Memory Lane by Reverent Moonlight

One

Golden eye's watched as the miko descended into the well after waving and bidding him farewell with a small smile, and a promise to return with something to occupy Rin on their next excursion. Blue light flashed signaling her departure to the time she had originally came from, and he felt a tightness grip his chest that had him clenching his jaw in irritation.

It was madness. These feelings that had welled inside of him ever since he joined their group. Perhaps even before.

She was a mystery - Kagome.

Fierce and determined, kind and gentle, selfless and compassionate, demanding and domineering. She was the ultimate enigma. Everything that made up who she was confused him and intrigued him all the same. It had started as nothing more than a simple curiosity. He did not understand how the woman could stand being in the presence of those who had tried to kill her. From what he understood, every single one of those in attendance had tried to harm her in some way or another, and she did not scorn them. No, she welcomed them with open arms and a friendly disposition. He did not understand. They had betrayed her from the start, and she continued to reside among them - himself included.

She had simply smiled and shook her head when he inquired about it.

"I don't blame them for what they did. They didn't know me, and I didn't know them. It's easier to betray and be uninterested in someone else's plights when you have no attachments to them."

He had nodded his head. The wisdom in that was something he could understand. It was how he lived his own life. By not having attachments, he could not be caught unaware, could not be manipulated, and could not be betrayed. However, she proceeded to rock the foundation of everything his life had been built upon.

"But it is exceedingly more difficult to be surprised and betrayed by someone you know - truly know. You can read them - their aura, their emotion's, their mannerism's. Once you learn who they are, you can pick out the oddities."

His head had cocked to the side.

"So you simply allow them to remain in an attempt to monitor them."

She shook her head once more, and his brows knit in confusion.

"They are friends, allies, and companions. I don't allow them to do anything. They are free to leave, and go as they wish. It is because of their attachment to me, and mine to them that they stay. Because we are friends."

"Friendship is no guarantee to loyalty. Many have broken ties because of a misguided sense of friendship."

"No. Tie's are broken because of hurt feelings. Just because something was done that caused harm, doesn't mean that it was done maliciously. Everyone make's mistakes, however, having the power to forgive is the key to happiness. Without it, what is the point in anything?"

Sesshomaru blinked himself out of his daze, and turned away. His feet leading him towards the tree line. The miko had confused and frustrated him in a way he had thought was beyond recovery that day. Her words had contradicted one another repeatedly, and yet something had tingled on the edge of his sense's, hinted at the possibility of her wisdom.

Amusement flared subtly in his aura. He could still remember scoffing at the line of thought. She was young, and hadn't even been alive along enough to be a blip on the timeline of his years walking the earth. How could she, a miko barely into adulthood, teach he, a daiyokai who had been alive for over a millennia? It was inconceivable.

She had gone on to prove that it was not.

Her kind gestures to all of those they met in their travels had proven that much. People, demon and human alike, would attempt to harm her for the bobble wrapped around her neck, and somehow she would turn it around and make way for peace and comradery. That is not to say there were not time's where her sweet word's and friendly smile's did not appease certain individuals, but it was easy to see that it was often times the former rather than the latter that often played out.

Her disposition itself was often times the most questionable. The miko was always genuinely happy. There were moments of irritation, flashes of anger, even bouts of sadness, but what had him the most perturbed was the direction it was aimed. Her life, carefree and happy as she seemed, was surrounded in danger, uncertainties, and emotional battering that would have most individuals, demons included, crumbling from the strain the kami had placed on her shoulders. The miko had been given an unfair lot in life.

She had been raised in a period of relative peace, had no training, grew up unaware of demon's and the harsh realities of living day to day just to survive long enough to do it again as soon as the sun rose the next. He had questioned periodically the reason for the girl's appearance in the time period they all resided, and had resolutely decided it had been due to the undead miko his half brother had once dallied with.

But then she was slain. And the miko's soul did not return to her. He had sent a tendril of his youki into her being, delved secretly under the guise of the night when all were resting, to determine the reason. Sesshomaru had been left astounded at his discoveries. Her soul, which had been separated from her, was clearly undamaged. In fact, it was bright and shinning and full of life and happiness that had him feeling a sort of peace he had not felt since he was a youngling.

He could still remember the jolt of surprise he had felt when he had pulled his youki from her and gazed upon her face, only to be met with blue eyes that shone with complete understanding and - warning.

"Do not tell anyone."

"You presume to order me, miko?"

"I do."

His brow had rose in response.

