Masquerade

Chapter Ten- Welcome to Hell, Please Pick up A Complimentary Spork on Your Way Out

Ten.

She had been ten years old when the first one had been born.

It had risen in her small, adolescent subconscious like a plant rose from the ground. The first had been short and blank, revealing nothing yet holding so much. She’d awoken and ran to her mother, like when she had nightmare. But it wasn’t a nightmare, and it didn’t disappear with the tea and story her mother had given her afterward like the others.

They were not nightmares.


On her fifteenth birthday, huddled in an ancient hut and surrounded by living artifacts, the next one had unfolded.

This one was lucid, and hung heavily around her for days afterward. The background had been empty, but she’d been there with him. They’d spoken, but the language was not one she could comprehend. They’d looked at each other, deep, meaningful looks that had flown right over her head then stood and walked in two separate directions, fading in the non-existent surroundings.

They were not memories.

The most recent had been mellow and easier to interpret. But inside the dreams were small feelings the rest of the dreams didn’t portray.

Her fists balling in the bedspread even as it disintegrated through her fingers. - Anger and disappointment.

Outside, it is white and deserted. – Loneliness, a new start.

She looked away, the water in her veins surging forth once more. – Somehow, she had moved on.

And it wasn’t a premonition.

Kagome curled up tighter under the coverlet, shaking. She stared at her hand, curling and uncurling her fingers slowly while Masao and Sesshoumaru covered up the fire pit and erased any sign that they’d been there.

Kagome’s stomach knotted slowly, and the scar on her side - the scar of the Shikon no Tama - pulsed.

Her eyes screwed shut.

The pulsations seemed to slowly be stretching the inside of her ribcage, pulling her skin tight and pressing down on her heart. She’d had this before, once, the day she’d been taken to the brothel. Right before the most powerful of her kidnappers had clouted her over the head with the flat of his broadsword, the jewel had seemed to vibrate in her side, making her priestess powers spiral and weave under her skin, waiting to be let loose.

Now it was different though.

The jewel thrummed once more then stilled, slowly the breath she was holding released and her heart rate calmed. Her fingers curled once more, and her frantic thoughts froze, fading away as quickly as they come.

Kagome sat up, holding the bedspread around her shoulders, and looked around.

Masao and Sesshoumaru were watching her with similar looks of composed worry. Masao’s grip was tight around the naginata; Sesshoumaru’s eyes were fixed on her, his brows drawn together slightly.

She looked down, staring at her hair – pooled around her bent legs, dirty and shimmering – and did her best to ignore their inquisitive looks. She let herself a couple moments of self-pity then stood and gathered her things. After folding the blanket away in her pack she turned to the two demons, smiling unsurely. “Ready to go?”

Sesshoumaru turned and began walking wordlessly. Masao hesitated for a moment, eyeing Kagome’s pained smile but turned and followed when she shook her head.

Kagome’s hand flew to her waist, her palm lying flat on the covered scar.

Something bad was going to happen. Kagome could sense it. With the tyrant in the Northern lands rising in power and her only portal to her home closed permanently Kagome was alone in the world, she was the only hope of Japanese civilization! She was stuck in a time dead to her century with the fate of the rest of the country and the evil, mean ruler! She was-!

Denial.

Denial was her good friend; today Higurashi Kagome would embrace that friend.

She held her head high and walked off after the youkai, frivolous thoughts floating through her head.

I hope we get to the Southern lands soon…

We haven’t run into any attacking demons, I wonder…

Masao has been a little odd lately…

GLOBAL CATATROPHE! BLOOD THIRSTY DEMONS! EVIL-!

NO.

Kagome reached a hand back, feeling around the bottom of her pack. A small vial dropped into her hand and she eyed the last two pills timidly. Yes, two tiny doses of Tylenol had survived through the years. Kagome had used it in only the most pressing situations. She looked at the backs of the demons ahead of her appraisingly, judging her chances of them not noticing.

With a decisive sniff she popped the cap and emptied the small, little contents into her hand. She eyed the white capsules and tossed one back into the bottle. She swallowed the other, wincing at the taste without water, and shoved the bottle back into her bag.

It was worth it.

She sighed and glanced up.

Overcast clouds with patches of bright blue sky, the swaying branches of towering trees and flocks of birds filled her vision, making her happy and relaxed and dizzy all at the same time.

“We are here.” Sesshoumaru said from the front of the group.

“At the Southern fortress?” Kagome asked, blinking.

Masao looked back at her and smiled. “No. We are now at the border. Sesshoumaru-sama must meet with a messenger here, to warn the lord of our arrival.”

Kagome’s confusion didn’t lesson. “But, we didn’t do that at the Eastern lands…”

Masao smiled again, that inane smile that did things to Kagome’s abdomen that should be happening. “The Eastern lord is an allay of Sesshoumaru-sama. The Southern lord, though not an enemy, is not always on the best of terms with the West.”

