Chapter Five – Betrothed

It was a well-known fact that Kagome possessed a temper, just as it was a well-known fact that whoever was on the receiving end of said temper usually felt as though their collar had shrunk three sizes. Usually.

Sesshomaru, however, regarded the irate onna with a bland look on his face. He took in her flushed cheeks and blazing eyes with mild amusement and wondered if she meant to intimidate him by standing on tiptoe and jabbing the pad of her clawed finger into his chest. He resisted the urge to scoff; she, who was a full head and shoulders shorter than himself, was no more intimidating than a drowned cat—assuming that a cat could even be considered intimidating in the first place.

Deciding that he'd had enough of her tirade, he reached up and grasped her slender wrist, lifting her from the ground until they were face to face. "You will cease this diatribe," he murmured over her splutters of outrage.

"Put me down," she retorted hotly, her eyes narrowed. "How dare you keep something like that from me?" She squirmed, and he released her, watching as she took a step back, hands propped on her hips. "Didn't you think that a betrothal was kind of important?"

Her voice had risen in register, and he resisted the urge to cover her mouth and prevent the screaming, instead choosing to fix her with a blank gaze. "In the wake of other matters, onna, no, it was not important."

Her fingers went to her face and began to rub small circles against her temples. "Sesshomaru, you have a twisted sense of honor, you know that?" He didn't deign to answer, watching as the onna turned her face toward the sky.

Much to his surprise, she'd insisted that they speak in private, away from the rest of the group, though he was certain that they wanted to know why she had come back to the village in the state she had, obviously angry beyond calming. The monk had the decency to look sheepish, and his murmured apology was enough for the moment—Sesshomaru wouldn't hold his slip against him.

"Why are we betrothed, Sesshomaru?"

He watched her. "Our fathers were acquaintances both in war and in private matters, and when it was made known that your mother would birth a female, we were betrothed. It was the ultimate pact."

She nodded and her eyes slid down from the stars, skipped along the tree line, and then landed on his. "Why didn't you just keep it to yourself?"

Momentarily, he wondered why he didn't earlier associate the sharp blue of her eyes with those of her father. "This Sesshomaru is not a coward, onna. He has long since accepted his lot."

Those eyes studied his face for a moment, and then she nodded slowly, as though coming to a conclusion about some thing or another. There was still a curious light in the depths of her gaze, and her aura swirled around him, caressing his wrists with cool fingers.

"Inuyasha's gonna be so mad."

Irrationally, Sesshomaru felt the urge to snarl and somehow replace the memory of the hanyou with the memory of himself. He suppressed the feeling and answered as indifferently as he could. "The hanyou is of no consequence."

Something almost like a smile tilted one corner of her full mouth, and she sighed softly before turning her gaze back to the sky. "You know, after Kikyo died again, I thought that he and I could finally get married and have kids." There was sadness in her voice that he didn't understand, and he watched her silently as she shifted on her feet. "But he loved her too much and I could never compete, not even after she died." She shook her head, ebony hair swinging lightly at the small of her back.

"You see, Inuyasha never saw me because I was Kikyo's reincarnation. He couldn't decide between us, because I was she and she was me. Or so we thought." Her features twisted into a thoughtful expression. "But I guess it's my mother who is really her reincarnation, which would make more sense considering that I'm not human."

Sesshomaru saw the twitch underneath her left eye before she reached up to rub it away. Her fingers were long and slim, tipped in the same claws that his own were. Her hand fell slowly back to her side, moonlight dancing along her shoulders and lighting her hair.

"I guess I wasn't any better than him, though. I held onto him so tightly that I didn't realize that I was only hurting myself. Oh sure, I would've gotten over him eventually, but if I had only stopped to think then things would have been so much better." Her eyes slid from the sky again, but instead of sliding along the tree line landed directly on his. "Then again, maybe the things that would have been different would have changed something that wasn't supposed to be changed."

Sesshomaru admired her train of thought and inclined his head in recognition of it.

She seemed to realize what the nod was for, and mild amusement filtered across her face. He raised an eyebrow, just slightly, and she smiled. "You never would have looked at me twice, much less treated me with respect, if all of this youkai business wouldn't have happened."

He raised his chin slightly, noting with satisfaction that she instinctively lowered her own. "This Sesshomaru has respected you for some time." He paused and studied her face. "Inuyasha may have been fool enough not to recognize your potential, but this Sesshomaru is not so unwise." The statement seemed to have caught her off guard and he used the opportunity to continue. "And this one has looked at you much more than twice."

