Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.


Kagome groaned, rolled over and threw a hand over her eyes, batting ineffectually at the tickling sensation on her shoulder blade.

"Kagome," a deep voice rumbled in her ear and Kagome smacked the owner of the really loud painfully gravelly voice in the mouth.

"Shhh!" she cautioned.

The lips beneath her hand twitched as if fighting a smile and she pinched them between her index finger and thumb in retaliation – her pain was not funny. Those tricky lips escaped her fingers and he spoke again, this time much in much quieter dulcet tones that she approved of.

"Drink this," he murmured, and she felt the lip of a cup press against her lips. Trusting the voice because if she argued with it, she feared he'd start talking and make her head split in two, Kagome sipped the warm bitter tasting stuff until he took the cup away. "You should feel better soon," he soothed.

The voice was right; the pounding in her head faded until it was all but a distant memory and the light no longer felt like it was trying to pierce through her eyelids and stab at her brain through her eyes.

Squinting, Kagome locked Sesshoumaru within her sights – silently praising him for keeping a straight face in a situation which must have been rather comical – and whispered, "No more of Jakotsu's sake, ever."

"Wise decision," he commended softly.

"You didn't get drunk," she accused waspishly.

"It takes a lot for me to get drunk," Sesshoumaru explained, a slight smirk playing at his lips.

Kagome swatted at his smug face, unsurprised when he dodged her flailing hand. "What was that hangover remedy you gave me?" she asked, pulling herself into a sitting position. "It worked wonders."

Sesshoumaru snorted. "It is a concoction of my mother's; she has been known to over-indulge from time to time."

Kagome shuddered; she really never wanted to see a drunken Nami, just the thought was terrifying. "You could make a fortune selling that in the ningenkai."

Unexpected warmth bloomed in Sesshoumaru's stomach when Kagome didn't refer to the ningenkai as home and Sesshoumaru ran a hand through her hair indulgently, "Humans have always been obsessed with wealth. Demons are more of a bartering people, we do not use coin. The only race of demons who are obsessed with gold are dragons."

"Dragons?" Kagome parroted with a small smile.

"Dragons are notoriously obsessed with their wealth. Inu Yokai are possessive of their pack, their mate, their territory," Sesshoumaru expounded, somewhat enjoying the mini species lesson as he stroked Kagome's hair. "But a dragon's possessive instinct is only triggered when their treasure is threatened. Most live in shiros much like this one but they all maintain a den in the mountains where they hide their treasure."

"Why are they so obsessed with treasure?" Kagome queried softly.

Sesshoumaru shot her a sidelong look and debated telling her for a moment before he spoke. "Before the formation of the makai, they used to horde it to attract greedy humans. Now, though, they simply enjoy how shiny it is."

Kagome barked out a startled laugh. "Sounds kinda odd."

"They are an odd breed," Sesshoumaru conceded, "even in demonic circles. But, then, Inu Yokai are considered odd due to their devotion to their mates."

Kagome's cheeks heated a little and she tilted her head to one side. "How so?"

Sesshoumaru felt his ears heat up and glanced up at the ceiling. "We do not take more than one mate. Indeed, after we mate we have no concubines."

Deciding not to tell him how cute this made him, Kagome rose onto her knees and pressed a kiss to the underside of his chin. "Come on," she said, grinning, "let's get something to eat, I'm hungry."

Sesshoumaru followed his little miko from their chambers, silently reeling over the kiss she'd pressed to his chin. In doing so, she'd marked him with her scent, something that appealed to him on an instinctual level.

Kagome glanced at him over her shoulder. "You okay?"

Eyes softening, Sesshoumaru reached for the little human and, cupping her cheek, pressed a kiss to her chin and very precisely nuzzled the mark he'd left on her throat. When he pulled away, he was pleased to note her flushed cheeks and wide eyes.

"I'm fine."


Sesshoumaru drew back the door to his mother's room, eliciting a hiss from Jaktosu who was slumped over the table, face down. Kagome suppressed a giggle.

"Rough night?" she teased, sounding remarkably smug for someone who'd been in the same position not to long ago.

