I don't own these characters.
7: And Then the Sun Rose…
Sesshomaru groaned as the light of the morning sun hit his face and took him from his sleep. He turned his head, wondering why the sun was bothering him. His bed was situated to avoid such annoyances. His golden eyes then caught sight of why he was being harassed by the sun. He was not in his bed. He was in Kikyo's bed and she was pressed against him, sound asleep. The perfectness of the picture made sun in the eyes worth it.
He could hardly believe what happened last night and his mind could not help recollecting it. He had fallen asleep in her bed after making love to her throughout the night. He smiled as details of everything they had done fluttered through his mind with amazing clarity. He could not recall a time when intercourse was so fulfilling. Usually, he would have had his way with the female and then gone home, but that thought had not even entered his mind while he was with Kikyo. Hell, he did not want to go home right now.
Kikyo was not a bit of fun like other females had been for him. No, there was something about her that put her way above everyone, save maybe his sister. She was special and she already had a place in his hidden heart, even though they had not known each other very long. He was already making plans for her to be his eternal mate, even though she was married and they had only just spent the night together.
He figured once she woke up, he could take her out for breakfast. She would probably enjoy such a thing, like she seemed to enjoy their lunches. She would not be the only one who would like having a meal together and until then, he decided to just enjoy being near her, listening to her breathe, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest.
Sesshomaru gazed at Kikyo while she slept. There was a lovely hint of peace on her angelic face. Her head was on his chest, using him as pillow, which he did not mind in the slightest. He would not mind if she always used him as pillow. She also had her hand on his chest and he could not help comparing their skin color to each other.
They were two different types of pale, he noted. He was a ghostly color, like a phantom while she was more a creamy pale, almost like milk. Still, they were still a nearly white pair, which amused him ever so slightly; it would amuse her later on when she noted it, too.
He put his arm, which she rested on, around her shoulders. He lightly caressed her bicep, trying to avoid waking her, but wanting to feel her silky skin under his fingertips. He could easily become addicted to touching her. She's so lovely and she's mine. He lied there, content, stoking her arm until she began to stir.
Kikyo was only half-awake when she began moving against Sesshomaru. Why was she so comfortable? Why was her pillow so much better than usual? Why was she so much warmer than usual? She opened her eyes to find out.
For an incoherent moment, Kikyo did not know who she was against and she became a bit frightened. Sesshomaru could tell because of her scent and he could hear her heartbeat change. He tightened his grip on her a bit to assure her everything was all right. She looked up at him, eyes hazy, but they cleared up as she gazed at him.
"Morning," he greeted her in his usual tone. He felt lighter looking into her eyes. It was something… bizarre. A good bizarre.
"Sesshomaru," Kikyo said as if she expected someone else to be there.
"Yes," he replied. He considered she might have expected him to have left her sometime through the night. After all, she was a married woman, so she more than likely would not think a man who was not her husband would spend the night with her. He would spend every night with her if he could. He would like to spend time helping her understand he meant what he said last night as well. He had no intentions of skulking off during the night ever.
"What time is it?" she asked as she glanced over only to discover she was not facing the clock as she usually would. He glanced over to the other side of the bed to answer her question.
"A little after nine," he replied.
"So late," she commented, holding in a yawn as best she could.
"Late?" he echoed. For him, it would have been late if it was a work day, but on a weekend when he had no obligations, there was no such thing as late. He woke whenever he did and spent the day as he pleased.
"I tend to wake up early to leave early," she answered.
"Why? Where do you go?" he asked. She did not have work, after all. What did she do with her time?
"There is plenty to do in this great city of ours. I find new things. I would rather be out of here before he wakes up," she explained.
"He? Your mean your husband," he clarified. He did not care if she brought the man up because that lowly worm did not compare to him.
"Yes," she answered.
"When is he returning?" he asked. It made sense she would not want to be around him. If only she were not so taken in by her vows, she would be done with her husband. She was too noble for her own good, but he adored her for it.
"Tomorrow afternoon," she replied. She would rather not think about it and enjoy her time without him. Adding Sesshomaru to the mix and she could get used to this.
