Training
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha
It had taken some getting use to for Kagome to feel comfortable in her new attire. It wasn't that any of the clothes were uncomfortable, but that the attention that they drew made her so. Most of the villages that they would pass through had many young men that would come from nowhere and begin a conversation with her. After the first week she decided that she had had enough, and stuck close to Lord Sesshoumaru. None of the men would come near the terrifying demon, and she used him as a shield. She began to feel bad that she was using the great inu-youkai as a 'human shield' to avoid the onslaught of men that made there way to her each time they came into a new town. Unknown to her, the western lord did not mind the little miko sticking so close to him. In his mind it was an added benefit to his little gift. Every time she would slink closer to him at the entering of a new village he would smirk ever so slightly, and in his head he would let out with a low chuckle. All in all, the whole affair was rather humorous to the entire group, but must especially Inuyasha. He was not complaining of course because he had Rin stuck to his side, seeing as she was in the same boat as the miko. Both woman were quite beautiful and did not escape any man's attentions for long. Sango was the only female of the group that was unaffected, but due to her slayers abilities, and her betrothal to the monk, she was in no danger of being advanced on. Most men found her too threatening to approach, and the constant presence of her suitor helped.
One afternoon as they approach another small town Kagome sighed heavily and looked down at her kimono. Sesshoumaru cocked his eyebrow in question at the miko's hesitation. She slowed her pace slightly to prolong their arrival.
"I think I would like to stay behind today." She suddenly blurted out to the group.
"Out of the question." Inuyasha said.
"Why? Why do I have to go? Miroku has the money and Sango to help. Shippou can go too. I don't want to go." She was almost whining.
"You wimp." Inuyasha snorted.
"I'm just tired of being propositioned." She scowled at him.
"What? You've been hiding behind my snotty brother for weeks. Is that not good enough anymore?" He was teasing her now, and her anger began to rise.
"What if I don't want the looks either?" She snapped at him, and she began to draw in a deep breath for the words.
Inuyasha began to panic at the thought of her uttering those words he feared more then anything. He was starting to hide himself behind Rin before he stopped her with a wave of his hands, and his white ears flattening hard against his head.
"O'kay. O'kay, you can stay behind." He conceded.
Kagome smiled and clapped in excitement. The rest of the group began to move away from her and toward the little village. She watched carefully as each one of them took that first step away from her. All except one. Sesshoumaru stayed still in his place at her left.
"Oi, Sesshoumaru are you coming?" Inuyasha yelled back at his brother.
"I will stay with the miko for protection." He stated firmly.
"Whatever." His half brother retorted.
Kagome looked up at the western lord with a slight smile. The stoic lord kept his gaze forward, and did not seem affected by her gesture. With a contented hum she jogged over to the nearby tree and sat herself beneath it's large canopy of leaves. Sesshoumaru watched her carefully as she did this, but did not make a move. Before long she looked over at the youkai lord, and with a smile she patted the piece of grass next to her. The inu-youkai stood unmoved for a moment before walking over to the tree and taking a seat next to the delicate woman. Kagome leaned back against the tree and looked up into the spreading leaves. She smiled and sighed happily then closed her eyes. The western lord continued his watchful examination of her as she did all this. Suddenly her head popped forward and she gasped, causing her companion to look her in the eye.
"Would you like to have some tea?" She asked excitedly.
"Hn."
"Tea." She smiled. "Would you like me to make some tea?"
"That will do fine." He said, and Kagome started pulling all necessary items out of her bag.
"I still have some of your favorite. I've been saving it." She pulled out the small bag that smelled of her special blend. "There was so little left that I was waiting for a time that it was just the two of us."
Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side in confusion. This woman was so strange to him. She was so thoughtful of others at all times, and rarely gave herself the same consideration. As strange as she was this was very endearing to the stoic lord.
"That is very thoughtful." He said suddenly, causing the priestess to jump slightly.
