Learning to Love

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha, I make no money from this… well there went my happy bubble…



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They had been arguing for the last hour. Not long after breaking camp that morning they had come upon a human village, and Kagome wanted to enter it to get Rin some new cloths and proper food, but Sesshoumaru didn’t want to be separated for that long. His protective instincts were screaming at him to get them back to the Western Palace as quickly as possible. Kagome’s patience had finally reached its limit with him, she stomped her foot and let loose her hormonally enhanced temper on him.



“I have had it with arguing about this Sesshoumaru. I have been craving something sweet for over a week now, and Rin needs real cloths and a decent meal, now instead of standing here arguing pointlessly, why don’t you make yourself useful and find us a better way to travel!” Kagome yelled. She was breathing heavily, and her face was flushed a lovely shade of red. Sesshoumaru stood there speechless, too caught up in how beautiful his mate looked, and just nodded mutely at her.



Kagome huffed and marched over to where she had set Rin down when she and Sesshoumaru had begun arguing. Rin had been sitting there quietly the whole time just tuning out the argument and watching some bees that were flying over some flowers nearby. She was used to people arguing around her, she just hoped that her new parents wouldn’t get violent like the men she had been traveling with did when they argued. She was pulled out of her musings when Kagome picked her up and started toward the village. When Rin looked over her mama’s shoulder she saw her papa standing there looking after them with a look of defeat, obviously her mama had won the argument.



The village was quite large when they had finally gotten into it and started to look around. There were all kinds of vendors selling a huge assortment of knick-knacks. Kagome ignored those for the moment and followed her nose to a hot pot restaurant, it specialized in beef pots and both girls enjoyed a large pot of beef and vegetables. Once they were both finished their meal, they moved on to a sweets vendor and got two packages of sweet rice treats, neither of which lasted very long. With both girls now pleasantly full, and Kagome’s sweet tooth temporarily sated, they set out in search of a kimono shop.



They looked in several shops, but none of them had quite what they were looking for. In the last shop on the main strip, in a rather rundown looking shack, they found a shop filled with some of the best made kimonos they had seen yet. As they perused the merchandise, they were astounded by the variety that the little shop seemed to posses.



Shortly after they had entered, a woman walked out from the back room. After watching them peruse the merchandise for a while, she finally decided to speak to them.



“Pardon me; the cheaper merchandise is on the other wall. I believe there will be something suitable for your little servant girl there.” She said in a sickly sweet voice, her obvious dislike for Rin ruffled Kagome’s feathers.



“I do not appreciate your assumption of my daughter madam; I believe you owe her an apology…” Kagome said in a clipped voice, her eyes flashing with anger.



“Your daughter, surely you jest, she is nothing but a little street urchin! She bears no resemblance to you what-so-ever. She is nothing but skin and bones, you honestly expect me to believe she is your daughter!?” the woman cackled. Rin buried her head into Kagome’s neck, and a few seconds later Kagome heard the faint sound of sniffling. Kagome’s patience finally reached its limit, her temper exploded and in a flash she had set Rin down and had a dagger pressed to the still cackling woman’s throat. She shoved her against the wall, leveling her deadliest glare on the now silent woman.



“You dare to insult my child! You obviously do not know who you are dealing with you bitch! I never said she was my biological child, but she is mine non-the-less! I am a customer here and a high class one at that and you, a lowly merchant, dare to speak to me with such disrespect. I should slit your throat for your transgressions.” Kagome said to the now terrified woman, emphasizing her threat by pressing the dagger a little further into the woman’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood.



The commotion caused a man to come rushing out of the back. From the look of him, he was obviously the shop owner. He paled at the scene in front of him, and instantly dropped to his knees bowing low to the floor.



“Please…Please, I beg of you to spare my wife, I know not what she has done, but I beseech you to find a morsel of mercy within you and please spare her!” The man pleaded at Kagome’s feet.



“Your wife has shamed herself and your shop by disrespecting myself and my daughter, I have every right to take her life! Yet you dare think you have the right to beg me to spare it?!” Kagome said in a cold emotionless voice, her eyes holding the same icy quality as she stared at the man shaking on the floor.



He flinched at her cold words, but kept his eyes to the floor in a show of submission, then continued his plea.



“Milady, I apologize for my wife. She is excellent in our craft and often gets an inflated ego from the praises of the high class customers that frequent our small, humble shop. I know she sometimes forgets her place, but she is an honorable, well mannered woman most of the time, I consider myself truly blessed to have found her and made her mine. Though she vexes me at times, I do love her with all my heart. So please Milady, spare her your wrath, forgive her this once and I swear she will never do it again, she will receive punishment for her crime against you, on that you have my word!” The man’s plea hit a chord in Kagome and the blades pressure lessened slightly on the woman’s neck. Kagome pondered his words for a few moments before deciding on what she would do.



“Very well, I will not take her life, but I will take something from her for her actions.” Kagome said. In an instant she had flipped the woman around and with a swift uppercut her dagger sliced off the tightly wound bun on top of the woman’s head, and the large lump of hair fell into Kagome’s waiting hand. “Wear your shame and remember this incident in the future, others will not be as kind and forgiving, on this I assure you…”Kagome said as she dropped the hairball and walked back to Rin. As she was picking her up to leave the man spoke again, his voice low and respectful.



