Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the source material for this story. All are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This fic is labeled MA per standards for eventual violence, sex, and language so be warned.

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Reconciliation

Chapter 29 – The Separation: Year 1: Summer: Part II

Kagome sat alone on the cold, black tile of the shiro roof. Three stories in the air, the young woman hugged her knees tighter as a chilled breeze caused goosebumps to erupt on her exposed arms and legs. Both were scraped from the awkward climb up and she hissed as the short robes she wore dragged over the raw cuts on her knees again. Sad, blue eyes released two more tears to fall onto the pale pink kimono, changing the color slowly to magenta as they soaked through the silk. Two more joined the collection dotting her legs while she watched.

Releasing and straightening her legs with a sigh, Kagome wiped her eyes and leaned back to gaze up at the stars. She thought of the impassive face of Sesshoumaru, backlit by the braziers in the meeting room, then shook her long, damp hair in the same breath to erase him. She was on her own to come to terms with his decision. She had chosen to flee the meeting room, made the decision to face this alone, and no one had come looking for her. It was just as well.

"But what do I do now?"

Chinatsu's tirade had been excessive but the miko could find no fault in the facts. Everything had changed for Kagome: her future, her prospects, and eventually, even her home. It was hard to hear firsthand that nothing had changed in his world. He was doing exactly as he'd outlined in the gallery to the letter and was checking the items off, one by one. Secure borders. Check. Solidify contracts. Check. Siring an heir…

"Damn it!" Kagome screwed her eyes shut to stop the uncontrollable and unidentifiable feelings his presence here had caused.

Her breath came in short pants again as the tears fought for release, and she grew angry when they slid down her face again to drip onto the tile below. Why did she care? Because he'd been an ass, again, and ignored her and her feelings completely? Because this lifetime they faced together was apparently massively easier for him to accept?

'Why would I expect any differently?'

Because she'd have to live with watching him raise another woman's child? She was already doing that with two others, both Rin and Shippou, so why did this one matter?

'Because this one isn't an orphan, idiot. Don't fool yourself. This is a child he wants and will raise under the nose of Rin and Shippou in a completely different way. No…' She paused, thinking hard and reaching deeper. 'No, it's more personal than that. A child born to a man who wants children but refuses to have them with me. Rejected because of what I am and what I can give him… and it hurts. We don't even have a relationship yet, so why would he care?'

The tears gained speed down her face, she bit her bottom lip to stop the telling quiver, and Kagome felt more lost than she had since last winter.

"I think… I want the most… I just wish…" she hiccupped, "he cared about my feelings at all."

It sounded childish when she said it out loud but the sentiment was still very real. The miko tipped her head back and the unruly ends of her ebony hair fell against the tile behind her. Another breeze rolled through the village and the dramatic waves of the tall bamboo drew Kagome's attention to the shimmering barrier that surrounded the village in a vast dome, towering over the tall buildings and peaking far above her. At any other time, in any other moment, this would be a beautiful place to be but right now, it only felt like a cage.

'I do wish he understood how I feel. How can he, though? Even I don't know how I honestly feel about this. At least, I don't know why I feel the way I do.'

An endless sea of twinkling stars glittered overhead, beautifully bright and innumerable in the clear, summer night sky. She felt smaller than ever, watching them. The world might feel less vast with someone to share the view with; someone who wanted her for her. Someone who wasn't a child, didn't need her, but just wanted her.

'I'm lonely? Is that what all of this is?'

Kagome remembered the way Sesshoumaru had watched the stars with a sad and longing expression himself, the night before the battle with Inuyasha. They seemed to only have terribly sad moments in common.

Could they ever simply spend some time together? Talk about the weather, the world, just be… Could they date? Would he want to? Something told Kagome that her future husband didn't do dates in the traditional sense. The feeling of warm, strong arms hugging her close after their fight in the shrine yard of modern Tokyo made her wonder. Why, after a year, did she only here and now feel the sting of loneliness?

'We don't even know each other so why do I care who he sleeps with?' Sadness welled up in her chest again and she swallowed it back down with a thick gulp. Cerulean eyes snapped wide open as the realization hit home. 'Holy shit, I care who he sleeps with…'

Kagome drew her abraded knees in again, crossed those long and uncovered legs at the ankles, and clamped her hands over her face to keep the new revelation hidden.

"Great, Kagome. Just great. Really smart. Develop one-sided feelings for-"

Sesshoumaru chose that moment to appear in a gust of youki and warm, humid air from below the roof line like a silver ghost. In her desperate to keep anyone from seeing her embarrassment, Kagome jumped as his aura washed over her but didn't unfold herself or acknowledge that she was no longer alone on her perch.

"Miko."

Kagome jumped again but stayed still, hands and legs still shielding her from him. Sensing who it was and the agitation in his aura, the young woman knew she was not in the right mindset yet to deal with him in person. Not when he was the cause of so many unanswered questions. He could deal with whatever was agitating him alone, just as she was.

The clatter of boots on the tile came closer and she peeked sideways from the shield of her hands and knees. She only looked up enough to see his waist and watch him palm the hilt of Bakusaiga to tip the scabbard up and sit gracefully beside her, one knee raised. His silver hair pooled on the tile behind and they both waited for something to happen.

A heartbeat passed. Then another.

"Not right now, Sesshoumaru. I need to think." Kagome said defeatedly.

He should have expected that. Interrupting her tears was unavoidable but necessary if he was to understand her position. She was obviously uncomfortable. Perhaps, the timing was wrong to repair his mistake. Sometimes, retreat was the wisest course of action to win the longer war.

"I shall leave you then."

When he rose from the roof only moments after arriving, Kagome felt a moment of panic. No, she didn't need him to leave; she needed him to stay and help her find a way through this damnable labyrinth they had both been thrown into. What happens next, what happens in a year, and into the far future she promised to help cure; all of it depended on her willingness to try.

"Wait." A small hand breached the distance between them, hung empty in the air, then dropped back into her lap. "I'm sorry. Why are you here?" she said tiredly.

"I wish… to discuss my intentions with you."

For some reason, his innocent and naked statement made the spicy pepper of her anger spike, incensing the air between them. Sesshoumaru was confused. His openness and honesty were to be applauded, not scorned.

"First time this year, then." she snapped, flinching internally at the bitterness in her own voice.

"Miko-" came his warning tone.

"Ugh! Step one: that 'miko' thing has to stop. I have a name. I use yours all the time. Do me that courtesy, at least."

Now it was his turn to be uncomfortable. He had not called a female by her given name since Yaeko. The inudaiyoukai felt the intimacy gained from such a gesture was reserved only for the closest confidants and… Mates. Which she would be. In that context, what she asked was simple. Then why was her name always lodged in his throat?

"I apologize for not informing you of my intentions sooner…"

The twinkle of steel blue eyes in the dark sought him out as she waited. And waited.

"…Kagome."

It was only her name. She had asked him to say it. Her heart did strange, forgotten things and was less prepared than her brain for the pleasant way it flowed from his lips and rumbled from his chest. Fluttering, pounding, and sending blood to her face but stealing the fortitude from her lungs for one long moment.

Suddenly, her thoughts about their relationship matched stride with reality and Kagome realized the situation she was truly in. They were a promised couple, now on a first name basis, sitting alone together on a rooftop underneath the stars in an enchanted bamboo forest. If they hadn't had a life-altering argument only minutes earlier, if her partner wasn't such an uncommunicative icicle, and if she wasn't feeling so cold and lonely; this might be the most romantic moment of her life. Another shiver raced down her body that could now be from cold or nerves. A quivering hand laid itself across her chest.

