With This Kiss
With This Kiss
A few feeble rays of the newly born sun slanted through the windowpanes and into the bedroom, its occupants still deep in the jowls of slumber and trapezing through the very sweet dreams of the night before. The strands tentatively stole into the room, slow to alert the world of daylight's casual approach. As the moments passed, they sluggishly crept across the floor, brightening the room in section. They advanced upon the bed and momentarily came to rest sprinkled on the sleeping girl's cheek, creating a lightshow of sorts. Warmth from the beaming sun trickled confidently through each ray, inevitably leading to it seeping through and, in turn, gently caress the cheek they'd paused to admire.
At first, she was blissfully unaware of the change, still trapped in the dark shadow of night. Kagome had never been one to rise easily in the mornings anyway. She preferred the secret pleasures of twilight and the blessed escape of sleep. Every day was always so busy for her, she just wanted the chance to get away from it all, and bed seemed to be the only place to acquire that refuge she so readily desired.
Soon, the change in temperature wasn't something she could ignore a moment longer and it softly prodded her awake, slowly and luxuriously, faint as the lightest brush of the fronds of a feather upon her skin.
Kagome felt her mind awaken before she could even try to force her eyes open but that was fine with her. She liked how it felt to come into herself part by part. First, she heard the sound of her own soft breathing, then the chirp of a blue jay that sounded as though it was right outside the window. Next, she heard the trees, dancing to the music made by the wind and lastly, very faintly, she heard the breathing of another. To her, that was the most important sound.
The miko's lashes fluttered as her eyes struggled against the weight of sleep. After a second or two, they were open and kagome took a deep breath, a languid peace flowing through her body, and yet, at the same time, she felt revitalized, tingling with the marvels of life. Any other time, any other place, she'd wake up and feel as though it was just another morning. Here, each day held a new thrill, a new mystery for her to sort out. Nothing was ever the same.
Well, except for one thing. Kagome knew that no matter what changes happened around her, no matter how the world spiraled out of control, that there was one thing she could always fall back on. One thing she knew would always be there to protect her. Her brick. The raven haired girl knew she wasn't some great beauty, or a special find, or any of those things that men said they always looked for. That's why she was so grateful for the opportunity she'd gotten. Never in her life had she truly had anything she wanted but now, she couldn't fathom ever wanting anything more than what she had. When she stopped to think about it, she felt that if at any given moment, she were to drop dead, well…
That'd just be okay. Because even though she was barely alive, barely twenty years old, she knew that her life had absolutely no chance of getting better than this. Every inch of her was sated and content and sometimes she had to wonder if she actually was dead because she could swear she was basking in the brilliance of heaven.
She owed everything she had to one person. He'd entered her heart and withstood the violent waves that threatened to throw him overboard and into the choppy, unforgiving waters. Kagome was shocked by how resilient he'd been upon his rickety ship, severely beaten down by her inner turmoil. Before she knew it, he had cleared away the clouds as though his attitude and determination was a magic eraser and brightened the gloom that at one point, loomed over her and threatened to consume her like fire quickly swept over paper; devouring it, conquering. He settled her seas and because of him, because of his loving devotion, they'd been calm ever since. She finally had a sun to rise and fall in the sandy beaches of her heart.
Arms found their way around her waist and a nose burrowed into her neck, lips just barely brushing over her shoulder blade on the way up. The girl's eyes drifted shut once again and a soft smile claimed her mouth. Fingers whispered over her stomach just enough to tickle her and she giggled, moving first to escape, then covering his hands with her own.
"Sesshomaru." She chided him but secretly, she was glad. The fact that the first thing he wanted to do each and every morning, the second he woke up, was touch her was enough to make her heart flutter, even after all that time. Of course, he heard it and chuckled, brushing his thumbs across her palms.
"Good morning." He whispered in the calm, soothing voice that always sent a hundred volts of electricity pumping into her heart. Kagome sighed and cuddled closer to him, just to make sure that she could feel him; that he was actually there.
