The blood rushed from the tips of her toes as she teetered on the edge of the chair and stretched up over her head to hang the last of the decorations for the coming-of-age party. Her perch wobbled, but Kagome reached higher and had just tied the twine in place when the door slid open, the chair unbalanced, and she tumbled off with a screech.
Her plummet halted with an oof when a powerful arm tucked about her waist and dragged her against a warm, broad chest. Blinking owlishly, she stared down into Sesshoumaru's narrowed golden eyes, their noses close enough to brush, and swallowed convulsively as she dangled from his grasp. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you, it would seem." He did not let her go as he glanced around her sitting room. Banners hung from three of the four main walls, each outlandishly painted in reds and golds with a variety of felicitous greetings. Dozens of children's drawings hung about the room as well, blasts of color on the otherwise simple wood. The low table she'd moved into the center of the room held a plethora of fruits and snacks and a stack of neatly wrapped gifts in the same golds and reds as the banners and decorations. "You have been busy this morning, Miko."
He didn't set her down, so she flattened her palms against his shoulders for balance and followed his gaze around the room. "We won't have time this evening. This way, after the formal event we can all come here to relax and celebrate privately." Pleased with the results of her hard work, she smiled down at him. "Did you choose a gift for him?"
Her cheer and enthusiasm sparked a fire inside of him so warm it melted a chunk of ice off his daily façade. He answered her smile with a small smile of his own. "Yes, Miko."
His lips curved up. The tips of his fangs peeked out. The usually cold countenance of his face glowed with warmth. "Now I know why you don't smile often," she mumbled.
His arm tightened around her lower back instinctively, the palm of his hand snug against the slender curve of her waist. "Why is that, Miko?"
"Because women would be falling all over themselves to see it again, Sesshoumaru-sama. Don't you know how handsome you are?" Even as the words left her mouth, color rushed to her cheeks. She'd never complimented a man before and her tongue sat heavy and thick in her mouth with embarrassment.
Her honesty startled a chuckle out of him. It echoed in the large sitting room, surrounded by the crackle and pop of the merry braziers in the four corners of the room. "You are not falling all over yourself, Miko."
First a smile, then a laugh. A morning for firsts. As shaken by his laugh as she had been by his smile, she let go of his shoulders to cover her face as her cheeks filled with more color—enough to spread down her neck and disappear into the conservative folds of her kimono. "That's only because you're holding me up, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Eyeing that delightful trail of color, Sesshoumaru chuckled again and for the first time in years wished he had both arms. "Would you like this one to set you down now?"
"Yes, please," she whispered, and loosed a long breath of relief when he complied before she could look up at him again.
He held her gaze. What wild thoughts ran through that creative mind of hers? Did disappointment sink into her bones now that they no longer touched? "You are not falling all over yourself yet, Miko."
A weak laugh escaped before she could stop it and she took two careful steps back from him as he watched her with that predator's taunting gaze. "I am on the very edge of losing my balance, I promise."
"Hn. If you insist." Letting the smile fall, he took a step back as well, and ducked back into the hallway to retrieve the gift he had prepared for his half-brother. "As requested."
Now that she had seen him smile and laugh, the blank expression he donned stirred another inkling of disappointment. She smothered it with a bright smile and held out her hands to take the gift. "What is it?"
He avoided her outstretched arms and stepped past her into the room. "A gift suitable for the youngest son of our father."
Kagome watched as he set his gift amongst the others she, Shippou, and Rin had gathered. Whatever Sesshoumaru had chosen, the size easily dwarfed all the others. "Thank you," she said abruptly. Joining him at the table, she set a hand on his arm. "I know he can be difficult, and he doesn't express himself well, but what you're doing for him today means a lot to Inuyasha. The celebration at court, but also this smaller private party we'll have later. It means something."
A simple hand upon his arm should not have simmered with more intimacy than holding her against his chest had. He dropped his gaze to her hand as he answered. "This one has been remiss in his…duties as alpha of our pack. There is much ground to recoup."
"I know you'll make it right, Sesshoumaru-sama." She smiled up at him again and let go of him. "You always do."
"Hn. We shall see. Come. My mother demands your presence so she may style you appropriately. She is of the opinion Jaken's styling of you on the previous formal occasion did you little justice."
Kagome laughed and skipped out of the room behind him. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."
o.O.o
A white inu flew into the rising sun on the back of her furisode (formal kimono), the soft, silvery silk embroidery of its fur was as luxurious as if the thread had been spun from Sesshoumaru's pelt. The inu's tail wrapped around her hips and dangled down around the hem to wrap around her feet. White plum blossoms drifted down from the shoulders, each petal embroidered with a red outline.
Kagome held her arms out at Fuiasu-sama's quiet order. Her muscles trembled under the daunting weight of the various layers dangling and swaying under the elder female's intent gaze.
"Remember, you must maintain your posture to prevent wrinkles from forming. Do not raise your arm above your shoulder height and wait for the servants to set something down before you pick it up, that way your sleeves won't raise." Fuiasu tapped the miko's arms and watched as the silks fell perfectly into place as her arms dropped back to her sides. "My son will assist you up and down stairs and with sitting and standing. No one else may touch you in that regard."
"Yes, Fuiasu-sama," she mumbled. Sesshoumaru had left her at his mother's quarters several hours ago, a quiet apology drifting behind him as he escaped. She'd watched him all but flee without once looking back or explaining his apology. Now her back and legs ached from standing stiff and straight for so many hours and the desire to strangle him seemed quite a fine one. "Can I ask a question, My Lady?"
Fuiasu stepped behind her and eyed the Fukura-suzume musubi knot of the vibrant orange and pink obi. Two wrinkled, ruined obi lay on the floor behind the two women from her failed attempts to create the decorative knot. Her son would have no peace tonight, not after the court saw how she had dressed the girl. Smirking, she walked back to the front of her charge. "Of course, Miko. Ask away."
She tried to ignore the smirk on Fuiasu-sama's lips. Who knew what kind of mischief she planned in that mind of hers? Wetting her lips, she glanced down at the intricate clothing. Even the kimono Jaken had dressed her in previously had not been this formal. "Why did you refuse to fight as the alpha female for Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Fuiasu, busy smoothing her hands over a few wrinkles in the sleeves, paused and looked down at the human. "You ask a bold question, Miko."
Kagome shrugged, or would have if those eagle eyes hadn't narrowed in on the first shift of her shoulders. Instead, she cleared her throat and averted her eyes. "I don't mean any offense, Fuiasu-sama," she murmured, "I just don't understand your choice."
She chuckled. Reaching out a hand, she carefully set her fingertips on the girl's chin and lifted her head. "First, you are the alpha female of our pack little miko. This one's son is the only person you must bow to. Shoulders back, chin up. You hold the second highest rank in the West. Do not forget. You can be sure the fiends in this court will do everything in their power to tear you down."
"But I'm only the alpha female because-"
"The reason does not matter. This one's son acknowledged your position, Miko." Stepping back, she lifted a pot of honey off the vanity table and scooped some onto her fingers. "Now, as to this one's choice…it is quite simple. Sesshoumaru must choose a mate. The West needs an heir." As she spoke, she carefully dabbed the honey across Kagome's lips and motioned for her to rub them together. "Has this one sufficiently answered your question?"
Kagome understood the Lady's reasons even if they didn't make sense. If Fuiasu wanted Sesshoumaru-sama to mate so badly, wouldn't it have been better to fight herself so she could help choose one for him? "But he still chose someone to fight for him and no one has gotten past me yet. Plus, now you have less say in who he mates."
"Do I?" Fuiasu chuckled and deemed her work completed for the night. "We shall see, little Miko. Now, remember to take small steps and to let this one's son assist you."