"Why did he go on this trip?" the dog demon inquired.
"I think he is attempting to get his partner at work fired," Kikyo answered. She had not been paying much attention when Naraku started his rant, or the rants that followed since he had gotten the idea so early in the week. She also did not know Sesshomaru was the man he was looking to get fired.
Sesshomaru's eyebrow ticked upward for a brief moment. "Is he?" Did that half-breed bastard really think it was so easy to get rid of him?
Kikyo shrugged a bit. "I believe that is what he is looking to do. He wants to speak with the clients directly and change their minds on having him work with a partner. He doesn't seem to be getting along with his partner, which is hardly surprising."
Sesshomaru nodded slightly. He was not too worried about this news. Better men had tried to destroy him. His only concern was the petite body against him. He would use the free time with her while he had it and did not have to care a thing about a certain half-breed.
"Sounds like a charming fellow," the nobleman remarked, snorting lightly.
"Quite," she concurred.
Sesshomaru let the conversation drop because it was obvious she did not want to talk about it. He did not want to talk about it either. He had other things in mind now that she was awake. He moved his free hand, the one not around her shoulders, to under the sheet. He began caressing the inside of her slim thigh.
"Sessho…" she moaned quietly, legs shifting wider, memories of his fingers already pulsing through her. She was sore like she thought she would be, but more would be welcomed. His touch would always be welcomed.
Sesshomaru pulled Kikyo up a little so he could kiss her. She seemed a bit surprised by this, but she did not protest. She melted into him, kissing him the same as she did last night. She kissed him like he was hers. He did not mind. She felt like it was a dream and she did not want to wake up.
They were not going to have much time to themselves like they did now, so they needed to take advantage and they both knew that. They both agreed with that logic, as well. Although, Sesshomaru was making plans for them beyond the one weekend. Something like this had to live well beyond a weekend.
-8-8-8-8-
Kikyo sighed as she settled on top of Sesshomaru with her head tucked underneath his chin. He massaged her bare back and quietly enjoyed the feel of her naked body against his, especially her legs caressing his own as they were. They were both covered in a thin layer of sweat and Sesshomaru guessed his idea to take her out for breakfast was going to end up being their usual lunch date. He would not complain.
They were distracted from each other by the sound of a phone going off. It was on vibration mode, buzzing against the wood of the nightstand. It was Kikyo's cell. She sat up a bit to look around for it, but Sesshomaru located it before her. He reached over to the stand that held the clock, a lamp, and her phone. He handed it to her.
"Thank you," Kikyo said. He did not respond and went back to rubbing her back. She sighed and then answered the phone, knowing who it was. "Hello, big sister," she greeted Midoriko. The call should have ruined the mood, but it was hard for anything to be ruined with Sesshomaru stroking her spine.
"Oh, thank goodness," Midoriko sighed in relief.
"What's wrong?" Kikyo asked, brow furrowing a bit.
"You never came by last night and you have not answered my calls. I was so worried about you," the eldest sister replied. She had been plotting all sorts of torturous things if that hanyou scum had harmed her younger sister in any way.
"Oh…" Kikyo realized she had forgotten her sisters while she was out with Sesshomaru. Was that a bad thing? After all, she had forgotten her sisters to break her marriage vows, over and over and over again. This was beyond a bad thing, but why did it feel so good, so right?
"Oh? Is that it? What happened?" Midoriko inquired.
Kikyo was silent. She could not lie to her sister, but she could not tell her sister she had spent the night with Sesshomaru. She was in a bit of a spot, but she owed Midoriko something. She could imagine Midoriko going out of her mind last night with worry. Midoriko probably thought the worst and had Kikyo not answered this time, she could see her sister going off to murder Naraku, assuming he had done the same to Kikyo.
"I merely forgot to come to your apartment last night," the middle sister answered. It was not a lie. She forgot a lot of things once Sesshomaru kissed her.
"In favor of?" Midoriko asked.
"Tea with a friend," she replied.
