Tranquility

Chapter 7: The Arrival

Kagome woke up in Sesshoumaru's bed for a second time. The room was pitch black this time around though, and it gave Kagome the yearning for some modern electricity. The fact that the oil lamp was overshadowed by darkness so that she couldn't find it to light it didn't help matters either. Kagome turned over, figuring that it was too early for her to be up and about, and gasped slightly when she looked into the sleeping face of Sesshoumaru, hands moving to cover her mouth and stifle the sound. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the lack of light, and she could see that silver strands were falling slightly over his chiseled features; it made Kagome notice how long his eyelashes were. He looked so beautiful, so peaceful…

Kagome soon found herself staring at the youkai's lips. They were full and calling out to her with a silent scream that only she could hear. And suddenly came the thought—He loves you. Butterflies swirled in her stomach. She wanted to love him, too. Was it that much different from loving Sango or Miroku? She cared deeply about them despite the short time that they'd been together, and she had sympathized with both of them and decided that they were generous, decent people even before she had gotten to know them very well. Why couldn't the same be the case with Sesshoumaru? She hadn't traveled around with him, surely, but she had known of him just as long as anyone else in the feudal era. Was he really that much of a stranger to her?

She made up her mind, leaning close, and ever so softly pushed her lips to his for a light kiss before drawing back, embarrassed. Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open after that, and Kagome blushed deeper trying to hold in another surprised gasp. "Good morning, Lady Kagome," he said, and Kagome could hear the sleepiness in his voice, despite his efforts. "How is my Lady feeling?" His body didn't move at all as he spoke, which was a bit strange to Kagome, as she was prone to yawning and stretching all the time after waking up. In fact, now that he was awake she was already shifting in the bed to a more comfortable position.

Kagome smiled sheepishly, grasping for a reply. "Well, my Lord Sesshoumaru. And you?"

"The same." He beckoned for her to come closer with a finger at her chin, and when she did he kissed her good morning. "I felt that," he said softly, and Kagome blushed even deeper, turning away slightly.

"I thought so, my Lord," she answered quietly.

He held her face with the same hand that had touched her, propping himself up with the other. For a moment his movements had reminded Kagome of a normal person, which was the further of what she thought of Sesshoumaru. It was nice, however, to see that there were still similarities between him and what she knew to be normal. It made her seem less distanced from him. Less like they were from two different lifetimes. "Kagome," he asked suddenly, "Why is my Lady so tense?"

"I apologize, Lord Sesshoumaru," she said, and he shook his head very lightly. If his hair hadn't brushed against her she probably wouldn't have noticed it.

"Such courtesies are not necessary, my Lady Kagome," he said, staring at her for a moment as he always did before capturing her lips in another kiss. Kagome relished it and barely noticed when a knock sounded on the door. Sesshoumaru pulled is lips from Kagome's, but before he could answer, Kagome pulled him down to her for another kiss. She had been a bit scared doing so, having gotten the sense that Sesshoumaru very much respected traditional customs, but he had obliged her, pushing her down into her pillow slightly in return, giving back the fervor with which she had engaged him. Kagome couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit accomplished at being able to so easily steal away his attention. Unfortunately, the knock sounded again, a bit harder this time as though the person knocking knew what they were doing. It made her blush in spite of herself. When Sesshoumaru pulled away reluctantly, the second time, Kagome did not protest, as such was the might of Lord Sesshoumaru. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries and make him angry.

"Yes?" he answered the knock, and Kagome swore that his voice had an edge to it, at least more so than usual.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru?" It was Jakken. "I assume that you are as alert as always." It was obvious that he didn't mean that statement, but Kagome still kept silent. "I would have waited until I was granted an audience, but this is of your particular interest. We have gotten word that the mongrel Inuyasha has entered your territory. He has multiple other beings with him. Shall we have defenses put up, or…?" There was giddiness in his voice at the end, one that suggested that the other option was to have some demons ambush them, Kagome was sure. She could barely help from gasping at the news herself though. Inuyasha? What is he doing here?

Sesshoumaru said nothing for a small while but eventually that familiar smirk formed on his lips. "No. My brother will make it known to us when he has arrived. Watch for him."

"Yes, my Lord Sesshoumaru." Then Jakken was gone, and there was silence.

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome, studying her expression, her features. "You did not realize…" he said slowly almost as though he was disappointed in her, "that this would happen? That he would come for you?"

Kagome shook her head; it seemed obvious now, but she hadn't thought of it, caught up in herself as she had been. "I never imagined that he would come all the here." She hadn't. She had thought that at the most, he would think she went home. Sango and Miroku, she imagined, might be worried, but not Inuyasha by any means.

Sesshoumaru blinked, as though he was more surprised by her answer. "We shall deal with them in time. I believe we have at least…until dusk until they arrive, my Lady Kagome. Do not worry."

