Disclaimer: Inuyasha and the characters therein do not now nor will they ever be mine.
A/N: Dear readers, I know what you were thinking as you read chapter 7. WTF!?! Did she put crack in her coffee? Was a monkey trying to type Shakespeare on her computer? Why the sh update. I want to apologize to you all. What you read was an incomplete rambling of mine as to how the chapter may go. This is the real chapter that was meant to be uploaded, not the trash I did by accident. I hope you enjoy this much better.
Chapter 7
Sesshomaru flew off into the night to put some distance between him and the miko's hypnotic spell. Again he questioned the wisdom of having her in his home. Perhaps he should return her to Inuyasha and be rid of the temptation she presented. He flew quickly and quietly through the night patrolling his boarders. It was usually a three-day task, but he completed it in two nights. Finding nothing out of order, he returned to his castle. Landing on the balcony outside of his bedchamber he closed his eyes and summoned Myoga who arrived shortly on the back of a crow.
"Lord Sesshomaru," Myoga said bowing deeply, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I wish for you to find out why it is taking Inuyasha so long to arrive at the castle."
"As you wish, my lord." Myoga took off into the night on the crow.
An uneasy feeling settled over Sesshomaru as he watched Myoga fly away into the night. Trying to shake it off he walked into his room. The exhaustion of the past two days caught up with him as he began to disrobe, the moonlight flashed off of his gleaming, well-muscled body with every movement he made. Naked, he made his way over to the large futon in the middle of the room and dropped into it. Sleep claimed his tired body shortly after.
Kagome woke the next morning with cramping muscles. 'Ugh!" she thought miserably, 'what I wouldn't give for a hot spring.' Getting up she winced in agony. She had hoped that the hot sponge bath she took last night would sooth her muscles if only a little. For the past two days she had been training, unpacking, and playing with the kids non-stop and it was catching up with her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed massaging her shoulders when Rin slid open her door and ran inside.
"Hey momma! What are we doing today?" she asked as she bounced around enthusiastic way.
Kagome groaned under her breath but smiled at Rin. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"I wanna learn how to play your piano!" Rin declared.
Kagome beamed with pleasure and said, "I would love to teach you honeybee! Just let me get washed up and dressed and we'll start our day." She started to stand but a cramp caught her in the lower leg and shot up throughout her body. Kagome bit her lip so she wouldn't cry out and fell onto the futon as tears gathered in her eyes.
"Momma!" Rin cried, "What's wrong? You don't have to teach me. Please don't cry," she said as tears rolled down her own cheeks.
"Oh no Rin. I just have a booboo, that's all," she said. "I just need a hot springs."
Rin looked unconvinced as she wiped her tears away. "There's a hot spring in every wing of the castle. The one for this wing is down the hall," she informed Kagome. "I can take you to it."
Kagome rolled over and sat up slowly. "Rin, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed. "As a matter of fact, I think I will!" Kagome leaned over and kissed the little girl on the cheek. Standing slowly she walked to her wardrobe where her clothes were. Grabbing her robe, a new bra and thong, and her bathing supplies she followed Rin down the hall. Shippo met them half way to their destination and challenged Rin to a game of indoor tag. Rin squealed with delight, told Kagome she was canceling her piano lesson, grabbed Shippo by the hand, and took off to find Jaken to play too. Kagome smiled and shook her head as she watched the two run away then continued to walk to the door Rin had pointed out to her before running away. 'I'm really going to have to settle those two down before Sesshomaru gets back,' she thought as she continued to move down the corridor smiling at all of the servants as she passed them.
They returned her smiles shyly, not really knowing what to make of the strange little miko. The last human they had had contact with was Inuyasha's mother and she was a harsh mistress. Lady Kagome was nothing like that. She had even been offered a maid and a nanny for her kitsune but she had declined graciously saying that they had more important things to do rather than wait on her. Lady Kagome had even gone as far as to help the cook with dinner because of the additional workload the additional guests put on her. She, the taijia, and the hoshi were all very self sufficient and the servants didn't' mind their stay in their lord's castle, especially Lady Kagome. She reminded them Lord Sesshomaru's mother. 'If only she weren't human,' they all thought wistfully.
Kagome reached the door that housed the hot springs and stepped through. She gasped at the beauty if it and sat down on a stone bench to take it all in. There were trees of all sizes and grass and flowers of every color carpeted the floor. "How can this be in the middle of winter?" she whispered aloud. Her aching muscles soon gained her attention again and she began to disrobe.
