InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Midwinter Dream ❯ The Pleasure of Your Company ( Chapter 12 )

A/N: About time I updated... I've been 'suffering' random sessions of writer's block, which seems very odd, I know. I hope that the horrifying length of it is good enough to make up for the time though. Yes, look at that little scroll bar to the right. See how exceptionally tiny that is?? You have a lot of reading ahead of you, and now that I think about it I don't believe anyone dreads that...

 

Oh, and one more thing. I've gotten quite a few more readers who have been pampered with reading thirty three chapters without update time, so it is a new thing to be dropped at the end of a chapter and have questions. Well, it's been the same way with a lot of chapters. I leave questions in my reader's heads to ponder over for the next update, it's just the way I write. :P

 

Enjoy! :D

 

Chapter 12

 

The Pleasure of Your Company

 

Upon their return, Kagome was immediately glomped by children and 'persuaded' to play with them. They had made an extra durable ball to kick around, and she was impressed by its size. It was at least another half the size of a normal soccer ball, but it was easier for them to handle and get to. They may be yÅkai, but they were still children, and depth perception was a scary thing to confront face on.

 

It was especially scary for Kagome, who was currently goal keeper. The kids were calling her a cheater for using her miko powers to grab the forty mile per hour ball, and she had to catch them and ruffle some hair to get the point across that she deserved at least her powers against little super yÅkai. Besides, the teams had quickly transformed from twenty versus twenty to thirty nine versus the goal keeper, so she had her work cut out for her. She eventually put a barrier in front of the goal and told them to figure it out so she could have a break. Sesshomaru had been there for all of thirty seconds, probably curious, and was long gone now.

 

“I had no idea you were so good with children,” Sheng commented, offering a cup of sake. She accepted just to quench some thirst, and politely asked a servant who happened to be mother to three of those brats for some water instead.

 

“Being a miko helps,” she replied, huffing alcohol tainted puffs and probably stinking the place up with perspiration. Oh well, they'd have to deal with their noses while her body handled its temperature.

 

Sheng chuckled. “Ever think of having kids?”

 

She snorted. Loudly. “Yeah. Usually in nightmares.”

 

They had a good laugh at that.

 

Seeing Kagome's desperation for sleep after a five minute water break, Sheng verbally fended off the children, and they struck a bargain that Kagome could leave (for now) if she dropped the barrier.

 

“Thanks,” she said, walking alongside Sheng in the barely lit halls. It was sunset already, and they were off to a quiet room so she could get some food for the first time in over a day before hitting the hay. She didn't have an appetite until five bites into it.

 

They had been talking about various sports and the Olympics, which he had attended far more than once in Greece a couple thousand years ago, when they had an unexpected visitor.

 

“Dear Li Hua,” Sheng greeted, standing with arms open. “What a pleasure to see you!”

 

“... Did the sake finally get to you?” she asked, genuinely curious through her natural joy-kill attitude.

 

Kagome snorted soy sauce.

 

“Barely,” Sheng replied. “We need to invent a stronger drink, or import it.”

 

Sesshomaru's mother offered a smile. “You do that... In the meantime, would you mind that I intercept your conversation for a personal meeting?”

 

“Certainly not,” he replied. “I will see you tomorrow, fair Kagome.”

 

She waved once. He was certainly happy. Maybe he had actually gotten tipsy?? He must have started drinking at five in the morning then. He drank in moderation though, so he could have just overdone it.

 

The door closed, and Kagome found herself facing off with the second most powerful person in that place.

 

“So...” she began, swallowing her food. “How's life?”

 

“Long,” was the reply. Classic. Li Hua knelt down at the table, and performed the most odds defying feat Kagome had ever witnessed.

 

The woman turned into a giddy girl.

 

“So!” she giggled. “I was just with Sesshomaru, and he seems to have taken to you quite well! What happened in the cave?”

 

One of the chopsticks fell from Kagome's hand. Dear kami, it was yÅkai Yuka!

 

“Ah...” was Kagome's first intelligent noise. She forced herself to stop staring, and put down the other stick. “Well, we were attacked and had to follow a stream to get that seal back.”

 

Li Hua huffed. “I came in here to listen to a story, not a sentence. I want to know everything, and I do not care how long it takes or how graphic it gets.”

 

Kagome blinked. This was going to be interesting...

 

Ten minutes proved to be enough time to get past the uncertainty though.

 

“Really?!” Li Hua giggled happily. “He kissed you?!”

 

“I know!!” Kagome laughed, blushing heavily now and feeling like that one drink of sake had loosened her tongue. It didn't do anything to her though, she knew that. “I so wasn't expecting it, either! It's like he's a whole different person when he's out of the o-shiro.”

 

“I know,” Li Hua sighed. “I practically banned him from this place for a while, but it certainly did not help with his personality. You are quite healthy for him.”

 

Kagome waved a hand in the air. “Nah. I'm probably just the only person who has no connections to his life and doesn't care about his status.”

 

“Therein lies the good part,” Li Hua replied. She suddenly clapped her hands with a cute smile. “Oh, I am delighted! A few more months and I am sure you can stay here the rest of your life!”

 

Kagome accidentally dropped her tea cup, and it shattered.

 

“... Was that unexpected?” Li Hua asked.

 

“Um,” Kagome replied with another undeniably eloquent utterance. “Ah... Huh... Um, why?”

 

Li Hua blinked and suddenly had a very flat expression. “Surely the two of you are falling in love by now...”

 

Kagome got so red that she soon felt like a kettle with a cork in it. “Wh- ... What?!”

 

Li Hua sighed. “Oh, my, you two are impossible...” She hummed to herself as Kagome counted the painful throbs of her heart being lodged somewhere in her esophagus. It made for quite the annoying lump stuck in her throat, and it was hard to breathe. “Calm yourself, this is nothing to be afraid of.”

 

“You're talking about me falling in love with... With your son!” Kagome replied. “Don't you want him getting it on with a yÅkai? I'm a human, your kind hates me!”

 

“Correction, you are a miko.”

 

“Which means you despise me instead,” Kagome replied.

 

Li Hua giggled. “Only a little. On the contrary, being a miko is indeed a very respectable title, even among yÅkai. We just do not admit it.”

 

Kagome stuttered. “But, come on. I can't fall in love with him, and he can't fall in love with me.”

 

“You forbid it?”

 

“It's impossible.”

 

“Then would you forbid it?”

 

Kagome could only imagine the brilliant color she turned into.

 

“I will take that as a 'no',” Sesshomaru's mother stated. “Now then, why do you assume it is impossible?”

 

Kagome's head was swimming. This woman was too carefree to have a normal paced conversation with. “Wha-? Um, well, if I was with him, I'd surely be assassinated-”

 

“He would protect you and your children with his life,” Li Hua defended.

 

“... And- And he would have hanyÅ children if he mated a human-”

 

“So?”

 

This woman loved interrupting people. “And, I am hardly a presentable lady. I don't even act feminine!”

 

“You have a low self esteem, do you not?” the mother asked. Kagome gapped. “Is this really all that is holding the two of you back? By your reactions to one another you seem to believe that any romance would start a war...”

 

Kagome balled her fists under the table. “Why are you contradicting me!”

 

“Because you are denying yourself,” she replied. “And, consequently, you are denying Sesshomaru what he wants as well.”

 

Kagome stared. Was this offending? Embarrassing? Confusing, certainly. She couldn't figure any of this out.

 

“I will strike a bargain with you.”

 

Kagome focused back on reality from her slight emotional turmoil.

 

“I will make a list of things Sesshomaru may do to show you his interests,” she began, returning to her regal and nonchalant state yet retaining a quirky little smile. “If he does any of them, you will admit to yourself that you like him, that he likes you, and you open up so he does not feel so odd trying to woo you. Or just tell him that you are not interested in him and be done with it.”

 

Kagome could feel her soul starting to raise out of her body. This felt worse than... Than webcam dating... “... Are you serious?”

 

“Perfectly,” Li Hua replied. “Now before you begin stuttering excuses, here are some things men in my species do.”

 

Kagome swallowed hard, telling herself how utterly preposterous this was, and listened as though it were the information that would save the world.

 

“Since he is indeed a lord, he will not be obvious about his feelings until you begin opening up, or until the two of you are alone.” That was obvious. Was that on the list? “He will seek your attention more frequently, and perhaps do small favors for you when he has the time. You will be isolated from other males unless he trusts them, and he may be more prone to touching you.” Li Hua smiled when Kagome began blushing more and more furiously. “Has he already done all of this?”

 

“No,” Kagome replied. “Some...”

 

“Ah, good! Now, where was I...”

 

“I can't believe you're enforcing this...” Kagome sighed, not knowing what to do with herself.

 

“Of course I am. I am his mother, therefor, I have complete rights to do so when I see fit. ... Ah, right, another thing he may be prone to is seeking your company more than usual, which is different than wanting your attention.”

 

Kagome held her face. This wasn't happening... This was Sesshomaru, for kami's sake!! The aristocratic assassin, the killing perfection, the ender of lives. Not some normal guy who was as uncertain about romance as she was. It just... It was impossible.

 

“Yes, blush prettily like that around him, too,” Li Hua almost teased. “He will love it.”

 

“I already do it plenty!” Kagome cried hysterically. She couldn't believe this, she was going to go home and never come back.

