Hey everyone, sorry for not writing. I hadn't watched Inuyasha in so long;, I forgot how the characters acted! You must all hate me. (Hides) But I finally came out with another chapter! So, even if it's kinda short, I hope you enjoy. –Stelmaria
Chapter Thirteen: Rising Heat
"Listen well to my words, Kagome."
Midoriko's voice chimed through the dismal abyss.
"As you are well aware, I existed for centuries… yet so has my nemesis. My soul was reincarnated for eons as a priestess, each generation nobly guarding the jewel with their lives. However, my demonic enemy has also endured the ages. He has possessed many forms, including Ryukotsei, who managed to end the reign of the great Inu no Taisho. Once, he even took the body of a human… a thief by the name of Onigumo."
Kagome blinked in shock. If Inuyasha had known….
"No" She whispered. "It can't be."
"Yes," Midoriko continued softly. "It was he that destroyed so many lives, and in turn was destroyed himself. Your destiny dictated that it be so… for it is inevitable. Our souls yearn for battle; we are continuously drawn together in mortal combat, each struggling to defeat the other."
"Not anymore." She replied sternly. "Now you are free! You don't need to fight each other, the jewel is destroyed." Kagome shouted, stubbornly protesting her fate.
"The jewel is destroyed, and yet I am here." Midoriko replied, amusement lightening her words. "I exist because you absorbed my spirit when you purified the Shikon. My soul cannot reach Nirvana until I defeat my foe! To do so, I must live inside of you, waiting for my chance at vengeance. Together we share the same power, the same strength."
"That's why I was able to defeat Kikyo." Kagome murmured, contemplating the past few hours. This time, when the silence began to stretch out, she could feel a different type of tension in the air. At last she heard the great and terrible priestess known as Midoriko speak again.
"I'm afraid our time together is coming to an end. Your wounds are very nearly healed, and your presence is… required elsewhere."
"But wait!" She cried, "How am I supposed to find this demon? I don't even know his name."
"You will both recognize each other when next you meet… have no fear. The one I gave my life to destroy… he is called… Ryuken." The name seemed to echo inside Kagome's mind, over and over. She grasped onto it like a lifeline, refusing the whisper of sleep that beckoned.
"Ryuken," she whimpered. Then, darkness claimed her.
Sesshoumaru carefully sheathed his sword. He was standing on the edge of a bluff overlooking Kagome's tiny village. Getting bored with the scurrying activity below, he turned back to his new companion. Kagome lay where he had left her, propped gently against an old oak tree. Sesshoumaru frowned. She had not moved for the past hour. Her wounds had long since healed, after Tensaiga brushed her soul, yet she had fallen into a trance like sleep. The prince leaned down and sniffed her carefully, trying to dispel his irrational fears.
He wrinkled his nose and swiftly backed away. She reeked of sacred energy. The acrid power burned his nose. Sesshoumaru scowled and turned back to the forest. He hoped she would wake up… soon. The prince's attention drifted back to the village. Many of the farmers were becoming louder. He could pick out individual voices now. This did not bode well. Several crops had been destroyed in the scuffle between Kikyo, Kagome and himself. Although Kaede's barrier had been able to protect the village itself, they were all in for a long winter. The farmers were not afraid to let their discontent be known.
Sesshoumaru snorted. 'At least they have their lives.' He turned away in disgust, choosing to move deeper into the forest, away from the noise. After a moment he paused, surprise registering on his features. A demon was approaching, one he recognized…
Shippo raced through the forest. Something was wrong; he could feel it in his bones.
"Mother!" He shouted, searching frantically left and right.
"Where are you?" He cried softly. Her scent hung in the air everywhere around him, yet he could not find her.
The little fox demon stopped on a rock to catch his breath. He glared at the trees around him, his tail twitching in agitation. Finally, he ducked his head and murmured to himself.
"Why can't I find you? And why is it so quiet?" The chirping birds had fallen silent. Everywhere he looked the forest was still. Shippo held his breath, not daring to move.
Suddenly he felt wicked claws grab him from behind, hauling him up roughly by the scruff of his neck. He yowled in shock, twisting his body wildly in an effort to loosen the tight grip that held him in such an embarrassing and vulnerable position.
"Be at ease, little kitsune, for she is close." Growled a rough voice in his ear. Shippo craned his neck far enough to see that it was Sesshoumaru that had a hold of him, and not some evil demon. He managed a tiny sigh of relief, willing his racing heart to slow. The prince began walking, all the while observing Shippo with a raised brow.
"And what are you doing, out here so far on your own? I doubt your mother would approve." He chided gently. This prompted a "Humph!" from the snarling kit.
"I'm a demon! I can take care of myself! Besides, I saw you fighting." He accused, though his voice turned sad. "Mom was hurt. I came to see if she's okay." He added a sullen "Kaede says it was because Kikyo came." Sesshoumaru "hmmed" in response.
