The Taiyoukai and his Miko by Kai

Meeting of Fate

A/N: Hello! Sorry for not updating any of my other stories. It will take a long time before I can update any of my other stories. This one was done by me and my Sesshomaru. So I hope you all like it ^-^

Chapter one:

Kagome cursed as she held her swollen ankle, trying to keep at least some kind of pressure on it. There she was, lost in some god forsaken woods, at the bottom of a small cliff no higher then three feet with a twisted ankle. And she had no one to blame but Inuyasha himself.

It seemed to be a normal day as any that was until Inuyasha had opened his big mouth and told Kagome he saw her nothing more then a shard detector. Feeling hurt from his words, she screamed at him to sit, and then told him that maybe he should go find Kikyou and have her find the jewel shards for him. Because Kagome was just sick and tired of being treated like that.

"Stupid Inuyasha..." She muttered, a tear running down her face. "I give him everything, my loyalty, my heart; I even tried to become useful. I guess I'm still nothing more then a shard detector for him." The raven haired girl sighed as she looked up at the blue sky. "Guess I'll try to get back somehow..."

**
In another part of the same woods, a white shape was moving among the trees.  It moved neither quick nor slow, but with a sense of presence that seemed to suggest that it did things in its own time, in its own way, and would not be hurried.  It belonged to Sesshomaru, the Lord of the Western Lands.  He was out hunting. 

"I've lost the scent", he said, stopping and sniffing a few times in a small clearing.  "Curse you, Naraku." 

But then he smelled something even more interesting. 

"Inuyasha," he hissed under his breath, laying his hand on the Toki Jin.  He had lost Naraku.  Perhaps this would make for a pleasant diversion.  He was quite intent on venting his frustrations on his half brother, when he realized that something was wrong.  The scent was too faint.  And something else was mixed in with it. 

"Hmm", he scowled, realizing that the smell belonged not to his brother, but to one of the members of his party.  Then he grew thoughtful.  "To think", he said to himself, "his stench is so strong it even befouls those he associates with.  How revolting."  And so he set about consoling himself with this little private insult to his brother.  He could tell that the smell was female. 

"I wonder which one of them it is?" 
**

Kagome sighed as she used a tree next to her to help herself up. She could feel the presence of Youkai in the woods. It really would do her no good to actually get attacked while she was injured.

A pained hiss escaped her lips as she attempted to walk on her hurt ankle. If only she had her bag with her! Then maybe she would be able to wrap the hurt appendage and be able to walk much easier. Instead she was hobbling to other trees and stopping to make sure that she wasn't going to fall. About the third attempt to get to a tree, she tripped over a root and fell once more to the ground. A small cry left her throat as she hit the hard, cold ground.

"Great... she muttered, fighting down her frustration.”Could today get any worse?"

**

"I wonder which one it is", he thought. It might have been the demon slayer -- that could prove interesting, if only briefly. Or it could be the girl with the strange green and white clothing.  The one who was a miko without being a miko. 

"Or it could be the dead one", he mused to himself, and took note that he should remember to add necrophilia to the list of his brother's many crimes.  "Truly, his perversity knows no bounds." 

From the change in her smell, he could tell that she was in pain, and probably injured.  And then he began to sense something else:  fear.  Did she sense his presence? 

He heard the sound of her body hitting the ground, very hard for that matter.  He turned to walk away, all the while thinking to himself that humans were very stupid, fragile creatures, and that it was pointless to form any attachments to them, because they were always off getting themselves injured -- or else killed -- when he heard her cry out.  There was something in the sound of her voice that arrested him.  He stopped, though he didn't know why, and that only irritated him even more. 

**

Kagome froze for a moment when she could hear the sounds of someone close to her. By the feel of it, it was youkai. A powerful one at that. Though the aura felt familiar, she had a feeling that this could mean trouble. And without anyone to protect her, she could easily be attacked.

