In the previous chapter, Sesshomaru decides to follow Kagome on her quest to find the last of the shards, so that he may then take her as his mate. Inuyasha reluctantly agrees to let him along, but Kagome has some more thinking to do.
For the record (ahem): I do not own, in whole or in part, any part of the Inuyasha franchise. Nor do I own any of the characters from said franchise that is used forthwith. The following story is solely based on the ramblings of a college student at a boring job and is not to be taken or believed as part of the true Inuyasha saga. That being said, please enjoy my first attempt at fan fiction. Feel free to critique ad nauseum. (Whew!)
Chapter Two – A Romantic Interloper
The moment he could, Miroku whisked Sango off the path to the river and behind a large tree. They were not alone. He knew that they were still within earshot of the hanyou in the group, as well as the little kitsune. But, it was secluded enough for a few private words. He had his chance; he wanted another try at convincing her to be with him. She was backed up against the tree, his arms and body keeping her a captive audience. But he lost his train of thought as he looked into her eyes.
Yes, he had meant only to talk with her. Without even thinking he bent his head and touched his lips to hers, feeling the petal softness, the sweetness as her lips opened. Fire rushed through him, and he leaned into her, pressing her between him and the tree. Yet even this wasn't close enough. He desperately needed to be closer to her...
Sango felt her sanity slipping. She honestly did not mean to come to the river to be seduced by him. She wanted a bath. But that thought was pushed out of her mind the moment he pinned her to the tree. Suddenly the scenes Kagome had described between her and Sesshomaru made more sense. The forceful way Miroku took control of the situation made her want to do whatever he wanted. But, she knew that this was neither the time nor the place to do what they both wanted desperately to do. She put her hands on his shoulder, pushing him gently but firmly from her mouth.
Not to be dissuaded, Miroku began an assault on her neck, deciding that perhaps the oldest methods were the best. He had always tried talking to her and getting nowhere. Now, he figured he would try to seduce her the old fashioned way.
"Miroku, please..."
He smiled against her throat, nuzzling the softness he found there. "I am going as fast as I can." He raised his head, his hands now gripping her waist. "But, if you insist, I can go faster."
Between giggles and dodging his advances, she had almost forgotten why she had tried to stop him. Sango was about to just let him do whatever he wanted when a fierce wind swept past them. "What was that, Miroku?"
"I thought by now that you would know..." he said, before he realized that she was talking about something else entirely. He picked his head up reluctantly from the nestle of her neck and looked in the direction of the village. "That, my dear, was trouble. I fear that your... bath... will have to wait."
"You don't mean that was..."
"Yes. It was Kouga." He picked up his forgotten staff and her change of clothes. "This is all we need."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kouga knew that his Kagome was back in the village. He had heard some pretty distressing stories over the past couple of weeks, and he needed to see if it were true. If so, he would have his hands full fighting both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru for her hand. She really is getting to be too much to handle.
Sesshomaru sensed another youkai in the vicinity a scant moment before Kouga appeared. I have to hand it to the mongrel, he is fast with those jewel shards in him. I should have sensed him a long time before he got here. He stayed in the trees, wondering idly what his business was with the village. Although he didn't know what that was, he had an odd feeling that he wasn't going to like it.
He stopped not ten feet in front of Kagome, his hands snatching hers before she even knew he was there. "Kagome. I know that you missed me just as much as I missed you. I am here to calm your worried heart."
The taiyoukai's demeanor did not change, but his claw was gripping the bark he was sitting on so hard that its poison started to eat away at the core of the branch.
Kagome did not know what to do. He was always over the top. A giggle bubbled up from her throat before she could stop it. "Kouga, please. Now is not the time. Go away."
He put one hand to his heart, the other still gripping her hands. "Kagome, you wound me. If I thought you were serious, I would die of a broken heart right here on the spot."
Kouga senses that something is different in Kagome. "What's wrong, Kagome?"