Kagome nodded and sat down next to Masao, stretching her back and arm muscles tiredly.

“Kagome-san, are you sure nothing is bothering you?”

Kagome turned to the neko-youkai, weighing the pros and cons of what would happen and maybe I should, but shook her head against the idea of telling him of her… visions, or whatever they were. “I just haven’t been sleeping well, is all.”

Masao shrugged and looked away, knowing she was lying.

Kagome’s fingers curled and uncurled again, a reflexive action she had after wielding the bow for so long. “Masao?”

“Hmm?”

“How come no rogue demons have attacked us?” Kagome looked up at him expectantly, her eyes narrowing when hesitation flashed in his eyes. “Tell me.” She said cogently.

Masao sighed and rubbed his forehead, “The Northern lord has sought out many and earned their alliance. Through deceit or trickery, I assume. As I said before, his armies have continued to grow every day. That is why we’ve been in such a hurry.”

Kagome studied his profile with a puzzled expression. The only being she knew that resorted to controlling the most primitive of the animals was Naraku, but he was and had been properly annihilated for quite some time.

She turned her gaze forward, watching as Sesshoumaru spoke to a small youkai in uniform, the symbol of the North emblazed on his back. Sesshoumaru handed the youkai an envelope and watched while the small demon – Kagome figured it was a rabbit – darted off into the forest at a startling rate. Sesshoumaru seated himself at the base of a tree in front of them, one knee drawn up with his arm placed over it in a lazy position that didn’t fit the pristine robes and armor he wore.

An abrupt flash of white streaked in her vision and she was tossed back into yesterday, with the lake and the fish and the Sesshoumaru. She shut her eyes and turned her head, licking her lips.

Yeah, so he was pretty.

Kagome’d seen prettier.

She turned forward determinedly, her eyes opening calmly. It wasn’t like-

A sudden burst of sunshine parted through the clouds, illuminating his flowing attire and smooth skin. The sleeve on his arm fell back, showing his strong, striped forearm. He leaned his head back against the tree idly, his hair falling back to reveal his slender neck and pointed ears. Those black veins running through the stripes on his face brought out his pallid coloring and his body-

Uhn.

Kagome closed her eyes and bowed her head, a soft whimper leaving her.

At least she couldn’t do anything she might regret! Masao was here!

She smiled turned to talk to the neko, but froze.

The dark forest behind him outlined his straight posture and dark clothing, his white, braided hair tossed carelessly over his broad shoulders. His enchanting orbs were fixed ahead at an invisible spot she couldn’t see. His tanned skin was unlined and even, and his long legs were stretched before him languorously. The scent of pine needles crowded around her, and she breathed deeply-

Kagome closed her eyes and slammed her head back against the tree behind her.

Unclean, unclean, unclean! Suddenly that other Tylenol was sounding oh so tempting.

“Lord Sesshoumaru?”

The small youkai from earlier bowed deeply and pushed another envelope toward Sesshoumaru then bounded away, vanishing in a matter of moments. Sesshoumaru reached for the letter and opened it with one claw. After reading the letter he stood and began walking again, further into the Southern lands.

“I think that that was a yes.” Masao said, offering Kagome a hand up.

Kagome rolled her eyes and giggled, matching his strides easily.

Mid-day Kagome asked to stop for lunch. Mutely Sesshoumaru stopped and sat down, looking at them uninterestedly. Masao leaned against a tree, twirling his naginata. Kagome shrugged and pulled out some dried meat. She ate in silence, wincing when her water supply ran out.

Whoever said the life of a traveler was fun and fulfilling obviously wasn’t a traveler.

Masao started hiking ahead first, nodding his head to a silent tune. Sesshoumaru stood and walked away to the right, telling them to stay on the path and to continue without him.

Fifteen minutes later Kagome was tired of counting trees.

Out of the blue an arm appeared in front of her and Kagome shrieked lightly. She backed up, staring up at Sesshoumaru’s mild glare sheepishly. He handed her a full container of water, and strutted away. Kagome looked down at the liquid in surprise. It was so unlike Sesshoumaru…

…

Scratch that. Sesshoumaru had no personality definition.

She took a grateful swig of the cool water and grinned. So, chivalry wasn’t dead.

After the water was half-empty and Kagome’s thirst was rightfully quenched she ran up to Sesshoumaru who didn’t spare her a glance. “Thank-you, Sesshoumaru-sama.” She said with a slight bow, still maintaining her pace. Sesshoumaru glanced at her, but kept walking noiselessly. She fell behind him again, savoring the suddenly beautiful trees.

This time, irony wasn’t to blame.