She was either extremely brave, idiotically foolish, or - she was hiding something else.

"Do you wish to keep the hanyou under the guise of being his reincarnated lover to hold his interest?"

A soft sound that resembled a scoff came from her delicate mouth.

"No. He is hotheaded, irrational, and he has a propensity for spewing out more information than he should around people he shouldn't. No one - no one - knows except for the two of us."

Realization slammed into him, and he was left feeling a healthy dose of respect for the young woman.

"Naraku believes you to be without half of your reiki."

She nodded her head.

"Do not say anything."

He had ground his teeth at the order, but inclined his head.

"You have This One's word that nothing will be said to anyone of what we have conversed about this night."

She had sighed with relief, and closed her eyes once more while he leaned his head back against the tree he had been sitting against. His eye's had just shut when she spoke again, and the genuine sincerity had his chest tightening.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. For trusting me, and allowing me to trust in you."

A branch snapped from above, and his eye's turned from the memory playing in his mind to glance upward as a flash of red landed before him. He was surprised the hanyou had sought him out. Their relationship had been strained before they had joined forces, but recently it had been riding a thin edge that teetered on complete and utter devastation.

"I got something to say, and you're damn well going to listen, alright?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed to slits, as a rumbling started in his chest.

"Mind your words, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha scoffed, and folded his hands into his sleeves as he leaned his shoulder against a tree.

"Yeah, sure. Hurt me, and Kagome will purify your ass quicker than you can come up with an excuse."

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he turned to walk away. The trouble it would cause to teach the whelp a lesson was not worth the effort. It had nothing to do with the threat of purification from the miko he had just seen off - nothing.

"Hold on a second. I said I needed to talk to you, and you're gonna listen damnit."

Sesshomaru's feet paused, and he turned his head slightly to see the halfbreed still leaning against the tree. He sighed internally while cursing whatever kami decided to see fit to putting a human hime in the path of his father, and allowed them to breed the annoyance currently irritating him.

"Very well, Inuyasha. Speak."

"You love her."

Every muscle in Sesshomaru's body froze, and he fought to keep his mask in place.

"You love her, and you're to damn proud to admit it."

He took a deep breath in through his nose as he turned fully to the hanyou behind him.

"You know not of what you speak."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but continued on.

"If that were the case, you wouldn't have said anything. Your whole damn arm would be sticking through my chest right now, and you would be contemplating if you should use Tensaiga to bring me back or not, while also trying to figure out how to explain it to Kagome so she didn't kill you."

"I am unafraid of the miko, little brother."

He watched as Inuyasha threw his head back and laughed.

"If that were the case, why are you still hesitating to kill me? You should be enraged that I've accused you of loving a human wench, and yet I'm still standing here running my trap."

"You forget yourself. I am over a thousand years old. My patience is a higher than most."

"Bullshit. You love her. You care for her."

Sesshomaru's jaw was clenched so tightly, he could feel the fragments of his teeth cracking under the pressure. It was of no concern. They would heal within the hour. What was concerning, however, was how he was going to manage his way out of this particular conversation without revealing anything - without ruining everything.

"And how exactly have you come to this realization?"

Inuyasha's face turned solemn and he saw the self depreciating smile on his face, and was taken aback at the look of understanding that resided in his eyes.

"Because you are not the only one who has loved her."

Sesshomaru's breathing halted in his chest, and he glared daggers at the male before him. Everything inside of him roared to tear him apart. To maim, kill, and obliterate the threat. He held firm, kept a lock on his instincts.

"I am aware."

He couldn't help but curse inwardly at the slip. Not that it would do any good. The whelp was uncharacteristically acute at his observations. Though, he did take a sliver of satisfaction away at the sight of his surprise.

Sesshomaru watched as Inuyasha shook himself, before standing upright, his arms still folded in his sleeves, but his stance became slightly hostile. He could see it in the bunching of his muscles, the way his feet were spread apart as though bracing for impact or retreat, the firm setting of his jaw, and the way his eyes narrowed in anticipation. He, himself couldn't help the way his own body tensed in preparation.

He wouldn't kill the hanyou. Harming him, however, was not yet written off from negotiations.

"If you love her, prove it."

Pale lashes shut and then opened slowly. The silent question rang between them, and he wondered if the halfbreed did indeed intend to fight for her.

"If she decides to give you her heart, don't be like I was and not take it. If she needs it, drop the damn mask, and give her what she needs. If she wants something, find a way to pull it out of your ass and hand it to her on a silver platter."

