It is in close proximity to nightfall. The forest seemed to become darker while we ventured, and the atmosphere colder. A strange anxiety stirred in my stomach causing me to glance around warily. There was this strange feeling of eyes boring into me from somewhere in the forest... from this thought I shivered involuntarily.
Occasionally I was turning my head slightly left to right out of paranoia, whilst the warriors looked forward, their faces set with impassiveness. Their façades hasn't changed at all from the beginning of our journey. I found myself thinking; 'How in the world did I get myself into this?'
My hands down my arms and I huddled closer to Toh in an attempt to warm myself up.
'.... A few hours into my journey and already I feel homesick and miserable. I miss Sango and Hojo and my family and my other friends, it seems so utterly different that I'm leaving all that behind,' I thought sadly, feeling the chill wind seeping through my clothes.
Staring ahead of me I saw Sesshoumaru treading with no regard for the weather akin to the rest of them. Kikyou was prosperous and warm- she was the one wearing the layers of kimonos and was sitting inside a nice comfortable carriage. I began reconsidering not sitting inside the stagecoach, but slapped the thought out of my head for some reason. Instead I crossed my arms, gazing thoughtfully at the wisps of white breath billowing out of my mouth as I exhaled. To get my mentality off the frosty weather, I decided to reflect on something else.
My mind began to wonder if Tsukishidai was in deep oppositions with a certain clan to make them have enemies. The man named Juuroumaru seemed to loathe the Tsukishidai name to some extent, and for some reason I continued to get the feeling that perhaps I was going to have something to do with this dispute. Just what was it that Sesshoumaru found so interesting in me so that he would pluck me out of my happy life? I paused my musings to observe the said mercenary-like man walking before me.
Sesshoumaru was such a formal man. His eyes at first seemed the kind to hold warmness in them, because of their golden shade. But looks can be deceiving; for those eyes held nothing but coldness the whole time that I had seen him.
....
I seemed to be thinking a lot today, so I decided quit my boring observations and go have a little chat with Juno, seeing as Kikyou was in peaceful sleep and Juno was the only one I could have friendly conversation with.
I left Toh's side for a while and picked up my speed to catch up to him. "Juno?"
"Hm?" he replied, his eyes strict on the road.
"Why is everybody so quiet?" I asked softly, seeing only a side view of his face.
"To be aware of danger," Juno said, a small grin visible. "We need to protect you and Kikyo-san, remember?"
"Is the forest really this dangerous?" I whispered back.
"Only if one is not on guard."
I clasped my hands together behind my back, moving my view
to an angle at the dirt ground. "How long is the trip going to take and through
where are we supposed to go?"
"It depends," Juno sighed, shrugging. "Hopefully if we pass through Mt. Fuji before tomorrow's nightfall, then it would take a bit over two days or so."
"M-Mt. Fuji?!" I exclaimed, receiving a cynical glance or a raised eyebrow from the others. I ignored them.
"Something wrong with that?" he questioned with a puzzled tone. "I've been through Mt. Fuji many times."
"But it's so dangerous, and there are warrior monks and monsters-" I paused. "Well, I'm not really sure about monsters..."
"-Is that all your worrying about? What I'm slightly afraid of are the snowstorms that brew up there. Warrior monks are no problem," Juno shrugged. Then, with a small off-handed scowl he muttered, "Keh, warrior monks...what hypocrites.... the indecency of it all..."
"'Snowstorms'?" I asked, bemused. "Isn't there another way?"
"You know," he told me, "You are such a worrier. Mt. Fuji isn't much of a threat. You'll be safe, okay? Except for maybe Fuji-sama... uh, never mind."
"Fuji-sama? Mt. Fuji is a person?" I pressed on. He gave me a look that meant he wasn't going to tell me. I frowned. "Come on, please, tell me?"
"Maybe some other time," Juno grinned and patted me on the head as if I were a child. I pouted unconsciously. "Fine. I guess I'll wait.."
"You really wanna know?" Kouga's tough voice echoed from behind me. "About Fuji-sama?"
I turned slightly and eagerly said yes. Just who WAS this Fuji-sama?
"Kouga, don't talk about that right now..." Juno quipped as though it were a big secret. I sighed and crossed my arms. "It's okay, Kouga-san, you do not have to tell me."
