Inuyasha A Winter Discovery

_AN: In an effort to reduce the number of accounts I have to keep track of, I am combining all of my fanfiction under this account. This was originally posted under my penname Zybentina, which will be closed at the end of July._

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It was cold. So terribly, frigidly freaking cold.

Granted it _was_ December and a few days before Christmas day. That alone should have clued in the Miko from the future that it would be almost freezing at this time of the year, especially in the Feudal Era. Why she hadn't dressed more appropriately, she didn't honestly know.

_'Stupid Inuyasha. It's all his fault.'_

To be honest it wasn't his fault, but Kagome felt that if she wanted to blame someone for her current predicament he was her first choice. He deserved good butt kicking right now in her opinion.

The 20-year old, onyx-haired woman trekked through the wilds of Japan, her trusty bow and quiver of arrows slung on one shoulder while a newer and less bright blue backpack dangled from the other. The trusty old yellow pack had finally been retired, replaced by a newer and not so loudly colored one. She was on her return trip to Edo after having snuck out the evening before to see her good friend Jinenji.

The winter had started out milder than most years yet the villagers still managed to catch seasonal illnesses. This year, though, there was a strain of flu that had Kagome worried. Not wanting to depend on the drugs from the future she found an alternate solution; that was to see if some of Jinenji's herbs and roots that grew only in his garden in his part of the country would help. She was correct in her assumption as evident by the heaviness of her carryall. Her horse-hanyou friend had been able to discern the proper roots and herbs needed based on Kagome's detailed description of the symptoms the villagers were exhibiting. He instructed her in the proper preparation and combination of those items, telling her that she needed to be careful not to give anyone too much of the concoction at one time. Too much could cause death.

No pressure.

Kagome shivered again as a particularly blustery wind passed through chilling her to the bone. She glanced up at the once clear blue sky only to find that the wind was blowing in some dark, ominous clouds from somewhere.

She was afraid it would begin to snow if she was reading the signs correctly. _'So not cool.'_

Kagome pulled the light jacket she wore closed, zipping it up and pulling up the excuse for a hood over her head in an attempt to keep the warmth within. She was grateful that she no longer wore those school uniforms with the short skirts, blouse and blazers that were just not practical in this era. Instead she wore denim jeans, a beige sweater, dark green flannel jacket and good hiking boots. She had splurged on the boots knowing that the amount of hiking she would be doing in the Feudal Era in attempt to find the rest of the jewel shards and battling random demons and oni, not to mention the males of the era. A girl in her position needed practical shoes.

Naraku was long gone, but there were still a few elusive shards to be found before she could complete and wish the damned Shikon-no-Tama out of existence. Oh yes, she was determined to make that piece of jewelry disappear from reality. It had been a plague on the world, not to mention her sanity.

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A lot had changed since the spider had been squashed thanks to the combined efforts of Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Kagome. The combination of their powers aimed at the kumo hanyou had been too much for him and the portion of the jewel he carried. It disintegrated the nuisance known as Naraku into ash leaving only the purple-colored fragment behind.

Kagome still spent time in the Feudal Era the remaining shards still needing to be found, but not apparently quickly enough for the overly impatient Inuyasha. Kagome finally had to sit her hanyou friend down and lay down the law. She was not going to spend every day in the past to be his shard detector, even though he was no longer intent on making a wish on the jewel to become a full demon, nor was he asking Kagome to wish Kikyo back to life. Like Kagome, he just wanted it gone and the quest to be over. Inuyasha, too, felt that too much had been lost, too many lives destroyed due to that accursed gem. He also wanted to move on with his life having been given a second chance since meeting the young Kagome.

Their feelings for one another had changed and morphed into more of a brotherly/sisterly relationship over the last few years, disappointing Kagome's mother and Souta for differing reasons. Her mother was hoping for puppy-eared grandbabies to spoil, and Souta just wanted Inuyasha around. He had found an elder brother-figure in the gruff hanyou and was dreading the day that the magical properties of the well would disappear and the means for Inuyasha to come visit with it.

Kagome insisted on the time and space to continue with her education. Her duty to the inu tachi aside, she wanted to do well in high school and then go on to college. When she had begun college she found that she had larger blocks of time in between classes, homework and study groups to go back in time and continue with the search. Inuyasha wasn't thrilled with this arrangement, but the kotodama around his neck was a constant reminder that he could be eating dirt on a regular basis if he didn't let Kagome do what she wanted.

Inuyasha was growing up and beginning to mature a little more as time passed. It didn't mean he wasn't subject to fits of immaturity from time-to-time, but they were fewer and further between.

A prime example of the old Inuyasha was the day that Kagome told him that she would be going to Jinenji's farm to get the hanyou's advice and hopefully a cure for the increasingly hard to combat illness that had overset the village.

"I'm coming with you," was his gruff response.

"Inuyasha, you need to stay and watch over the village," she supplied. "Besides, with Rin in the village training with Kaede, you'll need to keep an eye not only on the demon attacks but the aggressive male attention she's been getting lately."

Inuyasha blanched at that. Oh yes, Sesshomaru would have his hide if the demon knew his 15-year old ward was attracting males at every turn. Inuyasha had his work cut out for him in that regard. The day a human male approached Sesshomaru for Rin's hand in marriage would be a day to remember.

"Sango and Miroku can keep an eye on the wench, as well as the village," he countered.

Kagome sighed. "You know that Miroku is ill and Sango is pregnant and in no condition to be fighting. What are you thinking, Inuyasha?"

Yes, the demon slayer and her perverted monk had finally tied the knot after Naraku had been dealt with. It had taken a few years before they began to work on starting a family. Their original plan to rebuild the slayer's village had been put on the back burner until the jewel shards had all been found, opting to stay in Edo close to their friends and extended family.

"I'm coming with you and that's that!" he said unmoving as he crossed his arms in finality.

"Fine!" Kagome grumbled and Inuyasha smirked at having won the battle. However, he was not aware that Kagome had an ace up her sleeve.

There had been enough occasions that Inuyasha's stubbornness got in the way of practicality. He'd get it in his head that it was his way or no way and Kagome would have to use other means to turn the tides in her favor.

This was one of those times.

That evening in Kaede's hut, Kagome prepared a cup of Ramen for her dog-eared friend, as a peace offering of sorts. She handed the cup to Inuyasha whose eyes gleamed at his favorite food in the whole world and swallowed its contents in one gulp.

_'Checkmate.'_ Kagome smiled quietly to herself.

Rin and Kaede watched Kagome and Inuyasha with interest. There had to be more to the situation than what they were seeing and kept quiet. Kagome only pulled out the cup noodles for certain occasions. It usually ended up with Inuyasha sleeping for a while. You would think he'd put two and two together.

Not Inuyasha.

"Make some more, wench! You know this tiny cup isn't enough!"

"Inuyasha…" her blue eyes sparked with the promise of pain and he backed off.

"Fine," he grumbled and went for the stew that was currently being eaten by Kaede and Rin. Five minutes later Inuyasha was sound asleep, sprawled out on his back with one leg kicking in the air like a dog and snoring loudly.

Kagome got up from her position near the fire and grabbed his bowl from him to be washed. She placed a light blanket over her sleeping friend and smiled gently.

"You drugged him?" Rin asked quietly.

"I had to." Kagome shrugged like it was nothing new.

"Ye did not have to Lady Kagome," Kaede admonished gently.

Kagome sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "He needs to stay in the village to keep an eye on things."

"He cannot do that if he's sleeping so soundly," was the elderly Miko's reply.

"You know it's only temporary. He'll be awake in a few hours anyway," Kagome explained knowing the demon blood within him would break down the tranquilizer fairly quickly.

"Besides, the area is currently devoid of any demon activity and the current guard we have set up on the village perimeter should be able to hold off any bandits that try to cause trouble."

Kagome, Inuyasha and Sango had taken it upon themselves to train many of the men of the village to become protectors themselves. They knew that there would be times that the three of them, along with Miroku, would not be able to be there at all times to protect the village. Dependency on them would be the village's downfall if they didn't learn to take care of themselves. The village headman had been very accepting of the idea and had supported the trio's idea wholeheartedly.

Kagome washed out the dinner bowls and utensils in the cleaning bucket before she turned and stood to grab her backpack and bow and arrows. She then looked at the two women in the hut.

"Keep him here, please. I don't need him causing me trouble on the way to Jinenji's and back."

She nodded and left the hut walking out into the rapidly darkening evening.

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The half-frozen Miko took to making her way through the forest in a slow jog in an attempt to keep warm. She didn't want to run and risk sweating and making things worse for her, so she kept a steady pace. At the rate she was going, she should be back in the village in time for Christmas morning, provided an impatient inu hanyou didn't come after her and carry her back.

But as cold as she was right now, she wouldn't have minded a lift back to the village, even if it was on Inuyasha's back. She'd even put up with his ranting about how she put herself in danger, how she could be found by one of Kouga's pack, yadda, yadda, yadda… She could just hear it now.

