Chapter 22: Playing Hooky
"I won't tell you to look on the bright side of things. I won't tell you to be grateful to have somewhere warm to stay, something to eat, and something to wear," Sesshomaru says holding me tighter. "In my eyes that is not how you should stay positive. When you think like that I believe that you end up ignoring the problems you need to face and they rot and fester behind your back. I believe that in situations such as these we should think positively by knowing that we will learn, grow, and become stronger—better people—than we were before by overcoming such obstacles. It's in the same manner as climbing a mountain; the higher up you are the more difficult it becomes, but the view is remarkable."
"So when will it all end?"
"In all honesty I cannot give you an accurate answer to that. It just happens over time. Sometimes you allow it to eat away at you until you become numb, and sometimes you find ways to get high in order to help you forget about whom you have lost. I have found that you heal faster when you allow yourself to be upset to the full extent. You see it's okay to be sad and to cry. It's all a part of the healing process. However, if you ever pull a stunt like you did the other night I will chase you into the afterlife only to bring you back so that I may lecture you to death."
I snicker at his last remark and earn a very rare warm smile from him.
"If you ever find yourself to be lonely or upset, Sakura, just call me. I will absolutely come flying to you."
I am a lightweight. Indeed I am, or perhaps I am just happy to finally hear the words I never knew I wanted to hear. Deep down, I was always agitated when Yuzuki-sama would tell me to be more positive and that I should not be sad all the time. I always became upset when she would encourage me to talk to people and be around them. The truth is, we all already know that in our hearts because it is the norm. It is everyone's ideal that human beings should always be positive, happy, and surrounded by friends; and so we force ourselves to be when we are not. But it is all right to keep to our selves every now and then. It is all right to look around yourself and acknowledge that you are in a shit show. It is all right to become a little upset as long as you know you will journey on through; as long as you overcome the obstacles to get to where you want that is what counts. We experience life in seasons; and you can either lie to yourself that you love the gloomy days or express yourself while looking forward to sunshine.
Right now I feel something I have not felt in a long time: warmth in my heart that spreads to my bones and turns the corners of my mouth up without my own control. I climb over Sesshomaru and straddle his hips taking his face in both of my hands. His face is emotionless save for the slight widen of his eyes. I caress his cheeks with my thumbs before slowly leaning down and closing my eyes. Our kiss is shy at first with my lips barely ghosting over his. I pull away so that I may gauge his reactions, but I do not get very far when one of his hands grasps the back of my neck and pulls me back down. Suddenly our shy kiss is transformed into one full of need and desire. It sparks a chain reaction that first ignites in my chest then travels downwards. The heat in my chest builds to the point of eruption so I open my mouth gasping for air in an attempt to cool it down. Ever the gentleman, he licks then gently clasps his mouth around my bottom lip first asking then pleading. I am untrained, and so I mimic his motions, which he takes as permission to deepen our kiss further. I do not mind, and I do not stop him because who honestly would? My eyes close to my surroundings so that I may focus on the sweet taste of his mouth; and the warm passion that grows in my chest and blissfully courses throughout my body. He moves underneath me and securely wraps my legs tightly around his waist. Holding me close to him he stands and begins to walk. Now my arms are wrapped around his neck, and I continue to kiss him. It is when I hear a door close do I lazily open my eyes to see a bedroom.
There is one tiny thought that comes to my mind: you are not married yet so wait. However, that thought shrinks up against the few but solid reasons as to why now is the time. I am in love with him, and although he has not said that he loves me I know he does. We have not admitted it to each other, but it is there. I can feel it. After all that he has done for me and how he makes me feel; I know that love is there.
I wake up the next morning tangled in the light blanket with the sun rising over the sea. Next to me is an empty space that is still warm to the touch. I roll over to that side and inhale his scent—that remains in the fabric—while memories of last night play in my head. The best part is: I did not fabricate those memories. The sound of a table being set outside of the room draws my attention, so I hop out of the bed. On my way to the door I reach to the ground and pick up Sesshomaru's dress shirt that lies in a pile on the floor and cover my naked body with it. I follow my nose down a small hallway to a kitchenette with a booth on the opposite side. Sesshomaru is placing serving plates on the already set table. Noticing my reflection in the window, he turns around with a smile then makes his way towards me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and kisses first my forehead, then my cheek, and finally my lips.
"What would you like to do today," he asks while heading back to the booth.
"I don't know," I shrug while following him. "What is there to do on a boat?"
"On this boat in particular we can watch movies in the mini-theater, relax in the hot tub on deck, stargaze when night falls, and do what we did last night in the captain's quarters," he finishes with a mischievous smile.
"Movies in the mini-theater sounds like a fun idea," I say with a smirk to which he narrows his eyes.
"Movies it is then."
After we finish a trilogy of a quest to destroy the one ring, Sesshomaru suggests we explore the pier. In the captain's quarters where we spent last night the drawers are stocked with a weekends worth of clothes for him and me. Dressing into more decent and appropriate clothes we leave the boat and walk the dock's length to the pier.
There are several rides and a Ferris wheel that line the pier. Scattered around are booths selling souvenirs or showcasing different games. The pier is not crowded, but there are a good number of tourists scattered about. We wonder through the booths and weave between attractions before running into a familiar face.
"Sesshomaru! Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Miroku."
"And Miss Sakura. It is a pleasure to see you again," he says raising my hand to his lips.
"Hands off, lecher!" a woman shouts before smacking Miroku on the back of his head.
