Welcome back! I've missed my ship! Enjoy the fluff!

xoxo

archersploosh

It was only midday, but Kagome was exhausted already. And not just her feet, either. She had exhausted every attempt to get this stubborn dog demon to communicate with her about anything. All she wanted was a little chatter to break the ice between them. She should have known not to expect much from Sesshomaru. Even in the future, sometimes getting him to speak without a filter took effort.

She sighed again, disappointed with the silence around them. A couple paces ahead, Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks. Kagome perked up at his pause. This usually meant he was giving her a break to find water, eat, or sit on a fallen tree for a minute.

"We'll stop here," He glanced over his shoulder, "I need to scout ahead."

He did that a lot too. She wondered if that meant he could smell something she couldn't sense, and went off to kill it before it ever got close enough to be a real threat. Maybe he did this with Rin when they used to travel together. It was almost sweet, but she knew he likely thought of her as a hindrance in battle. Either way, she appreciated the break.

"I'll be here." Kagome untied her bag and shucked off her bow and quiver to give her back a break. The snow in the middle of a forest surprisingly wasn't that deep. Peering up into the thicker trees that refused to shed their bristled leaves, she assumed a majority of the snow was sitting atop the canopy.

When she looked his way to ask how long he would be, Sesshomaru was already gone. Figures.

He'd said they needed allies, now that they knew who they were up against. That was three days ago.

"We'll travel South," Sesshomaru was a few paces ahead, "And meet with Lord Ryota to establish an agreement for reinforcements."

"Lord Ryota? He's alive here and now?" Kagome's interest was piqued. She never did find out how old Daisuke was, or even how his adoptive father passed, but now it weighed heavily on her. She'd never considered that he might have died in the Eastern war.

"In your time he is dead?" Sesshomaru slowed his pace now, walking alongside her.

"Yes, and we're friends with one of his sons." She explained, "Daisuke, the youngest."

"Hn."

Kagome wasn't sure how to interpret that, but it felt dismissive. She switched tactics instead. "So how long do you think it'll take to get there?"

"Fifteen days." He noticed her immediate dread.

"That long? There isn't another way we can speed things up?" Her concern was obvious, knowing she was traveling with a time limit.

"No." When she opened her mouth to begin again, he resigned himself to the fact that traveling with Kagome meant frequently speaking to prevent her own tireless chatter from spiraling out of control. "If we had other options, we would pursue them."

"Alright." Kagome breathed out her acceptance with a deflated sigh. She trusted him, and it irked Sesshomaru to feel she did so, solely based on the person he would become to her.

In the three days since then, she had struggled to get him to really converse with her. Thankfully they only really spent the days together. Kagome wasn't sure she could handle being together twenty-four hours a day right now, so when he offered money for an Inn on the first night, she was relieved. Not only to abandon his company, but for the human comforts of warmth and shelter.

"Come." Sesshomaru startled her upon returning. She sat straighter at his voice and shot him an annoyed glance. "There's a village up ahead."

"Great, I'm starving." Her irritability was easily assuaged. Scrambling to shoulder her bow and quiver, she shuffled after him. While she didn't struggle with morning sickness so much, it seemed mild nausea was becoming part of her baseline wellness. Her appetite was poor, so she relished these moments free of sickness.

When they emerged from the forest and reached the travelers' muddied dirt path, they fell into their newfound routine, with Sesshomaru dispensing coins into her open palm, and Kagome bowing thanks.

"Return here at sunrise." He said it every night.

"Goodnight, Sesshomaru." She teased his formality with friendliness. Heading towards the village, she called over her shoulder, "Sleep tight."

The last village she stayed in served her a nice stew for dinner. She was hoping for something lighter tonight, just in case she did end up getting sick.

Upon entering town, Kagome recognized the strange looks she was receiving. As she ventured further into town, she kept an eye out for the Inn. So far no one had approached her yet, which was a good sign normally. Oftentimes when villagers did investigate her person, she ended up persecuted for being a demon. Much like how Edo welcomed her when she first fell through time.

Finding the Inn house, Kagome entered the boisterous facility that doubled as a restaurant on their main floor. It seemed many of the villagers were here to escape the cold with a drink.

"Welcome!" A middle aged woman called her way, distracted by the group of men she was serving at their table. Judging by the redness of their faces, they'd had more than enough to drink already.