Immediately, that same hand made contact with the bare skin of her collarbone and she gasped and jerked the scandalous kimono closed, mentally cursing the vixen for her choice of wardrobe for the evening. Bare, unbound breasts were nearly exposed between the gaping and plunging lapels of the paper-thin cloth, held closed with only a narrow sash low on her waist. Her legs were just as exposed and Kagome tucked them to the side to protect what, if any, of her modesty she had left.

"Oh, kami! I forgot I was still wearing this. Don't look!"

Sesshoumaru did not reply but merely stood and unfastened his own sash and sword, laying both neatly beside her. Then, he undid the obi binding his haori and laid it, too, atop the swords. When he began peeling the familiar, ornamental outer layer off, Kagome held up her hands to shield herself from whatever else he was going to take off.

"You don't have to get naked, too! Just turn around, for kami's sake!"

He scoffed and furrowed his brow.

"Foolish woman, you possess nothing This Sesshoumaru is unfamiliar with. Be still."

"You're not familiar with mine and that's all I care about!" she cast over a shivering shoulder.

With her back still turned to him and clinging to the lapels of her scant robe, Kagome felt the weight of warm silk drape heavily across her shoulders. Her chilled hands reflexively grabbed the heavy robe and hugged it closer. Instantly, the cold air breezing around her shoulders and thighs was blocked and she began to warm up. She couldn't ignore the distinctly male scent of the garment, either. Spicy and green cypress and a gentle undertone of something floral? The miko realized she was nearly sniffing the robe and froze. If any being on the planet understood the importance and intimacies of scent, it was an inu. She prayed internally to every kami she could think of that he hadn't noticed.

"Thank you." Kagome said quietly.

"Hm."

An uncomfortable moment of silence hung between them.

Sesshoumaru surmised that Kagome had felt the need to isolate herself from him and everyone else in order to process her emotions. She had tried, once again, to spare those around her from feelings of which she felt ashamed or uncertain. For all her sermonizing about emotions, it seemed she would rather resolve the more difficult problems alone. They had that in common, at least.

He had come to the roof to puzzle out their future, but she had not felt comfortable doing so with him. Clearly, his future Mate did not feel the familiarity with him yet that she felt even with the vixen. Further, that put him at fault twice today with respect to the young woman that sat before him. While the insults to his manhood had been unnecessary, Chinatsu had been correct that his intentions and dismissal had hurt the miko.

"So, you mentioned something about being candid? I'm listening." she said, the biting tone of her doubt not entirely gone yet.

"Are you? The latent scent of your anger has yet to pass." he bit back.

"And it won't until you tell me why you felt the need to do this without at least warning me."

"You speak tirelessly of the importance of emotions and have failed thus far to give credence to mine on the matter of my heir. Therefore, you are either a hypocrite or a simpleton."

"I'm neither and at least I'm honest about my emotions instead of bottling them up all the time!"

His frustration grew and the lid he kept shut tight on his youki cracked open. Kagome could feel his ire electrifying the air even ten feet away where she sat.

"If you continue to peck like a harpy-"

Her aura rose to meet him and the air on the roof shimmered with contesting energies, snapping and pressing against one another.

"Don't you finish that sentence!" Cerulean eyes lit with fire and glared up at him.

Sesshoumaru met her glare with his own. How was he supposed to converse with this unreasonable woman? Seconds from leaving her here alone to determine a solution for himself, a loud and defeated sigh broke the angry silence and her reiki retreated.

"Argh! Okay, damn it. I'm a hypocrite. You're right and I'm sorry. You have your feelings, too, even if they're repressed as hell."

"Hm. Some reason at last."

"Don't push it." Kagome snapped. "Just start talking."

He stared down with a furrowed brow at this slip of a woman who presumed to order him about. Who was she to command him? A shallow breath brought the scent of her anger, her tears, and the faint wood ashes of her sadness. Realizing he was most likely responsible for them all in this moment, Sesshoumaru smothered his anger and stepped closer to sit down beside her, his effects laying on the roof between them like a screen.

"My plans to father an heir without a Mate were set long before you existed. Your presence here was not a consideration. I regret, however, that you are upset by it."

"It seems to me like you hadn't even made a plan before today. The contract seems like the starting point to me." Kagome said, acid still present in her tone.

"No. The story of my plans is more complicated than this. Will you hear it?"

"I don't understand this at all so listening is all I can do for now, I guess." Kagome said cautiously.

He launched into the tale without pause.

"In my youth, I hunted the mainland and the island for any remaining silver inu from my three hundredth year until Yaeko and I were intended. My mother's family was believed to be the last in existence and to my knowledge, it still is. Once I reached the age of my maturity, she was adamant I forge a connection with a member of her extended family to continue our line. I had no designs to take a Mate so early in life and so sought out my peers, those I trusted, to discuss the matter. All of them felt the same way: heirs were destined to find the most powerful, suitable Mate and produce as many offspring as possible to secure their empires for the future and breed new youkai of power to succeed them."

"And that's not what you wanted? It bothered you by the sound of it."

"Deeply. The others seemed content with that lot in their lives but I could not consign myself to be only a tool, furthering the designs of my forebears without true purpose. I agreed to take the mantle of Lord when my father was ready to step down but stood firm that my soul-bound Mate in life would be of my choosing when I alone felt the call. Katsurou was likely not aware of that agreement when he made his demand but my mother was."

"That explains a lot. I feel so terrible that she was so upset."

"Do not be. My dam wrought her own unhappiness, then and now."

"Why is that?"

"The Inu no Taishou allowed me the condition of my freedom, but my mother would not abide the fragility of our position. She threatened to revoke my status as heir if I did not agree to sire a pup of an appropriate bloodline even outside of a Bond. I have escaped her demand for nearly three centuries but no longer, according to the Council meeting of this year. The discussion was had before you entered the Council room."

"I wondered why she got so upset. Well, I assumed it was because of me. I was half right."

"Hn. It was because you agreed, not because you are a human. Not entirely. Her plans to re-establish the great lineage of her family is halted but more than that, she is angry that you are not the ennobled youkai she envisioned and the condition I set for my Bonding is null. Her centuries of waiting now mean nothing if the next heir is born between us."

"I understand a little more why she was so mad."

'Might have been helpful to know all that before I wrote her that letter…'

"And your request to wait," Kagome pried further, "your demand for freedom, you gave all that up to save Rin?"

"I did."

"She means so much to you?"

"Hm."

"Wow. I'm still sorry Kikuko-sama was so upset, though."

"It is not your doing. I believe my mother is shortsighted in her prejudices. In time, it is my hope that youkai may come to see that a human in such a position will change the attitudes of your fellow humans as much as their own. I have little doubt you will fulfill the role of a Lady adequately enough but your presence may aid us in ways I have not forseen."

"What a glowing recommendation... 'Adequately.'" she blinked ruefully. "It is, however, very forward-thinking of you to admit that humans will play a role in your future. I'm certain they will, too, but what does your story have to do with this contract?"

"In the interest of maintaining peace, I have sought out the kitsune per the demands of the former Lady of the West and the Council I helped create. I can no longer escape my responsibility and the instability of my house, it would seem."

