Sesshomaru listened in on the miko and kit's chat. He noted their lumbering attempts at conversation. The kit's hopeful desperation, and the miko's sad acceptance.
He had Shippo travel with him, because he knew the kit would overwhelm her with his questions. Shippo expected her to act the same, even though he had warned the kit not to. He may have viewed her to be like a second mother to him, but she had missed a hundred years of watching him grow into the adolescent male he was now.
When the miko suddenly stood and walked into the forest, Sesshomaru silently slipped away and followed her. Distress poured off her in waves. However, he did not step forward to comfort her. Doing so would only add to her emotional instability. She also would not welcome his condolence. She would not want him to see her as weak.
"What are ya doin'?"
Sesshomaru flicked a glance at the appearance of his brother. He, again, noted the sense of maturity Inuyasha gave in the relaxed way he carried himself, and the look in his eyes. Older eyes, wiser. There was no hostility in his question. No suspicion. Just genuine curiosity.
"Two hundred years of age when you disappeared," Sesshomaru said. "And yet, it took a mere hundred for you to finally grow up."
Inuyasha snorted softly. "I don't know about that."
"You agreed to come to the West—"
"I don't think you gave us a choice," Inuyasha muttered.
"—so I can remove the mating bond between you and Kagome," Sesshomaru finished, ignoring his brother's remark.
"We followed you for answers you might know about why Kagome is… Well, is the way she fucking is. Not to fucking break our mating bond," Inuyasha said. "Let me make myself clear, brother. I. Am. Not. Breaking. Our. Mating. Bond. Fuck you."
Other than the obscenities, Sesshomaru thought Inuyasha took what he said fairly well. But… "And I say unto you, little brother, she will not be shamed by you. Do you think yokai society has forgotten about you? That Naraku's demise was a small thing? They remember you, and your faithlessness to commit to just one female."
"Our relationship is nothing like that," Inuyasha growled. "She's like a fucking sister to me."
Sesshomaru lifted his chin and looked down his nose at his brother. "She is no sister of mine."
Inuyasha stared at him for a long, annoying, minute before exhaling unnecessarily loud. "Shit. I'm thinking it's you I should have warned and not her," Inuyasha muttered. "But…no, impossible."
"Warned?"
"Nothing. Look, I didn't truly mate Kagome, because…you know, we'd have to 'do it' for there to be a bond. Aki and I…we just included her when we… There was no…" Inuyasha coughed into his fist, his face flushed.
Sesshomaru stiffened at what Inuyasha was implying. However, knowing his brother hadn't tainted the miko with his body made their bond less…aggravating.
"Anyway, she needs the bond. It protects her."
"You said something like this before," Sesshomaru said. "Why?"
"I can't—"
"You can, and you will," Sesshomaru demanded. He wanted to know. Not just wanted, but he needed to know so he could use the information for his benefit. He planned on claiming her. If what Inuyasha said could make that happen, then he'd use it.
"You remember how Kagome's always had demons sniffing around her, right?"
"I'm aware," Sesshomaru said. He'd killed a few of her worthless admirers in the past. A great majority had been unknowns—demons that had stalked the miko in the shadows—, and a few that they had known.
"Well, someone marginally powerful came sniffing around her, shit happened that made it impossible for me to fight him without hurting her, and so we ran," Inuyasha said with a shrug.
Inuyasha thought he wasn't telling him anything important, but he said much while trying to be vague. A powerful demon wanted his miko, and he did something to her that forced Inuyasha to protect her with a mating bond. Yes, he could use that.
"If a mating bond is what is needed, then a mating bond is what she will get," Sesshomaru said.
Inuyasha stared at him again, before whispering, "Fuck."