InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Winter Wish ❯ Acceptance ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Part Two: Acceptance

Sesshoumaru spent the night considering how to go about presenting himself to Kagome in a way that would make her agreeable to his suit. Were she youkai, it would be easy - he'd demand, and she'd submit.

Kagome, however, was not youkai. Therein lay the problem. She would not just submit, he would have to ask - and then she may reject him.

Although... from what I saw last night in the garden, she did not seem to like the idea of me with another female - dare I hope it is because she wishes me for herself?

By the time morning rolled around, he'd decided to just state his case outright, and hope for the best. Beating around the bush had never been his style, and he wouldn't start now.

If only he could keep his mother out of it - knowing her, she would try to interfere.

Before breakfast, or after? He considered that question for some time, finally deciding on after. He would escort her to the gardens after Rin went off for her lessons.

His fingers tapped the small shard of the shikon that he had, and he set it inside his haori sleeve - there was a small pocket of sorts inside for him to keep things that he wished hidden from sight, and the shard fit well within it. No one would know he had it until he wished them to know.

Settling his obi into place and placing his swords where they belonged, but foregoing his armor for the day, he left his chambers, heading for the dining room, with hope that his mother would decide to break her fast in her rooms.

He did not want her to get her claws into Kagome until he'd had the chance to speak to the miko himself.

As he reached the dining room, however, he became aware that his wishes were not to be granted, as the auras of both his mother and Kagome, not to mention Rin's scent, were coming from the room, and he sighed internally, before settling his normal blank mask over his face and going in.

Satori looked up as Sesshoumaru entered the room, her usual, mocking expression sending a sour pulse through her son.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, finally deigning to join your mother and your guests for breakfast? Is anything wrong, my son? You are not normally late."

"Mother, I am in no mood for your games - you will desist. My mother you may be, but you are in my home, and you will respect me."

Kagome's eyes widened at the obviously combative relationship between the stoic dai and his beautiful lady mother, but as she glanced at Rin, she noted that the little girl didn't seem at all surprised - this must truly be the norm, she decided, and lowered her head to her meal, determined to stay out of it.

Sesshoumaru held his mother's gaze firmly for a moment, then he switched it to the young miko. "Kagome," he murmured. "I trust you slept well?"

She jerked her head up to stare at him uncertainly. "Uhm... well, yes - I... suppose so," she managed to stammer out. She didn't want him to know that she'd spent a good portion of the night crying in her bed - though had she but known it, her sadness was evident in the red lining her eyes.

He frowned internally, uneasily aware that for some reason, she was very unhappy. He flicked a quick glance at his mother, scowling warningly at her, and she stared innocently back, shrugging.

He sat down, wanting to get the meal over so he could whisk her away and speak to her. "After the meal, Kagome, this one would ask to speak to you privately. If you would accompany me to the gardens?"

Kagome looked back up at him, startled, eyes wide. Did I do something wrong? "Oh, uhm... okay. Sure." She winced, embarrassed. What is wrong with me? Could I sound any more coherent? she thought dismally.

Rin glanced at Satori, a small smile on her face, and had to muffle a small giggle at the conspirational wink her Lord's mother sent her. Even as young as she was, she could see the feelings between Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome-sama.

Breakfast was eaten in silence, unlike the happy chatter of the day before, Sesshoumaru and Kagome lost in their own thoughts - of each other - and Satori and Rin amused at how blind the two were to each others feelings.

Kagome barely managed to choke any food down. I bet he wants to finish that talk from last night, she thought, her mood souring even further than it already was. What more could he want me to say? He asked me a question, I gave him my advice, end of story.

Sesshoumaru finished his meal, and waited impatiently for Kagome to finish hers, although, he frowned, she's more playing with it than eating it.

His voice broke the silence in the room, jerking Kagome's attention to him again.

"Are you finished, miko?"

She sighed, then firming her shoulders, decided she may as well gather her courage and get it over with. "Yeah, I guess so." She stood, and took his proffered arm with a sense of sorrow.

Once he's claimed his woman, I doubt she'd appreciate even this casual touch - may as well enjoy it while I can.

As they left, the two still in the room glanced at each other, and Rin giggled.

