Kagome and Sesshoumaru awaken late, wrapped in each other's arms. Tilting her head up, Kagome nudges her nose against his chin, giggling when he returns the affection with a nudge to her temple, before nuzzling into her hair, and humming softly. Closing her eyes again, she presses a soft kiss to his throat, snuggling against him and enjoying the safety and quiet for a few more minutes. Sighing, she begins to wiggle out from his arms, hearing him sigh as well.
"If we could, I'd stay here all day, but it's," she turns to look at the clock on his nightstand, "10:30. We really should get up and eat." She giggles again as he rolls onto his back, groaning, refusing to open his eyes. Leaning down, she presses a soft kiss to his lips, smiling when he returns it, his hand brushing her cheek.
"C'mon. If you're good, I may let you shower with me in a bit." She smirks at him before laughing outright when both eyes snap open to look at her, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"I will hold you to that, minx." he rumbles before sitting up and slipping out of bed. Kagome takes the opportunity to stare at his naked glory in the light of day, interested to see the several stripes decorating his body. Sure, she knew of his wrist, ankle and collar bone stripes from being exposed by his clothing, but the hip ones curling down from his lower spine were new to her. Rising from the bed, she strides over to him, her fingers reaching out and grazing along his left hip, tracing over the stripe, only to see him stumble slightly, hand shooting out to grip the edge of the dresser.
"Kami…" His eyes shut tight and his breathing becomes ragged. "Those… are sensitive, little minx." he pants, straightening and grabbing his clothes from the floor where they had landed the night before.
Smirking widely, she brushes it again as she goes in search of her own clothes, giggling at his strangled groan.
"I'll keep that in mind, babe."
"You'll be the death of me, woman." he murmurs.
"How come those are so much more sensitive than the others, or are they not?" she asks him as she slips on her nightgown.
"The others are, but not nearly as much. My hip markings are also usually covered, and rarely directly touched, unlike my other ones. It is a bit of a double edged sword. They are more sensitive for the purposes of coupling, to heighten pleasure, but it also means that they are always so sensitive." His explanation gives her wicked ideas that she stores away for a more appropriate time.
"I see. Well, I'll keep it in mind. Now, where'd my underwear disappear to?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. I was not paying attention to where they landed after I removed them." He doesn't sound at all upset by that statement, smirking as she rolls her eyes at him.
"Well. Damn. Guess I'll go change before heading downstairs then." she mumbles, leaving his room to pad down the hall to hers. Stepping into her room, she grins to herself upon realising the inu has followed her. Moving to her dresser, she slips off the nightgown slowly before dropping it on the floor and bending over to rummage for something acceptable to wear downstairs. He watches her search for clothing naked, noticing a large tattoo across her upper back as her hair falls forward that he will have to examine in closer detail later.
Grabbing a pair of lace briefs, she slides them up her legs, then bends down again to open a different drawer. Pulling out a tight t-shirt and a pair of yoga shorts, she slowly pulls those on as well, just as she hears a quiet groan from behind her. Turning as she tugs the t-shirt into place, she looks up at the tall lord innocently. "Everything okay, Sess?"
Grabbing her, he presses her tightly to his front, his arousal undeniably evident. "You tell me, little minx." His voice is rough, his eyes darkened as he dips his head down and captures her lips, nipping and moaning as he explores her with his tongue, earning moans from her as well. After several minutes, he pulls back, resting his forehead against hers, panting lightly. "If we do not stop, I will rip those clothes from you and take you again right here against the wall."
She shivers lightly, her nails dragging against his shoulders. "Gods, don't tell me that."
"Come. Let us eat and then we may come back up to shower." He nips her bottom once more before pulling away and adjusting himself slightly, making her giggle.
Once downstairs, they pad to the kitchen where Sesshoumaru begins making coffee while Kagome pulls out ingredients from the fridge to make omelettes.
Stepping up behind the miko, he places his hands on her hips as she preps the eggs and turns the stove on low for the pan to warm up. A noise behind them makes them turn, seeing a smirking wolf leaning against the island.
