Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co.
The sound of birds chirping woke the sleeping teen, causing her to stretch widely then wince at the soreness of her body. She sat up and held the blanket to her chest, now realizing her boyfriend was no longer beside her. 'Where could he be?' She mused before peering around the vast grounds and coming across the yōkai quietly resting against a tree trunk. An arm draped over a knee while his face tilted up at the darkened sky. He appeared not to have noticed that she was now awake and seeking him out. Kagome cocked her head to the side and wondered what could have the demon so distracted.
When he finally noticed she was awake, his golden gaze slid to meet her own but stayed quiet. The unnatural silence began unnerving the young woman. "Maru?" Kagome cautiously asked as a panicky feeling started to bubble forth.
It was a few minutes before Sesshōmaru spoke, and the alarming sensation only worsened. "We need to talk…" He quietly responded, his tone cool and somewhat guarded.
"A…about w...what?" She stumbled anxiously over her words as her mind went to the worst-case scenario.
"Last night," He started, suddenly looking extremely twitchy, which freaked Kagome out to no end. It was unlike the stern yōkai to be nervous; nothing ever spooked him, yet here he was. She watched him swallow several times before continuing. "my beast took control."
Well, that wasn't what she had been expecting though the panicky feeling remained. If this was the reason Sesshōmaru was nervous, it couldn't possibly be good. "What do you mean?" She hesitantly asked and clutched the blanket tighter to her rapidly beating chest.
"I had not realized he had broken his chains and was lying in wait. Once I was thoroughly distracted, he struck and took over." He carefully explained, his tongue peeked out to wet his lips then carried on. "I tried seizing control from him, but his will was too strong." Admitted the dog demon running a hand roughly through his glossy locks.
What had his beast done? Clearly, she was unharmed, so what else could it be? "What happened?" Kagome tentatively inquired, not sure if she wanted to know.
Dragging his fingers once again through his silky mane, Sesshōmaru released a long breath before continuing. "He marked you." He softly admitted then said nothing more, and carefully watched her reaction to the unexpected news.
A manicured hand flew up to feel the sides of her neck and searched for the telltale Inu mark. Her deft fingers lightly grazed the ridges of broken skin and took in a harsh breath. She couldn't comprehend why his beast would do something like that. They had a plan! A freaking good one at that! How could he do that to them?! "Why? Why would he do that?" Squeaked out the flustered teen, still skimming gently over the raised mark and peering at her yōkai with wide eyes.
"It was his way of keeping you with us." He explained, obviously not thrilled with his beast's takeover and snap decision.
Was he not happy that they were mated? Or was it the blatant disobedience of his animalistic side? Also, why did his beast feel the need to bind them so early anyway? "I don't understand. I already agreed to mate you after I graduate. Why would he not wait?"
When the yōkai realized that his female was not mad or upset about the accidental mating, he moved from the spot by the tree to sit across from her. "My beast has been infuriated with me since the day that I abandoned you. He does not trust me even with my reassurance that I wasn't going to leave. He would not see reason and did not want to wait another year."
So it was a tactic to tie himself to her just in case Sesshōmaru decided to split. Kagome wasn't sure if she should be worried or pleased that his beast didn't trust himself to run and took the initiative to mate them ahead of time. Though, it would have been nice if they could have stuck to their original plans because what were they supposed to do now? "What about our plans? What are we going to do now?" Will they continue being apart, or will they find a place? Gods, what was her mother going to say? Would she be disappointed that they didn't wait? Tears welled up in her sleep crusted eyes as her thoughts continued to race.
"Please do not cry, love." Sesshōmaru softly whispered, a large hand reached out to seize a wrist and gently hauled her to him. She buried her damp face into his bare chest as he lightly caressed her back and tenderly kissed a temple before calmly carrying on "Everything will be fine. Just because we mated early does not mean we cannot still follow through with our plans. This does not change anything. I will still go to university, and you will graduate."
"Mama is going to be so disappointed." Came the sad and muffled response from the crying woman.
