Impurity by Chiaztolite

Impurity

Sesshōmaru closed his eyes, sharpening his senses, and searching his surroundings. Something had been bothering him, enough to draw him out of his den’s comfort on this blustery autumn evening to patrol his territory. It had been a night of the waxing crescent moon, its silver light streaming through the dense canopy of leaves above him.

When he entered the forest closest to Inuyasha’s village, he was proven right. The soft hairs on his nape stood to attention, all his senses were on high alert, sensing an unnatural entity lurking beneath the shadows of the woods. He took one more step, then another, venturing deeper into the forest. Rin resided in the village, most likely fast asleep under her quilt inside the old miko’s hut, so very close to the source of this disturbance. He needed to ensure his ward’s safety.

Besides—

His previously smooth brow furrowed. The malicious energy he sensed was not unfamiliar. It stoked some long-forgotten ominous memories, and he did not like it.

Sesshōmaru stopped when he noticed a thin layer of mist had descended upon the area, gradually thickening until it covered the forest floor. The temperature suddenly decreased, pricking his skin. Chill hung in the air, and his breath turned into puffs of white before him.

Then, everything stilled. Gone were the cricket songs or the hoots of the night owls. The forest had become so still that he, too, stopped breathing.

The hissing sound of something approaching reached his ears. Not a snake, but something far more unnatural. His golden eyes widened when he spotted it beyond the mist — translucent crimson swirls that crawled over the forest floor, rapidly approaching until it finally paused before him, the writhing shape of pure malicious energy.

Jaw clenched and claws engaged, Sesshōmaru used his dokkasō to break up the entity. It dispersed, but each piece branched out and grew more tendrils. Growling, he reached for Tenseiga’s hilt, but one of the swirls lashed out and wrapped itself around his wrist, stilling him. He clawed with his other hand, only to be subdued the same way, and the hot surge of raging indignation rose up inside him to be felled in such a humiliating way.

When the crimson tendrils wrapped themselves around his midsection, its wriggly end piercing his chest, a red haze took over his vision. Pain shot through his spine. His mouth opened wide, and the sound that was ripped from his throat was the guttural roar of a beast. 

******

On the other side of the bone-eater’s well, five hundred years in the future, Kagome jolted awake. She thought she heard a scream, or a roar, yet the night was silent around her. Trepidation crawled over her, pebbling her skin and making her heart race. How unusual. Since Naraku was defeated, they had had five years of peace. Her eyes searched her bedroom, but the shadowed interior provided no answer to the cause of her sudden uneasiness.

Someone was in distress, she was sure of it, but the night was seemingly peaceful, its silence broken only by the symphony of crickets. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to her window, looking up to inspect the moon.

It was a waxing crescent moon; a bright slice in an otherwise dark sky.

Kagome scanned the yard outside her home. The Higurashi Shrine complex was as empty and peaceful as it should have been, yet her inexplicable trepidation did not abate. Her heart was now pounding, cold sweat beaded along her hairline and on her palms, dampening her hands.

She quickly changed out of her pyjamas and into a sweater and jeans, slipped her feet into her new pair of boots, and headed outside. The wind blew the dry leaves that had fallen onto the ground, whirling them into a wild, eerie dance. She did not know why, but she had the strangest urge to check the bone-eater’s well. If her family was safe and her home was not in danger, perhaps the feeling of urgency had come from the other side.

The well-house was as dark and quiet as she had expected it to be. As she descended the steps to the lower level, she kept her eyes on the old wooden well, her fist pressed against her chest.

“Inuyasha, is that you?” she asked quietly into the dark chasm. There was no answer but silence. Chewing her lower lip, she vaguely recalled her friend telling her he was making a trip to Osaka with Miroku to visit a temple that needed aid in exterminating some pesky yōkai or two.

Shippō should still be at his kitsune school, not scheduled to return until closer to the New Year. Sango, Rin, and the others should be safe in the village.

