Hey people, quick update, ne? Hahaha!
Deds:
Water Kunoichi - I like your character's description very much, and I think I will use her, with your blessing of course! (wink) Do you mind if I tweak her personality a bit? Sessy's not gonna know what hit him, muahahaha! (By the way, I think I'm going to try and sketch your character, see how she turns out; I have already done concepts for Sessy's mommy, and they turned out really well, but, unfortunately, until someone buys me a scanner, no one but I will see them...sigh!)
Disclaimer: Sticks and stones may hurt people's phones, but lawyers can kiss my ass.
Every Time We Touch
When they scaled the crest of the cliff, the sun began to rise. In the early morning light, they could look back and see how far they'd come. They decided to camp out that day and head out again the next morning, for everyone was tired from walking all night.
Sesshoumaru sat against a tree and felt his eyes begin to droop. Kagome walked by, saying something about food. His gut growled; it was hungry, too. He decided sleep could wait.
Inuyasha had crashed on Kagome's rolled out sleeping bag, snoring loudly as he clutched one of her sweaters to his face. Shippo rested on his backside, rising and falling as the hanyou breathed.
Sango and Miroku had rolled out her sleeping bag and she lay on her stomach, using her folded arms as a pillow, while the monk, he noted with interest, was using her behind as a pillow, and so far, had refrained from palpating it with his 'lecherous hands.'
Kagome started a fire, and poked it with a stick, stoking it into life. He watched silently.
He had told Kouga many things the other night, and he wondered if the wolf had made any decisions about what he was going to do now that Sesshoumaru had pointed out the obvious to him.
He'll probably never come back to help us, he thought, suddenly seeing what it was the wolf saw in the woman before him as he wached her stretch her cramped muscles languidly, in an elegant move, her arms seeming to flow effortlessly as she grunted from the strain.
Something in him clicked, and he felt his blood begin to rush through his veins, all of it heading south with abandon.
Oh no, not me too, he thought, groaning inwardly as he began to throb just watching her.
What the hell was happening to him? Hadn't he just told Kouga the other night that his affections were one-sided and ridiculously obvious? He mentally smacked himself now as he suffered from his reaction to the woman in stoic silence. He had dispensed some very good advice that night; why then, was he now finding it so difficult to heed his own words?
He vowed to himself that no matter how infatuated he grew with the girl, no one would ever know about it. Not even her.
He shifted quietly, and she turned her head in his direction.
Shit.
She smiled, and he only stared, trying to intimidate her into looking away, but she didn't; instead she got up and came over, plopping herself next to him and propping her chin up with her left hand.
He eyed her suspiciously, but when she remained silent, he looked ahead, waiting for her to speak.
He knew she would; she could barely keep quiet in the face of the enemy. How she was managing to keep her mouth shut now when she was so obviously bursting to tell him something was a wonder to him.
"Sesshoumaru," she said breathlessly, and he turned his head.
"What?" he asked, trying to cover up his excitement by acting bored.
Her face became serious, and he really began to wonder just what was on her mind.
She lowered her eyes and said, "Do you hate me?"
His eyes widened a fraction. If only she knew!
He took his time responding. "No," he finally replied, but continued, "I do not hate you. Why do you ask?"
"I just wondered, because you said you hated Inuyasha, but you two have been getting along so well that I thought maybe you'd changed your mind about humans."
He looked her in the eye now. "I do hate humans," he said, quietly, "but not all humans. I hate no one in this group; I am only tolerating Inuyasha now because it is much easier than fighting him every step of the way. We made our terms clear to each other, and as long we follow them, there will be no problems."
She looked up at him, and said, "Oh. I see. So you still don't like him."
He was looking into her eyes, and leaning into her as he began to drown in her chocolate brown depths, and she was doing the same, swimming in his polished gold orbs, blinking at her in the sunlight like gems, calling to her…
He took her chin in his clawed fingers and tilted her head up further, so she could feel his breath on her lips, which she licked slowly, intoxicating him as he watched, his eyes hooded with lust.