"Mornin'." he greets, dragging out the word a bit as his eyes dance over the other two, the inus hands still on the miko's hips.
"Good morning, Kouga. Omelette?" Kagome replies blithely, turning back to the stove, Sesshoumaru releasing her to finish preparing the coffee.
"Yeah, sure. So, how'd you sleep last night?" the wolf taunts, accepting a cup of coffee.
"Great, actually. You two still planning to hit the hardware store today?"
"Yep, checked online to make sure the one in town has what we want. Placed a pick up order, so should be easy. Even got you fancy blinds that have a timer on them so you can wake up with the sun still." he teases as Kagome serves up the eggs, flicks the stove off, and sits on a stool next to the wolf.
"I… Uh…" he starts, rubbing the back of his neck, "I checked the logs back as far as I could, and the person's been there every night for the last four months. It's pretty likely that they've been doing it since before then, too, though. I made copies of the recordings, just in case. Haven't checked if they came by last night yet, though." Kouga informs them, his hard sky blue gaze being met with equally steely looks from his two partners. "So, gunna eat, shower and then head out to pick up the supplies so we can set them up this afternoon. You two kids be good while I'm gone." He winks as he walks out of the room.
"Was hoping for a bit more time before he found out. Should've known better, living with canines." Kagome groans lightly into her coffee cup. Sesshoumaru merely shrugs as he leans against the counter next to her. "Not that I want to keep it a secret, but Kami, he's gunna rip on us for it incessantly." Sighing, Kagome stands, putting the dishes in the dishwasher then looking up at the inu.
"C'mon then, we should check the camera's to see if our stalker was here last night and if our diversion worked." she says, leaning up to kiss Sesshoumaru gently, then grabbing his hand and leading him to the office. Dragging him to the chair behind the desk, she plants herself in his lap and begins opening the program for the cameras, pulling up the feeds from the night before. Her smile twists into a grimace upon seeing the same figure walk up their driveway and circle the house before leaving again.
"It seems our plan worked. Hopefully tonight we will find out who it is when they set off the lights." Sesshoumaru tries to reassure her, pressing a kiss to just below her ear.
"If they don't, I'm going to have to resort to warding the entire yard. Which isn't ideal as it has the chance of something happening and folks noticing. And, I like my house." she whispers, leaning back heavily against the inu lords broad chest.
"We will figure it out, do not worry. In the meantime, I believe I was promised a shower. The wolf has just left." he rumbles, nipping along her throat gently.
"Hmmm, I'm not sure you've done enough to deserve a shower with me." she taunts, standing from his lap and stretching, dancing out of reach when he goes to grab her.
"Minx." he growls out playfully, grinning widely at her as he chases her up the stairs to her bedroom.
Finally catching her, he pins her to the wall, lifting her easily. Her legs wrap around his hips as he grinds his rapidly hardened member against her. She moans as she lets her head fall back against the wall, which he takes full advantage of, biting, kissing, licking and sucking while she melts in his arms.
"Sess. Shower." she manages, her nails digging into his shoulders harshly. Shifting her to balance better, he walks into her en suite bathroom, pausing momentarily to take it in. It's large, holding both a decently sized standing shower with a huge waterfall shower head on one side and a small stone bench on the other. A large jacuzzi tub is next to it decorated with faux flowers around the edge, a large window overlooking it with frosted glass. On either side of the door are sinks and counter space, and a door to a smaller room, which he assumes holds the toilet. Cubby shelves built into the wall hold towels, wash cloths, soaps and hair products as well as some cleaning supplies on the bottom most shelf.
"You have a very impressive bathroom, Kagome." Sesshoumaru tells her as he sets her down so that she can start the shower.
"Thanks! Took a while for modern appliances to catch up with what I grew up with, and then I had the money to get what I'd always wanted when I was a kid, so... I did."
"Indeed. I may have to start using yours instead of the one by my room." he remarks as he watches her twist the dials around.
