InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Temporal Sequence ❯ Chapter 5

 

Temporal Sequence

 

Chapter 5:

 

The fire danced wildly before his disinterested eyes, though he tried with mild attentiveness to trace the origin and demise of each flame. He did realize that a single flame could not die per se, but if he looked hard enough he could separate each individual flame and follow the spontaneous path it chose to travel until it reached its destination. But the destination was not truly an end, but rather the flame would recede within itself and spark anew almost instantaneously.

 

He had been staring at this fire for far too long he realized. His eyes were starting to burn as though those unpredictable and never-ending flames had licked his exposed sockets with a fiery tongue. He even saw those wicked flames whenever he looked away from that damnable fire that the girl insisted she needed. It was a very warm night, but she had stated with severity that the fire would provide much needed light for her `study session'. Whatever that was.

 

Basically, he was bored. He was bored beyond reason. He was so bored that even the word `bored' seemed far too simple and insignificant to describe the level of tedium he was experiencing.

 

He looked over at the girl who had left him to this terrible fate for the evening. She had been staring at those books for hours. Despite her intermittent yawning and obvious difficulty in deciphering those tiny, black characters, she continued on, reading and studying away as though her life depended on her ability to maintain this `study session' for as long as humanly possible.

 

It did sound quite ridiculous to him, but she had outright said that she would die if she could not remember everything she read. It was insane actually, especially considering her poor sight in this inadequate lighting—no thanks to those stupid flames that somehow lured his eyes toward their orange and red brilliance as though their hypnotic dance was the most fascinating thing his bored eyes had ever seen.

 

He had to stop looking at that fire. But he was so very bored…

 

He looked back at the girl who continued to read frantically, though her initial haste had slowed quite a bit. Her exhaustion was becoming more and more evident as time passed and he was sure she would not recall every last word she read. He supposed she might die after all. But that really did seem so exaggerated and ridiculous. After observing the girl for the last three days he had realized many things about her that he figured could be applied as a few loose generalizations about humans overall.

 

Firstly, humans possessed very inferior physiques. The girl had terrible hearing—hearing that was so bad one could rightly think her near deafness. She did not even hear that spider walking—no, running madly—through the grass until it reached her leg. The spider was quite loud during its furious sprint and since she obviously disliked its breed immensely he would have assumed her to be on alert for such creatures she found so menacing, though he could hardly see the harm in such an insignificant and weak insect. But the girl did not notice the spider until it crawled over her arm and he chose to say something about it. She had swatted at her leg a few times, thinking she had a simple itch—that was until he informed her of the little prowler lurking on her right arm. She lost her mind at that point. She hollered and screamed and proceeded to run about madly all the while begging him to `get it off' her. She even began sobbing. It was a horrible yet oddly fascinating sight—one in which he found he could not tear his eyes from in its glorious stupidity. He just simply could not believe that she was so unnerved by that tiny insect. He had asked her plainly why she allowed the spider to approach her if she despised its existence. She had replied that she didn't know it was there until he had informed her.

 

Humans could barely hear. How was it they survived? And not only that, but he shortly learned that she had poor sight and a practically non-existent sense of smell and her physical strength was on par with that of a rabbit—pathetic indeed… Humans were basically weak and unfit for proper existence. How they managed to live was an answer that had eluded him thus far. Maybe not all humans were as physically handicapped as Kagome. He suddenly didn't feel so bad about losing his arm.

 

Secondly, he discovered that humans were very emotional creatures. For instance, just yesterday the girl became distraught over his lack of speech. Quite frankly he was a bit groggy and his mind was preoccupied with other things—like his inability to remember his past. That seemed to be causing him problems as of late—since `as of late' was all he could recall anyhow—and thus it demanded a great deal of his thoughts' time. But Kagome saw this a little differently. She continued asking him if he was `feeling all right' and did he `need anything' and whether he'd `like to talk'. He had finally grown tired of her incessant blabbering and told her that he would speak when he felt it necessary. He felt it was a candid and unremarkable answer for it simply made sense, but she apparently felt different on the matter. She called him rude and accused him of harboring ill feelings that would eventually lead to him exploding with rage. He felt a bit skeptical of her statement, naturally wondering if it was a retort based upon experience or a muddled analysis rooted within her anger toward him at that moment. She even called him `deaf,' which he found most humorous since she couldn't even hear a noisy spider running up her own leg!