As if she'd been waiting for a cue, a servant slid the doors open and revealed her host. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kagome greeted, and shifted to rush towards him before she remembered the warning to take each step one-by-one. "You look nice," she said instead and admired the burnt orange and royal purples of the sunset on his kimono, where an inu flew across his right shoulder—a perfect match to the one his mother had chosen for her.
"Miko." He eyed her furisode and resisted the childish urge to scowl at his mother. Leave it to her to pair them in matching kimono. He should have known better. "This one's mother has outdone herself in your attire."
She smiled up at him as warmth settled in her belly and a curious stutter interrupted her heartbeat. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama."
He heard her heart skip a beat and stared down at her, but her warm smile and cheerful demeanor did not fade so he ignored it. "Shall we go, Miko?"
Fuiasu watched them mingle and leave and when Sesshoumaru paid no heed to the knot of the miko's obi, she chuckled.
o.O.o
Inuyasha strode through the throne room as if it were a battleground. Tetsusaiga's hilt might not have been in his hand, but his fingers certainly twitched in that direction with every sideways, wide-eyed look sent his way. He snarled at anyone who dared to whisper about him, and more than a few of his weak-kneed noblemen stumbled back in surprise.
How did his half-brother manage to emulate a man he had never met? Sesshoumaru had fought for years to be as powerful as his father, and then to surpass him, but he had never managed to carry himself the same way.
As Inuyasha came to a stop before the dais, silence fell across the throne room. Sesshoumaru watched as every face turned avid attention on his half-brother and the Miko. Rumor said more than a few of them disdained his growing pack and the shocking amount of humanity within it. Their opinions did not bother him as they once had.
When all eyes fell upon him, Sesshoumaru began the ceremony. "This night we celebrate the return of the second son of the Inu no Taisho. This court disgraced itself many hundreds of years ago when we chased him from this place, when we disdained and taunted him for his human blood, when we stole his birthright and the ancestral lands left to him by the Inu no Taisho."
He turned his gaze to his half-brother. "Kneel, Inuyasha. Swear your vow of fealty to the West."
Inuyasha met his brother's gaze for a long moment before he knelt at his feet and rested one hand on his blade. He turned his attention to his friend. "Kagome. I might not've always protected you like I should'a, but that changes today. From this point on, until death sinks his nasty claws into us, I'll be the truest and most faithful to you, your pack, and everything you love and believe in. What you protect, I'll protect. What you love, I'll love. And if you ever find it within you to hate someone, I'll wipe 'em off the face of the world so they never hurt you again. I make this vow to you in blood so that if I ever break it, the Kami can drag me to hell."
His words did not hold the grace or elegance of the vows traditionally made to the House of the West, but they rang with power. Not one person dared interrupt.
Kagome smiled down at him, pride clear in the shimmer of tears lining her eyes. "Inuyasha. You have been the best friend I could ever ask for, and the fiercest of protectors. I promise that I will never ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself, and nothing I ask you to do will bring you dishonor. You will always have a place in my pack and at my side."
Sesshoumaru turned to face both of them. "The vow will be sealed in blood. Your arm, Miko."
Holding out her arm, she bit her lip to keep from looking away or whimpering as Sesshoumaru folded her sleeves out of the way and drew a claw carefully over the underside of her forearm. Her skin burned and blood beaded out to drip down before he motioned his half-brother forward. "Drink, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha hesitated. The sight of her blood on his brother's claws, of it dripping down her arm, the thought of tasting it, was anathema to everything their friendship had always been. Yet he wanted desperately to be considered an official part of the pack, to belong. So he leaned forward, took the delicate joint of her wrist, and brought her arm closer to his mouth to settle his lips around the cut and drank from her.
Sesshoumaru felt it before either of them did. He saw the purity flare inside of his brother, saw the jagged markings of his heritage spring to life on his cheeks, saw his eyes bleed to red. Every instinct screamed at him to act, to pull the Miko away, to—her hand on his own wrist stalled every errant instinct.
The sheer strength of her will as she held eye contact with Inuyasha's beast calmed his need to separate the two of them. Even when his half-brother withdrew and stared at her with those blood-red eyes, she remained undaunted by his struggle for control and the impatient shift and hum of conversation behind him.
Seconds passed in the steady beat of her heart, in the careful shift of Sesshoumaru's weight, in the rush of blood in his ears, as Inuyasha fought his way back. He gritted his teeth as Kagome's purity fought and tangled with his half-youkai blood and when he managed to subdue it, when the crisp bite of her power no longer burned, the red faded from his eyes and his father's stripes disappeared from his cheeks. His blood settled and Inuyasha finally let go of her wrist.
"It is done," Sesshoumaru said and in the near silence of the throne room, his words reached every finely pointed ear.
o.O.o
Kagome stared at the gloomy blue eyes, lavishly lined with brilliantly perfect gold ink, smoldering down at her and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry?
The male, a lesser known Suijin, grinned smarmily. "I know it must seem a great honor for one such as you to wed a water spirit of such a high rank, but I assure you your species is of little consequence, Miko-sama." He set a hand on her shoulder and half-turned her towards the eagerly listening crowd as they pretended to go about their socializing and schmoozing. "You have more than proven yourself in the Contests and any male would be delighted to breed an heir off you with such magnificent power."
Don't purify him. Don't purify him. Don't purify him. Mustering all the ice she could manage, Kagome summoned Sesshoumaru in the sharp points of her smile and let her purity simmer along the surface of her person. "My species?" she murmured.
He chuckled and continued, oblivious to the righteous rage pouring off her in waves. "Of course. It can't be denied your human heritage would do any heir a great disservice, you know. Even the half-breed Inuyasha…well, you traveled with him. I'm sure, compared to such magnificent youkai as myself and the others you have met here in the West, you can agree he is of little consequence."
Any and all ire at his tirade about her humanity faded in the fierce protectiveness of her best friend. "Prince Inuyasha," she bit out, and slapped his hand off her shoulder.
The Suijin paused, blanched, then stared at her in open-mouthed indignation. "Excuse me!?"
"Do those oh-so-sophisticated youkai ears of yours not work as well as my human ears?" she demanded and ignored the quiet hush slowly but surely falling around them. "My title is 'Miko-sama'. Inuyasha's is, by birthright and by tonight's ceremony welcoming him back to the pack and celebrating his coming of age, Prince. Prince Inuyasha." She sneered at him, calling forth more of the noble disdain she'd learned from her taciturn host. "You, however, have no title. Isn't that correct?"
The water spirit stared at her. His face, gone white from her initial correction, bled a motely red with every word. What little good sense remained in him fled at that moment and he raised a hand to strike her. "You insolent human wretch!"
Even as Kiseki, abnormally quiet this evening, stepped forward to intercept, Kagome dashed a hand out and caught the water spirit's wrist as it descended. "I might be human," she said, "but I'm also a miko. Apparently you missed my first warning on the night of my welcome ceremony." Staring him down as impassively as a statue, she summoned reiki and burned him.
His screeched and dropped to his knees. "I-I'm sorry!" he gasped, and tried to break free of her grasp, but no matter how hard he wrenched his arm her grip around his wrist remained unbroken.
"I'm sorry, Prince Inuyasha."
He whimpered as the crowd around them stared, but ultimately gasped out "I'm sorry, Prince Inuyasha!"
Kagome finally let him go and, adding insult to injury, frowned down at him. "I would never deign to marry someone more concerned with my bloodline and abilities than who I am as a person—but especially someone like you, who can't even stand a little reiki burn." Scrunching her nose, she turned to Kiseki. "I'm tired of socializing. Please escort me back to the dais. I'd like to join Sesshoumaru-sama and Inuyasha."
