Kagome sat at the head of Freyr's bed, his head lying on her folded legs as she gently ran her fingers through his soft golden hair. He'd finally uncurled from his traumatized ball and allowed her to attempt to comfort him, after Sesshomaru had suggested that the miko help him to balance out his scattered psyche.
It was a talent that was very rare in a miko. The ability to heal a Youkai, be it physically or emotionally, was something that should have been contrary to the very nature of her holy powers, but she was one of the very best Sesshomaru had ever seen and so he had encouraged Freyr to let her try.
Freyr had gotten progressively worse as he lay by himself atop the large bed. He'd slowly pulled himself tighter and tighter, his tail tucked up tightly against his legs as if he were attempting to disappear.
From what she'd understood from Sesshomaru, Freyr was the most playful and cheerful of the three of them. She'd been saddened by the look in his eyes as he asked her to try and help his brother and she'd wrapped both arms around the towering male, maybe subconsciously attempting to absorb some of his pain into herself. His own arms had curled around her much smaller body and he'd held her against him, even as his eyes slid back towards his brother. He'd held her just a bit tighter for a moment, before he'd gently urged her towards the bed, helping her up and settling on the edge.
She'd touched the other male's back, and had frowned at how cold he'd seemed. She'd attempted to ease into it by running her hands slowly along his back, but he hadn't seemed to noticeher touch even if he didn't reject her. She'd continued for a few more minutes, but when it met with the same results, she'd carefully climbed over his body to sit on the other side of the bed in his line of sight if his eyes had been open. She'd hesitantly reached forward and slowly run her fingers along the line of his check, almost startling when he unconsciously leaned into her touch. But it gave her an idea of how to reach him, and so she continued to gently stroke him like a mother might, massaging down his neck, and then lightly allowing her nails to scrape pleasantly along his scalp. The faint, responsive purr had heartened her and it wasn't long after that she'd scooted up and tucked herself against the headboard as the big male relaxed a bit and allowed her to lift his head into her lap.
A small part of her acknowledged the irony of her letting him cuddle up to her as if she were the mother he had missed for most of his life but she saw that it was helping and decided to ignore the seeming oddity. After all, it would not be the first time she had taken such a place for one creature or another, though admittedly never for a being that was so much older than her that it made her life seem like the blink of an eye.
She continued to run her fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck in a continuous, soothing action that drew forth a slightly rougher purr. Her mind slipped backwards to a few hours before, when she'd had to all but tie Miroku down to keep him from attempting to chase after Sango. With his concussion, even one more small knock to the head from anything (and he could be amazingly adroit at attracting trouble of the physically aggressive type) and he could wind up with a bout of amnesia if it were to become worse. The panic in his eyes had been hard to ignore but she had forced herself to threaten to seal him into his room if he didn't behave himself. The defiant glare in his violet eyes had been spoiled by the dazed, pain-filled glaze and in the end he had given in, because he knew there would be no dissuading her…and she wasn't above calling for reinforcements in the form of a spare Tora brother willing to be used for the purpose of simple brute muscle.
Logically, he knew that following after Sang was foolish, but emotion rarely followed logic. He had subsided with a faint nod, promising to get some rest and allow one of the guards to sit with him to keep him from sleeping in case the slight concussion happened to be a bit more serious than Kagome had thought.
Now, sitting with the person who had injured her friend, Kagome found that she was unable to blame him for any of it. He was every bit as much a victim of the situation as Miroku, or even Sango, were. With each new, seemingly harmless addition, the situation had become hopelessly muddled, promising that not a one of them would escape it unscathed.
Sesshomaru sat with Thor in the abandoned wreck of the dining room, absently contemplating on just what it would take to repair it. He knew he was simply distracting himself from the issue at hand, but it was currently one of the very few things he could fix. He knew that Thor felt much the same, because he had managed to sit still for all of five minutes, before moving to gather the pieces of the shattered table, crushed chairs and assorted other items. He winced at the damage done to what was undoubtedly a well-loved family heirloom, before slowly extending his power outward and forcing it to reshape the broken items into the forms they had originally been crafted into by their makers.
