Sesshoumaru lies awake, staring at the ceiling, smiling to himself as his love is draped across his body. He has one hand under his head, the other is lightly trailing his fingers up and down her spine. In his millenia and a half long life, he has never felt as at peace and happy as he feels when he is with her. He isn't sure what he ever did to deserve her, but he isn't going to start questioning his fortune. He only hopes he gets to keep her, keep his happiness, for eternity.
The thought isn't new, and now no longer shocks him. He wants to mate her, to tie her to him and himself to her, to never lose her. His mind flits to the small velvet box he has hiding in the case that carry Tensaiga and Bakusaiga in his room's closet. He'd found the ring by accident while running errands. A thin platinum ring, made of two delicate bands shaped as leafy vines, encrusted in small diamonds. The sun had caught on the gems, the tiny refractions drawing his eye as he passed the shop's window. He knew immediately upon seeing it that he needed to purchase it for Kagome. Now, he merely had to find a time to ask her to be his and give it to her.
They had now been dating for nine months. He briefly wonders if he should wait to propose to her until she reunites with her family, as there's only about eight months left before she does. He's sure that she'd like them to be a part of that. The wolf flashes to mind and he decides he'll ask both Kouga and Shippo on the matter. Neither will betray his plans, and he wants to do it right, make it special. After all, he'll be asking for forever.
A shifting across his chest draws his eyes down to where Kagome is sleeping against him, or rather, was sleeping against him, as she begins to wake up. Blinking her eyes slowly, she turns her face to nuzzle against his skin, drawing the blanket up to block out the light filtering in from the windows, humming contentedly.
"Good morning, koi." Sesshoumaru whispers, drawing his hand up to brush her hair out of her face.
"Mm. Mornin'." she mumbles, pressing a kiss to his sternum. "What time is it?"
"It is approximately 9 am. Did you sleep well?"
"Mm, yeah. Always do with you, though." she replies as she shifts to roll off of him, stretching as she does.
"Good." he says as he hooks her around her waist, pulling her to him to kiss her, revelling in her joyful giggle. "Come, let us shower and then eat." He nudges her to sit up as he slides from the bed before flipping the blanket from her and scooping her up. Her bright laughter brings a smile to his face as he kisses her, walking into her glorious bathroom.
An hour later, Kagome is hurrying down the stairs, giggling as she practically skips steps in her rush, a smiling inu following behind as he chases her. She manages to make it to the kitchen before he snags her, trapping her against the counter and kissing her soundly.
"Ah, young love." a teasing voice remarks, bringing the laughing couple out of their moment.
"Oh, hey Ship." Kagome greets, sliding her hands around Sesshoumaru's waist when he tries to pull away. "Everything okay?"
"Yep, everything's grand, just in the area. Also, it's almost time to change your disguises. You've been using these ones for eight years now." he answers, setting his cup down as he leans over the island.
"Aww, can't we keep them for a little longer? It's almost time to reconnect with my family and I'll get to be Kagome again for a few years." the miko pouts, shifting as Sesshoumaru reaches to grab the coffee beans to make a pot.
"How long?" Shippo inquires, brow raised.
"Seven months, two weeks and four days." Kagome bounces slightly, releasing her inu to steal a seat near the fox. "I've already marked out a full month off once I can. Hiroto and Kouga are going to be fielding my job until I get back. Sesshoumaru's taking off with me."
"I am?" said inu asks, turning to face his miko.
"Well, yeah. We're dating, they're going to want to see a lot of you. And, I'll need you. They'll have a lot of questions…" she trails off, her eyes clouding before she shakes her head slightly. "So, yeah. You're taking off with me. Kouga, Shippo and a few others will show up to introduce themselves and say hi, but they'll be busy keeping him away while I spend time with my family." Kagome explains as she accepts the cup of coffee Sesshoumaru hands her.
"Sounds good to me. Can't wait to meet them. And, fine, you can keep Kaiya until then. The rest of you will have to change when she does, though. This may be a youkai neighbourhood, but folks can still take notice if you stay the same people for too long." Shippo tells them all firmly, including Kouga as he plunks down on a stool.
"Y'alright, Kouga?" Kagome asks, noticing the slight bruising under his tired eyes.
