The Unexpected Miko by Sara

Chapter 1

The girls’ breathing was coming in short rapid bursts as she ran for her life through the dense forest. Her heart pounded in her chest hard enough she thought it was going to burst from her chest at any given moment. Not far behind her was a youkai who wished to have her for lunch. Why had she wandered so far from camp? Why hadn’t she listened when he told her it was dangerous? As she ran, she regretted ever leaving the camp to pick flowers. If only she had listened, she wouldn’t be in this situation.

Why did the girl scream for help? She knew it would do no good since the only one in her group that could save her was far away, having left for some reason or another, placing her in the care of his servant. Normally she loved being in the company of the silly toad, but he had been nothing but mean to her all day. It was part of the reason she wandered away, she couldn’t take anymore if his berating.

She let out a small yelp the moment her bare foot became tangled in a knotted root. Collapsing to the ground in a heap, the girl rolled to her back so she could face her attacker.

The pursuer stopped in his tracks when he noticed his prey fall to the ground. He licked his lips. This was the best chase he had in a long time, and she did smell lovely. The wonderful mix of innocence and the barest whispers of something more. She called to his youkai blood, practically demanding he take her. If she had been a few years older, he would have another thing on his mind, but not even he could bear to force himself upon a child so young. She hadn’t even started her monthly bleeding cycles. No, he would have to be satisfied with consuming her pale flesh.

The girl took notice of the devious look on the youkai’s face and couldn’t restrain the urge to scream. Finally after what seemed like hours of running for her life, she let rip the loudest scream she could muster, calling for the cold lord that had kept her safe for the past two years.

“Sesshomaru-sama!”

-oOoOo-

Inuyasha rose from his spot against the tree gripping his fang tightly, a deep growl rumbling from his throat.

“What’s the matter Inuyasha?” Kagome asked suddenly worried.

Kagome and the rest of her traveling companions rose to their feet each grabbing their respective weapons. Kirara snarled as she transformed into her larger form, her ears flattening against the top of her head. Something was wrong and it had the youkai on edge.

“I smell blood, human blood.” Inuyasha growled. “The worst thing about it is I recognize the scent.”

Kagome’s eyes widened. “Who is it?”

The hanyou shook his head. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t like the smell of it.”

Sango and Miroku climbed on the back of Kirara while Shippo and Kagome straddled the back of Inuyasha. In record time, they flew through the forest in search of the blood that had Kirara and Inuyasha in an almost frenzy.

As they traveled deeper into the forest, Kagome took note of the heaviness of the trees and the heavy pressure of youki surrounding the area. She couldn’t be sure, but she could almost guarantee there were youkai everywhere in the forest, hiding from the world, eagerly waiting for their next meal. She shivered as the youki caused her aura to flare defensively.  Why would anybody travel through this area alone? Maybe whoever it was had gotten lost and found themselves on the bad side of a hungry youkai.

Kagome ran through a list of humans they knew and the list was short. Only a few names popped into her head, and she didn’t like any of them. None of them were strong enough to handle even the weakest of youkai, and would surely perish if left here too long.

“Inuyasha, hurry. I have a bad feeling about this.” Kagome urged.

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” The hanyou pushed off a tree branch, picking up considerable speed.

Kirara descended from the sky the moment Inuyasha came to a halt. Kagome slid off Inuyasha’s back as she surveyed the damage done to the area. It would seem a miko and youkai had battled here, but that didn’t make sense. Inuyasha said the scent was familiar and if it had been Kikyou, he would have said so. The miko knelt beside a pile of ash that she easily recognized as youkai remains after they’ve been purified. Her fingers lingered over the dust, trying to familiarize herself with the reiki energy signature.

“Kagome, Inuyasha, I think you better come look at this.” Sango’s voice rang with urgency.

Both Kagome and Inuyasha abandoned the youkai remains and rushed to the slayers side. They followed her line of sight to a small girl garbed in a yellow and orange checker pattern kimono. Kagome was the first to grasp the severity of the situation. She dropped to her knees and began checking the girl’s injuries.

“What the hell? Isn’t that Sesshomaru’s brat?” Inuyasha barked.

“Her name is Rin. Bring me my yellow bag. I have bandages and salves in there. I need to treat these wounds now or she will bleed to death!” Kagome shouted, not caring to hear Inuyasha complain about being in the debt of his older brother. He hadn’t said anything about it yet, but she knew it was coming and decided to head him off.

“Feh.” He grunted. He fetched her bag off the ground and dropped it at her side. He eyed the girl’s wounds with a steady eye. The wounds were pretty bad, but with Kagome’s healing skills, the girl would pull through, he was sure of it.

Almost an hour later, Kagome finished tending to the wounds. She slumped against a nearby tree, wiping the sweat from her brow. She was still new at using her reiki to heal the wounds of others, and with the severity of Rin’s wounds, it had taken almost everything she had to save her life.

The rest of her group had gone about gathering fire wood and had set up a camp while she was working. They even managed to cook something to eat. Kagome was famished. She glanced down at the child, not wanting to leave her side for even a moment, afraid something would go wrong.

Take it easy Kagome, you did fine. Rin will live. The miko told herself. It won’t hurt to walk a few feet and get some food. Besides, I need something to keep me going. I used all my energy on Rin. With that thought, she decided it was in her best interest to join her friends for lunch.

-oOoOo-

“I’m sorry Milord, she wandered off some time ago and I was unable to locate her!” The kappa bowed before the feet of his great inu youkai lord. He knew he had done it this time. Surely he would have his head for this. The daiyoukai had a soft spot for the little onna, and protected her as if she were his own pup.

When Sesshomaru didn’t respond, the kappa took his chances and looked up. The daiyoukai’s golden eyes bore into him, practically spearing him to the ground. It was not a happy look. He cringed the moment the inu’s hand curled into a fist. He knew it was aimed for his head so he closed his eyes and braced for impact.

When the strike never came, he carefully opened an eye. Sesshomaru stood rooted in place, his amber eyes tinged with red. A gust of wind had blown through the small clearing, obviously bringing an unpleasant scent to his lord’s sensitive nose.

In a flash the daiyoukai left the clearing, heading towards something of importance. The only thing Jaken could think of, that could place such a terrifying look on his lord’s face, was Rin. Something had happened to the young ward, and surely, he would pay the price with his life the moment he returned.

-oOoOo-

A/N: Ok, here is the first chapter in my Sesshomaru and Kagome story. I know it is terribly short, but I’m still not sure if I can pull this story off. Let me know what you guys think!

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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