InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Visions ❯ Stories ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six
Stories

The dreams continue to haunt me.

It is agony to shut my eyes knowing what fate awaits me in these night time terrors; the odor of foul breath, the pain of claws and teeth, and the stench of blood have become companions I know all too well.

Springtime has come to the village that lies beyond the ancient God Tree, and the people there are filled with a renewed spirit of life that I envy. I feel only death.

Even the solitary youkai that is terrorizing the outer boundaries of the village cannot dim their happiness, but I feel his presence most acutely. He has killed me every night this moon cycle. Or perhaps I am already dead.

This youkai, a snake this time, takes particular pleasure in children, abducting the orphaned ones roaming around in the forest. Last night, I was a little girl, no more than ten summers, looking for a tree to sleep under for shelter. There was a little boy too, her younger brother, I’m assuming, who held onto her skirt until he was ripped away by the demon.

I didn’t know such a small body could hold so much blood. It painted the ground in crimson puddles, the splattering of liquid against solid surface the only sound in the night. He didn’t have a chance to scream.

But the little girl did. She screamed for hours and hours. My throat still has a phantom sting of memory and the shrieks of laughter from the children of the village today make me shudder. I can not stand to be around the young ones now. The memories of last night are still too vivid in my mind.

Instead I will hunt.

The little girl was still clinging to life when the snake took her back to his lair. I have an idea where the beast hides and I will go to him.

But I will feel nothing as I purify him out of existence. Not even a sense of justice for those two children whose lives were ended so horribly. I stopped feeling anything the moment I realized there was no relief from these visions; no end to the torment of my life. What does that say about me, that I can no longer feel remorse over human life? Has the cycle of pain and death started to take its toll on me and take away my humanity?

I believe them now, those who said insanity was my fate. I’m already fading into its clutches. One day, I will just drift away; the next miko will take my place, and I will be forgotten. The Gods have already forgotten me, otherwise I wouldn’t be put through this torment each night. I used to wish for someone to help me, to assist me in carrying this hard burden, but I was sent no one. No one will come for me and liberate me from this prison.

Death is the only freedom now.



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“She sounds so sad,” Shippo commented, and Kagome felt tears well in her eyes.

This miko was describing just what Kagome had begun to feel for herself. The hopelessness, the wanting… the distance she sought by removing herself emotionally. But Kagome could never remove herself emotionally and she suspected that, in the subtle hints of the miko’s writing, the unknown woman was unable to completely distance herself from the carnage she experienced. Why write about them if she truly felt nothing? This was the miko’s last hope at being remembered, the journal Kagome held in her hands the last testament of someone who felt completely isolated. Sesshoumaru shifted slightly so he was standing right behind her; she could feel his body heat, and it gave her strength.

“These journal entries have no dates,” Kagome said in a business-like voice, flipping through the ancient pages. “The paper is very old, however, and the language is slightly archaic. So are the surroundings she mentions. I’m assuming this is several centuries ago.”

She looked up, catching Sesshoumaru’s eye, and he nodded. “The papers I found in our ancient library refer to a time long before the feudal era.”

Kagome could sense the questions about to rain down around them from the others, so she quickly said, “I’m sure this will be a beneficial thing for us, however, it does not pertain to our case, so Sesshoumaru and I will look over it tonight.”

She saw Sango give a disappointed moue, and fought to not smile. “Did Inuyasha and Kouga give any more information about the lead they received?”

“No, just that they would be back later,” Miroku said. “However, the autopsy report on the victim is in, and the Medical Examiner said that he would like to speak with Sesshoumaru regarding some of the issues you contacted him about.”

Sesshoumaru nodded at that. “Fine, we’ll do that today. Sango, you, Miroku, and Shippo will follow up on the rest of the soul demons I did not get around to yesterday. Kagome and I will head for the ME’s office and then the police department to brief them. We’ll meet back here tonight.”

There was a chorus of agreements and, in short order, everyone headed out to their destinations for the day.

It was time to find a killer.



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“What did you need to discuss with the Medical Examiner?” Kagome asked curiously as Sesshoumaru opened the car door for her before heading around the hood to the driver’s seat.

“The ME is a soul demon,” Sesshoumaru said, starting up the engine with a roar and pulling into traffic. Kagome noticed that he drove the way he lived; with control. His hands smoothly changed gears and were loose on the steering wheel, effortlessly weaving in and out of the cars. She took a moment to admire those hands before pulling her mind back to the conversation. She looked up at him when she saw that he was already looking at her, a slight tug of amusement coming from him through their connection. She flushed and blurted out, “A soul demon? Are we going to investigate him, then?”

He shook his head in the negative. “I’ve already checked him out, and he didn’t lie to me. I would have smelled it. Still, he can tell us for sure if the soul was indeed taken, and maybe the method in which it was taken.”

“That helps, but not much, Kagome responded. “We honestly don’t have a lot to go on with this guy, and it’s starting to bother me. So far, I’ve only seen his little lackey kill, we don’t have a solid motive, and there is no scent, aura, or other physical evidence to point us in any type of direction. Basically, he’s screwing us over.”