“Milady please, as a further sign of our apology and thanks, please choose whatever you like among our kimono collection, and it is yours…” the man said still in his bow on the floor, the woman had fallen to the floor unconscious the moment Kagome had let go of her, her now ragged hair falling around her face.



“I will leave that choice to my daughter, if she sees fit to choose something so be it.” Kagome said looking down at Rin. She blushed at the attention she was suddenly receiving. The man had raised his head to look at her, and she saw how sorry he was, she decided he was a good man and to accept his offer. From Kagome’s hip Rin looked around and suddenly something dark caught her eye. Tugging at Kagome’s sleeve she pointed to where the Kimono was hung. Kagome walked over to it and summoned the man over to pull it out and show to them.



Both gasped when he pulled it free from the others. It was a black silk adult sized kimono, with a giant blood red rose at the base that went clean up to where a person’s knee would be. Contrasting the deep red of the rose and black background were bright green leaves surrounding the rose, and thorn covered vines of the same color spreading out from the bottom of the rose wrapping around the bottom of the kimono. Rin smiled and patted Kagome on the arm, looking at her in childish glee, and Kagome chuckled.



“My dear I believe you have missed the point, you were supposed to pick something for yourself, not me.” She laughed outright at the pouty face Rin made at that, and then kissed her cheek. “However I appreciate the thought little one, you have very good taste.” Rin’s chest puffed up at the praise and the man cleared his throat.



“Milady, if it pleases you we have a matching kimono in a child’s size. It is yours as well if you wish it?” He said bowing low.



“What do you think Rin? Would you like to have a matching Kimono to mine?” She had barley completed her query before Rin was eagerly nodding her head. “Very well, we will take the matching kimono and all the usual accessories that go with them. He smiled at them, bowed low, and then started to bustle about collecting their order. Before too long two boxes were presented to them.



“I humbly thank you for your generosity Milady. You have a very big heart. Your daughter is a very lucky girl to have been taken in by you. I think she will be a very pretty young lady when she gets a little weight on her.” He smiled kindly at Rin, who again blushed and nodded her thanks to him, then gave him her famous gaped toothed grin when he handed her a sweet treat.



“May you one day be blessed with a child of your own, I feel you have the makings of a great father.” Kagome smiled at him.



“You are too kind Milady, I must admit though should the kami see fit to grant me a child it would be a great joy in my life. Please if you see fit to visit us again, it would bring a great honor on this humble shop.” He said bowing low.



“If we pass this way again I will consider it, if nothing else to see that your wife is behaving. Now we must take our leave, we have been in this village far too long. Farewell, and be sure to keep your wife in line, should I visit again, I would much rather see a happy family here than a grieving widower.” Kagome smiled at him.



“A safe journey to you Milady.” He bowed as she walked out the door with the boxes strapped to her back and her little one on her hip waving goodbye over her shoulder. He waved back with a wistful smile, and then went to his wife’s side.



She began to wake up a short while after the two had left. She sat up with a jolt, and looked around with wild eyes for a moment.



“Calm yourself wife, they are long gone by now.” He said in an irritated voice.



Her breathing regulated after a few deep breaths, it was then she noticed her hair. She ran her hand through the uneven locks that fell raggedly around her face, slowly processing what had happened.



“Oh Gods! My hair! She cut my hair off! I can’t be seen like this! Wait, a wig…yes…yes…that’s it I’ll get a wig and no one will be the wise*SLAP*” She sat there holding her now red cheek looking at her husband in shock. He was a gentle man; he had never raised his voice let alone his hand to her before, but now fury shown clearly in his features.



“No you’ll not wear a wig, wife. As that woman said, you’ll wear your shame for all to see. You don’t seem to realize how close that loose mouth of yours brought you to your end today! That woman was a warrior, she wouldn’t have thought twice about taking your life. That child being here was probably your only saving grace, that and the fact that she seemed to have a kind heart to her to begin with. If it had been any other lord or lady your life would have ended today. You’re lucky you only lost your hair and two of the shops kimonos in recompense for your foolishness. You’ll also wear that scar on your neck as a reminder of today, I will not pay for a healer to take it away for you. You’ll also have no further dealings with the customers. I believe it is time you grant me the children I have been wanting for some time and become a housewife. You can stitch at night when the children are sleeping if you wish to continue working for the shop, but it will be solely behind the scenes. It is time you learn you place wife, I do love you and I know if I leave you in this environment I will surely loose you to another noble who has no heart or compassion…” he whispered sadly as he gently caressed the cheek he had struck. Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes as she nodded her understanding.



“Come wife, we shall close up the shop early today, I believe we have both had enough excitement for one day.” He said gently: he put the sign out and closed and locked the door. He then returned to his wife’s side and helped her to the back room where they would be starting the next chapter of their lives with a renewed appreciation for each other and the world they lived in.

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Well there it is, hope you all enjoyed it!! Please leave a review to let me know what you think!!