InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Visions ❯ The Chosen One ( Chapter 2 )

(Note: Sesshoumaru has both arms in this story, because I always find myself forgetting that he only has one. His fighting ability is never hampered by it, so I forget its not there. So for this story, to avoid any glaring mistakes I might make otherwise, I am letting him have both. Nyah. Remember, this is my feel-good fic, and him having both arms makes me feel good. Enjoy the chapter.)

Visions
Chapter Two
The Chosen One

Kagome twisted her fingers into the hem of her shirt as she stood outside the door of the headquarters. Grimacing, she realized what her actions were doing to her poor garment, and then quickly tried to smooth out the fabric into some semblance of decency. ‘Screw it,’ she thought. Who was she trying to impress anyway? She had taken on the mindset a long time ago that she didn’t care what people thought of her. It would cause her only more heartache and misery in the long-run, especially every time someone found out what she was.

She’d heard it all when she was younger, the whispers behind her back. From everyone from the parents of the children who were her friends all the way up to the other mikos she trained with when she was older. When she gained her High Miko status at such a young age, the whispers grew until she just learned to ignore them. She knew that she was different. A freak, called by others. But as long as she caught the demons who preyed on the weak and innocent, she could deal with being a freak. Even if the visions one day tore her apart, as they had every other Miko in the past who were cursed as she was. She wasn’t stupid, she had looked up everything about the Miko’s who were “gifted” in the same way she one. Considering as there was only one woman of their kind who had these visions every millennium, it was a little hard to dig up information on the elusive mikos. Their fates were all the same, save one.

All lost their minds to the visions. Some held out longer than others, but in the end it was all the same. Inescapable insanity. Many mikos ended up taking their own lives, just so they wouldn’t have to feel the experience of dying again, to escape the pain that came whenever a vision occurred. It was Kagome’s deepest, darkest fear that she would too become a victim of the visions.

It was the one miko that gave her hope. The one miko that survived the visions, the one that found the only way to tolerate the madness they brought on. Kagome didn’t know how she did it, didn’t even know if she would be able to do it herself, but she still had to believe that the Gods didn’t curse those women just to have only one woman find a way to deal with it all. In all that she’d read, two words had been her salvation: Chosen One. Whatever that was, she needed to find it, just like the first miko had so long ago.

It was that one woman that allowed Kagome to deal with her visions, and gave her the strength to battle the inhuman monsters that killed for pleasure. This demon was just one more demon to fight until the next one came along. Her hands clenched as she recalled the feelings of maliciousness in her vision, and knew that this one wouldn’t go down without a fight. Which is why she now had to rely on a group of people she didn’t even know. Even though she was the one who suggested asking for Inuyasha’s help, she still didn’t like it when other people found out exactly what she saw in her visions. Taking another deep breath, she put her hand on the handle, feeling the magic of a very powerful demon. She could tell immediately that the room was completely protected from scent, aura, and sound, but it was the magic that intrigued her. She had never felt anything like it before.

This week was just a bundle of firsts for her. With that wry thought in mind, she knocked with one hand while the hand on the handle twisted the knob, allowing her entry into the room.

She blinked as all eyes turned towards her, but was saved from saying anything when Miroku said, “Everyone, meet Kagome.”

He pointed to a red-haired teenager on her right to start making introductions. “Kagome, this is Shippo. Inuyasha told me that he’s one of the best con-artists in the city.”

She looked at the young man, a demon from his aura, his appearance not any older than that of a fifteen year old teenager. His shocking red hair was held in a high ponytail and his sharp green eyes were clever and sharp, looking at her in curiosity.

“A little young, don’t you think?” she whispered to Miroku in a slightly amused voice, noticing how the teenager bristled. With a sudden pop, she was blinking at a mirror image of herself.

“You’re one to talk,” Shippo said, doing a perfect imitation of her voice. “You don’t look that much over twenty yourself.”

“Shippo, be more polite,” a woman sitting next to him said while smacking him lightly upside the head, watching as he popped back into his original form. “Don’t take anything the little fox here says seriously. I’m Sango, a demon exterminator. It’s nice to meet you, Kagome.”

Kagome gave a little smile in return, liking the woman already. The woman looked only slightly older than her, and looked at her with such warm brown eyes Kagome couldn’t help but think that, given the right circumstances, they could become good friends. What a demon exterminator was doing working exclusively with demons was beyond her, but to each her own. Well, that wasn’t quite right, there was a hanyou in the room, but it was hard to concentrate when there was one aura that was almost overpowering her senses with its strength. It almost seemed like it was tugging on hers, forcing her to find the source quickly. Almost desperately. Her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the occupants, ignoring Miroku’s rambling of some wolf named Kouga and his tracking abilities, and Inu…something…

