Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.
"Hold your ground!" Yuzuki's voice bounced off the trees and her order fell on deaf ears. Half of her party held their arms or stomachs where large gashes leaked crimson blood. The heir swung the broad side of her sword down onto an attackers head and listened to the sickening crack it made when it connected.
Her group formed a circle and even in the midst of battle, she felt a pride that they remembered something from her training. Her ankle had been dislocated and hung limply. The demons surrounding her laughed and taunted and she could feel her temper rising at the fact she let them get the better of her.
They had jumped the group in the early morning hours. She had not woken up because of the nightmare she'd had. Her fingers tightened around the hilt and the jewels dug into her scared palm.
"Ok. Cho, you follow me and Twins take right. The rest hold the left." She muttered, pulling the second sword from its scabbard. It's familiar weight made some of the fear pumping through her veins deteriorate and she motioned to the others around her.
They nodded and Takeshi went so far as to laugh. An insane bubble of giggles was yanked from Cho's mouth and the others soon followed. When it died down, the group was smiling, their teeth sharp and bared for the thieves.
"Now!" Yuzuki yelled and it came out a loud roar. Her team dispersed in different direction. The dog demon spun expertly on his heels and sliced deep into the arm of an unlucky man. Kazuki slid a long and thin sword from his hollowed cane. His arm swung down in a beautiful arch, severing off a leg and effectively stopping the man from digging his ax into the back of Takeshi.
Cho screamed and raced into the tree line with men on her heels. Yuzuki was about to abandon her post and race after her until the men's bodies flew through the air and landed at her feet. Cho let out a battle call and raced at another few who were foolish enough to think they stood a chance.
She glanced around worriedly for Katsuo but found he had abandoned his sword and taken up an axe and swung it around his head. She watched his sloppy footwork but noticed the sort of elegance he showed with his hands. She made a mental reminder to teach him the proper way to heft an ax.
Once the fighting ended, she shuffled over to her exhausted and battered group. She fell stiffly onto the ground and looked over her wounds. She could feel the blood already starting to clot and she gave a silent thanks to whatever deity was watching over her for the lack of poison in the wounds.
They set up camp slowly, each member doing as much as they could. Cho had a nasty gash on her forehead which Katsuo rubbed ointment on carefully. He threw glances down at her face by she never caught his eye most likely because her face was the color of a cherry.
The whole group turned a blind eye when Takeshi sat behind Kazuki and lifted his shirt. The thin slash marks were starting to pucker but at an unusual angle. The dog demon leaned down and ran his tongue along the mark and hummed contently when it healed completely leaving only a small pink line in its place. While the rest of the team licked their own wounds, the two tended each other.
It was an act that left a squirming feeling in Yuzuki's stomach. It was not the first time she had seen companions heal the others wounds, she had watched her parents do it on many occasions, but it made her heart lurch a bit.
She had to get the twins to hold her down and pop her dislocated ankle back into place. She clenched her teeth but took the pain. She refused the healing cream and licked her own wounds, thinking over what it would be like to trust someone so much to tent to her.
"We will move at dawn." She hissed, rubbing the flayed skin of her upper arm and chewing her lip.
The only good thing to come from the fight was the feeling of intimacy between the group. Yuzuki noticed the absence of the thick awkwardness that normally cover them all. The wounds seemed to bind them together and connected them. The twins bore matching cheek cuts and Cho had a gash on her upper thigh. Katsuo's bicep was covered in scratches and when he tugged his bloody shirt off, he showed those watching the many tattoos on his back. Takeshi helped an exhausted Kazuki up and they hobbled together to a tent.
The others followed close behind. She waited by the dying fire until she heard all of their quiet breathing even out in sleep before she shuffled to her designated tent and snuggled into the thick blankets.
That night she dreamt of onyx eyes, olive skin, and crackling flames.
TUH
Kagome pulled the scroll from its cubby and unrolled it. The calligraphy was beautiful and the golden background made the words shimmer. She read the characters carefully before replacing it and tugging another from its place.
Sessomaru had demanded to teach his brother the correct way to hold a sword and InuYasha relented after a little resistance. She could hear his curses all the way from her place in the library and smiled when Sesshomaru scolded him.
The guests started arriving yesterday and Kagome had to excuse herself after the Northern Lord, Gorai, proceeded to grab her ass at the introduction ceremony. She growled at the thought and roughly shoved the scroll back into its place and marched down the hall. She turned sharply and nearly collided with a small maid who scurried under her large pile of towels. Kagome reached out to steady her and she squeaked before bowing low.
Both apologized profusely before Kagome just shook her head and placed a reassuring hand on the girls shoulder. She repeated over and over that it was fine before the girl stopped hyperventilating and bowing.
"Can you tell me what you all do for fun around here?" Kagome asked and watched the girl smile a bit. She nodded and pointed in the direction she came from.
"A potion Mage. She can make you dream things." She whispered, smiling shyly and tucking pieces of her bright red hair behind her ear. Kagome remembered with a start where she had seen this woman before.