No wait…

Off in the distance was the sound of what could only be described as a battle. Sounds of trees cracking and roars of unknown beings were echoing in the direction she was going.

Should she go around the area the battle was being fought? Or should she check and see if someone might need her help? Decisions, decisions, but Kagome's curiosity and warm heart soon won out and she made for the direction she was originally heading.

She knew she was going to regret it either way.

As she got closer to the fray, the sounds got louder and more intense and the feel of powerful youki surrounded the area, flaring and pressing against her body causing her reiki to react to possible attack. Kagome struggled to keep control of her power for fear of attracting attention to herself, and the possibility of finding herself in the middle of the current battle weighed heavily on her mind.

And then it seemed that the battle came to a head with a great howl and burst of conflicting youki and a great screeching wail and a BOOM! Followed by silence. Eerie silence.

Kagome crept towards the area that she last felt the clash of auras, trying to be as silent as possible in case there were any demons, or whatever had been making the ruckus, were left alive. The brush and trees had increased in thickness, making it more difficult for her to get through or to see anything in front of her. After what she had felt she would be surprised if anything survived, but she continued to stealthily make her way through the dense foliage.

She then came to a break in the practically impenetrable forest and into a clearing. Well, it was a clearing now for before her was a scene of what she could only describe as massive carnage. Trees had been uprooted, some of them torn in half, branches burned and shattered, and great scorch marks littered the ground. Amongst the ground littered in debris from the innocent plant life, Kagome saw what could only be termed as bits and pieces of remains of… something that had once been living.

_'It doesn't matter how many times I've seen blown up demon bits, it still grosses me out,'_ she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around her upper body and shivered in horror.

Then white flakes began to drop from the sky, floating gently to the forest floor.

Kagome trembled as another particularly glacial breeze broke through her clothing. _'Fantastic, now it's beginning to snow.'_ She looked to the ominously darkened sky, glaring at it as if to ask, 'What next?'

She tore her eyes from the sky and walked through the clearing, carefully watching where she stepped not wanting to have to throw away her favorite hiking boots quite yet. She flared her reiki in an attempt to ward off any scavengers for one, but also in search of any possible life within what she could only call the remains of a bloodbath. She felt a small amount of youki respond but it was very faint, so she continued to search through the carnage. There were entrails scattered to everywhere but nothing that was distinguishable, giving her a clue as to who or what had battled there.

That is until she came across a figure in white and red. She knelt next to the figure recognizing the being almost instantly and gasped at the damage done to him.

Sesshomaru's haori and hakama were barely white, more like rusty red from blood loss, his clothing torn and left in tatters by what looked like some thing that had large claws. Those claws had also shredded a good portion of his upper body and left arm, leaving behind torn and bloodied skin and things that Kagome did not want to even think of.

"Oh Sesshomaru…" Kagome stared at the seemingly lifeless demon and felt terrible for him as he was lying in a pool of his life force, his pale skin looking even more so with the fallen flakes of snow gathering upon his rapidly cooling body. His face looked peaceful in his forever sleep, his beautiful amber eyes hidden behind his magenta-striped eyelids. Kagome traced the markings on his cheeks noting that his skin was still slightly warm to the touch, and then proceeded to touch the crescent moon that marked his forehead. She knew that it was a mark that carried over from his mother along with his eerily feminine looks.

"What a waste," she murmured as she stood and glanced around to look for a good place to bury his body not even thinking about how she was going to break into the hard earth. Before she had a chance to step away a large hand grasped her ankle causing the girl to gasp in shock. She looked to see that Sesshomaru was indeed alive apparent by the red demon eyes that glared at her from his position on the cold, hard ground.

"Sesshomaru! Oh my God you're still alive!" she exclaimed earning a low gurgling growl from the prone form. Kagome was shocked but not at all surprised that he still lived, even with the amount of blood loss that was visible. Yet she was still terrified that he had his claw around her leg and was fearful that she might lose that appendage and anything that was attached to it for having momentarily touched his person.

She was so toast.

By this time the snowfall had increased exponentially as did the chilling winds and she knew she needed to get out of the weather before she froze to death. Looking down at the red-eyed feral demon that had a dangerous hand clamped around her, she felt that he needed to get under cover as well to heal properly.

Collecting as much inner strength and courage that she could Kagome spoke. "Sesshomaru? Look, I'm not going to hurt you, but we need to get you under cover and out of the snow so you can heal properly," she posed. "Will you allow me to help you to shelter?" Then thinking it through and looking around her shoulders slumped from defeat. "Great, you wouldn't happen to know if there's a cave nearby, would you?" she rhetorically asked the damaged demon lord.

A bloodied, weakened arm slowly lifted from the rubble beside Sesshomaru as his finger pointed in a Westerly direction with some difficulty.

"Hunh." Her eyes followed the direction he was pointing. "It's a little out of my way, but I guess beggars can't be choosers." She then looked down at Sesshomaru noting that the bleeding seemed to have slowed down either due to his own healing abilities, or because of the weather, which just seemed to get colder and colder. His pelt was shredded, torn into large pieces and she wondered just what it was and if leaving it behind would be a bad thing or not. There was no sign of the armor he usually wore.

Yes, she was going to find some way to get him out of swiftly declining weather. And if she died in the process? Well, she at least attempted to do her good deed for the day.

"Look Sesshomaru." She stared down into his reddened eyes, hands on her hips looking like her mother when she was going to lecture Souta for having done something wrong. "It's getting colder and I think we're in for a snowstorm of epic proportions," she informed him. "Either you help me help you and make our way to the shelter, or we both die here and now. What will it be?" she asked, a blue fire lighting her eyes in challenge.

"Hnngrl..," he gurgled and then grunted as the silver-haired demon let go of Kagome's ankle and attempted to sit up from being flat on his back. He didn't get very far and found himself on his back once again with a grimace of pain. Kagome knelt down slowly and approached him as she would an unfamiliar dog allowing him to get used to her presence. She held out her hand allowing him to grasp at her forearm and she grabbed his in turn for a secure hold.

"Jeeze Sesshomaru, what happened to you?" she asked quietly as she tried to steady herself before assisting him.

Gradually she rose up and pulled the extremely heavy male up with her from the ground using her legs as a means to brace and support the extra weight and pulled him up on his feet. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. In Sesshomaru's weakened condition he was unable to continue to hold himself up and passed out from over-exertion causing Kagome to lose her grip on what ended up being extremely heavy dead weight.

"Ugh!" she grunted as the demon tumbled to the ground. She knew that if he had any sense or was conscious at this moment he'd probably kill her for having seen him in such a state.

"Well great," she mumbled as she knelt back down to check on the condition of the male. "You've opened the wounds again and they're bleeding even more. Now what am I going to do!" she yelled up at the sky as if to ask a higher power for guidance. Getting nothing in response, the dark-haired Miko sighed loudly, got up and was determined to get Sesshomaru to shelter.

And soon, because the snow was coming down even harder now.

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Back in the village of Edo, an irate hanyou was making a nuisance of himself.

"She drugged me!" he fumed. "Again!"

Rin and Kaede stood aside and watched has he ranted and raved about finding Kagome gone while noting the obvious signs of a huge snowstorm brewing outside. The winds had picked up with a ferocity not seen in decades, bringing in black clouds that promised a lot of snow. The flakes currently flying in the wind was a sign of the beginning of that storm and they hoped their friend would find shelter.

"And she's going to get caught up in this freak storm! Alone!" he continued to bark as if Kaede and Rin didn't already know this. "If I had gone with her…"

"Ye'd both be stuck in the storm, Inuyasha," Kaede supplied.

"But I'd be there to protect her!" he yelled back. Kaede didn't flinch knowing that the boy was worried, horribly worried, that Kagome wouldn't be able to find shelter or her way back.

"I'm going after her. She has to be on her way back from Jinenji's farm, and if she followed the roads…"

"Ye could get caught in the storm along with her, Inuyasha. Apart from one another," she told him. "It won't do anyone any good if ye are caught in the storm as well. Stay put and pray that Kagome has found shelter."

Inuyasha relented, knowing the old Miko was right and decided to wait out the storm. He didn't like it though.

"Kagome's smart, Inuyasha," Rin reminded him.

"Yeah, so?"

"She'll see the signs and look for a place to weather the storm." With that, Rin and Kaede both prepared for the oncoming blizzard noting that many of the villagers were doing what they could while they could to survive.

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An hour or so later (she'd lost track of time along with the feeling in both her hands and feet), Kagome had finally located what looked to be a cave of some sort. She'd almost passed by it with the trees blocking the entrance and white out effect making it difficult to see anything in front of her. Her focus on the invalid she was dragging behind her on the pseudo-stretcher she put together didn't help matters either. It was also fortunate that the cave was close to the ground so she wouldn't have to carry Sesshomaru up some steep incline.

Before she dragged her burden into the cave, she quickly walked towards the entrance and peeked in noting the barrier that protected it let her pass easily. Seeing nothing within the entrance, since the inside was dark, she flared her reiki searching for any signs of life that could be hiding inside. She didn't recognize the energy signature of the protective force and didn't want to assume anything. Fortunately nothing responded and on a wing and a prayer, she picked up the handles of her hand-made stretcher with Sesshomaru on it and dragged him inside the cave and out of what seemed to be increasingly worsening weather.

