What's A Dragon to Do?

Chapter 11

After Un left Sesshoumaru woke Kagome and the children. "It's time to start your training." He handed each of them one of the wooden swords that he had made.

Kagome took the wooden sword that he handed her then glanced at the demon lord in front of her. "Uh Sesshoumaru?" She waited till he glanced back at her before speaking again. "I may have not been totally honest with you regarding my abilities." Sesshoumaru walked over and stood in front of the miko and just stared at her for a minute.

"And what did you lie about?" Kagome gulped and then braced her self for the anger she was sure that was about to come her way.

"I know how to use a sword and Kaede has been helping me with my miko powers. I know how to defend myself well enough to protect me and my children." She closed her eyes and waited for the anger to spout forth from Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru glanced down at the miko. So she had lied to me.

"We will see how well you can defend your self let alone your children."

He paired the children up and he went to stand in front of Kagome. He drew Tenseiga. He showed them how to stand and hold the swords. After all three become comfortable with those he taught them some ways to block attacks. They continued on for most of the day. The kit and Rin seemed to enjoy the lesson. Maybe because he wasn't as hard on them as he was on Kagome. But he was still strict and they found their hands being hit if they held the sword the wrong way or having their legs knocked out from under them if their stance was wrong. Kagome came under his attack more often than not.

After being knocked down once again by Sesshoumaru she stayed on the ground glaring up at him.

"Remind me again why we are doing this." Sesshoumaru knelt down and looked her in the face.

"Because you need to learn how to defend yourself. I don't know who taught you to hold a sword but who ever it was must not be very good at it. If you can't defend yourself how do you expect to protect your kit and daughter? Or do you expect others to always protect you?"

Kagome smiled up at him and stood up and took her battle stance once again. She would get the hang of it even if it killed her. And with Sesshoumaru as her teacher it just might. After a couple more hours of practice she collapsed on the ground.

"Can we take a break? I don't know about the kids but I need a break."

Sesshoumaru watched the kids as they continued their fighting. They were doing well so far. Then he turned to the miko before him.

"Fine I will let you rest for a little while then you will show me what your capable of using your miko powers." He went and took the swords from the kids and leaned them against a tree and told the kids they could have a break. He watched as they ran to the river to get something to drink. It wasn't long before they were playing in the water. Sesshoumaru let them have their fun and returned to Kagome's side. He found her lying still on the ground. He could see her chest moving up and down so she was breathing. He sat down beside her. When she didn't stir at him being so close he leaned over her.

"Are you ok?"

"What I wouldn't give for a hot spring right about now." Kagome opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Sesshoumaru kneeling over her. What was he doing? "What are you doing?"

"This Sesshoumaru was just making sure that you were ok." He stayed where he was.

Kagome stared up at the demon lord and found herself lost in his eyes. A scream from the river made her turn her head to see the children splashing water at each other. After she made sure they were fine she turned back to the demon lord.

"Sesshoumaru, I am fine. You can move now." Sesshoumaru looked down at her and almost smiled.

"What if I don't want to?"

I think this orb must be making him slightly crazy. "Why would you not want to? I am human you are demon."

He looked down at her. "What do you have against demons?"

Kagome pushed him away from her and sat up and sputtering. "What do you mean what do I have against demons? I am not the one with the problem it is you. You are the one that always say humans are worthless, smelly, boring creatures."

"Most of them are. It's not my fault that they don't know how to bathe. Besides I don't put down all humans. Just the ones that deserve it." He sat back up and leaned against the tree waiting for her next reaction.

"What do you mean you wouldn't put down humans? You do it all the time." One minute he is almost seducing me and the next he is his old self, cold, distant, and almost cruel. Yeah that's the Sesshoumaru that I know and love.

Wait a minute the orb must be making me crazy too. I don't love Sesshoumaru. Kagome sat up and moved to a tree across from Sesshoumaru and glared at him. His affliction must be contagious. Whatever is wrong with him has spread to me, just what I needed at the moment. Like it wasn't bad enough being kept in an orb with him now he had to give her whatever it was that was wrong with him.

