Masquerade

Chapter Thirteen- Time and Again

“Masao, please! I need to see the old priestess Kaede immediately.”

Perched atop Masao’s back as they flew through the air, Kagome mentally ran over the conversation she’d held with Kikyou.

“I have much to tell you.”

Kagome met her gaze calmly, seeing only her own reflection in the deep brown orbs.

“A wish was made on the Shikon.”

It wasn’t a question, but Kagome nodded anyway.

Kikyou shifted a little closer to her, a flash of sympathy shone momentarily in her eyes. “The jewel returned to your body, didn’t it?”

Kagome wasn’t surprised Kikyou knew, the elder priestess could sense it. “Yes.”

“You are in grave danger, Kagome.”

“What? Why?” Kagome inched away from Kikyou, intimidated by her intense gaze and formidable aura.

“The jewel was wished upon by yourself, correct?” Kagome nodded. “A pure, untainted wish not brought on by greed or selfishness. And yet it is still whole, and it still resides inside you.”

Kagome drew in a shaky breath, wondering where she was going with this.

“The pieces do not fit. The jewel, if my theory is accurate, should have disappeared.”

Kagome edged back toward Kikyou, fascinated.

Kikyou looked away from her, watching one of the shinidamachu twirl through the air. Kagome studied the glow as it reflected onto Kikyou’s flawless face, her skin almost as pale as the soul-stealer.

“There is only one plausible reason… The jewel remains tainted.”

Kagome opened her mouth to protest. It was in her pure body, she had made a pure wish, and she purified herself regularly.

Kikyou held up a hand, silencing her. “I am aware of how unfeasible it sounds. You’ve done everything in your power to distil the Shikon. Though, I believe I know why.”

“Why?” Kagome’s voice was soft and confused, and she leaned toward Kikyou unconsciously, her eyes wide.

Kikyou looked back at her, her face inches from Kagome’s. “Your dreams. The visions you receive in your sleep. I see them as well. Perhaps not as often - the dead do not sleep - but more than once they have plagued me. The man that changes form and claims to control your existence is the jewel. But it is also Naraku.”

“That’s not possible! Naraku was-”

“Defeated. I know. But he had the largest portion of the jewel in his possession for the greatest time. Because of this, part of his soul was absorbed into the jewel.”

“Shouldn’t whatever part of his soul living in the jewel have been purified like the rest of the demonic energy?”

“Was Naraku so easily defeated last time?”

Kagome dug her hands into the grass beneath her, letting the information sink in. If Kikyou was right, then that meant…

“Parts of Naraku’s soul are still alive… And they’re living in me.”

Masao hissed - his version of a gasp in his true form - and Sesshoumaru turned to her, his eyes slightly wider than normal.

“How will going to a human priestess help this?” Masao asked.

“Kaede is wise and knows much about the Shikon. If she cannot find a way to detract Naraku’s energy from the jewel then she is the only one I trust to… remove the Shikon. From my body, I mean.”

“In what way will that help? What if it gets into the hands of a demon?”

Kagome looked over at Sesshoumaru through the hair blowing in her face. “I have been possessed by powerful beings before. My miko powers are now trained, so I have a greater defense, but I could only hold out against the full weight of Naraku’s demonic soul for a time. If it was his plan to take over my being, there would be little I could do to stop him.” She looked forward once again, “Masao, how long until we reach Edo?”

“At this rate? If we take no breaks then I assume we will reach the town by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Isn’t there a faster way?”

Kagome was freaking out. And she had every right to be, harboring a maniacal demon inside her. It was essential they find a solution as soon as possible. Sesshoumaru knew this. This was why he made the offer. No other reason.

“Yes.” The inu-youkai said, growing closer to Masao and Kagome. “Masao, I will take the priestess ahead. Meet us there.” Sesshoumaru grabbed onto the collar of Kagome’s shirt and pulled her up to him, ignoring Masao’s discontented growl.

“Hold on to me.” Sesshoumaru said blankly, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Kagome grabbed at his armor hesitantly and stiffened when his arm wound around her, questioning her common sense. Quite unexpectedly they were encompassed in a bright sphere of light and flying at speeds previously untouched by man.

Kagome, however, was not in the mood to celebrate this accomplishment on behalf of all humans.

She flattened her self against the cool armor, still uneasy at being so close to the demon lord and tried to ignore the big blur of green that was moments ago a seemingly endless forest.

Sesshoumaru tried to concentrate on maintaining their speed, and ignoring the human woman. Oh how he tried! But exotic spices and shrine incense and evening amber filled his nose, and her aura clouded around him like a thick smoke.

Within moments he could see the town of Edo. His nose twitched and his eyes narrowed, so he stopped on the outskirts of the village, looking down at the human’s shivering form silently.

“Priestess.”

