Corona
By: The Hatter Theory
Chapter 12: Deep Impression
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha or the song by Right Face
Warning: This has lemonlime sort of content. Soz, I really did try to stop it. The more explicit version is on Dokuga, which is set as my homepage on my profile. Someone asked about the difference in ratings between the two, now you know. Also, any explicit content is going to Dokuga from now on, including my lemons (for all of you eighteen and up pervs out there).
Kagome greeted Izayoi with a reluctant smile, knowing the woman had seen photos of the troupe, and more specifically she and Sesshoumaru from a few nights before. Izayoi looked stern and disapproving for two minutes, arms crossed under her bust and tapping her foot.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked.
"I'm, umm, sorry?" Kagome tried, although she still found it difficult to be sorry for anything that had happened that night. The only drawbacks were the hickey she had been forced to buy concealer for and the incessant itching of her healing tattoo.
A grin bloomed on Izayoi's face.
"Never be sorry for a good time. I brought the pictures of you and Sesshoumaru, you know, in case you wanted them," She offered with a puckish smile. Kagome accepted the envelope, knowing he rface was beet red. "So, we've gotten quite good at this since starting. It didn't take a lot to get the paperwork drawn up. It just requires your signature, as you're a legal adult, and my own. Still want to put on a show for your mother?"
Kagome wondered how such a well bred woman could be so down to earth, nodding as she led her up the steps to the shrine.
"Well, she's been paying your tuition thus far, so she'll have an interest. I'll bring up the activity, and you grab the photos and video."
"Oh, they're all on disk, and I don't have a laptop," Kagome moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Taken care of," Izayoi assured her, patting the heavy looking bag at her side. "I needed it in case your mother asked about the foundation. I had a fake website created just in case she's curious."
"Can I tell them, you know, that we talk?" Kagome asked as they neared the top of the steps.
"No," Izayoi said firmly, shaking her head. "It wouldn't go well. Inu Yasha might try to contact me, and I don't want Touga to know how much I've been helping them."
Kagome nodded in understanding.
"If possible, I would like to meet with you now and again, hear how they're doing. Personal investigators can be so apathetic to the little things that matter."
"Well, Kouga and Inu Yasha are friends again," Kagome offered. "They argue like crazy, but it's just how they are."
"How are Sesshoumaru and Inu Yasha getting along?"
"They act like they can't stand each other, but I know they care. I don't think they know how to be normal brothers. Sniping at one another is just their way of getting along," She opined. Izayoi nodded, a small smile dancing on her lips as they mounted the steps that led to Kagome's front door.
"Ready?" Izayoi asked. Kagome nodded.
What happened next stunned Kagome. Izayoi was a one woman whirlwind, taking over the situation and playing her role to the hilt. Nodoka asked a thousand questions, and Inu Yasha's mother answered all of them patiently, explaining the scholarship to her.
Her mother was overjoyed, and kept mentioning how driven Kagome was, and how she would give her education everything she had. Each time this was said, Kagome's stomach clenched and twisted more tightly until she was sure she was going to vomit.
"That brings me to the last stipulation Kagome. Our foundation likes to support well rounded individuals. Do you have an extracurricular activities? Track, maybe lacrosse?" Izayoi asked, her face a perfect mask of curiosity.
"Kagome's never made much time for sports," Nodoka broke in, looking nervous. "Her studies have always been her main focus." Kagome tried not to shoot a glare at the woman answering for her. Somehow her mother made it sound like it was all her fault she hadn't participated in school clubs!
"Do they have to be school related?" Kagome asked hesitantly, praying her acting skills were up to par. Pretending to be nervous was no problem, it was not melting to the floor in a puddle of shame that was difficult.
"Well, no, there's nothing that strictly says it has to be a school activity," Izayoi hedged. "I might have to run it by the foundation for approval if it isn't, just to be safe."
Kagome was sure if either of them lied any more, they would burst into flame on the spot.
"If you could please wait a moment," Kagome murmured, getting off the couch and going up the stairs, making sure to take the envelope of photos with her. She paused for a moment when Nodoka began speaking, making up excuses for her daughter's lack of activities outside of scholastic pursuits and asking if it was possible that Kagome could join one to gain the scholarship. There was an edge of desperation to the older Higurashi's voice, and Kagome knew that Izayoi had neatly cornered Nodoka. If it hadn't been done with such deceit, Kagome would be happy. Instead, the whole situation was flavored with a bitterness she couldn't quite explain.
When she came back down, disk in hand, she gave it to Nodoka. "This is a troupe I recently began working with. The leader is currently teaching me tessenjutsu. Perhaps since it's a martial art, the foundation will allow it," She explained, ignoring the surprised expression in her mother's eyes.
Izayoi began scrolling through the photos, a warm smile on her face. "These are exquisite. This is tessenjutsu?" She asked, pausing on each picture.
"Well, yes an no. These prop I'm using is a fire fan, the design is based on one of the bigger tessen, a menhari-gata. Some are taken of me going through the kata I've been taught, and the others are of me and a friend working through a routine, the latter are stills taken from the video."
By now Nodoka had given in to her curiosity and come to peer over their shoulders at the photographs. There was a small gasp behind them, and Kagome did her best not to turn and beg her mother to forgive her. It would be incredibly rude and she wouldn't cause a scene in front of Izayoi after everything the woman had done to help her.
The video came on, and Kagome watched it, a small smile dancing on her lips.
