The sun had just crested over the eastern horizon when a certain hanyou moaned and rolled over. Eyes still closed, his nose twitched, his senses alerting him to a very unwelcome presence closing in fast. Wrenching himself from the last vestiges of slumber, Inuyasha caught a second, lighter scent mingled with the first.
"Oi!" he shouted, rousing the lightly napping monk leaning against a nearby wall. "Get up, letch!"
Unaware of his serious injuries, Inuyasha tried to jump up from the pallet he had been resting on. Miroku woke up fully just in time to watch the hanyou's face flash into a surprised expression as he careened forward onto the floor with a pained gasp. A string of barely audible curses followed as Miroku got up to help his friend to his feet.
After being roughed up by a pair of particularly vicious oni the previous morning, Inuyasha had been knocked out cold. He had spent the entire day and night unconscious, so when he woke up, there was no way for him to have known that his entire left leg had been immobilized in a splint - courtesy of Kaede.
Not sparing a moment to think about his condition once he was upright, the aggravated half demon hobbled quickly out of the small hut and towards the source of his anxiety.
Miroku, having been shoved aside in Inuyasha's haste to leave, snickered at the way the hanyou had to move with one leg forced rigid by the splint. Thoughts of the story he'd had relayed to him about the previous day's confrontation, however, stifled his masculine giggles quickly. From what Shippo had said, Inuyasha had fought fiercely against the sibling onis. Unfortunately, Sango and he had stayed in Edo to help Kaede while Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha had left with the intention of visiting their friend, Jinenji. Shippo had returned in tears not long after the trio's departure, sniffling about the nasty demons that had kidnapped Kagome and left Inuyasha for dead.
As a matter of fact, the fox kit was still out with Sango and Kirara looking for the priestess. It had been Shippo's idea to go along, knowing that after Inuyasha, his own nose was the most sensitive around. The small demon had hoped he would be able to follow a scent trail to find his favorite miko.
Miroku frowned as he realised his friends had been gone all night, and had yet to return with Kagome, or at least any clues as to where she had gone.
Inuyasha's snarls and shouts from outside pulled the monk from his thoughts and sent him into action. Surely the oni had not come to Edo to finish off Inuyasha, had they? Grabbing his staff, the monk dashed outside. The sight that greeted Miroku made him stop short in confusion, unsure of how he should react to the situation.
He wanted to laugh at the sight on Inuyasha hanging by his fire rat robe from a low branch of a nearby tree, spitting and sputtering curses at his inability to free himself. Equally amusing was the expression of disdain plastered on the face of the Western Lord, obviously the one who so decorated the innocent tree, as he stood passively staring at the swinging hanyou.
Relief, followed by more confusion, swam over the monk as he noticed another aspect of the scene before him. The normally stoic youkai lord was sans armor and had acquired a miko, who was clinging to his back like a baby macaque to it's mother. Slightly more lecherous thoughts began to surface as Miroku noted that the petite miko was clad only in the Lord's outer haori.
Turning from the thrashing form of his younger sibling, Sesshomaru cast an appraising look at the monk. Apparently not horribly disappointed in what he saw, his calculating expression morphed back into his trademark flat glare.
Shifting slightly, the tall Inu deftly plucked the blushing miko from his back, only to swing her around to rest against his chest as he held her bridal-style. She squeaked softly as he moved her to the new position, and although Sesshomaru's eyes stayed riveted to Miroku's violet orbs, the monk did not miss the shy smile Kagome flashed at the youkai's seemingly oblivious face.
Inuyasha continued to fight futilely against his suspension as his brother stepped forward and deposited Kagome into the arms of the stunned monk. Miroku blanched at the death glare he received when the Lord noticed his 'cursed' hand's placement on the miko's bottom. Said hand quickly retreated to a less intimate position in fear of being severed at the wrist. 'That's odd...' he thought. Sesshomaru was obviously disturbed by the monk's less than innocent gesture, and not wholly bothered to hide the fact.
Precious cargo delivered, the necessary, though bothersome, message conveyed to the monk to keep his hands to himself, Sesshomaru spun fluidly on his heel and walked away. He paused briefly to land a well-placed fist against the few of Inuyasha's ribs that had not previously been injured before retreating completely into the surrounding forest.
Miroku looked down as the slightly disheveled miko in his arms in question. "Lady Kagome, I don't suppose you would care to enlighten me as to what, exactly, is going on here, would you?"
