Hey hey again! Guess who was at the window? Ha! You have to read to find out! Most of you did guess right, though. I felt like it was pretty obvious. I mean, come on? Who's the - oh, never mind, get on with the story.
Reviews:
JewelQueen, Me - Yes, I had another cliffhanger. LOL. LocketzVC, Waxynixo - No, you were right! Good job! anime-lover-forever2007 - I'm happy you thought the chapter was awesome! PurityFlower1989, Ukiyo, MiaDevlin - LOL, funny review. Blue Rhapsody3, MidNite Phoenix, Joey - Yes, again, you guessed right. Another cookie for you! Hikaritenshi2000, Stacerue, LynGreenTea, sesshyholic, Jess - Oh, I loved your compliment! Thank you so much! lunarcar12, Mariposa-6482, coldqueen - Oh...spork. Okay, LOL. (Glad you think the story is great and happy to hear your opinion about Sesshy and Kagome.) Wood, Twilyt Bitch, Christy, Crimson Pooka - You're a faithful reader? Woohoo! does the happy dance ioke, Mrs. Uchiha, KiTsUnEoOkAmI, LunaLadyOfTheMoon, Ymir-chan - You missed me? Goodie! Yeah, Kagome can supposedly handle a mugger. rolls eyes LOL, i-wish-i-was-kagome, animebook fan.
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Sesshomaru pushed Kagome's head down at the sound of breaking glass, shielding her head and face with his chest and arms. Ducking into his arms, still kneeling on the floor, Kagome grasped his shirt, holding on tight.
Sesshomaru's eyes, however, never left the window that shattered. Waiting several moments, making sure that nothing else was going to happen, he loosened his grip on Kagome. Opening her eyes, Kagome first saw the white dress shirt she was wrinkling in her hands. Letting it go, she braced her hands on his chest, looking up at him.
His eyes flashing red, he stood up, not looking down at her, but at the destruction in his home. He made his way to the floor, looking at the scattered shards. Every move he made, even the slightest turn, emanated power and the fury so rarely seen.
Picking up some object not far from the window, he brought it back to the dining table, slamming it down on the glistening wood. A wet, glistening brick stared back at her from the table top. Snarling, he roared at her, "DAMNIT! THIS IS WHY I DON'T DATE!"
Sitting down, he held his head in his hands. "They fucking did this on a rainy night. They know I won't be able to smell anything. My senses are dulled almost entirely outside. Fuck." His voice thundered angrily from beneath the curtain of hair masking his face.
"You can't live with this Kagome. You can't be one more person to care about. The possibilities are endless. Kidnapping, bribery, prejudice, threats. Goddamnit. You won't be able to make it through a month with me."
"Shouldn't that be for me to decide? Please, Sesshomaru. This shook me up too, but I'm not going anywhere if you want me to stay." Her voice was quiet, hoping he would accept her as she was.
"You don't know what you're getting into." He looked up at her, his face rigid. However, no matter how far his anxiety for her went, his heart still raced at the thought of Kagome staying with him. Attacks and threats had been a part of his life, and always would be. With power came envy, or so his father had always told him. He had such a volatile reaction to this offense for two reasons. One, no one had dared to threaten him here, in the cottage. That meant they had kept a close watch on Kagome. It was too late, they had already tied her in with him. Two, Kagome was here.
The audacity of someone screwing around with the future taiyoukai, not to mention the fact that his companions would be involved.
Too late, too late. She's been seen as a connection to you now.
"There's only one thing I can do now." His golden gaze met hers, looking into her eyes. "I have to protect you."
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Kagome settled herself into the chair at the table. Sesshomaru had disappeared, going off to his study to make a phone call. His reaction to the damage done to his home had scared a little sense into her now. Kagome took the time he was gone to put herself to use, all the while rationalizing things in her head.
She knew that his raging attitude was due more to the fact that they had been on the very subject of her well-being when the window was broken. He wasn't scared in the least for himself, but pissed because he had a reason. However, Kagome knew that he would protect her. Why he had such little faith in himself was a problem, though.
I'm just tired of waiting for a guy. Waiting for a guy to like me, a guy not pushing me away. Nodding to herself, she thought, I've fought my shyness, my lack of self-confidence, opposed my psychotic mother's wishes, and reinforced Sesshomaru's faith to be this close to him. What else can I do but stay with him through anything?
I've already proved he's a man worth fighting for - I'm not going to let that go now.
Kagome found a brush and dust pan and began to pick the glass up from the floor. Rain and wind had made it a tricky business.
