A/N: Some lines were taken directly from episodes 11 and 35. This chapter jumps around a little bit, i had to move things forward or it'd end up being over 100k before Naraku even showed up. Enjoy!
Kagome wasn't one to use the tactic often but she decided to play dumb and pretend as if she had no clue why her mama was looking at her like that. In fact, if she was going to play dumb, she might as well go all out and pretend she didn't even notice the look at all. So with that thought in mind, she turned her head and looked at Sesshomaru. When she did she had the urge to smack the smug smirk he had right off his face, he was loving this, he had to think it was funny that her mom was now giving her that mom look that made it clear she had some explaining to do. Or maybe she was just projecting and he was just loving that she called him her boyfriend in public, yeah, that seemed a lot more likely for the possessive yokai. So she gave him a small smile.
"So, how was your first trip into public in my time?"
Sesshomaru lifted his shoulders so minutely Kagome couldn't even be sure it was meant to be a shrug. "I am… excited to see the world as these inventions come. Though I am not fond of all the… smells that will come with it. At least the humans of your time or more cleanly than the humans of mine so they do not smell quite as… ripe."
She could tell Sesshomaru was choosing his words wisely, they'd already gotten into more than enough fights about how he looked at and spoke of humans. He doesn't want to start another one, especially because it seems as of now they just don't see eye to eye in that matter.
"Yeah it's pretty cool, according to the history books it happens very slowly and then like 100 years ago there's just a boom of technology and things grow much quicker from then on out."
Sesshomaru reached over to grab Kagome's hand which he had to let go of to get into the car and squeezed it. He realized that he wasn't sure if he was fond of the yokai he was turning into because all he could think about was the fact that what he was really excited about was going through those years with her.
"Kagome Higurashi!" Uh-oh, Kagome knew that tone, that was her mom's 'explain yourself right now or there will be consequences' voice. She didn't hear it often, her mom wasn't one to get angry or loud and Kagome wasn't one to get into trouble but that's the type of tone you only need to hear once to know it for the rest of your life. Kagome was sure when she was 40 years old and she didn't have to listen to her mom anymore she'd still get scared when hearing that tone from her mother. "I know you better than you know yourself, young lady. Don't try to play dumb with me, I want answers, and I want them now!"
She was surprised when Sesshomaru's eyes flashed red and he started to growl lowly letting it steadily get louder. Thankfully, her mama hadn't noticed yet. The last thing she wanted was for them not to like each other. She squeezed his hand hard enough to get his attention and gave him a soft kind smile, hoping to convey that everything was okay and there was no need to get angry. She could tell it was grudging but his growl quieted down until it was nothing.
'Good,' she thought and turned her attention back to her mother. "I'm sorry, mama. I'm honestly not really sure what you're asking."
"Kagome, I'm speaking of what you said to Hojo, about you and Sesshomaru being a couple." Thankfully her mother's tone was much calmer now.
Kagome laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of her head, "Oh, that. Well yeah." She said dumbly.
"Well yeah? Does that mean it's true, you are in a relationship with him?"
"Uh, yeah…" Kagome internally winced when it came out as more of a question than an answer.
Her mama sighed and stayed quiet for a long time, when she eventually spoke she sounded almost tired. "Kagome, I don't know how I feel about all this, you're traveling alone with him, sleeping together every night, you're still young, it's improper. I barely know him. I know what you're doing is honorable and it is important but maybe it'd be best to pass your quest onto someone else. I was already unhappy about you missing so much school, it'll affect your future but now to find out you're gallivanting alone with your boyfriend, I don't like it."
Uh-oh, the growl was back, this time loud enough for her mom to clearly hear and her pulling his hand into her lap and using her free hand to rub it gently was doing nothing to calm him down. She had to do damage control and fast. "Mama, firstly, we're not alone, I told you about his brother and Shippo joining us, and when you say 'sleeping together' you make it sound dirty but it's not like that, we're just sleeping in the same place. I'm sorry if you're not happy with this but it's something I have to do. What's so bad about it if I have someone to rely on, someone who cares about me, who I care about? I mean it's not like we're just having fun running around feudal Japan. It's hard over there, scary, dangerous, and can feel very lonely if there's not someone there to talk to, to be with. Plus, there's a lot more involved than just how I feel about him, it goes deeper than that."
