Chapter 10 - Curiosity and the Cat

"Lets just say I was testing the bounds of reality... I was curious to see what would happen. That's all it was: curiosity." - Jim Morrison

Sesshomaru never intended to actually harm her, he had simply been...curious. Well, perhaps he had been a bit incensed. Mostly, he had wanted to know exactly how much power that lithe body housed. And now he knew. Her strength could nearly rival his. It made many things so much clearer. From the day they met, he had felt challenged. Not in a bad way, but in the sense that he had finally met someone who could keep him on his toes. She had also proven that she had great control over powers deadly to his kind. Reiki existed to combat youki. To master such power so as not to harm or cause death showed the strength of her character and a true belief in her convictions. He found her idea of 'balance' intriguing.

He was not angry that she was a miko. Many a priestess had tried to purify him in the past with no success. He held no fear of them, and even less of her. But it had forced him to question her motives. He thought perhaps, he had already knew she was no spy, but strangely, he had needed to hear her say it was so. What did anger him, was that she had felt the need to conceal it from him after all this time. He understood why she would keep it a secret from the general public... but him? Even worse, that she had discovered his true self, and yet he had not done the same. Even more perplexing, why wasn't he angry that she was a miko? By all rights, he should turn her into the Council. But, he knew where that would lead, and he had no intention of seeing his assistant fall into their unworthy hands.

He pondered this as he made his way back to the distant shore. He was in no hurry, and thought that it was best to give Higurashi some time to cool down before they spoke again. He had no intention of leaving though, and that would be made clear. She had once again captured his interest. Or rather, had heightened it, as he had always found her to be an oddity. There had never been another being who, with every action had caused him to be befuddled, amused and perturbed, all at the same time. She was a puzzle that he had not been able to decipher. He had always enjoyed a challenge and had so very rarely ever found one. No, he wasn't giving her up.

Water sluiced down his form as his feet met the edge of the sandy beach. He grimaced. His shoes were long lost and yet another shirt and pants had succumbed to the unforgiving hands of Kagome and the sea. His lip curled as his hair hung in limp strands down his back. He had to suppress the urge to shake the water off. Such a display was not acceptable. Silently, he began making his way back to their bure. Absently, he followed the scent trail left behind, his feet automatically taking him along the same path as she. Abruptly, he stopped; his eyes sharpening. Something was wrong. Her steps had become unsteady. He narrowed in on a large patch of disturbed sand. Here, she had stumbled. The faintest scent of blood rose from the ground where her knees had scrapped.

He sprung forward, his feet flying and his senses alert. The landscape passed in a blur and within seconds he stood at the bottom of the stairs. His eyes landed on the still form sprawled face down on the porch and for a heart stopping moment, he froze. It was only when his keen hearing picked up the slow thump of her heartbeat did he move.

"Higurashi." He said harshly, despite the gentleness he used in turning her. He glanced critically at her body, looking for injuries, only to find nothing but scrapped palms and knees.

"Kagome." He said as a command. But as always, she proved to be uncooperative. Confounding woman. Swiftly, he picked her up, and cradling her against his chest, he made his way through the door to the bed. Her skin was unusually cool for the weather, and her aura seemed weakened. He laid her down gently, his eyes intent on her face, looking for any signs that she was waking. But, she seemed to be deeply asleep, as if completely drained of energy. Her heartbeat was slightly sluggish, a concern, but he did not think it was life threatening. At this point, all he could do was wait for her to wake.

Striding to his briefcase, which he had as of yet, not opened, he sat at the small desk and began to go through the pile of papers he had brought and set to work. Minutes later, his eyes were drawn to the sleeping woman, his keen ears listening to the soft thump as her heart pumped blood through her body. This became a routine, until two hours later, he threw the documents he had been attempting to review down in disgust. It was obvious that work was not what occupied his thoughts, and no matter his determination, that would not change. Standing, he walked to stand beside the bed, his gaze moving over her serene features. Unknowingly, his hand moved, until it's clawed tips were sifting through silky hair to trail down the side of her face. The backs of his fingers caressed the skin on her cheeks, inching down to the delicate curve of her jaw, until they rested on her chin just below her bottom lip.

She was an enigma to him. An oddity. Five years ago, everything fit on the side of black or white. Now, there were shades of gray. She was a miko. He was a youkai. The explanation should by all rights, end there. Yet she had no desire to harm him, and he had come to the realization, he would not harm her. The mere thought of it brought a foul taste to his mouth. His other arm moved, his warm hand splaying out, long fingers cupping the back of her neck, his thumb resting on her cheek, raising her head slightly from her pillow. He bent down, until his breath ghosted across her skin. He inhaled, taking in her scent. His ears twitched, when he felt her heartbeat pick up. She was waking. Good. She needed to be awake. He would not be the only one to suffer.