Kagome stopped glaring at Sesshoumaru and turned to watch the kids frolic in the water. They seemed to be having fun. How did they still have all that energy after the workout that Sesshoumaru had given them? She'd let them play for a little while then called for them to return to camp.

She sent the kids to fetch firewood and fresh water and started cooking some ramen for everyone. She opened her pack that Sesshoumaru had given her earlier and found that Inuyasha had left her a couple of packs of ramen. That should be enough for tonight. She took them out and found a kimono that Sango had lent her that she had meant to return to her but kept forgetting.

"Sesshoumaru, is there a hot spring around?"

Sesshoumaru watched as the girl kept pulling odd items out of the pack that Un had brought to her. He had never seen items like she had pulled out. He walked up behind her and looked around at the odd assortment of items she had laid out before her. Odd bottles filled with liquid, square packages in different colors. He couldn't understand the writing on them. A small stick with what appeared to be fine quills on it. And next to that was an odd shaped container.

He saw some silk cloth that was too small to appear to be much use for anything. A tablet of strange scroll like material, he bent down to retrieve the scroll and was surprised by it's weight. He opened the scroll and found strange paintings and writings. He could make out a few words but most didn't make any sense to him. He stopped looking at the odd scroll when he heard her ask him about a hot spring.

"No, I don't smell one nor have I seen one when I was hunting." He took the scroll over to his tree and sat down looking at the odd scroll.

Kagome turned and saw Sesshoumaru pick up her history book. What harm could it do for him to look at it? He probably couldn't even read it. She took the water from Rin and used her lighter to start the fire. She heard Rin scream and turned and saw her jump back away from her.

Rin watched Kagome start the fire with something she took out of the pack that Sesshoumaru had given her. When fire appeared at her fingertips Rin screamed and jumped to get away from whatever Kagome had. She backed toward Sesshoumaru

Sesshoumaru heard Rin scream and looked up from the strange scroll to see her backing toward him. He didn't see anything that would cause her to scream. Nothing around would harm her.

"What is wrong Rin?"

"Okaa-san made fire with her hand." Rin kept walking backwards to Sesshoumaru keeping an eye on Kagome's hand. What ever possessed her okaa-san she didn't want it to possess her. Sesshoumaru stood up and approached Kagome.

"What did you do to distress Rin?"

Kagome started to get up to go to Rin but before she could Sesshoumaru rose and came to her. "All this fuss over a lighter. Kagome held her hand out and showed Sesshoumaru the lighter. She gripped it in her hand and used her thumb to light it.

"This is just something from my village to start fires with. It is called a lighter."

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome as she used the object to make the fire. He had never seen anything like it before. He reached his hand out and touched the flame to insure that it wasn't a trick. He felt the heat coming from the object and pulled his hand back before he got burned.

"What manner of sorcery is this?" Kagome just shook her head.

"This is not sorcery. My village has many useful things like this."

"This Sesshoumaru would like to see your village, miko." Sesshoumaru crossed his arms and stared down at the girl.

Why did things always have to happen to her? She had survived four years without anyone knowing her secret besides her friends and Kaede who was like a grandmother to her. Now she had to let Sesshoumaru see the things from her time. Then he says he wants to see her village.

Great how was she going to explain to him that he can't see the village because it didn't exist for about another couple hundred years. Not to mention he would probably end up killing everyone he came in contact with for not bowing down to him or some other small slight in his eyes.

I can see it now he would be killing people and then they bring in the army to take him down. There wouldn't be anything left of Tokyo after he got done with it. Maybe she could delay this conversation till a later time and if she got lucky he would forget all about it.

"Inuyasha is the only one of my friends that have been to my village and if you're good I might consider taking you also."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head and returned to sit in front of his tree. If she had taken Inuyasha to this village of hers he would make sure that she took him.

"That reminds me miko. This Sesshoumaru would like to know what your feeling are toward the hanyou?"

