Masquerade

I'm too lazy to go through and check the tags, so shut-up.







Chapter Five- Need to Walk Away











Sesshoumaru had never been a ‘carefree’, or animated person.



From day one he’d been punished whenever his emotions showed, and forced to train harder if he did something without thinking it through. It had become a monotonous program that continued through his adolescence, and continued through even now.



So, when faced with the opportunity to travel with an intelligent, puzzling neko-youkai and an opinionated, charismatic priestess, you could probably figure out his reasons why.



And if you can’t, well, then…



You are absolutely not pathetic.



Anyway-



“I don’t like this game anymore, Masao-kun!” Kagome whined, staring at the ground that just happened to be hundreds of meters below her.



“Kagome,” His voice floated through the air, but his mouth didn’t move. “You are overreacting. It isn’t-”



“It isn’t natural! That’s all it isn’t! I’m a weak, pathetic human as Sesshoumaru-sama so gracefully points out. Every. Damn. Hour. And I don’t belong in the air. I don’t. And I refuse to stay here anymore! I want to look up at the trees! Not down at them!”



Now, Kagome had been in the air plenty of times. She’d never been fond of heights, but Kilala and Hachi - Miroku’s transforming raccoon friend - were both allies and rather large when they flew. Well, Kilala wasn’t, but she usually flew near the treetops, and most of the time someone had been on the fire-cat with her. So-



When Masao and Sesshoumaru said it would cut their time in half to fly Kagome had agreed, and taken up Masao’s offer to ride on his back.



He’d transformed to his true form, only slightly bigger than the normal full-grown tiger, and looked at her expectantly. Kagome had been too busy petting his big, fluffy tail at the time to notice his feral gaze, but eventually she’d climbed onto his broad, muscled back and they’d taken off.



Well, Masao’s fur was smooth and slick and he had no handles placed conveniently on his back, so Kagome had immediately flattened herself against his back and wrapped her arms as best she could around his neck.



Masao didn’t know who was having a harder time. Kagome trying to ignore the height, or him trying to ignore, well, her. More precisely, her curves pressed against his back. His claws stretched forward once again, brushing through the wispy, damp material of a cloud. His large paw flexed reflectively at the water, and his chest rumbled displeasingly.



“Kagome-san, sit up, I won’t let you fall.” His voice sounded pleading, comforting, and panicked, an odd combination that made the trill in his accent heighten.



Kagome gulped and sat straight up, her hands dug into the black and white fur of his collar. Choosing to distract herself, she said the first thing that came to mind. “Why are your eyes gold now?”



Masao slowed slightly and looked back at her, amusement shining in the big, glowing, cat eye she could see. He faced forward again and sped back up, ignoring her panicked yelp.



“I am a cat Kagome-san. When I transform it pulls on my blood and heightens my… demon genki… so, um, the-the extra force makes me…um, glow and-”



“You have no idea. At all.” Sesshoumaru said from next to them, flying in his humanoid form calmly and eyeing them smugly.



“Hey! Just because I can’t fly in my other form doesn’t mean you’re better then me!” Masao snarled, defensive suddenly.



“Don’t worry, Masao-kun. I like your true form better than Sesshoumaru’s big, bulky, ‘dog of doom’ form.” Kagome leaned forward to one of his soft, fur-tipped ears and whispered conspiringly, “Sesshoumaru-sama drools.”



Masao laughed, a deep, low lilting of his voice that made Kagome’s heart clench unexpectedly and compelled her to feel ridiculously proud of herself.



Sitting up straight and looking over at Sesshoumaru with soft, distant eyes she offered an apologetic smile and looked away.



Sesshoumaru watched the back of her head with hooded, haunted eyes.



Kagome looked forward again, absently petting the back of Masao’s head. “When will we reach the Eastern lands?” She asked delicately, her voice, deepened slightly by her age and wearier than the fifteen-year-old voice Sesshoumaru remembered, making Masao purr appreciatively.



Because he would never purr from being petted. Never.



“It cannot be figured at this point in time. But, we have to make a stop in a village on the border of my lands before we leave.”



Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru curiously, one eyebrow rising.



He watched her nervously, though it didn’t show, and answered with only the slightest hesitation. “Do you remember the little girl that followed me around long ago?” Flashes of a tiny, energetic Rin, clutching flowers and smiling brightly danced in his minds eyes, and his fist compressed tightly.



Kagome’s brows drew together in confusion, then shot up in surprise. “Oh! Little Rin. Yes, I remember her.” Cause, once you’re kidnapped together, that’s it. You’re friends.



She isn’t so little anymore, Sesshoumaru winced at the memories of the last time he’d seen her. A year ago. When she was fourteen. Turned out she had had a little crush on him, and had decided to act on it. And, well-



She was older and more mature now. He had nothing to worry about anymore.



Besides, he was just going to visit her. And if things turned out to bad, he could leave-



Not run away! Or-or, make a girlish escape! Cause it wasn’t. It was-was-



It was best for Rin.



Banishing negative thoughts from his head, he turned back to the present, and Kagome’s baggy pants that were flapping wildly in the wind and baring hints of a pale white leg and-



Jaken.



Jaken would be there to.



Or, he would be dead. Cause he was old. And green. And smelled way past his due date.



Nodding his head slightly he stared straight ahead.



Kagome was bored. She was so bored she didn’t notice when she lapsed into sleep. Her hand slipped slowly down Masao’s shoulder as she leaned forward, slumping and nuzzling her head into the hollow of the large cat’s shoulders that was clearly there just for her to use as a pillow. Sighing into the downy fur she was-



Getting poked repeatedly in the ribs.