Kiseki, whose bottled-up annoyance at the easy familiarity of the fools asking for her hand threatened to explode, loosed a long breath. "Of course, Miko-sama."
o.O.o
Sesshoumaru watched the display from his seat on the dais and considered the tight grasp he had on his patience. On an average day he did not need such a firm hand on his self-control, but the Miko had an uncanny ability to push all his limits.
"Fuckin' idiots…"
His half-brother's muttered remark drew Sesshoumaru's gaze from the Miko. Inuyasha slouched in his seat, his ceremonial kimono covered in wrinkles. If his mother was here, she would slap at him with her fan until his shoulder blades hit the back of the chair. The thought eased some of the tension from his shoulders.
"I don't know what your damn mother was thinking when she tied Kagome's obi that way," Inuyasha continued, and turned to look at his half-brother as if waiting for confirmation or dissent.
"Hn." The boy had a point. The Miko's obi had caused any number of problems.
"What was she thinking, marking Kagome available to be married like that? And with no warning?" Inuyasha sat up and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of Tetsusaiga's as another courtier stepped into her path. "This marks four marriage offers! You've got to be fuckin' kidding me!"
"This one is aware," Sesshoumaru ground out as he watched Kiseki take a respectable step back to allow the new pair a modicum of privacy in the over-flowing throne room. "Words will be had with my mother."
A chuckle rang out from the foot of the dais and both sets of golden eyes swung in her direction. Fuiasu grinned at them both as her guard stepped back. "Why do you both seem so put out by our young Alpha's popularity?" She turned her gaze to the little miko and smiled warmly. "Do I detect a bit of jealousy in your aggravation?"
Neither male stooped to answer her, and Fuiasu chuckled again. "The same response, but for completely different reasons. How endearing you sullen, silent boys are." Sipping from a glass her guard passed her, she focused on the miko again. "She might be fighting for your honor, my dear son, but she is quite a catch herself. Young, beautiful, unlimited reiki and the Shikon-no-tama in human form…any male would be lucky to claim her."
Inuyasha burst up from his seat and stared at her in dawning horror. That female had all but thrown his best friend to the wolves, and she'd done it on purpose. "Are you outta your mind? You're tryin' to marry her off?"
"Did I err in my assessment of her?" she demanded and tilted her head to the side as she pretended to consider his concern. "Has she some hideous deformity to detract from her beauty? Some lack of wit to undermine her intelligence? Some-
"Mother."
She paused. "Yes, my dear?"
"That is quite enough." Sesshoumaru returned his attention to the miko.
"Well, I have been properly chastised, haven't I?" she mused, and took another sip of her drink. When she noted where her son's eyes wandered, she smiled into her glass.
"Keh!" Realizing he'd been baited, Inuyasha sank back down into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest in a sullen pout. "It doesn't matter, anyway. You don't know Kagome if you think she cares about that kinda stuff. She won't marry anyone who doesn't love her."
"Is that so?" Fuiasu murmured, and handed her empty glass to a passing servant as she watched her son's intense focus on the Miko. "There go all my hopes, dashed upon the rocks of duty and responsibility. Woe is me, to fail so spectacularly in the face of a young human's hope for love." Chuckling, she turned and left them in peace.
o.O.o
The urge to stomp from the most recent male suitor permeated every muscle in her legs to the point that they trembled under the heavy layers of the furisode as she made her way back to the dais. Small, slow steps. She repeated the mantra several times until the frustration faded and she could focus on her steps—and not on the pretentious proposals of youkai she'd never met before tonight.
Fuiasu-sama had tied her obi knot in such a way as to indicate her hand was available for marriage—and she'd done it without any warning.
When she reached the steps, Sesshoumaru stood and held out his hand to assist her. "I am going to kill your mother," she murmured through gritted teeth and a pasted-on smile. "If one more person asks me to marry them, I can't be held responsible."
Sesshoumaru frowned and took her hand. "Indeed. Your attire is most unsuitable."
Kagome's patience and enjoyment of the night, already teetering on a precarious edge, swan dived. Her fingers flexed in his palm, another instinct squashed as she stopped herself from ripping her hand out of his grasp. "Unsuitable?"
Oblivious to what his words had wrought, Sesshoumaru blundered onward. His own annoyance and smothered instincts obliterated his ability to detect hers. He merely let go of her hand when she shifted and stepped aside to let her continue to the chair that had been selected for her on his right. "Hn. She should know better than to insist on wedding you off to anyone here. You would not be a strong match."
"Is that really what you think of me?" she asked. Her stomach turned with bile at the cold irritation in his words and she took an automatic step back down the stairs.
Still blind to the hurt he inflicted with every word, he nodded once.
Unable to muster a retort, Kagome turned on her heel, lifted the hems of her various layers, and made her way down the stairs and out of the throne room in the thunderous silence of the once boisterous crowd.
Sesshoumaru started after her but stopped as his half-brother stepped up to his side. "Why is the Miko leaving?"
Inuyasha scowled. "You just dug yourself a hole ten feet deep, you idiot. Why'd you have to insult her like that?"
"Insult her?" He blinked and for the first time noticed the silence of his people as they watched. "This one did not intend offense."
"Sure. Keep tellin' yourself that. I'll go clean up your mess now." Shaking his head, Inuyasha left his brother to deal with the nobles lapping up the drama like a cat to cream.
o.O.o
The moment she stepped fully outside of the throne room, Kagome lifted the hems of her furisode fully above her knees and sprinted to her quarters. The scandalized gasps of the servants and guards she passed did not penetrate the bubble of hurt—neither did Kiseki's pleas to be more careful.
No sooner had she slid her door closed behind her and summoned a barrier than she heard Inuyasha and Kiseki knocking on the door and hissing a curse as their skin burned. "Go away!"
"C'mon Kagome…let me in."
"I don't want to talk to anyone!" she shouted as she struggled to reach behind her and untie the suffocating obi. Her frenzied grasping and the heavy tangle of layers sent her crashing to her knees.
Inuyasha cursed again. "Kagome. Please."
"Go away, Inuyasha!" Her throat ached as she swallowed back tears. The voluminous sleeves of the furisode obscured her hands and made it more challenging to free herself from the ornate clothing. What am I doing here? A tear slipped free before she could blink it back. Sniffling, she reached up a hand to scrub across her cheek but stopped as she remembered the delicate silks.
Inuyasha left when she told him to, but only to slip around to his own quarters and approach her room from the family gardens. Utterly guttered by the sound of her fighting back tears, he pushed open the screen and door to her rooms and crouched down at her level. "Let me help you get outta those kimono, Kagome. You won't be able to do it alone."
She sniffled again but didn't look up at him. "I don't even know why I'm crying over someone like him."
"You gonna let me help you?" Another sniffle and the barrier between them shimmered and faded. Loosing a long breath, he stood and stepped into the room. "First things first, let's get you into something more comfortable."
Kagome let him help her up and sniffled back a few more tears. "You know how to untie an obi and all the layers?"
His hands hovered over the intricate knot as he hesitated. "Can't be too difficult. I remember my mom's maid doing it…"
She let out a watery chuckle and lifted her sleeves out of the way to wipe her face. "It's probably really expensive."
"Keh. You ain't helping woman!" Shaking his head, he settled for a careful tug here and there and found the knot unraveling in his hands. He reached around her, careful to keep some space between them, and unwound the first wrap of the obi from around her waist.
The shuffle and rasp of shifting silk filled the silence of the room every now and again. Kagome sniffled now and again. Inuyasha cursed now and again.
When the last outer layer hung limply from her shoulders, Inuyasha stepped back and averted his eyes. "I'll wait out on the engawa while you get dressed." Hopefully the cold winter air would clear the color from his cheeks.
