Offering by The-Fallen-Angel-of-Death

What One Does for Love

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Inuyasha. If I did I'd put Inuyasha's hair up in pretty ribbons and make him wear a dress, then sell him on the streets. ^-^

Chapter 1

"Kagome, we need to talk for a minute..." Inuyasha grumbled after he'd finished his food, this time he didn't bother complaining about the lack of ramen. He'd been planning on telling Kagome about this little... Problem for nearly two months, but hadn't worked up the necessary courage, and what's worse, he felt terrible about doing it at all.

"Hm?" Kagome asked her chopsticks in her mouth. "What about?"

"Probably something important." Shippou piped up putting more food in his mouth, "He hasn't hit me once today and he hasn't eaten much at all."

Inuyasha growled and bonked Shippou on the head for that little comment.

"Oooow!" Shippou cried holding the big bump on his head.

Sango and Miroku both giggled, "Seems he's back to normal." Miroku commented continuing to eat his food.

"Look it'll only take a second," Inuyasha growled glaring at their other companions. "And I need to speak to you without any spectators."

Miroku held his hand up, "Very well, if you insist we will not follow you," then he turned his head to face Sango his expression serious. "Dear Sango what shall we do while our other companions are gone?"

Sango just looked at him for a moment at first not comprehending his meaning, until she felt something... "Not that you perverted monk!" she yelled punching him on the top of his head.

"Why can't I come?" Shippou whined crossing his arms, his head still hurting pretty badly. "It's not fair."

"Cause It's none of your business!" Inuyasha yelled, then reached down to grab Kagome's wrist, she was still sitting down, showing no sign of cooperation, but he really needed to talk to her about this. "Come on, get on my back." he ordered, bending down so she could climb on.

Kagome shrugged, "Okay if you say so," she said climbing on and getting as comfortable as one could get on another's back. "But I don't see what's so IMPORTANT!" the last word was said in a shrill kind of scream because Inuyasha had already taken off, barely giving her time to grab onto his shoulders.

Inuyasha ran through the trees at top speed, if he knew Sango and Miroku they would try and get within hearing distance, and he couldn't have them knowing about his plans. They'd object, and probably yell at him for hours concerning it, and all before he'd even get part of his plan accomplished.

Kagome was easier to deal with, she bended to his will if he applied it strongly enough, or if he said things just the right way. It was his role as the alpha male in the group, and he'd only recently found out he needed a group, and he generally needed it whole, dogs moved in packs, it seemed his dog youkai also desired that.

Once he'd gotten a sufficient distance away he stopped, and set Kagome down.

Kagome's head was spinning and she had to sit on the ground for a moment. "Wow look at all the pretty colors." she mumbled.

Inuyasha growled, and as anticipated Kagome shook her head and stood up. "What's all this about?" Kagome asked shaking her head a bit. "I don't think you really need to talk to me in secret-"

"My brother has just had a son." Inuyasha announced cutting Kagome off.

"A son?" she wondered thinking about the great Taiyoukai, for some reason she just couldn't imagine him with a child in his arms. "With whom?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "It doesn't matter she died after childbirth anyway. The midwife said that the child was too strong for it's mother and had actually scratched her insides up, making her bleed to death."

Kagome winced, that would definitely be an unpleasant birth. "Wait... How do you know all of this?"

"Three months ago I was invited to the palace to witness his birth. I didn't want to go but family tradition demands that I see the child shortly after the birth." he growled, "Had it been a girl Sesshoumaru probably would've been angry, but since he now has a son he seemed... Less intense and actually held the child up to me."

Kagome blinked hard, "When did all this happen? How long did you stay there?"

"It happened three months ago and I only stayed for one day." he growled, "I was supposed to stay longer but I didn't want to stay in his home any longer than necessary."

"Huh..." Kagome put a finger against her chin, the very idea seemed foreign to her. The thought of Sesshoumaru being "less intense" just didn't seem right, and him holding a child up to anyone was just plain weird...

"But why did you have to talk to me alone about this?"

Now it was Inuyasha's turn to wince, he turned his back to her a moment... How could he tell her? "There was one more part of the tradition..." then he forced himself back around to face her, he needed to be looking at her, she was much easier to control that way. "I have to give him an offering. Something for a short time, or forever whatever. In any case I've been ordered by him to fulfill this tradition."

Now Kagome's stomach was knotting up real tight with worry. "I don't get it, why don't you just ignore the tradition? It's not like he's ever included you in his life before..." the first fear that went through her mind was that he wanted to give Shippou to Sesshoumaru, or have someone close to them go...

Inuyasha growled, "I have to! I don't want to but it has to be done." he punched a tree near him, shattering it, "Damn... This isn't the way things are supposed to be, I was hoping he'd never have a brat but he does..."

Kagome's stomach was tightening even worse. "What do you plan on giving him?" she asked, her worry in her voice.

Inuyasha looked back at her, then almost growled louder, she was afraid already and he hadn't even told her what he'd planned! Quickly he grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her against him. "I'm sorry Kagome, don't worry..." he sighed, "I've decided to... Well sort of lend you to him for a while. He needs someone to take care of the brat for a while, and I thought I'd let you go over there for two weeks and help out a bit."

Kagome's eyes went wide with horror. But her heart was melting slowly, Inuyasha's arms around her somehow assured her that everything would be alright. She should be objecting loudly about this, and she knew it, but somehow when he held her like this she lacked the strength necessary. Why did her heart have to be this way? It didn't matter though, so long as Inuyasha was there with her, she'd do anything he wanted at all, just anything.

