Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the source material for this story. All are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This fic is labeled MA per standards for eventual violence, sex, and language so be warned.

...

Reconciliation

Chapter 15 - Sad People Hypnotize

Sesshoumaru flew through the night over fields and forests, not caring who or what saw his true form soaring close to the ground. He let his nose guide him through the wilderness towards the village because his mind was far away.

He thought of his father and mother and their early days together when he was a pup. He thought of his adolescence and his revelation that violence was an inextricable fact of the world. He thought of the days and years of training himself to be precise and powerful in the application of his many unique skills. He remembered when his father left the West in favor of his new human dalliance and the uproar it caused in his mother and his house. He remembered the night his father died and the sound of a crying babe being stolen away into the woods as he watched, unmoving.

Sesshoumaru remembered all of those things and felt the heavy burden of the body in his paw begin to pull him downward, growing numb with the psychological weight of it. Unseeing eyes unfocused on the world for a moment and only the feeling of the holy aura beckoning him downward to Edo seized his attention and forced him to return to the waking world.

…

"What is Sesshoumaru doing here so late?" Sango asked as she and her husband stepped quietly out into the road. The inudaiyoukai's massive form was easy to recognize even in the pitch black of the night and his unshielded aura had made Miroku shudder as they finished cleaning up the mess of the day.

"I do not know but I am afraid for the worst. Is Shippou still asleep?" Miroku asked, tying his yukata tightly closed.

"I think so. I'll check on him again." Sango left and went back inside to make sure the little kit was asleep. He had worn her own children out so he was sure to be tired.

"Make sure he is asleep and not following us. This may be a conversation best left 'til morning."

In fact, Miroku was fairly certain it was. Sango nodded. Daiyoukai don't show up silently in the middle of the night for no reason but especially not this one.

Sesshoumaru landed in the field nearby and shifted forms, and his burden, to walk slowly down the hill. Miroku met him at the road's edge and took note of the wrapped body in his arms. He also took note of the dried cascade of blood on Sesshoumaru's shredded white kosode and the wide tears in his hakama. The thin armor he usually wore was bunched up over one shoulder and hanging broken. The fight must have been a serious one.

"Who have you brought home to rest, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the monk asked solemnly, intensely aware of his hammering and fearful heart.

"Inuyasha, second son of the Inu no Taisho, is brought home to his pack and his eternal rest."

Miroku nodded and let the first few silent tears roll down his jaw.

"Forgive me. I have feared this moment. Now that it is here, I dread what comes after even more. Where is Kagome-sama? Did she find him? She is not lying with him, is she?" he asked, his voice heavy with emotion.

"She is not." Miroku sighed openly with relief and rested his hands on his knees for a moment. "She has been taken to the West to recover from her injuries. In the end, she could not save him though her efforts were valiant and without regard for her own health or safety."

Miroku straightened and let a thick chuckle slip out. "Ah, Kagome. Thank the gods. But she will recover?"

"She will. I will have her brought here when she is well. The damage was not severe."

"A small mercy." Miroku let his eyes wander over the burial silks in Sesshoumaru's arms. "Would you aid me in carrying Inuyasha's body to the shrine? We will bury him there with those he knew in life."

"Very well."

Miroku turned and started walking away and down the road. His collar was dotted with the tears he shed quietly on the way and when they passed Miroku and Sango's home, she came out to meet them and asked the same questions. Learning of Inuyasha's fate was a blow and the choked sob that erupted startled her into covering her mouth so as not to wake the children. Sesshoumaru kept walking past them with the singular purpose of laying his half-brother near his final resting place. The body in his weary arms was becoming much too heavy.

This was the last time they would see each other in this life. Ending his quest to bring the hanyou to justice had been a happy goal at one time. Sesshoumaru felt only sorrow now, not that he would allow anyone else to know. There was much to be done before he could make sense of his emotions regarding his brother.

After the long climb to the shrine, Miroku bid Sesshoumaru to lay Inuyasha to rest on a long table at the back of the shrine. The monk lit incense and said a prayer to aid his friend's travel to the next world, adding his own well-wishes and love for his brother in arms.

Sesshoumaru waited patiently in the pitch darkness of the night atop the hill. He did not want to linger here. This place smelled of humans and decay. He was eager to collect the kitsune child and begone. Sesshoumaru did not want to return to the West either. His guests had been waiting for three days for his arrival and Kikuko would be seething that he had not returned sooner. But with the kit in tow, he would have to go straight back. He had made a vow.

When Miroku returned to the shrine yard, Sesshoumaru was standing in the center of it, gazing up at the empty, moonless sky.

'Perhaps this was difficult for him, as well.' Miroku wondered sadly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I thank you for bringing him home. And for caring for Kagome-sama. I'll be anxious to see her again when she is well."