"He has one arm," Nodoka breathed.
"He's very talented," Izayoi bit out with more force than necessary, startling Nodoka. "You both are. It's an unusual hobby, but given that you're learning a martial art, even if it's not in a recognized dojo, the foundation should recognize it as a valid one. If you don't mind, may I make a copy of these?"
"That would be fine," Kagome murmured. The video ended and Izayoi silently copied the disk to her hard drive before popping it out and handing it back to Kagome.
"I think you have a very bright future Miss Higurashi, and I think it's safe to say that you'll be receiving the scholarship."
"Thank you," Kagome breathed, bowing deeply, afraid she would give the act away if she said anything else. Nodoka's effusive thanks followed Izayoi out of the house and when the door closed, Kagome could swear the temperature in her home dropped several degrees. Staying seated, she waited for her mother to come back in and let loose.
Instead, Nodoka sat across from her, rigidly upright and frowning.
"You haven't been studying, have you?" Nodoka accused quietly, the words so sharp they burned into her.
"I have," Kagome defended, shoulders drooping.
"Then what was that?"
"I'm able to do both. I need something to keep me balanced," She tried, wanting to make her mother understand, only to be interrupted again.
"Fire? I thought we talked about that. It's not safe."
Kagome was about to say it was perfectly safe, but stopped when she remembered Sesshoumaru's arm.
"I'm sorry I disobeyed you. I didn't like hiding it, I really didn't. But it makes me happy. I've made friends, and I'm, I'm making something beautiful. We're making something beautiful, just for the sake of making it," She amended. "It's glorious."
Nodoka sniffed once, and Kagome's head jerked up to look at the woman sitting across from her in the old, overstuffed chair. Angry tears were welling up in the older woman's eyes, and Kagome felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. Nodoka's expression was nothing short of furious.
"I don't want to see you hurt, or like me," Nodoka started, voice still burning through with anger.
"I'm not going to leave school or start getting bad grades," She promised. "And we're all very careful when we burn."
There was a long silence, and Nodoka nodded once before standing abruptly and leaving the room. Her silence wasn't approval or even happiness that such a lucrative scholarship had been gained. It did reek of disappointment and condemnation however, and the magnitude of her and Izayoi's farce only added to it, weighing down her shoulders. Guilt puckered sourly in her mouth, crept in and seized her conscience. She was lying to everyone. Her mother. Sesshoumaru. The troupe. Kujaku.
What should have felt like a victory felt like nothing more than a conglomeration of failure and deceit.
When he saw Kagome, she was coming to braid his hair in the morning as she usually did. However she was much more subdued than she had been before her meeting with the foundation representative. Normally he would have enjoyed the quiet, but something about her expression pricked at his temper.
"How did it go?" He asked, knowing she would immediately know what he was speaking of.
"Mom's still angry. She still hasn't spoken to me, this morning she just handed me my lunch and walked away," Kagome mumbled.
"We have a job tonight," He reminded her, hoping to draw her out of her dark mood. She only nodded and shrugged, sitting down across from him and folding her arms before using them to pillow her forehead. Dark, wavy hair spilled down, and he moved to touch it, push it out of the way before drawing his hand back.
"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome finally asked, peering up at him, eyes curiously blank.
"Hn?" He replied, pretending to read something on his laptop.
"Can you keep a secret?"
He already kept many. One more couldn't hurt, especially one from her. What secret could compare to the double life she'd been living?
"I can."
"From everyone?" She asked.
He nodded. He was already keeping secrets from 'everyone', including her.
"Izayoi is the one who gave me the scholarship," She whispered, the sound tinged with self loathing and derision. The admission stopped him short and any pretense of working on his paper died a swift, quiet death. Gathering up his things and packing them away neatly, he stood and began walking. When she didn't follow, he paused.
"Are you coming?" He bit out, harsher than he intended. Slowly she stood and shuffled up to him, eyes fastened on the floor. Leading her out of the library and across campus, he ignored the curious stares, mind turning her confession over in his head again and again.
When they got into the car, he slammed his door and roared out of the parking deck, intent on going somewhere, anywhere where they wouldn't be overheard. Izayoi knew about the others, knew about Kagome, which meant that someone was following them. The conversation he wanted to have could be for their ears only.
Driving in a random direction and checking his review mirror for anyone following them, he kept going for the better part of half an hour before pulling into a parking garage and turning the car off. Another car pulled in after them, parking a discreet distance away. However, if they kept their conversation quiet, all should be well. Or he was getting paranoid. Erring on the side of caution, he spoke quietly.
"How do you know it was Izayoi?"
"The day I went to go get coffee, she called me and asked me to meet her. I was going to go yell at her, for abandoning you and inu Yasha like that. But she started explaining-"
Panic. Pure panic raced down his spine, then chilled under the force of cool logic. If Kagome knew the terms of his return, she'd be furious, not depressed, and he highly doubted she would confess in such a situation.
"She told me that your father won't listen to her about helping you both out. He refuses to look in on you, anything. No offense, he sounds like a real jerk. Apparently she's the one that paid your hospital debt and is paying for your tuition. And the whole troupe's. Even Shippou and Koharu's," She breathed, puling her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly. "I don't like keeping secrets, but she said if I told, everyone would feel bought off for being nice to you instead of earning it, and she made the point that we had earned it," She pointed out, shaking her head. "I don't feel like I did though."
