InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Snow Angel ❯ The Seventh ( Chapter 88 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 88 - The Seventh *Agate* (Seven Treasures Challenge)

It was rather difficult to concentrate on flying with the woman he loved pressed so tightly to his body, but he was giving it his best effort. They had landed several times to check the distance, and though the sun was going to be setting soon, Kagome insisted they continue on. If there was only one bag left, then they might as well get it, even if it took until the dead of night.

Sesshoumaru attempted to distract himself from the feel of Kagome's warmth against him by talking. He had been telling her all about the West: the palace, his people, the villages, and the natural wonders he couldn't wait to share with her. Kagome couldn't help but be touched by his obvious excitement. He was almost like a child eager to tell her everything. It almost made her sad as she realized that he had never had someone to talk to like he did her. She could only be happy to be that for him now.

Kagome was rather tempted to start sharing as well. He wasn't a threat. He could be trusted with her secret. She felt a tad guilty that he had shared so much while she had shared so little. She knew so much about him, and he didn't even know that she wouldn't be born for almost five hundred years! Yes, she decided. She would tell him that and anything else he wanted to know.

"I think we're probably close now," the miko said. Sesshoumaru nodded and landed beside the barrier. They assumed their bag hunting positions once more, and Kagome smiled. "Of course. We’re on the last bag when I finally get really good at narrowing down where they are. We're almost right on top of it."

"Ain't that the way it always works?" Inuyasha asked. "Where am I digging?"

The miko took a few steps forward and then pointed. "Right here. So, do we really think that once I purify this last bag that the barrier will fall?"

"If you don't sense any more," Shippo started, "then probably. There's always a chance that there's some kind of backup, but all the bags were so elaborate and complicated that I doubt it. They were their own backup plan."

"That'll be a relief. How long has it been since you were in the West?" Kagome asked the taiyoukai.

"Over a month, nearly a month and a half," he replied. "I have never been out of my ancestral lands for so long."

"And since you're connected to them, you've got to be feeling it, huh?" the kitsune inquired.

"Connected to the land?" the miko asked.

"Indeed. My family's blood is linked to the West. It draws on my strength, and I on it."

"So, do you feel weaker then?"

 “I would not say weak, but I do not feel quite right, no," he answered, refusing to lead her to think that he had any weakness she should worry about.

"Oh," Kagome said softly.

"Less chatter, more purifying," Inuyasha jumped in. He had exposed the bag a while ago, but no one had noticed since they were busy talking. Seeing the expression on Kagome's face, the hanyou grew worried. Something was wrong. Something was weighing on her mind that hadn't been just a while before. What had that idiot taiyoukai said while he was focused on not singing his fingers on that damn bag?

The miko knelt and picked up the bag, dumping the contents on the ground. In the low light, as the sun was setting, it was difficult to see what there was, and with a sigh, Kagome pulled out her flashlight. She clicked it on, not noticing that Sesshoumaru did not seem surprised by her item from the future. "Same old, same old," she said. "I'd half expected something interesting and different for the last one. Is that a rock?"

"Yeah. It must be the odd item for this one, but why a rock? Everything else was valuable in some way. What good is a rock?"  Shippo was genuinely confused.

Sesshoumaru smirked. "I will show you as soon as Kagome has purified the items."

With a nod, Kagome handed the flashlight to Sango and held out her hands. Her reiki rose to the surface, and everything dissolved away into nothingness, leaving behind just the rock. There was no fancy light show, no sign that the invisible barrier was gone. Instead of waiting for someone to pick  it up to hand it to the taiyoukai, everyone watched as Sesshoumaru slowly reached toward it. When his fingers crossed into the West, he let out a sigh of relief and grasped the item everyone was curious about.

"It's gone!" Kagome said happily, though the joy didn't seem to make its way into her eyes. Everyone cheered their agreement while Inuyasha muttered, refusing to get so excited for his brother, even if it did mean they could relax in the palace for a while. Sesshoumaru swept the miko into his arms and kissed her, somewhat disappointed to find that she failed to respond the way she had previously. When she pulled back, he allowed it. "So, what's the big deal about the rock?"

The taiyoukai walked a short distance away to a large boulder and carefully hit the rock against it. It cracked like an egg, and he held out the two sides for everyone to see. The inside was shiny with different colored wiggly lines, like the rings of a tree only wavier.

"Wow!" Shippo exclaimed as Sango shined the light on them. "That's awesome!"

"It's agate," the miko explained. "They're usually volcanic rocks. It is cool. So pretty. It's almost the same color as your stripes."

"So," Inuyasha chimed in. "Off to the palace now?"

"No, we will be staying the night in one of my many smaller homes." He didn't dare take Kagome to the palace until he figured out a way to tell her the truth about Prince, and he was still hesitant to do so until the miko had fallen in love with him. The palace, Tsukiko's punishment, and his mother's humiliation would have to wait.