Her breath almost left her body as her eyes locked on a pair of electric gold eyes, and she found herself trapped. She realized distantly that this man could only be Sesshoumaru, the Taiyoukai of these lands. She was shocked to find that her hands gave a quick tremble, and she forced them in front of her so she could grip them together, still not taking her eyes off of the imposing man. She saw his eyes narrow, and that broke the little spell she was under, allowing her eyes to escape his which only allowed her to view the face that those eyes belonged to. That was a mistake all its own because Kagome promptly stopped breathing. High cheekbones adorned with two magenta stripes on each side accentuated the aristocracy in his face, while the crescent moon in the middle of his forehead marked his demon heritage. Two more stripes on his eyelids should have made him appear feminine, but only added to the overall perfect masculinity of his face, if that was possible. His lips looked hard and firm, as if he didn’t smile all that often, and she knew that inside his mouth there would most likely be a set of fangs. Much to her embarrassment, she felt a rush of heat fill her body. This type of reaction was not normal for her, and she was a bit alarmed at the unfamiliar immediate connection she had with the TaiYoukai.

She took her eyes off of his face, noticing that his jaw was clenched, and her eyes were drawn to the tendons of his neck that stood out for a second as the muscles shifted. She wanted to trace those muscles down to where they disappeared into the collar of his business suit. He practically exuded raw power held tightly by immaculate control, and a natural sensuality. Hastily, she set her eyes on the table where his hands rested. His fingers were long and tapered, and his hands looked big and strong, tipped with deadly claws. She shuddered inwardly, her mind immediately conjuring up a scene where those claws were running tantalizingly over her skin, and she desperately tried to bring her mind back into focus on what Miroku was saying.

When the door opened, something inside of Sesshoumaru went silent…waiting. It was almost as if he were hunting all over again, waiting in complete alertness for his prey to come into view.

Her scent wafted into the room first, delicate and sweet. The scent of moonflowers filled his nostrils, reminding him of sultry nights under starry skies. Heady. Undeniably female. He inhaled deeply, acutely disturbed by the fact that his insides were practically quivering. Sesshoumaru did NOT quiver, but his instincts were screaming at him, heat unfurling in his belly as he took another deep whiff of that intoxicating scent. His eyes became glued to the door, waiting for the owner of that scent to become visible, and his body tensed subtly in anticipation. A dainty foot strapped in delicate sandals appeared first, followed by the shapeliest leg he had ever had the privilege of setting eyes on.

A small voice in the back of his head told him that out of all the women he’d been with, there were those that certainly had a better pair of legs than this woman, but his mind could honestly not bring those women to mind at that precise moment. Still that same niggle in the back of his head warned him that this instant attraction was not befitting for a Taiyoukai, nor normal, unless it was for his mate…and that thought brought him up short.


In the next moment, however, all rational thought left his head as the woman fully came into view, dressed modestly in a knee length skirt and fitted blouse. To everyone else, she may have seemed pretty, if rather ordinary. To Sesshoumaru, she was perfect. Silky black hair fell down her back and framed a face blessed with high cheekbones, a pert nose, and a full, lush mouth. His eyes lingered helplessly there as he watched it lift into a nervous smile directed at the monk. He saw her eyes swing to the young kitsune, and he noted their color. Deep blue, with a hint of grey towards the middle, and vibrant despite the fact that there were circles under her eyes. He frowned inwardly when he noticed that she looked exhausted, and his eyes quickly ran over the rest of her as she spoke with the fox and demon slayer.

Hungrily, he let his gaze roam over pert breasts just begging to be kissed down to her flat tummy and gently flared hips that his clawed twitched to run over. She was very thin, more so than was healthy with a slight gaunt look that just confirmed in his mind that she hadn’t been taking care of herself. A fierce sense of protectiveness rose up inside of him and the part of him that was still rational was bewildered at the effect she had on him.

He noticed the moment her attention shifted, as if she were aware his eyes were slowly devouring her. Her eyes met his, searching, and it seemed like everyone else disappeared. The muscles in his body clenched, reaching in the most basic way as her eyes locked to his. He felt as if he had been punched in the gut, and his eyes narrowed in reaction. Her gaze immediately fell away after that, and his jaw clenched in frustration and disappointment. The connection they had was lost, but his temper abated as he realized her eyes were running over him just has he had her, finally settling on his hands. The slow once over she had given him made his body hotter than anything he’d ever felt before, and he was faintly astonished with himself. The lust he felt coursing through his veins sluggishly was something he hadn’t felt in hundreds of years, ever since he learned to master control over his emotions and body, but something about this miko was bringing every animalistic instinct and reaction to the surface. He wanted to growl as her attention focused once more on the monk.

“Kagome,” Miroku started, leading her to an empty seat at the table where pictures were laid out. “Is this the man from your vision?”

Sesshoumaru watched with interest as her lips pulled into a slight frown, looking over the gruesome pictures. He could sense her distress from where he was sitting, and it made him uneasy and restless. He watched her hands lightly graze over her own stomach when she looked at the pictures of the bloody and torn man. He remembered what Miroku had explained about Kagome and her unique problem with her visions. She was probably remembering the pain that had gone along with this particular attack, and the thought of her suffering almost sent him into the red. Her soul was pure, he could feel it in her aura. Untainted and he could feel the amount of raw power she had in her. Delectable.