The cavern seemed to have been lived in at some point as evidenced by the supplies housed within, and she had hoped that maybe, just maybe, it was one of Sesshomaru's resting spots. For some reason, she felt it had been more for the sake of the little girl-turned-young-woman that had at one time followed the great demon.

There was dried wood and kindling near the entry to the cave, far enough inside not to get wet from the elements. A large pallet of furs sat towards the back of the cave, that was not all that deep but cozy enough to stay in for a short period of time.

Getting her bearings and deciding what needed to be done first, Kagome grabbed some kindling and dried wood and made a fire in the pit that was centered in the roomy space, grateful that she had not lost her backpack in the hurry to get out of the clearing where the battle was held. Within its confines was her saving grace: a lighter. She knelt down next to the pit and found that lighting the kindling wasn't going to be as easy as she initially thought, but it finally took to the flame and she was looking forward to feeling some warmth fairly soon.

She rubbed her hands together over the small flames just to get some feeling back into them before she took a look at Sesshomaru.

The snow that had built up on his body during their long trek through the woods had begun to melt, either from the heat of his body or the quickly warming fire Kagome had built. She was glad that she decided to keep her trusty first aid kit in the backpack – it always paid to be prepared and this was one of those times. However, she doubted she had enough supplies for the enormous amount of damage inflicted on the male.

First things first.

Kagome searched for a vessel that she could melt snow to make hot water to clean the wounds. She searched around and found a clay pot that would have to do, filled it with snow and placed it in the fire after she stirred the coals around making a place for the pot to sit upright. Content with how things looked and adding a few more logs to the fire, she turned her attention to Sesshomaru.

She pulled him by using the stretcher closer to the pallet of furs. Before she attempted moving him, she pulled the furs off one by one, shaking them out to make sure there were no critters crawling within and reducing the amount of dust that could have settled. She was actually pleased to see that they were fairly clean and positioned a few for Sesshomaru to lie down on. The trick now was how to get the very heavy male on the bedding without hurting him more and killing her back. She didn't want to just pull him up on the bed, stretcher and all, but then she thought, _'Why not?'_

She shrugged and did just that. All she had to do once she got him on the pallet was remove the large branches from what was remaining of his outer haori. She found wrapping the long sticks inside each armhole (after removing the outer jacket from his body and very grateful that he wore another beneath it) seemed to be the best way to do it. Much to her amazement it worked very well. The demon-made silk was stronger than the human woven silk and was probably the only reason she was able to make the stretcher work.

Before she went to work on removing the rest of his garments, Kagome removed her jacket, finding the exertion was making her work up a bit of a sweat. Next she went to the fire and found something to use as a potholder to remove the clay pot from the burning embers. Taking the pot to the side of the bed and then grabbing the first aid kit, Kagome went to work on the wounds.

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By the time Kagome finished treating and dressing Sesshomaru's wounds, she was thoroughly out of sterile bandages and antibiotic ointment, and dead on her feet. The demon on the pallet hadn't made a sound or a movement and there were times she had to check to see if he was still breathing and not just wasting her time with her ministrations.

She leaned back against the side of the cave near the demon, having wrapped herself within a fur for extra warmth now that she wasn't working so hard, and watched over him as her mind drifted.

It was probably not good for her heart and emotions to linger too long watching over him. She had been nursing a horrible infatuation for the male that lie naked beneath the furs in front of her. Every time she saw him, it was all she could do to control her hormones knowing that his sense of smell was like that of Inuyasha's: super sensitive. She had a feeling that he may actually know that she held a certain affection for him, but it didn't explain why he would linger in the village when he was finished with his visits with Rin, or why he would deign to strike up conversations with her, leaving her questioning what had just happened?

It was so out of character for the demon to go out of his way like that and it frightened her.

Kagome refused to look too much into the demon's actions figuring her fatigue was affecting her rational thought. She ended up nodding off and on throughout the rest of the day and through the night, checking on the progress of the demon's wounds when she would awaken, feeling slightly comforted that they were healing very quickly. However, that meant that he would rouse from his healing sleep soon.

Not wanting to be around when the most likely ornery Lord Sesshomaru did wake up and since he was healed enough that she didn't need to stay, Kagome began to make preparations for her departure. Even though the blizzard outside the cave had not relented, she was not interested in being killed today because she had 'molested his person.'

She determined that her clothing had dried from the earlier exposure but had planned on taking one of the furs for extra warmth. It was a white one, to blend with the snow and as added protection from possible predators or wayward wolves.

Kagome shivered and not because of the cold. She had heard the baying of wolves throughout the night and she held hope that she wouldn't run into any of them. If she did and they happened to be one of Kouga's pack…

She really didn't want to think about it or him. The possibilities were frightening and she refused to dwell on it now. Now she needed to get away from the soon-to-awaken Sesshomaru. He was more dangerous than Kouga or his wolves right now.

Kagome cleared her head and then stoked up the fire before she took a last look at the sleeping male's wounds, grateful that they were almost completely healed. It was the sign that she had better leave and soon. He could awaken at any moment.

Taking another look back at the sleeping demon almost longingly, Kagome slid her backpack, along with her quiver and bow on her back and then placed the fur over her head and body and walked into the blanket of white.

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There was residual pain that could be felt as the demon began to awaken from his deep slumber. Flashes of a battle recently fought and won flashed through his mind. Visions of an unfamiliar youkai, possibly from the mainland, changing to his true form, that of a large white tiger, and fighting the large white inu ran through his head.

"Hn." He practically moaned disgusted with himself at his showing of weakness. The pounding between his ears and the ringing within was not helping him to focus on his surroundings at the moment.

Sesshomaru flared his youki in an attempt to identify his surroundings and scare off any lower level youkai from the area, but discovered two things: One, he was in one of his many dens scattered throughout the Western Lands and two, there were very few living beings in the area. The strongest life force was that of a reiki user, one whose energy signature was very familiar to the demon.

What confused him even more is that the same tingling energy could be felt in the den, as if the user had been there fairly recently. And then it came back to him; Kagome. The Miko had found him after the battle.

The demon slowly rose from his prone position on the pallet of furs, ignoring the fact he was completely naked, and walked towards the entrance of the cave. The storm he had sensed coming had struck with a vengeance.

If the Miko had brought him here from the scene of the battle, then where was she now?

Eyes widened as he realized that the familiar reiki he sensed in the distance was hers_. 'What is that woman doing?'_

He realized that Kagome had somehow brought him in out of the beginnings of a large snowstorm and to this cave, undressed him and cleansed and dressed his wounds. While initially he would have been angered that a human had undressed him had touched his person almost intimately, he could not say that he minded this particular female doing so.

The years with the young girl Rin and the constant exposure to the Miko, when he would visit Rin in the Village of Edo, had softened the terrible demon lord a bit. He actually found that he looked forward to the times he would run into the female known as Kagome. She had grown and matured over the years and the few times that he had managed to converse with the Miko, he discovered she was highly educated and well spoken. To Sesshomaru, there was nothing more attractive than an intelligent mind. Beyond that, he couldn't ignore the physical changes in the woman either.

She was no longer the lanky, clumsy female that once freed his half-brother from the Goshinboku. She was a woman now. An extremely attractive one at that with a power within that was held with grace and an amazing strength of character, never once attacking for the sake of killing. She was, in a nutshell, the perfect choice of a mate. Sesshomaru had finally come to the decision that she was worth the fight to take as mate, knowing that with her own power and strong personality, she would be able to stand at his side against all odds. But as the times that he saw the Miko from the future were becoming fewer and further in between he feared that he would never get the opportunity to court her. He needed to act soon.

Though she was smart, there were times like this that she made him rethink her intelligence. _'Why on earth would the woman walk out in this snowstorm? Is she trying to kill herself?'_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a wolf baying in the distance causing his hackles to rise. Things were even more dangerous for the Miko and he needed to move quickly.

He turned and went back into the cave to search for the remains of his clothing, grateful the woman hadn't thrown it or his Moko-moko into the fire and picked them up. With a flare of youki, the charmed clothing and pelt returned to their former glory. Sesshomaru dressed quickly noting the missing armor that was most likely destroyed during the battle and turned to a large chest that was placed off in a hidden corner. The chest contained spare armor in case he would find himself without. Most likely the Miko had thought the bone plating was unsalvageable, not knowing that it too could be regenerated easily enough.

No matter.

With the intent to prevent the troublesome female from freezing to death and possibly a fate worse than death, Sesshomaru walked outside before transforming himself into pure youki energy in the form of an orb and swiftly traveled in search of his future mate.

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_'Stupid, stupid Kagome. You just had to leave the warmth and protection of the cave,'_ she internally berated.

"Stupid, arrogant, deadly, scary, gorgeous males and their stupidly, stupid ways," she grumbled out loud to herself, making absolutely no sense. Even to herself.