Kagome nodded and ducked her head, unable to meet his eyes for entirely different reasons. From the bag she'd tucked into the back of the dressing room on her first night here, she yanked out her favorite pair of jeans and a thick wool sweater. If feudal clothing didn't suit her then she'd fall back on her favorite clothing. The jeans and sweater comforted her almost as much as a hug from her mother might have. Tugging on a thick pair of socks, she stepped back out into her room, nabbed a blanket off the futon, and joined her friend outside on the covered porch.
After she'd tucked the blanket around herself, she finally glanced at Inuyasha. "You aren't going to say anything?"
He shrugged and met her gaze. "I figured if you want to talk about it, you can say whatever you want. Not my place to defend that bastard, and I got no right getting pissed off on your behalf considering half the shit I used to say to you."
Kagome flushed and looked out at the snow-covered garden. The little pond under the camellia tree in the right corner glittered in the setting sun. "That was a long time ago."
"Don't mean I did good."
She sighed. "I know."
For a long time after that only the wind and pond spoke as leaves rustled and ice shifted. Then Inuyasha said quietly, "For what it's worth, I thought you looked beautiful tonight."
Kagome sniffled again. "Thanks, Inuyasha."
o.O.o
Sesshoumaru, try as he might, could not get a moment alone with the Miko for the rest of the night. At the small family celebration she planned, Kagome positioned herself firmly between Rin and Shippou. She spoke to him when spoken to, but the warmth and smiles he had grown to associate her with did not reach her eyes.
She laughed and talked with the children, poked fun at his half-brother, and told stories about her home in the future to captivate the children's attention.
When Inuyasha opened his gifts, Sesshoumaru saw the first slip in her composure. The exorbitant price of his gift did not concern him, for he'd had it designed with the Miko's worries in mind. As Inuyasha untied the silk and exposed the handcrafted armor, her gasp drew his attention while everyone else focused on the armor.
She made eye contact with him for the first time that night and a shimmer of relief hummed at the base of his throat—to be quickly squashed when she looked away and pretended not to notice him. Gritting his teeth, he turned his attention back to his half-brother. "The armorer created it using father's bones and a drop of your blood. It will adjust to your size as you age. On your human nights you will be undetectable, and the armor will strengthen to manage your lowered defenses."
Shippou and Rin oohed and awed over the armor while Inuyasha gaped over it. The Miko refused to meet his eyes, instead staring studiously down at her tea. Even as frustration burned a hole in his gut, he refused to beg for her attention. Feigning ignorance, he resorted to his usual means of behaving in a group—observation.
If he'd expected to have time with her after the children decamped, that notion fled faster than the children did as she excused herself to chase them out of the room and put them to bed. Frustration edged into anger in the tips of his fingers, and he crushed the small cup in his hand. Tea and blood dripped onto the table as he stared blankly at the empty seat growing cold in her absence.
Inuyasha, experiencing a generosity towards his brother he'd never felt before, held back a laugh. "She might be better at the cold civility than you are."
Turning his palm over, Sesshoumaru watched the cuts heal as his palm grew sticky with drying tea. "The reason for her ire confounds this one."
Snorting, Inuyasha focused his attention on his new armor. "You mighta said it with fancy words, but you basically called her ugly. And then you all but said no one would want her." Drawing a finger reverently over one of the spines across the top of the chest plate, he frowned before he finally met his half-brother's eyes as he stood and picked it up. "I'm letting it go because I fucked up a lot more than you did tonight, and because she wouldn't want us fighting. But you only get one. You speak to her like that again and I'll smash your face against all the fancy tiles in your throne room."
Sesshoumaru lingered in her sitting room for a long time after Inuyasha left and wondered when he had become so careless with his words and pack.
o.O.o
The next morning, Kagome folded her arms on Ikegai's sitting table and laid her cheek against her forearm as she watched her cut and prepare a delicate, tear-shaped, white flower. "I've never seen that kind of flower before," she murmured.
Ikegai smiled softly. "They're called koori na mida, but my mother calls them Frozen Tears. My brother packed them in my bag last night in secret." She carefully dropped the last stem into the vase and brushed a finger over one delicate bloom. "They carry no scent, but they still hold beauty to me. Our healers find them useful, too. They can be brewed in teas to help keep the injured still for more painful injuries while the healers work."
"That's nice," Kagome replied as she stared blankly at the flowers.
Ikegai stood and picked up the vase. "It is. They thrive in the cold too, so my powers don't harm them." Carrying it over to the window, she set it on the sill and cracked the window open to let in some of the fresh, cold air. "My mother used to tell us stories about a couple whose families did not want them to mate. Desperate to be together, they fled from their homes through the mountain passes in the hopes of reaching foreign shores where no one would know them. The legend says her family felt so slighted by their daughter's rejection that they hired an assassin to kill the male and return her to them. So the assassin hunted them down and killed the male. He tried to take her, but she grabbed her mate's dagger and took her own life before he could stop her. As the assassin watched, their blood and tears seeped into the mountain and stained it red. The first flower grew within seconds, the white tear drops in honor of their love and loss."
Kagome closed her eyes and buried her face in her arms. "That's such a sad story."
"Yes," Ikegai said. Returning to the table, she sank down next to the Miko again. "But something beautiful came from it." Picking up the tea pot, she poured them both a cup of tea and set the first cup in front of her. "Now, sit up and tell me what ails you. You've barely heard anything I said this morning."
Loosing a long breath, Kagome did as she was bid and sat up. Curling her hands around the warm cup, she stared down into her tea. "Sesshoumaru-sama said something hurtful last night at Inuyasha's party. I'm almost glad you weren't there. I've never been so mortified in my life. The whole court heard what he said."
Setting a hand on her wrist, Ikegai offered a small smile. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. And if I understand your relationship with Sesshoumaru-sama, I doubt he intended any harm."
She bit her lip and then pulled away from Ikegai. "I know, but that doesn't mean it didn't still hurt."
Returning her hand to her own cup, Ikegai nodded. "Yes. Have you given him a chance to explain or apologize yet?"
Kagome flushed and did not meet her friend's eyes. "No. Not yet. I'm not ready to talk to him."
"Are you going to?"
"I don't know." Lifting her tea, she took a sip and winced when it scalded her tongue but kept drinking. "I just…I don't want to fall back into the same pattern as before."
"What do you mean?"
"I used to have feelings for Inuyasha. A long time ago. And he used to say hurtful things to me all the time. I would forgive him because I loved him, and I thought at least I get to spend time with him, and at least he's looking at me and not her. And I settled for that even though it hurt more often than it didn't." Finally looking at Ikegai, she offered a watery smile. "I can't go through that again."
Ikegai tilted her head to the side and held out her hand again—this time waiting for the Miko to accept it. "Do you have feelings for Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Kagome took her hand and squeezed once. "I don't know."
"Would you like to talk it out with me? I often find discussion clarifying for my most tangled thoughts."
She hesitated, but shook her head. "No. Can we just sit like this for a while? Until I can think clearly?"
Ikegai smiled and squeezed her hand in return. "Whatever you need, Kagome-sama."
o.O.o
Over the next two weeks Kagome avoided her host with such gusto and verve she could lie to herself and pretend she was busy, not hiding. Her time overflowed with hours spent training until her eyelids sang in exhaustion which bled into hours spent socializing with Ikegai and learning more about the court which bled into hours spent playing with the children until she collapsed on her futon each night.
Her days passed in such a blur that sometimes she forgot why she wanted to avoid him in the first place. All it took to remind her was one raised eyebrow in her direction, or his hesitant step into a room she already occupied, and her ire raised faster than a flooding river in monsoon season.
With the third Contest looming in the next morning, Kagome had planned to take the afternoon and evening to herself to relax. A long soak in the family hot springs, creating her own face scrubs from ingredients in the kitchens, writing a letter to her mother, and winding down later with some poetry she'd discovered in the library. All in all, a more relaxing night than she'd had in months.