“It’s him,” he heard her say, her inner turmoil not reflecting in the smooth cadence of her voice. Her voice was very…soothing. Calm. It settled his raging blood and instead lit fires in other areas. Sesshoumaru was very confused, and he hated the feeling. Why was this small slip of a woman affecting him so? A part of him wanted to stop it, this unexplained attraction while the other part of him wanted to get as close to her as he possibly could, into her soul.

“I can help you catch him,” the little miko of his interest continued on. “I know how he kills, what kind of person he picks as his target-”

“So do we,” Inuyasha cut in. “No offense, but you’ve only been here one night while we’ve dealt with him for a few months. We probably know more than you do and we don’t want to get you involved if we don’t have to.”

Sesshoumaru watched with interest as her eyes flashed with temper, and his heartbeat sped up minutely at the scent she emitted while angry. Delicious.

“Oh?” she said, her voice slightly scathing as she rounded on the hanyou. She fought not to blink as she faced a man with the same coloring as the demon she had just turned away from. The same silver hair and gold eyes, although the hanyou’s were a little larger, and he had no distinctive marks on his face to represent his status. But he did have a pair of ears on this head that reminded her of a puppy, and she fought to keep her thoughts on the same track. “Do you know the sound of his voice? What kind of shoes he wears?” Inuyasha remained mute. “I thought not. But I know. I also know he has an accomplice.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed, a bit of his rationale returning as he focused on the case. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

Kagome shuddered inwardly as the TaiYoukai spoke for the first time. His voice was smooth, very deep, and made something inside her tingle. She shook it off and sent him a smirk. “Being a High Miko has its advantages. My visions are not premonitions, they are reality.”

Her smile disappeared as he smirked right back, and made her stomach drop. He looked downright dangerous when he let the corners of his mouth quirk up and one slim eyebrow rise. Hastily she looked away to the rest of the occupants of the room. She noticed the hanyou giving Sesshoumaru a weird look before his attention was focused back on her.

“Do you have any clues on the accomplice?”

Kagome shook her head. “Nothing solid. He’s less calculating than the other one, more the follower than the leader. He’s the one who killed this man last night.” She tapped her finger on the photo again. “He has no weapon of choice, just his claws. He trapped the victim last night, using his own fear against him, and then stalked him. He liked to toy with him.” Sesshoumaru watched as her eyes went hazy with some unknown memory and her voice became distant as she focused inward. “He had me trapped in the corner of the alleyway, knowing that there was nowhere I would be able to go. He had won, and I knew it, but I had to try something anyway. He felt amusement when I tried to run, and that’s when he attacked. He gave me one straight slash across my stomach so that I was still alive when he started ripping into my back…he took his time, even though it wasn’t methodical. He just wanted to see me suffer as much as he could before I died…”

“Kagome, that’s enough,” Miroku cut in sharply, and Kagome visibly jerked, her eyes focusing slowly once more. Immediately, a flush covered her cheeks and it was obvious she was embarrassed. She looked around for a moment at all of the dumbfounded and shocked eyes staring at her, and her embarrassment intensified. Sesshoumaru had to stop himself from digging his claws into the table.

Kagome cleared her throat. “Sorry about that. The victim was almost dead when our main killer walked up.” Even though she used the word “victim” everyone could guess that she meant herself. It was her that was almost dead when the killer walked up. “There is a certain level of trust between the one who killed this victim and the main killer. He just walked right up when the other demon was deep into bloodlust, and nothing happened “The killer is on a different level than the one who killed this man last night. This one is cold, clever, smart, and his aura is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Not as strong as yours,” she said, nodding her head in deference to Sesshoumaru but not meeting his eyes, not wanting to get lost again in the confusing connection she felt when she did. “But close to your power and more….” She trailed off, trying to come up with a suitable word.

“More?” Shippo prodded.

“Evil,” she finished. “That is what he is. Evil.”

“Do you know how he kills?” Sango asked. “What his methods are, what weapons he uses?”

Kagome shook her head. “I won’t know that until I have another vision. With the way he’s been escalating in his killings, which will probably be tonight or tomorrow sometime. Have the victims had noticeable differences in the way they were killed?”

“No,” Kouga spoke up. “Pretty much all of them have been torn up like the victim last night.”

“Then I definitely won’t know how he kills until I feel it,” she murmured more to herself than the room. “I’ll let you know when I have another vision.”

“No,” Sesshoumaru spoke up, and everyone looked at him in surprise.

“No?” Kagome echoed.

“If this demon does something in your vision soon that might give us a clue to his whereabouts, we need it as soon as possible. That means you stay close to us so we can be ready to act at the appropriate time.”