"Yeah, just alpha jitters. Think I need a vacation soon, go see the pack in the states for a couple weeks." the wolf replies, scrubbing his face lightly.
"Take a month then. We can handle a few weeks without you, and I'd rather you not be fighting your instincts. Especially come reunion time." Kagome encourages, placing a hand on the ookami's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
"Thanks, Kags. Think I'll go in about a week. We've had a lull in assignments, so it's a good time to go."
"Yep, perfect time to go. And, if something comes up, Sess and I can handle it. Can drag Ship with us, if needed. We'll be fine, Mr. Alpha. Go run with your wolves and come back without your jitters. I'm sure Ginta and Hakakku need a bit of bossing around, anyways. It's been a few years, they've probably gotten lazy." Kagome giggles into her mug.
Scoffing, the wolf rolls his eyes. "They're lazy even when I am there." he grouses as he reaches for a cup of coffee that has been placed before him.
xXx
"Kagome, dear," Kimiko says as she steps through the previously locked door, settling herself in a chair across from the miko.
"What's up?" Kagome asks as she finishes signing a couple reports.
"I received word about something… odd."
"Odd how?" Kagome looks up, meeting a guarded golden gaze almost identical to her sons. From her peripheral, she sees Kouga sitting up straighter in his seat and Sesshoumaru leans back in his to cross his arms.
"Before I tell you that, I must inform you of other details." the elder inu states, smoothing her skirt. "It is not entirely unusual for youkai to just disappear, sometimes never reappearing again. More often than not, if they do reappear, they turn up dead. I usually pay these reports no mind unless something stands out about their deaths." Kimiko explains, shifting in her seat in a rare show of uncertainty.
"Okay. While that's unfortunate, it's not news to me." Kagome replies slowly, unsure what has the unflappable inu acting as if she's nervous.
"One of my agents brought it to my attention that some of the deaths seemed to be forming a pattern. Upon looking into it, there is no question about it." Kimiko meets Kagome's eyes squarely.
"What pattern?" Kagome demands lowly, hoping she isn't about to hear what she fears.
"You know which, little one." Kimiko's answer is quiet, her lips tilting down ever so slightly. Kagome's eyes slam shut as she swallows hard, her hands gripping the edge of her desk hard.
"What pattern?" Sesshiumaru interrupts, not understanding.
"You're absolutely sure, Kimiko?" Kagome has to know, if there's even a small chance that it's not…
"I'm afraid so."
"What. Pattern." the former Lord all but growls out.
Kagome takes a deep breath before her eyes slide to her lover. "Absorption. By a false hanyou." She sees it in his eyes the second it clicks for him.
"He is dead."
"He is." she affirms, nodding her head. "He isn't the only one who's ever made themselves a hanyou that way, however. How far back do the deaths go?" Kagome turns back to the female before her as Kouga looks back and forth between everyone, minorly confused but knows he'll get an answer in time.
"The first one was from around 30 years ago, and upon digging, I found what I think is where they formed." Kimiko slides a folder onto Kagome's desk. "Since the first, we've been able to track at least one a year, with the most being four. Last year. And that's only youkai. We don't track reiki gifted humans, so we have no way to know if they have taken any of them, and if so, how many."
"Kami..." Kagome breathes, opening the folder to look, before slamming the flap back down at the first glimpse of the crime scene photos. Taking shallow breaths through her nose to calm her stomach, her mild whirls. "Where was it?"
"Do you remember the incident where an apartment building collapsed after a minor explosion in Tokyo? The humans deemed it a gas explosion, but we'd suspected youkai involvement due to the heaviness of the aura that was found there, however we couldn't prove it. It was shelved when nothing could be found beyond the aura. I believe that was the forming. While not as dark as Naraku's, most formings are not. However, they appear to be gathering power, albeit slowly."
"Has this happened before? Since the spider?" Sesshoumaru queries, eyes flinty.
"It has, but the few that have happened were dealt with pretty quickly. The last one was in the 1800s. You know how they're formed, the level of bad that goes into it. It's kinda hard to hide the negative aura. How this one got away with it… and for so long…" Kagome says quietly, trailing off as she looks down at the closed file before her.
"Wait, if that was over 30 years ago, that means they likely registered to the Order for charms and papers." Kouga blurts, having figured out what was going on.