 

“Splendid!” the mother cheered. “Keep up the good work. Now, I have to go scold my son, so I bid you a good night.”

 

Kagome found herself first staring after the woman, and then alone with her thoughts. She believed she would never get to sleep after this, but her exhaustion told her otherwise and demanded that she have a few erotic dreams to keep her mind company. The next day she was training with thoughts of the fight which would take place in just four days, and more thoughts of what Sesshomaru's mother had said the night before. She was still blushing over the ideas that woman had given her, but decided while her sword diced the air that she would play along with being a little more cute around Sesshomaru. She could do that, she was curious after all, and it could be fun if he got into it. After all, any side other than his normal side was always fun to see, and... Well, she had to admit, he wasn't the worse thing in the world to look at.

 

She finished through a form and stopped when she sensed Sesshomaru nearby, and was intrigued when he exited from the o-shiro to watch her.

 

“A visit?” she asked, sheathing her blade and refusing to run screaming for his mom to undo what she had said the night before. “Aw, you shouldn't have.” He really, really shouldn't have...

 

Sesshomaru looked like he was trying to suppress a small smile, probably picking up on some odd scent she didn't doubt was coming off of her, but she noticed the corners of his mouth begin to raise despite his best of efforts. Maybe he liked her... Just maybe... That thought was enough to bring down an army...

 

“I am leaving with Sheng on official business to Edo,” he informed nonchalantly. “Are you still interested in seeing the castle?”

 

“Is that... An invitation?” she asked, the ticking in her chest stopping for a moment.

 

“What else could it be?” he inquired while folding his hands into his sleeves

 

Kagome gapped at him. Then, wondering what his reaction would be to her next big display of feminine stupidity, she squealed and hurried over to quickly embrace him. “YES!! Yes yes yes! Thank you!”

 

She let go, smiled like an idiot, and went into her room to gather some things. Seeking her presence, okay... Was he going to seek her attention, too? That was beside the point though. The castle?! She was definitely excited. In her time, this was a never in a lifetime opportunity, and she just seized it.

 

He followed her... Alright, maybe some attention was being sought... She couldn't help but blush. Was his mother actually right? If so, Kagome needed to drink a bottle of sake and sit down with the woman for a day to discuss certain things.

 

“That was quite the unexpected reply,” he commented.

 

“It suits an unexpected invitation,” she countered, glancing at him standing in the doorway. The winter sparkled behind him, and she looked away before she began thinking how poetically beautiful life suddenly was. “When are you leaving?”

 

“Now.”

 

“Alright then!” she replied, her sword set aside with her bow, quiver and bag, and her haori and hakama only in slight disarray. “I'm ready! Where's Sheng?”

 

Sheng was waiting in the court yard, and Kagome smiled to see him. The yÅkai smiled back, and left her staring when he lifted into the air without her.

 

Ah... Yeah... She hated that man... So he WAS in on this whole 'lets see if we can't make the impossible happen by getting those two interested in one another' scheme!

 

“Are you coming?”

 

Kagome looked quickly at Sesshomaru, and when she blushed he smiled ever so faintly and offered his hand. She accepted it, cursing his mother vigorously inside her head as they lifted into the air. She was wondering why they weren't there already with that instant travel thing and why Sheng remained so far ahead. She also noted that Sheng remained standing, while she was left to sit at Sesshomaru's side. How cute...

 

“So,” she began, a bit nervous now. Okay, maybe Sesshomaru liked her, but probably just as a friend, because anything else would be odd. Right? Well, different, probably not unpleasant. “I can fly like this?”

 

“With practice,” Sesshomaru replied.

 

“How long does it take?”

 

He shrugged, which she felt since she was leaning against him again. She enjoyed that little bit of physical contact. His hand was on her hip once more, and the touch was like blessed fire. “I do not know how long it will take you.”

 

“Well, how many days did you need?”

 

“Hm,” he laughed to himself. “It took me a little more than two years.”

 

She about had a heart attack. “Wow... Swimming doesn't take nearly that long...”

 

“How long did you need?”

 

She thought about that. “... Well... Maybe two or three years to do it unassisted... But that's because I was a child. Were you young when you began flying?”

 

He nodded.

 

“It should only take you a week to learn how to swim quite decently,” she assured. “If not less. Learning to dive is trick for some people.”

 

“Then flying should take just as long.”

 

She was shocked. “U-uh... I like the idea of having two years.”

 

“You wish to have me teaching you for that long?”

 

... “Good point.”

 

They chuckled over that, and were already fairly close to old Edo. The commute from the mountain was a relatively short one, probably only ten minutes at this speed. The little city was pretty large, but so underdeveloped that Kagome couldn't recognize any part of it at all as they began to fly over it.

 

“You brought down Bashamon here?” she asked.

 

“Yes,” Sesshomaru replied.

 

“There aren't any battle scars,” she commented, checking the walls and for old fire burns.

 

“It was a fairly simple battle,” he supplied. “Once Bashamon fell the chain of command broke, making his forces into a mass of idiots struggling for open dominance. Lizards are quite inexperience with pack mentality, it is not natural for them.”

 

“That must have been entertaining,” she replied with a smile. “By the way, where did the stake end up? We haven't strengthened it yet. You sort of disappeared with it when we got back.”

 

“Last night, you seemed too tired to be securing the seal,” he answered the statement before the question. “The stake is under tight security back at the o-shiro until another safe confinement can be found. The council had wanted the seal strengthened within the last week leading up to our resumed fight, in case something were to happen.”

 

Alright, so they had a few days before the seal actually began to weaken. “Why didn't Bashamon show himself when you were leaping for the cave exit?”

 

Sesshomaru sounded quite humored. “When one is soul bound to an item, they are capable of disappearing into it. Like Saya with So'unga's sheath. It is better than being dragged along.”

 

She could imagine as much. She had yanked Saya after herself numerous times. “Why does he need to be isolated so far away?” she asked. Seriously, the guy was sealed already... Were they looking for another cave?

 

“Because he would bore the guards to death.”

 

“... That was a joke?”

 

“Hardly.”

 

“Well, it was still funny,” she replied with a smile, leaning into him a little more. She realized she had done as much, and was about to draw away, but his hand held her securely there. Hm, maybe he did like her... Maybe she liked him liking her... It was hard to think that way about someone who defined 'impersonal'. She enjoyed the areal sight of the castle as they drew closer.

 

Landing was always something Kagome enjoyed. Sesshomaru's energy swirled like a mist around them, keeping them momentarily afloat just high enough to extend their legs and touch down, then it disappeared like fog in the sun. She was somewhat disappointed when he removed his hand from her, but supposed that having Sheng for an audience wasn't something either of them would enjoy in the future.

 

Kagome looked around the snowed out garden, the place not familiar in the least. This section must have been claimed by the fires of the Meiji revolution. Ugh, she wish she hadn't been 'sick' for the field trip to the castle in the future.

 

She was going to ask who ruled at this time, but their presence was known and a very scared servant greeted the three of them and invited them inside. Promptly after being shown to a nice room the lord arrived.

 

“My mighty lords,” the man greeted. “I apologize for not being more prepared in receiving you.”

 

“Enough of that,” Sheng replied. Kagome was shocked at how serious he sounded and looked at him out of the corner of her eye to see if he was swapped with a double. Nope, that was him... “You know why we are here.”

 

“Yes!” the under lord agreed, bowing again. “The scrolls are being summoned as we speak, and food and drink prepared.”

 

The poor middle aged man looked so nervous, and kept eying Kagome in a questioning manner. Probably because she looked like the miko that she was, which didn't make sense when in the presence of two powerful yÅkai. She offered him a small smile, and his spirits seemed to brighten a little.

 

They were invited to relax, and when the scrolls were brought Sesshomaru cracked seals and unbound ties to skim through them. Kagome, seated to the inugami daiyÅkai's right was fascinated. There were probably twenty rolls of parchment there, and in two minutes he was already through three. No wonder he was able to plow through the library... They were huge too, about as long as her forearm from extended fingertips to elbow, and probably as thick as two fists held together. They looked to weigh a lot, each carried in by one servant with both arms, but Sesshomaru handled the rolls of paper like it were the morning news articles.

 

“These are incomplete,” he stated, handing the scroll he had just finished over to Sheng. Two scribes lifted their brushes to record the lord's words. Feeling like she needed something to do, Kagome began to reach for the food that had been brought to them. Sesshomaru absentmindedly took her hand and held it to her lap, then removed it to handle the parchment. Apparently, they were allowed to be offered food, but it would be a bad thing to accept it. She instead kept herself entertained by looking at the information he was quickly scrolling though, and it was like watching the credits of a movie, only three times as fast. She caught the words Ashikaga Shogunate though, which was the title of the current military dictatorship. So the Ashikaga family lived there now... That would last for... Seventy more years? She was off, she knew it, but not by much. The next family to settle in Edo would be the popular Tokugawa in their two hundred and sixty five year rein.

 

“Yes,” Sheng stated, which sounded random after Kagome's thought process. “We require records of all of your spending and acquirement of money.”

 

“Where are the records flawed, my lords?” the man inquired. The poor guy looked ready to behead himself to save them the trouble of having to do it. He was apparently very new to his position, or filling in for someone.

 

“You have no records of food or taxes in here,” Sheng began, Sesshomaru picking up the fifth scroll to read it. “You also do not specify whether or not your servants are paid. You have kept a decent log of trade, military, and the minor lord wages, which is good... How is the next scroll looking, Inu no Taisho?”

