As Fate Would Have It

Rumor Has It

Kagome can feel their eyes on her as she walks down the village road. Ever since she entered the village for supplies, every eye has turned her way, and many mouths had begun to whisper.

Thanks to her futuristic style, and choice of having worn her school uniform for many years prior, being gawked at was nothing new to her. It had stopped making her as nervous or as furious as it once had, although it was still rather irk-some.

As she walked up to the next sellers table, a small old man selling fruits, she tried to ignore the other villagers.
If they want to talk, let them. I just need a few things and then I'll be set until I reach Edo.

"Excuse me," Kagome said to the man, reaching out towards a particularly large, less-abused apple, "I'd like to purchase two of your best-"
"Not for you," the man interrupts gruffly, swatting her hand away.
Kagome's eyes narrow. "Are you refusing me sale?" She asks, slowly pulling out a small sack of coins from her pocket and setting it on the table in front of her. "You're selection here is sub-par. Most of your goods are damaged and well past ripe. I doubt you've made much off of this, and yet you'll still refuse me?" She asks again.
The man gulps, looks at the sack again, and then mumbling under his breathe, he gives her two of his best apples.
Kagome does not thank the man, as she typically would, for he'd been unkind.
She does not say a word, in fact, as she takes her purchase and turns to leave.
She does pay the man, a coin more than he'd deserved, because her kind nature persisted her to help the less fortunate, to protect the weak, and that meant tipping a pissy, poor, old man, too.

Her next three stops within the villages market went much the same. The stares and whispers never stopped. The villagers remained standoff-ish, or were blatantly rude to her, for whatever reason she couldn't fathom.

That is, until she finally turned on her heel and followed the path from the market back to where she knew Sesshomaru and his entourage to be waiting just outside the village.

I'd be nothing to spectate if they had even the slightest idea that Sesshomaru was here, too. They'd be too afraid of the Big Bad Demon.
Kagome snickered at her own thought, and felt her mood lighten impressively with it.

"Kagooomeeee!" Rin was standing not far down the path, her small hands cupping her mouth to call out to the priestess.
"Oi, Rin-chan!" Kagome called back, lifting a hand into the air to wave.

Except, instead of just waving, her hand was grasped, and to her surprise, she was lifted onto Ah-Un by Jaken.
They landed in front of Rin, and as Kagome moved to slide off and let the child take her place, she was stopped.
Sesshomaru appeared beside them, and stilled her.

"Stay seated. We must hurry." He says, and the look in his eyes was enough for Kagome to know better than to question him.
Something was wrong.

"Rin." He said, nodding toward the two headed dragon.
"Hai!" Replied the child, mounting Ah-Un as one of the heads lowered to let her on.
Kagome offered the child a small, albeit unsure smile, as they adjusted on the seat (Rin in front, Kagome in the middle, and Jaken sitting rear).

"Ready?" Kagome asks, looking at Sesshomaru.
His golden eyes swept around, to the villagers Kagome hadn't noticed we're now coming to watch the spectacle before them.
"Hn." He intones, nodding, and Kagome watchs in amazement as he lifts into the air, a white orb forming around him from his feet up to his head.
And then they were off, flying through the sky so fast, that Kagome had almost missed the harsh voice of the old man exclaim "So its true! The Lord of the West has been tamed by the Shikkon Miko! Or else she be his wench! Did ye see that?!"

Kagome turned her face and let the wind wipe away his laughter.
Who cares what some silly rumor says?
Its unfathomable to think I'd ever 'tame' Sesshomaru- He'd have my head before I could say 'Sit.' And to think that he'd ever take a partner, much less ME as that partner? Ridiculous!

Kagome's laughter mingles with the rushing wind, and once out of breathe she says "ill explain later." As both Rin and Jaken are looking at her curiously.
She's sure that somewhere in that white orb ahead of them, Sesshomarus judging her too. And that only makes her laugh harder.