It's dark. It's cold. It's, it's painful!

A groan cut through the silence as Kagome finally finds the will to raise her heavy eyelids. All she can see is, well, nothing. She can't see anything, but she can feel and damn does her body hurt like a bitch. A bone-penetrating cold made Kagome shiver convulsively, making her making pain shoot through her body and her head. What in the hell was going on?

Kagome groaned again in pain as her head fell to the side. It took way too much effort to keep her eyes open and she just decided to go back to sleep when her eyes fell on a heart-stopping sight.

Red eyes were fixed on her from the side of her bed like some demon waiting to take her to hell on a flaming chariot. If it wasn't for the head of shockingly silver hair, Kagome might have just died from fright. Luckily, the miko would recognize those icy locks anywhere.

"Sess..ru" Kagome's voice sounded like she was gargling rocks and speaking felt like those same rocks were scraping her throat bloody with the few sounds she managed to squeeze out. Her pale face pinched in pain and the demon beside her moved in closer. Without words, the demon lord raised a glass to Kagome's parted lips and proceeded to tilt the liquid into her mouth. Unfortunately, the kind gesture was done by someone ill accustomed to taking care of people and he poured far too quickly, causing the miko to choke. A coughing fit commenced and Kagome moved to sit up.

Seeing what she was trying to do the big Inu helped pull her into an upright position and even pat her back to help sooth her coughing. If Kagome wasn't busy hacking up a lung she would have been shocked stupid by how gentle this Sesshomaru was being.

"Breath, Miko." A gentle purring rumble entered the ear Kagome had pressed against the demon lord's chest. It pulled Kagome into a comforting daze and soon the sweet sound lulled her back to sleep.

Red eyes glowed in the darkness as he lowered the miko back down on to the pillows and tucked her in carefully. Deadly claws gently pushed back the woman's bangs before laying his strong hand over a flushed cheek. A fever.

"Miku." A low growl and suddenly another tall figure stood beside the bed. The two males looked down at the unconscious woman and a mixture of emotions filtered through the air.

"Heal her." Sesshomaru ordered like the man behind him didn't already intend on doing just that. A figure in silver robes moved to check Kagome's pulse but as soon as his hand went to touch her a fierce growl pierced the air.

"I need to touch her in order to treat her, Cousin." Miku sighed. He had already had his world turned upside down finding out his cousin was hoarding the cute human party planner in his own apartment. Then he came face to face with an on edge beast the second he arrived to work. Miku was no fool, and if he didn't understand what was going from everything he had seen then he would be even worse than a fool.

Ahh, such a pity. She is an interesting one. Eyes of silvery starlight flashed as he thought of the possibilities that were no longer possible but no matter, he had work to do. Sesshomaru was still growling at him and hovering over the miko's form like a protective guard dog but what made his heart twitch was the threatening youki the Ice Prince was exuding. It was a complicated feeling Miku was experiencing at the moment as he never thought the day would come that his ever in control cousin would protect someone so seriously, and he was happy for him from the bottom of his heart, but why did it have to be this girl…

"Sesshomaru. You know I mean her no harm." Miku's voice was soft and submissive. It must have held something telling because Sesshomaru finally backed off and allowed him to approach but those eyes continued to monitor his every move.

Sighing in his heart, Miku set to work as he checked the girl's condition. It only took him a moment before he had a diagnosis.

…

"Hnn," Kagome's lids fluttered open as she surfaced from the depths of her dreams. She was hot and cold at the same time and her body continued to shake her awake to the point where her fever fuzzed mind could make some sense of what was around her. The first thing she realized was that she was laying on a huge bed under a mountain of blankets. The second thing she noticed was that she was in an unfamiliar room filled with classy furniture to the point it looked like a display from a catalogue. The third, and last, thing she became aware of was that she wasn't alone.

"Mi..san" Just like the night before, Kagome couldn't speak without tearing her throat to shreds. She coughed at the irritating and painful sensation but the coughing only made it worse.

"Shh, little Miko. There is no need for words between kindred souls now is there?" The cheeky youkai gave the girl a flirtatious wink that made Kagome smile despite how awful she felt. She returned the wink with a trademark glare and raised brow that could only mean one thing. 'Stop joking and explain.'

Miku smiled as he glazed over the course of events for his little patient. Kagura attacked but ran away before she could get caught, Sesshomaru saved Kagome, and now she was recovering in Sesshomaru's apartment. The way Miku explained the whole ordeal was like it was an every day thing but every single thing he said left the miko shocked. She already knew that Kagura attacked her but that she actually ran away was a surprise. She seemed very proud of what she did and not someone to care about the implications of dealing with an insignificant 'human.' Why would she run?

That thought blew like the wind out of Kagome's mind as she considered the last two pieces of information. Sesshomaru saving her was something she could reason out as his sense of duty or for the sake of her relationship with his father, but being in his apartment was another matter. He could have dropped her off at the nearest hospital and been done with her but no, now she was laying in some king sized bed in the demon king's lair. What was she supposed to make of that?

