InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Assassin's Daughter ❯ Lodging in Moscow ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Sorry, there no room for you."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and pleaded for patience. Usually he could last over an hour without losing his cool, but lately his maximum time was only five minutes. To fuel his anger, he counted off all the mishaps of the past two days.

First and foremost, he failed his mission. It was completely unacceptable in his family.

Second, he was forced to pay for repairs on his rented car. The French dealer believed his lie about a mysterious gang fight he had no part in–ahem, sure–though he was still held liable for any damages.

Third, his father was pissed at him and denied sending the jet to pick him up, stranding him in a foreign country with next to no money. Hmph, he was basically disowned for a day...

Fourth, he had actually flown on the economy class only to end up sitting beside a chatter box and having his flight cancelled. His patience had worn extremely thin and he was still no where near Japan!

And now, there were no more available rooms in the hotel offering 'free lodging' in Moscow. His pockets were literally empty–it was impossible to pay for another hotel, and he was definitely not going to debase himself by sleeping in the airport's waiting room like the rest of the people whose flights were cancelled.

Grr! Damn his double life!

This Russian with horrible English was testing the limits of his self-control. What did it take for him to just get a nice little room with a comfy bed to at least rest on? Sure, he hardly needed sleep, but after all his stress it was gladly welcomed!

Ugh, what now? Should he continue arguing or proudly 'sleep' in the waiting room for the rest of the night?

Nope, Sesshoumaru was definitely staying.

"Are you certain there are no other rooms? Not even if I decide to pay for it?" Although he only had enough to buy him some McDonalds for breakfast...

The hawk demon manager of the Novotel hotel grunted in annoyance, narrowing his beady black eyes at this persistent dog. Now he knew that all dog demons were naturally stubborn. "There no room for you! No room! Zero room! Go back to plane!" He gritted his teeth and grumbled in fluent Russian, "Pedik blyadischa huesos..."

"He just called you a gay whore cocksucker, Stranger!"

The dog demon turned around to see little Miss Sunshine walking towards him with an ever present chipper smile adorning her face. He was about to tell her that she might as well go back to the airport, yet he remembered she was the clever lunatic woman who had reserved her room ahead of time. That put him in an even sourer mood.

And since when did she speak Russian?!

"How do I tell him to go to hell?" It would make him feel better...

She leaned in so the hotel manager wouldn't be able to hear and whispered as though she was relating top secret information, "Sosi moi hui, suka."

Sesshoumaru furrowed his eye brows, but shrugged and repeated her words in rusty Russian–Inuyasha was the Russian expert, hence why he was in Siberia and not him. But he achieved his desired effect, smirking as the manager's pudgy cheeks flared red in fury, while his beady black eyes threatened to pop from their sockets.

Ah, the joy of pissing someone off!

After giggling at Stranger's method of attaining revenge, the cinnamon-eyed woman smiled politely at the disgruntled hawk demon glaring daggers at the smug demon standing beside her. "Dobryy vecher! Nomer 212, pozhaluysta."

It still amazed the assassin how fluently she spoke the foreign language that seemed like gibberish to him... But the manager only scoffed, eyeing Sesshoumaru carefully, before he turned his back to retrieve the woman's room key. He handed it to her mutely without taking his eyes off of him.

Sunshine nodded in thanks and then faced her companion. "Have you gotten your room key yet?"

"Supposedly, there are no more rooms available."

"What?! I can't believe it! Where are you going to sleep, then?"

It surprised him how genuinely concerned she sounded for him. Why should she care if he didn't have a room to sleep in? He was a demon–sleep was a leisure activity for him.
"In the airport, obviously."

"No way! I can't let you do that when I have a big enough room!" She finally realized what she was proposing to a complete stranger, and her cheeks tinged pink.

All the while, Sesshoumaru couldn't help mulling over her innocence...

Sunshine meekly cleared her throat, noticing how intensely she was being scrutinized. "I mean, my bed is queen-sized, but I swear we can both fit! I-I don't mind sharing my room with you...and if you're uncomfortable with it, I can always sleep on the floor..."

"You would sleep on the floor when you're the one who reserved the room?" He raised an eye brow incredulously.

