InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ Of Tea and Realizations ( Chapter 32 )

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

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

With a wide, satisfied smile, Kagome stretched, enjoying the cool morning air and the beautiful view of the valley before them as she sipped her tea, waiting for the children to wake.

As opposed to the time of Naraku and the shards, Sesshoumaru let the children and Jaken sleep in, now – they were in no hurry, and had no particular destination in mind.  But Kagome was used to waking fairly early because of school, and didn't often feel the need to sleep in.

Because of that, she got to enjoy the peace of the morning, the cool air on her skin, and her tea in a leisurely manner.  On this morning, however, she frowned slightly when she realized that she was running out of tea ingredients – perhaps it was time to ask Sesshoumaru to take her to a town where she could replenish her supplies of herbs.  Along with the thin silk she used to make her own tea bags...

As much as Sesshoumaru enjoyed her tea, she didn't think he would mind.

She was right.  When she asked, later that morning, to be taken to a trading town, and he asked why, she told him.

When she had been home for the three years, she had remembered that they did not have access to tea bags in his time – but also that he had preferred his tea her way.  He hadn't been as fond of the bitterness of the leaves left floating in his tea.

And so she had experimented with materials she would have access to in his era, and found that a thin silk, which could be had fairly cheaply in his era, worked just as well as the paper they used in her era.  

Oddly pleased that the miko had put that much thought into his preferences when she had been away, he also took note of the fact that she did so with full intentions of returning to him at some point.  She had always meant to come back to him, one way or another.

When he asked, she was taken by surprise that he would even contemplate that she would not choose to come back.  As far as she was concerned, there had never been any question in her mind that she would return to him as soon as her duties to her family were completed.

At any rate, that particular conversation led to him taking her into the nearest trading town, as she had requested, and procuring everything she needed.  However, once she cheerfully exclaimed that she was finished shopping, he frowned – she had made sure that he, the children, and even Jaken, had been accommodated with things they needed, but had asked for nothing for herself.

“Miko, what would you like from this marketplace for yourself?”  he finally asked bluntly, when his hints were ignored.

She looked up at him a bit shyly.  “I don't need anything, Sesshoumaru-sama.  And besides... it's really not right for me to ask you to buy things strictly for me, you know.”

It was quite the surprise to hear who answered that statement.

“Onna, Sesshoumaru-sama has named you as pack.  To ignore your needs would be to show dishonor to his responsibilities.  Do not insult him further, simply tell him what you need,”  Jaken said importantly, waving the Staff of Heads around with a disapproving frown.

Kagome blushed as she peeked at Sesshoumaru, not having realized that she was insulting him.  He simply looked back, a raised brow letting her know that he was waiting.

“Well,”  she said slowly,  “I... suppose I do need some clothing.  But...”  she trailed off thoughtfully, meeting his eyes,  “what do you think it would be most appropriate for me to wear?  Kimono, or miko robes?”

“What do you want to wear?”  he countered, wondering what she would say.

She was quiet for a time as they wandered seemingly purposelessly; he could tell she was really thinking about it, and he was curious to see whether she would notice her surroundings, and take in what he was trying to tell her, in a subtle manner.

Finally... “I think kimono would really be more appropriate than miko robes – though I noticed that we  wandered close to this merchant that sells a different type of clothing.  Is this an attempt to steer me this way with finesse, Sesshoumaru-sama?”  she asked, with a sparkle in her eye and a smile on her lips.

He nodded approvingly.  “I did not take you into my pack because you were a miko.  You are the alpha female, and it is most fitting for you to dress to your station.  I am wealthy, and for you not to dress accordingly, would reflect poorly on me.”  

She blushed as he motioned her forward, taking every interest in the material, color, and styling of the qipao and leggings he had deemed most appropriate for their travels, instructing the merchant to bring out only the more expensive selections he had.  She would be dressed no less well than he, himself was, showing her importance to him to any who would think to question her place within his pack.

By the time Sesshoumaru felt content with what had been chosen, she had gained an entire new wardrobe, and she had not missed the fact that he had excellent taste in female clothing.  With an obsequious bow, the merchant offered his tent for her to change into one of her new outfits, and the daiyoukai sorted through the neatly folded articles for a moment, finally handing her his choices and nodding for her to make use of the proffered tent while they waited.

With a small smile, she took the clothing from his hand with a murmured thank you, and disappeared into the tent.  He ignored the male's attempts at small talk to think on what she would look like in what he had chosen...

It was better than what he had expected – much better.  She looked quite... beautiful, the twilight blue of the cheongsam bringing out her eyes, and he frowned inwardly at the thought.  He had never before in his life ever thought such a thing of a human woman, but he could not deny what his eyes were telling him.

Human or not, she was beautiful.

With a curt nod of dismissal to the merchant, who was eyeing Kagome with far too much interest, as far as he was concerned, he turned and motioned for Jaken to load the rest of the purchases on Ah-Uhn.    When that was done, he gestured for Kagome to take her place at his back, and then led the procession out of the town, highly aware that far too many males were noticing the beautiful woman walking just behind him.

It made him extremely uneasy.  He had not considered before what would happen as she matured, and other males noticed.  He honestly hadn't thought that she would become so much more beautiful than she had been as a younger girl – attractive even then, she had given no hint that she would change so drastically.  He could honestly say he had not seen a more beautiful female...

Even amongst the youkai population.

And of course, none of those females were his pack, nor his alpha female.  And they also weren't the ones taking such care of him, always showing consideration for him and his likes and dislikes... as she had shown with the tea.

She had gone out of her way to recreate something just so he would be content.

It spoke to him of the care of a mate, of the consideration that a female would give only her husband.

Later that evening, as Kagome smilingly made him his choice of tea, his eyes flickered as they rested on her.

Kagome did not notice.

But Jaken did – as did his mother, watching through her mirror in the Cloud Palace.

Perhaps it was time for another visit.

~oOo~

A/N:  Sesshoumaru is beginning to notice that Kagome is a female, and he is a male – and the fact that there's all sorts of lovely things that males and females can do together is about to start filtering into his mind...

~grins innocently~

Amber



Converting /tmp/php6Yx8MD to /dev/stdout