Some of the color drained from Kagome's face. Thankfully, she had already concocted a plausible story for her friends, but although it contained a lot of truth, she was still loath to tell it. "Um, Miroku? Could you please bring me inside first? I, um...pulled a muscle in my leg and can't walk very well."
Nodding slightly, Miroku spared a glance toward Inuyasha. Either Sesshomaru's punch had knocked him back unconscious, or his still battle-weary body had decided that rest was more important than getting down. Deciding the hanyou would be fine where he was for a little while, he turned and carried Kagome into Kaede's hut.
Squirming to be released once inside, Kagome let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her green bag propped up near the fire pit. She had dropped the lumpy accessory accidentally when the oni had snatched her off her feet.
Carefully taking the two steps necessary to reach the bag, Kagome glanced around the hut. "Hey Miroku, where is everyone?"
"Lady Kaede has been called away to assist in a birth on the other side of the village. Sango, Shippo and Kirara...they are out searching for you. Now," he continued, "are you going to tell me how it was you came to be in the company of Lord Sesshomaru, and why you are wearing his clothing?" The monk's eyebrow raised, conveying not only his suspicion, but also the direction of his mind into the gutter.
Kagome blushed, knowing her friend was probably jumping to lecherous conclusions. However, she was not about to tell him just how close his mind was taking him to the truth.
"Well," she started. "You see, after that oni dragged me off, he brought me to a cave. It must have been like a den or something, because there were a bunch of other youkai there waiting. I was screaming and trying to get away from them when Sesshomaru showed up. I guess he must have been nearby and heard me or something." Here she paused to swallow a small pill she had pulled from the contents of her medical supplies and scowl at the bitter taste. She grabbed a ladle full of water to wash it down before she continued.
"Anyway, so Sesshomaru came and started fighting the other demons. I got away while they were occupied with him, but when I was running I tripped over a tree root and fell into some nasty prickers. That's when I pulled my muscle, I suppose. By the time I managed to get out of the prickers, my clothes were ripped up pretty badly. Sesshomaru found me after he finished off the oni and told me my shredded wardrobe was 'positively indecent'. Then he made me wear this." At the last, she plucked at the haori draped over her form like a too-big night shift.
"Actually, she concluded, "I'd like to put on some of my own clothes...so...if you don't mind?"
Miroku restrained himself from suggesting he stay while she changed with some difficulty. Brow knotting slightly, he turned and stepped into the only other room in the small hut.
Kagome quickly traded in her borrowed outfit for something of her own, sighing slightly at the loss of the masculine scent that left her with the removal of Sesshomaru's haori. She called out to Miroku to let him know it was safe to come back as she folded the white silk garment and swung the heavy green pack over her shoulder.
"Miroku, um...could you tell the others I'll be back in five days?"
"Are you going home, Lady Kagome?"
It would have been an easy explanation for her need to leave for a few days, but somehow she doubted he would believe Sesshomaru was going to be chaperoning her to the well, and she knew the taiyoukai would be back to collect her shortly.
~FLASHBACK~
"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked quietly as she woke in the pre-dawn light.
Said demon's arms were draped lazily around her middle, one hand absently stroking the ends of her hair. He grunted in response and waited for her to continue.
"I, uh...have to go back to Edo. Everyone probably thinks I'm still being held captive by those oni. I need to let them know I'm alright."
The taiyoukai she was resting atop growled lowly and tightened his arms about her form in a surprising gesture of possessiveness.
"Please?" she added, hoping the puppy-dog eyes she flashed at him might change his mind.
His chest rose and fell beneath her as if he had sighed, though his face showed no such signs of resignation. A small grunt of assent later, Kagome found herself standing, wrapped in his haori, as he slowly donned his remaining clothes.
Attempting to walk towards him, the miko's face contorted in pain, and she bent from the middle with a soft cry of protest. Apparently their previous activities had left her with an ache between her legs that made walking excruciatingly painful.
Done dressing, Sesshomaru took in her obvious distress with a great deal of masculine pride and a small amount of guilt. Her difficulty moving her legs only confirmed that which he had assumed would happen after her first time. 'Especially considering the amount of force I was pounding into her with,' he thought with a secret, primal grin.
It was the guilt that compelled him to offer her his back so she could ride instead of walking.