"Precisely." Kimiko replies, eyes hard as they meet Kagome's again. "However, unless we wish to start a witch hunt, the most we can do is monitor the situation and wait for more information."
"Don't gotta check them all, only the hanyous that've registered since the explosion. If you're right that that was the forming, that'll narrow it down." Kouga comments, hand rubbing his neck.
The others in the room all turn to look at him for a moment. Kimiko nods her head. "Very well. I will compile a list, and set agents to monitor them."
"Thanks, Kimiko. I'll have the guys look at the info and see if a fresh set of eyes can glean anything. Especially since we were all directly involved with Naraku. I don't have to tell you to keep this quiet. Last thing we need is people panicking."
"Indeed. I will take my leave, Kagome, and if anything new comes to light, I will be sure to pass it along." the silver inu assures as she stands and leaves the room.
"Here, Sess." Kagome holds out the folder for him to take. "Those won't make you want to vomit." she grumbles under her breath. "Kouga, take a look at them as well."
"Yes ma'am." The ookami mock salutes as he wheels his chair over to the inu's desk.
"I'm gunna go grab coffees." Kagome murmurs as she makes to leave the office, swallowing again at the memory of the photo she saw but a glimpse of.
xXx
Kagome glares at the papers in front of her. Normally, while she still didn't like it, reading and signing all the reports didn't bother her so much, but with Kouga having gone off on his vacation five days ago, he wasn't here to split the work with. And she'd gotten used to having the three way split. Her eyes hurt, her hand was cramping, and she was just done.
"Hey, Mama?" Shippo calls as he knocks on her locked office door before using a key she'd given him a decade ago to let himself in.
"What's up, Ship?" Kagome answers brightly, glad for any reason to procrastinate a bit.
"I… uh… I wouldn't normally bring this to you, especially since he's involved, but I'm at a loss as to what to do now. I've done everything I can to avoid 'tattling', but it's gotten ridiculous." the kitsune growls in a rare show of anger, dropping into a chair as his tails swish behind him.
"Gods sakes, what's he done this time." Kagome groans out, already exhausted and she hasn't even heard what the problem is.
"I've been trying to mediate the issue myself, but at this point, he's affecting jobs and the work folks are doing. He's making Toran jump through hoops to keep the agents outfitted, especially for the special equipment. To the point where she's just bypassing him to go straight to development to ask for it, which, while I don't mind doing it, for the sake of making sure folks are safe and able to do their jobs, but we have the system set up the way it is for a reason. At this rate, she's going to drain the stock I have, because InuYasha has the bulk of it and should be giving it to her for the assignments." he explains, his voice becoming angrier and more exasperated the longer he speaks.
"So, summarizing, he's refusing to do his job, thus making Toran unable to do hers, so she's coming to you to get the supplies so that she can." Kagome concludes flatly.
"Pretty much, sometimes he gives her the equipment, but it's usually after an assignment's already been done."
"And, how long has this been going on?"
"Few months. He's always been difficult, but it really ramped up after that last board meeting."
"For fucks sake. Alright, who's his second?" the miko asks, fuming now. Sesshoumaru leans back in his seat, wondering what she's about to do, knowing it's going to cause a fight between the two.
"Some guy named Suzu. Never properly met him, only seen him a few times when I have to go and deal with InuYasha." Shippo informs her, shifting in his seat a bit as his eyes catch the inu lord's, realizing the same thing he had. "What're you planning?" he hedges, eyeing her warily.
"Oh, only what the boss is supposed to do when an employee is refusing to do their job and causing disruptions across the board. Replace him." she states evenly as she stands and stalks to the door, the other two jumping up behind her to follow.
"I'm looking for a Suzu." Kagome announces as she steps out of the elevator onto the Weapons Department's office floor. Heads all snap up to look at her, many having never seen the miko in charge of the Order.
"Uh, I can… I can take you to him. If you'll follow me, Lady Miko." a trembling neko speaks up, standing from his seat to lead the miko and her companions towards the man in question.
"Thank you. Your name?" she asks him, her tone softening slightly.
"Nao, Lady Miko." he replies, his eyes widening a bit.
"Thank you, Nao. I appreciate it. I'll stop by later to ask a few questions if you don't mind, just gotta deal with an idiot first."
