Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Angelus
By : TwilightAlien
Category: InuYasha > General
Views: 3232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Chapter 14
�Kitana-sama! Rin missed you so much!�
The young child ran eagerly toward the ebony
creature, ahead of the mismatched group of travellers. Ah-Un had let her down
when he felt no more danger and she wasted no time to reach the one she had so
longed to see in the last weeks. However, as she came near her lying form, she
stopped dead in her tracks.
�You� are dirty. Rin think it is best if Rin
does not hug you.�
A crystalline laugh echoed in the late
afternoon air as Kitana looked at the disgusted face of the child, then at
herself. The fresh blood that covered her from head to toes was starting to
clot, turning from a vivid brick red color to a duller rusty black. Bits and
pieces of dragon flesh still adhered to her here and there, and the beige sand
of the beach stuck to the drying blood. As weak as was her sense of smell, she
could already pick up the first accents of decay coming from both the cadaver
and herself and on her tongue lingered the metallic taste of blood. Yes, she
was a mess.
�Well, little miss sunshine, you are right. I
seriously need a bath.�
Her eyes turned toward the head of the dragon,
from where Kagome and Sango were carefully approaching, carrying Shippo and
Kirara and followed by the monk and hanyou. Bracing herself for what was to
come and trying to ignore pain that surely did not want to be ignored, she carefully
sat up and waved a hand at them.
�Hey, long time no see! Fancy a steak, anyone?
There is big game in that lake!�
Her cheerful tone completely froze them in
their track. How could she be so happy coated in blood, with Sesshomaru
standing impassively behind her, that was beyond their understanding. Kitana
carefully rose, her whole body aching in ways she did not knew possible, and
she turned toward the lake and Sesshomaru, who had now set his gaze on the
village on the other side of the lake. Movement was visible beside the small
huts, but the humans would need hours before reaching the opposite bank, if
they ever gathered enough courage to come.
--
Kitana spent a lot of time cleaning herself
from the remains of her battle. Kagome had handed her a bottle containing
liquid soap, and she was thankful for that. The bottle itself disturbed her
though, as it was clearly made in a material that was too complex to have been
created here. Storing this discovery for later investigation, she focused on
the people gathered on the beach around the dragon, trying not to let her own
inner turmoil appear on her features.
Sesshomaru was waiting for his hairs and
clothes to finish drying, and amazingly it was well underway. He had seated
himself at the base of a lone tree that was growing a good twenty feet away
from the forest, on a small earthy ledge overlooking the sandy beach below him.
The ledge encircled the beach completely, and further away merged with the
beach and became the shore itself. He was almost out of view from the busy
group of friends, but was close enough to hear everything and to watch over the
little Rin. She was having fun with the fox child and as her belly started to
rumble, he decided to let her take a meal with her new friend before moving on.
Although he was sitting upright in an ever watchful position, he was sending
clear vibrations of relief, tinged by bouts of pain. Strong waves of annoyance
were washing over his other feelings though, and as much as she apprehended to
be the source of this irritation, Kitana understood by Sesshomaru�s subtle
glances that it was Inuyasha�s antics that were provoking most of his ire.
Noticing the silvery-white hairs of the boy,
she frowned. How weird. She should have made the connection the first time she
met with him, and yet she didn�t. His face and hairs were so similar to
Sesshomaru�s, as was his slightly weaker energy signature. The two of them
apparently knew each other very well, and were not in good terms, to state the
obvious.
She reported her attention to the other members
of the strange boy�s group. Kagome was much more relaxed than what she
remembered of her; although she was sometimes eyeing the taiyoukai warily she
was not on her guards as much as on their first meeting. She jested with
Inuyasha, sitting him once every few minutes when he reached for his
Tetsusaiga. This guy really had a thick skull to endure all that without
sustaining any brain damage, and the girl should realize how severe a
punishment it was to be sent face down on the ground every now and then. As far
as she could tell from the distance Kagome seemed to be �reasoning� Inuyasha
about Sesshomaru�s and Kitana�s presence amongst them. The young warrior
apparently considered both of them to be threats to his friends and would not
let that be. The dog-eared boy finally seemed to understand her �arguments� and
sat on the ground, pouting. The young girl then started to rummage in her
yellow bag, setting aside some white and red bowls and a larger round bowl
which she filled with water from clear, almost supple bottles. Some other
oddities she would have to investigate.