This time his lips grazed her forehead and tried to reassure the worry once more. "We will not know until we talk to her. Your mother and Malakai are still sleeping. Let's go in and grab a shower before they wake."
"Okay," Kagome said, pulling away to sniffle some then released a shriek as he swept her into his arms and stood up. "Maru!" She screamed yet again and adjusted the blanket to keep herself covered.
"Hush." He shushed her playfully then flashed her a cheeky grin. "There is no reason to sound like a futakuchi-onna." He joked while making his way towards the house.
"If I was one those yōkai, I would scream more than just your name." snarked the teen, her amused gaze rocked to the lightening sky than returned to his smug mug.
"Indeed." Retorted the yōkai, his golden eyes twinkling with mirth before using his speed to quietly take them up to the bathroom.
Sesshōmaru tentatively set her on the wooden stool and kissed her crown. "Stay." He ordered while spinning around to survey the bathroom. "I think we will take a bath instead." decided the inuyōkai and hurried to start the bath, leaving his mate to watch as he added some bath oils to the flowing water.
The dog demon returned and picked up his waiting female to carry her to the tub. He carefully deposited the teen into the warm water, then stripped out of his joggers and slipped in behind.
Kagome sighed as she reclined against his broad chest. Instantly the tension melted away, and her thoughts began to slow. Panicking would not help the situation she reasoned. They needed to figure out what they were going to do. To begin with, what were they doing about their living circumstances? Would they promptly find a place of their own or just wait and follow their plan? She did not like not knowing, especially since there was Malakai to consider. Tilting her head so she could see his face, the pondering teen voiced her concerns. "Now that we're mated, what are we doing about our living situation? Will we still live apart until you graduate and find a place?"
Silver strands of his long mane tossed about as he shook then slowly leaned in to lightly kiss her soft lips. "I do not think I can be away from you." He answered honestly, "If it's all right with your mother, I am hoping we can stay here until I can find us lodging."
Since he was practically living with them already, Kagome saw no problem with her mother allowing him to stay. Well, if she wasn't furious with them for being so irresponsible, that is. Another issue would be Sesshōmaru's father, what would he tell him and would the older yōkai believe it? "What are you going to do about your dad?" She asked, gently skimming the heated surface with some damp fingers.
"I had already told him months ago that I was looking for another residence. He was not happy, but he cannot stop me. Today I will tell him that I have found a place and will be out in a couple of days." He said while reaching over to adjust the temperature.
That was going to work how? Weren't they trying to keep their relationship a secret from the Tatakau patriarch? Don't the parents usually want to know where their child will be moving to? Doesn't Mr. Tatakau care where his oldest will be living? She was not used to this level of detachment and could not fathom ever treating Malakai like that. "Won't your father be curious as to where you will be taking up residence?" Kagome asked, enjoying how the warm water soothed her aching muscles.
A scoff emanated from the Inuyōkai. "No. He said if I leave, he will not chase after me nor will bail me out should I fail." His dry tone suddenly hardened as he continued, "Even though my sire is irritated with my defiance, I cannot help but feel like part of him is relieved that I will no longer remain a thorn in his paw."
It was sad Sesshōmaru thought he was such a nuisance. To feel that way about your parent, Kagome could never feel that way about her mother. "I'm sure that's not true, Maru." She softly cooed, trying to reassure her mate. "Your father just wants what's best for you."
"If only that were the case." His bittersweet response echoed off the white walls and had the couple saying nothing more as they sat amongst the rising water.
The sun was above the horizon when the duo quietly made their way into the kitchen to speak with her mother. "Morning Mama." The nervous teen announced, causing the older woman to look up from preparing some tea.
"Morning." The older Higurashi greeted with raised brows. "You're up early." She noted, curiously flicking her gaze from her daughter to the young yōkai. Smiling, Yuna acknowledged him with a small bow of her head. "Hello, Sesshōmaru."
