“Sesshoumaru-sama, there is something I must tell you. Something terrible which I must confess. It concerns Kagome-sama.”

Silence looms, heavy, expectant.

The rings of the shakujou faintly tremble. “Before Naraku’s defeat, before her marriage to your brother, an incident occurred…

“That night, Kagome-sama wished to be alone. Inuyasha had left again, and she was disheartened. The area seemed safe enough, so I did not deter her. We—Sango and I—waited for a few hours before we began to search. It was in the river that we discovered her, floating. Face-down. We pulled her to shore and revived her. I do not know for certain what transpired between the time that she left us and the time that we found her. Kagome-sama herself does not profess to remember.

“We examined her, of course. There was a fresh cut on her forehead, as though she had lost her footing on the rocks and, rendered unconscious by the fall into the river, had subsequently drowned. But, there were other marks on her which troubled me, and there was the state of her clothing…

“It is my belief, Sesshoumaru-sama…it is my belief that she was attacked on this night.”

Golden eyes close briefly. “I see.

“A young woman, alone in the wilderness at night. Caught unaware, perhaps.” A predatory softness suffuses the tone. “Or, perhaps, simply too trusting. Too inexperienced to appreciate the danger, until it is too late. Under such circumstances, an attack follows naturally. The tragic consequences are not difficult to envision, even for one such as she.”

Bloodless fingers grip the shakujou tighter still. “I cannot but wonder if Kagome-sama has repressed such memories. If the shock of it was too much, at the time, for her to bear. It was after Inuyasha’s death that I began to see…certain troubling signs in her behavior. I cannot but wonder if the pain of her loss has unearthed traumas past.”

Golden eyes glance off, into some unfathomable distance. “The severance of a mating bond is terrible to endure. Terrible…even for a demon such as myself. Allowances must be made for the bereaved. It is impossible to predict how their suffering will manifest. The shadow of it lingers, always.”

“I have seen such a shadow in her, Sesshoumaru-sama.” Violet eyes fall. “I have seen it before. I suspect—” A shuddering breath is drawn in. “I suspect that she was violated, that night. Though Sango denies it. What remained of her clothes Sango burned. The few marks I saw on her body, Sango bandaged and covered. When Inuyasha returned, I told him only this: that Kagome-sama had gone off on her own and been injured, by what means we did not know. She slept for days. And when at last Kagome-sama woke, she had no recollection beyond walking along the river’s edge.

“We decided she would be better off not knowing the rest.” Violet eyes stray aside. “The three of us decided together. I cannot speak for Sango. But I regretted, later, not telling Inuyasha the full truth of what we saw. Of what I suspected. It was this half-truth which drove Inuyasha to his death. By the gods, I believe it to be so. I am deeply afraid, Sesshoumaru-sama. There is so much anger in Kagome-sama, so much bitterness—it blazes more and more fiercely within her soul. I do not know how to help her now, if ever I could.”

An errant breeze stirs the air between them.

Silver hair lists over features of stone. “Worry not, Miroku. I have her in hand. Whatever the events of that night, they do not concern me. Soon, she will take my mark, and all will be as it should.”

“You mean to make her your wife, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

It is not quite a question. Pale lips curve in answer anyway.

“In my mind, she already is.”

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Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Thought it might be kinda cool to show Miroku & Sesshoumaru’s discussion of that night unbroken in its entirety. Hope y’all enjoyed this side-story <3