Chapter Text
“AAACHOOO!”
“Priestess, please do try not to bring the very rafters down upon our heads.” The youkai's request was delivered with a yawn and an air of dismissive superiority. But the woman standing several feet above him merely aimed a rather large scroll at his head with a wicked grin, pouting slightly when he caught it without so much as an upward glance.
“Don't blame me for this. I'm not the one who let your library lay neglected for so long that I can't even inhale without being attacked by a legion of dust youkai.”
“There is no such thing, Priestess.”
Kagome rolled her eyes before descending the ladder with another armful of scrolls. “I am well aware of that Sesshoumaru. Do you not know what humor is?”
“Is it a weapon of some sort?”
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “You can't be serious...” His face was its usual impassive mask, but she saw the corner of one eye crinkle, juuuust barely. With a shake of her head she brushed past him. “Clearly your education was lacking if that's your idea of a joke,” was her breezy reply as she sauntered over to a nearby table to deposit her burden.
Sesshoumaru watched her as she sorted through her find, arranging them in order of likelihood that they contain the info she needs. She hadn't spared him a second glance after her last comment. How had she learned to read him so well, he wondered. He would have to try harder to get a rise out of her now. It wasn't as much fun when she didn't get ruffled. There was time yet though. Searching his father's library for any past mentions of Naraku wouldn't be a quick project. He could find new weaknesses to exploit.
Walking over to the table he set down the scroll she had dropped on him, glancing down as he did so. The sight of his hand gave him pause. It was his left, newly restored and still a somewhat jarring sight. He let the moment pass, certain he had shown no outward sign of his discomfiture, but when he raised his eyes again the miko was looking at him with that damnable concern of hers.
“Is it bothering you?”
“Why should the return of that which was lost be a bother?” His tone was chilled, intending to shut down the topic before she could push any further. Her smile only softened.
“Because one traumatic event took it from you, and another restored it. Just because you managed to take the changes in stride doesn't mean you don't require an adjustment period.”
“You speak of weakness.”
“No, I speak of resilience. A weak person wouldn't have even survived the loss of an arm, much less rise above it the way you did. The ability to adapt and overcome is one of the greatest strengths in any species.”
He glanced down at his new arm again, marveling at how she could reframe his entire worldview in just a few sentences.
“You spontaneously generated a brand new limb and a magic sword out of nothing. Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty impressive feat of your power,” she continued. Her cheeks grew rosy as she spoke, her gaze dropping to the scroll in her hands. Sesshoumaru’s head tilted as he watched her, wondering at her sudden bashfulness. She had never been shy about speaking her mind to him before now. “You think this is strength?” His voice was soft and quiet, the usual arrogance missing as he met her eyes.
“Yes, I do.” Her own gaze was still soft, still sincere, and he wondered if she even knew how to feel anything other than compassion. His left hand flexed in thought, and he wanted to ask her more, but she spoke out before he could.
“So,” she coughed, trying to cover the sudden catch in her voice, “You really think there will be any records about Naraku here?”
“My father's historians are the most skilled among human and yokai alike. If there is any info to be found it will be here.” He gave no sign of noting her sudden discomfort, but neither did he dismiss it entirely. It would be something to ponder on later.
“Would have been nice if they had been just as good at organizing and labeling their very important works. It would certainly make the work go faster.”
“Hn. This One will continue to peruse the stacks while you search the current gathering.”
“Sounds good, anything to speed this along.” She settled down at a table, swiftly turning her back to him and clearing her throat oddly before picking up the nearest scroll.
They worked together in silence for a time. The quiet of the library only broken by the soft shuffling of scrolls, the scuff of boots on the floor, and the occasional sneeze whenever she encountered a particularly dusty scroll in the selections he brought to her. Sesshoumaru had expected her to chatter the entire time, reading aloud from the scrolls and peppering him with questions about the contents. Instead she was almost completely silent, save for the occasional huff of disappointment when a scroll proved useless, or the clearing of her throat when the dust grew too thick in the air.
He was irked to discover that her silence displeased him. Had she provided the expected prattle he could have easily maintained his facade of nonchalance. But when faced with the absence of her voice he was forced to admit that, for once, he did not find the quiet preferable. Maybe he would find a few more dusty scrolls to leave with her. He did enjoy the way she wrinkled her nose right after a sneeze. Another round of coughs had him sending for a fresh pot of tea, however. Sneezes were one thing, coughing fits another.
Kagome kept her head down, mostly oblivious to the comings and goings of her yokai research partner. She knew he liked the quiet and she was trying her best to reign in her usual need to chatter. Alienating the tempermental yokai who had opened his home and library to them was not in their best interests.
The latest battle with Naraku had left them limping and licking their wounds. Sesshoumaru had come through it mostly unscathed but an incarnation had almost got his hands on the children. Whether to kill or hold as hostages they'd never know. He was dead by the daiyoukai's claws before he ever actually touched either child, and Sesshoumaru was furious in a way they had never seen before, quickly ending the fight and demanding that everyone return to his shiro to recover. Not even Inuyasha argued with him then.