A figure in white fur slowly trudged through the snowstorm completely lost if she really thought about it. There were no longer any visible land markers and Kagome was finding herself terrified at the thought that she would not find her way either to Edo or to some other shelter along the way. She had no idea where she was.

Finally she decided to stop, her energy almost completely depleted from the trek through the drifts. She found a large tree whose branches managed to keep an area clear of snow. She just hoped the branches that were currently heavy with iced up precipitation would not break under the weight. She was taking a chance, but it was either continuing to walk in possible circles and find herself a Kagome-icicle, or rest in relative shelter.

She sat in a dry area, the fur drawn tightly around her head and shoulders as she said a small prayer up to the Kami for protection.

_'It would really suck if I died right before Christmas. I can just hear Inuyasha complaining that I should've let him come with me,'_were the last thoughts that came to her mind as she fought the urge to sleep.

She lost the fight.

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When Sesshomaru found her, Kagome's pulse was dangerously slow and her coloring was off. He had passed by where she sat hidden within the cover of a large tree, missing the slight pulse of her power as it dwindled with her life force.

Pulling the fur from her face he noticed that she had begun to turn blue from exposure and he needed to warm her quickly. Gathering the female's frigid form the demon once again took to the skies in his youki orb.

It wasn't long before Sesshomaru landed in Edo just outside of the elder Miko's hut where Rin spent much of her time. The half-brother felt his youki signature he barely tolerated and was soon after abruptly confronted by that being.

"What d'ya want ya bastard!" came the uncivilized greeting. When Inuyasha finally realized what or who it was Sesshomaru had in his arms he barked out, "Kagome! What did ya do to her?"

Kaede and Rin had by this time had covered themselves enough to go outside the warmth of the hut in order to find out what triggered the ruckus caused by Inuyasha.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cheered at seeing her father figure. She'd never confess that to him but that was how she saw the stoic male that cared for her and saved her life, twice.

"Rin, Miko," he addressed the females. "I discovered the younger Miko huddled under a tree surrounded by a snow drift," he explained. "Her heart rate and pulse are dangerously slow," he told them hoping they would understand the meaning.

"I should take her to the future. Her mother will know what to do," Inuyasha ground out feeling like he had failed to take care of the woman he considered part of his family.

"I will come with you," Sesshomaru told the hanyou with firmness in his voice that left no question.

"You can't," Inuyasha barked out while trying to gather the female from his half-brother's arms and ignoring the growls that came from the demon as a result.

"And why not, little brother?" he asked, his eyes beginning to bleed red. Not because he was being told he couldn't go with them, but because the half-breed was attempting to take his future mate from him.

"Sesshomaru, give me Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, still trying to grab the woman from the demon's arms.

"Boys!" came the authoritative voice of the elder Miko. "The longer ye dawdle and argue, the worse off Kagome will be. She needs to be seen to immediately!"

Inuyasha's ears fell after being admonished while Sesshomaru only let loose an agreeing "Hn."

"Follow me, bastard." Inuyasha made his way towards the Bone Eater's Well, the portal to the future and the only means to find help for his sick friend.

As Inuyasha sped through the forest he yelled, "But don't blame me if the well doesn't let you through, Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru was confused. "Why would it not?"

"The well has only allowed Kagome and me through to her time. Anyone else that has tried has not been able to pass. We still haven't figured out why."

They approached the well at top speed and Inuyasha jumped in followed by a flash of blue magic. Sesshomaru stopped a moment and looked into the depths of the portal and seeing nothing at the bottom but dirt gracefully leapt into its darkened depths.

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He knew there would be powerful magic, but was not ready for the feeling of being pushed and pulled at the same time as he traveled through time. When he landed once again on hard ground, he knew he was no longer in the Feudal Era.

The first thing that Sesshomaru noticed was the stench of something not natural and the putrid smell of humanity. He held back the desire to scrunch his face in distaste but it was an almost overwhelming urge to give into it.

"Hey Sesshomaru," yelled Inuyasha from the top of the well. "Wow, you made it." He growled and almost sounded upset for the fact, but quickly got over it. The health of a pack mate was more important.

"Get up here so we can take Kagome to her mom. She'll know what to do."

With very little exertion, the demon lord leapt from the bottom of the well shaft and over the lip to the steps. It was then that Sesshomaru let loose a sneeze; the overpowering urge to do so was just too great even for him.

"Yeah," Inuyasha commiserated. "It gets worse outside," he motioned to the doors of the well house. "It's much better in the Higurashi home."

The half-demon opened the door to the outside world of the future as well as the era that his female came from and was torn by the initial images of things to come. He didn't dwell on it at that moment; instead the desire to take care of his future mate was more important. Yet his mind took note of what he had seen for future reflection.

He followed his half-brother through what had to be a shrine, past Goshinboku, which had shown quite a bit of growth since he saw it only moments ago, and to what could be only termed as a dwelling of some sort. It was quite large for humans, but thinking on the little he had seen thus far he just went with it.

Inuyasha would have burst through the entry of the house but was waylaid by a woman that looked like an older version of the female he carried in his arms and could only be Kagome's mother. The only differences, besides age, was her mother's hair that was cropped short and her eyes were brown.

"Inuyasha," she greeted before she caught sight of the male standing slightly behind him. Seeing her daughter in the other male's arms, looking an unhealthy color she responded immediately. "Kagome! My goodness, bring her inside, quickly!" she ordered, not noticing the quick flicker of surprise in the eyes of the demon holding her daughter.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha followed the woman into the dwelling, her concern for her daughter evident in the way she firmly instructed those around her. "Bring her this way," she told Sesshomaru, who followed, albeit a little stiffly. He was not one to take to orders. He was one to give them. But he knew that this was the mother of the female he wished to court and he needed her agreement as well as the father's, before he could proceed with courting.

"Souta!" Hitomi called to her younger son as she passed by him on the way to Kagome's room. "Get me the heating blanket from the hall closet upstairs," she firmly ordered. "Quickly, please!"

Directing the males behind her through the house and up the stairs she opened the first door on the left that led to Kagome's room and pointed to the bed, "Place her there, please."

Sesshomaru reluctantly released the female that had been shivering the entire time he held her and stood back from the bed.

"You boys will need to leave the room while I undress her and get her warmed up," the Higurashi matriarch quickly and firmly told the two elder males at the door, leaving no room for argument. "In the meantime, if you could have Souta make a pot of tea, Inuyasha, and have him bring up a cup for Kagome, that would be a big help."

She shut the door on the males in the hallway before any response could be heard and Hitomi turned towards the figure on the bed. She plugged in the electric blanket and put the setting on high, trying to get the blanket warmed up quickly while she began undressing her daughter. Kagome was extremely cold to the touch and shivering uncontrollably, her lips were slightly blue and Hitomi knew she needed to get the girl warmed up soon, but not too quickly.

She stripped the frozen clothing from Kagome's body, leaving her panties on for now and covered her in a sheet first, followed by a blanket and then the electric blanket and then a quilt. A knock at the door told her that Souta most likely had the tea she asked for and called to him to enter.

Sure enough, Souta brought a small cup of tea and handed it to his worried mother. "Is she going to be okay?" he whispered, not wanting to disturb the silence.

"I don't know Souta. I can't take her to the hospital without having a reasonable explanation as to why she's in the condition she is," Hitomi explained. "Obviously it's close to freezing in the Feudal Era, while we've been enjoying weather in the 13C range," she murmured. "It's hard to come up with a reason for her being almost hypothermic."

Hitomi's brown eyes watched as her daughter's coloring seemed to improve as she gently fed her the warm tea after making sure it was cool enough to go down her throat without burning her esophagus. She knew that the girl was not out of the woods yet. The fact she was asleep frightened her a bit and really hoped that Kagome would awaken shortly.

"I can keep an eye on her mom if you need me to," he offered. "I'll let you know if anything changes, okay?"

Hitomi smiled at her 15-year old son and thought how much like his father he was at that moment. He resembled his father more and more every day, not only in appearance but also in demeanor. It was heart breaking but heart-warming at the same time.

She missed the father of her children every day. It was such a shame that he lost his life so young.

"That's fine, Souta. Thank you," she stood from her seated position on the lavender quilt that had thankfully replaced the loud pink of Kagome's younger years, and ruffled her son's black hair eliciting a "Hey!" in dismay. Hitomi chuckled and left the room and made her way back downstairs to the kitchen.

She was grateful that she didn't have to search out the two males that brought her daughter to her in such poor condition. Anger was her primary feeling, but she knew better than to draw from it, as it would not make getting information from Inuyasha and the other male who looked very similar to the hanyou he sat near. They sat at a small breakfast table that sat in the kitchen and while Inuyasha was glaring daggers at the male across from him, the other held a perfectly blank face communicating nothing of his feelings.

She approached the stoic male and introduced herself. "I am Higurashi Hitomi, Kagome's mother," she said and bowed respectfully before Sesshomaru in greeting.

"I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands of Nippon," he replied with a slight nod of his head in deference to the woman. "I am Inuyasha's half-brother," was added, causing the hanyou to gape at the fact he had actually admitted the fact.

