Chapter 15
Sesshomaru's senses flared as Kagome's essence tickled them. His brows drew together with the realization that her bath had removed his scent from her entirely. Her sweet and heady scent purely her one once more. The daiyokai adjusted his posture, preening. He would show that he was a strong and desirable mate. The bear he had hunted was a truly impressive specimen for any yokai to appreciate. These humans should marvel at his prowess. Sango entered the cave first, her gait encumbered by the mass of her swollen belly. Her hand tucked beneath her abdomen, helping her to support the weight of her child. Sesshomaru eyed her inconspicuously. Yokai pups were known to be large, from his prior experiences with this species, he was fairly certain human pups were not. He gauged her girth, calculating expanded inches and what he knew of human gestation his eyes narrowed. If this human was carrying a single pup he would be wholly surprised. The Monk quickly rushed to his mate's side and an unknown sensation tightened in Sesshomaru's chest he longed to approach the Miko in a similar way. The taijiya smiled at her mate, accepting his proferred hand, and together went further into the cave to sit on a high rock like a chair. Sesshomaru watched attentively as the human couple interacted. Would Kagome expect him to treat her similarly?
"Thank you, Miroku." The tijiya's voice broke Sesshomaru from his reverie and he shifted his gaze to the cave mouth wondering where the Miko had gotten. "Kagome's clothes are still wet. She didn't have anything else to wear. She told me she would join us when her clothes were dryer." A smile split the girl's face, "She said she's going back to the hot spring where she will stay until she looks like a prune." She and the monk laughed.
Sesshomaru had no idea what a prune looked like, but he was not about to let her stay at the spring alone. Not knowing there were bears the size he hunted in these woods. While the humans were busy with one another, Sesshomaru sneaked out of the cave. The crisp fall air whipped his hair around his face. He was feral. He was wild. His eyes glowed crimson and he tested the air for the scent of his beloved. She had walked the taijiya back from the hot spring, she had left a trail for him to follow. His beast growled and curled from within, anxious at the length of hours spent away from Kagome. There. Her scent, her aura, her essence, with a snarl and a flash of white and silver he was gone. To any bystander, he would have seemingly vanished in a blur. He was swift. He was agile. He was untamed. In a split second, Sesshomaru was at the edge of the treeline nearest the hotspring.
Kagome sat at the edge of the hot spring, both legs swinging in the hot water. Her upper body was wrapped in a plain rectangular cloth. Her wet hair clinging to her back in waves. She shivered slightly from the chill air and adjusted her covering. Her scent plumed with the movement and a desirous growl passed the barrier of his lips. Kagome must have heard it, because she lept up suddenly, her rudimentary covering falling a bit with the sudden movement.
Fear flashed in her eyes, her wet hair flipped around her face, slapping against her skin and leaving one tantalizing side of her throat and one shoulder completely bare. Recognition dawned in her eyes and she breathed out a sigh of relief, her hand rising to her chest. "Sesshomaru! You startled me!" He couldn't help but allow his eyes to roam her exposed skin. While the clothes she wore had always been scanty, this was the first time he had seen her shoulders and throat so bare. He swallowed the growl building in his throat. Her skin was pink, flushed with the heat of the springs. Her eyes were bright, moist, vibrant from the steam.
Suddenly the Miko's brows pulled together and her grip tightened on the cloth wrapping her body. "What are you doing here?" She hissed at him. Sesshomaru raised a brow, his voice didn't seem to be working at the moment and he wasn't going to make a full of himself any more than he already had. He hadn't intended for her to know he was there. He just wanted a glimpse, to assure himself she was safe. A smirk raised one corner of his mouth slightly as he thought to himself of the delicious picture she painted standing so exposed before him. He had certainly gotten more than a mere glimpse. His eyes strayed again, roving from face down her sinuous neck, across her smooth shoulder, down to the edge of the material that she held loosely covering her voluptuous chest. A loud human growl rang through the clearing and his eyes snapped back to her face. "I can't believe you're acting just like Miroku! You hentai!" She tightened her wrap, holding it higher on her chest and tighter around her body. Sesshomaru stepped back and urged his face into a disinterested mask.
