InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (II) ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

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

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: I loved the responses for the last chapter. Thank you! Here's the continuation…Oh, by the way, I've done some FanArts to go with this story. If you'd like to see, please head to elle6778.deviantart.com

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A Simple Legacy II by elle6778 - Chapter 10

“Scared, Inuyasha?” Kagome taunted, knowing that something like this would get to him. Inuyasha was nothing but predictable. And he would never back down from a challenge. That was what she was counting on.

His eyes bulged at her words. Then crossing his arms over his chest with a mulish look on his face, he shot back, “Keh! Who said I'm scared?”

She stifled her grin. “Really? So you'll practice with me? You can change your mind if you want to, you know?” she said casually.

Ears twitching, he glared at her before he turned away. “Just don't blame me if you get hurt,” he grumbled. Eyeing the weapons rack, he added, “I guess I'll need to use one of that bastard's weapons. Tetsusaiga won't work.”

Feeling a tug on her hakama, Kagome looked down to find Shippou giving her a worried look.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Shippou asked nervously. “Inuyasha…he's-”

“Don't worry, Shippou,” she interjected gently.

Rin piped up brightly, “Sesshoumaru-sama trained Kagome-neechan.” Nodding vigorously at her, Rin continued confidently, “You will be fine.”

“Yes,” Kagome said, suppressing her amusement at Rin's confidence in everything Sesshoumaru did. It was obvious that the girl worshipped the ground Sesshoumaru walked on. She just hoped that Sesshoumaru realized it.

Kagome waited as Inuyasha picked a katana from the rack, inspecting it carefully. He swiped it a few times in the air, testing it before he nodded and returned to the middle of the dojo.

“What are you waiting for?” he said belligerently as he stood in front of her.

She ran to the side of the dojo to pick up her kodachi.

“I thought you wanted to practice your whips?”

“Hey, since I got a partner, I might as well practice something I can't do alone,” she declared. Unsheathing her weapon, one kodachi in each hand, Kagome prepared herself for his attack.

It never came.

Frowning, she gave him a puzzled look. “Inuyasha?”

His eyes flickered. “I'll let you attack first,” he said gruffly.

She nodded. Then, in a move Sesshoumaru had thought her, she dashed at Inuyasha in a jagged pattern. Sensing his eyes on her, Kagome feigned left and then shot to the right, bringing her kodachi down at Inuyasha as she did so.

She saw Inuyasha's eye widen as he brought his katana up to block. The blades met with a loud clang. Sliding hers off quickly, she spun around and crisscrossed her kodachi in front of her, lashing out in opposite directions. Inuyasha leapt out of the way and landed some distance away, staring at her with an odd look.

“Hey, why are you not attacking?” she yelled. Did he really have a problem fighting her? “Come on, Inuyasha. How am I supposed to improve if you hold back?”

Averting his gaze, he tossed the katana up in the air carelessly and caught it. “Keh! You're practicing your attacks, right? So attack. And anyway, you can't get through my fire-rat haori.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Was he planning to do nothing but defend himself? “I might as well be fighting the leaves. I thought you're the one who said it's useless to practice like that.”

His ears twitched. Then a look of annoyance crossed his face. “Fine!” he snapped. “Don't complain when you end up getting hurt.”

Did he really think she could not fight at all? “If I survived Sesshoumaru's training, I think I'll be fine,” she shot back.

Inuyasha bristled. “I'm sick of hearing his name!”

With a growl, he charged. Used to being subjected to sneak attacks, Kagome waited until he was close to her before she sidestepped the attack. Twisting around, she swung her kodachi in a horizontal arc. Inuyasha jumped, barely avoiding her attack.

“Since when you can move so fast?” he yelled as he dodged another attack from her kodachi. He then retaliated by swiping his claws at her.

Grinning, she deflected the blow with blunt edge of her kodachi. Extending a hand, she called forth a small miko orb, making sure that it was not too powerful. After all, this was just practice and she did not want to accidentally hurt Inuyasha, fire-rat haori or not.

“Since I completed my training with Sesshoumaru,” she replied proudly.

“Why…stop mentioning that bastard!” Inuyasha growled as he sidestepped the orb she had thrown at him.