Midoriko was silent now. She knew this was not the whole story and she could tell would not get it. She was not sure why, though. What could have happened Kikyo did not want to tell her about? If it had anything to do with that bastard Kikyo was married to, Midoriko would slay him. She was going to press the issue with the hope of getting more than what Kikyo was offering, but the middle sister beat her to speaking.
"Big sister, everything is fine and I have to get to something. I will call you back later," Kikyo said and she disconnected the call before Midoriko could answer. She breathed a sigh of relief and dropped her head back onto Sesshomaru's chest.
"Are you all right?" the dog demon inquired, his fingers dancing along her spine.
"I am. I just did not want to lie to my sister," she explained. She also did not want to give her sister a chance to ask too many questions.
"All right. So, would you like to go out for some lunch?" he offered.
"I would prefer to take a shower before that," she commented.
"Well, that, too. Now that you mention it, would you mind if we stopped by my apartment and then we went to lunch?" he proposed.
"All right," she agreed.
Sesshomaru was reluctant to let Kikyo get out of bed, but he let her go. He watched as she wrapped a sheet around her nude body, which he thought was a bit amusing. She was a modest little thing, which he expected. He would like to break her of her modesty when she was around him. She did not have to hide from him. He appreciated every bit of her and he needed her to understand that. He supposed that would take time. He would not mind.
While Kikyo went to take a shower, Sesshomaru went to grab his cell phone. He checked to see if he had any messages. His sister might have been looking for him like her sister had been looking for her. He was right to check. Rin was practically cheering on his voicemail. Rin had a habit of always sounding like she was cheering about something. His stepmother thought it was adorable while Sesshomaru did not know what to make of it, but accepted it because it was Rin.
"Hey, big brother, just wondering where you are?" she chirped over her first message. He could hear the smile in her voice. One would have been enough, but this was Rin. She was not done with just one. She had another requesting he allow her to stay over his apartment for the weekend. She liked staying at his apartment because it was close to a skate park where she and her friends liked going to get wounded as far as he could tell. He knew whenever she returned from the place, she always sported at least three cuts. He decided to call her back and let her know it probably would not be a good time for her to come over that weekend.
"Hello, big brother!" Rin greeted him. Once again, he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Hello, Rin," he replied.
"I was just about to call you again. So, can I come over to your house? Can I? Can I? Can I?" she asked. He guessed she had had a lot of sugar already, which meant she was either out of the house or with Inuyasha.
"This weekend isn't a very good time," Sesshomaru answered.
"Why?" Rin pretty much howled into the phone.
"I have work to do," he informed her. He was not lying, technically. He had work to do with Kikyo, making her understand she had made the right decision in breaking her wedding vows and being with him. He had work to do in making her feel like the angel he believed she was.
"Aw," the twelve-year-old groaned. "When can I come over then?"
"I don't know," he replied. He now had to figure out his life with Kikyo in it before he could have his sister wander in and out of his apartment like she was used to doing.
"Well, when are you gonna be done with your work?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," he answered.
"What about if I help? I could help! Oh, lemme help," she offered and he knew she was grinning from ear to ear. Her enthusiasm was appreciated and she had been helpful in the past, but obviously she could not do anything here.
"At the moment, I don't need help, but you will be the first person I call if I do need it," he assured her.
"Okay!" she cheered and he heard her clap her hands. "Oh, big brother, I gotta go! My friends are here." He could hear their excited chatter in the background.
"Of course." Sesshomaru let her go, not bothered by her hanging up without bidding him farewell. He laughed a bit to himself. Rin certainly was lively and her energy seemed to suck people in. He did not understand how her friends kept up with her, unless her friends were like her, which he doubted. He believed Rin was one of a kind. She had to be the only human on the planet who thought she was a demon, after all.
With a sigh, Sesshomaru rubbed his palm over the bed, thinking about last night and this morning. He did not want to get up, but time moved forward and he had to do the same. With strength he was shocked he possessed, he yanked himself out of the comfort of the bed and gathered up his clothing to get dressed. His eyes drifted to the bed as he put each article of clothing on. Maybe he did not want to go out for lunch.
