InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Case of Double Personality ❯ The Unusual Power Within ( Chapter 6 )

N/A: Hey you guys! New chapter's up! Hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

Chapter VI: The Unusual Power Within

 

 

Her legs hurt like hell, Kumiko noticed, while waking up.

 

 

And not only that, but she was still in control of her body, which meant she had to face Sesshoumaru. And after last night she really didn't feel like it.

 

Suddenly the thought hit her:

 

“I'll tell him I'm Midoriko, how could he notice that I'm not?” She knew how the Miko acted from her memories and as long as they didn't have to fight any youkai she really thought she could pull it off.

 

 

So she opened her eyes, trying to seem confident and in charge of the situation. Rin was off playing somewhere with Jaken and Sesshoumaru was leaning against a tree, as indifferent as ever.

 

 

She got up and asked in a cold tone:

 

 

“Are we departing?”

 

 

The taiyoukai's gaze turned to her as she tried to maintain a calm and respectable appearance.

 

 

Still no matter how cold her tone was, he was sure the girl in front of him was not Midoriko. He had learned to tell them apart somehow. Nevertheless, he decided it was amusing to play along.

 

 

“As soon as Rin and Jaken return. Which one are you?”

 

 

“I'm Midoriko of course, don't mistake me for that silly girl!” She tried to sound offended.

 

 

Kumiko really thought that would be something Midoriko would say. From the memories she had seen, the Miko was a cold person, besides the times she was with a child.

 

 

Sesshoumaru knew Midoriko would never say that about her other self. If anything, she respected the girl and felt bad about using her this way.

 

 

A smile graced his face as he replied.

 

 

“Silly indeed.”

 

 

He observed the spark of anger that lit her dark eyes and then saw her expression turn as stoic as ever. She was such a bad liar. How could one expect to fool another when their emotions spilled all over their face?

 

"Jaken and Rin are returning. We may depart." he said.

 

 

"Splendid." She replied turning her back on him and walking away.

 

 

He suppressed a smile. She amused him terribly; in fact, he didn't remember having such a good time since he was about Rin's age.

 

 

The little girl made her cheerful appearance, followed by an exasperated Jaken.

 

 

"Look Midoriko-sama! Doesen't Jaken-sama look pretty like this?" she pointed to the necklace of flowers that Jaken wore miserably.

 

 

"Oh yes, it suits him." Kumiko answered, trying hard not to burst into laughs.

 

 

"Let's go." she heard Sesshoumaru's deep voice.

 

 

The little girl jumped on Ah-Un's back as Jaken followed his master, seizing the opportunity to rip the flower-necklace off his neck. Kumiko decided to stay in the back of the group to avoid the taiyoukai.

 

 

After a few hours of silent travel, interrupted only by the little girl's exclamations, Kumiko was beginning to regret that Midoriko hadn't taken over.

 

It was so boring!

And on top of that her feet hurt so bad that she felt like she was walking through needles.

 

 

The armor she was wearing didn't help at all, it was heavy and it made her so warm that she had started to sweat.

 

 

"I want a bath..." she thought, sighing deeply. "No, I need a bath." she corrected herself after sniffing around a bit.

 

 

Suddenly Sesshoumaru stopped and sniffed the air.

 

 

"Oh, no! Damn his over sensitive demon nose!" She thought, hoping for a hole in the ground to open up beneath her. She felt dirty compared to the all-white taiyoukai. Did youkai have some sort of protection against dirt and sweat? She wondered idly.

 

 

"A youkai is approaching." He said after sniffing the air with concentration.

 

 

Kumiko refrained from sighing with relief. She didn't have time to enjoy that she was off the hook as the strange feeling hit her. She had felt it before... A faint calling, a pulse inside her chest and she realized.

 

 

"Sesshoumaru! That youkai has a Shikon shard!" She said quickly.

 

 

The second she ended the sentence, as if to prove her words, a giant bear youkai appeared, growling fiercely.

