InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What If? ❯ Shall I Tell You What I Think of You? ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: ShelbyGT1987 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 02.19.2011 | Updated On: 02.19.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 526 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 02.19.2011 | Updated On: 02.19.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 526 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi
This chapter is meant more for humor than anything else. Trust me, it's gonna mean a lot. There won't be many more chapters containing humor soon after this. This is a 'drama' piece for a reason. :)
Oh, and before all of you send me a ton of flames saying that this is SO not Sesshoumaru's personality here, let me say one thing: HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY YOUNG HERE. Like, two hundred plus years younger than in the anime/manga.
I truly believe that this is how a much younger Sesshoumaru would have acted around his first crush ;)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------
Shall I tell you what I think of you?
You're spoiled!
You're a conscientious worker
But you're spoiled!
Giving credit where it's due
There is much I like in you
But it's also very true
That you're spoiled!
"Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" from the soundtrack of The King and I
--------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Chapter Two: Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?
The newly-instated priestess Kagome could count on one hand the entire number of times she'd been truly insulted in her young life.
And after the day she'd had, almost all those times were from her meeting with Inu no Taisho's son, Sesshoumaru.
Almost off-handedly, he had insulted her appearance, claiming that she was just a baby and shouldn't have forced herself to grow up when she still had the mentality of an infant. He then moved on to criticizing her parentage, stating that any human blood in her at all made her worthless. Not completely satisfied with just that, he then finished with a "question" of why his father had asked Kagome to help him, when she clearly was of no use to anyone—she had yet to even master her powers of a priestess, let alone any talents she might pick up from being a goddess.
"You must excuse him," Inu no Taisho pleaded her after the failed meeting, blushing in fury and embarrassment over his son's antics. "Honestly, I've never seen him react that way before."
"You told me he didn't like humans," Kagome returned. "That was him just doing what you said."
"No," Inu no Taisho said, shaking his head. "Well, I mean, yes, he does hate humans—for some reason or other I'll never understand. But I've never seen him react so violently against a person. Especially a potential ally, and a half-goddess at that."
"I should think it would be obvious," said his wife—and, it seemed to Kagome, bitter enemy—from across the room. Kagome was still getting used to the dog demons in the house having superior senses.
"How so?" the dog general asked curiously.
Their marriage was somewhat confusing to Kagome. It had been arranged out of duty and desire to keep power within a family: as soon as Inu no Taisho took over the Western Lands, it become clear that he would need an heir to inherit after he passed on. Seeking a wife with as much power and affluence as himself, he chose his current consort, and, as luck would have it, conceived a son the first try. There had been no "second try" after that. They didn't share a room—they hardly shared a home. They regarded each other with a disdainful, reluctant respect, which seemed both conflicting and perfectly natural on them. One moment they could bicker and flirt as though they were best friends or newlyweds—the next they could be saying some of the most hurtful, barbed comments she'd ever heard.
She'd given up trying to figure out their true feelings for each other almost as soon as she met them. It just wasn't worth the headache.
"If I know my son like I believe I do," his wife stated, smiling as though daring him to challenge her 'belief,' "his actions could stem from one or two reasons. He's either intimidated by her, or he's interested in her. Both of which make him feel out of control of his emotions, which everyone knows Sesshoumaru can't stand above all else."
Inu no Taisho chuckled slightly. "Yes, that sounds like Sesshoumaru."
Kagome, though she didn't want to call attention to herself, couldn't help but ask, "How could be possibly by intimidated by me?"
The mistress of the household started to answer, but the dog lord cut her off with a playful smile and a wave. "Let me get this one; I want to see how well I can do." The lady laughed and gestured regally for him to continue. "He can be intimidated by your potential," Inu no Taisho theorized, "in that he's worried he'll be overshadowed by you in battle when the time comes... But, in another way, I think he's afraid that you might become like a daughter to my wife and I. He might feel like he would be displaced in our hearts."
Kagome gaped. "How could he have such extremely mixed opinions and feelings of me after one meeting?" She gestured impatiently. "A meeting, I might add, which lasted no longer than a few minutes!"
