Kagome POV
I felt his strong hand grab my ankle right as the well transported me, he released me a second later and I felt the soft dirt under my body. Looking up I could see the roof of the old well house, and knew I was finally back home. I took a deep breath, stopping abruptly when I heard a voice speaking from behind me.
"Miko, what have you done?" He sounded almost breathless. When I turned to face him I found he was leaning against the side of the well, his hair draping over his face like a veil. I rushed over to his side and helped lower him to the ground.
"I don't understand, you shouldn't have been able to follow me. Midoriko shouldn't have let you come through." I whispered, worried if I spoke too loud it would make the Lord worse. Sesshomaru lifted his head, sniffing the air and looking around before his eyes locked on mine.
"Where are we? And what does a dead woman have to do with it?" He growled attempting to stand up but immediately sat back down looking light-headed
"We're in my time, it's nearly 500 years in your future." I said with a bleak smile. "Are you alright? Do you need me to get you anything?" I asked watching as the Lord looked at me,his face pale.
"I'm fine, it's just all the scents and sounds are overwhelming my senses. How is this even possible?" He asked, starting to look a little more comfortable.
"Honestly, it has to do with reincarnation and some other crap I really don't understand." I said sitting down next to him, sighing and leaning my head against the wall. "Basically, I'm the reincarnation of Kikyo, and possibly Midoriko; I was born with the jewel and for some reason it caused the well to open up as a time portal." I looked over to see the confused and annoyed look on his face.
"This Sesshomaru is starting to think you may be a sorceress and not a Miko." He said with a small glint in his eyes
"Did you just make a joke?" I exclaimed while jumping up sure that my mouth was hanging open. "I didn't think you knew how to joke." I said before he could answer the question.
"There's a lot you don't know about this Sesshomaru." The silver-haired Inu answered before his head shot up to look at the top of the well. I turned my gaze in the same direction to see Sota peeking his head over.
"Hey sis." My little brother waived down and I saw the tension in Sesshomaru's body lessen. "I'll put the ladder down for you and Inuyasha." Sesshomaru let out a low growl before picking me up, using the rocky walls of the well to quickly propel us out, landing gracefully in front of the dark haired boy.
"You will not mistake This Sesshomaru for that foolish half breed again." The Lord said with an icy tone, while sitting me down to stand on my own two feet. Sota looked between me and Sesshomaru, then his eyes stopped on me and his cheeks turned flushed. At that moment, I realized I was still only wearing the white and red kosode.
"This is not what it looks like." I said waving my hands in front of me. "My uniform got ruined during a battle, and Sesshomaru showed up and saved me and gave me his shirt to cover up with." I rambled out while Sota turned to look at Sesshomaru.
"Thank you for saving my sister." He said bowing low then turned back to me. "You should go get changed before Gramps sees you. While I don't care how you chose to spend your free time, I'm sure he will have a heart attack if he sees you in nothing but a strange man's shirt and your underwear." He chuckled while stepping out of the way so I could open the door. I bit out a low frustrated growl as I stalked past him, the startled amusement on his face at the sound was nearly worth the effort of dealing with him.
I slid the door open, "Oh good, Kagome you're…" my grandfather stopped mid-sentence looking at my attire, then at the intimidating demon standing behind me. "You evil creature, you've seduced my poor innocent granddaughter." He shouted while pulling out a sutra. "I will avenge your innocence." He tossed the sutra at the tall Lord and I watched as it turned to ash when it reached his aura.
"Clearly Miko, you did not inherit your powers, that sutra wouldn't have even hurt the Imp." Sesshomaru scoffed while walking past Gramps and out the door. "Come along Little Sorceress, you really do need to get changed into something more decent; before more people accuse me of taking your innocence." He glared at my grandpa, then turned a nearly imperceptible smirk to me for a quick moment.
"Kagome, I demand to know what is going on here and why you are wearing nothing but this beasts shirt." My grandfather said giving me his best attempt at a stern face. Sesshomaru moved so that he was now standing in between us.
"Am I right in assuming you are the man of the house?" Sesshomaru asked looking down on the old man with his normal cold emotionless expression.
"Yes, I am the elder of the Higurashi shrine and in so I am the man of this house." Gramps said straightening his spine trying to match Sesshomarshouldmance. "And who exactly are you?" The old man askthantaring down the Inu Daiyoukai.
"I am Sesshomaru, first son of Toga the Inu no Taisho, current Lord of the Western lands and alpha of the Western and the small Eastern Inu Youkai packs." Sesshomaru said bowing his head slightly in respect, but lifted it back up and continued before Gramps could start speaking. "I'm sorry to not give you the chance to respond but as head of the Miko's family I have a question for you." He said with the slightest hint of mischief in his eyes. "Why would you allow your granddaughter, a pure woman of marital age, to go out dressed as a common working woman, but then take issue with what she's wearing now? Which I must mention, covers more than her usual attire." He scoffed watching as the old man's jaw fell open and he stuttered incoherently, trying to find words. "Come along Miko, I would like my kosode back before it suffers the same fate as your own clothing." He said reaching a hand out for me to take so that he could escort me to the house. I took his hand surprised at how gentle he was being, and led the way to the front door.
