InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Problem ❯ Night time Parley ( Chapter 2 )

Quote: We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

Sadly…it must be said…I do NOT own Inuyasha. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go cry. Ahem….

 

 

Chapter 2:

 

 

The next day, a deceptively bright and sunny day, we went on pretty much the same as yesterday although the atmosphere was less tense now that we knew why he was following us. We walked on ahead, Sesshoumaru trudging silently behind us, walking with dignity as though unaware of the spell that bound him. But his calm demeanour was nothing short of an act and I knew this for a fact. In fact, he was bent on separating himself from me so determinedly that he continued to try and ward me off, as Miroku had so adequately put it, even though it was doing him, and definitely me, no good. But then again, perhaps he found it entertaining to push me at odd times when I least expected it. I must have gone sprawling on the floor at least four times, and trust me, it was no picnic.

The third time this happened, I pushed myself off the ground angrily, turning his way, fully intent on yelling at him. I mean, why keep trying the same tactics if it wasn't working? But I'd hardly had a chance to look at him before I came to my senses, losing all wind. After all, who in their right mind would yell at Sesshoumaru?

So I settled with turning back around and grumbling under my breath, “I wish he'd just quit it. It's not like it's gonna suddenly start working.”

Unfortunately for me, Inuyasha heard this (which I'm sure means that so did Sesshoumaru), and he decided to comment on it. But maybe it would be better if I said unfortunately for Inuyasha. “I can't blame him. Who'd want to be stuck with you forever?” Then he smiled broadly to himself and added. “Hell, this is the best punishment for him!”

Sesshoumaru seemed to choose not to comment on this, but I, already irate from all my encounters with the hard ground during the day, wasn't as forgiving as that. Well…. “Inuyasha…,” he turned and looked at me, his eyes telling me that he knew exactly what was about to happen. “Sit boy.”

I didn't stop to look back at him, nor did I wait for him to get back to his feet. I just kept on marching forward, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo alongside me, all trying in vain to hide their rather apparent amusement.

We came across a small village but were warded off by a crowd of men holding their pitchforks against us, their eyes on Inuyasha, Shippo, Kirara, and Sesshoumaru. I think Inuyasha would've liked to teach them a lesson, but we quickly pulled him aside and away. There was no need to start a fight; this was a pretty common reaction after all. And I'd hate to think what would have happened to all those people if Sesshoumaru was pulled into the fight, as he undoubtedly would have been.

A little after lunch, we were attacked by a rather large bird demon. Well, you could hardly call it an attack. The bird charged at us, presumably sensing my jewel shards, but it stopped short a good hundred yards away from us in the air. Then, after a short cursory glance, it flapped its giant, brown wings and flew away and didn't come back. Personally, I think it didn't want to risk getting involved in a fight with people with whom Sesshoumaru choose to travel with. I guess that's one good thing about having him along.

I glanced at him to see what his reaction was and, predictably, found him to be staring carelessly forward as though this was routine. I shot him a half smile, not sure what kind of reaction a full smile may enthuse, and fell into step behind Inuyasha who had Shippo perched on his shoulder. No more invisible forces pushed me for the rest of the day.

During meal times and in fact most of the day, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo acted quite as normally as usual. Miroku would try to grope Sango when she least expected it, and in return, she would either bop him on the head or slap him. Shippo ran around the rest of us, giving Sesshoumaru a wide berth, and played with Kirara or played with my bike. Now that he was older, I sometimes even allowed him to ride my bike when I wasn't using it. As for Inuyasha, he went through moods more quickly than usual. One minute he would be happy and almost playful, a mischievous glare in his eyes when he looked at his brother that told of just how much he was enjoying his predicament. Yet he would easily become his grouchy normal self and insult us in the blink of an eye and none of us could guess what pissed him off like that, though we all assumed that that too had something to do with his brother's presence. I think I sat him at least five times. As for Sesshoumaru, I honestly don't know what normal was for him, but he was pretty much the same as yesterday, cold, distant, and absolutely unapproachable. I couldn't find the courage to go and ask him some of my questions. But that was pretty much all that could be expected.

