Reconciliation

by Universally Sound

When Inuyasha is overcome by a new ability he inherited from the Inu no Taishou, Kagome goes on a journey to find and help him only to find that Sesshoumaru has already decided the hanyou's fate and will not be moved. Now, Kagome must reconcile her love, her purpose, and a future she never could have imagined. Post-manga. CU. Slow burn. Gonna be long.

23. Chapter 23 - Don't Let Them See You Cry

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 23 – Don't Let Them See You Cry

After delivering a tongue lashing to her runaway kit and getting a restless night's sleep, Kagome startled awake and did not breathe deeply until her eyes found Shippou sleeping peacefully in the bed beside her. The sigh of relief was shaky and shallow. Cerulean eyes blinked again and swept the room in a slow circle as sleep ebbed from her brain.

The clothes they would be taking with them were packed and bundled. Her pack was sitting ready by the door with her staff and bow, the quiver slung over a hook by door. The sunlight shining through the screen of her door was bright and promising.

'Guess we're really going home today then.'

Relief to be leaving this unfamiliar and stressful place was first through her mind but dread settled in her heart immediately after. Facing Sango, Miroku, and Kaede would be painful. As much as Kagome needed the support they would offer, recounting the story of what had happened since leaving Edo would be a momentary distraction from the stares and eyes downturned in pity for the widow she now was. Life in the village would be different now.

But there was hope. No one from the West or North would come looking for her for a long time yet. Rin would be safe here and Sesshoumaru would be doing whatever it was he did as Lord of the West for the next two years, leaving her in peace. She would risk a short return to modern Tokyo for a few days at least. A girl needs her mother at times like this. Not that her mother would understand the implications of her daughter's new commitment much better than Kagome herself.

The fear of her future with Sesshoumaru had overflowed so suddenly last night, fueled by grief. Logically, she knew grieving was never really over. It did transform over time into recollection and remembrance, but the feeling of loss never fully disappeared. Her father had crossed her mind nearly every day in some way or another.

A soft knock on the door startled Kagome from her thoughts and she rushed over, hoping not to let the visitor wake Shippou yet. She slid the door open to find Captain Ren grinning and fully outfitted in a plain white haori and black hakama. Around his waist was an indigo obi which housed his sword. A beaten and worn breastplate was slung loosely over one shoulder and he shuffled his shoulders to adjust it as he greeted her.

"Good morning, Kagome-sama."

"Morning, Captain. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, but I anticipate you are leaving today and wanted to remind you that I have not forgotten our agreement to train together. I was hoping you might indulge me this morning before you return home."

"Oh. I suppose so. I had forgotten. It's been a busy few days." she said, tiredly. "Do you wanna come in? We haven't had breakfast yet and you could join us, if you like."

"No, my Lady. It would be improper." He took a small step back. "An unbound male in the rooms of the future Lady of the West could spark rumor of the worst kind."

There was a tone to his voice she couldn't quite place. It wasn't angry but neither was it lighthearted. He was unhappy at having to remind her of the impropriety, perhaps?

"I suppose you're right. Where can I find you after we finish then?"

He pointed his directions out as he spoke. "The dojo is past the training grounds, straight ahead past the barracks, and to the right. I will wait for you there."

"Okay. I'll be there in a little while. Sorry to keep you waiting but Shippou isn't even awake yet and we have to make a plan."

He nodded. "It is no trouble. See you in a while, my Lady."

When Ren turned and left, Kagome stood in the doorway watching him walk away. Something was different about him today. He seemed distant and sad somehow. Wondering what might have upset him, Kagome started to turn around when she caught sight of a head of white-blond hair as Tomomi came down the hallway with a tray of breakfast, a distracted and faraway look, and a sloppy and unguarded grin.

"Good morning, Tomomi-chan! You seem happy today." Kagome greeted, the deer's happy grin contagiously spreading to her own face.

"Oh, my Lady. I am so very happy today." Her face lit with a blush of embarrassment. "I have brought tea and breakfast for your last day with us."

"Nuh uh. You're not getting off that easily. I know that grin. Did something happen with Kenshin?"

"Please, milady, quietly!" Green eyes searched up and down the hallway. "But yes! He has requested to begin courting this winter." she nearly squealed.

Kagome actually squealed and jumped up and down.

"Gah! What's goin' on?!" Shippou yelled from behind the screen.

"Oops. Sorry, honey. Good news from Tomomi!" Kagome grabbed the shy shikayoukai's hand and squeezed. "Oh, I am so happy for the two of you. He seems so very nice. I wish you both every happiness."

Tomomi smiled happily for a moment before she looked down to her feet and quieted.

"Well, Sesshoumaru-sama must approve the match since Kenshin-san holds a position of leadership at the Palace. I am unsure how milord will react to the request."

"Oh, he'll be fine. What reason could he possibly have for saying 'no'?"

"Kenshin-san is a silver inu like my Lord. We are all aware that there are expectations for the matches of the only two inudaiyoukai males left unbound."

"Okay but there's three, right? Sesshoumaru's not- Oh. Right."

Kagome felt the color drain from her face. Sesshoumaru wasn't free anymore. He was technically off the market. She cursed herself for forgetting when clearly the rest of the Palace would not. And it had only been three days.

'Let me remind you that the entirety of the West will know of this farce of a Mating between us and that I will endure their scorn for millennia to come after you are nothing but a memory!'

His frustration and indignation ripped through her memory. He was right. Still an ass for saying it that way, but correct in his early assessment of how they would be received. This would not be simple or easy. Katsurou had chosen his punishment well. In one fell swoop, the Lord of the North had punished the last of the unbound Cardinal Lords with embarrassment and weakness. She could understand in hindsight why Sesshoumaru was so angry. Yet, he had tried to be civil with her even then.

They had not spoken privately since the day of the meeting. Today would be her last chance for two years to set things right. Maybe not 'right,' per se, but at least back to zero. It didn't help her nerves over the situation to leave things as they were, at any rate.

The account that Shippou gave her of last night was full of holes, too. She could tell something had happened up there between them but he kept avoiding answering her questions about it for some reason. Kagome knew her son felt guilty for worrying her, and damn right he should, but there was more he refused to divulge. Her concern was that Sesshoumaru had been overly harsh or unforgiving, which didn't line up with her own method of parenting. And for now, Shippou was hers alone to parent. She sighed thinking that would probably always be the case.

"Anyway," Kagome waved the thoughts away for later, palmed the tray out of the hands of the servant, and hooked her arm through Tomomi's to drag her inside, "let's have some breakfast and you can tell me all about how this happened."

"Oh, my Lady, that is not-"

"Give it up, Tomomi. I bet she rivals any interrogator Sesshoumaru's got for getting information." Shippou smirked from the end of the table. Tomomi only blinked her huge grass-green eyes, confused.

…

Kagome finally released the exasperated maid and got dressed to train with Ren. She found a few new holes and scrapes in her battle raiment, and the armored plates all needed to be polished again after being roughly shoved into her bag several times over the last month. With a sigh, she tied them on and studied her appearance.

The waist beneath the outfit was thinner after her month of travel and several days of worry. The face staring back at her had lost the weight of contentment and comfortable village life. Ruffling her long bangs aside, Kagome saw rested but dull and sad blue eyes. She gathered her longer, wavy black hair into a high ponytail and purposefully didn't dwell on the appearance of her golden ribbon as she bound it all up in a ponytail.

"Are you okay?" came the question from behind her. Her sadness was easy to see but he could scent it, too.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm okay. Be glad to get home though." the miko said flatly, shouldering her staff and herding him out the door. "You wanna go hang out with Rin while I get my butt kicked?"

They settled into a walk towards the Fortress and she closed her eyes and drank in the first sunlight to grace the sky in days. The wind was brisk and dry with the changing weather. There would be snow before long.

"And miss you whipping him? Not a chance. I'll see her later. She said she wants to come spend the summer in the village, too, to see the flowers," he faked a gag, "and visit everyone."

Kagome gave him a strained smile. "Oh, I didn't know that. Good. I'll miss her."

"She'll miss us, too. She wasn't kidding when she said there was no one to play with here. There really isn't. No kids. It's weird. All she's gonna have to do when we leave is study."

'This must be how their decline starts. I'd always wondered.'

"We'll have to make sure she has fun this summer then. How many weeks will you be back? This is your fourth year now. Does the schedule change?"

"Nah, not until year fifteen or so. I can catch up whenever I go back. I'd rather spend some time back home with you first."

"Me, too, kiddo." She ruffled his hair. "I need to jog the rest of the way there to warm up, you gonna keep up?"

"Are you?" he smirked then took off on all fours.

Her small laugh echoed underneath the cover of the mountain and through to the other side. Thank the kami Shippou was so good at lifting her spirits.

Coming through the large, arched gateway to the Fortress, Kagome blinked as the sun reflected harshly on the carved faces of the mountain around the training fields. Once her human eyes adjusted, and she lamented that the advent of sunglasses was far into the future, she saw the long black hair and felt the brusque aura of the dragon steward. Ryouzou was standing with his back to her in the middle of the nearest training field, opposite a youkai she didn't recognize. A male who was nodding with every few words spoken to him, wavy hair the color of a deep ocean that streamed across broad and pale shoulders, and he appeared nervous. The stranger brightened when his eyes flicked from Ryouzou to her and he smiled widely, excused himself and jogged over. Shippou hadn't noticed her slow down and continued to bolt out of sight.

"Shippou, come back!" she yelled, then quieted and cautiously turned to the newcomer.

"Lady Kagome! What are you doing here? Are you not leaving today?" the silver-eyed youth questioned her.

"I'm so sorry but do I know you?"

The stranger looked genuinely shocked she had not recognized him.

"I am Kouhei, my Lady…" Recognition lit her eyes and she relaxed. He returned a warm smile, realizing the reason for her confusion. "I forgot that you might not have been able to see the transformation last night. I admit I am still getting used to it myself." He looked down and brought up a hand to flex it, testing its strength for the hundredth time today.

"Kouhei? Is that really you?"

He dropped the hand and smiled brightly again. She returned a small one of her own.

"Much changed, is he not?" Ryouzou rumbled, walking over.

"Very much. How are you feeling?" she asked, appraising him with a healer's eye for exhaustion or illness.