In less than an hour, he would have Kikyo in his home and he could have her in his bed. They could order out. He was not sure if Kikyo would go for that. He was not even sure if he wanted that. Spending time with Kikyo at lunch was always amazing, but being at home with her could be equally so. He would see what he felt like doing once they got to his apartment.
While he was searching for his tie, he came across a book hidden under the bed. He would have left it alone, but he could see it was a sketchbook. He guessed it was Kikyo's book because she was into art and he knew her husband was not intelligent enough to appreciate art. He flipped the book open and noticed the soft pencil sketches. He saw the signature at the bottom corner and that confirmed it was her book.
He moved on to the next page and found a picture he suspected she did while she was on the subway because it was a sketch of people sitting on the train. She had a surprisingly sharp style with dark edges over light curves. She was into detail from what he could tell, which was something he looked into when he sketched. There were bits of the sketches that had much more work on them than others, like focusing on the eyes or every shadow on the nose. He continued on looking through the pieces.
"What's that you have there?" Kikyo inquired as she reentered the room, now fully dressed. Yes, she had taken her clothes with her into the bathroom rather than get dressed in front of Sesshomaru.
"Your sketchbook," he answered as if it was no big deal and he did not think it was.
"No, don't look," Kikyo groaned. She never showed her sketches to people. She was not very proud of her sketch work, mostly because it was all unfinished.
"Why? I like what you have here. It looks like you smug your work sometimes, but other than that it is fine work," he commented.
"I forget to pick my hand up on occasion," she explained about the smears he saw. She accidentally moved her hand over her lines. It was more noticeable when she worked in ink because with pencil, she could erase such mistakes.
"What kind of classes did you attend?" he inquired, continuing to go through the book.
"I didn't beyond high school," she answered. Art for her had always been a hobby and she did it on her own when she had the time.
His only response was, "hmm." It was hard to believe someone with such skill and a clear technique was not trained.
Kikyo sat down next to him and tried to take the book from him, but he would not give it up. She would not give up either and he held her at bay with one hand while still looking through the book. She practically climbed on him trying to get it back, but to no avail. He noticed something as he came to her hand sketches.
"You're left-handed?" he asked. Many of her hand sketches were of her right hand.
"If I answer that, will I get my book back?" she countered.
"It might help make a difference," he replied, but the spark in his eyes told her the truth.
"I can work with both hands, but practiced more with my left because for a long time it was the weaker hand. Now, may I please just have my book back?" she requested while reaching out for the sketchbook.
"No," he answered rather bluntly.
She expected that and tried to take the book once more. She failed. "Please."
He glanced at her. "I just said no."
"There's nothing in there for you to see," she said. She reached for it once more, but she knew she would not get it back until Sesshomaru was ready. If this was anyone else, she would have destroyed them already, but it felt fine to let him see. Maybe it was because she had appreciated art with him and trusted him to take in her art with a fair eye.
He sucked his teeth, as if scolding her. "There's plenty for me to see. Do you have other sketchbooks or is this the only one?"
"That's it," she answered. She used to have more, but they mysteriously vanished one day after she argued with Naraku back at their own home. He never admitted to doing anything to the books, but when she asked him about it, he said art was useless anyway, so she did not need those books. After that, she had other sketchbooks, but they did not make it back here with her.
"Really? I have stacks," he informed her. He still had every sketchbook he used in life, except for the ones his mother refused to give to him, wanting "something to remember him by," as if he were dead.
"And do you just like anyone looking through your sketchbooks?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.
Sesshomaru glanced at her. "On occasion I do allow certain people to see them. It depends."
"On?" she pressed. He was so difficult.
"It just depends. Since you're ready, we can depart," he said.
"Can I have my book back?" she requested once again.
"No."
Sesshomaru kept the sketchbook in his possession and then stood up. Kikyo looked at him in disbelief, but she could tell that she would not get that book back until he was done with it. Well, at least he did not make fun of her work. A certain half-breed would have thrown the book out if he had come across it, as he had done with others like it, but she would rather not think about him. Sesshomaru was nothing like him.