"I wish I had more, but it has been so long since I have been able to go home. Since I know how much you prefer this blend, I thought you would enjoy it if you got to have the last of it." She didn't look at his face, but she was blushing so hard that she almost glowed.
The pair remained quiet for the rest of the time it took to prepare the tea. The youkai lord watched her every move, and took note of many small details that he filed away in his memory. The priestess carefully prepared the drink and presented the cup to her companion with a tentative smile. She had always been nervous around the western lord, but never as much as now. This was the first time they had truly spent time alone together. She was so unsure of herself at that moment.
"Do you know how to use any weapon other then your bow?" He asked after his cup was finished.
"Oh no. I've gotten pretty good with my saigu-yumi that I hadn't thought about using another weapon." She said thoughtfully.
"I believe it wise to be prepared. Your weapon is strictly ranged, if an enemy got close to you; you would be at a clear disadvantage."
"That's true, but my friends have always been there for me." She said in a meager defense of her skills.
"How many times have you been taken from your friends, and not able to defend yourself?" Kagome scowled at this remark, but had to concede his point.
"So, what do you recommend?" Her eyes bright and intent on the western lord.
"At the very least you should learn to use a sword." He sipped at his new cup of tea and kept his eyes firmly set on the miko.
"A sword, hmmm. Would you teach me?" She asked with a mischievous smile.
"No." He snipped out. "I believe your slayer friend would be better suited to the task."
"Oh, Sango. That's right. She would be perfect." Kagome's finger instinctively went to her lip as she considered the possibilities. "I will consider your recommendation." She said diplomatically to the youkai lord.
Sesshoumaru raised one slender eyebrow at her strange formality, but then shrugged her response away before handing her the empty cup again. Kagome took the cup with a wide smile and poured the last cup for her inu comrade. As the pair had finished their shared libation and the priestess was stowing the provisions away, the returning group crested the hill. Kagome stood and waved joyfully at her friends. Shippou came bounding up and jumped into her embrace as usual and asked how she was. With a reassurance to the little kitsune the allies continued their quest.
That night the miko and the slayer discussed what Sesshoumaru had suggested that afternoon. Sango was taken aback by the odd request, but when she was presented with the lords argument she was in agreement. Inuyasha snorted out a laugh when he heard what was going to take place. The hanyou's belittling response only encouraged the woman more, and she was now more determined to learn and succeed.
The next night Kagome changed to her new slayers uniform, and met Sango in the open field nearby where they had set up camp. Shippou came along with the girls as did Kirara. The two small youkai sat at the edge of the field watching and twitching their tales as the girls trained. Sango started with the basic techniques of holding and wielding a sword. Kagome learned quickly, and was becoming quite skilled. The girls repeated the same route for several nights, however, by the fourth night they had more of an audience. Rin was the first to join, followed by Miroku, and then by Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru was the last one to join the spectators, at least the last one to make a physical appearance. He had been intent on her training from the beginning, and followed every step of her education.
The men had really been enjoying the training sessions, since they got to watch two beautiful woman fight. The monk and the hanyou were more then pleased with their newest form of entertainment. The silent lord was the only one that did not seem to enjoy it, but everyone ignored his unaffected demeanor.
After several months of the same practice and training Kagome had become very handy with her new weapon. She had spent time working with both a traditional katana and a wakizashi, and found that she prefer the short sword. Having decided to focus on the wakizashi; Sango accommodated her lessons to increase the miko's skill with the shorter blade. Everyone was impressed with the priestess' competency with the weapon in such a short time.
One evening as the woman were finishing their lesson the group stood to return to the main camp when the western lord stepped forward. The entire group stopped to look at him when he suddenly disappeared from sight. Without warning Kagome jumped sideways, and Sesshoumaru was slicing his blade through the air that the miko had just occupied. The remaining men gasped at the youkai lords sudden attack, but Kagome did not seem effected by this abrupt assault. Rin placed a soothing hand on Inuyasha's shoulder to let him know that there was nothing to fear, then turned and headed for camp. Inuyasha soon followed suit, followed by the rest, leaving the two to spar.