He was quiet, digesting the information and checking it for any false notes. Finding nothing that sounded wildly untrue, he looked up at the ceiling of the car, blinking slowly. His father didn't know. Izayoi had tried to tell him, and then gone behind his back and helped out both his brother and himself, which sounded like her. It also wasn't a huge leap to imagine her funding the educations of everyone within the troupe, even their makeup artist and photographer. Kami knew his father wouldn't miss the money, and unless he looked at the names on the paperwork, he'd never know she was aiding his disowned sons.
What had barely made sense before became perfectly clear. His father probably avoided looking in on them so he wouldn't be tempted to help, that much he could assume safely. It was also safe to assume Izayoi would worry about Inu Yasha, and perhaps even him, and want to help. While his stepmother had never been vocal about her disapproval of their year long banishment, she hadn't supported it in the least either.
But she had said nothing to Kagome of his and and inu Yasha's return, which was one piece he couldn't place neatly among the others. Did she even know if the others knew or not? If she did, was she giving them both a chance to come clean? It was the only feasible thing he could picture. While only the family knew of the terms, or that they might be welcomed back at all, he couldn't picture her withholding the information for any other reason.
"I'm sorry. She didn't want me to tell anyone," Kagome whispered. "I'll understand if you're angry."
The silence was deafening, and somewhere a car door slammed, echoing in the concrete confines of the parking garage.
"I am not angry. I am glad you told me," He finally said. It was not a lie. "But she is correct, do not tell the others. Inu Yasha would seek her out, and the troupe would not enjoy the idea of being bought off."
"It's not though, not for them anyway," She defended. "All of them earned it."
"And you haven't?" He retorted, surprised by himself. Kagome shrugged and and buried her face behind her knees. "You are a hard worker and a good student," He tried, wanting to bring her out of her funk. Her unnatural silence was something he was not accustomed to, and he was finding more and more that he didn't like it. "You merely had the good fortune to cross her path. Do not discount your own abilities so quickly."
She looked up, tears pouring down her face, although she made no sound, didn't even breath heavily.
"She asked me to meet with her now and again, to tell her things about you two. I told her I would. Is that alright?" He nodded his assent, not willing to make a liar out of her after everything she'd confessed. It wasn't hard to see how much better she felt for being honest with him, and he wondered if she felt better after getting so many secrets off of her chest.
"I lied to mom, I just traded one for another. I can be honest about what I'm doing with the troupe, but she thinks I applied for the scholarship. Even so, she's still angry at me. I've never seen her this mad," Kagome whimpered, finally coming to the lie that obviously bothered her the most.
His relationship with his father had never been a dishonest one. The problem had been that they were both implicitly honest with one another, and from his end it had always been a bitter, cutting sort of honesty. Until he had begun hiding the possibility of his return home from the troupe, he had accorded that honesty to everyone.
Kagome was a poor liar, although he could see her making small, white lies to save the feelings of others. Nothing more. It was still a surprise that she had been able to hide Izayoi's involvement as long as she had, although it had obviously bothered her.
"Your mother," He began, searching for words. "Has tried to hold you in a box, to keep you separate from the world while walking within it. It was a fool's endeavor. In life you will hurt those you love, sooner or later, as they will hurt you. In time she will forgive you."
"You really think so?" Kagome sniffed, still looking straight ahead.
"I do." After all, the woman had raised Kagome, the most forgiving person he knew. Given that and the fact that soon enough the drain on her bank account would end, the woman would probably be delirious with joy, or at the very least grateful Kagome had taken up such a hobby.
"Thanks," She sighed, leaning against him. He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very aware they were being watched. The feeling pricked at him, and he imagined hearing a camera shutter click in the hollow silence inherent of parking garages.
"A car followed us here," He informed her. She made an unladylike noise.
"Izayoi gave me the pictures of us from the bar. At first I thought it was just going to be the ones of us making out like she said, but she gave me a lot more than that. I wish I could show the others, we look so happy. But I don't know how to explain getting them."
"She brought that up?" He asked, shock coloring his words. Izayoi had always been a plainspoken sort of woman, but he found it difficult to believe she would venture into those waters. He did applaud Kagome's wisdom though, after his shock died. Explaining having photos of them would only raise more questions, ones he refused to answer, and would be damned before he let his halfwit brother attempt to explain.
"Oh yeah, she thinks it's hilarious," Kagome drawled. "Too bad she tossed the first set away though," She mumbled. "From the first time we kissed. I would like to see the red compound in action."
He doubted those had been thrown away. Izayoi was the sort of person that kept her photos. She had several photograph books filled with pictures of family she had never even met, not to mention the ones of her son and husband, and even him. He made a note to find them when he was allowed back to the family seat and spirit them away. Possibly even get them to Kagome, if she would speak to him after everything was said and done. After her work on the compounds, she deserved them.
"We should probably go back to school," She sighed, beginning to pull away.
"We have already missed our first classes," He suggested. Blue eyes narrowed and a smile bloomed, the first one he'd seen all day.
"You of all people are suggesting we play hookey?"
"Now that we are allowed in the gym, I would have you begin learning simpler acrobatics." Her face fell and he couldn't help but tease her. "Unless there is something else you would rather do?" It came out as a purr and she pulled further away from him, her whole face flooding with color.
There hadn't been enough opportunities to kiss her. Rarely were they alone anymore, and he was not one to betray any sort of intimacy in public. Despite the drunken show they'd given the troupe, he didn't consider kissing or touching in front of them to be particularly pleasant either. Curiously eager to steal time for something as simple as kissing -possibly more- he ignored the little voice in the back of his mind that told him he should tread carefully. Very carefully.