But, if not them, then… who?

Kagome climbed over the side of the well and leapt into the darkness.

******

The darkness of night and the chill of early autumn greeted her as soon as she scaled the stone wall of the well. The growls were audible as soon as she peeked her head out of the shaft, her eyes searching for the source of the noise but finding everything nearly pitch black around her. The sliver of moon above helped, but as soon as the cloud eclipsed the light, she was left nearly blind in the dark. But, she could feel the erratic energy pulsing around her.

Kagome fumbled, trying to locate any source of more light, but her pockets were empty. Cursing silently, she regretted not grabbing her flashlight before leaving the house. Nowadays, she very rarely came to the well at night, and the darkness had become disorienting and unnerving.

But then, she heard the growling again, and her fear was momentarily forgotten. She remembered the urgency that had brought her here, and her resolve strengthened. She took a step forward, determined to find the source of the noise. As she made her way through the dark forest, fear and anxiety gnawed at her gut, but she forced herself to concentrate. The growls grew louder as she made her way towards them, her heart pounding with every step.

Suddenly, she heard a loud roar that made her heart skip a beat. It was not human, and it was not any animal she knew. It was a primal roar, full of anger — like a demon enraged.

Memories flashed in her head. She had heard this roar before. It sounded so familiar now. It sounded like—

Sesshōmaru?

Without hesitation, she ran towards the direction of the sound. The energy pulsing around her was getting stronger. She caught flashes of red in the distance, like flames, but not quite the same. Instead of heat, she felt the chill that seeped into her bones. And as she drew closer, she heard Sesshōmaru's roars morphing into a heart-rending sound, desperate and pained.

Something inside her cracked at the sound, and she broke into a run, determined to help the daiyōkai.

******

The beast rattled at the cage, intent on taking over, and Sesshōmaru let the transformation take him. He pawed at the mysterious crimson tendrils, claws engaged, fiercely swatting at the insidious enemy. It dispersed whenever his paws made contact, but soon the swirls reunited, growing larger by the second, tightening around his torso. 

Another sharp jolt of pain rended through his chest, and he whimpered like a useless dog. He had never felt something like this before. It was as though thousands of needles were piercing through his skin, burrowing into his flesh. The beast inside him raged, the primal force at its peak, breaking free. Power surged through his veins.

He lowered himself to all fours, the mysterious tendrils still wrapped around him as he thrashed and writhed. His massive white paws lashed out, but the tendrils only seemed to constrict tighter, as if slowly strangling him.

Suddenly, a voice called out to him, warm and familiar. He strained his ears through the roar of anger and heard it again, closer this time. The faint smell of honeysuckle reached him, and he focused, fighting through the pain and the darkness that threatened to consume him.

"Sesshōmaru, it's me! It's Kagome!"

The sound of her voice cut through the haze, igniting a flame inside him. He cracked his eyes open, and there she was — standing before him, her woodland brown eyes wide and searching. Fear and worries saturated her scent, blotting out the previous floral fragrance of honeysuckle.

“Sesshōmaru! What are these?!"

He wanted to tell her to run along and leave him be, but the only sounds he could make were growls and a few guttural barks. Not that it mattered — she didn't move. If he recalled correctly, she had a stubborn streak that had gotten her into quite a few undesirable situations before.

The foolish woman stood between him and those damn tendrils — an ephemeral foe not made of flesh and blood but insidious energy that not even he, the inu daiyōkai Sesshōmaru, could defeat in beast form.

But, before his widened blood-red eyes, the miko lifted her hand, and a rosy ball of energy emerged from her palm, her delicate fingers growing with a brilliant pink light. Sesshōmaru watched as the energy ball burst forth, slamming into the tendrils with a force that he could feel even in his beast form.

He grunted from the impact, though he quickly realized her pristine control had inflicted no harm on him, only the things that bound him. The crimson tendrils shuddered and dispersed, their hold on him breaking apart.

