The Unexpected Love

Kagome blinks. His golden eyes are boring into her and his posture is more rigid than usual. His behaviour makes her think her answer to his question is important. She’s confused he needs to ask it in the first place. Isn’t it obvious?

She scowls at him. “Of course I do.” The dumbass is implied, barely.

The smile that flashes on his lips is small, brief and subtle. “Very well.”

Sesshoumaru walks closer to her, bends and scoops her up in his arms.

“Hey!” She yelps, instantly alarmed. “Wait!”

He pauses. “What is wrong?”

“I’m a disgusting sweaty mess,” she protests, mortified.

He holds her closer in response, his grip firm and secure. “You are never disgusting.”

She’s scarcely begun to process that statement, when they’re up in the air. The rush against her skin is immediately cooling and she sighs and relaxes against Sesshoumaru’s chest. He is very warm, his bodyheat radiating through his silk kimono, but she’s gracious enough to forgive him for that. She could get used to being carried like this, Kagome muses. Though this method of travel is a little uncomfortable. The wind in her ears is so loud it almost drowns out the steady drum of Sesshoumaru’s heartbeat. And while she doesn’t have a problem with heights, exactly, it’s a long, long way to the ground and instant death is one of those things she does take issue with.

After a while that feels neither short nor long, Sesshoumaru descends. The landscape is unfamiliar to Kagome. She has no idea where they are. Up in the mountains, somewhere, but given how many damn mountains there are in Japan, that’s not a viable clue.

Relief washes over Kagome when her feet meet the ground.

“This way,” Sesshoumaru says. His hand briefly brushes against the small of her back.

Kagome raises her eyebrow at his back, then sets out after him. It’s still hot and humid out, but the heat doesn’t feel as relentless here in the mountains. A crack yawns in a rock wall they’re walking towards. As they get closer, Kagome realises it’s the mouth of a cave. He leads her into the dark and she follows, stumbling a little on the uneven floor. His hand reappears, pressing against her back in silent support.

After a few more yards, a faint sound catches Kagome’s attention. She stops and frowns, straining to hear it better.

“Is that…water?” she finally asks, awed.

“Yes.”

“Oh thank all the deities.”

She jogs ahead. The cave opens up, enough of daylight seeping in from somewhere that she can see the spring at the back of the cavern. Her hands are already unknotting the ties of her hakama as she crosses the space. She stops at the edge of the spring and dips her toes in. Lets out a small involuntary shriek.

“It’s cold!”

There’s a strangled sound from behind her as she kicks off her hakama and yanks her kimono away. Clad in only her thin, white underkimono, she whirls around and rushes over to Sesshoumaru.

He’s looking away, his face flushed and jaw tight. His eyes only flickers to hers when Kagome’s palms cup his cheeks.

“Thank you,” she tells him, breathless.

His lips part mere seconds before she presses a reverent kiss against them.

Then she’s running back towards the spring, wading in with a delighted laugh. Standing in the pool, the water lapping her waist, her underkimono already soaked and clinging to her skin like a thin, translucent veil, she tosses a glance over her shoulder.

Sesshoumaru is standing still as a statue, but his eyes have grown hooded and he is staring at her, one hand clenched into a fist.

A coy smile curls her lips. He answers it with a soft growl.

Kagome turns around to face him.

“Aren’t you going to join me?”

--- II Autumn ---

Kagome’s hand slips into his, and the gesture’s so easy and natural that it almost stops his breath. It has been three months and he still hasn’t stopped marvelling at her.

The sun hangs low in the horizon, its golden light setting the forest around them ablaze. The autumn foliage is reaching its peak, the canopy above them a brilliant display of red and yellow in a dozen different hues. They walk out from the shelter of the trees just as the sunset sky over them blooms in delicate pinks and vibrant oranges, adding the finishing touch to their colourful surroundings. Faint ripples dance across the surface of the lake spreading before them.

Sesshoumaru sets a blanket down on the grass near the lakeshore and Kagome sits down, tilting her head up to enjoy the show. Sesshoumaru settles down beside her, but his gaze stays steady on her, admiring the column of her neck, appreciating the waves of her black hair, adoring the smile curving her lips.

He can’t get enough of her lips or her smiles.

“You always bring me to such great places,” she says, slanting him a look. “Like some secret oases you’ve squirrelled away but have now decided to share with me.”

“Yes,” he replies simply—because that’s more or less what has been happening: him showing her some of his very favourite places, starting with the cave with the spring.

Now that had been a memorable beginning.

Twilight creeps in as the sun dives down. Stars begin to appear as the sky gradually grows darker.

Sesshoumaru digs around in the satchel he’s brought and takes out two cups, a small bottle of sake and an assortment of sweets and snacks. Kagome’s eyes light up as she stares at the spread of delicacies.

