Unexpected Wildlife by summerbirdy

Unexpected Wildlife

This is my entry for TangerineDream's Second Annual Fanfiction tournament. (http://www.dokuga.com/forum/29-challenges/64798-second-annual-fanfiction-tournament)

 I do not own IY or its characters, nor do I make any kind of profit from this. I write purely for fun. And thank you for my awesome beta, doing magnificent job, as always, despite having real life pressures. <3

 Title: Unexpected Wildlife

Round Two: Peanut

Paired with: naqaashi

Genre: Romance, drama

AU/CU: CU

Rating: T, just in case

I'd love to read your opinions of my story so please, review. But remember to vote by sending TangerineDream a PM. And remember to read naq's story as well. 

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Kagome sighed as she gazed out of the cave. It had been raining non-stop for three days now. She had been forced to seek ashelter in a well-hidden cave and built a camp inside when the rain showed no signs of stopping. She had managed to create a small warm place to herself by hanging a tent canvas from the ceiling and got her clothes to dry as well. She was currently sitting by the fire she had built, letting the heat soak into her chilled form. Luckily the cave had had dry wood in it, for she was not able or willing to continue her hike in that wet forest. That was one thing that had not changed over the years even though she had spent better part of them walking.

After setting a camp, Kagome had explored the cave. It had many openings to different tunnels that lead far back into the mountain she was currently wandering through. Being stuck in the cave had given her plenty of time to search the tunnels, and also to reminisce the times she had spent in the Feudal Era. And what had happened during all these years, after the evil spider hanyou had been defeated.

After the wish was made, Kagome had hardly had time to say her goodbyes and tell her friends that she would miss them terribly. She had gazed at certain pair of golden eyes while claiming to ALWAYS love everyone of them. Before she could say anything else, she was whisked away to her own time.

Later, Kagome had broken her leg twice trying to get back through the well. It never let her through, nor did it ever show signs of activating. Finally Mrs. Higurashi got enough of her moping around and ordered Kagome to do what she knew. Hike.

“I know full well from your stories that you can survive out there. You did in Feudal Era. Plus we'll get you decent equipment this time too.” Mrs Higurashi said, holding a map of nearest hiking area for her. “Now go there and sort your mind. Mourn decently and honor their memory. And then come back home.” 

Kagome had done as she was told. She walked, camped, remembered and cried. And somewhere in between she noticed she liked being in the wilderness, her thoughts the only company. She returned home, only to plan another outing to some other camping area in Japan. She explored the Japan's mountains and forests from Hokkaido to Okinawa and even some of the smaller islands.

Finally Souta asked why she didn't turn her hobby as a profession. The universities needed skilled personnel to scout their research areas. And some of his friends were even jealous that his sister was traipsing around the wild. They'd do it too, if they had someone experienced with them. Maybe Kagome could take people to the wild, hiking and camping. She'd get money for it and customers would get great outdoor experiences.

Whole family was into this idea. Mrs. Higurashi and Grandpa contacted all their acquaintances from various universities, while Kagome searched all nature and hiking related courses, be it tourism or law related and studied diligently. Souta started advertising the possibility of weekend trips in the wilderness to his schoolmates.

And now, ten years after the well had closed, Kagome was well-known and sought-after researcher of nature and history in Japan. She had been able to study while working and had graduated with Master's degree. She had published a book of the myth of Shikon and it's legend as well as all that she had encountered while been in Feudal Era. The book, though it was the result of research, was taken in by the readers as romantic tale and more often than not, it was sold-out from bookstores.

The fame was not Kagome's thing. She did few interviews when book was published, but disappeared from the public after that. Only contact she had besides her family, was the university and her colleagues. She didn't go on dates, but unlike her excuse, the real reason was not lack of time. Instead, it was the memory of golden eyes and silver hair.

Kagome sighed again, always in the same situation. Every time she went on one of her trips, she always managed to think of him. She could not understand why he still continued to dominate her mind when it came to dating and love. But she knew with certainty that she would only break her own heart if she married someone else. No, it was better this way.

The rain kept pouring down outside the cave and Kagome suppressed another sigh that was trying to escape. She was on her newest mapping trip for university and for her own groups. She had never visited this area before, and from the lack of maps dated after the 1860's, neither had anyone else. While the rain had kept her in her shelter, she had used her time to explore and map the tunnels, thinking to bring her customers into the caves this time.

She swallowed the last bite of her meal and looked beyond the rain with unseeing eyes.

“I wish you were here with me now. At least then I'd have someone to bicker with. Plus, you could hunt a deer for me.” Kagome spoke to empty air, giggling to her behavior.

Deer meat would have been helpful. For some reason she had less food with her than usual, and though she remembered packing the normal rations in her backpack, she found no trace of someone stealing from her, as was her first suspicion. So tomorrow she would need to go hunt with her bow. Rain or no rain.

“Well, at least I have my peanut butter.” She sighed happily. Disappearing food was not so bad, since she knew how to hunt. But having to be without her peanut butter would have been a disaster. First, it was a good energy booster. And second, she really loved the stuff.