He roared with a newfound sense of freedom, his voice echoing through the trees and rising up into the night sky, so loud that the earth seemed to tremble with it. Kagome rushed forward to help him, placing one hand on his massive head. She stroked his fur, her touch soothing, and Sesshōmaru felt himself slowly calming despite the acute pain in his chest.

Then, he turned his head, clamped his jaw around her hand, and bit down, injecting a bit of his yōki into her bloodstream.

"Ouch!" The miko yelped before she cradled her hand to her chest. The narrowed look she gave him might’ve struck fear in a lesser male, but he found himself intrigued more than anything else. "Haven't you ever heard a dog shouldn't bite the hand that saves him?!"

Sesshōmaru's lips pulled back into a sneer. He tested their connection, sensing her presence inside him, and he knew awareness had begun to bud and blossom inside her too.

'Should you wish to berate me, miko, may I suggest you do it later? For now, might it be too much to ask you to fetch my swords so we can depart this place?'

To her credit, she only raised her eyebrows — a small and brief display of surprise to have heard his voice inside her mind — before she lunged at his swords and grabbed them, trying them securely against her side.

'Hold on to me,' he ordered her.

The miko obeyed without a word, hopping onto his back and wrapping one arm around his neck as he took off, leaving the forest before those crimson tendrils closed in on them once more.

******

After fleeing for what seemed like hours, they reached a cave that appeared safe enough. Upon letting her down onto the ground, Sesshōmaru - still in beast form - slumped into a heap of white fur on the cave floor. He didn't have to say a word. From the way he panted and writhed, Kagome knew the daiyōkai was wounded and in pain.

She carefully untied Bakusaiga and Tenseiga from her waist and placed both swords down beside him, always within his reach. “Sesshōmaru… where does it hurt? Can you turn back into your other form?”

The large dog tried to rise onto four feet, only to have his strength slip from within him. He slumped back onto the cave floor, his breathing laboured. Kagome knelt beside him, her hand hovering over his form before laying them gently on his quivering flank. Her fingers sank into his thick fur, feeling his muscles hard and shaking with tension. He must be experiencing great discomfort, but he did not shove her hand away or spurn her touch.

“You bit me so that I could touch your swords, didn’t you?” she asked gently. “Otherwise, their barriers would’ve repelled me, or burned me to a crisp.”

Those crimson eyes flicked up to meet hers, and she saw a hint of amusement hidden within the pain and exhaustion. It lasted only a moment before he closed them, his breathing ragged.

‘It was the only way.’

The disembodied voice was so gruff and so much like Sesshōmaru that Kagome could not help but chuckle. He bristled and turned his head away.

‘I’m glad that at least one of us is amused, miko.’

“No, no! I’m not amused. I’m… relieved that you still sound like you. I take it as a good sign. You might not be injured as badly as I thought you were.”

‘Hnn.’

Silence engulfed them as she knelt by his side, her fingers still moving gently through his fur. He'd said not a word about her touching him, but she sensed the rhythmic motions calmed him down and soothed him.

Kagome couldn't ignore the fear that crept into her heart. She had never seen Sesshōmaru, the strongest daiyōkai she ever knew, so vulnerable before.

“So… any idea what those red swirly things are?" she ventured a question once she was certain he was more or less more comfortable. "Have you been pissing some bad yōkai off?”

He cracked one eye open; the turquoise iris of his gaze finding her form beside him.

‘The Lord of the Eastern Lands has designs on my lands, and so he has been for centuries. He dabbles in the forbidden use of corrupted yōki.’

Kagome’s eyes widened. “Corrupted yōki? That’s what attacked you?”

He huffed, warm air blowing out from his nose, fluttering his white fur. ‘It certainly felt like it.’