The dog lord's wife's mouth twisted into a sensuous but proud smirk. "My son may appear to be made of stone," she informed the young priestess, "but he possesses an intuition and intelligence far beyond his face. It is my belief that his depth of emotion extends so deep that he simply cannot express it on his face, without appearing half-crazed anyway."
-------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
It took several days for her to settle in, but soon enough, Kagome was feeling right at home in the dog general's castle.
She had gotten to know some of her bodyguards and servants, had taken an immense liking to the dog lord himself, was still on tenterhooks with his wife—and, most shocking of all, was seeing the heir daily.
On that first afternoon, after she had been escorted to her private section of the palace and left free to explore, she had gone outside to enjoy the sun. It had been so long since she could simply stop and feel the sun's warmth resting on her skin, and revel in the smell of the wildflowers and ocean nearby.
While she had been laying about in the grass in the field behind her castle, a presence looming close by left her feeling unable to fully relax.
"Whoever you are, I know you're there," she called out lazily. "I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever you want from me would be easier gotten when asked of me face-to-face."
"And what could you possibly have that I would want?" came the reply as who else but the young lord himself walked over to stand before her.
"I don't know," she said off-handedly, smiling despite her closed eyes. "Perhaps you have a hidden affinity for female clothing. In that regard, I'm afraid I can only offer you the garb of a priestess. I have never owned anything else."
"Hmm," he offered noncommittally.
Unable to ignore her curiosity, Kagome blinked her eyes open and focused on him politely. "Really. Was there something you wanted?"
Sesshoumaru rolled his golden eyes haughtily. "My father has deemed it necessary for me to apologize to you. Ergo, I have come to offer my sincerest regret for my complete ignorance during our last conversation. I humbly beg your pardon."
Kagome couldn't help it—she burst out laughing.
Even though he had adopted a sarcastic tone for humor, the Lord Sesshoumaru was still taken aback by the intensity of the woman-child's laughter before him.
"Have I said something wrong?" he supplied politely.
She shook her head, wiping away a stray tear of mirth. "No. Just the idea of you doing anything humbly—I'm sorry. There could many words to describe your actions—rude, hasty, confident, even elegant—but humble is not one of them." She cocked her head to the side, not minding the fact that she was sliding her hair in grass in dirt. She could wash later. "Though there really isn't much else to expect from a lord's son."
"You say that as though it's a bad thing."
Kagome opened her eyes and met his gaze levelly. "In most cases, it is."
"How so?"
Kagome shrugged, closing her eyes again. "I just find it... disgusting that humans—no, everyone—can't feel comfortable in themselves unless they're a part of a caste system, and at a high rank, at that. It's like every sentient creature decided 'it's all right for me to not be the best, so long as I'm not the worst,' and since then, has felt the need to put others down. It's repugnant to me."
There was a hesitation, and then came the reply, "Am I to believe you find me nothing more than a common bully?"
Kagome opened her eyes once more, this time uncertainly. His tone sounded affronted, and that had her worried. What if he made her leave and go back to the temple? She was just starting to like it here!
But there, deep in his molten eyes, was something she'd never expected to see in the dog general's stoic son—humor. Whether she could believe it or not, it appeared the esteemed Lord Sesshoumaru was teasing her.
Recognizing this rare occasion for what it was, Kagome decided to play it cool and pretend that she hadn't noticed. To continue teasing him in return. Perhaps if she didn't make such a big production out of his letting his stone mask abate a little, he could allow it to slip completely off in the future.
"Oh, did it sound like I meant that?" she asked innocently, sitting up in a mock-abashed manner, her hand flying to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, my lord. I meant to imply that I find you totally and completely conceited. Better than a common bully, by far."
The humor was completely wiped from his expression, leaving only a thoroughly shocked appearance. It was clear no one had ever spoken to the young lord this way before in his life, and, by his expression, she could tell he was pondering over berating her for her forwardness, or upping the anty and firing back.
But before she could decide which he had chosen to react with, he turned on his heel and walked away. There was nothing in his gait to suggest anger or indignation, but then, he was never truly relaxed either.
