The weather was pleasantly warm in the Sengoku today. Nice enough to let children run around the village into the plant grounds, where farmers looked upon their fruitful harvests with pride as their hands sifted soil. Warm breezes rolled over the bridge that gaped the village from the outside world, out onto the path of trees and, sitting right at the base of one such tree, the Miko of Inuyasha Village Kagome felt it caressing her face, almost with care, she blushed and fidgeted with the item hidden in her sleeve.
The young woman sat in her usual red and white uniform with a basket beside her. She was going herb hunting today.
She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a squeal of excitement but it slipped out anyway, loud enough to evoke another annoyed sigh from the man sunbathing out on the tree branch above her.
“Y’know, if you hit one more high note down there you might consider hangin’ up the Priestess gig and taking your singing show on the road.”
Kagome tried ignoring him, closing her eyes and mimicking the pose of a zen leader, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You’re takin’ it wrong then.”
“Oi!” Kagome glared up at her best friend as he scratched his ear and pretended to ignore her back. She huffed and reached for the concealed item again.
“Cut it out,” Inuyasha sighed, fluidly rolling his body from the branch to a crouch beside her. He grabbed her arm and reached inside he sleeves, bypassing her protests as he pinched the item by one of its blue beads.
It was a fitting bracelet, laced with a dormant energy Inuyasha wouldn’t have known to search for had he not seen the item made himself. It had a soft hue,, the cold blue glass reflected against the sun and was strung together with wire, of course but, intertwined within the wire were fine strands of black and silver embedded with faint, bonding magic.
“You’ll break it before any demon gets a chance.”
“You swear you think he’ll like it?”
“Kagome,” He stared at her flatly, “you know him better than I do, don’t ya think?”
Kagome snorted, “I’m starting to doubt that with how much you hang out with him lately. Aren’t you only waiting here because you wanted to see your brother?” She teased, and thoroughly enjoyed Inuyasha’s embarrassed flails.
“What? No! Fuck him!” When the bracelet flew out of his hands Kagome made sure to catch it safely back into her sleeve.
“I’ll see what ha-”
“Aaah!” Inuyasha yelled, cutting off any continuation of her sentence. They stared at each other for a while, and then burst out in laughter.
Having a best friend like Inuyasha was exactly what Kagome needed in this era, it felt like it made… everything easier. Only after they enjoyed the peace a little while longer did Inuyasha speak up.
“Of course he’ll like it. I get that he’s Sesshomaru but any man appreciates a gift from someone they cherish.” Kagome watched him wistfully touch his rosary. Some time ago, Kagome had removed its spell for Inuyasha and Kaede revealed its original purpose, when Kaede was just a girl watching her sister attempt a romantic gesture. Inuyasha’s touch of the necklace was momentary but, such as how memories were, it made the present more poignant.
Suddenly, Inuyasha’s nose began twitching, and he languorously stretch out, resting his head on Kagome’s lap, who chuckled and flicked his twitchy ear.
“What’s up? You think one moment of clarity deserves some kind of reward?”
“Well, it certainly ain’t free advice I’m peddlin’ over here.”
Eventually, Kagome caved, giving his little ears attention and relaxing herself just in time for a swift wind to start blowing leaves to and fro and sweeping Kagome up amidst her own unbound hair. She untangled herself with her free hand at the exact moment to watch Lord Sesshomaru walking out of the thick brush.
“Sesshomaru-san,” The pink returned to her cheeks again.
His eyes captured hers instantly, making her heart quicken with each step until he was towering over them.
“‘Sup.” Inuyasha spoke with his eyes still closed in enjoyment.
Kagome saw Sesshomaru’s face tense instantly and raised her hands in the air, less like a child who caught caught stealing sweets, more like a woman who knew where to place her appendages by now to not get caught in Inuyasha’s ever impending karma.
Sesshomaru delivered a swift, precise kick to Inuyasha’s head, spinning him into the air and off of the Miko’s lap, who swore she saw his spirit checkout of his body for a moment.
“You okay?” She called out. Inuyasha popped out of the bushes in response, angrily spitting out leaves.
“Whaddya think?!” Inuyasha pointed at his half brother, “Sesshomaru-!”
“Kagome.” He greeted, kneeling down to dust off her lap, “Are you prepared?”
