Kagome sighed, sinking deeper into the water as she washed herself of her recent battle. It has been almost a month since their leaving the Gerudo Desert and deciding to regroup in Hateno. Link constantly out; between clearing monster camps along the Hateno Beach and convening with Purah for future battle plan against Ganon, he's almost never home.
Sesshoumaru stayed close by whenever she went out to train herself, leaving her to deal with whatever enemy she targeted to help refine herself. But when he's assured that she will be within Hateno Village's compound, he will disappear and return with blood on his boots and arm bracers. He didn't speak much to her, as was usual for him, but there's something about the way he lingered close.
She felt caged...
In fact, Kagome's swear she's getting cabin fever. Even going up to see Purah about the way home could not get rid of that nagging feeling of being watched. Oddly, she does not feel creep out by the stalking. Also, she really has no idea how Sesshoumaru managed to stalk her with that size of his. He stood head and shoulders higher than anyone else in the village!
Not to mention, she's supposed to be doing the watching, not him!
Kagome groaned before climbing out of her wooden tub. When she came out of the wet room, she saw Link looking like he just came out of a burning building and Sesshoumaru who appeared the same staring at the Sheikah Slate and a piece of leather. There's also a book, singed and weather beaten but holding together, on the table.
Now that she thinks about it, they were both absent from Hateno early that morning and Sesshoumaru didn't appear when she decided to go attack the group of Bokoblins back at the beach, stealing lambs from the pasture as usual. But she was so deep in her thoughts that she barely noticed it at all.
Drying her hair, she came close and looked at the items, "Where did you guys go?"
Link flinched while Sesshoumaru simply blinked. Twilight whined and hid his snout under a paw. Kagome felt something familiar pinching her nerves, "Don't tell me...you guys went and go on another adventure without me?"
Twilight's whine does not help the atmosphere in the room that's growing heavier and heavier with each passing seconds. Kagome felt her brow twitch as she grit her jaw behind a sweet smile, "I know things were bad a month ago. I almost died," A flinch and the smile grew sweeter, "Almost lose my mind too," Sweats dripping from Link's brow as Kagome's sweet, sweet smile turned poisonous with bared teeth as Twilight quickly placed both front paws over his ears with a frightened whine; "But...that does not mean that you can MOLLYCODDLE ME!!!"
Her roar reverberated through the house and outside, Bolson and Karson flinched before the effeminate leader coughed, "Let's...call it day..." Karson has no problem with the suggestion as they both picked their collective butts as though on fire and ran straight home...
An angry Kagome is more frightening than a chasing Guardian Stalker...
Link swore that whenever Kagome loses her temper, he could see the Dark World's gate opening behind her living, writhing hair and her usually warm spring blue eyes flashed frozen Naydra blue that he felt like he flew too close to the Spring Guardian. And he had flown too close once....if being flashed frozen was anything like that then he can empathize with anything that's been frozen. Had it not been for Sesshoumaru's timely catch, he probably would have shattered into tiny pieces...
Not monsters though, he's been ambushed often enough to not feel anything for their misery.
But back to the matter at hand...
She finally caught up to what both he and Sesshoumaru had been doing between getting stronger and preparing for war. To be honest, he knew it was stupid but he couldn't help it. Among all their adventures together, this was the first time Kagome had been so badly affected that death was almost a mercy.
He can't say for Sesshoumaru though. The male's treatment of Kagome may seem like he's coddling her in his weird way but Link swore that it was more him being possessive of her. Din, Link swore that even he was almost glared at whenever he gets too close and comfortable with Kagome, and Sesshoumaru knew well that they're like siblings!
The male had bared a fang at Link once from walking too close behind Kagome...
Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru watched Kagome ranted at both him and Link. He gets why she's upset. He would too if he, as a healthy and able warrior, being coddled like a pup just because of a onetime brush with death. But daily he's warring with his instinct to make her into his and the Fierce Deity's rather scandalous suggestions at time, whenever the quasi-divine existence deigns to suggest anything, does not help.
He fought from keeping her home because like her name she wouldn't be kept in a cage...
He fought from rushing in and finishing her battle for her because their lifestyle won't allow any kind of physical weakness so she needed the battle to grow stronger...
He fought from attacking Link and staking claim because Kagome would not understand as to her, Link's not a male suitor but a brother figure thus not a threat...
Besides, from what he recall of their conversations to fill in their long journey across Hyrule, Kagome does not like being objectified. She would not be able to empathize with his need to stake his claim on her. In her view, a woman should be treated as a person with their own thoughts and their own needs. Not something to be treated like a trophy or spoils of war. It was the common sense of her time.
If Sesshoumaru suggest a duel for her hand, she would not appreciate it. She will see it as him treating her as an object to gain instead of cherish...
