They wandered for longer than she expected, Kagome waiting for something worthwhile to cross their path. Sesshoumaru didn't seem to be in any hurry, no doubt due to having just returned from a hunt, so she shouldered her bow, inhaling the rich scents of Bokuseno's forest.
"It's nice here," she said after a while, cutting through the silence.
"Bokuseno will be pleased to hear that," he replied, not breaking his stride.
"But not you?"
His shoulder raised slightly. "It is not my land. I have no say in its appearance."
Grass crunched under her feet as she sidestepped a patch of wildflowers. "What about your home then? What's it like?"
Golden eyes glanced her way for a moment. "How does hearing about the shiro benefit you?"
"It doesn't, but I'd like to hear about it, anyway.: Kagome mimicked his shrug, then chuckled. "Why? Do you keep all your secrets there?"
Sesshoumaru snorted. "I would not keep anything valuable out in the open for everyone to see."
"So," she prodded, having given up on their hunt in favour of probing him for information. "Tell me about it. Is it awful? Do you travel all the time to get away from it?"
He scoffed again, running his claws through his hair. "My avoidance has nothing to do with the place itself."
"But you do avoid it." Kagome knew firsthand what that was like. Was he suffering from wanderlust, or was it something more profound?
"What I avoid is responsibility." The admission was barely audible, and she likely would've missed it if she hadn't been staring at him. Her automatic reaction was to reach out and hug him, but she stopped herself, a blush tinting her cheeks at the memory of what had happened the last time she'd done it.
"That's understandable," she said, fiddling with the end of her bow. "That's why I started travelling. I can still help people, but it comes as a selfless gesture instead of an expectation."
"Hnn."
She smiled slightly, kicking a stray pebble in front of her. "It starts to wear on you. Their requests soon become demands, and the gratitude fades away until they call you ungrateful when you try to say no."
"Has your pack been taking advantage of your kindness?" he asked, stopping in his tracks.
Kagome sighed, doing the same, watching shadows dance through the foliage. "Not exactly. But I was starting to lose myself. They viewed me simply as the Shikon Miko instead of just Kagome."
"There is nothing just about you, miko."
She couldn't tell which was brighter, her blush or her smile, but the urge to hug him was getting stronger by the minute. "Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you."
A silver eyebrow rose. "The praise is not overzealous. I only speak the truth."
The blush started to win out, and she wrung her fingers together. "Exactly my point." The silence they fell into was awkward this time, to the point where she had to look away from him, grateful when he began walking again.
"So you left."
"I left," she agreed. "I'll probably go back someday, but it won't be to stay. There's too much to see to stay caged within one village."
"It would also be unwise to release that amount of power in a place without a conduit such as Bokuseno," he advised. Kagome sighed, it having been weighing on her since she'd left Jinenji's. She didn't want to suppress her power, but she alone knew the potential danger of letting her reiki build up to the point of losing control.
"He said I could come back anytime. There's also Goshinboku. And I've been working on meditating so I can—"
"Have you thought of channelling it through the ground with purpose instead of just allowing it to dissipate into the conduit?"
Her eyes widened at the thought. "Like what I did with Bokuseno's branches? That was more him than me. I have to make sure I don't upset the balance. Reiki and youki are still opposing forces, so if I send out too much…" She shuddered at the thought of hurting someone who'd been trying to help her.
"The right partner will help with that." His statement was logical and to the point, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you volunteering?" The thought was absurd. There was no benefit from him putting his life on the line just to keep her power from overflowing.
"Bokuseno already suggested as much, did he not?"
Kagome's mouth fell open. He was serious? "But—there's no guarantee you'd be able to direct it properly!"
"Do you doubt my power?"
"Of course not!" she said without hesitation. "But I've only ever done it with trees! Or water! Something that's connected to the elements." She bit her lip as all the possible outcomes ran through her head, most of which ended with him fading from existence.
She still didn't know what the extent of her power was. Bokuseno's roots ran deep, so she'd trusted there not to be an overflow, but even he had put himself in between her and the rest of the group, just in case.
Just in case.
"You worry too much, miko."
Kagome crossed her arms. "I think I'm worrying just the right amount, thank you!" Anything could happen. Anything. The power inside her had destroyed entire species when it had been trapped in the jewel. The fact that she was still standing gave credence to her control over it, but when she let go—
She wasn't worried about what would happen to her, she was worried about what could happen to him. And as that realization settled in her mind, she felt her cheeks grow warm.
Stupid Kagura and her stupid conversation and her putting stupid ideas in my head, she thought, avoiding his gaze. She knew she had enough of a rein on her power, but their training had been focused on physical combat; he'd specifically left his power out of it.
She slowly looked up at him, an idea forming. "We'd have to test it out first," she hedged. "Have more than just you as a conduit."
He contemplated the idea, looking towards the west. "Bokuseno and Goshinboku are not the only trees capable of such feats. A seedling grows in the eastern garden of the shiro." His eyes slid back to her. "Perhaps engaging in a regular schedule would allow both of you to grow."
Kagome brightened at the possibility. "Is it a sentient youkai like Bokuseno? Or a guardian like Goshinboku?"
"I do not think it has decided yet," he said. "It simply sprung up one day in the middle of the garden. Rin was adamant that it be allowed to take root after discovering it was not part of the normal flora."
She smiled at that. Of course Rin had something to do with it. "Maybe we can visit Rin and Jinenji on our way back. He might have more insight on the best things to feed it."
"Hnn."
It felt good to have a plan in place for once. Which was odd, considering they'd just finished talking about how much solace they found in travel. "I don't suppose we'd be able to disguise ourselves while we're there so you can avoid those pesky responsibilities?" she asked with a grin.
The edge of his mouth twitched. "It is unlikely."
She shrugged. "Maybe they'll have all disappeared by the time we've separated your mother and Kagura."
"Again, unlikely. But you are welcome to help with them if you wish."
Excitement shot through her. "Are you serious?"
He gave her a droll look, and Kagome had the feeling he was close to rolling his eyes. "I would not have made the offer had it been in jest."
Unable to stop herself this time, she hugged him, grinning like an idiot before pulling away. "I'd love to! Will it just be within the shiro? Or are you dealing with the surrounding villages as well? And are there any peace treaties between humans and youkai?" Her anticipation bubbled over as she chatted away, too many possibilities running through her mind as she turned around and headed back to the glade.
She was even more determined to solve Kagura's dilemma now.