InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ So Crazy in Love ❯ The Scheme of a Dead Priestess ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

The Scheme of a Dead Priestess

Kagome had been at Sesshoumaru's castle for eight days now, and she was playing with Rin in the garden. Sesshoumaru was not with them for once, which let Kagome know that he trusted her more now. She smiled about that and looked down at the little girl. She was the picture of glee, but Kagome could sense a change in the child's mannerisms when Sesshoumaru was with them. Kagome had been here for her, but she still was not completely trusting of Sesshoumaru, and if Kagome ever wanted to return to her friends she would have to fix that.

"Rin, are you afraid of Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin looked up at her, and then seemed to think about it for a minute. "Lord Sesshoumaru has never tried to hurt Rin. Rin thought that Lord Sesshoumaru would never try to hurt anybody else either. But Lord Sesshoumaru hurt that man that was watching Rin." Rin stopped there, not explaining the rest and Kagome's eyes filled with tears for the girl. She was merely confused, because Naraku had appeared human to her.

"Rin, Lord Sesshoumaru didn't want to hurt that man. He hurt him because that man was not supposed to be watching you. He hurt him because he feels that you are his daughter and that that man had tried to hurt you. Lord Sesshoumaru loves you dearly, Rin. I don't believe that you have any reason to fear him." Rin looked up at Kagome, with a smile so big that it barely stayed on her face. "Kagome thinks Lord Sesshoumaru loves Rin like a daughter? That's good, because Rin loves Lord Sesshoumaru like a father."

Kagome was truly touched by the amount of emotion in the girl's voice and on her face. She reached down and gave the girl a hug. After a few moments they began to wrestle around. Kagome spent the next hour tickling and being tickled by Rin. Kagome was down on her hands and knees, feeling through the grass for the bracelet that she was giving to Rin, but she had dropped. `This kind of thing always happens to me.'

"I see that you have accepted your lot in life, human." Kagome looked up to see Sesshoumaru looking down on her, in more ways than one. Ah and Un were about fifty feet away and Rin took no time in bounding over to them and giggling wildly as she circled them.

Kagome watched Rin leave and then looked up at Sesshoumaru with so much rage and power swimming in her eyes that she could almost sense a tremor of fear in him. She stood up slowly and walked until she was inches from his face. "I don't care what you call me, or how you treat me, God knows you despise humans. But you will do well to remember that Rin is a human, and if you ever insult her again, I will make you regret it." She said this in a low, menacing voice, meant to be quiet enough so the child would not hear her. She maintained eye contact with him for several long moments, waiting to see that he understood that she was serious. He said nothing, and besides his eyes widening slightly, he did nothing either. Her anger ebbing away, she turned to join Rin with Ah and Un. She thought that she heard a sound emerge from him but disregarded it, and started giggling and running with Rin.

Sesshoumaru saw the girl look up at him with so much rage and raw power in her eyes that he felt an odd tremor go through him. It was not fear, but he did not recognize the feeling. He watched as she slowly stood and approached him. He could feel her power and her amazingly high body heat emanating off of her. She got within inches of him and he found himself unable to hear a word that the girl was saying, though she seemed to be threatening him. He felt the comfortable warmth in his body quickly rise to an uncomfortable heat, and his claws and canine teeth grew. He felt a growl in the back of his throat and prevented from letting it out in the girl's face. He thought his body's response to this girl odd; he could tell he was not angry, nor threatened. He was trying to retract his claws and teeth, as he watched the girl walk away. The sight of her retreating form broke his strangle-hold on the growl, and he let out a long guttural sound.

He finally understood that his body was not responding to a threat, but to his in-bred mating instincts. In his life he had been near many desirable demonesses, and it shamed him to know that his mating instincts had never appeared before now. It shamed him to think that they showed for a human woman. He gave a disgusted snort, and walked back towards the castle.

Kagome saw Sesshoumaru head back to the castle without saying anything to them, and wondered if she just might have issued her own death warrant. She shuddered and turned back to Rin. She still didn't think that he wanted to hurt Rin, but he could easily hide it from her, like he had Jaken. The girl was still young enough to believe that Jaken had simply gone away. Kagome shook her head and thought that she would have to watch herself while she was alone with Sesshoumaru now.

*****

Kikyo had watched the scene with interest. She thought the girl admirable in her determination to shield the girl from his unpleasantness, yet incredibly foolish in her threatening the obviously more powerful Sesshoumaru. She had been annoyed when she had felt the girl's power swell into his face, and knew that she had not been mistaken when she had seen him react defensively automatically.

