I hereby disclaim all rights for the characters, although I take responsibility for whatever actions I make them do. All rightful credit must go to Rumiko Takahashi for gifting the world the acclaimed InuYasha series (especially to the non-canon couple we all came to love).

This chapter is for the one who learns.

A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating last week! I started with work so I got a bit busy, but here I am with a new chapter! I made this a bit long to compensate for the inactivity recently. I'm really sorry. But I want you to know that I've been writing nonstop, so you can expect multiple updates this weekend. Love you, guys!


Reunion and Lessons

The people cowered in fear as Sesshomaru entered the village. It was common knowledge that he was Inuyasha's half-brother, but unlike the hanyou, the taiyoukai was not accepted mainly because of his infamous power and legendary distate for humans and lowly youkai alike. Kagome stepped closer to him in an attempt to show the villagers that he did not come to harm them. Sesshomaru looked unfazed, however. Perhaps he was already used to eliciting such reactions. Kagome sighed and felt guilty. He was so misunderstood by everyone. If only people took the time to get to know him, they would know that the Western Lord was not evil.

"I'm glad you are well, child," Kaede said when she emerged from her hut. She turned to the taiyoukai standing beside the young miko. "Ah, Sesshomaru-sama, I have you to thank for saving Kagome from Naraku. Such gesture merits a warm welcome to the village."

Sesshomaru merely nodded. Kagome stepped forward and smiled gently to the old woman. "Kaede oba-san, I came to get my things. The rift with Inuyasha will make things difficult so I'm staying with Sesshomaru-sama for a while."

"I understand. Come, I have just prepared tea."

Kagome turned to follow her, but stopped when she realized that the taiyoukai was not beside her. "Sesshomaru-sama?"

"It seems Inuyasha has left the forest. The taijiya and the rest of your friends are headed this way. Spend some time with them while I retrieve Rin and Jaken. We will return at sunrise." His gaze penetrated her more than it should and Kagome found herself drifting towards him, the silver and pink thread pulling them closer, and suddenly the suspicious eyes around them didn't matter anymore.

Kagome softly caressed Sesshomaru's white fur and a low, pleased growl rumbled in his chest. She giggled involuntarily. "Arigato, Sesshomaru-sama."

The tall taiyoukai slightly leaned down and looked as if he was gonna kiss her, but he straightened up. Kagome cleared her throat to hide her disappointment. Was it her imagination or did Sesshomaru smirk? Before she could look closer, his face was back to its perpetual stoic expression. "I am certain you will be safe here with your comrades. I will only be away for a brief period."

"Don't worry, Sesshomaru-sama," she assured him. "Even if Inuyasha comes back, I'm sure Sango and Miroku will not let him near me."

"Very well." Sesshomaru turned around and walked away, parting the sea of onlookers that have gathered around. Kagome sighed. His absence gnawed at her already, leaving her almost paralyzed in longing. After the taiyoukai disappeared into the shadows of the woods, she turned around and followed Kaede into her small hut.

It was as how she remembered it. The faded wooden planks and the walls were scrubbed clean, just the way Kaede liked it. There was a faint whiff of herbal medicine and the strong tang of green tea that was brewing filled the cozy room.

Kaede sat near the pit and checked on the tea kettle. "You seem better, Kagome."

The young miko walked towards her bow and quiver leaning against the wall, along with her yellow backpack. She knelt it front of it and set down the backpack she brought from the Well. She smiled affectionately at the old woman then proceeded to organize her things. "I think the trip back home helped a lot. I got to spend some time with my family while I recovered from the wounds that Naraku gave me."

"The soul needs healing too, Kagome. I'm relieved that your spiritual power feels stronger than before. I take that Sesshomaru has a part in it."

Kagome blushed. Kaede was right. She didn't even know where to begin, if not from the moment that he saved her life. The time they spent in the present together had helped her see him in a new light—not the arrogant and heartless Sesshomaru she had once believed him to be, but a misunderstood and lonely gentleman.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango's shrill broke her away from her thoughts and the taijiya flung herself on the poor miko, toppling both of them to the floor.

"Sango-chan!" she responded affectionately, giggling when she felt Kirara and Shippo join the fray. The kitsune and neko-youkai settled on her lap when she sat up, so she resorted to gently brushing their soft furs.

"Welcome back, Kagome-sama," Miroku said and took his place beside the taijiya.

"I've really missed you, guys," Kagome murmured. Her heart felt like it was going to burst with happiness at this reunion. Seeing all their kind and familiar faces eased her anxiety over coming back to the Feudal Era and having to face Inuyasha.

