Sesshoumaru stood at the mouth of the cave, his back to Kagome as he forced himself to focus on the cold wind whipping through the barren landscape outside. His breathing was even, his expression calm, but inside, his blood was simmering, his control dangerously close to slipping.
I needed to step away… He exhaled slowly, trying to cool the fire that was burning inside him.
Her words, her defiance, and the way her body had trembled with anger—everything about her had pushed him to the edge. It wasn't just the challenge she had thrown at him, or her refusal to acknowledge the protection he had given her. It was the way she had stood so close to him, her chest heaving with fury, her pulse racing beneath her skin.
And those undergarments…
Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched as the memory surged back, unbidden. The sight of her in those provocative, scandalously tight garments—her soft curves outlined in a way that no miko should ever display—had left him wanting. Wanting in ways that he had never allowed himself to want before.
Her body, so warm and fragile in his arms, had stirred something primal inside him. The thin fabric clinging to her skin, barely concealing her, had been far more dangerous than any battle. The way her ample chest rose and fell with each furious breath, the way her eyes had flashed with defiance… He could still feel her heat against him, still smell the lingering scent of her sweat and purity, mingling with the cold, bitter air of the cave.
This human… He gritted his teeth, his claws flexing as he fought to regain his composure. She was driving him to madness.
He hadn't meant to mark her. It wasn't something he had done intentionally. His demonic energy had entwined with hers during the night, a subconscious act of protection, a claim that had been more instinctual than deliberate. But the way she had reacted—her outrage, her fury—had only heightened his awareness of her.
She wasn't Rin. She wasn't a child. She was a woman. And that realization had hit him like a blade to the chest.
Sesshoumaru cursed inwardly, his golden eyes narrowing as he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He had issued the challenge for her to keep up with him, to prove she didn't need his protection. But as much as he wanted to distance himself, to assert control over the situation, his body had betrayed him. The way she had looked at him, her dark eyes burning with both anger and something else, something deeper—it had been all he could do to walk away.
He could still feel her defiance pulsing through the air, her aura brushing against his in a way that sent a shiver down his spine. She was unlike any human he had ever encountered—stubborn, independent, and unafraid to stand up to him. No one challenged him the way she did, no one dared to speak to him with such vitriol and conviction.
She is mine to protect, he reminded himself. But even as the words echoed in his mind, he knew they no longer carried the same weight they once had.
She was no longer just his ward, no longer just a responsibility. Something had shifted between them, something dangerous and uncontrollable. The possessiveness he felt toward her was not the same as what he had felt for Rin, and the fact that he couldn't control it infuriated him.
He heard the faint rustling behind him, the sound of Kagome moving to gather her clothes. Despite his earlier challenge, he remained at the entrance of the cave, waiting. He told himself it was to ensure she was fit to travel, but the truth gnawed at him.
He was waiting because he couldn't bring himself to leave her behind.
Damn this human.
His eyes slid shut for a moment, his sharp senses picking up every subtle sound from within the cave—the soft scrape of her bare feet against the stone, the faint rustling of fabric as she dressed, the quickened beat of her heart as she moved. He could still picture her in those scandalous garments, the way they had hugged her curves in all the wrong ways for a miko. She was untouched, pure, and yet here she was, dressed like some common temptress.
It wasn't appropriate. It wasn't right. And yet…
Sesshoumaru's claws flexed again, his irritation mounting as he tried to banish the images from his mind. She was human. A miko. And it was beneath him—far beneath him—to desire her in the way he now realized he did.
I am becoming like my father.
The thought sliced through him, sharp and unrelenting. His father, the great Inu no Taisho, had fallen for a human woman, and in doing so, he had weakened himself. He had sacrificed his power, his status, his very life for the sake of a fleeting mortal. Sesshoumaru had sworn never to follow that same path, had prided himself on his detachment, his control.
And yet, here he was, standing at the edge of a precipice, staring down into the same abyss his father had once fallen into.
He could feel it—the same pull, the same temptation. The same maddening desire that had drawn his father to Izayoi was now gnawing at him, urging him toward Kagome. She was strong, yes, but she was also human. She was mortal, destined to fade long before he would. And yet, despite everything, despite his hatred for his father's weakness, Sesshoumaru found himself wanting her.
His eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely in the dim light of the cave.
No. I will not fall like he did.
He had spent his life distancing himself from his father's mistakes, had forged a path of strength and independence, free from the bonds of emotion. But now, with Kagome, those bonds were tightening around him, constricting his carefully maintained control.
The challenge he had issued her had been more than a test of her strength. It had been a way to distance himself, to push her away. But the truth was, he didn't want her to go. He didn't want to lose this strange, maddening connection between them.
He heard her footsteps approaching, slow and deliberate, and his gaze shifted toward her as she emerged from the shadows of the cave, now fully dressed. She was composed, her expression cool and calm, as if their earlier confrontation hadn't rattled her in the slightest.
But Sesshoumaru wasn't fooled. He could still sense the tension in her aura, the lingering heat from their exchange. She was as affected as he was, no matter how much she tried to hide it.
"I'm ready," she said quietly, her eyes meeting his, her tone measured but firm.
Sesshoumaru's gaze flicked over her, assessing. She looked stronger, steadier, but he could still see the traces of illness in the pallor of her skin, the slight tremble in her hands.
He said nothing, only nodded once before turning away, leading her out into the cold, unforgiving landscape beyond. The snow crunched beneath their feet as they walked, the wind howling around them, but the tension between them remained, unspoken and unresolved.
Sesshoumaru kept his pace steady, though slower than usual. He knew Kagome would struggle to keep up with him, despite her protests to the contrary. But even as he walked, his thoughts kept drifting back to her—to the way she had challenged him, the way her body had pressed against his, the way her defiance had stirred something dark and primal inside him.
This cannot continue, he told himself firmly. I will not become like him.
But even as he made the vow, Sesshoumaru knew that the line he had drawn between them was already beginning to blur.