He sniffed to cover the surprise he was feeling with offensiveness. The hanyou dared to give him advice on how to... potentially court the miko.

Absurd.

"It is I, who is Lord."

"And?"

Inuyasha scoffed.

"Kagome is worth a million times more than anything you have, idiot. I ain't stupid. A little dense, sure, but not stupid. I know what I had. I know what I lost too."

Inuyasha clenched his fists inside his haori, and Sesshomaru inhaled the faint traces of his blood leaking between the claws that had pierced his skin.

"I know what I broke, and if you can fix it then... I'm alright with that. I think you would be good for her, but more than that, I think she would be good for you. She's more than anything you can ever have in this life and any other after that, and you're the biggest godsdamned coward I've ever seen if you don't at least try."

He could feel a tiny flicker in the center of his chest. A flicker he refused to acknowledge. The miko had never once insinuated she would be interested in his advances.

"The miko does not want - "

"The wench don't know what she wants because you ain't said nothing."

Sesshomaru's lips thinned at the implication.

"You've seen her. You've been around her. You know what she's like. I may be the definition of dense, but she's the embodiment of it. Ya gotta spell it out for her, or all she's gonna think is that you want to be friends at best. She won't make a move or insinuate anything because she doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable or unhappy, especially at the expense of her own happiness."

Inuyasha sighed, and turned away, pulling his arms out from his sleeves to cross them behind his head as he made his way towards the village.

"Make no mistake, big brother. If I thought there was a chance, any at all for me to have her, you bet your ass I'd jump on it. The girl is perfect, and I hate it. As perfect as she is, we just ain't perfect together."

He dropped his arms, and turned back to him with a smile, that could only be described as heartbreaking realization, aimed his way.

"Kills me to say, y'all just might be. If you love her."

Sesshomaru remained still, frozen in the realizations and epiphanies he had been subjugated to, and watched as robes of red trekked away from him.

He had never dared to consider the possibility. Had never allowed an inkling of the sliver of emotion, that was now blooming in his chest, take root. It was impossible, forbidden, inconceivable that such a thing would even be close to attaining, and yet, his hanyou brother had just insinuated that it was.

Memories floated through his mind, and his heart tightened and squeezed almost painfully.

"Lord Sesshomaru, would you like some tea?"

"Hn. This One must decline."

"Oh. Well - it's just.."

He watched as she chewed on her lip, and his eyes narrowed as he sensed the uncertainty in her aura. She approached him, and was unsure of what she wanted?

"Speak, miko, or leave. It matters not to This One, but you will refrain from wasting my time."

The miko bristled, and Sesshomaru sat amazed as her aura switched so suddenly he was left shaken.

"There's no need to be rude! I was simply wondering if there was something else I needed to be making at mealtime. Shippo had no problem eating the food, but I was wondering if there was something different since your Inu youkai. You refuse everything I offer, and I'm trying to keep everyone fed so there's one less thing for everyone to worry about, and since I'm the one that's worried about it, I'm concerned since I haven't seen you eat or drink once in the past three days you've been here!"

To the others watching he appeared bored, unconcerned, at the outburst. Inwardly he was a mix of fury, confusion, and outright amazement at the little miko before him. Never, in all his years, had he been thoroughly chastised in such an unruly, rude, and disrespectful way.

And damn it all if he wasn't impressed.

"Hn. My tastes run fresher than what you serve, miko. It is unseemly to those unused to seeing such a sight."

Confusion warred on her expression before dawning realization had her eyes blowing wide and the most attractive shade of red blooming across her cheeks.

"Oh. Oh. I - I'm sorry. But, well - you know you can still eat what you want if that's easier for you. No one would mind. Really! Honestly, I had wondered a time or two if Shippo would need too eat something different eventually, but since he hadn't said anything yet I just assumed."

Her lip was pulled between her teeth, and he felt his gaze hone in on the action before shaking himself inwardly.

"It is of no consequence, miko. Do not worry yourself over trivial things. This One shall do as he pleases."

He had watched as she smiled hesitantly before turning back towards her companions watching subtly from the fire.

Half way there she turned back, and graced him with a smile that could only be defined as radiant. The warmth flooded and shined from her in a way that had her looking ethereal, and he wondered how many humans and demons would worship at her feet just to have such a sight aimed upon them.

"Just so you know, you may not have intended it that way, but it's really sweet of you to think about everyone else when it came to what you like to eat. Next time though, just ask. No one should have to hide who they are, least of all you."