"Kagome." He said quietly. He watched as her brow furrowed. He repeated her name.

A soft groan filled the space between them as her eyelids fluttered. He held himself immobile as her eyes blinked blearily. Slowly, they came into focus, only to see the grave features of the silver-haired youkai hovering above her. "Wha-" She gasped as warm lips closed over hers.

Surprise held her still as his mouth took hers. Confusion filled her, and her hands came up automatically to wrap around his forearms. His chest rumbled, and gently, he nipped at her. Shocked, her lips opened, unknowingly allowing him entrance. He wasted no time claiming every inch. Her eyes wide, she gazed up into heated gold. They held her captive, demanding she respond. Warmth settled in the pit of her stomach, and her face flushed. Feelings she had valiantly ignored for years surfaced. A moan came out unwillingly as he did something particularly wicked. Awash in emotion, she could not bring herself to pull away, until her lungs were fit to bursting. Wrenching her mouth away, she took in great gulps of air.

"I'm dead aren't I? Its the only explanation." She said practically. "So, am I in Heaven or Hell? Must be Hell since you're here." She mused to herself.

A flash of irritation ran across his features as he sat back. "I'm afraid you are in neither Higurashi."

"Yep, definitely not Heaven." She muttered, sitting up carefully as her head spun. "Not a dream either, cause' if it was, you wouldn't be talking. You'd be running for your life and I'd be chasing you with an ax ... or you'd still be doing what you were doing earlier, minus the whole lungs exploding." She rambled, the words tumbling out unknowingly.

His indignant look slowly turned to one of satisfaction as her last words sunk in. "Hn."

He did not notice when she reached out a hand to pinch the skin on his forearm until he felt the sting. Surprised, he jerked back, his eyes glancing between the light blemish on his skin and her frowning face. "Didn't work."

He raised an eyebrow. "I believe one is supposed to pinch their own skin."

"Why would I do that?" She asked distractedly, as she wobbled out of bed. "That would hurt."

Ignoring her comment, he rose to his feet. "Higurashi, I think it would be best if you sat. You are not fully recovered."

"Mmm, odd. That has never happened before."

He tilted his head, his brain working. "You have never been left weakened before this?"

"No. Well, not for a long time. Not since I first began my training." She turned, scowling. "I shouldn't be having this conversation with you. In fact, you shouldn't even be here. I vaguely remember telling you to go home."

"I suppose it would have been better to leave you lying on the doorstep, helpless." He said amiably.

She crossed her arms. "And why would you care? Wasn't it you trying to kill me earlier?"

In a blink, he stood before her. "Higurashi, you know very well that I do not try at anything. If my intention had been to kill you, you would be dead."

"I see-e-e. So I imagined those claws of yours going for my throat."

He shrugged. "I was merely testing your control and abilities."

"You could have asked."

He shook his head. "It has been my experience that an individual's strength only emerges when truly necessary." He frowned, glancing down at his ruined clothing. "I did not believe such an encounter would mean I would be taking a dip in the sea."

"So you pretended that you were angry?" She snorted. "And I'm not a miko."

"I was." He stepped closer. "I still am. You did not trust this Sesshomaru."

"Yeah? Well I've got news for you bucko, it works both ways." She said, her index finger pointing between them.

"You seem to be under the wrong impression. It was you who failed, not me."

"I'm sorry, did I somehow miss a conversation where you told me you were a youkai?"

His eyes flashed. "You misunderstand. The knowledge you have of my origins, while important and highly inconvenient would cause little damage. I have not lived for centuries simply because I do not age as humans do. To attempt to reveal my youkai blood to the masses would be folly. There would be more danger to you, then myself."

Confusion filled her. "I don't understand."

He shifted from foot to foot. He did not like speaking of such things. Surely she understood what he was trying to say. Her blank expression said otherwise. "I began the company one hundred years ago out of boredom, I continued building it because it provided a challenge. The world no longer fought battles with claw and sword on a field, but rather with the mind. There is no doubt that the company has allowed for a generous lifestyle... so would the vast numbers of priceless antiques in my possession. Your position at Taisho Corp affords you access to most of the inner workings not only of the company, but myself. A position not shared by any other."

Her brow furrowed. Trying to decipher his meaning, she focused on what he hadn't said. No one could question the monetary value of the company, but Sesshomaru had alluded that, that was unimportant... rather it was worth something more important to him. And she was his assistant. Realization dawned and her heart thumped hard. If she chose, she could bring down one of the wealthiest, most influential people ... youkai in Japan. She could do great damage not only to the company he had been building for a century, but even more so to him. The company was his castle, his home. It was as important to him as protecting her secret was to her.

"Sesshomaru," She said hesitantly. "I would never use my position to... to harm... what I mean to say, is I enjoy working with y- at Taisho Corp."

"If I had thought otherwise, you would not be my assistant."

