A/N: We are finally beginning to wind down on this tale—I still can't believe it's already surpassed 80k words. But soon enough, like all things, this must come to an end.
Instinct will likely be my next longer fic; it's already beginning to run away with me as it is. And then after that, who knows? I started this fic in 2013, writing far less infrequently as I do now. I used to write solely when I experienced writer's block with my own original work. But then somewhere, it took on a life of its own and in a way, it'll be hard to finally finish this piece and set it aside. I don't think I'm done with this pairing, at least, so we'll see how things go.
In the meantime, thank you all for following me on this journey as I wrap up this story and move onto the next one. I'm anticipating 5-10 more chapters in this story but that should wrap it up neatly.
As always, your kind comments and kudos encourage me to keep moving forward. :)
Kagome flushed, both at being caught spying and at Shiyuri's words of a pup seeking out its master, though the latter also spurned on her temper.
"Sesshomaru is not my master," she ground out, glaring at the daiyokai who was not the least bit repentant for having a conversation of such importance without her. Sesshomaru simply had no business keeping such important information from her.
She was still a little uncertain about Sesshomaru's change of heart and his sudden affectionate nature. Though he seemed sincere enough, the about-face of his actions had her second-guessing his intent. And she was more than a little insecure about it, if she was being honest with herself. She was afraid that if she gave in and let him into her heart, he'd ultimately leave her.
She survived her relationship falling apart with InuYasha. She wasn't at all sure that her heart would survive if the relationship fell apart with Sesshomaru.
Either way, if they did indeed pursue a relationship together—and Kagome still wasn't sure if they should—then Sesshomaru was going to have to learn to treat her as his partner, not some dainty princess in need of protecting.
There was a faint smile at Shiyuri's lips as she answered, "Is he not? Perhaps this one was mistaken when she noted his yoki binding around you."
Kagome glowered at Sesshomaru, who merely grinned. Whatever Shiyuri meant by that, the yokai wasn't telling and, for the moment, there were other, more pressing matters at hand. "You mentioned that his bisento is from the shrine of Susanoo no Mikoto," Kagome said instead of pulling Sesshomaru aside to determine what, exactly, Shiyuri had meant.
"That is correct, priestess." Shiyuri inclined her head slightly. "What knowledge do you have of the kami?"
Kagome thought back to her grandfather's many, many stories as she answered, "Susanoo no Mikoto is the brother of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Tsukuyomi, the moon god. He is the god of storms and once slew an eight-headed dragon. In fact, Susanoo no Mikoto is the one who discovered Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the emperor's sword, within the body of the dragon he slew. As far as I know, there's no bisento that has ever been associated with Susanoo no Mikoto."
Though, she admitted to herself privately, that could possibly be due to recent events. If Itsetsuhiko is destroyed along with the bisento, then it's possible the stories would be forgotten by my own time and thus Grandfather couldn't have known them to say anything.
She rubbed her temples. Time travel paradoxes give me the worst headaches.
"The shrine it was stolen from is a small shrine hidden away in the mountains," Shiyuri offered with a shrug. "It is said that Itsetsuhiko claimed there were only priests at the temple and they saw him as a manifestation of the kami and offered him the sword. If the shrine was so small and only had male priests, it is understandable that a country priestess is lacking in the knowledge."
Kagome stiffened at Shiyuri's words, unable to tell if the yokai had meant offense or not. "It's also possible that the bisento isn't from a shrine at all," Kagome countered, trying to push back her irritation, though she couldn't quell the desire to prove Shiyuri's words wrong.
Sesshomaru raised a brow as he looked at her. "You believe it might be yokai in origin," he said, realizing what she'd been about to suggest herself.
Kagome nodded. "It makes sense. I can't see anyone with holy power mistaking a yokai for a god when we can all sense their yoki. But if Itsetsuhiko got his hands on a weapon that seemed powerful enough to be of kami origin, then he might be able to convince others, even those with holy power, that the weapon came from the kami. Not all yokai weapons are powerful enough to have yoki within them to sense when not in use." She paused, thinking of Sesshomaru's former blade, Tokijin, and a faintly amused look on Sesshomaru's face told her that he was thinking of the same.
