Disclaimers: I own only Toki and Sesshoumaru's hot tub. If you want, I'll throw in the study and bathroom as payment for borrowing the rest. But I'm keeping the tub.
Thank you:
Shikome kido mi - Naraku's desire in the manga versus this fic's presentation is going to be slightly different. I'm utilising his human greed to have his cake and eat it too. If he were to become a full youkai by removing his innate Onigumo-ness, it's like copping out off himself. The Onigumo here is still very much in control and desires to remain so.
As to Inuyasha's existence - he doesn't exist here. As for Sango's involvement, Naraku wants to eliminate anything that could possibly stand in his way - and a village of trained exterminators could put a crimp in his plans. The pack beast is not the two-headed dragon beast. It'll appear later in the story. Here, it's like Toutousai's ox but with two eyes. I hope this makes it clearer for everybody.
Crash4 - Don't worry, I promise not to leave this story hanging high and dry. At the most, I'll post all the available chapters. I've completed the first part so at the very least the Tessaiga story will be resolved. Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Flambeau-Willow - Well, here's a chapter with a LOT of Sess/Kag interaction. It's just an insert with some continuity but it can stand on it's own as a one-shot with minimal editing. Hope I manage to pull it off without too much embarrassment!
Familia-Ficz - Thanks for your praise! I'm blushing so red… Well, I'm constantly trying to bring Sess' character out in a way that is not too cold but neither is it too warm and fluffy. It really is a tightrope.
Tina, gatogirl, Shanahia, Pallas Athena1 and Lunatic Pandora1 - Your words of encouragement certainly inspire me to continue with the story despite my incredibly busy schedule. I hope this chapter continues to meet the standard. Thanks!
Chapter 6: Crime and Punishment
Sesshoumaru lingered over his early morning breakfast, his thoughts distant and contemplative. Jaken shuffled in periodically to clear the empty dishes and top up his master's cup with hot fragrant tea. He knew better than to ask his lord about the thoughts on his mind. This was a different silence from the usual and Jaken respectfully kept his distance until summoned. That was why he almost dropped the teapot when Sesshoumaru called out to him.
"Jaken, have the wench brought to my study after her breakfast."
"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," squeaked the small youkai before disappearing out the door.
Standing up from the table, Sesshoumaru loosened his shoulder muscles before allowing his tail to drape in its customary position. Walking towards the study, he wondered for the umpteenth time why he had done what he did last night. Shaking his head to clear those repetitive thoughts away, he impatiently pushed open the door to his study. The muted sunlight within the serenity of the room soon calmed him and he began to peruse the various documents and missives from the various provinces and territories. It was only the tentative knock on the door that drew his attention from his work.
"Enter," he replied and the door swung open to reveal Jaken.
"I have brought the wench as you have requested, Sesshoumaru-sama. Are there any further instructions for me?" Jaken asked as he bowed low before his lord.
"Settle the accounts owed me by the Yamamura village. I will summon you when required," came the stern reply.
"Yes, sire!" Jaken squawked before shoving a very reluctant Kagome into the youkai lord's presence.
Kagome managed to catch herself before she fell face down and forced herself to straighten her spine. After what had happened last night, Kagome was wondering if she should brave the dangers of the forest rather than remain in the company of a hungry dog youkai. For the hundredth time, she wondered what bad karma she had inherited from a previous life to result in her current predicament. She inwardly sighed before raising her eyes to meet that of the silver-haired man before her.
Watching the emotions play across her face was an interesting experience. He could smell the fear she carried and he smiled inwardly. But there was more to it than that. She looked tired but there was a glint of a challenge within the brown depths. Despite himself, Sesshoumaru was almost eager for this meeting.
"Approach me, wench," came the cold voice and Kagome almost jumped at it. She forced herself to stand before his seated figure and felt her lips thin in worry and increasing defiance. She was beginning to get very, very tired of being called 'wench'. First by this guy, then by that irritating toad-like creature that had escorted her to the study. It didn't help matters that Jaken had smacked her shins a couple of times to get her to move faster. She owed the little troll some pain - big time.
Sesshoumaru noticed the tensing of the girl's shoulders and a fire beginning to flare within her eyes. She was thinking of something that was fanning the anger within. Vaguely he remembered her earlier insistence that he call her by her name as opposed to 'wench'. No doubt this was triggering her fury. And Sesshoumaru was waiting to see the outcome of it. This human female was a curiosity he couldn't seem to resist. And he wanted to know everything he could about her before removing her from his presence permanently. It didn't take long.