Satori sighed. "Do they even realize how ridiculous they are?" she asked, rhetorically.

"Rin does not think so, Satori-sama. But then again," the little girl looked thoughtful, a furrow appearing on her tiny brow, "Rin thinks most adults are strange."

And Satori laughed.

"You are right, child. We are."

---cCc---

Sesshoumaru wondered at the tension flowing from Kagome's form as he led her into his private gardens, but before he could say anything, Kagome burst nervously into speech.

"I wanted to ask you this yesterday, but I forgot," she rushed out. At his raised brow, she finished, a bit slower. "Why does Rin refer to herself in the the way she does?"

He stared at her bemusedly for a moment, then shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. "I suppose it is because she has picked up the habit of formal modes of address from me. I speak that way to most people - it is only with those I am comfortable with that my speech relaxes."

Kagome frowned at that. "But Rin would have learned to speak as normal ningens do, from the time she was little more than a baby. Why...?"

He looked away, remembering a tiny child, bruised and beaten - and unable to speak. "When I met Rin, she was... obviously abused. Her face was bruised and swollen from being struck - and she could not, or rather would not, speak. When she was killed by the wolves, and I brought her back with Tensaiga, she began to follow me, and I did not deny her. It took but a few weeks, and she began to speak - her speech patterns were the same as mine."

Kagome's eyes had widened in horror as he'd spoken. She'd never known the true circumstances behind Rin's advent into his life, and she found herself almost in tears at the hell that such a beautiful child had gone through, and at such a young age.

And then a surge of love went through her for the seemingly cold, arrogant youkai Lord that had saved the life of a little girl, and cared for her - when her own race had done nothing but hurt her. She now fully understood Rin's attitude towards other ningens - and her fierce love for the daiyoukai she was so devoted to.

Anyone who could love and care for someone like Rin, could never be bad in her book.

Of course, she thought, it doesn't really matter, does it? He's already got someone to love - he doesn't need me. I just hope whoever he picks treats Rin well. And then she thought about it, and realized that he would never choose someone who would hurt Rin.

He'd proved his care for the girl by his actions, and she wouldn't question him on it now.

With a deep sigh, she straightened her shoulders, and tilting her chin up, she asked, "So... what was it you wished to speak to me about, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

His brow rose in surprise at the suddenly formal mode of address from her, and he noted her once again tense form.

What, I wonder, does she fear I am going to say?

Does she think I will harm her?

"Is there a particular reason you fear me all of a sudden, miko?"

Kagome started in surprise, turning her head to stare up at him wide-eyed. "What?"

He let her slip her arm away from him, turning to face her. "Since I asked to speak to you, there has been fear in your scent. It is... unpleasant, when coming from you." A slight smirk tilted one corner of his mouth. "While I will admit to enjoying the fear scent from others, I do not when it taints your scent."

She blushed, turning her face away, she mumbled, "I'm not really afraid of you, my Lord... there's just a lot on my mind, that's all."

He tilted his head consideringly. "A poor excuse, Kagome," he said, softly. "Are you perhaps worried about what I wish to say to you? There is no cause for concern, I assure you."

Definitely uncomfortable now, she turned away and looked down at the snow piled on the ground in sparkling heaps.

"Please, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, her voice restrained and formal, "tell me why you would speak with me - what you would have from this Kagome."

So softly that she almost missed it, he said, just as formally, "Your heart, Kagome. That is what this Sesshoumaru would have from you."

Astounded, Kagome whirled on him and stared into his eyes - unable to believe what she'd just heard. "What?!" she whispered, not able to speak any louder in her shock.

He held her gaze, bound and determined to finish this. He would not falter... she would hear all he had to say to her in this moment.

"This one would ask for your heart, miko of the Shikon no Tama. In return, you would have mine. It, after all, has been yours for some time already - and this Sesshoumaru will never find another that he would wish to give it to." With a sigh, he finished. "You are the one that restored my heart to me, but it wishes to be kept by you."

Silent tears were running down her cheeks by the time he was done speaking, but she had not looked away, and despite the absolute shock of his words, she couldn't doubt them - the truth of them was written in his golden gaze. Moving towards him, mesmerized by the emotions swirling in his eyes - emotions that would never truly be spoken of, but were nonetheless there, she stopped in front of him, taking in his proud posture.