Tokijin had been powerful enough to sense—until Sesshomaru had taken the weapon into his own hands and subdued its malevolent aura with his own power. After that, even Kagome had struggled to identify the aura of Tokijin, even when it had been in use.
It stood to reason that the same could be said of a bisento if Itsetsuhiko had the power to quell the innate nature of the blade—and they had no reason to believe that he didn't.
"If I'm right, it's a good thing," Kagome said, more casually than she felt. "A weapon of the kami would be formidable and we'd probably need a kami-made weapon ourselves to subdue it. Unfortunately, Kusanagi no Tsurugi is well-protected and no one knows what happened to Amenonuhoko after it raised land from the sea, but the kami still probably have it in their possession. There are others, like Uchide no kozuchi, but I don't think they'd be helpful in this case, assuming we even had the time to hunt them down and find them."
"Hnn." Sesshomaru exchanged a look with Shiyuri as he considered Kagome's words. "If it is a weapon made by the kami, then the counsel of Totosai would be most helpful."
Shiyuri scoffed. "Assuming you could find the coward."
Privately, Kagome agreed with Shiyuri, but she couldn't bring herself to do so out loud. Totosai was as much a coward as Myoga, though Totosai could be pressed to join a fight if he felt there was no other recourse—say, Sesshomaru terrorized him into doing so.
A small smile touched Sesshomaru's lips and, to her surprise, he produced a flattened Myoga in his palms.
Speak of the devil, Kagome thought to herself in amusement.
"You have heard what we need, flea," Sesshomaru said as Myoga began puffing himself back up in Sesshomaru's palm. "It is most fortuitous that you chose to appear before this one now."
The flea wheezed. "I merely came here to check on the Lady Kagome," Myoga huffed as air came rushing back into his lungs. "As well as lord InuYasha and his new mate. When I was informed you went west, I came to see what had caused Lord InuYasha to leave with his new mate so soon after marrying her." At Sesshomaru's brow, he was quick to add, "Of course, there's no need to check on you, Lord Sesshomaru. You have come into your own power now and only a fool would challenge you."
In other words, Kagome thought to herself mirthlessly, Myoga had been nosy, pure and simple.
"Indeed." Sesshomaru moved to hold the flea between two fingers. "You moved in with Totosai after the hanyo's demise, flea, so you should be able to locate him easily."
Myoga immediately began to protest having to do so. "But my lord, I would have to go past the vast army gathering at the base of the mountain—" he stopped on a squeak as Sesshomaru squeezed him.
"Would you prefer that I kill you here instead?" Sesshomaru asked casually.
"No," Myoga was quick to reply, but Shiyuri interrupted anything else the flea yokai might have said.
"I will take him."
The declaration surprised everyone in the clearing, Kagome noted, as they all turned to stare at her.
Shiyuri shrugged one shoulder. "Unless you would prefer to make the journey alone, flea."
"Thank you, my lady, for your most kind and generous offer!" Myoga easily leapt out of Sesshomaru's grip and onto Shiyuri's body.
Knowing what would come next, Kagome was unsurprised as Shiyuri immediately swatted Myoga.
"I have said that I would take you there," Shiyuri commented drily, "not that I would become your next meal."
"Yes, my lady," Myoga said, his voice barely above a whisper as he fluttered, flattened, into her outstretched hand.
Shiyuri turned her gaze back to Kagome and Sesshomaru. "We will return within three days," she remarked lightly. "Try not to engage Itsetsuhiko before then." With that, she leapt up onto a tree and then disappeared, racing off into the night as her words sank in.
Kagome turned her attention back to Sesshomaru. "Do you think Myoga was right?" she asked, remembering how he'd claimed the mountain was surrounded.
"The flea is the greatest coward amongst my father's retainers." Sesshomaru's tone was not the least bit complementary and Kagome wondered, not for the first time, if Sesshomaru genuinely disliked the flea or if he was simply dismissive of Myoga. "But he is rarely wrong about potential hazards."
So Myoga is most likely right, then. Kagome sighed to herself.
"We should tell the others, then," Kagome said aloud with resignation. "We won't make it off the mountain without being spotted, not with a group our size."
Sesshomaru inclined his head in agreement. "Perhaps," he said lightly, "but first, I would discuss something with you, Kagome."
