Posted: Monday, Dec. 28, 2020
A/N: Surprise!!!! @lostlunaticprincess, I'm your @inusecretsanta for this year! 😄 You asked for Sess/Kag hurt/comfort, but I also threw in a bit of romantic Inu/Kag 💕 (since it seemed like you were a fan of both pairs)! So I hope you enjoy!
PS: I don't write for Sesshomaru much so this was a treat for me to try to explore!
Hope you and your loved ones had a Happy Holidays, and wishing you a joyous New Year!! 😊
This was....infuriatingly confusing.
The situation before him was not what what the full-fledged inu youkai anticipated encountering upon visiting the village to check on his young ward.
For the life of him, he didn't understand how things transitioned from that simplest of tasks, to the arguably most powerful miko he ever met hiccuping before him with flushed cheeks and streaks of tear stains on her face.
The youkai furrowed his brow.
She had been the one insistent upon him joining her for tea, practically ambushing him as he was preparing to take to the skies for his departure. She had grabbed his arm (surprisingly forcefully for a human, and with a rather tight grip), and ushered him into her hut....
Clearly it was under false pretenses....well...maybe not exactly. What had started out as a cordial (one-sided) conversation had somehow morphed into an impromptu therapeutic session against his will.
His hanyou brother, her mate, was no where in sight....and apparently that was the problem.
"Ugh," she huffed, bring up her sleeves to furiously wipe at her eyes. "I-I'm sorry!" she let out a strained chuckle despite her tears, "I just.....arhgh!! I-I don't know what's wrong!! Inuyasha's.....he's...he's been so much more snippy lately...like...more than usual! And-and when I just try to...to talk to him....he just grouses and storms off! He-he's been gone for hours now and I....I just...." her voice crescendoed to a high-pitched whine as she hunched over and bit her lip, obviously attempting....and failing to suppress her sobs.
"Ah! D-dammit!!" she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes again, " Ugh, I-I'm sorry...I don't know what's come over me lately!! And I-I don't mean to unload on you! Some hostess I am....blubbering like a mess...and...and I don't even know why! I-"
And though his idiot half brother distancing himself clearly wasn't helping matters, Sesshomaru couldn't exactly blame him. Neither were....exactly well versed in handling emotions of the opposite sex.
That said, the best way to deal with this nonsense, he decided, was the most direct approach.
"Miko, do you not realize you are with child?"
Silence, save for the birds chirping outside and the loan cricket chirping that seemed to have suddenly infiltrated a corner of her humble abode.
One could hear a pin drop it was so still.
Kagome gasped, "Wha---I-.....beg pardon???"
"No doubt Inuyasha has sensed this. There's been a slight shift in your scent, as well as your reiki. I find it rather astounding you have not yet noticed the change yourself. Though I suppose you are.... only human..."
She sat there gaping at him like a fish.
"What....no, that's....how....??"
He closed his eyes and continued, stating the obvious, "Inuyasha is most likely shifting into a more predatorial state to protect you and the pup. He may have left but he is not far. In fact, I can still smell his stench wafting through the village. Have you not been able to sense him?"
She gasped and then frowned, pursing her lips, and puffing out her cheeks, as she itched to rip one into him for his quip about Inuyasha's scent. But then she paused and swallowed, trying to recompose herself to process what he was telling her.
"Calm yourself, he's not far," he said.
And so she did. Kagome closed her eyes, trying to push down all the anxious intensity she'd been feeling lately. She tried to steady her breathing (beyond one more sniffle or two) and.....there! Just there! She could feel him. He was just on the outskirts, but no further.
.....he....had he been there the whole time and she just hadn't noticed?
Kagome's eyes shot open. "But I-I don't understand....if he knew...why....why wouldn't he say anything??? Or--"
Or maybe....maybe he had...in his own way.
She knew...Inuyasha wasn't the best with words...or emotions...or putting emotions into words...and honestly, her own emotions had been so haywire lately that she didn't know what was making her upset over half of the time.
But...his actions spoke volumes.
The uptick in him fretting over her like a mother hen of late, barely letting her lift a finger, and refusing to let her go anywhere by herself, those were clear signs, weren't they?
