A.N.: Sorry about the longer than usual wait on this one, guys. It decided to be a struggle. BUT, it's a bit longer than the last few chapters have been, so I hope you all enjoy it! Also, I am posting this from beyond the grave as Infinity War destroyed my soul. RIP me.
They spent several more days in the cloud-bound palace. Sesshoumaru disappeared everyday for a lengthy amount of time with his mother, all three children ran and played until they all but collapsed, and Inuyasha sulked at all the time they were wasting. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at his impressive array of grumpy faces.
He was wearing just such a face now, as she reclined in the grass under a shady tree he was leaning against, tessaiga hugged in between his crossed arms. His ears twitched at the sound of her quiet chuckles and he 'hmmphed' in disgust.
"Feh, what're ya laughing at, wench?"
"You. You need to learn to relax."
Inuyasha huffed again. Perhaps she was right, and he did enjoy getting to spend some quiet, uncomplicated time with her, but all the doom and dark of their journey hung heavy over his shoulders, and he couldn't just shrug it all off."
"I'll relax when Naraku is dead."
"Yeah, Yeah. That's what you always say."
"And I'll keep sayin' it 'cause it's true!"
"You're sour mood is not going to kill him any faster on this little layover than if you'd just relax for a minute. I'd tell you you're going to make your hair turn grey, but that's kind of impossible considering it's already silver."
He's shot her a look and she giggled again. He couldn't deny it was nice to see her seeming so happy and at peace. She'd been tied up in some kind of knots lately over whatever was happening to her. Truthfully he hadn't been thinking on it too much. He didn't really understand how dreams could affect a person so much. He'd had his fair share of guilt dreams and nightmares in his life, but none had ever done whatever these things were doing to Kagome. It didn't make any sense. And on top of it, he had a mostly living again Kikyo hanging around and changing before his eyes as well. It had all been a little more than he'd been able to process at once, so he'd kind of just let it all be. Which made him feel guilty all over again. Kagome had been through a lot since she'd been drug here, yet she was always making sure he and the others were alright and comfortable.
Some friend he was.
"Oh now what's wrong?"
"Huh?"
"Before you looked grumpy. Now you just look sad. Is it that depressing being here? I know being around your father's first wife is probably awkward... and there are a few portraits of him... oh Inuyasha, I'm sorry, I didn't think-"
"Shut it, wench, that ain't it at all. The Bitch who owns this place barely looks at me and ya gotta go sniffin around all sorts of dark corners to find any pictures of my old man."
"Oh. Well then...?"
He sighed and met her eyes, which stared back open and imploringly. She was always so easy to read. He wished it was so easy for him.
"How... how ya been doing lately, Kagome?"
Her brow furrowed slightly, but she smiled sweetly.
"I'm fine."
"No, I mean... ya know. You've been dealin' with all of this... stuff... whatever it is... and it's been makin' you sad..."
He trailed off and gave her the most desperate, agonized look she'd ever seen. He was trying so hard to voice his concern and, in usual Inuyasha fashion, was having a grand time being coherent enough to get his point across without screwing it all up. His look all but screamed 'help me out here, wench!' And she burst out in a round of bright giggles that left him feeling both relieved and insulted.
He reclined back against the tree and settled his facial features somewhere between a grin and a scowl. At least she'd understood him.
Kagome settled back down and wiped the stray tears of mirth from her eyes.
"You know, I still don't know for sure what is even going on, if all these changes are permanent, or if finishing the jewel will put things back to normal. Sometimes the truth of it feels like it's hiding behind some kind of veil so that I can't really see it... but then sometimes, something will just sort of dangle out of my reach, like it wants me to grab it and figure it all out. Sometimes it all weighs so heavy on me, all of these phantom feelings that belong to someone else but to me, too, at the same time. But then other times, like now, it's not so burdensome and I can just lay back and enjoy some peace."
"That don't make no kind of sense, Kagome."
She sighed again and closed her eyes against the sunlight shimmering through the leaves and branches of their shade tree.
"I know. But you know what makes even less sense?"
"What's that?"
"How are they growing trees up here in the clouds?"
Inuyasha barked out a surprised laugh and shrugged. Kagome's mind was an ever turning enigma sometimes.
Unfortunately for Kagome, it wasn't all rest and relaxation in the little oasis in the sky. When she and SesshÅmaru weren't off having whatever discussions two noble inu-yokai were want to have, the lady of the palace tended to hover near Kagome. It seemed that when she'd warned Kagome of her curiosity, she hadn't been speaking lightly.