“Your optimism is simply awe-inspiring,” he said dryly, surprising a short laugh from her. It felt good, seeing her smile. He had a feeling it was an action she attempted far too little. It made her face light up and change from beautiful to exquisite. Alive. The way her plump lips stretched into an expression of pleasure… maybe not the kind of pleasure he preferred, but pleasure nonetheless. His blood began heating, and he welcomed it. He would welcome anything he could get from her, a thought which would have disturbed him yesterday. Today, he didn’t mind so much.

He slid a look at her from the corner of his eyes and found a delightful flush on her cheeks. Smiling inwardly, he turned his attention back to the road. The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence until they arrived at the very clinical looking lab of the Medical Examiner. With his hand at the small of her back, he led her into the offices and flagged down a young man in scrubs who was walking down the hall.

“We need to see Dr. Roku,” Sesshoumaru said.

The worker couldn’t have been over the age of twenty-five, and very average-looking - brown hair, brown eyes, medium build - basically forgettable. He took a moment to look Sesshoumaru and Kagome up and down, like he was sizing them up.

“I’m a little busy,” said the man, looking at Sesshoumaru with veiled contempt.

Kagome knew, without a second thought, that he was a youkai hater, one of the ones who believed in human supremacy. Wars between demon and humans had been fought since the beginning of time. At first, humans were seen as the weaker race, without the strength, abilities, and instincts that demons were blessed with. Humans thought that demons were Kami’s plague on mankind; little more than beasts who would kill without a second thought. While both sides may have had a kernel of truth to their reasoning, many innocent demons and humans were caught in the fray.

Demons, of course, had the advantage with their speed, strength, and cunning, at least until humans entered the age of weapons of mass destruction. That made it anyone’s ball game. Both demons and humans realized eventually that peace had to be made between the two races or they would eventually kill each other off. That’s when the negotiations began. It took over a hundred years for peace to be reached, under the condition that humans controlled the government. Demons were allowed to keep their birthrights, thus the fact that Sesshoumaru was still a TaiYoukai. Still, he, and other powerful demons like him were kept under a watchful eye… basically because the human “government” knew that someone like Sesshoumaru was only allowing them the illusion of control. Tensions remained high in some areas, and there were still some extremists who thought that their race was the only one that should have power.

People like that disgusted her, and she could feel that Sesshoumaru agreed with her. He just continued to stare at the man without blinking, and the man had to fight the urge to squirm. Despite his opinions, he wasn’t about to argue with an almost seven foot tall demon, no matter how much he hated them. He finally said curtly, “He’s in the back. Follow me.”

They followed, Kagome shooting him dirty looks the whole time. They reached swinging metal doors and the man in scrubs entered before them yelling, “Soul sucker! Someone to see you.”

Kagome bit down a reprimand to the disrespectful man but he soon left and a surprisingly young looking demon exited from behind a screen. He had very dark hair that was tied back in a low ponytail and eyes that didn’t seem to have a difference between pupil and iris. They were completely black.

“Sesshoumaru-sama,” the new youkai said respectfully, and made a small bow. His gaze turned to Kagome, but Sesshoumaru quickly spoke up.

“Roku, I was told you had some information for me.”

The soul demon stared at her for another heartbeat before turning to look at the TaiYoukai. “Yes. I don’t know how important it will be to your case, but I found something interesting about all of the victims once you asked me about the souls. As you suspected, all of them had their souls stolen from them at the moment of death, but the extraction of the souls is what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Extraction?” Kagome asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. “How are souls usually extracted?”

Those eerie black eyes locked with hers and she felt as if she were being sucked into a dark pool where there was no surface. However discomfiting the feeling, she held his gaze. The doctor looked at her seriously as he explained, “In a normal, non-hostile soul demon, they will simply take the souls of those who have died recently, whether the elderly or sick, as it is passing to the afterlife. The soul will reside in the demon, where he will be sustained on its strength for a few years, depending upon the strength of the soul.”

“What happens to the soul once the demon is through with it?” Kagome asked.

“The soul slowly loses strength as the demon feeds off it, and will eventually wither away. It will die.” He noticed Kagome’s reaction and responded mildly, “It is the way of the world, young one, however much you wish it not to be so. However, not allowing innocent souls to reach heaven made soul youkai unpopular within society, and there was a law passed. We take the souls of those who are sentenced to death for atrocious crimes, instead of those who have done nothing wrong in this lifetime. However, prejudice continues to remain.” He gave a pointed look, and Kagome knew he was referring to the lab assistant they had met before.

He continued with his explanation, “A hostile youkai, whose only goal is to steal power from souls, will purposely take strong victims, torturing them before killing them to create turmoil within the soul. This makes the soul last longer, again, depending upon the strength of the person. A soul feeds off emotions, and fear is one of the strongest. The more fear that person feels before they die, the more powerful their soul is.”

“What is so special about the extraction from our victims?” Sessoumaru finally spoke.

“I’ve looked over each victim carefully, assessing the wave lengths of their remaining auras, and something didn’t seem right to me. Based on the evidence, I came up with a tentative theory to explain my findings. Even though this is an educated supposition, I’ve never seen anything like this happen before, so what I suggest could be wrong.”

“However, you think you are right,” Sesshoumaru deduced, staring at the soul demon. Roku nodded. “Then we will hear your theory.”