"Is it a good morning?" she replied, barely making any sound because she knew he could hear her loud and clear. The demon lord could sense no sadness in her words; he figured she was merely speaking in that vacant way she does sometimes. He kissed her shoulder and securely held her in his arms.
"It is as long as I'm waking up beside you." He murmured into her sleek raven hair. Nothing Sesshomaru had ever thought his mate should be applied to this girl. That is probably why she was so perfect for him. He could remember the times he'd cursed the feisty little miko for her abilities and her stubborn attitude. Especially for the way she could invade his thoughts at the most inconvenient times of the day; which just so happened to be all day, every day. That had been the worst because for weeks, he'd been completely oblivious to the effect her snappy comments and fiery determination really had on him. Now, he could scarcely believe hat she'd actually accepted him and loved him even a fourth of the way he loved her. Sometimes, what he felt for her constricted his chest to the point where he was struggling for breath.
Kagome burst into laughter, "Sesshomaru, you're trouble." She responded smiling brilliantly. If only he knew what effect his words had on her. And she knew that he meant every word too. He would never lie to her.
"Take me as you will." If he was standing, he would've shrugged his shoulders. Kagome's eyes settled on the window and for a while, she just stared even though there wasn't really anything to look at. Just the brilliance of the light captivated and she found that she couldn't look away.
Sesshomaru absolutely adored how the sun made her skin sparkle as though a hundred million diamonds were imbedded there and the light was making each one wink and gleam at him. Every inch of her drew him like ravenous bees to the most luscious, pure, golden honey. He could never stand to be away from her; not to have her in arms length was, to him, like trying to keep a fish out of water. For him, she had become his habitat, his means for survival, and his purpose in life.
The demon lord swept his fingers through Kagome's ebony hair to expose her lovely, swan-like neck. He leaned over her, tenderly kissing her cheek. He was trying to get a reaction because it seemed to him like she'd zoned out. He hated it when she did that because it was like she left him in a sense. The miko's eyes drifted shut and her heart speed up but other than that, she showed no response. His lips ran over her neck and down across her shoulder in a blatant attempt to get her to pay attention. Finally, she intervened. His beautiful mate rolled around until she was facing him and she clicked her tongue in reprimand.
"Sesshomaru, its morning time." She admonished. "We're supposed to be getting out bed."
He gave a wicked grin that set her blood boiling. "The only difference between night and day is that one belongs to the sun and the other to the moon." he made it sound as though he was explaining the simplest thing in the world to her. Then, he adopted a purely innocent expression, "Why should we let a few stars ruin our fun?"
Kagome's cheeks flamed. Boy, if her mother was there…
"No, no, no." she took a hold of his wrist when he reached for her. Of course, it wasn't stopping him any; for the most part, he could do as he pleased with her. It was only his respect for her wishes and his intense love for her keeping him in serious check.
He growled playfully and snapped his teeth to show his unhappiness. The miko smiled at his incredible self control. It wasn't something she could really speak for; she'd never had that problem before him and it was probably a million times harder. She couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it could get for him but he seemed to be in such casual control of himself. Kagome admired him so much for his natural strength and will power, not to mention how he was in command of himself. Everyday, he gave her another reason to love him more deeply than she did not a moment before.
Kagome tilted up her chin and very briefly touched her lips to his. "Later." She whispered her promise. A very slow smile spread across Sesshomaru's face.
"Later." He agreed. He nuzzled his cheek against hers before lingeringly pressing his lips to the mark on the lower part of her neck. His mark. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she figured that she should be telling him to stop, but she just couldn't. The way he kissed that mark felt the same as him saying a million times that he loved her. Sesshomaru acted like he couldn't bear to have her not know for even one second and like he thought that he was further sealing that mark to her heart by kissing it with such tender reverence each and every day.
