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Learning to Love	By : Ikaru Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 22062 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
Disclaimer: Me no own Inuyasha, me make no money either…T.T

Well here we are another chapter, and as you might have guessed our dear Sesshoumaru finally wakes up from his forced slumber and needless to say he is not going to be happy…

So without further adieu… on with the show!!
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A few hours past sundown Kagome finally began to stir. She was sore all over and felt quite thoroughly mangled. She felt the stiff bandages binding her from head to toe. The potent smell of strong ointments caused her stomach to roll. She rolled over and began dry heaving. Suddenly there was a bucket beneath her and a comforting hand rubbing circles on her back.

“There, there milady the feeling will pass soon.” The softly spoken words of the healer Hanaka broke through the ringing in Kagome’s head. “I’d say your body is telling you how hungry you are princess; it would not due for you to deny it much longer. Here have some blood it will do wonders for your condition.” Hanaka smiled as she carefully handed the goblet she had enchanted to Kagome. Kagome took a delicate sniff before slowly sipping the crimson liquid.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as the flavor of apple juice filled her mouth instead of the coppery taste of blood. Her stomach calmed considerably as the blood worked its way through her system. A tray was placed beside her and Hanaka helped her to slowly sip the vegetable broth and healing teas.

“There now you should be fine till morning. Rest easy tonight princess, none shall bother you while I’m here. Tomorrow you and Lady Ikaru should be well enough to be moved to your rooms. By the end of the week you should both be fully healed.” Hanaka said confidently.

“Thank you Hanaka for your kindness…” Kagome said as she slipped back into a healing sleep.

“Think nothing of it milady.” Hanaka said with a smile as she gently ran her fingers through the thick black locks atop Kagome’s head affectionately.

Several hours later Ikaru showed signs of stirring. She sat up slowly wincing as the stitches in her side stretched as she attempted to sit up on her own. Hanaka was by her side in an instant helping to steady Ikaru as she swung her legs over the side of the cot and leaned gingerly against the wall behind her.

“How is she Hanaka?” Were the first words she said, her voice was scratchy and she had to cough a few times to clear it, wincing each time as her stitches protested the move.

“Oh she will be fine your highness, as will the little one she carries, but you saw to that yourself didn’t you?” Hanaka said eyeing Ikaru with a smile lighting her eyes.

“I am quite certain I know nothing of what you are trying to imply Hanaka.” Ikaru said eyeing her wearily.

“No matter milady, in any event she seemed to fair better than you. It took me a far sight longer to stitch you up than it did her. Tell me you didn’t go easy on her…” Hanaka said seriously, jumping when Ikaru chuckled darkly.

“I assure you Hanaka, I fought her to the best of my ability. It would appear she has rightly earned the fear of our subjects. Her skills are on par with mine to be sure. I doubt she will find any, other than those of this household, able to truly compete with her.” Ikaru said holding her sore side as she eyed Kagome’s sleeping form.

“She certainly is a unique one; I believe the prince made an excellent choice in her, and the little one is an absolute darling.” Hanaka said grinning at Ikaru, who just smirked and ‘hnned.’

“Hanaka I have come to a decision about her. Other than her worthiness to be my brothers’ mate, I believe she has also earned the right to be my blood sister.” Ikaru’s smirk widened when Hanaka gasped in surprise.

“Milady that is a great honor to bestow upon her, but how will you accomplish it. I am certain the prince will awaken soon. I have heard it takes some time for the bond to be completed.” Hanaka said her voice taking on a touch of concern.

“You are right Hanaka the bond does take time to take full effect, but there are ways to speed it up. However, I need her to be awake for it. Knowing her as I do it will take some convincing to talk her into it.” Ikaru laughed wincing again.

“Well it shouldn’t be too hard to awaken her milady, but I must ask if you are certain?” Hanaka said knowing what it would put both women through.

“You should know better than that Hanaka, I would not offer it if I did not truly wish to give it to her. As for the timing, if not now Hanaka I may never get the chance when Sesshoumaru is awake. I wish to at least offer it to her if nothing else.” Ikaru said watching as Hanaka nodded and gently shook Kagome awake. Kagome shifted and yawned trying to stretch but wincing when her injuries reminded her of their presence. Hanaka helped her into a sitting position very similar to that of Ikaru.