"Close your mouth dear. You're catching flies," Hitomi told Inuyasha. Turning back to the demon in front of her she continued. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Tea?"

"No, thank you," replied the usually quiet male.

Hitomi turned towards the refrigerator and began to gather the ingredients for the light broth she wanted to make for Kagome and began to speak as she did so. Keeping herself busy while she made her inquiries was the best way to keep her emotions under control, as she had found on the many occasions that Kagome returned from the other side of the well in no better shape.

"Please explain to me why you have returned my daughter in such poor condition." She was direct and to the point leaving no margin for excuse in the way she delivered her demand.

Inuyasha's ears fell to his head. He knew he was the one responsible for letting Kagome get the drop on him. He knew there was something off about that Ramen and should have listened to his instincts.

"It's my fault for letting Kagome leave Edo," he quietly confessed.

"And how is it your fault, Inuyasha?" the dark-haired female asked as she rinsed and chopped the vegetables on the cutting board with a little more force than was necessary.

Inuyasha cringed.

"She wanted to visit the horse-hanyou that grows medicinal herbs and roots a couple of days journey from Edo," he began his tale. "There was a terrible flu strain that was plaguing the village. I told her that I would go with her but she kept telling me no." He stopped when the male nearby made a sound that resembled a snort of disbelief and Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru.

"Why do I have a feeling that the tale the Miko will tell will have a slight variation?" he asked, a dark eyebrow quirking in question.

"Keh," Inuyasha mumbled before he continued his story. "She told me she would let me go with her and the next thing I know, I'm being drugged!" he crossed his arms in a huff at that explanation. "By the time I woke up, the snowstorm had already moved in. For me to chase after her would have been suicidal." By now, Inuyasha's eyes had a look of concern and his shoulders slumped. He was truly worried for his friend.

"Then what happened?"

"Your daughter found me just before the storm began," the demon in the room spoke with a low baritone. "I had just destroyed an invading youkai from the mainland and he had managed to do more damage to my person than most have in the past," he confessed making Inuyasha look at him strangely.

"My body goes into a hibernation mode and healing takes over when the wounds are so dire, allowing the maximum amount of energy required to heal quickly," Sesshomaru explained. "The miko…"

"Her name is Kagome, ya bastard!" Inuyasha interrupted causing the elder Higurashi woman to smack the only visible appendage with a wooden spoon making him flinch from the reason behind the action, not so much the action itself. He respected Kagome's mom, and for her to discipline him like a pup was humiliating, especially in front of his half-brother.

"Do not use that language in this house, Inuyasha," She admonished with hands on her hips and fire in her brown eyes. She then turned to Sesshomaru who didn't appear to blink at what had transpired and said, "Please continue." She then went back to her preparations.

"I do no recall much of anything, but Kagome had somehow moved me to the nearest cave, which happened to be one of the many dens I have throughout my lands. There she cleaned and dressed my wounds, allowing them to heal much quicker."

He felt flickers of fear and then annoyance from the hanyou as the story had progressed. The fact that the human female had approached a wounded demon was like walking up to a wounded predator, which was extremely dangerous. It was not lost to the hanyou that Kagome had once again put herself in mortal peril and again, lived to tell the tale.

She was like a cat with nine lives. Or just really lucky.

"By the time the mik…err Kagome had left the safety of the cave, the storm had already been at its worst," he explained. "I awoke some time later, long enough for her to get some distance and lose her direction."

This got Inuyasha's attention. "She what!?" He stared at his brother, their golden eyes so similar, meeting for a moment before Sesshomaru looked back towards Kagome's mother.

"I went after her once I discovered it was she who had taken it upon herself to help me, even though it was dangerous for her to do so. I orbed to the location of her flickering reiki and found her beneath a tree that had sheltered her from the worst of the storm. " He turned towards Inuyasha. "She was going in the direction of the Eastern Lands."

Inuyasha growled low, the meaning of those words not lost on him. That was in the direction of the wolves and Kouga. Had one of his pack gotten wind of Kagome being out in the storm and alone, Kouga would have taken her from Inuyasha and Kagome wouldn't have had any say. She would have been mated to the mangy wolf whether she agreed to or not. Kagome was aware of this and managed to keep from having this happen over the last few years, but Kouga was getting desperate and wanted 'his woman.' Kagome was once again _very _lucky.

"And then you brought her straight to Edo," Inuyasha commented, knowing that would have been the case. The elder brother nodded once.

By this time, Hitomi's ire had settled to a low simmer along with the soup that was sitting on the stove burner and she sighed after hearing the tale. Kagome's big heart had once again almost gotten her killed and it worried the elder woman to the extreme. While Kagome had done her duty and continued to look for the shards, she had also continued her education at home, spending more time in the future. It had taken much of the worry off of Hitomi knowing her daughter was spending less time fighting the forces of evil in the Feudal Era, but this latest incident made that worry come back in full.

"How many shards remain lost, Inuyasha?" she asked after a long sigh.

"One, maybe two I think. It's hard to say since the size of each shard is different," he told her.

"Do you really need Kagome for this task?" Hitomi asked, as she looked the hanyou in the eyes. "Think carefully before you answer, Inuyasha." That threat wasn't lost on either in the room.

Inuyasha's shoulders sank, just like his ears. They were one of the most emotive parts of the boy and Hitomi could read him even better for it. She knew it was a bit of a dirty trick, but she was a mother first and she wanted her daughter safe.

"If I were to make you a promise for her protection," Sesshomaru spoke up. "Would you allow your daughter to continue her search?"

"Why would you make such a promise, Lord Sesshomaru? What would you get out of this arrangement?" Hitomi wasn't blind. Kagome had regaled her mother with all of the tales of this demon from the beginning of her travels over five years ago. She also was aware of her daughter's interest in the male and though Kagome held no hope in anything ever coming from it, Hitomi had a difference of opinion.

"I wish to speak with you and your mate," he told her. "I would like to for permission to court your daughter."

"WHAT!" the hanyou yelled while standing and getting ready to brandish his sword. "What the Fu…!"

"INUYASHA!" yelled the mother figure in the room making the hanyou and the demon cringe from the loudness.

"But he can't be serious!" he ranted. "He's always tried to kill her..."

"It's been years since I have had the desire to do so, whelp," the elder demon calmly grounded out between clenched teeth.

"But she annoys you and your kids will be hanyou, and you always hated me for my being half-human and, and… she's HUMAN!" he finished after trying so hard to figure out why Sesshomaru shouldn't be interested in his best friend.

"Well Lord Sesshomaru?" posed Hitomi. "Your brother…"

"HALF-brother," they replied in unison.

"Okay, that for one thing will have to stop. I will tell you both right now that if you even want me to consider this proposal that you will both need to get over your prejudiced," she told them. "Now, why should I allow you to court my daughter, Lord Sesshomaru. Believe me, I have heard many things about you, more bad than good, over the years," she told the beautiful male in front of her, "I also know that my daughter holds a certain affection for you…"

"WHAT!" Inuyasha blew a gasket.

"_And in order for me to allow this to continue_, I need to know that there is more to your interest in my daughter than just what she can bring you." Hitomi turned to get a bowl from the overhead cabinet and poured some of the soup into it and grabbed a soupspoon out of the utensil drawer and faced the demons once again.

"Think about what I have just posed of you. I am going upstairs to check on my daughter and hopefully awaken her enough to feed her something. When I return, I expect some changes from both of you in regards to your relationship, and you," she pointed to Sesshomaru, "I want to know why you want to court my daughter."

And then she left the room.

"She's… daunting," remarked Sesshomaru. "I see where Kagome gets her temper."

Inuyasha scoffed knowing the Higurashi female's temperament better than the demon. "You ain't kidding."

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Hitomi entered Kagome's room and excused Souta who tried to stay, but gave up and left after he saw the determined look in his mother's eyes. Better to get out now than deal with her temper, especially when worried about one of them.

The mother placed the bowl of soup on the bedside table before going into the bathroom just off of Kagome's room to find the thermometer that was kept there since she was younger. Fortunately it was one that took the temperature in the ear making her job easier.

She placed the apparatus in her daughter's ear and pressed the start button to get an immediate read. Her temperature was lower than it should be, but it was closer to normal than she supposed Kagome arrived in.

That was a good sign.

She tried to awaken her daughter, nudging her shoulder in hopes that it would be enough to bring her to consciousness.

Nothing.

"Kagome," she called, nudging her a little harder and received a moan from the girl, but she still didn't wake up.

_'Well, at least she's responding._' Hitomi sighed in thought. It seemed that she was improving but until Kagome woke up, she wouldn't know if there was any permanent damage. Calling a doctor was out of the question at this point, but if Kagome didn't wake up within the next day or two, she might have to make that call after all. It would be a terrible way to spend Christmas but that was a small issue compared to the other one sitting in her kitchen right now.