Instantly, her cheeks flared red and her eyes darted away from his, her entire posture radiating with embarrassment. She lightly cleared her throat, swallowing before shaking herself and turning back to him. She spoke, and though she was obviously in a state of discomfort, her voice only wavered slightly. "I'm going to think about this, Sesshomaru-sama. I know I don't really have much of a choice in the matter, but I want to think about it and at least pretend that I'm making this decision on my own."

Without waiting on a response, the onna disappeared into the trees, heading toward the Goshinboku. Sesshomaru listened as she went, satisfactorily noting her lack of sound; she was a quick learner, and he began to accept that the process of teaching her would not be so unbearable after all.

Kagome settled against the bark of the old, familiar tree, leaning her head back and staring up at the sky. The stars were a brilliant sight, much clearer and brighter than she was used to, and the moon seemed so much larger than it did when she was human.

"Everything is so different," she murmured to herself, listening to the tones of her voice that she hadn't heard before. "So, so different."

Reaching up, she ran her hand through her hair before gazing at her palm. The skin at the base of her fingers was free of calluses, as smooth as it had been before she'd come to the Sengoku Jidai and become a warrior.

Unbidden, the faces of her high school friends flashed before her mind's eye and she caught her breath against the wave of sadness that washed over her. The fact that she would never see her friends again was like a weight against her chest, heavy and unwanted. Who would she complain to about Inuyasha now? Who would she laugh with at an old memory, or tell a joke to in the middle of the night?

Wrapping her arms around her torso and pursing her lips, Kagome shook her head at her thoughts. There was no reason for her to get so depressed. After all, she did have friends here, and she could make new ones. Right?

Uncertainty sparked in her belly. How was she supposed to make new friends as she was? There was no guarantee that humans would accept her, especially ones she hadn't met yet. She knew from experience that humanity was intimidated by the youkai population, and even if she was youkai now, she had been human before, which would all turn the youkai against her. It was a lose-lose situation, and she didn't see any sort of way to tip the odds in her favor.

She sighed, banishing the depressing thoughts from her mind. She shouldn't have been worrying about friends anyway; she was heir to the Southern Lands, and she supposed that the fact that she had a murderous uncle was a tad more important.

An involuntary shudder rippled down her spine. How long would it be before her uncle found her? For all she knew, he could've had spies watching the well, or living in the village, or even following her around for the past three years. The thought made her frown; if he had been following her, then why hadn't he killed her? Why wait until she found out about her lineage?

Sighing heavily, Kagome reached up and rubbed her temples. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Not only did she have to accept the fact that she wasn't human and was going to have to deal with one heck of a family feud, but she was betrothed to Sesshomaru, Ice Lord Extraordinaire. Frowning up at the sky, she shifted into a more comfortable position, stretching her legs out in front of her as a light breeze cooled her skin.

Mentally, she inspected the daiyoukai that was Sesshomaru. Outwardly, the inu was one of the most beautiful males she'd ever seen—she would admit to that—with his almond shaped, golden eyes and moon-silver hair. His markings stood out against his pale skin, boldly announcing his heritage and position. His clothing, too, identified him as Lord of the West, and although he was cold and detached, there was no doubt that he was known.

But internally, well, that was an entirely different matter. Kagome knew that he'd changed over the course of three years, especially considering his treatment of Rin and his increased propensity of travelling near Inuyasha—not that he liked that last part—but she didn't know whether his change was faked or real.

Scoffing lightly, Kagome shook her head. There was no way that Sesshomaru, with his strong sense of honor, would pretend to be something he wasn't. In fact, he made it clear that he wasn't a liar, wasn't the type of youkai who deceived others to get what he wanted—he took it either by force or by cold calculation, neither of which was unheard of in this era.

It was his honor, too, that probably compelled him to decide that he would keep the pact that was forged between their fathers. He really could've kept it to himself, especially since their fathers were dead and unable to enforce the betrothal, but for him to have kept silent about it would have only meant that he would have had to lie by way of omission. And Sesshomaru didn't lie.

The real heart of the matter, however, was her approval and Kagome closed her eyes as she weighed her options.

Agreeing to the betrothal and therefore agreeing to a marriage—or a mating, as youkai called it—with Sesshomaru would definitely have its perks. For one, she would be joined with one of, if not the, strongest youkai in all of Japan. She would be protected and provided for, not to mention respected. His mannerisms were easy enough to get used to, and she could admit to finding his presence a little comforting at times; there was something about his quiet power that soothed her, and Kami only knew how much soothing she needed after a day with Inuyasha.

On the downside, his lack of emotion could filter into other aspects of his life, and she didn't want to be stuck with a complete ice block, even though she was sure that she could deal with it if she had to. He was also just a touch controlling sometimes, and expected for his every demand to be met with nothing but obedience; Kagome was an independent girl, and obedience didn't necessarily make it to the top of her list.

