Am I alive?
Am I pretending?
You said I could fly
So go on, then
Fill my eyes with fire
I'm a sleeper awakened
I set my sails with desire
And drift to the edge where the fate ends
And fade in
6 The Breach
Sesshomaru located Kagome in her kitchen, preparing a meal by the looks of it.
With his brother nowhere in sight, he deemed this a good opportunity to discuss his proposition with her.
Inuyasha and the miko dwelled within the same household. This was not unexpected. What was unexpected was that they did not dwell within the same room. In fact, their rooms were on opposite sides of the structure. As if they desired space and privacy away from one another.
Deductive reasoning led Sesshomaru to believe that the pair were not in a monogamous relationship. Still, he noticed that they spent enough time alone together that he wondered idly about the relationship they did have.
Regardless of any of that, he knew the miko had enough space in her home to accommodate him, which brought him to his proposal.
"Miko."
Kagome glanced over her shoulder, brow lifted, but a smile teased her lips. "You again so soon. Are you following me?" She teased, her hand still working the wooden pestle to grind whatever was in the ceramic bowl before her.
He took her teasing as a promising sign. A sign that her answer would be favorable.
"I have a proposition to make."
That caught her undivided attention and the kitchen fell silent as she turned to face him, grabbing a small towel from the countertop and wiping her hands on it. It was such a domestic thing to see that for a moment Sesshomaru almost felt he was intruding.
He shook the feeling away immediately.
"I'm listening."
"I have sent Jaken –."
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called, sliding the door open and poking his head in. "I got the chestnuts – oh. Hey, Sesshomaru. You must be feeling better. You don't look like death warmed over anymore."
Sesshomaru quieted, suddenly unsure if he wanted to continue while Inuyasha was there to witness. His eyes bore a hole through the hanyou, trying to convey the message that he should deliver said chestnuts and be on his way.
Much like everything else, it went straight over Inuyasha's head as he hopped onto the counter beside Kagome, peering into the ceramic bowl.
Sensing his discontent, Kagome spoke before Sesshomaru could leave.
"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said, her eyes still on the daiyoukai. "Sesshomaru-sama, you were saying something about a proposal?"
Inuyasha gaped, glancing wide-eyed between the pair. "P-proposal?"
Kagome elbowed her friend in the thigh, shushing him.
Sesshomaru pressed his lips together before sighing.
"I have sent Jaken west to gather information. In the interim, while my home is unavailable to me, I have need of accommodations. Your home is agreeable and as it backs up to the mountain, it's easily defensible should the need arise. If you would allow me to remain here until Jaken returns, I would make it worth your while."
Inuyasha's eyes had blown wide at Sesshomaru's steady declaration. His eyes shot to Kagome, almost eager to see her reaction.
Her face was surprisingly serene considering his dickhead of a brother, her living fantasy, stood in her kitchen, begging for favors like a supplicant.
Inuyasha would think Kagome would be salivating at the gift that, quite literally, fell from the sky.
"Tell me, Sesshomaru-sama," Kagome began, her eyes calculating. "What information do you hope Jaken finds?"
"As I said previously, there is no need to discuss those particulars with you."
"Uh-huh, and why do you think that?" She demanded, her hand coming to rest on her hip.
He took a single step closer to her, eyes narrowing.
"Not that I need to defend my reasons, but in the spirit of amicability, discussing mymisfortunes with you lacks rationale. There is nothing you could offer to mitigate them."
"What makes you so sure?" Inuyasha cut in. His question was for his brother but his eyes were on his friend. "Kagome's smart as hell."
The question brought Sesshomaru up short. Why was he so certain the miko had nothing to offer? Perhaps she hadn't years ago when she'd first made her presence known. Now, though… much had changed. She'd made a name for herself as the Shikon Miko. Perhaps she could offer him something, after all.
This time Kagome stepped forward, seeing the hesitation, the uncertainty in his eyes.
"We offer our help, Sesshomaru-sama," she said softly. "You don't have to do this alone."
After quiet deliberation and a staring contest between himself and his brother, he finally acquiesced. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I have been framed for the murder of my mother," he began. "I believe the High Council is behind this. It has been no secret that they coveted my position over the West. A ruler may only be deposed under very few circumstances, one of which is the heinous crime of patricide – or in this case matricide.
"I found my mothers body," he continued, keeping his voice carefully bland, glancing at Kagome briefly. "I will spare you the gory details. Suffice to say, it was an undesirable sight; one I will not soon forget."
