I decided many moons ago that this story needed revised and redone, sooo....here it is! I've finally decided to take the time to fix it and continue it, so I hope you enjoy ^_^
It all started with a letter.
Kagome Higurashi looked down at the tidy, if not impossibly perfect, note that had been tucked neatly inside Rin's letter with a wrinkle in her brow.
She was confused.
A week or so ago, she had received a letter from the bubbly little girl explaining that she was learning to read and write and wanted Kagome to be, in future terms, her pen pal. Kagome had responded eagerly, writing a quick letter for the western messenger to take back to her stating that she would love to receive letters from her and promised to write long ones back to help her with her reading lessons. The messenger who had brought her Rin's letter had waited patiently for her to write her response and once he had the paper in hand, disappeared in a flurry of brilliance and showmanship that only one employed by Sesshomaru could achieve.
Looking back at the letter that had caused her momentary confusion, she felt a bubble of laughter float up her throat and escape past her lips as she imagined the powerful Taiyoukai speaking the words he'd written to her.
"Miko, I will hold you to your word and you will keep correspondence with my ward until it is stated otherwise, blah blah blah."
She laughed at her impression of the stoic Inu lord and turned her attention back to the western messenger that was now looking at her with a sour expression on his face.
"Ha, uh ahem, give me a half an hour, I'll have Rin's letter ready for you by then."
She received a nod in response and then he was gone in a poof of smoke and glitter.
"I wonder what kind of demon you have to be to produce glitter." She laughed. "Maybe only gay demons can do it."
Continuing to giggle at her own joke, she rooted around in her trademark yellow pack for a notebook and, upon success, flipped it to a blank page.
It probably wasn’t a good idea to be spreading paper from the future all over the Feudal Era, but the likelihood of the letters she wrote to Rin surviving long enough to be considered a historical discovery were highly unlikely.
Glancing up at the tiny kitsune rolling around happily in the flowers, she decided to tell the young girl about the spring flowers that had sprouted up all around the village; about Shippou's upcoming birthday celebration and anything else she could think of that she assumed would interest her until the page was nearly full and then with a happy sigh she folded it and labeled it with Rin's name.
As she went to stuff the notebook back in her pack, she caught sight of the letter from Sesshomaru that she's tossed to the side and stopped.
He had taken the time to write to her, as short and unnecessary as it had been. It would be rude of her not to at least send a short message back.
"That and it gives me the chance to push his uptight buttons a little bit," she said with a giggle.
Re-opening the notebook, she tapped her green pencil against her lips thoughtfully before she began writing.
Sesshomaru,
Thank you for writing to me, I'm happy to be able to assist with Rin's studies and it will be nice to hear from her as well. Hope everything is well in the west. Try not to work yourself too hard.
Kagome
Folding the short note up and writing his name on it, she grinned. Knowing the Taiyoukai, he would probably come all the way to the village just to inform her that he was a great and powerful demon and that her concern was highly misplaced. He would probably also notify her that there was meant to be a Lord before his name at all times; spoken or written.
Placing the letters to the side, she went back to reading her book until the messenger returned for them in a blinding flash.
"Are you finished," he asked in a tone that was almost as deadpan as his master.
Kagome smiled. "Yes, thank you for waiting."
He nodded. "It is my job."
"I have two for you; one for Rin and one for Sesshomaru. They're labeled."
"Lord, Lord Sesshomaru."
She laughed at his correction. "Yes one for Lord Sesshomaru."
Taking the letters from her outstretched hand, he tucked them into the satchel on his hip and disappeared; this time with far less glitter.
Shaking her head, she looked toward the setting sun and called out to Shippou. It was time to start heading back for dinner. Inuyasha got grumpy if he didn’t get fed on time. Stuffing her books back into her pack, she stretched her arms over her head before shouldering the yellow bag and turning toward the village.
"I wonder if Sango will want to take a bath with me tonight. It's been a while since we've had any girl time. I guess I'll stop by and ask."
Feeling Shippou settle in on her shoulder she quickened her pace toward the village.
_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_
"Are you sure you don't need any help getting in here, Sango? I'd feel terrible if you slipped."
The third-time pregnant demon slayer gave her concerned friend a dismissive wave before carefully sliding down into a sitting position on a rock shelf that was slightly submerged.
"You worry too much, Kagome. You have to remember; I was pregnant with twins last time, twice this size and I still managed to get around."
Kagome smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Yes well, I was worried about you then, too."
Sango laughed. "Yes, I was worried about myself then as well. It was a constant battle not to topple over."
Kagome thought back to when her friend had been the human version of a blimp and laughed with her.
