Chapter Forty-Two
Drums. Drums were thundering loudly in her ears, banging in rhythm with her rabbit heart racing in her chest. Her breath hitched.
Kagome couldn't stop staring, wondering what held her frozen. She should move, shouldn't she? Say something?
Sesshoumaru's breathing had picked up, lips parting to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Magenta markings cut jaggedly over his cheeks. Humidity saturated the air as youki crackled, stirring over his skin like faint red mist. Kagome stiffened- the mattress dipping in between her legs, a knee settling there. Immediately something spiked in her bloodstream, lower abdomen clenching, fluttering. Her thighs shifted, blue eyes widening.
Kagome didn't claim to have any sexual experience. She hadn't felt real hunger or lust, just teenage curiosity. Inuyasha had made her warm, a tad flustered and even giddy.
This was… different. She wasn't sure what to call it. Kagome wet her lips, mouth becoming dry. She simultaneously felt crushed, weighed down into plush bedding by his heavy attention- and yet also heated, excited, watching him watch her with anticipation. She should be afraid. His eyes were glowing ferally, nothing familiar remaining about the lofty Daiyoukai, and yet the fear wouldn't come.
Sesshoumaru dipped his head, dragging a regal nose through dark hair, with deep, shuddering inhales. His armour came close to pressing against her. She dimly noticed his death grip on the covers.
"Sesshoumaru," she tried again, voice strange. Unknown to her. Why did she sound breathy and inviting?
Sesshoumaru shivered, his body- so impossibly large over hers- shifted, a low growl rolling from his chest as teeth dragged. They slid free from her hair- scraping the length of her delicate ear to rest over her chin.
"Bare your neck to me..." the words hissed out like steam.
His voice sounded even stranger than hers, changed, guttural.
Kagome swallowed thickly, carefully resting both hands against his chest, pushing back slightly.
Lips skimmed her cheek as his head pulled back, fanning hot, growling breath over her mouth, hovering inches away. Red eyes glowed, teeth snapping.
"Submit," he rumbled.
"You don't want that. You're not yourself-" Kagome shifted, hips moving- a startled jolt thrumming between her thighs deliciously as she accidentally grinded against his knee.
Pleasure sang through all the aching, hidden parts of her- a labyrinth of unexplored wonders.
Sesshoumaru tipped his head, inhaling with a pleased croon. Pale lashes lowered. A long-fingered hand dragged, claws catching in the material of her bedding- tearing- hooking beneath one of her strong thighs and hitching it up, skirts pooling at her waist.
Kagome squeaked, face flushing an attractive rouge. Crimson eyes cracked open to stare at her like the red, glaring delight of sunset.
His noises were continuous, purring almost. A deep vibrating thing that managed to thrum from him directly into her. His hand strayed, gripping the inside of her knee. He urged it back further, spreading her legs.
"W-wait-"
Her core clenched, sweetly anticipating something. Anything.
Sesshoumaru seemed intent on giving her that something, his head slowly descending. Hot breath danced over an exposed knee that twitched, goosebumps rising. She gasped, back arching instinctively. A wet tongue touched her inner thigh- saliva dewy and warm. It felt amazing, she realised, coaxing something unknown and hungry out into the daylight. It began to drag lower-
Kagome promptly slapped him.
Sesshoumaru jolted, sitting back on his knees. Yanking her leg free, Kagome scrambled to sit up. Flustered and dishevelled, she caught her breath.
He seemed to struggle with something, hunching over. His head ducked into mokomoko, silver bangs obscuring an unreadable face as he took a few steadying inhales.
"... Thank you," he grunted in his usual voice.
"Y-you're welcome," she muttered, gathering her knees tight to herself and angling them away from him, squirming thighs pressing together. A part of her wailed for no good reason. "What was that? You were acting like…" she trailed off.
Sesshoumaru lifted his head, eyes still a deep, bloodied orange, the gold trying to fight its way through.
His face contorted with complicated emotion. "You might've mentioned earlier that you were coming into heat. This makes things difficult."
"W-what? Heat?" Kagome squeaked, quickly shaking her head. "Uh… no. It's not like that. Do you not know anything about human periods?"
Sesshoumaru stared at her blankly.