“Good morning Ikaru, how are you feeling?” Kagome asked a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Far better than you look I am quite certain Kagome.” Ikaru chuckled wincing again.

“So what now, I assume you need something if you needed me awake.” Kagome said with a yawn after she finished chuckling at Ikaru’s cheeky comment.

“Very astute of you to notice.” Ikaru said dryly before continuing. “You did exceptionally well in the fight and have more than proven your worthiness to be my brothers mate. You also showed all those present you are on equal footing with me in terms of strength. I am truly surprised you managed to get a draw out of a battle with me.” Ikaru said smiling at Kagome.

“Wait the battle ended in a draw?” Kagome said looking confused.

“Yes milady, according to Lord Inutaishio the battle was spectacular and did indeed end in a draw.” Hanaka confirmed.

“You did very well Kagome; no one will dare question you now. I have a gift I would like to give you for honoring me by showing me your true strength.” Ikaru said smirking at the stubbornness she saw rising in Kagome.

“You know I want nothing from you Ikaru, you have done more than enough for myself and Rin for a lifetime.” Kagome said trying to deter Ikaru from offering her gift. She already felt far too indebted to her as it was.

“But Kagome you have not even asked me what my gift was and you try to reject it, you wound me.” Ikaru said feigning a hurt look. A quick peek beneath her lashes and she knew she had made Kagome feel sufficiently guilty to at least hear her out.

“What is it you wish to offer me Ikaru?” Kagome said with a sigh knowing when she had been beaten.

“I wish to offer you a place in my pack. I rule over the East and it would bring me great pleasure if you would become my blood sister.” Ikaru said with an air of complete seriousness surrounding her.

“Blood….blood sister? What is that?” Kagome said stepping into the question carefully.

“It is difficult to explain to one from your background…Essentially we exchange blood binding ourselves together. It is not like a mating bond, we are literally trading blood to bind us as sisters. The most important aspect is, however, that you and any pups you and my brother have will be immune to my poison.” Ikaru said maintaining her serious expression. “This is a great honor I offer you Kagome, make no mistake about that. Know also this is not something I offer lightly. I have thought this through since we decided to have the battle. I decided to make my ultimate decision depending on the outcome of our battle. When I saw how you gave it everything you had I knew I had made the right decision to offer this to you.”

“Ikaru I don’t know what to say…you are right this is a great honor you have offered to me, but how can I accept something that should rightfully go to a member of your own pack.” Kagome said looking quite confused.

“None in my pack have shown me what you have shown me on the battle field, I am the alpha and it is my decision. You have proven your worth to me, and I would be honored to claim you as my blood sister as well as my sister-in-law.” Ikaru said bowing her head to Kagome in respect.

“What does being your blood sister entail?” Kagome wisely asked, she wasn’t going to jump into this thing without knowing all she could beforehand.

“Essentially you accompany me on some of the trips I make to the East and help me take care of business there. You should rarely be needed though other than a few trips a year to make your presence known. I have things set up so well over there my own presence is rarely needed in person. Other than that you will simply be like me, a princess of the West.” Ikaru shrugged wincing as her shoulder injury made itself known again.

“That sounds quite vague Ikaru.” Kagome said frowning.

“I don’t know what to tell you Kagome, I have never had a blood sister before.” Ikaru said honestly.

“What does the actual process of becoming your blood sister entail?” Kagome said not minding how honest Ikaru was being. She thought being her blood sister might not be such a bad thing, maybe she might be able to pay back some of what she felt she owed Ikaru if she did it.

“The process is quite simple; we both slit our palms hold the bleeding cuts together and say a chant. The chant causes the blood to be exchanged, and we both will become ill for a few hours as our bodies adjust. With any luck we will both be asleep through most of it and will only have some residual effects to deal with when we wake up.” Ikaru said with a shrug wincing as she gingerly put her shoulders back down. She thought it was funny thing how you only realize certain quirks you have when you are injured.

“Will it hurt?” Kagome said, she was still quite sore from the battle and really didn’t want to add to her pain.

“There will be some initial pain with the transfer. It should change to just being very uncomfortable after a short time. We should not feel much worse than we do at the moment.” Ikaru said watching as Kagome came to her decision.

“Very well Ikaru, I will gladly accept your offer to become your blood sister.” Kagome said with a small smile.