"Was it really necessary to compare me to a common hooker?" I whispered low enough for only him to here. I was slightly amused when I heard a light chuckle come out next to me.
"I did not mean to offend you, miko, I was only trying to make a point." He whispered lightly back.
"If you were anyone else I would have shot you in the ass with an arrow," I responded before releasing his hand and running up the steps, "lucky for you, I don't have a death wish." I mumbled out the last part before opening the door.
Sesshomaru POV
The miko's family hut was surprising, sectioned off into multiple rooms like a very small castle. The miko's mother seemed to be waiting impatiently for us as we stepped into what I could only assume was a kitchen, but nothing inside was recognizable. "Much seems to have change between my time and yours, little sorceress." I said trying not to wince at the overwhelming smells crowded into such a small space.
"My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me, Not miko or little sorceress, or wench!" She raged, but her power didn't even flare with her temper. My beast gave a strange rumbling sound and felt distinctly amused.
"Do you think me daft, miko? I am aware of your name." I answered feeling one of my brows arch up at her exasperated sigh, and the fact that she seemed to be trying to use me as a distraction to her mother, as if she knew of a coming unpleasant conversation. "This Sesshomaru is still awaiting the return of his kosode, little sorceress." My beast growled in irritation, not wanting me to take back the garment in question.
"Kagome, I'm so glad you're home. I was starting to get worried." The pleasant smelling women said warmly, walking over and hugging her daughter. Seeing them next to each other you could see where Kagome got most of her features. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" She smiled at me with an odd glimmer in her eyes. "And what happened to your uniform? Please tell me I don't have to buy another one?" The smile vanished as she gave her daughter a stern look.
"Sorry Mama," Kagome mumbled out looking at the ground like a scolded pup. ,before she glanced up at me with a small smile and continued talking. " This is Sesshomaru, Inuyasha half brother. He kinda fell through the well with me after helping me take care of some demon trouble." She said quickly trying to change the subject.
"Kagome, I can't afford to keep buying you new uniforms, you've already destroyed twelve of them and we're not even halfway through the year. " The older woman said as her smile turned into a disappointed frown.
"Honestly, I wasn't the one who wanted to go to highschool in the first place. I told you I thought it would be too much to handle and it's not worth the money when I'm never there." The dark haired Miko said in a snippy matter of fact tone, her blue eyes however showed a mixture of sadness and nervousness.
"I told you Kagome, you don't know if you will be able to stay in the feudal era forever. You need to have a backup plan, and without high school you can't go to college and get a good job. And most respectable men don't want to marry an undereducated woman." The older woman said with a frustrated tone to her voice.
"Well then I guess i'm never getting married, I missed my midterms last week, I've failed out." Kagome stared at the ground refusing to make eye contact with anyone, while her voice had been strong and laced with anger, the overwhelming scent of saltwater gave away her true emotions. Seeing a couple small droplets of water fall to the ground below, I could feel the itch of my demon as he paced my mind in frustrated confusion. At this point the older woman walked over and embraced the crying girl.
"It's ok sweetie, we'll figure it all out. For now we'll just focus on your work in the feudal era and if all else fails you can take over the shrine. And know you can use the money I was saving for you schooling on supplies and any other necessities." She gave Kagome a gentle smile lifting her chin to look at her. "Just remember I love you no matter what. Now why don't we go find Sesshomaru here something to wear and I will wash his kosode for him." She turned giving me a small smile. "I think I have the perfect outfit for you, I just hope it will fit." She grabbed my hand trying to drag me down the corridor to another room.
"This Sesshomaru prefers his own clothing.And you need not waste time washing it, the thread is enchanted to self clean." I scoffed while pulling my hand free.
"You will have to change if you want to go shopping with me later." The Miko laughed while walking past me.
"I'm going to go get cleaned up and take a small nap, I'll be back down by dinner." She shouted from what looked like a small corridor or staircase. As soon as she was out of sight the kosode flew to the bottom, my beast growled lustfully in the depths of my mind as I walked forward picking it up and confirming my suspicions of the staircase.
"I'll go see if I can find those clothes for you If you want, feel free to look around we own all of the land on this mountain. I have a feeling you may find something interesting out there, once you get your senses back under control." The older woman walked off before I could respond.
Are all humans of the future this annoying? What does she mean getting our senses under control, they are always under our control. The beast growled still pacing.