Her mama seemed to be softening as Kagome was speaking but with that last sentence, she tensed right back up. Kagome sometimes spoke too much, over explained herself. Yuka once told her she should always stop speaking a sentence before she planned to and Kagome thought she might be right. "What do you mean 'it goes deeper than that?' Kagome, I hope you're not telling me you've gotten engaged or anything of the like."
Kagome laughed awkwardly and waved her head and hands in negation while thinking 'If you only knew'. "No, no mama, we're not engaged, it'd be much too soon for that."
"Well then, tell me what you do mean." Her mama eyed her through the rearview mirror again while they were at a red light with her signature mom look. Kagome saw her mother's eyes travel over to Sesshomaru and felt dread creep into her. "Actually, no. I think I'd like to hear this answer from Sesshomaru, he's been offley quiet over there."
"What is your question?" He asked and Kagome could still hear the anger in his voice even if his face was back to the calm collected blank one.
"What is Kagome talking about? Why is there more than just emotions involved with your decision to be together?" Kagome could hear her mother's patience wearing thin too.
"We are soul-bound." He said simply and Kagome wanted to smack her hand against her head. That just opened a can of worms she was not excited to sort through.
"I'm going to need a little more information here, Sesshomaru." Yup, her mom was on the verge of losing it, Kagome was sure now. And the worst part was that Kagome had no idea how to stop it.
"Kagome had told me you humans call it soul mates. It is more than what humans believe though, our souls are bound to each other. A long time ago, much longer than my father's or his father's lifetime our souls were actually one but there was a priestess who was hurt by her other half so she used her reiki to take her pain out on all the other souls who were happy and split just as she was, it turned the priestess dark and she lived the rest of her life alone. There are so many souls out there it there is less than a one-in-a-million chance that you will actually find the other half of your soul. But if you do, it is almost impossible to turn it away. And why would you want to? They're your other half."
Kagome wanted to swoon, she never heard him explain it like that before and it sounded so romantic but she didn't have time for that right now. Her mama was looking at him like it was just a fanciful story that was not based on any truth. "That's a very nice story, Sesshomaru but you must know that soul mates do not actually exist."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but it was not long ago you did not think yokai existed either." Kagome's mom opened her mouth to speak but Sesshomaru did not give her the chance. "It matters not, I understand your skepticism, I too thought it was just a bedtime story I was told as a pup. That is why I did not think anything of the pull I felt to Kagome when we had met and so I proceeded to ignore it. The pull became stronger though, harder to ignore, and until the point I had to speak to an elder about it. That is when I found out it is real and how unusual it is to be one of the few who actually meets theirs. If Kagome had not fallen down the well, I'd have had to live another 500 years before meeting her and maybe not even then, I have only felt a few yokai here since I've come to this time, much less than I should have sensed. It is either there are only a few of us left, or, what I speculate has happened, we've gone elsewhere. The city and dense living are not a place for our kind, we need space to be able to roam, I'd take down one of these tall structures just to have enough room to change into my full form."
Both Kagome and her mother were distracted for a few moments thinking about Sesshomaru's theory of where yokai went before her mother shook her head and got back to what she felt was important. "So you're telling me you and my daughter share a soul? That you are really the only one for her? That you're 'meant to be'? It was clear how skeptical Himari was about that theory from her tone alone, the face she was making was just overkill.
"Yes." He said simply and to Himari it was clear from his tone he would not be swayed from that line of thought.
She sighed and tried to think past the fact that apparently her daughter, her only 17-year-old daughter who still had a lot of life to live and a lot to learn before she'd be grown, was already with the man she was going to be with forever. It was hard to get passed the fact that she thought her daughter was too young for something so serious but she managed it to think strictly about Sesshomaru. Could he give her daughter a good life? It seemed as if he was well off and it seemed that he was a man of honor so she didn't think he'd do anything to hurt her, he wouldn't betray her or. their inevitable marriage, but could he make her happy? He was so serious, so cold. Her Kagome was so happy and bubbly she loved to laugh and have fun and Himari was having a problem seeing that happening with Sesshomaru by her side. She knew he'd keep her daughter safe, that was a plus at least. Himaritried to think back to the interactions she'd seen between them, granted, there weren't many, they only arrived a few hours ago. Her eyes widened when she realized how often she'd seen Kagome laugh, it was a lot, Himari didn't really think that Sesshomaru was humourous but her daughter sure did, and she had to admit her daughter seemed happy. There was a glow about her now that had been missing for a long time.
