“You reek of death.”
Kagome sighed and opened her tired blue eyes to look up at whoever interrupted her nap. On her way back from helping a nearby village, an aggressive weasel demon had been harassing her, trying to steal her provisions. Finally, tired of fending it off only for it to return, Kagome unleashed a bit too much holy power, vaporizing the demon but draining herself in the process.
So when she decided to take a break and have a short nap under an oak tree, she hadn’t anticipated encountering the nosy demon lord.
“Gee, thanks. That’s exactly what every woman wants to hear,” she remarked.
Kagome had to squint and shield her eyes from the sun with her hand. Sesshoumaru was standing with his back to the west, the setting sun illuminating his tall figure.
“You are not ill or injured,” he continued, smelling the air, trying to discern what was afflicting the priestess.
Realizing that the demon wasn’t going to leave her alone, Kagome slowly stood up, trying not to reveal how exhausted she really was.
“No, I’m not. This may come as a surprise to you, but I am human,” she bent down and picked up her old yellow backpack. “And humans are mortal, so we always smell of death.”
Tightening the straps on her bag, she dusted off her priestess robes and started to walk past Sesshoumaru. Pausing beside him, she said, “If you plan to keep sniffing me, do it while walking. I’m tired and want to get home.” Without waiting for his response, she resumed her stride.
Sesshoumaru remained where he was, watching her until she crested a hill and disappeared into the sunset. He had not encountered the priestess since Naraku's defeat some years ago and had assumed she and the half-breed had mated, producing several grotesque quarter-demon offspring. But to his surprise she didn’t carry any scent from a male and her purity was almost completely masked under the stench of decay.
Turning back east, Sesshoumaru continued on his journey to the slayer village where Rin and her husband lived. She was due to give birth to her first child soon and he wanted to ensure all went well.
Gazing over his shoulder one last time, he wondered if the wayward priestess would present for the birth as well.