Hi guys,
It's been 5 years since I've updated anything on this story and I had a sudden urge to look back through and see if I could add anything.I guess the quarantine is getting to me, haha. I actually have about 3000 words written toward a new chapter. Please keep in mind I just wrote this in a couple hours and there hasn't been much proof reading. I figure if I proof read it I'll never end up actually posting it. I kind of had this in mind as a part one of a two part chapter. So, my intention is for more of the exciting things to happen in the next chapter, but I needed to set the scene first. I'm also sorry if there are some inconsistencies. It's been so long since I've written this story that I've kind of lost it a little.
Anyway- here's chapter 12
The Beach
Sesshomaru found himself awake quite early in the morning. The time set to meet at the train station was 10AM, but Sesshomaru was awake since early in the morning. He felt the warmth of the light beginning to seep into Kagome's former parent's room through the blinds and fall on his face. Sesshomaru was not one to feel anxious, but he found lying himself awake in anticipation of events that would follow. Sesshomaru had been to beaches in the past, so he had a hard time envisioning what could possibly be so different about modern day beaches other than the stench of overcrowding and pollution. He attempted to recall the scent of beaches he'd been to previously, but he could only smell the flowery aroma of the beads around his neck. He grumbled a sigh in defeat and allowed himself to clutch the rosary in his lone hand and deeply inhale. These beads may be his only savior in the events that follow. He concentrated all of his energy toward the calming effects of his accessory.
Sesshomaru found himself just outside of the Higurashi shrine to acclimate himself to the scents of the world. The shrine itself, while in a large city, was relatively isolated. Without the crowds of people around like at the indoor marketplace he found himself tolerating the smells more and more. While Sesshomaru had a dog-like sense of smell, while in his human form he only had about 20 times the nasal sensory receptors to the approximately 40 times dogs have compared to humans. Regardless of the receptors, just like most humans, Sesshomaru would eventually become accustomed, though maybe not comfortable, with the smells around him. However, it had only been one day in this world, he would need a boost if he were to be thrust into the large crowds of people he anticipated at the beach or whatever other places Kagome had plans for.
But why is her scent still so intoxicating? As soon as I feel I've gotten used to it, it hits me like a stone wall. Sesshomaru decided to mentally distance himself from his internal struggle with Kagome's scent by walking his way around the shrine. The morning was cool and a bit breezy. Sesshomaru wore a t-shirt with simple, thick, horizontal navy blue and white lines which accentuated the broadness of his shoulders along with some white, knee-length shorts. Thankfully Kagome had laid out most of his clothes in outfit order so he didn't have to figure out which clothes go together. Unbeknownst to Sesshomaru, Kagome had put this outfit together thinking of their trip to the beach.
Sesshomaru looked up at the Higurashi house toward the window that would lead to Kagome's room. He could see the girl was up and walking around her room. The window was open, presumably recently given how cold she was the night before. Sesshomaru lept from the spot he was standing up to her bedroom window without a sound. He sat himself comfortably on the ledge.
Kagome unknowingly faced her vanity putting on the lightest of makeup. Just some mascara and some moisturizer with spf to soften and brighten up her face. There was no point in putting on makeup in the past, but she at least didn't want to look like a tired zombie in the modern world. Kagome carefully looked in the mirror using one hand to lift her hair out of the way and the other to apply mascara to her lashes.
"What is that?"
"Huh?!" Kagome gasped and jerked in her seat causing her to slip and flick some mascara on her eyelid. She looked at the mark on her face, held in her breath for a second, and slowly let out a shaky sigh. "Oh, good morning Sesshomaru." She glanced at him sitting in the window sill and was briefly reminded of InuYasha entering her bedroom through the very same window. She quickly pushed that memory out of her mind as she was reminded of the dark blotch on her eyelid. The first time I put on makeup in ages and of course this happens. She looked back over to Sesshomaru sitting in the window. He had a slightly amused look on his face.
"You appear to have something on your face." Kagome swiftly whipped out a cleansing makeup wipe from the table in front of her and wiped off the excess black mark.