"Very well! Better than I have in my entire life. We were about to begin a short training session so that I can better understand my true form as we fly home."

"Fly… home?"

"Indeed, miko-sama. My nephew should be able to master the technique in no time at all now. I am most pleased."

"May I?" she asked respectfully, holding a palm up to him.

Kouhei nodded and she lit her hand with reiki and reached forward. Ryouzou's face twisted into a scowl and he snatched her hand away, causing her to grimace and withdraw.

"Uncle, no! Kagome used her power to help me. She only wants to test my aura. Is that not so?"

"Yes. Ow. Guess I should've warned you first." she grimaced at Ryouzou, rubbing the wrist she was sure was bruised.

"My apologies. I should have realized." He considered her position and her unnatural ease with youkai and decided to make a suggestion. "In the future, however, do not be so bold with your power. There are many who have been wronged by miko in the past. My reaction is mild compared to what you might encounter."

Her contrition was instant.

"Oh. I guess I never considered that specifically. Everyone hating me just for being human seemed like enough." Her laugh was hollow. "This tightrope gets thinner and thinner…"

Kouhei glared over at his uncle, unsure what else to do to staunch the growing scent of her sadness. The elder dragon sighed.

"Do not take it to heart. I am sure Sesshoumaru-sama will quickly correct any grievances that occur. Though by the outfit and weapon you carry, perhaps you are capable enough alone."

"We're about to find out. I was reminded of a promise to spar with Captain Ren this morning. That's where I was headed."

"Ah, the orphan? I have heard he is a prodigy, much like Sesshoumaru. It is a shame to see him debilitated."

"He'll be fine. Sesshoumaru was." she reminded him, chin lifting ever so slightly.

Her tone was defensive but in defense of which male, he could not tell.

"But I need to get going, so may I?" she raised an eyebrow at Ryouzou.

"Please. I would know that his cure is permanent. I can sense him but apparently not in the way you are able to. It is curious to have the perspective of our natural enemy."

"I am not your enemy, and I never will be. Miko in general aren't actually your enemy but your natural opposites, and that is not the same thing, no matter what their education hammers into them." Kagome said easily, closing her eyes and flaring her power once again.

Ryouzou considered the human child before him as she laid her small hands on the chest of his nephew. She appeared as any human but showed compassion and understanding for others in a way that was welcoming and enlightening. The holy mortals he had encountered in the past had been righteous and vengeful. It was no wonder they were disappearing by making themselves easy targets with their arrogance. Daiyoukai were not so easy to best and he himself had ended the lives of many lesser reiki-wielders who had miscalculated the foe they challenged. The black dragon steward began to regret his snide words toward her in the Council chamber. Perhaps, she would be a worthy addition to the West and to their fold. Her perspective would be unique and untainted by the past, as their own ideas often seemed to be. The world was changing and so must the Lands.

She finished her inspection and sighed with relief.

"It seems like your aura has bonded with you everywhere. I can't find a trace of the foreign youki that was binding it. I think the change is permanent!" She smiled at him. It was warm and genuine for the first time today.

"Ha!" Kouhei laughed and wrapped her in a crushing hug. Literally.

"Ow! Can't- breathe!"

"Kouhei, release her at once! Your strength is many times greater than hers!"

"Sorry! I keep forgetting!" Kouhei jumped and released Kagome.

"Hence our lessons today. And we should let the miko be on her way, as well. I thank you again, Lady Kagome, for your help and I hope we see you again when you return."

"Can I come visit you sometime?" Kouhei questioned, staying close to her. "You are not far from the Eastern stronghold while in Edo."

"I personally don't mind but the village might think otherwise. When you're able to travel discreetly, I think it would be safe. I don't how I'd explain a huge dragon or two landing in the field next to our house." she giggled.

"I agree. It may be some time, then. Come, Kouhei. If you wish to travel alone, you must first prove to This Ryouzou that you can master and maintain transformation."

The heir sighed. "Until next time then…" Kouhei bowed and placed his lips on the back of her hand, lingering for a second longer than she expected. "…Kagome."

His dark blue eyes slid back up to hers and she was captivated in his sincere, and heated, otherworldly gaze. The miko blinked a few times and smiled awkwardly back at him, taking a step to the side and shifting her staff with one hand.

"Yuh- Yeah, see you later!" Kagome waved and jogged off, uncomfortable with the mild sultry tone the heir had so easily used.

…

Kagome rounded the last corner and found the dojo by tracking Shippou's aura through the labyrinth of rooms beside and underneath the barracks. He was chattering away to Ren about what they were going to do if they finally went home today when Kagome found the right door and took in the dojo for the first time.

Like most, it was spacious, free of obstacles, floored with large tatami mats and framed in the same dark wood that Sesshoumaru's father had apparently favored. The room housed three large sparring areas. There were racks both standing against the wall and hanging that housed basic weapons for practice. The doors were all open to allow the fresh air through now that the rain had stopped. Kagome noticed evenly-spaced, ice blue crystals hung high along the walls. They seemed to glow from within but weren't bright enough on their own to light the dojo at night.

'Not that youkai need help seeing in the dark anyway, duh.'

She continued to wonder idly what they might be used for when a battle cry captured her attention. The farthest space was occupied by another pair, already absorbed in combat and oblivious to her arrival. Kagome stood entranced at the speed and ferocity with which they fought, wondering how much her own skills would pale in comparison as she walked slowly through the doors.

"Hey, Captain." She waved, unbinding the staff from her back and meeting the pair of youkai just inside.

"Good morning, my Lady. You took your time getting here." He palmed the pommel of his sword and shifted his weight, pale green eyes lighting with mischief.

"Kouhei-sama stopped me and I had to make sure he was okay after his ordeal last night." she shrugged.

"Had to?" he questioned dubiously.

"Well, I put him through all that so I wanted to make sure he was all right today."

"You healed him?" came the shocked and disbelieving question. "I felt his youki clear across the mountain in my room last night."

"I did. It was sudden but I'm so glad it worked. He was miserable."

Ren was quiet for a moment, fixing her with an appraising gaze and wondering how to proceed. His mouth broke sync with his brain and the request came tumbling out before he could stop it.

"And would you consider bestowing the same honor on me? I am not miserable but I would be whole again if I could. There has not been a time appropriate for me to ask and now you are leaving today."

"I don't know, honestly." Her eyes turned down in thought, small hand grasping her chin. "I've never done anything like restoring a limb. Breaking a seal is one thing, creating something new is another- Wait, don't look so down. I bet I know where we could start but can we get this over with first?"

"Was it not you who challenged me, despite my protest?"

"Yeah well, that was before I watched you hold your own with Sesshoumaru. Now I'm afraid I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I'm a woman of my word and I need to know."

"There are those odd phrases again. Alas, and my Lord was only teaching, not sparring. His power is much greater than my own. I would be overcome in a second if I were to attempt anything like Ryota-taishou's battles with him."

"Even so. Don't hurt me too much."

"First, the rules." He held up a finger. "I will not be accused of harming the future Lady of the West unnecessarily. If you feel overwhelmed at any time, simply bid me to stop and I shall."

"That's fair. And I won't use my power to harm you." She gave him a smirk and a shrug before she continued. "Stop you, trap you, rebuff you, sure. But not to harm you."

"Is there a difference? Can holy power be controlled so well?"

"Show him, Kagome! Do the thing!" Shippou jumped up and down.

"Shippou, that's not what my power is for."

"What does he mean, Kagome-sama? Now I must know."

"I suppose it's not something you would ever have seen before. I've had a crash course today in the idiocy of reiki-wielders in general. Miroku told me he'd never seen it done before either. Watch." Kagome shifted her feet and raised her right hand. "Reiki is primarily used two reasons: for healing and defense," her right hand lit with the bright blue energy he was familiar with but then he became confused. She stepped away from Ren and Shippou with a warning look.

"And for purification."

Kagome grimaced and her right hand illuminated itself with the pale pink of sakura petals and exploded in an aura of power that needled across his exposed skin. Ren found himself growling and taking another step away from her. She expected such a reaction and continued.

"Reiki with an intent to kill youkai is not to be played with. A human feels nothing when faced with purification reiki but, even to you, it could be deadly."

She closed both hands and the energy dissipated, leaving a stunned inu and an apologetic miko.

"I love it when she does that." Shippou hugged her leg, beaming with pride at the strength of the woman he called his mother.

"I'm sorry it shocked you but I am serious. I hope never to use purification energy on another youkai as long as I live. Our quest for Naraku saw me ignorantly firing arrows that could have seriously injured the people, and the youkai, I love. It's not my 'holy duty' to end innocent lives, and it was reckless to use power like mine without considering the consequences. I'll be having a serious talk with Kaede when I get home about the accounts I've heard since I've been here."

"I had no idea. I did not know such power could be changed or separated as you just did. It is my turn to feel outclassed, my Lady."

"Don't." She waved him off. "You have your own gifts, I hear."

"It is true and now I believe I may be in need of them all. Back to the rules, before I lose my nerve: second, we are done at the first draw of blood unless, I suppose, there is a stalemate."

"Also fair. And third, no going easy on me. I mean it." She took a step toward him and stabbed her staff to the floor to punctuate her intense stare directly into his viridescent eyes. "If I sense you holding back, I quit. If we're doing this, I expect you to come at me with everything."

Her resolve to give it her all hardened and Kagome had no more trepidation in her heart at battling the young inu as if it were real. The words of warning the future Sesshoumaru gave her echoed once again in her head. While his suggestion could have been to aid her in saving herself from Inuyasha's rampage, he had not been clear. She would make him tell her the truth if they met again but until then, this might be her one chance to test her skills against a truly challenging opponent.

Ren watched her consider him seriously. This was a contest of strength and determination. She was a human in a youkai arena, demanding the Captain treat her equally. Not as a human, nor as a female, but a worthy opponent. His instincts were aroused at her challenge and itch of his hand to grasp the hilt of his sword was nearly undeniable. Ren realized she was now shielding her scent, and it made him more curious. He opened his mouth to respond to her challenge when a bellow erupted behind them.

"Stop!" came a deep voice from the doorway.

"Ryota-taishou!" Ren's eyes widened and he bowed quickly.

The General ignored the inu completely and stopped in front of Kagome.

"My Lady, this is most unwise." he admonished.

