You guys are wonderful, and your reviews have been amazing, and I have no words to define you.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Although I still don't know what will happen with my life, you have helped me so very much, that I feel like I should thank you all individually, but I don't think Fanfiction will allow me to do that, so I will just say thanks from the bottom of my heart for still been with me in this story. It has become my sanctuary, and writing it my distraction, so I hope I don't dissapoint you with this chapter. It has been horribly hard, but this is where I find my happy spot, so have no worries. This story will be finished.
To all those who have asked for a lemon...you are going to get one, but I will not tellyou when. The only thing I will tell you is that it will not be because they have to have an heir. In my opinion, that would just ruin everything. When they do have sex, it will be because they wanted to. And that is the only thing I'm going to say about the future of this story. To all those who ask questions about the plot, they won't be answered. I just don't feel like it is right.
To the anonymous person that told me this story should be K, you are right, and I've already changed it. thanks for telling me. If anyone else thinks this story should change its rating, do tell me.
Oh, and although you are all wonderful, I do feel like I have to thank one person in particular.
Cindy, your support and advice have been of great value to me, and the only thing I can do is dedicate this chapter to you. It is yours. A small way to tell you just how grateful I am to you. I mean, you listened to me, and you don't even know me! You are truly great. Enjoy.
Also, my dear editors, now that I am always thankful to you.
Disclamers: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Twisted Hearts
What's in a Name?
Ayame couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was impossible. No, it was a miracle. Whatever it was, she was glad it had happened. She nodded at something her friend said, not really listening.
She didn't have to.
For the past hour, Kagome had done nothing more then speak of Sesshoumaru Taisho. If it wasn't so cute to watch her babble on and on, Ayame would have smacked her long-time friend.
"He's an idiot, but in a nice kind of way, you know. And he doesn't get on my nerves as much anymore. It's almost as if…" Kagome spaced out again. Her brow furrowed, as if she was thinking for the right word. Ayame looked at her with interest. She sipped her soda.
They were at a small café, in the outdoors area, enjoying drinks and discussion.
"Sometimes, he can be real selfish. He wants things done his way, and he orders everyone around like they should bow at his feet."
"He is a very powerful youkai." Ayame said.
Kagome nodded absently.
Ayame thought of the conversation she had with Kagome months ago. Back then, Kagome had said something very similar, but at the time, she was glaring at Ayame and told her that just because he was powerful didn't mean he could do anything he wanted.
Now, Kagome seemed to accept that as part of him.
She had the slight suspicion that Kagome did more than accept Sesshoumaru's obnoxious traits.
"I suppose he is powerful. I mean, he does own the Taisho Company, and did you know the president sometimes asks him for advice? What kind of president would ask Sesshoumaru for advice? He would probably just say 'kill them all. its the easiest way to get rid of the problem,' or something like that." Kagome went on. She smiled a little. "I bet when the world was wilder, and there were no laws against murder, everyone was afraid he'd just chop off their heads. Can you imagine?"
Ayame could. She was not as old as Sesshoumaru, but she had lived in worlds where laws did not exist or were ignored. When she was little, her mother warned her to never cross paths with Sesshoumaru Taisho. He would kill her before she even recognized his presence. Times had changed, but everyone still feared and respected Sesshoumaru.
Well, feared by everyone but...
She eyed Kagome.
In another time, place, on different circumstances, Sesshoumaru might have killed her for such an offense.
As it was, the great Sesshoumaru Taisho had married the one being that didn't feel even the tiniest fear of him. She would not have believed it if she had been told this a hundred years earlier.
She tuned her attention to Kagome.
"…I wonder how old he is. He never talks about it." Kagome turned to Ayame. "Inuyasha and Kouga never said anything, and you don't talk about it either."She narrowed her eyes at her, making Ayame laugh. "Why don't you?"
Ayame shrugged. "We were born in a world different from yours. Most of the older youkai, who look young to you, were born centuries ago, when humans weren't as…important. Things were different. Time changes everything. There's very few old youkai that haven't been killed. We've fought and we've lost. There are some things... that you wouldn't understand. Things that even the youkai born in this new word wouldn't understand. To talk any more about it would just complicate everything."
Kagome looked sad for the moment. "Things I wouldn't understand? Sometimes, I feel like we were born in the same time." She glanced up at Ayame. "Other times, I feel that there is more than time between us."