 

 

"Pathetic." Sesshoumaru thought, looking at the youkai with a bored expression. It was too easy, one slash of his claws and the beast would be dead.

 

Suddenly a thought came into his mind and he remained still, a little grin forming on his perfect face.

 

 

The bear youkai was approaching and by his growls and the look on his face, he seemed very hungry. Sesshoumaru was acting like the beast wasn't even there, what did he expect? An invitation?

 

 

"What are you waiting for?" Came his low voice.

 

 

"What? Me?" she said in a puzzled tone.

 

 

"Damn! I'm supposed to be Midoriko! What now?" she thought desperately.

 

 

"Shoot it." Came his calm voice as the monster completely ignored Sesshoumaru, Jaken and Rin and tried to grab her with its giant paws.

 

 

She ducked and took out an arrow with trembling hands. "Midoriko, you should take over now, or we're both dead!" The girl thought.

 

 

She aimed it at the bear and fired quickly. To her surprise her arrow lit up, emanating a pinkish-white light, but not to her surprise, it didn't hit.

 

The bear youkai's paw reached down and grabbed her, pulling her up.

 

She screamed as its grip was crushing her and in that moment her whole body emanated the strange pinkish light and the beast dropped her with a roar of pain.

 

She screamed again as she fell from an impressive height and closed her eyes, preparing for impact.

 

 

It never came.

 

 

Two strong arms caught her gently and in a split second she was on the ground next to Rin and Ah-Un.

 

She opened her eyes to see the bubbly little girl offer her a hand up.

She wasn't frightened at all, on the contrary, she was smiling and seemed to not even notice the huge beast in front of her.

 

 

Kumiko realized why the moment she saw Sesshoumaru slash the beast with his youki whip and it fell on the ground, headless and bleeding.

 

 

The demon lord landed smoothly next to the mangled corpse, turning his golden gaze to the girl.

 

 

He had expected her to confess that she was not Midoriko the moment he had asked her to shoot an arrow at the bear youkai. But she didn't.

 

Instead she had tried to take it out on her own, and to his surprise, she had purifying powers.

 

Where Midoriko's arrows let out bright purple light, her arrows let out a soft pink one and he couldn't say if it was stronger or weaker. It was just different.

 

 

"There's a hot spring ahead. We camp there tonight." He announced and walked on as if nothing had happened.

 

 

Rin, Ah-Un and Jaken followed with the same attitude.

 

 

Kumiko looked at the youkai's corpse and saw its forehead emanating a purple light. She leaned down and touched the glowing spot, finding that a small shard had appeared in her hand. She looked at it for a moment and then put it in her pocket with the other one, running after the group to catch up.

 

 

She then approached Sesshoumaru, noticing that Rin was a safe distance away and she couldn't hear them.

 

 

"I'm sorry! I'm not Midoriko, since this morning I've been..."

 

 

He finished her sentence:

 

 

"Kumiko."

 

"You knew?" She asked, knitting her brows.

 

 

"I cannot be fooled so easily." He replied with superiority.

 

 

"So you were just playing with me all along?" Her anger grew exponentially.

 

 

"Indeed." He answered calmly.

 

 

"Why you...you..." She couldn't even find a suitable insult for what he was.

 

 

The demon lord completely ignored her as he entered the small clearing and scanned the area for any dangers.

 

 

"That little..." She thought angrily, although she realized he was nowhere near little. He was quite tall actually, as her chin only reached his chest.

 

 

"Hmph!" Was the only thing she could think of saying aloud as she turned her back on him and headed for the hot spring. It was a blessing really and it would help to relax her tired muscles and, more importantly, to ease her nerves.

 

 

The hot spring was not far away, but some trees and rocks thankfully hid it.

 

She spent a while trying to figure out how to take off the damn armor and she sighed with relief as she finally succeeded and took off the rest of her apparel quickly.

When she finished, she carefully inserted one foot into the fuming water and, finding it suitable, descended slowly into it.