At least that had been the plan until, on her way to the family wing, she'd stumbled upon a tight-faced Akahana barely restraining her temper as an older male youkai shouted at her next to a wane-faced, pinch-lipped older female. The brilliant, scarlet hair and burning gold eyes belied their family relation.
"You will do as you are instructed you ungrateful brat!" the old man growled, and loomed over her as he snatched her by the bicep and yanked her into his space. "Or so help me I'll make sure you'll never see your little sister ever again!"
Kagome frowned and stepped forward so they noticed her. "What's going on here?" The speed at which all three faces shut down might have been amusing, if the situation didn't writhe with barely concealed tension.
The old man churned out an ingratiating smile and let go of his daughter's arm. "It is not worth your concern, Miko-sama. We are sorry to disturb you." Neither his mate nor his daughter contested his words. In fact, both dropped their eyes to the floor.
After years spent traveling across feudal Japan, Kagome recognized the cowed submission of both women. How many women had they come across like this? Under their fine kimono, did their bodies bear the truth of his wrath? Unwilling to let this go, she turned her attention to Akahana. Her father hadn't joined the court until the night after Kagome's welcome to the court, so he hadn't witnessed their interaction. So she lied. "Do you remember what I said at our first meeting?" she asked.
Akahana glared at her and lifted her chin in defiance. "Yes, Miko-sama."
"Good. I'm calling in my favor now. I think Shippou and Rin could benefit from having another playmate. Do you think your sister would enjoy such a role?"
Not daring to look at her father, Akahana nodded just once. "Yes, Miko-sama." Even if distrust and dislike simmered in her gut, the possibility of having her sister out from under her father's grasp glowed like the light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel.
"Great. You can go pick her up tonight and bring her here in the morning. We can introduce them in the morning when you return." Forcing a bright, million-watt smile, she returned her attention to the seething male. "I'm sure you don't have any objections to this?"
Akahana's father gritted his teeth and bowed. "Of course not, Miko-sama. It would be my pleasure to have the last member of my family here."
"Of course," she laughed, and strolled over to take Akahana's arm in hers. "Akahana has also agreed to help tutor me in matters of etiquette. Between our time with that and spending time with the children, I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of either of your daughters for some time. I'm sure you understand?"
Her father eyed the golden inu lurking behind her and silently wished him to the devil so he could put this human in her place. With him here, he could only nod once and bow again. "Of course, Miko-sama."
His thoughts shown clear as day on his face. Kagome only held her bright smile. "That's good. We'll be going now." And turning, tugged Akahana with her. Only when several hallways separated them did Kagome let go of the other female. "Sorry about that," she said, as she stopped and turned to face her. "Are you alright?"
Akahana sneered and took several steps back from the Miko. "I don't need your pity, Miko and I didn't need your help with my family."
Kagome sighed and looked away. She curled her fingers into fists and then flexed them, several times. "I don't pity you, Akahana. I'm furious. If I could go back there and purify him without causing problems for Sesshoumaru-sama, I would."
Narrowing her eyes, Akahana considered the tight line of the Miko's shoulders and for the first time noticed the cold fire in her brown eyes. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I've been in the feudal era too long and violence is the only thing that seems to work with men like that, no matter what time I'm in," she said, then paused as her answer penetrated the fog of her rage. A sudden burst of winter wind rattled the windows in the hallway they lingered in as silence fell between them.
The Miko's answer snapped a variety of pieces into place for Akahana. Her strange way of speaking, her lack of knowledge about court etiquette, the informality in which she spoke with everyone, no matter their rank above or below her, the peculiar clothing she had seen her in on occasion over the past few months. Her curiosity took the place of the frustration and embarrassment of being caught with her parents. "When were you born?"
Kagome chuckled nervously and glanced back at Kiseki, who also watched her with avid interest. Her origins might not have been a deeply held secret, but she, Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha had agreed it best kept amongst the pack. "I'll answer all of your questions, but first you should go get your sister. If your dad is the kind of person I think he is, I wouldn't put it past him to try to hide her. Kiseki, assigned two guards to accompany her there and back."
"Yes, Miko-sama. I will return shortly." Kiseki, already mostly invisible as he kept his distance from them, disappeared from the hallway.
Akahana watched him go and put away her questions about the Miko's origins. For now. "My father will find some way to get even with you, Miko. You would be a fool to let your guard down around him."
Shrugging, Kagome turned her attention to the snow-frosted windows. "You say that like there aren't already any number of people waiting to catch me off guard."
For the first time, Akahana considered the Miko in a new light. Being the alpha female of the Western pack carried any number of duties and threats. If the Miko originated from a different time, her ability to navigate the hazards and perils awaiting her presented a kind of strength and resilience she had never seen before.
"We are not friends or allies," Akahana said finally, and followed the Miko's gaze to the windows as she stepped up to her side. "However, I owe you a debt for bringing my sister to me. If you should require assistance for anything, you need only send for me and I will repay you to the best of my abilities."
Kagome glanced at her and offered up a tired smile. "I might take you up on that one day if you're not careful."
Akahana snorted and did not meet the Miko's gaze. "As you will."
In the quiet of the dimly lit hallway, both women stood by the window listening to the winter wind whip and blow against the frost-covered window as they waited for Kiseki and Akahana's two escorts to return.
o.O.o
The next morning Kagome stared at the packed seats in the arena and loosed a long breath. Sesshoumaru lounged on his throne at the center dais and ignored everything around him. He didn't so much as look at her. The mire of uncertainty that left her with sat ignored at the pit of her stomach, but at least the coldness of his empty gaze distracted her from the conversation they still needed to have. Eventually.
"Kagome?"
Did she have feelings for him? Did she want to have feelings for him? Did having feelings for him excuse what he had said to her?
"Kagome!"
Startling, she spun and gaped at Inuyasha. "What?"
"You gotta focus now. Whatever you're thinking about is just gonna distract you out there." He motioned to the arena and her opponent stepping out of the opposite waiting area.
Shaking her head, she rubbed her hands over her face. "You're right. I'm sorry." Shaking out her arms, she rolled her shoulders and started out.
He gripped her bicep and stopped her. "Kagome. Put him outta your mind. We don't know anything about this female—she isn't like the others who have tried to make friends with you. We don't know anything about her or what she's capable of."
Kagome wrapped one hand around the grip on her bicep and smiled up at him. "I know. I've got this. I promise."
o.O.o
Sesshoumaru, the perfect image of royal indolence, reclined in his throne and surveyed the match. Despite his best efforts, his seat in the arena represented the closest he'd been to her since the coming-of-age party. He stepped into a room, and she fled. He observed her training, and she ignored him. He waited for her outside her quarters, she exited through the family gardens and escaped.
Unwilling to be led around by the nose and frustrated beyond measure at her unwillingness to resolve matters, he stopped trying to interact with her. If she wanted to communicate with him, she would need to initiate it of her own volition. As long as she completed her duties as Alpha female, namely competing in these Contests, then he would allow her to do as she wished.
He focused on the match again. The Miko's opponent, the daughter of a merchant's family, moved with the fluid grace of a pirate. She darted in and danced out of the way if the Miko came too close. She dragged the fight out, pushing on the Miko's endurance—and it worked. Even from his seat he could hear her heavy pants as she tried to catch her breath. After an hour of fighting, her steps lagged. If she did not end this soon, the other female would.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, Kagome dealt a stunning blow. Her fist glowed that brilliant, pure, pink—before she slammed it into the merchant's daughter's gut and sent her to her knees, where she then collapsed unconscious.
Kagome stood there, chest heaving as she struggled to even her breathing. Her arms and abdomen bore the bites of the blade her opponent had used, but none looked serious enough to garner more than a glance from a healer. When her gaze locked with his, he stilled. Would she finally approach him?
