The Perfect Mate by BelovedStranger

Good Intentions

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Soooo! Today is my twin and I's birthday :3 and since I have finished the rough draft of my novel, I decided to update one of my fanfics.

This chapter is dedicated to Stella Mira's Latin Challenge!

Prompts Used:

Aerumna--labor, toil, hardship

Hortor--to exhort, incite, to harangue troops

Idcirco--for that purpose, on that account

Laesio--injury, harm, hurt, an oratorical attack

Valedico--to say goodbye

Zotheca--a private room, chamber, or closet

She was upset again, and it was all his fault—again.

Would he ever learn to make her smile, or would he forever be the cause of her tears? The thought unsettled Sesshomaru as he continued to hold Kagome in his arms, the salty scent of her sorrow heavy around them even though she made not a sound, nor did her shoulders shake in suppressed sobs. Somehow, her silent crying was worse than any violent outburst of tears.

This… This silent display all but shouted her misery much more eloquently than any loud cry. He was forever causing her hardships. He stroked the back of her head soothingly while deep in thought. Surely there had to be some way to bring her out of her sadness, to make her smile once more.

An idea sparked in his mind like a beacon of light.

Leaning down, he had to bend over greatly so that he could nuzzle his nose against her temple, though he didn’t mind, not in the least, for he was pleased by her small stature and fragile appearing persona. It made him feel more like her mate, stronger, more powerful, able to protect his precious little miko from any and all threats.

“Kagome?” he murmured in her ear, gaining her attention instantly.

“Y-yes?”

Her voice came out hoarse, strained from her silent crying.

He hated it, hated to see her so distressed, despised the fact that he was the cause of her pain even more. Again.

He pushed those self-incriminating thoughts to the back of his mind, focusing on Kagome, on how to bring her out of her melancholy, for that was all that mattered. She was all that mattered—to him.

“Come with me. I have something to show you.”

He felt her move, so he raised his head to meet her gaze when she tipped her head back to look up at him. He noted that her eyes were red, as was her nose, and tear tracks marred her pale cheeks. The sight nearly unmanned him.

These emotions… How any being could live with such strong reactions and remain sane, he had not the slightest inkling. If he tried, he could almost hate her for making him feel this way, so out of character to the demon he had been before instigating his mating competition, but he did not, could not hate her. Although these new found emotions sometimes felt like a hindrance, they also made him realize how lonely his existence had been before her, how meaningless.

Because of this one, small, mortal woman, his world was no longer bleak and barren, but filled with life.

“Where are we going?” she asked him.

She didn’t look displeased or against going elsewhere with him; for that he was grateful, because it gave him a chance to make her feel better. No, where he was about to take her would not fix what he had done, but perhaps it would lighten her mood—both of their moods.

“It’s a surprise,” he replied, echoing the very words his ward had said to him on numerous occasions when she had something to show him.

Kagome merely nodded her head, the open trust in her gaze new, for she had never gifted him with such an expression. To see her trying to give what they had a chance meant more to him then he could say.

Wordlessly, he summoned his youki cloud, and held her tighter against him as he slowly took them to the skies. The journey wasn’t long, and soon he was lowering them to the ground.

The smell of multiple flowers filled his senses, and he knew that Kagome could smell them too, knew their scent came much more strongly to her now that her human senses were advancing. Perhaps she would find that not everything about her change was bad, that there were some advantages to being more than a ningen miko.

Sesshomaru released her when she pulled away to survey the meadow they stood in the center of, surrounded by a sea of colorful hues. He tried not to reveal his anxiety, for he knew next to nothing about making a female happy, could only take advice from his recollections of what Rin enjoyed. But, considering she was still a child, even by human standards, he was uneasy, wondering if he had made an error of judgment.

When he heard Kagome’s indrawn breath, he, too, held his own, trapped in his lungs, waiting for her reaction. He was almost self-conscious and he didn’t like this new found emotion either.

Thought scattered when she turned to him then, a soft expression suffusing her face, the sadness all but wiped away. The breath he had been holding rushed out of him in a silent sigh as he realized she was pleased.

“You got me flowers,” she whispered.

He didn’t understand her strange statement, and she must’ve seen the confusion somewhere on his face.

Her twinkling, soft laugh was like music to his ears.

“In my time—” she began before turning and taking a few steps away, then gracefully lowering herself to her knees amongst the flowers. “—men would offer the woman they are interested in flowers. Though usually they bought them from a flower shop, you brought me here to show me this, to give me flowers, right?”