One of her orbs opened, then the other, and she jumped away from him, spinning around to look at the town. Taking a moment to figure out where they were and where Kaede was she ran off, skirting corners and junk left out in the deserted street.

Sesshoumaru looked after her; mildly surprised she could see so well in the dark.


“Kaede! Kaede!” Kagome skidded to a halt outside of the small, isolated hut, panting and sweaty. Again.

She heard grumbling from inside the hut until a hunched figure appeared in the doorway, shoving aside the bamboo mat hanging on the door. Kaede held a candle in her right hand, her bow in the other. Her one eye looked up at Kagome, widening marginally. “Kikyou?”

Kagome flinched but shook her head. “No! Its me, Kagome.” She ran up to the elderly woman and went down on her knees before her, hugging the small miko. “You have to help, Kaede. The jewel it-it-”

“Come inside. You can tell me there.”

“There is only one solution.” Kaede intoned calmly, staring at Kagome over a steaming cup of tea. “We must remove the jewel from your body and destroy it.”

Ah! The reassurance.

“When?” Kagome asked, fidgeting lightly.

“Tomorrow. I will need to gather the appropriate herbs soon, though…”

“Make a list. I’ll gather the herbs you need.”

“Alone?”

Kagome looked down at her hands, the aura of the demon lord dancing across the edge of her senses.

Kaede shifted, her eye lighting up. “I could get Inuyasha to help!”

Kagome, who’d just taken a sip of the now cool tea, spit it out. “Inu-Inuyasha? Like, fire rat-robe and puppy ears Inuyasha?”

Kaede looked at her, blinking slowly. “Aye.”

“Wench.” A voice echoed in her mind.

Kagome shook her head, placing the tea on the ground and standing up. “I didn’t come here alone. Me escort, he will help me.” Or not.

Kaede’s wrinkled face took on a knowing look, her thin lips lifting up slightly. “He, child?”

Kagome started to nod her head but froze.

That was the second time someone implied there was… something… between Sesshoumaru and me. Well, so Kaede didn’t know it was Sesshoumaru but still.

Part of her rolled her eyes; the other part was the same immoral, hormonal part that squealed when in a room of pretty youkai, that part was mentally compiling a list of ways to take Sess-

“Uhm. Right. You get some sleep, Kaede. I’ll go and tell my… friend… what’s going on.”

Kaede nodded and gave Kagome a piece of folded paper, studying her with that one good eye carefully.

A little unnerved at the inspection Kagome rose and started walking out of the hut.

“Child!”

She stopped at Kaede’s word and turned to look at the elder.

“Ye are doomed to repeat the same fate as my sister if you continue to place duty before all else.”

“Duty will always come before the rest of your life. You will slave over this duty until you die and the next of your kind takes over.”

Shivering Kagome nodded absently and exited the hut, her brows furrowed.

What the hell was she supposed to live for in this time? She had no family, she hadn’t seen her friends in years, she wasn’t allowed to speak freely with people anymore and she didn’t have anyone to love, she wasn’t allowed to love… Her duty to the Shikon jewel was all she had.

She stopped walking and looked over at the stone steps behind Kaede’s hut. Inuyasha’s forest rose to the right, and the Goshinboku peaked high above the rest of the treetops.

“Miko.”

Kagome twirled to face the voice, her eyes still misty in thought.

Sesshoumaru was looking up at the stairs, a slightly pensive expression on his face. “Is this the place of your birth?” He asked, not bothering to look at her.

“Yes.” She said, without hesitation.

It was silent for a long time. After staring blankly into space for several minutes got up the nerve to ask him about the-

“The old woman said you need herbs. Come.” He started up the steps, his clothing and hair and pelt swishing metrically.

Kagome watched him go, feeling very, very confused. “So, you heard everything then, right? I don’t have to repeat it?”

Sesshoumaru stopped halfway up the towering stairs and looked back at her. For a moment, he forgot what he was going to say. The priestess was glowing and mysterious and tempting in the moonlight, her eyes shimmering unnaturally in the night. “Yes. I heard.” He turned back round and began climbing again, telling himself that-

No, slamming your head against a tree will not make the human any less attractive.

Kagome ran to jogged to catch up with him and stopped a step ahead. “So, I’m sorry for making you come all this way. I guess it isn’t that big of a deal. I-”

“Having an evil, powerful demon living inside of you and threatening the core of your being – quite possibly the most powerful human being on earth – is not a big deal to you?” He questioned, his stride once more halted.

Kagome looked down at the stone step she was on, wincing a little. “Well, when you put it that way…”

“Kagome!”

The yell pierced through the silence so unexpectedly that Kagome jumped and managed to miss the step she was standing on previously. She fell forward, ready to curl into a ball when she hit the first step and fell down.