Well, that worked perfectly, Kagome thought to herself sarcastically.
Shaking her head to try and clear away her utter confusion, Kagome pushed herself to her feet and walked around the the back of the castle to treat herself to some target practice.
------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
Every day since then, the debonair Lord Sesshoumaru graced Kagome with his presence at least once.
They were odd, the conversations that passed between the two. Kagome was often left feeling more bewildered by the heir than she had the morning before.
Sometimes he could joke with her, teasing her as though he were an old friend, and then his mask would fall back in place and he would stalk off without saying a word.
Once, when she'd bathing in the river behind her own small compound, she'd been so absorbed in her own almost ritualistic cleansing that she hadn't noticed the human man a few scores away, watching her attentively.
Only when she'd returned home to find Sesshoumaru waiting for her did she learn of what had transpired. Sesshoumaru killed the man for her honor's sake, but later, when he tried to tease her about it, she could only blush and change the subject.
It wasn't just that her honor had been tarnished somewhat—though that was certainly a problem—it was more the fact that Sesshoumaru had killed the man. Did he really deserve that? Certainly, she wanted some sort of justice for what had been done to her, but to end someone's life over peeping at her? It seemed a little extreme.
Sesshoumaru, at first, had tried to comfort her in the only way he knew how as of yet—to ridicule her in the gentle manner humans called "teasing." It didn't work. She'd only grow morose and even sullen at the mention of her "fall from sanctity." Then, finding that his methods weren't aiding him in their usual way, he resorted to seriously ridiculing her. It was her priestess training, he declared. She had been taught to value each life as though it were one of her family's and—never minding the hypocrisy of that statement in regards to youkai—the death of that man weighed on her conscious as heavily as if she had been the one to strike him down.
It was ludicrous, he'd told her. Repeatedly. Did it work? Of course not. He had never met a more stubborn, irritating, bewitching person and he told her so (minus the bewitching part, of course, couldn't have her getting a bigger head than she already had).
Then she got annoyed. How dare he insult her, she'd said. At least she had enough humanity in her to mourn the loss of a life! What kind of monster killed repeatedly without any sign of remorse or guilt?
Answering in the most formal third-person speech he could think of, he'd answered, "This Sesshoumaru."
He'd gone on to add, "You do realize, of course, that when you enlisted your services in my father's upcoming campaign you promised to be the cause of the death of many, perhaps countless, others?"
She'd grumbled about that one for days, but could make no answer.
She could make neither heads nor tails of the man. Did he like her or didn't he? Was he simply attempting to befriend her for the sake of peace in his house or for his own enjoyment?
His parents didn't have the answers she searched for, either. When she spoke of the Lord Sesshoumaru with his father, Inu no Taisho could only shrug and shake his head. He had never completely understood his son, he said, for his son had always been reserved.
Sesshoumaru's mother, who knew her son slightly better, could only guess at his behavior. She still held firm to the belief that her son was either intrigued by Kagome, or he was trying to root out his competition for parental favors.
Finally, she just decided to confront him about it. She was getting tired of this cat-and-mouse game anyway.
Therefore, the next afternoon found her swinging her feet over her porch, once more enjoying the sun's warmth, when a shadow raced across the sky. Only seconds later, Sesshoumaru materialized by her side—sitting, which was an improvement from their first meeting, but still at a far enough distance that screamed of discomfort.
"Hello," Kagome greeted dully, and instantly the heir was on alert.
"What is it?" he asked curiously, but not overly concerned. As though whatever was bothering her had the potential to be interesting, but he wouldn't bother to ask after it more than once.
Kagome sighed, staring for a few more moments at the ground before meeting his eyes. She had to stress upon sincerity, and he seemed more comfortable with her when he had access to her eyes.
"Why do you visit me like this every day?" Kagome asked bluntly.
For a brief moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer her. His left eyebrow went up skeptically, but he said nothing for a long time.
Eventually, he blinked and said slowly, as though tasting each word that came out, "Finally, you confront your problem. I was wondering when that would happen."
"Excuse me?"