Hitomi sighed. Kagome sure knew how to draw male attention. She loved and was loved by many, yet she never saw those that loved her as anything other than a friend. Hojo was probably the worst case of puppy love she had ever seen. The boy had continued with his medicinal gifts as long as he thought she was ill. It was sweet really and Kagome finally had to sit the boy down and have a heart-to-heart about his attentions.

At that time, Hitomi had thought that her daughter and the hanyou downstairs would have become a couple. But as time wore on and Kagome grew up, the pair grew apart. Sure, it had disappointed Hitomi initially but she was a reasonable woman and Kagome was a smart girl. There was no doubt that her daughter would make the right decision about her future.

Then there was the other male, the demon, downstairs that had expressed his intent to court her daughter. He was a beautiful male, no doubt, but his personality and his past treatment of Kagome left a lot to be desired. However, Hitomi was nothing if not forgiving and was able to give people a second chance to those that asked. By Sesshomaru asking Hitomi for permission to date her daughter, she saw it as his way of asking for a chance to prove himself.

Hitomi knew her daughter would be ecstatic that Sesshomaru did hold some form of interest in her and if she knew Kagome well, she would make the decision that was right for her.

Which meant Hitomi would be suffering a bout of empty nest syndrome in the very near future.

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Inuyasha was still bewildered by the confession of his hated half-brother. "Why her? Why not some demon bitch that's just as cold and calculating as you?" He just couldn't understand why Sesshomaru would go as far as wanting to court and most likely mate his best friend.

"I do not believe you would understand Inuyasha," the stoic male responded. He got up and went in the direction they had entered the building by, wanting to go outside and find some peace from the blathering idiot that was currently following.

Both males exited the house and both cringed at the horrid smells that assaulted their senses. Inuyasha was more expressive his face wrinkling in disgust, while Sesshomaru's eyebrows raised minutely. The noise of the city was overwhelming at first but they both had the ability to tune their ears to the local area.

They walked towards the familiar tree that stood in both times, a marker that showed them that they were close to home just years in the future.

"Ya gonna answer me or what?" Inuyasha pursued. He figured he could get away with annoying the male when the source of Sesshomaru's affections was nearby as well as the one person that could put a wrench in his plans to woo said female.

Sesshomaru stood in front of Goshinboku staring up into its boughs as if looking for answers to life.

"Have you ever felt the longing to be near someone so much that it hurt?" the smooth baritone of the elder spoke. "The burning desire to never be apart from that person? The yearning to share your life with them, to be a part of them and a need to protect them from anything that may make them sad or hurt them?" he asked his half-brother.

Inuyasha looked down at the ground, his eyes reflecting the pain of losing someone he had felt those same feelings for over fifty years ago. 'Kikyo.'

Sesshomaru turned and stared into the other males' eyes as if to say, _'That, my dear brother, is what I feel for Kagome.'_

"But what about the fact that she is human, Sesshomaru? That the children you have will look like the one thing you despise over all others - me? Or the fact that she will die in another thirty to forty years?" Inuyasha wanted to know.

"She's my best friend, Sesshomaru, and I will protect her from someone that loathes what she is and if I have to protect her from you, I will!"

"Do you still love her, brother? Is that why you defend her so strongly?" Sesshomaru sneered, seeing the boy in front of him now as another potential rival, in addition to the wolf. He would deal with them both similarly if Inuyasha answered in the affirmative.

Soft white ears that were swiveling with irritation flattened with the last question and his eyes reflected his guilt at not being what Kagome had wanted as a potential mate. "Yeah, I do," he quietly replied and before he could finished his thought, a clawed hand had him in its grip and dangling from it. He lost all thought when he looked up and into the reddened eyes of the demon before him, silvery strands lifting as if the wind had picked up and held them in their wake.

"Wh-what?" Inuyasha barely got out, the hand choking his air pipe and the only source of his voice.

A barely controlled, partially transformed Sesshomaru growled, "She is MINE."

Souta chose that moment to approach the two males. The boy's sense of preservation had not kicked in since he had a mission of discovery.

Sensing his female's sibling nearby, Sesshomaru felt that now was not the time to air out old grievances in front of the boy and released the death grip on the hanyou watching as the rival male dropped to the ground coughing and sputtering to gain his breath back.

"We are not done, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru stated with a glare of promise.

"Feh," was the only response back. Inuyasha wasn't stupid. He knew Sesshomaru's instincts were in control at that moment. The need to destroy a rival was a strong emotion in all demons that were courting a chosen female. Sesshomaru was no different and even though he was extremely adept at controlling his emotions and inherent instincts, this was different.

This was survival of the fittest.

Souta's eyes widened as he watched the brother's clash and listened as the elder made a promise to the younger. _'So this is what Kagome was talking about.'_

Gaining as much courage as he possibly could, Souta approached Sesshomaru face to face and asked the questions that plagued him since they arrived with his almost dead sister. "What happened to Kagome and why are you here?" he asked. "Only Inuyasha can travel through the well. How can you be here too? And why?"

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to smirk at the young male noting the similarities between the elder sister and her younger brother. He had the same need to know as well as the courage to stand up to a being stronger than they were, completely ignoring their instinct to survive. Sesshomaru wanted to see if the boy had the same temperament as the females in the family.

Giving the boy his trademark empty look, Sesshomaru decided to test him. "It is none of your concern."

Inuyasha, who was still prone on the ground and subconsciously submitting to the elder male, smirked as the youngest Higurashi was baited by the demon. _'This is gonna be good.'_

Souta blinked once. Then twice. Then he threw back his head and laughed at the stoic demon that was interested in his sister. _'Man, Kagome wasn't kidding when she said that Sesshomaru was an ice cube.'_ Souta's resulting laugh caused Inuyasha to smile and chuckle himself, proud that the boy was just as fearless as Kagome.

Sesshomaru's initial reaction was anger, yet he stamped it down before killing the being that dared to laugh at him. He had expected one of two possible responses from the sibling of his chosen female and sure enough, the boy did not disappoint.

"You are truly different from your mother and sister, yet strangely similar," remarked the stoic lord and bowed his head in acknowledgement.

Souta grinned a little sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Yeah, they're both fairly even-tempered for the most part. But there are times that you have to watch out, that's for sure," he added.

"I have already spoken to your mother of my intentions and await the arrival of your father to do the same, as well as ask for his permission to court your sister," Sesshomaru stated.

The boy's brown eyes dropped to the ground and his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "Our father passed away before I was born," Souta replied quietly.

"I see," the demon commented. "Then that makes you the male in charge of the family."

Souta gulped. "Yes it does."

Inuyasha snickered. Souta and Sesshomaru glared at the hanyou.

"What?" he whined.

Sesshomaru looked back to the teenage boy. "Where can we best discuss things without interruption?"

"Follow me," Souta directed.

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The rest of the day and a night passed for the inhabitants of the Sunset Shrine. The temperature cooled significantly over the evening dropping to the negatives. It was only a matter of time that maybe, just maybe, it would deign to snow over the bustling city of Tokyo.

The male visitors stayed at the shrine thanks to the kindness of Kagome's mother who rose early from her slumber to cook the morning meal for her family and guests. As she began preparations she thought about the prior day.

She knew both the demon and the hanyou held affection for her daughter, though they differed significantly. Inuyasha held Kagome in his heart as a sister. Though Hitomi had once harbored the hope that her daughter and the puppy-eared half-demon would marry, she was grateful that they had discovered that their feelings didn't run that deep early in their relationship.

The demon, Inuyasha's half-brother, was another story altogether. He was stoic and outwardly unemotional. Hitomi had heard the stories of Sesshomaru and how he held no affection for humanity and how he was ruthless to those that were what he considered beneath him. However, within the short number of hours that she had been in his presence, Hitomi had seen much, much more.

Though the male hid himself behind a façade of disinterest, his eyes reflected many emotions. Hitomi was one that could see beneath the mask the demon kept up and she could understand that for a being such as him, showing emotions was tantamount to suicide. Others could and would take advantage to any emotional weakness and use it against him. What she had seen was a being of high intelligence and very strong emotions.

He wasn't fooling Hitomi. She knew how Sesshomaru felt for her daughter just from the short time he held her in his arms to bring her home. There was tenderness and a lot of fear. A fear for the loss of the female he held deep emotions for. Hitomi wanted Sesshomaru to confess his feelings in some manner to her so that she could be assured he would eventually be able to do the same with Kagome.

She had known that Souta had sat down with Sesshomaru to discuss things as the man of the household. Hitomi had already spoken with the almost 16-year old and gave him guidance on how to speak properly to the male who had expressed interest in his sister. Since the passing of their grandfather the year before, Souta had not had a reason to step up and take the mantle of the man of the house so this would be the first opportunity for him to do so.

Hitomi smiled. This whole experience would be good for their entire family. Change, while painful initially, was a good thing.

She looked out the kitchen window to find Sesshomaru going through a series of kata with his sword. The motions he made were graceful and precise and Hitomi saw the beauty not only in his movements but in his appearance.

She was amazed that the increasing coolness of the outdoors did not bother the male as he went through his stances. It seemed that nothing bothered the male, nothing, except for the female upstairs that continued to sleep as if waiting for something or someone to awaken her.