Kagome could scarcely brush the feeling of "being watched" from her person. She felt a near permanent chill of eyes on her back. She was trying her hardest to be as unremarkable as possible, but her ever shifting soul and its abilities repeatedly caught her off guard, and her silvery shadow always managed to catch the worst of it.
When she subconsciously began singing to herself one morning after breakfast while she watched the children play, the watchful Lady was there to remark on the interesting language she knew.
When she sat to polish and sharpen her sword while Sango worked on Hiraikotsu, there she'd been to remark on how rare it was to encounter a miko who "played with swords."
When tiny Ginjiro injured himself in a game of chase and Kagome looked over it to make sure it wasn't severe, both Sesshoumaru and his mother had witnessed her accidentally heal the little prince's wound with that strange white light she'd only produced once before with one of Inuyasha's wounds. That incident had prompted a round of tense questioning she'd been very unable to provide any meaningful answers too. She was beginning to join in on her hanyo friend's eagerness to depart, if only to not be the center of such persistent scrutiny for a while.
Kagome sat across the dinner table from three whispering, giggling children wrapped in chains of sweet flowers and smiled. The little silver inu prince had come out of his reserved shell so well these last days of being able to play, and it warmed her heart thoroughly. She glanced down the table, where she was still being sat next to the Lady of the house, to see Inuyasha ignoring a conversation between Miroku and Koga to steel glances at Kikyo, who was giggling happily with Sango. She once again felt thankful that they were all getting along. She could feel her thoughts begin turning down a bittersweet path, but before she could work out all the knots in her feelings, a delicate "ahem" from the head of the table drew her attention back outward.
"My dear, strange Kagome. You will join me and my son in my study after dinner."
Caught off guard, Kagome could do no more than agree.
"Oh... yes, my lady."
She tuned out any questions that floated up through her erratic thoughts and turned back to her dinner, determined to not let the enigmatic lady unsettle her any further.
'My son has been most insistent these last days that I help you all find this... troublesome hanyo you all search so tirelessly for. What a bore that is, using my special abilities for such a thing. But, since I have been unable to shake him from my hair about this, I have agreed to lend my assistance."
Kagome perked up, excitement at possibly having a new edge to use against Naraku blinding her to the cunning smirk currently situated on the Lady Mother's face.
"Unfortunately, since I don't currently have much of a stake in this silly little battle you chase, I can't do this for nothing."
Kagome fought back a snort of disbelief. 'No stake... except maybe survival once Naraku gets his greasy fingers on the completed jewel.'
She glanced toward Sesshoumaru who stood passively beside the little desk his mother was seated behind, giving no indication that anything she said caused him any concern. She relaxed. If he wasn't worried, she would hear this out.
"Alright. What did you have in mind? Money? We don't have much of that. Well, except maybe Sesshoumaru-sama."
The silver lady smirked and slid an open scroll across her table, but Kagome suddenly felt too apprehensive to peek.
"Here are my terms. A mating contract between you... and my son."
Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's youki surge angrily, and something in her snapped and recoiled so harshly she was physically thrown back several steps, nearly falling over in the process. She could hear Sesshoumaru exchanging heated words with his mother, his voice rough with an enraged growl, but her ears were ringing and she could not make anything out. Her blood turned icy and pumped frantically through her body, leaving her feeling panicked and chilled. She struggled to catch a breath and hold her ground, everything in her prompting her to flee as if for her very life. Distantly, she thought this reaction was extreme. Sesshoumaru was a decent guy, for lack of a better word, it's not as if she were being married off to Naraku. But to the very foundations of her soul, the "deal" she was being offered felt like a death sentence, and every cell in her body revolted at the thought. Sesshoumaru was obviously trying with all of his strength not to kill his mother where she sat, and the female inu herself simply met her son's eyes calmly, satisfaction shining from their golden depths as though she could already taste her victory. At least she hadn't been the only one blindsided by this arrangement.
Kagome placed shaking hands over the spot she could feel her heart drumming firmly against her rib cage and forced a deep, clarifying breath. Cool, grey eyes flashed quickly through her mind and then something didn't make sense.
"Wait."
Both of them met her gaze with interest, and she cleared her throat to steady her voice.
"I thought.. I mean aren't you...? Your son..."
Sesshoumaru blessedly caught her meaning, and he straightened, his face falling more into his usual mask of calm control, though she could clearly see the cracks in it.
"This Sesshoumaru has no mate. My heir's mother was a political consideration, and she is now dead, in any case. However," he turned back to his mother with a heated glare tinged red with his steadily growing agitation. "that does not mean that I am willing to be bound so completely to anyone. Especially not-"
His mother's light, tinkling laughter cut him off.
