Chapter 4: Home
Sesshomaru
I watched the road flying by as I followed Kagome's directions to her roommate's house. I was still furious at her for keeping something so serious a secret. She could have been seriously hurt, and none of us would have known. Another thing that pissed me off was why I cared so much. There was nothing between this woman and I. Sure, I admit she intrigues me. She was impressive when it came to her work, and she was good to look at, but there was nothing else there. So why did I want to protect her? It had to be because it was the right thing to do. It had to be because she grew up with my family, and I felt obligated to protect her as a family friend. Yes. That's exactly what it was.
I glanced at the woman beside me. Her knees were squeezed together tightly, her hands were fidgeting in her lap, and she looked around as if she were insanely nervous. After all of these weeks of working for me, getting into my face, and showing no fear even when I was angry, why was she so scared now? Sure, she just went through a traumatic experience at Father's house, but she had seemed to calm down pretty quickly after I said she could live with me.
"What is wrong?" I asked, my voice cold.
"This car!" She exclaimed, as if she had been holding it in for a long time. I raised an eyebrow at her response.
"Do you not like it?" I inquired. I had not met many people who did not like this car. In fact, I have had many women throw themselves at me just for a chance to sit in it. Other than Rin, Kagome was the only person I have ever allowed in here. My Bugatti was my prized possession, and I babied it.
"No! I love it, and that's the problem! I just want to touch it…everywhere!" She said, looking around at the interior.
"Please refrain from doing such things." I replied, smirking slightly. I turned my head to look out the window so she couldn't see that she had brought something out of me. It was quite funny to see her fighting the urge to touch my car. If she did, I would have let her. She was mature enough to have respect for it, and if something were to happen, I could take it to get cleaned. Even so, I will let her struggle for a bit.
"Oh! Here it is." She replied suddenly, pointing at a small house. I quickly pulled in and put my car into park. It was a quaint little house and seemed like something a small family would live in. I inwardly scoffed at the idea. How quickly people were willing to throw their lives away to find a family, to find love. It was all pointless. There is no such thing as a fairytale ending.
I opened my door and made my way to the other side of the car. I pulled the handle of Kagome's door and opened it for her so she could step out. After the door was closed, I made my way to the backseat and unbuckled my daughter's car seat. She had fallen asleep soon after we left Father's house due to a full stomach and too much excitement. I pulled her to my chest and was surprised when she reached for Kagome.
"…gome." Rin called, her arms still holding themselves out. Kagome gave a small smile before taking the girl from me. Rin's right hand went around Kagome's neck while her left thumb went to her mouth. Rin laid her head on Kagome's shoulder and closed her eyes to continue her sleep. I was surprised at just how well Kagome was handling Rin. It was as if she was actually the child's mother.
"You don't have to do this." Kagome whispered so she didn't wake the sleeping child. We walked up to the door, and I found myself gazing into those chocolate eyes that spoke so loudly. While most people who have brown eyes carried a dullness to them, Kagome's eyes seemed to shine. Even while she was being hunted by a sick man who had previously gotten her before, her eyes never faltered. They always carried that shining life within them. The brown seemed to swirl with a small mixture of blue, and I found it very hard to look away.
"You will not be safe on your own." I replied, holding out my hand. At first, I was worried that the woman would misinterpret my actions. It was very possible she would think I was asking for her hand, when I wasn't. I was relieved when she shrugged her shoulder and knocked her purse to the crook of her elbow before letting it slide to her free hand. She placed the thing in my hand, and I quickly grabbed her set of keys. She pointed out the correct key, and I unlocked the door before holding it open for her.
She made her way in and kicked the door shut gently. She motioned for me to follow her. I was right in my previous thoughts about this house. While there was no sign of children, it was obvious that the people who lived here with Kagome were married. The house was littered with many photos of the two. I did not pay much attention to the detail. Instead, I just looked back towards the woman in front of me.
My eyes noticed the tall boots she had on. I was not sure how women walked in such things. As a demon, I imagine even I would have trouble. Yet, every day, Kagome wore those deadly things. Even now, while holding a four-year-old and beginning to ascend the stairs, she walked perfectly. Her shapely ass swayed in the sexiest way, and I found myself thinking of the black thong I had seen earlier tonight. What the hell?! Why would I even think of this woman that way? She was my employee and family friend that I needed to protect, nothing more.
