The first thing Kioko had seen when she opened her eyes, two days later, was fabric. Beautiful and vibrant in shades of red. The air filled with the smell of someone familiar as she noted sunlight filling the room brightly. She wondered where she was and as it hit her she was somewhere she did not know, someone had spoken.
" You are in my chambers. " The attractive voice said calmly. Her eyes widened, and she sat up urgently, so quickly in fact that she had gotten dizzy and had to lay back down before looking to her left. There stood Sesshoumaru looking back at her emotionlessly by a huge and bright window. Wait had she heard him correctly?
" Did you say your chambers? " Kioko asked confused. Her mind couldn't process. If this was his bedroom, then where were they? That's when the recollection of what happened before she fell asleep came into her mind, and her eyes had widened while she looked at him. Her expression was more than amusing to him as her face began to turn the deepest of reds he'd ever seen appear on her face yet. She quickly flew the covers over her head to hide her face before burying it in her hands. ' Oh my god, what the hell was I thinking!? I was supposed to detach, damn it! ' Kioko thought frantically. The memory of his soft yet fiery gaze when he looked at her beneath the Sacred Tree passed her view. ' Still, he was so intimate. I wonder if something had happened. ' She couldn't hear any sounds in the room and eventually got curious about what he was doing, so she moved the sheet down her face to uncover her eyes, only for them to widen and her face to revive the blush she had before. Sesshoumaru was leaning over her with a hand on either side of her head. His eyes were looking into hers with that intensity that left her paralyzed in place. He lifted his right hand to place it on her forehead beneath her bangs. She blinked her surprised confusion of his actions as his eyes slightly returned to their emotionless demeanor.
" Your fever has broken. " He said, concluding his observation as her eyes winced wider for a moment. Fever? He was checking her temperature? Then it clicked. She had been sick for a full week and had been fighting off the miasma that was left in her body. She looked at him with a soft and gentle expression with eyes filled with curiosity.
" Sesshoumaru, did you take care of me? " He simply looked down at her after removing his hand from her forehead then stood up straight beside the bed, on the side she was laying on.
" I had you tended to. " His voice said emotionlessly as usual. She smiled at him warmly. So he had made sure she was taken care of, he could really be so dependable. Kioko looked at him with a happy expression on her face which stunned him in place as her eyes stared into his own.
" Thank you. " His eyes widened for an instant before returning to their cool facade, and turning his back to her, hiding his face. Her voice filled with warmth and sincerity had caught him off guard in her word of appreciation. He walked back over to the window so he could continue watching Rin play in the garden with Jaken. He hesitated before responding to her with a slightly kinder tone of voice.
" You are welcome. " Kioko thought she'd never get the blush off her face at this rate. She struggled to sit up, not paying any attention to Sesshoumaru watching her from over his right shoulder once he heard her movement. That's when Kioko noticed that she was in a plain white kimono robe. Her blush deepened with a vengeance and an embarrassed expression on her face. The amusement Sesshoumaru felt reflected in his eyes as he watched her hold the blanket to her chest in a sense to cover herself up in his presence.
" I'm assuming it was a woman who changed my clothes? " She questioned with a timid voice.
" Of course. " Kioko looked him in the eye with a shy expression causing him to stare at her for another moment before turning back to look out the window. Trying his best to contain his desire to walk over to her and kiss her, again. He could still feel the kiss he placed on her two days ago. The feeling ghosting on his lips at the thought of it. Kioko looked around the room again now that she was sitting up and saw the room was certainly more luxurious than she originally thought.
" Sesshoumaru, you said this is your room, right? If that's the case where are we? " Kioko asked as she looked back at him.
