Stray

Chapter Five

If there was ever something so evil that it drove a person to insanity, it was silence. At least, that was Kagome's opinion. Silence could take make forms, none of which were something she particularly liked. There was deadly silence that chilled you to the bone, thunderous silence that shook you to the core, and there was the silence that happened after a student in your class cracked one off in the back row. Yes, Kagome didn't like any of those silences or any of the others as well. Although, she had to admit, the third of that list was the worst because during the silence you warring with the urge to laugh uncontrollably or to run out of the room disgusted.

But the silence that enveloped her home was nearly as bad.

She opened her mouth more times than she could count to say something, but every time seemed to evoke the ire of the stoic youkai leaning against the fireplace mantle and she was effectively silenced with a golden glare. Shippo, after finally loosening his less than gentle hold on Kagome's arm, had long ago succumbed to blissful peace of sleep. Kagome wanted to hate him for his ability to sleep under almost any circumstance, but she almost giggled despite herself when she looked down and saw him in her lap with a fine trail of drool running down from his mouth.

"You are a fool." The sudden baritone voice made her start slightly before she looked up at him in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

"You cannot hope to keep living the way you are. Recklessly, half-heartedly, and without regard to your own life." Immediately, Kagome resembled a puffed up cat as she carefully deposited Shippo onto the couch next to her and stalked towards Sesshoumaru across the room.

"How dare you! You have no idea what I've had to deal with you low-life, fowl, arrogant son of a..." He leveled her with a glare that would have normally sent her back towards the couch. Her fierce whispers would have leveled a normal ningen male to his knees, but Sesshoumaru wasn't about to back down.

"Now is not the time for name calling girl."

"You're one to talk!" Her furious whisper was more of a hiss as she spoke, her tiny index finger jabbing into his chest. Honestly, he hadn't seen her cross the room completely and was quite shocked to suddenly have a small, manicured finger nail digging into the skin beneath his black tank top.

"I know more than you think I know, and that is how I know that you are a fool." Suddenly, as though someone had burst a balloon, Kagome felt the anger flow out of her almost instantly as she gasped as if pained. In her ire, in her frantic attempt to make it look like she was doing just fine, she'd forgotten that Sesshoumaru was like her.

One half of a whole.

"Oh Kami...Sesshoumaru...I'm..."

"I don't need your pity." She flinched away from him as though he'd struck her, and once again he saw her as so much less than what he'd heard. She looked so small, powerless, and absolutely weak to him then. But instead of disgusting him as it normally would, it made something in his chest clench. She turned away from him and walked over to the french doors, looking out into the moonlight backyard.

As she stepped into the beams of moonlight, he had to fight back a gasp.

She'd changed her clothes while he'd disposed of the intruders and now wore a a pair of black slacks and a silk, aqua cami that hugged her in all the right places. The moonlight made her pale skin glow, her messy onyx hair shine, and the way the light flowed across her top was nothing short of enchanting. She looked so unreal to him then, so incredibly dream-like that his hand twitched with the urge to touch those silk strands of onyx to make sure she was real.

He snorted mentally at himself, letting a frown cross his features instead of barely there shock. How low he had fallen in a such a short time, how lowly he must seem to those who knew him before the "accident". He pushed himself away from the mantle with a barely audible growl, not at all liking the turn in his thoughts. But his growl and ire completely died when he focused on her face once more. For in the glowing light of the moon, he could see two crystalline tears making their way down her cheeks.

"I've tried. I've tried so hard to live on, to keep moving for not only Inuyasha, but for Shippo as well." Again, her voice sounded so tiny for one such as them and it made something in his gut clench almost painfully. What was this girl, this insignificant slip of a female, doing to him?

"But it's hard. It's so hard to go on without Inuyasha. No one realizes just how strong the bond is between the Fighter and the Sacrifice until one of the two is gone. It's like losing half of one whole, and every day I have to spend feeling like I'm incomplete...I wish more and more that I'd died with Inuyasha on that night. That's how it should have been." Her voice was nearly gone by the time she stopped speaking, shaking and fighting back the sobs that he was sure were fighting to get loose. It made him uneasy to witness this, her opening to the world as it were. She looked so strong and weak at the same time, glowing in the moonlight as tears raced down her cheeks. She looked like the whole world had been placed on her shoulders, and as she looked over at him with another tear racing down her cheek, looking utterly lost, Sesshoumaru suddenly wanted nothing more than to remove that horrible burden from her shoulders.