"You are InuYasha's shadow!" She muttered, smiling. The girl's mouth drooped and her eyes widened with fear before she shook her head franticly and hummed a constant stream of no. "It's fine. Is that who these towels are for?"
"Him and Lord Sesshomaru. He likes to bathe after practice." She said tentatively and when asked for how long, she placed her dainty hands on her chin and thought. "About an hour. Why?"
"Because I'm not waiting an hour for him to tell me what my job for this party is. How long does a single session of that Mage guy take?" She hummed and smiled when the girl said about an hour. Kagome followed her directions and winked at her as she passed, muttering that she should go cheer InuYasha up.
The halls wound through one another. She passed a small garden managed by an old demon in a wide brimmed hat. She waved kindly as Kagome passed. She knew she reached the correct hallway when a hanging bird skull smacked into her forehead. She cringed and batted it away before watching the emblem swing on its colorful rope. The brightly colored feathers that dangled from the line fluttered in the light breeze and she kept rapt attention on the ceiling while making her way down the rest of the hallway.
Her fingers barely brushed the wood when the door opened and a woman stumbled out. Her cheeks were rosy and her hands clenched and unclenched in her dress. Her eyes were hazy but a wide smile was plastered on her face. Kagome was about to assist her back to her room when a hand shot out from the darkness behind her and dragged her into the room. The door shut and the woman's content sigh drifted through the wood.
"Why have you come to me?" The woman asked, her long pipe puffing out tendrils of thick pink smoke. The smell of jasmine wafted from her and she smiled keenly. "I know. You wish to see if my magic is true?"
"Something like that." She muttered looking around. A bed was pushed to the side and covered in pillows and down blankets. Heavy tapestries covered the windows and let no light shine in. A window seat was laden with cushions and she motioned to ether.
Kagome moved to the window seat and sat down carefully. The cautions were soft and plush. She kicked off her shoes and spread her toes in the fabric. She wondered if she could order her bed roll to be made from this fabric and right when she looked up to ask, the woman began ruffling around in her cabinets.
"First, lavender for prolonged enjoyment of the dream." Se placed a bowl at Kagome's feet and lit it with the butt of her pipe. The flowers burned lowly and the flames flickered blue before dying out and leaving behind a cloudy smoke that made the air heavy.
Kagome fluttered her eyes a few times and the thick air made her eyelids difficult to keep open. She could hear the woman chiding her for falling asleep this early and she mentally shook herself and sat up straiter.
"Next is chamomile to help your dreams remain happy ones." She explained then rubbed the flowers into Kagome's wrists. The girl looked at the yellow and white buds with confusion and when the lady poured a clear vile of liquid into her hearth, she raised her hand to her nose and smelt the relaxing scent. "I just burned bergamot to help you feel like the dream is reality."
"Then we have jasmine. I mixed it into the air already and it will keep you from waking from your dream from outside stimuli." She spritzed the air a few more times and Kagome just sighed and held back the yawn. Her eyes grew heavy and she readjusted her posture. Her legs tucked into her body and the woman finished her preparations by tucking a rose into her hair. "The rose will help you remember and enjoy your dream as often as you wish. Sweet dreams." Her eyes fluttered a few times and she watched the woman slink away into a back room before her body slumped and her mind melted away.
TUH
InuYasha rubbed his back and stretched his neck. His tan skin hid bruises well but the black and blue mosaic that was now his stomach made his head spin. He dipped a foot into the spring and smiled at the heat. He slid in quietly and rested his pounding head on the ledge.
His ears twitched when the sound of his door opening and the tiny pitter patter of feet. The little maid girl, he assumed.
He listened with rapt attention to her movements. She fluttered from one end of the room to the other, fixing what was broken and putting things in their rightful place. She entered the dark bath and reached up with all her might to place the towels on the rack. He watched as she couldn't reach.
He stood quietly, the constant bubble of the spring masking the slight ripple he made with his exit. His silent footfalls went unheard until hands wrapped around her midsection and lifted her up. She yelped and tossed the towels into a pile.
When he sat her down she flattened herself against the wall and blinked repeatedly at him. He raised his hand in surrender and tried to forget he was standing in front of her wearing nothing but his undergarments. Red stained both their cheeks and he opened the door and she shuffled out, her face a mask of mortification.
They both muttered a hurried sorry before she raced from the room and he shut the door. When she exited the quarters, her feet turned to jelly and her heart felt like it might beat out of her chest. He massaged the back of his neck and rubbed his rapidly beating heart. He let out a gruff snort and wanted to beat someone to feel manly again.
Both spent the rest of the night rubbing their chest, the spot right over their hearts.
TUH
Her mother baking cookies. Kagome smiled lightly when her mother pulled the pan from the oven and hissed when her mitt slipped. Their voices went unheard but her brother and his soccer friends raced past in their jerseys and shoes before her mother could call out and tell them to not sit on the sofa with their grassy pants. When she reached for a picture frame on the window frame, Kagome was yanked from the bar chair and onto a different dream.
She under stood that the magic the woman was using was suppose to give her good dreams, so when her mother reached sadly for a picture of herself, the magic tried to take her from something that might lead her to sad dreams. She understood and was happy to look at them for the few seconds she did.
