It was dark this time when Kagome woke up, but the light tinge to the forest outside betrayed the sun's pending arrival. She was in Sesshoumaru's room, but the daiyoukai was nowhere to be found. She deduced that he had carried her back and tucked her in, not wanting to wake the slumbering kit next door. 'A child asleep...' she recalled her advice to him the night before. Not that it had done them much good. Perhaps if Shippo had been warned, they would not have been discovered by him.
He hadn't promised to stay and watch the sunrise with her, but her heart seemed to mourn his early departure regardless. She must have still been tired from the all-nighter they had pulled. If only she hadn't dozed off...
There she was, being selfish again. He had things to do, and she wasn't his girlfriend. It wasn't fair to monopolize his time. He was being pretty generous with it as it was.
She rose with a stretch, and made her way outside to find some privacy from the village. Nobody else was up yet, but she had a bit of a shy bladder. Once she was a safe distance away, she looked for a spot to relieve herself. Her progress was halted by the involuntary tensing of the senses.
When a shard of the Shikon had been near, it was more of a pulling; not unlike a magnetic force alerting and beckoning her closer. When alerting the oncoming presence of youki, even from a distance, her being naturally reacted in the opposite manner. It was like a forcefield was pushing, demanding she flee. It was her reiki warning her of the oncoming threat, and demanding she protect herself. Only by conscious effort and will could she force herself to remain, until she eventually grew accustomed to its presence.
Once comfortable with a particular mass of youki, the threat's scream would wane, until it slivered down to nothing. But her natural instincts would still rush to her aid, when her guard was down and she wasn't welcoming, or anticipating its approach.
So when a demon began moving in on her at an alarming speed, she tensed. Fear flashed through her, as she hadn't any means to protect herself – at least none that didn't require a closer proximity than she was comfortable with -but disappeared as she finally recognized the familiar aura.
"Hey there! How's my woman been?"
"Kouga! What are you doing here?" It was a valid question. Why was he skulking in the woods at this hour?
"Headed to that summit at Lord Dog Breath's fortress, and I sensed you in the village when I passed. Lucky break, huh?" Lucky for who?
"At this hour? Kinda early for you isn't it?" He rubbed the back of his head in a way he always did when he was guilty of something.
"It was a good time to leave. Ayame kicked me out. Says its over for good this time." Uh oh. She knew where this was going.
They had a thing going briefly before Kouga mated the young wolfette. He was always doing something or another to piss her off. When they would be 'on a break' Kouga came to her to play around a bit, but always ended up going back. That was fine for Kagome. She was never seriously interested in the wolf demon.
She didn't know if Kouga told Ayame where he was going every time he took off, but she was pretty sure the girl had an idea. Ayame knew Kouga had once had strong feelings for the miko, and she liked Kagome as well. Maybe a little too much; at least enough to approach her about a three way with the wolf couple. But Kagome was a good girl; so, it only ended up happening once.
The pair had already mated, leaving Kagome with few options for partners at the time. And she was curious. It ended up being a pretty good time, but Kagome was worried someone might eventually end up getting jealous. She decided to keep things civil; it would not be repeated.
From what she heard, Ayame took up with another wolf when Kouga would leave to play with her, so she harbored no resentments toward Kagome. Once Kouga was banished from his den, his mate considered him fair game.
Kagome scoffed, "Three days and she'll be begging you to come back. Four tops." This wasn't her first rodeo. That was how it went with them. It seemed too chaotic for the miko, but it appeared to work for the couple, on some level.
"Shouldn't waste any time then," he grabbed her in his arms and pulled her in for a kiss, but she resisted. The confusion on his features then was so absolutely apparent, she felt as if she were reading his thoughts. She never got laid, and she was usually receptive of him when he came to show her a good time.
"Sorry, Kouga. I can't this time. I've been...seeing someone." He wasn't expecting that. It wasn't the first time she needed convincing, however. And persistence was one of his strong points.
"Forget about that for now. I'm the best you've ever had!" She used to be charmed by this guy? It seemed silly to her now.
"You were..." she informed him. That had recently changed.