Finally he leaned down all the way, meeting her lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. He deepened it after she did not pull away, and began to explore her mouth with abandon. He's done this before, she thought, before shutting off her thoughts and enjoying what he had to teach her.
Sesshoumaru was lost in bittersweet memory as he kissed her, her lips so warm and inviting, just as hers had always been. He brought his other hand to work its way through Kagome's silky hair as he remembered.
He remembered the day he met her for the second time in his young life; his Father had brought her in from the East, where she'd been living until her parents were killed. He had only been two hundred years old at the time, about the same age Inuyasha was now, he reflected, as the memory continued to flow through his mind.
He'd been walking to the dining hall in his Father's palace when he'd seen a white streak from the corner of his eye, and he whirled to face what he thought was an enemy in his own home, growling and summoning the green poison whip to his clawed hand.
"Sesshoumaru, simmer down, don't get your knickers in a twist. You don't want to kill your Father's new ward before we even get reacquainted, do you?"
Her voice had been the sweetest he'd ever heard, and, like it had done just moments before this memory, all his blood rushed south, hardening him before he'd even laid eyes on her, for she managed to remain just out of his sight as he rapidly turned his head.
Finally, she stopped moving, right before him, and he got his first good look at her.
"Who are you?" he asked without emotion, as his Mother had taught him.
She laughed again. "Don't you remember? We used to play together as children when our Fathers would visit each other's lands. No? Well, it has been a very long time…though I still haven't forgotten you..."
He racked his memory, and he vaguely remembered this female, from so long ago, only she had been scraggly and skinny then, nothing like the beautiful demoness standing before him now.
He narrowed his eyes. "Ai? Is that you?"
She smiled, a very seductive smile, and he could feel his blood thumping in his temple.
"Very good, you remember. I had a feeling you would." She turned and headed down the hall ahead of him, giving him a prime view of her behind.
Sesshoumaru closed his mouth almost as soon as it dropped open, and his Father appeared behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"She's a spitfire, isn't she?" he rumbled, laughing at his son's reaction to his childhood play-mate.
"It's a shame about her family, but she'll recover, now that I've taken her in. We can't have the heir to the Eastern lands killed before she even gets her chance to rule, now can we?"
He shook Sesshoumaru, for he remained silent.
Sesshoumaru blinked, and replied, "No. What happened to her family?"
"Attacked. It was quick, thank goodness, I'd hate to think of my old friend suffering. Regardless, I'm putting her in your care. Wherever you go now, she will follow. She was just beginning her training as ruler, as you are, and you will both continue your education together. While she is learning, I will take the Eastern lands under my rule. When she is ready, it will be hers."
Sesshoumaru only nodded, and at his Father's gentle push, followed Ai into the dining hall.
Inu no Taisho smiled. He knew an infatuation when he saw one, and his son was definitely in love with Ai, the beautiful Inu demoness, heir to the Eastern lands. He thought they would make a smart match; not only were they falling for each other, but they could join their lands upon their union, increasing their power and holdings.
Yes, he thought, You just need a little push, my son.
Two days after, Sesshoumaru awoke to two slanted gold eyes staring into his. He jumped; no one but his Mother dared come into his room this early, lest they lose their head, for he was not a morning person. He growled.
Ai giggled. "Wake up, handsome. It's time to train!" She bounced off his bed and sashayed to the door, looking over her shoulder.
"Well, hurry up! I want to see you in action," she purred, and once again all his blood rushed southward, and he frowned in frustration.
When she had gone he dressed, thinking, I will have you, Ai, whether you want it or not. I will wipe that smirk from your beautiful face.
Sesshoumaru took his time getting to the dojo. His sensei frowned at his tardiness, but Sesshoumaru cared not; who was the heir here, anyway? Sensei would say nothing if he were smart.
They began the lesson in silence. Sesshoumaru and sensei bowed, then began ruthlessly attacking each other as Ai watched.
Finally, sensei pinned Sesshoumaru and he had to admit defeat. Ai smiled; it was her turn now.