Reporting her attention closer to her, Kitana
found that the monk was not inactive either. For the first time since she met
him, his thoughts seemed to be completely clear of any kind of erotic
daydreams. He was concentrated on writing something on a small sheet of paper,
which he then threw to the dragon�s human mask. To her amazement, the paper
emitted a bright light and the large body disappeared, exploding in tiny black
sparkles that quickly vanished in the slowly setting sunlight. The water of the
lake rushed where the cadaver lied a moment before in a thunderous sound, then
it was all over, as if the dragon never existed. A sense of accomplishment came
to her from the monk, quickly followed by the more familiar, less appropriate
feelings as he returned to the side of the demon-slayer. Was it what he was
trying to do to her when he threw these sticky paper sheets at her on the other
night? She frowned, re-evaluating her opinion of the monk.
Her eyes turned toward Sango, who was busy
making a campfire. The children were helping her by gathering small pieces of
driftwood along the shore. She was nervous and unhappy, and every once in a
while would turn her eyes toward the beach where Kitana bathed. The slayer
would not accept her presence either, it seemed. Suddenly she turned around and
her hand met with the monk�s cheek with a resounding slapping sound. The said
monk fell on his back with a happy look on his face, and managed to sit himself
right beside the object of his desire. The demon slayer emitted waves of
irritation so strong that even people not gifted with empathic abilities should
be able to perceive them, Kitana thought. Really, they were a weird bunch of
people, she said to herself while she emerged out of the water, letting her
clothes adopt the more appropriate form of long flowing pants and top that she developed
the first time she met with Sesshomaru.
�Kitana-san, come and eat with us! The ramen
will be ready in moments, as soon as the water will boil!� shouted Kagome to
the dark creature, as she was putting her large round device on the fire.
Kitana waved at her, �I will Kagome, just give me a moment please!�
The girl nodded to her and returned her
attention to the kettle that sat atop the bonfire.
Kitana gathered all the courage she could find
and slowly approached Sesshomaru�s side. Sitting along the tree trunk just
beside him, they were now both looking at the lake, the noises from the
campfire reaching them on their left side.
�I, erm�� started Kitana, keeping her voice
low. �I want to apologize� for� the other day. And thank you� for today. You
saved me.�
�Cease your ramblings, woman,� said Sesshomaru
in an impervious, but hushed voice. �There is no apology to be made.� His eyes
were still fixed upon the horizon.
Very slightly reassured by the absence of any
hostility coming from him, she breathed more easily.
�I� just want you to know that I regret showing
you these visions. You did not deserve it.�
Never looking at her, he answered her once
again.
�No one deserves such visions. Yet, you had a
point to make and you did it well. You cannot change what you are, you only
need to accept your nature and live with it.�
�Well�� she sighed deeply, feeling very
uncomfortable. �It is not always easy.�
The sound of small waves breaking on the shore
reached her, as the wind increased in strength in the early evening. The night
would be chilly.
�Life is not meant to be easy. But you can make
it easier by gaining control over the part of you that you loathe. Over time
you will learn to accept and appreciate what you are.�
She relaxed against the bark of the tree,
pondering his words. The taiyoukai was rarely giving any kind of philosophical advice,
beside insults and scolding, and it struck her as strange. Then, the events
that happened under the water came back to her mind in a flash and maybe, maybe
she began to understand what he meant.
�Did you really�transform, back there? For a
moment, I thought another demon had come after me, but I saw you change. How is
it� possible?� she asked with a frown on her face.
He turned his intense golden gaze to her face
and met her eyes. �This Sesshomaru is youkai; I thought it was clear now in
your mind.� In a softer tone he added, �Dog youkai.�
She nodded slowly, beginning to truly
understand the implications of being a youkai.
�Dog youkai� she whispered.
His nature was not much different from hers;
bestiality was lurking underneath his pristine features as much as it was under
her own black skin. He was hiding his true nature, just like her, but the thin
varnish of civilization hid feral instincts that needed not much stimulation to
surface. No wonder he seemed to know about controlling and accepting oneself.
