Archive of Our Own ^beta

"That one looks like Jaken!"

Kagome grinned as she followed Rin's hand, the little girl pointing to a cloud directly above them. "I totally agree! Are there any other ones you recognize?"

Cocking her head to the side, Rin looked around, her eyes moving from cloud to cloud as she tried to pick out a familiar shape.

"I like that one!" Shippou called out, pointing at the sky.

"What does it remind you of?"

This kitsune snickered. "It looks like Inu-baka after you've sat him."

"Shippou! That's not very nice." Her scowl quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "But you're totally right." All three of them erupted into a fit of giggles, grass tickling the backs of their heads as they continued to stare up at the pale blue horizon. The warm afternoon air ruffled their clothes as wispy, white clouds floated leisurely across a late spring sky. There were no chores today—they'd set up camp the night before—and Jaken had been sent off to catch fish for dinner, so the trio were content to let their imaginations run wild until he returned.

Kagome had been surprised by Rin's request for her to join them on their latest trip to the Western Lands, and even more so when her stoic guardian agreed to said request. She got along with Rin well enough but still wavered between the thin line of reluctant allies and tentative friends with Sesshoumaru.

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she peaked at the daiyoukai. He was currently leaning against a nearby tree. One knee was propped up, his arm laying across it as he gazed off in the distance. He was always on the outskirts of their campsite, never partaking in any of their games or discussions. She knew that that was just his way, but often found herself wishing she could get more than single-syllable responses from him.

Caught up in her musings, Kagome suddenly realized Sesshoumaru's gaze had shifted and was now staring straight at her. Her eyes widened and a dark blush broke out onto her face before she ducked her head, hiding between the two children.

"Are you okay Kagome? Your face is all red." Rin's voice was full of concern, and Kagome's blush only darkened.

"I'm fine. Do you want to draw? I think I still have some crayons in my bag."

"What are crayons?"

Shippou jumped up and immediately started rifling through Kagome's backpack. "I'll show you! These are great, there are so many colours." Kagome smiled at his enthusiasm, then at the wonder in Rin's eyes when the kitsune showed her exactly how to use the colouring devices, unaware that Sesshoumaru's golden gaze was still fixated on her.

After a satisfying dinner of roasted fish, the children had curled up against Ah-Un, Shippou spinning a story based on the picture book they were sharing. She was giggling at his antics, the kitsune animatedly coming up with a different voice for each character.

"Silence your infernal chatter! There is nothing to be learned in such a useless book," Jaken screeched, glaring at them before a pebble ricocheted off his head—from both sides.

Kagome looked across the fire, the dancing flames turning gold to deep amber as Sesshoumaru met her gaze. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her mirth as Jaken lay on the ground, two very large bumps on his head. It was strange to think of Sesshoumaru having a sense of humour, but Kagome swore the corners of his mouth twitched. A smile peeked out from behind her hands, unable to stop herself from sharing in her mischievous enjoyment.

"Mama!" Her head turned quickly at the outburst, managing to shift her body before Shippou catapulted himself into her arms. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

She gave him a soft smile. "How is that different from any other night?"

Shippou sat back on his haunches, his small hands on her thighs. "It hasn't happened in a while! I've been at the kitsune school since we beat Naraku. This is the first time we've gone on a trip since you came back through the well."

"You're right. I guess we've both been busy."

"Inu-baka's been keeping you all to himself," he mumbled, pouting as he crossed his arms.

She tweaked one of his ears. "Be nice. We've been trying to get Sango and Kohaku's village rebuilt. And he's been working on my house too. You'll have your own room when it's finished."

"You do not reside together?"

Kagome jumped at the low timber of Sesshoumaru's voice, not used to him being a part of their—or any—conversation. A slight blush crept up her cheeks, though she couldn't place the cause. "No. We decided that we were better off as friends." After spending a solid month arguing after the well opened up again, Inuyasha had come up with the idea of her having a hut of her own, much to their mutual relief.

