AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow. My first SessKag fanfic. I've been a die hard fan ever since I was twelve but I've never written anything. My stuff's mainly Labyrinth but I decided to try my hand at this. I don't promise anything. I've been really busy lately so it's taken me a while to get this done.

I would appreciate it if you would leave comments telling me how I did. NO FLAMES. If you have nothing nice or CONSTRUCTIVE to say then don't leave a comment. I won't answer but I won't put up with it either. This story is for entertainment purposes only, mainly mine, so if you don't like it then leave and go elsewhere. No one will think less of you for it.

I do not own InuYasha as much as I might wish it.

Holy Water 2.0

Kagome sat by the fire in Kaede's hut, studiously ignoring a sulking hanyou as she ate her meal. They'd had another fight earlier and she'd ended up sitting him. Again. She hadn't had to do that in a while; InuYasha having learned a long time ago when to keep his mouth shut if he didn't want to become reacquainted with the ground. Unfortunately, where his brother was concerned, he couldn't seem to think clearly enough to make a rational decision and thus his mouth tended to get away from him; usually to the detriment of a certain miko.

InuYasha's maturity levels may have risen over the past three years but whenever Sesshomaru showed up all that seemed to go out the proverbial window. It really was amazing how much of a child he could be sometimes, when at others he showed a level of maturity to rival some of the oldest people Kagome knew. It was all rather confusing and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to put up with him; especially if he kept insisting on seeing a certain dead priestess. Already Kagome was starting to question why she had liked InuYasha in the first place. It wasn't a very long list. Kagome sighed, getting a worried look from Sango and Miroku who were sitting across from her but she just shook her head and they went back to their own meals.

The two were relatively certain they knew what had Kagome upset but they would respect her wishes and keep their silence. Sango narrowed her eyes at a certain hanyou where InuYasha sat by the door leading outside.

Really. Was it too much to ask that he at least try to act like an adult? Apparently so.

Sango had been present for the whole fight between Kagome and the hanyou and she had to say that InuYasha seemed to have been in particularly high form. He'd thrown more insults at Kagome today than he had in years and, finally getting fed up, she'd sat him and walked away; leaving Sango and the monk to sort out InuYasha and Sesshomaru. If the hanyou didn't get his act together he was going to lose her but it appeared he was either too dense to realize this or blind.

Glancing over to the corner the Western Lord, the cause of the aforementioned argument, currently occupied, Kagome couldn't believe that he'd actually agreed to help them. Sesshomaru had come to them earlier in the day to broker a temporary truce to find the remaining jewels shards and, eventually, get rid of Naraku. The spider had become increasingly brazen in his attacks towards them, and others, with each new shard he acquired. There had been rumors, which Sesshomaru confirmed, that he'd taken over the Eastern Lands, killing or running off the royal family that ruled there.

Apparently, the appearance of some of the panthers asking for sanctuary appearing on his doorstep had been what prompted the Western Lord to come and find them. Kagome didn't know all the details between the truce Miroku had brokered but, whatever it was, it had put InuYasha in an even fouler mood. The two hadn't said one word to each other since the group, plus a certain Demon Lord, had come to the hut that afternoon where she and Kaede were sitting making medicine.

Thunder rumbled overhead, making Rin, who was sitting next to her Lord, and Shippo, who was next to Kagome, jump and lean in to their respective people for comfort. Kagome smiled down at Shippo, who gave her a grin back, before turning back to finishing up her food while the little fox scampered over to Rin, asking her if she wanted to play outside in the rain. With a nod from the Demon Lord, the two children were out the door like a shot. While the thunder may have scared them initially, they weren't going to let that stop them from having fun. If anything, the little fox found it thrilling and Rin couldn't help but find his excitement infectious.

"Make sure you come back inside if it starts raining too hard or there's lightening," Kagome called after them.

"Yes Mama!" Came the faint voice of the son of her heart. Kagome shook her head. Even after so many years together he was still so small but Sango had explained that demons tended to age much more slowly than humans and that it was very likely he would stay that way for many more years to come.

"Ah," Miroku said quietly, "To have the exuberance of youth again."

"Hmm," Sango said concomitantly but a tick in her forehead gave the lie to her nonchalance, "If you don't remove your hand there's going to be even less of that in your near future."