"I've been dethroned?" The news didn't thrill him, but wasn't enough to deter. He crossed his arms; slightly defensive, but not at all insecure. "Well, word is mutt-face is mated now, so who's the stud?" Wrong mutt-face.
"I'd rather not say. He might not appreciate it." Sesshoumaru was a private guy, and though he was basically peerless, Kouga technically ran in his circle.
"And he's ashamed of you too? I don't trust this guy." He put his face closer to inspect her shoulder. "No mark." Lifting her hand to search her finger, "No ring. He hasn't claimed you. How serious is it?"
"We're...keeping it casual...for now." Wrong answer. That was all he needed to hear.
Kouga got behind her. Putting his hands on her hips, he began kissing her neck in the way he knew always drove her crazy. He whispered in her ear, letting his lips brush against the shell- another move that always had her ready for him, "Then what's the harm? You're a free woman, as far as I'm concerned."
He held her to him and rocked them slightly. When she didn't immediately move to shove him away, he placed his fingers under her skirt to massage her tender lips; over her panties. She might need a little coaxing; but Kouga was quite confident that once he got her warmed up, she would eventually give in as she so often had. The familiar action caused her to grab his biceps, helping her stand.
He had a point. She was the one who was making a big deal about being a free woman, so why couldn't she? She hadn't been planning on messing around with anyone else, but that went along with being casual, didn't it? Sesshoumaru would probably be fucking other females every now and then, and he was free to do so. The thought, however, made her heart ache.
She relaxed a bit, and let him continue his ministrations, "Remember how I used to steal you away from your friends and just take you on the forest floor?" She remembered. After Hojo, she wanted to be with someone who had a little more experience. Kouga was an attractive demon, and she started allowing him to take her when he came to visit. He'd been able to make her cum, unlike Hojo, and they dated for a couple of months. It was all physical, though, and she had practically shoved him at Ayame once things had run their course. He was a bit too brutish for her tastes. It reminded her of the jocks at her school.
"Or how I would take you back to my den, and burn your knees against the furs?" Kouga was an aggressive lover, and Kagome seemed to respond to that much more than Hojo's respectful attempts. Every girl had a type; it just looked like hers happened to be demons of the canine variety.
"You miss that, don't you? Let's do it again, Kagome. Let's fuck like we used to." He wasn't exactly a smooth talker, but he got results. His was more of a 'wear them down' approach. Sesshoumaru had no need for convincing. He was definitely a less talk, more action kinda guy.
Visions of a sexy demon lord overcame her mind. Kouga was miles beyond Hojo, but Sesshoumaru had no comparison. She recalled his lithe form, his impressive cock. His forceful and assured motions in everything he had done. The wild red eyes and the soft measured caresses. He was perfect. She'd been moaning his name a lot recently, and when she came this time from the pressure against her clit, that habit forced itself back out.
"Sesshoumaru..." It slipped out in a whisper, as if only to herself, but Kouga heard it loud and clear. He stiffened immediately before distancing himself. Her first impulse was to assume he would be angry. But the only emotion she could register from the demon in front of her was terror.
"Sesshoumaru? That's the guy? No, no..." He seemed to be trying to talk himself out of something. Trying to justify why in god's name she would mention him. "Tell me it's just a fantasy- I know how you girls are about him," he seemed to be in a panic, and now Kagome was confused.
Kouga was a Prince of the East, and was no stranger to the command the demon lord seemed to have over the female's attention. He had more than one woman in the past who voiced their desire of him, and even tried to get and introduction. It was annoying. Was his Kagome just like all the others?
Apparently not, as it seemed she'd actually been able to wrangle him. Shit.
"Shit, Kagome! You're going to get me killed!"
"I tried to stop you," she inserted weakly, shame filling her as she was brought back to reality.
"You should have tried harder!" He was right. She should have stopped it. This was all wrong. And the tone Kouga took with her had her rattled. He never spoke to her like that. She became defensive.
"What's the big deal? You said there was no harm." Wasn't she free? Couldn't she do what she wanted? Why didn't she want this?