"Umm...yeah...?"

Sesshoumaru could hardly believe the antics of this woman. Was she truly so kind and selfless? Or was she trying to lure him into some trap in order to stab him to death in his sleep? Yes, assassins were usually this solicitous.

While looking into her large, innocent cinnamon eyes seeming to beg him to say yes, he quickly made a decision. She wasn't the killer type–unlike him–so he might as well give up trying to resist her offer. Besides, as long as they continued to play this 'stranger' game, his identity was safe and it was impossible to trace him once in Japan.

Surviving a night with the lunatic woman shouldn't be hard, right?

"Very well. Lead the way...'Sunshine'."

She grinned and happily nodded while taking a hold of his hand, much to his surprise, as she practically skipped along the path to the elevators. And shockingly, he didn't tear his hand away from hers...he actually enjoyed the feel of her soft, warm hand clasped in his. The young woman soon realized this and began merrily swinging their joint arms in tune with her bouncing steps.

She is very childish...and yet, it doesn't bother me. Amusement curved his lips into a tiny smile missed by the aforementioned woman.

"Oh, and by the way..." She abruptly stopped in mid-step, blinking up at him curiously. He briefly closed his eyes and hoped he wasn't making a grave mistake... "You won't have to sleep on the floor."

Ok...so far it wasn't too bad.
The bed was comfy at least...the room might've been small, but it was clean and insect free. Gods, he didn't even want to remember that time his father sent him on a mission in Sri Lanka. He had never seen cockroaches so huge in his entire life! They were as long as his finger!

Either way, the story ended with him shooting them all back to hell.

His excuse was target practice–he was 'definitely' not afraid of cockroaches.

Sesshoumaru sighed at the dreaded memories and rolled onto his back on the bed he was lying on. He felt extremely out of place in this small room. Usually he slept on luxurious beds in five star hotels, which he normally afforded...excluding his Sri Lanka mission since he had been forced into a hut.

He sorely missed his bed back in Japan because it was king-sized and actually accommodated him–he was really tall!

On the bright-side, at least Sunshine hadn't lied about the queen-sized bed. It would have been worse sharing a twin-sized one...

Thinking about the crazy woman, she was currently getting ready for the night...in the bathroom. Hearing the shower turn off, he deduced that she'd be out soon enough and he'd be free to fall asleep without any disturbances.

Unless she snored...or moved around too much...or talked in her sleep...or even sleep walked...

To sum it all up–he was a light sleeper.

I wouldn't be surprised if she talked in her sleep. Sesshoumaru smirked while letting his eyes drift close. It makes sense given the way she rambles on and on for eternity.

The door to the small bathroom finally creaked open–perhaps he can actually get some rest now! Hmm...now a weird thought popped in his mind: did Sunshine sleep in Care Bear pajamas? Sesshoumaru couldn't comprehend why he even cared so much to even wonder what she slept in...

That was, only if it wasn't a crimson corset top and a pleated skirt...

No! No more Assassin's Daughter! She. Was. No. Where. Near. Him!

Soon enough, however, his curiosity took over–damn his canine heritage–and he lifted one of his eye lids just to catch a glimpse of her. And then the other eye bolted open in pursuit. His mind completely blanked and his inner demon's desires consumed him...

After that, his body began to move on its own accord...

"Crap! I'm such an idiot! How could I have taken a shower without bringing my clothes in with me to the bathroom?! I'm telling you, Stranger, I'm as airheaded as–" She was cut off with a gasp when a masculine body crushed her form against his, shoving her against the nearest wall as his large hands firmly gripped her slim waist.

Her unblinking cinnamon eyes stared up at her captor's smoldering golden honey irises that seemed to penetrate her defenses and leave her completely bare. His eyes watched the way water droplets slowly dripped down her neck and into the valley between her breasts, modestly covered by the white towel she had hastily wrapped around her wet form. Without warning, his clawed finger traced the flush of her cheeks, explored the curve of her throat, and stopped before the swell of her bosom.

If she had known her 'attire' would elicit this kind of reaction from Stranger, then she would have at least made sure her towel was bound more tightly!