She turned on those parting words, and scurried back to sit beside the slayer who began questioning her as though he could not make out every word. Or he would have been had she not just fractured his very being and rebuilt it in a matter of seconds.

He was remiss to accept he had been so heavily influenced by her after that, was determined to accept that his change came not from what he felt, but for what his mind took from her words.

He was a daiyoukai. There was no reason he could not do what he pleased, and there was no reason for him to care for the sensitive sensibilities of some unmemorable humans that were of inconsequence to him.

Another memory flickered in the back ground, unbidden as the first, and yet he was helpless to the whims of his mind as it pulled images from the abyss.

A shrill scream echoed from the direction his - the - miko and his ward had gone right before said girl burst through the bushes.

Tears streamed down her pudgy cheeks, and he read the plea and worry on Rin's face. Before she had time to form the words, he was already a blur of white and silver in the forest.

Rage coursed through his veins, pumping in a steady rhythm that called for blood. He had been so withdrawn into amiable thoughts of the same miko, a miko that was driving him to the brink of madness, he had allowed himself to become distracted to the point he had tuned out the world around him. It was dishonorable.

His legs came to an abrupt halt that was so full of power, dirt, grass, and rocks flew as though it had been struck by a meteor before he was gone in a rush fueled by fury.

The snake demon was dead between the span of one blink and another. It's body split from the tip of its snout to the tip of it's tail. Bakusaiga singing out in a rush of youki that cauterized the wound as it was made.

It was quicker than his instincts were willing to accept, but a deeper part of him snarled and roared over the sight of the miko at his feet. Gold raked across tattered clothes and dirt smudged cheeks that held paths of wetness from the tears still pouring from her eyes.

Without a moments hesitation, he bent and lifted the miko against his frame, and began the trek to the nearest spring. He could feel the gratefulness in her aura along with lingering tendrils of fear and stress, the tangy scent of her terror leaked out around her like a misty veil, and he had to hold back the snarl at what it caused him.

A soft whisper broke him out of his thoughts had him vaulting at the absolute insanity coming from the woman he held.

"I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. I shouldn't have thought it was okay to wonder that far with her, I shouldn't have assumed that - well, anyway. I'm sorry. If you decide I'm no longer fit to care for Rin in your absence, I understand."

He listened with incredulity. She thought -

"Miko, you speak nonsense. Do not worry yourself."

"But if I had just - "

"The blame remains with This One, miko. Had I been aware, the threat would have been taken care before it even became a tingle at the edge of your senses. It is not your failure that is to blame, but my own."

And how true that was, even if he hated to admit it. Her injuries, her fear, her hesitancy - all blame lay with him for the damage that had been done to the woman - physical and mental.

A small hand lifted and touched his cheek, and he was frozen in shock that he could not hide as she lifted herself and pressed her lips against his jaw.

"You haven't failed me, Sesshomaru. The only failure in my eyes would have been if you had never came at all."

He was in disbelief. That she could overlook such an event so easily, and still not place blame upon his shoulders.

"You are to forgiving, miko."

His feet obeyed his order to move, and he secretly relished the way she curled herself against him to remain close as he led them through the forest.

"No. I think I forgive just the right amount. It is everyone else who doesn't forgive enough."

 xXx

Pale lashes blinked, and Sesshomaru took in his surroundings. Darkness had fallen in the forest, and he was still in the same place Inuyasha had left him. He had been dragged through memory after memory, and was horrified to note just how long he had been held at the whims of his own mind.

With silent snarl, he turned and dashed through the forest. Under the cover of night he was invisible aside from the occasional caresses of moonlight that signaled nothing but a flash of silver to the normal eye. There and gone before the mind had time to process something other had been in its presence.

Flashes of scenes continued playing at fast pace, and his eyes continually switched from amber to crimson.

Soft smiles filling his heart with the warmth of the sun.

Casual touches that soothed his ragged soul with heartfelt sincerity.

Husky laughter filled with joy and mirth that he returned in the shinning contentment of his own eyes.

Full lips tipped up in a secret smile as he gave his own in the form of a smirk.

Blue eyes that poured with the stinging scent of salty tears that he swiped away with clawed fingers.

He came to a halt in a clearing that was near a cliff side, and another memory, one that had occurred just the night before, slammed into him with as much force as her words had.

"I'm going to die, aren't I? At the final battle I mean."