The young lord abandoned her gaze, staring out over the fields. He shrugged. "I've noticed in the last few days that you tend to ignore anything that really bothers you. The war, for instance. You won't acknowledge that you will be responsible for the death of many creatures, yet you criticize me for weeks for defending you from a crass voyeur. You run from your problems. So I decided to see how long it would take for you to ask me face-to-face what so obviously piqued your curiosity."
Kagome's face flushed in her anger. "So this was a test?" she demanded.
Sesshoumaru met her eyes with a calm indifference to her blatant indignation. "Be not a fool. I've no such time to waste. I come to see you because I wish to. That is all you need know for the time being. It only became a test of your character in the last few days."
Kagome sucked in a breath that sounded more like a growl. "Ooh, you smug bastard! How dare you sit there and harp about my personality, as though you're the epitome of perfection!"
He cut her off before she could go any further, his tone as emotionless as ever. "Kagome-san, if there is anyone on this Earth that could make me believe I wasn't worth a damn, it's you. Trust me."
As though he had slapped her across the face, Kagome's anger deflated into stunned silence.
When she regained control of herself, she turned to face him and whispered, "What do you mean?"
But his cold mask had fallen back into place, and he had risen to his feet. He cleared his throat and, not even acknowledging her question, said in a mechanically polite voice, "I meant only to illustrate to your one of your few faults. I now know from personal experience that to have one merely sit and criticize you makes you very unlikely to take that person's advice to heart. I thought that if your mistake was pointed out to you as you did it, you would be more receptive to the advice. Forgive me if I insulted you."
Somehow, Kagome only believed a part of his confession—and it was the obvious part, the one of him not taking criticism well. She knew that he was being sincere when he told her that he had merely wished to help her perfect her personality, that he was trying to show her how to behavior more like someone of her station, but she was still insulted that he felt the need to do so in the first place.
...Even if running away from problems was a grotesque character flaw.
When she had finally sorted through her feelings enough to know that she wasn't angry with him, she also realized that he really had let her in more than she had noticed—for why would he take the time to help her overcome her flaws if he didn't care?
But by the time she had come to this conclusion, he was gone.
Converting /tmp/phpldNwor to /dev/stdout
This chapter is meant more for humor than anything else. Trust me, it's gonna mean a lot. There won't be many more chapters containing humor soon after this. This is a 'drama' piece for a reason. :)
Oh, and before all of you send me a ton of flames saying that this is SO not Sesshoumaru's personality here, let me say one thing: HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY YOUNG HERE. Like, two hundred plus years younger than in the anime/manga.
I truly believe that this is how a much younger Sesshoumaru would have acted around his first crush ;)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------
Shall I tell you what I think of you?
You're spoiled!
You're a conscientious worker
But you're spoiled!
Giving credit where it's due
There is much I like in you
But it's also very true
That you're spoiled!
"Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" from the soundtrack of The King and I
--------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Chapter Two: Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?
The newly-instated priestess Kagome could count on one hand the entire number of times she'd been truly insulted in her young life.
And after the day she'd had, almost all those times were from her meeting with Inu no Taisho's son, Sesshoumaru.
Almost off-handedly, he had insulted her appearance, claiming that she was just a baby and shouldn't have forced herself to grow up when she still had the mentality of an infant. He then moved on to criticizing her parentage, stating that any human blood in her at all made her worthless. Not completely satisfied with just that, he then finished with a "question" of why his father had asked Kagome to help him, when she clearly was of no use to anyone—she had yet to even master her powers of a priestess, let alone any talents she might pick up from being a goddess.
"You must excuse him," Inu no Taisho pleaded her after the failed meeting, blushing in fury and embarrassment over his son's antics. "Honestly, I've never seen him react that way before."
"You told me he didn't like humans," Kagome returned. "That was him just doing what you said."
"No," Inu no Taisho said, shaking his head. "Well, I mean, yes, he does hate humans—for some reason or other I'll never understand. But I've never seen him react so violently against a person. Especially a potential ally, and a half-goddess at that."
