Harmless Question

#04: Inuyasha (Sesshōmaru & Kagome)
...xXx...

Things were relatively normal in the Feudal Era. The air was still as fresh and crisp as she remembered since she first came through the well. The birds were still chirping cheerily without a care in the world. The weather was just right as well, not too hot and not too cold for travelling. It was a good day, but who knew that such a fine, beautiful day could be destroyed by a completely harmless question?

Naraku had, once again, gone into hiding after his last confrontation with their group yesterday. Honestly, his ability to run away proved to be very annoying when they were winning. Thankfully, they didn't take a lot of damage from the fight, but Inuyasha, being Inuyasha, still inconsiderately demanded to keep looking for the remaining shards, which were not that many anymore.

Luckily for their group, they crossed paths with his half-brother Sesshōmaru. Usually, the group would become edgy when the demon lord was around, but for over a year now, she had convinced the others that Sesshōmaru, despite of what he said and what they saw, still considered Inuyasha as his own kin. Taking Tetsusaiga away from him was just to camouflage his true intention to train his only sibling. When the group heard this, she received various reactions.

Sango looked at her like she had grown another head, but she kept pointing out that Sesshōmaru, who was much, much stronger than Inuyasha, could have killed his half-brother countless times in the past. A thoughtful look crossed Miroku's face as he nodded in agreement while a certain hanyou was not happy that she implied that he was a weak opponent. Sesshōmaru, who was also listening to their discussion, only commented how Inuyasha behaved like a whining pup. Needless to say, Inuyasha forgot about her and the topic entirely and charged at his brother.

In the end, the group finally saw her point of view. After all, Rin was the living proof that Sesshōmaru was not as heartless as they thought he was.

While the inu brothers were sparring, the group was sitting and resting around the clearing, which was surrounded by lots of trees. Shippō had chosen to play with Kirara since Rin had wanted to sit with her. The young girl was so adorable, and just like Shippō, she saw Rin as her own daughter.

"Kagome-sama... can Rin ask you a question?" Rin began timidly.

After sparing a glance at the inu brothers, she turned to Rin with a smile. "Of course, Rin-chan."

"Do you love Sesshōmaru-sama?"

Several things happened at once afterwards.

Inuyasha, who was in the middle of swinging Tetsusaiga, lost his footing, resulting in his falling flat on his face.

Miroku, who was attempting to grope Sango, missed his target. This had never happened before.

Sango, who was prepared to knock Miroku, as usual, dropped her giant boomerang.

Shippō and Kirara just stopped playing altogether.

Ah-Un had their heads turned to her and Rin.

Jaken, who was enjoying his cup of tea, choked on his drink.

Sesshōmaru... well, he was just being himself, completely silent and emotionless.

In the next few seconds, she and Rin had the spotlight of the day, and she couldn't help but shift nervously under their eyes, especially Rin, who was still waiting for her answer. How would she answer that question without causing damage that would surely occur should she give a wrong response?

She cleared her throat. "What makes you ask that, Rin-chan?"

Rin shrugged, oblivious that everyone had their ears wide open to hear what she was going to say.

"Rin knows that Kagome-sama loves Sango-san and Miroku-san like siblings..."

Sango and Miroku smiled at hearing this.

"Inuyasha-sama like a big, overprotective brother..."

Inuyasha had chosen this moment to sit up and looked everywhere but her.

"Shippō-chan and Rin like your children..."

Shippō and Rin grinned simultaneously.

"Kirara, Ah-Un and Jaken-sama like friends..."

Jaken was dumbfounded that someone would even consider him as a friend.

"Rin doesn't know how you feel about Sesshōmaru-sama because you rarely talk to him for longer than a minute."

A short silence reigned.

"Well... that was very observant of you, Rin-chan. Sesshōmaru-sama must be so proud of you right now."

"Really?" Rin beamed widely before frowning. "Kagome-sama, you are not trying to change the subject, are you?"

Momentarily speechless, she could feel amusement enter her being. She glared at Sesshōmaru, whose eyes were shining with mirth. Everyone, excluding her and Rin, gaped at what they saw from the usually stoical demon lord. They couldn't believe that the Sesshōmaru could actually laugh, not literally of course, without killing anyone.

Rin's eyes widened as she shot up from her seat. "It's true then!?"

Confused, she turned to Rin. "What is?"

"Rin knows it! Rin knows it! Rin wasn't sure, but now, Rin is sure." Rin started jumping up and down. "Kagome-sama loves Sesshōmaru-sama like a mate!"

Everyone gasped in shock at such a declaration while she could do nothing but gape at the bright human child. A soft, masculine chuckle broke her shocked state. She shot him a glare before sighing. She let out a small smile. "Aren't you proud now?"

He gave a curt nod. "Very."

"You know, out of everything, I've never thought about this one scenario."

"Indeed."

"Uhm... Kagome-chan..."

She turned to her still shocked and confused friends and blushed. "I'm sorry for not telling you guys sooner. We planned to tell everyone after Naraku is destroyed, but now... oh well..." A beautiful smile graced her lips as she gazed at the demon lord. "The truth is... Sesshōmaru and I have been mates for six months now..."

It was then Kagome dropped the concealment spell on herself. The identical crescent moon on her forehead was indication enough that she was the Lady of the Western Lands. Such mark could not be given without mating, and any demon could smell Sesshōmaru's scent all over her. All heard a loud thump and found it was Jaken, who obviously passed out. It must have been too much for the kappa youkai to take in that his Lord had taken a human woman, a miko no less, as a mate.

And this was where everything went downhill.