“Hanaka would you please get the sharpest blade you own?” Ikaru asked as she got up slowly and moved over to sit beside Kagome. A few seconds later Hanaka returned with a straight double sided blade that held a wickedly sharp edge and quickly handed it to Ikaru.

“The sharper the blade the lesser the pain it initially inflicts.” Ikaru said sagely. “Now give me your hand Kagome.” When Kagome obliged her, Ikaru held their palms together with the blade between them and leaned over to whisper something into Kagome’s ear. When she leaned back Kagome nodded and Ikaru swiftly pulled the blade up slicing both of their palms just deep enough for blood to begin to flow. Clasping their hands together, they quickly said in unison:

“Blood of thee,
Bound to me by chains of mortality,
Leave thy owner with this task,
Bind our bodies with an immortal link,
Forever the bond of blood be!”

When the chant was finished a bright glow erupted between their palms, a few seconds later both women were gasping as pain shot up their arms a through their bodies. However as quickly as the pain came it ended leaving an uncomfortable stuffy feeling surrounding them.

“I’ll confess Kagome, I cheated slightly. The chant is a way to speed up the process…normally it takes days and several transfusions for it to take effect. Unfortunately time was not on our side for that with Sesshoumaru so close to waking. In a few hours it will be well on its way to binding us as sisters, try to rest now, we will need all the strength we can recover when he wakes up.” Ikaru said smiling tiredly at Kagome while they held their hands out for Hanaka to bind.

“I must say I much prefer the quick and dirty method of this, just thinking about going through this multiple times makes my stomach hurt.” Kagome chuckled lightly as she laid back down watching Ikaru move back to her own cot and stretch out quickly relaxing and falling back asleep. Kagome followed her shortly after.

Hanaka watched over them in amazement, noticing the fitful sleep both encountered as their bodies adjusted to the new blood flowing through them. As she looked at Kagome she gasped as the faint outline of the golden crescent of the East began to appear on Kagome’s brow exactly like Lady Ikaru’s.

‘Clever girl,’ Hanaka though as she resumed her seat keeping watch over the girls. It took about two hours before the fitful sleeping they both were experiencing finally subsided and their sleep turned into the peaceful recuperating kind. The sun rose in what seemed like the blink of an eye, though actually hours had passed. Hanaka could hear the castle begin to come alive again as many of the occupants of the castle rose to start their daily routines and the guests prepared to leave. Both women were beginning to stir again as well. Hanaka smiled at both of them and quickly changed their bandages and salves by herself before having a few nurses escort them to their rooms. Ikaru said a quiet thanks to her as she always did and Kagome thanked her similarly waving as they left the medical wing.

“Um…Ikaru where will I be staying today…I technically do not have a room of my own yet.” Kagome said biting her lower lip nervously.

“I have the distinct impression that will not be a problem for long today Kagome, but I am sure the futon is still set up in my chambers if you wish to rest there for the time being.” Ikaru offered smiling as they made it into the huge entry chamber. They had barely set foot in the chamber when an earsplitting roar echoed through the palace.

“You nurses better step aside to the far end of the chamber, one of you run and have Rin and Inuyasha properly sheltered so they will not have any chance of seeing this, and Kagome you might wish to put some distance between us…by the way your chamber issues have just been solved.” Ikaru chuckled humorlessly as Kagome took a few steps back. The next instant a white blur sped past her and Ikaru was gone!

A loud thud behind her had Kagome turning around. She saw her mate snarling viciously, slamming Ikaru into the wall and lifting her off her feet by her neck. She was gipping his arm tightly struggling to breathe. Kagome felt the painful pricks in her arm where Ikaru was sinking her claws into Sesshoumaru’s arm trying to force him to release her. When Ikaru glanced over to her and noticed Kagome favoring the same arm she was damaging on Sesshoumaru she immediately removed her claws from his arm and went limp.

“Stop Sesshoumaru, let her go!” Kagome yelled to the back of her mate. She gasped when he turned to look at her and his eyes were completely red and filled with rage. Somehow, however, his beast hadn’t taken over because he was still able to speak, even though it carried a wild untamed timber to it.

“No…she hurt my mate she will pay for that.” He growled out, an animalistic edge creeping further into his voice.

