Kagome was hastily yanking the last of her belongings from her pack.
She had a feeling she wouldn't be traveling in the forest long, meaning she
wouldn't need to bring anything to eat. Some changes of cloths would be an
order, she was sure a renown trainer like Genkai was supposed to be
wouldn't take an innocent looking girl in a school uniform asking if she
could train her to kill demons too seriously.
She would have to bring her bow and arrows, that was obvious. And a
couple of water bottles, too. Kagome was trying to figure out if she
wanted to bring a cell phone so she could call home when she felt a strange
pulsing coming from her schools pack, which was sitting harmlessly by the
door.
Kagome stared a the pack for a few moments before she slowly rose and
stepped cautiously toward it. The pulsing grew more intense as Kagome
neared the pack, and a like green aura seemed to have surrounded the pack.
Taking the last step toward the bag, Kagome knelt down and unzipped the
bag, pulling it open as she did so. A frail but recognizable gasp escaped
her lips when she saw the cause of the pulsing.
The strange book Kagome had gotten in the library seemed to be...
glowing!
Try as she might, Kagome could not tare her stormy eyes from the
book. Without even realizing she had moved, Kagome slowly stretched her
hands toward the book. When her fingers finally caressed the spine of the
book a sharp twinge of pain filled her veins and followed them up each arm,
across her sides and into the center of her spine where it stayed.
Kagome writhed on the floor, twisting and folding in on herself. So
much of Kagome was focused on stopping the pain that she didn't notice the
gasps that escaped her and the tears that rolled down her cheek. Kagome
even tried to fold herself backwards on her spine to press the pain from
her back.
Just when she was getting really desperate, all the pain stopped.
Kagome just lay there, eyes wide, as her mind questioned what had
just happened. When all the agony from moments before, she slid her hands
to the small of her back, where the pain had been. Her fingers crossed
over a searing hot spot and she jerked her hands away.
Beginning to question her sanity, and why her back burned yet didn't
hurt, Kagome hastily retreated to the bathroom. Grabbing a small mirror
Kagome pulled up her shirt and examined the reflection. A cherry red fox
footprint the size of a small marble sat at where her fingers had touched.
Grazing the print again Kagome found it still to be hot, but it seemed to
be cooling off.
Grabbing a sponge from the shelf in the shower Kagome scrubbed her
back viciously, trying to rub it off. She only succeeded in making the
skin around it turn pink. Sighing and deciding that the footprint on her
back was nothing other then some temporary glitch in her imagination, she
forgot about it and went back to her room. She decided to bring a pen and
some paper to write letters instead of a cell.
~*~*~*~* Two hours later*~*~*~*~
Having finished packing and had dinner, Kagome guessed that she
should take a shower before heading off. Which reminded her to pack
shampoo and soap. Then she did as she had planned and went blissfully
scrubbing away the grime the she had been covered in in her little 'run
through the forest'. Well, blissfully at least until she felt a small burn
on the small of her back.
Out of breath for some strange reason, Kagome jumped out of the
shower and again checked her back with the mirror.... only to find the red
mark of a fox print was still brightly contrasting with her pail skin.
Kagome once again tried futilely in rubbing it off, only to make the skin
on her back raw. Kagome tried washing it off, which didn't work either.
Sighing in defeat, Kagome grabbed her compact and covered the mark
instead. Now at least if she saw the reflection of her back her nerves
wouldn't jump, though she now had the eerie feeling that she would know it
was there anyway. But instead of dwelling on the thought Kagome shoved the
compact in her bag and began fixing her appearance into that of a fighter.
~*~*~*~* at the train station an hour later*~*~*~*
Kagome hugged her jacket closer to her small body and walked past yet
another of her cities homeless. She felt bad for them, she always had.
Most of them had been a member of a family like hers, and then something
happened and they were suddenly alone. Kagome shivered yet again as her
knuckles turned white as she squeezed her coat tighter.
A small smile creeped up on her face as she remembered her family
before she had departed. They had been all mushy in saying goodbyes and
each had their own way of making her feel better. Her grandfathers
(embarrassing) ramblings about the terminal diseases he could have used had
they not already declared a reason as to why she was gone. Her mothers
constant understanding. Souta's twenty one questions.
She couldn't stop the chuckle that started in her throat. Her mother
had only quirked an eyebrow before excepting the letter Kagome had written
for Inu Yasha. Kagome had filled it with insulting puns that her mother
didn't understand such as, 'I'm sure you can find someone to replace me
while I'm gone. Even if you have to make someone out of clay' and ' I was
just thinking about that nickname Kouga had called you. It was accurate
but I think I could make a few better ones if you want to discuss it when I
return.'
Kagome was snapped out of her musing when a familiar voice behind her
made her spin around.
"I wonder, how has my brothers wench survived five hundred twelve
years?" Sesshomaru, or some strange version of him stood behind her in the
train. He was the same tall, elegant person he was, but his hair was
cropped short and his ears, claws and tail were missing. He was wearing
blue jeans, a white Harley Davison shirt with a brown leather jacket around
his shoulders. She was sure that he had smelled the fear on her and he put
a hand up in some silent peace offering, "Calm down. I can't dispose of
humans for no reason now-a-days. It could get a demon found out."
Kagome was suddenly very aware that the only other person in this car
in the train was an old man at the end of the car who was totally oblivious
to what was going on ten feet away from him.