Sesshomaru had gone as sill as a rock when he smelled her scent outside the door. He was standing behind a painted rice screen in his loincloth having just finished his dip in the hot springs. He hastily donned his hakamas with every intention of making his presence known but she had already begun to disrobe. From behind the screen he watched her as she removed her clothing.
Kagome stepped out of her pajama pants then removed her pajama top. She folded them and placed them on the bench she had sat on.
Sesshomaru watched her with his breath held. Her skin was glowing like porcelain, as she stood clad in a strange loincloth with no back to it and a see-through strip of cloth covering her breasts. Reaching behind her she released a clasp and the covering fell away exposing her breasts to his view. She stretched languorously letting the steam in the air relax her stiff muscles. Sesshomaru couldn't help but notice the fullness of her breasts, the flatness of her stomach, the gentle flare of her hips, and the length and smoothness of her well defined well-muscled legs. His body reacted with a vengeance and his inner beast reared up and demanded that he take her. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his traitorous response of his body. He heard the water ripple behind him. He decided to put a stop to this self-torture and stepped from behind the screen to let his presence be known.
Kagome was floating on her back with her eyes closed when she sensed his aura. Her head went under the water as she panicked. Sputtering, she broke the surface of the water again and wiped her eyes as she tried to focus on him. "Sesshomaru!" she coughed. "When did you get back?" Her hair was clinging to her face and floated in the water behind her.
"Late last night," he said in a husky voice she never heard him use before. She paid no attention to his words; his naked torso and watching the muscles play under his satin skin mesmerized her. His hakamas rode low on his hips and she could see two magenta stripes across his pectoral muscles that wind around his shoulders and ended below his shoulder blades. He had one magenta stripe on each wrist and ankle, and two on each hip that disappeared into his hakamas. His stomach was the definition of the phrase "six pack" and his arms were laden with heavy muscles.
Kagome felt her mouth go dry and her insides flutter and heat up. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
"I was answering our question."
"I asked you a question?"
He looked at her in confusion. Her reaction puzzled him. He thought she may be aroused but could not be sure because of the water. He had gotten his own arousal under control somewhat after she disappeared under the water. He was a little surprised and pleased to think that she may desire him. He pushed the thought away savagely. She probably reacted to Inuyasha the same way. "Do not interrogate me if you do not care to listen to the answers," he said icily. He turned and stalked out of the room.
Kagome finished her bath as images of Sesshomaru's perfection flitted through her mind. She washed her clothes and hung them from the tree boughs then put on her underclothes and robe. After she was suitably covered, she made her way back to her room. After she was full dressed and groomed she set off to find breakfast. After she ate she went to find Shippo and Yuko for their reading lesson. To her surprise there were ten people including Shippo, Rin, Yuko and two of Sesshomaru's generals waiting for her in the library where she was going to hold the reading lesson. "My lady, some of the servants would like to benefit from your teachings if you would be so kind," Yuko said as she looked around.
"Lord Sesshomaru has approved this?" they all nodded. Kagome beamed at them, "It would be my pleasure." She grabbed extra pencils and paper to pass out. "Now let's begin." An hour later, Kagome called a halt to the lesson and praised everyone's efforts. They were all learning quite quickly and by next week they should be ready to start reading. As her students filed out of the room they each looked at her as if she were a goddess.
Sango and Miroku came into the library as the others left. "What have you done to them Kagome?" Sango asked as she watched Kagome, Shippo and Rin clean up.
"Nothing. I was teaching them to read and write." Sango remembered when Kagome had taught her to read a couple of years ago. She had looked at Kagome much like the others she had seen leave the room look at Kagome. She had thought Kagome was an angel who had unlocked another world for her.
Miroku wrapped an arm around Sango and said, "Let's go to the dojo and spar." They walked to the dojo, removed their shoes, and stepped inside where they found it already occupied by Sesshomaru. "Forgive us, Lord Sesshomaru," Miroku said as he bowed deeply. "We did not think the dojo would be occupied at this time of day."
"I am usually here earlier, but my usual routine was interrupted by the miko's reading lesson," he returned.
"I am sorry, Sesshomaru. I thought they had your permission to attend the lesson."
"Yes. I gave them permission out of morbid curiosity, you may say. I wanted to see if you would demean yourself by teaching servants to read." He watched in fascination from behind his stoic mask as one emotion after another crossed the miko's face.