The daiyokai allowed his lip to curl slightly in response to her outburst. "What a ridiculous notion. There are bears in these woods. I came to assure your safety." Sesshomaru stalked forward, slowly. Kagome took an involuntary step back, her eyes guarded. "It is cold and you are not appropriately attired."
The Miko rolled her eyes. "My clothes are wet, I washed them. I was definitely not coming back dressed in a towel," her hand motioned to the cloth wrapped about her body. "I didn't want Miroku to have a heart attack." She blushed and her eyes met his for a split moment, "Or for you to see me like this either." She shivered again.
Her hair was beginning to dry with the wind. The thick black locks curling tantalizingly about her shoulders and framing her face. Her bangs brushed her lowered lashes and he wanted nothing more than to brush them aside and see the full view of her face unimpeded. He refrained. If she didn't like him looking at her she surely wouldn't approve of his touch. He would fix that. Her shivers worsened and without a second thought, Sesshomaru reached forward to untie his obi. Kagome's eyes widened drastically, "Wait..wha...what are you..."
"You are cold, your garments are wet, you have just recovered from being ill." Sesshomaru shrugged out of his haori, content with the look of awe on the Miko's face. He held his clothes out to her, waiting for her eyes to stop their meander across his musculature. She looked up at him, face red, and tentatively reached out. "You will return with me. The monk has begun cooking the meat I hunted for you."
"For me?" Kagome's eyes searched his intently. He held her gaze trying to allow his emotion to enter his eyes. Willing her to understand the enormity of that statement.
"Hnn. For, Kagome." A small smile teased Kagome's lips and his instincts soared.
"Would you mind turning around?" He had never heard the Miko's voice so soft, she usually demanded, not requested. The sign of submission sent his beast into an uproar. Rather than claim her as his instincts demanded, he turned his back. If she were InuYokai he would have acted on instinct, but if there is one thing he had learned about his Miko it was that in order to raise her respect and obtain her submission he must be yielding. She was worth it. He listened intently to the rustlings behind him, imagining her "towel" falling to the ground and the silken sleeve of his haori sliding up over the smooth skin of her arms. He was jealous of his garment, touching her. All in due time.
A soft hand on his bare arm brought Sesshomaru from his reverie. He brought his own hand up, cautious of his sharp claws, his long fingers covering her smaller hand completely. The daiyokai turned, Kagome was standing close, her face upturned to look him in the eyes. His haori was like a gown on her, the sleeves rolled up to allow for her shorter arms, the hem dancing about her knees. His obi was tied in a messy bow at her waist making the fabric bunch lusciously around her figure and flattering her curves. Sesshomaru inhaled deeply, his scent pleasantly mingling with hers once more. He didn't recognize the look in her eyes. It was soft, it was intense, it was deep. It was longing, sadness, and hope. He offered her a soft smile and boldly reached out to brush her hair behind her ear. She inhaled softly.
"What about you? Aren't you cold now?" Sesshomaru smirked at her and pulsed his yoki, producing pelt across his shoulders like a cape. Kagome giggled.
A gust of wind blew through the clearing, the steam from the hot-spring flying about them like a fog. Kagome's garment shifted and she wrapped both arms about her chest, dipping her head against the wind. Sesshomaru shifted to block the wind and reached out, pulling the shivering Miko into his arms and wrapping his pelt around both of them. For a moment she stiffened and rebelled, for a moment he feared her wrath, but it only lasted a moment. She sighed and allowed her head to rest against his chest, the shell of her ear pressed into the sound of his heartbeat. He held her until the wind died down, and stepped back unwilling to test his self-control any further.
"Come." He turned away, allowing the crisp air to revive his senses and bring him back to himself. She was dangerous. Not merely due to her Reiki, but also due to her influence on his instincts. He breathed deeply, assuring her scent behind her, and gathering her belongings he stalked towards the smell of cooking meat. Kagome sighed behind him and followed.