Sesshoumaru had never been one for small talk—especially when his mother was involved—but he found himself unable to turn away when Bokuseno's questions shifted to the miko's recent travels.
He'd already accepted that she was less of a bore than Jaken, allowing her to speak her mind when necessary and even reciprocating the conversation. Perhaps it had been due to their lack of direct involvement before, but he had lumped her into the same category as his mother's twittering handmaidens.
However, their intellect went no further than their daily wardrobe. The miko was clearly schooled in various subjects, able to hold her own even during their talks of battle plans and training exercises.
And Sesshoumaru found he enjoyed her company.
Perhaps more than he cared to admit.
And he would not admit it in front of his current company. His mother had been meddlesome enough, delaying their arrival in Bokuseno's glade in order to give them more time together. He'd allowed the miko to convince him to stop, but that was for training purposes only. She wished to better herself and had sought out the best teacher.
Who was he to deny her?
Yet it wasn't the casualness of their conversations or how eager she seemed to engage in training that bothered him so much as her familiarity with those around her. She'd been in the tree youkai's company for no more than a minute before requesting he call her by her given name.
She didn't use honorifics with him—being the only creature aside from his mother and brother who dared to do so—and although it had started out as a way to get under his skin, he knew she didn't mean it as a slight now.
So why hadn't she requested the same of him?
A muscle ticked along his jawline. It made no difference to him what he called her. The miko was the miko, and always would be, but her relaxed demeanour and Bokuseno's gentle smiles set his teeth on edge.
His mother's soft chuckles behind her fan did nothing to help matters, either.
"You seem to have gone through perilous times, Kagome. I am grateful you would put yourself in danger to seek me out."
The miko blushed but waved him off. "To be fair, I didn't even know about you when the bandits attacked. I was just trying to find the nearest village."
"And yet you have convinced quite a few friends to accompany you."
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, but it was he whom the miko turned to first, the action stilling his tongue. "Yes, it's been nice having someone to talk to." He raised an eyebrow, but she merely smiled, and he wondered if she was even capable of being dishonest.
Kagura snorted. "You never minded the silence before."
The miko's blush returned, and she whirled on the demoness, smacking her arm. "Only because you couldn't speak before! You probably would've talked my ear off."
Kagura rolled her eyes. "Nah. Too busy saving your ass."
"Now, now, my dear," Inukimi chided. "The miko has proven herself on more than one occasion." A smirk touched her lips as she met his gaze. "Would you not agree, my son?"
His mother was meddling again, but he couldn't deny the miko's progress. "Hnn." She snuck another glance at him, her smile widening at his agreement, and he was reaffirmed in his decision.
"With all the power flowing through you, I'm surprised you required my insight at all," Bokuseno mused, returning their attention to the task at hand.
The miko bit her lip. "Well, it was one thing to bring Kagura back, but I didn't want to mess things up and end up hurting her."
"Even though I technically blew you off a cliff?"
The miko laughed outright. "Even then."
Bokuseno's branches moved, the tips brushing past her shoulders, and she jumped as if she'd been poked. Sesshoumaru could feel the power flowing between them, and his eyes narrowed again. "You push your luck."
"I am not pushing anything, pup. Merely testing," he replied. "Though I'm sure Kagome appreciates your concern."
Did she?
"What are you testing?" the miko asked. There was a nervousness in her aura that hadn't been there before, and she kept her gaze on the tree youkai.
"How much you are holding back."
Silence descended upon the meadow, even his mother cocking her head in surprise. Yet it appeared the miko was no stranger to Bokuseno's words as she raised her chin slightly, daring him to speak further.
Sesshoumaru almost wished he would.
He hadn't encountered a creature without pure blood heritage more in tune with their powers than her. Her victory over his mother's guards had been one thing, the revival of the wind witch another, yet she still hadn't reached the limits of her power?
Just what had happened during those years she'd disappeared?
Inuyasha had never spoken of their time in the meidou, citing only that the jewel had been destroyed and the miko had returned home. But he was also the only one to come out of the meidou alive, so what other secrets had he been holding onto?