The doctor nodded minutely again. “Remember how I said that the souls were extracted as they left the body to pass to the afterlife? No matter how horrible the death, the extraction of the soul is very calm and peaceful. It basically just floats out of the corpse. This is not the case with your victims. If my theory is correct, the souls of your victims were forcibly extracted before they had a chance to leave the body. According to the autopsy reports, and from what I can observe myself, these victims were tortured and mutilated terribly before they died, making their soul very volatile and powerful. This is just a supposition, but I believe that, by ripping the soul out before it was ready to leave the body, the agony and torment produced would increase tenfold.”

“Thus making the soul extremely powerful,” Kagome concluded, a bit sickened at the thought. “Which then, in turn, makes the demon unimaginably more powerful as well.” She turned to look at Sesshoumaru. “A plausible motive, don’t you think? Power always is pretty high up on the list of reasons to kill.”

Mentally agreeing, Sesshoumaru held his opinion. “Is that all?” Sesshoumaru asked, and Roku nodded. Turning to take their leave, Kagome was drawn back by the doctor’s voice.

“Miko.”

Turning around with a questioning gaze, she met the eyes of Roku again and suppressed an involuntary shiver. He stared at her for a long moment without speaking, seeming to assess her and debate with himself. Finally, he spoke. “I am no detective, but I have basic reasoning skills. Your perpetrator is looking for those with powerful souls. Take care, Miko. Sooner or later, he will target you.”

“Me?” she asked.

He was quiet for another moment before speaking again. “I’ve lived for centuries, encountered many mikos and holy men, all with very powerful souls. In complete honesty, I’ve even taken a few of them in the past. However, I’ve never felt a soul with your power and purity.” A beat. “Never.”

He spared a brief glance at the impassive Sesshoumaru. “Make sure you are guarded well.” With that, he walked past them and left the room, leaving silence in his wake.

“Okay,” Kagome said slowly. “That was weird.”

“Hn,” was Sesshoumaru’s only reply. Inside, he was chafing. Although a very logical and cool being, Sesshoumaru was controlled by instinct. It was in his very core to protect his territory and all he considered his. After last night, Kagome was very definitely his. He knew that she was at risk already, but hearing Roku’s opinion and assessment did not help his day get better. He was trying to give the young miko some time to get used to him, spending the time he had with her touching her in little ways to get her used to his hands on her. A little touch on the small of her back, her elbow, his presence behind her… all of these would prepare her for the physical acts of possession that the Inu clan practiced. He hadn’t had the opportunity in a great long while to satisfy these instincts, and he relished it secretly.

Now, with this added threat over his head, he was hard pressed to keep his dominant nature under control. He doubted his miko would appreciate being locked up in his room, chained to his bed for the remainder of the case until they caught the bastard, although the picture it presented did have him calming down.

Walking down a sterile-looking hallway to the exit, Sesshoumaru noticed the same young man who had escorted them to Dr. Roku studying charts. The youkai hater. Usually people like him were only minor annoyances, beneath his notice and concern. However, when the human male’s eyes locked onto the figure of Kagome and lingered, Sesshoumaru’s temper flared up quickly, reminding him of how much the little miko affected him.

“Your eyes stray to where they are not wanted, human,” he said in a low voice, startling Kagome with its intensity. She flinched and looked to Sesshoumaru, but saw that Sesshoumaru was looking at the jerk from earlier.

The man, whose name-tag read “Haku,” glanced at Sesshoumaru and looked about to make a smart-aleck remark back to the stoic face glaring stonily at him. Perhaps in a bit of well-timed self preservation, though, he kept his mouth shut when he sensed the unleashed violence right below the surface of the expressionless mask.

Kagome sensed it as well and, not for the first time, wondered exactly who Sesshoumaru was. As much as she had a connection to him, she didn’t really know him. Or what, exactly, he was capable of. She’d heard stories of the fearsome TaiYoukai made of legends, but she would never in a million years imagine herself to be his…

…his what?

Her stomach clenched as she realized that she didn’t quite exactly know what she was to him. He was her Chosen One and protector, but she didn’t really perform any purpose for him other than make it comfortable on their connection by being around.

She was brought abruptly out of her musings by the sound of knuckles popping, Sesshoumaru’s hand twitching slightly. “Sesshoumaru?” she asked questioningly, not fully understanding why he was so agitated. The man had looked at her, so what?

Sesshoumaru’s intense gaze slid from the now motionless man to Kagome, sensing her confusion and wariness. Damn it, he didn’t want her to be apprehensive because of him. Apparently there were a few things he needed to explain to her about Inu instincts and her place in the scheme of things. Considering the circumstances, it was going to prove to be an interesting conversation. Glaring once more at the impudent human male, he silently began walking towards the door again, Kagome following uncertainly.

It wasn’t until they were back in the car that she spoke, as he knew she would.

“You want to tell me what that was all about?”

“Dominance.”

She blinked slowly. There was a long, poignant pause. “Dominance.”

He took his eyes off of the road long enough to slant a furtive look at her through his lashes. “How much do you know about the practices of canine youkai?”

“I know that they are super predators, usually hunting in packs, although rogue canines are not unheard of… Um, their main weapons are their claws and teeth when they are not in humanoid form, using claws and any other special talents that are passed through their clans when they are not in their demonic form. For example, it is rumored that you are a Master poison user.” She chanced a glance at him, and he nodded, curiously wanting to hear the rest of her explanation. It sounded as if she were reciting from some manual.

