Bad news, my school has been closed because of Hurricane Harvey. I'm lucky to not have lost anything from the flooding and I have another chapter out to take my mind off things so enjoy.
Tease
Ch. 10
Kagome threw another jab at Ayame, panting.
"Kagome come on; you've gotten rusty. If you miss anymore of your personal training sessions, you're really gonna be all bark and no bite. That last punch was so weak!" Ayame motivated, holding up her hands for another blow.
Kagome fell back into her yoga mat, "Give me a break! I've been ripping and running with Shippo. I haven't had time for any of this!"
Ayame sat on the yoga mat, tossing the girl a water, "We can rest, but I'll tell you what you tell your students. You're only cheating yourself when you don't give your all."
Kagome sent a playful glare to her friend before taking a swig of water, "You know, sometimes I think you became a personal trainer just so you could legally torture people."
Ayame grinned, "I'm trying to help you. You won't be attracting anymore cute guys if your form is weak."
Kagome's phone buzzed as a text message came in. Kagome opened the message and a smile spread across her face.
"Speaking of cute guys."
Ayame scooted over, peering over at Sesshoumaru's profile picture from Kagome's messages.
"Oh, he's hot! When do I get to meet him? I bet Sango's gotten to ogle him several times already."
Kagome laughed, "Sango hasn't met him yet either. We've only had two dates after all, but he just texted he's coming over with Rin in a few. I told him I was putting together Shippo's room while the little guy is with his mom and he's coming to help."
"Oooh good, we'll have someone for all the heavy lifting."
Ayame scrolled through a few more pictures of Sesshoumaru in Kagome's phone, finding one with him and Rin. "Why are their eyes closed?"
Kagome grabbed the phone back, "I might have taken that one when they were asleep."
"Okay creepy Kags."
"It's not creepy when they're so cute!" Kagome retorted.
"Right. Whatever stalker," Ayame joked, "How was Shippo's first session with that doctor by the way?"
Kagome stretched and stood up, straightening her running shorts, "He thought it would really benefit Shippo to find a male role model. From what I've gathered, his own father passed at a young age and his mother has only brought in a string of boyfriends, none of whom took in interest in him. For his own growth and self-esteem, he needs a positive male figure. Basically, Dr. Mushin said he's fearful of men."
"Well when these jerks are throwing him in a fucking oven, why wouldn't he be?" Ayame seethed, "Did he mention anything less obvious?"
"Dr. Mushin stated that Shippo is really struggling with the neglect of his mom. Hiten's abuse is one thing, but the doctor said Sachi's blind eye to her son is probably more damaging to Shippo's psyche. To combat that, Dr. Mushin wants her attending Shippo's meetings instead of me," Kagome sighed and rolled up her mat, "In the meantime, I'll try and find a mentor for him, but I just don't think it's enough. There's just so much to do. I can't believe how much things have changed so quickly."
Ayame grabbed a couple trashcans, eyeing her overwhelmed friend sympathetically, "Yeah, it sucks, but that's what happens, Kags. It's not like you could take him out and then go out drinks later that night. Everything changes. I'm sure Shippo is grateful to have you watching out for him though."
"I'm sure, but this just isn't what I planned and I just thought…I hoped that I got to him in time before this kind of stuff happened. If I could have gotten him out when I first went to his home-"
Ayame hushed her, "Stop, you got to him in time. As far as Hiten's abuse went, it escalated quickly, but you got to him quickly. Shippo has a better chance with you than he did before."
Kagome offered her friend a smile when she heard her doorbell ring. Kagome jogged to the door and greeted Sesshoumaru and Rin.
"Hey, you two! Come in; my friend Ayame and I were just about to start cleaning."
Sesshoumaru stepped in, looking over the cozy apartment. It was small, but tidy. The walls were customized with pictures of Kagome's friends. Sesshoumaru's eyes lingered on one in particular. Kagome was laughing with a tan-skinned man who had a four-pointed purple star on his forehead. He was too close for the dog demon's liking. Sesshoumaru averted his eyes, pushing away the ire he felt for the mystery man.
"Are you alright Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.
"Yes, just admiring your photos."
"Really, I was thinking of taking some of those down or at least moving them. I laminated some of Shippo's drawings to frame and hang to make him feel more at home."
Kagome pulled him over the kitchen, showing him a few drawings on the refrigerator. Sesshoumaru definitely preferred the drawings to Kagome linked up with that raven-haired man.
"I think Shippo would appreciate that," Sesshoumaru uttered instead.
Kagome smiled and nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Rin had already wandered to the room that was to be Shippo's. Ayame smiled at her, crouching to her eye level.
"Hey, you must be Rin. I'm Kagome's friend, Ayame."
Rin waved, "Nice to meet you."
Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked in shortly after. Ayame stood and bounced over to the couple, barely containing her giddiness.
"I can't believe I'm the first one to meet this cutie!" Ayame exclaimed.
"Ayame, behave," Kagome hissed under her breath. The last thing she wanted was for Sesshoumaru to think her friends were weird.
Sesshoumaru chuckled, extending his hand for a handshake, "Nice to meet you, Ayame. I'm Sesshoumaru."
