Pack Chapter 10:Of MokoMoko & PackContentment, an inuyasha fanfic

Disclaimer: I still do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters…this story, however, I DO own…

Previously: Kagome goes to find Sesshomaru when he doesn't come back only to find him injured, his would be assailant gone. They return to camp to recoup…

Chapter 10: Of Moko-Mokos and Pack Contentment

Kagome groaned as she opened her eyes, realizing that she was laying on her side with her hands curled up to her chest almost protectively. It took her a moment to remember why.

She sat up quickly, her head turning to the being beside her. She got closer, taking in his condition.

Sesshomaru lay still, but his breathing was regular and his expression almost peaceful. She sighed, relaxing once again, tempted to just lay back down and sleep some more. But then she remembered her hands. She would need to change the bandages and from what she could hear, Rin was awake so she could help.

She sat up sluggishly, cradling her hands in her lap as she slowly got up into a standing position, which proved to be a challenge without anything to balance herself with.

"Rin-chan?" she called quietly, not wanting to wake the taiyoukai behind her. "Rin-chan, I need your help again." The little girl beamed a smile in her direction before prancing over to her.

"Of course, Kagome-chan!" She grabbed a hold of Kagome's wrist, careful to avoid her injuries, and gently led her over to her pack. "Sesshomaru-sama is looking very well, isn't he?" the little girl beamed.

"Yes, he is," she agreed. "I told you he would be fine."

As Rin pulled back the old bandages Kagome grimaced. The skin was soft and squishy, like how a cut was after being stuck under a bandaid too long. It would probably peel off if she touched it.

"Can you get some water, Rin-chan? We'll need to clean it up again and apply a salve."

The little girl smiled before going off to get the necessary items. It would be a bit, she would have to heat up the water over the fire.

While she waited, Kagome inspected the wounds, without touching them of course. On each hand there was an angry red and melted imprint from the shaft of the arrow, where she'd gripped it. The skin surrounding it was a melted mess as well, the skin almost forming waves away from the imprint itself. Her top lip lifted away a little in a silent sneer.

"Nasty," she muttered. It's now slimy and squishy texture really was not helping it's appearance.

She hissed a little as she attempted to stretch the fingers on her right hand a little. The skin was still much too tender and taut for her to get any use of her hands. It would take a bit of getting used to.

Sighing, she laid her hands in her lap once again, palms upward.

A deep sigh came from nearby and she turned as much as she could to see. Sesshomaru was stirring.

She hobbled over to him on her knees and leaned over him a little, her left hand hovering in the air over to the left side of his form, as if preparing to brace herself with it but knowing that she could not.

Two very muddled and confused looking golden eyes opened slowly, before recognition appeared. His brows knit together for a moment before he glanced at her hand.

"How are you feeling, Sesshomaru-sama?"

She sat back as he sat up, bracing himself on his elbow with a very slight, hardly noticeable wince.

"Hn. This one has felt worse."

"I'm sure," she murmured. "I imagine losing an entire arm would be worse." She gasped, a hand coming up to cover her mouth, realizing what she'd said a little too late.

He eyed her momentarily, his expression never giving away how he felt about her statement.

"Hn." He lightly grasped her by the wrist, turning her palm so that he could see it. "Possibly comparable to losing the use of one's hands."

Kagome said nothing to this, but watched him as he examined her wounds.

"It would seem, Miko, that you are incapable of going more than two months at a time without injuring yourself in some way or another. This one shall make a note of it."

Once everyone was all re-bandaged and fed they headed out, Kagome placed carefully on the back of Ah Un. Apparently Sesshomaru-s business with the Eastern Lord was finished and so there was no reason to stay in the vicinity. And despite her timid questioning and obvious concern, he would not tell her who it was that had attacked him.

"Stubborn youkai," she muttered.

