Hello everyone,
I deeply apologize for the long span of time between chapter twelve and this update. One of the reasons it took me so long was because I did not like how chapter twelve ended up so I festered over how to re-write it. So alas, I'm hoping that since it has been so long since I updated that you kind of forgot what I actually wrote the first time around and will accept this as the re-write that it is. I have the next chapter in the works and it flowed smoother for me. The other one felt too rushed.
Echo
CHAPTER 12: Across the Deep Blue
It had been a week since Kagome started sharing a room with Sesshoumaru and the routine, much to her relief, finally lost most of its awkwardness. Every chance he got, Sesshoumaru would make some kind of physical contact with her and that too was less awkward by the end of the week. It helped that Shippo and Rin were there and they acted the same way, with the same intimacy of constant contact.
The meditation sessions they had in the mornings and evenings went better than she expected. Kagome couldn't believe that Sesshoumaru actually thought she'd be able to concentrate as she was forced to sit in his lap. How could she when she was so distracted by his divine maleness.
"Concentrate, Miko."
A week had been long enough for Kagome to pick up on some of Sesshoumaru's habits. She growled in response.
"Are you serious?"
With the somewhat haughty tone she remembered from their past, he replied "very."
"I'd be able to if you'd just let me sit on my own."
"No. Concentrate."
One of the most significant differences Kagome noticed was her own personality. She had a lot more patience these days and that underlying frustration and stress she felt was nearly gone. Her fast temper was disappearing as well as her physical shyness when it came to a certain demon lord.
"You're not focusing."
"How would you know?" There was suspicion in her eyes when she turned to look at the demon whose lap she sat in.
Sesshoumaru's brow was raised in a mocking manner. "Because your aura is chafing against mine, the opposite of what we are trying to achieve."
Kagome's neck began to cramp and she felt her irritation rise so she turned back around and slumped into Sesshoumaru's chest. She wanted to elbow him in the stomach but surprised herself by holding back.
"Please run it by me one more time how I'm supposed to make our auras mix?" Her aura was soothed as Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her stomach and pulled her closer. He nuzzled her neck and eased his youki around her. Kagome felt his chest expand as he breathed in her scent and it made her tingle all over.
He reveled in her scent, ignoring her question.
"What do I smell like?" His light breaths on her neck tickled her and he breathed her in again. She could feel her heart speeding up and a tingling sensation in her belly. She was about to repeat her question but he answered.
"You smell like…" he took her scent again, "a forest after a heavy rain – like new life."
"I smell like all that?"
"Yes."
Kagome absently rubbed circles on the backs of his hands, which were folded across her stomach. "Do I smell like anything else?"
She felt vibrations rumbling through her body and knew it came from Sesshoumaru. It relaxed her even more.
"You smell like…"
Sesshoumaru let his statement hang in the air for a bit, baiting Kagome to ask him again.
"Like what?"
"Mine."
A shock traveled through her body at his bold statement. Kagome's skin felt sensitive, ticklish almost, all the way to the bottom of her feet. She had the sensation of slipping and falling, from what into what she didn't know. This bottomless feeling needed to stop because she couldn't decide if it felt good or not.
Her voice was breathless when it finally managed to work. "Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes, Ka-go-me?" His claws pricked at her stomach and electricity shot through her body.
Kagome gulped. Her voice wavered when she asked, "How do I make our auras mix?"
In a pitch lower than normal, Sesshoumaru answered into her neck, "you must lure my aura to yours. Do you feel it encircling you?" When she nodded, he continued. "Invite it in. Let it blend together. Hug my youki close to you and let it flood you from the inside out. Let me in, Kagome."
The miko closed her eyes and concentrated on the brilliant white of Sesshoumaru's youki. Her blue aura maintained a barrier around itself and though it flexed enough to dance, it was not mixing. Kagome imagined herself touching the barrier around her aura and willing it to disappear and to her great astonishment, the barrier flickered a few times and melted away.