" The Western Castle. " Sesshoumaru answered. Kioko was suddenly surprised. She had heard of this place. The former taiyoukai of the Western Lands, Inutaisho, who was also known to be both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father, reigned here. When he passed on Sesshoumaru must have inherited his father's role and his lands. Which meant this had to of been Sesshoumaru's home. Kioko looked around the room observing the beautiful design of it as she remembered that she had heard that humans weren't allowed anywhere near the castle, let alone in it. While looking at him, Kioko noted how big his back seemed to be. She couldn't help but wonder how kind he truly was, to do all the things he had done for Rin and herself under the mask of being cold. Certainly, he had done terrible things too but how could she hold that against him, when he's gone so far as to bring her back to his home. She recalled him telling her that he had missed her while he held her beneath the Sacred Tree. His touch was so secure, yet he was holding her so gently.
Her expression turned to one filled with confliction. This demon man's actions at the Sacred Tree and his having her taken care of in his own home, made her unable to help but love him more. She gently pulled the blanket off of her and moved to stand up with the intention of walking over to him and hugging him. To thank him and be close to him as she remembered she was before she fell asleep. However, when she went to get her legs over the bed, she couldn't, causing her to have an uncoordinated moment and fall to the floor. Sesshoumaru turned to look at her before calmly walking over to her and crouching beside her to see if she was alright while she sat herself up, feeling the pain in her head. She looked down at her legs to see her right leg visible from the opening in the robe all the way up to her thigh. She could see her feet blistered, bruised, and swollen along with her ankles. Her leg seemed slightly swollen as well with slight discoloration as if her entire leg was bruised. Yet she couldn't feel them at all, which made her begin to panic.
" My legs, they are hard to move. " She wanted to stand but couldn't, resulting in only scaring her further. " S-Sesshoumaru, I can't move my legs! " Sesshoumaru could hear the slight worry and fear in Kioko's voice causing him to react. His right hand went to the back of her head, lacing her hair between his fingers and his left hand going beneath her knees preparing to pick her up. Her left hand grabbed at the clothing over his chest in response to his actions.
" I would suspect not, you've pushed them too far. " He said with a slightly scolding undertone. He took his hand from her head and wrapped it around her shoulders before picking her up to hold her to him in a form of not only getting her off the floor but also in comfort. Kioko pressed closer to him blushing deeply when she realized it was the first time she had ever felt his chest. All the times he's held her before, he had metal armor on so she couldn't actually feel his body directly against hers. Now he stood with her in his arms, and she could feel his body heat, his breathing, and even his heart beat beneath her right hand that laid on his chest, her left hand now on his right shoulder. His scent made her instantly feel calm, and safe as she closed her eyes and gripped at his shirt, not realizing the feel of her nails against his skin had caused him to take a calming breath. He was so warm, and his chest must have been pretty chiseled to feel as strong as it did.
Sesshoumaru chose to head towards a door. Once standing before it Kioko timidly wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up so that he could open the door with his right hand. However, instead of going to open the door, Sesshoumaru looked down at Kioko's face. The color had returned to her skin, and the bags under her eyes were now long gone. Her eyes looked back into his, shimmering with emotion as her face was red, obviously shy about their closeness. Sesshoumaru found himself feeling relief. Ever since he brought Kioko here, he'd been worried on account that she hadn't woken up once. The healer he had tasked to tend to Kioko insured him she was simply exhausted and repairing her body as best she could while regaining her strength. However, her legs were severely damaged from her over extenuating them. The healer was shocked to see none of the bones broken from the strain but never the less, Kioko won't be able to walk, for what she was absolute in believing, temporarily. Not permanently. The miasma, was something Kioko had to heal on her own, the healer being unequipped to deal with it, but the cold that Kioko had was now gone. She had him so worried that he hadn't once left her side the entire time she had been there. Not to mention the sight of seeing her in his bed was beginning to drive him insane, but she was awake now. She was fine, and he couldn't help but feel the tightness in his chest turn to a light warmth.
