Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Inuyasha.

Secrets

She gasped in a large breath of air. A sob choked her. She reached up and hastily wiped the tears streaming down her face.

"Kagome-dono."

Kagome blinked her vision clear, and looked to her right where Sesshoumaru sat next to her bed.

"You had a nightmare." He stated plainly. He remembered such actions from Rin after he had first revived her. She often dreamt of wolves and her family's death.

Kagome inhaled a shaky breath. "His death. I dreamt of Inuyasha's death."

"Hn."

Kagome looked around her room. How did she get here?

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Two days."

She sat up abruptly, only to clench her head in pain. "Two days?! Where is Katsurou? Is he alright?"

Sesshoumaru looked over her form, searching for any obvious signs of illness. Everything about her was an enigma to him.

"He is in the gardens with Rin."

Kagome visibly relaxed. "What time is it?"

"It is just after noon."

"Ah...I suppose I should get up and be useful huh?" Kagome said lightly.

"This Sesshoumaru has questions for you."

Kagome glanced at him, slightly concerned. He looked oddly comfortable. She realized with a start that he was not wearing his usual attire and armor. He only wore a grey hakama and dark blue kimono. Kagome looked down at herself, in speculation. She had been changed out of her normal clothes, and put into a clean sleeping yukata. She pulled her lapels together nervously, suddenly feeling exposed before him.

"What is it that you want to know?"

"You keep many secrets."

The miko's attention seemed drawn to her blankets. Her nervousness was palatable.

"We all have secrets, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Your mannerisms are odd. Where do you originate from?"

Kagome took a deep breath. She knew this would eventually come up. She had to learn to trust him, no matter how much of her rebelled at the thought of telling him her secrets.

"It is difficult to impart this information. If anything should happen, my family will be in danger. Can anyone hear us in here?"

Sesshoumaru looked most perturbed. "No one can hear us, these rooms are heavily warded."

Kagome observed the room, feeling the demonic aura in everything. "Well, that's a relief..."

Sesshoumaru was losing his patience. "Kagome-dono." He warned.

Kagome looked startled and stared at him intently. Since when did he start actually calling her by her name?

"I am from 500 years in the future. I fell down my family's well, and I ended up here."

Sesshoumaru studied her intently, trying to discern any kind of deception. She was being completely truthful. His mind quickly reevaluated everything about her.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem surprised."

"You are being truthful. It explains a lot of your eccentricities."

She laughed. "I suppose I might seem rather odd."

"You were a miko dressed in whore's clothing."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched in irritation. She pointed a finger at him. "Hey! You are being extremely rude! I'll have you know that in my time, those clothes were perfectly respectable."

"In your time, that is fine, but you are in our time now. You will dress to reflect that."

"I admit that during my travels to defeat Naraku, I did not dress to reflect this era, but since I have been living here permanently, I have adapted." Kagome huffed. Her feelings were slightly hurt even though he was right.

Sesshoumaru eyed her reaction. He had clearly upset her. He stood up and looked down at her.

"This Sesshoumaru will provide for you." He walked to the shoji door and slid it open. "We have much to discuss concerning Katsurou. Your maids will see to you, and they will escort you to my office." He left before Kagome could protest or ask questions. She flopped back down on her futon in a huff. The door opened once more.

"Go away Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kagome whined.

Kagome sat up when she heard a slight chuckle. Maiko knelt near her futon and set down a tray of food.

"I am so glad to see you awake, my lady."

Kagome's mood instantly got better.

"Hello Maiko-san. I'm sorry I am still lying about in bed..."

"Nonsense! You need as much rest as you can get! However, you do have a meeting to attend to, so while you eat lunch, I'll prepare your robes for you."

Maiko set the tray of food down on a nearby table, and went to a rather large wooden chest.

Kagome eyed the food skeptically. Her stomach turned at the thought of food. Would demons even know how to cook for a human anyway? Her thoughts immediately went to Sesshoumaru's dark, dangerous eyes watching her as he licked his fingers clean of blood.

Her attention was brought back to Maiko, who knelt next to her. "Kagome-sama, you have to eat."

Kagome frowned. "I'm just...not that hungry."

"I have been ordered to see to it that you ate. Even if I have to force feed you."

Her ire rose. "How dare he order me around like that? Who does he think he is?" She fumed.

Maiko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome-sama, I am sorry, but I must be frank. You are weak, malnourished, and severely lacking in rest. Sesshoumaru-sama ordered it because he is trying to care for you."

Kagome's anger deflated. "I just...things have been very hard for me since Inuyasha's death." She covered her face with her hands. "I even dream of his death. Over and over, I watch him die. I just...can't stand it anymore."

Maiko's face wilted in sympathy. "I am so sorry my lady. The healer has prepared a sleeping potion for you to take, so hopefully you will rest more."

Kagome sighed. "I hope it helps. I'm almost afraid I have conditioned myself to be this way."

The kitsune twitched her ears in question. "How so?"

"Since Inuyasha's death, I have had to be constantly on guard for attackers. My friends have tried to help, but they have their own family to take care of, and I could not bring myself to endanger them anymore. How could I rest when my child could be killed while I slept?"

Maiko pulled her into a fierce embrace. She ran her claws through Kagome's hair soothingly. "Kagome-sama, you must realize that you are safe here. This is your home now, it is your refuge. Allow yourself to relax, because Sesshoumaru-sama will always protect you and your son."

Kagome took a deep breath, and did her best to release all her tension. Maiko was right. This was her home now. She could let her guard down. Could she ever learn to relax again?

Kagome pulled away from Maiko, and smiled. "Thank you so much Maiko-san. So what's for lunch?"

"I am so glad you asked, my lady."

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