Partner

Kouga stared helplessly after the Higurashi Matriarch, knowing he had hurt her but uncertain how to mend the fences he had broken, with her or her daughter. Didn't they understand that he loved them? He had thought once to take Kagome to mate, had even planned on asking her permission to court her; but then she had met his partner Jirōbō and as he'd known her since she was a babe, he couldn't bring himself to steal her attention away, especially not when he saw how hesitantly she gave it away, how she loved Jirōbō with everything she had.

He'd tried his best to distance himself from them, occupying his attention with other women, other friends, letting the only family he had known think he was busy. It was because of his own selfishness that he hadn't even been aware of what was going on, of what the man he trusted his own life to, was doing to the woman he would give his life for, the one woman he wanted more than anything in the world. He hadn't found out until it was too late, until his life had come crashing down around his ears.

He remembered that night, when Nodoka had called him, when his captain had called him in off duty; the night he found out just exactly what his partner was. It was the night he tried his damnedest to save both of the human females, because he could smell Kagome on the child, could see the way the girl knew she was dying. The last name she called, the man who stood before him. Closing his eyes, his fists clenched at his side, he turned stormy blue eyes to the Daiyoukai. "I introduced her to Jirōbō, didn't stop them from courting."

He turned just in time to see Kagome nearly tackle the elder Daiyoukai with a hug and offered up a humorless smile. "I didn't know what he was. I was so busy trying to save her and the little girl, he got away. I didn't realize until afterwards what he had done to her all these years, what he was attempting to do that night."

Sesshoumaru followed his gaze and for the first time, realized just how small Kagome Higurashi really was; and how strong. He didn't like her, still didn't want anything to do with her and he was still learning more about her. But he respected her. Her mother approached the unlikely duo and set a soothing hand on the girls head, leaning down to whisper into her ear, mush as his father was. "The child; her name is…was Rin."

Kouga swallowed and nodded, on the verge of telling the dog demon that the little girl had cried for him, in the end. He would never be sure what stopped him as he watched Kagome, but he kept his memories to himself and simply said, "I know."

o.O.o

Word Count: 485