This faced her with an advantage and a disadvantage. So soon after angering him, he would be more likely to allow her to capture the girl; however, the girl herself would be a problem if her powers were awakened.

She had thought about just shooting the girl, but thought better of it. She wasn't exactly sure why her soul had not automatically returned to her body before, but she would take no chances this time. She would capture the girl and perform a spell to do the job correctly. She would just have to find a way to subdue her powers beforehand.

*****

Kagome had not talked to Sesshoumaru much since she had yelled at him, and he had not been following them outside or on walks anymore. She was surprised to find that his absence was not as relieving as she would have thought. This thought confused her, but she refused to think about it while she was playing with Rin. Or rather, while she was watching Rin. Kagome couldn't explain it, but ever since her confrontation with Sesshoumaru, she had begun to feel weaker and light-headed if she exerted herself. She had done her best to conceal this weakness from Sesshoumaru, fearing that if she was no longer of use to Rin, then she was no longer of use to him. She was not particularly opposed to leaving, but was hoping to also get back to her friends safely. She sighed, allowing herself to sit on the ground as she watched Rin chase butterflies and pick flowers.

Sesshoumaru found his thoughts returning to the young woman and the fact that she had been able to elicit his mating instincts. He growled lowly, this time from anger. He had been shamed and had been avoiding contact with her since then. He had noticed from afar that something was amiss in her aura since then, but he had not been able to place it. He assumed that she had been affected by him as well. This gave him an oddly satisfied feeling, and he grew angrier with himself. `That human's thoughts and emotions mean nothing to me.'

He turned to check on them through the window as he had taken to doing in the last couple of days, so as not to allow his body to react to her again. He felt nothing looking upon her from this distance, and he thought that the reaction had been cause from surprise more than actual arousal. He saw her sit on the ground and merely watching the child, and a thought overtook his mind. `There's something wrong with Kagome, she appears to be ill.' The use of her first name shook him and he quickly thought, as if to regain his dignity. `The wench should not have taken the child outside if she would be unable to protect her.' He turned to go out there, taking his time, not eager to be in the young priestess's presence.

Kagome felt a chill go down her back and heard an all too familiar voice behind her. "I fear that you will not be as lucky this time." Kagome turned and saw Kikyo preparing a spirit blast. It was not strong enough to kill her, but it would be enough to knock her unconscious. Kagome turned and saw with horror that Rin was coming closer to her in the presence of the strange woman. The blast could potentially harm the girl and she was definitely close enough that it would affect her.

As Kikyo released the blast, Kagome felt a strength rising in her as she ran to Rin and pushed her away from the path of the blast, also causing it to only hit herself with partial force. She looked to Kikyo and saw that she had placed a spirit barrier around herself, and Kagome realized that Sesshoumaru had shown up. Thinking herself safe for the moment, she used all of her strength to crawl to the unmoving body of the young girl. She checked and noticed that the girl's pulse was beating strongly, and she held the girl to her chest, finally losing herself to blackness.

Sesshoumaru sensed the presence of the dead wench of his brother's and rushed to it. He was still about a hundred feet away when she released a blast of power at the young woman and, to his fury, Rin. He watched as Kagome rushed to Rin and pushed her out of the way, knocking the child unconscious, but leaving her unaffected by the blast. He darted at the corpse with his claws unsheathed, and stopped as she put up her spirit barrier. He turned to see Kagome look at him, and then crawl weakly towards Rin. He watched with immense wonder as she used the rest of her strength to gather the child to her protectively, and then black out. As he viewed the motherly gesture, an intense sensation overtook him and he desired to protect them above all else.

He let out a growl at the priestess, and looked at her dispassionate face as she regarded him slowly. "I really have no intention of hurting the child; I merely wish to take the woman with me. If you will allow me, I will take her and never return." Sesshoumaru's growl deepened and he felt his demon form itching to be released against this human. He had never used his full power to kill a mere human before, it was never needed, but this human had dared to threaten the lives that he held responsibility over.

"I will not allow myself to be blackmailed by a human, let alone the corpse of one." He said this very quietly, his voice laced with death. The priestess looked at him thoughtfully, and replied levelly. "Are you sure that this is the only reason for your ferocity." She smirked as his growl subsided and he watched her be carried away by her soul gatherers.

He turned to the girls and quickly carried them back to the castle.