How We Grow by Lisa
Chapter 1
Kagome slipped the last of her books into her bag and ran from the house. She did not want to be late. She glanced at the tree as she passed and was relieved to find that, for the first time in months, she did not feel the familiar stab of betrayal at looking at it. Out of habit she reached for the part of her blouse that used to conceal the Shikon no Tama, but the jewel was gone, and so was that world. All she really had left was school, and she was doing very well now that she could concentrate on her studies. She only had a month left and that would be it, she would graduate.
She sighed as she gained her seat, glad that all she really had to think about anymore was school. Her friends came over before class and they exchanged whispered reports on boys and clothes and all the tedium of the modern world. She found herself rather bored and mentally slapped herself. Just because she wasn’t existing from moment to moment, living her life in constant fear of death, didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it.
Yuka’s birthday was coming up, and for a change of pace, Kagome suggested they have a sleepover at her place. The idea was greeted with enthusiasm and Kagome was glad she had thought of it. It was hard work getting the house prepared to have five girls invade it for twenty-four hours, but by the time Yuka got there, the pantry was stocked, the living room cleaned, and a stack of pathetically romantic movies awaited them. Kagome smiled, the night was going to be perfect.
He watched the well, waiting for the hanyou to appear. He had come every day, and waited until night fell before leaving again. How strange that the one who sent her away, who had sealed the well against her, should be the one who wanted her back the most. As before, with the sunrise, the hanyou appeared. He was even more pathetic than before. His hair hung in tangled snakes, his face was smeared with grime. His kimono was only partially tied, as though he had lost the will to even dress himself. He collapsed against the side of the well, weeping softly.
Rage welled up within him at the sight. He stepped out into the clearing, and at his signal several others did as well. They converged on the hanyou, who was too deep in the throws of his own grief to even see them. At last, though, the scent of them penetrated the veil of misery and self-loathing he had wrapped himself in and he looked up.
“Are you here to kill me?”
“No.” The tears renewed and he began to close the curtains around him. He balled up his hand and backhanded the hanyou, sending him flying. “You chose. You chose the dead over the living knowing what it meant to her. Now live with that choice.”
He struggled to a sitting position. “Don’t you think I know that? I…I didn’t realize though.”
“What? That she loved you? That it would hurt you both? You are a thrice damned fool if ever I met one.” Turning to his companions he issued the orders that stung him to the quick. “Take him to the southern palace, clean him up. He will be presentable by the time I return.”
One of them bowed. “And when will that be, my Lord?”
“I do not know. I have no notion of how long this will take.”
He stepped up on the well’s rim. The hanyou started struggling, fighting his servants. “Wait! What are you doing? You can’t!”
“This Sesshomaru can do as he pleases with who he pleases. She is no longer your concern.”
“No!”
Sesshomaru jumped into the inky blackness. As he fell he felt the magic of the well wrap around him. He landed lightly, as though he had merely taken a long step. He looked up and saw the roof over his head. This was the third time he had stepped through the well. Tonight though, would be different. Tonight he would bring her back with him and restore the balance to his lands.
Kagome brought the popcorn into the room to find them all going through her DVD collection. Eri pulled out her exercise tape and held it up.
“Do you really do this?”
Kagome blushed and nodded. “Yeah, they’re fun.”
“But belly-dancing?”
She put down the popcorn. “Why not?”
Eri inserted the disc in the DVD player. “Show us.”
They pushed the table out of the way as Eri cued up the music. Kagome felt herself blush, but then the music started. The reason she loved doing this, though she would never admit it to anyone, was that it was just so easy to loose yourself in the rhythm of the music. She started to dance, her hips and breasts undulating with the sound. Her friends clapped softly in time to the beat as she entertained them.
Sesshomaru had been watching all day. That her friends were here was an annoyance, but one he could easily ignore. He would simply wait until they all fell to sleep. He had found a perch that allowed him to see through the living room windows. Now he watched as she danced. How strange that a human could be so graceful and sensual. Yes he was willing to admit that the dance was enough to set his blood afire. Still she was human, and yet he was bringing her back to a life she had let go because she was human and a miko, a very powerful one at that.
He watched her hips and breasts, her delicate hands and shapely arms and legs as she moved through the dance. He would have to bind her to the past in some way, to prevent her from ever even wanting to return here. How would he do that? He had no idea what would make her stay. Somewhere in the back of his mind that little treacherous voice that seemed to personify his father whispered that she would stay as his mate, but he shook his head. He would never mate a female against her will, and he would rather die than mate a human.