Ayame wasn't sure if her friend was talking about all youkai or just Sesshoumaru. It didn't matter. It applied to everyone.
"We youkai have learned to adapt. We've taken different jobs. We've studied a lot. We've survived." She waved her hand, dismissing the topic. "When we get bored, we simply go back to school, study another subject matter, and start over again."
"Doesn't it bother you?"
Ayame shook her head. "Not really. We've done it so many times that it doesn't bother us anymore. Humans have such a short period of life that it's almost sad."
Kagome seemed to think about that. "I don't know how youkai feel about time." she said. "You have so much of it… sometimes, I wish I had more time."
"And what would you do with all that time?"
Kagome smiled. "I guess I would learn more about Sesshoumaru. I'm sure he knows a lot of interesting things, but it's hard to get him to talk about the past. In fact, I know nothing of his past. I know he was born a long time ago, but that is it. I don't even know why he hates Inuyasha or why Inuyasha hates him. I would use my time to learn what is behind his cold… exterior."
Ayame almost giggled. Somehow, Kagome had flipped the conversation to Sesshoumaru again. She had been doing that since Ayame had come to meet her. In fact, it had already been a couple of hours.
She marveled at Kagome's answer. Use her time to get to know Sesshoumaru? She glanced at her rambling friend and smiled again.
Kagome didn't even know she was falling for the youkai.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Ayame asked her. "That he is so much older? That there are things about him that you will never be able to understand or know?"
Kagome thought about that for a minute, then waved her hand in dismissal. "No, it doesn't. Sesshoumaru is who he is because of all those things. He is proud, sometimes cold, quite stubborn, but he is also strong and determined. I…I don't think I would…we wouldn't…He is fine just as is."
"If you mated with him, you would live for as long as he did."
Kagome's eyes dulled a bit. "He won't mate me. He made it clear at the beginning of our marriage. He will stay with me until I die. I'll have his…" Kagome blushed lightly. "…heirs, but that is it."
Ayame swore Kagome sounded unhappy, as if the prospect of not mating him made her sad.
She had hated the idea of being mated to him when Ayame had told her about it before.
Now, Kagome didn't seem to despise the thought too much.
If Kagome's mind had changed about it…could Sesshoumaru's?
The youkai had lived so long. He had many female youkai in his time, and he had never once been close to mating one, but now…would Sesshoumaru Taisho even consider mating a human?
Granted, Kagome wasn't like other humans. But still…
"Would you like to mate him, Kagome?"
Kagome became red as a tomato. "I…no, of course not, I mean, we get along more now, but mating? That is…I don't…" She looked helplessly at Ayame. "When I first married him, I thought I would never be able to be happy at his side, but…he makes me smile, Ayame. And sometimes he gets that look in his eyes, and I…I wonder…I'm always wondering…" Kagome let out a frustrated sigh. "He doesn't even call me by my name! Miko this, Miko that. There is nothing wrong with my name. It isn't even difficult to say. He does it just to annoy me or something."
Ayame smiled at Kagome. "I didn't think it was a good idea for you to marry him at first. A youkai that was so cold, heartless, and hated humans… it would have never worked, but Kagome…"
Kagome had looked broken when Inuyasha had tossed her aside. After her wedding with Sesshoumaru, she had looked miserable. Every conversation they had about the youkai always ended up with Kagome mad or frustrated. Ayame had feared her friend would never again have that shine in her eyes that made her so special. She feared her friend's welfare.
Sesshoumaru was the last thing she needed.
Still, something had happened between those two. They didn't notice, or perhaps they did, but not the whole picture.
"How do you feel about Inuyasha?"
Kagome looked surprised and didn't seem to understand her question at first. "Inuyasha?"
"Ahm."
"Well, I…I love him. I mean, yeah, I love him," Kagome looked unsure.
"I love him..."
Ayame wondered how long Kagome would continue to lie to herself.
Or how long it would take her to grasp the truth.
Kagome opened her mouth, but then her eyes widened. Ayame turned to look at what had caught her friend's attention.
She gasped herself.
"Kagome…"
The wolf youkai hasn't even noticed me, Ayame thought.
His eyes were for Kagome.
"Kouga, what are you doing here? Who told you I was here?"
"I have my ways."
"Uh. Oh, well this is my friend, Ayame." Kagome said, pushing Ayame in front of her, as if to use her as a shield.