 

***

 

I turned silently in bed, trying not to disturb Shippo who lay beside me fast asleep. It had been a good few hours since we'd turned in for the day. Everyone was fast asleep, even Inuyasha; it had been a long day today. But somehow, despite the aches all over my body and my tired brain, I just couldn't fall asleep. I had my eyes almost stubbornly closed for the past two hours, willing myself to drift off, but I had no such luck. Insomnia is a cruel thing and when it strikes, it strikes with a vengeance. If I was at home I would have gone down to the kitchen and warmed some milk for myself. Warm milk always puts me to sleep. That and the smell of chlorine; don't ask why.

Seeing as how I had no milk - or chlorine - with me, I decided to get up and run around a little, hoping to clear my mind or bully my body into sleep, whichever one worked fastest. I got out of my sleeping bag and pulled on my shoes all without making any noise. Quickly, I strode away from the camp, not wanting Inuyasha to wake up. I didn't feel up to dealing with him just now. Once out of his immediate hearing range, and sure that he wouldn't hear the small rustling of the bushes that I may run through, I broke into a light jog, heading toward the river we'd camped by.

“What are you doing?” a smooth voice sounded from behind me, making me come to a sudden halt. I whirled around, my heart pounding somewhere near the base of my throat, coming face to face with none other than Sesshoumaru, a peculiar look in his golden eyes.

I nearly screamed, but managed to keep myself in check at the last possible second. “Don't do that!” I hissed through tightly clenched teeth, clutching at my chest.

He raised one silver eyebrow, still looking inquisitively at me. “What are you doing?” he repeated himself after a few seconds.

I looked at him sarcastically; wasn't it obvious? “What does it look like?” I began slightly smugly. “I was running. What do you…you…oh,” I drifted off, feeling slightly panicked as my brain caught up with me. I had completely forgotten about the spell. I'd run off and undoubtedly ended up dragging him along with me. No wonder he was looking at me so oddly. Imagine how you'd feel if you suddenly found yourself being pulled around in the middle of the forest. I was surprised I still had my head on my shoulders.

“Ah…gomen nesai Sesshoumaru-sama,” I said, dropping my gaze. “I completely forgot about the…uh…spell.” Somehow I didn't like reminding Sesshoumaru that he was bound to me; I didn't think it was very wise.

“Indeed,” was his one word answer.

I was silent for a minute, unsure of whether I dared to look back up at him, feeling more than a bit awkward. I felt so foolish; how could I have possibly forgotten such an important thing. And I felt awful too, knowing just how…insulting it must have been to Sesshoumaru, though he hadn't said anything so far about it. That thought made me feel even worse. But since he wasn't bringing it up, I decided to take his lead. The silence stretched and I begin to feel more and more uncomfortable with it, painfully aware of Sesshoumaru's gaze that remained on me.

“Perhaps you should continue your exercise,” he said quietly, making my head snap up however involuntarily. I winced as a hot pain shot down the length of my neck and lifted a hand to rub it as my eyes took in his profile. His eyes glowed softly, taking in what little light the moon shone down and reflecting it back out and his hair was equally luminescent with a slightly silverfish glow to it, a slow night breeze brushing through the long strands. Even in this lack of light, he seemed beautifully ethereal. He stood rather casually, his face empty of all emotion, his deep golden eyes staring straight at me. Is it a wonder that I began to blush?

“Uh…right then,” I said, quickly turning around to hide my consternation at his stare and wondering if he really didn't mind being dragged along behind me. But seeing as how he'd pretty much agreed to it, and in all honestly, anything was better than this awkward situation, I began to run again, though more slowly than before; I felt it would somehow leave him with more dignity. But as he began to run right along beside me, I realised that it wasn't necessary and I stopped worrying. I guess spending two days without much activity (in his books anyway), had left him with some pent up energy.

Our pace was hardly a challenge for him and I felt that that's exactly what he needed right now, a means for expending his energy. No doubt, when on his own, he often moved around at a much higher pace than we had been in the past couple of days. After all, Inuyasha had to pick a pace that would account for the three humans that travelled with him; if he didn't, he was quite likely to be sat.

I raised my pace, easily falling into a full throttle, wishing to somehow make this easier for him though I don't know why. I was sure it would come back and bite me the ass later, but I ignored the feeling for the moment. But I didn't turn to see what Sesshoumaru's reaction would be to this, deciding that worst comes to worst, he would just stop me.