She frowned, the information did nothing to make her feel better about their situation. Corrupted yōki was known to be a deadly force, and whoever wielded it must have a sinister goal in mind. If the Eastern Lord could control such force, it would make him a formidable adversary.

"Did it get inside you?"

'Though my enemy did not succeed, it managed to pierce me with a small amount of impurity. I can feel it now... A malicious energy that isn't mine swirling inside me.'

"We need to find a way to cleanse your yōki," Kagome said, even though she did not yet know how. "And stop him."

Sesshōmaru let out a growl of agreement before he tried to rise, only to have his breath knocked out of him. He fell with a heavy grunt.  

“I didn't mean right now,” Kagome admonished him, pressing her hand on his side to keep him reclined on the ground. Sesshōmaru was large, even if he wasn’t in his largest form. He would’ve been able to brush off her touch easily, but he didn’t. He stayed down as she’d suggested, midsection rising and falling with laboured breaths as he lay there, eyes closed and fur damp. Kagome sensed the pain coursing through him, but she told herself to keep calm. They had to find a way to cleanse his yōki before the corruption spread and it took control of him completely.

'I need to attack it with Tenseiga,' he growled. 'If I could take hold of the sword—' He looked down at his paw and fell silent.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Are you unable to turn back to your other form?"

'The beast feels it necessary to lock me in this form to slow down the corruption.'

Kagome could sense the frustration emanating from him. Sesshōmaru was not one to tolerate being restrained by anyone or anything, not even his own inner beast. But the fact that he had not turned back meant the corruption had already taken root in his yōki.

“We’ll get you back to your other form,” she assured him, trying to sound positive. “But first, let me take a closer look at where the crimson tendrils pierced you.”

Sesshōmaru let out a low growl but acquiesced and lay still as she leaned over him. Kagome parted the thick fur on his chest and gasped. Small, wriggly spikes of energy, like writhing worms, punctured his chest. Their colour was no longer crimson, but black. A sign that it had corrupted his yōki?

Kagome gathered her reiryoku at the tip of her fingers and cautiously touched the wriggly swirls. It slowly disintegrated into dust that disappeared within seconds — it was not immune to her priestess power after all. Perhaps, there was hope.

She spent the next few minutes trying to tamp down every wriggling wormlike impurity. But, no matter how hard or how long she tried, she could not seem to reach the core of the issue. Sighing, she wiped the sweat that had beaded along her hairline with the sleeve of her sweater.

'You've gained much strength since I saw you last,' Sesshōmaru suddenly commented, voice gruff and rather begrudging. He was still resting his head on the floor, his eyes closed.

The compliment, reluctant as it had been, was so surprising that Kagome couldn't help but laugh. "Really?!"

He remained quiet as though he did not hear her. She nudged his flank with her forefinger, inexplicably eager for the taciturn daiyōkai’s praise. "Really?" A little of her teasing edge was audible in her tone.

One crimson eye cracked open. A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest, though it lacked the usual bite of his irritation.

'Yes.' He finally indulged her, shifting slightly before settling again. 'I sense it. The spark that once powered you now roars like a blaze.'

Kagome felt warmth spread through her at such praise. Since her adventures with her friends in Sengoku Jidai had come to an end, she’d continue her training in modern Tokyo. Still, it had been a long time since anyone had complimented her. Coming from the daiyōkai, it was overwhelming in its magnitude. She knew Sesshōmaru was not one who would easily dole out praises, and so she savoured every word.

'Stay alert,' Sesshōmaru warned. 'We are not out of danger yet. Far from it.'

Kagome nodded. Despite her curiosity and prior distractions, her focus turned towards Sesshōmaru, trying to assess the inuyōkai's aura. He might seem calm on the outside, but she sensed the rampant energy, the untamed corruption that threatened to engulf the daiyōkai's being. As much as she tried, she didn’t seem to be able to cleanse much of the corruption inside him at all.

"What will happen?" she asked. "If the corrupted yōki take control of you?"