 

It was strange, indeed, but after witnessing her complain about his `spacey' behavior for a few more minutes he came to realize that she was simply upset that he wasn't speaking to her. After confronting her with his theory, she huffed and sank to the ground sputtering some nonsense about loneliness. Humans were highly emotional creatures that didn't like to be alone and craved conversation. He presumed that this conversation they so craved was a measure they took to make themselves and their lives feel more significant. The girl, for example, loved to talk about her family and friends, her schooling, and she especially liked to talk about her problems. And she got particularly upset when he did not respond to her exasperated monologues concerning her `issues.' At first this confused him because he was under the impression that she just wanted someone to listen to her, but apparently she wanted more. She wanted feedback. She wanted advice. She became especially flustered when he told her that he could not give advice for a situation he knew so little about. She then confessed that `advice' made her feel better.

 

Humans were most definitely emotional creatures—so emotional in fact that they could not separate emotions from any other aspect of their lives. The girl tied emotions to her duties and obligations no matter how important or menial they were. He found it quite odd. For example, the girl had prepared a meal earlier that afternoon for the two of them, saying he `needed to eat.' She was probably right so he forced himself to eat the watery concoction she had made. She asked him how it tasted and he responded simply that it was sufficient. That enraged her for some reason. She said he was ungrateful and he shouldn't eat something he found so `incredibly rancid.' That certainly confused him, for though he could recall nothing at all he felt sure that food was meant for simple consumption in order to nourish the body. She seemed to think differently and was offended that he did not find her meal to be tasty. Basically, the girl tied useless emotions to the mundane task of food preparation when really she shouldn't have cared if he enjoyed the process of strengthening his body.

 

But he supposed that if she got upset over his lack of speech then surely she would get irritated over many trivial things—like this studying that would supposedly end her life if not properly accomplished. She would become delighted over some new piece of information she had just learned or she would beam with pride over her growing accumulation of knowledge, but then she would suddenly become frantic to accomplish more only to become frustrated over the impending task. It was a task, nothing more, but she turned it into a spectacle of varying moods that changed rapidly and had nothing to do with the duty at hand. She should've left her emotions aside and focused on accomplishing the goal. It would have been easier for her that way, but she liked to make things far too complicated. Humans seemed nearly incapable of contentment due to this plethora of emotions they allowed to bombard their minds.

 

And to top off these already annoying qualities, humans were also very needy creatures. She constantly needed something—whether it be food, rest or a bath. He supposed those were normal needs, though she seemed to need these things quite frequently. But then she complained of other things that she needed. She had said in passing that she needed a `brighter future' and more `grounded' people in her life. He found the latter very strange considering she wasn't all that grounded in his eyes, but then he supposed that perhaps more grounded people would do the odd girl some good. She was a girl who got angry over the taste of nourishment after all! But when he asked her to elaborate on certain needs, such as this `brighter future' she spoke so longingly about, she brushed him aside with a simple `never mind.' He didn't press her for answers, although he was certain that had the roles been reversed she wouldn't have been so considerate. He did find it strange that she didn't want to clarify these needs to him since she was so fond of talking, but he figured that he wouldn't be of much help considering he could not recall much of anything. Maybe the girl thought he wouldn't understand. But why did she speak it aloud then? Perhaps he just wasn't as skilled at the useless art of small talk as was she.

 

Or perhaps this emotionality that lingered around Kagome had caused her excessive neediness, which could simply be the natural course for such a frail creature. Humans were definitely not fit for survival, or maybe he hadn't a clue what he was talking about—he often viewed the girl and her oddities as `different.' This girl could be an anomaly within the human race.

 

To sum up what he had learned thus far about humans—if this girl could be used as a sufficient example of her kind, which he was starting to doubt for some reason beyond his understanding—he would simply say they were strange creatures. But he did find the girl to be amusing and very curious. He found her antics almost charming in their idiocy and predictability.

 

But then the girl decided to study and now he was bored—so very bored.

 

And the stupid girl was squinting like the sun was shining directly in her eyes.

 

“Perhaps you should resume your studying in the morning.”

 

The weary girl snapped her head upward with a start. “Huh?”

 

And he was the `deaf' one? She really ought to learn the difference between an inability to hear—or lack thereof in her case—and selective hearing. “You are harming your eyes. You should rest and resume your studies in the daylight hours.”

 

She rolled her eyes at his last statement, which was one of her more annoying antics that he disliked with a passion. Then she waved him off—literally—with her hand as she giggled nervously. Now that was a mannerism he found almost laughable.

 

“No, no,” she said in between little spurts of forced giggles. “I'm fine, really. I study at night all the time.”

 

Had she made any real sense, he supposed he would've respected her wishes. Had his injuries not healed so miraculously fast, compliments of his youkai blood, then he would've been forced to respect her wishes, but since neither of those applied to this situation he therefore decided to disregard her wishes in favor of her health. He stood from his spot that he had occupied for far too long during his boredom and snatched the book from her hands before she even knew he had approached her.

 

Kind of like that spider…

 

“Hey!”