She looked over her shoulder at him, a purple colored flower raised to her nose, scenting it while she gazed at him.

Sesshomaru nodded his head, standing tall and proud when he realized he had just performed a ritual she was familiar with when a man courted a woman. When next he saw Rin, he should give her a gift of thanks for giving him the idea to bring the miko here.

Finally, he’d done something right, something Kagome seemed to appreciate and enjoy.

Moving nearer, needing to be closer, to share in her lighthearted mood, he lowered himself beside her, sitting with one knee bent and his other leg cross on the ground. Gazing up at the sunny, almost cloudless sky, he was thankful for the good weather, for it afforded him the opportunity to bring her here.

Minutes passed as they sat in companionable silence before he finally turned to watch what the miko was doing, then froze. She was making something he was far too familiar with—a crown made of flowers. He hoped she was not like Rin and expected him to wear her ‘gift’ should she offer it to him. 

A man sporting flowers in his hair… how emasculating.

Sesshomaru wasn’t sure he could go as far as adorning such a ridiculous thing if she gave it to him, even if it would make her happy. He’d always declined when Rin had offered him such a wreath.

Then, his head snapped up, eyes narrowing as a familiar youkai approached, one he hadn’t seen in a while.

Sesshomaru rose smoothly to his feet, noting his actions had caught his companion’s attention.

“Someone’s coming…” he heard her murmur the obvious before discarding her incomplete crown of flowers to stand beside him.

Their peaceful interlude was interrupted when a dark haired male in fur skins came running towards them, a cocky grin plastered on his face. He didn’t stop until he was before Kagome, his muscular arms wrapping tightly around her.

“Kagome! How’s my woman doing? Miss me?”

“Uh, hello, Koga,” came Kagome’s muffled reply, her face smothered against his chest.

Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the display, his claws flexing, imagining ripping off the male’s offending limbs for daring to touch what was his.

“Release the miko,” he ordered, his tone laced with displeasure.

He’d almost referred to Kagome as his mate but had quickly caught himself, not wishing to upset her again by putting a claim on her, a claim that she had been fighting every step of the way. At the reminder, Sesshomaru forced himself not to physically remove the brash male, knowing, in Kagome’s eyes, he had no right to.

He clenched his molars, pissed anew, wanting desperately to show her, to prove to everyone that she was his… but was she really? Though she had claimed to want to give their ‘relationship’ a try—whatever that implied—he was still uncertain to what she thought was acceptable behavior from him.

He found he did not like being confused on how to conduct himself around her, in front of company.

However, she surprised him by not only pushing away from the ookami but also saying clearly, “I’m here with Sesshomaru, Koga.”

Sesshomaru had to stifle the urge to grin after her statement, though the urge to rip the wolf apart was still appealing to him.

Koga’s nose crinkled as he finally became aware of the change in her scent. Instead of realizing she was more than a human miko from her scent and aura, it was obvious by the other male’s incredulous cry he was only concerned—only noticed—one thing. 

“Why the hell do you smell like mutt-face over here, Kagome? Is that… Is that a betrothal scent!?”

The slow imbecile, thought Sesshomaru, though he did take pleasure in the wolf’s shock.

The fool’s bewilderment quickly morphed into a scowl, brows pinched together, a snarl curving his lips in obvious anger at finding his scent on the miko. Blue, wrath-filled eyes glared at him, and when Sesshomaru merely lifted a careless brow in silent answer, it seemed to only incite the wolf demon’s rage more.

Not like Sesshomaru cared. The wolf was of no real threat, too weak to ever be in the same class as he.

Gently, if firmly moving the miko to the side so that she wasn’t in-between them, the ookami snarled at him.

“She’s mine! How dare you try to steal my woman while my back is turned, you bastard!”

“Calm down, Koga,” the miko interjected, sounding more exasperated then anything.

Sesshomaru couldn’t help but wonder at their relationship, the mutt’s claim causing his own anger to return, boiling his blood.

“I’m not your woman,” she continued, running between them, forcing the wolf to pay attention to her instead of glaring at him hatefully. “I never was! I’ve told you so countless times in the past, but you never listen to me.”

“You can’t really want to be with dog-breath over here, can yah, Kagome?”

“I can be with whoever I choose, and I choose to be with Sesshomaru.”

With an incredulous expression on his face, Koga said, “You can’t really mean that…”

Kagome’s small cough caught Sesshomaru’s attention. His gaze narrowed on the blush he saw forming on her cheeks, and he caught the quick glance she shot him from the corner of her eye.

