Chapter Forty-One
Kagome dozed within her bedroom in what he suspected had been an unintentional nap by the time he left the kitchen.
Evening had settled in, rendering everything hushed and quiet. Their house felt unexpectedly cozy with its lingering smells of cooking on the stove.
Sesshoumaru turned, leaving her garishly pink room just as silently as he'd appeared. Her young brother nearly bumped into him on the landing.
"O-oh, hi," brown eyes looked up inquisitively. They then landed on his clenched fist. "Hey! You're bleeding! Are you alright?"
Sesshoumaru arched a brow, glancing at his fingers.
Oh.
Slowly, he unfurled deadly claws from where they'd been buried into the heel of his palm.
"Come on," Souta grabbed his wrist without fear, leading him into their blue tiled bathroom. "Isn't that hurting?" he blinked, pushing the heavy sleeve of his hankimono back and forcing Sesshoumaru's palm to hover over the sink.
"I did not register the pain-" Sesshoumaru softly hissed as cold water assaulted the wound. Interesting. A water system employing the use of pipes around the house?
"Sorry. I don't know much about this stuff, but I know you gotta clean wounds," Souta nodded sagely.
Humming, the demon's lips curved just a little, allowing him to play Doctor.
"I don't think we have any bandages. Luckily there's not too much blood so I think you'll live. No need to hack your arm off today," Souta laughed nervously.
Sesshoumaru arched a brow. It could've been taken as a crude insult, if it weren't for the fact that he was almost certain the boy hadn't noticed his missing left arm because of his long sleeves.
Souta gently dabbed around the claw marks embedding pale skin- looking like angry red crescent moons. He set down his cool cloth, before grabbing a stool in order to root through the bathroom cabinet. "Want some bandaids?"
"I do not know what those are."
Hopping off the wooden stool, Souta presented a box with a flourish. He opened it to show small, colourful things waiting inside. "There's red, blue or yellow. The yellow one is my favourite because it's got a lightning bolt on it. Cool, huh?"
Sesshoumaru snorted, glancing at the selection haughtily. His lips twisted.
"Give me the blue one."
Once unnecessarily bandaged, Sesshoumaru followed the boy to his room, looking around at all the things crammed inside. He wasn't sure what they were. Toys, he assumed. Colourful banners were plastered to his walls. Clearly humans did not value fighting in their current era. Souta did not own one sword.
"So um, I wanted to ask you something."
"Not more frivolous talk about 'feelings' I hope," Sesshoumaru sneered, gaze dragging over multiple plush toys, landing on one in particular.
A truly heinous, unholy abomination: a Chimera of unknown demons morphed into a small, beaked, fuzzy thing with large, unblinking eyes.
"Hehheweeee!" the creature exclaimed, causing him to jolt. "Me… sleep again…" it pretended to snore, thick eyelashes lowering.
Sesshoumaru stared.
"Oh, that's my furby. Pay no attention," Souta waved it off, taking something out of his draw.
"Indeed," the Daiyoukai said. With the boy's back turned, he quickly grabbed the thing and pelted it out of his open window in a blur of motion. The creature made a satisfying noise of impact outside that he covered up with a cough.
Souta looked up but noticed nothing amiss, focusing on the paper held in his grasp.
Sesshoumaru silently congratulated himself. He'd done his good deed for the year. Now the boy would no longer be prisoner to such a foul monstrosity that had no doubt been absorbing his soul.
"If it's alright, I wanted you to give this to Rin," Souta muttered, offering a letter.
Sesshoumaru tipped his head slightly to one side.
"I-it's just… Kagome told me she's around my age and I'd like a pen pal!" He blushed hard with embarrassment. "I figure it would be really awesome to talk with someone who's living in the past."
"You have your sister," Sesshoumaru pointed out. "Could she not provide you with details?"
Souta scuffed his foot, "Kagome doesn't tell me everything. She still treats me as a little kid…" he mumbled, shoulders falling. "And I guess I am, since I kind of… don't know how to talk to her properly lately. I don't get everything that she's going through or feeling, but…" he lifted his head. "I know she hasn't been happy since she got back. Not until she saw you today."
Sesshoumaru felt something halt inside him. He then forced a heavy breath past his lips, glancing away and taking the letter. He tucked it into the folds of his hankimono.
"Very well, but Rin does not write nor read terribly well yet. You will also only receive letters when your sister visits, making them highly infrequent."
"That's fine!" Souta grinned, a glow lighting up his face. "I don't mind!"
Sesshoumaru hummed, shifting. Sharp claws dragged over the small rubbery bandaids peppering his palm. He had the strangest inclination to raise his arm and…
… and what? Pat the boy's head?
Sesshoumaru snorted, swiftly pivoting on his heel and walking away, figuring their business had concluded.
"Hey, Sesshoumaru?"
He paused in the threshold to his room, glancing over one shoulder.
Souta clenched small fists tight, shoulders tense. "If I could ask one more thing…" he ducked his head. "Please, please, please save Inuyasha!"
Golden eyes shifted over the child's face, sensing his sadness. Yet another human who had worshipped his brother.
"I cannot guarantee such a thing. His fate largely has nothing to do with me."
"B-but…" Souta took a nervous breath. "Maybe if you made it your business and got serious… I feel like you could do it. You're strong. If Inuyasha is like a superhero, you're like… the unbeatable galactic overlord!"
Sesshoumaru arched a brow, having little idea of what he meant but liking the compliments. Nonetheless, he faced forward.
"This one guarantees nothing, boy. However, if by some chance he happens to survive, it will be due to your sister's actions. Make no mistake about that."
Souta blinked, frowning. He clearly didn't fully understand, and yet Sesshoumaru picked up through his scent that he felt a little better, oddly enough.
Sesshoumaru continued out into the hall, resolving to wake Kagome and leave. They had tarried too long. True, he was curious about her city, but that could wait. Many things needed to be done to prepare for the-
He stopped dead.
Drawing in a long inhale through his nose, Sesshoumaru shivered. Pale lashes slid half-shut, eyes darkening. Saliva pooled in his mouth as instinct stirred.
Kagome sighed, falling back onto her bed with a soft 'thump.' Great. Just great. During the week she'd have to face Inuyasha, her annoying body had chosen now of all damn times to give the all clear on starting her period again.
Groaning into a pillow, her abdomen clenched. Mother Nature sucks.
Rolling over- blue eyes cracked open- flying wide as she came nose to nose with a Daiyoukai. He loomed over her position on the bed, hair sliding forward to hang like a gossamer curtain around them.
Kagome swallowed, staring up at hooded red eyes.
"... Sesshoumaru?"