You are actually incorrect. When we first came through, we were suffering from a sense overload. I've been using our yokai to dull down our normal senses. I corrected, and felt the pacing slowing down.
Perhaps, if we slowly release the hold we won't be overloaded with the information. He barked out, I could feel a light push as he slowly started to release the barrier I had put up. The scent of trees, water, and various foods came rushing in followed by multiple smells I couldn't put a name to. Then, it hit me, two very familiar scents. One smelled of the Western woods, acid, and a slight musk, the other of fur, pomegranate, and a slight edge of cinnamon . I ran out of the hut and towards the curious visitors who were obviously waiting for me. This should be interesting. The beast said with an amused laugh. I ran through the treetops about 50 yards from the odd hut when I spotted the two guests standing in a small clearing. The younger of the two was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, he wore tightly fitted black pants, and an odd green top that appears to have button running up it, with a piece of odd fabric looped around under the collar and tied in the front, looking almost like a noose.
"Are you sure this is going to work, I mean is there really any guarantee he will actually show up?" The young man snarked while looking up at the sky.
"He's already here, watching us from a tree slightly up wind to try and avoid detection." The elder of the two spoke. His white hair was tied back in a ribbon at the base of his neck, he also wore black pants that were only slightly looser fitted, and a odd collared top with noose like fabric, the only difference being his top was blue and he had a strange black short robe over it.
He looks much like father, but where is his crest and markings? The beast questioned couriusly.
One of our children must have mated with a human. I responded back.
Or you took my advice and finally made the Miko ours. He purred in the back of my mind sending images of the Miko in only my kosode flashing through my mind.
I believe there is actually another option. I thought back before jumping out of the tree. The older white haired male gave the other a knowing look before arching his brow challengingly at what appeared to be a young adult version of the miko's little fox kit. "This Sesshomaru assumes you are awaiting this one's presence." I stated waiting for one of them to speak up.
"Really, why did you ever refer to yourself that way, it's so irritating." The fox whined cocking his head to the side as if curious. The elder of the two twitched his lips in a mild version of amusement.
"This Sesshomaru would like for you to explain your presence near the Miko's home." I said when I realized they were going to speak in odd stilted sentences.
"Patience, there are some things this Sesshomaru cannot tell you, and what I am able to speak of must be worded carefully. The miko, is she with her mother?" he asked before scenting the air as if searching for my miko. The beast nearly purred in satisfaction at the verbal claim and I had to threaten it back into submission.
"This Sesshomaru thinks the miko is not your concern." I answered trying to silence my beast's protests.
"How are you not confused, can't either of you just speak normally?" The kit asked before slumping further down the tree.
"Mind your tone, kit, this Sesshomaru is lord of the Western lands, and you will be respectful." I growled while the future or maybe present version of this Sesshomaru...that Sesshomaru…
Thee Sesshomaru? My beast supplied. Or perhaps just an elder Sesshomaru watched on with an impassive face.
"Don't mind the kit, there are important matters to speak of, your entire future depends on what we discuss here today." The elder said his look turning more serious. "But first I'm sure you have questions for this Sesshomaru." He smirked at the obvious annoyance of the fox demon.
"This Sesshomaru, would like to know how you masked our markings?" I questioned, knowing demanding would get me nowhere.
"This Sesshomaru, learned how to manipulate our yokai so that we appear human." He responded smuggly, his tone and third person speaking grinding on my nerves.
Now you know how everyone else feels when you talk. The beast gloated in response to my thoughts.
"But, doing this uses an incredible amount of energy. So our little sorceress later made us talismans to conceal ourselves when needed." He continued, while pointing at the ring of the Western lord on his left hand. I looked over to see the young fox foundly holding a small silver inu pendant hanging from a leather strap on his neck.
"I will tell you as much as I can, but rest assured that any information that I leave out is for all our benefit. We do not wish to change to much." The elder said a tension showing in his shoulders. "First, I shall start with events you are already aware of, and a few you may have suspicions about." He sat down in the grass, motioning for me to do the same. The fox stayed in his spot next to the tree. Once we were both settled comfortably he continued, " As I'm sure you're aware, the situation between our Miko and Inuyasha is less than ideal." He sighed out and I nodded in response ignoring my demon's growl. "Tonight, you caught the first of a series of events that will bring you and Kagome much closer, but will also ultimately end in a one hundred and fifty year war. This war will destroy most of the Western and Eastern lands." The elder removed his ring revealing both his Inu markings and four deep smooth pink scars running along his lower jaw and throat, they were oddly similar to the ones currently healing on the Miko's shoulder.
"This Sesshomaru doesn't understand, we were obviously victorious, so why are you here?" I felt the demon becoming increasingly more agitated.