"Inuyasha knew this, as well, and has asked me to bring the kitsune child back to the West to be with her."

Miroku smiled the knowing smile of a friend. "Of course he did. Very well. Let us go back to my house and we will collect him. Unless you would like to stay until morning when he wakes?"

"No. It is best that I return to the West at once. There is much to explain." He left the statement as it was, hoping the monk would not prod him further.

"I imagine so. Inuyasha will be cared for most respectfully, I assure you." He swallowed thickly again. "Shall we?" Miroku gestured back down the hill.

Sesshoumaru nodded silently and leapt from the hill and soared over the town to land outside the small house. Miroku took each heavy step down the hill and away from the shrine. Kaede would be just as shocked tomorrow when he would be forced to live this moment all over again. The monk had to stop and brace himself on the torii arch at the bottom of the hill. A few more tears fell to the ground silently.

It was a heavy loss. Miroku had never known a closer friend or more capable comrade. Inuyasha had been honorable and brave, and cared deeply for those around him. Miroku would do his part to make sure his memory was kept that way, and straightened his back and resumed walking home. He wouldn't press Sesshoumaru for more information about what had happened tonight. Kagome would know and when some time had passed, it might help her to tell the story.

"…and I am so sorry for your loss, Sesshoumaru-sama. Inuyasha was brave and a good friend. He will be remembered well in our hearts, no matter how his life ended."

Miroku heard Sango echo his thoughts as he approached the house. He smiled sadly when she met his eyes. It would be a long day tomorrow for them both.

"Agreed, my love. But for tonight, Sesshoumaru is required to take Shippou to Kagome in the West. Shall I go fetch him?"

"What?" Sango questioned, then reasoned he was to be with Kagome. Good. They would need each other. "No, that's all right. Let me. He'll be confused and it will give me a chance to tell him goodbye. Before that, however, can I offer you a clean kosode? That one is ruined and Shippou will know why when he sees you."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the garment. The slayer was right. He nodded to her, appreciating her foresight. He would not explain to the kit but allow the priestess to do so. Freeing himself of the blood would calm him somewhat. There was nothing to be done about his hakama but he had more pressing matters to worry about than the boy's questions.

Sango's eyes shone with fresh tears as she ducked into the house. She brought a clean, white kosode out for him to change into and left the rest to Miroku, who waited for the daiyoukai to shed the bloody robe before removing it from sight to the rear of the house.

Sango returned a few minutes later with a drowsy fox kit in her arms and handed a small pack to Miroku with Shippou's things before patting his sleepy head to wake him again.

"Shippou? Sesshoumaru is here to take you to Kagome. I want you to be good for him on the way, all right?"

"Hmm?" Tiny clawed hands rubbed his eyes and he looked up sleepily at Sango. "Sessh'maru's here? Where's Momma?"

"She is in the West waiting for you, kit. Come." the daiyoukai rumbled.

"Why's she there? And why is Sesshoumaru here? Gah!" Shippou squeaked when Sango held him out for Miroku who hugged him and craned his neck so they could talk.

"She has been injured and will explain everything when you arrive. Be good for her and for Sesshoumaru, and when she is well, you will return here. Do you understand?" Miroku patted his head affectionately.

He nodded meekly and looked over to Sesshoumaru from under a nervously crinkled brow.

"Come, kit."

Sesshoumaru held out a clawed hand and Shippou was unsure what to do. Just grab Sesshoumaru? Not likely. He reached out a tentative hand to the daiyoukai and smelled distinctly of fear and anxiety. The daiyoukai wrapped a large hand around the kit's middle, and lifted him up and onto his shoulder. When Shippou grabbed the collar of Sesshoumaru's kosode, he waited for retribution but none came. He nodded to Miroku, accepted his pack, and settled his small body there, eyes fluttering here and there and trying not to appear scared.

"I take my leave and give you my thanks." He bowed his head slightly and readied to vault from the ground.

After he took off, they could hear the startled yell of Shippou and hoped he would make it there unscathed. But that was nothing to the shocked faces of the two humans below at hearing Sesshoumaru's gratitude.

"Oh Sango, I cannot imagine life now without Inuyasha." Miroku brought her close and held her tightly. He felt her shoulders begin to shake in his embrace. "We must be ready to help Kagome when she returns." He felt Sango nod beneath his chin.

When Miroku loosened his hold, he bent down to capture her lips in a tender kiss. He hoped it would be many, many years before he would know the sadness Kagome would face in the coming days. Love was both the greatest joy and keenest pain.