 

He said nothing as he placed the large book in his lap, which he knew would irritate her. She hated it when he didn't speak. She always seemed to think he was ignoring her, but little did she know that she was nearly impossible to ignore.

 

“Sesshoumaru!” she shouted—obviously forgetting his sensitive hearing. Well, maybe she didn't realize she was so loud. She did have terrible hearing and thus it seemed possible that she couldn't decipher the actual decibel in which she was speaking. “I HAVE to study! I have my first final tomorrow morning!” She then stood abruptly and raced around the fire only to lunge at him like a fool. Her intent was far too obvious and her moves far too slow. He lifted the book upward and away from her, causing her to run into his side only to fall on top of him, all the while reaching for her book like a stubborn child. It was a humorous sight indeed.

 

“Give it back!” she whined while still reaching for the book that was far from her grasp. This was pathetic indeed—he only had one arm for kami's sake!

 

“If you want it,” he said calmly, “then take it.”

 

She then proceeded to crawl onto his lap, which seemed rather inappropriate to him based upon her previous actions, and she lunged for the book again and this time he pulled it back toward his body and she fell into a heap upon the grass. He smirked as she mumbled incoherent curses.

 

“That wasn't fair!” she stated as she sat up in the grass and turned toward him. She now had dirt smeared across her left cheek. It was almost cute, almost.

 

“And why not? You simply failed to take it in time.”

 

Her anger was rising—he could feel it and it excited him. For some strange reason he liked to irritate her. He assumed it was because she always reacted in such amusing ways and she was so very easy to annoy. This was a great way to relieve that horrible tedium. Or maybe the girl's strangeness was rubbing off on him…

 

She was practically seething, which always tinted her cheeks a lovely shade of pink, and a strangled noise that sounded like a pathetic growl escaped her throat as she looked at him with narrowed eyes. Was she trying to look menacing? Did she realize it was funny and not the least bit frightening? Her hands twitched slightly and he knew she was preparing to pounce. She was always so obvious, which he presumed to be only natural considering her inferior physique. He waited a moment in order to time her move exactly and then he heard the faint rustle of fabric and quickly placed the book on his left side and extended his arm outward. He easily caught her arm, much to her surprise and dismay, and pulled her toward him. She fell in his lap again. She was always so unsuspecting—if only she could hear better…

 

She seemed shocked by his reaction and even more unnerved by the consequences of it. She was now in his lap and she appeared quite uncomfortable, but he expected this because the girl always seemed so conscious of her own body. She always made sure to warn him to `stay away' when she bathed and left to relieve herself. She always craved privacy when it came to her grooming sessions and she always ensured that a certain amount of space was between them. He had sat next to her last night while she studied, asking her about what she was reading. She blushed and he heard her heartbeat quicken and it became quite apparent that she was highly uncomfortable. He surveyed the immediate area to determine what could have put her in a state of such unease and he soon realized that he was sitting so close to her that their hips and arms were touching. In order to prove his theory he put some distance between them and all bodily contact ceased. She then calmed down and was able to formulate coherent sentences.

 

He was quite curious as to why physical closeness caused such reactions from her, but he came to realize that people felt it inappropriate for members of the opposite sex to be in such close contact. She even got nervous when he was not fully covered, which made sense to him because she was always sure that she was fully clothed. Apparently his shirt had been destroyed when he was attacked and she demanded that he wear a `t-shirt' that she had brought him. It was strange, but he obliged her, though the shirt fit quite poorly. He pondered this for a while and wondered why such idiotic thoughts were placed within people's heads. Unable to come up with an answer on his own, he simply asked the girl, which caused a furious blush to invade her cheeks, spreading over her face like an infectious disease. Apparently speaking of physical contact between the two differing genders was improper. She had told him that society taught their children to avoid `unnecessary closeness' with the opposite sex in order to prevent `temptations' and also to ensure that other members of society would not question their `purity.' He was still unsure about it, but when he asked her to further explain she quickly changed the subject. Did she really think he was `tempted' by her? And to be honest, he wasn't quite sure what that meant within that particular context. It was strange, but he had a feeling that the meaning of that particular word, which had oddly evaded his consciousness in the contextual sense, was insignificant to him. It was almost as though he had never really been subjected to temptation in his life, or at least he couldn't make the connection. That thought really intrigued him though, and he wondered if maybe he was the type of person who was simply accustomed to getting what he wanted. Temptation did involve wanting something you couldn't or shouldn't have and the girl had called him spoiled on multiple occasions. Perhaps he was and simply could not recall…

 

It was all silly anyhow. The girl seemed very in sync with the desires of society, but it was only the two of them here in the forest. He thought she should realize that if she wanted to succumb to temptation then she could because no one was here to witness it, and it wasn't like she had to protect her purity if she wanted to rid herself of it. Why should she deny herself when no one was here to berate her for it? He still felt uncertain of the implications of this `temptation' and `purity' she spoke of when explaining societal gender rules, but he did know it had to do with him somehow, which left him with a feeling of unease. If she wanted to throw away her purity he wasn't sure he could help her or even agree to do something he did not truly understand. If only the girl had the gall to thoroughly explain this to him.

