The inside of the cabin was warm and inviting. Dark green, lace curtains hung down to the floor over the tall windows in the sitting room. There was a cast iron stove that sat catty-cornered in the back of the room, atop what appeared to be a homemade brick hearth. The decorations were modest, mainly paintings of animals and pictures of the couple with their assumed friends and family. The kitchen to the right of the room was closed off with a set of saloon style doors. Kagura noticed an open coat closet to her left at the front door. The hangers were jade elephant heads screwed into the top of all three walls inside with the trunks stuck out as hooks. Inuyasha plopped down hard on a dark brown, suede sofa where Kagome stood over him, inspecting him for wounds. Kagura took a step forward to join them but noticed she was still wearing shoes when the thin heel of her black, ankle high boot clanked against the hard wood floor. She quickly removed them and placed them on the faux block welcome mat in front of the door behind her.
"I already told ya, Kagome, he didn't get the Tetsusaiga and I'm fine! If ya really wanna help then make me some noodles or something before I starv-"
Kagura cut him off. "Inuyasha, I have some questions."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Heh, you ain't the only one."
"Just what the hell does that mean? Tsk, nevermind. Who was that demon? And what's the Tetsusaiga?" she asked, not wanting to waste anymore time.
Kagome spoke up, looking at the floor. "That was Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother."
Yikes. Touchy subject. "I'm sorry," Kagura said softly.
Inuyasha let out a sigh. "He wants my sword, the Tetsusaiga. Father left it to me, and left the Tenseiga to him. They have different powers and they affect us differently, as well. That's all ya need to know."
"Ah, that's the third source of power I sensed outside. But, you weren't carrying a sword. Is it here?" she asked.
He smiled. "It's here, but it ain't like anyone will find it 'less I want 'em to. So don't get no stupid ideas."
Kagura rolled her eyes, ignoring his confrontational remark.
"Speaking of stupid ideas," he continued, "you got a lotta nerve doing what you did before. Sesshomaru's not only powerful in a demon sense, Kagura. He's powerful in the human world, too. He coulda killed ya right where you stood and never got so much as a slap on the wrist for it. What'd ya say to him to make him leave like that?"
Kagura blinked. "I didn't really say anything. I just let him know I wasn't interested in joining your dog fight, and he left."
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before bursting into a short fit of laughter. "You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!" he wailed, using the back of his hand to wipe spit from the corner of his mouth.
"Can you stay for dinner? I still owe you for driving me," Kagome spoke up. Kagura knew she was trying to move the subject away from Sesshomaru. She glanced at her petite, rose gold watch.
"No thanks. It's already after 7, I'd better get home. I absolutely hate driving in the dark."
Kagome nodded. "I'm sorry you got involved in all this because of me."
"It's no big deal," she lied.
She was confused and still had a lot of questions, but she knew it should wait until Inuyasha wasn't around, at least. Kagura wasn't the type to let others intimidate her, but she couldn't deny Sesshomaru's power. Judging by Inuyasha's description of him, he seems like the type of man who gets his way. She didn't know what to expect.
Kagura couldn't help feeling creeped out during her drive home. She felt like she was being watched, although she chalked it up to it being her heightened paranoia. Damn it, I'm just not gonna think about it anymore. I'm officially blocking it from my mind. She scrunched her nose, trying to concentrate on the road. When she finally arrived home, she breathed a sigh of relief. What a shitty day. Time for a bubble bath, some whiskey, and well-deserved sleep. Kagura pulled into her car lot, locked the car, and walked excitedly along the stone path to the front door of her modest, one bedroom brick house. She'd been renting it off of an ironically lecherous priest named Miroku for almost 2 years now. It had been ridiculously overpriced but he'd lowered her rent after he made the mistake of grabbing her ass during an inspection visit one day. She wondered how long he'd sported the black eye she'd given him that day. Needless to say, he didn't require monthly inspections after that. He even decided to collect the rent via mail. Home sweet home. She put her key in the door and smiled at the thought of revisiting her fifth of Jack Daniel's whiskey she'd opened last night.
A sudden, deep voice spoke up from behind her. "Interesting."
Kagura's eyes snapped open wide. She whipped around, letting out a gasp when she saw who the voice belonged to. "W-what are you doing here?"
"No need to be frightened, witch. I want to have a talk with you." said an icy Sesshomaru, who was standing dangerously close to her.
Her heart pounded in her chest. She had been so absorbed in her relief of being home that she hadn't noticed his presence at all. She cleared her throat and stood as tall as her 5'5 frame could muster.
"Come in," she said, trying not to show emotion.
