Sitting by the fire, Sesshomaru held Kagome close while she was curled up in his lap. He loved it as she sighed contentedly while he stroked her back. His beast growled contentedly as their chosen pressed close.
In a moment of detached irony he was sure that his father, wherever he was, was having a good laugh at his expense and there was a knowing smirk on his face because he finally understood. Yes, he, Sesshomaru, Western Lord, had fallen hard for a human. A human miko, no less. The sworn enemy! But, even if he could he wouldn’t change it.
When she started traveling with Inuyasha’s pack he began to understand why the hanyou and the others were so fiercely protective of Kagome. It wasn’t because she was a miko or could detect jewel shards but because she was fiercely loyal and cared about all of them. When he joined up with them she treated him, Rin and Jaken the same way. Rin was treated just like her adopted kit was and she brought Rin presents and treats the same way she did Shippo. When she found out he and Jaken liked the chocolate and fresh fruits she brought, she brought extra of the kinds he liked best. She even brought treats for Au-Uh, who seemed to adore her.
When she found out he liked to read she brought him books on topics he enjoyed and would even sit with him and explain things that he wasn’t familiar with and terminology he didn’t know as best as she could.
That’s when Sesshomaru's true fascination started. He found out quickly she was highly educated and very intelligent. She could talk about many topics knowledgeably. Most certainly she wasn’t as stupid or foolish as he had first thought she was. Of course she was careful about what she talked about because she was worried about changing the future.
Like Inuyasha, she made sure to take care of any wounds he received if he was injured even though he would heal quickly. Not because of any other reason, such as obligation, but because she cared and it was the right thing to do.
Yes, she still had screaming arguments with Inuyasha but being on the inside now he could understand why. The hanyou's behavior and the disrespect he treated her with was something she could only take for so long before she would cut loose with her infamous temper. Quite frankly, she took a lot more than he would have. Yet her loyalty never wavered.
He was big enough to admit that by the time he kissed her the first time he had already fallen for her. So had his beast. It was already demanding that he claim her. By the time of that kiss he had decided that she would be his but he wanted to take it slow, if for no other reason than her feelings for Inuyasha. But, as he found out over the next couple months, her feelings for the hanyou weren’t what people thought they were.
As it turned out, she didn’t give a damn what he did or if he was with Kikyo every night. All she was doing was letting people think what they wanted. Any romantic interest in Inuyasha had been gone for a long time. Not because of Kikyo but because she had ‘outgrown’ his immaturity and moved on. He was still her best friend and like family but anything else wasn’t to be. The only thing that caused arguments was she worried about him when he was with the dead miko.
She had already hurt and betrayed the hanyou in so many ways that Kagome feared what she may do to him next, the same way she feared for her other friends. She wasn’t angry with Inuyasha when she felt that kind of fear, she mostly got irritated with the situation. Nor did she hate Kikyo; in fact, Sesshomaru had a sneaking suspicion that she actually felt sorry for the dead miko.
When he came to that realization both he and his beast puffed up with pride. Indeed, if she was that loyal to a friend then there would be no question about her loyalty to him as a mate. In fact, she had already proven that to him by standing up to Inuyasha when he would do no more than just snipe and sneer, trying to pick a fight with him. No, he didn’t need her to stand up for him, but what she did was different than what she normally did for those she considered a friend, such as Kouga. Yes, that became a bit more rabid as their relationship developed but it wasn’t odd behavior for her.
He did have one worry about their relationship though, just not about her. That worry had a name: Inuyasha. No, he had never liked his half-brother but this worry had nothing to do with their past or his behavior then. It had to do with something he only noticed after he began traveling with his pack. It appeared the half-breed didn’t see the little miko as a friend or as a being that cared for him but as his possession. She was <i>his</i> and he could do with her what he wanted and he seemed to feel that she should be happy with that and not complain.
The first time he had seen evidence of this he had been thoroughly disgusted. The boy had spent the night away from camp with the dead miko. He had come back reeking of graveyard soil. It had even been on his face and breath. To say he had been disgusted was an understatement. The mere thought of what the hanyou had been doing with what was essentially a dead body made his stomach lurch.
He had come back just before dawn, when Kagome had awoken he had shot her the usual look that told of an unpleasant day for all if she even brought up the topic. Like always, the miko said nothing and just ignored him all morning. About noon the Ookami prince, Kouga, had shown up. He had started his usual rant about her being ‘his woman’ then Inuyasha had gotten mad, informing the Ookami that she wasn’t his woman and he needed to get lost. He had just watched the exchange, shaking his head. The boy had an arrogance and streak of self-entitlement that he couldn’t believe nor that was earned. It had disgusted him to no end and he privately let the hanyou know. Though he had vigorously denied the accusations he had treated Kagome better for a couple days but that ended the next time he saw Kikyo's soul collectors.