She loved the hanyou, she really did, but a romantic relationship between them just didn't work. There was too much history between them, too many memories of what they'd lost and the hardships of what they'd gone through. Kagome was happy to call him her best friend, and he was happy to do the same. They didn't need anything more than that.

"Our house is going to be the best, Mama!" Shippou's aura fluctuated with his excitement as he talked about all the things he was going to put in his room and she chuckled, trying to focus on him even as she felt Sesshoumaru's eyes still on her.

She looked over at Rin, wondering if she was as engrossed in Shippou's tale as she was, and caught the little girl staring at her intently.

"What's the matter, Rin?" Her question caused the daiyoukai's gaze to shift as well.

"Shippou calls you 'Mama'."

"He does."

"But you're not his mother."

"Not all family is related by blood," she said, ruffling the top of the kitsune's head. "Shippou lost his parents at the beginning of our journey together, so I kind of adopted him."

"Adopted?"

"Yes, it's when someone takes care of a child even though they're not related."

"Like Rin and Lord Sesshoumaru!" The little brunette grinned at her guardian.

"Exactly." Kagome watched as the gears turned in Rin's head, a thoughtful expression teasing the features on her face before she ran over the older woman, launching herself into her lap.

"Can Rin call you 'Mama" too?"

The blood drained from Kagome's face as Rin stared up at her with hopeful eyes. Her mouth went dry, and she had to swallow a few times before she was able to speak.

"I don't know… That's not really up to me."

Rin's head cocked to one side in confusion. "Why not?"

"Well…because… Shippou didn't have anyone to take care of him, but you do. It would depend on what Sesshoumaru says."

The little girl immediately jumped up and ran around the fire, bouncing on her feet in front of her guardian, barely able to contain her energy. "Lord Sesshoumaru, can Rin—can I call Kagome 'Mama' like Shippou?"

All of the blood rushed back into her face as blue met gold again, Seeshoumaru seeming to consider her for a moment before looking at his ward.

"Do as you please."

Rin squealed in delight but still resisted the urge to throw herself at him, instead bowing respectfully and then racing back to the woman, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. "Rin will call you 'Mama' from now on!" Unable to stop herself from sharing in the little girl's enthusiasm, Kagome wrapped one arm around her slender body and gave her a tight squeeze.

"That means you get to be my sister!" Shippou grinned, causing their excitement to peak and they both tackled the miko to the ground, all three of them dissolving in a pile of laughter.

When they'd finally calmed down, both children snuggled up on either side of the miko, Shippou quickly drifting off to sleep. Rin was on the brink, Kagome softly running her fingers through the girl's hair. "Rin is—I'm glad that you're my new mama."

"I'm glad too, Rin. But you know I'll always look out for you even if I wasn't your mama."

Rin's hand tightened on Kagome's hakui, the white material bunching between her fingers. "I know. You're always so brave, Mama. I want to be as brave as you when I grow up." Kagome continued to stroke her hair, listening as the girl's breathing slowly evened out. "Since you're my mama now, that means Lord Sesshoumaru is my papa, right?"

Her hand froze in her hair, once again at a loss for words. She tried to come up with a logical answer, her mouth opening and closing several times before realizing that Rin was already asleep. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and stared up at the night sky, stars twinkling in the distance as if to mock her.

Thank goodness Sesshoumaru had decided to patrol tonight, otherwise, she would've had to deal with his reaction as well. It wasn't wrong for Rin to assume such things, but the thought of herself being paired with Sesshoumaru was…

Something.

She wasn't sure what that something was and frowned at the fact that her mind hadn't automatically refused the idea. "Maybe I just have a thing for silver hair. Or dog demons." She glanced over at Jaken, half expecting him to start yelling at her again, but found he was asleep as well. "Some guard you are." There weren't any threats out tonight—Sesshoumaru would make sure of that—but she was pretty sure the toad was in for a rude awakening when his master returned.