“So what, you’re all going to stay at my hotel until I have a vision that gives us the information we need?” Kagome said sarcastically, finally gaining enough courage to square off with the TaiYoukai. She ignored the tingle up her back when his golden eyes focused on her and stiffened her spine. She thought she saw the trace of another smirk cross his lips, and indignation filled her. She’d just barely met the demon five minutes ago and he was presumptuous and arrogant enough to dare to tell her what to do? He certainly wasn’t assessing her abilities correctly then if he thought she was willingly going to back down and be meek, especially when he was ordering her to do something that exposed her. She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when Miroku broke in, trying to placate her temper before she did something stupid.

“Kagome, it’s not such a bad idea. If you think about it, it makes sense. It will be much easier to catch him if we’re all involved at the same time-”

“No, Miroku, it’s not a good idea,” she interrupted him, trying not to let the faint stirrings of panic show in her voice.

“Kagome, more people are going to die if we don’t catch him as soon as possible,” the priest said before she could make her argument, and his words hit her like a bucket of ice water. “I know this is difficult and awkward, but please bear with it for as long as you can.”

“There are some spare rooms here,” Sango offered gently. “We usually use them if we stay over at the office, but I’m sure they will be comfortable for all of us.”

Kagome didn’t even look at her, just continued staring hard at Miroku, who fought the urge to fidget. “Fine,” she said finally, her voice terse. “I suppose I should go pack my things. It’s almost sundown. I’ll be back later tonight.”

Stiffly, she walked out of the room, her head held high. Sesshoumaru watched her go, a feeling of disappointment filling him as soon as she left his sight. The little miko and her mysterious power over him disturbed him. Like something he’d heard about long ago but couldn’t remember. He would have to do research on her type of mikos; maybe he would find an answer for his unexplainable reactions to her from that.

It wasn’t until the door clicked closed that Miroku let out a harsh breath and pounded his fist on the table. Startled, all eyes looked to him, except for Sesshoumaru, who stared coolly at the violet eyed man.

“Miroku?” Inuyasha asked, concern actually evident in his voice for once. Usually his carefree friend didn’t lose his cool like this. Miroku was always the one who broke the tension with a joke or an untimely grope. But even Inuyasha could practically see the waves of anger and self-loathing come off of the young man.

“Damn it,” Miroku said, and Inuyasha’s eyes widened. Miroku certainly never made it a habit to curse either. “I didn’t want to have to make her do that.”

“Do what?”

“Put herself on display. Kagome’s visions are extreme, and she has extreme reactions to them because of that. She didn’t want you all there to see her at her most vulnerable. But I used her own good nature against her, and now she feels like she has no choice.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “It was the only way I could think of for her to finally let some of the responsibility go to someone else, instead of on her shoulders. This was supposed to be a vacation, a time for her to get away from her last case, and now she’s right in the middle of another one.”

“What happened on her last case?” Sango asked. She had liked the young miko, and felt sympathetic towards her, but Miroku was right. The sooner Kagome could find this killer the better, for everyone.

“Kagome was working on another demon serial killer case a few weeks ago. Somehow, it got leaked to the press that the police had a High Miko working to help capture the demon, and the killer found out who Kagome was. He ended up targeting her instead.”

Sesshoumaru instantly went on alert as Kouga asked, “What happened?”

Miroku sighed again. “He came after Kagome one night, but he underestimated Kagome’s powers. She is one of the most powerful High Mikos of all time and she was able to purify him. But it still shook her up. She has to feel the pain of the victims every time she has a vision, and then on top of that she was being targeted personally. It wears her out.”

Sesshoumaru relaxed slightly when he heard that the demon that had been pursuing Kagome had been taken care of, but he didn’t like the picture he got of Kagome’s life. It sounded like the young miko had the world on her shoulders and no one to help carry the burden. She truly was cursed.

His curiosity re-sparked, he began striding towards the door.

“Oi, Sesshoumaru, where are you going?” Inuyasha called out. “It’s almost night time.”

The stoic Lord threw one word over his shoulder as he walked through the doors.

“Research.”



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< br>
Kagome fumed inwardly to herself on the way back to the headquarters after packing her things and heading out of the hotel. How dare Miroku guilt her into doing this? How dare she allow it herself. If the demon attacked tonight, she could already predict how the night would end. With every member of the new team, especially that one with the intense gold eyes, staring at her like she was some sort of freakshow. She closed her eyes briefly as she fought down the whispers from her past that still seemed to follow her around.

Unstable…crazy…abomination…

< /i> Shaking them away, she opened her blue eyes, alight with determination behind the painful memories. She was not a cowering little child anymore, damn it. She was one of the most, if not the most powerful High Miko that ever existed, and she would do her duty as she was meant to do. So what if these people thought she was a freak and became skittish around her. It had happened before, and it would happen again, just as it would continue to happen for the rest of her life.

‘Not unless you find out what “Chosen One” means…’ She paused as the voice in the back of her head prompted her to remember what would help her. But it was impossible. There were no mikos with her predicament around to tell her where to start looking, and whenever she asked Kaede, the old miko became annoyingly tight-lipped. It always happened with a sorrowful look, but she just told Kagome that whatever it was, she needed to find it on her own. That had been a year ago, right after she ran across a scroll in the Ancient Library written by one of the High Mikos who had the same curse Kagome had. Chosen One. For an hour, Kagome could only stare at those two words on the scroll, feeling something resonate in her but was unsure as to what it was.