He opened both his eyes this time, staring not at her but at the darkness at the end of the cave. 'Then, the Lord of the Eastern Lands will succeed in turning me into his slave, naught but a puppet to do his bidding.'

It was then that they both sensed the intruder. Kagome quickly leapt to her feet, shielding Sesshōmaru with her own body. The crimson tendrils glowed with an eerie light, creeping towards the entrance of the cave. It made hissing sounds as it slithered closer and closer. Sesshōmaru growled, the sound low and menacing from his prone position on the ground.

'It hurts him,' she thought with panic. 'It hurts him to move.'

Despite the pain, the daiyōkai persevered. Kagome watched in awe as Sesshōmaru gathered his strength and slowly rose to his feet. With a mighty roar, he sent a blast of pure yōki towards the advancing crimson tendrils, dispelling the corrupted yōki in one swift blow. But, as it had before, the tendrils quickly regrouped, swirling and dancing in front of them like a taunting enemy.

Sesshōmaru swayed and coughed. Black, putrid blood dripped from his gaping maw. Kagome moved quickly, grabbing hold of Sesshōmaru's massive neck and supported him as he stood shakily on four legs.

'Tenseiga,' he panted. 'I need Tenseiga.'

Kagome's chest squeezed with fear. Sesshōmaru needed to disperse the crimson tendrils with Tenseiga, but the beast was adamant about keeping him in this form to slow down the effect of the corrupted yōki. She needed to find a way to cleanse him so that he could return to his humanoid form so that he could take hold of Tenseiga and end this threat once and for all.

What could she do to help him?

Under her widening gaze, the network of black tendrils on his chest wound was spreading. An idea struck as her eyes stared at those wriggling wormlike forms, one she had never tried before. But in such a dire situation, she had to do something, anything.

"Sesshōmaru. Stay still just a moment. I'm going to try to cleanse you —“

Perhaps it was possible to draw the impurity out like one would a snake venom. Perhaps she could use her body like a sieve by channelling the corrupted energy through her and cleanse the yōki, after which she would channel it back to Sesshōmaru.

Kagome felt her own power swirling inside her, reaching out as though to help him. She closed her eyes as she allowed her reiryoku to build up within. Reaching out with her mind, she probed his yōki, feeling its resistance and reluctant acquiescence before drawing it into herself, feeling it slide through her channels like a cold sabre, twisting and slicing its way deep within her core. She choked on a surprised gasp when pain seared her.

She heard his voice in her mind, calling her name. 'Kagome.'  

Sesshōmaru, both in humanoid and beast form, had not much range of emotions. But somehow, at that moment, she saw worry in his crimson eyes. She tried to speak, but her voice came out as a strangled groan. ‘It’s okay. I’m okay.’

The corrupted yōki was burning her from within, stronger with every passing second. She could feel it coursing through her veins like molten lava. The pain was unbearable, and she could feel her consciousness slipping away. Gritting her teeth, she gathered herself, forcing her eyes open and focusing on Sesshōmaru's face, his crimson eyes boring into hers while black blood still dripped from that gaping jaw. She couldn't falter now. She needed to see this through to the end, no matter the cost.

With a deep breath, Kagome steeled herself and continued to draw the impure yōki out of Sesshōmaru's body and into herself. The black tendrils writhed and thrashed as they clashed with her pure energy, but Kagome held fast, refusing to let go. The pain was excruciating, but she held on, determined to see this through to the end.

With a loud, desperate yell, she summoned every bit of power she had left in her body, sending bright rosy energy to radiate outward, burning away every black taint, every bit of impurity. She could feel Sesshōmaru’s energy now, rising like hot steam inside her. When she closed her eyes, she could see aquamarine light — the colour of his aura — rising like a sphere of power. It was terrifyingly potent, but it was pure in its own way, free of corruption.

