Chapter Six: Time to Make a Move

Kagome woke alone, as promised Sesshomaru was not in the room. He had slept elsewhere. She sighed and curled tighter into her bed before wincing. Ow. Her foot hurt so badly!

Sitting up she lifted the blankets to see that her ankle had swollen and was now the size of a softball. A black and blue, slightly lumpy softball; ew. She moaned as she tried to move more, her whole body was sore. Then she heard a soft knock on the door. "Yes?"

"Kagome, honey, he told me what happened. May I come in? I have something for you to eat." It was her mother, or whatever she was, that woman who was like her mother.

"Come in." The door opened and Kagome saw the woman enter with a tray of food and some more Tylenol. So, he knew that she was going to feel horrible when she woke up, did he? Had he planned this? Had she just imagined his behavior earlier?

Looking up at her mother and accepting the tray she sighed and frowned. "Where is he?" Her mother gave her a wary look and shook her head. Then turned, closing the door gently, before coming back to sit in the empty chair next to her bed.

"Kagome, I want you to tell me what is going on between you two."

What? How could she believe something like that? Eh? "Um. What do you mean?" She asked, stupidly. She knew what she meant; she just wasn't sure why she was asking.

The woman frowned and stared down at the girl as if she were completely dense. "Kagome, I don't know if you've noticed but you're both displaying rather odd behavior. You act like you're in a dream half the time, unless you're with him, you don't ever know what's going on anymore. He acts as if you are his property, instead of the other way around, and gives these looks that could kill to anyone who might look your way. We've lost several regular shrine customers because of his glares. And the looks he gives you, I can't believe I raised a daughter this clueless. Kagome! He acts as if you belong to him! And I don't mean just as property!"

She swallowed hard and blinked. He does? What? Well, it's Sesshomaru, he thinks he owns everybody, right? She shook her head slightly and took the Tylenol, hoping it would make this crazy lady go somewhere else. "I think you're reading too much into things."

Her mother looked shocked. "How can you say that? Kagome, you know as well as I do, they teach you this in school girl! Youkai are very possessive! Once they claim you there is no going back! Haven't you watched those programs with me before? Ones were girls think the youkai actually loves them only to die of a broken heart? To think! A youkai actually being capable of love! Some of these new-age children, oh Kagome, please tell me you're not one of them!"

Kagome couldn't help it. She broke out laughing, all out hard laughter. This was really funny! This woman thought that she was falling in love with Sesshomaru! How weird. The woman scowled at the girl and shook her head. "Kagome I don't see what's so funny! I mean, just look at you now! You were simply sparring with him, supposedly he was training you for your own protection, and now here you are in bed for the fifth day in a row!"

Her laughter stopped at once. Five days? She had been sleeping that long? No wonder she was sore! "Why did you let me sleep that long?"

"We couldn't get you up, honey. We tried, really we did."

Kagome sighed and then looked down at her plate for a moment before glancing up at her mother. "Okay. So. Where is Sesshomaru?"

The woman's face fell and she looked defeated. "Oh sweetie, I did it for your own good, you know. Please, you'll find a nice young human boy soon! I promise."

Her mouth fell open in shock. What was this woman rambling on about now? Where was he? Oh no. Oh hell no. "You took him back, didn't you?"

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She couldn't believe she was doing this. Glancing down at the speedometer she sighed and pressed on the break a little. Speeding at 90 in a 75 zone would probably get her a ticket.

She didn't even have her license. She hadn't ever bothered. Here she was, in her mother's car, racing back to that horrid place. She squealed into a couple of parking spaces, and turned the car off, clamoring out of the seat.

Kagome ran up to the door, closed, the sign read. Yeah, well, she had news for them. She pounded on the door, only to see that nobody was in the room. With a frown she circled around the building before she came to an alley. A side door leading into the building with a bell for deliveries, perfect!

Jogging up to it she pressed the button firmly and waited. Once the woman opened the door she shoved in, pushing her against the wall. "Give me the keys." The woman was scared, and shakily held out the keys.

"Please don't release them all! I'll get fired if you do!" Kagome snorted and rolled her eyes before snatching the keys and walking over to the door. Color coded, so easy. She opened the door and walked in, ignoring the woman.

Once inside she ran down the halls, not looking at the other youkai within, there was only one on her mind. She pulled the final door open with a heave and raced up to the cell that he was in. But he was not there.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried out, afraid of what they might have done with him. Then she heard a scuffle and spun, facing the other cell. Something was in there.

"Kagome? What are you doing here, woman? Your mother said you were still ill." He actually sounded worried for her. Weird. She ignored it and ran up to the cell door, trying the keys to find the one that worked. None of them did.

With a scream she threw them at the door and kicked it, crying out. This wasn't fair! "I can't get the door open! None of these keys work and I doubt the girl who works here is going to help." Tears were beginning to stream down her face and she slumped down, sliding along the smooth metal of the door, before crumbling to the ground in defeat.

"Give me permission."

Huh? Lifting her head up she looked at him with a confused look. "What? Permission to do what?"

"Release my youki, give myself enough power to open the door. You are my mistress, so you can give me permission to do that, if you wish it. It is how they keep us here. A mere slab of metal would never keep me imprisoned. The subduing spell they place on us has the ability to keep our youki at a minimum, just over alive, so that we are as weak as any other humans unless our owners give us permission to be otherwise."

Kagome's face contorted into a disgusted scowl. "That's horrible." He nodded, completely agreeing. "Lord Sesshomaru, I, Kagome Higurashi, as the, by law, owner of your person give you permission, fully granted heretofore, to release your youki and be your true self."

He was shocked. He had expected some kind of trick from her, being human, but should have known better. She had not only allowed him to have his power back, she was giving it back to him permanently. And she had done it so eloquently, too. Impressive.

Without another word he stood and felt the spells binding break way. It was time to get out of here.

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They stood near the well-house. She was in tears still, crying for some unknown reason. He didn't like it but wasn't sure what he could do. Human crying was rather annoying.

"Kagome." She stopped, sniffed and looked up at him. "You will have to leave here now. Do not come back until you have completed your task. By now you should be able to survive. I expect you to do so."

She quirked a smile at him and nodded, but the tears kept falling. "Please don't forget me. I… I was… I thought of you as a friend." It was hard to say but she knew this would be her last chance. "You were the only constant in this world for me. I know I clung to you a little too much and that you were probably disgusted by me but, thank you, for just being there."

He didn't know what to say. "Well, I will be rid of you now, won't I?"

She frowned and glared up at him, anger mounting. "How can you be so insensitive?" Before she knew what she was doing she had reached up with both hands and shoved him, and he actually moved.

He looked down at her hands before tracing them with his eyes and up to her face. Then he sighed within. Perhaps… just tonight… he could allow himself to do something unexpected. She was going away, never to return, so what could it hurt?

Kagome turned to leave, grasping at the well-house door and opening it, walking in. She reached down for her pack that was on the ground, just inside. Her fingers never met the cloth.

Sesshomaru reached for her, taking her hand in his and then swinging her around. He heard a startled cry from her but ignored it. Looking down into her face he knew this would not be something he would regret.

Shockwaves ran down her spine as her mind tried to figure out just what was going on. What? He was? No! This can't be… but it was.

His lips were on hers, gentle and giving but requesting. Kagome felt her mind go blank and her legs felt like jelly.

Running her hands up into his hairline she traced the back of his neck with her fingertips, feeling his arms wrap around her in a warm embrace. She couldn't breathe. He was so intoxicating.