"Hmph," Kouga snorted, walking away. "Suit yourself."
After a while, Juno shot me an approving look. "Thank you, Kagome-sama. That was very polite of you."
"Well, I know when I should and should not be nosy," I shrugged, smiling back. "I don't know whatever reason it is that you have to hide this Fuji-sama from me, but it's none of my business, sooo..." I yawned. "Err, I forgot what I was saying," I uttered groggily. Juno laughed good-naturedly.
"I'm tired," I admitted.
"Would you like to sit in the carriage with your sister, then?"
"No, thanks," I said abruptively. "After that little incident with Juuroumaru, who was clinging under one of those, I don't think I'll able to ride in another carriage again."
"Do you want Kouga to carry you?" Juno suggested. I
glanced at him suspiciously. "Why not take the offer for yourself?"
"Ugh!" Juno huffed playfully. "I cannot carry you! I am fragile and weak, and I might damage my hands!"
"Ooh, you sound just like one of the Court Ladies," I frowned playfully. "But seriously, I'm not that heavy. Or am I?"
"Let's test that out!" he suddenly paused from walking, grabbed my wrist and snaked an arm around my middle, then suddenly hoisted me up into the air. An embarrassed flush heated into my face. "Juno!"
He pulled me onto his back and I found myself being given what could only be called a 'piggy-back ride,' which I hadn't gotten since I was a child. Suddenly a laugh escaped my lips, the sound of it getting everyone's attention, but I did not care. Juno pretended to stagger under my weight, and I pouted and whacked him lightly on the shoulder. He set me down eventually, and we were both in small fits of laughter. "So, how heavy am I?"
Juno sighed as he rubbed his right shoulder. "You should take this as a compliment; you are almost as light as I am."
"Are you like one of those women who do not eat a single bite and end up dying from bulimia?" I asked credibly. Juno grinned goofily. "Perhaps."
"Quit joking around," I giggled. He stared at me in sincerity. "You weigh just as an average human girl would weigh... maybe a little bit over what an average human girl would weigh-"
I socked him lightly in the arm, glaring playfully at him. A smile replaced my scowl soon after, however. Juno was such an easy person to get along with! He reminded me of Sango at times, he was as carefree as she was. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship....
"You two seem to be enjoying yourselves," Inutaisho's voice came rolling over.
"I-Inutaisho-sama!" I bowed quickly, "Juno has been very kind to me. I feel like I've known him my whole life."
"Yes, he does have that quality of being a passionate one," he replied. "Always looking on the bright side, aren't you, Juno?"
Juno merely chuckled as his expression abruptively held an air of mystery. I was in the middle of pondering this sudden ambiguity when Inutaisho broke my train of thought.
"May I have a talk with you, Kagome-san? Alone..?" Inutaisho asked, his eyes holding a strange look.
"Sure...." I said and followed him to a distance away from the group.
When we were a good distance away from the others, Inutaisho flicked a hand and it was as if a barrier had enclosed us- a sound barrier. It looks like he wanted this conversation to be dead private...
"There is something I must reveal to you, though it is of blatancy," he stated as we continued walking. "As you have probably guessed, we, the Tsukishidai clan, are demons. Surely that does not come as a shock..?"
"Well, not really, sir," I said quietly with my head bowed.
He nodded slightly. "Let me share some knowledge of our history with you. The Tsukishidai was once an exclusive Inu-Youkai tribe, where no other types of demons were allowed. Bit by bit we welcomed other demons into our lands, and soon after we became an all-demons clan. We'd set aside our differences and became one unity. With countless types of demons, we were able to have many different types of advantages- and that is how we earned the place of being one of the most notorious demon clans in Japan."
"Who are the other notorious clans?" I asked curiously.
"That would be Ryuushikami and the Kumoshiwa," there was a hard edge to his voice in the latter part of his sentence. "Ryuushikami controls the Eastern Lands, and Kumoshiwa controls the Southern provinces. Tsukishidai controls the Western Lands."
"What about the Northern Lands?"
Inutaisho heaved a wary sigh. "The Northern Clan.... they disappeared without a trace. I nor the Eastern and Southern Lords haven't any idea as to how and why. But ever since the Northern clan has disappeared, there had been struggles and wars for control of said land."