"O-of course, Lady Miko." the neko stutters out. "Here is Suzu's office." he points before scurrying back to his desk.
"It is most amusing seeing so many afraid of you, koi." Sesshoumaru chuckles lightly. Kagome scoffs and rolls her eyes as Shippo snorts quietly before knocking on the door of the office. A call to enter reaches them, and the three enter the darkened room, looking at what appears to be a human who is staring wide eyed at them. She eyes him critically, knowing they don't employ many humans, and none in this department, making her conclude he must be a hanyou of some degree. Likely quarter, given the lack of youkai features present.
"Lady Miko, I... What can I do for you?" Suzu stammers out.
"Is your boss in today? Can you call him in?" Kagome replies blithely as she settles herself into a chair, crossing her legs and hooking her laced fingers over the upper knee. "We can wait until he gets here." she continues, letting her two partners lean against walls behind her. She hears Sesshoumaru sniff slightly and briefly wonders why, before the hanyou draws her attention back to him, forgetting the odd action entirely.
"Ab-absolutely. Pl-please, just a mo-moment." Suzu picks up his phone and dials a number. Soon even Kagome could hear the inu hanyou barking over the phone. "Sir, your presence is required in my office for something. It's important." There's a pause as InuYasha bellows on the other end, before the man looks up at the group in front of him. "Yes, I'm afraid not, sir. Of course, sir." He hangs up, his hand trembling slightly. "He's on his way now."
"Good. Glad to hear it. How do you enjoy your job, Suzu?" Kagome inquires suddenly, a small smile on her face.
"I enjoy it very much. I take pride in the work."
"And, working for InuYasha?" she prods, forcing down a smirk when she sees him hesitate.
"I take pride in my work." comes the diplomatic repeated response, just before the door slams open behind them.
"The fuck's so impor- What the fuck is going on? Why are you three here?" InuYasha snarls, crossing his arms.
"Oh good, glad to see a glimpse of how you treat your employees. InuYasha, you're suspended until further notice." She turns quickly back to the stunned second and addresses him again. "Suzu, you're now acting department head. Please see to it that the requests that have been ignored are put through expediently and that there are no further issues when it comes to departments getting the equipment they need. Don't disappoint me."
Turning back to the inu hanyou, Kagome speaks to him once more, tone sharp enough to cut steel. "InuYasha, if you'll please clean out your office, security will be here momentarily to escort you from the building." Kagome stands, smoothing out her clothes before looking the dumbstruck hanyou in the eye. "If I reinstate you in the future, this shit… it won't happen again." She surrounds herself in a pink glow as she goes to leave the room.
"Now, wait just a damn minute! You can't do this! You don't have the authority!" InuYasha shouts.
"Yes, I do. You signed the contract, same as everyone else. You didn't want the 'chore', as you called it, to have to be in charge of the entire Order, which left me. You're no longer performing your duties and it's affecting other departments, creating friction and putting lives in danger. You failed to do your job, therefore are being suspended from service. A final decision will be made soon at the behest of the board." she clips out before turning and walking away from the office, her two followers smirking as they trail after her.
"Just because you're whoring yourself to him now doesn't mean you have any power, wench. I know you-" A strangled gasp escapes the inu hanyou as a clawed hand clamps on his throat.
"You will not speak to her in such a way, ever again. You will not speak to her at all, unless it is pertinent to work. Do I make myself clear, half breed?" Shippo hisses, his eyes glowing red, his youki stirring into a swirling wind, tails lashing wildly. Sesshoumaru stands behind the kitsune, his own eyes red, and his fingers glowing as his acid gathers. InuYasha's eyes blow wide at who has him pinned to the wall, his feet dangling below him. A jerky nod is all he can manage as Shippo squeezes harder before releasing him. "One would think you'd've had enough of causing her pain after five centuries of it, but I suppose someone as self centered and weak as you has no other way to make themselves feel powerful than to abuse those around him. Now, get your shit, and get out." Shippo seethes at him before stalking out of the room to find Kagome.