The youkai and miko jumped and dodged one another for more then twenty minutes. Kagome did not back down from the large and terrifying demon that continued to advance on her. At one point the nimble human managed to leap into a low branch of a tree and used the height to drop down on her pursuer. The suddenly falling miko caught the youkai off guard and he instinctively made to catch her in mid air, but quickly dodged when he realized that she was aiming for his throat. With his hand gently on her side he turned them, twisting her beneath him, and landing softly in the grass on her back. He leaned over her with his sword a breath from her throat. Kagome was breathing heavily and stared at him for a long moment before she would concede the battle. Until she surrendered he stood so close to her that his hair pooled around her face. She was mesmerized by his beauty, and couldn't think past it for a long time. When she finally realized that he was waiting for her to capitulate; she swallowed hard and released her blade. He continued to lean over her for the briefest moment before standing and offering his hand.
"You have made great progress miko." He said when she was on her feet again.
"Do you really think so?" She asked excitedly.
"You learn quickly." He added when he turned to walk away.
Kagome reached for her wakizashi then trotted to catch up with him. She took up a place on his left side, and walked quietly. With a steady hand she sheathed her weapon and looked at it happily.
"You show good strategy too." He said softly.
"No. I was just winging it." She chuckled to herself.
"Well, you 'wing' it well, miko." He turned his gaze on her, making the priestess blush. "The slayers uniform suits you, priestess."
"Yeah. I have to admit that the kimono's and the slayers uniform are a lot better then the miko's uniform. That thing is terribly uncomfortable." She giggled slightly.
The edge of Sesshoumaru's mouth curled into a smirk and Kagome gasped at this show of emotion. He found her comment humorous. She kept that brief smile in her mind for the rest of the night.
"I imagine you would want a bath." He stated rather then asked.
"Yes. That would feel great. I've been so sore from all this training." Kagome said while she rubbed at her shoulder, and swung her arm in a circular motion.
She wasn't looking directly at him, but she saw it. He smirked at her again. Why does he find her remarks so amusing? Either way she figured it wasn't a bad thing. At least he was comfortable enough to show some reaction in front of her. Be happy for what it is, she told herself.
"I can escort you to the spring if you wish." He said without looking at her.
"That would be great. Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru." She smiled and bowed to her companion.
As he agreed Lord Sesshoumaru walked Kagome to the hot spring after returning to camp to retrieve her bathing supplies. Once at the hot spring Kagome was left alone to bath. She spent some time thinking about her training. Going over techniques in her head and practicing her swing. Then her mind began to wander to the western lord. How he had suddenly sparred with her, and the way he looked when he had defeated her.
'Did he really linger over me like I thought?' She wondered to herself.
'No. I think I'm just imagining it. It was so fast I can't say for sure. He did smile at me though, or at least at my silly remarks.' She sunk into the water until the water came just under her eyes, and her expression fell.
'Why should I care? He is not anyone...he is a demon. That's all there is to it.' She insisted to herself.
Just then a rustling came from the nearby bushes and she turned her attentions to the edge of the spring. The silver hair and white clothing of the western lord began to materialize and she jerked back. Then she realized that he had his back to her purposefully.
"You should return now miko." He said without any part of him moving.
"O'kay. I'm sorry if I took too long." She whisper out sadly.
"Are you unwell miko?" He asked.
"No. I'm fine. Just a little more tired then I thought." She lied. Something was bothering her, but she didn't know what it was.
"Come." He stated firmly.
Kagome trudged out of the water and dried herself without much thought to the male that was only an arms length from her. At the same time that was all she could think of, but why? When she was finished she stood directly behind the silver haired man without saying anything to him. Knowing she was ready he turned to face her, and inspected her with a quick sweep of his eyes. He stepped aside and the woman started to walk. The couple returned to camp short of any more conversation.