 

Kagome felt her eyes widen extremely, but otherwise was perfectly fine with the suddenly different title for Sesshomaru. Apparently, he had some pretty sizable shoes to fill.

 

“Decent,” Sesshomaru replied, handing it over for Sheng's perusal. Was Sesshomaru remembering all of the information written down, or just double checking records? By the looks of the dates, Kagome guessed that these covered the last year of city financing and military action. She wondered if yÅkai proof-read the transactions which initiated world war one so long from now... Did Sesshomaru read and approve of it? Or even initiate it? She hoped not...

 

Sheng clicked his tongue with disapproval, which made the man seated down before them flinch. “Recording merely the taxes from the populace is not enough, young lord. You need to address your minor lords and tell them that the financial records of every family need to be balanced to know if there is an increase or decrease of prosperity here. Going by this, it is hard to know the daimyÅ are abusing the system, which they are doing. Be sure to fix that. Also, about the safety in the city, make sure that all sectors are policed, and that-”

 

This was like a history lesson, so Kagome naturally muted the rest out... If she recalled correctly, the daimyÅ were the domesticated samurai who managed many records and owned ample land in the area, and they died out in the nineteenth century.

 

They were there for another half an hour, discussing how things were to be improved and what will have changed by the time they visited a year from now, and by the end of it Sesshomaru told the man to have the castle cleared until they left.

 

“Clear out the castle??” Kagome asked when the lord finally left, having been slowed by several bows as the scribes exited with their small tables and papers. This was worse than watching Jaken around Sesshomaru. ... And speaking of, where had that toad gotten to? She hadn't seen him in years. Anyway... “Where are they supposed to go?!”

 

Sesshomaru shrugged. “Elsewhere. Such is not my problem, but theirs.”

 

“Why did you tell him to clear the place out though?” Kagome inquired, a little flustered. It was rude in her book to have everyone evacuate their home...

 

“Because yÅkai are beginning to become more of a myth than a reality,” Sheng supplied. “And that is a good thing. To have all of the servants witness a 'demon' giving a miko a tour of the castle would be counterproductive.”

 

“You want them to think that your kind doesn't exist?” Kagome asked incredulously. “But... But isn't that something you wouldn't want? It seems dishonorable.”

 

“Certainly not,” Sheng replied, continuing their conversation with Sesshomaru stuck sitting in the middle of it; Sheng was to his left, Kagome still to his right. “It would free us from guiding these simpleminded humans so that we may focus on our own kind. We do not enjoy meddling with affairs not concerning us, but splitting land to be ruled by two different species has such disadvantages. We merely want them to be able to watch themselves and to gather in actual cities soon, so that our kind my stay where we belong and not be bothered.”

 

Kagome nodded, though she didn't quite understand. She had always thought that yÅkai hated humans, not spent hundreds of years guiding them in the ways of politics and economics, and she would imagine the human race to be dead by now if they were an obligation. Then again, it made sense. She could point at a few other government systems which seemed solely constructed of actual demons in the future.

 

“You're not coming?” Kagome asked Sheng as she began to walk away with Sesshomaru in the slight lead.

 

“Nah,” the old yÅkai replied, looking content. “You go ahead and explore your architecture. I'll enjoy some of the sake they brought.”

 

He offered her a wink, and she giggled as Sesshomaru told her to not dawdle. Sheng had his reasons, which were a tad humiliating. He was giving her some alone time with Sesshomaru. She would have balked at the thought, save for the fact that it would be nice to enjoy a two person tour. Perhaps she could make him laugh some more, too.

 

“Wow...” Kagome found herself sighing, walking through standing history. “I can't believe how beautiful this place is...” It's a shame it was, or would be, destroyed... She was so wrapped up in the artistic qualities of the place. The wood which was not painted over white was dark and yet very warm. Outside showed snow buried trees and large bridges which stretched over the motionless moats. In the future, some of those bridges which survived the fires would be replaced with European-style ones, so to see the originals outside of photos was something to cherish. The castle shot out of the water in walls of huge, fitted stones, which was perfect for the fortified fort that it truly was. There were very large, fancy and functional gates and turrets on the outside, positioned strategically for the day and age and battle methods. Sesshomaru was a tad surprised by how much Kagome was delighted to see and feel the walls. None of them remained standing in the future. They were all torn down, and most of the gates with them.

 

Although the outside was captivating, the inside was stunning. Not many pictures showed the interior of the castle around which Edo was built. As she studied cross beams and carvings with a note to memorize them, she absentmindedly wondered how similarly she was acting like Sesshomaru when he first went to the future. Heh, magnets... She had caught him visiting them at night when she needed a drink. She had peeked around the corner to see him tossing a sticker magnet at the fridge to see it stick, then peel it off and do it again, flexing it in perplexity. She was smiling now at both her brief exploration and the memory.

 

“Thank you,” she said as their walk began to loop, returning to the room they left Sheng in. “This was great.”

 

“You are welcome,” Sesshomaru replied. Sheng had left, probably having returned to the o-shiro, so they went to find the lord and told him they were leaving, at her insistence, and then did so.

 

“... So, where are we going?” she asked, back on that energy cloud with Sesshomaru, wondering how many people saw them. They were moving off in a direction they didn't arrive from. That was answered soon though, because a particular structure caught her eye and she squinted to see it better. “... Oh my goodness...”

 

When they landed she looked around, then at Sesshomaru. He nodded his head, suggesting she explore, and she stepped high through the snow and did just that.

 

Sliding the familiar, younger doors to the well shrine open, she felt like she could turn around and see her home. The shrine was exactly what she was used to seeing in the future, save for those doors were still over the top of the well. They had not been busted out by Mistress Centipede and Inuyasha yet, and they did not look as old as she was used to. The hinges were still new, and unmarred by centuries of morning fog to rust them up

 

She took a deep breath, and slid her hands down from the ends of the doors to walk over the sudden cut off snow and inside. It was so familiar. Even the smell... She looked back, but didn't see the property she had been raised on. It was a clear and bumpy hilltop, like a religious or natural sanctuary, and a very important tree was missing.

 

“Where does the Goshinboku go?” Sesshomaru asked her once she came back out. She felt like her mind had just been read.

 

“Hm,” she hummed happily, pointing. “Over there. I'll show you.”

 

She jogged ahead, the snow rather deep in certain places, and once she got to where she could see the ghost of the ancient tree standing in front of her she looked back to confirm the spot. It was right, and she made a circle with her footprints in the snow while Sesshomaru finished his walk.

 

“Right here,” she smiled, looking down at her sloppy mark for the tree's location. She looked around, and pointed again. “That's where the house is... And in front, that's where the main visitor's shrine and office will be... The minor stairs leading to the property are back over there... And the main ones are up there...” This felt so weird to be on an empty lot, and she could so easily see where everything would be built. She gave a soft hum, feeling warmed rather than lost and confused for the lack of her home, and smiled up at Sesshomaru. “You didn't have to bring me here...”

 

“I am aware of that,” he replied with a small smile. “Not everything has to revolve around me.”

 

She blushed, his mother's words echoing in her head. “Thank you.” A grin captured her, and she walked back over to the well shrine. He followed.

 

“What do you find funny?” he asked in response to her giggle.

 

Kagome rounded on the daiyÅkai, hands clasped behind her back, and smiled. “I was just thinking about that rainstorm,” she admitted, looking around. “Kami, you were annoying back then...”

 

“You still see me in such light,” he replied.

 

“... Well, not so much,” she informed, giving her all to suppressing a faint flush of her cheeks. “I will consider you a friend, for now, and I will see where things go from there.”

 

“Hm,” she heard him utter. “I still do not know why you refused my haori back then.”

 

“Because of what it meant in my time,” she explained, letting the story hang in the air.

 

He decided to grab it. “What does it mean?”

 

“Heh,” she tittered. “Well, it is usually done with coats, which are the future of haori. In my time, a guy will offer his coat to a girl because he likes her, and him not wanting her to catch cold is a good excuse to do it. I was... caught off guard when you put your haori around me, and said you didn't want me to get sick, then you forced me to sit in your lap... It meant something more than a safeguard against disease to me, and so I was embarrassed to accept it.”

 

He understood what she was explaining, she could see in in his face with how it softened.

 

“Want to hang out?”

 

He frowned at her, caught off guard. “Hang out of what?”

 

She began laughing at him, and clutching her sides she sat down heavily against the wall, up on the interior walkway. “Oh, kami, I should make a book on altered phrases...”

 

He approached her, and she chuckle up at him. “To hang out means to spend time with one another, doing whatever. A lot of times it just means to do something mildly entertaining and then talk for hours on end.”

 

“In other words, you wish to have a conversation with me?” he asked.

 

She nodded, and after a moment watched as he took a seat against the wooden picket-like fence across from her.

 

“Alright,” he agreed, tucking his hands into opposing sleeves. “What do you wish to discuss?”

 

She smiled. “I think it's time to talk about what has happened to both of us in the last four years...”

 

Sesshomaru was a very good listener, but didn't have much to say about his time alone. Sadly, Kagome wasn't surprised that there was not much to his story. O-shiro life was boring. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, got an inside look on high school, the dating life (of which Kagome had very limited, unpleasant experience), martial arts and weapon training in the future, and by the time she was finished defending the fact that Keiji and her were just friends, Sesshomaru wanted to see what she knew of hand-to-hand combat.

