Fallen

Chapter 4


Kagome looked at the cold eyes of the youkai lord in shocked disbelief. Was he actually going to let her bargain and haggle? Obviously he was, but there was still the question of whether she could trust him. Then again she didn't have any reason to trust him, or distrust him. He'd always seemed like a being of his word and he seemed to cling to a sense of honor so perhaps... 'If I play this right maybe I can get out of this with my head still on my shoulders' His eye brow rose at her silence. “You speak your mind only when it suits you then?” he asked a little too coldly for comfort. He was steadily loosing what little calm he had managed to salvage.

Kagome thought fast. “Take me back to the well in Inuyasha's forest. There I will read the scroll however you must maintain a twenty foot distance from the well at all times.” Sesshomaru internally scoffed. She had not made her life part of the bargain, foolish girl. Once the spell was read he could attack her easily even from twenty feet away. His whip would slice her to ribbons before she had time to think. He wanted to chuckle at her ignorance...

Kagome patted herself on the back internally. Mentally she praised her quick idea. Once he moved away from the well and she began reading she'd jump through and he'd never even see it coming. The spell would be broken and she'd be safe on her side of the well. She wanted to laugh at his ignorance...

Wasting no time he handed the scrolls to Kagome and took a firm hold of her upper arm. Dissolving in to the energy form he used to travel at his fastest. He took them out the window in his study and streaked towards the North East and Inuyasha's forest.

Kagome cast a dark look at the youkai watching her. Her stomach rolled queasily as she raised her head. Tight enclosed spaces had never been her thing and to combine it with motion sickness just spelled trouble. It had taken her nearly vomiting on him for him to realize her condition and stop. As soon as he set her on her feet she'd run to the bushes and vomited repeatedly. Weak and pale she glared at him as though it had been his fault. He glared back. He was not at fault for her humanness. He wrinkled his nose in distaste and walked a good distance from the smell.

Kagome felt a little better as her nausea began to subside and her head stopped spinning. She pulled her bag over to her her and dug out a tooth brush and the tube of toothpaste. After brushing her teeth twice to rid her self of the taste she put everything away and did an assessment of her self. Her clothes had been spared the nasty ordeal and she found that other than feeling the normal cramping of sudden illness she was no worse for wear. “Are you quite finished.” he asked frigidly. Kagome glared ahead. “Yeah, but I'll walk thanks. If you hadn't enclosed me in that... well whatever it was I wouldn't have gotten sick.” He sneered. “It is not the fault of this Sesshomaru that you are weak in body, onna.”

Kagome turned giving him the full force of her glare. “Next time I won't try to spare you I'll just puke on you.” She turned away and stomped off the direction they had been traveling. All the while muttering about why she would even bother to hold it in, and about stubborn inu's and their stupid superiority.

Sesshomaru was just getting to the point where he was ready to kill himself to shut her up when she gave a happy little cry and ducked though some trees. He instantly found himself at her side. “Onna, what...?” Kagome turned her hands holding the fabric of the odd kimono she wore in the process of removing it. Without a word she pointed at the water of the hot spring not five feet from where he stood. “I feel disgusting and I haven't had a bath since before I left my home so if you will excuse me I am going to wash up.” He frowned but acquiesced turning his back and sitting as far from her as he dared. He did not want to end up in her bath with her and so far every time he'd appeared in front of her, so he was taking no chances.

Kagome for her part was rushing her bath. No, it was not like her but she was unnerved at the proximity of the youkai lord. It wasn't that she was afraid he'd peek. That was beneath him. But it was true that he was male. Even if he denied it she knew it took hormones less than a second to rage and she was very vulnerable alone and naked, in that hot spring, in the woods. Kagome scrambled in to her clothes in record time when she was finished. She twisted her hair to coax the water from it and pulled it up off her back in a high ponytail, thinking that she'd have plenty of time to dry it properly in her time.

Of all the things the mighty and powerful Dai Youkai begrudgingly appreciated it was the woman's cleanliness. She never stank of the filth of most humans. And he had learned while following them secretly that it was because the onna loved to bathe something that was unheard of with the humans. When ever they would camp close to a form of water she was always there with her strange jars and herbal formulas. She and that slayer would chase the men away and bathe. He'd happened upon them once, a mistake he did not wish to repeat. Her battle toned body soft with its feminine curves and her enticingly long legs haunted his dreams for weeks after, much to his dismay, and occasionally still did.