When the hostess approached, she faltered at actually seeing Kagome's attire. She resumed forward, but with more reserve.

"May we help you?"

Kagome grew nervous. The hostess reminded her of a stern school teacher. The lines of her face must have come from years of scowling. However, her aura shone in a familiar light.

"I'd like a room, please." For a brief pause, the hostess said nothing. Kagome added, "For one night."

"Follow me." She led the way, bringing Kagome to a private room and asked for payment. "Dinner will be served shortly."

"Thank you." Kagome entered her room for the night and began to settle in.

Sesshomaru turned from the village once Kagome was out of sight and made his way across the path and into the woods. He would sleep while he could, knowing that war often kept him awake for weeks on end. He needed to remain vigilant in order to complete their mission.

"...Yeah, her whole legs."

Sesshomaru blinked awake to the sound of villagers making their way through the forest behind him. Seated at the base of a tree, he did not sleep in the branches out of fear of crossing paths with lowly creatures. If any were brainless enough to approach him where he slept, they would meet their end.

"...I'd like to stick my…"

They were just out of hearing range, closer to the village entrance than the forest's traders' path.

"...At the Inn, by herself. We could go play with her until daylight!" Laughter followed, louder than they likely intended to throw their voices.

Sesshomaru grit his teeth. How likely was it that they were talking about Kagome? He stood, taking in the moon's setting in the sky. He'd only left her for a few hours. How did she end up in trouble in so little time?

Kagome roused to an uneasiness in her chest. A shiver ran down her spine as she peered over her covers to scan the room. When she found nothing and no one by the door, or on either side of her, she peered behind her at the furthest wall.

And was met with a looming figure over her head.

Even from the town's limits, Sesshomaru heard her frightened screams. He hastened his strides, appearing nearly invisible to the human eye.

"You've bred with the devil," the Innkeeper dove to stab a cooking knife into Kagome's middle. She rolled away, much quicker than the older woman, but not by much. A cold sweat broke out over her whole body. The woman yanked at her knife stuck in the floorboards. "...you whore!"

Her aura was a rainbow of anger and fear, when earlier it had been a muted lavender. The crimson rays danced in and out of shadows of fear, reminding Kagome of stained glass in churches that were more likely to persecute than pray for another's sins.

Kagome eyed her weapons and bag behind the crazed Innkeeper, gaging her chances of reaching anything useful. She couldn't leave her things behind, either way. Especially not a gun, when in this time period there were no such things.

The Innkeeper freed her thick butcher's knife and swung sideways at Kagome again, who dodged towards the sliding door. Pushing it open frantically, she was met with a wall of a man, grabbing her under the arms and restraining her to himself.

"No!" Kagome nearly sobbed, petrified in a way she hadn't felt since a puppet had tried to rape her. Being restrained by a body surfaced a helplessness she was frozen by. "Please, please..!" She kicked the shins of her captor, but he held firm. In a last ditch effort, she called out, "Sesshomaru!"

The Innkeeper's face snarled itself into twisted pleasure. Now she approached with sure steps, taking her time to size up her prey.

"My son, when I've wretched the demon she carries from her womb, I want you to show her cu-" Kagome had shut her eyes tight against the horror she was sure to befall.

"Mother!" Kagome was dropped from the air and fell to her hands and knees when the man who'd held her captive screamed.

Thudding to the floor, she opened her eyes to see the Innkeeper in front of her, soaked in her own blood. Poison bubbled at her decapitated neck. Kagome's eyes blurred at the smell of it so close, like inhaling bleach and fire itself, burning her nostrils.

Blinking past her tears, she took in the sight of Sesshomaru's boots, stepping over the fresh corpse and unleashing another whip of poisonous lime green. It moved so quickly, Kagome could only hear it cut the air around them, resulting in the crash of another's body hitting the floor behind her.

She didn't bother to look back; she knew Sesshomaru wouldn't let him live. Her eyes couldn't peel from him. He had saved her, even now. She didn't dare question the iciness of his aura. She couldn't let herself believe he was even mildly afraid for her safety.

"Are you injured?" He finally asked, his expression never wavering from the unreadable mask he wore daily. His aura remained the same.

"N-no," Kagome cleared her throat, "I'm alright."

"Rise." Sesshomaru ordered, grabbing her belongings. She jumped to her feet immediately, avoiding the blood puddles that spread around her. "Come here."