She ate few spoonfuls while planning her last trip into the tunnels the next day. Only one of the tunnels was left and even if the rain would stop during the night, she'd stay to explore it. Something told her it was important to do so and she had long ago learned to listen to her instincts. With those thoughts, she wrapped her sleeping bag around her and slept.

The next morning, Kagome woke to the smell of roasting meat. She pounced up and was gathering her short knife, but stilled when she found the cave to be empty. She checked every crook of her sleeping place and even the mouth of the cave, but found no traces of anyone having been there. So how had the meat gotten to her cave? And even better question was, who the hell had come and gone, lit the fire and put the meat to roast without even waking her up? She was a light sleeper.

She searched the cave again, finding no traces what so ever. And the only thing missing was.. HER PEANUT BUTTER! That did it. She'd place her thanks to the person who brought her the food, but for stealing her peanut butter that person would suffer.

Kagome cut a piece of meat and ate the juicy bite, savoring the taste, all the while thinking. This person had brought her what she had asked for last night. A deer. And it had been raining so hard, that anyone possibly standing outside of the cave could not have heard her. Only youkai could have done it, but her miko powers should have warned her of an approaching demon. And if there were no signs of anyone coming from outside, then they must have come from the tunnels. And during her explorations, she had seen no signs of anyone living in them. So that left her with the last tunnel.

Kagome ate, packed her equipment and headed to the tunnels once more. She chose the last one and turned her flash light on. The beam of light showed nothing out of ordinary, the cave looked just like rest of them had. Kagome took a deep breath and started walking, nervous of what might be waiting for her.

After a few minutes, she encountered something that stole her breath away. The walls of the tunnel had been carved with beautiful pictures. When she looked them closer, she could see that they were stories. And by the looks of it, they were was about demons.

She wanted to document all that, but decided against it. She wanted to discover this mysterious person before she let herself drown in her favorite subject; the myths and history. These pictures must have been a history of demonkind.

She did however, continue to read the pictures while moving forward in the tunnel. Sometimes she saw figures she knew or had heard of. Sometimes the pure beauty and skill of the carvings amazed her. And sometimes she had to turn her head away from disgust of what she saw.

Then Kagome stopped. On this part of the wall were pictures that looked rather new. As in only a few hundred years old, instead of thousands. But what made her doubt her eyes was the girl in the pictures. It was obviously human and had an outfit that looked disturbingly similar to her school outfit all those years ago. She glanced at other pictures near and was taken aback. It was her story. The story of her quest with the Jewel. It even had Naraku pictured there.

Kagome followed the pictures and was even more amazed when the cravings pictured the actual happenings and not the tales she had read from the books and scrolls. Who ever had done them, knew the real story. And therefor... maybe she knew this person.

A hope surged in her and she continued forward vigorously. Her gaze found more familiar people on the walls. She could see what happened to everyone after she was returned to her own time. She saw Shippo growing up and finding a mate, Sango and Miroku with their dozen or so children, Iuyasha making peace with his brother and finding someone to love. Rin grew and get married. And Sesshoumaru... his story continued on and on until Kagome could see modern devices and buildings in the cravings.

Next thing Kagome noticed was that she had reached a cave that was softly illuminated and decorated with style and luxurious furniture. And right before her, a silhouette was murmuring softly, while holding something that looked like peanut butter jar. HER peanut butter jar.

The figure moved slightly to the light and Kagome gasped.

