Chapter 15: The Darkness at Her Feet

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Chapter 15: The Darkness at Her Feet

The Once and Future Taiyoukai

Chapter 15: The Darkness at Her Feet

"Concentrate."

"I am."

"No, you are not. Focus your energy on it. Don't do anything. Just feel your power in your hands."

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, her fingertips dancing one inch above the pinecone in front of her. Her face was turning red.

"Remember to breathe," muttered Midoriko.

The miko took a deep breath and the alarming color began to fade. Her hands began to glow the softest of pink. Across the clearing, on the other side of the fire, Sesshoumaru and Akemi shifted back. "Okay, now what?" she asked, her voice strained.

"Nothing. Just hold it there. Just at the tips of your fingers."

Kagome clenched her jaw and began to sweat. Little gasps of breath drew Sesshoumaru's attention. "Stop it," he ordered, his golden eyes narrowed.

Midoriko glared at him, but rested a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Alright, Kagome. Draw it back," she said.

The younger miko let out one last heavy breath and sat back, her hands dropping into her lap. "That was hard," she murmured. "Especially the last part."

"You cannot always gather enough power immediately. If you are not patient, you can lose that power and your advantage over a demon," Midoriko said, sitting back and tending to the fire.

"Thank you." Kagome rolled her neck and sighed as the joints popped. "I hope that I'll get better with practice."

"You already have surpassed many priestesses that I have known," said the elder woman.

Kagome shrugged. "You're better than I could ever be," she murmured.

Midoriko took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her teeth. "I hope that you are never forced to learn as I did, through pure necessity and fear for your life." She frowned for a moment before her eyes flickered back to Kagome's face and she smiled softly. "You are doing very well, Kagome. You have a great power."

"I know," she replied. She stretched and stood up. "I think I'm going to get ready for bed. There's a stream that way, right?" She pointed to the east.

Sesshoumaru and Midoriko both got to their feet and looked at one another. "Where are you going?" growled the taiyoukai.

"To take Kagome to the stream," replied the miko with a suspicious tone.

"I will take her."

Midoriko's eyes widened. "A male demon taking a human woman alone into the woods at night?" she asked, incredulous. "How indecent! You will not take her."

Kagome watched as the muscle in Sesshoumaru's jaw twitched. He was trying not to mock her, she knew, and point out that they had been alone together for many nights now. Kagome had made him promise to remain civil with the elder miko. He was clearly biting his tongue. She stepped forward. "Midoriko, you can take me, but Akemi will lead me back. I can sense danger on my own and I can protect myself, I just don't know where the stream is."

"I will not have you alone out there," Sesshoumaru started.

"And I won't be," interrupted Kagome gently. She gave him a plaintive look. "Akemi will be with me. You'll be nearby."

She was sure to direct this last comment to the taiyoukai, hoping that it would make him feel that he was more important than the miko. It worked and he relaxed. "Call, if you need anything," he said, his voice edged with protectiveness.

"I will," she replied, gathering up her things. She flashed him a disarming smile as Midoriko floated across the clearing and led the way into the darkness.

It took several moments for Kagome's eyes to adjust to the black night, even with the help of the small shafts of moonlight coming through the treetops. The sounds of night enclosed them as the fire fluttered out of sight behind them. Midoriko moved with patience and confidence ahead of the younger miko. Kagome tried to follow her example, picking her way through the trees, which she could only do by avoiding the darkest shadows against the midnight background.

"Are you doing alright?" asked Midoriko softly, not wanting to disturb the nocturnal creatures around them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," murmured Kagome.

The older miko paused for a moment. "How were your travels with Lord Sesshoumaru?" she asked, her voice almost polite as she said the taiyoukai's name. Kagome could tell though that Midoriko had been itching to ask this all day.

"Fine. I'm not sure what you expect me to say. I told you what happened."

"You didn't tell me all of it, Kagome-san," replied the other woman.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking for gossip?"

"Is there gossip to be had?" Midoriko asked. She stopped in her path and turned to look at her young companion. Her face shone white in the dim light and Kagome could see her small frown. "He was honorable?"

"Of course. He always is."

"I know that he is for you. Forgive me, Kagome-san. I know that I owe the demon a lot for saving you. I will not forget that." She paused and looked up, letting the moon fall onto her forehead and cheekbones. "You should have seen him, Kagome-san. The fear. The unbridled rage. And the compassion that I am certain he will only ever feel for you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "He didn't tell me that part."