Sesshoumaru sat down as Ai and sensei faced off. He was shocked when in only three moves Ai had pinned sensei to the floor, unable to move!
She laughed, and apologized to sensei, who bowed and praised her.
"Who taught you to move so quickly? Your speed rivals Master Sesshoumaru's!"
She grinned. "It's a secret. My old sensei would roll over in his grave if I told you who he was!"
Sesshoumaru frowned. Sensei put an arm around her and they walked away, deep in conversation about technique and speed, completely ignoring him. He fumed.
She was up to something, he just knew it. What, he couldn't be sure, but the signs were there. He just had to figure her out before she could plan her next stint to embarrass him.
Ai looked over her shoulder, at a pouting Sesshoumaru. Yes! she thought, he's angry now, and suspicious. It will be so much sweeter when he discovers all that I have to give him, not to mention what I have to teach him! No dog makes fun of me and gets away with it!
She was thinking of the last time she and Sesshoumaru had seen each other, when he had played a terrible prank on her. He had always teased her for being ugly and scrawny, but she had loved him anyway, for she had fallen for his pretty face. He had thought up a simple plan so that when his family left that last time, he'd somehow managed to slice the back of her shirt, so that after he pulled away from their hug - which she had thought at the time to be a lot more friendly of him than she was used to - it had fallen away, revealing to everyone who'd turned out to bid Inu no Taisho and his family farewell just what she had under her shirt, which to her embarrassment, wasn't much, for she had yet to grow into the figure she possessed now.
She seethed inwardly just recalling the memory. She would have her revenge, and it would be sweet. What she didn't count on was that face, that face that she hated but had fallen in love with, the face that she dreamed of every night, hovering over hers and whispering sweet words of love.
After training, both demons made their way to the classroom, where Sesshoumaru was learning how to write kanji, history, geography, and music.
He despised his geography teacher, and did nothing the entire class but pick his nails and make faces at Ai while she tried to concentrate. He made a disgusted face at her when the teacher praised her work on a map he had given her to label.
Smirking at Sesshoumaru, she continued to show him up in every subject, until by the end of the day he was livid with jealousy. He ran into his Father after his last class, and Inu no Taisho, seeing the look on his son's face, flattened himself against the wall as Sesshoumaru blew past, grumbling and muttering about, "That bitch..."
Ai followed him out, and ran after him, calling his name.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inu no Taisho winked at her on her way past, and she smiled.
He whirled on her when she approached, his hair and fur flying.
"What? Are you not satisfied with yourself? Have you come to rub my nose in your perfection a little more? If you have, I will not stand for it, I'll -" he stopped mid-sentence as she grabbed his face and kissed him, slow at first, then harder and more passionately as he began to melt into her embrace, and he brought both hands through her silky white hair, as fine and shiny as his own, only hers smelled of jasmine and lavender, like his Mother's did.
When they broke for air, she licked his chin, a sign of submission among Inu demons and whispered, "Feel better now?"
He wiped his lip and gasped for air, gripping her upper arms tightly. Nodding, he went back for more, which she only too willingly gave him.
Sesshoumaru wondered how he had gotten along this far in life without this woman; had his heart loved till now? His gut contracted at the thought of her rejecting him, or losing her…it hit him harder than if he'd walked into the hardest tree in the forest. He loved Ai, he always had; he'd made fun of her as a young boy to cover up his attraction to her, and he kicked himself for it. She was heaven in his arms, and he was loath to let her go.
Ai was drowning in him, in his warmth, in his fervour as he ravaged her lips…this had started out as a vendetta against him, but her heart had betrayed her and her former feelings of attraction had spilled forth, for all her showing him up today had made her feel terrible and she wanted so desperately to make it up to him, felt so bad for showing off. Her hands travelled over his chest and committed his shape to memory as she allowed him to take her lips with an abandon that left them both breathless.