He was surprised when her playful and open smile turned into a frown and her scent soured with faint traces of sadness.

"That's horrible, Sesshoumaru. You can't bring a child into the world under a dark cloud like that."

"That is not how it is for humans? Offspring to continue a line, to continue the life's work of the parents?"

"Humans have children for lots of reasons. I'm talking about you. My own feelings aside, you're really doing this for your mother and everyone else? That can't be all. You seem too stubborn for that."

"It is not." He shifted his thoughts from the promises of the past to meet the softened, blue eyes of his future. "We are dying. I know you are aware. You said as much at dinner with the General. Every decade, our gatherings grow smaller and smaller. I desire at least one pup that will live to take the mantle from me when the time comes. Doing this ensures at least the West will have a leader that will survive me."

"Ah." Kagome tipped her ebony-wreathed head back with an exaggerated nod. "I see now."

"You disagree?"

"Completely. You disagreed with your parents that you should be used as a tool and yet you're doing the same thing to this non-existent child?"

"I will not impose my will and seek to bandage my own shortcomings through my pups." he scoffed.

"But you'll make an heir to take your place and maintain the balance you've created? Isn't that the same thing? Aren't you suggesting they live the life you didn't want to either?"

"No. My position in the West has changed from the time of my father. Our alliances keep youkai from warring with each other without desperate cause. In his time, war was a way of life. A constant. The struggle for power was a necessary mode of survival. We have changed our outlook. The West must remain until this new peace is a way of life. It also must be maintained through our progeny if we are to survive. Can you not see that?"

"And if he or she refuses? If they want to travel across the ocean, refuse to continue your line and safeguard the West, and throw this privilege back in the face of a well-meaning parent just as you did, will you be so understanding?"

His iridescent, amber eyes flashed angrily in the dark. "You are attempting to find fault in my plans. Why?"

"Because…"

Silence fell over the rooftop and he waited while her scent swirled with the tangy yuzu of her uncertainty.

"Hm?" he prodded.

Kagome gathered the haori closer around herself and turned her body to face him. Even in the dark, he could see the flush of embarrassment in her cheeks.

"Because I care about you enough even now to want to see you happy." The determination in her eyes surprised him when she continued. "Doing this for a Council, your mother, out of fear of the future; that's no way to start a family. I know that's the way things are done sometimes but, in time, I think you'll come to regret a child born out of necessity. You deserve to do this your way and in your own time, if that's really what you want."

The miko seemed adamant that his plan was flawed. He decided to test her resolve to ascertain the truth of her intentions. Humans, in his experience, were never so selfless.

"Even if that time is long after you are dead?"

Kagome forgot about the future and her promises to change things between them. Sesshoumaru was trying to do the right thing in the only way he knew. He had made a promise and was attempting to make good on it. She couldn't fault him for that. Not really. Pity for her own prospects came out as a simple sigh but once the self-deprecating breath left her lungs, Kagome's gaze never left his as she aired out her honest feelings on the matter.

"Keep in mind that my life is short so I measure time differently than you do but if that's where we end up because we can't find another way, I can try to accept it. I'm not your mother or your Council and I won't attempt to force you into a family you don't want either. My only request is that you remain open minded enough to consider that your views may change. My desires may change too, but at least give us a chance. Give yourself a chance. You've sacrificed so much already for the others around you. If you have to give your life to ruling others, your time and energy to a Council and the humans you have allied with, forced to marry a human under duress," she said with a wry grin, "then let your children be of your own choosing. Be that selfish at least."

'Is she really so selfless? Her scent remains pure. Does she truly wish for my contentment over her own? Her motivations are entirely different than youkai. Could she face the Council as passionately? Could she so adamantly defend pups against ignorant derision should the need arise? Perhaps…'

Sesshoumaru did not reply to her speech but grew pensive. He was convinced she was earnest in her wishes for his future. If the strength of her character matched that of her convictions, Sesshoumaru decided he had made the right choice in approaching her. He spoke cautiously, slowly, and began a new conversation.

"I gave you my position on hanyou before, however-"

The shishito pepper of her anger was instant and uncomfortable for him to breathe.

"Then why are you still here?" she glared. Cerulean eyes filled with tears again and narrowed angrily in his direction. "Just to explain the clusterfuck that happened tonight in front of the two oldest youkai I know? To remind me how unfit I am? To educate a lowly human, once again, on the drastic differences in our existence? I know all of that. So why are you up here on the roof with me if you still have a kitsune to meet with?"

She turned her head away and tucked it into her left shoulder, away from him. The renewed scent of her tears brought his own frustration to the surface.

"Foolish woman, I am trying to tell you!" he barked.

She whipped her head around to frown at him some more and he decided to ignore the anger rising in his chest to chance the same uncomfortable, soul-bearing honesty she so openly had a moment ago. The inu forced the lines of his face to relax before continuing.

There was no nervous wringing of hands or shifting eyes but even drowned in her own anger, Kagome detected discomfort, nearing embarrassment, in his aura. That Sesshoumaru was slow to speak confirmed her suspicions. Her patience and silence were rewarded a moment later.

"Perhaps I am… mistaken in this." Her doe-eyes widened a fraction. "In my long life, the perception of hanyou among daiyoukai has been singular: abomination. The bloodlust Inuyasha succumbed to not only strengthened the view but fed new life into the perception that they were unpredictable and unworthy among the Council and, I admit, to myself. I cannot deny the fear of the unknown but his life was unique. An isolated incident, like I believe all half-youkai may be. I realize I gave an ultimatum on the prospect of fathering pups between us but perhaps my reluctance was… shortsighted. I recognize after tonight, more so than before, that you have a unique, unclouded perspective of our world. I thought we might… revisit the discussion."

Her disbelieving and open-mouthed stare, and the quickly dissipating scent of her anger, made him more certain this was the right course of action.

"Hence my presence." he finished quickly.

"You should have led with that." Kagome gave him a sad, pale grin.

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "This One did try but your tongue outpaces your mind by a large margin when you are angry."

"It does not!" she grumped loudly and stared him down.

His response was merely to raise a silver eyebrow and wait. Kagome tried to remain stern but giggled both at his expression and herself.

"Okay fine, you got me." she chuckled. "I'll try to do better."

"You will try," he led, "and fail-"

"Hey!"

"-but your impetuous nature may be part of your allure."

His compliment, shallow though it was, warmed her face and Kagome grinned.

"I- I don't know what to say to that. Thank you? Shut up?" she said playfully.

"Honesty is paramount between Mated pairs." he said easily, as if repeating a proverb.

"Don't open that can of worms unless you're ready to get as good as you give."

"You find fault in This Sesshoumaru's demeanor?"

"That's the whole reason you're up here apologizing, isn't it?" Kagome tipped her chin up to grin at him again. His answer was to furrow his brow and turn away to stare into the plaza instead. "Honesty is paramount, ne? But we're off topic. What do you intend to do now?"

Sesshoumaru stopped scanning the village, relaxed his gaze, and looked over at her.

"That may depend on our conclusion tonight. Very much may, in fact." he said solemnly.

Sesshoumaru leaned back on one hand and propped the other on a raised knee, his body language now intentionally relaxed and open. The response of his future Mate was equally relaxed and open, as he had hoped. Her eyes held a mirth and brightness once again.

"Fire away." she nodded firmly.

