Title: Call & Answer

Summary: When Kagome brings a dog whistle back through the well, she summons an unexpected guest.

Pairings: Sesshoumaru x Kagome

Rating: Rated T for implied perversion and coarse language.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not and never has belonged to me.

Kagome peered cautiously over the edge of the well, looking for any signs of Inuyasha. When she saw that no one was waiting for her in the clearing, she climbed out of the well with an excited giggle. Tossing her yellow pack on the ground, she rested against the rim and pulled out the reason for her early return to the Sengoku Jidai.

The bright afternoon sun glinted off of the small shiny object in her hand and Kagome smiled mischievously. Ever since her friend Ayumi had mentioned how she had been training her new puppy, Kagome had been curious to know what effect a dog whistle would have on Inuyasha. Surely it would be harmless fun and if it worked, it might prove to be an effective way of calling out to Inuyasha from a long distance without anyone else being aware of it.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome blew as hard as she could on the dog whistle and settled in to wait. Even if Inuyasha didn't know what the noise was, he was bound to come and investigate the source of distance so close to the well.

She quickly grew impatient as the minutes went by and she started to wonder if maybe she was too far away for Inuyasha to hear the noise. Deciding to test her theory, Kagome hefted the heavy bag onto his shoulders and started walking toward the village, resisting the urge to hum. It would be unwise to draw attention to herself, although the thought made her chuckle. Between her school uniform and the Shikon shards she possessed, humming was the least of her worries when it came to attracting unwanted attention.

When she was about a mile away from the village, Kagome tried again, but there was no flash of red that indicated she had been heard. Frowning in disappointment, Kagome shrugged it off as she traveled the familiar path to Kaede's house where her friends were waiting.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Inuyasha asked as he dropped down in front of her from the tree he had been resting in earlier.

"Well hello to you, too," Kagome said sarcastically, laughing at his expression.

"I finished up early and decided to come here."

Thrusting his arms into his sleeves, Inuyasha scowled. "You could have been attacked!"

"I'm fine, Inuyasha," Kagome reassured him, smiling as her friends came out of Kaede's hut to greet her.

"Keh!" he exclaimed as he turned away, ignoring the happy chattering of everyone catching up with each other. His mood improved slightly once lunch was started and he sat expectantly near the fire.

Kagome couldn't resist one final test of the whistle, so she slipped inside of the small hovel in search of its owner. Finding no one inside, Kagome shrugged and blew on the whistle once again, listening carefully for any reaction. When she didn't hear one, she sighed dejectedly and walked outside to the group. "Did anyone else hear that?" she asked, earning her several confused looks.

"Hear what?" Inuyasha asked, his ears swiveling in an attempt to seek out the source.

Taking a seat near the fire, she poked at it with a stick she found lying close at hand. "It sounded kind of high pitched," Kagome tried, wondering if maybe Inuyasha had heard the sound and just didn't deem it as a harmful threat worthy of a reaction.

Sniffing the air, Inuyasha shook his head as he accepted the proffered ramen. "There's nothing around here," he said decisively before eagerly slurping the delicious noodles.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango questioned, her voice tinged with concern.

Waving it away, she smiled brightly at her friend and reassured her, "It's nothing. I'm probably just hearing things because I'm tired."

"How can you be tired?" Inuyasha demanded with a snort. "Wasn't that the whole point of going home to rest?"

She saw the way Inuyasha's ears immediately flattened against his head in fear of the single word that would send him and his lunch crashing to the ground. Smiling sweetly at him, she waited a heartbeat before invoking the command, "Osuwari." She was impressed with the fact that he had somehow managed to keep his ramen from spilling in the process, but she wasn't surprised. Ignoring Inuyasha's muttering, she returned her attention to her lunch, enjoying the small talk between her comrades.

Once lunch was finished, Sango decided that she would finally take the bath she had wanted all day. She had awakened from a terrible nightmare about her younger brother and it had left her with the strong urge to wash the images away. "Nee, Kagome-chan," Sango whispered to her friend as they cleaned up, "do you want to go to the hot spring?"

After carrying her heavy bag through the woods, a trip to hot spring was exactly what she needed. Nodding in agreement, she quickly gathered her things as Sango did the same. Kagome's excitement was temporarily dampened by Inuyasha's irritated voice asking, "And where do you two think you're going?"