Even with those thoughts running through my head, I couldn't stop myself from suddenly becoming very aroused. My eyes kept betraying me and locking onto her ass. While I had enough control to keep myself from getting an erection, I knew that could change at any moment. If this kept up, I would have to call Kagura, and I did not want to deal with that bitch. She was literally a somewhat-good-lay and nothing more, but she wouldn't accept that, even though I told her every time I saw her, which wasn't even that often.
We finally reached the top of the stairs and approached a small door. I opened it for the woman and watched as she walked to her bed before gently placing Rin down. She pulled a small blanket over the child and turned to me. I looked around the room and found myself angry again. All of her stuff was already packed in boxes. She really had planned on leaving. I looked towards her and found myself struggling to keep my anger under control.
"You may take only what you need for now. I will send someone to get the rest tomorrow." I ordered coolly. "Not all of this will fit in my car."
"Okay." She agreed before picking up an empty box. She began to open some of the already packed boxes and dug around, trying to find certain items. I looked at the end of her bed and noticed a pair of stilettos on the floor. One was knocked over on its side while the other was sitting up straight. What caught my eye about these were the sheer height of the heel. They had to be a good eight inches! Why would any woman need to wear something so uncomfortable?
I walked over to the contraptions and picked one up. It spun slightly in my grasp as it dangled from my fingers. I suddenly found myself picturing kagome wearing nothing but these shoes. The next image was of the two of us wrapped together. Her legs around my waist while these heels dug into my skin. My own hands were fisted into her hair while I sucked on her succulent breast. I looked down to my suddenly growing erection and inwardly groaned. If it continued to grow, it would be very noticeable, and I did not feel like explaining what caused my arousal.
"How do you walk in these?" I asked, sitting on her bed gently and squeezing my legs together in an unnoticeable way. It was quite painful, and I was hoping it would cause my erection to leave.
"It's easy." She replied, not taking her eyes off of her task. I was relieved because I wasn't sure if I could hide my predicament. "In all honesty, I started wearing them when I was in high school because I was self-conscious about my height. I ended up falling in love with them, and now I hardly ever wear flats. I'm either barefoot or in heels.
"How short are you?" I asked, suddenly curious. I was thankful for the small conversation because it kept my mind too preoccupied to think of such enticing thoughts, which, in return, made my manhood behave. I hid my shock as she approached me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into a standing position.
Using her almost perfect balance she lifted up one of her legs and began to unzip the boot. She pulled it off of her foot and gave me a look that seemed to shout 'if you laugh, you will die.' She put her foot back down and dropped to her full height. She was a little lopsided due to her other foot still having the tall shoe on, but I got the picture. She was short, very short. Her head only came up to the middle of my chest. I know it's weird, but I have always been attracted to short women. It made me feel even more like a protector. I loved the way I could tower over a woman and how I would have to look down into their eyes. I loved how a woman would have to reach up on her tippy toes just to give me a kiss.
"You are short." I said, trying to break myself from my annoying thoughts. She glared at me before punching my arm. I looked at the spot she punched before looking at her again.
"It's not my fault you're a giant." She retorted, picking her foot up to put her shoe back on. I smirked as she turned away from me and began to pack some more. After a few moments, she looked at the two boxes in front of her, then looked around the room as if she were double-checking everything.
"Okay, this will be all that I will take tonight." She stated. "I need to leave a note for my roommate. That way she won't be surprised by random people tomorrow."
I nodded before picking up the two boxes and making my way back to my car. Using my keys, I popped open the truck and set down the packed items. With just a touch of my hand, the trunk closed on its own. I looked at it for a second before beginning to make my way inside. I caught sight of the moon and stopped walking for a moment. I looked up at the sky and found myself mesmerized. Tonight was a crescent moon, only a sliver of what it would normally be, yet it showered the entire Earth with light. A moon that was only supposed to give off a small amount of light was shining up an entire area.
Kagome
I finished my note and placed it on the counter. I ran back upstairs and smiled at the sleeping child on my bed. Gently, I pulled her into my arms and let her head fall to my shoulder, just as it had before. I could already feel myself growing attached to this child which frightened me. How is it that after only a few hours, I cared for her so? I began my descent down the stairs, careful not to trip. I walked through the open door and pulled it shut behind me, before locking it. When I turned around, I was suddenly frozen.
The sight before me was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Sesshomaru stood not too far from his car, staring up at the crescent moon. The light from the small thing shone on his face and almost seemed to make his pale skin shimmer. The soft breeze that floated past us made his long silver hair dance behind him. He looked absolutely gorgeous. It was breathtaking. How could one man have so much beauty?
