DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha or the book called 'Hasse Simonsdochter' written by Thea Beckman, nor do I own the characters of these two stories!! But I do own the idea of mixing these two ingredients into a new story.
INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS:
Members of the group mercenaries under Sesshoumaru's authority: Renkotsu, Kyoukotsu and Kouga
Renkotsu: A full-blooded youkai that uses his breath of fire to fight. He's a youkai that thinks himself smarter than Sesshoumaru most of the time. He joined Sesshoumaru after he challenged him and totally lost. He knew Kyoukotsu long before joining the group but isn't related to him.
Kyoukotsu: A full-blooded youkai that uses his huge claws and sharp teeth to fight. He's quite submissive towards his leader and very prone to make mistakes because he's got more muscles than brains (figuratively ^-^). He was recruited after Renkotsu introduced him. He's not as tall as in the series; he's only one head taller than Renkotsu.
Kouga: A full-blooded wolf youkai that possesses a very high speed. He uses his fist and legs in combination with his speed to fight. He's very loyal to Sesshoumaru, mostly because Sesshoumaru saved his life before. He's very kind and speedy, but he doesn't think a lot before he acts.
Italic: thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
~*~*~*~*~: time gap
*...* : noises
-by Kittymui-
Meeting up with companions
Daylight broke through the window and shone on Sesshoumaru's face, causing him to wake up.
His eyes shot open when he realized Kagome was gone. He looked around. Her clothes and weapons are gone too!
"Kagome?!" he yelled as he sat up. The blanket covered his lower body.
"What are you panicking for?" a familiar voice spoke from the doorway.
Sesshoumaru was relieved to see it was Kagome. She was wearing her 'maid' clothes
again, this time without the apron.
[AN: In case you forgot, it was a ragged gray dress with a V-shaped neckline.]
He noticed that she was holding something in both her hands. When he looked down, he realized she was holding three dead rabbits in one hand and a bow in the other. All three rabbits were injured at their eyes.
"I went out hunting, food doesn't fall from the skies you know." she smirked, noticing the surprised look on Sesshoumaru's face.
Kagome threw the bodies on the floor and knelt down to unequip herself. "It's easy..." she pointed at the injured eyes of the rabbits. "...especially at night, because their eyes lit up by the moonlight."
When Kagome didn't hear anything, she turned to look at Sesshoumaru. "Are you even listening__" she said, slightly annoyed but stopped when she saw the gaze that Sesshoumaru was giving her.
It was a proud look, but Kagome swore she could also see lust in those eyes.
"Sesshoum__" Kagome was cut off when he suddenly pounced at her, causing her to fall backwards and lay flat on the floor. The blanket flew off of his body and his completely naked body was on top off Kagome.
Kagome could hear some rumbling sound coming from Sesshoumaru as he nuzzled her neck. Is he purring...? she wondered surprised.
"Sesshoumaru?"
"You're really something, you know that?" she heard Sesshoumaru growl in her neck. "You make me prouder every minute...it makes me want to take you right now..."
Kagome started to struggle under him. "Stop it." she giggled. "I've already washed myself this morning."
Sesshoumaru suddenly picked her up and walked to the balcony.
[AN: YUP!! Sesshoumaru is still NAKED!! *droooool* :D~]
"W-what are you doing?" Kagome asked as she looked down.
Sesshoumaru said nothing and grinned wickedly. He suddenly jumped into the air and landed right in the middle of the creek.
*SPLASH*
Water splashed and Sesshoumaru was standing in the creek with the water at the height of his chest. He was still carrying Kagome, who was only above the water surface with her head and shoulders. White silver hair and raven black hair danced with each other on the water surface.
Kagome looked annoyed. "Great...now you've done it..." she muttered as she wiped the water of her face.
"Angry?" he smirked. "I know you like it as much as I do...I can smell it." he said, emphasizing the 'smell' word.
Kagome looked up at him and grinned before she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him.
Sesshoumaru kissed her back and sank into the water, pulling Kagome with him.
~*~
Before they completely relaxed, Sesshoumaru held Kagome tight and jumped back into the tree house again.
~*~*~*~ In the afternoon ~*~*~*~
Kagome was riding on the horse. She changed her clothes and was now wearing
a navy blue yukata with imbedded white flowers. She stole it from her mother's
wardrobe a couple of months ago. Her hair was loose and dancing in the wind
as breezes blew pass her.
Sesshoumaru was walking in front of the horse and holding the rein in his hand.