I collapsed down on a rock by the river bank, gasping for breath and covered in sweat, but felt as though I'd had the run of my life. Spending years traipsing about feudal Japan had definitely done wonders for my athletic abilities, but I had put myself to the limit that night just trying to keep the same pace as Sesshoumaru. Speaking of the devil, Sesshoumaru came to a stop beside me with a lot more grace, looking quite calm and put together as though he'd just come from a languid stroll. That bastard.

I glared at him for a moment but gave up as he went to lean against a nearby tree, my glare completely lost on him. It wasn't fair how quickly I found myself suddenly uncomfortable when he stared at me, but when I stared at him, he was as indifferent as a rock. I sighed, deciding that it was best not to compare myself with a youkai, a taiyoukai nonetheless.

I looked back over at him, once more allowing my thoughts to wonder over the questions that he had caused to surface the previous day. I wondered if this was the right time to ask him about the spell and figured if not now, then when. After all, there was no Inuyasha to interrupt and if there was anything that he wished to keep silenced from others, there was no one to overhear him now. Only me and I had a right to know why I had a taiyoukai trailing me wherever I went.

I slipped off the rock and used the river water to wash my face and neck, feeling revived almost immediately though I shivered from its coldness. “Sesshoumaru,” I started, turning to face him again, “can I ask you about the spell?” Why not be direct about it? With him, it could probably take me farther.

He didn't say anything but turned to look at me, his eyes silently boring into mine. I took that as my cue to continue.

I didn't think he would answer all my questions, so I thought carefully about it to pick out the right one to begin with. “What are the terms of the spell?” That was a reasonable enough question, right? I had a right to know why I was in this situation.

He looked intently at me, his face completely void of all emotion, and I tried my best not to quell under his gaze as I'd done before. Then, quite causally, he turned away from me in a clear sign of his reluctance to answer my question. Clearly, I'd picked the wrong question to start with.

Damn! And I'd thought so hard about it too.

I let out a little huff of indignation, placing my hands on my hips. “Argh, fine,” I growled, deciding to play along with him for the time being. “Can you at least tell me if you understand them?”

He'd turned back to me again, his eyes aglow in the dim moonlight. “I understand them, yes.” It was amazing how smoothly those words rolled out of his mouth for someone who seemed to make it a point to use his voice as rarely as possible. It was also aggravating how his seldom used voice could sound so casual in the face of such an important question.

I did my best to keep my temper at bay and thought over his words. He knew what was wanted of him. So then, why hadn't he done them and lifted the spell already? I felt myself frowning as I tried to find a solution to this on my own, but gave up, deciding it would be best to just ask him even though I was almost sure I wouldn't be getting an answer out of him. “Okay, so then why haven't you done what they want?”

Sesshoumaru was again silent, but this time raised an eyebrow as his gaze on me intensified once more in almost contemplative action. Then he pushed himself away form the tree he'd been leaning on and turned away from me. “Tomorrow, you shall come with me to retrieve something of mine.” Then, without a care in the world, he began to walk away.

I blinked, trying to see how this could possibly answer my question, which I knew it obviously didn't. Still, it was a bit of a shock to be turned down so completely. I felt the anger rising within me, this time not bothering to hinder it. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He refused to answer my questions, questions whose answers are very important to me I may mention, and then expects me to up and leave at his smallest command? Oh, this guy had it coming to him. Suddenly, and for the first time, I found myself praising the person who had cast the spell on him, thankful for the stab against his pride. I allowed a nearly evil smirk to slant my lips as I sat down more comfortably by the river bank where he'd left me. I bet it was torture for him to be bound to a human, a human who was friends with his half-brother nonetheless. Wasn't this what Inuyasha had found so entertaining about all this?

I realised I'd been way too nice to him. He didn't deserve my lenience or patience even if he could kill me for the lack of it. I turned my back determinedly away from him, waiting for him to reach the sixty foot mark. I was going to make this as hard for him as possible.

Hopefully, the terms of the spell kept me safe from his wrath. Oh god.

It took a few minutes, but the sound of his footsteps eventually came to a stop. I pushed down my sudden bout of fear ruthlessly, refusing to let him intimidate me.

“Get up.” I heard the growl in his voice and ignored it, well as best as I could anyway.

