Chapter Three: Memories of a Time Past

"So, you are saying that you travel through time into a magic well and that is how you came to meet InuYasha?" His face looked a little skeptical. She was most certainly insane.

She sighed and her head fell against the pillow, but her eyes never left his face. "I know! It sounds nuts! I didn't believe it at first either!" He watched her as she buried her face into the pillow, completely embarrassed now. She was very odd, that was for sure.

Looking around he decided that the floor was probably going to be where he would sleep so he stood, searching through the closet for a pillow of some kind. When he turned around with one in his hands he saw her, staring at him. "Yes?"

Kagome blinked and tried to get the image to go away. Here he was, standing in her bedroom in a bathrobe with a little flower shaped pillow in his hands, looking all for the world like this was exactly where he should be. Was there something wrong with him? Oh… right. She had forgotten that he was used to this. According to the clerk at the freaky pet-shop of horror Sesshomaru had been purchased several times only to be returned a week or two later. One woman, she had gone on to say, had bought him only to return him within the hour. Apparently he was not a very good servant. She grinned at this and couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.

He growled a little and glared at her. Was she laughing at him? Now he knew she was crazy. Then she looked up at him and smiled a little, in an apologizing way. He turned away from her, lying out on the floor and resting against the pillow.

"You've changed so much." Her voice was soft and wondering, as if she was trying to understand some mystery. He closed his eyes sharply and turned away from her.

"Maybe you're the one who changed." That shocked her a little. Maybe that was true. The Kagome before coming here would have never been so kind to Sesshomaru. He could have sat in that cell for eternity and she wouldn't have thought twice about it. Instead, she remembered how she had begged her mother to release him. The clerk and her mother had looked at her oddly, probably thinking that it had to do with her fainting spell, but she had persisted until they gave her the key.

She remembered running into the room and pulling his stiff form against her in a crushing hug as the tears streamed down her face. He hadn't done anything. Just sat there and semi-scowled at her for her actions. But she didn't care. He was here! He was real!

He was the only thing from the world she knew that hadn't disappeared into the crazy life that these people seemed to find so normal.

Looking down on his sleeping form she sighed. He looked so tense. She could only wonder what it was that went through his mind right now.

She was still looking at him. He could tell and it was irritating. The stupid human, he was so tired of playing nice to them. If anybody had thought he had no reason to hate them before they were certainly eating their words by now. How dare they? And this woman, she claimed to care and she seemed to act the part but he knew… oh how he knew… it would be just a matter of time.

That's all it ever was, then they changed, began to enjoy the power and the control. It was disgusting! His father had probably rolled so much in his grave that he was worn to a thin thread by now. To think! His son, the proud and dignified lord, had fallen prey to these simple minded fools!

He turned uncomfortably and thought over what the girl had said. So she knew of him somewhat, that was obviously known, and he remembered her from what he knew of her simply through the smell of InuYasha and her face. But truth be known neither knew the other enough to be comfortable and this situation was not helping. He would not trust her.

Unfortunately, though, due to the pact of Youkai Enslavement, he was bound to protect her now. Any youkai that was in the service of a human was required to protect and serve, even at the cost of their own lives. In return, they would never be mistreated by the humans or the human would be sentenced to death for abuse. He supposed that in theory it made sense and that on paper it looked great but he never really liked it either.

Couldn't they just kill him now instead of humiliating him through eternity?

Well, now it was up to him to figure out a way to protect her. From what she had said of her time travels, the girl would be gone from him for days, possibly weeks or months, at a time. No way for him to go with her and no way for him to know that she were in danger. This was going to be a bother.

There was really only one thing to do, train her himself. She would have to grow stronger so that he could be assured that, while away from him, no danger could come to her. What they did to youkai who did not protect their owners was not something he really wanted to be subjected to. This was already bad enough.

Mind determined he decided that tomorrow morning would be the day to begin. She was in good health enough and had already fallen asleep so would be rested. Yes. Tomorrow he would begin her training to prepare her for her own self-preservation. Why didn't humans teach themselves these skills?

Stupid humans.

