Trails of Pain and Love

Chapter 10



A loud scream broke the peaceful slumber of morning, awakening both Kagome and Shippou. The source of the scream, Souta, was wide eyed as he stared at Kagome.



With it being night time, he couldn't have seen the changes in her that were apparent now. That, and some of the changes had occured while they had slept.



Kagome winced as the sound of the boy's yell echoed and still rang inside of her head. For Kami's sake, she had no idea that he could yell that loudly.



"Souta, please, not so loudly!" exclaimed Kagome as she tried to sit up. Her muscles were still sore, although she was suprised that her stomach no longer hurt as much as it used to.



"Sorry sis, but you...your..." the boy stammered as he tried to form words to describe what he saw that was different about her.



"What's wrong?" asked Kagome, now suddenly very worried that she had quite possibly turned into a monster overnight. Although she didn't really feel that different.



"Your hair...." breathed Shippou as he took in the sight. Where Kagome had had entirely raven colored hair before, there were now silver streaks mixed in with them. Shippou leapt up into her lap and told Kagome how she looked.



"I have silver streaks?" asked Kagome incredously. She didn't believe it for a moment, and resolved to go find a mirror somewhere to check it out for herself. Hell, she'd even use Kanna's mirror if it meant getting her soul sucked out. Even though Kanna is dead.



At that moment, Miroku and Sango made their presence known, entering the hutt to check on their dear friend. By the way their eyes widened, Kagome feared that Shippou's statement was true. Her fears were confirmed a moment later.



"Kagome...your hair..." stammered Sango, her eyes totally round and her mouth dropping open.



"Hmmm..." was all Miroku had to offer on his own, his eyebrows furrowed with his hand cupping his chin, obviously in deep thought pondering the latest changes to occur within the miko.



"What does this mean?" wondered Kagome out loud, looking very confused and lost at the moment.



"I believe I know what has happened." said Miroku, looking up to stare Kagome in the eyes.



"Tell me!" the miko demanded, not wanting to wait for an explanation.



"When you sucked Sesshomaru's blood the other night, the blood, or it's demonic aura, seemed to battle with your body. Your powers sprang up to defend you, and a battle for dominance of your body ensued. If my hunch is correct, I'm guessing that both Sesshomaru's demon blood and your own has retained control of your body. Or in other words...." explained Miroku, his eyebrows raising. But it was Sango who finished for him.



"In other words, Kagome is now a half demon?" asked Sango.



"That would appear to be the case." came a cold and calculated voice from behind the two of them. Sango and Miroku both looked behind themselves to see Lord Sesshomaru standing within the hutt.



"Lord Sesshomaru." said Sango simply, wondering with a slight bit of embarrasement at how long the demon lord had been standing there without her detecting his presence. Although to be fair, she was still recovering from her wounds, with bandages wrapped around her mid-section.



"Don't you two have other duties to be tending to? Souta, Shippou, Kohaku sends that he is waiting for you two to being the training session." said the demon lord as he entered the hutt. The four of them took the dismissal for what it was and made to leave the hutt in a early, leaving the dog demon alone with Kagome.



Sesshomaru settled into a kneeling position a few feet from where Kagome was sitting upright on the bed. An uneasy silence fell between them while each gathered their thoughts. When they began, it was Kagome who spoke.



* * *



"So, you saved me?" asked Kagome, almost shyly, with a hint of red creeping across her cheeks.



"Correct. As the protector of the sacred jewel, I cannot let you fall into the hands of evil demons or men." stated Sesshomaru flatly, betraying no hint of emotions in his voice.



Inwardly, Kagome giggled, as this was the line most often used by Inuyasha before he had grown used to her. Then she gasped as she remembered something.



"The sacred jewel? Where is it?" asked Kagome frantically as she looked around for the little bauble. She stopped looking when she detected a faint aura coming from Sesshomaru's left hand.



"You have it!" she accused him, looking at the faint light coming from his hand. In mock surrender, he passed the jewel back to her.



"Next time, try not to be so clumsy." he scoffed at her lightly, even as he smiled to himself.



Inwardly, now Kagome was seething. She was seeing red, but only for a moment, before she took control of herself again.



Expecting an enjoyable arguement, Sesshomaru was dissapointed the next time she opened her mouth.



"I'm like Inuyasha now?" Kagome asked, her voice suddenly softening and lowering in pitch.



Sesshomaru took a deep breath before he answered.



"Yes and no. Yes, your are a half demon, but no, you are not like Inuyasha." he answered, without offering a further explanation.



"oooh k. So, what powers do I have?" inquired Kagome, not really being helped that much by his answer.



"It appears that you have sensitive hearing, as do I. Perhaps improved scenting abilites, along with stronger muscles. You won't know for sure until you moved around and see for yourself." responded Sesshomaru, before standing. He turned to leave, but was stopped by Kagome's voice before he left the hutt.



"Wait, I never thanked you for saving me." said Kagome, her voice becoming husky.



'Oh great, I know that tone of voice. Don't tell me she's falling in love with me. I don't think I can stand her affections.' thought Sesshomaru to himself.



"Save it. I don't want your thanks. Your will to live and continue on is thanks enough." replied Sesshomaru, sweeping aside the curtain as he stepped out.



Kagome stood up for the first time in days, groaning as muscles started popping throughout her body.



The miko, if she still was one, being a half demon and all, had a sudden strike of hunger pains wracking her body. First she would get something to eat, then it was time to experiement and find out what interesting new abilities she had....