Looking pointedly down at the supplies in her arms before returning her gaze to Inuyasha, she told him, "We're going to take a bath whether you like it or not," silencing his protests with a warning look. "I don't sense any shards and you yourself said that there are no potential threats close by, so what's the harm in taking a day off?" Turning sharply on her heel, Kagome started walking in the direction of the hot spring, ignoring the grumbling.

After issuing a firm warning and a harsh slap to Miroku, Sango quickly caught up to Kagome as they leisurely made their way toward the water.

After they were undoubtedly beyond Inuyasha's hearing range, Kagome asked her friend, "Is everything okay?"

Startled from her thoughts, Sango stuttered, "Y-Yes, everything is fine."

"Really?" Kagome pressed, sounding as if she believed anything but that. She knew how rare it was for Sango to invite her to bathe in the middle of the day; usually it was the other way around with Kagome trying to convince her friend to join her. It probably meant that something upsetting had happened and Kagome figured it was either Miroku's or Kohaku's doing.

Sango knew better than to try and hide the truth from Kagome, so she confessed, "I had a nightmare about Kohaku."

"Oh," Kagome said softly, her suspicions confirmed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

While she was touched by the offer, Sango shook her head. "It is not a new dream," she explained with a heavy sigh, "and there is nothing worth mentioning."

"Still, if you want to talk…" Kagome offered as they came to the edge of the spring.

"Thank you," Sango said softly with a genuine smile before quickly undressing. "But let's not waste such a beautiful day on such talk, ne?"

It made Kagome feel happy to see some of her optimism rubbing off on her friend and she quickly stepped out of her clothes. Folding them neatly and setting them beside her bag, Kagome hesitated before grabbing the small dog whistle and her bathing supplies. Carefully getting into the heated water, Kagome decided that it would be safe enough to ask Sango about it. After all, she had a vast knowledge of all things pertaining to demons and maybe she would know something about it. "Have you ever seen anything like this?" Kagome asked as she held out the small metal object to Sango.

Taking it in order to inspect it, Sango rotated it around to observe it from all sides. "Is it supposed to aid us in bathing?" finally asked, utterly stumped by the tiny item.

"No," Kagome said as she started washing the soap off of her, "it's used to help train dogs."

Hiding her amusement behind her hand, Sango imagined Kagome attempting to train Inuyasha to learn a new trick. "How does it work?" Sango wanted to know, giving it back to Kagome in the hopes of a demonstration.

Even though Kagome had enough evidence that Inuyasha couldn't hear the whistle, she still blew it in what he hoped was a quiet manner. The last thing she needed was Inuyasha to come charging into the area in order to protect them from a nonexistent threat.

"Is it broken?" Sango asked, having heard no sound coming from it.

Kagome hadn't considered that possibility, but she didn't think that was the case. Giggling, she tried to find a better way to explain its function. "Think of it like a pipe flute that only dogs can hear," Kagome told her, nodding to herself at the adequacy of her analogy. "It's a way of getting their attention, I guess. I thought that it might be useful to help Inuyasha find us if we ever got separated without the enemy knowing."

Sango never ceased to be amazed at the things Kagome brought back from her time. "That's incredible!"

"Yeah, if it worked," Kagome muttered as she sunk lower into the water. "I used it at the well, outside of the village, and in Kaede-baasan's hut, but Inuyasha had no reaction to it."

"Maybe it's out of the range of his hanyou hearing?" Sango suggested thoughtfully.

Sighing as she stretched, Kagome agreed, "That's what I thought. Well, either that or it just doesn't work on demons."

"Why would you think that?"

"For starters, Sesshoumaru didn't show up, and for another—"

Interrupting her friend, Sango pointed out, "Sesshoumaru could be anywhere. He's probably too far away to hear it."

Kagome considered herself lucky that Inuyasha's older half brother hadn't shown up; she could only imagine the overstuffed lord's reaction. The thought was then replaced by an image of Sesshoumaru as a puppy being trained to sit and Kagome couldn't stop laughing.

"Kagome-chan?"

Trying to recover, Kagome started to explain between breaths, "Sorry, it's just…Sesshoumaru as a puppy," but dissolved into laughter once again.