…

After leaping from the ground, Sesshoumaru cast his eyes westward and began to ready himself for the conversations ahead. He would deal with his grief privately and there was much to be done to distract him until then. Before he could consider much, however, the kit began to slip from his shoulder and cried out. Snatching him from the air, Sesshoumaru held him up by the scruff as Shippou blinked with wide eyes and offered a nervous, fanged grin. The daiyoukai considered how best to carry the child. Shippou was clearly terrified and would not disobey. Good. He could more easily hold the kit in the crook of one arm as Rin had sat during their last trip. Mind made up, Sesshoumaru tucked him into his left elbow and resumed speeding towards the West in silence.

Some time into the journey, Shippou fell asleep as the hours of nervousness and the long night wore on. He was young and not yet a nocturnal creature. That would change as he grew, however, and the miko would have her hands full. Shippou snuggled deeper into his arm and Sesshoumaru considered him. There were kitsune in the Western palace so he was familiar with them but none had young this small, or any litters at all now that he thought about it. Much like Rin, this child would be very much alone at the Palace. Perhaps they could entertain each other as the priestess healed…

The priestess. She was at this moment in his home. A human. Being tended by daiyoukai. Absurd. When Inuyasha made the request, it seemed simple and honorable and he agreed without fully considering that she could be there for weeks. Humans healed so slowly, in fact, it might be months before she could travel again. But he had made a vow and it would be honored. He considered that his mother might be further enraged by her presence and considered that a benefit.

He could avoid the priestess easily enough, and they had no reason to spend further time together now that Inuyasha was… dead. He swallowed as the word crossed his mind. It was still a raw feeling. He shook it away. She might be required to bring testimony to the other Lords regarding Inuyasha's death but otherwise, she could recover in the guest wing far away and not underfoot.

…

Inside the Western Palace infirmary, Kenshin had just about had it with all of the nosy visitors.

"No, you may not see her! She is recovering and not a spectacle to be gawked at. I am certain you all have other work to attend to!" he almost yelled at the newest gaggle of servants craning their necks through the door of the infirmary.

Walking back around the bed to his newest patient, he readied needle and thread again with his back to the door. The gash at the back of her head was larger than he had realized and required several more stitches. Running out of silk thread a few minutes ago and going back to his supply cabinet had given a new crop of onlookers the chance to bombard him with questions about the unconscious miko.

"Foolish, gossipy idiots…" he trailed off as they dispersed, readying his hands again and leaning back down over the young priestess's bloodied and swollen injury.

He had only ever used needle and thread to stitch pups back together who had no concept yet of healing themselves. Over time, they would have healed without intervention but parents were oddly touchy about blood coating a small child. Just as his hands moved forward to place the first stitch again…

"And how fares the patient, Kenshin?"

"Gods be damned! Can't you idiots leave me alone long enough to- Oh, Ren it's you." Recognition lit the face of the healer and Ren's shocked stare from the doorway made Kenshin smile.

"Pfft! Shall I leave? Clearly you are in no mood to entertain." Ren laughed and went around to the other side of the table to see the miko's face.

"I am sorry but I have been entertaining annoyances for the better part of the night. Her arm is set now, and the claw marks bandaged, but the damage to her head is severe. It's a wonder she isn't dead."

Ren watched, entranced, as Kenshin placed the last several stitches quickly and efficiently.

"Who knew you were such a good human physician?"

"Hn. Her injuries are no different than ours, brother, but she lacks the necessary skills to heal them when she's unconscious and near dead. She is a miko, correct?" Ren nodded. "Then she can heal herself when she wakes but you know too well the damage blood loss can cause." He punctuated the statement by holding up a blood-soaked rag.

"Indeed, I do. Thank you for reminding me." Ren's eyes darkened and he sat down heavily in the chair across from the table.

"I am sorry. That was thoughtless." Kenshin looked over Kagome at Ren to apologize.

"No, no. I know. Perhaps she will know a way to fix this. Inuyasha-sama had some incredible tales to tell about her abilities." Ren said solemnly.

"Perhaps. There. Done. Now all we can do is wait until she wakes." He wiped his hands and walked back to his shelves to put things away.

"And I hope she does. I have so many questions, I don't know where to begin!" Ren brightened and leaned forward in his chair to inspect her.

Kagome's face was relaxed and peaceful as she slept away on her left side. The damaged right shoulder was bound and her arm with it. She had been washed and changed into a white yukata. Her breathing was deep and even. Ren wondered how a human woman had come to love a hanyou, train as a priestess, and battle for their lives and the fate of the island as many times as Inuyasha had recounted. She must be extraordinary. He had never heard of such a human before, miko or otherwise.

"Begin with delicacy, brother. She has lost her Mate and will not be in any mood to answer your many invasive questions." Kenshin threw over his shoulder. "We cannot know her pain."

"You sound as if you wish you did. Do you, Kenshin? Is my little brother pining for a Mate of his own?" Ren asked mischievously.