Another heavy sigh fell from her lips, and Kagome continued to ponder as the moon traveled across the star strewn sky.

"Okaa-san, you're back!"

Smiling as Shippo launched himself into her legs, Kagome nodded and smoothed his hair away from his face when he looked up at her. "Where is everyone, Shippo?"

The growing kitsune turned and pointed toward Kaede's hut. "They're all in there with Kaede, but Rin and I had to leave while the grown-ups—" he yawned "—talked. Rin fell asleep but I stayed up to wait for you."

Reaching down, Kagome swept the kit up into her arms, smiling at him and kissing his forehead. "Thank you, Shippo. Do you know how long they've been talking?" She rounded the corner, relieved to see Ah-Un curled up near the hut, Rin safely nestled against him.

"Ever since Lord Sesshomaru came back without you," Shippo responded, lowering his voice as they came within a few feet of the sleeping girl.

Kagome hummed quietly, setting Shippo beside the dragon and lightly petting both of its heads before kneeling to kiss Rin's forehead. The girl didn't waken, and Kagome brushed a wisp of chocolate hair away from her face before straightening. "Shippo, stay here, alright?"

Nodding, the kitsune curled up against Rin's side, and Kagome turned toward the hut, feeling Sesshomaru's barrier give way as she neared it. She ducked inside, suppressing a shiver as the barrier closed behind her. "Hey guys."

Seated in her usual spot before the fire, Kaede was the first to speak, inclining her head as she offered Kagome a cup of mild-smelling tea. "Welcome back, child." Kagome settled on the floor, and it wasn't long before Kaede spoke once more. "Lord Sesshomaru has informed us of the situation," she murmured, sipping from her own steaming cup. "Have ye made your decision?" Staring down into her cup, Kagome frowned lightly. She had made a decision, but...

Glancing up again, she caught Sango's eye, and the slayer smiled gently. Kagome inspected her face, seeing the encouragement shining in her eyes. She looked to Miroku, and then to Kaede, and then to Inuyasha, and the hanyou held her gaze, his amber orbs glimmering with repressed anger. For a moment, she looked at him, and then she blinked and turned to Sesshomaru, who sat against the wall to her left, one arm resting on his bent leg. His eyes, wide and alert, held her captive, the amber color a deeper, richer tone than Inuyasha's. She swallowed.

"I thought about a lot of things tonight," she began, not taking her eyes away from Sesshomaru even though it felt like he was reading her mind. "But I have made my decision." She swallowed again, and Sesshomaru's gaze shifted just slightly, the slits of his pupils narrowing as he focused solely on her. Kagome took a deep breath. "And because it was my father's wish, I'll honor the betrothal as well."

It happened very quickly then.

She heard a snarl, felt a massive amount of youki flash against her skin, and then there was a crash and her head cracked against something very hard. Though she was positive that she should have been a little dazed, she felt only slightly winded, and blinked rapidly to clear her vision. She was aware of Sesshomaru's youki touching against hers, and as the stars swam into focus above her, she realized that she was lying on her back, and that there was splintered wood and straw scattered around her.

"Are you harmed?"

Miroku's calm voice managed to snap her out of her confused stupor, and she shook her head, mentally inspecting her body and finding no injuries. "W-what happened?"

"Kagome?" Sango's face joined Miroku's, both of them hovering over her and reaching out to help her as she sat up, wood clacking together as she lifted herself out of the rubble.

"Are ye alright, child?"

Kagome nodded, waving off the concerned looks. A pair of small bodies collided into her legs, and she knelt, inspecting Rin and Shippo for injuries as they both tried to tell her what was happening at once, talking over one another and making no sense whatsoever.

"Guys, hush. I can't listen to both of you at once," she interrupted, rising and scanning the area. There seemed to be no damage, other than the fact that Kaede's door was now nonexistent, and the few who had come out of their homes were being assured by Miroku that all was well. Kagome looked back down at the children clinging to her hakama. "Now, would someone like to explain what's going on?" Both mouths opened, and she quickly held up one finger. "One at a time, please."

Rin began. "Rin was sleeping next to Ah-Un, and when Rin woke up, Rin saw Kagome-sama flying like a bird out of Kaede-sama's hut! It was really loud, and Rin was really scared!"

"Yeah!" Shippo interjected, gesturing as he spoke. "And Inuyasha came flying out too, except he looked really angry and he was growling and saying bad things about you!"

"And then Sesshomaru-sama came out and threw Inuyasha-sama into the trees over there," Rin added, pointing. "They haven't come back yet…Are they okay, Kagome-sama?"

