"It was a pleasure meeting you, Kagome," Kakushin leaned into her side in the back of the limo. He had regained his suave demeanor and it seemed he did it more to irritate the demon lord in charge of his prey than to actually woo Kagome herself. "It was truly an honor to meet the woman my father loved so much." He lowered his voice another sultry degree, fighting back the urge to laugh at the ever stoic demon on the other side of Kagome. "I can see why he did."
"Thank you, Kakushin," Kagome spoke through a tight smile. While she was pleased to finally see him without a concealment on, it irked her all the same to realize exactly how much like his mother it made him seem. Stubborn to a damn fault. "I appreciate you exposing your true nature to me." He grinned at her statement, brushing his fire red hair back behind his ears. "May I ask why the silver hair for a concealment?"
"He wished to appear as Inuyasha to gain your favor." Sesshou interjected, doing his best to sound aloof, but both parties could tell he was irritated.
"That's true." The wolf grinned. "But I also thought it might be a fun game for you to guess what I really looked like." For added effect he wagged the auburn tail on the limo seat.
"I never would have guessed red," Kagome shrugged. "How much longer until we reach the airport?"
Thinking back over the past two days, she wondered how she was going to explain to her friends that she flew to California to reject a marriage proposal. She almost considered lying and saying she accepted it, just to keep them from trying to set her up with boys.
When they landed hours later, it was already early morning, and Sesshou was relieved to return home. He knew he would have to take Kagome right to school instead of returning her home first. Carrying her off the plane, he considered her humanity. She was almost betrothed to a demon. She could have shared a demon's lifespan and been a part of his life for hundreds of years, instead of the scant eighty more she might live now.
Tucking her into his bed, he was almost surprised she didn't wake. Not that he jostled her much, but he still wasn't used to a creature trusting him so completely. Shippou trusted him, sure, but as a demon he was well aware of the differences in strength and often respected his boundaries because of it, but Kagome was different. She knew, and she didn't care. She would treat him as her equal, and he was coming to realize, especially after the events of their power struggle back at the reservation, that she just might be. He needed to preserve her, he decided.
Pushing her bangs out of her face, he reveled in the smoothness of her skin. It wouldn't be difficult to find her a mate, he knew. Most demons in this time cared little for keeping a pure blood line. It was only the more powerful or once royal demons that still held themselves to such esteem. Off the top of his head he could only really count maybe five or so demons who would be downright repulsed by the idea of mating a human. Regardless, he had to make sure she mated someone strong enough to protect her, even when he wasn't around. It would be a difficult feat to find someone as powerful as himself.
As he exited his bedroom, fully intending to sit and ponder his own plans, he hesitated when he heard the priestess turn in her sleep.
"Sesshoumaru…" Kagome mumbled in her sleep. The way she spoke his name, light and happy, tender and soft, gave him a feeling he wasn't familiar with in his chest, but he disregarded it, deciding he needed sleep soon too. However, he had plans to think on. There were many demon he would have to contact and find excuses to introduce her to them.
Perhaps it was time for the YANA annual gala for charity, he thought. While Sesshou despised hosting the event, he was well aware exactly how many full blooded demons would be in attendance.
There was only one problem: he would have to call Mother.