Shot to the Heart by thetroll

Chapter 1

A/N: Inspired by imjaneees' art: https://imjaneees.tumblr.com/post/613567117243138048/always-wanted-to-make-this-meme-xddd-and-yes-im

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Kagome swallowed as Kikyo readied her bow and, with perfect form, shot her arrow directly into the target Jaken held.

She still wasn't entirely sure how she'd been talked into competing directly against Kikyo but she'd been provoked by InuYasha's insinuation that she was useless and couldn't hit the wide side of a mountain with her bow and, well, the next thing she knew, just about everyone was involved.

Koga was betting for Kagome to outshoot Kikyo, InuYasha was betting that Kikyo would easily outdo Kagome and somehow, even Sesshomaru had gotten involved. Jaken had been volunteered to handle the targets and she'd felt his lord’s golden gaze on her the entire time they'd been preparing to shoot.

Miroku and Sango were both whispering quietly to one another and frankly, Kagome was afraid to guess who they were rooting for. They at least both knew firsthand who the better shooter was.

Shippo, at least, was proudly in her corner, waving a little flag he'd made using a leaf, a stick, and his kitsune magic. Rin stood behind Sesshomaru, paying more attention to the yokai she followed around than the actual competition.

"Yeah!" InuYasha grinned triumphantly at Kikyo's perfect shot. "You're gonna lose that bet, wolf."

Koga snorted. "My woman hasn't even shot yet, mutt. You're gonna do great, Kagome." He gave Kagome a thumb's up.

"Right, of course," Kagome chirped and then winced at the sound of her own false bravado. "Well, here goes." She inhaled, readied her stance and then, closing her eyes and praying, she shot.

The arrow whizzed through the air and then she heard a loud squawk. Panicking, she opened her eyes to see that she'd missed the target entirely. Instead, she'd somehow managed to lodge her arrow right between Jaken's eyes. Though bleeding, the yokai otherwise seemed more or less okay, judging by the glower on his face.

Kagome paled.

Kikyo looked amused.

"Hah!" InuYasha crowed. "See? I told you; she ain't got any—"

InuYasha fell silent as Sesshomaru stepped forward, staring down at Kagome. "You are most skilled," he remarked to Kagome's astonishment. "This one did not think you would prove your talents by seeking out a far worthier target than a scrap of wood."

Jaken screeched in horror at Sesshomaru's words. He ripped out the arrow and stomped over to Kagome to throw the bloody arrow on the ground. "Sesshomaru-sama, this filthy ningen—"

"Quiet, Jaken." Sesshomaru didn't even look at Jaken. "Your skill is to be commended, priestess."

"Um." Kagome licked her lower lip, trying to figure out how to explain that she'd shot Jaken in error. "I didn't—"

"Oy!" InuYasha stormed over. "She wasn't aiming for the toad, you idiot. She missed."

Kagome flushed as a feeling of guilt washed over her. She looked over at Jaken and was relieved to see that he appeared to be okay, arrow wound notwithstanding. She opened her mouth to apologize.

"Oy, K'gome, don't worry." Koga flashed her a big grin as he held out a hand to her. "You're still my woman."

Kagome nervously stepped back from Koga. "Er, I'm fine, thanks."

Shippo and Rin, at least, still clapped their hands for Kagome anyway, despite her horrible aim.

Sesshomaru reached into his sleeve and pulled out a scroll. "Here," he said, handing it to Kagome. "This one is sure that you will find the terms most pleasing."

Kagome took the scroll, curios as she unrolled it and began to read. Her eyes grew wider as she read the terms but InuYasha, reading over her shoulder was quicker. "A marriage contract?" he bellowed. "You—you seriously want to marry her? She can't even shoot a bow properly!"

"Perhaps you are simply upset that your priestess lacked such foresight, InuYasha," Sesshomaru said smoothly, offering Kagome a small wooden box that had a travel brush and small ink pot inside. His expression all but forbade any notion of refusing him. "Whereas mine is deadly."

Kagome swallowed but she had to admit, he was right about the terms. He granted her anything a feudal era woman would have wanted and more, including a generous stipend for her own pleasure and a private retreat of her own to retire to, should she become exhausted from traveling with him. He even promised her exclusivity, both in terms of access to him and in the marriage bed. He would not take another and the penalty, if he broke that clause, would be huge.

She couldn't ever see him doing something so dishonorable.

He raised a brow as if daring her to refuse him.

She wasn't sure what possessed her to take the brush and sign the contract. Maybe it was his flawless good looks. Maybe it was the way he silently provoked her into wanting to prove that she could make him feel something for her, like love.

Or maybe she just wanted to be first for someone.

She handed him back the signed contract, and raised her chin, silently daring him back. She ignored the surprised gasps of her friends as the weight of what she'd done settled over them.

He chuckled. "It is done," Sesshomaru said, a small grin at his lips. 

Her life, she knew, would never be the same again.

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Later, she would confess the mistake to Sesshomaru but if it bothered him, he didn't show it. He continued to praise her deadliness to anyone who would listen, which resulted in quite a few squabbles—mostly with InuYasha.

Such as today, the day Kagome and Sesshomaru introduced their first child, his heir, to the rest of her friends.

"I still can't believe you mated her," InuYasha groused, hands tucked in his sleeves. “She can't even defend herself!"

"She has no need to," Sesshomaru said, moving one of his pieces to conquer InuYasha's as they calmly played Go out in the gardens. Sesshomaru was, as usual, dominating his brother in the game. "The entire army fears her. She once stabbed my own general with a blade."

Kagome flushed at the reminder of that particular incident. She'd really hoped everyone had forgotten about it by now. 

"That's because she fucking tripped, you idiot." Inuyasha huffed as he rolled his eyes.

A small grin tugged at Sesshomaru's lips. "Hnn. A most cunning and devious plan to force him to lower his guard."

InuYasha opened his mouth and then shut it, for once at a loss for words.

"It is your turn," Sesshomaru prompted, eying the three stones of InuYasha's left on the board. He'd as good as won but Kagome knew that her husband liked the satisfaction of winning. 

InuYasha glared at the board. "Keh. You might as well just take the win, you bastard."

Sesshomaru's smirk grew. "Are you saying that you forfeit, InuYasha, and concede the loss?"

InuYasha immediately bristled and as the two began to bicker, she sighed and cuddled her son to her, determined to ignore them. True to his word, Sesshomaru had upheld every part of the marriage contract and she'd been working with him on being more upfront with his emotions.

Such as the fact that he'd evidently desired her for awhile, ever since she'd challenged him in his father's tomb and had survived his attack. To him, not only had it proven her worth, but evidently he'd been building up that moment and others to make her seem far more dangerous than she really was, and even knowing the truth had done nothing to dampen his ardor.

In fact, he often enjoyed provoking her simply because her temper only made him more amorous, and she wasn't above starting an argument with him, either, when she was in the mood to provoke him because damn if he wasn't a fantastic cuddler after the fact.

She just wished he'd stop trying to spin everything to make her sound more deadly than she was. She was tired of the servants and guards being too scared to even speak to her.