Kagome, who had turned to head back towards her friends and the others at camp, turned back around to look at Sesshomaru, curious about what he still wanted to discuss. "Did you want to talk more about Itsetsuhiko?" It was the only thing she could think of that he'd want to discuss at that particular moment.
Instead, Sesshomaru caught her off guard by changing the subject entirely.
"You look beautiful, Kagome." His words, spoken lowly, seemed to send shivers of delight through her as he stepped forward to pull her into his warm embrace. "Have I ever told you how lovely your hair looks when its dark strands reflect the moonlight?"
Kagome blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with Sesshomaru?" she demanded, taken aback. She tried to glance around for some hint of a foxtail that would indicate a kitsune prank, though she didn't expect to find one.
Only a fool would dare impersonate Sesshomaru.
His quiet chuckle further unsettled her. "You do not believe me? Yet it is true, Kagome. The first time I noticed your beauty, you challenged me in my father's tomb. I had never seen a human so defiant. Yet now, due to recent events, I see more than just my half-brother's irritating human companion. I see a woman who has come into her own power and is worthy of my respect. And I find that I would do most anything to ensure no harm befalls this woman who has brought my heart to life."
Despite her caution, she relaxed against him.
"So, Kagome," he whispered low into her ear as he pulled her to rest more comfortably against him, "tell me what secrets you have been keeping from me."
The seductive spell he'd cast immediately was broken as she tried to pull back in irritation.
"You were just trying to seduce me into telling you!" she accused as he refused to allow her to move away.
Sesshomaru looked completely unrepentant as he met her irate gaze. "Hnn."
"Like you haven't been keeping secrets yourself!" She poked his chest with her finger, abruptly recalling the last time she'd done so, though she had to maneuver considerably more to do so now with the little space between them. "I know there are things you aren't telling me, Sesshomaru, and it's not fair that you want me to tell you but you won't do the same. That's not a good way to convince me to change my mind about being with you, you know."
"I am protecting you," he replied easily, though she sensed his own growing irritation from the way his body stiffened against hers.
She glowered at him. "I don't need to be protected from the truth, Sesshomaru. I want a partner and that means we have to be equal."
"Equal?" he countered her incredulously. "There is no such thing. Look around you, Kagome. Throughout nature, you will find that there are those who dominate others while others still use their power to protect. There are always the stronger beings and the weaker ones."
"Are you saying I'm weak?" She could feel her temper reaching a boiling point at the very insinuation.
He sounded exasperated as he said, "Did I call you weak?"
"Didn't you?" she countered.
He pressed his lips together. "You are worth protecting," he reiterated, taking a deep breath as though he needed it to calm himself. "I told you before that I would make up for my earlier infractions and I intend to do so. Why, then, do you provoke me and attempt to prevent me from doing so?"
She took a deep breath herself, forcing her temper back as she carefully asked, "And you think this is protecting me? I need to know, Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru met her gaze and he stared at her for several moments. "Perhaps it was wrong," he admitted quietly, "to keep this from you, but it is still something that I do not wish to see taint you."
"Sesshomaru." She moved her hands to his upper arms, feeling the strength within them. "I need to know. Knowing you're keeping secrets—important secrets—is going to drive me crazy if you don't tell me. I need to know that you trust me enough."
He stood there silently for another moment before she felt him capitulate. "Very well," he finally agreed. "If you will do the same, Kagome. But," he added before she could speak her agreement, "not now. We will need to tell the others about Myoga's news and amend our plans accordingly first. We can discuss this after that."
She didn't like it, but she saw the wisdom in his words and nodded her agreement. "Alright."
He moved to lift her chin with his hand. "Let me your concerns from you, for now," he murmured, his lips nearly touching her own.
"Yes," she whispered her agreement, knowing what he'd intended and wanting it. Within seconds of her agreement, his lips pressed against her own. At first, the kiss was sweet and tender, seducing her into wanting more.
And more was what he gave her, pulling her in closer as he deepened the kiss, kissing her until she had to pull herself free to breathe again.
"It will be well, Kagome," he reassured her quietly and she noted that he had no such difficulties with struggling to get in enough air after that kiss. "When this is all over, I swear to make everything up to you in full, for as long as it takes."
And then, that said, he kissed her again and again before he finally led her back to camp.