Whatever her “Chosen One” was, though, Kagome was beginning to despair of ever finding it. So she would just keep carrying on, bearing the burden given to her without complaint until she succumbed to the insanity that it induced. But, damn if she wasn’t tiring from it all. Blinking, she found herself standing in front of her new headquarters and living area for the time being.

‘Suck it up, Kagome,’ she told herself. ‘This is what you were born to do.’



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Miles away, deep in the vaults of his own ancestral library in his family home, Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened imperceptibly as his eyes flew over an ancient scroll from a millennia ago, when his father was just beginning his rule over the Western lands.

“Impossible,” he breathed, so quiet he could barely hear himself over the dull whine that was beginning in his ears.



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One thing she found out about the new team she was working with was that they were insane.

Clinically insane.

They had to be, it was the only explanation. Either that or the thought of staying with each other for the night was making them a bit batty.

“Haven’t you guys ever done this before?” Kagome asked in a whisper to Sango, who was sitting with her on a comfortable couch while watching the entertaining show of Inuyasha and Kouga bicker. This was at least the fifth fight in the span of the three hours, the last two fights involving fists and claws. This one was rapidly approaching the level of blows being exchanged, and she glanced worriedly at the demon slayer sipping nonchalantly from a soda can as she observed the fighting demons, with the little fox kit goading them on. Miroku watched in silent awe at the scene unfolding before him on the other side of the room.

“Sure, we’ve done this before,” Sango said. “Its not very usual, though, and Inuyasha and Kouga have never really been able to get along in close quarters for an extended period of time. Usually Sesshoumaru just has to look at them or something, and then they stop soon after, but…”

“But he’s not here right now,” Kagome finished and ignored the disappointed twang she felt in her body that she had felt upon learning the TaiYoukai had left shortly after she went back to her hotel to pack and the enigmatic demon had not yet returned.

“You couldn’t touch me in a million years, dog breath,” Kouga goaded as Inuyasha finally lost what little patience he had and swiped at the wolf demon with his claws.

“That was just a warning, dickhead,” Inuyasha growled. “We’re not exactly in the best place for me to whip your ass properly.”

“Don’t blame the area on your own incompetence, Inuyasha,” Shippo goaded. “A demon should be able to hold his own salt in any situation.”

“Shut up, runt! You haven’t even reached full maturity yet, so don’t act like you know what the grown-up’s do.”

Kagome saw the tips of Shippo’s elfish ears flush and felt sorry for the kit.

“Look, maybe everyone should just settle down,” she began, standing up with her hands outstretched placatingly. “It’s going to be a long night anyway, and it doesn’t help when you both fight over every little thing-”

“Name the place, mutt face, and I’ll be happy to send you into the dirt there. Then you won’t be able to blame the fact that you can’t fight worth shit on your surroundings,” Kouga cut it.

Kagome’s mouth dropped open. The jerks were continuing like they hadn’t even heard her! Snapping her mouth shut, she glared at both demons. Out of the corner of her eye, Sango noticed Miroku stand up from his chair and begin to inch away from the group, his eyes locked on Kagome. Looking back at Kagome, she began to follow his example, knowing that the monk knew the powerful miko better than anyone, and if all hell was going to break loose, she didn’t want to be near it.

“If you both would just calm down,” Kagome tried again, keeping a tight rein on her fiery temper, but Inuyasha interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

“Who are you saying can’t fight?! Last I knew, you were just the tracker, Kouga. But your speed is nothing to my Tetsusaiga.”

Kouga smirked. “The way you swing that damn sword around makes me think you’re compensating for somethin’.”

“You bastard,” the hanyou growled. “You’re lucky I don’t carry the sword at all times or you would be cleaved in two by now.”

“If you could catch me first!”


Both crouched down low, and then a second later, launched themselves at each other, claws and fangs bared.

“ENOUGH!”

Before the two demons could collide with each other, they both ran into an invisible barrier, getting knocked to the ground. Before they could recover, an invisible force picked up both demons and slammed them into opposite walls, knocking the breath out of both. The same force continued to hold them there, effectively insuring their immobility.

All sets of eyes turned to the irate miko standing in the center of the room, her powers flaring a bit so that everyone knew she was serious and not to be ignored again. Inuyasha’s ears flattened to his head when he saw the fire in the miko’s eyes. Kouga was looking at her, stunned, and Shippo had a look akin to awe in his green eyes.

“If you two idiots are finished with your petty squabbling, I will let you both down. If not, you can spend the rest of the night pinned to the wall for all I care.”

“I love an aggressive woman,” Kouga said, somewhat dreamily with a look of admiration and interest flashing in his blue eyes. Kagome gave him a double take, incredulous. Was the wolf out of his mind?”