"You should have more," Sesshomaru commented as they went to the front door.
"I would like to have that one back," she stated.
"Eventually."
The pair left the house and Kikyo could only hope she did not have nosy neighbors. She really did not know the people in the building that well. They did not seem particularly friendly, but they also seemed to mind their business because of that. She supposed she was safe, relatively speaking, as long as Naraku was like she was and he did not speak to anyone in the building either because she was certain someone was going to see her with Sesshomaru. She was willing to bet someone saw him go in her apartment last night, too. They did not discuss it, though.
They drove the short distance to Sesshomaru's building. He lived ten minutes away from her. She could walk to his apartment if the urge ever came over her. The urge had better overcome her, he thought. Well, actually, he would prefer the urge for her to call him and inform him she wanted to come over took her over because he would not want her walking alone, even in a safe part of the city. He would drive to her and take her anywhere she wanted to, especially if it was to his place.
Sesshomaru parked in his designed spot and then took Kikyo up to his apartment. His apartment was huge; it might as well have been a house, she thought. He left her to look around. He went to his bedroom and made sure to take the sketchbook with him. She noticed her book went with him, but she did not say anything. It was probably safest with him.
Kikyo was not sure if she should wander around the apartment. She was not very comfortable with the idea. Well, she was not very comfortable with being in the place at all. It seemed so… sneaky. It felt like she was doing something wrong, but she would rather be wrong with Sesshomaru if she was being wrong.
"I've been wrong through all of this and it still feels right," she told herself. It felt more right than ever.
She decided to tour the area as best she could from where she stood. She glanced to her left she saw his kitchen, which was about two and half times the size of her kitchen. His countertops were black marble design as was the floor and the cupboard doors. The cupboards themselves were white. The refrigerator was onyx as was his stove. He had a pair of stools, which were black and sitting at the counter around the kitchen that closed it off from the rest of the apartment.
She then looked into the living room, which was sunken. He had a flat screen television on the wall with a black stand that held a DVD player, a gaming console, and a cable box. There were some DVDs on the stand, which she would not expect in his possession. They were cartoons and they belonged to Rin, but she did not know that. He had a semi-circular couch, which was also black.
She was a bit surprised by all of the black that was in Sesshomaru's home. She had been under the impression he was partial to white considering all of his suits were white. Perhaps, he only enjoyed the shade when it came to his outfits.
She did not see much more of his apartment. She could see there was another big room after the living room, but it was positioned to the left, so she could not look into it. She remained where she was rather than exploring the other room. She glanced toward the hallway to see if Sesshomaru was coming back, but she did not see any sign of him. Soon, she heard the sound of running water, so she guessed he was taking a shower.
"Who knows how long that will take. How would it look for me to stand here the whole time?" she asked herself.
She took a few steps further into the apartment and noticed he had a couple of pictures about the place. They were of one little girl who looked rather familiar to her. Taking a closer look, she realized she knew the girl. There was one picture where she was quite young and missing her two front teeth, which Kikyo supposed was always a favorite. She had dozens of pictures of Kaede when she was toothless and Midoriko had dozens of her when she was toothless. Then the other picture was the girl graduating, probably from elementary and it was from that picture Kikyo knew the little girl. Rin was in the picture with Kaede.
"It is a small world," Kikyo muttered.
"Admiring my little sister?" Sesshomaru inquired as he joined her in his living room.
"Does she mind that you have this picture of her out?" Kikyo countered, pointing to the toothless picture.
"She's stolen it on more than one occasion, but she will never outsmart me," he answered.
Kikyo chuckled a little. "I wonder if she thought of that or if Kaede talked her into doing it," she commented, mostly to herself. Kaede tended to steal pictures of herself that she did not like, too. She turned her attention to him. "Where is my book?" she inquired, noting he did not have it with him. Had he hid it?
Sesshomaru only gave her a half-smirk as an answer. She did not seem to like that much and turned her attention directly to him, giving him a hard glare. She wanted her sketchbook back. He looked over her. He would give her back the book when he was done with it and not a moment before.