Kagome gasped and turned startled eyes back to Sesshoumaru. How can he change subjects so well? Not to mention why would he want to know how I feel about Inuyasha? Now there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Sesshoumaru was sick. From what she knew of him and was told about him by his brother he had never cared about anyone's feelings before. Well besides Rin's that is.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Over the years I have seen you argue with him more times than I can count. I have heard him constantly call you names and berate you about what he sees as your many flaws and weaknesses. He compares you to the dead priestess and then sneaks behind your back and sees her at ever opportunity. And yet you stay with him. I would like to know what power he has over you to keep you by his side?" Sesshoumaru placed his arm on his raised knee and waited for her answer. Kagome sighed and raised her head so that she could look Sesshoumaru in the eyes.

"Inuyasha has no power over me. He is but a friend. At times maybe not a good friend but a friend none the less." Sesshoumaru just kept staring at her.

"Why do you stay with him when he is so cruel to you?"

"Because I promised him that I would stay by him no matter what." Kagome bowed her head so that she wouldn't have to look at Sesshoumaru.

"So no matter what the hanyou does you will stay by his side?" Sesshoumaru had to find out if she had meant her vow.

"Well yes. What else could I do? I promised?" Kagome kept her head bowed and sneaked a glance at Sesshoumaru. "I may not like some of the choices he has made but I have no other choice than to stay by him. Just like I do with the rest of my friends."

"This Sesshoumaru had no idea that humans could hold such honor." He stood up and without a word to anyone else walked into the forest. Kagome raised her head and watched the demon lord leave. She turned to find the kids sitting down and whispering amongst themselves.

"What are you two up too?" She put the water on the fire before turning back to the kids to hear their answer.

“Nothing.” Shippou and Rin both stated at the same time.

Ok now I know they are up to something. She just continued to stare at the duo and took some satisfaction in the fact that they appeared nervous under her gaze.

"Shippou get the bowls from my pack please." She waited till he brought her the bowls before she divided the ramen up. She watched the kids eat and put Sesshoumaru's bowl by the fire to keep warm for when he returned. After the kids were fed she washed both their faces and made them lay down beside the fire. It didn't take them long before they fell asleep. A while later Sesshoumaru walked back into camp. Kagome retrieved his bowl and handed it to him as he resumed his seat against his tree. "Eat."

Sesshoumaru took the bowl from Kagome and sniffed it. "What exactly is this?"

"It's ramen, a food from my time. Just eat it." She thrust some chopsticks into his hand and turned away from him. She returned to her seat across from him. She watched him as he sniffed the bowl again then look up at her. Then he cautiously took a small bite of the noodles. His next bite was a little bigger than the first. I think he likes it. She smiled at him as she watched him finish eating the rest of it. When he was done she rose and took his bowl from him. "So how did you like it?"

Sesshoumaru could tell she wanted him to say something nice. "It was somewhat edible."

Kagome turned from him and headed for the river shaking her head. Somewhat edible. Like I believe him. He ate it fast enough not to have liked it. Does he ever admit to liking anything? After the bowl was washed she sat on the bank of the river and wished she could be looking at a real sky, one that had stars and a moon. She loved to just sit and stare at the sky. She lay back on the grass and turned her head as she saw a pair of black boots beside her head. She looked up and found Sesshoumaru standing beside her looking down at her.

"Did you want something Sesshoumaru?"

"I was curious of why you were laying down beside the river." He sat down beside her. Maybe spending some time with her would help him to understand her and free him from his curiosity about her. But so far everything he found out about her just brought up more questions.

"Why are you so curious about everything?" Kagome had to turn her head at a very uncomfortable angle to look at him now.

"This I do not know. I suddenly find myself wanting to know why you do things. That is all." He lay down beside her and looked at the fake sky with her.

Shippou woke up and turned to look for Kagome. She wasn't around the fire and Sesshoumaru wasn't anywhere either. He looked to the river and found them both. They were lying beside one another while looking at the sky. He couldn't wait till he told Rin what he had seen. Maybe the chance that Sesshoumaru could be their father wasn't so far fetched as they first believed. He settled back down and returned to sleep.

