Sesshomaru prided himself on being the best tailor in all of Japan. His suits and dresses were world renowned for being perfectly fitted, and beautiful to boot.
He never pricked his clients with a needle, and no one ever had any complaints. So when Kagome, fiancée of well known demon Naraku, came in to be fitted for a dress, Sesshomaru was confident that this would be a normal job. How wrong he was.
She was nervous, her head darting around like a bird's. She flinched when he approached her. He bowed, as was usual, and led her to the back room.
"Please remove your clothes," he instructed. Sesshomaru looked at something else as she stripped down to her underclothes, and then walked towards her with a measuring tape.
She was a little thin. He also noticed a large number of bruises on her pale skin. He pretended not to notice.
That night, as he sewed, Sesshomaru could not get those bruises out of his mind. What demon would treat a mate so cruelly? It simply wasn't done.
He glanced at picture of his daughter, a girl who had been living on the streets when he discovered her.
Sesshomaru was not fond of humans, but Rin had tugged at his heart. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and the demon was disturbed to find he felt it now.
The next time Kagome entered, she had a child in her arms and a man at her back. The child was a kitsune, and the man a demon with red, cruel eyes. Rin, who was playing in the corner with her dolls, jumped up when she saw the boy.
"Hello!" She cried joyfully. Kagome smiled.
"This is Shippo," she said in a soft voice. She set him down, and the little boy glanced at her before smiling and hurrying over to Rin.
Sesshomaru watched as Naraku put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. The woman almost concealed her wince. Almost.
The dress was marvelous, and Kagome could not hold in her gasp. It was a pure white, with long sleeves and a long skirt.
Sesshomaru smiled at her joy. She hurried to try it on, and the two demons were left alone.
"My fiancée is very pretty, isn't she?" Naraku said with a cold smile. Sesshomaru bristled at the implication.
"Yes," he said, long skilled in the art of hiding emotion. "Beautiful."
Naraku got a phone call.
"I must leave, my dear," he said, kissing the tip of her ear. Kagome shivered.
"What a shame," she said. Sesshomaru, who was coming out of his small kitchen with food for the children, noted that she didn't sound very sad. Naraku left, and with him, the heavy atmosphere. Sesshomaru cleared his throat.
"You look lovely," he said. She did. Kagome smiled shyly.
Rin seemed to be enjoying herself. It wasn't often she had the opportunity to play with other children. Her father didn't really have a lot of friends. Sesshomaru rarely regretted his solitude, but he did regret Rin's. When Rin left to get more toys, he had the opportunity to talk to Shippo.
"Your mother is nice," he said casually. The kitsune glared at the ground.
"She is," he said with a little growl. "Too nice for him."
"Oh?"
Shippo looked up.
"He hurts her," the child whispered. "Sometimes, she bleeds. Sometimes she can't stop crying."
Sesshomaru turned when he heard a gasp.
Kagome was standing in the doorway with a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, how shameful," she said weakly, tears falling down her face. "I-"
Her knees buckled. He caught her, and Sesshomaru carried Kagome, still crying, to a chair.
He knelt in front of her.
"Thank you," she blubbered. "I'm sorry."
It was then that he realized what that feeling was. Pity. And maybe... He leaned forward, and their lips met.
Though her eyes widened with surprise at first, she soon melted into his arms.
Sesshomaru stood still as Naraku walked into the store. A day had passed, and Kagome was currently hiding in a closet with the children. Naraku narrowed his eyes.
"She did not come home last night," he remarked. Sesshomaru stayed silent. Naraku glared, his eyes becoming a darker red. Like blood.
Sesshomaru darted forward, and pierced the demon with a needle. Naraku laughed.
"You think that would hurt me?" He said, smirking. Sesshomaru smiled a dark smile.
"No," he said softly. "But the poison will."
Naraku only stared as he fell to his knees, and then flat on his face. Sesshomaru wiped the needle clean.
He made her a new dress every week. And she'd always say the same thing.
"I love you so much."
And he always gave the same answer.
"You're beautiful."
But, well, that doesn't have anything to do with the dress.
Author's Note: The demons in this are sort of hybrids. Powerful, but Naraku can still be downed by Seshomaru sticking him with a poisoned needle. Erm, just suspend disbelief, okay?