Disclaimer: All but the plot to this particular story rightfully belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Words: 611
Presence
After spending the last day and a half worrying and wondering and wavering, she could finally sit down and just breathe for a while. The attendants of had been kind enough to show her to the back of the house, and she had dragged her oversized skirt through the grass and mud to sit on a large rock beside the pond. Pulling the excess fabric over her knees, she remarked on the beauty of the land around the pavilion.
At this particular time of day, the sun had already set past the peaks of the trees. It was a little blinding, sure, but it still made for a stunning sight when she squinted.
Not long after heaving a contented sigh, she felt a presence behind her- a familiar youki, but not one she could readily distinguish.
A red-patterned sleeve slipped through her peripherals, however, and she relaxed a little. "Hey," she greeted lamely.
Sesshoumaru stood wordlessly to her right.
Straightening a little, she cleared her throat, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Second sunset in a row, Sesshoumaru-sama." She peeked up at him, watching him glance at her quizzically. "Am I intruding on your personal time or did you just want to bond?"
He lifted a brow at her impudence. "Coincidence," was his only reply before turning back to the watch the sun.
Her smile widened and the tinge of regret she felt after speaking had diminished completely. Pondering his presence, she tilted her head, "Did you want to say something?"
"I have sent Jaken to inform Inuyasha of your undertaking."
Kagome almost jumped to her feet. She twisted on the rock to better face him. "Really? Thank you!"
"That is not necessary. I was merely keeping to my word."
"Still," she mumbled, smiling crookedly, "Thanks."
"Hn." Then after a moment, he spoke again, "Rin's lessons."
She nodded, slouching to lean her chin on the back of her hand. "It was a little awkward at first, I think. She didn't want to listen," she laughed fondly, staring at the reflection of the sunset in the pond. "But she was very brave and now knows what's happening to her body."
It was strange how comfortable she felt discussing this with Sesshoumaru. Sure, she wasn't delving into mortifying details but she also wasn't feeling all too flustered about him bringing it up.
Sesshoumaru's grunt of approval further provoked this nonchalance of hers. It might have been her lack of sleep the night before that put her in such a playful mood, or perhaps it was her dinner with Rin and Takuma and their silly antics that did it, but she tilted her head up to meet his gaze, grinning impishly. "Would you like a quick overview so you can answer some questions after I leave?"
Stiffening instantly, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, detecting her placid scent and the merriment in her voice. "I suggest you do not become too comfortable around this Sesshoumaru, priestess." As he stepped past the door and into the house, he paused, ears twitching when he heard her chuckle and mutter a quiet reply, "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."
He turned his head to look at the girl on the rock. She had made it through the entire day without asking for a change of clothes or asking him to reconsider her stay. She was a priestess in a house full of demons and yet she was polite and courteous to them all. And here, despite his warning to be mindful of her place, she had simply humored him.
Shaking his head in irritation, he slid the door shut behind him. She truly was a strange creature.