Her attention was caught by a movement at her
side. The young Rin was coming at them in a hurry, holding one of the bizarre
containers in her tiny hands. She showed them what appeared to be noodles in a
broth.
�Kitana-sama, Sesshomaru-sama! Kagome-san is
making a very good food, and it does not look like human food at all. Rin is
sure you would like it!�
�It sure looks good Rin! I�ll be joining you
soon. Enjoy your meal.�
Smiling at Kitana, the young one returned to
her place by the fire, trying her best to keep her cup from being stolen by the
mischievous fox-child sitting at her side.
�You met my half- brother� said Sesshomaru. It
was more an observation than a question though, and Kitana answered by
returning her eyes to his.
�Brother, eh� That explains a lot of things.�
Sesshomaru exuded a wave of disdain at her
words. �Do not imply anything, woman. We only share my father�s blood; the
hanyou�s mother being a human makes him nothing but an insignificant bother.�
Half-brother. Half-human. Detested by his own
sibling. It explained why the young boy wanted nothing but to shove his
gigantic sword deep under her companion�s skin.
�Hey, I meant that you have similar features,
that�s all. You can�t deny it after all� But that�s about it, for the rest you
are totally different��
His eyes glued to hers, he did not comment, not
wanting to know if it was an insult or a compliment. He would not be caught in
her efforts to sway the conversation in another direction. He was a master at
interrogation, and he knew that sooner or later the pressure of silence would
push her to speak. Maybe sooner than later, in fact.
�Well, yes, I met him and his friends some days
ago. They were a little wary of me, at first, but at the end everything settled
for the best, I guess�� she fidgeted, looking at her hands, hands that seemed
so interesting right now.
Unexpectedly, she felt a little point of humor
coming from Sesshomaru. Was he mocking her, or having fun at her discomfort?
She waited to see what his reactions would be, but he didn�t seem to be angry
at all. It was very strange, sensing no anger at all coming from Sesshomaru,
and she certainly did not know how to deal with it.
�This Sesshomaru thought that after all what
we� shared, you wouldn�t feel the need to hide your true self anymore in my
company.�
�What, what do you mean?� she stuttered, unsure
of where he was going.
�The detailed circumstances of your encounter
with my blood relative were related to me earlier.�
An astonished silence followed his words, only
broken moments later by a hushed �ohh�� from Kitana.
Sesshomaru knew that she was very embarrassed,
for her usual brash character was now completely subdued, as if the sky had
fallen down on her. Amused to see her so shy, he pushed the nail a little
further.
�This Sesshomaru does not care about your�
affairs.� Turning to look him in the eyes, she blinked a couple of times before
answering.
�You� Really?� Confusion was evident in her
features.
�Of course. After all, it was nothing but old
news to me.�
Her eyes widened slightly when his words sank
in. Shivers ran through her spine and she did not know if she was chilled to
the bone or burning in shame; it was horrible.
�You� knew?�
He simply nodded, once, fully appreciating the
panic that was starting to appear on her face as she once again broke eye
contact with him. It was clearly a good payback for forcing him to engage the
dragon in battle, as well as for the dreaded visions she plagued him with, that
still haunted his nights and days.
�The scent, I guess��
His eyes opened minutely as he realized that he
had not given a second thought as to how he would explain his knowledge of her sexual
life, had she asked how he knew. He did not refute her conclusion; after all some
truths were better kept secret. Especially when these truths brought
humiliation upon himself. He kept his eyes fixed upon her, as she was trying to
find her words to speak again.
�But� how� I mean, you said nothing?� she
whispered, once again meeting his gaze.
�Why would I have? It was obvious that you
wanted to keep this secret. I had more important matters to deal with than
your� infatuations.�
�It was NOT� erh� I mean,� she said in a more
hushed tone, �it was nothing of the sort. I am not like that.�
He raised an eyebrow, looking at her quizzically.