"Yeah, thanks." Kagome let out sarcastically as she hastily went to reapply the mascara in hopes that it would only end up on her eyelashes. "It's called mascara, and it's not supposed to be on your face."
"Woman," Sesshomaru smoothly sauntered from his seat on the window sill and approached Kagome at her vanity. After Kagome sheathed her mascara wand and safely placed it in the drawer of her vanity she turned to see Sesshomaru knelt down near her seat. She tried to ignore his proximity and began to turn away toward the vanity mirror but he caught her chin with his lone hand and brought her face close to his. He closely examined the material on her eyelashes. "Why do you paint your eyelashes?" Kagome slowly backed away, avoiding his curious gaze.
"It's just to make your eyelashes appear longer, more pronounced. I guess it's supposed to bring more attention to your eyes. It just feels nice to put on some make up sometimes. It's been a while since I've seen my friends so I thought I would present a better looking self compared to my normal sweaty, dirty, adventuring self." Sesshomaru took one last look at her lashes before getting up from his kneeled position.
"It looks unnatural. Your natural face is preferable." Kagome felt a little irritated. She reached into her drawer and pulled out a pink lip gloss.
"Well I didn't put it on for you. I put it on because I never get to and it makes me feel nice." Kagome pouted her lips as she applied the gloss on her lips. Sesshomaru watched as she applied a strange rouge to her lips. He wasn't a fan of the mascara but he found himself distracted by her application of the glossy liquid on her lips. I complimented her already naturally pink lips. He averted his gaze and resisted curious thoughts of the nature of the gloss on her lips and walked toward the exit of her bedroom. Kagome gave herself one last look in the mirror before getting up from her vanity. "We need to leave soon. Are you about ready?" Sesshomaru was already in the doorway but briefly turned toward her and gave a slight nod.
"Hn." In just a moment he was back with the bag that Kagome had prepared for him. The strap hung up high on his shoulder. He outstretched his arm toward Kagome wordlessly. Kagome looked him up and down not understanding. He opened and closed his palm in a 'hand it over' type gesture. "Your bag."
"Oh! Thanks. Here. It might be a little-" Sesshomaru effortlessly took Kagome's sizable backpack out of her hand and immediately headed downstairs. "Oh-kay. Maybe we're just excited about the trip." Kagome quickly followed him down the stairs. Sesshomaru was about to head out the door but Kagome managed to stop him in the doorway, a hand resting on his shoulder. "Wait, you can't carry me and all of our luggage like this to the train station. Let me do something really quickly." She took the backpack from his hand. "This is a backpack. You can wear it on your back. Hands-free luggage." She guided his arm and his residual limb through the straps of the backpack and rested it on his back. The bag she'd packed for Sesshomaru was more of a messenger bag. She hung the strap on the shoulder attached to an arm and let the bag rest on his other side. "There, that should be a little better."
Sesshomaru looked down at the items hanging from his person. To imagine This Sesshomaru would be carrying around a young girl's luggage like a servant. He brushed off the thought, as he'd offered to take it himself. Now with his arm free he was able to wrap it around Kagome's waist. She wiggled a little bit in his grasp. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to him just grabbing her like this. "Hold on. I need to at least lock the door behind us." They exited the house and Kagome secured the door and hid away the key in the backpack resting on Sesshomaru's back. Sesshomaru replaced his arm around Kagome's waist and concentrated much like he did before they left for the marketplace.
Toumei his internal voice hummed as they lifted off with his cloud. Again, they were invisible. Kagome guided them to an area that was near the train station. It was just far enough to have a private spot to reappear without suspicion. As they landed Kagome dusted the jacket she was wearing and quickly repositioned herself behind Sesshomaru.