"You're very bold–first you invite a stranger to share your room and then you prance around in a towel." His smooth voice was seductively husky and it sent pleasurable shivers down her spine. She knew he was trying to purposely arouse her! "If you're not careful, Sunshine, that stranger might take advantage of you."

"B-But I just f-forgot my...my clothes! I didn't mean to–" The clawed finger that had traced the curvy shape of her figure settled on her soft lips, halting her speech. Her cheeks instantly flushed a brighter red.

"One mistake," they were pressed so closely together that she could feel the rumble in his chest when he spoke so deeply, causing her to gently bite her bottom lip in order to suppress a moan, "easily leads to another. Usually...it's one more severe."

The young woman with wide cinnamon eyes deduced his hidden meaning. Of course, he first had the chance to loosen her towel to get his message across... She briefly mused how it had not fallen off with the heat of his lithe body to begin with.

"What? Are you saying you're going to rape me?" She chuckled, albeit nervously, because it was improbable that he would do anything of the sort. It just didn't fit his stoic profile!

Right?

Then again...the way he lowered his head so his warm breath tingled the sensitive flesh below her ear...just the overall way he was seducing her didn't fit him either...

His lips then curved into a rather chilling smirk...the smirk of a true sadist enjoying the misery and torture of others. "Every one has an inner demon. Are you certain you can trust me? I could be a rapist waiting for the right moment to pounce on you."

"You could be, but you're not." She glanced to her left side. What if she made a mad dash for the bathroom...?

"Really, now?" Sesshoumaru's expression finally lived up to his callous name and he moved his roaming hand to fist against the wall right above the young woman's head. She had no means of escape–he made sure of it. "You barely know me and yet you continue to assume I am nothing less than a gentleman."

Sunshine tsked as her hands, which had been pinned to her sides, slowly slid up his bare, chiseled chest, memorizing each crease of muscle they encountered. "Perhaps it's because you don't have the ability to read people, Stranger."

"Explain yourself," he said, attempting to ignore the warm slender hands discovering new territory on his body.

At first, he had been in control with his captive being too shy and innocent to shove him away. But now, she was gradually regaining her stance as the woman who held his attention, as well as his attraction. Damn, at this rate she was going to drive him insane!

Even if he just met her–gods, her sweet scent was an addictive drug to his senses and the feel of her feminine body, complete with sensual curves, was uncoiling the leash around his self-control! As nice as it sounded, it was dangerous for him to be feeling this way...it was dangerous to let anyone have this sort of control over him!

He wanted her...badly. She chirped louder than birds and was more childish than a five year old, but he wanted her. And dammit, he would not rest until he had her.

He also knew...that she was taking advantage of the power she possessed over him. She was a smart little vixen, acknowledging the new game between them and turning the tables in her favor.

Sesshoumaru was starting to like this bold and wily Sunshine...

"Behind your stoic mask lies a demon who will never lay a hand on me to do harm–I can see it in your eyes that you wouldn't waste your time raping defenseless women. Why would you? Any woman in her right mind would go out of her way to sate your desires."

Gods, right at that moment, the Assassin's Daughter took the young woman's place beneath him, issuing him another challenge with her devious dark eyes. The raging fire of his attraction morphed into an explosion of lust, and it was extremely difficult to continue the role of a stoic assassin. A frustrated growl rumbled his throat.

This was why assassins were forbidden to interact with people during their missions!

"Are you one of those women?" He decided to play along, if only to distract himself. At this point, he was going to throw her over the bed and go...wild...

"Maybe." A playful smile curved her lips, and her hands finally found their way into his hair, twirling the silk strands between her fingers.

"I see..." Sesshoumaru couldn't help but press closer to her, growling at not being able to feel her bare skin flush against him because of the damn towel in his way. "I don't think you're so defenseless."

Her playful smile turned into a devilish smirk. "Good, because I'm not."

"Will you be a challenge for me, then?" Like the Assassin's Daughter...

Her cinnamon eyes gleamed dangerously, reminding him of a fierce lioness ready to begin a chase for her prey. He actually liked the sound of being chased... "Now you're on track."

"Watch yourself, my sweet, or I'll have to rape you to get what I want."