Maybe he really did make her happy. That's all she really wants for her children, to be happy and find love. Could this cold lord really be that for her daughter? She didn't know but she did know the possibility was there. She decided she'd give him a chance, she laughed internally, and admitted, if only to herself that it wasn't her choice to make, if this was what Kagome wanted, nothing would stop her. So, she'd be supportive and let her make her own decision on who she wanted to spend her life with. Wait… spend her life with… if she spends her life with him, that'd mean she'd spend her life where he is, Himari couldn't see Sesshomaru coming to live at the shrine with him, that'd mean she'd stay there, in the past. She took a few deep breaths because she realized she was almost hyperventilating at the thought. She shook her head and again ruefully admitted to herself that this wasn't her choice.
"Okay," She said simply in response to Sesshomaru and decided to think more on this later. What else could she do? Trying to separate them would only push Kagome away from her and right into Sesshomaru's arms.
As Kagome was sitting at her desk later that night while she was supposed to be studying she couldn't stop thinking about Sesshomaru and how she talked went with her mother today. She knew her mom wasn't happy with the situation and that made her sad. She wanted Sesshomaru and her mom to get along, she loved them both…. Wait, what? She loved her mama, obviously but Sesshomaru? She was still getting to know him, it was too soon to love him, right? It had to be the whole soul-bound thing, yeah, it was just pulling them together and making her think affection was love. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself because that was a feeble excuse that didn't even make sense but she'd go along with it for now because in her head she thought it was too soon to be in love with him, even if her heart didn't agree.
Speaking of Sesshomaru, or thinking, whatever, she wondered where he was. She giggled at the thought that he could still be playing video games with Souta. At least one of her family members liked him, more like a hero worshiped him, Souta thinks he was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Gramps was still weary of him but he had a little hero-worshiping going on too, apparently, Sesshomaru was like a big deal in Gramps' stories, and if she'd paid attention when he was telling them to her, she'd know all about him too. No, it's Mama who wasn't his biggest fan, she isn't mean to him or anything, just overly polite which just seemed fake to Kagome. To Sesshomaru, though it'd just seemed normal, he was used to everyone being overly polite to him and kissing his butt because he was a lord and people knew he wouldn't think twice about clawing them if they even looked at him the wrong way.
Kagome shook her head, she had to focus on studying, a big test was tomorrow, and it was the whole reason she was in such a rush to get back here. She wasn't too worried, she had time every night by the fire to study so it wasn't like she was behind but these tests were important because university was coming fast and they looked at these grades. Although, was she even still planning on going to a University? What was the point? She was already planning on going to the past with Sesshomaru, why bother with all this? Oh right, for her family. Not only did she not want to disgrace them, but she also wasn't ready to tell them about the fact that she'd probably be staying in the past to be with Sesshomaru. She had a feeling her mama already figured it out and that might be one of the reasons she was upset.
She shook her head again to get back to studying but she heard alarms from a fire truck. Normally she'd just ignore them but they were loud and they were close. She got up to walk to the window to see what was happening but didn't have a chance because Sesshomaru burst through her bedroom door looking worried and almost feral. He wrapped her in his arms and started looking around and growling loudly as if he knew there was a threat he just didn't know who or where it was. She tried to pull back enough to look at him but he didn't loosen his hold at all.
She eventually sighed and gave in to being held. "Sesshomaru, it's okay, it's just a fire truck."
"Fire truck." He tried the words on his tongue, of course, he knew what a fire was but it was the truck that was throwing him off.
"Yes, let me go, I have to check out the window." At this point, the siren was so loud she was almost positive that the fire was at her neighbors or somewhere close.