Hitomi turned away from the window to finish preparing the meal and then she would make her way upstairs to wake up Souta and check on Kagome.

Hitomi held a wish in her heart that her daughter would awaken soon, for tomorrow was Christmas Day.

αβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβ

Sesshomaru went through his kata while simultaneously meditating. This was the time of the day that he liked the best, when he could watch as the early morning sun rose above the horizon signaling the start of a brand new day.

After he had cleared his mind and calmed his youki, he pondered the conversation he had with his half-brother and then the male who would eventually become his brother-in-law. The boy, though young, was intelligent like his sister, asking those questions that Sesshomaru had planned on answering to his future mate's father. He was pleased with the conversation and the blessing he received from the male on behalf of him and his mother as well.

Now if only Kagome would awaken from her slumber.

Since he had arrived in Kagome's home in the future, he had not left the safety of the shrine. While he felt that nothing outside the boundaries could actually harm him he knew that he was possibly messing with time. The more he knew of the future the more he could affect his future. By doing that, he may change the way things were currently happening and that was something he did not want to risk.

His thoughts strayed back to the female that lay silently up in the second level of the home that she had grown up in. He struggled to keep his distance from her out of respect, but he was finding himself losing control of the baser instincts that wanted to be near her and hold her, to inhale her scent and soak in her purity.

He had sensed her reiki had begun to swirl around her, early this morning before the sun rose. Sesshomaru had kept vigil outside of her bedroom door, seated on the floor just to be near her when he felt her power reached out to his youki, swirling about him and gently poking and searching him. He felt no fear that she would purify him. Her actions only two days ago when she had saved his life proved that she held no malice towards him. If anything, the reiki was warm and soothing to his being. It called to him.

But he needed to keep a proper distance until he was able to ask formally if he could court her. While he had her family's acceptance, he would not pursue until he had hers as well.

It was difficult, almost painful.

It was against his instincts to keep a distance from his chosen female.

His entire body began to shake as the demon within tried to take over, his eyes flashing red as primal instincts battled his calmer more logical side.

Inuyasha sensed Sesshomaru's turmoil and followed the flare of youki. He left the house glad to find Sesshomaru outside. He had a feeling that his half-brother's instincts were beginning to take over and knew that no matter how strong the demon was, when a mate was chosen there was nothing more painful than keeping distance from them.

What he saw was not the cool, calm and stoic façade of his half-brother. What was there before him was the demon, his baser instincts. Somehow the logical side lost control and Inuyasha knew something had to be done quickly before Sesshomaru went on a rampage in Tokyo.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha called from what he had hoped was a safe distance, kneeling on the ground in a submissive manner. Inuyasha may have been a half-demon but he wasn't as stupid as people thought he was.

Red eyes stared upon the male nearby. The demon recognized the being as a possible rival and growled its challenge.

"I do not wish to challenge you for your chosen one, Sesshomaru," Inuyasha said calmly and quietly, keeping his eyes to the ground in an act of submission. Inuyasha knew he needed to get Sesshomaru to Kagome and quickly.

Inuyasha heard a sound from behind him and he knew it was Kagome's mom checking to see what was happening between the brothers.

Hitomi had seen Inuyasha dash from Souta's room and down the stairs from Kagome's room. She had left the door open and heard the front door close downstairs and she had wondered what was going on.

She finished feeding her daughter some fluids and followed the hanyou to see what was going on only to find that Inuyasha was kneeled on the ground subjugated before his elder brother. That in itself was strange, as she knew Inuyasha would not ever do something as to kneel before Sesshomaru.

That was until she saw Sesshomaru the demon.

"Inuyasha?" she called quietly only to have those red eyes of the demon stare at her. She kept her eyes on the demon but asked the question of the male on the ground. "What is going on?"

"His demon side took over. His baser instincts were triggered by something causing him to lose control of the demon," he tried to explain. "He needs to see Kagome. It's against his nature to be far from the female he has chosen to mate."

"But she's just a room away," Hitomi tried to reason.

"You don't understand. A demon when they choose their partner needs to touch them constantly, be in some kind of physical contact. They need to be with them at all times to ensure that nothing gets in the way of their courting and eventual mating."

"M-mating?" Hitomi gasped. "How long does the courting usually last?"

Inuyasha knew Kagome's mother wasn't going to like it but resigned to his fate. "Three days."

Hitomi's eyes widened. 'Three days to get to know someone that you'll be stuck with for the rest of your life?' That just didn't make any sense to her. But Hitomi needed to be reasonable and the last thing she needed was a very angry demon loose on the city. She had already consented to allow the courting and eventual marriage. She just had to let go.

Hitomi looked at the feral demon, noticing how haggard he looked. His appearance seemed to have deteriorated in the last 24 hours as a result of not being able to be near Kagome.

"Come. You may enter my daughter's room," Hitomi told the ragged male, and stepped aside leaving the doorway unobstructed.

Sesshomaru vanished from his position outside the house. All that could be felt was a light breeze from his movement.

αβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβ

It was silent the better part of the morning. Nothing could be heard from Kagome's room since the demon stepped in, shutting the door behind him. Hitomi and Inuyasha had to explain what happened to Souta so that he wouldn't accidentally enter the room and loose his head. Who knew how Sesshomaru would react to another male entering his chosen one's room? So they decided to err on the side of caution.

Since it was Christmas Eve Day, there were many preparations that needed to be made and Hitomi decided to put the boys to work. While she cooked and baked, she had the boys scour the outer shrine grounds for a tree to cut and decorate within the house.

Souta dressed for the cold for the weather seemed to take a drastic turn since the day before, while Inuyasha went barefoot and in his usual Fire Rat haori and hakama. They had proven themselves worthy of the task by choosing a beautiful fir tree, full and green and just the right height for the living room where it would stand. They even got it set up in the stand, placed where it should and Hitomi could hear them argue from the kitchen as they decided what direction to face the tree.

She then sent them off to one of the outer shrine buildings to locate the tree decorations and knew it would take a little time to locate the boxes. With the males out of the house, Hitomi scooped a mug of warm broth that she had prepared earlier for her daughter, hoping the demon would allow her to feed Kagome.

Hitomi went up the stairs and knocked on the door, waiting with bated breath that she would be allowed entry. When the door opened revealing a less demonic Sesshomaru, Hitomi let loose the breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding and spoke quietly.

"Here is some broth for Kagome," she said as she held out the mug and spoon. "May I come in and feed some to her?"

A slightly rougher voice than the normal baritone answered. "I will feed her," he replied as he went to grab the mug from Kagome's mother.

"Oh, okay." Handing the mug over she then asked, "Is everything okay?"

He nodded with a "Hn" as the only response before he shut the door between them, leaving Hitomi a little tweaked off. She let it roll of her back knowing that it wouldn't solve anything to get upset and made her way back to the kitchen and the baking cookies in the oven.

αβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβ

A much calmer and more controlled Sesshomaru smirked as he shut the door on Kagome's mother before turning towards his female on the bed. Sure, he didn't have to be rude but he was who he was and he wasn't going to change the way he acted just because she was Kagome's mother. He pretty much had what he wanted and he was where he wanted to be at the moment. All he needed now was for Kagome to wake up.

She was responding to his youki. Her pink reiki, upon his initial entrance to her room, had encompassed him in her calm healing energy. While it hadn't completely calmed his baser self, it did help Sesshomaru eventually get control again. He was irritated that he let himself lose control and in front of the half-breed even, but it had been worth it seeing the whelp on his knees before him.

Oh yes, he would remember that for the rest of his long life.

He had entered her room and gathered the female into his arms and held her as he sat on her bed. He sat and nuzzled her neck with his nose, taking in her scent and committing it to memory. To him she smelled clean and musky and womanly. Even through the sweat of the last few days her natural scent was still there.

Her reiki continued to surround them, calming the beast that held her. It was as if she sensed him there and felt the imbalance in his youki, his struggle for control of the beast that he was but didn't let loose except at times of stress. It welcomed him, soothed him, made him crave her even more. He wanted nothing more than for her to wake up so he could kiss her and taste her.

The knock at the door had been foreseen; Sesshomaru knew that Kagome's mother would not stay away too long knowing that her daughter would need sustenance. After taking the mug and placing it on a nearby side table, Sesshomaru walked towards the bed where Kagome laid. He picked her up, sat where she had laid, and placed her in his lap.

He took his time encouraging Kagome to take in the broth, one spoonful at a time, which she took without resistance. Sesshomaru was thankful she was drinking the nourishment, which meant that she would hopefully come out of her long slumber.

When he felt that she had enough he put the spoon and mug aside and continued to hold the woman in his arms and lap. It kept his demon nature calm and Kagome's purity didn't seem to resist it either. He watched her sleep, gently pushing stray strands of inky black hair out of her face.

αβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβ

The day ran into night and weather that had started out warm and mild the day before seemed to turn extremely cold that day. The wind had begun to pick up bringing in a cold front and the weatherman was predicting snow for Christmas morning.

