Unexpected

Prompt: Fall (SessKag monthly prompt)

Universe: Post Canon

Genre: Drama, Romance

1,031 Words

The autumn colours had disappeared. The wind and rain had torn the last stubborn leaves off the branches. As the vibrancy of nature turned into the grey gloom of November, Kagome's mood plummeted too.

The well still wasn't working very reliably. Kagome would have wanted to go home but didn't see so much as a spark as she peered down its depths.

What a bummer. She could've used a hug from her mother. Things had been stressful as of late.

Kagome had thought that after spending so much time in the feudal era while they had been hunting the Shikon shards, she could settle there permanently without trouble.

But that wasn't the case, especially after having no contact to the past for the last three years while they well had remained closed.

Cultural differences popped up here and there. Small things surprised and startled her when she tried to go about her everyday life.

Though she had never left Japan, the Edo she was trying to live in now was a world away from the hectic modern day Tokyo.

And she and Inuyasha hadn't fallen easily back to where they'd left off either.

Sometimes their tempers clashed, sometimes they felt awkward around each other, yet other times they were the best of friends again.

It was confusing and stressful and Kagome just wanted a break.

What she got instead was the fright of her life.

A bird took flight suddenly in the nearby grove of trees and narrowly missed Kagome. But in the fraction of the second, Kagome only saw quick movement coming closer, the flap of the bird's startled wings like thunder in her ears.

And just like that, one moment Kagome was lost in her thoughts and leaning against the well, the next she was falling.

Unfortunately, the well didn't respond to her shriek of fear or the terror in her heart.

Kagome landed on the bottom of the well, still muddy from last night's rain. She hissed in pain, stared at the grey skies far far above and cursed her luck.

When she tried to scramble up, she quickly discovered she'd managed to turn her ankle.

Kagome muttered a few choice words at that point. She couldn't really climb up the wall with one foot injured, not on a day like this when the stone walls were slick. Which effectively meant that she was stuck.

"Hello?" she called out, hoping she didn't sound quite as desperate as she felt. "Anyone there? I need help!"

The following silence was so deep she could hear every single beat of her racing heart.

Perfect. A perfect ending for a perfect week.

Tears burned in the corners of her eyes but Kagome furiously held them back. She didn't want to cry; she wanted her mother and a hug and a big mug of hot chocolate.

But all those things were just as far out of her reach as that gloomy sky above.

A faint rustle was Kagome's only warning.

She shrieked again when something big came barrelling down, landing next to her at the bottom of a well with an enviable grace.

The squeak in her voice would've given Jaken a run for his money. "Sesshoumaru! What are you doing?"

He peered down at her and arched one imperious eyebrow at her. "You said you were in the need of aid."

Kagome blinked. "Oh, you heard me? And you want to help?"

She hadn't really been much in contact with Sesshoumaru at all since she had returned to the Feudal era, so finding herself face to face with him – in the narrow confines of the well no less – was a little startling.

Nearly as startling as his offer of aid.

"Hnn," was his noncommittal reply.

Kagome squinted at him. Had he just sounded… amused?

Kagome's breath left her in a surprised hiss when Sesshoumaru bent down to her. His strong arms wound around her upper back and the back of her thighs, hoisting her up and flush against his body with ease.

Kagome's mouth was dry by the sudden proximity, her cheeks flushed from the heat of him.

During their last significant interaction, back when they'd faced Naraku that one final time, he'd simply announced to her they were going to take flight and left Kagome to scramble to catch a hold of his mokomoko or risk being left behind.

Given how that had been the extent of his assistance then, she'd expected him to throw her over her shoulder maybe or treat her like a sack of rice – not cradle her to him the way he was doing.

Sesshoumaru jumped into the air, his youki buffeting them smoothly up the well. Then they were out, landing softly on the grass.

Kagome would have sighed in relief but her breath seemed to be caught in her throat.

Here they were, back on the clearing beside the well – and Sesshoumaru was still holding her against his chest.

"I presume you required help because you injured yourself?" he asked, his golden eyes boring into her.

"Y-yeah. My ankle. Just a sprain I think," Kagome replied in a nervous babble.

Sesshoumaru levelled her an exasperated look. "At the very least it is a minor injury then."

Kagome blushed.

Sesshoumaru began walking, still carrying her in her arms.

Kagome squirmed and looked at him in alarm. "You can put me down now, you know?" she prompted him.

"Put you down?" Sesshoumaru echoed and stopped to frown down at her. "On your injured foot? Do you expect me to watch you hobble all the way back to the village? With your luck, you will take a tumble down those stone stairs and break your frail little neck."

Stunned, Kagome gaped at him. She wasn't sure whether she should feel indignant about his unflattering prediction or touched that he wanted to see her back to the village safely.

She also couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Sesshoumaru in the three years she'd been gone, because his behaviour certainly seemed to have changed since she'd seen him last.

Resigned to her fate and Sesshoumaru's oddities, Kagome relaxed against him as he resumed walking, carrying her towards Edo.