"She has returned to herself. Now she is sleeping in the glade just ahead." As an afterthought he added, "Tensaiga allowed me to heal her wounds."
Shippo looked at the lord with blatant curiosity. 'Sesshoumaru healed her? I wonder why… I've never seen him use his sword.' A sudden smirk appeared on his face. 'Maybe he likes her!'
Sesshoumaru contemplated what could cause the evil smile that had formed on Shippo's face. But they quickly reached the glade and Sesshoumaru set the child down. Shippo wasted no time in scampering to his mother's side.
Kagome murmured slightly and rolled over. The kitsune gently nudged her shoulder, but she refused to wake. He sighed and looked back at Sesshoumaru.
"What now? Should we take her back to the village?'
The lord frowned, deliberating over possibilities. At last he heaved a sigh and replied.
"The Miko should be able to help her. We will return."
With that Sesshoumaru knelt to scoop her up, turning back to the village. Shippo scampered behind him, struggling to keep up with his long strides. After falling behind several times, he finally worked up the courage to jump onto Sesshoumaru's shoulder.
But as he prepared to jump, he miscalculated the distance, having never met someone quite so tall as Sesshoumaru before. All too soon, Shippo found himself falling short. Unfortunately, this put him on a direct course for the demon lord's lethally spiked dragon bone armor. Shippo uttered a terrified wail and scrunched his eyes shut, flailing in mid air.
But before the kitsune could meet his tragic end, a furry appendage shot out and coiled around him, preventing Shippo from being impaled. The fox opened his eyes in amazement. 'Warm, fluffy and white… clouds? I must have died and gone to heaven.' His theory quickly dissolved when Sesshoumaru's golden eyes, twinkling in amusement, appeared above him.
"May I suggest, little kit, that next time you look before you leap."
Shippo managed a sheepish smile, glancing away in shame. But he looked up quickly, surprised and gratified as Sesshoumaru deposited him on his shoulder, the prince sporting a tiny smile of his own. 'Children were always my weakness.' The two continued on to the village, enveloped in a companionable silence.
Kaede's lips were drawn with worry. The farmers had taken up arms. At first it was simple pitchforks and sickle's used for harvesting. But all too soon hunting bows had appeared, along with a few swords. Now the farmers milled about in an angry crowd, hurt and confused, waiting for something to happen.
Kaede sighed, thanking Kami for the hundredth time that Kagome had still not returned. Though the silence that suddenly spread through the village dashed any hopes for peace the Miko harbored. Sesshoumaru was approaching. In his arms hung a limp form. The Miko's heart clenched. Fear, dread and anticipation welled up inside her all at once. If Kagome was dead…
With the girl's presence absent to calm his nerves, the Lord of the West would not be lenient, or understanding. If the farmers chose to attack, Kaede knew Sesshoumaru would not hold himself back. An orange flicker drew her eye to his shoulder. Shippo was riding there, watching over Kagome. 'Oh no. The kit is far too young to see such violence.' She rushed out to head off the impending melee.
However, Miroku, Sango and Kirara intercepted him before the old priestess could even approach. Sesshoumaru calmly observed as the demon exterminator and monk bowed before him, bodies stiff with tension. The taijiya lifted her head and leveled him with an intense glare.
"My Lord, please, hand Kagome over to us. She will be safer in the home of Priestess Kaede."
"We give you our word, Lord Sesshoumaru, that no harm will befall her." The houshi murmured softly. His eyes entreated Sesshoumaru to comply, least anymore blood be shed.
The prince regarded his demoness fondly for a moment before heaving a sigh. At last he nodded mutely and handed his precious cargo into the eager arms of her comrades. Golden eyes studied the kit on his shoulder in a sidelong glance, giving Shippo taciturn permission to leave. The fox nodded and lept off his shoulder, bounding away after Kagome. Sesshoumaru's eyes followed them until they reached Kaede's hut and disappeared into the darkness within. A sacred barrier soon formed around the small abode, shielding it from harm.
Sesshoumaru turned back to the villagers, who had quietly appeared, completely surrounding him. They were, needless to say, a group of very angry people. He smirked coldly, a glint of fang gleaming at his lip. Slowly Sesshoumaru circled, taking in his enemy, waiting for the first move. The crowd kept its distance.
'Pathetic cowards, does no one have the courage to confront me?' Suddenly he sensed movement behind him. He heard the familiar 'click-scrape' of a sword leaving its sheathe. Sesshoumaru's smirk widened to a grin. His wrist snapped as an acid green whip cut through the air.
"I will not allow you to threaten the Lady Kagome. All who oppose me shall die."
On the other side of the village, lavender eyes suddenly shot open.
"No!"