"I wonder what you see in him, to follow him so blindly." She couldn't remember a time when Jaken had been treated as anything more than an inconvenience to Sesshoumaru, the little youkai usually ending up with a bump or a bruise after speaking out of turn. Her eyes returned to the girl at her side. "Though I suppose he can't be all bad, considering he's raised you. And he seems to be doing a good job of it so far." More than just a good job, Kagome was surprised at how well-adjusted Rin was, especially after she'd revealed just how the two of them had met. "You're already brave Rin; you weren't afraid of Sesshoumaru at all."

Neither was she, but their initial interaction had had a lot of yelling and name-calling. Plus there was the whole I'm-going-to-try-and-melt-you thing. She laughed softly, still remembering the look of shock on the daiyoukai's face when she'd come out of his pile of poison unscathed.

Maybe they were more evenly matched than she thought.

The blush from earlier was making its way back onto her face. "I mean, it's not as if he's bad looking. You'd have to be completely cold-blooded not to get turned on by—"

"Do you normally converse with yourself this much?"

Kagome squeaked but managed not to jump, her view of the sky suddenly taken up by silver hair and golden eyes. Sesshoumaru stood over her, an amused look on his face. Her shoulders hunched as she prayed the ground would swallow her up. "It's not like I've got anyone else to talk to right now."

"Hnn."

She opened her mouth to ask about his patrol—wanting to change the subject and hoping he hadn't heard everything that she'd said—when Rin shivered. Kagome sat up and pulled the girl closer, intending to use her hakama to cover her, when delicate, moonlit fur surrounded them. Sesshoumaru's precious pelt curled around both children, protecting them from the chill of the night air. Rin turned over, her hands releasing Kagome's robes to grip at the soft fur.

"Papa always comes first." Kagome caught Sesshoumaru's questioning look and shook her head, trying to keep the blush from returning. "Nevermind." She stretched her arms above her head, leaving the sanctuary of mokomoko to add a few logs to the dwindling fire.

"Rin's request made you uncomfortable."

She sighed, willing her body language to appear nonchalant. "Not really. I figured she saw me that way already. I just didn't want to overstep."

"Why?"

"Because she's yours." Clasping her hands together behind her back, she glanced at him over her shoulder. The firelight caressed his pale skin, making his emotions even harder to read.

"I have no issue with her being ours."

Ours?

Why did that one word seem to have more weight than any of the others he'd spoken that night? He couldn't have meant it in the way it sounded. It was too personal. Too intimate.

"Rin has many characteristics of an inuyoukai. She requires the security of a pack. One that will look after her."

Kagome turned around, noticing that in her absence that Rin and Shippou had sought each other out and were now holding hands. She smiled warmly at the pair. "It'll be nice to have company once Shippou leaves for his kitsune school again."

"Indeed."

"I suppose you won't need to visit as much if Rin stays with me. She won't be as lonely. I mean, she's got Kaede too, but that's more of a teacher role, and I don't think she plays with Rin as much as Rin wants. But she'll—"

"Rin is not my only reason for visiting the village."

Kagome's jaw snapped shut, Sesshoumaru effectively silencing her without directly ordering her to do so.

"W-What…" She licked her lips, suddenly finding them dry. "What's the other reason?"

His mouth curved up into a slow smirk before he ran his claws through his hair. "That kind of honesty is best saved for another day. Sleep now, miko. The hour grows late." She stuttered, both curious and apprehensive as to what his answer would be. Unable to meet his gaze, she returned to her original spot, laying down beside the children as she tried to ignore the way mokomoko brushed against her skin. She peeked over the top of the pelt, secretly watching as Sesshoumaru took up his usual place against a nearby tree, moonbeams peering through the tree branches and illuminating his pale silks.

He looked like a god.

Ducking her head back down, Kagome felt her cheeks warm again, her skin tingling with anticipation at the thought of him visiting the village to spend time with her.

Nope, definitely not cold-blooded.