"Oh, kami." the miko groaned, exasperated. "Sesshoumaru knows and he said it's fine."

"Is this true?" Ryota barked at Ren.

"It is true, sir."

"Well, I do not like it but if my Lord deems it appropriate, I will not contradict him. Please be careful. I loathe explaining to my Lord how you ended up in the infirmary again."

"Thanks a lot." she said sarcastically. "How's Haruto? Have you found a nursing mother to help you?"

"We have, thank you." He smiled. "One of the kitchen staff, a tanuki, has a litter and has agreed to help. Haruto was unsure this morning but accepted heartily when he discovered there was milk involved. He has since been much more active and much happier. We have every hope he will survive and we have you to thank."

"I just gave you a suggestion. You decided to do it and make it work. Give yourselves some credit for being good parents, too."

Ryota shook his head and grinned.

"Kagome-sama, you are infallibly kind."

She only tucked in her chin and blushed furiously under the direct praise.

"Now, I apologize for interrupting. I shall leave you to it. Ren," he stared down his nose at the young Captain, "I trust you to exercise caution."

Ren bowed, heart hammering in his chest. "Of course, Ryota-taishou."

The young inu had intended to spar with a friend, not the future Lady of the West. She had not been such when they made their promise to practice together. Ryota left them alone again without another word, hurrying quickly away from the dojo.

"And I expect you to ignore him completely and attack with everything you've got." Kagome said.

"You continue to put me in an awkward position, Lady Kagome."

"If you hold back, I'll let my staff put you in a few you'll like even less. Now, come on! Shippou, watch out and stay clear, okay?" She watched him nod and then focused on the daiyoukai making his way to center of the space to meet her.

…

The knock at the study door was a surprise. Sesshoumaru looked up from the letter he was writing, over to Rin who was studying intently on her own, and then back down to his letter.

"My Lord? May I come in?" came the voice of the General through the door.

"Enter."

"I cannot usually approach you unnoticed. Is everything all right?"

"My mother works quickly."

The Lord of West narrowed his golden eyes on the parchment before holding it out for the General to read. Sesshoumaru watched as Ryota noticed the letter had been sealed with the crest of the kitsune tribe at the southern border of the Western lands.

"What in the West is this about?" the General wondered, scanning the parchment.

"It is a proposal from the clan leader to honor one of his daughters in bearing This Sesshoumaru's heir in the coming year."

"By the kami, she does work fast."

"Hn. Answering the many proposals I have received since her departure has been a near constant occupation."

"I am sorry then. I will leave you."

"What did you need?"

"It was nothing but I thought it fair to let you know that Lady Kagome and Captain Ren are sparring in the dojo this morning. Ren informed me that you agreed to this match?"

"I did. I did not think the miko would actually go through with it, however."

She grew in his estimation in that moment.

'A woman of her word, indeed.'

"Kagome-sama is fighting Captain Ren? Is that safe?" Rin asked, concerned.

"They were discussing the rules of the match beforehand so I believe they both understand the gravity of what they are doing. I have duties of my own to attend to but I would very much like to see her in battle."

"Sparring with the Captain is hardly 'battle' but it would be worthwhile to assess her skill. Join me, Ryota. Your duties can wait until the miko loses." Ryota barked a laugh and Sesshoumaru rose, desperate to do anything but respond to the many waiting requests perpetrated by his insufferable mother, and offered a hand to his ward. "Would you like to come, Rin?"

"Very much!" she grasped his hand and rose. "I hope Kagome-sama will be all right."

"Hm."

…

"One moment, Kagome-sama." Ren jogged over to the crystal nearest to him and lit his hand with his youki before touching it. In a moment, a chain reaction of youki was set off in the crystals around their arena and a barrier of youki snapped into place around them.

"Wow! So that's what those are for!" she exclaimed, impressed.

"Indeed. If we did not protect the space, I hate to think what the walls and floors of the dojo would look like in only a week's time. Hell, even the roof." He pointed up, grinning. "It also blocks outside interference so we will not be distracted."

Kagome laughed and tested the barrier with a small hand to find it jarringly cold to the touch but firm.

"Ready?" Ren asked, centering himself in the arena, drawing his sword, and opening his stance.

Kagome mirrored him, rolling her shoulders and palming her staff with both hands. She released a deep breath and held the staff defensively across her body as she bent her knees in a shallow crouch. Her mind thrummed with the possibilities of his first move. The muscles in her legs readied themselves to launch her body if he charged. Her arms flexed beneath the supple leather of her bodysuit, feeling the full weight of the staff in her hands. She felt a pale breeze lift the hair at the back of her neck as she waited an impossibly long second for him to move. And then he did.

Ren charged forward, sword raised and eyes narrowed in concentration. He wasn't taking her lightly. Good. She raised the staff just a bit higher and crouched, readying the strength in her arms.

He expected her to step out of the way, and smiled as if he'd won when she planted her feet to do just that. What he did not expect was for her to jump across him, roll the staff across her back to catch it in her right hand, and swing it wide to deliver a harsh blow to the back of his neck as he charged straight past. The strike caught him off guard and he stumbled forward, tucking into a roll to get back up and swearing loudly.

"Shit! That's a heavy staff."

"And that's a long sword. Stop whining. Are you bleeding?"

He palmed the back of his neck.

"No."

"Then let's do that again." she said determinedly, walking back to the center.

"Woo! One point to Kagome!" Shippou cheered from the sideline and she gave him a smile and a thumbs up.

"How do you reconcile being a healer and hitting like that?"

"One day, I might use these skills to defend you instead of pummeling you. But it does me no good if I don't try my hardest even when it's just practice. I think you did that on purpose, anyway."

"I did not. My neck would agree you do, in fact, try your hardest."

"Stop bellyaching and get back in the middle."

"Yes, my Lady." And he flourished a hand before an exaggerated bow.

Ren jogged back over and faced her. Even while they bantered, her countenance was more rigid and controlled. Gone was the bright-eyed, amiable healer. In her place was a warrior, using her strength and knowledge of herself to gain the upper hand. He would have to focus if he was to best her. This was no ordinary human woman. The challenge she presented was exciting and his youki rose within him, eager to test her true strength. The miko's aura was still carefully hidden, along with her scent, and she gave nothing away as she readied herself once again in the same stance. Ren admitted to himself that he had no idea what to expect from her and would wait for her to make the first move this time out of curiosity.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready." he said lowly.

Ren brandished his sword and waited. She shifted the staff to rest at her back when he didn't immediately charge, using her right hand to hold it up between her shoulder blades as she walked in a slow circle to her right. He mirrored her, watching her movements carefully.

'He isn't going to charge me this time. He's waiting for me to move first. Fine.'

Without a word, Kagome charged two crystalline spheres of reiki over her left hand and sent one hurtling toward him. He easily dodged the first, leaning his amputated arm away from the blast and readying his sword once again. The second, he noticed, was coming around behind so he decided to loose his own power as well. A breeze swelled beneath him as red bled into his eyes around the familiar green. She felt his youki rise and watched as the wind grew beneath him, rocketing him into the air to avoid her attack... then right toward her.

"No fair! I can't fly!" she laughed, throwing up a barrier and readying three more ice blue projectiles.

"No whining, Kagome!" he quipped back, grinning and almost on top of her now.

He pivoted in the air, lit his sword with youki and slashed down at the barrier. The long katana left a clean gash in the barrier and Kagome dropped it to dodge his second strike. She fired an orb at him from point blank range and he deflected it with his blade, sending it careening into the barrier around them.

'Of course! He has a youki-infused blade… which also means…'

She shifted the staff forward and saw the hesitance in his eyes. He didn't want a blow like the first to land again. When she lit the long staff with pink reiki and brought it around with a yell to catch his blade, Ren watched their weapons collide and felt the energy of his sword leave it entirely. It would take effort to charge at close range and she had bought herself a moment to go on the offensive once again.

This time, she spun the full length of the staff overhead in one hand, causing him to duck then dodge to the left to avoid the second sphere, which left him with both feet planted firmly. Kagome crouched and swept low at his leg with her own. He lifted it out of the way but forgot about the staff coming back around and felt the hard steel connect with the back of his calf, knocking him cleanly on his ass.

Ren blinked as he fell and when he opened his eyes, the point of her staff was nearly touching his nose.

"That's two." She heard Shippou 'whoop!' on the sidelines and smiled at his exuberance.

"Who in the seven hells trained you?"

"A taijiya and her monk husband. Well, I guess he's not really a monk anymore. They have three kids!" she giggled and shook her head, reaching down to help him up. "My best friends. You wouldn't know them."

"I think I would like to." the Captain said, rubbing his backside and dropping his sword to take her hand.

"Come visit me back home and I'll introduce you. And stop holding back. I'm almost positive now you're letting me win."

"It is not intentional, I assure you. You're much more creative than most of my partners. You are not a typical warrior."

"I'm not a typical anything, I guess. Just me." There was a sadness in her admission but she shook her head and blinked it away before cocking a hip to one side. "Wanna go again?"

"Oh, definitely. You are teaching me far more than I think I am you." he sighed, picking up his blade.

"Not the way I expected this to go."

"Nor I." he smiled.

There was mutual respect in their admissions and they nodded and reset their positions in the center of the mat.

Ren was very keen to see what she might do next. If humans were capable of such skill, he was mildly afraid for the coming skirmishes at the Eastern border. The human packs there were growing rapidly, claiming more and more of Lord Sesshoumaru's ancestral territory every year. Eventually, it would end in blood.

Kagome was waiting for the Captain to unleash so she could test her skills against the strength and speed of a daiyoukai. The words of warning from the future Sesshoumaru kept ringing in her head and she felt fear that whatever training she had already done wouldn't be enough.

In their excitement to continue, the sparring pair missed the silent additions to the dojo to watch the fight continue.

"Kagome-sama looks like Sango-san!" Rin clapped.

Ryota watched the miko shift from foot to foot with ice blue eyes practiced in assessing the strength of soldiers at a glance. Ren might have his hands full if her musculature was any indication. She was human and at a distinct disadvantage but showed no fear as she faced the Captain.

"That battle raiment is-" Sesshoumaru sneered.

"Enticing, my Lord? Alluring? Tantalizing?"

