The Long Road to Freedom 2: Fire on the Water

Delay

        For no one else, not even his Rin, would Sesshoumaru have permitted such language and tone. The clouds were his escape once again, his guise released as he bathed himself in their cleansing moisture.

He had to be rid of these scents; both hers and his.

The smell of the female was quickly sapping him of his plenary control, and the scent of the male he'd seen her with earlier only served to stroke his ever-present bloodlust. It was written in Kintsuke's smell; that...thing was around her constantly, only rarely touching, but it was enough. Despite being lesser, for he could tell by its scent, the male had what this Sesshoumaru wanted and as such was an obstacle.

'Her fear, as well...' he thought with a snarl.

He'd felt it under her aggression, in the struggle of her power against his; she was still suspicious of him. For over two centuries they had been apart, unknowing, un-touching, now reacquainted and he had allowed her the distance she'd demanded of him, and yet...

'Does the past still haunt you so, my hanyou? Do you still feel the juvenile scorn, the burning of this Sesshoumaru's poison?'

The thought bothered him, caused him a new sort of discomfort. He did not allow it to discourage him, however, for even as she'd defied him yet again in that manner he almost admired, he'd felt the desires of her demon soul. In that intimate moment, it had been pining for him.

***

"Kinstuke-chan?"

Yoichi's voice was tinged with concern. Kintsuke was still shaking by the time she'd caught up with him at the border between her own territory and Pappiri's. She tried to offer him a reassuring expression, but couldn't manage it. He hesitated for a moment but gently pressed his hand against her arm in his usual comforting manner.

She flinched. His touch felt wrong. Gently, she moved his hand, offering him another smile, but he only frowned.

"What happened? Who was he, the man with the fur?"

She wasn't' at all surprised that Yoichi had been watching.

"His name is Sesshoumaru."

She could tell by his expression that he understood.

"You are acquainted with such a being?"

"Formerly, yes."

"What was it he wanted?"

It was Kintsuke's turn to frown, and she unconsciously pressed her fingertips to the points on her neck where she'd felt the warmth of Sesshoumaru's claws.

"I'm not sure."

'But by the gods I am going to find out.'

***

Kintsuke found, thankfully, that Pappiri was quite satisfied with the single human sacrifice in exchange for her request.

"Might as well get it over with." Pappiri sighed, and Kintsuke could not agree more.

She and Yoichi both were grateful for the water demon's haste, and together the three of them managed the trek back to Omuroyama un-accosted. As they approached, however, Pappiri's nerves nearly got the better of her.

"Do you not sense that?" her voice quivered slightly.

Kintsuke merely blinked at her questioningly. Yoichi pointedly did not react.

"There's a greater demon nearby, even stronger than that bug we fried at Hachioka."

"It is nothing to be concerned with," Kintsuke assured her. "Let us continue."

Pappiri gave the half-demon a suspicious glance before hesitantly following Yoichi's lead into the root of the mountain. Kintsuke scrutinized the clouds before doing the same. His form was nowhere to be seen, but she could still sense and smell Sesshoumaru nearby.

He was waiting for her; and the thought made her uneasy.

She didn't know how long this would take, there were so many passages and smaller caverns to search... Could he, would he, wait that long?

'I guess I'm about to find out.'

***

Kintsuke couldn't help but feel that Yoichi was, somehow, displeased with her. They worked in silence, assisting Pappiri where they could, but Yoichi's skills in manipulating the earth were of far more use than any Kintsuke possessed, and it left her plenty of time with her own thoughts.

The demon within her seemed to pace, impatient; it wanted to see him again. Just to be near him would be enough, it seemed, but Kintsuke knew it was dangerous. Sesshoumaru's very presence caused her anxiety of the most primordial sort and had for as long as she could remember. Her throat and wrists tingled with the various memories of when he had touched her, always in anger...except for twice.

Once he had taken her wrist firmly, pressed his comb into her fingers. They'd been 'fighting' and he'd scorned her. It was his way of apologizing, she supposed, returning them to their usual routine. At the very least, she had understood that he had no longer been angry with her.

The second time was a bit blurry, a memory she'd tried in her own way to forget. She had dressed him, for the first and only time, and it had been shortly before he'd turned her out. She remembered standing so near to him, feeling his warmth, the suffocating weight of his demi-god-like power; the roughness of his fingertips, and the barest kiss of his claws as he again captured her wrist to make her take the comb. Even now she shuddered as she recalled how he had held tightly her, if only for a moment.

He had changed over the years; she could not deny that. He was still, and would always be, Sesshoumaru, but there was a maturity and almost a kindness about him now that she was force to recognize; less in what he'd done and more so in what he had not. He had not pursued her or made her life difficult, he had rescinded his vow to kill her on sight, and even before she'd left for the mainland he'd never truly followed through with it.

She was certain he'd been aware of the developments here in the south, how she and her allies had struggled; it would have been the perfect opportunity for him to establish power here, but he had not interfered...

'And he did not hurt you this time.'

She lifted a hand to her throat where he'd almost grabbed her. He'd stopped himself, and his claws had not been toxic. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, it seemed, only cow her. Was it possible, she mused, that Sesshoumaru held her in some sort of regard? To inquire almost politely, to not interfere, to nearly ask instead of telling, to use her name...

No. It was a ridiculous thought, but despite her greatest effort, it was one she could not shake.