'What in the Kami's great name is going on?'

They stared at each other, sapphire blue meeting swirling gold in a clash that left them both in a stand still. For the first time in several years, two lost souls were found again. Two people were brought back to life. That is, until a rather loud snore from Shippo brought them back to the painful hell of reality. Sesshoumaru was the first to come back.

"You need help." At this, she snorted with the tears still in her eyes and stared out into the yard once more.

"No one can help me. No one is willing." Her voice was bitter and for a moment, she sounded like him. Strangely enough, Sesshoumaru found he didn't like it.

"I shall help you." Again, she snorted.

"Oh yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that. Inuyasha's family has never wanted anything to do with me, so why start now?" Her voice was bitter still, but had been warped by anger. She had fire yet, and it could be heard in every syllable of her voice as she'd spoke.

"I am different from my family. Inuyasha was a cherished son. I, on the other hand, was banished from the family." She seemed to lose all her ire then, something he'd said having hit far too close to home for comfort. She looked at him, their eyes locking once more, and she sighed quietly as she took the few steps needed until she was standing so close to him that he could feel her breath on his skin as she looked up at him.

"It seems we're more alike than I had originally thought Sesshoumaru." She didn't give him a chance to reply, and instead walked past him to where Shippo lay sleeping on the couch, gently lifting his tiny body into her arms before walking from the room with grace he hadn't thought possible from her. He followed after her, not wanting to allow her an escape from the matters at hand, until they reached the child's room.

He wanted to chuckle then, seeing just how insanely messy the small kitsune's room was. He didn't know how she managed at all. For him, a taiyoukai, it was hard enough to handle one ningen child, a female at that. But for her to handle a kitsune, who's mischievous nature was well known by everyone, and not have tried to kill him was a miracle in itself.

"Momma?" He noticed how she smiled at that, so soft and gentle it that it shocked him.

"It's okay now. No one's coming after us and you can go back to sleep now. Don't forget you have school in the morning." She gently tucked him into bed, all the while still smiling softly.

"M'kay...but may I have some Pocky tomorrow?" She laughed at this, tapping his nose gently.

"Any flavor you want."

"Strawberry?" She nodded and Shippo closed his eyes with a soft sigh of contentment. But instantly, Kagome's smile was gone and she was frowning. She stood upright, watching Shippo as he slept, her posture rigid and serious.

"I can't keep going like this. I've been lucky thus far but...but I think my luck is running out. Wouldn't you say so Sesshoumaru?" She looked at him, her expression dead serious, and he nodded, agreeing that her luck was starting to run out. At this, she sighed and walked out of the room and shut the door once he was out in the hall.

"I normally wouldn't consider this, but under the circumstances, I think it's required. I need you assistance Sesshoumaru." They both silent for some time and he could sense her fidgeting anxiously in the darkness.

"First off, you cannot remain here unprotected." She was instantly insulted, as he'd predicted.

"But we're doing just fine!"

"Oh? Is that how those youkai got into your residence without your knowledge?" She grumbled something as they began walking back down the stairs to the living room, and even with his youkai hearing, he was unable to catch it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. But where do you suggest we go if not here?" He fought the urge to snort.

"Is it not obvious? You and the kit shall be staying with me in my penthouse until I find a more suitable residence."

"What?!" Her furious whisper was expected, but not entirely welcome as she turned to him with a fire he knew she'd possessed burning in her eyes.

"What else were you expecting? For me to find you some house in an area I know nothing about? You shall be staying with me for your protection only. Do not flatter yourself into thinking I want your presence in my life all day, every day." She snorted as she walked into the kitchen, intending to make herself a cup of tea to soothe her nerves.

"Let me guess; you'd rather have a bullet to the brain?"

