Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Learning to Love	By : Ikaru Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 22066 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Disclaimer: me no own, me make no money, so you no sue!!!
Well now they are back in the clearing where it all started. In case anyone was wondering, the spell that binds them is still in full effect, and it is only amplified by the mating mark, which normally only connects mates emotionally, some variations occur occasionally.....so in essence Sesshoumaru will experience the joys of pregnancy as if he were pregnant himself....I know I'm evil *evil laugh*. So when Kags was paying homage to the bushes, Sess was feeling it as well, he just has a higher tolerance for pain due to centuries of training. Thought I would clear up that fact....well without further adieu...on with the show!!!
##########################
Kagome took a minute to bask in the familiar scents and sounds around her. When she opened her eyes, she gasped at the amount of detail she was able to distinguish now that she couldn't before. She could see everything so clearly, colors were brighter and shapes were more defined, her hearing was extremely acute, as she could hear a hawks cry that was miles off, but sounded as if it were right next to her ear. Her sense of smell had also increased to a staggering degree; so many things assaulted her senses at once that she felt dizzy. She quickly covered her ears, closed her eyes and buried her face in her mates' furry tail that was slung over his shoulder.
He wanted to chuckle at her, he really did, but decided against it when he felt her discomfort through the mating bond. He grabbed her up bridal style and jumped onto a large branch in a nearby tree. He was eager to start on his way back home, but it seemed that idea was going to have to be put on hold for a moment. Kagome buried deeper into his tail once he had settled into a comfortable sitting position in the tree.
For several hours, they sat there silently. Kagome slowly adjusted to her newly strengthened senses. Her hearing was the first and easiest to become accustomed to because the only things to really hear near her were the sounds of nature, the very distant sound of her grandmothers village, and the strong, steady beat of her mates heart. Her sight was the next thing she worked on, taking little peeks out from Sesshoumaru's tail to become accustomed to her strengthened sight; her sense of smell she was beginning to think was a useless effort, it was going to take the longest to get used to it. She figured that the only way she was going to get used to it practically was to start traveling. Her sight was the only thing really keeping her from traveling; the other two were just uncomfortable things that would take time to become accustomed to.
"Sesshoumaru I think it is time to go. If we stay here any longer it will be nightfall, and we will have to stay here for the night." Kagome whispered gently to him. She would never tell him this to his face but she really liked his scent, she had liked it before, but now it was even more appealing, it was like a pine forest just after a thunderstorm. She nuzzled into his tail one last time before slipping from his grasp and landing on the ground with a light thud.
Sesshoumaru was a little disappointed that she had decided to end their quiet moment so soon; he enjoyed it immensely every time he was able to hold her. It was another habit that he was acquiring that he knew he would never tire of; he loved basking in her soft hibiscus plum scent, it was very calming to him and his beast. With a small sigh, he too slipped from the branch to land with a light thud on the ground beside his mate.
"Very well, let us be on our way. We do need to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall; my palace is about a two day walk from this place." He said walking off toward the west, with Kagome quickly falling into step behind him.
They traveled silently for several hours, basking in the familiar scenery. Dusk was beginning to fall by the time they had decided to stop. Kagome gathered enough firewood to last them through the night and Sesshoumaru brought back a rabbit after a short hunt. Kagome skinned and prepared the rabbit meat to cook by the fire. Remembering what Ericka had said she only cooked the meat for a short time, long enough for it to be warmed and only slightly cooked. She cringed a little as she took the first bite of the still, essentially, raw meat. She forced the first few bites down, sighing as her stomach calmed once again. For the majority of the day it had been calm, but during the last hour, whatever spell Ericka had placed on her had begun to wear off. Just feeling that relief made eating the meat this way worth it.
Sesshoumaru watched on in amusement as his mate forced herself to eat the rabbit. When they had returned it felt like floodgates had been opened within him as his original strength returned to him. The time that Kagome had taken to get used to her enhanced senses, he had taken to get used to having all of his power back. It had taken him only seconds to find and kill the rabbit his mate was currently nibbling on, but he had taken a little time to run and let out some of the immense energy he had recently reacquired.