The inu only gave her a skeptical look and Kagome remembered he wasn't used to the "colloquial" phrases her close friends had come to accept.

"It means 'go ahead.'" she said.

"Your speech and phrasing are so odd at times. No other humans in your village speak thus."

Maybe it was time to come clean. If honesty was the name of the game tonight, there was an atomic bomb-sized load of it waiting for him sometime in the near future. This was not the place, though. In a few days, he'd go to Edo with Rin and she could tell him then. Alone.

"In the interest of fairness," she said with a slightly quivering voice, "you were honest with me about your family and you deserve the truth about me, too. I am not from Edo or any village anywhere near it." When his eyes bored into hers, waiting patiently for the truth, Kagome felt the fear of his anger and rejection gnaw at her gut. "Are you still bringing Rin to Edo for the summer?"

"Is that relevant to your story?" he asked, trying to puzzle out her intentions.

"No, but I can't tell you everything here. Too many high-powered ears around. What I have to tell you needs to stay between us and there aren't any youkai ears around Edo I'm afraid of."

"The tale of your origin is so disruptive?" he wondered, tipping his pale face slightly to the side in curiosity. The woman had never exaggerated or embellished the truth in his presence. Therefore, if she admitted the truth was so important, he would trust her judgement.

"I'll leave that up to you, Sesshoumaru, but it's a story, that's for sure. So, are you still bringing Rin?"

"Hm. She is awaiting my return so that we may make the journey to your village."

"So, that's a 'yes,' then? Good. I'll tell you everything when you get there. Did you get my letter in the spring?"

"I did." he nodded. "It was unexpected but welcome."

"I'm glad. Have you thought about my request to stay a few days?"

"I have. I cannot see the value in it and there is much work to do in the West during the summer."

"Oh." Her disappointment was instant but it had been only a request. She could still tell him the truth when he dropped Rin off then leave to digest it all. "Well then, where were we?"

"Beginning a discussion on hanyou in the West. Aside from the unknowns of their appearance and power, do you believe hanyou could survive the scrutiny of the Council as it exists now?"

"I've only met the other Lords once, Sesshoumaru. I don't know them like you do…" Kagome thought and her index finger traced the outline of a red hexagon on his haori as it rested on her thigh. "…but I think so."

"Why?" he replied immediately, genuinely curious to hear her answer.

"Kouhei-sama, for one. Kouji-san and Ryota-taishou, too, actually. The attitudes of most of the youkai you employ, really." she said firmly. "They like Rin, right?"

He nodded. "She faces no hardship living in the West, true."

"No one was overly terrible to me either. If anything, everyone I met was generally more curious and open than some of the humans I've met."

"Odd."

"But true, and if they can welcome a miko and two orphans into their midst without too much trouble, do you really think they would be so unwelcoming to your children?"

"Our children." he corrected.

"Mm hmm. Our… children." she said slowly, letting the idea as much as the words mellow in her brain.

"You are uncomfortable?"

"You're not?" she said quietly, hugging his haori closer. "Gods, we haven't even sat down and had conversations like this but once or twice. When you say it like that, a thousand new thoughts run through my head and I'm not ready to think about… that element of our relationship yet."

"Miko-"

"Nope." she quipped happily, desperate for a distraction.

"Kagome," he sighed ruefully, "you are a conundrum. You will logically convince me to father your pups but cannot discuss even a hint to their conception?"

"Call it a human, female shortcoming and move on." She waved a dismissive hand. "What else are you worried about? Their longevity, wasn't it?"

"Hm. Though there is no way to know how they might be affected."

"I agree." Kagome thought silently for a moment then spoke carefully and slowly. "Inuyasha was three hundred and twelve. How long could he have lived?"

"Hanyou are all unique. Relations between our species are rare. For the human to survive the encounter to bare young is even more rare."

Kagome shivered. "That's encouraging."

"It is intentional in those cases. You worry unnecessarily. I promise no harm will come to you at my hand."

"Okay..." she considered the implications of that for a moment then forced her mind back to the conversation at hand. "You were considered an adult at three hundred years old, right? Humans are considered adults sometime around their twentieth year, give or take. Inuyasha looked like a twenty-something- um, like an adult human at three hundred so is it reasonable to think he would live at least three times that long, like a human today might?"

"Reasonable but unfounded. There is no way to know."

"Another reason to withhold judgement, I think. The unknown is not necessarily scary. We know there's no risk of-" she took a steadying breath and exhaled, "-our children inheriting your father's abilities. That would be my first worry. Beyond that, there are an infinite number of unknowns when it comes to any kids and we'd have to face those as they come. Their longevity is one those. If it's sixty years or three thousand, I would enjoy them while I could."

"The prospect of those many unknowns does not give you pause?"

"Of course, it does but I can handle it. Whatever they are, whatever they look like, however long they live, I would love them. If we assume they could manifest only my powers or yours, I feel confident each of us is prepared, right?"

"Hm." he nodded.

"When it comes to their longevity however, the burden will lie mostly with you, Sesshoumaru. I won't live long enough to see them really grown if they age more like youkai but you will. Can you handle that?"

He was thoughtful for a moment, gazing into the forest beyond, before facing her again.

"One is never prepared for the death of the young. I lament Rin's death and it is many years away. A mortal life is so fleeting…"

A waking nightmare of pale and wrinkled skin, greyed hair, and sightless mahogany eyes sunk heavily into his stomach and Sesshoumaru forgot to breathe. His eyes squeezed shut and the daiyoukai turned his head away. If the miko sensed his discomfort, she allowed him his moment then began again.

"I think about it a different way." Kagome said gently. "You're skipping too far ahead; seeing only the death. There's a lot of life between now and then, for her and for you. Rin will learn so much in the next several years, about herself and the world. That's something you'll- we'll have to support her through. She may marry, have children of her own, and leave you with not just her memory but your grandchildren. Our children might be the same. The big question is whether or not you would consider them a tragedy or a blessing if you outlive even one?"

Regaining his composure as Kagome gently coaxed him through the feelings he wasn't ready to share out loud, Sesshoumaru raised his head again after several moments and looked at her. Was she really so understanding? Was she truly prepared for death in such a calm and rational way? Could he follow her example and consider the future losses in terms of life lived?

He could, and even the mental admission surprised and gave him peace all at once.

"I cannot anticipate the death of fictional children… but I would consider it a worthy task to see pups I raised well grow and go out into the world, yes. The pain of loss would be difficult but, you are correct, life continues and if their memories and contributions are preserved, their accomplishments and legacies could remain a source of pride far into the future."

"Good."

Amber eyes flicked away from her and back up to the stars. Sesshoumaru fully absorbed his own admission that his offspring, even if they were hanyou, could bring him pride and contentment.

Kagome followed suit a moment later, gazing upward, and felt at peace for the first time today. A quiet moment of mutual consideration and acceptance passed between the couple.

"You speak of death so comfortably for a mortal." he began, looking over at her once again.

"I speak of death so comfortably because I'm a mortal, I think." Kagome said to the dark sky. "I see life and death in the same day as a priestess; sometimes in the same hour. We both faced it head-on only four years ago. That feeling, of death breathing down my neck, never leaves me anymore. I don't expect to be attacked at every turn but I find that those moments where it could happen, I can face the idea of dying." She blinked slowly and turned to find him already studying her. "It was hard to understand when I was younger but life is made better because it's limited. Even you'll die one day but you try to live as much as you can, accomplish what you can, while you're here. We're no different that way."

