I'm taking a brake from all the action in favor of a little play time I hope you don't mind. ;-)
Ch. 37
"Mom…Souta…Grandpa, I'm home…I guess they're out"
Kagome turned from the front door to find Sesshoumaru frozen at the edge of the steps to the shine. She hadn't even noticed he had stopped following her. She stepped down to the walk and over to the steps.
"Not as pretty as your time is it?"
"What are those large creatures along that path?"
"creatures?"
Kagome blinked a bit confused then looked in the direction he was pointing.
"Oh you mean the cars on the road"
"Cars?" a delicate eyebrow shot up into his platinum bangs and waited for her to go on.
"They're like carriages except we don't need to use horses…we could take a ride in one if you like"
"That will not be necessary miko…what else is there in this world…without my demon powers my senses are not as they were"
"Well, we have a lot more pollution than you do in your time so it is probably good you don't have that demon sense of smell…I think you would pass out just from the stench"
Sesshoumaru's face twisted into a scowl, but Kagome didn't seem to notice, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like this world.
Kagome was tittering on her heels her hands clasps behind her back as she looked out over the city from her vantage point of the shine.
"But, we do have all sorts of really cool things that you can't get in the past…like shampoo, hot showers, T.V., video games..oh and ice cream"
"Ice cream?"
Kagome's face lit up with a hint of mischief,
"Sure ice cream, we'll go out later and you can try it ok"
Sesshoumaru nodded a little absently still staring out among the many new things he had yet to see and experience. He was pulled away from the view of the setting sun behind the mountain by a light tug at his arm. Kagome had hooked her arm through his and gently tugged it toward the house.
"Come on, I'll show you my house and we should probably get you something else to wear"
He narrowed his cool caramel eyes at her willing her to challenge his next question.
"What is wrong with my clothing?"
Kagome let go of his arm and threw her hands up waving them in front of her.
"Nothing…if you live 500 years ago here you might get stared at that's all"
The only answer Kagome received was a shallow nod.
-Well, I guess that's a yes…not that people won't stare at a 6' blondie-
Kagome reached out grabbing the demon's hand and pulled him along toward the house.
He didn't respond by curling his fingers around her hand like she hoped but he did follow her.
Once in the house Kagome let go of his hand and told him to have a seat and she would be back shortly. Sesshoumaru now alone in the living room stepped away from the front door and began examining various things laying around the house. He picked up different pictures and set them down; he sniffed things in small jars and turned the faucet on and off a few time in the kitchen. When part of his curiosity was satisfied he walked back into the living room and sat down to wait for Kagome. Without realizing it he sat on a small black box which seemed to have awakened another larger black box. He stared at it a moment and suddenly the creature or box or whatever it was grew louder.
"You, silence…I said silence why are you raising your voice to this Sesshoumaru"
When the box did not comply he stood up walking over to it; to knock sense into it if he had to.
Kagome came back down the stairs empty handed which was good, because had she been carrying anything she would have thrown it at Sesshoumaru.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Sesshoumaru was only about a second from destroying the television for its insolence.
Kagome raced to the remote and shut off the T.V. before Sesshoumaru could do it permanently. Once the box was silent Sesshoumaru seemed to finally notice Kagome.
"It's called a T.V. and they're kind of expensive so please don't break it" She tossed the remote on to the table and walked over to Sesshoumaru.
"I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like there is anything in this house that will fit you…my father was only 5'6" and I would guess you're around 6' so I think you would get more stares wearing something that looked like you wore it as a child so we'll just have to work with what we've got"
Kagome reached for the swords at his side, but was quickly stopped by Sesshoumaru. He held her wrist so that her fingers were only inches from the hilts. She could swear he growled at her.
"Look if you walk around with those things someone is going to call the cops…they'll be safe here at the house I promise"
Sesshoumaru let go of her wrist and she held her hands out as he pulled the swords from his sash. He hesitated a moment then handed them over to Kagome. She set them down in the corner for the time being then reached up to tug at his armor.
"You are going to have to lose this too"
A mischievous glint was shining in his caramel eyes.