Even when he's unsure, he stands tall, with pride in himself.

She held his gaze for endless moments, searching out everything there, and finally, a smile played over her lips, and she let everything she felt into her eyes for him to see.

Does he really think I would turn him away? That I could?

"I would be happy to be with you forever, Sesshoumaru - but you have to understand what you're asking." With a sigh, she released him from her sapphire gaze, and turned, looking away. "I won't fade and die like other ningens, you know, so if you had thought to spend my lifetime with me, and then take another when I passed, you should turn away from me now."

He frowned down at her. "And that is something that I have wanted to know for some time, my onna," he said, proud to finally have the right to call her so. "I noted your changed scent long ago - and while I am more than pleased that I will not lose you to death - do not think otherwise - I would still like to know how this has happened."

Turning back to him then, she smiled, a happy, peaceful smile for the first time in a very long time, and said, "For the longest time, I thought of it as a curse, you know. The fear of living, long past everyone I've ever known - of being alone throughout eternity," she shuddered, "I dreaded what my life had become. Now... I can only think of it as a blessing."

Reaching out a hand to her, he waited for her to take it, then pulled her to him, and tilting her head up with the other, he looked down at her sternly. "While I am pleased that you wish to be with me for eternity, miko, you still haven't answered my question."

She huffed a soft laugh, and gazed at him happily. "It was the result of what I did for Kikyou. Bringing her life-force back, altered mine - in the form that she existed in, despite the fact that she had been so severely injured, there lay the possibility of eternity - and when I took that away, instead giving her a normal, human life, that possibility had to go somewhere." She chuckled, raising a brow wryly at him.

"Only, it became a fact when it claimed me, rather than just a possibility. I believe that it was something to do with the way Urasue worked her spells, but I'm not sure."

He frowned consideringly, his eyes tracing over her features one by one as he thought it through. "I suppose that in the end, it does not really matter," he said, a note of finality in his voice, and Kagome knew that it would never be spoken of again, merely accepted as a gift, whatever the original source.

His gaze shifted then, becoming molten, and instantly, Kagome felt heat zing through her as her body responded to the ancient call of his. With an almost predatory smirk, he ran a finger down her cheek, then traced it over her lips, before replacing it with his own mouth.

Oh... she thought, vaguely, he tastes... wonderful...

And he did. As he slanted his warm mouth over hers, she parted her lips, and he instantly took advantage, surging in and claiming her mouth as his, and she did nothing that could even possibly be perceived as a rejection, welcoming him with every bit of herself.

Sesshoumaru tasted her, over and over, and with a low growl, he demanded her submission, wanting nothing more than to imprint her taste into his heart and soul, so that he would always know her - in every way - taste, scent, and touch. All of it, all of her.

She was his.

Finally pulling away, he opened his eyes to take in her flushed and passion-warmed features with pride, the feeling of finally, finally having the one he'd craved for so long welling up within him, leaving his mind almost stunned with deep joy - a feeling he'd never thought to know... until this one, tiny woman had come into his life.

He would spend that eternity with her thanking the kami everyday for the gift that was Kagome.

She stared up at him, caught in his eyes, unable to look away, and not really wanting to. She'd lost all hope for happiness when she'd brought Kikyou back for Inuyasha - and now, she was being handed something more precious to her than anything she'd ever encountered...

Sesshoumaru's heart.

Stepping back just a bit, he once again caught her hand and pulled her towards a small bench under one of the trees, and sweeping it clear of the snow that lay over everything, he settled her on it, following her down to sit beside her, resting his arm around her waist.

"There is something else that we need to discuss, you know. Before we can look forward to a future together, we must finish with the present."

Kagome nodded, knowing what he was talking about immediately. "Naraku, and the jewel." She sighed, frustration surging inside her with the thought. "But we've been searching for that last shard for several years now, and none of us have been able to find it!"

Sesshoumaru chuckled, and pulling his arm from around her, reached into his sleeve, pulling out his gift to her. "That is a concern no longer, miko." He opened his hand, and she stared at what it contained, stunned.

"You mean... you've had it all this time?"