Just then Sesshomaru stiffened, let her go, and with a quick but stern "Stay here." He was gone.
Kagome scoffed, 'Yeah right.' She completely understood that Sesshomaru was her protector and was trying to keep her safe but he was crazy if he thought Kagome was just going to sit there and wait while someone she knew might be in danger. As quickly as she could she ran downstairs and out the door to see what was happening, she was surprised to see her mama already out there and the fire trucks in her yard out back by the old storage house.
She listened as her mom told her about her grandfather being in the storage house when it caught on fire and how he was going to be okay but they were taking him to the hospital. Souta was listening just as numbly as she was and although they both wanted to go with her mother to the hospital, she told them to stay at home. It wasn't until her mom was gone and she got Souta settled back into the house that she realized Sesshomaru was still gone.
'Where did he go? He promised not to leave without me.' Kagome had a feeling she was in for a long night of searching for him.
Kagome breathed a breath of fresh air as Sesshomaru let her go after jumping up from the bottom of the well. It felt good to be back in the past. Especially after all that mess with the mask, the realization that there are beings that will try to take the shards from her even in the future, her worry over her gramps, and those tests that she wasn't sure she passed even though she knew the material because she was so tired while taking them. She couldn't help but feel a little bad at the relief she felt from leaving the future and coming back to a place that was starting to feel like home to her. Her guilt was forgotten when she saw a little fast ball of fluff running at her. She had just enough time to open her arms before he was in them.
"Kagome! You're back, I missed you, and Inuyasha is a jerk!"
"I missed you too, Shippo. How was Inuyasha mean to you?" She asked, giving Inuyasha the evil eye over Shippo's head.
"He wouldn't play with me or help me practice my fox magic and he kept hitting my head when I 'annoyed him'!" Shippo whined.
The evil eye she was giving him turned into one that made him think 'If looks could kill I'd be dead right now.' She was about to give him a piece of her mind when Shippo jumped out of her arms and onto Sesshomaru's shoulder. He looked just as surprised at Shippo as she was.
"Sesshomaru-sama I've been practicing, I was able to keep my elusion for almost a full minute!"
Sesshomaru looked like he was still trying to decide how to deal with the kit's audacity before he finally loosened his stance and started to walk. "Hn, and what of your tail?"
Shippo slumped, "It was still there."
"Fear not, kit. That is normal. As your power grows you will be able to hide it on command. You are powerful for your age."
Shippo's slumped shoulders popped up and Kagome thought she'd never seen him look so proud, she couldn't help but smile and swoon at Sesshomaru a little bit. He was so good with Shippo and she had the random thought that he'd make a good father, then blushed brightly for letting her thoughts go that direction because then she couldn't help but think about what was involved with making children. Her blush deepened when his eyes cut to her and for a split second she saw all the heat and lust he had for her in them but quickly she looked away because she heard a snort of disgust coming from Inuyasha and it reminded her that they weren't alone and he wasn't the only one that could scent her reaction to him and those thoughts. There was a child with them and she didn't really think that having him know and understand those things so young was appropriate.
"Keh, come on, you's been gone long enough, are you ready to go yet? You've already wasted too much time with your 'skool' There are a lot more jewels to find, come on already!"
Kagome smiled softly, she thought she might finally be starting to understand Inuyasha a little bit, he was just as awkward about the situation as she was, and he just covered it up with his gruffness. Well, two could play at that game. She'd get him to accept that they're friends one way or another. "Yeah yeah, whatever you jerk. I'm ready."
"Something is wrong Inuyasha, I'm sure of it."
"Stop your worrying, I'm telling you the bastard is fine!"
"He was supposed to be back yesterday!" After another week of traveling and two more shards in their possession, Sesshomaru had to leave on another one of his quick trips to make sure things were running smoothly with his people and his lands, he'd done that a few times and was usually only gone for a few hours, a day tops but he'd been gone for two days at this point and Kagome was officially worried. For once, she and Jaken were on the same page even if the toad would never admit it.
"Be quiet, wench! When my lord returns victorious from whatever foe he's facing, I shall tell him you had no faith in his skills and abilities. Maybe that will be enough to break whatever spell you have my lord under."