“Wench, are you out of your mind?” Inuyasha yelled, struggling against the force that still held him strongly to the wall. “Let me down!”

Another flux in her miko powers filled the room just as Inuyasha felt his barrier tighten around him, squeezing him harder against the wall, effectively cutting off his oncoming tirade as well as his breathing.

“Try calling me a wench again,” Kagome challenged.

A wheeze was her answer, and she smiled sweetly. A tingle at the back of her mind announced the arrival of someone new, and she groaned inwardly, cursing the fact that she was being caught in this situation. Her fears were confirmed when that deep voice caressed her nerve endings from behind her.

“Miko, if you are quite finished?”

Turning around slowly, she caught the eyes of an impassive Sesshoumaru. Well, maybe not completely impassive, as there was a short-lived light of humor in his eyes as he glanced pointedly at Inuyasha and Kouga. When his eyes returned to her, she had to fight to breathe normally.

Sesshoumaru himself had to fight to keep his stoic façade around her, but he could not help but be amused by the sight of his half brother and the wolf hanging on the wall like artwork. Inuyasha was still wheezing, but Kouga was looking at the little miko with no small amount of respect and a flash of attraction. He felt the stirrings of irritation, and glared stonily at the wolf before turning his gaze to the little spitfire in the middle of the room. Her miko powers were still pulsing, raising the fine hairs on the back of his neck like right after lightening strikes close by. He found the sensation to be odd, and different than when other mikos had used their power around him. This sparked along his skin, leaving tingling in its wake rather the slight sting of purification. His mind flashed back on what he had read in his library, and a spark of suspicion entered his mind once more. He would have to be wary of the miko and keep his distance from her until he was sure what he had read was true. “I would appreciate it if you did not further damage to the last of my bloodline and a member of my team.”

She narrowed her eyes at his measured, almost patronizing tone. “Fine,” she said loftily, sticking her pert nose in the air and walking to the set of doors behind Sesshoumaru, giving him a wide berth. This was just as well because she wasn’t able to see the heat in his eyes at her spunkiness towards him. “I was going to bed anyway.”

The doors closed with a distinctive firmness behind her.

“Wench,” Inuyasha muttered, and then gave a yelp as his barrier disappeared, sending him sprawling on the floor. Kouga’s disappeared as well, but the wolf managed to land on his feet, smirking at the hanyou currently checking to see if he had broken his nose when it smashed to the floor.

“I guess she heard you,” he said, and then sighing. “What a woman.”

“That was child’s play for Kagome,” Miroku spoke up, offering the hanyou a hand, finally deeming it to be safe. “Her powers are incredible, and she has a nasty temper to boot when you get her riled up. It would be best not to get on her bad side.”

“Keh,” Inuyasha said, but remembered how hard he had struggled against the barrier to no avail. The miko did have power, he’d grant her that. And according to his friend, that display had barely scratched the surface of her powers.

He glanced at Sesshoumaru, but the TaiYoukai’s attention was nowhere near on the group in the room. Instead, he was staring at the door the miko had just exited through, his golden eyes unreadable.

This whole night was turning out strange. At least some of them had learned one crucial lesson that night: do not piss off the priestess.



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Hours later, as everyone was left dozing, Sesshoumaru remained awake. Not that he was actually required to sleep, but in these peaceful times he knew he could indulge and let his guard down enough to rest, but not this night. No, tonight his thoughts plagued his mind with directed with a ferociousness toward one object, the one currently residing in a room down the hall, slumbering quietly. If he focused enough, he could almost hear her breathing, could imagine each quiet sigh in her sleep.

Frowning inwardly, he directed his thoughts to something else. Not for the first time that day, he pondered if it were wise or not to let the miko assist in their investigation. Yes, she was powerful. His mind drifted back to the feel of her power tingling against his nerve endings, and viciously fought down a shudder. Damn it, yes she was powerful, but she was also an overly emotional creature. Her personal reasons for wanting to be involved in this case, while justified, could be a problem and cloud her rationality and thinking.

‘Or is it your rationality that you are worried about,’ a little voice whispered in his head. The miko affected him in ways he was not even aware existed, especially someone of his control. Not to mention the gargantuan absurdity of it all. When he had left to do his research to find any ancient writings on why he was being treated to these foreign reactions, he had been hoping to find a simple spell or explanation. What he had found was so distant from what he had been hoping, he almost didn’t believe it when he read it. In fact, he hadn’t believed it. It was almost a certain improbability, not to mention ludicrous, and he had been angered at it.

But according to the texts, there was only one way to prove if his theory was correct, and that meant that he was going to be keeping his distance from the miko for the duration of this case. Another complication, but one easily dealt with. He just would not touch her, and she would be treated to the same indifference he deigned to bestow on the rest of the population. Screw what his instincts wanted at the moment, control was more important, and he didn’t want to be bound to the little miko.

Putting all thoughts of the annoying woman out of his mind, he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to achieve an air of meditation for the days ahead. But just as his thought processes began to grow sluggish and he reached a relaxed state, a scream rent the air, making his eyes fly open.

