Kagome found herself getting bathed by two women whether she wanted it or not. Isome, for all her reserved nature before Sesshomaru, had been surprisingly forceful once they were alone. She had directed Sakino to help strip her and Kagome found herself ushered into the bath in spite of her own protests.

They had been quick but thorough, not allowing Kagome any time to relax and enjoy her bath—even if she'd been so inclined, though she found she hadn't—but whatever products they'd used on her had her skin feeling softer than ever and her hair far silkier than even products in her own time would have, and carried with them the faint scent of lilies and lotus.

Once dry, she'd been ushered back into her room. Isome had moved to the north-east part of the room and slid open the wall, revealing it was only then that she noticed the numerous tansu and kimono stands that had been tucked into a hidden compartment within the wall. The large wall itself had been split into two, revealing one side made up of cupboards and shelving and the other side had kimono racks installed with tansu tucked in between them.

Not all of the racks had kimonos on them, but there were three kimono on display before her and she wondered idly whose room she was using.

Kagome couldn't help but stare, at a total loss for the wealth on display before her. It almost looks like a closet from my own era, she thought to herself faintly. Whoever's room this is must really like clothing.

Isome stepped forward and removed one and, with a nod at Sakino, they stripped the towel from Kagome's drying body and dressed her, ignoring her surprised protest.

Within an hour of starting her bath, she was dressed in a three layered kimono that held different hues of blue in each later, with the darkest outermost layer a deep midnight blue that was accompanied by a white floral, hexagonal patterning on one shoulder and had sleeves that ended in long furisodes. Sakino tied the black and white obi in front, leaving the ends to dangle just above her feet. Isome then drapped a light but dense white fur around her shoulders as though it was some sort of sheath.

The outfit was completed with a long, crescent moon pendant from one of the tansu that was draped around her shoulders and neck to rest just between her bosom.

Kagome then was led out of her room and down the wooden platform to, past several other silk lined sliding doors before Isome and Sakino both stopped and offered her another bow. "The dining room, Kagome-sama," Isome said just before she slid open the door and waved Kagome inside.

Kagome sighed but stopped short when she saw Rin and Sesshomaru seated at the table. She'd expected Sesshomaru and had been unsurprised to see him at the head of the table, but was as surprised by Rin at his right hand as she was by his own clothing.

While Rin wore a baby blue and pink rose floral kimono, with a pink and then white layer below it, there was nothing overly remarkable about her attire aside from the sakura hair pin in her hair.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, looked completely different from the daiyokai she knew. His customary clothing was nowhere to be seen and instead he wore a midnight blue kimono layered as hers was over a light blue and then white one. It had the furisode sleeves that had been customary in his travels before but the crest on them was now inverted in white on his shoulder. Though he wore no armor, his swords were still tucked into his golden obi, long and tied in front, that ended in blue and purple waves at its tips just above the boots for his midnight blue balloon shaped pants.

She couldn't help but stare at him in shock. Her clothing resembled his. Had that been intentional? Why?

His golden gaze met hers, his countenance calm even though she could see flickers of pink in his irises.

Just then, Rin seemed to notice Kagome's presence and perked up. "Kagome-sama!" Rin grinned. "You are awake!"

Kagome nodded, too drained to bother making conversation, though Rin didn't seem to mind. She stood and made her way over to Kagome. "This is your place," she said as she guided Kagome down to the cushion on Sesshomaru's left.

Kagome glanced over at Sesshomaru to gauge his reaction but to her surprise, the daiyokai simply nodded his head in silent assent.

She settled down uncomfortably as Rin made her way back to her own cushion. Rin pressed her lips together as she poured a cup of tea for Kagome and finally, as she handed Kagome the tea, blurted, "Are you still hurt, Kagome-sama? Sesshomaru-sama said that you'd been hurt really badly."

Kagome flinched, unsure how to answer the teen's question and even less willing to go into specifics. She opened her mouth but no sound came out just as she heard a low rumble reverberate through the room.

She jolted as she glanced over at Sesshomaru, but there was no indication that the sound had come from him. "Rin," he said, his voice a low timbre.

Nothing else was needed. Rin flushed and with a sullen tone that only a teenager could muster, said, "I simply wanted to make sure she was well enough to see the gardens today, Sesshomaru-sama."

Kagome had little desire to go to the gardens, but she had no desire at all to have a conversation about why she didn't. Instead, she silently sipped the lotus flower tea she'd been given but made no move to eat the food set before her.

