Two weeks later, Kagome exited the city bus a couple blocks down from Sesshou's house, fully intending on asking him more about Sango and Miroku's children, but was taken aback by a shift in the atmosphere as she descended the steps of the bus.
While fall was in full swing, the sun still warmed her skin in the early afternoon. As Kagome walked the familiar streets back to Sesshou's, she kept her wits about her, sensing so many strange auras that she wondered if Sesshou was entertaining company or if she was simply becoming more attuned to demonic presences now that she knew they still existed.
Reaching the end of the road, Kagome could easily spot a set of town cars lined outside Sesshou's two story home. She was hesitant, but curiosity won out.
Kagome allowed her spiritual aura to gently pulse, alerting everyone inside of her presence. She wasn't surprised when Sesshou pushed back, but she was surprised by the force of the push. He was warning her. Don't come any closer.
She could feel it.
Not knowing what to do with herself as she bore into the dark windows from the street, Kagome faltered in her steps and paused. A breeze passed by her, fluffing her clothes and hair, and right into the open window.
Oops.
The front door burst open, quiet and quick, only making a sound as it rebounded from the brick exterior that framed the entryway. One second she was shielding herself with her arms over head, and when nothing came for two, three, even four seconds...she peered from behind her arms only to see a wall of shirt.
"Um?" Kagome craned her neck upwards to see a smiling face beaming down at her.
"Miss Kagome," the voice was low and round, masculine and manly, but warm and booming. "Allow me to introduce myself." He backed up a step, allowing Kagome to see the man's face. He was obscenely tall, standing at around six feet, three inches. His wide smile was framed by a set of full lips and his eyes were a dark chocolate brown. He was tanned in a way that reminded her of Kouga's sun kissed skin and his hair was full and cropped short, swept back and tucked behind one ear. He was handsome, no doubt.
Kagome straightened herself out when he reached to shake her hand, and flushed at the mental image of herself blocking an attack that certainly wasn't going to come. Then again, there's no way this man's not a demon. His aura left nothing to the imagination. He was strong, and his build showed it, but his energy spoke of even greater strength.
"My name is Saiyo Daisuke, of the Kuma clan. Adopted, of course." He winked, taking her tiny hand in his much larger ones to shake politely. His skin was warm to the touch, much warmer than she would have imagined for a late afternoon in Autumn.
"Kagome," Sesshou was beside her before she could blink, his eyes gazing in a bored stare at their hands still together mid shake. "If you recall correctly, I mentioned the Southern Lord passed with no heirs, but his adopted brood has survived him."
"Oh!" Kagome pulled her hand from the bear demon's grasp to slap her cheeks in shock. "You're one of the adopted bears, Mr. Saiyo?"
"Please, call me Daisuke." His warm voice hugged every syllable he spoke and Kagome was marveled by his entire being. Everything from his height, vibrational voice, and the warmth of his presence.
"Daisuke is here to visit a short while. You will be seeing him a number of times until the YANA annual ball." Knowing her to be full of questions, Sesshou beat her to the punch and began to explain, leading the pair back to his home. "The ball will be held in one month's time. It's a charity event my mother arranged for the company to gather the remaining influential demons."
"I've never seen Sesshou so talkative." Daisuke chuckled, elbowing the shorter lord as they passed into the household. Every doorway that was passed on their path to the kitchen, Daisuke had to duck into, ever so slightly. "Is this your doing Miss Kagome?"
"What?" Kagome snorted unflatteringly, "He's done plenty of changing over the last five hundred years." She waved off his strange comment and walked ahead of the pair to prepare tea.
Before the two demons entered the kitchen, Daisuke eyed the dog lord suspiciously, which earned him a pointed glare. Of course he would never let on that some tiny human could change him so much, in such a short amount of time.