But she only bowed once before striding out of the arena where his half-brother waited for her. Gritting his teeth, he stood and left as well—from the opposite door.
Outside, the wind screamed its fury where he could not as a blizzard kicked into life and blanketed the palace in snow for the dozenth time.
o.O.o
The Miko shouldn't have survived as long as she had.
Standing outside of her rooms on the porch of the engawa, covered from head to toe in snow and ice, the youkai pondered their choices. She should have died in the first round, but the first contender's unwillingness to participate had been unanticipated. As had the second's inability to break through the Miko's barriers. Then today the third, caught off guard at the last minute and knocked prone.
The Miko continued to prove herself hardier than any had realized.
Clearly, this could not be left up to fate any longer.
Howling wind and pelting snow against the windows muffled the sound of the door sliding open. Stepping inside, they left it open behind them and approached the bed as wind whipped through the room like a cyclone. The Miko slept soundly, unaware of the killer lurking over them. The ease with which they could dispatch the Miko in this moment burned in their fingertips. One small cut at the jugular. Hold her face against the pillows. Slide a dagger between her ribs. It would be so easy.
Easy, but obvious. Not like the poison they had coated the blade with hours before the Contest had started. The poison slowly coursing through her veins that would make even the smallest of movements difficult, if not impossible.
Turning away from her, the youkai stepped over to the windows and unlatched them. Letting them hang open, they smiled as a gust of cold, wet, wind and snow burst through the room. They repeated the process on the other window, then broke the hinges on the doors to seem like the wind had done the damage. Then they set to work putting out the various braziers heating the large room until the only light came from the moon and stars barely visible through the blizzard and the Miko lay shivering under the blankets slowly being buried under snow.
Humming, they stepped out of the room and left the Miko to freeze.
o.O.o
The lack of warmth tugged Kagome out of the exhausted sleep she'd fallen into earlier in the day after the match. Biting her lip, she poked her head out from under the blankets and screeched when a bit of snow fell onto her face. She tried to swipe it away with the sleeve of her pajamas, but found her clothing was damp and stiff, thanks to the soaked blanket.
Shivering, she rolled out of bed and winced as her feet landed in snow. Wrapping her arms around herself, she took a deep breath and then took a step towards the window. Each step dragged as if she trekked through a mud pit—stiff and uncoordinated, ready to pull her down the moment she lost her balance. Surely this couldn't be because of the fight. Sure, it had gone on a long time, but she'd expected only a few sore muscles, not this…this inability to even move freely.
Each step cost more strength than the last as she tried to get to the doors to close them. Why were they even open? Had the maid forgotten to latch them closed? And the windows?
If she'd been thinking clearly, she might have gone towards the door that led to the rest of the palace, but she could only focus on closing the doors to the gardens. What if the wind and snow damaged more of the room?
She managed three more steps over the slippery boards before her muscles protested and locked up. No sound escaped her as her body hit the floor, even when her head slammed against the cold, damp wood. She lay there as snow blew in and draped over her, unable to move or even open her mouth to call for help.
When she closed her eyes, she told herself to rest just for a moment and she'd try once more. But she did not open her eyes again.
o.O.o
Sesshoumaru hesitated outside of the children's nursery. He should return to his rooms now that Rin and Shippou slept soundly buried under blankets, but he could not stop his gaze from drifting down the hall towards the Miko's rooms. Perhaps after having rested all day, she would be more amenable to a discussion?
His earlier promise to let her approach him forgotten, Sesshoumaru made his way towards her rooms. Down a hallway, then a left turn. The hall grew progressively colder with each step towards her room, but he did not give it much thought given the blizzard currently tossing about outside. He'd already given orders for extra braziers in every room several days ago.
Still, as he stopped in front of her outer door and a gasp of cold air snuck under the door frame he paused. A little chill was one thing, but enough cold air to seep out under the door was another. Sliding open the door without knocking, he stepped through the sitting room they'd had the party in weeks before and strode into her private sleeping area.
His eyes would have run right over her if not for her penchant to wear garishly bright clothing for her sleeping attire. Even half buried in snow, the bright orange fabric with gold stars stood out.
Cursing, he strode forward and crouched by her side. Dusting off the snow covering her face, he places his fingers against her jugular to check for a heartbeat. Her blood thumped under his index finger, but each bump plodded along like a tired drummer losing the rhythm. Loosing a long breath of relief, he dusted the rest of the snow off her and then scooped her up over his shoulder.
Sesshoumaru flew through the hallways to his own quarters, the robes of his kimono flapping behind him. Slapping open the doors, he carried her to the luxurious lounge area centered around an ornate irori and laid her with the utmost care atop a pile of fur and pillows. A quick pulse of his power summoned Jaken before he focused on stripping her of the sodden, half-frozen clothes clinging to her.
By the time Jaken stepped into his rooms a few minutes later, Sesshoumaru stood hesitating over her with one of his kimono in his hand.
Jaken stared, aghast, at the naked Miko and quickly spun around in horror. "What has happened, My Lord?"
"That is unclear. Fetch the healer, then investigate her rooms. Discover how this could happen." He hesitated a moment longer, the delicate silk of the kimono crinkling in his fist, before he set it aside for the time being and began to strip himself. He could not take the risk that she would not warm up fast enough.
Naked, he leaned down to pick her up and settled her in his lap. Another small burst of his yōki and his mokomoko popped into existence over his shoulder. He poured more yōki into it until the size of it covered them twice over. Her skin burned like ice against his, but he ignored it in favor of tucking her legs up against her chest. When her head lulled back against his shoulder, he spread more of his pelt under her neck to support her. Even as sweat beaded along his brow, he only held her closer.
Time ticked by in the crackle and pop of the fire and the slowly increasing beat of her heart. He held her still against him, careful not to rub the heat back into her so the cold blood in her limbs wouldn't rush to her heart. Distant memories of his father's war stories kept him from warming her up too swiftly, but how quickly was too quickly?
Even as he debated other options, her lashes fluttered against the side of his neck. Peering down at her, he waited for her eyes to open but they didn't. Taking the flutter as a good sign, he kept his grasp on her. At least now her skin didn't feel like ice against his. Tightening his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and buried his face against her neck.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
He looked up as the healer hovered by the door. "Why are you waiting? See to her, immediately."
The healer swallowed and took a nervous step back. "I…I would, Sesshoumaru-sama, but my yōki cannot withstand the strength of your barrier." He dared a glance up, but the red eyes glaring back at him easily earned his submission. "And a-also, your beast is quite terrifying!"
Sesshoumaru paused then closed his eyes, pulled his yōki in, and did not acknowledge the presence of his more primal side glaring at the healer as he tiptoed into the room.
"You…will have to show her to me, My Lord, if I am to treat her."
His grip on her waist tightened on reflex before he managed to gain control of himself. Letting go of her, he tugged his mokomoko away and laid her carefully out on the furs at his side. When the urge to keep his hand on her threatened to overwhelm him, he purposely withdrew it.
The healer immediately inspected her, starting with the wound on her forehead that Sesshoumaru hadn't even noticed. "That is a new injury," he said quietly. "She did not sustain it during the Contest this morning."
"Yes, My Lord. I remember." However she had sunk into hypothermia had also frozen the blood after some time. "It should not be serious, but we won't know until she wakes up. I am more concerned with her cuts from the Contest. They should be healed by now, given what we know about her prior healing abilities."
"Perhaps the prior healing was a fluke, and these are more indicative of her true healing abilities." Even as he said it, he didn't believe it.
"I am not sure, My Lord. It seems unlikely, given she managed to heal from a more dire wound in her shoulder much faster than a human should have." Lifting one of her arms, he brought it closer to his nose and sniffed at the still open wound. "There is no scent, not even of infection. May I be permitted to take some of her blood to examine? Perhaps then we may ascertain why she is not healing as she ought to."