Next came a hill. She glanced around and caught sight of a small group of people climbing the hillside. She recognized the bright red ropes and the skimpy school uniform as soon as the bickering two rounded the summit. She smiled ruefully at the seven. She caught Sesshomaru's gaze locked on her past selves mouth and she wondered with slight longing what it was like to kiss him.
Then she was walking down a hall. Her head was light and her clothes seemed to swish around her body like she was in water. The moon bathed everything in a silver hue. Her movements felt fluid and she spun around when she felt eyes watching her.
A rich golden tone blinked languidly from the dark recesses of the hall. She wondered if she was dreaming about InuYasha again. It wouldn't have been the first time, but she had though she'd gotten over him. She wondered subconsciously if she still harbored a crush for him but quickly thought better of it.
She was prepared for InuYasha to run out saying he loved her over Kikyo; the dream she's had for weeks back when she was traveling with the dead priestess, but she gasped in surprise when Sesshomaru strode from the darkness.
His chest was bare and his robes had been discarded and in their place was a loose pair of training pants. He moved forward with slow, sensual moments. Her stomach was tying itself into knots and warmth was spreading through her body.
His large hands reached behind her and a wall suddenly appeared behind her back. Her fingers pressed into the wood and spread over its grains. Her breath was coming in deep pants and her heart pounded franticly against her rib cage. She tried telling her body not to act that way, not to forget that she was dreaming, but then he kissed her.
Her toes curled and she couldn't get her fingers into his hair like she wanted to. His lips were soft and warm and his hands were similar. This was her dream, if she wanted to be kissed carefully, she could ask a boy from her time. Her mind rebelled against the thoughts but she decided if she was already mortified, might as well make the best of it.
As if the magic responded to her, his lips released her and then pressed down. Harder. They were no longer soft but callused and scared, the lips of a warrior. His hands planted themselves on ether side of her head and when his lips trailed down her neck, she watched the blue blood pump through his veins under pale skin.
Her eyes fluttered close when he licked the juncture of her neck and shoulder before taking in a breath and expelling it, causing a shiver to race down her spine. Her hands finally worked and she trailed a hand through his hair. It was thick and corse from the time without the soaps and mixtures from the palace. He didn't smell like the other Lords. He smelt like power and when he kissed her lips she felt like she was about to be hit by lightning.
Her toes tingled and her fingers seemed to curl at the bace of his skull. Her legs planted themselves on his hips and her back arched against the wood. Her head buzzed and she could hear his rich baritone muttering her name again and again.
"Kagome." It was breathless and deep, like he could quite control it. She whispered his name again and kissed his strong jaw. His arms peeled off the wall and molded to her back, holding her off the ground and plastered to his chest. He repeated his chant of her name. "Kagome. Kagome. Kagome."
Each time her name became more and more monotone until it sounded like he normally would. She pulled her head from the side of his face and looked him in the eyes. Slowly fragments began to fill in. The disheveled hair of the dream began to be replaced with the perfect style of the normal Sesshomaru.
The only thing that remained the same was his eyes. While in the dream they were at half mass and dark with pleasure, the same eyes looked down at her now. His were brighter than the dreams, a shocking gold with silver specks around the iris.
She just sucked in a breath and swallowed thickly, her throat constricting. She glanced around wildly until she landed on the woman with the pipe. A deep frown marred her face and her hair seemed to slither around her head like it might express its anger like her face. Her pipe smoke had also changed color. It had gone from a pretty pink to an angry purple.
Kagome's head was pounding and her vision blurred. Sesshomaru could tell she was not her typical self when she tugged on his ropes and groaned. Her heart was pounding to hard and her breathing was ragged.
"I warned him not to wake you." She hissed, her lip curling in annoyance as she pressed her painted lips to the pipe and inhaled. Pink smoke curled out her nostrils and around her head crafting a crown in the air above her. "The fact that he managed to pull you from my dream stasis is the only reason I don't cast a sleep spell on both you."
"Thanks." Kagome muttered when Sesshomaru growled and threw her arm over his broad shoulder. He supported her weight as he carried her from the smoky room. Her head lolled to the side and she laughed, calling to the smirking woman. "I had lots of fun! I'll be back!"
"You most certainly will not, Miko." He denied before finally picking her up and folding her against his chest. She whispered a few times before rolling closer and snuggling into his clothes. He frowned and his nose scrunched up in distaste for the unnatural smells that cloaked her body.
When he reached the guest wing, he tapped the door open with his foot before walking inside and placing her lightly on her bed. He supposed he would have to explain her duties at a time she wasn't under the effects of that blasted woman's sleep magic.
He glanced down at her and raised a brow. Her arm was tossed over the side of the bed and her mouth was open. Her hair was splayed across the pillow and the red rose placed above her ear almost escaped his notice but he found himself reaching out. The petals were smooth and soft under his touch.
He placed the blossom on her desk before spinning around and striding out the door. He didn't look back.
It's Sunday, it's stormy, and I wanted to write something saucy. For the long wait, enjoy an extra long chapter.