It took Kagome a while to finish the rabbit; when she finally swallowed the last bite, she sighed in contentment, and then went to sit beside Sesshoumaru's. Their armor made it a little difficult to get comfortable, but soon enough Kagome was fast asleep. Sesshoumaru remained awake to keep watch, looking to the stars he let his mind wander to the problems that they were going to face when they made it to the west. None of the scenarios his mind was coming up with were going to be pleasant, he only hoped that whatever was going to happen would not affect Kagome's pregnancy. The night faded slowly into dawn; just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Kagome began to stir from her sleep.
"Ghyaaaa......good morning Sesshoumaru." Kagome yawned as she sat up and stretched. She got up and walked a little ways in to the woods to take care of her morning business. When she returned Sesshoumaru had gathered some berries for her to eat for breakfast. She sighed dramatically, "Sesshoumaru you spoil me!!" She tried to keep a serious face, but failed miserably: erupting into a fit of giggles when he raised his eyebrow at her.
"Hnn....at any rate Kagome please eat so we can be on our way. There is much ground to cover today." Said Sesshoumaru in a very businesslike tone, Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes at his seriousness, but did as she was told, quickly downing the berries and readying herself to leave.
They set out an hour later. It was once again an uneventful day. Around noon, they stopped to break for lunch, well for Kagome anyway. They had covered quite a bit of ground since they arrived back the day before, if all went well they would be back at the castle by the following evening, or the morning after at the latest.
After an hour-long break, they were once again on their way. A little while later they passed by the outskirts of a village. Looking down the hill into the village Kagome could see a commotion going on in the square. Since she was not on her lands, she had no jurisdiction, it pained her, but she looked away, but not before she saw a small child running away from the group and into the forest. Her curiosity ignited when a small group of men quickly pursued the child. From the direction the child had taken, they would run into the group at dusk if the child was not caught before then.
As the sun was setting, the village was left far behind them. However, Kagome couldn't shake the feeling that the quiet calm of the night was not quite ready to take hold yet. It was almost like there was a nervous tension in the air that threatened to break loose at any moment. Suddenly she heard a faint scream, like that of a child, followed by that of a group of tortured dying screams sounding closer to adults.
She rushed off in the direction of the screams, hearing Sesshoumaru mutter a mild curse before quickly following her. They both flew through the trees, Kagome blended into the night as a black blur, and Sesshoumaru stood out like a starkly against the growing darkness as a silver blur. It took them a few moments to reach the clearing the screams had come from, and a gruesome sight greeted them.
Blood covered the clearing, along with various body parts. Kagome recognized some of the scraps of clothing as some of the same from the men that had been chasing the child. A sense of urgency overtook Kagome, like she had never felt before. She quickly searched the clearing for any signs of life, however, nothing but death remained. Her newly strengthened sense of smell told her that the culprit for this crime was not far from them. She took off again even more quickly this time leaving Sesshoumaru behind as she chased the scent down.
It took her a few minutes to find them, but when she finally found them, she almost lost herself to her anger, but quickly stamped it down. There was a giant oni standing over the child she had seen fleeing the village, the child was crouching in front of a large tree, and in the oni's enormous, gnarled hand he held the head of one of the men that had followed the child. The child crouched there shivering in fear; Kagome couldn't tell if they were a boy or girl because the oni was in the way. A protective instinct welled up in Kagome and in a flash, she unsheathed her sword and attacked the oni, slicing off the arm that was fixing to descend upon the child in one clean cut. The oni howled in pain, rounding on her in an instant, it threw the severed head at her like a cannon ball. Kagome quickly dodged the head, ignoring the sickening splat it made when it hit a tree and slid to the ground as a mangled mess, and headed straight at the oni. She jumped at the last second to avoid the downward slash of his bloody claws from his remaining arm, sliced his head cleanly from his body, and kicked off on his shoulder so that his corpse wouldn't land on the petrified child. She landed with a solid thud on the ground, slashing her sword through the air to clean the blood from it before sheathing it once again.