 

It simply made no sense the way she chose to explain it and his recognition of societal norms—which had been very keen up until that point—had failed him on that subject. Okay, so men and women were not supposed to maintain any sort of physical contact because they may do something stupid that would result in problems. Fair enough, but what the hell was she talking about? Whatever, it's not like it had anything to do with him…

 

No matter, he would pressure her to answer later. But now he had a flustered girl to subdue.

 

He held onto her arm so she could not get away and then leaned down to speak directly into her ear—she was nearly deaf after all. “You will rest and resume your studying tomorrow,” he said with sharp finality.

 

“But-but,” she sputtered. “My test is tomorrow!”

 

He sighed. “I will wake you at dawn. You have been studying diligently. You will do fine.” She exhaled in defeat and then he released her, knowing he had won this little battle. She sat up and turned to him, looking him directly in the eyes. He liked it when she looked into his eyes; she had such lovely eyes, but that's not the primary reason he enjoyed holding her eyes' attention. It was because he remembered those eyes and it was so very nice to recognize something—it made him feel a little less empty.

 

“Fine,” she said simply as she moved out of his lap. She moved toward her pack that seemed to hold more than it appeared it could and pulled a small bag out of it. He knew this ritual well—it was one of her favorites. “I'm going to take a bath,” she said as she slung a towel over her shoulder.

 

He watched her retreat into the forest and wondered why she loved that particular ritual so much. She had already taken a bath that day, but she liked to take one before she went to bed as well. She always took one when she awoke, but he supposed that was because she was never really alert when she first rose in the morning. The cool water seemed to do her consciousness and attentiveness some good. At least she was a clean creature and the humidity did make her sweat, and the salty scent would overpower her natural one, and that was never a good thing. He supposed he liked her scent, though he could not pinpoint what it reminded him of and it stirred some sort of recognition within him. If only he could remember…

 

Then his leg started throbbing and he wished with even more vigor that he could remember what the hell had happened to him. Kagome had said that he had possibly broken his leg during the battle in which he had lost his memory. He then realized that perhaps snatching that book so abruptly from the girl was a bad idea. He still walked with difficulty and his many lacerations still reopened with ease. He hated these feelings of inadequacy and dependency. He felt weak and useless and the mere thought that that slip of girl with endless oddities had to nurse him back to health made him want to vomit. And he didn't like vomiting—that much he knew because he had purged his entire stomach shortly after he had fully awoken. Why did he feel so horrible about being injured? Why did he feel so…inferior? Perhaps that was another part of his personality that he did not quite understand yet because he had no recollection of what had made him feel such things.

 

That was another thing that irritated him about the girl. She always skirted the issue of his past. He had asked her on multiple occasions about himself and she provided him with less than sufficient answers. He had asked her where he was from and she said Japan. Oh by the gods he could have strangled her! Then he asked where he currently resided—all the while praying for her own livelihood that she didn't say Japan—and she said that she wasn't sure and that he was `known for wandering.' What the hell did that mean? Then he asked her about his parents. She said she knew nothing of his mother, but that his father was a powerful inu-youkai and that he was long dead. Well, that was a start. She could tell him nothing else of his lineage, but she did know an awful lot about his half-brother.

 

Basically, the girl appeared to possess no intimate knowledge of him whatsoever, making him wonder why she had helped him at all. They couldn't have possibly been friends or even close for that matter. Had they been wouldn't she have known his place of residence? Then he asked if he had any friends that she could find to tell him more since she seemed to know so little about him. She stuttered for a moment, unable to provide an immediate answer. Then she simply said she didn't know where to find them and it would be useless to search for them since he couldn't `sniff' them out. So she said that they should just hold tight and wait for them to arrive, which she felt certain they would—eventually.

 

She did not lie to him, he felt sure of it, but she was not being completely candid with him either. She was hiding something, but at the same time it didn't seem like she was doing it out of malice or fear for herself, but rather out of fear for him. It almost felt like she was protecting him, but from what—the truth? Did she honestly think she could shelter him from himself and his own past?

