Kagome hovered in the dojo the following morning, watching Hikaru with a watchful eye.
Sesshomaru had been adamant when they'd awoken about starting Hikaru's training as soon as possible, though he'd promised to ensure Hikaru would be safe doing so. As soon as Hikaru was dressed, Sesshomaru had taken Hikaru down to the dojo to practice before they all sat down to breakfast.
Still, though Kagome trusted Sesshomaru, she couldn't shake off her worry and less than thirty minutes after they'd left for the dojo, she found herself at the dojo to try and lessen her own anxiety.
True to his word, Sesshomaru kept an equally careful eye on Hikaru as he went through his instruction. So far, they were practicing stances and Hikaru hadn't been given a weapon at all—metal or otherwise.
"Mine," Hikaru said abruptly, reaching out for the swords at Sesshomaru's hips. Both Bakusaiga and Tenseiga were sheathed, but that didn't stop Hikaru from toddling over to Sesshomaru to grab at one.
Sesshomaru's response was quick. He turned, the swords now out of reach, and said firmly, "Swords are not toys, Hikaru. You will not receive a fang of your own until you have proven capable of the responsibility. You must show you have mastered the basics before you will be allowed to practice with a wooden sword and only when you have mastered that sword and yourself will you be ready for a real blade." His tone was patient but practiced, suggesting he'd already said this to Hikaru at least once before Kagome had shown up.
Kagome saw the look on Hikaru's face as he readied himself for a loud verbal protest and just barely kept herself seated. This was Sesshomaru's arena and she needed to trust that he would be able to handle Hikaru's outburst without her help.
More importantly, Sesshomaru needed to know that, too, if they were going to raise Hikaru together.
For a moment, she thought Sesshomaru must have noticed her twitching as she'd nearly gotten up to run to her son because he gave her a small smile. But it was only there a moment before he turned his attention to the toddler before him.
"Hikaru," he rumbled in that tone of his that always seemed to capture Hikaru's attention, "this one is glad to see that you are so interested in swordsmanship. But," he cautioned, holding up a hand to stop Hikaru from racing towards him again, "if you disobey this one again in the dojo, your lesson for the day will be over. Do you wish to stop for today?"
He didn't use his yoki to enforce the command, allowing Hikaru to make his own decision in the matter, and Kagome felt her own expression soften.
Hikaru had frozen at Sesshomaru's warning and he seemed to hesitate as he moved two fingers to his mouth and suckled. After a moment, he shook his head without moving his fingers from his mouth.
"Very well." Sesshomaru nodded. "If you wish to continue, we shall, and if you do well and follow this one's instructions, he will show you his own power."
Sesshomaru seemed to sense what Hikaru was capable of as he spent the next hour patiently demonstrating one movement then helping Hikaru practice until he got it right before moving to another. Hikaru managed a basic mimicry of Sesshomaru's first stance but his attention to detail began to fade quickly after that, though he still tried to copy the movements he was shown.
Kagome remained quiet, observing Sesshomaru's patience hold even when Hikaru began giggling and doing his own interpretive version of Sesshomaru's stances. Hikaru's attention span was clearly waning and yet Sesshomaru hadn't snapped or grown irritated with Hikaru for his actions. Instead, he indulged Hikaru to a degree, allowing Hikaru leeway as long as he attempted a stance. For all of his playing, Hikaru was attempting to imitate Sesshomaru's stances and he was excited each time Sesshomaru reminded him that a reward would await him as long as he tried his best.
It was impressive to see. A human child of the same age wouldn't have half the attention or dexterity Hikaru had shown. If anything, Hikaru developmentally seemed to be closer to around three or four years of age when it came to swordsmanship and it was only then that she realized Sesshomaru must be tapping into her son's instincts—far better developed than a child of equivalent age would be—to help him learn.
It was only after that revelation that she looked closer and realized that Sesshomaru was using his yoki to help guide Hikaru through the movements and gently correct his stances if Hikaru was too out of form.
It was then that she realized that Sesshomaru had been correct. Though to her mortal heart, Hikaru was far too young, it was clear now that he needed training for his instincts and Sesshomaru was far better equipped to deliver that than she herself was.
And though Hikaru wouldn't be ready to move onto formal swordsmanship anytime soon, he was clearly ready and eager to learn from Sesshomaru now—though Hikaru's mental fatigue was quickly becoming evident as he began to struggle more and more to pay enough attention to properly emulate Sesshomaru's stances.
The moment Hikaru began twitching in earnest, Sesshomaru called a halt to the lesson.
"You did well, Hikaru," Sesshomaru praised as he pulled his yoki back within himself. "You made your mother and your sire very proud."
Hikaru, beaming, turned to Kagome and she smiled reassuringly at him, wanting him to see that she was proud of him. Giggling, he turned back to Sesshomaru with a wide grin on his face.
"Go to your mother and this one will show you his power as promised."
"Toutou!" Hikaru raced back to Kagome, climbing into her lap with more energy than she would have thought possible after he'd spent the last hour in the dojo. Kagome didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her son in a reassuring hug as they both turned their attention back to Sesshomaru.