Kitana was at a loss. This was definitively not
the way she would have liked to tell him about all this. In fact if she could have
avoided the subject entirely for the rest of her life it would have been
better. At least he was not having a row at her or rejecting her as she would
have thought, but that made things even more awkward; it gave her the
impression that he did not care not by acceptance, but because he was totally
indifferent to her. After how he acted earlier, fighting against a powerful
enemy with her when in the past all he ever did when she was in trouble was
watch, unmoved, she couldn�t believe that he wasn�t caring about her. Worse,
she couldn�t let him believe that she was some kind of a whore, an easy girl
who lay whoever was there at the right moment. At least for her, it was
important to rectify the facts, even if he didn�t care. Sighing, she tried to explain
herself the best she could, hoping the discussion would be closed after that.
�I� You remember when I told you about my
lover, the spy who helped me escape from my masters��
He nodded minutely, his eyes regaining there
bored look.
�Her name was Jess. She was a human woman.�
Surprise came to her from Sesshomaru. His
attention was fully on her, even though his posture was exuding indifference.
Encouraged, she continued.
�We were together for years before I� lost her�
I grieve for her every moment of my days since her death.�
�Your mate was female?�
Eyeing him cautiously, trying to determine what
was going on in his mind and failing miserably, she nodded.
�Yes, she was.�
�Such a couple is� unheard of. Why a female?�
The conversation was going in a weird
direction, and battle-weary as she was, Kitana did not know if she was willing
to push the subject further.
�Well, love is love I guess; you love the
person as a whole, not as a body. There are many of similar couples elsewhere.
When reproduction doesn�t matter anymore, true love can emerge.�
His blank face was telling her that he did not
understand the concept at all; before being assaulted with more embarrassing
questions, she tried to cut short his inspiration by a fact he couldn�t
dispute.
�And there are no males at all in my species,
only females. That might be a part of the explanation.�
He cocked his head to the side, and waited a
moment before nodding.
�Hn.�
�I was tricked by the princess. She was
controlled by Kagura, and she looked� terribly similar to Jess. In my misery I
did not found the strength in me to push her away. When I realized what I had
done, it was too late, and all I could do was trying to repair my mistake.�
�Kagura? The monk said nothing about her
involvement.�
�Yes. She is the one who gave the jewel shard
to the princess and she took control over her that way.�
How could Kagura control what was happening in
the hot spring while she was speaking with him? The wind witch never did
anything by herself; all of her acts, be they loyal or treacherous toward
Naraku, were staged by her master. The spider was behind all that, but how, and
above all why, was the key to the problem.
Sesshomaru was not blind; Kitana had paid a
good price for the dirty tricks she played on him. In a way he couldn�t begin
to understand, he was glad to have her back. As he saw her usual melancholy
coming back upon her face, he somehow decided to put the mystery of Kagura�s
role in these events to rest for a while. If Kitana was to travel with him
again, he would not endure the sadness she exuded all the time.
Embarrassed by his silence, Kitana returned her
gaze to the lake and the horizon, remembering how silences were never awkward
before she left his side. Silences were companionable, filled with the
contemplation of the beauty of nature or the sleeping figure and calm breathing
of the young Rin. Maybe, considering his tranquil acceptance of her deviant
nature and his return at her side at the time she needed him the most, maybe
she could hope for more shared silences with him by her side.
�You should not concern yourself with the
opinions of others.�
Turning toward him once again, she met his eyes.
�I like to know where I stand.�
He held her gaze for several seconds before
answering.
�Then all I can say is this. I had yet to meet
one such as you; you are unique in many ways. Is it a good or bad thing, I can�t
tell; but as long as your idiosyncrasies do not get in my way, I see no
justification to shun or condemn you. The only person here who needs to accept
who you are is yourself, not I.�
She closed her eyes, trying all she could to
retain the tears that wanted to flow out. In her past life, being with Jess had
never been an issue as same sex couples were not the weirdest thing around.
Plus, she would kill anyone who dared to comment their relationship on the spot,
and her reputation as a ruthless assassin preceded her wherever she went. Here
on the other end, she had no reason to build herself the fa�ade of a monster,
not with the ones she wanted to be close with. She longed for friendship, life
all alone wasn�t worth living, and truth and trust were the foundation of true
friendship. Slightly opening her eyes, she asked a last question to the
taiyoukai.