The tea kettle pierced the silence when it boiled and Kaede delicately poured the tea over the cups and carefully passed them around. "Let Kagome rest. Sesshomaru will come back for her tomorrow morning."

"It's okay, Kaede oba-san. Sesshomaru wanted me to spend some time with them anyway." Kagome blushed deeply when the eyes of her friends fixed on her.

Miroku grinned teasingly, his dark violet eyes glinting mischievously. "Are you finally aware of the Western Lord's interests?"

She nodded and lowered her eyes to the two little youkai on her lap. Her cheeks went even redder. "He said… he wants to court me as his potential one true mate and I... I already gave my consent."

"That explains the scent mark," Sango mused.

"Wait… if my memory serves me right, scent marks are only made by—"

Miroku was cut short by Sango, who stood up and pulled the blushing Kagome to her feet. Kirara and Shippo fell to the floor with a thud. "Let's relax at the hot spring, Kagome-chan."

Feeling immensely grateful to this cover-up, the miko nodded and released a sigh of relief. The two girls quickly got their toiletries and went east of the village where the hot spring was. Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara had agreed to be the lookout in case Inuyasha came back, but Sango and Kagome brought their weapons to be extra careful.

"Ah, I've missed this too!" Kagome sighed with indulgence as she dipped into the relaxing water.

"Oh, you have no idea how lonely it gets when you were not here, Kagome-chan," Sango said and settled herself against a large rock on the bank.

The miko giggled. "Well, I'm sure Miroku did his best to prove you otherwise."

"Kagome-chan!" Sango blushed fiercely and she splashed some water in her friend's direction. "I'm interested to know what happened between you and Sesshomaru in the present."

It was Kagome's turn to blush, but she began to narrate everything that had occurred in the past week and how she discovered that there was more to the Western Lord than meets the eye. She stammered when she got to the part where she impulsively kissed Sesshomaru under the snow-covered Goshinboku tree.

"After the kiss, it occurred to me that it was the same spot where I first found Inuyasha, only it was five hundred years in the past when I did. But I also came to understand that it was symbolic that I kissed Sesshomaru under the same tree in the present. It means that I'm ready to move on from the past and that I'm willing to accept whatever comes next."

"I'm so happy for you, Kagome-chan. Houshi-sama and I have been suspecting that Sesshomaru holds interest on you, but I was not expecting something as serious as him wanting to take you as his mate. However, I wasn't very much surprised when he put his scent mark on you. It's customary in the inu-youkai ways."

Kagome's forehead knitted in confusion. "About that… I don't understand why Inuyasha got too upset when he found out about the scent mark. Do you know why?"

Sango inched closer to her friend. "Well, scent-marking is done after the female consents to the courtship. It strengthens the claim of the male and warns the others to stay away, otherwise there will be a battle to death. I'm sure Inuyasha became angry because he knew that to put the scent mark, one has to be intimate—kissing, for example."

Kagome gasped. "But I wasn't aware that Sesshomaru put the scent mark on me when we kissed!"

The taijiya giggled. "There was no need. You made the move to kiss him. It was proof enough of your consent."

"I see." The miko leaned back and sighed. She looked up at the starry night sky and wondered where Sesshomaru might be at the moment. There was a faint breeze that rustled the treetops and soon, the sound of the nocturnal filled the spring. After a while, Kagome straightened up and gently grabbed her friend's arm. "Sango-chan, will you teach me how to act accordingly when I join Sesshomaru and his pack?"

Sango giggled but nodded supportively. "Of course. My father taught me everything there was to know about youkai and their customs. I suppose it was obligatory to learn them as a demon-slayer. Anyway, the inu-youkai tradition strictly follows a hierarchy. The leader of the pack, like Sesshomaru, is called the alpha. He is always at the head of the entourage to show his position and power. You can't walk beside him or ahead of him when traveling with the pack. You must remain a few feet behind him, unless you are his mate or sometimes referred to as the female alpha."

Kagome let that sink in. "And the female alpha? What are her duties?"

"Well, she is meant to keep the pack in order. She is to care for their well-being, like a mother would to her children. But most importantly, she is to support her alpha, care for him, and tend to his needs. In return, the alpha provides her with the utmost grandeur he is capable of."

"So the pack functions like a human family," the miko pondered.

"Very much so."

"Tell me everything I need to learn, Sango-chan," Kagome said ardently, eyes glimmering with extreme determination to learn Sesshomaru's inu-youkai traditions.

He's given me so much, she thought. I'll never forgive myself if I disappointed him.