Soon, he began to hesitate, as if he didn't know where to go after kissing her. She knew that he knew how to mate; that was an instinct inherent to all Inu demons; the inner demon took over when the time came and knew what to do, but she could tell from his hesitation that he'd never gone this far with a female before.
He stopped kissing her, and looked into her eyes, expecting to see laughter there, ridicule, and something akin to pity in her golden depths, but what he found there was none of those things; what he saw when he looked into those beautiful orbs was understanding, and a knowledge he never would have guessed she possessed. Was she willing to teach him all that she knew?
He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised, for she was a century or two older than he, and therefore, being as beautiful as she was, had racked up much more experience when it came to intimacy.
He almost felt childish compared to her; he had never been with a woman. Oh, he knew they found him attractive, and he them, but his Father had kept him on such a tight schedule that he barely had time to sleep, his day was so busy. He supposed there was a reason for that; he was of the age now where it was harder than ever to curb his lust, and if his Father didn't keep him on such a short leash, there would probably be little Sesshoumaru's running around all over the Western Province by now, trying to claim the throne.
Although his Father had had his best interests at heart, it had robbed him of accumulating all the experience he might have if his day had been less full.
Ai, on the other hand, had not only been a fast learner, and had finished her training long ago, but had attended many social functions and parties in her home province, and had been with many male demons in her time. She only humoured Inu no Taisho's demand that she train with Sesshoumaru for she knew that he, too, had an ulterior motive for taking her in after her parent's deaths. She had been devastated, but when he had come for her, all her fears had melted away, for she knew he would give her all she needed in order to rule her province with a fair hand. She eagerly soaked up everything he had to tell her, and would gladly relearn all her lessons again if it meant staying with him and Sesshoumaru until she was of age to rule.
She just wished that her heart wasn't so traitorous.
"Ai, I-"
"Shh, Sesshoumaru. I know you are nervous, and I understand, but be warned; when we are through, you will never be afraid of a woman again."
She stroked his jaw, and licked his chin again, and he was undone. Carrying her in his arms, he headed to his room, looking forward to everything she had to teach him in the art of making love.
Sesshoumaru did not feel Kagome's hands grab his own and shake them as he sought his way inside her shirt; nor did he hear her call his name, desperate for him to stop. He did, however, feel the pinch on the hand she inflicted after her third attempt to capture his attention.
Both looked over sharply when Inuyasha moaned in his sleep, and rolled over, facing away from them. Both sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry, Kagome," Sesshoumaru whispered, and stood. She was quiet, wondering how long it had been for him.
"It's okay," she replied, her bangs hiding her eyes, "I understand. I'm sorry, too."
He nodded curtly, and walked away.
When he returned with a leg of deer, she silently skinned, dressed, and spitted the meat over the fire, occasionally rotating it over the flames. The silence between woman and demon was awkward, but not stifling.
Finally, Kagome looked Sesshoumaru in the eye and said, "How long has it been for you, Sesshoumaru? I could tell your mind was elsewhere when we…" she trailed off, but he knew what she was trying to say.
He didn't respond right away; he contemplated telling her at all. He also remembered his failed vow to himself, and figured it was pointless to keep up his charade.
"Four hundred years."
She gasped. "Wow," she said, her eyes wide, "that's a long time. No wonder you were so eager."
He looked at her from under his brows. She thought him eager? He wondered just what Ai had thought when they made love for the first time; he recalled he was more than just impatient, and she'd had a difficult time showing him that slow and sensual wins the lady.
He grunted, and she smiled. "I really am sorry," she whispered, and got up to reseat herself next to the snoozing hanyou, and began stroking his silver ears.
"For everything."
He barely heard her, but her voice had registered in his ears, nonetheless. He felt a small wave of disappointment as she lavished attention on his unconscious brother, as if doing so would make up for what she'd done while he was sleeping.
I'm quickly catching up to myself here, people! So if updates are a few days apart, please forgive me, I'm writing as fast as I can, thanks to Kunoichi's great character idea, thanks again! I'll try to do you proud! Oh, and don't forget - REVIEW!