Her reiki flared up now that the protection against the enormous youki was gone. She battled to contain it and just as it was about to overtake her, Sesshoumaru's youki captured it and molded it back into a docile state. When her reiki was calm again, Sesshoumaru's youki receded and wrapped itself around the form Kagome projected of herself within her mind. His youki was calm and soothing, supportive and strong.
Kagome stretched her hand forward and faced her palm upward, willing her reiki to come to her hand. She watched it hesitate to come near the overpowering aura that forced its submission. As though she were talking to a toddler, Kagome cooed at her reiki and went down on one knee to look less intimidating.
Don't be afraid. He's our protector.
The blue wisps swirled back and forth in indecision and she called to it again.
We need him. He makes us stronger to heal the weak.
The blue wisps moved closer but still hesitated to make contact with her. Kagome couldn't blame its hesitation. Sesshoumaru was a force to be reckoned with on a good day. His power was vast as he was one of the oldest demons alive on the earth and probably the strongest as well.
Sesshoumaru's youki wrapped itself tighter around Kagome's spiritual manifestation, mimicking how his hands wrapped around her waist in the waking world. Her translucent hand stroked the youki around her body as she tried harder to convince her reiki that everything would be alright.
Come search our memories. He is our friend and protector.
Kagome manipulated some of Sesshoumaru's youki into her palm where it pulsed to entrance her reiki. A blue wisp neared and made a fine point at its end and slowly approached the white youki that pulsed in Kagome's hand. The second that blue touched white, a bright gold light grew from the point of contact and Kagome was flooded with memories.
A tomb. A sword. Two brothers. A severed paw.
Swords. A little human girl.
Crossing paths, no fighting.
Poison, Mukotsu, fire, he saved us.
Strengthens Tessaiga with Tenseiga's abilities.
Final battle, a giant spider; Sesshoumaru helps defeat Naraku and released full potential of reiki…
When the memories faded, Kagome's reiki had wound itself around Kagome's palm and the part of Sesshoumaru's youki that occupied it. It was a tentative hug, but a step in the right direction. Kagome felt herself being pulled out of her meditation and released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"Sesshoumaru, I did it-"
A growl was her only answer and she turned to see two red eyes watching her. The growl eased into a purr and Kagome tilted her head to the side and leaned against the broad chest she sat against.
A red-eyed Sesshoumaru nuzzled her neck and a few seconds later he responded with words.
"Of course you did."
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The training was so much easier after that session. Their auras were bonding at an incredible rate and poor Kagome had no clue that their progress was going according to Sesshoumaru's greater plan. Sesshoumaru himself knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to get her addicted to him in every way possible, almost to the point of complete dependency and soon he would let her know of his intentions toward her – becoming her mate.
In a few days, he would have to travel and he would test the strength of their bond. He knew he would suffer. When Kagome had been sent back to the future after the completion of the Shikon Jewel, Sesshoumaru felt an emptiness within him but did not realize what it was until after his son was born and Inuyasha played babysitter. His brother would tell Seiichi stories of the miko and her time and that ache he'd felt in his chest eased somewhat until it all clicked.
After going through the 500-year miko drought and then finally finding her and binding himself to her would leave a greater depression in his soul when he had to leave on business in a couple days. He could always take the miko with him and save them both a great deal of pain. It would probably help her dependency on him that he wanted to culture if he took her somewhere she wasn't familiar.
But no. She needed to feel the withdrawal so she would know and appreciate the bond they had and want completion as much as he. After a few moments of contemplation, Sesshoumaru supposed this was what Onigumo must have felt like when Kikyo took care of him before he became the hanyou and how he was desperate to have her near him every moment of every day. Desperate enough that he would go to drastic measures to ensure the eternal presence of the one he loved.
Love. Was this what this was?
No.
It was more than that.
It was complete and utter devotion. The whole reason he was created was to complete her and she for him. That was the only explanation that made any sense. Did his great and terrible father foresee this as well when the Inu Taisho bequeathed the Sword of Heaven to him? Did his father know that the miko would travel to the past, defeat Naraku and be sent back to the future-her present? Did he know that the sword was to teach him compassion to take in a little girl who had been killed by wolves, now his allies, who would eventually mate with a fox youkai. And the beloved daughter of his heart would discover too late that she had hidden holy powers that would kill her children that only the power of Tenseiga could freeze until a solution could be found, not only to save his grandpups but other pups like them in the future.