It was the least he could do, especially considering how calmly Seiko had taken the destruction of his property. He'd not have expected such a reaction from the slightly over-energetic Ondori, but the young male had once more managed to surprise him, and pleasantly so. He did not need more drama after last night.
He'd finally left the room scant hours before, Kagome quietly murmuring soothing nonsense to his brother as Freyr lay quietly atop the bed. He had held a whispered discussion with her about the possibility of taking Freyr with them the next time they went through the well. She had seemed a bit skeptical about it, and truthfully he couldn't blame her; his brother had not given the best showing of himself in the little time she'd known him. Everything from his overly 'friendly' greeting of her, to his latest transgression in attacking a male she saw as a dearly loved brother. He knew that Kagome would not hold it against him in the long run, but it would give one serious doubt as to his self-control in such a new environment. There were a great many things that could go wrong, no matter how well they might try to prepare him for it all. Sesshomaru had had little difficulty in adapting, because the nature of his power was so completely unlimited. There were literally no bounds to what he was capable of and it had fed his instincts with new information and proper responses to new situations.
But he'd promised to keep a leash on the older male, and Freyr had unknowingly helped his case by remaining so completely passive. It had tugged at the girl's heart as she could easily see that it was not his normal mode of being. It was like he'd simply shut down to cope with the state of affairs.
"I'm sorry."
They were the first words he'd actually spoken since she'd stepped into the room and it startled her for a moment. His pale blue eyes rolled slowly upwards to lock with her own, his expression matching the remorseful tone. She hesitated for a moment, before continuing.
"It's not really your fault," she said quietly. "There's a great deal of it that was already in motion long before you two had arrived. Miroku's failure to tell Sango about her situation is a very large part of this problem, and I have no idea why he'd keep this from her. She will feel as if he has betrayed her when she finds out, and she will, because this is one secret that will come out. And in a sense he has betrayed her, even if it is not for any of the reason she may come up with out of her own misgivings and self-doubt."
She had decided that in order to be fair to all parties, she could not afford topussy-foot around the issues. True, she'd known Miroku far longer, but he was every bit as fallible as the Tora in her lap. Both faced a daunting outcome for their mingled mistakes though Freyr seemed to have gotten the short end of the proverbial stick. She was certain that Miroku would eventually manage to make things right with Sango, either because of how persuasive he could be or simply because Sango would never deprive the man of his children.
"However, having you there will only make things harder. Sesshomaru has asked if I would permit you to travel with us when next we visit my family. I am willing to consider it, but there will have to be rules laid down. Oh, it's not that I think you would do something wrong," she hastened to explain as she saw the slightly hurt look in his eyes. "The future is very different from now, and there are things that, while normal for you in this time, would be considered dangerous, or even illegal. There is also the sad fact that Youkai kind are widely considered to by mythological."
The surprised blink of his wide, feline eyes was almost cute, and Kagome suppressed a small giggle at how very much of a cub it made him look. Now was not the time for humor, and so she schooled her face into a more appropriate expression. "I would be required to hide my tail and claws, yes?" Freyr questioned.
"When out in public, or around people who have never been informed, yes you would be."
He seemed to think it over for a few moments, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. But the cost seemed to be outweighed by his need to escape because it took him no more than a few seconds to agree to her terms. He would abide by whatever rules he was given, no matter their reason, if it meant he could escape his current situation.
A whirlwind raced across the lands as a male desperately, if somewhat foolishly, raced over what seemed the whole of Japan to come to the rescue of a woman he believed to be in grave danger.
Koga never would have believed the younger Inu mutt to be capable of something as cowardly as allowing his elder brother to kidnap the female the Ookami loved, let alone keep her and force her to mate with him. He shuddered and ran harder, knowing in his gut that the cold bastard intended to rape his beautiful Kagome. He growled. He wouldn't put it past the stone faced Taiyoukai to force her; because there was no way in hell she'd ever have him.