Looking into her eyes had weakened his will to keep his walls up. His arm around her shoulders brought her closer into an embrace as his forehead laid on her right shoulder with his eyes closed, as her head pressed against his right shoulder. Her gasp from the surprise of his action hadn't gone unnoticed by him. Her face as red as it could be as she registered what he was doing. A warm smile appeared on her face, and her arms that wrapped around his neck tightened, hugging him in return. He lifted his head to over her shoulder to bring her against him, as his eyes opened, looking at her lovely black hair with softened eyes. Kioko realized then that she wasn't giving Sesshoumaru nearly enough credit. He seemed to genuinely care about her well being, and as a result, she must have scared him half to death because she had pushed herself too far, to such a critical condition. Perhaps she could hope, hope that he did feel for her.
" I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to worry you. I'm okay now, and you're right. I'm not feeling any pain at all. I'm very thankful that you wished to bring me here and had me taken care of. Thank you, Sesshoumaru. " Kioko said with a warm and sincere tone of voice. Sesshoumaru, hearing such a genuine thank you for his intentions, seemed to ease him. Twice she'd thanked him, and it seemed to have the same reaction. Usually, he'd been thanked for killing someone that was in his way and the person thanking him, took it as him saving them or when testing Tenseiga like on Rin. Bringing her back to life as merely a test to see if he could rather than just the desire to do so. This time he wanted Kioko with him, and he wanted her taken care of for the sake of her well being, not an agenda on his part. It was rather endearing, to for once, be thanked for his true intentions. He pulled away enough to still hold her, but no longer embracing, and she had loosened her grip as well. However, her arms remained around his neck to hold herself up while he used his right hand to slide open the door. Once out of the room he closed the door shut again and put his arm back around Kioko's shoulders to hold her up. She decided to keep her arms around his neck, if for anything the sake of being that much closer to him. As he began walking down a long empty hallway. Kioko looked around at the beautiful structure and paid attention to where he was going as to learn the layout for herself. " Where are we going, if I may ask? "
" To Rin. She's been impatient to see you. " Kioko smiled warmly at the thought of the young girl she had grown undeniably attached to.
" I see. I can't wait to see her, thank you for taking me to her. " Sesshoumaru never responded as he made his way towards the garden he had made for Rin. It was maintained by the many servants that he had around the castle. After finally arriving at the garden's entrance, Sesshoumaru walked out into the sun filled garden. Rin was sitting in the flowers, fiddling with them and Jaken sitting next to her with a look of concern. Kioko smiled warmly at the two of them; she had greatly missed them. Kioko gently called out as Sesshoumaru continued his way towards the two companions " Rin. Jaken. " They both looked towards Kioko's voice so quickly that she wondered if they hurt their necks. Rin's expression turned so bright it was like a full three-sixty from her earlier face, and Jaken looked at her as if praising, well Sesshoumaru.
" Kioko, you're finally awake! I've missed you so much! " Rin expressed loudly as she darted over to meet up with Sesshoumaru who continued to walk forward heading towards a lovely looking tree. He wanted to lay Kioko down somewhere in the shade so she could continue to rest properly and instantly knew that the tree was the best option. Once Rin reached Sesshoumaru's right she walked alongside him to stay near Kioko as best she could. Kioko smiled gently as she took her arms from around Sesshoumaru's neck. Putting the left hand in her lap, she reached her right down to touch Rin's head in comfort but was barely able to reach, so Rin gave Kioko her left hand instead while smiling happily at the young woman in her Lord's arms.
" I am so happy to see you, Rin. " Kioko said kindly before looking over at Jaken who began walking towards the tree to meet the others there and smiled happily. " You as well Jaken, looking green as ever I see. "
" Now see here human, you shouldn't be so disrespectful to me when you're the guest here. You- you..." Kioko could see him starting to pout and look so relieved that he couldn't even keep up his bickering. Kioko giggled as Sesshoumaru stopped at the tree at last. He was hesitant to finally set Kioko down, not wanting to let her go but knew if he didn't Rin might begin to get fussy. So gently he laid Kioko on the grass, leaning her back against the tree. Rin immediately threw herself onto Kioko as Kioko then put her right arm around Rin's shoulders and then looked at Jaken only to giggle and put her left hand on his head in comfort which he didn't refuse.