"No. He wouldn't though, would he? He is a demon. More importantly, he is a male. He would not talk what he felt in that moment. He might not have been aware of it himself." She paused again, testing Kagome's impatience. "But such boundless emotion comes from that demon, Kagome-san. You must be careful. His control could break. I am glad that it has not yet happened."

The thought of Sesshoumaru losing control brought a small smile to her face. "He'll never lose control. Not for anyone," she replied.

"Hmm. I hope that you are correct. He could hurt you, even unintentionally. Or himself," she added with a shrug. She turned away again. "It happens though. Demons can't help themselves and only the strongest can resist for so long."

"Well, thank you for the warning, but I don't think I have to worry," said Kagome as they began to walk again.

"I hope not." With that, she fell silent.

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Sesshoumaru took another log and placed in it the midst of the fire, not flinching as the flames licked at his bare skin. The two miko had not noticed, but the temperature was dropping every day. The long autumn was coming to a close and soon winter would hit. It wouldn't be any easier if they stayed in the mountains for very long. Even now, Kagome was probably stepping into an extremely icy stream.

He frowned at that thought and added a few more logs to the fire, letting it burn bright. She would be warm when she returned then.

He settled back against a tree trunk. He wanted to go look for Kagome, but he knew that she would scold him for not trusting her and the other miko. Unless she called for him, he would have to sit and wait.

Or if she took too long, he added silently. Then he had a legitimate reason to go after her.

He just didn't want her to remain alone with the other miko. One day with Midoriko had not warmed him to trust the elder miko. She had been quiet and awkward all day, seemingly caught between her continuing hatred of youkai and the fact that Sesshoumaru had lived up to his oath and saved Kagome. She was unsure of how to act around the taiyoukai. Refusing to allow him to accompany Kagome to the stream was the first argument they had had all day.

But civility didn't win his friendship and certainly not his trust. While his own soul sat half in shadow, Midoriko toed the line of the light and dark with unnerving casualty. At least he was honest about not being a good creature, he thought smugly. Midoriko seemed to not see her own flaws at all. That formed the base of his deep distrust.

Everyone has flaws. Everyone has evil within his heart. Ignoring these facts only meant you would fall into darkness more swiftly.

Except Kagome, he mused. Of course she had flaws. But she could stand on the edge of the abyss and step away without even looking down into the darkness at her feet. She had a strength that made even his father tremble.

Of course, it was also the sort of strength that allowed her to go around trusting creatures like intolerant miko, shameless wolves and cruel taiyoukai. Speaking of which...

He lifted his head and frowned. The intolerant miko should be back by now. Kagome could take as long as she wished, but Midoriko could have walked five times to and from the stream at this point. While he could smell Kagome's scent, along with all those strange, foreign soaps she used, he could no longer sense Midoriko.

An ill wind was blowing down the mountain from the north, unsettling his stomach. He stood and moved towards its source, his feet speeding up with every step, despite the knowledge that he should remain at camp for Kagome's return. Something urged him forward and his eyes narrowed as he took precautions to conceal his presence in the forest.

The trees seemed to make way for him, opening and pulling away from his path so that his footfalls were silent. An owl flew overhead, swooping down to capture a rabbit that gave a squeal of fear so loud it almost pierced his eardrums. But the rabbit was dead in a moment and he decided to take it as a good omen. He was on what would be a successful hunt.

A familiar scent wafted under his nose and he paused, sniffing the air again. Green tea and metal – the scent of Midoriko.

What was she doing out here, so far from the camp? His lip lifted in a silent snarl as he stalked forward, preparing to break his promise of civility. He had never promised the older miko his protection, but he had been willing to give it as long as Kagome wanted her safety. For her to wander out of his senses was the utmost foolishness, especially on this cold mountain. Her departure reeked of disrespect, for both him and Kagome.

He stopped short a moment later when a second scent intertwined with the first. It was pungent and offensive, although someone had clearly gone through the effort of trying to conceal such a scent. Sesshoumaru covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve to avoid the smell of what was clearly a demon.

He frowned. Why was Midoriko with a demon? More importantly, why did he not smell her purification powers burning the youkai's flesh?

