InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Secrets of the Shinju (Part I): Sesshoumaru's Stolen Memories ❯ An Enemy Becomes a Friend ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Nine

An Enemy Becomes a Friend

As soon as Sesshoumaru woke in the morning, he could tell that Kagome had not slept much if at all. "Are you feeling ill?" She seemed to have been startled by his words. "I couldn't sleep last night, every time I tried it felt like someone was trying to pry into my mind." He surveyed her appearance quickly. Her eyes had dark circles around them and her skin was slightly pale. "We will not train today." She stood and went to clean up. When she returned he was ready to leave. After only a short time she felt fatigue taking over her. She turned to Kilala and asked the cat to stop. She climbed onto her and began stroking her head. Kilala continued to walk along side Sesshoumaru.

Around mid-day Sesshoumaru noticed that Kagome was nearly asleep on top the cat. He motioned Kilala to stop and Kagome's eyes popped open. "We will take a rest now; you should try to get some sleep while we are stopped." He again went off to work on his flying, while Kagome lay down with Kilala and napped. He allowed her to sleep for nearly two hours before he woke her so that they could continue. She was more alert now and walked on her own. She seemed to be deeply troubled by something.

"What is bothering you?" She looked at him as though she were trying to decide whether or not to tell him. "The night before last, I had a very odd dream. I came to a castle and when I went inside I found a demoness that was looking into a mirror. She was watching what appeared to be you as a child." He glanced at her and waited for her to continue. "Suddenly she knew I was there and began looking for me. She couldn't see me and grabbed a jar of powder and began dropping it all over the room. When she came to me, she dropped some powder and suddenly she saw me. I snapped awake after that."

Sesshoumaru took in Kagome's words then turned to her. "Is that why you didn't sleep last night?" "No, last night it felt as though someone wanted to get into my mind. Every time I began to doze off, I could feel someone there." He could see that just talking about it was giving her chills. "Do you suspect that you saw the demoness that took my memories?" She looked at him for a moment "I'm not sure, but just before we found you, I had a dream that I was traveling with you. Maybe my powers allow me to have visions in my dreams." He nodded and the two walked in silence.

That evening they stopped earlier than usual. "You will try to sleep now. I will remain awake, so that if you have any problems I can wake you." Kagome was very tired and did not argue with him. She lay down with Kilala and was asleep in no time. He walked a short distance from her and finally began attempting to use his claws and poison. After a few hours he had full use of his claws and had been successful with the poison on a couple of occasions. He returned to camp, now feeling tired himself. He saw her sleeping peacefully and decided not to wake her. He lay down himself and rested. Kagome woke up and saw him lying there awake. She felt much better now, and told him he should get some sleep. She came to his side and asked for her bag. He handed it to her and she took out some granola bars and returned the bag to him.

She sat and ate while he slept. Finally she too went back to sleep; only this night she did not feel anyone trying to intrude upon her.

They began to travel first thing in the morning. Sesshoumaru explained that they had lost much time over the last few days and would need to make up for it. "We will save training for tonight when we stop." The two walked most of the day. When Kagome became tired, she rode Kilala. Late that afternoon they stopped and began training. This time he was much more intense; forcing her to put up spirit barriers in order to keep him away. Every time he was able to get through the barrier he grabbed her roughly, startling her back to reality. "You must master this. If you don't, your life will be in danger." Though she was able to keep him out occasionally he got through most of her barriers. Finally, he broke through a weak barrier and brought his hand to her throat. Her eyes flew open in surprise and fear. He stood there for a moment, then spoke "Kagome, do you see how easy it would be for a demon to kill you? That is enough for tonight." He released her and turned away. Again he had not hurt her, but had frightened her by his swift movement. They both went to sleep early that night.

Sesshoumaru woke in a very good mood the next morning, and began to tell her of a time he and Sakura had played a joke on his mother. He almost laughed as he told her of it. Kagome began to wonder why he was not receiving any memories of his father, only his mother and Sakura. They traveled until mid day when they came upon another lake. Kagome asked to stop so that she could go for a swim and cool off. She rushed off and put on her bathing suit and immediately got into the water. It felt very good as it was a particularly warm day. She swam for awhile before she realized he was standing near the edge of the lake watching her. She swam near him and asked him if he would like to join her. He looked down at his kimono and shook his head. She remembered that she had a pair of swim trunks buried at the bottom of her bag that she had bought for InuYasha, but he refused to use.

She quickly got out of the lake and went to her bag. "I have something here that you can wear into the water." He looked at her for a moment then told her that nothing of hers would fit him. She pulled the trunks out and brought them to him. "I bought these for your brother, but he refuses to swim with me." She let out a heavy sigh and looked up at him. He took the garment from her and looked it over carefully. She motioned to the trees and he slowly walked towards them. He returned moments later and could not see Kagome. Instantly he was standing on the embankment focusing all of his senses on the water. He was searching for a clue as to where in the lake she was, fearful that she had gone under. Suddenly he felt a violent shove from behind and fell into the water. He came up sputtering and heard laughter. He looked up and saw her smiling at him. "You see how easy it is for a human to sneak up on you! We really need to work on your senses." She said in a tone mocking his own.

He was out of the water in an instant. Kagome screeched and ran, not quite sure if he was amused or preparing to kill her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kilala advancing on Sesshoumaru. "Kilala, it's ok! Don't hurt him!" she shouted over her shoulder. Suddenly she felt an arm around her waist. She was lifted from the ground and carried back the lake. She then felt herself being heaved into the water. She too came up sputtering and found he was in the water with her. She started splashing at him, and swam quickly away. Finally he caught her and pushed her underwater. When she came up she saw a playful grin cross his face as he again moved to dunk her under the water. She dodged him and began wrestling him, trying to get him under the water. She gave in realizing she couldn't match his strength. She quickly swam towards shore and got out. Kagome sat on the bank while he continued to swim. Again, she noted the immense change in his personality. He was playing and enjoying himself, not at all like Sesshoumaru. `It's got to be the dreams. He has only relived happy, carefree memories. He hasn't yet been jaded.' She felt a sudden sadness creep over her. Eventually he would regain his memory and be forced to live his life alone, never knowing true happiness.

A short while later Sesshoumaru joined her on the grass. "It was brave of you to push me in. I could have done much worse to you." She glanced at him, his hair was still soaked and he wore a smirk on his face. "Probably, but Kilala would have had you for dinner if you tried." He looked at the cat then at her. "We should get dressed and be on our way." Both stood and began to dry off with the small towels Kagome had. She finally got a good look at him. It was the first time she had ever seen him without his kimono and armor. She was surprised at how good-looking he was. He was muscular and lean. He definitely looked good in the swim trunks. Maybe better than InuYasha would have. She quickly grabbed her clothes and headed for the trees. He headed in the opposite direction. Once they were dressed they again headed on their way.