He had always fully intended to wait for her to come to him, and had even accepted the fact that he may have to wait years, for when the Shikon no Tama was completed. He knew she was the only one capable of finding the shattered pieces of the jewel and restoring it to its former glory. He also felt certain that when the day came for her to mate with him, he could convince her to gift him with it as a sort of mating gift. He felt entitled to it as her lord and master, knowing that he would put it to good use in securing his power over his pack and keeping his chosen mate safe. He had felt a bit naked without the shards in his legs, but he'd known that he'd have to give them up sooner or later. He was content with that, because the whole jewel was a much higher incentive than a few tiny shards jammed into his limbs.
He shivered with anticipatory pleasure as he imagined just how much more powerful he would become when it was his to control. And with the Shikon no Miko backing up his claim to it, no one would dare try and steal it from him, its rightful owner. She'd all but promised herself to him, in his eyes, and so it was all the harder for him to believe the lying Hanyou when he claimed that she'd chosen the uptight Western Taiyoukai.
It didn't matter to Koga in the slightest that she'd never actually spoken the words; in his heart she was his woman and future mate. He loved her, because she would help him to realize his full potential. After all, that is what a mate did. They put the most important of the pair before themselves. And he was the more important of the two; after all, he was a lord, while she was a simple miko. Well, minor lord, but no need for quibbling. His uncle, the Eastern Taiyoukai, was forever telling him that he needed to show initiative if he ever desired to be more than a minor leader of a far-roaming band of nomads. With Kagome at his side, he would be much more able to take the things he'd need to cement his power.
Though, never mistake that he loved her. He just had to make certain he remained practical about it. He could never forget his place and once they were irrevocably mated, he'd make certain that she never forgot hers, either. No more gallivanting about the countryside, no more associating with males he found inappropriate for her station, and absolutely no more insisting that she knew better about handling certain situations. He was much older that she was and had far more experience in life.
Determination filled him and he ran faster, because all of his plans would come for naught if the Taiyoukai mated her first.
He was absolutely certain that the male would only mate her to gain more power, because he was well known for seeking supremacy. He was the coldest, strongest, fiercest, and absolutely the most brutal aristocratic ever to sit a ruling throne. Maybe it had a great deal to do with his bloodline, because his sire had been a general to reckon with, no matter the fact that he was slightly unhinged. He'd solidified his hold on the western kingdom and dugs his claws in fiercely, never letting up. He'd been far more respected for his determination and uncompromising cruelty, than loved for his seeming kindnesses. Most had sensed said kindnesses to be a sham, and had lived with the constant expectation of the 'other shoe dropping'. A few had lived through the male's lapses and it was probably a kindness that the few human women he'd raped had died during the assault. They had not had to live and rear the spawn of their rapist.
But it was these memories that proved to Koga that the Western line was pure Evil. Inuyasha was the only exception, as Koga saw him as little more than a blustering fool. He wasn't as powerful or pure blooded, should never hold the honor of havinga mate of Kagome's standing or potential, and wouldnever be granted the respect of the aristocracy. He was a loudmouthed, boastful, half blooded near-bastard mutt.
The brother, on the other hand, for all that he was the pup of a twisted, crazed Inuyoukai, was powerful, dangerous, and more than capable of holding onto the woman if Koga were to step wrong in any way in his plan to get her back. He didn't even want to think about what the other male could do to him if he failed to properly anticipate the Inu's attacks. He'd once witnessed the devastating results of the Taiyoukai's rare rages.
To this day, he had no idea what had sparked it off, but he'd been whole heartedly grateful to have not witnessed it. He had a strong stomach but the gory scene had been nearly too much for him. Blood had spilled in pools and small streams over the stone flooring of the small fortress, the men sprawled in broken heaps. There had been the scent of an older Inu female but he'd been unable to find her body and had assumed that the male had simply removed her for further torture andhe could only hate him for his cruelty. Old ones should be respected, not murdered, and so he'd begun to keep track of all the horrific events he'd heard being perpetrated by Sesshomaru.
Some one really needed to put that rabid Inu down, Koga thought. He was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, and he would be a danger to everyone when it happened.
