Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.
"Kagome!" The chef called, his voice echoed off the walls and rattled a few drowsy workers from their half-sleep. The woman looked up and pulled the cigarette from her mouth before tapping the tip over into the trash can. "Come 'ere girl!"
She swaggered down the small berth between working stations and met the tall man known only as chief. A large wolf demon, his pelts around his waist were pristine condition and he was smiling but the most notable feature would be his rather huge nose.
"Sir?" She questioned and he raised one eyebrow considering the other had been charred off in an oven fiasco a few days prior to her arrival. He smiled and grabbed the poor girl up in a bear hug.
"Simply lovely pastries ye crafted girlie." His thick ascent made her smile and she blew a few strands of loose hair out of her face. Her small hands were covered in flour up to her elbows and a few splotches had ended up on her face. Her eyelashes also seemed to be coated in the thin white powder. "'ead on 'ome. Ye earned it."
She smiled and slowly walked back to her small station and washed her sticky bowls and dirty utensils. She was not in a hurry to leave like the rest of them, but chose instead to take her time and perfect the art of cleaning up.
Once she finally finished and was on her way to the public baths, she was stopped constantly and asked were things were located. From what she gathered, a small feast was being thrown tonight and that was why she made those desserts. She laughed when people mistook her for a servant. Her hair was tangled up into a mass of dark brown with a few finer strands escaping and framing her face.
She ran a hand over her sullied apron and turned a corner. She smacked in to someone, a woman by the sound of her shout and yell of outrage. Besides stumbling a few steps, she regained her balance and reached a hand out to help the fallen woman. She hissed and smacked the offered palm away.
"Filthy servant! Don't you have work to do?!" She hissed and started hyperventilating when she spotted a small stain of flour on her dress hem. After she stood, she raised her arm and Kagome stumbled backwards and before she could raise a hand to defend herself, a pale robe fluttered into view.
Sesshomaru gripped the noble woman's sleeve and she gasped in surprise. Her mouth, once twisted down in anger, was tilted up in joy. She bowed and turned to face him, forgetting the miko she left sprawled on the ground. She blinked a few times when he walked carefully around her and plucked the human from the floor.
"Please refrain from shoving those in my pack." He growled and the woman gasped again, raising her hand to her mouth and lightly bared her neck in a show of obedience. He gestured for the miko to walk before him and she let her head turn down when passing the noble. When they were farther down the hall, Sesshomaru spoke up. "You could have revealed yourself, she would most certainly have let to go."
"Did you know her? She seemed pretty keen on you." She rubbed her wrists from her fall. He ignored her pathetic attempt to avoid the question and humored her with an answer.
"I bedded her once." He turned down a corridor and stopped when he realized the miko was no longer following. He looked over his shoulder to see her scandalized face. He sighed and slowly back pedaled to the now fuming Kagome. "I see you have a problem with that."
"You slept with her and she thinks it means more then you think it does!" She accused, pointing a finger and jabbing it into his chest. He would have broken and burned the hand of anyone else, but he forced himself to remember that until InuYasha showed initiative, he was still the Alpha. "I thought royal bloods liked chastity and all that jazz."
She flared out her fingers in a gesture then waited tightlipped and cross with him until he finally started talking again. He forced her to continue walking while he spoke.
"What difference does make? If given choice, I would rather have an experienced lover than one who knows nothing, such as yourself." He motioned to her and she scoffed. He raised an eyebrow. "In fact, it is your kind that wishes for woman to be 'pure' upon their wedding day. What are your thoughts on the matter as I'm sure you have many."
"Only one truthfully," she stated, swaying her hips side to side as she walked in front of him. His eyes caught the movement and wondered why his mouth went dry. "Chastity is an idea crafted by men who think their genitals so magnificent they can change who a woman is."
At first she was caught off guard by the sound but when she looked over her shoulder, she realized he was laughing. She had heard him chuckle but this was more, a small smile was spread over his lips and she liked the way it pulled up his whole face, making him look the part of the kind prince as seen in all the fairytales.
"You find that funny?" She asked, the giggling catching on and she had to stop herself from letting the bubble of laughter burst from her mouth. She planted her flour covered hands over her lips and when he finally composed himself, the mirth still shimmered in his eyes.
