Sorry for the hiccup, there; the wrong chapter got posted, then the right one was missing its author's note. I'll get the hang of this someday! Anyway, here's the last update of the day, I swear. ;) Smut warnings are in effect. The final act will be posted tomorrow. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
Kagome woke to the feeling of bright morning sunlight on her face and groaned, scrubbing at her eyes. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck – every muscle in her body was sore, and she was bone-weary, although she felt like she'd been asleep for a week. She looked around her, confused; this wasn't her apartment. Then she realized she was wearing nothing but an oversized men's t-shirt, and blushed profusely. She soon had another belated realization: there were two warm bodies curled up on the bed with her, one on either side.
Blinking down the bed, she found a head of rusty red hair on her right and one of mussed black hair on her left. Shippou and Rin. They were both all right; they were both here. No one had taken them away. She almost wept in relief, clutching them close.
At the movement, Shippou shook his head groggily and blinked up at her. His eyes lit with joy.
"Mama!" he cried, throwing himself into her arms and burying his face in her neck. She nuzzled him, stroking his hair and murmuring quiet reassurances.
His shout had woken Rin, who curled silently closer to Kagome, burying her face in her side. Kagome wound one arm around the little girl, drawing her into a tight hug.
Suddenly, Rin sat up, her eyes wide with some realization.
"Kagome-san," she whispered urgently. "Don't go back to sleep, OK?"
"OK, sweetie," she agreed, laughing at the girl's eagerness. Rin leaped off the bed and scampered out of the room, the door swinging open behind her. Before she'd taken two steps into the hall, she was calling for her father at the top of her lungs.
Kagome had barely had time to process what was going on before Sesshoumaru was at her side, no concealment on, golden eyes dark with concern. She noted that neither Rin nor Shippou was concerned by his demon appearance, and smiled.
"Hey, handsome," she whispered, her voice weaker than she would have liked. "You look a lot better than you did the last time I saw you."
He scowled at her, running a clawed hand through her hair. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, shaking his head.
Rin had materialized on the far side of the bed. "Shippou-kun," she whispered. "Let's go play in my room." Shippou looked at her, a momentary sullenness flickering over his features, before casting a glance at his mother and Sesshoumaru. With a sigh of resignation, he disentangled himself from his mother's arms and followed Rin out of the bedroom, shutting the door carefully behind them.
"Kagome," Sesshoumaru breathed, leaning his forehead against hers. "Why did you do that?" He drew back, cupping her jaw with one big hand; his eyes were dark and pained. "You could have died!"
"Better me than you?" she laughed weakly, trying to make it sound like a joke, though they both knew she meant it. He snarled at her answer, taking her face between his palms and forcing her to look at him.
"Kagome," he growled. "Don't ever say a thing like that again."
She bit her lip, looking down as she felt tears gathering in her eyes. He relented, biting back his anger to nuzzle her jaw with his nose, and she slid her hands into his silk-soft hair. Peppering light kisses across her cheek and jaw, he groaned softly when she rubbed his scalp, her fingers massaging a tender spot behind his ears. Encouraged, she moved to the ear itself, tracing the elfin outline with a fingertip. His breath caught in his throat.
"Kagome," he groaned, his voice husky. "Stop that."
She leaned forward, allowing her tongue to trace the path her fingers had just finished. "Make me," she breathed, noting how goosebumps sprang up on his neck as her breath ghosted over his ear.
Suddenly he was looming over her, his knees straddling her, looking down at her with an expression of such ferocious desire that she shivered.
"Woman," he growled. "You require rest."
"Youkai," she answered, reaching down to rub his erection through his trousers. "I require you."
He snarled in pleasure as she stroked him, lowering his head. She took advantage of his position and flicked her tongue across one of the magenta slashes on his cheek.
He reared back, eyes flashing red.
"Kagome," he warned, his voice low and gravelly. "Cease."
She reached for his face, trailing her fingers ticklishly across his stripes. "I won't break."
"Please," he growled, eyes now fully crimson, stripes growing jagged. His voice had deepened until it rumbled through his chest.
"Please," she begged in return, kissing him and slipping her tongue into his mouth, stroking his elongated fangs and tangling with his own tongue. A desperation was welling up in her, and she squeezed her eyes shut around burning tears.
He drew back, panting; his crimson gaze was heavy and demanding.
"I thought you were going to die," she whimpered, frantically trying to pull him back to her. "I thought I'd killed you."
He crushed her against his chest as she clung to him. "You nearly killed yourself," he growled into her hair. "We nearly lost you." Suddenly needing to feel skin against skin, they tore at each other's clothes; Sesshoumaru rent the t-shirt off her body while she yanked fruitlessly at his shirttails. He drew back just long enough to rid himself of the cumbersome clothing, and threw the covers off her. Then he was beside her, on top of her, surrounding her, the reassuring weight of him and the feel of his skin against hers bringing tears of relief to her eyes.