“When they hunt, either in a pack or rogue, they usually scent their prey and begin to stalk it. They will wait until their prey is cornered and then strike, killing quickly and efficiently. Then the prey will be shared with the rest of the pack.” She said this last part with an almost unnoticeable shudder, but Sesshoumaru noticed.

“Are you speaking from personal experience here?” he questioned, rather calmly, he thought.

“I’ve had to deal with a few canines in my visions,” she said honestly and, feeling his displeasure, she attempted to joke, “You guys have really wicked claws, did you know that?”

He held in a growl. “Not amusing. I was speaking in reference to pack behavior when it comes to mates.”

“Mates?” she squeaked out, and he hid a smirk. “No, I can’t say that I know really anything about that. Remember, I said that Kaede and I had never quite gotten around to that part of my education.”

“The concept of a mate is taken quite seriously by any youkai, especially within the canine breeds. A male’s chosen female should not be treated with disrespect and possession by the male should not be challenged.”

Before Kagome could get her mind around the “chosen female” part she asked, “So what did the guy back there do to challenge you?”

“He was looking at you,” Sesshoumaru said lowly, only the slightest hint of a bestial rumble in his voice.

She stared at him, aghast. “So? Geez, Sesshoumaru, people look at me everyday. You can’t get mad at everyone.”

He stared at her, nonplussed for a slight moment although he didn’t let it show. “He was staring at you with lust,” he elaborated, and his gaze narrowed.

There was a short span of silence from Kagome before she burst into uncontrollable giggles. “Me? Oh, that’s rich! I think maybe this connection must be warping your imagination and you’re seeing things now.” She laughed again.

“Again, I fail to see how this is amusing,” he said, his voice cold. He watched as she regained her composure, wiping moisture from her eyes before she turned to him with a wry expression.

“Sesshoumaru, men don’t look at me like that,” she said. “Most of the men where I’m from think I’m just a freak, and they avoid eye contact with me. Even if they don’t know the rumors about me… well, the honest truth is I’m just not that noticeable.” She looked down suddenly and continued on in a very quiet voice. “I actually feel sorry for you. I mean, you could have anyone in the world, but the connection ties you to me…”

“Either you are blind, or more naive than I originally imagined,” he said.

Kagome looked at him, startled. He didn’t take his eyes off the road, his face composed, although that lovely little tic in his jaw was back. She wanted to run her tongue across it, to feel it twitch even more because he would be gritting his teeth to keep from pouncing on her in the car… Immediately she shook herself from her thoughts. Going from lust repressed to raging hormones was throwing her off kilter. Blushing and trying to hide it, she pressed onward.

“You’re angry,” she observed. “I can’t imagine why. I was only telling the truth. I’m not looking for sympathy or anything. I was just stating a fact. Without this connection, you would never have taken a second glance at me.”

The rest of the ride was made in complete silence, although the tension was palpable enough to almost breathe in. He was seething on the inside, and it was all because of the little miko beside him. The incident before with the human male (whom he would dismember later), and now this, did not make for one very happy TaiYoukai. The thing that irked him most was that, in all honesty, she was most likely right.

That had been the reason why he had rejected her in the first place, not wanting to feel such conflicting and strong emotions for someone who otherwise wouldn’t gain his attention. But now that he had resolved to accept the fact that the Gods had ordained her to be compatible with him, he was determined to let nothing get in the way, even her warped views of herself.

His mind working at top speed on how to convince the little miko at his side to share his views, he maneuvered his way through traffic. Time, he decided, as he pulled into a parking spot. Time and patience were the keys to getting her to realize that there would now be no other for her and, in turn, for him either. Once he had let all of his misgivings about the connection go, he found himself surprisingly eager to start a relationship with Kagome. The beast within him agreed, its thoughts centered on the comfort and carnal pleasure she could provide for them. He would also use their connection to his advantage, which should prove both interesting and pleasurable.

And the sooner they caught whoever they were looking for, the better it would be.



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“Are you sure he’s going to be here?” Kouga asked, looking around the small meadow they were in with more than a little doubt. He didn’t drive all the way out here with Dog Breath just to find out their informant copped out.

“He’ll be here,” Inuyasha said. “He can’t ignore a direct summons.”

“Why, because of the ties to your family?”

Inuyasha spared the wolf a brief grin. “No, it’s ‘cause he knows how much pain I can cause him without killing him.”

A little voice suddenly came from the air. “Inuyasha-sama, threatening me with violence is a direct insult to my honor. You should know better that I, Myouga, would never fail to provide for the Inu no Tashio’s direct descendents.”

“What the hell?” Kouga asked, looking around. “Where the hell is that coming from?”

A little youkai jumped up and landed on his nose, and the wolf stared cross-eyed at him trying to get a glance at the creature. Suddenly he felt a prick and the creature swelled. “Mmmm, wolf blood is so raw… definitely an acquired taste.” This was said right before a clawed hand came up and smacked the offending creature away.

“Did he say he just had a problem with my blood?” Kouga growled out, flexing his claws.

Inuyasha snorted. “Probably. Oi, Myouga, you still alive?”

Kouga noted a little speck on the ground, and realized that it was a very old flea youkai that was sitting up dizzily. “Of course, Inuyasha-sama. It would take more than a swat to get rid of me.”

