InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Yokai No Kokoro (Heart of A Demon) ❯ Vanished ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7: Vanished

Kyoko awoke to Sesshoumaru nudging her shoulder with his foot. [Asshole… Can't I even get some decent sleep? I don't ask for much, just a little more that five hours of sleep a night.] The expression on Kyoko's face when she looked up at Sesshoumaru was a mix of being dead-tired and wanting to tear his head off. She curled her lip up and made a rather sorry attempt to growl a few curses at him, but she apparently had not been awake enough to accomplish such. Kyoko snapped at Sesshoumaru as soon as she could formulate intelligible words. "What do you want?"

"You need to wake up. We most likely have a long day ahead of us."

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Indeed, they had a long day in store. It was nearly sunset by the time Kyoko had learned and shown to Sesshoumaru her full arsenal of attacks. By slashing her claws into the air a certain way, she was able to form waves of blade-like energy that could cut through nearly anything. She was able to manipulate the energy she had previously shown to Sesshoumaru into either a whip-like tool or a quick shield from another's attacks. She was able to set fire to things she touched, but could not duplicate Sesshoumaru's 'Dokkasou' attack. She even managed to learn to channel some of her energy into her sword, making it nearly impossible for anything else to come into contact with the sword without that object setting fire.

Sesshoumaru had suggested that they work with her agility more, but Kyoko insisted that they stop. She blathered on to Sesshoumaru something about how she could no longer stand feeling so 'nasty and sweaty'. As though to stop further argument, she disappeared into the forest for over an hour, eventually returning with the evening's meal.

As Sesshoumaru finished his meal, he announced to Kyoko, "We leave this place tomorrow at noon. We shall move on to another area, some several days travel from here."

Kyoko looked blankly at Sesshoumaru. "Where are we going?"

"We're headed to the West, that's all you need to know."

Kyoko, crestfallen, looked back down to the remaining few bites of her meal she had left. [He can't even tell me… Just when I was starting to think… Feh. I should get a grip on reality already…] She laughed, in spite of herself. "This is another one of your 'lessons', isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"All this time I've been thinking that we were both trusting each other… but you can't even let me know where we're going…"

"If you must know, we're going to-"

"Feh, you tell me now, huh? Well, maybe I don't care anymore." Kyoko threw the last of her meal into the fire as she stormed over to the water. She did not even look back to see if Sesshoumaru was still watching or not when she flung her clothing off and entered the water. [He doesn't care… This is what I get for thinking that he might… What a fool you are, Kyoko… I'm so stupid…] Kyoko wiped her face, as though drying invisible tears.

Sesshoumaru, bewildered, watched Kyoko's actions. [What in the hell is her problem? All I told her was that we were heading to the west… Did she get so mad just because I did not specify where we were going? No… what she said… Feh, she's just jumping to conclusions…] Sesshoumaru slowly approached the water's edge. "Kyoko, the reason I didn't tell you where we were going… I was going to surprise you."

Kyoko didn't turn around. She certainly did not smile and apologize for her strange behavior as Sesshoumaru expected of her.

Kyoko cleared her throat, still trying to decide how she should react. Anger laced her voice as she said, "Excuse me, I'd rather that you did not watch me while I bathe. I'll be more than willing to talk to you when I have finished."

"So be it, Kyoko."

Kyoko leaned on the side of the boulder that stuck out from the depth of the hot spring. She sighed; her mind was yet a chaos of emotions. She was still hurt that Sesshoumaru could not tell her that he wanted the place they were going to be a surprise. She was glad that he had tried to explain, but she was also still confused about why she reacted so severely as she had. She quickly finished bathing and re-clothed herself. She combed her hair out and then she sat next to Sesshoumaru, by the fire, at the base of a tree. She sighed as she leaned against the tree's trunk. "Sesshoumaru-sama, I-I'm sorry for my reaction earlier. For some reason I'm just really touchy today…"

Sesshoumaru looked over at Kyoko. "It's okay."

Kyoko leaned over toward Sesshoumaru, putting her hand atop of his. "No, I'm really sorry. I've… I've been a real bitch today. I'm not quite sure what's come over me, but I'm sorry that I took it out on you."

