Day 29:
Sesshoumaru eyed the barrier distastefully, it seemed the undead miko was once again determined to make his fellow Alpha expend as much energy as possible. A fine idea if they didn't have the constant threat of Naraku looming over their heads, ready to attack at any time. Every member of the pack should be at full strength, but Kikyo didn't seem to understand such a philosophy. When Sesshoumaru had tried talking to Kagome about it in the morning she had merely brushed it off, lightly chiding him for being overprotective.
Women. How was he supposed to protect them if they never listened?
"Kikyo is avoiding me." Inuyasha grumbled, plopping beside his half-brother. When Sesshoumaru had decided to call for camp, even before the sun had reached it zenith, the only ones displeased with the notion were the mikos.
Neither Kikyo's stony silence or Kagome's expressive pleas swayed the inus. Even Inuyasha had seen the wisdom behind Sesshoumaru's choice. A point in his half-brother's favor.
"Hn."
"You know, would it kill you to at least make an effort?" Inuyasha groused, though it was done more out of habit than anything. "Heck, Kikyo shows more emotion than you and she's made out of clay!" Inuyasha cringed at his own words, but there was no taking them back. It was true. And it was part of the hanyou's misery. It was understandable, the woman you loved being an animated doll would upset anyone.
Though Sesshoumaru knew his brother wasn't truly expecting a response, he decided to humor him. "Why do you care?"
"What?"
Inuyasha's perked up ears and gaping jaw almost made Sesshoumaru regret his decision to engage such a course of conversation, but he was no coward. "Why do you care the undead miko is avoiding you?"
Once Inuyasha was able to work his jaw again, he reached up to give it a rub. A shy shrug hunched his shoulder as he responded, "Well, I love 'er."
"You would choose her as a mate even when she cannot bear you any young?" What appeal could such a woman so cold even have? She was not even that powerful, unlike Kagome.
"Keh, I can't help what I feel. And it ain't all about pups."
Speaking of pups. Sesshoumaru looked out where his ward and the kitsune played, chasing Jaken through the field. Though the imp grumbled about watching over the little ones, he clearly enjoyed it. While looking at the young ones, it took the daiyoukai's mind away from the darker thoughts, knowing simply that those under his care were happy.
"You are saying you wish to have no children of your own?"
"I don't know." Inuyasha muttered, "Maybe? Right now I just want to take down Naraku, I can worry about pups in the future. Besides, I would have to pick a mate who could actually have kids." Inuyasha's voice was soft, and his eyes equally so as his gaze drifted over to Kagome.
He wishes to take my miko as a mate.
The thought came like a blow. Of course Sesshoumaru knew there was a bond between hanyou and young priestess, a slight undercurrent of attraction, but he had dismissed it as a merely physical response. Looking at his half-brother now he had to reconsider.
"So which is it?" Sesshoumaru asked, making little attempt to hide the growl in his voice. "Your undead lover or your alpha?"
Inuyasha's head whipped back around. Once again widened eyes quickly narrowed into a glare, before defiantly looking back at the women in question. "Keh, ain't none of your business."
"The miko is pack."
"That's another a thing!" Inuyasha barked, "If you care so much about Kagome, why don't you call her by her name? It's always 'miko this' and 'miko that' but never Kagome. Why is that?"
"You pine for one woman while planning to pledge yourself to another," Sesshoumaru retaliated. He wasn't in the mood for soul searching. "Why is that?"
The two brothers were at a stand still for a moment, silently struggling to subdue their pulsing youkai.
Inuyasha wasn't willing to drop it. "Don't think I haven't seen the way you look at her. Hovering over her all the time. You need to back off. Kagome is way too good for the likes of you."
"But you are worthy of her?" Sesshoumaru replied. His voice frosted over, a slight scent of poison seeped from his claws.
"No," Inuyasha replied, remarkably calmly. Sesshoumaru looked over at his arrogant sibling, eyes narrowed in disbelief, yet there was no deceit or misguided superiority. Inuyasha looked at the women of his affection, hands loosely clasped together before him. "I'm not worthy of either of them."
His teeth unclenched as he felt his ire cool. At least Inuyasha understood that the miko was beyond him. But even with that knowledge… "Yet you will not let either go."
"No." It was soft but unyielding. "So stay away."
Sesshoumaru's eyes remained fastened to the form of the young, vibrant woman in question. She deserved better than his half-brother, and he would take care of his pack. "No." If the hanyou thought to make some type of claim on what was his, he had another thing coming.
The loose hands curled into clawed fists, threating to pierce the flesh. Ears pinned back. "It's none of your business who she mates."
"She is pack, that makes her this Sesshoumaru's business."
"You think you're so high and mighty," Inuyasha hissed, refusing to look at the demon lord frozen by his side, "I may be a mutt but I've learned the ritual of taking a mate. So long as the female consents, no other opinion matters." Finally his eyes snapped over, locking two pairs of golden eyes together, proof of their undeniable bond. "So unless you have a better reason than being pack, back off."
"You are not worthy of her."
"No, but until she finds someone who is, she's mine."
"And your undead lover?"
Inuyasha growled, his knuckles cracking into even tighter fists. "Mine."
"She will not consent to such an arrangement." The confidence in his voice was unmistakable. He refused to clench his fists. He would not be anymore like his half-brother than he had to be.
The sound of light, bouncing footsteps made two pairs of golden eyes snap up. "Hey guys! Time for lunch." Kagome chirped, Kikyo hovering silently over her shoulder. Warm brown eyes looked over them in concern. "Are you two okay?"
"Keh, Fine."
"Hn."
A/N: Tension! Gotta love it, gotta hate it, gotta love! So, I got a review for the last chapter - lovely review by the way, thank you - and I just felt the need to clarify. When Kagome is all sleepy and trying to manage a conversation with Sesshoumaru and this happens:
A calloused but warm had reached out, resting against her forehead. The way the fire lit up his hair was really pretty.
"Sleep now miko, we can discuss my pretty hair in the morning."
The only reason Sesshoumaru said that is because Kagome accidentally talked out loud when she was thinking about how pretty his hair was in the firelight. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear for everyone! I wanted to try and write it from Kagome's prospective, and she wouldn't have noticed that she was actually saying her thoughts out loud - sleepy Kagome is adorable in my opinion. So I hope that cleared things about for Day 28! And I hope you enjoyed Day 29!
