Somewhere in Time

Reunion and Lessons

"I am glad that your energy has not lessened, child," Kaede remarked as the young miko flitted around the small hut, taking out items from the backpack she had brought and arranging them. The bento boxes will be ready for her friends when they arrive.

Kagome smiled warmly. "I think the trip back home helped a lot. I got to spend time with my family while I was recovering."

"Indeed. The soul needs healing too. I'm relieved that your spiritual power is as strong and as pure as it had been. However..." The old woman ambled towards her and looked at her closely, "something is strange about you. Your reiki... something is masking it."

Sango's shrill interrupted Kagome before she could even answer. The taijiya flung herself on the poor miko, toppling both of them to the floor.

"Sango-chan!" she responded affectionately, giggling when she felt Kirara and Shippo join the fray. The kitsune and neko-youkai settled on her lap when she sat up, so she resorted to gently brushing their soft furs.

"Welcome back, Kagome-sama," Miroku said, making a move to shake her hand, but Sango cleared her throat and gave him a mocking look.

"I won't touch her if I were you," she warned. "The inu-youkai are sensitive to smell. They get dominant and aggressive when they smell another male's scent on their potential mates. You don't want the wrath of the Lord of the Western Lands."

Hearing this made Miroku back away and settle beside the taijiya with an embarrassed smile. Kagome sighed, reminded of Sesshomaru's words not too long ago. When you touched him, a fraction of his scent clung to you. It has... upset me. I left before I lost control and erased any trace of him on you. He did get jealous when she touched Hojo.

Wow, no wonder Inuyasha always got annoyed every time Koga was around her. Knowing now that the hanyou thought she was also his mate's reincarnation, his possessiveness made sense—except for the fact that it was misplaced.

Shippo perked up. "You mean Sesshomaru will kill anyone who touches Kagome?"

"Yes..." Sango responded cautiously. "They will fight to the death to show who's the dominant male."

"Then why don't we let Naraku touch Kagome so that Sesshomaru—" Before Shippo could even finish his sentence, Miroku smacked his head.

"We're not using Sesshomaru to deal with him," Kagome said, smiling despite herself. "Besides, he's already after Naraku after the spider youkai had tried to use him for his own gains."

Kaede's eyebrows furrowed and scrutinized Kagome. "Ah, is that what I sense then? Your reiki is being masked by something powerful. Could it be... Sesshomaru's scent mark?"

Blushing, the miko nodded. The kitsune bounded onto her lap and quipped, "Kagome and Sesshomaru kissed!"

"Shippo!" she shrieked, blushing harder, knowing she initiated their first kiss. She wasn't about to share that to the group.

"Kagome... this tells us something," the old miko said, grasping her left arm. "If Sesshomaru marked you as his potential mate, then he thinks you are unmarked. This is very telling because Inuyasha, on the other hand, thinks you are his mate. Who is correct between them?"

Kagome sighed. This was becoming an exhausting cycle of whether she belonged to someone or not, or whether she was someone else or not. If only someone knew the truth...

"Will Sesshomaru work with us then?" the monk asked. "With him on our side, our chances against Naraku will be greater."

"I'd feel better having him on our side," Sango added. The group turned their gazes towards Kagome expectantly.