"My dear Sango, I don't know-"

"Hentai!"

A resounding slap sounded throughout the hut before Miroku landed on his back, down for the count. InuYasha snorted in disgust from the door while Kagome and Kaede just ignored the whole thing. They were all used to it. As such they simply left the monk to his peaceful dreams and went about with their usual routine without him. Kaede began washing up plates while Kagome put away the extra food. Sango, with a little help from Kirara, drug Miroku over to his bedroll where they tucked him in so that he would be out of the way before Sango went to help the two mikos.

Somewhere there's a stolen halo
I use to watch her wear it well
Everything would shine wherever she would go
But looking at her now you'd never tell

Sesshomaru had watched the entire proceedings in shocked astonishment, none of which ever showed on his face. He stared down at the unconscious monk before looking away. His father had drilled manners into his head ever since he was a little pup and he was secretly appalled at the monk's behavior but, with the way everyone acted, it seemed like this was a normal occurrence. Sesshomaru's astonishment only grew as he listened to the little miko speak.

"You know," Kagome said quietly, "He's been really good about keeping his hands to himself lately. You could be a little nicer."

The slayer just glared at the miko before snorting and moving to collect whatever other utensils that had been used and were now dirty. Sesshomaru couldn't help it, he blinked at the strange group his brother had managed to put together and wondered how they were able to survive and not kill each other. His beast just snorted in amusement before going back to ignoring everyone except the little miko. Sesshomaru felt like scowling but refrained. The creature was more trouble than it was worth sometimes.

He was beginning to wonder if it had really been such a good idea to form an alliance with this group. What with the anger radiating from the miko, causing her powers to jump and spike erratically, the fury from his brother, making his own aura dance angrily, and the monk's behavior Sesshomaru was really starting to question his sanity. Unfortunately, if they were going to get rid of the spider hanyou any time soon they were going to have to work together. No matter how much they wanted to kill each other in the process.

Sesshomaru slanted a look over at the younger of the two mikos. She was strange, that was for sure but having found out she was from the future, no matter how unbelievable that may have been at first, somewhat explained her differences. He would never show it but the Demon Lord was insatiably curious when it came to things he didn't know much about and the miko was a perfect mystery. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at what she was wearing, some sort of strange blue material over her legs that were skin tight and a top he'd heard her call a 'tee shirt,' before snorting silently in disgust. The girl wore them as if they were the most modest things in the world but his beast's panting was giving the lie to that thought.

'Admit it,' Sesshomaru's beast growled, 'You like those strange hakama just as much as I.'

Ignoring his beast's ridiculous accusations, Sesshomaru continued to observe the miko and his eyes narrowed slightly at what he saw. Within the inu clans, there were many rules and codes they lived by, some instinctual, some not, but the first and foremost rule was that one never did anything that would in any way harm a female; whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. That was why the Demon Lord was so appalled by the monk's behavior towards the slayer. One simply did not do such a thing where he was from.

Sesshomaru's father had made sure to drill this lesson in his son's head diligently. So, despite the fact that he despised humans, Sesshomaru had never once killed a human female. However, it seemed his worthless brother hadn't learned this lesson; evidenced by the brittleness within the miko's aura and eyes, which he didn't remember being there the first few times he had encountered her, that belied her hurt. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. It would take very little to break something within her at this point.

Lightening flashed, temporarily making the hut brighter, and Kagome shot a worried look at the door. She started to move towards it to call Shippo and Rin when the sounds of two pairs of little feet reached their ears. The children were on their way back. Hearing this, Kagome changed course to her bag to grab a couple towels so that the children would have something to dry themselves with once they were back inside. The mat in front of the door shifted, allowing the two small bodies through before it closed to block the rain again. Kagome didn't notice the worried look her son shot her but Sango, Miroku (Having woken after his violently induced nap), Sesshomaru and Kaede did.

Shippo glanced at his mother as he came through the door, the knowledge that what he'd just seen was going to cause her pain shining in his eyes. He and Rin had been playing outside when he'd caught a faint acrid scent that had him glancing around to look for danger. Shippo had about decided he'd imagined it when a soul collector had slithered into view from behind the hut. The little fox had been debating with himself about whether or not he should go inside and warn his mother when the choice was taken from him by a flash of lightening. Rin had squeaked in alarm, and he'd momentarily been distracted in his haste to do as his mother had bid them, but now he just wanted to find some way to warn her without alerting InuYasha.