He was covered in blood when he arrived at her home. Despite falling into the pond, the blood had saturated his clothing, and very little of it had been his. She wondered, did the blood belong to his mother, then?
"It is my assumption that the guards were to find me in such a compromising position – which they did – and take me in, dead or alive." His eyes flashed crimson, a growl beginning in his chest as he stared into a faraway place. "They believed themselves capable of defeating me," he huffed a laugh. "These particular guards were the best of them. Trained by me, personally. They knew what few weaknesses I have."
Someone either paid them off or they took their responsibility very seriously to have betrayed him so easily, Kagome considered.
He's a dick, so I'm not surprised they turned their backs on him, Inuyasha thought.
"They must have developed a poison stronger than my own for this very purpose. One shot is all it took. I… I do not recall the journey here," he admitted almost shamefully and it took all of Kagome's self-control not to wrap her arms around him, press his face to her chest and distract his sorrows away.
"I sent Jaken to gather any information he could regarding this madness. Their treachery will not go unpunished," he vowed in the coldest voice she'd heard him use.
It made her blood thrill in her veins. The danger pulsed against her like something tangible and she bit her lip to keep from voicing her euphoria.
She had to admit, she might have a problem.
"Well, if you're gonna stay here then you're gonna have to accept our help," Inuyasha said before turning to Kagome. "So, we gonna let him stay, or what?"
Him asking was a formality, and they both knew it.
"Worth my while, how?" She finally asked, her eyes still gleaming with desire.
Sesshomaru noted it, wondered at it but didn't comment, instead relaying what he'd planned to offer her from the beginning of this conversation.
"I would give you a large plot of land in the West. Fertile land."
The message was loud and clear to Kagome. Land that she could use to widen her business, broaden her horizons. And it could bring her that much closer to him. Though, that may lead to an even unhealthier obsession than she already possessed for the daiyoukai.
She pretended to weigh the terms for a moment before shrugging. "You can stay as long as you need, Sesshomaru-sama." She glanced at Inuyasha before placing the towel over the mortar. "Don't dump that over when you jump off the counter. I'll be right back."
Inuyasha waited until he was sure she was out of earshot before he cracked a smirk at his brother who was already watching him.
"She's making out like a bandit with that deal you just made," he said, fangs flashing as his smile grew.
"Land is a valuable resource, but I wouldn't impose nor risk the safety of her household without offering something in return."
His brother simply laughed, hopping from the counter, careful not to disturb whatever Kagome had been working on.
"She would've let you stay here even if you had nothing to offer her."
"I'm not sure I follow your meaning," Sesshomaru said, eyes narrowing dangerously. He felt like he was missing something, or like he'd been duped, though how, he couldn't say.
Inuyasha walked toward the door, stopping when he was shoulder to shoulder with Sesshomaru. They locked eyes that were so similar yet so very different.
"I'll put it to you simply: she likes having you here."
With that, Sesshomaru was alone in the kitchen, Inuyasha's words echoing in his ears.
So she liked having him there. What did that mean? And what did it matter? In what way did she like it?
And what did it matter?
Sighing heavily, Sesshomaru strolled across the kitchen, lifted the cloth from the mortar and peered into the bowl. Something of a deep crimson color had been ground into a fine powder. It smelled sweet, not unlike the leaves he'd chewed earlier.
Dipping a finger into the powder, he brought it to his tongue for a taste. Curiosity sated, he covered the bowl and left the kitchen.
•••••••••••••
Sesshomaru lounged on the veranda, his back pressed against the wall, a knee drawn up to rest his arm upon.
The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was filled with an ominous mix of colors beyond the typical orange, pink, blue.
Sesshomaru dug inside his sleeve, procuring his pipe and match stick before fishing around for his tobacco. Once filled, he lit the match and brought the flame to his pipe, inhaling steadily.
His father had gifted him this pipe shortly before his death. Something he'd gotten from the continent, he'd said.
It was the last thing his father had ever given him, and he'd carried it with him since. He was, perhaps, a bit sentimental.
Blowing out a puff of smoke, he admired the jade and gold of the pipe. The intricate carvings upon it. The kanji that spelled his name had been worn down with time, but he still remembered exactly where they had been.
He hadn't thought much of his father lately, but with his mothers passing, it thrust both of their deaths to the forefront of his mind.