She shifted her feet, not really sure how to address the situation. With Inuyasha it was different. I knew he would blow up, but didn't really think he would be harmed by the outcome. With Kouga, I am not so sure. He might very well get himself killed over this. He doesn't know when to quit. Her fears were confirmed when Sesshomaru jumped down from his perch behind Kouga, facing Kagome.
Kouga sniffed the air, and his faced looked as if he smelled something noxious. "I thought I sensed a foul odor." He turned to face Sesshomaru, whose normally stoic face had a slight sneer.
He is going to call him out, I know it. Kagome tried to get Kouga to release her hands, feeling Sesshomaru's eyes burning into them. But Kouga held her fast, misinterpreting her actions.
"Don't worry, my Kagome," a snarl emitted from Sesshomaru's lips, "I'll dispatch of him so you never have to worry about him again."
Inuyasha had come up behind the scene, watching with amusement. "Kouga, you better let her go. My brother dear is not going to let you live much longer if you don't."
Kouga immediately turned to pin Kagome with his eyes. "Is this true, Kagome? Tell me all that I have heard are just rumors."
When Kagome said nothing to him, Sesshomaru decided to take matters into his own hands, his inu youkai form deciding to take over his calm demeanor. "Let her go."
Kouga dropped her fingers, but only to turn his full attention on this interloper. "What do you want with her?"
"That is none of your business, pup." Although his voice sounded like his regular calm, both Inuyasha and Kagome noticed that his eyes were slowly turning red.
Kouga bristled at those words. Pup? I am the leader of my clan. Who is he to tell me what to do. He straightened his back, clenched his fists, and made a bold step toward Sesshomaru.
Kagome made a move to step in between them, but Inuyasha quickly grabbed her sleeve. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I think that this is something that Kouga must learn for himself."
She looked aghast at her friend. "What do you mean?"
Inuyasha smirked. "I mean that he has had this coming for years now. He never knows when to shut up, because he is the head of his clan. It is about time someone showed him that he cannot assume that everything is his for the taking."
"You sound as if you were proud of Sesshomaru."
The smile left his face as he realized that for a moment he was. "Well, there is no denying that Sesshomaru is strong."
She turned back to the stare down. "That is what I am afraid of."
"And I have been meaning to get him to leave you alone. We just haven't seen him around recently, that's all." Inuyasha lowered his head. Admitting that he had been lax in his attention to Kagome, even if she were someone else's responsibility now, was still embarrassing.
Kagome ignored what he said, or at least the meaning behind it. "This is not the time to assuage your pride, Inuyasha. We've got to stop them before he tears him apart."
"Who?"
She wrenched her arm free. "Does it matter?"
She jumped in between the two rivals, and Sesshomaru's eyes snapped to hers. "Get out of the way, Kagome," Kouga growled, without taking his eyes off of his foe. "I've been wanting a piece of this guy for a long time now."
"No." She hissed, trying to tell Sesshomaru to back down.
"Move, Kagome," Sesshomaru reiterated Kouga's words at his woman.
She shook her head, but she was feeling anything but brave. He looks as if he is ready to kill. I cannot have him ripping Kouga to shreds. He just needs to be told that I am not his woman anymore. Not that I ever really was. "Sesshomaru, let me talk to him. He will understand me."
"No!" A louder growl came out of his mouth, and both he and Kouga adjusted their stance, ready to fight for her.
""Sesshomaru, please. I don't want you to kill him."
The pity she felt for him was his undoing. "Out of the way miko," he hissed as his inu youkai took over. He will not take what is mine. He turned his attention away from Kagome and viciously swiped at Kouga with his poison claw. The sudden attack made its intended statement, taking a slice out of Kouga's arm before he could move out of the way. Kouga, in his hurry to get to fighting, simply took it upon himself to push Kagome out of the way. She tripped on the hem of her green kimono and fell on her hands and knees in the dirt.