To her surprise, Sesshomaru began stripping off his haori and his inner kimono with slow, practiced moves to expose the bare flesh of his chest. He then carefully draped the discarded articles of clothing over a spare wooden rack behind him before he moved to stand in the dead center of the dojo.x
Though it was a sight that she had all too recently seen, Kagome swallowed. She should have been surprised because she wasn't sure why he needed to be half naked to show off his power, but instead all Kagome could focus on was the way his muscles bunched and moved as he reached for Bakusaiga at his hip and drew it from the sheath.
Kagome gaped, barely hearing her son as he clapped in delight.
Sesshomaru raised a brow as he suddenly relinquished partial control over the wellspring of yoki within him. It flowed around him in a reddish blaze of light, encapsulating his humanoid body as Bakusaiga glowed green in response to his own power.
For a moment, Kagome thought he might transform in full. The dojo was far larger than a human equivalent for the time, allowing adequate room for Sesshomaru to comfortably stand and fight in his yokai form—or to allow several yokai to comfortably battle without worrying about inadvertently destroying the dojo by a careless movement.
She suspected, however, that the dojo's wooden floors, walls, and ceiling supports would endure a yokai attack without difficulty as she could sense a latent power in the wood planks that suggested they had a yokai origin themselves.
Yet Sesshomaru did not fully transform despite the sudden yokai appearance of his eyes and facial markings. Instead, he remained in that partially transformed state as he showed Hikaru not what he was fully capable of but the potential of each of the stances he'd had Hikaru practice that day.
It was only at the end, once he'd finished, that Sesshomaru finally called on the full power of Bakusaiga and allowed his power to flow free in a blinding flash of light.
It's almost like a yokai version of fireworks, Kagome thought to herself, holding back a small laugh at the thought of Sesshomaru displaying his power as humans might use fireworks to celebrate or impress.
Sesshomaru sheathed his sword then but he made no move to gather his discarded clothing and put it back on.
Curious, Kagome stood, Hikaru in her arms, and walked over to Sesshomaru. "That was very impressive," she said as Hikaru chirped his own verbal delight at the sight.
Sesshomaru inclined his head at the praise.
Hikaru squirmed and, sensing they'd already lost the toddler's attention, Kagome shifted him in her arms absently as she said, "Will Hikaru really be able to do all of that one day?"
"If he remains dedicated in his studies, perhaps," Sesshomaru allowed, amusement quirking his brows as Hikaru suddenly turned his head and began sucking on part of Kagome's sleeve. "It would seem that for now, perhaps, he would rather have a meal."
Kagome sighed, mentally resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have a wet sleeve until it stiffened and dried. At least he'd sucked on her sleeve this time and not on the body of her kimono itself. "I'm pretty sure all Hikaru thinks about is food and finding you," she said, striving for a weak joke to lighten the mood and shake off her embarrassment.
But to her surprise, Sesshomaru laughed quietly, startling her so much that she had to tighten her grip on Hikaru lest she drop her son. "It is said that children often take after their parents' interests. Should I be flattered to be so highly regarded by you in turn, Kagome?"
"I..." Kagome faltered as her face heated, though she was quick to note his teasing smirk. "That's not funny, Sesshomaru," she grumbled to hide her embarrassment. "And shouldn't you be dressing before someone comes in and sees you half-naked?"
"Ah." Sesshomaru nodded though he still made no move to retrieve his clothing. "You wish to keep such a sight to yourself."
She gaped. "That's not what I meant and you know it!" she hissed.
"Is it not?" He finally turned and collected his clothing. "If you wish to see such a sight again, Kagome, you need only ask. Perhaps," he mused, a teasing smirk at his lips once more, "I will begin sleeping as such. It will ensure that your son is unable to find purchase to dig his claws into when he does not wish to wake."
Kagome closed her eyes for a moment at the memory of how Hikaru had nearly ripped Sesshomaru's clothes off. She hadn't been able to find the answer behind Sesshomaru's sudden flirtation but she could no longer ignore that he was, in fact, flirting.
The question was: why? What did he want from her?
"Hurry up and dress before I need another bath," Kagome finally settled on, momentarily forgetting her agreement to bathe more often with Sesshomaru. But as soon as the words left her lips, she was reminded all too intimately of the sight that had befallen her the last time they'd bathed together and this time, her body reacted fully to the thought fo another such treat.
"Later," he rumbled, his voice laden with seductive promise as he finally dressed himself. "For now, we must feed Hikaru before he attempts to hunt his own meal himself."
Kagome looked down at Hikaru in surprise as he gave her a toothy grin. "Will he?"
Sesshomaru's expression was serious as he finished tying his obi. "Eventually," he said, evidently sensing her need for an honest answer. "Once he is able to transform at will, his instincts will urge him to hunt and make his first kill, but it is often years before a child is successful. Until then, he will practice the skills he will need in preparation for that day, closely guarded by his parents and pack to ensure he does not make any overly foolish mistakes."
The way he said that nagged at her but Hikaru's teeth pressed against her skin, scattering her thoughts. "Let's go to breakfast then," she said, carefully extracting Hikaru's mouth from her arm.
To her surprise, Sesshomaru took Hikaru from her and carried him before he turned and led the way to breakfast. "Come," he said, leaving Kagome free to mull over his words from a moment before as she followed him out of the dojo and down the hall to their dining room where she could already smell the hot breakfast that awaited them.
If she hoped to get to the bottom of what Sesshomaru really wanted from her, she sensed she would first have to truly get to know the male himself—and that, she realized now, would not be an easy task.