Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.
Kagome could feel the resentment festering in her heart at her reaction. She should have been gentler, more caring. Her heart pounded behind her ribs so hard she wondered how it was not braking from her chest. She let her feet take her away from the elder woman's room and before she knew it, hours had past and she'd found herself pausing at the door to Sesshoamru's study.
It was on her route to her room, but as the image of the pulsing flesh flashed into memory, she pulled resolutely at the wood. He looked up as she entered and she gave thanks he was alone and not busy with negotiations or the solidification of treaties. She didn't wait for his permission and sat down in the pile of pillows off to the side of the room.
She remained quiet and he went back to writing something with his quilled pen. She let her head droop a bit so she could get a clear view of him and followed his languid strokes of his fingers when he wrote.
"Miko, did you interrupt me to watch my penmanship?" She glanced up and caught his eye. He had raised an eyebrow and she saw how tight his skin was pulled. He looked almost sick, with ringed eyes and pinched lips. While he was still, by far, the most beautiful man she had seen in a while, he looked as if he might topple over at a slight breeze. "From your look, I assume it is about something important. Speak."
"I don't want to place a burden on you or make you angry," She shuffled a bit and he sighed in annoyance. With a huff and a grunt, he stood and picked her up before placing her right next to him behind his desk. He was heartened by her laugh and she smiled before relenting. "Fine, fine. Your mother..."
She trailed off and he seemed to sense were this conversation was heading; he placed the quill into the inkwell and turned to face her. Her face had gone rosy and her eyes seemed to well up with pent up tears he knew her to proud to shed.
"She showed you her mating mark?" He asked carefully, just recently understanding how delicate humans could be when emotions were involved. "You will need to explain where your question stems from before I gander a guess."
"Are they scars?" Her voice had dropped and she was almost silent. The evening wind howled outside the window and from their spots, they could both see the setting sun. It made her eyes become richer, and her thick hair to become a burnt auburn.
"It is the remnants of her mating bond," He answered in a solemn tone and an unwavering voice. At her tilted head, he moved to explain. "When two join together, their blood and bodies are mixed, and they become one. It is painful for your one to love another who is not yourself."
She sniffed a bit and rubbed at her running nose. She laughed it off but after years of travel and his ward, he understood the feeling the humans called empathy; to feel pity or sorrow for another. It was one defining characteristic between them and the youki. He refused to lean forward to comfort her but she seemed to prefer it that way, squaring her shoulders, she looked into the sunset and let the tears trail silently down her cheeks before speaking to him without moving her eyes.
"When did you become so wise in the matters of the heart?" He could feel the barb but he instead returned to his work.
"Just because I do not wear it on my sleeve is not the equivalent to me being heartless," He huffed in annoyance, raising a delicate hand to continue with his penmanship. She leaned a tired head on his shoulder and he pushed down the immediate response of brushing her off.
"The veins are the misery he caused her to feel," Kagome said wistfully, glancing down to his work. "How can she bear such a heavy weight?"
"Because she does not bear it alone." His voice went quietly on the breeze, unrequited words that hung in the air. She smiled and leaned inward, her lips indenting the fabric and making gooseflesh spread across his skin.
They stayed in silence until the maids came to fetch Kagome for the ball that night.
TUH
Kagome danced merrily with many men; all who seemed interested in her. Yuzuki was congratulated and celebrated, the part she played all to well. Her hair was spilling over her shoulders and not for the first time, he wondered about her features and to which parent they belonged. The coloring was his, but her eyes were wider and her nose was more curved, not sharp and angular like his. Her cheekbones were prominent but her beauty was a subtle look. She lacked the peach skin to be classically lovely and she was much to rounded to hold a striking beauty, but nevertheless, she managed to capture the looks of every man, mated and not.
He picked at his food until a maid took it. He had all but given up on dance when a woman approached. Her dress was made not from fine silk like the others, but thick wool from sheep. He knew she had to be the daughter of the sheep merchants because of her nervous smile and her clumsy bow.
She muttered out a dance request and as he was about to politely decline, he spotted a pod of snickering girls, tittering about the girl who stood before him now. He forced his lips into a smirk and accepted; happy to watch the girls sly smiles slip from their faces. He placed a carful hand at her waist and he spun her around.
She was pudgy around her hips and he found that while she was bigger than most of the sickly women in court, she was so light on her feet. He found himself enjoying her company and he flashed her a rare and genuine smile. Her lovely pale complexion turned scarlet at his gesture and she stumbled on her heels. With a sickening pop, her ankle twisted and she cried out.
He caught her with steady hands and lead her to the table. The women began to hiss in outrage at what they thought to be a performance. He sat her down and through her constant string of apologies, he just shushed her and raised the hem of her dress to see the sprain.
"I'm a klutz! My father always said so!" She covered her face with her hands and refused to meet his eyes. He looked around until he locked eyes with a franticly twirling Kagome. Her feet locked into place and her startled companion screeched to a halt on the dance floor.