Kagome uncurled her tight fists, and Sesshōmaru’s yōki began to flow out of her, returning to its original owner. The entire process took a toll on her body, and she slumped forward, so exhausted she could hardly lift a finger.

‘Rise,’ she told herself. ‘There’s still an enemy to fight,’ But her eyes blurred, and black dots edged her vision.

She was conscious long enough to see the tall, imposing figure suddenly standing in front of her, shielding her from their advancing foe. Her chest clenched at the vision of him; hope and courage rising inside her.

Golden eyes looked back at her, calm and composed.

'You've done more than enough, miko.' Strangely, she still heard his voice in his head. 'Let go. Leave the rest to me.'

And strangely, she believed him. She kept her eyes open while he swung his sword, unleashing a powerful and blinding light that engulfed the cave in a white glow. Then, Kagome let go, releasing her grip on the last tether to consciousness and letting the darkness of exhaustion take her.

******

As soon as Kagome awakened, the sight of the cave’s dark rocky roof met her eyes. She was inside the cavern, of course, and remembered having fainted shortly after she purified Sesshōmaru’s corrupted yōki with her body. Warm sunlight streamed into the interior from the cave’s wide mouth. She had expected her body to be sore from lying on the hard ground, but she found — with much surprise — herself lying upon softness.

She shimmied, groaning a little as she struggled to sit up. Her hand sank into a lush white pelt that felt as soft as it was warm. With much embarrassment, she realized the swath of fur she had slept on was connected to none other than Sesshōmaru.

He was in his humanoid form again, and Kagome could not decide which form of his was more intimidating.

“It worked, then?” she spoke hoarsely.

‘Fortunately so,’ he told her without opening his mouth. ‘Your gamble was reckless, woman, but it paid off.’

She’d understood the risk. If the corruption was affecting Sesshōmaru that badly, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t do the same to her — or worse. She’d only hope her priestess training and the natural reserve of reiryoku inside her body would do their job and destroy the corruption — which they did. She could not help a stupid grin from curling upon her lips.

“Why do I still hear you inside my head?” she questioned as she touched her chest. There was an odd feeling inside. It felt alien, it felt like it wasn’t hers.

It also felt undeniably him, Sesshōmaru’s yōki from before.

‘A small piece of my yōki refused to leave you,’ he simply said, as though it was an everyday occurrence.

“It refused to leave me?”

‘It is what I said.’

“Why?!”

‘Sometimes there is no explanation to events and phenomenons,’ he intoned, sounding rather bored. He looked like he could, at any moment, strike an insolent pose, lounging upon a chair and inspecting his claws. ‘Sometimes it is just so.’

Kagome began to panic. “Sesshōmaru. Your yōki inside my body isn’t just some ordinary phenomenon. It’s not like rain when the sun shines. It’s not a rainbow. Will you please remove it?”

He stared at her rather oddly, unmoving and unspeaking for long moments. Then, he rose, gently pulling his mokomoko from under her, and headed to the cave’s mouth.

“Wait!” Kagome called out, leaping to her feet with fists balled at her side. “What… what about your yōki that I still have inside me?”

“Keep it,” he said, and without so much as a backward glance, he flew away.

******

Threats removed, Kagome returned home through the well. Weeks passed, and Sesshōmaru’s yōki remained with her. It was strange, to say the least. It was silent — mostly. Sometimes, it almost felt like a mute friend. Sometimes, it felt as though she could almost have a conversation with it — with Sesshōmaru, though the answer she heard inside her head was always ‘Hnn.’

Not very strange at all, perhaps, considering it was him.

Back to her normal life in modern Tokyo, she went about her days. She attended classes at her university, went out with her friends, tried out new restaurants, went to karaoke, and lived her days as though nothing had happened, as though she was not carrying the life force of a powerful inu daiyōkai whose natural habitat was the feudal era over five hundred years prior.

That tiny piece of Sesshōmaru inside her seemed to scoff a lot when boys at the university approached her, even if she never encouraged them or engaged with their sloppy attempts to get her attention.