“Stop calling him a bastard. He's not that bad,” Kagome snapped in irritation as she pointed the tip of the kodachi at her friend. Why was Inuyasha always so unreasonable when it came to Sesshoumaru? The way Inuyasha sounded, anyone would think that no good had come out of Sesshoumaru's training.

“Enough of defending him already!” Inuyasha yelled, sounding increasingly irritated as he slapped his katana against her kodachi and forced her back.

Her eyes widened as she lost her footing and stumbled back, bring Inuyasha along with her. The two of them ended up in a heap on the mat with Inuyasha staring down at her, breathing heavily. The wind knocked out of her, Kagome lay limp, uncomfortably aware of how heavy Inuyasha was. Then she noticed the troubled expression in his eyes and a flash of something else.

“Kagome…” he whispered softly.

She gulped as she realized how close his face was to hers. Suddenly she was reminded of the day he had asked her to be his mate two months ago when he had been incarcerated in Sesshoumaru's cell. A frisson of unease coursed through her. No, he would not bring that up now, would he?

“Kagome, I…” he began hesitantly, his amber eyes flickering with emotion.

Her eyes widened. The urge to remove herself became overwhelming. “Um…Inuyasha? Do you think you could get off?” she asked, not missing the desperation in her voice.

Inuyasha looked surprised for a moment, and then his expression turned angry. Getting to his feet abruptly, he glared down at her. “I guess you're fine with it when it happens while Sesshoumaru is practicing with you.”

She gaped at him, incredulous at his insinuation. Scrambling to her feet, she returned his glare. “Leave him out of this! I don't even want to ask how you ended up with that conclusion.”

“Keh! With all the time you spend with him, what else am I supposed to think?” Inuyasha snapped irritably.

Inuyasha was being unreasonable again. Why did he have to make this entire thing so hard? Why did he always jump to such ridiculous conclusions? Eyes narrowing in anger, Kagome gritted out, “Sesshoumaru and I have an agreement to complete. Why is it so hard to understand that? And I thought you're okay with it already.”

“It bugs me, alright? Sesshoumaru hates humans,” Inuyasha pointed out harshly. “But he…nice to you. Doesn't that tell you something?”

The image of her encounter with the taiyoukai flashed across her mind, making her flush. No, that did not mean anything because Sesshoumaru had been forced into it. “I'm not listening to this, Inuyasha!” she retorted, throwing her kodachi at him in her frustration. “What does on between me and Sesshoumaru is none of your business!”

Ducking to avoid the flying blade, Inuyasha snapped angrily, “Fine. Don't expect me to save you when he ends up trying to kill you. You think he'd be so stupid as to teach you so much that you can fight him if he decides to do anything to you?” Eyes flashing, he threw his katana at her.

In reflex, Kagome raised her palm and shot a pearlescent beam of energy at the flying katana, stopping it in midair. As the katana dropped to the dojo mat with a dull clang, Inuyasha's words rang in her ears. Even until know, Inuyasha refused to see that her battle skills had improved. The worst thing was, her powers had always been there, just not utilized until Sesshoumaru had helped her bring it out. It really annoyed her that Inuyasha kept thinking of her as someone who was completely hopeless.

Glaring at her friend, Kagome snapped, “I think I'm quite capable of defending myself now.”

Inuyasha's eyes gleamed. “Then let's see how well you can defend yourself!”

Adrenaline rushed through Kagome as Inuyasha charged at her. This time, he did not look as if he was planning to hold back. Good, she thought. Now she could practice for real. Neither of them was holding weapons know, so it was all down to their own powers.

And she would show him that she was not as weak as he thought.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Sesshoumaru frowned as he scanned through the scrolls on the low table in his study. At his instructions, Jaken had brought them out from Inu-no-Taishou's collection. Considering his father's closeness to Takeo's father, there should be something in there which could shed some light on his query.

The unfortunate incident caused by the panther youkai had been distasteful. More importantly, he had no intention of repeating the experience. He glowered as he recalled the loss of this control. To think that he, Sesshoumaru, had been weakened by such a lowly youkai. It was simply unacceptable. He would learn from his mistake and ensure that such a thing would never occur again.

His hands suddenly stilled as his eyes landed on a scroll.

Sitting down, he began to run his eyes over it. When he reached halfway down, he began to understand what had happened.