When his head suddenly turned and his eyes locked onto mine, I could feel my heart stop. His golden orbs seemed to captivate me. I had never noticed before just how good-looking he was. As he began to approach me, I felt my knees beginning to get weak. His eyes never left mine, even as he stood only a few feet from me. He reached out, and I could feel myself blushing. He was going to touch me.
When Rin was suddenly removed from my arms, I felt my embarrassment fly through the roof. How could I have ever thought he would touch me? How stupid could I be? He won't even let me touch his car, so why would he ever do anything like that? I began following him, trying to get my blushing under control. The last thing I needed was for him to see me acting like a fool. The man is letting me live in his house for my safety, and I'm acting like I want to jump his bones.
After he put Rin in her car seat, he opened the door for me, just so I wouldn't touch his car. I got in and looked out the window as he backed away from my house. No, this wasn't my house anymore. I had a new home now. No, not home. That made it too personal. I was just living there. It wasn't as if I was a part of the family. I looked down at my hands and felt myself fighting tears. HE took my home. Just like he would take more from me, until there was nothing left. He would not stop until he had me, and now I was dragging innocent people into this! How selfish was I? How could I do this to Sesshomaru and his daughter? How could I put them in danger?
"Why are you crying?" His deep voice rang out, causing me to look up.
"I'm not crying." I replied. I wasn't lying. While I wanted to cry, I fought it. I would not show my tears to him again. I already let him see my weakness earlier tonight. I don't want to keep flaunting it.
"I can smell your tears. They may be unshed, but they are still there." He stated, not looking away from the road.
"It's nothing." I whispered, trying to get him to drop it.
"I can also smell your lies." He countered, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I looked at him for a moment before looking away. I didn't want to drag him into this anymore than I already had.
"How did you come across Rin?" I asked, changing the subject. His eyes left me and fell back onto the road.
"She is my daughter." He answered calmly.
"I know, but she's not your biological daughter. She has no demon in her whatsoever." I said, looking back at the sleeping child.
"How would you know? It could very well be a concealment spell." He replied, as he continued to drive.
"I can sense it, just like I can sense every demon that walks by, concealment spell or not." I answered, looking back out the window.
"Explain." He ordered. I sighed and leaned my head back against the seat.
"I'm a priestess." I said, feeling his gaze fall on me. "To answer your next question, I can hide it. Just as you use your concealment spell to hide your youki, I can use it to hide my reiki." I looked at him and stopped him as he was about to ask another question. "I hide it because I hate it. I never asked to be a miko, yet I'm stuck with it. My parents dropped me off with Kenta and Izayoi because of it. While I know they love me, Kenta struggled to raise me. He is a demon after all. I still remember a conversation between him and Izayoi. They were having trouble helping me control my reiki and were worried that I would hurt someone. They actually discussed finding me a better-suited home."
I stopped for a moment and thought back on the memory. I thought about how much it had hurt to know that a second family was thinking about getting rid of me. I looked up at Sesshomaru who was looking down at me with shock and sadness in his eyes. I pointed at the road, telling him to look at it. When he did, I looked back out the window again.
"Kenta immediately said no." I continued. "He said he would fight to keep me. That he would never give up. And he didn't. So I never gave up. I hated my reiki. I couldn't stand it. It had been the cause of so much heartache, and I just wished it would leave. But wishes fix nothing. I realized then, if Kenta was determined to help me, then I would be determined to help him. All day and night, I practiced. I never slept. I hardly ate. But it worked. I gained control of my reiki. After two years of Kenta and Izayoi trying to teach me, I ended up teaching myself. I did it for him."
"He is your father?" Sesshomaru asked, finally speaking.
"In a way. I will never call him that, or even tell him. Just as I will not say that Izayoi is my mother. I will never say that InuYasha is my brother, or Kikyou, a sister. I will never say you are my friend, or that I care for Rin deeply." I said, feeling myself fighting tears again.
"Why?" He asked, suddenly pulling over to the side of the road. I didn't ask why, I just looked at him. His golden eyes capturing my brown ones.
"Because then they will be in danger." I answered truthfully. "He will not stop until he has me, and he will use anyone I care about as bait. If he were to do that, I would go to him willingly, and even gladly, if that meant the people I care about are safe."
"Kagome, you will be safe." He said, turning in his chair slightly.
"No, I won't." I answered, causing him to flinch slightly. "Everything you're doing for me is just prolonging the inevitable. He will find me. He will take me, and no one can stop him."
"I will stop him." He stated, anger now in his voice. His eyes burned with the emotion he was feeling.
