Day Two

Kagome woke in the morning, feeling as well-rested as a night a peaceful slumber. Snuggling into the futon, she enjoyed the caress of the cool sheets in the warm morning. Her own futon at home was not nearly as comfortable...

...wait a minute!

Her back shoot up straight, and her heart pounded in her chest. Was she insane? What had she done?! 'I just left Inuyasha behind, and everyone was due back in the evening for the wedding....I didn't even leave a note...' She sat up in the bedding, her hair tousled, lips still slightly puffy from her slumber, and her face flushed from the warm temperature. So taken with her thoughts, she did not hear the knock, nor the shoji door being slid open.

He entered, already dressed in an underkimono and an unlined kimono, a simple firm obi slung low on his hips in a casual clam's mouth knot. His knee-length locks had been swept up in a high ponytail to allow his neck to cool slightly in the warmer season. His feet, clad in black tabi, stopped just short of her bed, his eyes looking down at the lovely vision before him. He suspected if he was greeted with this every morning, perhaps he could die with grace- for there, within arm's reach was the miko, the first bright sunbeams of the morning streaking through the room and creating a glow around her messy, wavy locks. His fingers twitched, wishing the run his fingers through them, but instead he kept his eyes on her form. She looked lost in a trance, her blue eyes looking ahead, her soft lips pink and swollen from her sleep. A thin sheen of moisture graced the bottom one, and he was willing to bet she had licked it just before he stepped into the room. Her skin glowed under the grace of the sun, surrounded by the soft sheets, of which she held up the corner of one just shy of her collar bone. Her bare arms, neck exposed, and the dangerous length of her back just shy of her bottom could be seen. Staying still, he refused to interrupt her thoughts, instead committing the moment to his memory.

Finally, she snapped out of the trance, looking up at him. First, a look of horror washed over her with the realization of exactly where she was by seeing him there. Then, she realized in the warm night, she had shrugged off her nemaki robe,and bare under the sheet before him. Her eyes became as large as saucers as a cold, shrill scream escaped her throat.

"HENTAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Sesshoumaru ate in a silence, a sour expression on his face. His ears were still ringing, and the miko threatened to purify him if he came near her. She wanted out, she wanted to go back home, and she wanted to leave as soon as they finished breakfast in their respective separate chambers. How could he convince her to stay? He refused to use poor means, or misleading tactics. But he needed her, and after one mere night of feeling her essence, he knew even more then ever he could NOT let her go.

'She hates me now. She will blame me if the whelp lets her go now.' He closed his eyes, trying to seek out her aura, yet she had erected a barrier in her room amidst sobs and cries at how she betrayed her 'future mate'. A crash could be heard, which sound not unlike a pillow being thrown onto a kimono stand. Dropping the hashi into the bowl, and giving up the meal as a lost cause, he stood up silently. "Enough."

He walked over to the door of his room, wondering if this was a good idea. Grabbing Tenseiga, he gripped the hilt, walked over to her door, and slammed it open. There, the barrier intensified as her reiki sought to defend her. There, she was curled up on the futon, sobbing from the rejection of the hanyou the day before, and her current predicament. Her breakfast had been untouched and lay cold on its tray by her futon. Her power flared angrily at him, and he steeled himself for the worst.

He took a step forward, hissing as he walked into the shimmering pink force that threatened his very existence. Tenseiga hummed and glowed a its soft blue as he bit back a growl in the base of his throat. Each step was a burning agony as he fought against her purification, hisses and growls barely contained now as he neared her. Once by the bedding, he sank down onto his knees and took in her mournful counterance.

"Kagome."

"Go away!" she shrieked, tensing up as she felt him near.

"No." With a sharp intake of air, in one movement her intruder had leaned forward, pulling the trembling miko into his hold and keeping one hand on the hilt of his sword. She remained oblivious, and continued to cry from her ache in her heart at losing her wedding day, and quite possibly her love. She was used to waiting for Inuyasha...but, she was not convinced he would for her if the situation was turned on him. She slowly came out of her grief-stricken fit, and came to the understanding that a firm chest pressed against her back, one arm wrapped around her waist as she was held. Kagome's eyes slowly flitted open as she realized who it was...and her reiki was still fighting against him. 'Oh my gods...how the hell did he get in here! Why would he do that?' Instantly she let her barrier down, she turned around to face him, her hair whipping behind her as she moved, her mouth slightly agape.

"How?" She asked feebly.

He looked down at her, once again a visage blurred with several emotions she had never known him to wear. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"That matters little. When one wants something, they will do whatever they can to obtain it. You shed tears for one you doubt could do so for you, correct? Then give him a chance to prove it. Let all doubts be settled before mating occurs, Kagome." he said with an even, steel tone. With that, he got up, only to feel her slender hand grasp his ankle to stop him. He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised at her.

"Wait...can you stay a while longer?" She asked timidly, feeling him take a seat and scooting over to lean against him as she thought. She still wiped tears from her cheeks, only now they rolled down slowly as she thought his words through. Finally she nodded. "I suppose...while I don't like hearing it, you may be right. It is time I gave him a chance for him to show me he will wait and fight for me." Taking in a deep breath, she looked over at him and smiled apologetically. "It appears I am in your debt again." She looked away nervously at her next words to him, preparing herself for the response. "Are you alright, Sesshoumaru?"

He looked towards the door and thought for a moment. A small smile graced his lips as he got up to leave once more. "I will be, if you bring me some of those berries this evening in my study when you feel better." With that, he was gone.

Kagome only looked after him as he left, a soft smile on her lips in return at his request. It was strange to see him like this- so strange, it did not occur to her that for two days, she had not been called wench, onna, woman, ningen, or miko. For two days, he had only called her by her name. Kagome.