"All of what you say is true." he nodded. "Any battle-hardened soldier could admit the same. You understand the risks of conflict more fully than I realized. Your sense of self-preservation has grown, at least."

"Yes, thank you." Kagome said with a flippant air of sarcasm. "I was a child when I fell- er, when the quest to stop Naraku started. I had no idea what I was doing. If I had it to do again now, I don't know if I could be as brave."

"It is universal not to know one's limits as an adolescent."

"Well, let's hope you're ready to parent a teenager, too, because Rin is nearly there."

"She is reasonable and calm. I anticipate no trouble."

"Ha! I was reasonable and calm as a girl, too, but it all changes. Boys, hormones, general angst… It'll come for her, too, believe me."

"All the more reason I shall be grateful for your presence, then." The young woman chuckled and nodded. "There is another concern that plagues me."

"Hmm?" she asked, still smiling.

Kagome waited while Sesshoumaru, powerful inudaiyoukai and Lord of the West, traced a crease in his hakama between two fingers, fidgeting. When he looked up, the amber eyes across from her were changed, darkened by worry.

"Have you fully considered-" Sesshoumaru paused again, not wanting to turn the conversation sour after finding mutual comfort in their discoveries. His next concern might change the mood entirely.

"What?" she gently prodded.

His voice took on a gentle tenor, reflecting his consideration, as the next question came.

"Have you considered the hardship in bearing children that look like him?"

"Mmm. Thank you for that." Kagome's eyes softened and held his as she spoke. "They might… look something like him but we can't know."

"Agreed but can you accept a pup that will remind you, forever, of what you lost?"

"You lost him, too. Don't minimize that with me. To answer your question with a question, do you see all humans when you look at Rin?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly. She is human but unique. He was unique and they would be, too. Maybe they look entirely human. Can you parent children that look more human than youkai?"

"Rin is my ward, miko."

"Ka-go-me." she reminded him. When Sesshoumaru only looked up at the sky with a scowl, she chuckled just once. "But I get your point. So, if you accept my worries and I accept yours, are we agreeing that this contract is unnecessary?"

"I will continue to think on it." Sesshoumaru said with a nod.

Kagome's blue eyes flashed in the dark as she tipped her head to the side and tried to assess his mood. Her doubt was evident.

"Truly." he reassured. "There is much to consider. However, the Council cannot deny the pups born between Mates and the prospect is enough to stall their demand. A permanent decision may require your presence, however."

"Okay. That's an improvement over last year." Her expression brightened, smile lighting her eyes and dimpling her cheeks. The young woman rocked backward playfully; hugging legs still draped with the haori that swallowed her.

A new scent reached his nose and it was feminine, pleasant, and sweet.

"You are… satisfied?" he asked, trying to place this new smell.

Cataloguing the many emotions of this human was a weighty task but one he found himself willing to tackle. They had navigated the minefield of this sensitive subject together to their mutual satisfaction, after all. It would be educational to learn human emotions as well as he knew youkai.

"Hmm. Maybe I'll be a decent ambassador for mortals after all." she mused happily.

"You are already a representative for humans in the West."

"What do you mean?"

"My household speaks of little else in your absence." he said with half-hearted exasperation. "Your return to the Palace will be a happy occasion for them all."

Kagome thought for a moment then decided to push him just a little further.

"Just by them?"

Sesshoumaru heard the playfulness in the miko's tone and responded with his own.

"Perhaps not only by the household." he said dismissively.

"Good." Kagome shimmied deeper into his robe, satisfied.

"Rin will also be happy to see you return."

She rolled her eyes and tipped her chin down, smirking at him.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

A slow, deep chuckle erupted from beside her. Sesshoumaru's eyes closed and his silver head tipped back. The rumbling continued for another few seconds before dancing golden eyes and the remaining grin met Kagome's stunned expression.

"Ask truthfully, Kagome, or This Sesshoumaru will circumvent your wiles."

"You actually laugh!" she smiled.

"Only when the jest is deserving and the company is amiable."

"Oh, so we're amiable now?"

"Miko-"

"Uh uh."

The impetuous woman shook her head and grinned over at him. Sesshoumaru growled for a split second at her childishness then conceded and continued.

"Kagome, we have spent the last hour speaking of nothing but our mutual desire to procreate." A silver eyebrow disappeared into his bangs and the young woman giggled happily.

Now a joke? She was still marveling that the youkai beside her did something as pedantic as chuckle out loud, and now he was making jokes? Flickering lamp lights caught her attention below and Kagome forgot about his acute hearing as she muttered to herself.

"You're more handsome when you smile…" she said quietly, curtained by the now-dry mass of her ebony hair.

"Indeed?" came a mirthful rumble from a few feet away.

Shock. Horror. Mortification. Intense, all-consuming embarrassment. Kagome buried her face in raised knees and stammered a muffled something about not meaning to say that aloud.

"Honesty is paramount between Mates." he grinned, though she couldn't see it.

"Just-" No words followed. She had none. Only soul-crushing humiliation in front of the most powerful demon she'd ever met. The same one she'd be married to for the rest of her life. No big deal.

"Shall I comment, then, on the tempting image you make, draped in my colors and the starlight?"

Kagome turned her head to see him, assess his sincerity, face still fiercely lit with girlish embarrassment. Her gut told her his compliment was genuine but she still didn't know him well enough to be sure.

"Would that truth soothe your discomfort?" he added.

Her chest fluttered in spite of her misgivings as the first fragile threads of affection wove themselves through her heart. His golden eyes never left hers.

"Only if you mean it." she nearly whispered.

She wasn't sure he did. They had only just gotten over one hurdle. Being, she swallowed the thought, attracted to one another was another big step and one that still exposed some unbidden guilt in her heart.

Otherwise, the night was turning out to be better than Kagome could possibly have imagined. A real conversation alone with him, his ear bent by her worries, and her worries alleviated as he remained reasonable and open-minded. Her logic had gotten through to him, as well, if his aura was any indication. When he'd appeared, his youki had been a swarm of sharp needles, stinging and chaotic. Now his energy rolled around him in waves, lapping against hers in a welcoming and familiar way. It felt like they were finally beginning to understand one another, and that felt… good.

Resting her head on silk clad knees but untucked from the protective cave of her arms, Sesshoumaru was closer than she remembered. The barrier of sword and discarded clothes rested just against his left thigh. Her eyes drifted down to the pile of his effects and then back up to him.

The gentle tilt of his moon-drenched head was alluring. His bangs fell to the side, framing the foreign but familiar crescent moon announcing his heritage. The river of silver hair at his back fell like a curtain as his head tipped deeper to the right. His brilliant citrine eyes were bright and curious as they studied her with equal interest.

The changed angle of her head caused a small section of dark hair to fall across her face as she studied him. Kagome was content to leave it alone and sit up to continue their conversation since he had so gracefully navigated her slip up. She startled when a featherlight touch of fingers that weren't her own threaded into the thick hair while she gathered her thoughts.

"Be still." he said gently.

She felt claws tickle her scalp and comb gently through, pushing the offending hair from her forehead. When Kagome could no longer follow his hand, she watched his eyes as he gathered the long, dark strands through his fingers and combed them neatly behind her ear. The daiyoukai was not focused on her face but looking through her, deep in thought as they touched for maybe the third or fourth time in their acquaintance.