"N-no, I think we've given Izayoi enough to laugh at," She muttered.
"I don't think so," He breathed, moving closer to her, trapping her between the door and himself.
"What is it with you and cars?" She demanded, chuckling weakly, pressing herself against the door. With nowhere else to go, he moved forward until his lips were almost brushing hers, his eyes reflecting back at him in the clear blue orbs inches from his own.
"If you don't want me to kiss you, all you need do is say no." With each word their lips barely touched, light as butterfly wings, each soft contact imparting electricity until her lips tingled. Giving in with a groan she closed the space between them and opened up to him.
He always demanded, always took over the kiss, never coaxing, just commanding submission. Despite her inexperience she didn't feel clumsy or silly or awkward, mimicking him. His tongue swept up the center of her upper lip and nipped it gently, turning the tingle into jagged bolts of heat. A moan rose from her throat, escaping into his mouth as he seemed to inhale it, steal it completely, returning it with dark sound that incited something between fear and lust.
When his arm closed around her and drug her onto his lap, her legs straddling him, she didn't protest. The steering wheel dug into her back painfully and his hand fumbled on the side of the seat until it tipped back several inches. When the hand returned to touching her, it was to slide under her shirt, fingers burning the sensitive skin of her stomach.
Nervous by the sudden intimacy of the touch, she pulled back, panting slightly. His pale eyes hard darkened into a deep, burnished gold and his nostrils flared slightly as he exhaled. The hand on her stomach shifted down to her hip, only two of his fingers still resting on her skin, burning like hot irons.
"I can't," She started, stopping when she realized how stupid she must sound. He nodded, understanding immediately.
"I will not force anything," He promised, and relief swept through her, relaxing the anxious knot her heart had become for those brief seconds. The hand wandered up, just a little until she felt the smoothness of his palm resting on her side, urging her back down. Her hands, resting on his chest, wandered lower. Keeping watch on his face, she noticed his jaw clench as she slipped them under his shirt, letting them rest on his stomach.
"Is this alright?" She finally asked, inches from his face. A tight nod was her response before she leaned down and began kissing him again. It was different this time, and she wondered if it was their positions. Shyly taking the opportunity to explore, she delicately tasted his lips. Curiously her hands moved, one sliding up his side and the other to his navel, where her thumb found the line of hair that had consistently drawn her gaze. A pulse shivered through her body as her thumb swept over it, his own grip on her tightening in response, pulling her closer to him.
When his hips rocked up gently, the strange pulse from before returned, pulling a moan from her. Apparently encouraged by the noise, he did it again, and again. The pulsing turned into a hot, steady throbbing between hr legs, the friction only intensifying the feeling. Rocking her own hips gently in response, something resemble a growl escaped into the kiss, thrumming against her lips and tongue.
His hand tightened, guided her movements until she found the right pace, sliding against him. Distantly she knew there was relief somewhere on the other side of the tension forming in her stomach, urging her her on, increasing her pace. Breathless sighs and moans were exhaled into the kiss as she instinctively moved against him, burning up from the inside. Something felt coiled and ready to break, and it frightened her even as she careened headlong into it, unable to stop. Whimpering when he pulled back, her eyes shot open, surprised to see him looking equally strained.
"Let it happen," He rumbled, voice unnaturally deep. His hips started moving faster, his hand forcing her hips down, the sensitive area between her legs grinding against him. The increased friction was too much, too quickly. Feeling like she was a firework shot into the sky, the tension broke, releasing euphoria as every cell in her body seemed to fly apart.
When her eyes opened again, she was still straddling him, but her head was resting next to his, cupped by his hand, fingers tangled in her hair. Feeling heavy and warm, as if she'd drunk warm sake, she blinked twice before looking up. A lazy smile drifted on his features, his half lidded eyes their normal light hazel instead of the deep gold from before.
Unsure of what to say, she smiled shyly in response.
"You are exceedingly fond of playing with fire," He told her, the lazy smile never leaving his features.
"Is that bad?" For a moment worry flickered through her, breaking through the sleepy warmth.
"Not at all."
The statement banished any fear and she snuggled into him, eyes drifting shut.
He watched her, letting her doze in the wake of what he assumed to be her first orgasm. He was just managing to get a hold on his own lust, although a purely male sense of satisfaction hummed through him at her response. That he'd been able to instill pleasure with kisses and simple friction alone was enough to make him wonder what he could coax from her with more concentrated efforts. The fact they that were in his car, in a parking garage didn't bother him in the least, barely registered in fact.
She was...Exquisite in her innocence. There was nothing that dubbed her reaction an act, or forced. Before she'd peaked he had seen the flash of fear in her eyes, as if she didn't wholly understand what was happening. The honesty of her response to his touch had only heightened his own need to take her higher and force her over the edge. Even as he'd tethered his own lust to keep from crossing a boundary she'd regret, the force of her orgasm and the moan that had echoed in the car had made it worth it.
Tension seeped out of his muscles as he regarded her. Bruised, kiss stained lips were slightly parted, half smiling, her whole expression relaxed. Euphoric was the only thing that came to mind as he stared. She snuggled into him, shifting and curving her spine so her head rested under his chin. He reached around her, his hand going under her shirt to rest on her back. Her skin was so smooth and warm. Looking back, he tried to remember finding the feel of someone's skin tantalizing, erotic in and of itself, and couldn't.