Kagome didn't bother looking at or acknowledging Jaken, she just reached out her foot and stomped on him as hard as she could and got a perverse satisfaction at the groan he let out.
"I don't know 'gome, I get you're worried and I never thought I'd be agreeing with Jaken but he is Sesshomaru, he's like the strongest yokai ever, we don't have to worry about him, he could beat any enemy that tried to attack him," Shippo said from her shoulder, rubbing it softly, she gave him a small smile for his attempt to comfort her. She smiled softly for a second at how much Shippo looked up to Sesshomaru before her worry took her over again.
"I know you're right, Shippo but he wouldn't willingly leave me to protect myself this long, especially with these jewel shards on me."
"Oi! What am I, chopped liver? He didn't leave you to protect yourself, he left you with me because I can keep you safe." Inuyasha yelped.
"Yeah, Kagome, he left you with us because we can keep you safe."
She felt bad for hurting both their feelings by mistake and tried to convey that with her face but she was still too worried about Sesshomaru. "I know you're right, guys but I know something is wrong. I can feel it, maybe it's the soul-bound thing."
Inuyasha inhaled sharply and looked at her with wide eyes, she noticed Shippo did the same and that's when she realized she never actually told either of them about the bond before. Oops! She didn't have time to worry about that right now though. She walked over to Ah-Un and petted his head while speaking softly to him. "Hey big guy, do you agree with me? Something's wrong, right?" It seemed as if the dragon nodded so she kept talking. "Do you think you can help me? Help me find Sesshomaru?"
Ah-Un bent low so that it was easy for her to get on. It was as she was just getting comfortable on his saddle that Inuyasha hopped down from his tree realizing she was up to something. "Oi, stupid, what do you think you're doing?"
She waited for Ah-Un to lift off the air into answer, she didn't want them to be able to stop her, "We're going to find him! Stay here, I'll be back soon, hopefully!"
"Damn it, get back here!" Inuyasha yelled as he tried to chase after her but wasn't able to keep up. He knew he'd be in a world of pain if she got a scratch on her. He eventually had to accept defeat, they were too far away for him to catch up, so he went back to the rest of their group, sat back in his tree grumpily, and thought about the realization that his brother and the reincarnation of his love were soulbound. Not only the reincarnation of Kikyo but Kagome, the girl he was starting to realize he had feelings for too.
Sesshomaru was in pain, he'd been ambushed by a group of dragon demons who were still holding a grudge back from when his father was alive. He scoffed disdainfully, the only reason he was hurt at all was that it was five against one and still they left looking as damaged, if not more so than he was. That thought was only a little help though because he was still stuck in the forest, back against a tree in pain. He had to heal enough to get back to his miko, she was in danger without him and he did not like that thought at all. He also knew she'd be worried by now, maybe even panicking at this point and he did not like to upset her.
He sighed internally when he heard the sound of someone coming closer, he knew who it was from her small light footsteps. He didn't understand why she kept coming to him, at first he tried to scare her away, he did not like anyone seeing him so damaged, let alone a human child but she wouldn't stay away, she kept bringing him food and water. He had no need for the human food and he did not want to take a hand out from her so he ignored the bottle. That was until last night, he accepted he needed nutrients to heal if he was ever going to get back to his miko so after the child left, he drank the water. He still hadn't felt healed enough to hunt for food but it helped.
She'd always look dirty, and it was clear she wasn't being taken care of though Sesshomaru ignored the pang of worry and pity he felt for her, he had always had a soft spot for children, especially those with terrible parents or those who had none at all but she wasn't his business and he did not like how soft he'd been feeling lately. Kagome was changing him and he wasn't sure he liked the changes and who he was becoming. Something was different about the child this time, he smelt blood, her blood, and when she walked into his line of sight he noticed the bruises on her. This time she was walking with a little bit of a limp and she was holding a leaf out to him almost as if in offering, he inhaled without looking at her and knew she brought him wheat.
"I told you I do not need anything from you. Leave." When she kept walking to him offering him food he couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get the bruises?" She stayed quiet, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he turned his head to look at her, she looked at him for a few seconds before a big smile came over her face. "What are you smiling about? I simply asked a question, I don't care, I'm just curious."
