Imperceptible: Pack Dynamics

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this oneshot… especially for the ones who didn't grow up in a pack. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

A Debt of Gratitude: Many thanks to Fenikkusuken, who always gets the first peek. As much as I appreciate your corrections, what the boys and I love most are your reactions. Thank you for your enthusiastic encouragement every step of the way, hon. ::twinkle::

This oneshot was originally posted to Live Journal on July 25, 2007.

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Pack Dynamics

Kagome sat alone on the smooth stone, which still retained much of the sun's warmth despite the cooling effect of the evening breeze. When Inuyasha strolled over with Shippo perched on his shoulder, she shifted to make room for them beside her before resuming her pose—chin propped on a hand as she gazed off towards what remained of the sunset. They all sat in companionable silence for a while, but finally Inuyasha spoke. “What?”

Kagome blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Yeah, you heard me,” returned the hanyou gruffly. “What?”

“I'm… I'm not sure there is a what,” Kagome admitted.

Shippo wriggled his way into the miko's lap and pushed his face up so he could look into her eyes. “Who?”

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. “Who?”

Inuyasha snorted. “If it ain't a what, it must be a who. Unless…” The hanyou's ears flattened in momentary dismay. “Please tell me it ain't a why.”

The young woman laughed softly and buried her face for a moment in the kitsune's red hair. “Okay, there might be a who.”

Shippo winked at Inuyasha from under Kagome's chin, then reached up to pat her cheek with his small, claw-tipped hand. “We can tell you've been worrying.”

“Really?”

With a solemn nod, the kitsune tapped his nose. “You smell worried.”

Inuyasha leaned in to catch her eye. “You've been acting like this since the asshole left with his pack yesterday.” The hanyou studied her face, plainly concerned. “Did it really bother you that much that they didn't say goodbye?”

Kagome's brows drew together, her inner turmoil obvious. “Actually, I was kind of afraid I might be the reason they left,” she sighed.

“Huh?” Shippo exclaimed. “Why would you think that, Kagome?”

“I might have offended Sesshoumaru-sama the other day.”

“Nah,” Shippo drawled, shaking his head emphatically. “He likes you fine.” The unexpectedness of his comment made Kagome laugh, but she trailed off when she realized the kit was completely serious. “It's true, isn't it, Inuyasha?” Shippo demanded, turning to look at the hanyou.

“Yeah, I guess so, runt,” he agreed readily enough. “He acknowledges her, anyhow, which is sayin' a lot since she's human and all.”

“Wait… what?” Kagome asked, obviously lost.

Shippo shrugged nonchalantly. “You're our pack's alpha female.”

Kagome's eyes flew to Inuyasha's face, and was shocked that he didn't seem more perturbed by this erroneous assumption. “Why would he think that?” she asked carefully, though a blush was rising on her cheeks.

Inuyasha frowned. “Why wouldn't he?”

“Well…” she replied nervously, “It's not as if you and I… I mean, wouldn't that mean that we… It just makes it sound like…”

Inuyasha and Shippo watched her flounder for words, exchanging a quick look to see if the other was following what their miko was trying to say. Finally, the hanyou put the pieces together. “Oh, I get it,” he muttered gruffly, his own cheeks darkening slightly. “Nah, it ain't like that Kagome. Sesshoumaru thinks you're the alpha bitch because of how you act.”

The kitsune was nodding furiously. “Yeah, Kagome. You feed Inuyasha, you bandage him when he gets cut, and you tell him what to do.”

“I'm an alpha because I can make instant noodles?” Kagome asked incredulously. Half a beat later, she faced the hanyou fully. “Did you just call me the alpha bitch?”

Inuyasha chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Look at it from the asshole's perspective, Kagome. You're the one who tells us which way to go when we're following a shard.”

“But that's because I'm the only one who can sense them,” she protested.

“Doesn't matter. In his eyes, you have influence over the pack's decisions. That makes you an alpha. He's acknowledged you as such.”

“He has?”

Inuyasha smirked. “Remember when you confronted him about Rin?”

“Yeah,” Kagome mumbled sheepishly.

“You stood up to him, and he listened to you.”

“He hunted for you,” added Shippo happily.

“Sesshoumaru-sama brought that meat for Rin-chan,” Kagome pointed out.

Kit and hanyou exchanged another look, and this time Inuyasha spoke. “When he brought his kill, who did he present it to?”

“What?” Kagome asked weakly.

“He brought it to you, Kagome,” Shippo insisted, beaming with pride. “He dropped it at your feet, not Rin's. He acknowledged you as the pack's alpha female.”

“It was a big concession,” pointed out the hanyou.

“I had no idea,” confessed the young woman. “What does that mean, though?”

“Hard to say, actually,” said Inuyasha, reaching up to scratch one ear absently. “I'm not even sure if he knows, but he seems to be making some of the same exceptions for you that he does for Rin.”