"Oh, I see," I said, more to myself than anyone. "Inutaisho-sama, why did you tell me all of this?" I finally looked into his eyes, not feeling very self-conscious anymore.
"You are going to be a very important part of our clan," he said secretively.
"That cannot be right. Sesshoumaru said I was not high enough to be a part of your clan-..."
"You are a very spirited, past that shy texture of yours," he commented, a friendly smile upon his handsome face. "Whatever my foolish son said to you is not true, not now, not ever."
I blushed in appreciation. "Sesshoumaru-san is..... I understand that maybe I do not live up to his standards, but I know someday I'll make something of myself, and maybe I will be worthy of him."
"Interested in him, aren't we?" Inutaisho said, a bit playfully.
"Oh, that's not what I meant!!" I added hurriedly. "I don't know why, but I just want..... to be something in his eyes. To not be a burden. I feel like Sesshoumaru has thought of me as something in the way for a long time, and I've tried to ignore the feeling..."
"Sesshoumaru is an idiot," Inutaisho sighed, shaking his head. "Don't think that that is truly his nature."
"I don't," I responded quickly, I didn't want myself to look like a shallow person. "Everyone has a pleasant side to them, no matter how dark their hearts may be. I may not fully understand him yet, but," I paused. "Something about him tells me that his nice side outweighs the front he puts up."
"Ah, spirited, beautiful, AND clever," Inutaisho smirked. "But I must warn you, Sesshoumaru is more of an enigma than anyone else I know of."
I flushed appreciatively from his praise, but this was getting to be too much. I hastily decided to switch subjects. "Ano.... where are we now?" The way I put it made it sound like a dumb question, and I felt my face warm up. "What I mean is...."
"We are nearing Mt. Fuji. I believe you noticed the drastic change in weather?" he said in a friendly tone. "Well, I believe our private conversation is over." The sound barrier around us faltered and disappeared, and I was a bit relieved to hear the sounds of nighttime again.
"So, we are nearing Mt. Fuji," I suddenly remembered something. "Inutaisho-sama, I was wondering, who is Fuji-sama?"
All of a sudden Sesshoumaru appeared, glaring at his father. "It's no one," he said to me. "You have nothing to do with her."
I blinked at his suddenness in speech, it sounded as if he wanted us to not talk about this Fuji-sama. "'Her?'" For some reason I felt even more curious now.
"Well, actually, it'd probably be better off if you did not know of such things, ne?" Inutaisho said soothingly. "Sesshoumaru fears how you would react."
"Oh?" I said a bit confusedly. "Okay...."
"I do not fear anything," Sesshoumaru snapped. Inutaisho grinned with a knowing look. "Of course, Sesshoumaru."
Was that fluster I saw upon Sesshoumaru's face?
"Sirs, My Lady," a Sentry interrupted us.
Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho's eyes trained on the cat-like accompanier. "We are detecting that the wild nocturnal forest demons should be awakening around this hour. I'd say it is in your best interests to hide Lady Kagome's presence."
"And why is that?" Sesshoumaru quirked.
A look of realization crossed his smooth features. Sesshoumaru said to the fox man, but his eyes were on mine: ".....Never mind that question. Be on the alert of an ambush."
"Hai," the fox man darted off to some random place.
I glanced questioningly up at Inutaisho and he seemed to read my mind. "I've told you before. You are important to us {Sesshoumaru scoffs as he says this} We only want for your safety," he said gently, like a father. "This might be hard to understand, but can you possibly hide your inner ki?"
"Ki? I'll... try," I answered in an unsure state of mind. I wasn't even sure I knew what 'ki' meant. "Forgive me, but I'm not sure how."
"Keep your emotions intact. Try not to be so excited or anxious, or anything for that matter," he replied casually. I concentrated hard to make myself 'emotionless.' My face scrunched up in determination; I closed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth.
A few seconds passed. No use. "I can't," I sighed, exasperated.
Inutaisho started to laugh. "It's alright Kagome-san. But
I fear that we are not at all totally safe. Be ware."
I nodded, and nothing more was said.
