The Treasure Within by BelovedStranger

Crystal Demeanor

It’s over, Kagome thought sadly as she sat alone on the lip of the Bone Eater’s Well. She stroked the wood near her left hip, gazing at her moving hand and remembered all the times she had jumped into its depths, defying time as she leapt between her time five hundred years in the future from now—the Feudal Era. She remembered the countless times Inuyasha had been waiting for her close by, either seeing her off with a gloomy expression, or waiting impatiently for her return.

Kagome’s eyes rose to pass over the field surrounding her, knowing Inuyasha would not be here to see her off as was usual. Her hand rose to curl above her heart as she felt the familiar ache constrict her chest. Her eyes soaked in the green meadows, the rolling hills, the village in the distance on her left, and the trees before her. She didn’t want to forget her time here, so even her nose took in a great breath of air, trying to memorize the fresh scent of grass, the flowers, and the freshness of the air so different from the scents of her time.

This would be the last time she would enjoy such small pleasures, the last time…

She saw a silhouette covered in shadows by the tree line, but the darkness was not so dense that she could not see who stood there. She caught herself staring, knowing it would be the last time she gazed upon his perfect pristine form.

“Why do you hide, Sesshomaru-sama?” she asked after realizing he would not be the first to speak. He was just watching her intently it seemed.

At her words, he stepped out of the shadows and into the light, and approached at a slow gate that nevertheless ate up the distance between them with his long strides, until he stopped a couple yards away from her. She had stood at his approach curious as to why he was here. She did not fear he would attack her, let alone kill her. He had no reason to harm her.

“This Sesshomaru does not hide,” he informed her in a calm, impassive voice.

Kagome smiled and a small laugh was surprised out of her. They looked at each other in silence for a small stretch before he spoke again.

“Are you leaving, miko?” he asked her softly.

Again she looked at the wood behind her before gazing off towards the village that was like a second home to her.

“Inuyasha went to hell with Kikyo soon after the final battle with Naraku,” she informed him.

“He was a fool,” Sesshomaru intoned.

A small smile graced her lips at his words, not surprised. Sometimes, the demon lord was more predictable then he might like.

“Miroku and Sango had gone to her destroyed village to pay their last respects before getting married. I had Shippo go with them.”

Kagome felt a pang in her heart once more at the thought of her friends and her kit. They didn’t know that she did not plan on returning, or she knew there would have been a huge discussion on why she should stay, and her kit would cry. She didn’t want him to cry; though, she knew he would when he realized she would not be coming back. She was sorry for that, but what did she have here now that her mission was complete, the jewel wished out of existence and Naraku finally dead? Now that Inuyasha was gone…

“Do you wish to stay?”

Kagome’s eyes swung around to once again clash with his. His words brought such longing deep within her to the surface, something she had been trying to hide for what seemed a very long time now. She couldn’t help but bear her heart to this man who was no ordinary man whom she had never been especially close to.

“Who would I stay with without being a burden? My friends don’t need a third wheel.”

He was silent, gazing at her with a thoughtful expression, and she noticed for the first time that his demeanor was not as crystal hard, not as icy as it had once been in regards to her. Though still hard to detect, he allowed her to see the expressions he denied most everyone else. He was looking at her in such a strange way, that Kagome could not decipher the emotion behind it. Nevertheless, it made her heart pick up speed, not from fear but exhilaration.

She couldn’t help but once again notice how perfect he looked, impossibly real. His features were so angelic, and he shone so white and pure with the sun’s rays shining down on him. How could someone this beautiful yet masculine be standing before her? There was no one like him in the Feudal Era and definitely not in the future. If she did not know his true demonic nature, she would have thought him an angel.

Out of nowhere, she asked, “Can I stay with you?”

Kagome gazed at him hesitantly, unsure as to why she would say such a ridiculous thing to Sesshomaru. She was not his responsibility. She would only be in the way, she was sure. But looking at him, she knew she could not go back to the future and be content. Too much had happened to her here; she was different. How could she go back to the way things were before after all she had been through in the Feudal Era?

There was no one in the future she could safely share her memories with, not even her family. Some things she could not even tell them. Her struggles and efforts would be meaningless if she could not at least be by another’s side who knew of her time here. She no longer viewed the future as her home, but if there was nowhere for her to be here, then where was her home?

Sesshomaru continued to stare at her for so long that she began to worry restlessly that he meant to deny her. Not that she would blame him. But she willed him and silently beseeched him to let her stay with him. Instead, he wordlessly turned his back on her and began to walk away.

Kagome felt a cold knot in her stomach and her heart lurch at his actions, watching him stride farther away. She clasped her hands and bent her head as she felt the rejection hit her hard. She was sure she would have cried in the next second if his voice had not reached her ears, and she glanced up to see him pause before the tree line.

“Come, if you wish.”

She blinked, stunned silent. He was waiting for her, she knew, because he turned his head to gaze at her over his shoulder with one eye demanding her to make her choice. Tears of joy and relief entered her brown orbs as she ran to him, her yellow pack practically empty flung over her back, and her bow clutched tightly in her grip, while her arrows, too, were strapped to her back. She fell into step behind him and left the clearing with a smile on her face. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This will be a short chapter story based on the Seven Treasures Challenge where each prompt is based on the 'seven treasures', gold, silver, lapis lazuli, pearl, crystal, agate, and coral. Each chapter prompt will have something to do with Sesshomaru's looks, clothes, or his attitude. In case my readers didn't notice, I based this chapter from 'crystal' meaning his icy demeanor as 'ice' is a synonym for 'crystal'. I hope you like my ingenuity for this treasure! All but the last chapter will be fluff and lead to the lemon in the last chapter! 

The next chapter treasure will be Silver. ^^ Can you guess what part of Sesshomaru's looks, clothes, or attitude I will be writing about next chapter?