"Mama?" Shippo said hesitantly. His voice shook a little in trepidation, making all the other adults in the room, besides InuYasha, glance at him sharply.

"What is it, Shippo?" Kagome asked as she helped him dry his tail. Rin was over by Sesshomaru as he helped her dry off (Jaken had been left outside the village with Ah-Un) but the Demon Lord's attention was on the fox kit.

"Mama, there's-"

But he didn't get to finish. At that moment the soul collector he'd seen slowly flew through the door, making everyone inside the hut freeze in shock, and twined around InuYasha. It dropped a piece of parchment in his lap, nuzzled him, and then went back out the way it came. InuYasha snatched up the piece of paper, nearly tearing it in his haste, and read it quickly. He'd been a little embarrassed at first that Kikyo had been so open but as he read the letter he forgot his embarrassment in the face of his excitement. She wanted to see him. InuYasha was out the door in a flash and on his way to find his first love, never once considering what this might mean to the ones he was leaving behind.

Sango and Miroku stared after the absent hanyou, unable to believe that what just happened had. They'd known that InuYasha frequently went to see the dead priestess; they all did, though they tried to pretend it wasn't happening for Kagome's sake. The two glanced at each other before looking to Kaede, hoping that the old miko could give some insight but she just shook her head sadly. Shippo glanced up at his mother before throwing himself into her arms, hoping that he could help alleviate at least some of the pain he knew she must be feeling.

Sesshomaru felt like ripping the insolent pup to shreds. How dare he leave like that to go after a corpse when there was a living, breathing woman who wanted him right here? Not to mention it should have gone against every alpha instinct the pup had to leave his pack unprotected with an unknown male around; despite whether or not they had some sort of agreement. In that moment, it became apparent to the Demon Lord that his brother was still too much of a child to be in charge of this ragtag band that were his pack. Instincts raging in that moment, Sesshomaru decided to take it upon himself to look after this small band of travelers until such a time as his brother grew up; especially the little miko.

Sesshomaru's beast was satisfied with the declaration. They were now part of his pack, whether they knew it or not, and he would take care of them as such. It was his duty as their alpha. Briefly, he wondered what the monk and slayer would say but dismissed it as unimportant. It was Kagome's response that he was really looking forward to. The Demon Lord felt like smiling as he thought about what the little miko's reaction would be when he informed them of that fact. He knew that she wouldn't take the news well and Sesshomaru found himself anticipating the coming argument.

Kagome stared at the door, barely registering when Shippo threw himself into her arms, and ignoring everyone else's reactions around her. There was a pain in her chest that was making it hard to breathe and she knew something had to give; something had to break or the pain would make her go insane. Her breathing was becoming erratic and just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, something inside her snapped and all the feeling drained from her, leaving her numb inside.

Someone ran away with her innocence
A memory she can't get out of her head
I can only imagine what she's feeling
When she's praying
Kneeling at the edge of her bed

Sango, Miroku, and Kaede watched Kagome sadly. They were waiting for the explosion but it wasn't coming and they were starting to get worried by her silence. The miko was never this silent, ever, and they were beginning to realize that, this time, InuYasha may have actually broken something in the girl that could never be fixed. They knew their suspicions were correct when they saw something in her eyes die. Sesshomaru was watching the girl carefully so he too saw the moment whatever it was inside her gave way under the pain the hanyou had caused.

Abruptly, Kagome stood up, Shippo quickly jumping out of her lap so he wouldn't end up being dumped, and turned towards the door. She didn't look at the other occupants of the hut, not wanting to see the pity in their eyes.

"I'm going for a walk," Kagome mumbled before heading out the door and into the rain.

"Kagome! Wait!" Sango cried as she reached out a hand, as if she was going to grab her and pull her back, but the girl was already gone and didn't hear her.

