"Do you think he'll like it?" she asked, flattening the fabric out in front of her.
"There's liking, and there's liking, Kagome-sama," Miroku replied, wiggling his eyebrows.
She met Sango's gaze, and they both rolled their eyes. "Not the reaction I'm going for."
"It is not?"
Sango smacked him upside the head but was distracted by Inuyasha trying to fish, sighing as she got to her feet. "Try to be supportive without being a lech," she said, grabbing her sword.
Kagome had positioned herself far enough away from the river so any wayward splashes wouldn't ruin her hard work, and she played with the hem of one sleeve.
"What is your intent with such an obvious symbol?" Miroku asked, his hands remaining in his lap for once. "It won't go unnoticed."
"I know," she replied, leaning back on her hands with a sigh. "I want him to notice."
"Do I sense a 'but'?"
She shook her head. "Not really. He's made his claim, so I wanted to make one of my own." Her voice trailed off at the end of the confession, heat creeping into her cheeks. "Should I be worried?"
Her friend chuckled. "Not in the slightest, Kagome-sama. From what I've gathered from my lovely wife, youkai are the most protective of those they care about. How they act out said protection can be volatile, but I've yet to sense any such danger from him."
They watched Sango and Inuyasha for a while, biting back their laughter when a fish that looked suspiciously like Shippou leapt out of the water and squirted the hanyou in the face. He jumped in after it but was quickly swept downstream, leaving Sango to grab Kirara before she could rescue him. Ah-Un didn't even twitch.
"I think you should be prepared," Miroku said eventually, "for what Sesshoumaru-sama's reaction will be when he sees it. He isn't as cold-blooded as people perceive him to be." Kagome rubbed the side of her neck, and the monk gave her a knowing look, causing her face to flame before she could shove him away.