The entire floor glittered and sparkled from the silvery rain and glass, making it hard to distinguish the two. Seeing a glint of white, she turned her head. Underneath a large piece of glass lay an envelope.
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The door to Sesshomaru's office slammed open, giving him pause. He was stopped in midstride and sentence, angrily pacing back and forth while speaking to Jaken. His servant had promised to arrange a repair man as early as possible for Sesshomaru.
Jaken chattered, but Sesshomaru only half heard what the toad was saying. Kagome held out an envelope, already opened. "You're really going to want to see this." Kagome said, her eyes wide and earnest.
Sesshomaru hung up the phone without giving Jaken any warning. Taking the envelope, he sniffed for any scent, but again, it was traceless. Looking at Kagome curiously, she explained. "I found it by the window."
Turning his attention back to the letter, he found a slip of paper inside that Kagome had obviously read.
Taisho,
You will pay for what you did to my father.
Rest assured I will come after you.
You, your family, and your whore will never be safe.
That is a promise.
The letter was not signed, but was on regular, unruled white paper. The handwriting was in even, flowing black ink, precise and definite.
Sesshomaru stared at the letter, a rage so dark growing inside him, he could barely contain it. No, not in front of Kagome, he thought. I won't let her see the darker side of my soul. Kagome continued to look at him, trying to gauge his reaction. She had already read it before giving it to him, and while it did not disturb her, she was worried how he might take it.
Okay, well lets face it, she thought to herself, the relationship we have is on fairly shaky ground, we don't exactly need anything else to rock the boat. We're already experiencing trouble together, and we've been going out now - um, for what? Ten minutes?
Sesshomaru looked at Kagome when she sighed. He didn't smell fear on her. What could she be feeling?
"What do you think of this?" Sesshomaru asked, holding up the letter.
She shrugged, lifting her brows. "I'm not worried."
Lifting a brow, she took it as his signal to continue, "Well, you're going to protect me right?" Not waiting for an answer, she said, "I have faith in you."
Sesshomaru still looked at her, taking in her words, soothing over the anger inside of him, releasing his tension. However, his relief was not evident on his face because he was so stoic.
Rolling her eyes, Kagome put her hand on his arm, "Look, I'm not going to turn tail and run at the first sign of danger. I told you I'm no coward. And I'm not worried." She emphasized again.
Sesshomaru nodded. Trying not to smile, he looked back at the letter. "I may have an idea who wrote this, and who broke the window." Sitting down at his desk, he went on. "I only saw a glimpse of a face before the window shattered."
Kagome sat down, the desk between them. She pushed the too-large sleeves back up her arm. Her expression was one of curiosity, not fear or dread, and for that, Sesshomaru was thankful.
"It all started with a man named Onigumo. He was, in all simplicity, a errand-boy for the Eastern Youkai. His job was easy, and he had worked for them for nearly thirteen years."
Kagome nodded, showing her comprehension.
"In his old age, however, he began to drink more and more. Onigumo had always been a gambler. He hit the underground spots a lot from what I heard. At the peak of his alcoholism, he was assigned a job. He was to pick up a jewel. The Shikon Jewel. Legend says it holds magical powers, and the rumors about it only add to it's value. He picked it up in North America.
"While carrying it, the plane he was traveling on made a stop in Las Vegas. Already drunk, he found a small, sinister group playing cards."
"He lost it in poker?" Kagome asked, astounded at Onigumo's stupidity.
"Blackjack, actually. The humans were unaware of it's significance. When he was unable to pay up, they mugged him, taking everything he had, including the Jewel."
"What happened when he came back to the Eastern Youkai?" Kagome asked.
"Onigumo knew that he had to go into hiding, but did not hide his trail very well. It did not take long for the Eastern Youkai, the Ookamis, to discover what Onigumo had done. Not long after, the Jewel came into my possession. I have many servants traveling around, much like Onigumo, they do errands, fetch weapons and treasures, meet with other youkai. Jaken had taken a trip to California, and recognized the Jewel.
"We of course, did not know of Onigumo or the Ookami's mistake, and bought it from an ignorant human for a few thousand dollars. Onigumo was found, tortured, and killed, leaving behind a son, Naraku."
"He had a son?" Kagome asked, feeling pity for the boy.
"Yes, but Naraku is only twenty three, and already following in his father's footsteps. He had created a band of radicals, trying to overthrow the youkai leaders in Japan. However, Naraku only has a few followers, so he is for the most part ignored.