Every which way he turn, he came to a dead end. The things he's used to, she does not. His way is not her way. No matter how his instinct howled at him, it will in turn make her detest him. So he does nothing, but rather tries as much as he could to understand her.
What makes her laugh?
What brings out that blinding smile from her?
What eases the pain in her heart?
What makes her content?
He knew well her strength, her virtue and her loyal heart. He knew that she would sooner martyr herself than allow harm come to the pack. No matter what challenges come her way, she will meet it even if she face it while lacking in many area for she will learn and if she found the task hard, she will grit her jaw and endure the trials thrown her way until she come out victorious.
He knew her weakness, her many failings and flaws as well as her fear. He knew that her loyalty is just as much as her stubbornness. Her faith in a subject could also be her unwillingness to face the bleak reality. She's hot tempered as she's passionate. But just as quick she's angered; she's also as quick to forgive. Though she's not afraid of being wounded if it meant keeping them safe, she's far more afraid of being left behind.
Her brilliance's just as important as her flaw.
Sesshoumaru does not want to distract her with the matters of the heart but at the same time, like the Fierce Deity oft reminded him, she easily disappear like the morning dew burned by sunrise. He knew he needed to be patient, but their journey tested this with every wound that scarred her skin. So he let himself be lost to the lust of battle, allowed the madness that dwelled within the Fierce Deity to bleed through his ironclad control.
He knew that both her and Link had caught glimpses of this madness with each clash of strong monsters. He knew that they feared for him, aware that the chance of their fear to turn to him grew higher with each loss of control. Yet, he pretended that he was fine.
He needed to assure them that his madness was for the enemies to bear, not them. So he pretended that not being affected by Kagome's presence and her mortality does not lance numbing terror into his heart. With each battle she faced, he grew more restless. So he let that restlessness out where they cannot see him.
So while with his pack, he warred between logic and instinct.
And let loose that endless war onto his enemies once he left their sight.
But he never left her for long. He's too restless to leave her for long. Though he asked (read; threaten) the residents of the village to help keep an eye on her safety when she's in the village, he found that he could not rest until he saw to her wellbeing himself.
It was maddening but he would not trade it for sanity if it meant keeping her in his life...
So he let her rant at him, enjoying the burning flame of her life as it licked at him before he told her the reason behind their departure, "We need a map of Hyrule Castle,"
She looked back at him dumbly, though he knew her intelligence, "What? Why?"
He added, "To prepare. So we have been planning a scouting of the castle since before leaving Gerudo. But since only Link has ever been inside, both in the past and recently, I decided to scout the area around the castle as well as the ruined town surrounding the castle. It was wiser to not bring you along,"
She frowned, "Why?"
Link answered, "Guardian Stalkers are everywhere. I can get into the castle because back when you guys are still in the Lost Wood and things not as bad as now, I managed to sneak in," He didn't tell that he was just that desperate when they were not by his side that he gambled with his life. Mipha was not amused and neither does Daruk; it was suicidal of him. But he ignored that pang of guilt, "There's a Sheikah Shrine at the dock under the castle, so that settles going in for me,"
He pulled out the Sheikah Slate, "I can see the castle's layout with this but there's been a lot of caved in and large debris along the way that navigating was difficult," He then pointed at the map, "So I managed to get this map of Hyrule Castle from Impa and right now we are trying to figure out the best way to get to the Sanctum,"
She peered at the spot of drawing that Link pointed at. He explained, "That's where she is," And him.
She then looked at the book and picked it up, "And this?"
Link blushed, "Err...can I just say that you were right?"
She frowned, "Right about what?"
He mumbled before scrunching his face in both determination and resignation, "That she thinks I hate her and so she decided to hate me instead of working things out between us because I'm so accomplished while she haven't got anything done because she thinks I think her useless like everyone else!"
Kagome was blindsided by his torrent of words for a while before her blue eyes turned to the book in her hand, mouth slowly gawking in disbelief. Understanding dawned on her and just as Link can see that, he quickly bolted. Kagome called after him, "YOU READ THE PRINCESS'S DIARY?!!!"
He called back in lame defense; "IT'S CALLED A JOURNAL!!"
Sesshoumaru watched as she chased after the guilty knight out the door, brandishing the journal like a weapon to hid him with, screeching, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT'S CALLED! IT'S PRIVATE!!"
"WELL, SHE LEFT IT OPEN ON HER DESK!!"
"IT STILL DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO READ IT, YOU PERVERT!!"
"HOW AM I READING A JOURNAL MAKE A ME PERVERT?!! OW!!!"
He watched as she chased Link around the small pond on the ground of their home and couldn't stop the softening of his features, couldn't stop the smile pulling at his lips.
It's better this way. She doesn't need to bear his burden...