�You searched for me. You came back to me. Why?�
Her soft murmur almost didn�t reach his ears,
but the words resonated deep within himself, where the exact same question had
been pondered and scrutinized for days. Why, indeed. He had no answer that he
wanted to say out loud.
�Hn. It is you who stopped fleeing from me. I
was searching for Naraku; I smelled his stench in the vicinity.�
She knew better than to believe these words.
The taiyoukai was proud and aloof, and he wanted her to think of him that way,
but she could sense his uneasiness when he pronounced those words. He was lying,
or saying half-truths. When she emerged from the dragon on the beach, his relief
had been immense. His anger too, but now it had subsided somehow.
Satisfied with their discussion, she finally
decided to join the others around the campfire. The night had fallen and she
would need heat to heal. As she started to rise, she felt Sesshomaru�s hand
grip her wrist. She turned back to him, puzzled; physical contact was not
something normal coming from him. His eyes were intense, and his voice deep and
heavy when he spoke.
�Remember that you cannot change your nature,
no more than I can change mine. Never be ashamed of what you are, ever.�
That being said, he let her go, mesmerized.
Sesshomaru had been a brutal sparring partner, a companion that would push her
over her grief and depressive state by provoking her ire, a judge who measured
her flaws and abilities with a critical eye, but she never expected him to
become a confident or to accept the dark parts of her that she herself was
having difficulties dealing with. She bowed deeply to him.
�Thank you, Angelus,� she whispered. Then she
left his side, not noticing his raising brows, and joined the little Rin and
Inuyasha�s group, eager to quench her curiosity about the strange
particularities of these people.
--
As the water slowly started to boil, everyone
amongst Inuyasha�s group was mentally speculating about the relationship
between Kitana and Sesshomaru. The young Rin had made intriguing comments
earlier, and children were known to voice the truth even when grown ups didn�t
want them to.
Everybody was now seated peacefully around the
campfire, Inuyasha having finally decided it was better for his health to
tolerate his older brother�s presence. At least the young Rin was keeping
Shippo occupied and he didn�t have to put up with the runt playing pranks on
him.
Kagome waved cheerfully at Kitana when she came
back from cleaning herself in the lake, and they were surprised to see her
decline Kagome�s invitation and instead head for the taiyoukai. Surprise became
shock when she boldly sat beside him, blocking him totally from their view. Even
Jaken, pacing further away near Ah-Un, was mumbling something about
disrespectful, arrogant females.
Their discussion was lost to everyone, but what
was happening beside the tree was feeding their curiosity, especially when
Sesshomaru grabbed Kitana by the arm and she bowed to him before coming at
them. As she turned their way, everyone returned their attention to their empty
bowls of ramen, which seemed very interesting at the moment.
�Well, guys, is there a seat left?� she said to
them with a smile as she approached with the intention to sit on a rock between
Miroku and Kagome.
The monk did not loose an instant and jumped to
his feet, seizing one of Kitana�s hands in his right one, showing her the way
to the rock by his side. Before she could move though, his mouth opened on a
hopeful question.
�Kitana-san, if you allow me,� said Miroku, �I
have been wondering� Would you bear me a child?�
Kitana flabbergasted face searched Miroku�s emotions
for any sign that could indicate humor, a possible joke, a prank or something
like that. She found none, but the monk took her silence for hesitation and
continued to press his case.
�This lowly monk needs a strong child, and you are
obviously in need of a real male to show you what we can do better than any
females. Allow me to volunteer myself for this delicate task of-�
The monk never finished his phrase. His hand
had left Kitana�s one and his face was slowly turning whiter and whiter, his
mouth frozen in an �o� shape, his eyes starting to bulge out of his head. The
silence in the camp became deep as molasses, as every eyes were trained upon
the drama happening beside the campfire. Even Sesshomaru, who was still sitting
with his back to the tree, became tense and highly attentive when he overheard
the declaration of the monk. From the beach, a very low, deep and angry
feminine voice reached his ears.
