Cold As You by shiningstar*
Questions
Kagome brushed past the tall grass, stopping to adjust the straps of her heavy pack. A soft breeze breathed around her, lifting her hair and teasing her skirt just so. Closing her eyes, the young woman took a deep breath. Never had she felt so peaceful, so calm, than just walking through the towering forest. A bird dove in front of her, capturing her attention as it flew haphazardly forward to a break in the trees.
Continuing her steady pace, she soon stepped out from the shady branches into the open clearing. Not twenty feet before her sat the wooden structure, ivy reaching over the weathered edges from its overhang inside the well’s recesses. Kagome slowed, reaching the wooden frame and dropping the yellow bag against its wall.
The Bone-Eaters well. She gazed deep into the darkness, sensing the mysterious aura swirling within. It had been two years, and yet the memory of first appearing in this other world still remained engraved in her mind as if burned there. Melancholy overcame the girl, and she balled up her fist, unsure what to do. So many adventures here, and yet . . . now that her biggest threat was gone, Kagome did not know how long she would be able to remain. How much longer . . .
Her fingers trailed on the weathered frame, allowing the well’s magic to come in contact with her skin. The familiar feeling brought a smile to her lips, short-lived as overwhelming sadness blanketed her thoughts once more. Naraku was finished, the jewel was almost completely intact . . . would she no longer be needed?
“Miko.”
Kagome gasped as she whirled around, her troubles momentarily forgotten. Her blue orbs widened as they fell on the speaker. “S-Sesshoumaru!” The stoic demon stood twenty feet away, gazing at the young woman with his unwavering golden eyes. They seemed to pierce through her, and Kagome found it very hard to look away as they locked with her own eyes.
Trying to calm her startled nerves, Kagome tilted her head bravely to the daiyoukai. “What are you doing here?” She called, watching the motionless figure before her. He seemed distracted, his cool gaze now focusing on the well behind her. Thoughts were frantically forming in her head, and she wondered if Inuyasha would be able to hear her from the village.
“The half-breed will not come to your aid, Miko.”
Surprised, Kagome took a step back. Sesshoumaru was once again looking at her. His silvery hair rose on the slight wind, drawing her attention away for the slightest of seconds. “W-what do you want?” She finally asked, forcing herself to focus as she inwardly cursed herself for stuttering again. She took another step backwards as he moved closer. His eyes flashed, almost with amusement. In an instant, the demon stood before her, inches away. Kagome nearly fell to the ground in surprise.
He looked her over coolly. “Explain.” Seeing the confusion on her young face, the daiyoukai nodded slightly. “The well.”
Kagome risked looking over her shoulder, quickly returning her eyes to the intimidating youkai. “Explain?” She repeated dumbly. Eyes narrowed at her, and she fought to form an answer. “I don’t understand.”
Sesshoumaru turned from her, his full attention on the ancient wood. A clawed hand rose from beneath the printed silk of his haori, hovering over the edge. “There is a magic here, unlike any I have ever encountered. I wish to know what its purpose is.” He remained facing the well, but Kagome knew better than to run.
Following his gaze, she stared once more into the hidden depths. “Its power is strange to even me. No one understands where it came from, or how its magic came to be. For a while it was used to dispose of demon parts.” Blue eyes gazed momentarily at her silent audience. “Why do you want to know this?”
He ignored her question, issuing one of his own. “What is your connection with this well?” His full attention once more turned to the young woman, and she tried to focus on what he just asked.
“I don’t know. I suppose it is a tie to my past.” Kinda true, right? More like a direct tie to my future. Kagome could tell the demon lord expected more, so she formed an answer. “I come here to think. Escape from Inu . . . from your brother,” she fixed hastily, seeing his narrowing brow. “And escape from this whole place.”
For a moment, she thought Sesshoumaru had bought that. When she saw his face, however, the young miko knew better than to expect such naïveté from the great youkai. Kagome took a step back, afraid of the clearly unimpressed spark in his golden eyes.
“I know you return here often, Miko. I also know your scent often disappears during your visits, and reappears here with no explanation.” Turning the indifferent gaze on the girl, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. “I wish to know where you go, and this time do not try to fool this Sesshoumaru.” He watched her gaze flicker to the swords at his side, and back to his stoic face, her thoughts portrayed clearly in her vibrant eyes.
For a moment, it was quiet between them. The grass rolled in lush waves as the wind once more picked up, rustling their clothes with enough force to cause the woman to hold down the hem of her skirt. For a holy woman, she dresses in a most obscene fashion, thought Sesshoumaru, eyeing the pleated skirt with curious distaste. Her free hand reached up to her face, brushing the wind-blown strands of hair behind her ear in hopes of taming the ebony locks.
Finally, a sigh escaped the girl’s lips. “I return home,” Came her simple answer, slowly as if she were afraid of saying too much. Before Sesshoumaru could ask for elaboration, she continued, almost hesitantly. “I am sure you have noticed I am very different from humans of this time.”
