From the hunch in his shoulders, she knew he expected her to be mad, just another dent in the wavering trust between them. Kagome sighed, tugging her wrist out of his hand.
Sesshoumaru visibly flinched, but she caught him around the waist before he moved away, face pressed against the plate of armour on his back.
"Was this another one of those convoluted ways of protecting me?" she asked. She felt his hesitation, grip tightening to encourage him to answer.
"There are those who have sought my attention—my affection—as a means to further their own gain. I wished—" His head tilted, gold meeting sapphire over his shoulder. "I had hoped to court you without the weight of my title being a factor."
Kagome did her best to hide her laughter, giggles quickly escaping her lips when his frown deepened.
"I do not see how this is—"
"You were going to pretend you were normal?" A flush darkened the markings on his cheeks, and she turned him around, ducking under his arm before grinning up at him. "Sesshoumaru, you're a daiyoukai who's spent the last twenty years stuck in his true form because an enemy deemed you too much of a threat. You're nowhere near normal."
His mouth clicked shut, muscles rolling along his jaw, and she reached up, stroking them with her thumb. The muscles tightened, but he covered her hand with his own, leaning into the touch. "It seems I owe you another apology."
"I'll give you this one since you had a reason for it."
"Hnn."
"Even though it was a stupid reason."