Somewhere in Time

Challenger

Sesshomaru slowly opened his eyes, his mind a strange haze of vague memories and thoughts. It took him a fraction of a second to realize that he had allowed his guard down and let himself fall into deep slumber. His instincts suddenly spiked, his muscles tensed, when he felt an invasive presence around him.

His yellow-gold eyes widened. There, curled up beside him on the bed, was Kagome.

A tremendous wave of surprise hit him, preventing his body from making any movement. Her concentrated scent, her proximity, her swirling reiki—they inflicted a ravenous desire within him, something that he had not even thought of before. Inexplicable sensations made his skin crawl, like an itch that needed to be scratched. He suddenly had the wanton need to pull the sleeping miko into his arms, to feel her soft, supple skin against him, to know how her lips tasted like...

Sesshomaru jolted up into a sitting position, breathless and confused. He could not take advantage of Kagome that way. The innocence, the purity of her was what made her most desirable than any female youkai he had encountered. He would wait until she submitted herself willingly, and he could claim her as his mate.

A loud knock distracted the daiyoukai from his thoughts. The miko's mother was on the other side of the door. "Kagome, are you awake? Hojo is here."

Hojo? Sesshomaru frowned. The human who chases after Kagome?

He breathed deeply and sifted through the distinct scents of the miko's family. He honed in on the intrusive presence, the one that did not belong to the place he had claimed as an extension of his territories. The daiyoukai's chest rumbled as he suppressed a protective snarl. The human would dare court Kagome in his presence?

Her mother knocked again and this time, the miko stirred in her sleep and yawned as she slowly awakened. Sesshomaru quickly rose from the bed before she realized that they had slept together in the night. He opened the door halfway and bowed slightly to the woman on the other side. "She is waking up. I shall tell her of the visitor."

The woman looked startled but she recovered quicky, and the surprise on her face was replaced by a light smile. "Of course, Sesshomaru-sama. Breakfast is already prepared. Please come down when you're both ready."

He nodded and closed the door. Kagome was sitting on the bed, stretching and yawning. Her raven hair spilled over her shoulders and the strange glow on her face made her alluring. She looked at him curiously. "Was that Mama? What did she want?"

"The human male called Hojo is here."

Her brown eyes widened. "What?"

"He is waiting for you below."

The miko groaned and forced herself out of the bed. "He must have brought another herbal brew for my illnesses."

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrows and sniffed her scent deliberately. "Are you ill?"

"No, no. It's just an excuse grandpa tells the school while I'm in the feudal era." She sat in front of the mirror and combed her hair. The daiyoukai silently crossed the room to get his boots. He picked up the pauldron and deftly put it over his shoulders.

"Kagome..." he called out to her gently, refusing to look at her in the eye. She darted to his side quickly. I might as well do it, Sesshomaru thought, keeping his face neutral. "May I ask you to help me with my armor?"

He felt her reiki soar and it clashed against his youki that was already blanketing her entire chamber. She was elated. Knowing that eased his discomfort. He had always dressed by himself, but Kagome helping him with his clothing was a part of the inu-youkai grooming. It was a ritual that must be performed by mates every morning, and Sesshomaru intended to train her before he marked her as his own.

She gently tied the red knots and secured the clasps that held the breastplate. She also fixed the golden obi around his hips. The way her hands moved around him already felt familiar. He could not sense any hesitation that she once had when she was tending to his injuries from battling the dragon youkai.

"Arigato, Kagome," he said sincerely when she was done. He was bestowed a radiant smile that sent his heart fluttering wildly against his chest.

"I'm just gonna wash up and then we can go downstairs together to meet Hojo," she said before taking a set of clothes and leaving the room. Sesshomaru was pleased with Kagome for including him in her meeting with the human male. It certainly gave the impression of their relationship.

When Kagome returned a few moments later, she was wearing another strange clothing that she called a dress. Although Sesshomaru had grown accustomed to her odd choice of apparel, he did not like the amount of skin that showed. He would have to fix that once she was named as the Lady of the West.

The man called Hojo was waiting in the living room when the daiyoukai and the miko appeared. He was as tall as Inuyasha, his brown hair cropped short, and he was wearing modern clothes for males that Kagome pointed out as pants and a T-shirt. As soon as he saw Kagome, his face brightened up. "Kagome!"

"Hojo-kun! What brings you here?"

Hojo took a jar from a burlap sack similar to the miko's. It smelled strongly of herbs and spices. "I heard from Yuka-chan that you're up and about, and they suggested that I should come see you. So I thought I should give you this. It helps strengthen your immune system to keep you from being sick all the time."

Kagome accepted the container and bowed. "That's thoughtful of you. Arigato, Hojo-kun."

"Oh, and I also wanted to give you this." He handed her a small blue box wrapped in a shiny paper with heart decorations all over it. "I called your house to greet you happy birthday before, but Higurashi-san said you were too sick to answer the telephone."

Inside the box was a gold bracelet with Kagome's name engraved on it. She gasped in appreciation and surprise, and she stepped forward to gently pat Hojo's arm as she expressed her gratitude.

Sesshomaru watched quietly, his patience running short when the miko accepted Hojo's gifts and touched him. It was a blatant declaration of a challenge and his inu-youkai instincts refused to give up his claim on her. A deep, guttural growl escaped his throat, loud enough for both Kagome and Hojo to hear. She seemed to sense his agitation, her reiki colliding against his tense youki.

His hand went to the tokijin's hilt as his alpha instincts rallied to attack the challenger of his claim.

"Ah, Hojo-kun, this is Sesshomaru-sama. He's staying in our house for a few days. He's my guest."

The rigid daiyoukai made no move to shake the man's proffered hand. He merely glared at him, his yellow-gold eyes glinting threateningly. He smelled fear from the man, but this did not satisfy his pride. Kagome needed to be shown who was dominant between the two males.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and towered over Hojo, his powerful youki swirling about furiously that it was almost visible to the naked eye. The man stumbled back in alarm, stuttering. "A-anyway... Kagome, see you again soon. I just came to see you."

"Hojo-kun?" The miko murmured in confusion. Sesshomaru did not stop his advance until the frightened human was out of the door. Once he was gone, the livid daiyoukai turned to Kagome who was still holding Hojo's gifts, her scent now mixed with the offensive smell of another male.

Without saying a word, he crossed the living room and left.