What he didn't seem to realize was that no matter what he did for her, no matter what he gave her, how much he kissed her, what words he said, no matter how hard he tried to show her that she should be with him, she was his forever. Nothing, absolutely no force on the gods' green earth, could severe the bond created by their fierce, unrelenting love.
Sesshomaru was the greatest blessing in her life. When he was created by the gods, they must've known that a stupid, clumsy, unworthy girl would come along some five hundred years later and decided to bestow upon her the most amazing gift that could ever be given to a person that clearly didn't deserve it. Kagome couldn't even try to think about where she would be if she didn't have his love to hold her up and keep her strong even during the hardest of times. No matter how hard she fell or how far down, he was always there with a playful smile and an outstretched hand, waiting to pull her back up and into the safe haven of his warm embrace.
The demon lord lifted his head and just stared into her eyes, a soft, affectionate grin on his face. He slowly brushed one wispy strand of her glossy hair off her forehead and then lazily ran the side of his index finger along the line of her jaw.
At one point, love was only a setback to Sesshomaru. A sign of weakness. Who needed something so feeble and insignificant? Only now did he see that he needed it desperately. He'd never needed anything more. It was the only thing he needed and he'd actually gotten it, in the form of this warm-hearted, affectionate girl whose radiance put even the sun to shame. If she ever were to leave him, it would be as though some cruel, evil witch with absolutely no soul carved out his heart with a jagged piece of tin, just to use it in the ultimate spell of the deepest grief. Sesshomaru had never cried actual tears once in his life but he was absolutely certain that if anything could break him that far down, it would be her.
Kagome slipped her fingers into the hair at his temple and ran them all the way through to his ends. Then, she sat up and kissed his nose before wriggling out from beneath him and got out of the bed. Sesshomaru stayed there propped up on his elbow and watched her. He just couldn't get enough of seeing her. Every day, all day, his eyes drank her in, rememorizing each of her features that he'd run his fingertips along at one point throughout the day. Her face was the best. His gaze was unfaltering as he looked at her and thought of her smile, that brought joy to him no matter what was happening, and her frown that brought him gut wrenching pain and the instinctive need to fix whatever it was that could place such an unwelcomed expression on that beautiful face.
The way he was looking at her was so unnerving. She figured she should be used to it by now, but it would take much longer than a few months to get used to being looked at as the only diamond in a pile of coal.
Kagome was trying to get dressed. She could barely slip into her kimono and now that she was looking at it, she wasn't sure if she liked the way she appeared in it. Kagome studied herself in the mirror, smoothing her hands along the silken fabric.
"Sesshomaru," she began, concerned, "does this make me look…?"
"No." he interjected. She turned and glared at him. He beamed back.
"Pretty?" she finished, smirking. The demon lord's smile didn't even falter.
"No." he repeated. Kagome gaped with surprise. There was a quick flash of movement and before she knew it, he was standing behind her, his hands on her waist. She gasped and he smiled into the mirror at her.
"It makes you look beautiful."
Kagome groaned, "Shut up," but she couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face.
"What?" he asked innocently. "I merely speak the truth." Then, he released her and disappeared. Kagome let out a breath and turned back to her reflection in the mirror. Now, for some reason, the kimono looked a lot better than it did a few moments ago. She swept her hair of f her neck and pinned it up.
Just as she was about to turn away, he appeared again, right beside her. She jumped and placed her hand over her racing heart.
"Okay." She dropped her hand and caught his eye in the mirror. "You've got to stop doing that."
"Not a chance." He replied. "I love you dearly Kagome, but this is too much fun."
She sighed and lowered her eyes for a moment to check the front of her kimono, but they came up again quickly when she felt a slight pressure on her collar. Only then did she notice the light blue crescent moon suspended from a chain that now hung around neck.
Kagome gasped and brought her hand up to the necklace, gently fingering it. "Sesshomaru." She breathed, hardly able to speak. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, then the side of her neck.
