Six For Gold

The mid-afternoon sun warmed her as she lay on the grass looking up at the clouds passing by. Sighing, she closed her eyes, determined to block out the outside world. She was lonely, and he was on a business trip, one she couldn't join him for as she had to deal with school.

He called every night, as he promised he would before he left. She was feeling needy when she had asked him to do so, and he knew it. But this was one request she didn't regret asking for, regardless of how it made her look.

She had a feeling he would have done it anyway. While he never appeared so, she knew he could be needy too. She would just never say it to his face.

But it was like the light went out when he left. She ate, slept, worked and went to classes, all of which seemed entirely mundane. How was it that one single man, demon or not, managed to influence her outlook on life that much?

She didn't even want to stay at his place while he was gone as it still smelled like him and made her miss him all the more.

When did she get to be so needy? Even with Inuyasha, she was never this bad. Was this what love did to you? She had no basis for comparison. What she felt for Inuyasha was nothing more than affection, love for a friend. It didn't hold a candle compared to what she felt for his brother.

Her mother welcomed her back to the shrine with open arms, relishing each moment spent with her daughter, enjoying acting like a mother to her again. Kagome knew she didn't approve of the move to Sesshoumaru's apartment, but it had reached the point where they couldn't stand to be apart for very long.

He said it was typical when demons courted females.

She knew he was just denying the truth.

But then she didn't need to hear the words either. She saw them every time she looked into his eyes. Beautiful gold eyes that seemed so cold to everybody else, yet so easy for her to read.

With one glance she could see the fear he felt, but refused to admit, the sense of hope that sometimes floated around him, the recklessness he participated in more and more often with her, sometimes instigated by her, sometimes, to her surprise, he instigated it. She could see the sense of belonging he felt when she was nearby, as she felt the same thing, and the understanding that would come after she would go off on him about something that irritated her.

She could see the infinite patience in his eyes when she would do something stupid, much like the time she spilled coffee on his laptop, losing some important reports he hadn't yet backed up. She smiled, remembering that he didn't yell at her, or look upon her with disappointment. Instead he closed his laptop, set it in its bag so he could take it to the technicians the next morning, and immediately took her out to dinner instead.

Not once did he accept any of her apologies, informing her that was an accident and it wasn't like she had poured coffee on it purpose. She only wished everybody else could feel the same way.

She saw the surprise in his eyes when she showed up late at his office one night, the night before one of her papers was due, and brought him dinner. He didn't say as much, but she knew he was touched.

Then there was the lust. Oh she recognized the lust as his pupils would dilate minutely and the amber changed to a bold, intense gold. The way his eyes would widen just a fraction, as if he wanted to see as much of her as possible.

To outsiders though, he was cold. Arrogant. Heartless. Emotionless. Cold.

It thrilled her to no end though that she could incite such feeling within him, with nothing but a sidelong glance. With the briefest of touches, she could instill a heat in him that rivaled no others.

To hold a such a power over a demon like Sesshoumaru, it was a heady feeling.

"Kagome?" she opened her eyes to see her mother sitting on the swing bench under the God Tree, and sat up herself. She missed the bench when she wasn't home, as it was their bench, but she refused to sit on it without him. When had she become so pathetically in love? "I put together a bento box for lunch today," she handed her the box and a pair of chop sticks. "You looked so peaceful out here I didn't want to disturb you by calling you in."

She smiled at her ever-knowing mother. Her mother didn't need to look into her eyes to see how she was feeling. It was written plain as day on her face. "Thanks mom," she tore open the box and dug right into it, knowing it would appease her mother despite her current lack of appetite.

"How was school earlier today. I missed you when you came home."

"Fine. I hit up the library for a couple books for my research paper already. I should be able to start on the research for it tonight."

Her mother looked at her critically for a moment, and she knew it was because her mother wasn't used to seeing her acting so seriously about her studies, not after years of ignoring them for Inuyasha. "Mom," she justified. "If I want to make something of myself today, I need the school. I know better than to blow it off now."

"I know, and I'm proud of you for trying, especially knowing that you don't have to, that Sesshoumaru could support you for the rest of your life if you wanted."

"He could, but I won't let him. I need to make my own way in the world and I can't do that by relying on others all the time. I'll graduate in a year and find something I'm good at. He supports me in this endeavor too, no matter how often he tells me he wishes I weren't in school so I could join him on these trips."

She placed another piece of food in her mouth before chewing and swallowing. She would never tell her mother how tempted she was to do just that, and that it still may happen if he kept asking.

"And how is he enjoying New York City? I heard it's quite the exciting place to be."

"I don't think he even thinks about it anymore, you know. He goes, he does the work, and he comes home. Not once has he even mentioned New York when we speak before bed."

"What do you talk about then if not his time in New York?"

Kagome swore she was blushing from roots to toes as she considered the question her mother had asked. She had never once informed her as to what a lusty man her demon was, how insatiable he had become as of late, even more so now that there was an ocean between them.

"Never mind," her mother smiled as she picked up the empty box to take back to the kitchen. "I'll be inside cleaning up if you want anything. I'll leave you alone again with the birds to lay in the sun." She looked up into the tree, at the full nest. "It is a gorgeous day to take a nap in the grass," she winked before walking away.

She stretched back on the grass again, relishing in the feel of the soft, cool blades against her skin, enjoying the fresh scent. She knew she should be working on her research paper, especially since she wouldn't be touching it for quite a while once Sesshoumaru came home, but she couldn't bring herself to do it

Eyes closed again, she wondered what he was doing right at this moment. She could picture him sitting behind the large, mahogany desk in the high rise building, tie and suit in pristine condition, as it always was, and he'd either be on the phone, his computer or reading over reports before signing off on them. And always, an incredible view of the skyline behind him, much like he had here in Tokyo.

She wondered if he had received the e-mail she sent to him earlier, and hoped it gave him a small chuckle on an otherwise busy day. Yes, sometimes the phone wasn't enough.

The birds above stopped chirping for the moment, and she could hear the soft footprints making their way across the lawn again. Her mother, she mused, probably forgot something. Or perhaps it was her grandfather wanting to show her some new artifact that would eventually go into the storage room to be forgotten.

Her family had their quirks, but she loved them nonetheless.

"Mom?" she asked, without opening her eyes when she heard the footprints stop just before her.

"Is your nose so inferior you can't scent my cologne as I approach?" the familiar voice broke the silence and she nearly jumped in eager anticipation.

She opened her eyes to see the amused gold ones staring back down at her. She smiled, brilliantly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

God she missed him.

"What are you doing home early?" she asked as she picked herself up.

"I missed you," he replied simply, pulling her flush against him before settling them on the swing bench. "I pulled an all nighter the night before after I got off the phone with you so I could catch an early flight home."

Deep within the gold she could see how much he missed her, the desperation to just drink her in apparent, and for a moment, she felt overwhelmed by the intensity.

She leaned into him, and tucked her head into the crook of his neck. There would be time later for a proper reunion. Now was not the place, no matter how much she wished it was. "I missed you too. Welcome home."

END

AN Ah so the muse has been nice to me these past few days, thank goodness, after a lull. For those of you reading Mirrored Pasts, there won't be an update on this week. My schedule has become very hectic, working one full-time job, one part-time job, volunteering and I'm back in school part-time again. I'm sure with this schedule, insanity will be soon setting in. It probably already has for me thinking I can handle such a schedule lol. So simply, I have half a chapter written instead of a whole one since the only time my muse has been cooperative with it is during my lectures, sigh.

One more story and this series is done too, wow.

Enjoy, and have a good night!

Disclaimer: See first story.