They stayed like that, both drifting in and out lazily, until her phone rang, shattering the peaceful silence. He pulled the phone out of her pocket before she moved back into her seat, blinking groggily. Immediately he missed the feel of her, the warmth dissipating quickly as he flipped the phone open.
"Where are you?" Inu Yasha snapped impatiently.
He wasn't entirely sure.
"Why?" He asked instead.
"Sesshoumaru? What the hell, this is Kagome's phone!"
"What do you want?"
"Kagome was supposed to help me go over my chem notes. You guys aren't, I didn't-" Inu Yasha began.
"No," Sesshoumaru bit out. "But we are not on campus. I was going to take her to the gym to begin teaching her tumbling."
"Oh, well Kouga's already done with classes for the day. You should have him join you."
He could not think of anything he wanted less at that moment. But missing an arm meant he wouldn't be able to spot her fully, which could lead to injury, something he didn't want.
"I'll grab him and we can meet you there," Inu Yasha said.
"I thought you had another class," Sesshoumaru tried. Inu Yasha made a rude noise.
"Like you didn't?"
Conceding defeat, Sesshoumaru gave the affirmative and closed the phone. Kagome stretched in the seat, her back arching and exposing the flesh of her stomach.
"What now?" She sighed after relaxing and putting on her seatbelt.
"Basic tumbling." She groaned and let her head fall back against the headrest.
"Umm, I'm not sure how this goes, but, thank you," She finally murmured as he pulled out of the parking garage and onto the street. He chanced a quick glance at her, feeling irrationally pleased with himself a a blush dusted her cheeks.
"One does not normally say thank you," He told her, smirking when her blush deepened. "Your pleasure was more than enough reward." She nodded dumbly, still not speaking. He wouldn't tell her that most men would not view it as such, that before he had not viewed a woman's reaction as it's own reward. But the image of her as she'd shattered was a sight he'd greedily memorized and found his own satiation in.
"Is it always like that?" She finally asked.
No, definitely not. Sometimes, most of the time, it wasn't nearly that good, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Nor was he going to tell her it could be infinitely better.
"Perhaps this is a conversation you should have with Sango," He informed her, feeling slightly awkward. Kagome nodded mutely, a small smile still on her lips.
Navigating the city proved more difficult than he had first anticipated, as they were in an area he didn't recognize. After half an hour and several wrong turns he was surprised when Kagome informed them of their location.
"My father used to work in this area," She said. "Mom would bring me down here to have lunch with him sometimes when I was little."
"Do you know where the college is in relation to here?" He was hesitant to admit that he was lost, but she smiled and pointed east. It was enough for him to begin getting his bearings as he drove east, finally finding a street he recognized.
"You never speak about him," He finally said, breaking the silence.
"I don't remember a lot," She admitted. "Small things. The rain. Every chance he had he'd take me out in it. And pottery. He had this weird obsession with pottery, although it's hard to remember how exactly, more that he was really interested in it. I've always been too scared of hurting mom to ask about it. His favorite treat was manju, he'd always bring a box of them home on Fridays and we'd make it a goal to eat them all before mom finished dinner. One time I ate so many I made myself sick," She chuckled.
"Did you do it again?" He asked.
"Yeah, it never occurred to me to not do it. It was our tradition. In retrospect, mom probably laughed herself silly."
"You never talk about your mom," She observed carefully, breaking the silence they had drifted into.
"There is not much to say," He admitted. "She is-" How did he finish that statement?
"Is?" Kagome asked after a long pause.
"Once she was a model, and when she became pregnant, she decided to retire, and became a prominent editor of a magazine. She has since moved up and become a leading partner."
"Oh, what magazine?" Kagome asked, genuinely curious.
"Figaro," He replied, waiting for the normal reaction. When she gave him a blank look he was surprised to be utterly relieved. Hatsuki loved working for the magazine, because she was the queen of living the high life, as it were. Believing luxury was the key to happiness, she used the magazine as an excuse to live the life she wanted, her family's money (and very old money they were) giving her the means.
"Never heard of it," She finally said, somewhat apologetically. Unable to explain that he was grateful she hadn't latched onto it like every other woman he'd dated. Although he supposed she wasn't someone who would read a magazine that revolved entirely around luxury and opulence. Did she even own a dress? He could only recall seeing her in pants and Sango's shorts. Not once had he ever seen her in a skirt.
"She often travels," He told her. And he liked it that way. His mother was as manipulative as she was beautiful, and that he hadn't sought her help was a testament to that. When she saw him again, he had no doubt she would look at his arm in disgust and try to avoid him. As a person that constantly surrounded herself by beauty, she abhorred all things she found unattractive, even the slightest imperfection making an otherwise beautiful object or person repulsive. Since before he could remember, he had been the apple of her eye, with remarks about his beauty being solely her genes and such.
That would change, and he could say with complete honesty that it would be one of the better results to come of losing a limb.
Sensing his disquiet, Kagome said nothing more for the duration of the drive, opting instead to watch the world go by, stealing sidelong glances at him every now and again. Every time he would turn his head ever so slightly to show he'd caught her staring, she'd turn back to the window, the redness of her blush reflecting in the glass.
When they finally arrived, Kagome dug through her bag and pulled a brush out, fixing the disheveled mess of her hair before pulling it back into a tight ponytail. Kouga's car was already parked, one of three cars present besides his own.