"What happened?" She questioned, moving past other guests to reach their spot. He explained about her fall and she just smiled. "I'll have you fixed up in no time. I saw you dancing out there, do you plan on becoming a dancer?"
"Oh no! As you just saw, I had the coordination of a fish on land!" She snorted and then quickly slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what had happened. Her eyes flashed to Sesshoamru and instead of anger like she assumed to see, she saw a small smirk raise the corner of his lips. She could feel her chest release and the pent up air released in a single breath.
"I must attend to other duties, but I assure you, you are in good hands," He stood with a flourish and left Kagome to tent to her ankle. The woman's eyes followed him until he blended with the mass of Lords and Ladies. Kagome set her fingers over the skin and with a bit of healing, it was fixed.
"He was so kind," She muttered, clutching her hands in her lap so tightly the turned white. Kagome questioned who he was compared to and the gentle smile on her lips turned down into a frown. "My father's property resides on the outskirts of the Western Lands and on the border to the North. They are more central to appearance than you all here."
"They are pigs if they don't see your beauty. Don't let anyone tell you differently," Her words were taken to heart and she nodded resolutely. Kagome stood and strutted over to a young man drinking on a pillar. He smirked at her and she frowned, veering off until she spotted an equally attractive man who bowed politely to her when she approached. "Do you see that lovely girl over there?" He nodded and looked back to her. "I hope you would dance with her, show her she has the prettiest heart of this whole room.
He smiled and she spotted the pink blush on his cheeks. He straitened his clothing and strutted over to her seat; when he reached her, her already pink cheeks were almost red. Kagome felt better and made her way over to were Sesshomaru stood with the other Lords.
She put on her best face and straitened her back. When she reached them, they all greeted her. The Northern Lord leered in her direction and she raised her head to ignore it, choosing instead to bow to the Eastern Lord and his mate. The Lord was tall with a small ponytail of yellow hair pulled to the nape of his neck. His mate was equally tall, with broad shoulders and hair a shimmering blue and green. His eyes shifted colors as she watched. They both were in constant contact wether it be a subtle brush or a passionate kiss.
She gave Koga a hug and watched as his eyes reared up. He had cut his hair a bit and she ruffled it which caused the group to laugh. Their banter was cut short by a loud throat clearing.
"Excuse me!" Yuzuki was stationed at the front of the hall draped in rich silks and velvets. She looked like a dream. "I want to inform you all of how the rest of my coronation will proceed seeing as my father can not plan all to well. For tonight we will celebrate my return and for the next five days, we shall party and laugh and dance to the hopes that I can lead with as much strength and certainty as my forefathers."
She raised her glass and the guests did the same, mimicking her actions. As everyone went to resume their chatter, her voice once again cut through their conversations.
"Also, my father has agreed to accept one hundred new recruits into his army, some who will become my personal squad." Again, she grabbed a drink from a shell-shocked waiter who remained motionless before setting it back down half empty. "I apologize for leaving my own party, but I have swords to commission."
The crowd parted slowly and clapped for her as she left, most too drunk to realize she ordered an explanation of military in front of all of the West's enemies. She disappeared through the wide doors and people milled around, unsure of what to do. Not long after, the music started back up and the party resumed.
"Sesshoamru," Kagome placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder when she saw his eyes bleeding red at the edges. She hissed in undertones so the other guests couldn't hear. "Your daughter has done you a favor!"
"Is that how you see it?" His voice was layered with sarcasm and anger, thickly coated in lessening restraint. He knew he should calm down, take a breath and slow his racing heartbeat, but he felt as if he unlocked his jaw he might have attacked anyone close enough.
With a strength he didn't know she possessed, Kagome lied effortlessly about paperwork and files while slowly untangling them from the masses. When she pushed him into the nearest hallway, he could feel his claws sharpening and the sizzle of the wood that caught the droplets of his acid.
"Knock it off!" She hissed, smacking his arm and regretting it when he spun around to face her with crimson eyes. Her feet swiftly moved backwards and with a slow hand, grabbed a knife from her holster at her thigh. She thought if she'd had to use it, it'd be on the cat demon with a nasty habit of groping her. "She placed you in a position of power, made it appear as if adding more to your army was casual. Don't think of it as taunting the lion but as calming the tiger."
"I tire of your meaningless metaphors miko!" He came at her like a bullet. She raised an arm and he crashed into her. They tumbled into the thick weeds leading to the forest off the West's Palace grounds.
He stood on wobbling legs and searched with keen eyes for signs of movement. Through the thick haze, his mind noted he was dealing with a woman, though human, who was included in the group of the few creatures who could kill him. His animal instinct flared when a slight breeze ruffled the tall grass.
She came at him in a dash and he was unready for her knife. It slashed across his arm and he howled in pain, attracting people to the windows overlooking the field. Kagome flipped her body weight forward behind the thrust and they tumbled into the weeds. She tried to gain the upper hand but even with her cunning and enhanced tactics, she was no match for his brute strength.