"Oh I know. I've heard A LOT about you, Sesshoumaru," Ayame giggled suggestively.
Kagome elbowed the woman as a signal to stop. Sesshoumaru looked at the woman with an amused quirk of his eyebrow. Kagome brushed past him with a light blush gracing her cheeks. Rin tugged on Kagome's shirt.
"Daddy and I brought some toys for Shippo. I heard that he couldn't get all of his. They're in the car."
Kagome hugged the young girl, "You're so thoughtful, Rin. I know Shippo will love seeing that when he comes here. We just need to sweep up a little and move some furniture in."
Rin beamed, running to a dresser in the corner of the room, "I can do this! I moved my furniture around."
"Rin, be careful," Sesshoumaru warned her, "Just pick up the small items instead."
Rin wasn't listening and pulled on the heavy dresser by the drawers. A drawer dislodged and Rin went falling back, hitting the wooden floor hard. Sesshoumaru grabbed the drawer before it crashed against the young girl. He laid the drawer on the floor.
"Rin are you okay, sweetie?" Kagome asked
"It was too heavy," Rin pouted, rubbing her butt.
Sesshoumaru knelt, inspecting her for injuries.
"I'm okay," assured the girl.
Sesshoumaru stood with a worried scowl in place, "Don't be so reckless, Rin. You could have gotten hurt."
Rin nodded, "I don't like cleaning."
Kagome smiled at her, "I don't always like it either, but you know you can make cleaning fun and safe!"
Rin's face reflected skepticism and Kagome laughed. She tipped over a trash can behind Sesshoumaru and handed Rin a broom. Ayame grinned, tipping over a trash can at the opposite end of the room. Kagome took her own push broom and stood at the door of Shippo's room.
"Sesshoumaru, pick up that pillow there. You too, Ayame!" Kagome instructed.
Sesshoumaru grabbed the pillow, cocking his head inquisitively.
"Okay, Rin. Your goal is to sweep as much trash as you can into your trashcan there by Ayame while I try to sweep all I can into the trashcan Sesshoumaru is blocking. Their job is to block us and the one with the most trash in their can wins!"
Rin pondered over the rules, "So it's me and Daddy against you and Miss Ayame?"
Kagome nodded, "Think you can beat us?"
Sesshoumaru squeezed Rin's shoulder, "I think we can."
Rin smiled, "Yeah! Let's play!"
Kagome grinned, tying her hair up in a ponytail.
"Oh, Kagome's getting competitive now! Go easy Kags," Ayame laughed.
With a count of three, the teacher and student took off. Ayame allowed Rin to shoot in a few balled up papers into the trashcan, pretending to miss her opportunity to block in dramatic fashion. Sesshoumaru, however, was not going to give Kagome the same niceties. He blocked every bit of trash she attempted to push in. Though the game started as a way to make Rin happy, Kagome's competitive nature was quickly arising.
"Yay, another goal! Look Daddy!" cried an elated Rin.
Kagome shot a sharp glare at Ayame, making the wolf demoness shiver. She had no issue with Rin getting a shot, but Ayame could make it a little more challenging at least. God knows Sesshoumaru was. Sesshoumaru smiled, relaxing his stance slightly.
"Very good, Rin. Your teacher doesn't seem to be as naturally gifted in this as you, though. She hasn't made one goal," Sesshoumaru teased.
Kagome waited for his eyes to shift to Rin. With an impressive growl for a human, she reeled back and shot two balled up papers between Sesshoumaru's legs and into the trashcan. Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered a look of confusion for the briefest of seconds before settling into a small smirk.
"What a cheap trick, Kagome," Sesshoumaru stated.
Still his golden eyes glimmered in amusement as Kagome smirked back.
"I have no idea to what you're referring, Sesshoumaru."
Kagome and Rin zipped around the room, gathering the other dust and debris with vigor. Kagome regained ground, though she had to resort to a more flirtatious and aggressive display. Remembering how she could easily fluster Sesshoumaru, Kagome wasn't too proud to take advantage of that. She "accidently" rubbed her breasts against him inbetween plays and Sesshoumaru completely lost concentration anytime Kagome's running shorts would hike up so she stopped pulling them down. Dirty tactics or not, it made the game more competitive and Rin seemed to enjoy the excitement. Ayame held up her hands, signaling attention to herself.
"Okay, you two seem tied so whoever gets the last bit of trash near the window is declared the winner!"
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Kagome. Knowing he'd be moving furniture, Sesshoumaru opted to wear a pair of sweat pants. Now his pants felt snug. He couldn't tell if Kagome was trying to turn him on on purpose, but he did know if she bent over in front of him again, he was going to lose it. He tightened his grip on the pillow, trying to stay focused. The two ran at the last piece of trash with Ayame taking on the role of announcer.
"And Kagome makes her move; she's closing in! Rin is hot on her tail."
Rin slipped past Kagome and swept up the trash, but instead of moving to her own trashcan, she rushed to Sesshoumaru's space. Sesshoumaru was confused, though not as much as Kagome. Rin smiled.