Wha-?



She opened her eyes slowly and stared at the long, tapered, clawed finger digging into her ribcage.



“Can I help you?” She muttered sleepily, rolling over and snuggling further into the-



Moss.



Um. Masao?



Accepting the fact that she could never sleep properly and that she was the gods walking punch line she stretched and sat up, staring at the finger that was now in her shoulder.



“Yeah, I’m awake. You can stop now Masao,” She looked up at the golden eyes and blinked, “I mean, not-Masao.”



Sesshoumaru leveled and withdrew his finger, making Kagome wince where the tip of his claw had sunk into her shoulder.



“We are outside of the village. Masao has gone ahead to find Rin’s current place of residence. We will not be staying here long.”



Kagome nodded and stood, backing up until there was a decent amount of space between them.



“How long?”



“What?”



“How long have I been asleep?”



Sesshoumaru did a weird, one-shouldered shrug and went back to his place, leaning against the weathered bark of a tree.



He wasn’t nervous. At all. He didn’t get nervous. He made people nervous. He was like glass. He was like a river. Or a rock. Or like-



“You have a leaf in your hair.”



…



He opened his eyes slowly and stared at the miko coolly, but her glittering blue eyes were trained on the right side of his head, her amusement flourishing.



Slowly his hand rose to the top of his head, his glare fixed on her the entire time, and patted his head but he couldn’t feel any leaf.



“You missed it.”



She was giggling behind the white sleeve of her priestess robes, he knew it.



“Fine. You get it.”



She stared at him wide-eyed and shook her head. “I don’t want to ever touch your person. Ever.”



His eyes narrowed some more. “Why? Is my person unacceptable to your lowly human standards?”



She blinked and smiled slightly. “No. Your person is able to take out an army of my people without breaking a sweat. You freak me out.”



Probably not the best thing to say to his face, but-



“Remove. The. Leaf.” He bit out gradually between his teeth, willing the poison on his fingertips to go away.



Kagome eyed him warily but stood and approached his sitting form bit by bit, until she was standing in front of him. Her hand came out and grasped at his head, and then she yanked her hand back, leaf in hand. He caught her wrist though, and made her stop moving. Releasing the appendage he put one finger on the small green leaf clutched in her hand, the claw barely pricking the small flora, before it crumbled in her hand, making her panic slightly.



His eyes stayed on hers the whole time, narrowed and dangerous and mocking, making the space between them suddenly too small and the forest around her too quiet.



He studied her eyes, finding the girl she once was buried deep in the swirling depths. Abruptly her hand came up, to throw his wrist off hers he assumed, but her hand stilled when it came in contact with the skin of his wrist. Her hand was cool and rough and strong, unlike all the other women he’d been in contact with, making him look down at the darkened skin, calloused and dirtied and thin.



“Um, Kagome-san, Sesshoumaru-sama?”



Kagome looked up slowly, her eyes trailing slowly to Masao, who was standing at them, staring in shock, his face a mirror of the teenager’s next to him.



Long raven hair held back by a small tie, a clean, yellow kimono, big brown eyes and pale, soft skin. She was small but slender and attractive. Her childhood still dripped off her, blamelessness danced in her cheerful aura.



It was Rin. And she wasn’t as over that crush as Sesshoumaru hoped, judging by her angry scowl at Kagome.



“H-hey, Masao-kun. Um, heh, I was just, you know, removing a leaf. And-and Sesshoumaru-sama killed it s-so I don’t have any evidence.” Kagome’s right foot scooted back behind her, preparing her escape.



“Kagome-san?”



“It was exactly what it looked like.” Sesshoumaru said calmly, standing and placing his hand on her shoulder. His eyes met Rin’s, and her orbs filled with juvenile awe.



“Kagome-san? Is what he says true?”



“He-he said something?” Kagome said, dazed and nervous and looking at Masao pleadingly.



“Yes, he did.”



“Oh. Well, I need to walk away now.” She started moving but Sesshoumaru’s hand stayed rooted on her shoulder, squeezing the muscled skin warningly. “Or-or you know, not.”



Oh, damn.



He smelled good.



Kagome stilled her body, but strained her neck away from him. Rin turned her attention away from Sesshoumaru to the woman being held hostage to him and shifted forward. “Kagome…” She mumbled in a bewildered, confused way. “Where have I- oh! Kagome-san! I’m so happy to…” Her sentence trailed off, and her gaze shot back to the small physical contact between her lord and her idle.



She gasped. Then giggled. “I’m so happy for you!”



Wha?



Kagome shot her gaze to Rin and her eyes narrowed, “I don’t know what your thinking, but I know you shouldn’t be thinking it.”



Rin smiled innocently. “You and Sesshoumaru-sama are mated!” Her hands clapped together in glee. “I always knew you were perfect for him!”



Sesshoumaru’s hand tightened again, the sheer strength in just his hand alone making Kagome want to get further away, but she managed to answer calmly. “Rin-chan. Sesshoumaru and I,” Realizing the implications, Kagome suddenly went deathly still.



Everyone looked at her expectantly.



Kagome, in an act that made Masao doubt her sanity for a brief moment, started laughing. Hysterically. The musical sound of her childish laughter filling the area marvelously, bouncing off the bowed trees and mountain walls.



Ah, irony. How we missed you.











Kagome: Me! And you! Pfft, HAHAHAHAHAHA!



Sesshoumaru: …Ugh, humans.



Kagome: *takes deep breath* Like I would touch you. Ha!



Sesshoumaru: I believe that was my line.