"-Inappropriate, Ryota." Sesshoumaru clipped.

"Me or the skin-tight leather your future Mate is wearing?"

"Both."

The General's deep laugh echoed through the halls and Sesshoumaru found his own mouth tip up in a small grin. They all quieted and watched the miko and inudaiyoukai in the center ready themselves again.

"I am ready." said the Captain, crouching lower and holding his blade up behind him with his one hand as she had with her staff.

The feral glint in his green eyes gave her pause. They flashed with predatory excitement as he tipped his chin up from his low bend. Ren was comfortable in her skill and would no longer give her the courtesy of respite. Now, he was serious.

'Finally.'

"Me, too." Kagome said seriously.

She charged him at the same time he leapt from the floor toward her, sweeping his blade around and upward as he approached. Kagome had no choice but to swing the staff down to parry it away but she did so with one hand, bringing the other around in a closed fist to punch at the left side of his jaw. He saw it in time and ducked around her, putting on a burst of speed to dash to her left, sweeping his blade down. She tucked around her staff and rolled forward, stabbing it to the floor to rise more quickly several feet away and continuing to retreat to give herself space.

Ren stood planted where he had slashed at her, the blade of his sword glowing with his youki but instead of chasing her, he arced it through the air with a growl and loosed a phantom blade of energy that rocketed across the dojo and was upon her in an instant. Throwing a hand forward, she deflected it with a small shield of reiki, sending the green blade careening to the ceiling.

"That's new!" she yelled.

"That is only the beginning." he grinned, widening his stance again as he yelled to her. "Let's see how you deal with this!"

His energy swelled to fill the arena and she gasped with the ferocity of it, never guessing he controlled so much power. She checked the sideline with wide eyes to make sure Shippou was still safely outside of the arena as Ren continued to build his youki, igniting his blade with it until she could no longer see him beyond the swirl of verdant energy still growing by the second.

"Hyaku-mai no Tatsumaki!" Ren bellowed across the dojo.

Kagome stabbed the staff to the ground and began to build the layers of her barrier, anticipating the hard hit. When he loosed the attack, slashing downward to set it free with a roar, the great wave of youki funneled wider and wider as it tore across the mats, growing into a cavernous tornado of sharp blades. When it broke over her barrier with a deafening roar, Kagome immediately felt the first few layers get instantly blown away and thought she would be safe until it passed as she gritted her teeth and funneled more reiki into her shield.

Ren was right behind his attack and came dashing forward, his sword tip appearing through the last few scattered ghostly brands of energy as he broke through his own attack to catch her off guard. The blade cut cleanly through the barrier once again and she stood to block him with her staff, struggling to stand in the strong winds created by his attack but fueled by determination to get as much from this experience as she could. Kagome put some extra power into the next parry of his blade and rocked it with the steel end of her staff, causing it to vibrate uncomfortably in his hand to give herself an extra second to get into a better position to fight him off.

They clashed again and again, metal singing out their battle in Fortress dojo. Kagome felt her arms begin to burn as he found a rhythm to their blows and settled in to beat her back. Kagome used both ends of the staff to parry his blows on all sides as Ren used his superior speed to dance around her, trying to find a weak spot.

She made a wild swing at his head to push him back and ten orbs of her power blinked into existence around her and she began pelting him from all sides. Ren was forced to jump and turn in the air to avoid being hit. That was all the break she needed to send the remaining five to bring him down. He used his command over the air to send himself back to the floor in a low crouch before springing up to rush her once again, sword tip leading his charge.

Three things happened at once: First, an unsettling and thick wave of Kouhei's youki crashed over the dojo from the fields outside, short circuiting the barrier around their match. Second, Kagome's senses were instantly overwhelmed by the strong demonic auras now coming from all around and she could no longer sense one from the other. Third, Ren didn't realize she had paused entirely and continued to rush forward.

He watched in horror as his youki-charged sword ran her through just beneath the ribs on her right side, the tip of his blade visible at her back. Blood began to bloom across both wounds.

Her scream of pain was instant and so was his regret.

"Oh, kami, no!" Ren breathed.

He withdrew the sword and Kagome dropped the staff and collapsed to the floor, her human body dealing with the pain and flood of foreign energy in the only way it could and shutting down completely. Her eyes fluttered closed and she fell limp to the floor.

"Momma!"

"Kagome! No! I didn't-" Ren babbled and dropped his sword, distraught.

"Idiot! I warned you!" Ryota shoved the Captain backward and away from her.

"Move!" Sesshoumaru bellowed above them all, lifting her limp body from the floor, and disappearing in a burst of speed to the healer's wing and trailing her blood the full distance.

…

The Chief Healer was cataloguing the new human remedies Kagome had taught him in the infirmary. Salves for many human skin ailments, pastes to mix with tea for pain relief and other internal maladies, and now a strong supply of bandages all lined a shelf in his apothecary should the need arise. He had only turned around to make some notes when the door to infirmary snapped open and the vengeful youki of the Lord of the West battered his senses and filled the room.

Kenshin took in the red-tinged eyes and low growl of Sesshoumaru and was confused, but then immediately more concerned with the blood soaked miko he bore.

"What happened?!" he exclaimed, running over to an empty bed and pointing.

"Your foolish, graceless brother!" Sesshoumaru snarled, gently setting her down and watching to make sure she was still breathing. Her heart was stuttering in her chest and his thoughts drifted for a moment to the fragility of life and what would happen if she died.

"Ren did this?! Why in the seven hells would he ever-"

Kenshin cut himself off, using his claws to slice through her outfit and assess the damage.

"He has run her through! I don't believe he hit anything critical…" he trailed off, applying pressure to the substantial bleeding. "Get me the-" but then the healer stopped himself, forgetting who it was he was barking orders to.

"What do you need?" the elder inu asked quickly.

"Light the brazier then rags, needle, and thread. I must keep pressure here." Kenshin pointed to the shelves with one hand and continued to apply pressure with the other.

Another minute passed as Kenshin went to work before three more youkai showed up in the infirmary, crowding the door.

"Is she okay?" "Kagome!" "Does the miko live?"

"Everyone shut it!" came the reprimand from the healer, back at the table and listening for the sounds of internal bleeding. Still applying pressure, he rolled her slightly to check the exit wound. His voice dropped in volume as he turned to the fidgety kit. "Shippou, you may stay if you can stay out of the way. Ren, get over here and stop the bleeding while I ready the cauterizing blade."

Shippou nodded and went to the other side of the bed, stroking her hair and watching her breathe. Ren was pale as he took over pinning her down to the bed with his one hand, his own panic growing as fresh blood crept through his fingers and spilled out onto the bed.

"Kenshin…" came Ren's concerned and trembling voice.

"Ren, don't move! My apologies, my Lord. Of course, you are welcome to stay if you would like." Kenshin muttered, cleaning the blade and accepting the gathered supplies from Sesshoumaru.

"Notify me when she wakes." was his stiff reply as he reached to take Rin from Ryota and turned to leave. The General followed suit and gave the pale priestess one last look as he walked out.

Ren was silent and let Kenshin order him around with rapt attention. Another several minutes passed as Kagome's wound was seared, cleaned, and stitched. Kenshin relayed to them both that he was hopeful she would wake before long. He gave Ren one last order.

"Go get Tomomi and instruct her to bring something clean to change Kagome-sama into. And Ren," he waited for his brother to meet his angry magenta eyes, "prepare yourself for punishment. He had almost lost himself when he arrived here."

Ren only swallowed, nodded mutely, and rushed out. Kenshin did not have to elaborate on who 'he' was.

"Sesshoumaru was that mad?" Shippou asked over Kagome's sleeping face.

"Very. I cannot remember a time his youki was stirred so violently." Kenshin shook his head, wiping the blood from her side.

…

Hours later, Kagome woke with a dry mouth and a raging pain in her side. The injured miko reflexively tried to sit up but collapsed heavily back to the bed when her side erupted in searing pain, stealing her breath.

"Oh, dammit!" she gasped, clutching at her side.

"Kagome-sama, wait! Do not move!" Kenshin was at her bedside in a second, checking her yukata for fresh blood beneath the quilt.

"Too late! What happened?" she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut through this new agony.

"You were run through in the dojo while sparring with Ren and brought here for treatment about three hours ago."

"Oh no. Ren." The memory came back full force. "Is he okay?"

"He impales you and you wonder about his health?" the healer raised an eyebrow, replacing her quilt.

"It was an accident. He knows it and I know it, but does Sesshoumaru?"

Her raspy voice sounded desperate; her concern sincere. Kenshin sighed under her pleading stare.

"He is being reprimanded for his carelessness." he said quietly, handing her a small cup of sake.

"It's not a slap on the wrist is it?" she asked sadly, downing the cup.

His pale hair shook around his face when he answered her. "I cannot say."

He caught the scent of her tears and dangled a clean rag over her.

"This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, Kenshin."

"You did not mean to put him in this position. His agreement to train with you was prior to your Mating contract. I believe no one is truly at fault here. Martyring yourself will only hurt him more."

She nodded behind the makeshift handkerchief.

"Where's Shippou?"

"He left only a few minutes ago to give an update. Lady Rin has been most worried about you but my Lord thought it best she stayed away should your condition worsen."

"I'll be fine."

"Will you, miko?" came the curious tone from the doorway.

"Sesshoumaru?"

Her blue eyes were searching the room and found him with one bare foot stepped in the infirmary.

'Barefoot?'

The blue silk haori and white hakama he wore were fresh leaving Kagome to wonder what he had been doing to be so underdressed and relaxed. This moment marked the first time Kagome had ever seen him appear so casual. So normal.

"Hm." He walked slowly to her bedside and scowled down at her, his silver hair curtaining his face. "You were careless."

"I was. Did you hurt him?"

"He is under Ryota's command, not my own. The General is carrying out his punishment."

"This is all my fault, though! I made him come at me with everything he had. Don't let Ryota-taishou hurt him!" she cried, lifting her head from the futon to attempt to prove to him how unhurt she really was.

"Did you? As I observed, you were outmatched, woman. And his punishment is not severe. Ryota understands your mutual agreement, but he should have been conscious of your distraction and stopped himself. His focus needs work."

Her relief was immediate, sighing and falling heavily back to the bed with a yelp and a grimace. Her tone and eyes were indignant when she continued.