She still did not respond to him and he accepted she wasn't going to. It made him all the more curious but he allowed it when she just sat with him for a while longer. After some time she got up, waved, and walked away, he noticed she seemed happier than she had before. He'd never understand human woman, he decided as he closed his eyes and relaxed, it wouldn't be much longer until he would be healed enough to feed and then get back to Kagome.
It was only a few more hours before he felt ready to get up. He smelt wolves in the area and did not feel like dealing with them right now, he knew he could defeat them with little effort but he didn't have the time to waste. It did not take long until he found and caught a deer. When he was finished he was back to being healthy again. He started walking in the direction he left his pack, and that's when he noticed the pull he constantly felt of the bond that would always lead him right to Kagome was coming from another direction and she was much closer than she should have been. He growled he told her to stay where she was, what was she up to?
He was about to take to his cloud to find his wayward soul bound when he inhaled and smelt the girl's blood, this time strong and pungent. He knew if she was bleeding that much, there was no way she'd survive. He wasn't sure what pulled him to follow the scent of the blood but he was standing in front of her before he even realized he moved. He tried to stare at her dead body dispassionately but he couldn't help but feel anger and even a little sorrow. She was young and did not deserve this fate. When that thought crossed his mind, Tenseiga vibrated in its shieth on his hip.
'You wish to be drawn, Tenseiga?' He thought. He grabbed his sword and once he had it in his hands he could see the creatures of the underworld that were trying to take her soul. He felt more than heard Kagome and Ah-Un land behind him. She didn't say anything other than the whimper that left her mouth at the sight of the dead child in front of him. He didn't think any more about his want to save the girl, instead, he used his sword to cut the demons from the underworld down.
He bent down and lifted the child up so that she was resting in his arms and couldn't help the widening of his eyes and the gasp he let out when she groaned and took a breath. Her eyes opened and she looked at him confusedly for a second until recognition entered her eyes. He held her a few more moments until he felt she was stable enough for him to let her stand on her own and he pulled back. The child was just staring at him until she flinched. He wondered what upset her but then he felt Kagome's hand on his shoulder.
"Sesshomaru, did you bring her back to life with your sword?" She asked with wonder in her tone.
He realized she was crying when he smelt the salt in the air, he knew she was happy though and that made him once again think he'd never understand human women. He stood up and nodded his head. "Hn."
Of course, Kagome, maybe the most motherly woman he'd ever met went down on her knees to talk to the child. "Hi sweetie, I'm Ka…."
She trailed off when the child jumped back from Kagome and then ran around her to hide behind Sesshomaru's leg, only sticking her head out enough to make sure Kagome wasn't coming for her. It was clear that Sesshomaru was just as surprised at that development as Kagome was. He pulled away from the child just enough that he could look at her face while he spoke. "This is Kagome, she is mine, she is safe."
Kagome was surprised that she didn't feel anger or indignance from being called his like a possession, instead, she felt the blush come back over her cheeks. Kagome bent down again but kept her distance and waved at her. "Hi, I see you like Sesshomaru, does he make you feel safe?" At the girl's hesitant nod, Kagome continued, "You have good instincts, he makes me feel safe too, so I understand. Where are your parents? We can make sure to get you back to them." Kagome realized she might have messed up when the child's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, sweetie, it's okay. Do you want to come with us?" There was another hesitant nod so Kagome slowly held out her hand.
The girl looked at Sesshomaru worridly but he nodded his head so she looked back at Kagome and put her little hand in hers. Kagome walked her over to Ah-Un. "This is Ah-Un, he's the nicest bestest dragon ever. Do you want to sit on him while we walk to our friends? There's a boy there, Shippo, I think you'll like him."
With one last nod from the girl Kagome lifts her up and puts her safely on Ah-Un. She can't help but feel sorry for the girl and sad about the situation so without thinking much of it she walked over to Sesshomaru and wrapped her arms around him. He was used to her human signs of affection at this point so he held her closely in a hug. Kagome had the stray thought that he really did make her feel safe before she reluctantly pulled away and they started their journey back to their pack.