Surprised at his show of concern, the miko silently allowed him to heft her into place before they started their journey. Although it was painful at first to spread her legs around his back, she had to admit that it was far preferable to walking. Sesshomaru's infinite grace made for a smooth ride, vastly different from the bumps and jostles she would suffer if the youkai had jumped around like Inuyasha.
Halfway to Edo, the pain between her thighs had lessened considerably, and she had devised a story to tell her friends that would save her modesty.
"I will give you a short while to speak with your friends," the Inuyoukai said almost softly as they approached the village boundaries. "Then this Sesshomaru will be back to collect you."
Kagome shifted slightly against his back. She hadn't thought he would want to leave her before his heat was over, but he had seemed so calm since she had awaken that she assumed it had already ended.
"You're still in heat?" she asked innocently.
Sesshomaru instantly stilled. She knew of demon heats? Well, that would explain why she had allowed him to take her so readily when he had given her no reason previously to believe he had any desire for her. However, he had thought she would not be knowledgeable of such things. Inuyasha's ningen blood diluted his body's natural demon need for procreation. Perhaps the slayer she traveled with had told her?
At any rate, the girl knew.
Moving once again, though at a severely subdued pace, he decided it might be best to let her know how much longer she would be in his company. Having the knowledge would mean her friends would be less likely to come searching her out before he was satisfied.
"This Sesshomaru will remain in heat for at least another five days."
Kagome paled. 'Five days?! I thought Sango said 'up to a week'. That would mean Sesshomaru's heat lasts at least 8 days...'
Of course, Kagome was still under the assumption that he had found her on the third or fourth day of his cycle.
Stuttering, she managed, "you-you mean...I...um...have to stay with you...that long?"
"Hrumph," he grunted, annoyed. "If you prefer, this Sesshomaru will leave you in Edo and seek his pleasure elsewhere."
Kagome's arms tightened instinctively around his neck. "No!" she barked out without thinking. Sesshomaru's feral grin was lost on her accidentally revealed possessiveness, since she couldn't see his face.
Realising the implication of her sudden outburst, she tried to amend her words. "I...I mean, you don't have to do that," she said more softly against his back.
'Too late, little miko,' he thought. Her little faux pas had already alerted him to her sudden desire to remain his bitch...however temporary the situation was. He would have to reward her for her...submission...later.
~END FLASHBACK~
'Hmmm...' Kagome thought. 'I can't believe I freaked out like that. I mean, what right do I have to tell him he can't go find someone else to rut with? Why should I care?' She suppressed a disgusted shiver at the thought of Sesshomaru rutting with another female. 'I guess I really don't like the idea. But it's not like he's my...my boyfriend or something! So why?'
"Kagome?"
Miroku had been waiting patiently as the girl's eyes glazed over in thought for the last few minutes. "Are you going through the well? I know Shippo said his pocky was almost gone, and-"
Kagome blinked a few times as she came back to the present. "No, Miroku," she cut him off. "I'm going with Sesshomaru."
The monk's eyes widened in surprise, but she waved a hand in the air as she continued. "He asked me to tutor Rin a bit in return for saving me..." she trailed off. It was a blatant lie, but plausible enough to sound like the truth. She checked the monk's expression; he seemed to have bought her story completely.
Kagome's mouth parted in preparation to say something more in the way of an explanation, just in case, when Inuyasha's cursing drifted inside once again. She sighed instead and stood up carefully. Obviously, Sesshomaru had returned, and Inuyasha was awake.
Before either occupant of the hut could move to the door, a flourish of silver and white appeared inside the threshold. Sesshomaru ignored the monk as he sauntered over to Kagome, who's radiant smile had completely captured the youkai's attention. She handed back his haori when he reached her, and he shrugged it on, not bothering to untie and re-tie his obi. Carefully pushing down the urge to flash his fangs at his bitch in the presence of the monk, Sesshomaru snatched her up into his arms with a short order of "Come, miko".
He nearly growled in appreciation when his words caused Kagome to tremble against his chest.
Clutching his prize tightly, the taiyoukai turned to leave. He paused momentarily before crossing the threshold and turned to the monk. "Perhaps," he said conversationally, "you should retrieve the half breed from his perch. His position marks him as...easy prey."
With that, the Lord of the West and the shikon miko departed. Miroku shook his head slightly and went to help his brash friend from the compromising position in the tree.
....A short while later....
Flying on Sesshomaru's youki cloud, completely surrounded in his warm, strong embrace and masculine scent, was a whole new experience.