"I was distracted but I wasn't outmatched. I was holding my own. Mostly."

"Hn. Perhaps we should procure some more leaves for you to eviscerate when next you train."

He waited for her to understand his meaning and was not disappointed.

"You were watching me?!"

He raised his chin at the insinuation he had been indecently spying on her.

"You were training in the middle of an open glade. Your game was hardly private."

It was hard to be properly angry lying on her back, immobilized by pain, but Kagome tried her best.

"It wasn't a game! I was training! Just having fun while I- Okay, so it was a game. But I won the two rounds with Ren before this happened, you jerk! Did you see those?"

"I did not."

"Well, I won them."

"Very well." His eyes crinkled at the corners with the smile he refused to let show. "Do you still wish to return to Edo today?"

"Yes. I need to go home. I need to see my friends."

'And to face Inuyasha's death. What I really need is space and time, and I'm getting neither here.'

He seemed to understand what she couldn't say and moved the conversation forward.

"Are you able to heal your injuries?"

"Yes. Shouldn't take me long but I need an hour or so. I've never been run through before…" Her small hand ghosted over her side, afraid to touch it and ignite the blinding pain again.

"It is an unpleasant sensation." he agreed. Kagome started to laugh and then yelped. "Do you require help?"

"I will, my Lord. Do not concern yourself." Kenshin said, coming to her bedside.

"Not long from now, the miko will be my concern. Allow me. What do you require?" he asked her quietly.

"An explanation? Why are you being so nice to me?"

His brows knit together when she so easily called him 'nice' but Sesshoumaru relaxed again to explain his unexpected presence.

"My behavior when last we spoke alone was unbecoming. Before you leave, I would like to speak with you privately but for now, I would help you if you would allow it."

"Why the talk? More rules I need to mentally prepare myself for? A tongue-lashing for making a fool of myself even though you both warned me?" she sighed, staring at the ceiling as one single tear rolled down her face.

He realized she was passing judgement on her own failure to best Ren in the dojo, and her honest self-pity mixed with the sadness in her eyes twisted something in the pit of his stomach. She was disappointed in her abilities and this first real trial after her training.

"No. Your tour of the gallery could wait, if you prefer, but it is part of the Palace you have not seen and we will be alone. When you are healed, meet me there. Your maid will know the way."

Kagome turned back and watched him for a minute. Then two. He stood as a statue, a blinking statue, but impossibly still under the doubtful scrutiny of her sapphire eyes. She wanted to believe he meant it. That he felt some remorse, like she did, for the yelling match at the end of their last conversation.

'This seems highly uncharacteristic of him but I do need to get to my room… and he's trying.'

"Could you take me to my room then? I need to heal and it takes time and quiet, and I don't want to ask any more of Kenshin-san," she raised her voice, not knowing where he was as she lay prone, "except maybe to tell Shippou where I've gone when he gets back?"

Kenshin nodded his acquiescence from the other side of her bed and went around to his desk to feign writing as he watched their exchange, his inu curiosity getting the better of him. Kagome watched Sesshoumaru at her bedside as he tried to figure out how to preserve her modesty and not aggravate her injuries.

"Here." she said, ending the pregnant pause. "Sit me up first. If I even flex my abs, it'll kill me all over again."

"You did not die, miko. Dramaticism does not suit you." he said, sliding a large hand under her warm back. "Are you ready?"

"Mm hmm."

Kagome gritted her teeth and tried not to flex the sheared muscles in her abdomen as he applied pressure to her back and helped her rise. She moaned as her posture straightened, the weight of her upper body now settling on the angry injury. Kagome sat for a minute, breathing heavily as the pain peaked and then started to diminish.

"Okay, if we're really gonna do this, you have to carry my whole weight." It was then she realized what that would mean. Where his hand would have to go. "You know what, this is a lot. I can just try to walk."

"You cannot." growled Kenshin from across the room. "I forbid it."

Kagome opened her mouth to shoot something back about 'forbidding her to do anything' but Sesshoumaru got there first.

"I will carry you, miko. Be still."

"But you have to put your hand-" He arched an eyebrow at her flushed cheeks and she knew he understood. "Oh, screw it. Fine."

The Lord of the West decided he would not grin at her warmed face and nervous scent as he bent toward her. He would not. Not even when he slid one large hand under her ass to lift her from the bed and the scents of her embarrassment and nervousness doubled in intensity. He did not grin as she turned her head away to keep their cheeks from brushing one another. Sesshoumaru wrapped his other arm around her back, curling his fingers around her ribs. He also did not allow a grin as he cradled her impossibly light body against his torso and she mumbled something about 'never getting stabbed again' as she wrung her small hands in her lap.

She felt him nod to Kenshin, refusing to look up at anything or anyone for the moment, and they were out into the hallway before Kagome realized what she had actually asked of him. He was cradling an injured human like a small child in front of the whole Palace and had offered to do so on his own.

"I'm sorry about this." she whispered.

"It is of no consequence. You wish to return home today and this is a necessary step."

"Tomomi could have done it for me, though. It didn't have to be you."

His steps slowed for a moment as they rounded the corner to walk past the courtyard and he was silent until they reached the cover of the halls once again.

"Perhaps I wish for you to be more comfortable in my presence. I realize my choice of words and my outburst did not communicate that when we spoke in my quarters."

'And I regret it.'

"No, it didn't but I wasn't expecting anything in particular from you that night. I didn't know what to expect. Still don't. I suppose I didn't communicate very well either by yelling at you about a future we can't predict."

'And I regret it.'

"It is for this reason that I offered my assistance."

"Thank you." she said quietly. "And where are your shoes?"

"My guests have all left, all but you and the kit, so there is no need to remain in full dress." At her disbelieving eyebrow, he continued. "This is a Palace but it also my home. Do you maintain such high standards of dress when alone in your own home?"

"No." She laughed and the hissed at the new pain. "No, I don't. You've got me there."

Her nervousness lessened and Sesshoumaru was satisfied their current position was no longer traumatizing her. He was surprised, however, when she leaned slightly into his chest and grasped the lapel of his haori in some feeble attempt, he assumed, to keep herself upright.

"Kouhei left, too? Was he okay?"

"He was. He wished to see you once more but not knowing when you would wake from this newest trauma, I bid him to return to the East."

They went through the halls outside the infirmary without incident but as he approached the guest quarters, much more populated by servants, they garnered a few curious glances, hushed whispers, and knowing smiles. Kagome was surprised that there were many of the latter. Especially, she noticed, from the older female servants.

"Why are they all smiling at us? What am I missing?" she whispered.

"It has been the pastime of the household for many years to pester This Sesshoumaru to find a Mate. They appear to finally be satisfied to see the Lord of the West promised to another."

"Oh."

"They have also undoubtedly heard of your many selfless acts since coming to the West and are curious about the miko who is a champion of youkai."

"Oh."

"This troubles you?"

"No, just processing. I'm sorry if it's been trouble for you. I didn't mean for all these things to happen."

"You are a singularly disruptive presence, miko."

"That won't change, I'm afraid." She shrugged as best she could, wrapped up tightly in his arms. "I don't look for trouble but it always seems to just… find me."

"Your experiences since arriving would support that logic."

They arrived at her rooms and she directed him to set her down on the futon with an apology.

"Thank you. Sorry about that."

As Kagome settled and steadied her breathing in the face of a fresh wave of pain, Sesshoumaru straightened and waited. Kagome looked up at him, bracing herself upright as much as possible.

"Are you going to stay while I meditate?"

"No, I will leave you."

When Sesshoumaru continued to stand there gazing at the open door but unmoving, Kagome wondered what he was waiting for. The curious miko used the agitation in his aura and pinched fold of his hakama between two clawed fingers to figure out what was going through his head. The realization hit her and Kagome had to bite her lip to stifle the knowing grin.

'He's nervous! But about what?'

A moment later, she was surprised by his question.

"Will you meet me in the gallery when you are healed? Or would you prefer to leave immediately?"

Kagome only blinked at him with wide, sky blue eyes.

He was genuinely asking. It was her choice. Spend time alone with him or don't. On the outside, it was a small thing but the hopelessness she had felt over dinner last night was centered around her future, her time, being out of her control. He was Lord here. She was no one. Today, though, Sesshoumaru was standing in her rooms, barefoot, asking her to spend time with him after carrying her, cradling her, down a public hallway in broad daylight. Her head spun for a moment with the absurdity of it all.

'Inuyasha, what would you make of all this?' She smiled gently imagining the eye-twitching shock plastered on his disbelieving face.

She was well within her rights to deny him, he knew. The conversation he had planned was not a particularly pleasant one, but necessary. Sesshoumaru stood over the miko, wondering at the many expressions crossing her pale face. Confusion, concern, a wistful smile, concentration. He wondered how one human could feel so much yet say nothing. The shifts in her scent were so rapid they were impossible to trace, even for him. A jumble of the few he knew but one stood out that he did not. The fragile and calming scent of jasmine joined the wood ashes and yuzu of her sadness and nerves. He began to ask her what reason she had for this new cycle of emotions when she spoke.

"Okay. I'll meet you there."

He inclined his silver head.

"Then I shall see you in the gallery when you are healed."

The inudaiyoukai turned quickly and left, closing the door behind himself.

Kagome stared at the now closed door and waited for the curiosity and stirred emotions to calm before she could reconcile this new information about him into place. He had been unsure. That was new. She gave the new information another minute to settle before taking a deep breath to begin to settle her mind. Using her arms to lock herself into a passable position, the priestess closed her eyes and began to slow the reactions within her body: her breath, her heartbeat, and the steady current of thoughts and emotions native to all humans. The trance was slow in coming given the excitement of the morning but eventually, she found peace and began to heal.

…

Sesshoumaru walked back through the halls to the knowing smiles of his servants and determinedly ignored them all. Wildfire had nothing on the gossip chain in the servant's halls.

There was much to consider before he spoke with the miko. What to tell her, what to omit for the sake of her already overwhelming grief, and how she would come to know everything anyway if he did not tell her now. Two days ago, when they discussed the Bond and what her return would mean, he had neglected to tell her every detail thinking it was too much for one conversation when she was already barely in control of her emotions.