"My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me. Is it that difficult to remember or do the people here have exceedingly short memory spans?" Kagome forgot herself and allowed the pent-up frustrations to overwhelm her. "It is not 'wench', 'girl' or 'bitch'! It is Kagome! Do you want me to write it down and stick it on my forehead so that you can read it for yourselves?"
Sesshoumaru eyed the girl as he began to sense a sudden change in her ki. The initial fear had vanished and behind the anger was another force. As she began her rant, it swirled about in an almost tangible wave. Sesshoumaru had never seen such raw energy coiling about a human - it was more that of higher level youkai who used it as a means of intimidation or preparing for battle. Instinctively, he began to heighten his own ki in response to hers.
Kagome paused in her tirade to take a breath when she felt something strange in the air about her. She couldn't see anything but a feeling of power seemed to be surrounding her. Puzzled, she glanced at the youkai lord and saw that he had risen from his seat. What alarmed her though was the unusual stance he took as well as the intense focus of his amber eyes now trained on hers. Blinking in surprise, only one thought crossed her mind.
'Uh-oh!'
Kagome dived as a silver blur shot towards where she had been standing a moment before. The energy she felt earlier had doubled in intensity and she had little time to ponder when a low growl alerted her to the youkai crouched by the door. Scrambling to her feet, Kagome edged back, her earlier anger replaced by fear. His eyes watched her closely, the earlier amber now bleeding red. The only thing separating them was the desk he had been seated at. And that could not be considered a barrier. In that moment, she saw the glint in his eyes, the only warning he gave before he launched himself towards her.
Later, Kagome could only recall that she had raised her hands in a futile gesture to stop him. What happened next was spectacular if a little confusing. The only thing she could compare it to was her earlier experience with that snake youkai from the well. The only difference here was that she saw the physical result of the energy blast that shot out of her to slam into the attacking youkai lord. For Sesshoumaru, the experience was something he had no desire to ever repeat. And he was one who learnt from the first lesson.
********************************************
Jaken and Toki heard the extremely loud crash from the direction of their master's study. For a moment, neither moved as they were stunned by the violence of the sound. Snapping out of their momentary stupor, they raced down the corridors to quickly investigate the cause. Skidding round the corner, Toki slammed in the suddenly still Jaken and both crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Looking up from their position on the ground, they couldn't believe their eyes at the scene they witnessed.
Their lord and master lay among the wreckage of his study door and table. Apparently, the force from his flying body also took out part of the surrounding structure of the doorway and several broken beams hung limply from the ceiling. A faint cloud of dust hung in the now still air giving the scene an almost ghostly feel. Faint creaks sounded as the roof overhead adjusted to the sudden change in the support beams. And standing with her hands limply outstretched was the human girl. For the two servants, the scene appeared to be very wrong.
Sesshoumaru couldn't suppress the groan that escaped as he struggled to push the blackness attempting to cloud his vision. His entire body ached as though he had been slammed through a brick wall… wait, his study door? Blinking slowly, he realised the position he was in. The broken wood clattered to the floor as he attempted to stand. He could smell his blood coming from the various cuts and splinters that had embedded themselves into his flesh. Damn but it was going be a bother to remove them. And his tail was filthy, curse it.
Still seated rather ungainly on the wood-strewn floor, he returned his attention to the stunned female in the remains of his study. She had her mouth opened in a small 'o' and her eyes looked glazed over. Sesshoumaru was almost amused at the dumbstruck picture she made. Unfortunately, he didn't dare attempt to break her neck for the insult she had shown him. The recent experience showed him how well she had managed to protect herself. The power within her was incredible.
Feeling his strength returning, Sesshoumaru stood up. The girl tensed and he deliberately made a show of dusting his clothing. He didn't want to provoke her anymore, the next blast would probably rip him in half. He sensed his servants peering round the corner and threw Jaken a 'come here now' glare. The toad quickly scuttled over for his instruction before scooting off to prepare the bath ordered. Deliberately keeping a calm, neutral mask on, Sesshoumaru entered the study to stand before the girl who had bested him in the fight. He could sense that her power had abated and the uneasy calm of her ki proved it.