�I believe, monk, that I am in no need of such
attentions, from you or from anyone else. I hope you will refrain from entertaining
the thoughts of doing such� activities with me in the future or next time, I
may not be so lenient and your very capacities to sire a child could be
jeopardized.�
That being said, she brought her slender tail
back to her side, removing it from under the monk�s robes. Miroku sucked a
sharp intake of air and descended both his hands over his crotch, as the pressure
subsided and was replaced by a low throbbing, and he fought very hard not to
roll on the floor holding himself. He was already humiliated enough. A tiny
voice came out of his lips.
�Of course, Kitana-san, of course� please
forgive this lowly monk for his assumptions and his cursed hand��
Sango was astonished. At last a woman who would
not fall prey to the monk�s womanizing tendencies! She would have to ask more
precisions about what exactly had been going on under his robes, in case it
would come in handy. The punishment seemed more effective than anything she
could do with her boomerang or fists.
�Kitana-san, I think that Miroku went a little
overboard, but it is true that we have been questioning ourselves,� continued
Sango. �We never imagined that you would get along with someone as Sesshomaru,
after Kagome�s explanations about this� homo� sexual thing?�
Kitana laughed heartily at her na�ve question,
before taking her place beside the now submissive monk. She could very well
feel the genuineness of Sango�s curiosity, which was well reflected in the
other members of the party, but what cheered her up was the shock and
irritation that she sensed coming from Sesshomaru. Surely he hadn�t seen this
one coming. Tonight he would learn that eavesdropping was not deemed a reprehensible
behavior for nothing.
�No, Sango, I think there is a huge
misunderstanding here. I� Sesshomaru and I travel together, that�s about it.
There is nothing else going on between Sesshomaru and myself, beside comradeship.�
�Feh, anyway the prick is nothing more than a
giant block of ice. You girls have too much imagination. Even if a bitch in
heat was parading naked in front of him he wouldn�t-�
�SIT Inuyasha! Don�t you dare say such things
in front of Shippo and Rin!�
The hanyou�s face hit the sand, mere inches
away from the bonfire. When the effect of the beads wore off, he sat again, but
he stayed on the ground this time rather than on a log and he crossed his arms.
He was sulking.
Kitana returned her attention to the members of
the group who were not openly hostile to her presence, the monk and the
priestess.
�I take it you have done well at the castle
after my departure! May I ask what brought you here, along with Sesshomaru? If
I understand correctly you lot are not in very good terms with him��
Kagome chuckled, and the others held their
breath at her audacity. Surely Sesshomaru would have heard her from where he
was.
�We are not exactly in bad terms, either. After
all, Naraku is our common enemy and that should make us allies, or at the very
least we should be able not to fight against each other at each meeting,� she
answered, looking intently at Inuyasha every time the word �should� left her
lips.
�Feh,� he answered, crossing his arms over his
chest. �I certainly do not need any help fighting the bastard Naraku,
especially not help from him! He is the one who came after me time and time
again just to steal my Tetsusaiga! Was I making a fuss over his Tenseiga? No!
So who is the one who keeps on making trouble, I ask you!� he ended boldly,
bracing himself for the sit that was to come. But it did not come.
�We were investigating a rumor of a water-demon
terrorizing a village, when we met with Sesshomaru and then sensed a huge
demonic aura coming from the lake. Kagome thought she felt a Shikon shard also.
That�s why we are here now,� answered Sango, warily eyeing the newcomer.
�I see. So I guess this dragon was the
water-demon in question. Oh yeah, before I forget! Here Kagome, the dragon�s
shard is yours. I take it you have protected the other three I gave you?� said
Kitana, handing her newly found shard to the girl.
�Of course, thank you Kitana! You too could be
a very good ally against Naraku, you know? I was very impressed by your fight
with the dragon. They are strong opponents, aren�t they Inuyasha?�
The boy looked at the intruder, his chin raising
a little higher up.
�It does not take someone very powerful to kill
a dragon that way. Anyone stupid enough to be swallowed alive could have put up
this stunt.�
Inuyasha decided it was enough. He dusted
himself and walked away from the group. Without a word, he jumped on the small
edge surrounding their camp and sat there, cross-legged, his sword on his lap.
He would have preferred sitting in a tree, but the forest was too far and the
only tree available was already claimed by his half-brother.