"As far as I was concerned!" he shrieked, "Sesshoumaru might be another story. You've seen how possessive he is over a damn sword! I've seen him gut a guy for sitting in his spot at a summit!" Surely, he had to be exaggerating. Then again...
"If he views you as his, he will kill me for touching you, whether you are marked or not." Oh, fuck! What was he gonna do? Maybe he should skip the summit. Sesshoumaru had a way of looking through your soul with that stoic mask of his. He tried to compose himself.
"Look, I'll back off. I promise," he felt guilty for exploding at her, and was being gentler now, "Just please, don't tell him," he begged. "And if he does find out, tell him not to kill me, okay?"
She probably should be annoyed, but found that she was actually relieved. Kouga wasn't a bad guy, but his advances did get tiresome. With a smile, she pulled him into a hug. As they released, he looked into her face. This was the end of an era, and it saddened him. He should have let her go when he got mated, but she was a hard one to forget.
"Wow. I guess it's really over, huh? I mean, I know I'm mated now, but you've always had a special place in my heart," he still held her arms as he spoke. "You're one in a million, kid. I'm gonna miss you."
She smirked back at him for a moment; and when she opted for a chaste kiss, he didn't pull away. They had some history, but it was time to say goodbye. This was a long time coming anyway.
"Go back to your mate, Kouga. And be nice to her. She deserves it." Nothing else was said. He took in her face one last time, as if resigning himself, and was off. He wasn't as fast now that he didn't have the shards in his legs, but he was still a demon.
She only watched him go, until a voice startled her from her musings.
"What the hell are you doing?" She almost had a heart attack.
"Inuyasha! You scared me!"
"Sesshoumaru is gone like six hours and you're fucking that wolf? Are you out of your mind?!" She could feel the rage bubbling beneath the half-demon's surface.
Sure, he didn't exactly catch them in the act; but the scent of Kagome's arousal was still present in the air around them. The kiss goodbye was the cherry on top, and he put two and two together.
Who did he think he was? She was getting sick of having to justify herself to everyone. She didn't have sex with Kouga, but even if she had, "Sesshoumaru and I are not a couple, okay! We're just having fun!" Then why did she feel like she'd been caught?
This response only further enraged him, "Oh, yeah, Sesshoumaru's real fun! He's the most serious guy I know, Kagome! Why would this be any different?"
Why was he yelling at her? This had nothing to do with him.
"Whatever goes on between me and Sesshoumaru is none of your business."
"The hell it isn't! He's my brother!" The statement seemed to shock him as much as her. She knew things had evolved between the brothers, but to hear him defend him so vehemently, and against her... "And he's been good to us, Kagome. He helped us defeat Naraku! He's giving us great new lives in the West!" He ticked off the dog demon's recent strain of good deeds, including, "He fucks your brains out, and mentors your kit! And this is how you repay him? By fucking that wolf behind his back?!"
"Oh, jeez! The poor guy," she said with sarcasm, "He gets no strings sex whenever he blows into town, and just gets to take off when he's done! Yeah, I'm a monster-"
"You're lucky he even screwed you in the first place. You don't think in the Western Lands that there aren't thousands of demon bitches just waiting there for him? Beautiful, powerful, high-born females; ready and willing to do anything he wants...but all he seems to want is to be with you. Kami knows why."
He was furious. Things were finally going right. They could all finally have a good life after all this time, and she was screwing it up for everybody. Why was she being like this? What more could she want?
What would happen if Sesshoumaru found out? Would he take it all back? Would he go back to being half-breed?
What if he didn't find out? Could he live with himself? With her? He could kill that fucking wolf!
She knew she should be angry at him, but he really struck a nerve. "How could you be so cold? When did you turn into such a slut?"
The second it left his mouth; he knew he'd fucked up. He braced for the face plant, but was greeted with a resounding 'slap' instead. Then came the command. "Sit."
It was said so quietly, but brought him down with as much force as it ever did. It had been months since she used it, he'd almost forgot that she could.
He'd gone too far. He knew this. But when he pulled himself out of his crater, he was glad she wasn't there. He didn't even want to look at her.
A/N: Don't hate me. It had to be done. It's gonna make for some great chapters later on- I swear!