"Your power is potent, Kagome. Now, follow me," Sesshoumaru calmly said before turning to walk through the gaping hole that now marked the study entrance. She had woken from her stupor and was regarding him with a mixture of fear, amazement and concern. He could understand the first two emotions but the concern piqued his curiosity. Surely she couldn't be worried about his health? No matter, what had happened served to cement the fact that this girl possessed powers strong enough to rival his – perhaps stronger. And Sesshoumaru was honest enough to admit that to himself especially after the recent event.
Kagome tried to process what had happened but her mind simply blocked out the incident for the moment. It did however, latch on to what he said. 'He called me by my name!' The thought seemed to perk her and she felt oddly at peace. It also sent a tiny tingle down her spine as she recalled the sound of her name as he said it. 'His voice is really mellow,' the thought came to mind. This then brought her back to the incident last night. Kagome would rather die before admitting that Sesshoumaru's presence in her room then had actually sent more than just a shiver of fear through her.
********************************************
"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!"
The shrill exclamation seemed to ricochet off the walls and set up loud vibrations within the taiyoukai's head. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, he released a low growl to get her attention. They were standing at the doorway of the Sesshoumaru's bathing chambers and Kagome had refused to take another step within. She had seemed subdued and a faint blush tinged her cheeks as she followed him. Her refusal to meet his eyes pricked at his curiosity. However, that had vanished the instant he had told her what he wanted her to do.
"I absolutely refuse to! It's-it's not proper," she stammered indignantly. Sesshoumaru wanted to roll his eyes at the excuse. "Why don't you let Jaken do it? He seems to be really keen on looking after you."
The fur on his tail bristled at the mention of his retainer looking after him in the way he wanted it. Jaken was not gentle with either hair or fur since he had neither. Sesshoumaru generally cared for himself and very rarely allowed any other person to touch him. But given the fact that Kagome had slammed him through the door together with his study table, he was determined to make her pay for it. And the best way in his opinion was to have her groom his dirty hair and fur. Besides, it was the best way to keep her continually off-balanced.
"You damaged my property and insulted the Lord of the Western Lands. A crime such as that demands instant execution. I don't believe that you are all that eager to face death," he stated humourlessly, secretly enjoying the look of horror that crossed her face at the threat. The indecision warred within her and he watched the battle in faint amusement. Sesshoumaru then pressed his advantage by hitting below the belt – he appealed to her conscience.
"Your attack has not only made me filthy but it has also injured me. I will require your assistance in tending to it."
It worked. Her eyes had widened at the word 'injured' and he could feel the guilt welling up from her. 'This female is so weak and trusting. How can she possess such power within her?' She bit her lower lip before nodding slowly in agreement. Stepping into the changing area, he waited for her to remove the dusty garments from his body. Arching his eyebrow at the sudden stricken look, he smirked slightly. His tail unwound itself from his right shoulder to rest in a thick pile by his feet. He noticed that her eyes followed its progress in amazement and her hands reach out to catch it.
He had tensed himself at her touch but it was gentle. She obviously had experience in handling fur. The thought prompted another less pleasant one – where had she learnt to? Pushing the thought aside he began to undo the ties to his clothing.
"What are you doing?" Kagome asked in a trembling voice. Her hands still cradled his tail but they were stiff.
"I'm removing my clothes."
"Must you?"
"Yes. Would there be some other reason for me not to do so?" It was this question that caused Kagome to drop his tail. Sesshoumaru stripped quickly and saw that she had turned her back to him. A wider smirk graced his features and he walked towards the filled washbasins and swiftly scrubbed himself down. All the while, Kagome resolutely maintained her stiff-backed posture as the soft sloshing continued behind her. He soon finished and made his way to the steaming tub. Sinking into the water, he allowed himself to relax. The girl remained with her back to him and he ignored her as the heat soothed the injured muscles and cleansed his skin.
Kagome couldn't believe that she was standing in a bathroom with a guy barely a couple of metres away lounging in a hot tub. It was like one of those weird and embarrassing dreams she'd had some time back. Only that dream had progressed further than where she was right now. But then again, how certain could she be that it wouldn't? Her hands were alternately clenching and relaxing, her anxiety mounting by the minute. She could feel the need to run out of the room beginning to overwhelm her.
"Kagome, wash my hair."
At the sound of his deep voice, she nearly passed out from the shock that jolted through her system. Struggling to calm her madly skipping heart, she peeked to see if he was decent. The water stopped at his shoulders and his hair had been left outside the tub. Despite her anxiety, Kagome was attracted by the silvery strands. She had wanted to touch them from the moment she had seen them and now the opportunity had presented itself. She found a stool and small washbasin before sitting by his hair. Now where was she going to get the water? Oh… Damn it.