"Are you enjoying undressing me miko?"
Kagome jumped back as if his armor had caught fire and her face blazed with embarrassment.
"No…wait…I mean I wasn't…ooo"
She hung her head in frustration and to hide the encroaching blush still darkening her cheeks.
"Please remove your armor Sesshoumaru sama…it will look too suspicious in modern day Tokyo"
Kagome looked pathetic now with her arms hanging like limp noodles her back hunched over with most of her hair covering her face.
The mischievous glint brightened and a brow crept up into his platinum bangs as an idea formulated in his mind. –This could be very interesting-
"I can not do that"
Kagome's head jerked up to face him; why on earth was he being so stubborn.
"What, why not…it isn't like you are going to need it"
"I can not because it is tied in the back…if you want me to remove it I guess you will have to undress me after all"
Her face was on fire why was he doing this to her. –You prick I'll get you back for this-
Kagome timidly walked behind Sesshoumaru and found the intricate ties of his armor. It took her a moment fiddling with the knot to loosen it; the fact that her hands were shaking didn't help matters much.
"Is something the matter…Kagome?"
Her name slipped off his lips and wrapped them selves around her heart capturing it from another beat. The knot gave slipping through her shaky fingers and his armor clattered to the floor.
-This isn't fair…he knows just where and when to strike…I will get even with you Sesshoumaru-
She lifted her head slowly forcing a smile to her face and through gritted teeth muttered, "No nothing…just peachy"
She stepped back dusting the task from her hands.
"Well, there I guess you're done"
Kagome was about ready to walk back around to see how Sesshoumaru looked from the front when he stopped her.
"Miko…you forgot one"
Her heart froze and her eyes traveled down to the ties at his waist. –I can't I just can't-
-He's enjoying torturing me-
"Is something wrong…I believe it was you who ask me to remove my armor"
Kagome fell to the floor it was just too much the tie was resting neatly just above his buttocks if she tugged too hard or slipped her hand would most certainly graze his ass.
At this point Sesshoumaru had had his fun and reached back with his one hand and deftly untied the last of his armor.
Kagome watched it fall to the floor; the sound of it hitting the wood floor brought her anger back in place.
"You jerk you could have removed it yourself this entire time"
"Yes, but where is the fun in that?"
Kagome walked around to face him and a brow of her own shot up into her ebony bangs.
-Are you feeling alright Sesshoumaru?-
Their eyes met for a time until Kagome broke the trance and stepped back to look more carefully at him. He looked smaller now without all the armor and swords; he looked more human than just the lose of his markings; he looked approachable.
"Are you satisfied now miko"
"Yeah it will do for now"
Kagome looked around Sesshoumaru to a clock on the wall it was now 6:30pm there was still time to go out. –Sure, why not-
"Ok Sesshoumaru I'm going to go upstairs to change please sit here and don't touch anything" she glared at him slightly as she said the last part.
Who knew what would be the next electronic device to come under Sesshoumaru's wrath. It would be difficult enough to explain Sesshoumaru's presence to her mom she didn't want to have to explain a busted television or smashed stereo as well.
The lock in the door clicked and Sesshoumaru turned to see who was coming through. The handled turned and in stepped Mrs. Higarashi and Souta with bags full of groceries.
"Souta I got these if you want to go out to the car and get the rest"
"Ok mom"
Mrs. Higarashi stepped clear of the door and closed it behind her. She set a few of the bags down and took the rest into the kitchen. Once there she set the bags onto the counter and went back to the front door to get the rest, however she was stopped short when she ran into a tight white wall.
She stepped back a little surprised a small gasp escaping her lips and looked up to see what it was exactly she had run into.
"Good evening…Higarashi san"
Mrs. Higarashi stared with wide brown eyes at the tall handsome creature standing before her. "Are you one of Kagome's friends…I've never seen you before"
"You could say that…I believe you are acquainted with my brother…Inuyasha"
"YOU are Inuyasha's brother" her hands flew to her mouth a bit ashamed for the outburst.