"No... my mother did. That's why even now you cannot sense it - it is shielded by her youki."

She looked up at him then. "But why has she held it until now...?"

He shrugged elegantly. "In her words? To give us the chance to find our way to each other."

Kagome pulled back from him, astonished... and then she blushed, and dropped her face. "She guessed how I felt, huh? And to think... I didn't even know how I felt." She watched as he replaced the still-shielded shard in his sleeve. "How long has she had it?" she asked, curiously.

"Since Mt. Hakurei."

She looked out over the snow-bound garden for a moment, and then began to laugh helplessly. "Oh, lord. So now what do we do?" she asked, between bouts of laughter.

He watched her, a bit bemused at her reaction, and said, "We can use this to our advantage. We should gather the half-breed and your other companions, choose a battlefield that would be advantageous to us, and then when we are ready, take the barrier off the shard. Naraku will come to us, we can fight him, and finish this absurdity." A wicked glint came into his eyes, then, and she shivered in response.

"And then we get on with eternity, my beautiful little onna."

---cCc---

Inuyasha grumbled angrily as he stomped through the snow towards the well. Kagome should have been back by now - sure, she'd said she'd be gone for several days, but he'd told her she had two - and that time was up yesterday.

He rolled his eyes as he tried to figure out what she could possibly be doing on her side of the well - and then his eyes narrowed when the thought crossed his mind that she could possibly be out with that Hojo character.

He scowled at that thought.

Despite the fact that he had Kikyou, he still felt a certain proprietary sense of ownership over the raven-haired miko. Even though he felt that Kikyou's lost powers were somehow Kagome's fault, and they were not as close as they once had been, still... she loved him, and he knew it. She always had, and a certain dark, dusty corner in his soul insisted she always would, and that that's how it should be.

Not that he would ever say that out loud, of course. He'd escaped going to hell when Kagome had brought Kikyou back... he had no desire to get there by being sat.

With a rather disgruntled sigh, he hopped into the well, annoyed that he'd had to, once again, go chase the wench down.

Keh. Can't she ever be on time for anything?

Once he reached her side of the well, he quickly jumped out, then raced for the house, hopping onto the roof and sliding her window open. As he climbed into the room, he frowned, however. The house was cold and silent - and Kagome's scent was several days old. Hastening down the stairs, he searched the house, only to find out that her family was visiting extended family somewhere else... and that Kagome truly hadn't been here in days.

Pissed now, and beginning to be somewhat worried, he left, heading back through the well, hoping that he could pick up a scent trail. On the way to the well, he'd been lost in his irritation, and hadn't been paying attention.

Almost as soon as he leapt out, nose twitching frantically, a certain scent hit his sensitive appendage, and he snarled, his ears snapping flat to his head.

Sesshoumaru! What the hell was that bastard doing here?

He knew of the friendship Kagome and the bastard's ward had, and while it annoyed the hell out of him, he hadn't really done anything to stop it, seeing as how Sesshoumaru had such a disdain for ningens, yet cared for his wards opinion, he'd known that the older male would not harm Kagome, for that very reason.

But coming here and taking Kagome? That was tantamount, in Inuyasha's opinion, to a declaration of war.

Bring it on, you icy bastard!

Pushing into a run, he dashed back towards the village, only to come to a screeching halt at the edge of it, as two auras that had not been there when he'd left impinged on his consciousness, and he growled deeply, eyes flickering from gold to red.

So he brought her back, did he? Just what did the bitch think she was doing sneaking off with him, anyway? What is she hiding?

"Sesshoumaru!" he shouted, drawing Tessaiga as he leapt towards Kaede's hut, where the auras were coming from. Skidding to a halt outside, he waited for his brother to step out, and then began yelling. "What the hell are you doing here - and with Kagome?!"

Kagome burst out of the hut right behind Sesshoumaru, and scowled at the irate hanyou as the rest of the group followed her out.

"What the hell is your problem, Inuyasha?! Put your damn sword away, there's no need for it, baka!"

Sesshoumaru stared at his brother, one brow raised disdainfully. "Tell me, half-breed... do you ever think before you act?"