His chest had tightened, the breath in his lungs refusing to move. He shoved the uncomfortable feelings aside, and settled on dark amusement in the face of her fears. Fears that were unnecessary. She would not be harmed. The halfbreed would see to it, and Sesshomaru had no plans for allowing her demise. If only for entertainment, he told himself.

"Perhaps. You are human, weak, it is a possibility."

"I'm being serious."

She had been sitting at the edge of the cliff. A soft breeze blowing against her face that was now turned towards him, and he could see the uncertainty and genuine fear in her eyes.

His heart constricted at the sight, and he checked the holdings on his mask before gliding over to her and kneeling at her side.

"You will not perish, miko. Do you have so little faith in your protector that you doubt his abilities with Tessaiga?"

Wavy locks swished as she shook her head.

"It's not that. Things happen in battle. He can't be expected to be with me constantly. I would be a distraction that would only end with him being killed. Which, I might add, would end with my death."

An image had flashed in his mind of her body lying at Naraku's feet. Bloody and broken in a mess of gnarled limbs, accompanied by the silence of her heart refusing to beat.

It was almost to much. His eyes flashed crimson for the span of second before easing back into gold.

"Even if that were the case, you forget yourself, miko. You are alive by my will alone due to the entertainment you bring forth. I will not allow you to perish anymore than my half brother, and should the impossible happen, have you forgotten my fathers other sword that lies at my side?"

He would do it, he realized. Even though he had never considered it in the past few months, should she fall, he would bring her back.

"I didn't want to assume that you would."

A different type of pain slashed into his heart. That she would think so little of him -

"You like having your own choices. To be the master of your own fate and decisions. I felt like if I asked, you would see it as me getting close to you as insurance, and I would rather be uncertain and afraid than have you hate me for a misunderstanding."

A muscle ticked in his jaw because she was correct. Had she brought it up, even a month ago, he would have questioned her motives, but in the past few weeks he had seen who she was, experienced it - reveled in it - and she was sincere and immovable in her convictions and beliefs. He doubted even the kami could change her. It was truly ironic that she, with her human countenance, could not be moved, and yet somehow along the way she had irrevocably destroyed every pillar he had built for himself. 

She had changed him, and he could not find the humility to be ashamed by it. 

"Kagome."

He watched as she jumped in surprise, and turned her head towards him with eyes blown wide. Her hands, that had been twining a piece of grass between her fingers, clenched tight into small fists. 

"You will not die, miko. I will not allow it."

Tears pooled in her eyes, and he was left feeling adrift. How he had displeased her, he did not know. His brows bunched together, and he opened his mouth to attempt to rectify whatever misunderstanding had just happened. The words never left his lips, though his mouth was still parted, though this time it was due to his own shock. 

The miko had launched herself at him. Her arms wrapped tight around his neck as she nuzzled close. 

"Thank you, Sesshomaru. For everything."

Features softened as his mask crumbled into nothing, and he was momentarily thankful she was buried in his neck and unable to see that which he could not hide. 

His hands twitched as they rose to hold her close. One slid in the locks on the back of her head, the other around her waist. Sesshomaru's head dipped, and briefly inhaled the sweet scent of mint and camomile. 

Only once would he allow himself this pleasure. This one time he would allow his guard to drop, and give in to the urges that had started in a tomb of bones. 

 xXx

Sesshomaru released a heavy breath as he turned away from the cliffs edge, and began walking back to the clearing that held The Bone Eater's Well. The miko would be expecting him in the morning. This stop was nothing more than a need to resupply, and to allow the other's in their company to get some much needed rest before heading out once more. 

However, while the others were gathering their barring's, he would be contemplating decision's and the path he would choose: to remain stationary and alone, or take the hand of his natural born enemy. 

The decision would have been simple once. Before he would have cast her aside without a wayward glance. An easy task because he would not have cared for her. Unfortunately, he was now left on uncertain ground because he could not deny it. In the face of Inuyasha's seemingly unnecessary meddling, and his mind's decision to travel through memories unbidden by his own wants, it was all left abundantly clear and the decision was made. 

The miko was his, if he only dared to love her. 

A wicked smirk curled along the regal features of the Lord of The West, and had any who had encountered him been privy to his thoughts they would understand the look was one of triumph because the Western Lord was as daring as they came. 

 xXx

Kagome landed in the Feudal Era in a flash of light, and inhaled the clear, fresh air around her. She loved this time period, not just because of the adventure and the friends she had made along the way, but because it was so much cleaner that her own time. Everything was simpler here. People were who they were, and did what they needed to do. Granted, things weren't always black and white, but it was easier to see the intentions of those in this period than those of the ones in her own era. 