This did not have the desired effect Kouga hoped for. Instead of concentrating on the fight, Sesshomaru momentarily regained his sanity in his concern for his chosen mate. He reached over and held out his hand to help Kagome up. She sat there, on her knees, for a moment, still a little surprised that Kouga pushed her. Like I am back at school. Boys don't care what they are fighting about, as long as they are fighting.
Sensing an opportunity, Kouga charged Sesshomaru's side, ripping a gaping hole in the side of his white kimono. Sesshomaru involuntarily jerked to the side, clenching his waist and forcing him into a sort of candy-cane bend. Unfortunately, Kouga had struck the side without an arm for protection, so his claws had managed to take a sizable chunk out of him.
Without a word or a growl, Sesshomaru stood up and turned to face his opponent. Kouga noticed that the great Lord's eyes were now as red as blood. Good. Now he is prepared to fight me.
It was Kaede and Shippo who helped Kagome to her feet. "Let's get her into the hut. It should be far enough away for her not to hear any of this." Shippo agreed with Kaede's words, and they helped a stunned Kagome up and out of the fray.
He could be hurt, or dying. And it was as if he didn't care. He wants to kill Kouga. Kagome thought, or more accurately screamed, in her head. But her voice wouldn't work. She knew the look she saw in his eyes. He wasn't thinking like his normal, ice-prince self. He was possessed. Like Inuyasha gets sometimes with the innate bloodlust. He wanted a fight more than air.
Then why did he stop to help me? He warned me to get out of the way twice. Even if he did snarl it at me, he didn't push me out of the way like Kouga did. Did he want to fight? Or was it something he knew he couldn't control?
As if she could read Kagome's mind, Kaede cooed "Don't fret yourself trying to think of answers to those questions in ye'r head. Ye know that demons are different than humans. His control couldn't overcome his baser nature."
Baser nature? Is this something they all have? Why can't I ever fall in love with someone who won't become possessed every time they experience an emotion? Kagome finally overcame her shock and started crying.
Shippo looked nervous, hopping back and forth on his tip toes. "Kagome, why are you crying?"
She didn't even try to stem their flow. "I... don't... know..." she wailed through blubbers, and threw herself down onto the tatami.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hours after the battle began, Sesshomaru began to notice that the fight had ended up outside the village in a clearing. Whether it was from their doing or the villagers' he didn't know or care. He was still fighting with this fop because, with those crystal shards in his legs and arm, he was stronger than he ought to be. He didn't get another sucker punch in like he had at first, but he was still giving as well as he got.
Even through his inu bloodlust haze, his conscious could still be heard. I have to admire him for not knowing how to give up, but he should know he will not win. Kagome is mine. The thought brought him back to the look Kagome had given him when he tried to help her up. She was scared. She acted as if she didn't recognize me. I cannot seem to control my inu youkai anymore. It is screaming out for something I am not able to give it right now. And this fight will have to do.
Sesshomaru redoubled his efforts to finish with the wolf prince. Drawing his sword, he decided that he had to fight fire with fire. If the whelp will not fight without the shards, I see no reason why I should fight without my sword.
Kouga drew himself a little farther back. He knew Sesshomaru's skill with his weapon. Had witnessed it firsthand on more than one occasion. I don't know how much longer I can go on. He doesn't even seem phased by that gash I tore into his side. But, if I quit now, I can never have Kagome as mine again. "Give up, Sesshomaru. She doesn't belong with you."
A small sneer re-emerged on Sesshomaru's stone face. "What makes you think that she should be with you."
Kouga laughed. "Because. I am not afraid to show her how I feel. When I touch her, I know that she likes the feel of my hand. And when I mate with her... you get the idea."