"This Sesshomaru's victory is not what matters; what matters is what happened to our Miko." He barked out his eyes turning a slight red before he continued. "When we returned through the well, Kagome found out Inuyasha had lied saying I attacked her and she was lying in order to protect everyone from this Sesshomaru. This ended in the Miko and kit traveling with Rin and I." His eyes glazing over and he looked completely lost in the memories.
"I refused for so long to believe the beast, but he was right from the beginning; the Miko was meant to be ours." The elder rolled the ring around in his hand before looking back at me; I nodded for him to continue. "Eventually, we had to join Inuyasha and his pack to defeat Naraku. The spider was easy enough.."
"You can't tell him that." The young fox interrupted, "Remember only information pertaining to mama, and the war. Nothing else or you may change too much." The brown haired fox snapped.
"This Sesshomaru knows the rules, little kit." The elder growled low glaring at the fox while he rolled his eyes in response.
"This Sesshomaru feels that the kit should show more respect to his elders." I scoffed watching as he started to turn red.
"This Sesshomaru agrees." The Elder responded still looking at the fox
"Seriously, can we please stop the This Sesshomaru crap! it's not only confusing, but really irritating.I thought you had stopped that over a century ago." The young fox protested again, loudly.
"This Sesshomaru finds it most amusing to irritate meddlesome little foxes. That Sesshomaru however…" The elder was cut off by the fox growling and throwing his hands up in the air.
"Well both Sesshomaru's are giving this SHIPPO a HEADACHE!" The fox said stressing his name and headache before darting off into the woods.
"May I continue, now that we can speak uninterrupted?" I nodded my head in response curious as to how his story would end. "We defeated the spider and I agreed to let the Miko's friends come join us in the Western lands to celebrate. To my great annoyance this included the half breed and his undead golem, but at the Miko's request I agreed to be civil. During the victory feast and in front of the Lord's of the other three lands, I announced my intentions for the Miko and she accepted. I skipped all the courtship rituals thinking that a human wouldn't understand and agreed we could have a human wedding before the mating." His eyes showed decades of grief, an almost hollow look as he fought to keep his expression blank.
"But you are still unmated." I interrupted my demon grumbling incoherently to himself.
"To this day, that is still one of my biggest regrets." He sighed and I was confused about which part he regretted. "She spent most of the night dancing and talking with the other Lords and Ladies, when we finally got a moment to ourselves I noticed the stench of anger and Inuyasha clung to her. She insisted that it was from them dancing and that she didn't know what I was talking about." He paused for a moment standing up and starting to pace, a breeze drifting by alerting us that the young fox was still close.
"A few days later I caught them in one of the corridors, Inuyasha was begging her to give him another chance, telling her how kikyo meant nothing. The Miko rejected him, and he slammed her into the wall. I was able to step in before it got further out of hand and I had him removed from the grounds. I should have just killed him then." The lines on the Elders face had become slightly jagged and his demeanor reminded me of my father's when his mate was being threatened.
"She would have never forgiven you, I should have spoke up sooner." The young fox said as he walked back into the clearing sitting at the base of a nearby tree.
"Spoke up sooner?" I questioned not liking the route this conversation was heading.
"I caught Inuyasha, hurting Kagome multiple times before you fell through the well. His demon had taken over each time and Kagome made me promise not to say anything, if I had spoken up sooner," the kit blinked away the tears starting to form in his eyes, "she might still be with us." Giving a low growl the elder walked over slapping the fox in the back of the head.
"What do you mean she would still be with you?" I growled out my demon snapping to the front of my mind.
"Sit down." My future self ordered causing me to growl, and him to sigh.
"Shippo witnessed most of the abuse before they started traveling with us, and after seeing what happened in the corridor he became worried. He tracked me down and informed me of what he had witnessed. That night we got into an argument, she was angry because I ordered her to never see Inuyasha again and told her that she wasn't allowed to leave the palace grounds without an escort. I was only trying to keep her safe but she's was so stubborn. She ran out of the palace during a storm, the rain made it hard to track her." He took in a deep breath, the tension in his shoulders increasing by the second. "Inuyasha found her first, she was badly injured and her clothes were completely destroyed. All sense went out of me and I just attacked, I noticed the smell of clay a moment before I saw the arrow. I didn't get to her fast enough, the arrow went through her chest. I was so distracted trying to revive her that Inuyasha and the undead woman escaped. They convinced the eastern wolves that I was the one who killed the Miko and we ended up at war for one hundred and fifty years." He looked at me with expectant eyes.
"And now you want me to change your past and in turn alter my future." I said a bit sceptical that the kami would allow such a thing.
They allowed us to travel through time. My beast purred.
"I want you to do what I couldn't," he responded looking at me intently, "trust your instincts, don't try to force your will on the Miko even if you're right, help her train, she has so much potential, but above everything else This Sesshomaru wants you to use the bond to your advantage." He put the ring back on his finger motioning for the fox to leave. "This is the last time you will see us." He said walking out of the clearing and into the trees.
