Midnight Meddler by Quirkyslayer

Midnight Meddler

AN: Written for the "Womanizer" theme at ebony silks.

Midnight Meddler

Kagome rudely smacked her lips together and squinted through her sleepy eyes. She scowled at her unexpected host and dreaded wondering about how she even got here. Come to think of it, she didn't even know where she was.

However, she had a sneaking suspicion of the party involved.

"You must be Sesshoumaru's mother," she croaked. Things were still hazy, and Kagome weakly tried to convince herself that she was dreaming. However, the pain in her skull, the chill of the air, and the surprising lack of Kikyou and Naraku nightmares, had convinced her otherwise.

"You are clever for a human," she said and sipped her warm sake. Kagome thought it was weird to see a female youkai drinking human alcohol. She suspected things would only get weirder.

"So, I hate to be rude, but why am I here?" Kagome darted her head around anxiously. Almost everywhere but under her feet she saw nothing but clouds and sky. She tensed and began to fear her situation.

"Oh, you're in my palace of course. It used to belong to the Inu no Taisho. You might have heard of him," she explained, and she watched Kagome closely with her golden eyes. Kagome sensed mischief there, and she began to dread this unexpected circumstance even more.

"Um, Inuyasha's father, he's you're husband, right?" Kagome asked. She looked at her surroundings. "Where's Inuyasha?"

Sesshoumaru's mother smiled cryptically. "Oh, he's not here." She paused. "Yet."f

Kagome furrowed her brow. What did this woman want with her?

"Why have you brought me here again?" Kagome began to lose her cool and started to panic. "How did I get here?" She stood up from her chair and looked around. She could feel more than one youki presence near her. She could probably guess who this other demon was. She narrowed her eyes at the clouds.

"Do calm down, dear," Sesshoumaru's mother said jovially. "Sit down and have a bit of sake with me."

"You're not going to answer my questions, are you?" Kagome sat down with a harrumph. "You somehow abduct me in the middle of night at camp with my friends, and you're not going to even tell me how it happened or why you did it?"

"I was lonely. I wanted some company," she said. Kagome scoffed. This lady wasn't offering her much information, and there had to be a reason.

"And why was I so interesting? And for that matter, why is Inuyasha too? You could have snatched up your son and had him for company," Kagome joked. "Doesn't he come to visit you much? What a bad son."

There was an eerie pause, and suddenly the female dog demon burst out laughing. Kagome knew she should fear for her life right now, but there was something different about Sesshoumaru's mother. She noticed the uncanny resemblance to her son, and he certainly inherited his snobbery from her. However, this woman seemed more... oh what was the word... perky?

"You might be right about that, but I'll be honest with you, little human. I have seen my son quite enough lately, and I grew curious to the source of his recent anger," she confessed.

"Ah," Kagome said. "So he's been upset about us. This isn't about the arm is it? Because he just got that back."

His mother chuckled again. "You'd be surprised how little that bothered him, dear. No, I'm talking about the problems he's been coming to terms with lately." She leaned over the small table and rested her chin over her clasped hands. She grinned devilishly at Kagome. "He hates the fact that he has to work with his half brother and a miko to destroy Naraku. He does not want to admit he needs you, but we both know it's necessary."

"That makes sense. But why whisk us away to meet you? I would think Inuyasha and I would be beneath you," Kagome said, and the woman raised a single eyebrow. Kagome amended, "No offense."

"Sesshoumaru, why did I bring this child here?" The woman focused on a mass of clouds to her right, and Kagome followed her gaze. Sesshoumaru slowly stepped out into their view and glared at his mother. Kagome found it odd that he was alone, without Rin and Jaken.

"Mother, please take the girl home. I see no reason to bring her here," he chastised, and he barely met Kagome's eyes before turning his glare onto his mother. She simply beamed at him, unaffected by his disapproval.

"But I find her so charming. Why wasn't Izayoi this charming? She was a vapid little strumpet. I tried so hard to be her friend, and she was horribly frightened of me," she said, and Kagome was shocked the powerful female youkai actually pouted - like she was a kid or something. Kagome gaped. "But this human girl is cute, and she smells better than most humans." She met Kagome's surprised gaze. "I could almost eat you, but you'd probably give me indigestion, what with all that holy power coursing through your body. It was hard enough to transfer you here to the palace."