Ayame took a moment to glare at Kagome before turning to the youkai.
"Long time, no see, Kouga."
Kagome's mouth dropped open.
"You know each other?"
Kouga let out a laugh. "We used to be in the same…family, once."
"Once." Ayame empathized. "We lost touch over the years."
Long ago, she had almost mated him. This, she thought, was just a reminder of how much things had altered in time.
Because now they were strangers.
Kouga had not come looking for her. He was looking for Kagome, and Ayame…long ago, would have cared. A lot. Now, it didn't matter. It had been decades since she last thought of the leader of the Tribe she once belonged to. Seeing him...she didn't even have to pretend to not care. She was surprised by how small her reaction to him was, as if she had last seen him yeasterday, and not centuries ago.
"How do you know him, Kagome?"
"We, um, dated six years ago."
'Ah, the secret boyfriend.' Ayame thought. Kagome had never told her it was Kouga she had dated those years ago.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, but somehow, Kouga and Ayame had ended up caring for the same human.
"You know, I'm sure you have lots of things to talk about, and I'm running late. If I keep skipping my duties at the museum, they'll kick me out, and I like my job, so…"
It seemed to Ayame that Kagome didn't want to talk to Kouga.
"I came to speak to you, Kagome." said Kouga, voice almost fierce.
"Oh, but you and Ayame haven't seen each other for who knows how long! You definitely have to catch up. Another time, Kouga." Kagome said, with half of her things already packed. "Have a nice chat!" Kagome grabbed her backpack, but Ayame seized her wrist.
"You look happier with Sesshoumaru than you ever did with anyone else." she told her.
She let go of her wrist. Kouga looked ready to punch someone.
Kagome stood right where she was, shocked, and then she smiled and left.
Hearing the growl that came from Kouga made her smirk.
"No."
When the time came, and he was sure the Miko wouldn't permanently damage his ears with her protests, Sesshoumaru would make sure to kill his half brother.
Not only was he a disgrace to the family, but he was very stupid.
Stupidity was no good for him.
"Think about it…"
"No."
How many times did he have to say it for him to finally cram it through his thick head?
"Shikkon Company is very imperative, and they're our competition. If we allied with them, there would be no competition. We could expand as long as we liked."
"I like competition. It keeps business from getting boring."
"You're impossible."
Inuyasha growled.
Sesshoumaru smirked.
Sesshoumaru, unlike his half brother, wasn't stupid. He knew Shikkon Company had been growing a bit too much for his liking. He also knew that if they allied, their problems in that branch would be over. The trouble was that Naraku Senaka owned the company. Sesshoumaru refused to ally with him, and in this case, it wasn't because he was half-demon. The problem resided in his distrust towards the hanyou. Sesshoumaru would not ally with him because that would mean looking over his shoulder every minute of the day. Besides, Taisho Company was superior to Shikkon. His company had more support politically and was more powerful. It was ahead of any other company, and was doing a great job growing over in Europe. Soon, it would even expand to America.
There was no reason to ally.
"Joining would be beneficial for us."
"We are not allying with that company."
Inuyasha growled. "Give me one reason."
"I don't like Naraku Senaka."
Inuyasha was getting frustrated. Sesshoumaru liked that. "That's not a good enough reason to not ally."
"That is more than a good enough reason. If you don't like the person you are working with, then nothing will be done properly."
"You don't like me and we still work together, and as far as I can tell, things are running pretty smooth with our company."
"Working with you is not an option. It was my father's last order, and try as I might, there is no other way around it. I work with you or lose my place at the company."
"You don't like anyone in this company."
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "They do their job. They're efficient. If they weren't, they would not be here."
"Senaka can do his job."
"I don't like him."
"But you already said that you could work with people you don't like!"
"That doesn't mean I should have to work with yet another person I dislike."
"You don't like anyone in this world, Sesshoumaru. If it was up to you, you'd be living somewhere far away from everyone."
That, Sesshoumaru thought, was a lie. He didn't like a lot of people, but there were a few that he did. He liked Inuyasha's lawyer. The man was intelligent and cunning, unlike most humans, hanyou, and youkai, and he had pointed him in the Miko's direction. He liked Sango. She was more than capable of her work, and she was friends with the Miko. He used to like Kouga. He would still like him if he had never dated the Miko… or if he wasn't trying to steal her away.
And although he would rather live somewhere far away from everyone, he would take one person with him.