 

“No energy,” she stated, having closed the door a while ago to make the place warmer. It cut off the invasive breezes too, and dimmed the area noticeably.

 

“Alright,” he agreed, standing ten feet away and waiting for the amusement to begin. She made the first move. He blocked and counterattacked, and his attack she blocked. “Good,” he commented, dislodging their arms and making various, monitored jabs for certain areas. She blocked four more times, then got struck lightly in the sternum.

 

She dropped and tried to take his feet from under him.

 

“Ah!” she yelled when he jumped away and landed on the fence. “We agreed to no energy usage!”

 

He smirked, and jumped back over to her. He kept his hands perfectly flat the whole time, never making a fist, so she did the same. It was a good way to guarantee a lack of violence, though if used right the side of one's hand was quite formidable. So were his claws. After being struck a few more times, Kagome began using her legs as well, and he still proved to be far better than her. He took her feet from under her a grand total of seventeen times, touch-hit her more time than she cared to count, and sent her to her back four times. This last time she hadn't rolled away quickly enough, and was stopped from trying as much by the side of his hand coming quickly down and stopping over her sternum. If he had struck, that would have left her quite breathless and heavily bruised.

 

“Alright,” she panted, “so you're better than me.”

 

He stood and offered her a hand to stand, and she accepted it. She supposed that with him being the dominant male they would have continued until she did admit he was a better fighter. How annoying.

 

“We have not spared in a friendly manner for a very long time.”

 

“I know,” she replied, feeling the familiar sting of some bruises forming. One was on the side of her right thigh, another stinging right above the first in her ribs, the final between her breasts. “It's refreshing.”

 

Although fighting was enjoyable, they returned to the o-shiro shortly after. Kagome got committed to playing with children again, this time demanding some tasuki cords to hold back her haori sleeves. Once she got the evening to herself she asked Jia for a nagajuban to change into so that no one would bother her again. Jia brought one, light of color with a dark sash, and folding and tying it into place she finished and flopped into bed and curled up comfortably on her side. She was sore. She needed to practice her martial arts more, it used different muscles than her freestyle kendo did, and it would help to handle those 'soccer' balls. When they were kicked by a little yÅkai, it was like trying to catch a swinging elephant trunk. ... Not that she's ever attempted that.

 

As her daydreaming began to haze and merge into actual dreaming she was yanked out of it and left to blink uncertainly at her dim surroundings. Someone had knocked.

 

“Come in,” she yawned, sitting up. Now she was definitely sore, stiff from remaining in one position, but that was fine. Oye, she had been on the very edge of sleep and hadn't even been under the covers. It was winter, after all, and Jia could have cracked open the door to air the room out. Kagome shouldn't leave herself open to sickness like that.

 

The door slid open, and she was genuinely taken aback.

 

“... Why are you suppressing your energy?”

 

“To avoid rumors,” Sesshomaru answered, having stepped inside and closing the door. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit, minus the armor which had failed him in the cave and remained there, so apparently he had tried to get some sleep and couldn't. He was wearing an ankle length, dark yukata which was held shut by a white sash. “Were you asleep?”

 

“Hu-uh. Barely,” she replied with a shake of her head, yawning again. She wasn't very used to seeing him in different outfits, but change wasn't a sin. She noted that he looked good in dark fabrics anyway, and that his shoulders truly were broad and strong underneath that pelt of his.

 

“Would you like to be asleep?” he inquired.

 

“I'm fine,” she assured, finally finishing her overblown exhale. “Why are you here?”

 

He shrugged.

 

She blinked.

 

“For the pleasure of having company,” he supplied.

 

She smiled lazily, and propped herself up against the wall, regarding him through heavy lids. “Want to hang out?”

 

He appeared to be lost for an instant with the new term, but nodded soon enough.

 

She gestured for him to sit on the edge of the bed, which was the only equal-status seat to offer him, and he took it and stared at the wall. She considered scooting away, but remained still. It wasn't every day she had a particularly handsome man visit her room in the dead of night to sit a foot from her feet. She told herself to stop thinking such, and drew her legs up so she could hug her knees in contemplation. Something was on his mind, and she noted how it weighed his shoulders down.

 

“Something wrong?”

 

He shook his head minutely. He certainly was more stiff at the o-shiro. It was odd to have two versions of him to deal with. One was enough.

 

“Well, what can I do for you?”

 

He was still for a moment, then turned his head to regard her. Something rippled through her, loud and demanding yet so soft that she could suppress the desire to shiver. There was a glint in his eyes, something dark and wanting, but it was gone with a blink and she was left to wonder if it had ever been there.

 

“You came here for something, didn't you?” she asked when he remained silent. “Do you want to talk? If not, I can just sit here and pretend you don't exist. I've been known to be quite good at that.”

 

The mere shadow of humor graced his face, and he gave a sharp hum of thought. “I do not require your assistance.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. Wanting it is something entirely different though, and that's what I'm asking.”

 

He was silent.

 

“I can just listen, if that's what you're here for,” she suggested, biting down on an uprising yawn. “Or we can just stare at one another until the stars go to sleep and I pass out sitting upright...”

 

There was that shadow of humor again. “I can leave.”

 

“Don't you dare,” she warned him, unable to suppress the yawn this time. Oh, yeah, that felt good. “You woke me up. I'm not losing that dream for nothing, so you at least owe me an explanation.”

 

There was quite the interesting smirk on his face then, and Kagome was just glad she had been covering her mouth because it was now hanging open.

 

“Did said dream have anything to do with this Sesshomaru?”

 

...

 

...

 

Her brain just broke.

 

She was now competing with, say, ambulance lights in outrageous brilliance. The ambulance probably won...

 

“Ah-! ... Of course not!” she yelled.

 

... Well, maybe not this time... She knew of a few favorite dreams which did...

 

He smirked. “Something about you is screaming otherwise.”

 

That ambulance didn't stand a chance against her now...

 

“You are so egotistical to assume as much...”

 

“Your denial simply makes it more flattering,” he stated, now completely humored. Good for him.

 

“Get over yourself,” she recommended, looking away. For some reason there was a smile tugging at her lips. She was mad, dammit, mad! “Wh...” she huffed. Speak, woman, SPEAK!! And get that image out of your head! “What the hell are you here for?”

 

“We have already established that,” he answered.

 

“Well, if taking pleasure in someone's company coincides with taking pleasure in their discomfort, then let me sleep!”

 

“Ah. So you have had such dreams?”

 

The ambulance was crying in the corner with shame.

 

Oh, damn him! He could sense a lie, too!

 

“And what if I have?!” she demanded, flustered and angered over being angry over being flustered. “It's not like I can control my dreams!” If she could, she would never wake up.

 

A victorious little grin crossed his features, and she sagged with both defeat and gratification to any deity who could make such a handsome being. Then realizing what she was doing, she stiffened and glared at him.

 

“Stop looking so smug about it,” she growled, eyes still swollen with their need to close for hours on end. “Why would you care what a mere human dreams of, anyway? I don't care that 'some humans are bearable', you still detest living with them and that's why you got rid of Rin.”

 

... Wow... That struck a nerve in him. His humor was completely gone, and she was faced off with a yÅkai who was righteously peeved. “Rin now lives in a human village, where she belongs and where she is accepted. I do not see you with the young fox who bonded to you like a son. Do you detest yÅkai like any miko would and wish to rid yourself of him?”

 

That was a strong enough blow to make her flinch. “For your information, he's bonded rather nicely with a family of his own kind as well! And if I hated yÅkai then I wouldn't even be here, you idiot!”

 

They glared at one another, and Kagome jerked her gaze away. That ass. She did miss Shippo, and she had been saddened with how short a time she had spent with him. The fact was that she had adopted him for a few months though, and that was it. He's been with a new family for four years... He's moved on... Like Rin... Sure, Kagome and Sesshomaru still visited, but... ...

 

She sighed heavily, and put her forehead to her still drawn up knees. She was more mature than this... “I'm... Sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you like that. I lose track of facts when I get mad, so I know you still visit Rin and care...”

 

There was the gentle shift of fabric, but what he did she didn't know. She didn't want to see him, still irked by his assumptions of her dreaming of him and his attacking her actions in a similar manner. ... Sure, he was right about who her favorite dream partner was, but it was just so rude... At least in her time it was. Speaking of...

 

“I know you're probably not used to having 'females' snap at you,” she commented. “But I act the way I am, so you only have to deal with it for three more days.”

 

She heard a very faint sigh escape him, and dared to consider that he didn't want to fight either. She hoped he didn't... He had suggested it be a fight to the death, and being the idiot she was she had accepted. So, she sighed too, because of their predicaments and in salutation to her continued confusion.

 

“Why did you come here?”

 

... She scrubbed a hand in her hair. “To return Tenseiga...” she told her lap, forehead comfortably pressed to the apex of her legs.

 

“And that is all?”

 

She shifted. “... No...”

 

“For what other reason?”

 

“For my own,” she replied. What was she supposed to say? That she came here to see how he felt about her? She cringed. Hanging in the balance was agonizing, and every second it dragged out made her feel worse about it. She was sure she knew the answer would be a negative, which is why she refused to try anything to get it. She preferred her dreams... She could dream, and some day she could find a decent man. A man who she was sure would not deny her... Oh, she was a fool... Why was she still there? Dreams were for her head, not her life. Uuuugh...