 

 

It was so much better than a normal bath! She said to herself closing her eyes and letting her whole being surrender to the hot water.

 

"I wish I had some soap and shampoo, maybe some conditioner...Oh! And bath foam!" she thought. "But I guess I should be thankful, at least I got to wash...That's always good."

 

 

After thoroughly cleaning her body and hair, she leaned against the warm rocks, with only her shoulders out of the water and her eyes closed.

 

 

"Now for some rest and relaxa..." The distinct feeling of youki abruptly cut off her thought.

 

 

Enourmous, powerful youki.

 

 

Sesshoumaru's youki.

 

 

She opened her dark eyes to see the taiyoukai right in front of her, on the other side of the hot spring.

 

Her face turned instantly red as she sunk into the water with a small scream. That seemed to have no effect on him as he remained still and silent, his golden gaze locked on her.

 

 

"What are you doing here? Go away!" She yelled, the blush not leaving her face.

 

 

"I am not used to taking orders, much less from a human." He accentuated the last word.

 

 

"Well excuse me for not having claws!" She snapped.

 

 

"You are excused." He said seriously.

 

 

Kumiko's face showed a mix of puzzlement and anger, laid on red background. Just who did this guy...demon think he was?

 

She wanted to get out right now and give him a piece of her mind, but there was the little problem that she was naked. Damn.

 

 

She was relieved when she felt the familiar tug of Midoriko's presence. The Miko was taking over again, and just in time. Kumiko's presence gave a small grin, while retracting to the back of her mind.

 

 

To Sesshoumaru it looked like the girl had closed her eyes for no more then a second, but in that second Midoriko saw all of the recent events. When she opened her eyes again, there was no mistaking her identity.

 

 

Midoriko studied Sesshoumaru silently. Why was he here? It was somewhat obvious to her what he wanted, when visiting a woman while she was bathing.

The taiyoukai's human form possessed a great beauty, almost feminine, contrasting with his dominant, masculine character. He must have had many women in the long years of his life, but he was out of his mind if he thought he could have this one.

 

 

"Looking to obtain your next trophy?" She asked coldly, the innocent blush gone from her face.

 

 

This woman really thought too much of herself, Sesshoumaru thought. Why could she possibly think she was worthy of him? She did have a pretty face and alluring curves, but she was, nonetheless, human.

 

 

"Do not think so highly of yourself. I have never considered human women to be trophies." He answered, looking straight into her eyes.

 

 

"What have you considered them then? Pets? Amusement?" She asked, a spark of anger lighting her dark eyes.

 

 

"Human women do not suit my tastes. I have never mated with one." He answered calmly.

 

 

That was surprising, Midoriko thought. Even if youkai despised humans, they would use human women for that sort of entertainment, usually treating them like rags. There were the select few that fell in love with humans, but such events were very rare.

 

 

"Why are you here?" She asked.

 

 

"I sensed youkai and considered that she was incapable of defending herself." He answered.

 

It wasn't a complete lie, he did smell youkai, but they were very low-level and too far away to sense the girl or the shards. He didn't know why he came, he just wanted to see her.

Not to see her naked, but to see how she behaved when no one was around, like observing an animal in its natural environment in hopes of understanding more about it.

 

Midoriko he could understand, she was a Miko and he knew basically all about them. This other girl however was an enigma. The way she had simply accepted that Midoriko had taken over her body and brought her here, the unusual color of her purifying light, the strange way she could always make him smile.

 

 

"I don't sense any other youki." The Miko said in a cold tone.

 

 

"Of course you don't. You are only human." He replied.

 

 

"Well, I am perfectly capable of defending myself right now so there is no need for you to stick around." She informed him.

 

 

"Do not presume to order me." The taiyoukai growled.

 

 

The situation was really getting out of hand, Midoriko thought. This way she would loose either her life or a valuable ally. She decided to give in.

 

 

"I do not mean to offend you." She said in a softer tone.