The Miko would go with him. She amused him, and made interesting conversation. He also wanted to...well, sometimes, the thought of getting more physical with her crossed his mind.
This, he reminded himself, was not good. He wasn't supposed to want human touch.
He wanted hers.
The part of him that wanted her seemed to be growing more notable every day, and he found it harder to not act upon his wishes.
Sesshoumaru always did what he wished.
Besides, he had to have heirs, and wasn't that an excellent cause for wanting…?
He decided this was getting him nowhere. Besides, it was bad enough that he thought of her occasionally. Now, he thought of her all the time. She was in his head and refused to leave even in moments when he needed to focus on what was in front of him.
Not that his half brother represented anything important.
"It doesn't matter if I don't want anyone close to me. We are not allying him."
"Give me a good reason."
Sesshoumaru frowned. When he died, he would be sure to make his father pay for making him work with his bastard half brother. "I don't trust him."
That was reason enough. No one could work with someone they didn't trust. It was no good for business.Inuyasha finally decided to sit on one of the chairs instead of pacing around Sesshoumaru's office.
Inuyasha looked darkly at the table. "I don't trust him either." He finally said.
Now Sesshoumaru knew that the hanyou was more than stupid. Had his mother dropped him when he was young?
"Then why do you want to ally him?"
"He makes me itchy, and ever since father's been dead, he suddenly starts to appear more in our lives. He never bothered with us, then bang, father is dead, and he's everywhere."
"Father never trusted him."
"For the first time, we agree on something. We don't trust him either, which is why I think we should ally him."
"Keep our friends close…"
Inuyasha nodded. "Our enemies closer."
Sesshoumaru thought about that. He had to agree with Inuyasha. Ever since…their father's death, Senaka had seemed to spring into their life.
"I think he is planning something." Inuyasha said.
"And we are not going to ally him." Sesshoumaru repeated. He could see Inuyasha getting ready to protest again. "We will observe him first. If he is planning something, we'll discover it."
Inuyasha nodded, a frown still on his face. "Reasonable."
"I'll call Kouga, see if he has any information."
Inuyasha finally left the office.
This didn't mean Sesshoumaru had fewer problems. He had told Inuyasha that he would talk to Kouga, but he and Kouga weren't on the best terms. The Miko brought a lot of problems with her. He didn't know why he endured them all. He would have to call Sango before he called Kouga.
Kouga stared at the wolf youkai in front of him.
Ayame stared back.
It truly was an amazingly small world.
Sighing, Kouga took the chair in front of Ayame and sat down. There was no way around this. Kagome had made her escape very well. He half glared at the female youkai in front of him. Maybe if Ayame hadn't interfered, he would be talking to Kagome instead of her.
"Kouga." she said.
Kouga ran his eyes over her. Long, copper hair, except Kouga noted she wore it loose instead of in the ponytail she once sported. And her large, defying green eyes were as wild as he remembered. A bit more polished. More modern. She gave the impression of being completely adapted to this world. Kouga thought she still looked like she was ready for a fight; she hadn't lost her fierceness. She was wearing a blue knee-length skirt with a white tank top and blue heels. He raised a questioning eyebrow when he noticed the heels.
She waved dismissively. "I couldn't go running around with a sword all the time." she said. "And heels make my ass look better."
Kouga smirked. "You haven't changed much."
Ayame looked him over too. She seemed to be calculating him. "You haven't change much either." she grinned. "Though I would never have thought I would see the day when the Great Kouga would wear a suit."
He blushed a little at this.
"Are you still an asshole?"
He lost his blush, and flushed with anger. A vein in Kouga's forehead popped. "Who are you calling an asshole?"
Ayame merely gave him a small smile. "You."
They stared at each other for a minute, and then both of them burst out laughing.
"I'm glad you haven't lost that edge in you, Ayame."
"I'm not sure if I'm glad you haven't lost your bad temper. Then again, you wouldn't be you without it, neh?"
Kouga allowed himself to smile at her. He had wanted to talk to Kagome, but he supposed he could speak with her later. Besides, it had been a long time since he had last seen Ayame.
Too long, in fact.
"I didn't know you were friends with Kagome." He said.
"I didn't know you dated her."
"How long have you known her?"
"Longer than you have, but I was in China when she was dating you, and we barely had time to talk. When I came back, her brother was sick, and she didn't want to talk about you." She eyed him wearily before taking a sip of her soda. "She tried to contact you after you left."