"Mi'Lord! Wait!" The woman raced after him and the happy atmosphere seemed to dissolve and the only thing that caused the whole mood from dissipating was the small smile he flashed her before turning to face the noble.
Her blonde hair trailed down her back and was intertwined with ribbons and pins that sparkled in the light. Her dress was new, like she had raced to her room and changed from her previous one. The new was a rich green that fit her body like a glove and pushed her large breasts above its laces and fabrics. She bowed and when she straitened, she flashed a bright smile at him.
"Excuse me, I have to escort Lady Kagome to her rooms to freshen up before the banquet." He nodded his head to her and moved forward. She gripped his open arm.
"I'll come with. Besides, the dinner is hours away." She curled her claws into the fabric and the smugness that radiated from her made Kagome's stomach swirl with jealousy she didn't even know why she had. When she caught his eyes, she saw the plea under his cold mask. She smiled secretly and started to plan.
"I'm sorry, Sesshoamru lied because he didn't want you hurt." Kagome blurted and noticed the smile evaporate from her face. "We were going to train but he didn't want you to feel left out. I mean, a lady fighting?"
She scoffed and the noble lady plastered a smile on her painted face. She released Sesshoamru's arm and bowed to him before marching off without a word. She raised a hand to her mouth and stopped the giggles from leaving. She noticed Sesshoamru trying to shake himself of her.
"What are you doing?" She asked, noticing him sniffing his clothing and frowning. He raised a sleeve to her and she raised a brow but sniffed. Her eyes widened when she could smell the faint trace of the woman. "What did she do?"
"She tried to mark me. She must have spread her scent over my clothing and hoped I would not notice." He hissed and a deep growl resonated in his throat. He marched off in a different direction. Kagome followed hurriedly behind him, two of her steps matched a single stride of his.
Down a hallway she spotted two large oak doors, their faces polished and craved and painted with scenes and depictions. When he threw one open, she followed slower, trailing a hand over the marks. She saw the same dog from the tapestries and a large cat sitting on a mountain.
"What is this door?" She called into the dark room. A light flickered in the corner and illuminated a bare-chested Sesshoamru. She had watched him train enough times to not blush on sight. He was livid but his anger lessened when he saw what she was pointing at.
"The tiger is the youki to the north. The Lord is Gorai, the cat demon you met earlier. The one you called...what was it? A pervert." He smirked and she smiled at the small shine in his eyes. "The wolf represents Koga to the South, the bird youki are in control of the East. The Lord took the crown when my father killed the dragon ruler. With no heir but his newborn son, the dragons retreated deep into there land. Where my daughter now fights the few left who are loyal."
He placed a hand over the carved dog, his pale palm dwarfing the dogs form. She placed her fingers over his but refused to meet his eye, instead outlining the small provinces and things the original carver have crafted.
"Why are you so kind?" He asked it unlike a question but more as a exasperated but rhetorical question. She just let her fingers drop from his and tangled them at her back. Her heart was beating erratically and she refused to place a hand to it.
"Don't ask questions I can't answer." She scoffed, ignoring the tight constricting in her throat and the heat building in her stomach. She smiled when his brows knotted together. "Go take a bath and get that girl's scent off you."
She laughed but it sounded hollow to both their ears. She was about turn and run when her mothers words floated through her mind. She called to the retreating back of the imposing Western Lord.
"Because being kind is as close I can get to being happy in my situation." She nodded and twirled on her heels and left the room. He didn't turn around but if he had, he would have seen the smile that had climbed its way onto her face. If she had looked back, which she had not, she would have caught sight of his shoulders rising and falling in silent laughter.
But neither looked back.
TUH
Yuzuki pulled the man with her. The dragon coughed and blood splattered the ground and was quickly washed away by the pelting rain. She took another step and supported the weight of the almost fallen solider.
"A few more yards and we'll be in the cave! Please wait to die!" She pleaded, pulling the deadweight with her. The small mouth of the rock formation was draped with natural foliage to conceal it from prying eyes. Her free hand parted them and when they sprawled across the fur lined inside, he sighed.