The flamboyant man growled at her without actually looking at her. "It wouldn't have been so bad if someone hadn't left me to sleep on the floor," he spat and then gripped his head as if talking had unsettled him.

Nami's grin practically split her face as she cradled her tea and watched Jakotsu like he was an interesting insect. Kagura crooked a brow at the dramatic man.

"I wasn't about to carry you," she snorted, "and it's hardly my fault that you passed out."

"You could've used your wind!" Jakotsu whined.

Kagura bared her fangs. "I could have diced you into easily moveable pieces, too."

Kagome took her seat next to Kagura and leaned in to whisper to Sesshoumaru. "If Jakotsu is hung over, why hasn't Nami given him some of her medicine?"

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "She's sadistic."

Glancing at Nami, who was practically glowing with glee, Kagome could only agree with Sesshoumaru's waspish assessment.

"Medicine?" Jakotsu's head snapped up and he gripped it as if afraid it would wobble off his neck. "You have medicine?"

Nami covered her mouth with her sleeve, eyes alight with glee. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Jakotsu-chan."

Jakotsu's eyes widened and he sputtered, "B-but you love me! Why are you torturing me?"

"It's a sign of her affection," Kagome cheerfully announced at the same time Sesshoumaru muttered, "Because she can."

"Both are true," Nami said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Give me the medicine!" Jakotsu whined.

"Oh dear," Nami sighed, leaning back and tapping her chin with one elegant finger, "I don't think there was enough grovelling in that, Jakotsu-chan."

Kagome stifled a laugh and Jakotsu tossed her a sidelong look, "You're the one mating into her family," he reminded her.


Sitting cross-legged in the meadow with Rin, the two females diligently wove a crown for Kagome, since the little ghost insisted that Kagome was a princess now. Rin had a brilliant eye for the best flowers and floated casually around the meadow, fetching and carrying for Kagome. The miko was actually getting used to Rin's weird way of travelling.

"Someone's coming," Rin whispered, and Kagome watched the little ghost fade away; Rin didn't like many. Glancing up, Kagome's eyebrows arched when the soldier she had met, Inuyasha, rounded the corner of the shiro.

Peering at her from under the shade of his straw hat, he grinned, revealing a flash of fang. "Heard you had a run in with the old samurai," he grunted.

Kagome's lips quirked. "Something like that."

"But you're in one piece," he noted, sounding impressed, "you're pretty tough, for a human."

"Thanks," Kagome grinned, holding up her crown of blossoms, "want me to decorate your hat?"

"Keh," Inuyasha grunted, wrinkling his nose, "No girly stuff for me."

"Why are you here, anyway?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to one side. "Worried about me?"

He rolled his eyes as she batted her lashes. "Something like that," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as his gaze zeroed in on her neck. "You've been marked?" he blurted out.

Kagome's hand flew to the mark instinctively. "Ah, yes," she blushed a little. "Not that it's any of your business!"

Inuyasha held up his hands, looking thoroughly abashed. "Sorry; I just blurt stuff out sometimes," he shrugged helplessly.

Kagome smiled again. "It's fine."

"Anyway, I gotta go," he announced, tipping his hat respectfully, "Good luck."

Kagome watched the demon hurry away, a bemused look on her face and turned to Rin, who was already on the hunt for more blossoms.

"Strange guy," she murmured, shrugging to herself.

"Ah! Un!" Rin called happily and Kagome glanced up from her handiwork to find the two headed dragon lumbering across the field towards them.

"Hey!" Kagome cheered, climbing to her feet to meet the exuberant dragon. Un wrapped his scaly neck around her shoulders, pulling her in so that Ah could nose her hair tenderly. "Why are you two here?" Kagome asked happily, scratching under Ah's chin.

"They were eager to see you," Sesshoumaru coolly intoned as he landed gently in the meadow, his youki cloud dissipating. "And ran away on their own."

"Aw!" Kagome cooed, butting foreheads gently with Un and scratching Ah's ears, "it's good to see you guys too!" Resting her chin atop Ah's head, she arched an eyebrow at Sesshoumaru, "Are you okay?"