The teenage girl cursed in her mind. Who was she to believe that she would be protected all the time? Was she not in training to be a miko? Kagome could protect herself pretty well given the chance. Inuyasha was just always there to protect her. Once more she cursed inwardly. There was Inuyasha's name again. Did she really believe herself to be so pathetic that she would rely on Inuyasha all the time?

Using the tree once more to stand up, Kagome widened her senses, trying to pinpoint where the youkai was and on top of that how far away he was from her. Unfortunately she could only feel a faint trace of it and really, she had no idea how to fight off a youkai without her bow and arrows. Maybe if she pretended that she was a really strong miko? Maybe if she did that, the youkai would turn tail and run. After all, most youkai feared miko's right?

"I know you’re out there!" Kagome shouted. Okay, it wasn't the best thing to say, but maybe if she didn't act scared it would have no interest in her. "Come out where I can see you!"

The girl's voice echoed between the trees.  Normally, Sesshomaru would have ignored such nonsense, but the sheer ridiculousness of the girl's remark made it impossible to resist. 

"I know you're there, too", he hissed, his voice very low and threatening.  Already he could sense that she was becoming more afraid by the minute.  He couldn't resist taking this little swipe at her. 

Just then, another demonic aura appeared.  He couldn't say from what direction at first.  It seemed to be coming right out of the sky.  Looking up, he could see a woman in what looked to be a boat made from a feather descending towards the place where the human girl was.  She was wearing a white kimono, draping off of her shoulder, with a darker blue one showing underneath it.  In her hand she held a folded fan. 

"Kagura.  What's she doing here?" 

Kagome froze when she heard his voice in the woods. What would Sesshomaru be doing in these parts of the woods? Then again, why was he sticking around at this time? Though now knowing it was him, Kagome couldn't help sticking her tongue out at him like a five year old who was just made fun of.

"Don’t just hide there, come out! Or am I just too easy now that Inuyasha isn't here?" She completely didn't see the feather that was now descending down upon her.

"Just like a stupid human girl to be so busy being insolent that she doesn't even see the real danger approaching her."  At least, that's what Sesshomaru thought to himself.  He had started towards her, when he saw Kagura descending.  This left him with a decision -- did he go ahead, and teach the human girl a lesson, or did he leave her to Kagura?  Kagura wasn't wasting any time. 

"Dance of blades!” she shouted, opening her fan with a flick that sent out a shower of glowing crescents.  They carved through the trees, making a path for her, and struck the ground in front of Kagome's feet. 

"That was unnecessary", Kanna said.  There was no tone to her voice. It was impossible to tell if she was being critical, or just making an observation. 

"The tree branches were in the way!” Kagura huffed.  Of course, she COULD have gone around them.  But she could sense that Sesshomaru was nearby, and so she decided to make a more dramatic entrance. 

The feather boat landed, and she strode up to Kagome. 

"You!  You're coming with me." 

Kagome let out a scream as blades descended down on her, causing her to fall over once more. She looked up at Kagura once the woman approached her, fear turning into anger when she heard the woman's demand.

"I don’t think so!" Kagome snapped, using the tree once more to get up. She showed no fear, just pure determination to not get captured by the wind youkai before her. No, Kagome didn't need Inuyasha. She didn't even need Sesshomaru who she was sure had walked off by now. After all, what would a youkai lord do about a human getting captured.

She grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be a branch, and pushed off the tree, making sure she was steady on her feet. If she was going to be captured, then Kagome was going to make sure that she fought tooth and nail to prevent it. That way if she did get captured, she could say she did what she could.

"No one cares what you think!" Kagura snapped.  "Naraku has a use for you -- you're coming with me!" 

"Naraku?” Sesshomaru considered. 

Kagura grabbed Kagome's arm.

As soon as Kagura touched her, Kagome concentrated her purification powers right into Kagura's hand, making sure to burn it. "Tell Naraku that his invitation has expired. I'm not coming with you."

The brilliant flash of Kagome's power of purification lit up the trees, making Kagura recoil. 