Kenshin hurriedly turned away. "N- Not at this moment, no. In the future, it would be nice to care so much for another that you could overcome any trial. Like she has. Until today anyhow." he added sadly.

"You are only fueling my list of questions! Come, let's make some tea and wait for her to awaken. Ah!" Silver hair fell backward around his slim shoulders as he stared upward. "And Sesshoumaru-sama has returned. This night gets better and better!" Ren grinned fully, excited now for the coming days.

Kenshin only rolled his twinkling, magenta eyes as Ren hauled him over to the tiny stove in the infirmary.

…

Sesshoumaru landed in the Palace courtyard and settled his mind. First, to take the kit to his mother.

He found the hallways bustling with activity. Servants darting here and there. Trays of tea and food being moved about to his many guests, he assumed. He heard the excited murmuring about the priestess and her presence in the Palace. His angular jaw clenched in frustration. She was already disrupting his household and was most likely not conscious yet. How much more trouble would she be in the coming days?

Sesshoumaru found the miko in the infirmary without any problem. The healer, Kenshin, was waiting to receive him.

"Welcome, my Lord. I am glad to see you have returned."

"Hm. Is she still alive?" He wasn't sure how he hoped the younger inu to answer.

"She is. Her injuries were more severe than I realized but she is sleeping peacefully now."

"Good. Prepare a bed beside her. I have brought her son to stay here while she recovers. I leave him in your charge until she wakes. Inform me immediately when she does."

Sesshoumaru waited for Kenshin to move another bed beside the priestess and then laid the exhausted kit down beside her. Shippou found her immediately and snuggled deep into her warmth. She moved slightly and tucked him in with her free arm. They held each other close. Sesshoumaru did not envy them their mutual sorrow in the morning but he had his own and much more to do besides.

"Excuse me, my Lord, but her son? He is a kitsune, unless my senses are failing me." Ren inquired, rounding the screen at the end of Kagome's bed.

"He is. Inform me when she wakes." He barked shortly and left without another word.

Ren waited until Sesshoumaru was far enough away to turn excited green eyes back to Kenshin.

"By the kami, what a story this must be! The human miko who married a hanyou, has a fox kit for a son, and is the guest of the Lord of the West. Inuyasha-sama mentioned a kitsune when we met that was a part of the party that defeated Naraku but I never imagined they adopted him." Ren placed his hand on his forehead.

"You seem much too excited now, Ren. You are rejoicing but all I hear is tragedy around this woman. That husband you met is gone, and if she adopted the kit then his parents are most likely gone too. She came to Sesshoumaru-sama because she was near death, not for a pleasurable visit. Have a care, will you?"

"You sound like mother when you do that." Ren put his right hand on his hip and frowned.

…

Sesshoumaru made it to his room unaccosted by flaring his youki angrily through the hallways. Gasps and shudders could be heard around him as he stalked past but he did not care. It had been days since he had bathed or changed and he intended to do both as soon as possible and without interference. The ruined and borrowed clothing he still wore was a constant reminder of the battle and the scent of the blood-soaked hanyou clung to him.

Mercifully, no one dared to bother the inudaiyoukai as he stripped himself the offending clothing and changed into a clean, white yukata of his own. He took a few extra seconds to absorb the empty spot where Tessaiga briefly laid then placed his own sword away in its place, and strode to the bath attached to his rooms. The familiar female deer youkai preparing the tub froze, yelped, and backed away hastily when Sesshoumaru began to growl his frustration. When he heard her close his bedroom doors, he allowed his posture to relax.

The simple, dark wood-paneled bathing room was for his own private use and he let the white yukata fall to the floor and stepped forward to the recessed, round tub. Steam rose and wove around the room, infused with the scents of cypress and lavender, his personal preference.

Sesshoumaru stepped slowly into the tub and savored the warmth of the water as it caressed his weary muscles. The daiyoukai submerged himself from the neck down and allowed his long hair to float freely around in the water. Resting the back of his head heavily on the lip of the tub, golden eyes stared blankly at the paneled ceiling. After a few minutes, he submerged himself fully underwater in the deep tub and closed his eyes, blocking all input from his overdeveloped senses and allowing himself a moment of freedom. The small self-indulgence did wonders to relieve some of the mental tension that had been building over the last several days, culminating in the battle with Inuyasha.

The feeling of once again being cleaned of grime and the scents of battle was a welcome one. His mind cleared of its guilt-ridden fog, he stood and used his claws to brush his hair back and away from his face. One step took him back to the edge of the tub and the dripping inudaiyoukai sat on the submerged bench on the other side. White hair hung heavily behind him and floated in silvery tendrils on the surface of the water. Wintry bangs stuck to his forehead, tiny droplets clinging to his lashes and then trickling down pale and striped cheeks. He settled in to scrub every inch of perfect skin just to be sure all evidence of the fight was removed.