Kagome nodded slowly and smiled. "Yes. We should not let Inuyasha ruin our day," she said, leaning her head against Sesshoumaru's chest. She felt comfortable there; his chest was warm and comforting, something that she had never expected from him until now. It was ironic how different he was from her perception of him. It made her wonder what he had thought of her. But her mind began to drift to the subject of other things. Sesshoumaru had said he would 'deal with them'. It was not as though Sesshoumaru had the biggest penchant for meeting his brother with smiles and gifts, and she wanted to be sure. "Sesshoumaru," she called seconds later.

"Yes, my Lady?" he answered without missing a beat, almost as though he had been lying in wait just to respond to her.

"May I…request something of you?" Her mind was forming the words, but she wasn't sure that making such a request from Sesshoumaru would be the best course of action.

"Anything, my Lady."

Despite the flatness of his voice, she honestly believed him. And so she asked her question, fearing his response. "Please…can you not…kill anyone? Of Inuyasha's party?"

Sesshoumaru paused, looking at her doubtfully. "Why?" his eyes were suddenly hard, and Kagome didn't like that at all.

"I—" Kagome said reluctantly. "You see…I—"

"Be confident in all that you say and do, my Lady," Sesshoumaru said, his eyes softening again. He took her hand, and that helped to calm her quite a bit. He was right, she guessed. If she was going to be a Lady, she would have to speak like he did, and that meant keeping her mouth shut until she was ready to say something complete. That made sense, didn't it?

"My Lord…" she began again slowly, thinking of how Sesshoumaru would say what she was about to say."It is because…I do not appreciate blood being spilled over such a small matter as my…location."

Sesshoumaru did not respond, and looked as if in thought. "I will protect my Lady," he said, finally. His hand's grip on hers tightened.

Kagome nodded. "I expected no less, my Lord."

"…I will not…dispose of them, upon my Lady's wishes. However, if they attack you…" It surprised her more than anything that Sesshoumaru had felt a sense of possession over her so quickly. He had referred to her as his lady since her agreement, and he was certainly speaking as though he were ready to die for her. It frightened her just a bit, to think that he was that quickly ready to make some type of sacrifice for her… would she do the same for him?

"If they attack me, my Lord, do what you will," Kagome said, content to have reached a decision and an agreement. If they were stupid enough to attack her Lord—my, was she thinking like that already? She supposed that was a good thing—at least they wouldn't die. If they were stupid enough to attack her of all people… She hoped they wouldn't have a reason to. She couldn't bear the thought, and pushed it to the back of her mind. When they came, she would explain everything to them. She would just tell them that she would stay with her Lord…and everything would be fine.

"Do not despair, my Lady," Sesshoumaru said, lifting her hand to kiss it. "You will remain here—I will see to it."

"Yes, my Lord Sesshoumaru." She had never had any doubt in her mind that she wouldn't. She was growing to love him more and more and by his side she would stay. She had promised. How could she leave, when he cared for her so much? He began to stroke her hair, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, my Lord Sesshoumaru," she said—she decided. The hint of a smile played upon the youkai's lips. It was one of the first smiles she had ever seen from him. It made her incredibly happy.

"I love you as well, Lady Kagome," he replied, peppering her cheek with soft kisses before finally pulling her lips to his. Kagome allowed herself to relax, her arms curling themselves around the youkai's neck as she turned into the kiss. She suppressed a small moan as Sesshoumaru's tongue slid into her mouth—she was growing a bit too used to that, she thought. He pulled her even closer, kissing her roughly and hungrily. Kagome kissed him back. But Sesshoumaru pulled away all too soon. "My Lady," he said. "It is late. Perhaps we should rise for breakfast…" Kagome's reply was a slight shake of her head and a long, slowly agonizing kiss that made the demon groan in pleasure—the first time she had ever heard such a sound from him. Even the sound she'd heard from him back in the ford was no comparison to it. It was deep, guttural, more of a vibration than a noise. It resonated inside of his body, and the fingers settled on his shoulders could even feel his frame shaking. "Kagome…I give you my word that I shall make this up to you." He pulled one of her hands from his arm and pulled away from her lips, kissing her hand instead. "I was not expecting the news we received so soon."

Kagome sighed, but knew better than to question him. "Yes, my Lord Sesshoumaru," she said.

He planted another small kiss on her lips. "Do not sound so melancholy, my Lady."

"Yes, my Lord Sesshoumaru. I shall prepare for the day," she said, remembering how Rin had phrased it, and rose from the bed. When she opened the door to leave, she turned back to Sesshoumaru. He was still propped up on the bed, looking so attractive that Kagome just wanted to hop back into the bed and remain with her Lord for the entire day. He stared at her expressionlessly, his golden eyes seeming to pierce into her soul. She exited, feeling as though she could float…

And nearly screamed as she closed the door, turned, and bumped into Rin. "Hi, Kagome-sama! Can I help you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Your bath is ready. We're having you wash early because Inuyasha is coming. Can I style your hair today, please?" She looked at Kagome with puppy-dog eyes, and Kagome nodded while trying to process everything at the same time. Rin took her hand, leading her to the bathroom without hesitation. Kagome sighed. Seconds ago, everything was simple. There was nothing to think about but Sesshoumaru, nothing to see but Sesshoumaru, nothing to hear or touch but Sesshoumaru. And now…there was everything. She desperately wished she hadn't left, but she wouldn't go against Sesshoumaru's wishes—he knew what was best.