"I should think it would be obvious," said his wife—and, it seemed to Kagome, bitter enemy—from across the room. Kagome was still getting used to the dog demons in the house having superior senses.
"How so?" the dog general asked curiously.
Their marriage was somewhat confusing to Kagome. It had been arranged out of duty and desire to keep power within a family: as soon as Inu no Taisho took over the Western Lands, it become clear that he would need an heir to inherit after he passed on. Seeking a wife with as much power and affluence as himself, he chose his current consort, and, as luck would have it, conceived a son the first try. There had been no "second try" after that. They didn't share a room—they hardly shared a home. They regarded each other with a disdainful, reluctant respect, which seemed both conflicting and perfectly natural on them. One moment they could bicker and flirt as though they were best friends or newlyweds—the next they could be saying some of the most hurtful, barbed comments she'd ever heard.
She'd given up trying to figure out their true feelings for each other almost as soon as she met them. It just wasn't worth the headache.
"If I know my son like I believe I do," his wife stated, smiling as though daring him to challenge her 'belief,' "his actions could stem from one or two reasons. He's either intimidated by her, or he's interested in her. Both of which make him feel out of control of his emotions, which everyone knows Sesshoumaru can't stand above all else."
Inu no Taisho chuckled slightly. "Yes, that sounds like Sesshoumaru."
Kagome, though she didn't want to call attention to herself, couldn't help but ask, "How could be possibly by intimidated by me?"
The mistress of the household started to answer, but the dog lord cut her off with a playful smile and a wave. "Let me get this one; I want to see how well I can do." The lady laughed and gestured regally for him to continue. "He can be intimidated by your potential," Inu no Taisho theorized, "in that he's worried he'll be overshadowed by you in battle when the time comes... But, in another way, I think he's afraid that you might become like a daughter to my wife and I. He might feel like he would be displaced in our hearts."
Kagome gaped. "How could he have such extremely mixed opinions and feelings of me after one meeting?" She gestured impatiently. "A meeting, I might add, which lasted no longer than a few minutes!"
The dog lord's wife's mouth twisted into a sensuous but proud smirk. "My son may appear to be made of stone," she informed the young priestess, "but he possesses an intuition and intelligence far beyond his face. It is my belief that his depth of emotion extends so deep that he simply cannot express it on his face, without appearing half-crazed anyway."
-------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
It took several days for her to settle in, but soon enough, Kagome was feeling right at home in the dog general's castle.
She had gotten to know some of her bodyguards and servants, had taken an immense liking to the dog lord himself, was still on tenterhooks with his wife—and, most shocking of all, was seeing the heir daily.
On that first afternoon, after she had been escorted to her private section of the palace and left free to explore, she had gone outside to enjoy the sun. It had been so long since she could simply stop and feel the sun's warmth resting on her skin, and revel in the smell of the wildflowers and ocean nearby.
While she had been laying about in the grass in the field behind her castle, a presence looming close by left her feeling unable to fully relax.
"Whoever you are, I know you're there," she called out lazily. "I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever you want from me would be easier gotten when asked of me face-to-face."
"And what could you possibly have that I would want?" came the reply as who else but the young lord himself walked over to stand before her.
"I don't know," she said off-handedly, smiling despite her closed eyes. "Perhaps you have a hidden affinity for female clothing. In that regard, I'm afraid I can only offer you the garb of a priestess. I have never owned anything else."
"Hmm," he offered noncommittally.
Unable to ignore her curiosity, Kagome blinked her eyes open and focused on him politely. "Really. Was there something you wanted?"
Sesshoumaru rolled his golden eyes haughtily. "My father has deemed it necessary for me to apologize to you. Ergo, I have come to offer my sincerest regret for my complete ignorance during our last conversation. I humbly beg your pardon."
Kagome couldn't help it—she burst out laughing.
Even though he had adopted a sarcastic tone for humor, the Lord Sesshoumaru was still taken aback by the intensity of the woman-child's laughter before him.
"Have I said something wrong?" he supplied politely.
