Spirits by Priestess Skye

Tengu

The cry of a lonely hawk echoed through the skies as darkness fell upon the forest. Kagome shivered as the shriek broke through the canopy to her ears. Its majesty was no comparison to its danger if it was that hungry, though she knew it only preyed upon small animals. Regardless, for the first time she could remember, she was camping out in the middle of nowhere without her protector, and she was sure a band of rogue youkai were somewhere nearby. She had heard their hunt earlier took a minor detour. It would be another two day hike to the base of the mountain, followed by another day's journey up to the monetary. Her initial assessment of time was clouded by previous experiences, where she had forgotten how much time was saved by riding on Inuyasha's back.

Huddled down beneath a bush, Kagome tried to sleep, though she was sure it would not be forthcoming. There were too many dangers around for her to sleep, and yet she knew that she would not be able to travel tomorrow if she didn't. She was human, sleep deprivation made her body do strange things and the last thing she could afford was to become sluggish in her actions. Lethargy could very easily result in her own death, and then she couldn't get warning to others about their own impending doom...if Sesshoumaru were correct. She didn't believe him to be lying to her. He had no reason to lie to her, especially as he stated that he was neither here nor there when it comes to upcoming uprising. She knew he would defend his own and whatever happened, he would remain lord over all of his territory. Rogue youkai would bow to him and those who didn't, well, she knew she didn't want to be them. Despite his sense of honour, he was still a youkai and still relied upon instinct, which included exerting dominance over others.

Shuddering, Kagome closed her eyes to the mental image of Sesshoumaru in battle. He was a force to be reckoned with and after watching him battle Naraku, she knew he would not hold back, like he had with Inuyasha. The air was cool as the damp began to settle in. Kagome missed the fire she would normally have set up on her campsite. She remained huddled, her backpack on her back and her bow and quiver in her lap. Dinner consisted of dried meat provided by one of the villagers. She wanted a bath, but didn't dare approach a spring after dark knowing it was the easiest time for a predator to pick her off. She could survive, she told herself. She would. She had spent enough time in the wilderness with Inuyasha to know what she could and could not get away with.

Sleep came in spurts as she lightly dozed off and on through the night. Crickets chirped in the background, both lulling her into a peaceful rest, yet irritating her ears as she wanted to do nothing more than find the offending insect and send it to a far off place. She stiffened suddenly as she heard the grass crunch before her. Instantly becoming alert, she silently slipped a dagger from a sheath and held it in front of her, hoping that she didn't have to use it. Her hand tightened around the hilt as the branches of the bush began to move, and she was face to face with bright golden eyes.

She had little time to do anything other than gasp as a clawed hand reached out and grabbed her from the bush before letting go and clamping it around her mouth.

"Shhhh..."

Focusing, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the crescent moon upon the youkai's forehead. "Sesshoumaru," she mumbled against his calloused palm. Why was he following her? Running into him lately couldn't be mere coincidence. But then he said he didn't have a vested interest in the outcome either.

"Come, Miko."

His voice was like liquid velvet, she thought idly as she sunk into the heat of his skin. She barely noticed a second arm wrapping around her waist before they were high in the sky, floating among the clouds. So pretty, she thought, lifting a hand to count the pretty lights above her head. Giggling, she traced the shape of the great bear, pleased at remembering her grandfather's lessons in astronomy. "Ursa Major," she stated as she rounded the bottom of it.

"Shhh..."

"And Leo," she continued, finding the lion in the distance horizon. The unmistakable hook of its head stood brightly in the night sky. The moonless night caused the stars to shine even brighter. "My grandfather used to tell me tales of Leo the lion. I can't remember them," she frowned before the stars began to lose focus.

Her head began to spin, her stomach tossing and turning as she looked down. She thought it was the height, as she rarely ever travelled this high above. Something wasn't right, she thought as she began to sweat. Her skin became clammy and slippery, causing the demon lord to hold her tighter. "I'm going to fall," she nearly cried as her stomach flipped over once more. Or be sick, she thought. Was the dried meat bad? Did she catch a bug from remaining outside in the damp? Was it something else entirely? She zoned in and out, her mind spewing random thoughts that while she was sure made sense in some way, they were incoherent to her. The ground grew closer as he dropped them both to an empty clearing at the base of the mountain. There was something she needed to say to him, she was sure of it. He had something significant, but for the life of her couldn't remember.

Gold eyes sparkled at her as he let her go and took a step back. He smiled slightly before taking off in the air without a word. Looking up, the only thought that plagued her mind, the only one that she knew she should recognize, but still didn't make sense to her was ‘when did Sesshoumaru grow wings?'

"Fool." Kagome turned, startled at the baritone voice that came from behind her.

Looking at both her captor and her saviour, Kagome stumbled at the familiar visage of the youkai before her, who was also still in her line of vision flying away. "Sesshoumaru," she choked, slowly regaining her senses. "How can you be here if I can still see you flying east?"

He lifted himself from the tree he was leaning on and slowly stalked toward her, his eyes indifferent to her and her plight. "I care not what happens, but keep on the way you are and humanity is doomed."

~~

Note : This is answering MontiK's Obakemono challenge. Each odd creature on here can be found on the Obakemono Project website. This is in response to ‘Tengu'. For clarification, Tengu is an avian like creature who has been known to be able to shift shapes to trick humans, abduct them and drop them off in the forest, leaving them to wander in a temporary state of dementia. He is known for other good things as well. Go to the site and read up on him.