Curiosity Caught the Miko by Stella Mira

A Woman's Wish

Kagome had been woken by Kaede to assist in an early birth a little after midnight. The birth had been difficult and had lasted till the early morning hours, but they had managed to deliver a healthy baby boy safely. Kagome had cleaned the infant while the elder miko took care of the mother. Now he was suckling hungrily at his mother's breast. The endearing sight had roused longing within the young miko. She had entertained thoughts of having her own family one day with Inuyasha, but that was no longer possible.

Memories of her first encounter with the surly hanyō reemerged in her mind and she smiled ruefully at the dreams of her teenage self. Despite his gruff demeanor, Inuyasha possessed a heart of gold. It was no wonder she had fallen in love with the dog hanyō. He always protected her and made her feel safe. Her immature mind had idealized him and these feelings of affection had soon escalated to love. But Kagome had failed to notice the obvious flaws of his personality. Inuyasha was not as strong as she had once thought him to be and Kagome was not as weak as he had once made her to be. She still loved him, yet she had forced herself to change the nature of that love into something else.

Her chaotic thoughts turned to Rin's marriage a few months earlier. It had been a joyous occasion and the couple looked so immersed in each other that she could not help but feel a tad envious of their happiness. Soon their family would grow as Rin already showed signs of her first pregnancy. In a few months she would be called to deliver yet another baby. The village brimmed with children's laughter, but none of these children was hers. Was it greedy of her to crave for someone to call her own? Someone to share her life with? To have his children and grow old together?

Inuyasha had gone to visit his mother's grave as today was the annual anniversary of her death. Izayoi had been denied this as well, but she at least had the chance to be with the man she loved for a time. She had a son with Inu no Taishō and Kagome believed she had been truly happy despite being shunned by her people for having an affair with a yōkai. Was Sesshōmaru's mother shunned by her pack for being discarded by her mate? Rin had pictured the female inuyōkai to be cunning and wise. She had probably fared better than Kagome when she had realized her beloved was out of her reach.

The questions about the obscure past had been occupying her mind with burning intensity for a while now, yet she dared not broach the matter whenever Sesshōmaru visited. At first, she thought it would be better not to bother the daiyōkai with such a personal discussion. Later on, she had the confidence to make her queries, yet ever since Rin's involvement with Tatsuma, he had been in a lethal mood. If she asked him now, she felt as if his thin control over his emotions would finally snap and she would be the unfortunate recipient of his wrath…but Kagome had always been a daredevil and had never cowered in the face of danger before. She decided it was time to finally get some answers out of the stoic creature. Her nagging curiosity would be the death of her one day.

The chance to talk with the solemn yōkai came sooner than she had expected when she saw him arrive at the village a few hours later. Inuyasha had still not returned from his visit to his mother's grave, so it was a perfect opportunity to talk with him alone without unwanted interruptions. She plastered a pleasant smile on her face and greeted the approaching demon just as he arrived before her.

"Konbanwa, Sesshōmaru. Have you come to visit Rin-chan again? I'm sorry to inform you, but you will have to wait. She has gone with Tatsuma-kun to visit his grandparents in the neighboring village." Her smile adopted genuine and warm qualities at his attentive nature where his ward was concerned.

"I shall return at a later time then."

Kagome barely had time to halt him as he made to leave. "Wait! Would you like to have a cup of tea with me? They should return soon."

Sesshōmaru spared her an apathetic glance, and Kagome feared he would reject her offer. When he inclined his head in an imperceptible nod, her face lit up.

"Thank you. Come inside and I will prepare the tea promptly."

Kagome motioned for him to follow after her as she entered the hut and made herself busy readying the tea. He lowered himself to the floor with a fluid motion that Kagome envied greatly. Everything he did carried an air of regality Kagome would never hope to attain even if she trained herself for a century. She brought the tea and filled their cups with as much grace as she could manage. Then she sat opposite of him in silence, waiting for him to speak first. Minutes passed by as they stared at each other and she found herself being hypnotized by his eyes.

She had never taken the time to study the dispassionate yōkai before, yet now she understood fully why his sire had gifted him with such a name. The Killing Perfection. Kagome had previously thought the name primarily represented his unrivaled battle expertise, but she realized it extended to other qualities as well. Otherworldly beauty, aristocratic stature, overwhelming power – perfection in its purest form. She had met him upon countless occasions so far, but she felt as if she truly saw him for the first time. Breath abated in her lungs when she realized he had been studying her as well.

His eyes bored into hers, causing her to still lest she break this fragile connection. Long lashes, black-slit pupils, irises the hue of fulgent gold, eyes slanted and highlighted by thin stripes. They were the traits that stood out the most in his elven features. While his impassive expression usually never changed, these eyes burned with emotion – and at this very moment, they were alight with something she was very familiar with. Curiosity.