"Now do you want to explain who you are?" He asked, holding his reopened wound he refused to let her heal. She scoffed and started to peal off his layers. He started shifting. "If you want me undressed princess, you'll have to buy me dinner first."
"Oh please! You're bleeding again!" She scoffed and noticed his breathing was shallower then before. She growled when he pushed her hands away from his bloody abdomen and she shoved his arms down before licking the curve of his hip bone. He hissed and the tightened fist at his side, lessened and soon uncoiled with the reduced amount of pain.
He sighed and his breaths evened out, causing her to sigh with relief. He had questioned her the whole trip. She had wanted to make it to the canyon and her party but the storm had halted her progress. She hopped she could use the sleeping man to stop the rebellion from raiding other bird youki settlements. She couldn't help but run a hand through his ratted hair.
"My friends and I talk about you. Older you that is. You loose that strip of baby fat and grow out your hair; even earn a few braids.*" She laughed and stopped petting him, noticing that the memories of him were flooding to the surface. "Damn, now I'm emotional.
"I always though the gleam in your eye was from pride or you thinking the boss's daughter had the hots for you but now I realize it was...lust? No, not love either. You would have the perfect word, you always did when I had you help me cheat on my tests."
She could feel her cheeks dampening as thoughts of her father's second-in-command lead to thoughts of her family and thoughts of if she failed. She curled her legs together and focused on memories centered around her and Ryutaro when his voice echoed around the cave.
"Inclination." He muttered. She sniffed and rubbed at her runny nose and watery eyes. She wrapped herself more tightly in her clothes like he had caught her vulnerable. When she coughed out a confused what, he just responded quietly, like he was afraid of startling her. "That was the word you were looking for."
She was silent. Her eyes watched his for a moment before more tears come and the splattered onto the pelts. She laughed and he could see the smile hidden behind her hands. She bowed her head and her laughter filled the cave. He was surprised at how feminine it was.
"Yeah, I guess I was." She just rubbed her eyes and he finally took notice at how exhausted she looked. He commented on it and she just brushed her wild hair out of her face before looking to the vines that hide them. His eyes locked on her lip where she grabbed it between her teeth.
"You're the Unborn Heir." He made the connection and he was awed. She just sighed and buried her head into her lap. He let his head fall back onto his pelt pillow and mull over the recent development. When he had been born, his mother had taken only her most trusted allies with her deep into dragon lands. From an early age, he was praised for his leadership and swordsman skill, but at that moment he felt like he had neither.
He had led his troops into a slaughter and his skill had only proved to put him into a compromising position. As more thoughts flooded his brain, he came to a realization. Before he knew what he was doing, he blurted out his findings.
"How do you know my name if I'm to be your enemy?" He demanded and noticed she had scooted closer to the opening. She looked over his shoulder and in the low light, he was startled by the rich yellow gaze that caught his eye.
"You will become a great general in my fathers army. Gain braids* and conquer lands. Tutor an impressional girl and forge a legendary sword." He seemed shocked and then scoffed, trying to scoot over to the knife in the corner. "You think me senile?"
"I would never align myself with those who wish my people harm!" He pulled the knife from its sheath but dropped it not long after when he realized he could never kill the woman who had cried over him. Instead he placed the blade back in its place and hoped she hadn't noticed his absence.
She was still captivated by the sheets of rain and when he shifted back into place, his hand brushed over his healing wounds and the shiver of pleasure made his toes curl. He had seen couples heal the others bodies after battles, but the feeling of being licked by the woman was disconcerting.
"I guess I have no choice." She sighed and for a second, he thought she meant to kill him. He saw his sword attached to her hip and the two blades in their sheathes over her shoulders and knew if she did attack, he would be defenseless. "Don't look so worried. I only meant I know what I have to do and my father will be furious."
"And what would that be?" He asked carefully, wishing he had kept that knife. He glanced around him for any sort of weapon and was unprepared for when she sat next to him and curled into ball. Her eyes flashed in the darkness and her words made heat flood through his veins.
"I'm going to smuggle your people into the West."
*In some cultures braids are gained when a leader wins a great battle or war.
Expect another update sometime today.