Kazekage by Azuka

Trust

Disclaimer: I do NOW own Inuyasha and Co

Prompt: Trust

Source: Skye's Bi Weekly Challange

Chapter Ninety-Three

She accepted his hand and when he pulled her up she felt the world tip, “You are not ready. We will venture outside of this room another time.”

The world seemed to melt, his image wavering as if a ripple through water until she was alone in the darkness. The moments ticked by and eternity stretched until all she could recall was a horrible dream that hung on the cusp of understanding. When she opened her eyes she was alone in the grove they had started in.

As she tugged awkwardly at the too small silk that covered her body, grimacing at the bright pink and turned to rush towards the rest of her belongings.

~

The swish of the front door awoke her and with a startled gasp she sat upright just as Shippou parted the beads and entered with a very somber expression. Instantly Kagome was on her feet and wiping her face, “What is it? Is someone hurt? Inuyasha?? Miroku and Sango-don’t tell me it’s the children!?” Kagome lurched across the table and Shippou turned cherry red before turning paper white and spinning around. Kagome landed on the other side of her desk and came to a startling realization, “!!”

Squealing she tucked in on herself as she had fallen asleep in the too small pink robe that belonged to Rin-chan.

“What are you doing in Rin-chan’s clothes, Kagome-sama?” Shippou asked hesitantly, almost on the verge of bolting and turning around… Kagome sensed it and took a step back.

“Shippou-kun, perhaps you should step outside, ne? I will be presentable in a moment.”

“H-hai.” He bolted into the next room and outside completely. Releasing a breathe she was unaware she had been holding and turned to place her hand on the desk behind her to keep from pooling at te ground in a boneless heap. Her vision tunneled and her body protested starkly; her soul ached and she felt a sudden head-ache.

“Ugh… did I drink sake?” She put up a simple barrier and shrugged out of the too small robe. Her body, which she had to admit was rather toned and lacking in the scars that adorned Sango’s body; was indeed quite shapely. Her fingers trailed over the velvet feel of her bronzed skin as she pulled a folded priestess garb from a shelf and adorned it. Instead of the traditional red and white, Kagome used a plain white outfit with usually a red décor; today she chose a hallowed red Sakura tree on her back with blossoms across the folds of her garb. As she pulled her long hair from the collar of her haroi she called out for Shippou. A moment later the kitsune returned as if nothing had happened; as aloof as she remembered Inuyasha being when equally ruffled.

“Po-kun, what is the matter?” She asked softly as she shouldered her armor which was in a similar bracket to the Western Lords, as she had found it the most practical to mimic. It was simple; versatile and clearly a satisfactory model as ‘He’ wore it. At the time she had not questioned her choice so much, but as she slipped a small katana trough her sash she found herself in a similar stance and attitude. Pausing her lips parted and though dimly aware of the kitsune talking a mile a minute, Kagome found herself strangely channeling the Western Lord.

Was it because she had been spending so much time with him….? Her eyebrows lowered as it dawned her that though it felt like they had been; it was only a few moments at a time that they truly spent together, at a time.

Why then, did time seem to speed up and slow down at the same time around him? Once, with Princess Kaguya, something had been said similarly…

“Kagome…. Are you listening to me?”

The woman snapped to attention and tightened her sash as she turned to address the Kitsune, “Uh, I’m afraid not… sorry Po-kun, I was miles away.”

Shippou snorted and glared off to the side, “Listen… Don’t call me that around Rin-chan alright? I don’t need her calling me that too, I’ve introduced her to a few people I’d rather not know about that silly name.”

Kagome smiled knowingly and nodded, “If you wish.”

“L-Look, its not like that alright? I’ve… I’ve found someone I like, and she’s not human. So don’t get any ideas!”

Kagome gasped, taken aback, “Y-You’ve found someone-wait a minute! What do you ‘mean’ don’t get any ideas?! What does that mean Shippou??” The kitsune bared his teeth and leaned back sharply at his slip of the tongue, for all intents and purposes a chastised fox that knew it was about to me killed.

“N-now wait a minute!” He began to placate, calling on every placating measure the monk had used throughout their journey and he used it flawlessly as he held up his hands, “Wh-what I meant was is I know how great you are at matchmaking and how much you love to do it! All I’m saying is don’t waste such a beautiful talent on something I don’t really want. Honest! I found a girl!”

Kagome was absolutely smitten with his story, uncaring if it was fabricated or not; he had said it and that’s all that mattered. She latched onto the unsuspecting kitsune and began to maul him like she’d seen her mother do when her brother had done something terribly cute.

“Aww, Kagome, c’mon!” Tough he was blushing and he was only protesting in words, inside he breathed a very heartfelt sight of relief.

“Now! What’s her name? Where is she? Is she a kitsune as well? Is she hanyou? I bet she’s hanyou, isn’t she? What kind though?? Ooooooh lemme guess, she’s a bird isn’t she?”

Shippou sweat-dropped and laughed nervously, waving off his mother-figure with a  very nervous demeanor, “A bird? Where’d you get that idea from? No she’s not a bird, and I’m not telling you!”

“Ehhhhhhhh?” Kagome drew back, clearly offended. Shippou turned and bolted, Kagome hot on his heels, “You get back here you horrible child! Don’t you trust me at all?”

“Trust you? Of course I do; with my ‘life’, but in matters of heart and women? Not as far as I could throw you!”

“SHIPPOU!!!” She screamed after him, scattering birds and small wildlife as the chase progressed into the forest, “You get back here you little coward!!”

From a tree above an roused from his doze, a contended hanyou observed through hooded eyes, his chin tucked comfortably into the folds of his haroi, his arms behind his head, “Now you understand my irritancy with the runt; I wonder what you would do if I reprimanded you?”  Below him, and unaware of the chase happening miles beyond her hearing range, sat Rin who held a few books in her lap and spread out around her, open for her inspection.

She was almost as bad as Kagome had been when it came to the damn tomes, but he began to understand their value when Rin offered to begin teaching him. The girl was around the age Kagome had been when he first met her; beautiful.

 Word Count: 1200