A flare of youki caught her attention, and the painful squeezing in her heart picked up as she squeezed her eyes shut. 

She had resigned to never having anything beyond perhaps friendship with the Western Lord. Had convinced herself it was better this way. 

She had been briefly involved with his brother in some weird love triangle, and they were just starting to reach a good place in their friendship. He was a Lord who would more than likely mate for a strong alliance of some sort for his lands. She was human, and would leave him long before he even looked in his late twenties. He also didn't hide his dislike for halfbreeds, and she wanted children. Badly. And though she was willing to give that up for him, it was for the same reason why she stepped away because he would need an heir at some point. It was expected, and he, and more than likely every demon in Japan, would be unsatisfied with a hanyou inheriting the West. 

A shaky breath escaped her, and she plastered a fake smile that attempted to recreate her normal joyful appearance. Reaching up to the vines hanging down, she began to climb the side of the well. Kagome had only managed to place one foot on the side of the well before she was swept up in a mass of white silk, and lifted from the well's dusty depths. 

Sunlight blinded her for a moment before a different shade of gold filled her vision. Her heart skipped before taking off in a thundering rhythm that left her breathless. 

"Sesshomaru! You startled me."

She watched as he lifted an elegant brow that disappeared behind silver bangs. 

"Did This One not state he would be awaiting your arrival? Perhaps you should see a healer that specializes in forgetful tendencies."

She mocked glared at his teasing tone. 

"Pardon me, milord. My age is apparently catching up with me. You should beware. If such a thing is happening to one such as I, it is a wonder that it hasn't happened to you given how often you like to remind that you are much 'older and wiser' than this humble human."

Her lips quirked when she heard him snort in a way that was completely undignified for a lord. 

"Watch yourself, miko. Should you continue to use that wicked tongue of yours, you may find yourself without the use of it."

"Oh, please. Without my tongue you would be dissatisfied and bored to tears at your day to day life."

She watched as his eyes darkened and heated, and swore she could feel it's searing flames.

"That has yet to be seen, miko, though I shall contemplate your offer."

Her mouth dropped open as she realized what he was implying before she snapped it shut before he took it as an invitation. 

"My - you! Sesshomaru!"

A dark chuckle escaped him, and her face flamed when she realized she was still in his arms. She had to fight the urge to bury her face in his haori, and could feel the heat along her cheeks spread down her neck to her chest as she forced herself to maintain eye contact. 

"Who would have thought the Western Lord was such a - a hentai!"

"There are many things you do not know, miko. However, should you wish it, This One is willing to take on the task of mentoring you."

Her brows furrowed even as then tempo of her heart increased. 

What was going on with him today?

"Seashomaru, you're playing right? Teasing?"

"Not yet, though the day has only just begun."

"I'm being serious!"

"As am I."

He released her, and placed her on her feet, though the hand that had raised to grip her arm to steady her did not release her. Instead it drew her closer, so that when he bent his head, their lips were centimeters apart. She could feel his hot breath caress her mouth, and she ignored the tightness between her legs. 

"Sesshomaru, what's the deal? Not that I'm not flattered, but it's just - you've never acted, or - well - you've never acted this way with me. I don't understand."

She felt the hand on her arm tighten before relaxing. Her eyes were nearly crossed as she struggled to hold the golden orbs that were shinning from some sort of emotion she had never witnessed on him before which made her feel even more uncertain. 

"I wish to court you, miko."

He wanted to - what?

"Why?"

Kagome couldn't help the question that slipped between her lips. Though she supposed it was valid. She had never seen a hint of interest aimed her way, he had never suggested anything of the sort, and had maintained keeping her at arms length. Granted, she could be accused of the same, but to have such a dramatic flip... 

"I have desired it for sometime, and have been refraining for sometime. I did not believe it would be welcome, and I did not wish to make you uncomfortable."

Her breath halted in her lungs. She couldn't believe it. He had wanted too - and for sometime apparently. The first sliver of hope she had allowed to take root began to shoot up and sprout. 

"Are you sure? I mean - I'm not denying you. Just so we're clear. I would love nothing more. It's just... don't you need an heir? I know you don't really care for hanyou's, and I want children, but I wouldn't force you to have mine if it was undesirable to you."

Her eyes darted away as she continued. 