" Please forgive me. I am so very sorry to have worried you both. I'll be alright now. " Rin pulled away looking at Kioko with panicked concern and Kioko looked over at the girl with a gentle smile as she took her hand back from Jaken.
" But Kioko, the healer lady said that your legs are disabled. " Rin said with her voice filled with concern.
" Yeah, seems she's right. I can't move them. " Kioko said as she began to play with Rin's hair.
" She said that you wouldn't be able to walk for quite a while. Don't they hurt? "
" Not a bit. I was given really good painkillers, so I'm not feeling any pain at all. " Kioko looked up at Sesshoumaru with a warm smile. He stood there to her right, looking down at her with those extravagant golden eyes staring back at her and long flawless silver hair blowing in the breeze behind him. The sky and the canopy of the tree setting such a perfect scenery behind him, unbelievably enhancing his looks. " Thank you for placing me here. This is a beautiful garden. " Kioko looked up at the canopy of the tree, watching its leaves sway with the wind. " Such a lovely tree, too. "
" You are such a strange human. " Jaken said to her with a look of confusion. Kioko looked at him smiling in amusement.
" Is that right? Maybe. I'm okay with that. Especially since it's obvious, you worried about me. " Kioko said teasingly causing the little imp demon to gawk at her.
" I'd never waste such a thing as worry on the likes of you! " His squawk of denial made Kioko laugh at him. Sesshoumaru looked at Kioko's face, relishing at the sound of her laughter. Fully aware that she didn't feel this way once during her week of endless travel. It was refreshing for him to see.
" So how did you hurt your legs, Kioko? " Rin asked curiously. The girl's voice had the young woman focus on her with a look of nervousness.
" Well... " Kioko said hesitantly before looking up at Sesshoumaru with a smile and eyes that screamed help me explain written all over her face.
" She had walked for seven days with no rest. " Sesshoumaru said emotionlessly. Rin looked at Sesshoumaru amazed then back at Kioko, who looked surprised that Sesshoumaru knew that specific detail. She didn't think a healer could know such information on how many days unless Kioko were to tell her.
" Really?! Wow, Kioko you're so tough to have handled walking for that long. " Rin said with eyes filled with admiration.
" Well, I wouldn't call it tough if after so much walking I can't walk at all for a while. " Kioko said softly before Rin giggled in agreement. " Rin why don't you, and Jaken you too, go gather some flowers and some games that we can play together while under this tree. " Rin got so starry-eyed excited at the request that she grabbed Jaken's wrist and immediately went running into the area of flowers. Leaving Kioko alone with Sesshoumaru. " Such a good girl. " Kioko said with a warm smile with eyes that glittered with joy. The sight didn't go unnoticed by Sesshoumaru.
" You are fond of Rin. " Sesshoumaru stated as Kioko didn't look away from the small girl who was frantically trying to get as many flowers as possible to bring back with her to Kioko. While doing so, she pressured Jaken to do the same thing, but in his attempt to gather flowers as well he seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot with a bee that had occupied one of the flowers he picked. Kioko was now watching in amusement as Rin watched curiously, while holding her bundle of flowers, at Jaken who was frantically running from his new little foe who seemed to have invited friends to join it in chasing after the little green imp demon.
" Of course. During our travels together I did turn to taking care of her and spending time with her. I adore her as if she were my own child. It's something I never thought I'd honestly have. " Kioko confessed with a faraway gaze. A question then popped into Kioko's head, and she wondered if Sesshoumaru would even answer her if she asked it. He wasn't exactly known for responding to her inquiries. " Sesshoumaru, do you want a family of your own? " The wind blew at that moment, and there was then nothing but silence between them as they watched Rin running over to a bee sting covered Jaken who laid in the grass out of breath. Sesshoumaru wasn't expecting her to ask him anything of the sort. He never really thought about it, but now he couldn't help but wonder himself.