The idea of spilling her blood on purpose so appalled him that Sesshoumaru had to fight the instinctive urge to rip the healer's arm off. Nodding once, he watched with eagle eyes as the healer used his claws and cut a short incision along her forearm, almost parallel to one she'd earned that morning. He turned her arm and added pressure to the wound, forcing blood to bubble sluggishly and drip down her arm into a bowl.
When he finished, the healer pulled a bandage from his satchel and pressed it against the wound until the bleeding stopped, then carefully set her arm down. "As far as the cold goes, what you have done so far has helped a great deal. If she does not awaken soon, you can try applying hot stones wrapped in several layers of fabric under her arms and on her chest, neck, and groin. I will return to check on her in a few hours."
Sesshoumaru nodded once and prepare to pick the Miko back up and tuck her back against his chest, but stopped as the healer paused and stared down at her arm. Following his eyes, he noted only one cut remained on her arm. The healers mark had already repairs itself, leaving only a bright pink line down her forearm. The implications of that healing set Sesshoumaru's blood to boiling. "You will speak of this to no one."
"B-but My Lord-"
"It will be dealt with. Discover the poison and report back only to me." Yōki poured out of him in waves as he dragged the Miko back into his lap and tucked mokomoko around them again.
The healer nodded once and then fled.
Slipping his arm back around her belly, he closed his eyes and let the pieces fall back into place. Someone had tried to kill the Miko. Sesshoumaru would enjoy ripping them limb from limb.
o.O.o
When Jaken entered the room a short time later, the sight of his Master and the Miko curled up together under the Mokomoko gave him pause. With the fire dancing over their faces and the majority of the room cast in shadow, wrapped in his furs, they looked as feral and wild as his Master's true form. The Miko and the Youkai. He would commission it for his Master in a tapestry.
The idea of disturbing them discomforted him so much that Jaken knelt by the door and waited to be noticed. During the Miko's time here, his affection for her had grown so much that he'd been disappointed when Fuiasu-sama had assigned her an official maid after her initial welcome to the pack. That she'd almost died tonight sat in his craw like a stone. He wanted to catch them for Sesshoumaru-sama and watch his master deliver glorious justice.
"Jaken."
Jaken burst to his feet only to kneel and bow low. "Yes, My Lord!" he cried, and winced when those deadly gold eyes tinged with pink. "Apologies, My Lord," he whispered, dropping his tone so much that a human might not have heard him.
"Report." He glanced down at his charge and noted that she still slept, but the grey pallor fled bit by bit.
"Yes, My Lord." Standing up, he cleared his throat. "The Miko's rooms appear to have been damaged by the storm, My Lord. Both the windows and the doors show mutilation that could feasibly be explained by the blizzard. However, upon closer inspection it is clear the broken and destroyed parts were damaged from the inside. The wind did not cause it."
"Hn. And the braziers?"
Frowning, Jaken shook his head. "It is unclear, My Lord. Snow buried the wood. Perhaps the wind blew it in and put out the fire. Perhaps whoever damaged the doors and windows put out the fires to help the heat seep out of the room. The only scents in the room belong to the Miko. If other scents lingered, the snow and ice destroyed them, My Lord."
Sesshoumaru stared into the flames of the irori. He had suspected as much, but Jaken's observations confirmed his theory. "Kiseki and her lady's maid?"
"They have not been found yet, My Lord. I have alerted the head of the guard to begin a search for them. Discreetly."
To have taken his childhood friend by surprise was no mean feat. Even if he'd dozed off outside the Miko's rooms, very few people could catch him off guard. That fact alone narrowed down the list of suspects for Sesshoumaru. "Detain the Miko's opponent from today's Contest. She is suspected of poisoning her blades. It is possible she planned all of this."
Pleased to have a more concrete task, Jaken nodded and bowed. "Yes, My Lord. Anything else, My Lord?"
"Assign more guards to the children. Do not speak of this one's suspicions to anyone outside of the pack."
"Yes, My Lord."
o.O.o
Kagome floated through a haze of cold. Everything ached from the tips of her toes to the tops of her ears, and even though heat simmered all around her none of it seeped in enough to ease the bone deep cold. Not that Sesshoumaru could notice. Movement continued to remain elusive. Even her eyelids would not follow her orders to lift.
At least she could hear. Coming to on the tail end of Jaken's report reassured her that she was safe, even if she sat bare bottomed in Sesshoumaru's lap. Kami, Sesshoumaru's lap. Even unable to move, the very idea sent her heart racing.
Sesshoumaru noticed—at least, she thought he did when his arm tightened around her waist. Desperate to communicate with him, she reached out to her reki but even her powers sludged along inside of her. Don't panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Her heart didn't get the message even though she repeated the mantra again and again in her mind. It galloped against her ribs like a freight train, pushing her into a panic attack.
Helpless to resist because of her inability to move, she would have missed her companion's actions if a gust of cool air hadn't brushed against her belly as he shifted their positions. One minute she felt vertical, her neck splayed back against what must have been his shoulder. The next, he'd somehow turned her completely until her cheek bumped against the warm flesh of his shoulder and they sat chest to chest.
"You are safe, Miko." He trailed a hand through her hair, scraping his claws lightly against her scalp.
He comforted her. His quiet words, the warmth of his touch, the light caress of his fingers through her hair…he couldn't know she did not sleep, not with her eyes closed and unable to open them or make a sound, but still he comforted her. If any doubts lingered in her heart about what kind of man he was, they vanished in that moment.
For the first time since she'd woken up hours before in the cold blizzard invading her room, Kagome reveled in her safety—and let his touch lull her back to sleep.
o.O.o
"She is dead, My lord." Jaken bowed lower than the earth before him. "I discovered her corpse in her chambers. She and her maid both bled out from cuts across their throats. Her knives are missing."
Sesshoumaru considered the latest news about the third contestant and continued to stroke his fingers through the Miko's hair. Her scent had been thick with fear a short while ago, and her heart pounding against her chest, but she'd calmed the moment he'd started petting her head. Now, the silky locks of her hair grounded him and smothered the urge to tear apart his palace until he found her would-be killer. "Have you anything else to report?"
"No, My Lord."
"Hn. You may wait by the fire. When the Miko wakes, you will fetch the healer again."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Returning his attention to the Miko, he monitored her breathing and movement, but she remained unnaturally still. He knew she tossed and turned in her sleep—he'd witnessed it many times on the hunt for Naraku after they'd joined forces. Yet her cheek did not leave his shoulder and her arms hung limply at her sides.
Unnerved by her stillness and unsure if she was awake, he searched for something to say and settled on stories about his father. His words filled the large space as he eased into different tales, one after the other. When Jaken ordered tea, he let go of her long enough to take a sip before his hand returned to its place on the back of her head.
Minutes turned into hours before he felt the first flicker of movement from her. The opening crest of sunlight peeked through the shuttered windows of his rooms and as Jaken rose to open them and let in the natural light, her lashes fluttered against his collarbone. Careful of his claws, he nestled his hand at the back of her neck and pulled her away from him just in time to see her eyes creak open bit by bit.
"You are safe," he said again as her eyes danced about the slowly brightening room in a manic way he'd only seen in the deeply terrified.
She wanted to nod, to say something, to acknowledge his care of her, but try as she might all she could do was blink up at him.
Thinking information might help her, he explained what had happened—about the snow, the broken doors, the death of her third opponent. He would have continued, if her lips hadn't started to tremble and three soft sounds burst from her lips. "Mu...kotsu?" Leaning back, he repeated the sounds she made and when he made the connection, turned to Jaken. "Fetch the healer. Tell him to prepare something to counteract a paralytic."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Jaken scurried from the room, but Sesshoumaru did not pay him any heed as the Miko slumped against his arm. Her relief stirred something inside of him, a protective urge he had felt only for Rin before this morning. "Rest, Miko. The healer will bring something to fight the paralytic."