~~~~
We walked on, the darkness blanketing over us. Before long all I could see were dark shapes and all I could hear were the clops of the horses and the footsteps of everyone. I did not understand how they could see through this darkness, and wondered why, unlike most people, they would not light some torches. Was it possible that they saw in the dark?
Suddenly, I felt strange, as if an alarm went off inside me.
It was pretty quiet for a while, until everyone seemed to go stiff. The horses, the footsteps, the small noises; they all stopped abruptively.
Tension was rising, and it was making me tremble a little and feel clammy.
"It's them," Kouga whispered, barely audible.
"More?" Juno uttered quietly. "Our auras are flawlessly hidden. How did they find us?"
"Probably because of the girl with the priestess powers," I heard Hiten mumble softly. "She's obviously radiating off a pure aura around these negative forests. One that she cannot simply conceal."
I pretended not to listen.
Shuffling of clothing reached my ears, and I realized that someone was standing close to me. It was Sesshoumaru or Inutaisho. I could not tell.
"I'll look after Kikyou, Sesshoumaru. You keep watch of Kagome," I heard Inutaisho's voice from somewhere far. So the man standing close to me was Sesshoumaru. I clenched my fists nervously, aching to ask what was going on.
(By now the clouds have cleared up, and a few stars dimly lit the environment.)
"Don't say anything," he ordered quietly. "Do you think you can conceal your powers?" I shook my head, "I already tried. I've no idea how."
"They're here!!!" Kouga suddenly snapped.
"Damn," Sesshoumaru muttered beside me.
Out of the blue, deformed demons busted out of the forest in ambush. From yellow wormlike beasts to multiple-eyed ogres ran from all directions, looking like they had one objective. They circled the entire route, making it impossible for us to escape. I quieted and looked around from my position. Upon close scrutiny of the battle, I witnessed many Tsukishidai guards transforming... they still held their human like qualities, but their eyes, hair color and clothing completely changed. I tried my best not to gawk. Juno's hair suddenly flared into a dark color of blue and a single red stripe cut through the right side of his face, starting from just under his eye down to the end of his cheekbone. Everyone pretty much had transformed similarly.
"Sesshoumaru, what's going on here?" I whispered, shaking violently, yet trying to hold my ground.
"They sensed your power... and now they want to," Sesshoumaru paused, thinking hard. "mate you," he answered without further hesitation. I choked on air. "E-Excuse me?"
"The lesser demons," Sesshoumaru said plainly with his eyes glued to mine. "They wish to obtain power- do you wish me to continue and tell you how?"
"No," I shook my head vigorously and averted my gaze over to the carriage that held Kikyou. I saw a demon bound forth and knock the carriage into pieces.
"KIKYOU!!" I screamed in worry. I saw her form hit the ground, and heard the barest of groans escape her lips. On instinct I began to run her direction. "Kikyou, are you alright-"
"Fool," Sesshoumaru hissed and jerked me back to him by my wrist. I fell backwards onto him and he snaked an arm around me to keep me from getting away.
"No, please, I must save Kikyou!! She's the only family I have with me- (my voice became desperate Let me go," I said pleadingly.
"She'll be fine," Sesshoumaru pointed out, and I saw Inutaisho coming to her aid. The look on her face made me worry for her. I couldn't stand seeing her so frightened!
"You aren't the
only one trying to protect her, understand?" Sesshoumaru broke me from my
thoughts. "But if you run across the clearing like that, a demon would've taken
you away."
I nodded. Immediately, I found myself being launched off the ground and found myself air-bound in Sesshoumaru's arms. Where we were standing before hand was a large crater in the ground, caused by a strong looking youkai who'd tried to attack us before. "What do they want?" I asked frantically. "Surely it isn't me their after..!"
Sesshoumaru smirked at me bitterly when we landed on a tree limb. "No... it's you they want. Get that through your head."
I stood in silent confusion, and Sesshoumaru flashed his claws. "I didn't know you'd attract the stronger of the youkai as well..."
"This is my fault..?" I asked emptily. "How... I don't..."
Sesshoumaru looked away. My eyebrows drew together in worry. I couldn't have erected all these demons out of the woods, could I? The feeling of helplessness was engulfing me. I needed to assist in some way, any way at all. A few small youkai lunged at us; he immediately slashed each to pieces.