With a look of murderous intent, Sesshomaru lifted the sword over his head and ran headlong at the wolf so fast that all Kouga could do was watch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sesshomaru stood with one hand still gripping his sword, and the other pressed flat against the outside wall of the hut, leaning into the room, which was as far as he got when he saw her. And he didn't move from that spot; at least his body didn't. Behind the stoic façade his eyes roamed all over her body. From her soft, dark hair, tinted with firelight, to her eyes that were still puffy from crying, all the way to her toes, peeking out from the bottom of that incredible sheath of shining green satin. And what was in between – Kami help him. No matter how many times he saw her, he felt as if he were punched in the stomach. He knew she had been crying for him; she thought he had been seriously hurt. And that simple knowledge reduced him to ashes.
Kagome simply stared back at him, having only recently begun to breathe again. She knew that he was not seriously hurt in the fight, but the sight of blood pouring from his side sent her into a maelstrom of emotions so strong she had wanted to tear Kouga limb from limb with her bare hands. And it was this package of emotions that had made her unable to move or speak. Even now, speech was still beyond her, as was movement. She was afraid to take a step, for fear that her knees would buckle. And that wasn't her only fear. His eyes, usually so opaque, were blazing now with such red heat she felt scorched by them, but thrilled beyond measure. She couldn't help it, not when she recalled that he had rarely been gentle with her, and looked anything but gentle now.
Without taking his eyes from her, Sesshomaru stepped far enough into the hut to close the door behind him. Even as he closed the door, his eyes never wavered from her.
Kagome wanted him. Even though she feared for the life of a friend a few moments ago; even though she knew she would be getting raw passion rather than gentle lovemaking. She just knew that the anxiety she had felt for his wellbeing had translated into a similar fire, and she couldn't imagine anyone else touching her the way only he touched her.
All that Sesshomaru sensed in her silence was her fear, which still inflamed him in the primitive state he was in. He knew that Kagome did not want them to be intimate this close to her friends. And in the back of his mind he knew she did not instigate this duel, or this heated meeting, and he might have to pay for it afterward. But he did not care. He was in no fit state to tamp down the raw need in his inu soul to release the passions fanned by the fight for his intended mate, and that would only be quelled by her. Without another word, he crossed to her and immediately threaded his fingers in her hair to grasp her head and tilt it back, applying enough pressure so there was no escaping his mouth as it lowered to cover hers. And as she had anticipated, it was a ravaging kiss, fraught with need too long denied, searing and hurting and animalistic.
But Kagome understood the emotion behind it, or thought she did. Sesshomaru was probably furious with her for commanding him not to kill her friend, but even more furious with himself for letting her do it. And that meant that he had to curb the inu youkai soul within him that craved the bloodlust on top of fighting with Kouga. So, now it was up to her to bring that fury back down. She shoved desperately against his chest until he raised his head. His hand loosened in her hair, but stayed where it was, tangled in her hair. As long as she didn't move too far away, it didn't hurt. But she knew he could yank her back at any second, that he was merely allowing them both a moment to catch their breath.
His was barely faster than normal. Her breath was ragged and grasping, instead of calming, and it only became more so as she watched his eyes drift down her body, taking in everything again at this closer range. When his eyes lighted again on hers, he knew that she was willing. It was there; not fear or anxiety, just passion. That knowledge acted like fuel to a raging fire in him. He groaned as his hand left her hair, traveling slowly down her cheek, over her throat, to rest on her upper breast. He could feel her heartbeat, wild and strong.
Kagome sighed as she realized that his bloodlust was giving way to his arousal; there was no need to fear his touch. She offered her mouth and he took it, with enough pressure to fan her desire but not enough to alarm or bruise her. When she pressed closer and tried to wrap her arms around him she learned that the savagery was gone, but not the impatience.