The Western Lord snorted, once more eyeing her clothes and the odd yellow bag that rested at her feet. Not to mention her outspoken, sometimes crude language and her bold, brash personality. Very much like the half-breed, now that he thought about it.
Kagome shot him a look and kept talking. “That is because I am not . . .” She paused hesitantly, biting her lip as she usually did when she was nervous. The intimidating youkai’s stare did not help her resolve to answer his questions.
“Continue, Miko.”
She forced herself not to say something she knew she would regret. It was one thing to fight the demon when Inuyasha was there to protect her, an entirely different scene when it was just she to face his wrath. “I am . . . not from this time.”
As she expected, a flicker of surprise shadowed the handsome face before her. His intimidating eyes narrowed once more, as if trying to see through her and find the truth. Taking a deep breath, Kagome held her stance defiantly, determined to not let him scare her.
“Then, you are from the past.” The daiyoukai thought carefully, considering how far back she must have come from to sport such strange tendencies. Certainly it was before his time, which stretched over a thousand years previous to the present. Startled, Kagome shook her head slowly.
“No, the future . . . about five hundred years, to be exact.” As she said this, the demon began to move, staring into the darkened interior of the aged wood. He seemed truly intrigued, the miko noted, brushing her hair back once more. Though the reasons for his fascination were unknown to her.
The future. The daiyoukai considered her response. He had suspected the well to have considerable power, but a link to the future . . . it seemed inconceivable. Sesshoumaru peered into the darkness, eyeing the well’s bottom fifteen feet into the ground. He could detect the young miko’s scent within, as well as Inuyasha’s. So, the half-breed can traverse time as well. Interesting. He glanced sideways at the young woman, who was watching him curiously. Straightening, the youkai fixed his gaze upon her. “What other beings can travel within the well?”
Kagome blinked, confusion once more etching itself onto her features. “I-I don’t know. The only other person I know of is Inuyasha, but I don’t understand how.” This was the truth. Not even Sango or Miroku had been able to accompany her to her own time. She often wondered how the white haired hanyou was able to do it, but reasoning for the occurrence remained a mystery to her.
Now that the demon had fallen silent, Kagome took a moment to observe him. Never had she conversed with the man before, certainly never more than a short exchange when she and the others had run into him during their search for Naraku. While this was more or less a one-sided conversation on her part, she still was shocked that he had even come to her at all, without even resorting to threats or anything of the like.
“Why?” She asked suddenly, the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind finally escaping. When Sesshoumaru glanced inquisitively in her direction, the young woman hastened to make herself clear. “I mean, why are you asking me all this? You have never wanted anything to do with humans, and now you ask so many questions . . . why are you asking me?” A thought formed in her head, and Kagome voiced it. “Do you need me?”
Clearly, this was the wrong thing to say. In an instant, the young miko found herself eye to eye with the towering youkai, drawn to her tiptoes as he seized the front of her uniform tightly. Her hands sought to loosen his fingers, but to no success. As Kagome cried for release, Sesshoumaru leaned close.
“I do not need a filthy human’s aid, Miko. Do not presume such from my person.” He released her suddenly, and the girl fell to the grass with a loud cry. When she looked up, the daiyoukai had turned and begun walking away.
Heat rushed to Kagome’s face. “So sorry to have offended you, my Lord,” she called sarcastically, brushing off her skirt angrily. “I guess all those questions were just for the hell of it, weren’t they? It doesn’t matter after all, as long as you get what you want.” She nearly gulped when she saw Sesshoumaru standing above her, a cool look fixated on his aristocratic features.
He ignored the brash remarks she had shouted, knowing fully well that under different circumstances she would not have said such things. The anger in her aura dissipated rapidly as nervousness replaced it. Interesting. “You will not question me, woman. My reasons for the knowledge are mine to dwell upon, not yours.” Sesshoumaru stated quietly, his smooth voice carrying to the girl’s ears as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. His ears twitched momentarily, and he closed his honeyed orbs. Opening them once more, he nodded once in Kagome’s direction.
“The half-breed is coming. You will not speak of our meeting. Understood?” With a final glance, he walked away, disappearing amidst the numerous trees at the clearing’s edge.
Kagome watched after him, her blue eyes wide. “Wait . . .” She faltered, then she shook her head, her dark hair flowing side to side. “This is too weird,” she muttered under her breath, getting back to her feet. She was just brushing herself off when a red-clad figure bounded into sight.
He slowed as he entered the clearing, stopping a few feet away. “Geez, Kagome, what are you still doing here? You left over half an hour ago!” Inuyasha folded his arms in exasperation, raising an eyebrow at the girl as she turned to stare at him.
Kagome glanced at her friend, then back at the well. “I was just thinking . . .” She replied airily, her blue orbs shimmering as they rested on the ancient well. The hanyou scoffed, coming closer.
“Daydreaming, more likely. Look at you, you’re covered in dirt! What did you do, trip on the grass?” He did not wait for an answer, but grabbed her yellow backpack and hefted it onto his shoulder. Turning his gold eyes on the girl, he shrugged. “Ready to go?”
