Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, guys. Surprised?
Chapter 12: Every single one of them…
Her shocked gasp gave him ample opportunity, but still he waited for her to collect herself, sweeping his tongue teasingly over her bottom lip to ask for permission instead of diving in. Her lack of protest to that had him exploring her mouth at a moment's notice, his hands settling on her waist to tug her closer to him. Touga felt her hands settle against his chest, but she hdid not push him away, so he continued on. Kagome's eyes drifted shut, her skin tingling, and her fingers grabbing at the fabric of his haori.
The kiss was desperate; desperate, passionate, and driven completely by lust. Common sense was being avidly ignored by both adults, as they continued to kiss like it was going out of style. To anyone looking on, it was obvious that the need to breathe would be the only thing to break their more intimate contact.
"Touga…"
Kagome gasped, as he pulled back from her, only to begin trailing kisses down her jaw, and then her neck. A low rumble built in his chest as he came upon the most sensitive spot on her neck, his growling growing stronger as she gasped again. The breathy sound had Toga gripping tighter to her hips, his fangs raking over the evenly-tanned skin at her throat. He growled, feeling the same fangs elongating, the urge to bite her - to mark her - overwhelming. Unexplainable and unwarranted, but overwhelming none the less.
"My lord?"
It was Kagome that was back to herself first, her passion-filled mind quickly cleared at the sound of the foreign voice. It only took for her to apply a small amount of pressure on the taiyoukai's chest to have him disengaging from her just as well.
"What is it, Kiyo?"
Toga replied, after shaking his head to clear it; his voice, however, was not as clear as he would have appreciated. What on earth was he thinking? He had barely known the miko two months, only recently even finding any sort of companionship with her, and now he was assaulting her sexually?
Well, she hadn't refused him, so he could forgive himself for the last mentioned personal grievance, but still he wrestled with the thought of how easily he was overcome by his desires – desires of which the root themselves was unknown!
"The captain of the border patrol…he seeks audience with you, my Lord."
"Send him to me."
The servant, Kiyo, left without another word, and as the room lapsed into silence, the awkward tension rose to power.
"You will not speak of this."
Kagome winced at the harshness of his tone, though a small part of her had expected his behavior.
"Choosing not to speak of it isn't going to reverse the fact that it did."
Touga did not honor her retort with a response, only narrowing his eyes at her in annoyance.
"But it will certainly make it easier to forget. Not a word of it, miko."
XXXXX
"My lord, The lord of the South, Kirei is sending soldiers this way. A group of them were sighted this morning steadily encroaching on the lands nearest to the northern border when they were caught and driven back."
"And their reason for this?"
Toga had been staring out of a window, only half of his attention devoted to the captain of his border patrol, but he turned to look at the man that stood on the other side of his desk when his question was met with silence. The taiyoukai waved a hand, a clearly annoyed expression now marring his features, urging a reply from the man.
"Well, my Lord…that was the odd thing…the reason that I requested to see you. They gave no reason. They simply crossed back over the northern border and into the most east part of the northern lands themselves. But they said nothing…they just stood there."
Toga looked back to his window now, dismissing the soldier with another wave of his hand. Still, he saw nothing of the lush fields, his mind working much to fast to take them into any sort of account. It was not the fact that the soldiers his guard had told him of did not speak that put him off, for that could be perfectly explained away by them having the sense not to incriminate themselves. Incriminate themselves further, that is, since the western lands was already enemy territory.
It was that fact that had Touga, vexingly, unnerved. Kirei was sending men into his lands through the north; also enemy territory. There were undoubtedly much easier ways for his soldiers to have gotten into the west – patrol would still have found them and pushed them back, but still much easier ways indeed. The first, and certainly the easiest, would be crossing the border that they shared!
And why else would he make a roundabout trip through the north unless he had business - of the illegal variety - there as well.
Kirei was planning something, and knowing the panther demons ways as well as he did? Touga knew nothing good was in store for him.
XXXXX
And having not appreciated being told what to do any bit at all, Kagome most certainly did tell the tale of how the sexual tension between her and Touga came to its head. But the Kami were not with her today – apparently they were on the western lord's side in the matter. Did they not even take into account that she had waited an entire day to get it off her chest? Kagome glared at Mai as she laughed.
"It isn't funny!"
She crossed her arms like a petulant child, resisting the urge to stomp her foot as well. Mai dabbed at the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Oh but it certainly is, little one. Why you two are no better than a randy, newly-mated couple."
"I resent that…"
Kagome mumbled, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as the older woman continued to laugh at her plight. Sesshomaru whimpered from his bassinet- which Kagome noted he was getting much too big for- and she went quickly to attend. Half awake, Sesshomaru kicked his legs in frustration, reaching for her with the fist he didn't have in his mouth, and Kagome lifted him with a coo. She realized his need for a changing, and moved to remedy that issue before he could really wake up into his discomfort.
Maoshi, the granddaughter of her older tormenter, handed her a clean diaper with a shy smile.
"Thank you, Maoshi, my only friend."
Unfortunately, Kagome found her comment, which had been directed at the older maid, did not have the desired effect. Again, much to her chagrin, Maoshi laughed.