The primal youkai that created the Bond had been thorough in ensuring it achieved its purpose. The safety of Mates was assured in their knowledge of each other's whereabouts, the creation of offspring was ensured by the enduring lust following the first joining, but the last was to ensure a Mate's full knowledge of the being to which they were tied for eternity: the sharing of critical memories and the emotions tied to them, both from the past and forward into the future as the Bond grows. Mates come to know those moments in each other's lives that have defined who they are: joy, excitement, accomplishment but also grief, loss, and regret. An uncomfortable side effect of having another's aura folded into your own.

While he was sure many of hers would be painfully tied to his brother, his own would be a complete mystery to her. His plan for their Bond did not involve her Marking him as well but she would see much of his past and it would be unsettling out of context. He could explain now and add to her contemplation of him over the next two years, or he could wait and allow the Bond to do it for him only to spend the next several days after their joining answering what was sure to be an avalanche of uncomfortable and penetrating questions. He opted for the former and had made a plan with the miko. She would know the turmoil of his past before she left for Edo.

…

Kagome meditated into the afternoon, exploring and healing the damage to her abdomen. Ren's sword hadn't pierced anything critical but it still hurt like a son of a bitch, even as she used her energy to knit the inflamed and youki-infused flesh back together. An hour or two later, satisfied everything was back as it should be, Kagome rolled onto all fours and slowly attempted to stand. When the pain did not reappear, she stretched in a half-moon to each side and closed her eyes, feeling the muscles beneath stretch without pain. A deep sigh brought her upright.

"Good. Let's never do that again."

Her fingers pried open the white yukata around her and examined the healed skin.

'Great. Another scar.'

The width of Ren's blade was now etched into her skin. A puckered and pink scar that would never disappear completely from the youki infused in his blade. Every major scar was a reminder of a mistake. The wide, jagged scar that wrapped around the left side of her waist from the demon who had dragged her through the well was a reminder that she had shattered the Shikon no Tama. The four identical claw marks Sesshoumaru had left in her right arm reminded her of her failure to save Inuyasha. Her failure to defeat Ren reminded her she wasn't ready to face daiyoukai in battle. Not really. And it stung.

'Then do better.' she mentally admonished herself. 'Miroku and Sango weren't done with me yet.'

"Now, where is that kit?"

Even after changing and repacking her pack and the gifted clothes, Shippou hadn't come back yet so she found some writing tools in the low desk and left him a note relaying she'd be in the gallery with Sesshoumaru and would meet him back here when they were done. A knock at the door stilled her hands.

'Who in the world…?'

"Yes? Who is it?" she asked cautiously.

"Ren. Can I speak with you?" There was a silent pause. "Please?"

Kagome was up and to the door in a flash, snapping it open.

"Kami, are you okay? What did the General do to you? Should I get your brother?"

Her eyes roamed his frame, checking for evidence of the beating she was sure he'd endured this morning. She didn't expect his hand to grasp her arm roughly, walking her backwards as he stepped into her room.

"Am I okay? Do you hear yourself?!" His yell surprised her and she jumped with the intensity of his voice. "I could have killed you!"

He checked the hallway around them and was satisfied no one saw him step in. He was angry, seething at her concern over him, and Kagome didn't know how to react. She settled for laying her hand on his and trying to look him in the eye. His youki was whipping in violent waves around him and his eyes were full of regret.

"But you didn't- I shouldn't have gotten distracted- I'm sorry," she sighed, "but I'm fine. See?"

Her left hand pinched her own side and she watched his eyes find hers, waiting for evidence of pain. He relaxed slightly and met her eyes.

"Kagome, what could have happened- I cannot-" he sighed and dropped his hand.

"Don't beat yourself up. I'm fine. We agreed to the rules before the match, I got distracted and left myself open. You didn't do anything wrong. Look at me, Ren." She flicked his chin up to meet her eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"It's more than that. I can never spar with you again. I see the light leave your eyes whenever I close my own." He screwed his eyes shut, remembering. "I hear your scream. Smell your blood. Death has never affected me in such a way."

"I didn't die. Don't do that. It's not your fault. I goaded you into coming at me with everything, didn't I?"

"I should have been more aware. I have never battled a miko. The challenge you presented was unique and I was more excited to face you than any opponent before. I let my pride and curiosity cloud my reasoning and nearly killed you. Do you understand?"

"I do. I'm fine, Captain. And I need to practice tuning everything else out. If I had done that, and stopped worrying about Shippou and the soldiers fighting at the other end and you at the same time, I might have been less effected by Kouhei's youki and won the last round, too."

Her self-satisfied smile was cheeky and he felt the tension in his heart release just slightly.

"So, it was a good session, then." she nodded.

"How can you say that? You nearly died!"

She shrugged. "We both learned something. The point was to train. I call that a win."

Ren stood in shock for a moment then his face split into a wide grin and he doubled over laughing. She joined him after a moment and they stood there in her room, laughing like a pair of fools over her near miss with death.

"Now, I'll be fine and I have somewhere to be. No more self-flagellation over it from you. I'll be leaving this afternoon but I need to meet Sesshoumaru in the gallery for some reason. Oh!" She suddenly remembered Ren lived here, too. "Can you tell me where it is?"

"Of course."

His mirthful smile dimmed and Ren turned in the direction of the meeting rooms and began to point. He directed her through the Palace, past the meeting rooms, and to the farthest side of the Palace from the guest wing. Kagome figured she could find Sesshoumaru's aura once she'd gotten that far.

"If I don't see you before I go, come visit me if you have time. You and Kenshin. It'd be nice to keep up while I'm gone but I know it's a long way away. Give me until summer though, just to be safe. Spring is a busy time of year but summer usually sees my workload slow down."

'And I need winter to myself.'

"I will come visit you then. I never have much time to myself but with peace settled into the Lands, I hope that may change."

"Me, too. Thanks, Captain. For everything."

He bowed and pressed his lips to her hand.

"I thank you as well, Kagome-sama. If I do not see you before, your return to the Palace will be a welcome one."

Ren's bright green eyes lingered on her hand before he stood and released her, backing away and leaving her alone in the room once again.

…

Sesshoumaru waited for the priestess in the solemn silence of the gallery. The servants had been instructed by Jaken that while the Lord of the West was visiting, they were to stay away.

It was a long while before the miko stood outside the gallery doors, and he listened as she strained to swing the steel-bound wooden doors that were twice as tall as he was. The inu gave her a few minutes to try on her own before ending her struggle and easily pushing them open from inside.

"Problem, priestess?" came his timbre from inside the swinging doors.

"What are those things made of? I've lifted ox carts that weighed less." she laughed.

"You are healed?"

"Yes. I add another scar to the list but that's nothing new." Kagome shrugged.

Sesshoumaru allowed a small smile in anticipation of her reaction and invited her in.

"Come. There is much to see."

He swept a navy-clad arm inward, allowing her to see the vast room that was the gallery. And it was a vast room. The size of roughly two of the training fields put together, it was completely open except for the occasional thick, dark wooden pillar dotting the interior. Skylights allowed the sunlight of the afternoon to shine throughout the open space in columns of golden light from ceiling to floor.

"Wow…" she whispered, venturing in with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

Sesshoumaru followed behind her as she forgot him entirely and walked dazedly to her left, staring in awe at the artifacts around them. There were statues of great inu nearing the height of the ceiling, large paintings of fierce battles and huge families, and even a few exceedingly elaborate kimonos that hung reverently along the walls from great, polished wooden displays. Armor and weapons or varying styles and detail stood guard nearer the central pillars of the room and seemed to dare visitors to disrespect the noble history on display.

"Is this all from your family?" she marveled.

"Yes. My immediate family and my mother's. My father did not come from a great family but forged his title for himself. Much of the history here is from my lifetime."

"I'm glad you asked me to come. This is amazing."

Sesshoumaru nodded his acceptance of her praise and she continued around the room, asking questions and listening closely to the answers. He found himself proud that she saw value and wonder in his ancestry.

"Do human families keep much of their history? Your kind are not long-lived but I imagine the sentiment is familiar."

"Yes, actually. My grandfather keeps lots of mementos from his youth and we have some small paintings of a few of our ancestors. Nothing as grand as this though. Ours would all fit in a guest room. The benefits of a long life, I guess."

She smiled at him genuinely and he realized she was at peace with her existence. A human life lived in a human way. She did not seem to yearn for more. Even his brother had, at one time, wished to be more than he was. But not this human woman. He added this information to the growing list of facts he now knew about his future Mate.

"Who's in this one?" came her innocent question, pointing to the scowling image of an elder inuyoukai with a long, thin beard and fierce, pale golden eyes.

"This is my great grandsire. On my mother's side."

"He looks very… angry."

"He was, in general. He died only a few decades ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Do not be. He died as he wished to." At her curious head tilt, he elaborated. "In battle. He lived a full life."

She nodded her understanding and moved on. Stopping in front of a large, pale carving of a great inu, she glanced over at him with a smile.

"Do I know this one?"

"You do. It is-"

"Don't tell me who this one is… Let me guess. This one looks more delicate than the others. More graceful." Kagome glanced around the open mouths and large teeth of the other statues and shivered before turning back. "Those aren't your markings… but there is a crescent moon. Is this your mother? Kikuko-sama?"

"Very good. This was a present from her mother when she Mated my father. Your attention to detail is better than I expected, given your condition this morning."

"I'm never gonna hear the end of that, am I?" Kagome shook her head and then looked sadly at the statue. "I'm sorry my agreement to all this made your mother so angry. I hope you can work it out. I don't want to live the rest of my life being hated by my mother-in-law, whatever else happens."

"My mother is difficult. You may never have the occasion to meet again. She has been known to hold grudges longer than a human life."

"I'm sure her reaction had a lot to do with Izayoi." Kagome said quietly.

"In part, but she is also equally likely to be angry that her own plans in rebuilding my father's empire were stalled."

"Well, I'm sorry either way. I hate it when my mother and I argue."

He only nodded and moved past her to look at another painting, framed in a gilded wood.

"That's a big family. Wow, there's, like… ten, eleven, twelve kids! Is that you? And your mother?"

"Yes. My father is there, as well. You would be unfamiliar with his appearance. My uncle and his family are greater even than this in number now. My mother comes from prolific stock."