Kagome wasn't about to turn and look at Sesshoumaru when he was so close to her. But for some strange reason she felt comfortable with him beside her.

"To answer your question I was just wishing this was a real sky I would like to see the stars and the moon. I find it peaceful to just rest and stare at the stars. Besides in my time you don't get to see them very clearly. So when ever I am in this era I enjoy looking at them."

"Tell me more about your time." He just lay beside her and listened as she told him about tall buildings, something called cars and airplanes. Smog, trains, and malls. "So your time is full of humans, no youkai that you know of, it smells and is to noisy. So why do you continue to go back?"

"I go back because my family is there. I would like to stay in this era but my time is five hundred years in the future. Mistress Centipede pulled me into this era. And I remain so that I may find and retrieve the Shikon shards. I am just here to correct an accident that I caused to happen. It was me that broke the Shikon jewel. So I remain to fix it. I don't know what will happen when it is finally completed. My friends and I've come up with many scenarios over the years. The first is I get sent to my time with no way of coming back. The second is the well closes and I am stuck here. And last but not least the well continues to work and I get to visit any time I want." Sesshoumaru could hear the sadness in her voice as she told him the scenarios.

"So which do you hope happens?"

"To tell you the truth I wouldn't care which one happens. I would miss my friends but I would like to continue school. I applied to go to college in the fall. If I can't see my friends again I would miss them like crazy but I would go on with my life and hope that they do the same. If I get stuck here then I would make a new life for myself and try to find a way to let my mother know that I had a happy life. If I still have use of the well then I would visit my friends when ever I could." Kagome sighed and closed her eyes for a second.

"It sounds like you have thought this through." He sighed and just hoped the jewel let her stay. "What would happen if something changed and you found a reason to make you stay in this era?"

"Like what?" She could think of a few things that would make her stay her for good.

"What happens if you find a mate?" He had to hear her response to this so he sat up and looked down at her.

"I don't think that is going to happen. Inuyasha loved me and went to Kikyo. Koga said he loved me but in the heat of mating season mated Ayame. I am a miko. Who would want to mate me anyways? Humans respect me too much to even think about trying anything and youkais' fear me too much to try anything. If I want to find a mate I will have to return home."

"Not all youkai fear you, Kagome." Sesshoumaru used his claw to wipe the tears from her face.

"Yeah your right. Most of them want to kill me to get the jewel." She couldn't believe that Sesshoumaru wiped the tears from her cheek.

"Most youkai that attack you for the jewel prove how weak they really are. If they were truly strong they would have no reason to want the jewel." He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his tail around her. "Besides have you forgotten that I do not fear you nor do I try to kill you anymore?"

Kagome looked up at him and smiled. "Why did you stop trying to kill me?"

"This Sesshoumaru could not kill the one that was needed to bring Naraku down. If not for you the hanyou would still be around making trouble for this Sesshoumaru." He stroked her back in hope to comfort her.

"I was not the only one that brought him down. You and your brother, and my friends played a great part in it also." How did he think it was her doing? They all helped in bring Naraku down.

"Yes we all had a part in it but if you hadn't purified him he would have found a way to return and torment us all." He could tell that she was feeling a little better. Kagome went to move but was stopped when her sore muscles protested.

"That reminds me Sesshoumaru. Your dragon made this orb for us to live in right. How about asking them for a hot spring. I could really use it after the work out you gave us today."

Sesshoumaru saw the grimace that she tried to hide and laid her on the ground. He massaged her back and her legs trying to over look the small sighs that she was emitting.

"I will discuss it with them as soon as I can." As he massaged her legs he couldn't help but grow aroused at the sounds she was making not to mention the change in her scent. He gently moved away from her body and rose to return to the camp. When he was a couple of steps away he turned back to her

"You might consider retiring soon. I will wake you early so that we might train again." With that said he turned once again to the camp.

Kagome watched Sesshoumaru walk back to camp and turned to watch the sky for a little while longer before she returned to camp. Just what we all needed, another training session with Sesshoumaru.