Despite that, he was feeling better now than he had since finding his mothers body. Hopeful, thanks to his brother and the miko, as surprising as it was. He never imagined he'd be in a position such as this one.
In the moments he fantasized about someone trying to stage a coup, he imagined their blood covering his claws and hands, the scent of it echoing through his senses and filling him with ecstasy. He imagined roaring his victory as others cowered beneath the weight of his staggering power.
He didn't imagine he'd be the one bleeding. He didn't imagine he'd lose consciousness while his vassal and his dragon flew him to his brother so that the miko in his company could save him.
Never did he imagine he'd be the one requiring rescue.
He supposed there was a first for everything.
Despite the pitfalls and trials, he'd be victorious in the end. He could feel it, like an omen, in the air. Taste it, like a promise, on his tongue. It rushed through his blood, hot like fire, racing toward the culmination.
Yes, he felt more hopeful than he had in days.
He had a plan, and perhaps because of his sentimentality, he didn't have to proceed with it on his own.
Kagome's door slid open, and she strolled out onto the veranda, spotting him immediately.
Walking leisurely to his side, she sat next to him without invitation.
It was her home, he supposed.
"The sky is odd tonight," she noted, her blue eyes taking on a strange hue as they reflected the vibrant orange and muted gray overhead.
"Hn."
She glanced over at him, noting his pipe.
"How are you feeling?"
"I am well, miko."
"Your injury?"
"Healed."
She smiled softly up at him. "Good." Her eyes fell to his pipe again. "What are you smoking?"
"Tobacco."
"You know that stuffs bad for you, right?"
"I've never heard such a thing," he said, holding her eye as he inhaled another lungful of the herb. "Where do you get such information?"
"Train advertisements mostly," she deadpanned.
He lifted a brow, breaking eye contact as he exhaled ring after ring of smoke.
"Show off," she mumbled but he could tell she was intrigued as her eyes followed the rings until they dissipated. "Let me try."
His lips twitched.
"I would be remiss to allow such a thing. It is bad for you, after all."
He took another slow drag before exhaling equally slow rings.
She huffed, eyeing him narrowly and he eyed her in return.
He smirked, rare to be sure, an almost playful look entering his eyes and her heart was suddenly racing. She'd never seen him look at her, or anyone, the way he looked at her now.
He leaned toward her, just enough that she'd take notice of it.
"What would you offer me in return, little miko?"
Trying to contain her excitement, she returned his playful smirk and leaned even nearer to him, their shoulders barely touching – which he most certainly took note of. He was teasing her, so she'd tease him in return.
She hummed, pretending to consider it. "How about a kiss?"
He huffed a quiet laugh, and returned to his original position, no longer touching her. If her suggestion threw him, he gave no indication of it, and she was mildly put out.
Did she have zero effect on him, or what?!
Shaking his head, the ghost of a smile still on his lips, he held the pipe out to her and she leaned in to reach for it, grinning outright, for she knew then that she'd, indeed, succeeded.
Gilded eyes slanted in her direction, narrowed and calculating. Just before her fingertips brushed the jade handle, he pulled it out of reach, leaned in and perfectly captured her lips with his.
And once again her entire world came to a screeching halt.
Her body reacted, her face heating, ears ringing, heart positively racing. White-hot lightning rushed through her body from where their lips connected. And all too soon, it's over and he's pulling away.
The kiss is so brief, too brief, and she blinked owlishly up at him, struck completely stupid. She stared at him, breathlessly, as he smirked more fully. And finally her mind caught up to the moment and she realized he was teasing her, and damn it if he didn't win this round.
Composing herself, she huffed and bumped in to his shoulder with her own.
His grunt of discomfort alarmed her and she gasped, eyes widening, worried about his injury.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay? I'm so sorry."
He gave her a flat look, raising a brow as if to say 'Really? You fell for that?'
Glaring, she reached across his lap and snatched the pipe from his hand with a humph, and he turned his face away to hide the smile rising to his lips.
Inuyasha, from an open door, witnessed the entire interaction with wide eyes. And he was unsure how to feel about it.
Despite having conversations with Kagome about his brother, despite knowing how she felt about him, despite him remaining here for the time being, he'd always believed her love for the daiyoukai would remain at a sure and steady unrequited.
To see Sesshomaru encourage and even participate in the behavior left Inuyasha on edge.
He didn't know what to make of his brother in that moment.
More importantly, he didn't know how many pieces of Kagome's heart he'd have to pick up at the end of it all.