The sun had set and arisen as he ran, tirelessly as only a Youkai could manage. Afternoon was swiftly approaching, much faster than he would have liked. The longer it took him to get there, the fewer his chances to arrive before Kagome was irrevocably lost to him. And if she'd somehow escaped being harmed before now, only to be damaged in the time it took him to get there because he'd not been fast enough, he'd never forgive himself. He knew that his chances were slim as it was, but they still existed.
When he finally arrived at the location of where her scent was the strongest, he was amazed to find that the Inu's scent was nowhere near the place. Had Inuyasha not only lied about her having chosen to mate Sesshomaru, but about her being with him in the first place, as well? It was certainly possible, and he paused for a moment to take in the scents of the residents. One was most certainly Kagome's, the other belonging to the monk. The scent of the huntress was present, if faint, indication of her recent habitation of the place, even if she was currently not in attendance. He absently wondered at that, because it was not like the group to split up the way they had. Inuyasha's absence he wrote off to a sudden glimmer of good sense.
If he'd been in his native form, his ears would have pinned themselves flat to his head. He normally hated felines with a passion, and these three raised his hackles. The Ondori he ignored completely, as he did the other inhabitants, as inconsequential. But the felines…they weren't even native to this land. That he knew from the strangeness of their scents. He disliked their proximity to his woman, and he especially disliked the way one of them-
Koga's eyes bled red and he bounded forward. The walls were little challenge, and he was over them in a trice, hurtling towards the scent of Kagome and a male who had touched her; one of the felines, who, even now, stood with her under the trees on the sprawling grounds. He ignored the way she was apparently not fighting him off. Well, smart girl, because the male was gigantic and would surely have hurt her! Even now, he could see how still she stood against him, though he saw that he had all of the feline male's attention. She must have been terrified!
The fact that she had been smiling did not register, nor did the stiffening of her body as alarm took over at the sight of his red eyes and the feel of his wildly fluctuating demonic aura. She wanted to call out to him and attempt to calm him, but Sesshomaru gently pulled her even closer to his body in an attempt to still her actions and she allowed it, unknowingly further upsetting the Ookami who saw it as a threat to her person. The low, threatening growl that rumbled in Koga's throat made her cringe. It was a challenge that she knew very well, from the many times a less aggressive version had been directed at Inuyasha. The difference in it might have something to do with the fact that Inuyasha had not seen her as a potential mate, and Sesshomaru did, but in truth it made little difference. Because Koga was stalking forward in that stiff-legged gate she had seen in mortal canines as they attempted to intimidate a rival away from what they considered their territory.
She felt the way Sesshomaru's body slowly rippled with the slow, deliberate flexation of each muscle, before they just as deliberately loosened with the anticipation of the oncoming battle. He disliked the blatantly possessive gleam in the other's eyes as they rested on his mate. The look grated on him, further shaking his hold over the beast that ruled by instinct. The last few days had been hard enough, and he almost welcomed the fight soon to commence, for the liberating feel of his claws sinking into something that could scream in pain. He felt his blood rushing through his body in anticipation, almost willing to use the poor fool before him as some form of emotional release. He had no idea why the Ookami had suddenly appeared, looking as if he actually intended to challenge him for mating rights over the female he held.
Koga came to an aborted halt before the pair, still somehow failing to register the deadly power that fluxed wildly about the Tora, or somehow managing to ignore it.
"This Koga demands that you unhand that female." The words, though formal, were spit at the lager male. "You are to remove yourself from her presence or you will be challenged for her. I warn you, should you fail to do so, immediately,it will result in bloodshed." He felt it only fair to warn the other who, by his mode of dress, was most likely a foreign barbarian and while he hated the idea, he could not sink below his station by failing to adhere to the proper protocol in the situation. He was in the home of another aristocrat, and word of his handling of the situation could not fail to reach his uncle's ear.
The other male's lip curled in a cold smile that, were he in his right mind, would have made Koga cringe.
"This Loki welcomes the sight of your blood, wolf."