"It's a very unusual stone I'd found one day a hundred or so years ago." He explained keeping his eyes riveted on hers. "Something about it beckoned to me, drew me to it. For a reason I didn't understand, I picked it up and kept it all this time. I felt like I'd need it later." He smiled, "When I met you, the first thing that flashed in my mind was that stupid pebble that held absolutely no worth as far as I was concerned. The day you agreed to be my mate, seven months ago, I took it to a jeweler and had it made into this." He lifted the pendant with his index finger and let it fall.
Kagome was completely speechless. Even if she was able to form any words, she still wouldn't be able to think of any that could sufficiently describe what she was feeling. As a matter of fact, she was almost positive that those words didn't even exist. Her eyes lifted from the breathtakingly beautiful necklace to the man she loved. How did he know that something so tiny and simple could move her practically to tears? Was their love so deep and intense that that he could read her so easily now, to the point where it was almost as if he was reading her mind? She didn't doubt it. There was nothing Sesshomaru couldn't do.
"Now," he began softly, trailing his fingers down her neck and to her delicate shoulders, "we share the exact same mark." He lifted her hand that was on the crescent moon and kissed the first two fingers, bringing them first to the mark on his forehead and then gently touching them to her necklace. "Now, I've given you every possible part of me."
The raven haired girl was so touched that he would do something like that for her that tears welled in her eyes. In all honesty, she was sure there was nothing else he could give her; he'd so selflessly given his heart, soul, mind; everything. To him, this was the final piece to the jigsaw puzzle they'd created and when she placed it into its place, the edges fitting perfectly into everything they'd equally contributed, a few random pieces and holes would connect to create the final picture.
Nothing but strength, determination, prosperity, and the purest form of the sweetest love this world has ever been graced to have in its land.
Sesshomaru dipped his head and brushed his lips against her neck and when she didn't stop him, he reached up and undid her hair, running his fingers through it as it tumbled down in a black, silken waterfall. Kagome sighed and her eyes fluttered shut. She tipped her head a bit to give him more room.
Kagome felt as though she couldn't possibly turn him away now. Not after what he'd given her. But more importantly, she didn't want to. If that was his plan all along, so be it but she highly doubted it. After living without her for five hundred some years, Kagome was convinced her that a few more hours wouldn't bother him too much. Or maybe that's exactly why it would.
Oh well. She'd probably never know because right then, he was being a very big distraction. Sesshomaru's hands trailed down her back and then around to her waist. Dimly, in the mirror, she saw him smile softly as the very tip of his nose traced up her neck to her jaw.
Kagome turned in his hold and threw her arms around him, lowering her head so he didn't see the tears that streamed from her eyes. Of course, he knew even if he didn't see her face and he held her closer, stroking her hair.
"What's the matter?" he asked, brushing a thumb across her cheek. Her eyes shut briefly and she leaned into him, tucking her head into his warm neck.
"I love you Sesshomaru." She finally whispered, forcing her words past a lump that made her throat four times smaller. "I love you so much."
The demon lord smiled again but she didn't see it that time. He leaned back and lifted her chin. "I love you too." He whispered back, looking deep into her eyes. Tears still glossed her lashes and her cheeks were flushed but she smiled and in that moment, she looked so beautiful that it took his breath away. He brushed his lips against hers, right in the middle of her smile. "More than you'll ever know Kagome."
The next time he kissed her, she held his head where it was and kissed him back. That was how they stayed until her knees gave out. Then, he swung her up into his arms and carried her to their gigantic bed, to start their day over in a new, love-filled way.
hey peeps!! i reallllllyyyyy hope you all like this one; i worked really hard to make it sweet and cute and everything. i would really appreciate it if you would review and actually, i'd love it if you could give me some ideas. let me know what else you think i could do with it!! you never know, some of you ideas could be in my next chapter. dont forget to check out my other story Passionfruit. its pretty far along and if you like this one, you'll love that one!! keep you're eyes peeled for reviews on either of these cuz im gonna try to be better about that!
that's all folks!
Whispers of Tenderness