"I'm sorry…I thought Inuyasha's brother was a demon"
Sesshoumaru regarded her coolly, "Yes, this is only temporary"
When Kagome came back down the stairs she found Sesshoumaru standing on a ladder gracefully balancing a box of light bulbs on one knee and screwing a new bulb into one of the sockets of many inlaid halogen lights.
-How does she do it…I leave him here alone…she meets him for a minute and she already has him…Lord Sesshoumaru of all the western lands doing house work-
"Oh Kagome there you are…I hope you don't mind me borrowing your friend for a bit I've been meaning to replace those bulbs for months now"
Sesshoumaru finished screwing in the bulb and turned to see Kagome standing at the base of the steps in a short but elegant black dress her hair up with tight curls dangling from the back; they bounced freely with every gentle toss of her head catching the light in shimmering blue highlights. For the first time in centuries Sesshoumaru lost his balance and had to reached down to grab the ladder to steady him self, but in so doing knocked the bulbs to the floor busting half of them.
-Kagome 1 Sesshoumaru 2…just you wait the evening isn't over yet-
"Oh sorry about that mom…we'll pick some more up on our way out"
"So you are going out are you…well then take the spare key with you and don't stay out too late"
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Rin sat among the others looking a little bored after all she had to keep that orb on her at all times what if she lost it; Sesshoumaru could be in great danger. She released a sigh in frustration as she rolled the orb in a tight circle with her index finger.
"Rin Chan…why don't you put that orb in here -" Sango held up a small leather pouch for Rin to see.
"-and I can tie it at your waist for you so you could play with Shippo he's been so bored since Kagome left"
She slipped the orb into the bag and Sango tied it at her waist. Not wanting to take any chances Rin peeked into the bag to make sure the orb didn't take on a purple hue.
"Nope…thank you Sango san"
She gave the exterminator a toothy grin and ran outside to find Shippo.
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Kagome walked along the streets of Japan with a very disgruntle demon turn human, for a few days anyway, in tow.
"Come on Sesshoumaru it will be fun"
After hearing they were going to what Kagome called a movie theatre which he was informed was going to be full of humans and kids and something called popcorn he started rethinking this 'date' she wanted to go on.
earlier
There Kagome stood in her finest tugging on Sesshoumaru's arm; from the outside it looked like a little girl trying to pull a full grown man to come out and play and he was just too adult and boring to do so.
"Come on please…you said you wanted to see my life so come on"
"I believe your mother and I have things to discuss"
"Now you are just making excuses"
Mrs. Higarashi sat with her cup of tea a knowing smile painted on her face. The two were cute together, but what about Inuyasha was she over him… and just how old was this Sesshoumaru. He did seem nice enough. After she ran into him and he introduced him self he helped her with the rest of the groceries.
"Go on ahead Sesshoumaru san you should enjoy your time here while you can…we can talk later" she shooed him off with a delicate wave of her hand and gave Kagome a little wink. "You two have fun"
Kagome drug him from the house while he was still barefoot. She went back in the house to get his shoes and locked him outside so he couldn't latch a hold of anything inside.
Present
"Look they're playing City of Angels I've been wanting to see that one"
She pulled Sesshoumaru up to the ticket both and asked for two tickets but not before giving the girl behind the glass a stop staring or die glare. The girl with the shoulder length brown curls was staring dreamily at Sesshoumaru from the moment they stepped up to the booth. The girl didn't even acknowledge Kagome until she tapped on the glass.
Sesshoumaru sensed the state Kagome was in and decided to milk it a little.
"Good evening miss…what would you recommend we see?"
The girl's mouth hung open for a bit then she collected herself batting her eyes and tossing her hair as she said, "Oh…I guess the one your friend here picked is good…I know I would love to see it with you"
Kagome was now in a quiet rage how could he, so it was a battle was it?
Kagome leaned over pushing herself up on her toes her heels giving her a little bit more lift and blew gently in Sesshoumaru's ear. He stumbled back a bit in surprise and Kagome took that as her chance. She slammed the money down on the counter, "Thank you miss…come along my lord" She let the last part slip from her lips in a sultry tone.
