InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Flower Girl ❯ Folly ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

---oOo---

The night was lovely, just a hint of coolness on the skin as the breeze flowed past, the sky black, sparkling with diamond light as the heavens lay open for the perusal of those earthbound souls that lay beneath them.

And yet, Kagome was annoyed.

They hadn't been in camp long before she'd felt the tug on her soul denoting her pre-incarnation's proximity to them, and within moments, her hanyou companion had run off without so much as a by-your-leave.

Now, while his callousness in not even considering her when Kikyou was around did indeed cause pain, she was more irritated tonight than hurt - and that was because of all the pitying looks being sent her way.

Not to mention the rather superior looks being cast by a certain youkai Lord.

Hand on her knee, and chin in her hand, she growled low under her breath at him, and watched as one regal brow lifted into his bangs.

Jerk. Sheesh. I wish all of them would just find something else to look at already. This is getting old.

She returned every single glance with a glare - and the rest of the group got the message, looking away and making desultory conversation amongst themselves.

A certain silver-haired dog demon, however...

Finally, she stood up, and stomping closer to the arrogant male, she glared even more fiercely at him.

"What?! Is there a particular reason you keep looking at me, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked belligerently.

His other brow raised into his bangs to join its brother, and he regarded her quietly for several long moments while everyone in the clearing held their breaths - except a grinning Rin.

"Tell me, woman. What does a 'geranium' look like?"

Kagome blinked, confused. "Geraniums? What the heck do flowers have to do with you staring at me?"

"Answer the question, ningen - or are you not bright enough?"

That brought back the glare faster than anything else could, and she spoke between tightly clenched teeth. "They are small flowers, most of them with four petals, and they come in many different colors." Sending another heated glare at the male so arrogantly splayed against the trunk of a tree, she asked, "Now, why does that have anything to do with why you are staring at me?"

"It does not." His expression did not change as she growled again. "However, they do have something to do with the half-breed and the dead miko."

She looked taken aback at that, and tilted her head at him with deepening confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The geranium stands for folly," he said at last, flatly, disdain thick in his voice. "It is folly for Inuyasha to chase the dead miko looking for love - for the dead know nothing of love. Therefore, this flower should be used in Rin's book to signify the foolish nature of the hanyou."

There was a choked sound of anger behind her, and Kagome spun on her heel, suddenly not surprised to find Inuyasha standing inside the circle of firelight - he'd obviously just returned from his tryst, and wasn't too happy to hear his brother's words.

"Oi! Shows what you know, fool! Ain't none of your business, anyway - not like you know anything about love."

At that, Rin pipped up.

"Oh, but Inuyasha-sama, you are wrong. Sesshoumaru-sama knows how to love just fine." She glanced at him, and then looked at a still shocked and embarrassed Kagome. "Most people don't understand Sesshoumaru-sama, that's all - but Rin does, and she thinks that Kagome-sama is starting to understand, too."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, still staring at Kagome, and then he suddenly broke her gaze and looked at the sky, dismissing the people in the clearing - and their talk. Kagome moved away, going to sit down on the other side of the camp - avoiding a very annoyed Inuyasha at the same time.

I can't see Sesshoumaru wasting any time on chasing after the past, that's for sure. It truly would seem like folly to him - and I have to agree with him. The living can continue to carry love for one who has passed...

But it can't be returned.

It's a one-sided love... unrequited, so to speak.

Folly.

Kagome looked up once more, catching herself in the golden gaze of the daiyoukai that he was once more pinning her with.

He was staring at her, again - and she wondered why.

What is he looking for?

---oOo---

A/N: Anyone ever felt like they were an insect under a microscope because they were being stared at? I have... it's really not comfortable.

Amber