She shook her head, wiping away a stray tear of mirth. "No. Just the idea of you doing anything humbly—I'm sorry. There could many words to describe your actions—rude, hasty, confident, even elegant—but humble is not one of them." She cocked her head to the side, not minding the fact that she was sliding her hair in grass in dirt. She could wash later. "Though there really isn't much else to expect from a lord's son."
"You say that as though it's a bad thing."
Kagome opened her eyes and met his gaze levelly. "In most cases, it is."
"How so?"
Kagome shrugged, closing her eyes again. "I just find it... disgusting that humans—no, everyone—can't feel comfortable in themselves unless they're a part of a caste system, and at a high rank, at that. It's like every sentient creature decided 'it's all right for me to not be the best, so long as I'm not the worst,' and since then, has felt the need to put others down. It's repugnant to me."
There was a hesitation, and then came the reply, "Am I to believe you find me nothing more than a common bully?"
Kagome opened her eyes once more, this time uncertainly. His tone sounded affronted, and that had her worried. What if he made her leave and go back to the temple? She was just starting to like it here!
But there, deep in his molten eyes, was something she'd never expected to see in the dog general's stoic son—humor. Whether she could believe it or not, it appeared the esteemed Lord Sesshoumaru was teasing her.
Recognizing this rare occasion for what it was, Kagome decided to play it cool and pretend that she hadn't noticed. To continue teasing him in return. Perhaps if she didn't make such a big production out of his letting his stone mask abate a little, he could allow it to slip completely off in the future.
"Oh, did it sound like I meant that?" she asked innocently, sitting up in a mock-abashed manner, her hand flying to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, my lord. I meant to imply that I find you totally and completely conceited. Better than a common bully, by far."
The humor was completely wiped from his expression, leaving only a thoroughly shocked appearance. It was clear no one had ever spoken to the young lord this way before in his life, and, by his expression, she could tell he was pondering over berating her for her forwardness, or upping the anty and firing back.
But before she could decide which he had chosen to react with, he turned on his heel and walked away. There was nothing in his gait to suggest anger or indignation, but then, he was never truly relaxed either.
Well, that worked perfectly, Kagome thought to herself sarcastically.
Shaking her head to try and clear away her utter confusion, Kagome pushed herself to her feet and walked around the the back of the castle to treat herself to some target practice.
------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
Every day since then, the debonair Lord Sesshoumaru graced Kagome with his presence at least once.
They were odd, the conversations that passed between the two. Kagome was often left feeling more bewildered by the heir than she had the morning before.
Sometimes he could joke with her, teasing her as though he were an old friend, and then his mask would fall back in place and he would stalk off without saying a word.
Once, when she'd bathing in the river behind her own small compound, she'd been so absorbed in her own almost ritualistic cleansing that she hadn't noticed the human man a few scores away, watching her attentively.
Only when she'd returned home to find Sesshoumaru waiting for her did she learn of what had transpired. Sesshoumaru killed the man for her honor's sake, but later, when he tried to tease her about it, she could only blush and change the subject.
It wasn't just that her honor had been tarnished somewhat—though that was certainly a problem—it was more the fact that Sesshoumaru had killed the man. Did he really deserve that? Certainly, she wanted some sort of justice for what had been done to her, but to end someone's life over peeping at her? It seemed a little extreme.
Sesshoumaru, at first, had tried to comfort her in the only way he knew how as of yet—to ridicule her in the gentle manner humans called "teasing." It didn't work. She'd only grow morose and even sullen at the mention of her "fall from sanctity." Then, finding that his methods weren't aiding him in their usual way, he resorted to seriously ridiculing her. It was her priestess training, he declared. She had been taught to value each life as though it were one of her family's and—never minding the hypocrisy of that statement in regards to youkai—the death of that man weighed on her conscious as heavily as if she had been the one to strike him down.
It was ludicrous, he'd told her. Repeatedly. Did it work? Of course not. He had never met a more stubborn, irritating, bewitching person and he told her so (minus the bewitching part, of course, couldn't have her getting a bigger head than she already had).
Then she got annoyed. How dare he insult her, she'd said. At least she had enough humanity in her to mourn the loss of a life! What kind of monster killed repeatedly without any sign of remorse or guilt?