Tears sprang to Kagome's eyes as she turned and fled the room followed by Sango. Miroku remained behind to speak to Sesshomaru. "My lord," he began, "I feel compelled to speak to you about Kagome."
"I have no interest in the miko," Sesshomaru said.
"With all due respect my lord, I think you should listen to what I have to say. I would hate to see you make the same mistake that Inuyasha made."
Sesshomaru pretended to busy himself by going through his training routine again. Miroku took his silence, and the fact that Sesshomaru hadn't killed him yet, as permission to continue. "Kagome is a very unique person. She is loving, loyal, caring, and doesn't know the meaning of the words hate and prejudice. Kagome adopted Shippo at the age of fifteen in spite of being shunned by fellow humans and she treats him as though he were her own child without regret. Inuyasha has treated Kagome in a deplorable manner for almost three years now. He has flaunted Kikyo as well as others in her face and yet she refuses to hate him or his women."
"She is in love with the hanyou," Sesshomaru said with contempt lacing his voice.
"No. Kagome loves Inuyasha as she loves others, but she is not in love with him. He has been trying to force her to be his mate since Kikyo's death. He does not love her and has confessed as much to me. He sees her as a possession and wants the jewel as well as her. He belittles her accomplishments and talents to keep her dependent on him though he knows very well that she is a very powerful being and her power grows every day and he wants that power for himself. She needs protection from him."
"Leave me," Sesshomaru said.
"Of course, my lord," Miroku replied. Before leaving the dojo he turned around and said, "Whoever Kagome decides to give her heart to will be a lucky man indeed." With that said he left.
Sesshomaru heard him leave as his thoughts raged through his head. 'She doesn't love Inuyasha.' That thought surfaced first and foremost in his head. 'She doesn't belong to Inuyasha.'
'She could belong to us,' his inner beast purred.
'Ridiculous,' he thought. 'She is a human and can never belong to us.' He contemplated the situation for a while longer. 'She will never belong to us but we can protect her for all she has done for our people and Rin.' After making that decision he felt a sense of peace come over him. Leaving the dojo he went to find the miko to do something he had never done before in his life; apologize. He went to her room and was about to slide the door open when he heard her silently weeping. Sighing deeply, he went inside the room where the miko lay crying with her face in a pillow. "Stop crying miko," he said gently.
Kagome raised her tear-stained face from the pillow and said, "Please leave me alone. I promise not to interfere with your household or your life anymore, I will ever leave with my companions if you want me to but please, I cannot take any more derision. Not from you."
"Miko, I was wrong and I apologize," he said in a strained voice. "The last human to reside here found it beneath her to associate with servants and youki with no land. I have used her as a template to judge you." He looked out over her balcony. "You and your companions are free to stay here as long as you like."
Kagome could only stare at his back in stunned silence. She jumped off of the futon ran across the room and wrapped her arms around his waist pressing the front of her body against the back of his. Sesshomaru's body tightened painfully as he let her hold him and gritted his teeth. Feeling what he had seen earlier today was sheer torture to his senses. "Thank you, Sesshomaru. I promise I'll try hard not to upset your life." She pulled away from him, "I was going to ask you earlier for permission to celebrate a tradition that ahs been in my family since I was a little girl."
"It matters not to me," he said. He inclined his head in her direction and left the room.
Kagome was so happy she could barely contain it. She hurried around the room gathering supplies then went to round up the kids to select a tree.
"What are we doing, momma?" Shippo asked.
"Remember when we celebrated the giving tree at Kaede's last year?" At his nod she continued. "This year we're going to bring the tree inside and decorate it with ornaments grandma gave us."
"Cool!" Shippo exclaimed.
"What's the giving tree, momma?" Rin asked.
"It is a tradition in Kagome's family that is based on a western religious practice called Christmas except the giving tree is celebrated twice a year," Miroku explained.
"Come on guys," Sango said as they tromped through the snow. "Let's find a tree so we can get out of this cold."
"There is a good tree, sister," Kohaku said.
"It's perfect," Kagome said. Sango used her hirikotsu to cut it down and they all dragged it back to the castle. On their way back to the castle, Yuko and Koiyuki caught up with them and asked what they were doing. "Come with us and see!" Kagome said.
"My lady! We have plenty of firewood. Why are you carrying a whole tree?" the general she was teaching to read, she believed his name was Renji, said as he approached.