"Hold on a second." She took her jacket off. For her beach day she'd chosen to wear her bathing suit underneath a white sheer mesh blouse with an open back. The front of her shirt was tucked into her light blue frayed cut off shorts. Sesshomaru could feel her unzip the backpack behind him before she stuffed her jacket into the bag. He felt her digging into the bag once more before finally zipping it up. Kagome reappeared in front of Sesshomaru donning her actual outfit for the day, now with sunglasses resting on top of her head. Sesshomaru was taken aback. This was, by far, the most revealing outfit he'd seen on her. He could see her milky skin through the mesh of her top. The bathing suit underneath wasn't quite a bikini, but it wasn't much less revealing. He had to wonder why even bother wearing the shirt on top as he could clearly see everything under her shirt.
Kagome began to squirm a bit under his gaze. Sesshomaru had been fairly quiet so far today so she already felt a little uncomfortable but he was almost unapologetically staring at her, more specifically at her chest. She had to accept that her choice of shirt was probably fairly strange so she almost couldn't blame him, but did he have to stare there? And for so long? Silently? Surely he wasn't staring at her in that way, right? She slowly felt herself getting hotter, redder.
"Okay… let's go already. We only have a few minutes until 10" Kagome hurriedly turned to walk toward the train station but quickly was stopped in her tracks. She felt a tug on the bottom of her shirt. She turned to look back at Sesshomaru. His eyes were the slightest tinge of pink. Almost unnoticeable. "What..? We're going to be-" Sesshomaru loosened his grip on her shirt. "-late… is something wrong?"
"No. Let's go." Sesshomaru thought better than to make a comment on her attire. However, it was difficult to look at her calmly without certain… thoughts? What thoughts? This Sesshomaru does not have impure thoughts about humans. Sesshomaru sped past as if he were running away from his own thoughts.
"Wait! Hold on! Where are you going?" Sesshomaru continued on his path toward the train station. It was easy to tell where they were supposed to go. Like a bloodhound he was able to zero in on the scents of Kagome's friends and simply followed them. He needed to focus on his destination. He could ask questions about Kagome's outfit after taking time to observe. It didn't take long before he spotted Kagome's group of friends, including Hojo, standing in a small circle just outside the train station. The closer they approached the more Sesshomaru slowed his step. Kagome soon passed him and approached her friends.
"Kagome! Hey!" Ayumi called out to her. Sesshomaru looked at the girls before him. He then realized what Kagome was talking about when he'd said her outfits weren't as revealing. All three of her friends were wearing bikini tops and short shorts. They each had small bags with them for essentials but it looks like Kagome was tasked with bringing most of the items they needed, hence Sesshomaru's current pack mule statues. They weren't carrying more than enough for a night's change of clothes and a few essentials.
Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka immediately surrounded Kagome and started whispering. Of course Sesshomaru could understand everything with his keen sense of hearing. "Wow, look at him. Even with one arm he's being so helpful and carrying all of your things. How sweet of him." Ayumi swooned.
"Yeah, not to mention," Eri snuck a glance at Sesshomaru "He's really so hot. Are there any other brothers you're hiding Kagome?" Already getting into an uncomfortable conversation Kagome just laughed nervously and deflected.
"No- I mean he-"
"For real, the strong and silent type seems so uncommon lately. I'm super jealous," Yuka playfully tapped Kagome's shoulder.
Kagome looked back at Sesshomaru, his eyebrow cocked. She looked at him as if to scream "help" but he simply looked away as if pretending not to notice, all the while smirking to himself. He found it amusing to see her struggle with what to say about him. Kagome, unable to find help, looked back to her friends. She nervously scratched the back of her head. "Haha, not that I know of. So is everyone here?" Kagome quickly changed the subject.
"Yup, we're all ready to go." Yuka reached behind her and yanked Hojo into the group.
"Oh hey there, I almost didn't see you there. How's it going, Hojo?" The trip hadn't even begun and Hojo was already sulking because he'd previously hoped it would be a date. It was extremely clear upon Kagome and Sesshomaru's arrival that the chances of any alone time were slim.