"Remember, he's hurt her before, he will do it again." The kit said in an almost whisper before following after the Elder.
Inuyasha POV
I woke in the forest alone, Kagome and my bastard older brother nowhere to be seen as I pushed myself to my feet. I had to shake my head hard to try and clear my brain, ignoring the throbbing ache in the back of my skull from where the noble jerk had knocked me unconscious. Though I should probably be a little more grateful as he seemed to have knocked some sense back into me as I seemed to have the demon back under control. I grumbled to myself as I raced through the trees coming across my pack, with my bastard brother. "I'll kill you, you bastard!" I leaped out of the tree towards the annoying demon. I heard the metal clanging only seconds before feeling the hard golden staff slam into my face.
"What the hell was that for monk?" I shouted while briefly glancing over to see Kagome's tear streaked face.
"That was to teach you some manners, you shouldn't interrupted people's conversations. Just like you also shouldn't start a battle with your brother so close to the village." The monk responded while glaring at me.
"And what the hell is this we hear about you hurting Kagome?" The young demon Slayer asked standing slightly behind the monk. I looked around noticing that both kagome and Sesshomaru had disappeared. I took off following the trail of their scent into the hut. Looking around I saw Kagome's bag was gone,before storming back out of the hut.
"Where are you going Inuyasha?" The lecherous monk demanded following behind me. I stopped short and opened my mouth to start explaining what had happened between Kagome and I but no sound came out. I snapped my mouth closed, taking a deep breath through my nose and made another attempt at an explanation, the words that came out shocked me.
"That stupid bastard, Sesshomaru, attacked the wench," Was what spilled from my lips, instead of the fact that she had threatened Kikyo and I had blacked out. "He's doing something to her, she thinks he's helping her." I looked up at the startled gasp as I tried to press my hand over my lips to stop the words from spilling out. It was like something was holding me in place so that I couldn't tell or show the others something was wrong.
"Why would Lord Sesshomaru hurt Kagome?" Sango asked puzzled, her eyes narrowing. "He has no reason to bother with us." Her normally calm expression flashing anger.
"He's using some type of sorcery to steal her away from us." The words clawed their way from my throat, nearly choking me before I could stop them.
"Inuyasha, we must go save her then." Miroku said picking up his staff. "She's our friend." I stopped, the scent trail ending at the bone eaters well, she let him follow her through. I felt a surge of white hot anger and everything flashed red for a moment.
"The wench made her choice when she ran off with the bastard" I snarled feeling my temper flare as I tried to fight both my anger at her leaving with him and whatever was forcing me to lie.
"You're lying!" Shippo cried out nailing me in the head with a rock.
"What would a useless little runt like you know?" I spat at the little kit as his eyes welled with tears. The nearly crushing wave of guilt that washed over me wasn't enough to make the apology in my mind form on my lips for the little kit.
"I can smell your lies and Kagome would never abandon me." Shippo growled looking over at the monk and the slayer for agreement. Sango seemed to agree with the kit, which was unsurprising, but the monk seemed unsure. Though I knew he would side with the slayer and the kit if he truly thought about the situation, but he was unlikely to allow the situation to get much worse. He was the most likely to catch on that something was wrong, but he didn't seem to be catching on, too busy running his eyes over the slayer woman to pay attention.
Sesshomaru POV
The kit's words echoed in my mind causing the demon to spring forward, I ran at full speed back to the Miko's hut scenting the air to locate her. I quickly opened the door and head up the staircase, stopping in front of a white door at the end of the hall. I could smell the Miko's sakura scent mixed with water, burning wax, and that peculiar smell I still couldn't place. I heard a soft humming as I opened the door. I was greeted on the other side by the Miko standing fully naked form getting ready to step into what I could only assume was a small bath.
My eyes raked over the girls body taking in every inch of her delicate skin, starting with her legs, stopping for a moment on her perfectly rounded back side, then continuing up her back stopping at the various bruises, scrapes and claw marks running along her upper body. The beast growled loudly as I stepped into the room quietly closing the door behind me. I walked over to the young Miko grabbing her wrist startling her and causing her to yelp.
"What the hell are you doing in here, you can't just walk in like this! This isn't feudal japan!" She shouted as I turned her around looking over the front of her body. My beast purring at the sight of her naked form, then growling with rage as my eyes scand over more bruises and healing cuts. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" The Miko shrieked slapping me across the face with her free hand. I felt the slight sting of her rikki on my check, and could hear the sparks as her powers flared up to meet mine.
"How long?" I demanded keeping my voice as calm as possible, as the beast continued to growl. I noticed the flash of confusion cross her face, mixing with the anger that was already there. "How long has he been hurting you?" I questioned again.