"You're more than welcome to. Nice to have someone who appreciates it. Kouga couldn't care less. Says all the knobs aren't worth the headache just to take a shower, as if two extra dials turns it into rocket science." She giggles, stepping back as the water warms up. "Now, I don't know what temperature you like, so I set it to what I normally do. If it's too hot, tell me." she teases as she begins removing her clothes, laughing as Sesshoumaru nearly shreds his clothes from his body to catch up.
Kagome steps into the shower, him just a step behind, before he pauses and just enjoys it. Her shower is heaven and the temperature is perfect. He's enjoying it so much that he momentarily forgets what they had gone in for until he feels her hands sliding down his chest and stomach before grazing a finger along each hip stripe, making him falter. Reaching for her, he threads his fingers into her hair and captures her lips in a bruising kiss, backing her up against the tiles. The hot water rolls down his back as he lifts the little minx into his arms again, rocking against her eagerly, eliciting all manner of delicious sounds from Kagome, and drawing several groans and gasps from him as well.
"Kagome…" he breathes, needing to be inside of her now. He feels her hand snake down between them and line him up to her entrance, allowing his next thrust to plunge himself into her, making them both moan loudly. He stills, relishing the sensations until the damn vixen drags her nails along his hips, ripping a choked whine from him and making him jerk harshly into her.
"Gods, yes! Do that again…" she begs as she grazes her nails across his stripes repeatedly, causing him to slam into her again and again. Finally, she moves her hands to his shoulders, unable to do more than hang onto him while he pounds into her at a brutal pace. Her cries echo across the tiles, his own grunts and groans accompanying her sounds.
After what seems like hours, and several orgasms, his hips lose their smooth rhythm just as she is arching and locking up, and then their mutual climaxes rocket through them. Sliding them both down to the shower floor when he can focus again, he turns so his back is to the wall and she is straddling his lap.
"Definitely ruined for anyone else…" she pants against his throat.
"Unquestionably." he tells her, making them both chuckle as they catch their breath. They stay like that for a few minutes before he presses a kiss to her temple and rises to his feet, depositing the miko on hers. "Come, we should actually bathe, lest we waste the water."
He reaches for a pouf and her barely scented jasmine body wash then begins to lather her body. Pushing her hair over her shoulder, he finally gets a good look at the impressive tattoo stretching across her shoulders, low enough that unless she was wearing a tank top or something with a low cut back, no one would know it was there.
A top down view of a large black crow in flight stretches from one shoulder to the next. Behind it is a large sun, done in minimalistic lines and only orange shading around the edging of the 'flames'. The crow was done in very dark blues and purples, with black shading and line work. It was a truly beautiful piece.
"Your tattoo is stunning, Kagome. When did you get it done?" Sesshoumaru inquires, tracing a finger across a wing.
"Thanks. I got it about eight years ago? Yeah, eight years now." she answers, closing her eyes as he continues to wash her.
"May I ask why? And if it has any particular meaning?" He turns her to begin working down her front.
"Lots of reasons." She shrugs, tilting her head in thought. "Think the first one being that I'd always wanted one. I know it's massively stigmatised in Japan still, which is part of why it's on my back- and also not in Japan." She releases a quiet chuckle before continuing. "I grew up on English and American movies and music and I always loved the artwork I'd see actors and musicians have. But, then I fell down the well, so never got a chance to get one, at least not without a fuck load of risks I wasn't willing to take for it. So, it got put in a box in the back of my mind, until about 50 years ago when I started thinking about it again and planning."
Kagome pauses to step under the water and wash off the soap, before taking the pouf and trading places with Sesshoumaru. He watches her with a soft smile as she thinks over the rest of what she wants to say. She finishes his front before she speaks again.
"It's meaning is both complicated and simple, I guess. I don't profess myself an artist by any means, but I've always doodled suns- family name kinda drew me to them- and crows, specifically Yatagarasu…" she trails off, brows furrowing slightly as she lathers the soap across his beautiful back.
