No one needed to tell her now, she knew. Kagome sat alone in the shade near a brook, away from everyone.
Was it that hard, was it that bad, that sad, so much so no one could dare tell her? Had he really left her for dead? No, he had said that he thought she would be ok.
Kagome looked up; how could he think that thought? Kikyo, even dead, had always been stronger, so why would he think that? Kagome looked down, he loved Kikyo, still, even now, he loved her.
Her joke so long ago about him liking dead girls was not so much of a joke.
Kagome sighed and pulled out her half of the jewel.
"A unselfish wish," She spoke, "The unselfish thing would be to wish them love,"
A tear slid down her face, not only because he loved Kikyo, but he chose her over Kagome in any and all things; truly, he had left her for dead, though at the time, she was sure he was not clear in the head. As bad as she wanted to be mad at him, she could not.
Tears rolled so hard, so fast, she dropped the jewel and covered her eyes. The well had long been destroyed by Naraku; he had meant to seal her in her own time, but she was pulled back at the last second, so now she was stuck.
"I want to go home," She cried,
"I did not save you for you to flee Miko,"
Kagome sucked in her tears and looked up, "Sesshomaru," She whispered,
"Though it means nothing, that mark binds us. I feel you; your sadness is most annoying to my inner."
Kagome stood. "No one asked you to save me, now did they!" She yelled, standing,
His face was cold and hard, "Why, why save me!" She yelled, "Take your stupid mark back!"
Within the suck of her breath, he was holding her tight by the arms.
"Let me go!" She yelled,
"Be silent."
"No! you let me go, Sesshomaru!"
She placed her hands on him and her power stung him, yet he held her, he let go only to pull her closer. It shocked her, was he, hugging her?
"What, what are you doing?" She whispered,
"I will not calm till you do."
"What, why?"
Her mark felt soothing, it hit her, it was their mark,
"It's the mark," She spoke,
He said nothing. "Why dont you just take it back?" She asked calmer.
"Do you wish it to be undone?" He asked her, still holding her to him.
She did speak; she didn't know what the mark meant anyway.
"What does it mean?"
The wind picked up, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
"It means you're mine,"
Kagome pulled away and looked up at him,
"What, I thought, I thought you said it meant nothing."
At first, it did not, but the pull on him was strong; his soul called out for her, and not even he could deny it.
"That marking Miko is one of the strongest powers on earth, not even I can deny it forever."
"So, what are you saying that I belong to you now?"
"That mark protects you, connects us; only can he be removed by death."
Kagome swallowed. "So you just mark who you want, and thats that?"
He backed away from her, this was hard, he was not a caring person and he sure didn't show it well either.
"It is not that simple." He looked away,
"Do you love him, Miko?"
Kagome looked down. Did she, no, not anymore, did she really ever?
"No,"
"And me?"
She snapped her eyes up at him; love him? No, but if she thought about it, she cared for him.
"I care,"
Which meant that if she was on the same page as him, he cared for her, too.
Kagome put her hand on her mark.
"Time, Miko, it will all become stronger."
Kagome's eyes were soft; he was being kind, easy, almost sweet,
"You, you don't have to do this." She looked down; you don't have to be with me.
"I don't have to do anything, Miko."
She looked back at him. He walked closer to her, and she found herself looking up,
"Sesshomaru?"
He looked into her eyes. He didn't know why, but in the last few days, she had been in his mind, and he spent those days thinking of her, and in the end, he thought, why not her? He had cared for her in the past.
"I choose to," He then pressed his lips to hers; it was soft and quick; he turned from her and held his hands behind his back; he had never kissed anyone, even he had to take it in.
Why not, she was pretty, strong, powerful, she was as good as any demon woman, and he markered her with almost no hesitation. It must have meant something. Inuyasha had Kikyo, why not have Kagome? He could spend his life protecting her, he had saved her a few times already; this all hit him on the day Miroku came for her; it was then, after she was gone from him, that he knew he wanted her.