It sounded crazy, and she couldn’t tell anyone lest they thought her crazy too.

At night, as she lay in her bed, she kept her senses alert and open, in case something came through from the other end of the Bone Eater’s well. She could not deny she worried about Sesshōmaru. She stared at her smooth white ceiling, wondering if the Lord of the Eastern Lands tried to attack him and his territory again. She wondered if he was well. She wondered what he was doing at that moment.

This was usually the moment she rolled onto her side, hugged a pillow and closed her eyes, and tried her hardest to expel Sesshōmaru from her mind, because it was impossible to get him out of her heart.

One afternoon, as she’d just returned home from a lecture, she felt Sesshōmaru’s yōki stir inside her, as though beckoning her, propelling her forward. She followed her instinct, running as fast as her legs could carry her, heading towards the well-house.

As soon as she slid the door open, she saw him there, in the flesh, standing beside the well inside the dim interior. Rays of afternoon sun streamed into the darkness through the grates along the upper wall. Dust motes winked like stars around his silver head. Golden eyes found her form readily, as though he’d been waiting for her.

Her chest lurched with tenderness. His posture and bearing were as haughty and assured as ever while he looked around the space, despite having travelled more than five hundred years into the future.

“So— this is where you came from,” he said, his silky baritone voice caressing her from the few steps of distance that separated them. Laughter bubbled inside her chest. Sesshōmaru could always be relied upon to keep his comportment, no matter how strange the circumstances.

He was not the least bit perturbed, but the slight arch of his eyebrows and the softening of his golden eyes made her think he was somehow pleased to see her. It was not in his nature to express such emotions verbally, but she already knew, with him, actions spoke louder — much louder — than words. The fact he had shown up here, all the way from the past, spoke volumes.

Now, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d known the small piece of yōki he left inside her would connect them both through the passage of time. Was it the reason he’d refuse to take it back? Did he know his yōki, now part of her, would activate the well’s magic and allow him to pass through to her world?

She doubted he’d ever tell, even if she asked. But it didn’t matter.

“Yes, this is my home,” Kagome said, taking a step forward. Their eyes met and held, and this time, the surge of pleasure inside her chest was undeniable. She wondered if the emotion belonged to her or him — or perhaps it was both theirs.

"Have you come to take your yoki back?" she asked, resisting the urge to fold her arms across her chest, as though to prevent him from snatching back what rightfully belonged to him. Her knees shook when the realization dawned on her: she didn't want to give it back. She didn't want to lose this tiny tendril of connection she had to him. 

Slowly, he blinked. "Why would I do so, when it had found a very pleasant home inside you?"

Her cheeks burned. The look he slanted on her was rather... suggestive, and it made her feel out of sorts. 

When she kept silent, Sesshōmaru took a step forward. "If you'd like to be free from it, I will do so at your behest." 

The thought of being free from him no longer felt desirable; it felt lonely. “Come and meet my family,” she told him, cocking her head towards the door. “My mother will insist on feeding you. My brother will stare. And my grandfather… Well, he’ll try to exorcise you, but you’ll survive.”

He tilted his head to the side but did not move. “And you, miko? What about you?”

Awareness slithered through her body, warm and delicious. Her belly performed a somersault when she realized his golden eyes still roved over her form, drinking her in.

“I am happy you are here, Sesshōmaru,” Kagome said, and she nearly blushed when she immediately realized the truth in her words.

The daiyōkai said nothing, but the corners of his lips quirked up into the faintest smirk.

Then, he came to her, the scent of earth and pine and woodsmoke enveloping her senses. Together, they left the well-house, stepping out into the sun.

******

A/N: This story is written for the Inuspiration 2023 event. Stardust414 did two amazing artwork for this, and if you'd like to see them, please head over to the story site on AO3 (link below). 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51242635

I hope you enjoyed it!