Examining the battle from my position, I saw Kikyou looking horrified as Inutaisho protected her from the frightening demons. Juno, Hiten, and Kouga seemed to bear an insufficient amount wounds. A few of the Tsukishidai warriors and youkai were dead and scattered around the battlefield. Only two minutes into the crusade and so many were already dying.
Guilt started to build in blocks inside me. So many were dying.... and it's because of me? I determined myself, watching as Sesshoumaru scanned for any demons that might attack us. Maybe if I led the demons away, no one would get hurt anymore.
My mind was set.
~~
I shot Sesshoumaru, who was turned away from me, a rueful look and mouthed an apology.
Then I jumped down from the limb. He didn't notice until after a few seconds, but I was already sprinting away from the battle site, intent on drawing the demons away from them. I could tell by now that he was probably furious.
Oh well.
Small thorny brushes cut and tore my gi a bit, but I couldn't care less. The trees rushed past me as I ran, and I could already hear the frightening cries of demons around me. My body trembled all over. I started to regret jumping out of safety.
An ogre-like demon grabbed my sleeve and I yelped in terror. With all my might I tore my sleeve off and continued running for dear life.
~~~~END CHAPTER
AHH!!! UPDATED!! AHH!! *runs around in circles* But I updated a cliffy. ^.^ (gets pummeled on by various objects)
Sorry for the boring chapter, truly I am. Updating my story has NEVER been so hard before. -_-
~~~~~
Okay, I'll be honest with you guys. I HAVE been un-grounded, but then for some reason I signed up for all these occupations, leadership, sports, etc... and I've decided to take up volleyball. -_-.... Okaa-san says it'd look good on my record for college application or something. Bleh.
So anyways, Sorry for updating a cliffy.. I wasn't gonna post this one up 'til I gots the next chappie written down, but a certain reviewer made it so I just HAD to update.
Review Responses
Insane Punk Pixie: Sorry, it's gonna be Sesshy/Kag whether you like it or not. ^_^ It's what I had originally in mind, anyways. If you don't like the idea, then don't read it. Besides, there are plenty other Inu/Kags out there, so knock yourself out.
Emma Raikou: Thank you... I hope that you're still reading this... I know I haven't been updating for a helluva long time.
Kairinu: Flattered! I hope to see you review again!
Wackaromaco87: Probably. And yes, Sesshoumaru's being an ass, but it's for his own good. After all, I can't have him falling instantly in love with Kagome, now can I?
Tiatoter: Yep! I totally agree!
Miau: Thanks!
Iron Lotus: :P Yeah, well I grew tired of the Kikyo-as-a-prostitute-like-clay-lady thing in many fanfics, so I decided to do something different. I'm glad you approve of it!
Tsuki no Tennyo: Arigato! I hope you're still reading this! ;;;;
Dopplegang: I thank you for the advertisement.
Tiffany: This is a Sess/Kag. And Juno? He's just a weird guy based off MY interpretation of a good guy friend.
Death Phoenix: I didn't exactly update soon, but here it is anyway.
Silver Goddess: Thank you.
Boo: I find the plot interesting as well! I'm happy we agree on it!
Daaku Kitsune: Yes, Kouga WILL be in this fic. Somehow.
Cold-Hearted NightFox: Here it is.
acrimsonnight: This isn't exactly ASAP but it's something, at least. ^.^
Skurria: I like this fic more than Shinjite, too.
Yhi: Yep, she's figuring things out. But can she figure out the enigma that is Sesshoumaru?
ANY: Is this story REALLY all that scary? Should I change the category or something? ^_^ ;;; A lot of people say 'scary' in their reviews... hmm...
Ange Noir: ^_____^ I just HAD to update after seeing your particular review. Reviews like yours are really motivating!
young-gurl-15: Here it is!
Fairy: Why, thank you! I'm very much flattered!
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::As to Shinjite, I feel very discouraged with that fic right now. Naraku is getting harder and harder to make nice, because I'm REALLY starting to dislike him in the show. -_-;;; Not to say that I don't like Naraku in Shinjite, it's just that... well, in other fanfiction you have Naraku acting like some sexually hyped up pervert or eviler than he usually is, and it makes me think. So right now I'm in a heavy debate with this story::
Please review....
Sayonara!