Chapter 14
Closer
The skies were hazed with beautiful reds, purples, and pinks, as the sun began setting into the horizon. The tall trees that surrounded them were cloaked in black by shadows, creating a conflicting ominous feel. Kagome's hands nervously tightened and released her long bow that hung on her shoulder, allowing her nerves to be mildly soothed.
They were headed to a camp of enemy soldiers that had been scouted by Inuyasha weeks ago. He claimed there to be roughly 50 demons, and they were making steady progress towards the castle. Sesshomaru decided it was time to begin testing Kagome's skills.
She was walking by Sesshomaru, who stood between her, and the rest of the group. She was mildly irritated, since she was now very good friends with both Hiroto and Inuyasha, and it seemed Sesshomaru didn't approve.
"So, Inuyasha, do you think we'll find these demon's by sun down?" Kagome peaked her head around Sesshomaru; she noticed he shifted with her movements. Inuyasha scoffed and crossed his arms, giving a sniff of the dusk air.
"I aint smellin' nothin'. Why? Does the weak human want to slow us down with a nap?" He threw a crooked grin her way and she narrowed her eyes. Her limbs were quite sore, but her pride made her straighten her back and walk a little faster.
"I'm fine. Maybe you miscalculated the demon's whereabouts? I bet we could have been there already but made a wrong turn." She heard Hiroto give a hearty laugh, drowning out Inuyasha's growl. Kagome tried her best to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting.
"She does have a point, Inu. You said we'd reach them by sun down." He slapped Inuyasha's back giving him a grin.
"Keh. If miss prissy over here could walk faster, we would have been there already." Kagome bristled with angry, turning to yell at him when she was cut off by Sesshomaru.
"We will make camp here." Kagome grumbled, irritated by the interruption. Although, she was pleased to finally rest for the day. "Inuyasha, go find something to eat." Inuyasha glared at Sesshomaru and then her before leaping into the forest. She began to work the tie on her rolled futon, given to her by Kinu before she had left. She was happy she wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground. Sitting down, she struggled with it for a few moments before Hiroto stepped in to help her with his long talons.
"Kinu doesn't recognize her own strength, eh?" Hiroto gave her a warm smile before handing the unwrapped futon to her. She gave him a matching grin, before hugging the soft bedding.
"It was really nice of her to send me off with it." Hiroto seemed to jump slightly before Sesshomaru walked up beside her, his hakamas brushing against her arm.
"There are springs nearby. If need be, this Shessomaru will escort you after supper." Kagome's face lit up, and she squealed with joy, making quick work of setting up camp. "Hiroto, find some firewood, would you?" Kagome noticed the tension in the air as Hiroto left, but ignored it as her imagination.
Sesshomaru sat beside her, resting his tail on her futon. It was odd, but she was too happy to care. She pulled out a couple sweet smelling tinctures for bathing, smelling each one and sighing with pleasure.
Inuyasha arrived after a while with a large deer slumped around his shoulder. Sesshomaru yanked it from him, before making quick work of the meat.
"Oi, what's the deal, jackass?" Inuyasha was about to get up in Sesshomaru's face, but received a fiery glare, and barred fangs. Kagome was shocked. Usually, he didn't show any emotion, but the past few hours had been filled with a lot of aggression towards Hiroto and Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked over at her with a solemn look on his face. There was another look in his eyes, but she couldn't understand what it was.
"I think I'm going to go wash off. I'll be back when the grub's ready." With that he was gone, leaving Kagome baffled.
"What was that all about?" Kagome watched Sesshomaru's back, waiting for him to answer, but he remained quiet. She moved beside him, pressing her shoulder against his. Maybe his beast was feeling agitated. He released something that was between a sigh and growl. He kept his gaze forward, ripping the flesh of the beast in a violent fashion, nothing like his usual graceful motions. "Are you okay?" A snarl ripped through him, and he pulled away from her.
"Leave me be, woman." Her heart clenched in pain, and she moved back by her futon, hugging her knees to her chest. His behavior was unusual. She looked up to the crescent moon in the sky, and it seemed to taunt her. She would never understand this demon, no matter how close they became.
-S-
Her scent had been calling to him all day. Usually,he could avoid her in the castle on these days, making sure Kinu kept her entertained, but the excursion had come at an inconvenient time. She was at her peak fertility, which happened often, but lasted much shorter than female demons; for that he was thankful.
He could tell the other males in their group unconsciously gravitated towards her, and it drove him to near madness. Hiroto had unknowingly marked her bedding, and Inuyasha was inching towards her during the entire trip. His nerves were worn keeping her from them, and keeping his beast from emerging.
It was giving him a massive headache from the howling, and pacing, and yips, and growls of pleasure, and suggestive whispers. He felt like he was going to lose his mind.
They were walking in silence towards the hot spring, the meal doing nothing to suppress his appetite for something a little more succulent. He glanced over at the forlorn female, her mood soured her smell slightly, and he thought he would be more thankful, and less irritated.