Kagome rolled her eyes, murmuring a �guys,
guys�� with a tint of humor in her voice. If the group was wondering about the
meaning of Kitana�s presence with Sesshomaru, she herself had some difficulties
understanding the relationships between all of them. Kagome had a strong,
overbearing control over the half-demon Inuyasha that sent shivers down her
spines, yet she seemed to nurture loving feelings toward him; and the boy
appeared to return these feelings tenfold, but at the same time was very
confused about it. The monk seemed to be similarly infatuated with the
demon-slayer, but then he proposed her moments ago, harassed Sango when she
prepared the fire and was brutalized by her; which did not seem to matter much
to him anyways. They were� complicated.
�Here, Kitana. Don�t let these guys bother you.
I am sure you are hungry. Try this! I brought it right from home! I�m sure you
will like it, everyone does!�
Kitana had forgotten about the meal. Or rather
she had hoped that they wouldn't wait for her and would be done eating by the
time she showed up. The kids were finished eating and were playing at the
shore, pursuing Jaken with small shells in their hands, for whatever reason
only known to them. No one else had any food left, yet Kagome had been kind
enough to save her a plate. How sweet of her.
Kitana thanked Kagome for the dish that was
handed to her and was about to force herself to eat a little bit of the
floating noodles when she remembered about the special material that made up
the cup. Frowning, she took a good look at it and tested its texture. Suddenly
she felt anxious feelings coming from about everyone in the camp and the bowl
was snatched out of her hands by Sango.
�Sorry, Kitana-san. Kagome did a mistake, the
ramen is cold, and it is too late to eat it. But I�m sure she has some cereal
bars or dried meat that could satisfy you.�
�Yes Kitana, you should eat a little. This
fight was awesome and surely tiring for you� added Miroku.
She had to take advantage of the situation; she
was already feeling sick enough with her body slowly healing from the fight,
she really didn�t need to add nausea to that state.
�Thank you guys, I appreciate your generosity,
but I will decline. I know it is not visible, but I have bruises all over and some
broken ribs; I don�t think I could swallow, let alone digest food as I am.� The
trio looked at each other, unsure.
�Do not worry, Kitana-san, we will save your
part for tomorrow morning. Your demonic healing will make you as good as new by
sunrise, and then if I judge by our good friend Inuyasha you will be able to
eat a cow!�
Kitana nodded after the monk�s words, before wishing
them a good night. Rin was already resting with the fox child near the fire;
Jaken had managed to convince them it was time to sleep, and he had put a
blanket on them when they drifted into sleep so the small girl would not be
cold. Really, this little demon was caring a lot about the child, in his own
grumpy way. Kitana however was not at ease sleeping in the open; she preferred
the safety of the deep forest or a cave. She left the circle of light around
the fire and jumped in Sesshomaru�s tree, lying on her back on one of the low
branches, right above the taiyoukai. Doing so reminded her that her words about
broken bones were not all lies, and she gritted her teeth under the pain.
The conversations slowly died around the
campfire as everyone fell asleep. Inuyasha�s upright form was keeping watch
from the ledge, his ire dissipated by the desire to protect his friends. Kitana
was slowly dozing on her branch, her body screaming for the much needed sleep,
when she felt Sesshomaru move under her. To her surprise, he jumped in the tree
himself, and sat down at the base of a nearby branch. With eyes half opened,
she turned her head to her right and saw that he was right beside her, his gaze
looking down upon her.
Sesshomaru was unsure of what was to come next.
He did not let his mask slip and his face was kept as bland as always, but he
was hesitant about the actions he should take. He had come to her help against
the dragon out of protective instinct, and that was new to him. Of course he
was well aware that despite his denying it, he was protective of the little
Rin, but seeing this feeling extending to another living creature was
unsettling to say the least. Logically, he knew that it would be best if Kitana
stayed with him and his group, at least for a while. She was an asset in
combat, as well as a way to improve his own abilities and a good companion. She
could probably be used as a magnet to lure Naraku out of hiding, too. Yet, she
was also a very strong-willed creature and she seemed to have taken a liking to
his half-brother and his group. Or, to be precise, to some members of
Inuyasha�s group. Inuyasha wasn�t even aware of it but once again he was taking
away one of his brother�s possession from his grasp, and it was not something
Sesshomaru was willing to accept. Was it just sibling rivalry or was it more
than that, but he couldn�t let Kitana leave him for� them. How exactly he would
manage to do it without once again pushing her away from him was what occupied
his mind all evening. And after hours of thoughts he was at a lost, having no
clue about a possible solution.