“I’m dating Sesshomaru…kinda.”

It was obvious neither male understood her meaning.

“What does that mean?” the wolf demanded, agitated.

With a small sound of exasperation, she explained.

“It means we are a couple. It’s a form of courtship where I come from.”

While the news made Koga upset, going by his sputtering and unhappy expression, Sesshomaru felt his heart skip in a strange manner, in his breast. He was far from displeased by her words. Could this strange ‘dating’ ritual be the human equivalency of a demon’s mating courtship?

“Why, Kagome? Did you think I wouldn’t return for you? I even gave you my jewel shards as a betrothal gift and you accepted, remember?”

Kagome blinked up at Koga, her mind going back in time to a few months ago when Koga had barged in on her and her friends and given her his shards. He had said they were a betrothal gift… But back then, she had ignored the significance to his ‘gift’, hadn’t really believed in it.

Now, after stumbling into Sesshomaru’s mating competition, winning, and coming to learn what it actually meant to be betrothed to a youkai, she belatedly realized perhaps his past gesture and her acceptance had more meaning than she realized.

She gazed into blue eyes, feeling trapped, out of her depths.

What was she to do? She couldn’t exactly return the shards to him since they didn’t really belong to him, and she needed them to complete the Shikon.

Floundering for an answer, unable to deny the expectant look on Koga’s face, Sesshomaru saved her when she heard his voice cut through their discussion.

“You forget, wolf, it’s not a betrothal gift if the object in question already belongs to the intended party.”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Koga

Kagome turned to stare at Sesshomaru, just as curious as Koga.

“Kagome is the Shikon no Miko, the keeper and protector of the Jewel of Four Souls. The shards you ‘gave’ to her did not, in fact, belong to you; therefore, you were merely returning her property, not giving her a betrothal gift.”

Kagome almost breathed a sigh of relief, having feared she had made a mistake in the past for accepting Koga’s shards. She was already having enough difficulties with Sesshomaru’s mating proposal. She didn’t need the added stress of finally being forced to take Koga’s claim of being his woman seriously.

Face turning beet red, Koga sputtered before promising, “I’ll give you another gift, Kagome, a real one. Something much better than jewel shards.”

Kagome shook her head and smiled sadly up at her friend.

“I’m sorry, Koga, but I’m going to have to decline. You’re my friend. I don’t want that to change between us, so I can’t accept a betrothal gift from you.”

She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, felt bad for the blow she had likely dealt him, but she had to follow her heart, and though it was confusing her at present when concerning Sesshomaru, she knew without a questionable doubt that she would never view Koga as anything more than a valued friend, and it was time he realized that.

“Kagome—“ Koga began, and she could see he was about to argue with her.

She had just steeled herself to the battle to come when Sesshomaru stepped forward, standing beside her. She then felt the familiar weight of his arm wrapping around her waist, his large, clawed hand, clasping her hip, tugging her towards him until she fit perfectly in the crook of his side.

Kagome blushed at the public display of ownership, of affection, but didn’t pull away.

Sesshomaru wasn’t doing anything wrong, just showing her words to be true, that they were dating. She couldn’t fault his need to physically display his claim on her as men in her time would do the same when another male was poaching on their territory.

His arm wrapped around her was for that purpose of chastely proclaiming to Koga that she was his.

“Are you hard of hearing, wolf? The miko has not only declined your suit but has openly stated that we are ‘dating’. She does not want you for a mate, so leave.”

Kagome winced at the harshness of Sesshomaru’s words and wanted to somehow lighten the blow but before she could decide whether to remain silent or speak up, Koga was already speaking, his body language and tone of voice aggressive.

“I refuse to hand Kagome over to a bastard like you. If you want her, then fight me for her!”

“Figh—“ began Kagome, surprised. “No, wait! That’s not necessary, Koga. I thought this was already settled. I’m here with Sesshomaru. I don’t want you to fight for me!”

“Calm yourself, miko,” Sesshomaru said, his arm unwrapped from around her waist.

Helplessly, she allowed him to gently set her aside so that she no longer stood between the two males.

“But… Sesshomaru—“

“It is not uncommon for youkai males to fight for a woman, Kagome. Though you champion my suite at present, other males may try to challenge my claim by proving themselves in a fight, to impress the female.”

Kagome frowned and opened her mouth to inform them both at how stupid they were acting, especially Koga, when the wolf spoke up first, interrupting her.

“Enough talk, dog!”

And with that, he lunged at Sesshomaru.