"Ok, enough talk about my lack of balance. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Kagome looked confused for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, come now Kagome. You asked me to bathe with you. That means something is bothering you and it's something you couldn't talk to Inuyasha about. So what is it?"
Kagome sighed. "Nothing gets past you, does it? I did want to talk, but I also just wanted some company too."
Pulling her fingers through her damp hair, she leaned back against the edge of the hot spring and sighed.
"It's not something that's bothering me really, it was just kind of odd....you know how Rin is learning to read and write and she wanted to write letters to me? Well....Sesshomaru sent one along with hers this time."
Sango looked at her curiously. "What for? What did it say?"
"Oh, nothing serious, just general Sesshomaru bossiness, but I...kind of wrote a letter back to him..."
Sango narrowed her eyes at the young miko. "I know you, Kagome. You weren't rude to him, were you?"
Kagome laughed nervously. "Well, no. I just decided it would be funny to pick on him a little bit."
"You thought it would be funny to try and antagonize.....Lord Sesshomaru?" She paused. "What exactly made you think that any part of that would be a good idea?"
"I didn't say anything disrespectful. I just told him I was willing to write to Rin and....not to overwork himself. That’s not being disrespectful, is it? It’s just saying that I’m thinking of his health."
"Kagome, although you may not think it was disrespectful, you basically just told Lord Sesshomaru, in a round about way, that he's capable of weakness. You, of all people, should know how he is. Just imagine what happens to people that tell the western lord he's weak."
Kagome stopped for a moment and thought about what her friend had said. Would the uptight dog demon really take it that way or was Sango just being dramatic? She really hadn't meant it like that, she just figured he'd think she was concerned about him and tell her off, but the more she thought about it the more she realized that what Sango said was probably true.
"Shit..."
Sango sighed. "Well, what's done is done. Maybe he'll ignore it and just toss your letter out."
"Yeah, I'm not that lucky. Oh well."
~+~+~+~+~+~+~
"Oh boy..."
Looking down at the small piece of parchment tucked into Rin's letter, Kagome felt her heart stop.
"Give me a half an hour and I'll have another letter for Rin."
She didn't look up to watch the flashy demon disappear; her attention focused solely on the small piece of paper that she'd convinced herself held her death sentence.
Setting Rin's letter down in her lap, she unfolded Sesshomarus and let her eyes scan the beautiful handwriting.
Miko,
I am pleased that you are going to cooperate and keep correspondence with my ward. Also, since you have inquired, the west is, in fact, well. For future reference, I do not tire easily so, your concern is not needed.
Kagome released the breath she hadn’t even realize she'd been holding in and set the letter aside.
Well that was unexpected. Not only was she not in trouble, but he'd also taken the time to respond to her as well.
"Hmm, I wonder....."
Would he continue to respond to her if she continued to write to him?
Deciding there was only one way to find out, she pulled out her trusty notebook and began writing.
Sesshomaru,
I am happy to hear that everything is well in the west. I hope you’ll pardon me for saying this, but even if you do not tire easily, it is still not good to have all work and no play.
Take some time for yourself every once in a while to relax. You're always welcome to bring Rin to play with Shippou and I can show you some peaceful places to relax that are just a short distance from the village.
Kagome
Folding up the paper when she was finished, she quickly read Rin's letter and responded to it as well.
"Man, I hope I'm not pushing my luck," she murmured as she put her writing supplies back in her bag.
When the western messenger reappeared for her letters she handed them to him absent-mindedly and turned her back on him as she contemplated stealing Sango for another bath.
Images of the reprimand she was going to get for writing another letter to him flashed through her mind and she cringed.
"Maybe I should be more worried about evoking the wrath of a pregnant woman than irritating Sesshomaru."
Then she thought about Inuyasha's reaction to finding out that, not only was she writing letters to his brother, but she'd also invited him to come 'hang out' at the village and sighed. He would do nothing short of explode.
"I must just be a glutton for punishment."
~_~_~_~_~
"Lord Sesshomaru, I have another message for you from the human miko."
Looking up from the scroll he'd been studying, he took the folded paper from his messenger and dismissed him; Kagome's letter ending up on top of a stack of treaties and miscellaneous documents as he went back to what he was doing.
"Imbecile, a complete and utter imbecile."
Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed the scroll away in frustration.
He'd been dealing with the ruler of the Eastern Lands for weeks now, keeping detailed correspondence with him over the issue at the border and the idiotic neko youkai was not willing to cooperate or compromise.
