THIRTY SIX
He pulled his face away from hers, breaking the fiery kiss they shared and stared into those tantalizing red eyes. The same red eyes that never failed to fascinate him both for the emotions they fearlessly reveal and those hidden underneath, now they're darkened with undeniable desire that set his body on fire.
"Sesshoumaru…" she husked, her voice strained with need. A desire only for him that shot straight through his groin and he clenched his jaw in efforts not to be rough but his precious goddess isn't making it easy for him as her hands snaked on the back of his neck while her smooth legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him flush against her.
The delicious heat coming from her soft, naked body made him dizzy with need. He can feel every shred of his control crumbling and what she did next made it snap completely.
She leaned into his ear and her lips touched his sensitive skin making him quiver and she whispered, "Please, I need you," she pleaded desperately.
That was all it took. He let out a growl and crushed his lips onto hers in a hungry kiss while he shifted their bodies, aligning his painfully throbbing cock at her wet, fevered entrance.
"Kurenai…" he whispered against her lips and in one swift move, he sank into her to the hilt.
His mind and body was overcome with pleasure at the exquisite way she tightened around him and Kurenai's sweet moan of pleasure echoed in his ears and it was just too much…
The daiyoukai jolted awake covered in sweat and heaving. He's had his fair share of demonesses through the years but none of them affected him so much that they give him such dreams, not that he hated it, it was delightful but it made him feel like an inexperienced pup.
"Mind sharing what your dream was about that involved my sister?" Ren's voice came like a blast of cold water. It felt like he got caught doing something he's not supposed to especially when it's the brother of the woman he did such salacious acts with in his dream that found out.
Sesshoumaru's struggle to look at him had Ren amused and feel sorry for him, "Sorry, I shouldn't be prying on your dream of all things, a natural older brother response when a man is showing great interest towards his little sister."
Sesshoumaru kept silent and trained his eyes on the wall across his bed, suddenly finding the sunlight crawling over it interesting so Ren shifted from where he leaned on the headboard to sit on the side of the bed directly facing the powerful dog demon.
"So… What's the deal with this? Do you plan to get something out of this?" a question he's asked many men that showed interest in his sister.
The daiyoukai finally turned his head to face him, "Hn," he replied, looking directly into his eyes. "This Sesshoumaru desires to court your sister properly and form a lasting relationship with her as mates."
The resolve in Sesshoumaru's eyes and words assured Ren of his sincere intentions but he was hit with melancholy at the word 'mates' as it comes with the possibility that his beloved sister will be taken away to some place he can't reach. But if Sesshoumaru finally gets Kurenai to free herself of the burden she's been carrying since they became orphans and stop being guilty about finding and relishing her own happiness, he will not get in the way.
"Well, as you know, my sister's a little cynical about romance so it's not gonna be easy. This era, the industry that we work in, is littered with shallow, disingenuous relationships that crumble in the blink of an eye and it made her forge walls around her to protect herself from the pain it brings. But I have a feeling you can be her exception."
The daiyoukai found the quick acceptance surprising, "You're giving the demon that tried to kill your sister blessing to court her?"
Ren's stare pinned the daiyoukai, "Is there a fiber of your being that wants to hurt her?"
Sesshoumaru returned the stare just as intensely, "No, I want to encourage her to embrace the happiness she seem to be depriving her self."
Ren smirked, for Sesshoumaru to voice what he was thinking moments ago, strengthened his hunch that this man is special and not just because of his genetics.
"Then there's nothing to worry about and besides," he pulled a shirt over his bare torso, "I've been observing you AND her the past couple of days. I've never seen my sister have such cute expressions because of a man and that's saying something because our job is overflowing with gorgeous men. So far, from what I've seen especially last night, I know that I can entrust my sister to you.
"My advice, she's very independent because of everything she's been through. She's not used to being spoiled so keep it at a minimum and just be yourself. I can see that despite that indifferent exterior, you're capable of compassion and Kurenai accepts people even through their flaws because she knows she's not perfect either."
