Kagome's head hurt. Her head? No not just her head. Her heart.
There was a dull ache in her chest that seemed so sear her. She
opened her mouth and an involuntary groan escaped her throat and
she shifted. A bright voice chimed near her ear.
"She's waking up!"
"Don't shout Rin." A familiar voice cracked with overbearing authority. The owner of the first voice ignored him however.
"Should we go get Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Lord Sesshomaru will return when he sees fit to. He has entrusted me with the human's care and I am more then capable of- "
"Her eyes are open!" Kagome looked up at the girl as she squealed this with obvious delight and smile at her. The girl...the child from the village. The one locked in the storehouse. "Hello! Are you sick?"
Kagome sat up and rubbed her head then blinked and looked around suddenly frantic. "Inuyasha! Where's Inuyasha?" The little girl just stared at her blankly but the tiny toad looking creature behind her cleared his throat.
"You are in the care of Lord Sesshomaru presently."
Kagome blinked she remembered now. The toad creature was Sesshomaru's servant. What was his name? Jekin? Jakin? Jaken! It was Jaken. And if Sesshomaru had her... "Are you going to kill me?"
Both Rin and Jaken looked taken aback and they glanced at each other then Jaken cleared his throat again. "No my Lady." He struggled out the word as if was choking him. "I have been sworn to protect you until your dying breath!"
"Protect me? Why would you want to protect me?" Kagome's head throbbed and the confusion wasn't helping ease the pain. She struggled to her feet slowly and the world spun a moment then settled. She repeated her question. "Why would you protect me?"
"Because Lord Sesshomaru told him to!" Rin piped in the girl's, apparently constant cheerful nature.
Kagome blinked. Sesshomaru had told Jaken to protect her. Aside from the insult that this stout little thing could defend her better then she could herself Kagome couldn't understand that at all. But from what he said it sounded as if he wasn't going to hurt her so that was good at least. Kagome tugged at her skirt to give her hands something to do to keep them from shaking.
"Where are we?" Kagome questioned.
"In the forest that border the edge of Lord Sesshomaru's land. It will take many days to travel through it for Lord Sesshomaru's realm is vast indeed." Jaken answered with a reverent tone one got when discussing something dear or sacred. Kagome frowned.
"Well thank you for taking the time to inform me Jaken."
Jaken bowed. "It is my humble honor my lady."
Kagome's frowned deepen slightly. "Why do you keep calling me that Jaken?"
Jaken rose from his bow. "Well because you're to become our mistress."
Kagome blinked. "Excuse me?"
Jaken smiled. "You're to be bestowed upon the honor of being Lord Sesshomaru's wife."
Kagome blinked slowly. She wasn't hearing correctly of course. It had to be a mistake. Or a joke meant to frighten her. It wasn't funny. "I keep waiting for you to laugh but I don't suppose you're going to are you?"
"My lady?"
"Hurray! We get Lady Kagome!" Rin sang brightly.
It was Rin's merriment that convinced her and ice ran down her spine. Sesshomaru wouldn't. He couldn't. The demon lord hated humans!
'Then why does he keep this young one?' A voice in the back of her head pricked her and Kagome's eyes widened before she clamped hands over her ears and shook her head.
"No. No. No. No way!" Kagome dropped her hands and balled her hands into fists. "Alright then! Where is your lord?" Both Rin and Jaken blinked at her silently and Kagome suddenly tensed nervously. "He's standing behind me isn't he?"
The pair nodded and Kagome turned slowly and her heart caught in her throat. How could she not have noticed him behind her? He was huge, taller then Inuyasha who was a whole head taller then her already. Her eyes were focused on the front of his kimono. Could she look at his face? Did she dare? But if she didn't he would take it for cowardice and there was no way she was going to let Sesshomaru think she was afraid of him!
She lifted her gaze and met his eyes and an electric shock went through her body and she shivered involuntarily. Sesshomaru's sharp eyebrow rose elegantly and he lifted something in his hand. A rough spun cloak and flung it around her shoulder's mistaking the shiver for a sign of her being cold.
"Thank you." She whispered then cursed herself. Thank you? What was she thinking? She blushed suddenly as she realized how close they were. If she had reached out a hand she could have pinched him. She dropped her gaze away and took a firm step backwards but her heart constricted at the distance.
What was she doing? Kagome almost laughed when she realized what was going on. She was swooning! What was wrong with her? She should be yelling at him. Threatening. Shrieking about the insult this was. About how he had no right to kidnap her. What a joke? How could she possibly scold him when she couldn't even find her voice? She didn't dare look away from him though worried about betraying how much his size intimidated her. And still something else wouldn't let her look away. She didn't want to focus on anything but the flawless skin of his throat, the muscles that stood defined even in his clawed hand.
She didn't know how long she'd been staring up at him but he hadn't seemed to move at all. Not a twitch, not a shift, not a word. She licked her lips nervously and opened her mouth but nothing came out. She closed it again, frowned then tried to speak once more.
"I'm a bit confused." His eyebrow went up again, uncaringly. Apparently he didn't care whether she understood what was going on or not. She pressed on anyway. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm sure you were playing a joke on your...." She frowned, what were they to him. Jaken was a servant for sure but what about Rin? "On your companions." She finally settled on.
He shook his head and her temper rose, throat aching with the effort it took not to yell at him. Apparently he had taken leave of his senses! Marry her? Be his wife? There was no way. Inuyasha would kill him if he ever found out, and possibly Jaken as well. And what about Rin? She'd be left alone. There was only one solution to this problem. She'd have to find a way to make the youkai lord understand.
"You can't want to marry me! I'm a human! And you can't just kidnap someone and expect them to marry you it doesn't work that way." Nothing. Not a word, not a nod, not even a blink. She decided to test her luck. "I'll just leave now. I can find my own way back somehow."
She moved and Sesshomaru's hand shot out suddenly to curl around her wrist. He wasn't hurting her though. In fact he was being surprisingly gentle. She looked down at his hands as tiny bubbles of pleasure started to work their way up from her stomach to burst in her chest. She forced her mind past thoughts of the contact and tried to focus.
"This doesn't have anything to do with you being attracted to me? What is this about Sesshomaru? Why in the world would you want to do something like this?" She finally demanded as frustration started to nag at her.
"Something like what?" His voice came emotionlessly, and Kagome jumped in surprise and looked up at him and frowned. Hadn't he been listening to her at all?
"Marry me!" Kagome realized her mistake the instant he jerked her against his chest and curled and arms around her waist and lifted her effortlessly to lay his lips on hers for the bares of seconds.
"Yes Kagome, I'll marry you."
"She's waking up!"
"Don't shout Rin." A familiar voice cracked with overbearing authority. The owner of the first voice ignored him however.
"Should we go get Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Lord Sesshomaru will return when he sees fit to. He has entrusted me with the human's care and I am more then capable of- "
"Her eyes are open!" Kagome looked up at the girl as she squealed this with obvious delight and smile at her. The girl...the child from the village. The one locked in the storehouse. "Hello! Are you sick?"
Kagome sat up and rubbed her head then blinked and looked around suddenly frantic. "Inuyasha! Where's Inuyasha?" The little girl just stared at her blankly but the tiny toad looking creature behind her cleared his throat.
"You are in the care of Lord Sesshomaru presently."
Kagome blinked she remembered now. The toad creature was Sesshomaru's servant. What was his name? Jekin? Jakin? Jaken! It was Jaken. And if Sesshomaru had her... "Are you going to kill me?"
Both Rin and Jaken looked taken aback and they glanced at each other then Jaken cleared his throat again. "No my Lady." He struggled out the word as if was choking him. "I have been sworn to protect you until your dying breath!"
"Protect me? Why would you want to protect me?" Kagome's head throbbed and the confusion wasn't helping ease the pain. She struggled to her feet slowly and the world spun a moment then settled. She repeated her question. "Why would you protect me?"
"Because Lord Sesshomaru told him to!" Rin piped in the girl's, apparently constant cheerful nature.
Kagome blinked. Sesshomaru had told Jaken to protect her. Aside from the insult that this stout little thing could defend her better then she could herself Kagome couldn't understand that at all. But from what he said it sounded as if he wasn't going to hurt her so that was good at least. Kagome tugged at her skirt to give her hands something to do to keep them from shaking.
"Where are we?" Kagome questioned.
"In the forest that border the edge of Lord Sesshomaru's land. It will take many days to travel through it for Lord Sesshomaru's realm is vast indeed." Jaken answered with a reverent tone one got when discussing something dear or sacred. Kagome frowned.
"Well thank you for taking the time to inform me Jaken."
Jaken bowed. "It is my humble honor my lady."
Kagome's frowned deepen slightly. "Why do you keep calling me that Jaken?"
Jaken rose from his bow. "Well because you're to become our mistress."
Kagome blinked. "Excuse me?"
Jaken smiled. "You're to be bestowed upon the honor of being Lord Sesshomaru's wife."
Kagome blinked slowly. She wasn't hearing correctly of course. It had to be a mistake. Or a joke meant to frighten her. It wasn't funny. "I keep waiting for you to laugh but I don't suppose you're going to are you?"
"My lady?"
"Hurray! We get Lady Kagome!" Rin sang brightly.
It was Rin's merriment that convinced her and ice ran down her spine. Sesshomaru wouldn't. He couldn't. The demon lord hated humans!
'Then why does he keep this young one?' A voice in the back of her head pricked her and Kagome's eyes widened before she clamped hands over her ears and shook her head.
"No. No. No. No way!" Kagome dropped her hands and balled her hands into fists. "Alright then! Where is your lord?" Both Rin and Jaken blinked at her silently and Kagome suddenly tensed nervously. "He's standing behind me isn't he?"
The pair nodded and Kagome turned slowly and her heart caught in her throat. How could she not have noticed him behind her? He was huge, taller then Inuyasha who was a whole head taller then her already. Her eyes were focused on the front of his kimono. Could she look at his face? Did she dare? But if she didn't he would take it for cowardice and there was no way she was going to let Sesshomaru think she was afraid of him!
She lifted her gaze and met his eyes and an electric shock went through her body and she shivered involuntarily. Sesshomaru's sharp eyebrow rose elegantly and he lifted something in his hand. A rough spun cloak and flung it around her shoulder's mistaking the shiver for a sign of her being cold.
"Thank you." She whispered then cursed herself. Thank you? What was she thinking? She blushed suddenly as she realized how close they were. If she had reached out a hand she could have pinched him. She dropped her gaze away and took a firm step backwards but her heart constricted at the distance.
What was she doing? Kagome almost laughed when she realized what was going on. She was swooning! What was wrong with her? She should be yelling at him. Threatening. Shrieking about the insult this was. About how he had no right to kidnap her. What a joke? How could she possibly scold him when she couldn't even find her voice? She didn't dare look away from him though worried about betraying how much his size intimidated her. And still something else wouldn't let her look away. She didn't want to focus on anything but the flawless skin of his throat, the muscles that stood defined even in his clawed hand.
She didn't know how long she'd been staring up at him but he hadn't seemed to move at all. Not a twitch, not a shift, not a word. She licked her lips nervously and opened her mouth but nothing came out. She closed it again, frowned then tried to speak once more.
"I'm a bit confused." His eyebrow went up again, uncaringly. Apparently he didn't care whether she understood what was going on or not. She pressed on anyway. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm sure you were playing a joke on your...." She frowned, what were they to him. Jaken was a servant for sure but what about Rin? "On your companions." She finally settled on.
He shook his head and her temper rose, throat aching with the effort it took not to yell at him. Apparently he had taken leave of his senses! Marry her? Be his wife? There was no way. Inuyasha would kill him if he ever found out, and possibly Jaken as well. And what about Rin? She'd be left alone. There was only one solution to this problem. She'd have to find a way to make the youkai lord understand.
"You can't want to marry me! I'm a human! And you can't just kidnap someone and expect them to marry you it doesn't work that way." Nothing. Not a word, not a nod, not even a blink. She decided to test her luck. "I'll just leave now. I can find my own way back somehow."
She moved and Sesshomaru's hand shot out suddenly to curl around her wrist. He wasn't hurting her though. In fact he was being surprisingly gentle. She looked down at his hands as tiny bubbles of pleasure started to work their way up from her stomach to burst in her chest. She forced her mind past thoughts of the contact and tried to focus.
"This doesn't have anything to do with you being attracted to me? What is this about Sesshomaru? Why in the world would you want to do something like this?" She finally demanded as frustration started to nag at her.
"Something like what?" His voice came emotionlessly, and Kagome jumped in surprise and looked up at him and frowned. Hadn't he been listening to her at all?
"Marry me!" Kagome realized her mistake the instant he jerked her against his chest and curled and arms around her waist and lifted her effortlessly to lay his lips on hers for the bares of seconds.
"Yes Kagome, I'll marry you."