Kagome's POV
Sesshomaru's eyes turned a slight pink color and his aura began radiating with rage. "How long has he been hurting you?" He growled out his fangs glistening in the mix of candle and fluorescent lighting. I stood in shocked silence as the realization of what he was asking hit me.
"It's not what you think." I stammered out, reaching a slightly shaking hand up to rest on the Demon Lord's arm. "Something's wrong with him. It's not his fault." I whispered out knowing I sounded like a battered girlfriend, trying to make excuses for her boyfriend.
"How many times, Miko?" He growled out the red in his eyes darkening. His grip tightening on me not enough to hurt, but enough so I couldn't pull away. "Do not even think of lying to me, miko," Sesshomaru warned still gripping me.
"You aren't listening!" I cried out, my voice shooting up in pitch. "None of you will listen to me! Something is wrong with him, it has been since that undead creature came back." I said tugging on my arm so I could swipe at the hot angry tears welling in my eyes.
"That does not give him any right to harm you, miko. He was your pack leader, worse yet he intended you as a mate! He should be protecting you and his pack. I shouldn't be required to step in just because he has so little control." The inu lord said haughtily.
"Get out!" I hissed trying to hide the crack in my voice. Tears already starting to trail silently down my cheeks, no matter how much I fought to control my emotions.
"Miko? Why is your face leaking?" Sesshomaru asked the red in his eyes flickering away for a moment. "You must not do that!" He warned dropping my arm and backpedaling quickly.
"Don't tell me what I can or can't do!" I warned still trying to fight back the frustrated tears.
"Are you hurt?" He demanded gruffly. "Why are you doing this, little sorceress? It was not my intent to harm you." He said almost whimpering as his back pressed against the door.
"I'm pissed off! God, why are all men such idiots!" I shouted turning my back to him.
"I shall be going now little sorceress." He muttered and all but fled the room. I walked over to the door closing it behind him, before turning to my now lukewarm bath, allowing the tears to flow freely.
Sesshomaru POV
We should go comfort her! My demon demanded as we sat in a tree outside listening to the Miko cry and mumble about Inuyasha, and the idiocy of the male race. We are the reason she is so upset! I snapped, watching as poison started dripping on the tree limb under me.
So perhaps we should apologize. The demon attempted to reason. In the distance I heard the soft splash as the Miko got into her bath, and a door opening a little ways below me. This Sesshomaru does not apologize! I growled back before jumping out of the tree and landing in front of the young boy watching him jump slightly before looking up at me with the same defiant glint in his eyes as his sister.
"Can you tell This Sesshomaru how the well works?" I questioned the young man, smelling the air to make sure we were in fact alone.
"Not really, I don't even think Kagome fully understands it. Honestly, she would still probably know more about it than I do." He answered giving me a cautious look. "Can I ask you something, without you taking offense?" He questioned me his stance becoming more nervous, while he attempted to stand straighter to make himself look bigger. The beast chuckled in the back of my mind at his actions.
"You may ask This Sesshomaru whatever you please." I replied, smirking slightly.
Why give him hope if you have no intention of answering? The dog grumbled at me from the back of my mind. I never said if I would or would not answer him. I responded before blocking out the beast so I could listen to the boy.
"Is Kagome ok, is she being hurt? And if she is who's hurting her?" He quickly spewed out the words before taking a deep breath and looking up at me.
"What is causing you these concerns?" I asked trying to judge how much information to give him. He looked at me in slight shock obviously not expecting the return question.
"I heard my mother talking with someone, and they were concerned for Kagome. The man she was speaking with said Inuyasha was hurting her. I'm not stupid, I know that she's in danger from Naraku and other demons, I know what her being a Miko means, and I know that in your time a lot of men found it acceptable to beat their wives. It's just she's my sister and here that isn't ok, besides he promised to protect her." He rambled out then looked at me with sad but determined eyes. I let out a small sigh before noticing the light scent of Sakura blossoms drifting through an open upstairs window .
"Walk with me." I said heading far enough that others wouldn't hear us. "Your concerns are valid; from what I'm aware. Inuyasha has been having trouble controlling himself and has injured the miko." I watch the expression on his face turn from one of concern to anger. "But most demons from my time do not agree with harming our mates and would never do so, what Inuyasha is doing is against our ways." I growled out slightly feeling the demons anger in the back of my mind.
"You're going to keep her safe?" He asked looking up at me.
"I will try to. I can not make any promises, not with how stubborn the Miko is but This Sesshomaru shall try." I responded before continuing. "Do you know if the well only works for the Miko, if This Sesshomaru where to go back would he be able to return without her accompanying me?" I questioned hoping the young boy could at least answer that much.
