Somewhere in Time

Into the Fair

Kagome wasn't having it anymore. The argument had been going on for over an hour! She stood adamantly in front of the immovable daiyoukai and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I will not allow it," Sesshomaru said in his baritone voice. He was sitting on the bed quite comfortably, looking like he owned the place already.

"Why not?" Kagome asked impatiently. She'd probably asked this question a thousand times by now. She was reaching her limit.

"My lineage acts accordingly so. I will not stray from the inu-youkai tradition."

"Well, I will not allow you to run around Tokyo looking like a dedicated cosplayer with that spiky armor and kimono!" She pointed exasperatedly at the clothes beside him. "Please, just this once, Sesshomaru-sama, wear modern clothes. It will help you blend in and it won't raise any suspicion."

The proud inu-youkai merely stared at her and refused to address the matter any further. Oh, for the love of God! Who knew Sesshomaru could be as stubborn as his half-brother?

She threw her arms in the air and noisily barged out of the room. "Fine!"

###

For a deliberate second, Sesshomaru considered giving in to the whim of the miko. After all, he did not like seeing her upset. But asking him to wear human clothes in place of his regal apparel was too much, even if it was his intended mate who had requested it. This Sesshomaru was the Lord of the Western Lands. Wearing his red and white kimono patterned with the six-petaled plum blossoms symbolized his power and strength. The flower only bloomed in the latter part of winter and always defeated the harsh cold and snow, making it an appropriate representation of his supremacy above all else.

But still... Kagome was important to him. Was his daiyoukai pride really above all else, including the woman he intended to mate?

Sesshomaru heard Kagome's footsteps on the stairs. She was returning to the room. Sighing, he rose from the bed and prepared to agree on the miko's terms. He would discard his pride and honor for once. For her.

But when the door opened, his yellow-gold eyes widened. Kagome was wearing a light green kimono with a gold obi around her slender waist. It formed a large ribbon at the back. Her hair was smoothed down in loose waves and a barrette clip beaded with small pearls pinned a few strands of her fringe in place.

Sesshomaru was speechless. He had never seen her wear something else besides her green uniform and the miko robes. Looking at her now, she was indeed a sight to behold. Kagome would certainly make a perfect Lady of the West.

The woman sighed. "Sesshomaru-sama, I'm sorry for my outburst. Look, it was wrong of me to force you to wear human clothes, so I decided that I'll wear something traditional too."

"Forgive me, Kagome," Sesshomaru began. "I have allowed my pride to become inconsiderate of the era I am in."

"No, no! It's really okay," the miko responded, frantically waving her hands in front of her and smiling. "People are gonna stare at us anyway, so..."

Sesshomaru nodded, picked up his swords, and stepped closer to her. "Shall we go then?"

"Er... well, perhaps you can leave them, Sesshomaru-sama. It's against the law to carry swords around the street. Don't worry, they'll be safe here."

"Very well." He put them back against the nightstand. Sesshomaru felt incomplete without his signature weapons, but he did not feel his power weaken. Only a fool would attack them so boldly.

They went downstairs and were met by Kagome's mother at the doorway. She smiled at both of them and she handed the miko a small rectangular card with strange letters embossed on it. "Here's your credit card, Kagome. The balance has already been paid. You can use it to buy supplies for your next journey to the well."