“Don’t I know it,” Inuyasha muttered before getting on to the business at hand. “Myouga, we need information.” Sesshoumaru had called him a few minutes ago with an update from the medical examiner, so now they at least had a more specific idea of who they were looking for. Myouga was an ancient youkai, knowledgeable about many types of youkai, and if he couldn’t help figure out who they were after, this case could take a lot longer.

“What kind of information?” the flea said, settling down on a pebble, making himself comfortable.

“We’ve been after a soul-youkai for a while now, but he seems to have a power that we haven’t come across. He leaves no trace behind of anything at the crime scenes; no scent, no tracks whatsoever. No soul-youkai in the city fits the profile… so far.”

“What is this mysterious power you mentioned?”

“He can forcefully pull the soul out from his suffering victims,” Kouga said grimly. “I think it’s safe to assume that only an incredibly powerful youkai could do that, and with age comes power. We need to know if you’ve ever heard of any soul youkai with that capability.”

The old youkai thought for a long moment until Kouga fidgeted in impatience. “I’ve known of numerous soul youkai, many powerful in their own right, but most of them have been content to be at the right hand of more dominant youkai. Usually they lack emotions, good or bad, content to just stay neutral. They are more likely to be accomplices or, most times, servants, reeled in by the promise of fresh souls. Only in rare cases have they attempted to dominate on their own… however…”

“However?” Inuyasha prompted, fighting the urge to force the flea to remember faster.

“The only other youkai I know that had the ability to forcibly steal a soul from a human was a female named Kanna, who used a mirror to suck out and store a soul,” Myouga responded.

As Inuyasha and Kouga both perked up, he dashed their hopes by continuing, “But she was killed several centuries ago; she can’t be who you’re looking for.”

“Damn,” Inuyasha muttered. “Dead end.”

“Well,” Kouga exclaimed after a moment of silence, “We’ve wasted enough time here as it is. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Myouga stopped them before they could turn away, a new light entering his eyes. “If I may, Inuyasha-sama… I might not know of anyone who resembles the demon you are looking for, but I might know someone who could know.”

“Really?” Inuyasha asked, his adrenaline beginning to flow.

Myouga nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll need to speak with Sesshoumaru-sama first, though, before he will be seen. May I accompany you back to the city?”

Inuyasha whistled. “Whew, now you must really be serious. Actually wanting to stand face to face with Sesshoumaru? I didn’t think you had it in you.”

Myouga frowned petulantly. “That is uncalled for, Inuyasha-sama.”

“Will I have to tie you to a string to make sure you can stand to look Sesshoumaru in the eyes?”

“Inuyasha-sama….” This was accompanied by the most ferocious stare the flea could muster. Still, Myouga gulped internally, despite his chiding. Standing in front of Sesshoumaru’s frosty gaze was enough to make him break out in a sweat.

Oh, dear…


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“What are we doing?” Kagome asked as Sesshoumaru pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road in the downtown area.

“We are going to have lunch,” Sesshoumaru replied, turning off the car.

“Lunch? But it’s still mid-morning. I’m not even hungry.”

“You barely ate this morning.”

“I ate,” she defended. “You saw me eat. You’re the one who shoved the food in my face!”

“I saw you take a grand total of three bites. That does not qualify as eating.”

“By your standards,” she muttered.

He said nothing, only unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car. He walked around to her side and opened her door, holding out a hand expectantly.

Kagome huffed and gathered her things slowly. “High-handed,” she said under her breath and caught his smirk.

“Don’t forget that,” he said, pointing to the diary she had brought along. She grabbed it, shoving it into her bag before taking his hand.

As she expected, he let go of her hand as soon as they were on the sidewalk. Just by looking at him and what she knew of his personality, Sesshoumaru was not a hand holder. However, she received a little thrill when he placed his hand on her lower back, as he had at the medical examiner’s office, keeping her pulled close to his body as they walked. He gently steered her around the people filling up the sidewalk, placing himself between her and the street and, when they reached the restaurant he apparently wanted to eat at, he held the door open for her, remaining a constant presence at her back. It touched her in an odd way, but she tried to keep her emotions in check. Ever since he did his complete 180 degrees when it came to their relationship, she was wary of him. Not that she wasn’t wary before, but now she was more wary of losing her heart to the stoic demon who could, at times, be very intimidating, while at other times appearing shockingly vulnerable and sweet in his own arrogant way. Although he seemed to be committed to giving their situation a chance, Kagome was dead serious about the conversation they’d had in the car. She knew he was way out of her league and that there was hardly anything stopping him from leaving like he had before if he really wished it. She wasn’t holding her breath like she had been earlier. If they were going to try this, it would be with her eyes wide open.

After they had been seated and he’d ordered enough for them both to feed a small army, she picked up the diary, turning it to the next entry. Scanning it quickly, she filled him in on the important details.

“The next entry seems to have been written the following day,” she said briskly. “It seems that she went to the youkai’s lair and killed him. She seems to have been a miko of great power; it didn’t take long to dispose of the youkai.” She cleared her throat. “It, ah, also seems like she found the bones of the little girl scattered all over the den. She… failed to mention in the previous entry that the demon literally ripped the girl apart before she died-”

“You don’t need to read that part,” Sesshoumaru said sharply.

Kagome smiled a bit sadly as she looked at him. “It’s okay, really. I kind of sympathize with her. I’ve had to go through the same thing myself a time or two.”