The slayer slumped back into her seat, already formulating all the ways she would dismember a certain hanyou. Miroku moved to the slayer's side and placed a hand on her shoulder as he kneeled next to her. Sango leaned in to the touch, thankful that the monk decided to keep his hands to himself for once. Kaede just shook her head sadly as she watched the girl go. She knew there was nothing any of them could do at this point that could help her with this pain. Kagome would just have to work through this on her own. Unfortunately, at least to those who wanted a little quiet for reflection, the silence within the hut was broken by a rather loud and obnoxious toad.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" The toad cried from outside. They could hear him splashing through puddles as he ran towards the building and several within were already formulating plans on how to make him shut up, "Lord Sesshomaru! The dead priestess is here and that worthless half-breed has gone to her! The other-"

But what "the other" one was, they would never know because at that moment a rock flew out of nowhere and beamed the little toad in the head just as he pushed through the door; knocking him out instantly. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo blinked in confusion as they tried to find where the rock came from. There were none inside the hut. They were relatively sure of that since they tended to sleep on the ground and having rocks digging in one's back was rather uncomfortable so, one way or another, all offending sharp objects of a mineral nature had been removed. However, that still left the question of where the rock came from.

Kaede was the only one to notice the Demon Lord nonchalantly slipping a little packet back into his kimono. She chuckled softly as she realized exactly where the stone had come from. Sesshomaru slid his eyes to the old miko, raising his eyebrow in innocent inquiry. Kaede simply gave him a knowing look before turning back to the others. Rin, on the other hand, didn't care where the rock had come from as much as who sent it flying at the little toad.

"Excellent shot, Lord Sesshomaru!" She cried in excitement as she went to examine the now blissfully silent toad. Prodding him with her toe, she glanced back up at her guardian with a big grin on her face, "Master Jaken is sleeping now!"

"Hn," Sesshomaru said as he gracefully stood from his position in the corner. Glancing at the others gathered within the hut, he figured now was as good a time as any to tell them what he'd decided, "Since it seems that my brother is incapable of taking care of his pack as a leader should, this Sesshomaru has made a decision."

Sango, Miroku, Kaede, and Shippo all glanced at each other silently before giving the stoic lord their undivided attention; each with varying degrees of trepidation on their faces. They weren't really sure they wanted to know what it was he'd decided.

"This Sesshomaru declares you as pack until such a time as the pup can show that he understands, and can perform, the duties of an alpha," Sesshomaru said. All of this was declared with such a sense of finality as to let them know that arguing was futile. Not giving them a chance to answer, Sesshomaru swiftly made his way out into the rain in search of the missing member of his pack.

Silence reigned once more within the hut as everyone inside processed what they'd just heard (All except Rin, anyway, who was too busy poking a still unconscious Jaken). After a few minutes, Miroku let out a laugh, garnering questioning looks from the other three. The monk just shrugged his shoulders, helplessly.

"There isn't really anything we can do about this," He remarked in that philosophical way he had, "I for one have no problem with the current situation."

"While I agree with you on that," Sango remarked drily; ignoring the look of horror Shippo was shooting at both of them, "I don't understand why you were laughing."

Miroku's grin grew as he answered, "Because I'm not the one who's going to have to tell Kagome."

Sango and Kaede paused for a moment before they too burst into laughter. The poor demon wouldn't know what hit him.

And she says take me away
then take me farther
Surround me now
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water
Holy water

Kagome didn't really pay attention to where she was going, nor did she notice the pouring rain as it soaked through the thin t-shirt and jeans she was wearing. All she knew was that she had to get away from wherever InuYasha and Kikyo were and the tugging on her soul told her in exactly which direction the two were likely to be in. Unfortunately, Kagome had forgotten to put her shoes on before leaving the hut and she was brought back to the present when she stepped on a particularly sharp rock.

"Damn it!" She hissed.

Balancing on her uninjured foot, Kagome brought the other up so that she could get a better look at it but the rain was making it difficult to see and the best she was able to ascertain was that she wasn't bleeding. There would be a nice painful bruise that was going to make it difficult to walk tomorrow; of that she was certain. Muttering to herself, Kagome limped to the side of the path she'd been walking on and plopped down under a tree. Said tree sheltered her from a good deal of the still falling rain so she was able to see that she'd made her way to a hill that overlooked the village. Relatively sure of her location and safety, Kagome allowed her mind to drift again.