And why did Sesshoumaru care?
"I meant nothing by it, Kagome," Bokuseno replied, retracting his branches. "But continuing to temper your power will not end well for you. Or those in your company."
"I need more training," she acknowledged.
"Indeed. But someone of equal or greater power, so no one gets hurt." He gave her a meaningful look, and she let out a sigh. "Until then, perhaps expelling some of it will help?"
Her eyes widened, and she looked at each of the youkai sitting next to her. "But you just said—"
Bokuseno chuckled, leaves waving. "You will find this glade to be more than it appears, Shikon Miko. Your power may be vast, but my roots run deep. They will not be in any danger so long as you stay within the confines of the trees." The flora surrounding him seemed to shimmer in agreement, and the tension in the miko's shoulders eased.
"That would be wonderful."
His mother's expression was curious, Kagura's less so, and Sesshoumaru had to bite his tongue to keep himself from speaking up. Power such as the miko's was like the tide—affected by emotions like waves in a storm—but he had never heard of someone needing to expel extra energy before.
Especially not near the likes of Bokuseno.
What did the old tree youkai know that he did not?
Bokuseno coaxed the three youkai behind him, giving them a clear view of the miko but enough room that his roots would protect them if necessary.
"Are you sure I shouldn't put up a barrier, just in case?" she asked, standing in the middle of the clearing.
"Are you questioning my power, Kagome?"
She blanched, shaking her hands in front of her. "Of course not! I would never—"
"I know you seek to protect your pack, but please don't let these withered branches fool you," he chuckled. "I will not allow any harm to come to them."
She bit her lip but nodded, then met Sesshoumaru's gaze. "Stop me if you need to, okay?" He raised an eyebrow. Had his earlier comments not bolstered her confidence enough to trust her own power? He made a mental note to speak with the other members of her pack upon their return. He would not allow someone who had worked so hard to be burdened by doubt.
The miko closed her eyes and took a breath, then placed her hands in front of her. Reiki surged between her fingers as she pulled them apart, dark locks lifting off her shoulders as her entire body was encompassed in pink light. Another breath and her eyes flew open, irises now purple from the amount of power running through her.
Flames of reiki engulfed her, and Sesshoumaru was suddenly aware of what Bokuseno meant. The fact that the miko had been able to function, let alone train while bottling up this much power was astonishing.
She suddenly dropped to the ground, and Sesshoumaru moved to approach her, only to be stopped by Bokuseno. "I would not advise that, pup. She is not finished." Even as he spoke, the miko's power continued to overflow, washing over her form and into the forest floor. The ground trembled, knocking Kagura into his mother, and Sesshoumaru was forced to brace himself.
And then Bokuseno began to glow.
It began at his roots, shadows dispersing as they sucked up the power like water. There was a low rumbling as bark peeled off his trunk, stripes of reiki flowing up to the tips of his branches, and Sesshoumaru watched in awe as they blossomed.
In all his hears of visiting the tree youkai, Bokuseno had stood steadfast in the centre of the clearing, never shedding so much as a twig. But now he was covered in velvety buds—the same colour as the miko's power.
Some of the buds phased, opening enough to shower them with petals, and it was only then that the reiki finally ebbed. The miko's breathing was ragged, but she didn't collapse, holding herself upright on her hands and knees as she flashed Bokuseno a grateful smile.
"Thank you," she whispered, sparks jumping from her fingers and skittering along the ground. "There's a lot less pressure now."
"I would accept your gratitude if this weren't the first time in centuries that I have felt new life along my limbs," Bokuseno responded, lowering one of his branches to inspect the blossoms.
"A trade then," she said.
"Indeed." Branches continued to tilt, as if he were twisting in front of a mirror, finally raising as the miko got to her feet. She was unsteady but caught herself, taking slow steps back to the comfort of his roots.
Once she'd found her footing, she looked up at Bokuseno with a hopeful expression, and the tree youkai chuckled. "You are welcome here anytime, Kagome."