Chapter 2 Ignorance is Bliss

"So you want to be called Sesshoumaru again?"

Sesshoumaru nodded an affirmative and looked around before replying. Sitting in their favorite café, sipping tea, Kagome and the reincarnated Sesshoumaru looked like almost any average young couple. One a gentle feminine beauty with creamy skin and warm almond eyes, the other was a picture of silver masculine grace intertwined with an unspoken strength that smoldered in his molten gaze. It had been roughly a year ago that Sess Ryusaki, the reincarnation of Sesshoumaru, had entered into Kagome's life to fill the void in her heart left by Inuyasha and his nihilistic devotion to Kikyou. That single moment in time, when Inuyasha chose to die not for love but for a mockery of life, was etched with frightening clarity into Kagome's mind. It had been in that black moment, that her sense of self-worth had been shattered completely in seeing her first love choose to die rather than be with her.

But the fates had taken mercy on Kagome and sent to her a reborn Sesshoumaru. Through his reincarnation, Sesshoumaru had defied time and death to find her. His love and dedication to Kagome had been the balm that healed her broken heart; even after traveling to the past with her and discovering once more all that he was, Sesshoumaru remained true to her.

In the months since reawakening to his true nature and power, Sesshoumaru had chosen to keep a low profile and masqueraded through life in a human form, not revealing his true identity except to a handful of people. Gone were the canine fangs, the blue crescent moon and the magenta stripes on his cheeks and wrists along with the elongated ears, all of which would have at least hinted at his inhuman origin.

If truth to be told, the differences between his human form and youkai form were minimal. But to Kagome those differences were not to be overlooked lightly. When Sesshoumaru took off his human mask and revealed his true features, Kagome could not help but find them alluring. His markings made him look wild and dangerous, an impression only accentuated by his natural fangs. His pointed ears in particular were appealing to Kagome since she knew them to be extremely sensitive. Whenever she rubbed the ridges along his ears, a deep and contented rumble would emerge from his chest and resonate in time with her motions.

Unfortunately, to this day, his family still doesn't have a clue about who he really is and they may never, Kagome thought as she listened.

"Not in front of my father though." Sesshoumaru continued. "That might cause difficulties. I'm not keen on having awkward questions at the dinner table. Great as I am, some things are beyond even my capacity to explain; such as coming back from the dead, time travel, and women."

"Listen" Kagome said airily "Everyone knows you just need to treat a woman like they are the center of the universe. It's simplicity itself."

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes "Yes, this extremely reasonable and in no way burdensome advice absolutely does not lead to unrealistic expectations and thus discontent."

Kagome smiled lazily. "Well a woman has to set some expectations after all. Luckily, you meet the ones that matter."

"Well naturally," Sesshoumaru replied his eyes practically glowing with mirth. "Not everyone has a Lord as their boyfriend. You must feel so honored."

"I thank heaven every day," Kagome said. "Do you happen to know where I can purchase some modesty? It seems as though you're running low."

"I can assure you that I am not running low." Sesshoumaru deadpanned. "I have as much as is appropriate."

Sesshoumaru placed some yen on the table while grabbing their packages. "This conversation isn't really going to lead to anything serious I can tell. We should get going anyway. Rin has been looking forward to coming here for quite a while now and she is probably going to explode at any moment."

Kagome couldn't disagree on that point. "Let's hope that she is ready this time. I'd rather not have any fatalities occur. Last time was much too close."

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement as they approached his Mazda Millennium. His silver hair matched almost perfectly with the car's sheen as it glimmered in the light. "I think she and Shippou will be adequately prepared for the everyday threats we barely even register as threats anymore. We've given them a lot of instruction about electrical outlets, cars, and kitchen appliances and almost everything else over the past couple of months. With the help of Souta, we can probably keep them out of trouble."