A/N: Now back to our regularly scheduled program. Updates on all regular fics will be Mondays and Fridays. A reminder that I have over 200 stories on Ao3 as I don't post collabs anywhere else (art included). DM me on Tumblr (sereia1313) or on Discord (sereia) if you have any questions (or would like to join a SessKag server). Thanks for your patience with this fic! I'm so happy to be continuing it, along with the others.

He should've been upset, if that was even an emotion he experienced, to find the woman within the confines of his sanctuary. He'd allowed her the freedom to wander the castle grounds, ignoring Hakudoshi's warnings, but she had yet to cause any of the residents harm, so he'd let her be.

How she'd found this particular place was beyond him, but Bokuseno was disinclined to force her to leave, so he left her undisturbed.

In the beginning.

As he stalked toward her in his true form, he took better inventory of her features. He'd been reluctant to do so before, especially with how much she reminded him of her, but the nightmares hadn't plagued him as of late, so his temper was more forgiving.

The woman looked so different when she was asleep, the blaze of her defiance washed away, along with the fatigue that lined her face. She reminded him of…something, and the longer he stared, the more Bokuseno laughed.

"She will wake if you stare so intently, young one."

Considering she hadn't woken the last time he'd shown up like this, Sesshoumaru found that hard to believe. She was somehow immune to his influence, to him, and even with power oozing out of every pore, she slept on.

The beast was not something he released very often. Not since he'd been named king. Fae had various forms, but since he was not, the residents of Meikyuu had been wary and distrustful any time he'd shifted.

They had no say in when it happened, and he felt freer in this form, but there was enough unrest, especially in the beginning, so he'd kept his humanoid form in order to keep the peace.

But not here.

Here, he could shift whenever he wanted, away from prying eyes and scornful sneers. Here, the remnants of her magic slid through his fur like a gentle caress, and he could simply be.

He huffed at the woman, giant paws encircling her before he finally settled. If she woke while he was here, she'd have no one to blame but herself for her fear.

"She is different," Bokuseno voiced, as if reading his thoughts.

"So you have said."

"So you have yet to believe." Crimson eyes slid sideways to glare at the ancient tree, but Bokuseno simply shook his branches, covering his fur in leaves. "You are welcome to leave, pup. There are many other gardens for you to lounge in."

It was an empty threat, and they both knew it. Bokuseno had been the first to congratulate him on such a stirring loss when Kagome had bested him, constantly rubbing it in his face that a mere teen had outwitted him.

Sesshoumaru had been moments away from burning the entire glade to the ground when his power, and his ire, had been snuffed out in a shower of pink sparks. They skittered along the ground, then appeared to be absorbed by the trees' roots, blooms of the same hue breaking out all over his limbs.

Bokuseno was absolutely gleeful.

Sesshoumaru had initially thought it a trick, unfurling his power to look for the culprit, but though the spark lingered, there was no one else around. His curiosity soon deepened into something much more potent, bordering on obsession with how often he visited, but any malady was cleansed from his body as soon as he stepped foot inside the clearing—and he found those like Jaken and Hakudoushi were unable to follow.

He was protected here, and though he was chagrined that it was her power that did so, he'd never found peace anywhere else.

With anyone else.

He sighed, lowering his head to the ground, one eye peering out from pale lashes as the woman shifted, now using him as a perch. He continued to stare at her, watching her chest rise and fall as she murmured in her sleep, though she showed no signs of waking.

He bit back a growl at how comfortable she was with him. He should not be so comfortable with her, but—

He let out a resigned sigh. There was always a but.

The book in her lap fluttered closed, a gift secured by the good doctor as a means of keeping her from reopening her wounds, and he found his body curling in on itself, trying to shield her from the outside world.

A world he controlled.

'She needs to leave.'

Bokuseno swayed. "Oh? And why is that, young one? She seems quite peaceful, given her present company."

Sesshoumaru snorted. It was precisely for that reason that he should adhere to Hakudoushi's words and get rid of her. He had better things to do than babysit a troublesome human who hadn't even seen her third decade yet.

His mind wandered as he tried to devise the best way to do so, eyes closing as the tranquillity of the glade seeped into his skin. Perhaps he would reflect on it later.

There was a soft pulse, though it went unnoticed by the inhabitants of the clearing, the woman's hands glowing as she shifted again. She gripped the king's fur, and sparks danced along his skin, evading capture until they encircled his head like a crown.

The massive beast took a deep breath, tension dissipating as muscles rolled. He whined softly, tail twitching before it curled around her. Bokuseno clicked his tongue, stretching his branches out, enjoying the feel of Kagome's power through his roots—and the view.

He'd been worried, though not enough to tell the kit to keep her away. The king's temper was well-known, often leading to horrible punishments for those who crossed him.

And yet.

And yet.

Kagome remained. To the point of nearly sacrificing herself for the same creature who, at first glance, would've dispatched her with no more than a passing glance.

And likely had, given her current power over him. He'd known the spell to hide her identity had been necessary, but even now, he could feel her power resisting it. She'd never been one to be contained, even at such a young age, and her power had only grown in the decade she'd been away.

All that was left was discovering the identity of the one invading the king's mind. There was more to the spell than simply memory loss. And if what Shippou told him was true, they had little time left.

"You never stood a chance," the tree murmured, noting the king's breathing had evened out. "But the more you turn her away, the weaker you get. And soon, all of Meikyuu will suffer for it."