IZON SHŌ

Chapter XXXVIII

Thirty eighth session

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The brief exchange he had with Kagome's grandfather served him to know there was a chance of him being well received by the family patriarch, and also, to note Kagome didn't seem to know how to feel about that. After that greeting, she asked him to take a stroll around the temple while she helped her grandfather, with the promise of soon joining him again. In that moment, it became clear to him his actions had been risky, yet he knew he couldn't keep being around Kagome without taking a step further.

He found the place quite pleasant, there were many people yet not to the point of being unable to transit. Drawing closer to the temizuya, he decided to follow the Shintoism custom of purifying one's hands and mouth. The area had a source of water prepared, running through a narrow stone basin covered by a roof. At the border of the stream rested a few bamboo dippers with which one could draw some water and proceed with the purification. It wasn't his faith, in fact he lacked one, yet he still considered it was a good idea to follow the ritual as a sign of respect. Once at the stream, he had to think for a moment with which hand he had to start, and Souta, who was at the service of visitors, got close to him.

"Left." He said. InuYasha couldn't help thinking the boy probably didn't like him much, most probably because of what he suspected about him and his sister.

"Thanks." He tried to be polite.

After that, he continued the ritual under the watchful eye of the boy, and once finished, he bowed slightly towards him and went away, without the boy rising any objection.

He began to wander around the area, it was large and there were families, groups of youths and couples of varied ages. He made a mental note to ask Kagome later what were they commemorating this day. His steps took him through the side zone, leaving the central roads for the bigger groups. After walking a bit, he found a pagoda that didn't have any pointers as to what his function was, or the history behind it. The door was half-open, so he took advantage to peek inside. It was dark, too much to be able to discern anything, and so he chose to push the door a little, allowing some more light inside. In the end, he entered out of curiosity and lack of ways to kill the time. Inside, he found some stairs going down to an old wooden well at the center. The place was filled by the scent of old wood and moist, and he had the sensation of being in a place charged with history, even if he wouldn't find out about it. He decided to go back outside, and left the door half-open, just like he found it. Once outside, he looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the area where Kagome was, yet to no avail, which made him sigh. She may actually take longer than what he thought at first.

His roaming continued, nearing the haiden this time, yet didn't stop, for it didn't seem proper to him to trouble those who were there leaving their prayers and wishes. As he went on, he realized there wasn't much left to see, and feared his touring would finish before Kagome was free. Even so, he made the stroll last, his steps taking him towards the sacred tree that grew there. Even from a distance, he could see the rope of protection held around the thick trunk, which made him try to guess just how many years old the tree was; given how wide and tall it seemed, three hundred years didn't seem like a crazy number. But he was wrong, so did the informative sign told him, at the feet of the tree, behind the wooden fence that was there to keep the visitors at a distance.

Japanese cedar, cryptomeria. Consecrated in this temple at the end of the Sengoku period. It is estimated to be around eight hundred and fifty-three years old.

The information seemed to had been last updated five years ago.

After observing it for a while, he chose a wooden bench not far away to sit and contemplate it from there. Despite the many people around him, and that little by little were leaving, the place was filled with calm, easing him into connecting with nature, something he found pleasant.

It wasn't hard to imagine Kagome playing as a child around those same views. Smiling like a fool, the vision of the little girl came to his mind, with her shrine maiden garments like the one she was wearing today, probably being pursued by some adult, maybe her own grandfather who was trying to get her to pay attention to his teachings about the temple. He sighed when he noted the pressure finding place inside his chest, that familiar pressure that appeared every time it was about her. He could recognize that sensation, and yet he felt a great fear to failure and pain, even to the fact that she didn't consider him fit to be introduced to her family as nothing more than an acquaintance.

His thoughts had pulled him away from his surroundings, and so his attention was dragged back when a dog, white as milk, got near him and sought being petted with his nose, touching his hand.

"Look at you, are you alone?" He petted him with both hands, stroking his triangular ears, feeling the softness of his fur.

The dog was breathing with his tongue out, that panting sound so typical from that kind of animal.

"Kumo!" Voiced a man, almost shouting yet shy of raising his voice, as he made his way in a traditional garment towards InuYasha and the dog.

"So your name is Kumo, uh?" He kept stroking him, this time also holding him by the collar as to prevent his escape.

"I'm sorry." The man reached them, panting almost as loudly as the dog. It was strange, he seemed familiar. "I left him tied to a post, but it's clear I didn't do a good job."

"It's no problem, he is quite friendly. He came straight towards me." He made clear.