"Right… I guess you wouldn't have a need to before," she sighed, blushing and gesturing for him to back up a little, needing some space to recover. Her heart wouldn't settle down. His saliva still shone slick and wet on her thigh. Kagome scrubbed it off furiously. Sesshoumaru leaned away, but his gaze kept flitting back to the spot between her legs.
"We don't go into heat. For us, it's possible to get pregnant any time of the month- but women need to have sex during the days leading up to and around the time they ovulate. Do you want me to go into detail about why I bleed?" Kagome mumbled, praying he wouldn't.
"Perhaps later," he eyed her sceptically. "So you are not currently fertile or in danger of being mounted?"
"I mean, I wasn't until you sat on top of me," she joked weakly.
Sesshoumaru seemed to take it seriously. "The scent is similar," he explained stiffly, glancing away. "Distracting. It triggered my baser instincts. Understand, it had little to do with me."
"Okay," tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, Kagome thought of his knee between her legs. "Sesshoumaru-"
What were you going to do?
She couldn't ask, suddenly falling quiet. It wasn't like she was stupid or naive. She understood what he was referring to. Heat, mounting, fertility. However, such urges had never been on the table between them before. Kagome hadn't thought he'd been capable of looking at her like that, despite all his flirty teasing. It was how she'd been able to sleep so comfortably on his lap. He was...Sesshoumaru! So high and mighty, all billowing silks and a holier than thou attitude. Seeing him fall prey to baser instincts like sex irrevocably changed him in Kagome's mind.
Sesshoumaru's features became grave. "How long will this last for?"
"About a week. I'm going to start taking the pill after that though," she mumbled. "It's a contraceptive, not 100% effective, but reduces the risk of getting pregnant. Ever since I saw what happened to that woman...I didn't want to take any chances."
"...This one did not intend to-"
"I know, it's okay," she hurriedly assured him. Maybe it would be better not to examine what had just happened. Otherwise, she'd have to admit that she'd almost...for a moment there...
Kagome shook herself, still feeling incredibly warm. "Sorry for the slap."
"It was necessary," rising from the bed, Sesshoumaru ghosted pale fingers over his mouth, touch lingering. "If you are sufficiently prepared, we should take our leave now."
"O-oh, sure. I kind of thought you'd want to stay for a while and that I'd have to drag you back."
"This one is curious," he admitted, sharp gaze pinning her down, "especially as to why I sense no other demons in this era. However, I am able to prioritise that which is currently important. If we do not confront Inuyasha, I will have to deal with an irritatingly loud miko's sobs and consequently suffer a headache."
"You're such a jerk," Kagome huffed, grateful for the olive branch he offered through teasing. Teasing without consequence was so much safer- easier. They just needed to settle back into their pre-established roles again. Yeah. She could definitely banish the sensation of lips on her bare skin and the squirmy need still pooling in her stomach.
Totally.
Her small family had seen them off with saddened smiles during the late hour of their return. Kagome had accepted a big hug and several bento boxes filled with Mama's exquisite home cooking for Rin to try.
Grandpa had eyed Sesshoumaru distrustfully the entire time, while golden eyes stared back plainly, almost antagonising him. Kagome hoisted her monstrously large backpack up onto the lip of the well. She then smiled, glancing over her shoulder- that smile faltering.
Mama looked on with a sober look of fragility lingering within her brown eyes. Noticing her daughter's worry, she corrected her expression and gave an encouraging nod.
"Hurry now. The quicker you take care of that nasty business back there, the quicker you'll be home again."
Kagome gentled, not expecting Mama to smile serenely at Sesshoumaru next. "Take good care of her, Mr Sesshoumaru."
His lip curled, chin tilting up as though trying to regain some sense of lost dignity. "Hn," he turned, facing the well moodily.
"And please take care of yourself, too!"
"Mn."
The miko arched a brow. "Did something happen? What did Mama want to talk to you about in the kitchen, anyway?"
Sesshoumaru stiffened, avoiding her probing gaze. "Nothing of consequence," with that said, he leapt into the well smoothly, most definitely not avoiding the conversation.
"Wait for me!" Kagome gasped, growling and saying a quick goodbye to her family, soon vaulting over the side of the well, heavily plummeting feet-first into darkness and magic.