She looked back down to continue reading silently to herself, but Sesshoumaru’s skin nearly crawled with the remembered anguish her emotions were giving off. He was struck once again at how cursed she was. The pain she must have endured… a lesser woman would have broken under the strain. It was then that he had the second epiphany of the week, a record for him.

The first epiphany was that, if the Gods deemed that a woman was meant for you, follow the Gods. He took care of that epiphany last night when he said that he would be willing to work on this relationship with the miko. The second epiphany was that the Gods picked one hell of a woman to stand beside him. There was not anything “lesser” about Kagome in any way, shape, or form and it had just clicked in his brain. First, he had been angry about the fact that the connection might make him feel things that he wouldn’t normally feel. Then, last night, he was looking forward to the advantages the connection would give him, but the truth of the matter was… this recent epiphany showed him that he would respect Kagome, with or without the damn connection. And it gave him a glimpse of hope, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe all this really would work out.

“Sesshoumaru!” Kagome’s exclamation brought him out of his musings. “I think she’s talking about her first meeting with your uncle here!”

She turned the diary around to face him so he could read the elegant script that had a slight edge to it. “I don’t think she was too impressed by his attitude,” Kagome said, her eyes sparkling impishly.

“Hn,” he said noncommittally, and read.

There is a higher youkai that I met in the area today. I did not engage in combat with him because I knew he was a demon who meant no harm. I don’t know exactly how I knew this, but I knew that he would commit no atrocious acts in this territory. I met him while scouting the area and, unfortunately, he was doing the same.

Why must all higher youkai be so insufferably arrogant?

I was walking along the path that would take me to the river that lies just on the border of the forest when I came upon him, sitting in the sun. He had his eyes closed, but I knew he was alert. It was if I could ‘feel’ his attention on me, however ludicrous that is. I was uncommonly attuned to him as well, which still continues to baffle me. It sounds strange to say that I felt as if I was being led to the very spot where he resided. I still wonder now, hours later, if he had cast a spell upon the area to make me come to him?

I had pulled out an arrow as a precaution when, without even opening his eyes, he told me, “Put away the weapon, little one. I will not hurt you.”

Indeed! Little one… as if I were a child! And I know he could feel my aura, just as I could feel his (which was the most powerful I had ever felt), but it seemed like he was brushing off my considerable power as if he would flick a bug off the fine silk of his haori. Arrogant dog.

A dog he was, too. Brother to the Great General himself, the Inu no Taisho. His markings proved it, on his forehead and cheekbones. I found myself staring at him against my will, which I now find absurd. When he finally deigned to look at me, his eyes were the most interesting shade of gold I had ever seen, and they looked at me in such a way that I was unsure of myself for the first time in a long time… which is unforgivable. For some reason, when he stood up to face me, I didn’t know whether to flee or move closer. I find myself confused over my behavior today.

But it was his behavior that still has me riled even now. He told me that he supposed that I could patrol on the lands of his brother, provided I meet him at the same spot tomorrow. As if it were a privilege to be in his presence! I do not know yet if I will go. His conceit is not something I wish to be exposed to again, and the fact that he is a demon makes matters worse. But I feel as if something is drawing me to meet him again.

My head has become so muddled! I will be wary of him if we ever do cross paths. No miko should feel this odd… intensity for a demon stranger. No, I do not think I will meet him tomorrow. I will forget about the meeting and any feelings associated with the arrogant dog.


“He sounds a lot like you,” Kagome teased, and smothered a smile when Sesshoumaru glared at her. “It seems like they had an intense connection when they met, just like we did. She was afraid of it, most likely because she had been so used to feeling hopelessness, despair, and pain. She obviously didn’t trust him, but was drawn to him despite herself.”

“He obviously felt something for her as well… otherwise he wouldn’t have invited her back. His rank and station wouldn’t have allowed it because she was just a miko.”

He paused, thinking maybe he could have rephrased that last statement to not sound so insulting to her, but she just laughed out loud. It was clear and refreshing, something he was sure hadn’t been heard enough, and it pleased him.

“She was right,” Kagome said, still giggling. “You are arrogant dogs.”

“He apparently made an impression on her,” Sesshoumaru countered. “Although she says she wouldn’t meet him, they still end up as mates.”

“True,” she murmured. “I wonder what happened.” She grabbed the diary from Sesshoumaru and began reading again at the next entry.

He came into the perimeter of the village around sunset. It has been a long time since I have been surprised by anything, but his high-handedness made me pause. He enquired as to why I had not met him at the river as planned. I replied to him that I had made no such promise to him, nor would I ever make such a promise. His eyes had glowed like beams from the sun… I can only guess in frustration. He looked most put out and annoyed with me.

My heart had been beating so fast, and when he came closer to me, something made me take a step back. He looked displeased at me, though I can’t explain why. Why is he so interested in me? Or, more importantly, why am I so fascinated by him? I must confess that, even though I did not go to meet him at the river, I had been thinking of him all day. This is most abnormal, and I’m still suspicious of some type of spell, even though he has denied it. However, he looked almost… uncertain. At least as uncertain as an arrogant dog like him could be.

He did not stay long… he seemed very agitated, which made me uneasy, though I cannot explain why. He has left, and I am left with this feeling of a strange anxiousness… and, though I may only confess it here, a longing to see him again.

I begin to fear that maybe my time of insanity has really come upon me. Otherwise, why would I be feeling these things?