"Thank you." she said. Confusion and contentment did battle for dominance in her head. His hand was warm and gentle but his attention was unexpected and new.

Sesshoumaru was unsure why he had groomed her. An impulse to clear the obstruction of her eyes? In the smallest way, his future Mate had needed the attention that he had denied her since their betrothal, even up to his lack of greeting this afternoon. Had guilt driven him to touch her? No. More than that, she was his to care for and he had neglected her.

His.

Ageless eyes the color of a midmorning sunrise widened and his inhuman pupils narrowed into thin blades as the sum of the emotions and intimacies of today finally married with his inuyoukai nature. That emotion that had rendered him so angry as the vixen pressed her full breasts against Kagome's shoulder and smelled of wanton intent.

His.

The challenge of his fitness to care for her by the same vixen after the miko had fled the room in tears.

His.

Sesshoumaru's own desire to discuss their future, to challenge his own ideals, as equals in honor of their connection and to repair the damage his inconsideration had caused.

His. Possessiveness. Sometime in the last day, the more bestial part of his existence had taken personal possession of the small woman now curiously watching him.

"Sesshoumaru? Hey, are you okay?"

His fingers lifted from the shell of her ear to curl inward and the pale knuckles of his left hand grazed her soft cheek. He watched her blink as his claws passed through her vision, reflected in those unusual and piercing eyes; so expressive and varied. The slightest flick or flutter and her mood was instantly visible in deep pools the color of the clearest summer sky. A world he never cared to know, the sum total of human emotions, all reflected in the past few minutes just in those eyes. Were they always so?

The rebellious hair that he had tamed behind her ear fell forward again when she cocked her head to look up at him, concern now dominating her expressive gaze. He concluded immediately that she would not appreciate the possessive sentiment as a demoness might. His future Mate was independent, proud, and irascible.

He could demonstrate his desires to keep her safe and contented, however, starting with acquiescing to her request to stay in the human village and see her world. She had fully involved herself in his own during her stay in the Palace. If she appreciated an equal partnership with a Mate, he could tolerate a short stay in Edo to discover whatever there was to know about her humans.

His train of thought was halted when her hand gently grasped his forearm. It was chilled, calloused, and behind it were two very curious cerulean eyes. She did not push his arm away but merely held it gently to gain his attention once again.

"Hey, where did you go?" she grinned up at him.

Sesshoumaru blinked and softened his gaze but was still focused on the stray hair he'd combed.

"I will come to Edo with Rin if your invitation has not expired."

"It hasn't," she smiled, "but what changed your mind?"

He knew the answer the moment she asked. It was the same reason his life continued to change moment after moment since she had refused his order to leave the grove. The reason his thoughts were uncomfortably centered on the prospect of a Mate in a way they had not been in centuries. The reason his youki was cloying to touch her, caress her, mingle with her aura until he knew her completely. The call was growing stronger and even he could not deny it.

Sesshoumaru stopped looking through her and met her eyes with his own, still touching the soft skin of her cheek.

"You."

A demure blush dusted her cheeks and her thumb absently stroked the pale skin of his arm. Kagome opened her mouth to say something but instead, yawned widely and shook her head, blinking slowly.

"Sorry. It must be getting late."

"Hm." he agreed, leaning back across his things and sitting up. "Would you accept my help to the ground? It is indeed late and the human need to sleep is powerful. We are also no longer alone."

"Yes. Thank you. Chinatsu must be wondering where I am."

"The vixen was asleep long ago. No, look below." Sesshoumaru stood and peered silently over the edge of the roof and down to the ground.

"Hmm?" Kagome followed suit and saw Shippou standing at the bottom of the three-story shiro looking angrily up at her while his tail flicked back and forth.

"I thought you came to see me!" the kit yelled, arms crossed across the chest of his black sleeping yukata.

"I did!" she called back. "Don't take that tone with me. You were busy, Shippou! Hold on. We're coming down!"

Sesshoumaru watched the exchange between the woman and her adopted kit with interest. The daiyoukai had forgotten how close and familiar the pair were with each other. Even the feigned annoyance they squabbled with was the product of their mutual comfort.

Sesshoumaru stood and refastened his sash and sword, leaving the miko with his haori. He walked over to stand just behind her as a warm breeze lifted from the ground and she shouted a reminder at the kit about where they were sleeping.

A pleasant, new scent emanated from her as the odd pair finished their yelling match. Kagome smiled contentedly and the scent gained power. The new emotion was sweet and complex, dominated by the essence of… He discreetly sniffed again. Jasmine flowers? What new emotion had given rise to this scent? Truly, she was a wealth of challenges to his senses.

"Shall we?" came Sesshoumaru's low voice, his breath ghosting across her right ear.

Kagome felt a large hand settle across her lower back and looked up. He was close enough that she could feel the heat of his body penetrate the borrowed haori and scant kimono layers beneath. The temptation to just lean back and soak it in almost won out but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It still felt too soon, too familiar, and tonight's conversation had already given her more hope for their future than she could have imagined. That was enough.

"Please." she agreed quietly.

He bent at the waist to position her in his arms. A graceful leap and a second later, they were on the ground. Shippou pounced as soon as Sesshoumaru bent forward to settle her on the dark dirt pathway.

"You guys have been up there for hours!" the kit complained. "I heard yelling and then you just disappeared!"

"It was important, and unplanned, but I'm sorry I worried you. Did you get your assignments done?" the miko asked sweetly.

"Duh. I went to their shiro looking for you then Chinatsu-sensei said I had to stay with her for a while. Why'd I have to stay there?"

Bright green eyes looked accusingly between his mother and the daiyoukai.

"Because sometimes even I have things to talk about that you don't need to hear." Kagome crossed her arms for warmth as much as consternation.

"You remember that I'm older than you, right?" The young kit stared her down and crossed them right back.

Beside them, a silent inu was confused and disgruntled.

"Does he always speak to you in such a disrespectful manner?"

"Hey!"

"Yeah. I guess it's kind of our thing. He's mine to look after but he knows he can get away with a smart mouth sometimes."

"Hello?"

"Unacceptable. I will expect more discipline once you arrive in the West."

"What?"

"Isn't that up to me to decide?"

"If you are expecting to aid me in parenting my ward, I will return the favor. This kit has much to learn about respect and it seems he is less than willing to absorb the lesson on his own."

"Now wait just a second…" Shippou started angrily.

The gathering storm of their individual frustrations was instantly snuffed out when Kagome sneezed and sniffled loudly. Shippou heard the chatter of her teeth and watched one leg tuck itself behind the other to save some body heat. Two pairs of green and golden eyes were immediately laser focused on her and Shippou felt the first twinges of panic come to life.

"Fine, I need a lesson in manners. Come on, Momma. Inside. Now."

"Agreed." the inudaiyoukai said.

Shippou's small hand found hers and he began dragging Kagome toward Chinatsu's rooms, ignoring the quiet stalk of Sesshoumaru behind them.

"You two fuss more than Miroku." she whined, sniffling again. "It's just a little chilly out here."

"And it's warm in there. Come on!"

"In this, the kit and I agree."

Shippou stopped dragging Kagome and rounded angrily on the inu behind them.

"I can take care of her just fine. Aren't you staying somewhere else?" Shippou growled.

Kagome gasped. "Shippou! Being upset I left is one thing but now you're just being rude."