"I know this is a different time, and as a Lord you are permitted to have more than one wife. So, I guess the issue of an heir wouldn't really be a problem. If that's the case though, I don't think I can accept your proposal. I care for you and it would be so easy to fall in love with you, but I don't share. I can't. It would rip me apart. Plus, I'm human. You'll have me for only a few decades before I die, and I don't want that for you."

Tears were gathering in her eyes as her heart prepared to be shattered. Others would call her an idiot for pointing out the overwhelming negative aspects of accepting her, but she needed to know that he was aware of all the possible difficulties that would be swimming right in front of their faces if they were to declare themselves as each other's. 

A clawed hand reached out and gripped her by her chin to pull her gaze back to his, and she was left awestruck at the sight before her. He had allowed the mask to fall so completely that she could see the love that was their for her already in his eyes, the acceptance of what would come their way in the set of his jaw, and the joy at the future they could share the upward tilt of his lips. 

"I would not have made a decision such as this without considering every possible aspect of it, miko. Though even had I not, you would have cemented it with your declaration."

His nose dipped and ran along the curve of her neck, and she loosened a shuttering breath at the sensation of having his lips caress the flesh above her rapid pulse. 

"Should you accept the courting, when it is time for us to mate, and make no mistake, miko, it will be when, my life force will tie yours to mine. Time will have no effect on your life."

The sharp points of fangs grazed her jaw, and she squeezed her thighs together while attempting to stifle a whimper that was more of a plea. 

"As for little one's, it is of no consequence. Should they even be human I will cherish them because they will be ours. Anything you are willing to give me is a blessing, that I shall hold with the highest regard."

A slick tongue darted out and traced the shell of her ear, and her legs wobbled enough that Sesshomaru brought his other arm up to wrap around her waist. An action that nearly had her moaning for more as she felt the hard plains of his body through the silks and cloths separating them press against the softer curves of her own. 

"As for having more than one woman, it appears you have been misinformed. Demon's mate for life, and have only one."

"Your father -"

"Was not mated to my mother. Their relationship was naught, but a political agreement that gave him an heir and her prestige."

She chewed on her lip as she considered her words. His heady movements creating a fog in her mind, and leaving her breathless. 

"You really want this?"

You really want me?

His head swooped down in answer. The feeling of his lips against hers caught her by surprise, and had her eyes widening before slipping closed as she folded her hands in his haori and bunched the fabric tightly in her fists. 

Sesshomaru pulled her closer to him in an abrupt fashion that had her lips parting in a gasp which he used as an opportunity to glide his tongue inside in smooth sweeping movements that left her feeling weightless. 

A throaty growl slipped from his own lips, and encouraged her to respond in kind. At the first touch of her tongue against his, he exploded. 

Moving faster than her mind could keep up with, he darted across the clearing and slammed her against a tree that caused her to grunt, but not lose purchase of his mouth. It barely registered in the back of her mind that somehow on the way to their destination he had removed her pack and left it somewhere, but she was to engulfed in the sensations he was creating to care. 

He was absolutely wild in the way he plundered her mouth. The heady growls that escaped him had her moaning in response which spurned him further. His hands dropped, and he released her mouth momentarily as he bent, hands gripping her ass as he slid her up his body. 

The change of position had her legs wrapping around his waist, and her hands wrapping around his neck as she pulled him back down to her awaiting lips. 

The kiss, frantic and full of repressed emotion as it was, was sweet and loving. The care he took in worshiping the now bruised flesh, how his tongue swept in and curled against the roof of her mouth, clawed hands kneading gently. It was awash with emotion and want and promises of the future. 

Much to soon, he pulled away. She could feel the thundering rhythm of her heart like a drum attempting to burst from her sternum. Heavy breaths echoed around them, and with the upmost tenderness, Sesshomaru leaned forward and pressed his head against her own while continuing to keep her pinned between him and the tree. 

"You are all that I can see, all that I want, and all I shall ever need, miko. There is no other, nor will there be another." 

Her whole body melted at his words, and she nodded her head as the beginnings of a smile, that Sesshomaru would later tell her made him want to kneel at her feet for all the resplendent elation it held, formed on her face. 

"Okay. I would be honored to be courted by you, Sesshomaru."

Something akin to a purr rumbled in his chest, and he pulled away slightly, only to lean back down to place a gentle kiss upon her lips that told her of how genuinely grateful he was for her acceptance. 

