Falls On Me

For three days she lay on the couch, clutching the sword to her like a lifeline and crying like she had never cried before. The moment she brought the sword into her arms her fragile emotional dam burst and she let the tears flow. Instead of retreating to her room or his arms she pushed him away, which stung more than Sesshoumaru ever considered. He had no real attachment to the miko. He was helping her learn and then he would send her on her way.

Through blurred vision Kagome studied the sword. It hadn't changed much at all; it still looked like a piece of battered junk. She pulled it out of its scabbard and there were still slight blood stains visible on the rusty blade and a few strands of silvery hair were caught on the hand guard. Whether they belonged to her love or his brother she didn't know, and it made things that much harder on her.

Sesshoumaru was at his wit's end. The miko had refused to move even to eat. He was cooking for her just like he would have been if she had been joining him at meal times, though he would sit the plate in front of her on the coffee table in hopes she would at least eat something. Grief was harsh, and it would take time for the feeling to numb itself enough for her to function normally, but her fragile human body was in no condition to take the abuse. After watching Rin put herself through this when her husband died he was determined to help the miko. Rin's husband Shinichi was killed in battle and Rin didn't take it well at all. He took care of her children while they all watched her waste away in her grief. Shinichi was killed in the beginning of the summer and Rin was buried at his side before the season changed to autumn.

On day four he had taken enough of hearing her sobs and wails of mourning. He threw away her plate of dinner and marched into the living room. "Get up and go shower before I bathe you myself," he commanded.

Kagome looked up at him. "I can't," she whispered. "I don't want to be the only one left." Like a mother rocking a small child she cradled the sword to her chest and rocked back and forth.

Two strides and he was at her side, yanking the sword from her hands and carelessly tossing it aside. "You are killing yourself!" he screamed. "You are slowly killing yourself! Is that what you want??" He was frustrated. Didn't she realize that she wasn't the only one?

The girl on the couch cowered. Never had she heard Sesshoumaru raise his voice, even with his promises of a painful death. For the first time in her life she was truly scared of him. Her sobs turned into wails. "I'm all that's left! Don't you get that!"

"No you aren't!" He grabbed her arms and pulled her up level with his eyes. "What about me? This Sesshoumaru was there from the start of the journey. I even assisted your band of misfits when needed." He gave her a good shake. "Stop pitying yourself! I have spent the last thousand years watching my loved ones die one by one!" Unceremoniously he dropped her back to the floor. "You have been frozen in time and have not had to suffer the same fate!"

"You bastard," she seethed. The next thing she knew her hand seemed to act on its own accord as she slapped him hard across the face.

He grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway to the bathroom. "Quit hiding behind tears and anger." Once there he ripped her nightgown over her head and shoved her into the shower. "They. Are. Gone." he said, putting emphasis on each word. "Now you will bathe. I have no shame and will join you if you don't."

The commanding tone wasn't doing any good for her. He released her and she sank down the shower wall and curled up into a ball in the tub.

"Have it your way then." Sesshoumaru pulled off his jeans and dress shirt and joined her in the shower. He turned on the water and adjusted it, then leaned down and picked her up so she stood against him. "Don't you think I've lost too?" he whispered into her hair. "I may not have loved Inuyasha in the most conventional manner, but the whelp was still my brother." At the mention of the hanyou's name she cried even harder. "Don't you get it? I have lost too."

Kagome trembled in his arms as she cried; the steamy water carrying away the tears they shed together.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, both mourning their lost loved ones, but the spray soon ran cold and the girl in his arms started to shiver. Letting go of her only to turn off the water and grab towels for them he picked her up again and carried her to his bed. He turned down the covers and sat down on the edge of the bed with the girl in his arms. "Where is the ridiculously stubborn miko I had grown attached to?" He moved her off of his lap and she lay down. When he moved to stand she caught his arm just as she had done the first night she had arrived and pulled him back to the bed. Sensing her longing for contact he dropped his towel and joined her.

-----

Kagome wasn't sure what time it was when she eventually woke up, but she was naked, cold, and alone. She turned to the window and saw it was still dark outside, so it was either still early yet in the morning or she had slept the day away yet again. She threw the thin sheet back and crawled out of the bed. This was the worst she had felt in days. Lack of eating made her weak and her eyes still felt bloodshot.

She stumbled sleepily over to the dresser and pulled out the nightgown and matching slippers that Mokuren had gotten for her. It was a little frilly for her tastes but it did the job well, and looked mighty cute to boot. Topping it off she threw on the frilly pink robe.

Halfway into the living room she heard his voice, low and dangerous yet smooth. Kagome had come to the conclusion that she liked that voice when it wasn't uttering phrases that all boiled down to killing her in the worst of ways. This time it wasn't speaking of killing, but speaking of hiding.

"Not yet. She isn't ready." Kagome peeked around the corner and watched him pace in front of the image of another male at about 1/4th scale on the coffee table. "There is still a lot that needs to be done."

"Like what, Sesshoumaru?" the unfamiliar male yelled. "You can't keep her all to yourself!"

Sesshoumaru knocked a few items off of one of the bookshelves in irritation. "I can if I damn well please!" he yelled. "You have had nearly 1000 years to heal your wounds. Give her more time."

