She must have fainted from the sudden jolt and the rush of wind against her body when Sesshomaru whisked her away. She awoke wrapped in his mokumoku, curled up in a ball tight against his chest. He sat cross-legged on the cloud as they soared through the sky. He had one hand on her head, covering her wound from the whipping wind and one hand on her knees. He held her tight against his body.
Kagome looked up at him and noticed he was lost in thought. Not so lost that he didn't move his hand when she moved. He was very mindful of her wound but she noticed that it didn't sting as bad anymore.
"My Lord?"
After a few moments, he slowed their pace and looked down at her. His sharp, golden eyes reflected her pale face.
"Where are we going?" He looked back up at the sky, gazing at the clouds and the zoomed overhead. He didn't respond to her for almost an hour. She had her head nuzzled into his chest, just about to doze off.
"Kagome. Come with me."
She felt her heart skip a beat. Where would she go… where would they go?
"Let me take you to the West, where I rule over all I see. I want to learn you."
She shot up, bumping her head into his chin. His hand tightened over her knees and she flinched.
"I'm so sorry…"
He took her by the waist and sat her upright in his lap, propping his chin on her head. His arms snaked around her waist, securing her against him. Kagome looked out into the sky, the wind whipping across her face. She pulled his mokumoku up around her arms.
"I feel an urge to protect you, but not like how I protect Rin. This feeling… it's not fatherly… like I've come to know." His voice trailed off. It was obvious he was uncomfortable telling her his feelings. She knew he probably didn't know how. "You've been used and taken advantage of by my brother. I noticed it then… when your feelings for him started to blossom."
They descended into the trees and landed in a clearing. She let her down gently, his hands resting on her hips before she took a few shaky steps away from him.
"Your aura gives off a lot of pain, a lot of heartbreak. It's a feeling I've never felt before but when your aura melds with mine I feel them like you do." She looked out and saw a steamy hot spring, nestled against the rocks. The water rippled as steam bubbled up from below the surface.
"And it hurts."
She whipped around to meet his gaze. His hand was bundled in his hankimono, just above his armor. Kagome focused her eyes on him, she struggled to see his aura. It was purple, a deep purple but it was surrounded by her own pink one. She could feel him struggle against her spiritual powers, trying to keep her from seeping into him. She wasn't doing it on purpose though, her powers just reacted so smoothly with his.
He sighed and turned around, his back to her.
"I brought you here to bathe. To get the smell of…himoff of your body, as well as the smell of your world." It took her a few seconds to realize what he wanted of her and she blushed.
"I don't have any clothes…"
"I will buy you new ones, just bathe for now."
She stomped her foot. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
He turned his head and looked at her. "Bathe."
Kagome let out a huff and stuck out her tongue while he sat on the forest floor. She watched him but he never stirred. She supposed his… upbringing and the raising of Rin would have turned him into some sort of gentleman. She pulled her shirt off and removed her shoes and sweatpants and put them in a nice pile by the water. She turned around to make sure he wasn't looking but he hadn't moved at all. Kagome smiled to herself and walked into the water.
She had never dreamed of being naked near Inuyasha like this but she wasn't bothered by the yokai lord's presence. The water was warm against her body, making goosebumps ripple across her bare skin. Everything was moving so fast for her that the last day had become more than a blur in her memory. The love of her life had betrayed her yet again and now his brother, a demon she feared the majority of their acquaintance wanted to take her away. She dove down into the water, her wound stinging in the hot water. So much was going on in her life that she didn't know what to do. What even was Sesshomaru doing? Taking her away, bringing her here. Was he actually serious about taking her to his homeland?
She surfaced to catch her breath. She couldn't possibly be of any interest to him. She was a human miko that had belonged to his brother. Belonged? No, she didn't belong to anyone. She turned in the water to look over at the demon lord. He still had his back to her but his hair was pulled over his shoulder. He looked absolutely bored.
"My Lord?"
He turned his head to look at her.
"Would you like to join me?" She sounded stupid. There was no way he would share a bathing pool with a human miko. That had to be far beneath him. She looked at him, waiting for a reply but he just looked at her. After a minute or two, he stood and started to remove his armor. A yip escaped her and she slinked down into the water. She watched as he laid his swords and pauldron in a pile next to her clothes. He slowly untied his obi, pulling the extremely long fabric from around his body and folded it what seemed like a hundred times and laid it on his armor. He laid his black do and kasazuri down and looked up at her.
"Come here."
He pulled his hankimono off and held it out to her with closed eyes. "If I bathe with you, you need to cover yourself properly." She rose up out of the water and grabbed the garment. It was so large, even for a hankimono that it reached far below her knees. It was warm and smelled like him. Once it was around her she felt his aura completely engulf her. She blushed as he removed his hanjuban, exposing his toned chest and torso. She let her gaze cross his form as he bent over and removed his boots. She admired his magenta markings that crisscrossed his body. They started at his hips and disappeared below his hakama and twirled up his arms at his wrist and elbow.