"No surprise there." The man continued. "Can I sit with you?"

"Of course." He handed the leash to the man, as the dog sought to be petted by his human.

"This is his favorite place of the temple, so it's normal for him to come here." He explained, now recovering his breath. "By the way, I'm Hojō." The man greeted him with a soft bow.

"InuYasha" He answered with the same gesture.

The dog came back to InuYasha, rubbing its nose against his legs and hands.

"Kumo, stop." Asked Hojō, yet the pet showed no sign of hearing him.

"Don't worry, it doesn't bother me." He stronked the dog's ears again. "he has a really soft fur, the name fits him alright."

"A friend chose that name, she used to say that as a pup he looked like a cloud. In fact, I own Kumo because she likes dogs." The man seemed to laugh at himself. "And I'm guessing he doesn't leave you alone because she usually sits where you are."

"I see." He nodded before the little story. "I can free the spot if you want." He thought about standing up.

"Don't, please. It's not necessary." He voiced.

The dog began to bark at some point behind them, forcing them to turn around out of curiosity. Kagome was walking towards them, and Kumo went behind Hojō to try and get near her. InuYasha began to put the pieces together, and looked at the man, recalling why he found him so familiar.

"Kumo, you've come to see me." Kagome kneeled at some distance from the bench, and stroke the animal's ears with intent and care. "You are as fluffy as ever." Then she looked at them, first at Hojō for like a second, then at InuYasha for some more. She went back to Kumo's eyes then, and suddenly, as if remembering something, her gaze went back to InuYasha.

She stood up and got closer to them.

"It seems you've met." She mentioned, and Hojō looked at the man by his side, curious.

"You could say that." Was InuYasha's answer who had just stood up.

Hojō did so as well.

"A friend of yours?" It was confusion what the man was showing, holding the leash of his dog, yet he seemed to be seeking that small room for doubt, instead of the confirmation one dreads to hear.

Kagome looked at InuYasha for an instant, seemingly pondering something, and to her mind came a phrase she couldn't forget: Kagome, I just want to be with you.

"I'd say something more than that." She explained.

"Oh." Hojō voiced. "Oh!" He seemed to understand then, and looked at InuYasha.

"I've yet to tell my family so..." Kagome hoped he would understand she didn't want him talking about it.

"Right! Of course, I get it." He retrieved some more of Kumo's leash, bringing him closer.

"Will you stay for lunch?" Kagome knew the relationship the man had with her family, and so the question came out of courtesy.

"Oh, no, I won't. I just came for a bit for the festivities and so that Kumo could see you, you know he adores you." He expressed, then looked at InuYasha with something edging on guilt. "The dog, Kumo, you know."

"It's quite clear, you don't need to explain it." InuYasha said, with a hidden smile on the corner of his lips, and given the stare Kagome was giving him, she had seen it.

The goodbyes were polite, more than what would usually be needed. Hojō Looked back once, and Kagome waved her hand, sending him off.

"He is in love with you. You know that, right?" InuYasha mentioned, his arms still crossed inside the sleeves of his kosode.

Kagome looked at him, and found her heart feeling calm after suggesting to Hojō that InuYasha was a special person for her. That didn't erase the fear of him losing interest once he found out what was beneath her layers, yet now, during that small lapse of time, she felt good.

"I know, he never tires of saying it." She accepted.

The next question played in InuYasha's mind, yet he held his tongue, knowing it would be disrespectful to Kagome's privacy and dignity.

"I haven't slept with him, if you are wondering." Kagome pointed out then, and he felt his cheeks heating up. How did she know? "Come, they are waiting for us to prepare the food. We are cooking classmates, remember?"

The tone was meant to joke about it, yet InuYasha found himself liking the joke less and less by the moment.

They began their way back to the zones where the buildings of the temple were. The number of visitors had diminished considerably, most probably due to the hour and the growing cold, InuYasha thought.

"Is it finishing now?" He asked, as they left behind the sacred tree.

"It is. The temple will close in about half an hour." Kagome clarified.

He produced a sound to tell her he understood, and they went on their way without exchanging a word. They passed by the haiden, their steps taking them through the zone where the lonely pagoda with the well InuYasha had seen was. He had an impulse then, one of those most people would placate and forget inside one box of memory, and, every once in a while, would bring out and fantasize about what could have been. However, he had a bit of a daring side, and sometimes, even self-destructive.

He looked back, checking if there was somebody behind them and that the scarce people around them were ignorant to their steps. He took Kagome by the upper arm and pulled her close.

