A/N: Well, this is certainly unexpected of me to return to this series. But then again…re-watching the anime and going into massive fan girl squeal-fests can do that to a girl.
Sesshōmaru had to hand it to the woman who traveled beside him; she was indeed a powerful miko. Ever since leaving her village, she was constantly radiating enough spiritual energy to repel any lesser demons that could have crossed their path, yet was focused enough to avoid Sesshōmaru's yōki. It wasn't until they were well out of his brother's land that she let out a deep sigh and withdrew her reiki back into herself and finally began to breathe evenly.
"Your brother is an idiot of epic proportions."
He made no move to reply, but merely raised his brow at her as if to say "You are just figuring this out now?"
"I get it, you know? With Naraku and Kikyō gone, it's like this great weight has been lifted from the both of us." She fiddled with her hair, her fingers absently twisting the winding locks into a braid. "But it's not like I can just sit and not do anything." She tied off the ends of her hair with a ribbon she had from her pocket and cocked her head in a curious manner up at him. "Is it wrong that I feel like this peace isn't enough?"
It took him a moment to find the appropriate words to say; human women were still a mystery to him. Especially ones with as much attitude as the one who was currently traveling with him. Although he could understand her restlessness; he had a feeling that his idiot half-brother's behavior was caused by the very same feeling she was experiencing. It was hard on anyone who was battle-hardened to give up such an engaging lifestyle. From what Rin had been telling him during his visits, Inuyasha and Kagome were butting heads more often than what was usual and fought over nearly any and every decision. However, getting those two to actually talk out their problems like the adults they claimed to be was not this Sesshōmaru's problem. It was also much more amusing to watch them struggle through their mating steps with each other.
"That all depends on you, Miko. You fought for this peace and now it upsets you. Could you so easily leave behind one way of living for another?" She stilled at his words; perhaps she could relate after all. With that in mind, he pressed on with a "And if you already have, is adapting truly so difficult?"
Her reiki swirled around her in a sudden rush and the frustrated growl that ripped out of her throat had him stifling a chuckle. She spun on her heel and grabbed the throat of the demon that was attempting to sneak up on them. "Beat it, you pig-faced bastard. I'm in the middle of an important conversation."
The Boar demon huffed and reached for the tiny miko with a grubby hand, and found his entire arm disintegrating up to his shoulder from the sheer wave of reiki that began to climb his person. "You bitch!"
A steady tick-tick of a vein throbbed in Kagome's forehead before she tightened her grip and sent her reiki straight into the demon and out through his back. It swallowed him whole like a tornado of purification and Kagome stared him down the entire time. She found little joy in the way the liveliness of his eyes faded into a dull emptiness before his head was finally purified with the rest of his body. She was already rolling her eyes when her inner voice—which sounded suspiciously like Inuyasha—told her to stop being so reckless and cranky. I know, okay?! She internally roared and cringed at the acidity in her own voice. She released her latest bout with her anger and followed after the Inu daiyōkai who waited patiently to finish her confrontation.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled with chin tucked down, her bangs shielding her eyes from view. "Peace is something that just seemed so easy to achieve once all the primary problems were out of the way, but keeping the peace is another matter entirely."
Sesshōmaru gave an "Hn" in response to her musings and let her continue her thoughts aloud.
"I don't think Inuyasha and I want to settle down yet. He's a hanyō who kills those dumb enough to challenge him and I'm a miko that tends to attack first so I can disregard the questions later. Kami, what a pair we make." She chuckled softly and stuck her hands in her pockets, her gait taking on a more relaxed and leisurely pace.
"Violence seems to serve the two of you well," he calmly stated, his eyes on the road ahead of them.
"Ah, well. Being forced to fight to survive will do that to anyone. I used to abhor violence and was true to my beliefs as a pacifist for a time." She stared up at the slowly darkening skies and her eyes tracked a hawk flying in slow, lazy circles above them.
Sesshōmaru's silence was easily interpreted as "Oh, really now?" kind of silence and Kagome let out an exasperated sigh.
"I said used to, okay? So many things happened for me to become the person I am now. I wouldn't change any of the past experiences if it meant not going through the things my friends and I had to endure." Those painful experiences were what made them who they were today. But maybe she could still have the adventures without the pain. Such a novel idea that was, what with how often they attracted drama and trouble.
Oh, Kami. I'm the idiot. Not just Inuyasha.
That particular revelation had her clenching her fists within her sleeves while she huffed in frustration. Things were so much easier when she didn't have so much time to think and contemplate her life. At least back then, there was always a shard to find or a demon to slay to keep her from thinking too much on it. Mentally shaking her head to rid herself of her melancholy mood, she attempted to strike up conversation with one of the least conversational of people.
"So how goes it all in the Western Lands, Lord Sesshōmaru?" It was going to take them a week at the most to reach their destination and another few days more for her to reach Kōga's tribe. She honestly didn't think she could go the entire way in utter silence.
Deciding to humor the miko—and because he was used to Rin's endless chatter—he granted her a response that wasn't completely spoken in gesture. "Things have settled now that Naraku's miasma has dissipated from the lands. My Father's generals were a minor issue since some of the lesser Lords in their lands used Naraku's distraction to try and gain more land. The human settlements remain more or less the same," he added for her benefit. From what he recalled of his memories of her, she cared equally for both demons and humans despite how unpopular that particularly opinion was in this time.
"I see," she gazed thoughtfully up at the sky. So things were business as usual on his end, but now that she thought of it, he rarely mentioned his and Inuyasha's father or any of his Father's associates. The only time he ever mentioned it was when he was ridiculing Inuyasha or when a possessed sword was trying to literally bring Hell on earth. "What was your Father like?"
The unexpected question had him momentarily pausing mid-step. "Why do you wish to know?"
She shrugged and spoke honestly, "Inuyasha doesn't remember him, Tōtōsai and Myōga revere him, and since Inuyasha knows more of my family than I do his, I've just been wondering about the family he came from. We don't speak of his mother very much—I don't speak of my father either since he's deceased as well. And I only caught a glimpse of your Father during the Sō'unga incident, but I'd like to know more about who he was as a person. Was he fair as a Leader? How did he get to where he was before he met Inuyasha's mother? What were the times like back then before his…uh, dalliance with Izayoi?"
She figured it would be a fairly safe topic to discuss with the Lord of the Western Lands; he would be the only one outside of his mother who would know such details. And Rin had told her plenty about the sadistic playfulness of the female Inu daiyōkai so she had to wonder just what kind of demon Inu no Taishō was to have such a varied preference for a mate. This was purely for informational purposes and had nothing to do with her own curiosity as to just why Inuyasha cared about women with conflicted morals.
His own curiosity significantly piqued, the Western Lord pondered his own reply. Where to begin and what to say? He wasn't particularly close with his father, but he did admire his strength and accomplishments while he had been alive. While he didn't entirely agree with his father's behavior towards humans, he could safely say he could at least understand some of it; he wouldn't have taken in a human ward if he didn't.
"Ah, you don't have to answer if it's too personal to share," Kagome mumbled and cursed herself for her persistence. She didn't really have the best of relationships with Inuyasha's brother. He probably hadn't forgiven her for the "Onii-san!" moment. Oh, but their reactions were priceless! She bit back a grin since Inuyasha refused to look at her without a scowl on his face the next day.
"It is not too personal, Miko. Many of the daiyōkai still speak fondly of him, so you would not get much information from lesser demons. Father was born long ago…"
Kagome listened with apt attention and congratulated herself on finding a way to pass the time and silence.
Yes, this trip may not be so bad after all.