The panther youkai had always given problems to the Southern Lord even before Takeo had been handed the reins. Although Takeo's father and his warriors were strong, the panther youkai had something which pure strength could not fight against. The brown substance was some form of aphrodisiac which strength increases in proportion to the victim's own strength. Therefore, for high-level youkai like him and Takeo, the attack was stronger.

It explained why Takeo had tricked him into going after the panther youkai. The Southern Lord had obviously tried and failed to destroy his enemy. Perhaps he had even succumbed to the panther youkai's aphrodisiac. Takeo must have decided to use him and the miko to do his work for him. The jewel shards had simply been bait.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. If he was not so involved in searching for the shards, he would have sought Takeo out and taught him a lesson he would not forget anytime soon. However, Naraku was his priority at the moment.

Takeo was next.

He was in the middle of reading through the second scroll when he heard the commotion.

Eyes narrowing slightly, he stepped towards the window and looked out. It seemed that the noise was coming from the dojo. To his surprise, his sensitive hearing picked out the voices of the miko and his half-brother. The two of them were fighting in his dojo?

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes gleamed. It would be something worth seeing. Though he had to admit that he was mildly surprised at the fact that Inuyasha was willing to fight the miko. Ignoring Jaken's droning, he leapt out and launched himself toward the dojo. The voices became clearer as he approached.

“Take this!” the miko yelled.

“Keh! You think it's that easy to take me down?”

“You wait! You haven't seen everything yet!”

A smirk working its way to his lips, Sesshoumaru landed silently outside the dojo, making sure that his presence was cloaked. Rin and Shippou were there, peeking in with identical expressions of horrified interest. Rin was the first one to see him.

“Sessh-”

A finger to his lips stilled the girl's words. He wanted to observe the results of his training without being noticed. Stepping up behind Rin and Shippou, he fixed his gaze on the two fighting figures inside the dojo.

His brow lifted a fraction when he noted their expression. This did not look like a casual training session. Both the miko and the hanyou appeared to be furious with each other. But even in their anger, Sesshoumaru could tell that both were holding back. The way they did it was almost imperceptible. He wondered if they were even conscious that they were holding back. Nevertheless, having fought with both, Sesshoumaru did not miss the signs.

Their affections for each other made it difficult for either of them to employ their full powers. Although Sesshoumaru could understand the reasoning behind it, he felt that it was foolish. In order to further one's strength, one must be ruthless and determined. Perhaps that was why the miko had been able to further her skills under his training. She had never held back during practice. He surmised that it had been simply because she held no such weak feelings for him. But feelings or not, if she had held back while fighting against him, he would have taken it as an insult.

A bright light flared as the miko's beam of energy shot forward and landed on Inuyasha's shoulder. Obviously annoyed, but unharmed apart from a few strands of singed hair, the hanyou raised his claws. A downward slash of said claws followed, but the miko called forth a number of glowing orbs and threw them at Inuyasha. The force from the claws and the orbs clashed and exploded midair.

“Damn it!” the miko exclaimed in frustration.

“Keh! You thought it was going to be easy, huh!” Inuyasha taunted as he slid forward and leapt high above her.

Gritting her teeth, the miko shot to the side as Inuyasha descended with his claws extended. Then she spun back, raising her palms. The beam of miko energy she expelled grazed the hanyou's sleeve, throwing his aim off.

“What are you aiming at?” Inuyasha taunted with a laugh.

Sesshoumaru's brows rose a notch as the miko's annoyance reached him. Then the annoyance turned into resolution. Recognizing the signs, Sesshoumaru watched with amusement as he waited for the miko to pay Inuyasha back.

The miko's eyes narrowed. “Fine!”

With that, she threw her hands forward and ten thin pearlescent whips shot out straight at the hanyou. Surprised, Inuyasha dove to the side to avoid the attack but he was not fast enough. A few of the long glowing whips caught him on his back, its force throwing him halfway across the room. Sesshoumaru felt his lips twitch. The miko had finally mastered the control of her whips. The attack was still weaker than his own, but he had no doubt that given time and practice, the miko would improve.

“Hah!” she exclaimed smugly. “Beat that!”

Growling from the mat, Inuyasha retorted, “That was a lucky shot, that's all.” Jumping to his feet, he cracked his knuckles.