In the past, no such cure was needed because the prejudice and ignorance bred a strong enough distance between the two opposite aura holders that reproduction was never a question. Did his father foresee that the future would be tolerant of such relationships? Is this why Tenseiga was created and then bequeathed to him? To ensure that Sesshoumaru had enough compassion and had learned love and respect for all beings to save those nearly one millennia after the sword had been created? To save and protect those he loved?
Sesshoumaru's pride snubbed the idea that his father had that great of a plan in mind when he created the sword of his own fangs or that his father was powerful enough to create it for that purpose alone. But the son in him had enough faith in his father to know such a thing was possible.
Kagome would be his and he would have no other.
That stubborn pride announced that she would have no other either, whether by choice or forced by his hand, without her being aware of course.
With a hand on the receiver, Sesshoumaru lifted the phone to his ear and dialed Kagome's cell number. She was out running errands today and he was reviewing the crystal schematics of the hospital to see if any improvements or adjustments should be made.
After a few rings she answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Kagome."
There was a slight pause. "Miss me already, huh?" He could hear the smile in her voice.
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "Naturally," he replied without hesitation. "I would like to take you out to dinner tonight."
"Alright." Sesshoumaru didn't even know his was nervous until the knot in his chest eased away. "How should I dress?"
"Light formal would be appropriate. Do you have anything like that?"
More silence as Kagome thought about her wardrobe. "No, I don't think I do."
He smiled into the phone. "Use the credit card I gave you and buy yourself a dress."
"Sesshoumaru, I don't want to use your money-"
"It isn't my money, miko. It was your own stock earnings-"
"-on money you invested."
This wasn't going to work. He needed to try a different angle, one she would understand. "Kagome," he started patiently, "it brings me great satisfaction to provide for those I care about. I have more money than I know what to do with. Allow me to spoil you as you have spoiled me."
"How have I spoiled you?" There was that stubborn woman that wormed her way into his heart.
"With your very presence. Your scent brings me immeasurable amounts of peace. You give me a sense of satisfaction that nothing else has in my long life. I have come to care a great deal for you and wish to provide for you."
He hadn't meant to say so much but he did not want to argue about this in the future.
She didn't say anything for a while and if it weren't for the background noise of other shoppers, Sesshoumaru would have thought the line was dead.
"Fine."
Victory.
"I will see you when you return. Be safe."
"I will." Her voice was soft. "See ya later."
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Aya was an angel. Literally. Alright, not literally but as close as one could get to being one during their mortal life. Kagome had been stressing about what the hell light formal meant and Aya found her standing in the middle of the walkway of the shopping center with a helpless and lost look on her face.
She told her former assistant of her first official date ever and how much she hated shopping. Within a half hour, Aya had found the perfect dress for Kagome and in another twenty minutes, found all the accessories.
Sesshoumaru liked the dress. A lot. He told her as much and the growls he sent the direction of every other male ogling her only solidified his statement further. And as if that weren't enough, his eyes remained a light pink the whole night. Sesshoumaru remained an active participant in their conversation though she could feel his youki coiling, ready to snap at a moment's notice. Kagome removed her shoes and stroked his pant-covered calves with her feet. That eased the tension in the room quite dramatically.
Sesshoumaru was about to announce that he would have to leave on business but after the struggle he had tonight with holding himself back, he knew that he would suffer and his colleagues would suffer the whole time he was there if he did not take Kagome with him. The bond was almost complete and to be separated from her until it was complete would cause serious and most likely debilitating pains for the both of them. His mind was set.
"Kagome, I am scheduled to attend a conference for the different branches of my hospital. This year it will be held in the United States." He could taste her sadness at his words and it made him glad that she craved his presence as he did hers.