Sesshomaru flicked his hair over his chest and looked at her. She smiled at him but averted her gaze. He caught himself staring at her body wrapped in his clothes. There was a feeling in his stomach at the sight of her. Was this marking her? Covering her in his scent? He had done it with Rin but it was maternal, this was… different.
He watched as she walked back into the water, the long fabric trailing behind her. She stopped and waited for him to join her. They stood in the water together, enjoying each other's company. He watched her as she twirled around in the water, dragging the sleeves of his hankimono across the surface of the water. All of this was completely against his nature. He didn't help or care for humans, except for his daughter. He wanted to fight the feeling inside his chest and stomach but he also wanted to take her all in.
"My Lord? Do you like the hot springs?"
She turned to him and he eyed her. The hankimono had come loose from the knot she made in the side, leaving her torso exposed to him. She was petite and pale against the dark green water. Just seeing her bare hip and stomach, up to the middle of her breast and next stirred something within him. She followed his gaze to her own body and quickly covered herself.
"I'm sorry… forgive me."
She was so shy it amused him. Human women were so different from the females of the demon world. They were so shy and easily intimidated in situations like this one. He finally answered her. "I do enjoy the springs Kagome, they calm me."
Inuyasha stood in the forest, the wind whipped his hair around and rustled the trees. Sesshomaru had taken her away to an unknown place and he was alone. Again. After the wind died down and the trees settled he let out a long breath he didn't notice he was holding. What was he going to do? After finally coming to the resolve that Kagome was never coming back he was finding happiness with Kikyo. Now his heart was aching and conflicted. He wanted them both in his life but that wasn't an option and neither one of them would go for it.
Was it too late to apologize to Kagome, take her back and discard Kikyo? Would Kikyo just let that happen? Would his brother keep his distance from them? All of that was out of the question.
"He's always taking what's mine. Every time I have something of my own, he comes to take it away." Inuyasha mumbled to himself as he walked back to the village. He took his time, hoping the walk back would be enough to calm himself before he went to Kikyo. The sun was high in the sky when he made it back to the shrine house above the village. Kikyo was waiting for him with a smile on her face.
She was standing on the porch of their home. She had discarded her priestess garb for freer flowing kimonos and her hair was undone and cut short below her shoulders. She didn't need to be the head priestess, that was Kaede's job and was soon to be Rin's job as she trained under the old woman. Kikyo also wore makeup, her lips were painted from stain she kept in a seashell, just like the one his mother had. She was still so beautiful but she was again now, faster than she should have been. He could see the small lines on her face when she smiled and laughed in the two short years they spent together. He frowned at the thought of her growing old and leaving him behind.
She welcomed him with open arms and he pulled her into his embrace, holding her off the ground. He inhaled her, she no longer smelled like grave dirt and bones, but like a woman. They kissed each other and she whispered to him. "This is always nice. Being in your arms."
He nuzzled her chest. "Yeah, this is nice…"
Sango looked up to see them in a long embrace. That should have been Kagome up there, they should have been living together doing all the things those two do. Miroku had urged her to stay out of it, that they would only interfere if Kagome or the village would come to be in trouble. It was too hard for her, Kagome was her best friend after all. And now, she had no idea where she was or who she was with. She left with Inuyasha in the early morning but he returned alone. Did she go home… did he hurt her? She had to know.
She spoke quietly as she walked through her home she shared with Miroku and their three children. "Miroku, I need to go see if she left. I'm worried." She reached for her demon slayer gear when he spoke up.
"Sango, if she did not come back with Inuyasha then she must have gone home. I hate to say it, but there is nothing for her here."
Hearing that broke her heart in two. Her husband stood up and took her gear from her shaking hands. She and Kagome had promised to raise their children together and take care of the village.
"What if she didn't go back? What if she's out there alone? Inuyasha could have hurt her or she could have run off. The forest is different from three years ago, she could be lost."
Miroku smiled softly, handing her back her gear. "Go and check the well and the base of the mountain. If she's not there then she went home. Take Kirara okay?" She was glad he understood her need for answers. She was hard headed and probably would have gone anyway. Sango kissed her husband and quickly changed into her gear. She and her demon companion took off into the sky.
"Kirara! Let me know if you smell her!" The big cat nodded as the approached the dense forest surrounding the well. Sango felt Sesshomaru's demonic aura high above the clouds, it was lingering but she could tell he was long gone from the area. She ordered Kirara to land in a clearing where he aura was the heaviest. She surveyed the area, he was here and so was Kagome according to her companion. She was about to climb back onto the cat's back when something spotted her eye. It was a red tassel from his armor. She let Kirara smell it and the cat pinpointed his direction. Maybe if she found him, she would find Kagome.
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