Silence feel between them, until Kagome sighed. "So what do we do from here? I can't go back to work."

His eyes sharpened. "Why?" He had no intention of letting her quit. It would be easier to convince her to stay if he knew her reasons for leaving. And despite there recent confrontation, he suspected there were other motives.

"The whole reason for this vacation was because I started having problems concealing my reiki. I needed some time alone to get myself together, but then my crazy, controlling boss had to dash that idea."

"Hn. You had been suppressing your reiki for too long. I have seen similar instances with youkai. How long?"

She hesitated, moving to sit on the sofa. "Around the time I started working for you."

"Too long. Dangerous long." He said in a gravely voice, moving to sit next to her. The heat coming from his body warming her.

She blew out a breath. "Yeah, well a certain daiyoukai couldn't seem to do without me." She said, a rueful smile on her face.

He was silent, his face smooth and contemplative. She gazed out at the sparkling waters, her mind straying back to the kiss she had been trying to forget. She felt a blush trailing up her neck into her face. She kept her eyes averted, afraid he would be able to see her thoughts.

"You need a sparing partner."

Startled, she raised her face. "What?"

"It is simple. You have too much reiki and must find a way to dispel it. Today, you released a great deal, but too much at once. Like lighter fluid poured on a fire. The flames burn bright, but quickly die down. Reiki is used for two primary things: healing and against youki. There is no one around here to heal, but oddly enough, there does happen to be a youkai." He said, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Are you saying you would help me?" She asked, a bit shocked.

"Hn. I will assist you. We will remain here until you have your powers under control... provided I still have an assistant on our return."

"Do you realize the ramifications of what would happen if anyone found out?"

"What we do is no one else's business. I trust you will keep silent, and I will do the same. It has been a long time since I have spared, even longer since I have faced a miko. It is not simply for your own benefit." His eyes gleamed in anticipation. He looked at her, waiting for her reply, not realizing he held his breath.

"Alright." She said slowly. "This is absolutely insane and I can't believe I'm agreeing to this, but I will give it a try."

"Good." He said rising to grab his phone. Swiftly, he dialed a number.

"Sesshomaru-sama! Thank goodness!"

"Jaken. My plans have changed. A business dealing came up and it is unclear how long it will take. Ensure everything is taken care of at the office. If any emergencies arise, you may contact me. Otherwise, I will be unavailable."

"Of course, Sesshomaru-sama." His voice lowered. "But your mo-" The toad-like voice broke off with a squawk.

"Sesshomaru, where are you!" A feminine voice demanded.

"Mother."

"Don't 'Mother' me. You missed my birthday party. And don't give me some story about 'complications.'" She growled.

A vein began throbbing at his temple, but before he could respond, the phone was snatched from his hand.

"Ms. Taisho. This is Higurashi, Kagome."

"Higurashi?" Her voice held surprise, but grew pleasant. "How are you my dear? I trust Sesshomaru hasn't gotten you involved in any trouble."

"Quite the opposite. I'm afraid that Mr. Taisho missing your birthday party is my fault. I mistakenly scheduled a very important business trip overlapping with your party and I did not realize it until it was too late. When I told Mr. Taisho, he was quite perturbed, but it was impossible to get out of the affair by then." She cupped a hand around the phone. "I have persuaded Mr. Taisho to take you on a weekend trip on his return... but don't tell him I told you." She whispered, pretending she was unaware he could hear her. She could practically feel the daggers digging into her back.

Ms. Taisho laughed conspiratorially. "My dear, you never cease to surprise me. Only you could convince my son to do such a thing. No matter, I will certainly accept the invitation. It will be his punishment for missing my party. Tell my son, he had best make a point to see me on his return." After a few more pleasantries, they hung up.

"Higurashi..." Said a menacing voice behind her. A shiver ran up her spine.

"Oh come on Sesshomaru. You can't disagree that I owed you one. I'll consider us even now."

"A weekend with my mother? Even? Your senses are skewed."

"Too late now." She sang, tossing him the phone. Her eyebrows raising when she saw the #2 engraved on the back. He simply shrugged.

"We will begin tomorrow, Higurashi. Best to rest now while you can."

She nodded, walking to the bathroom to take a long bath. She paused at the door, her eyes unusually unsure. "Sesshomaru... what was that kiss about?"

His golden eyes met hers. "Curiosity."

She scowled. "Oh yeah? Well next time your curiosity is going to land you in something a lot hotter and more painful than seawater." He could almost picture a small cat with it's fur ruffled as she slammed the door.

"Hn.".

Author's Drabble: Okay, now BEFORE you beat me with that very painful, rather larger looking bat because it took so long, let me say ONE thing... 3032... that's how many words are in this chapter. And if any of you are familiar with my writing... that equals to about TWO of my regular chapters. Anyhow, hope you like it..

Lastly, THANK YOU for being so patient and Happy Holidays.