"How long will you be gone?" Her eyes pleaded with him to not stay too long.
He was never in his right mind when he was in close proximity with this particular woman and he hoped that he phrased his next bit of information in the right way.
"I would like you to accompany me on this trip." It appeared he did phrase it well enough because her excitement soared.
"Really?"
While Sesshoumaru had always enjoyed the shock that came from others due to his blunt tendencies, he knew that being forward with his women would speed up the process of winning her affections. He would heed his brother's warning in this.
Golden eyes stared into crystal blue ones and they warmed and heated, very aware that the woman sitting across from him echoed the heat in her body.
"I find that the closer our bond grows, the harder it is for me to maintain control over my instinctual side when we are not together. Even when we are together," his voice dropped an octave "I still would like nothing more than to rip the head off any male that dare glances at you."
Kagome blushed and a soft smile touched her lips. "I noticed." She chuckled and squeezed her feet together around one of his calves.
Sesshoumaru's eyes warmed and he thanked her for assisting to keep him calm.
"So…" Kagome started, "when do we leave?"
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The hotel was beautiful and their room even more so. Much to Kagome's great surprise, they had been given the top suite of the hotel that had a three-hundred sixty degree view of the Pacific Ocean and Seattle. The city reminded her so much of Tokyo with the entwining of man and nature. This state was truly a testament to its peoples' love and respect for nature with how green life was preserved.
"It is so beautiful here." Kagome stood next to the window where the ocean met cement. Two strong arms wrapped around her and she leaned into the chest behind her. That low rumbling that told her Sesshoumaru was pleased and content. His low sounds vibrated through her body and she attempted to burrow herself deeper in the safety that was Sesshoumaru.
"Only the best."
"How did you manage to get this room?"
A light chuckle passed from him to her and Sesshoumaru squeezed his arms tight before relaxing them again. "I own this hotel."
Kagome stiffened at his answer before laughing whole heartedly. "I really need to broaden my horizons and just assume you own everything."
That had the daiyoukai chuckling. "Our grandchildren assume I own the world."
Kagome's heartbeat sped up. "We have grandchildren."
"We do. Great grandchildren as well."
It was a good thing Sesshoumaru had a hold of her. Kagome almost collapsed at the thought. "I'm barely old enough to have children, let alone grandchildren."
The miko was silent for a moment and Sesshoumaru felt a wide array of emotions coming from her. When he felt her calm again and focus on one feeling, he asked her what she thought of.
"Nothing. Well, nothing I can really put into words right now." Then, changing the subject, she asked "what time is your first meeting tomorrow?"
"We will meet the others for breakfast downstairs at eight and the meetings will begin at nine in one of the conference rooms."
"And what should I do after breakfast?"
Sesshoumaru unfolded her from his warm embrace and led her to the room with a hand at her back through the French doors of the parlor. "You will accompany me. Theories and plans on current practices and care of children like those at my hospital back home will be discussed. As you are a part of a theoretical solution, your input will be greatly appreciated. You are also the most powerful miko alive, though still a bit untrained. They would be wise to hear your words and experiences."
They readied themselves for bed and Sesshoumaru reassured Kagome that their sleeping habits were to remain the same. When he crawled into bed and pulled the small woman into his form, the great demon relaxed into her scent. She traced patterns on the hand at her stomach and asked him little questions here and there.
"Are they aware of our…situation? Will they know about demons and miko? The jewel?"
"Yes. Those who run my facilities are youkai. It would be too troublesome to have to replace someone every twenty or so years. While there will be many youkai and reiki-wielders, there will also be a few plain humans, but they are well aware of our ways."
"And what about-"
"Sleep, Kagome. You will discover the answers to your questions tomorrow morning."
"Alright."
Kagome snuggled closer into his warmth and sighed. Just as she was about to nod off and meet the Sandman, Sesshoumaru spoke.
"Word of warning, Kagome. You will need to remain at my side for all meals and meetings. If our date was an indicator of things to come, my instincts may be on edge at you being around so many males."