To have the approval of the person Kurenai values the most brought relief to the daiyoukai… for a second before Ren spoke again,
"I'm cutting you some slack because I've got a feeling you'll have your hands full once Inuyasha finds out about this." He chuckled at the scowl that painted the daiyoukai's face and checked his phone, "Speaking of which, peaches said in the group chat that she and Inuyasha went for a walk and they'll just join us downstairs for breakfast." The news added grim to Sesshoumaru face.
"You do know that if you want to be with peaches, you can't be jealous of your brother."
"This Sesshoumaru is aware, however—"
"It's hard for you to watch her be close to another man especially when you can't." Ren finished the sentence and the way Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched at the idea confirmed it.
"There's nothing we can do about it, they formed a strong bond over the past year. Though it's nothing more than that of brother and sister. But I suggest you get used to it fast because peaches actually has a lot of guy friends due to our profession." Golden eyes blinked at him, having difficulty processing the unpleasant information and Ren smirked, "You'll see soon enough."
Sesshoumaru groaned his displeasure as Ren made his way to the bathroom. He overcame one obstacle only to have more pop up in his way towards the woman he desires.
But he'll deal with it in time, what needs his focus today is helping Kurenai efficiently go about her day. Last night's lesson was a revelation: most of Kurenai's days are packed and he has a mountain of things to learn. Thankfully, it's similar to how he manages his lands back in the Feudal era—this era's more complicated of course—so he has a grasp of the fundamentals at least but he's thinking maybe he bit off more than he can chew with this 'assistant' thing.
He grabbed his 'work' phone and started his first day on the job.
Clear blue skies, cool winds filtered through lush trees, ducks leisurely cruising across the pond chattering amongst each other is what people would consider a perfect ambience for a jog, a picnic, reading a book, or in Kurenai's case, hashing out conflicts.
The serene setting is an antithesis to the smothering tension as Kurenai sipped on her hot latte while Inuyasha nervously rubbed his hands on the warm cup of mocha he's yet to take a sip from. Not a single word has been exchanged between them since she hauled him from his hotel room for a walk at Central Park.
Kurenai led him to an empty bench facing the pond and they sat in further silence.
"I walked twenty minutes to get that fantastic cup of coffee, don't waste it by letting it go cold." Kurenai's voice wasn't anywhere near scolding him but Inuyasha's so on edge, he whipped the drink to his mouth which is surprisingly still hot enough to burn his tongue.
"Argh!" he grunted and Kurenai jumped as he shoved the cup away, sloshing some of its contents out the lid.
"Geez, you." the miko dabbed a tissue on the hanyou's hand and he sought the wind's help to relieve his stinging tongue.
Inuyasha stopped his panting when he noticed the tremble of Kurenai's shoulders, her face turned away from him, "Are you laughing?" he asked, and she shook her head no, "You are!" he insisted and she finally released a barrage of chuckles.
"Seeing you pant like an actual dog is just too funny. Especially when you're not trying to be funny, it's your dog instinct."
The hanyou smiled as Kurenai slid her fingers under her eyes, wiping away her happy tears. But his smile didn't stay long, he knew he had some making up to do so he carefully held Kurenai's hand, and when she looked up at him, his eyes expressed what he's about to say, "I'm sorry."
Kurenai sighed, "Inuyasha, you insulted the work that we pour our hearts and souls and countless of sleepless nights into and you put Ren and me in a bad position with our peers." her grip on his hand tightened occasionally as she spoke and the hanyou kicked himself mentally—which he's been doing since yesterday—for hurting his bestfriend with his stupid actions.
"Those people weren't just standing around, playing with our hair, coloring our faces and barking orders, they worked hard, sacrificing sleep and being with their family to achieve success. Possessing a creative eye is just as important as work that requires heavy labor and is not to be slighted."
"I know you find it hard to voice nice things and mask it with tough words, but despite being used to that fact, there are things that are still painful to hear coming from you."
Inuyasha squeezed her hand, desperation in his eyes, "I'm really sorry Kurenai, I never meant to hurt you."
"I know, but this can't keep happening Inuyasha, careless words like that will also put our reputation in jeopardy."
"I can't completely promise that I won't do stupid things because that's how I am. Insensitive. Reckless." Kurenai thoughtfully raised her eyebrows at the befitting adjectives Inuyasha used, "But I will make a conscious effort to think before I speak and not be a headache."
