It was late for one of his visits, the sun having just disappeared beyond the horizon. Plants swayed as she walked by. She wasn't in a hurry and had assumed that he would meet her halfway, but it appeared Sesshoumaru had other things on his mind as well, his aura hovering on the edge of the village.

Maybe he was preparing a gift for Rin.

She found him pacing between a small grove of trees, hands clenching and unclenching every time he turned. Whisps of twilight reflected off his hair, and she took a moment just to observe. She couldn't remember being this close to him without the threat of death licking at their heels. He truly was breathtaking.

Not wanting to be caught staring, she flared her aura. He stiffened but didn't turn around, and she leaned against the nearest tree. "You'll dig yourself into a hole if you keep that up."

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Straight to the point. "I wanted to thank you for saving me," she said.

He flinched, head tilting enough so he could see her. Amber eyes glowed in the dim light, aura completely hidden. "According to who?"

"Inuyasha," she replied. "He said you brought me back after I was attacked." Was it supposed to be a secret?

He relaxed, finally turning to face her. "Anyone else would have done the same."

"And if they had, I'd be thanking them instead." She offered him a smile, and he brushed past her, heading away from the village. Kagome frowned and tried to catch up. "Aren't you here to see Rin?"

"There are other things I must attend to," he said, though his feet never left the ground. He clearly didn't want to share, so she shrugged, keeping pace.

"I should probably thank her too," she mused. "If she hadn't mentioned the fairy tales, I'd probably still be asleep."

Sesshoumaru stopped again, having yet to break through the treeline. "How so?"

"The curse required 'true love's kiss' in order to be broken." She sighed wistfully. "There are a few stories from my time where women get poisoned or cursed, and then a prince swoops in, kisses them, and they live happily ever after."

There was a spike in youki, and she turned around, eyebrows raised at his dark expression. "How can they be happy if they have only just met?"

Her snort turned into full-blown laughter, and soon she was wiping her eyes. "You would ask that."

"It is a logical question."

"I know, I know," she said, still giggling. "No one talks about what happens after the story ends, but that's why people enjoy them. You're not supposed to question it. The damsel gets in trouble, the prince rescues her, and poof, happy ending."

"You are no damsel." There was a bite to his tone that hadn't been there before. It was considerable praise from someone like him, and she preened at the acknowledgement.

"And Inuyasha is no prince." Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, and she chuckled, waving to the village. "They all think he's the one who kissed me and broke the curse." She couldn't fault them for it; they'd been together from the moment he'd been released from Goshinboku, and now that things had settled down, everyone expected the same for them, too.

Kagome was so busy scowling that she didn't see Sesshoumaru move closer, almost pinning her against the tree she'd been standing next to. She swallowed at the proximity, staring up at him. He was fighting something, his youki in turmoil, and she blinked owlishly up at him. "Inuyasha was not the one to break the curse."

'Of course not.'

'That's ridiculous.'

'Even if he had kissed me, I wouldn't have woken up.'

Each phrase ran through her mind, threatening to burst from her mouth, but she bit them back, keeping eye contact. "How do you know that?"

His pupils constricted, hands clenched at his side. She was used to him being impassive or condescending. He'd rarely shown actual anger, and right now, he was bordering on rage. Nostrils flared as he struggled to control himself, the crimson eventually fading. "Because I did."

Her eyes widened a moment before her face flamed, all coherent thoughts leaving her mind. She had no memory of the curse breaking; there had been a surge of fury when the clouds disappeared, but nothing from the outside world. And no one had said anything about sensing or even seeing Sesshoumaru in the village around that time.

"Did you know about the curse?" she asked, heart beating wildly.

"No." He finally looked away. "I wished to check on you."

"After bringing me back."

"Hnn."

"And then?" She watched him closely, not wanting to miss the slightest change in emotion, and his ears slowly turned pink.

"A lapse in judgment," he murmured. He was struggling with something, hands continuing to flex. Kagome kept still, not wanting to spook him. The back of his claws brushed her temple, and he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. A trail of heat and youki followed, and she leaned into the touch.

"It was enough to wake me up," she said. She'd defeated the woman without issue, but the darkness within her had been powerful, and she wouldn't have been released from the spell if what Sesshoumaru felt for her was a passing fancy.

If she had been a passing fancy.

The harpy had thought Kagome would be lost within her curse forever because she didn't love anyone. She couldn't anticipate someone else feeling so deeply for her that it would be enough. Heat crept into Kagome's face.

Neither of them moved, but she felt him relax. Youki receded, but his hand remained, thumb stroking her jaw. Anticipation burned the back of her throat, but he didn't say anything, forcing her to break the silence. "Are you going to kiss me again?"

Whatever he'd thought she was going to say, it wasn't that, and his eyes widened. "Do you wish me to?"

"Well, I'm not about to ask Inuyasha to do it," she said. "He's not the prince-type, remember?"

This time, the stripes on his cheeks darkened. "And I am?"

A slow smile made its way onto her face. "That depends. How are you at happy endings?"

He breathed deeply, then pressed their foreheads together. "If you are involved, I am capable of anything."

She grabbed his collar, tugging slightly. "Prove it." The kiss was gentle, and the image of him kneeling next to her when she was unconscious, his lips pressed against her temple, flashed through her mind. As she went up on tiptoe, he cupped her cheek, his other hand gripping the tree behind her to steady himself. When he pulled back, his eyes were half-lidded but wary, and her smile widened. "Definitely prince-like."

"Still not a damsel."

Kagome's chin tilted, eyes sparkling in the twilight. "You wouldn't be getting a happy ending if I was." His response was to steal another kiss. She'd never read a fairy tale like theirs, but she was more than willing to write her own.

A/N: I'm finally caught up on the FCN prompts, so from now on, they'll get posted during the last week of the month (after the regular updates are done). If you're looking for more of my work, I have lots more posted on Ao3 (sereia13). Also, I'm always open to feedback and chatting, so never worry about sending me a message or comment on here, Tumblr (sereia1313), or Discord (sereia). Plus, Crescent Dreams (my SessKag server) has its own Tumblr and Discord as well, so drop me a line if you wanna join. And thank you for all your lovely comments! I read and enjoy every single one of them.

Who's ready for the SessKag Festival? It starts on Sunday! I can't wait to see everyone's creations, it's going to be amazing!