Even the demons with sharp eyes couldn't find anything amiss in the tall grasses. Sesshomaru was on top of her, his weight crushing her chest and his breath blowing raggedly in her hair. She waited for some sort of attack but after more than a minute passed, she placed her hands at the sides of his head and pulled up.
His eyes were tightly shut and his hands clutched at the pressed foliage to her sides. She could feel her mouth moving but didn't seem to say anything. When his eyelids fluttered open, the golden red irises stared back.
Just as she was about to call out, his lips pressed feverishly to hers. His hands, one tangled in the grass, propped himself up and pulled her back up off the ground. She was unresponsive for a few seconds until her dream came rushing back and she brought her hands up to grip his hair. Her leg threw itself over his and an almost painful hiss tore its way free of his mouth.
He broke the kiss and trailed small bites and nips to the column of her throat. There, he placed a delicate kiss that had her gasping. Her skin prickled and then he stilled above her, seeming to take in the situation.
With only a slight breeze to mark his leaving, she was left lying in the grass a tingling mass of nerves and embarrassment.
TUH
When she awoke he next morning, she ignored the dirty and torn dress draped over her chair, instead pulling on her training gear to practice with some of the men. She came to breakfast hungry and sweaty and was caught unaware when she entered the small dinning hall and caught the stares of many high ranking nobles.
"I was hoping you would join us today." Sesshomaru's mother stated, her painted lips curing up. Kimiko smiled and spread her arm out in a sweeping gesture to indicate her siting anywhere. Kagome noted the looks her tight training shorts got and how the loose top covered very little. Sesshomaru nodded to her and in low tones below everyone's babble, he spoke.
"I must apologize for last night-" he started but was cut off by her reaching out and snatching an apple from the center of the table and taking a bite and chewing while he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and cocked her hips before leaning down to whisper in his ear. By now, the whole room was in attention.
"The only regret I have it that you are to shy to finish," she stood, took another bite and exited the room, leaving a confused crowd in her wake with a sly smirk on her lips.
TUH
The sword sung as she swung it. The black metal hummed when she practiced stances and the white blade shimmered when it caught the light of the fire from the forge. Both had similar hilts, the black blade inlayed with white, the white with black, each the opposite of the other. They were exactly like their twins on her back.
"They are perfect," She finished with one sword outstretched and the other slanted across her face.
"I have to say miss, it was strange to craft such strange blades for a dog!" He laughed heartily and when she went to set the small pouch of gold down in front of him, he refused. He gestured to the blades. "I don't need payment, just mention who crafted your swords one and a while, will ya?"
"I will, often in fact," she wrapped both in a thick cloth and strapped them to her belt. "I know meteorite is hard to come by."
"Such a strange metal to work with! Hard and challenging, but rewarding," he bowed to her and she reciprocated. He laughed again and the sound resonated within the cave. He smiled around at the newly created forge built into natural caverns within the mountain side. "This new forge would still be small without your help. I hope to see you again."
"I'm sure you will," she exited and make her way leisurely down the small slope. She watched the men and woman work, some stacking boulders on other shoulders and others blowing fire to melt the rocks together. A woman puffed steam out her nose a few times before spraying clothes with the scalding water from her mouth. Yuzuki laughed and smiled and waved at the woman.
Her clan was helping with the rebuilding. The twins created paints from flower pigments and drew fanciful pictures on doorways and rocks to large to move. Katsuo flexed his muscles to watching girls as he tried to simultaneously lift a rock, smile, and wink. Cho trained willing woman how to wield bow staffs and small spears. Both Takeshi and Kazuki were into the architecture of the town, crafting maps that would insure enough land remained for cultivation of foods and a large open area for recreation.
She turned the corner to observe the creation of the main meeting hall. All the members of the council were involved, the larger ones doing all the heavy lifting the the smaller ones working on the design and the execution of such a large protect.
She stretched onto her tiptoes to see over the only upright wall and couldn't spot Ryutaro. She folded her hands behind her back and bit her lip, not wanting to look to out of place.
"Looking for someone?" A deep voice rattled into her ear and she spun around to see a struggling dragon hand her a large stone. He had another placed upon his other shoulder and she took it so he wouldn't collapse. Ryutaro smiled through the pain and unloaded his rocks onto the growing pile. "What brings you to our humble abode?"
"Commissioned works, actually," She muttered and went silent. He huffed and puffed and it was then that she noted his lack of shirt. He was not defined like the men of her fathers army, but he was cut in a way that showed his young age. A small trail of hair lead down his navel and she refused to let the blush rise to her face.
"I hope for your safe return," He stated abruptly, bowing a bit before marching off to deal with some other important business. She watched him walk up to other men and laugh with them before instructing them to a designated area. She marveled at the change in his leadership quality and for once, she felt ready to face the crowds swarming her house with the knowledge that she was not the only one dealing with pressing issues.
Long chapter for late update. Enjoy.