silence, his mind struggling to conceive something - anything - to say. He had much he wanted to say to her, certainly, but those things were not intended for a telephone conversation. He would not give voice to the many thoughts tearing through his head and heart. Instead the youkai lord cleared his throat again. "I'm glad you liked it." Even as the words left his mouth he cringed. His social skills had always been, at best, somewhat lacking - and while they'd improved over five hundred years, there was very little evidence of such a change at the moment.

"I did," Teles answered, winding a long lock of hair around her index finger. She stood like that, cradling the phone, even as the silence stretched out and grew awkward. "The, ah... the clothes all fit remarkably well. And the... the..." she closed her eyes and started gesturing, her movements growing frustrated. Oh, gods, what are the blasted things called?

"Shoes?" he supplied, a faint hint of amusement working its way back into his voice.

"Yes! Yes, they were... quite interesting, indeed."

The sound that came through the phone at that moment gave Teles pause. The sudden, rich laughter was undoubtedly Sesshoumaru's. He did not - in fact, never had - laughed as so many other beings laughed. His was not a robust guffaw, neither was it an amused chortle - like so many other things associated with Sesshoumaru, his laughter was refined and controlled. But it was laughter, and it was his. Teles stood completely still for a moment, letting the sound wash over her.

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for those," he replied, once the chuckles had dwindled away. "Your mother seemed to think that neglecting to include them would have been quite inexcusable. And while I saw the practicality, I have to admit, I thought her mad for her ardent insistence."

Teles chuckled, shaking her head as a fond smile lit her lips. And then, Sesshoumaru's words caught up with her, and she grew silent. "...My mother?"

There was a brief hesitation on Sesshoumaru's part as he swore inwardly at the slip. "Yes."

"...Oh."

"I..." he paused briefly, scrambling to articulate an explanation - there wasn't one, not really. "I suppose you could say she's... kept an eye on me." Sesshoumaru was quiet for a moment before uttering a brief, dry chuckle. "Although I won't say it hasn't been a mixed blessing. In fact, there were days when I wondered what I'd done to deserve..." the words died in his throat. Yes, there were days when I wondered. And then I remembered.

Teles leaned against the wall, listening. She heard the sudden tension in Sesshoumaru's voice, the way the words simply... stopped. The change was as sudden and as sharp as the wind's shift prior to a storm. She felt compelled to say something, to reassure him - Teles felt his mood that keenly. She swallowed against the emotion rising in her throat. "She is... a force of nature sometimes. She has always been that way - even before I knew who she was to me."

Silence echoed in her ear for several seconds. "Yes," Sesshoumaru murmured. "It..." he exhaled hard.

"Hmm?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes were fixed on a point in the middle-distance. There was a window across from him, and through it he could see all of Tokyo's glittering lights. The night sky could never truly grow dark - the world below was too brightly lit. "It reminded me of you," he said quietly. Such a blatant statement made something coil and tighten inside of him. The youkai almost couldn't believe he was saying such a thing to her - and yet, by the same token, he couldn't imagine not telling her.

With those words, Teles closed her eyes as her stomach gave a sudden, light flip. "...Oh." She swallowed suddenly, her mouth working silently as she tried to think of something to say. "Well. I suppose that would... make sense. In a way." She gritted her teeth suddenly at the inanity of such a response.

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Another long silence stretched out between them, both individuals on either end of the phone line struggling to keep from saying what they wanted, settling instead on anything else.

Teles had opened her mouth to speak, to ask some pointless, silly question that would eradicate the steadily growing silence, but Sesshoumaru had beaten her to it. "Teles?"

"Yes?"

Several seconds passed, and she found herself growing frustrated with the telephone; such a wondrous device allowed her to hear his voice, allowed her to speak with him, but it did not allow her to see him while they spoke, and Teles was finding it more and more difficult to anticipate him when she could not see his expression.

"The pup," he managed finally. "Is he still troubling you?"

The former goddess blew out a breath that wasn't quite a sigh. "He is astonishingly active for one so small."

"I see," he replied quietly.

Just then, Kagome stuck her head into the hallway. "Teles?" she asked softly.

Teles' gaze shifted sharply, her brows rising and arching. "Yes?"

"Could I talk to Sesshoumaru for a moment?" she asked, a small, hopeful smile at her lips.

"I..." Teles looked at the phone in her hand then back at Kagome. "Ah... Yes. Yes, of course," she said, handing Kagome the receiver.

The girl's smile widened a bit. "I'll give it right back, I promise." She took the receiver and turned, heading quietly into the kitchen. "Sesshoumaru?"

There was a brief pause on the line that eventually ended with the youkai's voice. "...Kagome."

The girl walked slowly, increasing the distance between her and the pregnant woman. "I just wanted to say..." she murmured, careful to maintain a very sweet tone.

"Yes?"

She looked over her shoulder once before coming to a stop and resting one of her hands on the countertop. "So help me, if you're even thinking about hurting her, or the baby, I'm going through the well, getting Inuyasha, and we're going to hunt you down. I'm going to fill you so full of arrows you'll look like a pincushion, and he probably won't even DRAW Tetsusaiga," she murmured, sotto voce.

There was a brief, surprised silence. "No?"

"No," she replied flatly. "Teeth and claws all the way."

"...I understand."

She nodded once, though he wasn't there to see it. "You bet you do." A tiny smirk tugged at her lips. "So, be a good boy, because it's not going to be a rolled-up newspaper we come after you with if you're not." And, without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked quietly back to the hallway, returning the phone to Teles with a bright smile. "Thanks!"

Sesshoumaru was still shaking his head with bemusement when Teles' voice floated over the line. I do not believe I have been told to be a "good boy"... ever. Even when I was a boy.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Kagome merely wished to express her desire for me to treat you hospitably," he replied blandly.