Lotus flower. She studied the tea rather than answer Rin, thinking of how she'd also had lotus scented bathing products with her bath that morning. Someone in this place certainly has a penchant for lotus.

"Hnn." Sesshomaru evidently took it upon himself to answer Rin on Kagome's behalf. "If you are careful," he cautioned, "you may both find it pleasurable to spend the morning by the pond after you eat."

It should have been odd to hear Sesshomaru sound like a mother hen, but it was no less odd than anything else Kagome had been exposed to since her arrival. If anything, she resented how he seemed determine to take over her life.

"No," Kagome said, her tone curt enough that Rin immediately looked hurt.

Sesshomaru raised a brow as he set aside his own tea cup. In spite of her own hurt, Rin instantly moved to fill the cup for him and then topped off Kagome's half full cup as well. "Is there some other business you must attend to?" he asked her, his voice calm and even though she could feel his yoki sparking slightly at her refusal. "You are at this one's home, under his protection. If there is something you require, you need only to ask it of this one."

"Oh!" Rin clapped her hands together before Kagome had a chance to formulate her thoughts into words. "Perhaps she would rather have a tour of the house first, Sesshomaru-sama! It is beautiful."

"Hnn." Sesshomaru considered that as he reached for his full cup. "Then this one will give her a tour."

Rin grinned at Kagome, her sullenness evidently forgotten. "Sesshomaru-sama's home is beautiful, Kagome-sama. You will love seeing it! And when you are done, we can spend the rest of the morning at the garden pond. Jaken-san said that Sesshomaru-sama tends to the lotus himself!"

Lotus again. Kagome picked up her own cup and took a sip to give her a reason not to immediately reply. Sesshomaru doesn't strike me as the religious type so there must be another reason lotus is so prevalent.

She glanced at the daiyokai out of the corner of her eye only to find him studying her in turn, an odd expression on his face.

"You should eat, Kagome-sama, so you can heal faster," Rin spoke up. She then looked to Sesshomaru, indicating her own empty cup and chopsticks. "May I go to the gardens now, Sesshomaru-sama?"

Sesshomaru briefly glanced at Rin, as if evaluating if she'd eaten enough, and then gave his permission with a wordless nod. Rin rose to her feet and all but bounced out of the room.

"You will eat," Sesshomaru reinforced Rin's suggestion, indicating Kagome's untouched chopsticks beside her cup.

Kagome's stomach churned at the thought. "I'm not hungry," she protested though she wasn't sure what good it would do.

His gaze narrowed as the pink faded from his gaze. "You must," he said once again and she was getting tired of hearing that from him. "You must eat and regain your strength, Kagome. I will not allow you to neglect yourself."

She slammed her half full cup of tea on the table. "You have no right," she hissed, suddenly so full of anger that she could feel her own reiki leek out. My reiki, she thought faintly, astonished at the strength and purity of it. It's untainted. But how?

And then, to her shock, she felt yoki rise but it didn't come from Sesshomaru. Or, rather, not from within him. Instead, yoki had been curled around her reiki as if protecting her reiki from becoming corrupted by the recent circumstances.

"Yoki isn't supposed to do that," she murmured, her voice wavering as her reiki abruptly settled back down in the wake of her own confusion, pushed back within her by the pressure of his own yoki.

She turned back to Sesshomaru, accusation in her eyes. "What did you do, Sesshomaru?"

His reply caught her off guard. "What you needed me to do."

She stiffened. "Don't treat me like a child, Sesshomaru," she hissed, glaring at him. She hated the insinuation that she was weak, that she couldn't protect herself. She'd heard it from InuYasha before and knew all too well how she'd recently failed. It was a slap to the face, delivered by someone who shouldn't have even cared in the first place. "You're constantly telling me to do this or to do that and I don't need you to. I can look after myself."

"You are strong," he surprised her by agreeing, the pink once again returning in tiny flecks to his eyes, "but even the strong occasionally need help, Kagome."

She scoffed, unable to picture Sesshomaru himself asking for help from anyone. But her anger had begun to fade under the weight of her weariness and depression and she lost any desire to continue the argument by reminding him of that fact.

He seemed to sense his impending victory. "Eat," he commanded, indicating her chopsticks once again with his hand. "And then I will show you our home."

Too mentally drained to argue, she picked up the chopsticks and mechanically began to eat, even as her brain tried to process his words. Ours? Her brain repeated the word over and over, trying to figure out why Sesshomaru had referred to his home as such.

Who else lived here with him aside from Rin—and Kagome herself, however temporarily?