�This Sesshomaru will be leaving after Rin�s
breakfast. Do you wish to travel with us again, or do you prefer the company of
the hanyou and his friends?�
Kitana felt that Sesshomaru was disturbed by
something, and confused. She could feel strong emotions coming from him, very
deeply buried beneath everything else, and it unsettled her. What was happening
with the taiyoukai, she didn�t know, but it was not pleasant and it had to
stop. She yawned, trying to cover her fangs with a hand, and turned toward him.
�Travel with them? Please, Sesshomaru, get real.
They are funny and entertaining, but they are only a bunch of teenagers. An
evening amongst them, listening to their childish bickering while trying not to
castrate the perverted monk, is enough to make me crazy.�
So she wanted to stay. Not knowing why,
Sesshomaru was relieved to hear her words and he simply sat there, trying to
decipher why her decision to travel with him was so comforting. He was totally
lost in his thoughts when her voice broke the silence of the early night once
again.
�I�m tired. If you don�t have anything
important to say, please let me sleep. This day has been difficult enough as it
is; I missed my first meal in weeks, fought for my life, then for yours, I have
broken bones and organs to mend and was interrogated over and over again; I
think I deserve a good night of rest.�
Sesshomaru stared at her back as she turned
sideways on her branch. Irritation grew in him at her attitude and a familiar
anger pointed its ugly nose in his mind.
�You did not sustain yourself?� he said in a
low voice.
Sighing, she answered him, not bothering to
turn to face him.
�No, I haven�t. Not since you� interrupted.�
�What about the dragon?�
Stroking her forehead and eyes with a hand,
Kitana ended the discussion in her typical way.
�Did it look like I had time to feed on the
dragon? Maybe between one of those blasts he aimed at me or being crushed by
him? Oh, yeah, I forgot the seconds I spent inside his throat, desperately
looking for the jewel shards. And then the whole three seconds he took to die
when I ripped his heart open to take the shard that was there. What a fool I am,
not taking these moments to feed! I�ll remember next time a dragon swallows me�
Good night, Sesshomaru.�
With that, she tuned him out. Not that he was
talkative, far from that, but his mere presence and self-assurance was usually
enough to push her to talk. This night however she was just completely
exhausted, surrounded by friends and allies. For once in a long while she would
be able to sleep soundly without having to watch for her safety. Her mind
quickly wandered away, and sleep embraced her.
Sesshomaru took some moments to calm down his
anger. It was funny how short-term memory was� inaccurate, and easily molded to
one�s expectations. Kitana�s supernatural ability at upsetting him and
surviving to tell the tale had been very easy to forget and he could only blame
himself for bringing her ire upon him, after all he was supposed to know about
her temper. He looked intently at her turned back, hoping his gaze could melt
her as easily as his dokkasu dissolved flesh, and then turned his attention to
the moon and the stars. He had always known his demonic powers came mostly from
there, from this moon that travelled across the night sky. That was one of the
first lessons he learned in his young days, when his father taught him that the
fullest the moon, the strongest his strength and instincts would be, making
them hard to be controlled, and inversely. Settling his eyes upon Kitana�s form
once again, he wondered if she could be the embodiment of the moon�s powers,
sent to earth by a mischievous god or even his father�s ghost to test his
worthiness.� If he could control her, learn
to deal with her temper which was as fiery as his own was frozen, maybe he
would be one step closer to reach his full potential. Or maybe not. Maybe she
was just a disturbed girl born somewhere here on Earth with a mental illness
that brought up delusions of grandeur. He closed his eyes and then jumped
graciously on the ground. A small walk in the surrounding woods would be better
for his peace of mind than all these child-like fantasies his mind was coming
up with.
- 13
- 14
- 15
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Angelus	By : TwilightAlien Category: InuYasha > General Views: 3232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Angelus