Kagome had known, or at least suspected, for some time that what she was feeling was fading. One can only take so much abuse, after all. What was that saying about dogs and biting back? She sighed. Sango and Miroku thought that they were protecting her by not acknowledging InuYasha's near nightly absences. They thought that she didn't know but she did. She supposed some part of her had accepted long ago that she would never be anything more than his best friend. Kagome looked too much like Kikyo to be anything else to the hanyou.

She sighed again. InuYasha's visits to Kikyo couldn't be called a betrayal since he'd never really promised her anything more than to protect her. Something he did a rather admirable job of. She had been the one to promise to stay by his side. Kagome knew that the coming days were going to be painful. Having one's childish innocence broken in such a way would do that but Kagome knew she'd eventually get over it. Deep down she knew that she was really very happy for them and that she could never really hate them. That just wasn't the way she was but while that may be the case, it would still take some time for her to heal.

She wants someone to call her angel
Someone to put the light back in her eyes
She's looking through the faces
And unfamiliar places
She needs someone to hear her when she cries

Sesshomaru hadn't been searching for her long before he'd heard her hissed expletive. Knowing that the little miko was particularly accident prone (she got into even more trouble than Rin, which was saying something) the Demon Lord had sped up just in case he needed to get her out of trouble. He could already tell this one was going to be quite a bit of trouble. Sesshomaru was now resting in a tree, ignoring the rain that was soaking him just as much as it had soaked her, a little bit across from her; having found that she was fine for the moment.

Said Demon Lord took the time to observe the girl while there was no one else about and she was distracted. The girl couldn't exactly be called beautiful; cute, pretty, unusual but not beautiful. At least, not like the demonesses back at the Courts were beautiful. Despite that, she had a radiance about her that seemed to make up for whatever physical characteristics she lacked and that tended to draw people to her. Sesshomaru was no exception. The girl was a calming influence and he had oftentimes found himself within her vicinity without realizing it after a particularly stressful day.

It was that fact that had first drawn his interest to the girl and, unable to resist a mystery, he'd taken it upon himself to learn everything he could about her. Sesshomaru had tracked the various places the miko's group had been and "talked" to the people she'd come in contact with. Their accounts had created a picture of a selfless girl that put her group before herself, who adopted a fox child, who helped whomever she thought needed it without any regard to her own safety, who was loyal, caring, compassionate; the list went on and on.

The more the Demon Lord had learned about the girl, the more intrigued he'd been. Eventually, though he didn't know when, his beast had become attached to the girl and that, he found, was the end of the matter. In all the years he'd been alive, Sesshomaru's beast had never shown an interest in any other female.

Perplexed by this, the Demon Lord had gone to see the only person he knew that might be able to clarify the situation. His mother. The Queen Mother, Lady Sarai, had listened to all he had to say before explaining that this was just something that happened sometimes and that he could either ignore it and choose another or accept it and take the one his beast had chosen.

It wasn't exactly the explanation he'd wanted but he'd had been unable to do little more than accept it. So now he found himself sitting in a tree, in the rain, staring at the woman his beast had chosen and wondering how his life had ended up where it had. Sesshomaru had long ago come to understand the decisions his father had made from talking to his mother over the years so the sting of his beast choosing a human wasn't quite as bad as it might have been.

It was further lessened by the information he'd learned in a conversation with Myoga. The little flea had informed him that it was very likely, with the fact that Kagome was the current protector of the Shikon, that the girl might one day very likely equal Sesshomaru in power. Surprised at first, the Demon Lord soon found that this detail pleased him. There was much that could be done when one's partner was also very powerful. It would also help silence any of the more vocal voices that might think the girl unworthy.

Sesshomaru had been surprised at first at how readily he accepted that he wanted the girl but, eventually, he was able to admit to himself that he'd wanted her for far longer than he had acknowledged. However, he wasn't going to simply walk up to her and tell the girl that she would be his mate right off. No. He intended to court her first. Sesshomaru smirked as his thoughts turned to earlier that day and the reason why InuYasha had been so uncharacteristically silent later on.

The monk, who had a head on him for negotiation, a fact Sesshomaru would have to remember in the future, even if he had a problem keeping his hands to himself, had rather diplomatically inquired into the Demon Lord's presence while also insinuating that they would defend themselves if he threatened them. Sesshomaru had been amused but he had a purpose for being there and so, with only a little jabbing at InuYasha, had answered the monk's inquiry. Then the negotiations had begun.