“She did it all to protect me Sesshoumaru, for Kami sake she is your sister! Let her go so she can explain please!” Kagome begged, watching as he narrowed his eyes at her then dragged the nearly unconscious and freshly bleeding Ikaru to a nearby room that was empty, Kagome rushed after him ignoring her injuries and making it into the room just before he slammed the door and erected a barrier. He threw Ikaru to the floor taking delight in her grunt of pain. Rage still fueled his actions as he made another attempt to harm her, but he stopped the moment Kagome threw herself over Ikaru’s prone body.

“Sesshoumaru you have to stop! You’re far to angry right now; you’re going to regret your actions later. Stop before you do something that can’t be undone!” Kagome yelled at him while protecting Ikaru. She winced when she noticed she had broken some of her stitches.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her confused. Why was she so willing to protect the person that had harmed her? He then noticed the extensive injuries on Ikaru, some of which had reopened and were starting to bleed again. It was then she coughed and started to sit up glaring at him.

“Kagome move…now…” Ikaru rasped rubbing her sore throat. Sesshoumaru rushed her again when Kagome was out of the way, but this time he didn’t grab her throat. He had grabbed the front of her thin medical yukata and lifted her before slamming her into the wall again. She grunted again as fresh blood flowed from her old injuries.

“Why?” Was all he could manage to growl out, his eyes were still a bright burning red.

“Because there was no other way…you knew she had to fight…there was nothing you could have done to prevent it.” Ikaru gasped.

“NO! I could have stopped it…could have protected her!” He growled viciously pushing his knuckle into her shoulder wound. She didn’t even flinch.

“You know better than that Sesshoumaru…all you would have done was piss the elders off and put yourself and her in even more danger…I couldn’t take that risk…She has been in my chambers… for the past three days and there have been no fewer than… a dozen assassination attempts on her during that time…” Ikaru rasped grimly, taking note of the blanching of Kagome’s face and the darkening of the red in Sesshoumaru’s eyes.

“It was not your responsibility! I would have found a way!” Ikaru suddenly lashed out and slapped him leaving four shallow scratch marks on his cheek. He whipped his head back and growled viciously at her.

“Grow up you idiot! You know our ways and you brought her and the child in blindly! She was about to lose your pup from starvation when she got here and you hadn’t even noticed! She was only lucky no one other than me noticed she was pregnant! It took her almost three days to get back to full strength with a constant supply of blood being forced into her! What the hell were you thinking?!” Ikaru yelled adrenalin fueling her own anger and giving her some strength.

“You forced her to fight! You risked my mate’s life as well as my pups! What excuse do you have for that?!” He snarled at her ignoring her rant for the moment.

“I didn’t force her to do anything! She chose this and you’re lucky it was me fighting her and not Kurumi!” She snarled back, looking rather smug when his face blanched slightly at the sound of the demoness’s name notorious for her questionable victories.

Kagome had been standing silently by the sidelines watching the bloody scene before her. She was becoming worried over the amount of blood Ikaru continued to lose. She decided it was time to end this; her mate had done more than enough damage for one day.

“Sesshoumaru enough!” Kagome said her own voice taking on a hard edge. This caused Sesshoumaru to stop his next line of questioning and look at her strangely.

“Now listen to me Sesshoumaru, Ikaru has been nothing but kind to me since I have arrived here. Any decisions I have made, she made certain I was fully informed of the process and reasoning behind it. She has taken extreme care to make sure Rin and I were well fed and I had sufficient blood to get back my health. She made sure we were safe, and ensured I had the best chance to stay together with you. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty for you and you’re hurting her!” Kagome’s steely words hit home in Sesshoumaru. The red finally bled from his eyes and he took a good long look at his sister.

Her once white yukata was now crimson colored. Her face was blanched and her breathing labored. She still looked at him with hard eyes daring him to try and not believe his mates words.

“What have I done?” He looked horrified at his blood covered hands after he had gently set his sister on the ground. Her hand covered his shaking blood covered ones.

“You were being an overprotective idiot like usual. I expected it aniki, I knew she was special to you the moment I saw you with her. It made it that much harder to knock you out and do all of this. I did what I felt I had to do to make sure you remained happy. I missed your smile. Kagome brought it back.” She whispered smiling as she put her bloody hand on his cheek before it slid down as her head bobbed down onto her chest as she lost consciousness.

