Chapter 9: What's in a Kiss

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any other of the characters from the show or anime.

...

His kiss was like nothing she had ever experienced. Although she spent little time in her own time, she'd spent enough to have some experience. She'd been on a few dates, trying to distract herself from the intense feelings that being in the Feudal Era around Inuyasha invoked in her. She'd allowed herself to kiss and be kissed by good looking boys from her school. She'd wanted the experience, needed a way to mark the changes in her development. She'd even enjoyed some of them, the feel of soft lips meeting each other, questioning, curious. Like any girl, it had meant something to her to be appreciated, to be wanted, to be desired.

But if she were honest with herself, she would admit that all those dates, all those kisses, and the experiences that had gone farther than kissing, had only been used to begin and further her transformation into the woman who would rival Kikyo for Inuyasha's attentions. Inuyasha had been her first kiss, back all those years ago when the demon woman Kaguya had trapped his human soul in her mirror, almost transforming him into the full demon he longed to become. The moment their lips touched, she knew she was bound to him forever after, even if he never returned her affection. And then he'd returned her kiss, his lips tender and gentle. He'd hugged her tenderly afterwards, and she'd melted into his embrace, but that had been it. Her sixteen year old self hadn't been ready for more, and he'd kept himself away from her with a self-restraint that had amazed her. His experienced self knew her limits better than she did, and kept them intact although she would have broken all her rules and given herself to him without realizing what that had meant. But instead, fueled by his refusal to touch her again, as the years had gone by, she'd spent her time developing her self into the kind of woman with whom he could give himself too, heart, mind, and body.

This kiss was nothing like their first, and nothing like what she had felt with other boys. Two years ago, for the brief moment that Inuyasha had allowed his control to slip, he had permitted himself to touch her only in the most chaste way. Their first kiss was a pure touch of mouths, lips just soft enough to yield to the other's, lasting no more than a few seconds. This kiss was irrevocably different and perfectly so.

Inuyasha's lips ravished hers, rough and uncontrolled. His mouth didn't meet hers like a date coming to the front door of his potential girlfriend's house, polite, careful, undemanding. No, his lips acted as a lover did, coming home to claim what he knew already belonged to him. His kiss was sensuous and volatile, and she didn't flinch from it for an instant. Kagome had dreamed this kiss, had fantasized the moment when she and Inuyasha moved past the awkwardness of their earlier years. No unsure fifteen year old girl met his lips, but a bold and strong eighteen year old woman whose desires paralleled his as they never could have before.

Blood rushed through Kagome's veins, forcing her to close her eyes to prevent herself from becoming light-headed as her world spun deliciously. Kagome leaned into Inuyasha's kiss, her hand reaching to tangle itself in his silver hair. She moved without breaking the contact with his lips, sitting with her knees on either side of his lap. His hands wrapped around her waist, bringing her as close to him as possible. This kiss wasn't controlled. It was wild, pure, passionate. Inuyasha kissed her like she was the most tantalizing and delectable thing in the world, and he wanted to taste every bit of her. Kagome was drowning in him, pulled under by the swell of her emotions, into the depths of him, and she relinquished herself willingly to them and to him.

When he might have attempted to break from her, she unhesitatingly parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slip in her mouth. She felt the moment he truly lost his carefully maintained control. He swept throughout her mouth, exploring and licking every crevice. When he breathed, he took in her oxygen and she gave it willingly. With him, there was no need for it. He was her life force. She could subsist on his love alone.

His hands trailed up her waist, running his fingers up and down the skin of her arms, sending shivers down her spine. She arched up against him, longing to feel more delicious friction between their two bodies. She was drowning in the feel of him, and she wanted more. As their tongues battled for dominance, she knew for once and for all where her heart and body belonged. To him. Whether either of them had admitted it or not, she had always known that she was meant to be his.