Finally Kagome is healthy enough to go out and do things and we won't even get a chance to be alone, Hojo shook it off and perked up as he got a good look at Kagome. Her outfit was so adorable, he couldn't wait to see her at the beach. Internally he celebrated. "It's a beautiful morning isn't it? It's so great we could all get together for some beach fun. Well, anyway. If we don't leave soon the train will leave without us. Let's go." Hojo began to lead the group to their train, almost skipping on the way, with a happy dumb expression on his face.
Thankfully the train ride is short and during this time of day on this line it shouldn't be too terribly crowded. Last in line of the group heading to the train, Kagome took Sesshomaru's hand and guided him to walk with the group. Thankfully since Sesshomaru had spent all morning familiarizing himself with the scent of the modern world the impact of the scent of the train wasn't too horrible. The group was able to find a row of seats where they were all able to face each other. There were two groups of four seats on either side of the train for the six of them.
"Oh, I have an idea. We could have a girls' side and a guys' side. Doesn't that make sense? Us four girls can sit together and you two guys can have your guy chat on that side." Eri started to push Hojo to the "boys'" side of the train. Kagome, still holding on to Sesshomaru's hand from earlier, could feel his grip tightening.
"Hey, that uh.. does sound like a great idea. But to be honest with how sick I've been lately I often get motion sickness. I'd better sit with a little more space if you guys don't mind. I'll sit over here." Sesshomaru wordlessly followed Kagome to the other side of the set of seats and sat directly next to her. "Uh, Sesshomaru also doesn't ride the train much so he might get a little motion sick too."
"Haha.. well. I guess if Kagome gets sick no one really should sit in front of her. Let's all sit over here then." Just as Hojo was about to sit directly across from Kagome, Eri dragged Hojo back to the formerly "girls'" side of the train.
Sesshomaru sat in the seat closest to the window, furthest from people and closer to the view of the world outside. He unloaded the heavy bags on the seats across from them. As the train began to move Sesshomaru was surprised at how smooth the movement of the train was. It was like he was floating across the earth. He'd been in plenty of carriages with horses, but on the dirt roads there was nothing smooth about a carriage ride. Watching the land move across his window without having to move was much more soothing than he was expecting. The movement of the train and the scent of Kagome next to him was strangely calming enough, even in the unfamiliar environment that he felt at rest. He hadn't been getting much rest in the previous nights in the unfamiliar world with his confusing emotions, but after some self discipline he was getting used to letting Kagome's scent calm him. Before long Sesshomaru had actually allowed himself to half fall asleep. Typically Sesshomaru would keep his guard up, not to say it was totally dropped, but in an unfamiliar environment he wouldn't be so trusting. But on a moving giant full of humans he didn't see any threat in sight. In Sesshomaru's rest he laid his head on Kagome's shoulder, his hand still in hers.
Of all of the reactions Sesshomaru could have to being on a train, Kagome was grateful this was probably the best case scenario. She chuckled to herself as she imagined a situation where Sesshomaru could stick his head out of the train window, panting like a dog in the breeze. She imagined that would probably be something more appropriate for InuYasha or Koga. She glanced down at the sleeping demon resting on her shoulder. Sesshomaru had worn the outfit that Kagome had hoped he would for the beach day, but with the addition of a jacket that he'd borrowed from her dad's closet. The collar of his shift dipped low and the jacket was only partially zipped up so she could see his chest peeking out from the top. Even while asleep he appeared so strong. She glanced toward her friends laughing and joking and then back at Sesshomaru. Without realizing one of them, she wasn't sure who, had adjusted their grip so their fingers intertwined. She felt her face heating up. No one seemed to notice but a slightly aware Sesshomaru could feel her heat and the race of her heartbeat.
On the other side of the train car the girls stared in awe and gushed over how adorable the "couple was". As embarrassing as it looked for her in the moment, she figured it would be better not to argue with them. Making it seem as though they were a couple was easier to explain and deal with. For the rest of the short train ride the girls and Hojo chatted and caught up as it had been a while since Kagome had been "healthy" enough to meet with them. It wasn't long before they showed up at their destination: Hayama-Isshiki Beach.