The young woman leaned upwards so that her supple, pink lips were only a hairsbreadth away from his. "Trust me...it wouldn't be rape."

Her concession was gasoline igniting the fire of his lust, and before she knew it, he claimed her lips with his own in a bruising, passionate kiss of dominion. She arched her back as a moan of pure pleasure escaped her, drawing out a growl of similar cause from the stranger who overpowered her senses. He nibbled her bottom lip repeatedly in a silent plea, and she understood the hint, parting her lips for him to enter and explore.

As their passion increased ten fold, the couple soon migrated to the bed, each of them trying to subjugate the other. Sesshoumaru was entirely lost behind a red wall erected by lust and passion to realize that he was not supposed to be kissing the life out of this woman, or that if his father ever caught word of this occurrence, then he would do much worse than disown him for a day.

But did he care at the moment?

No.

He wanted to feel her burning, soft skin rubbing against him; he wanted to taste the sweetness of her core–dammit! His libido had never been so powerful before! And inwardly, he knew that his uncanny attraction for this woman would not easily be sated or even leave him...

After tonight, he would somehow find her again in Japan.

The urge to kiss her and care for her and protect her, the need to pleasure her and guard her and provide for her was not part of his regular one-night stand routine. His inner demon was nearly overriding him to take her as his mate! It had never done anything of the sort! Therefore...this young woman, who was just as wanton as he, truly had a special hold over him.

For as long as he lived, Sunshine was not going anywhere.

Sesshoumaru would make sure of it.

And one day, he will solve the mystery of why he kept seeing the Assassin's Daughter every time he laid eyes upon her.

But for now, he was going to enjoy–

Vbb! Vbbb! Vbb! Vbbb!

Dammit!

Sesshoumaru stopped himself from completely unfolding Sunshine's towel–yes, miraculously, it had not fallen off yet. She stared up at him with dazed, smiling cinnamon eyes since she noted his frustration, though she made no move to initiate another heated kiss. Oh well, his phone would stop vibrating soon, so back to–

Vbb!! Vbbb!! VBBBB!!!

"Let the person who is insane enough to call me at this hour die already," he snapped, supporting himself on top of Sunshine with his forearms.

She merely giggled and alas decided to secure her towel. "Go answer it. We've had enough fun for tonight."

Fun for you but vital for me. He glared daggers at his sleek BlackBerry, wishing that he had not spared it from being crushed into tiny pieces earlier. "Grr, fine you piece of shit from hell! When we get home, I'm lighting you on fire!" And he turned to also glare at the now laughing hysterically woman still lying on his...well, their bed. "don't move!"

"-giggle- Fine! But you better hurry, Stranger, or you'll miss your chance to curse the caller out!" Her declaration had only brought on another fit of laughter, one in which she actually rolled off the bed... Thud! "Ow! I'm ok!"

Sesshoumaru shook his head and finally picked up his phone. He read the caller-ID and had to withhold the urge to flush the contraption down the toilet. "What the fuck do you want at fucking three in the fucking morning, Inu-fucking-yasha?!"

"Sheesh! Put your pants back on, bastard! Did I just stop you from getting laid or what?!"

Technically...it was true... The dog demon glanced at Sunshine from the corner of his eyes and saw her make a move towards the bathroom, her sleeping attire suddenly in hand. He growled at her, and she comically stood frozen still. "What do you want, little brother?"

"Weeell...guess where I'm at now."

"What the hell kind of question is that?!" This was why he had never wanted a younger brother! All the half-breed did was annoy the shit out of him! It would've been a different story if he consented to becoming his slave, but...

"Just guess, dammit! The faster you do, the sooner you get to hang up!"

Ah, he could do that right now... "And don't you dare hang up now or I'll be calling you every five minutes until you're next flight!"

"How do you know I'm not in Japan?"

"I looked up your flight schedule–you ain’t gettin' nowhere near there until tomorrow afternoon. Ok, no more questions! Guess!"

The dog demon for once decided to comply, if only to get back to his previous doings–wait, where the hell did Sunshine go?! He looked around the room only to find her missing and...dammit! She was changing in the bathroom when he told her not to move! The nerve of her!