Sango wasn't sure why that was so funny to Kagome, but she was still somewhat amused. "We should probably go soon," Sango eventually said, "if we stay too much longer…"

Kagome finished the sentence, "Miroku-sama will use it as an excuse to peep," with a wry grin. She had spent more time talking and not enough time relaxing and she wasn't quite ready to leave yet. "I really wanted to stay a little longer, too…"

They weren't that far from camp and Inuyasha had said that there weren't any threats nearby, so Sango hesitated before offering, "You can stay a little longer, but not too long. Inuyasha is only so patient, after all."

"Thanks, Sango-chan," Kagome told the other girl with a pleased smile. "I'll be fine and I promise I won't stay too much longer."

"I'll make sure that houshi-sama doesn't stray," Sango called over her shoulder as she finished getting redressed.

Once she was left alone, Kagome returned her attention to the small object in her hand, another snicker escaping her as she imagined Sesshoumaru playing fetch.

Closing her eyes, Kagome relaxed as she listened to the gentle breeze running through the leaves of the trees. She forced herself to open her eyes when she felt as if she could simply drift to sleep. Looking down at the whistle in her hand, she brought it close to her ear and shook it, hearing the tiny ball rattling inside of it. She wanted to know why it didn't work and she blew on it lightly enough to make the ball move, but when the results were no different, she finally gave up the idea.

The faint rustling of fabric startled her and Kagome raised her eyes to find herself staring into shining golden depths. Kagome didn't know why Sesshoumaru had suddenly decided to grace her with his presence, but she was grateful that she was submerged enough in the water to preserve her dignity.

While it irritated Sesshoumaru that the woman showed only surprise and not fear at his appearance, he was pleased that she at least had enough sense not to speak until spoken to. "What were you doing?" he questioned in an emotionless tone.

"I was enjoying my bath," she snapped, forgetting the danger because of her embarrassment. "The better question is what are you doing here?"

Narrowing his eyes into a deadly glint, he coldly reminded her, "This Sesshoumaru does not answer to the likes of you."

"If I'm so far beneath you, then why even bother speaking to me at all?" Kagome challenged, indignation flaring in her eyes.

He would not concede her point, even if he did happen to agree with it. "You will explain yourself, girl."

"Insulting me is going to get you nowhere," Kagome snapped, hardly believing her own audacity. "Besides, I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Acting ignorant is beneath your station, miko," Sesshoumaru replied, detesting those who did not act in a manner befitting of their position. His imbecilic half brother was a prime example of such disgraceful behavior and Sesshoumaru wished to subject himself to as little of it as possible.

Kagome was confused by Sesshoumaru's words. Had he just given her a backhanded compliment? It still pissed her off, but she was slightly appeased by the admission. She was about to question him further when she suddenly remembered the last thing she had done: blow that stupid dog whistle. Her eyes widened at the revelation and she tried not to groan. Why did she always manage to bring such trouble to herself? "Oh," she muttered, her hand clenching into a fist around the troublesome item in question, "that."

"Answer," he commanded, refusing to be kept waiting.

As an idea formed in her mind, a small grin appeared on her face, instantly putting Sesshoumaru on full guard. "This?" she asked innocently before taking a deep breath and blowing the whistle as hard as she could. There would be time later to revel in the fact that she had caused the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru to wince in pain, but she attempted to use the distraction to her advantage and escape.

Instantly overcoming the shock, Sesshoumaru plucked the girl from the water before she even had the chance to move. His grip was firm around her neck and he tightened it further as she struggled against him. "That was unwise," he stated, never taking his eyes off of her. He had been unable to take the offending thing from her, but he would not allow her to use it again in such close range; his ears were still ringing as it was.

She shouldn't have been surprised, but she still found it hard to process that she was now being suspended over the water by a very irate Sesshoumaru who was standing on a rock in the middle of the hot spring. "Put me down!" Kagome demanded as she futilely tried to free herself, kicking out at him as she tried to pry his fingers from her neck.

"You dare try to command this Sesshoumaru?" he asked in disgust, his claws pressing dangerously against her skin.

Deciding that it never hurt to be polite to the being that could easily kill her without another thought about it, Kagome tried again, "Please put me down, Sesshoumaru-sama."

The lack of sarcasm surprised him almost as much as the fact that she had stopped her worthless struggle. Subtly sniffing the air between them, he was further confounded by the scent of her embarrassment laced with hope. Hope for what? That he wouldn't kill her? That he would simply put her down and walk away? Or maybe she was thinking that her comrades would come to her rescue? The lack of fear made no sense to him and he didn't appreciate the affront to his person.