A soft huff of laughter came through the line. "She's very sweet."

"Mmm. Yes," he replied noncommittally. Though, honestly, I shouldn't be surprised that she's developed such a... colorful way of saying things, particularly given the company she keeps.

"So... I will see you tomorrow. Will you be... coming here as well?"

The question jerked Sesshoumaru's attention back to the conversation. "No. I...thought if I sent a driver it would be less... disconcerting." For both of us.

"Ah." He heard the disappointment in her tone and chastised himself for it, even though it was gone in a moment. "Well then. I will see you... eventually."

"Tomorrow," he said softly. "You will probably get here at... about ten-thirty."

"Very well."

He closed his eyes at the sound of her voice. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to keep from going to the Higurashi household and collecting her right then. "The wait will not be that long," he murmured.

"I doubt that very much," she whispered, her voice suddenly husky.

"Until tomorrow, then."

"Yes. I will see you tomorrow-" Teles felt the word "beloved" poised on her tongue and bit it back suddenly. Her mouth worked silently for a second or two. "... Sesshoumaru."

They said their goodbyes quietly, and soon Teles set the phone back in its cradle. She blew out a breath and sagged against the wall. She'd had no idea a conversation could be so very draining.

Just then, there was a soft hand on her arm. Teles looked up to see Kagome regarding her watchfully. "Are you okay?"

Teles nodded slowly. "We have... decided that I will see him tomorrow," she said with a small smile.

"And... that's... not a problem, right?"

"Indeed, little priestess," the former goddess said, giving Kagome's hand a squeeze, "it is not a problem."

Kagome smiled, glad to see the color back in the pregnant woman's cheeks and some of the spark back in her eyes. There had been a few times over the past several days when Kagome had been sure that Teles was going to request she be brought back through the well. "Okay," she replied, patting Teles lightly on the shoulder. "So we're going to see him in..." she gave her watch an exaggerated glance, "in a whole fifteen hours. What are you going to wear?" she asked teasingly.

Teles' eyes widened, and she blinked slowly. "Oh, gods. I hadn't thought that far ahead!" Taking a step backward, she pulled away from the younger girl. "Forgive me, Kagome... I have to..." she looked toward the stairs, a frown etched on her forehead. "I have to figure something out." She turned and took a step, pausing suddenly.

"Something wrong, Teles?"

The pregnant woman looked back at Kagome. "Perhaps... I heard wrong, but... did you say 'we' were going to see him?"

Kagome gave a small, puzzled smile. "Well... yes. I didn't think you'd want to go through it by yourself."

Teles opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. "I... well, to be honest, Kagome, I had rather anticipated meeting him alone."

"What?" Kagome blinked once, then twice. "Alone? Teles, you can't possibly be serious. You don't know what he's planning, you don't know what-"

"Kagome," she interrupted gently, "this is something I really need to do alone."

"But - but, Inuyasha..."

Sighing, Teles shook her head. "Kagome, please. Trust me. I know... I know this seems unwise. I realize it. I see it myself. And, were I in your position, I too would be insisting. But I must go alone."

"You can't!" the girl blurted. "You can't go alone! I know he wrote those letters, and he sent you all of those things, but, Teles, if you go alone - if something happens to you, or if something happens to the pup..."

Teles blew out another breath and crossed the distance to Kagome. Taking the girl's hands in her own, the woman gave them a squeeze. "Inuyasha will be upset - I realize this. He would not approve, and I'm fairly sure if he knew that Sesshoumaru had sent me anything at all, he wouldn't have gone back through the well. But, Kagome, I believe in my heart that Sesshoumaru will not hard me - or our child."

But Kagome didn't look convinced. "How can you be so sure? I know he sounded different in that letter, but..."

A second or two passed before Teles took a deep breath. "Come with me."

Moments later, they were both standing in the cozy guest room. Teles stood by the bed, pulling one of the pillows away. She picked up a white square and handed it to Kagome, who unfolded it carefully. The girl stared at the delicate embroidery in silence for several seconds.

"It was at the bottom of the suitcase," she said quietly.

"It's... it's a baby blanket," the girl breathed.

"Perhaps I am naïve, but it doesn't seem to me that he would go through such pains if he were only interested in hurting me - or our child. In fact, if he were truly interested in inflicting pain - or any other sort of revenge - it occurs to me that he could very well have been waiting for me outside of the well-house upon our initial arrival. He has had ample opportunity during my visit. After five centuries..." she trailed off. Silence reigned for several seconds. "Kagome, you may insist upon coming, but I insist upon going alone. I do not wish to fight with you over this."

Kagome met the former goddess' green eyes, dark with determination. She couldn't dispute what Teles was saying, but all the same - she didn't have a good feeling about Teles going off by herself, particularly now, when she didn't know anyone, and had only the barest understanding of the world around her. It was far worse than sending a chick out of its nest for the first time - there was a chance that the chick fluttering out of the nest was heading straight for the snapping jaws of an inuyoukai who'd had a whole lot of time to contemplate the perfect revenge.

"I'm going," Teles repeated softly. "Alone. I'm sorry, Kagome - I am. But I must insist upon it. I will not be swayed." She moved closer to Kagome, reaching out and tracing the embroidered crescent. "Do not think that I am not appreciative of all you've done - quite the opposite, really. But this is something I must do, and it is something I must do on my own."

Kagome exhaled in a sigh. "I understand," she murmured. I don't have to like it, I don't have to agree, but I do understand it. Of course, now I get to explain to Inuyasha why he's back there protecting the village while I let you run right into Sesshoumaru's arms. She pressed her lips together in thought. Maybe we should've made those pearls into a subduing necklace after all. Kagome gulped. 'Cause once Inuyasha finds out about this, I don't think just one is going to cut it.