"You'll be taking care of a baby. I knew you'd like that so I figured you wouldn't mind going. Still I just didn't want you to be under his roof. Not once at all..." he started stroking her hair as he said this, to him putting Kagome under his brother's roof would be almost a physical pain. She didn't know that and could it be prevented, she'd never know that. "But don't worry, he won't kill you, you are a gift, even if only temporarily, and he can not kill you."

Kagome sighed against him, if he said so, then alright. "Okay, I'll go..." she conceded with a happy smile on her face and a light blush on her cheeks. "If you say so, I won't mind."

Inuyasha nodded against her head, "He'll be expecting my "offering" today, so he'll be at his palace, I've gotten us pretty close during our travels, it won't take anything more than an hour to get there."

Kagome whimpered, the thought of being in Sesshoumaru's presence sending a cold bolt of fear through her heart. "I'm still kind of scared Inuyasha..." she admitted, "I don't trust that he won't hurt me or something, I've shot arrows at him, he has every right to want to kill me."

Inuyasha pulled away slightly, but was still embracing her, she turned her head up to look at him, and he could see her worry shining in her eyes. How could he reassure her? In his mind he could only find one way, but it was more of an instinctive way to make her trust him.

He leaned forward quickly, closing his eyes as he pushed his lips against hers, but not in a really rough way, or a dominating way, but rather he was firm but not too pushy, giving her the reassurance she needed.

Kagome's eyes went wide with shock, but then slowly closed, his lips felt good against hers, and she could feel all the worry leaving her, as he moved his lips over hers.

His tongue left his mouth, licking her lips in a silent request, and at first Kagome was going to comply but something in her head snapped and she pulled away. "Too much..." she mumbled by way of explanation, "Just too much..."

Though annoyed slightly Inuyasha did understand, he let her leave his embrace and sit on the floor of the forest.

Kagome's head was spinning fast. She had to go to Sesshoumaru, a man who'd tried to kill her already, tried to kill her and Inuyasha. She had to go to him, and more than likely, be his slave for two full weeks, he'd make her do all kinds of horrible tasks, just by way of punishment more than likely.

Or would he kill her? No, Inuyasha said that he wouldn't, and she trusted him with all her heart. "Okay, I'm ready..." she said standing her feet firm. "Two weeks shouldn't be too bad!" she turned eyes hard on Inuyasha, "But I expect to have two weeks at home sometime soon after this!" she said pointing at him. "Or no more Ramen!"

Inuyasha almost smirked, Kagome was back to her normal self, this was a good thing. Still he couldn't let her see just how much her out-of-place authority amused him. "Two weeks?! But that'll be a month we can't look for the jewel!" he shouted instead, though he honestly didn't care. "Naraku will have an entire army ready for us!"

Kagome shook her head, "Nope, I'll work with you for two weeks with Sesshoumaru, then I'll go home for two days, come back for a week then leave for two. Is this understood?"

Inuyasha growled low in his chest. "Fine! Do whatever you want but it's your responsibility you're skipping out on!" then he turned his back to her, hiding his smirk. That wouldn't happen at all, but he'd let her think that way if she wanted. Didn't matter, she didn't need this "skuol" because when the journey was through he'd simply destroy the well, before he used the jewel. Of course he knew she'd be devastated, but who's shoulder would she be crying on?

He was about to laugh but forced himself to stop. "Come on and get on my back already!" he growled over his shoulder, pleased when he felt her tiny weight climbing on.

He really, really didn't want to hand this little treasure over to Sesshoumaru, but he couldn't give Sango over, she'd try constantly to kill Sesshoumaru and end up dying herself. Miroku would be of almost no use to Sesshoumaru and would try and sleep with Sesshoumaru's concubines, earning him an early death as well. Shippou was simply out of the question the kit would do no good and actually be more of a hindrance than anything. Kagome was his only real choice and that bothered him greatly.

Well, it'd be over in two weeks, and Kagome'd come running into his arms, he was sure. "Hold on tight." he ordered then took off.

Kagome couldn't help the worry she was feeling. She just thought about looking up at that man and a shiver of fear ran along her spine. Why her? What, had the fates been bored the day they pushed her down that well. "Hey Fate what's up?" she could just imagine the god's conversation. "Oh nothin' havin a shitty day, thought I'd fuck with that girl, Kagome down there."

Yeah, and now that things had gotten into a routine (as much as that is possible.) That same god had another bad day. "My girlfriend just broke up with me, so I'm going to see how fucked up this girl's world can get." Tch, wouldn't surprise her not one little bit.

And they'd successfully fucked it up this time. Just the thought of Sesshoumaru's voice nearly made her swoon with fear. He was so... Intimidating... There could be no other word for it. He stood there and looked at you and all you wanted to do was shrink into yourself.

Kagome laid her head against Inuyasha's shoulder, knowing that of all times now he wouldn't mind.

During all the fights... He had always been able to kill them, she saw that now, he could have killed both her and Inuyasha in every battle previous. That's how powerful he was, she'd never seen anything like that, even Monomaru wasn't as fast as Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru's power in full demon form was enough to make a person cry.

When in the tomb she had felt that power, but hadn't realized what she'd been feeling, she had only assumed it was the jitters, or just the intimidation, or some strange mix of the two. It took her until just now to realize that her feeling was in fact his power.

What scared her about then was that some of that power had been directed at her, and she'd survived, and more than once too. Why, she could never imagine, but whatever the case, she would trust Inuyasha, always.