Tentatively standing by his tub, Kagome held the washbasin out for him to fill it. His response was to simply crack open a single golden eye before ignoring her. Kagome fumed at the blatant disregard. Her anger flared briefly and she plunged the basin into the tub. The hot water stung her for a moment but she quickly removed a basin full. The water slopped and for a moment she debated whether to dump it over his head. Temptation was too great and a moment later, the mighty Lord of the Western Lands was spluttering from the dumped water.
"What in the seven hells was that for?!"
"You wanted me to wash your hair, right? I had to get it wet first," came the smart reply. Blinking the water out of his eyes, he took in the hands on her hips and the almost smug look on her face. A growl rumbled in his chest and the smugness disappeared. She huffed and seated herself behind his now soaked hair.
Kagome found a bottle of mildly scented liquid and quickly lathered it in her palms. She grinned as she began to work into his hair, the way he looked coughing and sputtering was just so funny. As she allowed the memory to replay itself in her head, her hands continued to work through the silky strands. As Kagome indulged in her favourite memory since her arrival in 'bad karma' land, Sesshoumaru had to stifle the urge to moan softly as her small hands massaged his scalp.
He had meant to teach her a lesson and even shock her but wondered if he had suckered himself as well. The way she ran her hands through his hair and the firm yet gentle massage of his scalp was just too good. Her lack of claws worked in his favour as it prevented any possible injury. Even when Sesshoumaru washed his hair, he considered it more of a chore due to his need to be careful. But with Kagome, he could take his pleasure from her deft yet gentle fingers. Without realising it, Sesshoumaru was now purring in delight.
The sound brought Kagome to the present. For a moment, she wondered what it was before realising that it was almost similar to what Buyo made when he had his fur stroked. Kagome's mouth opened and a smile curved across her face. This was just so cute! He was like a much bigger version of Buyo. Taking it as a challenge to see if she could make him purr louder, she redoubled her energy. True enough, his purrs increased in frequency and became deeper in volume. Unfortunately for Kagome, she was tiring. Giving him one last scalp rub, she stopped.
Sesshoumaru was barely aware of what he was doing. The hot soothing water coupled with the most incredible scalp massage had effectively reduced him to an exceedingly mellow individual. The tingle began to fade and only when Kagome dunked the basin into the tub did he rouse himself from his stupor. He noticed to soft smile on her lips and vaguely wondered at it. Her ki was calm and a hint of happiness danced along it. He felt the warm water gently sluice its way down his hair and he instinctively tilted his head further back. He closed his eyes and allowed his other senses free reign.
Soft, damp hands brushed against his forehead before the fingers slicked their way down through the wet strands. Another dunk into the tub and the final rinse was complete. He heard her move away and felt a quick regret that it was all over. Inwardly sighing, he pulled himself out off the tub. He heard her squeak in shock but ignored it. Reaching for the towel, he was about to wipe his face when he saw her red face looking away. A wicked thought entered his head and he decided to get back at her for his earlier soaking - he shook his water-sodden tail.
"GYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
********************************************
Author's Notes:
This was a fun chapter to write! I've always wanted to do a bathroom scene with Sesshy and now I got my wish! I guess most of you are wondering why he's so lenient on Kagome. Well, she literally blasted him through a door into the next wall so he's learnt not too scare her too much. And because his pride's too strong, he had to find another way of getting back at her.
I've been reading the manga recently and have realised that aside from his fight scenes with Inu Yasha, he actually smiles fairly often in the earlier volumes. He also appears more child-like with the round features and it's only during the Rin chapter that he starts to look more matured. Compared to the anime, I prefer the manga one more with regards to this story. But I find the anime one WAY sexier… and the VOICE! *melts*
Sesshoumaru appears more tolerant simply because there is no hanyou brother to piss him off. I love Inu-chan but because I intend this to be a very strict Sess/Kag fic, our favourite hanyou won't make an appearance. [Well, at least not in the near future. I try not to be too rigid with my story] I want to make it light-hearted as I believe Sess has a hidden playful streak within. And Kagome would be the one to find it. What do you think?
Anyway, I hope you can let me know what you think of the story so far. I like reviews as they let me know what I'm doing right or wrong. So please tell me what you think of my fic – I would really appreciate it. Till then, ja mata ne!