Hitomi had completed her preparations for the meals for the following day including the extensive baking for any visitors that should happen by the shrine. She always liked to offer cookies or small cakes for the visitors on the holiday, even though it was considered a Western Holiday. She had adopted it for the fact that it encouraged giving and goodwill towards all and that was something she taught her children as they grew up.

She had fed the two males, minus the demon who was holed up in Kagome's room. While she felt a little uncomfortable about letting him stay the night in her room, she knew he would not do anything that would compromise her daughter.

The three of them decided to decorate the Christmas tree figuring that neither Kagome nor Sesshomaru would be joining them (not that Sesshomaru would deign to do such a human task). Hitomi brought mugs of warm eggnog to drink and Souta put on some Christmas music to get in the mood.

It didn't take long for them to finish with the decorating using many home made decorations that they had collected over the years. There were moments that Hitomi or Souta would stop and reminisce about the time a certain piece was made and a smile could be seen on their face in remembrance of other happy times.

Hitomi watched as Inuyasha would look up towards where his half-brother and best friend were and then sigh while shaking his head. It seemed that the hanyou was having difficulty with the idea of the pairing.

"He loves her Inuyasha," Hitomi told him in a quiet voice.

"Keh. Demons like him don't love," he grumbled.

"Hm, I beg to differ, Inuyasha. I think what demon kind think as love and what human kind think as love are completely different," Hitomi spoke wisely. "Your brother shows all the signs of a male that cannot live without his other half, don't you agree?"

Inuyasha just kept to himself, but he knew she was right. What Sesshomaru had told him earlier in the day had conveyed more feelings than he ever thought the demon would ever have for anyone. It had surprised Inuyasha that Sesshomaru had fallen so hard for Kagome. But then again, Kagome was someone that attracted many beings to her. Apparently even Sesshomaru was not immune to her charms.

"He'd better take care of her," he said to no one in particular.

The boys decided to call it a night after having played video games up until about 10:00, especially when Hitomi threatened to throw away any gifts that happened to find their way under the Christmas tree. The threat was not lost on the pair and they made their way to bed quickly. It gave Hitomi time to put the presents under the tree before going out to the shrine to say her prayers to the Kami.

This year she would not only light incense and pray for the many unfortunate individuals out in the world who had nowhere to live, no food to eat or no one to spend the holiday with, but she would pray for her children including the demons that she now considered to be a part of her family. But most of all, she prayed that her daughter would awaken to spend Christmas Day with her family.

She left the shrine and closed up for the night and went back into the main house so she herself could get some sleep. She only hoped that when she woke up the next day that she would be able to see the blue eyes of her daughter once again.

αβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβ

Sesshomaru stayed up the entire night watching over Kagome. Every once in a while he would look out her bedroom window to see outside before resuming his watch over her. The first time he looked out, the sky was filled with dark clouds being blown in from the North. Not thinking anything of it he resumed resting his eyes for a while and meditating.

The next time he looked outside, the wind had picked up quite substantially. He could hear how it howled through the trees, branches striking the sides of the outbuildings and the abode that housed the shrine family. With the wind, the beginnings of snowflakes could be seen.

As the night progressed so did the increase of snow. To Sesshomaru this storm seemed to reflect the same blizzard seen in the Feudal Era and he began to wonder if somehow his female was tied to the changes in weather.

_'Impossible.'_

Well, it was an interesting thought but he had never heard of a person's emotions being tied with the weather. Besides, Kagome had been awake and alert during the storm on the other side.

Sesshomaru watched the darkness of night gave way to the beginnings of dawn. The sun tried to break through the clouds but could just barely peek through to shed light and a little warmth to the snow covered earth. The clouds continued to drop flakes of frozen condensation leaving the once colorful land a glowing crystalline white.

Kagome's reiki had calmed significantly. It seemed that since his arrival into her room, her power spiked and swirled around his never once stopping. However in the last few hours the energies had subsided. Even his demon nature had calmed thanks to her continued presence.

It was still very early when he felt movement from the female that had laid motionless for what seemed an eternity. The subtle shift of an arm was followed by a moan that made Sesshomaru wonder if she was dreaming, but the fact that her scent had not changed, he figured that her sound was caused from not having moved for such a long period of time.

"Ssho-maru," she mumbled in her sleep causing the demon that carried that name to wonder again if she was dreaming about him.

His hand stroked the side of her face and jaw, hoping to encourage more from Kagome. The small amount of response he got from her already had him hoping that she would awaken soon.

"Kagome," he whispered huskily, his voice hoarse from lack of use. "Awaken beloved. This one wishes to see your blue eyes once again."

Kagome's first conscious thought was, 'I'm so warm,' followed by, 'so stiff and sore. Where am I?'

Her eyes fluttered causing the male that was holding her to hold his breath in anticipation. When blue eyes opened, they were unfocused. Kagome could tell it was either really late in the day or really early in the morning by the darkness of the room.

Her body ached and she tried to move but was hindered by 'Arms!?' She struggled yet the appendages held her tightly.

"Kagome," a voice called to her making her still in her attempt to get away. "Calm yourself."

She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear them to see better. She closed them for a moment and then slowly opened them only to see the face of Lord Sesshomaru, demon Lord of the Western Lands of Japan and the male of her dreams.

Her heart sped up in instant anxiety, the instinct to flee for her life trying to override her consciousness but not quite making it. Her body hurt too much to even hold up her head at the moment, much less separate herself from the arms of the male Adonis that held her.

"Calm yourself, woman. I mean you no harm," he told the terrified girl. It would not do for her to fear him.

"W-where am I?" she asked and then her head turned from side to side quickly discovering exactly where they were. "How? Why?" She was almost in tears. Her emotions were flailing somewhere between frozen fear, excitement at being in the arms of the one she had held such affection for and giddiness.

Sesshomaru took the time to explain to her how he had awoken from his healing sleep, realizing that it was she who had transported him out of the building snowstorm and into shelter, healing him when he could have attacked her, only to find her gone from his presence.

He told her how he located her flickering energy and how he had feared for her life. He feared that she would leave this world before he had the chance to tell her how he felt about her.

"I wish for you to become my mate, Kagome, my partner in everything and the mother of my children. Will you? Could you find it in your heart to accept this demon who has attempted to kill you on occasion only to realize that he respected your strength, your courage and found you to be all that he could ever want?"

Kagome would have laughed outright, thinking that this was some sort of horrible, wonderful, dream. But the look in Sesshomaru's golden orbs conveyed so much in them. The Killing Perfection was afraid, not only for having almost lost her but he feared that she would say no.

Sesshomaru gently grabbed one of her hands in his and brought it up to his slender lips and kissed her knuckles with the softest of touches while looking deeply into her eyes, almost _begging._

"Yes, Sesshomaru. I will become your mate," she told him with the sweetest smile on her face. Though Sesshomaru was ecstatic, the smallest of smirks was all that he revealed on his normally stoic mug, and Kagome had a feeling that deep down he was gloating something awful.

"But first," she told him, "how long was I out?"

"Roughly two days," Sesshomaru told her. "Your mother said something about today being Christmas."

"Christmas!" she exclaimed and then cringed when she saw Sesshomaru wince from the sound. "Sorry," she apologized and then rubbed the tip of one of his elfin ears.

She was stopped in mid-rub by a gentle but firm grip around her wrist and a stern "Stop," was said. He proceeded to tell her that unless she wanted to be mated at that moment, she had better not continue with her actions.

Kagome blushed beautifully before saying, "I'm sorry, I probably smell horribly. I really need to bathe."

"Your mother has not risen yet for the morning, but when she does, I will inform her that you have need of her assistance."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you Sesshomaru," she told him, "and Merry Christmas."

Sesshomaru gently cupped her jaw before pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss and told her, "Merry Christmas beloved."

αβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβαβ

Hitomi had awakened to find that her daughter was conscious and requesting a bath. Her prayers had been answered.

Though Kagome was unable to walk that first day, she was carefully carted around by her fiancé until she was able to gain enough strength to move on her own. Although, Sesshomaru enjoyed carrying her, she insisted that she walk on her own two feet.

Inuyasha was grumpy but happy that Kagome had finally come out of her long sleep. He chuckled when Kagome gave him a hug, only to be growled at by Sesshomaru. Kagome had a lot to learn.

Their courting was short followed by a mating in Sesshomaru's citadel in the Feudal Era. Their mating had an interesting side-effect in that Kagome discovered that she was not aging. Apparently the melding of his youki and her reiki had forged a very strong bond giving her an extended life, and him immunity from purification.

The final shards of the Shikon no Tama were eventually found and Kagome merged the entire thing back together and purified it only to have the bauble force its way back into her body where it had originally been. It had made her more powerful yet did not manage to taint her. She remained as she was before her journeys had started when she was 15.

Sesshomaru proved to be a wonderful mate and father to the many children they had over the proceeding years and they would tell their story on many occasions. And though life was not always perfect with the demon and the miko, they always remembered their first Christmas together when their journey began.


End file.