Kagome couldn't help the smile that remained plastered on her face anymore than the daiyoukai could help the satisfied smirk pinned to his as they walked back to the clearing to grab her pack, and they followed the path back to Kaede's hut with dreams for the future floating between them. 

 xXx

Six months later

Sesshomaru was leaning against the wall of the old miko's hut. His half brother and his companions all surrounded him, and were sleeping silently. Rin and Jaken were curled against the corner closest to him while the male slayer remained close. He had latched on to he and Rin like a lifeline, and though he personally did not mind, he knew female slayer lamented his unwillingness to accept her aid. 

She and the monk, along with his half brother and the neko were scattered around the fire. The slayer's head remained where it had slumped after the evening meal against the monk's shoulder, and in the night his had slipped to lean against her own. The little neko was curled between them in contented bliss at its owners contentedness. 

The halfbre - Inuyasha - was leaning against the door frame. Their fathers sword resting in his lap as he took up post against any who might attempt to enter unwelcome. Even though they had just recently defeated Naraku, he was pleased to see the male wouldn't slack off just yet. It was ill advised to become to complacent. There would always be another enemy. A new threat. It was good to see he would not forget that in his upcoming absence now that he no longer had a reason to stay among them. The West needed his attention. 

A slight moan sounded next to his ear, and his eyes opened to gaze at a tanned face framed with ebony locks. Her brows were scrunched, and his concern rose. Sesshomaru growled low in his chest which caused a soft vibration that soothed the female in his arms. The miko, squirmed before settling, and watched as her arms tightened around the fox kit before relaxing and settling back into slumber once more. 

His eyes shut closed, and released the held breath in his lungs in a thankful exhale that she would be able to rest tonight. 

For the past two nights his mate had been plagued with nightmares of the events of the battle, and though he had reassured her repeatedly that he was fine, alive, she continued to struggle. 

Their argument the day before came to mind, and he cringed at the thought she had unknowingly planted along with the uneasy tendrils of fear. 

"You didn't see yourself, Sesshomaru!"

Her hand ripped through her hair to shove wayward strands away from her face. 

"It is inconsequential, mate. It is over. You need not let these unnecessary fears control your mind."

"Perhaps, but I will never forget that day. Ever." 

He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. 

"No, stop. I want you to think about it for a second. Just consider my point of view. Imagine me lying there with a hole in the middle of me so large you can see the ground beneath me. Imagine looking into my eyes, and being met with nothing. Imagine putting your ear to my chest, and being met with silence. Imagine it, Sesshomaru. Really imagine it. Because I can see it. Vividly. I can still feel the fear of not knowing if Tensaiga would work for me. I still remember feeling the bond splinter and break. I remember feeling everything that was you that was inside of my soul be ripped from it."

The image she had painted flashed in his mind, and his eyes bled crimson. A snarl of absolute rage and fear escaped his lips, and he flashed to her side, pulling her to the ground in the same movement. 

He didn't even take the time to pull all of their clothes off before he slipped inside of her. He used their closeness, the hot, slick feel of her body swallowing his member to attempt to chase the image away with every brutal pump of hips into her own. 

When they laid together in the afterglow of their coupling, he was surprised to find the initial feeling of anxiety still lingered. He had looked to her with a questioning gaze, only to be met with grim understanding. 

"What you feel, right now, I have felt tenfold since the moment Naraku shoved that tentacle through your gut. I have felt it lingering on my shoulder, whispering that it's all a dream, and that you're still gone. I felt it snake it's way down my throat when I can't find you. Fell it grip my mind like a vice when I drift off to sleep, and am forced to watch it over and over again."

His brows had furrowed, and he reached out to pull her tight against him. He had been unthoughtful to her plight. Had assumed, incorrectly, that simply having him near would correct the damage done. 

It helped, but it would take time. 

Golden eyes flashed open in the dark, and he dipped his head, a clawed hand rising to sweep the hair from her shoulder, and peered at the mark on her neck. 

Sesshomaru allowed a smile to form as he considered just how much time they would have. She would conquer her fear. Overcome the days when it became difficult, and if it became too much to bare he would be there. He would offer her the protection of his arms that he had pledged to her three months prior, the love he vowed belonged only to her. 

He would love her, and she would love him, and they would manage every difficulty that had their way as long as they held those feelings between them. 

A soft chuckle came from the door, and he rose his head to meet eyes, that were so much like his own, shinning knowingly. 

"Told you so, you bastard."

Sesshomaru couldn't help smiling back, he still couldn't stand the whelp. More so for the fact of his irritating disposition, rather than outright hostility for his uncontrollable race. However, he was currently in that same irritation's debt, for it opened his eyes to that which he held most dear. 

"So it would seem, little brother. So it would seem."