"I could kill you," he threatened, waiting for the stench of fear to emanate from her.

"Yes, you could."

What was wrong with the woman? She agreed so readily, so calmly, and yet there had been very little change in her scent. If anything, it seemed like she was allowing herself to relax ever so slightly. "Yet you do not fear me."

Even though it hadn't been a question, Kagome felt compelled to answer, "I'm more afraid of what you can do than I am of you."

Sesshoumaru wasn't sure if he liked her response or not. She rightfully acknowledged his superior skills, and yet she stupidly ignored that it was he who had control over the lethal abilities. He could smell the truth in her words, as well as the fact that she was free of the foul odor of cowardice and fear.

Sighing, Kagome tried a different tactic. "Look, I just want to get dressed," she said in a weary tone. The mortification was far more painful than being suspended naked; a dog whistle was hardly something worth dying for and the sooner she could tell him, the sooner he would leave. Hopefully. "I'll tell you what you want to know, so please put me down."

Just as he was considering doing as she asked in order to expedite the already prolonged encounter, he caught the distinctive sound of a very irate hanyou rapidly approaching. Moments later, Kagome groaned when she realized that Inuyasha was on his way to see what was happening. It was official: she was going to die of embarrassment before Sesshoumaru got the chance to kill her. A final request to be put down was ignored and she sighed heavily, trying to find an optimistic take on the situation.

Rushing into the area, Inuyasha yelled out, "Sesshou—what the fuck?" He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his very naked best friend being held captive by his bastard half brother and it made his blood boil in rage, even as he forced himself to avert his eyes to stare at Sesshoumaru. "What the hell did you do to her?!" Kagome wasn't moving and he feared that perhaps Sesshoumaru had injected her with some sort of paralyzing poison; there was no way she would passively allow herself to be held in such a manner!

"Perhaps you should ask her what she did to this Sesshoumaru to deserve this," he retorted, the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips at her noise of indignation.

"Hey!" she protested, her anger once again overriding everything else. "I was just minding my own business when you decided to interrupt my bath!"

Raising a silver eyebrow at her impetuousness, he wasn't given the chance to reply because Inuyasha growled, "Put her down before I make you, asshole!"

"Hn," was the only response Sesshoumaru bothered to give toward such an empty threat. "This does not concern you, Inuyasha."

"The hell it doesn't!" Inuyasha exclaimed before unsheathing Tessaiga and assuming a battle stance.

Kagome had the briefest flash of hope that Sesshoumaru would cast her aside in order to draw his weapon, but it was quickly dashed. She really didn't want to get caught in the middle of one of their fights, so she tried to plead with her friend, "Inuyasha, please don't—"

Interrupting her in order to address his brother, Sesshoumaru sneered, "How typical. Your reinforcements are already drawing near."

Kagome's relief that help was on the way was quickly overshadowed by the fact that meant an extremely perverted monk was coming closer. Resuming her struggle to free herself with renewed effort, she all but begged, "Please put me down, drop me into the water, I don't care—just please let go of me."

Ignoring the fuming Inuyasha for the moment, Sesshoumaru tilted his head to regard his captive. Desperation rolling off of her in waves and there was an undercurrent of dread laced within it, but that wasn't what caught his attention. There was the slightest hint of fear in her scent and he wanted to know why. If it hadn't started with his presence, his idiot brother's appearance, or the potential battle that was threatening to ensue, why had it started with the mention of her friends?

Realizing that she had his attention, she looked him in the eye as she whispered, "Please," hoping against all hope that he would understand and release her. Much to her chagrin, he looked decidedly unimpressed and didn't move so much as a claw.

When she heard the distinctive sound of Miroku's shakujou, Kagome finally ceased her struggles. Sesshoumaru obviously had no intention of releasing her and wiggling around would only provide an enticing view for the perverted monk. She sighed heavily as Miroku called out to her, "Kagome-sama! Are you alright?"

"I'd be better if everyone left," she muttered, causing Sesshoumaru to glance at her once again. "Oh, don't look at me like that! If you had just put me down like I asked—"

"Silence," he commanded, ignoring the disrespectful glare from the human he held.

"Why should I listen to you?" Kagome exclaimed incredulously, conveniently forgetting that he held her life in his hands.

"If you wish to continue living, you will cease this inane chatter."