She approached his open arm, unsure of what he wanted her to do. She hadn't quite invaded his person since Rin knocked her into him days ago. Without warning he grabbed her around the waist with one arm, the other holding her belongings, and jumped through the hole he'd made in the wall upon crashing through.

Kagome squeaked her surprise, and swallowed the yelp with a single glance from her stoic savior. To steady herself more than anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and tucked her face into his chest. He would have to thank her later, as she was sure the motion sickness would have turned to morning sickness had she kept her eyes on the blurring scenery before them.

At some point the dark of night bled into dawn, but Sesshomaru was hesitant to wake the woman in his arms. He was sure it wasn't pity he felt for her, but either way he wasn't about to wake her when the sun rose higher in the sky, much closer to midday. Perhaps he wanted to gain more ground. He told himself the further they ventured from the village, the less likely he was to turn around and slaughter every single person.

By noon Kagome woke to her grumbling stomach and a breeze across her face. Blinking awake much quicker than she normally would, she squirmed in the arms that carried her weight bridal style.

"We're still traveling?" Kagome blushed at their proximity. He didn't need to carry her for so long. His arms were probably aching from holding her and all of her stuff.

"You were still sleeping." His voice held no scorn, so she felt safe to continue resting.

"Any chance we'll stop soon?" Her stomach rumbled to reiterate her interest.

"Hn." He nodded, leaving the height of the tree tops to land solidly on snowy earth. After a few minutes, he deposited her next to a stream.

"Thank you," Kagome stretched once she had been planted safely onto her two feet. "For everything, from last night." She turned away from Sesshomaru, embarrassed that he'd seen her so helpless.

"Hn." She heard his footsteps retreat, "I'll return shortly."

"...'Kay." Kagome sighed.

Sesshomaru scouted ahead, as usual, but he spent an extra few minutes collecting himself away from his companion's eyes. She didn't need to see him this way. It'd been years since he'd felt panic like this before. Rin had died before his mother the last time he felt such a feral need to protect.

He had to remember that just because the more animalistic side of himself desired to protect and provide, did not mean he, himself, the rational Lord of The West, needed to. He was centuries away from even liking this woman. She was presently not his to protect.

And yet...

The image of Kagome held suspended in the air, scrambling to curl in on herself and protect her abdomen from a bigot with a meat cleaver, burned his veins in a ferocious way.

She should never have been in that situation at all. He blamed his own selfish desire to maintain distance between the two, having boarded her every night instead of keeping her by his side to protect her. He could only imagine his half brother's reaction.

Sesshoumaru would not break his oath. So long as she remained under his protection, any harm to her would smudge his reputation as the undisputed Lord of The West. He refused to fail where even Inuyasha thrived.

Kagome had eaten some rations and was refilling her water skin when she felt Sesshomaru return. Looking up from where she knelt, she was pleasantly surprised to see he offered a rabbit by its ears.

"Oh, for me?" She dumbly pointed to herself, still crouched.

"Hn." He dropped his kill and turned to sit under the nearest tree.

Kagome couldn't fathom what made him hunt for her, but she was grateful nonetheless. She was starved, and trying to ration dried meats was difficult when she was unsure exactly how long they would be traveling.

Sesshomaru kept his eyes down. Tuning out her movements, he told himself to focus less on her presence and more on the fact that she was fed, rested, and appeared much warmer now that she'd changed into traditional priestess clothing layered with a matching red hoari on top. The unease he'd felt since the night before finally released it's tight grip on his stomach, allowing his prior anxieties to diminish into nothingness.

He didn't rush her, which she appreciated, but the silence as usual still left her with too much time to dwell on things better left alone. Like Sesshou. She missed him desperately. It killed her to know he was literally right here in front of her, but it still wasn't quite him.

"So, just out of curiosity," Kagome's voice burst from herself before she could resist breaking the silence, "Because I'm going just absolutely nuts continuing on like this-"

"Kagome." She flushed at her name.

"Right, sorry," She took a deep breath, "Can I talk to you? Just because?"

At first, Sesshomaru had been perturbed by her rising heart rate, but as the silence had gone on, he did his best to ignore her inner turmoil. Apparently, if he didn't address it, she was more likely to cave in and speak her mind.

Her request was simple enough, but it irked him all the same. To care for her meant to become acquainted with her. He nodded. "Do as you please."