She chuckled and he nipped her shoulder. "It is not as amusing as it sounds, miko. Americans are very forward, especially American demons. You are bewitching and it will put a strain on my instincts should you appear to give any of them your attentions."
Kagome sighed again, resigning herself to her fate tomorrow. "Are you sure I can't just stay in the room?"
"No."
There had to be some sort of solution. "Is there some way to let them know I'm unavailable? Isn't that why we spend so much time together, so I'm drenched in your scent and youki?"
"Have you ever met an American male?"
"Yes. Once. In high school."
"An adult?"
"No."
"To answer your question, it would deter an Asian demon."
"But not an American one."
"Unfortunately not."
"Oh." Kagome yawned and cozied up into his warmth again. "I'll figure something out."
Her breathing nearly evened out and Sesshoumaru felt it necessary to add one more warning. "If any of them reach to shake your hand, as is custom, you may bow. They will recognize the greeting and will retract their hand."
"You worry too much," was the last thing she said before falling into a deep sleep.
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If anything could ever be said about Sesshoumaru, it would not be that he exaggerated. If anything, the blasted demon played everything down. Many tried to shake her hand and she bowed quickly, just as Sesshoumaru told her last night and then reminded her again that morning. When one man tried to hug her with a look in his eye that reminded her of Miroku, Kagome unleashed some of her reiki and raised a shield around herself. Being youkai, the man stopped and his eyes cleared. He nodded at the both of them and left to welcome someone else.
Kagome inched closer to her companion and remembering something so simple, she grabbed the ring on her right hand and switched it to her left – fourth finger.
After that, many introductions went much smoother. She didn't say a word except 'hello' and just let everyone assume, including Sesshoumaru, that she couldn't speak English. Nothing could be further from the truth. Her English was so good, many Americans thought she was one of them. It paid off to watch all those American movies and cartoons with Japanese subtitles instead of dubbed.
Her nervousness all but melted away during the first round of meetings. She sat between Tanaka, whom she was surprised to see in attendance, and Sesshoumaru during the meeting. It was during this first meeting that she and her idea on how to solve their dilemma was introduced.
Sesshoumaru stood and cleared his throat. "At our Tokyo facilities we are attempting a type of spiritual therapy being led by the efforts of this woman, Kagome Higurashi." He looked over at her and nodded.
Taking it as a sign to stand, Kagome rose from her seat to address the room full of hospital and clinic directors as well as their head youki and reiki wielders. To everyone's surprise, including Sesshoumaru and Kichizo Tanaka's, Kagome spoke in fluent English.
"Good morning. I am Kagome Higurashi and as Sekiguchi-sama said, we are attempting a new form of spiritual therapy. I received training at a shrine for troubled women and children and one of the teenagers brought in was about to give birth to a holy/demonic child. This girl was in her mid-teens and became pregnant from a teenage male she didn't know. We brought her in and her baby was born looking completely human with no complications to either mother or child. No one knew of its demon parentage until one night something had startled the child and it woke up screaming.
"We all slept in the same room and when the child woke, I felt the new aura that had lay dormant until then rise and attempt to overpower the small amount of reiki it carried from its mother's line. I saw into the child and its two auras were connected at the base, barely fused together. It made me think that perhaps the two could be permanently fused together.
"I lived with a hanyou for several years as a teenager and his two sides constantly battled against each other, especially when his life was threatened, so I knew the importance of not canceling out one aura or the other completely. Because the child was just a babe and we had no clue as to who or where the father was we had to make do. The mother was sedated so I could manipulate her reiki to calm the child. I have come to understand the importance of a hanyou child needing both parents, especially in situations like this, so I had manipulated my own reiki into the babe's youki and wove the two together. Both mother and babe were woken enough to nourish them and made to sleep as I completed the binding process.
"We were all fortunate that both the parents' blood were so weak that I could do that. It was a fluke that it was possible at all but after much meditation, I knew a solution could be found if I looked hard enough."