When Inuyasha finally pulled back from her, Kagome wanted to groan at the loss. Even straddling his lap, she felt cold without the intimate heat of his body. She licked her swollen lips, missing the feel of his mouth on hers. Her body ached for his touch, needing, craving the feel of his hands caressing her body. For a few moments, she refused to open her eyes, prolonging the moment. When she finally did so, looking up at him through her lashes, she could see the emotions warring in his gaze. She knew that he wanted her, and the woman who lived inside her basked in the glow of his affection and desire.

"We need to get back," He told her, trying for an even tone and failing, turning away so that she wouldn't see the look of his longing in his eyes, his need to touch her again, to feel her body melded to his.

She grabbed him by the arm before he could stand up. He turned back around to face her faster than she had anticipated and she almost feel backward, catching herself, but the expense of her wounded shoulder. She yelped, feeling pain shoot up her arm. She was in his arms within the moment, cradled within his protective embrace.

"I'm sorry," he said, and she felt like he was apologizing for so much more than just the incident before.

"Never apologize for this, Inuyasha." Kagome's voice was just as rough as his, firm and unyielding. He rested his head on hers for a moment. She could feel him resist, feel him try to resurrect the wall between them that he had built and maintained for the last three years. But she also knew that it wouldn't be rebuilt as easily as he might hope. He'd let a damn crash through it, and now he expected it to hold back his flood of emotions and feelings as well as it had previously.

They said nothing until they reached the hut. Inside, Miroku and Sango were engrossed in conversation with someone they couldn't see. The moment the door swung shut, Miroku and Sango got up from the floor, motioning at them with their hands to come over.

"Inuyasha, Kagome," Miroku said, his voice more serious than usual. "There's someone you need to meet."

...

Mere miles away from Inuyasha and Kagome's current resting spot, Kikyo stood in a fortified, underground cave glancing into a mirror that revealed to her images of Kagome and Inuyasha's embrace. Although her body remained impassive, her eyes glinted with dangerous emotions - anger, vengeance, betrayal. She watched as her reincarnate straddled the half demon, tangling her hands in his brilliant silver hair, meeting his desire with hers, melding his body from hers. Snatching the mirror from Kanna's arms, she threw it into the floor, watching in silent and dark approval as the mirror shattered into a million tiny shards. Even knowing that the images would be seared into her brain forever, haunting her with all the fervor of a vengeful spirit that still clung to its life even as it was forced to transform into something else.

Someone clapped in the distance, the sound ringing mockingly in the cave. A tall man with dark chocolate locks that cascaded around his handsome and sharply masculine face arose from the alcove in which he had been sitting, watching her tantrum with a devilish fascination. His dark, almost black, oculars glinted even in the scant light, announcing his presence and hinting at his power even without the impressive physique that attended them. Although loose, purple robes draped about his body, it was evident in the way that he moved, silent like a predator, that he was one to be feared and respected.

"That wasn't wise, my dear" He told her, enjoying the way her shoulders stiffened at his approach, her defenses going up.

"If I wanted your opinion, Naraku, I would ask for it," she told him coldly, refusing to look at him.

"Ah, touchy, my lovely Kikyo. You know, it's such a shame that all you are is dust and bone sewn together by magic. What a waste." He stroked her hair, seductively, impiously, proving that he could touch her, could defile her if he wanted. She flinched under his touch, but he continued anyway, allowing his hands to pass onto her shoulders, his fingers lingering on her neck. He was always amused how, even with the souls of many demons inside him, demons that couldn't fathom love, there was still a part of his human heart that desired and wanted this woman.

The dark part of his soul, however, knew that she wasn't a priestess anymore, and it made him bold, gave him the courage to touch her as he never had before when he'd been human. Now, he was far more powerful than she ever could be, and he would make that clear to her, one slow step at a time.