Green eyes glared up at her with a pinched brow of determination and sadness that turned the young kit's eyes down at the corners.

"We don't need his help! I can take care of you. I know where we're going and how to get everything ready. Why's he coming?"

"Dull your tongue, kit, or This One may remove it for you." The following low growl had Shippou hunching his shoulders as he continued to stomp forward. "I am seeing you safely to your rooms and then I will depart to gather Rin once I speak with Daichi."

This explanation mollified Shippou somewhat and his grumbling stilled into huffing as they continued to walk.

"Oh." Kagome said, suddenly uncertain.

The scent of yuzu intensified, her nervous apprehension, and the daiyoukai understood immediately. There was a need for reassurance, apparently.

"To inform the reynard that a contract is no longer needed." Sesshoumaru added quietly.

Kagome exhaled a breath she hadn't meant to hold in the first place. Now that they were on the ground, back in the real world, the whole conversation prior sounded so out of place and intensely personal that she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a bed and bury herself in a quilt for the next year. The heel of her cool palm smacked against her forehead in embarrassment.

'What were you thinking, Kagome? Reasoning with him about having his kids? Who does that? Idiot!'

"Miko? Are you unwell?"

"No, just a little mortified. I'll get over it. That was… a lot."

"Hm." was Sesshoumaru's only reply.

"What was?" Shippou asked innocently.

"Oh, just logistics for our move next year."

"Ew." Shippou wrinkled his nose. "Glad I missed all of that then."

"Me, too, kiddo. Me, too." Kagome sighed.

A silent walk and another few minutes found the trio standing outside of the shiro the head reynard and his Mate shared with their kin. The black exterior and tile made the whole building nearly invisible in the night. Kagome might have missed it entirely on their way if not for the glowing statues of roaring kitsune framing the large, arched main doors. Each of the statues' bellies were carved out, mouths wide open with fangs bared, and the youki trapped within burned with an intense crimson glow. They were intimidating and primal, and Kagome wondered why Chinatsu had chosen such fearsome decorations.

The doors opened with the creak the heavy wood before Shippou had even reached out to touch them. Once inside, even the starlight was gone and Kagome relied on Shippou's senses to find the room through the endless, pitch dark hallways. He dragged her along, left and right, and up a stair or two until finally, the kit slid open the doors of a cozy guest room somewhere in the east wing.

The room she and Chinatsu had shared during the early evening was small but fully furnished. The anteroom with the futon, low dressing table, and screen was just as pitch dark as the common room. No problem for youkai eyes to see into but her tired, human eyes strained to see any shapes at all and she gave up. Kagome elected to stay out in the hallway while Shippou took care of the lighting situation.

"Is there a brazier in there?" she called into the darkness.

"Yeah but there's nothing else. Hold on, I'll go get some wood and be right back."

"Thanks, Shippou."

Sesshoumaru waited in the center of the dark hallway with Kagome, glancing up and down with a scowl and his nose testing the air.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. Do not concern yourself." She would most definitely concern herself if he divulged the truth.

"Are you referring to the stalker?" she supplied. He might have understood her meaning but seemed reticent to reply. "I mean, the malicious intent skirting the borders of the village? Yeah, I have. Is it a youkai? For some reason, I can't discern who or what it is."

"It is youkai. Your awareness is growing then. Years ago, This One got the better of you at every turn."

"Har har… Again, I was lucky not to trip over my own feet. Scratch that. I did trip over my own feet. Several times, in fact."

"That is not reassuring for your journey back to the human village."

"Whoever that is out there has been there all day. I felt a similar presence on the way here but they stayed just out of my range and I never get a good feel for the youki. Do you know who it is?"

"No," he replied quickly, "but I intend to find out as soon as you are safely within."

The sad and bereft Sesshoumaru of the future crossed her mind and her hand twitched at her side, almost rising to touch his arm, his shoulder, anything to let him know she did care about his safety. For now, a shallow wish would have to do.

"Be careful."

"Your concern is unnecessary."

"Oh, probably but you have it anyway."

He inclined his head respectfully, if begrudgingly.

"As you say."

The dark room beyond suddenly lit with a flickering, orange glow and Kagome sighed with relief in anticipation of the warmth and rest.

"Thank the kami. I'm-" She couldn't finish as another wide, unstoppable yawn cut her off.

"Sleep, miko. I leave to retrieve my ward tonight and we will return in the morning." His instincts to provide for her won over his stoicism and an offer came to mind. "Would you consent to travel with Rin on Ah-Un, or do you prefer to return to Edo alone?"

"No, flying would definitely be faster… and much cooler. Thank you." Kagome smiled and looked over her right shoulder at the kit. "Don't you agree, Shippou?"

"Yeah, I guess." he shrugged, looking disinterestedly over at the couple. "Now, come on. You need sleep, Momma."

The kitsune busied himself by silently dragging the futon out of the corner and nearer to the brazier. Kagome understood he had a need to stay away from both she and Sesshoumaru. Why he felt the need to do so was a question best left alone until after the inudaiyoukai left them for the night. The back of her hands felt the brush of heavy silk and she remembered Sesshoumaru's haori.

"Oh, wait. Before you go…"

Kagome turned around and peeled the heavy robe away one shoulder at a time. She looked down into her own cleavage, sighed, and wrapped the two thinner kimono around herself as tightly as was possible. Once she was sure it was covering everything, as much as the short robes could cover, Kagome straightened the oversized outer layer with a gentle shake and laid it across her arm. Pivoting slowly, she turned around and presented Sesshoumaru with his own haori.

"This is yours, I believe."

"You have no further need of it?" he asked, accepting the garment from her arms.

"No, my clothes are all in here and thank you. You saved me from indecency." she grinned.

"The outfit of your youth was nearly as indecent and you defended its necessity on more than one occasion."

"Noticed my short skirt, did you?" she winked playfully.

"Hn. If you could scent male interest as I can, you would have discarded the 'skirt' immediately in favor of more modest clothing."

"That bad?"

"Vile." he scowled.

"Pfft! Well, you can thank Chi-chan for this one."

Sesshoumaru took on step forward and bored his amber eyes into hers. An impulse to touch her overcame him again and without witnesses in the silent hallway, he gave in to it.

"On a different day, perhaps This Sesshoumaru would." One pale arm raised just enough to brush his fingers against her forearm. "I will return in the morning to collect you. Good night, Kagome."

"Good night, Sesshoumaru." she said quietly.

The balls of her feet pressed against the floor, almost raising her up, before she realized, mortified, what that meant. The young woman swore she saw the faintest hint of a grin on his lips as the inu turned on his heel and left.

"Please be careful." she wished one more time, watching his back disappear into the darkness.

The miko turned around and walked back into the warming anteroom and was met with two rather irked emerald eyes.

"Finally." Shippou growled. "Now, please explain to me what in the seven hells all of that was?"

Kagome sat heavily down on the futon with another wide yawn. Shippou sat down a few feet away but crossed his tiny fox legs, unwound the ribbon around his short hair and gave it dog-like shake, then stared seriously up at her.

"I'll explain some of it but there's going to be subjects the two of us need to discuss that I'd really rather not share. The important thing is that Sesshoumaru and I understand each other a little better. I… feel better about our future there. He wants to take care of us-"

"You. He wants to take care of you. I can tell that much."