"Here, my lady. Give it to us and we'll chop it up," the one she knew as Shoji said.
"I would like for you to take it inside for me to the throne room," Kagome said as she giggled at their looks of horror. "Also, I would like to ask you a favor." Fearing the request they asked her what she would like. "I would like your help at honing my battle skills. I want you to attack me unawares at any time except when I bath, play an instrument, or skate and you must take care not to hurt the children if they are with me."
They looked at her as if she had lost her mind. First a tree in the castle and now sneak attacks. Lord Sesshomaru would kill them where they stood when he found out. They wanted to deny her but there was something about her that made them want to obey her. "Yes my lady, we'll help you, but you must get Lord Sesshomaru's acceptance first."
Kagome gave them a brilliant smile and clapped her hands as if they had just offered her tea and not grueling battle. They shook their heads as they carried her tree inside. After they deposited it where she pointed they bowed to her and left. "Rin, go get Lord Sesshomaru and we'll…"
"What is the meaning of this?" Sesshomaru's icy voiced sliced through the air like a whip. "Is that a tree?" he roared.
"Yes my lord!" Rin said excitedly. "Kagome is giving us a holiday!" she clapped her hands in delight.
Sesshomaru struggled to maintain his composure. He remembered that he had given her permission to stay earlier or he would surely be putting her out right about now. The bane of his existence was looking up at him innocently and gently said; "We would like it if you were here for this, Sesshomaru." He almost bit his tongue off keeping silent to spare her feelings. He looked deeply into her aquamarine eyes and was helpless to do anything else but nod his agreement; cursing the power she held over him and determined to break free from it.
Kagome smiled up at him and became lost in his beautiful golden eyes. Her heart picked up its pace and her breathing became shallow. She remembered how he had looked that morning at the hot springs without his houri and his hakamas slung low on his hips and wondered what it would feel like to be held by him and have his lips press against hers. Lost in her reverie she began to move toward him. She could not explain it, but over the years Sesshomaru had began to pull at her senses. If he had asked her to leave Inuyasha to aid him, she would do it gladly and without regret. He held a power over her that both thrilled and terrified her to no end. Taking another step, she suddenly recalled where she was and came out of her trance. "Excuse me," she said without looking at him and walked away.
He was stunned as he watched her walk away. The smell of her arousal hung thick in the air and surrounded him like a second skin. Her arousal was unmistakable this time with no water to mask it and his inner beast reacted to it. Sesshomaru resolved to stay as far away from the miko as he possibly could and the danger she posed to his being and moved to the opposite side of the room. She and the taijia handed little porcelain figures to the children to place on the tree while the hoshi held them higher to expand their reach. Even Jaken participated at the encouragement of the miko. After the final ornament was put on the tree, Yuko and Koiyuki went home to tell their parents about the giving tree and the taijia and hoshi took Shippo and Rin to clean up before dinner. Sesshomaru had not moved from his spot as he looked at the tree. It was truly beautiful. He was so absorbed in looking at the tree he did not hear the miko approach him with her hands behind her back. He became wary of her immediately.
Kagome's heart had constricted painfully as she watched Sesshomaru separate himself from the festive atmosphere. She saved the golden bow she always placed on top of the tree for him and waited for the others to leave. The bow's golden color reminded her of his beautiful eyes. 'No," she mused, 'the bow is only pretty. Sesshomaru's eyes are devastatingly beautiful.' She pulled the bow from behind her back and offered it to him. He raised an eyebrow in question. "It is for the top of the tree. Would you please put it on?"
He took the bow from her hands, careful not to touch her and went to the tree. Reaching up, he placed the bow on top and stepped back. Kagome laughed as she joined him beside the tree. "It's crooked!" she exclaimed. He reached for the bow again to straiten it when he felt her small hand on his arm. "No, please. It's perfect the way it is." She smiled at him but sobered instantly as a bolt of desire swept through her. She began to move towards him again and was a breath away from touching him, holding him when Rin and Shippo ran through the doorway.
"Time for dinner, momma!" Shippo chirped.
Kagome turned a shaky smile in his direction, "Let's go," she said as she took Sesshomaru's hand in hers and walked to the dining room.
