For someone who had just regained her ability to communicate, Kagome's silence was almost unsettling. Before her injury, her chatter filled every empty space, and she wielded words like weapons or gifts depending on her mood. Now, perched quietly in Sesshoumaru's arms as they soared through the sky, she seemed distant, her silence sharp and cold.
Sesshoumaru glanced down at her, noting the furrow of her brows and the tight press of her lips. She wasn't just quiet—she was stewing. The realization irritated him in a way he couldn't quite name. Women were baffling creatures, but Kagome? She was an enigma wrapped in emotions, one he found himself compelled to understand.
The journey to the wolves' domain was quick, the roaring waterfall that veiled the entrance growing louder as they approached. Sesshoumaru descended just outside the territory, landing with barely a whisper of sound before setting Kagome on her feet. She immediately pulled away and put distance between them.
"You are angry," he observed, his tone neutral, but the weight of the statement was anything but.
Kagome spun on her heel and leveled him with a glare. "Clearly," she snapped, brushing nonexistent dust off her oversized ivory sweater. The fabric hung loose on her frame, hiding the curves he had once unabashedly admired and caressed. She adjusted her gray leggings with sharp, jerky movements, the practicality of the outfit contrasting starkly with the daring, short dress she'd worn the night before. It wasn't lost on Sesshoumaru that her current attire was almost armor-like in its coverage—a deliberate choice, perhaps, to show her dismay.
Her gaze darted anywhere but at him as she crossed her arms as she marched to the edge of the cliff.
"One minute, you're sweet—kind, even. And then the second someone else shows up, you flip a switch and turn into an ass again!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, though he held his tongue. It was a barb meant to wound, but the truth of it stung more than he cared to admit.
Her voice softened as she added, "Maybe you were always like this, and I just didn't realize it because I couldn't hear what you were saying before. But now…" She trailed off, her fingers clutching her arms more tightly.
She glanced over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of him standing rigid and silent. To her surprise, his expression wasn't cold or dismissive. If anything, he looked… troubled. Like he was sifting through her words, trying to piece together where he had gone wrong.
The sight disarmed her anger, even as she tried to cling to it. He's not like Inuyasha, she reminded herself. Inuyasha would have been yelling by now, telling me I'm overreacting. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, waited. Patient and silent, he gave her the space to approach on her own terms.
With a sigh, Kagome let her arms drop to her sides and turned to face him. Her irritation gave way and her gaze searching his as she moved closer.
Standing before him she reached out, clasping one of his large hands in both of hers. His claws twitched slightly under her touch, but he didn't pull away.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said, her voice gentle now. She caught the slight tilt of his head, the subtle confusion in his gaze, and it nearly made her laugh. But she held it in, offering him a small smile instead. "I just don't like it when you make decisions for me, remember? Next time, will you trust me when I say it's okay to speak to my friends?"
Sesshoumaru listened intently. Externally, he was calm, but inside his beast snarled in protest. The idea of her approaching other males, even those she called friends, made his instincts rage. Yet, he knew better than to give in. Kagome was human, and her world did not operate on the same rules as his.
Still, the concept of "friends" eluded him. Before Kagome, he had no such connections. The females he had sought out were for singular, instinct-driven purposes, and he had never considered their feelings or his own beyond that. But now, here he was, letting a human—this human—reshape his understanding of the world. And, annoyingly, his desires.
When he finally inclined his head in agreement, Kagome's face lit up with a radiant smile. The sight of it stirred something in him. She squeezed his hand lightly, her warmth seeping into his skin, and he found himself reluctant to let go when she dropped it.
As she turned to secure her hair into a ponytail, Sesshoumaru's gaze lingered on the courting mark at her neck. The faint red imprint seemed to taunt him, a constant reminder of the choice he'd made.
He knew he had to tell her the truth about what it meant. He'd warned her of the risks of biting, yes, but he hadn't told her the full extent of what it signified—or what it would demand of them both. His pride warred with the unfamiliar sensation of apprehension, the thought of her anger, or worse, her rejection, gnawing at him.
But Kagome deserved to know. Even if it meant she'd hate him for it.
"Kagome… I-" Sesshoumaru began only to stop when something came flying through the waterfall in the distance and headed straight for them.