"...Kohaku has a crush."

Kagura hadn't recognized the word when the miko whispered it to her, but she assumed that it must have been something embarrassing, with the way the girl giggled and covered her mouth, as if she'd just told some great secret.

"A what?"

Kagome giggled again, a sly smile playing across her face. "You know," she said, covering her mouth with her hand, "he likes someone."

Kagura remained stone faced, wondering why she was even bothering to tell her a stupid little thing like that―

Kagome groaned. "I mean he likes likes someone!"

Oh. Kagura turned her head to look over at where the boy in question, perched precariously on the roof of his sisters hut, hacking away at the old rotted thatching. Kagura shouldn't have been surprised, the boy was growing into his own, nearly a man. These kinds of things were natural.

Still, it didn't make her feel any less uneasy. Time had begun to pass quickly, living amongst such ephemeral beings.

"That true, brat?"

He looked up at her call, confused.

"You got someone you're into?"

His face went red, and then he was hacking away at the rotted reeds with a renewed vigor, trying to avoid her stare. Kagome laughed beside her.

"Who is it then?

"I'm not allowed to tell," the girl whispered conspiratorially, that sly smirk playing across her face in a way that was almost unnerving. Too evil. Maybe Kagura had been hanging around too much.

"But you know who it is?"

"I do." Kagome moved her eyebrows in a way that looked unnatural and turned away, a skip in her step. Kagura shook her head and rolled her eyes, choosing to watch the boy grow even redder under her gaze. Or maybe it was the sweltering August heat. She couldn't quite be sure.

She stayed a little longer, maybe was just generous enough to bring a cooling breeze across the village, before she decided that she had far better things to do than wonder about the love life of a teenager.

Besides, there was a cool breeze coming from the west…

She left without a glance, taking to her feather and following the winds until she spotted a speck of white and silver shimmering through the trees…

The dirt was wet under her toes as she landed, but she paid it no mind, just as the man she approached with an air that was only afforded to her and anyone that had a death wish.

Sesshoumaru didn't look up at her, but he did slow his walk, which was permission enough.

"Kohaku's got a crush," she said and the word felt awkward in her mouth.

"A crush?" Of course he repeated it effortlessly. He lifted his arm at her approach and she tucked herself into the space he'd opened for her.

"Yeah, you know, he likes someone, an infatuation."

Sesshoumaru hummed and let the weight of his arm fall across her shoulders, Kagura dug herself deeper into his side and turned to stare out at the cherry pink sky.

"Everyone was makin' such a big deal out of it, too, they're shit at being subtle," she sighed, "It ain't like he's gonna' marry 'em, but the way they're actin' he sure as hell ain't."

He hummed again and Kagura let the conversation die, figuring that the trials and tribulations of a pubescent fox were of little interest to him. Rin would probably tell him about it later anyway, there wasn't any point in her wasting the breath on it, or even the thought, but then something occurred to her…

She sat up, so suddenly that he turned his gaze in her direction.

"Were you like that as a kid?"

He scoffed.

"Oh, come on," she whined, "I already know you were a good for nothing brat, but you mean to tell me you never liked anyone?"

He didn't stiffen, but she still felt the tension. The next word out of his mouth would probably be something like "preposterous" or "ridiculous" or "This Sesshoumaru would never be so foolish." But instead he just let out a slow breath.

"It was a long time ago."

The tone of his voice meant it was something he didn't want to talk about, so she let the words hang in the air and didn't comment on it.

"And you?"

Good, he changed the subject on his own. She shrugged.

"Never had a childhood, wouldn't know."

"I would assume it's the same as any adult."

"Gross," she made a gagging sound, "could you imagine? The whole thing seemed so silly…"

"So you haven't?"

"Nah, could you imagine, though?" she chuckled and tugged on a strand of his hair. "Either of us, miserable over someone else like that? Daydreaming and…"

She bit her tongue and his eyes narrowed in on it like the predator he was.

"Daydreaming and…?"

"Nothing."

He leaned in a little, a stern look on his face. "Kagura."

No. "What?" She would not give in to his ploy to intimidate her and glared at him. The truth was too dangerous.

Sesshoumaru stared at her a moment longer, leaving her to pout with lips sealed shut, wondering what the hell could possibly be going through his head. She almost snapped at him, but then he pulled back just a little.

"So do you have the experience," he said, his eyes suddenly alight with mischief. "With whom?"

She wanted to scream. Lying would be pointless now.

"Irrelevant." She was using his own words against him. "We were talking about childhoods."

"We were talking about infatuations."

"Yeah, as kids, it's different."

"A childhood you never had." He said it so matter-of-factly she wanted to slap him.

"Don't be rude," she said instead, and gave his shoulder a shove.

"You have yet to tell me who."

"Because it doesn't matter!" she stopped herself from beating her fists against her thighs. "It was a long time ago!"

"If it doesn't matter than what's the harm in telling? Should I be concerned?"

She huffed. Now that he'd found a lead he wasn't liable to leave it be. "No. It's just―" Embarrassing.

"Kagura."

She was sure her cheeks were a fine shade of pink. She'd vowed never to lie to him, and yet spilling this secret seemed like it might be worth it… if only.

"Fine." She tapped her fan against her nose. "You really want to know?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer, but he did raise his chin.

"...it was you."

He blinked. "Say that again?"

Kagura bristled. She would not.

He'd heard her regardless, judging by the self satisfied little smirk that threatened the corners of his lips.

"You held an affinity for me."

Her expression soured, and her mouth puckered into a pout. "We're married."

"Even so," he said, and let the corner of his mouth turn up just a little.

"Don't let it go to your head."

She turned away from him with a roll of her eyes, but his smirk burned the back of her head for the rest of the night.

…

A/N: This has not been proofread, but it's been sitting in my drafts for almost a year and finally needed to be published.