Trying to be proactive, and prove a point, Kagome approached Sesshoumaru the next night, requesting a training session with him while the others hunted for food.

"I take it you will be a more receptive pupil than my brother?" he asked, leading her away from the campsite. It was a dig at Inuyasha, but she ignored it, focusing on what he'd be able to teach her rather than taking the bait—or sides.

"You mentioned my reiki before," she said, flexing her fingers. "If I learn how to utilize it better, will that stop the build-up from happening?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "The build-up will happen regardless. There is too much of it to begin with."

She frowned at that. She'd known something was off with her power since she'd returned, but there hadn't been much time to test it after Magatsuhi's seal had been broken. She'd assumed it was just leftovers from no longer fighting. "So I need an outlet?" she guessed.

"Nothing quite so mundane, miko." He paused in a small clearing, removing the swords from his waist, along with his armour.

"Won't you be needing that?"

The daiyoukai sniffed. "You are not so much of a threat that it will be required."

Kagome pursed her lips. "I hit you before."

"Only due to sheer luck." He raised a hand to cut off her retort. "You did not seek my council to improve your aim. You are here to improve your control." He was right, but he didn't have to be so smug about it.

Sighing, she set her bow and quiver aside as well. She'd brought it out of habit, but it was the core of her power that she wanted to use. Plus, the weapon felt like an obligation, one that had been forced on her from the start, and although she'd honed her skills on it, she wanted something different.

Something new.

"What first?" she asked. She still had her exam to study for, so she hoped the first lesson wouldn't take too long. Inuyasha had been his usual belligerent self when she'd mentioned going home tomorrow, but Sesshoumaru's icy glare had cut into her skin.

She hadn't bothered trying to explain the necessity to further her education, just that she was trying to improve different parts of herself so she could help out more. That seemed to pacify him, for the moment, but she knew every moment without finding Rin increased the likelihood of—

Kagome barely had enough time to jump out of the way, Sesshoumaru's lightning whip cracking beside her head. "What the hell was that for?"

"You let your mind wonder," he said, completely unapologetic.

"You never answered my question!"

"Your enemy will not give you the benefit of conversation before attacking, miko."

She growled, tempted to throw something at him. "You just said we were working on control!"

"Exactly. Therefore you must control your mind and stay focused on the task at hand." She growled again, then got into a defensive stance, hoping she didn't regret asking him for help.

"I expected more from you."

Kagome would've lobbed a stone at him if she'd been able to move, but everything hurt. She was currently sprawled out on the ground, staring up at the sky. "Sorry to be a disappointment."

"You will do better next time."

She managed to raise her head at that. "You mean you haven't given up on me already?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "I am not so foolish that this is all I expect from you. You are capable of more." It almost sounded like a compliment, and considering who it was coming from, she'd take it.

Flopping back onto the ground, she mumbled her thanks. She still needed to get up, to study, but a few minutes of lying here wouldn't hurt, right?

"Something pulls your focus," he mused, standing over her. "This 'exam' you mentioned earlier?"

Kagome sighed. "It tests my knowledge of things I've been learning about for the last few months. If I don't do well on it, I might have to retake the course."

"And that is unacceptable?"

"That's one way of putting it." She arched her back slightly, various muscles and joints popping. "Learning things costs money where I'm from. Plus, the more I learn, the more I can use that knowledge to help people here."

"Like Rin."

She smiled. "Like Rin."

"Then you must prioritize this exam."

A chuckle escaped her lips. He was so straightforward and to the point. It was refreshing, considering how often she dealt with veiled niceties and honey-dipped formalities. "I'll do my best. I just need to lay here until I can move again."

He nudged her with his boot. "It is best not to dither, miko."

She shoved his foot away. "Tell that to my aching muscles. You were the one who put me here in the first place, and—hey!" He deftly flipped her onto her stomach, limbs screaming as she tried to push herself up, but he shoved her back down again, pinning one arm to the ground.

"You will not be able to concentrate on your scroll if you do not care for yourself," he snapped, digging his thumbs into the creases of her spine.

Kagome winced, then relaxed, unable to put up any more of a fight. "Next time, lead with that instead of manhandling me. It'll get you further." He scoffed but continued to push at her back, the tension slowly leaving her. She could feel things clicking back into place, but there was still a knot between her shoulder blades, and no matter how much he probed, it wouldn't release.

"Remove this," he said, pulling at the collar of her robes.

Kagome jerked, then stared up at him. "No way! This isn't that kind of massage!"

He had the audacity to roll his eyes. "Do not flatter yourself, miko. Your clothing is interfering with the process. But if you would prefer with the build-up of your reiki interfering with you, then, by all means, keep your modesty intact." He made it sound like it wasn't a big deal, and maybe to him it wasn't, but he was one of the few people she'd never been naked in front of.

She attempted to move away from him, to prove she could manage by herself, but her muscles twinged, and she winced, her hand digging into the grass to keep herself from falling over.