The idea though would not leave him, and he allowed it to circle in his mind. Who could he mate her to? Inuyasha was out of the question, he would not allow the hanyou a second opportunity to break her. The monk had married the demon slayer and they were already expecting their first child. That left only the wolf. He mentally winced. Kouga was egotistical and self-serving, but at the same time he cared a great deal about his pack and about her. He had seen that. So it was decided. He would present her to the wolf and so bind her. Of course there was always the possibility that she would refuse the mating, women were odd that way, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, though it grated him to admit it, he needed her.
The music ended and her friends clapped. Kagome blushed as she took a seat, sipping at her soda to relieve her parched throat. She was about to suggest a movie when Yuka giggled softly.
“Let’s play truth or dare.”
Eri groaned. “What are we? In third grade?”
“You don’t want to play because you’re afraid.”
“Not true.”
“Fine then, truth or dare?”
She blushed and looked down. “Truth.”
“How far have you gone with Toru?”
Her blush deepened and she shrugged. “Some heavy petting.”
There were giggles all around. Then Yuka turned to Kagome. “All right, Kagome, truth or dare?”
Kagome knew that any questions they asked would lead to Inuyasha. She did not dare risk reopening those wounds. “Dare.”
The girls were all pouting, except for Yuka. That immediately made Kagome worried. Yuka could be devious when she wanted to be.
“Cast a spell.”
The other girls sniggered at Yuka apparently asking the impossible, thus forcing Kagome to choose a “truth” when she failed. With a soft sigh and flick of her wrist she levitated the bowl of popcorn. The room fell completely silent. Yuka gaped at the bowl.
“How…”
“I’m a miko.” She set the bowl down. “I’ve been able to do that for a while. Levitation doesn’t require a lot of power, but it does need concentration.”
Sesshomaru felt a tight smile touch his lips at her easy display of power. The miko was wrong, though. Levitation required a great deal of personal power. It only seemed easy because of how much power she possessed and seemed oblivious to it.
“Can you teach us?”
“No. Besides, it’s damn near useless, and any scientist would want to dissect me to find out how I do it.”
The evening continued and Sesshomaru began to wonder if these human females ever slept. How as he supposed to carry her away without them seeing? Well, he didn’t really care that much, so he would just take her. He reached into his robes and touched the jewel, making sure it was secure before jumping down. The back door yielded easily to his spell and he slipped into the room. He saw her stiffen, then her shoulders sagged. She could sense him, and probably thought he was Inuyasha. After all, he was the only one that had ever come through before. She turned and he watched her eyes go wide. Slowly she rose and bowed.
“How may this humble one serve you, Sesshomaru-sama?”
The other girls were up now, some screamed when they saw him, as a group they backed away, placing Kagome between them and danger. “You will come with me.”
She winced. “I have no desire to marry Inuyasha.”
“That is not why you will come with me.” Her eyes met his and he felt his need to hold this woman at arm’s length, waver. “You are needed, and not by Inuyasha. He made his choice. He must live with it.”
“I cannot. Without the jewel…”
He flicked his wrist, and something shining came sailing through the air toward her. She snatched from the air in front of her. Her family was downstairs by now, gaping at Sesshomaru. Kagome opened her hand and found herself staring that the complete Shikon no Tama.
“How did you get it?”
“I slew Kikyo.”
She nodded slightly, her eyes still on the jewel. “Let’s go.”
He was across the room in a heartbeat and had her under his arm, as though she weighed nothing at all. They were out the door, and down the well so fast, it hardly had time to register. He leapt out of the well and skyward, his cloud forming beneath him as he flew. He glanced down and saw tears slipping down her face. He set her down and she found her feet, but did not speak. The tears did not stop and he felt compelled to say something. Tears, he had learned from Rin, meant something was wrong.
“Why do you weep?”
“I will have to see him again. I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Inuyasha?”
“Hai.”
“You will cease your tears. Inuyasha is staying in my Southern Palace. I am taking you to myNorthernPalace.”
She nodded and used the collar of her shirt to wipe her eyes. She was silent for a long moment. Sesshomaru glanced at her, waiting for her to ask, but she didn’t. She didn’t say anything. He focused his attention on where they were going. It was stupid to want to tell her anyway. Childish really. He couldn’t understand the impulse.
“Do you love him?”
He felt confusion wash over him. “Who?”
“Inuyasha. You must, all you’ve done for him. I don’t know if I could love someone that much. Why do you need me?”
“The balance in the land is wrong. The magic is in flux and you have the power to fix it.”
“How?”
“By being here. When Kikyou died, the balance shifted without a strong miko to take her place.”
“So you needed me to fix your balance.”
He ground his teeth silently. “Yes.”
“May I see Shippou?”
“He lives in theNorthernPalacewith Rin. I took him from Inuyasha when I realized he would not be raised properly.”
“Thank you.”
“I did not do it for you.”
“Still, I thank you.”
He was silent for a solid minute. “You are welcome.”