The miko.

Something in him reacted to the fear and pain in that harsh cry, and before he knew it, he was in front of her door with the monk and the demon slayer.

“Why are you not doing anything to help her?” Sango demanded, her eyes flitting back and forth from Miroku to Kagome’s door worriedly.

“There is nothing I can do,” Miroku said, jaw and hands clenched at the futility of it all. “She has to finish the vision, and no one can interfere, not even me.”

“What the hell is going on?” Inuyasha said, walking into the hallway with a shocked look followed closely by Kouga and Shippo. “It reeks of her fear in there.”

Indeed it did, and it was filling Sesshoumaru’s head sickeningly, making his jaw clench imperceptibly. Another low cry filled the air, full of pain and suffering, and his claws clenched before he realized it. His youki flared up in reaction to her sorrow and fear as he heard her sobbing quietly right before another loud scream slowly began to shatter his control.

Something pulled at him, beckoning him…
Something telling him to go to her, a primal instinct that was going to be impossible to ignore.

He had to go to her, needed to go to her and wrap her deep into himself until all of her pain went away…

He fought against it.

“Sesshoumaru?” Inuyasha asked warily, noticing the tension of his half-brothers shoulders. Slowly walking up to the TaiYoukai, he looked into his face before gasping and taking a quick step back.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes were leaking red.

“Shit,” he cursed softly. “Why in the hell is his youkai taking over?”

“What?” Miroku gasped, taking a quick look at the TaiYoukai as well. True enough, Sesshoumaru’s eyes had faint veins of red streaking through the gold, and the stripes on his face became more jagged.

He was fighting that damn call. It took every ounce of his will not to move his feet into the miko’s room, knowing that all he needed to do was touch her to free her from her pain. But that wasn’t the point. He was not about to let an insignificant feeling tell him, TaiYoukai of the West, what to do. He valued control above everything else, and no little slip of a miko was going to make it unravel from him.

A muffled sob of agony reached his sharp ears….

Control, it was all about control.

The thrashing of a small body filled the air.

He was more powerful than this. He would not lose his freedom so easily.

Another low cry, this one almost desperate, crying for someone, anyone to help.

Sesshoumaru’s control snapped.

Faster than any human eye could detect, Sesshoumaru had the doors open to the miko’s room and strode in.

“Wait, Sesshoumaru-sama! You can not touch her! Her powers won’t let you, and I don’t know how it will react to your youki!”

Sesshoumaru could hear the monk’s voice as if he were underwater, muffled and far away. It didn’t matter anyway. Did the measly monk think he was going to stop him?

All that mattered was that he touch her.



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Vaguely Kagome wondered what the importance of having these stupid visions if she couldn’t even see her damn attackers face? Through another spasm of pain, the body her spirit resided in barely had his eyes open enough to see the surroundings, much less the demon that was causing all of this trouble.

She was in another alley, trapped against the wall as another strip of flesh was ripped off of her back. Or the back of the business man who was currently being made into mincemeat by the beast behind her. She could see the briefcase he had been carrying lying on the ground at his feet, the leather becoming wet by the puddle that resided there. Those eyes looked up again, and she was able to see the far-away yellow sign of an oden shop’s store sign in the distance, and willed the man’s eyes to focus so she could be able to read it.

Tsuki’s Oden Shop.

Oden was her favorite too. She laughed humorlessly to herself as she realized that she tended to think of the most mundane things as she was in her visions. It was a coping mechanism, she supposed, used so she could delay the time until she finally lost her mind to the overwhelming and agonizing pain. The man cried out again, and so did she, internally sobbing at the pain.

If only she could get a good look at the bastard who was standing in the background. It seemed he preferred not getting his hands dirty, allowing his companion to rip into her flesh while he watched. It was ridiculous, but it seemed as if she could feel a smirk on his face.

“This one is not worthy, either,” his deep voice sounded, and the beast stopped ripping into her. Whimpering silently in her mind, Kagome was glad for the reprieve as she tried to remember every detail and nuance of his voice. “I suppose we’ll just have to keep looking.” There was a pause. “Kill him.”

Those were never good words, she thought to herself as claws ripped into her once more. The man, she, screamed through the pain. It was so much, she didn’t feel like she could stand it, but she knew she had to. This was her curse. To endure. To die. And then wake up to catch the evil that preyed on the weak.

She just wished it didn’t hurt so much.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. And then she was surrounded with so much warmth and comfort, she felt like sinking down and staying in that place forever. It felt like she belonged there.

Deep down, in the very depths of Kagome’s soul, she just knew that something irreversible had happened.

All of the pain was gone, and it was like she was still looking through the man’s eyes, but felt nothing. Nothing except her own thoughts and feelings, and it was so odd, that it seemed like everything inside her stilled. And something slid home.