Shit, did I really just say that? She turned around slowly, letting her brows furrow where he couldn't see. After opening the door, she gracefully stepped in, switching on the tall lamp next to her. She walked slowly through the living room toward the kitchen, her heels clicking loudly against the red, ceramic floor. She cursed herself for not wearing looser clothes. Her purple, button-up blouse felt like it was constricting her breathing. The grey high-waisted, pinstripe skirt she'd reluctantly squeezed into this morning was hugging her hips much tighter than she'd realized. Every step felt like she was being constricted by an anaconda made of cheap, outlet fabric. Her lower legs and chest were the only parts of her that were exposed, but they didn't feel any different. She swallowed a lump in her throat, concentrating on the footsteps behind her. Finally making her way to her black, double-door fridge, she opened the freezer and pulled out her barely touched bottle of Old No. 7 Jack Daniel's. The icy condensation on the glass felt refreshing on her burning palms. She grabbed two square glasses out of the cabinet next to the fridge and sat them on the counter in front of her. She finally turned to face him.
"Drink?" she asked, attempting to smile.
"Your taste is bothersome, but I suppose I'll have some," he condescendingly replied.
He sat at a stool in front of the wall-attached bar in front of her. She poured each of them a glass and sat them on the bar before taking a seat across from him. She grabbed a Rolo chocolate from the round, weaved basket against the wall at the end of the bar. She quickly unwrapped it and popped the soft chocolate into her mouth, savoring it before taking a big swig of whiskey.
"Cut to the chase, Sesshomaru. Why did you follow me here?" she asked, propping her elbows on the bar.
He sipped his drink, twitching his ear in detest at the taste. "If you didn't bathe in sakura scented perfume, it wouldn't have been so easy. But, that's neither here nor there. I need something, and you're going to retrieve it for me."
She threw her head back and laughed, knowing good and well what he meant. "I'm going to retrieve the Tetsusaiga for you?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you propose you're going to make me do it, then? I have no family or friends to speak of, and I would certainly welcome death if it meant my only other option was taking orders from you."
"Witch, you-"
"Kagura," she interrupted. "My name is Kagura, and since you're in my home I suggest you use it."
He smirked before picking up his glass and finishing off the drink in one gulp. "Kagura it is."
A sudden rush of warmth came across her face upon hearing him say her name. She looked down at her claws, trying to distract herself from his handsome features. She hadn't noticed his clothes earlier that day. He was wearing a thin, light grey, v-neck t shirt that clung to every curve of his well-defined arms and chest. His muscles were much bigger than she'd realized. The veins in his forearms bulged out through his skin, all the way to his wrists. He wore a large, white gold Rolex watch with a navy blue background. Never thought I'd have a rich, gorgeous creature in my house. Too bad he's a total fuckin' creep. She brought her cup to her lips, looking in his eyes before tilting her head back and finishing what was left in it. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and refilled their glasses.
"I suppose it would be redundant to threaten the walking dead, don't you think?" he asked, setting the bottle back down on the oak wood of the bar.
She rolled her eyes and picked up her glass, gently rolling the liquid around inside of it. "So, you've come to the conclusion of bargaining with me, correct?"
"As the humans say, 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours'," he replied.
She took a drink then ran her tongue slowly along her top lip to clean the whiskey from it. "As much as I'd love to scratch your back, your half breed little brother hasn't wronged me in any way to warrant a betrayal, and I owe you no such favors."
He tapped the claw of his pointer finger on his glass, not looking away from her. The whites of his eyes were turning a light red color. He sat back in his seat before taking another drink. She couldn't tell how angry she'd made him, although she didn't really care. He'd mistook her for the type of deceitful wretch that can be bought or threatened into doing as he says. Yep, total fuckin' creep. An absolutely gorgeous one, but a creep, nonetheless. Kagura couldn't take her eyes off of him. She'd never been with a man before, simply because she'd never met anyone that seemed different from the rest; someone who wasn't the same as every other horny, loathsome male on the planet. She'd felt attracted to men in the past, of course, but this was different. Magnetic, almost. On top of that, she was already feeling tipsy from drinking and her inhibitions were dropping with each passing minute.
Kagura finished off her drink. "You should go, Sesshomaru."
He stayed silent for a moment. "Interesting," he finally stated, running his tongue over one of his fangs.
He stood up and straightened his shirt. He had on black jeans that had without a doubt been ironed to perfection. They were loose enough but she could still make out the muscles on his thighs through them. She felt chills run down her neck and arms. He walked over to her, then leaned forward and put a hand down in front of her on the bar. She couldn't move.
"You're a strange woman," he growled, his lips nearly touching her ear.
The breath from his words sent a tingle all the way down her body. He stood up straight, then walked to the door without a word. He mumbled something as he left, but she hadn't been paying well enough attention to make out what it was. She sat there for a long time, even more confused than she'd been earlier that day. She rested her head on the bar. What the hell was that?