She quickly headed over to the dirt and blood covered child. It was a little girl, she couldn't have been more than four, she crouched there, face buried in her knees, silently crying. Kagome's heart went out to the child; she reached out and rubbed the child's back gently. It took a few minutes for the child to respond to her gentle touch. However, instead of jumping into her arms and crying as she thought she was going to do, the child's eyes widened in fear and she backed further toward the tree. She followed her line of sight and saw what was scaring her so. Sesshoumaru stood there looking as imposing as ever, but his eyes had a pink tint to them, showing that he was angry.
"Sesshoumaru calm down your scaring this poor child more than that oni did..." Kagome commanded in a calm but firm voice, looking him straight in the eye.
"Woman you will never again rush away from me like you did just now, what if what was here was beyond your capabilities to deal with, I never would have made it in time to save you, you reckless woma....." His rant was cut off by Kagome pressing her lips to his. He crushed her to his body wanting to deepen the kiss but Kagome wiggled free from his grasp somehow, and was back by the frightened child's side.
"There there little one, see he was only angry because he couldn't find me. He was worried for me, and got angry because of that. No need to fear him, he will not hurt you I promise, he is all bark and no bite...." She quickly left the child's side and went over to Sesshoumaru and reached up to scratch behind his ear, causing him to growl so gently it was like a purr. He shot her a dirty look when she let go and the pleasant effects wore off, and she shot one right back telling him not to argue with her.
When Kagome came back to the child's side she immediately lunged into Kagome's arms, being mindful of her armor, and started crying her heart out. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he watched Kagome cradle the child to her and gently sooth her. Before too long the child cried herself into a fitful sleep, Kagome picked her up and carried her over to Sesshoumaru. She looked at him, then looked in the direction she would be going, silently telling him to follow her. He got her silent message, knowing it would be the best choice to get as far from the area as possible, because the scavenger demons would be upon them soon enough.
Kagome and Sesshoumaru disappeared from the clearing, once again noting but blurs in the forest. They only stopped when the clearings and the village were miles behind them. The little girl had stayed asleep the whole journey, Sesshoumaru had helped Kagome shift the girl to her back so Kagome's hair would shield her from the wind and keep her warm.
The clearing they had stopped in was close to a hot spring conveniently. The child's cloths had dried blood on them, and they hadn't even had time to check her for injuries. Kagome worried for the child's health. It was well into the night now and a chill had set into the air.
"Sesshoumaru, can you set up camp while I clean her up?" He nodded and she rushed over to the hot spring. She quickly stripped herself and the little girl and slipped into the hot spring. The little girl woke up upon entering the hot swirling water, and started to panic, crying out and flailing. Kagome patiently held tightly to the girl, whispering soothing words to her. Eventually the child calmed enough that Kagome could start washing her.
"Stay calm little one I mean you no harm, I am only trying to help. Once we get you all clean well see if you have any injuries and take care of them. Do you have a family?" Kagome asked already knowing the answer, but felt her heart break a little when the little girl shook her head 'no.'
"Did you live in that village?" she gently inquired, she would keep questioning the girl, mostly to be able to talk to her normally, rather than spout meaningless gibberish. It showed she cared, or at least she hoped it did, and the added fact was that she would learn a little about the girl. The little girl shook her head 'no' once again.
"So you were just passing through?" she asked again in the same gentle voice, gently scrubbing the grim from the little girl's body. This time she nodded her head 'yes.' Leading Kagome to wonder what would such a small child be doing wondering the countryside alone?
"Were you traveling by yourself?" she shook her head 'no.'
"Were the men that demon killed the men you traveled with?" She nodded 'yes.'