"He'll watch out for you too, I promise." The flick of her kit's tail told more about how he was feeling than even he realized. "Are you nervous about going now?"

"I wasn't before but now… I've been thinking that maybe I'd be better off staying here."

"Why?"

He was growing up and Kagome knew that. He had a right to make this decision and Shippou would be safe here. Gods, but she'd miss him.

"I just feel like you'll be too busy and I can learn more if I stay here. What am I supposed to do there? He's not gonna teach me anything and Rin will only pester me with poetry and girl stuff."

"One day, you won't mind 'girl stuff' so much… I understand how you feel, though. We don't have to make a decision tonight. Or next month. I'm here if you want to talk through your feelings with me. If, in the end, you still want to come back here to live most of the time, I will try to understand. There's one thing I want you to know, though."

"More stuff about Sesshoumaru?" he said sourly.

"No. That I love you, Ship, and no matter where we live or who we live with, that will never change. No one and nothing could ever replace you. I'm here. Always. No matter what."

"I know. I'll think about it."

"Thanks. That's enough for now. Now let's get some sleep, kiddo. I'm beat."

A small fanged yawn and a nod were his answers. After tucking him in, Kagome finally laid down to sleep with pleasant thoughts and peaceful heart.

…

Sesshoumaru listened for the sounds of the miko and the kit settling down to sleep. Her assurances that Shippou was first in her heart were expected but still oddly discomfiting. He could not make such a claim of his own ward. She was an independent being and not in need of the gentle words the kit seemed to constantly pry out of his adoptive mother. The rustlings of bedding turned into silence, heartbeats slowed, and soon their gentle, rhythmic breathing was the lone sound in their rooms.

The weight of the haori on his arm drew his attention. Refitting himself with the ornamental layer took only moments and he inhaled again and again as the fabric released her scent with every fold and tuck. It would last for days and bring comfort during the journey home to retrieve Rin.

His pack was settled for the night. It was time to hunt.

Sesshoumaru stood inhumanly still in the center of the village and listened. The malevolent presence circling the village was back and just beyond the shiro. The kitsune barrier was doing its job and keeping the unwelcome intruder away. If the youkai was attempting to draw him out, it would succeed. The inu raised his nose to the breeze to learn what he could from the wind about both the village and the youkai.

A more familiar scent caught his attention and grew stronger.

"Daichi." the daiyoukai greeted flatly.

The kitsune stood beside Sesshoumaru and remained silent for another moment. Two pairs of severe eyes, one gold and one silver, stared into the forest beyond the village. Daichi's voice was stern when he began.

"He is a kitsune, Sesshoumaru, and my kit."

"Then why have you not confronted him? The rage and intent to kill is nearing bloodlust. Can you not sense it?"

The reynard took a few steps forward, leaving Sesshoumaru to stare at his back. When he turned around, the defeated and helpless look in Daichi's eyes surprised the inu.

"What should I say that I have not already? 'Stop this insanity and return home'? 'Renounce your mad ideas to rule the humans once more and return to live a life of pleasure and betterment'?" The fox sighed sadly. "I cannot reason with him. Chinatsu is mercifully asleep or Tsuneyori would upset her all over again."

"Your pup needs to be brought to heel if he wishes to subjugate the humans. They are weak alone but possess great power in numbers. The human monks of the south have been traveling in large packs and killing youkai indiscriminately from the southern shores to the borders of the West." The fragile peace of the last few years was motivation enough to keep a rogue kitsune at bay. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in the direction of the pup's father. "Do not allow Tsuneyori to give them further cause to hunt down the innocent. Stop him now or This One will."

The air shimmered crimson around Daichi, his youki swirling violently and lifting the knee length ebony hair into snake-like tendrils that whipped all around his thin body. Nine coal-black tails tipped with pale fur broke free and the kitsune's long fangs grew longer still as his face warped and elongated into the true form of a monstrous fox. Inky black bled into the white of Daichi's eyes and blood red pupils lit with youki in his anger. The snarl that accompanied the change in Daichi was fierce and biting.

"Do not threaten me, Sesshoumaru of the West!" A shaking, clawed finger was leveled at Sesshoumaru. Amber eyes narrowed back in warning. "The bitch that bore you was not a thought when my kind ruled the humans once before. I will deal with Tsuneyori in my own time. You will leave him be."

Sesshoumaru kept his own aura under tight control despite the reynard's posturing. The voice that cut through the swirling youki was deep and firm. The inudaiyoukai would allow the fox his tantrum but he must understand the seriousness of his pup's intent.

"For as long as he does no harm. Let me make clear that should he hunt the miko again, I will end him, Daichi."

The youki that was pressing against his senses abruptly left, everything about the reynard shrunk, and the plaza was once again dark and quiet. The kitsune's mood shifted like the bamboo surrounding them: quickly this way then another. Such rapid changes left Sesshoumaru disoriented and frustrated. Kitsune were strange youkai. Alike to inu in so many ways, but so mercurial and unpredictable. Sesshoumaru reflected that this one was stranger still.

"I applaud your defense of the human," Daichi said casually, one hand finding his right hip, "but would it not be easier if she were to simply disappear?"

The fox's clawed fingers stirred the air dismissively then clenched tightly. Sesshoumaru smelled Daichi's blood and understood the threat for what it was.

"To bring yourself so low, pup." His ebony mane shook with his head. "She is a pretty distraction but still human. How can you slaughter armies of her kind then bed her in the same year?" Daichi sneered. "A novelty popular with your breed, I suppose. You inherited that from your sire at least."

The kitsune tipped his chin up and his silver eyes gleamed with mirth.

Why was the kitsune baiting him? Sesshoumaru recognized the threats and insults for what they were: an attempt to goad him into anger, but to what end? Daichi gained nothing by dying a gruesome death in the center of his own village. His claws itched to dig the truth from the bowels of the teasing fox.

"The miko is my concern. Your pup is yours." Sesshoumaru raised his chin and glowered. "As long as our interests do not conflict, I will leave the boy to you."

Sesshoumaru turned around and walked slowly back toward the miko's room, deep in thought and no longer certain of Kagome's safety here in the village.

'I will warn her of the danger as we travel back tomorrow. Perhaps, staying the night nearby would be wise.'

The vixen would keep Kagome from harm, if her amorous overtures were any indication. He could fetch Rin in the morning but only after Chinatsu rose and joined his intended for a morning meal.

Conjectures would not help Sesshoumaru puzzle out the reynard's intent but the inu knew who might. He had already made the decision to reconcile with his mother during this courting period. It was time to pay a visit to Miyu no Tsukihana, his mother's palace, and gain some insight into Daichi's threats. If anyone alive knew what the odd fox was plotting, it was Kikuko.

…

Daichi watched the inu retreat to guard his human for the night. Dogs were so predictable. So simple. They pad their dens and chase their tails and snarl when you corner them. Sesshoumaru was no exception. His strength was to be feared, his ferocity was legendary, but he had a weakness that took the same feminine shape as that of all males. Daichi's own slept peacefully with his next litter safely within her.

"Guard your treasure well, Sesshoumaru. If you hold too tightly, such a gem is liable to slip through your fingers…"

...

AN: Sorry for the delay but this one is important. I wanted the conversation to feel genuine and it went through so many edits to get there. I'm happy with it now and I hope you are, too. Next time, back to Edo, meet the new face in town, and Sesshoumaru learns the truth about Kagome!