“He wasn’t about to let her ignore him,” Sesshoumaru said, as Kagome related the latest entry. “Although he was suspicious of the connection too.”

“The connection isn’t really complete, though,” she said. “At least, it doesn’t seem as strong as ours.”

“That’s because he obviously hasn’t touched her physically yet,” he noted. That’s how the connection is really triggered. After that first night when you had your vision, I touched you, and everything seemed to be amplified.”

Kagome nodded, and she glanced at the words once more on the page as their food arrived. She didn’t have long before Sesshoumaru snatched the diary away and handed her a fork instead. She couldn’t help but be slightly amused, but she began to eat dutifully anyway. The ancient Miko and her Chosen One, however, stayed on her mind throughout the meal. The two in the past were obviously confused by the attraction between them, just as she had been confused by her reaction to Sesshoumaru. And still was confused, for that matter.

Sesshoumaru’s cell phone rang, breaking the comfortable silence between them. After speaking for a few moments, he hung up and folded up his napkin. She looked at him questioningly and he explained, “Inuyasha and Kouga have returned with a guest who could have some important information. They are waiting for us at the headquarters.”

They gathered up their things and began to make the short trek back to Sesshoumaru’s car. It was a sunny day, and many people were milling about the area, meeting friends and shopping in all of the stores that lined the sidewalks. Completely normal. She saw a couple walking together with their heads close, holding hands and looking like they were glued together at the side; the woman was laughing at something the man said, and he was smiling down at her with a look of amused tenderness that struck Kagome with a sense of longing so strong, she almost paused.

Her life would never be that normal.

Instead of her and Sesshoumaru being a normal couple who were on the brink of falling in love, they were thrown together by fate and forced to accept each other without really knowing who the other person was. Added to that, they were still tracking a homicidal maniac who was stealing souls. Yep. Kagome’s life was just a bundle of abnormal.

A stab of excruciating pain hit her, and she screamed once before she hit the ground.

Almost immediately the pain faded away, and she knew Sesshoumaru was with her. She breathed a sob of relief that the pain was gone, and focused on her surroundings. It was strange, not feeling any pain but still being aware in her visions, and she tried to focus to make the most of the opportunity.

The sunlight was brighter where she, or rather, the victim was. There were no tall buildings around her to impede the light from reaching her, and she realized that she was somewhere very remote and far away from the city. Now that there was no suffocating fear or agony infusing the vision, she was free to feel disappointment that the killer wasn’t anywhere near their immediate vicinity, and they had less of a chance of capturing him.

“Ah, great job, Goro. This one will do very nicely for now. Miko souls always last longer than the others. She has a moderate amount of power… she is quite lovely too.”

Kagome’s heart began to pound as she frantically worried whether or not the other demon could sense she was a powerful miko, but then her brain began working again. The victim was a miko. She must have been from one of the smaller shrines that still resided in the country areas of Japan, and now she was about to die and have her soul sucked out. A hand reached out from her peripheral vision and stroked the cheek of the miko and Kagome wanted to flinch away. Even though she didn’t feel it, she saw it, and still had no control over the body whose eyes she was looking through. She couldn’t see the owner of the hand, and cursed mentally. She was being held from behind and the miko could only move her head a few centimeters left or right.

“What to do with her,” the smooth voice continued. “Since hers is such a powerful soul, I wouldn’t want to waste it.” There was a pause. “Would you like to taste her, Goro?”

There was a grunt from behind her. The voice laughed. “Yes, I bet you would. You haven’t had a woman in a long time. I’m feeling in a good mood today, and pleased you found such a catch for me. You can have until we have to leave this area… oh, say about three hours, to do whatever you wish to her. Then I will come back and we will finish the job. Does that sound like fair compensation for a job well done?”

Another grunt, and she could hear the soft whimpering of the miko.

“I’ll leave you to your pleasure then. Remember, three hours.”

One more grunt, this time in pleasure, and she could hear the sound of retreating footsteps.

Kagome had been exposed to many things in her previous visions… violations of the victims bodies included. It was one of the things that terrified her most. And now, just because she didn’t have to feel her body being ripped into did not mean she wanted to witness it happen to an innocent miko girl probably no older than herself.

No, she thought desperately. No, no, get me out of here! Please!

“Kagome!”

Her eyes snapped open, and met the intense gold of Sesshoumaru’s. She blinked slowly, trying to orient herself to her surroundings. She was no longer in the countryside, she was in a small alleyway between two buildings, and Sesshoumaru was holding her very close to him, offering her his warmth.

His warmth was incredible and, just for a moment, she indulged herself, throwing herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and holding on desperately. “He had a miko, Sesshoumaru, a young miko! They are too far from here to do anything about it, someplace very remote, but they are going to be traveling in three hours, at least that’s how long he gave his servant to play with her, and then he was going to come back and kill her and-”

“Kagome, stop,” Sesshoumaru said forcefully, holding her tightly to him and wishing he could just take the vision away. “You don’t have to think about what will happen to her… you already know.”

“I know!” she cried. “But just a few days ago I would have had to go through what she’s going through now, and it’s horrible! The only reason I’m not is because you pulled me out of the vision.”

A thought struck her, and she withdrew from him immediately. “We were on the sidewalk, weren’t we? When the vision started? How many people saw?”