At first when he had taken off, she had shivered in fear, wrapped her arms tightly about his neck as if he would drop her at any moment, and buried her face against the warmth and strong scent of the flesh of his neck. The heat from his embrace and their close proximity, coupled with the fact that he had not yet dropped her, slowly won her over. She relaxed against him, but stayed in her position wrapped as close to him as she could get, content to linger in his warmth as she continued her earlier inward monologue.
'So...why? Maybe it's because he smells so wonderful,' she thought with a deep inhalation. 'Or how good it feels to be in his arms...why does it feel so nice to be in his arms? I feel...comfortable...warm...kind of fuzzy. Maybe I'm going crazy? I've heard of afflictions that skip generations...and Grandpa has certainly only been playing with half a deck of cards for as long as I can remember. Is it hereditary?' She mentally shook her head to clear her ridiculous thoughts. 'No..that can't be it. Maybe it's because we were...intimate? Hmmm...that could be it. Or at least, part of it.'
Kagome reflected on her feelings for the taiyoukai before any of the past day's events occurred. Slightly afraid, slightly aggravated. His attacks on their group had always been cause for concern, although he never tried to hurt anyone besides Inuyasha...or herself. Yet, even in his 'attempts' he had never managed to seriously injure her. Why was that? Certainly he was completely capable of killing her, wasn't he? She had watched him decimate many other enemies in the past. And there had been times (more recently) when he had actually come to her rescue. He had saved her from those oni, and from Mokotsu of the band of Seven.
And she had also always been slightly awed in his presence. He was, after all, completely gorgeous. He was also incredibly powerful, and always seemed in complete control of every situation. Very few times had she ever seen him falter, and of those times, it was always Inuyasha that had caused him to do so.
So...he had tried to kill her, then saved her. He had fought with her best friend over a sword, but relented slightly when he learned that Inuyasha had needed Testsusaiga to seal his demon blood.
Then there was her little secret. The one he still didn't know about, because she had been afraid to ever approach the taiyoukai to tell him. Not long after the band of seven had been defeated, Kagome had felt terrible about Sesshomaru's missing limb. His heroism, as much as he would deny that he had come solely to save her, had made her seriously re-assess her opinion of him. After much deliberation, she had arrived at the conclusion that the stoic, often murderous youkai lord, was not all bad. Being the humanitarian she was, Kagome had decided that she felt terribly guilty for being the instigator that had cost Sesshomaru his arm.
It hadn't taken her much thought to decide that she had to repay him for saving her, and that the repayment should be something in the way of a new limb. However, she knew he would never ask for her to do such a thing, and was certain that if he knew it was she that had done it, he would be disinclined to be appreciative. In fact, she'd thought, he might even just cut it right back off.
To avoid any confrontation over it, she had spoken to Kaede about the possibilities of 'long-distance' healing. Keade had immediately balked at the idea of giving Sesshomaru any more advantages than he already had, but Kagome had convinced the old woman that the youkai was worthy of such a 'gift'. Mostly due to the fact that he had saved her, of course, but Keade was aware of the Lord's lack of true malice towards Inuyasha since he had discovered Tetsusaiga's binding spell.
Unfortunately, Keade had the knowledge, but lacked the power to do such a thing. Kagome had the power, but not the ability to use it - since she was at that point still mostly untrained. Working together, however, the pair had tried a few tests. Patients were usually quite abundant, between the villagers themselves and the myriad of wounded forest creatures the village children always seemed to find. After a month of trial and error, Keade and Kagome had managed to work out a proper channel between them that would allow a somewhat long distance healing spell.
Then, all they had to do was wait for the taiyoukai to be nearby. Not happy to wait for a coincidence, Kagome had gone to seek out Inuyasha's brother, and had convinced him that Rin should be allowed to visit Edo, under the somewhat false premise that Shippo had been wanting to see her for a play date. Surprisingly, it had taken very little time for Sesshomaru to acquiesce. Rin had been absolutely jubilant at the idea.
Just after Sesshomaru had dropped his ward off in Edo, Keade and Kagome had set to work. The youkai would not stray far with his ward playing in the village, and his close proximity had made the spell work wonderfully. The only down side was that he had immediately come running, wondering why he suddenly had his arm back. Kagome, afraid to lie to him lest he catch her, had simply shrugged her shoulders and made a show of being amazed that his arm had 're-appeared' out of thin air. He had never bothered to ask Keade.
She wondered if she would ever grow bold (or crazy) enough to tell him.