Sesshoumaru decided that it was a good time to make his presence known. Both of them looked up with identical startled expressions as he pushed the shoji open fully and stepped into the dojo.

“You were beaten by a mere human, Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru remarked with a smirk.

“Shut up!” Inuyasha snapped and then glowered at him. “And it's not like she's a mere human.”

The miko giggled. “Come on, Inuyasha. It was just a little bit of sparring. You don't need to get mad about it.”

“I'm not mad,” Inuyasha replied sulkily, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sesshoumaru decided to rub it in further. “Perhaps you should practice more, little brother. It is possible that some day, you may be able to beat the miko.”

“Who said I want to beat her? I was just helping her practice, that's all.”

“Indeed.” Sesshoumaru's word carried a tone of disbelief.

Inuyasha glowered at him wordlessly.

“It's okay, Inuyasha. Don't get mad.” The miko covered her yawn. “Well, I'm going to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow."

“Hey,” Inuyasha started, but the miko was already gone.

Sesshoumaru turned to Inuyasha. “Perhaps if Izayoi had decided to remain, you would have gained the same benefits as the miko had,” he remarked levelly.

Inuyasha's eyes flashed. “Maybe you didn't notice, but I held back when I was fighting just now.”

Sesshoumaru kept his expression impassive. So Inuyasha did not know. Perhaps the hanyou really underestimated the miko's skills. “So did the miko.”

Eyes bulging, Inuyasha exclaimed, “What?!”

The corner of Sesshoumaru's lips lifted slightly. “You heard me, little-brother. The miko possess greater skills than what she had displayed not long ago.”

“If I'd used Tetsusaiga, she won't be able to beat me.”

“Perhaps.”

Inuyasha's eyes gleamed. “By the way, you know that with your fang, Tetsusaiga's attacks are much stronger now, don't you?”

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. No, he was not aware of this fact. So, it seemed that the repaired katana had not only enabled Inuyasha to break down his wards, it could now also execute more powerful attacks. Not for the first time, Sesshoumaru regretted agreeing to Totousai's request for his youki. For his fang alone would not have been capable of such feats.

“How do you like that, huh?” Inuyasha taunted.

Clamping down on his irritation, Sesshoumaru simply said calmly, “You're still a weak hanyou.”

Before Inuyasha could reply, Sesshoumaru swiveled on his heels and left the dojo. It was growing late and the last thing he wanted to do was to engage in a useless conversation with his half brother. And there was nothing he could do about Tetsusaiga now.

He would rest for the night. And tomorrow, he would question the forest youkai about Naraku.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Sesshoumaru made his way unhurriedly to the courtyard, barely noticing the silence around him. The day was young and most of the castle's occupants were still asleep. As he stepped out, he noted that the sun was just beginning to emerge from the mountains in the distance.

It did not take him long to track down the forest youkai and Inuyasha. They were at the far end of the courtyard. The forest youkai was leaning against a tree. Higher up, Inuyasha sat on a branch. Sesshoumaru wondered if the hanyou had claimed the tree as his. After all, he had seen Inuyasha on that tree on more than one occasion.

At Sesshoumaru's approach, the forest youkai got to her feet. Inuyasha leapt down from the branch to greet him with a glare. How predictable, Sesshoumaru thought as his eyes shifted from the hanyou to the forest youkai.

It was obvious that she was nervous. Good, Sesshoumaru thought. It would be unacceptable if she did not fear him. The only ones who had the audacity to do so were his brother and the miko.

“What are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?” Inuyasha snapped irritably.

Pointedly ignoring the hanyou, he simply turned to the youkai. “The miko told this Sesshoumaru that you are not Naraku's detachment,” he began. Then he held up the warded leather pouch containing the pendant. “And this is what he used to hold you against your will.”

The forest youkai shrank back visibly as she stared apprehensively at the pouch in his hand. “That pendant chains me to him. It keeps me alive so long as I keep on collecting youki for Naraku. If I stop collecting while I'm wearing it, I'll die.”

“Can the pendant be used by anyone apart from you?”

The forest youkai frowned. “I don't know.”

“How much does Naraku depends on this pendant for his powers?” Inuyasha asked curiously.

“He's already strong now, with all he had absorbed. The pendant just gives him more. Naraku is a greedy hanyou. I suppose you already know that he seeks the Shikon to turn himself into a full-blooded youkai.”