“This looks amazing!” she enthuses.

Sesshoumaru sits straighter and the urge to puff out his chest is strong. It soothes his instincts to provide for her, even though he knows she’s perfectly capable of looking after herself.

“Please,” he tells her, gesturing at the food. “Help yourself.”

“Don’t mind me if I do.” She grins at him and he feels victorious.

The evening slips into night, wreathing them in silver shadows. The moon reigns over them like a benevolent queen, full and bright. Its reflection glimmers on the still waters of the lake.

Sesshoumaru hands Kagome a cup and pours the sake while she studies him from under her lashes. She takes a sip and hums in pleasure. The small sound combined with the smile playing on her lips have heat sparking at the base of his spine. Something must show on his face, because her smile widens and she fists her free hand on the front of his kimono.

“Come here, you,” she tells him; an order he’ll gladly follow.

He leans into her and sinks into the kiss, overwhelmed in the best of ways by her enthusiasm and the bold sweep of her tongue. He can taste the alcohol on her. The hair that’s somehow ended up in his fist is impossibly soft. Her lips linger on his, teasing and daring, before pulling away.

Her blue eyes are sparkling at him, smug and sated.

His blood is still thrumming in his veins as she settles back down with her sakeand her snacks. He looks up at the night sky and tries to calm himself.

Her head falls to rest on his shoulder and her hand slips into his. They sit side by side at the shore of the lake and admire the autumn moon that shines on them. Here and there, they converse a little, but the silence that keeps falling between them is its own kind of solace.

He’s still looking up at the moon when he realises her breath has evened out and her heartbeat has slowed down. Careful not to jostle her, he turns to look at her. She looks peaceful and relaxed in her sleep and his fingers tremble a little as he reaches to push back a strand of her hair. To be able to fall asleep like this, leaning against his side… the trust and comfort this one simple act displays unravels him. His heart swells in his chest and the word that has been popping into his head at inopportune moments rings in his ears now, undeniably loud.

Slow and gentle, Sesshoumaru gathers her into his arms. Kagome stirs, sighs, and settles. He stares down at her sleeping face and clears his throat. He’s never dared to give voice to his feelings before, but in this moment, he feels compelled to try.

“You have my whole heart,” he whispers to her. “I am yours.”

He bends to press a soft kiss on her forehead and hopes that one day soon he might have the courage to repeat those words when she’s awake.

--- III Winter ---

Sesshoumaru’s become a permanent fixture in her life. He visits her almost daily, always bringing in something when he comes. Firewood, furs and food are his most common offerings. The winter doesn’t have as harsh of a bite as the few previous ones have, Kagome muses. Not for the lack of trying on nature’s part—even now there is a snowstorm howling outside, rattling the corners of her house. But having a personal caretaker who could double as a snuggable space heater loitering about her home was a huge help. The cold of a dark winter night just can’t compete with having an over-warm daiyoukai in your bed.

And having such a method for keeping warm has other advantages too.

Kagome grins to herself and stirs the stew she’s cooking, inhaling its fragrant steam. There’s a steady clacking sound outside that soothes her. It’s funny, because this whole situation has fully blindsided her. She was all settled down, had finally hit her groove in the feudal era and managed to establish herself in the village. Independent, capable and living her best life—and then along came Sesshoumaru, out of all people.

Speaking of the demon, he enters the hut, an armful of chopped firewood in tow. Scattered snowflakes pepper his silver hair, already starting to melt.

“Come over here, you,” she calls to him. He obeys.

He’s actually fairly good at obeying her, which she still isn’t quite used to.

He deposits the firewood near the cooking hearth and Kagome briefly abandons her stew so she can fuss over him. This is her life now. Domestic bliss.

She taps his cold cheek and peers into his eyes, shaking her head.

“Demon or not, the winter weather is no joke. Please take care of yourself.” She clucks her tongue. “Thank you for the firewood. Now go change out of these wet clothes before you get a cold.”

“This Sesshoumaru does not succumb to such mundane illnesses,” he replies haughtily. But he nuzzles his cold nose against hers before pulling away and walking over to the chest where she keeps his clothes.

Kagome frowns at her stew and wonders at which point she can say Sesshoumaru has fully moved in with her. It seems like they’re already past the point of no return. Not that she minds. In the past month, she’s slept alone on only a handful of nights.

She tastes the stew, nods to herself… and slants a lingering look towards Sesshoumaru, who’s just removed his kimono. Admiring his bare back and the sleek muscles on display, she sets down her ladle. The stew can wait. She has more important matters to attend to.

The tilt of his head lets Kagome know he knows what she’s up to, even before her finger traces the line of his spine.

