Chapter 26
Part 2
Seishi sighed and stood, moving out of the room. "She's already asleep," she said as she stepped out. She had sensed Sesshoumaru's approach before he reached the door. She turned her blue gaze to Sesshoumaru as she slid Rin's door shut. "We need to talk…"
Sesshoumaru looked Seishi in the eye, "Oh, about what?"
Seishi turned, motioning him to move past her… she didn't walk to talk in the hallway, "can we speak in your study?"
Sesshoumaru quirked a brow curious at the seriousness in Seishi's tone. He nodded at they moved over to his study, both sitting across from each other.
Seishi turned her gaze to the side, and then sighed and turned it to meet his, "First off I owe you another apology… I had no right to blow up at you like I did this afternoon. You came, be it to help me or to protect your lands, but on both counts it was not right of me to reprimand you for it." She paused and her eyes darkened as she neared the real reason for this talk. "I've done a lot of thinking since when I woke from the nightmare in which Kitoiga was broken… You have been very kind to me, you have let me stay in your home, even though I have been nothing but trouble for you."
Sesshoumaru felt uneasy at this conversation. Why was she bringing all of this up now? "I welcomed you here because it was what I wanted to do. My feelings have not changed regardless of all that has happened."
Seishi gave a half smile, "My journey to find Mt. Borehime made me remember just how lonely it was to be a wanderer. I have come to love Japan, and love it here at your castle, but I have imposed much too long," though Seishi kept her face void of expression, the sadness and regret in her eyes spoke volumes, but they were set and decided as well, "I will not burden you any longer. I have decided that when Alex sails back to England, I shall be returning home with him."
Sesshoumaru's eyes went wide and he suddenly felt extremely alert and at attention. Leaving... going back to England... no he would NOT accept this, "What is the meaning of this? Did you not say to me when you brother first arrived that you have an arranged marriage waiting for you in England? You told him and I that you could not bear to live like that. That is was a fate worse then death. I offer you free food and a roof over you head simply because I enjoy your presence here. That is not good enough for you?"
Seishi blinked at Sesshoumaru's reaction, catching the split second in which his eyes had widened, before his mask recovered, "… and I thank you for your kindness, but I can not in good heart, continue being a burden. I ran away from an undesired fate, but I ran away nonetheless. I am done running, and I am ready to face what I must. Besides, Alexander will help me talk father out of that arrangement… and who knows, by now the prince may have married another. I suppose it may seem ungrateful of me to just leave, and I really wish I could repay you better for all you have done…"
Sesshoumaru settled back down on his lounge pillow, "No I forbid it. I told you long ago that you could not leave without my permission."
Seishi started, blinking with disbelief at what she has just heard, "You… forbid it?" She sat there staring at him a long few seconds, and then growled and jumped to her feet, glaring down at him with a familiar defiant fire that hadn't been there in a long while, "Now see here, Sesshoumaru! It's one thing to not want me wandering around Japan and getting into trouble while I was staying here, but it's another to bloody forbid me from going home. I served you as Rin's tutor but our agreement left it open for me to leave when I chose. Don't think you can go and change that now. I am not one of the people of your lands that you have rule over."
Sesshoumaru snarled back and rose to his feet, "Oh I can't can I? Well I just did and if you don't like it too bad. Like it our not you have become part of my household. If you left permanently Rin would be heartbroken and her studies would suffer considerably. The level she is at is far beyond what Jaken could understand and I have my lands to guard and keep safe, so I will not be available enough to educate her effectively. The only other would be to have a human tutor come and I absolutely refuse to allow that. Rin is the only human that will ever set foot in my house. So you cannot leave. If you try to sneak away I will bring you back, kicking and screaming just as I have in the past." Sesshoumaru was furious at this point but was still not being entirely honest for his true reasons for wanting her to stay.
Seishi glared at Sesshoumaru, now she was growling her outrage, "So what? You are going to try and keep me locked away in your castle like a little songbird in a cage, here for your amusement and to watch over your pup? I bloody think not! I love Rin, and I did not intend to just forget her. I will send someone here from my own house to continue her education, perhaps I may even be allowed to visit again some day, but for now I am going back to England. I have made my decision, and you cannot stop my leaving. So just deal with it." She whirled and stormed toward the sliding door of his study to leave, she would put up with no more of this male pig-headed nonsense.
Seishi suddenly felt herself bring roughly picked up by the scruff of her neck, she then found herself pinned to the wall with Sesshoumaru's face in hers. His expression was one of anger and frustration. "What do you take me for? How dare you turn you back on me! I said you cannot leave and I fully intend to enforce that. I have the strength keep you here and I will. That is the way of our world. If you see something you want you take it by force if need be. That is the way I have always done things, and I don't think it is any different with you. You can't leave the palace and go back to England, then be mated of to that unworthy pig of a demon that your father calls your betrothed. Even if you and your brother forcibly escape... I will come to England, sling you over my shoulder and carry you back. Do you think I am joking?"
The only sound Seishi had made was a slight, startled yelp when she found herself grabbed and then pressed up against a wall… Blinking, as she found Sesshoumaru's blazing golden eyes boring down into her silver ice blue ones… He was so close she felt his breath on her face as he spoke, and even could feel the warmth of his body through both of their clothes. She just stared at him as he went off on her… She was more then a little startled… she had rarely seen Sesshoumaru wear rage, or any emotion at all, so openly.
When that shock faded some, her anger returned, matching his. How dare he… her silvery gaze turned cold and hard… and her growls became a little more pronounced… "Think what you like Sesshoumaru... but you can't always have your way. You will find keeping me is not as easy as that..."