No one wanted to see Rin get hurt, any more than they did Shippou, but the obvious benefits of an Inu's protective instincts getting riled could not be ignored. They were seen to by healers, cooked for by chefs, bedded down in rooms richer and more comfortable than any they had ever seen before. Kagome was fairly certain he intended to assign personal guards as well, but choice words from Inuyasha seem to have dissuaded him, at least for the adults. The children were accompanied everywhere by two guards and a nanny and he would not be swayed on that point. She just felt sorry for whoever was assigned to fall prey to Shippou's constant tricks.
That first night had even included a visit from Sesshoumaru at everyone's door to ensure they were all safely in their rooms. Which was how he discovered that Kagome was educated far beyond any expectations he could have fathomed. When he had come to her door she had been buried in a nest of books and papers as she read and made notes as quickly as possible.
“You can read?” Her head shot up in surprise at the sound of his shock.
“Errr, yeah.... is...is that a problem?”
“You will meet with This One in the library after breakfast tomorrow.”
“Oh-okay, but why?” But he was already gone, leaving her to grumble to herself about self-important divas.
The next day he had led her to a vast, neglected library, explaining his intent to search for old records regarding the spider hanyou or perhaps info on how to reverse the ritual he had used to become what he was. And so, here she was, in a dusty library, surrounded by dusty scrolls, doing her best not to chatter and upset their (so far) very generous host. Another coughing fit was interrupted by a cup of tea suddenly appearing in her line of sight. That wasn't necessarily surprising, but the striped wrist holding it was.
“This One has been told that a cough can become a painful affliction if neglected.”
“Thank you.” She tried to keep the surprise out of her voice, but the quiet chuckle he gave ensured that she failed.
“I am not so callous as to leave an ally in discomfort if there is a remedy in reach.”
“I see... I didn't realize you were the Stoic-Only-When-Necessary type.”
“I do not expect others to be able to ascend to my own lofty standards, Miko.” Ah, that did it. Her cheeks had flushed and he could see she was gearing up to snap back at him. He continued to watch her placidly, curious as to what she would say this time.
She disappointed him then, closing her mouth and shaking her head with a small grin. “You seriously need to work on your sense of humor.” She downed her cup of tea, eyes sparking with mirth that told him she knew exactly what he had just attempted and was laughing at him for it.
With a wicked smirk he leaned closer, holding eye contact just until she began to squirm uncomfortably, “Uhm...Sesshoumaru?”
With slow, precise movements he lifted a scroll, and blew the dust into the air. For once, not bothering to stifle his grin when she began sneezing.
“Oh come on! You petulant mutt!”
“Do not chastise This One simply because you're not of his caliber in matters of strategy.”
“Oh that's it. I'm lacing your next meal with reiki. I may not be able to kill you, but I can give you a stomach ache from hell!”
“This One looks forward to seeing you try, Little Miko.” He said smugly. Shifting tones he asked her, “Have you located anything of note yet?”
She gave him one last sneezing glower before answering. “No, so far there have only been a few mentions of rumours that could possibly be him, but nothing concrete. I'm setting those scrolls aside and making notes on them in case they may be useful in building a pattern of behavior but that's the best I have so far.”
“Hnn, we have time yet. Your companions still require several days recovery at best. This One will continue to search the stacks.”
The silence returned, punctuated again by the rustle of scrolls, the scuff of boots, and the occasional sneeze. Each of which earned the smug daiyoukai another glare.
They had developed a routine. After breakfast they both spent several hours combing the library together. At lunch he would force her out, citing her human need to eat to maintain her health. She'd rush back right after, and put in another several hours work before he would again force her out. This time entreating her to check on her wounded companions before retiring to her own personal studies.
That had shocked her into silence the first time he'd said it. She hadn't even realized he knew she studied, let alone cared whether she had time for it. He had given her such a confused look when she said as much. Tilting his head so much like an actual dog that she had to hide her laughter. “Why would This One seek to sabotage your attempts to better yourself? You can only serve to become more formidable than you already are.”
“I just... didn't think you'd want to take time away from seeking Naraku.”
“Did you exist before you knew of Naraku and his machinations?”
“....yes.”
“Will you cease to exist once he is defeated?”
“Of course not, but what does that have to do with-”
“Then it stands to reason that to neglect your studies would only serve to leave you handicapped and delayed once this matter is dealt with.”
“You- why do you care? Isn't defeating Naraku the most important thing to you?”
“The world after it is freed from Naraku is the most important thing to me. You intend to be part of that, do you not?”
Kagome stifled the impulsive thought that he was asking if she intended to be part of his world. He had been a generous host, but that was just because he wanted Naraku gone and was angry that they'd tried to hurt Rin. There was definitely no good to come if she let her heart run away with her head....again.
“Yes, of course I do. I'm just...not used to anyone really caring about my studies the same way I do.”
“Inuyasha does you a disservice by not encouraging you to fulfill your true potential.”
She felt like she ought to defend her friend, but the words wouldn't come. She was too staggered by the unexpected show of support to even know what to say at this point. With an awkward bow she hurried from the room, face already burning with embarassment at her inelegant departure. The youkai she left behind stood for a time, wondering at the sudden, if awkward, show of respect from the normally overly-familiar miko. If he had been asked he would have said it was high time she had started showing him the deference he was due. But having experienced it, something about it felt wrong. She was not made to bow before anyone. Even him.