After dinner, Kagome and Sango left the children with Jaken and Miroku to go shopping in the nearby village. "Let's go, Kirara," Sango said and they took off into the sky. They returned an hour later with a gift for everyone and placed the packages under the tree. Kagome played a few selections from Chopin on the piano as Rin sat next to her. After the last tune faded, she bid everyone goodnight. She tucked the children into their beds then went to her room. Once there, she flopped onto her bed. She was disappointed because she couldn't find anything in the village for Sesshomaru for tomorrow. Sitting up she ran to her wardrobe and flung it open. 'I refuse to leave him out!' she thought. Finally her eyes fell on the quilt she and her mother had made. It had a beautiful lotus design in the middle of it and it was huge. 'Perfect!' She wrapped the package and labeled it with Sesshomaru's name. She fell asleep smiling.
She was awakened the next morning by Shippo and Rin bouncing excitedly on her bed. "Wake up, momma!" they said together. "Time for presents!"
Kagome got up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Breakfast first! Let's go wake everyone up!"
After eating everyone went to the throne room to open their gifts. Once again Sesshomaru separated himself from the others, watching from afar. Kagome approached him carrying a package in her arms. She laid it in his lap and stepped back. "It's a gift for you," she said as he continued to look between her and the package. "Open it!"
His hands shook as he held the package. No one but his father had ever given him a gift before and by her giving him a gift, she was initiating the courting ritual. "Are you sure, Kagome?" he asked. His feelings warred within him as his beast screamed yes and his logic screamed caution.
Kagome suppressed a shiver of desire at the use of her name and said, "Yes silly! Open it up!"
Sango and Miroku held their breaths as they watched the scene before them unfold. Sango still thought Sesshomaru didn't deserve her sister after the disaster in the dojo, but Miroku had assured her that it was a misunderstanding. Kagome didn't understand that by giving Sesshomaru the gift, she was accepting his suit if he initiated one. They kept their eyes on Sesshomaru as they awaited his decision and sighed with relief as he opened the package and pulled the beautiful quilt out.
Kagome's smile fell as she watched Sesshomaru's face. "You don't like it," she said sadly. Forcing cheerfulness she didn't feel into her voice she said, "It's okay. You don't have to take this. I can always find you something else."
"No!" Sesshomaru snarled and his eyes flashed from gold to red then back to gold. He realized that it was Kagome and not someone else trying to take his gift and calmed at once. "I accept your gift, thank you," he said in an effort to sooth the worry from her eyes.
"Momma, you and Lord Sesshomaru are under the kissing weed!" Shippo said in delight. "You gotta kiss!!"
"Yeah!" Rin joined in. "You gotta kiss him!!"
Kagome cursed her rotten luck. She had hung the bunches of mistletoe for Miroku to have an excuse to kiss Sango not as an excuse for her to make out. Groaning, she turned her crimson face to Sesshomaru.
"Kissing weed?" h asked.
"It's a tradition. If someone stands beneath this plant," she pointed to the mistletoe, "someone must kiss him or her. It's supposed to be good luck," she finished lamely.
Sesshomaru stood and pulled Kagome into his embrace. "We mustn't tempt fate," he said in a husky voice. He lifted her chin and lowered his head brushing his lips against hers. Kagome stiffened in fear. She knew she must pull away from him now or be forever lost to this man that would never love her but she would always love. Even as she resolved to move away, she stepped closer into his embrace, closed her eyes and offered her lips to him again. They felt their energies swirl around them and entwine as he took her lips in a passionate kiss. He ran his tongue along her lips sucking and nipping at them as he coaxed a response from her. He heard her moan and moved to deepen the kiss. Licking the seam between her lips he applied pressure to her chin and opened her mouth. His tongue swept inside to taste her sweetness fully. Kagome was overwhelmed by Sesshomaru's passion. She responded to him shyly at first then with more passion as the kiss went on. Her tongue dueled with his inside her mouth then in his as the kiss escalated. Sesshomaru knew it was time to put an end to the kiss when she began to suck on his tongue and stroke it with her own. With one final taste he pulled away from her and held her until she steadied herself. After she regained her balance, he pulled away from her completely.
Kagome walked back to the giggling children on legs that felt like they were made of wood. She knew her life had changed forever in that instant and she wanted to cry. Instead, she plastered a smile that didn't reach her eyes onto her face and said, "Why don't you two get dressed and give the rest of the gifts to everyone?"
"Sure!" they said as they ran out of the room, eager to spread their joy.
Sesshomaru sniffed the air and stiffened. "Kagome…"
"What the fuck is goin' on here?" Inuyasha had arrived.