Kagome smirked confidently as she crossed her arms across her chest, praying that she wasn't incorrect as she stated, "You won't kill me until I give you what you want."

While Inuyasha continued cursing at Sesshoumaru, Miroku took the opportunity to ask, "And what exactly does the lord want from you, Kagome-sama?"

She didn't need to see the look in Miroku's eyes to know that they were filled with a perverse gleam. "Not whatever you're thinking," she snapped, involuntarily shuddering as she felt Miroku's gaze appraising her exposed body. If she thought he had been incorrigible before, putting up with his perversion after this was going to be worse. Despite all of his efforts to peep on her and Sango, he had rarely seen anything and she silently wondered what was taking Sango so long to arrive.

Sesshoumaru was quickly becoming bored by the whole display and he was regretting his choice of timing. Sniffing in distain, he was taken aback by the scent of arousal that was slowly permeating the air. A quick glance over at his blushing brother who was carefully avoiding looking at Kagome confirmed that the decidedly male scent did not belong to him. Sesshoumaru found it to be curious and stored it in the back of his mind should such information ever prove useful.

Flicking his eyes over to Miroku, Sesshoumaru found the source of his disgust. The monk was shamelessly enjoying the view presented to him, his eyes roaming along the curves of Kagome's body, his tongue occasionally darting out to lick his lips. The girl's discomfort suddenly made a great deal more sense to Sesshoumaru and he himself was increasingly put off by the lecherous monk's smell. "Monk," he called out, not missing the way Kagome's eyes widened, "you will remove yourself from this Sesshoumaru's presence immediately."

"I will happily do so once you release Kagome-sama," Miroku said smoothly, seemingly unperturbed by the lord's tone.

"You will remove yourself this instant or this Sesshoumaru will do it for you," he threatened, his jaki flaring in warning.

Miroku was momentarily confused and he looked to Inuyasha for guidance. Inuyasha was even more confused and he growled at his older half sibling, "Just give Kagome to him so that we can fight, asshole!"

"You would willingly hand over a miko to the likes of him?" Sesshoumaru questioned with a raised eyebrow. "It seems you do not value her as much you would lead others to believe."

Sounding exasperated, Inuyasha demanded to know, "What are you talking about, asshole?" While Kagome would have phrased it different, she too was curious as to what Sesshoumaru found so offensive about Miroku.

"Are you such a failure that you cannot distinguish the foul scent that belies the monk's true intentions?" Sesshoumaru asked scornfully, idly wondering how the girl had successfully managed to stay pure around such influences.

Despite not wanting to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing that he was right, Inuyasha subtly sniffed before turning his rage on his male companion, "What the fuck is wrong with you, Miroku?"

Holding his hands in front of him in a placating manner, Miroku never lost his composure as he tried to talk his way out of the situation. "I assure you that I mean the lady no disrespect! As a purveyor of beauty, I was merely—"

Hanging her head, Kagome closed her eyes, trying to pretend that this wasn't happening. All she needed was Sango to show up with Shippo to make the humiliation complete. She could swear that she heard Kirara approaching and she tried to focus on the only positive: at least Sango could render Miroku unconscious, sparing her from further shame.

Unbidden, Sesshoumaru's mokomoko-sama wrapped around Kagome's body and he was almost as stunned as she was by the action. She gasped in surprise as the soft fur embraced and supported her completely, finally freeing her neck from his iron grip. Even though her arms were pinned to her sides, it was far from uncomfortable and she tried to keep the smile off of her face.

Although Sesshoumaru was loathe to admit it, he was glad to be rid of the unnecessary strain the girl's weight had imposed. Flexing his fingers before resting them on the hilt of Tensaiga, Sesshoumaru looked over at his still fuming half-sibling whose attention had finally turned toward Kagome now that her nudity was no longer a distraction.

Even from the short distance away, Inuyasha could clearly see the marks left on Kagome's neck and it made him want to attack Sesshoumaru all the more. He knew better than to attack while Kagome was being held hostage, but his blood boiled as he tried to think of a way of freeing her without harming her in the process. Before he could call out another threat, Sango arrived on Kirara, her heavy weapon at the ready.

Pushing aside her guilt, Sango tried to comprehend the scene before her. She didn't have the chance to think on it for long since Inuyasha yelled to her, "Take Miroku and get out of here!"