“Isn't that just because I'm a part of your pack? It's the same for Miroku-sama and Sango-chan, right?”

Inuyasha shook his head slowly. “It's different. Sesshoumaru pretty much ignores Sango, but he definitely acknowledges you.” The hanyou seemed to be searching for an example. “He talks to you.”

Kagome's eyes betrayed her amusement. “You can hardly use that as an illustration. If Sesshoumaru-sama says more than a few sentences throughout the course of a day, he's being long-winded.”

Shippo squirmed excitedly. “He has talked to you though; he's never talked to me.”

The hanyou tipped his head thoughtfully. “The runt's got a point, y'know. The asshole doesn't waste words, so the fact that he does speak to you pretty regularly has to count for something.”

“Plus, he likes to listen to you,” Shippo added. “He's always asking you questions to get you talking about all kinds of weird stuff—trade and politics and history and chemistry…” the kit rattled off, ticking a finger for some of the more recent topics of conversation.

“I think he's just curious about the future,” Kagome murmured dismissively.

“All right,” Inuyasha said, producing another example. “He trusts you with Rin.”

“Well, of course he does,” Kagome said with a roll of her eyes. “Why wouldn't he?”

“The bastard is very protective of what's his, and the kid is his.”

The young woman looked down thoughtfully at the kit in her lap and began running her fingers idly through his topknot, searching for tangles. “Why does he make such a show of not caring, then? I mean, he's always telling her to do as she pleases.”

Shippo grinned up at her. “Rin-chan says that's just his way of saying `yes'. If he doesn't want her to do something, he says, `Come, Rin,' and leads her away.”

“At least one person's got him all figured out,” Kagome chuckled. “Still, Rin-chan spends as much time with Sango-chan as she does with me, so I'm not being singled out.”

The kitsune snickered quietly as he cuddled close. “You really don't get it, do you?”

“Be nice, runt. She can't be expected to know… Hell, I didn't even know half the stuff you take for granted,” chided the hanyou. “Not all of us were raised in a pack.”

The kit ducked his head and mumbled an apology, and Kagome poked him gently. “What don't I get, Shippo?”

“Sesshoumaru lets you keep Rin-chan,” the kitsune announced importantly.

Silence stretched for a few moments, and finally Kagome looked blankly at Inuyasha. The hanyou cuffed Shippo gently, “Way to make it clear, squirt.” Turning his eyes back to Kagome, he gave a crooked smile. “Kagome, where does the kid sleep at night?”

“With me,” she replied promptly, then frowned as she tried to reason through what the boys were trying to tell her.

“See?” Shippo beamed. “He likes you fine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” grumbled Inuyasha. “Now that we've established that fact, let's get back to the point. What's got you worried, Kagome?”

She sighed and pulled Shippo a little closer before answering. “They traveled with us for a few weeks, and I got used to thinking of them as a part of our group. I thought we were all doing really well together—building trust, finding balance, becoming friends. For Sesshoumaru-sama to just… leave…” Kagome swallowed back tears. “I guess I was foolish to think he saw us the same way.”

“He ain't what you'd call friendly, y'know?” Inuyasha pointed out brusquely, making Kagome wonder if he was trying to defend his half-brother. “Maybe he was avoiding the whole goodbye thing because it'd make him… uncomfortable.”

Shippo nodded vigorously. “Probably. Girls cry and get all mushy and stuff.”

Inuyasha snorted. “I seem to remember a certain someone in tears when his new best friend got whisked away,” he teased, earning a scowl from the kit.

“So you guys really don't think it's my fault that Sesshoumaru-sama took Rin-chan and left?”

“You do something to spook him?” asked Inuyasha in a tone that made it clear he doubted the possibility.

“No, no,” Kagome waved her hands in denial. “I just get the impression that I annoy him, and maybe I crossed some kind of line. He does seem to stalk off when he's had enough… human interaction.”

“I doubt it, Kagome. He probably just had other stuff to take care of,” the hanyou said reassuringly. “Speaking of stuff to take care of…” he added, his tone shifting subtly, “Do you have any ramen left in your pack?”

With a knowing smile, she shook her head in disbelief. “It hasn't even been two hours since you had your dinner.”

“So?” retorted Inuyasha as he jumped lightly to his feet, waiting for her to follow. When she slid down to stand beside him, Shippo launched himself back onto the hanyou's shoulder. Both looked at her intently. “You okay now?”

Kagome gave that some thought as she let them lead her back towards the camp. Replaying the things Inuyasha and Shippo had just told her, she realized that many of her vague worries had been laid to rest. “Yes,” she answered, with a new lightness in her step and tone. “I'm just fine.”

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End Note: This oneshot was written for the Live Journal community ebony(underscore)silks and their challenge for Week 12—Chemistry. 1,639 words.