Rolling the scroll back up and sticking it on the stack of others he'd received from the stubborn neko, he pulled out a fresh, blank one to write his well thought out and just slightly threatening response to the neko leader’s refusal to yield to his demands to keep his people from raiding the villages along the border on Western territory. He really didn't want to go to war with the East, but if the neko refused to even investigate and continued to deny the presence of his soldiers in the small villages, he would have to.
Writing out his response, he called for his messenger as he stamped the bottom with his seal and rolled it shut.
"Kiro, take this to the Eastern Lord," he said when the youkai materialize in front of his desk. He didn't bother to look up as he tied the scroll closed with a blue ribbon, handing it off as he reached for something else that needed his immediate attention.
"Excuse me, my Lord, but Rin has finished her letter to the young miko and I am planning to deliver it after my return from the East, do you also have a response you would like me to take to her?"
His eyes shifted to the odd looking piece of paper sitting on the stack of parchment at the edge of his desk before going back to what was sitting in front of him.
"Return once you've delivered the message to the East. If I find the time, I will write a response for you to take to her."
Kiro bowed. "As you wish, my Lord." And then he was gone.
Letting his eyes drag over the treaty in front of him, he found himself curious as to why the miko had found it necessary to send a response to his previous letter and, with mild irritation, found his gaze slipping over to her letter in favor of focusing on the document he was attempting to read.
"Distractions," he murmured as he reached for the offending piece of paper and opened it.
Her words brought a small sigh to his lips as he put it back where it had been and reached for a blank sheet of parchment to write on.
Miko,
Although your concern is appreciated, as I stated before, it is unnecessary. I did not gain my station by being weak. I also do not play. I am a Taiyoukai and have not indulged in such an act since I was a pup, so do not ask or expect me to do any such thing. As for Rin coming to visit with the young kitsune, I find this arrangement acceptable. Expect her and I to arrive in four days time.
When he'd finished, he folded it in half and placed it toward the front of his desk for Kiro to retrieve when he returned, his eyes returning to the treaty he'd yet to finish reading.
"Distractions."
_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
"You.....you did WHAT!?"
Kagome cringed at the climbing octaves of the hanyou's voice and sighed.
He'd recently discovered her interactions with his half-brother, thanks to a certain monk, and she decided she'd been completely wrong about him exploding. No, he wasn't just exploding; he was attempting to set her on fire with his eyes alone as well. He was also trying to let anyone in a twenty mile vicinity know that she was a back-stabbing bitch that was going to have Tessaiga crammed relatively far up her behind.
Needless to say his face was sporting a nice shade of beyond pissed red and he was going absolutely ballistic.
"Relax Inuyasha, I didn't......."
"You've been talking to my bastard brother....."
"It was only two letter's Inuyasha. I........."
"AND you invited him to come to the village....to visit?"
"Well, yes, but I did it so Rin....."
"Tell me you're kidding Kagome! Tell me you're FUCKING kidding me!"
The young miko sighed and shook her head.
"No, Inuyasha I'm not kidding. He'll be here tomorrow with Rin so that she and Shippou can play together."
She watched him struggle to speak for a moment before he settled for growling at her and took off.
"Well, he's never going to speak to me again."
"Oh, don't worry Kagome. He'll probably spend a few nights in Goshinboku and then he'll be back to being our friendly neighborhood pain in the butt."
She smiled half-heartedly at the pregnant Taijiya as she looped arms with her.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Inuyasha has always been a brat when he doesn't get his way. Let's forget about him for now and go take a bath!"
Sango laughed. "That's something that always made both of us feel better. Alright, let me go tell Miroku where I'm going."
_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
Kagome sat quietly under a tree just outside of the village, her hands wringing together nervously as she waited for Sesshomaru and Rin to arrive.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Inuyasha was so mad...."
"Momma?"
She smiled at the young kitsune as he bounded up to her with an armful of flowers; her hands ceasing their nervous activity to lift him up into her lap and ruffle his hair.
"Are you excited about playing with Rin today?"
He nodded vigorously. "Mmhm, but you seem sad. Is it because of Inuyasha?"
"I'm not sad honey, I'm just a little nervous. I don't want Inuyasha stomping out here and picking a fight with his brother when I'm the one that asked him to bring Rin here for you."
Taking one of the flowers he'd picked, Shippou stretched up and put it behind her ear; nuzzling her cheek to try and bring her some comfort as he settled back down in her lap.
"Don't worry momma! If he starts runnin' his mouth, I'll beat him up!"
Tickling the tiny kitsune's puffed out chest; she hugged his little form to her and sighed.
"Stupid Inuyasha."
"Do you still love him?"
The mature question from the young kit startled her, but it did make her think seriously about the answer.
"As a friend, I suppose, nothing more. I think I out grew him, so to speak."