“We need to get her back to Hanaka immediately Sesshoumaru!” Kagome said as Sesshoumaru scooped up his sister without a word and rushed back to Hanaka with Kagome trailing behind to prevent further injury herself.

When she finally reached the infirmary Sesshoumaru was sitting on a bench beside the area where she and Ikaru had spent the night in the infirmary. Kagome could hear Hanaka barking out orders and watched as Sesshoumaru winced at each rise of Hanaka’s voice. Taking advantage of her mates distracted mind, Kagome waved down a nurse and told her of her broken stitches. She was quickly ushered into a separate area and tended to. Luckily none of the stitches resulted in any bleeding on her part or Sesshoumaru may not have been able to be stopped. It only took a few minutes for her broken stitches to be replaced, when she had finished tying her fresh yukata back into place she stepped out and took a seat by Sesshoumaru. She reached over and took one of his hands in her own not failing to notice they were still covered in Ikaru’s drying blood.

“She’s going to be fine Sesshoumaru, I am fairly certain she knew exactly what was coming and had Hanaka prepared for it.” Kagome said quietly. Sesshoumaru’s hand gripped hers a little tighter. When she looked over she saw his pain filled eyes looking toward the screen between them and his sister.

“I could not stop myself, I smelled your blood, and felt your injuries. Even in my forced sleep I knew every time you were in pain. When the potion finally wore off I was so enraged all I could see was red. If you had not spoken so harshly to me and took the edge off my rage with confusion…I am not certain I would have stopped.” Sesshoumaru said in a defeated voice a while later as things seemed to be quieting down behind the screen.

“You would have, I am sure of it.” Kagome said patting his hand comfortingly. “By the way where is your father I thought for certain he would have come running the moment he knew you were awake?”

“That would be because Lady Ikaru secretly sent a message to his lordship before you both left me this morning.” Hanaka said emerging from behind the screen wiping her bloody hands on a rag.

“What do you mean Hanaka?” Kagome said looking highly confused.

“It is just as I have said milady. A few moments before you both left she handed me a note for me to have delivered to Lord Inutaishio. She said it contained information on what to do when his highness woke up. I can only guess that she told him not to interfere.” Hanaka said shrugging her shoulders.

“How is she Hanaka?” Kagome said.

“She will be fine no thanks to the prince here. She lost a great deal of blood from her deepest injuries reopening, and she also has several new injuries.” Hanaka said giving Sesshoumaru a withering stare; he had the good sense to look down guiltily. “Her recovery has probably been set back several days due to this. However, at the moment she is resting comfortably. You may go back and see her milady if you wish.” Hanaka said motioning toward the screened off area.

Kagome nodded, patting Sesshoumaru’s hand encouragingly one last time before disappearing behind the screen to look in on Ikaru. She had a feeling that Hanaka wanted a private moment with her mate. When Kagome was out of sight Hanaka turned to Sesshoumaru with disappointment clear in her eyes.

“You could well have killed her you realize?” Hanaka said quietly. All he could do was ‘hnn’ back. She would have yelled at him if it hadn’t been for the look of sorrow he openly showed to her.

“She will recover prince, and it is true she knew this was coming, three days past she told me to be ready for your awakening. It is a fortunate thing that she is immune to your poison or she might have been in some real trouble with that neck wound you gave her. Do not fear for her, she is a strong one.” Hanaka said patting his shoulder reassuringly. One of the few allowed to take such liberties with his person. He put his hand on hers giving it a slight squeeze of thanks. He rose and turned toward the exit of the infirmary. Hanaka watched as Sesshoumaru, covered in the blood of his sister, slowly walked out of the infirmary seemingly carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

A few minutes after he left, Kagome came back from visiting Ikaru. As she looked around for her mate she came upon Hanaka finishing cleaning the last of the blood from her person.

“He already left milady, probably to change his clothes. You are welcome to wait here for him if you like. It is about time to change your bandages again, perhaps by the time we are done he will have come back to fetch you.” Hanaka said smiling toward her.

“Are you certain him being alone at the moment is the best thing for him Hanaka? I am worried about him; he is in a great deal of pain over what he has done to Ikaru.” Kagome said looking uncertainly at Hanaka’s back as she gathered the necessary items to change all of Kagome’s bandages.

