After leaving the hidden hot spring, Kagome spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding Sesshoumaru. Her conversation with Ayame had set her nerves on edge, and just the merest glimpse of the demon lord or whisper of his approaching youki had the jittery miko glancing around for the nearest exit. It was difficult to keep evading him in such relatively close quarters–fortunately, there was a lot of activity going on that plausibly demanded her attention.

She’d already conveniently excused herself to pray at the resting place of the departed with Ayame, to test the new protective wards with the Elder, and to bring Kouga and his packmates up to speed on all the latest information concerning Naraku and his movements. However, as the day wore on, Operation Avoid Sesshoumaru grew increasingly bleak, and Kagome’s escape efforts grew increasingly desperate.

“Ah, Jakken-kun!” she called up to the flabbergasted imp as soon as she saw a glimmer of white out of the corner of her eye.

Launching herself onto Entei’s back, she made a beeline for the summit stream where Jakken appeared to be buffing down Ah-Un’s saddle. Ignoring the horse youkai’s peevish look, she jogged over to Sesshoumaru’s retainer and more-or-less knocked him aside as she grabbed hold of the brush.

“Let me help you with that!” Kagome beamed, Jakken glaring up at her suspiciously from the bank.

“What’s gotten into you, ningen,” the imp grumbled as he straightened, rubbing his sore backside. “I never asked for your help!”

“Oh, be quiet,” the miko hissed, scrubbing vigorously at the saddle as Ah-Un drank on from the stream, uncaring. “Don’t you know how to accept a favor?”

“A favor?” Jakken stamped his foot. “You aren’t even doing that properly! Sesshoumaru-sama will be most displeased.”

“Don’t be such a worry wart,” Kagome said with a wave. “And keep it down, already.”

As Jakken muttered and huffed, the two-headed dragon tensed, Kagome falling back with an eep as he took suddenly to wing. With a panicked wail, Jakken scrambled down the summit after his reptilian charge. Sprawled alone now on the bank with brush still in hand, Kagome stared mutely across the stream at Sesshoumaru.

For a heartbeat she held the daiyoukai’s hard golden gaze before springing to her feet and bolting toward Entei. But it seemed he was done being her getaway horse for the day–as he turned deftly on a hoof and kicked off from the ground before her in a shower of fizzling embers.

Traitor, the miko sulked as she looked after him, a clawed grip on her collar steering her forcibly around.

“Oh, Sesshoumaru,” she said meekly, gazing up at his stony expression in what she hoped was a convincing display of innocence. “…Did you need something?”

His grip tightened as he hauled her closer. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

Kagome flinched, paling. So direct…

Then she remembered that Ayame had used that very word as part of her ‘confession’ speech, and Kagome flushed bright red. Sesshoumaru’s gaze narrowed.

“Your behavior is particularly strange,” he stated, Kagome cartwheeling on the inside as he brought her face just before his, the tip of his claw pulling down her lower eyelid as he examined her. “How much of that medicine of yours did you take?”

“…Just enough, I hope,” she breathed out, unintentionally baring her neck to him as her dizzy head lolled to the side.

His energy shifted at the submissive gesture, going from intently agitated to merely…intent. Nervously, Kagome swallowed. It occurred to her now, in retrospect, that repeatedly running away from a predatory creature like him may not have been the wisest course of action.

“Perhaps,” he said, the warm flow of his breath over her bare, throbbing pulse confirming all her fears, “you merely wished for this Sesshoumaru to give chase.”

“D-don’t be silly,” she gasped, her palms fluttering to his chest. “I’ve just had a lot going on today!”

His glance was dubious. Hers was anxious. At the sound of Ayame hailing her from the plateau below, Kagome could have cried in relief.

“Kagome-san–I need your help with the preparations!”

Relaxing her death grip on Sesshoumaru’s haori, Kagome released a light, breezy laugh. “See?” she said over-brightly, pushing off from his chest as she bounded at once down the steep, brittle path. “Gotta run!”

Half-sliding the last few feet to the bottom, Kagome braced her hands on her knees and groaned, her heart still hammering away madly behind her breast. Boy, am I in trouble…

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi