Inukimi had been so adamant that Sesshoumaru did see her that way, or at least saw her more than he let on, that Kagome couldn't help but consider the notion.
At ludicrous as it was.
Even at the end of their fight against Naraku, when he was tolerable and had gained an ethical—and acceptable— view of humans and hanyou, they hadn't said more than a few words to each other, encouraging action with a look or a low grunt.
The fact that he hadn't told her to shut up during the first leg of their journey showed how much he had changed.
Kagome chuckled as she washed her hair. Hell, our conversation at his mother's castle was probably the most I've ever heard him say at once.
"Daydreaming, miko?" Inukimi said, giving her a knowing smile.
"Just because I'm thinking about someone doesn't mean I'm daydreaming about them," she argued. Kagome realized her mistake when Inukimi's eyes lit up.
"But you were thinking about him."
"It doesn't mean anything." Kagome ignored the blush on her cheeks, dunking her head under the water.
"Are you sure about that?" Kagura asked as soon as she surfaced.
Kagome rolled her eyes, turning to her friend, ready to blast her, but Kagura's expression was simply curious, chin resting in her palm. "You don't argue with him like you did with his brother," she said with a shrug. "That's all."
"I was a hot-headed teenager who didn't know what love was," Kagome argued, running her fingers through her hair.
"And now?" Inukimi pressed.
"And now, I think it's time we returned to camp." She wasn't evading their questions, she was just tired of being badgered.
"Say what you want, miko. You are the only one in denial." Inukimi followed suit, utterly unabashed in her nudity, rising out of the spring without any covering whatsoever.
"I'm not in denial! We've had all of two conversations. That doesn't prove anything!"
"Considering it's Sesshoumaru, it might." Kagura winked at her, not bothering to dry off before reclaiming her kimono from Inukimi's outstretched hand.
"Have you ever considered that it might just be because Jaken isn't here?" Kagome said, tightening her robes and towelling off her hair before stuffing everything into her pack. "Maybe Sesshoumaru is actually a huge talker and just never had the chance with Jaken's squawking."
The smirk never left Inukimi's face. "You are reaching, miko."
"I am not! I'm simply saying that—"
"Reaching for what?" Sesshoumaru's sudden appearance had Kagome's cheeks burning. How much had he heard?
"Come to check on us, dear son?" His mother's eyes gleamed with interest. He raised an eyebrow, looking between all three females before settling on Kagome. Her eyes widened the longer he stared at her, the steps he took toward her only making it worse.
"You are distressed." It wasn't a question.
"Not really. We were just—"
His eyes narrowed before sliding to his mother. "You overstep, Mother."
"Every step I take is with purpose," she grinned, flashing a fang, and Kagome bit back a groan, brushing past him to head back to their camping spot. Sesshoumaru quickly fell in step beside her, grass crunching under his boots.
Inukimi and Kagura continued to snicker behind her, and Kagome rubbed the back of her neck, jumping when the soft fur of Sesshoumaru's pelt wrapped around her shoulders. She gave him a startled look, but he didn't meet her gaze, chin held high.
"The evening air is brisk," he said, as if that explained everything, then lowered his voice. "It will also shield you from my mother's meddling."
Judging by the stunned silence from their companions, Kagome sincerely doubted that. But she thanked him all the same, unable to stop from running her hands over the silky fur. It hummed with his power, blending with her own to create a strange but safe bubble around her, even the air becoming warmer.
She hadn't been able to feel the connection to Kagura when she'd only been air, but there had been a subtle shift in her power since they'd left Inukimi's castle—as if she was missing part of herself.
It had been a while since she'd had so many travelling companions, and even though she'd argued that her solitude was something she actively sought, she couldn't help smiling at the constant buzz of conversation and company.
Maybe being alone wasn't as cracked up as she claimed it to be.