Did he? Even if he did, it wouldn't be that easy. He already knew that Kioko would be the one he'd want to mate with. The question was would it ever come to that between them? Could he handle that sort of responsibility? Many demons would be against her being his mate just as many were against his father being with Inuyasha's mother. He never cared what others had thought, but it could be a dangerous result for Kioko. When he took in Rin, it was ill thought of, but it didn't take long for others to assume he was keeping the little human as a pet. A pass time. Something neither Rin nor Kioko were. He wanted Kioko, and if a family with her was an option, he could easily see it being something he longed for. Even if they turned out to be half-demons. Kioko assumed her question really would go unanswered until three minutes later when he finally responded to her.
" I suppose I desire such a thing. " Kioko looked up at him with a slightly surprised expression. She hadn't expected him to indulge her with an answer. She was even caught off guard that he said that it was indeed something that he wanted. Her chest filled with warmth causing her to blush and smile warmly at him. He looked back at her with curious eyes at her reaction.
" I think you would make a wonderful father, Lord Sesshoumaru. " Kioko said kindly. He looked away from her, her words causing his heart to react with pounding beats inside his chest. He walked over to lay against the tree to her right, only his back and hair visible to her. Kioko giggled at him before looking back at Rin and Jaken running towards them, with arms filled with flowers and objects to play with. Sesshoumaru, hearing her then giggle again at the two smaller companions, felt like wanting to tease her. Surprising himself, that she brought out a playful side to him that he hadn't even known he had.
" Be sure to notify me if you're offering to grant my wish. " Kioko snapped back to look at him quickly with a beet red face, eyes wide and mouth agape in shock. Speaking in an embarrassed and timid voice.
" W-w-what?! S-Sesshoumaru what are you saying?! " Kioko outbursted with her shock. Images began filling Kioko's head of what their children would look like and then the thoughts of how they'd come about having those children. Kioko immediately became further embarrassed and felt the need to bury her face in her hands. Suddenly Rin and Jaken ran up to Kioko with confusion written on their faces.
" Human has your fever returned? " Jaken asked in a curious tone of voice. Kioko looked back at the two smaller beings in her company and stuttered in an embarrassed tone in response.
" N-no, I'm sorry it just got really h-hot all of a sudden. " Sesshoumaru smirked, which went unknown to the other three, while Jaken and Rin continued to stare at the poor embarrassed young woman.
" Don't worry Kioko it'll cool off soon. " Rin said as if rooting Kioko on.
' God, I sure hope so. ' Kioko thought in desperation. Her mind continued to buzz at the comment Sesshoumaru left her with. Little Kiokos and Sesshoumarus running around with white hair and dog ears on their heads while bouncing from one corner of her mind to the other. The three began to play with what was brought back, and the fourth watched over them. In the back of her mind, the sudden thought of Sesshoumaru asking her in a Miroku fashion to "bear his children" came to light, causing the young woman to burst into heavy laughter. The others looked at her confused as she almost collapsed over in her fits of laughter. It wasn't for another five minutes of her giggle fit that she apologized for the sudden outburst and that a thought came to mind that she found hilarious. Rin giggled at Kioko's funny moment as Jaken looked at her as if she was losing it. Not long after they went back to playing with the things Rin and Jaken retrieved. That's where they stayed until it started to get dark and Kioko's exhaustion was becoming easily visible. She had tried to hold it back for a couple of hours now, wanting to spend more time with the group but Sesshoumaru seemed to have caught her eyes barely staying open and had sent Jaken and Rin to get ready to eat. The two obeyed his order, running into the castle with their games cluttered in their arms. Kioko watched after them smiling warmly until they were out of sight and she closed her eyes, the smile still there.
" You should have made it clear that you needed to rest sooner. " Sesshoumaru scolded with his emotionless voice. She smiled more serenely, hearing his voice so close to her as her eyes remained closed. Such a simple thing, yet it gave her so much warmth and security. Something he always made her feel when he was nearby.