"Quite possibly." She growled quietly as she yanked a tea cup from the cabinet, nearly losing her grip on it and sending it across the room in the process.

"Arrogant jerk."

"Excuse me?" She slammed the cup on the counter, just hard enough to not damage it.

"Nothing. When do you expect us to 'move in'? Whenever it's good for you?" She was irritated, that much was obvious, and he found he was rather likely her strangely witty argument with him. She had wit and unquestionably clever even in her ire. It was...intriguing.

"I shall have your things moved while you attend your classes tomorrow. A driver of my own or myself will be waiting for you when classes end. Do not go anywhere else." She snorted at him, reaching for the box where she kept the tea bags for her favorite peppermint tea.

"Yes Sesshoumaru-sama." He narrowed his eyes, not at all liking the obvious mocking tone in her voice when she used the honorific.

"I am doing this for your safety girl. You could at least sound grateful." She visibly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm grateful to you alright. But I don't appreciate you talking to me like I'm a child."

"I wouldn't speak to you like you're a child if you wouldn't act like one." She turned so fast that he was surprised and was barely able to grasp her tiny wrist in his hand as she swung her hand to lay a backhanded smack across his alabaster skin.

"You arrogant son of a..." He narrowed his eyes in a glare that he knew would send anyone into hysterics.

"I'd advise you not to finish that statement, Kagome." But apparently, Kagome could not be so easily frightened when her ire was present.

"And just what will you do if I finished it?" She stood up a little taller, obviously trying to make her tiny height irrelevant.

"I'm a youkai. What do you think I will do?" She snorted and turned away from him, throwing up her hands with an exasperated sigh as she grabbed the kettle and set it upon the stove in a less than gentle manner. Her back was to him now and he heard her laugh, though it was little more than an exhale as her hands found their place on the counter as she leaned over. Her tense, angry shoulders seemed to melt as he watched her, a slow sigh escaping her lips as that quiet laugh echoed in the night again.

"You're more alike than you know. You and Inuyasha. You're both...you're both so stubborn when you argue. Rather funny, actually." But her tone said otherwise. Her tone was that broken one again, one of quiet defeat. He could sense the agony in her soul, see it in the way she held herself up with the aid of the counter, and he could smell it as the scent of salt tickled his nose. She was truly living with the pain of half of her soul. Any others of their kind would have given up so long ago. But she, like him, kept living.

The only difference was that he lived for vengeance and she lived for...well, he wasn't quite sure why.

"Who am I kidding Sesshoumaru? I'm screwed. Taking a leaf out of Inuyasha's book, I'm totally fucking screwed. I'm so weak compared to what I used to be. Even when I can force myself to actually fight, I can barely even tap into my powers again. What's worse is that these units, these assassins, are getting stronger with every appearance. I can't keep fighting on my own."

"You won't be." Kagome snorted, still supporting herself on the counter.

"Nothing can ever be for certain Sesshoumaru, you and I both know that. What happens if a unit somehow gets past whatever defenses you'll have? What then? What if I'm too weak on my own? I'm only one half, not a complete unit. I was trained as both a Fighter and Sacrifice but I can only do so much." Sesshoumaru didn't know what to say to this. It was true. Nothing was ever certain, especially in lives such as theirs. How could he even hope that she'd never have to fight? It was in her to fight, to survive.

Just as it was in him.

"I shall find some way to get around the...complications."

"You can't solve all the world's problems." She looked at him over her shoulder now, her blue eyes glittering with unshed tears. Tears of regret. Tears of sorrow.

Tears of fear.

"Yes, but all we can do is try. Am I right?" Kagome smirked lightly at him, hearing her water boiling before turning and placing the tea bag clenched in her hand into the tea cup on the counter. When she spoke, she did so quietly as she poured the boiling, steaming water into the cup.

"All we can do is try, and live."

"And fight." She finished pouring and turned to him, a soft smile on her lips, and he realized that her ever changing moods would become very confusing and irritating very fast.

"Yes, fight. No matter how weak I may be now, I can always fight."