"What's wrong?" The question was pertinent.

"Not much." yet. He thought.

He opened the pagoda's door, just about enough for both of them to slip through, then closed it shut.

"InuYasha, what...?"

The rest of the question died in her mouth, feeling his fingers now tracing her lips, reaching the corners to part her lower lip and moist their tips in her saliva. Next, what touched her was his tongue, and she noted its taste and the way it caressed her. She could recognize those kisses, all of her system could, from the way in which her own thoughts were slowing down, contrasting with the frenetic beating of her heart, through the warmth under her skin and the lack of strength of her legs. His kiss was all of that.

"The lunch." She muttered, maybe in search of a way to shut down her conscience, and that InuYasha gave her a reason to abandon such responsibility.

Yet there were no words, only more kisses and the firm wooden wall behind her back, as well as his hands holding her fast by her hips, swaying her up and down in a lascivious caress that was heating up her blood.

And then, she gave in, seizing his face with both hands to keep him close, deepening the kiss he'd began. She let him handle her body and delighted herself in the touch of his hands. She heard him mutter something she didn't understand.

"What?" She sighed.

"Too many clothes." He repeated.

Kagome laughed, relieved for the first time since she arrived, and noted the overwhelming way in which her chest swelled out of emotion. She panted, seeking to release some to the pressure, and decided to enjoy the moment a bit more, her arms now on InuYasha's shoulders, wrist crossed, taking the initiative of the kiss away. Through her ears came his deep breath, then a yearning sigh, and she recognized herself in that gesture: the desire for a moment for just the two of them.

What was this turning into?

The question wandered in her mind, lost among the sensations coming from their tongues touching the soft and warm inside of their mouths, in an act of complete possession that was pleasantly natural for them. Kagome heard herself sighing once again, and felt the urgency that was beginning to invade InuYasha, his body pressing her against the wall with increasing intensity.

"Should we leave this for later?" Kagome expressed. It sounded like a question, but it was more of a suggestion.

"And what would happen if I don't want to?" The words came as an agitated murmur that Kagome felt on her lips. "I've got an excuse, after all I'm supposed to be a sex addict, aren't I?"

I'm supposed to be one too. She thought, yet she only wished to have sex with him right now. The though got to her, forcing her to rest her forehead on InuYasha's shoulder.

"I can't right now." The claim placed a burden of responsibility on her. Her family was close, and she couldn't take too long.

"What if we do it quickly?" The question was voiced on the curve of her neck, leaving kisses and licks on her skin underneath the hitoe. "Why so many clothes?" He complained again.

Kagome chuckled, and pondered how much they would take. Ten minutes? Fifteen?

She didn't get to decide it before InuYasha began to pull at the neck of the hitoe she was wearing, kissing the skin as he exposed it. She felt the warmth of his tongue, and the way he sucked softly, at first, on her clavicle, knowing how sensitive she was there. He took one of her hands, and she let him guide her, sighing when she noted the erection under the traditional garment.

"It isn't fair." She complained, grabbing the shape tightly.

"It isn't." He hissed.

She caressed him up and down. He breathed, panted by her ear, while one of his hands cupped and stroked one of her breasts, the clothes still in between. There was an exquisite teenager remembrance in that moment, and in some way, she felt relieved to be sharing that with InuYasha. For an instant, she wondered if it was possible to rewrite one's past.

"I think if you touch me directly I'll finish in five seconds." He confessed.

"And if I use my mouth?" She suggested, feeling how his erection pulsed inside her grip.

"You want to see me collapse?" He muttered, right before licking her ear.

"Always." The sigh was accompanied by a tremble provoked by his caress.

"Kagome." He whispered, seemingly asking for something, yet not voicing it.

She undid the hakama's knot, just about enough to drop his pants slowly, pulling aside as many of the clothes as possible. She enjoyed the tension of the sex, fighting to be freed. Touching with her thumps the marked veins, she heard InuYasha sighing, or panting, or both. She stopped when the tip was the only thing beneath the clothes, and let out a breath when the member rose, finally free. She looked him in the eyes then, almost as a warning.

InuYasha supported himself against the wooden wall with his hands as soon as Kagome kneeled.

"Crap." He hissed, feeling the warmth of her mouth taking over his sex until her lips touched his belly.

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To be continued.

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A/N

This is one of those moments when, if the reader doesn't kill me first, InuYasha will. XD

I hope you've enjoyed it.

Kisses!

Anyara.

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart