The Secrets of Inuyoukai
~oOo~
Eating Habits
Kagome stood, placing her hands on her hips and arching to stretch her back. The first flush of spring was over and the days were steadily growing warmer. She used the back of her sleeve to blot the perspiration off her head and, after an added stretch to her neck, took inventory of everything she'd been able to gather so far. Wild herbs for healing, some onions she had found by the river, mushrooms she'd been delighted to find beside a fallen tree. She smiled. Not bad for a city girl from the future
Hearing footfalls in the grass, she looked expectantly at the close end of the clearing. Her fellow forager broke though, mildly exclaiming as she tried to disentangle a thorny vine from her hair
"Rin-chan! Do you need some help fighting a vine oni?" she giggled, as the younger girl's convolutions became more emphatic. Large eyes gave her an accusing look as the rosy mouth pouted.
"Kagome-nee-sama is being cruel! It snagged in my hair as I was coming from the bog and I don't want it splitting the ends after you trimmed it so pretty."
"I'd worry less about my hair and more about my fingers. Here." Quickly taking the end of the vine, Kagome unraveled the thick black strands and slipped them under the barbs that had caught them. Tossing the vine back towards the forest, she finger combed the snagged hair, restoring it to glossy smoothness. "There you go." Eyes suddenly lighting with mischief, she made a grand pronouncement, "This Kagome has vanquished the oni and restored perfection to the hair of our Rin-hime." She then gave a ludicrously deep bow to the furiously blushing girl.
Taking a deep breath, Rin turned to the giggling miko. Willing the blush to subside, she straightened her back and lifted her chin, resting her eyes frostily on her friend. With perfect composure, she gave a studied "Hn."
Kagome dropped her jaw, then began laughing. "You have him perfectly!" she was able to get out before she began hiccuping. Amazed at the boisterous miko, it wasn't long before Rin couldn't help giggling and joining in the laughter. Soon both girls were on the ground laughing, unable to stop as each triggered a new gale with a glance or snort.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama would not be amused." Still occasionally giggling, Rin leaned back in the cool grass. Her ribs ached pleasantly. Life had been so full of laughter since Kagome had returned. Everyone in the old shard-hunting group went around with large smiles on their faces and villagers whispered of added blessings now that the girl who was beloved of the kami had returned to them.
Rin knew it embarrassed the older girl. She'd seen Kagome blush when the villagers would offer up prayers when she walked by. Offerings had been left outside of Kaede's hut every day since then, more than they could actually eat… but as the elderly miko succinctly put it, perfect amounts for Kagome to learn how to cook and preserve before she took a husband. Rin took a deep breath and stared up at the endless blue above. She'd never seen someone turn that shade of purple before.
Kagome looked up at the clear sky as well, but was slightly disappointed. No cloud watching today. She started to stand. "Rin-chan, we probably need to get back to… oooph." Stumbling on the hem of the unaccustomed hakama, she blundered into the baskets, knocking Rin's completely over. Wincing as she heard the rip of fabric, she kicked her hem out from underneath her heel. "I am so sorry Rin-chan, let me gather them back up. I really hope I didn't bruise anything." She quickly righted the basket and started reaching for the fallen herbs.
"No, Kagome-nee-sama, it's really ok! I'll get them." Rin nervously sat up and reached, knowing somehow that it was too late.
Kagome stared down at the plants spilled from the basket. Nanten, tomato leaves, kanamemochi, toadstools, asebi… "Rin-chan," she hoarsely whispered, looking to the girl with bewilderment. "These are all… Why? Why would you need these? Any of them, much less a basketful?" Horrified, she let Rin pull the basket from her nerveless fingers.
"I'm sorry to upset you, Kagome-nee-sama." Rin moved to where she was kneeling beside the basket and gently started straightening and returning everything to the basket. "I can't tell you why I need them, though. But…" She quietly finished her task, covered them, and stood. "I promise that I'm not using them for an evil purpose." Gazing at her toes, she breathed sharply through her nose and looked into her friend's eyes. "I didn't think you'd see what I was picking, or I would have waited. But they are needed, just please, trust me."