“YOU!”

~~~

A pair of golden eyes had been watching the woman in his cave. It was raining outside it seemed, and this human had burst into his home to escape from the downpour. While he only occupied the one cave far in the tunnels, he considered the whole set as his home. And now this intruder was here and from the look of it had no intentions of leaving. The figure in the shadows sighed, defeated. The rain would continue for days and he loathed to have to dry his pelt. It seemed they were both stuck. Now he just had to keep this woman from finding him.

He was curious though, since the woman bore a striking similarity to the miko he had known about 500 years ago. But that miko, though disappearing to thin air, had been a human, and by the scent so was this one. There was no possibility to meet the miko here. Not in this era. Not yet, if what his brother had said was true.

Unfortunately for him, the woman refused to be usual human and stay put in the first cave. Or to be quiet. She dug through her pack for a torch and set to explore ever inch of his home. Even though the rest of the tunnels had been unused for centuries, he still didn't like anyone traipsing around in them. And she kept talking to herself almost constantly. It reminded him of his ward, long ago, but he wanted his peace and quiet back. So he set his plan to get rid of this nuisance.

Killing was out of the question. He knew that someone would miss this woman, for she mentioned family often in her monologue. So maybe threatening her somehow? No, he had seen the bow the woman carried and did so with pride, so she obviously knew how to use it. Arrows would not hurt him, but the woman wasn't easily scared it seemed.

He glanced at the woman's equipment and noticed the food rations there. That sounded perfect. If he could steal her food she'd need to leave to get more of it. And hopefully take her stuff with her too. So while she was in the tunnels he rummaged through her packs and took what food he could, without waking up suspicions.

While stealing the food, he noticed a book the woman had with her. It was about the Jewel, and the book was written by Higurashi Kagome. The name was familiar, but he decided to think about it later. Now he needed to get away from here and hope that woman wouldn't stay long.

The second day he found himself following the woman from distance. He didn't need light to see her and he could hear her talk. It confused him when she mentioned his half-brother and his group of jewel hunters by name, as if she knew them herself. The woman even knew the name of his ward, which was never mentioned in any legend, he had made sure of that.

The only way she could know, was if she was part of the old branch families, a descendant of slayer and hoshi, or his ward and her husband. And even then she had too much knowledge. So then how?

As an impossible possibility started to root into his mind, his senses began to acknowledge the signs his brain had ignored on previous day. The scent of pure and strong reiki, hidden but still noticeable to his kind. The way she flicked her hair and other little mannerism he knew and remembered so well. Her smile and the color of her eyes, that he only now noticed. It felt like he was hit in the midriff.

He needed to know the truth, but he didn't dare to reveal himself to her. He did not want to risk his hearing, in case he was wrong and the scared human would scream his ears off. So he stayed in the shadows, watching and listening the woman.

By the third night it had become obvious that the woman had no intentions of leaving before rain stopped. Her food rations were gone, but she sat by her fire, staring into empty air and smiling. He heard her wish for meat and company. And then that heavenly scent reached his nose.

He looked how the dark haired woman ate something from the jar she had fished from her backpack. The smell coming from the jar was mouth-watering and he knew how to make his presence known to the woman. The fact that he could get a sample of that delectable thing, was just added bonus, he told himself.

The following night he hunted. He knew the forest inside out and knew where his pray usually stayed during the rain. He was fast and didn't care if the rain soaked him. He had means to dry himself later.

Carefully he worked with the carcass, brought it to the cave and built a fire. He was silent and efficient without leaving any traces. His powers dried him up before he left wet footprints or droplets of water on the cave floor. He set the meat to roast and dug through the woman's packs again, searching for the jar he desired. And then he retreated to his own cave.

After few hours of waiting, he decided to open the jar. He wanted to taste this thing that caused his mouth to water just by the memory of the scent. And boy did he have memories of this scent. He let his mind wander to his memories and absentmindedly took first spoonful from the jar.

And then, when the gooey paste coated his tongue, he remembered something. He had avoided this particular thing for five hundred years. Ever since the first time he had been tricked into tasting this food, he had swore never to taste it again. Had his memories become so faint that the experiences were happier than they actually had been?

He tried to open his mouth but the sticky paste and glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He growled a little, trying to form curses. Not this thing, not again. The he heard a gasp behind him and stiffened.

“YOU!”

He turned slowly. There stood the woman, the intruder of his peace and sole reason for his predicament. Or so he told himself.

The woman that he know fully recognized as the long gone miko, stood still. Her eyes blinked repeatedly and the look on her face was pure disbelief. She opened and closed her mouth, as if seeking what to say. Then she cleared her throat.

“You know, I thought you'd be dead by now.” She said with a smirk forming to her face. “You didn't come to meet me, Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru glared at her, viciously. He tried to open his mouth, but the sticky peanut butter was still gluing his mouth shut, so he opted with growling instead

“And here I thought you'd care for me. But instead, I have to wait ten years, and even then I find you hiding in a far away cave like a hermit. Really, Sesshou. Had I not found your book during my research last year, I'd be somewhere in Hokkaido with Kouga by now.” Kagome continued.

That made Sesshoumaru growl even more. Kouga! That whimpy wolf had started to woo her again? He had found her before Sesshoumaru had? Someone was going to pay and he had an inkling of who it would be.

“Oh shut it, you old fool. He's mated, in case you missed it.” Kagome said, walking towards him holding out a bottle of water. Peanut butter stealer or not, Kagome had just spent ten years of missing him and she wanted some answers. Like...

“Where the hell have you been the last ten years?”

Sesshoumaru who had gotten rid of the peanut butter coating his mouth, glared at the miko.

“You are early. If what the hanyou said was true. You were supposed to come back in 500 years, not 450.” He stated, watching intently as his miko paced around his cave.

“450 years? Great. There goes the trust for modern research.” Kagome muttered.

“So.. you were going to be there? When I came back home?” She then asked softly, as if not believing what he had just said.

Sesshoumaru sighed, and brushed his hand through his hair. He gets her back and she's questioning him? Then a small smile broke into his lips. Well, could he blame her?

He walked across the cave to her, pulling her into his arms and softly caressed the side of her face.

“Yes, Kagome. I was going to be there, to be the first thing you would have seen when climbing out of that Kami forsaken well.”

Kagome melted right there. That was by far the sweetest thing he or anyone else had ever said to her. And he had said a lot back then. But she didn't want sweet nothings right now.

“Okay, who are you and what did you do to my Sesshoumaru? Because he would not have wasted time on talking.”

Sesshoumaru blinked, and looked at the devious smirk on his miko's face. And then he proceeded to tell her exactly how much he had missed her, without a word.