"Were you trying to run away from the men?" she was shocked when the girl turned to look at her with frightened eyes. "Don't fret little one I'll not be taking you back to them." She said confidently while hugging her tightly to her bosom, she was shocked again when the girl shyly wrapped her arms around her abdomen and clutch tightly. "There now how about we get that grime out of that pretty hair of yours?" this time the girl nodded 'yes' with a little more enthusiasm that before. She slipped from Kagome's grasp and dove under the water, coming back up and sitting obediently in Kagome's lap. Kagome laid her back until most of her hair rested in the water and scrubbed it until she was satisfied if was as clean as she could get it, the girl slipped from her grasp again to rinse her hair out well. It had been knotted and covered in grime for so long she had almost forgotten what it was like to have it clean. She came back up and once again came to sit in Kagome's lap. They both at there relaxing for a while, letting the soothing waters work their magic on their tired muscles. The little girl jumped when she heard a twig snap. Then they heard the slightly annoyed baritone voice of Sesshoumaru.
"You will both turn into prunes if you stay in there much longer, and dinner will be ready soon, so I suggest you finish whatever you are doing and get out." Said Sesshoumaru in his usual indifferent tone.
"Umm Sesshoumaru we didn't bring any towels or anything with us did we." Kagome said a little embarrassed to only having remember now.
"No we have nothing like that with us." Sesshoumaru said.
They all jumped when an angelic laugh filled the clearing and a little flash had a large sack appearing close to the spring. Sesshoumaru growled at the voice, but didn't reveal himself because he didn't want to frighten the girl more than he already had.
He heard the girls exit the hot spring and go over to where the bag appeared. He heard rummaging and the delighted squeal of Kagome.
"Sesshoumaru this bag has real bathing supplies, items to tend injuries with, and grooming items, with a couple of hairpins. It seems like Ericka thought of just about everything, but a set of cloths for the girl. Oh well I'll lend her one of my shirts....Oh it looks like she cleaned my cloths again...how nice of her." Kagome said, Sesshoumaru just grumbled and walked the short distance back to camp. He had heard the girl scream early on in the bath, but he left it to his mate to sooth the child, something she seemed to have done very well. He could almost bet in the near future his mate would be asking to keep the child, and after hearing the way they interacted, he didn't think he had the heart to tell her 'no.'
A short while later Kagome and the child returned from the spring, Kagome carrying her armor and the sack with the little girl hiding behind her legs. Both of their hair was still damp, but it seemed that the bath had lifted the child's spirits slightly. Kagome coaxed the child from behind her legs to sit on her lap in front of the fire so she could comb her hair.
Sesshoumaru observed the child that was now free of the blood and grime that had literally been caked onto her. Kagome had given her one of her shirts to wear, it hung to her ankles, and Kagome had had to roll up the sleeves more than half way to make it so that they wouldn't drag the ground. The tiny child looked even smaller enveloped in the black garment. Her face had a skinny, hollow, and pale, look to it that showed she had been malnourished, and he made a mental note to start making her eat large regular meals to get her back to good health. Her large doe eyes were dull and lifeless, but looked like they would be an appealing shade of brown; with green highlights speckled through them should the life come back into them. She had a small button nose, and pouty lips. Her hair was black with the water still in it, but he could tell from the drying bits that it was a rich dark brown; it too would regain its luster when her health returned. He was brought out of his musings by his mate's grumblings.
"So many knots little one, I'm afraid I will have to cute some of them out." Kagome sighed looking forlornly at the long hair the child had, and all the rats nests it had throughout it.
"Let me handle that mate I'll take care of her hair without damaging it." Sesshoumaru said getting up slowly and walking over to sit beside Kagome.