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. “It is obvious that the Naraku is not satisfied with his hanyou body. Do you know the location of his hideout?”

When she shook her head, Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. If the forest youkai's information was so worthless, perhaps he should just kill her. Letting her live would be unwise as Naraku would no doubt find a use for her.

The forest youkai quickly said, “He moves it around. The last I know, he was in the North somewhere. But the trees should know where he is now. I've sent out a message for them to pass along. We'll probably hear something by tomorrow.”

“Hn.”

“And there's something else about the pendant,” she added. “Someone gave it to Naraku as a trade.”

Inuyasha frowned. “Who?”

Her light brown eyes hardened. “I would like to know too. It's the thing that kept me imprisoned for the last one year.”

“You will inform this Sesshoumaru when you find out about its origins.”

Knowing that it was time he found out a little more about something which had been lingering at the back of his mind, Sesshoumaru turned to Inuyasha. “Leave us,” he instructed coldly.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. “What?” Then his expression turned suspicious. “Why?”

“That's none of your concern, little brother.”

A growl escaped Inuyasha's lips. “I'm staying to make sure you don't accidentally kill her.”

“This Sesshoumaru has no intention of killing this youkai. Now, perhaps you should remove yourself before you're forced to,” Sesshoumaru said, his eyes glinting threateningly.

Inuyasha glared at him for a moment before he turned to the forest youkai. “Yell if he does anything, alright?”

The forest youkai gave him a grateful smile.

When Inuyasha finally left the room, Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to the female. “You told the miko of this sorceress who fell into the well.”

She nodded, looking confused.

“Who is this sorceress?” he asked.

She shook her head. “The vines had spoken of her to me but I was not told of her identity. All I know is that she was not from the east or the west. Her powers were great and she bore the mating mark of a youkai. The same youkai who was chasing after her. The Goshinboku had heard him call her Hikari.”

“Goshinboku?”

The forest youkai nodded. “The one Inuyasha had been sealed to. Inuyasha was there when it happened, but he could not have heard or seen anything.”

“Hn.” It was the hanyou's own foolish feelings for the undead miko which had brought him the indignity of being sealed to a tree.

“Why are you asking all this? Is Kagome alright?”

“The miko is fine.”

The forest youkai nodded thoughtfully, and then she said, “So, how do you plan on taking Naraku down?”

Sesshoumaru had no intention of answering her question. Instead, he said, “You will communicate with your trees. Find out about Naraku's current location and his detachments. And more about the pendant as well. This Sesshoumaru wishes to know if it can be used.”

The forest youkai nodded. “I'll be talking to the trees from here, getting them to spread the questions to other trees. I'm not going to risk leaving this place until Naraku is destroyed.”

Sesshoumaru gave her a curt nod. In that case, he need not concern himself about her attempting to escape without giving him what he wanted. With her skills, as long as she cooperated, she would be a useful source of information. At that thought, something else occurred to him. It was not a part of what they had agreed, but the forest youkai did not need to know that.

“You will also find out all you know about a panther youkai in the Southern Lands in connection with the Southern Lord, Takeo.”

The forest youkai looked surprised. “I don't remember Naraku mentioning either of them.”

“Nevertheless, it would be prudent to obtain more information on them. Takeo is a powerful lord and if he decides to ally with Naraku, it will complicate matters.”

Frowning, the youkai ventured hesitantly. “I'm not familiar with the south.”

“You will find a way.”

She sighed. “I guess I could pass the question to the trees again.”

“Very well. Have the information ready in a week or so.”

“I'll try,” the forest youkai replied.

With that, Sesshoumaru turned around and headed back inside. It was time for him and the miko to leave again. They could not afford to lose any more time, he thought as he weaved along the bamboo-lined hallways.

As he passed the entrance to his enclosed hotsprings, he paused. The hotsprings he had used during their journey felt much less welcoming. Perhaps it was simply because he could never let his guard down long enough to enjoy it while there was potential danger around him. Preferring his own bamboo-lined hotsprings chambers to the open ones outside, he decided that the hunt could wait for a short time while he indulged himself.

Stepping in, he proceeded to disrobe and stepped past the rocks to the edge of the hotsprings. Sesshoumaru felt his muscles loosen as he sank into the hot water. He had looked forward to this bath in particular ever since he had missed one last night. The need to cleanse off the disturbing events from two nights ago was almost overwhelming.