"I think it will…" that was all Sesshoumaru said before he lunged forward and sank his fangs into the curve where her neck met her shoulder.
Seishi only had time to blink once before the sting of fangs piercing her flesh made her eyes widen in shock. It caught her so fast she didn't even let out a cry of surprise, her breath catching in her throat as her body stiffened and jerked in reflex, trying to get away from what had scared or hurt her… But she was firmly pinned between the wall and Sesshoumaru's own body, so she hadn't really managed budge much… After the first split second of shock wore away, her more logical mind made her relax, to avoid farther injury… Then it dawned on her what he had done... and she was still too shocked to fully register it... He… Finally, she slowly let her breath out and started breathing again, though her heart raced in her chest.
Sesshoumaru withdrew his fangs and waited for her to recover herself. He had done more on instinct then intention. He was used to having things his way and this woman's strong will to resist irritated him. He was raised to believe that he was strong noble youkai of the purest blood and was very used to having things given to him. But her... she'd hardly ever given into his demands except in situations where he'd had some sort of leverage. Despite the fact that he thought she was by far the most infuriating woman ever, he found that he like that she stood up to him where others submitted. Her defiance, her sassy tone, that cocky smirk she often wore... he loved it all. His mind had now finally caught with what his body and instincts had been telling him for a long, long time, he wanted this woman. He wanted her so bad he couldn't contain himself anymore. He wanted her to be his and no one else's. He stood there looking at Seishi, breathing hard and his heart pounding, "I forbid it... I want you to stay here... with me..."
Seishi stared at Sesshoumaru with obvious shock… It wasn't like she saw it coming. He was so cryptic and hidden away with his emotions, so it wasn't like she had any clue. Sure she knew he saw her as attractive physically from that little incident at the hot spring the night she first got to meet Rin, and he had been rather protective at times… but she had pretty much come to the assumption Sesshoumaru wasn't looking for female company in anything intimate. He wasn't holding her as forcefully now, so she was able to lift her hand to her neck… gently covering the bite wound… which only bleed a little… since Sesshoumaru's instincts had done well by guiding him to bite where no important vital arteries or blood veins lied. Her touch only confirmed that the bite was real… Sesshoumaru had marked her…
She was then confused and conflicted… Part of her was furious… how dare he! But another part was in wonder… Was his only reason for doing it to try and keep her leashed so she couldn't leave? Or did he have… feeling for her… Damn him for being so hard to read. Too much was going through her mind just then... it would take time to sort out... For now all she could do was stare at the demon lord that was so close their breath mingled.
Since the bite had not been entirely intentional, the Lord of the Western Lands didn't really have good explanation for what he had done, but the shocked and open look on Seishi's face made he feel he needed to say something. What he had done didn't feel like a mistake or something he shouldn't have done, so he was not ashamed. He released her and stepped back so he wasn't directly in her face. "I will never allow you to go back to England. Not without me at any rate. Seishi, I want you to stay here and be my mate. The thought of you going back to England and mating that spoiled mongrel is unbearable to me. I want you to be mine. I know it is sudden, but those are my true feelings."
Seishi stood there against the wall, still a bit on the stunned side… just as she recovered from his action, now his words refreshed her stunned state. Though his voice was as calm and hard to read as always, as was his face, his eyes were a bit more open to match his words and she could sense his sincerity. Her feelings were still mixed… yes she found him extremely attractive… and though he drove her nuts at times with his arrogant attitude, she respected him and knew him to be a strong and able warrior, and to be intelligent as well. In all aspects he was quite the catch… but still it was rather sudden… he hadn't even tried to kiss her before, and suddenly she wore his mark of claim. She swallowed and just nodded, not really having the words to try and make an understandable reply.
Sesshoumaru took a step towards Seishi taking her nod to mean that she accepted him. He stepped up to the wall and put one hand out against the wall for support and he started to lean in, but then stopped. Wait did she really accept… or did only mean that she understood his feelings but didn't feel the same way... what the hell was this feeling...
Seishi watched him move closer again, leaning back against the wall some. She watched him lean in as if to kiss her, but the she saw the first sign of hesitation she had ever seen from Sesshoumaru since she had met him. He seemed unsure as if he didn't want to push it. Some reason his hesitation made Seishi herself feel better, he was feeling as awkward with this as she was, he was probably struggling with it even more so, being so used to having a good handle on his emotions.
Seeing this made her relax some and her nervous shock that had kept her frozen by the wall melted. The fact the great Lord Sesshoumaru, always cold and detached, could be unsure, maybe even a sliver nervous about, was just too funny and kind of cute to think about. He hadn't done this just to keep her from leaving because he was a selfish jerk… he really didn't want to see her leave because he had feeling for her… Before she knew it, she had tilted her head up, shifting closer to him, closing the small space still between them and met his lips where they had hesitated with her own.
Sesshoumaru felt his hesitation melt away when Seishi returned his kiss. He then relaxed into it. He felt is whole world was spinning as he was finally kissing the female that had dominated his thoughts for so long… and at this moment she was his.
Though cold in words and expression, Sesshoumaru's lips proved to be warm and soft. Although after the first awkward seconds the kiss deepened and both were melting into it mutually. The attraction, the spark, had been there; both had just been too stubborn to given in. Now with Sesshoumaru's confession, and Seishi's acceptance, that all was over.
To Be Continued… Maybe.
Author's Note
This Story is over, but there may be a sequel if I can get a hold of my co-writer. Anyway, thank you all who read and reviewed!
DeDeKitty – Dee - (UserID: 293983)
NarakuEvilYoukai – Rye - (UserID: 524651)