"Wait," Kagome said, stopping him from getting out. "Your hair, I need to fix it."
What was wrong with his hair? Checking it in the mirror, he saw what hadn't been immediately obvious. The sides looked as if someone had run their fingers through it, pulling an inch or two loose from the braid. Submitting to her ministrations, he savored the feel of her hands caressing his hair.
"Your roots are beginning to show," She observed as she brushed it out. He didn't often look in the mirror, so it was something he hadn't noticed, or even considered. The black would clash garishly with the white, and he wasn't sure what would look worse. They were no closer to being able to afford the dye than before, and it would be several weeks to get the ingredients shipped of Koharu was to be believed.
"You could always get it touched up," She suggested.
Yes, because he wanted to intentionally look like a deviant.
"At least it's free and you won't look liked a zebra," She scoffed, guessing his thoughts.
She had a valid point, not that he would admit it out loud.
"Plus the white is beautiful. It's hard to imagine you any other way."
His braid was finished, although he said nothing to her suggestion. Wisely she dropped the subject as they headed inside. The gym itself was one big open space. It alternately taught gymnastics and martial arts tricking, the rare, expansive open space perfectly suited for it. There were two foam pits, several mats, and the normal gymnastics equipment was stored in the back, leaving the middle open.
"Hey guys!" Kouga called out, his voice echoing. "Class starts in about two hours, so we have it until then."
They both walked to the foam pit where Inu Yasha lay, looking incredibly smug.
"What's this for?" Kagome asked, confused. It looked like a foam equivalent of a ball pit, something children played in.
"Watch!" Kouga called out from the far end of the mats. Inu Yasha's smug smile faded as he scrambled out of the pit, Kouga already running down the line of tape on the floor. Inu Yasha had just gotten out when Kouga kicked and then contorted his body, flying through the air and landing in the foam pit. His smile echoed Inu Yasha's.
"That was amazing!" Kagome breathed, eyes wide as Kouga hauled himself from the pit and back onto solid ground.
"Good, because today you're going to deal with it a lot," Kouga informed her cheekily.
"I could never do anything like that," She replied in a small voice.
"Not yet, but someday, if you keep practicing. For now we're just going to get you comfortable with falling."
"Falling?" Kagome asked, screeching when tow arms hauled her up from behind and tossed her into the pit. Landing face down, she came up practically hissing, about to start berating Inu Yasha when Kouga began laughing.
"See? Falling. Not so bad, was it?" Inu Yasha asked.
"A little warning would be great," She muttered.
"Here's a warning. Do your stretches, and I mean all of them," Kouga instructed. "And I'll go hunt up some proper clothes for you to wear. You too," He said, casting a glance at Sesshoumaru before walking off to one side of the gym.
"Think you can still do any of your old tricks?" Inu Yasha asked, smirking at Sesshoumaru, who was already stretching. Kagome went through her own stretches, warming her body up. By the time she was done, Kouga had returned with two pairs of shorts and a sports bra, blushing slightly.
"I can just-" She started.
"They're new, no worries. It's just, a regular one-" He started, then stopped, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"A regular undergarment can become quite uncomfortable," Sesshoumaru inserted deftly, earning a grateful nod from Kouga. Kagome accepted the clothing hesitantly.
"Can I wear a shirt?" She asked.
"If you've got a spare. You'll be sweating a lot," Kouga sighed. Kagome shook her head and he shrugged helplessly. "It's not like you're going to be wearing less than any of the other girls that come here," He tried, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"I don't see the problem," Inu Yasha groused. "You've worn a bikini before, right?" She nodded cautiously. "This covers more than that does. Hurry up and go get changed."
Obeying the command, she tried not to feel uncomfortable when Sesshoumaru entered the locker room with her.
"There is only one," He pointed out. "The showers are through there, you can change in privacy."
Fleeing when he began removing his shirt, she rounded the corner and took in the open showers that had nothing to give even a remote air of privacy. Hoping she wouldn't need one by the time she was done, she changed slowly, looking at the ridiculously tiny black shorts before putting them on. They hugged her skin and felt small enough to qualify as underwear.
'Bikini. Bikini,' She reminded herself before tugging on the gray sports bra. It pressed her breasts in, almost flattening her chest completely. Feeling slightly less sexual now that she'd been reduced to the cup size of a twelve year old boy, a skinny one, she took stock of herself. Flat chest, impossibly pale skinny legs, soft tummy.
No one could look at her and see anything remotely sexual, and when she thought of Sesshoumaru, she felt a brief flicker of annoyance. Shaking her head, she gathered her clothes and walked out, grateful Sesshoumaru had already finished changing. Putting her shoes and clothes in one of the open cubbyholes, she paused before walking back into the gym.
"Hurry up, stop being such a girl!" Inu Yasha called, and she remembered him saying it once before. Forcing her feet to move before she had another chance to change her mind, she stepped onto the main gym floor, forcing a bright smile.
"Good, they fit."
"Watch, Sesshoumaru's been showing off," Inu Yasha said as she walked up. Sesshoumaru was twisting his body, and suddenly threw himself into a corkscrew sort of twist, hit the ground, and like he had springs built into his feet, bounced into the air again, kicking with first one leg and then another. Another landing led into a flip and that landing turned into a low sweeping kick that almost circled around him. Apparently not quite finished, he used the momentum to launch himself into the air again and twist midair before landing neatly.