Inhaling deeply, he leaned against one of the smooth rock forming a little private enclosure around him. He would meditate.

Not long after he had begun, his senses pricked, breaking his concentration. And then he heard the creak of wood at the entrance of the hotsprings. The familiar scent of peach identified the intruder as the miko. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in resignation. If he kept still enough, perhaps she would complete her bath quickly and leave him to his solitude.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

He felt the water rippling against his bare skin before he heard a shocked yelp from her.

“Sesshoumaru!”

His ears rang with the pitch of her voice and he stifled the urge to groan. Keeping his eyes shut, tried to ignore her. Surely she would leave now that she had detected his presence.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you are in here,” she said, her nervousness reaching him in waves.

But she made no move to leave.

“Indeed,” he finally said dryly. He did not really want to leave just yet. Considering how large the hotspring was, privacy should not be a problem. “There is sufficient space for both of us if you keep to your end,” he told her pointedly, his eyes still shut as he leaned back against the smooth rock.

A weak laugh reached him. “Right.”

Silence descended upon them.

He almost managed to slip back into his meditative state when he suddenly felt another ripple against his bare skin. Then a soft gasp sounded and he was flooded with a warm feeling.

His eyes shot open in disbelief.

He could not mistake what he had just felt but since it did not come from him, it must have originated from the miko. Arousal, hot and thick, washed over him. Stifling a groan, he tried to will away his body's response to it. It was not an easy task considering what he had just experienced two nights ago.

He turned to glare at her to find her staring at him, her skin faintly flushed. Knowing that she was nude, he kept his eyes above her neck. The miko was aroused. It was a mild case but still, she was aroused. Worse, it had reached him through their connection and was affecting him more than it should. He did not like it, but he could not stop his body from responding in the most embarrassing manner in response to her.

“Miko, you shall cease that at once,” he growled in warning.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. “W-What?”

He clenched his hands together. Was she deliberately taunting him? Did she think to toy with this Sesshoumaru using her womanly wiles? Did she think that what happened last night gave her the right to have these feelings towards him? This was unacceptable.

“You know what this Sesshoumaru means,” he gritted out.

She visibly went red, confirming his suspicions. “I…umm…” she faltered into silence.

Her embarrassment washed over him like a tidal wave. It was enough to dampen his arousal, much to Sesshoumaru's relief. Straightening up from the water with no regard for his own modesty, he slid through the water towards a ledge. As he passed her, his eyes narrowed when he noticed that her gaze was fixed to a point on his body below the waterline.

“Miko…” he warned as the spike of her desire stabbed through him. Again.

She quickly looked away, her mounting embarrassment reaching him in waves.

Sesshoumaru suddenly realized that even with his confusion, he could not help but feel a twinge of male pride at the way she was looking at him. It was…not unpleasant.

He glowered inwardly, dismayed at his wayward thoughts. She was a human, a ningen. Not to mention that she was his apprentice of sorts. He would not allow himself to feel this way. It was wrong and unwelcomed. The only reason he could think of which explained this unwanted occurrence was that it must a side effect left by what the panther youkai had inflicted on him.

Sesshoumaru glowered. It was becoming too much of an annoyance for his liking.

Grabbing his clothes, he covered himself and left the miko by herself.

Just before he stepped out, he paused and said without looking back, “Do not linger. We will depart soon.”

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Kagome stood in the hot springs, her limbs frozen as feelings of acute mortification washed over her. It was the paralyzing kind of feeling which made her wish that she could just sink in the nearest hole and disappear.

What had just happened there? How did Sesshoumaru know the thoughts which ran through her mind at the sight of his naked body? Had her thoughts been written so clearly on her face?

Kagome groaned in embarrassment. Why on earth did she think those thoughts anyway? What was wrong with her? Why had her stupid mind come up with images of a water-slicked Sesshoumaru pressed against her? Were her hormones trying to tell her something after her brief encounter with Sesshoumaru last night? Or was it her biological clock? No, it could not possibly be her biological clock. She was only eighteen, for Kami's sakes.

Pressing her fists against her lips, she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a silent scream. She was just so embarrassed. She just hoped that Sesshoumaru would have forgotten about the entire incident the next time he set eyes on her.