A hand rose across the table and when Kagome nodded, the man spoke. "Hi. I'm Jason Smith and I run the Virginia facility. If I may ask, how were you able to manipulate the baby's demonic aura without destroying it? I was not aware that priests and priestesses had such an ability."
"When I was younger, I lived with a half-demon and two full demons. One demon was a matured fire cat without humanoid form and the other was an orphaned fox kit with human form that I took care of. Over time, my aura mixed with theirs and when I was forced to use my spiritual powers, that bond protected them from any harmful effects I would have otherwise had on them. I believe it also has something to do with my gifts.
"My half-demon friend gave me two of his fangs for protection and they were turned into these," she lifted her hands to show the rings on her fingers "to bind my powers until a time that I no longer needed them. I was able to use his aura to mimic what I needed to bring the child balance."
A woman raised her hand next. "My name's Tina Luczon and I am Head Priestess over the eastern region of the United States. I come from a long line of priests and priestesses and what you are suggesting is impossible." Tina looked around the room to see if anyone else caught on to what Kagome was saying. "Kagome is suggesting something that is unfounded in medical history. She is speaking of an aura meld, the successful combination of a demon and holy aura."
Kagome's eyebrow rose at the woman's condescending tone.
"There is a reason that holy and demonic beings were forbidden from being together. The two are completely incompatible."
The Japanese priestess smirked and kept her voice calm as she chided the woman. "I don't know how you became the Head of such a large region of holy people when you cannot understand even the basics of spiritual and genetic makeup." Turning her startling blue eyes to the man on the other side of Sesshoumaru, Kagome called to him. "Samson, please stand and introduce yourself."
The young man nodded and stood. "My name is Samson Nakayama. I am originally from Japan but am now the head of the western region of Sekiguchi Children Centers."
Satisfied with his introduction, Samson sat and Kagome turned her attention back to Tina. "Tina, what can you tell me about Samson?"
The middle-aged American woman focused on the man across from her and her brows drew in confusion. "He has holy powers but they're being suppressed."
Kagome nodded. "And you?" she asked another priest down the table.
"The same," he said. "All I sense is a large spiritual power."
"Does anyone else sense anything different?"
A few of the more powerful demons looked on knowingly, they could easily see past the charms the boy wore but said nothing. They also felt something different about the lady Kagome but held back, knowing they were about to be shown something incredible soon.
"No?" Turning back to Samson, Kagome said, "Samson, please remove your shield."
The barrier that Samson wore so close to his skin was slowly dissolved and a large aura filled the room, much to the surprise and consternation of many present. After enough time had passed to get her point across, Kagome asked him to replace the barrier.
"What do you know now?"
Many people whispered in surprise.
"His soul is a complete blend. But how is that possible?"
Kagome addressed the man who asked the question. "Samson has a priestess mother and a full-demon father." When the room quieted, she continued her tale. "He is fortunate because by the time he was born, his parents had completed their aura meld and so his blood is stable. My theory is that when two parents have a completely bonded aura, their children's aura mimics it and the opposing forces learn to co-exist peacefully. Unfortunately, Samson's older sister - their second child - did not survive as her parents' bond was not stable yet and she died at four months old. Samson has an older brother that is heavily warded because his youki is more dominant than his reiki.
"This is the balance that I am trying to achieve. Achieving such a bond with a mated pair is difficult but both his parents were raised in a very strict home and learned the importance of controlling their auras and managed it on their own. Not many other couples are as fortunate and even less children are. Most of the children in our center in Tokyo come from single mothers or from orphanages that cannot support such children. They have no one to follow as a role model and so they will live there the rest of their lives unless a solution is found."
"And you have found such a solution?"
Kagome looked to Sesshoumaru to see if he wanted their experiment to be made public. With a nod of his head, Kagome continued.
"I have. With the help of an extremely powerful demon, I have begun melding my aura with his. We are close to finishing the bond and then will begin exposing ourselves to the children in Tokyo. Already we have seen positive signs of healing."
"And how were you able to neutralize the negative effects of your auras toward each other?"
Kagome gently smiled. "I have known this demon for most of my life, I trust no other as I trust him. For the most part we have compatible personalities, which really helps the situation."