Sesshoumaru looked first at Kyoko's hand, still on his own, then to her face. He could not deny the sincerity in her eyes; she looked as though she would cry if he would not accept her apology. He certainly could not stand to see any woman cry. "Kyoko, I already said, it's okay."

"Really? But… I still feel terrible…"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, as though telling her not to be. He moved closer to her and placed his arm over her shoulder to comfort her. "I said not to worry about it."

Kyoko's face reddened slightly as she felt Sesshoumaru's arm over her shoulders. She soon forgot all about her confusion and her anger. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to Kyoko. Kyoko noticed something different about him, something nicer. He no longer seemed to be the harsh, cold-blooded killer, but instead, he seemed to be a kind and gentle man. His eyes seemed kinder and his smile was genuine. "Yes, Kyoko?" he asked gently.

"Eh… n-never mind." Kyoko stuttered, as she became lost in his eyes. Kyoko, suddenly exhausted, lay her head upon Sesshoumaru's chest. She shut her eyes, momentarily overcome by the contentment she received from Sesshoumaru's warm embrace. She began to fall asleep, but was quickly brought awake by Sesshoumaru's voice.

"Asleep already?" he mused, smiling at her.

She shook her head slowly. A smile of contentment spread across her face. "You know, Sesshoumaru-sama, this is the happiest I've been in years…" Kyoko's eyes shut and she fell asleep.

Sesshoumaru smiled at Kyoko for a short while before he too fell asleep.

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Sesshoumaru, as usual, woke shortly before the sun rose. He carefully lifted Kyoko's head from his chest and gently lay her down on the ground below. He gazed on her sleeping form and smiled before he walked away. He leapt to the top of a rock formation a short distance from where they had slept. He allowed the wind to run through his hair, as he contemplated his plans for the day. He took in the morning air, sampling the area's scents. [That scent… That bastard Inu Yasha is somewhere in this area…] Sesshoumaru returned to where Kyoko lie sleeping. His blood still raged at the thought of Inu Yasha. [Should I just leave her here? Should I tell her, maybe even bring her along?] He looked at Kyoko, still sleeping peacefully. [Perhaps… I should go; I should not become so close with anyone. It's not of any advantage to me to have that woman around… But still… No, I must go… I have no commitment to her…] Sesshoumaru nudged Jaken awake, and then motioned for them to leave. With one last wistful glance, Sesshoumaru walked away from Kyoko, without a single word spoken.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\One Hour Later/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Kyoko smiled as she awoke. She opened her eyes and stretched. Soon she realized that someone was missing. "Sesshoumaru-sama, where have you gone to?"

Kyoko waited for a few moments with no answer. She sampled the air and was able to catch his scent, barely. She could tell that he had been through the forest. She waltzed along, somewhat expecting to see him at any moment. However, her hopes were dashed after she had most of the day following the scent and still had not found Sesshoumaru. She stopped when at the base of a mountain, unnerved by the sheer distance she had traveled in vain. Tears began to swell up in Kyoko's eyes as she leaned against the base of a tree. [Is this a nightmare? This can't be happening… not now, not again! It's… it's just like Satoru… vanished, without a trace… But… I must find him… I can't allow myself to be alone again… It's too much for me to handle… I… I will find him, no matter how long it takes…]

Kyoko angrily wiped the tears from her eyes and began running up the side of the mountain. She stopped, suddenly sensing danger. She looked all around herself, seeing nothing, then cautiously continued up the mountain. She saw a flash of blinding light from the other side of the mountain. The earth below her began to shake, sending her to her knees. Before she was able to move out of the way, a large branch from a tree knocked her unconscious.

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Kyoko rubbed her head, trying to rid herself of the pain, as she awoke. She looked around herself and soon realized that she had been unconscious since the night before, it was well past noon that day. She climbed the rest of the way up the mountain and gazed in wonder at the scenery below herself. She saw that the entire side of the mountain had become void of all life. She glanced onward to see a village at the base of the mountain. She rushed into the town, hoping against hope she would find the answers she searched for.

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A.N. For those of you whom are a little confused, I'm basing this off of events in.. anime episode 18 (I think), where Sesshoumaru makes his second appearance in the series.