"I can see that. And they all have your coloring. All but this one." Kagome pointed at a young female sat at the left end of the family with a matching, peaceful smile.

"She is not their natural daughter. She was adopted into my uncle's family."

"Oh, that's nice. Just like Rin. Lucky girl."

Kagome looked over at him to see his response only to be met with golden eyes full of sorrow and purpose.

"You deserve the truth. Our lives were already intertwined by my brother but they will, not surprisingly, be more so after we are Mated. You will receive the emotions, the memories, that define the most critical moments in my growth. As I would receive yours, if you could complete the Bond in the same way. I was not forthcoming during our first discussion but you should know this and have time to consider how this intimate knowledge will affect you."

"What could be so bad? I know you have a past. We all do. I bet you already know most of mine anyway. You were there for Naraku's defeat, that was obviously a big one for me, and I was there when you let go of your need for Tessaiga and got your arm back. I don't know all the details of your adoption of Rin but I'm sure that's mostly happy."

Kagome walked forward and laid a gentle hand on his forearm. She watched as his whole body tensed from his jaw to his boots. Blue eyes glittered in the sunlight as she looked up at the tall inudaiyoukai who was obviously uncomfortable.

"Sesshoumaru, you were front and center for the worst day, the worst moment, of my life. I'm not-" she swallowed thickly, needing to get this out. "I'm not angry at you for stopping him. I tried to be, just to blame someone, but Inuyasha knew me well enough to say exactly what I needed to hear. He knew I'd be angry at myself for losing him. He knew I'd try to blame myself, or you, to deal with it. You already know all that about me. If anything, I'll be glad to know you better. You're… kind of quiet."

"That is the intended purpose of the transference."

"Oh."

"Mating is a choice. You chose Inuyasha and he, you. That is the usual way of things. Our situation is unique and irregular."

"That's true. Is that what's made you sad? That you don't have a choice in this either? You look just like you did at the river before the battle with Inuyasha."

Kagome softened her eyes and waited, barely a step away from him. He was struggling with whatever he needed to tell her and she would quietly wait for him to find a way. He would not be rushed. She understood that much about him already.

Sesshoumaru stared back at her for a moment, remembering how she had cut through him with her declaration at the river, and deciding how to begin now. He was not disturbed by a lack of choice. There had been only one other in his long life and he found himself apathetic at the idea of trying to find another afterward. Feeling trapped by duty, he hated to tempt fate with another option to torment him.

But then Katsurou made his demand and suddenly, the pressure to find another was removed from his shoulders. The choice was no longer his and he was… relieved. The trial now was preparing a human, who had no idea what she had truly agreed to, to take her place in a society that would both scrutinize her mercilessly and then forget about her completely.

"You asked me if you were the first, and you will be, but I was intended for another once in my youth."

"Oh?"

He turned away from her and locked eyes with the pale blue of the young inuyoukai female in the painting.

Kagome, too, turned to study her and realized what Sesshoumaru was trying to tell her. She noticed the detail of the youkai female's proud face and the short, dark markings along her high cheekbones. The dark and shoulder-length hair that was stubbornly wavy like her own, and the gentle gaze from eyes that were smiling but a different shape and shade than the rest of the family in the portrait. She waited as Sesshoumaru gathered his thoughts.

"Her name was Yaeko, a ward of my mother's family, as I said, who had been rescued sometime in her first fifty years from the traders' chains. She was too weak to fight back and too young to understand their intentions, but she would have been bound for the pleasure houses in the youkai districts. My uncle rescued her and allowed her to live at the Palace. When she and my cousins grew close, and she showed a quick mind, they adopted her."

"That's Shippou's age! How terrible. How did you know each other?"

"Several times in our youth and then later, when we were older, my uncle and his family would come to visit the West. Yaeko was singularly unafraid of me and my status as the Western heir, having grown up so separated from our way of life. She persisted in her insolence even after being harshly educated by my mother on several occasions. Most frequently, on the impropriety of sneaking into my room in the middle of the night. Every year, even past the age of maturity, she would come to me alone to tell wild tales about the mainland's foreigners and their strange customs. It became our tradition."

"How scandalous." Kagome feigned shock by placing a hand over her mouth.

"Hardly. But I enjoyed her company and over time, we grew closer. We became lovers when she came of age. I proposed Mating to her the summer of my six hundred and thirty-seventh year and she accepted."

"I don't understand then. You said-"

The confession tore out of his throat before his pride could stop it.

"My father killed her…" Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and looked at Kagome. "Before we Mated, before I knew what was happening and could stop it, he killed her."

"What?" Kagome whispered. "No. Why? How could he do such a thing?"

"To punish me. For being less than a perfect heir." His eyes turned to steel and found the visage of the Inu no Taishou in the same painting, scowling as the memories became raw once again. "I wanted no part in the dynasty the Inu no Taishou imagined. My name, my status… my life was decided for me before my birth. Another soldier, a pawn, in his game to overtake the world. He killed Yaeko after his discovery that I intended to leave the West and journey to the mainland to live with my mother's family after we were Mated."

"That's… that's terrible. Sesshoumaru, I'm so sorry."

He continued, staring blankly at the portrait, determined to finish recounting the worst moments of his life and avoid seeing the pity he could smell was gathered in her eyes.

"His ability and power had begun to overtake his reason and he was half mad with it already. My mother refused to acknowledge that his abilities were dangerous and carried on as if nothing was changed. He was merciless in battle, as was expected, but his mind never left the battlefield and after several decades of fighting, and absorbing the power of every one of his victims, he began to lose himself. I could see it. His General, Kazuhiko, could see it."

Kagome stood with her hand over her mouth and tears gathered in her eyes.

"Just before he left my mother for the human princess, he was informed that I had entered into a Mating agreement with Yaeko and dragged her away from the Palace in the normal confusion of the morning. I did not know until it was too late. Later, he assured me her death was quick and painless, as if sparing me some regret. I knew the scent of lies even then. Her death would not have been quick nor painless. I sensed her youki mingled with that of my father's and knew what he had done. I had only myself to blame. She died because I failed to protect her from a threat to her life I never calculated."

"That is not true-"

"Please." He held up a hand. "There is more."

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I understand enough."

"This is important. But after today, I respectfully request you keep my history to yourself."

"Of course, Sesshoumaru. But what about Tenseiga? Couldn't you bring her back?"

"The Sword of Heaven was not yet mine" he shook his head, "…and he refused to repeal my punishment despite my begging for her life. It was the first and last time I have ever lowered myself to do so."

Kagome held a sleeved hand in front of her mouth and let the first few tears fall silently after he began to speak again.

"Touga was fighting the East at the end of the Four Points Wars and he ran back to the battle after carrying out my punishment. I drew rage from the wellspring of my grief and hunted him down, demanding he relinquish the swords of Heaven, Earth, and Hell so he could do no more damage. To end his senseless war. I found my father outside Izayoi's manor and near death. Grown thoughtless in his madness, the dragon Ryukotsusei had bested and nearly killed him. My father threw my own sentiment at my feet when his human whore was attacked by her own men."

The growl that erupted from Sesshoumaru was full of pain and rage, and echoed loudly around the empty room.

"How dare he ask me if I had something to protect as if he had not thrown his entire kingdom away in his arrogance and pursuit of one human woman!"

Kagome startled when he yelled and felt his grief. A hand reached out toward him in comfort but then she withdrew it, knowing he wouldn't welcome or accept it from her while he felt so vulnerable. He stood there, collecting himself through deep breaths for several moments before continuing.

"After her death, I lost myself for many years to my rage and sorrow. I used it to hone my skills as I traveled, wanting no part in ruling the West ever again. Once I was recovered, I took Tenseiga and worked to recover the other two swords of my father that they might not fall into more ambitious hands. I vowed to be better than my sire. My path to conquest, to be better than the murderer the Inu no Taishou had become, began then."

"I heard you use the words 'Supreme Conquest' once." she said thoughtfully.

"A title I used to describe the need to best him in all ways. Eventually, I was convinced to return to the West to rule. My mother was not fit to do so in her grief so to spare her, I agreed to return when my father's swords were recovered."

They were quiet for several minutes. Kagome felt Sesshoumaru trying to calm himself and when his youki settled down again, Kagome reminded him of their shared history.

"Your quest to find the swords, I am already intimately familiar with."

"I suppose you are. My intention was not truly to rob Inuyasha of his weapon but to seal it away from the world. I alone know what it is capable of. Was capable of. Destruction like Tessaiga's did not belong in the hands of an untrained hanyou. I attempted to protect him from the temptation of the power the sword held."

"You had a funny way of showing it. It took me watching you teaching Ren a lesson to understand that you were trying to train Inuyasha back then. You beat the crap out of him for no reason, too. I know that now, so don't deny it."

"I will not. Inuyasha was so like him, my father, that I battered him mercilessly in his youth in an effort to take out my misplaced need for revenge on the one being in the world Touga might have wronged even more than myself. The guilt, the remorse, and the anger at my father for leaving me in this position... reconciling his endless mistakes…"

"I understand."

His first inclination was to berate her for assuming a human could ever understand the centuries of his life he had wasted on others' mistakes. Thinking better of it, he considered she might have a reason for feeling as she did.

"Do you? You would be the first."

"I am very familiar with cleaning up life-altering mistakes, even if it was self-inflicted." Kagome hung her head for a moment, gathering her courage to tell him the truth. "It was my arrow that shattered the jewel. I dragged Inuyasha and my friends, you, and so many others into the battle that never would have happened if not for my lousy aim."

"You were responsible? Your error was shattering the Jewel of Four Souls?" He turned barely widened eyes on her in confusion. She nodded sheepishly. "You might truly understand then."

"I'm glad my epic blunder helped you feel better."

And he did.

They were silent for several long moments.

"I failed Inuyasha just as I failed Yaeko."

"You didn't fail Yaeko or Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru."

"Hn. I did fail her. Just as I would have failed Rin if you had not agreed to Katsurou's demands. I thank you for preventing me from losing the last of those in my charge. Rin has been taken to the Underworld twice before this. I cannot save her from death anymore."

"I know how that feels, too. I still can't believe he's gone. I really don't know what to do now." she finished quietly, her small voice breaking.