"Come, little one, don't be upset because I speak the truth."
"It's not the truth! What Toga and I have is nothing! We have nothing!"
She didn't look up at her, busying herself with changing Sesshomaru instead. She moved quickly and methodically, wanting nothing more than to separate herself from the situation as the tension cut thickly through the air in an almost suffocating way. The room was quiet now, Mai finally realizing that perhaps she had pushed the young woman too far.
"Kagome, child,"
With a wrinkled hand to the younger woman's chin, Mai lifted Kagome's gaze to her own.
"I did not mean to offend. What you and Touga have is special-"
"We have nothing."
Kagome tried to assert again, because it was obvious the old woman wasn't listening the first time she said it. Unfortunately, it seemed again that her words went nowhere.
"The fact that you think that alarms me, Kagome. You…you are the mother of his son, just as he is the father of yours. Besides that, Touga-sama is certainly easier on the eyes than most. And, Kagome, you are one of the most beautiful young women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. "
Kagome sighed through her teeth, biting her lip. Mai tutted, pinching her cheek to make her stop.
"Don't think on it too much, child, please. Just let things happen as they should."
XXXXX
"You are hiding?"
Shippo jumped in surprise, almost falling out of the tree he had climbed into, having not noticed the taiyoukai that had approached him until now. Touga chuckled, making his own way up to the branch the boy sat on in one easy jump.
"I'm not hiding."
And judging from the look the pup was giving him, he surmised that he wasn't going to get any other answer either. Still, Touga prodded; something inside of him very displeased with the unhappy expression on the boy's face.
"I don't know how my guards didn't find you. You aren't particularly well hidden at all."
"Hey! I said I wasn't hiding…"
Shippo challenged his statement just as the inu lord expected him to, and Touga was glad to see a smile on the little boy's face as well.
"Besides…I couldn't get any higher."
Touga chuckled, gathering the boy into his arm before bounding up to the highest branch that could support the both of them. He made sure to hold the boy steady, with hands on his waist, as he animatedly took in his new view of the palace grounds.
"Shippo,"
The excited pup turned silver eyes, much like his own, to him, cocking his head to one side in question. Touga chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Your mother was looking for you."
And the boy's face fell. His happy expression dissolved so quickly Touga was immediately alarmed.
"Okaa-san…has Maru-chan now. She doesn't care about me anymore."
"Shippo,"
Touga hooked his finger underneath the boy's chin, lifting his identical golden gaze to his own.
"That could not be further from the truth."
The little boy bit his lip, an expression Toga recognized from the miko of the moment. He chuckled, tapping the boy's chin with his thumb, thus getting him to stop – it wasn't a good habit.
"Sesshomaru is much younger than you. He needs attention twenty of the twenty four hours of the day at least."
Of course he was exaggerating, quite a bit, but the way Shippo rolled his eyes was much to amusing for him to regret doing so.
"And,"
Toga began again, pulling the boy down to a sitting position in his lap.
"Your tutor has told me at least twice since you asked for combat training how tired you are when you are finally free for the day. And I myself can hardly say that I don't believe him – last week you almost fell into your food!"
Shippo laughed with him, leaning into the taiyoukai.
"But that was just last week though. I know our basics so training isn't that hard anymore-"
"Your mother advised Tekken to slow your lessons. When you came to dinner so overtired she was very worried for you."
The tension, that Touga didn't really know the boy held until he let it go, drained from the little boy's body quickly as he became hopeful.
"Really?"
Shippo turned to look over his shoulder, his questioning gaze. Touga smiled down at the boy.
"Of course, Shippo."
XXXXX
Kagome kissed her son's head.
She smiled; perhaps she would have to start referring to him as her eldest now.
She was shocked when her frantic searching had been put to an end by the western lord himself; Shippo snoozed unaware on his shoulder. But the shock of her life had come in the western lord telling her that her son was having doubts in her love for him.
She wiped away the tear that was trekking silently down her cheek now, but still Shippo whimpered, his senses acute to her sadness even in his sleep.
"You silly boy, how could you ever think such a thing?"
She ran her fingers through his chopped silver hair, raining kisses over his face. She had cleared that one up very quickly, hating that she had to be so stern with him in order to fully engrain in his mind just how much she loved him. But it needed to be done.
"I will never ever stop loving you."
Shippo snuggled closer to his mother subconsciously; he did not wake though.
No, she was alone again, and unfortunately the dead calm aloud her thoughts to run unchecked at a mile-a-minute.
A/N: Am I aware that I left the kiss issue very much unresolved and Touga consequently looking like an asshole? Yes, yes I am. I wanted this one just…out. There was a lot of dialogue in this one and not much substance, but the next one (that will be out later today) is mostly thoughts and stuff. Eh, I hope it wasn't too bad, and even if it was, I WANT YOU TO REVIEW!...as usual…
P.S: This chapter was unbeta-ed because I felt bad for not having this up earlier, but AubergineInk is a very amazing beta, and friend. If you guys should ever get the pleasure of meeting someone like her…consider your bucket list completed…