Answering in the most formal third-person speech he could think of, he'd answered, "This Sesshoumaru."
He'd gone on to add, "You do realize, of course, that when you enlisted your services in my father's upcoming campaign you promised to be the cause of the death of many, perhaps countless, others?"
She'd grumbled about that one for days, but could make no answer.
She could make neither heads nor tails of the man. Did he like her or didn't he? Was he simply attempting to befriend her for the sake of peace in his house or for his own enjoyment?
His parents didn't have the answers she searched for, either. When she spoke of the Lord Sesshoumaru with his father, Inu no Taisho could only shrug and shake his head. He had never completely understood his son, he said, for his son had always been reserved.
Sesshoumaru's mother, who knew her son slightly better, could only guess at his behavior. She still held firm to the belief that her son was either intrigued by Kagome, or he was trying to root out his competition for parental favors.
Finally, she just decided to confront him about it. She was getting tired of this cat-and-mouse game anyway.
Therefore, the next afternoon found her swinging her feet over her porch, once more enjoying the sun's warmth, when a shadow raced across the sky. Only seconds later, Sesshoumaru materialized by her side—sitting, which was an improvement from their first meeting, but still at a far enough distance that screamed of discomfort.
"Hello," Kagome greeted dully, and instantly the heir was on alert.
"What is it?" he asked curiously, but not overly concerned. As though whatever was bothering her had the potential to be interesting, but he wouldn't bother to ask after it more than once.
Kagome sighed, staring for a few more moments at the ground before meeting his eyes. She had to stress upon sincerity, and he seemed more comfortable with her when he had access to her eyes.
"Why do you visit me like this every day?" Kagome asked bluntly.
For a brief moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer her. His left eyebrow went up skeptically, but he said nothing for a long time.
Eventually, he blinked and said slowly, as though tasting each word that came out, "Finally, you confront your problem. I was wondering when that would happen."
"Excuse me?"
The young lord abandoned her gaze, staring out over the fields. He shrugged. "I've noticed in the last few days that you tend to ignore anything that really bothers you. The war, for instance. You won't acknowledge that you will be responsible for the death of many creatures, yet you criticize me for weeks for defending you from a crass voyeur. You run from your problems. So I decided to see how long it would take for you to ask me face-to-face what so obviously piqued your curiosity."
Kagome's face flushed in her anger. "So this was a test?" she demanded.
Sesshoumaru met her eyes with a calm indifference to her blatant indignation. "Be not a fool. I've no such time to waste. I come to see you because I wish to. That is all you need know for the time being. It only became a test of your character in the last few days."
Kagome sucked in a breath that sounded more like a growl. "Ooh, you smug bastard! How dare you sit there and harp about my personality, as though you're the epitome of perfection!"
He cut her off before she could go any further, his tone as emotionless as ever. "Kagome-san, if there is anyone on this Earth that could make me believe I wasn't worth a damn, it's you. Trust me."
As though he had slapped her across the face, Kagome's anger deflated into stunned silence.
When she regained control of herself, she turned to face him and whispered, "What do you mean?"
But his cold mask had fallen back into place, and he had risen to his feet. He cleared his throat and, not even acknowledging her question, said in a mechanically polite voice, "I meant only to illustrate to your one of your few faults. I now know from personal experience that to have one merely sit and criticize you makes you very unlikely to take that person's advice to heart. I thought that if your mistake was pointed out to you as you did it, you would be more receptive to the advice. Forgive me if I insulted you."
Somehow, Kagome only believed a part of his confession—and it was the obvious part, the one of him not taking criticism well. She knew that he was being sincere when he told her that he had merely wished to help her perfect her personality, that he was trying to show her how to behavior more like someone of her station, but she was still insulted that he felt the need to do so in the first place.
...Even if running away from problems was a grotesque character flaw.
When she had finally sorted through her feelings enough to know that she wasn't angry with him, she also realized that he really had let her in more than she had noticed—for why would he take the time to help her overcome her flaws if he didn't care?
But by the time she had come to this conclusion, he was gone.
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