The taiyoukai advanced carefully, walking into the shadows and restraining his scent and aura. There were no sounds of a struggle, no cries for help from either creature. Perhaps Midoriko was lying in wait for this demon herself. It was powerful though. Strong enough to take on the miko even. He could feel the pulse of its strong aura.

"... Kagome..."

Sesshoumaru's head jerked up. That was the miko's voice. She was speaking with this demon! About Kagome, no less. A lower voice replied, but he could not distinguish words yet.

He drew his sword in silence and crept forward.

"... than I had imagined..."

"... of something creative..."

Midoriko's voice suddenly rose in pitch and he no longer had to strain to hear. He took advantage of the increased volume and moved faster through the trees. "You aren't listening to me! Don't you know who she has the protection of?"

A deep, rumbling laugh. Sesshoumaru was close enough now to hear the demon's response. "That whelp? I remember when he was but a pup." Another laugh and then a brief silence as the demon turned serious. "I know his weaknesses. Use them."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as the demon began to list his most serious injuries, ones that still ached to this day. The ligament in his knee that had been torn completely when an over-enthusiastic sparring partner attacked before the mark. The pierced liver when he received a spear through his torso during his very first battle. Even the dislocated shoulder from when he was still a child, when he fell from a cherry tree. Finally, the demon spoke of Kagome putting her hands upon the taiyoukai and purifying the shard.

Midoriko gave a soft gasp. "She did not mention that."

"I wouldn't expect she did."

He heard the miko stamp her foot and he moved ever forward, intent upon catching a glimpse of the pair. "What do you expect me to do? Fight him hand to hand? If I killed him, all it would take is a simple touch."

"Then why are you complaining?" sneered the demon.

"Because he is the son of the Western Lord! I will never be able to rest again. I will die at the hands of their assassins, even if it takes Lord Toga a thousand attempts."

The demon chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't worry about that too much."

Sesshoumaru moved to his left and finally, his eyes found the traitorous miko and the demon. He was not surprised to see that it was another of those imp creatures, with its beaky mouth and orange bulbous eyes. What did Kagome think they were? Ah, time demons. But no matter what they were, this one was larger and far more powerful than the last one they encountered. And it was holding Midoriko around the waist almost tenderly.

He resisted the urge to retch.

"I don't care about your plans to conquer the world. Lord Toga is still a concern for me," Midoriko was saying. She looked fairly uncomfortable with the proximity of the imp, but was not pushing away. "And I know you don't care if I die at the hands of some assassin, as long as I've done my part."

"If I truly did not care about that," murmured the demon, lowering his hideous beaky jaws to her ear, "I would have killed you by now. After all, you have done nothing but fail in your part. In fact, you have helped the enemy survive."

Midoriko glared up at him. "Well, what was I supposed to do? He had already killed two of the men, men of my village, right there in front of me! He would have snapped my neck if I hadn't helped."

Sesshoumaru was resisting just that impulse as she spoke. He knew it! That little viper, he growled inwardly. He knew she couldn't be trusted. And yet, even he didn't think that her treachery could go to such limits. Kagome would be heartbroken. And that made him angrier than he thought possible. The hilt of his sword began cutting into his hand.

"Ah, but she would have died too," said the demon.

Midoriko turned her head away, disgust evident on her face. "Well, you haven't done a very good job yourself. She incinerated your army."

The demon waved one clawed hand dismissively. "Her death would have been simply a bonus. The object was to get the shards. And I did." He paused. "I admit that my cousin failed to dispatch her from this world and even gave back one shard, but that is no matter. Next time, you will not fail."

"You still expect me to do this?" she asked, shrill.

The imp grinned, his fangs showing at the corners of his mouth. "Of course. You are the most advantageously placed assassin I have." The smile faded. "You could have done it tonight. You were alone with her."

She gave him a furious glare. "Sesshoumaru was close by and I refuse to die for you!"

He laughed. "Sometime, Midoriko my dear, you must recover from this human fear of death. Sooner or later it will find you."

"I would prefer later," the miko said. "Although with you around, I'm sure that it won't work out that way."

"So little faith," admonished the demon.

Midoriko frowned. "I lost my faith long ago," she said softly. "And you have taken away everything else I have held dear, except my very life."