"Wow," She breathed, watching him walk over to them. His black shorts almost hit the knee, and he wasn't wearing a shirt, exposing lean muscles and a stomach she was positive she could do laundry on if given half a chance. It was with a gargantuan effort of will that she didn't let her eyes travel lower, knowing the stark line of hair waited.
"Looks like the cripple's still got moves," Inu Yasha snorted form her side, bringing her back from her musings.
"Inu Yasha!" She hissed.
"Actually it's pretty amazing," Kouga admitted.
"Why? I mean, it's awesome," She stuttered, Sesshoumaru's brow arching as if amused.
"My center of gravity changed when I lost my arm," He informed her. "It was merely a matter of finding the correct way to balance."
"Like I said, showoff," Inu Yasha laughed before moving back to the foam pit. The rest of the group followed, and suddenly Kagome felt herself lifted into the air unexpectedly and thrown into the pit. Landing on her bottom this time she glared up at the three males smirking down at her.
"Who did it?" She growled as she pulled herself out. Inu Yasha and Kouga shook their heads and pointed at Sesshoumaru, who said nothing but continued smiling.
"Okay, enough," Kouga said when she didn't stop glaring. "How about a cartwheel first? Can you do one?"
Her first attempt was perfect. Cartwheels had always been easy, and she hadn't stopped once she grew into adulthood. Next Inu Yasha mentioned a round off, which proved more difficult. Uncomfortable with Kouga and Inu Yasha both grabbing her hips at separate times, she fumbled through it a dozen times before successfully landing it. When they only told her to do it again, she groaned and tried, failing and breaking into a cartwheel.
"Pop your shoulders," Inu Yasha instructed. It took several repetitions before she was able to perform six without making a mistake.
"Trampoline?" Kouga asked Sesshoumaru, who nodded. Kagome watched as Kouga drug a small square trampoline from the wall and put it in front of the ball pit.
"Kagome, watch me," Kouga instructed. He moved back and ran forward jumped on the trampoline and flipped midair before landing in the foam pit. Inu Yasha, intent on returning his friend's earlier rush, called out for her to watch, sending Kouga scrambling out. Another flip and Inu Yasha was pulling himself out, smiling at her.
"Your turn," He said, gesturing to the line.
"I can't do it," She protested.
"It's easy," Inu Yasha coaxed.
"Nothing to it, one of the simplest moves in the book," Kouga cajoled.
Sesshoumaru muttered something uncomplimentary before taking her hand and leading her to the trampoline.
"Get on," He instructed calmly. She stepped on, feeling the springs tighten as they stretched. Looking to Sesshoumaru for guidance, he brought his arm to her middle. "On three, bounce off, and bend over my arm as you fall, let your legs come up, like a somersault."
She did as he instructed, and found herself staring up at him, a smile blooming on her face.
"That wasn't hard," She breathed.
"Again."
They repeated the move several times, each time with the instruction to push harder against the trampoline. When he moved back and nodded, she looked forward and tried it without him to spot her. As she had before, she landed face up in the foam. When she got out, all three men were smiling approvingly.
"Want to try with a running start?" Kouga asked. Emboldened by her recent success, she nodded and moved down the taped line. When she'd given herself enough room to start, she glanced over to the men before bringing her gaze back to the line.
Lunging forward she started to run. Her stomach tightened and she jumped onto the trampoline, bounced into the air...And forgot everything she'd learned, turning into a screaming, flailing uncoordinated mess that landed face down, limbs splayed wide, in the foam pit.
"What the hell was that?" Inu Yasha shouted as she got up. "You decide to explore some duck ancestry when you got up there?"
There was a resounding thud and the sound of Inu Yasha yelping before she lifted her face up from the foam she'd been hoping to suffocate herself with. Sesshoumaru was crouching down on the edge, brow quirked with amusement.
"That was a most undignified screech," He informed her.
"Glad you find me so amusing," She muttered darkly as she got up. He helped her out before pulling her close and leaning down, his mouth close to her ear.
"I admit I find your earlier scream more attractive."
She had no problem zeroing in on exactly what he was talking about, if the blush rising up from behind the sports bra to her face was any indication.
"Why are you bringing that up now?" She hissed.
"Incentive. Perform the flip next time, and I will see to it you are rewarded for your efforts."
"I'm not going to-" She started.
"Without crossing your boundaries," He said before walking back to the others and giving her no chance to reply. Unsure what her boundaries were at this point, but warm to the toes from imagining where the edge of them could be, she walked back down to where she had started before.
"Don't screw it up this time!" Inu Yasha called, the words echoing in the empty gym. Ignoring his taunt, she broke into a run, focusing on the trampoline. When she hit it, she bounced higher into the air than she expected and leaned forward, bring her legs up high. When she landed, it was high on her back, the rest of her body following.
Briefly she wondered if he would count that, as she hadn't landed fully on her back. Looking up over the pit she saw a wicked smile blooming on his face before he nodded once.
"Again," He commanded imperiously.
Dear gods, how was she supposed to do one now?
Feeling weak kneed, she pulled herself up and back onto the concrete floor. She fumbled the next one, and nailed the one after that. As she continued on, her body growing more used to bending it in the air, she fumbled less and landed on her back as she was supposed to.
"Okay guys, time to head out, class starts in twenty minutes and we need to done with the locker rooms by then, it's teenagers."