"May I ask how you seemed not to have aged in so long?" Kagome
glanced around nervously and Sesshomaru sighed in aggravation. She was
stunned by even that little of a show of emotion and stared at him wide
eyed, "I assure you again, wench, that I have no intention of harming
anyone right now. I haven't taken a life without good reason in three
hundred years and I don't intend to start in the car of a public train."
Kagome decided that she had no alternative but to believe him.
"Technically, I haven't been alive for any longer then seventeen
years," Kagome said tiredly, "I just... have my ways." Sesshomaru showed
the ghost of a smile and once again slipped his emotionless mask over his
face, "I've always wondered why you never show any emotion. I assume you
think it makes you weak." Sesshomaru smiled and shook his head.
"That used to be the reason. But after I got over all of the
superiority issues all demons had back then it was more of a defense," The
smile stayed on his face as he looked up at Kagome, "People can predict
your next move in a fight if you let your face portray emotions. I have
little wish for anything about me to show my secrets, for obvious reason's
considering what I have to hide now." A sad look entered his eyes, but was
quickly replaced by that mask of his.
Kagome was shocked. She hadn't even expected the lord to have
answered her question let alone give her an answer in so deep detail.
"Why'd you stop killing?" Kagome suddenly asked. Then added,
"Supposing you did," just to say she didn't fully trust him at all. He
smiled wryly.
"After my brothers demise *Kagome started to ask but thought better
of it* I found myself indebted to several humans who made me make an oath
to pay it off. No killing as long as I was lord. Unfortunately a couple
hundred years later my title was taken from me, then I killed the demon who
took it but didn't retain my exact title and instead became warlord of the
west. The deal was off and I killed once again. But I found myself
feeling guilty for hurting the humans who I had become so dependent on over
the years and instead went into making deals with them. I was always
stronger then humans so I had no reason to kill for self preservation and
instead went into a job I was well suited for. I now own F.K. Weapons
Manufacturing Industries," He had sat down and gotten comfortable during
his speech. Kagome had fallen onto the seat across from him, eyes wide.
"Wait... You mean F.K.W.M.I.??? The Industry that sells all those
high-tech weapons to the army," Sesshomaru tilted his head down in
acknowledgement and pulled a cigarette from his coat pocket. Lighting it
with a liter that Kagome hadn't seen him pull out. One of her eyebrows
rose at the look of utter bliss on the lords... er... warlords face, "I
never pictured you as the smoking type, Sesshomaru-sama." He smiled good
humouredly and looked into the girls face.
"That's the fun thing about being a demon," he put sucked on the
cigarette again, "We're hard as hell to kill. Smoking is just a silent way
to prove we don't have the expiration dates that humans have."
Kagome's eyes became the size of golf-balls over the time in which he
had talked. This couldn't be Sesshomaru!!! He was smiling, joking... he
was even smoking!!! He hadn't made a single death threat or said, 'I,
Sesshomaru' since she had seen him! Who was he??? What had happened to
him??? Not that she didn't like the more friendly, albeit slightly punk-
like, version of him, but... this was just strange!
"What happened to you?" Kagome questioned before she could stop
herself. Sesshomaru's smile disapeared. A sad look entered his eyes
before it was hidden. The suddenly sober man looked her in the eyes.
"Time changes people," Kagome could have sworn that a hint of anger
was in his voice. Small and hidden, but there none-the-less, "And people
like me got a whole lot of time." They sat in silence for a few moments.
Nothing moving except for the regular puffs of cigarette smoke. Kagome had
the feeling that he was sad about something, regretful. She had the
strangest idea that he couldn't care less if he was killed.
"So, why's my brother's wench on a train to the... um... less
flourishing parts of town," Kagome was glad that he hadn't called it what
it was. It would have embarrassed her immensely. A sudden idea entered
her mind and Kagome looked sharply up at Sesshomaru.
"Hey, do you know where Genkai lives?" a shocked expression crossed
his face, to be replaced once again by the emotionless mask she knew so
well. Kagome was shocked when the careless tinge in his voice was replaced
by the strict, booming voice she had heard in the feudal era.
"How do you know of Genkai?" (AN: I don't wanna write their names or
anything so I'm just gonna write SM and KG)
"Like I said, I have my ways," KG
"Well, you should leave the matter of the old woman to the demons.
I'm sure you found out by one stupid enough to tell." SM growled.
"Actually no, I wasn't told by a demon."
"You shouldn't stick you nose into our matters, human, you could get
hurt."
"Ha! I've been stuck in these matters since the fuedal age..."
"It isn't safe to medal in affairs the size of what you would be
getting into by going there."
"Oh and it was so safe for me to 'medal in affairs' the size of
Naraku?"
"No. But you were a fool then, don't make the same..."
"Then I am a fool now! Now do you or don't you know where she
lives?!" The same careless tinge hit him again and a small, sad smile came
across his face.
"Your a brave fool I'll give you that...." SM sighed, "I can bring
you there. It wouldn't really matter." He looked her in the eye again, "I
take it you don't know as much about the last battle as I do." Kagome was
shocked, but shook her head anyway, "Well then let me say this, I owe you
for something, so I will help you whenever I can, in return you must
survive to give me that debt to pay. Deal?" He stuck his hand out.
Kagome looked at his hand, confused, but took it.
"Deal..."