"Screw you, bastard! What the fuck are you doing in my village?" He was still stubbornly holding Tessaiga, and Miroku moved forward, attempting to calm the tense atmosphere.

"Inuyasha, calm down. Sesshoumaru and Kagome have some news for us - concerning Naraku. He is, after all, an enemy to all of us."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "And just where have you been, Ka-go-me? Thought you went home - but you ain't been there, and now you show up with this prick, sayin' you got news?"

Kagome glared at him, her eyes like ice. "Since when am I answerable to you, Inuyasha? Kikyou may be, as she's your mate, but you have no say in my life at all."

Sesshoumaru watched his brother carefully, enjoying his discomfiture at Kagome's words more than he would ever be able to express. The simple fact that the half-breed no longer had any hold on her heart was enough to make his entire year, and he just couldn't resist the chance to make his brother's day even worse.

"Indeed, Inuyasha. As my mate-to-be, she is only answerable to me. Do not forget it - you have no influence over her any longer, and you will refrain from attempting to force her to submit to you."

Kagome flinched at the sudden, deafening silence, and she sighed, looking up at him with annoyance.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" fell into the silence like boulders down a mountainside.

"What did you just say, bastard?!" Inuyasha hissed, absolute disbelief in his expression.

At that point, Kikyou stepped in. "Inuyasha, it isn't your concern. It is Kagome's life, and Sesshoumaru-sama is correct - you have no say in it. Put your sword away and come inside."

Sango stared at her friend, as did Miroku, astounded looks on both their faces.

"Uh... Kagome... have you forgotten to tell us something lately?" Sango asked.

Kagome tossed another annoyed look at her daiyoukai, then shrugged sheepishly at her friends. "Can we all go inside and talk about this? I'm kinda getting cold out here."

Everyone filed back into the hut except Inuyasha, who was still obviously enraged, and Kikyou, who was trying to get him to calm down. It took a few minutes, but he finally sheathed his sword, and pushed his way inside, plopping down and glaring with hate-filled eyes at his brother.

"So, bastard, mind telling me what the hell the joke is? You can't be serious about you and Kagome, so spit it out."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, insulted at his words, but Sesshoumaru held up a hand, halting the flow of angry words before they could start.

"This one does not jest, Inuyasha. The miko will be the mate of this Sesshoumaru as soon as Naraku is defeated. We will not discuss that any further, as it is none of your business. The only thing we are here to speak of is the defeat of the spider."

His words held a finality to them that no one in the hut missed, and the rest of the group reluctantly pushed the questions running through their minds away.

Kaede, who had been sitting quietly, listening, spoke up. "What, then, is the news?"

Kagome glanced around the room, and then looked up at Sesshoumaru. "You may as well show them now and get it over with."

He glanced at her, then nodded. Pulling his hand from his sleeve, he opened it... and everyone stared at the shard that lay there, mesmerized.

Before Inuyasha could start spouting off wild accusations,Kagome said, "My Lord's Lady mother has had this shard - and as you can tell, it's shielded - meaning that Naraku has no idea we even have it. It was the last one..." she trailed off.

Miroku stared at it thoughtfully, then looked up at Seshoumaru. "So... once we find a good battlefield, you will drop the barrier around it, and use it as bait."

Sesshoumaru glanced at the monk, then nodded sharply. "Yes."

Inuyasha was still staring at the shard in his brothers hand, a suddenly blank look settling on his face. "So... what the hell was your mother doing with it, huh, bastard?"

Kagome blushed at that question, flicking a look at the big daiyoukai at her side, and he raised a brow at her in response, then turned back to his brother.

"You could consider it a mating gift, if you will, from her to my miko and I. She simply held it 'til it was needed," he said, smugly, and Inuyasha flushed an ugly red.

"So you mean to tell me she was holding out on us deliberately - all this time?" he asked, from between clenched teeth.

"Shut it, Inuyasha." Kagome was tired, and in no mood to baby the hanyou any further. "We have it now, so let's not worry about the past, and concentrate on planning Naraku's downfall. If you can't or won't stop acting like a spoiled brat, then leave, and the rest of us will take care of things."

The entire hut went still with shock - Kagome had never spoken to Inuyasha in that tone before.