The kimono she wore that day was blood red, lined with intertwining silver dragons on the sleeves and hem. Kagome actually liked it, even if it seemed a bit aggressive; she definitely had an aggressive streak every once in a while. Rin had pinned her hair into a long ponytail with a beautiful matching silver clip, which held the same dragon pattern as her garments—it made Kagome wonder who had made it. Two long bangs of hair hung down both sides of her head, curled slightly at the edges, and she had also been given a beautifully painted pair of geta, something that she occasionally wore for her grandfather. When Kagome entered the dining room for breakfast, Sesshoumaru immediately looked up from his place at the table. His golden eyes lingered on her longer than usual before he got up to pull out her seat, and Kagome couldn't help but blush.

The day went by without any event. Sesshoumaru, as per usual, seemed to disappear after breakfast, although Kagome didn't question his whereabouts. Such was the might of Lord Sesshoumaru, and she would rather ask him later when they were alone rather than interrupt his schedule anyway. Instead she spent the majority of the day in the large library, talking with Rin and reading the very interesting books—sometimes scroll tombs—that Sesshoumaru had owned. Some of them were stories, some books about magic; she even found a book on mikos and their nature. She couldn't read them all, but she did skim a lot of different subjects. She would get through them all eventually. It was shocking to think that perhaps Sesshoumaru had read every book that he owned. Rin had told her she wondered about the same thing herself. After he had begun caring for her, she added, Sesshoumaru had also taken to collecting books for children. They both doubted that he'd read any of those.

Just as night began to fall, as Kagome was watching the sunset from the dining room window (so far her favorite view), Jakken entered the room, looking grave. Kagome heard him when he spoke but did not face away from the beautiful sky. "Lady Kagome," he said. "Inuyasha has arrived. He is minutes away from our castle." He put emphasis on the word 'our', as though his life with Sesshoumaru was not something he was willing to share with her. Fortunately for her, it wasn't Jakken's decision. She said nothing to Jakken to acknowledge him, as Sesshoumaru often did when Jakken announced something; Kagome didn't feel that she had an obligation to speak to someone who was being so rude to her, demon or not.

"Come Kagome," she heard suddenly, this time she did turn; there was Sesshoumaru, looking as he usually did: cold, distant. "We must greet our guests…" However still, Kagome couldn't help but smile as she linked her arm in with Sesshoumaru's. She wondered how her friends would react to her newfound mate.


EDIT: 6/10/10: It's odd how I've grown over the years. I'm still an avid fan for Sesshoumaru, and yes, I think I would still jump off of a cliff for him -_-" but I also think I might do it for my mother. XD I rather agree with most of the comments that I made below, but I think that I'd just phrase them in a less eccentric way now XD Still, I love this chapter.

I don't think that the love between Kagome and Sesshoumaru is as solid as I used to think. It's obvious here that he's fond of her, but not necessarily that they're deeply in love with each other. Sesshoumaru, I think has obviously made his commitment, but I feel that outside of what chemistry there is between the two, Kagome's still working on her feelings for Sess. She's decided that she's going to try to love him, and she's sure that she will—but that's not the same as her having those feelings for him right at this current moment. I still like the subtle complexity of their relationship, however, and I'll congratulate my younger self on that.

As you can see if you've read the story before, I've added almost a thousand words to this. I think I've made it better to say the least, and showed a little more of Kagome's thought process than before. I think I've made this story a bit more complete. In any case, I hope that you enjoy this newly revamped chapter.

OLD COMMENTARY:

Hey! It's me again. I love this chapter; the love between Kagome and Sesshoumaru is there, isn't it?

WE ONLY HAVE TWO CHAPTERS LEFT! But that's okay, because I have a surprise for you guys in the next chapter! Yay!

Oh, and my author friends and I were talking about it, and what do you guys think about the relationship between anyone serving Sesshoumaru? We think that there's a loop going on: when you serve Sesshoumaru, you do it voluntarily, right? And you listen to everything that Sesshoumaru tells you to do simply because he's so powerful that he can back up everything he says, and has a purpose for everything you do, no question. But, to anyone else, it would seem almost like you're enslaved, wouldn't it, although that isn't the case...which leads to the question of why you serve Sesshoumaru, and the circle continues.

Honestly, though; if Sesshoumaru told you to jump off of a cliff for him, would you do it? I would. It's kind of sad when you think about it. If my mom asked me to jump, I'd tell her HELL NO. But I'd do it for Fluffy-sama regardless.

Ponder that.

"I will return, for I am the darkness..."