Another reiki wielder spoke up. Kagome was beginning to see a pattern in these American "holy" people. The demons seemed a lot more open to the idea of youki/reiki couples. "And this demon is willing to mate you for the sake of science? What a fool, to be tied to a demon for that reason alone."
Her energy sizzled in her hands. "I don't see how any aspect of our relationship is any of your business other than for healing." She glared at the man who made that snide remark. "This demon is powerful enough to do whatever he pleases and he knew the commitment he made when we started down this path." More curt now that her anger was piqued, Kagome's rings sparked as they resisted the rush of her powers.
A growl sounded out behind her and Kagome instantly recognized it and she felt Sesshoumaru's youki surround her in protection. It was a quick swell and then it was gone.
Tanaka stood with great flourish and announced that the time for the session had come to an end and it was time to move to the next session.
Kagome sat in her chair with her hands fisted, still angry about the prejudice that came from these so-called healers. She could hear the disgust in those voices as they shared their opinions. It was no wonder they were having so many problems here. Most of the reiki healers had walked out with the exception of a few. One of the men nodded at Kagome and she returned the gesture.
"Please excuse the other healers. You will find that we do not all share the same opinions as them."
"No harm done. I guess I just forget that some prejudices don't die with time."
One of the human doctors caught the attention of one of the demon healers and they walked off in heavy conversation. "Well, I guess I will see you throughout the week. I hope you enjoy your time here."
"Thank you…"
"Jensen. Marc Jensen."
"Thank you, Mr. Jensen."
A couple of other demons gave them knowing smiles and then it was just Kagome and Sesshoumaru. The miko stood to head to the next class but a strong arm wrapped around her stomach and the door was shut and locked, trapping them inside.
"Are you alright, Kagome?" A second arm slid around her chest and pulled her close to the solid chest behind her.
She chuckled, wrapped in the Sesshoumaru's strength and scent once more. "How could I not be? I have my very own guard dog to watch out for me."
He growled at her teasing and she laughed a good full laugh. "I'm beginning to see your reasoning for staying together. I may have fried those holy people."
Sesshoumaru's chest shook with humor. "You will hear no complaint from me or any of the other demons at this conference."
She playfully slapped the hand that crept its way up her side. "Bad puppy. We didn't come here to demolish anyone."
"What a waste of a conference."
Kagome laughed again and felt much better than she had a few minutes ago. "You know, sometimes I wish…" she sighed, knowing her thoughts weren't good ones and she shouldn't be thinking them.
Soft, warm lips pressed against her neck. "What do you wish, little one? I would give you the world if you wish it."
That heat that seemed to creep up on her whenever she was with Sesshoumaru spread through her. "It wasn't a very miko-ish thought."
"Well, you have intrigued me even more. Tell me." It was a question with that slight inflection he added to the last word. Kagome knew she could deny him nothing.
She sighed again. "I…I was thinking how much easier it was in the past."
Sesshoumaru tightened his arms around her, knowing the end of that thought as it had been his own. "Indeed. For some reason they frown upon killing these days. I have never understood it."
"We can't even exile people anymore!" she added, still feeling playful.
"We can at home, though it is not a common practice anymore."
"All we have left is firing people and where's the fun in that?"
Sesshoumaru made a sound of disgust. "That requires paperwork."
"And then going through interviews and trials and hiring and more paperwork."
"Hn."
"I guess we'll just have to use sneaky ninja tactics."
Sesshoumaru took one last whiff of her scent before letting her go and unlocking the door. With a hand at the small of her back, he led her out of the room and downstairs to the lower conference rooms where their next roundtable would be. "When we return to our rooms, we will talk about this penchant for trouble you have."
"We'll see." Kagome's eyes twinkled in merriment, glad that Sesshoumaru was still relaxed around her like he was at home. It made the adjustment of being in a different country that much easier. With confidence in their bond and what they were trying to achieve, not to mention her confidence in her growing powers, Kagome walked with her head held high as she was led to the next room.