Noticing the glare Inuyasha gave the monk, Sango decided any questions could wait until later. Glancing over at her friend, her voice was full of concerned as she asked, "Kagome-chan, are you injured?"

"No, I'm okay," she reassured her friend, turning to look over her shoulder in order to smile at Sango. When she saw her friend quickly forcing Miroku to join her on Kirara, she felt compelled to warn Sango, but figured it was a moot point. They all knew what the monk was like and Kagome was just glad that only her back had been exposed to the others. Of course that meant her front had been on full display to Sesshoumaru, but it wasn't as if he was interested in the view, although in a way she found that fact to be somewhat insulting.

Despite the looming threat of an impending fight, Kagome found herself surrendering herself to the warm comfort of the soft fur that had mercifully given her reprieve. She absentmindedly stroked the mokomoko-sama and she could have sworn she felt it shuddering and arching into her touch.

Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, she was not incorrect in her observation since he could feel the pleasant sensations of her fingers running through the fur. It was distracting to hear her reacting with small gasps and sighs when the mokomoko-sama caressed her in turn and he chided himself for letting his attention wander. Forcing the entirety of his attention on Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru stated, "You would be wise to do the same," in reference to the departure of the others.

"I'm not fucking leaving until you give Kagome back!" Inuyasha yelled, his sword never wavering.

Realizing that the stalemate was no going to end any time soon, Kagome decided to take matters into her own hands. "Look, this isn't worth fighting over," she reasoned, "so please just go back to camp. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"You seriously expect me to just leave you with that bastard?"

Hoping that she wasn't making a miscalculation, Kagome nodded as she simply said, "Yes."

Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief, unable to accept the fact that Kagome wanted to be left alone with his brother. "But, Kagome—"

Cutting off Inuyasha's protest, Sesshoumaru made his final threat, "Remove yourself from our sight or this Sesshoumaru will take her to a place where you will be unable to find her."

Blanching at the thought of Kagome being taken away, Inuyahsa knew that leaving was preferable to the alternative. "Sesshoumaru, if you hurt her, I swear—"

"He's not going to hurt me," Kagome told Inuyasha, causing Sesshoumaru to arch one of his eyebrows. The girl's trust in him was disturbing since he had done nothing to earn it; if anything, it made him want to remind her of who he was and exactly what he was capable of doing to her. "So please, just—"

When Inuyasha saw Sesshoumaru shift slightly as if poised to launch himself into the air, he realized that his older brother intended to carry through with his earlier threat. Abruptly turning without another word, Inuyasha made a stealthy retreat, staying close enough so that he could quickly return at the first sign of trouble.

Once Sesshoumaru was satisfied that Inuyasha was a reasonable distance away, he returned his full attention to the girl he still held captive. He couldn't understand why she had breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally left alone, nor why she relaxed completely into him. The mokomoko-sama clearly had no complaints and Sesshoumaru had no doubt that if it had the capability to, it would be rumbling in contentment. It was slightly disconcerting to experience the small shivers of pleasure ghosting along his flesh, relayed to him by his pelt that was apparently sensitive to her gentle touches.

As much as Kagome wanted to get dressed, part of her was secretly enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in the fluffy appendage. It was strange how it seemed to react to her petting and she got the feeling she'd never look at it or him the same way again. Needing to fill the silence, Kagome quietly said, "Thank you," her fingers never ceasing their gentle rhythm.

Unaccustomed to receiving gratitude, Sesshoumaru had very little recourse in how to handle it. "There is no need to thank the enemy," he replied stiffly.

Smiling sadly, her fingers finally stilled at those words. "Enemy or not," she told him, "I still appreciate it." As the silence began anew, Kagome was startled when she felt her hand being butted against by the end of the pelt in an attempt to regain her attention. Giggling, she complied and started stroking it once more. "May I ask what this is?"

"Mokomoko-sama," he answered tersely as if that alone explained it.

"Mokomoko-sama?" she repeated, surprised when she felt it respond to her by shuddering around her body. She was tempted to close her eyes to focus on the wonderful sensation, but she thought better of it. "Is it like a tail?"

Unaware of how much he sounded like his ward, Sesshoumaru answered, "Mokomoko-sama is mokomoko-sama," and that was the end of the discussion. He refused to explain it to her, even if the thing in question had taken a strange interest in the girl.

"So it is," she murmured, realizing that was the closest thing to an answer that she was going to get.