Bowing in return, Sesshōmaru happily greeted the kind woman. "Mrs. Higurashi." He cleared his throat nervously and cautiously continued, "May we talk with you for a moment?"
"Sure." She said, motioning towards the large wooden table. "Why don't we have a seat?" The older woman suggested while picking up the tea tray to carry it over. Setting it gently on the glossy surface, Yuna sat in one of the chairs before turning her focus back to the oddly nervous couple. "What was it that you needed to speak with me about?" Her patient gaze bounced between the two as she waited for either of them to respond.
Even though Kagome was terrified to know how her mother would react, she bravely faced the situation head-on and let the words spill-free. "Something happened last night after we came home from the Festival."
The anxious teen followed her mother's movements as she poured a cupful of tea, then brought it up to delicately sip the hot beverage before responding. "What happened?" She calmly asked, her soulful eyes flicked from one youth to the other.
Even though there was no judgment in her mama's tone and gaze, Kagome's tongue suddenly felt like lead, and she nervously began to play with the edge of the placemat.
Noticing his mate's dilemma, Sesshōmaru squeezed the hand in his hold and sent a reassuring smile her way, then cleared his throat, drawing his new mother-in-law's attention. "My beast took it upon his self to mate Kagome ahead of our plans." He evenly explained, not looking a bit perturbed by the uncomfortable conversation.
If Kagome expected her mother to shy away from the conversation, she was dead wrong. The older woman appeared to be unaffected by the news as she continued drinking her tea. "I see, so your beast did not want to wait?" She stated, peering over the steaming cup with neat brows raised high in question.
"That is correct." The yōkai confirmed with a sharp nod and gently stroked the back of his mate's hand in encouragement.
Yuna set down the teacup and sighed. "I was expecting something like this might happen." She said while tracing a finger around the porcelain rim.
'She was expecting something like this to happen?' Kagome dumbly thought and gaped at her dear mother like a fish stuck on dry land. "You were?" blurted the shocked teen when she finally snapped out of the daze.
"Yes." Said the older woman, her knowing gaze softened, and a loving smile sprang to life. "A mother just knows somethings."
'You're not mad or disappointed?" She asked, still nervously toying with the cloth mat. A hand reached across the table and stilled her anxious fingers. "No, I am not mad, nor have I ever been disappointed with you," Yuna said, giving a gentle squeeze and another loving smile. "Some things are sometimes out of our control." She let go and sat back in the chair, eyeing the duo once more. "What are your plans now?"
Sesshōmaru and Kagome glanced at one another then the yōkai shifted his attention to his mother-in-law. "We were going to see if we could stay here until I can find us a place. If it is okay with you, that is?" He produced one of his winning grins to try to charm the older woman.
Her knowing gaze twinkled as if she recognized what he was trying to accomplish, and the corner of her lips twitched up in genuine amusement. "May I suggest something?" She said in return then picked up her cup to have another drink.
"Of course, Mrs. Higurashi." He said, now curious as to what the older woman had in mind.
Carefully setting down the hot beverage, Yuna tutted at the young demon. "First, you are now my son-in-law, so please call me Yuna or mom. Second, I was going to wait to gift you this, especially since I was planning on fixing it up before I did, but things have changed. There is an old cottage some ways from the main house. It has been unused for a long time and requires quite a bit of repair. If you want it, you can have it. It would be a perfect starter until you both graduate from university. Plus, Kagome could still do her shrine duties without having to travel far, and you wouldn't need to find a daycare provider for my beautiful grandbaby. It is up to you, though."
How could she have forgotten about the abandoned cottage? Her and cousins were always daring each other to look into the windows to see if they could spy on the Yamamba that their grandfather had told them lived there. Obviously, there was no mountain yōkai living in the rundown structure and was just a way to keep them out. Would Sesshōmaru be willing to consider staying on the shrine acreage instead of somewhere else? It would save them the time of looking for a place, figuring out traveling arrangements, finding daycare services, sorting through school schedules, and other obligations. "What do you think?" asked Kagome.