They were traveling on an unpaved path on a low dyke that separated the woods.
The dyke wasn't high enough for them to be higher than the trees.
"Where are we heading to?" Kagome asked.
"We're heading North, " he replied. "to a town called Paedra. My companions are waiting for me there."
"Companions?"
"I am the leader of a group mercenaries." he explained. "We had agreed to meet up in Paedra."
"When I was heading there to meet up with them, I heard a girl cry out for help and I deviated from my path." He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Kagome. "And you know the rest."
Kagome returned a smile and they both became silent during the whole travel; both enjoyed the nature as they made their way through the forest.
Kagome knew what mercenaries did; they get hired by people and get paid for getting the job done. And the job mostly involved killing. But she wasn't surprised or scared at all, to hear that her husband was a mercenary. What could be more surprising than marrying a full-blooded inuyoukai? she chuckled in her mind.
~*~*~*~
"Let us rest here for a while." Sesshoumaru said as they reached an open area with a small lake.
"You stay here and guard the horse. I will get us some fresh water." he commanded before he turned and walked away.
Kagome descended from the horse and sat down near a high and old Oak tree. She closed her eyes and began to hum a melody that her mother used to sing to her when she was still a baby.
She stopped when she heard the horse neigh and opened her eyes. "Who's there?" she asked.
"That was such a lovely tune, why stop?" a voice spoke from behind the tree that Kagome was leaning against.
Kagome immediately jumped up and turned around. "Show yourself!!" she commanded.
The person came from behind the tree. It was a youkai.
He had black hair tied in a ponytail and he wore brown fur on his lower arms and legs. Kagome noticed his brown tail.
"You're a wolf youkai..." she concluded.
"Smart girl." the youkai smirked.
He approached her. "Such a pretty girl like you shouldn't wander around alone in this forest."
Kagome took a step backwards. "I'm not...and don't you dare come closer!" she gritted her teeth.
Despite her warning, the youkai was already standing in front of Kagome within a blink of an eye. He sniffed her. "I can smell you're already taken..." he grabbed her chin. "...but that does not matter."
He felt her body tense and chuckled. "How foolish of your mate to leave you alone like that." He leaned closer.
*SLAP*
The youkai blinked for a moment. His cheek was stinging and red.
When he looked at the person who slapped him, he saw an enraged expression on her face.
"I'm NOT defenseless like any other weak human!!" she spat furiously.
The youkai touched his red cheek and could only stare at her.
"It seems that my interference would not be necessary." a voice spoke
amused. The youkai and Kagome quickly turned to the person who spoke.
"S-Sesshoumaru!!" Kagome cried relieved and ran to him.
Sesshoumaru spread out his free arm and put it around Kagome after she reached his chest.
His other hand was holding a small bamboo shoot filled with water.
"Surely Kouga, you should have known better and think twice before you go and touch my mate." Sesshoumaru smirked.
Kouga's eyes widened. "P-please forgive me!! I didn't know she was yours!! P-please forgive my impudent behavior!!" he shrieked.
"Use your nose better next time." Sesshoumaru growled. "Where is the rest?"
T-they are already waiting for us in Paedra." he replied obediently, recovering from his shock.
Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome. "It's okay, he's one of my companions." he reassured her. "His name is Kouga and he's from the wolves' tribe." Kagome slightly nodded.
~*~*~*~
"So...how did you end up with such a pretty angel?" Kouga asked as they traveled up North. He was walking next to Sesshoumaru, who was walking in front of the horse where Kagome was riding on.
Kagome blushed.
"I saved her life when she was attacked by three men." Sesshoumaru explained. "I killed one of them in the process and was sentenced to death until Kagome came out of the crowd and pleaded for my life. She saved my life by becoming my mate."
"Saved by an angel huh? Lucky bastard!" Kouga teased. "You ain't gonna find another one like Kagome, I tell you!"
Kagome became even redder than before. "Would you stop that? You're embarrassing me!!" she cried.
Sesshoumaru couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing. Kagome and Kouga soon joined the laughter.
~*~*~*~ Two days later ~*~*~*~
They've finally reached Paedra. It was another town, about 2 times bigger than Pali.
Sesshoumaru, Kagome and Kouga made their way to the inn. The inn was totally made of wood, except for the roof. It had two floors; on the ground floor there was the dining room with tables and a counter and the rooms for rent are all located on the first floor, together with the bathrooms. Next to the inn there was a huge barn attached, where horses and carriages could be parked.