Just as weapons need attention and maintenance, so too does the body. Bathing like this was one of the joys of walking on two legs instead of four. The space required to bathe was much smaller and the warmth of the bath was an indulgence as opposed to the icy cold of the rivers and lakes large enough to accommodate his true form. Lathering soap in his hands, he worked through the mass of his long silver hair carefully. The fight had left more than dirt behind.

When Sesshoumaru finally finished, it was almost morning but no one would wake him from the few hours of sleep he required. He found a navy sleeping yukata and wrapped himself loosely before lying down on the futon in the adjacent room and falling deep asleep for the first time in days.

…

The early morning bustling in the Palace always woke her up: footfalls in the hallways outside, talking in the courtyard outside her room, and the opening and closing of doors up and down the long hallway. Sitting up slowly, the groggy young woman stretched her back and arms upward with a wide yawn. Rin rubbed her sleepy eyes and took a look around.

Not much was different today. Again. It would be another day of lessons and protocol and avoiding making trouble. She sighed. This was not what she had in mind when Sesshoumaru retrieved her from the village. It had only been a handful of days but this was beyond boring. The young woman would have preferred the long days in late summer making herbal pastes for Kaede to this. At least there, she could go outside without being gawked at or talked about.

"Good morning, Rin." came a deep voice through the screen into the next room.

Her heart leapt in her chest and she stared at the door. He was home?

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she questioned hopefully.

"Hm. Come, eat."

It was him! She got up from the futon in a flurry and yanked the tie of her bright yellow yukata closed while walking quickly into the next room. Her smile split even wider as she caught sight of him sitting at the low table in the morning light, safe and home. Rin stifled the impulse to hug him and settled for bouncing on the balls of her feet and clasping her hands together. A breakfast was spread out before him but she was sure it was for her benefit. He never really ate food like she did.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama! I missed you so much!" Small hands clasped at her chest and her smile was bright and genuine as she knelt at the table with him. It warmed him to see her safe and happy.

"Have you been well? Minding your tutors?" He sipped tea from a delicate black cup and peered over it at her, taking her in.

"Of course. I did not want you to get bad reports when you returned home." She said smiling, serving herself tea as well as she stared at him.

He nodded and gestured to the food. "Eat. We have much to discuss."

"Oh. Are you leaving again?" she asked sadly.

"No, I am not." He allowed a corner of his mouth to turn up at her innocent but hopeful tone.

She was truly happy just to be near him. She smiled again and ate with gusto for the first time since arriving. Her father was home.

…

Sometime that same afternoon, Kagome was still sleeping heavily in the infirmary. Her eyes darted about beneath her eyelids and she began to make small whimpering noises and shuffled beneath the heavy quilt. Kenshin stopped what he was doing across the room and went to examine her.

She was breathing rapidly and her face was scrunched as if in pain. Tears dripped from her eyes down across her nose and fell onto the futon. He laid a hand to her head but she felt cool. Her head twitched back and forth occasionally and Kenshin realized she must be dreaming. Whatever she saw was not pleasant and her moans of sadness grew until he could make out a few words at a time.

"No… No, I can't… Get away… from him… Help…" she whispered.

Before he could reach over the wake her, she sat upright and her eyes snapped open.

"NO!"

Her aura exploded throughout the infirmary in her panic to fend off the nightmare. Her eyes screwed shut and a pale hand fisted in the bed. Reiki crackled around her body and into the room beyond, blasting shelves and toppling supplies. Kenshin dove for the floor and waited for the reiki to relent. She would have to settle down before he could try to wake her. Her reiki was strong and already singeing his exposed skin.

"Lady Kagome! Can you hear me? Please wake up! Ah!" Kenshin yelled from the floor above the clatter of instruments and the gale of energy.

He tried to swell his own aura to break through but her reiki was much too dense and he fell heavily back to the floor. So much of the infirmary was infused with youki that her unconscious turmoil was creating a whirlwind of his supplies, trapping Kenshin to the floor unless he wanted to risk damage to himself by either the tools or her wild aura.

The kit woke up frightened and darted around on the bed in a panic, grabbing at his mother and shaking her.

"Momma! Kagome! Wake up!" he squeaked at her.

When she didn't respond, he simply clutched her robe and held on, waiting for it to pass and hoping she was okay. Kenshin tried to lift himself from the floor again but was clocked in the head with a flying ceramic dish.

'Damn it! The only way this could be worse was if Lord-'

Kenshin's thoughts were cut off when a furious inudaiyoukai snapped the doors wide open and glared first at him and then at the miko.

'I'm dead…' Kenshin lamented.

…

Down the hall, Sesshoumaru was working in his study when he felt her reiki flare wildly. Amber eyes narrowed in the direction of the infirmary and he growled.

'Idiotic woman! What is she doing?'