The young woman nodded, watching him carefully as the hanyou jumped onto the well’s edge. The sun glinted off his silvery-white hair, and she could not help but compare it to the silkier substance that composed Sesshoumaru’s long tresses. Shaking her head, Kagome climbed up next to Inuyasha and glanced back once more into the woods before the pair jumped into the well, a bright flash of pink glowing around them. Before the barrier of time separated them from the familiar feudal scene, the miko swore she could sense the daiyoukai returning.
Indeed, the figure stood among the trees, his keen gaze never faltering from the well. Gold narrowed as the rosy glow faded, and once more the scents of the human wench and his half-brother vanished. As the last swirls of magic disappeared, Sesshoumaru stepped close. His clawed fingers rested momentarily on the weathered edge, curiosity tugging at the recesses of his mind. Then he withdrew his hand, balling it up. While the well’s power certainly attracted his attention, he knew too little about the strange structure to test it himself.
“Hn.” With a little snort, the Western Lord turned on his heels. Soon, he promised himself patiently. He would learn the secrets of the Bone-Eater’s well, for the miko would tell him what he wanted to know.
~*~*~
The daiyoukai’s strange appearance was pressed to the back of her mind. Almost immediately after the miko stepped through the shrine doors with Inuyasha, a little boy came running up, hugging her around the middle. “Kagome, you’re back!”
The girl smiled at her brother, trying to keep her balance. “Whoa there, don’t knock me over.” Behind her, the hanyou scoffed.
“Oi, keep it moving. You aren’t the one carrying your pack.” Kagome knew he could easily carry five more of the backpacks if he wished, but she did not press the issue. She followed Sota as he ran to the house, announcing to the rest of the family of their return.
Her grandfather hurried from inside, squinting in the sunlight. “Ah, Kagome my girl. Welcome back, welcome.” He glared for a moment at Inuyasha, then nodded curtly. “I see you brought your friend with you again.” The young woman nodded happily, resisting the urge to laugh. Despite his crazed attempts to purify and banish the hanyou, she knew he had grown a fondness for Inuyasha.
“Yes, Grandpa.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then straightened to greet her mother. “Mom.”
The older woman pulled her daughter into a tight hug, squeezing gently. “How was your trip, did you get into any trouble?” Before she could answer, Sota tugged on her sleeve.
“Guess what, guess what!”
Kagome smiled, her sapphire eyes twinkling. She knew exactly why the boy was so excited, but she feigned innocence. Tapping a long finger against her cheek, she shrugged, pretending to think. Before her, the child bounced up and down. “Let’s see . . . well, it’s spring. You must have cleaned your room!” The look on his face as he scrunched his nose was too much, but she managed to keep a straight face. “Um . . . you got taller?”
Sota bounced. “It’s my birthday tomorrow!” Kagome could not help but laugh. “Are you going to stay? Please?”
She ruffled his coal-black hair. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” The girl paused, looking thoughtful. “You’ll be . . . six, right?”
“Eight!”
Kagome laughed at the indignant expression that flashed in his brown eyes. Almost immediately, it disappeared, and he tugged at her sleeve again. “Will you stay for the carnival on Saturday?”
“Sota, you must stop pestering your sister.” Mrs. Higurashi stepped beside her daughter, smiling kindly. “Yet,” she turned to the young woman, raising a brow. “It would be nice to end Golden Week with the family all together. Must you return right away?”
The miko blinked, glancing at Inuyasha’s worried face. “I don’t know . . . it’s only two extra days . . .” The hanyou’s ears twitched atop his head as a scowl formed on his handsome features. Kagome found she did not care. A break would be good, after the fruitless search for the final shard. I deserve a break, after all that has happened, she thought, suddenly recalling the strange meeting from before. A few days would definitely take her mind off the questioning demon.
“Why not.” Kagome ignored the surprised “what” from Inuyasha as her brother yelled excitedly. Yes, a few extra days would be wonderful.
~*~*~
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Star: Hiya, everybody! Welcome to another fascinating tale of action, intrigue, and romance—
Sesshoumaru: Woman, you are giving me a headache.
Kagome: *giggles* I can’t wait to see where this one goes, Star.
Star: Yes, me too… *glances at her paper-strewn desk* It will be a little while to get organized, though . . .
Sesshoumaru: As long as you do not forget about us. You have worked on this one even longer than RD.
Star: Hehe, right. *rubs head nervously* Well, I am going to be better about this. I hope to update at least once a week, so let’s see how this goes . . . In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! You probably have no idea what is going on, but that is the beauty of chapter stories—more is explained with every update. Please, tell me what you think. Go ahead, click that little review button. *bats eyes* But, let me remind you of my rule. No. Flames. Easy enough, non? Really, I did not earn enough for fire insurance, and I would hate for all my work to have been destroyed when I’m just trying to update for you.
Sesshoumaru: Is there an end to this ramble?
Star: Uh-huh. See you all next time, I hope you enjoy Cold As You! *winks*
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