15º - Hideo

(*)

Kagome followed Inu no Taisho silently through the many halls of the castle. Even though Ami had been kind enough to show her around, Kagome was still confused on her location.

After a ten minute walk, with an awkward silence between the two, Inu no Taisho made one last turn to the left, before Kagome's eyes went blind from the direct sunlight. They were outside again. But that made no sense.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but it was my understanding that we were going to see your brother?" Kagome had imagined a study, much like the one they had just left. However, they were now standing in the garden.

"You are right, Kagome. We are going to see my brother," Inu no Taisho said with a devious smile upon his lips. He knew the idea that most people had of his younger brother. A young man focused on knowledge and books. Or maybe, a master in war strategy. Definitely a refined demon, as all the members of a ruling house should be. And, most of them were surprised. Kagome, apparently, would not be an exception.

They kept walking for another minute, until Kagome heard the clashing of swords. And the sound was coming from the direction they were taking. A few more steps and both Inu no Taisho and Kagome stopped in their tracks. Inu no Taisho knew exactly what they were going to find. Kagome, however, was far from prepared, and her chin, involuntarily, dropped.

In front of her was a drop dead gorgeous demon with silver hair, fighting against, not one, not two, but three opponents. It was clear that this was mostly training. Inu no Taisho would never allow a real fight to happen within his palace. However, the three opponents were attacking seriously and, their swords make of steel, were coming from every direction. Yet, the demon seemed relaxed. With his bare hands, he faced the three opponents, distributing punches and kicks.

Five minutes later, the last opponent had been neutralized, admitting his defeat. Kagome thought the silver haired demon was going to brag about his victory and jest about his three opponents. His attitude, however, was the opposite. He smiled, extended his hand to the closest one, helped him getting up and said, "Nice job. You guys are getting tougher. I may need a sword next time."

The other two rose to their feet on their own and started laughing. Everyone knew that he didn't need a sword to beat them. His skills were far superior. And yet, his face was young and playful. Kagome hadn't realized how impressed she was until Inu no Taisho himself told her in a hushed voice, "You may want to close your moth now." His devious smile was still present. Raising his voice, he added, "Hideo, come here for a second."

The silver haired demon, apparently named Hideo, was still conversing with his three opponents until he heard his older brother's voice calling him. Dismissing the three young demons quickly, he made it to his brother in five large steps.

"Brother…" he growled with a smile, while hugging Inu no Taisho. "What do I owe the pleasure?" After releasing his brother, he looked at Kagome, giving her the opportunity to stare at him as well.

Hideo seemed to be a very friendly demon, and Kagome was amazed with his interaction with others. His smile seemed to be a constant part of his face, his eyes of a baby blue, a color very rare among demons, while his hair was very similar to Inu no Taisho in color and length. All that perfection lying on top of a perfect body.

"Uh-oh." Kagome had not realized, until that very moment, that the said demon was only wearing white hakamas and some black boots. His upper body was completely nude for the whole world to see. His chest, a bit tan from the sun, was complemented in a very well defined torso. His muscles were contracted from his training. However, what really caught Kagome's attention were the drops of sweat running down his abs. They were running down very slowly, almost painfully, until they reached…

"This is not good. I am a virgin teenager demoness… But I am not blind… Nor dead!" She was innocent, and a lot of things were still a mystery to her, such as the feeling of a warm male body pressed against hers. Or the taste of his skin on her tongue. Yet, she had desires. She was curious on mating rituals, and the aching feeling between her legs was not making it easy.

'More… Please… more…' And there it was again. The feeling that part of her memory was missing. But as soon as she tried to reach it, her head started hurting again, so she dropped it.

This was not going to end well. Inu no Taisho could smell Kagome's arousal toward Hideo. He couldn't blame her, really. Hideo was considered, generally, a treasure between females. Besides his good looks, his strength and skills in combat were far superior to most males. But what won most females hearts was his kindness. Hideo could be a cold blooded killer when engaged in the heat of battle. But, in his dally life, he showed a rare kindness to every single being around him. And, he was also still unmated. Most females saw him as the perfect mate.

The down downside of this situation was that if the aroused smell of Kagome reached his eldest son's nose, there would be trouble, and blood would be spilled. "Kagome, dear?" Kagome was still following the small sweat drops on his chest with her eyes, when she heard Inu no Taisho calling her name.

She forced herself to look away and understood the horrible situation she was in. They were powerful demons with a high sense of smell. They could most likely smell her arousal. Kagome turned her back to Hideo, hiding her red face and said, "I am truly sorry. I didn't mean to… I mean… I…" She was stuttering. What was wrong with her? "I'll just go over there. Call me when you need me." With her back still turned to them, she walked to a safe distance. Her aroused scent long gone.