“As he should be, he acted far too rashly and the princess was the one to suffer for it. However, milady, at the moment he needs a short time to process all that he has done. A few minutes alone will do wonders for him I guarantee it. You’ll see when the princess is up on her feet again she’ll get back at him in her own way. It’s not the first nor will it be the last time those two bloody each other up.” Hanaka said brushing it off to try and ease Kagome’s fears.

Inside, however, she knew that never in all her years of tending to the two of them had it ever gone this far. She knew the prince was the type to carry around his guilt over his deeds, and he would likely be sulking over this incident for quite some time if someone didn’t knock him out of it. However, as she was still perturbed at him for messing up her splendid treatment of Lady Ikaru’s previous injuries, plus adding more, she would punish him a little by distracting his mate for a short time to teach the pup a lesson. She knew once he was in the arms of his mate she would slowly heal his guilt ridden heart. Lady Ikaru would also surely forgive him as she had foreseen these events, if she hadn’t forgiven him already.

Hanaka took her time changing all the bandages and salves that were covering Kagome, and double checking the new stitches the nurse had replaced. About an hour later she declared she was done and gave Kagome permission to leave if she wished.

“I would love to Hanaka, however I am afraid I would not be able to navigate the halls without a guide. I believe the best course of action would be to wait here for Sesshoumaru to come and get me.” Kagome said with a determined nod. “I will simply sit with Ikaru until then.”

“Very well milady, it is time for me to check on her again as well, perhaps you will be able to help me. You can never have too many hands in a situation like this.” Hanaka said with a small smile. She reloaded her tray with more salves and handed Kagome a large mound of fresh bandages.

“Hanaka I just remembered something, Sesshoumaru did not notice that I had become blood sisters with Ikaru. Why do you suppose that is?” Kagome questioned as they arrived at Ikarus’ bedside. She was in a fresh yukata and appeared to have been bathed as not a speck of blood remained on her, her hair had even been cleaned and braided. The long braid fell off the side of the cot and pooled on the floor.

“My guess would be milady that he was so distracted with all the excitement he caused that he just hasn’t had time to notice. I guarantee though that when he does notice it will be an interesting reaction to say the least.” Hanaka said with a knowing smile as she gently started the same process on Ikaru she had just finished with Kagome.

“What do you mean Hanaka?” Kagome said feeling a little uneasy at Hanaka’s knowing smile.

“Well milady, the princess is well known for not being a sociable creature. She doesn’t make friends easily, preferring to do paperwork and attend military meetings than attend any social gatherings. Getting her to wear female formal clothing is almost impossible. Because of her behaviors she has been made an outcast by most of the noble females in court, and as such her list of so called friends is limited. Her only true friends are her two brothers. For as long as I have known them, the prince and princess have been almost inseparable lending each other the strength to get through whatever obstacles they have encountered. Yet with your arrival I have seen something shift in the both of them. They have let you into their little world; I believe it is this that will surprise the prince the most. He will not expect to have to share you so soon.” Hanaka said with a small chuckle.

“How long have you known them Hanaka?” Kagome said feeling a pang of pity for the both of them.

“Well my dear I helped to bring that prince of yours into this world!” Hanaka burst out laughing at Kagome’s surprised face. “No need to look so surprised milady, I was an apprentice to the castle healer at the time Prince Sesshoumaru was born. Shortly after he was born my master retired and I took her place.” Hanaka said smiling fondly at the memory.

Kagome smiled back choosing not to interrupt the healer’s trip down memory lane as she methodically changed Ikaru’s dressings. About the time when Hanaka was securing the last of the fresh bandages Lord Inutaishio came bursting into the infirmary.

“Where is she!” He barked to a terrified nurse. She was cowering in fear as his growls became more vicious. “Answer me now!”

“Milord you must calm yourself. The princess is no longer in any danger.” Hanaka said coming around the privacy screen wiping her hands free of the pungent ointments she had been applying to Ikaru. Inutaishio calmed somewhat seeing the calm face of his trusted healer. He looked to the pale face of his newest family member as she followed Hanaka from behind the screen, which brightened with a smile the moment she saw how flustered the lord of the castle was.

“It is true milord, Lady Ikaru is well on the mend under Hanaka’s expert care.” Her smile put his heart a little more at ease. He looked down to the cowering nurse and exhaled a soft apology as he helped her to her feet. She bowed still shaking and rushed off to complete her assigned tasks.