"Say such foolishness again, and you will not live to see another sunrise." Sesshoumaru glares at his brother before nodding once to the stunned acting department head, then turning and leaving the office as well.
xXx
"I do not feel it is best to terminate his position entirely. He is crass and difficult, but up until this bout of foolishness, he has always performed well. Without him we would not have had many of the tools and weapons we utilize to protect our society." Totosai drawls to the group, his bulbous eyes blinking slowly.
Kagome swallows a groan. She didn't know what the final decision would be when she stripped InuYasha of his position six days ago, and while she doesn't relish the idea of finding an appropriate replacement, she also doesn't want to have to deal with him again, ever. Alas, it looks like she's not going to get her wish, though.
"I agree. As much of an ass that he's been the past few months. Suzu does an admirable job, and he's making sure requests are put through and processed quickly, but the job is more than making sure the paperwork is signed and the orders get sent out in a timely manner." Toran adds, though begrudgingly.
"As much as I hate to admit it, they're right. InuYasha's been integral in the development of some of our best weapons." Shippo grumbles.
"Okay, so, what I'm hearing is he needs a major attitude adjustment, but he's necessary." Kagome concludes, seeing every head nod, even Kimiko, who had actually deigned to grace everyone with her presence. Sighing loudly, she slumps back in her seat. "Okay. A forced 3 month administrative leave and required, documented, anger management sessions. Any objections?" Everyone shakes their heads, gathering their stuff as they all begin to rise to go back to their work.
"Kouga's gunna be upset he missed this." Shippo comments wryly as everyone else leaves, save Kimiko. Kagome and Sesshoumaru snort, and Kimiko chuckles lightly.
"Yeah, he will. Oh well. What's up Kimiko? Unlike you to come to a board meeting." Kagome asks as she relaxes in her chair.
"It is unusual for the board to discuss the possible termination of a department head. I wished to witness it." the inu drawls.
"Uh huh. What else."
"Such a clever little bird, you are. Very well. He had been trying to sneak into my office to see what I am helping you with. Thankfully, as imaginative as he can be in development, he is truly an idiot and can not get past a simple electronic lock." Kimiko smiles deviously at the round of snorts and giggles.
"Another thing to add to his official reprimand, then." Kagome sighs, closing her eyes against the slight headache she's developed.
"Indeed. I would advise stealth when exiting the building and treading carefully on your way home. It is likely he will try to confront you once you are out of the building. Regardless that it would put everyone at risk." Kimiko suggests, catching her son's eye.
"Ugh. You're right, but ugh. Why can't he use his fucking brain for once." The miko groans loudly as she sinks in her seat, her hands covering her face for a moment before scrubbing her eyes and slapping her hands, palms down, onto her legs. "Right, so, I'm gunna go finish up some paperwork, and then we'll duck out the back way and through the alleys to the house.
xXx
Sesshoumaru enters the house only to be struck frozen by the sudden thundering of music. Wincing as he closes the door behind him, he tries to focus on where the sound is coming from before quickly giving up and searching for Kagome, as he doubts the kitsune or newly returned ookami would be blaring music loud enough to deafen them. He finds her in their room and flashes to her, finding the stereo and very quickly turning down the music.
Turning, face schooled to his blank mask, he sees the love of his life frozen, the sudden volume change seemingly having startled her while… dancing. She shakes herself from her momentary shock and quickly steps up to him, her hands reaching to cup his face.
"Oh, shit. Wasn't expecting anyone to be home for a few more hours. I'm so sorry, are your ears okay?" Her hands slide down his cheeks to rest on his shoulders, her entire face showing her concern.
"I will be fine momentarily." he assures her, offering her a small smile, his own hands settling on her hips. "I did not realise you enjoyed music that loud."
"Ah… yeah…" she mumbles as one of her hands moves to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "Normally I don't, but sometimes I need to drown out my own thoughts, and that's the easiest way to do it. Was when I was 15, still is when I'm 519."
"I understand, and appreciate the effort to only do so via the stereo when the rest of us are not home. You were not lying when you said you liked loud rock." He looks over at the stereo that was currently playing a Godsmack song according to her phone. "I finished my reports early and wanted to come home to see you." He bends to kiss her. "Perhaps, while it will not be as loud as before, I could indulge you with your music. You may play some of the music Kouga gets upset about." he teases her, and she laughs while nodding, pulling away to grab her phone.