 

She had to be hiding something—she had to be. Why else would he remember those damn blue eyes of hers and nothing else? He had to of known her…

 

But at least he could say that spending time with her had not been a complete waste. Though the girl offered little insight into his past, she did present pieces of his personality to him unbeknownst to her. He now knew he was a rather patient man. He could sit through her lengthy talking sessions and withstand her raging and continuously altering emotional tirades. He deserved a freaking prize for that. He also came to realize that he was quite curious, for he found himself constantly watching the girl, fascinated by her foreign antics. He learned that he was a very logical and deductive man as well. He was obviously logical since he had the epitome of irrationality nursing him back to health to serve as a point of comparison. And he was highly deductive and inquisitive by nature since he was constantly analyzing various things around him that interested him—categorizing them in ways to better understand them—such as the strange girl who was currently bathing. He apparently craved knowledge and understanding.

 

The girl had also made him realize that he was a strong-willed man, not necessarily stubborn per se, and he definitely was not fond of losing or admitting his mistakes. This had become especially apparent during their trivial and usually short-lived disagreements. Though he was wrong on occasion, she was usually the one needing correction. Like the time she yelled at him exclaiming that she was not loud. Then birds flew from the trees behind her in fright as though they were fleeing for their very lives. They must have thought a typhoon was rapidly approaching.

 

He was also very opposed to weakness he presumed, since the mere thought of dependency made him ill, which was quite difficult for him to handle right the moment seeing that he was injured. Too injured to even run. Too injured to leave this frail little girl's side. But if he did leave her, then where would he go?

 

He looked down at his leg again that was so carefully bandaged. He remembered when she changed the bandages the first time and the last time. She had been so cautious as to not cause him any discomfort. The first time she replaced them he remembered wondering why she was helping him, which he found to be an odd thought as though he did not expect for someone to aid him in any way. But then he figured they must be friends, though that thought was strange as well. It made sense though, seeing that he could only recall her eyes and nothing else. But shortly he discovered that she knew nothing relevant about him at all. Then he really wondered why she was helping him. It made no sense, but she was a creature of little logic.

 

He remembered asking her why she had helped him earlier when she changed his bandages. It still made little sense, for her motivations were lacking, or perhaps she still had not told him all the things that had prompted her to heal him. But her answer had disturbed him in the most surreal way. If only he could remember something, anything, that would help explain why her answer made him feel so terrible.

 

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

 

“Why?”

 

“Why what?” she asked, not even looking away from her monotonous duty. She tore the clear, adhesive bandage from one of the larger wounds on his leg and he responded to the action with a disgruntled hiss. She had called those particular bandages `butterfly stitches,' though they looked nothing like a stitch or a butterfly to him. Wasn't cloth stitched together? This looked nothing at all like course thread sown by needle. She had simply stated that she didn't have the stomach to weave metal and thread through his skin like it was fabric. He supposed that was best because she probably wouldn't have done it right anyhow.

 

But had she just sucked it up and sown those nasty lacerations closed then they wouldn't reopen so damn often. But she didn't have to stitch him up—she didn't have to do anything.

 

“Why are you helping me? You say you are close to my brother and yet you help me. Did you not say he severed my arm and I was deserving?” This was a thought that had plagued his mind since she told him about how he lost his arm. He wanted to hear the words; that simple phrase that would label him the monster. But she never said it, thus leaving him to wonder.

 

“Well, you were. But he shouldn't have cut your arm off. It was kind of an accident.”

 

How is such a thing an accident? “How?”

 

“The sword suddenly decided to work.”

 

She squeezed his skin together tightly and placed a new `butterfly stitch' to his wound. He never liked that constricting feeling. It sounded ridiculous, but it made him feel caged—like he was less free. But what was he to do? Absolutely nothing—she seemed to know how to heal people and he needed healing, so he was forced to simply waste more time trying to pry answers from her reluctant tongue.

 

“How does a sword suddenly decide to work?”

 

She pondered this for a moment, even pausing in her task. She rarely paused when bandaging him; the blood always made her queasy. “Because it was meant to protect mortals and he promised to protect me.”

 

Her strange words coupled with her blatant pause gave him an eerie feeling. Why at that moment, when he was supposedly fighting his brother, did a sword flare to life in order to protect a mortal girl? She wasn't telling him everything. “That is indeed strange. If his battle was with me then why did he need to protect you?” She didn't say anything for a while and he didn't pressure her, but it did unnerve him that the girl who loved to talk so much was suddenly so speechless.

 

“Things happen, Sesshoumaru,” she said softly as she applied some gel-like substance to another cut. “I got in the middle of a rivalry I knew nothing about. I tend to get myself in trouble.”

 

He could definitely believe that, but he still felt as though she could be more frank with him. “Exactly how bad is this `rivalry' you speak of?”

 

“Bad.”

 

Was that all she had to say on the matter? It was so very strange…and…disturbing…

 

“You still haven't answered my first question.”