"Please," she whimpered into his chest. "Please, I need you."
Without another word, his hands and lips were on her body – stroking, teasing, tweaking, caressing, until she was arching against him, aching and desperate. His hand slipped between her thighs, and he growled in pleasure at the slickness he found. She cried out, grinding herself against his finger.
Triumphant, he grabbed her by the hips and flipped her over, setting her on her knees and caging her smaller form with his own. Kagome had yelped in surprise at the motion, but was soon arching her back, pressing herself back against him.
He snarled and sheathed himself in her roughly, the fury and fear and worry of the past few days all emerging in that one motion. She cried out under him, all pleasure and pain and desperate need, and he surged into her again. She bucked her hips, leaning back into him, trying to increase his pace, and he growled low at the challenge. Slamming himself into her in an ever-increasing rhythm, dominating her body, his beast thrilled with the pleasure of conquest when she finally stopped struggling and submitted to him, letting him give her pleasure as he took his own. She was trembling, whimpering, small sounds of pleading escaping her lips as he hammered into her; he slid one deadly hand down to where they were joined, and stroked her right where she craved it most intently.
With a scream, she convulsed around him, her body shuddering and shaking as she flew apart. He roared in triumph, thrusting into her once, twice more before exploding in her body with a single word: "MINE."
She was still twitching when he drew out of her and collapsed next to her, disentangling their legs and shifting her gently until she was lying on her back. He brushed the hair out of her face tenderly and kissed her cheek, frowning at the taste of her tears. Had he hurt her? Her eyes fluttered open to meet his now-golden gaze.
"Yours?" she murmured sleepily.
"If you wish to be," he answered quietly, more diplomatic now that his instincts were no longer in control. After the brutal way he'd just taken her, he wouldn't have blamed her for refusing. A stab of guilt shot through him at the exhaustion still lining her face.
"Mm." The little sound didn't tell him much, but she sounded contented enough. She opened her eyes and met his worried gaze, then smiled her sweetest smile, lifting a hand to his cheek.
"Mine," she whispered, then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
...
She woke again late that afternoon, and when she'd showered and dressed – scrubbing what felt like weeks of fuzz off her teeth, and grateful to find some of her own clothing in the room with her – she stumbled down the stairs. She peeked into the living room; Kotoko and the housekeeper were there with Rin and Shippou, watching a cartoon. Following the low sound of voices, she made her way into the kitchen.
Sesshoumaru was sitting at the kitchen table with her mother and brother, his concealment conspicuously absent. Souta seemed a little shell-shocked; otherwise, though, they seemed to be taking things well. A floorboard creaked under her foot, drawing the two humans' eyes.
"Kagome!" her mother cried, leaping for her and catching her in a crushing hug.
"Hi, mama," she whispered, shutting her eyes around the tears that suddenly sprang up in them.
Another pair of arms circled the two of them; she opened her eyes to meet her brother's. "We have been so worried about you, Kags," he whispered. "When we heard about the raid at the school on Monday, we tried calling you, and when you didn't answer your phone ..." He shook his head. She squeezed her mother tight, then released her to return her brother's hug.
"Your apartment's been wrecked, Kags," he told her as they broke apart, and she stared at him uncomprehendingly as Sesshoumaru pulled out a chair for her at the table and guided her gently into it, then set a cup of brown rice tea in front of her. "Somebody broke in, totally ransacked the place. Mom and Kotoko and I went looking for you when you didn't answer your phone, and when we found that ..." He looked away.
"When Taisho-san called on Monday night to let us know what had happened, we were already frantic with worry." Her mother was calmer now that her daughter was in front of her, clearly safe and healthy.
"I'm sorry I worried you," she whispered, reaching across the table to grab her mother's hand.
Yuriko shook her head. "I'm just glad you're safe, Kagome. And I'm grateful to Taisho-san for keeping you that way." Her piercing gaze slid over to the demon who hadn't left Kagome's side. Kagome smiled, and looked shyly up at Sesshoumaru.
"Me, too." He looked away, his face impassive. She almost laughed.
Something occurred to her as she took her first sip of the tea, and she checked the clock: quarter past five. "What day is it?"
"Thursday, sweetheart," her mother answered sadly. "You've been out for almost three solid days."
"Three—" she started, turning to Sesshoumaru. He nodded, not meeting her eyes. She let out her breath in a low whoosh. "OK. Fill me in."
Her mother and brother exchanged glances, then both turned expectant eyes on Sesshoumaru. He sighed. "Very well. We have fifteen more minutes before the last of our guests arrives; I'll tell you what I can.
"The raid on the school was an instant headline – 'Miko protects youkai,' I'm sure you can imagine the kind of things they were printing. You were all over the news, though thank god no one got any video, so there was some debate as to who you actually were. In response, the coalitions have gone ..." He paused, searching for the right word.
"Totally fucking bonkers," Souta provided helpfully, ignoring his mother's reproachful glare.