She could feel the rage but couldn't move fast enough. Sesshōmaru, who also noticed the same thing, immediately pulled her away by the waist. They heard a loud blast and saw the tree she was sitting under moments ago had turned into splinters. Miroku and Sango were quick to grab their weapons, ready to defend their best friend and sister figure.

Sesshōmaru pushed her behind him as all of their eyes locked on Inuyasha's back, whose body was shaking. There was no doubt that he was not happy with what she told them. Fear gripped her heart. She didn't mean to reveal everything like this. The timing was just not right. Her eyes widened in horror when Inuyasha finally faced them. Even though he was still holding Tetsusaiga, his eyes were no longer golden.

"Mine... Mine!" he growled before charging at her. "MINE!"

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Tetsusaiga, a sword that was supposed to suppress Inuyasha's demon blood, was rejecting him, burning his hand with an electric shock. Without a care, Inuyasha tossed the sword, which  had already returned to its rusty state, away and charged at her with his claws extended instead.

"Mate," Sesshōmaru's urgent call snapped her back from her frozen state.

"Osuwari!"

They all could see him struggling against the magic, and so, she had no choice but to repeat the word again and again until he passed out. When he finally did, she could feel her knees grow weak, and fortunately for her, Sesshōmaru was there to catch her when she collapsed.

"Kagome."

She glanced up at him. If they were in another circumstances, she would have kissed him to stop him from worrying. "I'm fine. Just a little shock..."

Miroku and Kirara then warily dragged Inuyasha out from his own crater and settled his unconscious form by a tree while Sesshōmaru took Kagome into his arms and settled down under another oak tree nearby with her on his lap. Secrets were out, so there was no reason why he should keep his distance from her now.

For the next few hours, the atmosphere was tense as they waited for Inuyasha to regain consciousness. Miroku and Sango chose to fill the silence by quietly discussing how Tetsusaiga rejected Inuyasha. Was it because Kagome was a human, or was it because Kagome was the one who pulled the sword from its resting place? The answer was debatable, but no one knew the exact answer. Perhaps, they could ask Totosai when they met him next time.

"Kagome-sama..."

Both she and Sesshōmaru looked up at Rin, who was staring at her feet. Knowing what the girl was thinking, she opened her arms. "Come here."

The guilt in her little brown eyes was still evident, but Rin did what she was asked. As soon as the girl was in her arms, she softly said, "It's not your fault, Rin." She glanced at Sesshōmaru, who watched her with warm eyes. Turning back to the girl, she rubbed her small back. "Sesshōmaru and I know that sooner or later, we would have to tell everyone about our mating. Thus, you don't have to feel responsible for asking such a harmless question."

Who knew that a harmless question could be harmful? But then, the time and place were not right to begin with. Despite her perceptive nature, Rin was still a child, so she couldn't blame Rin for asking her feelings for Sesshōmaru. Truthfully, she, too, had grown tired of sneaking around just to see her own mate and love. Now, the only thing left was to talk to Inuyasha, preferably civilly.

A groan rang throughout the camp, and everyone waited with bated breath. They all breathed a sigh of relief when Inuyasha greeted them with his usual golden eyes. He seemed to be unsure of himself for a while before looking for Kagome. Once their gazes met, Inuyasha closed his eyes and wearily stood up. "Can we talk, Kagome?"

Sesshōmaru's arms around her waist tensed, but she patted his arms, assuring him that it would be okay. Rin removed herself from her lap, and she glanced at her mate. "I'll be right back." She knew her mate was worried that Inuyasha would attack her again. Personally, she could protect herself from Inuyasha, and if anything happened, both knew his mating mark would keep her safe until he came.

He reluctantly released her but not before nuzzling her cheek with his and said only for her ears, "Be careful."

She nuzzled back in answer and left the comfort of his arms while the others watched with worried eyes.

Once they reached a nearby hot spring, they both waited for the other to start the inevitable.

"Why him?"

His back was turned to her, so she couldn't see his expression. With a sigh, she looked up at the afternoon sun. "Inuyasha, I can give you many reasons, but will you accept them with open arms?" She took his long silence as permission to continue, "Sesshōmaru... he's always been there for me. He listens, comforts, trusts, and protects me. He believes in me, and most of all, he accepts me." He loves me for who I am.

When she turned to see his slumped shoulders, she knew he understood the unspoken words that rang loud and clear. While he was busy chasing Kikyo, she had moved on. At the beginning, Sesshōmaru didn't offer his shoulder for her to cry on, but he was there. He was always there when her supposed protector and best friend was not.

No more words were exchanged as she watched him leave with a heavy heart. She shed no tears for him as she had outgrown that stage, and to be honest, Inuyasha himself needed to grow up. She could only hope that he knew that she would always be his best friend no matter what. For minutes, she stood there until she felt her mate's arms around her waist. She sighed and leaned against him with closed eyes.

"Are you alright?" he murmured gently.

She turned around and hugged him tightly. "I will be."

As they broke the hug, she gave one last look to where Inuyasha had gone.

"He will return when he's ready."

She turned to her mate and smiled. Sesshōmaru knew just what to say to make her feel better. With a grin, she tugged his hand in another direction from their camp. She needed alone time with her demon lord, and she was sure that he felt the same. After all, their last meeting was a week ago. A mere, harmless question that led to a disaster – sort of – would not destroy the rest of her day when she had someone by her side, someone who loved her as much as she loved him, so there was no reason to dwell on what was lost. Besides, her mate was right. Inuyasha would come around when he was ready. For now, she just needed to fill the rest of this day with beautiful memories with her beloved mate.

The End

Thanks for reading.

Prev 1. No More What Ifs 2. Luck 3. Harmless Question 4. Mistake 5. Insight 6. Second Chance Next