"My lady is correct, half-breed," Sesshoumaru said, an icy resolve on his face and in his voice that lowered the temperature in the hut about twenty degrees. "It is not our problem that you cannot handle the fact that Kagome no longer worships the ground you walk on. Either deal with it, or leave."

Once again, silence settled in the room, no one willing to speak at that point. The youkai Lord glanced around the hut, then, satisfied that the arguing was now over, spoke once more.

"We have a spider to kill - so let us concentrate on that. Anything else," he cast a deadly glare at his brother, "can wait until after he is destroyed."

Inuysha glared back, but didn't say anything.

That's fine, bastard - but as soon as Naraku's gone, it's on between you and I.

No matter what Kagome says.

---cCc---

Sesshoumaru was a master tactician, and with the ambush that he set up for the spider hanyou that was the cause of so much misfortune, there was no chance that the evil half-youkai would escape - and he didn't. In a totally anti-climactic finish, the one to actually take Naraku down was his own incarnation, Kagura - the kaze youkai had several years of torture to gain vengeance for, and she did - in a very gruesome way.

Afterwards, when she realized that her dream of a relationship with the Lord of the West was not going to happen, she turned her attention to new lands, and headed off into the winter sunset, taking Kanna with her, never to be seen again.

With the jewel being complete, Kohaku passed on again, finally free to leave behind a life full of painful memories, and though Sango grieved, she was grateful that her brother was finally at peace.

Miroku could scarcely believe that he had outlived the curse that had taken his father and grandfather - and that he would actually have the chance to live the life he'd dreamt of with his beautiful taijiya. Immediately after the battle ended, the two together took Kohaku's body home to the taijiya village to be buried with honor - afterwards, the two would finally get their chance to marry.

All of the happiness that came with the end of the spider, however, was overshadowed by Inuyasha's rashly voiced challenge to his brother - over his desire for Kagome. He just refused to back down - even when his own mate threatened to leave him if he didn't stop.

Kagome was livid, needless to say.

"What the hell is your problem, Inuyasha? Did you really expect me to waste the rest of my life mooning after you while you lived happily ever after with Kikyou? Did you?!" She stared at him, appalled, when he couldn't look at her - she'd hit the nail on the head. "You selfish bastard!" she shrieked, hurt and angry - and not inclined to forgiveness at that point.

"How dare you," she breathed. "Does seeing me hurt bring you pleasure?" She stared at him, then, as silence settled over the battlefield. "I never really knew you, did I, Inuyasha? And you have the nerve to say that Sesshoumaru is heartless?"

Inuyasha stared at her, ears pinned to his head defensively, but unrepentantly. "How long, Kagome? Huh? How long were you going behind my back and whoring yourself to that bastard?"

Kagome was so angered at those words, that she was actually moved to physical violence, and Sesshoumaru had to step in between them. "No, Kagome. As your mate-to-be, it is my place to defend your honor."

She stared up at him for a moment, trying her best to calm herself, then shook her head, looking over at the silver-haired hanyou she'd once loved with disdain.

"Forget it, Sesshoumaru. He is not worth the time it would take. If he can say such a thing to me after everything I've given for him, then I wish never to lay eyes on him again."

Her words echoed across the battlefield, and Inuyasha's eyes widened with shock - and sudden fear.

"W-wait, Kagome... you don't mean that! You love me, and you know it and I know it - you wouldn't choose this bastard over me!"

She turned her back on him and began to walk away, shoulders stiff. "You chose Kikyou a long time ago, Inuyasha, which meant that I was free to find my own life - and I did. Instead of being happy for me, you are selfishly trying to destroy that happiness."

Sesshoumaru shook his head at his brother, then turned to follow Kagome, pausing as she spoke once more.

"Would you take me home, my Lord? There's nothing left for me here."

He nodded, then glanced down at the kitsune that had followed her for so many years. "If you so desire, kit, you may come."

Shippo, who'd stayed silent as the final accounting between Inuyasha and Kagome had played out, nodded sadly, and scampered after Kagome as she walked from the field.

Inuyasha stared, horrified, as Kagome walked away, never once looking back.

It was a shocking end to a friendship that had at one time been so strong...

---cCc---

A/N: One more part to go...