He was up and out the door with an intense scowl on his face before Rin could blink over her own lessons further down the same low table.

'What upset him so?' she wondered and got up to follow.

The door to the infirmary slammed open and Sesshoumaru took in the scene. Kenshin was covering his head on the floor trying to avoid purification, Shippou was clinging to the priestess desperately and trying to shake her with no success, and the woman was trapped in a nightmare and flaring her energy unconsciously in her panic. Shippou lost his grip on her and was tumbled to the end of the bed but gripped the quilt to keep from flying off the bed.

"Ahh! Can you help her?" he yelled over the noise.

Sesshoumaru should have seen this coming. He armored himself in his youki and stormed over, cutting through her power effortlessly. Grabbing her shoulders roughly, he took in her terrified, unseeing eyes and the tears streaming down her face.

"Miko!" he yelled at her over the cacophony around him. "Miko, wake up!"

When she didn't respond, he flared his aura further with a growl and slowly suffocated her energy with his own like trapping a flame in a jar. Shippou squeaked and flattened himself to the bed under the raw power of the youki now bearing down on him. Slowly, swirling pink waves of reiki were forced inward by strangling ribbons of green youki and when her aura finally settled within her, she woke with a start and a gasp. Debris all around the room fell to the floor: papers flitting around like feathers in the wind, dishes clattering and breaking, and tools falling heavily to the dark wood below. Before the now-awake miko could make sense of the situation, a sudden sharp pain in her chest stole her breath and she cried out, clutching the fabric over her heart and grimacing.

"Momma! What's wrong? What did you do to her?!" Shippou accused the daiyoukai from the end of the bed.

"Oh kami… it hurts so much…" Kagome gasped.

"You have overexerted yourself. Do not use your reiki again until you are healed. And you!" he rounded on Kenshin, "You were supposed to alert This One the moment she awoke!"

Kenshin rose from the floor and bowed in apology. "I am sorry, my Lord but-"

Sesshoumaru heard a quiet sob and looked back to the miko. Red and swollen cerulean eyes locked onto him and filled with tears once again. Grasping the closest thing to her, Sesshoumaru found himself pulled into a tight hold as she buried her face in his chest and cried. Her thin arms wound around his middle and held on. Her head rested against him and he felt his deep green kosode grow damp as all the emotions left over from her dream spilled onto his clothes. Kenshin gasped and feared for her life but Sesshoumaru only held up a hand to stop him.

He knew what she had dreamt of, of course. Her emotions were not far from his own. He envied her the open display of sorrow. But that did not mean she could use his person as a handkerchief.

"Miko." he tried but she did not move, only quieted. "Miko, release me." he added gently.

Kagome loosened her hold on him but kept her face buried for another few seconds, sniffling and breathing deeply. Finally, she looked up at him. The pain laid bare in her eyes almost stole his breath. He lost the will to remove her but tried something else.

"Your son is here with you. You are not alone." He tipped his head to the right and her gaze followed.

"Oh, Shippou!" Relief lit her face and love warmed her heart as she reached out to welcome him to her arms. Shippou walked across the bed to her and nervously reached up to touch her face.

"Are you okay, Momma?"

"Mm hmm. Sorry about that. Had a bad dream." She covered his own tiny hand with her own and sniffled.

Kagome wiped her face with her sleeve and sniffled some more as Shippou was wrapped up in a warm and firm hug. New tears fell from her eyes realizing she still had to tell him what had happened. Looking around again to get her bearings, she noticed that her head was throbbing but felt clean, she was in clean clothes, and her arm was bandaged and bound. The bones in her shoulder felt like they were back where they should be. But how was Shippou here? And why was the room such a mess? And where was "here" exactly?

Sesshoumaru could see the questions in her eyes.

"Miko, you are at my Palace in the West. You are safe. I brought the child to you last night as you slept."

"Oh. Did I do this?" He nodded. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru, and I'm sorry about your clothes …and the mess."

"This is my domain and I am Lord here. Do not forget." He growled back at her, now staying out of her reach a few feet away.

"Lord Sesshoumaru. Sorry. But thank you. For bringing me here and not leaving me out there to die. An- And for bringing Shippou to me." she smiled hesitantly at him and bowed as best she could from the bed.

"I made a vow." He met her eyes so she understood.

When their conversation finally broke, Kenshin felt the need to explain himself.

"She only just woke up, Sesshoumaru-sama. I am sorry. I did not have a moment to alert you before she… lost control." Kenshin finally explained, brushing some debris from his indigo robes and bowing his apology again.

"He's right, Sesshoumaru. Sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama. It's all my fault. I let my grief get the better of me. It won't happen again… At least, I hope not." The young demon at the end of her bed didn't deserve to be murdered because she was hurt and confused.