Kouga looked surprised. "She did?"
"Yeah, but you disappeared. Sound familiar, huh?"
Kouga knew that tone of voice. "I had to get away."
Ayame's eyes darkened a little. "You were our leader, and suddenly you took your things and took off. You left us alone in a very dangerous world with no defense."
"There were brave warriors with you." Kouga said defensively. "And I talked to Sesshoumaru, so he would keep an eye on you."
"You still left. A habit of yours, I see."
Kouga's eyes narrowed. "I had to go."
And Ayame's eyes softened.
She knew that. She had forgiven him. She had also forgotten him. At least, she thought she had. They had almost been made for each other.
"I knew you had to go. I don't hold it against you, but I had to mention it. I hadn't seen you since."
Even though she looked for him, he couldn't be found. He could become a ghost when he wanted to.
Kouga sighed and looked away from Ayame. He knew she was right in reminding him what he had done. It had been wrong to leave his tribe, but…
He had wanted a life of his own. "I didn't know Kagome was looking for me."
"She did, but after a while, she gave up."
"She could have asked the ambassador's daughter for help."
Ayame looked at him with something too close to pity for Kouga's liking. "I don't think she wanted to find you that much."
Kouga thought that was a low blow. "I love her."
And now he was sure Ayame was looking at him with pity.
"She doesn't love you anymore. I don't think she ever loved you quite as much as you loved her."
"It doesn't matter. You must know I will fight for her."
Ayame laughed. "Kouga, you were always so thickheaded. You don't stand a chance."
"Inuyasha won't win."
Ayame rolled her eyes. How stupid could men be? "Inuyasha is already losing her. Maybe he's already lost her. He doesn't count."
"Then I have a chance."
Ayame growled in frustration. "Don't you get it?" she said. "Your competition is not Inuyasha, but Sesshoumaru, and we both know that Sesshoumaru never loses."
"He doesn't want her."
"Really?"
Kouga couldn't answer without lying. Sesshoumaru had made it very clear to him that he would not give Kagome away. Kouga didn't want to think about why. "Why are we talking about this, Ayame?"
She gave him a small smile. "I know you love her, but Kagome is my friend, and I want her happy." Her smile turned sadder. "I know you will continue to pursue her until you drive yourself to a dead end, but I thought I should warn you."
"Why?"
And Ayame laughed, her copper hair flying around her. "Because I once loved you, and I'd like to think we are friends now. Kagome," she stared slowly. "Is happy with Sesshoumaru. She may not have noticed yet, but she is. And not you, not any of you, can change that. She cares for him. She doesn't see you. She doesn't even see Inuyasha, not anymore. She sees him. How much longer do you think it will take her to realize that?"
Really, Kagome's intelligent, but she could be quite blind when it came to her life.
Kouga knew that. He'd known since the very day he'd seen Kagome again, but he would be damned if he didn't try to get her back. He could tell Ayame knew this.
"I won't disappear this time."
Ayame got up.
"Then, Chief of Police," she said, "I'll be seeing more of you."
She gave him a peck on the cheek. "When your heart breaks, I'll buy you some ice cream."
He smirked. "I won't need ice cream."
Ayame laughed. "You will."
Dr. Julia Melare had had many patients over her life.
She had seen to lonely patients. Patients who were loved and cared about. Patients who were despised. Patients who had little shot at life, and patients who had none.
Whoever, this case was special.
Not only because it was the Great Sesshoumaru Taisho who was requesting her services, but because the boy himself was more than loved.
People were willing to sacrifice themselves for him, and that was why she would try her best to save him.
She watched Souta Higurashi playing with his two friends in his backyard.
'The boy', she thought, 'has a very high chance of surviving.'
She had run countless tests on him to make certain his body wasn't too weak for surgery. He was weak, but not weak enough to get surgery. Julia was looking for a donor ever since she found out he could survive the operation.
Finally, after almost two months, she found one. She had the heart that could save his life. It was the perfect match for him, and a very strong organ.
All that was left was talk to Souta about the collateral damage. She wanted him to know before anyone else.
She stepped into the garden, waiting until the others noted her presence. As expected, it was the fox demon that first noticed her.
"Good day, doctor."
She laughed, natural.
"Shippo, right?"
"Yes."
"Could I have a moment with Souta?"
The other boy, Kohaku, if she was right, looked alarmed.