As for Sesshomaru, in any other instance, he wouldn't have cared. This was none of his business and had nothing to do with him. But....this woman had become a friend to Rin, and on more than one occasion had proven herself a worthy opponent, formidable foe, and strong ally on multiple fronts.
If nothing else, he respected her. And so, perhaps he owed her as much to try to help her rationalize...this once.
"....Your situation, while truly remarkable, is also unprecedented. Very rarely are hanyou's able to successfully reproduce, let alone with someone who can easily purify and eviscerate their demon half. That said, perhaps he is just as confused and agitated as you are."
She paused, bowing her head in deep thought. .....it made sense.
Their recent, small tiffs would morph into bigger spats, complete with her getting agitated, him frustrated, and resulting in him taking off for a while.....but never for long...and he'd never come back empty-handed. He always had some form of sustenance for her...but the tension in the air had been growing between them.
Her hormones were probably out of whack, which explained why she was so sensitive to.....well everything--why anything could set her off and the most random smells were making her queasy. Between that and her body battling between balancing her reiki, Inuyasha's youki, and the baby's very state of being, on top of the other pregnancy symptoms....well...no wonder she was an effin' train wreck.
...In fact...she probably had...truly frightened him....and if he didn't know how to handle it himself, how could he possibly talk to her about it? ....or maybe he had tried and she didn't listen...didn't realize....especially if she was being just as snippy....looking back, she was fairly certain she had been worse than him in recent days.
Sesshomaru continued, "Pregnancy is not something inu youkai take lightly," he said standing. "You are strong, priestess. And very powerful. ....Do not think Inuyasha is not aware of this; he is driven to do everything in his power to keep you and the pup alive, as you have done for him, albeit foolishly," the older youkai said thinking back to the times she had thrown herself between him and his brother, ready and willing to lose her life just for his sake.
And she had--numerous times to keep him safe, against his wishes, even on his human nights. It always irritated her when he behaved so recklessly; no wonder he'd act the same if she was really now a sacred vessel for two lives precious to him instead of just one.
For a moment, she looked down at her still flat tummy and briefly brushed her palm over it across her yukata.
How could she have missed it?
"....I see..." she whispered.
They...hadn't really discussed it....not seriously. Sure, they fantasized about raising a family together someday but...
Oh. She needed to talk to him. Needed to explain that even if he was scared, it was all the more means for them to open the doors to communicate, not shy away from them.
She looked up at Sesshonaru.
"....Sesshomaru, this...I don't understand. Why are you...." she trailed off.
Another pause, and for a moment he said nothing. But he did reach his arm out to finally pick up the tea she had poured earlier--the one he hadn't touched since arriving, and she gasped as a hand came up to her mouth in shock.
His arm had been bandaged, wrapped up to his forearm. She started to her knees to move toward him when his voice stopped her,
"Rin has told me she is learning a lot from you. Not only in the ways and methods of the average village woman, but she has also gained quite the acknowledge in ways medicinal herbs and healing methods....as well as means of self defense."
He most likely had a wound and, while he certainly hadn't needed the care, Rin had no doubt insisted on using the newfound knowledge Kagome had taught her, and he had obliged.
Kagome gave a small smile, "Well, Rin is quite the unique yound lady and we're very fortunate to have her with us."
....He was...appreciative.
"You and Inuyasha should tread carefully this point forward," he said.
She nodded, taking the thinly veiled concern for what it was.
Not moments later, the reed mat shifted and certain hanyou entered with a large parcel of game; dead boar; and several baskets of vegetables, fruits, herbs and fish.
Upon coming through the door, Inuyasha froze and took in the scene before him. Honing in on his brother, his eyes narrowed, "What the hell are you doing here?"
He turned to Kagome and....oh. She seemed calmer now....her cheeks a soft, rosy pink instead of the furious red they were earlier, as she gazed at him with such.....tender adoration?
Eyes growing wide, he gulped, "K-Kagome..." he breathed, "Are you alright?"
She stood and made her way over to him wrapping her arms around him warmly as he dropped his cargo to their floor. She then turned to their guest,
"Sesshomaru,...thank you, for keeping me company until Inuyasha returned."