"See that it does not. Others here will be less forgiving of your outbursts in the future. We will speak later." Sesshoumaru said sternly. "See that she is fed and remains here for the rest of the day." he added to Kenshin, who nodded as his Lord left the infirmary as quickly as possible.

"Well, that was a mess. Sorry, Shippou. Are you okay?" she asked, running her fingers through his, she now noticed, longer hair.

"Yeah, fine. What happened, Momma? Why are we here?" He sat cross-legged in her lap and stared up at her.

"In a minute, Shippou. I need to apologize to the poor doctor over there." She stroked his head lovingly and looked around him to the patient youkai who must have helped her. "Hi, I'm Kagome, the priestess who ruined your infirmary." She held out an amiable left hand with an apologetic smile.

Kenshin laughed in spite of himself and took her hand.

"I am Kenshin, chief healer at the Palace." He raised her offered hand to his lips. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kagome-sama."

"Just Kagome. Please. And this is my son, Shippou."

"Hello, Shippou." The kit nodded meekly from Kagome's lap. "If there is anything you need, please let me know. Lord Sesshoumaru requests, as you heard, that you remain here until you can walk and then you will be moved to a guest room to recover fully before returning home. I have stitched the damage to your head, bandaged your wounds, and set your arm but both severe injuries will be exceedingly sore for several days, I am afraid, unless my limited knowledge of humans is incorrect or you can heal them yourself."

"Afraid not. I think Sesshoumaru- Ugh! Lord Sesshoumaru is right. I used much too much of my power… yesterday." she sighed. "But thank you for patching me up. I'm sure I'll be better in no time."

"What happened yesterday, Kagome?" Shippou asked innocently. Kagome flinched; her fragile lighthearted mood forgotten.

The priestess looked at Kenshin with pleading eyes. If she was here, and he was in charge, surely he knew.

"I will go and fetch some breakfast for you. Stay here until I return. No one will disturb you." He added quietly.

"Thank you, Kenshin-san." she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again. He nodded before closing the doors quietly behind him

"Momma? What's wrong?" Shippou's small hand rested on her arm and his emerald eyes looked up her concerned.

Kagome took a deep breath. "Well, while you were gone to school this summer, Inuyasha started to have some problems with his youki…"

…

Sesshoumaru was eager to get back to his trade agreements in favor of dealing with the weeping priestess. The sooner she was gone, the better. The other daiyoukai staying here for the council meeting had surely felt her outburst and he would be explaining the miko's presence to several of them throughout the rest of the day.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Are you okay?" Rin asked, meeting him halfway to the infirmary. She had managed to surprise him as he lamented explaining the miko's presence.

"Yes, Rin. Back to your lessons."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin agreed happily.

He stalked back down the long hallway to his study, watching Rin skip ahead and curiously look back down the hall before walking in, wondering who was down there that had made so much noise.

"You may go visit the miko later, Rin."

"Miko, Sesshoumaru-sama? Kaede-sama? Or the serious one?"

"No, the one who saved your life."

"Oh! Kagome-sama! But why is she here?"

"Later, Rin. Back to your lessons for now."

"Yes, milord!"

She immediately settled back down to study as he had left her before the incident with the priestess. Her tiny hands were preparing brush and ink next to the parchment already laid out. Her tongue was poking out just slightly as she examined the scroll with the next character to practice. He stopped to watch her when she looked inquisitively back up at him. Nodding for her to continue, she looked back down and let the brush ghost over the parchment several times. He saw the obvious flaws in her technique but she was earnestly trying and it pleased him.

"There! Done!" she exclaimed.

"Keep practicing, Rin. There is room for improvement."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" And she went back to her writing.

Rin scented of happiness and contentment now that they were back together. She was a calming boon to his senses in the midst of the chaos of the meeting and the miko's presence.

The study was a shelter in itself. His desk was wide and low and Rin was taking up only a small corner for her daily calligraphy practice at the moment. The heirloom table was made to seat ten, and had on several occasions for informal meetings and studies of one kind or another. The room sat at the opposite end of the hallway from the infirmary and occupied a large corner at the junction of the family rooms and the guest rooms. It was right in the middle of everything but reserved almost exclusively for his private use.

Beyond the large desk were two smaller ones for the tutors and Rin to use when her lessons were held here without him. He had provided them with the intention for her to remain here the last time but when she did not, he had merely left them unused. Beyond those were six tall shelves packed with scrolls and stacked manuscripts.

His ward was working again and now he should be, as well. Missives to the human lords needed to be drafted and sent out now that his patrols were on hold until the council meeting was finished. Winter was coming soon and the trade agreements would need to be solidified and expedited. The humans were troublesome but occupying vast stretches of territory. Now that they had excess crops to trade, Sesshoumaru would gladly do so. Basic goods and food from their lands could be traded for the finer things his well-established craftsmen and tradespeople could produce. Humans were ambitious and impatient and he could capitalize on that for the time being. Sesshoumaru sat down and gathered his parchment and personal writing effects and drafted the first letter.