Kagome awoke to the smell of bacon cooking downstairs and raced through the room, dressing as quickly as possible and running into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Just as the gooey substance of toothpaste filled her mouth she remembered something. "Oh shit!" Her voice was muffled and toothpaste flew everywhere before she controlled herself and finished the task at hand. Grabbing a towel she wiped her face off and then ran back into the bedroom. "Sesshomaru!"

"Oh, you're awake dear. He said that you'd probably be hungry so he started some breakfast and then requested that you dress for a workout today. You know, my dear, I think you're going to be very happy with this one." Her, well the woman who looked like her, mother said from the hallway. She had a basket with clothes in it and then Kagome remembered something else.

"Clothes?" She said cryptically, but the woman understood and merely smiled.

"I provided some for him this morning. I hadn't known that you were going to have him bathe in our tub." She seemed to disapprove but Kagome really wasn't listening. Turning, she practically ran from the woman and down the stairs to see Sota sitting at the dining table with a pleased expression.

He saw her and smiled. "Mornin' 'Gome. I really like him! He makes these old fashioned meals really good; better than mom!" He pointed at a dish which Kagome didn't recognize but looked rather complicated.

"Eheheh.. that's great Sota. Eat up!" She turned her head, looking into the kitchen only to break out into laughter. There stood Sesshomaru, tall and regal, in a pair of blue jean shorts and one of her mom's aprons that said "kiss the cook" on the front. This was probably the most hilarious and unreal moment of her life! Clearing her throat and forcing her laughing down she looked up to see that he was glaring at her. "Ah. Good morning, Sesshomaru."

For once in his long life, Sesshomaru wanted to roll his eyes. How stupid. What was it that caused nature to bless these idiotic creatures with endurance in sheer numbers while his own kind dwindled down into nothing but him? Disgusting, really and horribly; it left a bad taste in his mouth. With a frown he turned back to the food cooking and simply said. "You sleep too much. It makes you look old."

Sota could be heard laughing and trying not to choke on his breakfast. Kagome glared at him and then at the back of the youkai standing at the stove. How dare he? After she went through all that trouble to save him from that place? Her mind jerked to a halt and she thought about it. Had she really saved him from anything?

What exactly was it she was trying to save?

The afternoon went by quickly. It was hot and you could hear the life in the surrounding forest of the hillside calling out for release from the humid air. Kagome's body was screaming at her, she had never hurt so badly in her entire life.

Her form was slouched over, half lying on the grass in the lawn outside her home. She was glaring at him, that monster that stood with that horrid smirk on his face and looked no worse for wear. Sesshomaru, the slave turned slave-driver. A low growl escaped her lips as she grunted to stand again and her irritation raised a notch as his eyebrow rose slightly.

"Are you ready for more?" He asked, mocking and harsh. She had to give him credit. Despite his rather odd presence the attitude he exuded had not changed much. He still believed that he was better than any human alive. He might just be right.

Wiping the sweat off her brow with a sleeve she nodded, without a word to him, and waited for the attack. It had sounded like fun when he had initially told her that he would be training her to protect herself. Unfortunately for her it had been an exhausting and humiliating hour and a half that seemed to stretch on for days.

At least they were both occupied. Her mind wandered a little too much, apparently, because the next thing she knew she was spun around, face planted into the ground with an arm twisted behind her back and he above her, pinning her to the ground with his legs. A whine escaped her and she closed her eyes, face contorting with the pain. "Sesshomaru! How can I learn anything if you're not teaching me; you just keep attacking without giving me any information!"

She shivered when she felt him lean down, his hot breath mixing with the moist air to brush against the sensitive hairs on the back of her neck. "Because, this is the best way to learn, little miko; if I had simply told you what to do you would never be prepared for another kind of attack, only that which I had told you of. Instead, you are learning how to think for yourself. I will not be there to think for you." He laced his last sentence with contempt, heavily showing her how he felt of her capabilities to think on her own feet.

With a sigh she mentally counted to ten and then began to struggle against him, trying to think her best way out of his hold. He wouldn't get the better of her.