"Is everything alright? What can I…"
Sacrifices. How many would sacrifice themselves for Souta Higurashi?
"Everything is fine. I just need a word with him."
Both boys nodded and left the area.
"Souta,"
"Doctor."
"It's Julia."
He blushed.
"Julia."
"Why don't we sit?" she offered, already lowering herself to the grass.
Souta imitated her.
"Everything is alright?"
She nodded.
"Everything is perfect. In fact, we found a heart compatible with your body. We could do the transplant next week."
Souta paled, but then he brightened up.
"I…so soon?"
"Yes, that's why I wanted to talk to you. There are some things that will…change, after the transplant."
"Like?"
"Some of them will be good. You will be stronger and resistant to most sicknesses. This heart will never be sick."
"I can live with that."
"That is not all."
"Huh?"
"You will have a youkai heart. That doesn't make you a hanyou, of course, but it does have its…differences. You will live much longer than any other human. Not as long as a youkai, but still a great deal longer than normal. Friends of yours, like Kohaku, will age and die before you do. I want you to understand that."
Souta sat there, thinking.
"But I would live?"
"You could die during the operation."
"And after?"
"You have high probabilities of surviving. It's the operation I'm worried about."
Souta had a determined look on his young face.
"I want to live."
And Julia Melare smiled.
"Then I'll do everything to ensure you do."
"You look happier with Sesshoumaru than you ever did with anyone else."
Kagome stared in the mirror of her room. She'd gotten home earlier, much earlier, than Sesshoumaru, who was still nowhere to be seen. Since then, Kagome had been in front of the mirror, trying to see anything in her reflection that had changed.
People kept telling her that she looked happier. Kagome had been too busy to give thought to how she felt. And now she was here, in front of a mirror, trying to get it to tell her the secret behind the bright shine in her eyes.
Kagome wasn't an idiot. She did look happier. She just didn't know why.
This couldn't be because of Sesshoumaru. He was a jerk most of the time. He couldn't be a reason. Except, every time she considered the source of her sudden happiness, he always came to her mind. It was making her edgy.
She heard the door open.
'Speak of the devil…'
Sesshoumaru entered the room. Kagome immediately noted that he didn't seem to be in a good mood.
"You weren't downstairs."
Sesshoumaru did not have a good day. Besides having the irritating conversation with his half brother, he hadn't been able to find Kouga or Sango, and the miko had been on his mind all day.
It was driving him insane.
"If you wait a minute, I'll make you something."
He was already irritating her. Make her happy? More like drive her insane. Perhaps the new shine in her eyes was not happiness but madness. Kagome saw that making sense.
"Why weren't you at the kitchen?"
She was always at the kitchen when he came home. Why did she have to change that today?
"I got here early. I was not going to just sit in the kitchen until you decided to show up."
"Why not?" He asked, getting more bothered by the minute.
"Because," She responded, her voice annoyed, "I didn't feel like it."
"You should have."
"What is wrong with you?" she snapped. Somehow, they had gotten into yet another fight without her knowing how or why.
Sesshoumaru did not know what was wrong with him, which made him angrier. All he knew was that she was in front of him, and he wanted to touch her and…he didn't know if he should. That didn't help his temper.
Sesshoumaru always knew what to do. And why the hell shouldn't he touch his own wife? Who the hell could tell him to not be with his wife?
He caught something in the air and sniffed. His senses clouded as he felt something that he had not felt often enough. His eyes hinted with red.
Kagome did not notice.
"You were with Kouga."
Kagome glared at him. "And if I was? What's it to you? I can be with however I want. You don't care about me." she didn't know why she suddenly felt like making him feel bad.
Sesshoumaru growled, and her eyes widened in surprise. He pushed her against the wall, his hands on the sides of her head.
"I don't want you with him alone. I don't want you with him at all."
She glared harder. Sesshoumaru returned the glare.
"You. Have. No. Right. To. Tell. Me. Who. To. Be. With," she breathed, punctuating every word. "If I want to be with Kouga, I'll be with Kouga, and for your information, I didn't see him for more than five minutes."
"You admit to being with him!" Sesshoumaru yelled, clearly recognizing the feeling that had been building inside of him ever since he had smelled Kouga's scent overlapping hers.
"What's wrong with you? You are crazy!"