"Aye, Sango! I was only being polite!"
"Sure you were," Sango replies. "Don't mind my husband. He is blind when it comes to boundaries."
I smile at her as she stands next to Miroku who is rubbing the back of his head.
"Sango," Sesshomaru acknowledges the lady and wraps his arm around my waist, "this is my girlfriend: Sakura."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura. I feel like I have met you before…"
"You have?" I question with interest and panic.
"Yes, but I can't think of where. Anyways, what brings the two of you to the pier? I thought you would be at the Academy right now, Sesshomaru."
"I took the rest of the week off to take care of some affairs," he coolly replies.
"Ah, yes! Your father has been calling me non-stop looking for you!" Miroku exclaims. "I always tell him that I hardly see you anymore, which is true, and he adds that he hardly hears from you anymore."
"I suppose that I have been rather busy as of late."
"I suppose that you have! With a pretty lady around I don't see how you could spend time away from her—Ow!"
"I'm only doing this because it would hurt more if Sesshomaru did," Sango explains dusting her palms off. "If he makes you uncomfortable, Sakura, you may hit him."
"Or you can kick him," Sesshomaru whispers in my ear, "just like you kicked down that door some time ago."
"Heh, heh," I nervously let out, "So what brings the two of you to the pier?"
"Sango has been craving crepes from a stand here by the Ferris wheel," Miroku answers.
"It's not me. It's the baby!" Sango corrects rubbing her belly.
"Baby?" Sesshomaru and I say in unison.
"Yes, only a couple months," she says happily.
"You two are the first to find out actually," Miroku says. "We were going to wait until it grew bigger."
"Anyways, would you like to join us?" Sango offers.
"Sure!" I say before Sesshomaru can say anything.
"Alright, this way!" Sango wraps her arm around mine and we head over to the crepe stand with the boys following closely behind.
"Women can bond so easily," I hear Sesshomaru say to Miroku.
"Only because desserts and babies are in the mix," he responds.
At the stand we order two crepes: a nutella, strawberry, and whipped cream one for Sango; and a nutella, banana, and whipped cream one for me. Sesshomaru has a couple bites of mine while Miroku is forced to let Sango have hers all to herself.
"So, how did the two of you meet?" Sango asks while sending glares at Miroku for trying to steal a bite.
"Umm…" I shove a spoonful of the crepe into my mouth to buy time while I look to Sesshomaru for help.
"We met at a grocery store in our neighborhood."
"That's a good contrast from where you met Sara," Miroku points out.
"Where did he meet Sara again? Some club…?" Sango questions.
"The second time. The first was back in Tokyo at one of Touga's galas."
"And that's when we new that she was a gold-digger!"
"Miroku!"
"We are all thinking it!"
"I apologize for his behavior," Sango says to me.
I just shrug and pick at my crepe.
"How about the two of you; how did you guys meet?" I ask to change the subject.
"In college," Miroku tells me. "We all went to the same University in Tokyo. After we graduated Sango and Sesshomaru followed me here."
"Don't be so smug," Sango pokes him in the rib and I giggle. "I went there to study culinary, and Miroku studied business. He took a cooking class that I was in with the hopes of at least figuring out how to boil water."
We all laugh and even Sesshomaru chuckles a bit.
"So when your family comes down for New Year's are you going to introduce them to Sakura?" Miroku asks Sesshomaru.
"If they come down."
"Oh, they're coming down! Kagome and Sango will not stop gushing about it," Miroku feigns annoyance.
"I see. Well, how would you feel about meeting my family?"
"I would like to, but…"
"But we'll plan more for it later," he says planting a kiss on my forehead.
After we leave the picnic table area we say goodbye to Miroku and Sango then head in the opposite direction as them. We wonder around the pier and head to the Ferris wheel.
"Something is troubling you, Sakura," Sesshomaru says as we step into the cart.
The attendant secures the door shut while telling us to enjoy our ride.
"That easy to notice?"
"You have a worried look on your face and you've been quiet," he bluntly responds.
"I know Sango from somewhere, but I cannot put my finger on it. Also, there is the matter of meeting your family."
"She appears to be familiar with you as well…"
"Sesshomaru, what will happen if anyone else finds out the truth about us?"
"Miroku and Sango wouldn't be against it as you are 19-years-old. The age gap between us isn't very wide. Our only problem would be if it got to the school board while you are still in my classes. If they find out after you graduate we can say that we began our relationship after you left the school."
"As long as we lie low until then we'll be fine. What about your family?"
"It is none of their business that I am dating one of my students. We'll tell them the same story we told Sango and Miroku."
Hi, guys!
Thank you all for hanging in there for another chapter of Ensnared. Also, thank you to my new followers/favoriters. I cannot explain how excited I get when that notification pops up on my dashboard.
In response to my guest reviewer: Thank you so, so much! I'm sorry, but I wrote the first page of this chapter before getting your review ^_^" I did decide on leaving the full scene to everyone's imagination because I do want a risqué kick; but I don't want full blown smut. And, wow, thank you! I want to go back and hone those characteristics sometime in the future after the story is done, but thank you for letting me know I'm on the right track!
This semester is almost done, and if you go to youtube and look up "Fuck it All (Honest Final Exam Version)" you will know all that I am feeling. I have already begun the next chapter, so I hope that I will have it up during the first or second week of December. I'll be aiming for the former as I hate keeping you guys waiting. Really, I don't want to be that person. ;/
Until next time!