 

“Which was?” The girl really could be oblivious at times.

 

“Why are you helping me?” It really didn't make sense. By the way she spoke of his brother, though the boy seemed to annoy her quite frequently, it was obvious she cared for him. Why help his older brother who fought with him constantly? And this fighting seemed to expand far beyond simple bickering.

 

“Because I can.”

 

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

 

She had said it so simply and with such ease that his heart sank with the most strange feeling. It made him feel outside himself—like it was something he had never done.

 

Then it occurred to him that perhaps he was a relentless man as well. He was curious and thus inquisitive as well as stubborn due to his immense efforts at learning and understanding all around him. He was curious about Kagome and he wanted to learn more about her so he could understand this strange girl. Why was she helping him? And he felt certain he would find out because he was determined to do so. Yes, he was most definitely a relentless man. Whether that was by nature or nurture he didn't know, but he felt confident that he would figure out if Kagome was truly as selfless as she appeared. And he would learn if that selflessness was the product of nature, or if it was simple, untainted experience.

 

Maybe his curiosity of her was a by-product of his curiosity of himself. He wanted to know why he was so curious and relentless and inquisitive. Did experience shape him this way, or was he simply born like this? Only memories could tell him…

 

He heard the subtle bending and rebounding of grass and he looked to the trees where the river ran; she had finally decided to come back. That girl could spend an eternity in water he realized. Her scent drifted slowly to him in soft waves and he allowed himself the indulgence of a long inhale. He even closed his eyes as he savored this rare delicacy. She still didn't know how much he liked her scent and he wasn't sure if he'd ever tell her. Why he was thinking this was beyond even him, and so he pushed that deviant thought to the back of his mind and opened his eyes.

 

“I'm back!” her soprano voice rang.

 

Was she truly that dense? Did she think he was deaf? He could hear her walking several moments before she even said anything!

 

He watched with strange fascination as she combed through her wet mane. The firelight danced about her skin and reflected off her hair giving her an ethereal glow. The sight was captivating—almost trance-like. Then she stood, causing that beautiful illumination to abandon her body, and walked to her pack to put her things in their proper places. Then she walked to him and took a seat beside him; he didn't look at her. Why, he didn't know, but instead he chose to fix his eyes on the fire in front of him.

 

“Let me see your leg.” He offered it to her without quarrel, not wishing to antagonize her right now. Oh, how he hated dependency! She inspected his legs and arm for a minute and then she spoke. “I think you can take a bath tomorrow. Your wounds have healed nicely. Just be careful and don't scrub too hard. You don't want to reopen your wounds, do you?” She took on that motherly voice again. He didn't like that tone; it felt like she was berating a child, and he was no child. She then went back to her little futon across the fire and tucked herself in for the night.

 

“You're going to wake me up at dawn, right?”

 

He nodded and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again and looked at the girl who was turning about trying to find the most comfortable position. She would be asleep soon, he could tell.

 

“Hey, Sesshoumaru,” she said with eyes still closed.

 

“Yes.”

 

“You are going to wake me up, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The girl really was strange.

 

x x x

 

 

He watched with mild interest as the sky brightened ever so slowly, yellow rays penetrating the dark shield of night. The birds began chirping and the insects quieted a bit and the air started to warm once more. It was technically a little after a dawn, but the girl needed her rest so he decided to allow her to sleep a little longer. He felt confident that she couldn't possibly be any more prepared for that test of hers. He stood and walked past the cooling embers and stopped in front of the girl. She was a very heavy sleeper. He was sure he would have awoken had someone approached him during his sleep, but the girl was nearly deaf after all.

 

“Kagome.”

 

Nothing stirred.

 

“Kagome,” he repeated a bit louder.

 

No response came forth.

 

“Kagome!” he said forcefully.

 

Still no answer was provided.

 

He then nudged her harshly with his foot. She grumbled and swatted at the invading appendage as she turned to her side, no longer facing him.

 

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled hoarsely.

 

He sighed at her stubbornness. Did she not say it was dire that she woke at dawn? It was already after sunrise! He ripped the covers from her, eliciting a squeal, and picked her up roughly, resulting in a bit more coherence.

 

“Sesshoumaru?”

 

He said nothing, but instead proceeded to walk toward the denser part of the forest just beyond their little campsite. He knew what would wake her fully.

 

“You can put me down, you know,” she said with a long yawn. She then rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “I really need only five more minutes.”

 

He knew what that meant and so his course of action would prove most beneficial. It was quite awkward carrying her with one arm, but she was light and therefore easy to shift in his grasp and he was able to force her to lean against his chest. Had she been any heavier he was sure he would have needed her assistance. Luckily, that was not the case.

