That's his only warning. She jumps.

Her arms circle around his neck as his arm moves underneath her legs. He pulls her as close as possible as she clings to him.

"I hated not seeing you," Kagome confides, hugging him tighter.

Old prejudices stealthily creep in, and he wants to berate himself for his weakness.

She's human and a miko—the antithesis of everything he's claimed to hold true. He shouldn't be holding her, shouldn't want her…

But he does.

He closes his eyes, breathing in her scent. Reacquainting.

The inklings of prejudice disappear.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"It will not happen again."