" I didn't want this lovely afternoon to end so soon. Spending time with the three of you was too much fun. " Kioko countered. Sesshoumaru felt himself soften to her words, though it couldn't be seen. He simply looked up at the dusky sky and leaves, as he soaked in her words.
" They will be here tomorrow. " Sesshoumaru said clearly.
" That doesn't mean spending time together today means any less. Every day, even if under strict routine all your life, is different. No two days are ever exactly the same. So today should be treasured even if there is more time together to be had tomorrow. " There it was. That beautiful heart of hers was shining with her humanity. He never understood how she saw things the way she did, always so different from himself, but she attracted him with that difference. Perhaps he couldn't hold it against her then, to want more time with them. She was living a human lifespan, unlike him she'd die at one hundred years old at the latest. Sesshoumaru himself was just about five hundred years old. Thinking about it now, he wondered how different he would be if he had met Kioko many years sooner, and how he will be when the day comes where she passes on, leaving him behind. Looking over his left shoulder to look at her, he could see her facing his direction while laying back against the tree, hair loose, eyes closed, and the warmest smile on her lips. Perhaps he should take her words even further to heart. If she was to die before he was to, then he should learn everything he could about her, including if she was even really human. Regardless of what she is, her memory would live on with him long after she passes, until the day he could join her in the afterlife. Even if she wasn't his at the end of her life, he was already hers. Of course, he'd deny it without fail. He went back to facing forward before speaking again.
" Tell me, how many years of age are you? " Sesshoumaru suddenly asked. Kioko's eyes opened weakly, confused by his sudden interest in her age but she smiled brighter at the fact that he was interested to know.
" I'm eighteen years old. If I may be so bold as to ask, how old are you, Lord Sesshoumaru? " Sesshoumaru felt reluctant to tell her, unsure of how she'd react to the answer. It wasn't often his age had come up into conversation, and never once with a human of all things. However, if he wanted to know everything about her he'd have to share whatever she wanted to know about himself as well.
" I am five hundred years of age. " Her eyes widened slightly in astonishment and her lips slightly parted in awe of his answer. He looked over his left shoulder again to see her reaction, worried that the answer would change anything between them.
" Sesshoumaru, that is amazing. You must know so many things, and seen even more. Though I can't help but to also feel sad that you might have spent a lot of that time alone. " Sesshoumaru simply looked at her with that emotionless mask he favored, even though her words have once again caught him off guard.
" I had preferred it as such. " Kioko smiled warmly again feeling she should have known better and spoke again.
" What changed your mind then? To take in an imp demon servant and a human girl, obviously, shows something altered your decision. " Sesshoumaru wasn't exactly sure how to answer. Perhaps he in some deep way really was lonely and desired companions if for any reason to learn of Inuyasha and his father's fascinations. His father had once asked him if he had someone to protect, and his response was no. Perhaps he simply wished to know what his father meant by the question. Looking at Kioko with him now and thinking about his two companions, made him certain of one thing. His answer was no longer no.
" I was simply curious of the experience. " Sesshoumaru said in a way to cover up his true reasons, which Kioko already assumed was the case. Kioko closed her eyes again, feeling more drained, letting him escape with that for now.
" I see. " Was all she said with a tired tone. Sesshoumaru continued to look at her until he heard her breathing slow and her face soften into a peaceful expression. He gracefully stood up and took a few steps towards her before crouching down to look at her closer. Her scent drew him to her, but he knew to resist, and instead had placed a hand on her cheek. Grazing his thumb along her cheekbone with a gentle touch and tender expression. After a minute, he carefully picked Kioko up bridal style. Making sure to hold her close and to not wake her as he wrapped his boa around her to keep her warm. He then turned and began to walk inside his castle, with a queen in his arms. Once back to his chambers he placed her back into his bed for more rest then turned to leave and join his wards for dinner, but not before placing a kiss onto her forehead and making sure his chambers were well guarded.