"Yaah!” the female youkai called out, clutching her smoldering hand.  "You'll pay for that!” she said, holding up her fan.  "Naraku ordered me to bring you to him, so that he could use your powers to help him with finding the jewel.  He needs you alive, but he never said anything about you needing to be in one piece!" 

Kagome's eyes widened as she saw that Kagura was about to tear her into shreds. 'Well, at least I didn't need anyone's help...' She thought to herself as she closed her eyes, ready for the pain to come.

Sesshomaru's mind was made up.  Normally, he would not concern himself with something like this.  Getting involved with humans was the kind of thing that got his father, a proud, powerful youkai, killed.  And after this night, he would berate himself many times for having gone down the same path that his father had traveled, even if it was only for a few steps.  But the chance to thwart some part of Naraku's plans was too much to resist.  He still smarted at the insult of how Naraku had manipulated him.  And Sesshomaru would be a pawn to no one.  No one. 

"Dance of --" 

Kagura's hand stopped in midair, as something green wrapped around her wrist.  She whirled angrily, until she saw who held the other end of the whip. 

"Lord Sesshomaru . . ." 

The green band seared her flesh, but she made no effort to get free.  This was the closest she'd ever come to being touched by Sesshomaru.  With a flick of his wrist, he wrenched the fan out of her hand.  He could have cut it off, if he'd wanted to.  But Sesshomaru was not one to do things rashly.  The fan fluttered to rest a few feet in front of him.  He bent, and picked it up, studying it for some moments.  Then he closed it, very carefully, and with an air of finality. 

"Here", he said, tossing the fan back to Kagura.  "This belongs to you." 

Kagome closed her eyes shut as soon as she heard the wind youkai speak. But when she heard Sesshomaru's name escape her lips, Kagome quickly opened her brown eyes to see that indeed Sesshomaru had come to her rescue. In shock, she blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out why the hell the stoic taiyoukai came to her recue. Well, that was till he gave Kagura back her fan.

"Sesshomaru?" She asked, confused at what was going on. Was he trying to save her, or make sure that Kagura knew he was watching as she killed her?

Kagome might have been confused, but to the wind youkai, the message was clear, and for Kagura, being defeated so easily, and then having her own weapon unceremoniously tossed back to her was more of an insult than she could bear.  It was as if he had said to her that she could not possibly be a threat to him, even if she was armed. 

"Damn you!" she cursed him, taking the feather out of her hair.  With a whoosh, it grew large again, as she and Kanna rose into the sky, away from the clearing. 

"What will you tell Naraku?"  Kanna asked in that same emotionless voice. 

"To hell with him." 

Kagome blinked once more, still in shock that Sesshomaru came to her rescue. Realizing that standing there, gaping at the taiyoukai might be an insult to his person. Blushing a little, she dropped the piece of wood and found the forest floor a bit more interesting.

"Um... Thanks Sesshomaru." She said, softly, though knowing he heard her find. "But, not that I'm ungrateful, because I'm really glad you saved me, but why? I thought you hated me."

Sesshomaru turned his back on the girl.

To think, this was the woman who had freed the Tetsaiga, his father's sword, from its sleep.  Memories of that night still burned in his mind. 

"I hate Naraku even more", was all he said, as he started to walk away. 

"Wait!" Kagome called. She took a step towards him only to yelp as she fell, her ankle's pain coming back ten fold. Now that there was no danger, the pain came back to remind her that she had twisted it. And it seemed as if it came back with vengeance.

"Stupid foot..." She cursed, getting up again. Kagome was sure she looked like a fool to Sesshomaru at that moment. "Look, I know you don’t like me and all, but can you help me get to the bone eaters well? I promise I won’t bother you any more if you can get me there."

Sesshomaru bristled at this request.  To think -- the AUDACITY of this girl, that she would ask him for something, after he had already saved her life. But still -- if he left her now, Kagura would just come back.  Naraku would get his shard detecting miko after all.  His efforts would have been wasted.  And Sesshomaru did not like for his time to be wasted.  And he definitely did not want Naraku to win. 