Kagome opened her mouth to ask her onslaught of questions but a pale finger sealed her lips. "Nah ah ah, I said no speaking. At least, not until you've had this." Out of no where the male produced a bowl of amber liquid that swirled with white frothy wisps of something strange. The smell was strong as medicinal herbs tickled Kagome's nose but so did the soothing smell of honey and jasmine. Looking up at Miku's face, Kagome sensed she didn't have any room to argue and, honestly, she was already fed up with being mute so she obediently tilted her head so Miku could poor the warm liquid down her ravaged throat.

It was… interesting to say the least. Kagome didn't know something could taste bad as well as good at the same time. It was like the soupish dish couldn't decide what it wanted to taste like, medicine or a dessert. Either way, Kagome drank it all.

"There. Better?" Miku watched on in amusement as the girl smacked her lips like a child. He knew that this potion had a peculiar taste but no one before her had tried to decipher the taste so seriously. His lazy grin grew as he saw her give up and fall deeper in to the pillow.

"Why am I here." Kagome's voice behaved this time and her throat magnanimously allowed the whispered words to escape without a toll on her person. The fever was making it hard for Kagome to think as all she wanted to do was close her eyes and go back to dream land but this question needed to be answered. The miko wouldn't be able to rest without an explanation.

"Because here is where you are meant to be?" Miku answered after a few moments of silence. Honestly, what was he supposed to tell her? That she, a miko, was the true-mate of Sesshomaru, her current employer AND arguably the deadliest creature on this Earth? Yeah, that sounded like a troublesome conversation waiting to happen and it was Miku's philosophy in life to avoid troublesome things. Instead, he decided an ambiguous answer would suffice. Little did the well-meaning demon know was that his 'answer' only served to piss off the sickly miko. He should count his lucky stars that the medicine kicked in before she could open her mouth to unleash verbal hell on her doctor, making her succumb to the darkness of her dreams once again.

"Sleep tight, you adorable little Miko."

…

Sesshomaru sat on the edge of the bed as his golden eyes stared at the trembling creature swaddled in numerous blankets. It wasn't enough. In a flash, the daiyoukai left the room and returned carrying something long and fluffy. His Mokomoko-sama was warm and could possibly stop the girl from shaking her bones apart with her never ending shivering. By her side once more, the pelt flung itself out of its master's arms before even receiving the command and wormed itself under blankets then around the onna. It was nearly instantaneous how her shivering ceased and her labored breathing evened out, letting Sesshomaru's tense shoulders sag a little in relief. If this was the result he should have given her the blasted thing earlier but he thought it would only cause trouble since his pelt was energized with his youki. Yet, here the girl was, a miko, being cocooned in a youkai's pelt like a happy little caterpillar waiting to become a miko butterfly.

Not just any youkai's pelt. Her true-mate's pelt. Sesshomaru's beast purred in a doting manner as his red eyes enjoyed the sight of their mate draped in their furs. If it wasn't for her current condition the beast would have found the sight irresistibly stimulating.

"Hn…" Sesshomaru hummed as he chose to ignore his beast's current mood. The old thing had his way with Sesshomaru's body for the better half of the day when they sensed the miko was in danger. Before even Sesshomaru could realize what was happening he was diving head first into a freezing lake. Emotions that were indecipherable to the daiyoukai commanded him as his body acted of its own volition. He needed to save this girl. To protect her. To cherish her.

It was much later when the onna's medical needs were seen to and the matter of that wind wench, the only thing that could pull Sesshomaru away from the miko's side for more than a few minutes, that the volatile storm of emotions settled enough for him to detain his beast and return to normal. However, even when Sesshomaru regained full control over his senses he noticed something peculiar. Those pesky emotions that were foreign to Sesshomaru didn't completely disappear.

It wasn't until the miko's heart gave a twitch that sent Sesshomaru's own frozen heart through the floor boards that the daiyoukai realized something. It wasn't only his beast that cared for the miko's well being. No, Sesshomaru was the one concerned about every shaky breath or pained whimper that escaped her pale lips. It was Sesshomaru who had been in control of himself for over three hours but still refused to leave her side. It was Sesshomaru who, in the wake of her sickly pallor and cold skin, felt fear at the possibility of the miko's demise. It. Was. Sesshomaru.

The daiyoukai covered his eyes at the realization that not only did this girl hold power over his beast but somewhere along the way she thawed out his own heart and made herself at home. Sesshomaru was not a fool. He knew what these emotions signified, but the question remained. Would he accept these feelings or lock them away and throw away the key?

"Santa?" A broken whisper cut through Sesshomaru's pondering. Turning his head, he saw two glittering eyes staring at him in hazy innocence. Pink cheeks flushed with color and a pouting mouth pulled in to a tiny frown as a heavy hand struggled out of the blankets to reach for him. He could see how much effort it took for the onna to raise that hand and he instinctively moved to take the delicate offering as to make it easier for her. It was when their hands touched and Sesshomaru saw that beautiful smile bloom on Kagome's face that he knew he had his answer.