To Covet
Rating: M
Anime: Inuyasha
Pairing: Kagome/Sesshomaru
A/N: A quick little chapter for you all! More on the way soon, hopefully longer chapters as well. I have some of the later ones already written, just trying to get the middle worked out now!
It had only been two weeks since the Inu nobles had arrived to the Higurashi estate and yet Kagome felt as though it had been months. Days of court classes with her mother and Inukimi blurred by together, and she often woke up with a headache these days from trying to remember all the social faux pas of the youkai world she should avoid.
As the days dragged on, there had been no word of the missing elder sister, but the search continued. Often, Inuyasha would go out with his father's men to search different local villages before they decided to expand their parameters. While Touga would have preferred to stay at the Higurashi estate as this occurred, he had to return to the Western estate. His advisors, Seiten and Kujaku, had arrived bringing with them rumbles of restlessness along the border with the demon Lord to the South. This caused Touga to be on edge, and once he spoke with his mate, he left promptly with his advisors back to their home.
To Kagome's chagrin, the Lord of the West seemed to have forgotten to take his eldest son back with him. Instead, Inukimi and Satomi seemed to conspire more every day on how to force them to spend time with one another. Most days, Kagome could not stand to be in the same room with him, not after their awkward and cold solo meeting weeks ago. She had no patience for his cold attitude, and he seemed to have no patience for her fiery bravado, resulting in a clash that earned scowls and scoldings from their mothers.
Their latest ploy to force them to be with one another involved a walk through the estate gardens. Inukimi made it very clear that if either of them were to attempt to run from this time for them to be together, she would have no issue transforming into her beast form to swat them back together and babysit them herself.
Even Sesshomaru seemed to be wary of his mother's true power, for he shut his mouth and proceeded to sit at the base of a large tree in the garden, where he currently sulked quietly like a pup who had just gotten yelled at. Though his eyes were closed, Kagome knew he was awake. She had previously attempted to toss a small pebble at his restful face before he simply raised a hand and flicked it midair back to her where it hit her square on the nose. She squeaked in pain, covering her nose with her hands and she swore she heard a deep chuckle come from him.
They had been sitting in silence for some time now, and although the sun was shining and there was a light breeze that carried the warmth of early spring with it, Kagome could not help but feel bored. Staring at the Inuyokai not far from her, she stood up and brushed her kimono off. She tugged a light fur wrap tighter around her shoulders and she took a few steps towards him.
He remained silent and still, not bothering to open his eyes even as she approached. A deep rumble stemming from his body was the only indication he knew she was closing in. She rolled her eyes as his growl grew louder upon her approach, and finally, when she was only a foot away, he opened his eyes and glared at her. She paused and stared at him back, enjoying the moment as he looked up at her for once.
"Yes?" He all but hissed, irritated that his silent calm was being disturbed by her once again.
A grin spread its way over Kagome's mouth. "You really are just a grumpy dog, aren't you?"
His eyes narrowed and he turned his head away from her, refusing to rise to her bait.
"Do you need a treat?"
Silence.
"How about a belly rub?"
She could feel his youki rising dangerously as she taunted him, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. Perhaps if she kept probing him into rage their parents would see they weren't a good fit after all and release them from their marriage.
"Perhaps crunching on your bones would satisfy me." He growled lowly, turning back towards her to glare. He allowed her taunts to break through to him and he gave her a fanged smirk as she shivered and backed away a few steps. He couldn't fathom why she infuriated him so much, and why he allowed her to do so. If she were anyone other than his future mate, he would have enjoyed slicing through her smooth skin with poison dripping down his claws by now.
Kagome sighed and sat down where she stood, and he watched her warily from the corner of his eye. She begun tugging at the small flowers growing nearby, pulling a few out from the ground to pluck the leaves from. Normally she had more retorts for him, but she seemed to lose her energy to do so already. They sat in more silence as she continued to play with and weave the flowers together, her aura wafting over to him and allowing him to sense a sudden sadness.
"Subdued so easily today?" he murmured, almost disappointed she didn't rise to his challenge. While he wasn't one to inquire on a female's many mood changes, his curiosity was piqued by her unusual lack of fire.
She sighed and "Can we pretend we're a normal engaged couple who confides in one another for once?"
He simply raised an eyebrow in response, and she took it as a sign to carry on with her thoughts.
"I'm worried about Kikyo…" she trailed off, feeling tears bead up in the corners of her eyes. She immediately rubbed at her eyes to prevent the tears from actually falling and she groaned in frustration. Embarrassed that she was suddenly starting to cry in front of her self-appointed enemy/fiancé, she elected to completely cover her face with her hands.
"Hn. She is not weak."
"I know she's not weak, but I don't understand. What happened? Where is she? No one has been able to find her. Inuyasha still goes out for days to find her with your father's men." She sniffled pitifully and Sesshomaru observed her with a careful look in his golden eyes. He pondered on what he could say that wouldn't come off as cruel…
Instead, he moved to stand and walked over to where she sat. She stiffened for a moment, hands still covering her face as she heard the grass crunch under his feet. "She will be found." He murmured.
He planted his clawed hand on top of her head and just barely gave it a squeeze. He held it there for a moment and Kagome's eyes were wide with surprise and a blush spread over her cheeks. She moved her head slowly to look up at him and he stared down at her with the hand still a top her, an emotionless mask found on his face. A cool breeze blew between them as the moment came to an end. He allowed his hand to fall and he turned to walk away, leaving Kagome feeling a bit confused, but warmed by the gesture.
Kagome blinked in surprised as she looked on at Satomi and Inukimi in front of her. They sat surrounded by servants that offered different materials and scrolls to them, multi-tasking as they spoke to their children before them.
Sesshomaru sat beside her and lifted a cup of steaming tea to his lips with a nod. "Then I will leave tomorrow."
Inukimi nodded in approval and turned towards Kagome to take in her response. "Lady Kagome, it would be best if you traveled to our home with my son. You'll be immersed firsthand into our courts and I'm imagining it will be a better learning experience than reading about it. I will stay with your mother and continue to make preparations."
It remained unspoken that Lady Inukimi would also serve as a protector of their estate in the absence of the other youkai. Others knew that she was a force to be reckoned with.
It would seem that tensions were rising between the Southern Lord, Ryoukotsusei, and Lord Touga. The Southern Lord was sending parts of his armies to the border of their lands, testing their boundaries. However, Touga's time was also being demanded by rouge youkai invading his human villages, and so requested his eldest son's help in keeping the peace.
"Kagome, I will have Eri prepare your belongings to make the journey but I'm afraid I'll need her here to assist me." Satomi sighed and looked towards Inukimi.
"I will have my personal servant oversee her while she is at our estate. I give you my word she will be taken care of." Inukimi reassured the other Lady and turned towards her son, her golden eyes twinkling. "Child mine, you'll see to it that my future daughter-in-law is well cared for, won't you?"
He glanced to his left where Kagome stared back at him. He mentally cursed his mother for suggesting he even bring her back with him. Just when he thought he would earn some peace. "Hn."
Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes and she smiled at the Western Lady. "Thank you for all of your support, Lady Inukimi. I look forward to finally seeing the Western lands."
After more talks of the needed supplies for the journey, the pair went their separate ways to bed, and the next morning, rose early to embark on the roads towards Sesshomaru's home.