 

She dared a peek at Sesshomaru, and he was staring at her.

 

“What?!” she asked, suddenly flustered. How good was that nose of his anyway?!

 

“You are depressed.”

 

A very slight scowl settled over her face. “I don't need you to tell me that.”

 

“Why?”

 

“... Because I can feel my own emotions.”

 

He shook his head. “Such is obvious, at times. Why are you sad?”

 

Her hands knotted into her night yukata, and she busied herself with getting under the blankets. Besides, it was chilly.

 

“That is my business,” she told him, smacking the bed with her entire right side, her back now to her visitor. At times? He certainly had a way with words.

 

She could almost hear him thinking 'you dare block this Sesshomaru from your thoughts', but that was quickly shoved aside. Gee, first the guy comes in and wakes her up, then he ticks her off, and now she had eyes on her back.

 

“You're still here,” she informed him.

 

“Yes, that seems to be the case,” he quipped.

 

She rolled her eyes, gave a vexed sigh, and rolled over onto her elbows to address him. “Why? We're not even talking! Do you like me or something?!”

 

She meant that in a manner of a dog liking its master, but when that heart wrenching glint skittered across his eyes again he turned away from her. She stared, then got an evil little smile on her face. If he was going to accuse her of dreaming of him...

 

“You do like me,” she teased, feeling oddly egotistical at the thought and shaking her shoulders slightly. Those words felt good, and made her smile grow as her voice turned into a playful series of taunting tones. “You just can't admit it.”

 

He was silent. She was feeling evil.

 

“Your lack of a comeback to that is simply 'flattering', Sesshy,” she teased. HAH! She'll show him what happens when he broadens her vocabulary for the night.

 

He looked at her, and her ego suddenly dwindled and she didn't really feel like showing him up anymore.

 

An ever so faint smirk graced his lips. “And if I did?”

 

Alright, now that ambulance was just laughing at her, and her face actually hurt from her overwhelming blush. “Then... Then I don't know.”

 

He nodded, and stood. She watched him leave, and before closing the door he paused and regarded her for the final time that morning.

 

“Enjoy your dreams, Kagome.”

 

She was stunned out of a reply, and the door shut.

 

Oh, and enjoy them she did. She had just gotten her imaginary legs around his imaginary waist when her haori was removed from under her head for washing, and Jia disappeared so quickly that Kagome was still left blinking at her forearm and wondering what just happened when the door shut.

 

Well, she got a superb bath, manicure and pedicure included as well as a full body scrub which left her pink, and then she was guided to the next room over and was completely floored.

 

“No white?” she asked. YES!! Thank KAMI, yes!! She was looking at all of the fabrics which hung in waiting, and not even the inner linings were white! They were red! YES!!

 

As she got wrapped in the bright pink silk juban, which was cool to the touch yet very light, Kagome looked over at the kimono again and her brilliant smile faltered slightly. It was indeed colorful and beautiful, but the sleeves were very long, and she noticed more cords and fabrics set aside than there usually were.

 

“... Is that a furisode?”

 

The youngest maid hid her face and walked behind Kagome to adjust the sash, or datemaki, and to make sure that no unnecessary creases were prominent. Kagome knew a very fancy obi was coming, since the women were taking great care in making everything secure and snug. It really was uncomfortable to wear kimono.

 

“Yes, it is,” replied the oldest woman there, receiving the ends of the datemaki to wind-knot them intricately right below Kagome's breasts and tucking the ends away. “Is there a problem? We heard that white was beginning to bother you.”

 

Kagome mentally brushed it aside. “Just curious.” If she had said there was a problem, then that would be the same thing as saying 'come on, I want to hide the fact that I'm young and not married, don't put me on display for that feature'. Furisode, which were long sleeved and quite flamboyant in design and color, were traditionally worn by young, unmarried women only. And by 'traditionally', she meant in this day and age. Oye... She supposed they didn't have any good miko clothes around.

 

The furisode was held back so her arms could tuck through and then brought up to settle over her shoulders. It was thick with layers of silk, and was of a light blue with petal decorations, and in the background of said decorations the blue silk gradually faded to the same light pink of the eri of her juban, tipping her long sleeves and the hem of the very formal and expensive kimono. It took a while to bind, lift to a proper length, and bind it again appropriately around her midriff, needing various ties and very practiced hands. The obi was brought over, and she noted how it was yellow and so needle worked that it was rough to the touch. Once it constricted her torso to a ruler proof degree of straightness and knotted into a fancy display she began her regulating kimono breathing. They secured the obi's place with the thin obi-jime cord and brought out the sash. They reminded her that the colorful sash, called the obi-age, was worn slightly over the top of the obi with a furisode rather than tucked in, and the ends were inserted into the outer fold of the kimono to be held. Kagome enjoyed examining herself as they finished. It took her breath away, like always, though she must admit she had a slightly harder time breathing than normally. How Europeans survived with corsets was so very, very far beyond her. As she turned, knees pressed together under the restricting fabrics, she noted how fluidly her clothes shifted with her and how the silk glimmered with any light like a fine mist in the sun. Why did these people spend so much money on such fine clothes? She was fitted into a pair of fine tabi and noticed the lack of any forms of shoes.

 

When she was finished being dressed she was left to step down and compliment their work with ooh's and ah's, then free to leave and explore the o-shiro at her leisure. She knew exactly where she wished to go.

 

Thinking about how much of a pain Sesshomaru was and getting a good bad mood worked up, Kagome went stalking straight for him, his aura very clear amongst all those to be found there. It wasn't like his felt more powerful or extremely different, she just knew it the best. So, boldly opening a door to argue with him, she noted that he was sitting on the far end of a Japanese style table from her, his mother, Shu Fang, Sheng, Tao, and five others seated at the table as well and flanking Sesshomaru, a handful of servants standing back with pitchers. They all looked at her, and she was a tad embarrassed. She kept a glare on though and looked at Sesshomaru, and-

 

He was smiling at her... Was it because of what she was wearing?? Did she look ridiculous?!

 

Everyone looked at him to see what her immense shock was about, but Sesshomaru was back to reading something by the time they turned, and she didn't remain there long enough to see if they'd throw her a questioning look. How DARE he ruin her irked mood with that stupid pretty smile of his!! GAH!!

 

Having a whole hour to steam off, Kagome was visited by Sesshomaru once his meeting was over, and then she had his ears all to herself for the verbal abuse she wished to give him.

 

“You look lovely.”

 

She froze, finger raised and mouth open to begin yelling at him. She stomped her foot. “STOP that!!”

 

He chuckled. “Stop what?”

 

“You KNOW what, you manipulative jerk!” she yelled. She felt someone approaching. “Sheng, go away for an hour!” Said aura about-faced.

 

“Impressive,” Sesshomaru commented.

 

“Don't you go complimenting me!” she fired off at him. “I-!”

 

“Have no reason to be mad?”

 

She stared at him. “-was NOT going to say that!”

 

“I see,” Sesshomaru began.

 

She puffed some hair from her eyes. “Don't go acting innocent, either.”

 

He looked delightfully entertained. “Whatever do you mean?”

 

Oh, this was not FAIR!! “Sesshy! Stop it!”

 

He looked to be on the brink of laughing at her. “You are insane.”

 

She pursed her lips, which forced her to inhale angrily through her nose. “And you are simply annoying!”

 

He shrugged. “I fail to see how I could have upset you.”

 

... Seriously? “You made me storm away blushing in front of nine (plus) people, which came after your pompous bidding me a good dream, and now you are just playing with me.”

 

“I am not putting any effort towards humiliating you, or tormenting you,” he informed. “If you require, then I can do as much so that you may distinguish for your self when I try.”

 

...

 

He smirked. “Now, are matters settled?”

 

“No,” she nearly pouted, crossing her arms and thinking about last night. “I'm still annoyed with you.”

 

He gave a thoughtful hum. “The only other thing I can imagine you being annoyed over, is if you truly did enjoy your dream last night and I was correct in all assumptions.”

 

She bristled, and he had one of those 'I win' smirks on his face again.

 

“Get out.”

 

He blinked at her. “This is my-”

 

“I don't care, out!” she yelled, creating a barrier and making it grow so that he either stepped out or was forced out. He chose the prior, and she slid the door shut with a slam to enjoy some personal time.

 

No one can keep a barrier up for ever, if it emanated from themselves and not from an item. Within five minutes of her finally lowering it she felt him nearby again. After ten minutes of that, she stormed out to know exactly why he was 'hovering', and found him having a conversation with Sheng in a room across the hall and two spaced doors down.

 

“Ah, I see the fair miko has decided to grace us with her presence!” Sheng commented, lifting a cup of sake. “And in formal attire no less! Come, dear, it is due time you learn to drink sake.”

 

Kagome flinched when a servant 'politely' closed the door behind her, then swung her face back forward to glare at the man who set up what she would consider a trap. Sesshomaru she ignored.

 

“Now then,” Sheng began as though she had already agreed to this, “would you like a slow introduction through tea, or just drink it straight until you get used to it?”

 

“I am not getting drunk with you, old man,” she told him.

 

Sheng looked rather disappointed. “Why not? And being drunk is not the objective, I would highly enjoy company who can appreciate this fine beverage.”