"Rebirth and rejuvenation." he remarks, stepping into the water when she finishes.
"Yeah. So, the simple explanation, family name and I like crows. The complicated answer is when I started drawing them together after… after." She sucks in a deep breath, closing her eyes before releasing it slowly. "The artist took my drawing and made it beautiful. Actual art. Even though I don't get to see it very often myself, knowing it's there, it's a reminder that things don't just end even when they seem to be swallowing you whole, and you want them to. Life goes on, things get better." Kagome shrugs again, reaching for her shampoo as she feels the inu wrap his arms around her and kiss her deeply.
"As I said. It is beautiful, just as you are, Kagome." Sesshoumaru murmurs against her lips before releasing her. "We really should finish showering, however. We have been in here for a while."
"Hey, you wanted story time." she retorts while giggling, passing him the bottle then turning her attention to the task at hand.
xXx
"So," Kouga starts, dragging out the o. Kagome flicks her gaze up to him from where she's staking down a light at the base of the tree. "You and the dog, eh?"
"Yep." she answers, popping the p, tone and expression blank, not sure where he's going with the question, but preparing to snap if he tries to go alpha on her.
"Hey, I ain't judging. You're a grown ass woman, Kagome." He steps over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her slightly to face him. "Kags, I just want you to be happy. If he does that, then I'm all for it, you should know this by now." he murmurs, smiling warmly at her.
"You're right. I do know better. Sorry. Just... old habits." He nods, pulling her into a hug.
"Yeah, I know. But, unless they're actually bad news, I've never said something against you and someone else. I love ya, gorgeous, and he's a good guy. Very quiet, but a good guy. I will, however, kick his ass if he hurts you." he says sternly before grinning wolfishly. "Somehow, I don't think he will, though." Kouga chuckles as he pulls back, tucking a stray lock behind her ear as he does.
"Yeah. He says he's not interested in a few romps. I… I think he's serious and wants something serious with me." she replies quietly, crossing her arms and looking at the ground for a moment before returning her gaze to the wolf's.
"Yeah, I think so, too. Honestly, surprised it took him this long to do something." The ookami laughs as Kagome's face twists in confusion. "He's been making eyes at you for months now, Kags. I think you caught his attention on that first mission, even." He shrugs, grabbing the next solar powered motion activated light and moving to the next section of the yard. "Same as you, really." He smirks before laughing when he sees Kagome stare at him before shaking her head, rolling her eyes. Of course he knew all along.
Kagome is quiet as she follows with her own light, mind lazily pondering over everything that's happened since that first mission and today. Then, she snorts, giggling to herself.
"What's so funny?" Kouga asks, asmused.
"He likes my bathroom, says he can't go back to using the other one after experiencing it." she tells him, bright bubbling laughter spilling from her as the wolf barks out a laugh, shaking his head lightly.
"He would. A showers a shower, so long as the pressure's decent and it's clean, who cares. Ain't got no need for all them fancy things." he snarks, parotting off a well used retort.
"Those 'fancy things' turn a shower from a chore to a luxury, wolf." the inu under discussion replies as he steps up to the pair. "The back yard is complete, I will go and install the blinds in your room now, Kagome." he informs them before pressing a quick kiss to the miko's lips.
"Oh yeah, he's definitely serious about you, Kags." Kouga comments, watching as Sesshoumaru walks into the house, and the soft wistful smile on the miko's face. "And, you are about him. Well, congrats you two, I wish you both the best." he says, giving her his own wide grin.
"Thanks, Kouga." she murmurs, still smiling. "Now, come on, we're almost done, and I'm getting hungry."
Kouga stands straight and gives her a mock salute, "Yes, ma'am."
xXx
"Y'all checked the camera's yet? See if the lights worked?" Kouga yawns out as he plops down at the kitchen island, snagging a cup of coffee.
"Not yet, we will check after we eat." Sesshoumaru replies, before serving up eggs and bacon to the wolf, Kagome already working through hers.