"I don't know Sesshoumaru; she has been so scared of you?" Kagome said as the child clutched tightly to her when Sesshoumaru had come to sit beside them. "What do you say little one, I know he is very good at taking care of knots like these, he's helped me several times to get them out of my hair. I promise I will sit beside you the whole time, I will even hold your hand if it will make you feel better. Please trust him; I know he will not hurt you." Kagome whispered into her hair as she hugged the child to her, she felt the child nod 'yes' into her bosom and smiled. She lifted her over into Sesshoumaru's lap, but kept a hold of one of her hands, understanding the child's pleading eyes that were practically begging her, 'Please don't let go...'
Feeling the light weight in his lap he looked surprised to his mate. She held the child's hand and gave him an encouraging look. He had intended to help the child while she was still in his mates lap, but it appeared that his mate had other ideas. He sighed and began to slowly work his fingers through the tangled mass on the girls head. She stiffened at the initial contact, but eventually loosened up when it became apparent that he only wanted to help, he also helped to put her at ease by growling gently, and letting the vibrations rumble through his chest. It took him quite some time before her hair looked even slightly normal. True to his word, he never cut any pieces from her hair, but it appeared that her hair hadn't been properly combed for months, so they were challenging to unravel. Eventually though, he did manage to get the mass untangled and was able to run his fingers through it easily.
Kagome watched on in awe as Sesshoumaru growled to calm the child, and then gently unraveled her hair with skilled fingers. The child's initial fright slowly ebbed away, as she relaxed into his chest, he had had the forethought to remove his armor and swords earlier, and let him fix her hair. By the time he was done, it was apparent that she needed a trim, or her hair would be dragging the ground.
"Well done little one, see I told you he wasn't so bad." Kagome said, and the child gave a little smile and nod. "Now that your hair is untangled, how about a brushing and a trim, your hair will drag the ground if we don't trim it a little." The little girl nodded once again, still with the little smile, she appeared to be humoring them; she was just soaking up their kindness, something she obviously had not received enough of in her young life. Sesshoumaru lifted her back into Kagome's lap and let her brush through her hair with the supplies that Ericka had provided them. He rose and went to finish their dinner, and gather some herbs for the child that would make her better able to absorb nutrients. Her health was frail at the moment, and he feared her becoming ill.
By the time he returned, she had her hair brushed and cut to just above her bottom, it was now dry and as shiny as it could be in its condition. She didn't look so ragged now, she would look almost normal if it weren't for the paleness of her skin, and lifelessness of her eyes, and how thin she looked. Kagome had also bandaged several of the smaller injuries that she had gathered in her escape, mostly on her bare feet.
Sesshoumaru had gone over to the meat he had set there to roast, he looked in the bag and found a small pot used to clean the bandages earlier, and now set it by the fire half filled with water and the herbs to boil. He then took the meat away from the fire and took it over to the girls. Kagome was cradling the child watching him with an interest. He once again sat beside his mate, and taking the child from Kagome, began cutting the fully cooked pieces of meat from the roast with his claws and slowly fed the child. She was obviously too weak to feed herself, and offered no resistance to his actions. Kagome looked on and smiled warmly at the gentleness that her mate was showing the child, cradling her small form so gently in his arms and taking care to only give her small pieces that she would have no trouble chewing on her own. When he felt that she had eaten a sufficient amount, he handed the raw inner roast to Kagome and asked her to get the pot of boiled herbs. When she brought it to him, he filled it the rest of the way with cool water, not only cooling it to drinking temperature, but also doubling the amount available.
"Kagome I want you to drink the other half of this once I have fed the girl and you have finished eating. It is a tea of sorts, which helps in the absorption of nutrients. It will aid you as well as the girl." He said as he gently lifted, the now cool, pot to the girls' lips and made her drink the slightly bitter concoction; she once again offered no resistance. He had added some peppermint he had found to try to dull the taste of the tea, but nothing could fully erase the bitterness he knew to be there. The girl dutifully drank her half of the pot, and he sat it in between himself and Kagome, as he sat her up on his thigh and rested her head on his shoulder. Kagome finished her meat and the so called 'tea,' then scooted closer and rested her head on Sesshoumaru's other shoulder. A little while later a small burp came from the girl, she blushed a little and bowed her head, but Sesshoumaru and Kagome only smiled. Sesshoumaru unraveled his tail and laid it out like a bed, and no sooner had they laid her down then she had fallen fast asleep finally giving into her exhaustion.