He could feel the shame and embarrassment course through her now, as well as the lingering sorrow for the young miko who was going through unspeakable terror.

“I’m sorry,” she babbled on, still trying to break away from his hold on her arms. “I don’t really have a lot of daytime visions, and it’s always complicated if there’s a crowd who sees me… they always think I’m dying, or I’m crazy, or something… I’m so sorry,” she finished helplessly.

He thought back to the sidewalk when she had first collapsed. His heart had dropped in a way it had never before when he’d heard her scream. He recalled the horrified looks of the passersby before he picked her up and whisked her away to the private alley, and he wondered how many times before she had been exposed like that in front of strangers. It obviously affected her very much, if the waves of distress emanating from her were any indication.

“Do not apologize,” he said sharply, and she jerked her head as if he had hit her. It caused him a strange sort of pang in his chest, but he pressed onward. “The humans have no idea of the types of things you suffer. The last thing you should be worrying about is what they think of you.”

“It’s not really what they think of me,” she said, still refusing to look at him, and he grew even angrier. He knew it was only a half-truth. “It’s what they think of the people who are with me,” she continued. “I don’t mean to cause anyone embarrassment.”

“Embarrassment,” he replied incredulously, grabbing her chin to force her to look at him. “You go through unspeakable things, and you are worried about the others? About what people will think of me when they realize I know you?”

“It’s happened before,” she defended, trying hard not to let the tears, being held at bay by sheer willpower, fall. “No one really knows when a vision will happen, and I’ve been in some unfortunate places when they’ve occurred.”

“And you think I would care about that?” he asked in a deadly voice.

“I don’t know!” she exploded, and the tears spilled forward as the stress of the last few days caught up with her. “I don’t really know anything about you, do I? Just as you don’t really know about me, about what it would really mean to be tied to a freak! This Chosen thing isn’t going to work out if both participants don’t know each other, and we’re not exactly best friends, are we?”

Suddenly his famous renowned temper spilled over as well and his voice grew very soft. “Well, then, don’t you think it’s time you got to know me better? That we get closer?”

Without giving her another chance to respond, he sealed his mouth to hers, but was unprepared for the reaction. It was as if the world stopped turning for one moment, and there was just them. No alleyway, no people waiting just beyond the alley walls, no noise… just sensation. The sensation of her warm weight pressed up to him, molded to him, and he clutched her closer to him as if he were afraid she was going to disappear. Her lips were soft and smooth, and so deliciously hot he was worried he was going to self-combust. He could feel her surprise and shock, then a slow melting as the contact of their lips reached her brain.

Pure fireworks.

She had not been expecting his dark flavor, or his firm lips rubbing sensuously against hers, and she could no longer support herself to stand upright. But that was okay because he was supporting her weight anyway so she just sort of lay against his body, accepting his demanding mouth against her.

Demanding… that wasn’t really the word to describe it. Greedy, maybe. Assertive? Most definitely. And, when the shock of his tongue touched hers, she whimpered.

He groaned, never being to the point of no return so quickly before in his life when she opened her mouth to his insistent one, and he took the opportunity to plunder. It was the best kiss he’d ever experienced… indeed, he could not really remember any other kiss he’d had before when his lips were so pleasurably engaged with hers. It was as if he were a newly made creature being introduced to the world of lusty delights for the first time and not knowing any restraint.

His body was throbbing for release, and it was only when she moaned again that he came back to himself, realizing that he could not take her in a dark alleyway in the middle of broad daylight, no matter how much he was tempted. Tempted… such a small word to describe the emotions rioting through him; he almost gave into it when he saw her eyes open immediately and he saw his own lust reflected through her eyes.

But then there was a shriek of laughter beyond the protective bubble of the walls surrounding them. The intense mood was broken, and still her sadness remained.

“That was just the connection,” she pointed out, her eyes dulled. “You probably didn’t even really want to do that.”

He refrained from rolling his eyes and grabbed her close again by the hips, letting her feel through his clothes the part of him that still ached for her. He had the satisfaction of seeing her blush before her eyes shot to him in amazement. Carefully, he grabbed her face and leaned slowly towards her.

“No doubt the connection made the feelings more intense,” he whispered, his breath ghosting over her cheek. “However, I would have done that even without the connection and enjoyed it.” He was not as surprised as he thought to realize it was true. For the first time, he realized that he would have been attracted to her even without the connection, based solely on her strength. She was the strongest woman he had come across, just because of her spirit. “I told you we would give this a chance, Kagome, a partnership. The Gods picked you for me… if you think I’m just going to let you go, you are mistaken.” Slowly, his lips barely touching her, he kissed the tear tracks that ran down her cheeks, letting his tongue slip out for a moment to taste her essence. She closed her eyes with a shuddering breath. He leaned back slightly, and she opened her eyes. “Am I understood?”

She didn’t answer him for a long moment, just looked at him with her heartbreaking eyes consideringly. Something shifted in those cerulean depths, and she seemed to look at him as if he were something she had never seen before. Slowly, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed slightly. He moved back according to her wishes, however reluctantly.

Then she gave a tiny smile and said in a quiet voice, “The others are going to start to wonder where we are. We’d better get going.”

Turning slightly, she grabbed his hand lightly and began walking. Curling his fingers about hers, he waited silently.

He smiled to himself as she curled her fingers into his and held on tight.

It seemed as if he had been understood.