It was then, as they stood in the rays of moonlight coming into her kitchen, that they both reached the same realization with no outer change of expression. They understood each other, more than anyone else could. Each of them understood the other's pain, loss, and sudden weakness. Something happened to them then, something neither of them could detect in any way. It was a subtle change, but it was enough. At the same time, both of them felt alive. Alive and suddenly strong. They felt hope, and everything else that had eluded them since their separate accidents. But they had no idea why, no idea how, and no idea that the other person standing in front of them was feeling the exact same thing as they were.

Neither of them noticed the strange tingling centering on their respective brands.

"You should sleep." Kagome laughed softly, turning back to the counter as she grabbed the sugar bowl and scooped so much sugar into her tea that Sesshoumaru knew without a doubt that the girl had a vicious sweet tooth.

"I know I should. The question is...can I?" She turned and looked at him, but barely had a chance to blink before all she knew was darkness and a strange sensation in her body that felt like it had all fallen asleep without warning, the "pins and needles" working their way all through her body before she was lost to a black abyss.

Sesshoumaru leaned out and caught her before she could hurt herself on anything, his youki receding back into his body as he did so. She would sleep, he'd made sure of it. It was a trick he'd invented some time ago when Rin was still plagued by nightmares of the night that made her an orphan. He'd never tested it on an adult though, and was satisfied with how her body lay limp in his arms, her breathing even and slow and her face peaceful. With grace that made ballerinas jealous, he lifted her fully into his arms bridal style and headed towards the stairs, making sure to protect her from doorways and the hallway railings. When he reached her room, he frowned visibly after having seen the young child's room. The boy's room was fully unpacked and as organized as a kitsune child's room could be. Kagome's on the other hand, was mostly boxes and stacked up furniture with a small mattress sitting in one corner.

Her room would not be like this when she stayed with him.

He didn't know why that idea suddenly came to him, and he didn't linger on it as he kneeled and placed her gently on the soft mattress, hearing her sigh so quietly that it barely registered even with his youkai hearing. He studied her then as he kneeled next to her bed. Her long onyx hair was fanned around her, a few chunks coming over her shoulders and onto her chest. Her dainty hands, with her long artistic fingers, were resting on each side of her and he noticed vaguely that she left her nails bare and natural unlike most women. He looked at her face, seeing a peaceful expression there that made something in him twist strangely. Before he could think of his actions, he reached out and lifted a few stray strands from her face and smoothed them gently behind her ear. His gasp echoed in the small room as she sighed and leaned into his gentle touch, shocking him so much that he froze for more than just a few moments.

Again, something in him twisted and he was left nearly breathless.

'What is this girl doing to me? I barely know her name, barely know her and yet I react to her as if I have known her forever.' Sesshoumaru was thoroughly confused, and it was clear in his glowing golden eyes as he frowned and pulled away from her as he stood, feeling an odd sense of loss as his hand left the soft skin of her face. Something was happening, and Sesshoumaru didn't know if he was happy about it. Confused and more than mildly irritated, he walked from the room and left the small house, straddling his silver motorcycle that was sitting in the driveway before gently placing the silver helmet onto his head, still frowning at his actions.

So many things in one day that caused him to be puzzled. There was the small bits of information Kagome had revealed about the circumstances of Inuyasha's death, the way he'd somehow known that he had to go to her home in the middle of the night with an urgency that had ripped at his chest, and now these strange feelings from the kitchen and the bedroom.

Snorting, Sesshoumaru put it off as the fact that they knew exactly what the other was going through and started his motorcycle before speeding off into the night with his mind buzzing so much that he was sure, unlike her, he would not be getting any sleep on this night.

Ack! Short chapter! Nyuu...

But anywho...I'm going through a lot of emotional crap right now with the recent break up between myself and the guy that inspired Sometimes, and also the upcoming anniversary of my grandfather's death. So yeah...writing might be a tad difficult. And speaking of Sometimes...I'm considering rewriting it. I'm not sure yet and I have started the rewrite but I'm not sure if I'll leave it as it is, or if I'll rewrite it, using almost 90 real events. But meh...I'll think about it. But for now my readers, ja ne!

+Blue+