The Seven by Sessylove219

Baggage

It took us three days to return to the Western Citadel. The entire group was tired, injured, and wary of their destination. I had extended the offer of hospitality to the tachi of my miko, and while they had accepted, they were still unsure of my intentions. We had even picked up three new members.

While I had grudges against all three of these new travelers, I felt as though my miko would be angry with me if I showed in word or deed how I truly viewed them. She was so altruistic sometimes…I fear it will be her downfall one day. Well, not fear, because I am Sesshoumaru and I don’t fear anything, but I was concerned. Kagome said that the actions of the new three were not of their own volition, therefore we could not hold grudges against them. Hn.

I felt sorry for the oldest of our additions, Kohaku. He was the slayer’s brother, and although he had tried to kill Rin and had slain his own kin, Kagome told me about the tainted shard and how Naraku had blanked his memory and stole his will. Just seeing the look on my sweet miko’s face was enough. It is ridiculous how much I do for that woman. I used Tenseiga on the boy, and the smile that shone on the face of my future mate was worth the aggravation it caused.

That smile, it was worth anything.

The second oldest was the void youkai, Kanna. I knew that she was one of Naraku’s incarnations, and while she had not done anything to me, per se, I still wanted to sever her head from her body because the monk had blurted out the fact that she had once tried to take Kagome’s soul…and had very nearly succeeded. Kagome did not hold a grudge, so I let her live. Unfortunately, that little minx seemed to know that all she had to do was bat her eyelashes and ask me, and I would give her anything.

The last one of our new comrades (how I shiver to think of it), was the wind youkai, Kagura. At first, I said that there was no way I would let her return to the Western Citadel with us. I could feel her greedy eyes traveling over my form, and it never failed to make me wince. Internally, of course. It seemed the miko noticed too, and told Kagura in no uncertain terms that I was her property, and that she had better keep her hands, and eyes, to herself. Kagome then smiled that sweet smile of hers at the other woman, and said that as long as she followed those rules, they would get along fine.

Sometimes, I wonder if Kagome really is fully human. She has the reactions and changeability of a fire elemental.

So, it seemed as though my shiro would be infested with humans again. The miko sure did have a lot of baggage. It was slightly irritating.

Until I look at her.

Until I hear her laugh, smell her scent, sense the strength and compassion and love and loyalty and honor in her aura.

She is truly an amazing creature, and it does not matter what she was born as, because I know the truth.

She was born to love the world, just as I was born to love her.

How far the mighty have fallen. It is funny, but a year ago, if someone had told me the position I would be in right now; leading a ragtag group to the Western Citadel for an open-ended stay, a group that included my hanyou half-brother, I would have killed them for their sheer effrontery. If someone had told me that I would be leading this group because it would make my human mate (or soon-to-be human mate) happy, I would have made sure that their death was slow and extremely painful.

Strange, I didn’t really think that I had fallen that far. I guess it is because the perception is that to fall is a bad thing. That it hurt, that it was humiliating. I do not feel that anymore, because since I had fallen, the thoughts of the future do not seem so bleak. I no longer thought that I would face eternity alone.

She would be there. Even with all of her baggage, she was worth it.

Sin 4 - Greed