There was no way she could sleep like this, let alone write an exam, and she groaned in defeat, pulling off her kosode in jerky movements. She kept her chest hidden as best she could, though her bra covered anything vital, then lay back down, burying her face in the material.

It was just a massage. He was just trying to help. She wouldn't be able to study without it.

All train of thought left her mind as soon as he touched her, fingers sliding over skin in a way that felt anything but helpful. It was no different from the way he'd been doing it before, but without the barrier of her clothing separating them, she could feel the heat from his palms.

If anyone had asked her five minutes ago, she would've told them that under no circumstances were Sesshoumaru's hands anything other than those of the icy, condescending aristocrat he presented himself to be.

Five minutes ago, he hadn't had her half-naked and at his mercy. That thought had her cheeks heating, and she bit her lip as his hands delved lower, pushing the little balls of stress along the lines of her ribs.

"You must relax," he said, going back to her neck.

"I'm trying," she hissed. "You're making it very difficult."

His fingers moved down her shoulders, pushing her bra straps out of the way. "It is not as if you are untouched." It was true, but it had still been a while, and the interim had been filled with self-exploration and toys, all of which had left her wanting and unsatisfied.

"You don't have to rub it in," she groused. "Some of us actually have to look for that. It isn't thrown at our feet in the form of willing female youkai."

Sesshoumaru snorted, digging harder into her skin on purpose. "Just because there are options does not mean I do not have standards." She would've rolled her eyes, but his hands delved under the band of her hakama, pushing down and over her hips, and Kagome let out a sharp gasp.

If she was getting turned on by Sesshoumaru, she clearly needed to get laid.

"Is this why you have been so stressed lately, miko?" His fingers dragged back up to her ribs, the band of her bra suddenly loosening. If he'd cut it off her, she'd cut him. "You are welcome to beg me for more help if needed."

"I'm not begging you for anything!" she snapped, reiki flaring. "You're the one who offered in the first place!" She managed to keep herself covered as she sat up, ready to put their single round of training to good use.

Sesshoumaru leaned back on his heels. "Yet you have undone everything This One has worked on in mere minutes."

Kagome's mouth opened to blast him, but as she flared her power again, she knew he was telling the truth. The blockages had already formed, snarling the flow of reiki even as she tried to call it to the surface.

He let out an uncharacteristic sigh. "I was not propositioning you. But you must understand that everything in your body is connected." He touched various points on her arm, starting with her hand and making his way up to her shoulder, a tingling of youki in its wake. "Control is not just about keeping it contained, but knowing when to release it."

It sounded like he was telling her an orgasm was integral to improving her power. She wasn't against the notion, but the thought of him being the one to provide it had her mind reeling.

"All I am asking is for you to relax, miko. Nothing more." The fact that he was asking for anything stopped her from blowing him off completely.

"To help Rin."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I would not use her disappearance as blackmail. Think of it as another means of training, but only for yourself." He pointed to her discarded bra. "You may even put that back on. The stress is only in your back and arms." He made it sound so logical, and she knew he was right, could feel the proof in her hands, so she lay back down.

She'd take the free massage and try to relax. If whatever he did helped her in the long run, who was she to argue?

Breathing deeply, she kept herself still, focusing on the feel of the grass under her instead of who was on top. Power pulsed, reiki begging to be set free as youki skittered along her skin.

His hands brushed her ribs, then slid down to her hips, and Kagome didn't fight the slow build of heat this time. It was still an odd sensation, considering where he wasn't touching her, but maybe she was just overly sensitive in general.

Considering how his touch had lingered after only touching her hands the first time, she was leaning more towards yes.

Did humans go through bouts of these in isolation? She'd read studies of what happened to people's psyches during incarceration but had never thought about it—never experienced it herself. She knew she enjoyed touching others, but that was just the part of her that wanted to console and heal.

Wasn't it?

She couldn't answer the question, Sesshoumaru's hands moving up to her neck again, and Kagome hissed through her teeth, pleasure shooting through her body as he pressed his thumbs in the space under her ears. She was close—closer than she thought she'd get—and couldn't stop herself from squirming.

To his credit, he said nothing, forcing the built-up stress out from between her muscles. He shifted, then used the heel of his palms down her spine, and Kagome arched under the touch, toes curling.

"Relax," he said, the sound barely more than a rumble, and she focused on her breathing again. One hand returned to her neck, the other delving under the band of her hakama, and the combined sensation had her seeing stars. Shudders wracked her body, and Kagome bit back a moan, the last of the tension ebbing out of her.

Sesshoumaru kept his hands still as if to steady her, neither of them speaking before he slowly got to his feet. "Do not rush returning to camp, miko. Lest you put all of my hard work to waste."

She nodded numbly, still gripping her robes, cheeks burning. Whatever that was, it wasn't anything she'd ever experienced before, and though her body felt like goo, it wasn't the reason she was hiding her face.

If Sesshoumaru was that good with his hands, how good was he with other things?