The imp snorted and finally released her. "You tire me," he sneered. "Just do your part."

"I don't know if I can!" she replied hotly, her hands curling into fists. "She's my friend."

"Don't be ridiculous," growled the imp. "You cannot be friends with someone you are supposed to kill. And you will kill that little brat, Midoriko. I don't care how you do it. Make it look like an accident. Or slit her throat. Just do it and I will request nothing more of you. For the time being."

The muscle in the miko's jaw jumped. "You promised me!"

"Why would I release such an asset? Even if you seem to be a rather troublesome asset," the demon growled.

Sesshoumaru watched in raging silence as Midoriko turned away. Above the crown of her head a bird hovered in the air for a moment before changing directions. The taiyoukai frowned. The wind was changing. Soon, the demon would be able to smell him.

He moved back slowly, trying to hide himself from sight. He had heard enough anyway. Just as the trees covered his view, he heard a short sniff, then a rustle of leaves.

"What is it?" asked Midoriko.

"It seems that the whelp has been spying on us," came the gruff reply.

Midoriko let out a small cry of alarm. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" she cried. "But he'll..."

Sesshoumaru didn't wait to hear what the miko thought he would do. He turned and ran.

Kagome is alone, he repeated to himself over and over. He had to get to her before that demon got to her, or more importantly, before that horrible woman got to her. Her hesitance aside, the taiyoukai was certain that the wretched miko would do whatever the time demon wanted her to do. Whatever the time demon had against Midoriko was so powerful that not even Kagome's kindness could overcome it.

Sesshoumaru couldn't fight Midoriko though. The most he could do against the miko would be to warn Kagome and to hope that he had taught her well. As for the time demon... well, he might be able to defeat a creature that could literally appear at any choice moment. Maybe.

Kagome would be crushed. She was far too innocent for this sort of betrayal. And she had fought so hard against his own misgivings about Midoriko. He wished he could tell the little miko that he hadn't expected it, that he had been as equally as surprised that Midoriko was an enemy. But Sesshoumaru couldn't shake the feeling that the fear had been at the back of his head the entire time. And perhaps that, more than anything else - even Midoriko's hatred for demons - made him feel the way he did about her.

He would never trust a miko again, not even for the briefest of moments. Religion had nothing to do with virtue.

Behind him, as he grew angrier, there was only silence. The wind was working against him now, sending his scent backwards like a blazing trail for the time demon to find. But still, there was no movement and no sound. For the moment that Sesshoumaru did not think about the ways to slaughter Midoriko for her betrayal, he realized that the silence was probably not a good thing.

He set his jaw and put on one last burst of speed, so fast that the trees rattled behind him. When he materialized on the bank of the stream, he grabbed Kagome's arm and jerked her up, ignoring her hideous shriek of alarm. White foam sprayed from her mouth.

"Sessoumaroo," she cried, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. The arm that he had grabbed was gripping what Sesshoumaru vaguely recognized as her tooth-cleaning tool. She was dressed in her sleeping attire. "Wod de 'ell?"

"Midoriko has betrayed us to the time demon," he informed her. "We must leave immediately."

Kagome's eyes grew rather wide and vacant as she turned her head and spit the rest of her toothpaste into the stream, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "No," she said. "That's impossible. She would never do that."

"I just witnessed her rendezvous with the creature. She has been under orders this entire time to kill you. She simply has not managed it yet."

Kagome pulled her arm from his grasp with a furious glare. "Sesshoumaru, I know you don't like her..."

"This has nothing to do with that!" he growled. "Although I admit my hate for her has increased a thousand fold in the last few minutes alone, that does not change the fact that she is our enemy. Your enemy. She is your assassin!"

She finally blinked. "But... she's my friend..." she said, her voice small and trembling.

Sesshoumaru softened slightly. "I know you are disappointed, but we cannot think on this here. She knows where you are and she has a time demon on her side, if you are correct in your theory. Even if you are not, the creature is incredibly powerful. It is unlikely that I could defeat it alone."

"Did it have the shards?" she asked, her head jerking up. Her eyes were now unusually clear and bright.

He frowned as he considered it. He had been around the shards for so long that he almost lost his perception of them. "No," he said finally. "The power seemed to come entirely from the demon."

Kagome crouched down at the stream and rinsed off her toothbrush before putting it back in her bag. "Midoriko isn't doing this for herself. It's that demon."