Hideo was having fun training the newest recruits. They were still too weak to engage in battle. However, their skills were improving rapidly, and soon he would not be able to fight them without a sword.

After he was done with his training for the day, he heard his older brother calling him. He thought Inu no Taisho wanted a report, since he hadn't noticed the beautiful creature standing beside him. That was until he smelled her arousal. And it was divine. She was still a virgin, a teen starting her walk to adulthood, still unclaimed, and she was exited with what she had seen.

'Well, maybe I can give her a better show…' He wasn't particularly interested in her. She would be just another one to use and discard. And that would probably be the main reason why Hideo was not mated to anyone.

He was a romantic, he loved women, and women loved him back. But never had one been the one… The only one. They were good, until they became too clingy and needy. That would be when he would discard them. He had never loved, truly loved. And so, he had never mated. Just the occasional flirting.

When he was preparing himself to make a comment on her beauty, Inu no Taisho was a step ahead and broke the spell she was under. After she moved way, Hideo looked at his older brother, and asked, "Who is she?" Curiosity was printed all over his face.

"That, Hideo, is the newest acquisition into my pack. Her name is Kagome. Sesshomaru found her in the forest alone, a week ago. We guided her through recovery, and she made the vow. She is now my newest pup." It was still a bit strange to see her as a pup, and yet Inu no Taisho already felt the connection. He would protect her against harm.

"Well, she is a looker…" Inu no Taisho knew very well his brother loved affairs. It wasn't a well-kept secret. And Sesshomaru had already made a "claim" on her. Well, so to speak.

"I feel I must warn you. She is the destined life mate of my eldest son, Sesshomaru. His beast has been restless for the past week. If you want to keep your head upon your shoulders, you should keep your clothes on."

Hideo was well aware of what a life bonded male was capable of. He had never felt that connection, but he had witnessed many fights concerning mates, and most of them ended with the male dead. He loved women but risking his life for a pussy was not worth it.

"I appreciate the heads up, brother. I'll make sure to keep my distance," Hideo said with a smile. His smile, however, would not live for long.

"I am sorry, brother, but you will be seeing her very frequently." It was Inu no Taisho's turn to smile. "You see, she is this pack's newest addition. I need her in top speed and you, little brother, will be overseeing her training. I don't trust anyone else to supervise her training."

Hideo felt his blood running faster. This would not end well for him. It wasn't like he was scared of Sesshomaru. But he would prefer to avoid a fight with his nephew. And even if Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to kill him yet, it would definitely leave him bruised and hurt for a couple of days.

"You realize, brother, that Sesshomaru will not accept that without making an attempt on my life, right?"

Inu no Taisho's smile grew bigger. "I have already spoken to him and he approved. In fact, he was so excited with the idea that he decided to join your training classes." His younger brother's face was priceless. It was moments like this that Inu no Taisho wished he had some kind of device to record the moment. Laughing out loud, he patted his brother on the back before adding, "I'm glad you agree. But I would definitely recommend you wear more clothes." At that point, even Hideo had to laugh. His brother had always suffered from dark humor.

"Very well. Let me get a robe before you proceed with presentations."

(*)

Inu no Taisho made the formal presentations and explained to Kagome that Hideo would be giving her and Sesshomaru classes on combat. He was one of the most skilled fighters in his army, used to giving lessons to newbies, making him the logical choice.

After an hour of kicking Kagome's butt, Hideo was able to measure her fighting skills, which were none, and decided that they would need to start with basic techniques. Body combat, using only her hands, would come first. After acquiring some control over her own body, and strengthen her muscles, she would progress to other forms of combat, which would include weaponry, such as bow and arrows, swords and even spears.

Kagome was feeling extremely tiered by the end of her first lesson. Hideo looked like a nice demon, but he had been merciless throughout this test, and Kagome's butt was sore. She, also, hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and it was now sundown. Her body was still absorbing all the nutrients in order to regain a healthy state.

She made a bow, to both demons, and said her farewell. She would go eat in the kitchen in order to avoid formalities and crash in her bed soon after. She had been told that training would start as soon as the sun was up, and she needed to sleep.

(*)

Sesshomaru, after leaving his mother in her bedroom, had spent the whole day in the library looking at books related with the Northern territory history. The records were lacking, and these books were outdated. If his future mate really belonged to the Northern family, he needed to know more. He would need to go to town soon and try to gather new books with more recent data.

Without realizing it, the time flew and it was getting dark outside. Sesshomaru's stomach started rumbling. Truth was that he could spend days without food and never lose heath. On the other hand, he would feel hunger just like any living creature.

Closing his current book, he decided to visit the kitchen before going to bed.

(*)

*This chapter had a beta reader BelovedStranger! Thank you so much! :3

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