Kagome stopped at a trickling river, gathering water for her and her to newly found 'son'. "What can I call you?" she asked him, listening to his shallow giggles. He looked up at her with emerald green eyes, combined with golden patches. Kagome picked him up lightly and tickled him, scratching him behind his little dog-ears just like you would a dog. "My son."
"He is not your son, anyone can tell that." A cold voice said from the shadows of the forest.
"Sesshoumaru, I am all that he has." Kagome said without even looking at the ice lord.
"You are nothing to anyone." His cold words cut like knives. He could tell that he had hurt the miko deeply. "Where is that wretched brother of mine?" he was curious where his little brother could be.
"As you said. 'I am nothing to anyone', I guess your brother thought so too." Kagome let a tear slide. Sesshoumaru had no clue how much his words actually hurt. The small pup looked up at his surrogate mother, growling reassuringly as a single tear hit him on the forehead. Kagome just looked down at him and let another tear fall. The pup started to whimper.
"I did not mean the statement to hurt you so deeply miko-…" Sesshoumaru felt a short pain of guilt.
"Just leave Sesshoumaru, can't you see I have nothing but this pup! Everything that I once knew is gone, I have no friends and no one to help me raise an innocent child that was placed in this world, only to be burnt by the villagers who should have been helping his real mother raise him!" Kagome aura flared her face cold with anger. Sesshoumaru didn't know if it was pointed towards him or the villagers.
"I will help you." Sesshoumaru offered. "I will help take care of the pup, as my heir." Sesshoumaru looked down at the small pup, feeling compassion towards the innocent life that was given to the Hanyou before him.
"You don't need to do that, I can do it by myself, you shouldn't do it just because you feel pity on me." Kagome gathered the child in her arms and began to walk away.
"I do not really pity on you miko." Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm. "He reminds me of Inuyasha, when he was just young." Kagome just looked at him as if he had three heads.
"You don't even care for your brother, so why now?" Kagome just looked at the ground.
"For all his life Inuyasha had been treated as an outsider by all humans and demons alike. You gave him a chance to be who he was and he never showed you gratitude. Now you spare the life of yet another Hanyou and take him in for who he is. You are a very, special human." Sesshoumaru said in a caring yet still cold voice. Kagome's eyes stared to tear up. She stepped closer to Sesshoumaru and laid her head softly on his chest, allowing herself to cry into his haori. Sesshoumaru stared at her with pity, wanting to make her feel comfortable, yet his ego got the better of him. "Miko, get off me!" He said coldly. Kagome jumped and stared at him in disbelief. She could see Sesshoumaru looking around to see if anyone had seen what he almost allowed her to do.
Kagome started to walk away, child in hand, walking still towards the west. The child started to cry as he felt his mothers discomfort. "Shh it will be alright, we'll get through this." She hushed him as she stroked his cheek kindly. "Mommy's here." Kagome coaxed, wanting to believe that she could do this by herself.
Sesshoumaru could easily sense her hurt and her disbelief as she told the child promising words that, if were wrong, she would pay for it with both their lives. "Miko, follow me." Sesshoumaru turned and started to walk to the north. He walked slowly at first then picked up his pace. Kagome just stood there like an idiot. Watching him as he turned and walked away. Slowly flashes of when Inuyasha walked away from her ran through her mind. She fell to the ground and began to sob the baby in her arms.
"Miko-…" Sesshoumaru reproached her.
"Shut up Sesshoumaru!" she screamed, "Stop calling me miko!" Sesshoumaru was about to hit her for barking at him so rudely. Raising his hand towards the baby's new mother the young pup started to cry again. This time in warning. Sesshoumaru was surprised at how well the pup took to his brother's wench. Slowly he lowered his hand on Kagome's shoulder, feeling her jerk every now and then as she let more sobs out.
"What may I call you then?" Sesshoumaru tried to act like he cared.
"Kag-…Kagome" she shook in exhaustion, fear and doubt.
"Kagome, lets get going, my palace is just a few days travel to the north." He got up and started to walk to the north once more. Kagome now followed.
They walked one and one, Kagome, who's legs were now use to walking and running long distances, just like she use to run from demons, were finally getting tired after walking for at least five hours.
"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome stumbled on a root that stuck out of the path. She held out her right arm, while clenching the pup with her left. Her right wrist crunched as it connected with the solid ground. Kagome's eyes ran with tears as she looked at her bruised wrist. The baby started to cry at his mother's pain. Her wrist started to swell. 'Well at least the baby is safe' she laughed a little.
"Miko? Are you alright?" Sesshoumaru asked, more out of curiosity then out of worry.
"Heh ya, the pup is fine so I will make it." She laughed to herself. She pushed on the ground with her right hand, trying her best to get back up on her feet. Struggling to get back up she soon fell back to the ground, more tears springing from her eyes. 'Dam, my wrist hurts so bad, but I can't let Sesshoumaru see my pain.' Kagome ignored her pain and got up on her feet. Walking purposely past the ice king.
"Miko-…"
"Kagome!"
"Feh, fine Kagome. Your hurt, we should rest." Sesshoumaru pointed out the obvious. "The pup will be getting hungry soon-…"
More tears stung Kagome's eyes, 'feh', that word reminded her so much of Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru had used it just like his brother use to. It hurt so much to compare the two, but each were more alike then they thought.
"I am fine, I can feed the pup as we go, I got some milk replacement from one of the villages I visited after I rescued the pup." Kagome began to set the baby down and prepare the milk quickly. After she was done she picked up the child again with her left, and tried to pick of the bottle that she had accumulated from the same village as she had the milk replacement. Her right wrist throbbed, and she dropped the bottle. Biting down on her lip to keep from crying out. Sesshoumaru walked up and gripped the bottle, popping it into the young pup's mouth.
"Well look at this, Lord Sesshoumaru and a young miko, have a baby."
Kagome twirled around, grabbing a short dagger that she held onto since she lost her friends. "You-…"