"Milord is a taiyoukai ningen! Do not forget it!" Jaken grumbled, his nose in the air.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

She paid extra attention to their surroundings as they traveled, wary now of his attacker. Would they attempt it again? She hoped not. There wasn't a lot she could do at the moment to help if they did. She couldn't draw back her bow and she had no other talent with any other weapon. Her only use was drawing a barrier, and even that wouldn't last long if the enemy was strong enough. But then again, why would he need her help? Obviously it was a miko who attacked, but Sesshomaru was more than a match for any enemy, miko and youkai alike. Perhaps he got distracted, or they attacked while his back was turned. Either way, they couldn't be the honorable sort. No one with honor could manage a hit on Sesshomaru and live to tell the tale.

She glanced at his stoic figure as he walked ahead of them, her eyes landing on the empty sleeve of his haori.

Inuyasha was still alive, though, wasn't he? That brought on another thought. Did Inuyasha have honor? She'd never really thought about it before. He attacked ruthlessly when in battle, slicing and hacking away when the enemy was distracted if it was to his advantage. She'd seen it time and time again. Sure, the fight that cost the taiyoukai his arm was in all rights defensive, and really he'd had it coming, but that didn't stop Inuyasha from gloating about it if he got the chance.

Kagome frowned, now beginning to really doubt the hanyou's character. He was nothing like Sesshomaru. He only cared about himself, as he'd proved time and time again. Sure, there were a few sole instances when he would save her but the look in his eyes made her wonder if it had really been her that he'd been seeing. What if, in his mind, he was saving Kikyo? If his guilt over her death wasn't so high already she wouldn't even think about it, but obviously it still ate away at him. As selfish of her as it was, she really just wished that he'd move on. What was done was done. Nothing could change it.

She shook her head, banishing any further thoughts on the subject for a later day. Instead, she tried to enjoy the day and the ride. It was much like it had been the day before, bright with a cool breeze. How relaxing!

She smiled as she tilted her face up to the sky, soaking in the sun's rays, bobbing along with the rhythm of the beast beneath her as it moseyed forward.

She didn't notice when a pair of golden eyes glanced back at her now and again.

"Come, Sesshomaru-sama, let me check your bandages," she ordered calmly, tilting her head to the side. He stopped in setting up kindling for their fire, eyeing her as if she'd grown another head.

"Oh come on, I know you heal fast but this is no ordinary wound, now is it?"

He inaudibly sighed before giving in, standing and walking towards her with his head held high.

"Sit here, please," she gestured to a fallen tree on the ground, it's branches all but withered away from time. He did as she asked, removing his armor himself and calmly pulling aside his haori.

She blushed a little as she watched him, feeling a little foolish. He was practically disrobing and she was just standing there gawking at him! She shook her head a little before setting to work. It wasn't as if she'd never seen a bare-chested man before! Inuyasha got chest wounds all the time! She should be used to this, even if Inuyasha wasn't quite as built as his brother.

She sat down next to him and gently peeled back the bandages, not sure what to expect.

"Well, there's no longer any bleeding, and it looks to be healing well." She replaced the bandage timidly, ignoring how her face grew warm. How foolish she was being!

"Hn. This one expected as much. It has always been so."

"Well, you may be used to it, but I'm not. Even with Inuyasha it can take days to heal from a wound like this."

He said nothing as he re-dressed himself, draping his moko-moko back over his shoulder in the process. Kagome eyed it for a moment, wondering if she dared. Deciding that he more than likely would not kill her for doing so, she reached out and ran a hand down his moko-moko.

He froze in his actions, his eyes widening a fraction and darting over to the hand that rested on his personal being.

"Sesshomaru-sama, what is this exactly?"

He said nothing for a moment as she continued to pet it softly, her eyes never leaving how the indescribably silky fur moved beneath her hand.

"It is my pelt."

"Your pelt?" She glanced at him, and finally realizing that he may or may not prefer her touching it, she quickly pulled away. "What do you mean?"