Shocked at the full basket of poisonous herbs and fungi, the only action Kagome could take was to nod her head. "Does Kaede-baa-chan…"
"No. No one does." Rin summoned up a wan little smile. "But maybe I can explain it to you later. Will you please keep it to yourself until I can? At least for a while?"
"Ok, Rin-chan. For a while. But as soon as you can…"
"I know."
~oOo~
A day later, Kagome was under Goshinboku trying to compose her mind so she could slip into a meditative state. Unfortunately her mind was more inclined to wander to the defunct well and Mama, as well as hitting on various subjects such as worshiping villagers, a motherly best friend who was over-enthusiastically training her in how to take care of a household, a red-clothed hanyou who seemed to be moving very slowly in their relationship, and a basket of deadly poisons.
"Nnnngh," she irritably groaned. She opened her eyes and bounced the back of her head against the venerable trunk, wincing as the bark grabbed a few hairs. She held her hand to the back of her head and sat forward to free them without getting them pulled out.
"Maybe a head scarf wouldn't be a bad idea," she muttered to herself.
"Most simply refrain from rubbing their head against a tree."
This time she definitely gave the back of her head a knock as she jerked back. "Oww," she rubbed her head while glaring at the silk-clad demon who always managed to surprise her. She wanted to lecture him, but remembered just in time that he was an elder of her family. Minding her manners, she started "Sesshoumaru-o-nii…" His glare stopped her cold. "Ok, so that dirty look from before…"
"Refrain from describing any relationship between us thusly."
"Sesshoumaru-san, then." The temperature between them dropped some more. "That's as formal as I get! Rin-chan's address of you is positively archaic where I'm from. Unless you want to be Sesshoumaru-kun?"
He tched. "The former will have to be… acceptable." He paused a moment, sampling the air. Satisfied that the area was clear, he pulled the swords from his obi and sat down. Placing them both to one side, he looked at the dumbfounded priestess in front of him. Removing a package from inside his sleeve, he placed it in front of himself and began untying it. "Rin said that you both went foraging yesterday."
Kagome was speechless. This was Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru! Let's-melt-the-annoyance-in-my-path himself! Sitting and… eating?... in front of her! She watched with wide eyes as he popped something from the cloth into his mouth and slowly chewed, his eyes on her the whole time. Brain processes in motion, she finally registered his comment. "Umm, yes. We did." As he ate another morsel, she realized she was staring at him rudely and hurriedly lowered her eyes.
"You had questions about her gathering." He picked up another bit and savored the flavor of the deadly treats. Golden eyes flickered with amusement at the miko's reddened cheeks and forced manners. This was almost on par with finding Jaken bedecked with flowers. A faint melancholy twinge hit his heart but was ignored; the past was over and done, Rin approaching womanhood with no time for bedecking his servant with flowers. He had better things to do than to sit with his half-brother's miko as well. He toyed with one of the last pieces in the cloth, willing the girl to forget this newly-acquired propriety and notice what he held. He didn't wait long.
"You know what she…" Kagome broke off mid-sentence as she focused on the mushroom held between two deadly claws. Startled, she looked up at him just in time to see the stuffed toadstool disappearing into his mouth. "Sesshoumaru-san… then, Rin-chan…" Just as it seemed she'd never be able to complete a sentence, she whispered, "But it's toxic."
"To humans. This one is youkai, such limitations don't exist. One is what one eats." Tossing the last of the toadstools into his mouth, the youkai lord stood. "The cloth is Rin's." With that he was gone; the only signs left that proved the bizarre conversation had even taken place were the cloth flickering in the breeze and the slight aroma of crushed grass from where he had sat.
He means... his poison isn't natural? Kagome pinched her arm, her brother's ninja anime obsession bringing to mind the memory of kunochi who ate poison from childhood and could kill a man with a toxic kiss. With an indrawn hiss of breath as the pain proved she was awake, she thanked the gods for the brother she'd fallen in love with.
Ramen was suddenly a much less objectionable food obsession.
~oOo~
I was going through some old folders and found some Sesshoumaru-centric scenes that never quite met my expectations. But then I had this idea, so I hope you enjoy my remakes. Non-Sess/Kag-centric stories will be on my on my other websites, listed on my profile page.