"I know." He caught her sharp look and gave a half-hearted shrug. "What does it matter, Kagome, what her motivations are? She is trying to kill you. You have an interest in living. I have an interest in protecting you. We must leave. Now. Several moments ago, actually."

The miko nodded and picked up her bag. "Okay. Let's go then," she said. Sesshoumaru noticed that her cheeks were shining with tears and he damned Midoriko before taking her in his arms. "What're you...?"

"Hush. This takes concentration," he murmured, closing his eyes. "Where is Akemi?"

"At our feet," Kagome replied softly, looking down to see the kitten waiting patiently. "Why?"

"I must know where you are exactly," he said, opening one golden eye to briefly check the fire-cat's position.

"Wh—ooh!" Kagome grabbed at the front of Sesshoumaru's haori as a cloud formed beneath their feet and lifted the three of them off the ground. "Sesshoumaru!"

"Hush," he repeated, although his arms tightened around her waist in a comforting way.

The cloud grew and grew, gaining surface area and thickness. The cottony mist enveloped Kagome's feet and Akemi up to her shoulder. It sailed higher and higher, straight up until they got above the tree line, when it began to move north. It was colder above the forest and Kagome pressed herself against the taiyoukai, her arms wrapping around him and into his fur pelt. Her breath began to form in the air, its moisture clinging to the fine hairs of the pelt against her face. She felt Akemi wrap herself around her ankle.

"Are you cold?" he asked. Kagome looked up to see a calm taiyoukai, his eyes open and fixed on her. She shuddered. "Sit." He pulled her down next to him and wrapped his pelt around her shoulders, so that she swam in the white fur.

"I didn't know you could do this," she murmured, finally tearing her eyes away from his to look around. The forest was moving rather slowly but steadily below them. Above them, most of the sky was obscured by its own clouds, but the moon broke through with a few bright stars.

Sesshoumaru nodded, fixing his eyes on the far horizon that Kagome could not see in the darkness. "It is difficult for me to do, especially when there are others with me," he said. "And it is not the best way to travel. It tires me quickly because I have not fully developed this power. But I thought we should get away from the stream and not leave an obvious trail."

Kagome nodded. Tears began to fall again. "I just... can't believe we're running away from Midoriko."

"We are regrouping," the taiyoukai corrected. "I would never run from that..."

"Please don't," she interrupted. "I still care for her."

"She is trying to kill you," he argued. "As I said, it does not matter what her motivations are. There are only two sides to this coin."

She shook her head. "No, I refuse to believe that. I want to talk to her."

Sesshoumaru sighed. It was no use to fight about this. Kagome would believe the best of everyone until they finally and actually stabbed her in the back. He chose a different tack. "Just do not do anything without my presence. I know that she would easily purify me, but she seems to fear me." He made a slight grimace. "Or rather, she fears my father's retribution if I should die by her hand."

"Tell me what you heard," Kagome requested. "Please."

"Not now," he said. "I weaken by the moment and I will need energy when we land. Just in case."

She nodded and looked away. "Where are we going?"

"To find the witch," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Kagome frowned. "But how do we even know that she exists? Midoriko is the one that told me about her." She paused and the frown grew more despondent. "It was all her idea."

"That does not mean that it was... a bad idea," he replied hesitantly. "Not necessarily."

"But what if this is a wild goose chase?" she asked. "What if there is no witch? Or what if she exists but she can't do anything to help us?"

Sesshoumaru considered this for a moment. "You say that the miko has not put her heart into killing you," he said softly. Kagome nodded vigorously out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps... not everything she said was a lie. Perhaps she truly wishes to help you. Perhaps we should put our faith in this."

Kagome smiled sadly. "You've been with me for too long," she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Well," he groused, "do you have a better idea?"

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A/N: It's a shorter chapter, but there are huge things in there obviously. Any more and I would have shown my entire hand. (Don't think that I don't have any more surprises! I do! I promise!) Anyway, unlike the last chapter, which was the writing equivalent of fighting a Hydra, I'm quite pleased with this one. Please review! Next chapter – the bad guy shows up. Finally! Haha.

Oh, and for those of you asking how long this story is going to be... Hmm. I foresee about 7 more chapters after this. Might be more or less though.