"You will fail. While he is only a half-demon, he is still very powerful. My reiki doesn't even work on him. I tried. He has this pink jewel that makes it impossible for me to hurt him. There is nothing that can stop him." I said, looking away from the angry demon in front of me. I jumped when he suddenly hit his steering wheel. I looked at Rin to see she was still sleeping before looking at him. He was facing straight ahead now, his eyes clenched shut. His hands gripped the wheel in front of him so tightly, his knuckles were turning white.
"Do not tell me I will fail." He ground out through clenched teeth. "I will not fail. I will protect you."
I cocked my head to the side slightly, watching him try to calm himself down. I knew he wanted to protect me because I was a friend of the family, but this, this seemed different. He almost seemed possessive, as if he had made it his personal mission to keep me safe. I suddenly found myself feeling guilty. When that man finds me, Sesshomaru will take it personally. He will blame himself just as InuYasha did. I sighed before looking out the window again. I am a horrible person. I should have never agreed to his offer. I should have just left without saying goodbye to anyone.
"You never told me about Rin." I said, changing the subject. His hands lightened on the steering wheel a tiny bit. He opened his eyes and looked at me, and I could see the red fading away. He looked back at his daughter before looking forward again.
"It was four years ago." He started. "I was walking to my car after getting a few drinks. I hadn't had much at all, but when I heard a baby crying, I thought perhaps I was a tad bit drunk. It wasn't until I looked down the alleyway and saw a dumpster with a half-opened lid that I realized I was, in fact, sober."
"A dumpster?" I asked, horrified.
"Do you wish for me to finish the story?" He asked, his eyes softening as he looked at me. At my nod, he continued. "As I was saying, I approached the dumpster and was shocked to see something moving. Of course, by now, the crying was louder, and I knew what it was. When I lifted the lid, there sat Rin. She was wrapped in an old pink blanket that was covered in filth. She was only a few days old. She even had dried birthing fluids all over her. I pulled her out of the nasty blanket and took off my shirt to wrap her in it. The moment she felt me pick her up and hold her to me, she stopped crying. She gave me this look like she was thankful I had shown up. She looked up at me as if I had saved her life. I guess I did."
"Nobody was there?" I asked, picturing the scene as he described it.
"No. I searched, but found no one. I called Father immediately, who came and picked us up. We went straight to the hospital. They agreed that she was barely a week old. They said that she had never once been fed. That most likely, the moment she was born was the moment she was thrown away." He continued, only stopping to think back on the memory. "Social services were called, of course. They said they could take her, but she wouldn't receive the emotional care she truly needed. They were too full as it was. She would be going to a foster home that already housed five kids. I didn't even think at that point. I just blurted out that I would foster her. They agreed, and I filled out the paperwork right then and there."
"She won you over in a matter of hours." I said, smiling. He look down at me with a seriousness in his eyes before nodding.
"She did. To be thrown away like that, but still fight for your life, fight to survive, even though you weren't wanted. She was strong. I couldn't let her go, so I kept her for a year. Then social services came back and said they found a new home for her. I fought them and told them that she would stay, but they said unless I adopted her, I couldn't keep her. I was devastated. I told them I would adopt her, but they said it didn't matter. Until she was legally mine, I couldn't keep her. For six months, they had her. I fought tooth and nail. I went through three lawyers and seven court dates before she was mine. The moment I signed those papers, I took her in my arms and never let go. She is MY daughter. I found her. I raised her. She was mine, and they tried to take her." He said, his anger beginning to flare again. I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked down at me, and I could feel him calming down.
"You got her back. You protected her." I said, giving him a small smile. I was surprised by his story, but found myself proud of him. He took in someone who needed help without a thought. He fought for her, protected her. He made sure she was loved and cared for. I suddenly knew why he offered to help me. It was his nature. It seems that if someone in front of him is in dire need to be saved, he can't stop himself from doing it. It was instinct and nothing more.
"Indeed, just as I will do for you." He replied. His gaze had become so intense that I had no choice but to look away. I felt myself beginning to blush, and I pulled my hand away from his shoulder as if his skin had burned me.
"We should get her to bed." I said, nodding towards Rin. I could feel him staring at me for a moment longer before turning back to the road. He pulled back out and began driving again. I looked out the window and found myself becoming sad. He loved Rin as if he had fathered her himself. She was lucky to have someone love her so much. I knew my family loved me and protected me, but I still had that longing for something deeper. Something that I could never have. I couldn't afford to want a love like that. Not when my life was already claimed by someone else.