A small boy led the horse to the barn and Kagome followed him to help take care of the horse. Sesshoumaru and Kouga, on the other hand, went inside the building to meet up with the rest of the group.
When they entered the dining room, they saw two familiar youkai at the window staring at something outside.
One of them had a light-blue headscarf on his head, tied on the base of his neck and the rest of the scarf resting on his back. Although his head is covered, you could clearly see that he was completely bald under the headscarf. He was wearing a white haori with gray armor over it and a white hakama. His armor looked more like a vest made of iron, covering his back and chest, with wide shoulder straps on each of his shoulders.
The other one also had a humanoid figure but is much broader and taller than the first one. He has spiky turquoise colored hair. He's wearing a huge armor of good quality over his bare upper body; covering a bit of his lower body. Below the armor, he's wearing a black legging.
Sesshoumaru and Kouga approached them. Sesshoumaru became quite annoyed when he realized it was Kagome that they were staring at through the window. The window actually led to the stable and through it you could see Kagome tending her horse. Her beautiful raven black hair rested on her shoulders as she brushed the back of her horse.
He became even more annoyed when one of the youkai made a comment. "She's really cute for a human, don't you agree Kyoukotsu?"
Feeling the increasing anger coming from Sesshoumaru, Kouga quickly coughed to get their attention. "Ahum...that girl is already taken, you know?" he coughed, hoping that they would get the message.
"Shut up, Kouga. Can't you see that Renkotsu and I are busy?" Kyoukotsu snarled, without taking his eyes off of Kagome. They didn't seem to notice Sesshoumaru standing behind them.
"I don't even care whether she's taken or not," Kyoukotsu almost drooled as he continued. "I'm only thinking about pouncing at her and taking her right there, right now." he smirked.
Oops...wrong answer... Kouga thought scared as he felt more anger coming from their leader and he backed away.
"Even if she's taken by me?" Sesshoumaru suddenly asked.
Finally Renkotsu turned around, annoyed. He has slightly slit eyes and two wide dark-purple vertical lines running from his eyelids to his chin on both his cheeks. A strange mark, with the same color as the marks on his cheeks, could be seen on his forehead, it kind of looked like the head of a bull with two long horns.
He widened his eyes as he realized it was their leader who asked the question. He became even more scared when Kyoukotsu continued to be rude to Sesshoumaru.
"I said I do NOT care by whom the girl's taken!!" Kyoukotsu roared irritated.
Renkotsu quickly prodded him with his elbow.
"W-why it's Sesshoumaru!! We didn't know you've already arrived!!" he spoke with a clear and loud voice so that Kyoukotsu couldn't miss it.
Kyoukotsu froze and gulped as soon as he heard the name of their leader. He slowly turned around, only to find himself facing a very VERY annoyed Sesshoumaru. Kyoukotsu had scars all over his face and very sharp teeth could be seen as he dropped his jaw.
Although Sesshoumaru's face was as emotionless as always, his gaze was definitely saying: "One more wrong word and I won't hesitate in shredding you into pieces."
Shivers were sent to his spine when Kyoukotsu saw the sudden smirk on Sesshoumaru's face.
"Pounce at her and take her..." he repeated Kyoukotsu's words slowly, while suppressing his anger. "...right there...right now, huh?"
Sweatdrops formed on Kyoukotsu's forehead. "Y-yurushite kudasai!!!" he cried out terrified. "If I knew she was yours, I wouldn't dare saying those impudent words!!"
Sesshoumaru's rage cooled down as he saw the terrified expression on Kyoukotsu's face. At least they still remember who has the authority. he thought to himself.
*silence*
"So these are your companions." a voice suddenly spoke.
Everyone, except Sesshoumaru, were caught off guard and almost jumped up of
surprise.
"Come here Kagome, let me introduce them to you." he said, slightly amused to see the surprised faces.
He pointed at Renkotsu and Kyoukotsu respectively. "This is Renkotsu and Kyoukotsu."
Kagome nodded and bowed slightly. "I'm Kagome, nice to meet you both." she smiled.
Both their gazes shifted to their leader first. When an approving look was given, they turned to Kagome again. "P-pleasures all mine, Kagome-sama." they both said at the same time.
~*~*~*~
After dinner, Sesshoumaru sent Kagome back to their room first, telling her that he and his companions were going to discuss about the next plans. Kagome wanted to object and attend the discussion but she obeyed instead, since she became quite weary of the travel.