“I was wondering…” she purrs, her hands sinking into his hair. She fucking loves his hair. “…if you needed any help with warming up?” She brushes his hair aside and presses her lips to the base of his neck. She tastes his cool skin with a swift flick of his tongue and can’t hold back a playful bite.

A growl rumbles in his throat. His voice is low and a little dark. “Miko.”

He whirls around, arms wrapping around her to cage her against him. His forehead falls to rest against hers, his hooded golden eyes pinning her down. She flashes him a brilliant smile and winds her arms around his neck.

His lips crash into hers, hungry, demanding and dizzying and he kisses her long and thoroughly.

“You,” he pants, his voice rough when he pulls away a small eternity later, “are everything.”

Her breath—already shaky from his kiss—catches and emotion floods her eyes. Her heart is achingly tender when she cups his cheeks and returns his gaze.

“I love you,” she tells him. Kagome’s lost count of how many times she’s said it to him before, but every time she’s still a little awed of that simple truth.

Sesshoumaru kisses her again and she sighs happily into his mouth.

He has not said the actual word yet. But he doesn’t have to. He tells her the same in so many other ways. With a million different signs that she can read: a dozen little caresses and reverent kisses; the way he looks after her and is always so generously giving her whatever she might need; how he holds her close to his heart every night. He does, of course, use his words as well, telling her that she is the beat of his heart or that he is hers and a whole plethora of other romantic confessions that Kagome’s committed to memory so she can savour them forever.

What is all that, if not love?

Reluctantly, Kagome pulls away from the kiss and untangles herself from him.

“I have a stew to finish,” she says. She might be pouting a little.

“Go on.” Sesshoumaru smiles at her and she can’t look away. “Prepare your food and eat well. I am not going anywhere.”

And that, right there, is the biggest sign of them all.

He stays.

--- IV Spring ---

It is the season of new beginnings. And though it might be too soon, Sesshoumaru views the blooming spring as the perfect opportunity. He knows what he wants, has known since July, truth be told. Spending the winter with Kagome has only confirmed what his instincts have been telling him for ages now.

She is everything he could ever wish for. Strong-minded and capable. Kind and caring. Playful and sensual in equal measure. He is mesmerised by the woman she’s become. He remembers still that brash and loud and brave girl he first met, years ago. Ready to challenge him from the start. Having witnessed her truly come into her own has been like watching a master painter work magic on the canvas.

He has conferred a lot with the monk, lately. He has become more friendly with him and the slayer both, after the rough winter. Kagome’s willingness to help her friends and the loyalty she’s inspired in them in return are some of the qualities that first won his admiration. And now, after planning and plotting and listening to the monk’s suggestions, the time has come to put his heart to test.

Sesshoumaru’s fingers tremble just a little, where they gently press into his usual spot on the small of her back. Kagome hums as she walks beside him and there is a bounce to her step that makes him smile through the nerves gnawing at him. The day is warm, the forest around them vibrant green in the bright spring sunlight. Flowers are blooming all around the clearing that he’s walking her towards.

She notices the feast the moment they step out from the cover of the trees.

“Oh? What’s all this?” She rushes forward, delight glowing on her features. Sesshoumaru’s immediately reminded of that fateful day in July, how she’d sprinted down the unfamiliar cave towards the sound of water.

She pauses at the blanket set down under the boughs of the Goshinboku and lets out a laugh. “A picnic!” She whirls around, blue eyes sparkling, the smile stretching her lips wide and joyful. “I love a picnic! What a lovely idea.”

“I am glad you approve,” Sesshoumaru replies, feeling a little surer of himself as he walks to her and takes his seat next to her. She’s already claimed a spot in the centre of the blanket and is rifling through the containers to see what he has brought to feed her.

“Picnics are perfect for spring,” she says, pausing to admire the delicate wagashi he secured from a famous tea shop. “Spending time outdoors in the warm sunlight after being cooped up inside for most of winter just makes you feel so alive, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” he agrees. He takes a bowl and begins to pile in various bits of food, hoping she will enjoy every bite. He hands the bowl to Kagome only after he’s selected the choicest offerings.

“You know how to spoil me,” she says, her tone teasing as she accepts the food from him. “Thank you.”

He’s planned to take his time, has whole lines he’s rehearsed in advance. But he can no longer hold back the emotion that has been burning in his soul for months now.

“This Sesshoumaru… I was hoping I might be able to continue to spoil you,” he blurts out.

Kagome pauses, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She lowers them and the bowl, as her focus snaps to him. “Oh?” Sesshoumaru can’t recall any of the words he’s practised to tell her. So he simply reaches into the sleeve of his kimono and fishes out the small object he has been carrying around for weeks and offers it to her.