Once everything else was settled, Sesshomaru had brought up his intention to court the miko, which in turn brought about another round of insults and attacks from the hanyou, but InuYasha was quickly subdued. The monk and demon slayer hadn't particularly liked his intentions but they were smart enough to know that he would go through with it whether they gave him their blessing in the matter or not. So, with a little more haggling, and InuYasha throwing insults, this too was settled on.

All in all, Sesshomaru was pleased with how the day had turned out. Now all that needed to be done was to acquaint the miko with his plans and to the fact that her little group was now part of his pack. Suddenly, instincts telling him he was being watched, Sesshomaru blinked down at the woman he'd been looking at. Cerulean clashed with gold and he idly wondered how long she'd been staring at him as he'd been staring at her.

Without really thinking about it, Sesshomaru's muscles bunched and he was quite suddenly on the ground and slowly walking towards her. Uncertainty passed over the miko's face before she stood from her reclining position against the tree. It seemed that she was going to meet him face to face…well, face to chest since he was so much taller than her.

And she says take me away
then take me farther
Surround me now
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water
Holy water

Kagome watched as the Demon Lord slowly stalked closer, trying to ignore the way his wet clothes clung to him, idly wondering what it was he wanted. He'd never really bothered with her before, except when she'd bothered him first, so the fact that he was here now was out of character for him. She tilted her head back as he stopped in front of her and they watched each other as the rain continued to pour down. Sesshomaru's gaze never wavered, if anything it got more intense, and Kagome started to feel a little uncomfortable but all that disappeared when he opened his mouth.

"You should not be out here. It is too dangerous for one such as you."

Inwardly, Sesshomaru wanted to smirk at the ire he could feel and scent coming off the girl in front of him. She certainly didn't disappoint in her reactions.

Kagome couldn't believe the audacity of the demon in front of her. He had the nerve, after seeing the way InuYasha had treated her, to come out here and start dictating to her what was and was not appropriate. She was well aware it was dangerous but Sango and Miroku had taken care of any weakness she might have had by training her to be almost as deadly as the slayer. Kagome could actually keep up with Sango now during their sparring sessions so she didn't appreciate being treated like she was still fifteen.

"Well excuse me," She snapped, "For not being born a demon! Though, with your high and mighty attitude, I don't think I want to be one if all the higher classes are as stuck up as you. I can take care of myself so you can turn right back around and take yourself back to the hut. I'll be back when I'm done here!"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, a little hurt that she thought of him as such but he knew he'd never given her any reason to think otherwise so it was his own fault. Still, he intended to remedy that very soon. Her ire and reiki spiked even higher when he didn't move or say anything, making his jyaki rise in response. Savoring the feeling a little longer, he eventually responded.

"You're mistaken," Sesshomaru drawled in a clipped tone, "You are now a part of this Sesshomaru's pack as the whelp is unfit to lead his own. As such, it is this one's duty to ensure all members of his pack's safety."

Kagome sputtered at the arrogance of that statement.

"Excuse me," She snapped, "I don't believe any of us have agreed to that."

"You do not get a say," Sesshomaru said, "I am the Alpha of the Inu."

Kagome felt like that last part sounded like some sort of title but she wasn't sure. He also said it like she should know what it meant but she only stared blankly, waiting for clarification. Sesshomaru sighed. It seemed that he was going to have to eventually educate her on the Courts.

"The Alpha," He explained as patiently as he could, "Is alpha over all the inu clans. Should it become evident that an alpha is not doing what he is supposed to, it is this Sesshomaru's duty to rectify their mistakes or take over their pack until such a time as they earn it back. The pup left his pack with an unknown male, regardless of who that male was, to go in search of the dead miko. He left his pack unprotected, a serious breach in the alpha inu's code."

Kagome nodded slowly in understanding but even though she understood, that didn't mean she wasn't still annoyed.

"That still doesn't mean you can just come and order me around," Kagome snapped, "InuYasha tries all the time but I ignore him."

"That is because you are the alpha female within his pack," Sesshomaru rumbled; a little annoyed at the comparison, "But you are not the alpha female in this one's pack," here he paused before continuing in a softer tone, "at least, not yet."

