"What are you doing?" she asked. Kagome had a confused look on her face, and it wasn't letting up. It was week after she turned thirteen, and Sesshoumaru had come over to spend some time with her under the Oak. Then out of nowhere he had pulled out a pocket knife, she didn't even know he had one.
"Hush, I'm busy." He replied with a smirk. He knew of her newly started habit, he could smell it. Even with the long sleeves she wore, she couldn't hide it from him. He was determined to nip it in the bud if he could, but first he had wanted to do this first. Taking his small blade, he started to carve into the bark of the large tree.
"I can see that smartass, but what are you doing?" she replied sarcastically.
"Something, to remind you…that you're not alone." He said as he finished making the symbols, then stepped back to look at his work.
"I know I'm not, you're here every day." She said with a smile. He could do some of the strangest things, but they always brought a smile to her face. Even after five, almost six years of knowing him, he still had the ability to surprise her.
"Though I sense there are times when you still feel alone." He said with a pointed look at her arms. He noticed Kagome shrink back a little, showing that he had hit the nail on the head. He knew why she did, but he didn't like any harm coming to her. At least this one he could try to combat, he just had to wait another five to six years then he could remove her completely.
"Uh, what are you talking about?" she asked nervously. When he gently pulled her to him, and then he raised her sleeves slightly. Showing the fresh jagged red lines covering her arms. Suddenly she couldn't meet his gaze, she felt ashamed. She knew when she had done it that it wasn't smart, but it had alleviated the emotional pain of her father's treatments. Physical pain was so much easier to deal with, sure she got plenty of that too, but at least this she had control over.
"Promise me…"
"I can't." she whispered. "I can't make a promise I know I can't keep Sessh."
"Then promise me you'll talk to me, before you do this." He wanted to try and keep her from doing it, there was always a chance she could go too deep. Then there wouldn't be much he could do for her, for the first time in his life, he felt afraid of someone else's decisions. Hopefully, the swirly S and K that he had carved, would also serve as a reminder that someone did care.