"Indeed," Sesshoumaru agreed smoothly. "It is essentially mob rule in Tokyo at the moment; it is exceedingly unwise for youkai to set foot outside. Ungai's gang and others like it are patrolling the streets, purifying anything with an aura."
Kagome was staring at him in dismay, her face alarmingly pale. He scowled, reaching out for her. "Oh god," she whimpered, putting her face in her hands. "This is all my fault."
"Kagome," Sesshoumaru said forcefully, removing her hands from her face and capturing them between his own. "This is not your doing. You did what was necessary, and nothing more. You hurt no one. You saved your kit, and a number of other innocents." Tears were streaming down her cheeks, dripping off her chin; she shook her head. People were dying.
"Listen to me," he growled. "You were nothing more than a catalyst – you set off a reaction that has been centuries in the making. If it hadn't been you, it would have been someone else, next week, next month – and they might not have been strong enough to live through it." He dropped her hands and took her face between his palms, forcing her to acknowledge the truth in his gaze.
She sniffled, drawing a tremulous breath and nodding. She needed to be strong; what's done was done, and there was no more room for tears.
"What are we going to do?" she asked, hating her voice for shaking as it did. Sesshoumaru's eyes softened, and he pressed a kiss against her forehead.
"We are going to face our foes together," he rumbled, lifting her from her chair and cradling her against his chest, despite their audience. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder. When she was in his arms, it was so easy to believe that things would work out.
The pensive silence was shattered by the clanging of the doorbell. Sesshoumaru wordlessly set her back in her own chair, his hand lingering on her cheek a moment longer than necessary. They heard the door open; the butler murmured something the humans couldn't make out.
The man who appeared at the kitchen door was the last person Kagome expected to see.
"Sir?" she gasped, staring at her boss.
"Hello, Higurashi-san," he called cheerfully, bulging eyes wandering in their vague way around the room. He inclined his head politely to the humans he didn't know, then his eyes lit on the daiyoukai.
"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said, bowing. "It's good to see your true face again."
"Toutousai," the demon responded, inclining his head slightly.
Kagome felt like a beached fish. For just a second more, she gaped.
"I think I owe you an apology, Higurashi-san," Toutousai started, settling himself in the only remaining chair before continuing. "I have been running an organization to protect youkai from their hunters for many years now, though most of what we've been doing lately is sheltering prison-camp runaways and trying to reunite them with their families. You were hired as a research curator, not an activist – but it seems that someone found out where I was based, and assumed that everyone involved in the museum was also involved with me. They weren't picky about who showed up to collect that 'donation,' so long as they got one of mine." His smile was chilling. "They will cause us no more trouble," he added, inclining his head to Sesshoumaru as if in thanks. Kagome's eyes narrowed at the gesture; what had Sesshoumaru done while she was unconscious?
Toutousai smiled mirthlessly at her. "Perhaps it's time to drop our pretenses." He drew up his sleeve to reveal a bracelet much like Sesshoumaru's – old, worn. He unclipped it, and his features stretched and elongated, turning him into a caricature of himself.
For a moment, Kagome stared dumbly. "You're a demon."
He nodded, grinning. "Fire elemental. And a smith, with a built-in forge. Who do you think makes all these bracelets?"
She blinked at him; honestly, it had never occurred to her. Shippou already had one when his parents died – but of course, someone had to be providing the youkai community with their concealments. And as for why they called him 'the fire-breather' – it was because he ... breathed fire. She shook her head. Irrelevant. Taking a deep breath, she tried to prioritize all this new information.
"I wasn't attacked because of Shippou or Sesshoumaru. It was because I work for you."
"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," he muttered, casting a wary glance at Sesshoumaru, who was glaring at him. He winced.
"And my apartment?" Kagome pressed, frowning.
"Unlikely to be my fault; probably someone from the school recognized you," he said with a shrug. He seemed remarkably unconcerned about that aspect of it, frankly; she almost felt offended. She sighed, coming to the unavoidable conclusion.
"And now everything's gone to hell."
"That pretty much sums it up," Toutousai agreed. "Although you put the fear of god into Ungai, which has saved us some trouble. The man's gone completely paranoid – and the crazier he looks, the fewer people listen to him."
She stared at the table, overwhelmed by the immensity of the situation. Wasn't she supposed to be worrying about what would happen if the paparazzi caught her dates with Sesshoumaru, whether or not Shippou's school was challenging him enough? Now, suddenly, her very civilization seemed to be collapsing in on itself.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered again, trying not to sound as helpless, as hopeless as she felt. Sesshoumaru lay a clawed hand over hers. For what felt like eternity, no one spoke.
Suddenly, Toutousai broke into maniacal laughter, drawing wary stares from all present. Wiping one rheumy eye as he restrained his mirth, he grinned at Kagome.
"I believe," he said in his creaky voice, "that it's time for the president and CEO of Taisho Corporation to have a press conference."