 

The small river gurgled softly; so softly it was almost soothing. To most people it would have been, but for some reason Sesshoumaru felt apprehensive around water. Not that he was afraid of it or thought he'd drown, but rather something lurked in his subconscious warning him of water—telling him that there was a reason his disliked it.

 

No matter though, he had a sleepy girl to awaken so she could go take that important test she kept yapping about. He did say that he'd ensure she rose at the proper time and it was currently past that agreed upon time, and so he dumped her into the stream.

 

She screamed and scrambled up the small bank, shivering uncontrollably. The water wasn't cold and the air was warm, so her shivering did bewilder him, but she was so very warm in his arm and against his chest. Perhaps all those blankets she wrapped around her tiny form had caused this during the night, or maybe such tiny things get cold easily—both made sense to him.

 

“WHAT DID YOU THAT FOR!”

 

She really was loud. He should speak to her about that again.

 

“I said I would wake you at dawn. You did not cooperate, so I took care of the matter.”

 

Her cheeks were now flushed with rage. “And THAT'S how you decide to TAKE CARE OF IT!” She was shaking her clenched fists up and down in exaggerated anger, which he found most amusing.

 

“I had to keep my word.”

 

She groaned loudly and stormed off back to the camp, dripping wet. She looked particularly funny like that, which countered her enraged appearance perfectly. She looked too humorous to be taken seriously.

 

He followed her back and took a seat in his usual spot as she dried herself off and combed her hair. Something about that damn contraption she ran through her hair with such practiced ease simply captivated him. She then noticed his eyes on her and stopped mid-stroke.

 

“Umm…Sesshoumaru?”

 

He simply looked her in the eyes.

 

“Could you turn around?”

 

That was odd. He figured she wished to change her clothes since they were wet, but she always went behind a tree when she did that. He guessed this wasn't too odd because the girl was so body-conscious, but why not go behind a tree then? Maybe this was quicker? It really didn't matter so he simply obliged.

 

He could hear the soft rustle of fabric and the slight shuffle of her feet on the grass. He could even hear her hair flip over as she pulled her shirt over her head. Then he heard a barely audible clasp of metal and he wondered what it was. His curiosity was itching for him to turn around and look, but he was sure that would enrage the girl beyond anything he had witnessed thus far. Why was she so modest?

 

“You can turn around now.”

 

He did so and watched her gather the necessary items for her test. Then it occurred to him that she was leaving and he hadn't asked what he was to do.

 

“Am I to come with you?”

 

She looked surprised by this and stared at him a moment before answering. “No, you can't. But I'll be back tonight. I'll bring you some better fitting clothes and some food. You need to eat more, ya know.” He hated it when she berated him about food. He felt like he could eat, but there was nothing especially appetizing within the vicinity. Perhaps he was a picky eater.

 

“Well, I wish you luck then.”

 

She dropped her textbook and turned deliberately slowly to look at him again. Why did that comment startle her so?

 

“Uh…thank you.” She then shook her head lightly and returned to her current task.

 

After a few minutes she placed another white `t-shirt' and some strange gray hakamas in front of him. Her other hand dropped a bag at his side made from an odd fabric. It was compact and he could see the outline of what was inside. He knew these items—she bathed with them.

 

“You can take a bath today!” she exclaimed with happiness. She really did love to bathe. “The large bottle you use in your hair. The smaller bottle you also use in your hair, but after the stuff in the larger one has been rinsed out. Don't use very much, but make sure you lather your hair up real good. The bar inside is to wash your body. And remember to thoroughly rinse the soap out of your hair and off your body. Then use that towel over there to dry off and change into these clothes. You don't want to wear icky clothes when you're nice and clean!”

 

She really could talk fast sometimes…

 

She walked back over to her pack and lifted it over her shoulder. “I left some rice cakes for you over there,” she said while pointing to a small box. “In case you get hungry. Well, goodbye for now. I'll see you later, okay?”

 

He nodded. “Goodbye…for now.”

 

She nodded with another look of shock and staggered off toward wherever it was she was going. It was strange, but shortly after she left a new sensation overtook his body. He continuously flexed his claws and he could not stop moving his right leg. He kept thinking of the girl. She was so very weak and so horribly deaf. What if she was attacked on her way to her test? She probably knew what she was doing, but he had been attacked not very long ago and he was much stronger than she was. She would have died from those injuries he survived.

 

Maybe the girl could keep a low profile, but that would do absolutely no good if a demon with hearing or a sense of smell on par with his own were to come across her. But lesser demons or even malicious humans may not detect her if she kept quiet and out of sight. That was ridiculous. Kagome couldn't even lower her voice let alone keep a low profile—especially if a spider happened upon her!