"We have important matters to discuss, Naraku. Focus on the task at hand," She told him, permitting his touch as a show of humility, though she wanted to scrub where his hands touched her. She shoved those emotions aside, reminding herself of who she was - powerful, cold, untouchable. His act was merely a show of power, and one which she would submit to as long as it served her further aims.

"As you wish," he said amicably, although his eyes narrowed slightly, warning her to watch her tone.

"I want you to help me take over the world," she said, succinctly, not mincing words for an instant. He looked at her, his eyebrow raising just the slightest, and then threw back his head and laughed. His laughter cascaded throughout the cave, rebounding on the walls to taunt her again and again and again. She waited, saying nothing, doing nothing, through cold fury danced in her gaze.

When he stopped laughing, he looked at her, a wicked smile on his cold lips.

'And what do I get in return?" he asked her, amused by her reaction and curious as to her response. 'What would she offer him in return for his help?'.

"You will have slaves, all that you could ever want."

He waved a hand at her, dismissively. "I have all the servants I could ever ask for. My demons serve me well."

"The destruction of Inuyasha and his pathetic friends, the shards they have collected of the Shikon no Tama."

"I could take those if I wanted," he scoffed at her, allowing some of his power to seep out into the room. The air turned colder as if even the elements feared his tremendous magic. He drew the warmth into himself, making her shiver in the now almost freezing air. He stared at her, allowing some of the heat he felt emotionally, as well as physically, seep into his eyes.

"Not good enough, my dear," he told her, testing her, pushing her. "What else do you have to offer me?" She didn't move, considering the unspoken proposal. She knew what he wanted, had suspected it was what she was going to have to do from the moment she'd set out on his quest. Sell her body to achieve her vengeance. Women had done worse.

"What else do I have that you want?" she surprised him with her answer. She refused to play this game on his terms. If he wanted something from her, he was going to have to ask directly for it. Her tenacity and fire amused him, even as it made the heat that was rushing through his body bring life to other parts, parts that he hadn't thought about since he was human. Oh yes, seeing Kikyo before him made him remember things about being human, not all of which were so beneath him. Indeed, some he might very much now enjoy.

His eyes met hers, and she stared back, confident, defiant. He moved to cross the space between them, putting his face within inches of hers. Although she flinched almost imperceptibly, she remained where she was, allowing him, once again, to invade her personal space. He leaned closer, allowing her to feel the magic seeping out of his skin, his hot breath against her nose and mouth.

"You. All of you." He told her, not moving, waiting for an answer. She stayed silent, and then opened her mouth, her words barely audible except for the fact that he was almost pressed against her.

"In return for helping me conquer the world and destroy Inuyasha and his modern whore." She clarified, softly.

"Deal," he answered, his dark eyes peering straight through her, into her soul. He motioned his head expectantly at her.

"Deal," she said. She moved to turn away, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her against him. His lips descended on hers, harsh and unforgiving. She squirmed underneath his onslaught, but he gave her no ground. He plundered her lips, claiming them, forcing her to accept him. His tongue forced its way past her lips, and he drank her in, his human heart beating harder than it had in the last fifty years, making him feel alive. He bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood, and then allowed himself to truly taste her, know her essence. His tongue scoured her mouth, learning its secrets, forceful and domineering. His lips were bruising, his grip on her still firm and unyielding.

He pulled away only when he was ready. Kikyo pulled air into her aching lungs, her lips swollen and red from his kisses. He wanted to move forward, but knew there were other things he needed to do. He consoled himself with the thought that he would have time to do what he wanted. And, surely, he intended to take advantage of everything which she had just offered.

"I look forward to working with you," he said darkly as he strode off, leaving her standing alone in the center of the cavern, fully and completely aware of the deal to which she had just agreed.

...

Author's note:

Hi, yes I know this is was a very intense and emotional chapter, but I thought that at least one chapter should be dedicated purely to the relationships of the story. Next one will be back to the plot, and believe me, there's some serious stuff about to go down.

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! You are all the best!

JadeElemental