A jolt of something close to pure happiness shot through his body when she put her small hand in his. Instinctively, his large one closed around it, and he rubbed the back with his thumb. Looking down into her upturned face, he wanted to grin like an idiot but didn’t.
When he had stepped into the clearing he had felt her anxiety, fear, indecision and all the rest of the emotions she had felt. Despite not wanting to admit it, even to himself, he had felt the same way. As he made his way to the assigned meeting place he had been convinced that her attachment and loyalty to the hanyou would override everything and she wouldn’t show. But when he felt her aura he had been elated.
There had been the anxious moments waiting for her to take his hand as well. When she glanced the direction her friends were camped his heart skipped a couple beats. He had to fight to make himself hold still and not go to her. The whole thing had to be her decision and hers alone. If she couldn’t decide to willingly give up the baka half-breed then there would be problems. So as bad as he had wanted to go to her he didn’t. But she had come to him, choosing him over Inuyasha.
Pulling her close to his chest, he wrapped one arm around her and held her close. Feeling her tremble, he rubbed her back soft then spoke with a voice like a calming, smooth ribbon of silk. “Know this Kagome… I will not hurt you in any way. You have my word on it. I will never break the trust you have in me either.”
He could feel one of her arms slide around his waist and give him a small squeeze. A smile on her face, she looked up into his softly and said, “Thank you Sesshomaru.”
For a minute, he lost himself; his soft, brown eyes. Then a loud clap of thunder brought him back. Though she was wearing that ugly coat that helped keep her dry when it rained and a hat, her pants were soaked up to the knees and the hair that hung out the back of her hat was streaming water. He had to get her out of the downpour before she got sick. Reaching out, he grabbed her pack and shouldered it and then scooped her into his arms and cradled her to his chest. When she wrapped her arms around his neck he leaned down and kissed her softly. Then his light formed around them and they were off, moving like an earth-bound comet, headed west.
Though he didn’t like the idea of hiding away with her and felt that he should be able to court her in the open like any other male, ningen or youkai, Inuyasha would make that all but impossible. Not only would the loud-mouthed hanyou drive him insane with his foul mouth and stupidity, but he was well aware of how rough he would make things for Kagome. Though Kagome was a strong-willed and strong-minded woman, Inuyasha had a way of wearing her down and getting her to cave into him, even if she didn’t want to. He also had a dark suspicion that there were other methods used but had no proof of it.
So, unlike what he was used to doing, he had to flit and court her privately, and then be forced to snake away like a thief in the night to spend time alone with her. It rankled and he felt it was beneath his station but he had done it. Kagome, he felt, was well worth it.