As if he didn't know that meant he wasn't getting lucky tonight!

And it was all Inuyasha's fault...

"Listen half-breed, I am not in the mood–"

"GUESS ALREADY YOU STUPID BASTARD!!"

Fine goddammit! "You're procreating with Super Cows and Mighty Chickens in Siberia."

"..."

"There, I guessed. Now leave me alone."

"You fucking asshole–you hardly tried! But I'm tired of you so I'm just gonna say it: I'm in Japan."

Pause.

Extended pause.

Pause that lasted for minutes and minutes.

How in the fucking hell was his brother, who had been in a remote area in Siberia some hours ago, magically end up in Japan?! How did Inuyasha get to Japan before he did?! Now he couldn't goad about arriving there first!

"You must be asking yourself how I accomplished it; but you see I have something called a wife. Yeah, you know, the woman I share my house with. Anyway, Dad sent her on a mission to–"

"Since when did father start sending your miko on missions? And you allowed this?" He found it surprising that his brother, an overprotective husband, would let his wife roam the world...without him tagging along.

"Keh! Our old man threatened me to let her go and Kagome supported him. Geez, now I know how Miroku feels when Sango threatens to chop his balls off... Anyway, she was dealing with some debtors in Ireland, and I called her to come pick me up. Sooo...now I'm in Japan. In. Your. Face."

Oh, that half-breed was going to kiss the ground when he arrived! "How was your jet able to get to Japan when my flight was cancelled due to an oncoming typhoon?"

"We flew around it while it was still away from Japan, duh."

Great, his brother was a smart-ass. This was actually one of the few moments in his life in which he wished he had a wife... "Is this all you have to say to me at three in the morning?" His flight was at eight, for goodness sake!

"Hmm...yeah, pretty much. Oh, and 'InuTaishou-sama', as the stupid fart Jaken told me to call Dad, is gonna lecture us when you get back. Be prepared."

Click.

Crap, why was Inuyasha the first one to hang up lately?! Sesshoumaru had been looking forward to it yet again! And not only was his father still pissed, but he was going to receive a lecture from him...not good. It wasn't something he wanted to deal with once he returned from such a grueling trip.

He sighed and refrained from smashing his phone...again. His mood was deteriorated–hell, not even the Assassin's Daughter called back his momentum. At long last, Sunshine emerged from the bathroom decked in her...light orange and yellow Winnie the Pooh pajamas.

Well, his initial guess had been Care Bears. He wasn't totally wrong, though–they were both bears, right?

"Sooo...how did it go? You look...pooped." She suddenly beamed as though a marvelous idea flew into her head. "I know! Why don't I give you a massage?"

"No thank you." Sesshoumaru had the will to do nothing but sleep. "Come, we have to wake up in three hours and you haven't slept at all."

The cinnamon-eyed woman pouted like a three-year old. "Sunshine not gonna sleep 'til Stranger tells Sunshine what wrong."

The corner of his lips upturned. There was no need to involve her in his life's troubles. She was carefree and innocent–he was jaded and controlled by his father's will. He had no freedom, but he did have one responsibility: assassination.

When someone wronged his family, it was his and Inuyasha's duty to eradicate the perpetrator.

It was an unbroken tradition passed from generation to generation. His mode of life forced him to live in solitude and always fear what could happen if he ever allowed himself to believe that he was able to escape his father's watchful eye.

Never would he have a say in what occurred to him–he even expected his father to arrange his marriage and dictate the precise moment when he should bed his wife.

...not a very comforting thought for his future...

Hell, but his brother's marriage had been arranged...when he was eighteen. During their six years together, he and his wife fortunately managed to fall in love. Yet, they were forbidden to mate or have children.

Ever.

It was depressing, and people still questioned why he was so reticent. How could he not be withdrawn when he possessed no rights as the son of a billionaire portraying an invincible god? To be forced to acknowledge the prison he lived in and the shackles that bound him would destroy anyone's unique personality.

He respected his father–he really did.

But there was a limit to the amount of power any person could authorize.