Sesshomaru wanted everything at once, to touch her, look at her, claim her once and for all as his mate. He wanted to be inside her all ready, but he wanted the feel of her mouth on his to last forever. So, without breaking the kiss, he hooked his thumb under the collar of the kimono. By the time he lifted his mouth from hers again, he had slid the kimono down both sides to hang around her waist by the tie of the dark green sash. Only then was he tempted to lean back, and that merely increased his impatience. She was more beautiful than he remembered, and it felt as if he hadn't touched her in centuries. Perhaps because this time they were not outside in the dark, but in a warmly lit hut, and he was basking in the glow of a fresh victory over a rival.
He was unaware that he had let out a low growl until he felt her hands on his chest, working their way under his kimono. Or trying to. He returned to her state of undress, but it wouldn't budge past her hips. "I think I knotted the sash a little too tight in my haste."
"Do you care?"
"Not really," she said. But clearly she was too busy trying to undress to bother with the meaning behind that statement. One sharp claw ripped right through the sash, pooling the kimono at her feet. Then he set her back and made quick work of his own clothes, he unobstructed view of her adding inhuman speed to his task.
Before his clothes hit the ground, he swept her off her feet and crossed to the tatami in the far corner. He laid her on it, covering her instantly. Without giving her time to adjust to the sensation, he nudged her legs apart with his knees. The realization that he literally wasn't going to wait another minute sent her over the edge. She may not have seen it, but she certainly could feel that he was ready now.
Kagome braced her hands on either side of the mat for the impact, but he caught her hands and kissed her deeply, making her need urgency too. As his lips ravaged hers, he thrust deep, and felt her gasp against his lips. As he ground into her, his tongue teased her mouth, making her crazy with the wild sensations he sent down her spine. His hand caressed her thigh and grasped her buttocks, pulling her up to each thrust so that he could get deeper inside her. It felt to her as if he was trying to literally join with her.
Sesshomaru's mouth moved from her lips to her cheek, then her throat. She could not see it, but his inu youkai was still in control of his passions. His eyes were a hot red as he fought to deny what he wanted more than anything. He licked and sucked the juncture of her throat and shoulder, and she moaned in reply, rocking her hips up to his. Her hands on his back became insistent as her desire rose to a fevered pitch. Her short fingernails dug deep crescents into his waist as she tried to push him down to her body faster. Kagome pulled her feet up so that her knees were in a bent position and began to raise her pelvis off the mat to meet his downward plunge. Her actions only fueled his inner turmoil. Claim her, she wants to be yours as badly as you do. She wants you to.
But she wants to wait until she has finished her obligations.
Sure seems like it now, doesn't it. Look at her. She is just as crazed as you are, and she is a human. A miko. She can control her emotions no better than you can. It would be better for both of us if you take her now. Worry about the rest later. His normal control faltered and he bared his fangs. As he fought for what little control he had left, his fangs scratched her neck.
Kagome felt the foray, but was too far gone to realize what he was about to do. With little warning, he bore down onto her neck, pressing her down onto the mat as he did so. Kagome was unable to move as the full weight of his body pinned her. The feel of his release, coupled with the new sensation of his fangs in her neck, caused her to climax with a ferocity she had never felt before. He had built her desire up to such a fever pitch that in the instant he spilled his seed into her she dissolved into a white-hot flood of sensation. She did not remember screaming, but her fingers dug into his sides so hard that she drew blood. And then she was out.
Sesshomaru continued kissing her neck, where his new mating mark was still bleeding. He suckled it until it changed from an angry red mark into what looked like a rose colored tattoo. He didn't want to move off of her, or out of her, and break the moment he had dreamt of since he had first made love to her. But, Sesshomaru knew that she was no longer conscious, and his body was quite heavy on top of hers. Reluctantly, he pulled away from the heat of her body and pulled the covers up over them both, falling almost immediately into the most contented sleep he had ever had. Tomorrow be damned.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Coming Soon – Chapter Three – A Happy Circumstance for Some
Kouga is bitterly disappointed by losing his intended yet again. Ayame presses her advantage and makes a full on advance on Kouga's heart. She tries her best to convince him that Kouga is better off with his own kind.