"You will now explain yourself to this Sesshoumaru," he commanded, evenly meeting her gaze.

Figuring that it would be easier to show it than explain it, Kagome had to struggle a little before the mokomoko-sama would relinquish her arm. Once she finally succeeded, she held her hand out to him, gesturing for him to do the same. When his hand was close enough, she placed the small item in his palm, wishing she could crack her stiff fingers. Instead, she allowed her arm to drop to her side. This time getting the chance to freely pet him without being hindered by the awkward angle, she indulged herself by letting the fur slide through her fingers. It was by far the softest thing she had ever had the joy of touching. Knowing that the odds of her ever getting a second chance were slim to none, Kagome decided to enjoy her opportunity as much as she could. She continued to watch Sesshoumaru carefully, fascinated by how intently he was studying the small item, holding it delicately between his claws.

She had the feeling that Sesshoumaru would rather figure it out on his own than hear from a human about it, so Kagome stayed quiet while he tried to solve the mystery. In the meantime, Kagome continued pondering what exactly the mokomoko-sama was. It was not merely a pelt as she had once assumed and it seemed to be reacting to her rather than obeying Sesshoumaru. Still, she wondered if he could feel what she was doing to it; then again, if he could, he probably would never have let her pet it as long as she had. Curious about the reaction, Kagome used her blunt nails to lightly scratch the fur in a manner that she knew Buyou and Kirara liked and the response was instantaneous.

Sesshoumaru's thoughts were interrupted and he felt his breath catch at the unexpected jolt of pleasure that coursed through him. His golden eyes sought her gaze and regretted that he had allowed himself to be so lax as to allow her behavior to go unchecked.

Kagome smoothed the fur in silent apology before she started apologizing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I just—"

Interrupting her rushed babbling, he coldly stated, "This Sesshoumaru could never be harmed by the likes of you."

Her torrent of words stopped as she was forced to consider what had just happened. She had noticed the way Sesshoumaru's body stiffened and heard his small gasp; if it wasn't from pain, then what was it? "I meant no disrespect," she told him, "but I was just concerned that…" Sighing as she trailed off, she was startled when the mokomoko-sama tightened in a way that felt suspiciously like a hug.

Against her better judgment, she lightly stroked the fur with her hand that was still hidden from view only to be reprimanded with a sharp, "Stop."

Forcing herself to remain still for fear of losing the protection the mokomoko-sama offered her, Kagome thought it would be best to say nothing at all. She was shocked when she felt the end of it brushing against her hand in full view of Sesshoumaru. Did that mean it acted on its own accord as a separate entity? He growled at it in warning, demanding that it cease all movement; he was pleased when it wound itself around her back, settling down at last.

Sesshoumaru could see the questions in her eyes, but he was as much at a loss as she was when it came to explaining the blatant display of disobedience. Instead, he gestured at the offensive item still in his hand and commanded, "Explain."

Not trusting her hand to behave, Kagome used it to rub the back of her neck as she told him sheepishly, "It's a dog whistle." Receiving a blank look, Kagome hesitantly continued. "Only dogs can hear it, but I thought since Inuyasha was part—"

"You intended to use this to summon the hanyou?"

Nodding, she was once again forced to confess, "I thought that it would be useful to help him find us if we ever got captured."

Ignoring the easy jab at his half brother's incompetence, Sesshoumaru pointed out, "Your logic is flawed."

"I realize that now," Kagome agreed, although she sounded miffed about it.

"You failed to take into account that there are other members of the inu group."

Kagome started to speak, but she paused to consider what had just been said. Since she only saw Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, she had never really thought about the fact that there were other inu youkai. Did that mean Inuyasha had other living relatives who despised him so much they wouldn't even go near him? The thought saddened her and she wondered why Sesshoumaru was different.

Even though they constantly fought whenever they met up, sometimes she got the distinct impression that it was some weird form of acknowledgement as training. If Sesshoumaru truly thought that Inuyasha was weak, he would never lower himself to waste time by sparring with him, right? Then again, if Inuyasha was so universally despised by the other inu youkai, wouldn't that mean that Sesshoumaru's visits would be met with distain? Since he never truly defeated Inuyasha in their bouts, what if the others thought Sesshoumaru weak as a result? The thought almost caused her to laugh; who would dare think of Sesshoumaru as weak, let alone be fool enough to confront him over it? She felt a sudden rush of compassion for the stoic older brother, although she had the feeling he would maim her for such thoughts.