Red eyes raked over the hanyou's face, he looked so depressed that she thought if he had his dog ears, they most definitely be drooping. She lightly tapped his cheek, "You better not be." She smirked and Inuyasha finally smiled, one not weighed down by guilt.
Their moods finally synched with their surroundings as they sat in comfortable silence drinking their coffee and admiring the scenery. Inuyasha's eyes roamed with wonder at the concrete buildings that seem to have sprouted from the trees but at the same time, the noisy, crowded city felt so far away and it soothed him. What's not soothing though, are the handful of stares that lingered on them—especially on his silver-haired self—as they walked past or sat a few feet away from them.
"So, do you like New York?" Kurenai asked, her eyes glued to the growing raft of ducks gliding through the water.
"Keh!"
She smiled, glad that he's back to his sassy ways, "I guess that's a no?"
"All these towering concrete knitted together, I feel confined even when we're outside."
"It can be suffocating sometimes, but I love the energy and the individuality here."
"The environment in LA suits you better wench. I don't think you have to move here." he said, referencing her dad Ethan's recommendation during their family dinner that a move to New York will be beneficial for the siblings' careers and it made Kurenai smile.
"I think so too," she agreed, "though I'd really prefer to live in a house by a lake, but keeping our roots near the city for now is convenient for business."
Inuyasha huffed, "Your business is crazy, wench." Aside from her fashion store and music career, they learned that Kurenai also has her hands on cafés and real estate keeping her life hectic, "I don't know how you keep up with it."
Kurenai chuckled, "Yeah, it does get overwhelming at times and that's what people like Sofia are there for, to make things easier for me."
"Then why do you need Sesshoumaru if you already have multiple people AND Sango helping you." Inuyasha aimed his scowl on his coffee cup and she smiled gently at his pouting.
"My managers are only responsible for their assigned store and Sango will take care of my personal needs. I need someone beside me all the time to do tasks that require using today's technology and Sesshoumaru, despite having absolutely no knowledge about it has picked up very quickly much to my surprise. There's nothing for you to worry about, shouldn't you be relieved that he's trying to reach out to us?"
The hanyou's jaw clenched, "Only to you, wench."
"Everybody starts somewhere. He started with Rin and now with me, even you Inuyasha. You may not notice but Sesshoumaru's behavior with you is that of an older brother." he rolled his eyes, "It's true, he scolds you when you do something idiotic and getting on your nerves is his hobby. That's how my brothers are with me—well mostly the latter, I do the scolding." The last word came as a giggle before giving Inuyasha's leg a comforting squeeze, "He deserves the benefit of the doubt just like everybody else especially when he's making the effort to change."
He knew she's right, she always is and if there's anybody who has no right to object to what she said, that's him because he himself thought he was a lost cause. After Kikyo, he stopped caring about anyone and anything but himself and trusted no one but Kurenai's compassion changed that and he doesn't have the right to deny anybody of the warmth and vibrance she brought to his life.
"The moment he tries to hurt you, or act like an asshole, you tell me."
"I have a feeling none of those will happen, Sesshoumaru acknowledges that he needs my help if he wants to survive in my era and if he does act like an asshole, I can put him in his place myself." Kurenai smirked proudly which Inuyasha mirrored.
"Of course you will." They chuckled together for a moment before Kurenai pulled her phone from her hoodie's pocket.
"Right, time for a photo!"
"Do we really have to? Don't you have enough pictures already?" Inuyasha grumbled as his bestfriend scooted closer, framing them in the screen.
"We don't have one with just the two of us, and no one comes to Central Park without a photo souvenir. Oh wait, I like the view in front of us better." She pulled the unenthusiastic hanyou towards the edge of the pond so they can have the bouquet of trees and buildings as their backdrop, "Perfect! Alright, tone the grumpy face down just a little bit Inuyasha." She mumbled through a smile and he rolled his eyes before trying to comply with the request as best he could.
Satisfied, Kurenai went ahead, "1.. 2.. 3!" they hunched over her phone to check the photo, "Nice! Looks great! We should all come here later when we some free have time, there still so much to see!" Inuyasha smiled at the way Kurenai glowed with excitement as they walked back to the hotel.