 

 

After a few moments of silence, the demon lord turned around and walked away, not dignifying her with a reply.

 

 

The Miko sighed with relief and reviewed the recent memories in her mind.

Kumiko also had spiritual powers and unusual ones at that. She was untrained and unaware of her strength. Her aim could definitely use some practice, but she had them nonetheless.

 

 

She had acquired one more Shikon shard, with the help of Sesshoumaru and Midoriko decided to analyze all the information regarding the powerful demon. He seemed to have taken a liking to Kumiko, though she could not understand why. The girl was probably more human then anyone else and he was a taiyoukai. Still, if this was true it could be useful. She would let her take over more often around Sesshoumaru, thus avoiding any contact with the demon.

 

 

She slowly got out of the water and slid her clothes back on, along with the armor. The Miko then proceeded to the camp and smiled warmly seeing the little girl sleeping peacefully.

She closed her eyes, entering a semi-conscious state and allowing Kumiko's presence to take over.

 

 

"So soon?" Was the first thought that came into the girl's mind.

 

 

Still she made no objection, because it was no use anyway, and walked towards the taiyoukai.

 

 

"I want to thank you for looking after me." She surprised him.

 

 

That was definitely not Midoriko talking, he thought.

 

 

"Do not bother. I am in need of Midoriko's power and that is why I need her to stay safe." He half-lied.

 

 

"Oh..." She said, sounding disappointed. “I understand."

 

And she turned away from him.

 

 

Without knowing why, he grabbed her arm tightly, his claws almost cutting into her frail skin. She let out a little yelp, looking at him with puzzled eyes. Her skin was so soft, and so frail, so easily breakable. If he would push just a little, he could cut her veins and she would die. She was helpless.

 

 

They both stood there for what seemed like an eternity, looking at each other. She was fascinated by the pools of liquid gold that were his eyes as he couldn't pull away from her dark depths. She could feel his youki growing. It was so strong, yet it seemed gentle, she knew she should be frightened at its intensity, but she wasn't.

 

At the same time, he could feel her purifying energy surrounding him, and it didn't hurt, like it should. It was warm and soft and it mixed with his youki in the strangest way.

 

 

His hand almost unconsciously pulled her closer and she made no move to protest. The only thing between their bodies was the cold armor they both wore and, in that moment, they both hated its presence. None of them knew what was happening, but it was a bond so strong, they couldn't pull apart.

 

His other hand reached her face, his claws touching her pale cheeks. What was this feeling? He didn't want to ever let her go, was it because of her purifying energy?

 

Without even noticing when, their faces got so close that they almost touched. Sesshoumaru wasn't thinking straight anymore, his instincts had taken over. H

 

e had to have this woman and he had to have her now.

 

Kumiko couldn't think at all, as his youki surrounded her. The only thing she craved for was to be one with him. Nevertheless, it was terribly wrong. Thousands of little alarm bells went off in her head at the same time, and they all yelled no.

 

 

In the last moment, she turned away, struggling out of his grip. He slowly returned to reality, feeling her little arm trying to brake away from his hold. Was she trying to break her arm? He thought idly, letting her go.

 

He then watched as she ran to Rin's side and squeezed inside the little circle Ah-Un had made with his tail. With her gone, he could finally think clearly.

 

What just happened?

 

 

There were few things in the world that had Sesshoumaru's interest and Kumiko had just made the list. It annoyed him that he couldn't figure her out and he considered himself far above most (if not all) beings when it came to intellect.

 

He had never seen such a strange purifying energy. Instead of the burning sensation, he had experienced a soft, warm feeling, soothing and comforting, blending with his youki. ]

 

Since when did purifying energy mix with youki anyway? It was supposed to dissolve it. After a few more moments of pondering, the taiyoukai declared himself officially confused and decided it was foolish to engage in needless presumptions.

 

 

A/N:

 

 

Reviewer response:

 

 

None, it seems =))