“Really milord, you must learn to stop terrorizing my poor nurses.” Hanaka gently chastised patting his slumped shoulder.

“My apologies Hanaka, when I got the note from Ikaru it took all I had not to rush down here the moment I sensed my son’s awakening.” He said running a tired hand through his bangs.

“Yes I know milord, but Lady Kagome was able to handle your son quite well, never have I seen the pup look so thoroughly scolded. Even after one of your ‘famous’ lectures.” Hanaka said with a hearty laugh clapping the lord of the castle on the back, he too couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.

“I am afraid I take very little pride in the fact I could calm the prince from his rage. Especially with how long it took before my words were finally heard.” Kagome said looking tired.

“My boy has always had an issue with his temper when it comes to defending his family my dear; it is a miracle you were able to get through to him at all without getting physical.” Inutaishio said patting her gently on her back. “You look tired my dear, you should go on ahead and rest, you have had a busy morning.”

“No milord, I believe I will stay here with the princess until the prince comes back for me. It is the least I can do for my new sister.” Kagome said smiling brighter at the confused look Inutaishio was giving her.

“Sister? My dear what are you talking about, the way you talk it is as if you are related by more than your bond to my son” He said looking at the secretive smile shared between Hanaka and Kagome. It was then he took a good sniff in her direction and noticed the subtle change in her scent. Her bangs had been covering her brow since he had arrived but after she turned back and noticed his confused stare she smiled brightly at him and lifted her bangs revealing not only the midnight blue crescent of the west but the slowly darkening golden mirrored one of the east. Markings exactly like his daughters’.

“Lady Ikaru has taken me as her blood sister.” Kagome smiled, blue eyes twinkling happily.

“I was there to witness it milord, it was an interesting experience.” Hanaka smiled at the confused look that had yet to fully leave the lords face.

“I…I see that…that is very interesting I must say my dear. You must truly have made an impression on my daughter. May I be the first to unofficially officially welcome you to the family.” He smiled shaking off his confusion and taking her into a strong bear hug, being mindful of her injuries; he swung her around a few times smiling as her laughter filled the infirmary. “Well my dear as you insist on staying here I will insist that you at least have a decent meal, I will have some food sent down here for you.” He smiled as he gently set her back on her feet.

“Very well milord, I will be sitting with the princess until then.” Kagome said bowing politely and moving back behind the screen that Ikaru was lying behind.

“Be honest Hanaka, what do you think of her?” Inutaishio whispered.

“I like her your majesty. If I may be so bold she seems to be taking this entire situation quite well. Any normal person would have panicked or broken down by now, yet she still shows us her strong face when I know for a fact there is a storm of emotions beneath her calm exterior.” Hanaka whispered back.

“Perhaps she is simply remaining strong until she can rely on my son again?” Inutaishio speculated.

“I think it is more than that milord, though it will be a great weight off of her mind when she can lean on him again, I believe this is her normal character. She keeps her emotions in check for the benefit of those around her so she doesn’t cause any more worry than is absolutely necessary.” Hanaka said knowingly.

“She is more like my daughter than she knows if that is the case. No wonder Ikaru took her in, they are two of a kind.” Inutaishio chuckled. “You will keep an eye on her until Sesshoumaru returns Hanaka?”

“Of course your majesty. I must say I enjoy talking with her very much she is quite intelligent and always asking questions, it is a pleasure to talk with someone with such an inquiring mind.” She chuckled.

“Then I will leave her to you Hanaka. Her meal should arrive shortly, and hopefully my son shortly after that.” He smiled as he turned to take his leave.

“Milord, remember that she is on soft foods for the moment, I don’t want her having a normal meal until her body has had some time to recover its strength.” Hanaka called after him. He turned and nodded to her before bowing his head and leaving the infirmary.

Hanaka sighed and turned to look around the screen. She smiled at the sight before her. Kagome had fallen asleep in the chair Hanaka had used the night before resting on the edge of the cot beside the sleeping princess. Kagome had even laid her hand in a comforting gesture on the princesses folded ones.

“Yes I do believe this little one will fit right in here, and maybe she will be able to heal some of the old wounds still lingering around this palace.” Hanaka said with a smile as she laid a sheet over the sleeping women.

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Well that’s it for this chapter everyone!...So tell me what did you all think?

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Learning to Love