"It is my pelt, infused with my youkai."

"Meaning?"

"It is a part of me. In a sense I control it, though it does have a tendency to do as my inner youkai pleases," he added almost sourly. "It is mostly instinctual."

"I see," she whispered, feeling as if she invaded his privacy a little. "Sorry." She held the hand that had petted it to her chest in the other hand, embarrassed.

He said nothing as he situated himself, eyeing her almost warily. She certainly was beginning to take liberties with his personal being, wasn't she? Did she honestly no longer fear his wrath?

Kagome darted up from the log, setting about to make dinner.

Somehow, he didn't think she did. Somewhere along the lines he lost any sort of fear from her. He began to wonder when it was. Perhaps at the Shiro, when he cleansed her wounds, or perhaps the medicinal doku was what started it. Either way, he couldn't decide whether or not to be slightly pleased or irritated. His inner youkai seemed to be wavering towards pleased, and that alone irritated him.

"Hn."

That night Sesshomaru had Jaken lay out some fur pelts as bedding. He decided that he would rest that night as well. While he normally only did so while in the safety of the shiro, he was satisfied with the surrounding area and wildlife to know that there would be no danger to his charges while he slept. Despite what it seemed, he was indeed still weary from his wounds.

He stretched out languidly on the furs, relaxing with his arm beneath his head, his eyes closing. He smirked to himself as he sensed Rin come near, her aura hesitant.

"What is it, Rin?" He didn't bother opening his eyes. He knew what she wanted.

"May Rin rest beside Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Hn." He moved over minutely, since the furs were quite large, giving her ample space to lay down on. He listened as she nuzzled into the furs like a pup, sighing in contentment when she was finally situated just right, cuddling into his moko-moko.

He dozed off listening to her steady breaths and the sounds of the surrounding wildlife.

His eyes shot open at a startled sound. He sat up slowly, careful not to disturb Rin, eyes roaming the camp for the source. On the other side of camp, the miko sat in her sleeping bag, hunched a little and watching him. Her eyes were glazed over with tears and her bandaged hands were covering her mouth in an attempt to quiet herself. But he could smell the tears and her distress in an instant, so her attempts to hide it was futile.

"Miko," he called, having noticed before when she was distressed how his deep baritone seemed to have had a calming effect on her.

Seeming to finally realize that he'd acknowledged her, she tried to hide her sobs even more, practically choking on them.

"Miko. Come," he ordered.

She watched him for a moment longer, obviously hesitant, before her need for comfort won over. Slowly, and a little unbalanced, she made her way over to them, bringing her pillow like a little child would bring to their parent's bed.

He reached up and grabbed the pillow, placing it next to him as she kneeled down beside him. Her wide, tearful eyes asked him what she would not. "Are you sure it's okay?"

He shook his head at her silliness. As if this hadn't happened before. Did she forget how many times she'd come to him after a nightmare? Had she been sleepwalking each time? At the shiro they'd all shared a bed almost nightly.

"Sleep, Kagome."

She slumped into the mass of furs, burying her head in her pillow, facing him with her hands still near her face. For some reason or another, seeing him there made her feel so much better. It was a relief to have him near. Was that what pack was? She began to think so, and she was glad for it. She sighed shakily.

"Sleep."

When Kagome awoke the next morning she was a little disoriented. She didn't remember much about the night before, but now she found herself curled up to Sesshomaru's side, not spooning him, goodness no! But still very near him none the less! She lay there for a while, resting and soaking in the feelings of security. She knew she was safe, and she felt warm and comfortable with her little pack. Now if only Shippo were there, she'd feel complete. Or at least for the most part.

She rubbed her cheek against the soft furs, wallowing in contentment. No one was prodding her and nagging at her to wake up and make their breakfast. No one to make her feel insecure and incomplete. She could really get used to this.

A/N: Well, there you have it guys! ^_^ Hope you all liked it!