Sesshomaru
I awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast in the air. I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was too early for Rin to be awake. Kagome must have gotten up and began to fix herself breakfast. My thoughts suddenly wandered to last night. I had never carried on a conversation like that before. I had been so engrossed that I couldn't even concentrate on the road. I eventually had to pull over just to listen as she spoke. I closed my eyes as I thought of last night's conversation.
The sadness and loneliness that radiated off of her had been enough to make me want to pull her to me and hold her close. I was thankful that I was able to control my urges. When I had been in school, Father had told me he had taken in another child, but I never cared enough to ask any details. When I found out that Kagome had been abandoned, it made me think of my own daughter. How could two children just be thrown away? Did their parents feel anything as they walked away from their child? It was sickening. They were failures as parents and don't deserve to breathe the air around them.
You will fail.
How could she think that? How could she think that I would ever let something happen to her? I had felt the need to protect her, but now that I realized she expected to be caught, my entire body screamed to prove her wrong. I had to keep her safe. I had to protect her. I would make sure she never felt fear again if it's the last thing I do.
You will fail.
I will not fail.
You will fail.
I promise you Kagome, I will not fail.
I opened my eyes as deep laughter hit my ears. I knew that laugh and growled as I sat up in my bed. Why the hell was he here? I pushed my feet to the floor and walked to my closet. I quickly pulled on a pair of sleeping pants over my boxers before pulling on a white tank shirt. I opened my door and was surprised to see Kagome peaking her head through her door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
Her hair was slightly messy, and I found that I liked the look of it. She wore a pair of short, skintight yoga shorts, the bottom of her ass just slightly hanging out. She had on a tank top that showed about an inch of her stomach. Her nipples were pushing themselves through the fabric of her shirt, and I had to force myself to look away. When I returned to work, I would have to give Kagura a call. I take one look at Kagome and get a hard-on. I can't have that.
"What's going on down there?" Kagome asked, making me look at her again. She let out a yawn and stretched her arms above her head. Her shirt rose showing even more of her skin. The fabric over her nipples tightened, and I inwardly growled at the sight. Damn! I was beginning to lose control. I could feel my cock twitch as my eyes stared at her hardened buds. I turned away from her again and looked back down the steps.
"I do believe my father broke into my house." I stated, surprised at how calm I sounded.
"Well, breakfast sounds good. I think I will join him." She said, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
"Dressed like that?" I asked, before I could stop myself.
"Of course not. You shouldn't have even seen me like this, but I thought you were already down there." She replied, her face suddenly turning very red. She turned from me and stalked into her room, slamming the door behind her. It seems that sad and lonely woman was gone, and was now replaced by the feisty and confident woman. I smiled before shutting my door and walking downstairs. I had thought about waking Rin, but if I had, she would have been grumpy for the rest of the day. Plus I needed to find out why my father was here.
"Ah! Sesshomaru! How did you sleep, my boy?" Father asked loudly as I entered the kitchen. I looked around at the kitchen table, confused. It wasn't just Father here, but also Izayoi, InuYasha, and Kikyou.
"Why are you all here?" I asked, feeling myself getting angry.
"I don't trust Kagome with you, so I said she should stay at Father's house. He, of course, turned it into, 'Oh, let's move in with Sesshomaru, he won't mind,' and now, here we are." InuYasha confessed, as he took a bite of his bacon. I turned to Father who looked as innocent as ever.
"No," was all I said as I glared at him.
"We could offer extra protection for Kagome." He admitted, smiling at me.
"I will protect her." I replied, clenching my fists.
"The question is, why?" InuYasha asked, looking at me strongly.
"You lost any right to question who protects her, or why. You failed to properly do so the first time." I retorted, loving the way he flinched at my words. I could tell Father was about to say something for my harshness, but we were interrupted by a happy woman.
"Look who I found at my door." Kagome exclaimed, carrying a still-sleepy Rin. The moment she saw her grandfather, she held out her arms to him, and he, of course, took her.
"Grandpa, why are you here?" Rin asked, clutching onto him for dear life.
"Your father is letting us live with him for a while." He replied, not meeting my angry gaze.
"Wait, what?" Kagome asked, causing everyone to laugh. That's it, my life as I knew it was over.
-sSs-
Chapter 4! I'm actually getting really excited for this story. Just to let some of you know, I'm not one of those people who have the main characters jump together quickly. I like for them to learn to be around each other and all that good stuff. I won't wait until the last chapter for them to get together either. I normally tend to make my stories last around 30 chapters, so about halfway through is when I tend to make them get together. Please review, I'd like to hear your feedback.
I do not own InuYasha.