Once more I shot down my fear and managed to keep calm on the outside. But I couldn't think of anything to say so I simply turned more definitely away from him, not even sure whether he was watching me.

“Get up, wench,” came his curt voice, his tone promising punishment. Painful punishment.

Oh ho! So now I was a wench, was I? This time I had to fight to keep my anger beneath the surface. I remained as I was.

Within seconds he'd moved to stand by the river bank, his tall form towering over me as he glared purposefully down at me. I felt my heart leap into my throat, going a mile a minute. He'd never turned such a malevolent look on me before, not even the time that I'd undone Tetsusaiga's transformation with my arrow. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to return the glare. He had no right to be mad.

“I will not repeat myself again,” he went on in that deceptively calm voice of his despite the fire in his eyes. “Now get up.”

It took all my will and determination not to succumb to him, but I did it anyway. He was not going to bully me. I'd faced many youkai before (including Sesshoumaru) and I'd never backed down. So why start now? Fight to the bitter end, that's my motto.

Okay, so it's not but you get what I mean.

Sadly, however, he did not seem to be about to give up either, judging by the irritation in his eyes that is. Clawed fingers wrapped themselves tightly about my throat, effectively shutting off my air valves, and raised me to my feet. Okay, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to quarrel with him.

My hands rushed up, trying futilely to loosen his hold on me. But I kept my eyes on him and continued to glare at him for all I was worth even as my face turned steadily redder.

“Kill me if you want,” I croaked though not meaning a word of it. “But I'm not gonna follow your orders.”

He growled at me then, a growl that I'd only heard him use against Naraku and Inuyasha, his fingers momentarily tightening their hold on my neck. Then, quite unceremoniously, he let go of me and I crumbled to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

I gasped greedily for air, using my right hand to rub my burning throat, my “potato” ass throbbing from the impact. But I froze almost immediately as Sesshoumaru crouched down in front of me, his golden eyes now levelled with mine, and his face way too close for comfort.

“You may be different from other humans,” he said smoothly and I wondered as to what he meant by it, “but you are still a human. I will spare you this time though I will not be equally gracious the next time. Now, get up.”

I bristled, my anger not dying down in the face of his threat. I sat up straighter, my hand falling from my neck to be placed meticulously on my lap along with my other hand, and I schooled my face into a look of defiance. “Nope.” His eyes narrowed and I could sense his fingers itching to choke me again, so I quickly added, “I'll get up when you tell me why I'm stuck with you.” Okay, not the best thing to say when trying to keep myself alive.

But instead of going on the offensive again, his face went completely, and I mean completely, blank and he rose to his feet. He kept his eyes on me and I allowed myself to imagine him trying to decide whether it was worth it to tell me or not. So I allowed myself a little smile of victory, knowing that he'd have no choice but to answer me because I wasn't about to give up anytime soon.

It took me maybe a few seconds to realise that I was no longer sitting on the ground as the feeling of it beneath me vanished. My eyes widened in disbelief before I looked and when I finally did look down it was only to find that I was about five feet above the ground and still rising. Beneath me was a layer of misty blue and green cloud, one that I recognized from our second encounter with the formidable youkai in front of me. I turned and looked at him accusingly, momentarily lost for words.

The key word being momentarily.

“Hey! That's not fair!” I hissed as I jumped to my feet, ready for almost anything except the smile that crossed his face at my indignation.

What the hell is wrong with this guy?!

“This Sesshoumaru does not bow to anyone.”

 

***

 

Um…wow, guys, so many reviews…and such nice ones too. Thanks everyone…I don't normally respond to the reviews so I feel kind of crummy leaving my thanks at that. But I guess if you really want a response, then I'll have to do it from next time on.

Okay now, as for this chapter. I finished it a good couple of days ago and spent the rest of the time proof reading and debating whether I should leave it where it is. I mean, I already have a lot more down, but I'd kind of imagined the end of the chapter at this point. It kind of adds to the story. So then I settled for leaving it here. I guess this time I'll just have to sacrifice the reviews about how nicely long my chapter is. Oh well then.

Phew…okay, as mentioned above, I already have much of the next chapter done as well. So chances are, the next chapter will be up by Friday. But that's what I'm gonna shoot for, to post chapters Friday to Friday. Anywho, that's all for now, so till later!

 

PS. Midterms suck!!