Quickly, her eyes snapped open, blurry and unfocused from the tears she had been unconsciously leaking in her sleep. That same warmth and comfort still surrounded her, as well as a low rumbling sound that caused her insides to melt to jelly and melt. She felt languid and relaxed, with none of the usual side effects of a vision. No headache, no nausea, just a complete sense of well being and belonging.

The rumbling she was hearing increased, as something shifted to bring her closer to the comfort. She felt something nuzzle into her hair, and she fought the urge to cuddle back, wanting more of the feeling. Blinking slowly to clear her vision, she was met with the sight of a black shirt with the collar unbuttoned, revealing a few inches of marble skin. She wanted to press her cheek into the skin, it looked so soft and inviting, so she did just that.

She heard, and felt, a sharp intake of breath, and confused, she looked deep into red eyes that were slowly fading. Oddly enough, she felt no fear. She could feel clawed hands stroking her back softly, and instead of the pain she had just been subjugated to, she wanted to purr with the feeling.

Slowly, her mind came back to her, when she finally got a good look at who exactly was holding her and making her feel so good.

“S…Sesshoumaru?”

He could feel his miko call hesitantly to him, and once again bent his head to her hair, inhaling the calming scent of moonflowers and relishing in his name crossing her lush lips. Everything inside of him was rumbling with content, having made her pain stop and offering her comfort. Comfort she enjoyed, and was accepting. Some deep recess of his mind kept telling him he had never felt anything like this before, and was determined to never let it go. He would never let her go.

“What are you doing?”

That same soft voice he had treasured abruptly brought him back to earth, and he found himself lying over the miko with his arms around her, trying to cover every inch of her with himself.

Kagome saw the TaiYoukai who was currently holding her as if she were a giant teddy bear gradually gain his bearings, and the content look on his face slowly faded into hesitation, then fury, then finally back to the cold indifference she knew was a part of him. It was odd how she could feel each separate emotion from him, just from his face.

She felt every muscle in his body tense, and had to keep her blush to herself as she felt everything he had to offer defined and pressed into her body. Slowly, he pushed himself off of her and leaned back until he was sitting on his heels, staring at her.

“Miko,” he said to her, his voice no warmer than a block of ice. “You will tell me what you felt in your vision just now.”

His voice suggested that she not argue with him, and neither did the look on his face. Haltingly, she began. “I…I felt pain. The same pain I always feel in a vision.” She saw his clawed hands clench, and wondered why. “But then…”

“Then…?” he prompted, a slight muscle on his jaw ticking, drawing her fascinated gaze.

“Then…I felt nothing.”

“Nothing?” He tried not to let the slight desperation he was feeling coat his voice. If all she felt was nothing, then maybe he had been wrong after all. There was an annoying voice telling him just what he had felt when he held her, but he ruthlessly ignored it.

“Well, not exactly nothing,” she said, and his hopes plummeted. To his consternation and, embarrassingly enough, his fascination, her lips stretched into an unconsciously dreamy smile. “I felt…like all of my pain had gone away. I was warm, and felt protected. I felt like I was home.”

She seemed to come to herself, and glanced quickly back at him, gasping inwardly at the fury she saw reflecting in his eyes. Self-preservation kicked in, making her scramble away from the enraged killing machine kneeling across from her. If anything, that seemed to infuriate him more. “Sesshoumaru, what’s going on?” Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t find out what. Then something clicked. “Did…Did you have anything to do this? Is that why you were…were holding me? Did you make me feel like that?”

He didn’t answer, but she heard another voice speak up from the doorway. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Her head whirled around to meet the awed face of Miroku, as well as the shocked faces of the rest of the team….all currently crowding her doorway. Another damnable blush lit high on her cheeks as their gazes moved from her, to the immobile Sesshoumaru, and then back to her.

“That was truly incredible. Kagome, you are sure you felt no pain?”

She nodded hesitantly.

“Then your curse is broken?”

Miroku could see her freeze in shock as that implication sunk in. That is until Inuyasha opened his mouth.

“Fuck the curse, did you see what she did to him?” the hanyou exclaimed, staring at Sesshoumaru, ignoring the warning glare that was sent his way. “She calmed his beast! No one, absolutely no one has ever been able to do that before, and all he did was touch and smell her. How is this possible?”

Cheeks feeling like they were on fire, Kagome shot another glance at Sesshoumaru. He seemed almost not to be breathing. She saw his claws slowly unclench, and he let out a short breath that it seemed only she could hear. She could sense a deep resignation in him, as well as a bit of defiance, and it confused her. Why was he so open to her?

“It is because I am her Chosen One.”



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(A/N: I am so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. For your patience, I made it really long. It’s just I had to get my thoughts together on this, and get over myself. I had some serious doubts about my writing ability for a while, and almost gave up on myself and this story, but already I’m attached to it, and I want to continue. I knew that the first meeting between Kagome and Sesshoumaru was critical, and I don’t think I displayed everything how I wanted it. All in all, I am disappointed in this chapter, but glad that I managed to write it regardless. I will try to become faster in my updates, and again, I apologize. Until next time,

Mujitsu)