Koga should have been too fast for her to see, but Kagome saw his fist clearly as he aimed to smash Sesshomaru’s face in. She didn’t have enough time to gasp, because Sesshomaru was quicker. He caught Koga’s fist in the palm of his hand before tightening his grip, crushing bones. She knew he had, for she heard them snap sickeningly.

Crying out in both pain and surprise, Koga jumped back, retreating, his hand curled up close to his stomach. However, Sesshomaru seemed all business, gave no quarter and followed his opponent. When he struck, his fist made contact with Koga’s face, sending him flying across the meadow, only to fall in a heap on the ground.

“Is that…all you got, mutt?” Koga grunted, getting back to his feet slowly.

“Sesshomaru,” Kagome called softly, stalling him from meeting her friend’s foolhardy challenge.

Golden eyes flickered over to her, meeting her gaze, as Sesshomaru paused to hear her out.

“Just…don’t be too harsh on him, okay?” she murmured softly, knowing she couldn’t stop the males from letting off some testosterone. 

He nodded once in reply.

“If you’re too scared to come to me, then I’m coming to you!” shouted Koga.

Kagome watched helplessly as the males fought, unable to do anything to prevent a fight she found so pointless. She didn’t blame Sesshomaru for his part in this whole mess, for it was Koga who refused to listen to her time and time again, and chose to start this battle.

She hated it though.

She had never been one for senseless violence, and yet she had come to learn over the years that men thrived on it. She couldn’t understand it, didn’t want to understand why they thought answers lad behind the strength of a fist.

Koga came running before jumping in the air, performing a roundabout kick. Like his last attack, it didn’t land true, for Sesshomaru merely lifted his arm and blocked it with his bicep. Then, with his other hand, he flexed his claws and struck, slicing into Koga’s thigh.

Skin split, blood gushing from the deep laceration, meaty flesh showing through the outpouring of blood.

The move was so quick, Koga already retreating yet again, limping, but with her new abilities, she could see everything clearly. She noticed with gratitude that Sesshomaru hadn’t used his poison claws to inflict more damage. He was listening to her and not trying to kill her friend or maim him.

Again, he listened to her.

Though this was not an occasion where she would normally smile, her lips curved up slightly. Sesshomaru was trying, for her, because she had asked it of him.

Though she didn’t want to, desired nothing more than to look away and let the men pummel each other to their hearts’ content, Kagome didn’t look away. They were doing this for her—in a way. Koga fought to claim her, and Sesshomaru fought to keep her. It would dishonor them if she were to look away, and she wouldn’t do that to either of them, regardless if she thought this nothing but a senseless fight.

Brash as always, Koga charged again, though he was hampered by his leg injury. He tried to kick, punch, and claw at Sesshomaru, striking again and again, but not once did he land a blow.

The inuyoukai blocked each and every blow effortlessly, dodged and sidestepping, as if he were toying with his opponent, silently proving to Koga that no matter what he threw at him, it would never be enough to defeat him. A mental tactic, she knew, meant to both discourage and enrage.

She couldn’t tell if it discouraged Koga to see his attacks failing time and again, but she did see his anger spiking, saw it in his face, the tension in his body.

“Stop running away, you coward, and fight me!” Koga barked, breathing heavily while Sesshomaru didn’t seem to have even broken a sweat.

“As you wish,” Sesshomaru murmured, unruffled, not a hair out of place.

She noted that he hadn’t yet even drawn his sword, doubted he would.

In a move so fast even she had a hard time tracking him, Sesshomaru moved in, his fist nailing the wolf in his gut, bowing him over with a harsh, pain-filled gasp spilling from his lips. Without allowing him to recover, Sesshomaru used his other hand and chopped down on the back of Koga’s neck.

Next, when Koga started to fall towards the ground at the force of Sesshomaru’s blow, the inu lord lifted his knee towards his face.

The ookami’s head snapped back, blood gushing from what she would guess was a broken nose, and fell back, comatose on the ground, unmoving.

Eyes wide, Kagome ran towards Koga and fell to her knees beside him. She didn’t see the dark scowl that crossed Sesshomaru’s face as she hovered fretfully over her fallen friend.

He was out cold.

Shaking her head, she spoke over her shoulder at Sesshomaru.

“I can’t just leave him like this, for anyone to attack while he’s unconscious, but, after he wakes and telling him goodbye, could you take me back, to my room, Sesshomaru? I think I’ve had enough excitement for today.”

“As you wish, Kagome.”