She did as he ordered and closed her eyes again as he tucked her in against him once more.
Her absolute trust in him humbled Sesshoumaru, but he did not acknowledge it. Her trust should be expected, he told himself. Pack trusted each other. Distrust in this moment would be abnormal.
Still, when her breathing evened out against his chest, something inside of him warmed and settled.
o.O.o
The potion tasted like bile. Only her inability to move stifled her gag reflex to spit it back up. Even an hour later the reek of it settled on her tongue—but at least she could talk now, so when Sesshoumaru held the cup of warm tea to her lips, she drank happily. "Thank you."
"Hn." He set the cup down and then laid the back of his palm flat against her forehead. "You are still too cold for a human."
The amount of heat soaking in form his chest against her back and from being wrapped in mokomoko didn't feel cold, but that might change when the paralysis wore off. Besides, being held like this eased the panic and fear of what had happened. "You saved my life," she whispered.
Sesshoumaru withdrew his hand and tucked mokomoko more firmly around her before pulling her back against his chest. "Yes."
"What happened? I heard some of what you told Jaken but…I remember waking up cold and my body locking up, but I don't know why. My room felt almost too warm before I laid down in the afternoon." This new closeness with Sesshoumaru stirred feelings she didn't want to acknowledge or think about yet, so she tried to ignore it. He's only taking care of me out of duty. It's an obligation.
For a long moment, he contemplated the flames. Despite whatever fear she might suffer from at the knowledge of being hunted by a killer, she deserved to know the full truth. "It appears you are the target of an assassin, Miko." He told her all of it, sparing no detail for her sensibilities and when he finished, added, "They will not succeed."
The sincerity in his words stirred memories of the implicit promise he'd made her at the cusp of the Valley of Whispers and whatever fright might have been roiling inside of her faded away into nothing. "I know," she murmured. "I'm not scared of anything if you're here."
Her admission pleased the beast within him even as he reminded himself that by placing her trust in him, she made the most logical choice. As her alpha, no one stood who could better protect her—or who had more right to do so. "You should rest," he said and smothered any lingering desire to preen over her faith in him. "There is nothing you can do now in this moment."
"I haven't felt this vulnerable since Naraku," she admitted, and turned her gaze to the irori. "I don't know that I could rest even if I wanted to."
Sensing her discomfort, he tightened his hold on her waist. "The tonic will return mobility to you soon."
The truth of his words proved itself in the tingling at the tips of her toes and fingers—but it didn't negate the worry in the pit of her stomach or the cold deep in her bones. Tucking her face against his neck, she closed her eyes. "Can you distract me? Otherwise, I'll never fall asleep because I'll just be thinking about how terrifying it is to not be able to move."
He dropped his gaze to the top of her head and considered for a long, quiet moment. Finally, he said "The matter of our…disagreement still needs discussion and resolution."
She loosed a long breath and opened her eyes again. "Yeah, there is that."
Try as he might, the warm puff of air against his neck could not be ignored. His body reacted instinctively. He waited a moment to see if she would shriek or demand he put her down, but she did nothing. Content to ignore it if she did, he focused on her. "There is that," he agreed after he grasped control of himself.
Kagome contemplated the fine line of his jaw and the thick cord of muscle in his neck, very avidly not thinking about anything else but his words. "You hurt my feelings when you said my furisode didn't suit me. And when you said I would be a weak match…you made me feel very small, Sesshoumaru-sama."
Sesshoumaru thought back to that night and would have cringed if such outward appearances of emotion weren't below him. At least this topic thoroughly destroyed any interest in other matters. "That night, my mother presented your hand to the court without prior discussion. The reaction of the court caught this one off guard."
She frowned and wished she could lean forward to see the expression on his face. Understanding Sesshoumaru-sama on a normal day required the keenest observation. Trying to make sense of his motivations only by listening to his words challenged even her perception and empathy. "I know I'm not as strong or beautiful as the youkai in the court, and I know you believe humans are below your notice—"
Letting go of her waist, he carefully tugged her around in his lap and locked gazes with her until she stopped talking."You are as powerful and stunning as any youkai in this court. Do not let this one's incompetence in expressing himself diminish your confidence in yourself. Do you understand, Miko?"
Kagome squeaked as he shifted their position but could not have stopped him even if she wanted to. When he resettled her and trapped her attention with his stunning gold eyes, she lost any rational thought of trying to control anything. Even more so when his words broke past the barriers she'd kept in place the past several weeks. "But—
"No." He moved his hand up to her mouth and carefully laid his palm against her lips. "Most of this one's life has been spent in search and acquisition of power—weapons, armies, magic. To say you are the most powerful miko of your time is pure fact. This one is perhaps your only equal alive in this time. Similarly, no youkai or human exists who would be dishonored by your beauty. You will make a fine mate for anyone who wishes to claim you, when that time comes." If the words felt sour upon his tongue, he ignored it.
She swallowed and dropped her gaze as color flushed up her chest to coat the tips of her ears. No one had ever complimented her like this. "Then why…"
He sighed and finally looked away from her, letting his hand fall back on her waist to steady her. "Until that night, this Sesshoumaru did not see you as an eligible female to be mated. You have always been Inuyasha's miko, or an unruly young girl who did not know her place."
Turning back to her, he offered a negligent shrug. "That night, your attire and grace brought to this one's attention the truth—that you are a quite eligible member of my pack who is unmated. I found myself unprepared and reacted as a child might when another child takes an interest in their belongings."
This frankness in Sesshoumaru stirred a spark of pleasure in Kagome she could not define. After the defeat of Naraku, he had always been more cordial to her—but he had also maintained that mask of civility and polite disinterest. Since he had asked for her help though, the mask slipped bit by bit. But that didn't excuse his behavior. "I don't belong to you," she reminded gently.
He nodded once. "This one is aware."
"Okay. Then that's that. And…" She trailed off and flushed darker. "I'm sorry for not giving you a chance to explain sooner. Hiding from and ignoring you probably didn't make you feel too good either."
It had driven him to the edge of his patience, but she did not need to know such a thing. So he only nodded again.
Without conversation flowing between them, the steady warmth of his eyes locked on hers brought to the forefront the heat of the bare skin between them, and what they were both pretending didn't exist. Flustered, she dropped her gaze. "I'm a little cold still," she fibbed.
Sesshoumaru eyed the flush of her cheeks and the bare skin of her neck and tops of her shoulders, but did not question her. Lifting her carefully, he settled her back against his chest and tucked mokomoko more firmly around her shoulders. "You should rest now, Miko."
Gratified at his easy acquiescence, she tucked her cheek against his shoulder again and closed her eyes. "Yeah." When he settled his palm against her back though, she opened them again and stared over his shoulder at the sunlight dancing through the windows of his quarters. "Hey Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Yes, Miko?"
"Are we friends now? Not just pack?" She asked on a yawn.
Her quiet question, muffled slightly by the fur of mokomoko by her lips, settled inside of him with a weight he had only ever experienced once before—when he'd taken in Rin. As a lord, he had very few friends—for their safety, and his—but the idea of rejecting her did not even occur to him. "Yes, Miko."
"That's good," she murmured, and smiled against his neck as she drifted off.
Sesshoumaru listened to her breathing even out and did not lift his hand from her back for a long time after that.
o.O.o
Wod count – 13,255
a/n – woof this one took forever. So many deleted scenes and trying to reword things until I was satisfied. This is meant to be a slow burn, but they're both edging into catching feels. The denial stage is next, hope you're ready for it. Don't forget to check out my new Instagram shewritesexcerpts for deleted scenes from a variety of fics and updates about what I'm currently working on. :DD