"I think you should be able to, I mean Inuyasha comes and goes as he pleases and I was able to go through the well once without Kagome." He looked at the well house with a serious face before continuing. "I think it's whoever the well deems worthy, since it's already let you through once I think you should be ok." He answered with a small smile.
Kagome POV
The white rice paper wrapping was the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to stay in my bed and sleep but apparently someone had gone through the trouble of sneaking in to leave this. Based on the thin piece of leather holding the wrapping together I had a good idea who. As I went to unwrap the gift I noticed the piece of leather had a small pendant shaped like a dog, I carefully untied it and sat it on my nightstand. Once unwrapped I found that the package contained a silver hair comb, it had a rather large blood red gem with glimmering silver crescent moons on either side of it, the edges of the moons looked sharp enough to cut someone. It was very pretty but also a bit flashy compared to what I normally wear.
Under it was a black obi with a red ribbon and matching layered kimono, not unlike the ones worn by noblewoman in the feudal era, the only difference being that this one only had two layers to it. The bottom layer appeared to be made of plain black silk, but upon closer look you could see small inu-yokai embroidered into the fabric in a matching black thread. In contrast the top kimono was made with a pure white silk and had red trim that matched Sesshomaru's, on the back was a giant red embroidered crest of the Western lands.
I picked up both the kimonos and the hair comb, flinging my door open to see that lord fluffy was already standing in the hallway outside it.
"I see you got my gift." He stated in his normal emotionless tone but his eyes had a mischievous glint to them, with the smallest sparkle of what I could only assume was hope. I threw the kimonos at him, watching them land at his feet, as he continued to stare at me unphased.
"I do not accept this as an apology, I swear your as big of a baka as you stupid brother is." I shouted throwing the hair comb at him, the edge of one of the moons cutting his forehead.
"Oh kami, please don't let this demon murder us in our sleep, my granddaughter doesn't understand how disrespectful she is being." My grandfather pleaded from further down the hallway.
"Stay out of it…." My words were cut off when Sesshomaru gently slammed me into the wall.
"Miko, that gift was not meant as an apology. This Sesshomaru does not apologize unless he has done something wrong." He responded pinning me against the wall so that I couldn't get away. I watched as his eyes ran up and down my body stopping at the bottom hem of my light blue midriff top before he lightly growled out, "what exactly are you wearing?"
"These are my pajamas," I responded placing my hand on his chest and trying to push him out of my way, "Now, will you kindly leave me alone." I huffed my pushing having no effect on the well sculpted body in front of me.
"I can see your stomach." He responded his normal emotionless look still on his face, but his eyes had a small heat to them. "You will change into the kimono I've gifted you and meet me outside by the sacred tree." He ordered me with a look daring me to defy him.
"And if I don't?" I questioned, my tone defiant while glaring back at his icy look. A strange swirl of emotions hiding in his amber eyes, while the rest of his face stayed it's normal emotionless mask.
He leaned in closer to my ear before whispering, low enough for only me to hear."You will submit to me or I will drag you into your Chambers and dress you myself, we both know I have no qualms about seeing you naked!" As soon as the words left his mouth his emotionless facade melted away to show regret and sadness, before he spoke again clearly. "Miko, please just humor me on this one thing, then I will explain my actions last night and also I will explain why the gifts are so important." He moved quickly away from me and headed down the stairs.
Sesshomaru POV
The smell of fear mixed with arousal radiating from the young woman was too much for me to handle, I had to flee out of the hut before my baser instincts took over. You came off too harsh and scared her, but she also seemed to really like the idea of you helping her dress. The demon purred at me.
"Lord Sesshomaru, good morning. Would you like some tea?" The older woman glanced at me, handing me one of the two cups she was carrying. She smiled up at me softly before letting out a small sigh, "How were your visitors last night?" She asked looking off towards the house. I looked at her raising an eyebrow and chuckled.
"How much did they inform you of?" I looked at her waiting for a response as she continued to give me the same sad smile, her eyes looking like a much wiser version of the miko's.
"They told me enough to know what Inuyasha is doing to my daughter, what you will eventually become to her, and what may eventually happen to her. But they also told me there plan to change the past and based on your actions today I have hope that your on the right path." She let out a sigh then looked back at me with tears in her eyes. "When Kagome was young, her father would bring her here to see her grandparents and go for a hike in the woods. She used to love it, until his death after that she refused to ever go back into the woods." I waited for her to continue to see if there was any point behind her story. "A couple weeks before his death, my husband took kagome on one of their normal hikes. Except this time they came home early and he was quite shaken up, he said all was fine and I completely forgot about it. That is until kagome went to bed and he finally told me what he had found." At this point the older woman looked up at me and the scent of sadness and fear came off of her in waves. "We thought it was a sick prank, but the next day we were able to go through the old records from when the shrine was first built, then we thought it was just a very strange coincidence." She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her pocket handing it to me.
