I Am Me; No One Else

Chapter 8: Restoring Hope

The next few days in the village had caused anxiety to roil and tumble in a constant roll. As if waiting for another new storm to blow in. Sesshoumaru had time, once he had fully healed and recovered his youkai energy again, to finally retrieve their belongings as he had meant to. It had taken a little more than a few days to get there; Sachi, Kaiyo, and the village guards accompanying them...not wanting any more incidents. Then the trek back took almost equally the same amount of time due to the more sedate pace.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru returned the village that had harbored them and rested there for the night. By the dawning of the next sun, the demon lord and the miko were already hard at work; combining their efforts seemingly flawlessly for all to see, and both used their influences and abilities as none had seen between a youkai and miko do before.

The villagers were, at first glance, more stunned that they had meant to keep their word to them of the promises made. They should have known that with a miko present, an honest and genuinely compassionate one when not threatened; the promises made were very real. The demon's actions could not be questioned; for he had protected the miko as he had been bid to do and he had kept his words because of his loyalty, devotion, and care for her.

He was nowhere in sight on the dawning of that morning, but all knew where he had intended to go; it had been a hot topic...to see if he truly would help them. And he had delivered; for he had left to the nearest outpost to order supplies and get his men to lend their aid to rebuilding according to anyone who enquired.

The outpost wasn't even a day's walk from there, so travel time would be non-existent; even with supplies to build with. But the sick and weakened miko had been his priority when he arrived there; his own weariness second to her curing. He also had not wanted to order supplies until the severe weather patterns had fully passed; which made sense.

Soldiers of the Lord Sesshoumaru from within the Outpost had heard the rumors of the demoness court; that their lord had taken to a miko and that he was protecting her; with his life if necessary.

They hadn't believed it; not at first and had thought it to be no more than the grumblings of the unmated looking for ways to entice their lord back to them...until right up to when he showed out of the blue and ordered supplies sent to a human village to rebuild from a storm.

General Torao had argued vehemently; he hadn't wanted to waste good supplies on those who he deemed as unworthy and would not appreciate them as they should. Lord Sesshoumaru then barked orders that made them all cower as he told them of how he owed the village for sheltering him and a miko after the disastrous storm nearly killed them both.

The human warlords had come prior; taking much from them and left without leaving the humans with a way to survive. He owed them his life, as much as the life of the Shikon Miko. His men had seemed more interested in that.

The woman was the Shikon Miko; not just a random one from anywhere. If that were true; it would explain the unrest of the demonesses who sought Lord Sesshoumaru as theirs. They didn't want him to fall for her; to repeat what they saw as a repeat of history. His father had been friends with Midoriko and though they had never been lovers; Lady Kimiko, Kimi for short; Sesshoumaru's mother, had been banished partially because of actions against her.

Lady Kimi had committed treason of the highest kind; all because of her envy and jealousy to the closeness of her mate and Midoriko. The bringing of Izayoi to the Palace hadn't helped; Lady Kimi had not been aware of Touga's infidelity because of how she acted.

If this woman was truly this miko; she would be seen as worthy in all of the soldier's eyes for their lord provided her powers backed up her title and prestige. There would, of course, always be those who would not agree with that sentiment.