And . . . there was that sound in her voice.  When she cried out in pain -- something about it grated on him in some way.  He reassured himself that it was just the high pitched sound of her whine playing upon his very sensitive ears.  Yes, that must be it, he thought, walking back towards the girl, who had only just gotten up. 

Before she could do anything, he picked her up, and began to walk away.

Kagome made a noise as she was placed over the demon's shoulder. Never before has she felt like a sack of potatoes. As soon as she came to her senses, she began to struggle.

"Let me go!" She said, kicking her feet and even going as far as pounding on his back. She didn't care if her skirt bunched up or even that her panties were shown to the world. Right now all she cared about is being let go. Sure, Sesshomaru was helping her, in his own way, but couldn't he help her by not carrying her like she was an object?

"Where is this bone eating well?" he asked, ignoring her protests. He didn't like carrying her this way any more than she did. He could imagine the derision he would suffer if he happened to encounter anyone in the woods with a human girl over his shoulder, her undergarments on display to the whole world.  But what else could he do? She could barely walk -- she'd never make it on her own. And bringing her back to camp would raise too many questions. 

Clearly, the best thing to do was to get her to the well as quickly as possible, and drop her off, like some sort of package, at which point, he assured himself, that he would be completely done with the matter.

"I would tell you if you stop carrying me like some kind of luggage!" Kagome snapped, hitting his back as shard as she could. A small curse left her lips as she came in contact with his hard armor. Why did he wear such a thing anyways? Wasn't he so fast that nothing could harm him? Then again, when she thought about it, she did shatter the shoulder armor once with her arrow. Maybe he did need it against teenage miko's who didn't know what the hell they were doing half the time.

The sengoku period was certainly a very dangerous time. There were armies, bandits, ronin, warring lords, demons, half demons, ghosts, angsty undead priestesses, and all sorts of other monsters on the loose.  But of all the hazards one might blunder into, teenage miko’s who didn't know what they were doing were certainly among the most dangerous. 

"And how exactly WOULD you have me carry you?” Sesshomaru snapped.  He was seriously considering switching her to his other shoulder -- the one without the mokomoko to protect her from his armor's spikes.

Kagome blushed as she tried to come up with the words. Asking the great and powerful Sesshomaru to carry her in his arms, almost like a bride was just like asking him to cut off her head right then and there. After all, he was doing her a favor. But really, she just couldn't stand being carried like this. She could always ask him if she could ride on his back. But then again... that might not work either.

"Just... not like this." She sighed. "I feel really... undignified." Maybe saying one of his big words would get him to carry her in another way.

Sesshomaru didn't think humans even HAD any dignity to be concerned with.  But it was a concept he could understand, so with a sigh, he took her by the waist.  For a moment he held her suspended in the air, her feet with their brown shoes dangling while he considered how exactly he should go about this.  Carrying human girls was not a possibility he had ever considered, much less planned for.  Really, these creatures ought to come with handles. He decided he would try putting her on his back.  That was how his brother carried her, and it made him ill to do anything in the same way as his brother, but still, it did seem to work.

Kagome blushed as she was held out in front of him like a rag doll. When he finally placed her on his back, she wrapped her legs around his waist just like she did Inuyasha. It was a little harder with Sesshomaru counting that he did have that large fluffy thing on his shoulder and spiked armor. And to top it off, Kagome desperately tried not to play with his silken hair. It was much softer then Inuyasha's ever could hope to be. Which meant that Sesshomaru took more baths than Inuyasha did. That, she was grateful for.

"The bone eater's well is in Inuyasha's forest." She said, making sure to talk quietly. She was closer to his very sensitive ears and she didn't want to be too loud to the Taiyoukai.