“Sesshomaru-san…” She could only respond shyly, even though a toothy smile nearly split her lips apart when her Lord reached up to push her bangs aside for a better view of her.
Kagome happily reached for her basket, “Yes. Let’s go.”
“OI!” Inuyasha broke their atmosphere, resulting in the always freezing temperature of Kagome’s cold glare.
“Inuyasha…” Kagome warned, and before Inuyasha could appeal to her good nature, “Ma-te.”
- - -
“It’s a much more appropriate spell for him than ‘Osuwari’ ever was.” Kagome mused as she and Sesshomaru climbed up a steep hill littered with tiny yellow flowers. “ ‘Stay’ really helps him think about the penalty for his actions. All of the children love climbing on him.”
Once they hit the fresh air of the hilltop, Kagome picked a patch of flowers to drop her basket, stretching one arm, then the other, pleased groans escaping with each bone pop.
“What a good day!”
Sesshomaru knelt next to her basket so he could place the extras she asked him to gather inside, before sitting himself, pollen and petals rising around the impact. Kagome couldn’t help but soak in his visage; the way nature sailed past him was poetry in motion to her, she loved any chance she got to simply watch him instead of sneaking shy, distanced glances at his beauty like others. Hell, like herself years ago.
Kagome took a deep breath before she fell to her hands and knees beside him.
“I…I made you something!” She blurted out, interest piquing in Sesshomaru’s eyes.
“And what would you have to give I,” Sesshomaru raised his hand to run it through her hair again, appreciating the unique softness of her cheek as it habitually nestled into the palm of his hand, “who wants for nothing except you?”
Kagome buried her smile in Sesshomaru’s hand and then removed herself from the tempting proximity to focus on presenting him with the bracelet from her inner sleeve. As he eyed it, Kagome reminded herself rarely was his silence to be taken negatively when it involved her and yet, she felt prickling nerves making her itch.
More than like it, she wanted him to want it.
Sesshomaru took it from her and sniffed it, his eyes lowly lidded. He was pleased.
“There is an energy to this armament.”
“It’s charmed. I charmed it, I-” Kagome stuttered, “I wanted to, you know, have something that always kept as connected. Lately, it’s more lonely when we’re apart.”
Maybe it was because he had recently made her his but, there was this feeling growing inside of Kagome, and not in the way her confidants embarrassingly suspected. Kagome was a powerful woman, her powers were constantly defying odds and, she was always learning and fighting but, even more so, her emotions were powerful; Kagome was a rarity in the Miko world because she was one who drew her strength from the relationships she formed, instead of the ties she cut.
She and Sesshomaru shared the strongest bond between two people in love. Not just physically or spiritually; more than giving one another their bodies, they had given each other intimacy, and it was so much more powerful than anything they could have imagined.
During the days, Sesshomaru and Kagome were many things still, at the end of each one, they only wanted to be two beings in love.
“I share your sentiments,” Sesshomaru admitted easily. Giving the bracelet back to her, Sesshomaru presented his arm, “I wish to wear this.”
Kagome was more than over the moon to slip the bracelet around his wrist, he could tell by the way her legs danced underneath her. She held his hand while it pulsed, the spell binding itself to his aura. Together, they watched a fine glow emit from the bobbles until it didn’t and Sesshomaru felt a refreshing wave slip around him, less like the protective layer he expected and more like an amplification, like the power in the ornament was letting him know this was a gift of freedom, not frailty.
“I asked Totosai to make sure this helped you in battle since he was so worried this might hinder your swordsmanship.”
Sesshomaru too noticed that but, Totosai underestimated him. A swordsman Lord of his power would obviously adapt to anything, especially anything his mate put thought into.
“I was thinking I’d get it reworked later… maybe, something smaller, like a ring.”
“What spell did you see fit to bless me with?” He wondered, playing with her. He would wear a ring and he knew she knew that. She was simply being noticeably coy so, he teased her by not taking the bait. Kagome pouted and Sesshomaru poked her forehead in response, a silly reprimand between them.
“‘Koi’.” She answered his question while dramatically prodding her “injured” skin. “I named the spell ‘Koi’.”
The bracelet gave, gentle responding thrums.
Sesshomaru smirked, a huff blowing from his nose, “Let no one ever doubt your infatuation with dogs, Kagome.”
Humming, Kagome laid her head in his lap, wrapped mokomoko around her legs and pretended not to hear him.