Kagome noticed she still wouldn't go into the details of that undertaking.

"Mother," Sesshoumaru snapped at her. He gave her a warning glare. "Take her back, and leave my brother alone."

"But that's no fun!" She waved her hand at him. "Kagome is a special girl, aren't you dear?" Kagome swallowed a lump when the woman studied her again. She hoped his mother wasn't seriously considering that eating idea. His mother continued, "You're not even from this time period. I bet you didn't know that, did you, my son?"

Both women watched Sesshoumaru for his reaction. He looked mildly surprised; though Kagome was sure he always suspected something was off about her. She was sure he was only bemused because his mother seemed to know more about it than he did. Kagome wondered about the woman's magic. She must be powerful if she could transport Kagome into the palace in the sky and know of her future origins. Something was definitely strange about Sesshoumaru's mother, yet she wasn't as daunting as her son.

"You're taking her back to Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru demanded. His anger only seemed to increase, but his mother continued to act calm and amused.

"Oh, don't be silly. Why are you so anxious to give up this gem?" his mother asked. She turned to Kagome in a low voice. "If he was like his father, he'd have you on your back by now. Such a womanizing fiend! I had to beat him off those girls with a stick some times, and of course, I felt sorry for the poor dears. Falling in love with him only to find out they were nothing more than ..."

"Enough!" Sesshoumaru hollered. Kagome turned around and saw the red forming in his eyes. Whoa! She had never seen Sesshoumaru get this furious unless he was fighting with Inuyasha, and usually he was in control of his emotions.

He must have realized he was losing his composure, and when he met Kagome's bewildered expression, he announced, "I will take her back."

"Alright, alright; have it your way," his mother said, giving up. She rubbed her temple. "And don't come back for a while. I don't think I can handle you. I'm running out of sake anyway."

Kagome suppressed a laugh, and she wondered if she should tell Inuyasha what transpired here. Sesshoumaru's mother leaned close to her and whispered, "Please at least consider my son before Inuyasha. He's been single since he was old enough to tell the difference between boys and girls, and I don't think I can wait for grandchildren any longer."

Kagome's stomach lurched. "But... but I'm human. Aren't you all about purity and stuff?"

Sesshoumaru's mother chuckled. "Of course, dear, but I like you. You're a powerful, beautiful miko, so I'm not worried about ugly mongrels or anything. I bet they'll be charming. Besides, you're from the future. You could even tell me what happens before it comes to pass." She gave Kagome an evil wink.

So that was her motivation, among other things.

"We are leaving," Sesshoumaru said grumpily, ignoring the matchmaking on his mother's part. Kagome gave her a cautious look, and she excitedly waved goodbye to her.

Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru, who grabbed her arm and directed her to hold onto his fluffy pelt. She gripped tightly, feeling the softness rub against her cheek as they took flight. Kagome watched Sesshoumaru's mother as they left, and the woman stared back at her. Sesshoumaru didn't say a word as usual, not even a polite apology for his mother's eccentric behavior. Kagome would never expect him to say sorry anyway.

He brought her to the edge of the forest where her friends were camping, and Kagome could feel tension in the air. "My brother has been looking for you."

Kagome blinked and nodded, and before she left, she turned back to him. "Um, thanks for bringing me back."

Sesshoumaru nodded, and he stared at her as she walked away. She looked over her shoulder a few times, and he was still watching her. The more he stared, the more uncomfortable she felt.

What was he thinking? She was tempted to guess, but she was afraid of the answer. She wondered if he was pondering his mother's advice, and the possibility seemed too ridiculous so Kagome pushed the thoughts aside.

However, it was hard not to think about what the mysterious woman said. Kagome almost felt guilty for considering Sesshoumaru, despite what her heart felt for Inuyasha. Still, if the rigid and aloof Sesshoumaru had a mother that entertaining, Kagome thought that perhaps there was more to him than what was on the surface.

Maybe Sesshoumaru's quirky mother was trying to tell her something.

Kagome could hear Inuyasha hollering her name through the woods, and before he started to approach her, she turned around toward Sesshoumaru. Her eyes met an empty space, but she looked up to the sky. He was hovering on his cloud above the trees, and though he was far enough away, Kagome guessed that he was still looking down at her.

The thought confused and awed her, and it was a strange feeling to consider. However, if Sesshoumaru was willing to give her a second glance, maybe she should too.

END