But she had to admit that to her eighteen-year-old eyes, Sesshoumaru looked like the perfect fantasy piece. It was probably normal that her body and hormones had reacted the way it had done. She could only imagine what her friends back home would say if they saw him a while ago.

She grinned at the thought. If Sesshoumaru was in the future, he would be mobbed by a gaggle of screaming fan girls. She could just picture his reaction to that. His eyes would narrow just a little, and then his lips would curl in distaste before he swiveled around and depart in a flurry of white silk.

A giggle escaped her lips. That image was safer to think of than the previous one.

Then her eyes widened in realization.

The future.

Her test!

Kagome groaned and quickly washed herself. She had forgotten all about her entrance test. And it was only one week away. She had to pack her books in.

She just hoped that Sesshoumaru would not be too upset if she tried to study while they traveled.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

As they soared through the sky, Sesshoumaru was relieved to find that the miko kept her eyes focused on the landscape beneath them.

Instead of his person.

Their encounter in the hotsprings had not been mentioned and he was thankful for that. It had been disconcerting to know that the miko had been viewing him in such an inappropriate manner. And worse still, his response to it. He simply wanted the entire incident obliterated.

Pulling away from the disturbing thoughts, Sesshoumaru focused his attention on the landscape of the Eastern Territories before them. They had been traveling for half a day before they had crossed the borders between the west and the east. Not wanting to go through the forced pleasantries with Kouga, he had simply sent a messenger out yesterday. By now, Kouga should know that they were searching for the shards in the Eastern Territories. From what he knew of the Wolf Prince, Sesshoumaru did not anticipate any problems from him.

However, the sun was now descending in the horizon and the miko had not sensed a single shard. Sesshoumaru supposed that it was not unexpected considering that she and her companions had conducted their search mainly in the east for the past three years.

A quick glance down at her told him that she was still scanning the area in front of them. Throughout the entire journey, he had felt the occasional wash of emotions from her. They varied between anxiety, excitement and to his consternation, something which reminded him of their encounter in the hotsprings.

Again.

His lips tightened. This odd bond of theirs was becoming tiresome. Although it was amusing at times, he had no wish to experience her feelings so frequently.

His eyes noted a small cave in the distance. Knowing that they might as well rest, he said, “We will stop.”

Startled, the miko jerked. He caught the sleeve of her hakamashita in reflex, frowning belatedly at his own actions.

“Oh, I didn't realize it's so late already,” she exclaimed, looking a little lost.

“Indeed,” he remarked dryly as he guided his cloud to the cave. As they landed at the entrance, he expanded his senses. Detecting no threat in the immediate vicinity, he said, “We will rest here.”

She glanced briefly into the cave before she yawned. “I guess it's okay.” Pulling out a water vessel from the pouch strapped to her back, she continued, “Can you fill this with some water while you're out there hunting?”

“Hn.” He glanced down at the light vessel he had taken from her, wondering how something so light could be so strong.

It did not take him long to hunt for food. When he returned with several wild birds, the miko had already built a fire. Preferring to eat his food uncooked, he simply placed one beside the fire for the miko and kept the rest for himself. It was a familiar pattern which they had adopted in their travels for the past one week.

Sesshoumaru settled himself at the mouth of the cave, careful to keep the bird's blood from staining his white kimono as he ate. The setting sun had spread its rays across the landscape. The view calmed him. It was days like this when the miko was thankfully silent that he could almost forget that he had a traveling companion.

Glancing over his shoulders, he saw the miko finishing her cooked food. Grabbing something from her pouch, she settled herself down on her side, facing the fire. On further inspection, he noted that there was a bounded compilation of thin scrolls he had heard her call a book on her lap.

What was she reading that it had captivated her so?

However, it was not long before the book slid from her hands. Eyes closed and her features easing, the miko fell asleep.

Silence descended upon them.

But not for long.

To Sesshoumaru's disquiet, the miko began to toss around restlessly in her sleep. For a moment, he wondered if he should wake her. Then remembering her last dream, he decided that perhaps he should let her wake when she was ready. At least this way, she might be able to learn more.

Settling down beside her, he kept a watchful eye on the miko as she continued to toss and turn.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

t.b.c.

A/N: That's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed all that. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll review to let me know what you thought of it. :)