Spiked armor and fluffy things were not, of course, designed with transporting human girls in mind.  Sesshomaru sighed.  Carrying her over his shoulder and listening to her complaints was bad enough, but this was worse.  With every step, she bounced up and down against him.  He tried holding her arms, but that made her dig in more tightly with her legs.  So he tried holding her legs, letting his hands be like stirrups for her.  But that felt entirely too much like being a horse, and he was not about to be seen carrying a human girl like this. 

But what was MOST annoying was that, when she leaned against him, he could feel her against his back, over the plates of his armor.  She was so -- soft.  And fragile.  Delicate.  He wasn't sure exactly why these were BAD things, but they were.  And they annoyed him.  At least, that's what he told himself. 

Reaching up, he grabbed her by the back of her sailor collar, and pulled her forward, over his shoulder again.  It would seem that ridiculous outfit had its uses, after all. 

What surprised her the most wasn't the fact that he kept changing how he held her, but the fact that THE Sesshomaru, the killing perfection, and the taiyoukai of the west, couldn't figure out how to handle one human girl. She would have loved to tell him to relax, but that in itself would sign her own death warrant. Of course, right before even a little giggle could escape her lips, she felt him grab the front of her school uniform and force her over his shoulder again.

A surprised sound escaped her lips as she found herself in the same position as last time. Except it was the other way around. "Um... Sesshomaru?" She asked, looking over at his handsome face. "What are you doing?"

Sesshomaru kept pulling.  Luckily, Japanese school uniforms are made to very high quality standards.  They even had a convenient tie in the front, which doubled as handhold when dangling unruly teenage miko’s over one's shoulder. Sesshomaru flipped the perplexed girl upside down; head first, until she started to fall.  He caught her in his arms with a most undignified "plop!"  

Kagome yelped as she saw the world in different points of views in a matter of seconds before she was then looking into the sunset eyes of a stoic taiyoukai. It then took her a matter of moments before she realized that he was holding her bridal style in his arms. Instantly her face turned a bright red color that could match a tomato.

"Um... could you warn me next time before you do something like that again?" She muttered, not looking up at him.

Sesshomaru was holding Kagome with one arm under her back, and his other arm (don't ask) under her legs.  Her green collar hung down, fluttering in the breeze, and her legs dangled out to the side. He walked very slow and majestically -- one step, two steps, before he could take it no more. 
 
"Perhaps we should rest here until your ankle gets better", he said, trying to think of some way out of the situation.  He didn't even want to imagine the embarrassment it would cause if someone saw the two of them like this.

Kagome blushed once more. "How about this..." She said, not believing that she was about to suggest this to the inu youkai. "I know this... looks wrong... so how about you just run to the well. I mean, it'll be quick and you can just drop me in it too. I'll be out of your hair faster and since I know you can run really fast, the time you have to spend with me will be a lot shorter. How does that sound?" Kagome finally braved a glance at his face.

Sesshomaru considered for a moment, as various scenarios ran through his head.  He could throw the beet red miko over his shoulder, sprint to the well, and toss her down it -- all in one motion.  Gone!  Down the well! And no looking back.  It seemed entirely too easy. 
 
"Okay" was all he said.  But -- although she was being a royal pain in the ass, she WAS trying to be nice about it -- and he did remember that remark about dignity -- he decided he would give her this one courtesy, and he put her on his back again.  He waited until she was settled, and then, he was off!


Kagome settled easily on his back, but as soon as he took off, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her head on his back, closing her eyes. He ran so fast that it almost took her breath away and even scared her a little bit. Inuyasha was no where close to being as fast as Sesshomaru was.

Usually, he never hurried, but when he wanted to, Sesshomaru ran like the wind.  Both his hair and hers stretched out behind them, as he bounded through the trees, their branches a blur beside him as they went rushing past. He felt Kagome holding on for dear life, but that only made him want to run faster.  With a single step, he sprung off of the ground, landing on the branch of a nearby tree, and went vaulting over a pile of brush and downed timber.  It made him chuckle to smell her fear so close to him.  The more frightened she was, the faster he wanted to go. 

There was just one problem.  It was --

THE BOUNCING!

