Indigo

Kagome had been half-expecting him to show, waiting with an apology.

But when she clambered up to the worn Bone Eater's Well, the clearing was empty. There was no cheerful "Kagome!" to welcome her back into the feudal era, no familiar presence to make her feel at home at a time that was so different from where she knew.

She gazed up at the dark sky. I should not have come sooner. She was so used to Inuyasha carrying her back to Kaede's village no matter the time she returned. The dark had gathered. She had no light to guide her way. Biting her lower lip, her wide brown eyes glanced back at the mouth of her portal. I should return home and come back tomorrow when there is light.

The face of Mama flashed in her mind. No, she can't bear to see her mother's worried face nor hear Souta's inquiries. Returning home would only raise their suspicions. With an audible sigh, she slung her heavy backpack and trudged towards the nearest tree. She would spend the night here and head to the village at first light. Vulnerable without her bow and her hanyou protector, she had nothing to defend herself but her purification power.

Heaving another sigh, Kagome made herself comfortable against the sturdy trunk and closed her eyes. As sleep was about to lull her to numbness from the cold autumn night, large drops of rain thrummed on her head, then on her skin, jolting her from stupor. She groaned inwardly, scrambling to grab her umbrella from the backpack. The downpour was becoming steady each second. Where is that thing? She sniffled, feeling helpless.

###

What is she doing?

Sesshomaru watched as the miko desperately looked for something in her preposterous sack, unheeding of the heavy rain shower. He was just across her tree, observing her, finally coming to the conclusion that the hanyou's miko was nothing more than a mundane and foolish human. What held her back from returning to the well when the half-breed was not around to guide her to the village? It was the only rational solution to her plight. Was she really just as stupid as any human?

Irked at his own annoyance, he began to leave. But then he heard them. Underneath the patter of the rain on every surface, there was the distinct sound of sobbing. There she was, crumpled against the tree, shoulders shaking. From the cold or frustration, Sesshomaru did not know. He did not care.

Humans are beneath me.

Suddenly, the sweet and fresh smell of the rain was overpowered by something else. Tears.

Hnn.

Wordlessly, maintaining his calm despite the turmoil in his mind, he stepped into the clearing.

###

Kagome felt a vise-like grip snake around her waist, lifting her from the soggy ground. Instinctively, she drew on her purification power, ready to zap the youkai presence out of existence. She tried to wiggle out from the steel grip until she saw her bulging backpack easily and effortlessly carried by one clawed finger. Clawed finger? Then does that mean that Inuyasha…?

Oh. From the damp curtain of her bangs, she had a glimpse of the unmistakable indigo crescent moon. "Sesshomaru-sama?" Her voice was small, fearful. But as she cleared her head, she realized she could not sense any danger despite the overwhelming burst of his youki clashing against her spiritual essence.

His terrifying perfection seemed unruffled by the rain and if anything, it looked to Kagome as though his long silver hair shone as raindrops touched the strands.

"Where are you taking me?" she ventured. No response. As was his usual stoic self.

To her surprise, he permitted his golden eyes to flicker to her face before he flung her like an object into the well.

She shrieked, closing her eyes.

And then it was over.

She landed on something hard. Dry. She gasped and opened her eyes. Dry.

Gazing upward, she was suddenly filled with disbelief. And then shock. And then wonder.

There was no rain, no night sky. Only the dusty ceiling of the Higurashi temple that housed her portal.

Finally comprehending what the great and powerful inu-daiyoukai had done for her, she caressed the dry ground that solidly held her in place. Suddenly, her soaked clothes were the ones out of place in the comforting confines of the temple room.

Kagome smiled to herself. "Arigato, Sesshomaru-sama."