 

“Because it does not seem pleasant in any conceivable manner. That, and I hate sake.”

 

“In other words, she cannot handle it,” Sesshomaru supplied, stoic enough to kill. “Let her leave.”

 

Kagome scoffed. “I can too handle it. I just don't want to.”

 

“Then leave,” Sesshomaru offered.

 

“No.”

 

“Then stay and enjoy yourself,” Sheng suggested. “I was just telling Sesshomaru what the Goshinboku tree was, since he came here asking.”

 

Kagome's curiosity was struck so precisely that she was surprised no one asked what the 'ding' coming from her head was. So, like any intrigued and notably gullible person, she sat to hear the tale, and was promptly offered a small cup of sake by a servant dressed in simple cotton fabrics. She looked at Sesshomaru out of the corners of narrowed eyes, and he tipped his own cup slightly to her and drank it.

 

She sniffed, and Sheng chuckled.

 

“Sesshomaru, drinking a whole cup without squirming?” Sheng asked.

 

Kagome's eyes widened and she stared at aforementioned lord. “You don't drink sake??”

 

“It has never suited my tastes,” he commented, the servant refilling his cup. “It is easy to grow accustomed to.”

 

She looked from him to Sheng, who shrugged. “I do not recall my acquirement of the taste. It has been far too long to expect such from me.”

 

... She glanced at the seemingly innocent liquid, knowing that each molecule in it bore a spear with which to stab her nerves and create a burn so fierce that she could light candles with her breath. She lifted the cup, swirling it once in a manner of distraction, and then drank it as quickly as she could to avoid looking stupid and hesitant.

 

Sheng waited, Sesshomaru smirked, and she felt rather achieved. Then the sensation hit, and she did her best to not let her eyes water up as she coughed. Ack! It got up her nose!!

 

She was sure that, if she saw it, Sheng's expression was priceless when Sesshomaru actually laughed at her, and she swore that if she wasn't in such oral distress that sake cup would have crumpled either in her fist or against Sesshomaru's temple. She blinked her burning eyes to glare at the young lord, and was just in time to see him take another drink.

 

...

 

“Kagome, I believe you have had enough,” Sheng told her approximately five minutes later. They were right, the taste did get better with time. Minutely.

 

“Nope!” she replied, putting her cup back to the table for another refill, of which she had lost count long ago. She was doing just fine. Wasn't tipsy at all. Her breath was just hot, that's it. Her face was a little warm too, but that was okay. Sesshomaru looked completely humored, but she noticed a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks. She was NOT going down without a good effort, and he had started drinking long before she did. She had the upper hand, right?

 

“This is a waste of sake,” Sheng commented, watched the two of them like it were a game of chess. “It is to be savored, not chugged in competition...”

 

“There may be exceptions,” Sesshomaru told him. Sheng had tried to shoo the sake bearer away earlier, but since Sesshomaru overruled the man in authority the servant remained and the cocky daiyÅkai allowed Kagome to drink as much as she dared. She was considering stopping soon, but the little voice which said 'one more can't hurt' kept giggling in the back of her mind.

 

Sheng hummed. “Kagome, I hope you are aware of the fact that a yÅkai's tolerance, no matter how long they have been drinking, is always at least seven times greater than a human's.”

 

Kagome finished off another cup and cringed slightly. Okay, the taste was getting better, but the feeling... Going down was nearly enough to make her gag. “And a miko's?”

 

She had both of them blinking.

 

“Pardon?” Sheng asked.

 

“A miko's tolerance,” she stated.

 

Sheng considered it, Sesshomaru took another drink. “I suppose, with immense and appropriate training, it would be just as high.”

 

Kagome offered him a smile. “Then let the training begin.”

 

She hated the look Sheng was giving her, like a father with a lecture ready but just waiting for the right time to begin. The old demon regarded the bearer then. “You are dismissed.”

 

“You are not,” Sesshomaru countered.

 

“Sesshomaru.”

 

“Sheng, you are not in the position to be commanding my servants,” Sesshomaru informed.

 

Kagome was fascinated, and watched delightedly.

 

Sheng gave a hum. “Sesshomaru, have you ever seen a drunk miko?”

 

Both Sesshomaru and Kagome frowned.

 

“I'm not drunk,” Kagome stated.

 

Sheng actually rubbed his eyes. “Give you body ten minutes to absorb what you have downed, and yes, you most likely will be.”

 

She blushed. Riiiiight... Facts... She failed to take those into account when Sesshomaru was around...

 

Sheng looked at Sesshomaru then. “Young Inu no Taisho, I suppose you do not know this, but when one is drunk their judgment becomes impaired, control over emotions loosens, nothing remains sacred, and everything becomes a practical joke. I would not recommend combining those with someone of great power.”

 

... Despite what he was saying, Kagome still felt rather flattered. Great power? Hm. That sounded nice. She didn't think it was that great, but if he said so.

 

Kagome gave the servant a look, and the poor man looked scared when she turned her attentions to him. “I am done. Thank you for your time.”

 

The man regarded Sesshomaru, who flicked his fingers minutely in a dismissive manner, and then promptly left with bows.

 

“So,” Kagome began when he left, a tad embarrassed. Okay, so she probably did overdo it, since her limbs felt lighter. Hopefully she didn't begin believing in any ability to fly. “If things are going to get messy in ten minutes, then would anyone like to show me the countryside?”

 

The guys shared a glance.

 

Wow, it was only noon and Kagome had a fairly decent buzz, most likely suppressed by her burning energy through her body like Sesshomaru had recommended. Today was a good day. Save for someone who was not her choice of company. Did Sheng think that she and Sesshomaru were best of buds or something?

 

“I must admit, we are hanging out a lot,” she began, walking onwards. The snow was hard and weather packed, and she guessed that twigs sticking up at her pretty ankle high boots were actually three foot high saplings. Lots of snow there...

 

“Amazingly enough,” Sesshomaru replied, walking alongside her and more than easily keeping up with the kimono restricted pace. She wanted to get her blood flowing to get things over with, and she was already smiling like an idiot and feeling far too hot for being outside.

 

“I like it,” she told him. “Hanging out, that is. You're more fun outside of that floating castle of yours than inside it.”

 

They walked onwards for a few more seconds in silence.

 

“How do you feel?”

 

She grinned at him. “I feel great! A little air headed and light, but that's okay. How do you feel?”

 

He rolled his eyes and sighed through his nose.

 

“I'm not drunk!” she yelled at him. “Now answer the question, please.”

 

“This Sesshomaru is fine.”

 

“Oh, sure, third person reference,” she huffed at him. “We're past that stage, don't be so up tight.”

 

“This Sesshomaru will do as he pleases,” he told her a tad sternly.

 

She snorted. Loudly. “Well, so will 'this Kagome', and 'this Kagome' suggests that 'that Sesshomaru' mellow out and learn to live a little.” She giggled at the expression on his face. “You know that was funny.”

 

He frowned at her, so she hooked two fingers in the corners of her mouth and pulled them up into a smile.

 

He stared, she held her position, and gradually a small smile formed on his face and he looked away and shook his head.

 

“Hah. I win.”

 

“Do you?” he asked, mildly interested while staring off into the gray, snow canopy woods.

 

“Yes!” she stated, feeling giddy and completely invincible. It reminded her of that funny fog she, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Hachi got stuck in. If she recalled correctly, there were two tailed duplicates of her, and the three of them were doing the Can Can dance to a hair brush. ... Ah, yes, the good times. “I said that I'm the one who makes you smile, remember?”

 

“No,” he began. “You stated that you are the one who makes me laugh.”

 

“... Oh, right!” she exclaimed. She was about to say something else, but the ground was particularly slippery and she fell flat on her face. Or, would have. She wholeheartedly expected it. Instead, Kagome was lifted back to her feet, and she looked at Sesshomaru before he let her go. “Hah! Aaa-hahahahah!! You mom said you would do that!”

 

... She didn't know what to call his reaction to that. First he was surprised, then suspicious, then angry.

 

“Oh, I don't think I was supposed to say that,” she commented with a hand in front of her mouth, beginning to walk onwards. “Oops. Remind me to apologize to her for that.”

 

“My mother has been visiting you?”

 

She shivered. It felt like a cold blade of inquiry was just stabbed into her conscience. She turned hesitantly to regard Sesshomaru, and he looked positively peeved.

 

“Ah...” she began. “... Yep.”

 

His golden eyes narrowed.

 

She flinched, slightly. “Only twice!”

 

That didn't help with his mood... “What has she discussed with you?”

 

“Oh, unbelievable stuff,” Kagome explained. “I still haven't fallen for any of it. Don't worry, it's not worth knowing. Trust me.”

 

“Kagome.”

 

She actually jumped in place. Damn, he could sound strict! “... Well, it's about time you used my name!”

 

“What has she been discussing with you?” he demanded to know, approaching her.

 

She stuck her chest out. “You don't scare me.”

 

“Not yet,” he agreed. “Answer the question.”

 

She smirked. “Alright, alright, cool off, sheesh. She actually thinks that you could ever give a damn about someone else in life, and I really don't think so.”

 

He stopped, thinking, and regarded her.

 

“What?” she asked him. “It's true. She's probably fantasizing about us having kids as we speak. Poor her, though. Like hell that would happen. You're not even my type, so she better go find you some yÅkai from China or something. ... Ha ha, imported brides... Oh, that's funny.”