The faster he ran, the more Kagome shook up and down.  In the interests of more delicate minds, it will have to suffice to say that, for her own well being (not to mention his mental state), he soon slowed, until he came to a stop. 

"Perhaps you should rest for the night, and we will look for the well in the morning." 

Kagome slowly got off his back, and stumbled a little bit. From all the moving, she felt a little dizzy and even just a little sick. She fell on her backside with a small sound, though the pain in her foot was wearing down a bit.

"Sorry for inconveniencing you like this Sesshomaru," she said as she removed her shoe and sock. Yep, her foot was pretty swollen. Maybe if there was a small spring nearby she could dip the poor appendage in and soak it for a while. Cold water did wonders on swollen wounds. "Trust me, as soon as we get to the well, I'll be out of your hair."

Kagome took her sock and made a makeshift bandage so there would be slight pressure on the sprain. "And thank you by the way." She said softly as she paid attention to her ankle. "For saving me and doing this I mean. I know this is a big pain, but I wanted you to know that I'm very grateful for you helping me." She smiled up at him, hoping that maybe, just maybe she could actually make a friend out of the Taiyoukai. Sure, he was a cold hearted killer, but he did have Rin around him a lot. Cold hearted killers left little girls to wander in the woods, not take them in and let them follow them around like little puppies. They also left poor teenage mikos to the hands of other cold hearted killers.

She looked back down at the ground. Maybe she had been thinking wrongly this whole time. Maybe, Sesshomaru really wasn't as bad as Inuyasha said he was. He was by far more handsome than any other male she knew. His long silver hair that shone like the moon and his sunset eyes could woo any female in their right mind. Even the way he walked was graceful, and the way he held himself showed he was noble in every aspect. Just the thought of Sesshomaru standing in her modern time, the first thing that would come to mind would be a big time business man. Just imagining him in an office and demanding the head of someone from an opposing company made her giggle just a little

Sesshomaru seemed not to hear her, as he stood gazing into the woods. His silver nails were long, almost claws, and they glistened as he ran them through the fur pelt on his shoulder. His mind kept going back to that moment in the woods. 

"Such power", he thought, remembering the way the young miko had scorched Kagura's arm.  This girl had some of the abilities of a priestess -- a very accomplished priestess.  She probably could have beaten the wind sorceress. "But she was afraid", his thoughts ran on.  "She doesn't know her own power, or how to use it."  He wondered how such a young girl could have so much strength, without even knowing it. 

"Hey Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, looking over at him once she finished with her makeshift bandage, "Do you really hate all humans like you claim? I mean, you let Rin follow you every where and I think if you actually hated our race, you would have let Kagura kill me."

Sesshomaru regarded the young miko.  She looked ridiculous, with her strange white kimono, and that little green band around her waist -- is that what passed for hakuma where she was from?  Wherever that might be.  Perhaps from some strange corner of the mainland, where manners were less refined.  Still, she had tended to herself, and she wasn't complaining, even though he knew her injury had to be painful.

He bent, and taking hold of her ankle, adjusted the bandage, tightening it with a slight tug, so that it would fit better. 

"Humans don't deserve my hatred." 

Kagome blinked as she fixed her makeshift bandage around her ankle. "Thank you." She said softly, a small blush reaching her cheeks.

"If humans don’t deserve your hatred, then what do you feel towards humans?" asked Kagome. She really just wanted to get to know the taiyoukai a bit more. She knew close to nothing about him and maybe she would understand him a bit more if she could figure him out.

"That they talk when they should be sleeping", he said, taking his fluff from his shoulder and propping it against a tree.  Then he sat down, carefully positioning the Toki Jin in his golden sash so that it could be drawn quickly in the middle of the night. 

"We'll find this bone-eating well in the morning."

Kagome blinked, taking a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh... Sorry..." She said blushing for the millionth time in ten minutes. She found a small patch on the floor and curled up, trying to force herself to fall asleep. After all, this was the first time she was without her bag and alone in the woods with a powerful youkai.

TBC...