"I am concerned," he admitted softly, glancing away at the horizon.

Kagome tilted her head to one side. "You are?"

Sesshoumaru looked away, folding his hands into the sleeves of his kimono.

Nudging Un with her hip, Kagome grinned in triumph as the dragon got the message, reaching out and grabbing hold of his master by his sleeve and pulling him into the hug. Safely ensconced in Ah-Un's embrace, Sesshoumaru peered down at Kagome who glowed with satisfaction.

"So," she began again, running a finger along the collar of his haori. "What's wrong?"

"I can't help but feel that this is the calm before the storm," Sesshoumaru admitted, "that soon news of you being a miko will reach our enemies and we will be under siege again."

With a deep sigh, Kagome laid her head on his chest, pressing her cheek against his heart as she wrapped her arms around him. "We'll face it, together."

"You nearly died!" he half-shouted, pushing away from her hug and extricating himself from Ah-Un. He paced away a few feet and rounded on her, expression closed. "This time, you might not be so lucky."

A crease appeared between Kagome's eyebrows as she frowned at him, she folded her arms. "So?"

The facade fell away, red leaking into his eyes as he snatched her up by her shoulders, holding her up so her feet didn't even touch the ground. "So?" he repeated, a low treble growl reverberating through them. "I will not lose you!"

Kagome reached out; regardless of the uncomfortable hold he had on her and touched the place on his neck where she'd marked him. Feather-light, she brushed her fingers over the faint mark and Sesshoumaru trembled, dropping her back onto her feet.

"I'm human," she murmured, still stroking the mark as his eyelids slid to half-mast. "I will always be delicate, easier to kill and slower to react. But we both know this isn't what upsets you. You are worried about me, not because I am weak, but because of what I mean to you."

Sesshoumaru breathed in deeply through his nose. "Kagome—"

"Shh!" she cautioned, stepping closer, but continuing to stroke her mark, "It's the same for me. I know how strong you are, but I still panic when I can't see you and know you're okay. It would be the same if I was a demoness. You would still worry about me if you locked me away where no one could find me, or if you sent me back to the ningenkai or even if you assigned a hundred guards to watch me."

He exhaled shakily, dropping his cheek on top of her head and holding her close. "I am not used to feeling like this. I am not used to feeling at all."

Kagome laughed a little shakily. "If it helps, I'm not used to feeling like this either."

Ah and Un, apparently deciding that they had been ignored long enough, both got in on the hug. Kagome snorted a laugh, "I think Ah and Un are worried too."

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow at her absurd statement and sniffed curiously as a scent hit him.

"Was someone else here before me?" Sesshoumaru asked, still sniffing curiously.

"Yeah, a guard I met before was checking that I was okay," Kagome explained with a shrug, "Why?"

"Nothing," Sesshoumaru shook his head, "there was just a curiously familiar scent."


Evening had fallen, darkness shrouding the western shiro under its cloak but, inside the impressive building, a war waged in Nami's finest sitting room.

Kagome tilted her head to one side as she watched Nami and Sesshoumaru face off. Nami's smile was teasing but her jabs were ruthless, Sesshoumaru radiated a ferocious intent that was only heightened by his icy demeanour. It was hard to believe that they were only playing shogi.

When the door slid open, Kagome welcomed the distraction, but when she caught a glimpse of the worry etched into Bankotsu's visage, she retracted her relief.

"My lady," he murmured, sketching a hasty bow, "Ryuukotsusei-sama is coming."

"Who?" Kagome asked, glancing from assassin to queen curiously.

"A dragon," Nami murmured, arching a brow as a speculative smile settled onto her features, "A powerful dragon who rules the North."

"Why would he be coming here?" Bankotsu asked, running a hand through his fringe exasperatedly, "his youki is severely out of control. Even I can feel it fluctuating; he must be livid."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "The storm is coming."


A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and, yes, the dragon who I've been referring to is Ryuukotsusei. I hope you can find the time to leave a review; I love hearing from you!