 

She tried to walk in a straight line for a certain twig, and failed miserably. Yep, it was definitely setting in. Then again, she supposed that her loose tongue was a better clue than her astounding precision in foot placement.

 

“I have yet to meet a female who does not find me to be handsome and to their liking.”

 

Kagome looked at him, cocked her head, and laughed. She laughed hard and good. “Oh, you spoiled, spoiled brat!” And then she laughed some more, and tried to make another straight line for a different twig. This time she fell over, and her landing was funny as well since her long furisode sleeves had flung about. When she was down to giggles, sitting on the ground, she remembered his statement. “Hm... I know you're handsome, and a lot of women think that power is to their liking and that combining it with good looks is perfection,” clicking the snow from her sandals was entertaining while leaning back on one's hands and staring at one's twitching feet, “but you're just... Flat.”

 

“Flat?”

 

“Yeah,” she agreed. “You're 2-D! ... Hm. A long time ago, I was hoping Inuyasha would grow up and see life in a different way. Now I think I'm stuck with dogs who will never grow up.”

 

He looked annoyed.

 

“Oh, stop pouting,” she almost scolded, flopping back to stare at the sky. It was a blue, somewhat cloudy day, and that made her happy. “Sometimes, I wish you would act more human. Like Sheng can.”

 

She glanced sideways when the crunch of snow drew closer, and saw his shoes nearby and his shadow cast over her face. He still looked annoyed.

 

“What? I do. Maybe being human is a sin in your book, but acting human has its benefits.”

 

“Such as?”

 

She tilted her head so that his blocked out the sun again and cast her face into his shadow. There, much better. What was the question again? ... Oh, right. “Such as... feeling mortal.”

 

He looked confused, so she rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up. “Do you ever fear death?”

 

“No,” was his arrogant answer.

 

“I do,” she replied while her balance teetered back to her, brushing off and examining the darker wet spots in her kimono. “Do you know why? Because I haven't done everything I want to do in life yet.”

 

He blinked at her, so she smiled.

 

“You have all the time in the world,” she stated fact. “And you can do anything you want with it. Me, I could die tomorrow, from disease, assassination, an accident... Therefor, every day should count, right?”

 

His brow furrowed, and she giggled.

 

“To make every day count, humans are emotional. We feel strongly because we live briefly, and we need to pack thousands of years of sensations into a short lifetime that will be remembered only by us.”

 

His expression seemed to soften. “I have told you before, your life does not have to be short.”

 

“Hm,” she laughed to herself, testing the dexterity of the icy snow with her foot. “I know. And that's my choice. I can choose to live briefly with everyone I know, or live long and watch them all die while I fail to age... That's why I want to see you be more human.”

 

“... Why?”

 

“Because, you're not really alive right now,” she told him. Oh, he could be thick. She walked up to him, not very prettily either since the ground was trying to lurch out from under her again. He took a step away from her, but she caught him and held herself up by his shoulders. “Kay, this is how it goes,” she began, looking at his neck. “You can be alive here,” she informed, putting her hand over his heart, “and here,” she continued, pointing at his head, which he didn't seem to appreciate. She held his face then, and some little person in the pits of her mind was astounded that he let her do so. “But, you're not alive here. I don't see you happy, or frustrated, or pleased, or sad, or excited at all.” She let him go, and swung her hands at her sides to make her long sleeves flap like flags in the breeze as she walked away. “You're just you, and I don't think you'll ever change. So, that's why your mom's wrong about the grandkids.”

 

... She considered her words possibly offensive, so she gave him a big smile to take the edge off of anything. “Not that you can't have a great life with someone else. I wish you many adorable children to yank on your pretty hair all day.”

 

She was breathing a tad heavily, having gotten up and down and been walking, and her obi was too tight. Well, it was supposed to be tight, yes, but it felt too tight. She still wasn't used to breathing like that, and she hadn't been doing it steadily for a while. The ground was still moving anyway and tilting like she were walking on undulating jelly, but she managed.

 

They had only been there for three minutes, about, and getting there took another three or four. Maybe now, despite her churning energy, she was feeling those stronger effects of drinking too much? ... Hm, maybe. Wait, didn't she already establish that? ... Oye, she was on a loop.

 

“Hey, Sesshomaru?” she asked, trying to stand still. It was like trying to stay upright on a ship at sea though. Without holes in your feet and a handful of bolts, it just wasn't possible, so she felt herself sway with the Earth. “What do you think of your mom's fantasies?”

 

...

 

For some reason, her heart was pounding, which didn't help with the improper breathing and tilting ground. She was anxious to hear his thoughts about it.

 

“It is preposterous,” he began, causing her spirits to sink ever so slightly, “that she think of such things so soon.”

 

So soon... So soon in his life was right. Bodily, Kagome was older than him. A little. Maybe by a few years, since he still looked to be nineteen. She was older, she was different, and it was just preposterous... There, matters settled, time to get on with life.

 

That weight slowly came down onto her shoulders once again, making her feel heavy enough to sink into the snow. “Yeah, I know, right?”

 

...

 

“That did not make sense.”

 

She turned to face him, and he looked so mellow. Emotionless.

 

She was grinning, but her eyes stung. She quickly looked away. Stupid, stupid eyes and their inappropriate timing... She held her nose closed and tried to breathe through it, but no matter how many times she told herself that such a thing worked it never did. So she fanned her face, sniffed, and looked at the sky. Preposterous. She knew it, but... Hearing it was definitely worse.

 

She felt a gentle clasp on her shoulders, and was turned to face him.

 

“... There it is,” Kagome stated, looking into his eyes. Her blink sent something hot rolling wet down her face, and it cooled with a breeze. “You look more human right now.”

 

He looked concerned, which was not an appearance associated with him. She had rarely seen him concerned.

 

Kagome glimpsed a hand lift from her shoulder and it reach for her face. She was so startled that she jerked out of his loose hold and stumbled to a stand some distance away from him. Yanking back like that had shifted her kimono, so now the collars were pressed against the back of her neck when they really should be hanging away. With a sigh, she wiped away her own tears, and walked further from him. She didn't need his help in wiping her face, she could do it herself. She didn't want him touching her like that, because things were preposterous enough.

 

After a few hundred feet she decided to find a spot so as to have a seat. The horizon was nice to look at. It was white ground, white sky. Clouds were heavy in the air not far off, and the closer to the earth they were the grayer they became. Yay... More snow.. It was still a light blue overhead though.

 

She lay back with a sigh, the intricate obi knot pushing her upper abdomen and chest out further than usual. There were birds overhead... Briefly... Tiny, singing black birds who fled from the approaching storm.

 

She folded her arms behind her head and took a calming breath, face staring and eyes closed. The sun was warm, and the ground cold, and she imagined she had about four minutes before her backside began being blotched with dampness.

 

She had some time to think before the sun was hidden from her face yet again, plunging her into a cool atmosphere. She didn't have to open her eyes to know what it was caused by.

 

“Are you feeling better?”

 

She pursed her lips, still disappointed with their conversation. “I'm not sure... I think I have quite a while before the alcohol leaves me...”

 

She heard him shift. “You will become quite wet laying down like this.”

 

“I know.” And she did, but nothing was soaking through yet.

 

She heard him hum with humor, and then there were hands tucking under her knees and behind her back.

 

“Hey!” she yelled at him when he lifted her without her permission, reaching out to clasp his shoulders for some form of security. “Put me down, you jerk.”

 

“No.”

 

“No?” she asked, glaring at him. She was shocked to see him smiling at her, and for some reason known only to him he believed that now was a good time to take her lips. It was brief, and warm, and then he pulled away and began to walk as though nothing had happened.

 

She frowned at him, and smacked his chest. “Stop stealing kisses from me!”

 

“Why?” he asked.

 

“Because, people who aren't dating shouldn't do that!” she defended her side of the argument.

 

“I will determine as much for myself,” was his reply. He was still smiling, and she smacked his chest again as a warmth spread throughout her. He breathed deeply for reasons of his own, and giving up she lay her face against his left shoulder, her forehead resting against his neck. It was seriously the only comfortable position... Kami, he could be so... Cute. He really, truly could be.

 

“You're a jerk.”

 

“So I hear,” he replied.

 

“It's amazing that I put up with you.”

 

“It is,” he agreed.

 

She smacked him again, not able to do it very hard for her position. “Stop that.”

 

“Stop what?”

 

“Acting like this.”

 

“Acting how?”

 

“Oh, you're so insufferable,” she groaned. “Stop pretending to be nice.”

 

He chuckled once, the sound and feel of his mirth vibrating against her. “I am not pretending.”

 

She blushed, holding onto him a tad more tightly. She liked the fact that he didn't have any spare armor around, leaving her free to curl into him. “Then... Stop being nice.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It makes me uncomfortable, that's why,” she told him, a tad snippy.

 

“Then learn to live with discomfort.”

 

She smacked him yet again, then decided to enjoy the feeling of him being so close. She noticed his defined scent, how his fabrics quickly warmed to her touch, how his fingers shifted slightly from where they lay over the far side of her left breast... She blushed furiously at that.

 

“If you want to grope me, then don't be sneaky about it,” she lectured, expecting him to stop his actions immediately as though he were Miroku. She missed them...

 

“Alright,” he accepted as they stepped into the winter laden woods.

 

“... What do you mean, 'alright'?”