Kagome gasps. Her hand flies to her throat, as if trying to catch the sharp sound. Her blue eyes are rounded in surprise as she stares at the token resting on his palm, glinting in the sunlight.

“Sesshoumaru…?” Her voice is hesitant and tremulous. “What is this? What does this mean?”

“I was told that in your time it was customary to have this in order to propose a betrothal,” he replies, his anxious glance flitting between the ring and her. “Was that not correct?”

Her shaking fingers brush against his palm as she picks up the ring. She turns it around in her hand, as if wanting to make sure it is real. “You’re, like, actually proposing now? You want to get married? To me?”

“What I want,” he says, reaching to thumb away the tear that’s slipping down her cheek, “is for you to be mine. And for you to want me to be yours. Until I’ve drawn my final breath.”

A second tear follows the first. Her hand has squeezed into a first around the ring. She takes a quivering breath and slowly the tension seeps away from her shoulders. Her fist unfurls and she picks up the ring.

Kagome meets his gaze, her tears turning to laughter just a moment before she kisses him with such passion and vigour that the last lingering vestiges of doubt are exorcised from Sesshoumaru’s heart. His arms slide around her waist. They hold on, even after she pulls back. He doesn’t want to let go of her. Ever.

And to his great luck, he won’t have to.

Kagome slides the ring to her finger. The metal of the band is warm against his cheek, when she cups his face in her hands.

“If you’ll be mine,” she says, “I’ll be yours.”

Her lips crash against his, staking claim and sealing her promise with a kiss. Sesshoumaru’s heart soars. He kisses her back, then rests his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes and breathing her in. And when he breaks the silence, it’s a soft whisper against her lips, the three words he’s carried all this time.

The animal’s head snaps up. It takes one skittish step and Sesshoumaru shifts his weight, ready to move. There’s a rush in the air, a dull thwack. The scent of blood hits Sesshoumaru’s nostrils and his eyes narrow on the arrow embedded into the animal’s side. The serow lets out a snort and takes two running steps. Then Sesshoumaru is there, his hands around the animal’s neck. One quick twist and the stocky creature flops to the ground.

Sesshoumaru yanks out the arrow and holds it delicately in his claws as he studies it. Rushing footsteps approach him somewhere to his right but he ignores them for now. No longer focused on the animal he was tracking, his logic wars with what his senses are screaming at him. It is not fathomable. He should not recognise the arrow. The scent in the air should not be familiar to him.

She should not be here, over 60 ri away from her home village.

But almost as soon as the thought crosses his mind, the footsteps halt.

"Sesshoumaru!”

He turns his head and finds her standing there beside him, her blue eyes warm and her smile bright. She is dressed as a priestess, her bow slung over her shoulder.

“I didn’t expect to see you here! Thanks for your help!”

He should probably say something in response. Question what she is doing up here in the mountains and why she appears to be on her own. But words are failing him. The miko has turned her back to him and has focused on the serow on the ground.

She rolls it to its back and then there’s a knife in her hand. Sesshoumaru blinks as she makes the first deft cut through the thick fur up the sternum, parting the hide. She flips the knife and then cuts down, through the flesh, until she comes to the stomach.

She glances over her shoulder at him. “Do you want any of the organs?”

“I… what?”

Even though he’s staring at her every movement, Sesshoumaru is having a hard time making sense of what he’s seeing.

“Ok, I’ll just be careful when I scoop it all out,” the miko murmurs to herself. Then, she’s actually humming as she’s splitting the animal apart.

He tilts his head, oddly fascinated by the sight of the priestess field dressing the serow carcass.

Several minutes later she is straightening up and grinning at him, her hands bloody after scooping out the animal’s innards. It is a side of the miko Sesshoumaru’s never seen before and he doesn’t understand why he doesn’t seem able to look away.

“I saved you the heart and the liver, if you want them,” she says.

“Thank you,” Sesshoumaru replies, inclining his head. He should not read too much into the significance of the miko sharing her kill with him. He’s fairly certain she is simply being her friendly human self. But a traitorous part of him at the back of his mind has already latched onto the possibility; considering its merits.

“My camp’s not too far away,” the miko tells him as she cleans her knife. “Would you mind giving me a hand with this guy?”

Sesshoumaru picks up the animal and sets out after the miko. She flashes him a quick smile of thanks over her shoulder but even after she faces away from him, his gaze lingers. It touches her bow. It’s caught by the dark hair spilling down her back. It travels down to rest in the sway of her hips as she briskly walks up the mountain path.

A resolve swells from deep within as Sesshoumaru follows after Kagome. He flexes the wrist of his free hand. Hones in on her scent. Moves with quiet deliberation, all his senses focused on a single point.