She was sweaty and sore in places she hadn't been aware could get sore when she stumbled into the locker room and grabbed her clothes.
"You grab a shower," Kouga said, tossing her a towel. "We're fine, we didn't do anything. And the clothes are yours, bring 'em with you from now on."
She nodded wearily before walking into the shower room and dropping her clothes in one corner and walked to the shower head at the furthest end in the corner. Draping her towel over the knobs of the one next to it, she turned the hot water on and waited. Within seconds the water was blisteringly hot and she turned the knob for the cold. Once satisfied with the temperature she stepped under the water, groaning as it hit sore muscles and coursed over her skin.
There wasn't any soap, so she did her best to wash away the sticky feeling of the sweat by hand, trying to hurry. When she finished, she promised herself a long soak in the bath at home before pulling her towel and drying her hair.
When she turned to move for her clothes, she almost dropped the towel and instead jerked it open in front of her to hide her body. Sesshoumaru stood, leaning against the wall, smiling indolently.
"What are you doing in here?" She hissed, super aware that everything echoed against the tile walls. He said nothing as she wrapped the towel around herself modestly before walking towards him, determined to get her clothes and kick him out. Instead, he grabbed her arm and spun, pushing her against the wall.
"Your reward," He reminded her, breath hot on her neck before he began kissing it.
Her mind blanked curiously as he nipped and licked the sensitive flesh, his hand going to her own not even registering until she felt the towel spread open.
"Boundaries," She started.
"I will touch nothing but your hand," He promised before kissing her. Despite the force of his kiss, she couldn't help but feel his hand guiding hers. He put it on her stomach, then moved it higher, over her ribcage before following the curve of her, then higher still.
He kept his word, positioning his hand so that it touched nothing as she shivered and moaned when she brushed against a particularly sensitive spot. The force of his hand increased, and she unabashedly lost herself to sensation.
The whole shower smelled of their intimacy, and a single thread of restraint held him in check as he kissed her. Guiding her, seeing her in an open place was almost too much, and he questioned the wisdom of his impulsive decision. Feeling like his blood was on fire, he savored the scent, the sweetness of her as he showed her how to pleasure herself. Dark satisfaction escaped in a purely bestial sound when her hips started jerking uncontrollably. Capturing her mouth again, he trapped the scream as it came out.
When he finally pulled away, she was dazed and gasping in deep lungfuls of air. He moved back and her eyes met his. Very deliberately he licked his fingers clean and leaned down to kiss her one more time.
"Best hurry, the students will begin arriving any minute."
When it finally registered she was tripping over herself to pull her clothes on, completely ignoring his presence. When she finished she threw the towel at him and walked into the locker room to put on her shoes. As she was tying the first one up, two teenagers strolled into the locker room, pausing when they saw the pair of adults.
"Damnit," Kagome cursed, not even bothering to untie the other one before shoving her foot in it and stomping out of the room, a smirking Sesshoumaru following. Once they were out she headed straight for the doors and burst out of the gym like she was escaping prison.
"What took you so long?" Inu Yasha whined from the hood of Kouga's car. "Fucking forever, as always."
"I'm a girl," Kagome snapped heatedly as she waited for the passenger door to be unlocked.
"Hey, you guys hungry?" Kouga shouted as she slid in. "Meet us at the normal spot," He said as she was slamming the door closed.
The car was eerily silent as Sesshoumaru drove out of the parking lot, and she crossed her arms under her chest, staring resolutely ahead.
"If I made you uncomfortable, you have my apologies."
"They walked in less than three minutes later!" She exploded. "We could have been seen!"
"And you felt nothing from the risk?" He countered.
How was she supposed to answer that? Denying it would be a lie, because the risk of being seen, of being caught had only compounded her pleasure. But admitting it would mean she was being childish about it.
"I was listening for the sound of footsteps," He informed her after several minutes of tense silence. "I would not have let you been seen like that."
"You saw me like that," She muttered petulantly, still sullen despite his admission.
"If you would prefer I not, I will avoid doing so in the future." The statement was quipped and had an edge to it, and she wasn't sure if she felt bad or like gloating. Settling for feeling just a little bit guilty, she groaned and leaned back to stare at the sagging upholstery of the ceiling.
"I'm sorry I spazzed. It's just new to me," She apologized. "I enjoyed it, before I remembered kids were due to arrive."
"I will take care to avoid rewarding you when others are expected to arrive," He smirked, and the tension between them was gone.
"You are so smug," She accused. He didn't deny it.
A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to post. Part of it was that a few chapters down the way, this devolved into sex eveywhere. And I don't want that for this. This was too much for me to be honest, but your reviews and wishes for a new update made me want to do something. I might come back later and do a rewrite.
Your reviews have all been very special to me, and I'm truly sorry if this chapter is not up to par. My muses haven't been cooperating with this story for some reason. I worry that it's because of the season. Late fall and winter are awful times for spinning, at least for me. Inspiration can be hard to find sometimes. Also, I'm sorry I haven't been responding as I should. My mother's surgery recently went through, and there were some complications with her healing, and my dog got parvo. Between that and the holiday season, I've been bushed. Hopefully things will go back to normal soon.
CreARTive, thank you again for the well wishes. Mom's doing a lot better now, and there is no cancer (yay!). That being said, I would love to be able to contact you outside of this story, but you never leave an email or anything. I do hope I can help inspire you more in the future, but I doubt this chapter really did much at all. I'm working on the next one now, revamping it into something better (I hope).