"Sesshoumaru, you said earlier that you never would have made it in time to save me, what did you mean by that?" Kagome said as she stroked the little girl's hair. She chose to sit beside her for a while in case she had any nightmares.
"When you ran off mate, your scent trail was extremely faint. I had trouble following it until I got close to the clearing. The only thing I can assume is that you were moving so fast you barely made contact with the ground, thereby hardly leaving a trail to follow......you will make a wonderful mother Kagome, your maternal instincts are very strong." He said with a small smirk, he rose and went behind Kagome hugging her to his chest and resting a hand on her lower stomach. "Please mate do not run off like that again......I worry for your safety, and that of our pup's, I was...afraid... when I had trouble finding you...."he admitted quietly, resting his forehead on her shoulder.
"I am sorry Sesshoumaru, I don't know what came over me, but I became so angry when I caught the scent of the oni that had killed all of those defenseless men, I hadn't even realized I had left you behind until you showed up in the clearing...." She whispered; she put a hand over the one he had rested on her womb, and nuzzling his head. "I will try not to do it again, that is the most I can do for you Sesshoumaru....it isn't in my nature to stand back and let others do the fighting for me, forgive me for this, but next time I will make sure to leave you better trail to follow." she said with a small chuckle.
"I don't suppose I have a choice do I?" Sesshoumaru sighed when she shook her head 'no.' "And what of the child?"
"I was hoping we could keep her, I don't think I could bear to let her go. We are the only one's she trusts, I don't want to take that away from her, she is such a cute little thing....can we keep her Sesshoumaru?" Kagome whispered pleadingly as she lovingly stroked the girl's hair.
"I thought you would ask that......I have no problem with her, if it is what you wish, but I believe she should have a say in this as well, it is her future after all..." he whispered into her shoulder.
"Very well, we'll ask her in the morning.....it appears our little family is growing by leaps and bounds isn't it?" she said
"She hasn't said 'yes' yet mate....." Sesshoumaru gently reminded her.
"Do you have any doubts about her answer?" Kagome smirked
"I'll wait to hear her answer in the morning, we should get some sleep too mate....we have a long day of traveling tomorrow...." Sesshoumaru said taking Kagome with him as he lay down with Kagome beside the child.
"Sesshoumaru one of us will have to carry her....she'll not be able to walk on her feet for a few days because of her injuries; most of them were located on her feet it will take time to heal...maybe we should acquire a horse in the next town for her to ride on, and she'll need some clothes too..." Kagome said with a yawn, letting sleep slowly claim her too.
"We should pass by a village tomorrow, we will look into it in the morning...."Sesshoumaru whispered to his mate as she slipped into a light sleep on his shoulder. Her hand was in the little girls, and the little girl curled around it, gripping it firmly in her sleep. Looking at the child now, Sesshoumaru didn't regret his decision to give into his mate, the peaceful look she had in her sleep told him he had made the right decision, the only problem was now he had two people to protect when they finally reached the western palace, his formerly human mate, and now his adopted pup. His beast growled, pleased at calling the child his pup, surprising Sesshoumaru, somewhere in the short time he had known the child his beast had grown fond of her and apparently laid a claim on her, he himself had treated the child with more attention and care that he had realized. Regardless of the child's decision in the morning, he had decided that she was his to protect and care for, like the pup his mate was carrying. With those thoughts he too drifted off into a light slumber.
#################
Well that's it for another chapter...what did ya'll think?? Sessh has the makings of a great dad huh, and what will the child's decision be?? Well you all know the drill....review please!!!
- 13
- 14
- 15
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Learning to Love