As an added bonus, the letters would keep him out of the way of the many visitors and prospective Mates he was sure his mother had arranged, unless his nose was deceiving him as he walked through the hallways. Females from their noble families, daughters, and distant relations all brought here to be paraded up and down the Palace halls to entice him. Kikuko must have visited them on her own to ensure their cooperation. This meeting, in her mind, was probably nothing more than an opportunity to visit with old friends and trot out the prospective Mates for him to peruse. Surely, he had many more years before he would acquiesce to her meddling but that would not stop her from trying, he knew.

Annoying, troublesome woman.

The study doors were thrown open and a very flustered Kikuko stood there with a fan closed tightly in one hand but shaking it threateningly at him. Right on time.

"Sesshoumaru! You brought that miko here and now look! She's threatening the Palace! What will you do?" Kikuko accused, kneeling next to him in her stunningly red kimono.

"She has been dealt with." he rumbled, not looking up at her.

"Dealt with? She is dead then?" Kikuko asked hopefully and Rin gasped.

"No. She is recovering. Not to be killed." He rose and tried to walk around her in a wide circle with the first completed letter in hand. She stepped in his way and glared up at him.

"Sesshoumaru! She cannot stay here! We have a den full of daiyoukai that just felt her attack! You would keep her here against your own mother and at risk to your own kind?"

"Hear me now, mother: The miko stays." Her son leveled an impressive glare her way. "She did not attack but is grieving. All will be explained at the meeting tomorrow. Until then, keep them," he pointed an accusatory finger at the guest quarters, "occupied and out of my way. Jaken!" he barked to the rear of the study.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" called the little kappa, running quickly to make it to his Lord from the recesses of the library.

"Only until then, Sesshoumaru, my dear?" She flicked her fan open and waved it playfully. "Very well then, my stubborn pup, but only until tomorrow. After that, you will have a female selected for you, make no mistake. Whether by the council or yourself, it is of little consequence, but it will be done this year, Sesshoumaru. You can escape it no longer. Nine hundred and fifty years old and still a bachelor… Unheard of. At this rate, that human pet you have will be the only child ever running around this Palace again."

He passed the completed letter to Jaken.

"Have this delivered to Utsunomiya and then bring Ryota to report." He barked shortly before sitting back down to complete another letter, ignoring the female inudaiyoukai completely. Jaken bowed and skittered away.

Eventually, she shrugged and left the study, giggling lightly behind her fan at her son's discomfort.

She would not have her way. He would never accept a Mate chosen for him by his mother. Her values were far removed from his own. The council was another matter. The basic function of the daiyoukai council was to distribute power amongst the Lords so that one house could not overtake the others as they had many times in the past. It was a fair system and all voices would be heard equally at the table tomorrow. If they pressed for him to take a Mate, or chose one for him, he risked open war with the other lands by refusing outright. The other three Lords had all taken mates centuries ago and had many children and grandchildren. Perhaps, it was time, he reflected.

The problem wasn't that he didn't want to be tied to a female, exactly. He had recently begun to regret not having a large pack of his own now that there as peace. It was the way youkai had created the Mating Bond that repulsed him. The prospect of a giving another free access to his emotions was appalling. To feed his youki into another being and allow them to feel his presence at all times, sense his carefully guarded feelings. He hated the idea of losing his autonomy. How had the elder, wiser youkai ancestors come the decision that this Old Magic was the best method to continue the species? Surely, youkai as a species have all grown past the need to share their lives so intimately with another.

What female could he possibly tolerate the several millennia of his long life? Who would he trust to bear his children and rule beside him with grace and loyalty? Who would understand his lifelong commitment to duty and honor? What demoness would entertain humans as guests in the future, as he was sure would come to pass?

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin questioned. When he only looked over to her, she continued. "May I go visit Kagome-sama now?"

"Hm. Behave yourself and return to your rooms before supper."

Her smile was his reward for leniency. She grinned and padded down the hallway happily. Who would he allow to be near Rin for the rest of her short life? The Western Lord would not tolerate a female to be cruel to his ward, but who would accept a human child?

The entrance of General Ryota stifled his thoughts of Mates and pack and he went back to work.

"You sent for me, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Tell me of the arrival of the Lords and what has happened in my absence." Sesshoumaru ordered, looking from the doorway to the General and then back down to his work.

"Of course, my Lord." Ryota rumbled.

Ryota sighed and began the long account of the last several days…

...

Author's Note: So a little heavy up front but it's a lot less arduous from here on out. Hope you enjoy it and everyone is safe and healthy!