"Thanks man. Gods, this is delicious. I don't know what you do to the coffee, but it's never tasted as good as when you make it." the wolf gushes, hugging his cup like a lifeline, making both inu and miko snort.
"Thanks for cooking, babe. I'm gunna go check the cameras while you two finish up here, then shower and head to HQ. I've got paperwork I need to do." she grouses, standing to put her dishes in the dishwasher, then giggling when Sesshoumaru catches her around the waist to kiss her before letting her head to the office.
"It's nice seeing her so happy again." Kouga comments before shoving a strip of bacon into his mouth.
"Was she so unhappy before?" Sesshoumaru turns to the wolf, arching an eyebrow.
The ookami shrugs lightly, looking at his place for a moment before lifting his gaze back to the inu. "It… it's not really my place to say, especially since I wasn't there when it all happened, only the aftermath. It… it left a scar though, and she… Well, you saw how she was when you first partnered with us. She'd been like that since we got paired together, and that was 'good' compared to what she was before. Before she partnered with me after her break from the Order, she was even worse for a while. Shippo was her only steady partner between your brother and I, but even then, Shippo's never liked doing this part of the job. He enjoys the back end stuff. He only went out with her because she needed a youkai and very few would work with her." Kouga leans on his elbows, picking at the remains of his food.
"How is it you have lasted with her for so long, then?" Sesshoumaru inquires.
"Cuz I know she doesn't mean it when she gets bitchy. I may not have been one of the original members, and took a while to officially join up, but I've known her since Naraku, and I know that even though she's capable of being insufferable and cruel, it's not who she is. It's who she's hiding behind to protect herself. So, nothing she says sticks. It's the same as Shippo, though admittedly, she's much softer with him, but hey, he's her kit. Point is, over the last few months, I've seen more and more of the old Kagome peeking through, and it's your doing. So, just… don't hurt her. She's never going to be the same girl from 500 years ago, but it's nice seeing her less abrasive and angry. And sad." Kouga claps the inu's shoulder once before dealing with his dishes and meandering to the office, leaving Sesshoumaru to think over what he said.
"Yo, Kags, find anything yet?" Kouga calls as he walks into the room.
Kagome looks up for a moment before shaking her head lightly. "Sorry, got distracted with emails and stuff. I'll check it now." she mumbles, opening the program and loading up the recordings, just as Sesshoumaru steps into the room and circles the desk. Scrubbing through the playback, she sets it to begin playing from shortly after sunset, watching intently, hoping both that they do see who it is and that they don't. Suddenly, the feeds light up, as someone slips along the bushes, just slightly out of range to get a good view of the person. Said person freezes in the lights before darting away from the house. Eventually the lights turn themselves off again, and they remain off for the rest of the night.
"Well, seems the lights worked, at least for now." the wolf huffs, bristling slightly.
"Yeah. Shame we didn't get a good look at who it was, though." Kagome replies, closing the program and turning to the other two.
"Well, we know there is no proper blindspot on the property, and the lights are evenly spaced around that if they are determined to try again, eventually we will find out who it is." Sesshoumaru reassures.
"Hey, did either of you two smell anything while outside? You've got your super noses, afterall." she asks, making both canine's snort at her, Kouga rolling his eyes as well.
"We both went around and checked, and though we can definitely pick up a scent, it's overpowered by what I assume is a body spray. The tree is smothered in it." the wolf answers. "We've done what we can, and we'll keep an eye on the situation." He nods to the two before stretching. "Now, you said something about paperwork. We should probably go do that before we get shit for brains decides to start harping on us for it, as if we haven't been doing this for the last several centuries." he grumbles as he exits the room, leaving the other two to chuckle.
5/6/21 A/N: So, extra chapter this week, cuz I have no self control and want to share the chapters. Also, lots of fluff, cuz fluff is needed. And smut. This story is pretty much either fluff or ANGST with smut thrown in. Next chapter is gunna be dark and heavy, so this one is to counter it.