Sesshoumaru stood transfixed blinking at Kagome's back as her skirt swayed with each step of her long curvy legs. "hm" –She is better than I thought-
The movie was over and Kagome was still wiping the tears from her eyes.
"That is so unfair…he gives up his immortality for her and she dies… that sucks"
Her massacre was staring to draw a black line down her cheek as the tears fell. She stopped mid step to dig in her purse for another tissue when she felt something grab her arm. She looked up and saw Sesshoumaru standing in front of her his fingers wrapped around her wrist. He let go and wiped the black ink from her face with his sleeve and cupped her cheek in his hand. His eyes were so soft so warm that more tears escaped from her lashes running in less visible black marks, but black marks all the same. He wiped those away as well this time with is thumb and leaned in capturing her lips.
"You look beautiful tonight Kagome…is there anything else you would like to do"
She pulled away from him a little and wiped the last of the tears from her face. When she looked back up at him she smiled and nodded.
"You still need to try ice cream I did promise you"
She had regained her composure and pulled him along to a small stand that made the best sundaes. She ordered one of her favorites and the boy behind the counter smiled and went to work. When he was finished he set a rather colorful concoction in front of her and said, "There you go sweetheart now what can I get for your friend?"
Sesshoumaru growled at the boy. Poor kid didn't know what to think he backed away from the counter raising his hands up in surrender, "No problem take your time sir"
"Nothing thank you"
He turned his back to the counter and found a table where he could keep an eye on the perpetrator. Kagome bowed her apology and took her ice cream over to the table.
"Geez Sesshoumaru he was only being polite."
She looked over at the boy who was averting any eye contact with her then looked down at her sundae. She pulled the spoon out and held it up watching the melting dessert drip back down into the cup.
"You sure you don't want any it's good… you don't know what you're missing"
She held a spoon full of the colorful creamy stuff and waved it back and forth in front of his face.
"I assure you I do not…I have no need for human food"
"I don't know about that without your demon aura you might get a little hungry"
She waved it one last time then put the spoon in her mouth. It was cold and sweet and messy. The chocolate dripped from her spoon and landed on her dress.
"Oh great…excuse me Sesshoumaru I'm just going to the lady's room before this stain sets in…be back in a minute"
Sesshoumaru was resting his chin in his hand and followed her to the bathroom with his eyes; once she was out of sight he let his eyes travel around the courtyard to land on Kagome's ice cream sitting across from him. He watched as the milky stuff spilled over the side to drip in messy clops on to the table. With out really thinking he reached out and ran his finger around the lip of the cup to stop it from dripping then stuck his finger in his mouth. It was creamy and sweet and something he wasn't sure about but it was really good. He took a quick glance at the door Kagome had gone through; when he was sure she wasn't coming back yet he lifted the spoon up and shoveled a mound of it in his mouth.
Well, if you've ever eaten anything cold too fast you should know what is going to happen next. An unexpected pain shot up into his brain and he dropped the spoon with a clatter and a splat. –Why would any human want to eat something that causes pain?-
He held his head in his hand a little flustered that in this state something as small as a brain freeze would hurt him.
Kagome returned none the wiser; Sesshoumaru had discarded Kagome's old spoon in favor of a clean one then sat back to wait for her.
"Oh puh my ice cream is melting"
She swirled it around turning it into one light brown puddle and was about to stand up and ask the boy behind the counter for a cup and a straw when something caught her eye. There was a dab of what she would call chocolate resting at the corner of Sesshoumaru's mouth. Her face twisted into a delightfully wicked smile and she stared Sesshoumaru down.
"So you don't eat human food do you?"
He looked as calm as ever, but he didn't say no. She pushed her bowl aside and leaned across the table reaching out with one quick swipe of her finger wiped the chocolate from the corner of his mouth and then placed that finger between her lips.
"Hm taste like chocolate to me"
He wasn't even listening anymore; her act alone left him speechless there was something so primal about what she just did; he wanted her; it took every ounce of his carefully perfected control to remain sane. He took a deep breath and looked her directly in the eyes.
"Kagome…don't ever do that again"