"You can be imposing. I'm sure many have quivered in your wake," he commented. The tough glower on her visage impressed him, but he was not moved.
Kikyo seemed to get the idea and decided to stop thinking about her book for the moment. It was not like Sesshomaru was going to damage it. She then noticed his clothes and he certainly did not look like he was ready to go out to lunch. He wore a plain white tee-shirt and white pants she knew he would never go outside in.
"I thought we were going out to lunch," the petite woman said.
"About that, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind staying in with me. We could order in and relax together," Sesshomaru offered. He could wrap her in his arms as they sat on the couch. He could hold her close, breath in her scent, and kiss her whenever he desired.
Kikyo thought on the proposal while Sesshomaru could not believe he had just given an option. He usually did what he wanted to do and he wanted to stay in, to enjoy having Kikyo to himself, but he was going to let her decide what they would do. It might have been the first time he had ever done something like that.
The slender woman considered it might be nice to stay in with Sesshomaru. How many times would she get such an opportunity? Maybe for a day she could pretend all was right in her world. She could see what it was like to relax with a male who would not find it necessary to start an argument with her, or would not try to demean her for existing.
"I think I would like that," Kikyo said.
"All right," he replied.
Sesshomaru could feel a smile curling onto his lips and rushed off before it had a chance to fully form. He went to make the call for lunch, but then he realized he did not know what she wanted. It would seem he would give her a choice again.
"Is there any type of food you would like in particular?" he asked.
"No, it does not matter."
"Would you like me to order for you?"
"You know my taste."
He certainly did know her taste, in more ways than one. While he placed the order, he told her to make herself comfortable since she was still standing around. She shyly made her to the sofa and sat down. He watched her and shook his head. He would have to make her feel at home in his apartment.
Once he was done with ordering their lunch, he walked over to Kikyo. He sat down on the sofa and took her into his arms. She yelped in surprise, not expecting him to grab her. She was not used to such actions point blank and was not sure what to make of this.
"Don't be so stiff," he said and then he nuzzled her neck, hoping to relax her.
"Perhaps, if you gave me back my book," she replied while willing herself to be calm. She liked being in his arms, after all, so there was no reason for her to be so guarded. It was hard to fight against her instincts, but she would try.
"I am not giving you back that book until I see all of your sketches," he informed her.
"Well, are you going to show me your sketches in return?" she inquired.
"Maybe," he replied and then he offered up something for them to do before she could huff about his answer, which she was going to do. "Would you like to listen to some music? Or perhaps watch something on television?" he proposed.
"Watch what?" she asked.
"I'm not very sure. Most of the things for the television are for my little sister," he told her.
"Does she spend a lot of time here?"
"Yes. It serves as a good base of operation for her to link up with her insane friends as they go find new ways to injure themselves," he answered.
Kikyo laughed a bit and nodded. She understood what he meant exactly now that she knew who his sister was. If her memory served her correctly, Rin was a wild, little spark plug. Typically when Kaede came in with some kind of wound, it was because Rin had a so-called brilliant idea. If Kaede came in without an injury, it usually meant she had the brilliant idea and Rin was probably the one with the scars to prove it.
Sesshomaru released Kikyo for the moment to see if he had anything worth watching. He usually did not watch much television, preferring to paint if he had any spare time. Well, preferring to try to paint. Although, lately, his muse had returned and he managed some quality work. He located a few DVDs he had purchased a while ago. Rin had stuck them in the back of everything else since she did not watch them.
He put on a movie and then went back to cuddling Kikyo in his strong arms. They remained like that until he had to answer the door for their lunch. They ate lunch and stayed on the couch, snuggled up. Occasionally, he would sneak a kiss to her cheek, neck, or lips. There was little conversation, but the atmosphere remained comfortable, warm. They both silently decided it was something they could get used to. It seemed like the way that things should be.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Naraku returns and things try to go back to normal. They really try, but normal doesn't seem to work anymore.