Compromise

During his time waiting for the whelp he had begun to take notice of many various little things that most others would miss. Yet he was not most others, no he was far more observant and what he observed only made his ire at his younger half brother rise.

The way the miko busied herself from dawn to dusk, as if sitting still for more than a few moments was taboo. She would work herself hard, running to and fro in the village doing any and everything asked of her, like she was some common servant.

The Kit and his ward were almost always with her, if neither one were anywhere near in sight then it was the nekotama who was with her, as if they were afraid to leave her alone. It raised many red flags and he had never once in his long life thought he would not only anticipate his half brother showing his face but long for it.

He also took note of how cramped it was in the old miko's hut, the two pups were almost always bickering about space and being squished. Like most growing pups they wanted and needed more room yet they refused to return to the abandoned hut. Almost as if it was some cursed place that they were afraid to even walk by.

The miko had taken it upon herself to settle into the smallest corner of the hut, leaving more room for the two pups and the old miko. It was, unbecoming of not only the Shikon miko but for someone with ties to the western house to live in such a situation. Mind made up he let down his shield and let his aura spike, signaling to the miko that he was in the village and that he wished to talk.

A few moments later she crested the small hill that led to the decrypt well he was leaning on. A light sheen of sweat gathered on her brow as she perched a basket of herbs on her hip. Not too far behind her was the nekotama. Nodding his head at her in acknowledgement he arched a brow as she let out a small puff of breath, as if cresting the hill had tired her. He scented no sickness in her, though as per usual the thick scent of herbs and medicine drowned out most of her natural pleasant scent. He was starting to dislike the scent of herbs and medicine.

"Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit my lord?" Her smile was bright though it did not reach her eyes, such was becoming the normal lately. Narrowing his own eyes a smidge he decided to be his usual direct self and get right to the point.

"I have decided to have a hut built for you and the pups, I know you are fond of this area and so it will be constructed here and the well will repaired into working order." His words were short and to the point, as if just by stating them it would become reality.

Kagome could only blink, her mind trying to process what had tumbled from the usual stoic and tight lipped man's mouth. Never had she heard him say more then a sentence at once unless it regarded Rin. "Wait, what?" There was no way she heard what she thought she did.

Sessshoumaru resisted the urge to sigh, as it was beneath him, and instead shifted his feet ever so slightly to show his annoyance at having to repeat himself. "In a week's time the hut will be ready for you and the pups to move into, in that time you should gather your things and be ready for the move."

Kagome blinked once, and then twice. Finally his words sunk in and she could not hide her shock. He was offering to have a hut built for her and the kids?! Oh no, she couldn't let him do that. It would cost far too much and he had no obligation to do so!

She quickly voiced her thoughts, trying her best to sound grateful yet firm in her refusal. Narrowing his eyes down at her he moved to stand before her, his body towering over hers, she had to jerk her head back to meet his gaze yet she did not back down nor take a step away as most others would.

"While I am grateful for the offer I have to refuse, you owe us nothing. If you want Rin to have more room I'm sure we can have her move into Kohaku's old hut. He'll be gone for a year at the least while he travels the lands. Though I do admit I do not like the thought of her being so far away and on her own..." She continued to prattle on and once again Seseshomaru was hard pressed to not sigh at her rambling words.

"Miko, it is already paid for. Would you have the hut built only to stay empty?" A small bending of the truth, it was not yet paid for but since he had decided it would be done it might as well be.

Snapping her mouth shut swallowed thickly, he could almost hear the thoughts shifting around in her head as she tried to find a way to refute his offer, yet he would not let her wiggle her way out of this. No he was prideful of his many skills, one of which was his prowess of being a skilled word tactician.

"Consider it payment for rearing my ward as well as taking her on as your apprentice when she comes of age. While she lacks miko powers she still has a knack for herbs and healing. A hut is a small price to pay for an apprenticeship under a miko such as yourself. This is not a gift but an investment in her future." Once again he could see her thoughts and emotions swirling in her blue eyes and he could practically feel her bending to his will.

Sighing tiredly, Kagome could only nod, she knew from experience that while the Inu brothers were like night and day they both shared a stubbornness that knew no bounds. Plus, if she was being brutally honest, she was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of struggling, just plain old tired. If he wanted to do this for Rin and in turn her and Shippo who was she to tell him no?

He was a cardinal lord, he could do as he pleased at least he was being considerate enough to include her in his long term plans for Rin. The young girl had quickly wormed her way into her heart and nestled up right next to Shippo. To lose the young girl would be like losing her own child, so it was with a grim smile she nodded her head.

"Fine, but please keep it simple. Nothing to lavish and please keep the frame of the well, it is very dear to me." The longing in her voice took him back a bit but he filed it away to ponder on later as he nodded his head in acceptance. He was just glad that she had accepted and so quickly, he was prepared for her to put up more of a fight then she had and once again he knew, just knew, it had to do with his dolt of a half brother.

The whelp would not know what hit him when he showed his face once again.