 

“If you request that I 'grope' you unrestrained, then I will accept your conditions.”

 

She swore her body temperature jumped at that. “That's not what I meant!”

 

“Really?” he asked, sitting down against a tree. His doing that settled her across his lap, laying in his arms.

 

She was blushing so furiously that it hurt. “... Why are you doing this?”

 

He smirked. “Because I wish to.”

 

She frowned at him. “Are you really that spoiled?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She stared at him, fingers fidgeting on his shoulders. “... Am I drunk?”

 

“Slightly,” he informed, letting her legs drape off and over his as he freed his arm to tuck some hair behind her ear, exposing her neck. “Not enough to impair your judgment.”

 

She swallowed. “That's good to know...”

 

Kagome thought she was going to die of uncertainty, happiness, and embarrassment all at the same time when he stroked her face. She wanted him to go further, but she didn't want to grow more attached to him than she already was. Her neck almost broke with her desire to turn into his touch and then with resisting said desire.

 

He smirked, probably knowing exactly what she was feeling. Why was he so bold? Was it something she said? Did he want to do this, or was he teasing her? Would he get her hopes up and then crush them?

 

She grabbed his hand and held it away from her face, breathing shakily. “Sesshomaru, I can't do this.”

 

He broke into a full smile, not dissuaded in the least, and she swooned. “You want to.”

 

“I know,” she agreed, still red in the face. “The body and mind can make two different decisions.”

 

He hummed in consideration, his sights not breaking contact with her own. “Then I will show you as much restraint as you request.”

 

Her heart was racing madly. “Sesshomaru, I-... Why?” His slightly quirked brow asked her to elaborate. “In case you're wondering, I'm not an easy lay, especially when it comes to being in a field of snow.”

 

“I know,” he stole her reply. “I do not expect your surrender. Merely your attention.”

 

... Dear kami, his mom was right... Dammit!! Did he really feel something for her, or was this a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am that guys liked to pull?

 

Her thoughts, worries, inhibitions... Everything froze when he pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her cool fingers, setting them against his chest. “I also expect the pleasure of your company when I have it.”

 

A bonfire ignited inside of her, melting everything in her down to scrap. She felt elated as its heat radiated through her skin. Alright, he could have the pleasure of her company. She'd allow him that. Not the full pleasure of her body though.

 

Her fingers slid slowly from his hand to the collar of his kimono, shaking slightly as she watched his face for any signs of befuddlement, hesitation, even resistance to surface. They didn't, and passing the edges of the fabric she was free to stroke his skin. He was so warm and firm.

 

His left arm slid up her back, lifting her closer, and he brought his lips to hers again.

 

Something frail and evil shattered inside of her in a flash of shivering need, leaving her feeling free. All she thought about was him, the way he held her, how his mouth tried to coax hers to open, the way his left hand tucked into the vent hole in the sleeve of her kimono so he could bypass a layer of fabric in touching her. She paused a moment when she felt his fingers brush curiously against her heating skin, and moaned against his mouth when they continued to slid softly over her silk covered, unbound breast, exploring her and testing her tenderness in a gentle manner she had thought impossible for him. She peeked through her eyelashes when his free hand cupped her right cheek, and for some reason seeing him with closed eyes made the experience all the more arousing. She covered her sapphire irises again and tucked her fingers under the deep V of his kimono, stroking his skin and feeling how very well built he was.

 

Her heart was pounding as he continued his less than innocent ministrations on her, his free hand caressing her whole left side now from the slope of her neck to the swell of her hip, and she wanted nothing more than to rip their kimonos off and see what happened. That, of course, would be very stupid. When his more docile touch concentrated on the tip of her breast she groaned and inhaled deeply through an open mouth. Sesshomaru allowed her to breathe for a moment, their time spent staring at one another, then he tilted his head to the side and deepened their kiss whether she liked it or not.

 

There were fireworks, and she felt as though she had a personal fuse just light in celebration. He had never kissed her so intimately before, and it was almost sinfully good, making her rub her knees together for the pulsating need in her abdominal region. She adjusted her hand under his clothing and held where his shoulder merged to his neck to keep her up and him down. Her right hand felt his face, his velvety markings, and his ear came into non-visual focus. She stroked it with her thumb, rubbing his lobe and up the rim.

 

The most amusing thing happened then. He most certainly didn't pull back, but his entire torso shook with a very pleased sounding growl. She had heard it before, when he decided to act upon that erotic dream of his four years ago, but this one was loud and intentional.

 

She giggled against his mouth, completely ruining the kiss by smiling. It was worth it though, because when he looked at her he was so dreamy.

 

“I normally do not like that,” he commented, fingers brushing up her neck.

 

“Really?” she asked, rubbing his ear again. He actually bit his lower lip to keep from making a sound, and she couldn't help but to laugh. “This is fun.”

 

“It tends to be, yes,” he agreed. He had a stupid, cute smirk on his face, and she couldn't help but to love it.

 

“I don't think I'll be blowing up your home any time soon,” she commented, worrying her lower lip unnecessarily. Dear lord, she was getting so loose of late... What was up with this? Her mouth was tingling, and she could swear her lips were swelling from all of that attention. “You can take me back.”

 

“In due time,” he replied, taking full advantage of her being in his lap and bringing his mouth to her neck where his hand once was. She was only a little grossed out by how unique a feeling it was to have her skin licked. Twice. Then her face relaxed and her abdominal muscles shivered as his mouth closed around a select area and began to suck.

 

“I bruise more easily than yÅkai,” Kagome warned, amazed at how she felt like jelly and held him against herself. He lightened up on her, but not by much, and her fingers began to explore as much of his torso as his bound kimono allowed. She was glad that his sash was less binding than her obi, because she could feel down his side and stroke his abdomen quite easily. A giggle escaped her when he growled again. She could get used to this.

 

“I just thought of something,” she stated, trying not to laugh. “Isn't your rear soaked from sitting in the snow?”

 

He chuckled, and pulled away from her skin. “Yes. It is.”

 

Their unrestrained laughter warmed her to no end, and she smiled up at him.

 

“Hm. So, I have to kiss you and let you feel my chest to get you to loosen up?”

 

He grinned. “It seems to work.”

 

She made a note of that...

 

The time to return was now due, but first they needed to adjust their clothing. She was rather impressed with how much she had gotten his fabrics askew. It had seemed innocent enough at the time.

 

“Turn and raise your arms,” he told her.

 

“What, are you going to tickle me?” she asked, since it was the first thing she had thought of.

 

“Your juban is crooked. Let me fix it.”

 

She looked down quickly, and found that it was far more than crooked. The bases of the V necklines were supposed to line up perfectly to the middle of her body, and this... One whole side of her juban was missing, for kami's sake!

 

She turned and lifted her arms up for him, and he had to lower them from over her head to parallel with the ground before tucking his hands into her sleeve vents from behind.

 

She breathed heavily and sighed when he couldn't help but rub against her breasts again. It was enough to make her blush once more, and she saw his face lean over her shoulder to judge where her juban should lay.

 

She glanced away, not wanting him to see how much his touch affected her, which was preposterous, she knew that. When he finished he smoothed the front of her kimono, which didn't help her facial expression at all, and as she refused to look at him she got her ear nibbled.

 

“Ah!” she exclaimed shortly, smiling and tilting her ear away from him. She liked his playful side, though she had to get used to it to say the least.

 

“So, what inspired that session?” she asked, sitting next to him as he held an arm around her. They were on their way back.

 

He had the nerve to just shrug in reply. “Do you regret it?”

 

She sucked in her lips, which were indeed a tad swoolen, then grinned. “Not really.”

 

“Neither do I.”

 

She felt so secure when he held her more tightly to his side. Why did they change like that? If their association were a book, then they just skipped from page twelve to eighty. The really funny thing though was that doing as much didn't bother either of them. Kagome felt quite comfortable with it, and actually began to wonder if things between them would continue to change, or if they just liked the feel of one another's bodies.

 

She smiled when his mother's words echoed in her head. She hadn't agreed to 'open up' to Sesshomaru if he did anything on the list, which was all done in a day, but she supposed it couldn't hurt. Right?

 

She sighed, and relaxed anew against him. Deep down, she really hoped that this wasn't just a fling...

 

A/N: Well, I got my first flame from a Kagome/Inuyasha fanatic and deleted it. The idiot just clicked on the first chapter to Spring Fever and wrote it. Is that normal?? WHO has the time of day to go around looking for Sesshomaru/Kagome stories to write that in?? It's disgusting how much of a waste of everyone's time it is. Besides, I've turned myself anti-Kagome/Inuyasha. I mean, dear lord if I was in Kagome's shoes and trailing after some half demon who's trailing after a dead memory for so long, then I'd say 'screw you' and start going for someone else! Sorry to say, but Inuyasha has at least a hundred years of growing up left to do.

 

Alright, I'll stop the rant there. Quite a long chapter, no? Thirty three pages! I was rather shocked at how it (immensely gradually) finally wrote itself and skipped to so many different things, but somewhere deep inside the confinements of my mind the muse was giggling gleefully, so I went with it and BOOM.

 

Sorry this took so incredibly long to update! I'm in the middle of moving out to California for college, so I don't know how often I can update from now on. I'm not going to give up on this story though, in case anyone is wondering. It will be finished. :D

 

Thanks for reading! Review, please!