The other male laughed. "You sound like you are beginning to care for her yourself."

"It is true that she has grown on me," he said. Giving up on pacing he plopped down on the couch. "I will let you know when she's ready." Reaching over to a small black box on the coffee table he pushed a button and the image disappeared. "How much did you hear, miko?" he called out to her.

Cautiously Kagome came into the room. "Who was that?"

"How much did you hear?"

"It's not polite to answer a question with a question," she replied in frustration.

Sesshoumaru laughed. "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" He beckoned her to come sit on the couch with him and wrapped his arm around her when she did. "You will meet the person I was speaking to. After last night's events I think it will be best if we wait."

"Is it someone I know?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Now is not the right time."

Kagome didn't quite understand, but she nodded either way. "So what's on the schedule for today?"

"I have to go back to work at the shrine. I thought that you could spend the day with Mokuren." He chuckled at the look on her face. "Do you have plans that would interfere with that?"

She looked up at him meekly. "There's a marathon of My Brother The Queen on today."

"I understand that Mokuren is a lot to handle, but I feel it would be good for you."

Kagome snorted. "Just like my mom used to tell me artichokes were good for me."

"Fine," he said in a clipped tone. "You watch your television program. I will be home in a few hours." He stopped at the door when he caught a slight whimper.

"Can I come too?" she whispered.

He narrowed his eyes and growled. "No."

Kagome winced when she heard the door slam. "Jerk." She turned the TV on and flipped through the channels until she heard the theme music to her new favorite show.

Three one hour episodes had come and gone and Kagome was tired of being home alone. She decided to clean a bit more while pondering how on earth did so much dust collect over the span of four days. Not quite in a chipper mood she mumbled a goofy song from her time to try to cheer herself up. "We were at the beach, matching towels," she mumbled, making circles with another dirty sock over the dust that had built up. "Somebody went under a dock, and there they saw a rock."

She was jolted from her cleaning when she felt a pulse of power that made her almost uncomfortable. Looking around she immediately went for and clutched onto Tessaiga. Not much it would do to help her since Inuyasha was the only one who could make it transform. Standing there in the middle of the living room with the sock still over her hand and clutching the sword Kagome tried to figure out the source of such a familiar yet restless energy. Seemingly of their own accord her legs carried her down the hallway and once again she found herself standing before that door that contained the only place left in the apartment left unexplored.

With a shaking hand she reached out and felt almost a spark beneath her fingers when she touched the knob. Slowly Kagome turned it.

A shrill ring came from the living room and Kagome jumped from the door and shot like a rocket back to attempt to find the source. She searched all over the place, even the kitchen, but the ringing soon stopped and was replaced by a man's voice.

'Sesshoumaru, if you are there answer me damn it! You didn't leave her there home alone did you?? Idiot. I'm coming over, so you better be there.'

Just as suddenly as it came the voice was gone. Kagome peeked around the corner into the living room, wondering if the voice was done yelling, but more importantly who the voice belonged to. When there were no more verbal outbursts coming out of thin air she crept back into the living room. Grabbing Tessaiga from the corner that it had been tossed into she clutched it to her chest and crouched behind the couch in a mockery of a battle stance, laying in wait of the voice that claimed to be coming over.

For hours it seemed Kagome hid with the sword, even though it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Her nerves were riding higher than ever and a light sheen of sweat covered her forehead. Whoever, or whatever, was coming and she was prepared to use the training she had received traveling with Inuyasha and go medieval on that person that disturbed her happy life thus far.

Finally the door creaked open and Kagome made her move.

Eyes closed, sword over her head, and screaming a strange battle cry Kagome charged at the invader.

She halted and dropped the sword when another feminine scream answered.

"Mokuren?" she asked, cracking open one eye.

The woman in front of her was pale. "What in the HELL were you doing??" she yelled, snatching the sword from Kagome's hands.

Kagome started to hyperventilate. "There was a voice...a man....said he was coming over...hid with Tessaiga," she pointed to the sofa, "scared..."

Mokuren just laughed. "One of Granpa Sess's friends. I headed him off in the lobby and said that you weren't available yet for visitors." She raised one arched eyebrow. "Why do you have a sock on your hand?"

Quickly Kagome snatched the sock off of her hand and tossed it toward the side of the kitchen where the small laundry room was located. "But what about the voice? It seemed to be coming out of nowhere!"

"Don't tell me they didn't have answering machines in your time?" Mokuren raised an eyebrow.

"Answering machines?"

"You know, machines that answer phones."

Kagome hated being talked to like she was a toddler. "I know what a damn answering machine is," she replied in a sour tone.

Mokuren closed the front door and walked into the kitchen to a small nook in the wall where a strange small black box sat. "Watch and learn."

She pushed a button and a small impatient figure popped up on top of the box and the voice that played through the apartment sounded.

'Sesshoumaru, if you are there answer me damn it! You didn't leave her there home alone did you?? Idiot. I'm coming over, so you better be there.'

Kagome backed away slowly as the tears started to form yet again. She felt her knees give out and she fell to the floor, weeping tears of sadness and happiness all at once, whispering a name that hadn't passed her lips in a thousand years.