"Before I let my phone go full shuffle, you're not allowed to judge me. I mean it." she says sternly, lifting a brow at him, as he stretches out on his side on their bed. She climbs up and leans against the headboard, giving him one more pointed look before sighing, and pressing 'shuffle all' and turning it up a little bit.
Sesshoumaru has to draw upon his entire millennia's worth of training in controlling his reactions when the first song comes on. Slowly turning his head towards the speakers before turning back to his little miko, who's 'singing' along.
"I've created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Marshall no more, they want Shady, I'm chopped liver. Well if you want Shady, this is what I'll give you, a little bit of weed mixed with some hard liquor."
He continues to stare at her as she continues, shifting up to kneel in front of him, eyes closed, her smile blinding as she slips into a groove with the lyrics, not missing a single word. He stares awestruck not only at the song choice but how she's able to rap with it flawlessly. And, in English, too.
The next song is much less surprising, likely on the 'Kouga Approved' playlist.
"Kagome." is all the former lord can say, unable to hide his amusement any longer as his lips curl into a smile and a soft chuckle escapes him.
"I said no judging!" she cries out, falling back against the bed.
"I am not judging, koi. I am merely surprised, and honestly, in awe." he tells her, crawling to hover over her, his lips mere breaths from hers, his hair falling around them like a curtain.
"What, why is me rapping to Eminem awe inspiring?" Her face is a twist of confusion and laughter.
"I have been speaking English for 200 years. I could barely track what was being said, and yet you were able to keep up and do it flawlessly, my talented miko." he murmurs before he kisses her, just as a song he recognises comes on.
"Well, I've been speaking English for some 500 years, so it's understandable." she teases, leaning up to press another kiss to his lips. "Oh, I love this one. It's driven me before and seems to have a vague haunting mass appeal. But lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel."*
"Your voice is beautiful, Kagome." Sesshoumaru murmurs as he settles next to her, arms folding to rest behind his head as he stretches out on his back.
"Thanks. I don't think it's anything special, but I'm glad you enjoy it." she giggles before singing again.
"Why do you think it is 'nothing special'?" he asks, unable to help himself. He doesn't understand why she is so self deprecating with her more exquisite talents. Especially when he tells her they're special.
She shrugs, shifting to lay on her back next to him, setting her hands over her stomach. "I dunno. Never had anyone appreciate it before, I guess, other than my family. And, you guys."
"Us guys?"
"You, Kouga, Shippo, and Kimiko when she has time to hang out with me. Though, you guys are part of my family, really." she smiles softly before it twists slightly, into an almost grimace. "No one else ever seemed to find it anything special. Some even complained, so I stopped doing it where people could hear me."
"He complained, didn't he." Sesshoumaru guesses, feeling a spike of fury lance through him when she shrugs in that noncommittal way. Rolling to his side, he props himself up on an elbow to look down at her, his free hand reaching for hers. "Kagome, I am 1500 years old. I have experienced much that the world has to offer, many of those experiences being as a lord of high society. While I am less strict with it these days, I still do not give compliments lightly. If at all. So, believe me when I give you one, koi."
Her eyes shutter closed and squeeze tightly, her hands clutching at his before rolling into him and pressing her face to his chest. He shifts to lay on his back again, rolling her with him, his arms holding her to him as her shoulders tremble, a slowly dampening spot growing on his shirt. He rubs his hands up and down her spine, staying quiet while she cries and just listens to her music, smirking whenever something surprising comes on.
*Eminem- Without Me, Incubus- Drive
5/19/21 A/N: Decided against it in the end, but the song I was going to use for Godsmack was I Fucking Hate You. If you haven't heard it, and are curious, it's a heavy metal song, so fair warning, but it's good, if I do say so myself. I hope you guys don't mind my use of songs and movies and such in the story, but I figured since it's modern times and she's from the modern age, she'd be like most of us are and be very influenced by and rely on her comfort technologies. No better way to drown out everything than blasting loud ass music, amirite?
Also, I just want to give a special thanks to the folks who've been reviewing/commenting on each chapter (AnimeFrkGirl, Emar1522, and Smiling Fool). To anyone else who's reviewed/commented, thank you so much! They all really make my day seeing you guys gush over the story, and I'm so glad you all are enjoying it as much as you are.