Chapter Text
The darkness was stifling, invading her senses as she fought to escape. She screamed, but nothing came out. Her hand burned, and she couldn"t get it to stop.
And then she heard the laughter.
She couldn"t tell where it was coming from; it was everywhere and nowhere, icy dread creeping up her spine as she thrashed. The darkness was blinding, but she could feel him coming nearer, her body suddenly encased in flames. Hands reached for her, and panic set in, reiki pooling around her own as she fought to get free.
"Kagome!" the voice was familiar, cutting through the terror that consumed her.
She grabbed onto it like a lifeline, luminous gold lighting the darkness, her heart thudding against her chest as she let out a strangled cry for help.
"Be calm," the voice murmured, and only then did she recognize its sweet cadence.
Sesshoumaru.
Ears still ringing, she reached for him, scent and youki mixing in a soothing caress. Her grip was ironclad around his neck, chest still heaving as she curled against him, unable to understand the soft words murmured in her ear but feeling reassured all the same.
"You are safe, Kagome," he promised. The sudden release of adrenaline left her shaken and weak, almost as much as the dream itself, and she whimpered against his neck. She couldn"t get a word past her quivering lips as she clung to him, and he kept her close, drawing soothing circles on her back as he nuzzled her temple.
She wanted to speak, to explain herself, but she couldn"t, and he seemed to understand, the soft rumble from his chest easing her fears as he continued to hold her. He whispered gentle reassurances, pressing a small kiss to her temple. "You do not need to speak if you do not wish to."
Kagome shook her head, arms wrapped tightly around his neck—she would not let Hojo keep affecting her. "I could feel him."
"Such taint is not so easily erased."
The way he spoke seemed like he"d experienced something like this himself. She pulled back enough to meet his gaze, not wanting to put any real distance between them. "How did you do it?"
"I mastered the blade," he answered, eyes crinkling slightly in amusement. "And wound up jaded and accused of being an ice prick."
The side of her mouth twitched. "Can"t tell me it wasn"t true."
His lips quirked in response. "Perhaps," he allowed, amused. "Father never quite saw it that way."
"Yeah, well, we already know he was an ass," she muttered, playing with the hair at the base of his head.
He snorted, but his expression was no longer so amused. "He was many things." He"d alluded to that before, but Kagome could tell he hadn"t wanted to talk about it—she raised her eyes in question. "He was obsessed in a similar manner to Hojo," he said after a long moment, letting out a slow sigh.
Blue eyes widened, fingers stilling in his hair. "With Izayoi?"
He snorted. "Hardly. He was no more faithful to her than to Mother. He simply moved from one obsession to another when he tired of the first."
"What?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "There is a slew of offspring he has sired over the years. Not all of the females survived. Not until Tenseiga."
"So he just went around playing God for the hell of it?" She pursed her lips, incensed—Sesshoumaru had never painted a pleasant picture of his father, but she"d never realized how bad it was.
"Not quite." Sesshoumaru"s lips thinned. "His latest obsession died too soon, thus the fang. He did not wish for such to occur again."
She ran her hands down her face. "And here I thought it was for a much more selfless reason." She sighed and sat back a little. "At least he loved Izayoi and Inuyasha enough to save them."
She could feel his disgust without him having to voice it, absently rubbing her chest. "He had already found his new conquest then: the wife of the dragon."
Blood drained from her face. "So the reason they were attacked was—"
"Her mate caught them in bed together," Sesshoumaru confirmed quietly.
A quiet rage shook her hands, thankful for the distraction. "I don"t suppose he ever apologized to—" She gave him a startled look. "You knew, didn"t you?"
"I went to speak to him," he said quietly. "I was furious about how he cast aside Mother and the others, how little he provided for his young pups. He thought only of himself."
"Did he care about any of them?"
"It is hard to say." Sesshoumaru exhaled. "He only seemed to have favourites until the next child was born."
"Why did he even bother saving them, then?" She cringed at the thought—everyone deserved someone to care about them, not to worry about whether or not their parent would return in the evening.
"He did not." Her head shot up at the tone of his voice, eyes widening in realization. Inu no Taisho hadn"t saved anyone. "He never had the chance to." He shrugged. "Who is to say whether he would have or not."
"But you did," she said, refusing to let him brush it off.
"Izayoi cursed me for it." A curtain of silver covered his face. "I was not the one she wished to save her."
Kagome wanted to snap about how ungrateful that was but bit her tongue. "Does Inuyasha know?"
"His mother informed him otherwise." Sesshoumaru shrugged again. "It was not my decision to make. I was infuriated by her reaction, at any rate."
"But—" Her heart felt heavy in her chest; would the brothers have had the same relationship if Inuyasha knew Sesshoumaru had been the one to save him as a baby?
"Do not place me too high, Kagome." He smiled ruefully. "I acted to prove something to Father. It would be many years before the fang would respond to my will again. Or, perhaps, it is more accurate to say that I did not wish it to."
"Do you regret it?"
"No."
There was no hesitation in his voice, and her expression softened. "Good." She kissed the mark on his forehead. "I"d be pretty disappointed in you if you did."
He flushed slightly, colour tinting the tips of his ears, but he preened nonetheless. "Do you wish to speak of last night?"
Kagome let out a sigh, pressing their foreheads together. "I don"t know. That nightmare was terrible."
"I was speaking of us," he clarified with a slight flush.
She blushed as well, automatically touching the mark on her neck. "What do we need to talk about?"
"You have no concerns?"
He seemed a little reticent, and she was genuinely confused. "Should I?" She sat back a little, still content to be in his lap. "Did you think I would change my mind?"
"Most humans would," he murmured, "upon discovering their soulmate was not human."
Kagome slowly reached for his face, stroking his stripes as she smiled. "That wasn"t so hard, now was it?"
Hope lit his eyes. "You accept, then?"
"I wouldn"t have encouraged you to mate me if I didn"t." The pads of her thumbs brushed his skin. "Though you could"ve just admitted that"s what our connection meant back then instead of being all secretive about being able to hear my thoughts."
"I did not wish to pressure you." He looked mildly embarrassed, the tips of his ears turning pink. "I am well aware that humans prefer to be asked rather than forced into any arrangements."
"You"d already caught my attention when you saved me from Mukotsu," she said, running her fingers through his hair, unable to stop touching some part of him. "I hope my thoughts weren"t too loud."
He shook his head. "They never could be," he promised her, moving to kiss her.
"Any other symptoms I should be aware of?" she asked, interrupting his descent to nip at his nose.
"Like barking at the neighbour"s dogs or howling at passing cars?"
She tugged on the tip of his ear, knowing the full meaning of it now. "Jerk. Don"t make me collar you."
Sesshoumaru shuddered. "How you tempt me, woman." He gave her a dark, sensual look. "There is not much that will change save a deepening of the bond between us down to our souls. You will not so readily leave me again."
Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck, shifting so she could do the same with her legs around his waist. "You say that like I would want to."
"I have learned not to make assumptions when it comes to you, mate," he murmured, kissing her. She smiled against his mouth—nothing felt better or safer than being in his arms.
She could not think of anyone better to spend the rest of her life with.