InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wo Ai Ni ❯ Wo ai ni ( One-Shot )

Sesshoumaru's head snapped up and his eyes darted around, trying to remember where he was. His breathing returned to normal as he realized he was still in his half brother's camp surrounded by the shard detectors. The fire was slowly dying and the taiyoukai watched the embers as his mind ran over the dream again.

It was only a dream. He told himself. So why did the emotions in it feel so right? Why did Kagome in his arms feel like she was meant to be there? Sesshoumaru shook his head to disband the thoughts.

Kagome…she's been the only one of this group to make a real effort to show me kindness and acceptance. She knows that once we defeat Naraku we will be enemies again, so why does she do this?

He'd been allies with the shard hunters for a month now, coming and going as he pleased, but always returning. Rin and Jaken were back at his castle, safe, while he worked with his despised half brother. Holding up his rejuvenated left arm, he sighed at remembering why he was here in the first place.

Kagome had struck a bold deal with him, trading his regrown arm for his assistance against Naraku. It had taken quite a bit of compromises on both their parts before they finally came to an agreement. In the end, however, he'd gotten his arm back and Kagome's word that she would no longer interfere with the siblings' fights. In return, he'd thrown in his lot with them against Naraku and sworn a truce with Inuyasha until the evil hanyou was defeated.

During their month together, he'd come to enjoy Kagome's presence and found himself almost addicted to her scent. It changed with every mood she had, but always smelled delightful. She was intelligent and seemed to find his company acceptable, for she would often walk beside him on their journey. Whether she did so out of a feeling of duty to make him part of the group, or a genuine desire to be friendly with him, he couldn't tell.

Speaking of Kagome, the taiyoukai suddenly found her sitting beside him and giving him a sleepy smile. He noticed she'd built up the fire while he was zoned out in thought.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked.

Golden eyes slid to blue/grey ones. "A dream," he said quietly.

She nodded and looked at him in sympathy. "I know how those go, better than most would believe."

His claws ran through his hair, causing his nose to wrinkle in disgust when he found his locks damp with perspiration. Kagome noticed his predicament and rummaged through her pack for something. Once she'd found what she was looking for, she turned to Sesshoumaru and held two bottles under his nose for him to smell. He took a small whiff of the things and found that the contents smelled like Kagome. Glancing at her, he arched a brow.

"These are soap from my time. I can wash your hair for you, if you want."

He studied her for a moment before, surprisingly, agreed. They stood up and Kagome allowed him to carry her and her pack to a hot spring nearby. She turned away from him while he changed into the `swimming trunks' she'd bought him after realizing that it would be safer all around for the group if everyone just bathed in swimwear. This way, Miroku didn't die.

Kagome turned around when she heard him slip into the water. He dove under the calm surface before emerging like a bathing water god. Kagome's breath hitched as the moon cast Sesshoumaru's already Heavenly body in an even more ethereal light. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she walked to the edge of the bank and knelt down.

Sesshoumaru glanced back at Kagome when he heard her approaching the spring. Fireflies flew around her, some even alighting on her, in her hair and on her clothes. She looked like a forest sprite come to offer a blessing. His mind whirled in protest. She was human! She was weak and would die in a blink compared to his long life.

Another part of his brain whispered about her soft curves and her feminine grace that she'd grown into over the last five years. That voice spoke of her raw miko power crackling under her skin and the way she made him feel when she was near. It whispered about her delicious scent and most alarming enough, the dream he'd had.

The object of his musings caught his attention when she motioned for him to come closer to the bank. He obeyed and felt her begin to massage the soap into his long hair. Her fingers were thorough, but relaxing. Soon, he felt his eyes drifting shut as the tension in his body melted away.

"Sesshoumaru?" She asked softly.

"Hn?"

"How old are you in human maturity?"

Golden eyes cracked open a bit as he calculated the figures in his mind. After a while, he said, "I suppose around 21. How old are you?"

"Twenty." She said nothing more for a while and he'd almost drifted off when her calm command woke him. "Okay, rinse now."

He submerged and was surprised when Kagome's hands followed him under and helped him rinse the shampoo out. Sesshoumaru resurfaced, but stayed put when Kagome opened the other bottle.

"This is conditioner; it makes your hair soft and keeps it untangled."

The taiyoukai nodded and felt her work the conditioner into his wet hair. It took less time than the shampoo, and he was just about to rinse when Kagome stopped him.

"No, it takes a moment to set. Just let it stay in for a while."

He nodded and leaned back on a rock beside her. She slipped off her shoes and rolled up her pajama legs before sliding her feet into the water. They stayed silent for a while before Kagome spoke.

"Sesshoumaru? If I stay out of your fights with Inuyasha after Naraku is gone, will we be friends?"

That got his attention. His head turned to study her as his eyes sought out some answer within her own. Finally, he looked away and stirred the water with his tail.

"You would befriend a youkai? A taiyoukai nonetheless?"

Kagome gently pushed him under water and helped rinse the conditioner out of his white locks. When he came up, he turned to face her, waiting her answer.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything, but, hai, I would befriend a youkai, taiyoukai or not. Would you befriend a human? A miko nonetheless?"

Sesshoumaru smiled slightly at her returned questions. "I've never been presented with the opportunity until now. I don't have friends so much as I do allies."