"We will go and look at it." He said to her in return then turned to his mother-in-law. "We will let you know afterward."
"Good." Yuna declared before standing up and clapping. "Now I'm going to make breakfast because Malakai should be waking up soon. Why don't you two set the table?"
They did as she asked without complaint and went about setting the table. It wasn't long before Malakai and Sōta woke for the day, and the small clan sat down to eat the morning meal.
Once they were finished eating, the young couple was shooed out of the kitchen by her busy mother. "Why don't you two go and check out the cottage while I clean up?" Wisely suggested the older woman as she wiped down the messy toddler then turned back to the pair waving the damp washrag at them. "Go on now." Not bothering to argue with the matriarch, Sesshōmaru and Kagome hurried out of the brightly lit room and out of the house.
Slowly approaching the overgrown woods, the inuyōkai began to hack away at the wild foliage to clear a path for them to reach the structure.
It naturally took them some time to make it through the dense woodland, but eventually, the duo made it to the aged building. "If it hadn't been for making a path, I'd say it's at least a ten-minute walk from the main house." Kagome puffed out as she batted some tall grass out of her way.
"I'd have to agree." He said before sliding his gaze toward the makeshift path. "We would have to clean up all of the debris and pave a sturdy path to the main house, or we will have problems during the rainy season and wintertime."
"Yeah, if we don't, we will have a muddy and snowy mess on our hands." She agreed then changed the subject by voicing her thoughts on the cottage. "It looks rather small," mused the teen while slowly making her way to the entrance. As a small child, it definitely looked bigger and far scarier than it does now.
"It appears so." Sesshōmaru said as he caught up with his mate before she tried to go in. "Let me get the door. It looks like it might fall apart at any moment." He suggested moving in front of her to cautiously push open the aging door just in case it did indeed crumble. It made a noise as it slid slowly open, revealing the dank and dusty room. The cautious yōkai scanned the small area for any dangers before he seized his female's hand and helped her in. "Careful." He warned as he followed close by.
"Wow." She released a reluctant breath in the musty air while her gaze traveled around the room. "It really does need a lot of work, and there is no bedroom or bathroom." Kagome pointed out, feeling a little overwhelmed at the sight of the severe decay.
The demon took a few steps forward, testing the floor for weakness as he spoke. "It is very old and would have to be gutted."
"And additional rooms would need to be added." She threw in and cautiously followed where her mate tread, eyes skimming the disintegrating walls along the way.
"Yes, that too." He remarked while continuing his inspection of the run-down cottage.
Pausing near a broken window, Kagome peered through the rotted slots watching a tiny bird land on a low branch and began to preen itself. No matter the state of the old dwelling, the view around it was unbelievable. Honestly, she could see herself waking up in the morning and coming outside to sit with a cup of tea as the sun slowly climbed the darkening sky, and the forest began to stir. It would be a little piece of paradise in a city that doesn't sleep.
Now that they have seen the deplorable state of the cottage, would Sesshōmaru want to find another place instead? Thinking of leaving the only home she had ever known, left her stomach swirling and teeth sinking into her bottom lip as the anxiety intensified. Kagome had thought that with time, she would have gotten used to the idea before they had to move, unfortunately, things changed, and there was no more time. Plus, she was apprehensive about uprooting Malakai and how the toddler would respond to said relocating.
The distracted teen snapped out of her musing when the silent yōkai quietly approached and wrapped his arms around her waist. He drew her firmly to his firm chest and rested his chin upon her dark crown. "You wish to stay." Sesshōmaru said into the still air while his sharp gaze spied the rustling of leaves and a flash of gray fur of a small squirrel.
Her blue eyes widened in surprise as she recognized the weight of his words. How had he known that was what she was thinking of? Was it something to do with them now being mated? Some mating mojo. "Yeah." She confessed, teeth nibbling on her lip and head falling back against him. "Is that selfish of me to say?" asked the teen, her gaze leaving the lush scenery and flicking to her mate.