"I'm helping Miss Kagome!" the young girl said, answering Sesshoumaru's unspoken question.
"Rin, you're supposed to be on my side though!" He didn't know whether to block or let his daughter score.
"Now I'm on everybody's side!" responded Rin gleefully.
Kagome smiled, "Okay then let's score this one together, Rin."
The two sent the winning shot through Sesshoumaru's can and Rin dropped her broom, cheering. Sesshoumaru discarded the pillow, shaking his head at the cute display.
Ayame cheered, "And you both win, I guess!"
Kagome smiled, "Perhaps, but Rin is the real winner and so sweet."
Rin made a move to hug Sesshoumaru, but slipped on her broom. She grabbed on to Kagome, but neither could avoid crashing into the dog demon. Sesshoumaru held out his arms on reflex, catching them before stumbling on to the floor himself.
"It would seem your ungraceful nature is contagious, Rin," Sesshoumaru teased.
Rin giggled, hugging his neck with mumbled apologies. Sesshoumaru held the two on each side of him. Kagome lifted up, accidently tugging at Sesshoumaru's hair. He twisted away with a grunt, pulling her back down. Kagome straddled his leg in a tangled mess of limbs and hair. Their eyes met, and their frustration quickly gave way to octaves of laughter. Sesshoumaru nuzzled her neck, releasing deep, rumbling chuckles that vibrated against Kagome's chest, making her warm all over. His laughter was quickly becoming one of her favorite sounds.
'Oh I have to show this to Sango,' Ayame thought, pulling out her phone. She managed to snap a couple of pictures undetected before the moment was over.
Kagome's phone began to buzz. She struggled to reach her phone still in Sesshoumaru's hold.
"Um, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome hinted, squirming a little.
His arm remained fastened to her waist. Sesshoumaru released her slowly, allowing the tips of his fingers to brush against her body as she rose. He let go of Rin, instructing her to gather up the toys for Shippo's room. Kagome stepped out the room to take her call, leaving Ayame and Sesshoumaru. He offered her a half smile, opting to move in the bed and dresser over conversing. Ayame watched him with a devilish expression, but kept the silence. By the time Kagome returned, Shippo's room was completely furnished. Rin returned with coloring books, crayons and some toy cars, slung on the bed. Ayame put the finishing touches on the room, hanging up pictures and placing books on his bookshelf.
"Wow, you guys are awesome! That was so quick," Kagome exclaimed.
"You can thank Sesshoumaru. He did all the heavy moving. I just gathered up the small things," Ayame mentioned.
Kagome gazed at the man admirably in a way that made his chest swell in pride. The look of appreciation was such a small thing, but something Sesshoumaru wasn't really used to, especially from his exes.
"Thank you, Sesshoumaru. I have to go get Shippo from his mom's place now. I'm so excited; Shippo's going to be so surprised!"
Sesshoumaru nodded, making his way to the front door of the apartment.
"Rin, head to the car. We'll head out shortly." Sesshoumaru instructed.
Kagome followed him out, leaning against the doorframe, "Any other plans today? I hope you didn't spend your off day playing mover, though I'm really grateful for your help."
"Think nothing of it. A few of my friends are coming over to watch the Golden Eagles game later. That's typically how we spend our Wednesday nights," Sesshoumaru paused a moment, "If you wanted, you could come by and meet my friends, formally at least. You've actually seen them before."
"Oh, at the club, right. If I have some free time, I may stop by," Kagome smiled, "If not, we could always meet some other time."
"Of course, right. Anyway, I should go. Text me and let me know you and Shippo are home safely."
"No problem. Drive safely, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru turned, about to leave when he stopped. He spun around, placing a chaste kiss on Kagome's lips. Her lips were plump and deliciously soft, eliciting a murmuring growl of appreciation from Sesshoumaru. Kagome moaned softly into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sesshoumaru pulled away slightly, nipping at Kagome's bottom lip.
"Get a room, you two," jested Ayame from behind Kagome.
Kagome sent a dirty look to her friend, fighting a light blush at being caught. Sesshoumaru stepped away, giving a slight wave to the women.
"I'll see you later, Kagome," Sesshoumaru stated, impassive expression back in place again, "Nice meeting you, Ayame."
Sesshoumaru walked to his car, leaving a scowling Kagome with her friend.
"Could you pick a worse time?" Kagome whined.
"Sorry, but Shippo called again wondering if you were on your way. I feared that you two would be dry humping outside if I hadn't intervened," said Ayame with a grin.
Kagome sighed and locked her door. She and Ayame walked to their separate cars.
"That was the first time he kissed me and he gets so uncomfortable so easily. Who knows when he'll loosen up again."
Ayame opened her car, "He's a cute shy, but trust me, once he gets over that, he's gonna be all over you."
This chapter was supposed to be twice as long, but I decided to break it up to not overwhelm myself and I had to get on the road. I wanted at least one more chapter out before I went out to help with relief efforts, but I hope to upload another chapter by Labor Day. Next chapter we'll meet Inutashio as he meets Rin and learns of Kagome and Kagome gets fed up at a clueless Sesshoumaru ignoring her flirting. Thanks for reading and please review!