"That woman from the Inn, she could sense that I'm carrying a half demon. She was spiritual, wasn't she?" She fumbled to explain, "I mean, I could see into her aura that she was like me, but it wasn't very clear."

"She was." He confirmed, "It's unlikely she had any formal training."

The silence stretched between them as Kagome roasted pieces of rabbit meat over a small fire. She focused on the fire instead of pestering Sesshomaru further.

"You can read auras." His voice cut through the air, making her tense. While he didn't question her, he definitely wanted an explanation.

He'd seen her fight plenty, and was well aware of the bottomless well of reiki she held under her fingertips. This ability was obviously new. Had she wielded it prior to her disappearance, it would have aided them all greatly. He would have noticed.

"Sometimes." Kagome met his eyes. Had she been watching him come to his own conclusions, she might have caught him processing his own feelings. "It depends mostly on how much attention I give, or how strongly the emotions are felt."

"Hn."

"Right now you're a burnt yellow, like when a highlighter touches fresh printed ink." She cringed when she realized it was a poor example. She knew she was nervous, which only made the word vomit worse. "Sorry," Kagome could read that he was both slighted and confused now, "That was a bad analogy. What I meant to say is that I didn't mean to keep this from you."

"Do as you please."

She only sighed in response and resigned herself to the fact that maybe he was talked out for the day.

When the sun began to set and they kept on, passing up a traders' route that could lead them to the next town, Kagome grew curious.

She sped up to keep pace with Sesshomaru. "Um, why aren't we stopping?"

He simply raised an eyebrow at her, as if it were obvious what they were doing.

"We just passed a village, so we should stop. It'll be hours before we come across another." She didn't feel the need to continue, but when met with silence, she continued, "And I'm tired and cold and hungry."

"Then we will make camp." He eyed ahead with purpose, encouraging Kagome to look forward. Pushing a low branch back, he revealed a small clearing.

"I take it we won't be stopping near villages anymore?"

"Hn."

"Gotcha." Kagome sighed and stepped over the snowy foliage.

Sesshomaru made himself comfortable at the base of a tree, one leg extended, the other bent up to rest his forearm on. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes in pseudo-sleep. Listening to Kagome make a fire near enough to feel the heat himself, he was reminded of Rin. Offering him food after his left arm had been severed.

Opening his eyes to inspect Kagome's whereabouts, he was surprised to see her huddled by the fire a few feet from him, forgoing dinner entirely.

"Pregnant women should consume more food than those who are not growing a life." He wanted to call her a pathetic mother for not tending to what would become his child, but his tone did not reflect his ire.

"Unfortunately," Kagome half heartedly smirked into the fire, never meeting his eyes, "Pregnancy makes women sick to their stomachs. Even past morning time."

"You're ill?" Was he concerned? Kagome never looked to check. The firelight was comforting, and warm.

"Only slightly." She finally looked his way, "I'd rather not risk it and make us both nauseous." She shivered, holding her arms around her legs tighter, and gazed back into the dancing flames.

"You're cold, still."

"Only slightly." She reaffirmed, but her tense form told him otherwise. She wouldn't relax enough to fall asleep tonight. Not in this cold. Soon even he would need shelter overnight.

"Come here."

"What?" Kagome pulled her eyes from the fire just in time to see his arm reach out for her.

Before she could find the words to protest, he had already pulled her between his legs, with a single arm wrapped around her shoulders. The other remained perched on his knee.

"I promised to protect you." He admitted.

"You're not held to your future promises if you haven't made them yet-"

"I promised Inuyasha if anything happened to him, I would provide for you in his stead. One day, he will die. You are my liability regardless of timing. He cannot escort you, but I can." Sesshomaru's voice was low, reverberating against her back, and on her left ear, closest to his mouth,"I will do and be whatever he would have done and been."

She gulped nervously, realizing her own hands were wrapped around the violet markings on his wrist that sat across her collarbone.

"Do you understand?"

It took her a moment to gather herself, but when she did, she nodded against his chest.

"Kagome." He demanded her voice.

"Yes," She swallowed again, "Of course."

"Then sleep," He wrapped both arms around her then, one across her shoulders, the other over her middle, just over her own hands to keep them warm. "And do not get sick on me."

"Right."

It took her longer to finally fall asleep, but when she did, she dreamt Sesshomaru's palm snaked under her own hands and pressed into her belly, looking for life.