Sesshoumaru could not tell Sunshine of the burden he carried and had been carrying for years. She could never know the life he led or the blood on his hands. He would never regret his actions, however–he was well-trained and had no use for such emotions. Yet, he wished to spare her his inner pain.

The pain he had yet to accept as his own.

"It's nothing; don't lose sleep over it."

The young woman sighed and took a seat beside the taciturn dog demon on the bed, all the while staring down at her slender hands with gloomy eyes unbefitting of her. Her companion glanced at her in confusion–he could smell her sorrow, but of what?

"I...I know you have some kind of burden to bear, one larger than others. And I know it's what shaped you into the person you are today. To outsiders, you come across as this powerful demon who's unfeeling just as he is uncaring. No one would dare wrong you, or even speak to you. So, you have led yourself to believe you are this malevolent being feared by all. That's not the truth."

She was speaking nonsense...and yet, her words were accurate.

But how could she ever empathized or even try to comprehend him?! As if she knew what he went through every single day of his life! As if she knew the trials and tribulations he faced throughout his adolescence!

He recalled all the times as a young teen when he tried to accept, tried to understand what his family was truly known for–no one else would have lived through it!

How could a mere human who had not known him for more than twenty-four hours claim to be so wise and see the actual 'truth'? What was this damn truth?! And he needed to know how she was able to pinpoint his every thought and self-doubt...

...how she unerringly portrayed him.

Sesshoumaru cruelly smirked while masking the real toll this conversation was taking on him. "Once again you are assuming to know me when it's the complete opposite. I will assume then that you have lived a life being pampered by your loving parents since you're so optimistic and trusting."

"Ha, I wish," she bitterly spat in return, "and like I said before, Stranger, I have the ability to read people and see the good in them. It's not my fault you're a pessimist–but I know you're not a bad person."

"And what if I told you I was a murderer? Would I continue to not be a bad person?" Hmph, murderer. It was close to the truth–assassin was just a more professional term.

"I can care less if you were the one who began World War II–to me, you are a good person. Being forced to do something and accepting it is different than willingly doing it for personal gain. Trust me, I speak from experience."

There it was, that underlying sorrow in her scent. He could only wonder what kind of 'experience' she spoke from...

"Hn. And here I thought you were somewhat intelligent..." Sesshoumaru turned his head to face her, his cold golden honey eyes bearing intensely into her wide cinnamon ones. "Do you think I care about what you so foolishly believe? Do you think I need to hear someone telling me that I am not a bad person?"

She was taken aback by the finely sharpened ice in his tone of voice. "I-I...I just–"

"Cease your speeches of false wisdom. I trust no one but myself–you'll do good to remember that, Sunshine."

And their conversation officially ended with the finality in his voice shocking Sunshine into silence. In the end, she only nodded in defeat and retreated to her side of the bed. Wrapping herself in the extra blanket she had ordered and shifting onto her right side, the young woman settled her gaze on her rolling luggage bag, which was tightly concealed and impenetrable with a lock.

She blinked back any moisture gathering in her eyes and attempted to sleep. But she couldn't. Not with what was inside that bag. The damnable object reminding her of her own duty to her family.

Unbeknownst to her, Sesshoumaru was doing the same thing on his side of the bed, though he was glaring at his suitcase...the one containing his 'illegal weapons'.

"Kill by discipline, honor, and loyalty...live by no bounds and no love...profit by success."

Sesshoumaru heard the soft whisper uttered by the dark-haired woman beside him, and his eyes grew wide. She had just stated the creed of assassins–kill, live, and profit. But, there was no possible way that she was...she couldn't be!

No.

He was just paranoid; he was treading on dangerous territory by interacting with her in the first place. His fear at the moment was Sunshine finding out his true identity and he was already jumping to conclusions that she was on to him.

And if she was an assassin–which she wasn't–he would've noticed.

Perhaps what she mumbled was merely something pertaining to pop culture. One could find anything on the internet nowadays–there was bound to be 'top secret' information on assassins somewhere in the world. Her knowing the creed was a mere coincidence.

Even so, his thoughts never comforted him.

As a result, Sesshoumaru and Sunshine were both still awake when the alarm rang at six in the morning sharp.