"Oh Sesshoumaru. Do not try to talk me out of my desires in this with threats of hanyo. She is not human. Not completely. Not anymore. Any pups between you would be truly unique and powerful, would they not? Perfectly suitable co-heirs with Ginjiro. And she is certainly very adept at handling your little heir, is she not? And he's grown quite attached himself."
His brow furrowed in thought and Kagome felt her panic levels raise even further.
'Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. He CANT think this is a good idea!'
"This Sesshoumaru would never take a mate to satisfy your curiosities, mother." He spat derisively, though his mother seemed unperturbed and highly amused.
"You deny your own curiosity then, my son?"
"Curiosity is no foundation for mating."
"Ah, but any interest can grow and deepen. And you'd certainly have enough time to-"
"Enough!"
They both turned to her, brows raised in shock at her sharp command.
She balled her fists up at her sides and could feel her patchwork aura swirling around her dangerously. She took another steadying breath. She still had enough reiki to do some considerable harm if she wasn't careful.
"No."
The Lady of the castle seemed taken aback at being denied, truly not expecting any opposition on her part. She probably supposed Kagome could not do much better on her own.
"Pardon me?"
"I said no."
"Do you not think my son a suitable match? Surely you could not-"
"No that's, that's not... that's is to say..." she sighed and rubbed her eyes, feeling much too stretched.
"Look. Sesshoumaru-sama is perfect. Anyone would be lucky to be matched with him. But I'm not tying myself to someone I barely know so eternally just to make this quest go a little faster. Thank you for your offer My Lady. But the answer is no."
With that, Kagome spun on her heel and left the now tense room behind her. She stretched out what reiki she had left and zeroed in on a welcome, familiar aura and set off.
Inuyasha felt her before he heard her, though only by a few bare seconds. Her aura was swirling wildly and her reiki poked at prodded at him in what was an undeniable summons. Then her voice, fragile and desperate, reached his ears and away he leapt.
"Inuyasha?! Inuyasha!"
She was panicking and that was never good. Kagome could keep a level head in the most dire of circumstances. He'd been awed more than once at the things she managed to face without falling apart. Whatever had happened in that meeting had not been good.
"Inuyasha!"
"Wench? Wench what's-"
They both stopped when they spotted each other, and Inuyasha noted the tears tracking down her face.
'What the hell did that bastard and his mom SAY to her?!'
"Wench what the hell?!"
She ran then, aura still writhing in a panic and her breath coming out in forced pants. She was going to make herself dizzy.
"Inuyasha, we need to get out of here. Now. Get me out of here."
"Hold on a second, what happened?"
And then her eyes flashed pink and she fainted. He barely caught her before she hit the floor, and as he cradled her in his arms he stared at her in shock and horror, unable to process what had just happened.
"Inuyasha?"
He turned, staring almost blankly at a confused Kikyo who's eyes flickered between Kagome's face propped against his shoulder, and his own.
"Inuyasha what's... what's happened?"
He shook his head and shrugged helplessly, trying not to jostle Kagome too much.
Kikyo approached carefully, placing a gently hand on Kagome's forehead. Her fingertips glowed pink momentarily before she dropped her hand and stepped back.
"Her soul is fluctuating madly. It's like it's... fighting for something. Take her to the garden, somewhere mostly hidden, and sit with her until she wakes. I will bring something to calm her."
He nodded and carried her off, unable to do much more, and desperately hoping it was enough.
A.N.: Why would Kagome react so harshly to the thought of being married or mated off to the beautiful likes of one Sesshoumaru-sama? Well, for Elves sex=marriage every time. And like I noted in a previous chapter, elves marry ONE TIME in their lives and that's it. SHE might not truly remember who she really is right now, but her soul is a different story. And her SOUL certainly remembers that it's already tied to someone else. Any elves that are forced to have intimate relations with another usually die. It's just all that important and intrinsic to their very nature. So while Sesshoumaru is OBVIOUSLY against this little arrangement as well and would never go so far as to force anything untoward, Kagome is still panicking at the thought of being tied to someone when it would be literally impossible. Though she doesn't know that yet *wink*.
ANYWAY. I've wrestled since the beginning with whether or not to put in this plot point. SessKag is my OTP of OTPs and I guess I just couldn't help myself lol Also, I think Sessmom has the potential to be really funny so I just couldn't leave her out! She doesn't have an official name in canon, so I... just didn't give her one... heh... (InuKimi is a popular fanon name but I didn't really like it in context of this story.) UNTIL NEXT TIME! We're getting closer and closer to the end! Thank you all so much for coming along on this journey with me!