"Well, don't worry about him. I'm going to grow up to be big and strong and then you can be my mate!"
Ruffling his hair again, she kissed his forehead and offered him a soft smile.
"Alright, Shippou, I'll be waiting."
"Lady Kagome!"
At the sound of her name being called, she looked across the clearing to see Rin barreling toward her and stood; Shippou hopping down to stand at her side.
"Rin," she called happily as she opened her arms for the little girl to run into.
"Rin is so happy to see Lady Kagome and to play with Shippou too! Thank you for writing me letters!"
Letting the little girl go to chase after Shippou, she looked back in the direction she'd come from and spotted the Taiyoukai coming her way.
"Hello Sesshomaru" she said when he came to a stop beside her in the shade.
"Miko."
"I'm glad you decided to bring Rin to play. I think Shippou was getting lonely with just me for company and Sango's children are still too young to play with him just yet."
The Taiyoukai lowered his large frame to the ground gracefully; one leg extended outward while the other was bent at the knee. His eyes shifted to look at her for a moment before focusing back on the small girl tearing through the wildflowers; Shippou hot on her heels.
"At the mere mention of your name she was already exiting the palace. There was little I could do to deter her from leaving the second she was informed we would be coming to see you."
This made the young miko smile.
"She's a good girl."
"Hn."
They fell into a comfortable silence; Kagome settling back down in to her previous position against the tree trunk while Sesshomaru continued to watch the two children play silently.
"Will you guys be spending the night here, Sesshomaru?"
"We will be returning to the western palace at dusk."
"Oh, ok." She hesitated for a moment, glancing over at the inu demon before she continued.
"You're more than welcome to st..."
"Oi, you bastard! Get the hell away from Kagome!"
Oh no.....
Turning to watch the approach of her disgruntled hanyou friend, she sighed and dropped her face into her hands.
Although she hadn't had to use them in a while, Kagome was thankful at this moment that she'd chosen to leave the subjugation beads around Inuyasha's neck.
"I apologize for what is about to happen, Sesshomaru. It was not my intention to invite you here to be harassed."
He let an elegant brow arch curiously at her before she pinched the bridge of her nose and uttered the words that would temporarily fix the problem.
"Inuyasha, sit boy."
By the time the hanyou had gotten tired of eating dirt and left, there was a hole in the ground deep enough for even the tall Taiyoukai to disappear into.
~_~_~_~
"I can't believe you!"
Balling her hands into fists, Kagome planted them on her hips and glared down at the cowering hanyou before she continued her angry tirade.
Sesshomaru and Rin had left shortly after arriving due to Inuyasha's awe-inspiring impression of a three year old not getting his way. This made Kagome very angry. She had quite adamantly made it known to the pouting hanyou that she was highly displeased with his actions and if he didn't straighten up she was going to make sure that she sat him until his ass and face would switch places.
"I just can't believe you! You're so selfish, Inuyasha. You ruined Shippou's play date!"
"Keh, that bastard didn't have to be here for that little girl to play with the kit."
"Her name is Rin, you idiot and she didn't even get a chance to play before they left because you can't manage to shut your giant mouth and leave Sesshomaru alone! I'll be lucky if I can even convince him to bring her back for Shippou's birthday next week!"
"Oi, he ain't coming back! I don't want his uptight, icicle ass around hereI"
"YOU do not have a say in this. It's Shippou's big day and I refuse to let you ruin it for him!"
When the hanyou just huffed and turned his back on her, she felt herself give up. He never listened and he never would. He didn't care about how his actions affected everyone else; he just cared about, well...himself.
"Sit, Inuyasha."
Turning away from the prostrate hanyou, she began her short trek to the village; her mind already pondering on how she was going to convince the Taiyoukai to bring Rin to the village for Shippou's birthday.
"Oi, where are you going?"
Not even bothering to acknowledge him, she muttered a quiet sit and decided to get Sango and Miroku's opinion on the best way to approach the subject with the Taiyoukai.
~_~_~_~_~_~
"Well you could just try apologizing on Inuyasha's behalf. I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru is well aware of his brother's....personality. He's probably not even angry."
"More like personality disorder," Kagome muttered as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Would apologizing really work?
"I'm sure he's well aware of Inuyasha's intense need to throw fits about everything, Miroku, but I don't want him to feel like he's going to get harassed every time he tries to come out here."
The monk stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, this is Sesshomaru we're talking about here. Do you honestly believe that anything, including his irritating younger brother, can truly bother him?"
"Mm, you're probably right. He does tend to be rather....reserved about everything, but he left in such a hurry. I feel bad."