He climbed out of the spring and changed into his dry clothes before returning to her side and sitting down. "Do you love the hanyou?"

Kagome looked startled, but took a moment to think about the question before she answered. "I did, I think. After everything that has happened, I don't think I could ever love Inuyasha like that. Kikyou's shadow would always be there, making me wonder who he really sees. If he really loves me, it isn't fair to him, but if he really did, we probably wouldn't be in this mess to begin with."

She stopped and gave a small smile as a firefly landed on her nose and then flew off. Sesshoumaru smiled at the scene and couldn't help but think she looked sorta…adorable like that.

"I think I wanted to be loved by Inuyasha, but now, it doesn't hurt so bad that he doesn't. I think that had I been like soul mate in love with him, it would have hurt more that he doesn't return my feelings. I still love him, but in a friendly, brotherly way. Does that answer your question?"

"Indeed. You are wise to have figured this out, Kagome. If your human `love' does exist, then your knowledge will allow you to recognize the real thing when it comes along. I should think that whoever you do fall in love with wouldn't want to live in the hanyou's shadow any more than you want to live in the corpse's."

The miko looked at him and smiled faintly. "I never thought about that. If I do fall in love, I hope that he knows I would never see him as Inuyasha's replacement. Mou, don't you believe in love?"

Sesshoumaru made a sound that could have meant anything and gazed up at the moon. "I don't know, perhaps-anything is possible. After all, I'm here talking to you, aren't I?"

Kagome grinned and splashed him a bit. "Stuck up youkai aristocrat."

His fangs flashed dangerously in the night. "You are either very brave or very foolish to insult the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands this way."

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder-completely disregarding his `subtle' threat. His muscles tensed under the new sensation and it was a while before he finally relaxed a bit. The white fluffy appendage (that was now dry) wrapped loosely around her, bringing a smile to her face.

"I think we could be friends, Kagome. You have a high intellect and a pleasing scent."

That earned him a light giggle. "You don't smell bad yourself."

Sesshoumaru glanced down at her and quirked a brow. "You can smell scents?"

She shook her head. "Iie, but a human can usually pick up a person's usual smell if they are close enough. We can't track or read emotions from the scent, however."

"Ah. What does that ningen nose of yours pick up near me, then?"

Kagome took a deep breath, breathing in Sesshoumaru's distinct smell. "You smell like the forest. It is a clean smell, calming even."

He chuckled and returned his gaze to the moon above. They sat there for a long time before Sesshoumaru's deep, quiet voice broke the silence.

"I must return to my citadel tomorrow. I will be gone around a week. Most likely I will not be here when you wake."

That brought a small frown to her face, but she shrugged it off. He had a job to do, after all. "I'll miss you."

Her words shocked him and he glanced at her sharply. "You have no reason to."

She finally sat up and looked at him. "You have become my friend. Of course I'll miss you." Her small teeth worried her bottom lip for a moment before she spoke again. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Hum?"

"I want you to know that I do trust you."

"You shouldn't, Kagome."

Black bangs hid her eyes from his sight. "I am your friend, even if you do not want to be mine. As such, you have my trust. You also have my love, just like Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippou, Inuyasha, Myoga, and Hachi have. What you choose to do with that is up to you."

The taiyoukai was, for the first time in his long life, speechless. For some unknown reason, her words touched something in him that he thought had died long ago. A flame flared to life in his heart and the ice melted fractionally as he stood and drew her up with him. Her sapphire gems seemed to see into the depths of his soul as they searched for something in his eyes. What she sought, he couldn't tell, but she must have found it, because abruptly, she smiled.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened when she stepped forward and embraced him in a hug. His tail was still around her and he saw it puff up in happiness. Relenting, the taiyoukai wrapped his arms around her petite frame and held her close for a moment he would not soon forget. She rubbed her face against his chest and he was suddenly glad that he'd left his armor at camp. Kagome's head only came up to his chin, but he reveled in her stature as she fit perfectly against him.

Caught up in one unforgettable and new moment, he leaned down and very lightly kissed her cheek. Kagome felt the gesture of affection and knew what it had cost the proud youkai to express that feeling openly. She suddenly felt warm all over and held him tighter as he rested his head on top of hers.

His eyes opened when he felt Kagome tug on his neck to get him to bend down. Doing so, she once again surprised him when she gave him a chaste kiss on his mouth. It was over almost a soon as it began, but it left his lips tingling and a small blush on her cheeks. The achingly tender moment was broken when they heard a noise at camp.

Sesshoumaru stepped away from her, though his tail remained around her waist. "The hanyou is coming for you, I must leave now."

Kagome nodded in understanding and unhooked something that was around her wrist. Walking to him, she fastened it around his own. It was a silver bracelet with a flowing Celtic design on it. He looked at her in question.

"I can't take this."

"It is a gift. I want you to have it."

He relented and drew his tail away from her. It settled on his shoulder as he waved his hand in the air and said a few words. When he was done, his armor was on him and he was ready to go. Bringing his gaze back to Kagome, he reached out and gently touched her cheek. His hand drifted down and rested behind her neck where he lightly pulled her to him. Leaning down, he gave her a kiss on her forehead and was gone before her eyes reopened.

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Fin