Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…it just gets more and more depressing to say that every time.
Untitled
Chapter 1: Conversation With A Tree
A month had passed since Kagome had seen him last, observing her training session with Sango. The night of the new moon was once again approaching and Kagome suspected that he would appear again soon.
It had been four months ago, to the day, that she had identified their silent stalker. The little miko itch in her brain had told her there was a demon nearby, a very powerful demon, and she had gone to investigate.
As she walked through the woods, she began to have serious doubts about her plan of action.
Ok, I've been walking through the woods for five minutes now and I haven't found anything. Which either means I'm imagining things, or I'm very stupid for going into the woods alone and chasing after a demon smart enough to mask his aura. Great. Crazy or an idiot. I really need a vacation. I wonder if I could talk Inuyasha into taking me to the hot springs out west? They should be there in this time too…I wonder how long it takes hot springs to form? Maybe I'll ask Kaede if she knows of any nearby hot springs. I'm sure she…crap!
Kagome's inner monologue was cut short as she tripped over a protruding root and crashed to the forest floor, face first.
That settles it. I am an idiot.
She slowly rolled herself over, blowing leaves out of her face. And she lay there, on the forest floor, staring at the light from the afternoon sun filtering through the trees. It was amazing how embarrassing tripping and falling flat on your face could be, even if there was no one there to see you. Eventually Kagome's embarrassment melted away into amusement, and she began to laugh at herself. Her soft chuckles soon turned into full blown, side clenching, out of breath laughter. It felt good to laugh. As of late, there hadn't been enough laughter. By their latest count, Naraku had nearly two thirds of the shikon no tama and the atmosphere had been stressed, to say the least.
The thought of Naraku quickly brought Kagome down from her good mood and she let out a large sigh. She shifted her arms up to cushion her head and gazed up at the trees, looking for some sort answers to the problem of how to defeat Naraku. That was not quite what she found.
At first the young miko thought the spot of yellow in the tree above her head was a leaf. But then it occurred to her that it was March and there aren't any golden leaves in March. Keeping her face carefully calm, she scrutinized the tree. After a few moments, Kagome was able to pick out splashes of red and white among the green leaves. And the only person who wore white, other than Naraku, was Sesshoumaru.
That can't be Naraku. I'd be dead by now if that was Naraku. But then again, if that was Sesshoumaru, shouldn't I still be dead? Or at least pleading for my pathetic human life? Hm. Maybe not. Sesshoumaru really doesn't seem to be that bad, as far as evil youkai go. He's never really tried to kill me directly, unless I interfered in a fight. And he hasn't come after Inuyasha or the Tetsusaiga lately. Maybe he's changed his mind about killing Inuyasha? Hm. Not likely, if he's as stubborn as his brother. Well, he hasn't killed me yet, so I think I'll count my blessings and get out of here while I can.
With that decision firmly in her mind, Kagome slowly pulled herself up off of the ground. She brushed as much of the dirt and leaves off as she could and combed her fingers through her tangled hair. She then picked up the bow she had dropped earlier when she fell and turned to walk back towards her companions. But before she did, she turned and faced the tree.
Kagome smiled and addressed the empty air.
"I apologize for trespassing through your lands but all the shikon shards not claimed by Naraku or myself seem to be around here. Forgive my companions and I, we will make the trip as quickly as possible. Thank you." Kagome gave a short bow and her long black hair fell over her shoulders and partially obscured her face. She really hoped it covered the blush that she could feel creeping across her cheeks. "And please don't tell anyone about my falling. Thatwasreallyembarrassing. Ok. Thanks. Gottogo. Bye!" And she sprinted off into the woods, missing the pair of golden eyes which watched her so closely.
That had been four months ago. Since then, Kagome had felt Sesshoumaru's presence near their group more often. He would come and go but she always felt him nearby whenever Inuyasha's time as a human was approaching.
If I didn't know any better, I would swear that Sesshoumaru was watching out for Inuyasha. Maybe there is hope for those two. After all, Inuyasha tried to kill me the first time he met me. And Sango tried to kill him. Miroku and Kouga both kidnapped me. Shippou left Inuyasha stuck under a statue. Come to think of it, their group really had met in odd ways. Who knew that one day we'd all be working together peacefully?
CRACK! Kagome looked over to see Miroku on the ground twitching, Sango fuming nearby.
Ok, maybe not completely peacefully. But like a family. And Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's family. And Inuyasha can get annoying sometimes. Maybe Sesshoumaru's poison claws are his version of sit. Yes. That has to be it. Inuyasha has surpassed even Souta-levels of annoyance and being youkai, they act differently. Whereas I would tickle Souta into submission, Sesshoumaru fights Inuyasha. And occasionally punches holes through his chest. Ugh. I give up trying to rationalize this. The world is crazy and so am I. Maybe I'll just ask Sesshoumaru about it next time he comes by…
Famous last words…
*Author's Notes*
Yeah! Chapter one is finished! Go me. Still working on a title, Waizu, thanks for the suggestion. I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but I have mad work that I should be doing, so I get out what I can. As always, reviews are welcome! Thanks.