Sesshoumaru was not oblivious to her varied emotions, but he couldn't comprehend how she had gone from sadness to something much more uplifting. Perhaps it was because she had thought of the hanyou? For some reason he found that to be displeasing and he questioned himself about the wisdom of having not released her yet. As the idea of dropping her crossed his mind, he felt the increasingly disobedient mokomoko-sama tightened its hold on her. Not wanting to waste any more energy focusing on her Sesshoumaru returned his attention to the whistle he was still holding in his hand. "He couldn't hear it?" Sesshoumaru asked in an attempt to get some more answers.

"No," she admitted, "so I'll probably just get rid of it." In some ways she considered herself lucky that out of all the potential inu youkai who could have shown up, Sesshoumaru was the one who had answered the call. Who would have ever thought that she would be grateful for Sesshoumaru's arrival? It was a surreal experience, although it paled in comparison to still being embraced by the mokomoko-sama.

Not wishing for it to be used against him again, he held it between two of his claws and melted it with his poison, smirking as he felt her eyes widening at the display. He had thought she would have become angered at the destruction of her property, but instead she seemed more interested in how he had done so.

"Uhm, thank you?"

Casting aside the debris, he frowned imperceptibly when Kagome's hand strayed from the back of her neck back down to the fur. "You would not have been so fortuitous had it not been this Sesshoumaru responding to such a crude summons," he reminded her.

The possibility of her being on the melting end of the claws instead of the whistle would probably have been exponentially higher if it had been anyone else and she audibly gulped. Trying to distract herself from such morbid realizations, Kagome asked, "What did it sound like?"

Loud and earsplitting would both be accurate descriptions, but he would never say such things. "It is of no consequence since it no longer exists," he told her haughtily, "and you would be wise to avoid such things in the future."

As much pleasure as she secretly derived from knowing that she had found something that could affect the lord, she knew better than to try his patience. Figuring it would be her last opportunity to ask, she shyly toyed with the silver strands before inquiring, "What are they like? The other inu youkai, I mean."

"Why do you wish to know?"

She had figured that he would have dismissed her outright or scorned her for being a lowly human who didn't deserve to know, so she was pleasantly surprised. "Curiosity," she answered honestly, "since you and Inuyasha are the only two I've ever met. Are they all like you?"

"No."

Somehow she wasn't surprised by that answer, although it did make her wonder about the true nature of the other inu youkai. Unable to stop herself, Kagome asked, "Do any of them have mokomoko-samas?" She giggled when she felt it start moving again, lazily dragging itself across her free arm.

"Some," he admitted, although he was at a loss as to why he bothered responding at all. He had learned what he needed and there was no reason for him to subject himself further to her presence. It was decidedly petty, but Sesshoumaru relished her indignant reaction to suddenly being released to splash down into the hot spring once more; it made him feel a little better about the situation.

Coming back to the surface and spluttering as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes, Kagome demanded, "Couldn't you have given me a little warning?"

"I believe you were already warned," Sesshoumaru retorted, straightening his posture to an even more regal bearing.

Without another word, Sesshoumaru launched himself off of the small rock into the air and took flight, leaving behind a still fuming Kagome who could only yell in protest, "Hey!" Wordlessly growling in agitation and slamming her fist into the water, Kagome started muttering to herself as she waded over to the edge of the onsen. Still, she couldn't help but smile in amusement over the whole thing despite her embarrassment, even if it was horribly humiliating. She knew she had gotten off lightly all things considered, but she didn't dwell on it as she dried off and got dressed before heading back to camp to deal with the repercussions from her friends after her encounter with the demon lord.

A/N: Believe it or not, this actually was a final paper I turned in for a graduate class! Don't you just love higher education where things like this can academically be justified as a legitimate assignment~?

I may still expand this with a sequel that takes place about a week later when Kagome runs into Sesshoumaru (and mokomoko-sama, of course) and interactions ensue. Also, it may or may not go up to a M rating at that point, but given that this is my first foray into the fandom, I thought to test the waters first with a little humorous oneshot! Feedback and reviews are always welcome!

To my normal fandom readers, this weekend's Forbidden update is still on schedule. This is just my omake that I felt like sharing with everyone to celebrate one final finished! Two more and 40 pages to go...