Wrapping an arm around the young miko's shoulder as best she could with the giant baby bulge restricting her movements, Sango patted her knee with her other hand and smiled.
"Look at it this way Kagome; he obviously has some sort of respect for you or he wouldn't have responded to the letters you sent him. Just write to him the next time you get a letter from Rin and tell him you're sorry for what Inuyasha did. If he responds, then you have nothing to worry about."
"And if he doesn't?"
Sango and Miroku exchanged a small glance before the monk responded.
"Then we've underestimated the level of irritation Inuyasha can evoke in someone."
Kagome sighed. "Great."
_~_~_~_~_~_
Sesshomaru,
I cannot even begin to express how sorry I am for the way Inuyasha acted. Shippou and I were very much looking forward to seeing Rin as well as visiting with you. I was very upset that, because of his inability to control himself, you guys couldn't stay longer. I also hope that his actions haven't deterred you from returning for Shippou's birthday party five days from now. There will be games and food and I would love to have Rin here to share his special day with him.
Kagome
Reading it over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she folded it up and handed it to the messenger with a small smile.
"As always there's one there for both of them."
The messenger nodded as he slipped the papers into his satchel.
"Thank you...." She paused as she realized she didn't know the demon’s name. "I'm sorry; I never asked you what your name is. What is it?"
"Kiro, Lady Kagome."
She smiled. "Please, no need for formalities. Just call me Kagome. Thank you Kiro, for delivering my letters."
He bowed his head to her as he took a step back. "It is my job, but you are welcome." And then he was gone; as always in a flamboyant display of glitter and pizazz.
'I really need to remember to ask him what kind of demon he is one of these days,' she thought as she picked up her physics textbook and continued where she'd left off.
_~_~_~_~_~_~
"Lord Sesshomaru, I have a...."
"A letter from the miko, yes, I assumed as much."
Extending a hand out to take the piece of paper from the demon's grasp, he dismissed him with a small wave and returned to sorting the papers in front of him.
"Always at the most inopportune moments," he murmured as he pushed the papers he'd been reading to the side and opened the young miko's letter; aware that if he did not read it now, he would probably end up stopping in his work a short time later to do so.
As he read the short letter, he noticed, for the first time, how neat and tidy the miko's small handwriting was and wondered who it was that had taught her in the art of reading and writing. Although it was not uncommon for miko's to be taught such things, the lessons were only extended far enough for them to be able to comprehend a limited amount. He'd also noticed during his travels with the rag tag group on their quest to defeat the hanyou Naraku that she knew mathematics, science subjects and astronomy as well; something that very few under nobility could ever even dream of learning and definitely not all three fields at once. Most only studied in one field for a good amount of years before moving onto the next. There were demon lords older than him that knew less than what the miko seemed to be educated in.
Was it possible that she was descended from a royal line of holy people? If so, why had he not been made aware of such a fact? He contemplated the possibility of her being from a imperial line he was unaware of and found himself at a loss. There was something truly odd about the Shikon Miko; something that had been hidden from him and he found he was greatly displeased by this. After a few more moments of silent deliberation, something else occurred to him. If she had, in fact, come from a very wealthy, royal family; why was she living in such a poor village and with his half-wit brother at that?
Pulling a fresh sheet of parchment from amongst the clutter on his desk, he decided that this situation needed to be rectified immediately and as soon as he was able to speak to her in person he would get the answers to his questions; even if he had to force them from her.
Miko,
I am aware that my brother is a complete and utter waste of life. There is no reason for you to apologize for his actions. You are not at fault for his behavior and should take no responsibility in making amends for his actions. As for the matter of Rin and I attending the festivities for your kit; we will come. I believe Rin would never forgive me if I refused her presence at the celebration of the kit's birth. Also, I would like to speak to you on a matter that has recently come to my attention and would like to discuss it with you at your earliest convenience.
Reading it over to confirm he had addressed each topic he’d intended to; he folded the letter, sealed it with a small amount of blue wax and pushed his royal seal into it.
"Kiro."
The demon messenger appeared immediately; a knee to the floor and his head bowed.
"You called, my Lord?"
"Take this letter to the miko. Inform her that she is to respond to it immediately."
"Yes, my Lord."
Taking the letter from the Taiyoukai, Kiro slipped it into his satchel and disappeared.
Returning to his previous paperwork, the demon lord found himself pondering the odd miko once more. His eagerness to obtain the knowledge pertaining to the enigma that the young woman had become to him recently made him question his sanity.
"Perhaps the miko was correct in suggesting a small respite."
Once again his thoughts had centered back to her and he fought the urge to rolls his eyes.
"Distractions."