Sighing, Kagome nodded. "I'm sure they're fine, Rin. I'll tell you what; why don't you and Shippo stay here while I go see if I can find them?"

"Kagome, are you sure that's a good idea?" Sango's voice was quiet and thick with apprehension, and Kagome bit her bottom lip before nodding.

"I have to," she replied, catching both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's scents on the breeze. "Or else they might kill each other." She didn't wait for a reply, instead hugging the children and stalking off into the trees.

"Come now, little brother, is that the best you can do?"

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Such a pity that you fall to childish insults, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru pushed the hanyou back, pressing his forearm into his throat as he pinned him to the tree behind him. Leaning closer, he grinned. "Or does the fact that Kagome is mine reduce you to stupidity?"

With a snarl, Inuyasha pushed away from the tree, though his claws swiped at nothing more than air as Sesshomaru leapt away from him, watching as the irate hanyou cracked his knuckles. "She doesn't belong to you, asshole, and she never will!" He made to leap, but in the instant that it seemed he would leave the ground, Kagome came bursting through the tree line, sapphire eyes blazing and youki swirling about her body in nearly translucent silver tendrils.

Her ire stopped the hanyou in his tracks, and he growled at her, though instinct prompted him to take a step back away from her even as he pointed a clawed finger in her direction. "You! Tell him you don't want this! Tell him you lied!"

Standing in the space between them, Kagome shook her head, hands fisted at her sides. "No Inuyasha, because I was telling the truth." The half-breed made a move as though he were going to step forward, but Kagome growled, the sound halting any further progress. "Just stop it, Inuyasha."

"I don't get it, Kagome," Inuyasha yelled, his youki rising. "Why would you do this to me, huh?"

Obviously frustrated, Kagome ran a hand through her hair, a scowl marring her brow. "Why does everything always have to be about you?" she retorted, voice distorted and angry. "Why can't I do something for me?"

Sesshomaru watched her take a step forward, and, unsure of where the urge came from, refrained from snatching her away from the still fuming half-breed. She reached up and placed a finger in the center of his fire rat clad chest, claw denting the fabric.

"My world doesn't revolve around you anymore, got that?" she asked, forcefully jabbing her finger on each word. "You might not think I'm making the right decision, but I'm going to do it anyway, because it's what I want to do!"

"And you think he's doing this because he wants to?" Inuyasha asked, shoving a clawed finger in his direction. "This is all about power to him! Honor or not, Sesshomaru would mate anything if it was powerful enough!"

"That's his prerogative Inuyasha! But do you want to know the difference between him and you? Respect! He respects me, and that's more than you've ever done!"

The words seemed to deal an invisible blow; Inuyasha flinched as though he'd been struck, and his ears flattened against his head. "That's not true, Kagome. I always respected you."

The onna scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she pursed her lips and took a couple steps back, branches snapping under her feet. "Is that what you call respect, Inuyasha? Sneaking off behind my back to rut with a dead woman?" The hanyou opened his mouth, but Kagome barreled on, ticking off her fingers as she spoke. "Or maybe respect is calling me names and making me feel like crap? No? Well how about scaring off every nice guy who's ever tried to talk to me? Or perhaps you sending me mixed signals about what you wanted is a better definition of the word?"

"Kagome, you know I – "

"I don't want to hear it, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha scowled and folded his arms. "You're making a big mistake, Kagome. You can't be happy with him. You'll never be happy with him."

Suddenly, the fight seemed to leave the onna's small body. Her shoulders sagged and she reached up to press her hand against her forehead, eyes closed and breath calm. For a moment, she was silent, and when she opened her eyes, she fixed the hanyou with a look Sesshomaru had never seen on her face, a look of complete resignation.

"I was never happy with you either, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha grimaced, and a pained expression passed over his face. He was quiet for an instant, and then he shook his head. "Whatever, Kagome. Just don't come cryin' to me when he runs ofsf with one of his concubines and leaves you alone."

Before she could respond, the hanyou leapt up into the tree above him. Sesshomaru listened as he darted off toward the village, and then turned to Kagome, who was standing silently, gazing around at the clearing he and the imbecile had carved into the forest. Trees had been uprooted, thick trunks had been snapped in half, and debris littered the forest floor, leaving branches to crack underfoot as she turned to walk back to the village.

He watched her go for a moment, and came to the conclusion that the sway of her hips was a very admirable thing.

Author's Note: Yes, I know. I've been MIA for entirely too long and some of you were probably wondering if I was still working on this...well I am, so don't worry! Life and holidays got kind of hectic, but hopefully things are calm enough now for me to give you semi-regular updates.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review-my muse needs the food!

Until next time!

~Aubrey