"Naraku was very angry because of his father's death. However, he did not blame the Eastern Youkai. He blamed me."
"You?" Kagome parroted, disbelieving.
"Yes. Naraku has somehow convinced himself that I orchestrated his father's death to receive the Jewel. In all fairness, I am the owner of the Jewel, and the Ookami's do not dispute this claim. It was their loss for assigning the duty to a drunkard."
Kagome sat quietly, letting this information sink in. She could almost pity Naraku, but not quite. "So he's out for your blood."
And yours, he thought. The thought that someone wanted him dead did not affect him. The idea that someone had vandalized his mother's home, that they wanted Kagome harmed, that affected him. He was outraged, to say the least.
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Kagome eventually went back to cleaning up the shattered window. Sesshomaru ventured into his garage connected to the house. He returned with a large tarp, ready to stop the rain and wind from
Kneeling on the wet, cold floor, Kagome continued picking up the larger pieces of glass. The wind tossed her hair around, making it difficult to see, not to mention cold. The broken window shards blended in with the water on the floor, and it wasn't long until she cut herself on one.
With a sharp gasp of air, she clutched her left hand with her right. The cut was small, perhaps half an inch, and shallow as well, but the glass was still inside the wound. The crystal-like shard sparkled, turning red with her blood.
She grew queasy looking at it, but hurried back to the bathroom. Blood dripped down onto the white robe she wore.
Sesshomaru suddenly appeared in front of her, his silver hair tossing in the wind from the opened window. Kagome nearly ran into him, his looming figure had emerged so quickly. Looking up at him, still anxious from her cut, she saw his gaze flicker to the hand she held to her body.
Taking her right hand away from her left, he let it fall to her side. Her left hand, however, was held lightly in his grip. His thumb smeared into the blood dripping down, making the claws look sinister.
Holding her by the wrist, he plucked the shard from her cut as gently as he could. Holding it between his claws, he tossed it to the waste basket nearby. They stood there in the hallway, looking at each other as he continued to hold her wrist.
Realizing she was still bleeding over his expensive floors, she tugged her arm away. "I better do something about this." She blushed, most of the sting gone from her hand.
"Here. Sit down." Sesshomaru gestured to the couch at hand. While his voice had been soft, nearly whispering, his tone left no room for discussion. Going into the bathroom, he carried tissues back with him.
Kagome sat down, clutching her hand, willing the blood to stop flowing.
Sesshomaru sat down next to her. Holding her hand in his lap, heedless of the mess she would make on his clothes, he began to dab at the bloodied hand.
"I am sorry, but I have no alcohol or bandages. I heal quickly since I am youkai. If you allow me, I can heal you. I suggest this, unless you prefer bleeding all over my home."
He looked at her, waiting for a response. His face was clear, emotionless. Kagome nodded, not knowing what to expect.
Leaning his head down, and bringing her hand to his face, his eyes never left hers. His tongue darted out, licking the wound. It did not hurt any more than the tissues had, and in fact felt better. Kagome, however, was not measuring the amount of pain she was and wasn't experiencing. Her focus was completely on the picture Sesshomaru made, bowing his head. His eyes had darkened, the black overwhelming the gold. Her heart beat rapidly within her ribcage.
Finally breaking eye contact, Sesshomaru's eyes closed to small, glittering slits, looking at her arm as Kagome's breaths became more and more shallow.
If only you knew what you do to me, he thought.
Lifting his head, Kagome faintly realized the bleeding had stopped, and the cut was only a small red line on her hand, well on it's way to closing.
Knowing her arousal was noticeable because of his youkai senses, she decided not to deny it. "Now I know why people think vampires are hot."
Sesshomaru actually smiled before swooping his head down to meet her lips.
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Well, that's as close as fluff as I could get, but more fluff in next chappie! I hope you guys liked. I don't know how well the whole blood thing is going to go over, but come on - I thought it would be good. Why pass up the chance of Sesshomaru licking you? Um, hello! Anyways, I would love to get some wonderful reviews, and thoughts on this chapter.
Ya know, I hope you guys are understanding all of this that I'm typing. LIke, Naraku and Onigumo and stuff. It makes sense in my head, but if you have a question about something, feel free to ask - I wouldn't want y'all confused.
P.S. - I'm having so many freaking plot bunnies attack me. Like, I've got six story ideas in my head now, and stupid me has to finish this one first. ---And I'm not even close to finishing!---
Love!
ac06 ---(ME)