He was too close to her, in her space. His face was inches from hers, and she suddenly felt hot. She wanted to caress his cheek, and most predominant of all, she wanted to... she wanted …she wanted him to get away so she could think clearly.
Sesshoumaru had to admit to himself that he was jealous. It was a hard thing to do. He had everything he wanted, and now he was jealous of Kouga because he spent five measly minutes with the miko.
"You don't care for me." he heard her say. "You don't even call me by my name. Why shouldn't I look for someone that actually cares for me? I'm not just a deal, Sesshoumaru. I'm human. I need to feel loved, and no, don't look at me like that. I've done nothing improper with anyone since I married you, and you know it, so don't give me that dirty look."
Sesshoumaru watched her as she kept yelling.
Did she feel alone? That bothered him. He didn't want her to feel alone, and she…what the hell was she saying?
"I don't know one thing about your past, but you know everything about me. And…"
Kagome didn't know why she kept yelling at the youkai. He had the look that he always got when he tuned her out. Still, it felt better to just let it all out. She wanted him to say something, anything. She wanted him to lose that blank expression on his face, to tell her why it bothered him that she was with someone else.
She wanted him to do anything, something, Kami, why was his mouth so close to hers?
He was so magnetic, and she was already halfway into madness.
And then, she realized she had gone nuts.
Sesshoumaru watched her blue eyes, that right now were a mix of so many emotions that they made him dizzy. Her talking also made him dizzy, and he wanted to feel her closer, to do anything to make her feel less lonely…
"Kagome…" The name came out of his lips, and to his surprise, it actually felt good to say it.
For a moment, Kagome forgot how to breathe. She stared at the youkai in front of her in awe. Her eyes locked with his, and her breathing started again when she saw how warm his eyes looked.
"What did you call me?" she asked in a whisper. Speaking suddenly wasn't as easy as it usually was.
"I thought your name was Kagome?" a light joke. Kagome couldn't help but smile at this.
It wasn't so hard, Sesshoumaru mused, to call her by her name. And he rather liked the way she acted when he said it.
Kagome's heart was doing little jumps. She couldn't believe how her name on his lips could affect her so much.
It reminded her of what old civilizations used to think, that a name held power. That if someone else knew your name, then that person held not only knowledge but power over you.
Her name had never sounded prettier, not even when Inuyasha said it.
She knew Sesshoumaru held a power over her that no one else held.
She wanted to touch him, to have proof that he was real, that he was in front of her, that his eyes were truly warm…
He had to get his hands in her black, wild hair. He had to touch that face that looked so soft…He had to do so many things…
He wanted her, and she would be his…
"Sesshoumaru…" she breathed. She wondered what he felt when she said his name.
And slowly, agonizingly slowly, he reached for her cheek, stroking it tenderly, and gave her the ghost of a smile.
Kagome almost missed his smile, too engrossed in his touches, but her heart, she swore, stopped beating when she saw it. And Kagome remembered that once his touch had been cold, but now it was so warm she thought she might melt. And once, his eyes had only shown aloofness, and now…Kagome didn't dare say what his eyes showed, but they had such an intensity that she thought she would die.
And he was inching closer to her, and she was waiting for him to finally meet her…
"Lord Sesshoumaru, I noticed you had just arrived…"
Sesshoumaru gave his most hateful glare to Jaken, who squealed, took a look at the scene before him, and disappeared. He would kill the toad. He swore he would kill the toad in the most hideous way.
The damage was done, the moment gone, and Sesshoumaru took distance from Kagome.
He felt slightly lost.
"It's late…Kagome."
Kagome nodded, also looking misplaced.
"Yeah…"
"We should be going to bed."
She didn't move from where she was, and Sesshoumaru sighed and extended his hand to hers.
Kagome blushed, but she took his hand and let him lead her to their bed. She watched him get into bed, next to her, where she wanted him to always be. , Before he turned the lights off, she gave him her one, true smiles.
And Sesshoumaru gave her the tiniest of smiles back.
'You look happy with Sesshoumaru…'
Kagome had to agree.
Yes, people, Sesshoumaru is acting warmer towards Kagome, but he is still the same with everyone else, and I did thought it was time to make the two of them get closer. Don't expect too much of this moments, though, remember that he is Sesshoumaru, and it just wouldn't be right. However, I did thought that you deserved this advance in their relationship, after all the support you have been giving me. You truly are the best readers I could ever ask for, and I'm lucky that you find my story worth reading.