"No," He said, shaking his head and leaning in to kiss her furrowed brow. "This has always been your home, so it is reasonable that you would be reluctant to leave." Explained the yōkai, giving her another kiss before shifting his gaze out the window once more.
"You don't seem all that hesitant to leave yours." She softly pointed out as her fingers grazed along his forearm.
A loud snort left the dog demon, and his tone was laced with bitterness. "That is because it has never been a home. I have always been the outsider amongst my sire's new family."
To feel like an outsider in your own home, it was something that Kagome could not even fathom. It made her sad yet again that her mate truly believed that. "Except for Rin." She quipped, trying to lighten the heavy mood by mentioning his only favorite family member.
He gave her torso a light squeeze then quietly agreed. "Hai, she is the exception."
They stood there in silence for some time, just basking into each other embrace before Sesshōmaru broke the stillness by gently kissing her temple and whispering into her ear. "If you wish to stay, we will."
When it came down to it all, she just wasn't ready to up and leave her family homestead. "I do." She softly said while twisting around in his hold to stare up at him.
A hand came up to cup her cheek as his lips curled into an encouraging grin. "Then, it is settled." He said then leaned in to kiss her before letting go and stepping back. "As reluctant as I am to leave, I must go inform my father that I have found a place and then make some phone calls." He shifted in the direction of the entry and motioned for her to go ahead so that they could leave the dank building.
"Sounds good to me. Will you be gone long?" She questioned all the while peering down to carefully follow their dusty tracks to the entrance.
"I shouldn't be too long and will be bringing a bag or two over. I'll have the rest placed into storage until we are ready," Informed the yōkai as they began their leisurely trek back to the main house.
The sun had set by the time that Sesshōmaru had returned, and as he had said previously, several duffle bags were now in his possession. Currently, the couple lounged on a blanket in their aging cottage with the windows open to air out the staleness, all the while trying to figure out what they were going to do next.
"I contacted some contractors when I was gone." He announced, taking a sip of his drink before continuing. "They will be here tomorrow, and we will go from there as to what we are going to do."
That sounded like it was going to be expensive. Honestly, they never spoke about finances. "Isn't this going to cost quite a bit? Do we have the funds to be doing this right now?" She asked, knowing good well that the small allowance she gets for working the shrine wasn't going to pay for much. Kagome was also positive that Sesshōmaru didn't have a job, therefore where were they going to get the funds to pay for the renovations?
Yet again, her mate knew exactly what to say to calm her worries. "Money will not be a problem." Sesshōmaru remarked with a shrug, then reached out and grasped her hand, threading their fingers together as he carried on. "My mother left me enough of it for many generations over."
Ah. That was why he wasn't worried about how there were going to get money. "So, you're using your inheritance. Shouldn't you be using that for school?" she asked, not sure if she was comfortable with him blowing the money left by his mother.
Loudly sniffing, the yōkai's golden eyes rocked at her words as he carefully pulled her closer and gently corrected. "No, we are using the inheritance to make a home for our family. That is what my mother would have liked. She would have been proud to know I am taking care of my mate and child."
"She is proud of you," Kagome whispered into the dim room and squeezed his hand reassuringly.
He scoffed and jerked his sleek head wildly before answering. "Now she maybe, but before she would have been sorely disappointed. If my mother had been alive when I had left, she would have eagerly torn into my hide and set me straight," His tone softened as he spoke about his deceased mother.
"That's to say if she had known about us in the first place." She commented lightly and bumped her shoulder with his.
Sesshōmaru fixed his fierce gaze out the window to the darkened sky and the waning crescent. His golden eyes reflected an emotion Kagome knew too well. "My mother had a way of just knowing things." A bittersweet smile marred his features as he spoke with certainty in his tone. "No one could fool her, though many had tried. If you were hiding something, she would know. She always knew."
Kagome remained silent, knowing no words could help that deep ache that formed when reminiscing. She propped her head on his shoulder and listened to their gentle breaths amongst the distinct song of the cicadas.