"Hn," he placed the tea cup on a nearby shelf Inuyasha had built into their wall space and, after making very brief eye-contact with his brother, he made his way out of their home.
Inuyasha frowned, tilting his head in confusion.
"What the hell....what was that all about?"
"Inuyasha," her voice was soft as she brought her fingers up to rest against his cheek. His eyes locked with hers before his hands came up to clasp her own.
"Kagome....koi, are you alright?"
"Hm...." she closed her eyes. "And...I owe you and apology. I-I'm so sorry I've been so difficult lately....I...I keep running you off...."
A low whine in the back of his throat as his ears lowered, practically pressed hard against his skull.
"Kagome....no, I.....it's my fault. ...You've just... been so distressed lately and....and I didn't know what to do....it seemed like anything I did or said only made things worse and made you more upset so...I thought maybe giving you space would help...but...but you know I could never go far...And all the fuss.....I never meant...ugh! I-I've just been worried sick about you...."
"Why?" Her voice was soft, no hint of anger or irritation, but just gentle coaxing to get him to open up.
His eyes shot up, amber and wide as the sun. He opened his mouth to speak then, in hesitation, he closed it. She gave him a soft smile, bringing a clawed hand up to her belly.
He swallowed in realization, "I...I-it wasn't my place to say.....n-not really, I-shit...." he mumbled, running his free hand through his hair.
"I figured....if you wanted me to know you'd tell me on your own time, when you were ready. But your aura was shifting so much and--up and down and spiraling--....I wasn't sure....I got fucking scared,-- confused...."
"Inu, I didn't know......"
"I- wait, what?!" His ears shot upright at her confession. She shook her head.
"I had no idea. I felt something was...off...but everything's been feeling so.... tumultuous I didn't know--"
"S-shit, Kagome!" he suddenly scooped her up in his arms and held her tightly, as if she were the moon, his being shuddering at the thought of how cowardly he'd been. "I-I I'm sorry! I should've said....something....anything...."
"No, it's not! I'm your mate. Your husband! I shouldn't be scared to talk to you when I sense something's wrong..."
"But nothing is wrong!" she brought both hands up to cup his cheeks, "This is wonderful news!! Such a blessing! Oh, my powers and feelings have been a mess...and I've been such a bitch," he let out a choked laugh at this, to which she playfully smacked his chest, but she continued, "But still, you kept coming back. We have more than enough food and furs and wood and other things....despite how crazy I've been, you've continued to protect and provide for me...for us!"
She shifted her hand down to grasp his wrists, bringing them to the front to press his hands against her belly again.
"This baby....is going to be so blessed to have you....us...our miracle baby..."
He swallowed, bending to his knees to gaze in wonder at her tummy.
"Absolutely terrified!" she laughed. He looked up to see tears in her eyes, yet she was beaming at him so beautifully.
"Still, I can't wait....to start a family with you..."
.....the lump that welled in his throat snuck up on him as his ear pressed down again. He grit his teeth before nuzzling into her stomach, wrapping his arms around her like a vice.
"Kagome....thank you," he said, as she brushed her fingers through his hair and cried with him.
Another moment, he pulled back and looked up at her, "But wait....if you didn't know...how did you..."
A light giggle and she bent to her knees.
"Mmh! Turns out he's more perceptive that we give him credit for...and I think...he cares, maybe just a little? In his own way," she said, bending to her knees before him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"That asshole?!" Inuyasha hissed. She threw her head back in laughter before leaning forward to grace him with the sweetest of kisses, chaste at first, before her lips lingered--a soft sigh and a small hum at the back of her throat urging him to tentatively slick his tongue across her bottom lip for entrance, which she enthusiastically granted.
He tightened his embrace around her, pulling her as close as he could until she was seated in his lap.
And when they finally pulled back, his lips chasing after hers, he pouted...
"That jackass ain't baby-sittin'" he said.
To which she laughed and decided to grace him with more kisses to take his mind off the matter--something he was more than happy to do....and then some.
A/N: I felt the play on "Perception" could be applicable on multiple fronts here: Sesshomaru's original perception of the scenario in the beginning, Kagome and Inuyasha's perception of everything and each other, and their perception of Sesshonaru himself and how he sees them near the end.
So, I thought it'd be the perfect title!