After that if the women headed towards water he went the other way. Nothing was worth getting plagued with heated dreams of a human woman washing her self in the most intimate of ways. Now here he was with his back to the very thing he'd tried to avoid. The scent of her strange potions tickled his nose with the light scent of sakura blossoms. Before he'd never paid attention to the scent as he was always too far away to smell it. Now it seemed to be the only thing he couldn't avoid smelling. It irritated him in a confusing way and he was about to turn and say something when he heard a soft splash and the sounds of her dressing.

“Sorry for the delay.” she said. 'Why am I apologizing?' she wondered silently. His eyes swept over her with scrutiny and he turned away. “Follow.” he commanded. Kagome bristled at the tone but held her tongue. She would be home soon and this would all be over. She allowed that thought to cheer her. Taking a deep breath she followed the stoic demon lord.

Sesshomaru set a grueling pace as the sun was sinking lower in the west. Kagome was getting tired but she refused to let 'his royal pompousness' see her weakness again and so gritting her teeth she forced her self onward.

After a couple more hours though, gritting her teeth was not enough as her muscles burned and ached. The sun was setting and she wanted to drop. “Onna, do you still insist on this walk of yours?” he asked in a bored voice. Kagome sighed and frowned. “I guess not.” she finally relented knowing that she could not take another step. He sneered at her as he towered over her. “I can tell you are exhausted. I smell your fatigue. I'll bet that you ache from head to toe.” he taunted. Kagome was too tired to fight. “Fine I'm sore and tired, are you happy?” He looked down at her. “This Sesshomaru is not even winded from such a leisurely stroll. Pathetic.” he continued as though she had not spoken.

Silently Kagome walked over to a fallen tree and sat down. Digging through her pack she found a bottle of water and took a long slow drink. ' Thank goodness for small luxuries.' Begrudgingly she found a second and tossed it to Sesshomaru. He caught it easily. With a frown he examined the strange clear jar. It didn't feel like the material it was built out of was very strong. But watching the woman he figured out how to open the strange jar and sniffed at the contents. “It's spring water.” she informed him. He ignored her as he took a small pull from the jar. Without a word of thanks or otherwise he tucked the odd item in his obi and waited.

Kagome sighed as she climbed to her feet and tucked the bottle in her pack. She wanted to groan, to complain but she was concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. When she reached him he looked forward and gathered his youki cloud beneath their feet. He offered no explanation and she asked no questions as she lightly gripped his sleeve to keep her balance. Secretly she was relived at the small courtesy he offered her so that she did not have to walk.

As the moon was rising they reached the old well and after setting down beside it he moved the agreed distance from her. Sitting on the aged wood had never made her so happy in her life. Truly she'd never seen the well as her lifesaver as much as she did at that moment. “Read the scroll Onna. I've met all of your demands.” he commanded as he seemingly relaxed near a tree.

He'd never been more ready to kill in his long life. He could feel the adrenalin pumping through his blood. He could feel his deadly claws begin to drip their acrid toxin. Every one of his senses was honed to deadly accuracy. He could hear the breath whooshing in and out of her lungs, the thrum of her blood pulsing through her small form. He could hear every sound around them but none as clearly as the movement and breath of his soon to be prey. This time she would not evade death. He'd make certain of it. Too long had she confused him with her strange behaviors and odd appeal. Too long she'd been all questions with no answers. Well he would have an answer. She was just a human with a mortal life span that would end this night. Her blood would bathe the ground...

Kagome slowly reached to her pack and pulled the scrolls from where she'd stuffed them. She wiggled a bit so that her weight was balanced precariously kept in place only by her feet touching the ground. All she'd have to do was lean back. She wasn't certain if she'd be able to grab her pack but her life was far more important. Drawing a deep breath Kagome opened the second scroll and quickly scanned the words in the moonlight. She wasn't one hundred percent certain as she had no experience with spells but this one looked like trouble.

Shrugging off the sudden foreboding she felt Kagome swallowed and opened her mouth to speak...