Sesshoumaru place his hand on her hip calmly, ignoring the yelp, and her feet fell back to the step above him. Her hand fell onto his shoulders, and she leaned forward with the momentum her almost-fall had caused, her eyes shut.

“Kagome!” The voice sounded again.

Kagome opened her eyes and stared into Sesshoumaru’s, surprised that – for the first time – she was looking down at him. Sesshoumaru stared back at her, expressionless and cold and hot.

Sesshoumaru is a living contradiction… The working part of Kagome’s mind produced helpfully.

Once again that scent enshrouded her, exotic and fiery and powerful.

The minute her feet touched the ground Sesshoumaru’s hand fell back to his side, and once more his chest loosened pleasantly.

“Woman.” He said slowly, a slight threat edging his words.

She was inches away from him, though her feet were planted several steps ahead of his. Her gaze dropped to his lips while he talked, and he was slightly perturbed to realize he- he liked the attention.

“That’s first time you’ve ever…” Her voice trailed off softly, her eyebrows drawing down in confusion.

“I’ve ever what?”

“The first time you’ve ever said woman to me. It’s always girl or priestess.”

He snorted slightly. “I assure you, it will never happen again. Now, please remove-”

Her eyes – big, blue and teary – shot to his, and she scowled. “Look. I’ve been a priestess for a while now. I haven’t been considered a woman since I was taken to the broth-” She stopped her self and straightened, drawing her hands away from his shoulders slowly.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes stayed fixed on hers as the two ignored the persistent voice of Inuyasha in the background.

“Broth- what?” He knew the answer. Or, rather, he was pretty sure, but he didn’t want to give it away. That would be no fun, would it?

Stubbornly she stared back at him, but the tiniest of blushes was coloring her cheeks. “Broth- nothing.” Kagome responded, shoving her arms in the white sleeves of her shirt angrily.

Sesshoumaru took one step up so they were even in height; Kagome still placed one stair above him. A tiny, wicked smile tugged at his lips. “Brothel. It was you, wasn’t it? That night that Masao spent all the money he had on him. He helped you escape, didn’t he? What did he ask for in return? Your virginity?” The game was dangerous, but he was enjoying himself. And the relationship between the neko and the priestess had been bugging him for weeks.

Her eyes snapped to an electric blue, furious and amused. “No. All I have to do in return is save the lives of thousands of humans and demons. Japan is such a populated country.”

“Hn.” He shoved her to the side and started up the stairs again, ignoring his surroundings.

“Kagome!” The voice of Inuyasha was so much closer now.

Kagome glanced over her shoulder once - Sorry, Inuyasha - and took off after Sesshoumaru’s retreating back, “Wait! You don’t even know what we have to get!” She called, pulling the piece of paper Kaede had written on out of her sleeve.

Kaede laid down on her futon with an appreciative sigh, closing her eyes in bliss. Her thoughts drifted lazily.

There’s a lot of sister Kikyou in Kagome…

Who does she travel with now…?

How to destroy the jewel…

“Old hag!”

Kaede groaned and rolled over, staring at the hut entrance angrily.

Inuyasha burst through the doorway, his nose twitching furiously as his eyes flew around the small room. “She was here…” He muttered.

“Aye.” Kaede said, rolling back over and closing her eye.

Inuyasha pushed the sheathed Tetsusaiga in her back softly, grunting. “Where’d she go?”

Kaede yanked the blanket over her shoulder a little more and swatted at Tetsusaiga. “Went to go meet with her traveling friend. She said he’d help her pick the needed-”

“She’s crazy! Sesshoumaru is around here somewhere! I could sense ‘em a minute ago!”

Kaede sat up, looking at Inuyasha with wide… eye… “The demon brother of yours? Why would he be around-?” Oh sweet Buddha.

“To take the Tetsusaiga, that’s why.” Inuyasha said while running out of the shelter, screaming for Kagome some more.

Kaede laid back down, staring up at the ceiling silently. So the child was traveling with Inuyasha’s hated older half-brother.

“I be to old for this.” She muttered, rolling over again to sleep. Way to old.

Deep inside Inuyasha’s forest Kagome held another plant up to Sesshoumaru, “Come on! I can’t see in this light! Is it basil?”

Sesshoumaru shoved her hand out of his face and looked down at her. “Yes.”

She brightened and turned away; setting the plant on a rock next to the rest of the herbs she’d collected. “Alright, one more. Is this-”

“Kagome!” Inuyasha burst through the trees, the transformed Tetsusaiga gleaming evilly in the moonlight.

“-Crap.” Kagome edged a little closer to Sesshoumaru, clutching the plant tightly.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the wilted flora, “No. The plant is not crap. Keep looking.”

Kagome: You’re such a cynic.

Sesshoumaru: You’re such a human.