"What do you mean 'not yet'?" Kagome asked quickly.

Sesshomaru drew himself up in preparation for the declaration he was about to make.

"This Sesshomaru intends to court you," He stated simply.

She just needs a little help
To wash away the pain she's felt
She wants to feel the healing hands
Of someone who understands

Kagome was stunned for a moment, all the usual denials and rationalizations running through her mind but she didn't give voice to them. She knew enough about him to know he wouldn't have said what he had if he hadn't already considered all the possibilities and ramifications of such a statement. Kagome wasn't going to insult him by saying what had run through her mind but that didn't mean she was going to make it easy for him.

"And if I refuse?" Kagome asked, "There was a reason why I was out here, you know."

"I am aware," Sesshomaru answered, "However, regardless of whether or not the whelp did something stupid to push you away, this Sesshomaru had already intended to court you."

Kagome looked skeptical but Sesshomaru just smirked.

"Did you not wonder why the pup was so silent?" He inquired.

Kagome blinked for a moment in confusion before comprehension dawned. Miroku had said something about negotiations for the truce between them were complete but she hadn't taken the time to ask what had been negotiated. It seemed she'd been part of the spoils; however, she couldn't really bring herself to be mad. What Sesshomaru wanted, he got.

"You still haven't answered my question," Kagome remarked.

As she said, she wasn't going to make it easy on him but she was smart enough to know that this might be exactly the thing she needed to heal faster. It didn't really make sense, losing hope of ever having one person only to immediately enter into another relationship to dull the pain, but it was obvious that Sesshomaru wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"This Sesshomaru is aware of that," He remarked quietly as he took a step closer to Kagome, forcing her back into the tree, and leaning down so he could speak into her ear, "but I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out the answer on your own."

Kagome gasped softly; her heart stopping for a split second before starting again and racing as if she were running a marathon. He was right. She had figured it out but that didn't mean she didn't want to hear him say it. Sesshomaru smiled, still leaning down by her ear so that she didn't see, realizing what it was that she wanted.

"However," He said as he straightened, no trace of the smile anywhere, "This Sesshomaru does not take 'no' as an answer."

"I figured as much," Kagome said tremulously.

And she says take me away
then take me farther
Surround me now
And hold, hold, hold me

She closed her eyes as she took a shaky breath and tried to get her thoughts together. Kagome's eyes snapped open as she realized that she already made her decision. What good was there in pining after something that was never going to be in the first place? None whatsoever. InuYasha was never going to see her like she'd wanted him to for so long and she was finally at peace with that. However, that didn't mean she was just going to jump straight into a relationship with Sesshomaru. They needed time to get to know each other and Kagome knew he'd let her have it. And just like that, she had decided.

Kagome looked up at the Demon Lord and gave him a small smile to let him know what she'd decided but she knew she need to say it out loud. After all, he'd done it for her so the least she could do was give him a verbal answer.

"I accept," Kagome said quietly and her breath caught in her throat at the radiant smile Sesshomaru gave her. Without thinking, Kagome reached out and laid her hand on his cheek; wanting to make sure she was actually seeing what she thought she was. Sesshomaru simply covered her hand with his and smiled wider.

Sesshomaru didn't think he could be happier than he was at that moment. She'd accepted him and then voluntarily touched him. In that moment, Sesshomaru wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru practically purred as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Hmm?"

"May I kiss you?"

Sesshomaru stared down into the cerulean eyes he loved so much as he waited for her answer; so he saw the surprise, then embarrassment, flash through them. Kagome blushed at his question but she found she wasn't averse to the idea. She nodded. Sesshomaru grinned again before swooping down and claiming her lips, one hand tangling in her wet hair and the other going around her waist to pull her closer. Kagome's arms went around his neck, her own hands tangling in his hair. They stood there kissing with the rain pouring down around them and the idle thought went through Kagome's mind that she guessed some movies did come true. Here she was, standing in the rain for their first kiss.

Pulling apart, Sesshomaru and Kagome stared at each other, each with a small smile on their faces as they stroked the cheeks of the other. Unable to stand being apart, they came together again for another kiss. And another. And another. And another.

It was a long time before they made it back to the hut.

And she says take me away
then take me farther
Surround me now
And hold, hold, hold me like holy water
Holy water