The wet mineral steam reached his nose fully, and before long they had arrived. She gave him a look, telling him to turn around. He obliged, and his thoughts played images of that one morning he had walked into her room without notice. Her supple curves, filled out nicely by the rich meals she had been given during her stay, would not leave his mind. Every fabric rustle, clinking of potion bottles, and eventual splash of her entrance into the spring was painted in his mind.
Without thinking, he turned, to find her submerged, with her back to him as she leaned against the grassy bank. He noticed the back of her neck, exposed to him in between the bits of hair that dangled from the ribbon on top of her head. His mind went hazy.
He began removing his armor, and his shirts, before slipping into the waters. He walked past her, his mind perked at her small gasp. She hissed at him. "What are you doing!" He turned to look at her, and saw her face light up with a red hue. Her rapid heartbeat could be heard even under the water.
"I am still covered in your meal, Miko." He sat across from her, the narrow pool of water left little space between them. She looked away with a scowl, her arms covering her chest. He began nonchalantly cleaning between his claws and arms, trying to ignore her exposed body. He shifted and felt her small foot brush against his and he looked up at her, gazing into her widened eyes with heavy lids. He wanted to feel more.
He slid his hand into the water, finding her knee. He ran his thumb slowly along her skin in slow circles, and he noticed the way she bit her lip. He should not have been doing this, but her response to his touch made him lose touch with his logical mind. He leaned closer to her, moving his fingertips further up her leg, involuntarily growling with pleasure as her breath hitched and released with a high pitched whine.
His face was close to hers, and he watched as her grey sparkling eyes grew heavy with the tracing of his claws on her hip. He could smell her arousal float from the bubbling waters and before he knew it, his free hand was on her cheek, and his lips on hers.
-K-
Her mind was going blank. He was so angry before, and now he was so gently caressing her skin. This was so much different than when his beast was out, and more surreal than her dreams she had about him.
Wrapping her arms around him, she gave into the sweetness of his kiss, forgetting about how odd it actually was for this to be happening. She felt the hand on her hip sway up and down her side and she shivered, groaning softly in her throat.
The kiss became more heated, and soon he was lifting her onto the thick grass, the cool night air raising her flesh in small bumps. The warmth of his tongue against hers melted her mind, his roaming hands and the occasional scrape of his claws made her belly fill with a warm pressure. She ran her hands along his thick chest, enjoying the effortless way they glided with the water droplets that remained on him. A rumbling filled his chest, and she wanted to make him make growl more.
Before she could caress him more, his kisses began trailing down her body, giving her neck, her chest, and stomach attention, before making his way to her center. Shock waves ran through her as his tongue expertly caused her body to arch, and her legs to compulsively rub against his back. She ran her fingers through his silver hair, coming closer to something she had only felt on her own, something much better than she could've imagined. She felt her body tighten more and more the longer he worked her, before she finally cried out her release.
Then he was above her once again, his eyes tinged red, but still shining a molten gold. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages, before she reached out to touch the strips on his cheeks. He leaned into her touch, but kept his eyes on hers.
"Kagome." Her heart skipped. "Are you sure you wish to continue?" She was screaming in her mind. Of course she wanted to continue, her hormones were all urging him to keep up the pleasure. She nodded, trying to pull him to her. He moved in slightly, but then held still just inches away. She was frustrated, and whined to let him know. His eyes closed, as if he were struggling with something before moving his hand to rub his thumb along her lower lip.
"If I continue..." She looked at him eagerly, running her fingers along his muscular shoulders. "I will make you my mate." That made her freeze. Mating was a lifelong commitment, was she really ready for that? She looked away from him for a moment, before looking back at his steady gaze. She did have feelings for him, hell, she loved him, but did he love her? He cared for her well-being, she knew, but was he doing this for love, or to get his demon side under control?
"Do you love me?" The words spilled from her lips, and she wished she could pull them back after she had said them. His face went blank, so different from the warmth that radiated from him just a few moments lifted himself further away from her. His furrowed brow made her body go cold. After about a minute of silence, she moved away from him, getting up to put her clothes back on.
Her eyes burned with tears, and as soon as she was dressed, she ran off. She forced her weak legs to carry her further away from him, not knowing where she was going, not caring. She found a large tree that towered above the rest. She leaned against it, resting her forehead on the rough bark, releasing the sobs that restricted her throat.
She was such an idiot. She kept hurting herself, over and over. She allowed that man to repeatedly infiltrate her heart, and then smash it to bits. She slammed her fists against the tree, ignoring her pain. Her powers flared, but she didn't care. She kept abusing the poor tree, until she was out of energy, tired, weak. She should probably head back to camp, before he came looking for her. She pushed away from the tree, turning around to see a strange demon in front of her. He was covered in what seemed like algae and coral.
One of his beady eyes were covered in a white film, his green hair flared wildly around him, and his fangs glimmered with dripping acid that sizzled the ground below him. A cold shock ran through her. He was in front of her in an instant, lifting his fist above her. Pain seared through her head, and her vision went black.
AN: Wow, didn't expect to make this chapter so steamy, but hey, if that's what my fingers decide to type than who am I to judge?;) Hope you all enjoyed.