I unfolded it realizing it was a old map of the forest and shrine grounds, on it was two red circles. "What exactly did you find?" I growled out not liking the stench coming from the woman.
"Take her to the first one, it will help her understand. The second one is a gift for both of you to enjoy." She said before turning her attention to the house where the young Miko was now stepping outside. "Oh Kagome you look beautiful." She walked over to the young woman giving her a hug.
"Miko, this Sesshomaru agrees, you look lovely." I stated bowing slightly before looking her over. "I was worried you might have trouble tying the kimono but I see you did not."
"It was a little difficult, but I was able to figure it out. Once I realized the bottom was meant to be parted to show the under kimono." She responded softly, the scent of anger having faded from her but the small glint still dancing across her blue eyes.
Her hair was up in a bun with the comb holding it together, She looks like a proper alpha. The beast purred from the back of my mind. "Little Sorceress, shall we take a walk?" I asked offering her my arm and leading the way towards the forest. Once past the tree line she let go of my arm and stopped walking.
"Don't think that this means I'm no longer mad at you." She warned glaring at me with no real sign of anger on her face. "What you did last night was unexceptable, there is no excuse to barge in on a lady when she's bathing, and then to invade my privacy even further by sneaking into my room." She continued to stare me down and I realized she was not going to make this easy.
"Little sorceress, I've already told you I will not apologize when I did nothing wrong. But since you are so upset about it still, I will say I am sorry for not announcing myself first last night so that you could properly cover. " I scoffed out while she continued to glare at me. "Now let us continue our walk, and I will explain last night and the gifts to you." I said as I started walking but stopped a few seconds later when I noticed the stubborn girl still wasn't following. "What is it now Miko?" I asked turning to face the young girl, not expecting the sight of her pulling on a broken bit of tree root trying to unhook the bottom of her kimono. Chuckling lightly I walked over and freed her, but my chuckle turned into full laughter when she flew forward with her own momentum and landed face first in a bush.
"It's not funny!" She shouted as I lifted her up setting her back on her own two feet. She tilted her head slightly giving me a odd but happy look.
"What is it miko?" She smiled up at me and started laughing.
"I just realized I've never heard you laugh, or seen you smile until now." she responded, "It makes you seem much more human." I growled slightly and then turned to start walking again.
"You promised me an explanation." The Miko said catching up with me and lightly setting her hand on my arm.
"I did."
"So are you going to tell me?" She asked in a tone that I thought only Rin could make. It was a combination of a high pitched whine and a stern annoyed.
"It appears This Sesshomaru is still alive." I stated matter of factly, watching as the miko's expression changed from that of annoyance to confusion.
"Well obviously you're alive, you're standing here talking to me." She continued walking next to me and started muttering under her breath.
"What was that Little Sorceress?" I pretended not to have heard every threat she just stated.
"You heard me, I said you're lucky to be alive, and not have an arrow sticking out of you after last night." She responded, still glaring at me.
"The Sesshomaru I was referring to is not the one standing in front of you." She looked at me with confusion written all over her face before it changed to that of realization.
"I've been wondering if any of you are alive in my time. How old did you look? What was it like to meet yourself? How have you guys kept your auras hidden from me? Was inuyasha with him?" I felt a low growl slip out at her last question and watched as she bit her lip and broke eye contact with me.
You've upset her again. The beasts annoyed tone roared through my mind.
I have done no such thing, that growl was from you. I responded to the beast before quickly blocking him out.
"I looked to be middle aged, no longer young but also not old. It was a very strange encounter, one that has made me understand why some people find me difficult to be around." The Miko chuckled at the last statement before letting me continue. "As for the auras I'm not fully certain, but they explained it involved a talisman created by you." I answered all but her last question and watched as her eyes returned to mine and she lightly smiled.
"You said they but you didn't answer my last question, that means either he was with that Sesshomaru or someone else was." Her eyes reflected a sadness that I didn't understand.
"There was someone else with him but it was not the hanyou. It was the kit, of course I guess he's no longer a kit he's a young man." I replied as we started walking again. "They came to give us a warning of what the future holds." I continued talking so she couldn't interrupt. "After we return through the well, you and your pack have a falling out. Due to this, you and the kit join Ren and me. We end up setting up base at the Western palace while we hunt for clues to find the last few jewel shards, during this time you and I become rather close and form a relationship of sorts. After Naraku's defeat we invite Inuyasha and the others to celebrate in the Western lands." I pause as the Miko stopped walking. Her eyes are filled with tears and she's looking past me at what appears to be a very old, but recently cleaned burial stone. As I looked closer I saw why the Miko was so distraught, written on the stone was:
Kagome
Miko
Protector of the shikon no tama
Defeater of Naraku
Mother of shippo
I felt my stomach sink as I turned to look back at the young miko. "Kagome, are you…"