"I feel regret for my past with Inuyasha because there is no hope of reconciling with him. You know now that my father's ability was a curse. Inuyasha would have been overtaken at some time in his life regardless of my actions, but when it did, I felt only regret." He looked into her eyes again, noting the way she tried not to let the gathered tears spill over. "He deserved a better life."

"It wasn't your job to protect him. It was mine. And I tried and failed. Don't blame yourself."

"Your efforts to help him were noble and selfless. There is nothing you could have done."

She nodded silently, inhaling slowly and trying to stop crying for the fourth or fifth time today.

"You did not reserve my rage two days ago and I apologize. There is much to consider in our future but it is no fault of yours that you feel as you do."

"Me, too. I don't know how we'll come to an agreement but yelling never solves a problem. I was trying so hard to hold it all in but what I really need, what I have to do, is go home and work through everything." Kagome breathed a shuddering sigh and shivered before looking at him once again. "No matter what happens in two years, I appreciate you telling me all of this. I felt alone in my loss but it never occurred to me you might know how this feels."

"I have experienced loss like yours. I do not envy you the coming months."

"Me either." Kagome hesitated for a moment. "You are better than your father, you know. You've done good things for lots of people just since I've been here."

It was the first time anyone had ever spoken those words to him. Sesshoumaru felt the truth in them as Kagome so openly and honestly said the one thing he had needed to hear to step out of the shadow of the Inu no Taishou.

"Thank you. You, also, have helped to repair the mistakes of the past. Despite appearances, the East has never truly warmed to the alliance of the Four Points. Healing the heir will change many minds on their position."

"I wanted to help a youkai who needed it. It was dumb luck it was the Cardinal Land you wanted to impress."

"This Sesshoumaru did not want to 'impress' the East, miko. Alliances aid us in building stronger lands. It is a wise strategy to maintain good relationships."

"By impressing them."

"As you wish."

There was another piece of the puzzle she needed him to agree on.

"When I get back to Edo, I do need to go home to see my mother. I don't want to risk everything by leaving but I need to see her. She knew him and she'll understand."

"Very well. I will send a soldier to guard the village while you are away. Inuyasha knew your family?"

"He did." She smiled warmly. "They loved him."

"Despite his heritage?"

The miko's smile turned watery but remained. "My mom knew what he needed. All he really wanted was a family and mine accepted him for who he was." Kagome laughed at the memories that surfaced of hiding him in modern Tokyo. "She loved taking care of him. And he loved her cooking. My mom also loved his ears. I did, too."

"I did not know."

Something turned over in his chest at the discovery that Inuyasha had a family to care for him. His brother had been loved by many. Sesshoumaru felt relief that his own mistreatment of the boy had not doomed Inuyasha to a life of loneliness, and then he felt regret at having never been a part of it.

"I'm worried about what will happen to the village when I'm not there two years from now." Kagome continued.

"Ryouzou and Kouhei have agreed to leave Edo in the care of the humans into the far future." At her curious look, he continued. "Inuyasha. I gave my word as he lay dying that the village would remain in existence, no matter the wars of humans or youkai."

"What did he tell you about it? The village?" Her tone was guarded.

Sesshoumaru wondered why she was tense as she asked him, and then his curiosity swelled again when he told her why.

"Only that he knew it was important in the future that it remain as it was."

"He really was wonderful, you know. I hope you understand that about him at least."

"I begin to."

He turned away from the painting and began to walk towards the large doors leading out of the gallery.

"What will you do for the next two years?" she asked, catching up to him.

"Solidify agreements with the human families, firmly establish our borders, and visit the largest strongholds in the West to assess their needs."

"You'll be busy then. Shippou said Rin wanted to come live in Edo for the summer. She's welcome to stay with us. Kaede is getting old and could use her help for sure, but I know for a fact she snores."

"Rin is very fond of your time together."

"And we're fond of her, too. I'll keep her safe, I promise."

"I will bring her then and retrieve her at the beginning of autumn."

"And how am I getting home?"

"Are you familiar with the dragons we keep?"

"Not in the slightest. You keep dragons? They're not relatives of Ryouzou-sama are they?" the miko grinned knowingly.

"Obviously not." he scoffed. "Come. We will collect your effects and I will introduce you to A-Un."

…

Rin, Ryota, Kouji, and the inu brothers were all gathered at the Fortress to tell Kagome and Shippou goodbye. Tomomi had created new miko robes for Kagome to travel home in and she had hugged the gentle deer in thanks and friendship, wishing her well in the coming two years. Kagome had braided her long hair for the journey home and asked for a new ribbon to tie it with. Tomomi had brought her a new one in a dark indigo. The ends of the new ribbon fluttered behind Kagome in the late autumn breeze. The wind was cold and the high clouds smelled of snow to the youkai in attendance. Winter was nearly here.

Rin seemed saddest to see Kagome leave but Sesshoumaru laid a hand on his ward's shoulder and she tried her hardest to be brave. Kagome reminded the young woman that this was not goodbye and they would see her in Edo when the weather turned warm again. They hugged warmly and Kagome whispered she couldn't wait to see her again.

Kagome gave some last pointers to the new parents, Ryota and Kouji, on keeping Haruto healthy in the coming cold months. They thanked her and wished her well, relaying their excitement for her return.

Ren and Kenshin both smiled when she approached.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a couple years."

"Stay well, Kagome-sama." Kenshin bowed and smiled. "And we anxiously await your return."

He was unsurprised when Kagome leapt over and hugged him warmly. Still embracing him, she thanked the healer for saving her not once or twice, but three times in her short visit to the West.

"Of course. You have taught me many useful things since coming here. I hope your return is much less eventful."

"Take care of Tomomi, okay?" she winked at him, turning to Ren before the healer's face burst into flame while he sputtered his denial.

"Be well, my Lady." Ren said, bowing and taking her hand.

"I will. You, too. Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"Of course."

"I'll keep doing some research on what I might be able to do for your arm, if you want."

"Please. I will study as well and try to visit you if I can."

"Do that."

She launched herself at him, too, and was glad to feel him hug her back.

"Momma? Are we ready now?" came the anxious question from behind.

Kagome bent down and collected Shippou in her arms, kissing the top of his head.

"Yep. All packed. Let's go home, kiddo."

Sesshoumaru left Rin and waited for permission from the miko. Rin ran around to grab the reins of the twin-headed dragon and began to pet them fondly. Sesshoumaru lifted the miko onto their back and waited for her to settle before handing off her bow and staff.

"Goodbye, everyone. See you in two years!" Kagome smiled.

A few hands went up to wave her goodbye. Rin ran back around to stand beside the brothers.

"Are you ready?" Sesshoumaru asked Kagome, who nodded and gripped the reins tighter. "Hold tightly and I will join you in the air in a moment." he said, walking away to the dragon's tail.

"Away!" Sesshoumaru barked to the dragon and they launched into the sky, kicking up the dust and gravel of the training field.

"Stay alert while I return the miko. I will return tonight." Sesshoumaru said to Ryota.

"Of course, my Lord. Safe travels."

"Rin, behave yourself in my absence."

"Of course, milord." she bowed.

He nodded once and gathered his youki beneath himself to launch into the sky after the dragon. The others waited until Sesshoumaru was out of sight before walking slowly back to their respective duties. Soon only the General and his Mate were left gazing at the sky.

"And now we wait." Ryota said to Kouji with a smile.

"He is going to be a handful for the next two years." Kouji said knowingly.

"You know that, and I know it, but how long do you think it will take him to realize it?"

"Years. He is uniquely stubborn, Mate."

Ryota laughed and took Kouji by the hand to return to his duties.

…

The journey back to Edo was silent except for the chattering of the miko's teeth as they reached higher altitudes to cross the mountains of the West.

"Halt!" came the order from the inu and the dragons stopped in midair.

Kagome was confused and then grateful when Sesshoumaru passed her his pelt, draping it around her shoulders. She instantly burrowed into its warmth and tucked Shippou in as well.

"Thank you." she said quietly.

He nodded and resumed flying, pulling the reins of the dragons to follow him.

That was all that was said during the journey back. As the landscape changed, Kagome began to recognize the town she had spent the night in on her journey, the mountains where Kouga and his pack live, the Palace Inuyasha had attacked in his rage, and when the land flattened and the fields widened, Kagome felt dread settle in her heart. They were getting closer.

The forest grew taller and denser beneath them and the clearing surrounding the Bone Eater's Well became visible.

'Breathe.' she reminded herself.

The dark spot in the middle that was the well was silent. Her seals had done their job.

As Sesshoumaru began to descend, he flared his youki several times to alert the monk of his approach. The daiyoukai trusted these humans to receive Kagome and care for her in the coming days.

When Kagome saw Sango and Miroku come running from their house out to the road, she had to squeeze her eyes shut and clench her fists into Sesshoumaru's pelt to keep from crying out. Her heart hammered in her chest.

'Not yet.'

When they finally landed, Sesshoumaru did not speak but lifted the kit from her lap and waited for the miko to look at him to give permission. She would not meet his eyes and her aura was tightly concealed. She was straining with the effort of it.

Sango and Miroku ran up to the hill, met Sesshoumaru's eyes, and waited. When he shook his head ever so slightly, they both nodded and Sango ventured a little closer.

Kagome slumped off of the dragon's back and stood silently, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. She heard the approach of feet, the crunching of the dying grass punctuating each step, and watched as Sango's sandals appeared through the wall of tears swimming in her eyes.

"Kagome-chan?"

The miko looked up at Sango and watched her friend smile pitifully, worried and sad but relieved to finally see her. Sango looked the same, in her bold colors and long hair tied back, and Kagome needed something to be the same.

The taijiya was looking her over for damage, she could tell, but when she found nothing visibly wrong, began to reach forward. Over her shoulder, Miroku was watching the exchange, waiting for permission when Kagome could give it. He looked tired and pale but stood tall to show her he was here and would continue to be.

The first touch of Sango's fingers on her arm was featherlight but that was all it took.

And Kagome broke.

...

AN: It's a long one. I warned you. Almost twice as long as any other chapter I've ever posted. But everything is tied up and she's back home. I hope everyone is still well and happy, and I hope you enjoy it! Next time, the first year of separation! (Or part of it anyway. I do tend to get long-winded.) Please let me know what you think. What you liked, what was weird, whatever. I love hearing what you think of the story now that it's getting more involved.