We have traveled for two days already without taking long breaks. Kagome thought as she brushed her hair in front of the mirror. I wonder how far we are from Pali...
She looked at her reflection. "Everybody seems to only find me pretty after I left Pali..." Kagome smiled to herself. "I'm so glad I haven't made the wrong decision."
She stood up and sat on the edge of the huge bed. "I'm finally free from
those horrible townspeople and I'm married to someone who cares about me and
is proud of me." Kagome thought aloud and let herself fall backwards on
the soft bed.
It was a double bed made of wood and the snow-white mattress was covered by
a soft burgundy colored quilt made of wool. The pillows were also burgundy and
just as soft as the quilt.
"Hmm, I wonder if I can get my own weapons and armor and fight beside Sesshoumaru." she mused.
"Now that sounds more like the mate of I, Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru said proudly.
Kagome shot up of surprise. "Don't you knock!?" she gasped.
Sesshoumaru smirked and walked towards the bed. "I did, love, but you were so deep in though that you didn't hear it." he explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed, next to Kagome.
"So...how did the discussion go?" Kagome asked.
"Well, first I had to explain why I was delayed." he started. "After that we've decided to pay a visit to the counselor who lives here to see if there are any missions for us."
Kagome gave him a puzzled look. "Missions?"
"Whenever the king needs something to be done at a certain place, he will send messages to the counselors of the nearby cities or towns. These counselors will then hire people like use to get the missions done." he explained patiently.
"Oh, I get it." Kagome acknowledged.
"But before we do that, I will take you out shopping first." he added.
"Shop for what?" she asked bewildered.
"Let's see, first of all, to get you some clothes, male as well as female ones." he replied casually.
Kagome's eyes grew wide. "You want me to dress like a man!?!" she shrieked.
Sesshoumaru gave her an indifferent look. "Like a man? No. Like a boy? Yes. Why? Because I don't want to shred every human or youkai into pieces when they can't take their eyes or hands off of my attractive mate."
Kagome smirked. "Well, aren't we possessive today?" she chuckled.
Sesshoumaru's expression became serious. "Not only today, love," he growled as he leaned closer and nuzzled her neck. "as long as there is life in this body, this youkai will NOT let you be touched by someone else except himself."
"Oh? What about females?" Kagome teased.
He pulled away and looked at her with an annoyed expression.
Kagome tapped his nose with her index finger. "Just kidding you silly." she giggled. "Anyway, what are we going to buy besides clothes?"
"Didn't you say you wanted weapons of your own?" Sesshoumaru smiled.
Kagome's eyes widened. "You'll buy them for me!?" she gasped. When Sesshoumaru nodded, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Arigatou!!"
"But..." Sesshoumaru suddenly added, pulling Kagome away to face her. "you have to promise me that you will stop using them when the time comes."
"When the time comes...?" Kagome asked.
He pointed at her stomach. "When you are carrying our pup." he explained.
"That's not fair!!! I can defend myself and fight perfectly, even when I'm carrying a baby, in or outside my belly!!" Kagome pouted.
"I will not risk the life of my cub nor my mate who is carrying one." he reasoned. "I might not be able to protect the both of you."
"I can!" Kagome argued. "I can protect myself and my baby!"
"You are NOT going to fight when you are carrying a pup and that's final!" he yelled.
This is really going nowhere... Kagome thought as she kept looking at him. I guess I should be grateful that he's at least allowing me to use weapons.
Kagome's eyes softened. "Oh alright, I promise you." she finally gave in.
"Promise me what?" Sesshoumaru responded, calming himself.
Kagome leaned onto his chest. "I promise not to fight when I'm pregnant."
Sesshoumaru relaxed after hearing her words and put his arms around her. "But_" she added and pulled back a little. "I will pick up my weapons once again as soon as our child is old enough!"
Sesshoumaru smiled and puller her closer to place a kiss on her temple. "I wouldn't expect my mate to become an obedient housewife after she gave birth to our first pup." he snickered before he leaned closer and kissed her.
Kagome smiled in their kiss and threw her arms around his neck to lean onto the kiss.
They slowly settled themselves under the quilt after parting their lips. Sesshoumaru lay on his back and Kagome snuggled closer until she was leaned on his chest and he responded by putting his arms around her protectively and holding her close.
Sesshoumaru waited until his mate was asleep before he let it claim him too.
Vocabulary:
Yurushite kudasai: Please forgive me.
Posted: 30 July 2003
Last Edited: 12 February 2004 (re-edited because of tags problem)
Spelling check: YES