 

He suddenly became aware of everything around him—not even a single insect could escape his scrutiny. His mind was jumbled and his body was tense as though he was preparing for something. He really needed to relax; surely the girl would be fine. She wasn't stupid, just dense.

 

He then decided to take the girl's advice and bathe. Perhaps feeling clean would be refreshing as she had said and then it would be easier for him to relax. He picked up the bag and towel and walked to the nearby stream. He reached his destination quickly and proceeded to remove his clothes and bandages. He figured the water and fresh air would do them some good. Plus most of them were healed, or at least freshly scabbed over, and the girl needed to change them anyway.

 

He walked to the water's edge after fully relieving himself of his clothing. He noticed the trees were reflected off the pool's surface. Then something occurred to him and he wondered why it hadn't entered his mind sooner.

 

He didn't know what he looked like.

 

He slowly leaned down, all the while wondering what he could possibly look like. He didn't really have any expectations, but he was curious as to whether or not he was a nice-looking man or a hideous one. He supposed he wouldn't be too disappointed if he was average and completely unremarkable. He peered into the water.

 

He was surprised. He knew his hair was silver due to its immense length, but he didn't realize how nice it appeared. It was smooth and full and it basically looked good on him. He had very angular features, much different than Kagome's soft ones, and he had strange markings on his face. His eyes were narrow and slanted slightly and they were a bright golden color. He was actually very strange looking, but he at least he appeared intimidating. He was sort of pleased with his interesting appearance overall. At least he wasn't ugly, and quite honestly he had to admit that he was above average as well.

 

But his face was scarred. A long, thin scar traveled the length of his face at an angle and ended just below his collarbone. He wondered if this happened when he was attacked or if it had always been there. He would have to ask Kagome. If it was fresh there may be a possibility that it would heal since he was youkai. He was still a good-looking man he supposed, but the scar was quite noticeable and he felt it lessened his overall good looks.

 

He looked down at his wrist and realized that he had noticed those stripes before and they did in fact match the ones on his face. It was strange that he had never questioned those stripes before, but the girl had said he was youkai and therefore different from her. It must be a youkai trait. Perhaps that was why his appearance was so much more shocking and flamboyant than hers. Youkai must be strange looking creatures.

 

He looked into the water's surface again and was shocked at what he saw. He no longer saw himself, but a man that looked very similar to him. A silver-haired man was smirking at him. He had the same golden eyes and angular features, but his eyes were softer and more slanted at the sides. And he had a single, jagged blue stripe directly under each eye that was much thicker and more rugged than his own.

 

He was startled and backed away from the river. Who was that man who looked so much like he did? He approached the water apprehensively once more and peered into the stream cautiously. He was met with magenta stripes and a crescent moon—he saw himself again. How very strange; it was eerie and left him with a foreboding feeling. He didn't like this feeling.

 

He shook his head and slipped into the water, the bag of bathing supplies in his hand. He did exactly as the girl told him and he must admit that he did feel very clean and…refreshed. Strange, but he didn't believe that last part until now.

 

He went under the water one last time to make sure that that last bits of the viscous concoction were completely rinsed from his hair. It was a bit slick and much harder to remove than the first. He opened his eyes while still under water and the site he beheld made him lose his balance. The water was dark, so very dark that even he could not see what was ahead of him. Was it not bright just moments ago? He felt strange and almost frightened—like he had been here before…

 

How was that possible? Why did it suddenly become night? He was confused and so very aware of his heartbeat. Then he heard something. It was a muffled voice and before he knew what was going on, he was lost.

 

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“Sesshoumaru, where are you?” said a distant yet mocking voice. It was deep and very masculine.

 

He was scared and reached out his hand in the water to see how close he was to the riverbank. He needed to know how far he had to swim when he ran out of air. It would be too risky to swim a good distance, for he could drown. He had to hold out, but for how long?

 

“Sesshoumaru!” the voice repeated with dying patience. It was impossible to decipher how far away the voice was because the water muffled the sound within his ears. But he had to go under the water—it was his only chance. He couldn't outrun him.

 

His legs were burning from his long sprint and now his lungs were as well. He had been in here for far too long and now his body craved oxygen. He needed to breathe.

 

He surfaced quietly and took short, silent breaths. Then he realized his heart was pounding, the sound reverberating through his head. He had to calm down or else he'd be caught. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It seemed to be working. Maybe he would escape…

 

“Clever boy,” stated a whisper right beside his ear. He froze, forgetting how to move though he willed it so. How did he not sense him so near? His heartbeat sounded off in his chest again, signaling his fear and letting his adversary know his weakness. “You masked your scent in the water, but,” he began ever so slowly as he wrapped his fingers around Sesshoumaru's neck, “you were breathing too loud.”

 

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